Hannah's cheeks still burned with the embarrassment of the butcher's shop as she trundled back to the inn, Bess ambling beside her with a full sack of butcher's coin clinking at her hip and a half-eaten leg of wolf meat hanging from her mouth.
The morning sun had climbed high now, gilding the stone roofs of Southbrook, and the streets hummed with the usual bustle—adventurers sharpening blades, vendors shouting their wares, kids chasing chickens through the dirt.
She'd half-expected to hole up in her room and hide from the curious stares for the rest of the day, but a familiar voice called out before she could turn down the inn's lane, and she paused, a brow lifting.
"Hannah! Over here!"
Toby was perched on a low stone wall by the guild hall, a wicker basket brimming with green herbs and dried moss slung over one arm, his scuffed sword at his hip and a smudge of dirt on his cheek.
He waved eagerly, scrambling down to meet her, and Hannah noticed his posture was straighter than she'd ever seen it—no more hunched shoulders, no more fumbling hands, just a quiet determination in his eyes that made her tilt her head.
He'd been lingering around the guild and dungeon's first floor for weeks, muttering about "making himself useful" after the goblin cave fiasco, and Hannah hadn't pressed; she knew what it was to claw for purpose after feeling powerless.
"Toby. You're not camped by the guild's herb garden for once," she said, a faint smirk tugging at her lips, and he laughed, scratching the back of his neck.
"Figured I'd stop being dead weight. Collected some firemint and starflower—good for mana potions, or so the guild healers said.
And stonecress, for healing salves. Been practicing on the first floor too—swinging a sword, not just tripping over roots." He jiggled his basket, proud, and Hannah's smirk softened into a small smile.
"About time. My group's at the inn—Mimi's mana core's fully healed, and we're heading for dungeon floor three this afternoon. You in? I'll introduce you."
Toby's eyes lit up, no trace of his usual hesitation.
"Hell yeah. This time, I'm not just here to stand around."
The walk back to the inn was short, filled with Toby's rambling about herb properties and a new sword stance he'd learned from a grizzled D-rank adventurer loitering at the guild, and Hannah let him talk, Ren snickering in her skull about,
"the human finally learning to swing a stick without falling over".
When they pushed open the inn's door, Mimi was already at a corner table, her staff propped against her chair and a pile of mana potions lined up in front of her, Bart polishing his axe with a rough cloth and Mike oiling his bowstring, his gaze sharp and unwavering.
All three looked up as they walked in, their eyes flicking to Toby—stranger, sword at hip, herb basket slung over his back—curious and wary.
Hannah stepped forward first, gesturing to Toby.
"Guys, this is Toby. My friend from spartan city, we came here together, he's been honing his sword skills and foraging herbs on the dungeon's first floor, and he's joining us for floor three.
Toby, Mimi, our mage—she's the one with all the mana and the fireballs. Bart, our tank, hits hard and soaks up damage. Mike, our archer—never misses a shot."
Toby dipped his head in a quick, awkward bow, his cheeks pinkening a little.
"Pleasure to meet you. I'll pull my weight—promise. No more tripping over traps, no more freezing up. I've been practicing."
Mimi's wary gaze softened into a grin, nodding at his herb basket. "Herbs, huh? Perfect—I'm running low on starflower for mana potions. Welcome aboard."
Bart grunted, a short, noncommittal sound that passed for approval in his book, his eyes flicking to Toby's sword before returning to his axe.
Mike gave a single, sharp nod, his gaze assessing but not unkind. "Just stick close. Floor three's got worse than goblins."
Ren snickered in Hannah's skull. Famous last words, human stick-wielder.
Hannah elbowed the empty air beside her, and Toby blinked, confused. She just shook her head, mouthing dragon things.
An hour later, they were standing at the mouth of the dungeon, the stone entrance looming dark and cool against the midday sun.
Mimi's staff glowed with a soft blue Light Weave, casting a faint glow into the tunnels, Bart's axe slung over his shoulder, Mike's bow nocked and ready, Toby's herb basket slung across his back, and Hannah's dagger in her hand, golden mana thrumming softly in her chest.
The first floor was quiet—they'd cleared it enough times in the past few weeks that the goblins and slimes had fled to the deeper levels—and the second floor was a quick, brutal march, their blades and magic cutting through straggler goblins and giant spiders with ease.
Toby held his own, a surprise to everyone but Hannah: his sword swung in a steady, practiced arc, lopping off a spider's leg here, parrying a goblin's knife there, his movements no longer clumsy or hesitant. He'd really tried.
It was at the stairs to floor three that it all went wrong.
The stone steps were worn smooth, carved with faint, glowing runes that Mimi squinted at, muttering about warding magic and trap triggers.
Toby, eager to prove himself to the group that was still learning to trust him, stepped forward first, his boot landing on a narrow stone tile at the bottom of the stairs—and the ground shook.
A sharp click echoed through the tunnel, the tile sinking into the stone, and a section of the stairs collapsed inward in a shower of rock and dust.
Toby yelped, his arms flailing, and he crashed into Hannah, sending both of them tumbling into the dark chasm below, the wind whistling in their ears and Ren's roar of outrage ringing in Hannah's skull.
STUPID HUMAN! YOU TRIGGERED A TRAP! I TOLD YOU HE WAS USELESS—
"Shut up, Ren!" Hannah yelled, slamming into a soft patch of moss and rolling, her dagger skittering across the stone.
Toby landed beside her with a grunt, his basket flying open and herbs spilling everywhere, and they both lay there for a moment, breathless, staring up at the gaping hole in the stairs where Mike, Bart, and Mimi stared down, their faces white with panic.
"Hannah! Toby! Are you okay?!" Mimi shouted, her Light Weave flickering down to them, casting a glow over the small, stone chamber they'd fallen into.
"We're fine!" Hannah called back, pushing herself up and brushing dust off her tunic.
"Just a little banged up! Go around—there's a tunnel to the right, should lead to the main floor three chamber! We'll catch up!"
Bart's voice boomed down, rough with concern.
"Don't do anything stupid! We'll meet you at the boss room!"
The glow of Mimi's Light Weave faded, the sound of their footsteps receding, leaving Hannah and Toby alone in the dark, with only the faint glow of Hannah's golden mana to light the way.
Toby hung his head, his shoulders slumping, and he kicked a loose stone, his voice miserable. "I'm so sorry. I said I wouldn't mess up, and I did it the second we stepped foot on the stairs. They're never gonna trust me now."
Hannah sighed, but she clapped him on the shoulder, not unkindly. "It's fine. Traps in this dungeon are sneaky—even Mike's stepped on a few. C'mon—let's find that tunnel. And grab your herbs. Mimi'll kill you if you lose her starflower."
Toby perked up a little, scrambling to collect his herbs and stuff them back into his basket, and they set off down the narrow tunnel, Hannah's golden mana glowing in her palm and Toby's sword held out in front of him, his eyes sharp for danger.
Ren's grumbling had faded to a low mutter in Hannah's skull, his voice bored. This place is pathetic.
No real monsters, just weaklings. I'm not even gonna bother helping—you two can handle it.
He spoke too soon.
A pack of six black-skinned goblin brutes rounded the corner ahead, their eyes glowing red, their clubs and rusted swords raised, and they let out a high, cruel cackle at the sight of two adventurers alone in the tunnel.
Toby tensed, his grip on his sword tightening, and Hannah nodded at him—your turn.
Toby didn't hesitate.
He charged forward, his sword swinging in a tight, fast arc that caught the first goblin in the throat, the blade sinking deep and sending the creature crumpling to the stone.
The second goblin lunged at him with a club, but Toby ducked, spinning and slashing the goblin's knee, bone cracking under his blade, and the goblin howled, falling to the ground.
He parried a third goblin's sword with a sharp clang, his arm steady, and pushed the creature back, slamming his boot into its chest and driving his sword into its heart as it fell.
Hannah stood back, her dagger in hand but not moving, a small smile on her face as she watched him.
He'd shed the nervous kid from the guild hall, become a fighter—one who'd refused to stay useless.
She stepped in only when two goblins ganged up on him, a golden Spark of Light shooting from her palm and blinding one, the other falling to Toby's sword before it could react.
The last goblin tried to run, but Toby threw his dagger (a small, cheap thing he'd strapped to his belt) and hit it in the back, the creature collapsing to the stone, dead.
Silence fell, broken only by their ragged breathing and the faint drip of water from the tunnel ceiling. Toby stared at his sword, the blade slick with goblin blood, and he blinked, like he couldn't believe what he'd just done.
"I… I killed them. All of them. By myself—mostly." He looked at Hannah, his eyes wide with wonder, and she grinned, clapping him on the back.
"Told you you weren't useless. Nice work."
Ren's voice was bored in her skull, unimpressed. Took him long enough. Weak goblins, though—hardly a challenge. I could've incinerated them in two seconds.
"Nobody asked you, Ren," Hannah thought, and he huffed, falling silent, his presence a warm thrum in her skull—a dragon's version of a pout.
They continued down the tunnel, Toby walking a little taller now, his sword at the ready, and ten minutes later, they rounded a corner and found a small, hidden chamber set into the stone wall, its entrance hidden by a tattered curtain of spider silk.
Hannah sliced through the silk with her dagger, and her golden mana flared brighter, lighting the chamber—and the large, smooth egg sitting in the center of a stone pedestal, the size of an ostrich egg, its shell a deep, iridescent black streaked with faint gold runes.
Toby's eyes lit up, and he stepped forward, reaching out to touch the egg. "Whoa—what is this? A dragon egg? A monster egg? It's huge!"
"Don't touch it—" Hannah started, but it was too late.
.
.
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To be continue...