Bound By Fury:The Forced Path

Before them now, at the entrance of the dungeon, shone a glowing portal, just like it was carved out of liquid silver.

Across the threshold lay their target The High C-Rank dungeon, infamous water monsters.

The room was thick with tension; a soft hum of magic whirred from the portal itself.

Grido squared his glasses on his nose, his tamer's pouch tightly buckled at his belt.

"Since im appointed as the Leader of this Party i will cut it short and tell you the nessecary things you need to know"

"What we know is that this dungeon has a variety of mainly water monsters inside,"

He began in a straightforward yet firm voice.

"The land is an island; it's small, surrounded by a big ocean."

"This will constrict the maneuvering space, and fighting will most of the time be done in the water, so we should go with caution."

Victor cleared his throat, his voice deep, and carelessly slung the huge broadsword over his shoulder.

"Got it."

"Let's go."

Anna nodded with solemnity, clenching her twin daggers tightly.

Her blue hair was blown by the wind, while excitement in her eyes turned into unwavering determination.

Standing a little apart, Akira nodded briefly, his eyes, dark as night, scanning the faces before him.

Meanwhile, behind the mask of calm, his mind was racing:

"If monsters here are generally those of the water-based, then why this team? "

"A beast tamer, a close-combat specialist, and...Anna with her daggers."

"No mages, no ranged specialists."

"Well, either they are doing an underestimation of this dungeon, or they are not telling us something about this setup. Let's see what happens."

In an instant, the group stepped through the portal, and the world around them changed.

It looked much like the data had promised-mostly. They were on a small island with tall thick trees. The sandy ground was coarse and oddly warm. All around them was an ocean that went to the horizon, but the water was a strange yellow, glowing softly in the dim sunlight.

Victor knelt down, running his fingers through the sand, his face distressed.

""This isn't right...that water color … wasn't in the report."

"I know,"

Grido muttered."

"Again,

He settled his glasses on his face and peered out to the weirded ocean.

"Be prepared."

"This kind of anomaly most frequently heralds some sort of surprise."

Anna sidled closer to Akira, clenching her daggers tightly as she peered warily between trees and water. She stopped for a moment, then asked in a low voice,

"You think it has an effect on what kind of monsters we're going to face?"

Akira gave a slight nod to her before returning his gaze to the weird ocean.

"Or it could be they just aren't telling us everything about this dungeon."

Grido wheeled, facing them all.

"Whatever it is, keep formation."

"Keep to the edge of the island and don't go in the water unless it's absolutely necessary."

Victor smirked, his tone brimming with confidence.

"Relax, Grido."

"Whatever's out there, we'll handle it."

Akira didn't say anything, his eyes fixed upon the water.

There was something unsettling about its unnatural glow, a warning humming at the edge of his mind.

Suddenly, they heard a soft sound of splashing. At first, it was far away and hard to notice, but it became louder every second.

At once, Grido's head turned toward the noise, and his hand caught the purse at his side.

"Everybody, get ready,"

He said.

Victor pulled out one of the smaller blades; he bristled his muscles.

Anna crouched slightly, holding her daggers in a guarding manner, her eyes down towards the waterline in concern.

Akira narrowed his dark eyes, focusing on whatever had caused this noise, his senses going clear in instant readiness for whatever would follow.

The yellow ocean churned curiously, its waves twisting as if alive. 

Out of the putrid yellow surf, something rose: an abomination against the pale, golden light of the sun. Too tall, its limbs were long and spindly, with razor-like talons. Yellow, glowing eyes that burned with malevolence; its twisted, gnarled face contorted into a snarl of hunger. A thick, muscular tail hashed behind, water slipping from the scaled body. Pointed and jagged teeth shone in the light, and the hint of webbing on the fingers gave them an ogre-like similarity to the tailed mer, but this was no creature of the sea.

A soft, soothing voice sliced the tension. "It's a Werehyena. But." His sharp eyes narrowed in on the beast. "It's.different from the report. Still, so long as we stay on the island, their attacks won't reach us. But remember, as I said before: in order to clear this dungeon, we need to kill them.

Akira's eyes never left the beast before him. Some part of him just screamed that something was not right. Gut-wrenching growl from the Werehyena, and he called up his System , Scanning in a second; the familiar cascade of data overspill spilled into his sight.

[Scanning the Werehyna was a success]

[The info will be detailed now]

[Monster Identified: Mutated Werehyena, Aqua Variant]

[Type: Beast-Water Mutant]

[Weakness: Lightning-based attacks can momentarily disrupt its movements.]

[Abilities:]

[Aquatic Rend: Creates razor-sharp water claws for melee combat.]

[Hydro Spear: Long-range spear using water that can even pierce through steel.]

[Oceanic Veil: A water shield that protects, reducing the taken damage.]

Akira's eyes narrowed as he absorbed the information before him.

His mind swiftly zeroed in on the stark difference.

Long-range attacks.

"Huh"

Akira snapped, his mind raced.

"Long range attacks??"

"This one is a mutanted one and can attack from a distance!"

Grido and Victor burst out laughing, as neither showed any more signs of fear, seeing the creature now prowling along the water's edge.

"What are you doing, fish?!" Victor jeered, triumphantly waving his sword in the air.

"You can't strike us from all the way out there!"

"Remain in the water, like the good little freak that you are!"

Grido adjusted his glasses and gave a smug smile.

"Exactly." Like i told you all we're safe so long as we don't step off this island."

"They're water beasts. The moment they leave the ocean, they're powerless."

Akira he watched the Werehyena raise its clawed hand amidst swirls of unnatural water. In the air, it formed two glowing spheres of water, shining faintly with ominous energy. And Akira's insight was there in a flash: instantly ascertaining the shape and intent their presence possessed.

"DODGE!"

Akira screamed out in a commanding urgency of voice.

Akira's call came with a growing sense of urgency, and suddenly the spheres of water became sleek, high-pressure projectiles, hissing through the air as if arrows, another now dead on target toward Grido's chest.

Time seemed to slow.

Akira reacted instinctively, his muscles taut, and launched himself at Grido. In one swift motion, he flung the beast tamer in mid-stride to the ground just as the water arrow hit the exact spot where Grido had been standing.

The entrance was flung high in the air as all sand and debris rose high-the overwhelming power of the projectile digging deep into the surface of the island.

Victor stumbled backward, an assured grin melting into features cleansed by incredulity.

"What in the world?!"

"That creature is supposed to shoot at us?!"

"That's just not how those damn fish attack!"

Grido struggled to his feet, his glasses awry, his composure shaken.

"Impossible,"

He whispered, voice trembling faintly as he straightened his spectacles.

"This… this isn't how they operate."

"They have never been capable of attacking from this distance!"

Akira, still squatting and rigid, gave a piercing glance in Grido's direction. "This one can, though."

"Quit your reliance on stale reports and look to what is before your eyes!"

"This one is a mutant one..."

Grido looked at him a moment, blew a quavering breath, nodded, and his calm began to return as he listened to Akira now.

"You're right. Thanks Akira,"

He whispered.

"I'd have been a goner if you hadn't have intervened."

Victor tightened his grip on his weapon, a low growl escaping his lips.

"Alright, then."

"If these bastards want to play dirty, we'll show them how real hunters fight."

It roared into the night sky, and its voice went across the sinister surf as other forms started to rise from the yellow sea. Glowing yellow eyes and pointed teeth showed them to be brothers of the first.

"Seems it's not alone," Anna said softly, almost with a hiss, as she dropped herself into a defensive crouch.

One,Two,Three,Four,Five,Sixth,Seven,Eight,Nine...and more are popping out damn it - Victor Shotued

"We are fucked aren't we?"