Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Try Hard Party

Alberta regulated a slight breeze around the flames, making sure that no mantis was going to jump over them. But, as Leander was cleaning the wound on Alektos's leg, he couldn't help but to despair.

More than one platoon should have been sent inside. Surely, other people than Alektos had a barrier stone. For them to not have used it meant that they knew what was inside and also knew that they would be locked in with the shadows of Samkiel's tomb.

"Is this going to be better soon?" Alektos pointed at the bite mark on his leg. Unlike the shadows outside the tomb, the mantis's bite did not land people into a coma. But, Alektos felt feverish and feared that he had been poisoned.

"I would normally tell you that you would be fine, but this is getting infected, no matter how much mana I pour into it," Leander's shoulders slumped. Alektos stood up then and looked at the mantises.

"Well, then, we can't waste time on healing," he said sternly, and he made a step forward, showing three fingers in the air. They all got up and Lilia dosed the flames. Then, Alektos gave the signal for running, and Leander used his second spell slot to make a barrier around them. It would have been ideal if they had used the slots for the boss fight that was surely going to come, but Alektos was the leader and his word was law.

They ran down the corridor, being mindful of Leander's pace. Then, they went down a staircase that was overgrown with mushrooms that gave out shadowy spores that, when they touched the barrier, exploded.

They made it to a fork in the road and Leander fell down, having tripped on a stone.

"Are you ok?" Dorian broke rang so that he could go and help Leander up.

"Yes, but I am tired. Maybe we can hunker down in here?" Leander asked, hopeful.

"We did good progress," Alektos noted, and he sat down. "Can you keep the barrier still?"

Leander's eyes found the dim shard of the staff.

"With my own mana, I could buy is an hour," he spoke, head bowed down. If he had worked more on expanding his core, he would have gotten them more time.

"Don't use your mana. Save it for healing. You said that your best healing spell was not in your staff, right?" Percival, one of the Griffins' tanks who had been silent until now, spoke.

"Yes, but what are we going to do if the mantis make it pass the mushrooms?" They could all hear explosions coming from the staircase.

"The dungeon didn't want anything, not even its mobs, passing through that staircase. Let the monsters fight," Dorian looked at the base of the stairs, where a mantis crawled on a single leg. More spores latched onto it, and it died.

"The core is vicious," Morris noted as he, too, watched the mantis turn into black mist and then disappear. "And afraid."

"Well, if I was in a lab for God knew how long, I would be paranoid too," Nestor turned his back to the staircase and tried to block out the sound of the mantis dying.

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The three partners thought about Armaros, then. How his situation was similar to the shadow dungeon core's and how this platoon could have been sent for him. If Armaros had not been a softie.

"Do you guys want to share quest stories?" Lilia chimed in, eyes on the staircase and body stiff with anticipation.

"Sure, we, the Raging Bulls, ran through the goblin settlement of Gog in a single day," Aros bragged, and they all turned to look at him.

"Bullies," Alberta was frowning at them. "Those goblins are starving. All they want is for people to pay for the road, they're keeping in order"

Aros sighed.

"I didn't say it was fair, just that we are the second party with such a time. The only other one is the Firebolts," at the mention of Jean's party, their mood all turned grim.

"Do you think they are still alive?" Lilia muttered. Jean had told them that the Budding Lilies should go back to their farm. But, she had not thought that the archer was mean just to be mean. She believed he was just giving them tough love.

"Jean had it coming," Sorecal spoke, and all turned to look at him. "I mean, taking the dungeon retrievals without a healer. Running his mouth at the newbies. I, for one, hope this dungeon has taught him a lesson."

"So, you believe he is still alive?" Leander's voice had a sad undertone to it. Sure, Jean was a jerk, but that didn't mean he deserved to die. He had done a lot for Huergaz during his adventuring career and would do much more, if he was still alive, that is.

"That cockroach is never going to die," Sorecal snickered at his own words, and a couple of the rest also let out chuckles.  "He is Jean Firebolt. If someone has taken him out, then, well..."

Sorecal grew silent again. Not wanting to utter that, if someone or something had taken out Jean Firebolt, then, their own prospects looked grim.

"Dungeons like this one have a pattern," Dorian began, and all eyes turned to him. "They put the strongest mobs they have at the entrance, the swarm at the first floor. Then, something only someone with a barrier can get past. If Jean had made it to this room, then he would have faced the golems next."

And golems were noting for Borik and Andors, who were top-notch berserkers.  That lifted the mood again, and they began to trade stories. Then, Leander wondered out loud how the members of their platoon had known so much about their quests, and Aros chuckled.

"We call you the Try Hard Party. Because no one else but you lot would do quests like the stable mucking or other quests, that don't require killing. In a sense, it is interesting to everyone to see where you will go as a party. I hope the moniker stuck, and the guild master approves the petition that is going around to name you Try Hard Party. That way, the newbies will have one good example of a non-lazy party," Leander looked at Morris, who looked at Dorian.

Try Hard Party sounded dependable. Like a party that was not going to abandon someone in need. The three hoped the guild master gave them the name, too. But first, they had to survive the tomb.

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