Jet walked slowly through the large and expansive plains that stretched far into the distance beyond where he eyes could see. He had been walking for a couple of hours, and had come across a few monsters, but instead of killing them, he just went around them, making sure to keep his distance.
His Grandfather, who had participated in the last Divinity’s Bout, had told him that there was a small dungeon in the Azure Plains. Its difficulty was not high, and any Mid B rank being could clear it if they took their time. In fact, this dungeon had been the reason why their family had rocketed into wealth, but his grandfather had not been worthy enough to claim the dungeon for himself.
The sound of rustling grass reached Jet’s ears, and he quickly ducked down. His senses were one of the best amongst the people he knew, especially his hearing, so he was sure that he had managed to hide before whoever was coming that way spotted him.
His breathing slowed, and his pulse vanished as he used an old stealth technique that his grandfather had taught him as a child. It was like the shadows of the grass reached up to hide him, and he vanished, but his sharp, dark eyes still remained primed to see any movement.
And he did not have to wait long before Leon came walking through, the grass parting around him as he walked alone. Pitch black armor gleamed as the light of the glowing grass shone against it. Jet stared at the strange, white necklace that hung around Leon’s neck.
‘An Undead. Just great… I’ll wait for him to pass.’ Jet thought to himself, maintaining the stealth technique. A few moments passed as Leon walked by the spot where Jet was hiding, and kept on walking another few meters, before suddenly stopping. He tilted his head and turned around, eyeless sockets pointed right at the spot that Jet was hiding.
‘Oh crap! Did he see me? That should be impossible unless he’s at least High B rank, or has a high level tracking skill!’ Jet cursed, but chose to wait in hiding. Perhaps Leon would continue moving. But his hopes were dashed when Leon spoke up.
“You can stop hiding now. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. I only need to ask something.” Leon spoke, his voice neutral. He kept looking at the spot where Jet was until the shadows faded, revealing Jet who stepped out of nothing. Literally.
Leon grinned when he saw that. Indeed, Grokus’ words had been true. The Orc Shaman had hinted that someone might be hiding around, and when he used a tracking skill that he had, he had pointed Leon in the right direction.
Jet came forward, his eyes stiff and cold, and his back straight. He had been trying to avoid a fight, but he was strong. Now that he was not trying to hide, he blatantly used his own aura to get a feel of Leon, and easily identified him as Low B rank, although the line between Low and Mid B rank were already mostly blurred. But he was sure he could take Leon on.
“Easy. I don’t want to fight.” Leon raised his hands in a sign of peace when he sensed Jet’s tense aura.
“What do you want?” Jet asked, not letting down his guard.
“I just want directions to leave this place. I’ve been wandering through here for two days already.” Leon replied with a sigh. He did not really blame the guy before him for reacting like that. He had already learned that most humans were not fond of other races, and this was even worse when it came to the races originating from the Demon Continent. Especially Demons and Undeads. The pinnacle of Unholy beings.
“If you want directions, then fine. Keep on going that way.” Jet pointed him in the direction which he had come from earlier, before turning and hurrying away. Leon stared after him without saying anything, and then going on his merry way.
‘Wonder what’s got him in a hurry.’ Leon thought to himself before carrying on.
He had been moving through this endless plain now for a day, but he had not reached the end. Indeed, when Curtis had told him that the Island of Fate was a massive continent, then it seemed he was telling the truth, albeit, Leon now felt that the boy had downplayed how large this place actually was.
Amongst everyone under his command, Joseph and Grokus were the most knowledgeable, so they had provided information on this place, especially Joseph. The man came from a family that was full of both scholars and fighters, so there was a lot of information to feast on there, which was exactly what he had done. Too bad he had such bad luck, running into Leon in the dungeon.
As Leon continued on his way, so did Jet. By now, Jet had mostly put the encounter behind him, branding Leon as an Undead that did not want trouble, unlike most other beings from the Demon Continent. Unknown to him, a slippery being had slipped into his shadows, and was now spying on him.
.
.
By the time Jet finally found what he was looking for, another day had passed, and he had killed a few Torch Tigers for food.
“It’s real.” He whispered as he came across the large, empty space amongst the tall grass that had a magic circle inscribed into the ground. Happily, he stepped onto the circle, and after a couple of seconds standing in the middle, he vanished with a flash of light.
.
.
“So this is where he vanished.” Leon said with crossed arms. He reached out to James, who was using one of his skills to hide within Jet’s shadow, undetected, and received information that Jet had almost reached the Boss room of the dungeon. The dungeon was fairly small, and spawned Torch Tigers most of the time, but there were also a few other creatures that it had spawned. Leon had come across them in his time here, but there were not many of them.
“I wonder if I can bamboozle him with kindness and rope him over to my side. If he managed to gain the dungeon core, and consciousness, then that will be good.” Leon chuckled to himself. Already, he was planning on how to get many people behind him. He did not fancy the idea of doing things alone most of the time, as he was not a loner. He did not really mind being alone most of the time, but he preferred to keep his sanity in check.
Time ticked by, and Leon watched as Jet fought the dungeon boss through James’ eyes. He did not order James to lend a hand, so that he could see Jet’s full strength and prepare himself in case Jet decided to attack him instead of working together. Or rather, under Leon.
Before he knew it, the magic circle on the ground glowed, and out came Jet in a fresh new set of clothes, his eyes glowing with happiness, and Leon knew that indeed, he had gotten the dungeon consciousness.
After Jet had stepped into the Core Room, for some reason, Leon had lost contact with James, and had quickly pulled him back to prevent any mishaps, so he had no idea what went on in there.
Upon spotting Leon, Jet jumped back in shock, pulling out a pair of twin swords.
“You! I thought I pointed you in the right direction! What do you want?” He asked, fixing his dark eyes on Leon.
“Calm down, friend. I do not want to fight you. Rather, I want to extend an offer to you.” Leon said calmly, revealing a creepy, bony smile.
“An offer? What is it?” Jet frowned, holding his weapons tighter.
‘Careful, he is calling on the power of his dungeon.’ Abyssus warned within Leon’s mind. As a similar being, he could feel the dungeon consciousness that belonged to Jet.
A brilliant idea bloomed within Leon’s mind all of a sudden. If Abyssus could feel out other dungeon consciousnesses, then would that mean that he could also tell where dungeons were hidden?
He marked that idea as one that had potential to delve into before tossing it to the back of his mind and focusing on Jet once again.
“How about we join forces together, huh? You, me, we would make a pretty powerful team.” Leon proposed, his tone kind and suggestive. But he still felt that Jet was not warming up to him.
‘Of course, anyone who can conquer a dungeon has his own pride.’ Leon cursed in his mind, but his aura did not waver, so Jet remained clueless of his inner thoughts.
“You mean, how about I work under you, huh? Not happening, buddy.” Jet scowled and mana roiled around him. The surrounding grass swayed and shivered as the mana around and within them was sent into a frenzy.