They had been walking through the cave for roughly five minutes before they came across the portal. Unlike the violet portals leading into dungeons, this one was a scarlet swirl that reached floor to ceiling to completely block the rest of the cavern from being explored. Glowing runes continuously etched themselves around its edges that quickly faded in and out of visibility. Their group came to a halt directly in front of it, which allowed Eijun to hear the distinct, low hum that portals tended to let off.
"This is our last chance to make sure we have everything." Yuuki called out, voice bouncing along the cramped walls of rock surrounding them, "Once we enter, we're not leaving until the final Boss is defeated." When no one made a move to respond, Yuuki took the silence in the positive as he stepped into the portal, the rest of them followed closely after.
Excitement bubbled up inside Eijun's chest as he practically sprinted through the portal with a sudden burst of energy. Despite the multiple dungeons he had run in the past, he knew those would not compare in the slightest to the intensity of a full raid. Eijun had asked his senior guildmates what raids were like, and all of them expressed how harsh they were. They also told him horror stories some of them have had; for example, Chris. Apparently, he had been the main tank before Miyuki, but due to a severe injury and an almost failed run, Chris had to step down. Miyuki had stressed that they all almost died that day, that it was thanks to Chris that they were even able to walk away. After Chris had recovered, he took to assisting guild members in training as well as gathering information on upcoming raids.
A familiar sinking feeling began to build low in his gut, a regular occurrence for him when portals tugged his body from one end to the other. Eijun saw red, quite literally, as his vision was completely engulfed by the crimson light emitted from the entryway; blinding him even as he felt himself step out onto solid ground. He blinked the red hue from his eyes as he fully exited the gateway to reveal the entrance of the raid. Eijun doesn't know what he was expecting it to look like, probably something more dark and sinister with minimal lighting. Maybe even with some skulls and bones decorating the floor from past failed raiders.
He was not expecting it to be so brightly lit, though, in retrospect, he shouldn't have been surprised given the labyrinth's name and location. The ceiling had to be almost forty meters tall with stone columns stretching up from all four corners of the room to support the structure overhead. The two side walls cut off halfway up, leaving large gaps that let in natural lighting as well as a strong, chilly gust that whistled through the enclosed space. From his angle, Eijun could see the blue of the sky and the pure whites of clouds drifting by just on the opposite side of the walls. Vines and moss somehow grew up around the columns and clung along the ceiling to give the room a bit of life in its otherwise drab stone-gray state. Directly across from the portal, stood a large, stonework door that stood from floor to ceiling bordered by two more pillars. At the moment, it appeared to be immovably shut.
As the rest of the group filtered through the portal, they all took the chance to gaze around their new surroundings in wonderment and caution. Eijun found his hand hovering over his spirit orb in preparation of activating it at a moment's notice. Such as a surprise attack from the shadows, or some beast that may fly through the openings in the walls to ambush them. Eijun didn't want to be the first one to be struck down, he needed to prove himself if he wanted his name in the Guild Master's Hall of Fame. Very few were allowed to inscribe their names on the granite wall, and only those that had achieved great feats were granted ceremonies in commemoration. As far as Eijun was aware, there haven't been any summoners thus far that have made it onto the list. He wanted to be the first.
"There should be four levers to open the door," Kominato observed, his voice barely heard over the near-constant wind. He stood several feet in front of the door as he gazed up at its impressive stature. Their intel had informed them that there were levers amidst the room that would allow them to enter further into the labyrinth. "They should be on the columns." Kominato restated from the previous night; though Shirasu was already moving to the nearest one to inspect. Eijun glanced around to find that Yuuki, Tanba, and Kawakami were examining the remaining three pillars. And if Eijun remembered correctly, as he had been too wound tight with anticipation during the meeting to fully process the abundance of information, the levers had to be pulled at the same time in order for the door to open. And that if they failed, they would have to wait twenty-four hours for it to reset before they could attempt it again.
It didn't take long for them to locate the levers hidden amongst the vegetation surrounding the base of the columns, each calling out that they had found theirs. The rest of the group had gathered in the center of the room with Miyuki standing between them and the door with a hand on the hilt of his greatsword. Yuuki had counted down from three, and on "go", the levers were pulled with loud, rusted clanks as the gears were forced into the movement after so long of disuse; only for nothing to happen.
"What the hell?!" Azuma loudly bellowed. He easily drowned out the confused mumblings of the rest of the group.
"Did someone pull it late?" Isashiki wondered aloud; not in an accusation tone but simply confused that it didn't appear to work. His question was met with groans of chagrin and puzzlement.
"It sounded like they were all pulled at the same time, though." Kominato sounded bewildered, "Maybe our intel was wrong?" He questioned, hand resting on his chin as he pondered over the possibility. But before anyone else could utter their own theories or concerns, they were all shushed by Miyuki who abruptly became tense, hand gripping his hilt in a tighter grasp. Immediately, they all responded to his reaction as the unease quickly rolled over the group, causing the anxiousness to be contagious. Not soon after, the entire room began to shudder and shake as the door slowly slid sideways into the connecting wall in a shower of loose debris. Eijun couldn't help the instant thought that the floor was about to give out beneath their feet and drop them helplessly into the sky below. Thankfully, the ground stayed firm despite the quaking. The sound of rock grinding against rock was grating on Eijun's ears, but he didn't dare move his hand away from his spirit orb. It appeared the rest of the group felt the same as several had their weapons already drawn in anticipation. With a loud bang, the door came to a halt to reveal the dimly lit passageway beyond it. As one, they all relaxed some at the supposedly empty area ahead of them.
The only credible information they had was of the entrance, as anything beyond the first door could vary from one raid group to another. Anyone who strived to defeat the Tengoku's Labyrinth could experience different puzzles and rooms compared to other attempts. So if Seido failed their first try and were forced to retreat, then the next time they ran through, it could give them a completely diverse path. It was even predicted that some really lucky, or unlucky depending on how one looked at it, ventures could open up to the last Boss room with the first door. Deep down, Eijun was glad they didn't have to jump straight into a Boss fight. He was too wound-tight with a nervous buzz thrumming through his body. Eijun was afraid that his tenseness would cause him to goof up, and the calmer walk through the rest of the labyrinth may help him loosen up.
Eijun wasn't sure why he was this tense; normally he would charge headfirst into new dungeons with Wakana yelling at him to be more cautious. Maybe it was the fact that this was his first raid amongst a group of highly trained professionals. Maybe it was because he was technically under-geared which gave him a lower chance of survival. Or maybe it was his own needless stress in feeling the need to impress, to prove himself worthy of being chosen to participate with the aforementioned highly trained professionals. But perhaps it was a combination of all of the above. Then again, the very atmosphere felt exceedingly more menacing as opposed to the dungeons he had been through. They were only in the entrance hall, and it already made those dungeons feel like child's play.
"That was anticlimactic." Miyuki deadpanned as he released the hold on his sword, letting his arm relax against his side. Without further instruction, Miyuki continued forth to lead the rest of the group further into the labyrinth. Eijun was slightly mystified that Miyuki could so easily be the first to waltz into the unknown. Though, he supposes that was the role of a tank. As the one with the highest defense and thus the highest chance of survival, it only made sense that Miyuki would wander slightly ahead; to pull aggro of any mobs they may come across, and to keep the rest of the raid out of the line of sight from those monsters.
Eijun took a moment to reflect on how difficult he had made Wakana's job when he dashed ahead to leave the rest of the party to trail after him. Once they're out, he'll have to remember to send her an apology letter, as well as exclaim in excitement over his very first raid.
"Is it always like this?" Eijun asked, though directed to no one in particular. As they all entered the rather long, zigzagging hallway, lined with columns every ten feet, Eijun couldn't help but wonder what else he should expect from their arranged routine. Eijun and Furuya hadn't been taught their tactics, either because their seniors forgot, or they were expected to pick up on all the nuances as they went.
"Like what?" Kuramochi probed before following Eijun's gaze to Miyuki several feet ahead of them. "Ah. Yeah. It's a pretty common strategy." he continued, "Though it also has the added benefit of something offing him." Kuramochi snarked with a wide, toothy grin on his face. His smile was infectious, and Eijun didn't bother resisting the want to play along.
"True, it would do us all a favor." Eijun jested back with his lips formed into a smirk.
"I can hear you, y'know." Miyuki called back in exasperation. His voice reverberated off the walls with a slight echo that had Eijun and Kuramochi both burst into a giggling fit. The chance to laugh at the expense of Miyuki sure did assist in lifting the weight off Eijun's shoulders. Who knew that was all it would take?
"Don't listen to him," Isashiki said as he sidled up onto the opposite side of Eijun, coming to Miyuki's defense. "Miyuki is a damn good tank. Exceptional." Isashiki paused to release a sigh filled with pent-up displeasure, "It's when he switches to offense that really gives us problems." he rubbed his temples as if just the thought was enough to give him a headache.
"Why?" Eijun asked in reflex, genuinely curious.
Isashiki leaned closer to whisper loudly, "Well, not a lot of people know this, but Miyuki's own attacks hurt him."
"You're just mad that I can out-damage you during the short bursts." Miyuki rebutted. Isashiki merely shrugged in a manner that screamed that they've gone back and forth on this topic multiple times.
"It's not that Miyuki is just that reckless," Tanba intervened, "That's just how all warden offense works. They sacrifice their own health to deal some serious damage. Not a lot of people know this about wardens because most stick with the defense to avoid the risk to themselves." Tanba paused long enough that Eijun was beginning to assume he was finished, but he abruptly continued, "Those that do try to stick with offense tend to get themselves killed faster. And because of that, it is a rarely pursued class." Eijun let that information sink in. It was safe to say, he did not know a lot about classes other than his own, he never thought he had a need to learn about others, but now he was starting to second guess himself. It'll probably be beneficial to find out what other classes were capable of.
Eijun was a little surprised that Miyuki didn't have any comments on Tanba's explanation. Eijun was just starting to mull over a response to goad Miyuki into a reaction, but when he finally focused his eyes straight ahead once more, he quickly found out why Miyuki had remained silent. After the last turn, they had come across the end of the passageway and Miyuki stood just inside the threshold before the new room that expanded ahead. The rest of the group drew close until they could all inspect the contents of the new area before they officially stepped foot inside. It was the same as the entrance, but larger. The main difference, however, was the multiple levers that lined the floor along the walls with the only gaps in between being the entrance and exit of the room. If Eijun had to hazard a guess, he would say there were at least fifty levers in total.
"This looks fun," Kuramochi mumbled sarcastically.
"Everyone, get your weapons ready," Yuuki commanded. The hall was filled with the sounds of leather straps and metal lightly scraping metal as they all armed themselves in preparation for whatever this new area may have in store. With practiced ease, Eijun upholstered his spirit orb from its leather constraints to allow it to hover freely by his head. Gazing at all the awesome, shiny weapons everyone else had greatly made Eijun feel inferior to his own. If he was lucky, maybe the final Boss will drop a legendary spirit orb.
Miyuki marched confidently into the room, while they all watched with bated breath for anything that may jump out and attack him. Fortunately, he safely reached the center of the room without incident, which allowed the rest to enter with peace of mind that they will not be ambushed out of thin air.
"One of these probably opens the door," Shirasu observed.
"What happens if we pull the wrong one?" Azuma asked with his giant ax rested over his shoulder. No one had an answer for that as they all split off to examine the levers in hopes of one of them being slightly different in a way that would tell them that it was the correct one. Eijun was closely inspecting the old, rusted gears on one when the distinct crank of a lever being forcibly pulled resonated throughout the room. Eijun had enough time to spin around to try and locate who, when the ground suddenly, and unexpectedly pulsed slightly upward. It was so quick and abrupt that it forced Eijun's knees to buckle and send him careening backward as he pinwheeled his arms in search of something to grab hold of. Eijun's back collided with the stone floor and very nearly knocked the wind out of him in the process. He didn't have a chance to be embarrassed as he watched the others fall similarly out of the corners of his eyes.
The room was silent for all of two seconds before the voices of Kuramochi and Isashiki growled out in unison, " Miyuki! " And Miyuki's only response to that was to cackle from his sprawled out position on the ground.
