The Grand Weave

He removed his axe from the dead skrell with a wet squelch. A carefully practiced flick and all the dark green blood clinging to the weapon was flung off. With a sigh, he looped the weapon back in his belt and examined his party. Outside of a couple of scratches and a disturbing amount of blood on Ruina's face, his friends were relatively unharmed.

Ruina caught his staring and gave an insane-looking smile. "What's the problem, Andrew? Is there something on my face?" she asked, her voice filled with false innocence.

Letting out a deep sigh, he ignored her and walked up to Aaron. The man in question was already busy using his skill on one of the monster's corpses. Not wanting to distract him while he channeled his skill, he waited until Aaron visibly relaxed to speak.

"So, do you think it has anything worthwhile to harvest?" he asked gruffly.

Oro came over and prodded the body with his staff, earning a scowl from Aaron. "I'm still not sold on your new skill. Besides, I doubt there is much to gain from some cave goblin. You going to collect the ears or something?"

His voice was filled with enough disapproval that Andrew could already hear the argument coming. Not wanting to spend more time on the same familiar argument, he smacked Oro on the head before he could say anything else.

"Enough of that. You've voiced your opinion, and it's been heard. What Aaron fills in his skill slot is his choice. And besides, it's a well-sought-after skill. You know that Braves who have it are always wanted," he said, his tone sharp.

"But that's the point! He's supposed to be an adventurer, not some glorified mule! He is so much better off choo-" Oro began but was interrupted by another heavy smack.

"I said enough! Now, Aaron, anything worth taking?"

Aaron glared at Oro long enough that he was afraid he needed to ask again, but thankfully, the man's shoulders dropped, and he turned to look at him.

"Despite what Oro said, they are not actually goblins. And even if they were, collecting their ears would get us executed by the gods," Aaron explained while giving another glare in Oro's direction. Oro simply shrugged his shoulders and motioned for him to continue speaking. "They're lesser fiends more related to imps. Just waaaay less intelligent. And they have small venom sacks behind their claws. Alchemists have use for them since they're suitable for producing a paralytic poison or anti-paralysis potions."

As Aaron spoke, Andrew watched him slowly cut away the claws of the skrell and pack them in a tightly sealed jar. With the harvest of the creature out of the way, Aaron went over to repeat the process on the one he killed with his axe. There was no point wasting his mana on Ruina's monster, seeing as how she made the poor thing explode from the inside out.

Looking at his teammate use his skill, he couldn't help but think how short-sighted Oro was. Even if some adventurers tended to think less of braves, no one could deny that an extraction skill could make or break adventuring teams. Only fools like Oro, who valued power over everything else, failed to see their stupidity.

It wasn't like they were destined to become an immortal legend. None of them had enough slots to make it past tier two. Sure, they could reach the peak of tier two and consider themselves more powerful than most, but they would never achieve true ascendence. One only needed to look at the guild master to understand the divide between a true ascendant and somebody like them.

Andrew tore himself away from his thoughts when he saw Aaron put away his harvesting tools. "All done?"

"Yes. We can move on now."

Taking the lead, he led the party down the tunnel, making sure to keep alert for the sounds of monsters. If they managed to keep a steady pace of encounters by the time they reached the stairwell, Ruina should have enough energy to finally tier up.

"That was disappointing. Fours hours of walking and we only killed thirteen monsters. I'll never tier up at this rate." Oro complained.

Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose. That was only one of many similar complaints given throughout the entire dungeon dive. Not for the first time was he seriously considering taking Aaron and finding a new team.

"Oh, come on, Oro, I only need a little more, and I can finally reach tier one! We should be able to find something on the way back," Ruina said with excitement.

Oro's face scrunched up in annoyance, but he quickly wiped it away and smiled at his sister. "While I'm happy for you, this was still a boring dive. Aren't dungeons supposed to be teeming with monsters? We're at a frontier village! This is pathetic. Is this all the dungeon can throw at us?"

Aaron mumbled something under his breath, but Oro still heard him. With a sneer, he walked up and poked him in the shoulder. "What was that? Got something to say about me?" When Aaron didn't reply, he poked him again. "Come on, Aaron. Don't start telling me you're going to start being as cowardly as a mule as well."

Andrew wanted to step in and stop the argument before it began, but it was too late. The throbbing vein on Aaron's neck was enough of a giveaway, let alone how red his face was becoming. He could only hope it didn't turn into something physical. If they had to waste one of the only health potions they had on something so stupid, he was sure this would be their last run together.

"I said you're a fucking deaf idiot! I don't know what powdered-gold ass you crawled out of, but by the gods, you're insufferable! We are here in a mid-tier-one dungeon, and you couldn't even bother to pay attention to what was explained before we entered. If you could stop for even a moment to think about anything other than your inflated ego, then you'd realize why there is such a low amount of dungeon monsters. Sadly, I'm dead certain that something as simple as that is too big of a task for you!" Aaron shouted. His fists were clenched hard enough to hear them creak in the stunned silence of the others.

It wasn't surprising to Andrew. Aaron may have been an extremely patient and tolerant person, but even he had a limit. When people like him exploded, it only made the action all the more shocking. Oro stared at him fish-faced with his jaw dropped but soon clenched it in anger. Looking around, he saw Andrew's silent grimace and turned toward his sister. When she sheepishly shrugged, he started shaking in a seething fury.

Like a whip, he snapped back to Aaron, still scowling at him and gritting his teeth. "Then why don't you explain it to me again? Since you are determined to make yourself useful. You're already acting as our mule might as well go all the way," he said in a slow and mocking voice.

Aaron was already well past the level of dealing with Oro's bullshit. That final remark was enough to finally cross the line. Within a blink, he threw a right hook into Oro's cheek. The punch was loud enough to echo across the tunnel walls. Oro was knocked to the ground with a bleeding cut across his cheek. Before Aaron could kick at the man, Andrew finally stepped in and held him back. He braced his arms underneath Aaron's shoulders and forced him to back away. On Oro's part, Ruina stood over him and prevented him from getting up and retaliating. Even if she loved her brother, they couldn't afford to have the two fight it out, especially if they started using their skills.

"For your information, asshole! There are fewer monsters around because it's the second to last day of the month. If we don't get out of here before Felnarua rises, we might as well paint the words fresh meat on our heads! Even you should be able to figure out what that means," Aaron spat out.

"Hey now, stop it. Aaron, you've made your point. Let's drop this already. We need to start moving before it's too late," Ruina commented.

"But that bastard hit me!" Oro screamed.

"ENOUGH! What's done is done. Pack in the dragonshit, and let's go!" Andrew commanded.

He let go of Aaron after ensuring he wouldn't rush over and attack Oro. Aaron gave him a wince but didn't apologize for his actions. He couldn't blame the man for what he did, but this night was not going to end well. Ruina helped her brother off the ground but yelled in shock when he pushed her away and ran to the stairwell.

"Oro?! What are you doing?!" Ruina called out.

Oro reached the first step downwards and stopped. With eyes filled with rage, he looked at the rest of his team. "You are all cowards! Watch me. I'm going to tier up by tomorrow! If the first level doesn't provide me with what I need, then I'll find it in the next. And I won't even be slowed down by your stupid harvesting skill."

Before any of them could say anything, he raced down the stairs, rushing deeper into the dungeon. Andrew cursed when he saw Ruina chase after him a moment later. He turned his attention to Aaron and tried to formulate the question carefully. Aaron saw what he was going to ask and held up a hand, and stopped him.

"Don't waste your breath. Even if I would love to beat the idiot to a pulp, I won't abandon him. And Ruina doesn't deserve to die because her brother has a death wish. I don't hate her, after all," he explained calmly.

Andrew let out a relieved smile and patted him on the shoulder. Together, they set off after the two siblings. Hopefully, they could stop the fool before something happened. There was a reason people stayed on either the first or third floor. The second floor of the Emberlake dungeon was home to the nagas. While the dungeon was mostly tier one, the second level had the chance to spawn tier two monsters. The most dangerous ones being the witches or matriarchs. If they were unlucky enough to encounter one of them, then they might actually have to give up on Oro. Ruina wouldn't willingly abandon her brother, so he might have to knock her out if it came to it. She might hate him for life, but better alive than dead.

They rushed past the safe area and kept charging down the stairs until they reached the second-floor entrance. It was the first time they saw the floor, and they couldn't help but admire it. That wonderment lasted until they saw Ruina tugging on her brother's shirt. The two were ankle-deep in the dark water next to a large outcropping of glowing crystal. They could hear the two clear enough over the bubbling water when they rushed over.

"Stop being a stubborn idiot already," Ruina exclaimed exasperatedly.

"No! How could you stand there and say nothing after he attacked me? Who's side are you on?!" Oro shouted.

"I'm not on either side. While I don't have the same issues with Aaron's new skill as you do, it doesn't mean I don't know why you're acting like this. You were in the wrong for calling him that. Even if you're having trouble getting over your mommy issues, it doesn't give you the right to verbally abuse our teammate."

"Take it back! How dare you bring that up!"

"Oh, by the gods, shut up! If you want to get yourself killed, then go ahead. Maybe a good thrashing will finally knock some sense into your thick skull."

The scene would have been nearly comical if it wasn't for the fact they were putting everyone in grave danger. The second floor wasn’t a tunnel system like the other two. Here, there was enough space to be swarmed by monsters. As much as Andrew agreed with Ruina, he had a job to do. In the next team, he would definitely not put up with the leadership role again. It was a thankless job.

When he stepped closer, he saw Ruina suddenly yank hard enough to toss her brother behind her. Sensing something was wrong, he turned to where she was looking and paled. Out of the dark waters, with their body lit up by the glowing orange crystal, was the tall, scaled skin of a naga. Where Oro had been was a crystal-tipped trident positioned precisely where the man's head had been.

The naga gave off a sinister hiss before rearing back and trying to thrust the trident at Ruina. The monster never got a chance to attack properly because a thrumming wave of energy stopped it. Andrew felt the ground and air vibrate, knowing it was too late to position himself in front of his teammate.

She must have reacted to the attack by activating her Sonic Vibration skill. The attack stunned the giant naga in its tracks, but Ruina didn't move. He knew if she channeled as much mana as possible, she could supercharge her skill, but it would require her to stand still to focus. The worst part was nobody would be able to approach her unless they wanted to be hit by the skill. The area of effect attack did not discriminate its targets.

"Ruina!" Oro screamed in alarm. Noticing him and Aaron, his eyes widened. "Please help her!"

Ignoring his pleading, his eyes scoured the water. If they were lucky, then Ruina could dispatch the enemy, and they could run. Even if the monster was technically a tier higher than her, with the amount of mana she was putting out, it would not survive much longer. The biggest issue was that she would be out of commission by the end of it. They couldn't afford mana potions and didn't bring any with them on the dive. Something that he was currently regretting to the extreme.

"Damnit, Andrew, look!" Aaron shouted.

Aaron pointed at the water behind the naga. Straining his eyes, he saw two more sets of hands rise out of the murky depths and reveal two nagas with similar tridents. They were soon caught in the same stunning effect as the first naga, Ruina's skill damaging them from the inside out.

Oro finally got up and picked up his staff. With an unintelligible shout of expletives, he sent out thin blades of concentrated wind at the two monsters. The attack cut lines into the monster's arms and stomach, but it looked like the damage was minor at best. Oro screamed when he realized why.

"I can't do anything with her skill active! Andrew, what do we do?!"

He wanted to yell out that there was nothing they could do, but his words died in his throat when he heard a loud cracking sound. Next to Ruina, the giant pillar of glowing crystal sported a massive crack down its middle. The damage spread in a spiderweb pattern, and the entire crystal was soon covered in broken lines. The first naga closest to Ruina had its head explode in a rain of gore while the other two started bleeding from their ears and eyes. When the first monster's body dropped lifelessly into the water, Ruina's skill stopped, and she swayed on her feet.

Oro went to rush over and catch her, but the crystal exploded, and a wave of fire blasted forth. The monsters were tossed back into the lake while Ruina was sent flying past Aaron and smacked into the cavern wall. Not wasting any more time, they all ran to her. Without being prompted, Aaron unslung his pack and dug into it, eventually pulling out a health potion a second later. Oro was already patting out the fire on his sister's body and was forced to use his skill to slice off her hair that was still on fire. She looked like someone had melted the front side of her body, and he couldn't help but grimace.

Carefully moving Oro out of the way, he poured the potion directly onto her wounds. When the liquid hit her body, it instantly created a sizzling noise as pungent steam rose off her body. As badly as he wanted to smash Oro's face in, he held his tongue as he saw the anguish and fear in his eyes.

A tap on his shoulder brought his attention away from the two as he turned to see what Aaron wanted. He frowned when he shook his head and pointed his chin back to the lake. What he saw was far worse than before. Around the shoreline were random batches of flames burning wildly and out of control. But that hellish landscape wasn't what Aaron pointed at. It was the massive group of nagas rising out of the water and slithering to shore that brought fear to his eyes.

Standing up with his weapon drawn and standing shoulder to shoulder with Aaron, he watched the naga surround them, cornering them to the wall with no escape. The nagas pointed their weapons at them while hissing loudly. They were obviously communicating, but he couldn't tell what they were saying.

"I'm going to haunt the little shit if he somehow survives this! Hell, I'll pray to whatever dark god there is if they allow me to vengefully curse the idiot," Aaron seethed.

"Count me in," Andrew replied.

The tense standoff lasted long enough to make the two nearly piss their pants. Oro was all but useless as he weakly stood over his sister's body. Just as he thought the monsters were done waiting for their meal, he saw some of the nagas turn their heads.

Running at the group of monsters was what looked like another monster. The only reason he thought otherwise was the humanoid had on what looked like proper leather armour. Suddenly, a cone of golden fire engulfed the naga, who turned to defend against the attacker. He could only stare in awe as the monster became more burned than Ruina was and watched it flail around. His jaw dropped lower when more of the fire blasted forth, and the masked figure took on three of the monsters himself.

Not letting the opportunity go to waste, he swung his axe at the nearest monster. The naga managed to use its weapon to prevent the metal from chopping into its neck. With a grunt, he ran mana through his channels and activated his Rising Strength skill. Immediately, the skill's effect started empowering his muscles. The naga was forced backward as his swings grew heavier and heavier. He had no attention to spare for his other teammates, but he briefly saw Aaron stabbing his naga in the side with his sword.

The naga tried retaliating with its trident, but Andrew prevented it from attacking by throwing in the liberal use of his Meteor Strike skill. Thanks to his Rising Strength skill combined with his Meteor Strike, the growing weight severely damaged the weapon's material. On the fifth block, the naga's trident broke in two. He channeled the last of his mana into a Reckless Charge and smashed into the tall monster. When he went to chop his weapon down on the monster's head, a pulse of energy staggered him.

Snapping his head in the direction of the pulse, he saw the feather-covered man on the ground and an orb of golden flames hovering in front of the largest monster's neck. His eyes briefly flickered to the broken remains of what looked like a necklace on the ground next to it. His eyes widened when he realized what the necklace was. He couldn't even let out a scream before the orb exploded, and a wave of flames four times the size of the one from the crystal blasted forth. The fire scorched his throat dry, and he could feel his eyes boiling beneath his eyelids.

Aaron had the right idea. He was going to haunt Oro for the next hundred years!