Metello's new squad was at the entrance of the mine. Ianina had quit her conic straw hat, and everybody's weapons were out of their sheath. When he had quickly changed clothes to put on his leather armor, he received curious glances.

“Sorry for the wait. I don't want to damage my robe and hat, and the leather armor protects me better.”

The squad started to walk through the tunnel in formation with Roger and Ianina at the front, Jeffrey and Francis on the second line, and Metello alone at the back. The [Swordman] replied with a sword in each hand.

“Don't worry. We are not that much in a hurry. As long as you do your job and keep the light on, you're fine. Did you have to fight with this weapon of yours in your last squad ?”

Metello's voice showed he was ashamed of what he was saying.

“Well, Jeffrey and I were the only two members of our squad, so yes. I even started hunting alone.”

At the front, Roger stopped and exclaimed loudly.

“What! An [Acolyte] hunting alone ?”

In response to the loud sound of Roger's words, Metello could hear scratching noises from somewhere in the darkness. The [Swordman] added.

“You'll have to tell us about that later.”

Metello tensed as he estimated at least three monsters were coming to them. He looked at his team members and saw Jeffrey was apprehensive too but ready while Roger was relaxed. Though at the front, he noticed Ianina was breathing heavily while looking into the darkness. She didn't seem well to Metello, but the worst of all was Francis. The newly promoted [Warrior] retreated step by step until bumping into Metello. He jumped in surprise before turning to Metello with frightened eyes. The [Lux Acolyte] tried to soothe him.

“Don't worry! It's me. All is fine.”

“But look at all this darkness! And the monsters are coming closer.”

Metello looked at the short man when he passed next to him and ran to the not-so-far sunlight coming through the gate. But as the [Warrior] had said, monsters were coming. Metello turned just in time to hear the first one having its head sliced by Roger with a wet sound.

Ianina seemed to have overcome her fear as she swung her weapon with both hands at the second ratman. But the thing was nimble and quick. Metello knew it. From behind the three hunters, he could catch sight of the [Priest] missing her foe and being bitten in the thigh through her leather pants, not so different than his first time. Meanwhile, at her side, the [Swordman] was finishing his third monster quickly, a little ahead of the squad, leaving space for Jeffrey to come and help Ianina. He managed to put his dagger into the ratman's head while avoiding Ianina's punches, but not her cries.

Metello came to her.

“Please, try to be quieter. This will make more monsters come.”

It only made her shout at him.

“Oh, shut up you! I can't see anything with your puny light!”

Roger came back too as there was no more monster.

“Let's get back to the entrance for now.”

“You! I thought you knew what you were doing!”

“Walk to the entrance now, and we'll talk after.”

“No! Tell me now why I am already hurt.”

“Can't you heal yourself then?”

In response, the [Anima Priest] went silent. She chanted a Prayer to Anima and was quick as good as new.

“Now, come to the entrance.”

She was a bit more cooperative after showing she had forgotten to use her prayers and not being hurt anymore. They walked all toward the entrance. They found Francis locked up in the safe room with Metello's backpack and managed to make him exit it. Everybody gathered under the sunlight. There, Roger addressed the whole group.

“Let's talk for a bit. Perhaps we were a bit hasty with all of this. Francis, why have you fled ?”

The young [Warrior] had not calmed down quite yet. As he stayed silent, Jeffrey answered for him.

“He was frightened, isn't it obvious? If it's his first time in a mine, I can understand it. It has been almost a month since I started hunting here, but I'm still not comfortable with the darkness. And what was that to shout into there? You attracted four monsters at the same time. It is way too much!”

Roger raised his arm to scratch the back of his head. He spread his nose and replied with a guilty face.

“Well. It is my bad for this I guess. It's been five years now that I am hunting in the mines, and it's been a long time too since I went in with a newbie. Sorry. That said, you'll have to get used to it, Francis. Next time, even if you're not fighting, stay with us okay ?”

The childish [Warrior] nodded, his cheeks red with shame. Then, Roger turned to the [Priestess].

“Ianina, haven't you told me you were around level 5 ?”

She corrected him, proudly.

“5,19.”

“OK. However, you freaked out before level three rats, and you didn't use your prayers as a [Priest]! And your mace handling was not good either, you know.”

“That's because the lighting was bad. How can you fight something without seeing it properly ?”

“Did you ever fight monsters ?”

She looked into the [Swordsman]'s eyes with defiance for a few silent seconds.

“No. But that was not the problem. It was a lighting problem.”

“So, you are about level 5 at your age, and you haven't fought any monster? Who are you? Are you a noble ?”

Ianina's face stayed put. Silence stretched under the expectant gaze of everyone before she replied calmly.

“No, I'm not. Even if I were one, that wouldn't matter. I'm a monster hunter, even if I'm a newbie for now.”

“So how have you done to get so many cores to absorb without hunting monsters ?”

She released a breath in defeat.

“OK, you won, I was a noble, and that doesn't matter anymore, as I already said. I can't stand to wait for the disaster to strike without doing anything, so I have to hunt and become stronger to be able to fight the undead horde when it will come. Looking at my first fight, it was a good idea to come here.”

“The disaster? The undead horde? Don't believe these rumors. Our mayor explained there was just a little more hustle at the Saint Walls and that it was a normal thing that happened a few times every century.”

“You heard about the prophecy, haven't you? [Fulgur Saint] Casey had a vision multiple times. A [Nox Apostle] is born about a month ago. That doesn't strike anything to you ?”

"What is an [Apostle]?"

“You are not aware of it...”

Metello thought it was his time to speak. There had been almost nobody to talk to about it until there, and it had been bugging him. Moreover, it was a way to affirm himself as a member of the squad.

“There have been rumors the mayor had denied with his mind-influencing powers. Most of the city folk have no idea of what is going on.”

“What a fool! As if it will help resolve the problem to deny its existence.”

Roger turned to Metello.

“Are you sure of that? You're called Metello, is that it? And what is really happening ?”

Ianina shouted at that, almost angry, not letting the Lux follower reply.

“What is happening ??? It's only the worst event ever in history! A [Apostle] is a unique rank class only four known humans have ever reached, and none of them are alive now. In a few years, it will come for us to spread the Night, chaos, and coldness on the whole Enlightened Lands! Even the last Wall Breach was nothing compared to that!”

“She has more information than I have, but it's the same. I am pretty convinced of all that. I felt the difference in my thoughts when my mentor, a [Priestess], helped me break free of the mayor's powers. He even made me think that I liked the town for some time. Then, I realized he hadn't spoken about the [Apostle]. And, yes, my name is Metello.”

After that, everybody stayed silent for a long minute before Roger asked.

“And all the divine tier hunters couldn't contain it altogether ?”

The young [Priestess] spoke again.

“Most of the high-rank Fulgur followers of the Windless Alliance agree that it is almost impossible. And even if they could beat it, that leaves the rest of humankind to fight an undead horde. That's why I came here. Indeed, I never fought a monster, but I will learn. I have to learn. I only need a squad to come with me.”

Ianina's speech reminded Metello of the hero stories he read. It was a bit as if he had a budding hero before him. Driven by a gut feeling, Metello's voice resounded clumsily too into the cold breeze.

“I want to be strong enough to fight the horde too!”

“Nice! Your parents will be proud of you. Any other ?”

The last saying of Metello had fixed surprised eyes on Jeffrey's face, but it changed again to an awkward expression he shared with the Lux follower. Roger's soft voice was the next to be heard.

“I'm not convinced for now. I'm not sure if you are right with this prophecy. But with such objectives in mind, I'm sure you won't stay in the shallow mine for five years. And if you are right, as you said, it would make my father proud of me. Let's team up for a long time.”

When Jeffrey's time to speak came, he was embarrassed.

“I have my brother and sister to protect. I can't go too far from them. As long as you stay in Ironholes, I'll be glad to be in your squad as I need to get stronger too, but I won't follow you further if you leave the city. I'm sorry.”

"That's OK, Jeff. We don't all have the same responsibilities."

After Roger's kind words, all the eyes went to Francis. The shy childish [Warrior] erupted.

“You are a bunch of silly zombie-brained people! The mayor said the rumor was false! It's all that I need to know. I don't believe some foreign [Priest] and the unfamous black-haired orphan of Ironholes, touched by Nox herself. Open your eyes, you two! Are they more reliable than the mayor ?”

For a few silent seconds, the four other monster hunters looked at him. In their eyes, there was either pity, anger, or incomprehension. Then, the young [Warrior] stood up and walked back to the city. Before disappearing, he shouted his last words.

“Don't say I didn't warn you!”

Roger broke the silence a short time after that, releasing a breath.

“If I were you, I would have been at least angry when called Nox-touched.”

“I'm used to it. I've heard much worse.”

Ianina almost interrupted him.

“Are you really touched by Nox ?”

“No. It's just that...They think black-haired people are all touched by Nox because black is Nox's color. As the only one with black hair in the city, most people don't like me much.”

“Okay. So Ironholes is inhabited by a bunch of uneducated people. That's great. Now, if everybody agrees that we have to grow stronger, let's resume the hunting.”

Metello and Jeffrey watched as the two started bickering once more.

“I think it's better to speak a bit much with one another for now.”

“Why do you speak as if you were the leader ?”

“I'm only expressing my opinion. And we can always go hunting after lunch or even next cycle. It can help with the hunt too to know better what each other can do.”

“I'm starting to understand why you had no squad when I met you.”

“You're making assumptions on what you don't know. I left my old squad by myself some cycles after the lockdown had ended for us because it had been almost five years that we were together, and five years we hunted in the shallow part of the mines because it was safe and we earned enough. Every time I asked them to go into the deep mines, I was told to wait some more cycles. During the lockdown, I had more time to think. I finally understood they would never budge from their comfortable place. Here is my story. Now that you know about me, could you tell us why you came here to hunt when there are mines in the Windless Alliance too?”

“It's none of your business.”

“OK, then, could you tell us what kind of prayers you can use for the squad? It will let us know when you need help and when you can help.”

She took a breath and nodded.

“I have the base Prayer to Anima, which can heal wounds. I have three tier-two prayers too. The first can harden my skin to boost my Body Resistance up to 4,5 for now, the second can regenerate stamina, and the last can cure disease.”

“And weapon-wise ?”

“I'm only level 1 in Mace Handling and Knife Handling.”

“Thanks. And, as you want to fight in melee range, you need to up your weapons handling and your general fight sense. You'll have to take time to practice with your weapons out of hunting.”

“Yes. My objective is to upgrade my class into [Anima Battle Priest] and maybe [Anima Paladin] later. And you ?”

It was a question Metello knew he had to answer for himself at some time. Would he go the divine warrior way and fight monsters with his weapon like [Paladins], or would he stay in a more prayer-centered fighting style like a [Miracle maker] or a [Saint]? He had a lot of time left to decide. He listened to Roger's answer.

“I have a pretty standard build as a [Swordsman] except that I am a dual wielder. I'm progressing toward the [High Swordsman] class. And for you two, I'm just past level 6. Metello, could you tell us about your solo [Acolyte] hunting? It really intrigues me.”

After Metello and Jeffrey talked a bit longer than the others about their lives and their strengths and weaknesses as monster hunters, they were ready to go.