The two days were over, their training had progressed further than expected. When the doors opened, a cool breeze came rushing in, and the queen entered, her presence as calm and warm as ever. She looked at them, scanning their mana levels, and she could not help but smile. ’Not bad, maybe they can pull it off after all and...’
Her gaze shifted to Jia, who was standing by Vell’s side like a warrior protecting her master. ’What is going on here? Not only are they close, but her mana levels have also increased. Incredible. Just what training method did he use?’
As soon as her queen kneeled, Jia got on one knee to show respect. "I greet my queen." The queen raised her hand, signaling her to stand. Vell, on the other hand, did not greet her, not in a respectful way, at least.
"Hi, it is good to see you again." Jia looked at him with an almost worried expression.
"Hey, that is the queen, cannot you at least try and be respectful?" She whispered to him, but his confident expression did not waver. She looked over at the queen and saw her gaze, she knew it all too well—the queen was pissed. ’Crap, crap, he is going to get himself killed.’
"Silence!" Her voice carried power. It was no longer soft and warm, it carried a pressure that forced them all to their knees. "Listen well, human, I have put up with your disrespect because we need your help, but you seem to be misunderstanding things and crossing the line. You would do better to remember who you are talking to. Do my words reach you?" Read full story at 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝙣𝙚𝙩
He smirked. "Yeah, I hear you. I hear you all too well." The look in his eyes was that of a predator locking on to its prey. ’I knew she was hiding her true nature, this is going to be fun.’ The look in his eye did not go unnoticed by Jia.
’What are you planning, human? If you dare bare your fangs at the queen, I will end you!’ Her bloodlust was obvious, but Vell ignored it. There was no need to cause a scene—not right now, at least.
"Very well, then let us continue with the matter at hand. You—"
He cut her off, this was a waste of time to him. "Sorry to cut off her highness, but is not this pointless? No one has entered the dungeon before, right? So what can you possibly tell us that will help? Should not we just enter and see for ourselves?"
"Hmm, humans truly are impatient. We may not know what is inside this dungeon, but we still know more about dungeons than you can possibly comprehend. So listen, this will be important information."
Before she continued, he spoke. "I do not doubt that, but are not dungeons just pocket dimensions with monsters or unique clear conditions—usually with a boss monster that needs to be defeated or the endurance ones that have waves of monsters, and you need to endure for a specific amount of time? Dungeon information is very common back... home." Calling that place home tasted bitter on his tongue.
’Tch, does he truly wish to die? If that is his wish... more humans will come eventually, I cannot stand this human.’ She sighed, holding back her annoyance. "F.I.N.E, you can enter without any information if that is your wish. The bags in front of you have food that should last for two weeks. Now, let us head to the weapons room, you can all choose one weapon that is to your liking."
Yenna was quiet, she knew she had no say in such big talk, so she simply faded into the background, just listening and hoping Vell did not cause trouble. A guide walked into the room. "Follow him, he will take you to the weapons room. Jia, you stay, I need to talk with you."
’Hmm.’ He looked over to Jia, who was just as confused as he was. "See you around then." He held out his hand, and she looked at it for a few seconds before grabbing it with a smile. "Yeah, see you around... master."
"Hmph." He smirked and walked off, following the guide. Once they were all gone, Jia and the queen were quiet. The queen’s eyes were analyzing her while Jia was fidgeting uncontrollably.
She finally spoke, her voice making Jia jump. "So, how was he? Did you find out anything?"
She was hesitant at first. "Nothing too special, my queen, he is just unusual, but that is it. He did not show me anything that can wow you. I am sorry if I disappointed you." Her posture was calm, her voice sturdy, but the queen could see through the act.
’...My beloved child is lying to me? Just what did that human do for someone who was so loyal to now be lying? ...He is dangerous, is it really the right move to let him be?’ She wanted to kill him, but at the same time, he might be their best chance to save their forest, so she buried that anger for now.
On Vell’s side, they arrived at the weapons room. It was a large hut made with large roots, it is safe to say it looked sturdy—very sturdy. When they entered, a sweet scent hit them. ’Oh, this reminds me of that scent in the association building. Are they using the same flower?’ He looked around for the flower, but it was nowhere in sight.
"Alright, humans, you can each select one weapon from all the weapons in this room. You have ten minutes." The guide left the room to wait outside.
Vell stepped forward, taking in the array of weapons displayed on racks made from intertwining roots. The room had an almost sacred feel, the air had a faint sense of mana. Each weapon seemed to radiate its own energy, as if infused with the life force of the forest.
Yenna hesitated, unsure of where to start. She looked around like a kid in a toy store, while Wren was just relaxing on her master’s shoulder.
"What weapon are you looking for, master?"
"Well, I am more of a sword guy, so I will look around for a good one."
He walked confidently, his gaze moving from swords to spears, axes to daggers. His fingers trailed lightly over the hilt of a massive greatsword before stopping at a long, black-bladed katana. It had an intricate guard that resembled flowing vines, and its grip was wrapped in a dark, textured material that felt like it was made for his hand.
"This... a sacred blade? What is it doing in a place ?" He lifted the weapon, giving it a few experimental swings. The blade whistled faintly as it cut through the air, perfectly balanced. "It is not bad at all," he muttered, feeling the blade’s resonance. It was light but carried an undeniable lethality.
"Is that one to your liking? I can sense a good amount of mana from it," she asked, moving to the right side of his shoulder to get a proper look.
"Yeah, this is the one. I can do so much with it. I wonder if Yenna found anything to her liking. She used a sword before, so maybe she will pick that?" He turned around to look for her.
"That might not work well with her current fighting style. I believe gauntlets would be a better fit since she now fights similar to me."
He glanced over at the other side of the room, noticing her looking around the weapons with a dissatisfied look on her face. ’None of these suit me. If I do not find anything, I might be useless in the dungeon.’
He watched her for a moment, seeing how frustrated she was. "Struggling to find something?"
She looked up, her eyes slightly warming up. "Yeah, nothing feels right. I need something... different. Something that fits my current combat style, but there is nothing here like that."
He smirked. ’She has grown, this is good.’
"What about gauntlets? You have been training with Wren, right? You are fast, and you are learning to hit hard. Gauntlets could enhance that."
Her eyes lit up. "You think so? But I have never used them before..."
"Do not worry about that, they are just gloves. It is not like your fighting style will change. Follow me, I saw some on my way here."
He guided her to a rack where various gauntlets were displayed. Some were sleek and lightweight, designed for speed, while others were bulkier, meant for raw power.
’Ugh, now which ones suit me? I need to choose right.’ She hesitated before picking up a pair of light gauntlets. The moment she slipped them on, they adjusted to fit her hands perfectly. She clenched her fists, feeling the surge of energy coursing through them.
"T-these are amazing! I will take them. What do you think?" He looked at them for a moment, noticing how her posture became confident.
"Yeah, those are suited for you. Great choice." Her face lit up, his compliments always made her feel good. "Okay, time to begin our mission. Let us head back to the queen."