Chapter 15: Binded
"Argh!"
Zeid grunted as the ranger tackled him head-on. With all the ranger's strength, he grabbed Zeid as he pinned him down to the floor. Zeid threw elbow hits desperately on the back of his attacker yet still unyielding.
Thud!
The ranger crashed him down to the floor with unyielding force. Zeid's back thudded painfully on the hard, cold stone floor. The door behind them immediately shut close but their attention wasn't drifted one bit. Now pinned down, Zeid's face met several fists that caused him to flinch every hit. He tried to raise both his arms but the attack passed through. Having enough of it, Zeid jinked his head to the side to avoid the latter brunt.
Bam!
"Argh!" The ranger groaned as the floor cracked on its fist. His fist bounced off from the ground and left his knuckles with a bleeding bruise.
Seeing his chance, Zeid pushed the ranger over his head with a powerful knee to his foe's abdomen. The former then stood, took out his knife in a reverse grip, and dashed towards the ranger.
"Die!"
The ranger who rolled over to the ground, quickly regained his composure in a clutch. He too unsheathed a dagger behind his back while his left hand and legs remained on the floor. With eyes of gleaming green, the ranger pounced like a cougar!
Clang!
A resonating clash of metals produced a spark. But to his surprise, the attacker was unrelenting. The moment their cold steel blade met, the ranger sent a left roundhouse kick to Zeid's face. In an infinitesimal second, Zeid was able to block the foot with his right arm. However, the kick caused his arm to receive the damage and weakened his grip on the knife.
Clang. Clang.
The knife fell to the ground.
"Damn you!" Zeid cursed.
When he thought the ranger would send a slash, Zeid ducked. Hidden under the covers of his balaclava, the ranger smiled.
-Fool!
Bam!
Zeid received a knee to his abdomen. The impact caused Zeid to spew blood from his mouth. Zeid fell on one knee while his body bent from the pain.
"Is this the difference between our experience?" Zeid eyes widened in anger.
"This is the end!" With the dagger raised above his head, he went in for a swift stab but…
Whoosh!
Clank! Clank! Clank!
Suddenly, clanking sounds filled the tunnel-like surrounding. Appearing from small rifts in the air, the unknown chains shackled their hands and feet while a huge manacle grappled their necks.
"What the-" Both of them exclaimed.
Whoosh!
As if the chains were pulled with immense force, both of them crashed into the wall.
Grunts left their lips.
Taken by surprise, the ranger questioned angrily.
"What witchcraft have you done, kid?!"
"I did nothing!"
They tried resisting but the fruits of their efforts bore nothing. As if answering to the questions lingering in their minds, a panel appeared before them.
[Welcome To The Dungeon!]
Conditions:
1. All those who enter cannot leave, no matter what the means of escape is practiced.
2. To leave, they must complete the dungeon together.
3. And all those who enter will be inflicted of the Curse of Binding. If one dies, all will die.
[End]
"Absurdity!" The ranger exclaimed.
After both had finished reading, the chains disappeared yet the feeling remained. As if the chains and shackles were invisible, their hands went smoothly on their skin. The chains there even if they cannot see or touch it.
"As much as I would like to hunt you, I still value my life than my greed. There is no price that is equal to a life." He sheathed his dagger. "I won't risk my life for something without gain."
With a condescending glare, the ranger added.
"Like it or not kid, you're going to work with me until we leave this damn place."
The ranger clenched his fists and readied them for a beating once he hears that Zeid would deny. But to his surprise, Zeid simply wiped the blood stained on his chin and spoke with a calm yet stern voice.
"Shut it, old man. As far as I can hate it, I am left with no other decision. I just recently got a second chance and I'm not squandering it over my raging emotions. As far as I would like to retaliate and mess your fucking face, my fists have to wait until we survive." Zeid flapped his messed cardigan properly on his shoulders and began to tap the dusts off it.
The ranger sniggered and smiled within the shadows of his concealment.
"You never ceases to surprise me, kid. I don't know if you're a fucking rogue, knight, or mage, but you're an anomaly that deserves to be acknowledge. You're quick on the uptake too. Come, let's begin raiding this damn dungeon." He turned and walked.
"I'm a support."
Zeid's words suddenly caused the ranger to stop in his tracks. He shifted his head towards Zeid and darted his eyes towards him. A mixture of apprehension and confusion filled his mind.
-This guy claimed he's a support. Absurd! As far as I know, supports are talentless, unskilled, and worthless of all adventuring class. Yet he still claimed to be one. How can a support move swiftly like an assassin, mold earth like a mage elemental, receive damage like a tank, and cause intimidation like a bard?
He grabbed the hilt of his dagger firmly yet it did not prevent his hands from trembling.
-A witch's emissary are truly an anomaly. I have to be wary and end him quick once this all charade ends. This guy is nothing compared to a normal person!
His eyes widely gazed, as Zeid appearance loomed over his vision like an indomitable threat. Unequipped with his Anti-Aura ring, Zeid unknowingly succeeded in intimidating the ranger.
"And I'm not leaving my spot until I recover. Even if you try to beat me or intimidate me, it won't work. My life hangs on yours, as yours to mine."
The ranger bit his lip in displeasure. With his dismal, he had never expected to agree to someone he had considered an enemy. He clenched his fist, then proceeded to sit and lay his back on the wall.
"Darn. I hope Aqueshia's fine. I'll have to relish her after all of this." He thought.
…
"Speak."
"The target has accidentally entered the dungeon together with a witch hunter. I failed to follow through as the gate quickly shut and the seals began to bar the passage between two worlds. As for the slime, it had seemed that she had begun summoning lower-level kins. The forest is now filled with a mass of slimes scattered all over. It would seem the slime acted on its own without the order of its tamer."
"So it seems. Very well. Assist the slime in guarding the gate. That slime must have sacrificed her health to summon her underlings. I will have the boy within my palms." Great Sage Aurelion said as he turned to face his messenger clad in smoke.
"Go unnoticed. Dismissed."
Swoosh!
…
Meanwhile…
"More…summon more!"
Aqueshia grimaced as she already lost her right arm and leg from summoning slimes out of her own body. A single slime was only worth a drop but she exceeded the limits of her summoning. With more than a thousand slimes wandering around the forest, driving and luring beings away from the dungeon gate.
"I don't want to lose him…why…why am I doing this?" She closed her eyes as the pain stung her once more. Three slimes popped out from her right shoulder.
"Doesn't it mean I get to be free once he dies?"
"I'll be free from the chains of a human being but why?"
"Is it because…he's different?"
She placed her left hand on her right shoulder again.
[Summon: S-slimes!]
"Ahhhh…effm…" She groaned as pain stung her.
"I don't understand him. He won't let me work with him. He won't even allow me to assist while he harvested the herbs. Even with nothing, on the cold streets, he chose to protect me than to sleep."
"Why?"
"If only you never treated me nicely…"
"If only you haven't favored me pleasurably…"
"I would have already left you like all the other monsters did. Be free, and fulfill our hearts by killing people like you. Under your dominion, as a pet, I can only stand by your side while I endure the urge to go on a killing spree…"
"But you…"
"You're more important than the insatiable violence in the hearts of us monsters."
"No matter how many women you will woe! No matter how many you will sleep with! As long as a monster like me is treated kindly! I will serve you for life!"
"Ahhhhhhh! [Summon: Slimes]!" Aqueshia clenched her right collar as all of her right shoulder down to her right hand disappeared.
"That is why! I will protect you once as you come out alive!"
Dungeon Gates that appear out in the open can be destroyed. Aqueshia dedicated her life in protecting her master. Despite the temptations within her hearts as a monster, a sense of humanity within her came into existence. An emotion unknown to most monster vassals in the peak of evolving to a dungeon boss, an emotion called love.
It is true that while monsters that are tamed, the lingering desire to kills humans still exists within their hearts. It is a torture within their minds yet they are powerless over the rules of nature. If they disobeyed, the gods would end them with a flash of lightning, if not, then their masters would. So all those monsters tortured by their remorseless masters are powerless. But to Aqueshia, she had more than a master.
She had a man.
No matter what desires Zeid had, she gladly complied. Because she knew, as long as she wouldn't betray him, he would protect her.
In the course of her years of existence in the land, of a hundred years being a slime then evolving into a vassal, she had never seen a guy like him. She knew that once Zeid found out she risked her life, he would scold her.
…
After three hours of rest, Zeid had regained a bit of his health. Although not completely filling up his status bars, they were able to proceed forward the eerie tunnel. With several luminescent crystals filling the place with soft light, the two experienced no difficulty in pursuing forward.
HP 80% Mana 55%
The tunnel had several paths connected to it and some paths only offered a dead end. Some were empty treasure coffers lying in the end of the path. Time passed by and the two found themselves adjacent to a stone door.
The two pushed the door in which it made a grating sound. Dust kicked up once the door was wide open and cleared out to reveal a cavern-like place. There were skeletons laying on the floor wearing tattered clothes and broken armors.
"Something's wrong with this place. It's dark in here." Zeid thought to himself.
Something caught his attention. A small speck of light was appearing afar and subsequently growing larger and finally the two realized. The stone door closed on its own with a loud crash. The two took steps backward and prepared themselves for the imminent danger. The source of light snuffed and the place was filled with devilish sniveling.
Cowl realized what was coming and immediately turned to Zeid.
"Goblins! Duck, kid!" Cowl pounced on Zeid and crashed on the floor.
Swichk!
An arrow appeared and bounced off from the stone wall. The place was then filled with light, coming from crystals above the domed ceiling, revealing an oval place full of goblins.
The ranger grabbed a rock and threw a rock. His overwhelming power rushed with force that the goblin stood half of its face removed.
"Damn it!"
Although considered as weak monsters, these monsters become nuisance if they are in groups. With mischievous personalities, these monsters attack with disarray of patterns. Arrows flung through the air, and some are even on fire.
The ranger himself could have easily dealt with these pesky devils but without his bow, he can only rely on his Dagger Arts.
Zeid who had nearly recovered, dashed and threw a punch on the goblin's face. The punch caused the head of the goblin to crack and splatter its brain and blood all over the stone wall. With luminescent crystals inlaid on the stone wall, the numbers of the goblins made clear that it was no easy task. They even doubt if they can leave unscathed.
The ranger, nicknamed Cowl by Zeid, stood in amazement as he gazed upon his companion's attack. Zeid did the same. He observed the way how Cowl executed his movements and was amused by how the mastery of his dagger.
"Martial arts…" Zeid exclaimed.
While he knew that rangers are more prominent with archery, they still have to practice counter-measures when assaulted at arm's length. It would seem that Cowl is careful in his profession as he mastered some type of martial arts.
"What are you standing there looking all amused, kid. Come and help me."
Whoosh!
An arrow shot through Zeid's shoulder.
"Kid!" Cowl was terrified. He knew that if Zeid dies, he will too.
Pluck.
Inconspicuous, Cowl painted a poker face as he stared at Zeid who plucked the arrow indifferently.
"Pain Tolerance came pretty handy and those damage reductions as well. The pain is no different from being struck by a needle. Although I sense small amounts of pain, that doesn't mean I'm entirely invincible. If I got struck in the head, it's game over, right Altair?"
"Correct, master."
"Aight', time to start killing some goblins."
[Sprint!]
Swish!
Kuuk! Kuuk! Uwaah!
[You've killed a Goblin]
[You've killed a Goblin]
[You've killed a Goblin]
[Main Quest]
Kill all enemies!
21/60
[End]
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone