64 64 – The Passage
“Don’t listen to that voice, Elise,” Raymund warned. “We don’t know anything about that dungeon yet, so you’d better back off. Anything in the dungeon would probably be triggered with fast motion. So, take a deep breath, then get out of there slowly and carefully.”
Elise carried out her master’s orders, shifting from where she was. Unlike the previous missions, now she is calmer. Her heart was still beating fast, the fear was still visible on her face, but her body didn’t tremble. She can move well.
“You want to go?” The voice from the dungeon echoed again. “It’s not that easy, Elise. If you manage to open this door, you must enter it.”
A large collection of black tendrils came out of the dungeon and immediately entangled Elise’s body. The female warrior didn’t even have time to flinch as her body was pulled into the dungeon. The vines then let go of Elise, sending the woman rolling onto the cold stone floor.
And after that, the light from outside diminished rapidly. Elise had just stood up when the dungeon door finally closed with a loud thud.
Elise looked around, trying to suppress her panic. Her eyes quickly got used to the darkness, and she could see her surroundings. The female warrior was in a passage where the walls were made of large stone cubes. The width and height of that place were about 12 feet.
The first thing Elise did was check the entrance. The female warrior was surprised when she reached the end of that passage.
She only saw the same wall, without that door with the abstract carving.
“S-sir, the door is missing.” Elise tried to suppress her panic again. She touched the wall to make sure. “What do I have to do?”
Elise waited, but her master didn’t answer, even after a few minutes. This made her heartbeat even more out of control. “S-sir? Are you still with me?”
“Ah, sorry, Elise.” Finally, Raymund responded. “Looks like you have to clear the dungeon before getting out. You have no other choice.”
Even though she didn’t know what she would face or how she would get out, Elise still felt relieved. She had thought that her master had left her.
That’s impossible, right? After all, he was the one who brought her to these missions.
The female warrior drew the sword from her back, then started walking down the passage. Her hands gripped the weapon tightly, and her gaze moved in various directions. Every now and then, he looked back.
The deeper she entered the passage, Elise could feel that the temperature was getting colder.
“Good, Elise. You didn’t break out in a cold sweat and didn’t catch your breath in panic.” Raymund praised his servant. “That’s very important to maintain your stamina. You’ve progressed since the first mission.”
Elise was happy to hear that from her master. However, once again, Elise couldn’t control the beating of her heart.
The female warrior stopped and immediately took a fighting stance. From the intersection, a few feet away, the woman could hear muffled growls.
And after that, three black dog-like creatures came out of that intersection. Their bodies are almost as big as the human body in general. Their glowing red eyes were fixed on Elise.
The female warrior gulped when she saw the sharp fangs of the beasts.
The dogs barked, then ran to Elise. However, Elise didn’t flinch at all. Her eyes are even more focused.
“Attack one of them before the beasts surround you!” Raymund shouted. “Don’t use your special skills just yet. You have to maintain your stamina. We don’t know what you will face after this.”
Elise dashed towards the beasts. And when one of them jumped, Elise immediately slashed its head. The other two were taken aback for a moment but instantly attacked Elise. The female warrior dodged one of them. However, the other dog jumped high at her.
The female warrior raised her sword. The dog bit that weapon and pulled it.
“Don’t let them bite you! We don’t know the power of their fangs!”
Unfortunately, Raymund’s warning came too late. The second dog managed to pounce on Elise’s arm. The woman grimaced at the pain the beast’s fangs were causing. It was her magically enhanced battle outfit that left her unharmed.
Then, the two beasts tugged at Elise’s sword and hand. The female warrior was forced to kneel down.
“Don’t let yourself fall, Elise! You will be finished if that happens!” Raymund gave another warning.
If it weren’t for her situation, Elise would have screamed in pain. However, she had to think about breaking away from the two beasts instead.
She knew that soon she would be taken down by the beasts. So, she let go of her sword. The first dog jerked back from the momentum of its own pull, and Elise used that opportunity to punch the second dog with all her might. The second dog let go of its bite, allowing Elise to run away from them a few steps.
The two dogs growled again, baring their fangs. Elise, no longer holding any weapons, was forced to raise her fists like boxers. She closed one eye. The arm bitten by the dog was still hurt so much and felt like it was twitching.
“Good, you are getting smarter in fighting. I remind you once again to be careful with their bites. The magic defense of your battle outfit will continue to decrease if you are bitten by them many times.” Raymund said in a rapid tone. “Maybe you already know, but your only chance to win is to pick up your sword again. You are not an expert in hand-to-hand combat, much less against beasts like that.”
Elise’s eyes fell on her sword that was far behind the dogs.
This time Elise didn’t run forward as the two dogs ran toward her. She focused on catching her breath, then avoiding the attacks of the beasts. Elise can still manage the situation. She jumped back, shifted, and rolled to dodge the attacks from her enemies. However, Elise felt that their attacks were getting faster, and she got overwhelmed.
However, she managed to get past the two beasts and ran towards her sword.
When Elise looked back, she found that the dogs were very close and kept barking. If this continues, there will be no time to take the sword.
So, the female warrior jumped up and stretched out her arms to grab that weapon.