Safe Zone

[12 Hours Into The Dungeon: 1st Floor]

"Okay, we'll camp here and rest for a while before advancing."

Those were the words of Dredd once they got to a cave-like area within the much larger rocky structure of the Dungeon's inner walls. 

Everyone was inside the rather cramped cave-like setting, but there was still enough room to properly move around. Still, with the low ceiling, and the walls that covered them on all sides except one, this was a good place to rest.

It was also highly unlikely to find any Horrors spawning in such an area, so it was one of the popularized 'Safe Zones' in a Dungeon.

"Even though I'm sure we could keep going for a while longer, the next Safe Zone should be a while away, so we'll just stay here."

Everyone nodded in agreement, including Des—though his thoughts on the whole thing was slightly different.

'I'm so tireeeeed!' His mind screamed at him, but he did his best to maintain composure.

He thought he could handle the stress since he was already used to manual labor, having done it for all his life. However, being a Porter in a Dungeon was far more tasking than he imagined it to be.

For one, he had to carry the heavy load for the team as they walked for hours. He also had to cater for everyone's needs, including searching for any item they might need in the bag—and as fast as possible too.

He could never drop the bag unless he was searching for something at the instruction of a Party Member, and he could not mess with the other items in the bag. That also meant he always had to make sure each Item was arranged the same way he met them.

After his first close-call with a Skeleton Horror, Des also realized how he had to be vigilant of his surroundings and not just gawk at the skills of his Party Members. If he got too carried away, there was a good chance he would be caught off guard and killed.

They had encountered Skeleton Horrors three more times after that first bout, and he always made sure to keep that in mind.

No Skeleton tried to sneak up on him again, so that first time had to have been a fluke. Still, he found it best to operate with the assumption that any enemy could appear before him at any given moment.

It was mentally exhausting, though, and when added with his physical exhaustion, the current Des felt like he was going to faint at any moment.

Thankfully, they were finally going to rest.

"Levi and I will patrol the immediate area outside. In the meantime, Beck, handle the Traps and Alarms at the entrance. Also set up a barrier… just in case." 

Everyone nodded as Dredd spoke, each going on with their business.

Lisa and Philip sat at a corner in the cave, with Des also finding a corner far from them—closer to the entrance—to sit. Dredd left almost as soon as he gave the order, with Levi trailing after him.

As for Beck, he was doing as instructed—laying out the traps through his Runes. Unlike with Spells, there was no need to chant. Instead, he was using the concentrated Magia on his fingertips to inscribe certain signs and unknown wordings on the surface of the ground and walls.

Since Des was close to the entrance, he was able to watch this process, and he did so keenly.

This was not the first time he was seeing the use of Runes, but it was the first time he saw it being applied directly on surfaces. He thought only Disciples or Adepts could do such, so it was surprising to see someone like Beck—a Novice one—pull it off.

"You're surprised that someone of my rank can do something like this, right?" As soon as this question echoed softly in the air, Des froze.

Beck looked like a regular unassuming man—probably in his early to late thirties. There was hardly anything intimidating about him, but the boy still felt a bit nervous after being caught staring so keenly.

"There's no need to be uptight about it. Nothing wrong with being so curious…" 

Des smiled and nodded.

Unlike Lisa, who was unapproachable, and Philip, who was cold, Beck seemed so friendly. It almost felt unreal, how calm he appeared and how gently he spoke.

For someone with such special skills, he felt so modest.

"I actually use an Artifact. That's why I am able to do something like this, even though I'm normally unable to."

Artifacts were ancient Items that had special properties. They granted the wielder extraordinary or supplementary abilities. Unlike Enchanted Items, which also functioned in a similar manner, Artifacts had more complicated functions, and their effects were usually more impressive than Enchanted Items.

They could make a Novice Runecrafter achieve something only Adepts could achieve, and make Adepts as powerful as Masters.

Artifacts were that powerful.

In fact, the primary reason why the Scavengers were such a formidable force, to begin with, was because they had access to tons of Artifacts. No one knew how they were able to get their hands on so many of them, but there was a rumor that they knew the production method of said items.

These were unfounded rumors, however, considering how wild of a claim that was.

No one alive knew such mysteries. 

Artifacts were ancient, and only those who lived in that an era knew of its secrets, probably the same way they knew of the origins of Dungeons—both knowledge which were lost to the modern world.

"I see. You must be amazing, then! Having an Artifact is no mean feat!" Des exclaimed with child-like wonder.

He couldn't help his reaction, though. Any inexperienced Explorer would do the same in his position, considering the rarity of Artifacts.

"Haha… I'm not that amazing, though."

"Really? Does that mean everyone in this Party has an Artifact?"

"No… I'm the only one."

"See! It means you're really amazing, Sir Beck!"

"No, I'm really not…" Beck said with a somewhat sad, yet complicatedly nostalgic smile. "This was a gift… from a friend."

Des realized there was probably a deeper story to Beck's life—probably the reason he was so easygoing and nice. He was curious about it, but he didn't want to breach the man's privacy.

After all, since everyone was courteous enough not to ask about his past, he felt it was only right to return the favor.

"O-okay. I understand…" Des looked away, probably to avoid staring at Beck and feeling awkward about the whole thing.

He saw Lisa and Philip kissing in the corner, and quickly regretted his decision.

*******************

Dredd and Levi soon returned, reporting no signs of any unusual activity.

By that point, Beck was already done setting up the trigger alarm, but he was still crafting the barrier. It didn't take him very long after they came before he finished, though. Once everyone was done with the necessary security measures, Levi used an Earth Spell to seal the Entrance with a clean sheet of grime—all as another measure of precaution.

One would think that they would be a bit more lax, considering how they were in a Safe Zone, but that was far from the case.

With the Dungeon being an unpredictable place, it was better to be safe than sorry.

It was incredibly rare, but not impossible, for even Safe Zones to be breached by Horrors. Even though none had ever seen it happen, the possibility existed in theory.

Besides, the victims of such irregularity would not live to tell the tale anyway.

Still, due to how it almost never happened, a lot of parties were very lackluster in their safety preparation, but this one was different.

With Dredd's leadership and his subordinate's capabilities, everyone was competent enough to comprehend the dangers associated with the Dungeon, as well as the possibility of death that Horrors represented.

As such, Des felt safe among these people.

Even though it felt a little strange—and slightly shameful—to keep relying on them for assistance, he didn't mind it at all.

For a first Dungeon Exploration experience… this was perfect.

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading!

I can already see certain sparks flying… but can you? Your patience thus far is appreciated, but… can you keep going?

I wonder…