Point of View: Drakar
—What are you doing?
I advanced slowly through the tunnel. The warriors tensed slightly the moment they saw me.
—Greetings, Captain.
I nodded calmly.
Then I looked at Tharok.
The massive gorilla was unconscious on Sara's back.
—I'll ask again —I said in a deep voice—. What is happening here?
Sara stepped forward.
Even through the mask, I could hear the control in her voice.
—Captain, my fiancé collapsed. I want to take him outside the dungeon so he can rest.
I shifted my gaze toward the other three warriors.
—Is that true?
One of them answered immediately.
—Yes, Captain. We were resting and he suddenly dropped.
Another added:
—We thought maybe the alcohol hit him badly, but...
He fell silent.
I quickly understood what was happening here.
They weren't convinced.
I looked back at Sara.
She knew it too.
The atmosphere was far too tense.
The warriors' hands still lingered close to their weapons.
Calmly, I spoke:
—Warrior Sara, I order you to take your fiancé somewhere safe and return to the mission immediately afterward.
She lowered her head.
—Yes, Captain.
Then she adjusted Tharok's unconscious body on her back and began walking into the darkness of the tunnel.
The shadows eventually swallowed her figure whole.
I waited a few seconds.
Then one of the warriors spoke quietly.
—Is it really alright to let her go alone, Captain?
I raised an eyebrow.
—Why do you ask?
The warrior hesitated before answering.
—Because something feels wrong.
Another growled softly.
—That drink shouldn't have done this.
—We bought it in Dalaran —the third continued—. It only relaxes the mind a little. You'd have to drink far too much to lose consciousness.
—And Tharok barely drank a few cups.
I observed the three of them in silence.
They were more perceptive than I expected.
That was good for the alliance.
But troublesome for this situation.
—So you suspect her?
—Who else could it be? —one replied honestly—. None of us had any reason to do something like that.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
The soul contract prevented them from saying too much or directly acting against the mission, but that didn't mean they were stupid.
And they clearly already distrusted her.
I slowly exhaled.
—Don't worry so much. Warrior Sara signed a soul contract. She cannot harm the members of this mission.
They exchanged glances.
—That makes sense...
—Yeah... maybe we're overthinking it.
But their voices didn't sound convinced.
I decided to cut the subject short before they kept reflecting on it.
I looked at their backpacks.
They were filled with metallic cores.
They had a successful hunt.
—Now that you're only three, your efficiency will drop considerably. Another group needs support. Join them.
One lowered his head.
—Yes, Captain. Where are they?
I sent them the location through the system.
Then I watched as they disappeared into another tunnel.
Their figures slowly faded into the distance.
When I was finally alone...
my expression darkened.
Silence returned.
I looked toward the direction Sara had disappeared.
—"Just a little stronger"... —I muttered with restrained fury.
My claws dug lightly into the stone floor.
That's what they said.
Nothing more.
According to the information they provided, the boy was only slightly stronger than his father.
Nothing abnormal.
Internal leadership conflicts happened in many tribes.
Some sons grew too quickly.
Others questioned the authority of the chief.
And sometimes...
families sought outside help before losing control completely.
The alliance accepted because the price was too valuable.
A detailed map of the dungeons belonging to the Plane Lords.
That kind of information could completely change the balance of power in the Main Plane right now.
But no one...
no one imagined the real problem wasn't the map.
It was the monster we were provoking.
I still remembered the day Tharok arrived at my tribe.
He hadn't done anything.
He hadn't even released origin energy.
But my instincts reacted immediately.
As a predator...
I sensed it.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
And the more I observed him...
the clearer it became.
—He wasn't normal...
I narrowed my eyes.
I am one of the three strongest members in the entire alliance.
And even so...
I'm not sure I could defeat him.
That was not something to say lightly.
Much less about a young warrior from a minor tribe.
My tail moved slowly behind me.
—For me to feel something like that...
Then the conclusion was obvious.
Tharok probably possessed two Arts.
One of the rarest and most dangerous talents in the Main Plane.
And the alliance had signed an agreement to help kill him.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
—Idiots...
A map was not worth offending someone like that.
It wasn't worth the risk.
It wasn't worth the consequences.
But now it was already too late.
The contracts were signed.
And the alliance had to fulfill its part.
I opened my eyes again.
Cold.
Calculating.
—I just hope the plan works.
Because if that boy survived...
and came demanding answers...
I would personally hand over the heads of those responsible.
I wouldn't hesitate.
And no one in the alliance would stop me.
I looked once more at the dungeon's dark tunnels.
The cold air, the moisture clinging to the stone walls, and the crystals emitted an increasingly faint light.
Many hours had already passed since we entered.
And something still bothered me.
Rangar's subordinates still hadn't appeared.
That made no sense.
I slowly approached one of the walls while thinking.
Tomorrow, the system would announce that only four days remained before the overflow.
It was impossible for them to ignore something like this.
Rank One dungeons became far too dangerous once they overflowed.
They were already struggling against the abominations.
If a wave of monsters appeared on top of that...
even for Rangar, I doubted he could handle it.
I slowly shook my head.
—No... they'll come.
Of that, I was certain.
Maybe they were simply delayed.
Maybe they were still occupied with another dungeon.
Or maybe the pressure they were under was worse than we imagined.
But they would come.
They could not ignore this.
I stared into the darkness of the first floor.
Silent.
Cold.
Endless.
—And when they arrive...
My claws slowly scraped against the ground.
—We'll have to fight.
The thought didn't please me.
Even with all the preparations we made, facing Rangar's direct subordinates inside their own dungeon would be dangerous.
Very dangerous.
The worst part was that I couldn't use my full power here.
I could only use one Art.
If I used two, it would become far too easy for them to identify me, and that would lead them straight to the alliance.
With fear in my voice, I whispered:
—The wrath of three Plane Lords...
The alliance would not survive that.
But if they never appeared...
then we would take advantage of every last moment.
My eyes glowed faintly.
—Maybe we can even kill the dungeon boss.
The core of a creature like that would surely be of far higher quality.
Enough to improve my armor even further.
And if we were going to take this risk...
then it had to be worth it.