"Oh, I remember now, I'm spending the night at the adventure guild," Alex reflects internally.

Seeing that Stella is still sleeping, Alex got up and headed out, leaving her alone to let her rest a little longer. Once Alex made it downstairs, he heard some adventurers discussing the attack from the previous night and the fire that had burned some buildings.

Alex found an empty table and sat down; at that moment, he spotted Faelar coming over. Faelar smiled while holding what looked like a menu, but Alex, still feeling the hunger from last night's battle, did not pay much attention.

"Good morning, Alex, did you sleep well?" Faelar asks, smiling.

"Good morning, Mr. Faelar. I'm alright, just feeling a bit hungry," Alex responds with a faint smile.

"I'm glad I brought this. *smile* Take a moment to review it," Faelar says while stepping out to assist other customers.

As Alex examines the menu, he finds it all tempting but considers his next steps following his visit to Strasmiara: a discussion with Headmaster Brightbeard and his Grandmother. At that moment, he sees Faelar reappearing, pulling him back to the moment as he resumes his search for something to eat.

"Well, what strikes your fancy?" Faelar asks, playfully teasing Alex.

"Ah, I'll give this breakfast item a shot; it's called Farmer's Morning," Alex responds.

"Excellent choice; I'll be right back," Faelar replies as he makes his way to the kitchen.

As Alex eagerly waits for his breakfast, he wonders if Marcus and T'ae are awake and coping after last night's battle.

"ALEX!!!" a familiar voice shouts with excitement.

Just as he was thinking about it, Alex turned to identify who had called him, noticing that T'ae was approaching.

"Good morning!" T'ae grins warmly, spreading a little sunshine around.

"Morning, T'ae," Alex replies with a warm smile.

"So how did you sleep?' T'ae asks with a curious smile.

"I'm doing okay, how about you?" Alex asks curiously.

"I'm good," T'ae smiles.

Suddenly, Faelar entered with Alex's breakfast and set it on the table. Alex noticed the usual eggs and bacon, accompanied by some potatoes. The aroma was incredible, making Alex's mouth water in anticipation of tasting it.

"Here you go, Farmer's morning," Faelar says.

"Thank you," Alex replies.

"I'll have Fisherman Eggs Special," T'ae adds.

"You got it," Faelar says, taking T'ae's order.

Following Faelar's departure, only Alex and T'ae were present. Alex took a bite of his bacon and eggs. The crispness of the bacon, combined with the sauce accompanying the eggs, offered distinct flavors that differed from the typical bacon and eggs he enjoyed on Earth. 

Upon tasting the potatoes, it was clear that the unique seasoning enhanced their flavor. Sampling all three in one bite resulted in an extraordinarily exceptional culinary experience.

"This tastes amazing," Alex says with excitement.

"So, what brings you by to see me?" Alex asks, genuinely curious about what's going on.

"Okay, you caught me. Alex, how would you like to join my party for a Dungeon run?" T'ae asks.

"A Dungeon Run?!" Alex gasps.

"What are Dungeons by the way?" Alex asks.

Dungeons are magical places; the god Xikad created them for adventurers to level up. They're also enchanted; no monster can leave the dungeons, and they have a five-minute reset for another group to challenge them. They are found all over Etheria, if you know where to look," T'ae explains about dungeons.

After hearing about it, Alex thinks it's the same idea as Roleplayers who do dungeon runs with friends or guild members.

"I assume a certain number of players are needed for a dungeon, am I correct?" Alex asks.

"By players, do you mean your party?" T'ae playfully teases Alex about his question, adding a lighthearted spirit to their conversation.

"Yes, I mean party," Alex replies, his cheeks flushing at T'ae's playful teasing.

"A typical party consists usually of five to six members; however, for perilous dungeons, a group of around ten to twenty-five players is more effective," T'ae explains.

"I see, but why ask for me? Is there a reason for it?" Alex asks.

"There is your magic," T'ae responds warmly.

"I don't follow?" Alex adds.

"Let me clarify, a friend of mine and his group went to a dungeon, and I haven't heard from him since. I'm hoping he is alright, and coincidentally, a client has hired my team to explore the same dungeon for reasons unknown. Plus, I figured your magic could assist us a bit," T'ae explains. 

"My Magic," Alex whispers to himself.

Having both Infernus and Lux magic, Alex is confident that his Lux magic will triumph. Furthermore, his rank will rise if he collaborates with them in the dungeons. After finishing his meal, he looks back at T'ae.

"What is the name of the dungeon we're going to?" Alex inquires.

"The Dishonored Priest Dungeon," T'ae answers.

Alex shot T'ae a look that said, "Really, that's the dungeon's name?" However, there's nothing to be done about it. He placed some copper coins on the table and stood up.

"Can you give me a few minutes?" Alex asks.

T'ae's face is excited as he stands and takes Alex's hands.

"Yes, you have time. I need to prepare for my party, so let's meet at the top of the cliff in one hour," T'ae replies.

"Sounds good," Alex replies with a smile.

As T'ae headed out, Alex went to find Stella and check if Marcus was still around. When he reached the second floor, he looked for any sign of Marcus but couldn't locate him. So, Alex decided to return to Stella in his room instead.

"Good morning, Master," Stella smiles.

"Good morning, Stella. Let's get ready," Alex replies.

"Oh, where are we headed?" Stella inquires.

"We're going on a dungeon run with T'ae," Alex answers.

"Oh, this will be tough since it's your first time," Stella says, worried about Alex's survival.

"So I'll be going with you," Stella adds.

Before Alex could inquire about the methodology, she unexpectedly entered his shadow and disappeared. Alex was astonished and bewildered to witness this novel trick unfold.

"Okay, that works," Alex says as he heads out.

After an hour, Alex made his way up the cliffside towards the meeting place designated by T'ae. He spotted a wagon with horse-like creatures and other adventurers at the summit. They adorned crimson bands on their biceps, each displaying a symbol of a rose above a small dagger.

"Alex!" T'ae calls out with a friendly wave of his arm,

"You made it," T'ae adds, smiling.

Alex sees the same symbol on his cape, and it's easier to see than what's on the bicep bands. Alex notices the other two who are packing up the wagon; one in the wagon is a dwarf wearing armor that looks like he is ready for war. The second one, handing stuff to the dwarf, is a human wearing robes that appear more religious overall.

"Are they part of your party?" Alex asks.

"Yes, my party is named The Knight of the Crimson Rose," T'ae proudly replies.

"Knight of the Crimson Rose, that's a fitting name," Alex says.

"So this is the wizard that will join us," the dwarf says.

"Yes, he is," T'ae replies.

"My name is Ironfrost. I'm one of the best tanks in The Knight of the Crimson Rose," Ironfrost says.

"Good to hear. Thanks for having me," Alex replies.

"No problem. My name is Brother John. I'm a priest from the Holy Oak," Brother John shares warmly, his smile radiating kindness.

"The Holy Oak, is that the church?" Alex asks.

"Yes, that's where we, priests, worship the gods as they bless us and aid in healing our injuries," Brother John answers.

"If you're done talking, let's head out!" Ironfrost shouts.

"Oh, right," Alex says.

As Alex loaded his belongings into the wagon and set off, he gazed around, taking in the scenery for the first time on their journey through Etheria.

Nearly two days have passed, and Alex sees the area looking rather more decayed than it did before arriving; this place feels like a plague that has arrived.

"So about the dungeon?" Alex asks, worried about the scenery.

"Yes, dungeons have fifteen floors, each 5th floor featuring a named monster. These named monsters provide a challenge for adventurers and drop exceptional items for us adventurers," T'ae explains about the dungeons' interior.

"Sounds tough," Alex says.

Arriving at a rundown town, Alex sees it resembles a ghost town. Suddenly, Alex feels something from afar: a dark, eerie magic, a sense of death lingering all around. This intensifies as Alex notices the Knights of the Crimson Rose heading toward a church-like fortress.

"I-is that it?" Alex asks, feeling uneasy.

"Yes, this is it, The Dishonored Priest Dungeon," T'ae answers.

In Alex's point of view, he imagines dungeons to be in caves, like in the roleplaying games he's seen, but seeing it out in the open like this will be interesting. I wonder what will happen once they go through.

"Griffin, what a surprise," says a familiar voice.

Alex looks over toward the voice and sees a friend from college, his vampire classmate.

"Xenos!" Alex Gasps.

"Oh, you know him?" T'ae asks.

"Yeah, we go to the same college, but what are you doing here?" Alex says.

Xenos brings out a sheet of parchment, which shows the job request and who is doing the job.

"I'm the one who asked the Knight of the Crimson Rose to go to this dungeon; I'm after Blight Water," Xenos replies.

"Their mission is just a coincidence on both ends," Xenos adds.

"And his joining us will be our fifth party member to enter here," T'ae says with a bright smile.

"Everyone, get ready, we will be entering soon," T'ae adds.

Watching everyone gather what they need for this dungeon, Alex feels both nervous and excited about entering a dungeon in person. T'ae stands before his party, proud to have this group of people.

"Everyone, thank you for helping me find my friend who might be trapped within this place," T'ae says as he bows, showing his gratitude.

Alex and the others smiled, and once they got up from their seats, all ready to venture forth, T'ae looked at the group's casters.

"Brother John, Xenos, and Alex, cast your spells using Quick Cast. I know some of you might not like it, but it's what we'll need here," T'ae explains to the caster's part in the dungeon runs.

Alex and the other nod, agreeing that what they'll need to do to survive this place is once T'ea turns around and touches the door. A strange vortex began to appear, like a portal, seeing Xenos, Ironfrost, and Brother John walk right through like no problem.

"It'll be okay, we can do this," T'ae says, comforting Alex.

"Alright, let's go," Alex replies, slapping his face to get him out of his fright.

As Alex and T'ae enter, he is eager to explore what his first dungeon experience will entail, especially with a party accompanying him.