The group begin making their way to the edge of the world on Kage's suggestion looking for a hidden cave.
"Are you sure that it's here Kage?" Swan asks for the eighth time.
Kage looks back over his shoulder giving her a flat sarcastic look,"How many times are you gonna ask me that?"
"I don't know. Are you sure your not lost?" Swan fires back.
"No, I'm not lost, and the cave is just behind that boulder." Kage stops moving noticing movement inside some bushes.
No wind, no monsters this close to the edge. Damn. He thinks to himself.
"Guys we are being followed." Kage whispers walking slower.
"What do you want to do?" Helen asks looking around nervously.
"Calm down, don't let him on to us. Gather closer together so he can't see me." Kage says coming to a complete stop.
Vane, Swan, Helen squeeze close together blocking the view of Kage. "Where did he...?" Swan asks.
Vane grabs her hand, "Don't, he's using his hiding skill to move around."
Kage sneaks his way into the trees stepping carefully, This is the part where I step on a twig. Nearing the teen he stops to listen.
"Oh man oh man look at their gear if i can get those girls alone.." the blonde shield user salivates over his thoughts.
A voice jumps him out of his stupor from behind "And do what exactly? Hmmm? Wolf got your tongue." Kage stands leveling a front kick to the guys stomach sending him tumbling out of the bushes.
The shield user gains his feet just as Kage steps out of the trees. The blonde lunges trying to stab his attacker. Kage ducks his shoulder avoiding the tip of the blade.
The young spins driving the shield straight into Kage's stomach.
Kage stumbles back catching his breathe when the sword flashes back into his view just long enough for him to move so it doesn't take his head, instead the blade plunges into his shoulder. Kage growls from the pain while drawing and plunging a dagger into the out stretched arm.
The blonde yelps and drops his sword not expecting the pain. He stumbles back barley avoiding the second dagger coming for his neck.
"You try to sneak up on my friends, thinking about doing gods know what." Kage punctuates by stomping on the shield then kicking it away. "I'll be damned if you hurt them on my watch!"
Anger causes Kage to attack furiously making the blond swordsman beg and scream out.
"Please, I'm sorry! I won't do it again, don't kill me."
Kage stalks the boy cutting and slicing bringing the boy with in a sliver of health, when a pair of arms wrap around him causing him to snap out of the fog.
"Kage! Stop, you made your point." Helen says. Kage drops his daggers hugging her tight.
Vane walks over to the blond swordsman now sniveling and begging for his life.
"P-p-please don't kill me." He pleads.
"It's alright here let me..." Vane reaches for the boy who shrinks back scrambling to his feet and runs off.
Vane looks at Kage who is now shaking while holding her he walks over and claps his friend on the shoulder.
"I'm alright now Helen." Kage says forcing a smile.
"I don't believe you, Josh." Helen states kissing him.
"Well if your gonna do that, I could certainly use more help." He says with a smirk.
Helen pats him on the chest "Later, Kage, If your lucky."
The group find the entrance of the cave which is little more than a crack in the wall.
Kage walks to the front of the group and pops his neck.
"Now i call this a dungeon but its really just a really long cave system." Kage says looking down a cut off trying to remember the correct path. "This way." he finally says after a few minutes.
Kage leads the group to a center chamber, "Monsters should start to appear soon." he warns looking around.
"Well this was a huge waste of time." Swan announces "I'm going back to town."
"Where? They were here i swear." Kage says.
Suddenly a screech echoes off the cave walls.
"I don't see them where are they?" Helen asks.
"Are they invisible?" Vane questions Kage.
"No, at least they shouldn't be." Kage glances up and catches sight of the monsters. "Above! Scatter they are gonna drop on us!"
They move out of the way just as four snake-like drop just where they were standing.
"How long have we been at this?" Swan asks leaning against her spear.
"I'd say about four to five hours we've gotten a good level jump." Vane answers her while sifting through the inventory, "We need to head back to town to resupply and rest."
Kage speaks up "Alright we take the same way out as we did in."
The group makes their way back to the entrance clearing out a few more monsters along the way.
"OK, lets avoid anymore fights we only have a few potions left." Swan announces.
Kage stops to pick the lock on a hidden chest, when she hears a click and the sound of stone slamming down. He quickly turns around feeling along the wall for a switch or loose brick.
"Damn it," he curses quickly hiding in the shadow created by the walls.
Inside the walls monster begin exting a hole in the floor, "Don't let them separate us!" Vane yells over the growling and screeches. "Swan, push the one on the left back don't let them cut off Helen!" Vane fights off three Minotaur "Kage!Get us out of here!"
Vane puts his back toward a corner blocking and deflecting but taking a hoof to the gut.
Helen and Swan stand back to back deflecting blows then Helen bends down letting Swan roll off her back to activate her skill to split a snake in two.
Helen then pops up uppercutting with her bash lifting the next snake into the air allowing Swan to spear it to the ceiling.
Vane seeing the monsters starting to fill in between the three he rolls under the sword of the closest Minotaur getting to his feet he quick draws and cuts down three snakes to end beside the girls.
"If this wall doesn't drop soon..." Vane trails off taking on another snake.
"Fuck. Why isn't there a switch to release the wall?" Kage says still searching frantically.
Kage comes to a stand still and drops into sneak when he hears a voice accompanied by two pairs of boots.
"I told you this was gonna be good," the tall deep voiced one says.
The shorter one laughs, "Yea alright u were right you get what you want tonight."
Kage watches the two black robed figures. A man and a woman? Kage then notices the ring on the woman's finger. They're married!? Kage sneaks around behind the pair.
Lets see what you two are carrying. Kage thinks and begins rifling through their inventory. Potions! Yes!
The woman begins to grind herself against the man "Your so hot when you have that look in your eye."
The man laughs with a lustful voice "I'm sure they are dead by now. Open it."
The woman obeys his order.
As the wall comes down the pair stand in awe at the sight of Vane, Helen, and Swan standing completely fine.
Vane steps forward glaring a hole through the the hooded figures.
"H-h-how did you survive? We heard you say you didn't have any potions left." The man stammers stepping back.
"Oh we were. You might want to check your math." Vane keeps walking forward backing them up.
The woman counts "Where's the fourth one? There were four of you!"
Kage sticks his head between them "Boo!" The man jumps to the side and the woman screams "Ow. Hope she doesn't do that in bed."
"But how did...You pick-pocketed us?" The man stammered nervously.
"Yes, Yes i did now you two have a choice you can leave us all your gear and walk out of here or we can see how you fare in that trap." Kage says grinning evilly
The woman pales and begins transferring her gear to Kage. The man seeing an opportunity draws his mace going for Swan.
Time seems to slow Kage tries to pull a dagger but is stopped by the woman.
Helen starts to run forward to cut the man off but stops short watching Vane's sword do it gruesome work.
Vane steps forward his sword flashing out separating the head from his shoulders.
The head falls to the ground and rolls to the woman's feet before shattering into data crystals. SHe screams and drops to her knees sobbing uncontrollably. She looks between Kage and Vane screams once more and run off deeper into the cave.
Vane begings to shake violently dropping his sword into the dirt, "W-w-what did I just do? I didn't mean to kill him, my body just reacted on it own."
Kage looks down the cave thinking about going after the girl but stops when he hears a finally scream and a screech. He turns back to his friend, "Vane nobody blames you."
Swan wraps he arms tightly around Vane but is unable to stop his shaking, "Honey its ok we are ok."
"Vane! Lets go back to town." Kage yells trying to get through to him.
Vane takes a shakey step with Swan steadying him they make their way out to the surface. No one speaks on the way back to town only the sound of Vane whispering to himself that he didn't mean it could be heard.