《The Cabin Is Always Hungry (A Dungeon Core Horror Slasher)》 Arc 1 | Nightmare Suburbia (Part 1) THE CABIN IS ALWAYS HUNGRY
NIGHTMARE SUBURBIA Part 1 The darkness stirred, and I called out. I couldn¡¯t remember how I died¡ªonly the pain that almost caused me to black out and the confusion that followed. The darkness awaited me; it was all I had ever known since I awoke. It was constantly stirring, silent, and unbroken¡ªan expanse of infinite horizons. I called out nonetheless, hoping for someone to answer back. How long had I waited? Weeks? Months? Decades? Without sight. Without hearing. Without feeling. It¡¯s all too much to take. Hard enough to imagine that this must be the afterlife and that I must be dead. I hadn¡¯t eaten anything for a long time, and still, I breathed the same; I felt the pulse under my jaw, on my wrist. I¡¯m still alive. Barely. I wouldn¡¯t call this living. I looked down at my body. I was still wearing my school clothes¡ªa white T-shirt, a brown jacket, dark blue jeans, and black shoes. I could even spot the stain of the burrito I ate during lunch, the spilled coffee stains on the hem of my pants, when night came¡­when the alley beckoned¡­when the truck swerved up the curb¡­.and the door opened¡­and¡­ A sharp pain wormed from the center of my forehead, radiating to the back of my skull and down the spine. I didn¡¯t want to think about how I died anymore. I was there, and now I¡¯m here. Yet my new existence was impossible. I should be dead a long time ago from hunger. From thirst. I bit my tongue and bled and bled and bled, but it regrew the next day. All the blood drenching my shirt dissipated. I reckoned I must be dreaming. No, I was trapped in a nightmare. A coma? Was I stuck between life and death? I imagined laying on a hospital bed for months while my family and friends visited me. Did I even have visitors? I couldn¡¯t hear them in the darkness¡ªtheir sobs and conversations. I had read somewhere that coma patients were still aware of their surroundings. Only the darkness kept me company. Always the darkness. No reassuring voice from my mother. No hushed whispers from my friends or the hums drips, and beeps of machinery that kept me alive. Nothing. I had never been a religious man, all dressed in my Sunday best. I went only to church twice in my life (the first was for my baptism, and my grandmother dragged me to the second). Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have shunted it away. Maybe then Heaven might be real, and this was Hell. Maybe Purgatory? I hoped I¡¯d run into another soul trapped like me if I walked far enough. I didn¡¯t find anyone. I prayed. That never worked. I cursed and screamed. That didn¡¯t work, either. I bargained, but no one took it. So, I waited. And waited. And waited. I was a lonely flame in the darkness, and I had forever. Until someone blew out the light and saw everything.
Standing at the glade¡¯s edge, I saw my own naked corpse lying on the ground, a grotesque semblance of its humanity. My eyes were hollow, the organs floating inside a jar stained red, sitting north. My ears were sheared off, floating inside their own jar to the east. The tongue got ripped out, entombed in another jar to the south. And the nose was torn off, again in a jar to the west. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Etched upon the damp earth were the painted glyphs of some demonic ritual. Candles illuminated the dark forest. The air hung heavy with the acrid scent of death, urine, and feces as the moon¡¯s pale glow seeped through the gnarled branches overhead. The night was a mere inky backdrop against which the ritual symbols danced in vibrant defiance. Around my body were seven figures¡ªFour men and three women. For a bunch of demon-worshipping killers, I didn¡¯t expect them to be like some upstate suburban parents in a midlife crisis, off to see their kid at a football game. No robes. Just a bunch of puff jackets, khakis, and basic tees. The two men crouched beside my body had just finished slicing through the torso and abdomen, disemboweling it, while the others chanted a strange language I had never heard before. I screamed. I wanted to tear them apart but could not move a muscle against them. I couldn¡¯t raise my arms to strike them down. ¡°Stop!¡± I howled, my voice cracking with desperation. ¡°Stop! Stop! Stop!¡± But my empty pleas resounded through the air, and the merciless butchery persisted. They couldn¡¯t hear me. They weren¡¯t even aware I was there standing amongst them. The knives continued their relentless dance, slicing deeper, extracting the heart from the ribcage. The gruesome trophy raised triumphantly, a perverse exhibition that made their chants louder. I¡¯m dead. Dead. DEAD! Panic clawed at my sanity as I scanned my surroundings, desperately searching for a way out of this waking nightmare. I stumbled into the dark woods, every step taking me farther yet inexplicably leading me back to the glade. The maddening loop of my torment played out endlessly, mocking my feeble attempts to elude the horrors unfolding before my eyes. Unable to bear it any longer, I put my hands to my ears, a futile attempt to block out the sickening symphony behind me. The wet and hard schlick-schlick of the garden shears opening up my ribcage to plunder the remaining organs assaulted my senses. This is a nightmare, I thought, a twisted figment of my tortured mind. I resorted to desperate measures, pinching my own flesh, breaking an arm, and crashing my skull against the trunk of a nearby tree. But no amount of pain could stop the horror, unyielding and all-consuming. They were at it for about an hour when the youngest woman of the group, long blonde hair tied into a ponytail, looking more annoyed that it was taking too long, marched toward the two men and handed them an odd-looking stone. She and the second man desecrating my corpse returned to form a circle around the man who pried my heart out. I pegged him to be the leader. The Leader walked and stood by the northern end, right underneath the jar where my eyes floated, raising the translucent gem high in the air. They recited another long chant. I stood up from where I hid. My legs and feet had a mind of their own, and I found myself walking toward the gem like a moth to a flame. As I stumbled forward, the world infinitely became smaller, suffocating, seemingly blurring into a tapestry of haze. I didn¡¯t like it. The air clung to my skin, heavy with an unspoken tension that prickled at the edges of my consciousness. Run. Run. Run, you idiot. Get the fuck out of here! But there was nowhere to go¡ªonly the dark gathering in the periphery, waiting hungrily. I could see the Leader¡¯s features more clearly now that I was closer to the bonfire. He almost looked like¡­ ¡­A name. I remembered a name. Coach Hodge. Justin Hodge. My high school¡¯s football coach. ¡°What are you doing walking alone in the middle of the night, Marky?¡± Coach Hodge asked me once, a truck parked by the curb, window rolled open. I couldn¡¯t remember when this memory occurred. I couldn¡¯t remember why I was walking home alone in the first place. ¡°Do your parents know you¡¯re out?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell them!¡± I remembered saying. ¡°Um, they¡­they don¡¯t know. Please. I live a few blocks from here, coach. I¡¯ll get right home.¡± ¡°Come on, kid. Get in. I¡¯ll give you a ride, at least.¡± I hesitated. ¡°It¡¯s just close by. I don¡¯t want to bother you.¡± ¡°Nonsense. You still got a mile to go. And I can smell vodka from here. Get in. I¡¯ll get you home before your folks notice you¡¯re gone, maybe get the stench of alcohol off you.¡± ¡°Okay. Um, thanks, coach.¡± ¡°No problem, kid. Now, what¡¯s the address again?¡± I didn¡¯t remember anything after that. All messy and hazy. Radiohead blaring on the radio. Wrong street, wheels turning somewhere else. ¡°You made the wrong turn, coach.¡± A blue handkerchief over my nose and mouth. I kicked and tried to scream. The darkness seeped in. My heart pounded against my chest, clenching my fists to the side as the trees seemed to close on me. I couldn¡¯t contain the tears any longer. Every nerve ending crackled with searing energy, propelling me to tear Coach Hodge¡¯s throat out. No. A voice. Distant. Hollow. The gem. Touch the gem. At first glance, the gem appeared unassuming, its size no larger than my fist. Its smooth and polished surface betrayed no hint of what it contained. Yet, upon closer inspection, tiny cracks meandered across the gem, like spiderwebs spun by invisible hands. A chaotic dance of colors played out within its crystalline core¡ªan intricate kaleidoscope of shades, as if the gem held glass threads to keep itself together, glowing brighter and brighter as I drew near. A burst of crimson energy leaped from the gem¡¯s surface, forging an electric connection with my outstretched fingertip. My flesh remained unscathed, but an otherworldly sensation permeated the rest of my body. Coach Hodge seemed ignorant of the vortex of colors emanating from the gem. To him, it was nothing more than a rock devoid of the energy I now watched grow outward, enveloping me. My rational part screamed for me to flee, to escape the clutches of this magnetic force. Yet, an inexplicable compulsion compelled me forward, rendering me powerless against the gem¡¯s allure. The welling pit in my stomach grew, a bottomless chasm threatening to devour every rational thought. Touch. Yes. Grasp the gem. Go on. Determined, my fingers closed tightly around the strange gem, knuckles turning white under the strain. A sinister thrill coursed through my veins, mingling with a primal fear that refused to be silenced. I thought, No, Mark. Let go. LET GO! Yet I willingly embraced the beckoning abyss, surrendering to the tantalizing unknown that awaited beyond the boundaries of the glade, gradually creeping in to consume me. Arc 1 | Nightmare Suburbia (Part 2) NIGHTMARE SUBURBIA Part 2 There is a perfect understanding when a being is confined to the boundaries of the known world, where things are merely explained in theories proven to be closer to the truth. When the universe seems to fit, it calls to your connection to it, embracing its vibrant symphony, weird intricacies, and the unknowable of Mother Nature. You are alive, and this is the mundane menagerie of your existence. Accept it. I lost a part of that for something¡­more. Something I couldn¡¯t explain. I could see. Not just confined through my own eyes, but as if I grew new ones behind my skull. Suddenly, I possessed a strange sight that transcended my physical form, peering through the foliage of trees, burrowing deep beneath the soil, soaring within the clouds, and even permeating the very air I breathed. My senses became heightened, tasting the essence of everything around me, hearing even the faintest whispers, inhaling the subtle variation of nature¡¯s scents, and feeling an intimate connection with every living being around me. It was addicting. Invigorating. Powerful. I feared it. I peered from above the glade. Whatever form I projected to interact with the physical world disappeared. Was this what death felt like? I could fly! Not just that, but I was also standing on the ground. Pulling higher, I was in the middle of McLaren Forest; a gentle breeze rustled the leaves below, almost peaceful except for the horror awaiting under the canopy. Over the horizon, six or maybe seven miles, was Point Hope, the town I grew up in for more than eighteen years of my former life; the lights faint under the witching hour. Without a watch, I could still tell the exact time; 3:34 AM. From the glade, an off-beaten trail meandered towards a narrow dirt road flanked by three parked vehicles on the shoulder eagerly awaiting their occupants¡ªthe men and women who murdered Mark Castle. Coach Hodge¡¯s sudden cursing brought me back to the ground. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Hodge stared at the gemstone, dumbfounded. I stared back at him, not from where I stood but from the stone itself. Coach Hodge carried me as if I was an object. Looking down, my entire body was gone. I was the gem. At first, I thought Coach Hodge recognized me as the stone, but it didn¡¯t seem like it. ¡°Uh, coach? Is something supposed to happen?¡± The young woman with the blonde ponytail. I recognized Jenna Batten, a popular real estate agent in the area. Mom bought their new house from her when we moved across town for something more upper-middle-class suburban and less ¡°other side of the tracks.¡± Hodge kept staring at the gemstone as if looking at it harder could discern what was wrong with it. ¡°It should have worked.¡± He turned to the second man, who aided him with gutting my body. ¡°Dave, did you fucking get the goat I asked for?¡± ¡°I did!¡± Dave squeaked. ¡°I made sure and talked to the butcher, Hodge.¡± Hodge picked up a goblet I did not see from the pointed pyramidal glyph near the southern end and took a whiff. ¡°This better be Saanen goat, Dave, or I swear if you get me another pygmy like last time¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªI swear! It¡¯s the goat. Seen it drained myself.¡± ¡°Oh my god, this is Portland all over again,¡± another woman sighed, massaging her temples as she sat on a log. She was a few years older than Jenna, with dark skin with curly black hair tied into a bun. She looked familiar, but she might be another townie like the others. Hodge shook his head. ¡°No, this is not another Portland, Maxine, because we¡¯ll fix it.¡± ¡°Oh? Like you did the last time?¡± Maxine asked. ¡°How did that turn out for the rest of us?¡± ¡°Coach, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jenna asked again. Out of the others, she seemed new to the group, almost lost. She held tight to her jacket and was the only member who refused to look at my disemboweled corpse, pretending it wasn¡¯t there. ¡°This is what¡¯s wrong.¡± Hodge threw the rock to the ground. I felt its impact on the damp Earth and thought it would break me into million pieces. I remained intact, fortunately. ¡°Fuck. We wasted it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t have another delay, Justin,¡± another woman from the circle said. ¡°You promised us it would be tonight. We covered for you when this Castle kid went missing, and now¡ª¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Hodge heaved a sigh. ¡°I know, Becca. I¡¯m aware. We¡¯ve got important shit coming up.¡± My heart sank. Becca? As in Deputy Rebecca Torres? With my many eyes drifting in the wind, I leaned forward to take a better look. Yes. Definitely her. ¡°So, that¡¯s it? The ritual¡¯s a dud?¡± A heavy-set man in his fifties leaned against the trunk of a nearby tree. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, Hodge, we killed that kid for nothing.¡± I recognized the voice immediately: Kirk Gamble, my English teacher. Probably the only adult in school I had a good relationship with. I took all the English electives Mr. Gamble taught each semester (he never repeated a course every other year) just because I liked the guy, an uncle I never had. And Mr. Gamble watched while Coach Hodge and another stranger butchered one of his students. I almost burst into tears again. ¡°Blame Dave, Kirk,¡± Maxine huffed. ¡°It¡¯s not me. I swear! I have the receipts in my car if y¡¯all ungrateful motherfuckers keep accusing me all night.¡± ¡°Quit yapping, Dave,¡± Hodge spat. ¡°I¡¯m trying to think.¡± ¡°It¡¯s getting late,¡± Maxine said. ¡°I said I¡¯m thinking!¡± Hodge shouted. A pause. ¡°Fuck!¡± Rebecca stepped forward. She had enough. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re going to bury the body as clean and as fast as possible. Leave this glade like we¡¯re never here. The rest of you burn the clothes you wear. Don¡¯t just dump it in the trash and forget about it.¡± Maxine rolled her eyes. ¡°I just fucking bought these,¡± she muttered. Rebecca ignored her comment. ¡°And make sure you scrub your shoes clean. If you want to burn it, too, that¡¯s fine. You got that, Max?¡± Maxine gave her a thumbs-up before turning it into the middle finger. Rebecca turned to Hodge. ¡°What about you, Hodge?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°It¡¯s over, right? The ritual didn¡¯t work?¡± Hodge glared at Dave again before regarding the gem in his hand. ¡°Yeah. Didn¡¯t work.¡± Rebecca nodded. ¡°Okay. We all know the drill, so get to it. That also means you, Jenna. Get the tarp over there. That¡¯s it. Bring it over to me and help me with the legs. Don¡¯t think about the blood. I don¡¯t want to clean up your puke. That¡¯s evidence.¡± They were surprisingly efficient, taking down the candles into black plastic bags, shoving the trinkets they splayed on the ground around the glyphs, and burying the rest (anything to do with me) inside a body bag. It was clearly not their first time, and I shuddered from the horrible thought of how many people they had killed for their past rituals. As they got to work, I quickly realized what this ritual was for. Money. Everything was about money, as always. The typical making-a-deal-with-the-devil sort of situation. Jenna wanted success in her real estate business. Rebecca wanted to become Point Hope¡¯s new sheriff. Coach Hodge wanted the state championships for the football team and a contract to coach the big leagues in college. Dave wanted a promotion from his job in a law firm. As for Mr. Gamble, well, he just wanted to get rich. Same as Maxine. Kirk recently went through a divorce, and he wanted a ton of fuck-you money after his wife cleaned him out. Maxine wanted as much success as possible with her multiple business ventures as an influencer for wine and organic produce. She owned a vineyard near town. Alvin Jones, the seventh figure in the clearing, was a complete enigma. He was a towering man of about six-foot-six, pale and muscle-bound, looking like he could rip someone¡¯s head off with one punch. Like Jenna, Alvin was also new to the group, but Hodge already warmed up to him more than the young woman. Alvin quickly picked up my corpse, and though the others were a bit more chit-chatty, letting it know how disappointed they were that the ritual did not work, the tall man said nothing, even when Mr. Gamble asked him what he would miss out until they found a suitable replacement. It would take weeks, maybe months, of scouting for the right essence: young and with an amplified soul, whatever that meant. From what I could glean from various conversations, an amplified soul was a random universal fluke. You either chanced upon it or didn¡¯t. They just got lucky they had one on their back door¡ªme. I clenched his phantom fist harder. All those years hanging out with Mr. Gamble was all an act. The stories we told each other that we bonded over were never real. All in the name of scouting my soul for this moment. I watched as they rolled my corpse like a fucking burrito around a tarp, and then they marched deeper into the woods where they buried me. At some point, Kirk picked the gem up. After burying me in a shallow grave, they marched back to their vehicles in silence. They only had a couple of hours left before dawn. ¡°Hey, wait a minute. What do we do with this?¡± Kirk asked, raising the gemstone in his hand. ¡°Get rid of it. It¡¯s tainted,¡± Hodge said. I stiffened. Don¡¯t throw me away. I didn¡¯t know what would happen if I were alone in the woods. ¡°Just like that? We¡¯ll just throw it away? Do you know how much this cost? I shelled out three grand for this.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Kirk. Do you know more about this stuff than I do?¡± Kirk gritted his teeth. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I got the book, dumbass. I¡¯ve been at this for three years, and you didn¡¯t complain when I got you fucking tenured last summer. That gem¡¯s gonna fuck us up the next time we use it. You better find something else. I know what works.¡± ¡°Apparently not this one,¡± Kirk mumbled. Hodge glared. ¡°What? I didn¡¯t hear you quite clearly, Kirk. Can you repeat that?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°No, I know you fucking said something.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything, Hodge! Jesus Christ!¡± He threw the gemstone on the ground, marched to his Toyota, and climbed behind the wheel. Rebecca stepped in. ¡°Guys, guys! I¡¯ve had enough of this shit. Can we not argue and go home already?¡± Maxine crossed her arms. ¡°How long until the next one, Hodge?¡± Jenna nodded. ¡°Yeah. I have a big client coming up in a couple of weeks. I need them to sign on purchasing a vineyard, Justin. I literally mean it when millions are on the line. It¡¯s my biggest sale yet, and I don¡¯t want anything to mess it up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you all know.¡± Hodge sulked and entered his Ford truck. The same truck that I climbed into before everything went black. ¡°But can you do it in two weeks?¡± Jenna asked again, stifling her urgency. ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m tired. Do you want to scout another kid?¡± Jenna held her tongue. ¡°Yeah. Neither do I, but since everyone thinks I¡¯m the one that should do it, you¡¯re gonna have to wait. And Dave, Pick that thing up.¡± He pointed at the gem. ¡°You know what to do with it. As for me, I¡¯m getting the fuck out of here and going back to sleep. I have football practice early in the morning.¡± Dave sighed and picked the gem up. He was about to walk over to the Range Rover when Hodge drove away. ¡°Hodge! You¡¯re my ride, man!¡± Dave shouted, but Hodge¡¯s taillights vanished when he rounded a corner. Maxine climbed behind into Kirk¡¯s Toyota with Rebecca and Jenna, but clearly, there wasn¡¯t any room for Dave. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a ride,¡± Alvin said, gesturing to his beat-up sedan. Unlike the others, Alvin didn¡¯t quite fit the suburban mold the others seemed to proudly wear like a second skin. He wore a leather jacket and black cargo pants. And he wore actual hiking boots for the occasion. While I was in Dave¡¯s palm, I could sense the man¡¯s hesitation. Maxine shot him an apologetic look before Kirk turned on the ignition and drove away. Dave let out a breath. ¡°Um, do you know where I live?¡± Alvin nodded. ¡°Hop in.¡± Dave shoved me¡ªthe gemstone¡ªinside his stinking backpack and climbed into the car. Arc 1 | Nightmare Suburbia (Part 3) NIGHTMARE SUBURBIA Part 3 As the beat-up sedan rumbled away from the forest, I realized I was tethered to that cursed gem. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn¡¯t escape its grasp. I was like a hapless kite tied to the sedan¡¯s roof, helplessly watching the world whiz by, mocking my attempts to flee. Each time I dared to venture beyond its boundaries, which was around a mile radius, I found myself back inside the car, forced to endure the excruciating small talk between Alvin and Dave about jobs, sports, and whatever the hell Dave thought would be an excellent conversation to drown out the silence. I did learn one thing. Apparently, they had been recruited into Hodge¡¯s little demonic cult for a few months now. However, that didn¡¯t tell me how Hodge learned such things in the first place. We drove past the sign: WELCOME TO POINT HOPE, OREGON. POPULATION: 43,556. Below it (with a couple of bullet holes), read: HOME OF FINE GRAPES! DRIVE SLOW! A few vineyards flitted past my peripheral vision as we delved deeper into the town proper. Though my memories were hazy, I remembered eating with my friends at the old pizzeria and dinner theater every third Thursday of the month like a ritual. Where my family would eat breakfast every Sunday at a mom and pops waffles restaurant with the best french toast in the state near the park. Where my cousin had a beautiful wedding by the gazebo. I remember everyone made a big deal about a family of geese moving into town. Eerily, there was not a soul in sight. Downtown was always busy, even for a mid-sized town like Point Hope. Alvin parked the car in front of Dave¡¯s two-story ranch house, nestled at the northeast edge of town. My friends and I called it Green Hill because it was where most of the town¡¯s wealthy residents with daddy issues resided, overlooking most of the city on top of a literal hill. Dave stepped out of the car, retrieved his bag from the backseat, and attempted a half-hearted display of gratitude. ¡°Thanks, Alvin. I guess I¡¯ll see you around?¡± Alvin merely nodded. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Dave grinned and replied, ¡°Or should I say, good morning?¡± Alvin didn¡¯t laugh. He pushed the button from his side, rolling the window up before driving away, leaving Dave dumbfounded. Dave dropped his smile. ¡°Asshole.¡± He walked toward the front door and entered the house. The first thing Dave did when he entered the house was casually strolling into the bathroom, humming an Eminem song, strip everything he wore, and dumping them inside a black plastic bag. He then hopped into the shower, stayed there for almost an hour scrubbing every inch of his flesh, rinsing his hair and body with shampoo and men¡¯s body wash three times, and even cleaned his fingernails with a toothpick. Despite the circumstances, he displayed no signs of urgency¡ªjust another routine he had done many times. Then, Dave entered the basement and dumped the plastic bag into the incinerator. Only a few houses now have these, but I reckoned that Dave built it for this special occasion. How long had Dave and Hodge sacrificed people for their greed? Hodge mentioned it had been three years. How many bodies did they go through to get Dave this lovely house? A well-paying job? This prominent reputation in the community, living in the affluent side of town? When I passed by the hallway earlier, I noticed a portrait of Dave¡¯s good-looking family. A beautiful wife. Two kids. One boy. One girl. I instantly recognized Xavier Yates, a junior from McLaren High who played baseball and mostly kept hanging out with the douche canoe squad. The girl must be Vivian. Sometimes, I¡¯d often see her in the library, and she mainly kept to herself, unlike her brother. I didn¡¯t even know that Dave was their father, and I wondered if Dave¡¯s family knew that all of this money came from the children he killed. Using my many-eyes, I floated through the walls and headed to the house¡¯s second floor. The children were sleeping in their respective bedrooms. Xavier was a loud snorer, and Vivian had those whale sounds reverberating from the portable speakers at the end table. Hm. Heavy sleepers, I thought. They never woke up while their father tried to get rid of the evidence of my murder. I couldn¡¯t find his wife anywhere. The master bedroom looked unslept. Suddenly, I felt Dave fish me out of the backpack, contemplating whether to throw me in the incinerator. Shit. In a split second, I snapped back my consciousness into the basement, into the stone. I desperately tried to find a way out but couldn¡¯t move. I was just a dumb, stupid rock stuck at the mercy of a fucking killer. I couldn¡¯t even shout for help or for him to stop. I tried running through Dave with my floating consciousness. Maybe I could possess him? But it just gave me a fucking massive headache, and I never wanted to do that again. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Dave felt nothing. Not a flutter in the wind or sensed a presence in the basement; the way his hair rose at the nape of his neck when he sensed he was being watched¡ªnone of that. Dave strode toward the incinerator, ready to throw me inside. That¡¯s when I noticed a slight shimmer at the bottom left corner of my vision. I focused on the glow, and everything around me suddenly slowed into a nanosecond crawl. The shimmer expanded.
CORE
DUNGEONS (inaccessible)
MONSTERS (inaccessible)
TRAPS (inaccessible)
A prompt. What the hell is this? There was no doubt about it. A prompt. Like a menu from a video game? I was stunned momentarily, trying to wrap my head around this new development. Yes. It was exactly like a game. What the fuck am I? Am I in a simulation? I tried clawing my eyes and prying the device off my head, but I felt nothing. Only the core was accessible to me, and it took a moment to learn that if I focused on the word again, I could click it and drop more information about the tab.
[CORE - Mark Castle]
Rank: Z (???) Power (current: 5/5)
Defenses
Heat Surge I: Heat your body and protect yourself. Perfect opportunity for a distraction or an escape. Duration: 6 seconds.
Offenses
Mind Shock I: Stun your enemies with a static zap. Duration: 6 seconds. Telekinesis I: Move an object or a creature more than ten feet in a three-dimensional space. Duration: 6 seconds.
Movement
Levitate I: Move your core no more than ten feet off the ground, allowing you to move horizontally or vertically for the duration. Duration: 10 minutes.
I realized these were my abilities exerted through the gem, but I had no idea how to access them. Come on, come on! Concentrate! Time around me gradually began to speed up again, and I was running out of time. I focused on [Heat Surge], straining my mind against those two words, compelling them to work, and willing the gem to heat up. I quickly noticed the Power prompt near the upper tab and how I currently had five. Maybe if I¡ª Once I drew a mental link between Power and [Heat Surge], Dave suddenly yelped. ¡°Shit!¡± I fell to the ground, skidded, and rolled under an old couch. [Power: 4/5] Dave clutched his hand, mouth agape, and stared at the couch. ¡°¡­the fuck?¡± I can¡¯t believe that worked! I wanted to holler. I saw my Power go down by one, which meant using one of the abilities would drain it. I had four left. Dave¡¯s heart raced as he approached the couch, his footsteps slow and deliberate. He bent down, lowering himself to a crouch, and cautiously angled his head to peer into the darkness underneath, which hid me from his line of sight. As his eyes strained to adjust, confusion danced across his face. His brows furrowed, questioning whether what he felt was a figment of his imagination. Shaking his head, his fingers reached into the darkness, searching for any trace of my presence, desperate to grasp my body. He hesitated briefly as if bracing for the searing heat again. He was getting closer. I lashed out with [Telekinesis]. Like a phantom gust of wind, it surged from within the gem, rippling through the air with an electric charge. The force collided with Dave¡¯s outstretched hand, propelling him backward with unexpected ferocity. It sent Dave hurtling across the room, his body flailing. The force of the blow jolted him off his feet, his back crashing against the lally column ten feet away from the couch and almost tipped over the industrial storage cabinet behind him. Dave groaned in pain, struggling to regain his breath. He stood up, wobbling unsteadily on his feet, and stumbled over to an old table where he had left his phone. He cautiously glanced over the couch, making sure not to go near it. Then, he grabbed his cell phone and dialed Hodge¡¯s number. Hodge didn¡¯t pick up after a few rings, and it went straight to voicemail. ¡°Hodge, call me back. Something¡¯s fucking wrong with the gem, man. You gotta get to my house. Now. I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± He ended the voicemail. His eyes darted from the couch to the stairs. Was I still here? He probably wondered. He had to get closer to the couch to get to the stairs. I was reeling for a way out myself. Obviously, I shouldn¡¯t let him up the stairs. Who knows what he had up there he could use against me? Some demonic spell to contain me? To destroy me? I didn¡¯t know how capable David Yates was of magic, but I didn¡¯t want to find out. I only got three Powers left. He slowly walked toward the couch, fearing that if he made any sudden moves, it would trigger my telekinesis. He crept forward, careful not to make a sound, until he was only inches away from the stairs. With a sudden burst of speed, he ran up the steps, heart pounding, taking them two at a time. The basement door was wide open, and he reached out. The door! I grasped [Telekinesis] again and slammed the door shut just as Dave reached the upper landing and halfway through the door frame, striking him square in the face. With a strangled yelp, Dave clutched his broken nose and stepped back. I still had a few seconds left with [Telekinesis], and I pulled his shirt down toward me. He felt his body tilting dangerously over the edge, and he tried to correct it, but his right foot missed the fist step entirely and slipped. His arms flailed in a futile attempt to regain control, but it was too late. The world around him became a blur as gravity yanked his stumbling form. Dave tumbled down the stairs, the clash of flesh against wood reverberating through the confined basement. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud! Then silence, broken only by Dave¡¯s ragged breaths as he lay on his back, crumpled at the bottom of the stairs before passing out. Arc 1 | Nightmare Suburbia (Part 4) NIGHTMARE SUBURBIA Part 4 Blood trickled down Dave¡¯s cheek and splattered onto his shirt. Blood soaked his hair from the gash where he smashed his face as he tumbled down the steps. His right leg bent in an odd direction. My vision blurred. I couldn¡¯t believe I had done this. I might have given him a concussion, but Dave was still alive. Barely. His phone lay three feet to the right; Its shattered screen mirrored the damage I had inflicted. It still worked. Someone texted him. ASHLEY (Wife, answer!): Flight got delayed by 1 hour. I¡¯ll be home a little late. Don¡¯t pick me up at the airport. I¡¯ll take an Uber. Love you. I didn¡¯t know how long I stood there, staring at Dave¡¯s unconscious body, still numbed from what I had done and what I was capable of. My stomach suddenly growled. I was so hungry. The feeling came out of nowhere, but it was all I could think about as I stared at Dave. I must have been too distracted by all that had transpired. Everything was happening so fast. Did the gem require nourishment? Do rocks even need one? How would I eat? These thoughts swirled in my mind while I stood there motionless. I decided to use my powers. Maybe I could figure out more about my abilities if I used them. But first, I needed some food. And water. My thirst was becoming unbearable. But the other three tabs were still inaccessible, and I wondered what they meant about Dungeons, Monsters, and Traps. From the words alone, they didn¡¯t paint a pretty picture. If I could move people and objects around and levitate, I shuddered to imagine what was behind the Monsters tab. The sudden jolt of the water pipes pulled me out of my thoughts. The children were awake, getting ready for school. An hour after I knocked Dave unconscious, Xavier and Vivian prepared their breakfast in the kitchen. I spied with my many-eyes like a fly on the wall. ¡°Hey, Viv. Did you hear Dad come home last night?¡± Xavier asked, taking a bite out of his toast. Vivian wiped her mouth with a napkin and nodded. ¡°Yeah, I think so?¡± ¡°When?¡± She shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It was late.¡± Xavier nodded. His eyes darted to the ceiling before he walked out of the kitchen, went up the stairs, and checked his parents¡¯ bedroom. He found it empty, just like I did. With a sigh, he went back to the kitchen. ¡°Dad¡¯s not home,¡± Xavier said. ¡°Maybe he went to pick up Mom. Isn¡¯t she due back from the conference today?¡± Xavier nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Something¡¯s bugging me.¡± Suddenly, Xavier looked in my direction. I froze. I thought he could see me for a second until he shook his head and finished his breakfast. ¡°Well, since he¡¯s not here, I¡¯m driving us to school,¡± Xavier said. ¡°Mom¡¯s car? No way.¡± ¡°Yep. She told me I could.¡± Vivian narrowed her gaze and chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re lying. She never even allow me to drive it.¡± ¡°Oh my god, Viv. She did, okay?¡± ¡°Dude, you wrecked your car three months ago. Mom did not tell you to drive hers.¡± ¡°Would you rather ride the bus?¡± Vivian pursed her lips. ¡°Okay. Fair point.¡± Xavier grinned. ¡°Come on. Finish up.¡± ¡°What? This early?¡± ¡°I like school.¡± ¡°Yeah, right. You want to get there because Carly¡¯s in Publications. And their meetings are like seven in the freaking morning,¡± Vivian teased. ¡°Whipped.¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna pretend I didn¡¯t hear you.¡± Xavier fished out the car keys from the bowl near the front door. Vivian wolfed down her sandwich and gulped down the orange juice. She quickly followed Xavier into the garage. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. They stopped, staring at their father¡¯s BMW. ¡°Wait, Dad¡¯s home?¡± Vivian muttered. Leave, I wanted to say. Just go! Get to school! Your Dad¡¯s not in the house. ¡°Coach Hodge picked him up last night, remember? Maybe he¡¯s not back yet,¡± Xavier said, walking up to the Escalade. ¡°What the heck are Dad and the coach doing that they¡¯re out until morning?¡± Xavier shrugged. ¡°Probably drinking.¡± ¡°Dad doesn¡¯t drink, Xav.¡± Xavier paused, regarding the garage door again. He looked like he contemplated checking out the house again. Suddenly, his phone chimed. He pulled it out of his pocket and stared at the screen before a wide smile crept on his lips. ¡°What?¡± Vivian asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± It was Carly texting him. She was one of the most popular girls in school. She played volleyball, wrote for the school¡¯s newspaper, and planned on running for school president for her senior year. CARLY: Omw to school. I¡¯ll see u by the quad with Zoe once I¡¯m done w/ meeting. Xavier opened the driver¡¯s side door. ¡°Get in.¡± Vivian rolled her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s Carly, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I said get in. We don¡¯t want to be late.¡± ¡°We got like forty-seven minutes until the first bell, Xav. That¡¯s like too much.¡± Vivian stifled a laugh. ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°What about Dad?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Coach Hodge will drop him off any minute. He¡¯s picking up Mom from the airport, after all.¡± Vivian sighed. ¡°Okay. Fine. Why don¡¯t you tell Carly already that you like her? It¡¯s so exhausting seeing you run around like¡ª¡± Dave suddenly jolted awake, snapping me back to the basement. His ragged breaths grew heavy. A broken rib might have punctured his lungs. He coughed and wheezed as he tried to sit up until he noticed his broken leg. The Escalade¡¯s engines roared as Xavier turned on the ignition. ¡°Help!¡± Dave screamed. ¡°Help me!¡± His voice reverberated through the basement. I flinched and floated back toward the couch. ¡°Xavier! Viv! I¡¯m down here!¡± But Xavier and Vivian didn¡¯t hear him. Vivian connected the USB cable charger to her phone to the car¡¯s speakers. Music blasted through them, drowning out Dave¡¯s muffled screams from the basement. ¡°Help! I¡¯m down here!¡± The garage doors slid open, and Xavier drove out into the street, heading into town, and left me alone with Dave. He heard the car¡¯s noise gradually fade, his chance for help dissipating. Dave tried to reach for his phone. Without hesitating, I unleashed my telekinetic power, swatting the device away from his fingertips. It soared through the room and tumbled under what used to be a TV stand. Dave froze; the realization hit him like a truck. I was still there, or at least the phantasmal presence he believed was tormenting him. His quivering lips and glazed eyes showed me his fear. And it was fucking intoxicating. More, more, more, was all I could think about. His frantic gaze darted around the room. There was none. In a hushed whisper, desperation dripped from Dave¡¯s trembling voice. ¡°Please,¡± he pleaded, his words barely audible. ¡°Whoever you are, I swear I have nothing to do with it. It was all Hodge. Justin Hodge. Please! He summoned you! Not me!¡± Ah. He believed I was a demon. I could see his mind click into place; he probably thought his fiendish little groupie managed to summon an angry citizen from below. And now it was taking his frustrations out on him. ¡°I swear I had no part in it. I don¡¯t even know how to do magic! It was all him. So, please, just let me go. Let me go!¡± Anger welled inside me. Were those tears? Unbelievable! After the unspeakable things he had done, he dared to cry and beg for his own life. Bullshit. What about mine? Did he stop to think he was murdering a person? I had a life, and now it was fucking gone! I lost everything! What about my poor parents? They had been worried sick while I was missing for days, now rotting in the woods, waiting to be found. He just murdered me a few hours ago, and now he wanted mercy? My mercy? The sheer balls of this man. ¡°Please. I have a family.¡± He choked up. [Power: 2/5] ¡°So do I, asshole!¡± I cried out. ¡°Fuck you!¡± Grasping [Telekinesis], I dragged across the cold, hard floor. He thrashed and yelled, his cries echoing through the dimly lit space. Finally, I released my grip on him near the lally column with a resounding thud. With seconds left to spare with my power, I pushed the heavy industrial storage cabinet over. And on top of his head. Dave¡¯s eyes widened with terror as he realized the danger he was in. His broken leg immobilized him. He raised his arms in a last-ditch effort to defend himself, but the feeble gesture proved useless against the cabinet¡¯s weight. These heavy industrial storage cabinets could weigh almost two hundred and fifty pounds¡ªsome even more. The cabinet groaned and creaked as it teetered on its edge and bore down on him. ¡°No! No¡ª!¡± Dave made a high-piercing screech that lasted for a split second when his elbows snapped and bent unnaturally, the sickening sound of bones breaking punctuating the room. Skin tore, and blood mingled with the cold floor. With a sickening squelch, the cabinet crushed his head mid-scream, nearly severing his head. Only his lower jaw and a row of perfectly nice teeth remained. His body twitched. His other unbroken leg jerked erratically before it subsided. My insides churned with a nauseating mix of horror and disgust. But I had no mouth, and all I was left with was this nauseating aura, and I had no way to vomit and get rid of the exasperating feeling. I killed him, I thought, disgusted. I fucking killed him. I stared at Dave¡¯s lifeless body for a long moment. It didn¡¯t seem real. Maybe I imagined it. Maybe I hallucinated all of the bullshit, and this was Hell; everything was my punishment. I expected a camera crew to come out and tell me it was all a prank. A huge, fucked-up, elaborate prank. I wanted to cry. I really did. But no tears came. Not even a strong pull welled deep in my gut, bringing down my heart. I just stood there, or rather floated there, frozen like a fucking idiot. I killed a person. Shouldn¡¯t it affect me more? But all I could think about was how fucking hungry I was after. Food. I needed food. I needed to eat something. Anything. Then I noticed that Dave¡¯s body emanated this faint reddish glow. Wisps licked from the corpse, hanging mid-air before dissipating. I could taste in the air its enthralling allure. I was drawn to it. Or rather, the gem was. I needed it. Using the last of my Power, I rolled out from under the couch, levitated five feet off the ground, and moved closer to Dave¡¯s body. The moment I drew near, the reddish wisps instantly melded into my aura, a euphoric trance that momentarily blinded me. As my vision returned, I was bombarded by several prompts all at once. [Rank: Z - #4987 > #4702] [Power: 6/6] [You received: 100 crystals] [You received: 1 essence] [You can now upgrade 1 core ability rank] [Discovery (Potential Dungeon): The Yates Residence] [Would you like to designate The Yates Residence as your dungeon?] Arc 1 | Nightmare Suburbia (Part 5) NIGHTMARE SUBURBIA Part 5 I blinked at the list of prompts flooding my vision. I¡¯ve increased in rank and also replenished my Power (increasing its maximum points by one) when I absorbed whatever energy emanated from Dave¡¯s body. I didn¡¯t know what crystals and the essence were, but when I looked under the Core tab, the four abilities glowed this forest green hue, telling me I could upgrade one to Rank II. Curiously, it felt like I was no longer starving for a few days, though my stomach still growled for more. As for dungeons¡­that took me a moment to wrap my head around. It¡¯s a game, I thought. At least it acts like one. Then, another intrusive thought forced itself in: I fed on Dave¡¯s body. Was that his fucking soul? Did I eat it and gain all these things? Is this how I¡¯m going to feed myself from now on? By killing people and then siphoning their essence? Whatever this gem was, it followed specific rules. They are simple rules, by the looks of it. Garnering essence would increase my ranking and let me earn these crystals. Was a hundred a lot or not? I didn¡¯t know how low ¡°Z¡± was, but it¡¯s probably not that good if we follow this alphabetically. As for the numbers, did it mean there were more than four thousand others like me? On Earth? Or on other worlds? I shook away the scary repercussions of such a reality. I didn¡¯t want to delve too deep into it right now. I have more significant problems. Turning the Yates Residence into a dungeon showed me anything could be a dungeon, including a bland and trite suburban house in the middle of boring small-town Americana. I wondered why it used the word ¡®dungeon¡¯ and whether it genuinely meant a dungeon, like in the books, games, and movies where adventurers go down and get killed by elaborate traps and monsters. When I looked at the other tabs, it made more sense. But the magic didn¡¯t exist here. The floating gem¡ªme¡ªcontradicted that thought. Also, there were no adventurers on Earth, no sword-wielding aficionados, egotistical wizards, and fire-breathing dragons, just boring humans plodding on with their lives until they retired. We have gun lovers, soldiers, martial artists, power-hungry politicians, and wall-street billionaires hoarding the gold. Do they count? The only man who I knew could do magic was Coach Hodge, and even he was incompetent at it. And he did murder me, so I shouldn¡¯t go to him for advice about magical floating rocks that can absorb energy when people die¡ªjust thinking his name alone filled me with rage. I looked at the last notification again. [Would you like to designate The Yates Residence as your dungeon?] ¡°What would happen if I did?¡± I wondered out loud, but no one could hear me anyway. ¡°Will it make it permanent? Can I have more than one?¡± I immediately found my answer when I focused on my rank. [As a Rank Z Dungeon Core, you can create one dungeon.] Interesting. Did that mean I could build more than one as I increased my rank? ¡°And what the fuck is a dungeon core?¡± The tab just led me to my name, [Mark Castle]. ¡°Okay, that doesn¡¯t really tell me what I am. What¡¯s my purpose?¡± [To grow.] I paused. ¡°Wait, can I die?¡± [A Dungeon Core can be destroyed] I gulped. I¡¯m starting to get in now. I build these dungeons around me to protect my core, the gem. Why do adventurers go into dungeons in the first place? To get to the center of it all, the treasures. And I am that treasure. There¡¯s probably a competent version of Coach Hodge running around out there, looking for the likes of me. If I could harness essence and do this magical crap, imagine what a summoner like Coach Hodge could do with my own essence now that I am a Dungeon Core. However, The Yates¡¯ house is not the safest place to build a dungeon. It¡¯s too close to the town. Too close to the people. No, I needed somewhere isolated, a place where people wouldn¡¯t stumble upon me by accident all the time. Something like¡ª The McLaren Forest. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. It¡¯s the perfect hideout. It¡¯s close to the mountains with the town nearby, surrounded by an old-growth forest and hardly any hikers. Plus, it¡¯s a state park, so it¡¯s well-protected from encroachment. No new housing development would suddenly knock at my front door. And there¡¯s an abandoned mine nearby. But how would I get there? Green Hill was situated in the middle of town, and I had to pass through many people and a few dozen popular establishments to get there. I reckoned they¡¯d freak out seeing a glowing rock the size of their fist floating down Main Street. I needed someone to carry me there. Luckily, I had one that could be under my control. I could create monsters. A monster that could walk. A monster inconspicuous enough in the daylight, blending into the crowd. But without a designated dungeon, the tab remained inaccessible. I had to build the dungeon first to create the monster. ¡°Can I make a dungeon temporary?¡± I waited, but no prompt showed up. I decided to reiterate my question. ¡°Let¡¯s try that again. Can I dismantle a dungeon that I created?¡± [Yes.] ¡°And what happens to the monster? Do they get destroyed, too?¡± [No.] I sighed in relief. ¡°Well, that¡¯s some good news, at least.¡± [The Core and all of the dungeon¡¯s residents must seek another location or be destroyed] ¡°Is there a time limit?¡± [Two days.] I can work with that. ¡°Designate the Yates Residence as my dungeon.¡± The air suddenly crackled with eerie energy, and an otherworldly glow bathed the room in a hazy, arcane light. Sigils and glyphs in varied shapes formed around me, etched into the floor, the walls, every nook and cranny, pulsing with a vibrant blue, green, red, and golden color, their lines weaving together in a complex web of power. I trembled as I opened my mind towards these pulsating sigils, feeling the raw energy coursing through the gem¡¯s surface. It wrapped around my body, coiling like serpents, as if testing my strength. As the energy surged, my senses heightened to an almost supernatural degree. The colors seemed brighter, sounds more apparent, and I could feel the very pulse of the world around me. My body felt lighter as if I could defy gravity itself, and a surge of confidence welled up within, pushing aside any lingering doubts or fears. I unleashed the torrential energy from the gem¡¯s heart. Arcs of crackling red lightning shot forth from me, illuminating the basement for a split second in a dazzling display of raw power. The air itself hummed with anticipation as the glyphs melded into the walls, the floor, and every object in the house. I could sense people. Humans. They walked around inside the other houses, doing their morning routines, eating breakfast, and getting ready for work and school. With the gem¡¯s radius, I could sense at least ninety-three people around me. [You created your first dungeon!] [Unique Location: Small-Town Suburbia] [Rank (Z): #4702 > #3955] [Power: 10/10] [You received: 100 crystals] [You can now upgrade 2 core ability ranks] [Dungeons are now accessible] [Monsters are now accessible] [Traps are now accessible] I was surprised that just by creating the dungeon, I made a giant leap in ranks, added four more Power slots, and then gained more crystals, now totaling two hundred. I might have triggered a hidden reward. It was my first dungeon, after all. I wondered if there were any more hidden ones. But first things first. I opened up the [Core] tab and decided (with my upgrade of two points) that increasing my telekinesis and levitation to rank II would better help me defend myself and gain more movement. Telekinesis II: Move an object or a creature more than fifteen feet in a three-dimensional space. Duration: 12 seconds. Levitate II: Move your core no more than fifteen feet off the ground, allowing you to move horizontally or vertically for the duration. Duration: 15 minutes. The upgrades increased the abilities¡¯ distance by five feet and doubled my telekinetic duration by another six seconds. However, levitation only extended that by five minutes. I doubted that would be enough to get me to the woods, especially with my measly Power slots. I would need hundreds. It would do for now. A ringing phone from beneath the TV stand in the basement pulled me out of my thoughts. Dave¡¯s phone. I floated under the furniture. It rang twice while the same person texted Dave a few more times. Wisps of red energy crackled around the gem as my rage boiled over. MAXINE (Don¡¯t Answer): Ey, genius. Answer the phone. Hodge wants me to come over. You said it¡¯s important??? MAXINE (Don¡¯t Answer): Dude. Answer the phone. MAXINE (Don¡¯t Answer): Adam and I will be over around noon. If it¡¯s not that important, let me know soon so we can go do something else. Maxine Fairlie. She was one of the cultists who killed me. The wine girl, I thought. Her full name floated in the air once I whispered her name, and I could sense her presence on Green Hill. I can see them! The excitement filled me with a surge of purpose, and I sent my many-eyes toward her residence, just at the edge of the neighborhood and a few blocks away from the Yates. She dropped her phone on the kitchen counter while working on her juice maker. She wore yoga pants and a sports bra, and clearly, she just finished working out in her personal gym. ¡°Hey Siri, remind me to call Dave the Asshole in one hour,¡± Maxine said. She then texted Hodge that she was going to Dave¡¯s house later. ¡°Adam! What time is your lunch with your parents again?¡± She shouted. I flew toward the second floor¡¯s master¡¯s bathroom where a good-looking older man, closer to Maxine¡¯s age, was glued to his phone, sending a dick pic to a woman that was not Maxine. ¡°Uh, just a sec, honey! I¡¯ll be down in a minute!¡± This man¡ªAdam¡ªmust be her husband. I floated back down to the kitchen, wanting to be petty by using my telekinesis and maybe ruin that fucking juice she was making and let all the sugar cling to her skin. However, nothing happened when I exerted the same force I did for Dave. [Action nullified. You are outside the limit of the dungeon] Well, at least I found my limits. A beautiful home. A perfect job. Her own gym. A handsome husband. It boiled my insides how she benefited from the killing rituals. I remembered how bored she was when Hodge and Dave butchered me. I looked at the clock, which had just struck nine-thirty in the morning¡ªenough time to make this house cultist-proof before her arrival. Arc 1 | Nightmare Suburbia (Part 6) NIGHTMARE SUBURBIA Part 6 With Maxine and Hodge¡¯s little demonic cult fresh in my mind, I got to work. I opened the [Dungeons] tab, and everything unraveled before me.
THE YATES RESIDENCE
Dread Level: 4/10 - brutal finish(+); new dungeon(+); bloodthirsty core (++)
Crystals: 200
Essence: 2 (David Edwin Yates); (Yates Residence Dungeon)
Aura & Environment (0/3)
¡ª empty ¡ª ¡ª empty ¡ª ¡ª empty ¡ª
Monsters (0/2)
Name Marker Status
¡ª empty ¡ª
¡ª empty ¡ª
LOCATIONS
Master Bedroom Vivian¡¯s Bedroom Xavier¡¯s Bedroom
Master Bathroom Second Bathroom Kitchen
Living Room Study Room Backyard
Shed Basement (1 kill, brutal finish) Car Garage
After messing around for an hour, I learned that [Dread] fluctuated based on what I did inside the dungeon. I didn¡¯t know how to feel about the system marking me as a bloodthirsty core, but I admit I did go overboard with killing Dave by throwing him around like a ragdoll and crushing his skull with the cabinet. I also learned that it had a passive influence around the property, which fed on the dungeon¡¯s aura and environment. I happened upon it by accident. With my many-eyes always active, I sensed someone outside the house, a woman walking her bulldog by the sidewalk. Her dog peed on the Yates¡¯s front lawn, and as I watched them curiously, she suddenly shuddered and snapped her head directly at the house. I could sense the hairs at the nape of her neck stood up, eyes warily glued to the residence. The bulldog looked directly at me and growled. The woman snapped out of her trance and gently pulled on her dog¡¯s leash. ¡°Come on, Willow. Let¡¯s get back home.¡± Still, the bulldog¡ªWillow¡ªdidn¡¯t want to leave. She growled at me and barked at the house as if she could sense me standing five feet away from them. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong with you, girl?¡± The woman tugged on the bulldog harder. I floated closer to the dog, but she suddenly whined and backed away, tail tucked, and started running in the other direction. The woman, pulled by the leash, scrambled to follow her. ¡°Hey! Not so fast! Not so fast¡ª!¡± She gave another wary glance at the house before walking away. ¡°Weird,¡± I muttered. My stomach growled again. ¡°Oh, fuck you, too,¡± I groaned. I had only absorbed Dave¡¯s essence two hours ago, but now it felt like my hunger was worse than the last time. I didn¡¯t know if my core was broken or if I would always be hungry like this. I returned to the [Dungeons] tab and accessed [Aura & Atmosphere]. They were easy to learn. Like what the woman experienced¡ªthe heebie-jeebies, I called it¡ªI could actively influence anyone who entered my dungeon with unique ¡°lair¡± actions. And the list was long. It took me an hour just to read a tenth of it. I couldn¡¯t access most because I wasn¡¯t powerful enough or higher in rank, but I chose three auras I liked the most from those I could pick, costing fifteen crystals each to purchase.
Phantasmal Cold The dungeon is unusually twenty degrees colder than the outside¡¯s temperature, shedding a delver¡¯s resolve over time. Duration: 1 hour.
Strange Noises Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Produce an audible noise from within the chamber¡ªa cry from a baby, a howl of a wolf, a whisper, or a scream. Take your pick and lower a delver¡¯s Resolve. Duration: 1 minute.
Luring Trance Play with a delver¡¯s emotions and lure them into a trap! (Dread requirement: 4)
Each aura had a cooldown of about ten minutes after the effect ended. If I wanted to lessen the cooldown, I had to increase my rank title from Z to something else I had yet to encounter. I also learned that the people who entered dungeons were called delvers and that their common trait was Resolve. Each delver had varying numbers of Resolve, just as I had with Power, but I had to lower it to make them more susceptible to my attacks, traps, and the monsters¡¯ unique effects. The lower it was, the higher chances they would die. However, the only way to lower it was to basically torture them with all my contraptions. I frowned. A part of me still clung to a semblance of my former life, I feared that I would be like this permanently, and the only way I could survive was to feed on essence. I tried to feed on a small robin that perched on the chimney with my telekinesis, crushing it with my mind, but no glowing wisps like Dave¡¯s emanated from its corpse for me to siphon. It had to come from a person¡ªa sapient being. I had to survive like a fucking vampire. Despite that, I would gladly feed on Hodge and his cultists over and over if possible. They deserved that much after what they did to me. As the hour ticked by, I noticed that I was getting excited for Maxine to arrive. With only an hour left, I opened the [Monsters] tab.
MONSTER ARCHETYPE
Abomination Angelic Beast
Colossal Construct Demonic
Elemental Fae Humanoid
Insect Monstrosity Plant
Slime Swarm Undead
Unlike auras, I had to use essence instead of crystals to purchase a monster¡¯s archetype. At first, I thought I would be buying a single goblin or a ghost from another long list, but it was much simpler than that. I could purchase an archetype using essence and mold that monster by trading in crystals based on a list of traits (for there were thousands) appropriate to the template. When I looked at the [Beast] template, one of the traits included [Savage Maul], which meant a beast monster could maul a delver to death¡ªfor a [Construct], death machines, robots, and animated objects, included [Plain Sight], which allowed them to blend into their surroundings more as inanimate objects. However, I was locked out from the more powerful monster traits because I was at a much lower rank, didn¡¯t have enough crystals, or didn¡¯t own the prerequisite traits. As Rank Z, my monsters could only have three traits active at the same time. They gained more traits as I increased in titled ranks. I had two essences I could spare to create my monsters, one coming from Dave¡¯s body, and the other was a reward for building my first dungeon. Using Dave¡¯s essence, I chose the [Demonic] archetype, planning to let loose a murderous demon on the fucking demonic cult. What poetic justice. Let them get a taste of their own medicine, I thought eagerly. Browsing through the listed available traits, I purchased my demon¡¯s first three for fifty crystals each, leaving me with only five left to spare. I added a temporary name for now.
POSSESSING DEMON
Dread Score: 8/10 Creature Type: Demonic Cooldown: 1 week
Special Traits
Possession* The monster possesses a delver¡¯s mind and body, using all the host¡¯s functions and abilities, while the host remains imprisoned inside you. The monster has total concealment. (Resolve Requirement: 2)
Mocking Torment The monster can induce hallucinations, read minds, copy voices, and produce demonic speech to torment a delver¡¯s psyche by gleaning their memories and fears, shedding their resolve.
Incorporeal Body* The monster has no physical body but can still be harmed by physical attacks. They can pass through solid objects like walls, interact with creatures and objects, moves silently, and has an innate sense of direction to the next living creature.
What¡¯s interesting was their dread score, which represented how formidable the monster was for a dungeon. Once the traits I had selected were put together, the system placed them at a higher score, which worried me for a moment. As for [Cooldown], once I summoned a monster and it died, I couldn¡¯t summon it again until after one week had passed. Again, increasing my titled rank should lower that time. I hovered over the asterisk, which I noticed from the traits, revealing more information about the effects on the demon and its victims.
Possession Paired with the [Demonic] archetype, Possession traits will inflict physical and mental trauma on the hosts over time. The longer the monster inhabits the host¡¯s body, or the more damage the demonic creature inflicts upon the host, will corrupt the soul and automatically drag them to Hell once the monster breaks the concentration on the possession.
Incorporeal Body Paired with the [Demonic] or [Undead] archetypes like ghosts, spirits, and malevolent devils, the monster with the incorporeal body trait can still interact with the mortal realm and yield considerable strength and limited telekinetic force to inflict physical attacks upon a delver.
I didn¡¯t have enough crystals to create a second monster, so I saved my last essence for the future. I think the demon would be enough, I thought. With five crystals left, I purchased a rug trap for the exact amount, turning the Yates¡¯ foyer rug into a temporary animated object. With these contraptions, I could set specific triggers like when a delver was five feet nearby or when the moment they touched the object. However, I put the rug¡¯s trigger to animate when a delver tried escaping the house. They¡¯re there to prevent anyone from opening the front door and running away to their car. With my dungeon fully realized, I hung back and ensured everything was in place. All my Powers were back to normal (I realized they replenished by one per hour), but since I created a dungeon, it instantly upgraded my Powers to ten maximum. I made a note to reserve my Power once Maxine was here. After all, I already had a monster to do most of my work. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s bring you up.¡± I summoned the demon. I thought there would be something fancier, like an incantation I had to do, but once I thought of my demon monster, it materialized in front of me as a billowing cloud of smoke with an acrid smell of rotten eggs and burning wood. I was nervous. I didn¡¯t know how they would react to a dungeon core or if I had to fight them to control them, but the cloud remained where it was, coldly staring back at me. ¡°Um, hi,¡± I said. The Possessing Demon did not reply. ¡°Okay. I see that you¡¯re not very talkative.¡± I wished that was in the description. The demon¡¯s cloud released a lick of flame¡ªan idea formed. ¡°Er, do that again, but only for yes answers. Do you understand?¡± The cloud released another flame. Oh, good. At least it wasn¡¯t dumb. ¡°You can¡¯t speak, but you can understand me.¡± Another flame. ¡°All demons are not capable of speaking?¡± No flame. ¡°I gave you Mocking Torment. Can you speak through that?¡± No flame. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s only for¡­¡± I looked over at Dave¡¯s body. The demon produced a little lick of flame. ¡°Do you want me to make a mouth for you?¡± A flame. I nodded. ¡°Okay. And I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s a trait?¡± Another flame lick. I glanced over the traits list and found [Speech] there, and it cost fifty crystals. Excellent, I thought sarcastically. This would get expensive real quick if I wanted my monsters to talk back to me. ¡°At least you can understand me. Well, um, demon, we¡¯ve got a lot of work to do. Someone¡¯s coming to this house soon, and I want you to bring them Hell. Torment them. Torture them with your mind tricks. Possess them. I¡¯ve given you the traits you need.¡± Another lick of a flame. I smiled. ¡°Once I give the word, we will begin¡ª¡± A car door slamming close interrupted me. It came from the front of the house, and I flew over there and saw a woman take out her luggage from the trunk of a car. Another man helped her. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t need to do that,¡± the woman said to the driver, who grabbed the luggage for her. ¡°It¡¯s not that heavy.¡± I froze when I recognized her from the family portraits displayed in the Yates¡¯ living room¡ªAshley, Dave¡¯s wife. I completely forgot that she was supposed to come home from the airport and take an Uber! Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Ashley waved goodbye to the driver. ¡°Thank you!¡± She said before walking toward the front door and entering the dungeon. Once she stepped on the threshold, a green aura glowed around her body. Arc 1 | Nightmare Suburbia (Part 7) NIGHTMARE SUBURBIA Part 7 ASHLEY Ashley Yates trudged into the dimly lit foyer and wheeled her suitcase behind her like a reluctant companion. Exhaustion pressed down upon her, etching deep lines onto her face. With every step, the floorboards creaked. ¡°Hello?¡± Ashley called out, the sound swallowed by the oppressive silence that greeted her. Her voice bounced off the cold walls. ¡°Dave, are you home, sweetie?¡± No one answered. ¡°Viv? Xavier?¡± Well, at least they¡¯re in school, Ashley thought. Xavier tended to skip school whenever she wasn¡¯t home, but that changed a few weeks ago. Ashley reckoned it had something to do with a girl, and though Viv kept her lips sealed, she proved her suspicions were correct when she saw him walk around the house glued to his phone, constantly texting someone named Carly. A new girlfriend? A crush? Viv hadn¡¯t mentioned a girl by that name before, and if she was from the right family. She entered the house, put her luggage to the side of the door, and took off her shoes. She opened the closet door and grabbed her slippers. With Dave probably at work, she had the house to herself. At least her boss gave her a day off after attending the conference in Miami. With jet lag wrapping a band around her head, she welcomed a nap. She shivered all of a sudden. ¡°Why is it so freaking cold in here?¡± She remembered looking at the weather app on her phone while waiting for her flight back to Florida. It was supposed to be sunny throughout the week at a steady seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit across the Willamette Valley. A little dash of a waning summer before the cold would set in. However, her house felt much colder than outside. She checked the thermostat¡ªsixty-five degrees¡ªthe same temperature she had left it at before leaving for the airport. No, it was much colder than that. She increased the temperature by ten degrees, hoping that should alleviate the chill. She grabbed her luggage and walked up the stairs, checking Viv¡¯s and Xavier¡¯s rooms in case they were in the house. When she found the rooms empty, she smiled. She went into the master¡¯s bedroom and started stripping. ¡°Alexa, play my Spotify playlist,¡± she called out from across the room. ABBA¡¯s I Have a Dream blared from the speakers. It reminded Ashley of her and Dave¡¯s twelfth anniversary, cruising on a ship around the Southern California coast, and this came on, sang by this gorgeous woman with a beautiful voice. They danced in the ballroom for what felt like hours. It was probably the most romantic date Dave had ever set up for her, and Dave was rarely the romantic type. A good change, especially after what we¡¯ve been through these past couple of years. A few months ago, she almost lost her job and the house and was considering moving three states to a much cheaper city. But then that turned around when Dave won a raffle from a radio contest and got a massive bonus from work, and Ashley got promoted from her job with over thirty grand more than she expected. Even Dave was due for a promotion in a few days. With their crisis behind them, Ashley began focusing on her kids and health, proudly losing twenty-four pounds in three months since she bought some gym equipment with Maxine¡¯s help and started dieting. Dave had noticed the changes as well, and for almost seventeen years of their marriage, they had never had such intense sex for a long time, multiple times a week. Ashley felt like she was back in her twenties. Even the kids¡¯ tempers had lessened over the past few months, gaining good grades, and Vivian¡¯s on a fast track for valedictorian if she keeps it up. And Xavier was getting scouted by several colleges to play baseball for them with a full-ride scholarship after he graduated the following year. Ashley hoped he would get it. Her family was blessed after all the hardship they had to endure. Her marriage succeeded from the brink of collapse. Her own children stopped hating her. Dave was sexually attracted to her again. And she found success in her work. Stripping off her clothes, she headed into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She and Maxine had talked about Botox many times over the past few months, and though Maxine was considering it, Ashley didn¡¯t know if she should, too. But since she lost all that weight, it did make her younger-looking. But she hated her forehead and how her cheeks sagged a little from under her eyes. We have the money now for treatment, Ashley thought. A first visit wouldn¡¯t hurt. Maybe a consulting exam. Setting up her facial mask that she would put on later, she noticed something wedged behind the door. She picked it up and brought it to the light. It was a rag. And the stain on it looked blood red.
I watched her pick up the rag with anticipation, and her eyes widened, her body faintly glowing from green to a lighter orange. Another thing about creating a dungeon was when a delver entered my domain; they were surrounded by an aura that only I could see. Green for full Resolve¡ªa delver was calm, alert, or relaxed¡ªand I reckoned a lighter orange was the start of Ashley¡¯s shedding Resolve. A glimmer of hope wormed its way into my gut. ¡°Please,¡± I whispered. ¡°Call the cops, Mrs. Yates. Call the cops. Find my body.¡± Maybe if I¡¯m found, I can be free from this gem? Maybe, just maybe, I could see my family again. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The demonic entity floated next to me, watching the scene unfold curiously. At least it followed my command not to attack Mrs. Yates, but I could feel its hunger growing. It wanted to attack. Wanted to take her. Wanted to lunge. But it held back. For now. Ashley dropped the rag on the sink, taking a step back. I didn¡¯t know if she was shocked to see it or concerned that Dave was hurt. It wasn¡¯t his blood. It was mine. ¡°Bring it to the cops. It¡¯s my blood, Mrs. Yates,¡± I said eagerly. She grabbed her phone. ¡°Yes. 911. Come on!¡± I cried out. But instead, she dialed Dave¡¯s phone. His phone rang in the basement, but Ashley couldn¡¯t hear it since she was upstairs. It went to voicemail. ¡°Dave, I¡¯m home,¡± she said. She looked pissed, and my stomach dropped. ¡°Um, call me when you get the chance. We need to talk about something.¡± Putting on her bathrobe, she grabbed the rag from the sink and scrunched it up. Then, she marched out of the room, down the stairs, and headed for the basement. Throughout all of this, I followed her closely. So did the Possessing Demon. She looked angry, muttering as she opened the basement door and walked down the steps. I was shaking, nervous that she would see the body. Dave¡¯s body, his head still crushed by the cabinet, was on the northern corner of the basement, hidden under a dimly lit cover. However, Ashley turned southward toward the incinerator and chucked in the bloodied rag. She took a deep breath and watched the piece of evidence of my murder burn into ash within a minute. Ashley was in on it. She knew. She knew what Dave had done. I could see it through her face. She looked offended that her husband left such damning evidence behind on their bathroom floor. She pivoted her heels and marched toward the stairs again, anger boiling. I readied a telekinetic attack once she saw the body, but she pulled out her phone again and decided to text Dave. She missed the body and continued up the stairs, still typing on her phone¡ªits loud click-click-click following her. I could see it unfold before me. Once she sends that text, she will hear Dave¡¯s phone chime under the TV stand, and she¡¯ll return to the basement and check out the noise. Then, she¡¯ll see Dave¡¯s body. I didn¡¯t want her to find the body yet. Not with her Resolve still high. Quickly, I flew toward the front door and used [Telekinesis] to ring the doorbell. Ashley stopped texting, ears trained on the doorbell. She glanced over at the clock stamped on her phone¡ª10:04 AM. She probably wondered who would visit them this early. She entered the kitchen and headed toward the front door. She opened it, but there was no one there. ¡°Hello?¡± She called out. She walked out to the front porch in her bathrobe, looking around behind the bush to see if anyone was there, but found no one. She looked for a package just in case it was a delivery driver dropping off something, but nothing was left on her porch. I could tell that Ashley was a little freaked out. She walked back to the house and sent Dave the text. Luckily, she was too far away to hear the phone chime in the basement. When she entered the house, she shivered again. ¡°You gotta be kidding me,¡± she muttered under her breath and strode toward the thermostat. Displayed on the screen was the same temperature she set it as. ¡°Is this fucking thing not working?¡± She sent Dave another text: Thermostat broken. Home Depot tonight? She set the thermostat up a couple more degrees and returned to the stairs to shower. She turned the shower handle to warm. Okay. It¡¯s probably time I fuck with her head. I triggered [Strange Noise]. Footsteps shuffled down the hallway, passing by the living room and letting out a child¡¯s laughter. Ashley paused, turned, and craned her neck from the bathroom door frame, watching the open bedroom door warily. She grabbed her bathrobe again from the shower hook and quickly put it on. ¡°Vivian? Xavier? Are you guys home?¡± She asked, but no one answered. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be at school? If I catch you skipping class again, you guys are grounded!¡± I watched her take the bait. She slipped out and walked toward the door. I still have plenty of juice left with [Strange Noise], so I created sudden loud footsteps coming down the stairs as if someone was running through it. Ashley stiffened and kept the door ajar, her chest heaving forcefully. She had a direct line of sight to the stairs and knew no one rushed down on them. The demon floated next to me, waiting eagerly for orders. It wanted to join in. ¡°Not yet,¡± I said. ¡°Wait.¡± Ashley¡¯s aura switched to a bright orange. I smiled. That must have freaked her out even more. ¡°Hello?¡± She called out. She couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°Is someone there? Dave?¡± Suddenly, her phone rang, and Ashley jumped from the shrill noise. ¡°Fuck! Eat balls!¡± She looked at the caller ID: HODGE. Steadying her breathing, she pressed the green button. ¡°Hodge, hey,¡± she answered. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Hey, Ashley. Did you just get home?¡± Hodge asked. Hearing his voice again made me shiver. ¡°Yeah. A few minutes ago. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Dave called me early in the morning, but Maxine said he wasn¡¯t answering his phone when she called. I called him too, but he didn¡¯t answer. Alvin told me he dropped him off and made it home okay.¡± I went to the basement and realized that Hodge called him a minute ago. I was too distracted, freaking out, Ashley. ¡°I think he¡¯s at work,¡± Ashley said. ¡°What did he call about?¡± ¡°Something about the gem. That¡¯s all I got from the voicemail.¡± ¡°The gem? The one Kirk bought?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± ¡°Ritual was a no-go last night, and Dave brought the gem home to get rid of it. You got the incinerator?¡± Ashley went rigid. ¡°Wait, Justin, what do you mean it didn¡¯t work? I thought you got everything ready.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It just didn¡¯t work, okay?¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure.¡± Hodge sounded frustrated. ¡°But what about Dave¡¯s promotion¡ª¡± ¡°Look. I can¡¯t talk about it over the phone. Maxine¡¯s coming by your house in a few. Can you call Dave for me? Find out what he¡¯s complaining about?¡± ¡°Yeah, of course. Um, the incinerator was on when I got home. I think Dave may have used it before he went to work.¡± ¡°Okay. Well, can you find the gem?¡± Ashley nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go down there. I¡¯ll call you back if I find it.¡± ¡°Thanks, Ash. The others and I will come by after school.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll send Xavier and Vivian to go to the movies with their friends or something.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Wait, should I be concerned?¡± Hodge paused. ¡°I¡¯m sure everything¡¯s fine. Gotta go.¡± Hodge dropped the call. Ashley walked out of the bedroom and tentatively climbed down the stairs. She listened to the house creak from a strong wind blowing outside, but with [Strange Noise] already starting its cooldown, I couldn¡¯t produce another sound for the next ten minutes. When she was sure that no one was in the house, she quickly headed straight for the garage, frowning when she found her car was missing. She promptly messaged Vivian. ASHLEY: Did you take my car? It took a minute for her daughter to reply. VIVIAN: It was Xavier. Sorry, mom. Ashley groaned and rolled her eyes. ¡°Fucking unbelievable.¡± Then she noticed that Dave¡¯s car was still there. Ashley¡¯s aura turned darker orange as all the hairs stood up from her body. Dave must still be inside the house. He never left for work. The demon inched closer, eager to strike. Half a dozen flames licked from its billowing cloud. I realized it was excited, sensing Ashley¡¯s fear like a moth to a flame. Ashley dialed Dave¡¯s number and heard it ringing down the basement. She froze. I could see her mind clicking into place. She was down there a moment ago, and she never saw him, realized that she wasn¡¯t paying attention. Using [Levitate], I hid my gem under the couch again and triggered [Telekinesis] to shut off the lights. [Power: 7/10] Ashley walked toward the basement door and slowly opened it. The darkness below beckoned, and she visibly trembled. ¡°Dave?¡± She called out. ¡°Are you down there?¡± Her aura¡¯s Resolve turned red. The demon¡¯s cloud grew with hunger. I turned to the demon. ¡°Do your thing,¡± I said. ¡°She¡¯s part of the cult. Make sure she suffers.¡± Arc 1 | Nightmare Suburbia (Part 8) NIGHTMARE SUBURBIA Part 8 ¡®LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A HORROR MOVIE¡¯: MASSACRE AT GREEN HILL; 8 DEAD, SUSPECT AT LARGE. by Toby Malley, KGWA Staff Fri, September 22nd 2023, 6:30 PM PDT Point Hope, Oregon (AP): Hundreds of terrified residents fled from Point Hope¡¯s affluent neighborhood, known by locals as Green Hill, after a brutal mass slaying, shortly between 12 noon to 1 PM, authorities said. The gruesome crime unfolded in a quiet suburban neighborhood, leaving residents in a state of fear and disbelief. Law enforcement agencies swiftly responded to multiple emergency calls reporting screams coming from multiple residences along NE Oaken Street. Upon arrival, they discovered a horrific scene of carnage, with eight casualties scattered across four residences. While the identities of the victims have not yet been officially released, preliminary information suggests that they range in age of seventeen to late fifties and include both males and females. The motive behind this heinous act remains unknown, leaving the community in a state of anguish and seeking answers. Authorities are urging residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity as they intensify their efforts to locate the suspect. The suspect left on a red Ford Explorer, believed to be armed and extremely dangerous. Citizens are advised not to approach the individual if spotted but to immediately contact the local authorities. 38-year-old fellow Green Hill resident, Terrell Hilling, describe the chilling scene of bodies along Oaken Street when he went for a jog. He locked the doors while police scour the area. ¡°I started running with another guy and hid,¡± Hilling said. ¡°It¡¯s like out of a horror movie.¡± A press conference held by Point Hope Police Department spokesperson, Fernand Blompkin, shed some light on the ongoing investigation. "We are committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice and providing solace to the grieving families affected by this senseless act. We have allocated significant resources to the manhunt and are working diligently to gather any information that may lead to the suspect''s apprehension.¡± As the manhunt unfolds, schools and local businesses in the vicinity have implemented heightened security measures to ensure the safety of students and employees. Residents are advised to remain indoors, keep doors and windows locked, and exercise caution until further notice. The city police department has established a dedicated hotline for anyone with information relating to the crime or the whereabouts of the suspect. Tips can be reported anonymously, and authorities assure the public that every lead will be thoroughly investigated. This story is developing, and we will provide updates as more information becomes available.
10 HOURS EARLIER Ashley stepped into the landing, peering into the sinister darkness below. ¡°Dave?¡± She called out again. She didn¡¯t like the look of it. I could see her wondering what was wrong with the lights. ¡°You know this is not funny.¡± She called for him again. Nothing. Ashley waited. Took a step down. Then another. And another. ¡°Dave? Baby?¡± She stopped. Stared down at the darkness. Listened. Still nothing. Her eyes were fixed on the bottom step¡¯s corners as if she feared someone was waiting by the wings, something in the dark, waiting to strike. And she was mostly correct. The demon remained, looming like a menacing shadow mere inches from her trail. But there was no movement. No sound. She continued down the stairs. And then it happened. I watched, transfixed, as the demon I created snatched her from behind with a savage force. I didn¡¯t add [Superhuman Strength] as part of the demon¡¯s traits, but monsters with the [Demonic] archetypes already came with a passive strength level that was a little stronger than a human. But seeing it in the flesh still surprised me. Ashley screamed as she was lifted into the air and pulled backward. The stairs disappeared from beneath her feet. Her legs kicked frantically, trying to find some purchase, but there was none. Her hands flailed helplessly, trying to grab onto something. Anything. The demon dangled her a couple of feet before it chucked her down the stairs, tumbling just as Dave did, and landed on her face. Her scream was cut short by the impact, and blood gushed out of her nose. Eyes wide, she frantically looked for where her attacker came from, but there was no one up the stairs but me looking down at her. She couldn¡¯t even see me, but her eyes pierced through mine. The demon took a step back, savoring the sight of her panic. Like a switch, it unnerved me how much the demon enjoyed it. After all, it was a twisted creature, yet it seemed to revel in hurting people much more than I expected. But perhaps that was because I created it to do so. Maybe it would have been different if I hadn¡¯t given it such an evil purpose. I flew further back from the carnage, shocked at the brutality before me. Then I caught a glimpse of the incinerator and the ashes within, the evidence of my murder that Dave burned, and all of that doubt melted away. Ashley pushed herself up and tried to stand, but her knees buckled under her weight. She collapsed to the floor, crying in pain as she clutched her broken nose. She got to her feet, stumbling over her own feet as she went to retrieve her phone from the floor. She fumbled with it, dropped it twice, and finally got it open. She started dialing for help, but the demon interrupted her by swatting it off her grip. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The phone skidded toward¡¯s Dave¡¯s body. Ashley froze. ¡°No!¡± She cried out, scrambling over to his side. I watched Ashley fall to her knees beside him, wailing hysterically, holding his lifeless hand into hers. ¡°Dave...Oh God,¡± she sobbed. ¡°Oh, God.¡± Panicked, she managed to get up again and ran for the stairs. It surprised me when the demon let her reach the landing when Ashley suddenly stopped, looking into the wall across the basement door. ¡°M-mom?¡± Ashley muttered. ¡°How¡­?¡± The demon was using its [Mocking Torment] to trigger a hallucination of Ashley¡¯s mother. Something must be happening in Ashley¡¯s head because she started peeing on the floor, soaking her bathrobe with her urine. ¡°No...no...please¡ª¡± It took me a moment to focus on the demon lingering around her, and once I was mentally connected to the demon, I began to see what Ashley saw with her own eyes. The demon¡¯s form materialized into an older woman that almost resembled Ashley but haggard and unkempt. She smelled of old cigarettes and cheap wine, and her hair was greasy and unwashed. Her skin was pale and sickly; she looked like a corpse. She stared at Ashley with dark eyes full of hate and regret. ¡°Should we go see a movie, dear?¡± Ashley¡¯s mother asked in a sing-song way, happy and blissful. ¡°Isn¡¯t your birthday today? Happy birthday, sweetheart. My little pumpkin, bumpkin.¡± I realized the demon was pulling one of Ashley¡¯s memories into the forefront. ¡°Mom...how...no...what are you?¡± ¡°Oh, my sweet, don¡¯t you recognize your mother?¡± Ashley shook her head. She tried to escape the trance but stayed rooted to where she stood. ¡°Y¡ªyou¡¯re not real.¡± ¡°My poor child. I am as real as you are. Now go give Mommy her medicine from the fridge, will you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not real. You¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°Ashley¡­¡± The old woman¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°You know I don¡¯t like it when you don¡¯t listen to me.¡± ¡°You... you¡¯re not real!¡± ¡°Get Mommy¡¯s medicine from the fridge now, missy! I won¡¯t ask again!¡± ¡°No. No. No. Not real. Not real.¡± Something must have pulled Ashley from her terror when she glanced over her shoulder. ¡°Dave,¡± she whimpered. Suddenly, the demon lunged, almost making me jump from fright. ¡°Get my medicine from the fridge, you cock-sucking whore!¡± The demon spat. Even I took a step back, surprised by its foul mouth. Ashley screeched as the demon grabbed a fistful of her hair and dragged her down the stairs. She kicked and punched, but the monster held her fast, still in the form of Ashley¡¯s dead mother, shrieking nonsense maniacally, ¡°Pumpkin, sweetpea, babycakes, sugarplum, honeypie...! Dind-dong! Ding-dong! The bitch dies today!¡± The demon tossed Ashley down the steps, slamming her against a shelf stacked with boxes, falling on top of her, filled with cables, straps, electrical wires, spare hoses, Christmas foils, and fishing gear. The demon grabbed the hanging pendant light from the ceiling, pulled the electric cable, and wrapped the wire around her neck. It then hoisted her inches off the ground. Ashley struggled to get the damn thing off her neck. The demon chortled gleefully against her ears. ¡°Want to hear something, pumpkin? Mommy¡¯s gonna swallow your soul.¡± I could feel the power surging through it. All those hours spent crafting it had paid off. It felt amazing and horrifying to watch it work with barbaric precision. I realized what the demon had been doing for the last minute. It was trying to shed as much Resolve from Ashley before it would possess her and then consume her soul, killing her. It did as I asked. Made them suffer, and the demon brought Hell to her. Ashley¡¯s eyes widened with panic as she gasped for air. She thrashed about helplessly. She managed to bring one foot against a shelf, but the demon wrapped a hose and more electrical cables around her ankles, yanked hard, and kept her suspended. It threw four hooked fishing lines at her, which sank into her bare arms, shoulder, chest, and cheek, pulling the skin apart as the demon dangled her there. ¡°Now give your momma a big wet kiss!¡± The demon clutched Ashley¡¯s jaw and opened its mouth. A car pulling up the driveway, a red Ford Explorer, distracted me from the brutal scene. I flew with my many-eyes toward the front of the house. Maxine had just arrived. She sat behind the wheel but appeared to be talking to someone in the car. I recognized her husband, Adam. ¡°Can¡¯t we check up on Dave after lunch? My folks are waiting for us, and you know how my mother is about being late,¡± Adam groaned. ¡°It¡¯s just a quick stop, Adam. Hodge asked us to check up on him,¡± Maxine said. ¡°Hodge should do it himself.¡± ¡°He got work. We don¡¯t. And it¡¯s the least you could do since you skipped the ritual. He¡¯s already blaming us for fucking it up because we didn¡¯t get the numbers. Like it fucking matters. It worked when there were only four of us.¡± ¡°I was not feeling well.¡± I frowned. Even the husband was involved. Fuck, were Xavier and Vivian in on it, too? How many cultists were in Point Hope? Maxine forced a smile. ¡°Of course, hon. Anyway, we live close to the Yates, so it shouldn¡¯t take more than ten minutes, okay? Then we can go to the restaurant and listen to your mother drone on about your brother and his new wife¡¯s adventures in Nepal.¡± Adam scoffed. ¡°He told me he climbed Mount Everest. Said he had pictures.¡± ¡°And you believe him? That takes months of training, you know. And your brother ain¡¯t got that kind of money.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Mom believes it, so we¡¯ll have to swallow it.¡± Maxine shook her head. ¡°Stupid.¡± She turned to look at the house. ¡°Hey, do you feel something odd?¡± Adam tilted his head. ¡°Uh, what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Something looked different about Dave¡¯s house, but I can¡¯t tell what it was.¡± Adam peered over her shoulder and looked around the front lawn. ¡°Hm. Dave finally switched on the lawn mower?¡± Maxine rolled her eyes. ¡°Whatever.¡± She opened the door and climbed out of the car. I hurried back to the basement. Ashley lay on the floor, eyes wide open to the ceiling; the electrical cables around her neck were loose, bruising her neck red and purple. I couldn¡¯t see the demon anymore. No smoke cloud lingering at the corner. No faint smell of rotten eggs. Even Ashley¡¯s aura was gone completely. ¡°Is she dead?¡± I wondered. Then, Ashley¡¯s eyes blinked, and they quickly turned to look at me. Directly at me. ¡°Er, demon?¡± I asked. Ashley sat up. She never left her gaze on me. ¡°Master,¡± she said, but it sounded garbled. Strained. Like a child stuttering to express a complicated word for the first time. Her voice also sounded an octave lower. She cleared her throat. ¡°I serve,¡± she forced to say. ¡°I¡­I didn¡¯t expect you would do that,¡± I said. ¡°Throw her around a few times, sure, but¡ª¡± I looked at the bloodied fishing tackles, cables, and hoses the demon used to torture her. ¡°Master asks for suffering. Pain. I serve.¡± Ashley¡ªDemon Ashley¡ªlooked up, almost confused why it should go against its nature. It¡¯s a demon, after all. They were experts at tormenting people. Demon Ashley then sniffed the air. ¡°Ah. New meat.¡± The doorbell rang. Demon Ashley got up and started walking up the stairs, and was that a lullaby I heard? She hummed a tune to the Rockabye Baby as she walked into the kitchen and headed for the door. ¡°Uh, demon?¡± Demon Ashley continued, stumbling slowly toward the door. The demon was still trying to get used to the body. She opened the door a smidge before pivoting and headed for the stairs. She puffed up the collar of her bathrobe higher, hiding the bruises around her neck, and then pulled the sleeves around her wrists to hide the rope marks. Maxine stared at the door momentarily before pushing it open, creaking loudly. ¡°Um, hello?¡± She called out, pushing the door wide open mow. She and Adam caught Ashley halfway up the stairs, her back facing them. ¡°Oh, hey, Ash,¡± Adam said and waved. His smile suddenly dropped. ¡°Er, is something wrong?¡± Demon Ashley paused near the landing. ¡°Need to take a shower,¡± she said lowly without looking back at them. I was impressed that the demon made it sound like Ashley¡¯s voice and speech pattern this time, not the warped, strangled, and baritone voice I heard in the basement. ¡°Oh.¡± Maxine narrowed her eyes. ¡°Um, is it okay if we wait down here?¡± Ashley tilted her head a little. ¡°Please.¡± Adam pointed at the living room. ¡°We¡¯ll sit right there. And, uh, could you get Dave as well? Is he in the house?¡± A long pause. ¡°Yes.¡± Maxine shot Adam a wary look. ¡°Oh, well, let him know we¡¯re in the living room then.¡± Demon Ashley continued walking up the steps and turned the corner. They entered the living room and sat silently, listening to the muffled sound of the water pipes shuddering as Ashley turned on the shower and hopped in. As the couple sat down, a greenish aura formed around them. Arc 1 | Nightmare Suburbia (Part 9) NIGHTMARE SUBURBIA Part 9 After ten minutes had passed since Ashley went upstairs¡ªand Dave did not show up¡ªMaxine leaned over to Adam with a worried gaze to the stairs. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s coming,¡± she said. ¡°Is he even home?¡± ¡°Ashley told us he¡¯s here.¡± ¡°He must be busy?¡± Adam craned his neck to peer into the backyard. ¡°Well, he¡¯s definitely not out there.¡± ¡°And did you see that earlier?¡± Maxine asked. ¡°See what?¡± ¡°I thought Ash got blood under her nose.¡± Adam shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything.¡± ¡°I think I saw it.¡± Adam shrugged again. ¡°Well, if you saw it¡ª¡± ¡°I saw it, okay?¡± Maxine hissed, annoyed. ¡°I¡¯m not blind.¡± ¡°What¡¯d you think happened then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Something¡¯s weird. And did you smell that earlier? Like someone pissed in the room.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t insult someone¡¯s house, babe. It¡¯s not polite.¡± ¡°Well, I smelled it.¡± ¡°Should we just leave? Maybe come back later? My parents are waiting for us, Max. You know what they are like if we¡¯re late again. We won¡¯t hear the tail end of it.¡± ¡°No, we won¡¯t be long,¡± Maxine insisted. ¡°Ashley¡¯s probably telling Dave to come. Yeah.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I don¡¯t think so, babe,¡± Adam rubbed his hands over his upper arms; he was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt. ¡°Shit. It¡¯s cold in here, huh?¡± Maxine shook her head. ¡°Fuck it. I¡¯ll find Dave and the gem. Find out what he¡¯s so scared about. Then we can go to your parents.¡± ¡°Dave¡¯s always scared about something. What¡¯s he on about this time?¡± ¡°Hodge told me he sounded scared. Something about the gem. And this whole house gives me the fucking creeps.¡± Maxine started walking out of the living room. ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go to his office and look for the gem there. You can stay right here in case Ashley comes back down. Tell her I went to get water. Or, you know, you can help?¡± Adam let out a breath. ¡°That¡¯s alright with me. I¡¯ll stay right here.¡± It was clear Adam didn¡¯t feel like looking for a lost gem anyway. He was still worried about getting to the restaurant where his parents were waiting. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Maxine walked out of the living room. I watched Adam sit there for a couple more minutes, tapping his fingers on his knees, twiddling with his thumbs, and checking Reddit with his phone. He received another message on his phone, smiled, and replied with a purple heart and an eggplant emoji. Looking over his shoulder, this was a different woman than the one he texted in his house! How many women does this sleaze have? I also checked up on Maxine, who looked into the garage and found Dave¡¯s car was still inside. ¡°Dave is here,¡± Maxine muttered. ¡°Where the fuck is he?¡± She went back to the kitchen and checked the thermostat. ¡°Seventy-five degrees?¡± She scrunched up her face and visibly shivered. She looked like she regretted wearing a blouse today. Her eyes glazed over to the basement door, and at first, I thought she was going down there, but she walked past it and made a beeline for Dave¡¯s office instead. His office looked like my dad¡¯s: a computer desk littered with envelopes, loose papers, bills, folders, the odd gum packet or two, and scattered pens and pencils. She started rummaging through his things. ¡°Where did you keep it, Dave?¡± She muttered under her breath. In the other room, Adam still waited. He got up and peered through the sliding doors leading to the backyard. He was eying the shed. He reached for the handle and was about to slide it open when I triggered [Strange Noise]. ¡°Adam,¡± I whispered his name right behind his right ear. Startled, he whirled around and found that no one was there. ¡°Max?¡± He called out. Maxine was too distracted trying to open one of Dave¡¯s desk drawers. ¡°Was that you?¡± No one answered. Grasping with [Phantasmal Cold] again, I made the room suffocatingly cold, and Adam tried to stifle his trembling. Adam slowly walked into the foyer, listening. The muffled sound of water cascading in the showers upstairs was still audible in the foyer. The Yates didn¡¯t exactly make their home soundproof. He noticed that Ashley had been taking that shower for almost twenty minutes. ¡°Ash?¡± He called out to the second floor. Ashley didn¡¯t answer. He walked up the stairs. They creaked beneath his weight. He stopped halfway to the top and listened again. There was nothing except for the water running in the bathroom above. He continued to climb the steps until he could see into the hallway from the landing. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Ash?¡± The water from the showers was a little louder here now. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He walked down the hallway. The light in the master bedroom was off; the door was slightly ajar. He pushed it open and peeked inside. His aura had turned from green to a lighter shade of orange in a minute, then a darker orange. Clearly, he was freaked out. Whatever the demon was planning, it wanted to lure someone upstairs, trying to separate them. Suddenly, Adam took a step back, shaking his head. ¡°The hell am I doing?¡± He whispered to himself. He pivoted his heels, heading for the stairs. He¡¯s leaving! Maybe he wanted to grab Maxine and check up on Ashley together. Well, I¡¯m not going to have that happen. In my favorite horror movies, when the characters are separated, the more chances one of them will die. Splitting Up was an overused (and excellent) trope for a reason in slasher movies, and Adam will find out why. I triggered [Luring Trance]. Adam stopped in his tracks, frozen on the landing. He looked back to the master¡¯s bedroom, frowning. If he told her something was wrong with Ashley, Maxine would make a fuss that he was reading into things, maybe chastising him for being a peeping tom. Then again, if he just went over there, he had always found Ashley attractive in a bomb-ass MILF way. Even he wondered how Dave managed to bag a bitch like that. Only a deal with the Devil could. For a split second, I was taken aback by the access I could glean from a delver¡¯s mind and emotions with [Luring Trance]. But before it could dissipate into a long cooldown, I quickly focused on the dark energy emanating from the walls, cloaking Adam¡¯s aura briefly. I pulled him back to the master¡¯s bedroom, dangling a mental image of Ashley¡¯s body like some forbidden fruit. It helped that Adam had always been a pervert. After all, when I spied at their house, he cheated on Maxine with another woman¡ªmultiple women. With [Strange Noise] still active (I had one minute), I produced an audible moan from the bedroom. Adam narrowed his gaze, confused and hesitant. Still accessing his emotions, I could feel him getting aroused as well. He doubted whether Ashley was touching herself inside the room. No, he imagined it. Pictured her naked now, splayed on the bed on her knees. Good, good. Come in, Adam. Come inside the room. Adam walked inside. He saw a large bed covered in white satin sheets, but there wasn¡¯t anyone in sight. The bathroom door was wide open, and cautiously, he headed over there. Steam filled the entire room and caught Ashley¡¯s naked silhouette behind the glass shower stall. Instinctively, Adam licked his lips. He leaned against the wall near the shower, trying to peek between the gaps. Maybe if he stepped a little closer, he¡¯d get a good view of what¡¯s hiding behind those laced-cardigan shoulder tops and tight skinny jeans¡ª He froze, mouth hanging open. ¡°What the fuck?!¡± Ashley¡¯s skin was peeling from the water¡¯s almost boiling heat. The smell of boiled meat filled the bathroom. She was facing away from him. ¡°Ash!¡± Adam called out, but she didn¡¯t respond. ¡°What the fuck?!¡± He rushed forward and opened the glass door, reeling back when the water splashed on his exposed arm. ¡°Max! Max! I need help over here! Max!¡± He screamed. He gasped at the sight of Ashley¡¯s nude form. Soaking wet, she had red welts covering her arms, legs, chest, neck, and face. Second-degree burns covered her body. And she was grinning. Like this was all a big fucking joke, foam streaming out from the side of her curved lips; her pupils dilated, almost black. ¡°What the fuck, Ash! What have you done?¡± Adam yelped. He tried to pull her out of the shower, but the water was too hot. He grabbed a bundle of towels from the hooks, forced his way in there, and yanked Ashley out of the shower stall. Ashley fell to the linoleum floor with a loud thud, tackling Adam down to the floor with her. When Adam let go of her arm, some of her skin stuck to the palm of his hands. ¡°Fuck! Max! Get in here right now!¡± Downstairs, Maxine ran out of Dave¡¯s office. ¡°I¡¯m coming! I¡¯m coming!¡± ¡°Oh my God, Ash. What did you do? Oh my God.¡± Adam looked like he was about to burst into tears as he struggled to get her off him. Fear engulfed him as his aura switched to a pinkish red. His Resolve was shedding fast. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Adam?¡± Ashley asked gleefully. ¡°You don¡¯t find me attractive anymore?¡± ¡°What? What the fuck are you talking about?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to fuck me now? But I look so pretty. Prettier than ever before.¡± Maxine darted into the master¡¯s bedroom. ¡°Adam! Why are you screaming¡ª!¡± Maxine screeched at the sight of Ashley¡¯s body. She rushed toward the bathroom. ¡°No,¡± I whispered. I slammed the door shut and locked the door with my telekinesis, trapping Adam with the demon. [Power: 6/10] ¡°Adam! Adam! Open the door!¡± Maxine wailed and pounded her fist against the door, and tried to kick it open. Adam was about to head over to the door to unlock it when Ashley grabbed his arm with an iron grip, holding him there. ¡°Let go, Ash!¡± Ashley leered at Adam. ¡°I know what you like, Adam. You¡¯re such a stud.¡± She stood up, grabbing Adam by the collar of his shirt and pulling him close to her. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you real good like no whore ever will.¡± Adam was a big dude, easily a hundred pounds more than little Ashley. But with the demon inhabiting her body, she chucked him off the ground and slammed him against the bathroom mirror, shattering it. Adam grunted, rolled over the counter, and fell on his stomach. Maxine stopped pounding on the door momentarily. ¡°Adam! What¡¯s that sound? Unlock the door!¡± ¡°Max! Call for help!¡± Still, Maxine continued pounding her fist on the wood. ¡°Open the fucking door, Adam!¡± Ashley picked up a big shard of the glass from the sink and raised it high, moaning as she stabbed Adam¡¯s back multiple times. Blood seeped out of each wound. Adam screamed. ¡°I can smell your fear.¡± She laughed as she plunged the shard deeper into his flesh, then another, and turned him around to face her. ¡°Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Stop!¡± Adam begged for someone to save him. He kicked and punched at the demon, trying to push her off him, but she kept stabbing him with the broken mirror. Blood poured out of his mouth as Ashley punctured a lung. ¡°Ash! Stop!¡± ¡°Hello,¡± Ashley said giddily. ¡°I like your pic. You have nice breasts. ¡°So perky. ¡°Send nudes? ¡°You like my dick? ¡°I¡¯m divorced. ¡°I¡¯m not married. ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful. ¡°Let¡¯s see each other tonight. ¡°My wife is not home for the week. ¡°If I have a choice, I¡¯m leaving my wife for you!¡± With each stab, Ashley mocked him. Adam¡¯s eyes widened, realizing she was repeating what he texted on his secret dating app on his phone with his multiple mistresses. ¡°You have been a naughty boy. You¡¯ll do well with the maggots.¡± Demon Ashley then jammed the shard into Adam¡¯s privates. Even I cringed and looked away for a moment as Ashley took off Adam¡¯s shorts and cut off his penis, forced his mouth open, and shoved his dick inside his mouth. She covered them with her free hand, forcing him to choke on the organ. ¡°Take it like a man, Adam!¡± Ashley cackled. Maxine banged on the door again. ¡°Ashley! Stop it!¡± Ashley grabbed a handful of Adam¡¯s hair and pulled his head back, exposing his throat. ¡°Say, please.¡± Adam gasped through clenched teeth. With his hair pulled back, he swallowed pieces of his flesh. His aura turned blood red. Ashley smiled. ¡°Good boy.¡± Then she slit his throat with the sharp edge of the broken mirror piece. Blood gushed out and hit Ashley straight to the face, soaking red. The demon howled in ecstasy as blood dripped onto her naked body. Adam¡¯s aura faded into a brighter red glow, which coalesced into a wisp and entered my consciousness. Inside Ashley¡¯s body, her faint aura also became a wisp; the demon had finished consuming her soul. [You have gained 2 essences: Adam Fairlie, Ashley Yates] [You have gained 300 crystals] It was addicting, the rush entering my form like drinking water after hiking in the desert for days or washing off my body from filth after wading through mud. My mind was clearer; my senses more heightened than ever before. I wanted to feed on Maxine¡¯s essence next, almost eager to get it over and crush her skull with my mind. However, Revenge is served best cold. And I still wanted to make the people who killed me suffer a worse fate than death. ¡°She¡¯s next,¡± I said to the demon, gesturing to the door. ¡°But don¡¯t kill her just yet. I want you to possess her.¡± With a creaky voice, Ashley said, ¡°Understood, Master.¡± Arc 1 | Nightmare Suburbia (Part 10) NIGHTMARE SUBURBIA Part 10 Ashley slinked back into the mist and into the shower stall. The door swung open. Maxine stood shaking by the door frame, mouth hanging open, covering it with her hands. She couldn¡¯t scream. She couldn¡¯t process what was in front of her¡ªAdam lying on the ground, eyes wide open, covered in blood, his throat slashed clean to the bone. ¡°A-d-am?¡± Maxine let out a stuttered breath. Seeing her husband¡¯s body was enough to plummet her Resolve from a bright orange to a hungry darker shade. Her heart rate sped up as she stepped closer to the corpse. Then she noticed Ashley¡¯s silhouette in the mist and backed away slowly. ¡°Ash,¡± She whispered to her. ¡°What did you do to him?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to, Max,¡± Ashley whimpered. I was impressed by how the demon could imitate them uncannily lifelike, almost close to trolling Maxine¡¯s grief. The demon mocked a sob. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to! You have to believe me!¡± ¡°You killed him, Ashley,¡± Maxine whispered as if saying it out loud made it untrue. ¡°It¡¯s not me!¡± ¡°You...you killed him!¡± Maxine regained a little bit of her strength, stepping forward. ¡°You killed my husband! Fuck! I¡¯m calling the cops!¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t!¡± ¡°I¡¯m calling the cops, Ash! You stay right where you are!¡± ¡°Maxine! Please! You have to believe me!¡± ¡°Stay back!¡± Maxine pulled out her phone from her back pocket. ¡°You stay back, Ash!¡± ¡°Ashley isn¡¯t here, you stupid fucking bitch!¡± Ashley shouted. ¡°We¡¯re feasting on their souls in Hell!¡± Ashley lunged out of the mist, but Maxine was faster, pivoted around, and hid behind the door frame, avoiding Ashley¡¯s tight grasp. Ashley crashed into the bed, thrashing to get back up. Maxine ran out of the door and dashed down the stairs, trying to dial 911, but she dialed 901 instead. ¡°Shit!¡± ¡°You¡¯re next!¡± Ashley cackled, rolling off the bed. ¡°You¡¯re next, little piggy! Oink! Oink!¡± Maxine reached the front door¡¯s handle, sobbing, hand still clutching her phone, when suddenly, the rug underneath engulfed her. The force lifted her off the floor and threw her across the room, crashing against the wall; the hanging portraits fell on top of her. ¡°Oink! Oink!¡± Ashley laughed maniacally as she climbed up the railing on all fours and stalked toward Maxine like a spider, licking her lips. ¡°No!¡± Maxine screamed, trying to get the rug off her, suffocatingly wrapped her body. ¡°Let me go! Let me go!¡± Ashley hopped on top of her, prying the rug off until she and Maxine were face to face. ¡°What is it, girlie? Like what you see?¡± Ashley grinned, showing rows of rotting teeth. ¡°You¡¯re not Ashley.¡± ¡°Of course not, you bulimic cunt! Why don¡¯t you choke on a fucking carrot?!¡± Suddenly, Maxine¡¯s Resolve returned to a lighter orange as she yanked her necklace off her neck, a silver pendant etched with symbols, and pressed it against Ashley¡¯s forehead. ¡°Relinquo Daemonium!¡± Maxine shouted. Ashley shrieked and jumped off Maxine, screaming at the top of her lungs. The house shook. The walls rattled. What¡¯s left of the portraits hanging on the wall swayed loose and shattered on the ground. Pieces of broken glass rose from the floor as Ashley let out a piercing wail. The glass flew, breaking Ashley¡¯s skin, and a couple sliced Maxine¡¯s cheek and arm. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Snap out of it!¡± I commanded the demon. But the demon wouldn¡¯t listen. I could feel its pain, like it was being pulled apart piece by piece, limb by limb. Half of the neighborhood must have heard her by now. After a few seconds, she stopped screaming, letting out real sobs as she strained against Maxine¡¯s pendant, still trying to reach her. Maxine stood up and raised the pendant directly at Ashley. ¡°Demon!¡± She shouted. ¡°I am your master¡¯s servant. You will not harm me!¡± Ashley¡¯s flesh under her cheeks began to peel off, revealing the reddish meat; her eyes were bloodshot. Ashley tried to lunge at her, but the pendant pulled up an invisible force around Maxine, preventing Ashley from getting within inches of her throat. Maxine took a step back, her voice trembling. ¡°I said, you will not harm me, demon! I am a disciple of Beelzebub, of Asmodias, of Aamon, of Lucifer, and Astaroth! I have wielded the powers of the Nine Hells! I serve your masters, demon. So, you will not harm me.¡± Straining against an invisible force, Ashley glared at Maxine¡­and began to chuckle. ¡°Servant,¡± she muttered. ¡°Servant!¡± She let out a boisterous laugh. ¡°Servant! Servant!¡± Maxine kept her pendant raised. ¡°You will not harm me,¡± she said, less confident this time. ¡°You have angered my master, Maxine Fairlie,¡± Ashley said. ¡°I compel you to tell me who your master is, demon!¡± Ashley laughed and glanced over Maxine¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Behind you, bitch.¡± Maxine whirled around, and I summoned [Telekinesis]. [Power: 5/10] Grasping her by the throat, I lifted her body a foot from the ground and hurled her across the dining room, knocking off the vases, candles, and a bowl of fruit along the way. Behind us, Ashley guffawed. ¡°Master! Master! Get her, master!¡± I held my grip as Maxine struggled, still clutching her pendant while she tried to cast another spell. ¡°Re-lin-quo! Dae-mon-i-um¡ª!¡± She raised the pendant toward me. I flinched for a split second, imagining Ashley¡¯s pain in my body and my consciousness, but it increased tenfold. Nothing happened. I remained in the air, telekinesis still wrapped around Maxine¡¯s neck. I smiled and gripped tighter, shedding her Resolve into a darker orange. ¡°Just what I like to see,¡± I hissed. She kicked. Screamed. I threw her through the window, shattering upon impact. Maxine tumbled out into the patio deck in the backyard, shards of glass cutting through her skin. She rolled, loosened her grip on the pendant, and it went flying into the grass. She scrambled to look for it. ¡°No. No. No, no, no, no¡­¡± She muttered. I sensed Ashley¡¯s presence behind me, and Maxine whirled around, must have had a fright to find Ashley leering through the opening, grinning at her. Without her pendant, it shed her Resolve down to red. She ran for the side gates, but my telekinesis was still up. I grabbed her entire body, lifted her off the grass again, and dragged her back toward the broken window. She reached out, grabbed hold of a drain pipe by the side of the house, and screamed for help. She caught sight of two teenagers up on the second-floor window next door. Spreading out my many-eyes, I was bombarded by loud music as the two teenagers started making out on the girl¡¯s bed, oblivious to Maxine¡¯s cries fifty feet away. ¡°Help me! Help me!¡± But her grip loosened, and I dragged her back into the patio deck by her ankles, her skin scraping through the broken shards of glass and then through the broken window. She howled in pain, and I realized a large piece of the glass still attached to the windowsill stabbed her abdomen and kept her there momentarily. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this.¡± I yanked hard on Maxine¡¯s ankles, and the glass split into two and embedded deep into Maxine¡¯s belly. With the last second of telekinesis, I chucked her across the dining table, rolled over, and dropped right in front of Ashley¡¯s feet. Ashley straddled her, and Maxine tried to get her off weakly. It was no use. With a wide grin, Ashley vomited a torrent of blood and chunks of her gut all over Maxine¡¯s face and open mouth. Such force looked like Maxine got hosed down by it. I wanted to gag. Ashley¡¯s eyes rolled over, and she collapsed beside Maxine. She stopped moving. Maxine wiped the blood off her face and crawled away from Ashley¡¯s body, taking in labored breaths. I watched the demon emerge from Ashley¡¯s pores, now hovering above Maxine¡¯s. Maxine¡¯s Resolve dropped to a dull red as she stared at Ashley¡¯s body, too shocked to move. Her phone rang. On the screen: HODGE. She was about to click the green button when I sent a sliver of [Mind Shock] her way, stunning her momentarily. [Power: 4/10] She started shaking like she was having a seizure, her hands twitching violently, and dropped the phone. I watched, fascinated, as the demon, in the form of her husband, stood above her. ¡°A¡ªAdam?¡± Maxine croaked. Adam crouched down in front of her. ¡°I love you,¡± he said. ¡°I love you so much, Maxine.¡± She was still under my psychic grasp, and all Maxine could do was shed a single tear running down her cheek. She¡¯s afraid, so afraid I relished with her pain like putting in new clothes. It made me smile, my heart beating faster, anticipating what the demon would do next. Maxine knew she was hallucinating her husband, but her emotions overwhelmed her, kept her in place, and whispered, ¡°Love you¡± between clenched teeth. Demon Adam smiled and caressed her chin with his thumb. ¡°I know, baby. I know. I love you the way I love sliding my cock inside half the town because you are a shriveled old hag. All I wanted to do was skin you alive so my parents could see what a gold-digging slut you are inside. I¡¯m going to enjoy wearing your skin.¡± And then he dissipated into a puff of black smoke and slid inside her open mouth, eyes, nose, and ears. Maxine¡¯s eyes glazed over, convulsing for several seconds. Then, she stopped moving, laying there for a handful of heartbeats before she opened her eyes again and stood up. Arc 1 | Nightmare Suburbia (Part 11) NIGHTMARE SUBURBIA Part 11 Maxine looked in my direction, smiling. ¡°She screams beautifully, my liege,¡± she said. I shuddered. ¡°Can she see me, too, demon?¡± I asked. Maxine nodded. ¡°She sees. She screams. She burns. She begs for your forgiveness. She tastes¡­ wonderful. Like smoked cherries under hellfire.¡± I clenched my teeth. Fat chance I¡¯m going to give that to her. ¡°You did great.¡± ¡°I aim to serve, lord dungeon.¡± ¡°Was that a spell she cast?¡± ¡°A child¡¯s trick, my liege,¡± Maxine said indifferently. ¡°Coz it sounds like it fucking hurt.¡± ¡°It will only last a few seconds. Once she cast the spell, it wouldn¡¯t take effect again for a minute more.¡± ¡°You were waiting.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Maxine nodded. ¡°She should have run while she had the chance. But alas, she thought she was safe from such lowly spells.¡± So, the cult has a spell that can stun demons momentarily. How nice of them. ¡°You need to be careful in the future.¡± Maxine narrowed her gaze. ¡°We demons do no such things, my liege. We play tricks. Cut skin. Bleed them out. Not careful. Caution is for the weak.¡± ¡°And Maxine¡¯s pendant?¡± ¡°An enchantment to increase the spell¡¯s power. As you can see, it was not enough to cast me out of the realm. She was not a very powerful witch. I doubt even the imps would be hurt by it.¡± ¡°You got hurt.¡± Maxine smiled. ¡°Oh, my liege, I enjoyed it. It was quite euphoric. It¡¯s a shame you had to break her concentration. The human body has powerful orgasms that we demons crave like a delicacy.¡± I tried to compose myself for a second. Stomaching all that blood, guts, and dicing made my stomach a little queasy, though I had no mouth to vomit. Still, seeing their deaths filled me with satisfaction. ¡°Do you know how to drive, demon?¡± I asked, changing the subject. Maxine pointed at her temple. ¡°I keep the host¡¯s knowledge,¡± she said. ¡°I will learn.¡± ¡°Good. I want you to take me somewhere else.¡± Demon Maxine raised her eyebrows. ¡°You want to leave your domain?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She asked as if it¡¯s the most unheard of thing in the world. ¡°You can¡¯t. You have everything here to protect yourself. Out there is dangerous.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not staying here forever,¡± I replied. ¡°And besides, this is not the dungeon I want. It¡¯s not safe for both of us.¡± ¡°Where will we go?¡± ¡°I found somewhere that suits me better,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll guide you on the way.¡± [Are you sure you want to dismantle your dungeon: The Yates Residence?] I nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± [Destroying the Yates Residence requires 5 essences. You only have 3.] Ah, shit. I didn¡¯t have enough. Could I lure more of the cult into Dave¡¯s house with Maxine¡¯s phone? I needed to rest for a while since I was below half of my Power, and all my environmental effects were in a long cooldown. Then again, if I sent a text dragging the other cult members to Dave¡¯s house, there¡¯s a high chance they would escape and call for help, and they might never return. They would also get suspicious. I needed to get to McLaren Forest and far from civilization. I needed the other cult members isolated. It was as if Demon Maxine sensed my worry; she started moving toward the living room window overlooking the street. ¡°I sense souls for you, lord dungeon,¡± she said. ¡°Other souls?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She pointed at someone across the house. A woman just parked her car in front of the driveway, got out, and opened her trunk. She hauled out two grocery bags and started walking toward the front door. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Would that work? Their house is not part of my dungeon.¡± ¡°Still living,¡± Maxine said. ¡°Essence can be reaped anywhere. Monsters can collect and bring them to you.¡± ¡°Maybe we can kill her quickly¡ª¡± Wait. What the fuck am I saying? Am I really considering murdering an innocent woman who had nothing to do with my murder? Just a poor fucker who happened to be home at the wrong time? The longer I stayed in this gem, the faster my morality ebbed away. When I watched Adam and Ashley getting butchered by the demon, all I saw were meat bags gushing blood, releasing that sweet nectar after they died. I couldn¡¯t get enough of it. Now, as I watched the woman struggle to turn the keys on, her front door was a vital resource I could feed on. I hunger for it. It¡¯s a person, I tried to tell myself. Innocent. Not like Maxine, Adam, Ashley, or Dave. Maxine turned to me. ¡°Master is no longer human,¡± she said. ¡°Master is above mortal troubles and fears. You have become magnificent¡ªa work of art.¡± ¡°But I used to be.¡± ¡°Yes. Used to be. Now, you are a Dungeon Core. All-Powerful. All-Consuming. Do not let your greatness worry about the suffering of lesser beings, my liege. They are beneath you, as am I.¡± ¡°You know what I am?¡± ¡°We all know what you are, Dungeon Core¡ªthose who strive to bask in your glory. We flock to your kind, rare as you are, searching the stars for eternity. Most of us would not encounter your kind for another hundred years. I am lucky to find you. Therefore, I serve. More will come.¡± More will come. What did she mean by that? Other visitors from other planets? ¡°Do many people know what Dungeon Cores are, demon?¡± ¡°On Earth, yes. Several. Across the universe, millions.¡± ¡°And can they travel to Earth?¡± ¡°A gifted portalist can traverse across billions of light-years, my liege. Some can sense powerful dungeon cores, and they will come to explore. It will be a glorious day of feasting.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I gulped. ¡°Um, portalists?¡± ¡°The universe has many powerful wizards that can enter one plane from another.¡± I stayed quiet. Now there¡¯s fucking wizards, too? Like Alien Wizards? ¡°But if Master wants to feel safe, I will deliver.¡± Maxine looked around the living room. Even the demon believed the house was less than adequate. I looked around my dungeon and couldn¡¯t help but sense I was too exposed. I was a salmon trying to swim upstream, trying to migrate home. Home. What a strange word. When I thought of it, I didn¡¯t think about my family and the house I grew up in for eighteen years. I thought of earth and dirt, a shelter above my head, tunnels, and numerous caverns, creating monstrosities to populate them. I yearned for an indescribable power from above, pulled at warping speed, and I wanted to reach out and touch it. Just a taste. A taste would do me good. Like right now. I swallowed my guilt and said, ¡°Go ahead, demon. Make sure it¡¯s quick.¡± Demon Maxine paused, frowning. ¡°But to release essence, the creature must suffer, my liege. It is required.¡± I didn¡¯t like the demon¡¯s frown when it was disappointed by my lack of knowledge about its world. It¡¯s like my grandmother disappointed by my life choices for choosing a History major when I go to college next summer instead of joining a STEM program. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°If the delvers die too quickly, their essence is tainted. Not powerful. Wasted. A blight to your growing magnificence, lord dungeon.¡± ¡°The fuck? Who made that fucked-up rule?¡± Maxine shrugged. ¡°The Elders. All-Powerful. All-Knowing. All-Seeing.¡± ¡°The Elders?¡± That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever heard of them. I didn¡¯t see them in my character sheet. ¡°Who are they?¡± Maxine narrowed her gaze. ¡°Your creator.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Er, Coach Hodge is not an Elder, and he¡¯s the one who summoned me into the gem.¡± ¡°No,¡± Maxine let out a chuckle. Even her demonic tone sent shivers down my spine. ¡°The human you call Hodge is puny. Magic so tiny compared to an Elder.¡± ¡°What, are they like gods or something?¡± Maxine¡¯s expression never faltered. ¡°They made the gods, my liege. They witness the birth of this universe and countless more.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Well, shit. ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Therefore, Hodge is not an Elder. If an Elder comes to your planet, you will know.¡± ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡± Oh, God. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that an Elder gave Coach Hodge the incantation to trap my soul inside the gem?¡± ¡°It is known across the universe how dungeons are made, master. Elders are the only ones with the arcane power to wield the weave that powers your gem. What you have inside you is the weave¡¯s raw potential. All-Creating. All-Wielding. All-Destroying. We bow to your glory, might, and wisdom!¡± I ignored the demon¡¯s reverence for me. I didn¡¯t like the dear leader vibes it often exuded like it was close to kissing the soles of my boots (if I ever wear one). But I¡¯m incorporeal as well. It was one of the things I would miss wearing if I were stuck in the gem forever. At least I could project a body with better clothes for my mental benefit. ¡°So, how do I talk to an Elder?¡± I asked. Demon Maxine chuckled again. ¡°No one talks to the Elders just like that, my liege. They come to you when you are of higher rank.¡± ¡°How high?¡± ¡°High.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I mulled over what I had learned and looked at the house across the street. The woman was already inside. Through my many-eyes, she started placing all the groceries she bought into the refrigerator and the pantry. ¡°You kill them when their Resolve is red? Am I getting that right?¡± I asked the demon. ¡°Those are the rules,¡± Maxine said. ¡°You, master, killed Dave Yates so violently that he released essence.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you know that? I didn¡¯t make you yet when I killed him.¡± ¡°I searched for centuries, remember? For a long time, I searched with empty bounty. I saw you. I was at the right place at the right time of your birth. I wait to serve. And then you called, and I answered.¡± I looked around me. ¡°Can you see the other monsters right now?¡± Maxine let out a small smile. ¡°A few. In the periphery. Waiting like I was. Waiting for you to summon an archetype of their ancestry, they will answer.¡± Well, that¡¯s not fucking creepy at all. ¡°Good to know.¡± ¡°Hungry, my liege? I can feed you. Let me help.¡± I closed my many-eyes except for the one standing next to Maxine, who eagerly looked at me. ¡°Okay. Two more essences, right? I doubt these folks know how to stave off a demon. But once their aura turns red, you do it quickly.¡± The demon smiled gleefully. ¡°Yes, master.¡± Forgive me. ¡°Go ahead. Do it.¡± Using Maxine¡¯s body, I watched from the window as she walked out of the front door and casually strolled toward the house across the street. I realized that Maxine¡¯s body was covered in Ashley¡¯s and Adam¡¯s blood, and she was walking around with it in fucking broad daylight. I should have told her to shower. It was too late. She¡¯s already across the street and approaching the front door. Luckily, there weren¡¯t any people out and about. The woman left her door unlocked. Safe town, many walls unguarded, I thought. Maxine casually stepped inside like it was her house. My birth as a dungeon core would make Point Hope a town of nightmares, which terrified me of what I would become. But I didn¡¯t want to die and to survive; this was what I had to do. Later tonight, Point Hope would be horrified by the wake of bodies I left on Green Hill. Even with my many-eyes closed, I could hear the poor woman start to scream. Arc 1 | Nightmare Suburbia (Part 12) NIGHTMARE SUBURBIA Part 12 A minute passed. Then another. And another. And another. Instantly, I felt that strange tug in the air, raising goosebumps up my spine and at the nape of my neck. Small wispy blots passed through the house¡¯s walls across the street, flying toward me, then dove into the earth before they reached the Yates¡¯s front door. Down to the basement where my gem lay hidden. [You have gained 1 essence: Marie Sadler] [You have gained 150 crystals] My heart sank. I¡¯ve taken a life. Sure, it came from my demon, but I was the one who created it and unleashed such evil on this town. I learned that killing a delver netted me a hundred and fifty crystals per kill. I couldn¡¯t deny how sweet her essence tasted. More. I wanted more. More, demon. Maxine walked out of the house, covered in more blood than when she left the Yates. She walked over to the house next door, where a man in his late fifties walked out from the side gate, pushing a bulky lawn mower. It was a sunny day, after all¡ªa perfect time to mow the lawn. He had earphones on, and even though I kept my many-eyes shut, I could still hear the faint music emanating from them, playing some eighties rock. Maxine walked up from behind, startling him. ¡°Shit! You scared me, Maxine!¡± He clutched his chest. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were visiting.¡± Then, he noticed the blood all over her. ¡°Wait. Is¡­is that blood?¡± Demon Maxine did not answer. She punched the man square in the nose, pushed him against the lawn mower, and he hit his head on the handle, knocking him unconscious. Maxine dragged the man¡¯s body into the backyard. Curiosity got the better of me, and I took a peek at where Maxine brought the old man into. She shoved him inside the shed, filled with all kinds of tools, and slid the door shut. Okay, that¡¯s enough; I closed my many-eyes again. But the old man¡¯s screams echoed across the neighborhood. I reached my consciousness into the houses across Oaken Street and found that most had no people in them. Perhaps they were off to work. Off to school. Off to town. There was one Amazon delivery driver on the other street, dropping packages, but I didn¡¯t know where her following route was or if she would turn to Oaken Street. Another woman was busy doing laundry in the house¡¯s basement next to the old man. She also wore these wireless earbuds, gossiping about some woman¡¯s awful engagement ring with her friend. She didn¡¯t seem to hear the old man screaming next door. The house next to the Yates was also occupied. Peering through their bedroom, I saw the same two teenagers skipping school, making out on the bed, music blasting through the Bluetooth speakers, unaware of the horror Maxine inflicted on their neighbors across the street. I was lucky they didn¡¯t hear Human Maxine screaming bloody murder over the fence when she almost got away. They started to undress. And that¡¯s enough of that, too. I waited for the demon to finish torturing the poor man, but while Marie Sadler only took five minutes, it took the demon almost twenty with the old man, and still, it wasn¡¯t done with him. Running out of patience, I opened my many-eyes to the shed and gasped at the ghastly display ahead of me. Demon Maxine had tied the old man to a chair and sheared off its arms, tongue, and one of his eyes. The demon obviously beat him up, given the bruises and gashes across his body. She tied a rope around his neck, hoisting him to dangle from the beams. ¡°What the fuck?!¡± I cried out. ¡°I said to do it quickly.¡± ¡°His Resolve is too strong, my liege,¡± the demon said. ¡°I need time to ripen the meat.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t realize it¡¯s that strong.¡± ¡°Almost,¡± Maxine almost grinned. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± ¡°Help!¡± The old man shouted at the slightly ajar door, gasping for breath. ¡°Help me!¡± The old man¡¯s aura turned a deep shade of red. Demon Maxine cackled. ¡°Found the sweet spot.¡± She let go of the rope, and the old man dropped onto the cold floor. Coughing violently, he tried to crawl away from her. ¡°Get away from me!¡± Maxine grabbed the garden shears from the wall, parted them slightly, and stepped on the old man¡¯s lower spine. ¡°But we aren¡¯t done yet, silly,¡± she trilled. Raising the shears above her head, she stabbed the old man in the back eight times until he bled to death. Until he shredded his vocal cords from screaming so much. Until his lungs struggled to expand. Until he choked in his own blood and his eyes glazed over, forever staring at the door. ¡°Done,¡± Maxine said. [You have gained 2 essences: Ennis Blunden] [You have gained 300 crystals] ¡°I got two?¡± I wondered. Maxine took labored breaths. It weirded me out that even a demon could get winded from torturing someone to death. ¡°Strong Resolve. Higher essence. Higher chances of survival if he¡¯s in a dungeon. Worthy to be Hero. But you want him dead, yes?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I frowned, glancing at the ropes and other tools that Maxine used to break him down. ¡°Worthy.¡± I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Blunden. Maxine suddenly sniffed the air and glared right through the shed¡¯s wall. Turning my many-eyes over there, the woman from the basement walked out of the back sliding doors and onto her backyard porch. ¡°Hey, Annie, I¡¯m gonna have to call you back. I think I heard Mr. Blunden¡¯s in trouble,¡± the woman said. ¡°Really? Um, call me back if everything¡¯s okay, Susan,¡± Annie said behind the line. ¡°I will.¡± Susan dropped the call and walked closer to the fence. ¡°Mr. Blunden? Can you hear me?¡± No one answered. Another step closer. ¡°Ennis? Would you like me to call an ambulance?¡± Susan peered through the small gap in the fence, looking into Mr. Blunden¡¯s backyard. ¡°Ennis? Are you okay¡ª?¡± Maxine peered through the same hole, grinning as she lunged through the barrier, wood splitting apart, and grabbed Susan¡¯s head. Susan didn¡¯t even have the time to scream before the demon hauled her through the gap and dragged her toward Mr. Blunden¡¯s shed. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± I shouted. ¡°She saw me, my liege,¡± she said. ¡°An easy essence for you.¡± No, we¡¯ve got enough, I wanted to say. We have the essence needed to dismantle the dungeon and move somewhere else. But I couldn¡¯t bring myself to say it out loud. I indulged in Mr. Blunden¡¯s essence a little longer, grasping at the tail end, savoring it. I couldn¡¯t describe how truly electrifying an essence was once it melded into my awareness. Like taking the first bite out of the most delicious Tiramisu, the way the custard and mascarpone just melted into your mouth, getting that hint of espresso and cocoa at the back of your tongue. I could eat it all day. No, I shook my head. I have enough. Let¡¯s get out¡ª Enough. I had enough. Enough. I had enough. Enough. Not enough. More. More. More. I let the demon be. She dragged the poor woman back into the shed and threw her across the floor like a sack of flour. Susan rolled over and faced Mr. Blunden¡¯s gaping eye socket. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Susan screamed, but Maxine forced her mouth open, grabbed a plier from the workbench, and pried Susan¡¯s tongue loose. Susan barely made it past two minutes, but her Resolve was the darkest red¡ªalmost black¡ªI¡¯ve ever seen. And when those wisps escaped her dead flesh, the surge of power enveloping me was invigorating. [ You have gained 1 essence: Susan Walch] [You have gained 150 crystals] ¡°Where to next, my liege?¡± The demon asked. ¡°I sensed two more souls on this street. Several more across the suburbs.¡± I opened my many-eyes again throughout Oaken Street. I saw the same teenagers inside the house next to the Yates¡¯ residence, but the girl was in the bathroom now, wearing only underwear and an off-pink crop top, applying more lip balm on her lips and deciding whether to keep her ponytail or let it all loose for the boy in the other bedroom. The boy was already naked down to his blue boxer shorts, giving his armpit a brief sniff before he readied himself on the bed, waiting for the girl to get out of the bathroom. I knew who these two were, although not very well. Sure, I¡¯ve seen them around campus, but we barely shared a conversation together. The girl, Tessa Burton, was part of the varsity volleyball team in my high school, a popular girl in her own right, but I didn¡¯t know she was dating Cody Riddell, a guy who could barely get a grade past a C and was cruising most of high school at 2.2 GPA. I knew that because I tutored him for all of sophomore year, and he hadn¡¯t gotten better. Tessa had a higher chance of getting into an Ivy League school after graduation, while Cody would probably end up working behind a grill throughout his early twenties. It was weird that Tessa was dating him. They hardly talked to each other in school, and everyone knew she was single. Apparently not. Well, isn¡¯t love found in mysterious places? Or, in this case, opposites attract? I reckoned Tessa¡¯s parents didn¡¯t even know she was dating the guy. After all, they¡¯re skipping school. ¡°Is something wrong, Tess?¡± Cody asked. ¡°No, I¡¯ll be right out! Just give me five minutes,¡± She shouted. ¡°I have something special to show you!¡± Tessa paused, opened a drawer, and took out a small bottle of perfume, which she put two drops on each of her wrists and dabbed all over her neck. Then, she pulled out another drawer filled with lingerie. The Amazon delivery van turned the corner and entered Oaken Street; it looked like it would stop in front of the house where the two teenagers were. I led the demon toward it.
The doorbell rang. ¡°Hey, Cody, can you get that? I think that¡¯s my Amazon delivery,¡± Tess said. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to arrive around noon.¡± The boy¡ªCody¡ªpaused, looking down at his naked body. ¡°Um, can it wait, babe? I¡¯m kind of naked.¡± Tess rolled her eyes and smirked. ¡°Um, I kind of ordered the thing you want?¡± It took Cody a moment to realize. ¡°Oh.¡± He nodded, brows lifting. ¡°Oooohhh. The one you talked about?¡± Tess chuckled. ¡°Yeah. You better grab that before my mom sees it on the front porch.¡± ¡°Right, right! I¡¯ll be right down.¡± Cody looked out the window and spotted the Amazon van parked outside the house. He hurriedly put on his pants, grabbed his shirt from the study desk, and struggled to put his arm through the right sleeve of his t-shirt as he rushed out of the bedroom and down the hallway. The doorbell rang again. And again. ¡°Coming!¡± Cody cried out, climbing down the stairs with heavy thuds. ¡°I¡¯m getting there! Jeez!¡± He put his hand and arm through the left sleeve when he opened the door. And he stared right at Maxine¡¯s bloodied face. He didn¡¯t have time to scream or make a sound before Maxine pounced on top of him, grabbed a fistful of his hair, and slammed the back of his head on the hardwood floor, knocking him unconscious. Behind her and out on the street, the Amazon delivery van¡¯s open door streamed with blood. Inside, a large woman had her eyes gouged out, a small squeaky plush toy for dogs shoved inside her mouth to stop her from screaming. She still struggled to breathe, but with her intestines outside her torn belly, the poor woman had seconds to spare before she succumbed to blood loss. [You have gained 1 essence: Annika Lawal] [You have gained 150 crystals] It took the demon thirty minutes to torment the kids inside the house. I tied the girl up and made her watch as she hung Cody from the banister upside down and bled him dry. Tessa had a stronger resolve than Mr. Blunden, so Demon Maxine let her go and chased her around the house. ¡°The Chase will make their essence ripe for the reaping,¡± the demon explained. ¡°And makes them prone to silly, stupid mistakes, reducing their Resolve overtime.¡± The demon toyed with her. Playfully pretending that she almost had her, but then pulling back gave Tessa some gratification for evading the demon¡¯s attacks. It reminded me of a horror movie I loved to watch. Maxine made her trip, grabbed a knife, begged for her life, got a good hit against the demon, sobbing as the villain tormented her with her dead boyfriend, and did what any final girl would do in the films: Scream. Fight back. Suffer. The demon threw poor Tessa Burton around the house, shattering the glass coffee table, breaking her ankle, dragging her by the hair along the walls and up the ceiling, stabbing her multiple times, trying to drown her on the sink, and pushing her down several flights of stairs. And yet her Resolve never went down to RED. It always stayed on a darker orange hue, and Tessa was determined to survive as the demon raised Hell around the house for half an hour. ¡°Stop,¡± I commanded, heaving a sigh. ¡°Stop!¡± Demon Maxine stiffened, loosening her grip around the girl¡¯s neck and throwing her across the kitchen island. Tess coughed, eyed the sliding doors, and weakly crawled toward it. The demon raised an eyebrow at me curiously. ¡°Let her live,¡± I said. Demon Maxine studied the girl and then regarded me again. ¡°Worthy?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded. ¡°Worthy.¡± The demon walked over to the girl and grabbed a fistful of her hair, hoisting her head up. ¡°No, no!¡± Tess shouted. ¡°Please! No! I don¡¯t want to die!¡± Maxine leaned toward Tessa¡¯s ear. ¡°Count your blessings, little girl. We are merciful today.¡± Then, she slammed Tess¡¯s face on the floor, breaking her nose and knocking her out. Behind me, Cody bled out. [You gained 1 essence: Cody Riddell] [You gained 150 crystals] ¡°Hungry, still?¡± The demon asked like a mother to a child. I nodded. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Young dungeons,¡± Maxine shook her head, chuckling. ¡°Always so bloodthirsty.¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening to me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called the rush, lord dungeon. When a juvenile core like yourself is born, they come out starved, killing hundreds in a single day to fill their weave and ease the gem¡¯s hunger to grow.¡± She looked around the house. ¡°I am surprised you have not created more monsters and let them loose across the town. There are thousands of people around you, ripe for the harvest. It will make you a powerful dungeon in less time than in other planes. You are lucky you are born in a less magically-inclined world, my liege.¡± ¡°Hundreds? In one day?¡± I barely killed eight people, I thought. Maxine nodded. ¡°That is why I admire your restraint, my liege. It shows how strong you truly are to deny such easy bounty.¡± Restraint? Did she call this restraint? I just murdered five innocent people who had nothing to do with my death. They were just on my way because I¡¯m on a fucking magically-induced binge-eating mayhem. Oh, fuck. I killed people. I killed people! I tried to compose myself, but the earth trembled slightly below us. ¡°Uh, demon, what the fuck was that?¡± The demon smiled innocently. ¡°That is your power, lord dungeon. You are growing and gaining more essence. You are spreading your roots outside of the Yates¡¯ Residence.¡± Clearly, there were many things I didn¡¯t know about my new form. After all, I was only born ten hours ago. ¡°What now, master?¡± The demon asked. ¡°Do you want me to fetch new essence? There are more people on the next street.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got our essence. We should leave,¡± I said before I divulged anything I¡¯d regret again. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ve had my fill.¡± A lie. I was still fucking starving. And the demon could tell. ¡°As you wish, lord dungeon,¡± she said forcefully. ¡°Go collect my gem in the house. Take a shower and cover those wounds. I don¡¯t want the drivers to freak out when they see you covered in blood while you¡¯re driving on the road. You might cause an accident.¡± Demon Maxine¡¯s brows lifted. ¡°These mortal wounds don¡¯t hurt me, my liege. This is mere skin. Like clothes. You don¡¯t get hurt when your pants have holes, do you?¡± ¡°No. But that¡¯s not a good thing. You¡¯re going to keep the gem safe, remember?¡± ¡°Yes, my liege.¡± ¡°Then, I don¡¯t want anyone to be suspicious of you. We¡¯re not out of danger yet.¡± ¡°Understood, lord dungeon. I will take a proper shower.¡± Fortunately, we made it back in time to the Yates¡¯s house before a passing car saw Maxine enter the house. She took a shower as I commanded, though she managed to lower the boiler temperature so Maxine wouldn¡¯t look like Ashley¡¯s mangled and burnt form. Looking over Ashley¡¯s, Adam¡¯s, and Maxine¡¯s phones, both Kirk, Hodge, and Rebecca had been trying to get a hold of them for about an hour now (while Maxine went on her rampage), and they were starting to get suspicious that they weren¡¯t answering. Maxine grabbed the gem from the basement and put it inside her jacket pocket. She then walked out with it to Maxine¡¯s red Ford Explorer parked on the driveway. A message from Maxine¡¯s mother-in-law asked them where they were, complaining that they had been waiting for forty minutes in the restaurant and that it was getting embarrassing. I ordered the demon to ignore the message. [Are you sure you want to dismantle your dungeon: The Yates Residence?] ¡°Yes.¡± [Dismantling¡­] The Yates¡¯s house still exists in front of me, but the tether I had to it was like losing a limb. It wasn¡¯t an unbearable loss or a deeply traumatic event but rather a subtle absence, as if the threads that intertwined me with its walls had ceased their vibrant hum. The trembling of water pipes that once resonated through my being had grown silent, the haunting creaks of the floorboards no longer reached my ears, and the lingering sticky touch of bloodstains on the wood had faded away. All that remained was a house and the bodies inside it. Another prompt appeared from my periphery, and I opened it.
THE YATES RESIDENCE (Disbanded)
Kills 8 (+1,350 crystals); (+9 essences)
Survivor 1 (Tessa Burton); (+ Sole Survivor)
Dread Level 5/10 (+500 crystals)
Crystals (current) 1,840
My maximum Power lowered to six after I dismantled the dungeon, though, interestingly, my rank increased because of the people I killed and how I managed the dungeon.
[CORE - Mark Castle]
Rank: Z (#2641) Power (current: 4/6)
¡°Do you know what these ranks are, demon?¡± I asked. ¡°I do not have access to that information,¡± she said. ¡°Only a core can.¡± ¡°Have you seen another dungeon with a higher rank?¡± ¡°If I had, I wouldn¡¯t be here, my liege.¡± Ouch. ¡°Okay. Fair point. I guess there are more than two thousand dungeons doing much better than me somewhere out there.¡± Maxine turned on the ignition. ¡°Where to?¡± She asked. I wanted to see my family, but I feared what I would do once I saw them. They only lived a few minutes from Green Hill. All I had to do was command the demon to drive by the house and see how they were doing. I asked Maxine to search for my name on the news on her phone. We learned that I had been missing for seven weeks. Seven-fucking-weeks! Coach Hodge kept me hidden wherever he put me for weeks and then murdered me when they stopped their search. I was eighteen, now an adult, and the police had already considered me a runaway. My parents disagreed, posting on Facebook my missing posters and information about my last whereabouts, going into public groups, and asking around if they had seen me. I didn¡¯t know how my core would react once I saw my parents. I had been so hungry lately that I killed innocent people to alleviate the feeling. I didn¡¯t want to harm them. I didn¡¯t want to bring the core to them. Making their house my dungeon so that I could be with them forever was so tempting. ¡°McLaren Forest,¡± I told Maxine. ¡°We¡¯ll build our new dungeon there.¡± Maxine nodded and drove off the driveway. She almost ran over a jogger trying to cross the intersection, gave him a middle finger before she drove out of Green Hill, and took the road southbound to the state forest. Arc 2 | Finders Keepers (Part 1) FINDERS KEEPERS Part 1 Maxine trudged through the woods while I nestled inside her jacket¡¯s pocket, guiding the way. She carried a shovel with her. I guessed I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that a cultist had a spare shovel in her trunk, probably to bury a body at a moment¡¯s notice. Maxine seemed like the type of person who came prepared for a gunfight. All of PHPD were looking for the red Ford Explorer. We had been walking for four hours now, but the demon never tired nor complained about the trek toward the foot of Mount Selene, the second tallest mountain in Oregon, rising for almost eleven thousand feet. A dormant steep-sided stratovolcano and part of the Cascade Range, Mount Selene killed forty-nine people when it erupted back in the seventies, leveling a good portion of the forest with ash and sending almost sixty-thousand-foot plume into the sky. That didn¡¯t include the number of climbers who died during the ascent to its peak for over a century. Though it might not be as tall and gigantic as Denali, Foraker, Fairweather, or the other mountains in the country, all routes leading to the top were considered treacherous and deadly and only recommended for experienced climbers, buffeted by strong winds and surprise storms. The weather in the valley was unpredictable¡ªsunny in the morning and a rainstorm by the afternoon. Even the surrounding forest got a history of missing hikers and campers due to grizzly bear and mountain lion attacks. I¡¯ve heard plenty of rumors that the mob and gangs affiliated with the cartel drove out here just to dump the bodies of their victims. I didn¡¯t know if it was true, but it was enough to scare people around the area. It¡¯s large enough to dump a body in. Bodies like mine, I thought bitterly. For us locals, we just called it Hell¡¯s Peak. And it was a perfect place to build my dungeon. ¡°Stop,¡± I commanded. Maxine stopped in her tracks. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look around,¡± I said. Grasping my many-eyes, I zoomed out of the forest, breaking through the canopy with my consciousness, and faced the south side of Mount Selene¡¯s picturesque snow-capped peak. It didn¡¯t look like Hell. It was beautiful. Tranquil. Cascadia Lodge was a mountain ski resort popular in winter and early spring on the northern side. Technically, it was popular all year round for corporate retreats, college students, and family gatherings. Our senior retreat after we graduate was going to be held there. I frowned that I would never get to experience it. There were also several beginner and intermediate trails for avid hikers and plenty of scenic campgrounds. The north side was always busy. I could only see up to a couple of miles from Maxine¡¯s location, and I couldn¡¯t get a glimpse of the lodge from this side of the mountain. Mount Selene¡¯s broad flanks covered almost fourteen miles. As for the southern side, it hosted a few ¡®adventurous¡¯ trails and most of the climbing routes leading up to Selene¡¯s peak. However, few people traversed the area, except for the more daring ones. Swathes of McLaren Forest hadn¡¯t been explored thoroughly, after all. An expanse of Douglas fir, hemlock, and pines as far as the eye could see. At the most southern tip was Point Hope, glittering like a faint beacon under the fading afternoon sky. I spotted the nearest hiking trail from Maxine¡¯s location was about two miles away. It didn¡¯t look like it had much traffic going through it. Ten miles westward, I could barely see Highway 26 and the offshoot dirt road where Maxine left the red Ford Explorer. I turned east, where I spotted the rest of the Cascade Mountain Range and Cedar Lake, a fifteen hundred acre body of water just over three miles from Maxine¡¯s location, and fed into the Clackamas River. A small off-beaten road leads back to Highway 26 from the lake¡¯s southern side. Hell¡¯s Peak to the North. Highway 26 to the West. Cedar Lake to the East. Point Hope to the South. I liked what I saw. I went back to Maxine. ¡°Move northeast. Continue for another mile or two. You will see a lake,¡± I said. Maxine nodded and continued walking for another hour until we reached the northern side of Cedar Lake. I smiled. ¡°This is it. This is where I¡¯ll build.¡± Maxine nodded over to the other side of the lake. ¡°I see buildings, my liege,¡± she said. ¡°Ah. That¡¯s Cedar Pine Summer Camp. It used to be owned by the Gradys, but when Old Man Grady died three years ago, his wife and sons tried to sell the place, but there was no buyer for a long time. Now, it¡¯s rotting.¡± One of my favorite summer memories was in that place. I remembered the gauntlet race Old Man Grady used to host, where we had to swim to the island in the middle of the lake, find a colored flag, and then row a boat back to camp. The winner gets one of those disposable fifty-dollar Visa cards and extra scoops of ice cream during chow. My friends and I would hit up the arcade, watch a movie, and then buy root beer floats at Josey¡¯s once we got back to town. ¡°No one would bother us here,¡± I said. ¡°But you need essence,¡± Maxine said. ¡°As I¡¯ve said in the car, you need to be closer to town or even that ski resort to lure people in easily.¡± ¡°The only essence I want are the people who murdered me, demon,¡± I said. ¡°As what I¡¯m going to do after that¡­I haven¡¯t gotten that far.¡± ¡°I sense you do not want people to come here, my liege.¡± Damn, these demons. They¡¯re always so insightful. ¡°Yeah, because I¡¯ll be murdering them.¡± Now that I calmed down during the drive out of town, the reality of what I had done in Green Hill hit me like a fucking truck. ¡°For you to survive,¡± the demon reassured me. ¡°You are still at a juvenile stage, my liege. You are still starving. You need more essence, or you will die.¡± ¡°I said I haven¡¯t gotten that far yet. Let me worry about what happens once I get rid of the cult,¡± I said, annoyed. Don¡¯t get me wrong; I didn¡¯t want to die. But ever since I got stuck inside this gem, I feared death with obsession. I didn¡¯t know if it was an after-effect of my being a dungeon core or not, but it had exacerbated my fear a hundredfold. There was no way to stop it, like I was forever stuck in a fight-or-flight mode. All I wanted to do was burrow deep into the earth, hide, and build. Build. That feeling kept growing and growing when I dismantled the Yates Residence. It was all I could think about during the drive. ¡°First, we will build the dungeon here, okay?¡± ¡°As you wish, my liege.¡± I opened up the prompt. The Monsters, Dungeons, and Traps tabs were grayed out again as inaccessible. [Discovery (Potential Dungeon): North Cedar Lake.] [Would you like to designate North Cedar Lake as your dungeon?] ¡°Designate North Cedar Lake as my dungeon.¡± [You created a dungeon!] [Unique Location: Picturesque Lake] [Rank (Z): #2641 > #2595] [Power: 10/10] [You received: 100 crystals] [Dungeons are now accessible] [Monsters are now accessible] [Traps are now accessible] Well, at least I got extra crystals. That brought me to two thousand total, hopefully enough to create the dungeon I wanted. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°May I ask a question, my liege?¡± The demon asked. ¡°Shoot.¡± ¡°Why the woods?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The woods. There is an ideal mountain range not too far from here. You can burrow through and hide your gem and protect it with caverns and winding corridors. It will be a perfect place to house your core.¡± ¡°As much as I wanted to stay underground, I¡¯ve never been good with the dark.¡± The demon seemed surprised by my revelation, raising its eyebrow and slightly leaning forward, intrigued. I wondered if it genuinely expected me not to fear anything. ¡°And besides, I like the woods. It¡¯s¡­me. I hike. I camp. I eat s¡¯mores during the summer. My dad would take me deer hunting sometimes in these parts. I would go skiing with my friends during the winter. I had my first beer during a high school bonfire not far from here. I spent six weeks of my summer at that abandoned summer camp before they closed for seven years of my life. So I don¡¯t want to live deep underground where I can¡¯t feel the sun anymore. If I¡¯m going to be stuck in this gem forever, I wanted to be out here, moving with the wind, you know?¡± Maxine remained expressionless. I doubted demons would suddenly grow a little bit of empathy. It looked like it was annoyed I wasn¡¯t doing an excellent job of protecting myself. ¡°Also, we don¡¯t have dedicated adventurers here, demon. Not like in other worlds where they delve through dungeons looking for treasures like it¡¯s a job. I reckon that¡¯s about the case?¡± Maxine nodded. ¡°Plenty of cities build wealthy guilds around powerful and prosperous dungeons.¡± ¡°Well, this is Earth, and we do things differently here. Not many people know what I am to look for me. We don¡¯t have adventuring guilds. Not many people do magic or wield swords. We have clubs¡ªHiking, water sports, skiing, mountain climbing, camping, mushroom hunters, and survivalist groups. All the outdoorsy stuff you could think of is all around us. If¡ª¡± I paused. ¡°¡ªIf I get hungry for essence, I can lure those people who got lost in me, took a wrong turn, went off the beaten path, and ended up at a place they won¡¯t suspect.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that, my liege?¡± ¡°A cabin.¡± Grasping [levitate], I flew out of Maxine¡¯s pocket, moving toward an empty clearing on top of a rocky outcrop. If I looked directly from the abandoned summer camp, several bigger trees obscured the area. But it left enough space to get a great view of the lake and the mountain range if I erected the building here. ¡°I¡¯ll build a cabin on this spot.¡± I pulled up the [Dungeons] tab and reviewed what I needed. Fortunately, the sunset wasn¡¯t until 7:43 PM; I had at least three more hours of daylight to build the cabin. I don¡¯t have to wait weeks to finish it when you have magic money! My dungeon was a two-mile-wide radius, centered around the cabin, large enough to involve parts of the lake and the nearby woods. I started small. I only had two thousand crystals to spare and still had to build traps. I dug ten feet through the earth, which would become my cellar, then I placed wooden floors to cover it, leaving a gap for a cellar door on the floor. I decided to create a one-story cabin with two bedrooms. An ample enough space for a shared dining and living area with a mason-bricked chimney. A kitchen with a small pantry. A covered front porch. A mud room with a screened door leading out to a back deck overlooking the beautiful lake. And then one bathroom with a washer and dryer. There were billions of items on the list; some I couldn¡¯t pronounce and so alien to my tongue that I had to ask the core only to show me Earth-made items. Furnishing it was much easier and cheaper. Maybe the other dungeons weren¡¯t too concerned with the delver¡¯s comfort, choosing to build narrow hallways with poisoned dart traps, which netted four hundred crystals, compared to a queen-sized bed for five. Or a cavern that looked like a temple, complete with ancient statues, demonic mosaics, rune-inscribed pillars, and plenty more for a thousand. With the furnishings, the cabin only cost me three hundred crystals. I even excavated the land around it to create a dirt road, connecting it to the road on the southern side of the lake. I built a short hiking trail from the cabin to the lake¡¯s shore, where I erected a small boathouse, canoes, and a fire pit. Outside the cabin, I made a small tool shed and left a decent area empty for parking. As an added touch, I put a fence around the cabin with the sign: NO TRESPASSING. PRIVATE PROPERTY! Once everything was done, it looked like any cozy cabin in the woods, far from civilization. The last thing I built was the cable wires to connect it to the electrical grid. And voila! As the sun set over the horizon, I had electricity and internet. The demon ran her hands on the porch¡¯s support columns, knocking on the wood. ¡°What do you think?¡± I asked. ¡°I prefer the caverns, my liege,¡± the demon said. ¡°But the cabin looks¡­homely.¡± ¡°It¡¯s meant for the delvers.¡± ¡°You are building them a house to sleep in?¡± ¡°More than that,¡± I said. ¡°Um, when we contact the cultists, they¡¯ll go here. We¡¯ll lead them far away from town. Far from any signs of help. This will be their only shelter.¡± ¡°Shelter,¡± the demon whispered. ¡°But not really a shelter.¡± ¡°No. It will be a trap. There¡¯s no phone signal, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to call for help. All I had to do is shut off the wifi, and they are in the dark.¡± I created a few traps as well. They weren¡¯t as elaborate (and expensive) as the ¡°Spinning Death Wheel¡± but like the rug from the Yates Residence masquerading as a household object. I added the rug trap near the front door to prevent anyone from escaping. I also made the stairs breakable, triggering only if a delver tried to flee a monster from down there. The windows would clamp shut if a delver attempted to escape that way. I was also inspired by the demon¡¯s trick of using the electrical wires, dangling a delver off the floor. I placed that in the living area with the ceiling fan that could fall and knock someone out. Outside, I strategically placed the bear traps and the nets under the leaves and dirt and hung hooks from trees. If the cultists managed to reach their car and drive away, I could trigger a tree to fall in the middle of the dirt road, trapping them in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by the dark. They had no choice but to return to the house. Back to me. ¡°Where would you like to put your core, my liege?¡± Maxine asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to stay in the cabin with the delvers and be within their reach.¡± I nodded. ¡°I found a better spot. I want you to take me there.¡± I guided Maxine deeper into the woods, about a quarter of a mile from the cabin, and told her to stop before a dying oak tree. Towering for over sixty feet, its gnarled trunk, once thick and robust, was now riddled with deep cracks and crevices, serving as silent reminders of the countless seasons it had weathered. Once rough and sturdy, its bark had turned a dull gray, peeling away in patches to reveal the frailty beneath. Moss and lichen clung desperately to the rough surface as if desperately trying to breathe life into the dying giant. The tree¡¯s branches were now bare, stripped of their foliage. A few scattered leaves, pale and lifeless, clung precariously to the skeletal limbs. They rustled weakly in the night breeze. Perfect. ¡°Put me inside there,¡± I said. The demon smiled. She didn¡¯t like the cabin¡¯s cozy atmosphere but seemed to love the creepy tree. Maxine put me into a crevice, and I sank deeper into the tree. Licks of the weave flowed out of me, gently caressing the tree¡¯s insides, extending out some of its cracked fissures to close and swallow me. The tree became my armor. In an instant, I felt the land breathing underneath¡ªthe light breeze, multiple branches creaking, the waters lapping from the lake and the nearby river, insects humming, squirrels chattering, and so much more. I sensed the new cabin, the dirt road, the few hiking trails, the boathouse, and the main road down the south. I could even see parts of the abandoned summer camp from the borders. Even the dying oak tree seemed to¡­change. It creaked more ominously against the wind. As the sun continued to go down, its distorted silhouette merged with the encroaching darkness, creating an otherworldly sight. Shadows danced and flickered around the tree, casting strange and distorted shapes upon the ground. Occasionally, a weak gust of wind would rustle through the decaying leaves at the bottom, producing a haunting whisper that seemed to echo through the lonely forest. ¡°You look magnificent, my liege,¡± the demon said. ¡°You still have the shovel?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Find my body. I reckon you know where it is? It¡¯s not far from here.¡± Maxine nodded. ¡°Good. Dig me up and bring me to the cabin. Take a picture of my corpse using Maxine¡¯s phone and send a group text to the cult with the picture. Tell them to go to the cabin and that you are alive and waiting for them.¡± ¡°And if they bring more friends?¡± ¡°You mean the police?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t. If they do, they will find the body and perform an autopsy on my corpse, which will incriminate all of them. They¡¯ll go alone to get rid of the evidence for good. Once they get here, you two will be waiting for them.¡± ¡°Two of us, my liege?¡± I smiled. ¡°You won¡¯t be alone for long.¡± I turned to the northern side of the clearing and summoned the monster I made with the cabin. ¡°Come closer.¡± Demon Maxine followed where my consciousness went and looked northward. A towering giant of a man emerged from the shadows, strolling with heavy steps and dragging a double-sided wood axe. The demon shrieked and cackled with excitement, jumping and twirling. ¡°More! More!¡± The stranger approached into sun¡¯s fading the light.
THE GOLIATH
Dread Score: 4/10 Creature Type: Humanoid Cooldown: 1 week
Weapon(s): Double-sided Axe; Hunting Knife
Special Traits
Mask Wielder I A mask goes a long way to cause instant fear. Send chills through the minds of the delvers. Masks also heighten their senses, making them aware of the proximity to their closest delver.
Brute Strength I The monster exudes considerable strength above and beyond a normal human and can easily shed through a delver¡¯s defenses.
Not Quite Dead I Kick them. Stab them. Bludgeon them. They get right back up for another strike. The monster is harder to kill, and it will take considerable effort for the delvers to take the creature down. Every time the monster gets up, it depletes their Resolve over time. (Stun Duration: 1 minute)
He wore a dark brown trench coat, a nice-looking suit and a black tie underneath, a pair of hiking boots, and a dull-white fox mask covering his entire face to complete his creepy getup. He let the axe rest to the side, hand gripping the tail end of the handle while he breathed audibly through the mask. An interesting thing about [Humanoid] archetypes was that you get to choose what weapons they wield. He studied Maxine curiously before regarding me again. ¡°Meet the Goliath, demon,¡± I said. Demon Maxine waved. The Goliath nodded slowly and grunted. I didn¡¯t give him a special speech trait, so he could only grunt in response. I didn¡¯t need him to speak anyway. I wanted him to stop any of the cultists from leaving the woods. ¡°Okay, demon, you can go and fetch my body now. As for you, Goliath, I have a plan, and I need you to listen carefully.¡± Arc 2 | Finders Keepers (Part 2) FINDERS KEEPERS Part 2 Not even two hours after the cabin was built and the demon left to dig up my body a few miles away, I encountered a major problem. A white van approached from the main southern road but didn¡¯t look lost. At first, I thought it was Coach Hodge and his little band of cultist fucks, but I instructed the demon not to text them until we retrieved my dead body back to the cabin. However, the van drove past the branching dirt path leading to my place, heading straight for the abandoned Cedar Pine Summer Camp¡¯s entrance a few miles up the road. There was one great benefit of building a permanent dungeon. Though I could only actively affect an area around a two-mile radius, I could ¡°see¡± past another mile or two. I still couldn¡¯t reach the other side of the mountain and peek over the hundreds of people visiting Cascadia Lodge, but it allowed me to spy and observe a large swathe of my domain, including Cedar Pine. If I remained a core, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to see this van coming. It felt strange, wasn¡¯t it? My domain. It was the most appropriate thing I could think of to describe my new place. So, I projected myself inside the van unnoticed, a passive observer amidst my intruders. Two men sat on the front seat, clad in darker clothes and wearing black gloves. I noticed one of them had a pistol holstered on his belt. Two more men sat on the back, wearing similar clothing, but flanked another¡ªfifth¡ªman curled up on the floor with a bag over his head. A rope tightly bound his wrists behind his back. ¡°What the fuck?¡± I muttered out loud. I cringed, waiting for their heads to turn around to where I stood, but they didn¡¯t react. I gotta get used to being invisible to humans. One of the men from the back kicked the bound man. He didn¡¯t stir. ¡°Nah, still knocked out,¡± he said. ¡°Are we there yet, bro?¡± The driver glanced over his shoulder. ¡°Yeah. Just about.¡± He slowed the van down and veered gently onto the driveway leading toward the camp, passing by the sign: WELCOME TO CEDAR PINE! ENJOY YOUR STAY DEATH! The STAY section was spray painted off. Under the DEATH part was a graffiti of a skull skewered by a knife. How lovely. Since it had been abandoned, numerous teenagers and some college students frequented the camp for a night of drinking and debauchery. The Gradys had put up a gate last year to dissuade the trespassers from ruining more of their property, but it didn¡¯t stop people from hiking and jumping the fence. The sheriff¡¯s office would sometimes send a squad car to check out the property once during the day and night over the weekend since they¡¯re good friends with the family. And I recognized the driver¡¯s voice. Moving to the front, Leo Grady, the late Old Man Grady¡¯s eldest son, parked the van in front of the gate. Leo hopped out of the vehicle, fishing for a set of keys from his pocket, and opened the padlocked gate. He swung it open. He gestured for the other man in the front (now behind the wheel) to drive forward. Then, he closed the gate behind them. He climbed back into the van, taking the empty passenger seat. ¡°Are you sure no one¡¯s gonna bother us out here?¡± The driver asked. ¡°Not many people come here, John,¡± Leo said. ¡°It¡¯s private property. My property. We¡¯re good.¡± The driver¡ªJohn¡ªnodded. ¡°It better be.¡± Leo had changed drastically since I last saw him five years ago when Cedar Pine was open before they shut down permanently. He used to work as one of the camp counselors¡ªone of the better ones, in my opinion¡ªand he taught me how to build a fire in the woods and identify what kind of mushrooms were safe enough to eat around the area. Now, he had sheared off his 90s Leonardo DiCaprio blonde locks (well known by all the girls in the camp crushing on him) to a faded buzz cut. He was paler than usual. Last I heard, he joined the army after the camp shut down, and the rest of the Grady children moved to Portland while Abigail Grady stayed in Point Hope, but I didn¡¯t realize he was back. I didn¡¯t remember seeing him around town either, but then again, I did not have a good track record with my memory lately. I noticed the tattoos peeking from his wrist and upper chest. I didn¡¯t know much about this John fellow. He was the same age as Leo, looking like he was in his late twenties (maybe early thirties?), and he was the one carrying the gun. My knowledge about guns was limited by what my father had in his safe, but it looked like John carried a 9mm. It could be a Glock, which probably held at least fifteen rounds. If they ever find the Goliath, they could stun him with that. What brought them out here? Were they another group of cultists sacrificing the guy they tied up? It didn¡¯t look like it. They didn¡¯t carry any weird stuff I saw on the meadow¡ªno extra jars or markings they had to lay out. There wasn¡¯t even a glowing gem. I didn¡¯t get the memo that being part of a cult is a popular hobby these days. Maybe if I joined one, I wouldn¡¯t end up dead. If they¡¯re genuinely part of a cult, I¡¯ll just kill them. No question. But they were something else. Something new. Back at the cabin, I woke up the Goliath, sitting quietly under the cellar and staring at the blank wall. Before I was interrupted, I watched him do that for two hours. Creepy, but I didn¡¯t have a lot of entertainment to go around lately. Watching the tv seemed arbitrary, and I also didn¡¯t have cable or paid for several streaming services (a point I¡¯d get back to later once the cultists were gone). The Goliath rose from his squat position and stared at me with that haunting, murderous gaze. ¡°Um, we have potential visitors,¡± I said. ¡°They¡¯re at the Cedar Pine Summer Camp.¡± The Goliath nodded and picked up the axe leaning against the wall.
The strangers drove for another two minutes until they reached the camp proper, where they parked in front of the visitor¡¯s center, the main lodge in the middle of the camp. The four men hopped out of the vehicle; the last one roughly yanked the bound man out and let him fall flat on his face on the dirt. He laughed lowly. The bound man groaned awake. ¡°Scottie!¡± John glared at him. ¡°Careful!¡± ¡°What?¡± Scottie shrugged. He looked like a younger version of John, only with lighter brown hair than the former¡¯s darker shade. I reckoned this must be John¡¯s younger brother. Maybe a cousin? ¡°We¡¯re gonna hurt him anyway.¡± ¡°Not out here, you¡¯re not,¡± John pushed him away from the bound man and smacked him on the back of the head. ¡°Out here, you follow my lead; you got that?¡± Scottie rolled his eyes. John pointed to the fourth man, a tall and lanky guy with thick-rimmed glasses standing by the side, and clearly didn¡¯t want to get involved in the spat between John and Scottie. ¡°Art, pick him up and get him inside the lodge,¡± John ordered. ¡°Yes, boss.¡± Art shot Scottie a sympathetic look before he put his arms under the bound man¡¯s armpit and dragged him into the lodge while Leo opened the door. John leaned closer to Scottie. ¡°You want this job or not?¡± Scottie scoffed and was about to walk toward the porch when John grabbed his elbow and dragged him back to face him. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m talking to you. Do you want this money, Scottie?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Scottie lowered his head. ¡°I already told you.¡± ¡°Then you don¡¯t fuck this up. You asked to join the big boys. Well, this is the grand club. No more dealing shit on the street where you¡¯re top dog because out here, shit gets real, okay?¡± ¡°I got it.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you.¡± ¡°I said I fucking got it!¡± Scottie shook John¡¯s hand on his shoulder. ¡°Jeez, John. You sound like Dad.¡± Scottie stomped into the visitor¡¯s center, almost elbowing Leo. I could tell that Leo and Scottie hated each other, and his relationship with John was strained at best. John heaved a sigh and followed after him. ¡°Hey,¡± Leo stopped him. ¡°He gonna be a problem?¡± ¡°Nah.¡± John shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s just dipping his toes.¡± ¡°He better not drown then. We¡¯re gonna have to finish by dawn,¡± Leo said. ¡°I hope he has the stomach for it.¡± ¡°Unlike you, Leo, my brother and I grew up in the street. We learned to have strong stomachs.¡± Leo chuckled. ¡°Oh, good. The more, the merrier. I hate to perform to a dead audience.¡± He jogged back to the van. ¡°Let me get my tools.¡± ¡°And can we do something about the lights? It¡¯s fucking dark out here, man.¡± John looked up to a moonless sky. Leo smiled, the same smile he would flash at the girls in the camp. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ve just got the thing.¡± By tools, he meant a hefty duffel bag with all sorts of gear: ropes, an assortment of knives from big to small, hammers, needles, crowbar, scissors, pliers, and many more. He grabbed a gas can from the back of the van, strolled into the lodge, and put enough juice on the generator. Lights illuminated the place. ¡°And¡­let there be light,¡± he muttered to John after he turned on the generator. ¡°See? That was easy.¡± John sighed. ¡°Now, on to the hard part. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m the one doing all the work.¡± John scratched his chin. ¡°You could use the exercise.¡± ¡°Got a gym membership for three years, fool.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d rather watch TV than babysit tonight.¡± ¡°Beggars can¡¯t be choosers.¡± ¡°After tonight, things might change for once.¡± Leo shot him a curious look. He didn¡¯t want to pry, but t was threatening to spill out of his lips. ¡°What¡¯d you mean by that?¡± John, out of habit, looked around for any keen ears. ¡°I was thinking of moving to Chicago with Scottie for a while now. You know, leave this thing all behind?¡± Leo took a step back. ¡°What, like, leave Mercer?¡± John nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a high price than kidnapping some guy,¡± Leo said. They rounded the corner and entered the mess hall. ¡°Hopefully, I¡¯ll catch him on a good day.¡± Leo snorted. ¡°That¡¯s going to take a month. At least.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t hurt to try.¡± ¡°So, Chicago, huh? Good luck.¡± ¡°Thanks, man.¡± ¡°Did you break the news to Scottie yet?¡± ¡°You know him. He¡¯ll complain. He¡¯ll grovel. Then, he¡¯ll follow.¡± Art dragged the bound man across the lobby, the mess hall, and then into an empty office, kicking away empty cans of beer bottles and old sleeping bags. He and Scottie lifted him onto a chair, keeping his wrists tied behind his back. A minute later, Leo and John entered the room. The former turned his nose at the small graffiti on the wall about how Wayne Loftus and Candace Purcell fucked and got pregnant here. There were also various graffitis of dicks, big breasts, and, oddly enough, tons of cats. Leo frowned. ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to ask my brother to clean that up when he comes here next month.¡± ¡°Nice dig you got,¡± Scottie huffed. ¡°Might have to buy it later. It¡¯s cozy.¡± ¡°I hope you have a million bucks then,¡± Leo said. ¡°We¡¯ve been trying to sell it for years now.¡± ¡°Have you asked Mercer?¡± Art asked. ¡°This can be a good hideout for the crew.¡± Leo paused. I could tell that the thought perturbed him a little. He didn¡¯t want this Mercer guy to get his hands on his property. ¡°It didn¡¯t cross my mind,¡± he lied. He then gestured over to Art. ¡°Take off his hood.¡± Art nodded and took it off. The bound man flinched, squinting his eyes from the bright light. He was a balding man in his mid-forties. Dark mustache with a prominent pot belly. He¡¯s the type of guy you¡¯d find sitting at the front of the bar with a tall glass of beer, watching sports and catcalling women by the alley: an average Italian-American, blue-collar Joe from the city. I didn¡¯t know what he did for Leo and his goons to kidnap and bring him out here. As his vision adjusted, it landed on Leo. ¡°Leo! The fuck!¡± He tried to get his wrists off but realized it was bound together. ¡°What¡ªwhat the fuck are you doing, man? This better be some sick joke.¡± ¡°Hey, Eddie,¡± Leo gave a small, casual wave. Just another day at the office vibes. ¡°And, no, this isn¡¯t a joke, sadly.¡± ¡°Does Mercer know about this?¡± Eddie spat. ¡°My cousin¡¯s not the man you want to mess with.¡± ¡°Huh. I¡¯m getting scared already.¡± ¡°Quit fucking around, kid! Untie me now. Look, you¡¯re new¡ª¡± ¡°Uh-huh?¡± ¡°¡ªAnd I¡¯ll let my cousin know this is just you being green. That¡¯s all. Whatever the Gallahan Boys paid you, we¡¯ll double it! Swear!¡± Leo shrugged. ¡°Oh, before you say anything more, Eddie, Mercer¡¯s the one who sent us.¡± Eddie paused for a long moment. ¡°No. No, he didn¡¯t. My cousin wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± Leo fished out his phone. ¡°Sure, sure. Do you want me to call him? I have him on speed dial. But knowing your cousin, he¡¯s not the type of guy to be bothered at night unless it¡¯s an emergency.¡± Leo put the phone back in his pocket. ¡°My cousin wouldn¡¯t do that!¡± Eddie repeated. ¡°See, he just did.¡± Leo leaned closer. ¡°Listen, Eddie. We don¡¯t really have time for chit-chat or sit around a campfire singing kumbaya. Why don¡¯t you tell us the name of the DEA agent you cut a deal with? Make it easy for you, man. If you don¡¯t, the next few hours won¡¯t be pretty.¡± Eddie blanched. ¡°I don¡¯t know any DEA,¡± he said. ¡°Wait¡ªyou think I¡¯m a fucking narc? Fuck you, Leo! I didn¡¯t do any of that shit! You¡ªyou got the wrong guy! I¡¯m family!¡± Leo stared at him for a moment. Nodded. ¡°Well, you were. Then, you start¡­what did Mercer say again, John?¡± John crossed his arms. ¡°Skimming.¡± ¡°Ah. Yes. Skimming the books. For years, mind you! And you also made some unofficial deals with the other cartels when you were in Colombia for a few months, right? Cut a big paycheck for yourself? It¡¯s probably why you can afford that house in Hillside. Not even Mercer has a house there, and I doubt your wife can afford the property from her advertising salary. What was her excuse again, John?¡± ¡°Big bonus at the company,¡± John said, sounding almost bored. ¡°Hm. Yes. A big bonus. I call bullshit. How much is the DEA paying you to bust one of our labs in the docks, Eddie?¡± ¡°So, this is what it¡¯s about? The Glover job? That¡¯s not me, Leo! I wasn¡¯t even near that fucking place!¡± ¡°When you cause Mercer to lose three million bucks of operations and severed several contracts he worked on for half a decade to cultivate, you don¡¯t really have an avenue to argue, Eddie. We know you didn¡¯t work alone. Let¡¯s face it, you¡¯re a dumb son of a bitch, and you can never plan that Glover job all by yourself with your two brain cells.¡± ¡°Fuck. You.¡± Leo shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll pass. Aside from you, who¡¯s the rat?¡± Eddie looked around the room to the other two men standing at the sidelines. He wanted to beg them to stop Leo, but I realized he didn¡¯t even recognize who they were. ¡°Please, Leo. You got the wrong guy. You gotta believe me! Look, I don¡¯t know you too well, but my cousin trusts you, and my cousin trusts me, too! We can work together! There must be some misunderstanding. I¡­yes! I got set up! It¡¯s a setup! Someone¡¯s trying to take my place and wants to get rid of me!¡± I shook my head. Even I could see the guy scrambling for any reason to get out of the hole he was quickly digging into¡ªpoor guy. Leo pursed his lips. ¡°A conspiracy?¡± ¡°Yes. Yes! Exactly! Someone¡¯s trying to take me out. It¡¯s the Gallahans. We don¡¯t know what those Scottish fucks got up their sleeves, man. Maybe¡­or maybe it¡¯s the Chens! We don¡¯t trust the Chinese, right? You know. You fought against them and all.¡± ¡°I served in the Middle East. And we¡¯re not at war with the Chinese,¡± Leo said. ¡°But cool story. The problem is, Eddie, you¡¯re not that high on the ladder when you think about it. It¡¯ll be an inconvenience to take you down a peg. Frankly, It¡¯s not worth the hassle.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what I said? Mercer trusts me!¡± Art and Scottie chuckled from behind. Leo continued, ¡°Oh, but he fucking doesn¡¯t. Never has. You should have read the room better, buddy. Even a newbie like me can see it.¡± ¡°No, no. He trusts me,¡± Eddie groaned. ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t know anyone who works for the DEA, alright? Swear to God!¡± Leo heaved a sigh and frowned at John. ¡°But we suspect a rat in the barrel, Eddie, and you know who he is. You¡¯re gonna help us root him out.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t know anything¡­¡± ¡°Then, hopefully, by midnight, you will.¡± Leo grabbed his duffel bag from behind the door and put it on the desk. Zipping it open, he fished out a rusty set of pliers. ¡°Let¡¯s start with your right molar.¡± They tortured Eddie for two hours, and I watched everything. It didn¡¯t make my stomach turn like what the demon did to the cultists in the Yates¡¯s residence but with a startling fascination. As if I was a voyeur at something I shouldn¡¯t bear witness to, drawn by the violence these men inflicted on another. They were like ants behind a glass terrarium. Leo knew what he was doing. That was obvious. Whatever shit he went through in the Middle East, he used those tactics while wearing civilian clothing, got into a mob, and quickly became their go-to lackey. A lot had happened in five years, and how quickly a person¡¯s luck changed. I mean, look at me. I¡¯m now a glowing rock. A twig snapped from behind the window, drowned only by Eddie¡¯s screams and sobs. Fortunately, the people in the room did not notice. The Goliath spied in the shadows, waiting. After he watched for half an hour, he moved toward the door. ¡°Stop,¡± I said. ¡°Wait.¡± He turned to face me, curious. ¡°They are armed,¡± I said. The Goliath slightly lifted his axe and puffed up his chest. ¡°Yes, I know you are durable, but it will stun you, and they will escape. If you die, I won¡¯t be able to get you back in a week.¡± Behind the mask, I could feel the Goliath raise his eyebrow and gesture at the men questioningly. It seemed to appreciate I was concerned for its well-being. ¡°They are not in the dungeon yet,¡± I paused as Leo waterboarded Eddie for the third time. ¡°For now, we wait.¡± I couldn¡¯t tell if the Goliath looked disappointed, but it followed my command nonetheless, keeping to the shadows and spying as Art and Scottie came in and out of the room for a smoke break. So tempting, I thought. The Goliath could easily sneak behind and drag them into the woods. But then the others would have noticed them going missing. Then I could lure more delvers to the cabin. The massacre on Green Hill still left me hungry for more essence. No, get that thought out of your head. The smart choice was to wait for this one out. These men might be long gone once the cultists arrive at the cabin, but a lot could happen tonight. The demon hadn¡¯t come back with my dead body yet. And if these guys ever stepped into my borders¡­ Well, they¡¯re fair game. Arc 2 | Finders Keepers (Part 3) FINDERS KEEPERS Part 3 kapish? You don¡¯t look so good.¡± Candy Crush knockoff. Spat a curse when he lost too many moves and didn¡¯t get to the next level. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ching-ching chimes coming from Art¡¯s phone every time he made a combo. I won¡¯t hurt you; look at me; I¡¯m broken. That¡¯s probably what he tried to convey. ¡°Water,¡± Eddie whispered. He glanced at the half-empty water plastic bottle next to the duffel bag. Are you alright? It said. Grab the pack. Get out. Lay low. I¡¯ll be at the meeting point. Mercer knows. Shit. I quickly shut off the lights, which only made it look worse. Arc 2 | Finders Keepers (Part 4) FINDERS KEEPERS Part 4 Eddie took a deep breath in the van and glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror. He frowned and swiveled the mirror to the other side. Grabbing his knife, he climbed out of the van and stabbed the front tire, which let out an audible hiss. ¡°Trying not to get them to follow you?¡± I commented, amused. Let¡¯s see how that worked out for him. I thought he could hotwire the van, but he didn¡¯t know how. Eddie ran toward the visitor¡¯s center before taking the path into the woods; his footsteps were quick and impressively quiet. But he stopped a foot into the tree line, catching sight of the docks and the tempting stacks of metal dinghies and canoes on the shore, reflecting the moonlight. I looked over his shoulder to the Goliath standing merely twenty feet away from him, breathing quietly behind the mask, gripping tightly on the axe¡¯s handle and ready to strike if need be. Eddie eyed the lake¡¯s pristine waters hungrily. Out of the men inside the cabin, Leo could definitely track him into the woods. He¡¯s a former Marine. God only knew what that fucker could do once he¡¯s chucked into his element. If he went over the water, he could lose them there. By the time he¡¯s on the other side of the lake, he might be able to find a trail back to the highway or a trailhead, steal a working car, or maybe hitchhike his way to the meeting point. Of course, this wasn¡¯t what he was thinking (I¡¯m not a mind reader¡­yet), but it was evident on his face. Then he eyed the lit cabin across the lake before I shut off the lights. Even he realized that someone must be home. I also realized that if someone was home, they had a working car and phone. I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m only going to disappoint you, dude. Don¡¯t do it. You¡¯re going to die if you go over there. There are traps. There are monsters.¡± I had two hours to kill waiting for Maxine to come back. I might have added deadlier encounters along the way before these fuckers arrive in the camp. ¡°Oh, and a lot of shit you don¡¯t want to deal with. Most of all, don¡¯t go in the freaking water. There¡¯s a merma¡ª¡± Eddie left the tree line and took the branching trail toward the shore. ¡°Ah, fuck. I forgot you can¡¯t hear me. Hey, man. It¡¯s your funeral.¡± By then, A slew of shouts and curses emanated inside the visitor¡¯s center. I spied inside the office and found Art grumbling on the floor as Leo shook him awake and John pacing worriedly around the room. ¡°Find him!¡± John shouted and hoisted Art from the floor. ¡°We¡¯re screwed if he gets away.¡± ¡°Jesus, Johnny, Art¡¯s hurt. Give him time to wake up,¡± Leo said. ¡°We won¡¯t have one, Leo, if that fat fuck gets away! Where¡¯s my brother?¡± He grabbed Art by the collar and pushed him against the wall. ¡°Did he take him? Is he hurt?¡± ¡°He¡­he went to the bathroom¡­!¡± Art mumbled and forced a cough. ¡°He¡¯s probably in the outhouse,¡± Leo added. ¡°Shit. My throat hurts,¡± Art complained, massaging his neck. ¡°Thought I was gonna die, ma.¡± ¡°Suck it up. Eddie must still be in the camp. Spread out. I¡¯m gonna get my brother.¡± ¡°What do we do once we find him?¡± Leo asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t care. Bash his skull. Kill him. Doesn¡¯t make a difference.¡± ¡°Mercer said¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªChange of plans, Leo. We¡¯re killing the bastard. He¡¯s a dead man walking anyway. It doesn¡¯t matter if we kill him now or four hours later.¡± Leo paused, clenching his teeth. ¡°Alright, boss. Understood.¡± I returned to Eddie, who already reached the shore, dragging a dinghy (surprisingly in excellent condition) into the water. He climbed in, grabbed the paddle, and rowed toward the cabin. Watching him paddle that fast was fascinating, but I¡¯d do the same thing when my life was on the line. After a few minutes of watching him row the boat, John stomped out of the visitor¡¯s center, spotted the only outhouse nearby, and marched toward it, calling out Scottie¡¯s name. Scottie hurriedly grabbed an old toilet paper still inside a plastic cubby against the wall. ¡°I¡¯m coming! Jeez! If you want to use the toilet that bad¡ª¡± ¡°Eddie escaped!¡± John said behind the door, the gun already in his hand. ¡°Get the fuck out of here and help us look for him.¡± It took a minute for Scottie to finish and get out of the outhouse when John pushed him against the door, almost loosening it from the hinges. ¡°You were supposed to watch him.¡± Scottie¡¯s eyes bulged. ¡°I¡ªI had to go to the bathroom¡ª¡± John punched him in the chest. Hard. ¡°Ow! What the fuck, bro!¡± ¡°I told you you weren¡¯t ready.¡± Scottie rubbed his chest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, okay? He looked fucked up¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna hear your excuses.¡± He shoved a walkie-talkie into his hands and walked away. ¡°Should¡¯ve brought more guns. Shouldn¡¯t have brought you.¡± Scottie glared at his back as he followed after him. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry, Johnny. We¡¯re going to find him, okay? Don¡¯t worry about that. He couldn¡¯t have gotten far¡ª¡± John stopped in his tracks. ¡°Not a word, Scott. If Mercer finds out that his piece of shit cousin escaped, do you think he¡¯s just going to let us walk? You know what happened to Romero last time he fucked up?¡± ¡°But that was an accident¡ª¡± ¡°It wasn''t, Scottie. Do you think he just happened to hang a picture frame, fell down the stairs, and cracked his head open? Nah. Mercer sent someone to kill him. If we fucked up, we won¡¯t be able to get out of Portland.¡± Scottie rolled his eyes. ¡°Where? To Chicago? You¡¯re still set on that?¡± ¡°Just help me look for him, man.¡± John walked away, shaking his head. In pure universal luck, Scottie huffed, put his hands on his hips, and turned to face the lake. Under the moonlight, Eddie¡¯s faint form and incessant paddling were obvious. The dinghy broke the twinkling surface of the water. Scottie laughed. ¡°Ah, dude¡­I fucking found him.¡± John whirled around. ¡°What?¡± ¡°He¡¯s right fucking there, man.¡± Scottie let out another bellied laugh. ¡°Holy shit. This motherfucker.¡± John followed where Scottie was pointing, but he didn¡¯t join in laughing. He grabbed the walkie-talkie from his belt. ¡°Guys, we found him. Come by the docks. Eddie¡¯s on a boat.¡± ¡°A boat?¡± Art asked from the other line. ¡°Uh, copy that. We¡¯re on our way.¡± John and Scottie ran to the wooden docks and stopped by the edge. John scratched his head, thinking about what he should do. ¡°Hey, Eddie! Come back, man!¡± John shouted, waving his arms around. Eddie never bothered to turn around. He just paddled faster once he heard their voices. ¡°If you keep paddling like that, you¡¯re gonna give yourself a heart attack!¡± Eddie grimaced. ¡°Fuck you, Johnny! You¡¯re a dick!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s nice.¡± John snorted. ¡°Yep. He¡¯s going to have a heart attack.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Scottie reached for John¡¯s gun. ¡°Just shoot him.¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± John stepped away from his reach. ¡°There are people across the lake. If they hear gunshots, they¡¯ll call the cops.¡± ¡°I thought we were alone out here.¡± ¡°Nah. There¡¯s a cabin across the lake. Leo and I saw the lights before they turned it off. Eddie might have seen it, too.¡± Scottie heaved a sigh. ¡°Okay, and? Even if they did, Eddie¡¯s dead already, and we can get the fuck out of here.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t shoot him from three hundred yards away, can you?¡± ¡°Leo can. He¡¯s dead; then we drive away. Take the I-5 and be gone with minutes to spare before the cops show up.¡± ¡°Mercer wants proof that we killed him. He wants pictures, and then we gotta bury him before they trace it back to him or us.¡± Scottie crossed his arms and said nothing. ¡°Eddie!¡± John called out again. ¡°We¡¯re gonna talk this over! Come back!¡± Still, Eddie refused to turn around. He¡¯s already blending into the darkness, his gaze focused on the other side of the lake. A minute later, Leo and Art ran down the trail, footsteps beating against the dock¡¯s old, rotting floorboards when Art stepped on the wrong section and fell halfway into the water. He screamed. He must have sprained his arms and shoulder blades when he caught his fall. ¡°Shit, that¡¯s cold!¡± Art exclaimed. ¡°Help him out of there, damn it!¡± John ordered. Scottie and Leo dragged Art out of the hole. ¡°This night just keeps getting better and better!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, John! This isn¡¯t exactly the Four Seasons!¡± Art blurted out. ¡°I¡¯m trying over here, man. Give me a break.¡± ¡°Next time, watch your step.¡± John pointed Eddie out to the others. ¡°He¡¯s over there.¡± Leo let out a whistle. ¡°Damn. He moves fast.¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s heading for the cabin.¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± ¡°Come on. We can cut him off with the van. I remember seeing a dirt road heading that way. Maybe it¡¯s the way to the cabin.¡± ¡°Um, yeah, that¡¯s gonna be a problem,¡± Art said. ¡°Eddie slashed our tire.¡± ¡°What?¡± Art raised his hands. ¡°But, good news, we got a spare out back. It¡¯ll just take time to put it on¡ª¡± ¡°Eddie, you motherfucker!¡± John screamed out of frustration. ¡°You¡¯re fucking dead.¡± Leo grunted. ¡°I reckon the van¡¯s not yours?¡± John rolled his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s my uncle¡¯s. He¡¯s going to fucking kill me if it¡¯s broken. I owe that asshole five grand already. Here.¡± He gave Leo the gun and glanced over to Scottie. He¡¯s going for his younger brother¡¯s idea. Leo narrowed his eyes. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Shoot the guy. Drag one of the boats over there, and we can, um, drag his boat back to shore and bury him.¡± ¡°What about the people from the cabin?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the woods. They could be hunters. It could be nothing. Just make a clean shot. One gunshot shouldn¡¯t raise any suspicions.¡± Leo shrugged, aimed for a few seconds, and fired. I heard the unmistakable ding of metal as the bullet bounced off it. Eddie flinched and ducked. Leo frowned, disappointed. He didn¡¯t like missing a shot, so he tried again. This time, I could smell the coppery scent of blood. Eddie yelped and leaned over to the side as blood poured out of his shoulder, but the dinghy was too small and narrow for his size. It was built with younger kids in mind. He scrambled to take cover behind what little barrier he got, but that merely shifted the weight to one side. The dinghy tipped over and threw him overboard; his gasp was drowned by the cold rush of water entering his mouth. The boat capsized over his head. ¡°You got him?¡± Scottie asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Leo said, unsure. ¡°I might have nicked him a little. Does Eddie know how to swim?¡± John nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Hm. He¡¯s still alive, then. I might have hit his shoulder.¡± ¡°At least he¡¯s injured,¡± Scottie said. John breathed through his nose. He glanced across the lake¡ªto the spot where the cabin¡¯s lights were. ¡°You think they heard?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you shoot him again?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to see him now without the boat,¡± Leo said. He pointed at the dark waters. He¡¯s got a point, I thought. From where I stood, it was hard to tell where Eddie was. The dinghy¡¯s metallic hull faintly reflected the moonlight, which made it easier to spot, but it now slipped under the surface. For a person swimming in the dark of night¡­ that¡¯s almost impossible. Eddie wasn¡¯t exactly wearing any reflective lifevests. John turned around and started heading back to the trail. ¡°Alright. Art and Scottie, how long until the tire is fixed?¡± Art thought for a second. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe twenty, twenty-five minutes?¡± ¡°Finish it in ten. Let¡¯s go.¡± The rest followed him, but I noticed Art had a considerable limp. Eddie¡¯s head broke through the surface a few seconds later with a loud gasp. He didn¡¯t hear John shouting anymore or the voices of the others. When he thought the coast was clear, he started swimming to the other side of the lake, but he had difficulty moving his left arm. A small, narrow trail of blood followed him. The Goliath stood at the lake¡¯s edge, hidden amongst the trees, and watched everything unfold. With keen eyes, he spotted Eddie right away, swimming in the middle of the lake. He followed him from the shore and never let him leave his sight. Eddie swam and swam and never looked like he was about to tire. The cold was biting. His skin paled. His lips were a lighter shade of purple. He tried to ignore the fact that he was swimming in the darkness with the lake¡¯s pitch-black depths right under him, pulling him, going on like an endless void. The deepest part of Cedar Lake was around two hundred feet, and I knew old lava tubes and caverns that bore deep into the Earth beneath the surface. Lots of cave divers had frequented those depths and died in the past. ¡°Lord God, please, help me,¡± Eddie muttered, shivering. ¡°I know I haven¡¯t gone to church for twenty fucking years, but please, let me get out of here. Let me see my wife and kids again,¡± he prayed. ¡°I¡¯ll do anything. I¡¯ll do anything. I¡¯ll do anything.¡± I frowned. Maybe I can¡­ But then, an invigorating rush filled me as I witnessed his aura emanating out of his body into a lighter orange. I could feel his desperation now¡ªhis will. I could taste the cold, salty tears forming in his eyes. Each stroke of his arms as he swam. Each muscle was straining against the frigid waters. Eddie entered the dungeon and swam deeper into my domain. As he got closer and closer to shore, and once he caught sight of the small dock I built near the boathouse, a glimmer of hope welled inside him, and his Resolve slowly dissipated from the orange shade to a lighter green. A faint giggle of a woman echoed in the darkness. Eddie stopped swimming and listened. And listened. And listened. He tried to control his breathing, but his shivering wasn¡¯t helping. He probably thought he imagined it when he started swimming again. And then he heard something break through the water, faint but hauntingly audible. He whirled around and held his breath, scanning the horizon to see if someone else was swimming with him. Maybe it was John or Leo. ¡°Leo?¡± He whispered. Makes sense, I thought. Leo¡¯s a Marine, after all. But I knew it wasn¡¯t Leo Grady swimming underneath him. He turned slightly to the right, looking directly at where the summer camp should be, and peered into the dark. His eyes narrowed at a particular spot a hundred feet ahead before his Resolve turned back to orange. As a lone cloud moved away from blocking the moon, moonlight reflected the lake once again¡­and cast a shape of a humanoid head floating inches above the water¡¯s surface, staring right back at him. Eddie probably thought it was just a trick of the light when the head went underwater. Eddie¡¯s eyes widened, and he swam faster to the dock three hundred feet away. He wasn¡¯t trying to swim as quietly as possible, but a frantic explosion of arms and legs, desperate to get out of the water. As I hovered and watched fifty feet above the surface, a trailing, subtle wake dispersed from where the head disappeared, drawn toward Eddie¡¯s movement and went after him. A large dark blue caudal fin gracefully broke through the water before slipping under, revealing a slender tail of a massive fish. Eddie yelped as something yanked his foot. He went under the water for a couple of seconds, bursting out in pleading cries, and swam faster toward the dock. ¡°Please, no! Please, no!¡± The creature beneath left him alone for a minute or more, waiting (and watching) as his Resolve turned a darker orange. Occasionally, it swam under and merely graced his belly gently, sometimes tickling his hip or violently pulling his ankles and keeping him under the water for several seconds. I lost count of how often I felt Eddie drink the water between his screams. As the creature played with him, his Resolve never went red. Just like the old man, Ennis Blunden, from Green Hill. That took Maxine a long time to drain. But finally, he reached the dock¡¯s edge and grabbed hold of the wooden ladder when the creature grasped his legs and pulled. Eddie almost fell onto the water but held on to the ladder¡¯s rails for dear life in the nick of time. And then he screamed, penetrating through the night¡¯s silence. Not a scream you would often hear. It was painful. Guttural. Savage. Of someone being eaten alive. Below, the waters roiled like a boiling pot and, with it, a crimson streak. ¡°God, please! Mama! Mama!¡± He wailed and wailed and wailed. His Resolve never went red. With a quick wave, the creature unlatched its teeth and swam away. Eddie, whimpering, pushed himself up to the dock and crawled out to the boathouse¡¯s sliding doors. He put as much distance between himself and the dark water as possible. Then, he looked at his left lower leg. A chunk of it was missing. Eddie sobbed and gently poked at the exposed flesh. Pain radiated through his body. ¡°Okay. Have to get out, Ed. Gotta get the fuck out of here,¡± he shivered. He propped himself against the door handle and hoisted himself up. ¡°Help!¡± He screamed to the cliff¡ªto the cabin standing beyond it. ¡°Help me!¡± No one answered. He limped off the docks and toward the lone trail leading to the top of the shallow cliff. He checked his belt and realized he lost his knife during the scuffle. He took another fearful glance at the lake, looking confused at what had just attacked him. He drew enough strength to put a little weight on his injured leg and continued walking over the rough gravel and gray sand. The Goliath stepped out of the tree line. Eddie paused, squinting his eyes. ¡°Uh, hello! Sir! You gotta help¡ª¡± And then he noticed the double-sided axe the Goliath carried. The Goliath turned to me for orders since he watched me save him. But there was a familiar twinkle in his eyes as if anticipating something I was not privy to. The demon gave me the same look through Maxine when she sounded disappointed for killing Mr. Blunden in the shed. Worthy? The Goliath wanted to ask, but he couldn¡¯t speak. ¡°Hey, look, man, I¡­I just got attacked. And¡­ I¡¯ll get out. I¡¯ll find the road, and I¡¯ll be on my way. I apologize for trespassing,¡± Eddie begged. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be a long night,¡± I muttered. I¡¯ve only been a Dungeon Core for twenty-four hours. I didn¡¯t know most of the rules. But the hunger I felt for Eddie¡¯s essence was overpowering. All I could think about was that he would be a challenge. A good challenge. And if he failed, the essence he would shed would be delicious. I welcomed it, suppressing the temptation and the guilt to open the exit door and let him leave with his life (and most of his body) intact. ¡°Knock him out,¡± I ordered. The Goliath grunted and slowly trudged toward Eddie. ¡°Y¡ªYou don¡¯t have to do this,¡± Eddie begged. The Goliath kept moving. Eddie started backing away when the Goliath suddenly sprinted toward him. ¡°No, no, no, no!¡± He tried to turn around to run but twisted his ankle and fell on his ass instead. The Goliath stepped over him, raised the axe, and slammed the butt of the handle over his head. Arc 2 | Finders Keepers (Part 5) FINDERS KEEPERS Part 5 LEO Leo drove the van out of the summer camp and took the road back to town. He didn¡¯t have to go far to find the road he was looking for¡ªone that didn¡¯t exist a week ago. He stopped the car in the middle of the three-way junction, peering ahead at where the pavement met the newly-applied gravel road, illuminated only by a single street light. The darkness beckoned. Leo looked down at the GPS on his phone. No off-shoot road showed on the screen from where the blue dot¡ªhis current location¡ªhovered. He glanced at the road again, confused. ¡°What¡¯s the hold-up?¡± John asked, sitting on the passenger seat. Leo wanted to tell him that they should get out of there and take their chances with Mercer, hoping he would be in a good mood, which he hardly ever was. Leo didn¡¯t want to go to jail. If Eddie did work for the DEA, it would implicate him if Eddie survived the woods and made it back to Portland. He might go into hiding and luck out into witness protection with the FBI, which would give them time to build a solid case around Mercer and his organization. Eddie would be an excellent prime witness that could testify against his cousin and sink him for good. What would that be for me? Kidnapping charges? Attempted murder? Conspiracy? Felony Assault? Those were just the things he could think of at the top of his head. He needed the money after he got out of the military, which left him with three bullets to the gut and shoulder, a couple of months at the hospital with several months of extensive physical training after, and then an honorable discharge that couldn¡¯t even pay the bills even with the meager change the VA could dish out for folks like him. Thank you for your service, my ass. From a guy who never went to college, he stared at plenty of minimum-wage jobs that didn¡¯t appeal to him. Even taking an associate¡¯s degree would be costly. But a handful of powerful and wealthy people sought his unique skillset, the ones he knew he was good at. How to carve a man and the hundreds of ways he could die. It paid the bills. He paid for an electrical technology degree at a community college so that he could become an electrician. Earn an honest job for once. And it also helped put his younger brother, Danny, into a prestigious four-year university down south. He was set to be a doctor, and Leo remembered how proud he was when Danny got top marks for the MCAT. ¡°Hey, Leo?¡± John shook his shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I grew up around here for most of my life, John,¡± Leo said. ¡°And I¡¯ve never driven past that road before. It¡¯s like it just¡­.¡± ¡°Just what?¡± --Appeared out of thin air. Leo gulped. He didn¡¯t scare easily. He had camped multiple times in the woods alone in the dead of winter with meager supplies for days, hearing the wolves and coyotes howl in the pitch darkness. But this? This was something new. Something that he shouldn¡¯t get involved with. Maybe I never noticed it before. After all, it¡¯s been years since his mom sold the house, and everyone moved out to Portland. Hell, Leo had only been around the property once or twice a year since then. Someone could easily have built a cabin for the past five years and placed that gravel road. But he was pretty sure it didn¡¯t exist a week ago. He remembered walking along the lake, hiking into the woods, and reminiscing about the old times with Danny. They never saw a cabin. Never saw the gravel road. Never saw that street light. ¡°Are we moving or what?¡± Art asked at the back, breaking him out of his thoughts. Leo looked over to John, who gave him a puzzled arch of his brow. Taking a deep breath through his nose, Leo pushed the gear stick to drive and steered the van onto the narrow gravel road. Under the forest¡¯s thick canopy, the night grew darker. Leo had a nagging feeling that they were all being watched.
As Leo and the others entered the gravel road and drove for several hundred feet more, a huge chunk of an Atlas Alder broke off and blocked the way out. It was the first of my new traps that got activated, and I spent a considerable amount of crystals to get a hold of the fake tree so I could put it back and dismantle it over and over. It was supposed to cut off the cultists from the outside world and prevent them from leaving, but Leo and his crew would be a good test run for tomorrow¡¯s events. And don¡¯t forget to put it back on the tree; I made a mental note. If the cultists arrived tomorrow and found the road blocked by it, that would be so embarrassing. The four men didn¡¯t even hear the branch crash in the middle of the road. I watched the van drive across the small rickety wooden bridge over a tributary called Crimson Creek, which fed off Cedar Lake to the large Clackamas River. As they passed the threshold, the bridge¡¯s trap activated to standby. At some point tonight, if someone managed to drive away from the dungeon (evading all of my monsters) and reached the bridge, it would collapse underneath them, plunging their vehicle (and them) into seven-foot-deep water. They¡¯d have to swim through murky water to get to the riverbank, blocked by oily-black vines that smelled like rotten days-old flesh and thorny brambles that would weep blood when a delver made contact. At least that¡¯s what the description said before I bought it from the market. They would just run into the Alder branch if they braved through the brambles and returned to the gravel road. They had no choice but to go around or over it¡­where, hopefully, some of the monsters were already waiting. I made a point to make the gravel road long, winding, and claustrophobic, as if the forest were close to pressing against the van¡¯s windows. It was meant to disorient a delver, and if it was the other way around, it made it challenging to navigate if they tried to escape. I purchased a handful of medium-sized boulders camouflaged by bushes and thickets for five crystals. If someone ran off the road, they¡¯d hit these boulders instead, hopefully totaling their car. I even made a neat illusion trap for it. I got inspired by those cheap jump scares in horror movies when a character managed to drive away from the house of horrors, and they¡¯re stupid enough to take their eyes off the road. And suddenly! They look back and¡ªshit!¡ªthere¡¯s a person, ghost, killer, or monster standing in the middle of the road, and they swerve to avoid it, reducing their chances of survival by half since they fucked up their vehicle and they could no longer escape, leaving them in the mercy of their pursuers. I was hoping it would work like that here, too. For a hundred crystals, I bought the ghostly illusion of a veiled lady in a tattered, dirtied bridal dress, crying in the middle of the road. It¡¯s not an official monster since I didn¡¯t buy it off the [Monsters] tab, but it was meant to scare a driver off the road and cause an accident. However, it only had a one-time use per dawn, so I had to trigger it carefully. I didn¡¯t bother purchasing the higher-end versions of the trap, where she could be projected as a vivid hallucination to the delvers, but it''ll do the trick for what I had in mind. ¡°Can¡¯t see shit,¡± John muttered. I projected my consciousness inside the van again, where John wiped the fogging windshield with his jacket¡¯s sleeve, and the heater was on full blast. Thick mist rolled in from the woods and enveloped the van. ¡°It¡¯s foggy out there,¡± Art said, unsure. ¡°Where¡¯s it coming from?¡± John tapped Leo¡¯s arm. ¡°Be careful. I don¡¯t want to get into an accident. We just fixed the tire.¡± Leo nodded. ¡°I¡¯m trying.¡± ¡°How long until we reach the cabin?¡± Scottie asked. ¡°It¡¯s the opposite side of Cedar Pine, so¡­a mile? Maybe two more?¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Just get us there before Eddie does,¡± John said. While I waited for them to arrive at the cabin, I opened up the prompt to review my [DUNGEONS] tab and then selected North Cedar Lake.
NORTH CEDAR LAKE
Dread Level: 4/10 - new dungeon(+); bloodthirsty core (++); massive domain(+)
Crystals: 755 Essence: 2
AURA & ENVIRONMENT (3/3)
Unnerving Fog Strange Noises Luring Trance
MONSTERS (4/5)
Name Marker Status
Possessing Demon ¡ª Out of Bounds !!!! ¡ª Active
The Goliath Cellar Active
Siren Siren Nest Active
Old Growth Trail B Active
LOCATIONS
Master Bedroom (Cabin) 2nd Bedroom (Cabin) Living room (Cabin)
Kitchen (Cabin) Bathroom (Cabin) Cellar (Cabin)
Front Porch (Cabin) Back Porch (Cabin) Cellar Tunnel (Cabin)
Storage Shed Generator Shed North Cedar Lake
Boathouse/Docks Siren Nest Underwater Tunnel
Main Road Trail A Trail B
Trail C Campground A Hunter Shack
Newer tabs had cropped underneath the locations since my borders had expanded (and the change of scenery), including the new monsters I made while the demon went off to dig my body. I realized that the Dungeon Core adapted to whatever environment I designated as my dungeon. The Yates Residence was considerably smaller than I had now, the northern half of Cedar Lake and the surrounding McLaren Forest. Owning vast acres of land let me gain more influence, deliver more Dread, and extra monster slots (The Yates Residence only allowed two). I could have designated Green Hill as my dungeon, but that would be a bad idea in the long run. The one thing humans were good at was destroying something they didn¡¯t understand. Shoot first; ask questions later. And even if I made Green Hill a dungeon, hundreds of people living there would die. It¡¯s hard to stay hidden when people keep dying in the wealthiest neighborhood in town from brutal circumstances. The dungeon¡¯s methods of extracting essence were¡­less than pleasant. It was one of the reasons why the demon wanted to set my primary dungeon inside a cave; the area of possibilities I could create and excavate below ground was massive. I wouldn¡¯t doubt if I could dig dozens of miles underground and even build cities if I¡¯m powerful enough. However, Earth didn¡¯t have thousands of dedicated adventurers who would gladly dive through these death traps to grab some loot and the coveted treasures. The demon and the system had hinted hundreds of worlds made delving like a typical nine-to-five job akin to being a doctor, lawyer, or office clerk. Good for them, I thought. Only a tiny percentage of people on Earth wanted to explore a cave unless they were spelunkers. It would have made things easier if I lived in those worlds. I would know the rules on day one and gain plenty of essences the right way, but instead, I was left scrambling for dear life. But it¡¯s not so bad, either. If I got teleported there, I probably wouldn¡¯t survive on my first day against a veteran delver and a band of adventurers. At least on Earth, humans were oblivious to my existence. Speaking of treasures¡­ Was that my purpose now? Give freebies at the end of the tunnel? Drop loot like some video game? I was still getting used to my new body, and thinking about treasures and loot was far away from my mind. I wanted all the cultists dead, and I am not giving them a fucking prize if they lasted long. But tonight presented a convenient opportunity while these men were in my domain. Maybe I could learn a few things about my core while I¡ªno¡ªmy monsters torture them. Aside from including [Strange Noises] and [Luring Trance], I swapped the [Phantasmal Cold] for [Unnerving Fog] since they were almost the same thing. However, the fog was exclusively a regional effect, shrouding the land in heavy mist, which could disorient the delvers if they ventured into the woods. I couldn¡¯t wait to increase their duration once (and if) I level up.
Unnerving Fog The dungeon is covered by a swirling cloud of heavy mist, bringing chill winds. It can disorient and shed a delver¡¯s resolve over time. Duration: 1 hour.
It did the trick. Leo slowed down as he navigated through the fog. Art grasped a pendant of the Virgin Mary from under his shirt¡¯s collar, uttering a quiet prayer. Scottie and John ignored the bumpy ride even though John looked like he would be sick. The road suddenly widened. Leo had more space to navigate as the forest retreated away from him. A few seconds later, he could make out a shape of a roof in the distance, and he then steered the van to the side, stopping right under an elm tree. ¡°So. This is it,¡± Leo said, studying the cabin curiously. A neat thing about the environmental auras of a dungeon was that I could tweak them. So, I pulled the mist back a little so the four men could get a good view of the cabin¡¯s shadowed facade. The porch swing out front swayed gently from a chill wind. If I were them, this was going to freak me out. ¡°Where¡¯s the car?¡± Scottie asked. ¡°Huh?¡± John turned around. ¡°The car. If someone¡¯s staying here, where¡¯s their car? You don¡¯t think Eddie got here first and called for help, do you?¡± ¡°Maybe we should leave. Maybe the cabin owner already drove out of here,¡± Art said worriedly. Hm. Should I do something about this? Maybe I should. Sighing and harnessing [Telekinesis], I switched on the living room light. They couldn¡¯t see much inside since the curtains were closed, and they parked fifty feet away from the front porch. Their heads swiveled in unison, anticipating a person to walk past. I counted to five and turned off the lights again. [Power: 9/10] ¡°Uh, maybe someone is home after all,¡± John said. ¡°We should go take a look. It might be Eddie inside.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about this, John,¡± Art said. ¡°This place is fucking creepy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a cabin in the woods. Of course, it¡¯s fucking creepy, Gomez.¡± John opened the door and took out his gun. ¡°But I¡¯m not a pussy. Are you?¡± Art clenched his teeth and said nothing, and followed Scottie out of the sliding van doors. Leo hesitated to get out of the van, but when he watched John, Scottie, and Art stalking closer to the cabin, he drew enough courage to step out. He fished out his phone and turned on the flash before studying the ground. He frowned. His hand went over to his hip, searching for something, an instinct of a soldier looking for a weapon. He found nothing there. ¡°Leo?¡± John whispered, crouching with the others and trying to blend in with the heavy mist. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± Leo crept beside him. ¡°I don¡¯t see any tire tracks,¡± he said. ¡°If Eddie got here and the owners drove him back to town, they would have left tracks. As you can see, the ground is muddy. There isn¡¯t even a faint track. I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s been here for a while.¡± ¡°You think he¡¯s still here then?¡± ¡°Or still swimming in the lake.¡± John nodded. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s spread out. Check the perimeter. Find a way inside.¡± ¡°What about the other people?¡± Scottie asked. ¡°What are we gonna do?¡± ¡°I told you we should have brought more guns,¡± Leo said. ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t think this was gonna happen. It¡¯s supposed to be an easy job.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no point complaining about it,¡± Art said. ¡°I¡¯ll go around back.¡± ¡°Scottie, why don¡¯t you stay in the van?¡± John said. ¡°Me? Why?¡± ¡°If things get out of hand, I need someone behind the wheel ready.¡± Scottie didn¡¯t like it, but John gave him a look that he would not argue out here while Eddie and an unknown number of people were inside the cabin. ¡°Wait.¡± Leo crept back to the van and slowly opened the door. He grabbed the duffel bag, took out a few things, and went back to the others. ¡°Here.¡± He handed Art a knife and a crowbar while he held onto the mallet and another knife. He gave Scottie a knife as well. ¡°Better to have weapons.¡± John grabbed the mallet off Leo¡¯s hand and handed him the Glock. ¡°You should get this. You¡¯re a better shot than me.¡± Leo nodded. ¡°Sounds good.¡± ¡°Alright. Scottie, get back inside the van. The rest of you, let¡¯s move.¡± Scottie grumbled back behind the wheel and huffed. ¡°I can fucking handle myself, thank you very much.¡± He put the weapon down on the passenger seat. Scottie watched the others disappear into the fog and out of his sight. Outside the driver¡¯s side window, The Goliath stood two feet behind him, looming through the glass. Arc 2 | Finders Keepers (Part 6) FINDERS KEEPERS Part 6 As Scottie lost sight of the group in the fog, his face suddenly scrunched up, and he whirled around as if he felt a presence behind him. However, the Goliath had already moved to the side and walked toward the back. Scottie searched for a few seconds until his gaze landed on the driver¡¯s side view mirror, catching a shadowy shape that disappeared into the mist, trailed by muffled heavy footsteps. Grasping [Telekinesis], I slowly dragged the walkie-talkie that Scottie placed on the passenger seat while he was distracted and shoved it underneath. Scottie narrowed his brows, considering what to do. He went for his belt clip but found the walkie-talkie wasn¡¯t there. He turned to the passenger seat, remembering where he had last put it. It wasn¡¯t there either. ¡°The fuck?¡± Scottie muttered out loud. He searched at the sides and reached his arm underneath, almost touching the walkie-talkie by the tip of his index finger. But whoever was outside the van was already getting away, moving toward one of the trails that led to the lake. ¡°Shit,¡± Scottie huffed. It might be Eddie; he¡¯s probably wondering. He glanced at the cabin to where the other men were searching for him, then to the lonely trail. Eddie was a big guy (though the Goliath almost dwarfed him), and he reckoned he must be sneaking around the cabin, hiding from John and the others. Well, he was going to catch him instead. Scottie took the bait. He crawled into the back of the van and opened the duffel bag. He sheathed the knife on his belt and picked up a bigger wrench. Maybe he could knock out Eddie with it. Satisfied, he climbed out from the back and into the cold night. ¡°Guys?¡± Scottie called out in a whisper. He didn¡¯t want to alert Eddie that he was on to him, but he probably guessed having a backup would increase his chances of capturing him. No one answered. They¡¯re too far away. Scottie shifted nervously. ¡°I can do this. I can do this,¡± he said. I recognized that look he sported. One that wanted to prove something. He wanted to prove to John that he wasn¡¯t a kid anymore. That he could correct his own mistake. After all, it was partially his fault that Eddie got away in the first place. If he had been in the room when Art was knocked out, he would have clobbered him, and John wouldn¡¯t be upset. Feeling the weight of the wrench, he marched toward the winding trail. His Resolve turned a fair orange and slowly got darker the farther he got from the van.
Art and Leo flanked the cabin first, peering cautiously through the casement windows. It was too dark inside, and none of the cabin¡¯s lights were on. Leo shot a wary glance at the storage shed forty feet away down a slope, bordered by two tall trees with enough space out front for a large stump, where a black-iron hatchet with a darker yellow handle was embedded on the rough surface. Beside it was a stack of fire prest logs. He stopped in his tracks, debating whether he should go over there. With a sigh, he crept toward the shed and found the door open. The shed was as big enough to shove the van inside. He noticed the stacks of tools, a workbench on the opposite side, and a chainsaw on top of a Uline tool cabinet. Leo searched the shed for a few seconds, glancing over the chainsaw, and ran his fingers over the unused metal blade of the cutter teeth. It looked brand new, as if someone just bought it from the store. It didn¡¯t look like anyone was there, so he closed the door and headed to the back of the cabin. Art, meanwhile, was still limping due to his (almost) fall at the dock. It didn¡¯t look as bad when I left them, but he still felt discomfort when he put his weight on his ankle. He peered into the cabin¡¯s small bathroom awning window, which was a little higher than the rest of the cabin¡¯s windows. He had to stand on his tippy toes (with one foot) to get a good look inside. He found no one. He walked past the generator shed but didn¡¯t bother to look in there, probably judging it was too small, and continued to the back porch. Leo was already bent over, cheek almost touching the ground, and checking underneath the porch in case Eddie hid there. ¡°Found anything?¡± Art whispered. Leo shook his head. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Should we head inside?¡± Leo nodded. At the front porch, John reached out at the porch swing to stop it from swaying and creaking. He then crept closer to the living room¡¯s bay windows and peeked inside. He could faintly see the outline of the fireplace, the half-end of the couch, and a little bit of the stag with elaborately sharp horns displayed on the wall, but nothing more. He moved toward the door and grabbed the handle. It was unlocked. I saw how glad he was of that. At least he didn¡¯t have to pick a lock or something. I intentionally left it unlocked anyway. John stuck his head inside and looked around. When he thought the coast was clear, he stepped past the doorframe with the chill wind and slowly closed the door behind him. He didn¡¯t want to alert whoever was inside with the sudden cold draft entering the cabin. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. John looked around the kitchen and the living room with his flashlight. The cabin had an open floor plan, so there weren¡¯t a lot of corners to hide behind. Plus, it¡¯s a small building. It struck him weird that he didn¡¯t hear snoring if people slept here. It was deathly quiet. He could practically hear himself swallow his saliva. He made sure not to trip on the rug along the way and watched his step. Cabins like these were bound to have creaky floorboards. He strode toward the kitchen island just in case Eddie was hiding behind it but found no one there. John checked the first door to his right since it was closer and found it unlocked. He held his breath, anticipating that the door would creak so loud it would give him away, but it swung open without a hitch. There was a queen-sized bed and identical nightstands flanking it. A vanity next to a walk-in closet that was left open, and another door that led to the bathroom. A landscape painting of Mount Selene in winter hung on the wall above the bed. There was no sign of Eddie. The bedroom next door was also empty, with a similar design to the former room. Even the bathroom with its bathtub combined with a shower hose, a single toilet, and a small cubby area for supplies. By then, Art and Leo jiggled the doorknob on the back door. John crept down the short corridor to the mud room and let the two men inside. ¡°No one¡¯s home,¡± John said worriedly. ¡°I don¡¯t even see any personal belongings. No bags. Nothing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird,¡± Art blurted out. ¡°We can give it a second look. You might¡¯ve missed something. Even if no one¡¯s here, Eddie might be hiding,¡± Leo said. Art and John took each of the bedrooms, searching every nook and cranny of the place. But Leo headed over to the living room, guided by the flash on his phone, and made sure he didn¡¯t make any loud footsteps as he picked up the telephone next to the couch and put it against his ear. There was no dial tone. I saw Leo visibly shiver, goosebumps rising to the nape of his neck. He surveyed the living room and walked over to the kitchen, touching the stove with his palm, frowning, and then checking every cupboard¡ªno signs of food. Even the refrigerator was empty. The fireplace remained unlit, or it had never been used at all. That troubled him more. I could tell. It¡¯s a cold night tonight, and there wasn¡¯t a vent heater or a furnace to warm up the building. ¡°I should¡¯ve put food there; my bad,¡± I muttered. I made a mental note to buy food with the crystals and conjure them in the cabin with magic. That shouldn¡¯t cost much. I doubted Dungeon Cores across the universe would bother feeding their delvers and making the dungeon like a cozy home when they¡¯re supposed to scare (or kill) them. However, Leo¡¯s Resolve turned from a lighter shade of green to a faint orange. Huh. Maybe that¡¯s not bad after all. Clearly, I¡¯ve spooked the Marine. It was weirdly one of my proudest moments that I managed to scare Leo¡ªfucking¡ªGrady. When I was a kid, I thought nothing scared the guy. Leo entered the master bedroom, where John searched the empty walk-in closet. He didn¡¯t even bother to be stealthy anymore. ¡°John,¡± he called out. ¡°We gotta get out of here.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, man. Something¡¯s wrong. There¡¯s no landline. No food. No bags. No clothes. No shoes next to the door. The stove¡¯s not even warm. The fireplace hasn¡¯t been used for how long. And get this: I didn¡¯t see any family pictures, did you?¡± John went rigid. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice that.¡± ¡°Weird, huh?¡± ¡°What are you saying? Like it¡¯s staged?¡± ¡°Yeah. Maybe.¡± Leo gulped. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You said this cabin never existed before, right?¡± Leo nodded. ¡°Then what about the light we saw?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore, Johnny. Let¡¯s just get the fuck out of here. Eddie might still be in the lake. We¡¯ll get down there and pluck him out if we have to¡ª¡± A muffled thud echoed from below. John paused. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Leo nodded and shushed him. ¡°Follow me,¡± he mouthed. Another thud, louder this time. Leo and John walked out into the corridor where Art was already waiting, listening. He gave them a puzzled shrug. Leo also motioned for him to follow, and they walked back to the living room. The noise was a little louder here, coming from the carpet under the coffee table. ¡°Come help me with this,¡± Leo asked Art, gesturing to the coffee table. They lifted it while John pulled the carpet off, revealing a cellar door. ¡°So¡­what do you think is down there?¡± John asked Leo. Leo shrugged. ¡°Fuck if I know.¡± ¡°It could be Eddie.¡± ¡°Could be something else, too,¡± Art said. ¡°Like what, Art?¡± ¡°An animal?¡± Leo tapped the tip of his boots on the latch lock bolting the door shut. ¡°You think an animal crawled down there and locked itself inside?¡± Art shifted uncomfortably from where he stood. ¡°You¡¯ve got the gun. You go first.¡± Leo and John exchanged a worried glance; the former hesitated momentarily before he crouched down, slowly unlatched the bolt, and lifted the cellar door open. Immediately, a musty smell invaded their nostrils like earthen wood mixed with damp socks left out too long. They could hear the noise much clearer now. Scraping. Like someone kicking against the wood. ¡°Be careful,¡± John said. ¡°I¡¯ve been shot at in the desert. This is nothing,¡± Leo said, but it was more for his benefit than the others. Leo took a deep breath and tentatively took a step down, and down, and down, and down¡­.he stopped. The darkness here was almost suffocating. He glanced over his shoulders to the others, remaining still on the landing. Leo bent forward and aimed his phone into the darkness. It was a spacious cellar, but unlike normal cellars, this one lacked junk¡ªno assortment of old furniture, cabinets, tools, and the like. He scanned over to the southern corner¡ªon Eddie bound to a toppled chair, mouth taped shut. One eye puffed from the bruises Leo had inflicted on him, but there was no mistaking the fear evident in his gaze. He was calling for help, begging, screaming even though his mouth was taped shut. ¡°Holy fuck!¡± Leo exclaimed out loud and bounded down the steps. John and Art followed, with the latter stopping in his tracks. ¡°Who the hell tied him up?¡± Art asked. Leo was already on Eddie and peeled the tape off. It was harder to do, and he might have taken some of Eddie¡¯s thick mustache hair with it. Eddie yelped from the tearing and shrunk away from Leo¡¯s touch. It had only been less than an hour ago when Leo and the others were busy prying his fingernails and wrapping a wet rug over his head while they laughed. ¡°Get me the fuck out of here!¡± Eddie screamed. ¡°Eddie, Eddie, Eddie. Calm down. Who did this to you?¡± Leo tried to untie the ropes. ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know! Some hillbilly!¡± ¡°Leo, hold up,¡± John said, gesturing for him to stop untying the ropes. ¡°John, someone tied him up, and it ain¡¯t us!¡± Still, Eddie flinched from the blade when Leo bent over again and started cutting the knots. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me,¡± Eddie hissed once he was loose and tried to stand up. Art¡¯s eyes widened and pointed at Eddie¡¯s injured leg. ¡°Holy shit!¡± ¡°Something bit me in the lake,¡± Eddie said. ¡°Something bit you?¡± John asked incredulously. ¡°Some animal! Shit, I can¡¯t tell. It was too dark. Wait, how did you get out here so fast? Did you fix the van?¡± ¡°No thanks to you,¡± Art said. ¡°Then let¡¯s drive the fuck out of here!¡± Eddie tried to run for the stairs, but he yelped, pain radiating from the wound, so he hopped on his good leg instead. John pushed him away from the stairs. ¡°Hold on, hold on. We ain¡¯t done with you yet.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you been listening to what I¡¯m saying? Someone attacked me, and it¡¯s not you! He might return, and I am not waiting to see what happens next!¡± ¡°He¡¯s got a point, John,¡± Leo said. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with him once we¡¯re out of the woods.¡± John breathed through his nose and looked to Art, who agreed with Leo. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± He turned to Eddie. ¡°But you better not do anything stupid.¡± ¡°Do I look like I can?¡± He gestured at his injured leg. ¡°Fine. Leo, help him up,¡± John ordered, taking out the walkie-talkie from his belt. ¡°Scottie, start the van. We¡¯re getting out of here.¡± John waited for a few seconds for a reply. Scottie didn¡¯t answer back. In the van, John¡¯s voice echoed across the empty cabin, ordering Scottie to answer him. Arc 2 | Finders Keepers (Part 7) FINDERS KEEPERS Part 7 Scottie crouched just off the trail, surveying the boathouse ahead. He didn¡¯t dare make a move. I allowed the fog to thicken near the docks, and Scottie could barely make out the boathouse¡¯s frame from where he hid. He visibly shivered after he scanned his environment. I could tell he doubted following ¡°Eddie¡± down the trail. What if it¡¯s a trap? He¡¯s not wrong. The Goliath was already waiting inside. All Scottie had to do was take the bait. Heck, he already took the last one. Why not more? It¡¯s hard to see out here in the dark; all he had was the flash on his phone. Fortunately, flashlights on a phone weren¡¯t too bright in the fog compared to the battery-powered ones, so hopefully, ¡°Eddie¡± did not notice him. He¡¯s probably inside with another canoe. While John and the others were scrambling in the cabin looking for him, Eddie would slip away and back at the summer camp, ready to flag any oncoming car from the main road. I reckoned that¡¯s what Scottie must be thinking. Plus, he¡¯s all by himself, which is not a good thing for a delver to do. John and the others were thirteen hundred feet away up the trail (a six-minute leisurely walk) and on a cliff, basically three or four chambers away in a typical dungeon. If I looked at it from a standard dungeon perspective, I imagined the boathouse as just another chamber. My limited knowledge of Dungeons & Dragons and the movies helped paint the picture. He had two choices: Go back to the trail or enter the boathouse. He glanced over the trail again before slinking to the cliff¡¯s wall, hugging it forward until he reached the next bush. ¡°Hm. Maybe you need a little bit of encouragement,¡± I said. I triggered [Strange Noises] inside the boathouse, sounding like someone was dragging a canoe across the wooden floor. There was a U-shaped dock inside the building, and I added an extra detail of something heavy hitting the water just to fuck with him. The Goliath shifted, aware of my interruptions. ¡°Let¡¯s see what he does with that,¡± I said. So far, Scottie didn¡¯t make a move. From above, John, Leo, and Art just entered the cabin, giving it a second look. So far, they had not found Eddie yet. I took a quick peek in the cellar where Eddie was screaming through the tape, eyes locked at the ceiling and trying to get the three men¡¯s attention. The Goliath merely grunted. He gave a slight shrug and gestured out the window. He could see Scottie¡¯s shadowy figure hiding behind the bush from where he stood. He¡¯s not very sneaky. I frowned. ¡°Um, I really need to give you the Speech trait the next time I level up.¡± If I leveled up, whenever that was. ¡°Because this charades thing is getting ridiculous.¡± The Goliath sighed and raised the axe slightly higher, pantomiming hacking someone to death. ¡°Oh. You mean kill?¡± The Goliath nodded. ¡°Ehh¡­.maybe?¡± The Goliath¡¯s shoulders slumped, and they made a slight nod. He patted his belly, then pointed at me. ¡°Hungry?¡± The Goliath nodded again. I groaned. ¡°All the time, bud.¡± He motioned with his hands that I shouldn¡¯t worry and that he¡¯ll feed me soon. What a lovely guy. Compared to the demon, the Goliath was a pleasant company. Scottie darted out of the bushes and inched closer to the boathouse. He finally reached the dock¡¯s landing, and his flashlight trembled in his hand, casting flickering shadows on the aged planks beneath his feet. He sneaked toward the boathouse¡¯s sliding door. Scottie took a deep breath, steeling himself for what lay beyond. ¡°Heads up. Showtime.¡± I warned the Goliath, but the big man already climbed the ladder to a narrow mezzanine above the interior dock. He stepped into the shadows near the two metal lockers and hanging coat racks, blending with the baggy raincoats, towels, life preservers, and waterproof boat tarps. Scottie squinted through the narrow window slit on the sliding door. He couldn¡¯t see Eddie moving inside, so he walked over to the edge of the dock and found the garage door still down. He scanned the lake and saw no canoe rowing out to the middle of the lake. He was unsure if he saw Eddie enter the boathouse, realizing he must still be hiding inside. His lips twitched, and he gripped the wrench harder. He pivoted and went back and opened the door, creaking ominously. He closed it behind him, probably to stop Eddie from running away if he found him. Scottie¡¯s phone pierced through the gloom, pointing at the fishing nets tangled like cobwebs in one corner. Silence clung to the air, broken only by the distant sound of lapping waves against the wooden pilings. Three kayaks hung on one wall opposite the various boat tools, fishing poles, and other equipment. Three stacks of boxes stood at the corners, which were primarily empty, made only to fill out the room and complete the boathouse¡¯s decor. No kayaks sat on the well dock. Scottie grinned. He¡¯s still inside, he probably thought. He took a tentative step forward; his footsteps echoed through the space, amplified by the eerie stillness. There was not a lot of space to hide on the first floor, which was pretty much open. Still, Scottie checked the dark corners and behind the boxes but didn¡¯t find Eddie. A distant scuttling sound startled him, and he spun around, pointing his phone toward the source; the mezzanine. Above, the Goliath gently scraped the but of his axe on the floor before he went still as a statue. He was trying to draw him in. Scottie hesitated for a moment and glanced at the door and then the wooden ladder. He slipped the wrench securely on his belt and climbed the ladder. I heaved a sigh. ¡°He¡¯s coming,¡± I told the Goliath. The Goliath nodded, ready. Scottie hauled himself up the mezzanine and looked around. There weren¡¯t any windows here to let in some natural light from the outside (which barely had any due to the thick fog). The only source of light was the one on Scottie¡¯s phone. He immediately spotted the two lockers as tall as him. Scottie¡¯s smile grew even wider. He walked over there, biting his lower lip to stifle his chuckle. His Resolve went back to green. He was in control now. After all, he had Eddie in his sight. He raised the wrench above his head, hand slowly reaching out for the locker¡¯s handle. He yanked it open! Empty. Stolen novel; please report. Before Eddie could react, Scottie quickly yanked the other locker open and raised the wrench even higher, but when he peered inside, he didn¡¯t find Eddie cowering in there. His shoulders slumped. ¡°Where the fuck are you?¡± He muttered. The floorboards creaked behind him, and Scottie whirled around; his flashlight¡¯s beam illuminated the huge barrel-chested figure mere two feet away. A shiver ran down Scottie¡¯s spine as he locked onto the Goliath¡¯s face concealed behind a dull white-fox mask, his dead gaze piercing through him. It was as if time had frozen over, even for a split second. Scottie stood transfixed, his mind struggling to comprehend the giant before him; his own senses betrayed him. Before he could react, the Goliath backslapped him. Scottie yelped, clutched his reddened face, and tumbled to the side¡­and off the mezzanine¡¯s edge. He fell on his back, scrambling for something to hold (there was none). But instead of hitting the water, His left side smashed the edge of the rickety wooden dock, probably spraining his arm and might have broken a rib or two. The impact quickly spun him into the water like a fucking crash test dummy. He stayed under the water for a few seconds before he broke through the surface, thrashing in a mad panic; pain, shock, and terror mingling into a scream. The Goliath stood at the mezzanine¡¯s edge, glaring at him. He jumped off with his axe in one swoop and landed with a hefty thud on the dock, making it look so easy that even I doubted he hurt his knees doing that stunt. It was meant to unnerve Scottie, and it fucking worked. A big guy coming at you with a big axe and jumping from thirteen feet, AND made it look like nothing? I¡¯d be shitting bricks. Scottie¡¯s Resolve turned a darker orange as the Goliath stood at the dock¡¯s edge. Scottie¡¯s eyes darted to the door and the Goliath. He could not climb out of there in time and escape out of the boathouse. His shoulder still hurt from the fall because he had difficulty staying afloat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Scottie begged. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to trespass!¡± The Goliath¡¯s grip on the axe tightened. ¡°Please! Look, I¡¯ll get out of here so fast; you won¡¯t hear from me again. Promise. I¡­I was lost! Yeah! I was lost, okay?¡± He let out a pathetic whimper. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt me. Please.¡± The only answer Scottie heard back was the Goliath¡¯s heavy breathing behind the mask. The Goliath wedged the axe on the floor, turned around and walked toward the tools hanging on the wall, and picked up a spear gun. Scottie¡¯s eyes bulged. ¡°No! Please! I¡¯m going to leave! I swear! I¡¯m sorry!¡± The Goliath remained unperturbed and walked back to the dock¡¯s edge. He wouldn¡¯t be able to talk his way out of this. Scottie screeched. ¡°John! John! Help! Help me!¡± But he was too far away from the others. They had already reached the cellar and found Eddie down on the floor. The Goliath pulled the trigger. Scottie ducked under the water as the spear smacked through the pilings inches above his head and kept himself under for several seconds. He tried to get under the dock, but it was too dark. He knew he would end up drowning if he continued searching for a way out below the boathouse. His lungs begged for air. He broke through the surface again, taking in a lungful of breath¡­and the Goliath reached out from above and yanked him up by the hair. Hoisting Scottie out of the water, the Goliath threw him across the room, rolled, and tangled with the fishing nets. Scottie scrambled to his feet and ran for the door. But the boathouse¡¯s obstacle had already been triggered a while ago, freezing the wheels momentarily. It would take considerable strength to open it, and Scottie struggled to put as much weight to wiggle it loose. The Goliath sauntered to pick up his axe, still wedged on the floor. He headed for Scottie next. ¡°Come on, come on! Open you big, freaking-!¡± The Goliath raised his axe above his head. Suddenly, the sliding door gave way and parted open, and Scottie tumbled out onto the exterior dock. The Goliath brought the axe down, the blade splintering through wood between Scottie¡¯s parted legs and inches away from his groin. Scottie yelped and crawled backward. As the Goliath tried to pry the blade off the wood, Scottie got back on his feet and ran. ¡°Oh. It looks like he¡¯s getting away,¡± I muttered. The Goliath said nothing and yanked the axe lose. He continued the chase. He didn¡¯t even run, carrying almost this confident and menacing gait. Scottie leaned a little to the left side, his right hand cupped around his left shoulder to prevent his left arm from swinging while he ran. His face contorted from the pain, especially when I could sense he broke a handful of his ribs when he fell; his breathing was strenuous. He took the trail back to the cabin. Thorny thickets and hanging branches lashed against his skin, with some drawing blood. ¡°Help!¡± He cried out again, desperate. ¡°John! Leo!¡± He slowed down a little, still trying to put as much distance between himself and the killer, and felt confident that he could no longer see him. But he could be hiding from behind a tree or something. He winced from the pain radiating from his left side when he accidentally grazed a branch with his left arm. ¡°Fuck!¡± He bawled. He heard heavy footsteps against the undergrowth behind him and picked up his pace again. He wanted to call out to John and the others again. Maybe he¡¯s getting closer to the cabin, and they could hear him. Then again, the killer would know where he was. A shuddering sob escaped his lips. He should have searched for the walkie-talkie. Should have¡ª His phone! He could call John! He leaned against a tree and searched his pockets but found them empty. He realized it must have fallen into the lake along with his wrench. ¡°Shit!¡± He gritted his teeth. All he found was the bowie knife still sheathed on his belt. He gripped tightly on the handle when he pulled it out, the blade gleaming against the fog. At least he had a weapon. He could fight back. He stepped away from the tree and continued up the trail¡ª Schlink! A sickening crunch echoed through the forest, followed by a sudden hot warmth radiating from his ankle and then followed by the most intense pain that almost shocked his system. He looked down at the thick claws embedded through his flesh¡ªa bear trap. His scream pierced and cut through the dense fog, reverberating among the canopy. Panic coursed through his veins as he struggled to free himself from its steel jaws. The forest came alive with a sinister breeze. A soft crunch echoed from the darkness, and Scottie¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Fear took hold as his gaze fixated on the masked figure standing thirty feet away behind a dense thicket, looking almost curious about his torturous struggle. The Goliath didn¡¯t move and waited. ¡°Oh, my god¡­.¡± He gasped. He couldn¡¯t believe that this was happening to him. With a huffed grunt, the Goliath put the axe against the tree, bent down, and grabbed the bear trap¡¯s chains hidden under the fallen leaves. With a mighty yank, He dragged Scottie behind the thicket, screaming. The Goliath loomed over him. With the knife still in his hands, Scottie tried to stab Goliath¡¯s leg, but the big man already read his moves. He twisted Scottie¡¯s wrists, and the knife fell onto the dirt. The Goliath let him go, and Scottie reeled back from the pain, cradling his sprained wrist. The Goliath fell on his knees and straddled Scottie¡¯s hips, locking him onto the ground. He picked up the fallen bowie knife and lifted it above his head. Scottie raised his left hand to block it, but the blade went through his palm instead. Blood gushed out and fell into Scottie¡¯s gaping mouth. Pulling out the knife, The Goliath sank the blade into Scottie¡¯s abdomen and forcefully worked his way above his belly button. Scottie¡¯s screams were strangled and desperate, clinging to the Goliath¡¯s collar, reaching for his neck, mask, and anything he could grab. The Goliath quickly swatted his feeble attempts to escape, pulled the knife out again, and drove the blade through Scottie¡¯s spleen. Scottie arched his back, thrashing underneath the giant. Blood poured out of his lips. ¡°No! No! Please! No!¡± Then, Scottie¡¯s Resolve turned crimson red. There was a drastic change in the Goliath¡¯s demeanor. At first, he was slow and deliberate in where he stabbed Scottie to keep him alive, but as if he smelled blood in the water, the Goliath went into a frenzy of stabs, splattered blood, and shrieks. Seven, eight, nine, ten stabs¡­and I lost count after that. Between whining screeches from Scottie tearing through vocal cords, which no human should ever produce, the earth beneath and the nearby bushes began to stain with blood and urine. The Goliath stopped and took a lungful of breath as if reveling in the kill. Scottie gurgled a gasp. He stopped screaming, fighting hard to keep breathing; arms splayed open wide like an angel. A single tear rolled down his left eye. He tried to speak, but he strained his throat shut. The Goliath picked up his axe, grabbed Scottie¡¯s uninjured ankle, and dragged him back to the cabin three hundred feet up the trail. Scottie weakly grabbed clumps of grass along the way but couldn¡¯t find the strength to hold on.
¡°Scottie¡¯s still not answering,¡± John said worriedly. Leo thinned his lips. ¡°Let¡¯s get the fuck out of here.¡± ¡°You got that right.¡± John climbed up the stairs and hauled himself out of the cellar. John tried the radio again, but he received the same static. He looked out the bay window and could still see the van. At least he didn¡¯t leave, so he¡¯s still here. ¡°Scottie, answer me, for fuck¡¯s sake!¡± He shouted onto the radio. Still, no answer. Behind him, Leo and Art helped Eddie out of the cellar. ¡°What now?¡± Art asked. ¡°Scottie¡¯s still not answering, but the van¡¯s outside,¡± John replied. ¡°Good! Who¡¯s got the keys?¡± Eddie asked. Leo frowned. ¡°Scottie does.¡± ¡°Oh, for crying out loud!¡± Eddie exclaimed. ¡°Come on, asshole. Up your feet,¡± Art said to Eddie. ¡°Easy for you to say. I¡¯m the one with a chunk of my leg missing.¡± ¡°Quit yapping, and let¡¯s fucking move.¡± Leo marched toward the door and opened it. He froze, and all at once, the men¡¯s Resolve turned a solid orange. Standing between the van and the cabin was a mountain of a man wearing a blood-splattered white fox mask. Leo¡¯s bowie knife was in his left hand while the other held Scottie, barely kneeling on the ground, hoisted up by his mangled and blood-soaked hair. Leo couldn¡¯t even tell where the stab wounds were all over Scottie¡¯s body, stained dark red. ¡°Scottie!¡± John screeched, but Art grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back inside the cabin. ¡°That¡¯s him! That¡¯s the guy!¡± Eddie pointed. Leo remained frozen. ¡°Johnny¡­¡± Scottie whimpered. A trickle of blood escaped his lips. ¡°Sorry¡ª¡± Scottie¡¯s voice was cut short as the Goliath jammed the bowie knife through his throat. Scottie¡¯s legs kicked for a second before it went deathly still. The Goliath pulled the blade out of the flesh with a sickening slop. [You have gained 1 essence: Scott ¡°Scottie¡± Kitson] [You have gained 150 crystals] The Goliath shoved Scottie to the side like a rag doll and glared a mocking challenge at the four men standing on the front porch. Arc 2 | Finders Keepers (Part 8) FINDERS KEEPERS Part 8 Leo¡¯s hand twitched, and in a blink of an eye, he pulled out the gun strapped to his belt and fired. Shots rang out into the fog. Eddie jumped behind the door frame and covered his ears. John was too stunned to move as Art pinned him behind the door. Most of the shots hit the Goliath straight on the torso, each bullet sending him a step back until he smashed through the van¡¯s windows, and the Goliath slumped to the ground, seemingly dead. Silence filled the void. I floated over to the Goliath. ¡°Uh, are you okay?¡± I asked, worried. Did the delvers kill my monster? That was a lot of bullets, and I doubted if his special trait would even carry over¡ª [Not Quite Dead I is activated. The Goliath is stunned for 1 minute.] I sighed in relief. ¡°Sorry about the guns,¡± I said. ¡°Can you handle these guys? I can summon Old Growth as an assist?¡± The Goliath shot me a sidelong glance and closed his eyes, pretending to be dead. I reckon that¡¯s a no. He couldn¡¯t move yet. [Warning: You have one more usage for Not Quite Dead I. Running out of slots will temporarily destroy the monster and trigger a cooldown, which you cannot summon the monster within the given duration.] Ah. Good to know. John pushed Art off him and ran to where Scottie lay face-first on the dirt. He turned him over; empty eyes faced the sky. John let out a choked sob. ¡°Scottie¡­oh, God¡ª¡± The others cautiously walk toward John, who cradled Scottie on his lap. His brother¡¯s blood had already soaked his shirt and hands. He tried to brush Scottie¡¯s bloodied hair off the boy¡¯s eyes. ¡°Is he dead?¡± Eddie gestured over to the Goliath. ¡°I shot him twelve times. What do you think?¡± ¡°Did you shoot him in the head, at least?¡± Art asked. ¡°No one can come back from that.¡± Leo paused. ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Better shoot him in the head then,¡± Art said. ¡°I learned that in a horror movie once.¡± ¡°This ain¡¯t a horror movie, Art.¡± Art scoffed. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. We got an axe-wielding maniac. Masked psycho. Cabin in the woods. Creepy forest. Not a horror movie at all, Leo.¡± ¡°For Christ¡¯s sake,¡± Leo hissed and nodded to John. ¡°Scott just died, man.¡± ¡°Shit. Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean anything by it,¡± Art said, but John did not respond. Art walked away awkwardly and helped Eddie out of the door. ¡°Can we get the fuck out of here?¡± Eddie exclaimed, leaning against the porch¡¯s railings. ¡°I need medical attention!¡± ¡°Can you stop complaining?¡± Art hissed, annoyed. ¡°Hey, this is all your fault for getting us stuck out here!¡± ¡°Oh my god, if you don¡¯t shut up, I¡¯m going to take out your other leg,¡± Art threatened. ¡°Mercer still wants you dead.¡± Eddie glowered but said nothing. Leo crouched beside John and shook his arm. ¡°John. Come on, man. We must get into the van. We¡¯ll help you carry Scottie inside.¡± ¡°My brother¡¯s dead,¡± John whispered as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he was saying. Leo thinned his lips. ¡°I know. I know. But we have to get out. I need to¡ª¡± he pointed at Scottie¡¯s pockets, ¡°¡ªlook for the van¡¯s keys.¡± John closed his eyes and, after a beat, nodded his head. Leo ruffled through Scottie¡¯s pockets but didn¡¯t find the keys anywhere. ¡°Shit. It¡¯s not here¡ª¡± He glanced over to the Goliath. Peeking out of his belt was the unmistakable glint of the van¡¯s keys against the beams of his flashlight, dangling like a carrot. Leo stood up and checked the gun¡¯s magazine. Only one bullet left. ¡°Give me the gun, Leo. Let me do it,¡± John said lowly. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Let me shoot this motherfucker in the head.¡± ¡°John¡ª¡± ¡°I brought Scottie here, Leo. This is all my fault.¡± John raised a hand and got up. ¡°No, this is not your fault¡ª¡± ¡°It is. We¡¯re supposed to move to Chicago, you know. Leave all this behind. Find honest work.¡± He looked down at Scottie¡¯s body and held in another sob. ¡°Give me the gun.¡± Leo hesitated for a moment before he handed it to him. ¡°Thanks.¡± John cleared his throat and sauntered over to the Goliath. His hand slightly shaking from the adrenaline. ¡°Come on, come on,¡± I muttered anxiously. The Goliath only had a few seconds left before he could move again. They would take the van and escape my dungeon if they took out the Goliath. I¡¯m still uncomfortable having people who have seen the cabin and the Goliath. Who knows what they would do? Since they probably had a bunch of criminal records, I doubted they¡¯d go to the authorities and report Scottie¡¯s death since Eddie would just accuse them of kidnapping and assault. Then again, they might kill him just to avoid Mercer¡¯s wrath. Leo¡¯s too aware that the cabin should not exist in the first place. He might start asking questions about who owned it and discover no property records or a paper trail in city hall. Technically, this was still owned by the federal government. There was still a sliver of a chance they¡¯d call the authorities anyway. People did stupid things during their grief, and John might do just that. He already felt responsible for Scottie¡¯s death. He might have the brightest idea of turning himself to the authorities to make up for it, leading them to me. Fuck. I¡¯m not taking any chances. I¡¯m only a day old as a Dungeon Core and already risking my hide to the outside world. I had to nip this in the bud. The demon was still not in the area to stop them, nor was it aware we had visitors in the dungeon. I couldn¡¯t count on the Siren since she was supposed to prevent anyone from escaping via the lake, and I didn¡¯t think these men would be near the water for some time. The Old Growth would be the next best thing, but his main job was to stop anyone from leaving via the road. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I quickly flew over to where Old Growth was and realized it was only a few paces away behind the tree line, perched on the gnarled trunk and twisted limbs of a tree. It appeared no different from the surrounding forest in the dark mist, camouflaged within the shadows. Its limbs were long and sinewy, resembling twisted vines. It had four arms, the first two ending in a sharp javelin-like appendage, while the last two were made for grasping. The creature had no mouth, only a pair of eyes glowing a malevolent shade of emerald green, and surveyed the driveway below with curious fascination. Old Growth unfurled its limbs with a sickening thud, stretching them outward as if ready to pounce, and stood around six feet tall. The tree trembled as its massive weight shifted. Slowly and methodically, its grotesque form slid down the trunk like a serpent on the prowl, its gaze scanning between the Goliath and John¡¯s approaching form.
THE OLD GROWTH
Dread Score: 6/10 Creature Type: Plant Cooldown: 1 week
Special Traits
Multiple Limbs (4) I The monster has four limbs, providing stability, balance, and efficient locomotion. This enables the monster to navigate diverse terrains (walls, trees, etc.) and improve their hunting tactics. Each limb can grapple, pounce, manipulate an object, and increase speed during a chase.
Javelin Appendages I The monster carries two javelin-like appendages, which can be used to injure, dismember, and gore a delver. If a Javelin Appendage is severed or destroyed, it will take 30 days for the monster to grow a new one.
Moving Vines (Thorns) I The monster can control a 30-foot radius, causing vines to emerge and ensnare a single delver. By opting for thorny vines, these tendrils release venom upon entering any open wound, draining the delver''s Resolve and incapacitating them at an accelerated rate.
It turned toward me for confirmation. ¡°The Goliath¡¯s might be in trouble,¡± I said. ¡°If he gets cooled, you need to take them out one by one.¡± It pointed at the Goliath. ¡°Oh. If he makes it back up, your job is to shed their Resolve.¡± Old Growth nodded, crept closer toward the bushes, and disappeared within, curling into a ball and ready to pounce. John aimed the pistol at Goliath¡¯s head but stopped. ¡°What is it?¡± Leo asked. ¡°I want to know who it is,¡± John said and lowered the gun. ¡°I want to look at this motherfucker in the eye while I put a bullet through his face.¡± ¡°Bah! Just shoot him already and let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Art said. He limped toward the double-sided axe on the ground and crouched to pick it up. John bent on one knee and yanked the keys from the Goliath¡¯s belt. Gritting his teeth, he reached for the mask. The Goliath¡¯s eyes snapped open; his hand twitched into a curl. It seemed like my luck hadn¡¯t run out after all. John gasped, startled that the Goliath was still alive. Harnessing [Telekinesis], I wrapped the energy tightly around John¡¯s throat, briefly cutting off his breath. His hands instinctively clawed at the presence, but there was nothing to grab hold onto. [Power: 8/10] The Goliath slowly stood up as if the gunshots earlier meant nothing, stained bullet holes where blood seeped out, seemingly closing on their own. The others¡¯ Resolve drained to a darker orange. ¡°What the fuck!¡± Art exclaimed. ¡°Run! Run!¡± Eddie shouted and hobbled into the cabin. I lifted John off the ground, legs flailing. He gasped for air, his face red and veins bulging in his forehead. He aimed the gun at the Goliath¡¯s head. ¡°Not a chance.¡± I flung him across the driveway, and he crashed onto the front porch¡¯s steps. His arm (the one where he still held the gun) bent awkwardly to one side and buried underneath his torso, and the sudden jolt of pain involuntarily twitched his finger around the trigger, and the gun went off with a loud crack. Leo scrambled away from Goliath and ran toward John, lying on his belly. He turned him over, and blood spurted onto his face; the gun clattered to the side and fell under the stairs. John¡¯s shirt quickly stained red. ¡°Fucking¡­shot¡­myself¡ª!¡± John tried to speak, hand clutching his belly as blood poured out of his mouth. He struggled to breathe. ¡°Don¡¯t talk! Don¡¯t talk!¡± Leo grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into the cabin. ¡°Inside! Inside! Now!¡± Art abandoned picking up the axe once he realized the Goliath was moving toward him. Better to get away without a heavy object weighing him down, especially when his ankle still bothered him. He ran to the porch and grabbed John¡¯s left arm, and together, he and Leo dragged John into the cabin. The Goliath picked up his axe as Leo bolted the door shut. ¡°How is he alive?!¡± Art shrieked. ¡°We fucking put a lead on him a dozen times!¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Leo shouted as he removed his jacket and pressed it on John¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Art, find me the fucking first-aid kit.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know where that is!¡± ¡°Try the kitchen. Look through the cupboards.¡± ¡°He¡¯s just standing there,¡± Eddie whimpered, looking out the bay window. ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± ¡°Eddie, help Art look for the first-aid kit now!¡± Eddie glanced over at him. ¡°That¡¯s not gonna help him much, Leo.¡± ¡°Shut up! We can save him.¡± Eddie gritted his teeth and sobbed. ¡°Oh, fuck. We¡¯re all going to die out here, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°I said shut up!¡± Art flung open every cupboard in the kitchen, throwing out anything that didn¡¯t look like a first-aid kit. ¡°It¡¯s not here!¡± ¡°Try the bathroom,¡± Leo said, and Art shambled toward the only bathroom. John grabbed his wrist. ¡°Just you hold on, Johnny. Everything¡¯s going to be okay, alright? You¡¯re gonna be fine.¡± John forced Leo¡¯s fist open and shoved the van¡¯s keys into it. ¡°You¡­get¡­out. Leave¡­while¡­you¡­can.¡± He struggled to sit up, straining against the pain. ¡°He¡¯ll¡­come¡­in¡­soon. I¡¯ll¡­hold¡­him¡ª¡± ¡°Johnny, just lay back down.¡± He put the keys on the floor and continued adding pressure on John¡¯s wound. ¡°Art¡¯s going to find it. Art! What¡¯s taking so long?!¡± ¡°Give me a fucking minute! I just got here!¡± Art searched under the sink and found the first-aid kit I shoved at the very back. He grinned. ¡°Finally. Found it!¡± Back in the living room, the fireplace¡¯s logs burst into flames, a bright orange glow casting on Eddie and Leo¡¯s faces. An inexplicable surge of electricity coursed through the cabin, causing every light fixture to flicker to life simultaneously, flooding the entire space with an unsettling glow. As if possessed, the radio abruptly sprang to life, a crackling sound that pierced through the chaos. ¡°All By Myself¡± swelled from the speakers as the cabin whirred to life. Everyone froze where they stood; their Resolve continued to shed. Yeah. That freaked them out. The bay window suddenly shattered. The object flew across the room, rolling on the floor until it settled mere inches away from John¡¯s feet. It was Scottie¡¯s severed head, his lifeless gaze locked onto John and Leo. John made a strangled scream. The Goliath peered through the broken window and smashed more broken glass off the frame. He swung his meaty legs around and stepped into the cabin interior, the axe glistening under the hearth¡¯s glow. Eddie picked up the fire poker and charged at the Goliath, but he stepped into a trap before he could make the swing. The light fixture above him burst, and a thin line of cables wrapped around his neck and hoisted him two feet above the floor. Eddie dropped the weapon and clawed at the wires. The ceiling cracked under his weight, and a small section collapsed on his head. He fell to the floor with the cables hung loosely around his neck, knocking all the air in his lungs. The Goliath swung his foot and kicked Eddie¡¯s head hard, knocking out more of his teeth and rendering him unconscious. His Resolve remained at a darker orange. Frowning, the Goliath stepped over his body and headed for Leo and John instead. ¡°Go!¡± John screeched and pushed Leo off him. Art grabbed his shoulders and forcibly dragged him into the corridor. ¡°We can¡¯t leave him!¡± Leo shouted, but Art shoved his body between him and the master bedroom¡¯s door. ¡°We have to! We need to run!¡± The Goliath marched toward the corridor, but John quickly grabbed his ankles. His grapple was too weak. He couldn¡¯t twist his body just enough to gain leverage with the bullet still lodged into his abdomen. He let out a defying roar, but the Goliath merely shook his grip off his ankle, stepped on his elbow, and chopped off John¡¯s lower arm. The intense pain dropped John¡¯s Resolve into a deep red. He knew it was over. He was injured, and he could barely move. All he could do was stare up at the motherfucker standing over him. ¡°Leo, Art! Runnn¡ª!¡± The Goliath swung his axe, striking John¡¯s shoulder with a sickening thud, withdrawing it before delivering another merciless blow. John¡¯s screams pierced the air with each savage strike. [You have gained 1 essence: John Kitson] [You have gained 150 crystals] Leo stood transfixed as he peered through a narrow crack in the door. In a panic, Art swiftly slammed the door shut and locked it. ¡°Help me!¡± Art pleaded as he pushed against the weighty vanity dresser. Leo snapped out of his daze and rushed to assist, combining their strength to barricade the door. Crash! Wooden shards exploded into the room, one piercing through Art¡¯s cheek. The axe wedged in the door momentarily before being forcibly removed, and the Goliath¡¯s white-fox mask appeared through the narrow gap. Arc 2 | Finders Keepers (Part 9) FINDERS KEEPERS Part 9 The Goliath hacked through the door and widened the gap by several inches. He could put his entire arm through it now, and it would be only a matter of time before he would get into the room. I wondered if the cultists would behave the same way if chased by a masked psycho across the cabin. Leo and his crew were a good test run for what I had in store for them. Consider this a dress rehearsal, I thought. Better to spot any mistakes and curate their eventual suffering before the cultists use the space tomorrow and make the cabin as deadly as possible for them. I wanted Coach Hodge and his ilk to suffer the way they made me suffer. Unfortunately, Leo and his friends were the accidental test subjects. But what if anyone made it out alive? The night was still young, and there were plenty of chances of escape. I mulled over the thought and focused on the Goliath. Art stumbled back to the closet door. ¡°Leo! He¡¯s breaking in!¡± He shouted. ¡°What should we do?¡± Fortunately for Art and Leo, the vanity dresser was wedged against the nightstand. Even if Goliath could open the door, he wouldn¡¯t be able to walk inside but had to either brute force his way into the room or crawl through the gap he chopped off. Both options would only slow him down. He retreated into the hallway. ¡°The door, Art!¡± Leo pointed. ¡°The bathroom!¡± Art quickly dashed toward the bathroom door (shared by both bedrooms). The Goliath marched into the second bedroom, but Art managed to lock the bathroom door from the inside before the killer could get to him. He rushed back to the master¡¯s bedroom and closed the second door. ¡°That should stop him,¡± Art said. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Um, let me think.¡± Leo paced and ruffled through his pockets. ¡°Shit! I left the keys in the living room!¡± ¡°Do you think we can get it?¡± ¡°With that fucking guy out there? Nah. Not a chance.¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t get the keys, where can we go? We can¡¯t run into the woods in the dark!¡± ¡°The ranger station.¡± ¡°The ranger station?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a fire lookout tower nearby. We¡¯re still at the tail end of fire season, so a fire watcher should be there. We can¡¯t get a signal, but they have a radio. We can call for help!¡± I frowned. A fire watch tower wasn¡¯t included on a list of locations in my dungeon, so it should be outside the boundary. I flew out of the cabin, searched the area with many-eyes, and quickly located the tower two miles north outside the border. Inside, I could make out the fire watcher on duty, listening to country rock radio while he brewed hot water on a gas stove for his empty mug of tea. A Self-help book about dating in his forties sat half-opened on the desk. Even if Leo and Art went that way, they had to traverse at least five miles by the most direct route to reach it. That¡¯s a two-hour trek. Minimum. Leo darted toward the double-hung window, which opened by lifting the bottom part. Unfortunately, there was no latch, and given I deliberately made it hard to open during a chase like this, Leo had to open it by pulling as much weight into it. A loud thump reverberated from the bathroom as the Goliath broke into the first door and started hacking through the next. The Goliath peered through the gap again, breathing heavily. ¡°Come on, Leo! He¡¯s almost through!¡± Art exclaimed. ¡°Give me a sec!¡± Leo said over his shoulder. ¡°Fucking thing¡¯s stuck!¡± Art looked around frantically for anything that might help him stop the giant. The vanity dresser wedged against the door was filled with empty jewelry boxes and a few knickknacks¡ªnothing useful. The nightstand next to it held nothing but an alarm clock. Two unplugged lamps were on either side of the bed; they wouldn¡¯t have been strong enough to do any damage anyway. The Goliath reached into the gap and tried to turn the knob from the other side, but Art grabbed one lamp off the nightstand and threw it at him. It bounced harmlessly off the door, but the Goliath reeled his arm back and started chopping again; it was too narrow for his frame. Leo gritted his teeth, muscles straining against the force, veins popping out of his neck as he lifted the window open with a gratifying roar. ¡°Hurry up!¡± he yelled. ¡°I got it!¡± Art grabbed another lamp from the table and threw it at the Goliath. This time, the lightbulb shattered against the gap, shards of glass shattering out through the opening, which caught the Goliath straight in the face. The Goliath staggered back, plucking the shrapnel off his mask inches away from under his left eye. Leo lifted the window, but it only opened halfway. He tried to force it open more, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°Fuck this.¡± Leo picked up the chair from where the vanity dresser used to be and threw it over the left-side window. Glass shattered everywhere. Clearing the windowsill of any sharp glass, Leo hopped over and climbed out of the bedroom. He almost missed a step, catching the window frame, but a jagged glass still embedded in the structure sliced through his palm. ¡°Shit!¡± Leo staggered back and reeled his hand close to his chest. It started to bleed. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah. Careful with the glass, Art. Hurry.¡± Leo grabbed Art¡¯s arm and guided him through the window. I frowned. ¡°I should have placed a contingency there.¡± I made another note to reinforce the window by purchasing a magical barrier to keep it sealed. I detected movement from the living room, and I darted over there to see what it was. Eddie was finally awake, crawling on the floor toward John¡¯s hacked-up body. He quickly snatched the van keys and, grabbing the couch¡¯s armrest, hauled himself back to his feet. With Goliath still distracted with Leo and Art, Eddie limped out to the front door and opened the latch, stumbling onto the front porch. He headed for the van. ¡°Heads up,¡± I said to the Goliath. ¡°Eddie¡¯s got the keys.¡± The Goliath pulled his hand from the doorknob and left the bathroom. Leo and Art must be wondering why the Goliath suddenly stopped his pursuit, but they welcomed the brief respite. Art finally managed to climb out of the window, but his injured ankle made it difficult to lift his leg over. Another sharp edge cut through his lower calf and Art yelped. Leo grabbed his ankle and yanked it off the glass. ¡°Can you walk?¡± Leo asked. ¡°I¡ªI think so.¡± Art put some weight on his leg, but his knee buckled over. ¡°Nope! Not happening.¡± Leo thinned his lips. ¡°Come on. Give me your arm.¡± Leo grabbed Art¡¯s arm and put it around his shoulders. He placed his free arm around Art¡¯s waist and hoisted him, supporting his weight. They both limped toward the parking lot. ¡°Leo, someone¡¯s got the van!¡± Art pointed out, and the strangled roar of the engine came to life, and the red brake lights pierced through the fog as the van reversed. ¡°It¡¯s Eddie! He¡¯s got the keys!¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Leo grinned. ¡°Yo! Eddie! Wait up!¡± The van screeched to a halt. Leo grinned and dragged Art toward the van. Inside, Eddie glanced at the side view mirror and saw Art and Leo¡¯s shadowy frame in the mist getting closer and closer¡­and so did the hulking mass standing by the cabin¡¯s front porch, the axe already in hand. Eddie gritted his teeth and pushed the gear to drive. He put his weight on the gas pedal, and the van sped out of the driveway. Leo¡¯s face fell. ¡°Eddie! No!¡± ¡°What the fuck!¡± Art exclaimed. The realization that their one guaranteed escape sped out of their reach sent Art¡¯s Resolve to red and Leo to a darker orange. Leo tried to hoist Art back to his feet, but the latter slumped in defeat. ¡°Come on, Art! We can get to the ranger station.¡± A lie, of course. Even I didn¡¯t believe Leo¡¯s words, given Art¡¯s injured. ¡°I¡ªI can¡¯t! My leg.¡± ¡°We can make it!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can, Le¡ª!¡± Thwack! The axe¡¯s blade wedged deep into Art¡¯s right shoulder blade, severing his clavicle and down through his ribcage. Leo stumbled back and fell on his ass, scrambling to escape the Goliath looming behind Art. Art gently caressed the blade with his knuckles as if he couldn¡¯t believe it was inside his body. He looked up at the masked psycho behind him, lips quivering, but held no fear¡ªjust this thousand-yard stare. The Goliath brought his foot down on his back and yanked the axe off his shoulder. Art floundered forward and hit the dirt face-first. He let out a hard cough, and blood spurted from his gaping mouth. [You have gained 1 essence: Arturo ¡°Art¡± Gomez] [You have gained 150 crystals] Leo sat frozen, watching the Goliath bring the axe down twice on Art¡¯s spine. Yet his Resolve remained at a darker orange, not enough to collect the essence I needed to grow. Not once had his Resolve turned red throughout the night, and I suspected he was like Ennis Blunden. What did the demon say again? Ripen the meat, right? I could tell he wouldn¡¯t move, his adrenaline and fear freezing him in place. Bringing [Strange Noise], I whispered in his ear: Run. Leo brushed off his right ear and screamed. He rolled over, hauled himself back to his feet, and scampered into the woods. I never saw a man run that fast before, but I reckoned that his military training had kicked in. He took off into Trail B, which led north into McLaren Forest, heading toward the mountains. Toward the direction of the ranger station. I turned to the Goliath, watching Leo disappear into the fog. Was that a smile on his face? I still couldn¡¯t see behind the mask, but it looked like he was pleased by the turn of events. He slightly bowed in my direction as if saying thank you for giving him a chase scene. The Goliath marched into the woods and bolted to a full sprint. ¡°Huh. So, you can run, after all.¡± Now to Eddie. I turned my attention to the driveway. I sensed Old Growth lurking in the woods, darting from tree to tree as it followed the van through the winding dirt road. I flew into the van¡¯s cabin and found him scrambling to control the van through the thick fog and disorienting him. I still had twenty-five minutes left with the environmental aura¡ªplenty of time for the delver to make mistakes. Let¡¯s see if this fog and the road did as they were designed. ¡°Come on! Come on!¡± Eddie exclaimed, wiping the beads of sweat forming above his brows. Adrenaline must have been coursing through his veins. I saw Old Growth darting between the trees, waiting for my command. He was getting closer to the bridge. From the side view mirror, Old Growth rushed across the road inches from grazing the van¡¯s back bumper. Eddie must have seen its shadow from the side view mirror. He glanced at the rearview mirror and checked both side view mirrors. Not taking any chances, he put more weight on the gas pedal. I braced myself for the bride¡¯s illusory trap. As he rounded the corner, A thin shadowy frame of a woman stood in the middle of the road, dragging something behind her. Headlights briefly illuminated Maxine¡¯s startled expression. Eddie looked back at the road just in time to turn the wheels hard to the right. He tried to regain control of the spinning vehicle when the hood clipped something through the thicket, spun again, and threw the van¡¯s double doors from the back wide open. That¡¯s when Eddie saw the tree ahead, and all he could do was cover his head with his arms as the airbags blew up on his face. Unfortunately, Eddie wasn¡¯t wearing a seatbelt. Eddie flew out of the windshield and rolled into a ditch as the van¡¯s hood crumpled around the trunk. The wound on his injured leg opened wider; his fibula broke and poked through flesh. His left arm angled and rotated awkwardly, and the impact knocked the air out of his lungs. Eddie lay on the dirt, unmoving. Demon Maxine sauntered over to the ditch¡¯s edge and frowned. ¡°I was gone for one minute, and we got delvers in the cabin?¡± She let out a cackle. ¡°And I was not invited to the party! How fun!¡± ¡°Took you long enough,¡± I said. ¡°We still got one in the woods. The Goliath is chasing him.¡± ¡°How fun for him. What of this one?¡± ¡°Same story. He tried to escape. Old Growth is¡ª¡± Old Growth hopped off the tree and landed next to Maxine. The demon didn¡¯t even flinch. ¡°Hello, Oldie. How are you?¡± The demon asked. ¡°Are you having fun?¡± Old Growth merely shrugged. ¡°Ah.¡± Demon Maxine nodded. ¡°Tis¡¯ that night, I see.¡± Eddie coughed and gasped for air. ¡°Holy fuck. That whale is still alive,¡± the demon said. ¡°Help¡­¡± Eddie cried out weakly. His Resolve turned a darker orange, but it was slowly dissipating. ¡°Help!¡± He forced to roll his head sideways and looked up to the ditch¡ªto Maxine looking back at him. ¡°Please¡­help¡­me¡­¡± Maxine frowned. ¡°He¡¯s dying,¡± she whispered under her breath. ¡°Poor fool.¡± Eddie furrowed his brows. ¡°Why¡­are you¡­just standing there? Help. Me! Ple¡ª¡± He paused. As his vision adjusted in the darkness, he noticed the sinewy mass of vines standing next to the woman. ¡°What¡­what¡­¡± Old Growth tilted its head curiously and crawled down the ditch. ¡°What the¡­what the¡­¡± The demon smirked. ¡°Ah. Sweet, sweet fear of the unknown,¡± she mused. ¡°I forgot you humans get a bit freaked out by magical creatures. Ahhh. I love Earth. So gullible and naive.¡± Old Growth loomed inches away from Eddie¡¯s face as if smelling his aura. ¡°Please¡­don¡¯t¡­hurt¡­me¡ª¡± The javelin-like appendage pierced through Eddie¡¯s back and out of his chest, and Old Growth lifted him off the ground. Dangling with half his broken leg, Eddie clutched the javelin¡¯s pointy end, trying to pry his body off it. It was no use. Old Growth brought Eddie¡¯s face close to its own as if savoring its first kill. Eddie¡¯s Resolve switched to red. ¡°Game over,¡± the demon said. With its other limbs, Old Growth clutched Eddie¡¯s head. The other two grabbed his injured leg and his broken arm. In one swift pull, I now know what it looked like for a man to be split in half. And that¡¯s what happened to Eddie. The arm came off first, then the leg. Eddie was still screaming when Old Growth wiggled the javelin still embedded in his flesh before he tore his head off his shoulders. It then threw Eddie¡¯s ripped body (and the loose limbs) back onto the road. [You have gained 3 essences: Edward ¡°Eddie¡± Mands] [You have gained 450 crystals] Demon Maxine picked up the head and, moving Eddie¡¯s half-gaping mouth, said, ¡°Congratulations, Oldie! I am your first kill! Here.¡± The demon threw Eddie¡¯s head over to the plant, but Old Growth didn¡¯t catch it; it rolled back into the ditch. Old Growth wiped the blood off the javelin and retracted it back into its arm. He gave Maxine a courteous bow. ¡°Damn. He almost made it out,¡± I said. ¡°He will not last long in the dungeon,¡± Maxine said. ¡°Not with a broken leg, at least. In other dungeons, it is a death sentence.¡± ¡°Are you all this brutal to delvers? Even in other worlds?¡± I asked. ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen in the past twenty-four hours...¡± Maxine and Old Growth shared a curious look. ¡°Of course, lord dungeon! It is your special system. That is why we flock to you.¡± I narrowed my gaze. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Maxine didn¡¯t let her grin slip and gestured to the dark woods. ¡°You said there is only one left, right?¡± She asked, changing the subject. ¡°Um¡­yeah. Leo Grady. I know him.¡± ¡°Close?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been my camp counselor over the years. Back when the summer camp was still open.¡± ¡°Is he running?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. A chase sheds Resolve. It won¡¯t be long now.¡± I said nothing. The demon frowned. ¡°We will make it quick once his Resolve is red, lord dungeon. At least we do not have to torture him; just¡­let him run out of steam.¡± ¡°Would that work?¡± ¡°Endurance is the key many humans lack. I know things.¡± Maxine walked back down the road and picked up a black body bag. ¡°You imposed, and I shall deliver. Your old body, lord dungeon.¡± She placed the bag in front of me. ¡°Very difficult to extract, mind you.¡± ¡°I gave you a shovel.¡± ¡°No. Someone was there.¡± ¡°Someone? Do you recognize them?¡± ¡°I gleaned Maxine¡¯s memories. They are called Kirk and Alvin.¡± ¡°My English teacher. I don¡¯t know about the second guy.¡± ¡°Well, they¡¯re looking for your body as well. Fortunately, I had already dug it out of there when they arrived. You must have freaked them out because of the massacre centered around the Yates Residence.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t follow you?¡± ¡°I made sure they didn¡¯t. And even if they did, we¡¯ll kill them.¡± Right. ¡°Open it.¡± The demon raised her eyebrows but said nothing. She crouched down and unzipped the bag. Hollowed eye sockets were what greeted me first. My mouth hung open with a missing tongue. A strong, putrid smell invaded my nostrils. Even the demon took a step back and wiggled her nose. I sighed. Last night¡¯s events flooded my memory, especially Coach Hodge¡¯s face. ¡°You two should help the Goliath with Leo,¡± I ordered. Old Growth poked Maxine on the shoulder. Maxine leaned over as the plant monster mimed something with its limbs. ¡°Ah. Oldie¡¯s asking what happens if his Resolve doesn¡¯t turn red?¡± Maxine translated. ¡°If his Resolve hasn¡¯t gone down this late into the night, he might be worthy. If he dies, he¡¯ll shed multiple essences.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not guaranteed he¡¯ll turn red, is it?¡± ¡°No.¡± I paused. ¡°Alright. If his Resolve remained high, knock him out. We¡¯ll collect the essence later. For now, demon, drag my body back into the cabin. Old Growth, you chase after Leo. You¡¯re faster than him. And the demon, after you drop my body in the cabin, take Trail B.¡± Old Growth nodded and sprinted into the woods while the demon collected what was left of Eddie¡¯s body and shoved them inside the van. I made a mental note to clean up the area and hide the van somewhere the cultists wouldn¡¯t find. Arc 2 | Finders Keepers (Part 10) FINDERS KEEPERS Part 10 Once I followed the demon into the cabin (and placed my corpse inside the cellar), a new prompt appeared from my periphery. [Congratulations! You reaped a lifetime total of 16 essences.] [You have gained a Special Action: Glean.] Huh. What¡¯s that about? Curious, I opened up the prompt to see what it was, and it expanded to the center of my vision.
Glean Sense the surface thoughts of your delvers, which will glow with a purple aura. Limited to only one target at a time, you cannot read the thoughts of your monsters or those who are unconscious. You can jump to other (individual) thoughts until the spell ends. (Costs 2 Power) Duration: 1 minute.
¡°Like mind reading?¡± I said out loud. The demon looked at me curiously. ¡°Uh, nothing. Continue what you are doing.¡± ¡°Alright. Almost done,¡± said the demon. She positioned my body in the new room as big as a broom closet, propped at the south wall and hidden by a bookcase. It¡¯ll take a perceptive delver to find it. And, of course, the bookcase was trapped. ¡°Are all of these demonic things really necessary?¡± I pointed at the symbols the demon drew around the chamber, recreated the sigils during my ritual, and placed my corpse in the middle of the infernal circle. I purchased two dozen candles that never melt to illuminate the space. I also bought a [Death Touch] spell to prevent my body from rotting for the next thirty days. I already looked like hell, but fortunately, it was the middle of Autumn, and the weather was cold. I still looked fresh-ish. I knew it was a waste of crystals to buy the spell, but I wouldn¡¯t say I liked seeing my body rot away like that. Call me sentimental, but I wanted to preserve my old form like a fun (and macabre) accessory. ¡°One thing I learned from watching humans for hundreds of years is you are obsessed with the idea of Hell, much more that you include it through your religious iconography and texts. Fear that has been ingrained in your society for thousands of years. This will greatly exploit that subconscious fear and weaken their Resolve.¡± ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve thought this through.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a demon, lord dungeon. We spent our entire lifetime thinking. After all, we must be cunning to survive the other Greater Demons.¡± The demon stepped out of the room and pushed the bookcase closed. ¡°All done. What of our lone delver?¡± I closed my many-eyes in the cellar and quickly teleported to one perched on a tall tree. I saw a form running from the distance. The fog was gone (I couldn¡¯t summon it for another hour), and Leo looked like he recognized where he was going now. He hadn¡¯t stopped running for twenty minutes since the fog dissipated¡ªthe stamina in that guy. I couldn¡¯t help but be impressed. I got back to the cellar. ¡°Still running. The Goliath and Old Growth are not far behind. You think you can catch up?¡± Demon Maxine smiled. ¡°Oh, please. I have the incorporeal trait. I can sense the next living creature, and I have my ways of catching up.¡± ¡°Two monsters against one seems like an overkill, don¡¯t you think?¡± Especially when it¡¯s the Goliath and Old Growth. ¡°Oh no, definitely not. This is your first delver who has lasted in your dungeon for almost three hours, and not once has his Resolve dropped crimson. That¡¯s something to celebrate! Goliath, Oldie, and I agree that this is the type of work we crave.¡± The demon suddenly wiped something under her eyes. I didn¡¯t know if she was pretending like she was tearing up or if it was real. ¡°Brings tears to my eyes.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The demon dropped her hand, grinned, and gave me a lazy shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t help but root for him to survive this night. He¡¯s already closing in on two hours of the chase, and he¡¯s not stopping. I can¡¯t help but feel proud of what we¡¯ve done for him. He must be so scared out of his mind. Ah! Such a glorious night!¡± I frowned. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll check up on Goliath and Old Growth. He¡¯s nearing the border, and then I can no longer affect him.¡± ¡°So, you think he¡¯ll escape?¡± I paused. ¡°If he does, I fear what he will do next. Too bad I can¡¯t predict the future.¡± ¡°You can still send Oldie and the Goliath after him.¡± Then, the demon shifted uncomfortably. ¡°What? You know something I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Well¡­If Goliath and Oldie die outside your borders¡­then that¡¯s it. They die. Gone. No cooldown. Can¡¯t be revived.¡± ¡°But I can build them up again, no?¡± ¡°Yes. But it won¡¯t be the Goliath anymore.¡± ¡°You mean¡­you guys have souls?¡± ¡°Everyone has souls, master. Even demons. Even abominations. Corrupted, sure, but souls nonetheless. And yes, if we die outside the dungeon¡¯s borders, we die for real.¡± ¡°Uh, you seem so calm about that.¡± ¡°The mortal realm is just one of many, lord dungeon. Death is not the end. Sometimes, it¡¯s the beginning of most.¡± Demon Maxine climbed out of the cellar and out of the front door. ¡°I won¡¯t keep you waiting out here, master. I¡¯ll get this troublesome delver back into your arms. Who knows? I might be able to switch that pesky Resolve of his to something more¡­delicious. I reckon five essences? Maybe six? Want to bet?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Go ahead, demon. Do what you will, but I don¡¯t want to get in the habit of betting on people¡¯s lives.¡± Not unless they deserved it. ¡°Bad enough that I¡¯m basically torturing them.¡± ¡°Okay. Oldie already told me Leo would drop four essences, but I bet for ten! Aim for the outlier! He¡¯s already proven to be so crafty. If I win, I get Oldie¡¯s den in the woods for a week!¡± ¡°Well, good luck with that.¡± The demon flinched. ¡°Bah, I don¡¯t need luck. I have skills.¡± I left the cabin and flew toward the northern borders of my dungeon.
Once I got back to Leo, I tried to distract him by activating [Strange Noises], but that only spurred him to go faster. I noticed he always takes two-minute breaks, hiding behind a tree or in a ditch, trying to catch his breath before he sprints off again. I even tried the [Luring Trance] and maybe got him back in the direction of the cabin, but even though I¡¯ve met the Dread requirements, Leo¡¯s Resolve was too high. He was in his element. I didn¡¯t know what kind of training Leo got during his time in the military, but I am getting the picture. He wasn¡¯t panicking or scrambling to get away from the Goliath. He would often pause to listen and observe his surroundings for a few seconds, crouched behind the bush or hidden behind a tree, and when he detected something he didn¡¯t like, he¡¯d go the other way. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The Goliath kept a close tail, waiting for Leo¡¯s Resolve to go down so that he could bring the killing blow. But that moment never came. The Goliath tried to cut off his path by throwing the axe over his head, but Leo quickly ducked and ran in the opposite direction. The Goliath even hid behind a tree, waiting for him to pass before he lunged at him, but Leo quickly wrestled his way out of the Goliath¡¯s grip and darted away. Not once did he scream or sob. He controlled his breathing, forcing more air into his lungs, and kept a steady pace. This was the first time I saw Goliath run out of breath and look thrilled. I realized he looked forward to reaping Leo¡¯s essence. Since the delver lasted this long, it must be high. The Goliath kept toying with Leo for my benefit, wanting to feed me the best essence since I turned into a stone. He was getting closer and closer to the border. [Unnerving Fog is now ready to activate.] Once the prompt showed up, I immediately triggered the environmental effect. Thick mist seeped out of the earth and expanded all across North Cedar Lake. Leo immediately noticed it when it formed around his ankles, halting him in his tracks. The aura around his head snapped purple. Pulling up [Glean], I went inside Leo¡¯s head. [Power: 6/10] No, not again, he thought. Not again! He ran faster, like his life was on the line. I reckoned he already considered that there must be something supernatural going on around the lake. He shot the Goliath more than a dozen times and watched him bleed to death, and yet he still got up, shrugging those bullets, and managed to kill two of his friends in the process. Then, the disorienting fog got him lost in the woods, a place he knew with the back of his hand. But once it was gone, he found himself back on track again, recognized the various landmarks, the odd trees, the creek, and the trail, which all pointed him toward the ranger station. I already threw weird voices at him, adding to his suspicions. What brought it home was that the cabin (and the road leading toward it) had never existed the day before. He knew this area better than anyone. The fog chased after him, creeping closer and closer. Yet Leo managed to get one step ahead, the mist grazing his heels. Shit. He¡¯s almost at the border. I triggered [Telekinesis] and swiped at his ankles. [Power: 5/10] Leo yelped and fell over face-first on the dirt. He almost hit his head on the rock but brought his arms under his body and rolled over. Leo looked around, trying to find whatever force seized him, but no one was there. Scrambling back to his feet, he continued down the path again. I grabbed his right ankle and dragged him deeper into the woods before he could get back up. Leo screamed as the fog swallowed him. He managed to grab hold of an exposed moss-covered tree root, but Leo couldn¡¯t get any traction on its surface and slipped. I could only drag him for fifteen feet, stopping for a second, and grabbed his ankle again for another fifteen feet until the timer ran out. Leo crawled away from me, heart pounding against his ribcage. What the fuck was that? He thought. Old Growth hopped over one tree to the next, perched on top of the branch mere thirty feet above Leo. He must have heard the branches creak under the monster¡¯s weight because he quickly looked up and squinted through the darkness. Nope. Leo wasted no time finding out what was waiting up there because he darted back to where he came, determined to get out of there. Old Growth jumped from one tree to the next; each creak was like a jolt to Leo¡¯s senses. Faster! Faster! Leo exclaimed. It¡¯s behind you! Old Growth hopped onto the ground and dashed after him. Each thud of his limbs like hammers against the dirt, getting closer and closer, and closer¡­ Old Growth reached out, inches away from grasping Leo¡¯s shirt. Come on! Leo roared. Leo burst through the fog, and my connection to his mind snapped shut, sending a visceral shockwave like crawling ants around my brain, biting through bone and matter. ¡°Crap!¡± I cringed, trying to shake off the awkward feeling all over my form. Old Growth quickly reeled its arms away and disappeared into the fog. Leo continued running across the clearing when he suddenly realized the mist no longer surrounded him and stopped in his tracks. Leo looked back to the strange towering wall of mist sixty feet high, which stopped dead on its tracks at the dungeon¡¯s border. His mouth hung open for a brief moment. He pivoted his heels, ran into the woods, and out of my influence. The Goliath stepped up behind me and made way for the border. ¡°Stop,¡± I said. ¡°I know what happens if you go out there. The demon told me.¡± The Goliath tilted his head as if saying, ¡°So?¡± ¡°Well, now that I know what happens, it¡¯s too dangerous. Plus, I can only be an observer out there. I can¡¯t help you with my telekinesis or any of my special actions.¡± The Goliath raised his axe while Old Growth crept up and sat beside him. He looked at the plant creature, gave it a nod, and stepped out of the border. ¡°Goliath?¡± I called out. The Goliath stopped and turned around. ¡°Drag him back here. His essence would be a waste out there,¡± I decided. The Goliath nodded and took after Leo¡¯s trail. Old Growth wasn¡¯t far behind.
Leo reached the fire watch station, a seventy-foot-high tower standing near a twenty-foot-deep gulch. Given a faint light source from the top (from an oil lamp), Leo grinned, took the ladder¡¯s first rung, and started climbing. I could no longer tell if Leo¡¯s Resolve was still high or if it went back to green now that help was so close to his reach. For the first time, I felt like I was not in control of the situation. Another mile or so, I would have lost sight of Leo altogether with my many-eyes. I flew to the top and saw the fire watcher was already buried under his sleeping bag on top of a rickety cot, stripped down to his wifebeater shirt and boxers. His forest green uniform hung on the locker, the name tag dangling from the front pocket read: BRIAN. Brian looked like he was in his late forties. On the hangar, I noticed two pictures: one was him kneeling over a buck while a much older gentleman (who looked like his father) crouched beside him. In the back of the photo read: DAD AND ME. MOUNT RAINIER, 2018. The other photo was of a much younger Brian in his early thirties, arms wrapped around a beautiful woman his age with red hair and with two younger red-haired girls who looked like his daughters. At the back of the photo, read FAMILY TRIP, 2009. I immediately recognized the background as part of Universal Studios from California in their backlot. They looked so happy, but I noticed the same self-help book I saw earlier about dating in your forties and fifties sitting on the table next to a bulky ham radio. I didn¡¯t even see a wedding ring on his finger. Leo reached the top of the ladder to a landing platform underneath the observation deck. He quickly took the shorter ladder to get to the locked hatch above, put as much weight into his fist, and banged the door. ¡°Open up! Open up!¡± Brian awoke with a start, scrambling out of his sleeping bag, and grabbed his glasses on the nightstand, confused about what¡¯s made the ruckus this late at night. He glanced over the clock: 4:13 AM. ¡°Open the fucking door!¡± Leo begged. Old Growth latched onto the tower¡¯s support pillars and slowly climbed up. Leo failed to notice it. Brian put on his pants and slowly moved toward the hatch. He grabbed his heavy metal thermos bottle from the table, planning on chucking the thing if the person yelling behind the door was a threat. ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± Brian shouted back. Leo paused. ¡°Brian? Is that you?¡± Brian paused but still held the thermos bottle over his head. ¡°Uh¡­Leo?¡± ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s me! Open up!¡± ¡°As in the Leo Grady?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, alright? Now, open the fucking door!¡± ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Brian put down the bottle and turned on the lights. He then walked over to the door. ¡°I¡¯m coming! Give me a sec.¡± Still, Leo continued pounding his fist on the door, stopping only when he heard the latch opening and Brian lifted the hatch. Leo scurried inside the cabin. ¡°Close it. Close it!¡± ¡°What?¡± Brian hurriedly closed the hatch and locked it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, man? Is¡­is that blood? Are you hurt?¡± Leo tried to catch his breath. Brian crouched down and reached for his shoulder, but Leo flinched and crawled away from his touch. ¡°N¡ªno. Not mine.¡± Brian went rigid. ¡°Then who is it then? Is it Danny¡¯s? Is he hurt out there?¡± ¡°Danny¡¯s not with me.¡± He looked up at Brian¡¯s face. ¡°The radio. You still got the radio?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah. Of course, I got¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªCall for help,¡± Leo interjected.¡± Get the sheriff out here, man. The state police, the fucking national guard. Everyone! There¡¯s something in the woods! I don¡¯t know what the fuck they are, but one is not human, man! It¡¯s been chasing me all through the night!¡± ¡°Okay, calm down, Leo. You¡¯re not making any sense.¡± Leo grabbed Brian¡¯s arm and drew him closer, his face inches away from his own. ¡°There¡¯s something out there that¡¯s fucking trying to kill me, man! It killed my friends!¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Sit tight. I¡¯ll call HQ. They can call the cops from there.¡± Brian sauntered over to the table where the ham radio sat. ¡°Where¡¯d you say your friends were?¡± ¡°Cedar Lake. Near the summer camp.¡± Brian nodded and switched the device on. The radio crackled to life. ¡°But not in the camp, but somewhere north of the lake. We found this cabin¡­¡± ¡°A cabin?¡± ¡°Yeah. Pretty weird. I¡¯ve never seen it before. Have you?¡± Brian furrowed his brows. ¡°There¡¯s no cabin around there. At least none that I¡¯ve heard of.¡± ¡°Well, it was fucking there, and we went in, and then¡­and then they came.¡± Leo went quiet, shivering. Brian studied him for a moment. He didn¡¯t know whether to believe Leo¡¯s story, but given his shirt was covered in blood and that he didn¡¯t find any severe injuries told him he¡¯d instead take his word for it. He still had to report any suspicious activity around the area, just as he was trained to do. I watched from the window when Old Growth grasped the bottom rung of the deck¡¯s rails, peeking out from underneath to see Brian turned around to face the radio. ¡°I read you, tower ten. What is it, Greeley? Did you spot anything? Over,¡± a woman¡¯s garbled voice filled the deck. The voice spurred Leo up to his feet. ¡°Tell her. Tell her about the thing in the woods!¡± ¡°Leo, give me a moment to answer, okay? Why don¡¯t you sit back on the bed, and I¡¯ll talk to Susan.¡± Leo hesitated, but he dared not make a move. Old Growth had already climbed up on the deck when it spotted the ham radio¡¯s cord running through a small hole in the wall and into the electrical panel outside the observation cabin. Brian grabbed the microphone. ¡°Morning, Susan. Um, I¡¯ve got a slight emergency¡ª¡± Old Growth struck the panel. Sparks flew, and all the lights inside the observation deck went out, including the ham radio. Brian recoiled back. ¡°Uh, Susan? Susan, can you hear me? Hello?¡± He tapped on the radio, but it wouldn¡¯t turn back on. ¡°Ah, shit. Hold on a minute. I gotta switch to the backup batteries,¡± he said over his shoulder, trying to reassure Leo. ¡°No, no. It¡¯s here. It¡¯s here.¡± Brian whirled around. ¡°What¡¯s here¡ª¡± Brian gasped, catching sight of Old Growth standing outside the window and right behind Leo with all four limbs about to burst through the glass. Brian dashed over and pushed him out of the way. Leo fell over the bed as the window shattered behind him. Arc 2 | Finders Keepers (Part 11) FINDERS KEEPERS Part 11 When Leo whirled around, Brian froze before the broken window, straining to speak. No word came out of his lips. Sticking out through his back was Old Growth¡¯s javelin-like appendage, drenched with the fire watcher¡¯s blood. Struggling to breathe, Brian looked Old Growth straight into its mouthless face with terror before his eyes glazed over, his mouth hanging loose. Old Growth yanked Brian¡¯s body out of the cabin and threw him into the abyss. Three seconds later, a wet, muffled thud echoed behind the creature climbing through the cabin. [Error. You cannot collect 1 essence of Brian Greeley. Location: 1.8 miles outside of the dungeon border. Delver out of bounds.] [You cannot collect an essence outside the dungeon¡¯s perimeter. If you cannot determine your dungeon¡¯s borders, please look at your Dread effect, which is a standard 2-mile radius from your core. The greater the distance, the less your Dread effect can influence a given area and collect any delver¡¯s essence. This also determines your base border. Note that your border can expand over time as your core ages and grows in power.] I expected I wouldn¡¯t receive any essence if a delver died outside the dungeon. Fortunately, the monsters¡¯ traits remained active outside the dungeon, but I didn¡¯t expect Leo to get this far and reach the ranger station. And kill another bystander in the process. ¡°Careful, Growth!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°The ranger was not a delver!¡± Old Growth recoiled back a little and looked remorseful. I glanced down at Brian¡¯s splattered body at the bottom of the tower and remembered the demon¡¯s words about other realms. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. Hopefully, we won¡¯t run into each other in the next life,¡± I said, remembering what the demon remarked about the other realms. As Old Growth clamored through the broken window, Leo got a good view of the monster and screamed, scrambling back to his feet. He tried to look for a weapon but couldn¡¯t find anything to hit the creature with. Instead, he grabbed the oil lamp from the nightstand (the only light source in the cabin) and threw it at Old Growth¡¯s feet. For the first time, I heard Old Growth shriek (even when he did not have a mouth) and scurried away as the flames exploded beneath it and caught its legs. The fire quickly spread over a quarter of its body. Old Growth jumped out of the window onto the tallest branch it could reach. It repeatedly slammed its legs against the trunk and rubbed its body against the bark and leaves, trying to snuff the flames out. [Discovery: Old Growth is vulnerable to fire! Most Plant archetypes share this vulnerability. Please refrain from putting your monsters in a flammable environment in the future. You cannot resurrect them if they perish outside your domain.] Even the system gave me shade for risking my monsters¡¯ lives outside the boundary. I quickly hovered over to where Old Growth patted what little embers still clung to its body with its many limbs. ¡°Are you okay? Are you hurt?¡± I asked worriedly. Old Growth snuffed out the flames, but some of its bark looked scorched and peeling. The monster pointed to the direction of the dungeon and then gently caressed the scorched marks on its flesh as if adding a salve to it. ¡°Um, healing?¡± Old Growth nodded. ¡°So, if you cross the border, you can heal?¡± Old Growth nodded again. Shit. I looked back inside the observation cabin, where the fire spread rapidly. ¡°Fuck!¡± Leo¡¯s shouts were muffled from where I was hovering. ¡°Alright. You go back. It¡¯s not worth it if you get hurt.¡± Leo covered his mouth and nose with Brian¡¯s ranger jacket and hastily opened the hatch. He was about to climb back down when he glimpsed the Goliath halfway up the ladder. ¡°Fuck!¡± Leo shouted again. He quickly closed the hatch. ¡°What the fuck is going on! What the flying fuck is happening?!¡± The flames caught the curtains and licked their way up the ceiling. The tower was made mostly of metal, but the observation deck was the only one of ninety percent wood. Smoke filled the room, forcing Leo onto the exterior deck. ¡°Come on; you can do this!¡± Leo muttered. He raised his knees and brought his foot down against the railing, kicking it loose as the flames spread behind him. Once the railing came loose from the screws and swung open, Leo pivoted around and walked back to the other end of the exterior deck, taking shallow breaths. ¡°You can do this! You can do this!¡± With a sudden burst of speed, Leo ran across the deck and jumped over the edge, screaming as he reached out for the branch of the nearest tree. He slightly miscalculated his jump, missing the branch by several inches, and plummeted toward the one twenty feet below it. Leo managed to grab the thin branch for a few seconds, but it buckled under his heavy weight and broke. Leo hit the next one below and spun him around like a cartwheel until he latched onto a thicker branch. He stopped his fall briefly until his body rotated around the slippery, moss-covered branch and ended up dangling from the ground. Leo only lasted another second before he lost his strength to hold on, falling from a height of thirty feet with nothing to catch him. He hit the ground with his back, knocking the air out of his lungs. The Goliath stopped climbing and glared at me. ¡°What? Uh, he¡¯s down there now,¡± I pointed out the obvious. The Goliath¡¯s grip tightened around the rung, heaved a sigh, and climbed down. Leo lay on the ground for a few seconds, groaning. ¡°I¡¯m not going to die. Not today. Not today,¡± he muttered. Reaching out for the exposed root of a tree, he hauled himself back to his feet. ¡°What the hell?¡± I exclaimed in disbelief. ¡°You fell eighty feet, dude! How the fuck are you still walking?¡± Leo tried to straighten his back but couldn¡¯t extend his spine all that much, muscles cramping against the strain. Hunched over, He grasped the side of his torso. I reckoned he must have broken a rib. Maybe more. Still, not as bad as I had hoped. I thought the fall would incapacitate him, but now he¡¯s running away from the burning fire watch tower with one of my monsters hurt. ¡°Could this night be any more difficult?¡± I muttered. I chased after him.
My many-eyes were spotty around these parts as I moved farther away from my dungeon. I couldn¡¯t sense every nook and cranny of McLaren Forest. Inside my borders, I could observe my surroundings passively and ¡°teleport¡± to one of my eyes if I needed to focus on something (or someone). But out here, I had to search for Leo actively. If one of my many-eyes caught a glimpse of him, I had to scour the general area to know his exact location. I didn¡¯t like this one bit. I realized he was heading for the road. ¡°Found him?¡± I asked the Goliath. At least it¡¯s easier to find my monsters outside the border. The dungeon core¡¯s system always kept a hovering eye above their heads, where I could teleport if I got lost and disoriented from searching. The Goliath shook his head. ¡°I think he¡¯s getting away.¡± The Goliath gave me a sparkling glance and patted his shoulder. He held up three of his fingers, forming the letter W. ¡°Worthy?¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The Goliath proudly nodded. ¡°I planned for the cultists to come here tomorrow night.¡± I looked up at the sky, which was already turning a hazy blue on the horizon. Dawn was coming soon. Sunrise would arrive in fifteen minutes. ¡°Correction: I planned to bring them here later tonight. I don¡¯t want the authorities near the area because Leo called them.¡± The Goliath sighed, disappointed. ¡°I know, I know. You wanted to find someone worthy of my dungeon.¡± The Goliath nodded and brought his hands together to form a heart. ¡°Love?¡± The Goliath raised his heart-shaped hands toward me. ¡°Oh. You mean having worthy delvers is love? Or special?¡± He gave me thumbs-up. ¡°Fine. I guess having worthy delvers gives you guys some satisfaction. I bet it improves your mental health or morale. Do monsters suffer from that? Low morale?¡± The Goliath shrugged and kept flipping his hand. So-so. ¡°Anyway, once the cultists are dealt with, maybe Leo will survive another night?¡± The Goliath gave me another slight shrug and then a thumbs up. He seemed to like the idea. ¡°Well, you have to catch him first, but we¡¯re fucking lost¡ª¡± I sensed movement five hundred feet ahead of the Goliath. ¡°Wait. I see something.¡± I quickly flew to that eye and scoured around until I spotted Leo¡¯s form running down the hill. Ha! Found you. I went back to the Goliath. ¡°Spotted him five hundred feet ahead. He¡¯s nearing Route 26.¡± It was one of the major two-lane highways to Portland (and also connected NF-43, the road leading back to Cedar Lake). I surmised it was not busy right now, but once the sun was up, many travelers would be on that road to Portland, Salem, Vancouver, or one of the major cities across the valley. I flew above the canopy but couldn¡¯t tell how many cars were on the road. If only one car happened to drive by¡­ Crap. This was spiraling out so fast. I followed The Goliath as he ran through the woods, trying to shorten the distance between him and his prey. Twigs and deciduous leaves crunched under his wake, his heavy footsteps thundering into the rising dawn. Light began to creep over the mountain. I could see the highway now, which currently sat empty. Leo¡¯s form bound through the thicket, desperately trying to reach it. Suddenly, beams from a car approached from the south. ¡°Shit! A car¡¯s coming!¡± I screamed at the Goliath. The Goliath pushed his legs further down the hill. He was about a hundred feet behind Leo. Almost there. Almost there. Almost there¡ª! My heart went up my throat as an immovable force yanked me back to the core tree. My head spun momentarily, wondering where I was until I realized I was back near the cabin. Back home. ¡°Shit!¡± I shouted. ¡°Fucking teleportations. Why do I have to get back here? Can¡¯t I stop dead in my tracks? That¡¯s a lot simpler. Fucking core and its stupid rules!¡± I hit the wall, the limit of my perimeter. I forgot it teleported me back to my gem every time I crossed it. I flew into the sky and quickly moved northward, trying to remember what section of the road I had last left. It took me a couple of minutes of scouring until I sensed the many-eyes centered above Goliath¡¯s head, hiding behind the tree as he watched Leo flag down the car in the middle of the road. He couldn¡¯t risk coming out now, or else the car could drive away (leaving Leo, lucky for me), but they might call for help. The Goliath was no match against a speeding car. I was careful not to cross the hidden barrier again, or else I¡¯ll get teleported back to my gem. ¡°Stop! Stop!¡± Leo flailed his arms. The car slammed its brakes and skidded to a stop, inches from hitting Leo. Leo slammed his palm on the hood. ¡°Help! I need help!¡± He moved toward the driver¡¯s side door and knocked on the window with bloody handprints smeared on the glass. Shit. I couldn¡¯t see him from where Goliath and I were standing, but it looked like the driver waved him to the opposite side and unlocked the passenger side door. ¡°Thank you!¡± Leo exclaimed and ran over to the other side. He quickly opened the door and climbed inside. The car turned back around where it came, heading to Point Hope. The Goliath turned to me and calmly shrugged. He put up three of his fingers again to form a W. I gritted my teeth. ¡°Yeah. Worthy.¡± The Goliath mimed opening something with his hands. ¡°You want me to be an open book?¡± The Goliath shook his head and made the gesture again but much slower. ¡°Oh. A chest? Opening a treasure chest? Like a reward?¡± The Goliath excitedly threw two thumbs up. I could feel him smiling under the fox mask. ¡°Well, Leo Grady is already heading back to town. I might not be able to give him anything now. And he¡¯ll alert the authorities, which will be swarming McLaren Forest and all over the cabin and fuck up our plans¡ª¡± I paused, sensing one of my many-eyes screaming at me to look through it. I regarded the Goliath once again. ¡°Dude, I¡¯ll be right back. Can you, um, find your way to the cabin?¡± The Goliath waved me off. He¡¯ll be fine. I left the Goliath with a confused look and flew toward the eye, floating fifteen feet above the narrow South Cedar Road. Just two hundred feet ahead was the intersection of Route 26 and NF-43. A car stopped at the intersection and turned into South Cedar Road, heading straight for me. I recognized Leo in the passenger seat, leaning his head against the window while he watched the trees pass by outside. Wait. Why is the car coming this way? The car crossed the border, and I immediately moved inside the cabin. Demon Maxine pretended not to notice my presence. She had cleaned up quite a bit since I last saw her. Gone were the injuries on her face, including her bright golden demonic eyes, which returned to their natural brown color. She must have used demonic magic to hide her wounds because Leo didn¡¯t even notice it. Suddenly, Leo sat up, recognizing the road they were on. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Leo asked, panic rising in his voice. ¡°Doing what? We¡¯re heading back to town like you want,¡± Maxine said calmly, stifling a giggle. Leo studied her face. ¡°No. This ain¡¯t the road. This is the wrong road, lady! You¡¯re going the wrong way!¡± ¡°Look, you need to calm down¡ª¡± ¡°No! You¡¯re going the wrong way!¡± Leo reached for the wheel. Maxine flattened her palm and struck Leo right under the chin, hitting his Adam¡¯s apple. Leo reeled back, clutching his throat and violently coughing his lungs out. While the poor guy was momentarily stunned, Maxine grabbed the back of Leo¡¯s head, seized a fistful of his hair, and slammed his face against the dashboard. Blood poured out of his nose. ¡°Wha¡ª! Stop¡ª!¡± Maxine slammed his head again, and Leo went out cold like a light. The demon stopped the red Ford Explorer on the side of the road and turned to me. ¡°I told you I¡¯ll get him for you.¡± ¡°You know this car is in every wanted poster in the tri-county area, right?¡± She checked Leo¡¯s pulse¡ªstill alive. ¡°This buffoon almost made it out, so I had to improvise. Voila! I live to serve you, lord dungeon. Crisis averted. And besides, there are no spies around these parts of the wood.¡± ¡°Spies?¡± ¡°Cameras, larks, wild shapes, true sight, divination magic, or what-have-you. No one saw me.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s keep it that way.¡± I gestured for her to keep moving. Maxine returned the automatic stick to drive and continued driving down the road. ¡°What shall we do with him?¡± ¡°Well, you hit him pretty hard. He might be out of it for a few hours. We can stick him in the cabin for now. I can build another room to, um, detain him while Coach Hodge and the others arrive tonight.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± ¡°Reap his essence, I guess? Did you notice it ever go down?¡± ¡°If I did, he¡¯d be dead, lord dungeon.¡± Damn. ¡°He¡¯s resilient. I¡¯ll give him that. But I¡¯ll think about the other thing.¡± ¡°What thing?¡± ¡°Letting him live. The Goliath thinks I should let him go.¡± Maxine studied Leo¡¯s face. ¡°I agree. He¡¯s handsome. He can be your first hero. Oh, how exciting for you!¡± She started clapping. ¡°Hands, not the wheel!¡± ¡°My apologies. Congratulations, for the dungeon, on your first worthy delver.¡± ¡°Eh, maybe. But for now, just don¡¯t let the cultists see him?¡± ¡°You can give him a reward?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the first one who said that to me tonight, but I don¡¯t know what to give him.¡± ¡°Anything you can spare. I don¡¯t know how you extract such treasures, but it is a wonder to see when it happens. My advice: don¡¯t give him something universally breaking.¡± I raised my eyebrow. ¡°Oh? Like?¡± ¡°Like give him the ability to fly or make him invisible? Or a magical sword that can cut through any metal and stone, even a planet? Or split an atom inside a Wendy¡¯s?¡± ¡°How¡¯d you know about Wendy¡¯s?¡± ¡°This body craves it after every hot yoga session, but a demon¡ªnot me¡ªtempts her to eat a pretzel bacon pub and consider it a cheat day¡­twice a week.¡± Demon Maxine giggled. ¡°But she just gained it all back and more! She pukes it out anyway. That¡¯s why her body¡¯s too frail for a possession.¡± ¡°Okay. So, no to giving Leo the ability to split an atom.¡± ¡°Bear in mind that this universe is bound by physics, lord dungeon. Let¡¯s keep it that way.¡± ¡°Um, hello? I became a gem, I can summon a fog, and I can levitate things with my mind, among many other things.¡± ¡°Yes. But most humans have never seen a person lift a mountain in millennia. What¡¯s the word again? Ah! Yes. Remain incognito.¡± ¡°Are other dungeons in other worlds that secretive? Do they also have to hide from their world?¡± The demon pursed her lips. ¡°Not necessarily¡­¡± ¡°You know, demon, I feel like you¡¯re keeping things from me sometimes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I am not a hundred percent sure about my answer. Lord dungeon, you deserve the most confident and correct answers to all your inquiries.¡± ¡°And are you confident about your knowledge of other dungeons?¡± ¡°Most of the time.¡± ¡°Then why do you want me to hide? Besides the danger of hunters of my gem, of course. I kinda figured adventurers in other worlds delve dungeons to get it.¡± ¡°Have you ever thought that maybe Oldie, Goliath, Siren, and I want to keep you to ourselves? Hm?¡± ¡°Another lie. I doubt it¡¯s for selfish reasons. Tell me the truth.¡± The demon laughed. ¡°Let me ask you this, what¡¯s the color of your gem, master?¡± ¡°Um, mostly a bit of everything. Sometimes it turns into an emerald. Sometimes it¡¯s translucent. Others, red and blue simultaneously, or all the colors. Best I could describe it is a kaleidoscope of colors.¡± ¡°Well, not all gems are that way, you see.¡± I paused to think for a second. ¡°And do you know why?¡± Maxine shook her head and smiled. ¡°No, I do not, I¡¯m afraid. But it is a curious thought, isn¡¯t it?¡± The demon still kept things from me, but I was exhausted from exerting my power to ask more questions, and flying around the dungeon made me a little dizzy. I sat back in the car and let Maxine drive me back to the cabin. As the sun broke through the mountains, another prompt greeted me.
NORTH CEDAR LAKE
Kills 5 (+900 crystals); (+6 essences; -1 uncollected)
Survivor Undetermined
Dread Level 5/10 (+500 crystals)
Crystals (current) 2,155
Since Leo technically didn¡¯t escape the dungeon, the system still considered him a trapped delver. Hopefully, the demon would keep him out of the way while I focused on the cultists¡ªone less thing to worry about tonight. Still, I loved having more crystals. It meant I had the cash to spare to repair the damages Leo and his group incurred around the cabin. I still found it funny that I had to basically pay a ¡°cleaning & repair fee¡± every time a delver came into my borders and had the audacity to bleed on my waxed floor and break some china. Sometimes, the system kept reminding me I was in a fucked up simulation and that I was the eternal landlord. I sighed and looked outside the car¡¯s window, watching the lake just as the morning sun hit its placid surface. At least the view was nice. Interlude | Case File A1-A2 CASE FILE A1 (UPDATE) MISSING: FIRE WATCHER BRIAN GREELEY, 47, DISAPPEARS IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT. LOOKOUT BURNED. by Katie Reeves, KGWA Staff Mon, September 25th, 2023, 3:45 PM Point Hope, Oregon (KGWA): Point Hope Police Department is seeking the public¡¯s help to find a missing fire watcher, Brian Greeley, 47, who was last seen more than two weeks ago on Monday, September 4th, on the Frog Creek lookout at McLaren National State Forest. His last contact with the Forestry Department Head was in the early hours of Saturday, September 23rd, when he reported an emergency broadcast on the radio before communications were inexplicably cut off. PHPD and the National Park Services (NPS) have scoured through the Frog Creek Lookout to find the tower collapsed due to an unknown fire. Fortunately, the fire had not spread to the surrounding forest due to damp weather conditions. Blood belonging to Brian Greeley has been confirmed, and the local police and NPS has designated the area as an active crime scene. They consider Brian Greeley is still alive but potentially injured. At this time, there is no other information available, but the police said they would post an update once more information becomes available. Update (09/30/2023): Five days after being reported missing, Brian Greeley¡¯s body has been found eleven miles north of the Frog Creek Lookout by four TikTok and Twitch steamers, including popular YouTuber and vlogger, Dylan Griffin, 21, visiting the local area. Chilling photos of Greeley¡¯s remains emerged online, posted by Griffin and co., which had accrued over three million views since it was posted yesterday and received backlash online. ¡°Local police authorities are investigating. This is heartbreaking news, and all forestry officials have reached out to his ex-wife, his children, and his extended family to offer support and assistance,¡± Susan Machins, a fellow colleague of Greeley¡¯s, said in an official statement from the forestry department. PHPD spokesperson, Fernand Blompkin, said in a press conference this morning that they were ¡°analyzing evidence to establish the facts, conditions, and causes of death,¡± which they described as either a possible homicide or an animal attack. The Greeley family had requested the video be taken down. The hikers are cooperating fully on the investigation with the NPS and PHPD. Blompkin has urged local residents and tourists to be cautious and keep a lookout when venturing into McLaren Forest when rumors begin to spread online of an endangered wild predator stalking the area. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! This is an active investigation.
CASE FILE A2 *Text excerpt between Dylan Griffin (YouTube Channel: Dylan Does Stuff) and Twitch Streamer, Retto Kearns (Iron_grimms). Dylan: My freaking team won¡¯t let me post a freaking video for the next two weeks. Retto: lol. Got your apology video down yet? Dylan: I¡¯m doing it tomorrow. Hoping it dies down soon. Retto: You don¡¯t want to let that simmer on too long, dude. Dylan: I know. I have to practice pretending to cry on camera. We found a dead body. Big deal. Retto: Shouldn¡¯t have live-streamed ¡ªcrying face emoji¡ª Dylan: We all were. Retto: Need help? Dylan: I¡¯m good. I¡¯ll be in West Hollywood with friends. Hoping to forget about this. *no messages for the next three hours Retto: Saw someone throw a slushy on you. It¡¯s all over TikTok. Dylan: Just a bunch of assholes. Retto: Did you go to The Den with Heidi? Dylan: yeah? Retto: Dude, her boyfriend¡¯s gonna fuck you up! Dylan: He¡¯s not gonna know. Retto: She showed up on that slushy vid. I recognized her voice. Dylan: Shit. I¡¯ll smooth things out. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re alone. Retto: You better. Retto: Wanna hear something? Dylan: yeah? Retto: I looked up the Greeley guy. Dylan: Jesus H. Let¡¯s forget about that. Retto: No, no, hear me out. There¡¯s a bunch of people gone missing around the area in the last two weeks. Dylan: For real? Retto: Heard about the Green Hill massacre? Dylan: The stabbing thing Cole was going on about? Retto: Yeah. Same town. It wasn¡¯t reported a lot nationwide because there was two mass shootings at the same time in Ohio and Florida. 8 Dead, all stabbed to death. And get where they found the killer¡¯s car? McLaren Forest. Dylan: You¡¯re kidding. Retto: Nope. And get this: Various residents from town went missing as well. Prominent ones. Dylan: holy shit. You just gave me a freaking idea. Retto: What? Dylan: I can make a video about this. Retto: Are you sure? Dylan: Why not? Looks like the police ain¡¯t doing a damn thing. Everyone loves a horror documentary, no? Retto: I guess. But aren¡¯t you in trouble already? You¡¯re canceled. Dylan: Not when I claim it¡¯s my journalistic duties. Retto: You¡¯re not a journalist. Dylan: I have a degree in journalism and I¡¯m a commentary YouTuber. I talk about whatever the freak I want. Retto: You¡¯re gonna dig yourself a new hole. *the next morning. Dylan: Wanna help me or what? Retto: Are you serious about it? There¡¯s no going back if you do it. Dylan: Very. Retto: Fine. I¡¯ll help. Dylan: Let¡¯s start with the ones who went missing. We can talk about them. Let¡¯s say we¡¯re shedding light on these missing people as well. Not only Greeley. Retto: You sound like you want to find another dead body. Dylan: That¡¯s better. More evidence. More story. Dylan: Who¡¯s one of the missing? Retto: *links a newspaper clipping* This guy. Dylan: He¡¯s a high school coach? Damn. Retto: And there¡¯s more. I kind of went down a rabbit hole. I¡¯ll send you everything I know. Dylan: Thanks, man. I owe you one. Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 1) HELLS GRACE Part 1 One great perk about being a dungeon core was that I didn¡¯t need sleep. At least not in the traditional sense or what humans usually do. I still needed to rest, which was different from being unconscious for several hours. I was still aware of my surroundings. I could still smell the fresh breeze wafting from the mountains and into the forest. Hear the insects crawling through the vegetation and felt the animals wandering out and about within my domain. The funny thing about animals was that they never reacted to my presence all that much. I could tell they knew I was there, floating around and inspecting my area, except when I¡¯m in what I call the hungry mode. They tended to steer clear of me, especially with what happened with Leo and the others last night. They returned with greater numbers once morning came, and the dust had settled. I reckoned they felt more protected when they were in my presence. I couldn¡¯t extract the essence from them (only humans or sapient beings), so they weren¡¯t threatened by me at all. When I¡¯m resting, it¡¯s like sitting on the beach under a comfortable breeze and staring at the horizon and the ocean¡¯s expanse for four hours. Even though I looked like a rock, I am still an intelligent sapient being, and every creature in the universe acquired its way of resting, be it to relax or take a mental break. I had been active for more than twenty-four hours straight, which took a toll on me. After purchasing a ¡°cleaning fee¡± for my dungeon and watching all the broken pieces put themselves back together by magic, a four-hour break would suffice to replenish my powers and wait for the dungeon¡¯s cooldown effects to die. My monsters were technically considered creatures (who needed rest), and I had to manage their downtime, too. That was easier said than done. From what I learned from the system (always helpful and yet cryptic at the same time), monsters needed three things in my dungeon to make them happy: 1. Shelter. 2. Meet their standard needs (i.e., food, water, security). 3. Mental stimulation. It¡¯s like managing a bizarre and macabre zoo, really. Each exhibit is deadlier than the last. What¡¯s more, not all monsters were the same. For instance, the demon didn¡¯t require food, drink, or sleep to survive. But the body it possessed needed those things, and that¡¯s when I found Demon Maxine rummaging through the empty cabinets, the pantry, and the refrigerator for food. I had to use my crystals to purchase basic ¡°Earthly¡± foods, which surprisingly cost me only ten crystals. [Are you sure you want to purchase food for the dungeon?] The system asked me one time. ¡°Why not?¡± I asked back. But the system did not reply to my query. I probably thought I was insane to put such wasteful items in my dungeon. After all, I¡¯m a gem that fed on essence instead of organic materials. It already considered all the furniture and other aesthetics I put into the cabin as a drain to my resources, expecting me to buy multiple deadly contraptions, monsters, and hard-to-solve puzzles. Instead, I bought another couch, a beautifully-carved bed frame with woodland motifs, and a bunch of groceries. Demon Maxine made some mac n¡¯ cheese out of a box for breakfast and returned to her den, the ritual room in the cellar (where my dead body currently resided). She probably found it comforting to be surrounded by all that demonic shit and the infernal sigils she drew earlier. Feels like home, perhaps? I didn¡¯t know if demons or any of these archetype monsters ever get homesick, but I was too afraid to ask. It seemed too personal of a question. I also revamped the ritual chamber by adding a thirty-foot-long narrow corridor between it and the cellar, which had an incline leading into the room. I also made the chamber more prominent, adding another three hundred-square-foot to the original plan. I¡¯ve also included a recessed area in the central chamber where the ritual circle was, requiring any delver to reach my body to climb down these cobbled gothic steps with gargoyles on the railings from the mezzanine (where the entrance was). Plus, watching the ground part, reform, and alter with just one thought was something to behold. I could basically rearrange the earth! If one room wasn¡¯t to my liking, I could ¡°bulldoze¡± it and make it look like it was never there. It alleviated my fear of causing a section of the forest to collapse into the space I had left. What¡¯s funny was that excavating land (by extending a hallway) was much more expensive than buying furniture. For the final product, the ritual chamber looked like one of those cheesy secret society assemblages in the movies. The ones you¡¯d find beneath an old cathedral with rustic, worn-down pillars, creepy paintings plastered on the walls of their ancestral members, and lots of candles around a slab of rock where you¡¯d sacrifice a virgin (in this case, my body was currently laying on it). Whenever I came here, I expected black-robed figures from the alcoves, chanting an ancient language I didn¡¯t know. It was the first proper and more traditional dungeon I¡¯ve ever created, as it was entirely built underground. It also served as a decoy room. If the delvers or the cultists happened to know that a magical gem imbued the area with magic and the monsters currently hellbent on killing them, they might suspect I am hiding inside that ritual chamber. Well, the joke¡¯s on them. I also dug three tunnels connected to a large main corridor, which would ultimately lead back to the cellar. The sizeable main corridor, which I labeled on the system as Vein A, was a straightforward route connecting the cellar to an exit door at the bottom of the cliff near Trail C, camouflaged to look like just part of the cliff¡¯s facade. Taking thirty more steps to the left, a delver would end up on the lake¡¯s shore next to the boathouse. The first tunnel off from the main corridor, let¡¯s call it Branch A, was another way out of the cellar. It was a half-mile-long tunnel where a delver had to climb a wooden ladder and find a trap door, opening/exiting near Trail B. ¡­And closer to Old Growth¡¯s den. Am I being too mean, letting a delver raise their hopes that they¡¯ve escaped the cabin¡¯s clutches? And then only to end up in the belly of a beast where the likelihood of survival was low? I was building it as a guaranteed deathtrap for Hodge and his goons. Old Growth¡¯s abode turned into a boggy section of the woods (and fire-resistant) because Demon Maxine translated that Oldie had a strong affinity to that particular environment. I¡¯ve also reconstructed the trees around there, making them extra creepy with their jagged and twisty soot-stained branches, dead wood, fake animal bones stuck in the mud, and a permanent trail of mist always lingering two inches off the ground. Unfortunately, the mist was only there for aesthetics and didn¡¯t help lower a delver¡¯s Resolve, but it aided with increasing Dread. As I said earlier, the monsters required care, and I noticed a drastic improvement in Old Growth¡¯s morale and behavior over the past few hours since I overhauled his den and gave him something to do to pass the time. Since Oldie was a Plant archetype, it consumed nutrients by being near water, siphoning nutrients from the soil, and would perch on the upper canopy to bask under the sun. I would often find the creature up there for several hours, returning to the ground with the energy of a hundred men. Branch B was different because it was built to be hidden from the delvers. I built a separate second cabin a mile away into the woods from the main cabin, hidden by foliage and thickets while still being closer to Trail A and the Dungeon Core Tree. It didn¡¯t look as aesthetically pleasing as the main cabin, like an ordinary log cabin in the woods that a huntsman might have built long ago. It only had two rooms: the small bedroom big enough to shove a twin bed and the living space/bathroom/kitchen area. A trap door from the latter led down to another cellar connected to Branch B. This was Goliath¡¯s home. Branch B also had a dozen alcoves and exit ports where ladders led to the surface, allowing Goliath to teleport anywhere in my domain without running through the woods. Found a delver scurrying along one section of the area? All the Goliath had to do was get into Branch B and make a shortcut to the delver. It helped that his fox mask allowed him to locate the delver quickly. Since Goliath was human, he required food, water, and sleep as a normal human would. After the killings (and once his cabin was built), Goliath immediately went to sleep until one PM when he brought out the fishing poles I gifted him (Demon Maxine, acting as my go-to translator, learned that Goliath loved fishing). He walked toward the boathouse and started fishing on the docks for an hour. He quickly caught four rainbow trouts, which he fillets and deboned in under five minutes with precision, got back to his cabin, and started grilling them with salt, lemon, and black pepper. He paired it by opening a can of corn and instant mashed potatoes from the main cabin¡¯s pantry. He sat on the table and ate his meal silently, removing his fox mask and letting it rest beside the plate. I floated closer, curious about what this human¡ªwho teleported when I summoned him¡ªlooked like. And he looked¡­real. Like he had a past. Like he had somewhere to go back to. Goliath was a man in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, with a clean-shaven face, black hair, blue eyes, and tanned skin as if he had spent his time under the sun (a desert, perhaps?). He removed the trench coat, let it hang on the chair he sat on, and pulled the tie loosely around his neck. I noticed the tattoos peeking half an inch just above the collar. Who are you? After eating his late lunch, Goliath went to the bathroom to wash himself from the grime and dirt over the past day and wash off the blood of those he killed. He removed the tie, suit, and dress shirt, letting it hang on hooks by the cubby. Surprisingly, Goliath looked quite beefy with a few tattoos (that I never gave him) plastered on his body. And then there were the scars. Healed bullet holes. Stab wounds. Burn marks. Goliath looked like he went through hell. I recognized one particular tattoo on his right shoulder was a bone frog, which typically honored a fallen soldier¡ªa fallen SEAL. ¡°Did you serve in the military?¡± I blurted out. Goliath paused, washing his face over the sink, and looked at me. He made a curt nod before he applied soap and continued washing. ¡°So¡­you had a life before this? Before I summoned you?¡± Goliath gave me a soapy thumbs up. I froze. ¡°Fuck! I didn¡¯t kidnap you, did I? Do you have a family waiting for you out there? They must be worried sick!¡± Goliath waved his hand¡ªNo. ¡°How come you can¡¯t talk? Or maybe you can¡¯t talk before?¡± Goliath grabbed a towel from the cubby and patted his face dry. He regarded me once again and sighed. He gestured, writing on a pen¡­or signing something. ¡°A contract?¡± Goliath nodded. ¡°And you accepted it.¡± Goliath nodded again. ¡°Oh.¡± Thinning his lips, Goliath wrote something on the fogged-up bathroom mirror. Don¡¯t worry. No family, it said on the surface. ¡°Why did you accept my summoning you?¡± For the first time, I saw Goliath smile. He walked out of the bathroom and picked up a pen and paper. He wrote, ¡°Long time ago.¡± ¡°You accepted the contract a long time ago?¡± He nodded. ¡°And you¡¯ve been waiting since then.¡± He nodded again. He started writing. ¡°No dungeon summoned me. No dungeons on Earth? Maybe all gone.¡± ¡°Is that possible? I can¡¯t be the only one.¡± I immediately thought about my rankings. There were a lot of zeros for just one measly dungeon existing on this planet, let alone within ten light-years. How big is the universe, exactly? ¡°You are the first I met. Demon might know more.¡± Goliath gave me a slight, innocent shrug. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question earlier.¡± Goliath smiled again and only wrote three words: Stolen story; please report. Purpose. Power. Blood. I left the Goliath to shower in privacy and returned to the main cabin, teleporting to the cellar and following along Vein A, where I took a hard left into Branch C. It was nearing three PM, and I couldn¡¯t wait to get my plans rolling. Unlike the others, Branch C was a continuous corridor that extended down and exited into the natural caverns I found half a mile underneath my domain¡ªan unexplored cave system. The cave system comprised about twelve chambers connected by naturally-formed passageways that were sometimes narrow or wider depending on which section I floated into. Plus, all of it was within my area of influence. Only three of these chambers were large enough to fit at least six houses worth of space. Seven of these chambers were closer to the lake¡¯s bottom, which caused the water to seep and trickle down to form an underwater river and flood these chambers from ancient lava tubes. Of the seven, about four were wholly submerged underwater. Branch C exited out into Alpha Chamber, one of three large caverns in the system, half-submerged by water (the other ones were Beta and Gamma Chambers). It formed a large beach right where the tunnel exited; the other half of the cave was a black pit of dark water where an underwater passageway connected it to the next chamber. The demon¡¯s lit lantern was the only light source in the cavern, her laugh echoing across the space. It was joined by another feminine giggle, followed by a splash from the water when I approached. The demon noticed my presence and let out a wide grin. ¡°Ah! My liege! You¡¯re here just in time! Siren has told me many ideas about what to do with these caves. She discovered there are plenty more passageways connecting to more caverns all the way to the mountains!¡±
THE SIREN
Dread Score: 6/10 Creature Type: Fae Cooldown: 1 week
Special Traits
Merfolk Physiology I The monster has adapted to live in water, and for a limited duration, on land. The monster has a body of a humanoid (selection: Human Female) and a fish''s lower body, allowing it to swim at greater speed and breathe underwater. The monster has an enhanced lung capacity, can endure extreme water pressures and high temperatures, and can perceive its senses in greater detail while in the water, even in pitch darkness. Merfolks are carnivorous compared to other water creatures. The merfolk can transform into a humanoid of the core¡¯s choice (selection: Human Female) and can stay on land for 1 hour. After using this ability, the merfolk cannot transform back into a humanoid for the next 24 hours. Additional levels can add more merfolk abilities to the monster and increase the duration to stay longer on land. (Requirement [check]: Dungeon must be within 1 mile of a water source, the minimum average depth of 25 feet, and 50,000 acre-feet of water volume)
Luring Voice I The monster emits a hauntingly beautiful enchanting song capable of luring a delver of the monster¡¯s choice who hears it from 250 feet away from the monster¡¯s location. A delver who hears the song is entranced, incapable of hearing anything else, or snapped out of their daze unless their Resolve increase. The voice can affect a maximum of 2 delvers at a time (Resolve requirement: 2)
Water Manipulation I As fae monsters, they can shape, create, and manipulate the properties of water and can change them from one solid state to another (i.e., ice shards, steam, water vapor, etc.). The monster can create 1 hydrokinetic construct or affect 53 cubic feet of water with a maximum volume of 1,500 Liters. Construct Duration: 1 hour. Area Manipulation Duration: 6 seconds - 1 hour. Additional levels can increase the maximum duration.
Siren was the only monster I hardly interacted with since I created her last night. Being a water creature where most delver attacks were on land, she was relegated to staying in the water, keeping watch for any delver who might try to escape by the lake. She almost got a kill out of Eddie last night, but his Resolve never went down to Red, much to her frustration. She was a good sport about her failure. It was probably why Demon Maxine was here in the caverns to keep her company. Always being with humans (and possessing them), the demon had a knack for team-building, as if she could sense the Siren was getting lonely. After all, the entire cave system was Siren¡¯s lair. That might change once I add more underground or water creatures to keep her company. Maybe she won¡¯t get lonely after that. ¡°But she can¡¯t explore that far, given your borders are still far from reaching it. Who knows what lies within those caverns,¡± the demon continued. ¡°Is that so?¡± Siren nodded. ¡°Passageways as narrow as a child, lord dungeon,¡± she said in a beautiful, almost angelic voice. That¡¯s the thing about Siren. I did not give her the normal Speech trait, but instead a Luring Voice. She had to sing what she had to say. I like the variety of tunes she produces whenever I speak to her. Sometimes it¡¯s a melancholic ballad, vague pop music, or when she¡¯s happy, an upbeat rock or gospel. This time, she made it sound almost like a Broadway musical. I moved closer to the edge of the beach where Maxine was standing. Scouring quickly through the system, I purchased glowing mushrooms for a hundred crystals and scattered them around the large cavern, illuminating the space in dim greenish light. They latched onto the walls with an iron grip. These mushrooms didn¡¯t grow here on Earth, coming from somewhere I didn¡¯t even know. I saved up some to distribute across the other caverns, maybe even in the passageways in the future. As the shadows retreated, I finally got a good view of the Siren. Though I could change what a monster would wear (like Goliath¡¯s trench coat, suit, and tie ensemble), I had no say in their physical appearance. It was left to the core system on how it interpreted the three traits I gave the monsters to something monstrous¡­or, in this case, beautiful. Siren had smooth pale skin with a permanent translucent sheen as if her flesh sparkled under the dim light. She had fiery long red hair, green eyes, and a large bluish-green tail with a U-shaped fin that would sparkle under the sun. She¡¯s the typical early-twenties woman you¡¯d find at a Southern California beach, basking near the waters. She didn¡¯t wear a top (or a seashell bra, like in some animated movie), and though she had breasts, she didn¡¯t have nipples or even a belly button. Criss-crossed on the sides of her upper torso were soft gills that allowed her to breathe in the water. As a [Fae] archetype, she had a passive ability for exotic beauty compared to the demon¡¯s passive ability of infernal malice, which helped with scaring the fuck out of delvers and diminishing their Resolve. Since I am a dungeon core, Siren always showed up with a dull purple glow around her head because of the illusionary magic she projected for a calming presence. Eddie was too smart for his own good when Siren tried it on him, causing him to swim away. It probably didn¡¯t help that Siren used that effect in the wrong situation with Eddie alone in the middle of the pitch-dark lake. Siren scooped up some magical glowing mushrooms dangling near the waters and placed them in a small sack. ¡°For my lair,¡± she said. ¡°I can purchase more glowing mushrooms if the dark bothers you, Siren,¡± I said. ¡°I appreciate the comfort it will give me, your eminence, when you bestow it,¡± Siren sang happily. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you think so. I¡¯ll put some light fixtures in your den, Siren.¡± I made a mental note to distribute the leftover glowing mushrooms around her den, three caverns from where Alpha Chamber was, completely submerged underwater. For a delver to reach it, they had to have scuba gear (and probably years of underwater cave diving experience). It was the most protected area in the dungeon, barring the Dungeon Core Tree. I had a few surprises in store there for any delver who might stumble upon it. ¡°What brings you down here, my liege?¡± The demon asked. ¡°How¡¯s our prisoner?¡± ¡°Leo¡¯s sleeping like a baby. I suffused him with some demonic essence to keep him unconscious for a while. Don¡¯t you worry.¡± ¡°Huh. Where¡¯d you get that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a demon, lord dungeon. Although not as powerful as yours, we can still acquire magic outside your parameters. Since Leo is already unconscious, it¡¯s pretty easy to cast a spell on him to keep him under for a little while. Though, that might not hold for long. Out here in the mortal realm, my arcane abilities are weaker. I tied him up just in case.¡± ¡°Oh. Good. Well, it¡¯s almost three PM,¡± I reminded her. ¡°Is the message ready?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all drafted in here.¡± The demon pulled out Maxine¡¯s phone from her pocket. ¡°Not long now.¡± ¡°You might have to be on the surface for it to send.¡± ¡°You humans and your freaking signals and technology.¡± The demon smiled and hugged Siren. ¡°Alrighty, fishy. I¡¯ll talk to you later. Same day tomorrow? I can bring you a picture book of Earth¡¯s continents, and we can read that together.¡± Siren smiled. ¡°Hearts and love; love and hearts,¡± she sang. I suspected Siren wasn¡¯t from Earth either, even though she looked human (from the top). Earth wasn¡¯t really a dungeon destination by most adventurers anyway, and I doubted the monsters¡¯ souls flocked over here in droves. How many archetype souls are currently lingering around my dungeon? I accompanied the demon to the cellar, discussing our plans when the cultists arrived at the cabin. I wanted to alert them at three PM because it was closer to sunset. During last night¡¯s incident, I realized darkness had played a big part in shedding Leo and his friends¡¯ Resolve; the creepier, the better. I wanted to replicate the environment. All the monsters already knew their jobs, and it helped that I had a demon to plan them. A demon¡¯s cunning and knack for diabolical scares were a bottomless pit of ideas. After all, the Possessing Demon probably had centuries, maybe millennia, of knowledge from Hell to pull from. The cellar had changed since last night, too. Instead of a bare room, I purchased props to fill it out with abandoned or rotting furniture, plywood, random items, and various odd trinkets tucked away by the ¡°owner¡± of the cabin. The dust settling on them was a nice touch to add to the room¡¯s aesthetic. Hopefully, that would increase Dread and make the delver uncomfortable or fearful if they enter the cellar. I had also reset the traps across the cabin, ensuring the windows were now hard to break. I learned my lesson from Leo¡¯s antics. Sure, it¡¯ll take a few hits to break the glass, but all it would take for a monster was one hit. I expanded the main cabin with three new rooms. I added a second floor which became the loft, where the new master bedroom was located, along with its own private bathroom and a narrow balcony overlooking the cliff (and the lake beyond). Below, I added the third¡ªand much more spacious¡ªroom as a small library between the kitchen/living area and the mud room. There was an old Rosewood upright piano against the far wall, flanked by three bookcases on each side filled with all the classics and other books I could think of. Two lounge couches faced each other with a coffee table in the middle. I even added personal touches like portraits sprinkled around the house of a typical family of five. Leo did mention the lack of pictures around the cabin was weird. Their faces were tweaked manually, of course. It depicted a biracial family with three children ranging from fourteen to as young as seven. I also added artwork around the cabin so that the family¡¯s picture wasn¡¯t constantly suffocating the place wherever you look. Pretty pictures like flowers, mountains, and other basic shit to make a house look, well, pretty. It was here the demon took out her phone and laid down lazily on the lounge chair. She grabbed one of the throw pillows and put it over her chest as she stared at the screen for a couple of minutes, watching the clock tick by until it hit three PM. The demon smiled and hit send. ¡°There. Done,¡± she said and let out a demonic cackle. ¡°Now, we wait.¡± I peered at the phone¡¯s screen just before it disappeared. It was a simple message. A picture of my body surrounded by the ritual circle followed by a brief text: Come find me, and included the cabin¡¯s geolocation. ¡°How many do you think they are?¡± I asked. ¡°Ashley and Adam were not present during my murder, but they were part of the sect.¡± ¡°There are¡­five, am I correct?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I nodded. ¡°Coach Hodge. Mr. Gamble. Deputy Torres. And I think the other one was a real estate agent. Jenna something. I¡¯ve seen her face on the billboards. And the last one, I had no idea who he was, but his name was Alvin. He¡¯s the one who drove me into town with Dave.¡± ¡°If they have significant others, let us assume they are part of the cult. Who else is married?¡± ¡°Coach Hodge. I met his wife a few times during school functions. She chaperoned a lot of the field trips. Mr. Gamble is also married, but I¡¯ve never met his wife. I don¡¯t know about the others.¡± ¡°Hm. Let¡¯s say they are part of it. That brings us to seven delvers tonight?¡± She smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a feast.¡± ¡°There could be more in town I had not heard of. Members who skipped the ritual.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± The demon shrugged. ¡°Deputy Torres might send cops. Maxine Fairlie is a wanted suspect, after all.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± I said. ¡°If she sends a cop over, they¡¯ll find my body. Torres and the others left plenty of DNA evidence when they killed me. I doubt the deputy has enough influence in the police department to erase the evidence given the attention it would receive from the authorities and the media.¡± However, she might risk it and send a cop anyway. ¡°If a cop does come, we¡¯ll dispatch of them.¡± ¡°Cold,¡± the demon said, laughing. ¡°You are becoming more blood-thirsty, my lord dungeon.¡± I didn¡¯t say anything. The longer I stayed on this core, the more alluring it was to revel in my monsters¡¯ bloodbath. I tried to hold on to my beliefs in my past life that I shouldn¡¯t enjoy killing people, that this was all wrong, and that I should just starve to death and die, but it¡¯s like the rope I¡¯m holding onto was slowly slathered with oil and I am slipping away. All I could think about was gathering as much essence as I could and how long I could survive and grow in power. I didn¡¯t care how I acquired it as long as I got a taste. My revenge against the cultists eased my focus on their essence rather than the others. But once they are out of the picture¡­I shuddered to think what I¡¯ll do next. Plenty had changed in the past thirty-six hours. What would happen in the next thirty-six days? A month? A year? Would I still be me, or would I be a husk of my former self? A text message popped up on Maxine¡¯s phone. Hodge: WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO, BITCH!!!!!! Game on. The demon grabbed the phone. ¡°Shall we send our ace in this dance, my liege?¡± ¡°Send it.¡± The demon grinned and sent a ten-second clip of Hodge standing over a young girl around my age, screaming and begging him to stop before he plunged the dagger into her eye. The others then participated in the killing before the video cut out. There were plenty of videos like this on Maxine¡¯s phone. Sometimes a three-second clip. Others were twenty-three seconds long. I realized why she recorded the killings. Leverage. If the cult ever got into trouble, she had something to offer. A way out to lessen her sentence. Most of it was centered on Hodge, so he must be the person she wanted to be blamed the most. If the authorities caught them, the evidence against Hodge was damning. Ninety percent of the videos showed him killing multiple people, and none showed Maxine partaking in any of them or wielding a knife (which was deliberate). That¡¯s thirty years for first-degree murder for each victim. Hodge wouldn¡¯t be able to see the outside of a wall for a long, long time. I could send it as an anonymous source to the media, but a cell was too kind for Hodge and his ilk. I wanted them dead. They might have gotten rid of the other people they killed, but mine was here in the cabin. Their DNA on it was still fresh for the cops to extract and make a case against them. Come and get me, Hodge. I¡¯m right here. Multiple messages from mostly everyone in the group chat filled the screen, begging Maxine why she was doing this and if she was responsible for the massacre in Green Hill. Most were confused about what was happening, and only Hodge wrote everything in all caps. Hodge: I¡¯M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!! Clearly, I¡¯ve ruffled his feathers. The only cultist who was silent throughout was Alvin. I ordered the demon not to respond, and eventually, they gave up texting us after twenty minutes. I reckoned they had moved on to another group chat with the others, possibly meeting up to discuss how to deal with Maxine going rogue in person. Unfortunately, I am not privy to that discussion. An idea popped into my head. ¡°Or can I?¡± ¡°Can you what, master?¡± The demon asked curiously. ¡°I wonder what they¡¯re doing right now.¡± ¡°You want me to town and report back?¡± ¡°No. You can¡¯t use the Red Explorer anyway, plus you¡¯re wanted.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± I pulled up the system again and went through the [Monsters] tab. I entered the [Construct] archetype and purchased it with an essence. A computer materialized in the middle of the room. ¡°Do you know one thing about humans, demon? The one you complained about?¡± The demon paused for a moment. ¡°Technology?¡± ¡°Bingo.¡± I nodded. ¡°We¡¯re obsessed with our toys. We never leave our phones for more than a few seconds, and it¡¯s always strapped to our pockets. And we also leave a permanent digital footprint. Facebook. Instagram. YouTube. TikTok. Everything is online. Some are more hidden than others, but I''m pretty sure I can break through the firewall of any computer and gain access to their cameras. Are you familiar with the phrase: the Internet always remember?¡± The demon cackled. ¡°Well, let¡¯s put that to the test, master.¡± I turned to the construct in front of us. ¡°Find me a visual on Justin Hodge.¡± Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 2) HELLS GRACE Part 2 The computer sat on a metallic black rolling AV cart about thirty-four inches tall with four squeaky silver wheels and two drawers with keyholes. Three outlets were fixed under the cart¡¯s handle, but its connector wasn¡¯t plugged into a wall outlet. Instead, it hung around the handlebar, unused. However, the monitor displayed a blinking pixelated green cursor against a black screen. The cart rolled on its own, moving closer to the demon and me. > FINDING QUERY FOR JUSTIN HODGE, it said on the screen. > SEARCHING ¡­ The monitor took the entirety of the table with its sides hanging a few inches by the edge. A retractable tray was where the keyboard and the mouse were. The cubby at the bottom housed the massive CPU, which resembled a high-end gaming PC. Although no brand was stamped on its side, it just looked like a massive black box, humming with life with half a dozen cables connected to it¡ªthe arteries and veins of the monster I created.
THE ORACLE
Dread Score: 3/10 Creature Type: Construct Cooldown: 1 week
Special Traits
Inanimate Object I The monster can remain motionless and be indistinguishable from an object of the Dungeon Core¡¯s choice: A computer. With a built-in maximum stealth score of Level V, delvers will not notice the monster unless they have a high perception score. When in motion, the construct can only move twenty feet every five seconds.
Scrambling Communications I The monster can render communication devices (radio waves, satellites, and electromagnetic spectrum) inoperable for 8 hours. The monster can also add static during audio calls or blur any photographic capture.
Tech Manipulation I The monster can perceive, receive, and transmit intricate interfaces with technological devices and machinery and manipulate data networks. They can control the flow of multiple complex machinery by assembling or uncoupling their programming and infrastructure at will. They can also operate most technology from a distance of 100 miles.
¡°Oracle? How neat,¡± the demon said. ¡°He¡¯ll see everything after all,¡± I said. ¡°Seems appropriate.¡± ¡°I like it.¡± I noticed that Oracle had the lowest Dread score out of all my monsters (with the demon having the highest at eight). It had something to do with the traits he got, which were primarily passive. I didn¡¯t give him anything to attack because his specific job as a computer console was to remain unnoticed while chaos reigned across the dungeon. The specific traits I searched for were minuscule compared to the other constructs I could create, but they were more for the other worlds. I wanted something more aligned with Earth¡¯s technological capabilities, and when I prompted the system, it filtered and trimmed the list down quickly. At least I had an idea where the other dungeons might be. I imagined they¡¯re in worlds akin to Renaissance tech or maybe older than that. All those swords, sorcery, and plenty of magic running amok and ruled their world¡¯s or universe¡¯s physics. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t end up stuck over there. Earth was a different beast and required a different measure. Sure, turning off the wifi blocked access to the outside world (it worked with Leo and his group), but I am stuck in my domain, unable to pass through the border and see what was beyond. Oracle would allow me to see everything¡­for a limited range. ¡°A hundred miles is good enough. That will cover the entirety of Point Hope and two dozen towns. We can also reach Portland and Salem,¡± I told the demon. ¡°And we can access all the traffic cameras and other security features, too.¡± I was fascinated by how technology had changed humanity¡¯s trajectory from over twenty years ago; a drastic change that, even though I wasn¡¯t born then, I could feel their effects. I¡¯m a byproduct of it. My generation had their first phones as young as five. Babysitting tech, they called it. Although technology made our lives easier, it was a double-edged sword that I heard many countless stories online. Stalking, voyeurism, fraud, defamation, bullying, phishing, scams, and lots of ads with malware. It was a new Hellscape, a new frontier I planned to exploit. Oracle would be the dungeon and the region¡¯s babysitter. He will know everything that goes on 24/7. Three minutes later, Oracle gained access to all the traffic cameras across Point Hope, whittled down to twelve colored boxes on the monitor in rows of three. He selected four screens and expanded them, which were all on Main Street. I recognized the coach¡¯s white Range Rover in an intersection behind a Toyota, waiting for the traffic lights to turn green. Two figures sat on the front. ¡°Oracle, can you get inside that Range Rover?¡± > YES. ACCESSING¡­ The first thing that popped up was Hodge¡¯s voice emanating from the speakers, gruff and low. He sounded angry. I hadn¡¯t heard his voice in quite a long time, and it sent chills all over my incorporeal body. I wanted to grab him by the throat and squeeze his life out. ¡°It is not that simple!¡± Hodge exclaimed before Oracle gained access to the interior dash camera that Hodge installed. Sitting next to him was Mrs. Hodge, shoulders slumped and looking out the window as if she didn¡¯t want anything to do with what Hodge was complaining about. I realized that he was talking to someone else on the phone. ¡°I want you all not to do a fucking thing,¡± Hodge seethed. ¡°Not a damn thing until I say so. No one goes to the cabin!¡± ¡°Justin, this is getting out of control,¡± a woman¡¯s voice, probably Deputy Torres, spoke from the other line. ¡°We are all freaking out. What¡¯s happening to Maxine?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll handle it, Becca. Then, I¡¯ll get back to you, okay? Fuck. I¡¯m tired. I¡¯ll call you as soon as I know more.¡± ¡°But Hodge¡ª¡± Coach Hodge ended the call as the traffic light turned green. He stepped on the gas. After a moment¡¯s pause, Mrs. Hodge turned to him. ¡°Why can¡¯t I stay, Justin?¡± ¡°You know why. It¡¯s too dangerous, Mel.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not gonna leave you here.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be at your sister¡¯s. I often notice you complaining about not seeing her in a while. Plus, you like Portland. You can go shopping. Buy a bag.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about a fucking bag right now, Justin. What went wrong in the ceremony? I¡¯ve been asking, and you keep dodging the question.¡± She knows, I thought. She¡¯s in on it, too. Hodge gritted his teeth. ¡°Nothing happened.¡± ¡°It¡¯s certainly not nothing. Our neighbors were murdered. Eight people died in Green Hill around the Yates Residence, where you gave Dave the gem. Where¡¯s the fucking gem now, Justin?¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Becca can¡¯t find it on the scene, but she thinks Maxine might have it. She dug up the kid¡¯s body after all¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it,¡± Mrs. Hodge¡ªMel¡ªraised her hand to stop him. ¡°It was a standard ceremony. You wanted to lead one, so I gave it to you, and you¡ª¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t make this all about me, darling. You weren¡¯t there either.¡± ¡°I told you. We could have waited another month until I returned, but you are one impatient brute.¡± ¡°Like you¡¯ll do it any different? It¡¯s the solstice. We¡¯d have to wait until winter for a powerful wayline like that!¡± ¡°If I were there, you wouldn¡¯t have fucked it up, and we will still have the gem,¡± Mel seethed. ¡°Now we¡¯re in damage control. Something screwed with the ritual, maybe gotten through the gem, and you are not going to throw me aside because it¡¯s getting scary for you¡ª¡± ¡°I wanted you safe!¡± ¡°¡ªand out of the way? I am not scared easily, Justin. You know that. And for you to believe that ritual was a dud? You performed a summoning ritual. Do you know how volatile and powerful that can be? You should have never parted with that stupid rock! Even an ounce of the otherworld¡¯s power trapped inside that little thing can set everyone up for months!¡± ¡°Well, honey, it was for our future. The guy told me¡ª¡± ¡°Ha! Yeah. Some crackpot from the internet!¡± ¡°¡ªhe told me it was safe! Practical!¡± ¡°I love you, and we¡¯re both in this together. So, we¡¯ll finish it together.¡± ¡°It could be from below.¡± Mel paused, nodding. ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± ¡°What could it be? Becca said she smelled sulfur all over the place. I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re dealing with a demon.¡± ¡°Maxine should have been able to cast it out then. She¡¯s a senior member. I taught her how to perform the necessary incantation to subdue it.¡± ¡°If she did it right, we wouldn¡¯t be in this mess,¡± Hodge groaned. ¡°Only she didn¡¯t. Whatever¡¯s got her now is a powerful one, and she wants us to go to some cabin in the woods.¡± ¡°An isolated location.¡± ¡°Yeah. Those are my thoughts exactly. It¡¯s going to pick us off. Dave¡¯s dead. Ashley. Adam.¡± Mel frowned. ¡°But why dig up the boy¡¯s body? To taunt us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a demon, Melanie. They¡¯re unpredictable. Who knows what it wants with Mark¡¯s body.¡± But Mel shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Something feels off. This is not like the other demons we¡¯ve faced. It feels¡­different.¡± ¡°Well, the demon went on a murder spree, so¡­yeah. Anyway, we¡¯re meeting with him. Hopefully, he will have answers.¡± ¡°He better be. Or else I¡¯m going to kill him.¡± Coach Hodge drove northward, took the ramp out of town, and entered Route 26. Accessing their GPS, Oracle showed me their destination was in Old Town near Burnside: Powell¡¯s Bookstore. They¡¯re going to the city. I wondered who they were meeting. ¡°Keep track of them, Oracle. I want to know who the guy he¡¯s talking about.¡± ¡°This is too dangerous,¡± the demon said, worried. ¡°I¡¯ve never encountered a mortal who knows the intricacy of creating a dungeon core, master. Such knowledge will drive any living mortal mad! Whoever their patron is, you are too weak to deal with.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying it could be an Elder masquerading as a human?¡± ¡°All-Powerful. All-Knowing. All-Seeing.¡± > ALL-POWERFUL. ALL-KNOWING. ALL-SEEING. Both Oracle and the demon chimed in. I flinched. ¡°Well, whoever this guy is, it¡¯s probably good to know what else he¡¯s capable of. If he¡¯s not an Elder, then maybe he¡¯s someone we must look out for in the future. And I¡¯m curious why he chose Hodge and his cult to create me in the first place.¡± And why choose Earth, of all places? There were better worlds more suited for dungeons than good ol¡¯ boring and magic-less Earth. ¡°Be careful, lord dungeon. Prying on the personal business of your creator is a dangerous game. Elders love their games just like demons and devils; only theirs spans millennia. You can be a small cog in an elaborate wheel you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Thank you for your concern, demon, but I¡¯ll be fine.¡± The demon didn¡¯t look convinced. ¡°Okay. It will take Hodge and his wife almost two hours to get to Portland¡ª¡± ¡°And they¡¯re skirting dangerously close to Oracle¡¯s range¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. But at least we know their destination. Remind me when they get there,¡± I ordered Oracle. ¡°Well, the day¡¯s still young. We might be able to lure the cultists to the cabin. We can focus on the lesser fish with Hodge and his wife out of the picture. Get me a visual on the others. Let¡¯s look for Deputy Rebecca Torres next.¡± > FINDING QUERY FOR DEPUTY REBECCA TORRES. > SEARCHING ¡­ The monitor blinked a couple of times before the dozen camera feeds changed only to six cells, all within Harriet¡¯s diner in the middle of Point Hope. It was a popular diner amongst the locals. Heck, I¡¯ve eaten there dozens of times with my family. After all, they had the best French fries out there because they dipped them in garlic, pepper, and truffle oil. Oracle tweaked the indoor security cameras to point at a particular spot in the dining area¡ªthe last booth on the left. It was private and far away from the usual early dinner crowd. Oracle quickly added a few more visual and auditory vantage points from the other devices in the room, including cellphones, Bluetooth earphones, the iPads the servers were carrying, and many others, until I felt like I was in the room with them. Rebecca Torres was not alone in the booth. Accompanying her were the familiar faces of those in the forest the night of my murder. Jenna Batten sat beside her, looking more nervous and fidgety than everyone else. The picture of my body and Demon Maxine¡¯s threat must have rattled her out of her wits. After all, if everything was revealed, she and everyone else had something to lose. For her, it was her reputation as a successful real estate agent where most of her clients had six or even seven figures to their incomes across the county. Sitting across the table was my English Teacher, Kirk Gamble. Like Jenna, he was also nervous. He forgot to comb his hair and looked like he had just gotten out of bed. Next to him, Alvin leaned lazily against the chair he sat on, watching the people walking on the sidewalk outside. Any clatter from a dropped utensil or a sudden burst of laughter from the nearby booths made Kirk jump. ¡°Relax, Kirk. Everything¡¯s gonna be fine,¡± Rebecca reassured him. ¡°I don¡¯t think you even believe that, Becca,¡± he said, fidgeting with his glasses. ¡°I tried calling Maxine, but he won¡¯t pick up.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t do that again. She¡¯s currently a murder suspect, and the less connection we have to them, the better.¡± ¡°One of the detectives came to my home this morning asking all sorts of questions,¡± Jenna said softly. ¡°I just told them I¡¯ve never seen her for a week.¡± Rebecca nodded. ¡°Just¡­for everyone¡¯s sake¡­no one panic. It¡¯s not gonna do you any good. If you are calm and cooperative, the investigation team won¡¯t bother you, okay? Everyone who is anyone in this town is friends with Maxine. We have to keep the appearance that the housewife snapped and killed people. That¡¯s the story we gotta stick with, just like Hodge said.¡± ¡°Where is he anyway?¡± Kirk asked. ¡°He¡¯s¡­going out of town.¡± Kirk and Jenna froze. ¡°Should¡­should we do that, too?¡± Jenna asked nervously. ¡°No, no. We should not leave all at once. That¡¯ll make the detectives suspicious, and they¡¯re a fucking nosy bunch. Hodge said he¡¯s gonna be back in a few hours¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªAnd you believed him?¡± Kirk asked incredulously. ¡°For all we know, he could be heading to Mexico already!¡± ¡°Keep your voice down, motherfucker,¡± Rebecca hissed. ¡°He and Mel are meeting the guy who taught us the ritual.¡± ¡°The one that didn¡¯t work?¡± Jenna asked. ¡°Or it might have, but for something totally not about what we thought it would be,¡± Kirk suspected. ¡°I think we did the wrong ritual.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t know until Hodge gets some answers, okay? All we can do is wait,¡± Rebecca said. ¡°What about you, Alvin? What do you think?¡± Alvin shrugged, but then he paused, an idea forming in his head. ¡°We can check out the cabin.¡± ¡°Hodge told us to wait,¡± the deputy said. ¡°I know. But you said he wouldn¡¯t be back for a while. We can scout the place in the meantime.¡± ¡°Is that¡­safe?¡± Jenna asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. Maxine killed eight people¡ª¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know that yet,¡± Kirk pointed out. ¡°All we see is her leaving the neighborhood on security cameras. We didn¡¯t exactly see her kill those people. She might have an accomplice.¡± ¡°But she threatened to expose us! I think that makes her guilty,¡± Jenna said. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen the bodies,¡± Rebecca said, lowering her head. ¡°You didn¡¯t see all the blood¡­¡± ¡°Has the girl woken up yet?¡± Kirk asked. ¡°No. She¡¯s still in a coma.¡± They must be talking about the lone survivor. Tessa something? I thought. ¡°Damn. We could have asked her if Maxine was the one who attacked her.¡± ¡°Could there be other groups?¡± Jenna asked. Rebecca furrowed her brows. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You know¡­other people like us?¡± ¡°As far as I know, we¡¯re the only ones in the area.¡± ¡°I like Alvin¡¯s idea,¡± Kirk interjected. ¡°The more we know about the place, the better prepared we are until we confront Maxine and whoever was working with her. Maybe she found something in the gem she wanted for herself? Maybe we can talk her out of it.¡± ¡°She murdered her husband. I doubt there¡¯s room for talking,¡± Jenna said. ¡°Allegedly,¡± Kirk corrected. ¡°Again, we have no idea what¡¯s going on yet.¡± Three news vans arrived and parked in the parking lot outside the diner. All four of them sunk into their seats as if being near a press badge would suddenly unravel all their secrets out in the open. ¡°Quiet. Let¡¯s not talk about this in the open while every media outlet in the country is on this fucking town,¡± Rebecca said. ¡°I can call some guys,¡± Alvin said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be us. They can watch the place while we wait.¡± Rebecca bit her bottom lip and narrowed her gaze. ¡°And do you trust them?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve worked with them in a few jobs. Mainly in Salem. A couple in Eugene.¡± ¡°What kind of jobs?¡± Kirk asked. Alvin glared at him. ¡°The kind that is none of your business.¡± He pulled out his phone. ¡°They can be here in an hour. We¡¯ll have to pay them, of course. I think all of you can chip in easily.¡± Rebecca, Jenna, and Kirk looked at each other unsurely until Jenna nodded. ¡°Can they grab Maxine, too? Maybe we can get her.¡± For the first time, Alvin grinned. ¡°Damn, girl. You are cold-blooded. If the pay is good, they might do that, too.¡± ¡°Maybe we can nip this in the bud while we¡¯re at it: no need to send cops or anything. We¡¯ll have to keep her quiet as soon as possible,¡± Kirk said. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± ¡°But Hodge said¡ª¡± ¡°Hodge is not here, Rebecca. He left town, and now, we¡¯re on our own. I don¡¯t care if he says he¡¯s going to be back. He might be lying. Better safe than never. Let¡¯s grab the bitch.¡± Half a dozen news crew entered the diner and headed for the counter. Deputy Torres raised a finger, gesturing for one of the servers to hand over their bill. ¡°I¡¯m in, but I¡¯m going to text Mel and loop them in. It¡¯s the least we can do.¡± Kirk rolled his eyes. ¡°Ah. They¡¯ll say no, of course.¡± But Rebecca already had her phone out and texted Hodge what they were planning to do. Interesting. I smiled. ¡°Oracle, intercept that text. Don¡¯t let Hodge and his wife see it.¡± > UNDERSTOOD. > WHAT IS YOUR NEXT INQUIRY? ¡°Send a text to the deputy. Make it look like it came from Mel. Can you do that?¡± > ONE MOMENT. TRANSMITTING ¡­. A few moments later, the deputy¡¯s phone chimed. Mel: Are you sure? Rebecca: The others think we can scout the area at least. Just to be safe. What did Hodge think? Mel: I didn¡¯t tell him. You know how he is. You do what¡¯s best. That was the only permission that Rebecca needed before she turned to the others and nodded. ¡°Mel said we should do it.¡± ¡°Already contacting them,¡± Alvin said, texting two numbers. ¡°Can you¡­join them?¡± Rebecca asked. ¡°I don¡¯t trust them to do the job, but I trust you.¡± ¡°You want me to babysit my guys?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean.¡± Alvin grinned wider. ¡°Fine. I can keep them company. Oh, shit. Heads up. I think we should leave.¡± He gestured to the gathering news crew ordering their late lunches by the counter. One of them, a man in his late forties who looked like a cameraman, looked at them oddly. ¡°Yeah. I think that¡¯s a good idea,¡± Jenna chimed in. ¡°Let us know what they find, okay?¡± Rebecca said. ¡°Will do.¡± They hurried out of the booth and went their separate ways, walking to their own vehicles and left the diner. I stayed a little longer on Alvin¡¯s phone, reading through the text messages he sent. With the promise of ten grand each, the people on the other line agreed to scout the lake. Although Alvin deliberately failed to mention anything about kidnapping Maxine. I floated out of the library and into the lounge area. ¡°Well, it looks like they¡¯re gonna err on the side of caution, demon.¡± ¡°As expected,¡± she said, amused. ¡°Two new potential delvers are coming along with Alvin Jones. That¡¯s a win, right?¡± I nodded. ¡°And we¡¯re gonna use Alvin to lure them all in. And then, we will destroy them.¡± Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 3) HELLS GRACE Part 3 While Hodge and his wife spent time driving the two-hour commute to Portland (according to their GPS), I ordered Oracle to notify me once they arrived in the city. As for the rest of my afternoon, the demon and I spent it binging through the most boring reality TV ever. The main cast, you ask? The cultists. For being murderous, demonic-worshipping suburbanites, they lived the dullest and most monotonous life and an equally humdrum daily routine. I was never a fan of reality television, so this was tedious for me, but the demon had a blast. After all, her kind spent probably eons watching mortals for fun. And with Oracle around, I would be the prime showrunner on the Truman Show of my own making for eternity, always people-watching and moving the pieces to see what made them tick. In this case, making them tick was scaring them to death. But that was not my goal for the entire afternoon. This was homework. I needed to learn who these people were before they arrived in my dungeon. Their pet peeves. Fears. Desires. Hopes. Who they hate. Their true personality behind closed doors (aside from being a member of a murderous cult). Maybe I would find something I could use against them. And there were plenty. You¡¯d be surprised how many people let their guard down when they simply locked the door. I observed Jenna Batten first. She was the most anxious out of the others. She hardly spoke up at the site of my murder, afraid that all the bloodshed did not grant her the one she most desired. A wealthy couple from San Francisco planned to move into Point Hope, buying up property in the southern ranches with eleven acres of land. Properties that would tear a wide hole through a blue collar¡¯s bank account. If I hadn¡¯t known better, I would have thought she was a lovely woman. Always with a smile on her face, exerting that real estate charm, she plastered like a glowing billboard through muscle memory to the strangers as she walked out of the diner and into her car. When she happened to pass one grumpy old lady who didn¡¯t return her smile and polite greeting, Jenna climbed into her, and all that facade melted away once the lock clicked shut. ¡°Fucking bitch,¡± she whispered under her breath as she stared daggers at the woman entering the diner. She opened her glove box and took out her makeup pouch, retouching some of her lip gloss, and dabbed a tiny blot of moisturizer on her face where it had turned dry and flaky. ¡°Oracle, look through her schedule,¡± I ordered. Oracle pulled up the calendar from her phone, and it looked like she had two more showings for houses this afternoon in Little Spruce, a quiet neighborhood for families west of Point Hope near two elementary schools. Interestingly, she canceled all her Green Hill showings while the police scoured the community for the culprit of the massacre yesterday. The entire town was on edge, but she had hoped it would not scare away her potential buyers. She needed to make a quick buck after Hodge fucked up the ritual. I exited the calendar app, and the photo on her screen shocked me. There she was, wearing a yellow sundress, smiling on the beach with a six-year-old boy wrapped around her arms. She had more photos like that when I perused through her albums. The earliest was when she was wearing a hospital gown, cradling the tiniest baby I had ever seen. Of course, she put on makeup for the photo and posted it on Instagram with the caption: Now I finally found you with many heart emojis. Jenna Batten was a mother. I killed Ashley Yates, and she was a mother. It hadn¡¯t occurred to me what their children must feel for losing their parents in a single day. I shuddered to imagine them stumbling onto their corpses after they went home from school. I¡¯ve also killed others in Green Hill¡ªpeople with families who would mourn them after the carnage. Leo Grady had people waiting for him back in Portland. So did Eddie Mands. I killed two brothers who wished to be far away from here. A lot of people have died because of me. A lot of people had been killed because of my hunger. And I¡¯m afraid they wouldn¡¯t be the last. Her phone ringing interrupted my thoughts, and I urged Oracle to watch her through her phone¡¯s front camera. She propped up her cell phone on a dashboard holder and accepted the FaceTime request from someone named Asshole Ex. Jenna took a deep breath as the screen flashed to show a red-haired man with a thick goatee sitting in the car as well. ¡°What is it, Zack?¡± Jenna stifled to raise her voice. ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°When are you gonna pick Danny up?¡± Zack asked. He wasn¡¯t looking at the phone, and it looked like he was driving. Oh, this is gonna be good. ¡°Oracle, record this conversation between them.¡± > RECORDING. Jenna winced. ¡°Pick him up? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Yeah. I thought you were going to pick him up today.¡± ¡°No, you have him until Monday, remember? You have the entire weekend with him. Aren¡¯t you supposed to take him to the beach?¡± ¡°Shit. Um, We took him to the movies instead. There¡¯s that new robot movie he liked. You know we got a good arcade here, too, near the theater.¡± ¡°Seriously, Zack? The movies? He looked forward to going to the beach with you for the past week.¡± ¡°Jenna, I don¡¯t have the time¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªthen make some, you goop. You¡¯re his father.¡± ¡°Hey, like I don¡¯t know that? Oh shit! Damn, freaking slow-ass Toyota.¡± A loud horn blasts from the other line. ¡°Watch the road, motherfucker!¡± ¡°Is Daniel with you? I don¡¯t want him hearing that kind of language.¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m driving from the drugstore. Are you picking him up or not?¡± ¡°I told you I can¡¯t. We¡¯ve talked about this. What about the beach?¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t. I took extra shifts.¡± ¡°Why would you do that?¡± ¡°Because I didn¡¯t know Danny¡¯s gonna be with me this weekend, and I kind of forgot.¡± ¡°God damn it, Zack¡ª¡± ¡°Look, Jen, I don¡¯t want to argue about this.¡± But Jenna wouldn¡¯t listen. ¡°You wanted weekends. I gave you weekends. You wanted Monday. I gave you Monday. Daniel is there to be with you, so pay some fucking attention to your son than that whore around your limped dick¡ª¡± ¡°Are you shitting me right now? We¡¯re really gonna argue about this?¡± Jenna bit her bottom lip. ¡°Well, this wouldn¡¯t have happened if you only fucking listen, Zack!¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry, okay? I double booked.¡± ¡°Double booked, my ass. I saw her fucking Instagram page. You¡¯re taking him to a Broadway show in Portland. I even bragged about the mezzanine tickets. Bitch.¡± Jenna huffed. ¡°You really know how to find a woman.¡± Zack was silent for a moment. ¡°If you can¡¯t pick up Daniel, I¡¯ll drive him to your house. It¡¯s not a long drive. Only twenty minutes.¡± ¡°Well, I have work.¡± ¡°I can drop him off tonight, then. You still have that showing on Little Spruce?¡± ¡°You do that,¡± Jenna said sarcastically, shaking her head. ¡°Apparently, that¡¯s what you¡¯re good for now. Disappointing your son.¡± Zack, understandably, looked pissed on the screen. He wanted to lash out. I could tell from his face, but he quickly reined that anger in and finally looked at the camera as he stopped at the intersection. ¡°Next time, Jen, I would appreciate it if you don¡¯t speak to Eliza that way. She¡¯s a good woman.¡± Then, he ended the call. Jenna Batten took another deep sigh and rested her forehead on the wheel. She stayed like that for a moment longer, focusing on her breathing. ¡°What the fuck am I doing with my life?¡± She whispered under her breath. ¡°End recording. Oracle play Come Out and Play on her car radio. Turn up the base. Make it loud. Very loud.¡± The drums and the guitar riff reverberated off her car¡¯s speakers within a split second, and Jenna screamed and jumped, scrambling to turn off the volume by turning the dial down. That didn¡¯t work. She tried muting it. That didn¡¯t work either. She grabbed phone. Perhaps her Bluetooth kicked in and played something on Spotify, hoping to pause it there. She was staring to get odd looks from the people passing by the sidewalk. ¡°Shut up, shut up, shut up!¡± Jenna groaned. She slammed her palm on the dashboard, hoping that beating it up would shut off the speakers. That didn¡¯t do shit. ¡°Why won¡¯t you turn off?!¡± ¡°Cut off the music,¡± I said. The music quickly snuffed out, and the car¡¯s interior returned to silence. I could feel Jenna¡¯s heart hammering against her ribcage, her adrenaline coursing through her veins. I smiled after I spooked her, and the demon beside me looked entertained. ¡°A cliche,¡± the demon said, ¡°but I like it. That¡¯s why it¡¯s a cliche. It always works.¡± ¡°It looks like Jenna got divorced three years ago. That¡¯s before she met Hodge and the others.¡± ¡°Before she was a successful real estate agent, you mean? She used to be a stay-at-home mom. Nothing wrong with that. But Zack is known to be a little¡­enthusiastic¡­when under the bottle.¡± I looked over Zack¡¯s Facebook profile, and his new post bragged about how he was one year sober now, posing with a beautiful black-haired woman who was definitely not Jenna Batten. Must be Eliza. ¡°At least he¡¯s sober now,¡± I said. ¡°And the new woman looked nice. Motherly.¡± Jenna slowly drove out of the diner¡¯s parking lot, still looking skittish after the stunt I pulled. ¡°Now that you learned she is a mother, lord dungeon, will you still lure Jenna to the dungeon?¡± The answer came to me surprisingly fast, yearning for blood.
After learning what I could from Jenna, I moved to Kirk next. I was surprised to see where Mr. Gamble went after the meeting at the diner. He went to a flower shop down the road, purchased a bouquet of pink tulips, and wrote something on a card I couldn¡¯t see from my vantage point from his phone and the CCTV camera inside the shop. He dropped the card into the bouquet and drove a few miles down the road to the hospital. He opened his glove compartment and took out a bottle of cologne, dabbing a couple around his neck before he climbed out of the car with the flowers and walked into the hospital¡¯s lobby. He walked past the reception, knowing exactly where to go as he took the elevator and hit the third-floor button. He got out of the elevator and immediately turned left. Thankfully, there were a lot of cameras in every corner of the building, and Oracle followed him along wherever his destination was. Kirk stopped in front of the fifth door on the left, where a lone police officer sat on a plastic chair, gave him a nod, and gestured for Kirk to enter before returning to whatever game he was playing on his phone. One the door¡¯s placard read: TESSA BURTON. My stomach dropped. The lone survivor from Green Hill, I mused. Why is he here? Mr. Gamble took a deep breath, put on a sympathetic expression, and opened the door. ¡°Hello? Is anyone here?¡± ¡°Mr. Gamble!¡± A woman¡¯s voice squealed from inside. Unfortunately, there weren¡¯t any CCTV cameras inside the private hospital rooms, but Oracle quickly detected an open laptop resting on a dresser. Once he moved into it, luckily, I could see the entire room from that vantage point. I immediately recognized Tessa Burton sitting on the hospital bed, half her face bruised and swollen, her left arm in a sling, and her right leg slightly elevated and heavily bandaged around where Maxine had broken it. Three other girls and one guy her age sat around the bed, whom I recognized from school. ¡°Mr. Gamble! What are you doing here?¡± The girl with the curly hair and the round black-rimmed glasses said excitedly, getting up from the only couch in the room. ¡°We weren¡¯t expecting you to come.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just dropping by, Lana, and see how our girl is doing,¡± Kirk said, acting sheepish. ¡°I brought flowers. Where should I¡­¡± ¡°Oh! You can put it over here, Mr. G,¡± the boy¡ªPaul Campion¡ªsaid, gesturing over to an end table filled with all kinds of cards, flowers, teddy bears, and ¡°get well¡± gifts. Paul always wore the school¡¯s gold and black letterman jacket inside and outside the campus. It made me think like it¡¯s fused to his skin. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Mr. Gamble sauntered over to the table and placed the bouquet of tulips among the pile before walking up to Tessa¡¯s bed and resting his hand on her shoulder. ¡°How are you doing, kiddo?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing okay,¡± Tessa said quietly. ¡°Um, thank you for coming.¡± Tessa let out a shallow cough. ¡°Shh. It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to talk too much. But I¡¯m still glad that you are doing okay, Tess.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Where are your parents?¡± ¡°They went out to grab some takeout, Mr. Gamble,¡± the blonde-haired girl with the ponytail¡ªDaisy Gagne¡ªsaid cheerily. ¡°We¡¯ve been here since our dear Tess woke up since lunch, and now they¡¯re buying us dinner.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad your friends surround you. Have you told the police anything yet?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve spoken to her twice already,¡± Charlene Williams said from the plastic chair at the corner, getting up and putting down the manga she had been reading behind her. ¡°They¡¯re gonna speak to her again, I hear.¡± ¡°They should be more focused on capturing the freak that did this than wasting time in here. Tess already told them everything,¡± Paul said, annoyed. Lana smacked him on the shoulder. ¡°You weren¡¯t even here, dingus.¡± ¡°They should speak more to Xavier and Vivian. Their parents just got whacked by their best friend¡ª!¡± ¡°Paul! Shut up.¡± Lana smacked his shoulder again. Hard. ¡°Ow, babe! That freaking hurt.¡± Paul wrapped his arm around Lana¡¯s hips, but Lana quickly swatted his hand away, gesturing that a teacher was in the same room as them. ¡°I told them what I know,¡± Tessa said, frowning. ¡°The break-in¡­the stabbing¡­the woman¡­everything¡­¡± Suddenly, Tessa burst into tears. ¡°Hush, now, Tess. We¡¯re here,¡± Lana cooed and quickly ran to her best friend¡¯s side. ¡°We¡¯re all here. You¡¯re not alone anymore, okay? You¡¯re safe.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry,¡± she sobbed. ¡°It¡¯s okay, really. Tess. We¡¯re all here for you!¡± Daisy rubbed Tessa¡¯s back, hoping to soothe her grief. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss, Ms. Burton. Truly,¡± Mr. Gamble said. Mr. Gamble spent a few minutes inside the room talking to Tessa and the other kids. Checking how they were doing, thinking it must be a traumatizing ordeal for Tessa and her friends and loved ones. ¡°He¡¯s a good actor. I¡¯ll give him that,¡± I said, annoyed. How could he say those things and pretend to be sympathetic when he killed kids my age without batting an eye? ¡°Poor child,¡± the demon whispered, placing the palm of her hand on her chest. ¡°I did quite a number on her. And still¡­ she¡¯s a resilient little minx. I¡¯m impressed.¡± ¡°Her Resolve never went red, you told me..¡± ¡°Yes, and technically, she survived your first dungeon. The first delver to do so.¡± Demon Maxine cleared her throat. ¡°Perhaps you should give this girl a reward?¡± ¡°Can I heal her?¡± I asked. ¡°Cure her?¡± The demon smacked her lips. ¡°It is¡­in the realm of possibilities, my liege. However, to reward her, she must be inside your domain for it to take effect. And currently, she¡¯s far, far away. Poor thing.¡± ¡°Oh. That¡¯s¡­disappointing.¡± ¡°I apologize. I don¡¯t make the rules. But¡­this place is technically a new dungeon¡­perhaps when she feels better, she can delve again? Maybe with her friends? Oh, what fun would that be! I want the blonde one.¡± ¡°No,¡± I shook my head. ¡°I think she¡¯s had enough. And you are not possessing any of her friends.¡± ¡°Bah, lord dungeon, you are spoiling my fun,¡± the demon teased. ¡°But as you command, I follow.¡± That got me thinking. ¡°What happens if I don¡¯t reward her? You said she survived my first dungeon, right?¡± ¡°Correct. You commanded me to let her live, which signals to all monsters that she is a survivor. Worthy.¡± There was that word again. Worthy. ¡°What happens if I don¡¯t give it? The reward?¡± The demon let out a mischievous grin. ¡°Oh, then, she¡¯ll come back.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t know where I am.¡± ¡°Oh, but she does, my liege. She doesn¡¯t know it yet, but she does like an invisible string dragging her back to you. She will delve again until the reward is offered. They always bring a party with them, too. Time and time again, I¡¯ve seen it happen when a dungeon hoards their treasures. It doesn¡¯t end well. Not even to dragons.¡± I flinched. ¡°Wait, what kind of bullshit is that? Are you saying anyone who survives can easily find me?¡± ¡°Those who win your games deserve a prize. It¡¯s what makes the world turn, doesn¡¯t it? Fair is fair.¡± ¡°And I break the connection once I hand them a reward?¡± The demon shrugged. ¡°In theory. Some dungeons imprint on worthy delvers to maintain that connection a while longer. I¡¯ve seen it happen amongst the benevolent ones amongst your kind.¡± I turned back to look at the screen again. I wondered what I could give to Tessa other than healing her. Take the memories, grief, and trauma away. Make her forget it ever happened? Riches? Fame? Knowledge? How powerful were my gifts? I still hadn¡¯t seen the reward system pop up since I built the cabin. There must be some parameters I haven¡¯t met yet. ¡°Can I use the bathroom?¡± Mr. Gamble asked suddenly, and the other kids quickly told him he could use it. He shuffled over to the bathroom and locked the door. Oracle moved the vantage point to the phone secured in his front pocket. Kirk¡¯s sympathizing facade immediately faded when he stood in front of the bathroom mirror. He quickly texted Hodge that Tessa Burton was awake and blabbering to the cops about the ¡°scary lady next door¡± who tortured her and killed her boyfriend. By this point, the authorities had a clear prime suspect that it was Maxine Fairlie, and Kirk was freaking out. What if she got caught, and it would lead the cops back to the cult? ¡°Oracle, make sure his texts don¡¯t go through.¡± > MESSAGES WITHHELD. ¡°Thanks.¡± Kirk walked over to the sink and splashed some water on his face. He looked at himself in the mirror. ¡°Get it together, man,¡± he whispered under his breath. ¡°Fuck.¡± Suddenly, Kirk glanced over somewhere to the left, and after a few seconds of staring, he walked over to a laundry basket sitting on top of the metallic trolley cart leaning against the wall next to the door. Piled in it were the clothes that Tessa wore during the day of the attack, stained with dried blood But Kirk wasn¡¯t interested in Tessa¡¯s clothes. He reached out, his hand disappearing from my view (beyond the camera¡¯s periphery), and when he reeled it back, bundled in his fist was the panties Tessa was wearing that day for her boyfriend. Kirk quickly pocketed it inside his jacket and walked out of the bathroom. My mouth hung open. ¡°What. The. Fuck?¡± The demon laughed. ¡°How fitting. The teacher fancies the schoolgirls.¡± ¡°They¡¯re minors, demon.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s a special place in Hell for people like him, my liege. It¡¯s one of my favorite places to relax and unwind. All the blood-drenched barbed wires and wooden poles¡­¡± ¡°Everything alright in there, Mr. G?¡± Paul asked, concerned. ¡°I¡¯m okay. I just needed to pee. I drank too much coffee this morning,¡± Kirk said nonchalantly as if he hadn¡¯t just stolen Tessa¡¯s underwear less than a minute ago. Huh. ¡°Oracle, do you detect Kirk Gamble¡¯s computer nearby?¡± > THERE IS A LAPTOP INSIDE HIS BACKPACK IN THE VEHICLE. ¡°Open it. Search for anything¡­weird.¡± >QUERY REQUESTED. SEARCHING¡­. It took Oracle ten minutes to dive into Kirk¡¯s laptop, but he didn¡¯t find anything I was looking for. It mainly consisted of papers he needed to grade and future test questions for the upcoming exams. It was a work laptop. Oracle searched through Kirk¡¯s house and found a computer inside his office. I smiled. ¡°Jackpot.¡± And what¡¯s inside the hard drive was more than I could ask for ammunition.
Deputy Rebecca Torres was having an affair. That much was obvious through a quick search over her phone. There was a particularly heated exchange between her and a woman named Emily C going back months. Still, as I started reading through the texts and the pictures they sent each other, Emily C was actually a guy, of which the C was short for Clay. She had another Emily in her contacts, a close friend since middle school that she hung out with half a dozen times a year. Rebecca probably didn¡¯t want to cast any suspicion if her phone started blowing up during movie nights with her husband. After she met with the others, she called in sick to work. I wasn¡¯t feeling well. Headaches. That sort of thing. They gave her the afternoon off, and she went home instead. She received some messages from Emily C about what she was up to tonight (since it was the weekend and they hadn¡¯t seen each other in two weeks) and when they should hang out again. I realized Clay knew Rebecca was married, wording everything as if they were regular longtime girlfriends. Yippie. Rebecca left him on read. For now. She had other things on her mind, like Maxine threatening to expose her ass. Rebecca was also paranoid about security. For a cop, she probably saw a lot of shit. I knew she spent four years working in Eugene before moving here with her husband, Mr. Chris Torres, who got elected to the city council last year and bought a nice-looking house near Green Hill. All thanks to the cult¡¯s rituals. Their body count must be high if she was being considered to run for Sheriff next year. It would take a lot of effort to be considered a part of Green Hill¡¯s affluent inner circle, and the Torreses managed to do that within two years of moving in, thanks to Justin and Melanie Hodge¡¯s blessing. Even my parents couldn¡¯t break through that ceiling, and they did well for themselves. Rebecca¡¯s house had a lot of interior and exterior CCTV cameras (a total of six), and Oracle gained access to them within five minutes. I watched her through the interior dash cam of her police car on her quiet drive home. It¡¯s a shame I couldn¡¯t read her thoughts from this distance. I could have used [Glean]. A Subaru was already parked on the driveway. Her husband was home. Sighing, Rebecca got out of the car and entered her house. Oracle moved over to the camera positioned in the living room corner where Mr. Torres was lounging on the sofa. He was a short and slightly stocky man in his early thirties with tanned skin and a dad bod. He was never much a fan of an athletic lifestyle when I perused his various social feeds dating back twenty years. A math whiz with a propensity to winning Speech and debate tournaments throughout high school and college and hanging out with a crowd who aspired to enter the finance world. His life took a drastic turn when he met Rebecca and tried to be active and join her inner circle, yet he was not very comfortable with it. Tolerable at best by her friends. Never mind his porn search history because clearly, he and Rebecca hadn¡¯t had sex for at least a couple of months (he had an uptick of searches for the past five weeks almost every day). Compared to Rebecca, she was popular, a track star in high school, used to mountain climb with her friends (there were a lot of mountains in Oregon for that), and won state championships for track and field during her junior year in college. Her father used to be a cop, so she also became one. And good at it, too, with a higher track record for arrests in the big city. But when Mr. Torres wanted a quiet life in the countryside, they moved to Point Hope, and less and less, Rebecca hadn¡¯t seen her friends. She was lonely, I thought. Chris found his crowd in the council and amongst the politics of Point Hope. He fit like a glove, almost like he had known the town all his life. As for Rebecca¡­well, she¡¯s tolerating it. From her social feed, she met Hodge two years ago. I didn¡¯t have to guess what world he introduced to her. ¡°Becks, you already home?¡± Chris called out from the living room once he heard the front door open, and he closed the laptop resting on his lap. At a glance, it was all spreadsheets for the Ward he was responsible for. Many people asked him for money to fund things, and since his Ward included Green Hill, one of the proposals included building a golf course and a cafe for the neighborhood (That way, they didn¡¯t have to commute to the plebs downtown, I reckon). Tax dollars at work, folks. ¡°Yeah, I am.¡± She removed her shoes from the foyer and slipped into her Hello Kitty slippers. She walked into the living room. ¡°Working?¡± ¡°No, I just need to sign a few things.¡± Chris put the laptop on the coffee table. ¡°What¡¯s up? Are you okay? You look pale.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just not feeling well.¡± ¡°Want me to get you something? Soup?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay. Thanks.¡± ¡°I drove by the diner on my way home and saw your car and Jenna¡¯s.¡± ¡°We¡¯re just catching up. Look, I¡¯m going to go upstairs and change.¡± ¡°Okay. Well, I was thinking of buying takeout anyway for dinner at Chang¡¯s. Want me to get you some wonton soup? It¡¯ll make you feel better.¡± Rebecca forced a smile. ¡°Okay.¡± She was about to climb the stairs when she suddenly paused and turned around. ¡°Chris, um, I might be out late tonight with Jenna and Kirk again. Melanie and Justin might come along, too.¡± Chris perked up. ¡°Oh! Well, I could use a night out in town. Do you want me to go with you?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I know you have a lot of work to do.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not a bother, really¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªChris,¡± Rebecca interjected. ¡°It¡¯s a Hodge thing. I¡¯m trying to fund your campaign next year, you know.¡± Chris frowned. I could tell he did not like being left to the side like crumbs to be picked. I had a feeling it had always been like that with the Hodges. It seemed like they had a history of shutting out Chris. ¡°I¡¯m sure I could talk to them. I haven¡¯t in a while since the pandemic. Hodge and I play golf a lot.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll take more than that, hon. But I hear the mayor had you in mind for deputy mayor next year since Terry is retiring. So, don¡¯t fuck up my hard work.¡± Chris¡¯s frown deepened, but he quickly recovered it, hiding it with a sigh. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re going to be alright? I thought you¡¯re sick.¡± ¡°Hopefully it¡¯ll pass before tonight.¡± ¡°You were out late two nights ago, too. Maybe you should stop taking night shifts?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let the Sheriff know. You know how he is. But since the massacre, it¡¯s all hands on deck. It¡¯s a miracle they¡¯re giving me a break.¡± Rebecca chuckled. ¡°Are you going to be okay on your own?¡± ¡°Do I have a choice?¡± Rebecca wanted to say more but held her tongue and continued climbing up the stairs. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to lock the door on my way out! That killer is probably still out there!¡± Chris called out after her, but Rebecca had already gone into their bedroom, stripped off her clothes, and stepped into the shower. ¡°Ohh¡­I sense some tension there,¡± the demon said over my shoulder. I smiled. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know,¡± I said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t know what?¡± ¡°What she does. I don¡¯t think he knows his wife belongs to the cult.¡± Maxine played with her hair, amused. ¡°We can lure him to the cabin. Distract Rebecca from doing her job, stopping us. Clearly, she cares for him.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s cheating on him.¡± ¡°Humans are devout consumers, lord dungeon. Rebecca is just tapping into her human nature to indulge in a connection. Her husband provides her emotional security, but Clay is¡­well¡­offers the physical aspect. Oh, and what a big aspect that is.¡± Maxine typed a few things on the keyboard and brought up several of Clay¡¯s shirtless photos he sent to Rebecca, often in a bathroom. He was twelve years younger than Rebecca and Chris. He was a fresh graduate from the University of Portland and an avid hiker and outdoorsman. I realized they had met through a mutual friend when Rebecca went hiking in Northern California a year ago with her college buddies. That must be when she met Clay, who happened to live in Point Hope as a paralegal. An instant connection. He was easy on the eyes, too. Photogenic, tall, dark skin, dark hair, nice pearly white teeth, and a muscular build that any guy would envy. On Instagram, he often boasts about his ¡°healthy¡± lifestyle by propping up these health brands, skincare, and workout routines to his more than forty thousand followers online. A budding influencer, too. Rebecca might have met his equal match, or so she thought. Too bad she was married, but that didn¡¯t stop them from hanging out. Hanging out turned into making out. And what followed after, well, Clay had video proof. With the advent of social media, sex tapes were the fad these days. He would often tease her for sending them to Chris. Rebecca would send him her new lingerie that Chris probably thought was for him, and Clay would show his birthday suit and the more than-average aspect Maxine was talking about that Rebecca had been enjoying for a year. If Chris suspected anything, well, he was a fucking good actor hiding it from him. ¡°We can lure Clay into the cabin, too,¡± the demon suggested excitedly. ¡°Make Rebecca choose who to save. The husband or the lover? Oh! That must be torture for her. Hell, I would be pleased. It would be best if she saw them die in front of her before I plucked out her eyes! What a wonderful display of violence, don¡¯t you think?¡± I shook my head. ¡°They¡¯re not members of the cult. They didn¡¯t kill me. They¡¯re¡ª¡± ¡°Innocent?¡± The demon smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve killed innocents before, my liege. And I¡¯ve lived quite a long life. You¡¯d be surprised how minuscule the population is with pure innocence. Discounting the babies and anyone below age seven.¡± ¡°And I regretted doing that,¡± I said. I could still taste them. ¡°I did it to survive.¡± Maxine frowned deeply. I didn¡¯t know if she was mocking me. ¡°Oh, but you took so much more than that, my liege. So much more. You are beyond the boundaries of human morality. You are no longer human. Do not degrade your potential with the material realm; you can be so much more! The things you could do¡­the gifts you¡¯ll bestow to mortals¡­you will become a god.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not killing innocents.¡± ¡°Gods kill innocents every day. Just walk down a pediatric ward and see how many innocents lay in bed while reapers wait by their side, counting down the time they croak. The wails and sadness¡­it is glorious to behold.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡± tempting. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. Clay and Chris? I could see Rebecca¡¯s torment before me and how I would savor it, prolonging his suffering. I could command the Goliath to tie her up while she watched Old Growth spike the people she cared about until they bled to death. ¡°No. I don¡¯t think I could do it.¡± ¡°And what of Leo and his friends? They were trespassing, so they deserve what¡¯s coming to them?¡± I didn¡¯t have an answer. I was¡­ ¡°The hunger, is it?¡± The demon answered for me. For the first time, Oracle chimed in on his own. A small green tab appeared on the screen as he wrote down his response. > IT HAS BEEN TWELVE HOURS SINCE YOUR LAST ESSENCE, Oracle reminded me. I know. My phantom stomach kept reminding me each minute. I missed the taste, the glow after the feast¡­ > THERE ARE 88 HUMANS WITHIN A TEN-MILE RADIUS OF THE CABIN. 48,546 HUMANS WITHIN A TWENTY-FIVE MILE RADIUS. 2,958,540 HUMANS WITHIN A TWO-HUNDRED MILE RADIUS. >WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO LURE THEM INTO THE DUNGEON? I SUGGEST THE 88 HUMANS NEARBY. THE SUPPLY IS AN ADEQUATE AMOUNT TO SATIATE YOUR HUNGER FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS. ¡°No,¡± I answered. I didn¡¯t realize there were still a lot of hikers this time of the year, even when the weather was getting colder by the day. ¡°Leave them alone. The others will be enough.¡± ¡°As you command,¡± the demon said. ¡°They didn¡¯t want to go to the cabin, but before nightfall, they will.¡± I ordered Oracle to send the fifteen-minute video of Rebecca and Clay in a hotel room to Rebecca with her husband¡¯s phone number at the bottom. Then, I sent Kirk the footage of him grabbing Tessa¡¯s panties off the laundry basket and stuffing them into his pockets with the number of the local newspaper at speed dial written under it. I even suggested a headline for tomorrow: LOCAL TEACHER CAUGHT PREYING ON YOUNG GIRLS with his face planted on the front page. All I had to do with Jenna was send her the photo of her son. She¡¯ll get the message. As for Alvin, well, he¡¯s already on his way with his goon squad, which I was going to take care of in quick succession. Easy peasy. I made a mental note to take care of him first before the others arrived tonight. They¡¯ll freak out, I¡¯m sure, once they receive the threat. They¡¯d run to the cabin. Demand answers. Threaten. Shout. Throw things. Maybe end Maxine for good to keep her quiet. Maybe even bury her body with mine. With Hodge losing control of his minions, he couldn¡¯t sway them away from me now while he drove to Portland. And with everyone coming to the cabin, Hodge and his wife have no choice but to follow. After all, they wanted the gem now that they had an inkling of its potential power. What reason would a sudden massacre in a quiet town like Point Hope with the gem caught at the center? Coincidence? No. Hodge and his wife were too smart for that. They wanted the gem. They wanted me. All I had to do was wait for nightfall and let the bloodbath commence. Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 4) HELLS GRACE Part 4 dubious friends he mentioned in the diner. As for his cell service, he bothered to purchase a premium plan for high-speed internet, but even his contacts list was small. Until he joins a murder cult, I thought. He is getting closer. Soon, I thought excitedly. But before passing the threshold, he slowly veered to the narrow shoulder lane and parked next to the drainage ditch, thirty feet away from my domain. I hovered right at the border, watching him. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. They wanted power from my blood, right? Well then, it¡¯s my turn. use other means to collect the service.¡± excellent. Hollywood is just missing out on a star.¡± Steven looked over his shoulder and shot Yasmine a warm smile. ¡°And if that didn¡¯t happen, we wouldn¡¯t have met.¡± us?¡± Steven asked. My gemstone. ¡°I want you to recover this.¡± rock?¡± Tara asked, bewildered. ¡°You want us to kill a woman for a rock?¡± valuable to my employers.¡± . Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 5) HELLS GRACE Part 5 ¡°That¡¯s weird. It says on Google Maps that this road doesn¡¯t exist,¡± Yasmine said from the backseat. Unlike the others, she wasn¡¯t dressed for a break-in, wearing a band t-shirt I hadn¡¯t heard of, a loose, long-sleeved flannel shirt, and shorts. She was younger than the others and must be around her mid-to-late twenties. She looked Polynesian, with brown skin and long straight black hair. A quick look at her Instagram feed showed that she hailed from Honolulu, moved to LA, and then to Oregon. ¡°What? It¡¯s the only way to reach the other side of the lake, and this road comes to a dead end,¡± Steven said. ¡°Maybe we missed a turn.¡± ¡°Tara just drove back and around. This is the only road.¡± Yasmine rolled her eyes. ¡°What do you think, Tara?¡± She asked, hoping to persuade the sister. Tara paused, looking at the dirt road. ¡°I mean, forty grand is forty grand.¡± ¡°Do you even believe that guy has forty thousand dollars sitting in his living room? He looks like a bum,¡± Yasmine said, turning back to Steven. ¡°Babe, I don¡¯t think we should have taken this job. We should have asked more if he wants us to off someone. You said this Alvin guy was a felon and lived off a bottle a year ago, and now¡ª¡± ¡°Now he¡¯s got a job working for some rich folks. Frankly, I wished I had thought of that sooner,¡± Steven said. Tara whirled around. ¡°We¡¯re independent contractors, Steven. We¡¯re not some leashed dogs. And Yasmine, forty grand is nearly a year¡¯s worth of paycheck for most Americans, right? And we¡¯re getting it in a day.¡± ¡°Divided by three?¡± Yasmine crossed her arms. ¡°Enough pocket money to find a new gig,¡± Tara said. ¡°Portland¡¯s bustling these days. Plus, we still got that money from the last job. You didn¡¯t have to shoot anyone, but Steven and I did. It¡¯s still the same pay, and I didn¡¯t hear you complaining.¡± ¡°We got fifty from that. We haven¡¯t gotten a Portland job in a while. For good reason. Those motherfuckers up there are crazy.¡± ¡°Everyone gets crazier in the winter. It¡¯s only one woman. How hard can that be?¡± ¡°Yas, he said he¡¯ll increase the money if we found the gemstone. We can ask for seventy-five, so we get twenty-five grand each?¡± Steven reassured her. ¡°If they really want this gem, it must be precious. Heck, we might steal it for ourselves if not for--¡± ¡°Not happening. We got a code, Steven. We don¡¯t fuck with people who hire us. Bad for business.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Gotcha, sis. But think about it for a moment, okay? This could be like two hundred grand or something if Alvin wants to get it back.¡± Yasmine leaned back in her seat. ¡°Ah, fine. Rent¡¯s due in two weeks anyway.¡± Steven smiled. ¡°I know you¡¯ll come around.¡± ¡°Why would a woman be alone in a cabin?¡± Yasmine muttered. ¡°Vacation?¡± Tara chimed in as she drove into my road. ¡°Or hiding. Alvin is looking for her after all,¡± Steven said. ¡°This means she might be armed, so we must be careful. Scout first, then we make contact. You know the drill.¡± Both Steven and Yasmine nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± Their aura grew in strength with a bright shade of green. I watched them cross the bridge and then the site of Eddie¡¯s accident. However, using [telekinesis], I dragged the van further into the forest, and Old Growth covered them with foliage earlier this morning. No one from the road would see it unless they ventured into the woods. It¡¯s hard enough to see that I made the road specifically twisting so that the driver had to focus not to go off the ditch and crash. ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± Steven said. ¡°Okay. Everyone hold on.¡± Tara steered the Jeep off the path and through a gap between the trees. Steven and Yasmine held on for dear life as the vehicle rocked back and forth from running over each protruding root and mound. Finally, she found a clearing where she could park the car. She looked at her GPS. ¡°That should bring us¡­a thousand feet from the property. Grab your stuff. We¡¯ll walk from here.¡± On Oracle¡¯s screen, I saw Alvin had just arrived at the roadhouse¡¯s parking lot. ¡°Keep your eyes on him, Oracle, while we deal with our visitors,¡± I said. > ORDERS RECEIVED. ¡°What about me, lord dungeon? What shall I do?¡± Maxine said. ¡°You?¡± I paused, thinking. ¡°I want you to play.¡± Demon Maxine grinned. ¡°Then I shall.¡± For an hour, Steven, Tara, and Yasmine stayed beyond the tree line, watching from the shadows. They scouted the cabin, noting the only entry points (the front and back door), and even looked through the boathouse. I didn¡¯t let Maxine show herself near the window. I didn¡¯t want to give away her location to the others. She remained inside the pantry, hidden. Once they¡¯d scouted everything they could, including the garden and generator shed, they met up near the start of Trail B to discuss their plans for getting inside the cabin. After ten minutes, they decided to bring Yasmine in. Wearing Tara¡¯s daypack, Yasmine took a deep breath and marched down Trail B, pretending to be exhausted. She took out the full bottle of water from the side of her pack and poured it to half empty, then took a small swig, patting the nonexistent sweat on her brow with the back of her hand. The others remained hidden in the bushes, watching the woman stagger toward the cabin. Unbeknownst to them, Goliath stood not far behind, doing the same thing. I already told Goliath, Old Growth, Siren, and the demon what weapons Tara and Steven carried. Tara had a knife with her and a Glock. Steven also had the latter. Only Yasmine was unarmed. Yasmine walked up to the front door and knocked. ¡°Hello?¡± Another knock. ¡°Anybody home? Hello?¡± I went over to the demon. ¡°Handle her.¡± ¡°With pleasure.¡± Maxine walked out of the pantry. ¡°Hello?¡± Yasmine knocked again. Maxine opened the door but kept the chain lock on, parting a narrow gap between her and the stranger. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Maxine asked, pretending to be cautious. I¡¯m impressed by how quickly the demon could switch an act. They had an infinite time to perfect it. ¡°Hi!¡± Yasmine exploded with relief. ¡°Thank God someone¡¯s home. Um, I just got lost hiking through the trail, and I stumbled upon your cabin.¡± Maxine glanced over her shoulder. ¡°Well, you¡¯re off by several miles if you¡¯re trying to get to the mountain.¡± ¡°Yes. Um, well, I¡¯m not really used to hiking on my own, but the sun is going down, and I don¡¯t really know where I am. I just want to get home. Do you have a phone by any chance?¡± Maxine hesitated. A stupid question, I thought. Everyone has phones these days. We¡¯re practically addicted to it. Yasmine never let her kind smile falter. ¡°It¡¯s just that my husband and I are visiting the town nearby, and he can drive over here from the hotel and pick me up once he knows where I am. He wanted to do wine tasting than hiking.¡± Yasmine faked a laugh. Maxine gulped. ¡°Uh, what¡¯s wrong with your phone?¡± Yasmine showed her a blank screen and frowned. ¡°Dead. I forgot to charge it last night.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Maxine nodded. ¡°Oh. Um, sure. You can come in.¡± She unlocked the chain and opened the door wider. ¡°Fantastic! I¡¯ll be out of your hair in no time!¡± Yasmine said and entered the cabin. Steven took out his CB radio. ¡°She¡¯s in,¡± he told Tara, hiding behind the bushes near the back door. ¡°Copy. We¡¯ll wait for her signal,¡± she said. Inside, Yasmine made a show of looking around the cabin. ¡°Oh my gosh. This is quite a nice place you have.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my husband¡¯s,¡± Maxine said. ¡°Our summer home. I¡¯ll get the phone.¡± Maxine entered the bedroom upstairs while Yasmine started checking out the living room. She walked over to the picture frames, and her expression slightly twitched. She noticed that the photos did not feature Maxine at all. A completely random family. Her Resolve dwindled to a dull green. It was not my intention, but I was glad I unnerved her. She heard Maxine¡¯s footsteps coming out of the bedroom, and Yasmine quickly walked back to where she was last standing. She beamed a smile as Maxine handed her Leo¡¯s phone. ¡°Thank you, thank you so much. I owe you one.¡± She dialed Steven¡¯s number, and they let it ring for a few seconds until Steven picked up. ¡°Hey, hun! It¡¯s Kyla. I¡¯m calling from a woman¡¯s phone because my battery died. Yes. I¡¯m okay. I just got lost and found this cabin, and this nice lady handed me her phone to call you¡­yes. Yes. Uh-huh. Um¡­¡± Yasmine turned to Maxine. ¡°Where are we again?¡± ¡°North Cedar Lake.¡± ¡°North Cedar Lake,¡± Yasmine said. ¡°Sure. I can drop a pin. Would that be alright, ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Maxine said. ¡°Perfect.¡± For some reason, Yasmine¡¯s green Resolve became duller and duller. She probably expected Maxine to protest, given that she might be hiding from Alvin¡¯s employers, but she offered it immediately. ¡°She¡¯s suspicious,¡± I told the demon. Maxine¡¯s face never changed. ¡°Alright, hun. I¡¯ll wait for you here. Love you. Bye-bye.¡± Yasmine dropped the pin over text and then handed back the phone. ¡°Again, thank you.¡± ¡°Please. Sit. I¡¯ll brew you some herbal tea. You can also watch TV. I have cable.¡± ¡°Oh, that would be nice. Um, actually, may I use the restroom? I¡¯ve been hiking quite a lot, and my bladder¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°No need to explain. It¡¯s just down the hall.¡± Yasmine waited until Maxine went into the kitchen, took the kettle from the cupboard, and added water from the sink. She marched toward the back door, making sure her footsteps were as light as a feather. Yasmine unlocked the door and went into the bathroom. Turning on her phone, she sent Steven and Tara the thumbs-up emoji. TARA: Good. And the thing? YASMINE: Didn¡¯t see it. Might be hidden. TARA: We¡¯ll look for it together. Wait fifteen minutes. We¡¯ll be in. Jamming the phones now. Outside, Steven opened the small gym bag he carried around his shoulder and fished out a small grey box. It only had a couple of buttons, and he pushed the one on top. Immediately, all the internet access around the cabin was cut off. > INTERRUPTION DETECTED. REROUTING POWER AND PROCESSING¡­ ¡°Shit,¡± I muttered. Oracle was a construct, but I made him to be a computer with access to the internet. A jamming device would quickly snuff that out. ¡°How long¡¯s that gonna take?¡± > FOUR MINUTES [TECH MANIPULATION TRIGGERED]. ¡°Not bad. Just do your best.¡± I teleported into the kitchen. "She opened the back door," I told the demon. Demon Maxine nodded. "And this human is a capable fighter?'' "Tara says she is. She could be lying to Alvin so that she''s included in the job." "She is weak. I can sense her soul," the demon said almost with glee. "She is not like the other two. Could be a lie then." "Are you saying you can handle her?" "Like a boot to an ant. She is a pretty face to knock someone''s walls down. I''d like to wear her." "But what about Maxine''s body?" "She is still...alive. When I slip out of her skin, she will be be knocked unconscious by the separation. But do not worry, lord dungeon. I will get inside her body after I take care of the others. I have not dallied in a while, and Oldie has usurped the kill last time, although a welcomed one." "Okay. See to it that you will." Yasmine waited in the bathroom for a few minutes, checking her phone, and confirmed that Steven had already blocked all communication around the cabin. That brought her a lot of confidence as her Resolve turned greener. She walked over and looked at herself in the mirror, trying to psyche herself up, patting her cheeks, moving her jaw. ¡°Come on, Yas. You¡¯re not the one who¡¯s going to do it,¡± she said. ¡°Not you. Not you.¡± I realized she meant killing Maxine. It¡¯s all fine for her as long as she¡¯s not the one doing the deed. Her hands trembled a little. Anxious. She peeked out of the bathroom window but couldn¡¯t see Steven or Tara hiding nearby. Sighing, she washed her hands and walked out the door. She returned to the living room and noticed the kettle was almost boiling. Maxine smiled. ¡°It¡¯s almost ready. Do you want honey with it?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± Yasmine sat at the end of the dining table, waiting as the kettle boiled, and Maxine poured the hot water into two mugs and handed it to her. ¡°Careful. It¡¯s hot,¡± Maxine said. ¡°Thanks. What¡¯s in it?¡± ¡°Peppermint tea. Good to warm yourself up. I hope you¡¯re not allergic.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s one of my favorites.¡± Maxine sat on the opposite end of the table. ¡°So, what brings you to hike on your own?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m an avid hiker,¡± Yasmine replied, taking a small sip. ¡°I¡¯ve hiked many trails, and the ones around Mount Selene are my go-to this time of the year. I know it¡¯s cheesy, but it¡¯s like being inside a postcard.¡± ¡°It is a beautiful area. That¡¯s why I chose it,¡± Maxine said. Time to unnerve her more. I activated [Strange Noises]. I made two-second, audible footsteps as if someone was running on the second floor. Yasmine immediately noticed it, but Maxine pretended she didn¡¯t hear it. ¡°Um, is your husband here with you?¡± Yasmine asked. ¡°No,¡± Maxine answered. ¡°I had friends over last night.¡± ¡°Oh. I didn¡¯t know you had guests.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re sleeping downstairs.¡± Yasmine¡¯s bubbly facade fell. ¡°Downstairs¡­?¡± She looked around for the stairs that would lead below. She probably thought that she missed an area of the cabin. After all, some places had turned their basements into living spaces. I could tell she wanted to alert the others of more potential complications. Fighting multiple people at once was not part of their plan. Maxine picked up the steaming mug of tea and gulped it down like a beer can. Her throat turned red as the heat rushed from her chest to her cheeks and forehead. She let out an exhilarating exhale and dropped the mug down on the table with a loud thud, enough to make Yasmine jump. Maxine¡¯s lips splintered and reddened. ¡°Yes. Downstairs,¡± Maxine reiterated. ¡°They¡¯re¡­hungover from last night. It was a massacre of a party.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Yasmine was clearly uncomfortable. She didn¡¯t know where to look and instead chose to look down at her hands around her mug. She didn¡¯t like the way Maxine was looking at her. Suddenly, she wanted to leave this cabin and into the forest¡¯s safety. With [Strange Noises] still active for a minute, I created the heavy footsteps again as if someone was slowly walking down the stairs. Thud. Thud. Thud. Yasmine had a good view of the stairs from where she sat in the kitchen¡­and no one was walking down those steps. Only the noise. Reverberating against her ears. It continued walking down those wooden steps until it reached the bottom landing. And still, it creaked against the floorboards as if an invisible force was walking toward the table. The noise stopped from where Yasmine was sitting, eyes bulging and breathing heavily, focusing on the space where the figure must be standing. She didn¡¯t realize she was gripping the mug tighter and tighter until the heat surged from the mug and radiated up her wrist. ¡°Shit!¡± She shouted, reeling her hands off the steaming mug. ¡°Yasmine,¡± Maxine called out. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She asked, almost sounding genuine. ¡°Ah, yeah. I just burnt myself¡ª¡± she paused. ¡°Wait. What did you say?¡± ¡°I asked if you are okay. Are you?¡± Yasmine shook her hand and stood up. ¡°No, no. Before that.¡± Maxine hesitated. ¡°What did you think I said?¡± Yasmine froze. It dawned on her, and she certainly didn¡¯t imagine it. The woman said her name. The name that she did not give. Kyla. That was the name she had given her. Kyla. Not Yasmine. Kyla. ¡°What. Did. You. Think. I. Said?¡± Maxine asked again. Yasmine quickly picked up her pack from the floor. ¡°Um, I¡ªI think I remember now where to go back to town. I don¡¯t want to be a bother, but, um, I think I could find my own way.¡± ¡°What about your husband? Isn¡¯t he picking you up?¡± ¡°I-I can meet him on the trailhead. It¡¯s easy to find.¡± ¡°But you are far off the trail. You haven¡¯t even finished your tea.¡± Yasmine forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll just get some air.¡± She strode out of the kitchen and headed toward the front door. She was about to unlock the chain when Maxine shouted. ¡°GOOD!¡± Maxine got up from her seat. ¡°And the thing? Didn¡¯t see it. Might be hidden.¡± Yasmine slowly turned around and let out an uneven breath. ¡°What¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll look for it together¡­¡± Maxine¡¯s voice became deeper and garbled as if three voices were speaking at once. The demon triggered its [Mocking Torment]. ¡°Wait fifteen minutes. We¡¯ll go in. Jamming the phones now.¡± ¡°How¡­¡± Yasmine was rooted at where she stood. Fear clouded her mind. Maxine grinned. Her eyes glowed a golden yellow. ¡°Lucky for you, whore. Fifteen minutes is all I need to have fun with you.¡± Yasmine pivoted her heels and reached for the chained lock, but Maxine was already behind her and slammed her face right on the wooden door. Blood spurted out of Yasmine¡¯s nose as Maxine grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her back. She stumbled onto the ground, clutching her bleeding face. The demon leaped on top of her. Before Yasmine could scream and alert the others, Maxine wrapped her hand around her mouth, muffling her cries. I didn¡¯t think it would be possible, but the demon extended Maxine¡¯s tongue by several inches, almost like a snake¡¯s, and licked Yasmine¡¯s face from her chin and then up to her forehead. A greenish slime of bile glistened on Yasmine¡¯s cheek. ¡°My, my, Yasmine¡­¡± the demon said. ¡°Your soul tastes awfully sweet. I will enjoy wearing your flesh and let you watch your own hand cut your pretty boy boyfriend and feed his eyes to his bitch sister. She doesn¡¯t like you anyway, does she? Sounds¡­fun.¡± The demon grabbed Yasmine by the jaw and forced her mouth open. Suddenly, a deluge of black and crimson blood mixed with maggots erupted from Maxine¡¯s mouth, spraying all over the girl¡¯s face. It was like watching a hose shoved inside Maxine¡¯s throat, and when I thought it would end, it kept going and going and going¡­ Finally, the bloody flood waned, and Maxine¡¯s eyes rolled over, and she collapsed on the ground next to Yasmine, whose Resolve turned into a deep red. The demon¡¯s shadow hovered above her, waiting. Though I could see it, the woman couldn¡¯t. Choking, Yasmine scrambled to her feet, trying to wash the blood off her face. She wanted to scream but didn¡¯t want to swallow the maggots crawling around her head and inside her blood-soaked hair. ¡°Oh, God! Oh, God!¡± She yelped, grabbed the chained lock, and pulled the door open. Luckily, Steven and Tara had already moved into position near the back door. They had no idea what was going on inside. ¡°Steve¡ª!¡± The infernal shadow rushed forward and wrapped itself around Yasmine¡¯s body like a coiling snake, freezing all her muscles mid-stride. She tried to breathe, tried to move her head, her eyes rolling backward until all I could see was the white sclera. A big glob of drool slipped out her gaping mouth. Then, her bladder emptied, and urine flowed from her shorts and down her legs, pooling underneath her. ¡°Help¡­¡± Yasmine managed to squeak. The demon dragged her back inside the cabin and slammed the door shut. Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 6) HELLS GRACE Part 6 The back door swung open, and Tara snuck inside. The cabin was quiet. She could only hear her own breath. The slightest footsteps against the floorboards sent chills up her spine. However, she couldn¡¯t hear Yasmine. I could tell by the way her brows furrowed that she found that mildly unsettling. Perhaps, in jobs like this, the other girl had a knack for charming their targets, distracting them long enough for Tara and her brother to knock them out. Or kill them, whichever was the occasion. But against a demon¡­she stood no chance¡ªan amusing toy roasting above the infernal fire. Again, the cabin was quiet. Too quiet. Tara raised a hand, gesturing for Steven to slow down behind her. They had left the duffel bag behind, hidden outside next to a tree, the jamming device still active. Tara took out her Glock and moved forward. She didn¡¯t even get two steps out of the mud room when her heart skipped a beat. There, laying face first in a pool of blood, was a woman. Tiny white dots wiggled beneath her. Maggots, she realized. At first, she thought it was Yasmine, and perhaps Alvin had downplayed how dangerous their mark was and fucked them over. But as she approached, she realized the woman had darker skin and shorter hair, and her clothes did not match Yasmine¡¯s. ¡°Jesus!¡± Steven suddenly exclaimed. Tara whirled around and found Yasmine standing beneath the archway into the kitchen and dining room, covered in blood and masking a thousand-yard stare. Not even Steven gently nudging her shoulder took her out of the stupor. Tara lowered her gun. ¡°Yas¡­¡± she whispered. ¡°What the fuck happened?¡± She looked down at the body. Could it be? Was their mark dead this soon? What about the stupid gem? ¡°Did you kill her?¡± That word. Kill. Yasmine pried her gaze off the floor and looked up, tears welling in her eyes. ¡°What? I¡ª¡± ¡°Did you do this?¡± Tara pointed at Maxine. ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± Yasmine trailed off. She couldn¡¯t find the words as she stared at Maxine¡¯s unmoving form in disbelief. I could feel the demon wrestling control inside her. Then I realized it was with purpose. Giving Yasmine enough command of her body just before the monster would go for the jugular. Before it would bundle those strings together and make Yasmine dance a macabre performance. It was toying with them, toying with the girl¡¯s soul. Playing with their food. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­I can¡¯t¡­.I can¡¯t remember¡­¡± Yasmine took shallow breaths, wracking her brain for a memory of the past fifteen minutes. She clutched her head. Nothing. ¡°Babe, you¡¯re burning up,¡± Steven said worriedly and pressed the back of his hand against her forehead. He guided her to the couch. ¡°Tara. Get some cold water.¡± Tara stood frozen, confused. Her Resolve was slowly draining. So did Steven¡¯s. ¡°Tara! Water!¡± Steven snapped her out of her daze. ¡°Yeah. Got it.¡± Tara strode into the kitchen. Steven gritted his teeth, pulled off the wool blanket draped over the ottoman, and put it around Yasmine¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Here, babe. Are you cold? Are you okay?¡± He tried to wipe the blood off her face with the sleeves of his flannel shirt. Yasmine did not answer. Steven glanced over Maxine¡¯s body. ¡°Hey. It¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s self-defense, alright? She attacked you.¡± Even I could tell he wasn''t sure, but he went for the one that made more sense. Yasmine wasn''t a fighter, besides what Tara told their clients. Clients loved it when they hired a competent group to muscle through a job if the occasion arose. The pay remains the same as long as you get results. ¡°But I didn¡¯t kill her. It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s not me. It can¡¯t be me.¡± ¡°Hey, hey. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re gonna get out of here soon.¡± Yasmine nodded, shaking. ¡°I just want to go home, Steven,¡± she said, choking a sob. ¡°Trust me. We¡¯ll get paid, and we¡¯ll get the fuck out of here.¡± ¡°No, Steven¡­I. Want. To. Go. Home. Now.¡± Tara walked into the room with the glass of water and handed it to Steven. He gave it to Yasmine, tipping the glass onto her lips, and helped her drink the water. ¡°Steven, can I talk to you in the kitchen for a second?¡± Tara said. ¡°Okay. Hold on.¡± Steven placed the half-empty glass on the coffee table when Yasmine had enough and followed his sister into the kitchen. ¡°What?¡± ¡°She¡¯s in shock,¡± Tara said matter-of-factly. ¡°No kidding. She hasn¡¯t¡­offed someone before. We shouldn¡¯t have sent her in.¡± Tara pursed her lips. ¡°A woman alone in the woods is not really a threat. But maybe we underestimated the situation. They had been drinking tea earlier, but I didn¡¯t smell poison on the mug. It also looked like there was a struggle. Maybe the woman saw us coming and attacked her?¡± ¡°She would have told us if something was wrong,¡± Steven said. ¡°Maybe she didn¡¯t have the time. Anyway, the woman¡¯s dead, and that¡¯s half of the paycheck.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m worried about Yas. She looks fucking shaken up, man. We should leave.¡± ¡°I know. But we¡¯re already deep into this shit, Stevy; we might as well get the other half of the money. We need to find the gem and give it to Alvin. Unfortunately, your girlfriend killed the person who knows where she¡¯s hiding it. We have no choice but to turn this place upside down.¡± Steven heaved a sigh. ¡°Fuck. Fine. I doubt Yasmine¡¯s gonna help us search.¡± Tara shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll go check upstairs. You stay down here.¡± Tara and Steven broke off and started rummaging through the place. There was only one room on the second floor, the master suite, and I was surprised at how thoroughly Tara searched the room. I thought she would throw things around carelessly, but she was meticulous, covering the northeastern side of the room and going clockwise. She opened drawers and felt for false bottoms. In the closet, she knocked on the wall for a secret cubby. She crawled underneath the bed, checked every nook and cranny, and tapped her foot on each floorboard in case there was a hidden recess she could pry open. Nothing. On the other hand, Steven had a much bigger space to search. He started in the living room, probably to keep a close eye on Yasmine sitting still on the couch. Since he searched the kitchen and living room for the past ten minutes, Yasmine had not moved an inch, staring at the fireplace. Steven felt around inside as well. Maybe there was a loose brick, and I expected a bundled rag with the gem inside. He didn¡¯t find anything. ¡°Nothing in the kitchen and the living room!¡± Steven shouted. ¡°Okay! Nothing in the bedroom here! I¡¯ll look in the bathroom over here!¡± ¡°Got it! I¡¯ll start with the bedrooms here.¡± Steven sauntered over to Yasmine and crouched down in front of her. ¡°I¡¯ll just be in the bedroom, okay? If you need me, holler.¡± But Yasmine did not respond. Gulping down his worry, Steven stood up and walked toward the nearest bedroom door. Yasmine suddenly grabbed his wrist. ¡°Steven¡ª¡± ¡°What? What is it?¡± ¡°I thought we were leaving,¡± Yasmine sobbed. ¡°We are. We just..." He let out a defeated sigh. "...need to find the gemstone that Alvin wants first. We''ve gotten this far.¡± ¡°No, no. You don¡¯t understand. We need to leave. Now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? The woman¡¯s dead. She didn¡¯t call the cops, did she?¡± Yasmine¡¯s gaze darted everywhere in the room. ¡°I can feel it.¡± ¡°Feel what?¡± Yasmine stifled another sob. ¡°There¡¯s something here, inside me, around us. And it wants to hurt all of us. Please, Steven. Let¡¯s get out of here while we still can.¡± ¡°What are you on about?¡± ¡°Please. It¡¯s watching us. Right now.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s watching?¡± My incorporeal body grew cold, and I shivered. Yasmine slowly turned her gaze toward where I hovered. Then, she raised a shaky finger and pointed it at me. Me. ¡°Him,¡± she whispered, fear forming a lump in her throat. [Detected. A delver has a line of sight on you.] The prompt materialized in an instant. The demon¡¯s half-control of the girl¡¯s body had spilled a sliver of its Sight into Yasmine¡¯s consciousness, allowing her to see my true form, and I could feel her Resolve sucked dry by the apparition. Interesting. Steven turned around, but it looked like he couldn¡¯t see me. ¡°There¡¯s nothing there, babe.¡± Yasmine shook her head, and that only made her cry more. ¡°Anything?¡± Tara shouted from above. ¡°Uh, no! I¡¯m still looking!¡± Steven squinted his eyes at where I hovered. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to Yasmine. ¡°I¡¯m gonna find the gem, and then we¡¯ll leave. It¡¯s gonna be quick. I promise.¡± Steven tried to pry his wrist off Yasmine¡¯s grip. ¡°Baby, you¡¯re holding me too tight. Can you let go?¡± Yasmine¡¯s grip only grew tighter and tighter. ¡°I said let go!¡± Steven yanked his hand off, but he miscalculated the force and ended up slapping Yasmine¡¯s chin with the back of his hand. Yasmine yelped and curled on the couch. ¡°Shit, babe, I¡¯m so sorry! I didn¡¯t mean¡ª!¡± ¡°Leave me alone!¡± Yasmine rolled over and buried her face in the cushions. ¡°You don¡¯t care about me! You hate me!¡± Steven wanted to say more, regretting what he had done. But his nerves failed him, and he pivoted around and entered the second bedroom, hoping to forget what just happened by looking for the damn gem. I floated closer toward Yasmine. ¡°You can see me, can¡¯t you?¡± I said. For the first time, I didn¡¯t know why it felt exciting that someone could finally see me, not just by my monsters but by people. Real people. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Yasmine cupped her hands around her ears. ¡°You¡¯re not real. You¡¯re not real.¡± ¡°Open your eyes and look at me,¡± I commanded. "Look at me." It was as if Yasmine was fighting the demon¡¯s strings, trying to keep her eyes closed while her eyelids were forced open and her head slowly turned to face me. A tear rolled down her cheek. ¡°What are you?¡± The question threw me off for a moment. I didn¡¯t know what the fuck I am these days. A victim still? Vengeance incarnate? A devourer? A prisoner? Death itself? Though it had been hours since I¡¯d last fed, it felt like I hadn¡¯t eaten in a week. Every fiber of my being told me to feast on her, the way her Resolve glistened in a majestic aura of crimson so sickly sweet, and the need to feed had never been greater. Feed. Feed. Feed. Feed. Shouldn¡¯t I feel¡­ what¡¯s the word¡­compassion? Sympathy? Kindness? Humanity? Yes. I am human. I am here. I used to be her. Tears usually get me. In my human memory, when I see people cry, it is like I¡¯m catching it as well, and my eyes suddenly welled up, and I end up not knowing why I was crying in the first place. It could be from a loved on, a total stranger, or from a fucking movie. The results remained the same. Now, I felt¡­a void. A strange one like I had ripped away the skin, and the wound had festered. I wanted to cry, but I couldn¡¯t. Even I could not force myself to do it. Compassion. Kindness. Humanity. I should feel these things. It is¡­innate. Required. Right? But the words felt alien to my tongue, like reading the title of a book you recognize, but you never know what¡¯s inside it. Just a blank space of meaningless drivel, and no matter how you try to understand the words and the burden hidden within, it escapes you. It slips away and turns forever lost. These words hitched like fleas upon my shadow, itchy and spattered with a reddening rash. The need to be rid of it was absolute. And there was only one way to do it. Feed. Feed. Feed. The girl¡¯s question lingered in my mind. And all I could reply was one word. A word I knew as easy as breathing. ¡°Hunger.¡± Suddenly, her head snapped back sideways; bones cracked audibly, and her mouth hung loose. Eyes quickly turned bloodshot in a split second. She lay still on the couch like a corpse when her eyes suddenly blinked once, and she slowly rose, lifting one leg and the other, and stood up. The blanket that Steven gave her fell off her shoulders. She stayed in that position for a minute. Steven crawled underneath the bed in the nearby bedroom, looking for the gem. Yasmine softly hummed a tune I immediately recognized¡ªan old Taylor Swift song. Blank Space, was it? She turned around and walked toward the kitchen. Steven must have seen her feet walking past the door frame from under the bed, and he quickly crawled out, confused. ¡°Yas? Are you okay?¡± She was still humming that song softly as she reached the sink and turned on the faucet; the water''s hiss joined her haunting voice. Steven walked out of the bedroom and followed her into the kitchen. ¡°Are you thirsty? Do you want more water?¡± He asked, concerned. A trickle of fear spilled out, though he tried to stifle it. Yasmine did not answer. He desperately wanted to help with what was bothering her, and he clearly didn''t like feeling helpless. ¡°I¡¯ll grab the glass.¡± Steven returned to the living room and grabbed the half-empty glass on the coffee table. Whhhiirrrr! Steven jumped at the sudden loud noise, cutting through the air. It even shuddered underneath him. When he looked over to the kitchen, Yasmine had turned on the garbage disposal in the sink, and then she cocked her head to the side and gave him the widest grin before she shoved her left hand inside the opening. ¡°Yasmine! No!¡± Steven let go of the glass and ran toward her. Surprisingly, it did not break when it hit the wooden floor and rolled toward the kitchen. Steven switched off the garbage disposal from the wall socket and yanked Yasmine¡¯s left arm out, and a gush of blood spurted out, spraying him all over the face. Instead of a scream, Yasmine cackled madly as she glimpsed her bloodied hand, lacerated and mutilated beyond recognition, bones snapped into odd positions with some sticking out of. her skin. And the blood never stopped. Yasmine collapsed on the floor. Steven crouched down and grabbed the dish towel hanging by the oven handle. He wrapped it around Yasmine¡¯s ruined hand. ¡°What the fuck did you do? Why the fuck did you do that!¡± Blood still kept coming through the fabric. ¡°Shit. Tara! Tara! I need help!¡± ¡°Steven¡­¡± Yasmine whispered, indifferent to Steven¡¯s cries and dwindling Resolve, which had turned dark orange. Seeing his girlfriend badly injured must have taken a break in his mental psyche. He was panicking. ¡°Shh. Don¡¯t talk. Don¡¯t talk. Tara! Get down here!¡± ¡°Steven¡­will you still love me if my arm is missing?¡± Yasmine asked, eyes softening. Her right hand snaked its way up and around the back of Steven¡¯s head. ¡°Wh¡ªwhat?¡± ¡°Will you still fuck me even if I look like this?¡± She raised her injured hand. "I can cut your arm too, so we can be matching besties, and love each other forever and ever..." ¡°I don¡¯t under¡ª¡± Steven paused when he noticed that Yasmine¡¯s eyes had turned into the color of yellowy pus. ¡°So, why don¡¯t you give your whore a good kiss?¡± Yasmine grabbed a fistful of Steven¡¯s hair and forced his lips to her mouth. Steven struggled under her strength, hands pushing against her shoulders, but it was useless. She was too strong. Then, a sickening crunch and Steven screeched as his bottom lip was caught between Yasmine¡¯s teeth. Yasmine, smiling gleefully, bit harder and yanked her head back, ripping off the flesh. Steven clutched his bleeding mouth, stumbling backward to his feet, eyes wide with horror. He tried to run, but he didn¡¯t see the lone glass lying by its side on the floor. Steven stepped on it, rolling against his soles, losing his balance. He scrambled for a foothold, but his adrenaline overpowered him, and his back slammed against the archway, knocking the air out of his lungs. When he looked over to where Yasmine was, she was already standing, pulling out a paring knife from the magnetic knife holder on the kitchen island. Twitching, she strode toward him. ¡°Yas, stop! Stop! It¡¯s me! It¡¯s me!¡± But Yasmine wasn¡¯t listening. Yasmine was gone. Only the demon now remained. Yasmine raised the blade, and Steven lifted his arms; the knife plunged through his right lower arm. Yasmine yanked the knife off so quickly Steven didn¡¯t even have time to process the pain when she stabbed him again in the shoulder. ¡°We will dine in Hell, baby. Just like you wanted,¡± Yasmine said gleefully as she raised the blade, aiming for his head. BANG! A shot rang out. Yasmine paused, face straining. She looked down and watched the blood soaking through her t-shirt around her abdomen. Her own blood. She looked to the living room where Tara stood, aiming the Glock at her. ¡°You shot me!¡± The demon had reverted a semblance of control to Yasmine, letting her feel the pain as the bullet lodged inside her gut. ¡°You shot me! Why?!¡± But the sudden jerk of Yasmine¡¯s hand¡ªthe one that wielded the knife¡ªtook Tara aback, and her finger twitched enough to pull the trigger and send a bullet flying through Yasmine¡¯s throat. Yasmine dropped the knife and stumbled back, hitting the kitchen counter. She slumped against it, clutching her throat as she choked in her own blood. ¡°No!¡± Steven screamed and crawled toward Yasmine¡¯s writhing body. ¡°Stop, stop!¡± He muttered as if words alone would stop the bleeding. Yasmine barely lasted a few seconds before her muscles seized, and her eyes glazed over. The demon slipped out of her mouth together with her last breath. [You have gained 1 essence: Yasmine Kalani] [You have gained 150 crystals] ¡°Yasmine? Yas?¡± Steven tried to feel for a pulse, but when he felt nothing, he burst into tears, enough to reduce his Resolve to red. Though Tara tried to hide her emotion and growing panic, her Resolve matched her brother¡¯s. Tara grabbed his arm. ¡°We need to fucking go!¡± ¡°But¡ªBut I can¡¯t leave her!¡± ¡°She¡¯s dead, Stevy. We need to leave.¡± ¡°You killed her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s either her or you, and whatever¡¯s wrong with her, I am not waiting to find out!¡± But Steven shook off Tara¡¯s grip. ¡°I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t. We can¡¯t leave her here!¡± He pointed at Maxine¡¯s body. ¡°If the police arrive, they¡¯re gonna know who Yasmine is and who she¡¯s with. If we leave her here, she¡¯s gonna lead them back to us!¡± Tara groaned. ¡°Fuck!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°Alright. Um, I¡¯ll bring the Jeep out front. You find something to wrap her body with. And don¡¯t touch anything. We don¡¯t want to compromise more of the scene as it is.¡± ¡°The shed. There¡¯s a shed near the cabin. There might be something there.¡± ¡°Then move your ass! Come on!¡± Tara fished her keys out of her jacket and strode toward the front door. Steven followed closely behind. ¡°If you find a gas can in the shed, grab it.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°We left a shit ton of evidence!¡± Tara opened the door and turned to face her brother. ¡°We can''t have that. We¡¯re gonna burn this place to the fucking gr¡ª¡± A javelin-like root sank through the back of Tara¡¯s head and out through her gaping mouth. More blood splattered all over Steven¡¯s face. Yelping, he stumbled back and fell to the floor. Old Growth hung upside down on the front porch ceiling, its appendage coated with Tara¡¯s brain matter. Next to Steven, Maxine¡¯s body twitched as the demon slipped through her slightly parted lips. And when she opened her eyes, they gleamed a golden yellow. Arching her back and bending her knees toward her hips, she slowly rose to a kneeling position and propped one leg up and the other until she stood over him, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. I doubted Steven even heard the back door open, and the Goliath trudged in, dragging that large axe of his scraping against the floorboards. Steven¡¯s gaze fixed on Tara¡¯s twitching legs, dangling inches off the ground. The floor creaked behind him, and finally, he slowly turned around and gaped at the hulking figure looming over him. Frozen with fear, he watched the axe rise over Goliath¡¯s shoulder, and all he could do was close his eyes tightly shut and await the inevitable. The blade swung and dropped between his shoulder and his neck. Steven let out a gurgled gasp, shocked by how the blade nearly decapitated him. Goliath gripped the ends of the handle and yanked hard, a boot pushing against Steven¡¯s back. With nerves severed, he couldn¡¯t even move or make a sound. Or plead for his life. Goliath stared down at him and swung the axe again at the exact spot, cleaving off his head. It rolled over beneath Tara¡¯s feet. Old Growth retracted its appendage, and Tara slumped beside her brother¡¯s head. [You have gained 1 essence: Tara Dowell] [You have gained 150 crystals] [You have gained 1 essence: Steven Dowell] [You have gained 150 crystals] The bluish glow of their essence seeped out of their skin and darted into my incorporeal form. A reinvigorating rush warmed its way in, a welcomed one I had craved like a delicacy. I had forgotten where I was for a brief moment, only to be reminded by the smell of copper, piss, and bowels. ¡°What did that clergyman say again? Teamwork makes the dream work?¡± Demon Maxine laughed. ¡°Each kill for us! Oh, I wish we had five delvers instead of three. Oracle and Siren might be able to feast.¡± ¡°There are more coming,¡± I said. ¡°Of course, of course, my liege. How fare you?¡± I sighed. ¡°My stomach is not rumbling. I guess that¡¯s a good thing. How long can you repossess a body anyway?¡± The demon mulled it over. "Thirty minutes? If I leave a possessed body, I have to be back inside it within thirty minutes, or else, I have to do the work all over again." "Maxine is important in our plans. I don''t want her to wake up and add another headache for us." "Understood, lord dungeon. II''ll refrain from body hopping in the future." I sensed that Oracle had dismantled the jamming device, and he sent me an urgent alert. He found something. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked after I flew into the study. Goliath and the demon followed after me. Colleen¡¯s Bar was on the screen, and there were no signs of Alvin Jones through eight cameras. It didn¡¯t look like he went to the bathroom or outside. ¡°Where did he go?¡± The demon asked. > SEARCHING¡­ Clap. Clap. Clap. Three slow claps. Faint, coming just outside my border near the road. I opened my many-eyes. There, standing six feet away from the perimeter, was Alvin Jones. And he was looking directly at me. At the exact spot where I hovered just like Yasmine did. ¡°It¡¯s Alvin. He¡¯s at the border by the road,¡± I said to the others. "And he can see me." Goliath and the demon looked at each other worriedly, and the demon yanked the Jeep¡¯s keys off Tara¡¯s hands. Together, they marched out of the cabin, heading for the vehicle hidden in the woods. Only Old Growth sprinted into the forest, making its way to Alvin¡¯s location as fast as possible. I studied Alvin¡¯s expression, trying to glean his intentions. A bubbling curiosity welled inside me, yet fear soon overpowered it. Why can this man see me? He stood there for a minute or more, just watching me, not with intensity but¡­amusement. Peculiarity? And then he did something unexpected. He opened his arms and dropped to one knee, lowering his head as if deliberately avoiding my gaze. ¡°Dungeon Mark,¡± he started, ¡°I humble thine unworthy self upon your grace. I offer thus three delvers in sound mind and body to satiate your vexation, brilliance, and need. I invoke thy rite of safe passage upon your domain. That I may pass freely and without malice.¡± What? I floated lower, trying to get a glimpse of his face. Perhaps I¡¯d know his intentions then, but nothing. ¡°What is he saying, my liege?¡± The demon asked as she drove the Jeep out of the driveway. They¡¯re not far behind. I repeated what Alvin had said to me. The demon didn¡¯t look pleased. Her brows furrowed, worried. ¡°He is requesting hospitium, the rite of guest-friend. An ancient oath all worlds abide by in one form or another.¡± ¡°Uh, what the heck is that?¡± I asked. ¡°For a night, a guest has the right of your protection and that you will do him no harm while he rests until morning and has taken rein of safe passage. Such practices are archaic on Earth, but they are still observed in one form or another.¡± I scoffed. ¡°Why would I do that? Protect him? He¡¯s one of them.¡± ¡°It is precisely why you must, lord dungeon. A hospitium is sacred amongst beings like us. It is weaved by gods and the gods before. To break it will bring undue misfortune upon our heads. It seems this Alvin fellow knows this.¡± She left out the part of how. ¡°And why would I accept that from him?¡± ¡°You have already accepted an offering. You did not know that the three delvers you fed on were it. And you fed. You accepted. We did not see their true purpose, and for that, we apologize.¡± I heaved a sigh and returned to the road where Alvin still knelt. ¡°Can you hear me, too?¡± Alvin nodded. ¡°Aye, your eminence.¡± ¡°Cut the flowery bullshit, asshole. Why the fuck should I not cut you into a million pieces right here, right now?¡± ¡°I reckon thy archetypes hath told you what will befall thy self if you deny it. Thou knowest such beasts hath learned the old, ancient ways, innate or divinely given.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± Alvin looked up. ¡°Thou lord hath many questions. I bear the answers," he paused for a second. "Mayst speak commonly? I doth not presume irreverence upon thy head?¡± I shrugged. ¡°I have watched you for the past two days, my liege. You have grown beautifully adapting in an arcane-resistant world.¡± Fuck. And then it dawned on me. Everything I learned about him, there was one gap that didn¡¯t make sense, and it all happened less than a week ago. ¡°You¡¯re not Alvin Jones, are you?¡± ¡°This body is known as Alvin Jones as of five days ago. That is true.¡± ¡°Who are you then?¡± Alvin smiled. ¡°Consider me an emissary from my real employers. The ones who hath shaped your very kind and the System you now wield. We have been watching you, Dungeon Mark.¡± Then Alvin took two steps into my domain. I expected to see his aura glow around his body, but I saw none of that¡ªa blank canvas. ¡°We bear witness to your illegal creation by the Cult of Astaroth, a most grievous offense of the highest order. Your unsanctioned touch and scent within the System has not gone unnoticed.¡± I wasn''t hiding anyway. But the thought of them noticing me, however...could be a problem. I did not want to make enemies with whoever made my "powers." Alvin paused to lick his lips. ¡°But my employers see thy dungeon''s potential. We wish to speak with you, especially about how you will deal with your enemies--a common one we share--and we are big fans. If you wish to fight the cult with your full potential...you may want to listen to what I have to say.¡± Alvin clasped his hands together. ¡°Perhaps with a cup of tea?¡± Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 7) HELLS GRACE Part 7 A lackey for the Elders or not, he¡¯s strong. He can see me when no other person could, not unless possessed by my monsters. He might also have other tricks up his sleeve for who I assumed was an inter-dimensional, possessing creature. I wondered how far he came from. and of dungeons everywhere.¡± Elvis. Yes, that¡¯s right. Elvis.¡± you.¡± popular ingredient in the universe for a dungeon¡¯s creation. But the subsequent events leading to a core¡¯s birth are carefully crafted months before. An orchestra in perfect symphony. No note out of tune. One off-key, and the entire piece crumbles. The System has to be careful, you see. A damaged juvenile dungeon is a dangerous dungeon. Once its broken shell gives way from the strain, it can take out a continent, even a planet, and the energy released is insurmountable. Not to mention how it affects the Weaves of Fate that all mortals adhere to.¡± What the fuck? ¡°You eat dungeons?¡± this.¡± The Rule of Three, I call it. Everything is ruled by three. Three Acts of a play. Three life cycles. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The pyramids. Atoms. Quarks. The essence of the universe. Even human memory remembers in sets of three¡ªsuch a powerful number. I offered you three delvers, too, remember? So did the cultists to access a fraction of the System¡¯s power.¡± unique. I was given specific instructions not to intervene.¡± function the same. The Cult of Astaroth performed a rather dangerous ritual that was guaranteed by my superiors to fail until they selected the main soul for it.¡± Me. ¡°What kind of core are they trying to create?¡± Death Core¡ªthe rarest of the thirteen. Have you ever wondered why your rewards for delvers seemed¡­limitless? Why do your archetype lists contain endless possibilities for monster traits? Other dungeons do not enjoy such things. You can bestow considerable power to delvers who survive you. So you can tell why my superiors are highly invested in the potential success of your creation.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Different dungeons? Functions? Believe me. We want you to survive!¡± He flailed his arms up. ¡°We have not seen the birth of a Death Core for quite a long time, and this is a perfect opportunity to watch you grow. The System often tried to replicate the process, only to end in failure or create a different core function. We suspect that your soul is susceptible to becoming what you are now. Your blood is the catalyst needed for a true Death Core¡¯s formation. Whoever selected you went to great lengths to find you.¡± Visit? You call this a visit? It was very tempting to command my monsters to tear him apart. ¡°Then say it,¡± I said gruffly. ever, break it, for there are grave consequences.¡± scenario opens and runs in the System, which means a game gets triggered for you to oversee. You¡¯ve done quite a remarkable job at that . Once they make it by dawn from whatever scenario you are running, you must reward them.¡± very, bad idea.¡± feed the core. The Dungeon Lord must always fulfill their core¡¯s desire. As a Death Core, feed it violence, despair, and suffering. The more trauma you inflict, the better! A fulfilled dungeon is a happy dungeon. A fed System is a reliable system.¡± Liar.¡± My voice boomed across the cabin. ¡°If there¡¯s one thing I hate are liars. Maybe I should command my demon to pry your tongue out?¡± demand it. And your core is a novel fascination by my people. They are watching you right now while we speak.¡± 1 ability slot. You may use it at your own convenience. ] 1 environmental slot. You may use it at your own convenience. ] 1 archetype upgrade. You may use it at your own convenience. ] An Administrator? I looked up, shocked, but I tried to stifle it. Too late. Elvis already saw it and merely smirked. ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± he said. sponsorship. More toys for you to play with. Some of my more powerful superiors give those away to dungeons who excel in their performance, and you have certainly caught the eye of some of the powerful, and they have chosen to invest in your future. Don¡¯t take those upgrades for granted. It took quite a considerable piece of themselves to hand it to you.¡± deserved to be. You are unique for Earth; there aren¡¯t a lot of dungeons on this planet. Unless you want to cross over to Bermuda? The Ural Mountains? Kurseong? The Shimoneki Strait? But they haven¡¯t performed that well anymore for quite a long time. Earth is a bit bland for delving, but you made it fascinating and a hoot to watch. That is something to celebrate.¡± all cultists. You do know what I meant by that, right?¡± Astaroth. Where have I heard that name before? ¡°You want me to destroy an entire organization? I have no idea who they are!¡± BANG! 1 essence: Alvin Jones ] 150 crystals] Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 8) HELLS GRACE Part 8 I stared at the System¡¯s open interface in front of me and began to laugh. After my conversation with an alien (let¡¯s face it, he was), it dawned on me that I am forever fucked. Fucked! My laughter echoed across the cabin in a low shudder through the wood, stone, and foundation. It crawled into the dirt with a vibrating ghostly essence that, for a moment, I thought real people might have heard me. I couldn¡¯t help it, bubbling up my throat like bile. I got a fucking job--An afterlife job. Being a Dungeon Lord was just another bloodsucking dead end when I was alive. Only this time, I couldn¡¯t quit to find a ¡°better opportunity.¡± This job was for life, and quitting meant death. I didn¡¯t think dungeons could grow old, but Elvis didn¡¯t say anything that I would. The lifespan of a dungeon could be decades, maybe even centuries! The thought that I could watch Earth pass through time was frightening and hilarious. Me? An (almost) immortal being? I never imagined it would be this way. I would outlive every person in existence right at this moment. If Elvis doesn¡¯t eat me first. ¡°What is the matter, my liege?¡± the demon asked, concerned. ¡°What? Oh. Nothing. Um, I just found something funny.¡± The demon raised her eyebrow, curious. I shook my head. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it.¡± She glanced over to Goliath, still confused, but the big man merely gave her a slight, nonchalant shrug with his broad shoulders and sat comfortably on the library¡¯s sofa. Fortunately, the demon let the topic slide before she monitored the other cultists¡¯ activities through Oracle. ¡°So¡­what do you guys think about Elvis?¡± The demon was quick with her response. ¡°He cannot be trusted.¡± Goliath merely nodded in agreement, leaned back on the sofa, and closed his eyes. Is he sleeping? ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to anyway,¡± I said, ignoring the giant. ¡°And he is not a friend, no matter how he presents himself. He possesses a golden tongue that most demons would envy. Nigh a devil would treat him equal if given the chance.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be friends with a guy who sometimes sees me as food.¡± ¡°Another point into why you should keep him at a distance, my lord. But¡­¡± the demon scratched her chin. ¡°Such creature can be useful.¡± ¡°Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?¡± The demon nodded. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°How are we with the Hodges?¡± I pointed at Oracle¡¯s screen. ¡°The Hodges are almost to their destination.¡± Wonderful. ¡°Finally. Some good news.¡± ¡°It is a thirty-story skyscraper in the middle of the city¡ªan office building. Property records said it was built back in the sixties. The Havashar Society owns it.¡± Havash--what? ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°They are a security firm, my liege, with many hands into IT security services, weapon sales, private equities, and¡ªwould you look at that? Hired muscle. Mostly international. They even own a large share of the Portland Natural Museum with a quarter of its collection technically on lease from their own vault.¡± Mercenaries. ¡°So¡­ they¡¯re rich, rich.¡± ¡°It would seem so. They¡¯ve had contracts with the government on multiple occasions dating back since 1976.¡± ¡°What kind of contracts?¡± ¡°Weapons subsidies. They are a massive contributor to the Gulf War and the War On Drugs. They have many international assets that spur the engine of Wrath and satiate Despair.¡± The demon smiled at that. I learned that demons were always a fan of violence, no matter how grand or small. ¡°Ah. War criminals.¡± ¡°You needn¡¯t throw far with your accusations, my liege. The Havashar Society has accumulated countless ethics investigations from federal and private parties for their dubious activities in volatile areas worldwide. They¡¯re only buried by greed.¡± ¡°Paid off?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Typical.¡± I glanced over her shoulder. It looks like the Hodges still have a few minutes to go. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s go over what Elvis gave us.¡± ¡°Have you thought about who will gain the gift he made?¡± I paused. ¡°I haven¡¯t. Yet. And I wouldn¡¯t call it a gift.¡± Looking around, Goliath and the demon wanted an upgrade on their traits. Even Oracle wanted it. As a Dungeon Lord, I have a sliver of a connection to each monster I created, and I could sense Oracle¡¯s curiosity to expand his reach across the continent. A big slice of Oregon was not enough. And besides, calling these things a gift made me feel like I owe Elvis something. I didn¡¯t like that. I opened the System¡¯s interface again. More and more, I understood the routines of my new existence. Though my core desires bite like pesky fleas on my back, constantly reminding me of the hunger, I probed about the scenarios and what I could do with them. As Elvis said, a scenario would automatically open up when a delver passed through my borders. Still, I could also plan a scenario days away (weeks or months, as the System showed me) if I had specific delvers in mind, mainly the cultists (or, theoretically, people I have lured into the dungeon). I had been doing that without knowing it. I could even delay the scenario from kicking (and killing) when the delvers enter my borders for up to a hundred days, but after that, the System will force a scenario to start if anyone were unlucky enough to stay inside that long. Scenarios worked in three parts: Set the scene. Lure the players. Run the scenario. It was simple, but in practice, it was a lot more complex. Setting the scene required a three hundred crystal drop of getting rid of the bodies of Yasmine, Tara, and Steven and scrubbing their tracks that they had been in the area (including their digital footprint thanks to Oracle¡ªagain, for a price). Three hundred of my resources to bring back the broken traps in working order and reset other environmental effects I had used up. Then, I had to make up for the damages across the cabin and make it look like a massacre did not occur within its walls thirty-five minutes ago. More crystals and resources were drained to ensure the cultists were well on their way to my cabin. To ensure that the dungeon would run smoothly once the scenario kicked into high gear. Setting the scene required homework, strategy, and chores (which Oracle had been most helpful about studying the incoming delvers), especially when I needed this scenario to be the most deadly dungeon I had ever run. My monsters must even study the delver¡¯s weaknesses, desires, and fears to perform at their peak. But luring them varied in difficulty. I ordered the demon to send the texts I had planned for Deputy Rebecca Torres and the others to receive but kept the Hodges in the dark. A staged picture of a bound and unconscious Maxine was sent from Alvin¡¯s phone, asking the others to meet him in the cabin to discuss what they should do next. Fortunately, the demon could mimic voices, and I made sure it was an audio text with Alvin¡¯s voice loud and clear. That should entice them that it was real. I specifically sent out a message saying that Maxine had hidden the gemstone somewhere on the property, and Alvin needed help to find it (as well as getting rid of Maxine¡¯s body if they ever decide to kill her). So far, none took the bait, though they were tempted. Kirk wanted to go and get this over with. ¡°Cut the bitch if we have to.¡± Those were his words during his two-minute call with Rebecca. But of course, he wanted to go and kill her. I already threatened him with all those sickening videos he stored in his laptop¡¯s hard drive (Technically, " Maxine " threatened to reveal it). The girls remained adamant that they should wait for Coach Hodge to return. Watching them run around like headless chickens through Oracle¡¯s cameras and arguing in circles about what to do was both frustrating and made me want to jump off a fucking cliff. I guessed many people were like that; a bunch of indecisive morons who could not get out of a paper bag to save their life. I wanted them to do one thing, but they refused to budge because of prickly little stuff like fear, ignorance, and pride. What a load of horseshit. Granted, if I were human again and smelled something wrong, I would probably do the same thing and ignore it, hoping it would disappear and never bother me again. Humans loved ignoring problems until they popped out like a fucking jump-scare in a cheesy horror movie. I just needed the right button to push. But once they were inside my borders, I had to pass the gauntlet to my traps and monsters and rely on them to finish the job. But this was a unique scenario. Fortunately, the administrators (I¡¯ll address Elvis¡¯s people as that to make it less complicated for me) had given me a carte blanche of Rule Two, which made it easier not to worry about accidentally playing favorites. I did not want to trifle with the consequences if I broke them. I wouldn¡¯t have that problem since I¡¯m dealing with the cult. Luckily, I had no love for any of them. Murder away. I looked over the gem¡¯s ability options on the screen. Elvis had given me one extra ability slot for my core, and though my options looked like a spreadsheet that vomited a bunch of words and letters, I managed to find one that I liked. [Telekinesis] had done wonders to keep the delvers away from my gemstone. Though I rarely used [Mind Shock] for its incapacitating effects (and its single target only when summoned compared to the multi-purpose use of the other), I realized that I did not have enough defense for my body. [Heat Surge] protected me from being carried away, but I needed a backup if that failed. It was an easy choice to pick [Resistance].
Resistance You may choose to resist and halved the damage incurred upon your core, thereby hardening your barrier and preventing early expiration. For double the Power cost, you may grant a chosen archetype this ability for the same duration. They can choose to use the ability right away or wait within the next 24 hours. You may NOT bestow this ability to the same archetype twice in a 24-hour period. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. (Costs 2 Power to self, 4 Power to archetypes) Duration: 10 minutes.
Though ten minutes might not be much, I imagined it would give my monsters enough time to get rid of my attackers or whoever wanted to steal and whisk me away from my dungeon. I was also interested in buffing up my monsters for an expensive 4 Power drain, almost halving my Power resources at the expense of only doing it once per day. Still, I had to follow the rules by giving the ability well in advance to Goliath or any of the others before a scenario started. I might save it for the final boss fight; I laughed at the thought. With another environmental slot for my dungeon, I brought back the one I used from the Yates Residence, which had done wonders in passively draining a delver¡¯s resolve. While [Unnerving Fog] worked at a regional level, [Phantasmal Cold] was specific to certain areas like a bedroom or the cellar. Triggering such effects didn¡¯t seem like the System considered it an active interference, acting like a passive effect that a delver could resist based on their constitution alone. There¡¯s a possibility that they could shrug it off and run in the opposite direction. I like to call it ¡°getting the heebie-jeebies.¡±
Phantasmal Cold The dungeon is unusually twenty degrees colder than the outside¡¯s temperature, shedding a delver¡¯s resolve overtime. Duration: 1 hour.
¡°Even the afterlife has stupid rules,¡± I chuckled. I still had no clue what to do once I was finished with the cultists. Maybe enjoy the scenery, more like it. After all, I got an incredible prime real estate with a beautiful view of the mountains and the lake¡­minus the pile of bodies. At least I didn¡¯t have to pay taxes. What¡¯s the percentage nowadays for a blood tax? The demon pursed her lips. ¡°Rules govern the universe, your grace, no matter how small. Even demons follow them.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like you have some.¡± ¡°We most certainly do, not that you can understand. For one, we have a quota to meet.¡± ¡°What kind of quota?¡± ¡°Well, we need to drag a soul to Hell.¡± It took me a moment to get it. ¡°And by working for me, they''ll make you the employee of the month?¡± The demon grinned. ¡°When I get back downstairs¡ªif I get back¡ªI do hope my dear overseer appreciates the line of souls on the doombridge before the Drop with my name stamped on their searing flesh right before it boils over and over and over¡­¡± ¡°On average, how many souls does a demon drag?¡± ¡°One or two a year, if lucky. Some take months and years. But humans are already depraved enough to do the vilest things without a demon¡¯s intervention. Those destined to do evil have their wings clipped before they think of the deed. Uninspired demons clamor to take credit for such things. I, on the other hand, do not cheapen myself to such mediocre bargains. It does not honor the Horned God and the River of Sorrows.¡± I never heard the demon talk so passionately about her job. Sure, I witnessed how she put mind, body, and soul into torturing the delvers (sometimes with fervent zealotry), but hearing her speak like it¡¯s the most sensible thing in the world was fascinating. She took her work more seriously than I realized. ¡°And besides, my lord, rules give mortals control.¡± I titled my head. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Forgive me if my knowledge of dungeon lords is rudimentary at best, but from what I have witnessed over the centuries, your kind presents mortals with a sense of control over their short, pathetic lives. Gives them purpose. Gives them hope, pride, adventure, and despair. You offer them choices, you know. Choices that will either doom them or lead them to paths they never think they are capable of.¡± ¡°How exactly am I giving them choices? If I was, I am not seeing them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s both large and small, my liege. Take Eddie, for example. He has the choice to leave the others behind in the cabin and save himself, which he did. He almost made it out, too, if not for me on the way. If he had the others, who knows? That might save his life. After all, it would be me against three. You may call his path the ¡°wrong choice¡± because it led to his death. Or how about we take it back to Leo on the road? He was behind the wheel and could drive away to civilization or follow Eddie to the cabin. One choice will save his friends. One choice doomed them. You already know which ones they took.¡± The demon gestured around the room. ¡°You placed many choices in this cabin, my liege. Go to the front door or run out of the window? By going to the front door, they might get trapped by the rug. If they go out the window, they will reach the wood¡¯s safety. Take Trail A or Trail B? Trail B leads to Goliath¡¯s lair. Trail A leads to the mountains and, perhaps, to safety, but they must fight off Oldie first. Choices, choices. One after the other. Even other Dungeon Cores give their delvers similar games. And when they reach the end¡ªif they reach the end¡ªthey have the greatest choice of all: the prize a Dungeon Lord bestows. To mortals in other worlds they desire it more than their lover. Cherished it more than their progeny. Dreamed of it more than their sanity. Even kings sacrificed their people and fractured their nations to harness a Core¡¯s gift. For a Death Core, all covet your gifts, for it is limitless.¡± ¡°Is that why I have to treat them equally? I cannot interfere with their, what, control?¡± ¡°We demons follow the same rules. All archetypes do. We entice both sinner and saint. Both equally make the same choices and make the same¡­hard contemplation. You¡¯d be surprised how many saints chose the dark path while sinners turned to the light. You present the choice with ¡°the lure¡± and wait for their path to unravel. If it dooms them, let them burn. If it brings salvation, reward them. The System wills it, and we are but its glorious intermediary.¡± ¡°Glad the cultists don¡¯t get to enjoy any of that. The System must want them dead.¡± ¡°Goliath, Oldie, and I are looking forward to it, my liege.¡± She turned to Oracle and laughed. ¡°Ah. Yes. Siren and Oracle, too.¡± I almost felt guilty for being too excited about the bloodbath. ¡°Make me proud, then.¡± Goliath opened his eyes and puffed up his chest, and the demon chuckled. ¡°And we are prepared to face them, my liege!¡± She paused. ¡°Have you thought about which one of us will gain an upgrade?¡± I nodded. ¡°I have. Demon, I think you should have it.¡± The demon¡¯s expression never faltered. ¡°I¡­thank you, my liege. What gift will you honor me?¡± ¡°Take a look.¡±
Possession II The monster possesses a delver¡¯s mind and body, using all the host¡¯s functions and abilities, while the host remains imprisoned inside. The monster has total concealment. (Resolve Requirement: 2) Level II: The monster can now possess a total of three (3) delvers. Note that multiple possessions decreases a possessing archetype¡¯s defenses and concealment, but increases their offensive capabilities. Upgrade to Level III to add another two (2) delvers under your archetype¡¯s control.
I waited for the demon to finish reading her new stats. She regarded me again with a demure smile. ¡°Thank you, my liege.¡± ¡°They may be our enemy, but I want to collect their essence. Only four of you are capable of fighting them head-on, and who knows how many the Hodges will bring once they call for help from wherever they¡¯re going. I have a feeling it¡¯s a large cell of their cult. It¡¯s nice to have the numbers on our side as a contingency.¡± ¡°So far, the rest of the cult hesitates to come here, lord dungeon,¡± the demon said. > I HAVE A SOLUTION, Oracle said. ¡°What is it, Oracle?¡± > QUERY. PROFILES CREATED¡­ Four names popped up on the screen, along with their phone numbers, their occupation, social security, any criminal records, multiple social media accounts, and how far they were from the dungeon (even down to the last food they ate): Chris Torres, Rebecca¡¯s husband. Clay Havert, Rebecca¡¯s lover. Zack Bird, Jenna¡¯s ex-husband. Danny Bird, Jenna¡¯s son. ¡°The kid?¡± I asked. ¡°You want me to bring a kid here? In the dungeon?¡± ¡°More delvers? How fun!¡± The demon said excitedly. > HUMANS PROTECT THEIR YOUNG WITH TENACITY. JENNA BATTEN WILL BE PERSUADED TO ENTER THE DUNGEON WITH 98.1% ACCURACY. ¡°And the two percent?¡± ¡°THERE IS A 1.9% CHANCE THE OTHERS WILL INTERVENE ON HER BEHALF. AS FOR ZACK BIRD, THE MOTHER OF HIS ONLY CHILD IS STILL ROMANTICALLY INCLINED TO RECIPROCATE HIS FEELINGS EVEN WITH THE ESTRANGEMENT. He was right. No matter how I wanted to argue about bringing a fucking child into a dangerous dungeon, luring the cultists with their loved ones was the oldest play in the book. And I¡¯ve seen plenty of bad guys use the same tactics to lure the heroes. I would have Jenna Batten within my borders within the hour. Nothing could beat a mother¡¯s love. ¡°We don¡¯t have any evidence that the others are even part of the cult,¡± I said. ¡°All avenues we have taken have failed, my lord,¡± the demon said. ¡°These people will seal their fate and bind them to us. Whether Kirk liked it or not, he had no choice but to come to the dungeon and bury his sins. The two women will go with him.¡± ¡°Well, can¡¯t Oracle fake it? Make it seem like the messages are coming from them?¡± > HAVING THESE HUMANS IN THE DUNGEON WILL REDUCE THE SURVIVABILITY OF THE CULTISTS BY SIX PERCENT. Shit. The old classic trope of saving the loved one more than yourself. That was a hell of a choice for Rebecca to make. Save her husband or the man she was cheating with? I imagined her Resolve would plummet dramatically once I presented that to her. As for Jenna Batten? My mind swam with ideas about using her child to betray the cult. Maybe I¡¯d save her for last. Tempting.. Very tempting. ¡°System, if these people enter my dungeon, will they automatically become delvers?¡± [ They meet the criteria. The System recognizes them as candidates. ] The tiny prompt materialized at the same spot on my periphery. [ The three potential candidates will become delvers once they walk beyond the threshold. ] ¡°Three? I see four.¡± [ Candidate Danny Bird is only recognized as a delver once he comes of age at fifteen. ] ¡°So, children aren¡¯t allowed in the dungeons? What, they¡¯re automatically kicked out or something?¡± [ Youths may still enter permitted areas the core allows. ] Huh. I had no idea there was a fucking setting for that. ¡°But what will happen to him once he does? Once he enters the areas I restricted?¡± [ The System will gentle him until the scenario concludes. ] ¡°Gentle him? What do you mean?¡± However, the System did not reply. ¡°Demon, do you know about this?¡± I said, turning to her. Surprisingly, the demon shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, my liege. In worlds where I¡¯ve watched countless dungeon runs, they never allowed younglings into their borders, so I have never seen a¡­gentling. This will be a first. However, I bore witness to many rites of passage from delvers of many different worlds who have come of age. They have ceremonies, sure, but not as exciting as when sapling demons drew first blood. It is electrifying.¡± I stared at the names on the screen for a long moment. Should I lead these people here? If I did, they might not survive. Bringing them here would also divide the attention of the cultists. But another thought wiggled its way from the back of my skull, slowly moving forward to invade all my senses. More delvers, more essence. Right? And what better way to feed the bottomless pit in my stomach than to pile the bodies as high as the heavens? More. Yes. I needed more. More.
Melanie and Coach Hodge craned their necks up and glimpsed the highest floors of the tall building across the street, hesitating to step through the rotating entrance doors. I watched them from the CCTV camera fixed right above the entryway while Oracle switched on their phone¡¯s audio so I could listen to their conversation. Fortunately, the building had multiple cameras scattered across every floor, but curiously sparse on the upper ones. ¡°Are you sure about this, Justin?¡± Melanie asked, her voice shaking a little. Gone was the assuring voice I heard from the drive. She was afraid. ¡°I don¡¯t trust them.¡± ¡°We have no choice, Mel.¡± ¡°We do. We can just¡ª¡± ¡°What? Run away? Go to Canada? Spain? We built a good life here, Mel. I won¡¯t throw away fifteen good years because of a two-faced bitch. The Society needs to learn that she betrayed her oath and cannibalized members of her sect. I will not tuck my tail between my legs because she dared to challenge my authority. You know her ambitions when we welcomed her into our circle. She¡¯s always been determined to take my place for herself and that damned cheating husband of hers.¡± ¡°And what happens if the Society puts all the blame on you? Have you learned nothing? Show weakness, and they will cut your strings.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that¡ª¡± ¡°They won¡¯t. Now, let¡¯s go. We¡¯ve kept him waiting long enough.¡± Coach Hodge marched into the building. Melanie followed after him, not looking too happy. The lobby was empty at this time of day. Most of the seven (moderately good performing) companies leased office spaces throughout the thirty floors, open only on weekdays. Given it was a Sunday, the building was mostly empty. Two security guards greeted the Hodges with familiarity. They had been here quite a few times for him to recognize their faces. The Hodges spoke very little to him and went straight to the elevator, pressing the 29th floor. On the property records Oracle pulled up, the Havashar Society had taken up the top ten floors of the building. Unfortunately, there were only a few cameras on the 29th floor except for my view of the hallway (next to the elevator) and inside the elevator itself. A tall brunette woman with a slick black dress suit, her hair tied into a loose bun, waited outside the door when it opened. The woman (who I assumed was the secretary) plastered a wide smile. ¡°Mr. Hodge. Mrs. Hodge. It is good to see you two again. How was your drive?¡± Hodge nodded along. ¡°Good, good. Very nice to see you, too, Allie. Is he¡ª?¡± ¡°He is in his office.¡± ¡°Do we have to wait, or¡ª¡° ¡°No, no, Mr. Hodge. He¡¯s been expecting the two of you since you called. Come. Follow me.¡± I ordered Oracle to pull up a blueprint of the 29th floor. There were only six office spaces throughout the entire level, with the largest one by the southwest side, an excellent view of the Columbia River and the city center, and a sprawling balcony (with a small garden) next to it. I lost sight of them for less than a minute before they turned up on the other side of the building, walking quietly toward the large double oak doors (leading to the most prominent office I mentioned). Coach Hodge and his wife were getting nervous with each step they took. I caught Melanie gently grabbed Coach Hodge¡¯s hand and gave it a firm squeeze. The secretary opened the door and let them in. ¡°Oracle, find me something¡ªanything¡ªin that office I can see through.¡± > THERE ARE NO CAMERAS INSIDE THE ROOM. Crap. ¡°Do we still get audio?¡± > YES. I looked at the blueprint again and studied the balcony. Could it be¡­? ¡°Oracle, find me a drone nearby.¡± > SEARCHING¡­ > SEARCHING¡­ > FOUND. Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 9) HELLS GRACE Part 9 Oracle quickly changed the screen to a bedroom from an apartment building a block away. It looked like a college student''s bedroom, and I was looking through his laptop¡¯s camera. The boy was a couple of years older than me with bleach blonde hair cropped short and wearing a faded black Green Day shirt, editing some drone footage he got of Portland the night prior; the drone sat beside the laptop. I was growing impatient about when this boy would leave his room. Finally, he grabbed a towel from his closet and left the room to shower. Lights flickered, and the drone suddenly whirred to life. It was a metallic black and heavy-duty looking thing that must have cost quite a fortune, which Oracle swiftly showed me that the college boy had purchased it for almost two-and-a-half grand on Amazon (thanks to his wealthy parents, I guessed). Blades that could rotate faster and propel the aircraft to greater speed. Once completely controlled, Oracle slowly flew out of the open window, heading straight for the office building. We hovered several feet above the balcony garden. I tried to catch up with the four minutes of audio from inside the office, but all I heard was silence and someone writing on a piece of paper. With my visuals restored, I saw Coach Hodge and Melanie through the glass windows, sitting on these big red lounge chairs across from a man in a suit signing a document. Well, multiple copies, it looked like. There was a stack of folders on his desk. ¡°Ah. A silent treatment,¡± The demon interjected. ¡°He is making them uneasy, my lord.¡± I looked over to Coach Hodge, who was already shifting uncomfortably, clearing his throat a little too loudly, but the other man paused before resuming what he was doing. I couldn¡¯t get a better look at the documents he was working on from my angle. Fortunately, none of them have noticed the drone. Thank God the drone''s owner had invested money into making these drones as quiet as possible. After a minute, the other man finally put his pen down and faced the Hodges. ¡°We could use some fresh air, don¡¯t we?¡± he said. He swiveled his big office chair around and stood up, heading straight for the glass windows I was watching from, which turned out to be sliding doors. I ordered Oracle to fly a little higher out of their sight. From there, I got a good look at the man. He was younger than I imagined. For being a leader of the Cult of Astaroth, he could be no more than forty. He was clean-shaven, sported a slick back, dark brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and wore a midnight blue suit that complimented his fair and handsome features. He led the Hodges to the gardens, marching toward a small platform with tables, a bar, and glass railings overlooking the darkening park below. Allie came out with three steaming cups of tea and placed them on the glass table before she promptly left. ¡°Sit, sit. Make yourselves comfortable,¡± the man said. He took a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket, flicked the cap, lit the cigarette, and sucked the air in from the bud. ¡°Go on. I¡¯m listening,¡± he said, puffing out a misty trail of smoke from between his lips. A curious glance danced behind the veil, intently studying the Hodges across the table. I didn¡¯t know if he intended to kill them or something much worse. I wished he wouldn¡¯t do the latter. That¡¯s my job. ¡°You know why we¡¯re here, Jonas,¡± Melanie said. ¡°I know. But do you have it with you?¡± Melanie shot Hodge a concerned look. ¡°Well¡­not exactly. We failed with the summoning.¡± The man¡ªJonas¡ªblew out another puff. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like you¡¯re sure. Where¡¯s the gem?¡± ¡°It''s on¡ª¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Melanie interrupted and glanced at her husband to stop talking. Interesting. I realized they were trying to save their spines. If they told this Jonas guy where Maxine was right away, maybe showed him the pinned location I sent them this morning, then there was no reason for Jonas to keep them both alive. Smart. Jonas paused. ¡°You¡­don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Yes. We had it. And then we¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªLost it?¡± Jonas chuckled. ¡°You lost the gem?¡± Coach Hodge gulped visibly. ¡°One of our members stole it.¡± Jonas barked a laugh. ¡°Stolen, you say? By your people? When you called this morning, I thought you¡¯re here to bring some good news for once. The Seat loaned you that gem four months ago, Justin, and you promised that it would work¡ªthat you would make it work¡ªbut now you claim that you don¡¯t have it with you?¡± ¡°Look, we performed the ritual two days ago down to the letter and blood, but we thought we blew it when we didn¡¯t feel the Ways. You¡¯d do the same thing if you were in our shoes!¡± Coach Hodge said. ¡°Two days ago? Did you intend to keep your failure from us for much longer if it hadn¡¯t been stolen? And now you come crawling back to me for what? Reinforcements? You let your underling get the better of you, and now you want my men? Are you here to wrangle an assassin from under me? Let them clean up your mess?¡± ¡°But she killed multiple people!¡± Melanie intervened. ¡°She killed other members of our sect and her neighbors.¡± ¡°Who is this woman who outwitted the two of you?¡± ¡°Maxine Fairlie.¡± ¡°Maxine?¡± Jonas scoffed. ¡°Maxine, with those cringy online workout videos and the stupid essential oils? That is the woman who has the gem?¡± ¡°Besides my husband, she is one of the few who can channel infernal magic, Jonas. Not even I am skilled with it. Isn¡¯t that why you sent her to us? To help us?¡± ¡°Maxine can barely light a cauldron on fire, Mel. If she is as powerful as you two think, we would have made her sect leader instead of your husband, and we would not have placed her in your sect. New Orleans has been begging for a sorcerer; we could have sent her there instead. Though you may be gifted in the Ways, Mr. Hodge, it does not make you wise or astute. It fans your arrogance, which I barely tolerate already.¡± Coach Hodge swallowed his pride. He was not used to being talked this way. ¡°I know, I know.¡± Melanie shot him another look, but this time, of disappointment that her husband caved under the pressure. ¡°What did you make us do, Jonas? What did you let us summon?¡± Melanie asked. ¡°I told you four months ago. Power. Pure power. Coveted more than plutonium. More valuable than gold. Isn¡¯t that what you two wanted? To make your sect the envy of this continent?¡± Melanie bit her bottom lip. ¡°But what is the ritual? What does it do? Is that why Maxine is strong? Why can¡¯t we locate her with normal scrying magic? She¡¯s using the gem¡¯s power?¡± Suddenly, Jonas¡¯s smile dropped. ¡°When did you say she had the gem?¡± ¡°Two days ago,¡± Mel answered hesitantly. ¡°Two days¡­exactly? Down to the minute? It wasn¡¯t stolen yesterday or this morning? What is the exact time frame?¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± Coach Hodge asked. ¡°Of course it fucking matters, Hodge! When?¡± ¡°After the ritual, we handed it over to one of our members, and they brought it to their house. A few hours later, Maxine had it and threatened us with blackmail. She also dug up the boy¡¯s body.¡± Once Melanie mentioned the latter, Jonas flinched. ¡°This house. Did you ever stop by it?¡± ¡°One of our members, Rebecca, is a cop. She went inside the house.¡± ¡°Did she say anything about the place?¡± Melanie nodded. ¡°She called me once to tell me that she didn¡¯t like how the house made her feel just by looking at it. I mean, it was understandable. Our friends were murdered inside, so I gave it a passing thought.¡± ¡°If multiple people have been to that house, then it is no longer there,¡± Jonas muttered. ¡°Dread is still working, however. Interesting.¡± He leaned closer. ¡°And what does the gem look like after you perform the ritual?¡± Mel turned to her husband. ¡°I wasn¡¯t there¡­¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Coach Hodge said. ¡°It didn¡¯t light up like the other rituals we usually perform. No evidence of the Ways. That¡¯s why we thought it was a dud.¡± Jonas¡¯s face paled. He smashed the cigarette bud on the chair¡¯s armrest, snuffing out the flame. ¡°You fool,¡± he seethed. ¡°It worked.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The ritual¡­it worked. I can¡¯t¡­I can¡¯t believe it. Imagine that?¡± ¡°The ritual?¡± ¡°Of course! A gem, a murder house, and bodies piling up a few hours later? Classic dungeon!¡± Both the Hodges stayed quiet. ¡°You know, I never believed you¡¯d be able to do it all these years, Hodge, but you proved me wrong. A football coach in some nowhere town managed to do what no other being could replicate in the universe. And. You. Had. It. In. Your. Hands.¡± Coach Hodge¡¯s face danced with emotions. He didn¡¯t know whether to smile at the compliment or keep them at bay. But Jonas was not done talking. ¡°¡­And then you motherfuckers lost the gem. Do you have any idea what you carried with you? It was a Death Core, you imbeciles!¡± Coach Hodge and Melanie looked at each other dumbfounded. They had no idea what I was. ¡°A¡­what now?¡± ¡°A Death Core! Fuck! This planet is filled with half-witted people! Years of preparations! Years of meticulous planning! Found a baby¡ª,¡± he pointed at Coach Hodge, ¡°¡ªwho can barely graze the System. Found a region that is susceptible to a dungeon¡¯s creation. We have the ingredients, and you motherfuckers threw it away? I should have you whipped right here, right now, for your incompetence! You let it slip off your fingers, you motherfuckers!¡± With every outburst, Melanie and Coach Hodge shrank into their seat. ¡°Look, man! You didn¡¯t tell us anything about any of that!¡± Coach Hodge exclaimed. ¡°If you knew, it wouldn¡¯t have worked, you idiot! That¡¯s the recipe! A controlled accident that we tailored so this¡ªwhat¡¯s going on now¡ªdoes not happen! You¡¯re supposed to bend it to your will! Bend it for our lord¡¯s cause! And you fucked it up! You didn¡¯t even finish the ritual, didn¡¯t you?¡± Coach Hodge gulped again. ¡°We finished it.¡± ¡°Liar. If you had finished the ritual, the Core wouldn¡¯t be murdering people. You¡¯d have it in your pocket, it wouldn¡¯t be stolen, and you¡¯d give it to me. No, He will not be pleased.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a Death Core, Jonas?¡± Melanie asked, trying to regain some of her courage. ¡°Maxine did not kill your sect¡¯s members or her neighbors, Mel. It was the Core. How did they die?¡± ¡°Um, stabbed to death. Cameras in one of the houses saw her attacking a couple of the teenagers next door. It wasn¡¯t¡­pretty.¡± ¡°She is the one attacking?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jonas paused and started muttering to himself. ¡°Could be a double. Doppelg?nger archetype? It could be an illusion. Could be a possession. Demonic? Maybe. An abomination, perhaps? It didn¡¯t show any other traits. Damn, he''s learning fast.¡± ¡°Uh, traits? Who¡¯s he?¡± ¡°Did it do anything else? Did Maxine sprout wings, tentacles, or claws, or something?¡± ¡°No! Rebecca let us see the footage, but we saw none of that. Wait¡­should she be doing that?¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t find her, then she¡¯s someplace else. Did you say how many people died?¡± ¡°There were eight dead during the massacre. One survived.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Jonas sighed. ¡°That''s enough to reform a dungeon somewhere else. Two days is a long time to kill more people.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t heard any massacres or killings after she disappeared, Jonas,¡± Coach Hodge said. ¡°None that you know. A Death Core can hide these things. A week from now, maybe two, the bodies will turn up, and then we have no chance of getting it back into our control once it grows in power. We must nip this in the bud while he is still an infant.¡± ¡°H-how do we do that?¡± Melanie asked. ¡°Find Maxine and get me back my gem.¡± But, of course, they already knew where she was. Yet, they refused to tell him. ¡°She couldn¡¯t have gotten far. She must still be in town if she¡¯s threatening us with it. We can find her.¡± ¡°Hm. If the Core hasn¡¯t left the area yet, then that means he has a grudge against you.¡± ¡°Why us?¡± Melanie asked. Jonas scoffed, amused. ¡°Why do you think? You murdered him.¡± Jonas then clicked something underneath the armrest. A few seconds later, Allie, the assistant, walked out of the office and marched across the balcony. ¡°Allie, the guests are leaving.¡± Something clicked in Melanie¡¯s head, and she stood up. ¡°You mean Mark Castle¡ªthe kid we sacrificed¡ªis this Death Core?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he said. ¡°The first cry he made when he was born was when our lord felt his soul¡¯s potential. So, we nurtured him like a sapling, and when it was time to pick the fruits of our labor, you lot tainted the soil.¡± ¡°If he is as powerful as you say, how do we get him back under our control?¡± Melanie asked. ¡°Did you say one survived the massacre?¡± ¡°Yeah. One of the teenagers,¡± Coach Hodge said. ¡°I know her. Tessa Burton. She¡¯s a good girl.¡± Jonas nodded. ¡° Once you find his dungeon, bring this Tessa Burton there.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± ¡°She is your insurance. That way, you won¡¯t be killed when you step inside the dungeon. He has a grudge, remember? Perform a chained rite. That will buy you some time before his dungeon''s influence affects you.¡± ¡°You keep saying dungeon.¡± ¡°Because it is that. And oh, please be careful,¡± Jonas added. ¡°He already fed on eight essences. You may not understand what that is, but it feeds his power. We don¡¯t know how many he¡¯s had since then.¡± ¡°But do we get some backup? We know you have mercs stationed in this city, Jonas. Can¡¯t we have one of the squads? We¡¯ll take even the smallest team if you can spare it,¡± Melanie begged. ¡°Once you find the gem, you will tell us where it is. Then, we will send our men. But this has to happen tonight. Do not wait for tomorrow. Another day is another chance for this Core to grow in power, understand?¡± The Hodges nodded, and Allie gestured for them to follow her out the door. ¡°And remember, don¡¯t come back another disappointment, Hodge. We¡¯ve invested a lot of time in your future within the Society. Do not waste this chance to redeem yourself in the eyes of our lord.¡± Coach Hodge gulped and nodded. He and Mel followed Allie out of the office, walking back to the elevator on the other side of the building. Once they were inside and said their goodbyes to Allie at the reception hall, Coach Hodge whispered an incantation. > JUSTIN HODGE IS CASTING A SPELL, MY LORD. ¡°What spell?¡± I asked. Hopefully, it wasn¡¯t against me. > DIVINATION. I WILL TRY TO COUNTER¡­ > DONE. ELECTRONICS ARE NOT AFFECTED. ¡°Wait, what did he cast?¡± ¡°Anti-scrying,¡± the demon said. ¡°He didn¡¯t want anyone in the building spying on them.¡± She pointed at Hodge, looking directly at the camera fixed on the elevator¡¯s corner. ¡°Oh, the poor thing doesn¡¯t know he can¡¯t counter a machine archetype with this great distance and with such pithy magic.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°If we were a normal monster born naturally in this world and reality, it would have worked. A small sliver of the Ways will make us run away and lick our wounds for days. But we were dungeon-created. We go by different rules.¡± Once Coach Hodge was confident no one was listening (except us), he dropped his facade and slapped Melanie across the face. Melanie dared not move. She stood frozen, bubbling anger seeping through her grimacing lips, and she stared daggers back at her husband. ¡°You will not interrupt me in front of Jonas again,¡± Coach Hodge seethed. ¡°We know where she is¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªAnd we will be dead,¡± she finished. ¡°Do you think Jonas will let us leave when we tell him that Maxine¡¯s galavanting in the fucking woods near town? He will have no use of us. Instead of Allie walking through that door, it would be men with guns. Your shields cannot stop more than a dozen bullets all at once, Hodge.¡± ¡°He needed me. Since I was a baby, they know I am important. They won¡¯t dare harm me. I mean, you heard Jonas!¡± ¡°Oh, darling, you can¡¯t be that stupid.¡± Coach Hodge narrowed his gaze and raised the back of his hand. ¡°You don¡¯t talk to¡ª¡± ¡°Hit me again, and I will cut you by the balls. I may not be capable of magic, Justin, but don¡¯t forget I can still take down a man by other means. I made you sect leader, remember? Me. Not Jonas. Not the Seat. Do you think you¡¯re the only golden child in their arsenal?¡± Hodge bit his tongue. ¡°Of course not! Don¡¯t forget the piling bodies I left behind just for you to stand on your high horse and show your dick to everyone else¡ªan equal to the old men and women who can¡¯t even light a match with their thought. You have actual magic. I¡¯ve seen it with my own eyes. Jonas and the others are just jealous of the gifts that Astaroth had given to you and not them. They¡¯re probably more than happy that Maxine¡¯s out of the picture! That¡¯s less competition for them, anyway. Another member with the gift gone from their chess board.¡± ¡°And from ours?¡± ¡°Exactly. As you said, Maxine wants your position. I am the one who gave you freedom, and I will not let that bitch or this Core take that away. Without me, you will still be in this building, groveling under Jonas¡¯s boot like the other special babies they keep, caged and under lock and key.¡± Melanie stood on her tippy-toes and gave Hodge a passionate kiss. ¡°We will retrieve this gem. We will not let Justin take the credit for our success and will hand the gem to The Seat ourselves. Maybe for once, a leader with a true arcane gift will stand closer to The Seat than Jonas and the other charlatans will.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t have soldiers.¡± ¡°We can still use Jonas¡¯s. But we will cut them loose once we are done with them.¡± ¡°You want me to betray Jonas?¡± Melanie smiled. ¡°And The Seat will love you for it, babe. Maybe our lord, too. He loves violence, remember? It isn¡¯t alien to him for his followers to fight to the death for his love.¡± The elevator dinged as it reached the lobby. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get out of this fucking city. We¡¯re losing light.¡± I scoffed. There was no way in hell I would let them have soldiers backing their skin once they¡¯re in my dungeon. No fucking way. I won¡¯t let them have an easy way out and become a survivor. Picturing myself rewarding them sent chills down my body. No more waiting around for this one. I am going to cut the head of the snake.
I ordered Oracle to return to the drone still flying above the garden. Jonas was still finishing his cup of tea in deep thought while Allie stood at the side. It was a shame I couldn¡¯t cast [ Glean ] on him and read his thoughts. Suddenly, he snorted, chuckling to himself. ¡°You can go home for the night, Allie. I¡¯ll see you here on Wednesday,¡± Jonas said. ¡°Wednesday, sir?¡± ¡°Yeah. I have a business trip planned. Last minute.¡± Allie was about to grab the empty mug on the table, but Jonas raised his hand to stop her. She bowed her head and walked out of the office. Once he was sure he was alone, Jonas stood up and grabbed the empty mug with an iron grip. Swinging his arm wide, he threw the mug toward the brick wall across the garden, shattering it into pieces. Frustrated, he walked toward the glass railing and lit another cigarette. He fished out his phone from his pocket and dialed a number. I told Oracle to listen in to the conversation. > AUDIO NOT AVAILABLE. ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s not available?¡± I asked. > SIGNAL BLOCKED. I CANNOT LISTEN TO THE CALL. ¡°You mean magic?¡± > YES. Damn it. ¡°But can you trace where he is calling to?¡± > YES. SATELLITES ARE NOT BLOCKED. ¡°Do it.¡± > LOCATING¡­ > LOCATING¡­ > FOUND. > CANNOT DETERMINE ACCURATE LOCATION. FOUND GENERAL AREA: MAYFAIR, LONDON, UK. > WARNING: AREA OUT OF BOUNDS. I HAVE NO SIGHT OF THE REGION. PLEASE UPGRADE MY ALL-SEEING TRAIT TO INCREASE THE DISTANCE. Since it''s almost six o¡¯clock in the evening, it must be nearly two in the morning in London. Even though I could not hear through the phone, I could tell Jonas was sent to voicemail. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me,¡± he said. ¡°Listen, it worked. Point Hope managed to do it, but there¡¯s a slight problem. It¡¯s alive. I¡¯m going to charter a plane to go to you. Call me when you are able.¡± Jonas dropped the call and put the phone back in his suit¡¯s hidden pocket. He finished the cigarette, stumping it out with the soles of his shoes. He gave the city another morose glance, soaking in the sights of the Columbia River under the waning light. With a sigh, he strolled toward the sliding door, pulling out his phone again to check if the person he was calling in London got back to him. All he saw was a black screen. No calls yet. I doubted he¡¯d hear back from them anyway. ¡°Oracle, do it.¡± In an instant, the automatic sliding doors slid shut with breakneck speed. Jonas barely had time to get out of the way, but it was too late. With a loud yelp, he swung his arms forward, trying to block the momentum, metal upon skin hitting with a loud crunch, and Jonas was pinned halfway between the doors. A hundred pounds of force straining against his spine. ¡°Allie! Allie!¡± He screamed, but his assistant was long gone. Five minutes ago, I watched her take one of the elevators down to the lobby. Wedging his arms, he pushed back against the doors, leaving enough gap to move his upper body in, but still pinned his right leg. The drone flew closer to his eye level, and Jonas, the man who ordered my death, turned around and met my lens. ¡°Hello, hello,¡± I said. This was the man who started it. The man who killed me, albeit indirectly. The one who ordered Hodge and his cultists to kidnap me and so many others. I am going to turn the tables on him. The drone flew forward, blades eating flesh, and Jonas screeched. The sudden force knocked the drone back to the ground, half of the lens covered in blood. Jonas reeled his leg through the gap, torn flesh hitched onto the metal mortise locks and deepening the gash even more. Once freed, Jonas stumbled to his desk, blood seeping from his wounds and staining the carpet floor. ¡°What the fuck!¡± He cried out, muffled under the GoPro¡¯s audio attached to the drone. Fortunately, the drone was still functional, and it hovered several feet away from the now-closed sliding doors, glaring at the injured man behind it. Jonas struggled to get up and limped toward the door, leaving a blood trail. Jonas pulled the handle. Locked. He tried again, but it was no use. The door was made like it could handle the force of half a dozen men. A security thing to protect the person inside. It was not meant to keep them in. Since the door required a magnetic keycard, it was easy for Oracle to lock Jonas inside the office. Jonas went for his hidden pocket again, only to find that his phone was not there. A strobing light from the drone drew his attention. Oracle flew the aircraft lower to the ground¡­close to the phone, which fell out of Jonas¡¯s grip when the sliding doors pinned him. I smiled when I saw Jonas¡¯s face drop. He wouldn¡¯t be able to call for help. Even when he pressed the hidden button underneath his desk multiple times, Oracle had already cut off the signal, manipulating the electrical currents to a light bulb in a random bathroom stall on the 9th floor, flickering maddeningly. In the lobby, the security guys had no idea what was happening; The buzzer never sounded. Jonas panicked, limping toward one of the bookshelves, and reached for the bust of an old, mustached man. Turning its head to the left, a hidden door masquerading as a bookshelf slid near it, revealing an elevator. An emergency exit. > SHALL I TRAP HIM INSIDE THE OFFICE? ¡°No. He can get in the elevator.¡± The doors slid open. Jonas practically jumped in, probably afraid that the sliding doors behind him would open suddenly and the drone would attack. Luckily, there was a camera inside. He quickly pressed the ground floor and close button from the panel, and the doors slid closed. Jonas breathed a sigh of relief. I smiled. ¡°Stop the elevator between the 14th and 15th floor,¡± I ordered Oracle. As the elevator descended, it stopped with a shudder at what I told Oracle to do. Jonas flinched, looking around as to why he stopped moving. He pressed all the buttons, but none of the panels worked. ¡°Open the elevator door. Then open only the 15th floor, Oracle.¡± Oracle did as asked. Jonas froze. He was afraid to move. It could be a trick, peering through the small gap to the 15th floor to see if anyone was waiting behind the door to attack him. Smart. I made the lights flicker as if they were dying, and the panel¡¯s digital screen kept scrolling from 1 to 30 even though the elevator was not moving¡ªanything to spur Jonas to move. ¡°Oracle, unlatch one of the breaks for a split second.¡± The elevator violently shuddered; a rattling groan echoed through the metal box. Cables from above snapped taut and traveled down, singing danger. Jonas gasped and hurried forward. He tried to open the door to the 14th so he could hop off, but that was no fun for me. His only way out was through the 15th floor. Take the bait. Take the bait. Take the fucking bait. I kept saying it like a mantra inside my head. Cursing under his breath, Jonas stood up and reached for the gap. My smile broadened. Even with the wounded leg, he widened the gap and lifted himself halfway through the door. Then, I went for the jugular. ¡°Pin him.¡± Oracle closed the elevator door, pinning Jonas between the torso right where I wanted him. ¡°Help! Help!¡± He shouted, but both floors were devoid of people, and no one was there to save him. His lower half dangled inside the elevator, his legs trying to get a foothold to push himself through. Nothing. I watched him struggle through the camera in front of the elevator on the 15th floor. Jonas smacked his palm against the elevator door and shouted, ¡°Aperta!¡± I could feel the arcane energy sweeping through Oracle''s circuits from a hundred miles away. The door slid open momentarily, and he managed to wiggle out an inch before the door slammed on his body, pinning him again. I let out a heavy breath. For a moment there, I thought he was going to escape. Melanie was telling the truth. These cult leaders were weak with magic. It seemed they didn¡¯t want one gifted like Hodge (even though he was an asshole) to rule over them. Greed and ambition had clouded their minds, which I could use to my advantage in the future. The Cult of Astaroth on Earth might be easier to extinguish than I initially thought when its members were distracted by inner power struggles rather than growing their abilities. ¡°Turn on the elevator¡¯s speakers,¡± I ordered. The speaker system crackled to life. Jonas winced, which meant it worked, and he could hear me. ¡°Hello, Jonas,¡± I said. ¡°This is Mark Castle.¡± His eyes widened. ¡°Before you die, I want you to know it was me.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± He hollered. ¡°Wait! You¡ªyou don¡¯t want to kill me. My essence! You won¡¯t be able to collect it. You¡¯re still in Point Hope, are you? That means your borders haven¡¯t reached Portland yet. Not this early. Do you know how much my essence is worth? I am one of the leaders of the Cult of Astaroth. You will not feed for days, maybe weeks, with my essence. If you kill me right here, I will be wasted. You don¡¯t want that, right?¡± ¡°Seems like you know more about me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve studied your kind for years. It¡¯s all I know.¡± He smiled. ¡°I can help you, you know. I can help you become a better dungeon on Earth. Make you glorious and revered. You don¡¯t have to kill me.¡± This man who sought to control me. This man who coveted my Core for his gain. This man who reeked with lies. I want nothing to do with him. I just wanted him out of the picture. ¡°Tempting,¡± I said. ¡°But right now, I don¡¯t give a fuck.¡± The elevator whirred back to life and started ascending, carrying Jonas with it. ¡°No, no! I can help! Please! I can help!¡± His words meant nothing to me. I just wanted to see the blood gush out of his flesh. He strained against the force, trying to claw his way out, nails splitting under the metal, forming gashes along its surface. His legs now touched the elevator floor, and he kicked and kicked, but the doors prevented him from gaining an inch through. He reached the top and produced the sweetest scream I had ever heard. Flesh pressed against metal, bones cracked under the pressure, and the metal box labored to ascend and close the gap even with an obstacle along the way. The machine shuddered violently, the cables pulling and pulling with all its strength. Blood poured out of Jonas¡¯s lips. With each pressure building on his abdomen and lower spine, cutting off the nerves to his lower legs (which stopped kicking), it pressed his organs aside and popped, lungs pushing against his ribcage, making him struggle to breathe. He could barely scream for help. By the sixth second of pure torment, the elevator dropped half a foot lower for a split second, then pulled hard upward. Groaning machinery screamed to be free, and Jonas¡¯s upper body ripped out from the force and fell limply onto the 15th floor. Even with his lower half missing, Jonas was alive for two agonizing minutes. I watched the blood pour out of the stump. His spine and hip were so badly mangled that I didn¡¯t know which was flesh and bone¡ªwatched him struggle to stay alive. He was staring at the camera now from the corner. He knew that it was where I was watching him. He probably realized I managed to create an archetype that could control machinery even from afar. He stopped breathing, eyes glazed over. Looking through the blueprints, he was on an emergency corridor of the building, the kind that no one bothered to go, only checked by maintenance guys once a month. But such staff were overworked and underpaid, and the last maintenance check of the building was fifty days ago. No one would find Jonas¡¯s body for quite a while. I closed the secret cabinet from his office and turned on the Roomba from the corner with an installed cleaning solution to remove the spots on the carpet stained with blood. It wouldn¡¯t do a perfect job, but it would eliminate most of the evidence. I set my eyes back to Point Hope. Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 10) HELLS GRACE Part 10 Huh? What¡¯s this about now? The Oracle ] A Dread Score of 9 was the highest score my archetypes had ever received (and the demon had an eight). What would a ten be like? A world-destroyer? Oracle is capable of that if given the chance. Lucky for humanity, I didn¡¯t want to destroy the planet since I still live in the goddamn rock. bolt!¡± the demon exclaimed, smiling genuinely. ¡°You managed to knock me down my pedestal. How wonderful of you!¡± Permanently.¡± She flashed an evil grin. ¡°But this is your domain¡ªyour world. We archetypes must stick together and support each other. We are all¡­friends¡­here.¡± see everything. A night where they can be alone and away from the world.¡± Clay was a hopeless romantic. It was easy to manipulate him, especially when I added that Chris would be out of town for a few days, leaving them alone to be with each other. Who wouldn¡¯t be tempted to go to a remote cabin where it¡¯s just them? I watched his breath quickening, the heat running to his cheeks. He loved this woman, and I wondered if Rebecca felt the same.
you. We don¡¯t even have to be here.¡± I know,¡± Rebecca said, annoyed. Taking a deep breath, she marched toward the hospital. The van drove past and disappeared into a corner. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I wanted to play. me. Who knows what kind of magical protection their house has? all mine tonight. And I will feed gloriously. ¡°Should we call the cops?¡± Charlene whimpered close to Daisy¡¯s ears. ¡°Oh my god, they took Tess!¡± ¡°Shut up. They might still hear us,¡± Daisy hissed. She pulled out her phone from her jacket¡¯s pocket. ¡°Drain the batteries,¡± I ordered Oracle. Daisy was about to punch in the three numbers when her screen flashed twice before it died. ¡°Shit!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°My battery died.¡± Charlene checked her phone. ¡°Mine, too. That¡¯s weird. I charged it this afternoon.¡± They reached the front of the hospital, glimpsing only the fading tail lights of the van and Rebecca¡¯s squad car exiting left and heading north. ¡°Fuck! We missed it! Quick! Where did you park your car?¡± Daisy asked. The two girls stood above the CCTV camera next to the street light. Charlene ruffled through her pockets and fished out her car keys. ¡°Should we go after them?¡± ¡°Follow me.¡± Daisy rushed toward the sliding entrance doors. ¡°There¡¯s cops posted on the lobby. We should tell them that Tess got kidnapped. Maybe they can chase them down?¡± ¡°Was that really Mr. Gamble? Who was the other woman?¡± ¡°Officer Torres, I think. We met her last spring when the school did that assembly for self-defense demonstration, remember?¡± Charlene nodded. ¡°But if she¡¯s a cop¡­are the other cops behind it, too?¡± Daisy stopped in her tracks. ¡°No, that can¡¯t be.¡± ¡°She walked into the hospital and wheeled Tess out. A cop is bound to see her when she¡¯s not supposed to be here. Where¡¯s the cop posted outside the door? He was gone when we left for the vending machines. Maybe he¡¯s in on it, too.¡± Daisy refused to believe it. ¡°They can¡¯t all be on it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Daisy. I¡¯m scared. What should we do?¡± Charlene clutched tighter on her car keys. ¡°I¡ª¡± Daisy stammered, shaking. Adrenaline coursing through her veins. ¡°I don¡¯t know! Shit! This is so fucked up, Char!¡± These girls were loose ends. I didn¡¯t want them alerting the cops and searching for Rebecca Torres. The police department tracked squad cars like hers via the GPS installed into the vehicles. They would know where she was if these girls blabber to the Sheriff about Tessa¡¯s kidnapping and that his freaking deputy did it. Sure, Oracle could block the GPS from pinging the police of her true location, misdirect them to the other side of town, but the entirety of Point Hope would be in high alert, scouring for Tessa all night (She¡¯s still seventeen, so the police would trigger the AMBER alert across the entire state). I didn¡¯t want a hundred people stumbling into my dungeon when I live twenty-two minutes away while they have a search party in the woods. I want the entire night to myself and my fucking food! Let me eat in peace! A few blocks away, more of Tessa¡¯s friends, Lana and Paul, were driving toward the hospital. They were bound to see Charlene and Daisy outside the building, panicking. ¡°Potential delvers, my liege?¡± The demon asked eagerly, watching all of this unfold. ¡°They are close by. Easy to pull the strings and lead them to the cabin¡­¡± ¡°Our focus is the cultists. These teenagers are just an obstacle,¡± I said. ¡°They will tell the cops if we don¡¯t stop them. Oracle can stop any 911 calls, but I can¡¯t stop them from going to the station physically.¡± Unless I hurt them. Once Paula and Lana arrived and decided to go after Kirk¡¯s van, Oracle could lock them inside the Tesla and trigger the auto-pilot feature, then drive them through the street light at fifty miles per hour. They¡¯re in front of the hospital already, so if they get seriously injured, help was only a hundred feet away. Or it could be a sudden green light on an intersection with an oncoming car from the flank. Cause an accident that would render them badly injured and hopefully unconscious. Long enough for me to feed alone and undisturbed by wailing police sirens, the first responders, and drawn guns. Doing the battery trick Oracle pulled on the truck on the highway would keep them alive, but then they could walk to the police station. Sure, it¡¯ll take them thirty minutes to walk from the hospital, but they¡¯ll get there eventually, and I would have limited means to stop them from crossing that door and entering the sheriff¡¯s office. But then¡­I could also just kill them all. The teenagers, the first responders, and the cops included. Turn this cabin into an all-you-can-eat buffet. How much could I feed in one night? Ten? Twenty? Fifty? Do I even want to find out what a satiated dungeon feels like? It must be magical. It would be damning. ¡°It would be a scandal that would sink the Havashar Society for a few months before the next trendy tragedy comes along and all the keyboard justice warriors online have moved on.¡± And once they start coming for me, I will be a lot stronger, with more monsters and traps in my arsenal. Final Girl. If we¡¯re going to make this a night the entire country remembers, we need a true survivor to tell the tale.¡± Pinning it all on the cult, of course, and not to some supernatural demi-god. I heard in a movie once that a sole survivor would be even better for the narrative.
Dripping, and dripping, and dripping¡­ Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 11) HELLS GRACE Part 11 Wrong road, they¡¯d think. We drove too far. A lure, of course. An easy one to manipulate. Where they had turned was the correct path, the hovering red pin on their phone stabbing a supposed cabin in the middle of the woods. Yes, yes. This is the way. Keep going, keep going¡­ Power: 9/10] toxic as fuck. She wondered why Zack hung out with them in the first place. They¡¯re the kind of folks who would turn their nose to people like her. She never trusted cops anyway. murdered. I¡¯m not going to leave the kid here knowing full well a killer could be targeting them.¡± I want to propose to you. He shifted in his seat, inconspicuously adjusting the small ring box inside his jacket so that Eliza did not notice it. Never. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Loved. We¡¯re here to honor Ash, Dave, and Adam¡¯s memories. And all the people we know who died in Green Hill. Just the eight of us. Plus, it¡¯s safe, and Rebecca is here. If we get into trouble, she¡¯s got a gun.¡± At me. What form did he see me as? If looks could kill¡­
Voice Module (Event) On the rare occasion that a dungeon is allowed to communicate with a delver, the dungeon lord can manipulate the language, accent, tone, pitch, frequency, and resonance of their voice. It does not cost a Power, and the duration lasts until the dungeon lord ends the conversation. A [Gentling Event], [Sighting Event], and [Rewarding Event] trigger a conversation with the appropriate delver. To speak to a delver at any point during a scenario, please purchase this skill after leveling up.
terrible with accents when I was alive. hurt me,¡± I explained. ¡°And we have to distract them so we can escape to my pirate ship and sail to the Caribbean, my home.¡± Be happy. Play along. Be a good kid. This is a game. Still, it required me to make that extra push. Danny would become an orphan, I thought. But it¡¯s too late to back out now. I¡¯ve gone this far. In an instant, my core suppressed the emotion. Discarded like junk. There¡¯s no need for what little guilt I have to distract me from what I¡¯ve been working toward. THEY ARE BENEATH YOU. For fuck sake, what is happening to me? plenty.¡± Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 12) HELLS GRACE Part 12 ¡°I¡¯m gonna go and check up on Danny,¡± Eliza told Zack. It had been almost ten minutes now since they entered the cabin. Zack and Maxine were too busy reminiscing about some of their glory days when Hodge made a funny speech during another friend¡¯s wedding, or when they went on a camping trip, and no one brought a map and how pissed everyone was, lost in the woods for hours. Eliza knew what Zack was doing. He was trying to distract Maxine from thinking about her late husband, Adam, or what happened at Green Hill. But Eliza felt like a third wheel throughout the conversation, the outsider who would never belong. She was surprised that Zack would be friends with them anyway. They didn¡¯t look like his kind of crowd, at least from what she had known about him since they started dating. Zack missed being with them, like getting a taste of nicotine after quitting for a few years, a euphoric burning inside him. Not that Eliza would know. She hadn¡¯t touched a cigarette for over six years, but she reckoned that must be what it felt like. From what little [Glean] I mustered out of her earlier, she felt like Zack had a foot on the wrong side of the tracks and kept it like a safety net. Eliza wished he had gone all the way and never looked back. Healthier that way, she thought. Better for him. Better for her. Most of all, it''s better for Danny. She never liked his mother. I went rigid when Eliza asked Maxine if they had met earlier. However, the demon quickly shut it down by saying she made workout and health videos on YouTube that often circulated around TikTok and Facebook by her thousands of followers. The demon even pulled a vague memory from Maxine when she was invited to an event called Voices of Tomorrow in San Francisco a few months back. Fortunately, Eliza dropped it at that, nodding as if she should know that by now. She didn¡¯t strike me as the athletic type or had a TikTok addiction. I wondered if she placed two-and-two together that Maxine was the wanted woman by the police. Her face was beginning to circulate all over social media and the nightly news as a person of interest in the massacre. Like Zack, she wasn¡¯t following the news too closely, only that a woman was a suspect. I studied her for a minute, but she never let the facade (if there was any) slip. If Eliza had mentioned it to Maxine, laid everything down on the table, and accused her of being the wanted woman, well, it would be a death sentence for her and Zack. Eliza stood up and left Maxine and Zack to discuss another funny memory with Hodge. She knocked on the bathroom door, echoing laughter from Maxine, and Zack traveled down the hallway. ¡°Danny, are you okay in there? Do you need tissue paper?¡± No answer. Strangely, she found the door already unlocked and pushed it open. Even though he was young, Danny was a stickler for privacy. He always locked the bathroom door when he was using it. She couldn¡¯t remember if she saw Danny slip past her. But the boy was nowhere to be seen; the door to the dark adjacent bedroom was ajar. Only the lights from the bathroom illuminated a sliver of what¡¯s beyond. ¡°Danny, get out of there. This is not your house,¡± Eliza whispered through the cracked door. Some part of her wanted to turn back and grab Zack. Danny listened to him more than her, anyway. ¡°You better not touch anything in there,¡± she added, pushing the door wider. Eliza reached in, looking for a switch along the wall next to the bathroom door. I learned that she had an intense, irrational fear of the dark. She found the switch, but I quickly ordered Oracle to cut off the lights in that bedroom. Eliza flicked the switch. No lights. She flicked it a few more times¡ªstill nothing. ¡°Fuck. Fucking cabins.¡± She took her phone from her pocket and used the flash as her flashlight. She pushed the door wider, letting in more light from the bathroom. ¡°Danny, are you in here? This is not funny.¡± Danny loved hide and seek. He also loved tag, running around the house, and jumping out of the corners to scare her. It¡¯s what little boys do when they¡¯re bored. She was in no mood for his games right now. The cabin was creepy enough, and the darkness outside was not helping. Eliza looked behind the door. Maybe Dany hid there? The boy was not there, and she stepped further into the bedroom. ¡°If you¡¯re going to jump out and scare me again, it won¡¯t work, little man. So, quit it. Your dad will be so angry if you do, especially if you break something again.¡± She slowly walked toward the closet across the room. ¡°I know where you are hiding, by the way. There¡¯s no use drawing this one out.¡± Closer. Closer. Closer¡­ A creak. Soft and subdued. Eliza gasped and turned her phone to the right, illuminating the bed and the window, looking out into the forest. She was sure the noise came from where the bed was until she realized it was coming from underneath it. She smiled. Of course, Danny thought of hiding there instead, pretending to be the monster underneath the bed. ¡°Okaayyy,¡± she said in a sing-song way. ¡°Come out, come out, wherever you are.¡± Once she reached the left side of the bed, she quickly dropped to her knees and lifted the hanging duvet out of the way. She aimed her phone¡¯s flash underneath. ¡°BOO¡ª!¡± But her breath caught up inside her throat, and she immediately recoiled away from the bed. A bound and gagged man screamed, muffled by the thick wrap of silver gray duct tape around his mouth. Tape wrapped his torso and legs like a snake, constricting his movements, and bound his arms behind his back. Their eyes were so bloodshot, and he had a bleeding gash on his forehead, and Eliza knew he was badly hurt. ¡°Zack! Zack! Zack!¡± Eliza screamed, her back against the dresser. She couldn¡¯t move, fear taking hold of her. No! She shouldn¡¯t have called for him as realization dawned on her where she was. She was in Maxine¡¯s house. Did she do this? How could she overpower a grown man like that and bind him in a whimpering state? Another fear took hold. What was she doing with Zack right now? Did she hear the scream? Did she think she had been found out? What if she killed Zack already to silence them? She shook her head. I reckoned that she must be thinking she should have shut her mouth and not alerted the murderess in the living room. But then she heard Zack¡¯s footsteps running in the hallway, trying to open the bedroom door, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. Eventually, he ran into the bathroom and the connecting door. ¡°El, what the fuck? Why are you screaming?¡± She pointed at what¡¯s underneath the bed. She looked behind but didn¡¯t find Maxine following them. ¡°Your friend fucking tied someone up!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Down there! Look!¡± While Zack knelt beside the bed, hesitating to take a peek below, Eliza already scrambled back to her feet and slammed the bathroom door shut, locking it. She then dragged the drawer nearby to block the entryway. She did the same thing to the door leading to the hallway by pulling the end table next to the bed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Zack asked, distracted. ¡°We can¡¯t let her in,¡± Eliza said. ¡°Who? Max? She¡¯s a nice woman!¡± ¡°Not when she has a guy tied up underneath the bed!¡± Zack finally looked underneath, shocked by what he had heard. His mouth hung open. ¡°Chris? Is that you?¡± Zack reached in and pulled the man out by his legs. Eliza helped him. ¡°You know this guy?¡± Eliza asked. Zack nodded. ¡°He¡¯s Rebecca¡¯s husband. What the fuck was he doing down there?¡± He pried the tape off his mouth, and Chris let out a muffled yelp. ¡°Sorry, bud. It¡¯s too sticky.¡± Once the tape was out of his mouth, a large glob of saliva poured out of Chris¡¯s lips, and he hurled it to the side. ¡°We gotta get the fuck out of here!¡± Chris screamed. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°Maxine did this to you?¡± Zack asked, sounding like he didn¡¯t¡ªcouldn¡¯t¡ªbelieve it. ¡°It¡¯s not Max,¡± Chris said, then paused. ¡°Er, I don¡¯t know what she is, but it¡¯s not Max. Like she¡¯s¡­¡± Chris trailed off. ¡°Like she¡¯s what?¡± Zack pressed him. ¡°¡ªlike she¡¯s possessed.¡± Eliza¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She struck me as a superstitious woman, and her hand instinctively grabbed something around her neck, but there was no jewelry there. It dawned on her that whatever she was wearing there before, she must have left it at home. I guessed she was reaching for a religious pendant for whatever religion she believed in. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Saint Michael, protect us,¡± she muttered under her breath. Zack and Chris didn¡¯t hear her, but I did. Saint Michael, the archangel. The angel who fought Satan, trampling him under his heels. The patron saint to ward off evil¡­the demonic-kind. I looked around the cabin, around my domain. I¡¯ve never had a religious delver before. For a moment, I thought God was going to part the heavens and let his angels storm my world and kill me. But the dark clouds hang where I last saw them, the divine light far from reach. No gods. Just me. ¡°What do you mean? Is Rebecca here, too? Did she do this to you?¡± Zack asked. At least that made sense. Rebecca¡¯s a cop, and she¡¯s been training for a few years at the local gym since she got the job. That would explain how she could overpower a big man like Chris¡ª Chris shook his head. ¡°No. Not her. I don¡¯t know where she is.¡± ¡°I knew it was her,¡± Eliza muttered. ¡°I recognized her from TV.¡± ¡°What?¡± Zack asked. ¡°The news,¡± Chris answered for her. ¡°Maxine was a person of interest after the massacre. I was surprised to find her here.¡± ¡°The massacre at Green Hill? You think our Maxine did it? I thought she was one of the survivors. The perpetrator was a guy, didn¡¯t they say that?¡± ¡°No. Suspect,¡± Chris said, shaking his head. ¡°It was all over the news tonight before I drove here. The cops announced it.¡± As if a signal had been lit, Eliza yelped. ¡°The cops! We gotta call the cops!¡± She fished out her phone again and dialed 911, but she only made it through two rings before the signal was cut short. ¡°Anything?¡± Zack asked. Eliza looked at the missing bars on the upper right corner of her screen. ¡°The heck? There was a signal when we were driving up here. Three bars.¡± She tried again just in case, but the same thing happened. ¡°Shit. No signal.¡± ¡°Wait, what happened to your car?¡± Zack asked Chris. ¡°We didn¡¯t see it when we drove up here.¡± ¡°They must have stashed it somewhere.¡± In truth, Chris stashed half a mile away from the cabin. Whatever his intentions were with Rebecca and Clay Havert, he didn¡¯t want his tire tracks left in front of the cabin. Eliza pulled Zack¡¯s arm and whispered, ¡°Danny¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Danny!¡± Eliza pointed at the window. There, Danny leered against the glass, smiling from ear to ear. He giggled sharply before waving his hands and dashed back into the shadows. ¡°Come and get me! Come and get me!¡± Danny trilled. Eliza gasped, and she and Zack ran toward the window. They saw Danny breaking through the narrow gap between the trees and disappearing from their view. ¡°Danny! Get back here!¡± Zack bellowed, but the boy ignored him. Eyes wide with terror, Zack was gripped by an ancient fear that all fathers would have for their children in sudden danger, clouding his mind, clouding his decisions. He ran his hands over his hair, almost tempted to pull at them, his chest heaving as panic set in. He attempted to open the window, but Eliza stopped him. ¡°Get out of the way, El. I¡¯m going after him.¡± ¡°No, Zack! Something¡¯s wrong,¡± Eliza, teary-eyed, barely could squeak out the words. ¡°This fucking place is freaking me the fuck out!¡± ¡°My boy¡¯s out there, El! Look, stay here. I¡¯m going to go and get Danny, and I¡¯ll be quick. I promise. I¡¯ll be right back,¡± he said, reassuring her. ¡°Are you insane? I¡¯m coming with you!¡± Eliza said, saying it like Zack had no say in the matter. She punched him on the shoulder. ¡°And don¡¯t you ever say that line. Haven¡¯t you watched enough horror movies?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a horror movie, El. But fine. You can come with me, but you stay right at my heel, you understand?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t leave me!¡± Chris writhed on the floor, still bound by the tape, listening to the conversation. ¡°I have a gun.¡± Chris paused again. ¡°Somewhere.¡± ¡°You brought a gun?¡± Zack leaned in. ¡°I¡ªshe must have taken it. It¡¯s not with me anymore. It could be inside any of the drawers in this room.¡± ¡°Or it¡¯s already with her,¡± Eliza shuddered. She glanced at the door in the hallway, listening, but she didn¡¯t hear any creak on the floorboards signaling that Maxine was approaching the room. For all Eliza knew, Maxine was still sitting in the living room doing fuck-all. She wasn¡¯t far from the truth. I told Maxine to wait in the living room for a few minutes, letting them ¡°settle in¡± on the scenario I¡¯d presented them, but the demon was already getting bored. Maxine had her palm pressed on her right cheek, elbow propped against the sofa¡¯s armrest, sighing like a grounded teenager on a Saturday night. ¡°Patience,¡± I said to the demon. The demon shrugged, which could be alluded to take as much time as you need, or I don¡¯t have a choice. At some point, Zack and Eliza found the boxcutter I had planted inside one of the vanity drawers just for this occasion. I was hoping that Rebecca would find Chris bound underneath the bed, hoping to elicit some marital drama between her cheating ways and Chris finding out. But some paths require a bit of improvisation. Zack and Eliza used the boxcutter to cut Chris out of the tape. No matter. I have plans B, C, D, E, and all the way to fucking Z anyway, I thought. The best thing about being a dungeon was the almost limitless supply in my arsenal to freak people out. At least I didn¡¯t have to worry about how to scare elves, dwarves, or orcs. Do they have those people in other worlds? It¡¯s not hard to imagine when more than half of the things on the System¡¯s market were clearly for a more medieval fantasy-inspired worlds. And Earth gets the boring stuff. That didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t purchase them, but they would look out of place. Alien. ¡°Do you have the keys to your car?¡± Chris asked Zack. They crouched behind the bed, thinking Maxine might be outside, watching them through the window. It didn¡¯t have any curtains to block her view. Zack patted his left jacket¡¯s pocket. ¡°Right here, man.¡± ¡°And you said your son¡¯s out there? You brought Danny here?¡± ¡°I was going to drop him off with Jenna¡¯s.¡± Chris gulped. ¡°Rebecca told me to come here,¡± he said. A lie, of course. He was here to either threaten the lovers with the gun he brought with him or kill them out of jealousy or pride. Maybe Chris was embarrassed that Rebecca cheated on him. He always had that face when he thought he was hot shit¡ªthe Alpha¡ªwhen he was strolling through downtown. After all, he¡¯s rich, a city council member, and with a well-respected cop wife. Didn¡¯t he plan to run for mayor? What¡¯s the obvious next step after becoming a city counselor? That¡¯s the last I heard about him before¡­well¡­this. As for Rebecca¡¯s lover, he¡¯s safely tucked and gagged in the boathouse, waiting for his time to shine once she arrives. ¡°What are you saying?¡± Eliza whispered. ¡°That they lured you two here? Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Zack said. ¡°But there¡¯s no use thinking about that now. We gotta grab Danny and get out of here.¡± Chris nodded. ¡°I heard him talking in the bathroom. Even though he¡¯s far away, I could tell it was a kid talking.¡± ¡°Talking to who?¡± Eliza asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I couldn¡¯t hear the other guy at all.¡± Eliza and Zack both shared a look. ¡°But¡­¡± Zack started. ¡°We were both talking to Maxine at the same time. In the living room.¡± That¡¯s it. That¡¯s what I wanted¡ªthat deep, succulent orange glow emanating from all the three delvers¡¯ bodies. It¡¯s time. The demon nodded and walked toward the bedroom. The loud (and deliberate) creaking of the floorboards alerted the others that Maxine did not go outside at all. She was still inside the cabin. ¡°Guys? Is everything alright in there? Did you find Danny?¡± Maxine called out behind the door leading into the hallway. Eliza¡¯s face scrunched up. She was screaming a while ago. Why didn¡¯t Maxine run to her aid? One look at Zack told her he was in the same room as their host when he heard her scream. Something was not right. ¡°Are you in there?¡± Maxine asked again, wiggling the doorknob. She knocked. ¡°Why is my bedroom door locked? Can you please open it? This isn¡¯t funny.¡± Her bedroom. I smiled when I saw Zack and Eliza¡¯s eyes widen from the realization. They already suspected that Maxine was behind it, even though Zack couldn¡¯t believe his former friend could do such things. Chris whimpered beside them. He wanted to leave the cabin right now. ¡°Try the window,¡± Zack whispered to Chris. Maxine¡¯s knocking increased. Chris crawled toward the window and tried to open it, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°It¡¯s stuck,¡± he hissed, panicked. Maxine¡¯s knocking grew louder and louder. ¡°Guys? Are you in there? Open the door! Open the door! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!¡± Zack went over to the window now, helping Chris to open it. But even with the two men¡¯s strength, it would not budge. I designed it that way, I thought. No one¡¯s escaping through the window on this level. It would be a different matter if they were on the second floor. The second floor had a balcony, and I¡¯ve allowed delvers to escape through it, though with broken ankles from the significant drop below and no grass or loose soil to cushion them. Running through the woods would become difficult¡ªa death sentence. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Eliza squeaked. The knocking stopped; A dead silence choked through the space it left behind. Eliza could still see Maxine¡¯s shadow peeking from underneath the door frame. ¡°Did you open my surprise present?¡± Maxine asked as if she didn¡¯t just scream her head off not a second ago. It''s like she was just making chit-chat over dinner. ¡°Did you open him up?¡± Eliza visibly shuddered. This woman was crazy, she probably thought. She latched on tight to Zack¡¯s arm. They¡¯ve stopped trying the window and huddled next to the bed, afraid that Maxine might shoot through the door with Chris¡¯s gun. She doubted she could even open the window herself with her twig-like arms and lacking years of strength conditioning if these two men couldn¡¯t. She¡¯s no longer twenty. They were trapped. ¡°Aww, I wanted to see that look on your faces,¡± Maxine continued, excited. ¡°I wanted to see you two gut him up and watch all that warm blood spill out of his beautifully ripped abdomen. Don¡¯t you drink a lot, Christian Timothy Torres? Your liver will make for a nice souvenir for these soon-to-be newlyweds!¡± Chris stiffened, letting out a shaky breath. ¡°Ah, I see. I don¡¯t smell any blood in there yet. Did you wait for me, Zack? Did you want me to do it, Eliza? How sweet of you! Well, I am the expert at cutting people up. Leave it to the pros, I guess. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make it worth your time!¡± A heavy weight barreled through the door, breaking through the lock instantly. Eliza could hear the clink of metal hitting the wooden floor, the slice of light from the hallway illuminating the dark bedroom. ¡°Shit!¡± Chris exclaimed and clamored over the bed. Zack followed after him. Eliza desperately wanted him not to leave her from behind the bed, clawing at his arm before he reeled it back and hauled over toward the door. Chris got to it first, putting all his weight on the door while Zack pressed his back against the end table that Eliza put there earlier. He tried to sit on the floor and wedged his feet against the bedpost, bending his knees and hoping that should stop her from getting in. Maxine screamed through the gap. ¡°Let me in! Let me in, piggy-fucker!¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± Chris screamed back at her. I saw an opening. Chris propped his left arm a little too close to the gap than he realized, too busy putting his weight against the door and panicking with each inch he lost. He never expected that a small woman like Maxine could have the strength of ten people. I could see it in his eyes. He wanted to run. ¡°Chris! Look out!¡± Eliza yelled. But it was too late. Maxine reached through the gap, grabbed Chris¡¯s arm, and yanked it out to the hallway. Chris flailed as the weight he had been pushing back suddenly vanished. Zack didn¡¯t know it, though. He still thought that Maxine was still pushing against the door, and with one strong thrust with his legs, he leaned hard against the end table, pressing against the door. An unimaginable scream escaped Chris¡¯s throat, pinned through the gap, Maxine still gripping him. Zack scrambled away, confused at first, until he realized what he had done. ¡°Oh, shit! I¡¯m sorry!¡± Like that¡¯s going to make it all better, I thought. ¡°She¡¯s got my damn arm!¡± Chris hollered. He tried pulling himself off the door, but Maxine held him back. Eliza and Zack ran over to him, the latter pulling at his arm while the woman tugged at the hem of his shirt, almost ripping at it. But Maxine was too strong. The demon turned to me, waiting for orders. For the first time, the demon wanted to know what she should do to the man. She had been quite decisive since I met her, using what she learned in Hell to inflict despair on her victims, and I rarely interjected with her job. As she said earlier, leave it to the pros. Yet, she waited for me. I realized what she was thinking. Chris was not part of the cult. He didn¡¯t even know that his wife was murdering children for his¡ªand her¡ªsuccess. But what would Rebecca do if she saw her husband broken beyond belief? I could see her aura dropping like flies, her essence close to my reach. I triggered [Telekinesis], pulling and dragging the device I wanted from the kitchen into the hallway and Maxine¡¯s grasp. [Power: 8/10] ¡°Cut off his arm,¡± I said. ¡°Below the elbow.¡± The demon grinned. Chris stopped shouting, jaw hung open when he saw the glint of the blade pass his line of sight. He recognized the device instantly. One of those electrical meat knives, a bone saw, was now in Maxine¡¯s hand. A new horror washed through his face. ¡°Get me out! Get me out!¡± Maxine flicked the switch on, and the¡ªwhiiiirrrr¡ªof the device startled Zack and Eliza. And then the blood came. Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 13) HELLS GRACE Part 13 Chris screamed first before a wide splatter of his blood caked the left side of his face. That¡¯s new. More and more, I¡¯m growing as a dungeon, feeling and experiencing new things and literally tasting fear almost sent a shockwave through my brain. And then there¡¯s another feeling. A fulfilled dungeon is a happy dungeon. Isn¡¯t that what Elvis said? Feed the core with suffering, and the System becomes reliable to my whims. How old am I now? Three days old? What would fear taste like when I am eighteen, the same age as my former human self? I could feel the knife tearing through Chris¡¯s flesh, but instead of screaming maddeningly at the pain (as Chris was doing), it was like eating a good movie theater butter popcorn or drinking a damn good milkshake. It¡¯s like sitting at the beach in the summer with a great book in hand, feeling the warm water and sand wrapped around my ankles as the tides reeled back into the sea¡ªa happy day. good day. Chris was not part of the cult, I thought. He was not a criminal like Leo and his goons. In the System¡¯s eyes, he was deemed an innocent (and not a target of Elvis and the Elders). His pain and suffering shook my domain. It¡¯s the same pleasure I experienced during Maxine¡¯s murder spree in Green Hill, only a hundred-fold stronger and much more potent. The innocents who died there fed me right up until sundown. I still had the aftertaste of the old man who shed off two essences when he died. He had been the best meal I had since. There was also Eddie, and he came a close second. Would Chris shed two essences for me? It''s too soon for that. He had other purposes, one that involved a cop and her lover, and the despair she would experience would be glorious. What would Rebecca do if she found her husband was missing an arm? That should break her Resolve. Humans have great empathy for the people they love or the ones they consider important to them. Though she was cheating with another man, she still thought of Chris as someone important in her life. If her Resolve doesn¡¯t break from this, I will have a tougher job getting rid of her. She had better training with weapons than the other surviving cultists. not Danny behind that door. It was something else. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen,¡± Maxine began to sing softly as if singing to a baby. ¡°Feel the beat from the tambourine¡­¡± In her cradled arms was Chris¡¯s dismembered limb. Zack and Eliza noticed it right away. possession. No normal person would do such a vile thing unless Maxine were experiencing some psychotic break, but she didn''t know the woman that well. Eliza¡¯s eyes flicked around the room as if searching for a demonic face leering over her; goosebumps traveled up her arms to the nape of her neck. Daaadddyyy!¡± The boy screeched. ¡°Help! Daddy! Help! El! Help me!¡± The boy definitely had it in him, I thought. Even I was convinced that Danny was in danger, though I suspected a little bit of the System exerted some influence to make it look believable. Perception was everything. If not, Danny Bird would make for a great Hollywood child star if he would get over the traumatic events tonight, seeing as he would not remember ninety-five percent of it.
Daddy!¡± It was faint, but he heard it. A damn great actor, I thought again. To escape a predator, elevation is safety, I thought. A job well done, it probably wanted to say. Danny gave me a thumbs up, having the time of his life. Practical effects and a dash of magic can create a concoction of deadly perception. Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 14) HELLS GRACE Part 14 Eliza could have sworn she heard screams from the forest, sounding like Howler monkeys. But those animals did not live in this part of the continent, and certainly not this far up north. She was starting to get antsy. She had moved the car forty feet closer to the forest and much closer to the shed. If Zack and Danny burst out of the woods right now, then they would be in the car much quicker, and then Eliza would drive them the fuck out of there. But it had been five long minutes since Zack disappeared. She kept a watchful eye on the cabin, but no one stirred in there, not even the possessed murderess. It seemed like she couldn¡¯t believe her ears. She kept praying under her breath in Spanish, hoping that someone would listen and ward off the demonic presence suffocating the forest. Oddly enough, I understood the language as if I had been fluent in it my entire life. I took German for my required language course for three years, and I never touched Spanish at all except for what I¡¯ve learned online, from movies, and from my Spanish-speaking classmates. Her prayers were undoubtedly not helping to keep her Resolve from dwindling with each second she sat there, alone with her thoughts and wild imaginations. Zack and Danny could be dead already. She might be alone and was the last target¡ªthe final girl. They could puncture the tires and render her escape inoperable. She would have to run into the woods and stumble through the darkness with only her phone as a light source. She might find someone camping in the woods and call for help, only for them to die in the hands of the killer and send her running into the woods again. And then her phone¡¯s battery would die, and true fear would take hold of her. And that¡¯s when Death would claim her. Isn¡¯t that how horror movies went? She had seen so many of them that they all blended inside her head. But final girls live to tell the tale. Would she survive this night? Another scream from the woods startled her mid-prayer. But there were differences in someone¡¯s screams. There¡¯s a scream from fear, and then a scream from being butchered. Either sound distinctly different from the other. She leaned toward the wheel, trying to listen. Did it sound like someone was being ripped apart? It¡¯s hard to hear clearly while the engine was running. Perhaps that¡¯s why she didn¡¯t hear him: The Goliath breaking out of the woods, his heavy boots crunching against the dead leaves sprawled across the parking lot, and charging toward her car. Perhaps that was why it took her long to turn around and face the driver¡¯s side window and put two-and-two together. No, it wasn¡¯t the engine. Not the horses, either. And then Goliath¡¯s shadow loomed over her window, and Eliza didn¡¯t even have time to scream before the stranger broke through the glass and grabbed a clump of her hair. Goliath slammed Eliza¡¯s head against the wheel; a quick horn blast alerted Zack that something was wrong. Zack ran faster. Dazed, Eliza tried to get away, pulling the shift into reverse, but she forgot that she had pulled the parking brakes on out of habit. The car let out a piercing shrill as the brakes grind against the pad, and the vehicle slowly moved backward. Goliath wrapped his giant fist around her throat and squeezed, ignoring Eliza¡¯s choking pleas to stop. He yanked the woman out of the car through the broken window, lifted her, and then slammed her back against the ground. Eliza took lungfuls of air when she saw the glint of the big man¡¯s axe raised above his head, and she rolled to the right, spraying dirt at her eyes where the axe had landed¡ªwhere her chest used to be. Scrambling to her feet, she ran toward the car, still shifting to reverse, but it was gaining some distance from her. If she went for the car, she would have to contend with getting into a moving vehicle as the car gained speed against the slightly sloped parking lot. That would leave enough time for the killer to grab her again, and this time, she might not be so lucky. Goliath was back on his stance now, ready to charge her again. She could feel his heavy boots vibrating from the earth, and Eliza ducked just in time to hear the blade sing above her head. The motion took Goliath by surprise, and he lost his balance, dropping to one knee for leverage. Too late to catch up, Eliza veered to the left, scrambled up the porch, and ran back inside the cabin. She quickly bolted the door and dragged one of the heavy chairs against it. She probably hoped that all the windows in the cabin had the same material as the one in the bedroom (They didn''t). Statistically, very few would use the front windows to escape. They only used the front door if they were forced to. They¡¯d first run into another room and use the windows to escape. I noticed that with Leo¡¯s group and the people from Green Hill. They always wanted to put another door (or as many obstacles as possible) between them and the attacker breaking in from the first entryway. Eliza glanced over where Maxine was. She was still there, motionless and looking very much dead. Patting her clothes, she realized she left the boxcutter inside the car. ¡°Shit!¡± Pushing her fear down and on the brink of another burst of tears, Eliza darted into the kitchen to find a better weapon: the knives on the island counter. She pulled a chef¡¯s knife and watched the front door and windows, trembling. She waited for the sound she expected: the heavy boots hitting the front porch¡¯s steps. Goliath climbed onto the front porch and approached the door, wiggling the handle. ¡°Please, stop! We didn¡¯t do anything to you!¡± Eliza screeched, ¡°Let us go! We won¡¯t tell what we saw!¡± She probably thought it was the best thing to say and hoped she sounded convincing enough. Maybe the killer would believe her that she was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. The doorknob jiggled again, and Eliza let out a loud whimper. So did the tears, and they never stopped flowing. That¡¯s when she caught sight of the box-shaped rotary telephone on the wall. She ran toward it and almost jumped with joy when she heard the dial tone. She took some time getting used to turning the numbers she wanted. Rarely did she have to use these things in the advent of smartphones. 9. 1. 1. Another couple of rings and a man¡¯s voice echoed across the line. ¡°911, What¡¯s your emergency?¡± ¡°Hello? Hello! Oh my God! You gotta help me! Someone¡¯s trying to kill me.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Slow down, ma¡¯am. Tell me where you are.¡± ¡°Um, I¡­I don¡¯t know. Some cabin in the woods? I think we¡¯re near a lake or something. My boyfriend drove us here. I don¡¯t know the address!¡± ¡°Okay. But do you remember how far you are from town?¡± ¡°Um, I think we drove past a roadhouse on our way here. Rosie¡¯s, Posies something¡­¡± ¡°Josey¡¯s?¡± the operator asked. ¡°Yes! That one! We were heading north toward Portland, and then we turned right. And we¡¯re near the lake from there. Please! You gotta help us. My boyfriend and his son are still out there. He¡¯s just a kid!¡± The loud bangs from the front door were getting louder now. ¡°Oh my God, he¡¯s trying to get in.¡± ¡°Okay, ma¡¯am. One thing at a time. You¡¯re doing very well. Can you find a place to hide?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± There¡¯s nowhere for her to hide without dragging the phone with her, and even with its long, twirling cord attached to the wall (and the boxed machine) itself, the killer would find out where she was hiding pretty quickly. ¡°No. I can¡¯t. I¡¯m too exposed.¡± ¡°It sounds to me like you are in Cedar Lake.¡± It didn¡¯t look like Eliza knew where she was or the exact name, but she nodded and said an ¡°uh-huh¡± to him. ¡°Looks like you are in the cabin by the north side?¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Um, I think so. We¡¯re very close to the mountains.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the Fairlie¡¯s cabin.¡± Eliza scrunched up her brows. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know their last names. Just please get here! Get as many people as you can!¡± Another weight barreled through the door, making her jump. ¡°I¡¯m trying to place where you are, Eliza. Now, are you in the bedroom?¡± Eliza froze, sweat visibly forming around her forehead. ¡°Wait¡­how¡­¡± ¡°Are you in the study room?¡± Eliza shook her head, lips quivering. ¡°How¡­¡± ¡°Are you in the living room?¡± ¡°How did you¡ª¡± ¡°No, wait. I know where you are. You¡¯re in the kitchen,¡± the operator said as if he finally cracked the code. ¡°You¡¯re in the kitchen, right?¡± ¡°I d-didn¡¯t tell you m-my n-name,¡± she whispered between breaths. She tried to slow her breathing, but it felt like all the air in her lungs was getting squeezed out of her sternum. ¡°But we know who you are, Eliza,¡± the operator said. The front door suddenly stopped shaking. ¡°We know exactly who you are.¡± ¡°Who¡­what are you?¡± ¡°I can think of a better question than that, sweetheart,¡± he said. ¡°Do you ever wonder what Hell sounds like?¡± A piercing cry emanated from the phone, and Eliza threw it away from her ear; she felt like she would lose her eardrum. She could still hear a hundred, a thousand, no, a million screams pouring out of the phone, clamoring at once; the tiny holes on the telephone¡¯s speakers and microphone started dripping out with black blood. A sulfurous smell wafted into the kitchen. She didn¡¯t know where it was coming from, but it quickly choked the room with its stench of rotten eggs. ¡°Saint Michael, the Archangel. Defend us in battle.¡± Eliza started reciting the prayer in Spanish, stepping away from the wall and the bleeding phone. ¡°Be our protector against the wickedness and snares of the devil¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªMay God rebuke him, we humbly pray,¡± a man¡¯s creaking voice echoed from the living room, continuing the prayer in English, getting closer and closer. ¡°O do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God¡ª¡± Chris stepped into the kitchen¡¯s light, eyes golden fiery red, lips dripping with black blood. His left arm was still missing, goblets of black blood dripping onto the floor from the soaked makeshift bandages. Eliza could barely make out a scream as her lower back hit the counter behind her. ¡°THRUST! INTO! HELL!¡± Chris bellowed, ¡°SATAN AND ALL HIS EVIL SPIRITS¡ª!¡± Eliza fell onto the floor, dropping the knife. Both hands clasped over her ears. The screams emanating from the telephone grew louder and louder, filling the room with their blood-curdling howls and Chris¡¯s shouts. ¡°¡ªDEMONS, who wander through the world¡ª¡± Chris stepped closer. ¡°¡ªfor the RUINS of souls¡ª¡± He picked up the knife that Eliza dropped on the floor. ¡°¡ªet ligattum mittas in abbysum¡ª¡± Chris switched in croaky latin. He crouched in front of Eliza now, so close she could smell his rotting breath. ¡°¡ªut non seducat amplius gentes. Amen.¡± Eliza opened her eyes and stared at the yellowy abyss of Chris¡¯s. ¡°Tell me, Eliza, child of God, flesh-tainted, coveter of a married soul, does your God watch over you now? Have He cast away evil and come to aid you?¡± Eliza couldn¡¯t answer. Her tongue twisted so tight she could barely breathe. ¡°Is God with you?¡± Chris asked, making a show of looking around the room. ¡°Hm? Is He?¡± Behind him, Eliza saw Maxine¡¯s body twitching and then rising. A wide grin plastered on her face. She was enjoying this. She had been listening the entire time! ¡°We asked you a question, Eliza,¡± Chris said. ¡°Answer.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not real,¡± Eliza managed to squeak. ¡°Well,¡± Chris smiled. ¡°Unlike the old bastard, I¡¯m actually here.¡± Then, he lunged at her, punching her face and might have broken her nose. It was hard to see from the angle I was hovering. The sudden force sent the back of Eliza¡¯s head to smash against the lower cabinet, knocking her out instantly. Chris stood up, rolled his shoulders, cracked his knuckles, and saw the cabinet''s dent. He frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll pay for that,¡± he told me, half-joking. He briefly studied Eliza¡¯s crumpled body, and his frown deepened. ¡°Damn. All that freaky setup just to get an orange Resolve. Not even a darker shade. We got our work cut out for us. I should have gone with my original plan of scaring her down to the cellar and finding your corpse, my liege.¡± I narrowed my gaze at him. ¡°What?¡± Chris asked. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°I need this body functional,¡± I said, gesturing at Chris¡¯s body. ¡°For Rebecca.¡± ¡°His soul is still intact, my liege,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll leave this body in a few minutes. I want to enjoy his skin a little more. And besides, wearing his flesh stopped the shock of missing an arm from absorbing into his consciousness. We wanted him conscious and alert once our cop friend arrives, no?¡± I sighed. ¡°To be fair, I didn¡¯t tell you he was off-limits, but just don¡¯t wear him for too long. I don¡¯t want us to run into any complications with your, um, possessing abilities. I don¡¯t want to give him some brain damage.¡± ¡°Hardly. No one has stabbed, burnt, or clubbed over the head.¡± Chris turned to Maxine, standing beside the island counter. ¡°She¡¯s a different matter. She¡¯s very, very dead once I slip out of her body. She makes up for a convincing corpse a while ago. She¡¯s already numbed and broken from what I have subjected her to when she killed all those people.¡± ¡®What¡¯s he doing now?¡± I asked, curious. ¡°He is cowering like a fool in here.¡± Chris jabbed a finger at his temple. ¡°His screams are even more delicious. He is begging you to free him.¡± ¡°He can see me?¡± I keep forgetting possessed delvers could do that. Except for Danny, I have gotten used to hovering and flying around delvers without batting an eye at me. Even though I had only been in a dungeon for three days, I had to get used to interacting with a ¡°real person¡± again after a long time. ¡°He still has functioning eyes, no? Of course, he can, my liege,¡± Chris said. ¡°He wants to get out of here. He promises not to tell anyone. He swears by it. Not. A. Soul. I told him he was wasting his time. But humans are not good listeners. Neither were they at keeping their words.¡± An idea sprang inside my head. ¡°I have something in mind, actually.¡± Chris raised an eyebrow and whispered it into his ears. Either way, the real Chris would still hear it. A loud snap from outside brought Maxine and Chris back to what we had planned. They both dragged the unconscious Eliza out of the cabin and toward the tree line. Danny ran out of the woods, laughing as Old Growth playfully chased him around. He stopped when he saw me. I could feel that something was about to happen and that he needed to put his ¡°game face¡± on. I studied him momentarily, almost guilty at what I was about to do. ¡°What of the husband?¡± Maxine asked me. ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°Of Jenna¡¯s? Zack?¡± She clarified. I nodded. ¡°Dead.¡± The demon nodded in return and marched toward the trees. No turning back now. By the tree line, Zack dangled four feet from the ground by his ankles, flanked by Goliath, who ensured the ropes were secured on the nearby tree. Even though he was hanging upside down, he instantly recognized Danny, and bewilderment and confusion ran through his expression. ¡°Danny! You¡¯re¡­you¡¯re not hurt.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very much okay, daddy! But you ran like a chicken after I threw the head!¡± Danny giggled. ¡°I couldn¡¯t stop laughing. Did you like the game, huh? Did you like it? We should play again, Mr. Pirate!¡± ¡°Game? What ga¡ª¡± he tried searching for Mr. Pirate¡ªto the spot where Danny was looking at me¡ªbut he merely saw Eliza lying on the ground, her breathing shallow. She looked like she was sleeping off a hangover. ¡°Eliza! Wake up! Wake up!¡± ¡°She can¡¯t hear you,¡± Maxine said, frowning. ¡°She¡¯s out cold. Poor thing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my fault,¡± Chris said, a hand meekly raised. ¡°Chris? You¡­¡± Anger welled inside him now. ¡°You were part of this?!¡± ¡°Oh, none of us are,¡± he said. ¡°Chris was very much on your side ten minutes ago.¡± ¡°I swear, once I¡¯m out of this, I¡¯m gonna beat the shit out of you, motherfucker!¡± ¡°Aw, Zack, your kid is here. He doesn¡¯t need to hear that kind of language,¡± Chris said. ¡°Jeez, you kiss your mother with that mouth?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to fucking kill you!¡± Chris gave the knife to Maxine and smiled at Zack. ¡°I doubt it.¡± His anger quickly vanished when he watched Maxine approach, knife in hand. Maybe it was also Old Growth looming behind her. ¡°Okay. Wait, hold on, wait! Wait!¡± ¡°Any last words?¡± Maxine said. Tears welled up in his eyes, flowing down to his eyebrows. He whimpered, ¡°Why are you doing this, Max? Why? We were friends! We were friends for a long time!¡± Maxine leaned toward him. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Zack,¡± she said. ¡°We got what we wanted.¡± She gestured toward Danny, still with a smile on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever hurt my son.¡± ¡°We have no intention to,¡± Maxine said. ¡°What are you going to do with my boy? I swear¡­I¡¯m gonna kill you if you hurt him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not for you to know,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re just the delivery man.¡± Maxine grabbed a fistful of Zack¡¯s hair and pulled his head back, exposing his throat. A quick slash, and blood poured out like a sheet. Zack gurgled, desperately clawing at his throat to stop the blood from flowing out of his body. Within seconds, all that blood rushing to his head¡ªand the open wound¡ªknocked him out. I doubted he even felt his body go cold. His arms quickly gave way and dangled with the rest of his body, swaying in the gentle night¡¯s wind. [ You have gained 1 essence: Zachary Bird] [You have gained 150 crystals] My vision dimmed, and it took me a moment to escape the exhilarating haze. All that fear and despair were injected into my veins. Just like Green Hill, I thought. Oh, how I welcomed the feeling. How it tingled up my body, how luscious in texture and smoothness Zack¡¯s essence tasted under my tongue, washing away the hunger I had been craving for a day. Innocent blood was spilled, I thought glumly still. Yet I couldn¡¯t help but feel how refreshing it was¡ªthe first sip of morning coffee. I couldn¡¯t get enough of it. Danny clapped behind me, unperturbed that his father was just butchered like a pig in front of his eyes. ¡°Daddy is finally asleep!¡± He said. What in the fuck is that System doing inside his head? Then, the boy suddenly stopped clapping and pouted. ¡°Does that mean the game is over? We can¡¯t play anymore?¡± ¡°Not yet, little Danny,¡± I said to him. ¡°Your mommy is almost here.¡± ¡°But mommy doesn¡¯t like to be scared as much as daddy,¡± he said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t even like horror movies and won¡¯t allow me to watch them when my cousins visit.¡± ¡°Well, tonight she¡¯s going to play. That¡¯s what she told us, right guys?¡± Maxine and Chris both reassured the boy. ¡°We are still playing, Danny,¡± Maxine said. ¡°We pirates are not sleepy yet.¡± From that, Danny beamed a sheepish smile. He skipped toward Goliath, grabbed his meaty thumb, and dragged him toward the cabin. Goliath obliged, happy to go along, though I could never really tell behind his white fox mask. He rarely took that damn thing off. I turned to Maxine. ¡°Fix him a ham and cheese sandwich, will you? The boy must be hungry. Make sure he doesn¡¯t step on the blood.¡± ¡°Of course, my liege,¡± she said. ¡°And her?¡± Chris pointed at the unconscious woman. ¡°Let¡¯s drag her down into the cellar,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯ll have to clean up a bit. The others will be arriving in sixteen minutes. I didn¡¯t want to disappoint.¡± I saw Old Growth staring at the night¡¯s looming dark clouds. Even though the creature was missing a pair of eyes, it turned to look at me knowingly. I nodded. ¡°Yes, I smell it, too.¡± It was going to rain soon. Five miles out, a white van turned right from the intersection; the unconscious female passenger inside began to stir awake. Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 15) HELLS GRACE Part 15 Coach Hodge stared right at me, and the bile of anger and hate welled up in my throat. I wanted to lash out and tear into him piece by piece, limb by limb. Yet his Resolve remained at a dull greenish hue that I wanted desperately to change immediately. Even without blood spilled, I could already taste the sweet essence of my mortal enemy. Not yet, I thought. I¡¯m going to enjoy every second and every inch of breaking him down. ¡°This is where Mark Castle had been hiding for the past three days?¡± Coach Hodge gestured at the cabin before him; the van¡¯s engines were still running. ¡°Looks like shit.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like a dungeon,¡± Melanie said. She and Hodge had already told the others about my nature. At least what they believed I was. There was so much more they were missing out on. ¡°Aren¡¯t dungeons supposed to be¡­I don¡¯t know¡­in a cave or something? Why a cabin? I know Mark Castle gets a lot of A¡¯s and B¡¯s in school, but I didn¡¯t think his spirit form is an idiot.¡± Hodge shrugged. ¡°Because it blends in, I guess? Who the hell knows what that kid is thinking? Or if he even is still a kid. Is he human?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re here now.¡± Melanie rubbed her hands together, trying to warm them up. ¡°Our goal is to find the gem and whatever Mark Castle had become. When we see him, we¡¯ll finish him off. But let¡¯s do this fast and quiet. We have the numbers on our side. It¡¯s him versus the six of us¡ªincluding Alvin.¡± ¡°Good thing he took care of Maxine already,¡± Kirk said from behind. He smiled to ease the tension, but Hodge and Melanie merely looked at the rearview mirror with a scowl. ¡°Yeah, I would have loved to know about that plan before you bozos bulldozed through here,¡± Hodge said. ¡°What if the plan failed, huh?¡± ¡°But¡­it didn¡¯t? Alvin¡¯s probably inside right now with his goons guarding Maxine,¡± Kirk said. ¡°You should have given it to me,¡± Rebecca said to Hodge. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have gotten lost. I¡¯ll probably hide it in my safe. The Seat will reward us, not end up out here in the fucking woods.¡± ¡°My husband told Dave to destroy it with the boy¡¯s clothes because he has an incinerator.¡± Melanie rolled her eyes. ¡°The gem also killed eight people in less than three hours. It took over Maxine Fairlie, a Gifted like Hodge. You don¡¯t have an inkling of talent with the Ways, Becca, so I highly doubt you¡¯d make a difference. You¡¯re alive because my husband did not give you the gem. Be thankful for that, will you?¡± Rebecca snorted. ¡°I have a gun,¡± she said, showing her holstered pistol under her police air mesh jacket. ¡°That¡¯ll make a difference.¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Hodge hissed. ¡°We¡¯re here on a mission, remember? Let¡¯s not get distracted by fighting with each other.¡± He looked in the rearview mirror to where Jenna and Kirk flanked Tessa on her back, staring daggers at Kirk; her mouth still taped shut. ¡°Is she awake?¡± Hodge asked. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s very much awake, coach,¡± Kirk said. He gave Tessa a creepy smirk. Hodge nodded. ¡°Everyone, out. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± He grumbled the last part. They climbed out of the van. Hodge kept an eye on the cabin, probably thinking I would pop out and run after him with a knife. Still, he remained vigilant while they were out in the open. Their van was the only vehicle in the parking lot. I had already stashed away Zack and Eliza¡¯s car in the same place in the woods, which now became a makeshift salvage yard of abandoned vehicles left behind by the delvers: Maxine¡¯s Ford Explorer, Zack¡¯s car, Leo¡¯s van, Steven and Alvin¡¯s vehicles, Chris¡¯s Honda, and Clay Havert¡¯s SUV. I would be dumping more cars over there in the coming years. Perhaps purchasing several pieces of equipment to salvage and sell their parts would be good for me. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re gonna use it. Relying on crystals alone was not a good investment when I could leach off a stable local economy outside my borders (as stable as it could get nowadays). I¡¯ll save the crystals for bigger purchases I could not get anywhere else on Earth, let alone from Home Depot. I doubt I could grab a plutonium from aisle six. After kidnapping Tessa from the hospital, Rebecca, Jenna, and Kirk met up with Hodge and Melanie near Josey¡¯s Roadhouse. Unfortunately, they left their phones and other electronics inside the car when Hodge performed the rite Jonas had told him to use for Tessa. Oracle had no way of knowing the spell''s details, and surprisingly, neither did the demon. When Hodge and the others walked out of the forest, they wore a distinct silver pendant with no symbol etched on the surface. It looked like a coin that had been brushed, scraped, and rendered smooth for hours. Curiously, Tessa was wearing the same thing around her neck. The demon warned me that it could be a protective veil meant to ward off a paranormal attack, perhaps working like the pendant that Maxine used against me in Dave''s house. ¡°Keep it close to you,¡± Hodge whispered to Tessa, still in her haze, slipping in and out of consciousness. ¡°Take it off, and you¡¯ll lose your head.¡± They shoved her back into the van and then drove to the cabin. To me. And now, my enemies were finally here. I could feel their footsteps on the earth, their breaths in the air. Their heartbeats drummed against the gust of wind and patter of light rain. The way their skin prickled against my aural consciousness, like ants wiggling underneath my flesh. Hodge took a deep breath and shuddered, and I thought he was going to pass out suddenly. That would be so anti-climactic. ¡°Hodge? Are you okay? What do you feel, baby?¡± Melanie asked, rubbing Hodge¡¯s back. ¡°Power. So much power here,¡± Hodge said. ¡°The gem is here, Mel. I could feel the Ways at the back of my teeth.¡± ¡°Do you know in what direction?¡± Hodge shook his head. ¡°Everywhere. It¡¯s everywhere. In the trees. In the soil.¡± He looked at the cabin. ¡°In there.¡± He took another lungful of breath. ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± ¡°What? What is it?¡± Melanie leaned closer. Hodge whispered out of earshot of the others. ¡°There¡¯s¡­darkness here. Like nothing I¡¯ve ever felt before.¡± For a split second, I saw Hodge¡¯s composure waver. ¡°We have the girl,¡± Melanie said, drawing him into her arms. ¡°We will be fine, my love.¡± ¡°Right. Yeah. We can do this. I know the Ways.¡± Melanie smiled. ¡°You know the Ways.¡± Performance jitters? I thought. Perhaps Hodge had never faced and fought a magical user before, and the arcane aura that this dungeon spread around the region made him insecure and powerless. At least it looked like that. Maybe he was masking his cowardice for bravado. Or maybe it¡¯s an act. For me. ¡°I don¡¯t see Alvin¡¯s car around,¡± Rebecca said, breaking Hodge and Melanie out of their embrace. She looked down at the tire tracks left in the mud. No other vehicles here, she probably thought as she looked around. That made her uneasy. ¡°Did anyone see it by the side of the road on our way here? I don¡¯t see Maxine¡¯s, either.¡± The others shook their heads. ¡°Alvin must have hidden his and his men¡¯s trucks in the woods,¡± Melanie said. ¡°As for Maxine¡¯s explorer, it could be her escape vehicle if things go south?¡± It looked like Hodge appreciated his wife¡¯s confidence that they would have the upper hand tonight. After all, Hodge had magic. She had seen him do unfathomable things because of his Gift. Tonight would be no different. Losing the gem was a setback in their rise within the cult (however far down they are, but I don¡¯t care), but once they find it, they would be extra powerful and influential. Maybe they¡¯d finally get a plate on the golden table. Allow me to ruin those dreams, motherfuckers. Kirk roughly dragged Tessa out of the van and held her up on her feet. She wiggled helplessly out of his grip while Jenna stood to the side, unsure of what to do. The woman ignored how creepily Kirk touched Tessa from the nape of her neck down to her lower back. She wanted to say something, but Jenna held her tongue. ¡°Let me go!¡± Tessa said. She bent her right knee and tried to kick Kirk by the balls, but the man had already read her intentions and quickly blocked the blow. ¡°Control that girl!¡± Hodge barked at Kirk. ¡°She¡¯s feisty, coach. Sorry,¡± Kirk said. ¡°But I can handle her.¡± ¡°Mr. Gamble, why are you doing this?¡± Tessa asked, eyes welling with tears. She also looked at Coach Hodge. ¡°Why are you all doing this? What have I done?¡± ¡°Nothing personal, Tess,¡± Kirk said. He glanced over to the others (who were too busy looking at the cabin), and Kirk took a whiff of Tessa¡¯s hair. ¡°You¡¯ve always been the good girl in class, aren¡¯t you, Ms. Burton? My advice? Be a good girl now, and maybe, just maybe, you¡¯ll get out of here without a scratch on that pretty little head of yours.¡± What a creepy fuck, I thought. I couldn¡¯t believe that I used to like him as my English teacher. He was the cool Mr. G that all the popular kids hang around because he let them use their phones during class while secretly salivating over the young girls as young as thirteen. He was a decent guy in school, but it was like I was looking at a totally different person. The same goes for Coach Hodge, who became Educator of the Year twice in a row, and the school celebrated it. Tessa snuffed out her whimpering. She looked like a smart girl. I could tell she did not believe she was getting out of this alive. These people were the pillars of Point Hope¡¯s community. They¡¯d shut her up, and the only way to do that was to kill her. Maybe by the end of the night? In the middle of it? Her body shuddered visibly. Escape was her only option. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like anyone¡¯s home,¡± Jenna said, nodding to the cabin. ¡°Where the fuck is Alvin? He should have seen us drive in.¡± ¡°Unless something went wrong,¡± Hodge muttered. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Rebecca flinched. ¡°Alvin told me he hired three guys he knew to deal with Maxine. Armed ones. Guys with better guns than the ones I have. You mean to tell me that Maxine took care of them and a Jason Voorhees motherfucker like Alvin?¡± Hodge shrugged. ¡°Like my wife said, the gem killed eight people in Green Hill. We need to be more careful now if Alvin fucked it up.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know that yet,¡± Jenna pointed out. ¡°For all we know, they could be hiding.¡± Rebecca snorted. ¡°Hiding from what? Bigfoot?¡± Jenna didn¡¯t have an answer. Tessa finally pried her eyes away from Kirk¡¯s leering face, and she froze at the sight of the two-story wooden building. An uncontrollable fear engulfed her, clawing at Kirk to let her go. I could see her aura immediately turn bright orange while confusion struck her. It didn¡¯t seem like she knew where she was and the cabin¡¯s true purpose. It¡¯s almost instinctual. Do all the delvers who survive my dungeon react like this? Tessa wanted to flee. Wanted to get away from me. Hodge noticed it, too. He walked over to Tessa, almost brimming with excitement with each step he made. ¡°You recognize it, don¡¯t you? At least the feeling, the aura of this place. You know what it is. You could feel the Ways leaking from it.¡± ¡°I¡ªI haven¡¯t been here before, but please! Don¡¯t let me go in there! I can¡¯t!¡± Delvers who cleared the dungeon had a magical bond between them and the Core. Over time, it would fade away (I didn¡¯t know for how long), but Tessa was the sole survivor of the Green Hill dungeon only three days ago. Her connection to me was potent, along with Leo in the cellar. I had already given the latter a boon. ¡°You¡¯ll go where I tell you to,¡± Hodge said. ¡°And no, you don¡¯t have a choice. I will hurt you if you don¡¯t do what I say.¡± Tessa nodded weakly, still shivering. When they took her, she didn¡¯t wear anything except the hospital gown. Now, she wore Jenna¡¯s tight, long-sleeved white crop-top shirt and mom jeans. Since Jenna¡¯s shoes didn¡¯t fit her, Tessa¡¯s bare feet got caked with mud. Her response satisfied Hodge, and he started ordering Rebecca, Jenna, and Melanie to scout around the property. He¡¯s sure that Maxine or Alvin must have already seen them approach the cabin and were hiding inside, but this did not deter Hodge and the others. Aside from a split-second lapse in composure a minute ago, he¡¯s awfully confident. Whatever magical bullshit he cast on Tessa, it made him arrogant. Cocky. Unafraid. I could use that against him. They never really walked into the cabin just yet. Rebecca and Melanie noted all the possible entryways (the front and the back door) and told Hodge about the boathouse by the lakeshore. The lights inside the latter were on, so anyone standing by the patio deck up on the cliff could see it peeking between the trees and foliage like a dim beacon in a sea of night. Hodge and Jenna went closer to the cabin, peering through the windows and seeing nothing amiss. Everything was totally normal. No person sitting on a chair or a shadow hiding behind a door frame, ready to strike. Kirk stayed by the van, guarding Tessa like a hawk. Eventually, the others returned to the parking lot. ¡°Did Alvin leave?¡± Jenna asked, brows furrowed with worry. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why there¡¯s no cars around. Maybe he found the gem and left! He¡¯s offering it to the Seat right now!¡± ¡°Do you know where HQ is, Jenna?¡± Melanie asked. Jenna shook her head. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell us.¡± ¡°The same goes for a low-ranking initiate like Alvin. Only Hodge and I know where it is.¡± ¡°For all we know, he put Maxine in the boathouse. The lights were on,¡± Rebecca added. Hodge pointed at Tessa, who squirmed under his gaze. ¡°With the way she freaked out earlier, I think she has a connection to the damn crystal. I think it¡¯s still here, hidden somewhere. I can feel it, too.¡± ¡°You want us to turn everything upside down in there?¡± Rebecca pointed at the cabin with her thumb. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t take too long. It¡¯s a small cabin.¡± ¡°If Alvin left and had the good sense of killing Maxine, it would make our job easier,¡± Melanie said. ¡°All we have to do is search the place.¡± ¡°Wait a minute. We don¡¯t know if they left and killed Maxine,¡± Hodge said. ¡°Maxine is Gifted like me. She could mask herself from us if she wanted to and maybe she already killed Alvin and his men.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not that powerful,¡± Melanie pointed out dismissively. ¡°Nor trained with the Ways. It¡¯ll hurt her more than it would hurt us. She¡¯s not like you, baby.¡± ¡°Still,¡± Hodge continued, ¡°be very careful, my dear. We also have to watch out for Mark Castle. We don¡¯t know what tricks he has up his sleeve.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve dealt with ghosts before,¡± Kirk added. ¡°But this is a first for us. You know? Killing him twice.¡± He laughed at that like it was the cleverest joke he had ever done. ¡°You¡­killed Mark?¡± Tessa whimpered. Now, she definitely believed she was not getting out of this alive. ¡°The guy in my biology class? The one that went missing? You¡¯re the ones who kidnapped him? You all met with his family! You shook their hands, and you, coach, made a speech about his disappearance during assembly while his parents were standing right next to you! We all walk into the woods with everyone looking for him. And all this time¡­it was all of you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate your tone, young lady,¡± Melanie hissed. ¡°And no, we did not kill him. He¡¯s¡­still alive. In some other form.¡± Tessa scrunched up her face, confused. She didn¡¯t know what Melanie meant by that. Just crazy talk. ¡°Are you going to do the same thing you did to him¡­to me?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t behave, we might as well,¡± Melanie said. She tilted her head as if reassessing Tessa under a new light. ¡°You don¡¯t happen to be a virgin, are you?¡± Tessa curled her lips. ¡°Bitch, fuck you.¡± Melanie frowned. ¡°So, not a virgin then.¡± Kirk tugged on her elbow, dragging her toward the cabin. They wanted her to go first. She glanced at Rebecca¡¯s gun and then to the woods. I thought she would bolt right then and there, taking her chances and relying on her speed. But a bullet? No, she would be dead the moment she would go for the treeline. She might not even make it past three steps. Gulping her hesitation, she walked toward the front porch; the floorboards creaking under her bare feet, leaving mud tracks toward the door. She reached for the doorknob and found it already unlocked. Eyes wide and holding her breath, she turned to the others, waiting a few paces away except for Kirk, looming behind her. ¡°Well, what are you waiting for, sweetheart? A kiss for good luck?¡± Kirk smirked. Tessa cringed, took a step back, and scowled. ¡°I hope your dick falls off,¡± she said bitterly. Kirk chuckled. ¡°And I¡¯ll make you eat it. Now, open the goddamned door. Slowly.¡± Tessa pushed the door open, creaking loudly as it disappeared into the shadow. She raised one foot slightly off the ground, hesitating to step through the threshold. As if putting her foot inside would curse her forever. I hovered closer and felt the hair prickle at the nape of her neck. Opening the System interface, I blessed her with the boon I owed her. ¡°I give you swiftness, Tessa Burton,¡± I said. ¡°Use it as you see fit.¡± I¡¯ve learned that the System passively categorized delvers with four primary attributes: Power, Agility, Wits, and Charisma. This goes for all humans and creatures across the world. It connected my boons to it, and the boon of swiftness heightened Tessa¡¯s agility score. I had no way of reading their stats or individual skills before they came into the dungeon, but merely adhering to the System¡¯s judgment, reducing them into ones and zeroes. It didn¡¯t seem like the delvers had access to their stats while inside my domain either. With Oracle¡¯s direct connection to the System, he could calculate their chances of survival, which I have already asked many times. Without Hodge¡¯s unknown rite, the cultist¡¯s survival hovered around two percent. With the rite, however, Oracle could not determine an accurate number until after he witnessed the spell¡¯s effect. As for Leo and Tessa¡¯s survival, it landed at thirteen percent, with their boons doing most of the heavy lifting. Kirk pushed Tessa forward, and the girl almost lost her balance. She stepped onto the threshold and let out a heavy and shaky breath. Kirk chuckled behind her and went inside, fumbling for a second before finally finding the light switch and illuminating the space. He looked around and saw no one waiting for them in the living room (which had been cleaned thoroughly before their arrival) and waved for the others to follow. Hodge was the last to climb up the porch, giving the parking lot and McLaren forest behind him one last glance before stepping in. Hodge caught Melanie sliding her index finger along the mantle above the unlit fireplace and then rubbing the collected dust under her fingertips. ¡°It looks¡­real. For something that hasn¡¯t existed before, it''s uncanny. The details, the atmosphere, the aesthetic¡ª¡± ¡°This cabin must be here before, right?¡± Jenna crossed her arms. ¡°I mean, a cabin can¡¯t just appear out of nowhere. I¡¯ve seen several YouTube videos where they build tiny homes and barns in under two days. Maybe we haven¡¯t noticed this one?¡± ¡°Youtubers didn¡¯t build this,¡± Melanie said, studying the lamp meticulously. ¡°Magic did. A powerful one.¡± If she felt scared, the woman didn¡¯t show it. ¡°You¡¯d need approval from the zoning regulation board for that, and my husband definitely didn¡¯t receive any form from the city council about a bill of purchase. He tells me everything,¡± Rebecca said. ¡°Many rich folks from Silicon Valley have been desperately trying to buy properties around the lake, and we always say no. McLaren Forest is also within federal territory because it¡¯s a state park, so it¡¯s much more difficult to get the go-ahead to build something here. Unless Maxine and Adam were billionaire nepo-babies¡­but they¡¯re just a bunch of gym-trash influencers.¡± She stopped herself and looked at the ceiling. ¡°If you¡¯re listening, Maxine, no offense.¡± Kirk led Tessa to the middle of the living room and shoved her onto the couch. ¡°Sit. Behave. Be quiet.¡± He raised a finger like he would slap her if she spoke back. Tessa collected herself and slowly sat on the sofa, staring daggers at Kirk, fist curled behind her back. She wanted to hit him, but restrained herself. ¡°So? What now?¡± Kirk asked. Hodge turned to Rebecca. ¡°You said you saw a boathouse by the lake? How big?¡± Rebecca paused for a moment. ¡°About the size of this one?¡± ¡°Alvin could be holding Maxine inside,¡± Melanie added. ¡°Right.¡± Hodge pursed his lips. ¡°Rebecca and Kirk, go check it out.¡± Kirk stood up straight. ¡°Um, what about her?¡± He pointed at Tessa. ¡°Torres can handle Maxine. She has a gun, and she¡¯s got a good eye.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better if we all don¡¯t split up alone. We should all be in pairs. Grab a knife from the kitchen before you leave.¡± Rebecca strode toward Hodge and gave her a CB radio, the other pair in her other hand. ¡°We can communicate through this. We''ll let you know if we find Alvin dead or alive. Who wants this other gun?¡± Rebecca pulled out a revolver. "Give me that," Melanie said, taking it off Rebecca''s hands. "I don''t think I''ve ever seen you carry one before, Mel," Rebecca said. "You sure you know how to use that?" "Oh, please. I grew up in Kentucky before I moved to Oregon. I know how to use this since I was nine." "Wait a damn minute. Why do I get a crappy knife?" Kirk whined. "Well, do you know how to shoot a gun?" "No?" "I rest my case." Hodge clipped the CB radio on his belt. ¡°You will be Rebecca¡¯s backup, Kirk. If Maxine tries to escape, you¡¯ll stop her until Rebecca can put a bullet through her head if Alvin hasn¡¯t done that already. Once she¡¯s dead, try to find the gem in the boathouse. She might have hidden it there. If Alvin stole it, kill him as well.¡± ¡°With his three armed goons with him?¡± Kirk asked. ¡°If Alvin¡¯s smart, he would have disposed of them by now.¡± ¡°But who¡¯s watching her?¡± Kirk pointed at Tessa again. ¡°Jenna will,¡± Hodge answered. Kirk looked disappointed that he would no longer be Tessa¡¯s babysitter. But Jenna wasn¡¯t having it. ¡°What? Why me? I¡¯m good at finding things.¡± ¡°But I want you on guard duty,¡± Hodge said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to fight,¡± Jenna said. ¡°Only sell houses. What if she escapes?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t do much fighting, and she won¡¯t escape.¡± Hodge reached out for Rebecca¡¯s cuffs, yanking it off her belt. Rebecca almost wanted to yell at him, but held her tongue when she realized who she¡¯d be screaming at. He marched toward Tessa, grabbed her wrists, and dragged her off the couch. He then chained the poor girl on an exposed iron pipe that bordered the firebox. Hodge regarded Jenna once again. ¡°Make sure she doesn¡¯t do anything funny.¡± ¡°But what if Maxine shows up and attacks me?¡± Hodge grinned, glancing over to Tessa and then to Jenna. ¡°You won¡¯t bleed.¡± He clapped his hands like he was in the middle of a football game, moving the pieces of his playbook. ¡°Now get to it, everybody. We don¡¯t have a lot of time, you know. Chop-chop.¡± You won¡¯t bleed. That sent a little shiver up my spine. You. Won¡¯t. Bleed. I had an idea what the chained rite that Hodge performed in the woods might be, but I hoped I was wrong. I had to test it out. To make sure. Maybe that explained why the others were unafraid when they brazenly entered my domain. They were never scared because they wouldn¡¯t get hurt. But how did the rite work? How could I go around it? Another spell to counter it, maybe? No, I had to be patient. I had to wait until these cultists made a mistake. And they will regret it. ¡°Come on, dickwad. Follow me,¡± Rebecca said, not a fan that she would be stuck with Kirk, and the man grumbled after her. They went out the back door. ¡°Where do you think Mark Castle could be?¡± Melanie asked Hodge. Right behind you, motherfuckers. Hodge shrugged. ¡°If he¡¯s smart, far away from me.¡± ¡°Oh, is that right?¡± I laughed. I wanted to poke his shoulder just to freak him out, but I held back. ¡°Where should we start then?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll start on the second floor and work our way down. While you¡¯re here, Jenna, why don¡¯t you look around the living room?¡± ¡°I can do that,¡± Jenna said, goosebumps running up her arms. ¡°This cabin is giving me the creeps, by the way. And I usually don¡¯t get creeped out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just magic. Jen,¡± said Hodge. ¡°Pure magic.¡± It was only nine o¡¯clock in the evening, and sunrise wasn¡¯t until 6:55 AM. Ten hours. Enough time to do what must be done. I doubted they¡¯d make it until midnight if everything went as planned. Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 16) HELLS GRACE Part 16 Dripping, and dripping, and dripping¡­ Fear rose inside him, adrenaline in a beating frenzy. With one pull, a root gave out, then two. Leo fell to his knees, looked up at the ceiling, and eyes gleamed with determination. He hunched over, hands clutching his abdomen. He hadn¡¯t eaten in a day and was left unconscious for more than thirteen hours. His stomach growled, reverberating across the enclosed space. As if his senses caught up to him, he took a lungful of breath and retched nothing but bile fluids. His body shook as he assessed his surroundings, stood up, and limped toward the pile of corpses. He knelt in front of Art Gomez and John Kitson¡¯s bodies. Then to Johnny, cradling Scottie¡¯s decapitated head. I wasn¡¯t the one who ¡°decorated¡± these corpses. Too macabre for my taste. I had to give the credit to Goliath himself. He spent an hour playing dolls with them, mainly for Leo¡¯s benefit. He knew that our worthy guest would wake up sooner or later, and this was Goliath¡¯s gift to him for delving a second time¡ªa welcome-back present. Leo spotted an old bundled piece of yellow paper shoved inside Art¡¯s mouth, barely peeking out of his rotting lips. He fished it out, careful not to disturb the body. He unfurled the note and read it: Round Two? You are the best prey I have ever had. I will do my best to make you worthy. Sorry for not catching you, brother. Take a knee, and see you soon. - G ¡°Take a knee¡­¡± Leo whispered. He looked at the note again. I wished I could spare one of my Power slots for [Glean] and infiltrate Leo¡¯s thoughts. I only had eight Power left, and the scenario was still young. I never thought of Goliath as the sentimental type. True, he pride himself as a deadly hunter (of humans at least), and he loved the challenges he faced when chasing them down, but he never really voiced his feelings. Part of it was my fault, as I did not give him the ability to speak and merely communicated with his hands and body. I wondered what he was like before the System snatched him and whether his bloodlust was natural or System-made. He always struck me as a go-with-the-motions type of guy. He liked to be alone sometimes; the reason he chose his lair in the middle of the woods. Goliath seemed to form a kinship with Leo. For the brief time I¡¯ve known him, the killer had never given such¡­intimate reach¡­with another delver. He recognized that Leo was ex-military, and Goliath had his automatic respect. Given the chance, he would still kill him. Would Goliath be upset about killing another soldier? Someone connected to his line of work before? The System did not reveal if my archetype had preferences for victims, and Goliath never said which delver was off-limits to him. Leo crumpled the note and almost burst into tears, but nothing flowed out of his eyes. He was so dehydrated he could probably drink a gallon of water in seconds. He felt something on his hand, and when he looked down, a small plastic water bottle was in his grip. Leo chucked the bottle away, frightened, scrambling back to his feet. The magic bottle rolled toward the pile of bodies, the water sloshing with each bump. ¡°That cost me one crystal, Leo,¡± I said. ¡°Better drink that before you go out there.¡± Eventually, his heaving slowed, and he cautiously approached the water bottle I gave him, inspecting it from afar. Leo licked his cracked lips and bent over, grabbing the bottle and opening the cap. Sniffed. Doesn¡¯t smell like poison, he probably thought. His thirst overpowered him. He drank it all. ¡°Careful, or you¡¯ll¡ª¡± Leo coughed violently and retched half of what he drank to the ground. Having all that water coat his parched throat made him feel better. He whirled around and glimpsed another body lying on a stone slab in the middle of the chamber, surrounded by glyphs and jars with floating human organs in a strange, pale green fluid. My body. I thought I did a good job, making it look like I was killed through a grandiose ritual sacrifice. Compared to the real thing, I was just butchered in the woods and left to rot. Perhaps I might have gone overboard by drawing every scary demonic symbol that the demon thought appropriate and turned this chamber into a cultist¡¯s sanctum, complete with three dozen black candles, six empty effigies of robed knightly figures, and six statues of giant horned goats. There was even a large glass mosaic on the ceiling above the stone slab, painted with demonic figures battling against angels on the nine mountains of Hell. Based on Leo¡¯s horrified reaction, it worked. Recognition crossed his face. ¡°Mark¡­Castle?¡± He approached my corpse. Slowly. Afraid to touch it. Afraid to disturb whatever dark magic that had permeated this place. ¡°What the fuck¡­¡± I didn¡¯t think he would remember me. I was young when I was a camper at Cedar Pine Summer Camp long ago. And yet, he still recognized me. I must have made a great impression on him, which was both warming and depressing. I am dead, and the people who know me will see the same thing he did. Soon. He strode closer, not daring to cross the glyphs¡¯ threshold drawn on the ground, muttering, ¡°What happened to you?¡± Did he know I was missing for weeks? His family had already moved out of Point Hope long ago, but I didn¡¯t know how closely Leo looked the town up. My missing case wasn¡¯t national news or broadcast across Oregon. I had to thank the Cult of Astaroth for that by cornering it only to the local newspapers. Leo continued to study my corpse, and the longer he stood there, the more I realized he was going to trigger a trap¡ªAn illusion trap. Leo whirled around and heard a growling noise emanating from the pile of corpses. A bated breath here with eyes trained at the dead bodies of his friends and strangers, afraid they would all spring up like the Walking Dead and reach for his throat. But the bodies did not rise to eat him. Whatever he heard must be in his head. He regarded my body again. My dead, faded, milky-white eyes were staring right at him, the corpse¡¯s head slightly tilted to face the foolish spectator. Looking right through his soul. Looking alive. ¡°Fuck!¡± Leo exclaimed and stumbled back, landing on his ass. His Resolve sharply went down into a bright orange. I could see on his face that he swore my head was facing the ceiling a moment ago. Now, he was questioning reality. ¡°Ahh, Leo, if you don¡¯t want to see this second part, you should look a¡ª¡± Too late. My facial muscles started moving, my lower jaw yawning, and Leo hiked up his breath. A black matted rat wiggled out of my gaping, rotten mouth and scurried toward Leo. The man shrieked (which no one above could hear) and struggled to get back to his feet. He bumped his shoulder against the devil-looking horned goat statue as he ran toward the stairs, toward a set of wooden iron-wrought double doors. It took him a few seconds to pry the door open, and he ran up another set of stone steps, scrambling his way out of the dimly lit tunnel with only the fixed torches to guide him. It led him to a dead end. But Leo was more perceptive than I had initially thought. He quickly found a hidden compartment on the wall, and sliding the panel open, he reached in and pulled the lever inside. The wall slid to the right, revealing the back of a metallic shelf. He was about to force his way out when the shelf moved on its own three seconds after the stone did, sliding to the opposite side. He walked into the cellar. Leo heard people talking above him. Maybe two or three. Maybe more. It didn¡¯t look sure, but he was cautious where he stepped. That way, he didn¡¯t alert them to his presence. Ahead, the cellar was a maze-like concoction of shelves, smelly boxes, antique cabinets and furniture, and old clothes draped over them without thought. He waded his way around half-broken chairs stacked on each other and machinery and appliances from the ''70s or ''80s no longer in use. The only light source was the small, exposed fluorescent light bulb swinging slightly in the middle of the room. Finally, he saw the rickety stairs leading above, hesitating to climb them. Leo heard something stir from his left. It came from behind the blue tarp, hanging like a curtain and obviously hiding something behind it. A slight breeze opened a flap at the bottom. There were no windows he could see, no way for the wind to get in unless he missed an air vent. I strategically placed the hidden vents around the cabin for these occasions. You know? A ghostly breeze made things extra creepy. Made things¡­dramatic and thematic. Perception and immersion were vital to every horror movie, such as needing oil or butter before frying your food in the pan. How you would need salt and pepper to season your meal. Nevertheless, Leo took the bait against his better judgment. He had seen things that shouldn¡¯t exist: a mountain of a man who remained kicking after a hail of bullets and killed his friends; a tree-like monstrosity who chased him through the woods; and a woman with demonic golden eyes who captured him. He never liked this place. I see it through his eyes how he would rather be in Portland than inside the house of horrors. Would rather be home. Would rather be anywhere else. ¡°Keep going,¡± I said. ¡°Keep going, Leo. Open the tarp. You still have a part to play tonight.¡± He spotted an old baseball bat wedged between a duffel bag and a box filled with old family portraits of a family of five that I pulled from the internet. He slowly grabbed it from the shelf, glancing at the ceiling to make sure no one heard him, but it seemed like they were too busy arguing about something. Extending the bat out, he used its head to push the tarp to the side, revealing a wooden door with a small, rectangular port window. Leo paused, reluctant to open it. But curiosity got the better of him, and he cautiously approached the door, unlatched the lock on the port window, and parted it aside. Leo held in his gasp. He saw a woman and a boy huddled in the corner through the window. Prisoners? He probably thought. He had heard the screaming and violence an hour before. How many people did those freaks kill since he was incapacitated? Finding that the door was already unlocked, he hesitated whether to continue opening it. What if it was a trap? What if they were a part of it? The woman and the child heard the door quiver, the hinges betraying his cover. The woman pulled the boy closer, shielding him with her back as the door creaked open. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay! I¡¯m here to help,¡± Leo said reassuringly. He had to talk over the woman¡¯s quiet prayers. ¡°I¡¯m trapped here just like you,¡± he added. That stopped the woman¡¯s chanting. With the boy still cradled in her arms, she turned around. There must be something on Leo¡¯s face, the way his tattered clothes looked and his face caked with dried blood and mud, that told her to trust him. ¡°They killed Zack.¡± Leo didn¡¯t recognize the name. ¡°Okay. Is Zack your¡­?¡± ¡°My fianc¨¦.¡± She gestured to the boy. ¡°His father.¡± ¡°You saw them?¡± Leo asked. The woman almost burst into tears. ¡°Demons,¡± she said. ¡°This place is cursed.¡± Leo¡¯s stance shifted as if the woman¡¯s words were a confirmation he had been waiting for. That he wasn¡¯t going crazy. He walked over to them and knelt beside her. ¡°I¡¯m Leo. You?¡± ¡°Eliza,¡± she said. ¡°This is Danny.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Danny didn¡¯t stir. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± Leo asked. ¡°It¡¯s this place,¡± Eliza said. ¡°It¡¯s making him do things. Bad things.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Eliza shook her head. ¡°I--I just need to get him out of here. So he can feel better. This place wants Danny here, and I¡¯m afraid what will happen once it¡¯s finished.¡± ¡°I know where the stairs are, but there are people above us.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let them down here!¡± Eliza said. ¡°It could be them.¡± ¡°I made sure I was quiet,¡± Leo said. ¡°Let me see your eyes.¡± Leo paused. ¡°Uh¡­what?¡± ¡°Let me see your eyes,¡± Eliza repeated. Leo leaned closer until he could feel the woman¡¯s breath against his face, tickling his cheeks. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Leo asked to break the tension. Eliza shook her head and leaned away. ¡°You¡¯re not one of them.¡± She gave him half a smile. Leo flinched. ¡°One of them?¡± ¡°Possessed.¡± Now, she was confused. ¡°You¡­I thought you fought them.¡± ¡°The big guy, yeah. And the creepy tree. That¡¯s what went after us. What did you see?¡± ¡°A demon,¡± she said. ¡°It possessed three people, including poor Danny, and tried to kill us.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± Leo¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°Wait¡­a big guy? With a fox mask?¡± Leo nodded. ¡°How many fucked up things are in this place?¡± ¡°How many people are outside?¡± ¡°Three. Maybe four.¡± ¡°You think it¡¯s safe to go out there?¡± ¡°We can find another way out. There might be another basement door or something that leads outside the cabin.¡± He was trying to give her hope. To provide her some courage. ¡°Yeah. Right.¡± She nodded, and Leo helped her and the boy up. Leo studied Danny for a moment, making sure that the boy was okay. He was looking for wounds or other signs that he was bleeding. After all, Danny was pale as snow, staring off to the wall, and never once looked Leo in the eye. Not even when Leo pushed Danny¡¯s eyelid upward for a good look. This must be what a gentled delver looked like when the System didn¡¯t have them under its control. ¡°His pupils are dilated,¡± Leo said. ¡°Did they give him drugs or something? How long has he been like this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Eliza answered, still desperately holding back her tears. She didn¡¯t want to start bawling in front of this stranger. But she realized something. ¡°Wait. I was still awake when they dragged me here. They went through a¡­a door. Another door.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not behind a metal shelf, is it?¡± ¡°Yes. I think so?¡± ¡°Hm. That¡¯s where I came from.¡± Eliza paled. ¡°So¡­the only way out is through¡ª¡± ¡°Yep. Above.¡± Leo tightened his grip on the baseball bat. ¡°Follow me and stay close.¡±
¡°You¡¯re not getting away with this,¡± Tessa said, still tied up near the hearth. ¡°Sooner or later, you¡¯re going to mess it up.¡± ¡°Shut up, bitch,¡± Jenna said, sitting on a couch after looking around the living room for ten minutes and finding no gems at all. ¡°We didn¡¯t ask for your opinion.¡± ¡°Lady, I¡¯ve listened to a ton of true crime podcasts, even the ones that involved a cult, and they never get away with it in the end. They always have a tell.¡± Furniture clattered from the second floor where Hodge and Melanie were busy turning everything in the bedroom upside down, getting frustrated with each minute that passed. Tessa glanced at the stairs, then regarded the woman in front of her again. Jenna put one hand on her hip, the other gripping a knife. ¡°And what about you? Do you think you¡¯re going to be the heroine of this episode? The final girl? What happens if you die first?¡± Tessa chuckled softly. ¡°There¡¯s something in this place I can¡¯t describe.¡± Her eyes flicked around the room as if she was scared the shadows would grab her. ¡°But I know it wants you. Not me. You. Who¡¯s going to die first between you and me? I¡¯ll bet my fucking money it¡¯s you.¡± Jenna trudged toward Tessa, raised the back of her hand, and slapped her across the face. She leaned down, smiling. ¡°We¡¯ve cut bitches like you before. I never participated. But this time¡­I think I might. I think I¡¯ll enjoy slicing that pretty face of yours. If I die, I¡¯ll know you won¡¯t become prom queen for your senior year. Not even homecoming.¡± ¡°Who gives a fuck about prom? Only people who peaked in high school talk about that stuff.¡± Tessa looked Jenna up and down. Jenna scoffed. ¡°I ruled that school when I was your age. Better than you. Prettier than you. I can get any guy I want. All I see is a second-hand carbon copy of a heaping trash.¡± ¡°What was your name again?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Jenna Batt¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, right. No one remembers you.¡± I chuckled. Well, Jenna Batten walked right into that one. Jenna glowered at her. ¡°You think I¡¯m weak? Just because Hodge is not in the room, you think you can bully me?¡± Jenna slowly put the tip of the knife against Tessa¡¯s cheek, drawing a tiny trickle of blood. Tessa winced, anger boiling in her eyes. ¡°Get that fucking knife out of my face.¡± ¡°You think you¡¯re so tough? How¡¯s your boyfriend, Ms. Tessa Burton?¡± Jenna asked. ¡°How¡¯s Cody?¡± Tessa visibly paled. ¡°Oh, right¡­he was butchered like cattle in your own home. Have you heard a man scream for his life? I¡¯ve heard dozens. I¡¯m always curious about what it would feel like if it was someone you love. My friend did that to him. Maxine Fairlie. And what she did to your boyfriend, the papers could not even describe nor publish. The cops could not even release pictures of.¡± ¡°Fuck you¡­¡± ¡°Mrs. Hodge said she¡¯ll let me go.¡± ¡°And you believed that? Ha. You¡¯re dumber than I thought.¡± Jenna got up and checked her cuffs still secured on the pipe. ¡°Don¡¯t even try anything funny.¡± Jenna slapped Tessa one more time and sauntered out of the room. She probably thought Tessa wasn¡¯t going anywhere and resumed her search for the gem instead of watching over her. After all, she didn¡¯t find the gem in the living room. I reckoned she wanted to uncover it first than the others. It offended her greatly when they assigned her to guard duty. She glanced to the balcony overlooking the living room, making sure that Hodge and Melanie weren¡¯t coming down the stairs before she entered the dining and kitchen area. When Jenna was out of sight, Tessa tried to pry her cuffs loose, trailing a finger around the base of her thumb. The girl spat a curse. She didn¡¯t know which part of her joint to dislodge, like in the movies. She didn¡¯t find anything that could help her. With a muffled creak below, the rug levitated, tilting and sliding on an invisible surface, which Tessa realized was a cellar door hidden underneath. Two faces of a man and a woman were peeking out of the gap¡ªLeo and Eliza. Leo put his index finger up to his lips, shushing her. He slowly raised the door higher and let Eliza and Danny out. Eventually, he climbed up after them and slowly closed the cellar door. Jenna was too busy rifling through the cupboards in the kitchen to hear them. ¡°You gotta help me,¡± Tessa whispered, shaking as Leo crawled toward her. ¡°Shh. You have to be quiet.¡± Leo checked her cuffs. ¡°Where are the keys?¡± Tessa raised a shaky finger toward the second floor. ¡°How many?¡± Tessa raised two fingers. ¡°We can¡¯t go up there,¡± Eliza said, peeking out the front window. She had Danny in a tight grip, pulled close to her side. ¡°I see a car outside.¡± ¡°What about her?¡± Leo asked. Eliza bit her bottom lip and whispered to Danny, ¡°Stay here.¡± She crawled toward Tessa, pulled out a metallic hairpin from her bundled hair, and bent the metal a little into a sharp line. ¡°Stay still,¡± she told Tessa, shoving the tip inside the cuff¡¯s lock. Leo¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Long story,¡± Eliza said, catching his expression. ¡°Bad crowd.¡± An unmistakable click of the lock resounded, and the cuffs fell apart around Tessa¡¯s wrists. Relief washed over the girl¡¯s face, beaming a wide smile. ¡°Thank you, thank you!¡± ¡°What the fuck!¡± Jenna shouted, knife pointed at them. ¡°Eliza?¡± Then she spotted the small figure of a boy standing by the door, now staring blankly at her. ¡°D¡ªDanny? What are you doing in here?¡± Oracle cut out the lights in the entire cabin. Eliza was the first to scream, recognizing the dark feminine figure standing behind Jenna. Leo leaned against the hearth while Tessa was too busy getting the cuffs off her wrists. Jenna whirled around to face the dark figure, only to be met by a blade sinking deep into her flesh, wedged between her collarbone and neck. Jenna didn¡¯t scream, more confused and surprised. She looked at the blade and looked at Maxine, who wielded it with demonic glee, and then behind her, Tessa screamed. The girl writhed on the ground, clutching her shoulder as if it was burning. Eliza and Leo were confused about what was going on, mouth agape as they watched Tessa on the floor. The rite that Hodge performed transferred all that pain from Jenna to Tessa, and I had just given the girl a boon to her endurance. I know she could take the pain. But for how long? Would she die from it? I didn¡¯t see any blood spurting out of her neck, the exact spot where Maxine had stabbed Jenna. Maxine pulled the knife out of Jenna¡¯s flesh, which I could only describe as having the consistency of foam. No blood came out, stitching themselves together until the gaping wound was gone. Jenna gritted her teeth and tackled Maxine over the dining table, grappling for the knife in her hand. ¡°Hodge! Mel! I found her! She¡¯s down here!¡± Jenna shouted. She glanced over her shoulder at the boy. ¡°Danny, get back! Don¡¯t go any closer!¡± The momentary distraction was enough for Maxine to shove Jenna upward, hitting her head on the ceiling light, which shattered upon impact. Jenna fell to the side, slamming her head again into the sharp corner of the table. That should have knocked her out. It stunned her a little¡ªbarely¡ªand I doubted the impact killed her. She groaned on the floor, trying to get back to her feet. The demon ignored her and went after Tessa instead, eyes trained on the pendant around her neck. Above, Hodge ran out of the bathroom, alerted by all the noise, calling Mel to follow him. I triggered [ Telekinesis ] and slammed the bedroom door shut on Hodge¡¯s toes and face. Hodge staged back to the floor, Mel screaming for him to get his ass back on his feet. [ Power: 7/10 ] Below, Tessa screamed again, bringing her knees toward her chest. She clutched the back of her head with one hand while the other reached for her toes. The pendant wasn¡¯t meant to kill Tessa outright, even though all the injuries she received should have either broken her neck, caused her to bleed to death, or given her a concussion. I realized that the pendant was draining all her Resolve into orange. If this continued, it would threaten to spill into the red zone. Hodge, Melanie, and Jenna remained at a bright green as if my Dread had not touched them. The pendant didn¡¯t transfer all the injuries but merely acted as a filter for Resolve, and Tessa¡¯s boon was acting like a stopgap from dropping crimson. Jonas knew this. Delvers returning to a Death Core¡¯s dungeon were forever changed and acquired a passive resistance to the carnage. They were less likely to drop Resolve quickly than when they first delved. That¡¯s why he wanted Hodge and Melanie to kidnap Tessa. I needed to get that necklace off. I needed them to start shedding their Resolve until it was time to collect. Tessa was still conscious, alert enough to realize that the pendant around her neck was inflicting all of this pain coursing throughout her body. Leo stepped out, swinging the bat at Maxine¡¯s charging form. With a flick of my mind, Leo was off the ground, flying toward the window and smashing through it. Shards of glass bit into his cheeks and left arm as he rolled onto the porch and fell onto the muddy lot. ¡°No!¡± Eliza pulled out a fire iron next to the fireplace. She swung it around, aiming for Maxine¡¯s head. She never got the chance to. I swung the cellar door wide open in a violent crash and shoved Eliza into the pit. She tumbled down the stairs with loud yelps. Maxine jumped over Tessa¡¯s crumpled form, swatting away her arms. ¡°Make it stop! Make it stop!¡± Tessa screamed. Above, Hodge and Melanie were struggling to open the door. ¡°Do it quick!¡± I said to the demon. ¡°Take it off!¡± Maxine grinned and grabbed Tessa¡¯s necklace. Sssssssssssss¡ª The pendant sizzled under Maxine¡¯s grip; white smoke seeped between her knuckles. The demon cried out and released the pendant, crawling away from Tessa as if the heat enveloped her entire body. She couldn¡¯t even close the hand that wielded the necklace. I never imagined a demon would be afraid of fire and a little heat, but the rite must have included some sort of warding spell. Tessa grabbed the pendant, yanking it off her neck, but it didn¡¯t budge. Then, her fist started to smoke and sizzle as well, and she screamed. I triggered what was left of my [ Telekinesis ] and tried to pull the necklace off. I barely lasted a split second with my ghostly fingers wrapped around the metal. I saw a vision. A throne under a pitch-dark sky inflamed with crimson shadows from the burning oily pits below. The writhing masses of blackened and charred corpses crawl through the ashes of sludge, wading through barbed wires and boiling magma. A snarling mouth with rows of sharp teeth, naked in the agony and despair that remained potent in the wind. I could even taste it. I could even feel the Dread¡ªmy Dread¡ªthriving amid carnage in the black valley. But then there was pain. For the past few days, I have grown accustomed to my new form; I never experienced pain. Not like this, at least. Like being trapped between two electrified chain-linked fences pressing against each other, slowly crushing and electrifying me to death. No one could take it off her. I wouldn¡¯t even dare go near that fucking necklace again. But who could? How could I take it off her safely? I might have to kill Tessa to get rid of it. Delvers and monsters were connected under a Core¡¯s domain. Each spell, tool, weapon, and the chaos of the Ways were supposed to interact with the advantages and disadvantages of delvers and monsters in the scenario at play. The System was above all that, or at least was the weaver controlling the threads, judging the pendant as an accepted and regular magical item to use by Delvers. In its eyes, it was not against the law to wield it. But Danny. Danny was¡­ I never finished the thought. Maxine scrambled to her feet, but Jenna jumped on her, carrying a meat tenderizer she pulled from one of the kitchen drawers. She brought it over Maxine¡¯s head, cracking under the force and sending the woman crumpled on the floor in a fit of a violent seizure. ¡°Yahh!¡± Jenna roared as she straddled Maxine¡¯s abdomen and brought the tenderizer on her head again and again. Each bludgeoning blow sent chunks of flesh, bone, and teeth everywhere. Blood pulled around Maxine¡¯s crushed head. Hitting¡­ And hitting¡­ And hitting¡­ Maxine gurgled a bloodied choke. One intact eye (the other already went flying somewhere) staring at her attacker, face unrecognizable in a heap of torn, tenderized flesh. ¡°Jenna¡­¡± she said, voice raspy and strained. ¡°It feels so good slitting Zack¡¯s throat while your son watched.¡± ¡°Zack? What have you done to him?!¡± Maxine¡¯s non-existent lips twitched, the demon forcing the barren facial muscles into a smile. ¡°We¡¯re feasting on his soul¡ª¡± ¡°No!¡± Jenna brought the tenderizer down on Maxine¡¯s head, splitting like a smashed pumpkin. [ You have gained 1 essence: Maxine Fairlie ] [You have gained 150 crystals] The demon¡¯s shadowy form seeped out of Maxine¡¯s crushed body and slowly slipped out of the broken window. Still alive, I thought. Demons were harder to destroy, not when it still had a susceptible delver like Chris to possess. A successful exorcism or a weapon that could harm and kill demons would bring them into a cooldown. Both were very rare on Earth. The front door opened, and Jenna whirled around, weapon raised, thinking Leo was charging into the cabin. Instead, she spotted Danny running down the steps. In his hand was Tessa¡¯s pendant. Danny! Gentled. Controlled by the System. Neither a Delver nor an Archetype. He was a loophole against Hodge¡¯s magic under my domain. Hodge never knew about the System. Never knew how it controlled everything and that not even the Administrators understood its raw power. If he was outside my borders, maybe no one could ever take that thing off Tessa. But not here, I thought. Reality and magic work differently here. ¡°Danny! Come back!¡± Jenna shouted. ¡°Come back! I was trying to protect you!¡± Danny ran into the woods, and Jenna followed him, pelted by heavy rain. Her Resolve turned from a bright green to a darker shade of gold yellow, teetering into rustic orange and slipping fast. Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 17) HELLS GRACE Part 17 Eliza climbed out of the cellar, and let out a strangled gasp when she saw Maxine¡¯s bludgeoned head on the floor. When she was sure that the dead woman was truly dead, she crawled over toward Tessa and helped her to her feet. ¡°Where¡¯s Danny?¡± She asked. ¡°Where¡¯d he go?¡± ¡°You mean, the boy? He¡­ran¡­to¡­¡± she weakly pointed at the open front door. Eliza¡¯s heart sank. ¡°That¡¯s not him,¡± she said. ¡°Oh god, it¡¯s controlling him again.¡± The voices above them brought her out of her thoughts. She dragged Tessa out of the living room, toward the hallway leading to the back door. ¡°We need to hide,¡± Eliza whispered. ¡°Can you move?¡± ¡°I¡­I think I can¡­¡± Eliza slowly opened the back door. The voices behind them were getting louder. ¡°On your feet. Come on. On your feet!¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Ignoring the rain, Eliza struggled to drag Tessa across the slippery patio deck and helped her down the wooden steps. She kept looking at the spot where she last saw Goliath, but the hulking man was no longer standing there. Her bottom lip quivered, thinking about when Goliath grabbed her throat and pulled her out of the car like she weighed nothing. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Tessa asked. ¡°Just over there.¡± Eliza pointed at the tree line. ¡°We¡¯re almost there. Come on. You gotta stay awake, girl.¡± ¡°I want to get out of here,¡± Tessa sobbed softly. ¡°We are, we are. Just one more step.¡± Eliza looked over the cliffs and saw the light of the boathouse below. She could see a trail leading down to the lakeshore. ¡°I think I found a place where we can hide.¡± They slipped into the shadows; the rain continuing to fall into a heavy deluge.
¡°Step away from the door, Mel! Get out of the way!¡± I heard Hodge cast a spell and the bedroom door exploded into shards of pellets and wood. Melanie ran out, gun raised, phone used as a flashlight, and aimed the weapon and the light over the railings to the living room below. "Shit!¡± Melanie spat at the carnage, looking down at Maxine¡¯s dead body and then at the open front door. She ran down the stairs with Hodge following closely behind her. ¡°The bitch is gone!¡± She pointed at the fireplace and the open cuffs hanging on the pipes. ¡°She couldn¡¯t have gotten far,¡± Hodge said. Melanie kicked Maxine¡¯s legs, waiting if it would move. ¡°She¡¯s dead,¡± she said. ¡°Did she take off her necklace?¡± ¡°She can¡¯t,¡± Hodge said, but then a sliver of doubt crossed his face. ¡°No one can. Not even me. We¡¯ve tried that rite before. Have you seen it ever come off? ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Then the girl still has it.¡± Melanie touched the pendant for comfort. ¡°I think Jenna went after her.¡± ¡°She was calling out for her son,¡± Hodge said. ¡°I think that¡¯s what I heard.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Hodge thought for a moment. ¡°Yeah¡­I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°But we didn¡¯t bring Danny here. How could Danny even get here?¡± ¡°She might¡¯ve taken him.¡± Hodge pointed at Maxine. ¡°And I think Jenna did that.¡± ¡°Oh, this night couldn¡¯t have gotten any better!¡± Melanie slammed her fist against the mantle. ¡°This is getting out of control. We¡¯re only supposed to find the gem and take care of Mark!¡± ¡°Quiet down, you.¡± ¡°Should we go after Jenna? It¡¯s raining out there. She might get lost. Oh, what about Tessa?¡± ¡°Fuck, let the others handle it. We have a job to do, remember?¡± Hodge said. He pulled the radio out of his belt. ¡°Becca, Kirk. Can you hear me?¡± ¡°Copy, Hodge,¡± Rebecca said, though her voice was muffled and hard to hear. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°We found Maxine. She¡¯s dead. Jenna killed her.¡± A pause. ¡°Well, good for her,¡± Rebecca said, though she didn¡¯t sound impressed. ¡°But the Burton girl escaped. She might be heading your way and I want you to intercept her.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re by the boathouse already. And I think someone¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Just do what I said and find the girl now.¡± Hodge clipped the radio back onto his belt. ¡°Why are we surrounded by idiots?¡± Melanie sighed. ¡°Screw them! Let¡¯s find the gem for ourselves and leave them out here.¡± Hodge nodded. ¡°And I think I know where it is.¡± He aimed the flashlight at the yawning open cellar door. Outside, hiding behind the van, Leo watched Hodge and Melanie walking around inside the cabin. He glanced at the empty ignition switch, wondering who of the two have the van¡¯s keys. He didn¡¯t get a good look when he got up after I knocked him down earlier. Once he heard the voices inside the cabin (and lots of screaming), he hid behind the van and waited for the chaos to subside. Wiping the rain off his face, he crawled to the van¡¯s edge, holding tightly on the bat. He eyed the gun on Melanie¡¯s hand, wanting it for himself. Once he have it, he¡¯ll force the two to give him the keys. If they didn¡¯t, he might have to shoot them. He saw Hodge talking to someone on the radio, confirming that there were more of them out there, so even the woods wasn¡¯t safe to hide. This group might not be as innocent as he initially thought. Maybe Eliza was right. Maybe they were part of it. No matter. Leo was determined to escape. He crept closer to the cabin and watched as Hodge and Melanie descended into the cellar. Taking a deep breath, Leo entered the cabin and followed them back into the cellar, bat at the ready.
The demon¡¯s shadow hovered above the van, watching Leo intently, but it must have judged he wasn¡¯t a worthy prey to possess as Leo¡¯s Resolve was a dull yellow. Not yet anyway. It turned around to face the woods instead. Toward the voice crying out against the loud patter of rain. ¡°Danny! Danny! Come out! It¡¯s not safe out here!¡± Jenna cried out from the distance. The demon moved at lightning speed. Past branches and fallen logs, whipping around its form. Past the thick foliage and a narrow murky creek. It found Jenna in seconds, wading into the darkness with only her phone¡¯s light to guide her. Then, the shadow transformed itself into an exact copy of her son, standing not far from where she struggled. ¡°Danny? Danny! Stop! Stay right there!¡± The demon, activating its [ Mocking Torment ] ability, induced a hallucination on Jenna. It let out a soft giggled from Danny¡¯s illusionary form as it whirled around and ran deeper into the woods. ¡°Stop!¡± Jenna cried after him. ¡°Danny, you have to stop! It¡¯s mommy!¡± The demon let out another giggle. This was a game it liked to play, delving into people¡¯s emotions and roasting it over the coals. Jenna cared about her son deeply, and the demon was going to use it. ¡°I got the necklace!¡± Fake Danny said. ¡°Danny! Come back!¡± Jenna crossed the creek, never caring that she got her shoes and pants soaked. She passed a large uprooted tree while following the demon¡¯s giggles, unaware that her real son was inside the hollowed trunk, sleeping soundly and out of sight. The demon¡¯s giggles faltered to silence, fading away in the distance. Jenna couldn¡¯t keep up. ¡°Wait¡­¡± she muttered between breaths. ¡°Wait¡­wait¡­¡± She stopped running. Her heaving breaths echoed across the darkness as rain fell from the canopy. A gentle realization crept in when she looked around the woods, with the cabin no longer within reach. I could tell by her face that she made a terrible mistake. Oracle made her phone¡¯s flashlight flicker dramatically, and then plunged her into darkness. ¡°Shit, shit, shit!¡± She spat, struggling to turn back her phone. ¡°What the fuck. What the fuck!¡± The flashlight came back on, and relief washed over her. But only for a split second. The phone¡¯s flashlight hit Fake Danny right in the face. Only this was no longer Danny. This was a bastardized version of him, standing with his arms outstretch for his mother, pale eyes and skin as if he was dead for weeks, mouth and jaw unnaturally wide open as a swarm of cockroaches crawled out of it. Jenna shrieked and staggered back. She tripped over and into the thorny brambles, slicing some of her skin open. ¡°You found me, mommy,¡± Fake Danny said in a disembodied voice. ¡°You found me!¡± ¡°Get away from me!¡± Jenna screamed.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The brambles shuddered and moved. Vines slithered around her wrists, up her arms, and down her legs. From the light of her phone, she saw one thin vine entered through the cut on her arm, and wiggled beneath her skin, protruding like her own veins. It must be painful, because she let out a maddening scream. More vines entered through her cuts, making new ones and burrowing into her body. ¡°Stop! Stop!¡± Jenna tried to get out of the bramble, but a thick vine shot out, latched around her throat, and brought her back to the ground. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, mommy? You don¡¯t want to play with me anymore?¡± Fake Danny said. More vines crept around Jenna¡¯s head, entering through her ears, her nose, her mouth, and the sides of her eyes until it turned bloodshot. ¡°That¡¯s what you get, mommy, for following me blindly into the dark,¡± the demon said. ¡°Now, I get to play with you, and you will have no choice.¡± ¡°Get them off! Get them off me! Danny, stop this! Jenna pulled out a steak knife she grabbed from the cabin¡¯s kitchen and sliced through a protruding vine. She caught a slithering form underneath her skin, stuck her fingers in, and pulled the vine out. The vine latched onto her flesh, refusing to let go. She yanked it out of her body and threw it away into the dark. She desperately tried to pull the ones entering her ears and eyes, grabbing a fistful of the ends and yanked them out. Her right eye popped out with the vines, blood pouring out, and now her eye dangled over her cheeks. The optic nerve and muscle still attached to her eye socket. Jenna screamed. The demon exploded into mist and triggered [ Possession ]. The mist enveloped her, congregating around her head, and entered her body through her empty eye socket. Jenna¡¯s other intact eye turned golden red.
Rebecca and Kirk walked across the lake¡¯s shore, approaching the quiet boathouse a hundred feet ahead, toward the only light on the second-floor window. The lake lay silent beside them with oily shadows reflected from what little light the dark skies could give. ¡°You think anyone¡¯s home?¡± Rebecca asked. ¡°Hodge wants us to find Tessa. I think we should do that, no?¡± Kirk urged her. ¡°You heard what Hodge said. Maxine¡¯s dead. We have nothing to worry about now except finding that gem.¡± Rebecca turned around to meet him in the eye. ¡°Do you want to be promoted?¡± ¡°Promoted?¡± ¡°Yeah, like have more say in the sect. We¡¯d get what we asked for if the higher-ups want this gem so badly. Maybe I can finally ask them if they¡¯ll make me Sheriff, and they¡¯ll do it. Just like that.¡± Rebecca snapped her fingers. ¡°Hodge and Melanie are bit¡­too much sometimes.¡± Kirk was slightly embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m not really thinking about promotions.¡± I knew instantly he was lying. These fucks were out for themselves. They were not a family, they were colleagues, and rivals at best. Rebecca could see it, too. ¡°Bullshit. How about learning magic? Because Hodge and Melanie are eating that up for themselves, and left nothing for the rest of us.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t do magic.¡± ¡°Anything can be learned, Kirk, including magic. Maybe Hodge being born with it is just a fat lie. Have you ever think of that?¡± Kirk paused for a moment and shook his head. ¡°Maybe we should do what the coach said, and find Tessa¡ª¡± Rebecca rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh my god, you are such a pussy, you know that?¡± Kirk glowered at her. ¡°Watch your words, Becca.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re not the one holding the gun.¡± Rebecca made sure that Kirk got a good look at the gun in her hand. ¡°You may think you¡¯re being slick preying around with young high school girls, Kirk, but believe me, I see through your creepy ass. And your god-almighty Hodge sees it, too. The only reason I didn¡¯t lock you in jail right now is because you and I are part of something bigger than your bullshit.¡± Kirk scoffed as if he was playing it off, but deep inside, the man was seething. ¡°You know what? Do what you want, woman. I ain¡¯t give a fuck if Hodge screams your head off for not following his orders. You know his temper.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not listening to me.¡± Rebecca stepped closer to him. ¡°When they find the gem, they¡¯re gonna leave us to rust. I reckon when they went out of town to talk to¡­whoever the fuck they talked to¡­they were asking for something in return. I bet my money it¡¯s something big. Something that we¡¯re no longer useful for. Our sect is already cracking at the seams. Half of our members are dead! We¡¯re cooked if we don¡¯t do anything about it.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that. Hodge recruited us. He wants us to be part of this.¡± Rebecca shrugged and continued walking toward the boathouse. ¡°Fine, do your thing. Nothing lasts forever.¡± ¡°But what about Mark Castle?¡± Rebecca stopped in her tracks. ¡°If the boy¡¯s really alive, we¡¯ll just kill him again. Easy peasy.¡± ¡°As a ghost?¡± ¡°Correction: A three-day-old ghost. They¡¯re weak as shit that even a ten-year-old could banish them. I know a couple of wards that Hodge taught us, and my diction and pronunciation are better than yours.¡± ¡°Hey! I¡¯m good at incantations, too.¡± Rebecca snickered. ¡°No, you¡¯re not. Stick with me and maybe we¡¯ll find the gem for ourselves¡ª¡± A man¡¯s scream cut out across the lake¡¯s shore. It came from the boathouse, crying for help. ¡°You hear that? Is that¡­Alvin?¡± Kirk asked. ¡°No, it sounds like¡ª¡± Another scream, and Rebecca gasped. ¡°Chris!¡± ¡°Rebecca, wait¡ª!¡± Kirk reached for her arm to stop her, but Rebecca was already running toward the boathouse, following Chris¡¯s screams. As Kirk was about to run after her, he noticed someone bolt out of the bushes behind them and head toward the canoe racks. Kirk recognized instantly who it was. ¡°Tessa!¡± He shouted. ¡°Becca, I found her! We have to get her! now! She¡¯ll escape!¡± But Rebecca wasn¡¯t listening. She was about to reach the boathouse¡¯s door, leaving Kirk alone on the shore. He looked back and forth, trying to figure out who he should go after. ¡°Becca!¡± ¡°My husband¡¯s in trouble, Kirk!¡± Rebecca shouted. ¡°Fuck!¡± He ran his fingers over his hair, turned on his heels, and went after Tessa instead. ¡°Tessa! Wait! We can¡ªWe can talk about this!¡± I smiled. They shouldn''t have split up if they wanted to survive the night. But I was happy that they did. Kirk looked back and saw Rebecca already entered the boathouse. ¡°Fine, I''ll do it myself,¡± he muttered under his breath, angry and tired. ¡°Tessa! Stop! I won¡¯t hurt you! Please, stop!¡± If only he had Becca¡¯s gun, he would have shot her legs right there. Tessa reached the canoe racks, but Kirk was getting closer, and she wouldn¡¯t have enough time to grab a canoe and paddle across the lake. No, she would have to swim. Kirk stopped in his tracks when he saw Tessa just bolted to the edge of the shore and dove into the waters. ¡°Shit, shit. Stop! Hey! You¡¯ll freeze to death!¡± Of course, Tessa wasn¡¯t listening. And unbeknownst to Kirk, Tessa sprouted a fish¡¯s tail underneath the water. The Siren¡¯s mimicry of human physiology using [ Merefolk Physiology ] was fading out. Fortunately, it was dark out in the lake, the light rain summoning a mist that shrouded the Siren in a haze. Kirk couldn¡¯t get a good look at her. He didn¡¯t even realize that ¡°Tessa¡± was swimming a little too fast, getting further and further away from shore. Kirk pulled down the canoe from the bottom rack and pushed it toward the water. He grabbed a paddle from the rack and hopped in, following the Siren¡¯s trail. ¡°The water is cold!¡± Kirk shouted, growing impatient as he paddled faster and faster toward Tessa. ¡°Stop! I said stop swimming, you stupid bitch! Listen to me!¡± The Siren delved below the surface and disappeared. Kirk stopped paddling. In the darkness, he could barely make out where he was. He grabbed his phone off his jacket¡¯s pocket and turned on the flash, shielding the screen from the rain. He aimed the light onto the water¡¯s surface, looking for her. All he saw was pitch darkness. He had no idea how deep this part of the lake was. The canoe wobbled as if someone had jumped on top of it. Kirk quickly aimed the flashlight toward the bow, and Kirk¡¯s heart leapt. A pair of a woman¡¯s hands gripped around the pointed bow, their face hidden behind the deck. Kirk leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse, but she looked away from him. ¡°Tessa? Is that you?¡± He sounded unsure, and Kirk gulped down his rising fear. The Siren looked up with flirtatious poise. Blue ocean eyes staring right at Kirk¡¯s, and all the man could do was drop his jaw and stare back at her longingly. A strangled gasp escaped his lips, muscles tensing with need, and shoulders relaxed for an embrace. The Siren began to hum a beautiful song that I have never heard of, sweetly strange and yet an exotic ballad with its running melody. Her voice traveled across the lake, freezing the rain for just a moment to hold this enchantress in the mist¡¯s haze, encapsulating its uncanny beauty. Kirk leaned forward as the Siren grasped the edge of the canoe, and swam closer to him. With the song building into a sweet crescendo, Kirk ignored how sharp the Siren¡¯s nails were, almost like talons. He ignored the scales running along her back, and peeking over her shoulders like a cloak. He ignored her sharp teeth as he reached his hand out to touch the woman¡¯s porcelain and glassy face. ¡°You¡¯re¡­so¡­beautiful¡­¡± Kirk mumbled. "Who are you...?" ¡°Do what you will with me, my gentle heart,¡± the Siren sang, leaning closer to him. ¡°It will be all a pleasure. Come closer. Yes, closer. Touch me. Touch me.¡± ¡°¡­Anything I want?¡± Kirk''s eyes wandered down her bare shoulders, and the Siren pushed her dark hair back to reveal her breasts peeking out of the water''s surface. Kirk gulped as if he couldn''t breathe no longer, and felt the blood surging under his belt. "Oh god..." The Siren gave him a sensual smile. ¡°Anything¡­I can be anything.¡± With a blink of an eye, the Siren opened her jaws wide and chomped onto Kirk¡¯s outstretched hand, biting off his thumb and forefinger before slipping back into the water in a loud splash. Kirk stared at his bloodied, stumpy fingers for a second. It didn''t seem to register to him what just happened until the sharp pain shot up his arm and he let out a blood-curdling shriek. The Siren whipped her tail and slammed the canoe upward into the air, spinning wildly. The powerful blow sent Kirk soaring twenty feet into the air, and he plunged back into the dark water, cutting off his screams. Reaching toward the surface, he saw the canoe flipped over and sank. Kirk looked back to shore. His Resolve dropping by each second. Compared to the others, he was the weakest and easily frightened. The Siren swam from below and sliced Kirk by the side of the abdomen with her sharp nails, puncturing his liver. The water quickly turned red around him. His pain was intoxicating to hear, like listening to the sizzle of butter hitting the pan. Kirk frantically swam toward the shore, begging for any god to listen to him. To let him live. There was only one god here tonight. The Siren and I sensed his Resolve turned red at the same time. Without saying a word, she hurtled toward him from underneath the surface like a bullet. Kirk¡¯s legs finally hit the bottom, the water getting shallower and shallower. He scrambled to his feet, wading toward the shore with a desperate thrash. The cold air cut through his open wounds, and he let out a pained hiss. He looked over to the boathouse. Surely Rebecca must have heard his screams by now. ¡°Rebecca¡¯s busy, Mr. Gamble,¡± I said with menacing glee. ¡°You¡¯re all alone out here with me and my friend.¡± Finally, the Siren reached him, her fingernails slicing through both his achilles¡¯ heel. Kirk immediately fell to the rocky shore and frantically crawled out of the shallow waters. ¡°No, please! Don''t kill me!¡± He screamed. "Rebecca! Hodge! Help me!" But he didn¡¯t crawl out fast enough. The Siren emerged from the water, revealing her true form. She still had blue human eyes, but her face was grotesquely malformed. Her mouth was too large for her head, filled with rows of shark-like teeth. Gills peeked out of her neck and a slender-scaled torso etched with watery mosaic shapes. Her arms were too long for her body, and she had tangles of greenish seaweed-like hair that hid half of her face and breasts. "What''s the matter, my love?" The Siren sang hauntingly as if the air was struck by a ghostly choir. "Am I not pretty enough for you? Am I not young enough for you?!" "Get away from me!" Kirk sobbed like a little child. "But you''ll stay down here with me, my love. Forever. Forever! FOREVER!" Her giant claws grabbed Kirk¡¯s ankles and dragged him slowly back into the freezing waters, kicking and screaming. There was nothing for him to hold onto. Nothing for him to use to fight against the Siren. All he could do was beg and weep. His screams were cut short once he disappeared beneath the roiling waters, which quickly turned russet red. I took a deep breath as I relished his muffled screams beneath the surface; the Siren butchering him with her teeth and claws. She fed like a piranha, consuming his flesh down to the bone marrow. From the slaughter, Kirk¡¯s decapitated head broke out of the surface momentarily, eyes bulging wide, his face frozen in mid-scream. Then a giant claw grabbed his hair and pulled Kirk¡¯s head back into the dark depths of the lake. [ You have gained 1 essence: Kirk Gamble ] [You have gained 150 crystals] Mr. Gamble is dead, I thought bitterly. He was my favorite English teacher, and I remembered going to his classes during lunch hour and just hanging out with the other students who liked him. He was a decent man until I learned the horrible truth of what he truly was. And now I felt nothing for him. He could rot in hell forever. As the waters calmed, the Siren popped her head out, smiled, and gave me a cheeky thumbs up. It was like seeing a baby walking for the first time, or hearing them utter their first word. Though she seemed disappointed that the others didn¡¯t get to see her first kill. ¡°That¡¯s alright, Siren,¡± I said. ¡°There¡¯s plenty more in the future.¡± The Siren hummed a sigh, nodded glumly, and dove underwater. I thought to myself, maybe I should create a school of merfolks for her. A family she could have under the lake. That would be fun, and she wouldn¡¯t get bored being out here while the others were having fun on land. I made a mental note to give Siren a merfolk friend. But I didn¡¯t have enough monster slots to create another for North Cedar Lake. I opened the [ Dungeon ] tab in the menu just to check if the Administrators rewarded me for killing Kirk Gamble. Unfortunately, there was none. Maybe after I am done with this scenario, I could ask for rewards of my own. I am killing the people that the Administrators wanted dead, so I hoped I could get something big out of this night. Perhaps better powers? More monsters? Elvis mentioned sponsors, so maybe I could get more of those. However, to get a reward from the Administrators, I had to destroy the Cult of Astaroth by killing all the cultists. Not just the ones delving right now. I sighed. One night at a time, Mark. One freaking night at a time. I closed the interface from my vision and turned my attention to the boathouse, and the screams emanating from there. I needed to put my game-face on. There were still a few cultists to kill. Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 18) HELLS GRACE Part 18 I found Eliza and Tessa behind a tree while Tessa regained her balance. She assured Eliza that the pain from her phantom wound was fading. ¡°Can you walk on your own?¡± Eliza asked. ¡°Yeah, I think I can. Thanks.¡± Eliza looked behind the tree. ¡°I don¡¯t think they followed us, but there¡¯s something you should know. If you see a big man with a scary fox mask, you run. Do you understand?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just tell me you understand, ni?a.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. If I see a man with a mask, I¡¯ll run.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯m Eliza, by the way.¡± ¡°Tessa.¡± ¡°Your name sounds familiar. Are you from town?¡± Tessa paused, then nodded. ¡°I was in the news lately.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not the girl from Green Hill, are you?¡± Tessa gulped. ¡°That one.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Eliza smoothed the creases on her shirt, ignoring the implication that there might be a connection between what happened at Green Hill and tonight. ¡°Look, Tessa. I need to find Danny. He ran off into the woods. Maybe I could stop whatever¡¯s happening to him.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s dark out. We barely have a light, and there¡¯s shelter over there.¡± Tessa pointed at the boathouse and the single light on the second-floor window. ¡°Maybe we can find weapons down there, and then we can look for your boy?¡± Eliza sniffed and gazed at the dark woods, debating what to do next. ¡°Okay. Find weapons, and then we go look for Danny.¡± ¡°And a light,¡± Tessa added. ¡°Yes. Light. We don¡¯t know what else lurks in this place.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t feel it?¡± Eliza narrowed her gaze at her. ¡°Feel what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­something familiar about this place,¡± Tessa said. ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯ve been here before.¡± Eliza shrugged. ¡°I just got here a few hours ago. What did you feel?¡± Tessa shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing. I¡¯m tired. They just kidnapped me from the hospital¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not nothing. After what I¡¯ve been through, I know there¡¯s something foul in this place. I believe you. What else did you sense, girl?¡± Tessa hesitated to answer. ¡°It feels like I¡¯m back at Green Hill again. The dead woman back there tortured me around my home and killed my boyfriend, and¡­¡± ¡°She was possessed,¡± Eliza said. ¡°Possessed?¡± ¡°By the devil.¡± Eliza touched the cross pendant around her neck. ¡°It looks like it has already left her body. She was the one who attacked us as well.¡± ¡°They also mentioned Mark Castle. They¡¯re looking for him, too. They did something to him.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡± ¡°A boy from my class. He¡¯s been missing for weeks.¡± ¡°Well, when we find him, we¡¯ll get him out, too.¡± Tessa grabbed Eliza¡¯s wrist. ¡°But that¡¯s the thing. Coach Hodge and the others seem to be afraid of him.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Tessa lowered her voice, her eyes flicking around the dark woods. ¡°Maybe if we see him, we should run away, too.¡±
Rebecca peered through the grime-ridden windows of the boathouse, but she couldn¡¯t see anything inside. With her gun raised, she kicked the door wide open and entered. Her stomach rolled. Immediately, the scent of mildew and brackish waters hit her nostrils, and she coughed while she waved the gun around, looking for the threat. The warped floorboards creaked under her weight as she entered the room. Her flashlight illuminated the walls decked with abandoned fishing gear, rusted hooks, coats, tables, and other equipment. Shadows clung to every corner. But there were no signs of her husband. ¡°Chris?¡± Rebecca called out into the dark. ¡°Where are you? Answer me.¡± On the interior dock, two moored rowboats sat empty parallel to each other, floating in the dark water. The boat¡¯s hull lightly slapped against the wooden dock with a thud, a heartbeat in the silence. Rebecca found a metal string attached to a bulb and pulled the light switch on, illuminating the room. Rebecca whirled around and crouched, expecting someone to jump out of the shadows, but no one did. She was alone. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Heard something from above her. A stifled sob. A soft creak of the floorboards. Someone was upstairs. Rebecca tightened her gun grip, headed for the door across the entrance, and opened it slowly¡ªa set of stairs leading to the second floor. Without hesitating, she climbed the stairs like a trained cop would, making sure that her corners were clear and that no one was coming up from behind her. Grimacing, she waited to collect her composure, ready to shoot anyone waiting for her upstairs. The second floor of the boathouse was just like the old version of the cabin. It had two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen/dining room, and a bathroom. However, I had converted one of the bedrooms into¡­something more for Rebecca to find. Rebecca peered through the gaps in the wooden railings, searching the living room for anyone hiding behind the couch, the coffee table, or the kitchen. The cries were coming from the door to her left. When she deemed the room was empty, she finally reached the second-floor landing and headed for the bedroom. She kicked the door open and entered. Rebecca drew a sharp breath. She found herself in an observation room, the exact replica of the precinct in Point Hope (Thanks to Oracle for downloading the blueprints). On the other side of the one-way mirror was the interrogation room, and there sat two figures across a metal table, black cloth bags wrapped around their heads. They were already awake, looking around and figuring out where they were. However, someone had handcuffed them to the table. One of them had a missing arm. Rebecca stepped forward and pressed her hands against the glass. It was real, alright. She did not imagine all of this. She turned on the mic so that they could hear her. ¡°Chris? Is that you in there?¡± The man on the right, the one with the missing arm, turned to face her and let out a muffled scream. It sounded like someone taped his mouth shut. ¡°Oh! Chris! I¡¯m gonna get you out! Don¡¯t you worry!¡± Rebecca said. Then she looked down at the missing arm. ¡°Oh my god, Chris! What happened to you?¡± More muffled sobs from behind the bag. Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind her. As she ran over and turned the doorknob, it came loose from the socket. The door wouldn¡¯t budge, no matter how hard she kicked it. She was trapped. ¡°Kirk! Kirk! I¡¯m in here!¡± I could tell from her face that she doubted Kirk even followed her into the boathouse. She didn¡¯t even check if he was behind her. ¡°You idiot! I told you to follow me,¡± she said under her breath. She gave the door one last kick. ¡°Fuck!¡± In the interrogation room, Goliath stepped out of the shadows, and Rebecca froze as she saw him. To her surprise, the giant gave her a small, friendly wave, although, to Rebecca, it looked menacing. ¡°Touch him, and I¡¯ll fucking kill you!¡± Rebecca said, holding a choked sob. Goliath tilted his head as if confused, gently reaching out toward Chris and clasping the bag over his head. Rebecca pointed the gun at him. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare¡­¡± Goliath pulled the bag off. Chris squinted and frantically looked around, blinking, adjusting to the light. When his eyes met Goliath¡¯s, Chris instinctively flinched away from the giant¡¯s touch. He looked at the mirror but couldn¡¯t see Rebecca behind it. Goliath took the tape off his mouth, and Chris took a lungful of breath. ¡°Becca? Becca! Where are you?¡± Chris shouted. ¡°I¡¯m in here. I¡¯m in here!¡± Goliath also took off the bag from the other man, and both Chris and Rebecca paused. Clay Havert, Rebecca¡¯s lover, sat across from her husband. He had an enormous bruise under his left eye and cheek and dried blood stuck under his nostrils. Compared to Chris, Clay was younger, taller, broader, and more athletic than the other, and a slice of jealousy crossed over Chris¡¯s face. There was pure hatred behind his glare, and he glanced at the mirror, composing himself to act surprised and confused about why Clay was there. Rebecca still didn¡¯t know that Chris knew what she had done behind his back for the past weeks? Months? Clay couldn¡¯t find the right words as he stared back at the man across from him. Fear crossed his face, and he didn¡¯t know whether to be more afraid of the husband of the woman he had been fucking for a long, long time or the literal masked killer standing beside him. ¡°You¡­you did this¡­¡± Clay managed to say. Chris turned away from him. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Becks, I don¡¯t know what your husband is playing, but he and this big fuck are in on it!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They¡¯re in on it!¡± Clay repeated. Goliath stepped forward and clasped his giant hand on Clay¡¯s shoulder to shut him up. Fortunately, the man slunk back into his chair. Clay arrived at the cabin a few minutes after Chris. Of course, the two men argued about Rebecca and started throwing their fists around. Chris knocked Clay out at some point before Goliath and Maxine could intervene. But since he did half the work for them, Goliath thanked Chris by knocking him out before Eliza, Danny, and Zack reached the cabin. All I cared about was the drama. If only my new body could eat popcorn right now, I¡¯d waste a few crystals to purchase a large bucket to watch the shit show in front of me. ¡°What the fuck is this? What the fuck are you doing?¡± Rebecca shouted at Goliath. ¡°Who are you? Who are you?! Answer me!¡± Rebecca grew impatient. She raised the gun again, aimed for Goliath¡¯s head, and shot through the glass. Bang! Bang! Bang! The bullets left spider-like webs across the bullet-proof glass. But then something peculiar happened. The cracks stitched themselves closed until they completely disappeared across the surface and spat out the bullets. Rebecca took a step back and stared dumbfounded at the mirror. I laughed. Did she really think it would be that easy? Goliath tilted his head again, amused by what she had done. He ambled to the glass and playfully tapped it with his finger, teasing her that he was safe behind it. Then, he walked over to a small electrical panel next to the door, pushed a button, and lowered two nooses from the ceiling. Clay and Chris tried to wiggle out of their cuffs as Goliath slowly put the noose around their necks. They begged him to stop. Rebecca peered down at the floor and saw the indentations of a trapdoor under where the two men sat. Her blood ran cold when she realized what was going to happen next. Goliath fished a digital tape recorder from his pocket and placed it on the metal table. Oracle replicated my voice using AI by downloading several random voicemails and videos from my social media accounts that I had left behind for my family and friends over the years. It was a near-perfect imitation of my voice. I grasped the tape recorder to let my voice flow through, and Oracle would do the rest to translate it. Goliath pressed play, and my voice echoed across the room. ¡°Good evening, Deputy Torres. You may remember me,¡± I said. Rebecca gasped. ¡°M¡ªmmm¡­Mark Castle?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to play a game, Deputy Torres.¡± I chuckled. Shit, I couldn¡¯t help but say the line. ¡°And you know what kind of game this is. You¡¯ve seen the movies.¡± Rebecca started chanting under her breath. At first, I thought the wards Hodge taught them would be effective, but I realized I was not a ghost¡ªfar from it. I laughed, my cackles echoing through the recorder. ¡°That won¡¯t work, deputy,¡± I said. ¡°I am no spirit.¡± Chris looked down at the tape recorder. ¡°Becca? What the hell¡¯s going on? Who is this?¡± ¡°Mr. Torres, my name is Mark Castle. We¡¯ve met before through my father. Remember?¡± ¡°The missing high schooler?¡± Clay asked softly. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wait, how are you speaking in¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not get into the specifics, Mr. Havert. Although both of you should know that Deputy Torres killed me.¡± Chris furrowed his brows. ¡°Uh, what?¡± ¡°Your wife killed me, Mr. Torres,¡± I repeated firmly. ¡°Along with Coach Hodge, his wife, Mr. Gamble, Maxine, Dave Yates¡­and many more. Some of the important people in town murdered me in cold blood right there in the woods, performing a demonic ritual. They thought it didn¡¯t work, and now I¡¯m here talking to you. I¡¯m telling you all of this so that you can understand your predicament and why this is happening to you. I am truly sorry for what is about to happen next.¡± ¡°What are you?¡± Rebecca asked. ¡°You made me. Did you forget? You and the others made me into something¡­divine. Ethereal. A living god.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t make you into this.¡± ¡°To be fair, you and your cult are imbeciles. But thanks to all of your ineptitude, I can now summon things, will places into existence, and influence everyone with my mind. Did you like what I built for you? Look familiar?¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re the one talking in my head,¡± Chris said. ¡°When I was in the cabin¡­when I was¡­¡± Possessed? I wanted to finish for him, but I kept my mouth shut. It dawned on him. ¡°Oh god, what did you do to me.¡± ¡°I made sure that my friends kept you alive long enough for this special occasion, Mr. Torres.¡± ¡°The things I did to¡ª¡± He stopped short. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to say it. Rebecca studied the interrogation room, and her eyes grew colder. ¡°The Green Hill Massacre. That wasn¡¯t Maxine¡¯s doing. That was¡­you.¡± I let the silence drift for a long moment and settle. ¡°I was hungry, and I needed to feed. So, I fed.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not a ghost, are you a demon? Are you Astaroth?¡± I laughed. ¡°What? Your so-called prince? No, deputy. Though I am coming for him after I am done with you.¡± ¡°His Grace will destroy you, boy. You don¡¯t know who you¡¯re dealing with and the power you¡¯re against.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± I let another bout of silence linger. ¡°What if you¡¯re wrong, deputy? After all, your god is not here to save you. Only me.¡± Rebecca¡¯s gaze hovered over Goliath. ¡°Ah, yes, meet my friend, Goliath. I made him, you know.¡± ¡°Made him?¡± ¡°I breathed life to him,¡± I said. ¡°He is loyal to me. And he, too, loves games, Deputy Torres. I know what you have been doing behind your husband¡¯s back. I know the lies you¡¯ve said to him and the same lies you¡¯ve said to your boyfriend. I have been watching you. I have been watching all of you. Kirk Gamble is dead, by the way.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°One of my friends just killed him in the lake. Don¡¯t mourn him. We both know he¡¯s a creepy old fuck. And Alvin Jones and Jenna Batten are dead, too. Well, Jenna¡¯s almost dead. And soon, the rest of you.¡± ¡°You lured us all here to die,¡± Rebecca whispered to herself. ¡°The messages we¡¯ve been receiving all day.¡± ¡°Yes. That was all me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. You don¡¯t know magic. You should be dead. We targeted you for being¡­¡± ¡°What? Weak? Innocent? I had a life, and you took that away from me like I was a sack of meat. Like I meant nothing in your pursuit for power. And here I am now, power incarnate.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Rebecca spat out with venom. ¡°To play my games, and you¡¯ve all played the part well. Why stop now? And this game is very simple. Who does your heart desire the most, Deputy Torres? For months, you¡¯ve played these men, dangling your favor between the two of them, and relished in the lies you¡¯ve told.¡± ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already shared everything with Mr. Torres. Your husband already knows that you have an affair with the other man across the table from him.¡± Rebecca froze, and her Resolve plunged to a bright yellow. ¡°I¡­he¡¯s¡­Chris, he¡¯s lying¡­¡± But she couldn¡¯t get the words out clearly. Gotcha, bitch. I signaled for Oracle to play the marriage vow that Rebeca made on her wedding day with Chris Torres, spliced from her Facebook post. Then, I played the voice memos that Clay and Rebecca left for each other. They both said ¡°I love you¡± and shared graphic details about what they would do to each other. To hit a nerve, I played one of their calls, making fun of Chris, his inadequacies, and how he was lacking in bed. Chris paled from embarrassment and shot daggers at the other man across the table. The deputy¡¯s Resolve slowly dwindled as her voice echoed across the interrogation room. Rebecca closed her eyes and stifled a sob with her hand. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Chris.¡± Chris couldn¡¯t look in the mirror. Couldn¡¯t look at his wife. I smiled. ¡°Like I said, the game is simple. Choose. Choose the man you love the most, Deputy Torres. And you can live happily ever after with him. The other one stays here to die.¡± Both men shared a suspicious look. ¡°No. I¡¯m not gonna do that. I¡¯m not going to choose,¡± Rebecca said. ¡°I. Won¡¯t. Choose. You can¡¯t make me.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°You¡¯re still gonna kill us.¡± I rolled my eyes. Of course, I¡¯m still going to kill her. She¡¯s smarter than I thought, but this game wasn¡¯t meant to kill her. This game was all about depleting her Resolve. ¡°If you don¡¯t, then I will choose for you. You have sixty seconds.¡± The digital clock above the door started the countdown. I hovered over her, urging for her aura to go lower and lower. The choice was screwing with her mind. Let it break, I thought. Both of the men¡¯s Resolve were threatening to drop to red already. ¡°I¡¯ll try to find a way out! Both of you, just hold on!¡± Rebecca grabbed the metal folding chair from inside the observation room and used it to smash the glass. But with every crack she made, my magic prevented her from breaking through the mirror. The other men could hear what she was doing behind the mirror, and they could sense that it wasn¡¯t working. ¡°Becks, choose me,¡± Clay said desperately, to Chris¡¯s surprise. ¡°You know you love me, and you know how crazy I feel about you. This piece of shit beat me up when I got here. He was planning to kill you. No, to kill us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± Chris exclaimed. ¡°I love you more than anything, Rebecca. I know you. We¡¯ve known and loved each other for years, Becca, and you can¡¯t just throw that away. He is a mistake. I know that. And I¡¯ll forgive you, love. I¡¯ll forgive you! No one in town has to know about this.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him, baby!¡± Clay clamored over Chris¡¯s rising voice. ¡°The moment you get out of here, he¡¯s going to leave you. Don¡¯t trust him! He¡¯s never been a good guy. Remember what you told me? He has never been a good husband to you. He neglects you, and everyone in town can see that!¡± Rebecca threw the chair away and paced around the room, tears welling in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna choose!¡± Thirty seconds down on the clock. ¡°He loves his job more than you!¡± Clay said. ¡°You said that yourself!¡± ¡°Okay. I admit, I¡¯ve never been a good husband!¡± Chris said. ¡°But I promise you, I¡¯m gonna change, okay? If what I did to you was unforgivable, and if you were unhappy in our marriage, I¡¯ll do my best to change. I¡¯ll do my best to make you happy. Believe me.¡± Clay chuckled. ¡°Oh, bullshit. Guys like these never change, Becks. He¡¯s never gonna change!¡± Chris tried to ignore him. ¡°What will your parents think? What will our friends think?¡± ¡°Remember our plan, Becks. We planned that you¡¯ll leave him. That you¡¯ll get divorced. You¡¯ve drafted the divorce papers. You¡¯re already planning on giving it to him! This is just¡­¡± He looked at Chris. ¡°¡­a final nail in the coffin.¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± Chris burst out. ¡°I¡¯m gonna fucking kill you, man! She deserves better!¡± ¡°And you¡¯re better?¡± ¡°Just shut the fuck up! Both of you!¡± Rebecca yelled. ¡°Let me fucking think!¡± Clay grimaced. ¡°I don¡¯t care that you killed Mark Castle, Becks. Choose me, and I¡¯ll keep it a secret. Your husband wouldn¡¯t have the balls to do that for you. I can.¡± I knew he said that out of desperation, but it cut like a knife. Even Goliath gave me a sympathetic look. He gripped the large hunting knife sheathed on his hip, ready to swing and slit Clay¡¯s throat, but I shook my head. Let the game breathe for a moment, I thought. And then go for the kill. ¡°You piece of shit!¡± Chris bellowed, trying to kick Clay from under the table. ¡°I ought to bash your skull in when I had the fucking chance!¡± ¡°Time to choose, Deputy Torres. The clock¡¯s ticking,¡± I said over the recorder with six seconds on the clock. Five. Four. Three. ¡°No, no, no! I won¡¯t do it!¡± Rebecca screamed. Two¡ª ¡°Clay! I choose Clay!¡± Rebecca pounded her fist against the glass. She clutched her chest, holding her sobs from threatening to spill out. Every bone in her clamored to be calm and collected. A sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, I had mercy still left in me. That Chris Torres would be okay. After all, I was there to punish her. I was Mark Castle. An innocent teenager with a nice family, nice friends, and a good upbringing. Was. It felt like ages ago now, my memories of those years clouded in a haze. My new existence, this core, is the true me. North Cedar Lake is my body and shelter, my monsters are my bones and viscera, and the cabin is my mind and soul. Fear is my power, and Death is my only friend. Dread seeped through the walls, gripping their forms. At the back of their mind, they knew I had no fucking mercy left in me. Only carnage. I grinned. Let it out, I urged her. Let all your fear out TO ME. A long silence permeated through the boathouse, waiting. Goliath turned off the tape recorder, put it back in his pocket, and slipped out the interrogation room door. Then, Chris¡¯s laughter broke through the silence. Rebecca couldn¡¯t hold her sobs any longer. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯m so sorry, Chris. I love you! I have no choice. He made me!¡± ¡°Well, Do you?¡± Chris took a deep breath, preparing himself for the inevitable. ¡°Love me? I don¡¯t think you do.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Rebecca held her tongue. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Chris let out another weak chuckle; his Resolve turning darker red. ¡°I wasted my life with you.¡± He had given up. He glared at Clay across the table. ¡°And you. Oh, man, you and my wife both deserve each other. She¡¯s going to stab you in the back once she¡¯s done with you. And I hope you both rot in hell¡ª¡± The room deleted the cuffs around Chris¡¯s wrists into a puff of silvery smoke. Grinding rotors whirred in the distance, muffled behind the wall. No. As both men looked around the room to find where the source was, it came from underneath them. It came from below Chris¡¯s trapdoor. Before Chris could fully absorb what was happening, the trapdoor swung open underneath him, down to a chute filled with woodchipper blades, whirring in terrifying hunger. With a strangled yelp, Chris fell through, and Rebecca let out a hair-raising shriek as the rope tightened around her husband¡¯s neck and dangled him down the chute of death. His feet and ankles were gone in a split second, and the metallic serrated blades devoured up to his lower knees. Blood gushed everywhere in the interrogation room, painting everything in crimson. Everyone was screaming. Rebecca pounded her fists against the glass, quickly frosting with blood. Clay desperately tried to get the cuffs off him. ¡°Get me out of here!¡± Clay shrieked. Chris tried to pull himself back up with the rope, but with him choking and the immense pain shooting up his whole body, he quickly lost his strength, and he descended further down the funnel with an ear-splitting deathly screech no man should make. The blades feasted up to Chris¡¯s belly, mincing his flesh and organs into ribbons. Every viscera in his lower body exploded across the room, splattering Clay with the man¡¯s blood. The rest fell to the dark waters below. Chris¡¯s screams ceased, and the blades¡¯ cries faltered in submission to the returning dead silence. [ You have gained 1 essence: Chris Torres ] [You have gained 150 crystals] Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 19) HELLS GRACE Part 19 Leo Grady stalked toward the porch. He kept his head low, crawling toward the broken front window he was thrown out of earlier, peering inside, and hearing Hodge and Melanie climb the cellar stairs. He stepped in when he was sure no one else was in the cabin¡¯s living area. Leo was my contingency if Hodge or Melanie¡¯s Resolve didn¡¯t plunge to crimson and they made it out of the dungeon alive. I am not taking any chances tonight. Every piece must count toward the end game. I switched off the illusion around the upper mantle when Leo was halfway toward the yawning cellar door. Leo stopped in his tracks and looked over. A double-barreled shotgun sat on the mantle, resting on a mount. Leo scrunched up his face, bewildered at what he had just seen. I timed it perfectly, of course. His eyes tracked the mantle momentarily when I did the reveal, and I was so proud of myself for doing so. He would have missed it if he just continued toward the cellar door without looking. However, the man paused for several long seconds, hesitating to approach the weapon. I purchased the gun from my Dungeon interface as a ¡°loot drop¡± a few hours ago before the scenario commenced. Growing impatient, I spent some Power to trigger [ Strange Noises ]. ¡°Grab it,¡± I said. My voice sounded like one of those movies when a ghost or a demon haunted the main character around the house, whispering echoes through the walls, yet it¡¯s very hard to hear clearly. And like the characters from those movies, Leo immediately stiffened, eyes bulging, senses primed with anticipation for danger. Humans were never accustomed to supernatural invasions, something I¡¯m glad I was no longer subjected to. I double-checked in the cellar to see if Hodge and Melanie also heard me, but I specifically directed my powers to Leo, and only Leo. Hodge and Melanie continued exploring the cellar cautiously, unaware of who was above them. Still, Leo didn¡¯t move. ¡°Grab it,¡± I repeated, hovering closer to his right ear (if that helped with his hearing, I wouldn¡¯t know). It was like talking to a stubborn toddler. I only have a minute of usage with this ability, and it¡¯s tough to form more than three or four words at a time. Get the fucking hint, Leo. A side-effect of using my abilities was that it always affected a delver, despite the situation. Leo¡¯s Resolve edged toward a golden yellow and continued spiraling down while my powers remained active. Finally, Leo gently dropped his bat and moved toward the shotgun. He studied the gun and the mount it rested on, probably expecting a trap of some kind. When he grasped the barrel, and no poisonous darts shot at him or an anvil dropped on his head from the ceiling, he drew the gun closer and checked if it was loaded. I was relieved that he knew how to use the damn thing. Two shells were already inside. [ Delver 1, Leo Grady, picked up a loot item: Double-Barrel Shotgun ] ¡°Use it,¡± I said. Leo searched the room for more shells and found them by the end table¡¯s drawer near the fireplace. There were four extra shells inside. He grabbed all of them and shoved them into his pocket. His gaze darted around the room, trying to get a good glimpse of his guardian angel. When he realized I was no threat to him (I doubted that. My Core still hungered for his essence), he stalked toward the open cellar door. ¡°Stop,¡± I whispered. ¡°Wait.¡± Fortunately, Leo understood what I meant and waited. Hodge and Melanie were still walking around the cellar, talking in hushed tones. They just found the secret entrance to the tunnel that would eventually lead to an exit in the woods (if they were lucky) or directly into the half-flooded tunnels leading into the Siren¡¯s lair (if they were unlucky). Siren was currently there munching on Mr. Gamble¡¯s half-butchered torso, and she had propped his decapitated head on top of a rock facing her as if they were both having some tea party. Hodge and Melanie decided to venture into the tunnel. ¡°Move,¡± I said as [ Strange Voices ] vanished quickly. Leo took a deep breath as his Resolve steadied. He looked around the room for me again; his facial expression showed great confusion about what had just happened. Enjoy your loot, I wanted to say. And may you use it to fuck them up. Leo aimed the shotgun¡¯s barrel forward and climbed down the stairs.
Clay wiped the blood off his face and scraped off the bits and pieces stuck in his hair; one had made it up his left nostril. He watched Chris¡¯s rope¡ªwhich was still wrapped around the man¡¯s neck¡ªascend, pulling Chris¡¯s half-torn swaying body back into the room as the trapdoor beneath closed shut. Clay puked on the metal table¡ªyellow bile scattering everywhere¡ªwhen parts of Chris¡¯s intestines and other viscera still dangling below his ribcage squelched from internal pressure. It was pretty disgusting, even for good ol¡¯ me, and I¡¯ve been exposed to so much violence within the past three days¨Cenough for several lifetimes¨Csince I became a Death Core. That should do it, I thought when I sensed his Resolve turned a dull orange. I couldn¡¯t care less about Clay¡¯s Resolve right now. The Resolve I wanted to drop was in the other room. However, I couldn¡¯t say the same thing for Rebecca. Goliath gave me a questioning shrug from the living room, asking if that was enough. I shook my head. Rebecca was still in a darker yellow after seeing one of her loved ones brutally killed, jigsaw-style. Even with all that blood and gore, she was still considered ¡°unseasoned¡± by the System. She was a cop, and she had seen some of the worst shit humans could do to each other, especially when she had a side job of ritually killing young people in the woods with her murder buddies. I didn¡¯t think a fountain of blood and guts would stop her. What I just displayed was a Tuesday for her. ¡°Shit,¡± I cursed. ¡°It¡¯s getting there, but we need a little bit more push. Every step counts, right?¡± Goliath gave me a reassuring thumbs up and pumped up his chest. I interpreted that as I got this, boss. I smiled. ¡°You always do.¡± Goliath put two fingers up and pointed at the interrogation room. Plan B? ¡°Yep. Plan B.¡± I flew out of the room and out of the boathouse in three seconds and immediately floated next to Jenna¡¯s possessed body. She was still walking in the woods, heading toward the cabin. ¡°Trouble in Love Island?¡± Jenna asked with a demonic distorted voice. ¡°My apologies, my liege. This sad girl has an unhealthy obsession with that show, among many others. The humans have created Love is Blind and The Bachelor. The mating rituals of humans have gone down the toilet in the past centuries. Chivalry is dead.¡± ¡°Yes, um, I don¡¯t really care about that? I¡¯m kind of surprised you follow human mating rituals.¡± ¡°Oh, of course. My apologies. Back in Hell, humans are easy to torture when they have people they love. We cast an illusion, wear their skins, and pretend to be them before we¨C¡± ¡°¡ªhit them with emotional damage?¡± I finished for her. Demon Jenna merely smiled. ¡°Exactly. What do you need from me, my liege?¡± ¡°So¡­Chris is dead.¡± ¡°Hear, hear,¡± the demon cheered. ¡°I made a bet with Oldie that she¡¯d choose cock over heart. Oldie owes me a kill.¡± ¡°But are you still connected to his body?¡± Jenna nodded. ¡°As long as I possessed him before, it is easier to do it again. Even a corpse. It¡¯s like wearing running shoes. You gotta break them before you go running, right?¡± ¡°Okay. Well, I need you to do it now. How many bodies have you possessed so far?¡± ¡°Just this one. The more bodies I possess, the weaker I get, remember? Is his soul still intact?¡± ¡°I already collected his essence.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Would that be a problem?¡± ¡°I can still do it. Although, I cannot possess a corpse for more than nine minutes and twenty-four seconds.¡± ¡°Why so specific?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my tolerance level for wearing a soulless body before it hurts me. In normal circumstances, demons don¡¯t possess bodies without a soul. We are into the¡­dragging business. But I am in your domain, which means I play by a different set of rules. Doesn¡¯t matter to me either way, although it¡¯s like eating rotten meat compared to a fresh plate.¡± ¡°But are you going to be okay?¡± Jenna smiled. ¡°Your concern for me warms my black heart, my liege. But I am a demon. Rotting meat is a delicacy in Hell. Nine minutes is enough time to inflict some trauma. Chris is the one who died, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Even more perfect. Her emotional center was destroyed already.¡± ¡°Follow me then.¡± I flew over the cabin and back to the boathouse with the demon¡¯s shadow on my trail. I got back to Goliath. ¡°The demon¡¯s coming. Plan B¡¯s set.¡± Goliath gave me another thumbs up and unlocked the observation room¡¯s door. He quietly climbed down the stairs to the ground floor. It still surprised me that, given his size, he could still sneak around without making a single sound. Downstairs, he walked over to the shelves and pulled his main weapon he stashed behind a locker, a double-sided axe, and slipped back into the shadows next to the grimy windows, out of sight from any delver¡¯s periphery. On the second floor, Rebecca checked how many bullets she had left (She was down to seven) before she exited the observation room and into the living room. She regained a bit of her composure when she realized that she still had a threat to neutralize. She was very good at compartmentalizing under stress, and I was tempted to lunge at her for being too calm. When she saw that the living room was empty, she quickly moved to the other unlocked door and opened it, finding Clay still cuffed to the metal table. She avoided looking directly at Chris¡¯s body when she entered the room. ¡°Oh, Becks. I¡¯m so sorry¡ª¡± ¡°Be quiet,¡± Rebecca said firmly, pulling the noose off his head. She still had the keys to the handcuffs she put around Tessa and used them to unlock Clay¡¯s cuffs. Rebecca cupped Clay¡¯s jaw and kissed him even with all the blood. Clay pressed his lips deeper into hers, and Rebecca welcomed the invitation. Until Clay¡¯s eyes shot open, thinned his lips, and pulled away from her. Rebecca didn¡¯t understand for a second and leaned closer for another kiss, but Clay turned his chin away. I grinned. Uh-oh. Clay looked down at his wrists, massaging the soreness. He couldn¡¯t look her in the eyes. Rebecca leaned closer. ¡°Are you okay? Did he hurt you?¡± She searched Clay for any injuries, but the man took her hands and pushed them away from his face. ¡°No, no, I¡¯m¡­¡± Clay paused for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m okay. I think I¡¯m okay,¡± he said, forcing a smile. It seemed like I had gotten into Clay¡¯s head after all. I wondered if my revelation that she murdered me might have something to do with his sudden cold shoulder. Perhaps the woman he had been sleeping with remained a stranger all this time. How long had they been together? Almost a year? Still, Clay discerned that his only way out would be if Rebecca, the cop with the only gun in the room, helped him. He¡¯s playing nice for now, but I could tell he had already become suspicious of her. Rebecca also forced a smile. ¡°Oh, baby, I¡¯m so sorry I got you into this. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± I laughed. Apologizing won¡¯t do shit, lady. ¡°Look, there¡¯s a van in front of the cabin. We¡¯re gonna get out of here,¡± Rebecca added. Clay looked up. ¡°That guy is still inside. Do you have a phone? Can¡¯t you call for backup?¡± Rebecca hesitated, and Clay¡¯s face fell. ¡°You can¡¯t. Or you won¡¯t.¡± Rebecca didn¡¯t say anything. Clay made the mistake of looking at Chris. I could tell that this was his first dead body, and he wasn¡¯t ready for the smell. ¡°Oh god¡­¡± He muttered. ¡°We gotta get out of here, or we¡¯re gonna die! You gotta call for backup, Becks!¡± He looked at her jacket¡¯s pocket, to the phone¡¯s imprint within. ¡°Give me your phone.¡± Rebecca took a giant step back. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure we can explain everything to them. You won¡¯t go to jail! What that guy said over the recorder¡­those are fake, right?¡± Clay said, grasping at straws. ¡°Clearly, he¡¯s still alive. He¡¯s the bad guy.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t call them. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Why the hell not?¡± ¡°Because¨C!¡± Rebecca huffed in frustration. ¡°We kidnapped someone, okay? And I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re looking for us.¡± ¡°Us? I didn¡¯t kidnap anyone, Becks!¡± ¡°Calm down,¡± Rebecca said. ¡°I need you to stay calm. He¡¯s going to hear us.¡± ¡°How can I stay calm when there¡¯s a freaking maniac on the loose, and I¡¯m stuck here with you?¡± ¡°Hey! That is not fair. I choose you, remember? I saved you because I love you.¡± Clay held his laugh. ¡°I kinda have the same question as Chris, Becks. I don¡¯t even know who you are anymore. If what Mark Castle said is true, and that you did things to him¡­who are you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard for you to understand, Clay. Please believe me when I say I¡¯m doing this for something greater, okay? And if you¡¯re with me, you¡¯ll benefit, too. You promised to keep it secret. You said so yourself.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Clay¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Yeah. I did.¡± ¡°Then keep thinking of that. Let¡¯s focus on getting out of here first. I¡¯m gonna check ahead. Make sure the coast is clear, okay?¡± She showed him the gun in her hand to reassure him. Rebecca walked out of the room and snuck toward the stairs. She peered over the railing, ready to fire her gun if Goliath was standing at the bottom landing. The coast was clear. She returned to the interrogation room. ¡°I think the bastard left¡ª¡± Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Chris¡¯s body stirred. ¡°What?¡± Clay asked, confused. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I thought...¡± Rebecca¡¯s brows furrowed. She walked closer to Chris¡¯s body. ¡°Becks? What¡¯d you see?¡± Clay asked again. ¡°I thought I saw¡­¡± ¡°Hey, now. Don¡¯t touch him. He¡¯s dead,¡± Clay said. ¡°Becks, if the big guy¡¯s not around, we should really go. Now.¡± ¡°Just a moment, Clay.¡± Rebecca waved him off. Rebecca reached two fingers out toward Chris¡¯s neck. No one could survive what happened to her husband. Perhaps her mind was just playing tricks on her. I could hear Rebecca¡¯s heart thundering against her ribcage. Her pulse throbbed in her temples. Chris¡¯s golden red eyes shot open. Rebecca yelped and took a step back. Clay was rooted to where he stood as Chris¡¯s chilling smile slowly crept across his face. The demon playfully lunged at Rebecca, and she shrank further back, slamming against the mirror. ¡°Hell of a divorce, hon,¡± Chris teased and clicked his tongue. ¡°The papers would have suffice.¡± ¡°What the fuck?¡± Rebecca shrieked; her Resolve plunged to a red-orange immediately. ¡°What the fuck!¡± ¡°Get behind me!¡± Clay drew Rebecca behind him, putting on a brave face. However, he was also trembling. Chris chuckled. ¡°Aww, how cute. Look at both of you side by side. The greasy ballsack and the cankerous cunt,¡± he said as a trickle of blood poured out of his lips. Clay gagged. ¡°How is he still talking?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s Chris.¡± ¡°Ding! Ding! Ding! Winner winner, chicken fucking dinner!¡± ¡°Mark Castle?¡± Rebecca asked, almost in a whisper. Chris¡¯s smile dropped. ¡°You cannot compare myself to my master, whore,¡± he said. ¡°He is absolute. I am but an emissary of your demise, sent here to play with you. Do you want to play another game, Re-be-cca?¡± The demon drew out her name as if talking to a dim-witted person. ¡°What have you done to my husband?¡± The demon made Chris look pathetic as he pouted dramatically and sighed. ¡°My soul is in Hell, hon. It burns like a motherfucker.¡± He sniffled a fake tear. ¡°But I¡¯m not worried. No. Not at all. You¡¯ll join me soon. Both of you. He still wonders, Rebecca. He wonders why you didn¡¯t choose him. He had always been loyal to you, and it gutted him on the inside when he heard Clay¡¯s name come out of your foul mouth.¡± It was clear that Rebecca was taken aback by the question. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°What? Cat got your tongue, baby? He¡¯s listening here.¡± The demon pointed at his left eye. ¡°Right here. Say what you have to say.¡± A single tear fell down Rebecca¡¯s cheek. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°Once you know the truth about me, about what I have done for us, our accomplishments, you will never forgive me.¡± ¡°Oh, right! How can I forget?¡± The demon laughed. ¡°You are too much of a coward to tell your husband you kill little boys and girls for money and status.¡± ¡°Becks¡­¡± Clay begged. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t listen to him. That¡¯s not him anymore!¡± Chris winked. ¡°And you too, lover boy. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor¡¯s wife. One of the ten great sins. Oh, you handsome adulterer. My friends are going to enjoy ravishing your tight body. And I¡¯m going to have fun fucking your asshole with my ribcage until you taste your own horseshit.¡± Gripped by fear, Clay slowly backed out of the room. His eyes darted to the stairs and back to the hanging demon. ¡°Fuck this. This is crazy! I¡¯m leaving!¡± Rebecca shrugged him off. ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯m done with this. Get the fuck out of my husband!¡± ¡°Oh yeah? Whatcha gonna do about it, bitch?¡± Rebecca raised her gun and fired two bullets right on his chest and head. Chris went limp, swaying on the rope. The demon let Rebecca think she killed him, but then he let out a boisterous cackle. ¡°Ah, my favorite. Iron and gunpowder. Reminds me of my birth,¡± Chris said teasingly. With his intact arm, Chris slid a finger into the bullet hole on his forehead, brought it to his lips, and licked the blood like ketchup. ¡°Hmm. Spicy. Got enough to bring me down, pig?¡± Rebecca blotted her tears with the sleeve of her jacket and spent all her bullets into Chris¡¯s torso. I could feel the regret seeping inside her. Buyer¡¯s remorse? I thought, amused. Chris¡¯s body slacked and swung. Eyes closed. A sharp, burnt odor from the gunpowder permeated the room. The demon easily slipped out of Chris¡¯s body and flew away. ¡°Thanks for the assist,¡± I said to them. They got the job done and freaked out the delvers. The demon couldn¡¯t speak in its shadow form, but it lingered for a moment to ¡°bow¡± to me before it flew down the stairs and out through the window. Goliath gave them a thumbs-up and a wave as they flew past him. Hey, there¡¯s no I in team, I thought. Rebecca still had her gun raised, pointing at Chris, her body trembling. Chris was gone. That dawning realization that her husband was really dead pushed her regret into a burrowing, dark-seeded guilt. Her Resolve dropped to red. Finally! I had her where I wanted. ¡°Get ready,¡± I told Goliath. Goliath¡¯s spine and shoulders snapped in attention, and he readied his weapon. A funny thing about Resolve was that it reflected the delver¡¯s current mental state, ranging in various forms of distress like fatigue, pure terror, grief, negative thoughts, or antipathy. To Rebecca, it translated as shock. A mental break. Her mind wrangled how to process what just happened. She blamed me for killing her husband, but she still dealt the final blow. She technically killed him twice, both directly and indirectly. In her distress, the demonic possession of her husband and her choices that got him there was too much for her brain to handle. Rebecca gained enough of her senses to follow after Clay and climbed down the stairs. She was still holding the empty gun. When she reached the bottom landing, she leaned against the wall to collect herself. Clay was already by the front door and found it wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°It won¡¯t open!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°What? Hold on. I¡¯m coming.¡± Rebecca stepped away from the wall and exited the stairwell. Rebecca took the lead again with her gun. I realized she had forgotten that she used all her bullets on the demon upstairs. This should make things easier then. If Rebecca were of sound mind, she would have noticed the subtle creak of the floorboards right next to the door where Goliath was hiding. She would have seen the puff of icy breath in the shadows and its echo through the fox mask. The little noise his dark trench coat and the grubby black suit made when it stretched as the masked killer raised the axe close to his chest. But Clay saw. He saw it all as fear rooted him where he stood. Goliath stepped out of the shadows, axe raised over his head, and closed the distance between him and the delver in two big strides. Rebecca¡¯s eyes bulged when she spotted the glint of the axe¡¯s blade over her shoulder. She raised one arm to pointlessly defend herself while raising the gun with the other. She had no space to maneuver the weapon, and everything happened too fast. The axe split the air, plunging down to¡ª Rebecca barely let out a strangled cry. The blade slammed into her right shoulder, shattering bone and muscle. Blood pooled down her shirt and soaked her police jacket. Goliath slapped the gun off her hand, and it flew across the room, fell off the edge of the dock, and disappeared below the dark waters. Rebecca staggered back and feebly raised a fist. She was still up for a fight, even with an axe in her shoulder. But Goliath easily overtook her. Rebecca fought hard against his solid grip, clawing and punching him from all the training that she could muster by targeting his liver or spleen, trying to break his elbow, or going for his knees. If he were a normal perp, it would have worked. But Goliath had the supernatural on his side. Her punches and kicks barely tickled him, and he sideswiped her attacks like a mother scolding a toddler¡¯s tantrums. Goliath threw her to the side, and she folded like paper onto the ground. The axe seemed to pin her down onto the floorboards, and she struggled to get up or breathe. ¡°Clay!¡± Rebecca cried out. ¡°Help me!¡± Goliath approached the other delver slowly and calmly, savoring Clay¡¯s growing panic and terror. He unsheathed his big knife with his other hand, taunting Clay with it. Clay stepped back, hitting the door behind him. It was still locked, and there was no other exit except¨C ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Clay shouted to Rebecca and darted toward the dock¡¯s edge. Before Goliath could get a cheap shot at the man, Clay dove into the water and disappeared from view. ¡°You bastard!¡± Rebecca screeched. ¡°You piece of shit! You fucking piece of shit!¡± Goliath scratched his head and gave me a small, exasperated sigh. Underneath the water, Clay swam under the docks, trying to find another way out and following what little light he had down there. He stumbled across a wide gap, swam through, and found himself right under the exterior dock. He swam away from the boathouse and made it to shore. Siren was too far from him as she was still in her lair. Clay was not my main priority right now, so I flew back inside the boathouse to collect the deputy¡¯s essence. Putting his game face back on, Goliath walked back to the woman and shoved Rebecca against the wooden column, grabbed her left wrist, and pinned her lower arm against the post with his knife, sinking the blade to the hilt. Rebecca¡¯s screams reverberated across the boathouse. She couldn¡¯t move. Goliath grabbed the axe¡¯s hilt and casually pulled the blade from her shoulder. He paused to let the woman register what he had just done; there was no escaping the inevitable. ¡°No! You leave me alone!¡± Rebecca wept. She looked around frantically, and I realized she was trying to find me. ¡°I played your game, Mark! You said you¡¯d let me go!¡± I turned to Goliath. ¡°Take out the tape recorder,¡± I said. ¡°I want to speak to her.¡± Goliath nodded, fished the recorder from his coat, and pointed it at Rebecca. He pressed play. ¡°I played your stupid game,¡± she repeated sternly. I let a brief silence linger between us. Rebecca¡¯s face contorted. ¡°Answer me, damn it!¡± ¡°Do you really think I¡¯ll let you go after what you¡¯ve done to me? That I¡¯ll let you all live?¡± I asked. ¡°But I¨C¡± ¡°No more excuses, deputy,¡± I said, my anger swelling. ¡°Make her suffer,¡± I commanded to Goliath. Goliath clicked the button off and slipped the recorder back into his pocket. He whirled around, dropped the axe, and straddled Rebecca on her hips, wrapping his enormous left hand around the woman¡¯s skull and pinning her to the wooden column. The giant¡¯s thumb slowly reached for her left eye. ¡°Wait! Wuh-wuh-wuh-wait! Wait¡ªuughhyaaaa!¡± Goliath thrust his thumb into Rebecca¡¯s eye, popping and oozing like a juicy grape, and scooped her eyeball out of her eye socket. Her screams sharpened, tearing her vocal cords as she clawed helplessly against Goliath¡¯s grip. With a jolted twist, Goliath yanked it off the socket, dangling nerves and all, and threw the eye over his shoulder, which ended up rolling underneath a table nearby. But even with her low Resolve, Rebecca was still quick to act. Without waiting for a beat, she reached for the knife and pulled, ignoring the wet, hot trickle of blood coming down her arm. Rebecca roared as she thrust the knife into the killer¡¯s neck. Goliath gasped, reeled back, and staggered off her. He reached for his neck, prying the blade off his flesh as Rebecca kicked him in the groin, sending him falling on his back. This didn¡¯t kill Goliath, however. His [ Not Quite Dead ] trait kicked in, stopping the bleeding immediately and allowing himself a chance to pull the knife out of his neck as if it didn¡¯t hurt him at all. He glared at the woman with burning malice. Like all cooldown traits, Goliath couldn¡¯t do anything but wait until he healed, giving the deputy enough time to escape. Rebecca got up on her wobbly feet. She knew the door was locked, and Clay had used the dock to escape, but the big man was on the way. Luckily, she didn¡¯t know anything about monster traits. Believing she had no other options, Rebecca sprinted toward the grimy windows and jumped out without hesitation. The deputy crashed through, glass slicing her cheeks. She went flying across the stacked logs and hit the gravel hard. Clay, soaking wet after emerging from the lake, let out a sharp scream as Rebecca almost rolled over his legs and took him down with her. Instead, he jumped over her and continued running toward the trail. A sharp cry from a distance brought Rebecca to open her one good eye again. She reached back and felt a large piece of glass punctured into her cheek, digging into her mouth. The tip wedged against her molars. She pawed at it, aware of the steady stream of blood coming out of her lips. From afar, she saw two women standing by the tail end of the trail, frozen, staring agape at her as Clay bolted past them. ¡°Help...me¡­¡± She tried to say, but every time she moved her mouth, the glass cut her tongue and lodged between her gums and teeth. She recognized one of the women. Tessa. Eliza screamed, pointing at something behind the deputy. Rebecca looked over her shoulder to Goliath, peering through the broken window, his gaze still fixed on her with murderous fury. The wound on his neck was already stitching shut, guided by some unseen arcane force. Rebecca¡¯s face showed it all: her confusion that the masked killer was still alive after she dealt what was supposed to be a killing blow. Goliath lifted his leg over the gap and climbed out. But his trench coat snagged on the glass, momentarily hindering him. Rebecca saw her chance, and to my surprise, she still had enough energy in her to push herself up. Cradling half of her bleeding face and eye socket, she started running. ¡°Run!¡± Tessa shouted to Eliza and scrambled back up the trail. But Eliza remained frozen. Once she recognized Goliath, her Resolve immediately plummeted to a deeper red-orange hue. She probably had multiple flashbacks crossing her mind when he was chasing after her earlier in the night. Tessa stopped when she noticed that her companion wasn¡¯t following her. ¡°Eliza! Come on! Run! Run!¡± She turned to the woods, where Clay already broke through the shadows and vanished between the trees. Tessa¡¯s cries finally snapped Eliza out of her trance, and she scampered after her. Eliza was quicker than Tessa, who was still shaking off the effects of whatever drug Hodge gave her, and she rapidly overtook the lead, also heading up the trail. Thirty feet from the boathouse, Rebecca was getting woozy. Adrenaline was failing her, and the choice of whether to stand and fight or continue fleeing egged her on. Goliath¡¯s coat tore loudly as he yanked it loose, raised both his arms over his head, and threw the axe. Unfortunately, at this exact second, Rebecca looked over her shoulder to see how much distance she had from the killer. She saw the axe sailing through the air and quickly ducked to avoid it. Tessa saw it, too. A prompt in my lower right vision showed that a delver had used a boon of [ Swiftness ], marking Tessa in a faint bluish aura only I could see. She sprawled to the ground, knees and elbows scraping against the sharp rocks as the axe¡¯s blade flitted several inches over her head. But Eliza wasn¡¯t so lucky. ¡°Oh, shit!¡± I exclaimed. Summoning [ Telekinesis ], I quickly grasped the hilt of the axe to stop its momentum, but there was so little I could do to stop the weapon from hitting her with the split second I was given. With the slight movement I made to its trajectory, the axe slammed against her left shoulder blade instead of the back of her head. But Goliath hurled that axe with such immense force that it spun her forward like a rag doll, and she disappeared into the nearby bushes. Her Resolve dropped to red. Tessa scrambled, screaming her bloody head off. She pushed her legs up, ran like a swarm of bees were chasing her, and bolted off the trail and into the woods. The faint bluish glow around her body dissipated after three seconds. Goliath marched over to Rebecca and slammed his foot down her lower spine, shattering it. She wouldn¡¯t be getting up anytime soon. He ignored the mewling woman on the ground and strode toward the bushes instead. He stood over Eliza, hands on his hips, tilting his head from side to side, deciding what to do next. The woman was still alive¡ªbarely¡ªwhimpering as she clawed for the axe¡¯s handle behind her back, only she couldn¡¯t quite reach it. Goliath sighed, turned to me apologetically, and scratched his head. He didn¡¯t mean to hit her; he meant to say. He pointed at the crying woman. Given Eliza¡¯s extensive injuries, she¡¯d bleed to death before dawn if we just left her here. I didn¡¯t drop any loot boxes for magical healing potions or a medical kit, and with the scenario in full swing, I couldn¡¯t end the game prematurely to add healing loot. Stopping the game would mean Hodge and the others survived the dungeon and reaped its rewards, whether I like it or not. As a Core, I am beholden to reward delvers, even to those I fucking despised. What should I do? Goliath waited for my response. ¡°Make it quick,¡± I said, and I looked away. I couldn¡¯t, really. With Many-Eyes always active, I saw everything. Goliath nodded. He yanked the axe off Eliza¡¯s back and, in one fell swoop, plowed the axe into her skull, splitting it open. She let out a brief gurgled choke and then silence. [ You have gained 1 essence: Eliza Avery ] [You have gained 150 crystals] My mind turned to Danny in an instant. I just orphaned a good and bright kid. Something inside snapped me to attention. I couldn¡¯t focus on non-delvers, much less their personal, irrelevant troubles and crises. A scenario was taking place, and worrying about outsiders was an unnecessary distraction. But I wanted to connect, to reach out to Danny, and to¡­apologize, maybe? But my Core caged this feeling of¡­what was that? Guilt? Shame? No, I couldn¡¯t have that! I shouldn¡¯t bother myself with filthy human emotions. I shouldn¡¯t stoop that low of existence. A Death Core didn¡¯t care about who was innocent or wicked. All was equal in my domain. The cultists played by a different rule (murder everyone), while Eliza, Tessa, and Leo were subjected to the standard directive. Eliza made a choice, and she choked. If she had run immediately instead of freezing, she wouldn¡¯t be where she stood at that exact second. Such is life and the choices made in the dungeon, I thought. A juvenile dungeon like myself was only worried about more important things. To grow. To feed. To dominate. Eliza¡¯s essence would help me with those goals. Yes¡­yes¡­ That¡¯s what I should feel. Pleased and Thankful. So, thank you, Eliza. Your essence would be put to good use. Goliath pulled the axe off Eliza¡¯s skull and sauntered back toward Rebecca, who was desperately crawling away from him. She screamed. She begged. She wept. She spat with anger and venom. Everything was futile, and Goliath took his time toying with her. She made many empty promises of hellish retribution and hellfire that wouldn¡¯t come. She made many empty promises of hellish rewards if he spared her. Astaroth might be powerful, but Earth was my domain, and he couldn¡¯t save her here. Hellfire, I thought cheekily. Goliath regarded me for a moment, and he walked back inside the boathouse. Rebecca wasn¡¯t going anywhere with her broken spine. He came out a few seconds later carrying a two-gallon red jerry can reserved for the motorboat engine and poured the gasoline over the deputy. Goliath lit the match. ¡°Wait!¡± Rebecca shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t do this! Think of what the High Prince can give you! You as well, Mark! He can bring you back from the dead! He can be a great friend to you. I¡¯ve seen his miracles! I¡¯ve seen his incredible power! You best not deny him.¡± She was one of the cult¡¯s most loyal followers, a true believer who accepted the High Prince¡¯s ordained will on Earth. Well, I¡¯m sending her back to Astaroth pre-cooked and a big fuck you. Goliath flicked the match toward her, and Rebecca burst into a glorious blaze. The flames licked twice as tall as Goliath; the smell of ignited flesh filled the air along with her death-rattling howls. With her spine broken, Rebecca thrashed violently on the shore a mere fifty feet away from the lake. She burned for a good long minute, her screams eventually fading until only the crackling sound of her smoldering flesh and bone permeated the shore. She got a prime expressway to Hell. Astaroth better give me five stars for the delivery. [ You have gained 2 essences: Rebecca Torres ] [You have gained 300 crystals] Two essences? I did not expect that. She was a tough nut to crack, but I welcomed the extra essence and crystals. Goliath gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up. Six delvers remained, but my mind was only dedicated to three. The rest were a toss-up whether they made it until dawn. ¡°Three more to go,¡± I said. ¡°And the demon is already taking care of Jenna. We¡¯ll have her soon enough.¡± Goliath nodded. ¡°Now, we just need to focus on the board¡¯s king and queen: Coach Hodge and Melanie.¡± Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 20) HELLS GRACE Part 20
Unnerving Fog A swirling cloud of heavy mist covers the dungeon, bringing chill winds. It can disorient and shed a delver¡¯s resolve over time. Duration: 1 hour.
Rebecca¡¯s phone. He pickpocketed it off her jacket when she was too busy distracted by a demonic-possessed Chris. Fortunately, it was water-resistant when he jumped into the water, and it still worked after being submerged for a minute or two. they kidnapped? Aren¡¯t you the Green Hill girl?¡± It was tough to miss Tessa¡¯s face when she was plastered all over the newspapers and local news channels. A pretty girl and a bloody tragedy ripped out of a true-crime podcaster¡¯s wet dream was going to ring the dinner bell for all the leeches who were entertained by people¡¯s traumas. almost had a gun, but I left it at the boathouse. Unless you want to go back and¡ª¡± a lot. Do you know where we are or where we¡¯re going? They blindfolded me before I got here.¡± day. These woods are huge, sir. We might get lost, especially if this fog doesn¡¯t disappear.¡± forward. There¡¯s something else in these woods that I don¡¯t want to meet again.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I know him. He¡¯s Zack¡¯s boy. He¡¯s also Jenna Batten¡¯s son.¡± Sorry, little one, I thought. But the night ain¡¯t over yet. step-mom and I are friends,¡± Tessa said. ¡°She helped me, too.¡± need inside of me to survive until dawn. That once I see daylight, everything¡¯s over.¡± Oh, shit. Death Core. However, the possibility was there, guided by the System. Part of me was curious to see what a defeated dungeon would look like or what happened next, but I was not privy to such insights and the System refused to tell me. Man, even the System was helping the delvers win a little. Not just me. everything should lead to me. That was interesting. Even Clay could feel my Core, not just Tessa. I reckoned all delvers could, but only Tessa shifted uncomfortably. No. Not yet. It wasn¡¯t my time to go now that I was this close to destroying Coach Hodge and the cult. Not when I had so many plans. Not when I had so much to live for. I never felt this alive when Tessa and Clay inched closer toward my Core. Come to me, I wanted to tell them. And I¡¯ll show you who I am. Like, I¡¯m gonna give them a chance, I thought. [Power: 5/10] [Power: 4/10] now!¡± 1 essence: Clay Havert ] 150 crystals] couldn¡¯t stop. I reckoned she realized the gravity of her predicament was more than she imagined. She was now surrounded by a group of crazed cultists, a maniacal masked killer, and now a roaming plant-beast? How could she survive when all the odds were against her? Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 21) HELLS GRACE Part 21 wrong way for the past twenty minutes now, thinking they were getting closer to my Core, but the path would eventually lead them to the Siren¡¯s lair (they didn¡¯t know that yet). They were already getting frustrated. gem forged the records? A dead boy did it? Or was it Maxine, who is a wanted woman?¡± Melanie shifted uncomfortably. ¡°Think of the last time we¡¯ve been here. What do you remember of the lake?¡± the memory that it does? When I try to remember, I start to picture that it¡¯s been there all along, but that¡¯s impossible, right?¡± everyone¡¯s memories?¡± I¡¯ll take this little win, I thought. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Perfect timing. and didn¡¯t dare stop. Blood splattered everywhere. All over the table. On the ceiling lights. Over Melanie. All over the walls. And on the floorboards. I counted at least nineteen stab wounds after Melanie caught her breath and stepped down the table. 1 essence: Jenna Batten ] 150 crystals] BANG! Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 22) HELLS GRACE Part 22 BANG! BANG! BANG! Vis medicatrix." In an instant, some of the gnarly bits of flesh dangling from the ruptured cartilage began to stitch themselves together. Hodge didn''t grow another ear, but it stopped the bleeding. Tessa gaped at him. She couldn''t believe what she was seeing. Hodge rummaged Leo''s pockets and grabbed all of the shotgun''s ammo. saw it." Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. What are you planning to do? I wondered. Perhaps she was drawing him out into the open, hoping that Goliath or Old Growth could take him out. An enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? And Tessa was desperate to get out of the situation. She was banking on me.
Water Manipulation I The monster can shape, create, and manipulate the properties of water and can change them from one solid state to another (e.g., ice shards, steam, water vapor, etc.). The monster can create 1 hydrokinetic construct OR affect 53 cubic feet of water with a maximum volume of 1,500 Liters. Construct Duration: 1 hour. Area Manipulation Duration: 6 seconds - 1 hour. Additional levels can increase the maximum duration.
fucking dead. She didn''t want to tell him about the vague rules she gleaned from Danny and that they had to make it until dawn for the nightmare to stop. She read Hodge like a book, realizing he was as much in the dark as she was. veteran delver could, albeit faint. Power: 3/10] severely. His aura dropped to red-orange. He crawled backward and slammed his back against the base of the statue, looking around to see who just picked him up. Price Tag by Jessie J and B.O.B, playing on Spotify," Oracle said. things¡­against us. Do we have a deal?" We Are the Champions by Queen played through the speakers. Let''s fucking go." We are the champions, my friend¡­ and we''ll keep on fighting till the end¡­" three traps that would be triggered if [ Delver: Justin Hodge ] or any surviving cultists entered the clearing. Four powerful monsters versus one. sorcerer''s essence tasted like. Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 23) HELLS GRACE Part 23 Tessa pointed at the hidden trail. ¡°It¡¯s down there,¡± she said, bracing herself from what Hodge was about to do. She stared at the weapon in his hand. ¡°Hey, you promised you¡¯d let me go.¡± Hodge chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Not here, you idiot. Go on. Walk down that trail.¡± ¡°But I did what you asked! I showed you where it is!¡± ¡°Once I see the gem, I¡¯ll let you go.¡± ¡°No, you won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Are you testing me, bitch? I¡¯ve got two shells eager to eat your face if you don¡¯t do what I say.¡± Tessa¡¯s Resolve dropped to a bloody orange, and she stepped back. She didn¡¯t want to get near the Core Tree and didn¡¯t want to see what happened to Clay¡¯s body after she left him to die. Whatever courage she had leading Hodge here was quickly dissipating. Her gaze darted toward the trees, and I realized she was looking for Old Growth, expecting him to hide behind the thick canopy. Hodge clenched his jaw and raised the weapon. He stepped closer. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking do it, girl! I won¡¯t ask nicely! This is your final warning¡ª¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Tessa exclaimed. A javelin shot out from the trees, missing Hodge by a couple of inches. Old Growth would have him if he didn¡¯t step forward that second, but he fired his appendage too late. The javelin slammed the back windows of Maxine¡¯s Ford Explorer, shattering the glass. Hodge turned, aimed at the branches, and pulled the trigger. Old Growth leaped to the nearest tree as the shot obliterated the branch he was perched on. Hodge only glimpsed a huge shadow jump between the trees and, in a panic, ducked behind the explorer. Tessa dropped to her knees mid-crouch, going in the opposite direction and disappearing from Hodge¡¯s line of sight. Hodge fired another wild blind shot at the tree where Old Growth was lying low, missing the creature by several feet. Oldie wasn¡¯t as fast as last night now that he was missing two appendages, which would take thirty days to grow back. The missing appendages were now replaced by sharp arching claws. He wasn¡¯t taking any chances for Hodge to get a lucky shot at him, so Oldie climbed down the trunk and blended with the nearby bushes, stalking toward his prey¡¯s location, waiting for him to make a grave mistake. ¡°Tessa!¡± Hodge shouted. ¡°Get back here!¡± Some of the shattered glass had sliced and embedded themselves into Hodge¡¯s arm, and he pulled two tiny pieces from below his elbow. He quickly muttered a quick healing spell. ¡°I said you get back here!¡± But Tessa had no intention of returning to him. She scurried behind Leo¡¯s totaled van, clutching her chest and calming her heart. She looked around, trying to find the exit, but the tree line was too far away. If she started running for the forest now, Hodge would see her, and he would have a clear view to shoot her spine. Oldie estimated Hodge¡¯s actual location, moved closer, stopped, and waited. He didn¡¯t want to give his prey any funny ideas of running once Hodge heard him coming. Behind the Explorer, Hodge loaded two more shells into the shotgun. He only had four ammo left. He ran to the nearby Honda and took cover, inching closer to where he believed Tessa had run off. From above, I calculated that he was only thirty-five feet away from the white van and the girl. He wanted to call out her name again, but he knew Old Growth would also hear him. Hodge rushed behind another car but tripped over a piece of metal buried in the dirt. ¡°Gah!¡± He let out a strangled yelp as he tumbled and rolled behind the hood, slamming his back against the car door and clanging loudly across the scrapyard. Tessa heard it, got spooked by Hodge¡¯s proximity, and darted out from her hiding place in a panic. Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t as quiet. Hodge heard Tessa¡¯s scurrying footsteps, stood up from behind the hood, and aimed the weapon at Tessa. The girl skidded to a stop and shrieked, raising her hands up in surrender. ¡°No, no! Wait¡ª!¡± Old Growth dashed out of the bushes and jumped on top of the vehicle Hodge took cover behind, bucking the metal roof and shattering the glass everywhere. Some of the shards cut through Hodge¡¯s cheeks, drawing red. The shell missed Tessa completely, and she ducked face-first onto the muddy ground. ¡°What the fuck!¡± Hodge staggered back and fell on his butt and gaped at Old Growth¡¯s faceless majesty. This would be the first time Hodge saw any of my archetypes and what a Dungeon Core could create. He didn¡¯t expect to encounter literal monsters, expecting only deadly traps and possibly humans I had convinced to work on my side, like Maxine or perhaps Alvin. The monsters from myth weren¡¯t real. They were just stories. He was used to fighting other humans and overpowering them with his spells. In a low-magic world like Earth, a sorcerer was untouchable. How arrogant of him, I thought. Then, the gravity of the situation hit him like a train. He was all alone in the woods. The rest of his cultists are nowhere to be seen or heard. He had lost contact with them for a long time. In that split second, as he gazed at Old Growth¡¯s looming form, Coach Hodge realized everyone was dead except for him. A monster pulled out from a nightmare killed all of his associates, maybe even his wife, and he was out of his depth to fight it. I could read him like a book, asking himself, how many monsters had Mark Castle created in this forest? His confidence waned, believing he had control over the situation since he stepped foot into my domain. He was farther from the truth, and ever since they arrived, they were already dead. What he needed was an army of sorcerers. What he needed was Jonas¡¯s men. What he needed was the entire Cult of Astaroth raining down hellfire on my ass. Too little, too late. The Seat wouldn¡¯t lend him a hand this early, not when they didn¡¯t know how strong I had become. Resource and knowledge were power to those who hoarded them, and if they lost such paramount resources¡ªsuch advantage¡ªthey would become nothing. They couldn¡¯t risk feeding me all of them. Hodge and his sect were sent here to test my strengths. If Hodge died tonight, one of their celebrated ¡°powerful¡± members, a man they saw plenty of potential, and I wiped out his sect in one night, well, it would send a clear fucking message. No matter how strong they think they are, I am ready to face them and feed on them. I would feed on their most powerful and venerated, starting with Hodge. Old Growth looked over his shoulder at Tessa, still crouched in the same spot with her arms raised, afraid to make any sudden movement that would cause the creature to attack her instead. Oldie tilted his head and pointed his chin to Trail B. What are you still doing here, Oldie probably thought. Run, idiot. Tessa was confused for a second, but thankfully, she got the fucking hint and ran out of the scrapyard. I wouldn¡¯t let Hodge use Tessa as a meat shield when they reach the Core Tree. I wouldn¡¯t allow him to order her around and pick up the gem herself. I wanted Justin Hodge to do all that¡ªonly him. I wanted Hodge to approach the tree, reach in, and grab my Core. I wanted to look him dead in the eyes as I snuffed out all semblance of hope that he won and wasn¡¯t leaving this place alive. As a permanent resident of Hell, the demon knew what incantation Hodge would use to bind me into his service. A potent spell that Archdevils and high-ranking demons used against one another during their countless hellish wars and petty rivalry. But the spell would take an hour to cast, maybe more depending on the caster¡¯s skills. With Hodge, a mortal human on a planet with less potent Ways, it would take a long time, possibly the entire night, to do it correctly. One misspoken word or phrase, and he had to start over again. It was a spell of volatile invocation. After all, it took them damn near forever, ritually sacrificing me to become a Death Core. I watched them kill me slowly for hours in the woods. But once Hodge got a hold of me, he¡¯d have to flee my domain and go back to the cult¡¯s arms in Portland. Perhaps that¡¯s where he intended to bind me into a slave for the cult. Like I said, Hodge was confident he¡¯d win. He hated losing. Hated to feel weak. He grew up thinking he was the chosen one, and once that perverse mentality was ingrained within him, it clouded his judgment. He glared at Old Growth and shouted, ¡°Ignis!¡± A thin bolt of fire shot out of his hand, striking the car Oldie was perched on and exploding upon impact. Oldie was quicker still, avoiding the flames by jumping to the next vehicle and scurrying out of sight. That was what Hodge needed: a distraction. He scrambled up to his feet and ran down the trail that Tessa pointed out earlier. He was making a run for my Core. He was making a run for me. Just as planned. ¡°In positions, everyone,¡± I said to my archetypes. ¡°Little Alice found the rabbit hole.¡±
Tessa didn¡¯t dare stop running down the trail until she saw headlights up ahead. She stopped in her tracks and realized what it was. She dove into the bushes. Tessa wasn¡¯t taking any chances if the monsters learned how to drive a van. But Leo already saw her. He slammed hard on the brakes and climbed out of the van. ¡°It¡¯s me! It¡¯s me!¡± Leo said. ¡°I¡¯m not one of them!¡± Tessa popped her head out and burst into tears, practically throwing herself into Leo¡¯s arms. She recognized the man who rescued her earlier. ¡°We gotta get out of here!¡± ¡°Hey, hey, slow down. Where is he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s back down there in the scrapyard. One of those things is with him.¡± ¡°Is Eliza with him, too?¡± Leo asked. He wanted to be sure, although he already expected the answer. Tessa shook her head. ¡°A killer with a fox mask and an axe got her. We were running, and one thing I know, she was¡ª!¡± Tessa¡¯s tears streamed down her face. ¡°¡ªshe was on the ground, and I just ran for the woods, you know? I was so scared.¡± ¡°Hey, hey, it¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t need to explain.¡± Leo visibly shuddered. ¡°A fox mask? Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure. I¡¯ll never forget it.¡± ¡°I know who you are talking about. Let¡¯s get you inside.¡± Leo opened the passenger¡¯s side door and helped Tessa in. He walked to the driver¡¯s side and hopped in as well. ¡°Oh my gosh! Danny!¡± Tessa looked behind her and found the boy still sleeping soundly under the blankets she put on him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s still with us,¡± Leo reassured her. ¡°He¡¯s stable. Alive.¡± ¡°Then what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s get the fuck out of here!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me twice.¡± But before Leo grabbed the stick shift and reversed the van out of the trail, the radio stuttered and skipped the music to the next one. ¡°Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush, now playing on Spotify,¡± it said through the speakers. Leo paused and muttered a curse under his breath. ¡°What? What¡¯s going on?¡± Tessa asked. She tried pushing the button to shut off the radio, but the music continued playing. ¡°I made a deal,¡± Leo said. ¡°With Mark?¡± ¡°Whoever¡¯s running this place. If I killed that guy, they¡¯ll let us go.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Tessa begged. ¡°You¡¯ve seen what Coach Hodge could do. He can blast fire out of his fingertips and make stuff move with his mind! He¡¯s like Dumbledore or something.¡± ¡°He¡¯s no Dumbledore. Dumbledore¡¯s a good guy. He¡¯s more of a Volde¡ªyou know what? Doesn¡¯t even matter. You stay here in the van with Danny. I¡¯m gonna go and catch up to him.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand! There are other monsters in the woods that are much more dangerous than him!¡± ¡°Like I said, they¡¯re not gonna hurt me.¡±` ¡°What if Mark changes his mind? I don¡¯t think he¡¯s human anymore.¡± Leo bit the inside of his cheek. ¡°The only difference is if we are dead now or dead later. I¡¯d rather take my chances with the latter. I doubt he¡¯d let us escape if I renege on our deal.¡± Right on cue, Oracle manipulated the wirings inside the van and shut the vehicle off. Silence engulfed the cabin. ¡°See?¡± Leo pointed at the silent radio. ¡°He¡¯s not gonna let us leave that easily.¡± Tessa grabbed his arm. ¡°And you¡¯ll be back?¡± Leo studied the dark woods. ¡°I¡¯m not making any promises. If I¡¯m not back in twenty minutes, take your chances with the van and get the hell out.¡± He left the keys in the ignition. ¡°Sit behind the wheel.¡± Tessa nodded. ¡°Stay safe. If we make it out of here, I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s gonna believe us,¡± Tessa said. Leo chuckled. ¡°You know, this is one crazy night. You think they¡¯ll make a movie out of this?¡± ¡°Not a lot of people believe in ghosts and monsters.¡± ¡°I do now.¡± Leo opened the door and climbed out. He checked how many bullets he had in his gun and nodded over to Tessa. ¡°Keep your eye on the clock by the dash. Twenty minutes, okay?¡± The clock just hit 3:05 AM. ¡°Okay. Twenty minutes,¡± Tessa repeated. ¡°Wait! Dawn¡¯s at 6 AM. That¡¯s the cut-off.¡± ¡°To what?¡± ¡°If we make it until dawn, we survive the game. That¡¯s what Danny said to me.¡± Leo nodded. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Tessa moved over and sat behind the wheel, watching Leo disappear into the woods. She shut off the van¡¯s headlights just in case someone spotted the lights from afar and attacked the vehicle. She still didn¡¯t believe what Leo said that the monsters wouldn¡¯t harm them. I reckoned she was still confused on why Old Growth let her go earlier. Hodge was the bigger and much closer target back in the scrapyard. That made a lot of sense than the creature letting her go. Tessa shrank into the seat, making herself as small as possible so that no one would spot her through the windows. ¡°Come on, come on. Hurry up,¡± she muttered to herself. She looked over her shoulder and saw Danny was still curled up beneath the blankets, soundly asleep.
Leo delved deeper into the woods; the van¡¯s headlights snuffed out behind him. He pulled out the flashlight he found inside the glove compartment earlier, following the trail that eventually led him to the scrapyard and the still-burning car. Hodge and Old Growth were nowhere to be seen. Leo quickly spotted the broken bushes and the narrow trail it hid. He drew the flashlight closer to the broken twigs and leaves, studying the small splatters of Hodge¡¯s blood on its surface. Confident this was the right path, Leo marched faster down the trail to catch up to his target. ¡°Almost there, Leo. Home stretch,¡± I said. All the tricks I had tonight were now gathered into the final basket. I hoped all of this worked out in the end. Leo heard a lot of shouting up ahead. He slowed and took cover behind a tree, turning off his flashlight. Just at the end of the trail, an otherworldly purplish and red glow emanated, surprising him. He had to compose himself and regain a little bit of his courage to keep going. ¡°You can do this. You know you can,¡± Leo hyped himself up. Leo stepped forward and reached the end of the trail. A bright orange flare erupted from the palm of Hodge¡¯s hands, keeping back the massive creature made out of roots, bark, and vines. To the right, Goliath lay on his stomach, blasted by one of Hodge¡¯s telekinesis. The giant slowly pulled himself up, crawling toward his fallen axe. The demon, now wearing Melanie¡¯s body, rushed at Hodge, wielding a steak knife while the man was distracted with Old Growth. She stabbed him in the shoulder blade and leaped on top of his shoulders. ¡°Get off me!¡± Hodge screeched. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, honey? This ain¡¯t the first time your face was between my legs!¡± She wrapped her legs around his head and tried to suffocate him, laughing maniacally. ¡°Use more tongue!¡± She shouted. Hodge lost control of the spell, engulfing some of the bushes and the tall undergrowth nearby. The fire spread quickly, and Old Growth jumped on top of the Core Tree¡¯s branches to avoid the slithering blaze, catching more of the bushes on fire. Plant creatures like Oldie were very vulnerable to fire, and he had to watch out for where he stepped next. Hodge grabbed a fistful of Melanie¡¯s shirt and launched her off him. This didn¡¯t faze the demon, and they used the momentum into a backflip and skidded gracefully onto the dirt next to Goliath¡¯s axe¡ªsuperhero landing style. Melanie smirked, grabbed the axe, and threw the weapon closer to Goliath¡¯s reach. ¡°Here you go, big boy. Don¡¯t lose your dildo next time,¡± she said and cackled. ¡°Get out of my wife, devil! Hodge screamed. ¡°In the name of Astaroth¡ª¡± Melanie pulled another steak knife from behind her waistband. ¡°Your mighty lord can suck on your wife¡¯s tits, piss-pot! Yaaahhh!!!¡± She charged at Hodge again like a bull with nothing left to lose. Hodge didn¡¯t even hesitate to blast Melanie off her feet with the shotgun. Melanie¡¯s chest exploded into crimson and guts. She flew and crashed like a rag doll ten feet away from the sorcerer, her face skidding against the rocky ground. Bits of her cheeks folded out like paper, revealing the thin muscles underneath the skin. Melanie shrieked and jerked on the ground, struggling to get up. ¡°OW! Ow! That fucking hurt, you limp dick cocksucker!¡± Her gaze landed on Leo standing by the tree line. ¡°Are you waiting for a tap on the shoulder, motherfucker?! Fuck him up!¡± Leo ignored Melanie. He stepped out of the shadows and into the clearing and fired the gun at Hodge. But Hodge raised his arms, and the shield lifted and surrounded him in a split second. The bullets barely passed the barrier, and the last shot shattered the spell¡¯s effects. A trickle of blood came out of Hodge¡¯s nose. He staggered, reeling from the reflexive summoning. He¡¯s getting weaker, I thought to my surprise and glee. I could see it now. The difference between a mortal and a Core¡¯s ability to draw power from the Ways was that a Core had a deeper well of endurance. To a mortal¡¯s eyes, I could conjure magic all day without breaking a sweat. Much like I had a limit to how much Power I could use in a scenario, I wondered if a sorcerer had a limit to how many spells they could cast each day. The System is like a game, I reminded myself. How long does Hodge have to keep going? I was about to find out. ¡°Piece of shit!¡± Leo threw the spent gun away and charged at Hodge, wrapping his arms around the big man¡¯s waist, grabbed hold of his waistband, and hoisted him off the ground. He slammed Hodge¡¯s back onto the earth and climbed over him. The tackle sent them closer to the Core Tree, just an inch past the trigger for a psychic blast. The Ways shivered and burst out of the Core, and Hodge let out a piercing shriek. A small trickle of blood poured out at the corner of his eyes and out of his ears, his eyes turning bloodshot. ¡°Wait! Stop¡ª!¡± Hodge stammered. Before Hodge could say anything, Leo punched him hard across the jaw, spewing blood out of his lips. I thought I saw a tooth fly out as well. He punched him again as Hodge struggled to get out from underneath Leo¡¯s weight, but with his muscles incapacitated by the blast, his strength betrayed him. He couldn¡¯t get enough of a foothold to push Leo off. Leo heard the heavy snap of twigs and crunching of leaves behind him, and he quickly ducked and rolled off Hodge as Goliath swung the axe high and slammed the blade down Hodge¡¯s neck. But Hodge saw him coming, too. With a second to spare, Hodge rolled away as the axe struck the spot where his head was a moment ago, nicking only the outer edge of his other intact ear. Goliath lifted and raised the axe again, marching toward his prey. ¡°Redite!¡± A blast of telekinetic air emanated from Hodge¡¯s outstretched hand, crashing onto Leo and Goliath like a massive tide and throwing them back away from the sorcerer. Both men released some yelps as they crashed onto the ground¡ªthe first time I¡¯ve heard Goliath¡¯s muffled roar from behind the mask. Hodge grimaced as more blood poured out of his nose. He tried to catch his breath. Still grasping the axe with [ Telekinesis ], Hodge sent the axe hurtling toward Goliath, and the blade slammed right at the center of the giant¡¯s sternum. Goliath toppled over onto his back, breathing hard between gritted teeth but, thankfully, still alive. But the blast knocked Goliath¡¯s fox mask off his face, landing next to his prone body. I¡¯d never seen Goliath¡¯s true face before: two large scars crossing at the bridge of his nose and one on his right cheek. He had green eyes, short black hair, and a thick, closely-cropped beard. He had a hard, gloomy face, one who had seen too much and yet too strong and stubborn to endure some more. Leo froze, recognizing him. ¡°Andy?¡± Wait, what? Andy? Goliath¡¯s real name is¡­Andy? Goliath paid Leo no mind, gritted his teeth, and picked up the fallen mask, putting it over his head. Leo scrambled toward him and helped him to his feet, but Goliath shoved him away, annoyed that he came to help instead of fighting the sorcerer. He pointed at Hodge, who was now climbing up the tree and gazing at the glowing gem inside. A wide grin spread across his smug and badly beaten face. ¡°You¡¯re mine!¡± He said to me. He reached in, and the gaping hole snapped off his limb like a nutcracker. One moment, his arm was still attached to his body, and a second later, it gripped my Core, but Hodge could no longer move his fingers to remove it until he gazed down at the spurting red stump below his elbow. It took him another second to register what just happened, and the man let out a howl. ¡°Whheeaaahh!¡± Grasping [ Telekinesis ], my Core flew out of his grasp and out of the hole, hurtling toward his right eye. The gem¡¯s sharp edges grazed through his eyeball and at the side of his face. I could feel his warm blood bathing my Core. [Power: 2/10] ¡°Yes!¡± I flew toward Melanie¡¯s waiting outstretched palm¡ª ¡ªbut my Core suddenly stopped moving. As Hodge staggered back and almost fell off the thick protruding roots, he still managed to cast [ Telekinesis ] and mentally grabbed my Core through the air. But his magic was getting weaker and weaker, and he struggled to get a hold of me. In a last-ditch effort, he flicked his hand and threw my Core to the side (and out of the demon¡¯s reach), crashing across the grass. Hodge ran and picked me up, dashing for the woods, no longer suffused by the Ways. Demon Melanie finally got up and shouted, ¡°He¡¯s getting away!¡± But not for long. I enjoyed watching the small glimmer of joy on his face when he was about to reach the edge of the clearing and saw the ice elemental step out of the shadows. He stopped in his tracks, wide-eyed, as the new creature emerged, cutting off his escape. He looked around for another way out, but he was surrounded on all sides. He put me inside his pocket and opened the palm of his remaining hand toward the approaching demon, but no telekinetic blast came out. Coach Hodge was now powerless. He clutched his hand around my Core for dear life. Siren gleefully laughed behind the ice elemental¡¯s fake mouth as her ghostly eyes gazed down at the helpless sorcerer. She reached down with both hands to touch the ground, quickly turning it into ice. That ice spread out toward Hodge like a lightning bolt. He didn¡¯t even have time to run away as the snapping ice seized and froze his feet, up to his legs, waist, and torso, and rolled down his other intact limb. It sank into his skin, solidifying his muscles and blood vessels like a rock. ¡°No, no, no¡ª!¡± The frost engulfed Hodge entirely into an ice statue, cutting off his screams. He was still alive inside, screaming and slowly suffocating. There was no escape for him. Only death. And that realization plummeted his Resolve to a sweet, sweet crimson glow. Melanie whooped. ¡°And there it is! Ding, ding, ding! Nice save, Siren!¡± From behind, Old Growth leaped from the Core Tree and landed right behind the now-frozen Hodge. He swung his arms down onto the man¡¯s shoulders like two sledgehammers, and Hodge exploded into frozen chunks and tiny shards, scattering all over the clearing. [ You have gained 5 essences: Justin Hodge ] [You have gained 750 crystals] Five essences? Seriously? I usually got one or two. But five? That was the highest one yet. Melanie let out a surprised whistle. ¡°What a juicy little fuck.¡± The others gathered around Hodge¡¯s broken and shattered mess. ¡°I guess killing a powerful sorcerer of Astaroth is worth more by the System,¡± I said. ¡°Imagine how much Jonas was worth, eh? Too bad this world didn¡¯t have a large population with a bigger essence count. You¡¯ll have to get it from a president or a senator or something.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care much about that anyway. As long as the people responsible for my murder are dead, I¡¯m satisfied, essence or not.¡± Melanie shrugged. ¡°True, but it would still be sweet to have them.¡± I smiled. ¡°Yes. Sweet. Oh, thanks for picking me up, by the way. You can put me back in the tree.¡± Melanie narrowed her gaze. ¡°I didn¡¯t pick you up yet, my liege. Did anyone see where the gem went?¡± Then, who has my¡ª I turned around. So did the others. Leo picked up the gem from the grass and glared at us. ¡°Hey! Give that back!¡± Melanie exclaimed. Leo took a step back, and the demon¡¯s eyes flashed red. ¡°Oh, you have no fucking idea how much I¡¯ll cut you into ribbons, boy.¡± Goliath pried the axe off his chest from behind her, ready to throw it at Leo if given the chance. ¡°You want this?¡± Leo raised the gem. ¡°Then, you¡¯ll let us go. Andy, too.¡± Melanie smirked and gave her own version of a Valley Girl accent. ¡°Oh, the big guy? No, um, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s not for sale. He¡¯s like a big deal around here. Very good at cutting firewood and also chasing down virgins.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care a lick about your jokes. You let him go! He¡¯s coming with me.¡± ¡°What¡¯s he to you?¡± Melanie asked. ¡°Boyfriend? Classmate? Brother from another mother?¡± ¡°Andy, do you remember me? Come on, man. You gotta. Remember Kabul 2020? Oman? Jesus, we served for five years together.¡± But Goliath didn¡¯t utter a word nor regarded him with sympathy; his grip around the axe¡¯s handle tightened. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be dead, man. We buried you.¡± ¡°Hey! Pretty boy! He. Is. Not. For. Saaaaalleeeee,¡± Melanie repeated. ¡°Now, give me back the gem before Big Dick Energy over here wrenches your spine out of your body from your ass up to your dumb brain. Your choice. Unless you are into that thing. I respect everyone¡¯s kinks. There¡¯s no shame in that.¡± Leo looked down at the gem and then back to Goliath. ¡°Is this thing keeping you here? Are you a prisoner?¡± ¡°Smash that, and you will pay gravely,¡± Melanie said with venom. ¡°So what? Maybe destroying this thing will destroy you, too.¡± Melanie folded her arms. ¡°Oh, go ahead. You¡¯re not the first delver who got the bright idea that smashing a Core would destroy it. Do you think that rock is made out of cheap glass? Bitch, please. That¡¯ll take more than a flimsy throw.¡± ¡°Then, why are you so worried?¡± ¡°Imagine stubbing your toes. Not a very nice feeling, right? And besides, once the gem¡¯s off your hands, we¡¯ll just jump you and kill you. Easy peasy.¡± I glared at the demon. ¡°And you had to give him funny ideas.¡± Melanie¡¯s smile dropped. ¡°Oops. Sorry. Me and my stupid mouth.¡± Leo glanced at the dark woods and the gathered monsters thirty feet before him. He was going to make a run for it. As much as I was intrigued by the reunion between Goliath and Leo, I got to stop this before it turned into another shit show. I only had a limited amount of Power left to use, and I didn''t want them to go to waste. Even though dawn was still less than three hours away, a lot could happen at that time. Fuck it. I cast [ Heat Surge ]. [Power 1/10] Immediately, Leo cried out and dropped the gem, sending it rolling across the grass. Siren turned the ground into slippery ice, and the gem slid toward Goliath¡¯s foot. Goliath picked the gem up and handed it over to Melanie. ¡°Oh, thank you, Big Mac,¡± Melanie said, putting the gem inside her pocket. She smirked at everyone¡¯s eagerness to pounce at the now-defenseless Leo. No matter how fast he ran, he couldn¡¯t outrun half of the creatures in the clearing. ¡°We had a deal with him,¡± I reminded the others. ¡°We had to honor that. He did help us take down Hodge.¡± The others looked a bit disappointed, but I noticed their bodies relaxed. Melanie let out a heavy sigh. ¡°But we did have a deal,¡± she told Leo. Leo¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°What? You¡¯re not gonna kill me?¡± ¡°We swear.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± Melanie rolled her eyes. ¡°Hey, do you see me right now? I¡¯m a demonic cunt wearing this shit excuse of a human. I have to honor our deal.¡± ¡°Demons also lie.¡± Melanie pursed her lips. ¡°Um, yeah, that¡¯s also true. But this time, I¡¯m actually telling you the truth. It feels weird, but there you go. We promised not to kill you and that girl. But Big McRib stays with us.¡± Something must have broken behind Leo¡¯s eyes, and he held a choking sob. ¡°What have you done to him?¡± The demon dropped all her pretenses and her sneering jokes, and gave Leo a genuine sympathetic frown. ¡°Like all of us, he made a deal, and your friend has to honor it.¡± Arc 3 | Hells Grace (Part 24) HELLS GRACE Part 24 Initializing¡­ Initializing¡­ Complete. [ Are you sure you want to end the current scenario? Warning: There are two hours and seventeen minutes remaining. Multiple delvers are still within the area and worthy of reaping. ] I stared at the small yellow texts hovering inches before me. On the ground below, Melanie lay on her back, smiling up toward the night sky with a gaping slash around her neck, courtesy of Goliath¡¯s swift handiwork. She barely fought him off with the demon still inside her, and Goliath quickly brought the blade against her flesh and pulled. The demon slithered out and hovered next to me, unhurt, reeling with glee from the kill. I guess demons also like to experience dying. Technically, they are near-immortal creatures. It would take more than physical damage to cast out a demon, and I got lucky that none of Hodge¡¯s crew got to do any damaging rituals or any other magic to banish the leering devil. As for Melanie, well, may she rot in hell with her husband. [ You have gained 2 essences: Melanie Hodge ] [ You have gained 300 crystals ] Leo was far away from the Core Grove, reluctantly leaving his¡ªformer¡ªfriend behind. Goliath barely gave him a passing glance when Leo walked toward the trail and disappeared into the shadows, hiking back to Tessa and Danny, who was still waiting patiently for him in the van. My monsters wanted to hunt the remaining delvers down since they still had less than three hours left. Something inside them ached for the chase, pain, and suffering that would follow. I reckoned they could sense the potent essence inside them as veteran delvers of my dungeon. But I held them back. I am Lord of my domain, after all. My word is the law around here. ¡°Yes. End the scenario,¡± I said out loud to the interface. There was a brief pause of eerie silence that cut through the air. Once I said the words, to my shock, the System took over by grasping my entire form. It was like I got kicked out behind the wheel and forced to sit in the backseat. The cloudy sky lurched and hurtled forward as time advanced rapidly. In the gleaming horizon, the sun climbed over the towering peaks, yanked by an invisible lasso, its light piercing through the forest canopy in seconds and illuminating North Cedar Lake. Damn¡­ I didn¡¯t realize how powerful the System was until I witnessed its capability with my own eyes as it warped time around me¡ªaround Earth. The delvers witnessed it, too. Leo stopped walking by the scrapyard and gazed at the advancing blue skies. In the van, Danny stirred soundly asleep. Tessa had her hands over her mouth, eyes like deer in headlights, as she assessed her newly illuminated surroundings. Only the people inside my domain witnessed such a magnificent display of arcane power. To the people outside, they perceived time normally. If Cores are an extension of the System, does that mean I can move time, too? Finally, the System relinquished its control over me. Barely twenty seconds passed, but it was the longest I felt like a stranger in my own body. Like I wanted to take a long bath. It felt like someone grabbed me by the scruff of my neck, lifted me up, and then dropped me back to the ground without warning. I didn¡¯t want to experience that again, but I had a nagging feeling I should get used to it. [ Congratulations! Dawn has arrived over your domain, and you have completed your first official scenario! ] [ Reward: 5,000 Crystals for completing your first scenario! ] [ Reward: 1 Environmental Aura ] [ Reward: 2 Archetype Slots ] [ Reward: 1 Ability slot for all existing archetypes ] [ You have unlocked: G-Rank ¨C unshackled Death Core ] [ Threat Level ¨C Local: Nearby denizens within a twenty-mile radius of your dungeon are aware of your presence, consciously or subconsciously, because of your choices and the events of the previous scenarios. Your Dread effects increase in potency. ] [ Well done! If you wish to stay anonymous, please avoid drawing attention to yourself by eliminating all the delvers! Or be ambitious and dominate your world! ] I could feel these changes instantly as the prompts faded from my vision. The fog dissipated, sinking into the earth. The cold wind died down into a gentle breeze. I released the oppressive grip I didn¡¯t know I held over my domain, and it was as if all the trees sighed in relief. As if I had been choking the life out of them since the night began. Leo and Tessa¡¯s aura faded, and they no longer glowed with Resolve. I was curious that the System considered this night my first official scenario. The first two were more like accidents as the delvers stumbled into my domain, forcing me to scramble and improvise rather than meticulously plan out the game. What I did in Green Hill was more out of necessity and survival. I wondered if it had something to do with an Administrator¡¯s involvement. Perhaps it opened more of the System¡¯s mechanics to me. I looked at my rewards and salivated at the potential of what I could do with them¨Cthe things I could buy and improve. I¡¯m sure that my archetypes would be happy for an upgrade on their current abilities¨Cor gain new ones¨Cnow that they had four skill slots rather than the three they came with when I made them. Are these five thousand crystals only for the first scenario? I thought. Do I receive it again after each successful future scenario? Unfortunately, the System didn¡¯t care to elaborate. I looked at the ranking curiously. I¡¯m unshackled? What a weird word to use. I was also stumped about whether The system considered G-Rank good. I guessed not since I am technically still a juvenile Core and had no reference for their ranking system. I hardly cared. What mattered was that all the cultists were dead¡ªwell, most of them. But I did what the Administrators asked by wiping out the ones who killed and created me. As for me being a threat, well, Death Cores were the most dangerous ones, as I was told, and I couldn¡¯t help it if my Dread seeped into the real world and started affecting the people who lived around me. Staying anonymous was harder to do when I am fucking hungry all the time. Another prompt appeared. [ Total Essences Collected: 33/33. Success! You received 3 Dungeon Expansion Points! ] [ Dungeon Expansion: 3.3/50 - You currently only have 1 dungeon (North Cedar Lake) in your control. Successfully collect 467 essences to create a second dungeon in a location of your choice. ] [Congratulations, Mark Castle! Your domain is expanding. Continue to feed and grow, and be the best Death Core you¡¯ll ever be! ] Jesus H. Fucking Christ! Four hundred and sixty-seven essences? I paled at the numbers and the real people behind those numbers. I imagined a hungry Death Core out there in the universe who was willing to kill four hundred and sixty-seven people just for a piece of real estate. Could I kill that many people? I shook those thoughts away for another day. [ Attention, Mark Castle. Two delvers survived North Cedar Lake. You may now access the Rewards tab. ] Oh, right. I forgot about that. I was so focused on killing Hodge and the cultists that I had completely forgotten that anyone who survived the dungeon got a reward from the System. From me. I floated in the air for several long seconds, unsure what to give them. I accessed the Rewards tab and scrolled through the crazy long list, which had over a hundred items each, and there were at least three thousand pages and more. I couldn¡¯t physically go and read them thoroughly in a day. It didn¡¯t help that the System clumped all the rewards with potential loot drops found in a normal dungeon. This is gonna be a massive headache. ¡°I should have planned what rewards I should give them,¡± I said. I checked on Leo and Tessa with Many-Eyes and saw them reunite beside the van. They¡¯re leaving soon. ¡°Ah, shit, shit, shit,¡± I spat a curse as I scrolled faster through the list, skimming over the titles.
Gloves of Healing These silken gloves enhance the wearer¡¯s ability to rejuvenate and heal a wounded companion in seconds and life-threatening injuries in minutes.
Obsidian Sword Ancient celestial runes adorned the surface of this obsidian blade, which was almost made to look like glass. Once activated by the wielder, the blade releases fire hot enough to cut through rock, body, and steel.
Raven Coat This well-crafted longcoat acts as a sturdy leather armor. While wearing this coat in dim darkness, the wearer is not easily perceived by creatures within twenty feet of their location. During combat, the wearer can teleport to an unoccupied space within twenty feet while in dim light, as long as the wearer has a line of sight.
Key of the Mundane A secretive order of thieves created this magical key. While holding this item in your hand, you can open any locked door or padlock, which will magically fit the keyhole. It does not work on an arcane-locked entryway or chest.
Those were just the few smaller things I noticed among the obvious powerful ones¡ªA hammer that could shatter a mountain with lightning and thunder; A cerulean ring that could summon a tidal wave big enough to swallow a small city; or glass eyes that could pierce the veil of time and space to glimpse the nearest future. The problem with the latter was that the wearer had to sacrifice their eyes to use it. Then there were the other weird ones, like replacing limbs for tentacles that could create portals to different parts of the world as long as the wearer was familiar with the place. A magical red string that could find the person you most hate and kill them by suffocation and leave without a trace. A massive mechanical hand that could snuff out a star in a blink of an eye. An obelisk that could create a deadly plague, guaranteeing the population would be reduced to ten percent. And on and on and on¡­ Weird, powerful shit after each page. No man should ever have these things, I thought. No man should ever be near it. These Rewards could break Earth if they fell into the wrong hands, even the lesser ones. Would the Key of the Mundane gain access to a bank vault? Or what about a nuclear silo? How about that Raven Coat? It was perfect for a hitman or a soldier. How many people would they kill wearing that? Magic was barely non-existent on Earth, wielded only by a few like Hodge. And even their abilities were fragile and flawed. I didn¡¯t think giving delvers these powerful magical items would be a good idea, one they¡¯d carry out into the world. Who knew what would happen in the future with these things running around without supervision? And it wasn¡¯t a guarantee that they¡¯d keep it forever. What if they lost it, or god forbid, died, and those magical items fell into someone who didn¡¯t deserve it, like a serial killer or a dictator? And let¡¯s say I introduced these magical artifacts to the human population. They¡¯d delve into my dungeon for more, and I had to create unimaginable horrors to counter them by creating creatures like dragons, sea serpents, giants, and world-eaters. Creatures that could change the fabric of reality here on Earth. It¡¯ll be¡­apocalyptic. But I am a Core, and this is what I must do: Rewarding those the System finds worthy. Deep down, I knew I had no choice in the matter. If a man asked for the obelisk plague because he wanted to destroy a rivaling nation, then that was what I must give him. Can I resist it when that time comes? As a Death Core, the most powerful out of my kind, I had access to the most powerful rewards, items, and monsters from the beginning¡ªfor a price. As a reward, they were bequeathed freely by me to a willing delver, although I had no control of the item once it was taken out of my domain. But I could purchase them for hundreds or even thousands of crystals from the dungeon tab. The powerful ones were expensive, but I got to control what happened to them. I peered with Many-Eyes as Leo and Tessa reversed the van out of the trail, heading toward the cabin. I had to act fast before they left. I remembered what the demon told me: A delver without a reward always comes back to delve again. An intoxicating pull toward me that even I couldn¡¯t shrug off. But that also reminded me why Death Cores were sought after by formidable men and women for our rewards. Those delvers already had something in mind, something they wished and desired, be it conquest, riches, or knowledge. They ask, and I provide. Why am I thinking hard about what to give Leo and Tessa when I could ask them directly? I wished I could read their minds, but [ Glean ] only gave me their surface thoughts, and I am already running out of power. They drove past the cabin¡¯s parking lot and headed to the narrow road. Their speed was picking up. Leo and Tessa barely looked behind them, afraid the cabin might swallow them whole. ¡°Not too fast,¡± I said. I dropped two wooden chests the size of drawers on the dirt road, and Leo slammed the brakes, almost hitting them head-on.
¡°What the hell was that?!¡± Tessa yelped and looked back into the cabin. Danny was still soundly asleep behind them. ¡°Shit!¡± Leo hissed. ¡°I almost fucking ran into the damn thing.¡± ¡°Well, what is it?¡± Leo shrugged and looked up at the sky. ¡°Beats me. It just dropped out of nowhere. Must be Mark¡¯s doing.¡± He unlatched his seatbelt and climbed out of the van. Tessa followed. ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± ¡°Yeah. Stay back.¡± Fifteen feet away from the van were the wooden chests I dropped. Leo looked tired and over all this shit. I sighed. Almost there, Leo. Home stretch. I just need to do this one tiny thing of giving you guys some free shit. I triggered [ Voice Control ], using my real voice this time.
Voice Control (Event) On the rare occasion that a dungeon is allowed to communicate with a delver, the dungeon lord can manipulate the language, accent, tone, pitch, frequency, and resonance of their voice. It does not cost a Power and the duration lasts until the dungeon lord ends the conversation. A [Gentling Event] and [Rewarding Event] triggers a conversation with the appropriate delver. To speak to a delver at any point during a scenario, please purchase this skill after leveling up.
¡°Are you here with us, Mark?¡± Tessa asked softly, almost sounding like a prayer. ¡°This is me,¡± I said. ¡°What do you want?¡± Leo asked. ¡°Are you changing your mind about letting Andy go?¡± ¡°I doubt I have the power to do that, Mr. Grady. And even if I did, I don¡¯t think your friend likes to leave this place willingly. Not even with you,¡± I said.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°You said you¡¯d let us go. That we¡¯ll get out of here without those things hurting us,¡± Tessa interjected. ¡°And you will. I won¡¯t hurt you. Neither will my friends.¡± ¡°Some fucked up company you keep nowadays, Mark.¡± Leo shook his head. ¡°Demons, a walking tree, and an ice troll?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re letting us go, then why¡¯d you stop us with, um, a drawer?¡± Tessa asked, gesturing over to the two chests. Leo tried to open one, but the lid wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°I just need one more thing from both of you before you two leave. It¡¯s important,¡± I said, catching them flinching and bracing themselves. ¡°You survived my dungeon, after all.¡± Leo¡¯s brows arched curiously. ¡°You call it a dungeon?¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Ew. Yeah. Not my choice.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so important that you almost ran us off the road?¡± Tessa asked, annoyed. ¡°Well, as returning delvers to my dungeon, both of you felt what this place truly was. A game, albeit a deadly one. The monsters, the chase, the horror, people dying, and the fucked up night. Whoever lasts until dawn wins to live another day and more.¡± ¡°Like some fucked up horror movie,¡± Leo mumbled. ¡°But I don¡¯t understand why you are doing this,¡± Tessa muttered. ¡°Are you really dead?¡± ¡°Yes, yet I turned into something¡­I still knew very little about. But this is how I live now.¡± ¡°By killing people?¡± Leo asked with disgust. ¡°By feeding on their fear, yes. And their souls. It is no different from the type of living you did in the Middle East, Mr. Grady. Nor your extracurricular activities with the mob. I know what you have done on their behalf and the trail of blood you carved in the name of the family you served. You are no different from Andy. From Goliath.¡± Leo shut his mouth and said nothing. ¡°My boyfriend¡­was that you, Mark? Did you kill Cody?¡± Tessa asked. I paused for a beat. ¡°Yes.¡± Even though the demon did the killing, I still benefited by feeding on his essence, growing my dominion. Tessa was quiet for a while. ¡°If you are so powerful, can you bring him back?¡± She asked innocently. ¡°You mean¡­¡± ¡°Bring the dead back to life?¡± Can I? I checked the interface, but I didn¡¯t get an answer from Oracle. Even the machine didn¡¯t know if I could. I opened the Rewards tab again, and while thinking about resurrecting dead people, the list suddenly shrank to just twenty pages, listing rituals, including magical items about bringing anything dead back to life. Huh. I guess I have a search function. That¡¯s useful, I thought. I briefly skimmed through the list, but most required ingredients that couldn¡¯t be found around North Cedar Lake. If I gave it to Tessa, she¡¯d have to hunt for those ingredients herself. A majority of them were some weird and creepy rituals that involved killing a virgin in exchange for a life (You¡¯d be surprised how many spells and material components listed that as the main ingredient). Magic had a price to mortals. Always. But I found one interesting object that required no ingredient at all: just a name or a corpse.
Resurrection Stone This red ruby has the power to return the dead back to life, reanimating the body. The body must be dead for no longer than a hundred years. If no physical body is provided, a new one will materialize. You must speak their name clearly. Once used, the stone turns into dust and is destroyed.
This stone would cost me two hundred thousand crystals to purchase on my own. To a delver who survived my dungeon, it¡¯s basically free. Would this also work for me? Could this stone resurrect and unbound my soul from the Core so I could return to my former self? But a prompt from the System quickly snuffed that hope away. [ Your soul is tethered to the Core. Your gift lies with the Core. ] I gritted my teeth as the System backslapped me with reality. Cheeky bitch. So that¡¯s what it¡¯s gonna be, huh? I¡¯m the System¡¯s lackey for eternity. Unless a delver destroyed me, of course. I should have let Leo finish the deed and ended my misery. Perhaps that would have been a mercy. But something caught my eye. The item only mentioned the body, but what about the soul? The spirit? It was never on the text. One thing I learned about the System was that if it wasn¡¯t on the description box, then it wasn¡¯t included in the item, ability, or skill. For example, I didn¡¯t place any speech mechanics on some of my archetypes; only the demon and Oracle could talk to me. And I got it immediately. Holy shit. I understood what this item was and its cost to the mortal. The body would be resurrected, yes, but the soul wouldn¡¯t be included. I imagined this item was meant for the hopeless romantic who delved into my dungeon to resurrect their long-lost love. Only they wouldn¡¯t come back the same. In the old stories, there was only one cliche ending to this scenario: the romantic died from a broken heart when they realized their beloved was a husk (usually by committing suicide). Cody Ridell would come back as a wight. Oh no. Holy fucking shit. No way. I knew there was something weird about my Rewards list. The majority of my Rewards sounded like they were a Monkey¡¯s Paw¡­ ¡­because they were. Fuck! How did I miss this? Not all of these items were bad, mind you, but they could backfire just as easily to anyone who wielded them. The magical hammer that could shatter a mountain could very well produce an earthquake that would kill untold thousands, including the wielder. The Obsidian Sword could cut through anything, even the wearer, if they weren¡¯t careful, and on an arcane-deficient Earth, no magic could heal and stitch their limbs back together. Not unless they had the Gloves of Healing, and even that didn¡¯t mention if it could reattach dismembered body parts. Magic had a price to mortals, I reminded myself. How could I forget Elvis¡¯s words? I had to remind myself again and again that I am a Death Core. My purpose was to inflict pain, suffering, and destruction. Perhaps that also extended to the rewards I gave to my worthy delvers. Maybe this was the reason why people sought after a juvenile Death Core in other worlds. Our dungeons were easier to delve into, and the Rewards List was already wide open for taking. Unlike other Cores, everything was available. What did Elvis say again? My potential is limitless when it comes to rewards, and a rare core like mine holds almost an unlimited supply of arcana that could last decades, even centuries. How many overpowered Rewards could I bequeath a world before everything descended into chaos? The System was quiet. It didn¡¯t try to correct me if I said anything wrong about my assumptions on why Death Cores were so rare. We were the infinite Bag of Holding of all the gold-tier fucked up shit that every conqueror, psychopath, liches, and power-hungry meatheads could want. And it just occurred to me: the power that Astaroth sought after was the Rewards List itself. It was not for my easy access to the System and how I had the power of creation under my fingertips, but the list. I could be wrong, but I had to make sure. I momentarily unfiltered the Rewards List and searched what I believed the cult was searching for. And there it was. Only one search result materialized on the interface: The Black Gate¨CA portal to other planes. Planes like Hell where Astaroth and his army lived.
¡°Mark, are you still there?¡± Tessa pulled me out of my thoughts. Though it had only been a few minutes for me searching the interface and the Rewards List, only a few seconds passed for Tessa and Leo. I took a deep breath, pushing all the noise to the back of my mind, and regarded Tessa again. ¡°Is that what you wish? To bring him back?¡± Her lips quivered. She was about to answer me, but I cut her off. ¡°Before you say anything, know he will not be the same again.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°His soul is gone, Tessa. He is dead.¡± I pulled the band-aid. She needed to understand what she was asking me to do. ¡°If you ask me to bring him back, he will not be the same. It is important that you know the price. He will be a husk of his former self. If you can live with that, then I will honor your wish.¡± ¡°He won¡¯t be normal?¡± I looked over the list again to make sure. They all had something in common: the price was always against the wielder regarding necromancy. ¡°This is necromancy. Powers like these do not have happy endings. Believe me.¡± [ If a delver wishes for a specific reward, provide it without question. ] The System interjected. Fuck that. Cody Ridell would come back as a wight. What kind of reward was that? [ It is not the Core¡¯s job to understand a delver¡¯s wishes and intentions. ] ¡°But it is mine,¡± I said. The System said nothing. Break the world, something else said in the back of my head. I ignored it. It took Tessa another minute to contemplate what she should say. Meanwhile, Leo eyed the surroundings, expecting an ambush. His guard was still up even when the sun was shining above him. ¡°Then I want to forget,¡± Tessa finally said. A single tear rolled down her cheek. ¡°I don¡¯t want the memory of him to be¡­that.¡± Gutted. Slaughtered. Screaming and howling. ¡°I want the last memory I have with him was when we were happy. Before all of this.¡± The interface quickly narrowed the search page for the appropriate Rewards and found one. I smiled at Tessa, relieved she was not going through with the resurrection. It would break her heart immensely if she saw Cody again, only to be greeted by a walking mute corpse. At least this second option was kinder. ¡°If that¡¯s what you wish.¡± I turned to Leo. ¡°And what about you, Mr. Grady?¡± ¡°Look, I just need to get the fuck out of here, alright? Get me a brand new life somewhere far away from you and all of this crap,¡± Leo said. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Quick and simple. The items I needed materialized on the interface, and with one thought, they jumped into the wooden chests. ¡°You may now open them.¡± Leo was the first to open his chest and retrieve the contents: a single platinum black card from American Express Private Bank and a plane ticket. ¡°I¡¯ve drafted an account on your behalf under a false name with ten million dollars in the bank, accessed by that card and your fingerprint. No one will question this money¡¯s existence. As far as everyone in the world knows, this bank account has existed for over twelve years, and you are their loyal client. They will remember talking to you and doing business with you. That piece of paper is a one-way first-class plane ticket to Mazatlan, Mexico. I noticed you have visited the city six times in the past eight years, not for a job, but for leisure. I¡¯ve selected that city because I think you¡¯ll enjoy it. Of course, you are free to go anywhere else.¡± ¡°Well, that was fast.¡± ¡°Several minutes for me, only twelve seconds for you,¡± I said. ¡°And ten million?¡± ¡°What? You want more?¡± ¡°What about her? She only gets that piece of shit?¡± Leo gestured to Tessa and the bowl of four large, golfball-sized blueberry fruits. ¡°Sorry. No offense.¡± ¡°Those are Mindless Pods. It is safe to consume,¡± I said. ¡°The only downside is that you will forget the past four days. You must consume all four. Each fruit represents one day of memories.¡± Leo scoffed. ¡°I get a few million, and she gets a fruit basket?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Grady. I have reserved the same amount of funds to assist Tessa in the future. Each Mindless Pod will let her forget for a year. Four pods allow her to forget for up to four years. That¡¯s four years of peace away from the dungeon. Once four years are up, she will remember everything again.¡± ¡°Why¡¯d she get only four? The girl wants to forget what happened to her permanently, remember?¡± Tessa nodded in agreement. ¡°Consume too much, and Tessa risks being brain-dead. This is the only safe way to do it that preserves the good memories of hers and Cody''s,¡± I said. Death Cores had access to all items in the universe. If the interface didn¡¯t show an item that could permanently block Tessa¡¯s memories without her being incapacitated, I would have offered it instead. I doubted she¡¯d want the magical item that made her forget everyone she knew permanently and revert her mind to that of a child. Both Leo and Tessa frowned. ¡°Besides, the maximum a human can eat is twelve. Believe me, I checked. I selected four pods because it had been four days since the Green Hill Massacre. Would you like me to provide you with more, Tessa?¡± I asked. Tessa shook her head. ¡°The day before Green Hill, Cody and I went to our favorite spot by the river. I don¡¯t think I want to forget that.¡± A stab to the heart. I wanted to say I was sorry, but what I¡¯d done was unforgivable, not just to her but to Leo as well. They both had the right to hate me forever. ¡°Tessa, even with these fruits, you cannot escape people telling you what happened in Green Hill and what you suffered. You will feel empty and hurt hearing the news of Cody¡¯s death again, but as time passes, your grief will subside. By the time four years are up, you will remember me. It will not be as painful as before, but everything will be clear. Pieces that are missing suddenly make sense again. You will remember the funds I reserved for you. Use it how you wish.¡± I paused. ¡°You may even use it to prepare and come after me again. Both of you.¡± Leo and Tessa froze. They didn¡¯t know what to say. I continued, ¡°Let¡¯s not beat around the bush, okay? You now know what I am. With your survival last night, you will feel connected to this place. To the lake. It is not something you can shake off easily. There is an invisible pull for you to return and delve again. I will feel your presence approach, and I will be ready to receive you again. And if you survive, well, you get more rewards. Perhaps you will have something else in mind besides cash.¡± Leo¡¯s brows arched, intrigued. "Like how to help you get out of that gem?" "Or destroy me." Leo frowned, and said nothing. ¡°Perhaps anyone who survives receives ten million dollars. The temptation will be there, and it will continue to grow. For your sake, resist it. If you don¡¯t, then I¡¯ll see you again," I said. Tessa clutched the bowl tightly and picked one of the fruits up. She took a small bite, the juices running down between her fingers. ¡°It¡¯s not so bad. It tasted like strawberries mixed with cotton candy.¡± Another small bite, then a bigger one. She chewed and chewed until she gulped all of it down her throat. She picked up the second fruit. When she finished the last one, Tessa¡¯s body swayed, dizzy. ¡°Easy, girl. Are you okay?¡± Leo caught her shoulders before it hit the hood of the van. ¡°I¡¯m just...My head feels lighter, that¡¯s all. I think I¡¯m gonna be sick.¡± ¡°Did you give her something poisonous?¡± Leo asked me incredulously. ¡°Nausea is one of the many symptoms. It¡¯s normal. In a minute or two, she may lose consciousness. Once she wakes up, she won¡¯t remember the past four days or you. I suggest you take her to a hospital, Mr. Grady.¡± Leo glanced over his shoulder and saw that the wooden chests had disappeared. The road ahead was clear. He helped Tessa back into the van and put a blanket over her before climbing behind the wheel and driving off. I kept my eye on them as they crossed the wooden bridge. They passed the winding dirt road until they hit the pavement and exited the main road. I followed them as far as my Many-Eyes could reach them until I could no longer feel their presence within my domain. Goliath, Siren, and Old Growth emerged from the tree line, waiting for my orders. I glanced at my rewards and my domain again. With the sun still fresh in the sky and the morning still young, I thought it was time for everyone to relax and unwind. It had been a long night for everyone, and finally, I could take a deep breath. It felt like my stomach had settled, too, to my relief. After all, I consumed twenty essences in one night. Half an hour later, Oracle pinged the others and me to visit him in the study so I could look at the computer screen. Huddled around the study, we watched as the security cameras outside Evergreen Medical Center at Point Hope caught Leo dropping Tessa and Danny off by the door before he returned to the van and speeded away. Leo was so quick that I doubted anyone had noticed he was there. I ordered Oracle to scrub off any angles that showed his face to be safe. Leo wanted to disappear, per his wish. I turned to face the others. ¡°Tessa will remain unconscious for a week, maybe two. I think the System will wake Danny around the same time. Once that happens, Danny will not remember much, but he will point the finger at North Cedar Lake as I instructed, and we¡¯re gonna expect a ton of law enforcement in the area, maybe even the feds. Oracle will warn us when that happens.¡± ¡°Are they potential delvers?¡± The Siren, now disguised as a punk rock woman with curly pink hair, asked. I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ve fed enough, and I think I could restrain myself from accidentally kicking off a scenario for a night or two. We¡¯ll stage the bodies and the crime scenes. Let¡¯s tell our own story of what happened here. Remember, a cult did all of this. They must conclude that Hodge was the prime suspect and the others were his accomplices. Understood?¡± Everyone nodded, even the demonic shadow hovering at the corner of the room. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s do this slowly. Don¡¯t rush. It¡¯ll be quiet for a week, at least.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Siren pointed at the window where Goliath stood, watching something outside. I walked over and followed his gaze. Marching out of the trees were ten men and women dressed in white and blue robes and leather jerkins. Some carried swords, while others had bows slung behind their backs. A couple wielded a shield and a hammer. ¡°What the fuck is this?¡± I muttered. ¡°Was there a Renaissance Faire I wasn¡¯t aware of?¡± What surprised me was that I didn¡¯t even catch them entering my domain with my Many-Eyes alerting me. Goliath shrugged and pointed at the man in the middle leading the unusual posse. I sighed. I believed I knew who I was dealing with. All but one stopped short of approaching the front porch. The man Goliath had singled out earlier continued walking, climbed the wooden steps, and knocked on the door. I told the others not to move and opened the door myself. The man smiled and quickly met my gaze. Only one man could see my true form. ¡°Elvis,¡± I said. ¡°Long time no see. I don¡¯t recognize the body you are wearing.¡± The man¡¯s smile widened. ¡°It is a pleasure to see you triumphant, my lord,¡± the Administrator said. ¡°This flesh is not from this planet. Don¡¯t worry. None of that Alvin Jones business. You won¡¯t have ten more random bodies to clean up and worry about missing humans in the area when the families come knocking.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that? You are still made of flesh and blood.¡± Elvis grinned. ¡°True. I do find it adorable when Death Cores get snippy.¡± I looked over his shoulder to his merry band of Robin Hood wannabes. ¡°What brings you here? I¡¯ve done what you asked. I¡¯ve gotten rid of Hodge and his sect. I thought you¡¯d leave me alone.¡± ¡°And why would we do that?¡± ¡°Your kind eats Cores as a delicacy. I remembered what you said.¡± ¡°Ah, not for me. It''s bad for my indigestion. But good news! We are not here to reap you when you are just brimming with so much potential! Why would we cut down a sapling when it could grow and multiply into a magnificent forest, eh?¡± ¡°Are you here to collect me then? I hear Death Cores are very rare in the universe. Well sought after,¡± I said with bored sarcasm. Elvis¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°Oh, but we Administrators are forbidden to hunt nor interfere with a Core¡¯s duties! Ours is to watch and strongly advise. Unless, of course, the Core allows us to delve¡­¡±Elvis trailed off as if inviting me to answer. I shook my head. ¡°Not in the mood today.¡± Elvis looked disappointed, but I couldn¡¯t say the same for his companions. They collectively sighed in relief. ¡°Then why are you here?¡± ¡°To bring you good news, of course! The System adores you, Dungeon Mark!¡± ¡°Really?¡± The System sure knew how to show it. ¡°You went out here to tell me that? This couldn¡¯t just be a prompt or a notification?¡± ¡°Really! What a raving success you are. The bloodbath! It was such a glorious display of death and carnage. Oh! And the ample amount of drama? It just pulls on the heartstrings, you know? The betrayal and heartache¡­oh, everyone loves you back home.¡± I regarded his bodyguards, who were obviously accompanying him just in case I turned crazy and fed on him. I wondered how strong these men and women were. Though Elvis was enthusiastic about my performance as a Death Core, I could sense the others¡¯ unease, the slight shift of their weight, and the tightness of their muscles as they gripped their weapons harder. I smelled fear. Sweet, intoxicating fear. My stomach growled. I regarded Elvis again. ¡°Um, you were watching me?¡± ¡°Of course! I was the one assessing your performance, remember? I was always nearby. And many more joined in. Thousands of us.¡± ¡°What do you mean thousands?¡± ¡°A Death Core is no stranger to a large following, even a big audience, but at your debut¡­glowing praise all around. My superiors are pleased. The contracts for broadcasting rights are just brimming with riches.¡± I looked around my surroundings, suddenly feeling naked underneath Elvis¡¯s gaze. ¡°What did you mean thousands watched me, Elvis?¡± ¡°Well, dear me, you are the talk of the town, Dungeon Mark. I am here to discuss your future, and it is brighter than ever.¡± Interlude | Case File B01, D111A, B18 CASE FILE B01: News Clipping MASSACRE AT CEDAR LAKE: 18 DEAD, 2 SURVIVORS. SUSPECT(S) REMAINS AT LARGE. LOCAL DEATH CULT A LIKELY CULPRIT READ MORE: Candlelight vigil held for victims of Marshall school shooting after 17-year-old student¡¯s rampage READ MORE: Frank Holland trial starts in Gregory robbery and murders. What to know about the case
CASE FILE B11: Audio Recording from the Point Hope Anomaly Captain Raffe: They are all dead. I took twenty-five men and women here, and all of them are dead. Soldiers I trained for months, some I had served with for many years, were all gone. Jesus, I can¡¯t forget the way they looked at me, and I couldn¡¯t save any of them. I thought we were ready. I thought we were strong enough to fight it. Hell, we have the firepower, but that was not enough. Not down here. rogues in the area and then transport them to a black site somewhere east. He¡¯s too optimistic about our luck. I don¡¯t even know where Andrews went. Maybe he¡¯s dead like the rest. We didn¡¯t even get the gear out to capture one creature for transport. expanding! You need to watch out for their master. Andrews thought these rogues were controlled by a larger and more powerful Rogue. I haven¡¯t found which one that is. I guess that¡¯s up to you, colonel. The audio cuts out. On the Handler¡¯s notes upon hearing the recording, they left a comment that it sounded as if Captain Raffe was violently pulled or yanked away from the tape recorder.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Captain Edgar Raffe¡¯s body was never found.
Case B08 ¨C A video taken from North Cedar Lake on Halloween, October 31st, 2024 (1 year after the theorized Point Hope Anomaly began) The video starts in the parking lot in front of Cedar Lake¡¯s infamous Hell Rock or the Fairlie Cabin. The Handler noted the timestamp as 11:23 PM. There are three girls and three boys in the video, which is paused. Audio has been corrupted during the recovery process. The Handler provides an audio recording to accompany the images. Handler Wyoming: This is Handler Wyoming translating on behalf of The Montrose Institute. The footage was from the first hours of Group Five¡¯s descent into the Point Hope Anomaly. This recording is for record purposes. Group Five consisted of six offerings. From left to right are Naomi Ciprian, Maya Dewett, Jackson Huza, Connor Andriola, and Ryan Roeske. Behind the camera is Nicole Brockhoff. All six are between the ages of nineteen and twenty-two, and all are college students from Rothwell College, a local academic institution in Point Hope, Oregon. Cedar Pine Summer Camp was rented out for a private Halloween event for the students at Rothwell College. Our agents concluded that at least four hundred students and local youths were in attendance. Group Five broke away from the event and visited the Fairlie property, recently bought by the Duncan Estate. Hell Rock. A warning to all handlers and agents: Do not book a room to conduct on-site research within the anomaly¡¯s borders until the site is deemed safe from paranormal entities. No matter how good your disguises or your cover are for the op, the entities around Hell Rock will know who you are. The Duncan Estate is not aware of the site¡¯s true nature but is willing to declare an open auction on the property, and the Institute is currently bidding to own it. they disappeared from inside their homes. At this point in time, any missions about the anomaly are considered unsanctioned by the institute unless said otherwise, and we will disavow your involvement if caught. The camera is handed over to Roeske to record the next ten minutes inside the cabin. The footage cuts out once Dewett and Roerske sit on the bed, and the footage cuts off. They are interrupted by the others entering the living room and Jackson Huza opening the cellar door. The time stamp on the screen is 11:46 PM. deep-seated trauma and unresolved demons. I have asked the institute to conduct an experiment with death row inmates, but I was denied. The footage continues to show a large antechamber with several painted doors in a semi-circular position depicting various nightmarish imagery. In the middle of this room is a circular platform with a podium. On top is a giant hourglass resting on the surface. The footage freezes on Nicole Brockhoff¡¯s face as she grabs the handle of the door depicting the Nine Circles of Hell. Jackson Huza also opens another door out of the frame. Arc 4 | Last Resort (Prologue) THE CABIN IS ALWAYS HUNGRY PART II
LAST RESORT Prologue Somewhere outside of London 7 Days After the Death Core¡¯s Birth Blood, oil, and rain. Those were the first things he smelled when Henry opened his eyes. The cold, muffled rain pattering against the driver¡¯s broken side window echoed above him. Wait, why is it up there¡­? He blinked into the gloom and felt the cold droplets of water on his cheeks cascading down the cracks. The chill in the air crept under his skin, nauseating and piercing. A familiar smell wafted into his nostrils, something like burnt rubber and gasoline. And blood. His blood. Henry reached out, grabbed the headrest, and propped himself up from his almost twisted and crumpled position against the passenger seat, his face pressed against the leather dashboard. And was that blood splattered all over it? He could taste something metallic inside his mouth and under his tongue, and he was afraid to swallow it. He had cut his lower lip pretty bad. Dull lights from the nearby streetlight illuminated enough of the chaotic cabin that he could see his charcoal-fitted suit and white shirt, also stained with blood. Jesus Christ, how fucked up do I look? But he was alive. That was all that mattered. His head pounded, felt like a jackhammer going to town at the base of his skull. Dancing lights prickled at the periphery of his vision. He needed a moment to shift his weight. To support himself from the fucking pain that snaked up his spine, radiating from his tailbone. He needed to think. Needed to gasp for fresh air. To breathe. God, he needed to breathe, but his lungs felt like it was on fire. Mixed with the cold winter air, it was like tumbling through sandpaper. He shifted his weight again, struggling to stand and squeeze in such a cramped space, but then his world spun. The car shifted, too, as if it sensed his waking presence. He paused, waiting for something terrible to happen, but the stillness returned. The rain kept on falling. Good, good. He looped his arm around a sturdy headrest close to him and lifted himself higher, steadied himself for a beat against his own weight, but he couldn¡¯t keep it up for long, and he fell on his butt again. Spitting out a curse, Henry got up, paused to gather enough strength, and then climbed out of the broken window. He recognized the car¡¯s interior as his vision adjusted in the dim light. This was his car. He blinked, pushing the blurry haze. No, he wasn¡¯t imagining it. This was his car now lying on its side, and he was in an accident. Am I in a ditch? It looked like it. The rain fell harder, drumming against his car in an angry staccato as if taunting him. Everything felt wrong. Looking around from the top of the car, he found himself stranded on the side of the road he didn¡¯t recognize. He could barely hear any sounds of life. No cars passed or lights from distant towns. Only the dark and the rain surrounded him. He regained enough of his strength and senses to climb down the wreck. His feet hit the pavement, legs still unsteady. Panic slowly swelled as his mind swam with questions. How did I get here? What happened? What was I doing? Why¡­Why is everything so cold? Broken glass lay scattered around the wreck like confetti, and he was careful not to step on it when he realized he was missing a shoe. Every breath he took burned in his lungs as he stumbled away from the car. Cold, cold. Everything is so cold. He shivered uncontrollably. Henry looked around the empty road, saw the tires¡¯ skid marks on the asphalt, and froze. Oh, no. Did he hit something during the crash¡­or someone? He didn¡¯t see any other wrecked car around, and if he killed someone, he didn¡¯t see a body. Or maybe it fell somewhere else? He ambled toward the ditch, peering into the dark just to glimpse a crumpled silhouette of a person. He listened carefully just in case he would hear their gurgled gasps as they fought for their life. Or maybe they were already dead, and what Henry really needed to do was flee. He thought he heard the sirens approaching, but it must be the wind. And nothing. Only silence and the rain. And his shallow breaths. He didn¡¯t know if he should be relieved or puke his guts out for imagining that he might have killed someone. Henry staggered back. The mere thought of puking already bubbled all sorts of things up his throat. He could taste the burnt tang of whiskey, vodka, meats, and soda at the back of his tongue. God, was I drinking? His head swam and spun again. I need to lie down. He needed to find his phone. As he sat down cross-legged in the middle of the road, picking up the pieces of his scattered memories about how he ended up here, it took him a second to notice the translucent gemstone floating ten feet away from him, hovering just above his wrecked car. He held his breath. No, that¡¯s impossible. He didn¡¯t know how to react at the sight of it, or perhaps he had a bad concussion, and he was starting to see things. That¡¯s not good. Fuck running, he might need to get to a hospital soon. Rocks don¡¯t float, he thought. Then, he saw it. There was a body inside the car, folded like paper in the back seat. Oh no. No, no, no, no. Henry got back up to his feet. Did he have a passenger with him? Whoever was inside was not moving. He tried calling out, but his throat felt like grinding his vocal cords against gravel. He limped back toward the wreck, and gravity grabbed him by the ankles of where he stood. That¡­that can¡¯t be¡­ The person¡ªthe man¡ªinside the car had his face. He had short black hair, empty blue eyes, a crooked nose, and the same suit he wore from work. He was as tall as him at six feet and had the same athletic build. Only this man gazed blankly back at him, blood all over his face and clothes. His bones bent unnaturally backward. Some tore through his muscles and ligaments and pierced through his sleeves. The man was him. And he was dead. The translucent gemstone let out a kaleidoscopic flash, and Henry took a cautious step back. It hummed as it approached him, calm and inviting. Everything¡¯s going to be okay. He didn¡¯t know why he thought of that, but it made him feel¡­better? Relieved? This was not the end, he thought.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. With each kaleidoscopic flash, he could see something inside the gemstone: a green expanse with a towering mountain range on the horizon, a quiet cabin in the woods, the glint of a double-sided axe carried in the man¡¯s hand, the smile of a bloodied woman, the mountain of bodies on the earth, and the looming form of a towering, twisted tree with javelin-like arms. A scroll unfurled in mid-air. Then, a strange vision appeared in his mind filled with all sorts of rules, a powerful being he¡¯d worship, a system he¡¯d serve, and something¡­greater. Something divine. Something that would finally bring meaning into his life. It was an invitation. He realized that now. An invitation to a power he had never known existed. All it would take was for him to become a beast from the myths. A monster. And Henry accepted it without question. He blinked, and everything vanished. The gem, the scroll, the wreck, and the road were all gone. He found himself in a strange forest. All the blood on his clothes was gone, exceptionally clean and spotless. Even his wounds disappeared. He could no longer taste something coppery under his tongue. But that darkness here was different. It adhered to his command and wills like a pet, even afraid to approach him with malice¡ªa power promised within his grasp. And it was exhilarating. ¡°I summon you, Duke.¡± A familiar voice in the darkness, just beyond the tree line. Soft. Absolute. Fatherly. Henry knew he should follow. He should obey without question. He knew what he was now and what he must become. And he would play his part with conviction. He stepped out into the open grounds before the cabin and smiled at his new family standing before him. ¡°I am at your service, my Lord Dungeon.¡±
Los Angeles, California ¡°Are you ready to see some fucked up shit?¡± That was the first line of Dylan Griffin¡¯s Dead Pacifica, a true crime podcast about strange murders all along the Pacific Coast that catapulted Dylan into online superstardom. Sure, he had a few hiccups leading up to the podcast¡¯s debut, from almost getting canceled due to filming a dead body in the Oregon woods to getting into multiple relationships and crypto-currency dramas with other famous influencers and sycophants. That didn¡¯t mean all of his haters went away, but at least the bad press died down significantly, and it never bothered his wallet any longer. The Griff always finds a way to crawl back to the top! Hell yeah, baby! Dylan Does Stuff, his YouTube channel, grew from only 800k followers to almost three million in the past eight months and nearly twelve million across TikTok, Spotify, Facebook, and Instagram. All thanks to Dead Pacifica and its growing listeners and fanbase. It only needs to cover some gnarly murders and several missing cases. The more tragic the backstory, the better! Dylan thought. Ever since the show¡¯s debut, he had been earning close to fifty thousand dollars a month from ads, views, merchandise, and sponsorships. That was just from the podcast alone and not the other random content and streams he provided for his followers, which averaged around four million views. He had found the elusive golden goose, and it was still not done laying golden eggs. Who knew that covering the topic of the Green Hill Massacre would lead to one of the largest massacres in the past three decades? And what made it extra juicy was that the second spree of murders only happened twenty miles from where Point Hope was. Dylan already got tons of views from that video covering the Green Hill Massacre, only to be blessed by the breakout news that another massacre occurred. And that they were fucking connected. And voila, Dead Pacifica was born. ¡°We need to do something big,¡± Dylan told Retto Kearns, his co-host and a popular Twitch streamer, after taking a big bite out of his burrito. They had just dropped the episode about Anna Fuhrmann and her four other friends going missing in the same woods where Dylan and Kearns found that park ranger¡¯s body. The episode has garnered half a million views since it dropped last night. ¡°Like what?¡± Kearns asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, just something. We¡¯re running out of missing cases and may have to repeat old topics. Maybe cover more of the previous victims? Get a Part Two, you know? Usually, viewer retention is not that great in that kind of videos, but it¡¯s still popular. We should cover our most viewed case.¡± ¡°What brings this on? We¡¯re doing great. We¡¯re not going to run out of cases, Dylan. Did you see the news yesterday?¡± Dylan¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Uh, what?¡± Kearns grinned and pulled out his phone, tapping something on the news app. He slid his phone across the table toward Dylan. ¡°Another missing case just got reported two days ago. A young couple from Seattle hiking the mountains. A nearby cell tower pinged their last known location as McLaren Forest. See? We¡¯re not gonna run out of cases. Whatever¡¯s happening in those woods is more content for us.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve covered other couples before¡­¡± ¡°So? We will do all that scary shit that ghosts, chupacabra, or even Bigfoot killed them. But we can also provide some realistic content that the boyfriend might have killed his girlfriend because he was abusive or jealous, you know? A guy takes her lady into the woods or the mountains, and thirty percent of the time, with the intent to murder. See how easy that was? It¡¯s like you¡¯re not even a true-crime podcaster, Dylan. Relax. We¡¯re going to be fine.¡± Dylan didn¡¯t look convinced. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Paul got that AI stuff. He put in some algorithm, and for the past twelve episodes, we¡¯ve been shedding listeners by one to two K each.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not much.¡± ¡°But it adds up eventually. I hear on Reddit we¡¯re getting boring. They¡¯re already accusing us of exploiting the victims and their families.¡± ¡°Fuck the haters. That¡¯s why we have you and your dad¡¯s lawyer.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really want to get canceled again. It¡¯s not fun, Kearns.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I remember.¡± ¡°Not. Fun.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not, okay? Do you know how many copycats keep popping up on my algorithm lately about McLaren Forest and North Cedar Lake? They have significantly lower views than us, okay? You don¡¯t have to worry about anything, Dylan. We¡¯re still popular. We¡¯re the OG. Seriously, there¡¯s nothing much to say when the cops don¡¯t even know what happened to them. You know there¡¯s like two families trying to sue us¡ª¡± ¡°They can¡¯t sue shit. My dad already said it¡¯s not gonna land, and it¡¯ll get thrown out of court. Something about free speech.¡± Kearns smirked. ¡°I did warn you not to cover that other girl. She was never near the area. Or that Texan guy and his sidepiece¡ª¡± ¡°But what if they were?¡± ¡°¡­but they weren¡¯t. The Texan guy and the hooker were found in Salem from a drug overdose inside an Airbnb. Literally sixty miles away from Point Hope.¡± Dylan shrugged. ¡°Their car was found in the same woods, though. You don¡¯t think that¡¯s weird? Anyway, it makes for a good story. That¡¯s all that matters. Look, plenty of people have gone missing in the area ever since that satan-worshipping cult merc¡¯d themselves. I can¡¯t blame that many of our viewers see something weird about that.¡± Kearns nodded. ¡°People loooovvve the spooky shit.¡± Dylan¡¯s eyes widened. An idea formed. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s what we should give them.¡± ¡°Huh? You do know Halloween¡¯s like four months away?¡± ¡°We can go to North Cedar Lake ourselves.¡± Kearns stopped crunching on the nachos. ¡°Er, what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why we haven¡¯t done it yet. It¡¯s actually brilliant!¡± Dylan said excitedly. ¡°Because you got in trouble for filming a dead body?¡± Dylan waved him off. ¡°They probably forgot about it.¡± ¡°And what should we do there exactly? You know the woods are not really my thing. We¡¯ve got a good gig going, man. We just sit back and talk about these people, and then we raked in the cash.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe walk around the woods, find the spots where the last missing people were seen, and get our commentary? I mean, think about it, Kearns. Our boots are on the same ground where these people were seen last. What happened to them? What did they see during that day? We can film the woods, the lake, the cabin¡­everything. It¡¯s gonna be cathartic. We get our own footage. We can make it creepy and fucking terrifying. Oh my god, do you know how many views we will get? You said so yourself. People love the spooky shit. Come on. Say it¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I do see the value of us going up there and filming original content¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­and¡­¡± ¡°And that the novelty of it would bring in a lot of viewers¡­¡± ¡°And¡­and¡­come on¡­¡± ¡°And yes, it¡¯s actually a good idea.¡± Kearns stifled his smile. ¡°Yes! Yes! Thank you! I can¡¯t believe we haven¡¯t thought about this before.¡± Kearns continued, ¡°But we¡¯ll have to maximize what content we film up there. I think I have several ideas already.¡± ¡°Oh? Like what?¡± ¡°We can stay up there for three days. Film blocks of footage that we¡¯ll spread out in a four-part series, get interviews with the locals, and on the last night, we¡¯ll film a live feed of us in the woods.¡± Dylan thumped his chest. ¡°Fucking brilliant, bro! And I can already see it. We should get some famous influencers with us, too. Scare them shitless. Let¡¯s make our own Blair Witch Project. Oh, man, I can already see us cutting a deal with Netflix or some shit. You know how they fucking love their documentary series.¡± ¡°So, when do you want to do this?¡± Kearns asked. Dylan paused, and a broad smile crept on his face. ¡°At the anniversary.¡± ¡°Anniversary to what?¡± ¡°The cult¡¯s murders. You wanna make Dead Pacifica big? Let¡¯s film it exactly one year after the murders, on the same exact night. Extra creepy. More money. Everyone¡¯s happy, eh?¡± Kearns scooped up more nachos from his bowl. ¡°I hope you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°And I already know who we should center the episodes about.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Mark Castle. The cult¡¯s original victim.¡± Arc 4 | Last Resort (Part 1) LAST RESORT PART 1 The forest was silent when the devil came to roost. It brought with it a charming smile to match its handsome face, black pushed-back hair, and a white LL Bean fisherman sweater warm enough to curl by the fire. But its welcoming image was meant to deceive. To become a friend of mine, though we¡¯re anything but friends. It was in his name¡ªin his nature. Administrator Elvis, I called him, one of the few of his kind who oversaw dungeons like mine. And now he was here again, probably enjoying the carnage last night. After I invited him inside the cabin, Elvis studied the living room like a strict parent. All but three of his guards stayed outside per my request, which the administrator honored much too quickly for my taste. He wasn¡¯t scared of me, and without a scenario triggered, I couldn¡¯t read his Resolve, his emotions, or his will. And Elvis knew that. If I triggered one, they¡¯d know about it immediately, and I had several ideas about how they would react¡ªmost of it probably wouldn¡¯t end up well for me. Even if he was scared, he was doing a fine job hiding it. But my Dread, well, that they could feel. I saw the hairs at the nape of the guards¡¯ necks standing up once they entered the cabin¡¯s threshold. They (and everyone outside) looked human, and I wondered if some illusion magic was at play. I¡¯ve never seen an elf before, I mused. ¡°May I sit?¡± Elvis asked politely, gesturing to the couch. I nodded. ¡°Please, and help yourself.¡± At the cost of one crystal, a plate of chocolate chip cookies, lemon curd, perfectly-cut marbled brownies, snickerdoodles, four tall glasses of milk, and a steaming pot of citrus herbal tea materialized on the coffee table. Elvis smiled and nodded approvingly but then glanced at the splatter of blood staining the couch with disgust. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± I said. Opening up the Dungeon Tab, I spent another crystal to ¡°clean¡± the sofa. I kept everything the same since we needed it for the police to find as evidence later and nail the cult. Elvis sat down on the now pristine couch, and since I did not have a body, I hovered across the coffee table from him. He took a bite out of the chocolate chip cookies, making a show of dunking them into the milk before eating them. I realized he was showing the three guards how to eat Earth snacks. He invited them to sit down with him. The guards put down their swords and bows, helping themselves with the sugary snacks and following Elvis¡¯s lead. So they¡¯re definitely not from Earth. I caught one guard¡¯s eyes widened in shock, surprised by how too sugary they were. He didn¡¯t want to be seen as rude, so he forcibly swallowed the lump of brownies already inside his mouth, washing it down with the glass of milk, and put down the rest on the end table beside him. He never touched it again. Suddenly, Goliath walked in from the kitchen, and I swore I could hear everyone¡¯s butt cheeks clenched as his looming presence almost snuffed out the amicable energy in the room. He always had his double-sided axe with him, now resting to the side. For the first time since Elvis got here, he visibly gulped. Maybe that was just a lump of cookies. Above us, Old Growth perched on the roof, watching the rest of the guards standing outside. One aimed an arrow at Oldie, but another archer smacked him across the back of the head and shouted at him not to shoot. ¡°Let¡¯s cut to the chase, shall we? You mentioned a debut. What¡¯s that all about?¡± I asked. Elvis took a big sip of the milk. ¡°Your debut to my people. You see, we administrators watch every dungeon we know in existence. As the favorite child of The System, who works hand-in-hand with our universal god, we get that benefit, unlike the others. The System forbade Dungeon Cores from sprouting in my world. Who wants dead guardians, engineers, and free labor? Am I right? Consider the administrators as the white blood cells in the human body. We do an important job, but at some point, we seek entertainment. Death Cores are notoriously rare, so when one pops up, well, we can¡¯t help ourselves but gather and watch.¡± ¡°Dungeons are¡­what, TV shows?¡± ¡°More like giant arenas. You know your Roman history. We watch. We bet. We pay. And oh yessss, we pay handsomely.¡± ¡°Are there cameras around my domain? Are your people watching right now?¡± ¡°Oh, we don¡¯t do cameras, Dungeon Mark. We see everything just like your eyes can. And discussions between a Core and an administrator is always a private affair.¡± Ah. I get it. ¡°It¡¯s through me. I have Many-Eyes. I¡¯m basically the cameraman.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bingo! Wait, is that how you say it?¡± I shook my head. ¡°And you¡¯re here to offer me a contract deal to what exactly?¡± He took another big gulp of the milk, almost emptying the glass. I spent a quarter of a crystal filling it back up instantly. ¡°Oh, thank you, Lord Dungeon. This is very delicious. Well, yes, I am here to offer you a contract on behalf of my guild.¡± A guild, eh? ¡°When everyone became aware of your Death Core, a bidding war occurred immediately. It was¡­barbaric, a display of violence only a Death Lord such as you would appreciate. Almost ten thousand of my kin died by the last count, and that tally was two weeks ago. My guild, The Immaran Guild, won the bidding war in the end, but at a very close margin. My superiors thought it wasn¡¯t worth the hassle, but then the blood you unleashed last night was something to behold. Earth¡ªand the delvers in it¡ªhas a unique charm that is unlike other worlds. Low magic. Helpless victims. Ahh, what a fun time. That just brought your value up by fifty-six percent.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve only been a Dungeon Core for five days.¡± ¡°Time works differently where I¡¯m from, Dungeon Mark.¡± ¡°Then, how much did your guild bid?¡± Elvis smirked. ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± Duh, who doesn¡¯t? ¡°Well, yeah. Now I kinda want to know how much I¡¯m worth,¡± I blurted out. Elvis opened the palm of his hands. ¡°If you insist. It¡¯s about eighty billion zumac. Or in this world¡¯s currency, about nine hundred billion dollars. Plus change.¡± Oh, that¡¯s¡­a lot of zeroes. ¡°If you¡¯re paying that much, can you tell me how many Death Cores are there?¡± Elvis¡¯s smile didn¡¯t falter, and he answered simply, ¡°No.¡± Fine. ¡°So you¡¯re here to convince me to sign a contract with your guild. Why would I do that?¡± ¡°All thriving Cores in existence have guilds behind them, even the handful left here on Earth. And no, you can¡¯t know who they are either. It¡¯s their choice to contact you. But to a Death Core, that should be quite easy.¡± ¡°Hm. They¡¯re probably sizing me up.¡± Elvis chuckled. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right about that, too. If you wish to grow and succeed as a Death Core, you need our resources. For one, we can pay you a royalty fee for the broadcasting rights, like what you do here on Earth. We pay the System the money, and the System converts it to a Core¡¯s currency, the crystals. For every scenario you complete, we¡¯ll give you our Death Core rate of ten thousand crystals, which is a lot of money for Dungeon Cores. Remember, a scenario must have at least three delvers for it to count per our contract.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit arbitrary.¡± ¡°We¡¯re basing it on what an adventuring party would be in other worlds. Three is the minimum to form a party. Earth is no exception. It also serves another purpose.¡± ¡°Is that so I can¡¯t farm you for coin if I ran a scenario with just one delver?¡± ¡°You¡¯re smarter than you look, Dungeon Mark. You can still run scenarios for a solo or two delvers as the System allows, we just won¡¯t pay you the fee.¡± ¡°You want more bloodbath. Got it.¡± ¡±And a little extra might be included from our viewers as donations. You can use these funds to improve your dungeon and your archetypes. Leveling them up would require both crystals and essence. Death Cores can extract the latter very easily.¡± And all it requires are blood and fear. ¡°And you¡¯ll earn a hefty profit as well.¡± Elvis pursed his lips. ¡°This is business. Of course, we¡¯ll profit, but that¡¯s the one thing you do not have to worry about. Another thing we could do for you as our client is our knowledge of the System. We can advise you to become the better you.¡± I narrowed my gaze. He was laying the sales pitch on me too thick. ¡°I don¡¯t really appreciate it when someone micromanages me or tells me what to do. I don¡¯t appreciate it then when I was alive as a human, and I certainly don¡¯t appreciate it now.¡± The other guards shared a concerned look, but Elvis wasn¡¯t perturbed. ¡°As I have said, my kind cannot interfere with your decisions and whatever you do with your dungeon. The System considers all of this zumac we give you as mere donations, which is allowed. Think of it as a patronage. If you want to smite us now, it is within your right to do so. After all, we are made of flesh and bone. To a Core, we are meat.¡± ¡°But then the Immaran Guild will come after me.¡± ¡°As is our right as well.¡± ¡°And if I said no and showed you the door?¡± ¡°Then my guild will relinquish our bid, putting your Core back to auction, and another bidding war will start. Another administrator will come to give you the same sales pitch again. A different tune, but the same lyrics nonetheless. You reject them, and the process starts again, wasting more of your time and costing my world with more bodies and coins. There are thousands of guilds dying to have you as their client, and they are willing to destroy the Immaran Guild to have it.¡± ¡°You still haven¡¯t explained to me why. It can¡¯t just be because of money.¡± ¡°Not every explanation has to be so complex, Lord Dungeon. Even my world is ruled by money like yours do. You¡¯d be surprised how obsessed the universe is with wealth and coin. We have no ulterior motives here besides profit and making people happy. Your success simply correlates with it. You are lucky that you have a Death Core, the most coveted viewing experience in the known universe.¡± Elvis paused and smiled mischievously. ¡°And more.¡± ¡°But I can grow on my own. I¡¯ve done well so far, and the System rewards me for completing the scenarios with crystals anyway.¡± ¡°Oh, but how long will that last? You must complete hidden milestones to get them or find those pesky quests that give out better rewards. What the System provides fluctuates many times.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll manage.¡± ¡°It will take you months and plenty of delvers to go through just to get ten thousand crystals, which you could have gotten from a single delve if you were to work with us. It will take years, maybe a decade, for you to grow and multiply as a dungeon, which also costs a lot of resources. These crystals can buy you skills and ability improvements for your Core and expand your dungeon quickly. While we administrators were made aware of you the moment you were born, it is only a matter of time before others in the wide universe find you and are willing to use your Core for their nefarious purposes.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I turned to the guards. ¡°Does the Immaran Guild also offer protection services against such threats?¡± Elvis regarded Goliath with amusement. ¡°Ah, but you will create more monsters, Dungeon Mark. You have no need for mortal guards.¡± ¡°Thanks for the confidence,¡± I said sarcastically. ¡°And as an offer of goodwill, the guild is willing to give you twenty thousand crystals right here as a signing bonus.¡± ¡°Just to sweeten the pot, huh?¡± ¡°Just to sweeten the pot,¡± Elvis repeated. ¡°Last time you were here, you gave me extra abilities and even upgraded my archetypes. You said the Elders gave them to me.¡± Elvis¡¯s back straightened, and the other guards felt uncomfortable as well. ¡°It is considered uncouth to discuss the Elders. They are watching us as we speak.¡± ¡°I thought this discussion was private.¡± ¡°Not for them.¡± ¡°So? Can¡¯t they reward me with more upgrades instead of cash?¡± ¡°Well, that event was after we won the bidding war, and we were honored to introduce ourselves to you as emissaries. An offense to the System had been committed, and we were allowed to bequeath such gifts to you without cost or consequence.¡± ¡°And that door closed.¡± ¡°We work with what we have, which is plenty enough. We can certainly still give you extra abilities, but it will cost us. Everything in the System has a price. You saw to that.¡± ¡°How much?¡± ¡°A city.¡± A city¡­? Oh. ¡°Ohhhh.¡± A Death Core¡¯s price was always written in blood. My currency was death and destruction. Wherever I looked and whatever I touched, it would be my currency, always. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s much easier to grow on your own with plenty of crystals at your disposal. We leave the expansion decisions to you with a little extra helping from our pockets, of course,¡± Elvis said. I sighed. ¡°Tempting.¡± Elvis was clearly enjoying the game of selling me his guild. ¡°Unfortunately for you, Dungeon Mark, your Core exists in a world where no one knows who you are. In other worlds, you¡¯d have delvers lining up every single week! Kings marching towards you with his armies! High-level adventuring parties craving for an ounce of your power. Your people do not enjoy the System¡¯s gifts. Levels. Rankings. Arcana. Loot.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I get it. Earth¡¯s boring. I like boring.¡± I looked around my domain. With the town of Point Hope almost fifteen miles away, I¡¯m not exactly surrounded by willing delvers, and Earth was not a fantasy land. No paladins, warriors, rogues, clerics, and mages formed parties and delving dungeons in faraway places. I still adhere to the rules of Earth and its beliefs. A majority of the people didn¡¯t even believe in magic or monsters. But they are real, just waiting at the periphery like me. I had to entice them to come to me. Sometimes, they stumbled into my domain by accident. It was not a guarantee that I would receive a group of delvers every night like other worlds. There might be times when I couldn¡¯t feed for weeks, even months. I dreaded what hunger felt like for a Core deprived that long of essence. I barely lasted a day last time. But weeks? Months? Fuck that. What am I thinking? Delves meant death, and it meant I was leading random people to their doom. I would be the one responsible for their demise and the horrors they would face. I felt nothing when I was doing it to Hodge and the cultists, but to people I didn¡¯t know? Strangers who were just lost in the woods? Did I have it in me to feed on more of the innocent again? I regarded Elvis. ¡°Hand me the contract.¡± A briefcase appeared next to Elvis, and he unlatched it open. He placed a stack of paper at least twenty pages long down on the coffee table. ¡°Demon, are you here?¡± I called out. The demon¡¯s shadow enveloped the room¡¯s far corner, and Elvis looked up. However, the other guards did not and looked around like lost puppies. I realized they couldn¡¯t sense the demon. They couldn¡¯t actually see me. I noticed a tiny metallic device plugged inside their right ear. And that¡¯s how they could hear me. I ignored it for now and turned to the demon. ¡°Read the contract front to back and back to front. Read it thoroughly. Read it three times. Find anything funny.¡± The demon obliged hungrily. They were in their element, after all. Most of the contract was standard slop, like breaking it would result in some consequences that heavily involved a lot of money, and I shouldn¡¯t associate myself with other guilds. Fortunately, I could afford it since converting crystals to zumac was easy. I admit that I wasn¡¯t good at reading nor signing contracts, but fiends were notoriously meticulous at crafting them. It took the demon almost two hours to finish reading it three times while Elvis and his guards sat patiently on the couch. Then, the demon possessed Melanie¡¯s corpse, wrote something on several of the pages, and handed it back to Elvis. The administrator took another half an hour just reading through the changes, almost deliberate at prolonging the demon¡¯s pain while they¡¯re occupying dead flesh. Elvis nodded and put the paper back down on the coffee table. ¡°This will do. At the end of each local solar cycle, ten percent of the broadcasting profits will go to Dungeon Mark. And we¡¯ll meet again every five years for the contract¡¯s renewal.¡± ¡°What¡¯d you do?¡± I asked the demon. ¡°I gave you a better deal, my liege. The administrators are going to make a mountain of gold off your back that you deserve at least a slice of the pie. They are desperate enough for you to sign the contract that they¡¯ll agree to any of our terms. They¡¯d have you working in perpetuity. I gave the contract an expiration date of five years and a generous percentage of the profits. Then, we can negotiate for a better deal once you¡¯ve expanded.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Elvis said. ¡°But my superiors will be pleased, nonetheless. I won¡¯t bother you anymore unless summoned. Ah, before I forget¡­¡± [ An Administrator has given you 20,000 crystals. You may use it at your own convenience. ] ¡°And one more thing: the Cult of Astaroth is still out there. You have only destroyed the people directly responsible for your birth. Since you are now my client, I advise you to do something about it before the problems get¡­bigger or worse. Or ignore it. It is up to you. As for the cult¡¯s complete destruction, the System¡¯s reward is still open. You should take it.¡± ¡°Well, how great is this reward?¡± Elvis grinned. ¡°Worth. Your. Time. You are given a rare opportunity to become one of the most powerful Death Cores in existence, my lord. The System does not give these rewards lightly.¡± [ You received a Quest. Destroy the Cult of Astaroth on Earth. Leave no one alive. Show no mercy. ] ¡°I think you already know where to start,¡± Elvis said. ¡°Portland,¡± I said. Elvis glanced at the library, to Oracle peeking from behind the door frame. ¡°Your friend over there will find them.¡± ¡°Noted,¡± I said. Elvis got up from the couch and stretched. ¡°Well, this has been fun! It is a pleasure doing business with you, Dungeon Mark. We will do great things together. Until then.¡± Elvis and his guards vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye.
¡°Tell me, demon, did I make a mistake signing that?¡± I asked when I was sure they were all gone. ¡°It depends on how you wield the contract, my liege. You are a Core created by the System¡ªA physical extension of it. Cores are the closest being to its power. Not the administrators. If the Immaran Guild comes for you, create an army of giants, archliches, and dragons, and they¡¯ll change their tune sooner or later. If they attack you, it means they¡¯re delving. Whatever administrative powers they have over the System would vanish.¡± ¡°What if they bring an army?¡± ¡°An army is a farm to a Death Core. If the Immaran Guild is smart, they won¡¯t hand you a buffet. Even Puzzle Cores acquire hundreds of essences from the deaths of thousands. Cunning rulers from other worlds always use an adventuring party to destroy a Core.¡± I frowned. Time will tell. ¡°My lord, what are your orders with the cultists in Portland?¡± ¡°Jonas, their leader, called someone from London before he died. That¡¯s where Oracle traced it last.¡± A flash of Jonas torn in half by the elevator doors entered my mind. I still relished the way he begged me. > THE CULTISTS IN PORTLAND WENT UNDERGROUND, Oracle said from the computer. ¡°Oh? How so?¡± I asked. > THEY WERE EXPECTING JUSTIN HODGE TO CONTACT THEM UPON THE MISSION¡¯S SUCCESS BY DAWN. HE WAS NINE HOURS LATE. Shit. ¡°And they have a nine-hour head start. Obviously, I¡¯m not dead¡­so the rats are fleeing. Oracle, do you have access to the cameras in that office building of theirs right now?¡± > YES. ¡°Do you see anyone?¡± > BASED ON THE KEY CARD ACCESS, NO ONE HAS ENTERED THE BUILDING IN THE PAST SIXTEEN HOURS SINCE JONAS¡¯S DEATH. ¡°They already know something is amiss,¡± the demon said. ¡°It is possible that Astaroth has made contact with his mortal emissary, warning them of the danger. They have been marked.¡± I turned back to Oracle. ¡°From those key cards, do you have names? Addresses?¡± > YES. I HAVE ACCESS TO THE BUILDING¡¯S SECURITY SYSTEM. I KNOW THEIR NAMES AND WHERE THEY LIVE. ¡°Find them.¡± Oracle took fourteen minutes to compile a profile of twenty-seven names. In the last three hours, their names appeared in a manifest for a one-way flight to New York and then a connection flight to London. The plane would leave in forty minutes via a charter jet provided by Wellspring Domain LLC. That¡¯s fake as hell, I thought, amused. The demon had already exited Melanie¡¯s body, no longer able to tolerate the pain of occupying a corpse. Still, they hovered near me as I flew toward the library to access Oracle¡¯s computer screen directly. Goliath and Siren stood behind, waiting and watching. Oracle poured through the cult¡¯s emails, text messages, voicemails, and anything that could paint a picture of who these people were. Most of them did not know anything about the Death Core or that Jonas and Justin Hodge had planned to create one. Based on the conversation they had that night, it was a very small circle who knew my true nature. However, they were all aware that Hodge went on a special mission with his sect on behalf of The Seat, which I reckoned were probably their leaders. Unfortunately, the servers Oracle hacked didn¡¯t tell me who they were. Because Hodge (or any of his followers) failed to contact them, an order came from New York to abandon the Portland chamber, and everyone was ordered to leave Oregon. And now they were gathered in the Portland International Airport, waiting to board the chartered plane. Siren giggled behind me. ¡°What is it, Siren? Do you know something?¡± Siren smiled and nodded. ¡°In the city where dreams never sleep, under neon lights secrets we keep,¡± she sang in the tune of an upbeat pop ballad. ¡°Someone in New York can see your spark! Light up the night, ignite the dark! Oh, heavens do speak; let the stars align. Send a message to seek what¡¯s truly yours. Only blood is the call, the bond untold! Bring them to the fold, love, it¡¯s your gold.¡± ¡°A message?¡± ¡°Oh, heavens do speak¡­¡± ¡°Oracle¡­what is your maximum access range to this aircraft? How many passengers does it have?¡± > THERE ARE TWENTY-SEVEN PASSENGERS, TWO PILOTS, ONE FLIGHT ATTENDANT. THIS IS A PRIVATE FLIGHT, SO ALL OF THE PASSENGERS ARE CULTISTS. ¡°¡­let the stars align¡­¡± Siren sang in a beautiful falsetto, scratching a part of my brain that sent goosebumps all over my form. > I HAVE ACCESS TO THE AIRCRAFT FOR TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES UNTIL THEY ARE NO LONGER IN RANGE. ¡°¡­Only blood is the call, the bond untold¡­¡± ¡°And can you see the aircraft¡¯s trajectory, specifically once they are away from the populated areas?¡± > I WILL HAVE A FOUR-MINUTE WINDOW. ¡°¡­Bring them to the fold, love¡­¡± ¡°My gold,¡± I finished for Siren. And I did see my golden ticket. From the security camera pointed at the waiting lounge, all twenty-seven of the cultists sat scattered across the terminal. But my eyes were drawn to a woman reading a book by the corner of the feed. ¡°Her. She¡¯s Jonas¡¯s assistant. I think Allie is her name. She was there the night Melanie and Hodge visited him,¡± I said. ¡°She probably knows who the other leaders are.¡± Goliath pointed at his non-existent watch on his wrist. ¡°Right. No time. The plane leaves in half an hour, and we¡¯re too far away.¡± ¡­but there is a way. I glanced at the twenty thousand crystals that Elvis gave me. Plenty enough to buy anything with my unlimited access to the System. I just had to find the cheaper ones. I brought up the Dungeon Tab again, filtered my search, and narrowed my options. There!
Teleportation Pedestal This 10x10-foot tall device allows you to teleport a single creature you know within five hundred miles from the pedestal, provided you are familiar with their full name, exact appearance, and precise location. If any of this information is incorrect or incomplete, there is a 50% chance the creature will arrive at the pedestal deformed, injured, or dead. If you have two pedestals, you can link them together and form a chained network of portals within a range of five miles. Creatures immune or hidden from divination magic will not be teleported to the pedestal. Teleporting a single creature costs five hundred crystals each.
This was the cheapest (and smallest) long-range teleportation device on the list, but it would still cost me ten thousand crystals, which was nothing to scoff at. But it might be useful in the future, I tried to convince myself. No, I had to do it. I hesitated for a moment, closed my eyes, and hit the [ Purchase ] button. That¡¯s it. No takebacks. Allison Collins was the only person with multiple contacts with Jonas, who planned his daily schedules and knew the people he talked to because of her position as his secretary. She was the closest person who knew what was going on more than anyone else. Let¡¯s hope they¡¯re not immune to divination because this will fucking suck, I thought. And a waste of money. ¡°Are we running a scenario, my lord?¡± The Siren sang excitedly. I looked at Siren. Huh. That¡¯s actually not a bad idea. I was feeling a bit peckish. ¡°We¡¯ll have to teleport two more delvers for it to count. Oracle, out of the twenty-six cultists left, who are higher-ranked?¡± Oracle gave me three more names on the screen. If Allie refused to give me the answers I sought, perhaps the other three would be more¡­malleable. I think I can spare two thousand crystals to teleport four people. I knew their names. Their faces from their IDs. And thanks to Oracle hacking the airport¡¯s security cameras, their exact coordinates of where they sat, stood, pissed, or shit. If I had enough crystals, I would teleport all twenty-seven and feed on them. But I had to save up the rest for other substantial improvements around my dungeon. ¡°I¡¯ll have dinner for four, Oracle.¡± ¡°What will you do once we know their names? They might be out of reach, out of our grasp, out of our control,¡± Siren sang. ¡°We need four-hundred and sixty-seven essences to create a second dungeon, right?¡± Goliath and Siren both nodded eagerly. ¡°Sooner or later, they¡¯ll tell us their headquarters. London, New York, wherever it may be. And when they do, that¡¯s where I¡¯ll build my second dungeon. Stay close to them, and eliminate them.¡± > WHAT ABOUT THE OTHERS WAITING IN THE TERMINAL? ¡°Crash the plane into the mountains.¡± I thought about the two pilots and the flight attendant caught in this mess. Innocents in my war against the cult who destroyed me. But for all I know, this chartered flight came from another Astaroth worshipper they probably served. For all I know, they were a part of it. No, I couldn¡¯t afford to doubt myself. My decision was clear, even if it pained me. ¡°No survivors,¡± I told Oracle. Arc 4 | Last Resort (Part 2) LAST RESORT Part 2 Even though I had only been a Dungeon Core for five days, I was beginning to find my groove in this new yet strange existence. There is an art to it, I mused to myself. For a scenario to be successful, it took meticulous planning for the execution to pay off. And Death Cores needed a lot of planning. Running an impromptu scenario was not ideal, but I¡¯ll have to work with what I got. One thing I learned was that Resolve never went away. Think of it as part of any mortal¡¯s body. It could even be an invisible organ. I liked to imagine that the Resolve¡¯s aura reflected a delver¡¯s soul. That¡¯s just me personally. Outside a scenario, Resolve was hidden from me, but when the game was up, they would all ignite beautifully in a multitude of tastes and colors. It surprised me how I missed it, like a drug addict searching for the next high. Resolve was always active, always changing, and always switching, even when the delvers were outside a dungeon. Happy, sad, anxious, calm, shame, lust, fear¡ªa plethora of complex human emotions reflected in a gradient of hues. In theory, Dungeon Cores could still manipulate a delver¡¯s Resolve outside our borders before they crossed the threshold into our domains. It might be harder without the help of our Dread effects (and visualizing the auras), but it¡¯s doable, especially for me. And besides, what was a Death Core very good at? Inflicting fear. Creating tension. Causing drama. Drawing bloodshed. Resolve was always on. Suppose I wanted a group of delvers already scared, distrustful, or paranoid (or giving them the heebie-jeebies) before they stepped foot into my cabin. In that case, I¡¯d make spooky stuff happen on their way here the day before, shedding their Resolve. Even a tiny slide down the gradient mattered. Divide and fucking conquer, motherfuckers. In theory, this should work. And I am going to test this theory on these cultists. Imagine it, like seasoning the vegetables or marinating the meat hours before it sizzled on the grill. And fear was my secret sauce. It was the most basic emotion to impose on a human, ingrained into our instincts when we were still climbing trees and had tails. Fear was simple. Fear was absolute. I called this phase of the scenario simply Act One, or the pre-game. It involved setting up the scene, throwing down the hook, preparing the flesh, and letting fear seep into a delver¡¯s skin and take hold of them. A hundred miles away, Allie Collins stepped on stage and began Act One. I could tell from the camera feed that Allie was already growing anxious. She was constantly checking on her phone, biting her fingernails, shaking her right knee, and had left multiple voice messages to her boss, Jonas (The rat fuck was already dead), but he hadn¡¯t answered her for almost a day. She¡¯d be waiting for a long, long time. She might think, ¡°Oh, this is so unlike him.¡± Based on his response to her previous calls, texts, or emails over the past three years, Jonas usually answered her within ten minutes. Seeing that gave me hope that she was the right person to question the cult, which called itself The Havashar Society. Allie had known Jonas for three years, so she was bound to hear something important. If not, then she¡¯s just incompetent. Or worse, an idiot. Another good news was that Jonas slept with his secretaries over the years. I might have said that wrong. Good news in a sense that Allie¡¯s likelihood of discovering things she wasn¡¯t meant to see or hear increased exponentially. His computer saved up a lot of photos of exotic trips with his former secretaries and other younger women in scantily-clad clothing and several videos saved of past¡ªlet¡¯s just say¡ªhappy encounters I¡¯d rather not watch. Jonas and Allie were no exception. He had been seeing her romantically for the past year or so, taking her to expensive dinner dates around the city and buying her gifts. It was also clear that Allie was attracted to him from the flirtatious glances she gave him, seen by all the cameras around the office building, and from the texts and unprompted risque selfies she sent him. Never mind that she had a boyfriend at the time, and it seemed the break up was not too long ago when Jonas started getting serious. I didn¡¯t want to delve deep into how grossly inappropriate such a dynamic was, especially when Jonas was old enough to be her father. Give or take, I¡¯d put her Resolve to a dull yellow. Probably ticking down every few minutes as her worries grew. But it might hover there for a long while until she boarded the plane. This was harder than I thought. I was so used to seeing their aura that it just didn¡¯t feel right. I didn¡¯t know how far (or little) I should push her buttons. ¡°Are you ready?¡± I asked Oracle. Oracle gave me a thumbs-up on the screen. ¡°Are you ready, Goliath?¡± I asked Goliath in the teleportation chamber I hastily built in the tunnels. Goliath also gave me a confident thumbs up. He stood waiting next to the teleportation pedestal, ready to knock out any cultist who teleported through it with the butt of his axe. The pedestal was a flat, spherical platform made from basalt and stone. I was expecting something more elaborately designed, or with fancy archways, or that it magically glowed with a specific color. Still, it¡¯s just a slab of rock that would blend perfectly into someone¡¯s backyard. Carved on the edges were simple runic words that my Core quickly translated as: Step forth, but beware. What departs may not return. I clapped my non-existent hands together. ¡°Okay, showtime.¡±
The private charter terminal lounge, or the VIP lounge, was a lot nicer and plushier than what the commoners enjoyed, forced to survive amongst other irritated passengers. But here, they had a bar, a private kitchen with a chef, free Wi-Fi, cozy music, a good view of the airport and Mount Hood outside, and excellent service from the staff. It looked more like a glorified hotel lobby. They even had a bath, spa, and shower for the guests while they waited for their flight. Another woman approached Allie and sat down beside her in a huff, clearly annoyed by what was happening. The two women already knew each other very well. ¡°Ugh, they don¡¯t have lox bagels on their menu, and they forgot to remove whipped cream in my coffee. I specifically told them no. Fucking. Whip.¡± She took a sip of the coffee and cringed. ¡°Bleh, I also think they burnt it. Must be a new barista.¡± Allie put down her phone, unaware I was listening through it. ¡°So, how was your afternoon, Jessica?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even start with me, girl. I forgot to pack my toiletries because we got out of the apartment in such a hurry. And now we¡¯re here waiting for the plane to get ready. We could¡¯ve spared another twenty minutes, but noooo, Brandon said we had to go. I even forgot my favorite perfume.¡± Allie pursed her lips. ¡°Um, where¡¯s your boyfriend anyway?¡± ¡°Brandon went for number two.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°You look super pale, girl. Have you had anything to eat all day?¡± ¡°No. Not really,¡± Allie said sheepishly. ¡°Do you want to order?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Jess.¡± ¡°I got you.¡± Jessica handed her a bag of mixed nuts and dried raspberries. ¡°At least have a few bites. You look like an anorexic ghost.¡± ¡°Jessica Pruitt. She¡¯s part of the list,¡± I said to Siren and Old Growth watching behind me. Jessica was half a decade older than Allie and had a longer history with the cult by several years. However, her position in the cult stagnated, and she became more of a glorified middle manager to the rest of the organization. Based on her file on the hacked server, she had little to no magical talent (the cult¡¯s words, not mine). She was the type of woman who encapsulated her personality in beige, pumpkin spice aesthetics, thinking she was the first person to emulate it. From her social media posts, everything had to be perfect and aesthetically geometric, as if she were living in a Wes Anderson movie. That¡¯s good for me, though. She lived and breathed social media, practically an extra limb that slammed her with dopamine high every few minutes. Also proudly telling her followers how she has an awesome boyfriend even though she was emotionally abusing him behind the scenes when things didn¡¯t get her way. So it was very easy to form a compiled psychological profile about her: She¡¯s basic. Her boyfriend, Brandon Satcher, was also the same. Not obsessed with beige tones, but with gym-bro life and flannel shirts, meat lover and grilling, and Oakley glasses and interior truck selfies. Also proudly not telling the long list of women he matched within the dating apps that he already has a girlfriend, and gaslighted Jessica when Stacey Lip Piercing texted him she had fun last night. They¡¯re both trash. Also, they were both members of the Vancouver Sect for at least four years now, and though their crimes didn¡¯t revolve around murdering people (like Hodge and his followers did), their sect extorted, blackmailed, and threatened several political figures in Portland and Vancouver to allocate large amounts of money for the cult. Jessica was a damn good lawyer who kept the cult away from the law, especially their murdering ways. I mean, if you gotta be the queen bitch, she found her true calling. On the other hand, Brandon was a poor excuse for an accountant laundering the Havashar Society¡¯s money. They might be trash, but both were essential cogs in the Society''s infernal machine. And I will break them. The fourth man on my list was Conrad Crespo, a balding, pot-bellied man in his mid-forties with a fake tan, who was busy shouting at his frustrated wife over the phone several feet away from where Allie and Jessica were sitting. When the order was sent out, the cultists could not bring their families with them (even the fake ones for their cover), promising that this was only temporary and that they were having an emergency assembly. They should expect to return to their everyday lives in a week or so. The twenty-seven people I was watching through Oracle were all members of the Pacific Northwest coalition of The Havashar Society. It was a lot smaller than I imagined, and I had no idea how many members there were in the south or around the east coast. Many of the cultists had left their families behind with the excuse of a ¡°business meeting¡± out in the East.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Conrad¡¯s wife was obviously distraught, and they had been talking on the phone for almost half an hour now. Conrad tried to calm his wife down, but she had a right to be upset. They were going to celebrate their ten-year anniversary, and then he canceled their evening and left without even saying goodbye except through text. Of course, he gave the excuse that he was going to an emergency business meeting in New York, that it was very important, and that he¡¯d be right back. His wife could see through the lie. Oracle gave her access to Conrad¡¯s email address, password, and the confirmation email for his plane ticket. Stamped clearly on it, in big letters, was HEATHROW AIRPORT, LONDON. She accused him of cheating and lying to her and hung up the call. Conrad had been trying to get a hold of her ever since. For extra icing on the cake, Oracle also sent his wife access to his cloud (and the pictures of multiple selfies of scantily-clad women) and access to his Tinder account. His wife sent him just one picture: A screenshot of his account on the app, catfishing as a dude-bro twenty-five-year-old hunk to lure younger women for their pictures, and Conrad knew he was truly fucked. Oracle¡¯s scary sometimes, I chuckled. Conrad was the cult¡¯s parcel messenger, transporting artifacts to and from their Portland location to another chamber across the country. Next to Allie, he¡¯s the second-best man to question how the cult was organized outside of Oregon. Conrad strode toward Jessica, sweating. ¡°Um, Jess, is it okay if I catch the next flight? I just got to see my wife¡ª¡± ¡°Do you not see that plane, Conrad? That little plane over there? Yeah, we¡¯re supposed to get in that.¡± Jessica pointed out the window. ¡°It¡¯s already in the taxi. We¡¯ll board soon; besides, it¡¯s a chartered flight. I was given orders to bring everyone, so I¡¯m bringing everyone, including you.¡± ¡°Look, it¡¯s only going to be a day. Unlike you, I don¡¯t mind riding at the back of the plane.¡± ¡°Wow. How cool of you to be so humble in this economy,¡± Jessica said sarcastically. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on and why we¡¯ve been summoned, okay? For all I know, we¡¯re in a fucking shit show, and it¡¯s the end of the world. It¡¯s very strange for The Seat to summon us like this. They¡¯ve never done that. Allie, have you experienced anything like this?¡± Allie looked like she desperately wanted the ground to swallow her. ¡°No¡­.¡± Jessica smirked. ¡°Right? Conrad? Have you ever experienced the Seat summoning us like this?¡± ¡°Uh, no?¡± ¡°Neither do I. Neither does Allie. So, I suggest you stay put and shut up over there.¡± ¡°But my wife¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give an F about your wife, okay? She¡¯ll survive without you. Leave me alone. I already have a headache.¡± She took another sip of her coffee. Conrad ignored Jessica and turned to Allie. ¡°Did Jonas say anything, Allie?¡± Allie shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m still trying to reach him.¡± ¡°Did you hear anything at all? Maybe from Hodge?¡± He pressed on. ¡°No¡­¡± Jessica scoffed. ¡°Clearly, Hodge fucked up. That guy was a ticking time bomb, and I¡¯m surprised it took this long. We haven¡¯t heard from them for hours now, and it¡¯s enough to make The Seat nervous. If I were you, Conrad, I¡¯d board that plane if you know what¡¯s good for you.¡± Jessica stood up while massaging her temples. ¡°I need an Advil, and I¡¯m gonna get my boyfriend. Can you hold my stuff, pretty please?¡± She handed Allie her cup of coffee and bagels before stomping off toward the bathroom. Conrad glared at her back as she walked away. ¡°What a bitch.¡± ¡°Hey, I heard that,¡± Allie said, glaring back at him. ¡°Asshole.¡± She turned around to put the bagel and the cup of coffee on the table beside her. ¡°It should be Jonas calling the shots around here. Have you seriously tried--?¡± ¡°You think I didn¡¯t? Why don¡¯t you call him instead¡ª¡± Allie whirled around, annoyed and pissed off, but when she was about to hand him her phone, he was no longer standing there. ¡°Uh, Conrad?¡± I could feel the gears turning inside her head. No one was that fast. She barely looked away for two seconds, and¡ª Allie shook her head. She must be imagining it. I could tell from the dark circles under her eyes (and from her Health tracker on her phone) that she barely had any sleep last night, waiting for Jonas. She asked another man wearing a Transformers shirt (another cultist) sitting a few seats down if he saw where Conrad went, but he was watching a YouTube video with his headphones on and didn¡¯t notice him walk by. Allie was afraid that she was losing it. No one around her noticed he disappeared. At the periphery of my vision, I lost five hundred crystals. Then, her phone rang. Allie almost jumped when she saw the caller¡¯s ID: Jonas. She quickly answered it. ¡°Hello? Jonas? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Hello? Allie? Yeah, it¡¯s me,¡± I said, but Jonas¡¯s voice came through the other line. ¡°Are you at the airport?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re all already here. Where are you? Are you coming?¡± Well, she¡¯s convinced. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s quite good,¡± I complimented Oracle, careful not to speak directly to Allie. Oracle grabbed every audio file he could, from voicemails to videos of Jonas, and matched his cadence, tone, and manner of speech perfectly. ¡°Listen, Allie. You have to get out of there,¡± I said. ¡°What? Why? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Whatever you do, do not board that plane.¡± ¡°But the others, they¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell the others! Get out of the airport now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain everything once you¡¯re out of there. I¡¯m waiting outside. Grab your bags. Hurry.¡± ¡°Um, okay, okay. I¡¯m going.¡± Allie grabbed her purse and walked away from the VIP lounge area. ¡°Turn left,¡± I said. She paused. ¡°Uh, what? Can you see me?¡± ¡°Wave to the camera.¡± Allie looked around and spotted the security camera at the corner above a clothing store. She nodded and pivoted to the right, heading toward the escalator. ¡°Take the escalator.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be at the West Wing terminal. Try to head towards Gate 5.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± I waited for at least three minutes, watching her wade through the crowd of commuters. Finally, she walked past Gate 4. ¡°Turn right.¡± Allie did as I told her. She stopped in her tracks. ¡°Um, this is a staff door, Jonas. Why...¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to go through there. Safer this way.¡± ¡°But it needs a key card, and I don¡¯t want to get in trouble with the TSA.¡± The key card access panel next to the door instantly turned red to green. ¡°Go,¡± I said sternly. Allie froze, astonished. ¡°How¡¯d you do that?¡± ¡°Just get inside, Allie. We don¡¯t have much time.¡± ¡°Look, this is seriously freaking me out.¡± ¡°I know, I know. Just trust me. Walk past that door, turn left for a hundred feet, get down a flight of stairs, then turn left again. You¡¯d see an emergency exit door. I¡¯m right outside, okay? It¡¯ll all be over soon.¡± Allie reluctantly went inside. Like a lost lamb to the slaughter. There was a security guard wandering the hallway by the bottom of the stairs, but Oracle found the quickest way to neutralize him: he overloaded the taser gun clamped on his belt, and the guard quickly fell to the ground and pissed himself unconscious. ¡°We have a problem,¡± Siren sang. She pointed at the other camera feed, which showed the same man in the Transformers shirt following Allie. What was his name again? Andre? I checked Oracle¡¯s list again and found him at the top, though his picture was a decade older. Andre Brunelle, a French transplant, was an entrepreneur (mostly tech) who had lavishly used the cult¡¯s money to grow his security company around Seattle. In return, he gave the cult the networking list he had accumulated over the years, thereby spreading the Havashar Society¡¯s influence within the tech industry. Obviously, he overheard the conversation earlier. He was too quick than I thought, and he managed to reach the staff door before it closed, slipped inside, and continued following Allie¡¯s trail. ¡°Oh my god, I think I see a body,¡± Allie shrieked after she climbed down the stairs. ¡°Ignore it. Just keep going,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re almost there. See that access hallway? Turn left there.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like this, Jonas.¡± Panic swelled in her voice. Good. ¡°Almost there.¡± ¡°Wait¡­I think I see the emergency door,¡± Allie said as she entered the long hallway. ¡°Great! I¡¯m on the other side waiting. I¡¯ll start the car.¡± Allie picked up her speed toward the emergency exit door; heels clacked against the concrete floor, echoing across the long hallway. I made a quick check around the surrounding area to make sure that she was alone. Except for Andre. He was just climbing down the metal staircase, hot on her heels. ¡°Find anything to stop him?¡± > NO. SEARCHING¡­ Oracle had already tried calling to distract him earlier, but he ignored the unknown number. He also made it look like his mother was calling, but Andre ignored it anyway, rolling his eyes and clearly irritated by the interruption. However, he did stop in his tracks when he saw the unconscious guard lying on the ground and went over to check on his pulse; the guard was still alive. That should give me an extra minute or so. Allie finally reached the emergency door and pushed it open. It didn¡¯t budge. ¡°I¡­I can¡¯t get the door open.¡± ¡°What?¡± She tried pushing on the egress bar again. ¡°Shit. It¡¯s locked or something.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an emergency door. It opens when you push on them, Allie.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing that right now! It¡¯s not opening, okay?!¡± She put her entire body weight to push the door open, but it didn¡¯t budge an inch. She slammed her fist on the door. ¡°God damn it!¡± ¡°Do you know what type of door that is, Allie?¡± Allie let out a huff. ¡°What?¡± She snipped. ¡°The door.¡± ¡°What are you on about?¡± She asked in frustration. ¡°That door has an electromagnetic lock, and I just disabled the authorized push button. No matter how hard you push, that door won¡¯t open. You¡¯d have to manually do it through the bypass switch, which you won¡¯t have access to with the little time you have left.¡± It dawned on her now: the quivering hitch in her breath, the way her mouth hung slightly open, her gaze staring blankly at the door, her hands shaking slightly. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, sending multiple signals to flee or fight. ¡°You¡¯re not Jonas,¡± she said, her voice trembling. ¡°Smart girl,¡± I said, chuckling. ¡°You watch horror movies, right, Allie? Do you know what happens to the dumb characters who wander off on their own? Well, this is the part when you run.¡± Allie didn¡¯t wait for a beat. She quickly pivoted her heels and ran down the long hallway, and in her mad dash, she lost her grip on her purse. Behind her, the overhead lights shut off, plunging that section of the hallway into darkness. The shadows chased after her. Just an extra touch, I thought. You couldn¡¯t go wrong with the classic hallway horror cliche. Lights turning off one by one. Echoing bass drops with each plunge into the shadows. The glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, the way to safety. And yet, the shadows continue creeping in from the periphery of the screen until it swallows it completely. ¡°Allie!¡± Andre shouted, catching her by the arm and shoulder as she leaped out of the hallway. She screamed. ¡°Hey, hey! Calm down! What¡¯s going on? What were you doing here?¡± ¡°Let go of me! Let go of me!¡± Allie shrieked, trying to wriggle out of Andre¡¯s grasp. I¡¯d bet all my crystals what her Resolve was about now. Satisfied, I triggered the teleportation pedestal. Allie disappeared within a single frame from the camera feed, vanishing in the blink of an eye. What I didn¡¯t count was for Andre Brunelle to teleport with her. In hindsight, I didn¡¯t know much about teleportation or how they worked at a base level. This was my first time using it, so I was bound to make some mistakes. As it turned out, there were a few disclaimers when casting such powerful divination spells. Most importantly, the target must not be close to another creature when teleporting them (like touching someone). Six feet apart was the golden rule. If you didn¡¯t follow that particular rule, you¡¯d end up with a big fucking mess. And I wasn¡¯t ready for all the blood. A loud popping sound set off on the pedestal when Allie materialized on it safely. She was a bit dizzy and confused, looking like her knees were about to buckle. Andre appeared on the pedestal, too¡­for about four seconds. He managed to utter two sentences. The first sentence was, ¡°What the¡ª?¡± Andre gasped, eyes darting around the circular teleportation chamber until his gaze landed on the prone and unconscious bodies of Conrad, Jessica, and Brandon off to the corner. Allie followed where he was looking at. The second sentence was: ¡°Where are we¡ª?¡± He didn¡¯t get to finish it. It was so sudden I half thought I was the one in big trouble. It frightened me so much that I yelped loudly, making Siren and Oldie jump in surprise, too. By the time I realized what was going on, well, to be honest, it made me pause for a second. Andre¡¯s lower half exploded, blood, bone, and chunks of flesh splattering everywhere. Goliath was not safe either, drenched in Andre¡¯s blood and gore from head to toe. The force knocked Allie off her feet and sent her rolling down on her stomach. Andre landed next to her a split second later in a wet, squelching thud. Now, Andre was still alive and conscious. So was Allie, although shocked and frightened. Who wouldn¡¯t be when you just witnessed someone burst into a pulp? Andre still had enough strength to prop himself up by his elbows and looked down, screaming, when he realized he was missing the other lower half of his body. With my many-eyes, I saw everything. I could go back, replay, and see every fucking nanosecond of it. I could slow it down in my brain and watch as the explosion originated inside Andre¡¯s kneecaps. The way the patella crackled like a popcorn kernel under heat and pressure. The way it split the skin folds of his knees, splintered outward and shattered as if he had just stepped foot onto a landmine, obliterating flesh, sinew, and bone. The end result made it look like Andre¡¯s legs burst and went through a blender. And the blood was just everywhere. ¡°My legs¡­my legs!¡± Andre screeched, face quickly draining of color. Allie just sobbed, struggling to breathe from all the screaming she made, trying to wipe the blood off her face with her bare hands. Her Resolve dipped to a deep orange. Perfect. As for Andre¡­ Goliath could sense how many seconds Andre had left before the adrenaline wore off and he passed out. He stepped forward. It was the first time Allie and Andre noticed another person in the room with them. They heard Goliath¡¯s heavy footsteps first, then the glint of the axe raised in the gloom. Andre looked up to Goliath looming over him, axe raised over his head, and with one fell swoop, brought the axe cleanly through Andre¡¯s forehead, splitting his skull. Andre immediately went limp, and Allie screamed. Goliath let out an exasperated sigh. He crouched beside her and then punched her square in the face. Allie went out cold, a reddening spot under her left eye. [ You have gained 1 essence: Andre Brunelle ] [ You have gained 150 crystals ] Huh. That must be some record. Andre was the fastest delver to enter my domain and drop red instantly. Also, this was the fastest run in which I collected essence and crystals. Seventeen seconds. Not bad. Are you enjoying this? I mused, looking off to the side to the invisible watchers, probably enjoying this brief bout of sudden violence. I bet you are. I ignored the thought of hundreds (maybe thousands) of administrators watching me like creepy voyeurs. I needed to focus, and there was more work to do. One down, twenty-six more to go. Arc 4 | Last Resort (Part 3) LAST RESORT Part 3 Allie and the others wouldn¡¯t wake up any time soon. I made sure of that. All it took was a little sprinkle of the cheapest purple pixie dust (purple for charmed effects like sleep, which cost me five crystals per packet for one use), knocking them out for the next two hours. And two hours are good enough for me. While the delvers were asleep, I had more time to prepare them for Act Two: The rising tension. The Lure. Baiting them toward their eventual doom. The part when the fear builds to a bloody crescendo until, eventually, the delvers start screaming, groveling, and running, picked off one by one. And, of course, the introduction of the main villain. ¡°The Administrators are watching us, my lord, eyes flickering with glee¡­¡± The Siren reminded me. Of course, they are, I sighed. ¡°Can you see them?¡± The Siren shook her head. ¡°Blood is in the water, joyful sounds of slaughter¡­¡± Right. I triggered a scenario, and the crows came flocking, ready to witness a maddening feast. Should I make this a proper scenario? These are cultists, after all. Technically, I could kill them quickly once I got the answers I was looking for. But the administrators might find that boring. I rolled my eyes. Why do I care? I¡¯m not here to please them. I will still get ten thousand crystals by the end of it. Elvis did mention the watchers could give me other things, too, like more bonus crystals. Can they also give me other rewards? I wondered. No, focus! I told myself. I turned to Goliath. ¡°Have you applied all the pixie dust on them?¡± Goliath nodded. ¡°Good. Keep an eye on them. This shouldn¡¯t take me more than ten minutes.¡± Building a dungeon room under the cabin was that simple and fast when magic was involved. It would take longer if I had to change, bulldoze, manipulate the terrain, or build something more complex and meticulous. But all I needed for now was a simple room and a simpler contraption. When I opened the Core Menu screen by just thinking about it, time stopped, like pausing in the middle of a video game. The outside world didn¡¯t literally pause per se but slowed down to milliseconds, giving me enough time to do plenty of things. Out of the corner of my eyes, Goliath was sloooowlyyy scratching his jaw.
CORE
DUNGEONS
MONSTERS
TRAPS
QUESTS
RUMORS
The bottom two were new additions to the menu. It appeared after I completed my first official scenario with the full blessing of an administrator. [ Quests ] was pretty self-explanatory. I only had two things in there: the quest to eradicate the Cult of Astaroth and the second one was to collect four-hundred and sixty-seven essences to create my second dungeon. Four-hundred and sixty-six now. I looked down at Andre¡¯s corpse dragged off to a corner, away from the others. On the other hand, [Rumors] was something I didn¡¯t quite understand yet. I opened it to read the messages that had popped up several hours ago. [North Cedar Lake has earned the Modern Folklore perk. Denizens nearby know the macabre stories of your dungeon and the creatures that dwell inside. You have five empty myths. Creating a myth increases a dungeon and an archetype¡¯s Dread effects. ] [ Error: no myths created yet. Would you like to do that now? ] I told the prompt to go away for now. I reckoned that would take too long, even several days of writing and planning. It didn¡¯t seem like something I should rush over, especially when it could magically implant false memories in the people around me. Next to the teleportation chamber, I built a hexagonal room about forty feet wide with a flat, circular platform at the center where my contraption stood. Four very uncomfortable metallic chairs faced each other, and in the middle was a tube with a self-loading crossbow on top that could rotate a hundred and sixty degrees. But something is still missing, I thought. Well, I still have six minutes left. I looked at the bare walls, and they needed a little more pizzazz¡ªsomething enticing to bring the room together. An idea formed, and I smiled. I went over my options, and I decided to go for a more industrial-looking aesthetic. Like a warehouse! I carved through the floor and plunged the room another twenty feet to add narrow catwalks, ladders, and air vents. Of course, the exit was right by the highest catwalk next to the ¡°engineering room.¡± Inside was a console table with random buttons that didn¡¯t work. Hissing steam from the heating pipes covered the walls, and I even added a protruding cylindrical vat with a greenish acidic substance floating inside. Random chains hang from the ceiling and at the ends, glinting with sharp hooks and dried blood. The floors were caked with grime, oily puddles, and soot. And, of course, I couldn¡¯t forget about the smell. Iron, sulfur, decaying organic matter, and various odd chemicals suffused the chamber. I also raised the temperature to ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit. I wanted it to feel like the sweltering heat of summer, sweat sticking to your shirt and skin, which accidentally also increased the moisture in the room, creating a hazy fog. And last, the furnace itself. Fire burning, crackling with anger. Engines whistled and wheezed as the machine breathed. Freddy Krueger will be right at home. Once the chamber was complete, Goliath dragged all the cultists and secured them on the metallic seats. ¡°Do you think I went overboard?¡± I asked Goliath about the Furnace Chamber. Goliath looked around, nodding with approval. He threw me two thumbs up. ¡°Oh, so you like it?¡± Goliath rests the palm of his hand on his chest. Aw, he didn¡¯t like it. He loved it. I smiled. ¡°Oh, good! Ready to give them a show?¡± Goliath raised his eyebrows and pointed at himself reluctantly. ¡°Yeah, yeah. You¡¯ll play first. Oldie will be in the tunnels in case they get that far. If they get extremely lucky, Demon and Siren will watch the woods and the lake.¡± Goliath gave me the ¡°okay¡± symbol, tilted his head questioningly, went up the ladder again, and returned to the teleportation chamber. He dragged Andre¡¯s body to the Furnace Chamber. Once he reached the catwalk, Goliath didn¡¯t feel like carrying him down the ladder; he just threw him over the railing, and his body fell thirty feet below. The pixie dust still had an hour left, and I watched Goliath work his magic. He cut, chopped, dissected, and violated Andre¡¯s corpse. He slowly propped the limbs around the crossbow tube. I had no idea what he was going for, but I told him this was his show, so I didn¡¯t interfere. Once he was done, I realized what he was going for: a snowman made from Andre¡¯s body parts. He chopped off the man¡¯s split head and placed it on the flat surface just above the crossbow section. He forced open Andre¡¯s intact right eye, ensuring he was making eye contact with whomever the crossbow was aiming at. And just to add an extra creep factor, Goliath sliced through Andre¡¯s cheeks to make him smile from ear to ear. He stepped back and admired his grotesque work. ¡°Jesus, Goliath,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s, um, a lot.¡± Goliath smiled and raised his hands into tiger claws. Meant to be scary, he would say. ¡°Well, it¡¯s scary and fucked up, alright.¡± He proudly tapped on his chest again, loving it. ¡°It¡¯s your show, big man. Give them a good scare.¡±
Allie was the last person to wake up from Jessica screaming from seeing Andre¡¯s brutalized corpse. They were all annoyingly shouting and crying out for help in the past five minutes. They tried to escape from their bonds, but their wrists were secured on the chair¡¯s armrests, and their ankles locked to the chair¡¯s legs. Only Goliath could release them by pulling the lever at the platform¡¯s edge. I let them sit there for a good ten minutes, sweating, swearing, and crying. Letting them ruminate in their thoughts, let the fear of the unknown simmer deep inside until it boiled over. ¡°Hello?! Is anybody there?!¡± Brandon shouted. Goliath was kind enough to put his pants back on when we teleported him from the toilet. ¡°Ahh! It¡¯s no use!¡± Conrad said. ¡°No one¡¯s gonna help us.¡± ¡°Brandon, where are we?¡± Jessica sobbed. ¡°What do they want with us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, baby. But once I¡¯m out of this fucking chair, I swear, I¡¯m gonna fuck them up!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not helping, Brandon,¡± Allie said. ¡°We don¡¯t even know who they are. And Andre¡­¡± Conrad caught the glint in her eye. ¡°What? You know something? Because last time I remember, I was talking to you, and then I was in this dark room, and something hit me on the back of the head.¡± ¡°Same for me,¡± Brandon and Jessica said at the same time. ¡°I got a call,¡± Allie said. ¡°What call?¡± Jessica asked. ¡°From Jonas. But it wasn¡¯t Jonas. The man on the other line said he was¡­¡± Allie paused. ¡°Well? He was what?¡± Conrad asked impatiently. Allie tried to hold back her tears. ¡°He said he¡¯s dead. He¡­he led me out of the terminal. And I was being so stupid that I thought it was him. It sounded exactly like him. I ran¡­I grabbed Andre¡­and then one thing I know, we were on this platform, and Andre just¡­he just¡­exploded!¡± Her Resolve dropped to orange as she recollected the memory. All of their Resolve hovered between yellow and orange, and Goliath didn¡¯t even do anything yet. ¡°So we all saw the platform,¡± Brandon said. ¡°We were all at the airport, and now we ended up here in a blink of an eye. It¡¯s gotta be some kind of teleportation magic. Does this sound like divination magic to any of you? Conrad, do you know any divination artifacts like this?¡± Conrad shook his head. ¡°Look, I transported many things for the Society across the country, but I know nothing about a device that can teleport people, okay? I don¡¯t even know if the others have it. I¡¯m just a low-level courier! They won¡¯t even let me touch the good shit!¡± ¡°Could it be the Institute?¡± Jessica asked. I caught the slight shiver in her voice. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The Institute? That¡¯s interesting. Another demonic cult? A rival faction, perhaps? Conrad shook his head again. ¡°The Institute don¡¯t go kidnapping and murdering people.¡± ¡°How would you know? You¡¯ve never encountered them before. Those who do end up in prison or, if they¡¯re lucky, dead,¡± Brandon said. ¡°Exactly. Dead. From bullets. They don¡¯t waste their time bringing us here,¡± Conrad said. Allie hitched her breath all of a sudden. ¡°Unless they want to question us.¡± ¡°You are correct,¡± I said, revealing myself. My voice reverberated across the Furnace Chamber from the loudspeakers across the room. Oracle had to modulate my pitch to make it sound more intimidating. They all looked around the room, trying to find the source of the voice. Their gaze lingered on the engineering room, but it was way too high, and they couldn¡¯t see through the window due to the hazy fog. Goliath stepped out of the shadows behind the towering steel vat and approached the platform with heavy steps while dragging his axe. He stopped right next to the release lever. The others trembled and gasped, though only Allie had a visceral reaction to him. After all, he did punch her in the face, and her cheek was turning blotchy red and blue. ¡°That¡¯s the guy,¡± Allie said, squirming. ¡°That¡¯s the guy who killed Andre.¡± ¡°What do you want?!¡± Jessica shrieked. ¡°Please, just let us go!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know who you are fucking with!¡± Brandon said. ¡°Astaroth, domine, exaudi orationem meam¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I know exactly who you all are, Brandon Satcher. Your god is not here,¡± I said. ¡°Astaroth has no power here.¡± Brandon paused mid-prayer and glared, still trying to find me. ¡°You may have realized what happened to you and how I brought you into my domain. You may have realized what kind of power I had to use to do it. So do not test me. Do not challenge me, for my punishments are severe and, to be honest, quite painful.¡± ¡°He will save us,¡± Brandon said, though his confidence waned. I smiled. ¡°Yet, he did not save Justin and Melanie Hodge, nor did their flock.¡± That shut them up. They knew who Justin Hodge was, what he was capable of, and how important he was to the Havashar Society. I wiped him and his crew out like a bug. I added, ¡°Perhaps you do not know who you are dealing with. So, let me introduce myself. My name is Mark Benedict Castle. I am a Dungeon Core, and the Cult of Astaroth sacrificed me to claim, in their arrogance, the power of the universe. Only your friends did not take into account my refusal to be compliant and enslaved. And now they are all dead.¡± A television screen materialized next to Conrad, showing them the security feed of Jonas¡¯s death. I made sure that Oracle added audio so that they could hear Jonas begging me to spare him before the elevator cut him in half. Allie shrieked and cried. Jessica pleaded to be let go. Conrad whimpered and let his bladder go, darkening his pants. Only Brandon was quiet, putting up a brave face, but his Resolve¡¯s aura betrayed him as it slipped from a golden yellow into a dull orange. ¡°Next footage, please,¡± I said to Oracle and everyone to hear. The screen flashed to a recording of the security feed in the same VIP lounge where the other cultists had gathered. The flight had already been delayed for twenty minutes as three cultists searched for Allie and the others across the airport. They called off the search when the pilots got impatient and decided to leave without them. All twenty-two cultists boarded the plane. ¡°What is this?¡± Allie asked. ¡°Watch,¡± I said. Five more monitors appeared around the platform, showing various camera feeds from the cultists¡¯ open laptops and phones, the flight path across Northern Oregon, and the cameras from the cockpit and by the cockpit door. The first twenty-five minutes were uneventful. I actually had to fast-forward through the footage, especially when the flight attendant handed out dinner. ¡°Chicken or beef?¡± She asked. Not even halfway through, she had already run out of chicken. Like always. ¡°Why are you showing us this?¡± Brandon asked. Again, I said, ¡°Watch. Just watch.¡± Oracle found a way to bring the survival rate of a plane crash to zero. Bringing the plane down onto a mountain or a forested area still gave the cultists a little chance to survive the impact. I couldn¡¯t take that chance. So, Oracle decided to make the plane explode. Now, planes wouldn¡¯t just randomly explode up in the sky. There were plenty of steps that should occur for that to happen. A lot of negligence, bad structural design, and freak accidents. Since Oracle could control tech and electronics, we could create the illusion of negligence and freak accidents. And the way to do it was to manipulate the plane¡¯s fuel inerting system by shutting off the check valve. This system reduced the amount of oxygen inside the fuel tank by introducing an inert gas like nitrogen. Without it, the amount of oxygen would rise inside the tank. But it would still take quite a long time for the oxygen to build, maybe months or years. Time that I do not have. Which brought us to the second step: While the plane was still in the taxi waiting for the cultists to board, Oracle short-circuited the Air-Cycle machine, especially the refrigeration packs that controlled the air-conditioning of the entire plane, which generated a lot of heat, creating vapor and increasing pressure. Vapor and pressure were important if you want to blow shit up with fuel. As the pressure rose, the tank¡¯s integrity gradually deteriorated. Luckily for Oracle and me, this was an older plane and smaller than other commercial aircraft, which meant these air-conditioning packs were placed directly beneath the fuel tank, sharing the same voltage and currents. We also had to shut off the system to reduce the heat generated by the damaged refrigeration packs. So the pressure just keeps on growing and growing and growing¡­ Warning signals from the cockpit told the pilots that something was definitely wrong with the plane. They wouldn¡¯t see it, though, not with Oracle controlling the monitoring systems. They believed everything was normal. Then, to step three: Once the oxygen levels inside the tank were sufficient enough, Oracle moved to manipulate the fuel quantity indicator system by introducing a high voltage charge inside the tank¡¯s fuel gauge. The last thing the pilots saw was the unusual increase in fuel they were carrying on the console. Oracle allowed them to contact Portland¡¯s Air Traffic Control that something was wrong with their system. On paper, this needed to look like an accident¡ªA very unfortunate accident. And then¡­ A second high voltage charge. The cabin shuddered¡­ All at once, the passengers felt something was off, not a normal turbulence¡­ Beneath them, the tank expanded outward¡­ And then¡­ The monitors around the platform went black, except for one. It showed a video of a family out on a hike along the Larch Mountain Trail. The husband was filming his wife and their three children reaching Sherrard Point. In the background, at least eight other hikers were in the shot with them, taking photos and enjoying the warm, sunny September day with no clouds in the sky. What was obvious was the tiny dot flying in the background, leaving contrails in its wake. Allie and the others could feel what was coming, although they didn¡¯t want to believe it. Then, a huge fireball engulfed the upper left corner of the screen. The hikers gasped and screamed, pointing fingers at the blazing ball of debris plummeting toward the forest. Miraculously, one cultist survived the initial explosion. James McNerney was filming Mount Hood from the distance when the explosion split the plane in half. His phone filmed the entire ordeal as the cabin depressurized and his chair was sucked out of the plane. It would take him fifty seconds to reach the ground, and he clutched that phone for dear life. I mean, we heard and saw everything. He prayed. He screamed. He begged. In the middle of the fall, he managed to unbuckle himself from his seat, hurtling into a spiral and unable to hold on to his phone. I watched his body burst through the forest¡¯s canopy, his head slammed against the branches, his body spinning and spinning down until he hit the ground with a loud cracking thud. The phone¡ªanother miracle¡ªsurvived the fall. James McNerney did not. [Error. You cannot collect 25 essences of James McNerney, Clive Beechum, Edwina Leung, Barbara Serratos, Malcolm Serratos¡­.(etc.). Location: 82.7 miles outside of the dungeon border. Delvers out of bounds.] [You cannot collect an essence outside of the dungeon¡¯s perimeter. If you cannot determine your dungeon¡¯s borders, please look at your Dread effect, which is a standard 2-mile radius from your core. The greater the distance, the lesser your Dread effect can influence a given area and collect any delver¡¯s essence. This will also determine your base border. Note that your physical border and its effects can expand over time as your core ages and grows in power.] I had seen the same message before when Leo Grady escaped to find the park ranger (Old Growth killed the latter) and when I killed Jonas back at the Society¡¯s office. The System didn¡¯t appreciate it when I wasted essences. I turned my attention to the others¡¯ shocked expressions. ¡°You¡­you killed them?¡± Conrad asked, bewildered. ¡°Yes,¡± I said. ¡°What do you want?¡± Allie asked. ¡°You killed Jonas. You killed my friends¡ª¡± ¡°Friends?¡± I asked. ¡°I thought the Havashar Society did not believe in the concept of friends. I guess if you belong to a cult, such things get twisted and muddled.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Allie repeated sternly. ¡°It is quite simple, really,¡± I paused. ¡°Tell me the names of The Seat, and I will give you a chance to live.¡± I could feel each of their muscles tensed and clenched. I hit a fucking mine, didn¡¯t I? ¡°The Seat¡¯s identities are meant to be secret,¡± Allie explained. ¡°Not to Jonas,¡± I said. ¡°And you have been particularly close to him the past year. And what about Conrad, the courier? You had dealings with artifacts from all over the other sects across the country. You are bound to meet them at some point, given you¡¯ve been working for the Society for over eleven years. As for Brandon and Jessica, well, you two handled the financial capabilities of your sect. Especially Jessica, when you are the big-shot lawyer. You are bound to have a run-in with The Seat in your four years of service.¡± ¡°No, I did not. I didn¡¯t even meet any of them!¡± Jessica exclaimed. A reddish glow emanated from Goliath¡¯s palm: a tiny crystalline orb. He walked toward the tube and shoved the glowing red orb inside Andre¡¯s gaping mouth. ¡°Ahh, unfortunately, Ms. Pruitt, I know you are lying. You met with one of them, I see.¡± ¡°I¡­I did not!¡± The orb grew redder. ¡°You see that orb over there? Think of it as a lie detector, only perfectly accurate. My question to the four of you is very simple. What are the names of the members of The Seat? Now, the next thing I am about to say is very important. If you give me a fake name, this orb will know it, and there will be consequences.¡± The panel below Andre¡¯s decapitated head slid down, revealing the self-loading crossbow, currently pointed at Conrad. ¡°If you refuse to answer it, there will also be consequences,¡± I added. They didn¡¯t have to know that this orb only worked when it was fifteen feet away. They didn¡¯t have to know that this orb only had a ten-minute charge, and time was of the essence. The orb¡¯s red glow gradually dissipated into a cloudy, milky-white ball. ¡°I will give you three chances. But if the orb glows red three times, you die. And I have a feeling you all wanted to live.¡± Conrad panicked. ¡°What the fuck?! What the fuck is this? Let us out! I don¡¯t know anything!¡± The orb turned red again. I frowned. ¡°Liar.¡± Thwack! The crossbow shot out, and the bolt slammed into Conrad¡¯s shoulder. He howled like a wounded beast, shaking and trembling as he gaped at the bolt lodged deep into his flesh just under the collarbone. ¡°Fuuuccck!!!!¡± He screamed. Everyone¡¯s Resolve wavered dangerously close to the brink when they realized there was no escape from this contraption, not until they gave me names. Still, their loyalty to the cult and to Astaroth was greater. I¡¯ll change their tune soon, I thought. The crossbow swiveled around and pointed at Jessica. ¡°No! No, no, no!¡± Jessica begged. ¡°Please, no!¡± ¡°If you dare fucking touch her¡­¡± Brandon glowered at Goliath. ¡°Or what?¡± I asked. ¡°What will you do, Brandon? You are stuck in that chair like everyone else. What are you planning to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll kill you.¡± I grinned. ¡°I highly doubt that, but whatever makes you feel better. Anyway, Jessica, you know what to give me.¡± Jessica sobbed. ¡°But I don¡¯t know anything. I swear!¡± The orb was still red. Jessica realized it, too, and watched in horror as the crossbow lowered its angle and shot her. Thwack! The bolt embedded itself just above her right knee, and Jessica shrieked as pain coursed up her body. ¡°You motherfucker!¡± Brandon shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± The crossbow swiveled again to face Allie. ¡°Allie, don¡¯t fucking give him anything. That¡¯s what he wants! He¡¯s still going to kill us!¡± Allie had been holding back her tears since she saw Jonas get split in half by the elevator, but then she saw the blood pouring out of Conrad¡¯s and Jessica¡¯s wounds. Something primal took hold of her. She tried to slip the cuffs off her wrists until they bruised red. No matter what she did, she couldn¡¯t get out of that chair. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna tell you shit!¡± Allie shouted. ¡°Never!¡± Thwack! The crossbow bolt slammed right under her right breast; blood quickly seeped out and ran down her blouse. ¡°Ahhh!¡± She tried to kick the pain away as adrenaline surged across her body. It was Brandon¡¯s turn. ¡°I don¡¯t know shit! No names, no nothing! That¡¯s the truth! If you want to torture me before you kill me, just do it already¡ª¡± Brandon paused, mouth agape. The orb glowed green, reflecting its colors across Brandon¡¯s face. ¡°Huh, will you look at that,¡± I said to Oracle. ¡°One truth on the first round. We¡¯re making progress.¡± > HE DOES NOT KNOW THE NAMES. WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH HIM? ¡°Keep him on that chair for now. He may be useful once I get to Jessica.¡± Was that relief I saw on Brandon¡¯s face? It brought his Resolve a little higher, but not enough. Not when his girlfriend was still on the chopping block across from him. He cared for her genuinely, I realized. If Justin and Melanie could find love while murdering people, I reckoned Brandon and Jessica could as well. I turned the crossbow toward Conrad again, and his eyes widened. ¡°Oh, fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck¡­¡± he stammered, squirming in his seat. ¡°You know what to do, Conrad.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t know! That thing must be broken or something!¡± ¡°Wrong answer.¡± ¡°No, please¡ª!¡± Thwack! The bolt smacked into his stomach and pierced right through his liver. Conrad buckled over, bile bubbled up his throat, and he retched what he ate for breakfast all over himself. The crossbow swiveled again. Jessica squirmed like Conrad did, and like Conrad, she refused to tell me The Seat¡¯s names. Another bolt hit her below the stomach. Allie managed to evade the bolt by leaning quickly to the side, although she didn¡¯t get that far enough, and the bolt slammed onto her right upper arm instead. It was Brandon¡¯s turn again. ¡°I already told you. I know nothing!¡± ¡°I know. But this question is meant for Jessica. Unlike you, she does. She knew a name, at least. And she will give it to me in exchange for your life.¡± ¡°W¡ªWhat?¡± Jessica faltered. ¡°A name, Ms. Pruitt. A name for Brandon¡¯s life.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re asking me to do.¡± ¡°Why? Do you fear The Seat more than me? After all, I¡¯ve shown you?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡± I lowered my voice. ¡°Then, enlighten me.¡± ¡°Look, they are powerful people. I¡¯ve seen what they can do. They are chosen by Astaroth himself as his heralds. It¡¯s¡­I can¡¯t! I can¡¯t do it!¡± I was not impressed. Not one bit. I raised the angle of the crossbow, aiming for Brandon¡¯s face. The contraption clicked into place, making him jump from fright. ¡°Shit! Jess! Just¡­¡± ¡°Baby¡­¡± Jessica whimpered. Brandon watched in horror as the bolt was loaded onto the crossbow. There was no stopping it. No tears or amount of begging could stop this. Not even his girlfriend. Panic crossed his face. His own sweat drenched him. He desperately wanted to stand his ground. To say nothing and stick it up my ass. But this¡­this was something else. A primal fear he had never experienced before. An accountant rarely handled the blade and cut flesh, not like Hodge and his followers. No, Brandon Satcher was a desk pusher who masqueraded as a tough guy, built his muscles for show, and pretended to be a blue-collared guy when he was nothing but a rich prick. When death glared at you in the face, you had no choice but to run, hide, or fight. That¡¯s just human nature. ¡°Tell him¡­¡± Brandon said softly. ¡°I¡­I¡­what?¡± ¡°Jess, tell him!¡± ¡°But, Brandon¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªJust. Fucking. Tell. Him!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t! I¡¯m sorry! I can¡¯t!¡± ¡°Jessica! Please!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± ¡°Oh, fuck¡­¡± It dawned on him like a barreling truck. ¡°Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck! Get me out of here!¡± ¡°Oh, shit, I can¡¯t look,¡± Conrad said and looked away, forcing his eyes shut. Brandon thrashed on his seat, waiting for the bolt to fire. He tried calculating his timing to see if he could duck just in time for the bolt to miss him. The first bolt did miss him--by an inch. It hit the headrest with a loud thump, clipping him on his right earlobe and pinning him on the chair. Brandon screamed as he pulled his head back, tearing his earlobe off to free himself. But the crossbow was already loaded with the second bolt, and I didn¡¯t give him enough time to collect himself before it fired. Thwack! The bolt slammed through his left eye. Brandon let out a stifled, high-pitched croak as if a stone had lodged in his throat. He was still alive, turning his head left and right as if he could see where the bolt had landed, not knowing it was already embedded inside his skull. Then, his other eye forcibly glided to the side, the nerves losing their signals, his vision blurring. ¡°I¡­I, Jess¡­¡± He tried to speak, but he couldn¡¯t find the words. Suddenly, the weight of his skull was too much, and he leaned forward, hoping that would help alleviate the pressure pounding at the back of his head. He stayed there forever, blood trickling out of his nostrils and his mouth. He let out one final strangled choke, an exhaled breath, and then silence. Except for everyone¡¯s screams¡ªJessica¡¯s, in particular. [ You have gained 1 essence: Brandon Satcher ] [ You have gained 150 crystals ] The crossbow swiveled again toward Conrad. And Conrad sang like a sweet fucking bird. They all did, eventually. Arc 4 | Last Resort (Part 4) LAST RESORT Part 4 The orb¡¯s murky green glow slowly died out, its magical properties seeping out of its core, turning it into a mundane object. Useless now, besides becoming a centerpiece. But it did the job by giving me what I wanted (and boring a hole through my wallet). I had four names. Four. Finally, I know who they are. Conrad gave me two, and after the metal cuffs on his wrists unlatched, freeing him, the two women changed their tune. Conrad promised that the first name was a lot closer to me. The cult knew him as The Collector. Conrad insisted that he had a strong relationship with him as a courier and knew the man by his name, Richard Viswanathan. Conrad also revealed¡ªto my thanks¡ªthat the North American headquarters of the cult was based in New York, where The Collector would be. The second name was something he had heard from The Collector. All Conrad knew was that this person was based in Dubai and that he was called The Teeth. All three¡ªAllie and Jessica included¡ªhad heard rumors about him that would make Goliath blush. He was wealthy and influential enough to have the full ear of the UAE¡¯s crown prince and affect the oil market. On the other hand, Jessica gave me only one name: The Blacksmith. She had dealings with him from Seoul, and Oracle confirmed that she had traveled to South Korea eight times in the past year. She didn¡¯t know his name, but The Blacksmith was the cult¡¯s weapons dealer and had plenty of connections with the East Asian governments, even funding several of the political unrests and revolutions across the continent. And Allie gave me the last name: The White Queen. She overheard Jonas talking to her during their countless nightly hookups. No real name was given, but Jonas was anxious whenever he spoke to her, and he was always mad and brought the mood down after their conversation. Allie swore that Jonas spoke to the White Queen at least once every week. I felt it was the same woman he had left a voicemail to before he died, and Oracle had traced that call to London. Since plenty of the cultists were congregating in England, she might be the big enchilada in this wild hunt I found myself in. With the brief exchange I overheard before I killed Jonas, The White Queen might have started all of this shit. She ordered my death and turned me into¡­this¡ªforever tethered me to this fate. The Seat. I finally know who they are. Now, all I needed to do was to find them. And when I find them¡­well, let¡¯s just say I had plenty of ideas. Jessica¡¯s sharp yelp brought me out of my thoughts, and I focused on the Furnace Chamber. Jessica was sitting on the platform¡¯s cold, bare metal floor while Allie helped tend to her injuries. ¡°Can you shut her up?!¡± Conrad spat with the crossbow in his hand. He managed to pry it off the contraption to use it as a weapon, but Goliath was already gone, hiding in the shadows. I wasn¡¯t worried he would be able to incapacitate him. Not with an arrow. It¡¯ll take more than that. ¡°Do you see him?¡± Conrad asked the others. He was afraid to leave the platform and the dim light and venture out into the far corners to look for the killer. No, he could tell that would be a death sentence. He was barely a fighter, and the only strong-looking guy in the group got mind-fucked through the eye. Strength in numbers, he probably thought. ¡°I¡ªI don¡¯t¡ªJess, you gotta stop moving. I¡¯m trying to pull it out,¡± Allie said, wiping the sweat forming on her forehead. Allie was not much of a medic, and she was clearly trying to do what she saw on TV. It looked cool on TV. They didn¡¯t show how disgusting it would be, though, and pulling an arrow out of someone¡¯s flesh didn¡¯t just slip off like butter. It felt like yanking it out of a wedged rock. Jessica, lying on the ground, seized Allie¡¯s wrist before she could pull the arrow out of her knee. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare, you bitch.¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s gonna hurt¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. You. Dare.¡± Jessica didn¡¯t make it to the last word when Allie yanked the bolt out of her knee, and the woman howled in pain. Blood spurted out, and Allie quickly tore off her sleeves and tied it around Jessica¡¯s leg. ¡°There, there. You¡¯re okay.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see stairs,¡± Conrad said. He pointed to the ladder. ¡°We have to get up there. I think I see a door. That might be the exit?¡± Jessica eyed the near-vertical ladder. ¡°Are you fucking kidding me? I can¡¯t climb that! Look at my leg!¡± Conrad scowled. ¡°Then, stay here! I¡¯m not holding your hand. You think that guy will leave us alone because we gave up The Seat?¡± ¡°That Castle guy said he¡¯ll let us go if we give him names. I¡­maybe he¡¯s not going to hurt us anymore?¡± Jessica asked. ¡°I¡¯ll believe it once I see daylight,¡± Conrad said. ¡°And people. Without masks.¡± ¡°Hold on! Where did he go?¡± Allie asked. Conrad shrugged. ¡°Fuck if I know. I don¡¯t see another door anywhere on this floor, though. Still, we can¡¯t stay on this platform. Not for long anyway.¡± Suddenly, he bent over, clutching his stomach where a bolt was still sticking out. He refused to take it out. He realized that once he did, he would bleed out quickly. ¡°Fuck, that hurt.¡± ¡°We really need to get that out of you,¡± Allie said. Conrad shook his head. ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to bleed out. We might have to do a lot of running.¡± ¡°Well, you can¡¯t run with that fucking thing inside you, dumbass.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just get to the ladder, please?¡± Conrad sighed, exasperated. ¡°No, I can¡¯t¡ª¡± Jessica started. ¡°Please, Allie. Don¡¯t make me climb that.¡± ¡°Jess, you have to! Or else we¡¯re going to leave you down here. You don¡¯t think I would?¡± Allie said sternly. ¡°That guy is probably waiting for the chance to pick us off one by one. You have to come with us, okay?¡± ¡°Easy for you to say!¡± ¡°That ladder¡¯s our only way out! Do you not understand that?¡± Jessica looked at the ladder again and then at Brandon, still sitting on the chair. She let out a soft whimper. ¡°Brandon¡­¡± Allie frowned. ¡°I know, I know. He¡¯s gone, Jess. We really have to move. Can you do that?¡± ¡°Okay. Um, I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll try. But it hurts, Allie. It really hurts.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll help you.¡± Allie wrapped Jessica¡¯s arm around her shoulder, pulling her up. ¡°Jesus, you women are slow. I¡¯m going to the ladder,¡± Conrad said and walked toward the ladder. ¡°Careful. The rungs are a bit dirty and slippery. I¡¯ll climb first.¡± ¡°Wait. Can we have the crossbow?¡± Allie asked. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cover you while you climb up.¡± ¡°Do you even know how to shoot this thing?¡± ¡°I¡­what, you think I can¡¯t?¡± Conrad held on to the weapon tighter. ¡°This stays with me.¡± He slung it over his shoulder for good measure. Allie stared daggers at his back. ¡°Asshole,¡± she muttered under her breath, though only Jessica could hear and nodded in agreement. She saw a pipe leaning to the side and grabbed it. Goliath watched from just behind the huge furnace, studying them intently. He didn¡¯t strike for now, and I reckoned he was waiting for them to get further up the ladder. After all, Jessica was slowing them down, and Conrad was being a dick. None of them were fighters, though, which was a good thing. Easy pickings. It was intentional that it looked rickety and unsafe, and I understood their hesitation and caution. It is all about the illusion and the atmosphere. With everything decorated, my Dread effects suffused this chamber at its maximum level. In the past four minutes since they were freed, their Resolve never rose. The exit was forty-eight feet up. To get to it, they had to climb two ladders and cross two narrow catwalks. The first catwalk hung twenty-five feet up, which Conrad just reached. The second loomed above at forty feet. ¡°Okay. Everything looks good!¡± He said. Allie turned to Jessica. ¡°You go first. I¡¯ll be right behind you, but we¡¯ll take this slow, okay?¡± Jessica nodded but stayed quiet. Above, Conrad didn¡¯t wait for the women to reach the catwalk and crossed it toward the next ladder. ¡°Conrad! Wait!¡± Allie said as Jessica lifted herself up to the fifth rung. ¡°You gotta help Jess get up there!¡± But Conrad didn¡¯t listen. ¡°I think I can see the door!¡± ¡°Wait up, damn it!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go open it and check. Don¡¯t worry!¡± Despite his caution, Conrad was eager to get out of the chamber. He was embarrassed that he peed and puked himself throughout the entire ordeal, and once he was freed, he didn¡¯t like that the women couldn¡¯t look him in the eye. He regretted wearing lighter gray pants, and it was obvious that he had soiled himself. Even I noticed the smell. As he crossed the catwalk, he glimpsed someone standing by the steel vat and fired the crossbow at the phantom shadow. However, he only managed to hit a pipe, which hissed steam after it was struck. ¡°Was it him?!¡± Allie shouted. ¡°Did you get him?¡± ¡°No, um, I don¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Save your ammo, idiot,¡± Jessica said after she reached the twelfth rung. Only thirteen more to go. ¡°A little bit more, Jess. We¡¯re almost there,¡± Allie encouraged. Jessica looked down at her doubtfully and struggled to reach the thirteenth rung. She paused for a couple of breaths. Back at the catwalk, Conrad loaded another bolt from his jacket¡¯s pocket, also struggling to draw the string back, taking him almost a minute just to load a bolt. He had to point the crossbow face down on the floor and use his foot for leverage. He didn¡¯t have the strength for it. Peeking out of his pockets, he only had three bolts left. Once the bolt was loaded, he cracked his knuckles, fingertips lined with bruised blood vessels and capillaries. His arthritis kicked in. He had to make his next shot count. ¡°I¡¯m gonna keep going,¡± Conrad called back. Allie nodded. ¡°Be careful¡ª¡± Too late. Conrad stepped onto a panel grating, and suddenly, gravity swelled, and a rush of air swallowed his legs. The panel collapsed and fell beneath him, leaving Conrad flailing for dear life. His stomach slammed onto the edge of the still intact floor ahead, but the impact broke off the bolt still sticking out of his gut. He let out a shriek, blood spurting out from his wound. He wanted to bend over to alleviate the pain, but instead, he scrambled for a handhold. Nothing. The blood¡ªalmost like oil¡ªmade it easier to slide down until, luckily, his fingers slipped into the catwalk floor¡¯s hexagonal holes. It looked like he broke his pinky finger doing it. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Conrad dangled twenty-five feet in the air with nothing but the bare, soot-ridden ground below to greet him. ¡°Shit! Shit, shit, shit!¡± Conrad shrieked. ¡°Help! I need help!¡± ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± Allie said, trying to climb ahead of Jessica. ¡°I¡¯m coming, Conrad! Hold on!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how long I can hold¡ª¡± The floor panel let out a piercing creak, snapped like a twig, and gave way, swinging Conrad around like a pi?ata. He spun in the air, crashing close to the edge of the platform, missing it by several feet. If he had swung further, his head would have smashed onto the concrete edge, and Conrad would be screaming a different tune. A resounding snap of bone echoed across the furnace chamber. Conrad¡¯s bloodshot eyes glistened, horrified and a bit confused by what just happened. The pain quickly reminded him, and he wailed. ¡°Help!¡± Conrad shouted. ¡°Get down here and help me!¡± Conrad grimaced. He didn¡¯t want to look at the gaping flesh nor the snapped bone, the tibia sticking out of his leg and almost protruding out of his pants¡¯ fabric, now soaked with blood. He had to reorient himself, thankful he didn¡¯t hit his head on the way down. But now he couldn¡¯t walk, and climbing the ladder in this condition would be difficult. Jessica had it easy. Worse, he dropped his crossbow, which sat on the catwalk above him. But something felt off. He didn¡¯t hear the others climbing down the ladder to help him. He didn¡¯t even hear them cry out. Looking up, Jessica and Allie gaped at him¡ªno¡ªat something behind him. And that was when he noticed the shadow cast by the furnace looming at his right side. A deep, muffled, cold breath echoed from behind, and Conrad slowly turned around to look over his shoulder and saw Goliath standing over him. Goliath raised his axe. Conrad took a deep breath and closed his eyes for the inevitable. ¡°Climb!¡± Allie screamed at Jessica from the top of the ladder. Below, Goliath hacked through Conrad¡¯s body. He managed to let out a shriek before the blade sliced through his collarbone at a slight angle and chopped off his vocal cords. He was still alive by the fourth hack, and Goliath was careful not to hit his head. He needed him alive to experience the precious, repulsive few seconds of pain and terror. Look what I am doing to you, to your body, and you can¡¯t do anything about it, Goliath tried to say. [ You have gained 1 essence: Conrad Crespo ] [ You have gained 150 crystals ] Goliath admired his handiwork for a few seconds to catch his breath. He gazed up at the catwalk, where Allie and Jessica shimmied around the missing floor by grabbing the railings and crossing the catwalk toward the second ladder. He searched Conrad¡¯s jacket and picked up the three crossbow bolts, placing them in his own pocket, and then walked toward the first ladder. Allie snatched the crossbow from the floor and looked down the hole. ¡°Oh, no! He¡¯s climbing up!¡± ¡°Quick! Shoot him!¡± Jessica screeched. Allie stood against the railings and aimed at the hulking figure climbing fast up the ladder. One bolt left, and she had to make this one count. They didn¡¯t see Goliath picking up Conrad¡¯s remaining ammo. ¡°What are you waiting for? Just shoot him!¡± Jessica said. ¡°I can¡¯t get the angle!¡± ¡°Allie, he¡¯s almost up!¡± ¡°He¡¯s too fast!¡± ¡°Shoot him already before he gets to us!¡± Allie panicked and pulled the trigger. The bolt flew through the air, hurtling toward Goliath. But Goliath barely ducked, stared at the women, and caught the bolt mid-air before it could hit him through the eye. Allie and Jessica gasped, horrified, as Goliath snapped the bolt with his thumb and curled fist and threw the wooden bits off to the side. Then, the masked behemoth lifted himself up to the catwalk landing. Like a cat playing with their food, Goliath took this moment slowly. He sauntered toward the panicking women like a stalking lion, as if he knew there was no way out. No escapes. No amount of begging would make him think otherwise. He left the axe lodged in Conrad¡¯s body below, but he was high enough that he¡¯d use gravity to do the job for him. He still had his hunting knife sheathed on his belt, but he only used that for special occasions or during emergencies. Meanwhile, Allie and Jessica scrambled to climb the second ladder, especially Jessica. Allie¡¯s makeshift bandages around Jessica¡¯s wound were not helping, and she was slowly bleeding out, making her weaker and paler. She only made it halfway through before she realized Goliath had reached the bottom rung and was watching up at her curiously. ¡°Get away!¡± Allie shouted and threw the crossbow down at him. Goliath caught it again mid-air and slung it around his shoulder. He began to climb. ¡°Jess, keep moving! He¡¯s below you!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t! Oh, I can¡¯t, Allie!¡± Jessica clung to the ladder, frozen in fear. ¡°Move! You have to move!¡± Allie finally reached the top of the ladder, bent down, and reached for Jessica¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯re almost there, Jess! Take my hand!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± ¡°Take my hand! Reach! You can do it!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± ¡°Reach!¡± ¡°Ahhh!¡± Jessica shrieked. Goliath seized her ankle and yanked her down, but the woman managed to hold onto the ladder by looping her arms around the rung. ¡°Get off! Get off of me!¡± ¡°Jess!¡± Allie watched in horror as Jessica fought for her life. Jessica¡¯s grip was getting weaker. She barely had seconds of adrenaline to go in the tank, and she couldn¡¯t hold on to that ladder forever. Goliath climbed another rung higher just to reach her better, wrapping his big hand around her wounded knee and sinking his thumb through her gaping flesh. Jessica let out another high-pitched cry, loosening her grasp on the rung. And that was enough leverage for Goliath to grab her ankle again and yank her down. She missed the catwalk below. It would have saved her if she did, but Goliath yanked and swung her in the direction of the furnace, and Jessica fell to the ground on her back next to Conrad¡¯s chopped-up body. She was still alive from the forty-foot fall, but it had severed her spine, and she couldn¡¯t move. Goliath could tell as well, and instead of going down to finish the job, he turned his fiery gaze to the last woman standing. Allie looked down at Jessica prone, eyes glistening with regret and guilt. She had no other choice. So, she scrambled to her feet and ran across the catwalk toward the exit door. I reckoned she only had fifteen seconds left before Goliath was on her. I got lucky that she tripped midway through in her panic, losing precious seconds of her escape. She got back to her feet, pushing every strength she had to get there, extending her hand out for the door, and¡ª Thwack! The crossbow bolt slammed through the nape of her neck and out of her throat. Allie crumpled to the floor, thrashing and choking. She grasped the sharp edge of the bolt protruding out of her neck, trying to rationalize her fate. She was on the floor, and the door was right fucking there. She reached out for the handle but couldn¡¯t find the strength to get up and grasp it. Goliath towered above her, head tilted to the side as if studying her pain and anguish. He discarded the crossbow to the side. Allie let out another gurgled croak, trying to breathe through her nose, but snot and blood blocked it; she was drowning in her own blood. Goliath seized her by the armpits and heaved her over the railing. Bones and flesh crunched and squelched as she landed right next to Jessica, blood and brain matter splattering all over the prone woman¡¯s face. Jessica couldn¡¯t move nor scream, paralyzed from the neck down. All she could do was watch Goliath climb back down the ladder toward her. [ You have gained 1 essence: Allie Collins ] [ You have gained 150 crystals ] > GRAVITY KILLS, Oracle said nonchalantly. Or maybe not. It was tough to tell the emotions of a computer, okay? Plus, he hardly made off-the-cuff comments when a delver died, letting Demon do all the commentary work instead. I turned to look at the computer with a curious gaze. ¡°Did¡­did you just make a joke?¡± If it was, Demon would be proud. It took Oracle a moment to reply. > I AM STATING A FACT, he said. I kept my gaze on him a bit longer. ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you joke around a bit, Oracle. You¡¯re always so serious.¡± Oracle did not respond. To be fair, a lot of people have fallen to their deaths today, especially the twenty-two cultists on the plane. Oracle updated me that it was massive news across dozens of channels, and social media was blowing up with various videos from the hikers on the ground and the commuters along I-84. The current assumption was that it was some kind of terrorist attack. As I said before, planes didn¡¯t randomly explode in the sky, and the FAA would take months of investigation to determine the cause. For the next ten minutes, Goliath dragged the bodies (and body parts) of the delvers and threw them into the furnace. But before he could drag Jessica to the oven next to her boyfriend, Demon¡¯s shadow lingered above her body. Goliath waited and folded his arms. He seemed to acknowledge something unsaid between them with a slow, deliberate nod. Then, Demon slipped inside Jessica through her mouth and nostrils. Her eyes shot open a heartbeat later, and the once-familiar blue irises blazed with an unnatural, molten golden hue. Jessica got up and stretched, and her wounds gradually healed, leaving only scars. You had to thank infernal healing for that, and most fiends possessed them. ¡°This new body has¡­spice,¡± Demon said, stretching her spine. ¡°I never really asked. How long can you inhabit that body? It might take weeks until the next delve.¡± ¡°Indefinitely,¡± she said. ¡°Although, if I possessed a human for more than two weeks and I leave their flesh voluntarily or forced out of it, they just die from a heart attack or a stroke.¡± Good to know. ¡°Need help, Goldie?¡± Demon asked Goliath. Goliath chucked Conrad¡¯s arm inside the oven and shook his head. Then, he walked toward the wall¡¯s control panel and turned the oven on. And there they are, the cultists burnt to a crisp. But I got my essence and didn¡¯t mind that it¡¯s over-baked. Goliath approached one of my many-eyes, waiting for orders. ¡°Was that fun?¡± I asked him. Goliath glanced at the furnace and shrugged. I chuckled. ¡°I promise to give you a longer hunt next time. Maybe with several delvers. I¡¯m sorry, but we had to get rid of these cultists fast.¡± He raised all ten of his fingers. ¡°Ten Delvers? You think you can handle that many on your own?¡± Demon asked. ¡°I mean, I can. Possess three bodies, divide and conquer, and win the night.¡± He gave me two thumbs up. ¡°I always appreciate your confidence, Goliath,¡± I said. ¡°Me, too,¡± Demon said. ¡°Oh, bad news, my liege. I am rifling through Jessica¡¯s memories; she had no recollection of The Blacksmith¡¯s face. She was just talking to one of his emissaries. Another lawyer, she thinks. Also, do you know she is allergic to olives and shellfish? This body sucks.¡± ¡°Do you have a name for this emissary?¡± Demon nodded. ¡°Kim Min-Jun. It could be an alias. A handsome fellow. They¡¯ve met five times, and she was thinking of fucking him on several occasions.¡± ¡°Oracle, can you find anything about that guy?¡± > I¡¯LL SEE WHAT I CAN FIND THROUGH THE INTERNET, BUT SOUTH KOREA IS SO FAR AWAY. THEY ARE NOT WITHIN MY BORDERS. MY EYES ARE LIMITED. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just do your best,¡± I said. [ The Immaran Guild has rewarded you 10,000 crystals. You may use it at your own convenience. ] And there it is. ¡°Huh. True to their word,¡± I said. ¡°Indeed,¡± Demon said. Maybe a part of me doubted Elvis¡¯s promises, but I must admit, he got me there. I imagined hundreds of administrators cheering for the delvers¡¯ deaths a few moments ago, and I didn¡¯t know if I should be sickened or proud of it. A part of me enjoyed what I was doing to these cultists. I had no sympathy for them. But what if it was one of the hikers nearby? I shuddered just thinking about it. Looking at my Core Tab, this reward would bring me up to a total of twenty-six thousand crystals, plus change. My essence total brought it to thirty-one. Jessica¡¯s essence hadn¡¯t been collected yet.
NORTH CEDAR LAKE
Dread Level: 6/10 - new dungeon(+); bloodthirsty core (++); massive domain(+); massacre site (++)
Crystals: 26,150 Essence: 31
> NEW YORK CITY IS THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE COLLECTOR, Oracle reminded me. ¡°I¡¯ve never thought about the logistics of creating a dungeon inside an urban hellscape,¡± I said. ¡°Do you think building one in the middle of a city is a good idea?¡± > NEW YORK CITY HAS A POPULATION OF SEVEN MILLION POTENTIAL DELVERS ABOVE THE AGE OF FIFTEEN. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t run out of potential delvers,¡± Demon said. ¡°But it will make our anonymity difficult to manage.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not planning on feeding on seven million people. That¡¯s not happening.¡± Oracle and Demon said nothing. I am not killing that many people. Besides, a delve like that would require wiping them out before dawn. But if I have to do it, I can summon an archetype like¡­no. Focus. This is not the time. I ignored the logistics for now. I looked at Oracle¡¯s screen of the security feed at the Evergreen Medical Center. Danny and Tessa were still unconscious, tended to by Doctor Calloway and several nurses. I had plenty of time to plan my next move and expand my territory before they woke up. ¡°We know our targets now,¡± I said to each one of my archetypes across my domain. ¡°Our focus is to grow. I sent them a convincing message not to fuck with me again, but the next time we see them, they¡¯ll be ready for us, so we have to be ready as well.¡± > I CAN PERFORM A BACKGROUND CHECK ON RICHARD VISWANATHAN AND PREPARE A REPORT FOR YOU BY THE END OF THE DAY. WARNING: NEW YORK IS NOT WITHIN MY BORDERS. I AM LIMITED IN MY ABILITY TO FIND ANYTHING ABOUT HIM. THE LIKELIHOOD OF HIS ONLINE FOOTPRINT IS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. ¡°If we are dealing with people like him, they would have covered their tracks and scrubbed off any evidence that they exist,¡± Demon interjected. ¡°Thank you, Oracle. He¡¯s our prime target. Once we have him, we¡¯ll know the identities of the other three, but it¡¯s a long journey to New York. I will build the second dungeon in the city.¡± I waited for the others to oppose such a risky plan and the second dungeon¡¯s location. Old Growth was the only one reluctant to go for it, but I told him Central Park could be a potential home. There were plenty of parks in the city, too. Having multiple dungeons was like having a massive teleportation gateway. I couldn¡¯t teleport the cabin and the lake in the middle of the city, but my archetypes could freely move between the two locations. I could do that as well. Both dungeons shared the same dread and stats. After all, it was still me, just another extended body part or an organ. If I wanted to make them have different auras, I had to manually purchase the traits. Other than Oldie¡¯s reluctance to be a plant monster in an urban jungle, Demon, Goliath, and Oracle liked the plan because they had more territories and hunting grounds to explore. However, Siren loved it. The rivers and the bay were nearby. She had plenty of water to cover on the surface and under the city. She also reminded me that Sirens could easily navigate the city¡¯s sewer systems. North Cedar Lake and the underwater cave system were a kiddie pool to her. ¡°Four-hundred and sixty-three essences. It might take us a couple of years, maybe three, to collect that amount without raising any suspicions. Oracle, can you also find out anything about The Institute? Jessica mentioned it earlier. It didn¡¯t sound like they are part of the cult, but I want to know if they are dangerous or if we should keep an eye on them.¡± > I WILL, LORD DUNGEON. We had a plan. It might not be concrete right now, but at least I had given my archetypes a goal to hit, at the expense of murdering four-hundred and sixty-three delvers. But today, I needed to focus on growing myself and increasing my power. I needed to build my arsenal so that by the time I created the second dungeon, my armies would march through the portal and destroy The Collector¡¯s men and anyone who dared oppose me. No doubt a person like him had better security than Jonas and Hodge. Maybe even better magic if what Conrad said was true that the members of The Seat were favored by Astaroth himself. I had to assume that they possessed infernal magic and protections. I can¡¯t take any chances. I regarded the others again. ¡°I think it¡¯s time for an upgrade, don¡¯t you think?¡± I opened the [ Monsters ] tab on the menu and selected each of my archetypes¡¯ fourth traits. Arc 4 | Last Resort (Part 5) LAST RESORT Part 5 For the next two days, I scoured through the massive list of traits for my monsters. Since I only had one slot to fill for each of them, I had to make it count. This would be a part of them for a long time until I could unlock the fifth trait. Once I was ready, I gathered the others by the boathouse. It wasn¡¯t a good idea for them to walk inside the cabin now that we¡¯d set up the fake crime scene for the cops to find later. Plus, spending more crystals to clean up any of their messes was a waste of resources. So, the lake it is. I could feel their excitement. Today, they were going to receive some much-needed upgrades on their traits, plus a fourth additional trait, as promised. From creation, each archetype started with three monster traits that defined their features, attacks, and defensive capabilities, among others. Now that an administrator (and a guild) had sponsored me, they were kind enough to let me know that I could unlock nine additional traits in the future by either purchasing them with crystals and essence or by completing a hidden System quest. The latter I got when I completed my first official scenario and killed the cultists the System desperately wanted dead. A stacked and fully upgraded archetype would have a total of twelve traits, upgraded to the maximum level of twelve each, which would also cost more crystals and essence. How many do I need for that? At least seven hundred essences spent on one archetype by the end? I hated math in high school and barely made a passing grade in geometry. Fortunately, I had Oracle¡ªmy super calculator. Obviously, I didn¡¯t have enough crystals to completely upgrade their sheets today, but I was determined to give each of them their fourth trait. After the work they¡¯ve done helping me in the past week, it¡¯s only fair I returned the favor. Buying a fourth trait would cost five essences and a thousand crystals per archetype. Lucky for me, these traits came for free when I completed the System¡¯s hidden quest, or else this would be such a freaking expensive endeavor that would bankrupt me; it¡¯s not even worth it. But free is nice. Free is good. When I opened the [ Monster ] tab from the menu, everyone immediately felt my presence in the System. Goliath straightened his back and stood in attention, and Demon¡¯s body¡ªnow possessing Jessica¡ªsteamed with smoke, which fired all sorts of bright flashes of hellfire. Siren even stopped brushing her hair and sang a soft, soulful hymn on the rock she sat on. Little white daisies bloomed all over Old Growth¡¯s body, trembling with anticipation. Nodding, I opened Goliath¡¯s archetype sheet first. I had thought about giving him this trait from the beginning, but it didn¡¯t make the cut as his starting trait. Now, he can finally have it, I thought. I was extremely lucky that he already had experience as a fighter due to his background as a marine, although I didn¡¯t really believe it was all luck. As a Death Core, I attracted killers, sinners, and murderers to my domain with unusual frequency. Like I was a magnet or something. Why wouldn¡¯t the System choose Andy to be The Goliath? Like calls to like, after all. For his fourth trait, I wanted something that would elevate his skills as a killer and a hunter, making him a formidable force to be reckoned with during a delving night. I hoped.
Expert Hunter I The monster has expert mastery in their hunting skills, adaptability, and techniques for three (3) types of creatures. (Selected: Humanoids; Demonic; Beasts). They can automatically sense the presence of the selected creatures within a five-mile radius and track them with extreme accuracy, intuitively perceive their prey¡¯s weaknesses, and exploit their fears. They also apply the appropriate hunting & tracking skills to gain advantage in two (2) terrains. (Selected: Forest, Urban). This is a passive trait.
Humanoids and Beasts made sense, given the planet we were on, but I selected Demonic for the third creature type. Maybe not soon, but I felt I would be dealing with Astaroth¡¯s forces in the future the more I chased after the cult across the globe. No doubt the devil prince was super fucking pissed. I killed many of his followers and made him lose a foothold on Earth. Who wouldn¡¯t be? After all the hard work he had done? Well, that¡¯s what you get for murdering me, asshole. And besides, the members of The Seat were technically fiend adjacent. They might have other fiends serving under them. They got their powers from a prime infernal source¡ªa High Prince of Hell. I already knew demons existed. Who knew how many demonic forces were roaming on Earth that didn¡¯t work for The Seat? They might strike tomorrow or far in the future, so it was best if I covered all my bases now rather than wait for the shoe to drop later. But if they ever get within five miles of my dungeon, Goliath would sniff them out like a bloodhound, and I would be ready for them. His chosen terrain was self-explanatory. We lived in the woods, and there were several mid-sized towns nearby for him to explore if he liked. New York was in the books, and Portland was on the horizon. Goliath gave me a hearty two-thumbs up. When it came to honing and improving skills, he would be the guy who would appreciate it more. Men like him strived to be the best¡ªto keep going until nothing was left. I closed Goliath¡¯s sheet and opened Siren¡¯s. Her fourth trait was easier to settle on, especially after what Demon had said about sirens and how, in other worlds, they were considered social, albeit predatory creatures. Sure, they formed communities around hunting and luring sailors to their deaths, but such creatures could still get lonely when isolated for too long. Siren had been alone for a week, and though I didn¡¯t hear her complain, I could tell she yearned for a pod of her own. Without the dungeon and the System, Siren would have run away long ago looking for her kind or withered away in the deepest depths of the ocean without a pod and died of loneliness. Do sirens even exist on Earth? I asked Siren about that, and she wasn¡¯t sure. It¡¯s not like she had an antenna to sense her kin across the entire freaking planet. I reckoned that¡¯s a big fat maybe. Human cultures had plenty to say about sirens¨Cboth scary, the romantic, and the Little Mermaid version. Did the sirens exist in the past, only hunted to extinction? Without proof, I assumed she was the last of her kind on this planet. I¡¯m going to change that, I thought.
Pod of Sirens I The monster hunts in a maximum pod of four (4). Their hunting tactics and intelligence increase when in proximity with the same creature type, increasing Dread and rapidly lowering a delver¡¯s Resolve when faced with two (2) or more monsters at once. When hunting in a pod, the monsters¡¯ endurance and regenerative properties increase.
The lake¡¯s surface shuddered, the slightest tremble beneath the earth, the low echoing boom of a gong or cannon in the distance, always heralding an archetype¡¯s arrival. In this case, multiple archetypes. The price for making Siren¡¯s life on Earth comfortable cost me three essences for summoning three additional sirens, forming her pod. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t eat up my dungeon archetype limit since these three new arrivals shared the same abilities as the original siren. Their tails gently licked above the water¡¯s surface as they swam closer toward the shore. Siren let out the brightest smile and sang a high-pitched, vibrant note, her voice filling the lake with an amorous embrace. Three voices sang after her, matching her song of greeting, their heads barely bobbing up and down from the water. Like all sirens, they had the upper body of a strikingly beautiful woman and the tail of a fish. One had bright blonde hair, the other had copper-red hair, and the last was almost bald. Siren jumped off the rock she was sitting on and swam to the others. Demon rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh, great. Now, there are four. How am I going to sleep with them singing all night?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sleep,¡± I reminded her. Even when she was possessing a body, the Demon never slept. ¡°But Goliath does.¡± Goliath gave her a slight, careless shrug. ¡°See? He doesn¡¯t mind,¡± I said. ¡°I suppose so,¡± Demon sighed. ¡°But what are we going to call them? I¡¯m not calling all of them Siren.¡± She was right about that. They couldn¡¯t all be Siren. ¡°You know, I never really asked. Do you all have names you went by before I summoned you? Before I made names for you?¡± I asked the entire group. ¡°A devil¡¯s true name is never uttered,¡± Demon said. ¡°But I was known by many names. Ugly names I care not to repeat. You may call me whatever you like, my liege.¡± Goliath matched my stern gaze, so I guessed he didn¡¯t want to be addressed by his old name. Fine, I¡¯ll respect that. The sirens, to my surprise, had no need for verbal names. They communicated through song and recognized other sirens based on their frequency and vibrations in the water¡ªlike dolphins or whales¡ªby whistling or clicking. I pointed at the original siren to make it easier on myself and the others. ¡°You will be Penelope,¡± I said, and she nodded and flashed me a demure smile. I pointed at the blonde one with the high cheekbones and a narrow but strong jawline. ¡°You are Scylla.¡± I pointed at the redhead with the curly shoulder-length hair and pale, freckled skin. ¡°Circe.¡± And then I regarded the tallest of the sirens, closely shaved head with bright emerald eyes, straight shoulders, and dark skin as midnight. ¡°And Calypso.¡± Demon folded her arms and smirked. ¡°And who are you, my lord? Odysseus?¡± The bastard Poseidon, most likely, I mused, but I didn¡¯t answer her. I regarded the sirens again to see if they agreed with their names. I doubted they¡¯d object since they followed my word without question or hesitation. If these were the names they were given, then it shall be. ¡°Unless you have other preferences?¡± I asked just to be polite. The sirens shook their heads and agreed to their new names. However, they didn¡¯t seem to care much for it since they were more enthused with each other¡¯s company, swimming and leaping out of the water and playing games like dolphins and orcas would. Demon immediately raised her hand. ¡°Oh, me next! I¡¯m ready!¡± I stifled a laugh and opened Demon¡¯s archetype sheet. Someone¡¯s impatient. Demon had been one of my strongest archetypes from the beginning¡ªpossibly the strongest. Even though Oracle had the highest Dread Score of nine amongst my archetypes, he lacked direct offensive capabilities and was limited to only affecting electronics and machinery. Most of the time, I used him as a spying tool to eliminate any threats outside my borders. By doing that, I missed out on a lot of essence. On a delve, he could only jam any outgoing or incoming communications and stop the delvers from escaping my dungeon. On the other hand, Demon was nigh unstoppable every delve due to the fiend¡¯s passive limited immortality. Pretty much the only way to defeat them was through an exorcism, by gaining a strong will to prevent possession or having enough magical powers to drive them out and eradicate them. Angelic archetypes also shared such features. Humans¨Cearth humans¨Cwere not built like that. As long as there were no priests or a strong-willed devout person in a delving party, Demon would dominate the dungeon, especially when they could now possess a maximum of three delvers to fuck with them. So, I invested in making them into a true nightmare of the night.
Flesh Puppeteer I For a limited time, the monster can possess, control, and manipulate multiple defiled and severed flesh and body parts within the dungeon. It doesn¡¯t have to be an intact body. They can generate physiological and biological changes of any shape and form to create a hybrid out of flesh by growing extra limbs, rows of teeth, multiple eyes, etc. This will negatively affect a delver¡¯s Resolve when within line of sight of a mutated flesh. This is a possession trait, and it counts toward the limited possessions this monster can have at the same time. They do not have total concealment and can be dispatched by physical means and dismemberment. Duration: 1 hour.
Demon giggled. ¡°What are the chances? Back in Hell, I¡¯m known by my colleagues as a flesh artist.¡± ¡°Really? What does that look like?¡± I asked and immediately regretted asking her the moment the words left my mouth. ¡°Same old, same old. I dismembered and stitched together odd body parts from other animals to sinners as their eternal punishment and then made them run and dance with them. We do that to the murderers and psychopaths. My favorite is adding a wolf¡¯s snout on the belly! Or tentacles for legs! Yes, the last one¡¯s my favorite. It¡¯s so funny watching them run with it. Like a toddler trying to walk on a bouncing castle.¡± Stolen novel; please report. Much to Demon¡¯s amusement, I tried to get the mental image out of my head. ¡°Ah, do not worry, lord dungeon. I will put this ability to good use. Not the fun stuff. Practical, but bloody, use.¡± That, I do not doubt, I thought. Over the sea of evergreen, the sun was slowly sinking into the sunset on the horizon. I opened Old Growth¡¯s sheet next. I noted his concerns about blending with the environment earlier, and it made me wonder if I could find an ability to help him with it. Most of his traits were used for offense. To make him faster and stronger. Be able to chase down a delver at frightening speed. Shoot javelins from his appendages. Tear and claw a delver limb from limb. But I hadn¡¯t given him anything to protect himself besides running away from danger and hoping for the best. I wanted something he could use to defend himself and as a hunting tactic. When he stalked Tessa and Clay around the junkyard last night, his natural plant-like body blended with the forest canopy, giving me an idea. Maybe I could give him something like that, which he could apply to anywhere else¡ªeven in a heavily populated city like New York.
Terrain Mimicry I The monster can blend into the selected surroundings with perfect accuracy in texture, lighting, and coloration to avoid direct sensory perception, and making them invisible to the naked eye. They are not immune to other various means of sight (body heat sensors, night vision, divination magic, etc.). When the camouflage effects are activated, the monster is slowed to half its speed. Select three (3) terrains: Forest, Mountain, Urban.
Old Growth¡¯s legs began to turn translucent and eventually merged with the weathered stones littered across the lakeshore. He snapped it back to his old form, nodding appreciatively. I guess he liked that. ¡°Remind me not to play hide-and-seek with him,¡± Demon said. The sirens all laughed from the water. Spurred by the attention, Old Growth dipped his claws into the water, and the sirens giggled some more, amused and in awe as they watched his body blend underwater, becoming part of the lake. You couldn¡¯t really spot the difference unless you were really looking or if you were standing at the right angle. It was pretty trippy. ¡°And it works underwater, too,¡± Demon said. ¡°Impressive. No more hide-and-seek.¡± Goliath crossed his arms and chuckled. I didn¡¯t know Goliath could laugh or that he had it in him, but I was glad to see it. And finally, I turned my attention to Oracle. ¡°Saved the best for last, my dude behind the desk,¡± I said. Demon clapped excitedly. I already mentioned that Oracle was missing physical offensive capabilities, something he could use while inside the dungeon, so it was a no-brainer to give him a weapon of his own, one where he could not just attack but cause fear.
Nanite Swarm I The monster can create, shape, and manipulate tiny robotic materials the size of a nanometer. The swarm can hover and fly. It is large enough to shape a medium-sized humanoid form and has the strength and agility of an average humanoid. These nanites have weapons (Selected: Razor Sharp Pincers). Since they are advanced computers, they gain one (1) unique tech ability (Selected: Illusory Reality). They can produce near-realistic virtual reality through holograms against one (1) delver, acting like a mage¡¯s illusion spell. A delver with a high Resolve increases the chance of this illusion being broken. However, they are susceptible to technological countermeasures to disable or stun them. A high Resolve delver can aid in breaking out a low Resolve delver from an illusion.
Oracle would no longer be trapped inside a computer and limited by its space, but he could explore North Cedar Lake (and beyond) with his brand-new form. With it, he could protect himself better. Who knows? He could participate during the delves and hunt the other delvers. Now that Oracle could freely move physically, the radius for his other traits also moved with him. Because he could fly, I could send Oracle to New York, scout the city ahead, and try to find The Collector himself. But it¡¯s such a risky plan without a backup that I¡¯d be a fucking idiot to go through with it. I might send him there once he was stronger if more of his traits were upgraded, or when I am confident that he could take care of himself. I am a patient man. And the one thing why I wanted him to have this trait was that, together with Demon, they would be great infiltrators and even better spies. Nanites were small enough to latch onto someone¡¯s clothes and listen to conversations. I could spread it out and spy on multiple people beyond my borders! The boathouse door opened, and a humanoid shape emerged from within, looking like a bunch of ants were swarming their body. It had no face¡ªjust a blank swarming feature except for hollowed eye sockets and a hint of cheekbones. Demon and Goliath almost leaped into action, ready to cut him into pieces, when the shape raised his hands and shouted in a panic, ¡°It¡¯s me! Oracle!¡± He said through a voice modulator emanating from the swarm. ¡°Oracle?¡± Demon laughed. ¡°Is that really you?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± he asked questioningly, confused about what Demon found so funny. ¡°A portable computer swarm. That is always convenient to have.¡± ¡°I have downloaded several videos mimicking human emotions, mostly from several clips of soap operas and Oscar-winning movies. This should help me blend better with the nearby human population if you want me to further spy on Point Hope and keep an eye on Danny and Tessa,¡± Oracle said. ¡°You want to do that?¡± I asked. Oracle tilted his head. ¡°Since I was given an illusory trait, I can turn this body into a near replica of a human. I thought that is why you gave me this trait.¡± ¡°Oh. No, not just that. Um, I guess I didn¡¯t want to leave you out whenever the others are¡­hunting.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Oracle lowered his head. ¡°In any case, I can already see several applicable parameters. But I will need more assessments. More tweaks before I am ready.¡± ¡°Heh. Well, it beats reading the screen all the time. Now I can finally talk to you, er, face to face?¡± ¡°Quite right, my lord dungeon.¡± ¡°Can this swarm even fight?¡± Demon asked. If looks could kill, Oracle would have cut Demon into ribbons. Instead, he strode over to Goliath and extended his palm out. ¡°May I?¡± He pointed at the knife sheathed on Goliath¡¯s belt. Goliath raised an eyebrow, but he surprisingly handed the knife to him a beat later. Oracle didn¡¯t waste any time twirling the blade around his hand and threw it against the nearby tree. The knife slammed into the bark with such force that it shook the canopy. Several birds nesting above scrambled to fly away, disturbed by the sudden violent vibration. Then, his hand disintegrated into a cloud of black grain, hurtling toward the tree. Using the nanites¡¯ pincers, he ¡°ate¡± through the thick wood, cutting and felling the tree in half in under forty seconds. Once the tree had fallen, Oracle turned to face us. ¡°This swarm will do.¡± Demon cackled and clapped while Goliath marched toward the fallen knife and picked it up. He glared at Oracle, but his eyes quickly softened. Even he appreciated the display of power.
Above us, dusk began to settle in the sky. Now, all I had to do was sit back and watch the others practice their new skills and talents. But Demon turned to me. ¡°Didn¡¯t the System also bequeath you with new toys, my lord? What have you decided?¡± Right. ¡°Shit, I almost forgot,¡± I said. I was so focused on getting the others their traits that I didn¡¯t even bother checking mine. ¡°You all enjoy your night now. I doubted there would be a delve tonight, and I don¡¯t sense anyone nearby.¡± I glimpsed Goliath, nodding his head and agreeing with me. While the others approached the edge of the dock to introduce themselves to the new sirens, I was busy looking over my long list of options to upgrade my Core. I looked over the list of environmental auras for North Cedar Lake. Due to how open my dungeon¡¯s borders were to the outside world, I wanted to reduce the chances of escape like Leo did a few nights ago. I didn¡¯t want to block off their exit completely but instead made it harder to traverse the forest the closer they were to the border.
Disorienting Overgrowth The woods are not a delver¡¯s friend. Once triggered, thick overgrowth of trees and vegetation materializes around the dungeon¡¯s borders, making it harder to find the path to a True Exit. You may designate one (1) true exit for each delve that the delvers must follow to leave your dungeon. If a delver has a low RESOLVE and fails to increase their WILLPOWER, they will be turned around and return at the heart of your domain (Selected: The Cabin). Duration: Until Dawn
My intentions weren¡¯t to be cruel by limiting how the delvers leave my domain but to add a cryptic puzzle. I planned to leave little clues scattered around the cabin and across the property on how to exit my domain if they couldn¡¯t last until dawn. These could be from creepy paintings, old-found footage from VHS tapes, journals from ¡°fake¡± delvers who fell victim to my monsters, a nursery rhyme that the sirens could compose, or urban legends I could disseminate in Point Hope and the other nearby towns. But if I had delvers I really wanted dead (like the cult)¡­then they¡¯re out of luck. Of course, the actual exit wouldn¡¯t be the same for all the delves. Instead of acquiring another skill, I improved my [ Telekinesis ] to prolong its active state and power. Now, I could levitate and move creatures and objects of eight hundred pounds for four minutes instead of one. [ Heat Surge ] also got updated, which gave me the option to blow the hand (or pockets) of the delver that grabbed me into bloody bits. Like a concentrated mini grenade, I mused. They wouldn¡¯t have a fun time after that. But I wasn¡¯t done. Now that I was legitimized by the System as a true Death Core (and not get eaten by the Administrators as junk food, discarded by the System), a new tab opened in my Core: The Death Core traits. After reading through it, I realized that all Cores were just like archetypes upon their creation. We come from the same god¡ªor Mother?¡ªafter all. Like the archetypes, each Core received three starting traits of their choosing that were unique to a Death Core ONLY. Although the list wasn¡¯t as robust as theirs, plenty caught my eye and might be very useful in the future. After an hour of searching, I narrowed it down to these two traits.
Control Weather I You can summon, shape, and manipulate the weather on both small and larger scales across a radius of a hundred miles. You can also sense and manipulate changes in air pressure, temperature, and humidity, which enables you to control the intensity of the weather. Due to your planet¡¯s weather cycle, you can control the wind, call lightning and thunder, and shape water. As a Death Core trait, this negates Resolve requirement. Cost: 10 Power. Duration: 1-24 Hours.
Arcane Resistance I You have a passive resistance to all arcane disciplines, spells, influence, and energy damage. You are resistant to all scrying magic and divine interventions, and alerts you of such effects. You also have a higher chance to negate or counter powerful spells that target you, even dissipating them completely ineffective at the cost of ten (10) Power per counter.
Fractal Omniscience I You can meld with the minds of all the potential delvers within your domain and those within a hundred miles of your dungeon. You must be familiar with their name and exact location. You can read their thoughts, experience their desires, glimpse their memories, and feel their pain, fears, and suffering. You can focus on multiple delvers all at once without a limit. This trait does not allow telepathic communication. As a Death Core trait, this negates Resolve requirement. Cost: 10 Power. Duration: 1-24 Hours.
Elvis wasn¡¯t kidding when he mentioned how dangerous Death Cores were. I could see why. Although it ate up a lot of power to channel them, their duration and net of influence were massive, especially when I didn¡¯t have to wait for a delver¡¯s Resolve to go down for my abilities to affect them. The smart thing to do was to start small. Other than the Cult of Astaroth, I wanted to be incognito to the rest of the world. At least while I was just starting out. Choosing an ability that could induce a city¡¯s entire population into sleep paralysis and slowly succumb to dehydration or summon a tidal wave of shadows that would rend flesh down to the bone like piranhas was not very useful nor practical. In battle, yes, but it¡¯s limited to only that. It would also attract too much-unwanted attention. I had no plans of destroying Earth and plunging the planet into the apocalypse. I can¡¯t have that; I live here. My family still lives here. I went for manipulating the weather instead. It¡¯s quite practical and has a lot of applications. Just creating a downpour passively improved the Dread effects of my domain. Let¡¯s call it set dressing or mood setting. A blizzard could trap delvers in one location and limit their movement. An atmospheric storm could also cut them off from the rest of civilization for the night. If I didn¡¯t want anyone near my dungeon, I could summon a flash flood or an ice storm to deter them from going anywhere near my borders. Perhaps I¡¯d learn more once I get enough practice. Arcane Resistance was a no-brainer. I was already uneasy that the Administrators were watching my every move. But what if The Seat had scrying abilities of their own? Well, I couldn¡¯t have them snooping around my domain. No fucking way. Unfortunately, the System wouldn¡¯t allow me to be immune to all forms of magic. I kept forgetting that one of the delvers¡¯ primary goals was to destroy me to win the dungeon (and get all the loot). Favorite or not, the System wouldn¡¯t bat an eye if I died. I am still fair game in the grand scheme of things. As for reading minds, I could read everyone like a book. Secrets. Desires. Ambition. Fears. The chapters of their lives unraveled before me. I didn¡¯t pick it up because I wanted to be Professor Xavier (okay, it¡¯s a little bit of that), but no one would be a stranger to me. I would be familiar with their lives and memories as if I lived them myself. I had difficulty giving Leo and Tessa their reward, and I was still unsatisfied with what I gave them. With this, I would already know. Not what they wanted but what they needed. ¡°Why read minds?¡± Demon asked me once she felt the changes in my domain. It took me a moment to answer. I already knew my reasons, yes, but the practical ones. Look, I¡¯m not an idiot. I¡¯m perfectly aware that the human part of me was slowly fading away since I woke up in that dark glade, singing blades soaked with my blood. Maybe this was a way¨Ca slim chance¨Cto keep my humanity alive within me, albeit through some fucked-up voyeuristic lens. To remind myself who I was feeding on. These are people, and they have lives. Like I did. I couldn¡¯t sustain myself with just the cult alone; I had to go for real, ordinary people, too. Four-hundred and sixty-three delvers. Four-hundred and sixty-three memories, thoughts, and experiences. I had to honor that in some way. Even if they perished within my dungeon, their memories would live on somewhere deep within my consciousness. I liked that. It made everything bearable, even for a tiny bit. So, I answered, ¡°To see who they really are? Maybe I want to understand their true selves. Not who they present to be on the outside, you know? Even when they don¡¯t know it, I¡¯ll know. Not many people get that.¡± And I¡¯ll judge. Of course, I¡¯ll judge. Then, carry out the sentence and execute it: blood, bones, and all. But I didn¡¯t say the last part out loud. Demon left it at that, satisfied. If only I knew what Leo went through to be the man I saw last night. To understand how Tessa became resourceful when she barely left Point Hope, the typical sheltered princess of her wealthy adoring family. I wanted to understand them in some way. Perhaps I could also understand why Justin Hodge chose me as his sacrifice. What they all saw in me made them say, ¡°That¡¯s the boy fit to become a Death Core. That¡¯s the boy who can endure the change.¡± Well, it was too late now. Most of them were dead or were far away and gone. I floated in the air and headed toward the cabin. ¡°Follow me,¡± I said to the others. Demon and Goliath were the first to walk up the trail, followed by the sirens, their tails slowly turning into human legs and feet. Water crept up and enveloped their naked bodies, which transformed into beautiful silk robes with flowery patterns. Oracle¡¯s nanite humanoid form and Old Growth trailed behind last. They gathered in front of the cabin in a semicircle. I reminded them of the exciting news that I had two archetype slots available and would fill them in tonight. They waited patiently, of course, as I finished creating them. But once I finalized their starting traits, I didn¡¯t waste another second to summon them. The cannon echoed in the distance, heralding their arrival. We waited again. A minute passed, and I thought I had messed something up during the selection process. I was about to open the menu tab to double-check my work when headlights from a truck appeared on the gravel road ahead, coming straight toward the cabin. The others and I froze, curious and yet alert. New delvers? This soon? No, the cops hadn¡¯t even found the cultists yet. Danny and Tessa were still unconscious. Except for Leo, no one knew this place existed. And it couldn¡¯t be Leo. I would have felt his presence a hundred miles away if he touched down at the airport. For a second there, I thought he was really going to delve again. To destroy me, this time. I couldn''t help but be...proud of him? But no. I sensed a different presence within the approaching vehicle; friends were coming. Arc 4 | Last Resort (Part 6) LAST RESORT Part 6 my lord was still strange in his tongue. ¡°And these are my brothers: Garth and Luke.¡± He pointed to the man wearing a Chicago Cubs baseball cap next to him, who was an inch or two taller, and then to the man with the tank top, who sported a cheeky grin. Once my gaze landed on the two of them, the youngest, Luke, dropped the grin. Perhaps he thought he shouldn¡¯t risk offending me. The Sawyers. ¡°It¡¯s good to meet you all,¡± I said. ¡°Where are you from?¡± That¡¯s colorful. ¡°With how you all are dressed, you must be from around here. Earth.¡± Scrolls, huh? beastial inside was trying to escape. A deep, primal snarl began to rise, gnawing at the insides as their mouths foamed with saliva. Hungrier. Their fingernails were knocked off by sharp claws. Their clothes now lay in tatters on the ground. Facial bones cracked, snapped, and then rearranged, making way for the snout and rows of sharp teeth. Oh, grandmother, what sharp teeth you have¡­
THE WEREWOLF
Dread Score: 5/10 Creature Type: Monstrosity Cooldown: 1 week
Special Traits
Lycanthropy I The monster is (Selected race: Human) and can turn into a vicious and violent anthropomorphic wolf hybrid at night¡ªa werewolf. This includes the classic traits: enhanced senses, improved strength, stamina, speed, keen vision, unnatural size, and regenerative healing. Their bite has the ability to turn a mortal into a werewolf by the next full moon. As Lycans, they gain the Speech Trait (available for purchase). Weakness: Vulnerable to silver; Weaker human form; Infectious creature.
Pack Tactics I These monsters hunt in a maximum pack of three (3). Their hunting tactics and intelligence increase when in proximity with the others, increasing Dread and rapidly lowering a delver¡¯s Resolve when faced with two (2) or more monsters at once. When hunting in a pack, their endurance and regenerative properties increase.
Berserker (Lycanthrope) I This monster can enter into an extreme form of Lycan bloodlust, further enhancing their strength, fortitude, speed, and lethality. They gain an insatiable taste for killing prey at all costs, reducing the chances of Lycan infection. Higher likelihood of leaving no delvers alive during a single encounter. Delver¡¯s survival rate drops to two percent when stacked with Pack Tactics. Duration: five minutes (cooldown: one hour)
Speech I This monster has Lycanthropy. They can speak naturally in the Dungeon¡¯s native language (American English).
bye-bye to the great beyond. It was almost comforting, yet frightening to listen to: Their backs arched, snouts pointed to the sky, teeth glinting sharp and murderous. I admired their ferocious, primal beauty. And I have a pack of them. Normal humans during the day and primal hunters at night. I planned to create a gas station and a large ranch in the new area I expanded into close to the highway. That empty stretch would fit perfectly as the Sawyers¡¯ lair. I might even name the ranch: Sawyer¡¯s Ranch¨Cowned by an old rural family with roots tied to these lands since the early 1900s. I asked Oracle to draft and manipulate the estate deed and then snuck it into city hall¡¯s computers in Point Hope and at the state capital, Salem. The State of Oregon officially recognized their lands with just a punch of a few buttons on the keyboard. They¡¯ve lived here for as long as I can remember, some would say. They mainly kept to themselves. Very good boys, others who were polite, chimed in. Fucking hillbillies owes me money. They should leave, a handful would spat. Little fake memories courtesy of the System. The seventh archetype. Lucky number seven. True to its purpose, I thought. I designed him that way. Oh shit, I¡¯m probably gonna have to get used to this. undeath. Let me guess: Disgustingly handsome? Check. Pale as a ghost? Check. No heartbeat? Check. Centuries of aristocratic arrogance? Check. Craves blood? Check. Are you a vampire, sir?¡±
THE DUKE The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Dread Score: 7/10 Creature Type: Undead Cooldown: 1 week
Special Traits
Strict Vampirism I The monster becomes an immortal vampiric entity that does not age. The monster can turn a mortal if the creature feeds on its blood three times and drinks its blood twice. This decreases the chances of a vampiric plague. As a vampire, they have increased strength, agility, and a faster healing factor. Strength: The monster can sire one (1) loyal vampire spawn and one (1) familiar at the cost of one essence each. Weakness: Sunlight (Vulnerable to UV rays), stake to the chest.
Bat Morphology I The monster can fly. It can levitate in its humanoid form or grow bat-like wings to increase its flying speed and trigger Dread effects. It can also fully transform into a large bat twice the size of a grown (human) man with sharp talons and teeth. While flying, it can also carry one (1) large creature or two (2) medium-sized humanoid creatures.
Cunning Predator I The monster has six skill expertise of your choosing: Speech, Charisma, Culture (Human), Occultism (Alchemy), Stealth, and Athletics.
Speech I You have selected a Speech skill from (Cunning Predator). This is a free trait and will automatically occupy the monster¡¯s fourth trait slot. It cannot be replaced unless the skill is replaced first. The monster can speak naturally in the Dungeon¡¯s native language (American English). The monster has an improved Culture Rating. Select (7) languages of your choice: Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, Hindi, French, German, and Russian. The monster has an improved Occult Rating. Select (6) ancient languages of your choice: Egyptian, Ancient Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Old Norse, and Sanskrit.
Vampires and Werewolves. You can¡¯t go wrong with the classics. And like the Sawyers, the System picked another archetype from Earth. Interesting. ¡°I¡¯ll allow it.¡± At least they¡¯re getting along. But he was very good at them. A natural at killing, I thought. Only for mortals, then. Demon smiled as if she could sense me poking around in there but said nothing. ¡°Tired of the new arrivals?¡± whispers about Astaroth¡¯s movements. I do have several favors owed to me down there.¡± me.¡± Who knows? What kinds of things did they build in their domain? Did they have monsters like me?
On Sunday, October 8th, 2023, Danny and Tessa woke up. Come home, Mark. Come home. Please, come home¡­ Arc 4 | Last Resort (Part 7) LAST RESORTPart 7 [Fractal Omniscience] commencing¡­
Claire Castle was never a fan of funerals. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
¡°You okay, boss? Arc 4 | Last Resort (Part 8) LAST RESORT Part 8 It¡¯s a strange thing to attend your own funeral. Everyone I knew gathered at the cemetery to say goodbye to me, to weep and share some of their cherished memories of me while I¡ªobviously¡ªwas still very much alive. They shared anecdotes, some heartfelt, some awkward, and some I¡¯d rather they not tell. Then came the burial. I couldn¡¯t bear to look at my parents when the casket was lowered into the ground just after the priest delivered the homily and my committal rites. After that, there was a small potluck to feed the attendees under a large gazebo not far from my tombstone (There were several gazebos around the cemetery). Aunt Abby hired a local catering company to serve some Mexican fusion dishes. Next to the table was a collage of all my photos from when I was a baby to my current yearbook photo. A large, leather-bound book emblazoned with flowers and vines lay at the center, with a note card inviting guests to write and share some fun and positive memories they had with me. And also a chance to say their last goodbye. After this, I¡¯d read them front to back and then back to front, over and over, until the words were imprinted into my memory. Whenever I saw someone writing on it, I smiled, wondering what they wrote about me and their goodbye. Sometimes, I¡¯d catch several smiles while they wrote in the book. Sometimes, they cried again. But I won¡¯t stray too far, I mused. I¡¯m still here, watching. Most of my extended family were there for my funeral. Eighteen of them, except for one. Even though my parents¡ªBrandon and Vivian, or Vivie, Castle¡ªonly had one child (aka me), my extended family tree had many branches. Aunt Abby and Uncle Kerry mostly organized this on behalf of my parents, who had three children: Claire, Charlie, and cute little four-year-old baby Christopher. They were fond of naming their children with the first letter C. My father and Uncle Kerry were brothers, but when they were young, they married my mom and my aunt a year apart, who were known as the Shannon sisters then. My father and Uncle Kerry had two younger siblings: Uncle Edgar and Aunt Marisa. Uncle Edgar was Drunk Uncle Edgar, and yes, he was drinking during my wake and also during my funeral. Typical, as always. He was the wild child of the Castle family (and still is) and was already married three times and divorced twice. He and his ex-wife, Constance Castle (and yes, she kept the last name even now), had two children together: Julius and Liam. I called them Tweedledum and Tweedledee because they were very in sync with their one shared brain cell. Then, he and Constance divorced and married Jeanine, with whom he had a daughter, Sabrina. While Julius and Liam surprised me with the stupidest but endearing shit, my cousin Sabrina emulated every blonde mean girl trope from the 2000s and made it her personality. She scared me sometimes, especially when she held a grudge. Then, there¡¯s the youngest of the Castle siblings, Aunt Marisa, who married Stephen of the San Francisco Pearsons, a very, very nouveau riche family, who claimed their wealth from the tech boom in the late 80s. I didn¡¯t get to see a lot of Aunt Marisa, but she and Uncle Stephen had one daughter, Ruby, who just turned ten last summer. Aunt Marisa also took my ¡°death¡± the hardest and had been in Point Hope for three weeks, attending to my parents¡¯ needs along with Aunt Abby. She and Uncle Stephen used to have a son, Jack, who died from his sleep when he was only fourteen months old. That was several years ago, but Marisa was still grieving his death until today. My death just pushed it all up to the surface and opened old wounds. My grandparents from my mother¡¯s side, George and Joanna Shannon, also attended my funeral. They had retired from their university jobs and moved to Florida, so I didn¡¯t really get to see them much during my teens. They were all there at the funeral except for Uncle Ambrose¡ªMom, and Aunt Abby¡¯s younger brother. He couldn¡¯t attend the funeral because he was in Switzerland rock-climbing some mountain for a German TV show (or was it the French?), and he couldn¡¯t leave because of a contract obligation, which was typical of him. Growing up, I always heard about all the adventures that Uncle Ambrose got into abroad. In the eighteen years I was alive, I probably only saw him five times, and that was giving me tokens and other knick-knacks he bought during his travels. Instead, he watched my funeral through Zoom while he was dangling two thousand feet from a mountain¡¯s face. ¡°Mark will hate all of this attention and the crying,¡± Charlie groaned. He and my cousins sat on the farthest bench table from the crowd of older people. ¡°He¡¯ll probably say just bury me and get over it already.¡± Julius and Liam scrunched their brows, and Julius laughed. ¡°Hey, do you remember the seventh-grade talent show? Didn¡¯t he try to rap? Wasn¡¯t it based on some poem he wrote or something?¡± If only I had a face, it would have turned beet red by now, and the flood of memories that filtered through my mind was enough for me to recoil back to the cabin and hide there forever. No, don¡¯t¡ª! ¡°Oh my gosh, shush!¡± Claire said. ¡°Mark made us all swear not to.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Julius, no! It¡¯s bad form if we say it out loud with his grave next to us,¡± Charlie said. ¡°The soil is literally freshly turned. Do you want to get haunted?¡± ¡°By Mark? I thought you don¡¯t believe in that kind of stuff.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, but it¡¯s still bad manners, okay? It¡¯s disrespectful.¡± ¡°Yeah, Julius. The guy¡¯s already dead. No need to murder him again,¡± Liam laughed, but Charlie smacked him on the shoulder. ¡°Ow! What the fuck was that for?¡± ¡°Too soon, man. Too soon,¡± Charlie said. ¡°And watch your language.¡± Charlie shot Ruby a look at the end of the table, eating a slice of peach pie. Ruby shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve heard worse in school. Fuck. See? I can also say it.¡± ¡°Jesus Christ, you¡¯re like ten,¡± Charlie said, though he tried to hide his laugh. Ruby took another bite of the pie. ¡°When you live in the city as I do, in the roughest parts of town¡­¡± ¡°You live in Palo Alto inside a gated community for tech bros like your dad,¡± Julius said. ¡°Palo Alto. Not Gotham.¡± ¡°What¡¯s Gotham?¡± ¡°Are you serious? You haven¡¯t seen Batman?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ten.¡± ¡°So what? All kids know Batman.¡± Ruby shrugged again, whipped cream creating a mustache above her upper lip. ¡°Same thing, same thing,¡± she said with a devilish smirk. ¡°Urgh, you guys are so lame,¡± Sabrina huffed. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m getting bored.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Sabrina. Are funerals supposed to be fun?¡± Claire asked sarcastically. ¡°My boyfriend is literally at Disneyland right now with the rest of the football players and the cheer squad, the latter of which I am a co-captain of, and I had a ticket ready since June. It¡¯s a school function, and I¡¯m missing it.¡± Julius snickered. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry that our cousin¡¯s funeral inconvenienced you, Sab.¡± ¡°Oh. My. God. I told you a billion times not to call me that, you bonehead.¡± Sabrina got up from the table. ¡°You know what? I¡¯m gonna take a break from being sad. You guys should, too. Do you know it¡¯s bad for your mental health to be sad for more than twenty-four hours? Seriously, I saw it on TikTok. Heart attacks. A stroke. And I think if Mark is watching us right now, he doesn¡¯t want us to be sad and get a coronary, okay? So, I¡¯m gonna go and cleanse my mind.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know we could take sad breaks,¡± Liam murmured, but Sabrina ignored him. ¡°And where are you going?¡± Charlie asked Sabrina. ¡°To FaceTime my boyfriend over there, far away from all of you because I know you¡¯ll say stupid shit and make up gross sounds behind my back.¡± She glared particularly at her brothers. Julius and Liam snickered again from clearly an inside joke that only made Sabrina more infuriated and stomped off the gazebo. Julius quickly updated Charlie and Claire that Sabrina¡¯s boyfriend was banned from the house when Jeanine caught them making out in Sabrina¡¯s bedroom with the door shut. Sabrina swore nothing was going to happen, but Jeanine wasn¡¯t having it, so she grounded her for two months. They¡¯ve been at each other¡¯s throats since then. It was not strange that Sabrina and her mother argued constantly from the pettiest of shit. Ever since Sabrina learned how to talk, she had been a nightmare to Jeanine. To be fair, Uncle Edgar did spoil her a lot, much to Julius and Liam¡¯s annoyance. I wished I was there on the bench table with them. I wished I could hang out with my cousins like the old times, and even if Sabrina was acting out, she still cared for all of us. And yes, even me. I knew she had her own strange way of showing it. With [ Fractal Omniscience ] passively active, my cousins were grieving my death in their own ways (and the rest of my family, too), distracting themselves with humor and some banter, and yes, food. Exhibit A: This freaking funeral potluck. They were afraid that if they stopped to think, even for one moment, then my death would just fill them up with rage and helplessness. They didn¡¯t want to picture me tied up on a slab of stone as the cult sliced me up. The news focused on that macabre detail for a week. Suddenly, the gazebo went silent, eyes trained on the new arrival by the porch steps. Tessa Burton lingered at the landing, flanked by her parents and her friends. Charlene and Daisy waved to my parents while Paul and Lana stood awkwardly behind the Burtons. Tessa looked like she wanted to disappear. But that was impossible. Everyone knew her¡ªthe last survivor of the satanic massacre¡ªpractically a celebrity in town, maybe the entire state. According to the police, based on some of the injuries that the cultists suffered, Tessa Burton fought back hard against her kidnappers. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. The press called her The Final Girl of Point Hope. Even The New York Times ran a two-page spread on her ordeal and eventual escape. But none of that mattered to Tessa. Inside, she just wanted to be normal again. Maybe forgotten. Her presence halted everyone in their tracks, but my mother acted first. Her face softened, and she strode toward Tessa and embraced her. Mom thanked the Burtons for coming and accepting her invitation and encouraged the rest of Tessa¡¯s friends to help themselves to the food. There was still plenty left from the chafing dishes. Tessa and I were not in the same friend group but shared a few classes since she was in the same grade as me. Though we wouldn¡¯t call ourselves best friends, we grew up together in this town. As Tessa¡¯s mom fixed her a plate, Tessa was drawn to the leather-bound book on the memorial table and opened it to an empty page. She began to write. When she was done writing her piece, Claire walked up to her. ¡°Hi, Tess.¡± Tessa¡¯s eyes widened, and she hugged her. ¡°Oh my God! Claire? I didn¡¯t know you were in town.¡± ¡°Welp, I have to be,¡± Claire said and hugged her back. ¡°Oh. Right. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m a bit scatterbrained since I woke up.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t be.¡± Claire squeezed her arm. ¡°I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re here. And I mean here, here. After everything that happened to you and Mark¡­¡± She trailed off. Tessa forced a smile. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m here for him and for the Castles. What we both went through was¡­¡± ¡°¡ªsomething no one should go through. Ever,¡± Claire finished and gave her another hug. Claire was Tessa¡¯s babysitter and her Big Sister during Freshman orientation. I remembered how inseparable they were before Claire left for college. Tessa struggled not to cry. She took a steady breath and confessed, ¡°My parents and I are moving out of town by the end of the semester.¡± Claire blinked. ¡°Where?¡± Then, quickly¨C ¡°Oh, shoot! I don¡¯t mean to be nosy.¡± ¡°No, no. It¡¯s fine. We have extended family in Denver. My mom sent the transcripts to my new school early, so I don¡¯t have to worry. We can¡¯t live in that house anymore, you know?¡± Claire nodded. ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to explain, Tess. I¡¯m happy that you¡¯re okay. I hear Colorado has the same weather as Oregon, except there¡¯s more snow and dry in the summer. There¡¯s also a lot of hiking trails.¡± Tessa frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever hike or venture into the woods again. It gives me the creeps now.¡± Before Claire could reply, a new voice cut through the air, sharp and furious. ¡°What the fuck are they doing here?¡± Charlie suddenly snapped, eyes flared with anger. He shot his head toward the gazebo landing, where two people stood awkwardly under the gaze of several glares and hushed whispers. Charlie¡¯s face darkened, eyes locked on the intruders. I recognized them immediately. Vivian and Xavier Yates¡ªAshley and Dave¡¯s kids. They were there when I transformed their house (and the nearby neighborhood) into a temporary dungeon. All at once, the events of that morning came flooding to me like a tidal wave. If Vivian and Xavier had decided not to go to school that day, they might have been reduced to their essence along with their parents and their neighbors. God, I was so fucking hungry that day. Worse than this voluntary hunger strike I was on. When the police found the fake journals that Demon and Oracle planted in Hodge¡¯s bedroom, all the names of the cultists were on those pages, along with Ashley and Dave Yates. Every crime they committed was written in vivid detail. It didn¡¯t even cross my mind what I should do with the Yates children. Besides Jenna Batten, none of the other cultists had kids. Vivian and Xavier were now living with their grandparents on the south side of town, and they had been hiding from everyone for the past six weeks. Their grandparents even pulled them out of school for the rest of the semester, and the school just sent them the necessary paperwork and curriculum for homeschooling so that Vivian and Xavier didn¡¯t fall behind. A few shameless reporters hounded them when Ashley and Dave¡¯s names were made known to the press. Still, eventually, they got bored and searched for other prey for their sensationalized accounts of the massacre. And now they were here at my funeral. Though Tessa and I were acquaintances, I had little contact with Vivian and Xavier¡ªmaybe a word or two in a few classes we shared. They were a grade lower than me and hung around a completely different crowd. But why are they here? Before I could turn around to see what my parents were doing, Charlie, Julius, Liam, and Erica were already marching toward Vivian and Xavier. Even some of Tessa¡¯s friends¡ªPaul and Daisy¡ªjoined the posse. Erica tried to persuade Charlie from blowing up in front of everyone. ¡°Babe, there¡¯s people here,¡± Erica pleaded. ¡°You two are not invited,¡± Charlie said. ¡°Family and friends only.¡± ¡°We¡¯re Mark¡¯s friends, too,¡± Vivian said. ¡°We have every right to be here.¡± Charlie scoffed. ¡°Oh? Since when? Mark never mentioned both of you. Ever.¡± ¡°Look, I don¡¯t want to make a scene, Charlie,¡± Xavier said. ¡°We¡¯re just here to pay our respects, okay? Is that a crime? Teammate to teammate. We lost family, too.¡± Clearly that was the wrong thing to say because my cousin turned beet red. ¡°Respect? You call what your psycho mom and dad did to him respect? Do you think we owe you one? And just because we played football together doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re friends.¡± ¡°Our parents wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± Vivian insisted. ¡°It¡¯s still an active investigation. The police didn¡¯t confirm it. My parents are also victims of this tragedy, Charlie. They¡¯re not part of the cult or whatever. I¡¯ve lived with them all my life and have never seen them do that. It¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen the news lately?¡± Daisy pointed out. ¡°The police and the FBI already released a press statement a week ago. Your dad and your mom are part of it, so quit your bullshit.¡± Behind her, Paul gave Charlie and Julius a nod that he had their backs. Xavier was not a big guy, but he also didn¡¯t look like the wind could blow him over. ¡°Should we do something?¡± Tessa whispered to Claire, concerned. Claire glanced around the gazebo; everyone was watching. She groaned, ¡°Yep, my brother¡¯s going to make an ass out of himself.¡± They marched toward the others, their voices rising higher and louder. It was then I noticed that there were five other people behind Xavier and Vivian. The big guy with a mustache and sideburns was their uncle, Kevin Yates, Dave¡¯s brother. Next to him was his girlfriend, Sheila Lewis, ready to throw down by taking off her hooped earrings and securing her Chanel bag around her elbow. The other three knuckleheads were Kevin Yates¡¯s bastard friends¡ªRay, Jared, and Lope¡ªbuzzed (or half-drunk) from two or three cans of beer already before they came to my funeral. If I remember correctly, one of them had an assault charge against their ex. They didn¡¯t even bother to dress in black, I thought. Xavier and Vivian did. ¡°My brother had nothing to do with this!¡± Kevin screamed at everyone in the crowd. ¡°He¡¯s a good man! Don¡¯t believe the news! Fake news! Fake news!¡± ¡°Uncle Kevin, please¡­¡± Vivian begged. ¡°Alright. Time to shut this idiot up,¡± Julius hissed. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t you come walking up¡ª¡± Kevin Yates didn¡¯t even finish the sentence when a curled fist flew from the side and punched him square on the jaw. Julius froze for a split second as my father grabbed Kevin by the collar and threw another punch. Like an enormous crash, chaos spread like wildfire across the gazebo. Everyone was screaming, throwing things (even food), crying, and begging for the others to stop. David Dilworth, the police chief for PHPD, along with some of my dad¡¯s cop friends, jumped in to break up the fight. Out in the periphery, Katie Reeves from KGWA in Portland filmed the brawl with her phone, surely to make the seven o¡¯clock news tonight. It took over four minutes to pry everyone off each other and for Chief Dilworth and the other cops to kick the Yates and their friends from the funeral while Kevin threatened to press charges. I noticed Kevin was smiling. He got what he came for: A scene, I thought bitterly. ¡°Jesus Christ, Brandon. You shouldn¡¯t have done that,¡± Dilworth said. ¡°And in your own son¡¯s funeral?¡± Dad sat on the gazebo steps while my mother tended to the cut on her wound. ¡°The motherfucker deserved it for crashing it. And using his own niece and nephew?¡± ¡°Way to go, Uncle B!¡± Julius hooted from the railing, but Aunt Abby smacked him on the shoulder¡ªthe bad side where Xavier threw a cup. He grimaced while Uncle Edgar gave Dad a cold can of beer. ¡°As far as I can tell, he needs more than a beating,¡± Uncle Edgar said and sat beside Dad. ¡°I¡¯m going to pretend I didn¡¯t hear that,¡± Dilworth said. ¡°Are you gonna press charges, Vivie?¡± ¡°This is not the first time they harassed us, David,¡± Mom said. ¡°We¡¯re going to file a restraining order. They¡¯ve been causing a ruckus online and posting very disturbing stuff on Facebook that everything was a lie, and¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s upsetting my wife, Dilworth. Upsetting everyone. Can¡¯t you do something about that?¡± Chief Dilworth sighed. ¡°Look, I¡¯ll talk to them again. If they harass more of the other victim¡¯s families, I¡¯ll threaten them with jail time, okay? Come by the station tomorrow, and I¡¯ll give you the proper forms for the restraining order. Heck, call your lawyer.¡± ¡°Thanks, chief,¡± Dad said, then turned to Mom and said, ¡°Sorry about the mess, love. I shouldn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°No. Don¡¯t be. Like you said, the motherfucker deserved it.¡± Dad smiled and gave Mom a kiss on the forehead. Sabrina walked up to the gazebo after ending her FaceTime call with her boyfriend, confused as to why half of the potluck table was now upside down, all the food and paper plates were scattered everywhere, and half of her family now had cuts across their faces, busted lips, and bruised cheeks. ¡°Um¡­did I miss something?¡± Sabrina asked. Claire and Tessa chuckled. ¡°Cuz, you miss one heck of drama,¡± Claire said. ¡°Sit down. I¡¯ll tell you all about it.¡±
Behind Claire and Tessa, Demon Jessica leaned against one of the gazebo pillars and raised her phone close to her lips. ¡°Besides the very entertaining fistfight, the service was quite nice, my lord.¡± She picked one tortilla chip from an overturned bowl next to her and munched on it. ¡°And your dad can throw quite a punch.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know he had that in him,¡± I said. ¡°I can see where you got your temper from.¡± Demon turned to watch the Yates jump onto their trucks and drive away from the cemetery. Kevin was behind the wheel, glaring at my parents as he passed. His girlfriend, Sheila, opened the sunroof, climbed up, and threw two middle fingers at my parents, cackling. My stomach growled again, and Demon sensed it. ¡°You need to feed, my lord,¡± she said. ¡°I still need to do some vetting before I do.¡± Demon thinned her lips. ¡°Well¡­Oracle and I discussed a few delvers for you to try.¡± I raised my eyebrow. ¡°Without consulting me?¡± ¡°You were busy making sure your family was okay, and there was this funeral after all. We know you are preoccupied with that, so we did our due diligence to make your life easier. We care about you, my lord. We can feel your hunger, and you were not looking too good the past week.¡± ¡°I¡¯m thankful for your concern, Demon, but I am fine. Really.¡± ¡°You have plenty of crystals to spare six teleportation uses. Three thousand crystals easy.¡± ¡°I only need three delvers to trigger a scenario for the guild to pay up. Wait, why six?¡± ¡°You know, vampires are really good at assessing hunger and fasting. The Duke thinks six will do the trick to satiate your hunger for the next six weeks if you want to fast again. We can do it tonight. Your family did a potluck for your funeral. It¡¯s more than fair for you to indulge.¡± I sighed. ¡°And where am I going to find six people?¡± ¡°No need to waste your time on that, my lord. Oracle will send you the details right now.¡± Oracle¡¯s old body was still inside the cabin¡¯s study. I opened the lone PDF document on the screen, and Kevin Yates¡¯s face popped up on the computer. The rest of the pages involved his friends. ¡°The Yates?¡± ¡°The Yates, especially Kevin¡¯s buddies, are causing a lot of trouble around town,¡± Demon said. The Battens and the Torres (the extended families of Jenna and Rebecca) had already moved out of Point Hope weeks ago after being hounded by the press and basically ran off by the residents. The rest of the cultists didn¡¯t have many extended family in town. Except for the Yates. They refused to leave out of pride. And out of stupidity. ¡°I know their types in Hell. They¡¯re not the type to back down, my lord. So, I thought, we should do something about them before they make things worse.¡± This incident at my funeral was the second time they¡¯ve harassed my mom and dad. The last time was during the news conference. ¡°If they caused anything egregious, I¡¯ll deal with them personally. But¡­¡± I trailed off. ¡°Isn¡¯t this egregious enough? Crashing your own funeral? Upsetting your parents?¡± ¡°I know what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°They need to be punished, my lord. And you are hungry. So, so hungry. No one will miss them if they disappear. Half of Point Hope might actually thank you for it. They¡¯ve been a nuisance even before Ashley and Dave joined Hodge¡¯s little club.¡± ¡°And what about Xavier and Vivian?¡± ¡°They¡¯re seventeen. They can delve,¡± Demon said nonchalantly. I clenched my fists, trying to drown out the hunger curling through my gut. It¡¯s not just a craving. It¡¯s a need. And I know exactly how to fill it. If not them, then it would be different delvers. No matter what I chose, someone would suffer. Always. Death Cores were good at that. ¡°We don¡¯t need teleportation and wasting thousands of crystals,¡± I said. ¡°I think I know how to lure them in.¡±