Stich Witch's Domain- II

Saad looked away from eccentric siblings to look at the people around him who were already chatting among them. There were four guys and two girls in their group, aside from Saad. The guys were named Dante, Sylvan, Sybil and Tarquin. Saad knew that these weren't their real names thanks to knowing the hidden name feature of game he, himself was using. 

Dante had a floating book with thick leather cover and was wearing the same type of light armor as Saad. He seemed a little older unlike most of the players in CWS. He must have just chosen to be older to possess arcane, which was evident from his floating tome.

Sylvan and Sybil both had different types of shields and heavy armor which meant that those two were the tanks and Saad had zero issues with it because he had no idea just how much he could rely on the crimson sovereign for now. After all that guy was definitely suspicious for a shield. It was better to have options for defense than to rely on his luck and the crappy ego shield. 

The fourth male Tarquin was a lot taller than all other and had dual swords on his back with a tough silver armor. None of them really caught his eyes and the only thing he was focused on was just their weapons and seeing as Tarquin would be using swords, he felt like it was already good enough. While he didn't know their levels, he was sure that it wouldn't be an issue since unlike him, who was struck by a curse, others had it a lot easier. 

As for the girls of the group, they both looked the same age as his character 'Kael'. One of them, named, Penelope, had a baby face and wavy long white hair with black eyes and it was something strangely eerie. Saad could see that the girl had a scythe and her equipment was like that of mage. It was all black with feathers and she did look intimidating. She was giving the feel of an angel of death. However, Saad simply felt jealous since she was obviously a well off player. 

The other girl, named Verena was talking animatedly and was dressed in a long black frilly frock with a white apron on top. Saad found it extremely strange. The girl had two braids, her hair a soft sunset pink and orange with a pale skin and moles under her both eyes with doe like orange eyes. She was exceptionally beautiful and Saad had to remind himself to look away, but looked back. 

He was checking the weapon and to think he would get so distracted that he forgot to look at the weapon clearly and as he looked back, the girl looked at him and raises her eyebrow with a smile. Saad caught the sight of a spear on her back and quickly looked away, feeling embarrassed and also shy. 

It was first for him and he quickly looked around at other people, not daring to look back at her. 

Thankfully, however soon, it was their group's turn, and Lyrane chirpily asked them to enter the back room where the portal doors were present. Among the four portals, only one had silver and black portal opened. All the other three arches were there without any portals in them. As per what Saad had already studied, the arches were dimly glowing with runic symbols on them. As if on autopilot, Lyrane and Lyrue, the weird puppet-like twins, started speaking, their hands clasped together in an unusual synchronization.

Lyrane, with her chirpy voice, said, "Once you step inside, you'll find yourselves in the Labyrinth of the Stitch Witch, the first floor. The portal will close behind you, sealing off the entrance."

Lyrue, matching her energy, continued, "Your task on the first floor is to locate all the fragments of the map. If successful, you'll earn a map of the entire first floor, aiding your exploration."

Lyrane chimed in again, "The runic circle will close as soon as you step through. Don't worry about finding your way back. The dungeon will automatically expel you when your allotted time is over."

Both twins spoke in unison, "Good luck, adventurers!" With that, they gestured toward the portals, signaling the group to proceed.

The twins wished them all luck, and then they were told to enter. The males entered first as a courtesy, with Sylvan and Sybil entering first, followed by Dante, Tarquin, Saad, and then the girls, Penelope and Verena.

Saad felt like he was simply walking into utter darkness before his next step led him inside a strangely luminous cave. What took him by shock was that everything was in four colors only: red, blue, green, and yellow. It was so animated yet disturbing that Saad had to take a deep breath and just stare at the absurd surroundings. It wasn't different for the other players as well. No one had been expecting to see this.

As the group entered the strange and vibrant labyrinth, the vocal one, Dante, couldn't hide his discomfort. "This is making me feel sick," he muttered openly, his expression reflecting his unease. Meanwhile, Sylvan reached out to touch the soft, yellow cotton-like cave, and the ground beneath them felt strangely soft. Before anyone could comment further, a notification popped up, welcoming them to the labyrinth and offering a cryptic hint about following colors.

The cute maid girl, Verena, with a tilted head, animatedly questioned the meaning of the hint. It was Dante who finally spoke, his calming and friendly voice taking command. "While our names are above our heads, we should probably introduce ourselves," he suggested, gaining the group's attention. "And let's strategize for effective hunting."

Tarquin, the quiet guy, seemed to know Dante, possibly friends from outside the game. There was nothing wrong with that, and Dante continued, "I'll start. I'm Dante, an ice mage. I can cast basic magic spells, and I also have an ice healing skill so I can do basic healing."

Sybil, who had been busy checking out the girls, seized the opportunity to introduce himself with a grin. "Hey, I'm Sybil," he said, his tone exuding confidence. "I'm your tank, ready to defend all of you with my best defense skills. You ladies can count on me to keep you safe." He clearly wanted to impress the girls, and Verena giggled while Penelope seemed indifferent.

Tarquin followed suit, introducing himself, maintaining a crisp and distant demeanor, nodded in acknowledgment and added, "I'm Tarquin. Dual-wielder. Fighter. Dante's friend." His words were concise, and his gaze seemed to wander elsewhere, not particularly interested in the current exchange.

Sylvan was up next, revealing himself as a knight, with an air of arrogance, "I'm Sylvan, the knight of this team. I handle both sword and shield, the true embodiment of strength and skill." Saad couldn't help but sense a hint of arrogance in Sylvan's tone. It almost made him feel embarrassed because of how out of place his words felt but perhaps Sylvan was unable to sense that. 

Of course, up next was Saad, and he introduced himself as Kael, stating, "I'm a Whip Master." He noticed the inquisitive looks from the others, silently questioning his choice of weapon. Whips didn't enjoy a good reputation in RPG games, and there was a lingering stereotype that mostly female players used them. Unaware of these nuances, Saad remained polite and distant as he introduced himself.

Verena followed, animated and cute as she introduced herself as the maid of "Lady Penelope." She explained, "I'm a Spear Master, proficient in intermediate skills." The rest of the team stared at her in mild surprise, and Saad couldn't help but feel a bitter twinge about the influence of wealth. 

Almost annoyingly, Verena added, "I'm here to assist Lady Penelope." Saad found her role-playing as a servant rather strange and couldn't help but wonder if they were taking the game too seriously. He questioned internally, 'Doesn't this call for casual conversation? Why is she being so weird?'

Last but not least was Penelope, or more precisely, Lady Penelope. She introduced herself as the Reaper, a title fitting for her wielding a scythe. Despite the ominous nature of her weapon, her tone was surprisingly polite as she added, "I'll do my best." There was a certain gentleness in her voice, though her face remained devoid of any smile. 

Saad, however, couldn't help but be captivated by the coolness of her weapon and outfit, secretly yearning for a scythe of his own. Just how amazing would it be to use it. It was obviously a special class and special weapon.