Partner?

Kurt and Ryu has found an exit from the lake cavern. Back in the cave, Ryu's surprised when Kurt takes out a mysterious dagger. It still sheathed and stuck in the stone. She's too tired to explode her anger to Kurt. That's, when they found their exit. Kurt explained that he thinks when the dagger picked up by someone, the exit was going to be seen.

Now they're walks in a small passage. It's so small that their shoulder keeps hitting each other. Kurt hustle up, he decides to walk in the front.

"How long are we gonna keep walking? Are you not tired at all, Kurt?"

"Not really. We can't rest in here, it's too narrow. You knew it too, right?"

"Yeah, but my legs are going to break if this continues.. Wait, what're you do-.. Hyaa!"

"Shut up, we are going to get out from this place."

What's happening is Kurt suddenly stop walking. He grabs Ryu then he carried her in his back. Ryu can't accept it, she keeps moving in Kurt's back.

"Would you stop moving, please? You are pretty heavy, y'know?"

"W-what did you say?!" Ryu's getting more violent.

"S-stop. What is wrong with you?" Kurt releases Ryu from his back.

"Do you know the manner while talk to a girl?"

"What is it exactly? Aren't we at the same age?"

"That's not what I meant! Ugh.. Whatever, I'll walk first idiot."

"W-wait, didn't you say your legs is going to broke..?"

Ryu's already walked far in the front, leaving Kurt behind. Kurt's run to catch up with her pace.

-

"It's safe! You all can jump down!"

Miyura yelled from a far down the hole. After they decided who jumped first, the other three from Miyura's party jumped down the hole. Asami and Masato followed after them.

"Give me your hand."

"Thank you."

Miyura helped Asami to the shore. Masato's catching up behind.

"It's a pretty large cave, I can tell." Miyura's party member that carrying a big axe on his back stated it.

"Yeah. It's about 50 meter, Yagi."

"Where do we start, Miyura?" The guy with glasses that wield a staff observing the surroundings.

"Seichi, Yagi, Calum. You guys take the right side of the lake."

"Okay/Right/Yeah." They answer it simultaneously and walks away.

"Now we take the left side. Come on."

Miyura, Masato and Asami walks to the left side of the lake.

-

Kurt and Ryu's finally got out from the passage. They arrives at another large cavern. There's a lot of small holes that provide light to the cavern.

"By the way, where were we right now? Second floor or third?" Kurt asking.

"I remembered this cavern is at the second floor. But I forgot what's in here." Ryu draws her bow.

"Okay." Kurt also pulls out his dagger.

Kurt's taking the lead. It's not so much hidden spot in the cavern. So he's make a distance with Ryu.

*"Hnngrh.."*

"Ssst!"

Kurt holds his step and ordering Ryu to stop her's too. Fortunately the humanoid is showing its back to them. Kurt easily kills it in one blow.

"Ryu, it's a draugr right?"

"Yeah. But what with that gesture though? I can easily finish it with my arrow."

"Ahaha, can't help it. I'm a hunter back in the village when I was a kid."

"Whatever, but be careful. It's rare to seeing a draugr not in a one pack."

They continue to move forward. After a few steps, they found a lot of draugr bodies laying around. Kurt's nods to Ryu and then he runs to one of the draugr that layed in front. Kurt stab its head. The sounds from Kurt's dagger wakes the other draugr.

*"Gharrr.."*

*swung* *swung*

"I got you covered, Kurt!"

While Kurt is busy with the draugr that rushed to him, Ryu's kept the other draugr away from him. Kurt's easily to control the fight. He's been taught by his grandpa a lot of things, including fights. As the time passes, they're finished dealing with the draugr. From seven draugrs, only two of it has a horn. Kurt took it and put it in his waistbag.

"We did it. Thanks to you."

"Y-yeah. I told you that I could finish them too."

"By the way.. About the Buster Duo, what level are they?"

"I don't know. Rumour said, they were A-rank at least and joined the Ares Familia."

"And where does Sir Ares live?"

"At Orario or Rakia maybe, nobody knows exactly."

"I see. How about you, what're your rank?"

"Obviously, I'm above you."

"Yeah yeah, how much?"

"Just, high above you okay.."

"Uhuh, what about your Familia?"

"Hestia Familia."

"Hestia? I heard that her familia is just stays at Orario. Why are you in Orlean?"

"It was Lady Hestia's decision. She said that she needs to talk to Lady Hephaestus. How about you? You didn't tell me anything about yourself."

"Uh, yeah. I'm from a remote village, it is far southeast from Rakia. Now it's already become a ruin. Me and my grandpa are the only survivor from that accident, but he passed out a year ago. His last wish was I need to find Lady Hephaestus."

"I-I'm sorry, Kurt.. So that makes you come to Orlean, and you just registered yourself at the guild?"

"Yeah, I still haven't choose to join a familia yet.. Now the exit, it should be nearby but where is it?"

'Uh.. I'm getting hungry. Shit, my supply is at Asami's bag. How about Kurt..?'

"Ryu, help me search the exit."

"H-hey, I'm hungry."

"Oh okay, then you stay still. I'll search it."

'He's such an idiot.' She can't helped but sighed.

Kurt is still looking for the exit. When Ryu's going to fully sit down, she pressed something beneath her. She look at it with cautious. Suddenly the walls start to rumble. Kurt's turn his head to Ryu with 'the fuck are you doing?' look in his eyes. Ryu shook her head with her hand waving wild.

「Hidden Passage Revealed」

'Oh, thanks to her.'

After a moment, the rumble stops. Kurt sighed then he approaches Ryu. Seeing Ryu's innocent face, he undermined. He starts looking the whole cavern. Ryu's exhaling hard, she doesn't want Kurt to know that she's the one who did it.

"Hey, come here. I found something."

"C-coming." Hearing Kurt's yell, she calmed her mind.

"It's leading to darkness. We need a torch or something."

"What a pain. Give me a sec."

Ryu's pick a club from the draugr earlier. Then she ripped her clothes a little and wrapped it around the club's end.

"[Fireball]."

*bwoos brrr*

Ryu's lit the wrapped clothes with her small fireball. It's alread become a torch.

"Here."

"Thank you."

Kurt and Ryu started up the stairs. With cautious, Kurt's peek around at the end of the stairs. Pitch black surrounds his view besides his torch's light. Kurt ventured up, then he gives a sign for Ryu to come. He still seeing darkness, meanwhile Ryu's activate her Clairvoyance. Now they're in a sort of a big nest. To their left and right, there's so much a pile of bones. Slowly but surely, they're began to hear big footsteps coming on them. Kurt nods to Ryu, then he put out his torch.

「Minotaur Detected」