Forbidden Love

Lessons in Dungeon

"You're late!" Lira's voice echoed off the dungeon entrance, her red hair blazing in the morning light. She stood with perfect posture, one hand resting on the pommel of her longsword - a habit from years of training. Her green eyes flickered between irritation and concern, the way they always did when she was worried but trying to hide it behind strictness.

Jax lounged against a crystal-studded wall, looking like he might take a nap right there. His scarred knuckles showed through worn hand wrappings, and his relaxed stance completely contrasted with Lira's rigid alertness. "Come on, Lira," he yawned, stretching his muscular arms. "Kid probably needed the rest after yesterday's close call with that killer ant."

"That's exactly why we need to be more careful!" Lira snapped, but her voice softened as she turned to me. "Did anyone see you rushing here? Any of the higher-ups? Goddess Freya?"

I caught my breath, still panting from my run through Folkvangr. "No, just a waitress named Syr-"

"Let's move," Lira cut me off, already striding into the dungeon. "We've lost enough time."

"Remember your monster classifications," Lira said as we descended past the first-floor entrance. Her red hair caught the blue glow of the dungeon crystals, making it look almost purple. "Quiz time, Bell. What are we likely to encounter in the first three floors?"

Even hurrying through the corridors, she never missed a chance to test my knowledge. That was Lira - always the instructor, always pushing for improvement. I'd seen her spend hours practicing the same sword technique until it was flawless.

"Um, goblins and kobolds mainly," I answered, recalling the bestiary she'd made me study. "Killer ants start appearing around floor three, and-"

A shadow moved. Three goblins burst from a side passage, clubs raised.

"Less talking, more showing!" Jax laughed, already moving to engage.

The fight was quick but educational. Lira's longsword flashed in perfect form - she'd told me once that every strike should be preparation for the next. I saw how she flowed from one goblin to another, her footwork never wasting a single step.

"Bell, what did you notice about their attack pattern?" she asked while checking her blade edge. Always the teacher, even in the middle of the dungeon.

"They... tried to surround us?" I ventured, wiping monster blood from my dagger.

"Exactly." She pointed to the corridor with her sword. "Goblins have poor depth perception but good peripheral vision. They instinctively try to flank. Remember that - it can help you predict their movements."

On the second floor, we encountered our first pack of kobolds. They were wilier than goblins, using crude weapons and showing actual tactics. One even carried a roughly made short sword.

"Watch this," Lira called out, demonstrating a perfect parry-riposte combination. The kobold's sword went flying, and it followed shortly after. "See how I turned my wrist there? That's the technique I was showing you last week."

I had practiced that move for hours in the training yard, with Lira correcting my form until my arms felt like lead. Now I saw why - a kobold lunged at me, and my body remembered the motion without thinking. The parry worked perfectly.

"Good!" Lira's praise was rare enough to make me glow with pride. "But don't get overconfident. Proper form matters more than speed."

The third floor brought new challenges. A killer ant emerged from the stone, its massive mandibles clicking. But it wasn't alone—two-needle rabbits hopped from the shadows, their horn-like protrusions gleaming dangerously.