Into the Dungeon

"Nikoletta Bia, alias 'Ker', reporting in."

Looking between the meek Raul and disgusted Anakitty, I sighed internally.

"Uh... Umm... Mi-Miss Bia, as one of the... the few Level 3's on this expedition... Well, we would like for you to be part of the Vanguard..."

I looked at Raul, raising a brow as his gaze flickered from my face to my breasts, before looking back up. Seeing me giving him a dry look, he flinched before backing up.

"Miss Bia, you will lead the way to Rivira, taking the main damage role for the fight against Goliath while the members of Geb Familia tanks the Goliath. After that, you will protect the members of Dian Cecht and Miach Familia's as they gather the herbs and materials from Floors 19 to 24. Are we clear?"

Watching as Anakitty jammed her elbow into Raul's side when she saw his gaze, followed by her glaring at me, I sighed before nodding my head.

Honestly, dealing with other people was so very... annoying.

I made my way off to the side, away from everyone, and leaned against the wall. Closing my eyes, I waited for them to announce the start of the expedition.

I wasn't surprised by the fact that I was one of the few Level 3's here. With Raul and Anakitty, as well as a few other Loki Familia members, this was already one of the safer expeditions. Pair that with the members of Dian Cecht and Miach providing support with potions, as well as the other minor Familias... well, this should be a simple run to the lower Middle Floors.

Of course, I wasn't disillusioning myself into believing everything would go swimmingly; after all, it was still the Dungeon. One wrong move, one misstep, and I, or the others, could very easily perish.

Additionally, the support members were Level 2's, probably fresh ones at that. Their entire purpose was to carry stuff from point a to b, and that was all. They weren't expected to fight, weren't expected to do anything other than carry our excess gear and materials from the Dungeon.

I sighed again, continuing to wait for the signal.

Listening to the random chatter around me, I eventually heard Anakitty shout "Alright everyone group up!"

Opening my eyes, I watched as a little under two dozen people gathered around Anakitty and Raul. Sighing, I pushed myself off the wall and moved over, standing at the edge of the group.

"The Guild wants us to travel down to Floor 24, where we will be gathering various herbs and other materials in the Dungeon! I will inform everyone of their roles now!"

Anakitty looked to the right, pointing towards the largest group.

"The Dian Cecht and Miach Familia's are going to be the supporters! They will be gathering the materials and transporting them. As such, it is imperative that they are defended!"

Turning to the left, Anakitty said "So, the Geb Familia is in charge of protecting them from the monsters on every floor! When we reach the Goliath, if it is spawning, they will tank while Loki Familia and Bia Familia deal damage!"

Looking towards me, Anakitty tried to hold back a snarl as she said "Finally, Loki Familia and Bia Familia shall clear the way for the expedition! Remember, as the only Level 3's and 4's, we are your lifeline! Any questions?"

Looking around, I saw everyone shaking their heads before raising my hand.

"What?"

Raising a brow, I ignored the hostility in her voice before asking "What's the pay?"

"The Guild is paying a premium for the materials, and since the Bia Familia is taking on a dangerous role, they're offering 350,000 Valis."

I nodded, before asking "What about Cores? Are they taking those as well or is it finders keepers?"

"Finders Keepers."

I nodded, lowering my hand. Looking around again, Anakitty sighed before nudging Raul.

"Oh... Um, well, let's get this expedition started, shall we?"

Everyone cheered, making Raul jump. Shaking my head, I made my way into the Dungeon, walking slowly so that everyone could keep up.

~~~

As I expected, the first 9 floors were extremely quick, since the Dungeon kept the monsters to a minimum and the floors were easily navigated.

When we stepped onto the 10th floor, I sighed in annoyance. This is where it gets tedious. Not just because of the fog, but because of the monsters the Dungeon will send our way.

The amount of Imps and Bad Bats that would be lurking in the fog, paired with the Hard Armored and Silverbacks, makes the last stretch of the Upper Floors rather annoying to lead large groups of people through.

"Stick together, unless you want to learn what an Imp's claws feel like on your throat."

I didn't need to turn to know that the support members had shivered slightly in fear, nor did I need to turn to know the other adventurers were looking at me in annoyance for that sentence.

Walking down the all to familiar ramp towards the fog covered plains, I led the expedition towards the next floor.

I could hear the flapping of wings off in the fog, but the Imps and Bad Bats stayed away, avoiding our group. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Anakitty's black ears twitching as she walked next to Raul, whispering to each other.

Pursing my lips, I realized that they were probably the reason. Most monsters on this floor were around Level 2, so having two Level 4's probably scared them off.

Continuing to lead my flock, I led us down the ramps of Floor's 11 and 12, making it onto Floor 13. Seeing the Dungeon change from the foggy plains to the cavernous tunnels, I took in everything the floor had to offer. I haven't really been down this deep in the Dungeon that often, so I was looking forwards to seeing the Hellhounds and Almiraj that were common on these floors.

I didn't have to wait long either, as a pack of both appeared in front of us, six Hellhounds and the same amount of Almiraj. They filled the tight corridors of the floor, their red eyes flitting over to us.

Seeing the large, jet black bodies of the Hellhounds and the small, white fur balls of the Almiraj, I readied my spear.

The Hellhounds moved closer before fire started swirling in their maws. As they charged up their flame breaths, the Almiraj jumped forwards, the iron axes in their hands swinging down towards me.

Smirking, I slashed with my spear, catching a few Almiraj in their stomachs, gutting them. Dissipating into dust, their Cores dropped to the floor with a clang.

Hearing the whistling of arrows, I watched as two pierced the throat of a Hellhound, causing an Ignus Faatus. The flames exploded out of the Hellhound's mouth, consuming the others of it's pack. A chain of explosions rang out in the corridor, making my ears ring.

However, I wasn't phased, as I stabbed my spear out twice, piercing the remaining two Almiraj in the throats.

Turning, I saw that Raul had his bow drawn, a rare look of confidence on his face. However, when he saw me staring at him he looked at the ground, shuffling his feet.

Scoffing lightly, I picked up the Core's of the Almiraj, throwing them into one of my pouches, before picking up the Cores from the Hellhounds. Turning again, I felt Anakitty snatch them from my hand, her lips drawn in a sneer.

Taking a deep breath, I waited for her to storm back towards Raul before setting off again, leading us through the maze of corridors that made up the 13th to 17th Floors.

Situations like that played out a few more times, with various monsters popping up only to be swiftly killed by the combined might of the expedition.

The only challenge we had was when three minotaurs turned the corner the same time we did.

Taller than Orcs, but smaller than Trolls, they were the main foes of the upper Middle Floors.

Their immense strength, when paired with their resilient hides, made them quite troublesome to deal with. So much so that if I encountered them by myself, I would have to kite them, slowly whittling down their endurance before going in for the kill.

However, with the help of Anakitty and Raul, as well as two shielders from the Geb Familia, we made short work of them.

The floors gradually flew by, until we had reached the ramp leading down to Floor 18.

Seeing the large crystal wall in front of us, I pursed my lips when I noticed the difference between now and the last time I had seen it.

Last time, it didn't have a hulking shadow peering out of the crystals.