Arganthes: The Capital Of Dungeons 54 Chapter 20: Preperation & Departure

As I was thinking back about what I had experienced until now while I still lay in bed.

As I turned around I noticed it got crowded in the tavern again. Alexandra had given the order to prepare for the coming expedition, making sure everyone was well-rested as we would meet-up at the rendezvous point.

That last day of training was an intense one as a bright and sunny day in spring. Geo and I finished looking over all our stuff. So we would have more time to relax until the meeting. Thinking I still had time till the rendezvous I turned around, to find Geo slamming at the door.

"Michael... Michael… Michael, Michael! We are late for the rendezvous!!! We have to hurry!!"

I noticed the alarmed tone Geo took, and shot up out of bed,I rushed faster than I ever had to try to brush my teeth while dressing myself.

Of course I wasn't used to doing more things at the same time, together with pressure…making me trip over my pants I fell headfirst towards the door. At that moment Geo opened the door slamming it right into my face, resulting in an anti-climactic face slide towards the ground.

"What are you doing?! If you want to be on time, we have to leave, NOW!!"

I mumbled something as I still had part of my brushwood in my mouth.

*Mumble, mumble, mumble, hmmm…*

"What are you saying… this is no time for jokes, come here, give me your hand."

Geo lifted me in an instant, he saw I was almost dressed and decided to grab what was left on the chair in my room as we bolted off towards the exit of the tavern. Taking off towards the rendezvous point outside of town.

Since June and Ragnee would be party leaders they had made sure to inform us about the time we had to spend searching the ruins.

Geo and I went on our way, running through town and towards the main guildhall to enter the fields of beginnings, thinking about it. It was quite impressive really. The epicenter of Sharoo was indeed the main guildhall as ever person wanting to travel or do business had to venture through. As I thought about this rushing being pulled by Geo through the main building, I stumbled upon someone who I hadn't seen in quite some time.

"Amaris!"

As I saw that she had dived into her work,fierce as ever I wanted to tell her the good news.

But I couldn't because we were late…

Geo noticed I wanted to stall and brag but didn't allow it. He grabbed the collar of my shirt and bolted towards the town's exit. While still holding on to my shirt tightly I tried to make sure we didn't forget the most important part of my equipment, the armor the blacksmith had been preparing for me since my first real battle in the fields!

"G-GGG… GEO!!!! Slow down for a second will you?!"

"No! Who was the one who overslept, forgetting he had to rendezvous for the important expedition?! Well? I can tell you… It's not me!"

"Fine… I made a mess of things...But at least let me pick up my equipment from the blacksmith in town!!"

Geo agreed and, smiling to me with a grin on his face as if he was finally allowed to do something new.

"It is important to be well prepared, Michael, since the detour we have to take now is inevitable…I will have to pick up the pace and go full throttle!!"

My face showed worry as the realization crept in slower than I could react.

"What?! YOU DIDN'T EVEN RUN AT FULL SPEED YET?!"

Geo laughed as we had almost arrived at the blacksmith. Quickly he made a huge jump into the air and warned me.

"Hahaha, let me warn you my rival! Brace yourself for impact!"At that moment we landed with a heavy impact on the ground. Ripping apart the dirt under his feet,creating a long trail.

"We have arrived, quickly now, grab your stuff so we can e on our way!"

Geo dropped me as I fell to the ground, motion sick because of the sheer pressure the velocity of Geo's running speed had substantially created. For a minute… I lay there barfing and awestruck, unable to grasp what had happened.

Geo couldn't wait any longer and decided to pick up the order himself.

Stepping inside the Armory, he had to admit not seeing something of this magnitude before.Geo forgot for a moment why he had entered and what he came to do, awestruck by all the new and shiny equipment he lost himself in thought thinking about the sheer minimum he was able to spend while saving for his grand goal.Trying to do the math, he suddenly got interrupted.

"Good morning young sssir, may I be able to help you with anything in particular?"

The question had pulled Geo back to reality,now curious about who or what was talking to him,he turned around.

Behind him a kind looking lizardman was standing in workshop attire. He must be the owner here.Geo thought to himself. Now facing the lizard geo realized why he had come inside in the first place.

And rushed towards the desk of the shop,slamming both his fists on the desk.

"s.h.i.t! Sir, I have to hurry! I came here to quickly pick up the equipment that was being prepared for Michael Shadowfang. He is outside as we speak, but can't move as he is dealing with motion-sickness right now.

I have to take us both to the rendezvous point and we are cutting it close right now.

The lizardman began laughing hysterically, unable to hold back his tears he decided to trust the absurd yet comical situation both found themselves in.

"Hahaha oh boy! You boys know how to give me a good laugh! Interesting young fella you are, I tell you!"

The lizardman turned around releasing a flame from the palm of his hand, only to extinguish it by a balled fist.

"Sssss, I sssee, the young man made it to the expedition. Thisss isss making me all fired up!

Let me quickly prepare what you need, I'll even throw in a bonus for the fine efforts of a friend.

In the hopes, you come and buy some equipment afterward of course."

The lizardman said raising his fist in the air as he moved to the back. A scar could be seen from the top of his hand straight through to his shoulder.

Not giving it much thought Geo began thinking about what the lizardman could be bringing him.

Moments later, the owner of the shop returned with a shiny black metallic and white bonelike armor. Astounded by the craftsmanship Geo received the equipment, as he turned around to walk away the lizardman stopped him.

"Hey you! Don't forget what I have for you!"

The lizardman left a big wooden box on the table and gestured Geo to open it.

"Go on, this isss for you. Be sssure to come and ssshop here more often. Sssir Birchwood"

Without a second thought Geo opened the wooden box, inside he found equipment for hand-to-hand combat. Consisting of shin- and arm guards.

He quickly put them on and bolted out of the door.The lizardman wished him goodbye along with a message.

"Thisss equipment will sssurve you well Lord Birchwood! Good luck on your journey to come."

Once outside it finally dawned on him.

"Lord? Hmm... I like the sound of that,but I don't have the time to worry about it. We have to hurry Michael, quickly get changed!"

Geo stood next to me as the motion sickness finally subdued. Trying to get up, Geo dumped the equipment on me, not in a hard manner, more like it was something precious. While at the same time trying to show off his new equipment.

"Hey Michael since you are putting on your equipment, check out what the old man gave me.I thought he gave it because he knew we were friends, but, thinking about it now... Hmm…"

"Well...?"

I looked at Geo as I had finished up putting on my gear.I saw Geo his confusion quickly turn into not having a care in the world.

"Quickly now, we have to make it in time, follow me!"

Geo grabbed one of my shoulder pads and bolted off like before.I creamed the air out of my lungs when we finally rushed through the fields of the beginning.Finally arriving at the edge of the forest we saw quite a few people gathering. We thought to ourselves that we were the last ones to arrive,when suddenly a small group of two girls and a young boy had arrived shortly after arrival.

Ragnee stood in the middle wanting everyone to gather around her.

"Chop chop everybody, we don't have all day you know!"

The entry Geo used to break our speed had left its mark as a small crater had formed where we had landed. Ragnee turned to us and teasingly began to joke about us being late.

"Ah… It's kind of you to join us Sir Shadowfang… If you please, we haven't got all day.As it seems that everyone has arrived let me go through the plan once more."

Ragnee grabbed a map and a letter marked by the king himself out of her bag. As we all have finally arrived, let me while telling everyone about the plan of operation, also,a.s.sign everyone to a party and introduce each person we have to work together with.

For the plan; A few months ago, scouts of the royal elite, have found what seemed to resemble ruins from Ancient times, dating back to the "Ancient Ones". Stumbling upon this long-forgotten civilization the king has personally requested the a.s.sistance of Sharoo.Hoping to find whatever riches it may contain we need to stay alert,as these times were known as the "Dark Ages". Yes… even with "The Ancient Ones". Ironic isn't it?

Now... it could be home to beasts still unknown to us, meaning we have to act with the utmost caution and precision. For the mission we will be making a total of three parties.The main advancement unit, a support unit, and a recovery unit. So please listen up as you hear your names being called.

For the 1st party or "team" the leader a.s.signed to this unit will be Brendan Shield!Some may have met him before as he was one of the few who had a chance to train with the rogues of Sharoo."

Brendan took his place as a party leader on the far left of the camp.

"We have a.s.signed this young man the position or "role" of "Guardian" if you may.This will mean that he will be in charge of the unit holding the "Support" role.Your team's focus will mainly be supporting and defending those on the frontlines.

Now... let me introduce the members who will be part of this unit Brendan."

Brendan stood proudly in place as he waited for others to join his party.

"First let me tell everyone about the roles and positions one could be a.s.signed to.First we have the "Fighters and Rogues" the damage dealers of each unit.Of course there are mages from the Mages Ember Guild. But take into account,while they can deal ma.s.sive damage they become completely defenseless doing so.

This is why we will a.s.sign the mages to the role of "Support" like the archers we would like them to support the front lines of their represented units. Priests on the other hand while some can vend for themselves are also part of the support role,mainly because each party will be heavily dependent on their healing capabilities.

Then please… let me introduce "Celeste Naofa", please step forward and make your way towards Brendan. Thank you."

A woman with long smooth brown hair walked towards Brendan. Her hair had a wavy division which revealed her smooth and wide forehead. She had orange eyes which made me think of the juices coming from the trees that could fossilize small creatures. I think it was called ember?

The thing that was most peculiar about her was the fact that she wore a purple lily on the left side of her head. Making her way towards Brendan she tripped over a loose branch.

Quickly Brendan tried to help her, but ended up grabbing her chest instead.Fl.u.s.tered Celeste slapped his face, leaving her mark.

"Celeste, as you are a priest from the church of healing I would like to thank you for your continued faith and support all of us here in Sharoo. This goes without saying for everyone present here today.

As I mentioned before, all priests will be a.s.signed the role of "supporter" and position of "healer". Well then… next one a.s.signed to Team "Shield is Inoue Scarlet, please step forward."

A young woman with long purple smooth hair walked up towards the party.As she walked pa.s.sed me I noticed her holding a staff made from the wood of the Birch tree.I joked about it with Geo.

"Hey Geo, look! It's a staff made by your family! Hahaha."Geo immediately knew what I was talking about and began to silently join my laughter.As we calmed down she stood next to Celeste holding what looked like a large book.Curious about this, I wondered what secrets it would contain.As Inoue took her place Ragnee continued her speech.

"Inoue as part of the Shield party, we would like you to a.s.sign the role of "support" backing up those in the frontline as your position is to dealing "Damage over Time". If there are times you can't a.s.sume your position because of extreme conditions we like you to take on the position of "healer" as your role will remain unchanged.

Now then, next to the party will be Karen."

Karen walked up to Brendan smoothly grinding against him instantly winning him over.

"As a rogue, it is your solemn duty to protect the party against incoming attacks,by sneaking up on the enemies and dealing ma.s.sive damage in the process.This… however, does not include distracting your leader…"

Everyone laughed as Karen got embarra.s.sed by Ragnee's comment.

"Moving on, Kitsu please take your position in Team Shield."

One of the few Demi-humans presents walked toward Brendan's party.She appeared to be part fox part human, as she had long blond hair in a ponytail.Her ears made it clear she wasn't human and closer to an animal. This became clear as she walked past me and teased me with her tail. Although wearing leather armor she had bright red, white, and brown colors covering her body. I had to say she looked very cute. Her eyes, had a real pop to them with a bright green color next to the gra.s.s and trees.

"Kitsu, you are one of the few battlemages presents, which means we will a.s.sign you two different roles. While you keep the role of "supporter" we also want you on the front lines as your casting speed is significantly faster than most mages present.This means we want you to support those on the front lines while taking command when needed.

Serenity Gale! Since you know what your role and position will represent please take your place next to Kitsu. Now then, last but not least I like to introduce you all to a royal elite who will be joining this party."

A woman dressed in black moved forward. Covered by robes the only thing I could see was for her short black hair and red eyes.

"Zinnia will be joining us as the 3rd front liner as she is fast and skilled with the knife and shadow principle she will be a.s.signed the role of "Dealer" as she too was a rogue from Sharoo once.

We believe it is clear what her position will be. For now I hope everyone understands how we will be building up the teams. I'll give word to you June as now you need to a.s.sign your party."

Everyone shrugged and looked at each other waiting in antic.i.p.ation of what was going to happen next. June stepped forward and began calling people to step forward.

"As I will be the leader of this team, let's call us team "Serpent". As the leader and being a rogue myself, I will join the supporting teams while taking command in the frontlines,making myself an allrounder. Well then, on to those who are part of my team.First Kairi, get over her."

Someone I knew stepped forward. One of the priests who healed me after the ambush on the fields. Looking at her, it calmed my worries she had joined us as well.

"Kairi, as one of the three "high healers" who will be a.s.signed to my team I wish for you to take command in healing the weakened. Beings swift but careful our role will be supporting the other teams wherever we can.

Now for our frontline brawler. Kusanagi Rika, get over here."Upon hearing her name a fiers, feisty and nimble woman jumped out using pillars of fire to land. Having long dark to orange hair it made me think of flames as she wore it in a chaotic knot upwards. It must have resembled a flame…or explosion maybe? Her eyes a deep dark purple, drawn like she had seen things we wouldn't believe.

"Rika, your role as a Brawler will be to keep the enemies at bay as you can combine your fire magic with your martial arts. As for your position I believe "Dealer" will be in order.

Then Sheila, please join us as well, your role and position should be well known as we went through this yesterday during the finishing touches of your training. Then, Sh.e.l.ly… Are you there?"

A young, timid girl walked out of the crowd together with Zoe Light. I recognized them both as they to helped me when I began giving up life.

"It's okay June, we know our roles, as they are the same as Kairi, please proceed to the next party."

June sighed…

"Okay… well then, as my team has been fully a.s.sembled I'll give word back to Ragnee, allowing her to call forth her party members."

Ragnee quickly continued calling the remaining members and introducing them at the same time.

"Ashley, please step forward."

A young blond woman dressed in white and blue walked towards Ragnee.

"As one of the three battlemages joining us, I want you on the frontlines with me.Allowing us to slow and freeze the enemies, your magic capabilities are highly important for our survival.As I will take command of the frontlines myself we will be Team "Fang".Our team will go in first as most are part of the frontlines. Now them, Alicia, please join us."

A golden blond woman wearing her hair in a ponytail stepped forward.With her golden eyes, toned skin, and white dress she almost seemed like an angel to us.

"Being the only healer in our team, I want you to form a squad with Kasim, Meiko, and Sarah. Ladies, if you would please join us too."

Three ladies joined team Fang as I did know most of them, the last was unfamiliar to me.The third had mid-long green hair and glowing yellow eyes. She seemed different than others as she had heavy armor on her shoulders, arms and legs. She even had weapons that looked like… guns?

"Our team will consist of two squads, one who supports the others while the other takes the front lines protecting everyone they can. Then there are three more who will be joining our team. Michael… if you will please join us?"

Finally, it looked like I was part of the frontlines, not knowing what to expect of this it became clear our team had first dips on whatever we might find.

"Your role like those of most rogues will be to attack from the shadows, but since you also have sufficient fighting capabilities we want you with us in the front lines holding down the beasts we might encounter. As we are almost finished I wish to call upon two of my most trusted disciples. Uruhara and Yokho, please come forth and join the fangs of nature."

Suddenly two beautiful women appeared. One feisty with a short temper, while the other was timid and reserved. The feisty one had short brown, straight hair, which curled to the sides.Her eyes were a dark blue color, almost black it seemed.

On the other hand we had the reserved cute girl with straight short white and gold hair. Her eyes were the same color, almost like almond milk. She wore a long black scarf around her neck with a bow in her of the same color. Quickly it became apparent that these two were like fire and ice,as Uruhara had a dominating presence. Both were well endowed, but for some reason my attention got pulled to Yokho.

She had a mysterious air to her as if she knew getting all the attention wasn't everything.

"Yokho, Uruhara, I want you to join Michael and scout out the area before the others are allowed in. Make sure everything is secured and archived before venturing in too deep.

Now then, lastly. Geo, Your role will be to wait at least a day after the estimated time of return, might there be a case where not everyone has returned you are to venture inside with June and me to search for survivors. Is everything clear everybody?

"Yes Ma'am!!!" "Then let's move out!!"

As Ragnee gave the signal, we began our journey towards the ruins, beginning our grand adventure as we ventured into the unknown...