Astrid’s POV

  As the wide rowboat pushed off the edge, Astrid tore her sight away from the safety and familiarity of solid ground and out at the deceptively still surface of the lake. She didn’t have that much experience on boats, aside from one half-hearted attempt at a ‘fishing trip’ her step-father had taken her and her step-siblings to, but bodies of water had always made her nervous. She’d learned to swim, like everyone else going through school, but that had been in a well-lit and well maintained pool. One where you could see the bottom. Here? She could see nothing below her when she peered beyond the ledge, which had the unfortunate consequence of making her hands and back feel clammy. Her fingers felt cold, even though she was sitting on them. She was even tempted to summon her spellbook for comfort. Just so she was ready if something popped out of the water, but a quick glance toward Miles and how relaxed he seemed steeled her hands.

  Act cool, she told herself. She couldn’t make a fool out of herself or seem too scared. Because right now, Astrid was thinking this stranger might be one of those big recruiters she’d heard of in the past. The kind that’d roam the floors for promising delvers to headhunt before they’d make it big. And she wasn’t alone in thinking that.

  Silas’s back was straight as his eyes scanned the water, while both of their Vanguards, Theron and Helena, were slowly and quietly rowing. Their movements were fluid and deliberate, smooth so they’d disturb the water as little as possible. When she had brought up her theory, Theron had frowned, while Helena just shrugged and cleaned up some dust off of the wools she wore. She didn’t care so long as she got a good fight. But Silas seemed to think it might be a possibility, which was why he was acting more polite and proper than usual. But if any one of them had been initially doubtful of the possibility, seeing enchanted gear being handed out like candy had reinforced the possibility.

  Who would go around handing out magic bags? He had to be important. Somehow.

  Behind her, Roland, Lyra, and Miles were sitting quietly. The Torchbearers her team hired were just as nervous as the rest of them were, but Miles she’d bet couldn’t have looked more relaxed if he had been sitting on the patio of a teahouse. Really, the only thing missing was a cup of something warm and some more comfortable seating. Not even an ounce of anxiety or worry could be found on his features.

  Astrid couldn’t wait to feel that confident in the Dungeon. But honestly? Even this nerve-wracking experience was more fun than dealing with family drama. She could still do a few more weeks of this roughness.

  Beats those networking dinners and all that crap, she thought. Shaking her head, she let out a slow breath and turned her attention back to their surroundings. A few minutes had already passed, and by now, they were nearly a third of the way through the lake. She would love for this crossing to go by uneventfully. To just continue their journey undisturbed and unmolested.

  It was right as she thought this that that a soft splash made her turn to the right. But when she looked, she saw nothing. Silas, on the other hand, had gone pale.

  “Eyes up. [Surefooted Ground,]” the Warden said, voice low, and the boat ground to a halt. The swaying of the ship stopped, and while the water continued to lap around it, the Skill prevented the vessel from being affected. Not even when both Vanguards threw their oars down and shot to their feet did the boat tilt.

  Epic Skills are busted, Astrid thought as she peered at the two Vanguards. Theron’s face had darkened, while Helena’s lips spread in a disturbing smile as the air rippled about her. She was already summoning her ghostly armor.

  As for Astrid? She was already standing, her spellbook materializing out of thin air and at the tip of her fingers, a [Light Arrow] ready to be shot. A non-delver might think they were overreacting, potentially wasting precious Skills for a fight that might not happen. But that wasn’t how the Dungeon worked.

  If there was a creature nearby, it wouldn’t be a peaceful encounter. Astrid had heard that deeper in the Dungeon calmer monsters could be encountered and reasoned with, but not up here. Up here, everything wanted a piece of you as soon as they realized your presence.

  “Theron, tell me when you want to be [Hasted],” Astrid said, eyes scanning the surface.

  “Got it,” the warrior said tersely, the tip of his spear glowing as they watched the dark shape flit below them back and forth. The monster—an especially large eel-like creature—seemed to be content with circling them for now, approaching slowly as it examined the ship. From above, Astrid saw flashes of earthy brown and pale green. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she waited for the creature to break the surface, but the wait was weighing on all of them.

  Seconds ticked by with only the shuffling of boots on wood to be heard, along with the occasional fin that’d break the water. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the two Torchbearers huddling together, faces pale. Both were holding the small shields they had been carrying on their back in front of them, and next to them—was Miles.

  He was just peering down at the water, brows raised as he curiously watched the undulating creature. As if he was just watching a particularly large tadpole swimming about in a pond.

  “Sir Miles, can you keep an eye on our companions?” asked Silas as he tightened his grip on his shield.

  “Miles is fine,” the stranger replied without looking up. “And… no. You hired them. You’re responsible for their protection.”

  The words made everyone still for a beat, and even though Astrid caught the little wink he’d thrown the Torchbearers, the calm and matter-of-fact manner in which the response was given made her a little uneasy. There were no threats that she could hear. Neither in tone nor in the content of the words. But there was still an edge there.

  Would he really hang them out to dry?

  Astrid swallowed and focused on the fight to come. They had to be careful. Even though she wasn’t sure whether he intended on intervening or not, they had to do their best. They had to act as if he wasn’t here. Because they wouldn’t always have someone watching their back and well… in case the theory was correct, they still had to impress him.

  As for Silas, he hadn’t caught the signal Miles had given the Torchbearers, so his tense posture and set gaze told her he was taking the situation seriously. The Warden approached the Torchbearers, brows furrowed as he stared down the water, and he tucked his chin in a tight nod. “Fair enough. I’m calling it up. Theron, Helena, Astrid. Be ready… in case it doesn’t come up alone. If that happens, me and Astrid we keep it busy. Helena and Theron, you row us back to shore. We go back where we came from. Understood?”

  When his words were acknowledged with quick nods, Silas swung his mace and struck it against his shield. The gong-like sound shook the water’s surface, and Astrid felt the wave of psychic magic roll over and past her as she tightened her grip on her newly gifted buckler. She was still awkward with it, but she’d be lying if she said Silas’s crash-course hadn’t spared her some nasty injuries already.

  Letting out a slow breath, she relaxed her shoulders while her brown and gold-engraved spellbook shone brighter as she channeled more mana into it.

  They had to kill the monster fast. Before Silas’s [Surefooted Ground] faltered.

  The once calm surface of the lake bulged and broke as the head of the giant eel broke out of the water, immediately hissing and spitting its jagged, toothy maw. Its head was nearly as large as Astrid herself, and it most likely could swallow anyone of them in a single bite. Its back was brown mottled with pale, moldy green, while its belly was pale. Its eyes glowed yellow, and it wasted no time before it lunged toward Silas.

  It was fast, and heavy. Which made the thud even more satisfying as it squelched against Silas’ projected barrier.

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  Good. It’s not strong enough to shrug off his taunting, Astrid quickly noted as she pointed up at the recoiling monster. Three [Light Arrows] shot out and punctured the monster’s snout, while Helena roared and jumped, driving both of her shortswords into the monster’s neck. Blood poured out of its neck, spraying her face and cascading down the jagged edges of the phantasmal armor, but Helena couldn’t care less. She had her shortswords in a reverse grip and used them to latch onto the monster as it hissed and bucked, and the farm-born girl’s laughter filled the cave.

  Astrid wondered if the eel had been expecting such a fight. But while Helena was carving furrows up down the creature’s back, and her own spells were adding significant damage of their own, it wasn’t enough to bring the creature down just yet. The blood-dyed water churned and roiled as the creature tried to get rid of its assailant, and in its endeavor, its tail slapped violently against the side of the ship. That would have messed up their footing any other day, but the boat didn’t even budge thanks to Silas’s Skill.

  It did get a groan out of him, though, and that meant that they likely had only seconds before he’d have to drop his strongest ability.

  “Now!” shouted Theron, and Astrid tapped her spellbook. The glow surrounding it pulsed, and the same luster surged around the warrior for half a beat before Theron blurred, and by the time blood sprouted out of the creature’s eye, the sped-up warrior was already repositioned and ready to take its other eyes.

  Good. Their training was bearing fruit. He was making use of her spell effectively.

  The team tore through the massive eel like a whirlwind of blades, and even when it tried to back away, another clang would ring and addle its mind to stay and do battle, even though it was already swaying more and more by the second. Still, it managed another charge, this time aiming at the Torchbearers, but Silas had been standing next to them for this exact reason, and with a roar, he turtled and took the bone-breaking charge on his wide shield, buckling down to his knee, but he never let it through.

  Helena and Theron used the opening to gouge the creature’s neck further, and it recoiled in pain.

  “Dropping the Skill. Brace,” Silas said, voice strained, and Astrid, busy as she was with holding her [Haste] spell active, took too long to parse what she had heard.

  Then the boat lurched, and she stumbled, barely catching herself from falling overboard, but Helena had been mid jumping off the beast and back to the ship—which might have contributed to Silas’s Skill running out—and with the boat swaying, she went completely over the edge. Silas was pale and sweaty, but he managed to keep his balance, while the [Hasted] Theron had plenty of time to adjust and recover. Without wasting time, he continued his assault, overwhelming the monster while Silas reached out and pulled a soaked Helena out of the water, and Astrid let out a relieved breath and focused, ignoring the blood that splattered on her cheek as she maintained her spell.

  Theron was a blur of movement, and she could only see the trail his spearhead was leaving as it grew brighter and larger with every taste of blood it was getting until finally, the eel swayed and fell to the side limp. Astrid dropped all of her spells and would have fallen to her knees as the world darkened, had it not been for a thoroughly soaked and smiling Helena to catch her.

  Mumbling a quick thanks, she peered out at the creature, like they were all doing to make sure it was dead, and when that was confirmed, a relieved smile tugged on her lips as Helena chuckled and both Theron and Silas dropped on their butts, panting, and when she finally looked back at the stranger, she found him smiling.

  They had done well. In fact, she would go as far as say this might be their best performance just yet. None of them had fouled another and when an opportunity showed itself, they were all empowered and free to do their job.

  Astrid wiped the blood off her face, and returned Silas’ bright smile.

  Slowly but surely, they were getting there.

  ***

  Miles smiled appreciatively as relief spread among the green team and as the two Torchbearers next to him hugged each other, face still a little pale from the experience. That last charge had scared them a little, but he had promised they wouldn’t be hurt so he wasn’t sure why they were so worried.

  Well, them not knowing who he is most likely had something to do with that. He couldn’t expect people to trust him at his word.

  “Let’s keep going. The sooner we’re off the lake, the better,” the Warden spoke after drinking from a vial. From the look of it, Miles was pretty sure it was a stamina potion.

  As the Vanguards picked their oars back and resumed their rowing, Miles hummed, peering over the ledge. It was a good call. Reasonable. And they were efficient, he had to admit. But he wasn't sure if it was enough, considering the presence swimming up from below. They were still in the middle of the wide lake, and while he couldn't fault them for celebrating their success—especially this early in their career—they'd dropped their guard too soon. They weren't out of danger yet.

  They were good, though. They had some pretty powerful abilities on hand for a team this new. [Haste] was no joke, and so was whatever Silas had used. Both of those were Epic-rank at least, and if the team continued progressing, just those two abilities would carry them far.

  I guess I’ll give them a hand for the next one. Plus, I still need a monster from this floor for the elixir, Miles mused as he looked away from the edge and as he reached into his bag. Then his eyes met the Seeker.

  She had been watching him, and her relieved smile was slipping, which almost made him chuckle.

  “You’re sharp,” he said, grinning.

  At his word, she went pale but without wasting any time, she resummoned her spellbook. At her action, Silas shot up, while both Vanguards faltered. “Is another one coming?” the Warden asked, face ashy.

  “Yup,” Miles simply said as he rummaged in his pouch. He felt at the boots at first, grimaced, then looked for something more appropriate. He looked up at the nervous team and smiled. “You guys keep rowing. I’ll take care of this one.”

  For a moment, even the rowing paused, but then it picked up speed as the teammates shared nervous looks.

  “Ah, there they are,” Miles said, and in his hand, a fistful of metallic pellets shone in the blue lights of the cavern.

  “Marbles?” Theron blurted out as he looked back, half a second before an elbow from Helena made him refocus on rowing.

  “Yeah, should be enough,” Miles said as he got up and waited. Thankfully, the new eel didn’t make him wait long.

  Unlike the first one, this eel had its wits about it. It broke the water silently, large yellow eyes glaring hatefully at the boat. It was at least twice as large as the first one, and its scales were darker. Thicker. Most likely, this was the progenitor of the one they had killed.

  It rose in front of them, cutting off their path, then unhinged its jaw and screeched. The sound was deafening and honestly, its breath kinda stank a little, though he new delvers were too busy clapping their hands over their ears to worry about the creature’s breath, and when the rage-filled roar finally stopped, a whimper behind him made Miles turn back. The two Torchbearers were shaking like leaves.

  That made him feel bad. He wanted them to know what was waiting for them in the Dungeon. Not traumatize them. Then again, that line was pretty thin and blurry at times. Still, he could put them at ease, and so he didn’t waste time.

  The two Vanguards had frozen mid-row, eyes wide at the monstrosity looming before them. Astrid stood paralyzed, but Silas had already positioned himself at the front of the ship, shield raised. That impressed Miles.

  For a green team, they really had heart.

  With a hand on the Warden’s shoulder, Miles pulled him back so he wouldn’t get hit, and with a simple and smooth windup, he empowered himself with [The Courier Moves. The World Makes Way]. There was a clap of sound as his arm tore through the air, and it was followed a quick succession of a splash then a series of rattles as the beads hit the stone wall of the cave.

  A cloud of blood and viscera bloomed behind what remained of the eel’s head, and that red cloud was encircled by a dust screen from the beads that had reached the wall nearly 300 yards away.

  It was a nice imagery, Miles thought for a second.

  The lake was once more, dead quiet, with only the undulating body of the eel slowly falling toward them, to which he pointed a palm and as soon as he made contact, the monster disappeared inside his storage.

  Then he looked back, smiling. “So? Let’s keep going. Better to get moving now than wait for a third one. Also, you guys have any hooks? That one back there’s free meat for weeks.”

  It took Theron and Helena a few seconds to grab the oars back and continue their journey, with their kills floating after them from the rope tied around its limp head.