Threat in the Darkness

While in the mine it was nearly impossible for them to discern the time of day, but their bodies were all accustomed to waking up early as adventurers. As if an internal alarm clock had gone off, they got up one-by-one within an hour of each other.

"Everyone ready?" asked Rydel. "I hope you've all found a way to equip your kari crystal."

Slivia showed off her wristband with flair, making sure everyone took a good look. The two young samurai also wore wristbands, only much simpler and less attention-grabbing. Jack was the most relaxed of them all, he had attached it to a loop and strung it around a cheap chain.

Chuckling, Maynard stroked the hilt of his sword, letting everyone notice the kari crystal embedded at the base. "Good, you're ready to head out. Remember, stay in between Rydel and me if ya want to avoid any danger."

"Right. I'll take us to the next floor, but after that, it's up to the little guy," stated Rydel.

"Actually, can we take a different entrance to the next floor?" asked Jack. "Bowser says it's to the west of here."

"Hmm… We can make that work. That's not a bad idea, it's safer and faster to travel up here while we can. Everyone, let's head out!"

The party left the abandoned settlement, retracing their steps back towards another settlement. They traveled easily and had nothing there to obstruct them. It was nice, but Jack couldn't shake the feeling that there was going to be a drastic change after entering the second level.

'Hey, be extra sharp after entering the next level,' Jack warned Rydel and Maynard. 'If all the goblins relocated to the third and most dangerous level, what happened to all the monsters that used to live there?'

This question caused Rydel to hesitate. Maynard, on the other hand, took it in stride saying, 'Bring it on! Don't worry yourself, I'll protect ya if needed.'

'Good, I just wanted to warn you. Nothing's guaranteed, but it's very possible to find extra trouble starting on the second level.'

'Thanks kid, but don't worry too much. You're with us, so nothing will happen.' Rydel finally spoke, trying to lighten the mood like Maynard.

Soon enough they passed the other settlement and the entrance to the second level came into sight. It was like a slanted pit, easy to fall into yet difficult to climb out of. They all stood around the edge, staring down at the black tunnel.

"Activate your crystals now; it'll save you some trouble when you drop down." Rydel didn't say anything else before hopping into the pit and activating the kari crystal on his wrist.

"Hurry up, I can't go till ya go first," said Maynard, pushing Brunar into the pit. Troni took initiative to jump in before giving his master the chance to push him too.

Jack mentally prepared to jump but his hand was grabbed and pulled to the side. He looked up to see Slivia holding his hand tightly.

"Umm… Can we maybe… jump together?" Slivia fumbled her question.

Peering into the darkness, Jack realized something. "You're afraid of heights, aren't you?" She blinked and scrunched her mouth together as she quietly admitted to it. Jack sighed, "Well, I don't see why not. Hold on tight, okay?"

Slivia didn't have a chance to respond before Jack grabbed her arm and jumped down with her in front. Lucky for Jack, this natural chute was just like the ones in-game. Getting down was as easy as riding a slide, so long as Jack could see the ground and avoid the rough patches. It was a little bumpy, but Slivia felt much better riding toboggan style with Jack than she had the first time she did with her previous party.

After a few minutes, the passage began to narrow and the decline gradually lessened. They quickly reached the bottom and Jack helped Slivia up to her feet. She blushed and said, "Thanks, Jack."

"No problem, if you need help on the next one, let me know." Jack's smile hid his pounding heart. In all his life, that was the closest he had ever been to someone of the opposite sex, excluding his mother. Keeping the conversation short and sweet, he brushed off the dirt from his cloak.

With a slight smile, Slivia wiped the dirt from her cloak and walked out towards Rydel ahead. Jack was about to join her when he heard a voice. 'Not bad! Ya did well.'

Turning around, Jack saw Maynard sliding down in his straw sandals like he was jet skiing. 'A warning, if you like that girl then you'd better keep an eye on Troni. Seems like he's up to his old tricks.'

Jack didn't have time to respond when Rydel yelled in his mind. 'Hey kid, where to?'

Glancing at a nodding Bowser, Jack passed on the directions. 'Head to the right and follow the passage until Bowser says otherwise.'

"Alright everyone, let's not waste any more time." Hurrying everyone along, Rydel pushed forward at a decent pace, forcing everyone to enter the second level behind him.

There was no natural light anywhere, making Jack glad for the kari crystals they had on hand. Everyone followed in Rydel's footsteps exactly, not daring to create their own path. They could all sense how serious Rydel, Maynard, and Jack had become, making them more cautious by default.

'Closer to wall!' Bowser's voice screamed in Jack's head, almost making him jump back in fright.

'What's wrong?' asked Maynard.

'Against the wall, now!' Jack relayed Bowser's command to both Rydel and Maynard, who followed it immediately. The others did the same and slunk next to the wall.

'Forward. We close,' said Bowser with a sigh of relief.

Not fully aware of what just happened, Jack followed directions exactly without question. Their speed slowed greatly as they clung to the wall for almost an hour. Jack was used to following strange and unorthodox directions from his achievement hunting, but the other young adventurers were starting to get a little unruly. Troni and Slivia were annoyed but they kept at it without a word.

The first person to verbally mention a word after entering the second level was Brunar. "Are we almost there? Can't we hurry up and get off this wall by now?"

'Stay with wall. Bad if no.' Bowser's simple statement got the hair on Jack's neck to stand. He wanted to know what would make a hell-flame fox so hesitant to approach. Trusting Bowser's instincts, inched closer to the wall and relayed Bowser's command.

"Quiet," Rydel answered in a hushed tone. "No speaking, only following."

"But surely it's fine by now," groaned Brunar like an impatient child.

This time Maynard answered Brunar, staying quiet but keeping his message brief and clear. "Silence and follow."

Brunar obeyed his master and returned to his place on the wall. The trek along the wall took place for another hour or so, testing everyone's patience. Just as everyone was wanting to step away from the cold wall, Bowser's voice sounded in Jack's head. 'Up ahead. But careful, there monsters.'

Finally showing a smile after who knows how long, Jack shared a smile with Rydel as he mentally announced Bowser's command.

"Everyone, we're almost there. Only whisper when needed and watch out for any monsters." Rydel passed the news on to the rest of the party.

"Finally…" sighed Brunar, pulling himself off the wall and stretching his waist. The sound of his back popping echoed all over the cavern walls. "It's been too long."

Rydel motioned to hush Brunar but he was interrupted when light appeared not too far ahead of them. As soon as Rydel caught glimpse of the suspended orb of light, he sighed in annoyance. "Nobody move, just stay quiet."

Frozen at the sight of such a monster, Jack frowned as he warned mentally, 'Careful, looks like a light-tailed lizard.'

'A what?' asked Maynard.

'A light-tailed lizard; they're troublesome predators that shine the light at the end of their long tails to lure prey in close. The worst part about facing one is the long tail, they can keep it suspended and almost motionless while they sneak closer to their prey and catch them unguarded.'

'He's right Maynard. I can't believe those things found their way up to the second level.' Rydel was very hesitant to act all of a sudden.

'What's the average level?' asked Maynard.

'Between lv. 10 and lv. 25, but they always travel in packs of three or four.' There was no excitement in Jack's voice, only a serious tone. 'The worst part is their neurotoxin; it can paralyze anyone with the tiniest cut.'

'Wow, it's like they came straight out of someone's nightmares.' Maynard answered in surprise.

The other three were motionless, unsure of what they should do. Rydel monitored the lizard carefully, waiting to sense even the slightest movements. He had his mindset on eliminating the threat the moment it revealed itself.

Staring at the light-tail hanging in the darkness, Jack heard Bowser's voice. 'Up ahead, past lizards.'

Understanding what Bowser said, Jack retrieved his bow and prepared for battle.