Chapter 56: C56 – March

After spending a little time comforting each other, Dirk and Ava left the inn. Dirk adjusted a few things before he left, memorizing their positions. 

After that, he and Ava moved through the streets. They needed to find their other party members just in case anything happened to them too.

However, there were already some guards investigating the area. Three people being killed in broad daylight, while not a shocking situation, wasn't a normal one. Naturally it had to be looked into. And while this wasn't a city, there was still a small police force that maintained some semblance of order. 

A few squads of guards wandered the town, asking people what happened. Dirk saw this and frowned, grabbing Ava's hand and pulling her along. He watched the guards and stayed away from them while making sure to keep an eye out. His AI tracked the guards' movements as well, helping him move stealthily. 

Luckily the town wasn't that big. Dirk quickly spotted Alec who was looking around with curiosity. Not long after Dirk spotted him, Alec also saw the duo who walked toward him. 

"Dirk! Do you know what happened? There are guards everywhere!"

"Yes. Some people were killed."

"Killed? Seriously?"

Alec was surprised, his eyebrows raising. From what he knew, any fighting and murdering happened inside the dungeon where corpses could be eaten by monsters, wiping away evidence. It was very rare for people to do so in the town since it would draw attention to them. 

Dirk nodded. 

"Yes. Do you know where the other two are?"

"Garet and Casma? I ran into them a little bit ago. They should be that way."

"Let's find them."

Dirk spoke before turning in the direction he pointed. Alec followed, able to guess what he was worried about. 

Not long after, the three found the two lovebirds. However, they were speaking to a guard. Dirk cursed inwardly before stopping in an alleyway, holding Alec back from approaching them.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Alec questioned as Dirk's hand blocked his path. Dirk thought for a second before sighing.

"...I'll tell you later."

"Okay?"

Alec's face was weird as he just let it be. After waiting for a while, Garet and Casma finished their conversation with the guard. After the two separated, Dirk walked over to them. 

"Alec! Hey, have you heard what happened? There was a murder!"

Garet spotted the group and spoke to Alec. Since he was a bit awkward around Dirk, he wasn't very inclined to talk to him in such a friendly way. 

Alec smiled a bit.

"Yea, I heard."

"What did the guard ask you about?"

Dirk stepped in, questioning Garet. He wanted to know what the guards were looking for. If he were caught, then it was possible he and Ava might have to leave. 

Garet answered.

"He was asking us if we had seen anything. I guess two people had killed three men on the far side of town."

"Did he say what those people looked like?"

"Uh, not really. I guess one of them was a girl. They also said that one was an earth mage since there were rock spikes and rock arrows around the place. That was about it."

"I see..."

Dirk pondered, thinking about the chances of anyone being able to point them out. Earth mages weren't exactly rare. And since he and Ava were young, they weren't likely to be suspected. Only if someone had seen them specifically would they be in trouble. But it didn't seem like anybody had. 

Dirk didn't let anything show on his face as he came to this conclusion. He nodded.

"Alright. Thanks."

"Sure?"

Garet was confused, but didn't mind it. Everyone was curious about a murder. Dirk was just a little more so. 

Eventually, Alec spoke up.

"Okay, I think we've had enough fun for today. Let's go get dinner and prepare for tomorrow. We'll be going into the dungeon bright and early."

"Ugh, I'm not sure if I want to."

Garet groaned as he was reminded of why they were there. Hearing him, Dirk's eye twitched.

That night, the group went to a restaurant. Turns out, nobody particularly cared about a murder and the place was as busy as always. The only difference was the amount of weapons on display. While a murder wouldn't deter anybody, nobody would let down their guard. Humans were just as dangerous as monsters, if not more so. 

Even more surprising though was the lively atmosphere. Everyone was armed and on guard, but this only seemed to increase the feeling of safety. Many people had fun without worry. After all, no one wanted to fight. They had enough to worry about in the dungeons. 

..........

The next morning, Alec and his group members woke up early and geared up. They grabbed all their belongings and brought them downstairs to a table, taking inventory and double checking to make sure they had everything. 

Once they were ready, they marched into the dungeon. They were immediately greeted with a wave of heat and dusty sand. This time though, they were more confident. They walked forward past the first haven, heading straight for the haven in the middle of the dungeon. 

They killed many dune worms along the way, collecting over a dozen earth mana crystals. All the crystals were tossed in the loot bag. As for other valuables like the worm teeth or blood, Dirk couldn't bother. The skinks were far more valuable, and he didn't want smelly items to stink up the loot bag.

By nightfall, the group arrived at the middle haven. There were a few other groups there, most of them ones that had been here two days ago when Alec's group left the dungeon. It looked like it really wasn't uncommon to stay in a dungeon for long periods of time. 

The group set up camp for the night. However, they were all a bit nervous. It took a while for them to fall asleep. 

The next morning, everyone naturally woke up early, their nerves still getting to them. Today, they would have to make their way to the farthest haven. 

If it was just walking, they could make it by sunset easily. However, they would be fighting many skinks along the way. This took time, and every minute wasted on fighting skinks was another minute they would have to fight at night. 

Worse yet, they didn't have the stamina to move much quicker than walking pace. Dirk could jog his way there, but the others would collapse if they had to do that. Only Ava and maybe Alec could keep up. Garet and Casma weren't nearly as conditioned.

Luckily, they had at least woken up early. By the time they were ready to go, the sun was barely risen. Dirk nodded, thinking how it would give them a bit more leeway. While everyone would be tired by the end, that was preferable to having to fight in the dark. 

They were quick to set off, the group of five exiting the haven and marching forward. They didn't look back, dead set on making it to the haven. They had to commit, otherwise they would turn back halfway. 

*Screech!*

As they walked, fire skinks blocked their way. Dirk was armed with his bow, and whenever he spotted one, he would shoot it. He coordinated with Ava as well, and she would rush over to finish the skinks he shot. 

Like this, enemies were made quick work of. This was only for the shallow area though. Once they went deeper, they encountered more resistance. 

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At high noon, the group encountered groups of three. For these, Alec fought alongside Dirk and Ava. They would work to finish them as quick as possible. They couldn't spend too much time fighting or they would pay for it later. 

However, despite them moving quickly, Dirk didn't forget to harvest their target loot. He collected all the fire mana crystals, and due to his dexterous hands, he could pluck the crystals quickly. The loot bag slowly got fuller. 

Then, an hour after noon, they reached the halfway point. Dirk's AI kept track of the time and he realized that even though they had moved quickly, they would still have to fight in the dark. Luckily, they would only have to fight an hour after dark. That was only under the assumption they maintained the speed they were going at though. Dirk knew they would only face more battles, so the night would be long.

Sure enough, they continued to encounter more skinks. As the temperature started to gradually drop, the group fought off groups of four skinks. Perhaps because she was feeling confident though, Casma finally stepped up to fight with her water spells. Even if she had a hard time killing skinks, she could delay them until Dirk or Ava got to it to finish the job. Thankfully, this reduced the chances of anybody getting hurt. Dirk was mildly pleased, though he wondered where this fighting spirit was every other day prior. 

Finally, when the sun was setting, Dirk's group pushed farther in than they ever had. This is when they started seeing changes though. The number of skinks in each group actually got smaller. 

Normally one would be thankful for this, but Dirk wasn't. None of the group was happy about this. That was because the skinks only got stronger. 

Dirk was vigilant as he scanned the area around them. The group continued to walk at a brisk pace under the pink sky that turned the ground orange, all the while trying to keep their footsteps quiet. Dirk held his bow as his AI scanned for anything abnormal. 

Finally, he spotted a group. There were two skinks, but these weren't normal skinks. On all fours, they stood equal to Dirk's hip. Their bodies were several feet long. These skinks were massive, and Dirk could see their razor sharp teeth whenever they opened their mouths. Their claws looked even more deadly. 

He frowned. After motioning for Ava to be ready, he drew back his bow. The skinks were about 40 meters away, but because they were so big, Dirk didn't worry about missing. 

*Woosh!*

The arrow flew, sailing through the air with surprising silence. However, it apparently wasn't quiet enough. The skink's head snapped to it just before the arrow hit. 

Luckily, despite spotting it, the skink couldn't dodge. Unfortunately, the skink was tougher than Dirk thought. The arrow barely pierced the the skink's hide. A small trickle of blood came out, and after a shake, the arrow fell off the skink. It was left with nothing more than a bad cut. 

Everyone saw this and had a bad feeling. Just this skink's durability was amazing. Those arrows were sharp, and Dirk had one shot killed skinks with them before. But now, it could only piss the skink off. Alec felt a bit of fear as he saw the pair of skinks turn toward them. 

"Alec! Take the left one!"

Dirk shouted before running out. These skinks were tough, obviously a level stronger than the ones they faced so far. However, he wasn't too worried about their toughness. Blades, especially his hatchet, would still hurt them. 

What he was worried about was their fire. If their bodies were stronger, it was likely that their fire was too. Ava didn't have the resistance to fire that Alec had, so Dirk sent him ahead. 

Alec heeded Dirk's command, running forward to his enemy despite his apprehension. If he couldn't face this skink, then he wouldn't ever have the courage to become stronger and face stronger enemies in the future. 

Dirk rushed ahead first, meeting the skink head on. As he ran, he saw the skink's throat brighten. He continued running while his AI chimed in.

[Casting rock wall.]

A magic circle appeared above his hand. At the same time, the skink opened its mouth. Fire bellowed out. 

*Woosh!*

The surroundings were made brighter as a huge wave of flames surged forth. Normal skinks could only soot a tongue of flame. This was a step above. It was the difference between a single circle spell and a two circle spell. Dirk was only just beginning to learn those. 

Dirk's pupils contracted as he cast the spell. A wall of stone shot out of the ground in front of him. He planted his back against the wall. 

Flames washed around its sides. Dirk looked at the wall of fire to his right and left, feeling the heat. Not only was there a lot of this fire, but it was a level hotter than normal skinks. Dirk would have to bring forth all his mana to defend his body if he wanted to tank that heat. 

Fortunately, the fire didn't last forever. Right when the fire dissipated, Dirk flew around the side. A rock pillar shot out under his foot, throwing him forward to his enemy. 

*Screech!*

The skink screamed as it met its enemy head on. Dirk equipped his spear as the two got close. 

The skink swiped out with its claws. Dirk planted his feet and thrust forth the spear. The blade pierced into the skinks thick arm, causing it to howl in pain. 

He ripped out the spear, thrusting again. However, the skink skirted backward, dodging the strike. Dirk was forced to press forward, continuously thrusting out to try and hit the skink. 

Meanwhile, Alec fought his own skink. He drew his sword and ran forward, but like Dirk, he was hit with a wave of flame. Alec was forced to use his mana in defense while launching his own flame. The two flames fought each other, Alec's splitting the skink's in half and mitigating the flame that hit him. Still, it cost plenty of mana on his end, and he couldn't perform that very many times. 

After the flames went out, the two charged each other. Surprisingly, because his enemy was bigger, Alec was able to wield his sword better. He always had trouble with small enemies, but big ones were right up his alley. Alec slashed at the skink's claws with trained movements, finally able to put his skill on display. He was able to put the skink on the defense just as well as Dirk did. 

The two fought their skinks, going back and forth between offense and defense. The skinks would breathe fire whenever they wanted their enemies to back off momentarily. While Dirk had an easier time defending with his strong rock walls, Alec had to consume lots of mana directly resisting it. 

But their victory was assured. Dirk didn't take long to severely wound his skink, driving his spear into its throat. After that, a few more thrusts and it was dead. He then went to help Alec, killing it quickly with a two pronged assault. 

When the second skink died, Dirk straightened his back. He thought inwardly. 

'What's the time?'

[Total battle time: 4minutes, 12 seconds.]

'Damn...'

Dirk frowned at the time. These skinks were fast and tough. It took longer to hurt them at all, more so to kill them. That combined with their fire made the battles longer. While it would normally be acceptable, they were on a clock. Even now Dirk could see the sun getting lower. If they encountered too many groups, they would be spending a long time in the dark. 

Unfortunately, there was no turning back. Dirk quickly went over to the skinks with his knife. Because their hides were tougher, he had to cut away at the skin for a while before being able to pluck the mana crystal. When he collected both of them, he glanced at their size. These crystals were a bit bigger and had a stronger mana content in them. These were obviously a higher grade than the others they collected, but Dirk wasn't sure by how much. 

After throwing them in the bag, the group got moving again. Unfortunately, they were soon stopped by another skink pair. This time, Dirk didn't bother shooting an arrow. He and Alec charged head on for the skinks, diving into another fight. 

This time though, Ava also joined in. Dirk had held her back last time so she could see how the skinks fought. Now that she knew how strong their fire was and how long their reach was, she had confidence in being able to help out. She was right behind Alec as the two charged forward. When the skink charged its fire attack, Ava pulled Alec behind her.

"Water wall!"

She brought her hand up and cast a spell she had already prepared. Right when the fire tumbled toward them, a large wall of cold blue water was created. The fire crashed into it, rapidly burning away the wall and turning it into a fog. 

But the wall held out. Just as 70% of the wall was burned to a vapor, the fire stopped. The two resumed their charge, Alec thankful to not have to burn his own mana to defend. 

Under both their assaults, the skink was cornered. It quickly sustained wounds from Alec's sword, and when it got tired and unable to dodge, it was forced to take the brutal chops of Ava's axe. Once it lost one limb, the battle was basically sealed. Even its final breath of fire was unable to do much. Both of its enemies could independently block its fire. 

The skink let out a final cry, collapsing to the ground with blood pouring out of it. The dry ground was soaked with its blood. 

*Screech!*

Right as Ava and Alec relaxed, they heard a horrible scream. they turned to Dirk who was fighting his own skink. Though, when they did their jaws dropped. 

Dirk was on top of his skink, riding it like a bull. In his hand was his hatchet that he buried in its body, using it as an anchor. His other hand held a knife that he continuously drove into the skink's eyes and throat. 

Under his ruthless attacks, Dirk's skink was quick to lose its life. It fell to the ground, and Dirk climbed off its back only after plucking its mana crystal. 

Once he plucked the second, he spoke to them.

"Let's keep moving."

"...Right."

Ava snapped out of it, continuing their march. Alec took a little longer though. He couldn't seem to get the image of Dirk riding the skink out of his mind. How did he even get there in the first place?!

 

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