¨Some food…¨ A small bag of supplies was grabbed and then put in the backpack. ¨Bandages…¨ A few bandages were then placed inside of the pack. ¨What else? ¨

¨Maybe some potions? ¨ Noel presented two small vials full of the healing concoction.

The captain hesitated at first but then shrugged ¨Alright, thanks.¨ He grabbed the potions and put them inside, and with that he closed the backpack. ¨That should be all of it.¨

¨Captain, may I suggest something? ¨ His attention shifted to Noel. ¨If we are to venture deeper into the Dungeon wouldn't it be wise to consider bringing a supporter? ¨

¨But why? We can handle ourselves well.¨

¨True but eventually going from the surface to lower levels it would take some time. Our trips some time but eventually if we want to get stronger we'll need to do longer trips, and that might take a considerable amount of time. We would need food, water, pretty much the essentials. Besides if we pack all of those we may not have enough space for magic stones or any extra loot that we could find.¨

¨Well, I'll keep it in mind.¨ Ragnar nodded.

Skadi came walking from the altar room and then to where both the adventurers were. ¨Oh? Ragnar, I thought you left already. Did something happen? ¨

¨Actually, it did, ¨ He explains to the goddess. ¨I got accepted for this expedition but they told me that I needed to bring some supplies myself, so I returned for that.¨

¨I see…¨ Skadi didn't sound too happy about this expedition; ever since the captain brought this idea to the table she was hesitant. While she was slowly accepting him heading to the Dungeon for training since he had Noel, this time he would be alone, or rather with strangers who might venture in more difficult areas of that place.

She trusted Ragnar and believed in him, but that did not stop her fears. And again, it did not help that Noel could not get a spot in this expedition to accompany him.

The captain hung the backpack over his shoulder and was ready to leave the mead hall when he heard Skadi's calling out to him.

¨Mh? ¨ He turned ¨Yes, goddess? ¨

Skadi opened her mouth but closed it and shook her head afterwards. ¨Be careful, yes? ¨

¨As always.¨ The captain smiled and turned again only to leave the mead hall.

With him gone, Skadi sighed and sat on the bench in front of silver haired, he was still working with his books ¨Noel, may I ask you something?¨

¨Oh? Of course, goddess.¨ He put the quill down. ¨What is it? ¨

¨This is…¨ She tried to find the words for it, ¨before anything, I want to make sure that this conversation stays between us. Ok? ¨ Noel silently nodded ¨I am worried about Ragnar, not because he can't be an adventurer or a hero but… ¨

¨You fear that one day he may just walk out of Fimbulvetr only for him to never return? Or worse, you hear some grim news.¨

Skadi agreed to that but knew that it was a delicate topic in itself. ¨Was it similar for you? ¨

¨Somewhat.¨ He responded. ¨When you are young and see your parents going out to be heroes you can't stop but you root for them. Thinking they are unstoppable and they can beat anything in their path. But one day someone will tell you some bad news and you can't understand what they mean, or you even think they are false…¨ His voice trailed off in the end, looking at the writing in the book. ¨What I'm trying to say, goddess, is that I understand your worries and so does the captain. The problem is that I've seen him taking careful steps more than once so he doesn't worry you.¨

Skadi pondered about this, looking down at the table and tapping with her fingernails. ¨Now I'm feeling bad because I feel like I'm limiting him.¨

¨You need to have more confidence in him, goddess.¨ Noel smiled.

¨I suppose I should.¨ The goddess returned the smile. ¨Wow, I did not expect you to be that insightful at your age, Noel.¨

¨Well…¨ He chuckled ¨I suppose every now and then I can spout something like that…¨

…

Ragnar rushed to outside of the tower where the expedition group was meeting. He saw the decently sized group of adventurers and miners that were waiting and one of the people coordinating.

¨Am I… late? ¨ The blond tried to catch his breath as he approached the coordinator.

¨No, you are actually the earliest out of everyone. Now we have to wait for everyone else to arrive.¨ The sarcasm was very noticeable. ¨You're with group D.¨ The coordinator pointed with his thumb at a small group.

Group D was compose of four miners, two adventurers and a support along with Ragnar being the new member of this.

The miners were wearing the same uniform along with a badge that had two pickaxes. Definitely not a Familia but a smaller guild or organization.

The adventurers were bigger than Ragnar, bulkier and had heavy weapons for the job. If anything they looked menacing enough that they could even scare the monsters. At least that was good for us.
The supporter was a Half-Raccoon carrying a massive bag, probably twice her size.

¨Hi, I'm Rag-¨

¨Yeah, you're the kid who's been running late. Get your head in check and listen to the boss' instructions.¨

Everyone turned to the coordinator of the expedition who was sitting on top of a box for everyone to see them.

¨Alright, listen up. For those who have been informed already this will no news but for those who weren't here for the first time or their span of attention is minimal…¨ Even though the message was mostly directed to Ragnar, he noticed that some others were in the same boat as him.

¨Our goal is to get as many minerals from the Dungeon before the day ends. All of you adventurers, mercenaries and people of the trade have the goal to protect these miners. If my people die down there then your payment will be jeopardized; that's why I also divided you in groups to cover more ground and if I notice that a miner is missing then I will deduct it from the group's payment. Is that clear? ¨

There were many voices talking, somewhat agreeing and some others not even paying attention.

¨Needless to say if you die down there you won't get your payment.¨ The coordinator grinned ¨Now go out there and keep my miners alive! ¨

The four groups headed to the tower and then underground. They would be visiting only the first five floors. As they reached the first one they looked for the different forks in the road; each group took a different one.

Ragnar's group found little to no resistance on their path. Some kobolds and goblins that were easily killed by the two giant adventurers; one carried a giant axe while the other had a big hammer and a shield.

¨See? ¨ One of the miners nudged another ¨I told you we would be well protected! ¨

¨Just look at them, they could be monsters themselves! ¨ A third miner laughed.

¨Hey, we might be the best group so far! If we are this well protected we might get more minerals than the rest.¨ The second miner spoke up.

¨Have all three of you considered sewing? I'm asking so you can knit your mouths shut! We're here for a job, not to do social amongst yourselves.¨ The fourth, and likely leader of this group, criticized the chatty miners of his.

Ragnar was partially amazed at the performance of the more silent adventurers and worried about the demeanor of the leader of this group.

¨Hey, ¨ someone approached Ragnar to the side, it was the Half-Raccoon, ¨you look awfully confused.¨

¨Well, yeah, this is my first expedition and I don't know what to expect.¨ The captain smiled at the girl and extended his hand ¨By the way, I'm Ragnar.¨

¨Rati.¨ The girl was young, her olive skin and dark hair were mesmerizing. Unlike the miners or the adventurers she wore a more casual outfit that allowed her to move freely. ¨Don't worry, this is my first expedition alone too. I usually have someone else with me.¨

¨And you're a supporter, right? ¨ He looked at the big backpack that she was carrying. ¨Doesn't that… bother you? ¨

¨Hardly! These type of backpacks are special, they are big but they are lightweight. Even if I carry the supplies and equipment of ten adventurers it will still feel like carrying just a tenth of it! ¨

¨Oh, talk about useful…¨ Ragnar started to recall the conversation he had with Noel earlier. ¨Say, do you belong to a Familia? ¨

¨Mh? Yes! I belong to-¨

¨Hey, you two are going to be chatting all the way? ¨ The `leader´ turned to Ragnar and Rati ¨I don't mind that you people talk, what I do mind is if you are distracted if we are under attack. This expedition was already taxing to set it up, let's not ruin it, alright? ¨

¨I thought the boss said that this wasn't an expedition…¨ Another of the miners spoke up but was slapped in the back of the head by one of their teammates. ¨Ow… but it is true.¨

¨Hey, what did he mean by that? ¨ One of the hulking adventurers joined the conversation.

The leader sighed. ¨Look, what you need to know is that our boss has good ties with the Guild and put a lot of effort in terms of paperwork to make sure this glorified quest can be classified as an expedition, even if it's not as grand as the ones adventurers do.¨ The way he said glorified was like he was spitting venom. ¨So to make it clear. We are in charge of getting the minerals in our way, you protect us from any monsters that could be in said way. By the end of the day we return to the surface, you get paid and we are all happy. Is that clear? ¨

The other giant approached the lead miner ¨I don't like your tone… are you sure you want to give us orders? ¨ The threatening gaze put the other three workers nervous but the lead one was unfazed.

¨You don't like it, you can leave. If you leave you won't get paid. Is that clear? ¨

¨Tsch.¨ The adventurer backed out and returned to the other companion.

¨Anyone else got any troubles speak now be quiet forever.¨ But there was silence in that cave. ¨Good, let's move on.¨

For the next few hours the expedition was all about advancing, waiting at a location while the miners did their work and then continue. They were assaulted by a few monsters from all sides but nothing they couldn't handle, even Rati who was armed with an axe was able to defeat a few.

Their exploration led them to the fifth floor, the last the expedition was going to reach and the furthest Ragnar has explored.

Unlike the first four floors, this one was already different in many regards. The walls took a green tone and the layout of the cave was nowhere similar to the ones above. Some of the monsters they have found were no different from the ones they already faced, if anything they were just slightly more dangerous.

¨Boss, we found something.¨

¨Yeah, I can see it too.¨ The miner called out to the leader.

There were plenty of mineral veins in the walls, ceiling and ground and if the previous moments were any indication, they would spend a lot of time to get all the minerals.

The first watch duty was in charge of Ragnar and the giant with the hammer. They both were covering the two `entrances´ to this makeshift camp while Rati and the other nameless adventurer were resting.

¨All quiet…¨ The blond sighed and sat on a rock. He looked at one of the miners that was nearby. The loud sounds of the picks hitting against the shiny mineral were echoing in the cave ¨Hey, how long do you think we'll be down here? ¨

¨If all goes well…¨ The optimistic miner wiped the sweat off their head. ¨I believe we might be finished in about four hours.¨

¨Four hours?!¨ Ragnar groaned ¨I'll die of boredom rather than monsters! ¨

Or that's what he was believing for a while until he heard something abnormal coming from the cave. The blond immediately stood up and prepared his axe and shield.

¨I'll go check it out.¨

¨Don't go too far! ¨

Even if he heard the advice from the miner, he went deeper into the cave. Worst comes to worst if he would feel overwhelmed by the enemy, provided there was one, he could just run to where everyone was and ask for help. It was not an idea he was happy with but it was one he was going to accept given that he had other adventurers he can rely on.

He ventured deep into the cave to where the sound came from, it could've been other adventurers for all he knew.

But as he approached the area where he thought the strange sound originated he found nothing, no traces of monsters, adventurers or anything.

¨Tsch, this floor is already messing with my mind.¨ He kicked a pebble that was around.

When he was ready to return to the group, he heard another noise coming from there. It was screaming and the sound of fighting. He guessed that this was nothing but a distraction and turned to run.

However, this was not a distraction but a lure. From the ceiling jumped a monster and landed right in front of him, blocking his path towards the camp.

It was an oversized orange ant. It was easy to recognize one but unlike previous encounters with other monsters, this was his first fight where he didn't know much about it.

Surely, it was an ant that was bigger than your average house pet but probably five times as dangerous.

Ragnar did not hesitate and went straight for the swing only for the Killer Ant to jump out of the way and repositioning itself away.

He needed to run to the camp to help his team but he couldn't go until this creature was dealt with.

The captain was going for another attack when he noticed the fast movement of the ant, it was going for him but he immediately used the shield to block the attack. The pincers held to the shield, trying to pull it away from him.

¨Tough enemy… are you? Too bad I can't crush you as easily as your smaller siblings…¨ He joked but the ant was stronger. ¨If you want it…¨ He then moved his left hand, quickly releasing the straps from the shield. ¨…I'll lend it to you! ¨

He released the last strap and the shield was free. The ant took it and toyed with it for a few seconds. Its vision was mostly blocked on the front but saw that the captain approached it from the side.

Ragnar gave a few swings at the ant's shell but the shell was sturdy enough that even if he was able to land four good hits, the ant was still moving and trying to evade him.

To say that this infuriated the blond was an understatement. In a fit of rage, he kicked the ant's underbelly before it jumped away from him and forced it to lose its balance.

The ant fell to the ground with its belly exposed.

A roar of anger echoed in the cave as he rushed at the downed Killer Ant and started to swing his axe at the belly and head when possible.

Swing

Swing

Swing

The hits, three times the ant was wounded and at the fourth hit he was able to find the Magic Stone. It took a few more hits to that weak point before the creature turned to dust and disappeared.

The captain fell and approached the shield, taking quick breathes as he tried to recover from the fight. With this brief victory Ragnar was already feeling optimistic about his future in this new sector. Even though it was just one enemy, unlike his encounter with the goblins this proved to be a better success; he wasn't injured and none of the supplies were used just yet.

He grabbed the shield and tightened the straps then put the crystal in his backpack; after that he stood up and wiped the dirt on his clothes and armor.

¨Right, the camp.¨ He remembered his priority.

The sound of fighting was not heard anymore which could mean either good news or bad news. Though with the other adventurers that were in the camp and how easily they eliminated monsters on their path there was no doubt they would not have problems in this floor.

He started to run back to where everyone was, his weapons still drawn in case of another surprise.

¨Hey! I'm coming back! ¨ He yelled and his voice echoed but there was no response. It made sense, the miners would be dedicated to their trade while the other adventurers were the quiet type.

¨Hey! ¨ He was slowly getting closer to the camp. ¨Sorry I didn't get here fast enough, I found an ant that blocked-…¨

Ragnar couldn't finish his sentence. The screaming and sounds of fighting he heard before came from the camp itself. He was expecting to return to dead monsters, miners still working and people just waiting for them.

Instead, he found himself with a vile scene that made him want to puke.

The miner he spoke to before leaving was almost in the same spot, or rather most of them since the head and an arm were missing. Pools of blood were forming around the body.

Not too far off were the other two chatty miners. Their bodies showed signs of fighting since there were some Magic Stones near the corpses.

Ragnar slowly approached and saw the leader of the miners on the opposite wall. His torso was separated from the legs as another pool of blood was forming underneath. They died with their pickaxe in hand and an expression of surprise.

¨Oh… no…¨ The captain fell to his knees immediately. It was a gruesome scene, one that made him vomit.

Horrible memories were coming back to him; fire, screaming, people dying. A vivid image even after it happened a while ago. There were still voices calling out his name.

He had to run, he had to get out and inform the other groups.

The captain raised his head and saw the gigantic backpack on the ground and the pair of legs to the side. ¨No… Rati…¨ He tried to stand up again quickly only to almost stumble. ¨Rati… Rati we have to get out of here.¨ He wanted to be hopeful that at the very least someone other than him was still alive.

He approached the backpack and rocked it ¨Supporter, can you hear me? ¨ He asked but got no response. His heart was beating quickly.

¨Come on. I'll get that backpack out of the way.¨ He felt guilty. Running away to investigate a sound only to return and find the entire camp wiped.

He ran around to try and shake the Half-Raccoon. But if there was a moment to be afraid it was this one.

She was gone, her arm was mutilated and close to her chest, still holding that axe that she showed him. But that was not the problem, the real issue was that there was a pickaxe lodged in her skull.

Just what kind of monster would do this? Strong and intelligent enough to use the tools of the miners as weapons, was it even a possibility? Were the creatures that lurked in that floor really that terrifying in comparison to what he has fought already?

The four miners and the supporter were dead, the monsters that attacked this camp were also eliminated. He was the only survivor but at what cost?

…

There was something that didn't add up.

The four miners were dead and so was Rati. There were no signs of the other adventurers. While he believed that monsters attacked the camp and that they could be deadly, there was no explanation as to how the girl was attacked by a pickaxe. None of the miners looked hostile or neither close. The chance of one of them throwing said tool and precisely creating that fatal wound were low if not outright impossible.

There was no doubt about it, there was something fishy about this situation and the fact that two people were missing meant that this was far more than just a monster attack. No, maybe this was no accident, maybe it was planned.

Ragnar came to a quick conclusion after that logic.

¨It was a set up…¨ He needed to inform the others, to escape and return to the surface.

He was ready to bolt away from that area but then heard footsteps behind him. Far too many to be one person and not enough to be a big group. It was two pairs, heavy footsteps and the sound of heavy armor accompanied it.

The grip on his axe became tighter, he feared what might happen next.

The blond slowly stood up and in a swift movement he turned around to face the footsteps. Sadly the only thing his eyes were able to see was the blunt side of a big hammer going straight for his face.

Then his entire vision faded to black.

Such an unfortunate event happened to Ragnar but I am sure that it has no correlations to a mysterious individual from a party whatsoever. The question is how is he going to get out? You will know soon enough.

Thanks to everyone who's been following, fav'ing and reviewing the story. I am happy whenever I get a new notification shows up on my email and I'll try to answer to as many reviews over in PMs as I can.

But there is not much to add, I'll try to go back to my games (assuming the game server is not down again) but I'll give this little heads up. This coming weeks I'll be busy so I don't know if I can post a chapter as quick as this one. Rest assured the story will continue eventually but do not be worried if I don't update that fast.

With those words I bid all of you farewell. Have a good week and see you in the next chapter!