A month later, the vermillion stretches of the sky appeared menacing, especially for the unwary traveller who wouldn’t know the deathly harm caused by the red rays. Only the ones with a proper mastery of Vespa travelled these lands. A figure clad in cosmic robes, armour blazing, appeared at a distance, fighting his way around the dust storms and the sizzling hot volcanic eruptions. On his back, his ruined obsidian weapons glowed intensely, pulsating with his condensed Vespa. He had donned on the special robes from the royal armoury, ones that were made only for the Vespa monks that went on special missions.

He had given thanks to whatever special force had gifted him the massive reserves. Not to the Goddess, because she was the reason he was here. He also paid special thanks to Tangerine for lending him all her training and insight. The defensive aura of his blades hadn’t been disturbed even once, marking his journey as a safe one. Though, considering the terrain he had entered, he wasn’t sure how long that was going to be the case.

Desmond threw his head around and soon found himself scaling the mountains as he had never before. His heart thumped upon his success, as he realised he was moving almost effortlessly through these rocky terrains. When he had set on this perilous journey, the notion of utilising his fullest potential consumed him.

When the last hint of vegetation long died down, and the sizzling hot springs became a frequent occurrence, Desmond knew he had entered the plains of the A’Dara, the notorious plains of the carnivorous giants. The fact vegetation actually grows this far continues to surprise him. Those beings had been the bane of his kingdom for quite some time. Today, he would put an end to their evil. But first, he would have to find his way out of this mountainous wilderness.

“Damn it! I knew I should have packed more with me…”

He spoke while throwing a stern glance at the two blades that had been companions for his journey. One glance at them threw his heart into a fit of palpitations. He might have crossed a limit there, and if Clementine’s grudge was as strong as he had heard, she would chase him down.

“Good… let her come then… maybe I shall have a companion for this journey! Or I can make her do all the work as a good king.”

The mere notion of a strong warrior girl chasing him brought a smile to his face. His dreams of late had been filled with the possibilities that his heart had craved. He had seen her multiple times in his slumber, asking him to express his deepest desires.

“God… I need to get laid.”

Smoke rose from a distance, slapping heat across his face. He had to leap out of his train of unending thoughts that formed a shield of Vespa. His breath became rhythmic, aligning him with the flow of the universe. His muscles tightened, and very soon all he could sense was a minor inconvenience, caused by a small flare. Under normal circumstances, that steaming heat would have melted his face off. However, the Vespa had acted as the perfect guard, shielding him from harm’s way. He paid thanks to Tangerine once more, and then fell back into the delusions about expressing his love to Clementine and her taking the role of his partner. Wow the heat was getting to him

The sweat on his forehead came quite close to stinging his eyes had he not wiped it off. He knew the heat wouldn’t cause him to have sweaty palms. His own emotions would…

He would have been caught in the whirlpool of memories and wishful notions once more had the swords on his back not warned him of the imminent danger.

The left blade thumped, and he clenched his hand around it. The weapon let out a cry that resembled those sparks he used to encounter in the training yard. It sizzled, not with one but with multiple lightning surges. The weapon was charged with raw Vespa, as it thrummed in his hands as if beating with a heartbeat of its own. He forgot that he held the weapon, and instead felt as if he was holding a companion in his hands. Good! Another indication that he had gotten past the adept stage of controlling Vespa. Now, it served him like the most loyal servant one could ask for.

Desmond made sure to take deeper breaths and focus on the unsettling boulder that had moved an inch from its resting place. Layers were added to that pile of moving rocks until two small holes appeared right on the rocky projection that he surmised to be the creature’s face.

“I am not the foe that you are hunting, foolish mortal!”

The creature hissed, emitting the low growl that Desmond didn’t know could be possible. Whatever sort of abominations dwelled here couldn’t utter anything other than the thunderous roars. Yet this…thing displayed intellect.

Desmond clung to his weapon, stepping away from that living boulder that had grown a pair of legs and a round head with pale predatory eyes.

“Then what are you, creature of the rock?!”

The living boulder’s face grew a partitioning that Desmond identified to be its mouth. It spoke with great struggle, its voice becoming heavier with each passing minute.

“You are witty…that much credit I shall give you!”

There appeared a dangerous row of razor-sharp teeth in that thing’s mouth, as Desmond didn’t flinch or turn his gaze away from its face.

“I know what you are, stone Gollum. You serve the vicious masters!”

His sword shone like a star in his hands, emitting the powerful beam that he knew would shatter this beast in the front.

“State your business Gollum!”

There was a low tone growl that came from the creature’s direction, and a series of high and low sounds that Desmond identified as the wicked laughter.

“Well, you certainly know how to hold your own. Judging by your Vespa, I can see that your stance is unbreakable! But I also sense the flow of mage with you as well.”

It taunted him. Desmond knew better than to lose the grip that he had been holding over the sword.

“Of course it is! I know that the moment I let go of this weapon would be the moment when you swoop in and decide to end me. Do you think I haven’t heard the tales of the stone Gollums, taking down the unwary travellers?”

The abnormal laughter echoed again, only this time it was more vicious and earth-shaking.

“Your flow hasn’t changed even a bit…You look like one of those Vespa users.”

The Gollum retracted back to its spot, trying to change positions. Desmond’s stance had no openings and no vulnerable spots.

“I see you have been trained well!”

Desmond moved only a step, his eyes clung to that monstrosity. The Vespa that originated from that living rock would have made him sick if he hadn’t been holding his own flow. This creature was one of the vicious denizens of the volcanic lands, the hostile neighbours to the kingdom that he had hailed from.

You will be surprised at the number of books the various empty villages have.

“So…do I get the pleasure of at least knowing the name of this…human?”

The Gollum asked again and the aura that emanated from him was that of a hungry predator, like the venomous lizard preparing itself to launch an attack on the unwary prey. Only that the prey here wasn’t unwary or unyielding. The aura sensing went both ways, and the Gollum kept its distance from the dangerous foe.

“You will get my name if you tell me one thing. Where is the Anthro Rock Clan? The Ragnaroks! I want this stupid quest to be over with!”

The mere name sent a shiver down the boulder’s spine. The rocks shook as they had just withstood an impact, and Desmond could have sworn that in those pale yellow eyes, there was a glimmer of fear. Perhaps this vicious being wasn’t that different from him.

“Anthro Rock Clan…what a grim fate they met at the hands of those carnivorous goliaths. The blood promises them a mighty reward. I dwell from their cousin category and I know the temptations of the soft flesh. But those goliaths…They are vicious, and when they are hungry, they don’t see whether it is flesh or rock…they only sense the life in it and leap forward to swallow it!”

Devouring their own kin?! That thought was disturbing for him. He lowered his sword, sensing a genuine fear somewhere in the air.

The next moment, the ground shook and he felt the tremors reaching to him as if unbalancing his Vespa. A few of the rocks flew in his direction.

Calling upon his reserves of Vespa, he skillfully evaded those deathly rocks and sprung back up on his two feet. Just when he thought he had dodged the real danger, the ground beneath turned into quicksand and sucked his figure in it.

“Foolish mortal! Master of Vespa or not, you are definitely going to be my meal of the day!” The Gollum roared, concealing the maniacal laughter somewhere in its thunderous accent. That was when it dawned upon the creature that something had gripped it from below.

“What?!”

The Gollum didn’t have enough moments to recoil. Its body was covered in the rocky exterior within the blink of an eye which wasn’t fast enough. Desmond leapt out of the ground, and his blade arced through its body, slicing a leg and arm without effort.

The growls echoed in the air as Desmond pushed the creature back and focused his blade on the throat of that being. The purplish congealing liquid poured on the ground, along with thumms that appeared like cries of the Gollum.

“Now…talk! The people of Anthro Rock Clan are in danger, and unless you tell me their location, heads will roll!”

Desmond appeared as menacing as he could, suppressing his voice and adding some threatening Vespa to his sound. He knew he appeared like a greater predator, striking fear into the heart of this lowly being. Of course, he abhorred striking fear into the hearts of the other lowly beings like that.

“I didn’t know you…were a predator yourself!”

The Gollum growled in a manner that looked more like a scream.

“I can crush your stupid rock body into a small powder and spread it across the entire continent. Now tell me! Where is the clan? And where are the giants holding them?”

The glimmer of fear appeared once more as the Gollum winced, doing its best to bury himself in the earth beneath. It couldn’t, as Desmond towered over him and blocked the earth magic with his Vespa.

“Let me go! I have no business with the world of man and monsters! I am just a simple being trying to live by.” He could have growled a lot more, had Desmond not cut him off in the middle.

“Listen, chump! You made it your business when you attacked me. Now, where is that clan? And where are your masters?”

There was a brief pause, as the aura around the creature dimmed in its ferocity. After a moment or two, the creature uttered.

“I serve no master. Those stone goliaths expelled me a long time ago when I was caught stealing their prey for myself. As for the Anthro Clan…you will be better off not heading in their direction. The clan of the Stone Giants that captured their princess did so while using some of the most dangerous Vespa and Magics of this land. And they summoned the Guardian while doing so. And while doing so, they summoned their own doom…”

For a few moments, Desmond wondered if this creature was telling him the truth. The Guardian…the demonic being that revelled in causing pain and agony to others. He had never faced the master of the tainted Vespa.

“If you lie, I will come back and hunt you down!”

Despite all the Vespa that Desmond managed beyond these words, those words didn’t strike fear. No, the thrumming of the ground and the palpitations of the beating heart inside that creature’s body were due to a completely different reason.

“You don’t have any idea of what you are getting yourself into, do you? Well if anything, I will come back and feed on the carcasses that are left behind after you cross swords with that dragon…”

Dragon…?! Was that the guardian?

“A dragon?”

Desmond did his best to remain calm. He wasn’t going to flinch even upon.

the mention of this guardian. He remained focused on the Gollum, trying his best to detect even a hint of a lie. There was none, save for the cold satisfaction that whatever Desmond had done to that creature was coming back at him.

“Yes! A dragon!” The Gollum managed a wicked smile. “Birthed from the darkest fires of hell, and here to wreck the worst forms of havocs. The dragon wants only one thing, and that is the souls of its victims. The princess of the Anthro Rock Clan is in grave danger, and so is her clan. And there is nothing that you can do to save them! But should you find it in your heart to follow their cries, then head up North and you will find the remnants of their clans.”

There was a hint of joy in those words, one that Desmond didn’t take very kindly.

“Very well then. Thanks for all your help.” Desmond connected the hilt of his blade with the head of that creature, knocking it out cold. He then turned North, cooling down the Vespa that sparked that blade. He needed to save those reserves and utilize them when the time was right. That was now his purpose…to save the princess.

Dungeons are always completed when you save the beautiful princess.

The possibilities of a powerful alliance spun through his mind and he found himself drooling over the fact that they could easily help him. The Anthro Rock people were powerful allies with knowledge of the ages at their disposal. They could craft lifelike golems, and aid him in the war council. Not to mention, that would earn him a place closer to Eliza. Not to mention they are the best stonemasons and cut construction time in half. Stupid verisimilitude of this world...

He spared a glance in the direction of that Gollum and then turned towards that North that the creature had spoken of. He just hoped that despite all the time that he had spent here, he wouldn’t be too late.

Calming down his Vespa, he made sure to conserve it for future battles. He had a feeling that there would be plenty of them…and he would want to win them all. The blade found its way back into the hilt that hung on his back. He needed to preserve his Vespa. He had to practice real caution if he wanted to minimize the risk of spilling too much of his energy.

Moving with the rhythm of the dry warm wind that blew, he walked strategically. Until now, the map of this terrain was printed in his mind pretty well.

When the rocky terrains became more rugged, he realized he had truly headed North. He thanked all those lessons from Tangerine through which he had slogged back in the library, trying to swallow the information. It was really difficult to keep sitting there while watching the sky through the window fade from dark blue to light sapphire. But today, he was feeling the worth of all those lessons. He knew just beyond these ashen mountains that spat fire, there laid the ash groves, where there were lairs of gargoyles and stone bats. They were all vicious creatures, but they weren’t Vespa users, and that meant he would only have to rely on his swordsmanship. Besides, if the archives of the palace had done the terrain any justice, he would walk out of those groves and land straight into the colony of the Rock Anthro people. Seeing the distance he had traversed so far, he found a striking resemblance to what he had read in those books, and what he had faced practically.

“I guess the authors knew what they were talking about while jotting down those words in their notebooks!” He whispered to himself while clearing his throat. Authors were magical people, connecting different people to the distant worlds without letting them step a foot outside their comfort zone, or so was what Tangerine had told him. And considering how his journey had turned out so far, he was amazed at how right she was. On some accounts, the authors were Vespa and Magic-users themselves. They knew the terrain like the back of their hand, especially the one that he roamed currently.

His eyes glimmered with anticipation as he spotted that crag that was adorned with at least a dozen statues that rested atop that cliff.

For a few moments, he could barely believe in the enthralling sight. There were dozens of them, all lifelike and as young as the fairest maidens of the kingdom. He had never seen beings so beautiful, so inhuman and so bestial.

Some of them had horns, and some of them bore strange projections on their backs that he wouldn’t call wings. It took him a moment or two to realize that this was the territory of the Rock Anthro People, and those statues guided any unwary traveller to the safe zone that was their village. Their tales of kindness and hospitality were known throughout his kingdom, and the stories of how they had saved countless lost men and women from certain deaths abounded in the region. What he found most concerning was that there weren’t any living beings, save for the beautiful lifelike statues made of nothing but dull grey stones. There were guards posted at this outer gate to their village, ones that bore deep purple skin and glowing red eyes.

Just when Desmond had planned to move past that gate, a low growl echoed in the air and set an alarm in him. He almost moved his hands to the blades, leaking his aura by mistake. There weren’t one or two but many Gollums, all armed to the teeth with blades. He knew they weren’t easy to be dealt with, unlike that bum he had met on his way here. These were on an entirely new level.

“I wonder how will the princess be of these people!”

He asked himself, drooling over the possibilities. One glance in the direction of that symbolic gate made him realize that he couldn’t proceed in that direction. Instead, he would turn a bit left and head through those groves he had read about. He just wished that the author of the book wouldn’t be wrong at this point. He had simply come too far…

He drifted away slowly, averting the line of sight of those monstrosities that roamed the gate. He knew if he desired a peaceful journey where he would only end up using Vespa when it was required, he had to drift away and choose a subtle path.

The meandering path took him away, as he stuck to the beaten road and lugged himself out of that volcanic zone. His lips stretched into a smile the moment he saw the groves, the long-standing sentinels there shooting off the ground. The sight that struck his fancy the most was the burning embers that grew on some of the trees with the likeness of proper leaves. Now he understood what that author meant by the area never catching wildfires. Those trees were the wildfire. He took another deep breath and entered the burning premises while at the same time clinging to the breathing patterns properly. The Vespa became strong with him, almost like a rhythm. Until now, he had become accustomed to regenerating his energy, and while passing through the fire forest did require shielding, he had managed just enough to save for the big battle. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any!

The forest was a walk in the park. He praised those authors once more who had compiled such extensive notes about this place. He then thanks Tangerine for making him sit in the library and memorizing those books. It was all paying off now. He had steered clear of the trouble or the lairs where gargoyles dwelled. Nasty beings with wings and health leeching claws. He had read quite a lot about them, and if the mission wasn’t critical, he would have brought palace, the heart of a gargoyle at least.

But for now, he managed to remain focused on what lay ahead. Slowly, he entered yet another boundary and traversed the heart of the forest. One good thing about these volcanic plains was that there never was any night. The sky assumed deep azure shades, but that was it. Unlike the blackest nights he had once faced in the marshes, this was relatively a walk in the park. Ok maybe not a walk in the park, since the marsh monsters weren’t as durable as the abominations that dwelled here. The path was riddled with fire trees and new offshoots that bore emerald-green branches. His endeavour through the forest brought him to the end, where now he could sight the end of the zone. Just beyond that thick cluster of trees, laid the structures that he recognized to be homes of the Rangrocks.

Throwing his head around, he couldn’t spot a single living being. He could sense the presence of troubling Vespa, one that revealed to him the cries of agony and pain. As if thousands of them had been taken away from their homes. This looked bad…this looked really really bad!

The moment he snuck out of those woods and landed in one of the stone huts, he realized he didn’t have to try very hard to spot where those poor souls had been dragged off to. At the corner far across the thousands of empty huts, he found the tower, darker than the blackest of the nights, and standing there like a void manifested out of thin air. The air around had been tainted and the sky above bled with scarlet shades. One glance at the tower told him what the real trouble was, and how it began. It was an instrument of the darkest magics probably in this entire land, and the gargoyles stationed on its corners spoke trouble. It took him a moment or two to come to the realization that the tower was a patchwork that had been crafted through skulls. Bile rose up in his stomach and he found it hard to maintain his Vespa. How many had been killed just so the evil lord or whoever ruled this place could erect a tower?

Anger riled him up from the inside. In all the time that he had spent here, watching this tower had been one of the worst moments. His teeth ground and his heartbeat flashed angrily. He knew he had to get inside and save as many as he could.

What Desmond saw next shocked him to the core, fading his anger a bit. He found not one, or two but at least hundreds of the corpses that were piled around the tower. To his relief, they didn’t belong to the Rock Anthro people, but they did belong to those carnivorous giants that he had so much heard about. Their skins were turned to crisp, and whatever had done this to them had ruined their bodies…

Whatever had done this to the giants surely was gigantic and spat molten lava. Not one of those sorry corpses were recognizable. Desmond had to take a deep breath and tell himself that he had gotten this. He shook his head to rid himself of all the troubling thoughts and focused on the task at the hand. He had to get inside and do away with whatever resistance he would meet. The Vespa riled up inside him, feeling like the hottest of lavas he had faced before.

Tangerine’s warnings flashed in his mind, telling him to not give in to the nasty anger. For a Vespa user, getting that type of anger meant having access to a more dangerous and unstable form of energy, one that could very well spell one’s doom. But he was having none of those cautious today. If the monstrosity that had captured them was deviant enough to kill its own followers and pile them up to the side, then there was no telling of what it might do to the innocents it had captured.

Those sentries at the gate’s entrance never saw him coming. He was swift and unyielding. Moving with the wind, he made sure to slice them up in a matter of moments. His Vespa was out of control, and now he needed to find his target before it found him. All those times when he had fought with an unstable angry Vespa, he had either taken an entire army all by himself or he had been bested by a single soldier of his palace. It all came down to whether he had attacked someone first or he was taken over by a surprise. For now, he had to use this to his advantage!

The entrance didn’t prove to be much of a hurdle. When those Gollums laid silent, their armour all broken and their heads rolling to the side, he stormed the tower and fended off hordes of them. There was no holding back now. He had to do whatever it took to get to the main chambers where the princess would be held under chains. Gargoyles poured onto him, and there were many other beings too that descended upon him with only the most powerful devices of doom. He was having none of that today. If there was one beast today ravaging this tower, it would be him!

A thunderous roar put everyone into their places, save for him. He had reached to the mid hallway, with ominous surroundings to the side. In the wake of beheaded creatures and dead beings of the night, he had stormed till the mid-tower. That was when he realized that he had made it to the centre.

“Who dares disturb my tower? Should I feed you to the hell hounds I keep in my basement?”

The thunderous roar echoed through the entire place. He knew he had reached his destination when the bad guy itself leapt down and faced him, right in the middle of that ring that was placed in the centre. The walls around bore torches with red flame, and there were gigantic pillars with the mounted heads of those stone giants. Still no sign of Sarge's people. Maybe they are already out of the dungeon?

“You! What did you do with the princess?”

Desmond screamed at the top of his lungs, facing off against the dragon who whirled on him. The beast bore no wings, and it moved like an enormous mountain of razor-sharp scales. There was something grim in those red eyes that held the screams of its victims. The lava dragon was reputed to feast on the souls of the less unfortunate. Desmond didn’t even want to divert his mind to that possibility.

Elite Magma Dragon Volvagia (F) | 19,031 LP; Level: 50-52 (Party Rank: 1/5)

The Elite Magma Dragon Volvagia is a rare magma dragon that is existed since ancient times. He was known for his appetite for Dwarves and their sub species and he spread fear and consternation throughout the tribe.

HP: 25,000

─Attack: 16,500

─Magic Attack: 12,200

─ Stamina: 24,500

─ Skills: Fire Shield (LV 10), Sparking Flame, Fire Breath, Ignition Flare, Poison Gas, Earth Quake, Ice Storm, Pressure Point, Heatstroke

Talents: Full Plate Armor, Iron Skin, Improved Poison Resistance, Enhanced Strength, Superior Intelligence, Enhanced Vitality, Double Hit Damage, Double Slash Damage, Mighty Blow, Extra Move

“Ah…so you are mighty Desmond? I have heard stories about how you defeated most of the army of my giants and killed my most powerful generals. These giants are so useless that I had to kill them and mount their heads on my walls. No living flesh can be so compliant! The Blood Lord will take over the dwarves and its people!”

The roaming abomination opened its glowing mouth and displayed an array of razor-sharp teeth. Everything about the dragon spoke of doom. Yet Desmond was having none of that. Equipping his Javelin armour he faced the monster. Time for you to become LP for my egg that's stuck on my forehead. Become a stepping stone to our greatness.

“Listen, chump! I didn’t come here to converse with a fire lizard. Where is the princess?!”

In response, he received the destructive hit of the whipping tail that ran through several pillars at once. Desmond leapt quickly, realizing that he had to put an end to it all. His hands got hold of the second sword, coupling the fire of that weapon with the lightning that he currently yielded. The shining duo of fire and lightning struck against the fire of the lava dragon. They entered the trance of fighting, with Desmond continually dodging and landing a hit on its head. That creature was powerful and fully capable of flight. Desmond had to learn it the hard way as he leapt around the fallen debris, dodging and deflecting the destructive meteorites that the dragon spat at him.

It wasn’t until he saw an opening and decided to take full advantage of it. The tips of his blade connected with the sidewall, collapsing it. At this point, the creatures of the night had declared them to be the strongest foes, and they didn’t dare to venture near. Good for Desmond. That meant he would only have to focus on his foe and put an end to his evil reign.

“Foolish mortal.”

The magma dragon roared while spitting another flaming boulder at him. Desmond sliced it into two and dashed to the side. Another plan burned in his mind as the dragon took flight. Gathering enough Vespa in his legs, he ran towards that still standing pillar and launched himself onto it, stabbing the wall there and giving himself temporary support. A moment later, he gathered Vespa once more and shot himself like a cannon at the flying dragon with his blades pointing straight.

The blades met with the vulnerable backside of the dragon’s head. There were a few roars of insult and name-calling but Desmond had set his mind on bringing this foe down.

“Let’s see if your skull is as empty as I think!”

He shielded his feet with Vespa and launched a flurry of attacks on the vulnerable spot of his foe’s head. The dragon jerked and tried to throw his foe away like an insect. It didn’t work as Desmond’s blades were embedded in the back of its skull.

The fight didn’t last long. The dragon came down quicker than Desmond had imagined, and the moment his foe lay broken and dead, the door at the end of this hallway opened.

In the history of all battles and training, Desmond’s only weakness had been attractive women. He had never thought that the princess of Rock Anthro People would be so beautiful and dazzling. She ran to him, shouting warnings about what went on with the dragon’s corpse. Unfortunately, he was too caught up in her beauty.

“Look out!” She screamed, and when he did lookout, it was too late. The mystical changes had started transpiring and a blue portal opened in the floor where the dragon’s corpse lay. It dragged not just the beast, but also Desmond with it. He couldn’t help but keep looking at the incredibly beautiful woman with skin like stone and kept wishing that he had listened to her too instead of merely gawking at her.

Why does he feel so empty?

Congratulations, you totally bested your first dungeon dude!

This biodome nice work, stud!

As the first person in like ever to complete a dungeon, u get this boi!

Magic Nanobots Injection.

Two words from your world: “Copy Anime.”

Also, excellent work on the dragon egg.