Jin looks at Ismerialle as they are guided through the streets. The dark black stone of the roads and buildings sets a black undertone to the city. Many peasants and serfs watch as the slave caravan is escorted to the city center.
Ismerialle didn't admire the city as they move. Her eyes remain straight with an unreadable gaze. But that didn't stop Jin from taking in the sights he should have enjoyed with the company of his party.
The thought casts a grim look over Jin, but Ismerialle speaks up.
"You are an adventurer, no? Can you do combat?" she asks under her breath. Jin looks over at her. For a second, he doubts it was her who had just spoken, but she glances at him for a swift second.
"Yes. I have experience with a sword for the most part. I believe I may be able to cast some magic if it's embedded in a scripture," Jin says quietly while keeping his head straight.
A young boy runs up with a joyous laughter but the sight of the slaves quickly dampens his mood causing him to back away into his mother who shields the boy from the sight. Ismerialle clenches her teeth.
"Would you be willing to help me? I can cast minor spells, but I am mainly a healer." Jin glances over at her again, her face strained and melancholic.
Silence goes on as the group stamps on. Many peasants avert their gaze or back away when the group passes through.
Jin suddenly gets a vision of thing he has no memory of. Flashing before his eyes are images of three little girls playing in the golden fields. Their laughter echoing. His heart beats through his head as a small insect lands and sings a beautiful song to him. And as quickly as the visions come, they end.
"Ay! Stay in line, slave!" A guard shouts out as Jin stumbles out of the group. He whinces in the aching pain radiating through his head. A guard gets close to him.
"I said, get in line, slave! Don't forget your place!" The guard raises his hand, readying to draw his sword.
Ismerialle pulls him back into the group, bucking his head low as they quicken their pace to dissolve into the group.
"What was that? Your name is Jin, right? Are you insane?" she quietly shouts at him.
Jin shakes off the pain, pushing it away.
"I had a vision… of times I don't remember," Jin mutters. Ismerialle looks at him with a bit of disbelief.
Suddenly, the group halts and two large doors open in front of them. The group enters to a open cathedral space. The roofs are taller than multiple stories and the lights all are ornate blue chandeliers. The ground is a brilliant black marble with crystalline strokes of blue running through them.
They have entered the Soul City Adventurer's guildhall. The most grand, lavish, and beautiful place in all of Soul City. And right underneath it is the most dangerous place, the Soul Dungeon.
"All who have adventurer licenses enter here and the rest are to enter here," a receptionist directs. The guards nod and start pushing people through. Out of the entire group of 20-30 people, only Jin, Ismerialle, and two others had adventurers licenses. They enter and another receptionist, a bald man with a burly mustache, greets them.
"If you have your license on hand, please pull it out now. Otherwise, please inform me with your name and city of origin," the man says aloud to the four with a smile.
Ismerialle goes up first, handing him her small metal plated license. Engraved on it was her adventurer information. After her, the other two come up with wooden versions with their own information carved in. Finally, they all look towards Jin. He walks up and digs through his pockets, looking for his license. After no success, he sighs.
"My name is Jin and I am from the city of Kinluse, capital city of the now fallen kingdom, Moilua," the room goes silent with whispers as everyone gossips about the mysterious man.
"The same Moilua that was torn apart by war with the empire?"
"Isn't the capital city the one that got hit the hardest?"
"I heard millions died and it was a gruesome massacre."
The whispers die down as the bald man nods.
"You do have a spot in the magical index. Sorry for your loss, friend," the man says as he hands over a small piece of parchment to him, the same one he handed to the other three.
Jin rejoins the three and the guard guides them further through. Ismerialle glances at Jin who pays her no mind.
"Who are you, Jin? Why are you so far north?" she asks quietly. Jin sighs and glances at her.
"I am an adventurer. Nothing more. I had a party, but they're all gone now, so I'm here on my own. I left Moilua long before it fell to the empire. Anything else?" he says with a glare. Ismerialle ponders for a moment.
"From here, you shall all take a weapon and wait on the other side of the gate for the other group to finish processing," the guard commands. A blacksmith stands at a counter, his skin covered in smog and ash.
"Just give me your paper and I'll get you one of the suited weapons, consider it on the house," the blacksmith says with his hammer raised.
The two others walks up first, receiving their weapons, a bow and a sword. Then Jin approaches, receiving a sword. And finally, Ismerialle comes up to receive nothing.
"What? Why don't I get anything?" she complains.
The blacksmith shrugs and shows her the paper. "You're a sorceress. You would get a staff with a gem, but those are too expensive for slaves, so use your hands," the blacksmith lazily says with a wave of his hand. Ismerialle curses in a language Jin has never heard.
She moves on, walking back towards Jin, who was now inspecting his weapon. The sword was dented and dirtied, it's metal was weak and the hilt was loose. Even Ismerialle could tell it was a terrible weapon.
"Maybe it's better I get nothing, at least I can cast magic without a weapon," she complains with a flick of her red hair. Jin wobbles the sword slightly, fearful of its collapse.
"It can barely remain together, what will it do against the smallest of dungeon creatures?" One of the other two says. A man with amber hair and a bow. The bow's string was loose and the wood of the bow had almost no bend to it.
"Anyone who complains about their free gear can go die in the dungeon for all I care!" the blacksmith shouts out.
The fourth person, a young boy with girlish features, has a small dagger with a dull tip and an uncomfortable wooden handle.
"Now, we just wait until the other group processes and then we enter the dungeon," Ismerialle says with a sigh.
Hours pass as the four of them lounge around, waiting for the other group. The man with the bow had spent his time trying to get the bow'a string wound tight enough to fire. Ismerialle was practicing her magic with swirling motions and closed eyes.
Jin on the other hand, had sat down to breathe when the young boy walked up.
"You're the one from Moilua, correct? Was it dangerous there?" the boy asks.
"No. Not when I was there. I'm sure it is now that the empire has destabilized the country though," Jin says with no hesitation.
"I see… I heard that everyone who is from Moilua is strong. Are you strong, sir?" Jin looks at the boy, seeing the quiver in his posture and the meekness in his grip on the dagger. He notices the other two going still and listening in intently.
"Not in the slightest. I have spent too much of my life slacking off. I had thought I had found peace when in reality, I was just growing weak," Jin says. Through his visions, one thing had become clear to him, he was weak. Too weak to protect Lileen and Marim, too weak to stop the fires of his past. But something remains in his mind. It feels like he had forgotten something important. A core part of him had been lost.
"I… I see…" the boy says sadly. The other two turn away, focusing on their own activities instead.
"But that doesn't mean I have given up. I use the failure as a sign to get stronger. Even if I must fight with every ounce of strength I have. Because I will never be that man again," Jin says. He reaches down and grabs the dagger, holding it so the boy's grip tightens, then he pushes it against his chest.
"Use the failure as a sign?" the boy says quietly.
The two of them continue to talk, growing closer as they wait. The boy is an orphan from the Soul City slums. He had been in hiding for a while until he got good at roguish skills, from then on, he got registered as an adventurer and had only been working for a few months before a soldier kidnapped him and brought him in.
"Flint. That's my name, Jin," the boy says with a smile. Jin nods, committing the name to memory.
"May I join you two? I wish to discuss something," Ismerialle says as she walks up. She looks to the other man, holding the now tightened bow.
"You should join as well." She motions his over. After the four had gathered, Ismerialle starts to discuss a plan she had come up with.
"I believe it would be in our best interest to work together. It would allow more of us to make it through this dungeon and we might even be able to get away with our lives afterwards if we bring enough back," she states while gauging reactions.
Jin remains silent, causing Flint to remain silent as well. The man with the bow named Talrier, nods.
"I agree. Teaming up would be better especially for the four of us with our variety of skills. Me and the sorceress would be in the back while the Moiluan will be in the front with the boy sneaking in attacks," Talrier says. The others look at him in a bit of surprise.
"What? I was an adventurer for years. I know proper combat tactics. Which will also be a good skill for our team to survive. The problem is what about the other group? They're all inexperienced and they will most certainly wish for us to be with them as we are their best chance as survival."
Ismerialle ponders for a moment. "We could always guide them through the dungeon, helping them hunt for treasures," Ismerialle says hopefully.
"No. We can't carry that much baggage and protect it. Plus at certain floors the dungeon will get tremendously harder to progress through. If they scoop up all the loot from earlier floors, we might die trying to fight enemies harder than we can handle," Talrier says with a shake of his head. Ismerialle bites her lip worriedly. Flint speaks up.
"I-I think we should leave them behind. W-We need to worry about ourselves before we worry about others. And after we gather enough to leave alive, we can help anybody who needs it," Flint meekly says, waiting for any disagreement.
"I agree. Our own survival should matter more," Jin says, nodding at Flint who's face washes over with relief.
Talrier nods as well and all eyes turn to Ismerialle who grits her teeth in conflict.
"Would you rather help others and die or live to help another day?" Talrier says, trying to convince her. Ismerialle sighs and lowers her head.
"Fine. We can go with that plan. But we must make sure to help the others after we have had our fill," she demands. The group nods in agreement.
Suddenly, the doors burst open and 20 other odd faces pour into the room with poorly-made weapons and worried faces.
"Good, here we go," Ismerialle says. The two groups reunite and the captain of the guard steps forward.
"From here on out, you are now entering the dungeon. Good luck," he simply says before turning and shutting the heavy doors. The group looks at the open cave.
"I guess we go in there now, right?" One of the girls in the inexperienced group says. They start walking in, the four experienced fighters remaining in the back.