"Your day off just became a test of survival."
A Shared Birthday, and the Skies Above
It was supposed to be their day off.
Mina and Ashe stood in front of the dusty gates of Tropico Outpost – Western III – squinting beneath the cool green valleys beneath the Central sun as cicadas sang in the distance. Today was their shared birthday. It was meant to be a day of rest: sweets, stories, and old song records.
Instead?
A last-minute assignment.
A measly pay bump.
Porter duty for a dungeon-clearing team mentioned by Captain Ferris.
"…You're sure about this?" Ashe muttered, arms crossed.
"Ashe," Mina said with her usual lopsided grin, "we're doing it. Come on, it's just a B-tier."
"I'm going to sign us up and you're gonna do nothing about it~," Mina replied, tightening the strap of her red sash. "Extra pay, early credit. What's there to lose?"
"My sanity?" Ashe gestured around. "We're supposed to be celebrating. We're sixteen now, Mina. Sixteen!"
"Exactly. Time to act like adults." Mina added.
Ashe groaned.
He protested. He groaned. He even begged.
She was unmoved.
—
The Mission
The assistant quartermaster, Betty, a sharp-eyed woman with glasses and ink-stained gloves, had handed them their mission details with the efficiency of someone who'd rather be anywhere else.
At the reception, Betty greeted them with a clipboard, a knowing smirk, and a small pouch of extra coin. Ferris wasn't even at the outpost that day.
"Dungeon-clearing support," she said, brushing back a strand of hair.
"You'll be porters for Adventurer Party 5. At Dungeon #47-F. Codename: Nexus Ryze. B-tier."
Ashe groaned. "Ugh, Porter duty? On our birthday?"
"Double pay," Mina replied, already signing the form. "I'm in."
"Of course you are," Ashe muttered.
Betty chuckled. "Adventurer Party 5 is our best non-elite unit. Cleared 29 dungeons in two months. No casualties. You'll be in good hands."
"Sure we will," Ashe mumbled, while Mina tapped his shoulder.
Ferris, as usual, was away—some special task in the Elynthian border zone up north dealing with some Kovianyskan associates in the Northern Tropico Outposts. And without him to veto Mina's enthusiasm, Ashe found himself dragged along into one of the most grotesque jobs assigned to Dungeon Cleaners like them: Porter Duty.
—
Prep and Departure
Back in their quarters, Mina changed. She admired the faint traces of muscle forming on her stomach and arms. Her body was sore, but stronger—proof her training was paying off. She threw on her Tropico recruit uniform: a simple green robe with light leather linings, beige trousers, and leather-flax boots.
When she stepped out, Ashe was already waiting.
"Sorry for being slow."
"It's fine..." Ashe said with a groan, thinking he might regret this.
"We've got time. The dungeon's near Apusa Town, and there's an air terminal there. I figured we'd take an airship."
Mina paused. "Airship? Not a carriage?"
"Oh? you didn't know? they recently opened airship travel to the public now. Not just nobles can ride em' anymore," Ashe said. "Betty gave us commute money."
Mina's eyes widened. She'd only ever seen airships from the outpost watchtowers—massive flying silhouettes against the blue sky. Now? She'd ride one for real.
It was quite the scene, as far back; Mina jogged off first and swiftly along the clear path from the Outpost towards the Elynthian Capital, while Ashe followed behind, it's clear that Ashe isn't doing a lot of physical training.
She jogged ahead in excitement.
Ashe called after her, "Mina! Wait! you're too fast! Wait up!!!" catching up as they passed through the capital gates of Elynthi.
—
Elynthi Air Terminal
Following Betty's scribbled instructions on a small parchment paper, Ashe led them through Elynthi's upper district toward the air terminal—a marble platform built into the city's bastion wall. The terminal bustled with activity as airships hovered overhead, docked, and launched.
Ashe found the mana-elevator and grabbed Mina's hand. He held it tight as the platform rose, Mina's face lit with wonder at the movement, the hum of arcane energy beneath her boots.
People around them rolled their eyes—used to the experience—but neither Mina nor Ashe cared.
By the time they reached the terminal, Mina leaned against a pillar, watching the sky as Ashe bought the tickets.
He returned, waving two slips of their Boarding Tickets. "Got 'em. Don't lose yours—if you do, they won't let you off when we land."
Mina took hers reverently. "Have you done this before? You're acting like a pro."
"Nope. First time too," Ashe admitted. "Just… read Betty's steps carefully."
Mina's eyes squinted. "Bullshit."
"I am nervous! Okay!?" he protested.
She laughed. "Hah!~ Fine. I believe you."
—
First Flight
When their airship docked, they handed in their tickets to the cabin officer as he clipped it with bored precision, giving it back as the two boarded.
Ashe led the way through tight corridors to an empty row of seats near the window.
Mina pressed her face to the glass. "Woah... I've got goosebumps now," she whispered as she tugged at Ashe's shoulder. "Ashe! Ashe! Come look at this! This view is soo terrifying~"
Mina says as she can see the city district below, lines of chaotic blue & red tiled roofs, people marching as small little dots through the cerulean stone streets.
"I'm not looking," Ashe said, his eyes focused downward checking his belt pouches and satchel.
"Come on." Mina pleaded, as Ashe finally gave in, clicking his tongue.
He peeked once and immediately flinched and returned to his seat. "Yeah, nope."
Mina laughed. "We haven't even left yet!"
—
Then the rumble began
Mana engines buzzed to life. Air conditioning kicked in. The room cooled, the floor gently shuddered—and the ship lifted off as Mina & Ashe felt their butt's clench from the sudden movement.
They gasped. Hugged each other. Whispered and laughed as other passengers gave them side-eyes.
But they were kids. Uniformed Tropico Guild brats, holding Tropico's sigil by their shoulder patches. No one said a word.
The airship ascended, tilting toward the distant mountains. The sky widened.
—
Time in the Sky
It was a short 30-minute flight.
They filled the time with idle chatter.
Ashe talked about his illusion magic breakthroughs.
"Yo, I think I can finally become invisible at will now without using chants or stupid hand signs." He say's as Mina protested, "Oh yeah? Go on ahead~"
Ashe closes his eyes as only his head became invisible except his whole body. "Okay did it work?" Mina laughed at the stupid scene touching Ashe's invisible face.
Mina talked about her incoming dumbbell order. "Man, I can't wait for them to arrive, Ferris just seems so stubborn to finally add some weight equipment to the outpost!"
They argued whether airships would replace land travel forever. "Ashe, I really think there's no need for carriages anymore~"
Ashe sneered back. "Guh? What do you mean??" Ashe framed back disagreeing with Mina's claims logically, "Farmers! Think about them doofus, they use carriages for carrying crops long distances, you think they'd have the money to spend on a humongous airship with complicated equipment. Dumbass..."
For a moment, it felt like the world wasn't at war.
—
Arrival in Apusa
The airship landed smoothly in Apusa's terminal. Mana steam hissed from the engines as the cabin doors opened. Warm air replaced the cool interior, and Mina groaned at the shift in temperature.
Ashe patted her shoulder. "Back to reality."
They left the terminal and followed the path west—through gentle slopes and sparse wilderness—toward the rendezvous point.
They gave up half way and took a carriage ride with a passing by farmer who knew the area well, as well as the location of the nearby Dungeon.
Fifteen minutes later, the two stood on the outskirts of Dungeon #47-F.
And so, their birthday would end not in song or sweets—but with unknown danger waiting beneath the earth.
But as long as they were together, neither of them truly minded.
—
The Dungeon
#47-F Nexus Ryze rose before them like a diseased cathedral half-sunk into the red sands. The entrance was cracked stone, overgrown with fleshy veining. The air itself tasted stale. Dungeon type: Flesh-structured. A living dungeon.
Mina's face tensed. Ashe swallowed dryly.
"I hate these," he said.
"You hate most things," Mina replied, stepping forward.
"Flesh-structured Dungeons aren't like the normal dungeons we go through, Mina" Ashe sneered at thoughts lingering in his head,
"Sure there'll be no traps such as mechanical or recursive ones, no need for rune cracking or glyph reading. But, it'll be unpredictable, the wall's are living & breathing monsters, even I can't tell if certain walls are dormant or actively being stealthy"
The adventuring party waited outside the maw-like gates. Five of them:
– Sir Harlen, a smug, golden-haired knight with a grin too white to trust.
– Trevus, a bulky silent wall of armor.
– Camylle, cocky battle mage with short red hair and an aura of volatile sparks.
– Lotha, a young priest in trembling silver robes.
– Nira, a rogue with coal-black lipstick and a stare like daggers.
"You two the porters?" Camylle scoffed, arms crossed. "Try not to get killed."
"Or worse," Sir Harlen added, walking past them with a sniff. "Stink up the dungeon."
Mina scoffed at their attitude.
Sir Harlen shoved two large porter bags into their hands—surprisingly light, though bulky. "Just stay behind. Don't touch anything unless you want a tentacle to eat your face."
Lotha and Nira were ordered to walk ahead of the two porters. Harlen cracked a smirk. "Captain Ferris' favorites, huh? Let's make sure they make it through in one piece—so we can accidentally lose them later."
As they finally stepped into the living dungeon, the world changed.
The walls pulsed.
Not just moved—breathed.
Veins throbbed along the corridor bricks. Eyes blinked silently from wall sockets. Mouths yawned open and shut with fleshy slaps. The deeper they walked, the more it smelled of rotting silk and copper blood.
Ashe tried not to gag. "Gods above. It's worse than I imagined."
Mina muttered, "Cloak us if I say run."
"Why?" Ashe asked.
"Because I'm not dying for people who wear perfume into a dungeon."
"Ugh! What is this place?" Camylle gagged loudly.
"Relax," Harlen chuckled, waving a hand. "Just dungeon flavor. If a wall twitches, stab it."
He finally began explaining the plan mid-descent.
Mina frowned.
"Could've said that before we walked into Hell's esophagus." Mina veered.
"Shut it, Null," Harlen barked. "You're not an adventurer. You're a cleaner. Just Dungeon Luggage."
Camylle took point. Her eyes shimmered with mana, casting sonar-like pulses that briefly lit up the dungeon in glowing blue lines.
She was a Battle Mage, navigating by perception magic, her control flawless.
Ashe, curious, leaned toward Lotha. "What's a Battle Mage exactly? I've heard of elemental mages, spiritualists… but fighting up close?"
Lotha blinked, then smiled nervously. "Oh uhm... They're martial mages. They combine mana-reinforcement with elemental infusion."
"So it's like uhm... uhh, you reinforce your fists or weapon with mana, then coat it with an element—say, fire. Your punches become flaming weapons. It's exhausting, but terrifyingly effective."
Ashe's eyes lit up. "Can illusion magic be used that way?"
"Maybe, if—"
"Lotha!" Sir Harlen snapped. "Stop educating the helpless."
The girl flinched.
But Nira turned, sharp-eyed. "Back off, Harlen. She's not breaking any law." She winked at Lotha. "Keep talking, little priest."
Mina, overhearing, began to reassess the group. Maybe not all adventurers were horrible.
Lotha smiled and continued. "Ohh uh.. O-okay t-thanks—Some Battle Mages use air or lightning, or various other Elemental Magic's. It depends on your core affinity. It's about discipline more than power."
"Discipline…" Ashe murmured.
Suddenly, a presence loomed beside him.
Nira.
The rogue slumped lazily against his side, trailing a black-gloved finger up his chest surprising him with her words.
"Y'know, I'm a fan of yours."
Ashe froze.
She smirked. "You saved my little sister once. Dungeon cleaner. Runic trap. I saw your illusion spell disarm it—pure genius. Her names Yura. She works part-time in the Tropico Dungeon Cleaners, you know her?"
"Oh, uhm no. But I do remember saving a rookie, so maybe it was her then." Ashe stammered.
Nira commended further on how good Ashe's rune cracking & glyph reading skills are.
"That… that was just basic application of mana bending—"
"You're cute and smart~" Nira said, sliding her finger to his neck.
Mina slapped his arm. "Focus."
Nira raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Who's that? Your girlfriend? Gosh you got a Null as a girlfriend? Jealous much?~"
Ashe blushed. "What? No! We're like… siblings."
"Riiiight~" Nira chuckled, walking ahead.
—
Encounters in the Fleshy Threats & Trials
From shadowed crevices and pulsing pores, horrors emerged.
Grotesque creatures slithered into view, each more unnatural than the last:
- Skinless wolves, their sinewy forms exposed, bones jutting outward like jagged swords.
- Crows with eyes like dying stars, their beaks twitching open with whispers that scratched at the edges of sanity.
- Tendrils, slick and veined, slid from the dungeon ceiling like tongues seeking throats.
- Flesh Monsters, the main humanoid looming threat, swarming in groups as a mix of limbs, flesh & organs.
The air stank of rot and scorched meat. The walls pulsed—alive, breathing—oozing fluid like blood through unseen wounds.
But the party responded with calm, lethal efficiency;
Camylle – The Inferno Brawler
Camylle led the charge. Fire flared around her fists, turning her hands into blazing comets. She shouted with feral glee "GRAH!!!", ducking under whipping tendrils and leaping through gaps in lunging beasts.
Her flame-wreathed fists crashed into the skinless wolves, each blow erupting with sparks and heat. With every strike, bones snapped, flesh seared, and the wet stink of burning meat thickened the air. She moved like fire itself—reckless, fearless, consuming.
Where Camylle fought, the fleshy walls blackened and cracked under the heat. The dungeon burned.
Sir Harlen – The Bored Executioner
Behind her, Sir Harlen carved a path of clean, clinical destruction.
He wielded a straight arming sword, faintly glowing with a pale aura of mana, and struck with mechanical precision. Every swing landed with dull finality—decapitations, cleaves through torsos, limbs severed in perfect arcs.
Harlen fought with the detachment of a man more interested in efficiency than violence. There was no joy in his strikes. Only duty.
Trevus – The Silent Bladed Knight
Trevus darted through shadows, dual sabers glinting in the dim glow of dungeonlight. Where Harlen was methodical, Trevus was fluid—cutting through writhing limbs and fleshy tentacles that emerged from the very walls.
He stabbed into eyes embedded in the stone. He carved through toothy mouths that opened along the ground. Monsters screamed, but Trevus never did. He was fast, quiet, and never missed.
Lotha – The Shieldbearing Priest
In the rear, Lotha held the line. A soft golden barrier shimmered around Ashe and Mina as she raised her staff in quiet prayer.
"By breath of light and spirit's grace,
O sacred flame, my soul embrace.
Banish fear, let wounds be mended—
By holy will, let pain be ended.
Shields of dawn, arise anew,
With silver strength and golden hue.
Blessed be the path we tread,
May hope endure where angels bled!"
Her eyes burned with focus as she cast blessing after blessing, keeping the horrors from closing in on the young porters & her fellow party members. Wisps of divine energy flowed from her hands—repelling dark influences, shielding her allies, cleansing minor wounds as they were inflicted.
"Stay behind me," she muttered to Ashe and Mina without looking back.
And they did.
Nira – The Shadow Fang Rogue
At the dungeon's edge, Nira vanished.
She slipped into the walls like water, becoming one with the dungeon's darkness.
—Shadow Magic—
Then—
A flash of steel.
A screech.
Blood spattering stone.
Her daggers erupted from beneath the shadows by the Flesh Monster's feet, impaling it from below, another from walls, and from the ceiling. One by one, monsters staggered—betrayed by the dungeon itself—as Nira's dagger pierced hearts and severed spines from unseen angles.
She emerged only briefly, to assist Sir Harlen and Trevus—then was gone again. The walls containing a shadow welcomed her like a phantom.
Ashe & Mina – The Witnesses
And amidst the chaos…
Ashe and Mina watched.
Wide-eyed.
Silent.
They clutched their porter packs, shadows flickering over their faces from nearby firelight and arcane bursts.
They were not part of the battle. Not yet.
But they observed every move.
They studied every technique.
They memorized every scream.
This was how warriors fought.
This was how professionals survived.
Their hearts beat faster—not with fear, but hunger. A deep, growing resolve stirred in their bones.
And then, just beyond the next turn…
They reached the corridor.
Where the real challenge waited.
—
The Dungeon Master's Chamber
A massive pit opened before them, lined with muscle and bone. In the center, a fused mass of corpses and steel writhed, moaning in distorted voices. Rusted armor clung to its sides like barnacles.
"Formation ready!" Sir Harlen shouted—but not to attack.
He and Camylle spun.
And shoved Ashe and Mina into the pit.
"What the hell—?!" Mina screamed, catching Ashe's hand mid-fall.
"ILLUSION, ASHE! NOW!" she barked.
But the bags tumbled from their shoulders. The moment they hit the fleshy stone floor as the hardness bit into their palms & knees, they burst open.
Not food.
Not potions.
Explosives.
They weren't really carrying anything that assisted the party.
They were just weapons.
Sir Harlen laughed from above, his voice echoing cruelly through the chamber.
"Ha! Surprise! Let's see if that little trickster routine of yours saves you now! Getting rid of you two might finally push that miserable bastard Ferris into a pit of his own self-pity!"
Beneath that smirk, Harlen's hatred simmered.
He had always loathed Captain Ferris—another old warhound from the Royal Army, a man who still carried the respect Harlen believed he deserved. The memory of Ferris scolding him—correcting him—before his own party at Tropico still burned.
Every reckless mistake Harlen made, Ferris was there to drag him back in line. Every time he stepped out, Ferris made sure someone remembered. Humiliated him.
Now? Harlen saw a chance for payback.
And it began with burying Ferris's favorite rookies in this cursed dungeon.
Trevus stood stunned. "H-Harlen! What the Hell!?"
Nira's face twisted in disbelief. "Oh you Bastard!—"
Lotha screamed, "What are you doing?!"
Camylle grinned with cruelty. "They're Dungeon Cleaners, right? Let them clean the floor."
The ground began to pulse violently. The Dungeon Master shrieked, awakened by the threat.
Ashe and Mina stood in the center of it all.
And the floor ignited.
To be continued...