"Three days... I hope the squad is ready?" Roland asked with a worried expression.
Alden remained silent until he shook his head, "No, but there's a reason for that too. Lareso Family and I have agreed to form a squad of five men. They have already prepared two of their fighters, so the rest must be found by me."
Roland was completely baffled; he barely understood what Alden was talking about.
"Wait... Why only five? I understand that in Tier One Dungeon you can't have very strong monsters, especially if it's Orcs, but you said it's large, so you need a squad with the appropriate number of people." Roland said seriously.
"The thing is, the mission has to be stealthy. Our Mage can only cast a special spell on five people at a time, so that's why that number." Alden shrugged.
"A secret mission...?" Elin muttered as she tilted her head, "This is the first time I've ever heard of having to act secretly in Dungeons."
Alden sighed, "Well, there's one simple reason for that. In fact, we're already too late and the Orcs can summon Chaos Hearth, but only Tier One. We're lucky they're aiming for more, so we have time to think of a plan and properly prepare."
Everyone nodded. The situation was complex and layered, but their biggest advantage was that they didn't have to rush. Oracle was monitoring the situation, so they were left to do the rest.
"I see... Have you chosen your fighters yet?" Roland asked with a sharp look.
Alden smirked, "Not yet, I was ready, but suddenly Zayne showed up, so my plans changed slightly. Roland, you will be the first member of the squad, I hope you have no objections?"
"Sure. If the safety of the inhabitants depends on it, I'm willing to go even into the most dangerous dungeon. Chaos Hearth is something we must not allow." Roland said confidently.
"Elin, now you." Alden looked at her.
"Yes!" Elin flinched with sparkling eyes.
"I'll be honest. If it weren't for your successful mission at Chaos Hearth, I wouldn't even consider you as one of my squad members. However, in a small team, an accurate archer with such an unusual bow would be extremely useful. Do not disappoint me." Alden said seriously as he narrowed his eyes.
"I will do my best! I will not let you down!" Elin instantly replied.
Alden nodded, let out a slight sigh, and stared at Zayne, "Zayne, by all accounts you're a brave guy, but I can't force you to go to Chaos Hearth against your will. Tell me, are you ready? In addition to your skills, you also need to have a strong mind to survive."
Zayne nodded with a cold look, "Yes. This may sound strange, but I believe there is much to be learned in Chaos Hearth. Coming out of those caves made me a slightly different person and I can confidently say it was a better version of me."
"Hah, glad to hear it." Alden smirked, then he glanced at Veronika, "Zayne, I don't want to offend you, but do you mind if we test your skills? After all, the fate of an entire town may depend on this mission, so I can't make the mistake of choosing the wrong person."
Zayne smiled slightly, "Of course I'm ready, but what exactly do we want me to do?"
"Sparring, with Veronika. You don't need to win, just show a decent fight and confront her." Alden waved a hand as Veronika stepped forward.
Zayne looked her over and down and gulped. She didn't scare him, but he sensed from her stern gaze that this fight wasn't going to be easy and most likely painful.
"Well, I already agreed anyway, so I have no choice, do I?" Zayne smirked.
"Hahaha, you're right." Alden chuckled.
"Mr. Zayne, follow me." Veronika said respectfully as she pointed her hand toward the passage.
Zayne nodded.
In a minute they were in the training area with everything a fighter could wish for. The stands held all sorts of weapons as well as armor sets and shields. Here one could experiment endlessly with different styles of combat.
"Veronika uses no weapons of any kind, she prefers to fight hand-to-hand, however, you can limit yourself to nothing." Alden muttered with a slight smile, "The only thing is, replace your weapon with a wooden duplicate. We don't want to hurt anyone, this is a friendly fight."
"Sure." Zayne nodded as his ring glowed brightly. The Three-Eyed Whistle appeared in his hand and a powerful bloody smell filled the entire room.
Zayne compared the other swords to his own to find the right fit.
"Wow, this sword is a real treasure. What do you think, Veronika?" Alden turned to her, holding her chin with a thoughtful expression.
Her tenacious gaze went over the blade as her eyes narrowed, "It's definitely a worthy reward for defeating a Terror Grade Monster. If we were to have a real fight, I would be wary of any swing of that sword."
"I'm ready!" Zayne shouted from the other end of the arena, waving his wooden sword.
Alden nodded, waved, and Veronika got into position. As with Kyla, she put black gloves on her hands, then she stood in a fighting stance, clenching her fists tightly.
"The rules are simple. You can use skills, so fight until someone admits defeat." Alden exclaimed, and a simple Gold Coin appeared in his hand, "When the coin touches the ground, begin!"
Zayne concentrated. He had already fought against humans several times in Fallen Fate Online, but he realized that he still lacked the experience to be considered a worthy fighter.
'My strongest opponent was Hugo, however, I was lucky that his trump card was useless against me. That won't happen now, moreover, I know nothing of Veronika, so I'd better try to get the most out of it!' Zayne pondered as he tilted his body slightly forward, preparing to attack.
Click.
Alden flipped a coin, almost to the ceiling.
'Hah, looks like Zayne has learned a thing or two. He's getting into the right stance, he's actually a fast learner, I'm even a little jealous of him.' Roland said inwardly as a smirk appeared on his face.
Ding!
The coin fell to the ground, spreading a ringing sound across the room.
At the same moment, Veronika's pupils narrowed as she lunged forward. Her silhouette blurred, in a heartbeat appearing to Zayne's left.
ραΠdαsΝοvel.cοm 'He's mine!" Veronika attacked, launching her fist into Zayne's jaw.
Whoooooooooooosh.
Zayne pulled his head back sharply, forcing Veronika's fist past its target.
'It was easy, Hugo tried to do the same thing, only he had that creepy dagger in his hand. Experience is actually an important thing, isn't it?' Zayne looked coldly at Veronika, swinging his sword.
Crackle.
The wooden blade collapsed on Veronika's stomach, causing her eyes and mouth to go wide with the wave of pain that ran through her body.
'This is my chance!' Zayne exclaimed and swung the sword once more, top to bottom.
Veronika flinched, and sharply did a backflip, quickly finding herself several meters away from Zayne.
'Damn! I miss something every time!' Zayne frowned.
"Hehehe, I don't want to make a big deal out of it, but if Zayne had his sword, we'd have two Veroniks and neither of them would be alive." Roland chuckled with an evil grin.
"Well, Veronika hasn't warmed up yet." Alden shrugged.
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