Before Aeliana could respond to Rhys's remark, another sound echoed through the tunnel—a soft shuffle of boots against the damp stone, the faint clink of armor shifting. She stiffened, hand tightening on the hilt of her dulled sword as she exchanged a sharp glance with Kael.
"More company," Kael muttered, shifting his stance.
Rhys rely chuckled under his breath, his silver eyes flickering toward the tunnel entrance with mild curiosity rather than alarm. "Popular spot tonight," he mused.
Garrik groaned. "If it's another monster, I swear I'm going to start throwing rocks."
Then, from the darkness, a deep, commanding voice rang out.
"Hold your weapons—I co in peace."
A figure erged from the shadows, stepping into the dim light. He was a tall man, broad-shouldered, clad in a sleek yet battle-worn set of steel armor, the engraved crest on his breastplate barely visible beneath a thin layer of dirt and blood. A long sword hung at his hip, the poml adorned with a sigil Aeliana didn't imdiately recognize. His dark brown hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, and his deep green eyes studied them with a calculating, yet not unfriendly, gaze.
Behind him, three others followed—two n and one woman. They were ard, though they didn't imdiately look hostile. One of the n carried a massive claymore on his back, his muscular fra making it look almost weightless. The other, leaner, held two short swords at his sides, his sharp eyes darting between Aeliana's group as if sizing them up. The woman had a bow slung over her shoulder, a quiver full of arrows resting at her hip.
The leader offered a small, polite nod. "I am Dorian Vael, leader of the Ironveil Company," he introduced himself, his voice calm yet firm. "And these are my companions—Markus, Lirian, and Sylva."
Aeliana studied them warily, not yet lowering her guard. "Ironveil Company?" she repeated. "Never heard of you."
Dorian smirked slightly. "That's not surprising. We prefer to operate outside the usual circles." His gaze flickered to their battered weapons, then to Rhys, who was leaning casually against the wall, watching the interaction with clear amusent. "Judging by the state of your blades, I'd wager you've had a rough ti in this dungeon."
Garrik huffed. "You could say that."
Kael was still watching Dorian carefully. "And what brings you here?"
Dorian's expression didn't waver. "The sa thing that brings most people to a place like this—opportunity. We've been tracking an artifact said to be buried deep within these ruins. But," he exhaled, glancing down at the faint bloodstains on his armor, "it seems we're not the only ones facing setbacks."
Sylva, the archer, spoke up for the first ti. "Monsters here are more aggressive than usual. We've encountered creatures that shouldn't be in a place like this."
Aeliana frowned. "Sa here. We ran into a wargolem earlier."
Markus, the claymore-wielding warrior, cursed under his breath. "Damn thing nearly took Lirian's arm off last ti we saw one."
Lirian, the rogue-looking swordsman, smirked. "And yet, here I am. Fully intact."
Kael remained wary. "If you've had your own problems, why approach us?"
Dorian t his gaze evenly. "Because I recognize a team in need of allies when I see one."
Aeliana narrowed her eyes. "And you expect us to just trust you?"
Dorian chuckled. "No. But consider this—our blades are sharp, our armor intact. You need better equipnt, and we could use more hands in clearing this dungeon. A temporary alliance benefits us both."
Rhys finally spoke, his voice carrying a note of amusent. "First , and now them? Aeliana, you're attracting quite the crowd tonight."
Aeliana shot him a glare before turning back to Dorian. He wasn't wrong—her team was at a disadvantage, and the Ironveil Company, despite being strangers, had a clear advantage in terms of equipnt. But trusting them outright was a risk.
She glanced at Kael. His expression was unreadable, but she knew him well enough to see that he was weighing the sa considerations.
Garrik, on the other hand, simply shrugged. "I say we take the help. Better than getting torn apart in the next fight."
Sylva smirked. "Glad at least one of you is reasonable."
Aeliana sighed, rubbing her temple. "Fine. A temporary alliance."
Dorian inclined his head. "A wise choice."
As they regrouped and pressed forward into the dungeon, Aeliana couldn't shake the feeling that things had just beco even more complicated. And sothing about Dorian—about his presence, his confidence—unsettled her.
For better or worse, their path had changed. Now, they just had to see where it led.
Aeliana barely had ti to process Dorian's words when Kael suddenly tensed beside her. His sharp gaze flickered toward the darkness beyond the tunnel, his grip instinctively tightening around the hilt of his battered sword.
"There's more," Kael muttered, eyes narrowing.
Aeliana stiffened, her battle-worn instincts kicking in. More people? It was already strange enough to run into Dorian and his group down here—now there were even more of them?
Dorian, however, remained completely unfazed. If anything, he seed mildly amused by their tension. He turned his head slightly, as if already expecting what was coming. "Yes," he said with a smirk. "Wait here. They're arriving now."
Aeliana barely had ti to react before a series of heavy footsteps echoed through the tunnel. They were fast—too fast to be moving cautiously. Within seconds, another group erged from the shadows.
The first to step into the light was a woman clad in dark, reinforced leather armor, two curved blades strapped to her back. She had piercing amber eyes, frad by wild black curls, and her expression was sharp with curiosity and amusent. Behind her, a tall man in heavy plate armor strode forward, a massive warhamr resting against his shoulder. His build was nearly as massive as Garrik's, his arms thick with muscle, but his expression was relaxed, even friendly.
Trailing just behind them was another figure, cloaked in deep green. A mage, judging by the faint blue glow around their fingers. The hood of the cloak obscured most of their face, but Aeliana caught a glimpse of sharp, calculating eyes beneath the shadowed fabric.
Dorian extended a hand toward them with a casual gesture. "et the rest of the Ironveil Company. This is Selene, our scout and blade specialist. That's Boren, our frontline bruiser. And the one hiding behind a hood is Elias, our spellcaster."
Selene smirked, folding her arms. "You forgot most talented scout and blade specialist."
Boren let out a deep laugh. "And the most reckless."
Elias simply sighed. "And here I thought we were eting potential allies, not bickering like children."
Kael remained tense, his posture defensive. "That's a lot of people to run into down here."
Dorian nodded. "It is. But considering the circumstances, I'd say it's fortunate."
Aeliana wasn't so sure. She glanced at Rhys, who had remained unusually quiet during the exchange. He was watching the newcors with a knowing look, as if already piecing together sothing the rest of them hadn't figured out yet.
She turned back to Dorian, her voice steady but firm. "You still haven't told us why you're here. You said you were looking for an artifact, but that could an anything."
Dorian t her gaze, his green eyes unreadable. "And you haven't told us why you're here."
Aeliana narrowed her eyes. "We were on a mission. But that's none of your concern."
Selene whistled. "Tense group, huh? And here we were, thinking we'd t so fellow adventurers with a sense of humor."
Garrik scoffed. "Yeah, well, getting scamd out of good weapons and nearly getting mauled to death puts a damper on the mood."
Boren arched a thick brow. "Scamd?"
Kael's scowl deepened. "We bought weapons from a blacksmith we trusted. Turns out they were barely worth the tal they were made of."
Selene chuckled. "Sounds like you got played."
Aeliana exhaled sharply, trying to contain her frustration. "We know that."
Dorian tilted his head slightly. "If you're looking for that blacksmith, you won't find him in town anymore."
That caught Aeliana's attention. "What?"
Elias, the mage, spoke for the first ti, his voice smooth and asured. "He vanished. Word in the underworld is that he moved his operations elsewhere. Likely underground, considering how many people he's cheated."
Rhys finally spoke up, his voice light but laced with intrigue. "Interesting. And how exactly would you know that?"
Dorian smirked. "Because we were tracking him too."
A heavy silence settled over the group. Aeliana's mind raced, pieces falling into place faster than she liked.
"So that's what this is," she murmured. "You weren't just here for an artifact. You were looking for him."
Dorian nodded. "We have unfinished business with him. He's not just scamming adventurers. He's supplying weapons to dangerous people."
Kael's grip on his sword tightened. "aning?"
Elias sighed. "aning that if you were planning on confronting him, you're already in deeper trouble than you realize."
Aeliana clenched her jaw. This mission was already complicated, but now it was spiraling into sothing bigger than she had anticipated.
Dorian studied them for a long mont before speaking again. "So, what's it going to be? Are we working together, or are we going to pretend we're not after the sa target?"
Aeliana exhaled slowly. Trusting them was a gamble. But at this point, they didn't have much choice.
She t Dorian's gaze and nodded.
"Fine. But if you try anything, we won't hesitate to cut you down."
Selene grinned. "Now that I like."
Dorian smirked. "Then let's get to work."
With that, the uneasy alliance was ford. But Aeliana knew one thing for certain—this was only the beginning.
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