Preparation and Partners

"There's no defying the Gods, Ash. All you can do is accept it until we find some kind of solution."

Zane's words rang in Ash's ears as he trudged slowly down the streets of Elyon, avoiding the main avenues as he made his way to the central plaza. He checked the bandage concealing the mark once again, refitting his silver armor to ensure it covered the area of the tattoo.

Ash took deep breaths as he attempted to control his emotions. He had never heard of a mark of Erebus, but something told him the residents of Elyon wouldn't accept it.

Zane had also suggested that Ash only use his new spells when separated from other adventurers. While the magic that adventurers unlocked from marks was entirely dependent on the individual and not on the deity, anything related to Shadows was seen skeptically.

Ash now had to identify whether or not he could trust Julius to use and practice his magic in front of him.

He arrived at his destination, scouting the terrain before spotting the vibrant red hair that stood out from the crowd of adventurers. Julius was waiting around anxiously. Was he nervous Ash would not show up?

"Julius!" Ash called out, waving to get the boy's attention. Julius's face lit up as he approached his teammate, a sheathed sword clutched fiercely in his hand.

"Ash you're here!" he panted, the small run combined with his extreme levels of stress taking a toll on his body.

"Of course I am. Though I can't enter the Dungeon just yet. My weapon broke last time I went in. Do you mind waiting a bit until I get back from the market?"

"I'll pay!" exclaimed Julius, his eyes sparkling at the chance to be useful, "I still need to thank you for teaming up with me."

"Huh? Well, then I'll take you up on that."

Ash suppressed his surprise, taking it as Julius being kind-hearted. Trying to find malicious intent in all of his actions would only hinder Ash's goals. He needed to judge whether or not Julius was using him for ulterior reasons, not view every one of his actions as an attack.

The two boys made their way to the market. Dozens of stalls were laid out on either side of the avenue, the variety of colors resembling a parade. Julius was someone who didn't seem to enjoy social interaction too much, but he stuck with it.

Ash scanned the venue before locating a few stalls that sold weaponry for the many adventurers passing by on their way to the Dungeon. The sparkling silver blades entranced everyone within their proximity. Wielding well-crafted weapons was a primal desire of every adventurer.

Ash and Julius made their way through the small crowd of adventurers. The morning sun was beginning to shine, illuminating the area as the orange hue from the lanterns began to fade. The jumbled noises from the multitude of conversations felt like a hurricane with the two passersby at its center. Ash could smell the fragrance of fried food as adventurers lined up to buy a meal before they entered the unforgiving depths of the Dungeon.

After arriving and inspecting the weaponry silently, Ash picked up a slightly curved blade that resembled a katana. It didn't have a hilt, but that didn't bother Ash.

"How much is this one?" he asked, raising his eyes to meet the vendor's stern gaze.

"I'll give it to you for 5 silver coins."

"Make it 3."

"Lowest I'll go is 4, young man. That's a fine sword right there."

Ash glanced over to Julius, verifying if the price wasn't too expensive. 1 silver coin was more than enough to eat three meals a day at a tavern, meaning that this sword was roughly 4 days' worth of food. It was a reasonable price, but Ash understood that not everyone could afford it.

"I'm not that broke," mumbled Julius as he rummaged through his pouches, finally taking out the required amount of silver coins. "Here you go, sir."

"Thanks for your purchase. Be safe out there, young ones," responded the vendor, offering the sheath that came with the blade. He waved goodbye as the kids departed towards the Dungeon, both of them waving back respectively as he shifted his attention to the next customer.

"Thanks for this, Julius," said Ash, a large smile radiating from his face.

"No problem. Are you ready to enter the Dungeon now?"

"Yeah. Let's go," answered Ash. He had wished the purchase of the weapon would have revealed more about Julius, but he couldn't stall any longer. The only place he would have to observe him was the Dungeon.

The two boys followed the wave of adventurers entering the Dungeon. The little errand to buy Ash a weapon had lost them a few minutes, a small window of time that was enough to allow the majority of groups to arrive.

"There are so many people…" muttered Julius. Ash couldn't help but laugh. It was unusual for adventurers, who risked their lives every day against horrifying monsters, to be this uncomfortable around a large group of people.

"Well, everyone splits at the entrance of the first floor so don't worry, and we're probably one of the few pairs who will be staying on the first floor."

"That's true. I think we should practice our teamwork a bit before we venture further down."

"Agreed."

The large influx of adventurers finally reached the entrance of the Dungeon, the many tunnels that headed in different directions presented before them. Ash, like many other individuals, took out the folded piece of parchment that began to reveal itself as a map.

Julius peered at the expanding lines of ink before pointing at an enclosed space a small distance away from their current location.

"We could go here. This is where the Motherwolf lives," he suggested.

"The Motherwolf is an elite monster. Are we able to kill it?" asked Ash with a concerned voice.

"Well let's head over there and see if we're able to comfortably kill the Direwolf guards protecting her. If we can dispose of them easily I doubt the Motherwolf will be much harder."

Ash nodded, closing up the map. He knew simply slaughtering Direwolves and wandering would not amount to much. With this, he'd be able to complete his quest on the way to the designated location and possibly take down an elite monster, something he was sure the system would appreciate.

"Ok, let's go then," he said, taking the lead as the two novices entered the correct tunnel. A few other groups followed their path, but that was to be expected. They could potentially run into other adventurers also trying to kill the Motherwolf, and as long as everyone was alright with sharing the rewards, it would only facilitate things.

Ash had tested his Shadow Punch on Zane the day before and was impressed with the results. Zane had absorbed the blow with his palm without flinching in the slightest, but that was to be expected.

"This is a good spell, Ash. It should be extremely potent against the monsters living on the first few floors of the Dungeon, though I wouldn't push your luck. Test it on Direwolves if you get the chance."

Zane's words stirred a small amount of excitement within Ash. He focused on his current daily quest, erasing all the doubts and fears about his mark and the nature of his power out of his head. It was as Zane had said: there was no fighting the Gods.

All he could do was use this new system and grow stronger in hopes of finding a way to save himself.