Soren fidgeted nervously as he waited outside the Tower of Babel. He was too nervous to call out to people and ask if they needed a supporter. So far, his life as a supporter wasn’t really all that good. In fact, he could probably call it hellish, a nightmare. Getting kicked around and berated by people wore down his self-esteem and he wanted nothing more than to quit. But no, this was his life now and he had to get through it, no matter the hardship. He took in a deep breath and tried to speak. He managed to get a tiny squeak, causing him to blush in embarrassment. “…E…Excuse m-m-me?” he finally managed to get out, “Is anyone in need of-of a supporter?” The people just walked past him without sparing a single glance. “I-I can carry whatever load you need! I’ll be sure to pick up any soul stones that drop and fill my bag full of it. S-So…is anyone in need of a supporter?” Still no response. “…Anyone?” “I’ll take up on your offer, kid.” He jumped at the sound of the woman’s voice and turned to her. “R-Really?” he asked. She nodded as her party of two men approached her. “Yes, really. Let’s head into the Dungeon now.” “Wait, you’re bringing this kid along?” one of the men said incredulously as he eyed the dark elf. He looked away for a moment, unable to meet his eyes. “Hey, he can be of help,” the other man said, “We do need someone to carry the soul stones.” “Exactly. Now come on, the Dungeon waits for no one, after all!” Soren nodded and made a move towards the stairs to the Dungeon. “Wait, kiddo.” He froze as the incredulous man spoke to him. “Y-Y-Yes?” he stammered, looking back. The man tossed him several bags and he scrambled to pick them off the ground. “Carry those for us, will you?” “Y-Yes sir!” And with that, the party of four went down into the Dungeon depths. The dark elf boy couldn’t help but fiddle with the strap of his own bag. He had shouldered the other empty bags so that he could carry them more easily. Frowning, he realized he didn’t take his bow out from his bag and he berated himself for the mistake as they reached the first floor of the Dungeon. “So where you from, dark elf?” He jolted at the sudden question that the kinder man had asked. “A-Achrom,” he answered, “My-My hometown is Achrom.” “Huh, never heard of it,” the man commented as they walked. “I doubt anyone would, it’s a small village.” “Heh, I know small villages. Lived in one myself before I went out to try and find my calling. You have a calling, other than being a supporter?” He shook his head. “No, not at all.” “Shame.” “Talking to the kiddo to make him less nervous, aren’tcha?” the other man drawled, not even looking back. Soren blushed in embarrassment that his nervousness was showing while the other man smiled sheepishly. “Got me there, Markus.” He turned to the boy and continued conversing with him as if this was just a walk in a park. “So, what’s your name?” “Soren. Yours?” “Paul Satney. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Soren.” “Shh! Keep quiet!” the female said. He immediately shut up and pulled out his weapon, a dagger. “Hear something, Cilly?” “I’m trying to find it, keep quiet.” Her cat ears twitched as she tried to pinpoint some noise. Soren just watched as she turned her head to the left and began heading down that path. “Be prepared, everyone.” All of the males nodded. “W-Wait a moment, I-I need to pull out my bow,” he said quickly, dropping to his knees and rummaging through his bag for the bow. Markus let out a groan as Paul hit him in the ribs with his elbow. “O-Okay, I got it!” “Good, now let’s get a move on before we get jumped.” The white haired dark elf looked away in shame as they headed towards the direction Cilly had heard something from. There were a few goblins up ahead that were quickly dispatched by the group. “That’s all?” Paul said cheekily as he bent down to pick up a soul stone. “Hey Paul, let the kiddo do his thing!” “Hm?” He looked at Markus with an innocent expression as he handed Soren the soul stone. “Gah, never mind. Come on, let’s get moving.” Cilly couldn’t help but giggle a little at the man before they continued on their way. A few goblin groups later and they found themselves at the entrance to the second floor. “Hey Cilly, how many floors we going down today?” Paul asked, glancing back at the boy to make sure he was doing alright. He flashed him a shy smile in response. “The sixth floor at most. I want to see those ants myself, plus they’d bring in a lot of gold.” There was a moment of silence as the two men shuffled uneasily. “You sure about that? Especially with the kid along?” Markus asked, looking back at a very nervous Soren. “We’ll be fine, I think. Let’s get going.” “R-Right!” They headed down into the second floor, intent on getting to their destination. More goblins were slain and the supporter kept scrambling to put all the soul stones they accumulated into the bags. So far, this group was pretty good compared to the previous parties he’d been in. His face went blank and he involuntarily shuddered as he remembered the cruelty he had to face. But these people? They were standoffish at worst, kind at best. He wouldn’t mind sticking around them for who knows how long in the Dungeon. They managed to find the entrance to the third floor and descended deeper into the Dungeon. Now that they were in the third floor, they had to deal with the kobolds that lurked in the caverns. Here was where the boy began to finally use his weapon, his bow and arrow. He stood back as the group began to fight a pack of kobolds they stumbled upon, five of them in total. Taking in a deep breath, he readied his bow and waited for an opportune time to let his arrow fly. He didn’t expect for it to hit on of the kobolds’ throat and it gave a ticklish cough before it disappeared and left its soul stone. The rest were dispatched similarly by the three adults and him. “Nice shot with your bow,” Paul commented with a smile as Soren went to retrieve the soul stones and his arrows. “Thanks. One good thing about this place is that I can grab my arrows back once they’ve died,” he said, flashing the man a smile of his own. “I bet it makes things easier for you. Now come on, we got more exploring to do.” “Yes sir!” The man chuckled. “Just call me Paul, okay?” “Yes Paul!” Another chuckle before he began to follow his teammates deeper into the Dungeon, Soren lagging behind. The fourth floor entrance was found relatively quickly and the party began to chat with each other as if it were a picnic they were going to. Of course there was a smattering of monsters here and there, but for the most part the third and fourth floors had been nothing but a cakewalk. Soren soon found his own bag filled with soul stones and he began to use the other bags given to him in order to continue picking up the magical stones. Markus gave him a nod of approval when he began to do that and he felt a warm fuzzy feeling from the acknowledgement. As they hacked and slashed their way through the Dungeon, Soren couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude for them being so kind to him compared to other parties he had worked for. It was a welcome change, but one that would only last for a moment once they reached the surface again. And it scared him, the thought of having to part ways with these kind adventurers. Who knows when he’ll see them again, if at all. He would have to go back to being around cruel adventurers once this was all over, something he was not looking forward to. He sighed at his thoughts as they traversed the fourth floor. The fifth floor entrance was soon found, guarded by a hulking monstrosity. The boy had to take an active part in defeating the monster, launching his arrows at the beast and watching as they imbedded themselves into the monster’s hide. The three adults he was with did their best in taking down the monster, their weapons raking across its hide as the beast roared and swiped at them. After what seemed like a long time, the beast fell, leaving behind a rather large soul stone. Everyone was tired from their efforts to slay the Dungeon boss. “Everyone alright?” Soren asked as he went over to the soul stone left behind. It was far bigger than any other the other soul stones he had collected, almost taking up its own bag. He began collecting their arrows as he listened to the three of them discuss what they should do next. “You think the fifth floor also has one of these things?” “I don’t see why not. This will make getting to the sixth floor harder.” “You still want to go there, Cilly?” She shook her head. “Not if there’s another of these monsters guarding the entrance. Let’s camp out here for the day and recharge.” The two of them nodded while the dark elf boy gave a worried frown. “We’re not heading back?” he asked. “Heh, no way. We still have a lot more soul stones to collect,” Paul answered as they began to set up camp. “But what about my father? He’ll be expecting me and I don’t want him to worry about my wellbeing.” Markus sighed and went over to him. Honestly, he was expecting a punch or something like it and he flinched automatically. He didn’t expect Markus’ hand to lay on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. You’ll get to see your father again. Alright, kiddo?” He was still stunned by the touching gesture and only gave a slight nod as the man’s hand came off his shoulder. “Come on, we need your help setting up camp.” “Yes sir!” Setting up camp was a relatively simple affair. No one had thought to bring sleeping bags or tents, but they were at least able to keep on the lookout for other monsters as they sat there and rested, eating the food they had brought. “Might want to save some of that for tomorrow, kiddo. Who knows how long we’re going to stay down here.” Soren nodded and swallowed the bit of sandwich he had in his mouth. “Yes sir.” Pause. “Are we…going to stay down here until the bags are full? How long will we be staying down here?” “Probably until tomorrow. Can’t tell time down here.” “I see…” He looked down at his half eaten sandwich for several moments before he began to wrap it up and put it away. “Are any of you supporters?” he asked out of curiosity. “Nah, Markus just likes to come over prepared.” Paul laughed as the man in question went over to flick him on the forehead. “Who else is going to carry our soul stones? Not you, that’s for sure.” “Eh, carrying heavy loads is not my thing.” Pause. “You’ve been awfully quiet, Cilly. What’s up?” Their leader snapped out of her thoughts as she shook her head. “Nothing,” she replied simply as she put away her dinner. The two men looked at each other before looking back at her. “You sure it’s nothing?” Her gaze landed on the supporter and lingered there for a moment before she turned her gaze on her fellow party members and shook her head. “I’m sure. Hey kid, how many bags are filled up?” “Just two, my own and the one with the boss monster you all just killed.” She gave him a warm smile. “You helped too, you know. I don’t think we could’ve defeated it without your arrows.” He blushed at the compliment. “Th-Thank you!” “Anytime, kid. Alright, everyone, get some rest. We’ll take turns watching in case a monster comes. I’ll be the first shift. Any objections?” The males shook their heads and the boy couldn’t only stare as they went to sleep, snoring a few seconds later. He looked at Cilly for an answer. “Come on, kid, get some sleep. People need it whenever they go for more than a few hours in the Dungeon. Just make sure you’re back on your feet when one of us wakes you up. Okay?” He nodded slowly and settled down onto the rocky cavern floor, closing his eyes. He didn’t know how long he remained in that state, but eventually he started hearing Paul and Cilly speak. “You were definitely thinking of something before. What’s up? Does it have to do with Soren?” “Yes.” The boy stiffened at the confirmation, keeping his eyes squeezed shut. “What about him? He’s been pulling his weight, hasn’t he?” “He has, it’s just…” Silence. “Just what?” Another moment of silence until the woman spoke again. “…I don’t want to be the one to tell his father that he died.” “Soren’s not gonna die. It’s not like we’re leaving him to fend for himself.” The boy couldn’t help but shudder a little and breathe heavily, remembering that second Dungeon excursion. There was some shuffling and he felt something press down on his head lightly. His eyes snapped open. “Sorry, did I wake you?” Cilly asked. “It’s fine, I’ll be fine,” he squeaked. “Nightmare?” Pause. “…Sort of. Guess I should try and go back to sleep, huh?” “Yeah. Goodnight, kid.” He closed his eyes again and fell asleep to the feeling of having his head being petted. Some time later, he awoke to being nudged at the side. “Your turn to take watch, kiddo,” Markus said. He nodded and rubbed at his eyes as the man waited for him to sit up. Once he did, he gave a curt nod to the boy and promptly laid down to sleep. He watched the three sleeping adults for some time before turning to look down at cavernous halls. Cilly was the one to say they needed help carrying soul stones, yet she didn’t want any blood on her hands if he died. How did that make sense? The dark elf for the life of him couldn’t get it. Maybe she started regretting after the boss monster? He didn’t know. He yawned and stretched. He had been doing well so far, listening to what the older adventurers wanted and doing as he was told. But he couldn’t help but feel he had done something wrong. He wasn’t quite sure why, but he felt like that was the case. He sighed as he rested his head on his hand, propping the arm onto his knee. He wasn’t sure when to wake up the others he was with. After all, none of them could tell time down here. He didn’t know how long he stared at the cavern walls, but when it felt like he couldn’t take the boredom anymore, he went over to Cilly to try and wake her up. “Um, ma’am? It’s your turn,” he said, shaking her body. He yelped when she pulled out a knife and pounced on him. She blinked a few times before getting off of him. “Sorry,” she apologized as he propped himself up. “No no, it’s fine,” he squeaked before clearing his throat, “Um, I’m guessing it’s for self defense…?” She nodded and put her weapon away. “Go to sleep, one of us will wake you when its time.” “Yes ma’am.” He laid down and tried to get comfortable with the rocky floor before closing his eyes. It took him a while, but he ended up drifting off to sleep again. He awoke to a gentle nudge and opened his eyes, his vision blurred slightly. When he sat up and rubbed his eyes, he found, to his surprise, that Markus was the one to wake him up. “Come on, we’re heading into the fifth floor,” he said. Soren immediately scrambled for the bags and sat up, checking his quiver full of arrows and the bags to see if everything was in order. He staggered upwards and looked at the other adventurers, noting that they were ready to go. “Alright everyone, let’s go!” “Right!” And down to the fifth floor they went, the boy feeling apprehensive for whatever lay in the fifth floor. When they reached the bottom, Soren couldn’t help but be awed by the glow emitting from the walls. “Hey kiddo. If you’re done gaping, we need you to come with us.” He snapped out of it instantaneously. “S-Sorry sir!” He hurried after the group, dragging the bags with him. A short time later, they ran into their first insect. The ant clacked its mandibles together as it approached them, several of them following closely behind. The three adventurers charged in to fight them, but when they did, acid sprayed onto their arms from the wounds they made on the ants and they screamed. Soren had never heard such a horrible noise. “H-Hold on!” He readied his bow and fired at one of the ants, hitting it in the eye. It died and left its soul stone, but its comrades kept on coming. The trio of adventurers tried to battle through the pain as they continued to attack the ants. By the time they were done, acid had worn away at their armor, clothes, and skin. “Damn, didn’t think they’d have acid in them,” Paul commented as he bent down to collect the soul stones. Luckily, none of them had any acid residue on them. “We should fall back. Coming down here was a bad idea,” Cilly said as she looked at everyone. Soren felt a little guilty that he was the only one who wasn’t injured, but he kept his mouth shut about it as the group headed back up to the fourth floor. The settled for the monsters that appeared there, though they mostly began hunting kobolds to rack up the amount of soul stones. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but he did know that the bags were getting heavier as the trio killed monsters while he collected soul stones. “How many bags are filled?” Cilly asked, panting slightly after another battle with the monsters. He checked each bag before answering. “Four and a half.” She nodded at his answer before turning to the two men with her. “That’s enough, let’s head back up now.” They nodded as the dark elf sighed in relief. Finally, he could get back to the surface and reunite with his father. The man must be worried sick over him right now. The group began making their trek back to the surface. Occasionally they would run into some monsters and dispatched them as fast as they could in order to get home. Soren continued to collect their soul stones and his arrows, dutifully staying behind and using his weapon whenever it was needed. Hours later, they finally made it to the stairs leading to the surface. “About damn time,” Paul said tiredly. “Come on, you two, let’s get these soul stones to the Guild and give the kid his reward when we’re done. Then we can take a nice bath and rest.” The dark elf sighed, knowing he was going to be paid less than those who were adventurers. They trekked up the spiraling staircase and came into the light of the sun. “It must be noon,” he commented with a frown. Had he been out that long? His father would definitely worry about him. “I hope my wife and kids aren’t too worried.” Soren did a double take at Markus. “You have a family?” he asked, stunned by the revelation. “Course I do, who doesn’t? Come on, kiddo, let’s head to the Guild.” He gave a slow nod and shuffled after the tired adventurers. The trip there was relatively silent, each one of them thinking about something or another. For Soren, his thinking was geared towards the money he was about to earn and his father. No doubt his father would be happy to see him, even more so if he brought home a big bag of valis to show for it. He couldn’t wait to see the man again, who was just as kind as these strangers were. They went into the guild and dropped off their soul stones. Everyone gasped when the amount of valis they got for the stones were shown. “Well then,” Markus said in awe as he took the large bag of valis, “Alright, how’re we going to split it?” Silence. The boy shuffled nervously, getting the feeling he was the cause of the silence. “Well, kid here helped a lot. Give him 25% of the money.” He did a double take at Cilly. “Hah?!” “Heh, kid does deserve it for helping us with that dungeon boss monster,” Paul said with a smile. They began to separate the coins for him to take as he stood there, stunned. He blinked back tears and wiped his eyes. They were so kind to him this whole while, it was a shame they might not ever see each other again. “Here, for you,” Markus said as he gave him Soren’s share. Soren gave a deep bow of appreciation. “Thank you so much,” he breathed, “I won’t forget your kindness.” Cilly gave him a smile. “Any time kid. Maybe we’ll meet again someday.” “Maybe…” He cleared his throat. “It was nice meeting you all. Goodbye!” And with that, he headed back home, intent on showing his father his earnings.
