They stood very still as they felt the aura of the monster. It was on the same rank as them but its aura was deeper. It was powerful. It must be at the peak of their Initiate rank.

The monster growled, and they turned to see it.

It was a black beast that came up to Azaroth’s knees. It was covered in tough hides, and its claws held the ground firmly. It crouched in front of them, body low to the ground.

It must have come this close to them as they were busy admonishing Alex. But still, it was fast. To have gotten this close without them knowing.

"Not good," Alex said.

The monster tensed and leaped, swiping down, but they already scattered. Its claws met the ground and tore it up as if it were papers. The monster turned, body twisted, and studied them as they surrounded it with their weapons.

"I don’t want those claws near me," Stallus said firmly.

"No one wants Duskstalker’s claws near them. They are weak and reliable, they are good at surviving ambushes. But their claws can tear through metal," Alex said.

The monster growled as if insulted, but it must now be confused on who to attack as they surrounded it. The monster turned, and as if it sensed weakness, it leaped at Stallus.

Big mistake. Stallus crouched, dodged, and stood up as the creature passed above her. Her sword flashed up in a move that should have opened it from belly to neck, but the monster’s entire body was covered in thick skin. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The creature growled. Now that it was not in the middle again, its hackles raised, and it let loose a low rumbling sound.

"What’s that?" Alex asked. "Why is it making that sound?"

Catena frowned. "Probably calling more of its kind."

This is bad, Azaroth thought. They don’t even know their current location. They have to know where they are before they can engage a swarm of monsters.

The creature raised its mouth to make more of the sounds again, but Azaroth didn’t let it. He covered his legs in essence so thickly he left red footprints on the floor as he covered the distance between them in a blink.

The monster reacted fast. But Azaroth was faster, and his sword came down faster than the creature’s claws. Blood flew, and the monster’s head hit the floor with a thud.

Azaroth stood and absorbed his unused essence. Then he wiped the creature’s blood on its body. The essence from the monster rose and settled on him.

Then he made a light skill, and a small red glow appeared beside him, driving away the darkness enough for them to see. They were in a small chamber; the floor was made of smooth grey stone. Different doorways lined the room.

"Where are we?" Catena asked.

"A crypt," Alex rolled his eyes. "Where else? But this one seems to be different. I can’t see any portal, and why are there different doorways?"

Stallus made a light of her own and then made an inspection of the room, but there was nothing else to be seen in the room. Azaroth thought that the different rooms must lead to the rest of the crypt, so he began going to the nearest one.

"Where are you going?" Alex asked.

"What’s that to you?" Azaroth asked.

"Everything. We are here together. You can’t just leave us and wander around where you might get killed."

Azaroth raised his brows. "You? Your noisy yapping will only draw all the monsters to me. Stay here and find your way yourself."

"Wait, Azaroth!" Stallus shouted and grimaced. "Don’t you want us to work together? We can do so much if we stay together!"

What Kael said about them going through the training as a team came to him, but Azaroth pushed it out of his mind without any problems.

He turned his back on them. "You will only drag me down," he said and started walking away. But then he stopped cold as the loud growling and snarling reached them.

The monster successfully called its fellows before it died, Azaroth thought. He calculated his odds. He could wait here and face them or go into one of these doorways.

He weighed it well. He didn’t know the numbers of monsters coming, and he didn’t know what he would find on the other side of the door either.

Catena interrupted his thoughts when he said, "I’ll follow you."

Azaroth narrowed his eyes and said flatly, "No. Stay with the others. There’s no reason to follow me."

The monsters’ sound was getting closer, and tension filled them. They readied their weapons. Catena shrugged as he unwound his chains. "You are the leader. You can’t just abandon us."

Just watch me, Azaroth thought. He should have known that the leader stuff would lead to more troubles than gain. With his mind made up, he ignored them and entered the doorway.

It led to a long tunnel. Azaroth couldn’t see the end, but he knew it must be there, so with his light beside him, he started walking. He heard the monsters even closer, as if they were already in the chamber.

"Let’s follow him," Stallus said, and they hurried after him. Their light bubbled beside them as they moved. "What’s this place?"

"How long is the tunnel?"

"Do you think we will still see Kael again? Have the training begun?"

"Do you think we will..."

"Oh, shut up, Alex!" Stallus hissed.

Alex kept quiet, and only the sound of their steps filled the silence. They walked on like that for a while before Azaroth jerked to a stop and swung back.

The others did the same, their faces covered in fear, but Azaroth put his finger on his lips to stop Alex from speaking. "I can’t hear the monsters again."

Alex rolled his eyes. "They probably stopped following us a long time ago after they saw the body of their fellow."

Azaroth said nothing. With a mental command, he sent his light forward. And he knew why the monsters stopped growling.