Dante stirred the stew as the rest of the team set up camp. They had finally reached the second level of the Kobal dungeon and the differences between the first and second level were perplexing. The first thing Dante had noticed was that the Essence density was staggeringly higher. The others had pointed it out as a small difference in air pressure, but for Dante, it felt as if he was underwater. To him, the second level looked as if it was slightly coated in silvery fog. His Essence Pulse also had a wider range and the weapons he created buzzed with energy. He had meant to tell his team right away but then they came across a small underground forest. The lights from several insects had created a beautiful show for the team. The pale wood and black leaves of the trees looked as if they were ghostly images of an alternate world.

They had dropped their guard at the sight and were set upon by large spider-like squirrels. There was a large nest of them hiding in the trees and one had jumped down and poisoned Jasmi before they realized they weren’t alone. That moment had become desperate and Kelsi had ordered them into the far tunnel to fight off the remaining creatures. Once they had finally killed them, Kelsi had easily dealt with the poison and they moved on until collapsing at the next camp site.

Dante had berated himself since the attack. It was his job to scan the surrounding area with his Essence Pulse and he hadn’t. When he saw that Jasmi had been poisoned, he had feared that she was going to die. They had been through several battles so far, but the site of Jasmi laying there, helpless during the battle had unnerved him. He pulled himself out of his thoughts when he felt someone sit next to him.

Ferris looked over and grinned at Dante as he sat. “You okay?”

Dante shook his head. “No. I got distracted and we could have lost Jasmi.”

Ferris snorted. “Kelsi had already said the poison wasn’t very strong. It would have taken several bites to be lethal.”

Dante had known that but it had still bothered him. “It could have been worse though. If-”

Ferris cut him off. “You can’t expect everything to go as planned. We make mistakes and we were lucky that it wasn’t as dangerous as it could have been. It was a blessing in disguise. We learned a valuable lesson and no one had to pay too badly for it. You can be damn sure we will be on our toes next time.”

Dante relaxed a little, smiling at his friend. Everything he said was true. He could even feel the Essence around him disagreeing with the doubt that clouded his mind. He noticed another person sit across from him and looked up to see Jasmi grinning at him.

“Now you know what it feels like when we saw you get grabbed by that giant octopus.” She said softly.

Ferris nodded and Dante looked at them both. He hadn’t even given that fight another thought. He didn’t reassure his friends that he was okay because he honestly didn’t feel anything about it. He hit his head with his hand and laughed.

“I’m sorry.” Dante said. “I didn’t even realize the scare I had put you all though and here I am moping about ‘what ifs.’”

“Good!” Jasmi said. “We’re not Adventurers yet. You need to remember that we will make mistakes. We just have to make sure we learn from them.”

“Or we all will die.” Ferris said quickly.

Dante snorted and pushed his friend aside. He had made a mistake. He would remember not to make it again.

Dante crept easily along another side tunnel. This one had more detritus, with large rocks scattered about but he had gotten better at moving around quietly. He moved around the rocks slowly but his Essence Pulse hadn’t given him any signs of life aside from his friends, standing watch at the main tunnel. After a few minutes, he came across a large hole in the ground. From what he could tell, it looked like a natural cave in. He could see a little light from below but not enough to show the full area underneath. He couldn’t sense any creatures but depending on the size of the cavern, they could be out of his range. He hurried back to the team.

“Looks like a hole leading to third level.” Dante whispered.

The group looked at Kelsi, the girl brushed black strands of hair out of her face and contemplated the decision.

“Mark the wall and let’s keep going forward. I don’t think dropping into the third level without knowing which way is which will be a good idea.” Kelsi told them. The group nodded and moved on.

They had moved on for another hour before they came across another monster. Surprisingly, it wasn’t an insect. In fact, it was bashing a large insect with a rock. The monster was three feet in height with a wiry muscled frame and pale green skin. Its ears were large and flopped over the sides of its head and it only wore a dirty loin cloth with a rope as belt. The creature broke through the shell of the bug and scooped up the greenish entrails with its oddly long fingers. It ate quickly, making sickening slurping noises that turned the student’s stomachs.

Gretta by now had been designated to pull in monsters from a distance. She cast her spell at the creature and long red lines appeared on the creatures back. Its scream was loud and piercing, sending shivers through the team and it turned towards them. Glowing red eyes filled with hate stared back at the students. It picked up its stone headed spear and ran at them, shrieking its war cry. Ferris set himself in front of the team and swung down at the monster but the creature was nimble and dodged to swing, running two strides on the tunnel wall and heading straight for Gretta.

Gretta’s eyes widened as the creature ignored Ferris. She stepped back, preparing her spell again when Dante drove two swords into its side, pinning it against the wall. Kelsi followed right behind him, driving the end of her staff into the monster’s face. The red glowing eyes faded away and the creature slumped lifelessly.

“Goblin.” The Historian said with a sneer. “Once you hit one, it will ignore everything else and run straight towards it’s attacker. Vicious little things.”

Dante let his blades go causing the goblin to drop to the floor. “Smelly too.” Said Dante as he stepped away from the unwashed body.

Ferris called out to the group as more goblins could be heard close by.

“I think he had friends.” Ferris yelled over his shoulder.

Dante ran up next to Ferris, helping to block off the creatures. Jasmi stepped behind and between the two, knowing she would need to use her blades to strike at any goblin who got passed the pair. Kelsi and Gretta took the rear, waiting quietly.

Out of the side tunnels further down, goblins poured out. The group only numbered twenty and to seasoned Adventurers, this would be easily handled, but Serist De was not seasoned nor Adventurers, not yet anyways.

Dante and Ferris stood their ground. The small green creatures pressed forward, running towards the pair with a crazed madness seeping from them. Dante felt the unrepressed anger of the beasts, wild and unthinking. These things cared for nothing except to kill all intruders. His short swords vibrated, coming alive in his hands. The Essence density had awakened something but it didn’t feel dangerous, well, at least not to him. They would be very dangerous for the goblins.

His swords readied, the silver mist of his Essence Armor in place, Dante steeled himself as he pulled his arm back and swung at the first goblin to enter his reach. The blade swung easily through the air. For that brief moment, Dante felt time slow. He could feel his muscles working perfectly in sync. His right sword would hit the neck of the first goblin, cleaving through skin, muscle and spine. When he had completed his strike, he could see his other sword poised perfectly for the next goblin.

He even had time to notice Ferris and his first strike. The long claymore had plenty of room and it would sweep down cleaving two goblins at once. Ferris would be forced to step through the strike but if he stepped back, reversing his momentum, he would strike down the goblin right behind the first two. Dante’s felt his fears drain away. A group of goblins this size would give anyone a moment’s pause but knowing that the first strikes would land well seemed to clear away his nervous energy, leaving behind a calm certainty that they would be okay.

Time resumed and Dante followed through with his first strike, beheading the first goblin. He stepped back, slicing his left sword upward, catching the next goblin across the chest. He stepped forward again, pushing the point of his right sword through the goblin’s chest, piecing its heart. In less than two seconds, he had killed two goblins.

Ferris’ swings were wide but his rhythm during the fight was steady. His magic helped him move quicker and strike faster. His sword would never be as sharp as a Metal Mage and his armor was still somewhat heavy though not as heavy as it should have been. But the swing of his blade always felt like it was riding on a stream of air, quickly picking up speed through his strikes and easy to guide to his targets, making small corrections as his target moved about.

Gretta, Jasmi, and Kelsi waited, not wanting to gain the attention of the mob of monsters too soon. The first strikes Dante and Ferris used were perfect and they seemed to be working easily alongside each other, not getting in each other’s way in the least. When the fifth goblin fell, they started casting their magic. Gretta cast Confusion, a small tune that could target an individual or small group for a few seconds. She aimed her spell near the middle of the green mass to inflict as match damage as possible. Once the spell had been cast, three goblins halted in their tracks. The press of bodies around them had led them to anger and they started shouting and pushing the crazed mob back. This caused a scuffle to break out, causing several goblins to start a fist fight in the middle of the battle.

Jami and sent her spirits to the rear, slowly stealing the life energy out of the monsters. Her spirits immediately start to grow as they fed, not affect by the strikes of the goblins.

Kelsi watched Ferris and Dante carefully, using her Perception to locate any wounds that were inflicted on her team. The two boys had yet to take a serious injury but the armor they wore could potentially hide wounds that a normal healer might miss. Her Perception allowed her to see past that. Targeting on specific areas and healing more efficiently.

Dante’s swords cut into the goblins, one strike after another. The screeching monsters threw themselves into his path and the bodies were starting to pile. For all his talent with the weapons and all the training he had gone through, his arms were straining and his lungs burned. Every swing was slightly slower and the number of goblins were starting to press in.

He pulled his sword up and back down, cutting a goblin across the throat but his blade didn’t cut deep enough and the goblin fell forward, crashing into his legs. His momentum was still carrying him forward and the sudden tackle caused him to fall forward. The few remaining goblins that were not occupied by Ferris, jumped onto Dante, stabbing with their crude spears and slashing with rusted daggers.

Dante felt the strikes on his exposed back and head, but the Essence Armor was protecting him for the moment. The real trouble was that he couldn’t stand back up. He didn’t know how long his Essence Armor would last.

Jasmi was the first to see Dante fall forward. She had only struck at a few targets that had tried to flank the two boys. When Dante fell, she felt a stab fear. The goblins immediately pressing down on him made it look as if he had already died.

She quickly cast False Flames in front of Dante, where a few more goblins were waiting to pile on him. The purple fires blazed into existence. They wouldn’t kill the goblins but they would feel like they were being burned by Paloya, the Goddess of Fire, herself. She pulled her blades back out and attacked.

She moved quickly, piercing a goblins heart as its arms were raised above its head, trying to skewer Dante with its crude spear. Its green face looked shocked for a moment before it fell over lifeless. She dispatched the other two in a similar fashion, taking a dagger in the arm in exchange. She ignored the slight pain and pulled the bodies off of her teammate. Once the weight had shifted, she could see him start to rise and felt a moments relief as she helped him stand.

Dante stepped out of the pile of corpses and breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted to turn and thank whoever had pulled him out, but the fire before him had started to dwindle and he could see the red eyes beyond it, glaring dangerously at him. He smiled, summoning a spear and thrusting through the flames, impaling the ugly creature. Its sneer turned into a look of shock as it stared down, seeing the spear lodged in its chest. Its red eyes faded and it fell to the side and Dante pulled his spear back and stabbed again.

Once the goblins were taken out, Ferris and Dante collapsed. Dante sent out his Essence Pulse and confirmed to the team that none were alive. Kelsi was at their side immediately. Dante had only suffered bruises and a cracked rib and Ferris had taken a small cut to the knee. In fact, the worst wound was the dagger that stabbed Jasmi in the arm and even that was shallow and easy to heal.

The smell coming off the goblin corpses was horrible but they were too tired to move just yet. They pulled their canteens out of their storage rings and deeply drank the refreshing water, sating their thirst. Dante and Ferris crossed over the bodies and guarded the tunnel ahead while the girls harvested the crystals.

Ferris looked back and then smirked at Dante. “They are going to make us get the crystals all day tomorrow.” Ferris whispered.

Dante smiled. “As long as we don’t have to harvest those goblins, I’m fine with it. They smell worse than anything we have fought so far.”

Ferris nodded in agreement. “I was a little worried when I saw you fall but your Essence Armor and my Wind Armor really do help us out.” He looked back at the girls. “What happens if they get hit like we did?” He asked.

Dante heard the worry in his friend’s voice. “That’s why we are up front, but I understand what you mean. When we are able, we will upgrade their armor first but it will be sometime before we can afford that. Besides, that goblin’s dagger barely made it through Jasmi’s armor. It really is well made.”

Ferris nodded. “So, we just have to do what we do best.”

Dante nodded. “Yes. We stand in front and get hit.”

They covered their laughing but were only slightly successful.

“You two are harvest crystals all day tomorrow.” Kelsi yelled out to them. She had heard them laughing but that only caused them to laugh harder, drawing angry glares from the rest of the team.

The team had continued on but not long after, they came across another cave in, this time in the main tunnel, cutting them off from moving forward. After a quick discussion, they realized they only had one choice and that was to move back and go through the hole in the ground.

It took less time traveling back since the tunnels had been cleared. The still kept their guard up but moved swiftly until they reached the side tunnel that had the hole leading father down.

Dante did a quick sweep with his Essence Pulse again and did sense anything down there. They proceeded as quietly as they could, but the rocks they climbed down were loose, sending several small stones tumbling down to smash on the stone floor. Dante kept his Essence Pulse going, scanning the area over and over but the cavern they found themselves in was still and silent.

The cavern wasn’t overly large but there were several tunnels leading out. They glanced into the tunnels but there was little light and no signs of anything near.

“So, what do we do now?” Ferris asked.

Dante smiled, pulling the enchanted boot knife out. “I’ve got an idea.”

Several minutes later, each tunnel entrance had a number neatly carved into the floor before it. It took Dante longer than normal since he was trying not to damage the blades enchantment.

Kelsi laughed. “Now we just pick a number and move on.”

Ferris and Dante moved to the first tunnel with a 1 carved in the floor. These tunnels weren’t as big as the main tunnel but not as small as the side tunnels above. They moved forward slowly, Dante still casting his Essence Pulse every few feet. The Essence density did grow but not as greatly as when they had first descended into the second level. Dante had wondered what the difference was and what it meant. He would have to ask Historian Louis when he wasn’t in the middle of a dungeon, surrounded by things trying to kill him.

They had been walking for hours. They hadn’t passed a side tunnel or monster yet. Only rock walls. When they finally came to another cavern, Dante let out an annoyed grunt as he kicked the side of the tunnel.

“What is it?” Kelsi asked.

Ferris was looking down at the ground before turning around to look at Kelsi. “We ended up back where we started.”

Kelsi ran up to the front and looked down to see a carved 2 in the tunnels entrance.

“I am really not liking this dungeon right now.” Kelsi growled.

The team was tired, hungry and they all smelled of goblin. It was already eight at night according to their pocket watches and they were running low on water.

“Okay.” Kelsi said. “We can either camp here or take the next tunnel and see where it leads.” The team decided quickly that they should keep moving on. They all chewed on some jerky and moved forward to tunnel number three.

The tunnel looked exactly like the one before, but after ten minutes of walking, they finally came across a camp site. The team hurried to make camp while Dante pulled the first guard shift. He would have to watch both tunnels into the cavern since they hadn’t completely cleared behind them, but the idea of washing the stench of goblin off of him made him smile.

He moved towards the farthest entrance, and sent out an Essence Pulse. To his surprise, he felt something towards the edge of his range. He turned to the team to report it.

The others groaned. They couldn’t sleep if there were monsters near. Dante said he would scout it out and the others put their armor back on, not getting a chance to clean it yet.

Dante moved forward through the tunnel alone. He knew his range had increased the farther they traveled but it seemed at least twice as strong as when they originally started. The tunnel was dimly lit but the essence lanterns were present, if sparsely so. The tunnel moved slightly downwards and Dante turned another corner to see a large cavern with a single goblin moving around.

This goblin was close to five feet tall and wore old leather armor. It had a large rusted axe held in both hands and from the size of its arms, it looked as if it could wield it easily. Dante moved carefully back and headed towards the camp.

He explained what he saw and a silent laugh escaped Senior Instructor Williams lips.

“Well, I’ll be damned!” He said, quietly chuckling. “Looks like Kobal is back.”

The group looked at him with confused expressions.

“Sir.” Dante said. “Kobal?”

“Who do you think the dungeon is named after, boy?” Williams asked. “Kobal is the name of the Dungeon Boss.”

The group looked at each other again. Their expressions changing from confusion to worry. They hadn’t expected to actually reach the Dungeon Boss. Dungeon Bosses were in a league of their own. Even if this was the smallest dungeon beneath the tower, it would likely be the hardest fight they had encountered yet.

Kelsi looked at the team. “So, what do you think? We are all exhausted. I don’t think we should head into a fight in our condition.”

“I don’t think we have much to worry about.” Ferris replied. “Dungeon Bosses stay in their layers and no other monsters will venture near this area.”

“Then let us get our rest and recover. We need to be in top shape to fight the Boss.” Jasmi added.

“Do you think we can win?” Kelsi asked. It was a legitimate question and they could always back track and try to find more monsters in the other tunnels behind them.

“I think we can.” Gretta chimed in. “We have done well and I think we are strong enough to deal with anything this dungeon can throw at us.”

The team smiled at the red head. Gretta had the hardest time in the dungeon so far but she had overcome her fear of bugs and other creepy crawly things. They group agreed and continued preparing. Tomorrow they would fight a Dungeon Boss.