This Isn't A Game Anymore (VenturianTale fan fiction)

Chapter 27- Final Expedition

"Here, catch."

"Whoa whoa whoa-!" Steve reached out his hand just in time to catch Bethany, who was rapidly falling to the floor due to the sudden weight of the sword that Bry had thrown at her.

Bethany caught the thing and fell backwards into Steve, who righted her. "Thanks," She said to him before giving Bry an unamused face.

"No problem..." Steve shot Bry an 'I'll kill you later' glare, which was responded to with a shrug. He sighed. "So, we ready?"

Bethany nodded, sliding the diamond sword into her sheath. It wasn't as heavy now that it wasn't rocketing towards her who-knows-how-fast, but it still would probably be difficult to use it in combat with limited experience. She could tell that Bry thought that they were all doomed, but she remained optimistic about the situation. "So, what's the plan?"

"We gear up and head to the portal," Steve responded.

"And then we kill the dragon!" Bry cut in, beaming as he stuffed potions into a knapsack.

Steve didn't object. "Don't use 'em all at once," He warned.

Bry rolled his eyes, sealing the sack and strapping it to his back. "I know. I'm careful." A pause. "Well... Careful enough. I haven't died yet."

Steve opened his mouth to respond, but quickly shut it. "...Alright. Are we ready to head out?"

"Yep!" Bethany and Bry said at the same time. Bethany grinned and Bry extended a hand for a high five. She took it, and Steve rolled his eyes with a short huff.

Steve held open the doors of the house, allowing them all to leave. They offered thanks, pushing through the crowd that had gathered ever since Bry had "accidentally" screamed "WE'RE GOING TO KILL THE DRAGON!" at the top of his lungs. Ignoring their warnings and barrage of questions, they made their way to the edge of the village and into the treeline. Oddly, there was only one lone voice that cried out the words that they sorely needed.

"Good luck!"

***

The cave was, for the most part, silent. A few bats screeched in the far recesses of the dark, cloaked in shadow so they appeared to be simply ripples in the air, a trick of the eye. Had they not been making such noise, perhaps they would have been interpreted as such. The walls were made of stone, slightly damp from the early morning showers from days previous. Moss and vines stretched down from the ceiling, which appeared solid but upon further inspection would reveal that green vines resembling tentacles snaked through every crack and crevice, grasping for holds in the crumbling stone. Every now and again a bat would scramble for a place to perch, dangling from one of the stones held together by the plant material, only to be sent tumbling down as that particular stone came lose and fell.

One of these stones found their way onto Bry's head, giving him a nice sized lump. "Ow," He muttered placidly under his breath. He shook off the pieces of gravel and continued on his way, glancing behind him every few moments.

Steve rolled his eyes, raising his torch to see ahead. "We're close," He said, stepping over a crack in the floor. "I think the dungeon is just up ahead."

"Right-o," Said Bethany, shifting to the side to avoid a cobweb. Her grasp tightened on her sword and she looked around, expecting something to jump out at them. Where there's a web, there's a spider. When nothing came, she relaxed and walked a bit faster.

The cavern they were currently split into two paths, so they voted by majority to take the left side. This promptly let to a lava pit, and despite Bry's adamant suggestion that the dungeon must in fact be under the lava and they should construct a device to tunnel through it, they ignored him and left. He refused to come, and only showed up after they threatened to leave him and left the path for a few minutes. When he rejoined them, they took the pathway to the right.