The words from before echoed in Adrian's mind as he took a deep breath and repeated himself, trying to reassure everyone. "Everyone, this is the Grand Party! We're saved!" Relief filled his voice, but at the same time, countless questions flooded his mind. How did they get here? Why were they in this dungeon? Was it just luck, or was something bigger at play? He was just about to introduce them to his team when one of the figures in the Grand Party interrupted him.
"Introductions can wait," the person said firmly. "First, we need to get somewhere safe." Without wasting time, the five adventurers moved with precision and skill. The remaining monsters were no match for them. With powerful magic, swift sword strikes, and well-coordinated attacks, they wiped out the enemies in mere moments. The fight, which had been so difficult for The Rising Heroes, was over in the blink of an eye. "Follow us," one of them said, leading the way. They moved swiftly through the dungeon, finding a relatively safer spot, a small cavern with walls strong enough to prevent immediate attacks.
---
Once they had settled, one of the members of the Grand Party turned to Adrian with a confident grin. "You seem to know us, right? Then go ahead and introduce us to the rest of your team! And make sure you tell them how strong I am!" Before Adrian could respond, another one joined in. "Hey, that's not fair! Me too! Tell them how I'm also very strong!" Adrian could only blink in disbelief as the two of them got in silly argument like children. Before things could escalate further, a third member of the group stepped in, grabbing both of them by the shoulders and pulling them back. "Enough," they said with a sigh. "Let him speak." Adrian cleared his throat, then looked at his team. "Alright, let me properly introduce them." He took a deep breath before speaking. "This is the Grand Party, one of the most famous and strongest adventuring teams out there."
He began with their leader. "Cyrus, known as 'The Ultimate Mage.' He's a master of magic, skilled in nearly every type of spell."
Next, he pointed to the co-leader. "Junith, 'The Resolute Strategist.' She's the brain of the group, always planning and thinking ahead."
He moved on to the third member. "Darek, 'The Earthbound Duelist.' His combat skills are unmatched when it comes to fighting on the ground."
Then, he introduced the fourth. "Orin, 'The Unyielding Vanguard.' He's their shield, their frontline defense, someone who never backs down."
And finally, he pointed at the last member. "Sylra, 'The Melodic Sorceress.' Her magic is unique, she casts spells through music, and her abilities are unlike anything else."
---
After introducing them, Adrian quickly introduced himself and the rest of his team. Once that was done, he finally asked the question that had been on his mind. "How did you know where we were? And how did you even get here?" Junith was the one who answered. "We received a case about this dungeon. Several adventurers who entered here have gone missing. That alone was suspicious, so we came to investigate." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Then, we heard a strange sound, the sound of the ground cracking. We followed it, but by the time we reached the area, the cracks were already sealing themselves. That's when we heard a voice." "A voice?" Adrian asked, confused. Junith nodded. "Yes. We don't know who it belonged to, but it led us to a hidden passage. That passage brought us to you."
She frowned. "But here's the strange part. As soon as we stepped out, the passage sealed itself behind us. Almost like… the dungeon was resisting something. Like that passage wasn't supposed to exist." A heavy silence filled the air as everyone processed her words. Drakar finally broke the silence. "Then… that voice helped us?" Junith nodded. "It seems that way. But we still don't know who it was or why they helped." While the others were thinking, Sylra moved over to Lila, who was still recovering from her injuries. She gently placed a hand over Lila's wounds and began casting a healing spell. Soft, soothing light surrounded her, slowly closing the wounds. Drakar, standing nearby, crossed his arms. "Now what?" Junith turned toward him, her expression serious.
"As of now, we don't have enough information," she admitted. "The only thing we do know is that something is very wrong with this dungeon. The monsters we fought earlier? They shouldn't have been that strong. Something is changing them." She took a deep breath before continuing. "There's only one way to find out what's going on, we need to go deeper. We have to reach the dungeon's core and destroy it. That should reset the dungeon back to normal." Drakar narrowed his eyes. "You're saying this won't be easy?" Junith shook her head. "No, it won't. If the monsters are already this powerful, then whatever is waiting for us deeper inside is going to be much worse." She glanced around at Adrian's team before speaking again. "Normally, we would have asked you all to leave. But…" She sighed. "We don't know the way out either. And even if we did, we can't afford to leave you alone. The dungeon is too dangerous."
Junith then looked directly at Drakar. "So you decide. You can stay up here and wait for us to destroy the core. Or… you can come with us." She let the words sink in before adding, "Whatever you decide, remember this, this is a fight or die situation." The weight of her words settled on everyone. They all knew what this meant. Drakar remained calm, his expression unreadable. "Give us some time to decide." Junith nodded. "Alright. But don't take too long. We need to move soon." As the Rising Heroes start to discuss about the situation carefully, and making their decision wisely...