Lili walked a few steps behind the group, her big backpack heavy with magic stones and kobold nails. Her eyes scanned the ground out of habit, but her thoughts stayed on the boy ahead, Virgil Varis.
Just weeks ago, he was nothing. A quiet kif sitting in the corners of the warehouse, too weak to move and too tired to beg. She remembered passing by him without a second glance, just another starving kid waiting to disappear like the rest.
But now, he walked differently. Every step was measured and steady, almost careful. His eyes were alive, always sharp and watching. In his first time in the Dungeon, he already killed a kobold as if he killed it before.
He wasn't the same kid she remembered.
Lili bent down to pick up another stone, but her hand trembled slightly. He's not like before. She thought. He's doesn't think and speak like a kid anymore. What the hell happened to him?
A chill ran through her. Virgil wasn't strong yet, but he carried potential that would surely take him to be a first-class adventurer.
"Sixth Floor," Chandra announced, pausing at a wide corridor entrance. "Stay sharp. The corridors are opening up here."
They had descended quickly, collecting only small amounts of drops. The veterans, still sulking from the sloppy fight above, were slow to move. Joris and Riya are both checking their equipment.
"Hold the line!" Chandra suddenly barked, his voice sharp and loud, cutting through the relaxed atmosphere. He wasn't yelling with panic, but with absolute certainty. "Four Frog Shooters ahead, ten meters!"
His unexpected command instantly drew hostile glares, but Chandra immediately dropped into a guard stance, his heavy mace raised.
Ahead, where the tunnel opened up, four Frog Shooters crawled out from the stone walls. They were short and slimy, their skin glistening under the dim light. Each had one big eye that scanned the party. Their wide mouth ready to react to whatever moves their targets make.
"Four?" Joris shouted, his voice echoing off the tunnel. Shock quickly replaced his annoyance. "How are we this unlucky? First a pack of Kobolds, now these damn frogs?" He spat on the ground. "At this rate, the Dungeon's trying to bury us before we even hit the tenth floor."
The first Frog Shooter shot out its tongue.
Whip.
A long, heavy tongue cracked through the air and slammed into the stone where Joris had been standing a moment before.
"Joris, move left!" Chandra barked.
Joris dove aside just as a tongue snapped past him. Another shot out towards Chandra, but he twisted his body, the wet strike missing his shoulder by inches. He kept moving, low and fast, his mace gripped tight. The Frog Shooters turned toward him, their eyes tracking the noise.
Snap. Snap.
Two more tongues lashed out, striking Chandra's mace. The impact was heavy, but the hits didn't stop his forward momentum.
Virgil didn't rush in with the others. While the veterans shouted and stumbled for cover, he moved quietly to the side, slipping into the narrow space between the monsters' line of sight. Their single eyes darted past him, unable to track him. He stayed calm and waited for the right moment.
Virgil spoke quietly, just loud enough for Chandra to hear. "Third from the left."
Chandra caught the words and reacted without a second thought. He didn't speak—just shifted his stance, letting the monsters focus on him.
Instead of swinging wide, Chandra aimed straight for the monster's eye. His mace crashed into it with a wet crunch.
Smash.
The Frog Shooter twitched violently, trying to recoil, but Chandra didn't stop. He swung again, then once more, each blow heavier than the last, until the creature burst into black smoke and vanished, leaving only its magic stone behind.
"Riya! From the left! And Virgil, attack!" Chandra roared
Riya, trusting the command despite her hatred, fired.
Shot.
The arrow slammed directly into the massive eye of the second Frog Shooter. It convulsed and vanished.
Virgil, finally getting his cue after a long wait, charged the first Frog Shooter which was distracted by Chandra.
Pierce.
The spear met the eye of the monster. It dissolved in black smoke, dropping its stone.
The remaining one, the fourth, focused its attack on the target that's in front of it. Which was Chandra himself.
Whip!
Chandra grunted, taking a hit on his knee, the force almost buckling him, but he was close enough. He swung his mace wide, smashing the fourth Frog Shooter. It evaporated.
Then the last Frog Shooter remained, frantically coiling its tongue back for another strike. Virgil saw the exact moment the monster turned its attention away from Chandra and aimed its single eye at the stationary, panicking Lili.
"Lili, run right! Now!" Virgil shouted, overriding all command structure for a simple defensive maneuver.
Lili didn't question the command; she dove behind a large rock.
The Frog Shooter got angrier as it was denied its victim, shot out its tongue towards Virgil.
Snap.
But Virgil had already predicted that. He jumped high and dodged its tongue. Virgil then threw his spear midair towards the monster.
Throw.
The spear hit the Frog Shooter in its belly which made it thrash wildly. The second that Virgil landed he ran straight to the monster and yanked his spear from its belly.
The Frog Shooter shrieked with pain and was about to use its tongue again. But Virgil didn't hesitate to pierce through its eye. The monster turned into black smoke.
The fighting was done. The magic stones lay scattered across the floor. Lili quickly began collecting the loot.
Joris looked at Virgil, still catching his breath. His expression was hard to read, but there was a look of respect, which then was quickly hidden. "Not bad for a kid," he muttered before turning away.
Virgil didn't respond. He walked over to where Chandra was leaning on his mace and catching his breath.
"The best course of action would be to rest for a bit" Virgil said quietly to Chandra.
Chandra met his eyes and gave a small nod. For the first time, the veterans had nothing to say. Virgil Varis had earned his place in the line.