— Like on the way down, watch where you step. This time, there could be traps, Artoria warned as she retook the lead.
— Leave that to me! I'm a specialist in the matter, Clara said, stepping forward in turn. "Night Vision… Detection…"
Beyond their talent as archers, rangers use techniques often tied to the path of the Bestial God. This martial art is known for teaching abilities similar to those of creatures and monsters encountered in the wild. These techniques have one key trait—unlike spells: they don't require an incantation, and they consume very little stamina.
After she used them, a strange glow coated Clara's dark-tinted eyes. With notable confidence, she moved alongside Artoria to cover the group's advance.
The corridor opened into a large room that served as a reception hall. Its walls—decorated with paintings and frescos from another age—caught Lysandra's attention at once, and she scrutinized every corner.
These ornaments are simply magnificent, she thought, amazed despite the odd atmosphere that seeped from the room.
But as they crossed it, they immediately noticed blackish streaks of blood staining the ruined floor.
— Looks like corpses were dragged through here, Artoria noted, touching the rotted liquid.
The elementalist pointed to the right side of the room.
— I–I think the smell is coming from that direction.
— The blood trail too, Clara added.
— Let's take a look.
With the stench growing stronger at every step, the adventurers followed the macabre tracks with palpable apprehension. Artoria looked more and more concerned as they advanced.
This temple is mostly corridors. If we get ambushed, we'll be in real trouble—I can't hold the front and the rear at the same time…
— Wait! Th–There's movement at the end of the corridor—g-get ready! Clara stammered, hurrying back behind them.
The sudden warning and her tone pushed the group's tension up another notch. By reflex, Artoria raised her shield. Then, with a sly initiative, she struck it with her sword to draw out whatever was lurking in the tunnel's darkness. The metallic sound rang through the narrow space until the echo faded.
— Th–They're coming! I think they're beasts! Clara confirmed.
Artoria took no risks. She held position at the front, waiting for the enemy's first step.
— We'll bait them here. There could be others nearby.
Everyone held their stance, eyes fixed forward, breath tight in their throats.
— Time to see what you're worth, girls!
That remark drew a grimace from the young warrior. As he muttered at the worst possible time, his voice was instantly swallowed by the growls galloping toward them—growing sharper with frenzied aggression.
To get a full view, Artoria lowered her guard and dropped to one knee.
— O Hemera… bless me with your divine light and illuminate the darkness of this place… [Lux Illuminare]!
At her words, a vivid flare burst around her hand and shot down the corridor, revealing two wolves—close, ready to pounce.
— I'll take the one on the right. You take the left, she said, looking at Kevin, who nodded immediately.
Stunned by the violent flash, the beasts still attacked at the same time. The first lunged straight for the shaky boy, knocking him onto his backside with the force of the charge. Overwhelmed, he clumsily impaled it with his sword. His involuntary thrust triggered a dying yelp—followed by a shower of warm, bright-red entrails. Relief flooded him as the wolf died on his blade, but the second wolf immediately increased the pressure, following its packmate's assault.
Before it could exploit Kevin's awkward position, Artoria leapt in front and intercepted it with a brutal shield bash. The shock hurled it into the wall with a crack of bone, giving the paladin the opening to sever its head in one clean strike.
The scene—almost theatrical—earned a brief round of applause from the back line. Artoria, however, kept a neutral expression. As she wiped the viscous fluid off her finely made sword, she finally sighed at their fervor.
— They're just wolves. No need to get that excited.
Her dry tone snapped the young adventurers back to order and restored their vigilance.
— Damn! That stinks! Kevin exclaimed, covered in blood and animal guts.
— Ha ha! That's just a taste of what's waiting for you. Be glad it didn't rip your nose off! Artoria shot back, offering him her arm to pull him up.
Despite the joke, her gaze dropped to the beasts with intensity.
— Don't you notice anything strange?
I expected anything but wolves… and especially… why are they wearing harnesses? Lysandra wondered, taking her chin between her fingers.
A simple idea came to her.
— Hmm… Could they be trained?
Artoria nodded, pointing at them.
— Exactly. Those harnesses prove it. Never forget: the smallest detail matters when you're an adventurer. This dungeon is most likely controlled by demons. Unlikely to be orcs. Maybe goblins, but…
What would they be doing in such a peaceful, protected area?!
— Ugh… Clara groaned. Please, no!
The ranger's exaggerated grimace caught Lysandra's attention. She'd read accounts describing them, but didn't know their way of life.
— A–Are they… really that terrible? she asked, stiffening.
— I haven't run into them yet, but from what I've heard… they kidnap and rape women!
Historians consider goblins one of Midgaïa's plagues. Like opening Pandora's box, they were supposedly released from the world's bowels during explorations meant to uncover the mysteries hidden beyond dungeons.
They are cowards—lazy and thieving. Minor demons with the build of a child, harmless alone, but dangerous in groups. Nocturnal, they raid isolated villages when night reaches its peak. They kill the inhabitants, steal food and valuables. Yet one question remains in all their vile actions: why do they reserve an even crueler fate for the females of other species? Why rape them, then drag them back into their dark, filthy dens?
After many investigations into their way of life, one alarming fact was confirmed: they had no mothers. No female of their kind has ever been found, no matter where goblins appeared. At first, one could have blamed simple sadism—but then, how could they multiply so quickly?
Captives, showing signs of pregnancy, were eventually discovered. Those shattered survivors later gave birth to repulsive little demons—answering, tragically, those ambiguous questions.
Clara's dread spread into Lysandra's innocent gaze.
— Pfff! Why worry about that? Goblins are weak—it'll be easy! Kevin exclaimed with a cocky smile.
— I don't know… If it's so easy, then why do the adventurers who come here disappear? Artoria shot back, frowning.
She used the moment to smack the top of his head.
— Either way, you'd better never underestimate your enemies.
— Okay…
The atmosphere lightened. The group resumed its path, closing in on the spot where the wolves had been seen.
When they reached the next room, the torchlight revealed a very different spectacle. Blood and flesh were smeared crudely across the floor and walls. Piles of corpses were stacked in the center—from bare skeletons to bodies still freshly decomposing. All of it swarmed with a rich ecosystem of scavengers: maggots, flies, cockroaches, rats, and countless other small carrion-feeders, gorging themselves on this grotesque feast.
The adventurers' doubts faded, replaced by harsh reality—confirming the morbid atmosphere that had hung over the dungeon since the entrance.
— Bleeaaargh!
Nami—silent until now—bent over to vomit through her mask. The smell was far stronger here than anywhere else.
Lysandra caught her just in time before she collapsed, supporting her with trembling urgency. Still, it was hard for Lysandra to hide that she didn't look well either.
— S–Sorry… I-It's… it's the first time I've seen a person's corpse, the aeromancer admitted, shaking.
That innocent confession reminded Lysandra of her own experience. She had already lived through something like this at Horizon's kabbalah: a student had blown himself up after misusing a spell during a practical lesson, spraying his remains across the entire classroom. Her reaction back then had been the same as Nami's—so she could reassure her.
— It's nothing… it happens to everyone.
— Do you think you can keep going? Artoria asked.
— Y–Yes… I'm a little better…
— Good. Because if the sight of a corpse does this to you, you should forget the very idea of doing this job.
The young adventurers didn't understand her lack of empathy or the rigid tone she used. They stared at her with uncertainty.
— This room is a dead end—maybe a dump, Artoria said, without voicing what she truly thought. If the dungeon were held by bandits or the like, they'd have burned everything already.
No doubt about it. It's a damn pantry for demons… I can't tell them. Panicking them won't help. But I'll have to double my vigilance,* she thought, scanning the surroundings.
She pressed a hand against her mask to dull the rotten fumes rising from the bodies, frantically searching for a single meaningful detail.
I don't understand… There isn't a single Guild plate among these corpses. I know goblins like valuables… but there should at least be the iron ones.
Noting that strange absence, she straightened, ready to leave.
— Let's go back. I think I saw a second corridor in the entrance hall.
— Maybe… maybe we should go home? Lysandra suggested, still supporting Nami.
— If she says she's fine, then there's no reason to turn back, Artoria replied.
No one opposed her. Everyone simply nodded in a silence that took root within the group.
I didn't expect this… Even if the atmosphere in this dungeon is hostile, I imagined expeditions with more mutual support, Lysandra thought, disappointed by how things were unfolding.
When they returned to the hall, Lysandra turned to face the corridor and clasped her hands.
— O Geb… bless me with your protective strength and fill this void with an impenetrable wall… [Terra Murum]…
After a faint tremor, a rough slab of rock surged from the floor at her call, rising in front of her and clumsily sealing the passage.
— What are you doing?! Artoria shouted, coming back.
— I… I'm closing that corridor. The gases coming off those corpses could be dangerous. And… o–our masks won't last forever…
— You should warn me before you do that!
But…
Artoria's exaggerated reaction tightened Lysandra's chest again. Her azure eyes widened at her partner. In the end, she yielded.
— Y–Yes… you're right. I… I shouldn't have… sorry.
— It's still a good initiative. But warn me when you do that sort of thing. You need to conserve your energy for any fights ahead.
— Hey, Kevin cut in. If this dungeon is overrun with goblins… is it normal we haven't seen any yet?
— Hmm… They're nocturnal creatures. They tend to sleep during the day and go out at night, Artoria explained.
Still, his sharp question caught her. New possibilities—and new doubts—rose in her mind.
There should at least be scouts patrolling…
After crossing the great room, a second route presented itself on the far side. The unpleasant odor that saturated the dungeon faded little by little. Feeling that fresh air return, the adventurers removed their masks one after another.
— Aaaah, finally some air! Clara exclaimed, taking a deep breath. I can't wait to get home and take a proper bath!
Artoria didn't react to her carefree comment. She simply kept moving, close behind her, until a small cry rang out from the back.
— D–Did you hear that?! Nami asked.
— Hear what?
— I… I think there was a noise behind us! she suspected.
Her dull gaze trembled—just like her body. She gripped her metal staff so tightly it squeaked under her sweaty hands.
— Hmm… Maybe you kicked a rock without noticing. Either way, I don't see anything behind us, the ranger drawled.
— Uh… yes… maybe… I… I'm not sure…
— I checked the whole room before we moved on. There was no other passage. The only one got sealed by Lysandra, Artoria added in the same tone.
Darkness and confined spaces are hard for beginner adventurers. Their sight is reduced. The air is rarer. Sounds warp. Too many factors mess with their senses and amplify their unease. I should be more flexible with them… she thought—already used to environments like this.
Lysandra, meanwhile, watched Kevin's remarkable calm.
— You're not scared, Kevin?
The question made him think for a second. Then he turned back with another smile.
— No. I'm used to places like this… When I was little, I used to hunt giant cockroaches and rats in the sewers with some buddies. Honestly, it makes me kind of nostalgic!
— Still, for a guy, you don't talk much, Clara added with a snicker.
He laughed too, scratching the back of his head, blushing at the bluntness of his charming companion.
— Let's say it's the first time I've gone adventuring with… that many girls.
His conversation—and his evasive gaze—said a lot about the shyness he felt around the opposite sex.
Nami, for her part, seemed to regain a bit of color. Yet her feverish movements didn't disappear. Lysandra noticed her terrified expression early enough and called out to her, trying to distract her.
— Did you study in a kabbalah too?
Lysandra's sudden interest made Nami jolt. She sighed when she realized it was just a simple question.
— Ah… yes. But I didn't stay there long.
— Really? W–Why?
— I… I'm not very diligent, to be honest… And I forget pretty quickly what I've just learned.
Magic academies are known for being demanding. They require work, curiosity, and motivation. Students who can't keep up are often expelled without appeal. In general, those who graduate are considered scholars, even while still young. Unlike Nami, Lysandra had been a model student—ranking among the best in her class.
— I really didn't feel comfortable there, Nami added.
— Th–Then why did you become an adventurer?
— Is that a criticism?! Nami snapped, raising her voice.
— N–No! Not at all! I… I'm just curious, since it's a hard job.
The aeromancer loosened, looking down at her staff with renewed energy.
— My… my parents are farmers. When my affinity was revealed, I thought it could let me do more—and help them. After all, adventuring is a job that can pay a lot…
— I see… That comes from a good place, Lysandra agreed, letting a smile float.
Even so, Nami fell quiet again, returning to her sullen expression.
— Uh… we've got a problem, guys! Clara warned. The effect of my skills wore off, and I won't be able to use them again for a while…
— It's fine, Artoria replied. If they have wolves, then I doubt they've set traps.
The corridor they followed was much longer than the earlier ones. At the bend of a turn, they finally saw a faint light. Hurrying toward the distant room, they realized the glow came from a torch-holder. Its tiny flame was strong enough to be seen through the darkness.
When they reached the center, the ranger jolted in fright.
— G–Goblins!
As they got closer, the light from their torches revealed the bodies of the little demons sleeping right on the floor.
— Damn it… shut up… Artoria whispered, pressing her metal finger to her mouth.
Their clumsy noise broke the element of surprise. The goblins began waking one after another, their groans growing louder and louder.