23. Inside A Dungeon

“Run!” Halcyon shouted, and Ardan didn’t need any more persuasion. He turned, already breaking into a sprint. The sounds of angry barking ensued; the dogs were right on his trail. Not knowing where he was going, Ardan entered the narrow, winding streets of… whatever this place was.

“Halcyon, how… do… I… get… out… of… this… place?” Ardan asked in between heavy pants. Every so often, he glanced back to check how close the wolves were. He was already beginning to feel the lactic acid flowing through his legs. It was awkward, carrying a large staff, which slowed Ardan’s pace.

“The door! What door did you use to get in?”

“Door?” Ardan asked, not understanding what he was talking about for a moment. Then it hit him. The door to the noodle bar. That must have been what Halcyon meant.

But it was all the way back, near the intersection he had just run from. The wolves seemed to all trail a mass of grey shadows that covered everything it touched. Their run was so fluid it almost seemed unreal, like it was part of a video game.

“Ardan! What door?” Halcyon shouted once more, bringing him back to the present.

“It was at the noodle bar! Where we just came from!” Ardan clutched his chest, which was threatening to burst.

Halcyon groaned, then called out. “Look out!”

A looming grey wall of a building blocked his path. A dead end.

“You have to fight, Ardan. They’re less dangerous than you think. Well, they probably are, but-”

“Not helping.” Ardan murmured, trying to watch all the wolves at the same time.

Jumping off from the buildings, they paced slowly towards him, as if trying to determine if he was dangerous. Now that Ardan had a good look at them, he felt slightly less intimidated.

They were small creatures, about the size of a puppy. They all seemed to lack any distinguishing features, as their eyes were all the same glossy black, almost hypnotising. Some black substance coiled around their bodies, writhing and dispersing with every movement.

Shadow Mongrel Lvl. 7 HP 200/200 AP 41

Shadow mongrel? he wondered, but they didn’t give him any more time to think of a plan. The six spread out around him, cutting off any means of escape. Ardan held the staff in the same stance as last time, spreading open his legs, ready to dodge or deflect any attacks.

The closest one leapt up at him, its outstretched claws glinting in the dim light. Ardan swung the staff, expecting it to strike the creature in midair.

“No! That won’t work-” Halcyon called out. But it was too late.

Whomp.

“Huh?” Ardan said dumbly as the shadow mongrel disintegrated into shadows on contact, making him lose his balance. Since he swung so wildly, and the momentum that was intended for the dog never reached, it carried him too far forward, causing his fall. Once the staff had cleared the mongrel, it reformed and slashed his forearm, the same part that had been injured the last time.

“They can turn into shadows at will! You won’t be able to hit them! ”

But Ardan wasn’t listening, instead preoccupied with keeping the mongrels off him. “Do something Halcyon!” He shouted frenziedly.

And he did.

Red liquid spurted out from the tip of the staff, but instead of dripping everywhere, it formed into a stream. Like it had a life of its own, it snaked towards Ardan’s wrist, hardening and forming into a thin needle.

“This might hurt.” Halcyon warned, before the liquid jabbed into Ardans arm painfully, causing him to shout in pain.

- Alert! - You have taken 45 damage.

“Halcyon…” He said slowly, still concentrating on keeping the mongrels at bay. As long as he swung fast enough, they couldn’t turn into their physical form and attack him.

“Ardan! Get up in three… two….” He began. “One!”

In as fluid a motion as he could get, Ardan clambered to his feet, kicking at one of the creatures that got too close. Surprisingly, his foot connected and the beast yelped in pain.

Shink. Shink. Shink. Shink. Shink.

Five spikes shot out from a thin line of floating blood that snaked from the point of the staff. Ardan couldn’t help but notice that Halcyon’s usual milky red colour had turned pale.

- Alert! -

You have slain [Shadow Mongrel Lvl. 7]

You have gained 193 EXP (x41)

You have slain [Shadow Mongrel Lvl. 7]

You have gained 194 EXP (x52)

You have slain [Shadow Mongrel Lvl. 7]

You have gained 189 EXP (x71)

You have slain [Shadow Mongrel Lvl. 7]

You have gained 200 EXP (x45)

You have slain [Shadow Mongrel Lvl. 7]

You have gained 192 EXP (x10)

For a moment, Ardan stood stock still, shocked at what had just happened. Then, just as quickly, he remembered he was in the midst of a battle and jerked upright in a fighting position.

Thankfully, it seemed as if the dungeon had decided to give him a break. The sky had cleared and no other enemies were in sight.

“How did you do that?” Ardan asked incredulously, staring at Halcyon.

“Long story short, I was a blood mage in my previous life and since I’ve been reincarnated as a blood staff, I retained a part of my powers. I’m using your mana, though. It’s the ability called ‘awaken’. You’re not qualified to equip me, but I can bypass that by activating it myself- since I’m your familiar.” Halcyon rambled on, retracting the blood from his tip. “It’s not over, by the way. I suggest you get out of here as fast as you can. Also, be quiet if you don’t want them to hear us.”

Ardan nodded, but doubled over and began coughing heavily. “Can I get a quick breather first?” He groaned and lurched. “I think I’m going to throw up again.”

Sighing, Halcyon relented. “Alright. Collect the loot while you’re resting, though. And be quiet!”

“What loot?” He asked, this time whispering. As he glanced around, he realised that there were no bodies of the shadow mongrels. In their places were small, floating black and white orbs, glowing with the shadowy aura the mongrels had when they were alive.

“The black orbs are the creatures’ souls. They’ll eventually respawn in that spot in a few hours if you don’t manage to kill the boss. The white orbs are their loot ‘bags’. Store them somewhere safe for now.”

Ardan agreed, happy that he wouldn’t have to see any more broken bodies. He was beginning to wonder about Halcyon’s past. He had just slain five monsters without batting an eyelid. Figuratively and literally. How much death does someone have to see to be able to act like that?

Curiously, he approached one of the orbs and poked his finger out at it. It felt warm, but cool at the same time. Was that even possible? It was also incredibly light. If anything in the world could be weightless, it would definitely be that.

He crouched down next to it and unstrapped his backpack, lifting it slowly with one hand. Not knowing whether or not they could get crushed, he opted to place them all at the top of his bag.

A few minutes later, he’d collected all five and caught his breath. He was ready to leave this horrid place of death.

“Hurry, Ardan. They’re bound to come bounding soon.” Halcyon half-joked.

Rolling his eyes, Ardan slung his haversack on his back and hefted up the talking staff. Then he realised he had absolutely no idea where he was. However, he didn’t want Halcyon to know this, so he decided to just follow the path and hope he’d end up in the right place. Supposedly, the dungeon was supposed to be an enclosed area, meaning he’d have to reach the centre eventually.

Now that Ardan wasn’t being chased or attacked by any sort of predator, he had the opportunity to actually take in his surroundings. The area the dungeon had formed around was quite compacted with short but long brick buildings. The buildings were old, as you could see the red paint flaking off and the dozens of holes in the walls. Grime and dirt covered the rooftop beams, which were made of tiles. Definitely not the skyscrapers you would expect within a city. The broken beer bottles and stained plastic chairs added much to the heavy atmosphere the place gave off.

Everywhere he went, it seemed to be the same thing. Dried up cigarette buds lying in gutters on the side of the street, cracked windows and walls with holes. After a ten or so minutes of sneaking around, Ardan came across a familiar alleyway, his entrance into the place.

The invisible wall was still there, meaning it wasn’t his way out. He turned around and smiled for the first time upon entering the dungeon. There it was, the intersection where the noodle bar was located.

Breaking into a jog, he ran towards the door, no longer caring about stealthiness. Just a few more metres and he would-

Thump.

A large figure dropped from the sky in front of Ardan, obstructing the path to the door. Startled, he stumbled and skidded to a halt before gazing up at the creature in front of him.

Gloom (Elite) Lvl. 10 HP 800/800 AP 73