Arganthes: The Capital Of Dungeons

Wanting to create something durable and strong to aid me in the journey to come,

I went straight to the town market, knowing there might be skillful blacksmiths present I made my way there.

Once there, the fountain sprayed water with all her might, elegant as we behold the sight of it. I walked through the market hoping to find the blacksmiths.

Just like the day we had arrived the market was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with life. Local salesmen trying to sell their goods to the highest bidder, people going out for a stroll just enjoying the weather and exotic foods.

There was even a stall that only sold underwear, Male, Female, even for those which couldn"t be identified. Curious I went to take a peek. Finding out one piece of trunks would cost me around fifty copper. So for a week, a.s.suming it works the same as back in my world I needed to spend 350 copper on underwear for the entire week alone. If underwear costs this much, how much would the rest be?

I went on as something smelled really nice along the way, my belly growled, dawning on me that I didn"t have breakfast yet today. Unable to walk away from this heavenly smell I followed my nose.

Along the way images of delicious foods filled my head, meat, fried potatoes, wraps... something inside the smell even made me think back to my mom"s homemade cooking. She always loved to make dishes in the oven. As I walked closer my mouth began to water, making me drool intensely. The stand was small but wide. Housing sitting place for around seven people.

Taking a seat I had time to look around. No one was there. Just me and the empty stand.

All kinds of foods and drinks were shown behind a gla.s.s piece of display. The heavenly smell came from the back of the cart. Figuring this was the place where the food got prepared I took my time waiting for someone to show up. But after several moments, no one... not even another customer.

Looking to the right I saw a rather large bell. It had a cord in the middle of the gong.

Thinking this was the way to ask for a.s.sistance from the shop owner I pulled the cord, ringing the bell. A heavy and resonating sound filled the cart.

Still, no one... as the sound faded away I could hear footsteps coming from what I thought would be the kitchen. The steps were light... one couldn"t easily hear them, yet each step resonated with the gong. Step by step, light as they were the steps drew closer.

Just when I could swear the one walking here had arrived there was nothing but dead silence.

"h.e.l.lo... anyone there?"

I looked around once more, hoping to find the one who I thought walked over here.

"I came to order, whichever smelled so nice. You see, I could even eat a horse thinking how my belly growls right now."

"Can I take your order, sir?"

A small and silent voice asked, breaking the silence.

Looking around I still couldn"t find where the question was coming from.

"Behind the counter, sir."

The voice said trying to sound a bit more clear.

I stood up to look behind the counter and couldn"t believe my eyes. Behind the counter stood a small hairy creature. It had short hands and feet with sharp, short nails. And was that a tail?

The creature also had a sharp nose, kind of like a mouse or rat even. Its eyes, weren"t visible as the creature smiled politely at me.

"Your order sir?"

Snapping out of the otherworldly experience I ordered what looked like a chicken on a stick, and other kinds of meatb.a.l.l.s on a stick.

"Do you have anything with cheese kind, sir?"

I asked in curiosity not thinking about the nature of the mouse creature.

"Well... of course, sir. I wouldn"t do my family proud if I didn"t have any cheese dishes.

The mouse handed over a special card.

"Here you can find all the dishes that include cheese."

Looking at the menus on the card I decided to order cheese b.a.l.l.s on a stick, chicken, and meatb.a.l.l.s covered in cheese on a stick. Leaving the order at three items for now.

"Right away sir, would you like something to drink while waiting for the food to be prepared?"

"I would love that, I would love to order some milk, please.

"Coming right up!"

The mouse walked to the other room again, this time sizzling noises could be heard, must be finishing the food. Waiting for the food to be finished I noticed a variety of smells intertwining with one another.

"Chef must be really good, using spices to strengthen the flavors."

When the sizzling stopped a sweet aroma filled the room, a smell akin to honey made me almost unable to hold my appet.i.te back.

Short after the mouse walked out of the room, with a plate and bowl in hand. The plate had the chicken stick, the meatb.a.l.l.s, and even the fried cheese b.a.l.l.s.

The bowl, on the other hand, had some kind of syrup-like substance in it.

"Here you go sir, enjoy."

The mouse handed over the plate and bowl.

As if struck by lightning the little creature rushed back to the other room. Arriving shortly after with a special steaming hot bottle.

*squeeck* *squeeck*

"This is on the house sir, you see... we aspire to find new ways of enjoyment for our customers.

The other day a man came by and gave us a reception for a hot beverage, would you like to try?"

I gladly accepted the drink, seeing as this would join well with the dishes I had ordered.

"Make sure to dip the food in the bowl before eating, this will enhance the flavors within."

*squeeck*

Doing as the little mouse instructed I grabbed the cheese ball, dipping it gently in the syrup of the bowl. As it moved closed its smell became clear as its sweet aroma filled my nose.

"Honey!"

Taking a bite, the piping hot cheese flowed into my mouth giving a heavenly taste as the saltiness and sweetness were in perfect harmony.

"Delicious!!"

I continued on to the meat and even taking little sips of the hot drink I got for free. Finishing the delicious meal my hunger got completely satisfied. I thanked the shop owner asking for the check.

"That will be 25 copper for the meat, 30 for the chicken stick and 40 for the cheese b.a.l.l.s for a total of 95 copper. Grabbing the money out my pouch I handed 100 copper to the little mouse.

"Keep the chance."

"Thank you, kind sir, I"m glad you enjoyed your meal, I hope to see you again soon."

With my belly filled I continued my stroll through the market. Still, have more than enough money I finally arrived at what seemed like a Black Smith. The sign of the building read: "Solar Scale" the tailor and blacksmith for all your adventuring needs.

Entering the store I noticed metal crashing into each other, the sound of a hammer slamming into metal and the sound of flames burning.

As the door opened and closed behind me a bell sounded my entry. Shortly after a heavy voice howled towards the room I was standing in.

"I"ll be there shortly, please take a look around till then."

Deciding to do what the voice suggested I looked around the shop. On the walls behind the counter and even around the store the clerk must have been showing off its prices creations.

Armor, light, heavy... even leather. Weapons, shields, guards. Name it and it would have been put up for display. Shortly after admiring the products a middle-sized slender humanoid with scales and horns walked out of the workshop into the store.

"It seems sir has a keen eye for quality."

The lizardlike human grabbed the arm guards that caught my eye.

"Real ash layered scale guards, hard as steel, light as leather armor."

Laying them on the counter the man looked gently at me.

"Where are my manners? Let me introduce myself. My name is Griphairos Solar,

but you can call me Griph. May I ask what brings young master here today?"

"Nice to meet you, sir, my name is Shadowfang, Michael Shadowfang. I came to the market today to find a blacksmith. You see, I have gathered special materials and wanted to request a light armor design and even weapons if possible."

"Depending on the materials you could provide, this should all be possible. Please... show me what I"ll be working with."

I grabbed the dust of my core crystals, pulling out the bones of the wolf that I had triumphantly defeated, spreading the remains out over the counter.

Carefully examining each piece separately, the man took his time thinking of ways to utilize the bones.

"Fascinating... where did you find this, sir?"

"In The fields of the beginning, wolves roamed and attacked innocent creatures. Unable to accept them running rampant I decided to challenge their leader. As luck would have it I won the battle against this worthy opponent with only minor injuries, but during this battle, my magic crystals all broke down and scattered into dust... Which is why now more than ever I need to train and prepare for whatever could cross my path. Seeing as this was a milestone for me, also that its bones were magic resistant, I thought it would be a great idea to implement it into Armor and weapons."

"This really is fascinating, you see, their leader had become corrupt by the fast amount of magic essence overflowing his core crystal. Judging by your encounter and battle, their leader had a name that caused it to evolve into a Chimerokami.

Unnaturally the demon essence roots inside its heart, spreading throughout its entire body. Making it thirst for flesh even feasting on its brethren if necessary. Indeed its Armor is 3rd-grade silver magic resistant. You really got yourself a treasure here.

So, what can I do for you?"

"Well, I"ll be training at the beginner guilds to prepare for the Adventurers Examination. Looking at what I excel in right now, I would need something light, with good defense, allowing me to strike swiftly while maintaining balance in attack and defense power.

It would be cool if it could be combined with light chain mail and leather armor."

I asked for a pen and paper so I could show him what I meant. After scribbling for a while finishing the design sketch I handed it over to Griph.

"Ah, I see now! Seeing as you provided all the Chimera bone, you only need to pay for the leather armor, chainmail, a.s.sembly, and magic infusing.

You also wanted a half bone mask and horned head guard, I"ll look into that as I have never made those before. I"ll throw in the arm guards making fine weapons out of them for you, seeing as this will take around two weeks to finish. You can come back when you are done with training? What do you think about 10 silver?"

"That sounds great!!"

Seeing that you use a few magic crystals I will also make gem sockets for you, throwing it in as a deal. But I warn you if used too much or carelessly they can break as well...

"Awesome!! Here is the 10 silver upfront, I"ll be back in two weeks then. About those magic crystals, I learned that the hard way.... during the battle against the leader of the wolves my lightning and fire magic crystals both broke... so, to be honest, I don"t have any useable crystals at the moment."

"That shouldn"t be a problem, low-grade and higher leave crystal dust when they break and destroy themselves. This, in turn, can be used to make new sh.e.l.ls or crystals so to speak. The essence could be lost, but since mid-grade crystals require bonding, this shouldn"t be a problem. Because another sense of bonding would be the acceptance of essence flowing thought your body and mind.

When you get the chance, try calling upon your Magical abilities, the essence should still be present inside you."

"I will! Thank you for all the useful advice you have given me sir."

Striking a pose out of excitement raising my fist in the air, I went on my way towards the guild.

As luck would have it, it seemed I did not lose the ability to call upon magic.

During the training period of the three guilds, there should also be time to prepare the essence needed to continue expanding on this prowess.

On my way to the guild, more and more people were talking about the upcoming expedition. Hoping to get a crack at newly unexplored ruins and covens around the outer reaches of Sharoo.As well as people who were in the fields of beginning at the time when chaos struck. The survivors talked about spirit beasts that had never been seen outside of their habitat. Like the goblins and the wolves. Some even recognized me on my way there. Seeing their surprised looks really made me feel special. Unaware of what I did, everyone thought I wouldn"t survive. Yet... here I was.

Closing in on the Guild some annoying men stopped me trying to be cool, seeing as I was wounded maybe they thought I was easy prey?

"Hey, guys... look at what happened to this guy, all cover in blood and bruises, got ambushed in the fields of beginning did you?"

Hehe, they should have known better... trying to act like the more mature man I ignored them entering the Guild. But before I could go inside one of them stopped me pulling my shoulder back.

Yami"s voice resonated inside my head.

"Shall I stop them, master?"

"There is no need Yami, let me handle this. I dare to say that they will run away with their tails between their legs when I"m done with them. Watch me."

Annoyed I turned towards the three men. One of them was a humanoid boar, another one a pig and a normal human? My aura began building up, spiking outward, glancing at them as I let my killing intent slip out. Almost immediately after my eyes met with the boar he backed off.

"What the h.e.l.l man... What"s wrong with you? We only wanted to fool around a little with you. He"s dangerous..."

"What do you mean boss? He"s covered in wounds and bruises..."

A voice other than Yami began speaking to me in an Unfamiliar tone, yet... unable to understand... it felt familiar. After a few moments pa.s.sed the voice became agitated now able to understand it spoke to me about Darkness... Madness...

"Don"t let them trample all over you... in this world, it"s either kill or be killed.

Show them they are inferior to you. Show them what happens when they mess with you."

The urge to attack and hurt the thugs became stronger as the voice drew closer and closer. Feeling pressure inside my head as if something tried to work it"s way out. I mustered up my strength resisting the voice.

"They are not worth it, a quick scare should be enough."

"Mercy...? Mercy is for the weak... when shown mercy to an enemy that has a grudge against you this will take root and grow darker... stronger... it will... even... come back to haunt you... now... choose... Kill... or... be killed..."

The menacing aura and killing intent subdued itself as the pressure on my head slowly ebbed away. The thugs ran for their lives, almost p.i.s.sing their pants.

Slowly I began feeling groggy and lost consciousness falling to the ground. Yami jumped out of my shadow catching my fall and supporting me as I lay on her back.

Unsure of what to do, Yami panicked... its master had been acting strange and lost consciousness.

"Master, are you okay? Master!"

Howling in disbelieve the huge wolf barged into the Guildhall worrying about my life, Yami did not care if others could see her if only her master would be okay.

"Anybody in here, help my master, please! He collapsed shortly after thugs messed with his head. Please!"

Some Guild Clerks closed in on Yami seeing Michael lay on his back.

"Please follow me, we have a bed where the young one can rest."

Relieved and overjoyed Yami followed the clerk, entering the nursing office a few rows of clean, sterile beds could be seen. Standing next to one of the beds, Yami slowly lowered itself laying on the ground, gently pushing his master on one of the beds.

The clerk still being there took Michael"s clothes off as they had become dirty during the fight. Needing to clean the wounds and bruises she made it clear this was of the utmost importance.

A few hours pa.s.sed after the cleanup and disinfection of the wounds. Yami never left my side. During my time being unconscious, I found myself close to my Spirit Ocean, closing in at the center I could see something rooted inside the vast sea. Wondering what it might be a familiar voice sounded once more.

"There will be a time when you will have to face the impossible, where you can"t save your loved ones... When that time comes, never forget who you are... True strength comes from within... Bearing with the struggles of one"s mind."

Realizing the truth of the words the voice had spoken, it slowly faded away as I awakened.

"Master! You"re awake!!"

I slowly raised my body looking through the room.

As I slowly regained my sight brushing my eyes there was no wolf to be found. Only a girl laying next to me with medium-short spiked black and silver hair. Her eyes were both of different colors, one Turquoise and the other Dark Blue.

The girl didn"t seem to be dressed putting her body on full display. Embarra.s.sed by her a.s.sets,

which were in a world of their own. I turned around trying to hide my bright red blushing face.

"Master? Are you okay? Your face was bright red just now... and your temperature is rather high."

The girl turned to the other side gently putting her head against mine.

"Hmm... Master does feel rather warm. Do you have a fever?"

Being so close my heart raged, pounding proudly as I didn"t know what to do.

The girl gently backed away a little and laid her hand on my chest.

"Master"s heart rate is high too... you"re even breathing heavy. What can Yami do?"

The girl worried as she was, looked at me hoping to find an answer.

"Who are you?"

"Master doesn"t recognize Yami? Maybe this will help."

Yami backed away, revealing ears on her head and a soft and long black and silver tail.

Getting a better look at her I noticed lightning manifest around her hands as she took on a proud pose. Without a care in the world revealing herself completely to me again.

She really looked good... But it was best to teach her some manners.

"Yami... please put on some clothes... you"re completely nude..."

"Why master? When I take on my wolf form I will have fur all over my body. But in this form... it"s rather cold..."

Looking at her she was really cute and innocent, maybe this was the first time in this form for her?

"Because I was so cold, Yami shared the bed with Master sharing our body heat. My mother once told me that"s the best and fastest way to heal the one you care about."

"Y-y-you did what?!"

Startled I turned red yet again.

"Okay... okay... I think everything is clear to me now. We have to get you some clothes,

maybe Amaris can help us with this. Seeing as she is a girl too, haha."

"Master will give me clothes to wear? Yami thanks her Master!"

Happy Yami jumped on me hugging me tight and wagging her tail.

"Haha don"t mention it, you are my partner, I"d better take good care of you. So for now, let"s head to the Guildhall and get you some clothes. This way you can blend in better and you won"t startle to many people."

"Hehe, that"s my master, always has a plan."

"But for now let me ask the nurse for some spare clothes. We will get you some gear after my training has finished."

I walked out of the nursing hall opening the door to a small white room. Chairs were lined up next to each other leaving room for a table. A hallway went through the room, leading to another door.

On the left side of the room, a desk was standing, a woman was sitting behind it.

Probably to escort the ones in need tending to their appointments.

I walked over to her hoping she might know where to find some spare clothes. As we approached the woman smiled and corrected the position of her gla.s.ses.

"Ah... I see you have awakened. And this girl? Who might you be?"

The woman had the same style attire as Amaris, only the colors were different, being white and pink. Long black hair was pinned to the back of her head as it was braided around her head, it still pa.s.sed her shoulder on the right, giving her a feminine and mature vibe. Her eyes were Ice blue but had a mysterious kindness to them. Standing up from behind her desk, the woman walked towards Yami.

"We were hoping you might have some spare clothes for her. My partner wants to accompany me to the Martial Novices which would be difficult being all naked. It would be even worse if she caught a cold right?"

"You have a point there, someone as cute as her should also look the part, well... I do have a spare set of clothes here, that is if she doesn"t mind walking around in nurse attire?"

The woman looked at Yami hoping to get a reaction. Teasing her a bit and even winking at her.

"I-it is okay madame, master wants me to wear something, Yami thinks this will do."

Following the woman to the nursing room so Yami could change into her clothes. I was left alone for a while. Collecting my thought about what had happened I took the words inside my head to heart.

"From now on I will fight for the ones I care about. And for that I need strength... better get training soon."

After a while, the door opened again letting in some fresh air. Yami happily jumped up and down showing how happy she was with her outfit and to be fair, it suits her really well.

Having Yami by my side instead of her needing to hide all the time was refreshing to me. Not having to be alone felt in a way better to me. We left the nursing hall and made our way to the center of the Guildhall you could see all kinds of species gathering together. Yami looked her eyes out but tried to stay calm and collected. She grabbed my arm dragging me towards a group of Adventurers.

"Look, Michael, that lizard looks so cool! And that Taurus too, wow! What is he holding?"

Yami pointed towards the huge weapon on the Taurus"s shoulder.

Before I could explain a voice from behind us answered.

"That is what"s commonly known as a Berserkers Axe. A two-handed shredder of bones known for its destructive power."

I turned around to find Amaris standing behind us.

She laughed and gently brushed my shoulder with her hand.

"I see you have met someone new, Michael?"

Amaris walked towards Yami, wanting to introduce herself as she reached out her hand to greet her.

"The name"s Amaris, I"m Michael"s Guide and advisor, helping adventurers on their way is what we do. And who might you be? his first partner?"

Proudly Yami jumped towards me wrapping herself Round my arm.

"Yes! Yami will do anything in her power to keep a master save!"

"Haha, master even? Good for you Michael, to have such a trustworthy partner. Seeing as you will be obviously joining us... I"ll lead the way to the Quarters of The Martial Novices."

On the way there Amaris observed Yami, teasing Michael a little.

"Where did you guys meet? She"s so cute!"

"You wouldn"t believe it even if I told you..."

I said frowning. Shrugging it off.

"We still have a while to walk so, try me."

Amaris said in a daring tone.

"Okay then... but let"s start from the beginning so you will understand.

Do you remember when you left me after visiting The Church together?"

"Yes, we both went our separate ways to later in the day meet up at the Guildhall, as we did now."

"Good! Well... after you had left the thunderstorm Garuda had created drove the spirit beasts, goblins and animals from their natural habitat. Meaning not only slimes were found in the fields. Trees were burning... falling down, breaking the environment. Goblins rushed in the fields to find food, as all creatures had fled the forests to find shelter. A pack of Dire wolves appeared, ruling these forests, their leader driven mad because of the lightningstorm even attacking his brethren.

Yet, because all the food had fled they too were driven out of their habitat.

Creating an epic and chaotic struggle between the Goblins and Wolves.

At the time I was Hunting slimes, collecting enough money to get myself some decent armor. Noticing the struggle and wanting to help end this struggle of epic proportions a group of Adventurers tried to come in between. But to no avail as the leader of the Dire Wolves, Garou struck fear into their hearts. Making then flee to town. One after another, goblins got slaughtered as ten were barely able to take on one wolf. I had to do something, seeing as the wolves and goblins both did this to survive... for resources... I hoped I could offer both my catch of the hunt.

As I closed in only ten goblins of the previous hundred fifty remained. Cowering in fear they were surrounded by the dire wolves.

Their leader feral as he was leaped in to strike at the defenseless creatures. Using as much essence as I could muster I summoned a lightning bolt driving the wolves away from the goblins... Allowing me to confront Garou and make the goblins run for cover.

I offered the beast my entire collection of meat, enough for the ten wolves who were still alive.

The pack looked happy with the offering, yet Garou wouldn"t let anyone near it... taking it all for himself... After finishing the pile, its eyes began to glow an unnatural black as blood seeped out of its eyes. Roaring at full might the beast made the pack back off. Creating a small crater around it before speaking in a dark tone inside my head.

"More... I need more... N-not enough to satisfy my hunger..."

Unable to satisfy his hunger he began going beserk, attacking his brethren once more...

Not wanting him to hurt his fellow brethren I struck down with lightning, again grabbing his attention.

I challenged Garou, wanting to protect the pack against Chaos. Accepting my challenge Garou bared his teeth launching towards me. Dodging his attack I struck his mouth with a fireball, making him scream in agony.

Overcome with rage he launched at me a second time, this time with claws sharper than steel. Multiple attacks launched at me making it unable to dodge all. One of the attacks. .h.i.t me, immobilizing my legs.

Struggling for survival trying to ignore and overcome the pain that Garou inflicted on me,

I overcharged my fire crystal burning the hide of the beast. Making him fall to the ground like a rag doll. Wanting to finish it I struck down lightning with all my might making Garou evaporate before the pack. Shocked all wolves howled in unison.

Preparing for the worst thinking they would strike together, I layed on my back accepting my faith. Knowing the crystals broke down I was unable to defend myself for a coordinated attack.

But then the unthinkable happened... All wolves bowed down. One of them closed in on me speaking to me inside my head, that was the start of the friendship between Yami and me.

Worried Amaris grabbed my head.

"I"m glad you met someone like Yami, Michael, but please be more careful from now on. Like you said you don"t have any crystals anymore. You"re lucky we are on our way towards your training.

In time you also need to join a deity, or else you will not be able to improve."