The walk back from Floor 7 was quieter than the descent. Seraphina moved with a measured, heavy clank, her claymore sheathed across her back. Clara followed, her boots making cheerful splish-splat sounds in the puddles she left behind.
"You're a strange one, Clara Green," Seraphina said, not looking back. Her voice was stiff, the pride of a seasoned warrior still stinging from being rescued by a rookie. "A Spellbinder with no party, wandering into a Heat Zone alone. That’s not bravery; it’s a death wish."
Clara laughed, the sound bouncing off the damp cave walls. "Maybe! but if I didn't wander in, you'd be a very expensive suit of charcoal right now!"
Seraphina stopped. She turned, her steel-gray eyes searching Clara’s face. She looked for fear, for trauma, or for a hidden agenda. All she saw was that bright, unyielding smile.
"Why?" Seraphina asked. "Most Bronze ranks would have run the second they smelled the Cinder-Hounds. You stayed. You fought like a Vanguard."
Clara’s smile didn't waver, but her fingers tightened around her wooden staff. Because I know what it’s like to wait for a hero who never comes, she thought. But aloud, she just chirped, "I want to be the best! And the best adventurers don't leave people behind."
The Pact at the Gates
As they stepped through the blue veil and back into the sunlight of Oakhaven, the contrast was jarring. The warm breeze felt like a blessing.
"Listen," Seraphina said as they approached the Guild Hall. "I am a Rank C—Iron. I was supposed to clear Floor 10 today to reach Rank B, but I underestimated the elemental disadvantage. My pride nearly killed me."
She unbuckled a leather pouch from her belt and handed it to Clara. It was filled with high-grade Mana Shards from the hounds. "Take these. It's the bounty for the floor."
Clara pushed the pouch back. "I don't want the shards, Seras. I want a partner."
The Knight froze. "A partner? You’re a Spellbinder who can barely maintain a weapon for five minutes, and I’m... I’m currently without a squad."
"Exactly!" Clara beamed. "You’ve got the armor and the big sword, and I’ve got the water to keep you cool and the magic to patch you up. We’d be unstoppable! We could reach Floor 50 together!"
Seraphina looked at the Bronze Badge on Clara’s hip, then at her own Iron Badge. In the Guild, inter-rank parties were rare. It was seen as "carrying" the weak. But she remembered the way the Hydro-Spear had whistled through the air.
"Floor 50 is a dream for fools, Clara," Seraphina said, but a small, rare smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. She held out her gauntleted hand. "But I suppose I’d rather have a fool who can heal me than a genius who lets me burn. Very well. We are a party."
Registering the Duo
They entered the Guild Hall together. The snickers from earlier died down as the adventurers saw the battered, elite Knight walking side-by-side with the bubbly "Rat-Catcher."
Clara slammed her hand on the counter, her Bronze Badge ringing against the wood. "Excuse me! We’d like to register a party! The name is... The Azure Aegis!"
The receptionist blinked, looking from Clara to the formidable Seraphina. She sighed and pulled out a fresh parchment. "Fine. But be warned, Rank D—if you slow down a Rank C on a Boss Floor, the Guild isn't responsible for the funeral costs."
"Don't worry," Clara said, her lakeside eyes glowing with a new, fierce light. "I’m not planning on slowing down. I’m planning on rising."
Seraphina watched her partner, realizing for the first time that Clara's smile wasn't just a mood—it was a weapon. One that was perhaps even sharper than the water blades she forged
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and then Add to home screen.