The day had finally arrived for the expedition to the dungeon with the Knights of Avarath. Yorwkisa were already at the Knight Solace Grounds, where the merchants' wagon and cartographer were also ready. They had been tasked with assisting the merchant group in passing through the Canyon of Mios. This additional duty was requested by the merchants, and since it didn't require a detour, the Knights humbly agreed. As for Yorwkisa, they had no say in the matter.
"Captain, we are ready!" one of the knights said.
The new group of knights marched with their horses on leashes. In perfect synchronization, they moved in a disciplined formation.
William glanced at his squad and gave a nod of approval.
He then turned toward Rivered and his group, giving them a firm nod as well.
"Alright, we march!" William called out.
The soldiers obeyed his command, and with that, the march to the Dungeon of Mios began.
Avatar unrolled the scroll, detailing the dungeon's ecosystem and the monsters dwelling within.
"Once again, let me go over some important details," Avatar began. "The dungeon is centered around the Valor of Greed, so it's crucial to resist the urge to loot the corpses of the monsters. We can only take soul crystals from them."
"The monster inhabiting the area is the Crimson Bane and the Lord of Raw and Unadulterated Emotion."
"To defeat the Crimson Bane, fire-based magic will deal the most damage. As for the Lord, it will be tricky. We need to vanquish as many of its minions as possible and ensure that negative emotions within us do not grow stronger, or it will become much more powerful. Since we are accompanied by the knight, it should be less difficult, but it's better to be cautious than sorry."
Vigrath glanced at Avatar. "I have some fire attribute skills," he said.
"Good," Avatar replied before turning to Rivered. "Did you get the items I mentioned?"
Rivered gave a firm nod.
"Good," Avatar said again, this time shifting his gaze to Sugo. "You have enough seals, right?"
"Yes," Sugo answered, his tone somber.
With that, they joined the march with the knight, doing their best to protect the merchant wagon. Building a friendly relationship with the merchant was essential, and this opportunity seemed like the best one available to them.
One of the cartographers sneered at them silently before turning to his team. "Look at them, sucking up to that fat merchant. We don't even have enough knights around us."
"Besides, we are the real participants here. The merchant is just a freeloader."
The older cartographer took a puff of his cigar. "Please stop this nonsense, Tom."
"Nothing's going to happen to us with the Knights of Avarath by our side."
Tom retorted, "But... Mr. Jacob, we should be treated as importantly as the merchants."
Old Jacob sighed. "They're just building connections. It's a social call. Calm down, young man. You're too scared to even be here. If not for your father, it would've been better not to include you. Do you understand now how connections work?"
Reading between the lines, Tom immediately shook his head.
"Sorry, Mr. Jacob."
He glanced outside once more, where the knights of Avarath led the march, and a Yorwkisa member moved through the caravan, carefully analyzing for any trouble.
Rivered wasn't the talkative type; he let his friends handle the talking while he drifted along the full length of the caravan. Spotting any anomalies, he would promptly alert them.
"Ugh, this is exhausting," he muttered to himself.
He pulled back his sword, the one he had claimed from the first dungeon he conquered with his team. The Sword of Perseverance, its blade was dull but steadfast, a weapon that remained by his side when others failed him.
With a swift motion, he unsheathed another sword, this one a darker shade, a black obsidian blade, sharp enough to slice through the air as it left its sheath. He admired it briefly before swiftly returning both swords to their scabbards.
The knights around him tensed for a moment, thinking there was danger nearby, but when they saw Rivered sheathe his sword, they sighed in relief.
"Ah... my bad," he said, bowing slightly to the knights.
They replied, "It's alright, Mr. Callahan."
The march continued for days. At times, they encountered bandits, but this proved to be a grave mistake for the bandits as the knights swiftly massacred hideout after hideout.
Rivered and his group occasionally assisted the knights when the monsters became too numerous, but for the most part, the knights handled all the challenges the caravan faced.
Eventually, the merchant took his leave upon reaching his destination, where he was to be placed under guard. The knights, together with Yorwkisa, then continued their journey toward the Dungeon of Mios.
The path to the dungeon grew more treacherous as the monsters became deadlier, their unnatural forms camouflaged in the canopy, striking down the knights at their most vulnerable moments.
Now, the battles were taking a toll on them, and they had lost some knights in the fight against a monster that could change its appearance. It stalked and killed the knights on patrol during the night while everyone else was resting.
Eventually, William and Vigrath confronted the monster. Using his fire skills, Vigrath illuminated the darkness, while William wielded his greatsword to vanquish the creature, putting an end to its reign of terror.
The problem was that the fire-based skills relied on limited scrolls, and Avatar wanted to save as many as possible before facing the Crimson Bane.
With only a handful left, he felt tense about the upcoming battle.
"We're going to be fine," Sugo said, sharpening his sword.
Avatar glanced at him, his worried expression deepening the lines on his face, making him look older than he actually was.
The Captain's Willian Tent:
Rivered stood with the Captain. "What is the condition of the knights?"
"We have lost a few men, but it's going to be alright."
The Captain was lying on the bed, having sustained injuries during the fight, his chest nearly torn open.
"We can take on this dungeon," he added with a hoarse voice.
Rivered let out a sigh of relief. "Alright."
He gave a slight nod as he turned away.
As Rivered stepped out of the tent, the Captain gave an unusual grin.