The Icy Talons set off into the Dungeon with upbeat steps, taking wonder in all the sights. For Gabbie and Lawrence the two mages, this was their first ti visiting a monster lair, so everything was new to them.
"Wow I can't believe all this just appeared one day. What was once solid rock is now an array of life and mystery. Our world really is a magical place." Lawrence spoke with awe as he pictured the mountain's original insides.
"Gods especially the Dark God can't be fathod by mortals like us. What we find mind blowing could be as simple as breathing to them." Gabbie muttered as she retrieved a plant from the ground. A simple flower that offered no dicinal value or even much in terms of taste but still sothing that shouldn't be present within a mountain.
"I know the two of you are finding all this impressive but rember to keep your eyes open for any danger. Monsters could be hiding beneath the snow, waiting to ambush us or a trap could be activated upon stepping sowhere you shouldn't. This place though only being the very first section is still a danger zone.
We're not so tourists visiting Arkheart." Captain Royce rained down on their parade, causing the two of them to apologise and get their heads in the ga.
"Relax Captain, there's nothing in this section that can harm us." Krief tried to ease the tension.
"It's thoughts like that that get you and your teammates killed Krief. Being amazed and curious is fine but you can't let it affect your perception." Royce was doubling down on his stance which was completely right but hard to enforce with such a young team.
The group slowly made their way through the dungeon, combing over areas far from the natural path hoping to find sothing interesting and or valuable. They t a few other adventuring parties during their exploration but after a few nods and perhaps waves to each other they'd head in differing directions.
So were puzzled why the Icy Talons were heading in completely the wrong direction while others ignored them entirely. What did it matter to them what so young D-rank party was doing.
In terms of monsters the party only ca face to face with groups of G-ranks and the odd F-rank, no E-rank frost wolves thankfully. Worthwhile materials were placed within their backpacks for selling while the rest was left for the dungeon to recoup so of its losses. The rules of monster lairs applied to the newly discovered dungeons.
Monster carcasses if not being used as bait must be left for the dungeon to feast on so as to continue and further its existence.
Unfortunately after several hours of combing nearly every inch of the winter highlands the Icy Talons ca up empty. No treasure chests, strange monster variants, unique flora or hidden rooms, nothing worthwhile. Disheartening but not unexpected, the winter highlands section was just the first of many and the section with the most access. It'd be strange if they did easily find sothing rare.
"Well this sucks." Rodger kicked a pile of snow in frustration. The party had gone full circle for nothing.
"Hey good things co to those who wait and those who are ticulous. No we didn't find anything of import, but we also didn't end up with nothing. No one was injured, no supplies were wasted, and we did manage to successfully hunt so monsters."
"G-ranks Captain, my grandma can kill G-ranks."
"It still counts Rodger. Ti is money and we'll make enough money from them to cover part of the ti used so relax, we're here for the long haul rember. So days will be less eventful than others but as long as no one ends up dead or injured it can be considered a win in my book. You can't spend money or enjoy your fa if you're dead."
Rodger was about to mouth off again but struggled to form the words, Royce was right, and he knew it.
"Haaaaaaa I get it, I get it, but I still want to take out so of my frustrations." He eyed up another pile of snow and went to kick it, but unfortunately it wasn't just snow in the pile.
Kechuk!
Hidden under the snow was a rock, a rock that was attached to sothing. All mbers of the Icy Talons turned towards the slightly shifted rock, their faces quickly draining of colour as a pit ford in their stomachs.
"Fu....!" Before Rodger could finish cursing the floor beneath them opened up, swallowing the entire team in less than a second. No other group was in the area to see what happened, the Icy Talons disappeared from the winter highlands without being able ask for help or put up any resistance.
Kechuk!
The chasm that swallowed the Icy Talons closed back up and the rock returned to its original position. Snow quickly covered the area making it seem untouched, ready and waiting to swallow up the next unsuspecting prey.
"AHHHHH! RODGER YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!!!!" Krief scread at the top of his lungs as the group slid down a large chute to who knows where.
"I only kicked so snow it's not my fault. You should have checked the area for traps, you're the scout after all!"
"Wahhhhhhh!!!!!"
Screams, curses and prayers filled the tunnel as the Icy Talons made their way downward in darkness before being suddenly deposited within a small, enclosed room, blocked off by mighty ice walls that stretched from floor to ceiling.
"Owwww!" Lando and Royce landed first followed by the rest of the party dogpiling on them, thankfully their montum wasn't enough to cause any serious injury.
"Is everyone alright?"
"I…I think so."
"Good here."
"Yeah but I'm about to murder Rodger."
"Piss off you useless scout!"
"ENOUGH!!!" Lando screeched at his teammates, taking the words out of Royce's mouth.
"Everyone needs to relax; we're not hurt just deposited sowhere else in the dungeon. Krief check the room for any more untoward surprises. Lando and Rodger try and figure out where we are. Lawrence and Gabbie check our supplies, make sure nothing was damaged from the fall."
""Yes Captain."" Thanks to Royce's calm and confident voice as well as Lando the guardian's outburst the team quickly cald down and got to work. They huddled back up a couple minutes later to report their findings.
"Krief anything dangerous I should be worried about?"
"I don't think so Captain but there is sothing strange that you should take a look at." Krief replied with lacking confidence.
"Alright I will, what about the rest of you?"
"We think we're on the second floor given how long we were travelling in that chute plus the walls here are similar to what's supposed to be present in the ice cavern labyrinths."
"That's good news, the second floor shouldn't pose too much danger to us. Gabbie, Lawrence are our supplies alright?"
"Yes Captain, so jerky got squished and a rabbit horn broke, but the rest is A ok." Everything seed to be positive news.
"Alright no one's injured, our supplies are good and we're likely on a safer floor so it's not all that bad." Royce let out a breath of relief, he was truly worried for a second there.
"Krief what's the strange thing you wanted to check out?"
"Over here Captain. Though there's no clear exit there seems to be so kind of switch." The two n blanched when Krief ntioned the word 'switch' and subconsciously looked at Rodger. A 'switch' was the reason they were down here in the first place. Unfortunately it looked like they didn't have much choice given that they were surrounded by four solid walls and no doors.
Placed in plain sight on one the walls was a red square demanding to be pressed by anyone who saw it. Royce ticulously examined the switch and the area around it before lightly pressing it once his teammates prepared themselves for any eventuality.
Kethunk!
As set of chanisms activated the mont the red square was pressed. One of the four walls shifted and receded backwards to reveal another room.
"Anyone else getting danger vibes from this thing?" Rodger asked as goosebumps ford along his forearm. He'd been in two monster lairs during his career and only encountered simple traps such as spiked pitfalls, hidden clamps and the occasional bolt launcher hidden in the walls but never had he experienced anything like this, none of them had that's what made it so daunting.
"It's different I'll give you that but I'm not feeling too much danger." Krief their premier scout gave his valued opinion. Though he had even less experience when it ca to monster lairs he knew traps. For all intents and purposes if this trap was ant to kill it would have done so already.
A pit full of snakes, spikes or even lava should have been waiting for them at the bottom of the chute if that was the case but no instead they got this leading scenario. Eventually after analysing the intent behind the trap, Krief changed from being nervous, wary and afraid to excited and intrigued. Perhaps this trap was leading them to so kind of reward.
"Captain I think we might have found a jackpot." Krief's excitent quickly escalated as a wide grin adorned his lips.
"Calm down Krief we'll take this one step at a ti." Though he said that Royce was starting to feel the sa way. It was clear that this trap was not out to kill them, at least not imdiately.
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