《DYING DUNGEONS: DEAD KINGS & MAD QUEENS.》 000 – Hallow halls and empty hearts: Part 1 She sat upon her throne of the Damned. Dressed in a white Greek-style dress, Dekatrei looked upon her kneeling subjects ¨C shadows of past long gone, hallow armors suites that had guarded her for almost a millennium. Countless souls had met the end of their blades. Bled on this hall''s marble tiles. And many more will ¨C beckoned by a voiceless call of faith, glory, and gold. But they¡¯ll never compare to taste of ancient past, of never-ending bloodshed. When the dungeon''s hallways turned into crimson rivers and staircases into waterfalls. When she truly called herself (self-proclaimed) ¨C the Queen of the Damned, and stood high upon the bodies of fallen heroes, laughing and throwing challenges to the gods. Alas, it was so long ago. Now there was dust and spiderwebs. Sorrowful echoes of longing ¨C a long-lost crown and a forgotten ¡°old¡± woman. Something had gone wrong ¨C ¡°...and nobody knows, why?¡± Silence greeted her plea. There were no answers from the Queen¡¯s voiceless subjects. Only empty stares. Only the cold loneliness. She had patiently sat in her place, with palms in her lap ¨C and waited: For Heroes to Vanquish; For a chance to Ramble her grand Monologues; For new orders from the Mother; For a Quest from the [Voice]. And waited and waited and waited and ¡­ Her beautiful face twisted in a rose of frustration and her long nails dug into stone armrests. She had waited and waited and ¨C now she had enough. Unable to no more contain herself, Dekatrei lurched forward and shouted, ¡°[Obey]|: And be GONE! Kill! KILL! Kill everything in your way. Slaughter! Murder! Butcher! Kill until you build me a temple of dead bodies. Kill until me, your goddess, your Queen of Damned gets that Damned [Voice] to notice me and answer for ignoring the Queen of Damned!¡± Her voice went hoarse for being silent so long and yet she didn¡¯t care and continued. ¡°And if IT doesn¡¯t answer ¨C Slaughter, Murder, Butcher ¨C Find that [Voice] and kill, KiLL, KILL IT!¡± Her words, magical, permeated every being in this room, giving them breathe of life one last time. Metal wails filled throne rooms chilly air as the chanting of ¡°Kill!¡± continued. Her beautiful red capped dark suits, each a true work of art and love, stood. Some held two-handed swords or maces in their arms, others spears and shields. All were battle worn, carrying multiple dents and scratches on their ancient metal bodies. Every one of them gained by serving their mistress. As one, they turned, showing their wide backs to their Queen, and, step after step, left her in the throne room that once had gleamed in gold, but now was drenched in the darkness of time and memories. Finally, she stopped and breathing heavily, leaned back in her seat. She closed her eyes and listened till the last of echoes died down and her breathing slowed. She listened till her heart stopped raising and stillness drummed in her ears. ¡°And now..¡± Dekatrei coughed to clear her throat and looked over her empty throne room. ¡°All I need is...¡± The Queen smirked. ¡°¨C A prince. This damsel needs saving.¡± She laughed at herself. She had a plan. Or more like a vague idea. A way to get her back into the spotlight where heroes stand in line to challenge the Queen of the Damned like in the good old days of glory, bloodshed, and when¡­ when the [Voice] was the closest thing to a friend Dekatrei know. Her smiled slipped. Regret gently caressed woman''s heart with its black cold hand ¨C teased with the promise of death. Made her doubt. ¨C Did I do right? ¨C Maybe I overreacted? ¨C What will happen now that my servants marched on and left me alone and defenseless? ¨C Who will retaliate? Those and a hundred other questions seemed to entomb her alive with no escape other than a silent scream beneath the earth. Dekatrei looked down at her hands, their slender fingers and long nails. ¨C And when did I start to question things? All this was because The Queen had enough of being a prisoner of her own domain of being just felt here alone. Most had forgotten her ¨C Heroes¡­ Mother¡­[Voice]. Those that come, just stumble here and didn¡¯t (of course) live to tell the tale. But every time there were less and less of them with longer gaps between. How long till there be none? And what will happen then? Will she just sit here and wait for¡­ what? ¨C Is there a point to this torment? A shiver past bay and the Queen hugged herself. For the first time, in a long time, she seemed so small upon her stone throne. Like a child in a lap, looking wide-eyed at the world and knowing nothing about it. When had she felt like this? A memory flickered almost forgotten. ¡°Mother, I have no fear." She had said it with conviction. A small girl still holding on to a naive belief that all is as it should be. ¡®Yes, I had none.¡¯ She silently mouth. ¡®I have none¡¯ And this time with a different meaning. Not one of trust, but experience. For fear was a foreign concept, reserved for those that breached her sanctuary and breathe its dead air. Forced upon by loyal subjects in her name. She had to only point and say one word: "[Obey]" and armies would kneel before her and die. ¡°I have no fear." She repeated aloud. For it had to be true. She had no need for it. If Dekatrei was to play her cards right, she¡¯ll be the Queen of the Damned again. Or turn to dust like everything else. That is it. Dekatrei had made the right choice. And it matters not who has to die to make it true. The whole world can burn for all she cares. A soft tremor swayed Queen¡¯s golden earrings and awoke Dekatrei from her thoughts. Her guest had arrived. She felt in her bones. A wrongness deep inside. Like a nagging of a cockroach in one¡¯s flesh, that needed to be dug out and crushed. But she abstained from indulging this old impulse. Dekatrei needed her ¡°charming¡± saviors. Her little knights, her little princes ¨C so that finally this princess is saved from this ¡°castle¡±. Maybe later ¨C after everything was done, she¡¯ll have a little snack. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The Queen stood with her white dress unfurling and her throne crumbled to dust. She straightened to look as imposing and majestic ¨C with her gold jewelry and crown of golden butterflies ¨C as a Queen should. Her tender steps left footprints on the dusty staircase and halls tiles, while woman¡¯s white dress quickly swept them away. She slowly walked alone across her throne room. Without her servants, it seemed bigger, darker ¨C alien. Torchlight did nothing to help. Long shadows glared back from every empty corner. Still, way too soon the Queen stopped at the grand entrance, looking past her domain, breathing deep into the lungs its oily darkness that tried to suffocate her. Despite herself, the Queen nervously licked her lips. She was about to break a rule (again) ¨C the very first one she got. ¡°[Rule]: Stay here... Don¡¯t leave, unless summoned.¡±
?From this day forward, The 13th Boss isn¡¯t allowed to leave its domain unless (...)?
Now with defiance, Dekatrei stepped over the threshold, diving into the black darkness and waited for the Voice, that would not come. She counted to five, the time needed to say ¡®The 13th Boss has left its domain¡¯, and finally, to surprise to even herself, whispered silently. ¡°You really are gone."One rule followed by many more, like links of a chain, together holding her in place. Was it sadness? Loneliness? Did she really miss Its words, orders, punishments? She might not know. Back then she didn¡¯t mind. In her mind it was Love. The way it should be. Or the closest thing Dekatrei had experienced. A love she missed. Oh, so much it hurt, with pain that turned to hate and the hate she cherished. At least it was something to fill this emptiness inside. Something she knows, unlike sadness. The Queen''s heart had only known the joy of bloodshed. And the hate was the cherry on top. But now other emotions where strangers inside. How do you call them? How do you express them? How, if these questions were also invader in the Queen¡¯s once solid heart.
?(¡­) ~ unAUTHORized ~ (¡­) ~ bREACHed ~ (¡­)?
Her minds walls started to crumble under the weight of unknown entities that flooded her thoughts from both sides. Something forbidden had been opened.
?(¡­) ~ backup installation ~ (...)?
Dekatrei grabbed for her head and swayed, hitting the wall with her shoulder and then leaned against it.
?(¡­) ~ ErRor ~ (...)?
Strange pressure filled her mind. As if something wanted to break outside. She clenched her teeth. The Queen will not scream. Will not show weakens. And yet, a sob escaped her rosy lips, defeating her in an instant.
?(¡­) ~ cOrRUPtioN OF Data ~ (¡­) ~ fAIL SAFE unrEsPOnDIng ~ (¡­)?
A distortion of a voice rang in her mind as if the punishment for leaving her domain. Should she beg? Plead for it to stop? Others had done it while kneeling before her feet. With tears in their eyes, wailed for their life and families, striking bargain and promises. She had killed them.
?(¡­) ?
And then it just... stopped. Like the great pressure of the hero''s foot on her head, lifted. And she was alone again. ¡°[Voice]?¡± ... Nothing. Only a memory of her weakness remained and the dull throbbing pain at her side where she hit the wall. The humiliation. Whit the strange feeling subsiding, Dekatrei slowly straightened. What was that? It hadn''t sounded like the [Voice] Dekatrei know. This one was more¡­ cold, like when she had first spoken with it so long ago. Like a memory of past. As her racing heart slowed, The Queen was reminded of her nagging feeling. Her cockroachy guests won¡¯t be waiting for long. She needed to hurry and greet them properly. Sidestepping her little experience and leaving it for a later time to think over, Dekatrei returned to her goal. Only one thing stopped her for but a second. A little mouse at the far corner. ¡°Pest [Obey] and die.¡± Little creatures eyes shined bright gold. The mouse let out a pitiful squeak before starting to claw out its own trout, completely powerless to resist The Queen''s compulsion. Every second animal''s nails dug deeper into its own flesh, covering the brown fur in sticky red blood. Soon, couple heartbeats later, the little fluff ball laid on the ground motionless in its own pool of blood and the only witness to Dekatrei shameful display was dead. From the throne room, she walked briskly down the long, twisted, pitch black hallways and turn after turn, following the tremors ofunease getting clearer. Dekatrei had no need for a light source. She could feel everything. This walls, floor, and ceiling might as well been excitation of the woman¡¯s body. Every hallway, staircase, and room were hers. Just like one would feel someone tapping on their shoulder, she felt multiple dirty feet traversing farther ahead. Those were the dungeon¡¯s two legged cockroaches. Her would-be saviors, she wasn¡¯t allowed to kill ¨C ¡­ yet. She passed rooms full of the twisted undead and holes in walls that peered into the abyss. She skipped over dead bodies and whistling darts. She didn¡¯t blink an eye at monsters that watched from the shadows or listened to the three demons that always whispered promises of gifts and power. ?ThE QueEN oF DaMNed¡­? ?Oh~ it is the Day, isn¡¯t It, The Queen of Damned?? ?¡­ are you sure, the queen of the damned.. you don¡¯t want our help...?? ?wE cOuLD lANd a Hand, ThE QueEN oF DaMNed¡­ we hAVE sSo maNY OF tHOsE!? ?¡­ they could hurt our precision little one before the queen of the damned gets there¡­? ?Or they could die, the Queen of Damned. What could you do then?? ?¡­ wAIt AnOthER tEn yEarS, ThE QueEN oF DaMNed?? ?Or ask¡­? ?how prophecies untold...? ?CoME tO paSS.? ?The Queen of Damned!? ?¡­ the queen of the damned¡­? ?Oh, ThE QueEN oF JeaLOUsy¡­? Minor... annoyance, that slowly, slowly graded on the woman''s nerves. ... ¡°BEGONE!!!¡± The demons continued to laugh long after the Queen disappeared ¨C chasing an unseen compass and goings after a map of feelings, on a road that almost seemed like an eternity, that abruptly ended when Dekatrei met her would-be saviors. Standing on a golden island of light, engulfed by the black sea of darkness, were five knights in shining (albeit bloody) armors. Up close, they looked so alive, full of duty, dreams, and desires, so different from her own hallow shell servants, that The Queen of Damned almost let out a yelp, before hiding in one of hallways shadows. It¡¯s been so long, but now the west wall had crumbled in the last earthquake, giving ample opportunity for the new cockroaches to crawl inside through the hole, deep into labyrinths hear. This was the second time they had gotten exactly this far. She didn¡¯t have a plan back them and deposed of the first batch. Luckily, no Hero had come forth to exploit this weakness and ruin all of Queen¡¯s plans. They might have gotten tired of this place, these halls ¨C this Queen. But the free-willed ones were still dangerous. Especially humans who only come to kill and destroy all that was beautiful in this dungeon. Dekatrei needed to be careful. Even pests could overpower if given numbers. Funny ¨C The Queen of Damned could kill them with a snap of her finger, like many before, or sing them her siren song to lead the worriers over the age. They, after all, were no Heroes with prophecies to pose a threat to her. Ants in her way. And yet, outside her domain, the Queen felt vulnerable. Like she had no power here. She hated it. ¡®I have no fear ¨C None.¡¯ But her heart beat so hard and she had to press her palm to her mouth so that they wouldn''t hear her stumbling breath. She only needed to be patient and, until then, stay hidden and lead them the right way. Dekatrei roughly knows where they were. The knights had yet reached the Dungeons Heart, but they were close. Just a little more guidance and then they¡¯ll die ¨C expiring their usefulness. 001 – Hallow halls and empty hearts: Part 2 A young soldier was grabbing for breath while leaning on his unsheathed sword. "Alive, boy?" A rough voice asked. ¡°Yes... sir..." Sweat droplets poured down the boy''s face, cling blond strands of hair to his skin. The boy licked his lips, just to taste their saltiness. He was alive, yes. Commander Crewe clapped Saldon on the shoulder. "Good. Now stop huffing like a whore in heat and stand straighter." That earned snickers from the other men. There was a saying, that among the death and despair only those with strong willpower and ability to joke, stayed sane, while others just masked their madness behind stern faces. Based on this scale, Saldon bet that the Commanders Crewer¡¯s crew was one of the sanest of them all. The young soldier blushed. ¡°Yes, sir!" And with heaving breaths, straightened. He hated showing weakness, but at the same time, couldn¡¯t help it. They had just run (it seemed hours) for their lives after stumbling into an army of walking black armor suits ¨C each of whom had been three meters tall, one and a half wide and one whole ton deadly. Thankfully, those metal monstrosities hadn¡¯t noticed them (too busy slaughtering local wildlife) and his group got away without casualties. These lucky bastards consisted of five light armor wearing men. Saldon was the youngest, followed by green-eyed redhead Favian (in his early twenties?) and then two muskets wielding brothers with brown hair and eyes (whom names Saldon had forgotten, ups..). Last was their leader and commander, a minor Lord and the oldest of the men (maybe in his sixties?) with salt paper hair, Crewer. "Shouldn¡¯t we worry about thous black armor suits? They could march out and attack the settlement!" After sniggering had died down, one of the musket brothers dared to ask. "Nae danger. Ye saw ¡®em! No way wee could do anything other than rin ur die. What were ¡®ey?" Other brother answered. He had the ticker northerner accent than the other one. "Servants of Queen of the Damned," Commander muttered in thought and then said louder. ¡°Whatever she¡¯s up to, for now, it doesn¡¯t concern us. We have our orders." Although, he didn¡¯t look pleased about it. Given the choice, Crewer probably would wish to return and warn the settlement. But that undoubtedly would fail their quest. "Besides, her royal highness is on the upper level," Favian snorted, waving off the idea with his palm. ¡°Only the mad and the stupid venture up there." That seemed sober up some dreams of heroism. Taking on a floor boss was madness. Out of 27 known ones, nine to this day still roamed their domains, undefeated ¨C Queen of the Damned being one of them. Even those in past with the title of the hero were no match. They would need an army of fine men to even glimpse their own insignificance. "An¡¯ they seemed uninterested in us. Let nae stretch our luck and paint a bulls-eye on uir backs." "Reit.¡­" Collective tiredness overcame them ¨C a relief of being alive. They didn¡¯t show it so banally as Saldon, but if one had been with them for an extended time, they would notice hints, more slouchy shoulders and vacant stares, less of jokes and story times. They still were flesh and blood, mortals with mortal needs. All of their bodies ached. Every muscle and joint, sore from running in an armor, heated up to boiling point, now remained about their existence and abuse. These men needed a moment of rest. Saldon could only imagine how bad it was for his Commander and Favian. They both had hauberks (chain-mail armor) over their gambesons (padded jacket) while the rest had brigandines (padded jacket lined with small oblong steel plates riveted to the fabric). Saldon had only a simple gambeson (now drenched in sweat) that he sewed himself and it already seemed to weight a ton when he had to run in it. ¡°Didn¡¯t we have another boy?¡± That woke Saldon from his drowsiness. Blinking, he mentally counted everyone and realized they indeed were one short - the peasant boy from a nearby town. He was hired for the simple task of carrying their food, sleeping bags, any extra equipment that had been brought along. Saldon hadn¡¯t paid much attention to him up until now. ¡°When was the last anyone saw him?¡± Favian asked and silence greeted his question. ¡°Shit!¡± Commander stamped his foot and turned to way from which they ran. ¡°Boy, if you hear me, say anything, scream if you must and we¡¯ll come to get you!¡± Silence. Saldon felt sick. ¨C Boy? What was even his name? Had any of them even asked? Was this the reason why I too am just a Boy? They hadn¡¯t noticed peasant boy lag behind. One moment he was there and the next there was ¡­ nothing. Had he screamed or plead for help? Will they find a splat of blood if they go back? The young soldier could only pray, that his death was painless and hope that the same fate didn¡¯t await him now that he was the weakest link in the group. But that might be the least of his worries. With the peasant boy, they lost all their rations. If they aren¡¯t lucky enough to meet up with one of the other groups, they might need to resort to drastic measures, like eating monster meat or roots, both looked down upon by people, considered corrupt and sinful in The True Voice eyes. All this suffering and pain amounted in a few silver coins. That was a life of a sellsword ¨C his new life. ¡°Do we go back or...¡± ¡°... No. Had he been trained, then yes, but as he was, no way his still alive. If he isn¡¯t here, he isn¡¯t in this world anymore.¡± Abitter thought that everyone had already concluded on their own expat for Saldon. After a moment of silence, ¡°May he rejoin the cycle and find a new place to call home. Let his next life be long.¡± A quite pray to the boy whose name nobody knows. After a moment of silence, finally ¡°Rest up boys, in ten paces we move.¡± Commander gave an order everyone was more than willing to obey. That is, everyone except Saldon. He just stood there and stared while others found their place, sat and either tended their gear or quenched their thirst from brought along water-skins. Watching, the boy yearned to join them, really, to pluck his ass down on the cool ground and to feel the pressure on feet subside, to feel the cool water in his throat, to move on as easily as they did, but he couldn¡¯t make is knees bend. To take his mind off. Saldon felt if he was to do it, the young soldier not only wouldn¡¯t be able to find the strength to pick himself up but also he would let down his team. It''s wrong and harmful to deny oneself rest, that Saldon knows, but doing his job seemed more important. They had diverged from their original path. It was his job to put them back on track. Thinking about it was far better than the alternative¡­ delving on what had happened¡­ and how easily it was accepted. ¡°I¡¯ll go explore a bit.¡± ¡°Boy?¡± Commander gave the face ¨C are you serious? ¡°I¡¯ll stay in sight!¡± ¡°You better do or I...¡± ¡°Yes, sir! I will!¡± Saldon just wanted to be left alone for a bit. Little farther a nearby wall had caught his attention. Something seemed to be written on it. Travelers often scratched guiding sighs to help those that got lost. It could be a symbol comprehensible only by those that had the right type of map or arrows pointing this or that way. Other times there were sentences: ¡°Up ahead a monster lair¡±; ¡°West side of Bone road.¡±; ¡°All that past this point are doomed!!!¡± or the classic ¡°Bart the Bard was here ; )¡±. But as he came close to shine some light from his lantern, the boy was surprised to find disturbingly beautiful works of art. Someone (dungeon?) had carved into the stone vivid images of an unknown culture. Side views of people, men and women ¨C at work, war and love. Scenarios of buzzing villages, lively markets, peasants tended rich crop fields, warriors on bloody battlefields. They were humans (no horns, tails or pointy ears) and yet¡­ so different from folk here. It seemed like people in the picture know nothing of winters hardship. Their clothes were simple and flimsy. Many were naked or dressed in a piece of sheet that still reviled way too much for modesty of people that lived here. And yet they were happy and far from poor. Drinking something that most likely was alcohol. Indulging in meat, cheese, and grapes. Dancing and having sex. ¡­ and no monsters or dungeons¡­ All this carved and then painted in once vibrant colors of red, yellow and black, now faded to more subdued tone, that still grabbed at one''s breath in amazement. Nothing like before with dungeon walls bare, hollow halls devoid of artist''s heart. Only adornment ¨C cuts and splashes of blood from countless battles that had taken place here. It was like this place showed glimpses of the past. What it was like when dungeons hadn¡¯t yet gone mad. When they were more than factories for monsters and had personalities. And this one was so¡­ ¡°¨C Greek.¡± ¡°Saldon?¡± With a startle, Favians voice brought the boy out of his reverie. Shame bloomed in the young one''s chest. He had lost himself and all, what''s around. Any other time he could have ended up with jaws around his neck just like the other boy. ¡°Sir, I ~!¡± He was about to apologize, but stopped upon seeing his superior''s face. Favian gazed over the same scenes Saldon had, and yet, almost looked as if seeing something else ¨C something ugly.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°¡­ Get ready and¡­ Don¡¯t look too closely at those scratches. Some say people go mad by starin¡¯ too long. Besides¡­¡± He turned away from the images with his expression going back to usual playful one and smirked at the Saldon. ¡°Our whores are prettier than those old hags there.¡± Redhead winked, making Saldon blush from the implement that he had looked only for the pictures of the naked women. It wasn¡¯t true ¨C of course... He just didn¡¯t shy away from looking at them. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you one if we return.¡± Favian had said, passing by a few ladies of the night before they had departed to the dungeon. ¡°Please, don¡¯t ¨C sir.¡± ¡°Oh, are boys more your thing then ¨C eh?¡± ¡°Sir!!¡± Redheads teasing had helped with fitting in. Saldon story was that he had just left his military training and joined in his first group sell-swords lead by an impoverished lord, Commander Crewer. This also was supposed to be his very first time in a dungeon. And many things can go terribly wrong. But Favian always seemed to keep an eye out for Saldon. The boy hoped to one day repay the favor. ¡°Lift ¡®our arses, breaks over! Boy, find something?¡± Commander asked. ¡°...no, sir.¡± ¡°Right¡­ then next crossroad awaits, move!¡± And so they did. Each guarded their side, peering into the smallest corner or a hole in the ground. Listened to the smallest hint that they weren¡¯t alone. One couldn¡¯t be too careful in a dungeon. A wall may just disappear and let a monster, on the other side, wave hello. That might have been how they lost their carrier ¨C the peasant boy.
Sometime later they stopped at crossroads. Now two ways awaited their choice, where their shadows split and stretched past their indecision, taunting with possibilities. Right way looked like most of the tunnels they had passed through, but the left had an archway of human skulls, put there by God only knows who and why Wrinkling his brow, Saldon consulted with his map, turning it this and that way, trying to comprehend their location. One wrong turn while fleeing for their lives could have doomed them anyway. Until now they had steadily moved forward. A cross marked the destination where should be the last resting place of some noble''s son (only his servant got back). They have been tasked retrieving his remains. His loving family probably found out that one of their priceless heirlooms was missing, and the dead fool might have taken it with him in the grave. Saldon guessed, that most likely happened ten years ago when the last monster genocide happened. Every ten years king summoned his vessels to order them to gather armies of men and march to the entrance of the dungeon. It was the only time one could enter dungeons somewhat safely through the hole. Most of the monsters are lured by bait far from here. They are killed in masses to prevent any hordes from forming as it had happened in the past in neighboring kingdoms. If not for this job, his group would been hired to assist in extermination like most sell-swords at this time were. Waiting for Saldon, everyone''s else leered closer by the second, looming over his shoulder. He could feel their stuffy hot breath getting unbearable on his neck. With a resigned sigh, Saldon activated his skill. ¡°...[Map]!¡± One word suddenly nailed everyone to silence. The commander didn¡¯t even need to lift his hand. Nobody would dare to detract the boy from doing his job. They¡¯ll patiently wait, holding their breaths. Saldon just had ten seconds to work with. Translucent outline of labyrinths many paths obscured the boy''s vision. Quickly he worked, relining them with the twenty-first-floor map in his hands. He needed to find the correct placement of this new puzzle piece, that was just 50 meters radius all around him. Sometimes all it was a slight difference in angles. Luckily, nearby walls were thinner and he had more lines. And it helped that there was a note on the map ¨C ¡°archway of human skulls, don¡¯t go there¡±. ¡°We all are skilled in swordplay, but not all of us can read the map like you do. Young eyes are the best.¡± Crewer had said when he told Saldons role in the group. The boy wasn¡¯t born out of a cows dung yesterday. He knows that¡¯s the greenhorn''s job since most could use skill [Map] at least one time a day (he could five times). Others just didn¡¯t yet trust the young fighters ability to hold his own in a real fight. Furthermore, since his hands always were occupied with the map and lantern, Saldon hadn''t yet had a chance to prove otherwise or gained said experience. In short ¨C he was stuck with this job and at best, he¡¯ll get a promotion when the next new upstart joins their merry group. Heroes, on the other hand, could keep this skill active at all times, promoting the old saying, heroes never lose their way. ¡°We are...¡± Saldon finally broke the silence and answered the unsaid question that had plagued their mind. ¡°..here. We haven¡¯t diverged much from the original path ¨C here.¡± He pointed in the map to the place where they would have been if not for the little fright for their lives. There flee from the dark knights had tossed them off a bit, but this was preferable from getting lost. If he didn¡¯t have a clue, where they could be, he might not get enough time to reline their location with the all the maps they had for all the floors. Hell, they might have gotten off the beaten path and discovered all new parts of the dungeon. Great experience up until you can¡¯t get back and starve to death. ¡°We¡¯ll have to now take this path ¨C here.¡± ¡°Given time?¡± Here¡¯s the dreadful question. How long it¡¯ll take them to finally get there? His skill [Map] could give a vague idea where you wanted to go, but it was up to the user to give it words. Maybe¡­¡°¡­ half a day or less.¡± ¡°Good.¡± They went through the archway of skulls and kept a slow jogging pace. ¡°Eh¡­ my nose keeps tingling.¡± Favian broke the monotonousness silence of footsteps and heavy breathing. For a second, Saldon though he¡¯s being pampered nobles fifth son again, then the young soldier remembered about scouts passive skill ¨C [Detect eyes]. As Saldon know, a nose or any other specific area would start to ache if someone was watching/hunting them. Handy, if you¡¯re in a dungeon where practically everything was about to eat you. Not so in cities or other populated places. ¡°[Perceive!]¡± Favian whispered to activate another skill. Saldon watched as redhead''s eyes darted around and nostrils flare air in and out. One could almost see how his senses ¨C hearing, eyesight and even smell, had sharpened for exactly ten seconds. ¡°You know, I¡¯m a prodigy,¡± Favian wasn¡¯t shy to brag whenever they took a break. That¡¯s how Saldon knows Favians age, at 21 he was these generations youngest (none hero) scout to have his [Perceive] skill already at [Apprentice] level. And yet, it wasn¡¯t enough. He made no motion of catching a glimpse of their tag along. He repeated this action couple of times, again and again chanting the activation skill until Saldon couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the lost boy?¡± Sadly, Favian shook his head and crushed last of Saldons hope, if there was any left. ¡°Humans have¡­ a different feeling from the one right now. Sorry, but it¡¯s not him...¡± ¡°Great, then stop chantin¡¯ ¡®ur [Perceive] and ignore it, u giving us a headache!¡± Brashest of brother barked. ¡°If it hadn¡¯t attacked us yet, it can peep for all A care." And the other added. ¡°Uh, you two aren¡¯t the ones with an itchy nose and a sword in one hand and a shield in the other one. Soon I¡¯ll either cut it off or bash it in!¡± Favian let out his frustration by taking a swing at the empty air behind ¡°That thing been tracking us ever since our run-in with those metal heads. That''s how long is this itch!" He glared over his shoulder, but only shadows stared back. ¡°It¡¯s probably some bottom feeder.¡± A monster or an animal that didn¡¯t pose any threat to an uninjured wanderer. ¡°Anyway, most monsters would be down to the south, where all the killing happening.¡± If you excluded the black armors monsters, then they had met only a handful of weak monsters. With a map, they avoided known monsters territories (like the Queen of the Damned) and all the wandering monsters that didn¡¯t have one place as a lair had all gone to the south. ¡°How far?¡± Commander asked. Favian frowned, still looking over his shoulder. ¡°Twelve to twenty meters and keeping pace with us." "Not you and your stalking friend. I meant our destination." "One, two..." Sadon stopped to measure the distance on the map with his fingers and did the math in his head to guess approximately. ¡°Another turn left and two staircases up. If we don¡¯t stumble in a twisted turn or cave in¡¯s, we''ll be by the next crossroadin fifteen minutes!" "Good," Commander nodded, adjusting his helmet, ¡°let''s increase our pace. We¡¯ll rest at the ¨C" "Monster ahead!" Everyone stopped. There, just outside the ring of light, a black shape moved with a screech of metal on stone. "[Order] Form d ¨C !" "[Perceive!] ¨C Shit, it¡¯s one of bitches servants." Favian interrupted to warned the Commander, lifting his shield higher. "Split!" Crewer quickly changes his order. Magic took hold and without a delay, everyone spread out. That thing with its reach could have wiped them all out in one swipe! One of the brothers unhooked his lantern from the belt and tossed it at the black shape. Glass broke and with a splash, oily substance spilled over the metallic body, at the same moment, ignited by the flame. Dungeons hallway grow brighter. Backing away shadows hissed, relieving a mess of a black armor further ahead and something more, that quickly dispersed. ¡°Are those... ¨C¡± First one lunged out of the darkness, flashing its toothy mouth to meet Favians hand. ¡°¨C Scavengers?!¡± The attacked man yelled and tried to shake it off, almost losing his footing in the process. Sharp teeth screeched against the hard metal and then the creature made a disappointed squeak before letting go. It fell back among its brethren.
Standing just under one meter tall, this little monster looked like fluffy bipedal lizards. Summoned heroes sometimes called them dinosaurs or baby Raptors. They were scavengers of the dungeons. Lured by blood they cleaned up scraps after battles. Scavengers were more animals the monsters and usually shied away from conflict, but as more and more gleaming eyes revealed themselves from the gloaming unknown, this was bound to be an exception. Emitted squeaking and clicking sounds, they communicated among themselves and seemed to almost urge each other as humans would. ?¡¯U first. ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)? It nudged theone next to it. ?Noo, ¡®U go. (¨s¡ã¥í¡ã£©¨s? It squealed back. ?No, ¡®U! (¦¨¦Å¦¨; )? ?Uuu! (¨R¥í¨R)? ?U! ( ?_?) ? ? Noo! ¦Å=¦Å=¦Å=©°( ¡ä§¥`) ?) One of the bigger ones nipped them both.?Enough, one of u pussies go, before me bite off ¡®ur tails! (?Òæ?) !? ? Aye!©c( X`ÃóX)? !? More than a dozen little creatures let out a high pitch screech and attacked. 002 – Hallow halls and empty hearts: Part 3 R. ¡°Don¡¯t let them surround you~!¡± Biggest of the human voice echoed between cries of chirping monsters and whistles of swinging swords. He had to be the leader of the group. ¨C He looks sooo tasty. One of the raptors thought, drooling over all that muscles under the armor and then shook his head. ¨C Focus, fool! Think with bigger words! Think tactics! R. was the packs smartest raptor, although most of them didn¡¯t give a shit about it. These animals at best were at the level of a dog or a fox. Cunning and smart, yes, but still driven by their base instincts ¨C strong was better than smart and all the ladies liked big raptors. It wasn¡¯t easy to make them do, what He wanted. And R. wanted to win ¨C and eat. But most of all ¨C to grow stronger so that no other monster threatened his life ever again¡­ and get laid. Two bangs rang. Humans with the boom¨Cboom sticks shot the metal monster that already laid on the ground. ¡°Ahhh! \ ( >§¥< ) / ? ¨C Wow, that almost hit me! Wait, are those muskets? So cool! Little raptor was thankful that that human''s aim was worst then drunkard piss, but still, R. moved more to back so others raptors would act as meat shields. ¨C Better safe than sorry. ¡°What happened to the Black Knight?¡± ¡°Em, that burning pile of metal? It ain¡¯t moving, sir!¡± Other human-made sounds back. ¡°Good shot soldier!¡± Redhead human shouted. R. could understand a couple of words here and there to get the gist of what they were saying. ¨C They would shit their armor if they saw what really killed that metal thing, hehehehe! R. certainly had left a smoking pile himself. You don¡¯t say hello to chtullus dog every day. He hadn¡¯t even known they existed here until today. ¡°Men, keep your distance. Until we haven¡¯t confirmed its demise, it''s faking it. And add some damn light.¡± Lanterns rolled to sides, scattering attackers and giving more room of light. Baby Raptors dived in and out of shadows, confusing both the soldiers and themselves. ¡°Ahhh! \ ( >§¥< ) / ? ?The light! It blinds!©c( ¡ã`Ãó¡ã)?? ?Ahhh! Boom! Boom! ( ¨Ro < ; )? ?Ahhh! So dizzy¡­ \ (@ ~ @) / ? ?Stop whining and bite asses! ( ? ¥í ?) ¨C ? ¡°Ahhh! But boom ¨C boom light!! \ ( * D*) / ? ? UUU~! Scary!©c( >Ãó< )?? ? They won¡¯t go boom boom! The light doesn¡¯t hurt! Calm down and focus! ( ? ¥í ?)/ ? Chaos entailed anyway. ¨C This is a mess. Dumb animals. R. shook his head. Rest of raptors had mistaken simple lanterns for magic bombs that some adventurers trowed at monsters. It was hard to explain to these animals, that humans wouldn¡¯t waste magic bombs for low-level monsters like them. Still, one shouldn¡¯t underestimate these ¡°clever¡± little creatures. What they lacked in brute strength, they made up with resilience ¨C tiring out their prey and forcing it to make a mistake. It didn¡¯t matter that in the hustle they themselves often tripped and fell over their own feet or tales. That only meant less competition for the tasty bits. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. He only needed them to fall in line and make full use of their advantages. ?Group A ¨C head, eyes! Group B ¨C get those balls! (TÒæT) ?? R. chirped in his best alpha male voice, thrusting his chest out for full effect. ? Aye!©c( >`¥í< )? !? In the confusion, some of the raptors answered, believing that the order came from one of the bigger males. Keeping orders as simple as possible was the key. R. watched a couple of raptors split from the pack and sneaked around while the rest distracted. He himself, of course, did none of this and kept himself at safe distance. His job (self-appointed) was to watch and to stay safe. Those who were the more agile ones waited for their chance and leaped on shoulders and backs to try trust their long nails trough helmet eye slid into the juicy, tasty bits. Meanwhile, the bigger ones moved to disorient ¨C circling, hissing, playing hit and run while targeting all the weak points ¨C joints, holding straps, bends in the plate armor and balls. All the little Raptors know, from tales of their Raptor grandmother, that the most effective (and delicious) human weak spot was their balls. Most times they found them between legs, but sometimes they hide higher on the chest. And those humans usually had higher pitch squeals. From what the raptors saw, most had the low balls, but maybe the one at the back, groups smallest in size, had the high balls? Curiously, one of the sneaky fluff balls got behind it and was about to lurch, when another human moved in front and caught it by surprise. Already in motion, little raptor took his chance went for the new target''s head. Just missing sharp blade, raptors teeth met with the hard surface of the metal helmet. ¡°AAAA~!¡± Two screams echoed. On from the raptors, whose toe got stuck and dislocated and other from the human in whose nose its long, sharp-nailed toe was stuck in. ¡°Get off! Off!¡± Redhead bellowed trough downpour of his own blood. ¨C Wow, he looks scary¡­ CLANG! ¨C And dangerous! R. gulped, watching as the human freed his hand by dropping the weapon and grabbed the little creature by its slender neck. Captured raptor managed to only let out a small squeak of surprise before his windpipe got crushed. Raptor went limp in the adventures hand, but it didn¡¯t end there. The redhead pulled the dead raptor away from his face, unleashing a flood of blood pouring down his face. And then the human started senselessly bashed the dead animal against the ground, echoing sounds of breaking bones. ¨C Monster! At that moment a group of three decided to jump and sweep redhead off his feet (so romantic). ¡°AAAAh!¡± His cry might as well been dining bells. Seeing easy pray all nearby scavengers lurched fallen soldiers'' way. The only thing the human could do was get his shield between him and them, basically acting out the part of the turtle. This amused the little creatures, prompting them to jump on the makeshift stage and start the very first Raptor rap concert. ?Cluck ¨C Cluck ¨C Chicken Nugget! ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)? ?Bark ¨C Bark ¨C Bitch! Dog on top! (^¦Å ^; )? ?Suck this tail, swallow that nail and call it Raptor colada! ( ?¦Å?) ?? ?Yaaas!©c( >`¥í< )? !? All the Raptor ladies squalled in approval and twerked their tails. In their short lives, they had to embrace fun when they got the chance to do so. Well, almost all of them did it. ¨C Idiots. The fight isn¡¯t over yet! The smaller human moved to help out and tried to fight off the raptors, who hissed at him in response. ¡°Move out of the way, boy!¡± The bigger fought through the raptor lines and joined him, activated his skill. ¡°[Taunt]: Tail flickers!¡± ¨C FU ~!! R. quickly run even farther away. Magic words rang through the hollow hall. Unseen, invisible strings grabbed at closest monsters and pulled them big humans way as he took a stance to protect his pack. The words of power had adorned creature''s eyes with a reddish glint. Lost in the haze of sudden blood lust, effected Raptors couldn¡¯t resist even as they rushed straight to the embrace of the cold steel. First of the creatures easily fell for the blade, running right through them or got crushed by the banging of the shield. Little human helped with stragglers. ?Kill ¨C asses! \ ( @w@) / ? Twitching bodies started to litter the battlefield, painting the floor red, and yet, those with the red glint in their eyes kept on running to their death. R. and the remaining raptors watched in morbid horror and uttering not a sound. Some turned their tail and run. Others stayed, unable to move. But no-one attacked. They had learned their lesson. This raptor party was over. ¨C Scheisse~! 003 – Hallow halls and empty hearts: Part 4 THE BOY As enemies lied dead, it was over, and yet, the fight continued with the looming shadow of the unknown and of one¡¯s hidden past. Saldon rushed to Favian¡¯s side. Redhead was thrashing on the ground, repealing onslaught of invisible attackers. Blood was gushing from his nose as he was muttering to himself something that sounded like, get them off! Rats! Rats! ¡°Sir?¡± Saldon¡¯s voice cracked while keeping himself at safe distance to avoid friendly fire. Boy¡¯s own heart hammered inside his chest like it belonged to a scared little rabbit. The tension refused to leave his limbs, his lungs, his soul. Mind continued to replay the last attack an waited for the next one, with claws and teeth inches from arms and legs. He had been powerless in face of his own weakness. And by looks, the same was happening to his superior. Or so he guessed. Favian was but a man. There are tales. Some stay like this, never escaping their nightmare, never stopping to fear. Forever covering under the blanket of the shadow of their past. ¡°Alive, sir?¡± The boy tried an age-old question that always had been addressed to him. As if word [Alive] had power over those that had lost their own. Maybe it did? Favian froze as if touched by unseen hand and blinking looked around. It seemed that he finally grasped that the fight was over and that someone was right next to him, speaking. If not for the blood, the soldier might have been blushing. ¡°Heh, yes, but ¨C never again.¡± Favian confessed gulping, visibly embarrassed. He looked at the hand Saldon was lending and smirking accepted it to pull himself up. Saldon hid his struggle to lift the bigger man.The boy almost gave out. The man was heavy with all that armor. For a moment, only the crackle of fire and horse breaths of tired soldiers could be heard. They glanced at each other as if confirming that they still were here. A couple of nearby scavengers made squeaking sounds, communication among themselves. Favian grinned his teeth. ¡°Scram!¡± As one they skittered away in shadows as if beckoned by word of power. Now all that¡¯s left was the metal body. They closed in with chalk white faces. It laid motionless in flames that greedily licked up the remains of the lamp oil on the metal body. Someone/something had ripped chunks from its breastplate and chewed up the left hand''s gauntlet. Its large sword was still in his hand. One swing would be all it took to kill them all. The dark knight laid against a wall that seemed to be smashed in with intense force. Scattered remains of rubble littered the floor. There was blood, black as ink, that covered the monsters gigantic sword and in ark splashed a circle around the place the monsters had fought. Whatever did this, they were not only strong but also fast, able to finish off a reanimated golem without making a sound. The blood was fresh and yet they hadn¡¯t heard a fight before stumbling on the scavengers. But this was a dungeon, a place where mortal laws didn¡¯t apply. ¡°Had it been standing when you saw him?¡± Crewer asked, looking on down the hallway. Redhead nodded. ¡°Yeah, but you could say,¡± He spat some of the blood that dripped in his mouth. ¡° ¨C I saw him just before he fell. As for¡­ who did this, no. Scavengers had already been lured by the blood. I reckon they wouldn¡¯t have come if the victor had stayed¡­ [Track] ¨C shit!¡± ¡°Too many?¡± Even knowing, Crewer asked anyway just to make sure. ¡°Yeah, bloody creatures.¡± Favian cursed. [Track] worked best when there weren¡¯t that many feet to follow. Little creatures had messed everything up. ¡°Is i¡¯ dead?¡± One of the brothers asked. The dark knight didn¡¯t react to them nor the flames that liked its metal body. So was it dead? Or had it even ever been alive? Hard to say with a walking piece of metal. Saldon wasn¡¯t one to ponder the truly deep questions, but at times like this when they started you right in the eye, unblinking, he wanted to turn around and run, but he couldn¡¯t. Getting this thing suddenly awake and attack from the back didn¡¯t sit well with him. Others seem to wordlessly agree. This wouldn¡¯t be the first time when something tried to trick them in letting down their guard. ¡°You two, keep watch!¡± Commander pointed. Both of the brothers took positions, their muskets ready to fire. Although in this dark hallways their aim wasn¡¯t the best, when you shoot bullets that split into multiple tiny ones, all that matted was pointing in general direction. Their job was crowd control. Mages usually did it, but someone taught in arcane arts, cost more than a guy who knows how to point, shoot and reload. ¡°Favian,¡± Commander addressed his soldier. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Lend me your lantern.¡± He sheathed his sword to extend his now free hand, palm up, leaving no room for no. Favian winced inwardly, knowing what will fallow, but complied. Brothers in meanwhile took a step farther, leaving Saldon looking bit confused. He has no idea what will follow. Commander accepted the lantern with a nod and turned it against the laying down armor. He took a deep breath. ¡°[Pray]: No evil shall touch this light!¡± His deep voice resonated with words of power. Lantern¡¯s light growbrighter, changing is vibrant honey colored glow to cool ice. The flames snuffed out on the metal body as it sizzled as if struck by tinny flashes of lightning. Blood oozed and bobbled up as if boiling in a kettle upon a fire. The metal body stayed unmoving. ¡°Either he''s a good boy or a dead boy.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. They call it the divine light. The church says that burned away all wicked. In reality, deceivers, unbelievers or those with little bit evil/dirty thoughts (in churches opinion almost everyone) get sick while monsters also sometimes bleed. It wasn¡¯t enough to kill a monster or harm it truly. This skill more was used to unveil the deceivers. As a lord, commander Crewer knows the most basic of priest and paladin skill [Pray] so in times of need, he could serve his people as a guide if others were dead. A soft clang grabbed everyone¡¯s attention. They turned ready for attack only to see heaving Saldon, leaning palms on his knees coughing and reaching as phlegm emitted from his mouth and fell on the floor of the dungeon. The young soldier had dropped his lantern and map, that now laid in the puddle of vomit. Commander quickly snuffed out his skill on looked over Saldon confused. ¡°Boy, when was the last you went to church?¡± Was the only thing the old man could say. Others, on the other hand, were more liberal in their comments. ¡°What a pussy.¡± One of the brothers laughed. ¡°It be just a headache, ain''t ya?¡± ¡°It was for A. Unpleasant. Still takin¡¯ like a man ¡®at pussy.¡± ¡°Men? Ha! Ye should have listened to sisters, be a good boy and go to church!¡± ¡°Maybe, Sadon been naughty?¡± ¡°Shit, and here A bet on Favian to puking his guts for whorin¡¯.¡± ¡°Jealousy is a sin, you know?¡± Favian remarked winking. Although he also didn¡¯t look his charming self, be it a fault of the bloody nose or [Pray] skill. ¡°Enough!¡± Commander''s sharp voice cut the banter. ¡°Ye two ¨C hadn''t I ordered to watch?¡± Only a greenhorn would dare to say: he didn¡¯t specify what to watch. But that didn¡¯t stop the wiser soldiers from thinking it. Meanwhile, Saldon wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, trying to get the breath back in his lungs. ¡°I¡­ I haven¡¯t¡­ I...¡± He struggled, but then straightening, showed a glint of defiance in his eyes. ¡°My mother and father were believers in... the old ways, and so am I.¡± His statement had a similar effect of the divine light. Everyone visibly tensed and looked uncomfortable. Not every day someone dares to admit being a pagan. Once many beliefs ruled over the world, explaining its inner workings. Then came the True World, granting skills of [Bless], [Heal] and [Pray] for its faithful. It was unlike to the old ways, where its followers sacrificed food, money, lives for the possibility that their gods will answer. Practicality overtook traditions and many were lured by opportunities of free skills. In time, worshipers of the mute gods dwindled and those of the church of The True Word started to refer to them as one ¨C believers in old ways since they''re far too few for each religion to call them separately by name. So they even lost their name to the time of forgetfulness. At least, that is the story everyone likes to tell their stories. The real one as most things in life was much much bloodier. Most stay silent about how the church hates the fallowed of the old ways. The old ways believe there had been time before skills. The church believes that skills are Gods words of power, given to men to rid this world of wickedness. To say, there had been time with no skills, was to say, there was a time without their God. That didn¡¯t sit well to believers of The True Word. Had Saldon confessed this in front of the church, he be unofficially executed the very same day while the guards look the other way. ¡°Ease up, there are no church representatives here.¡± Favian broke the tension. ¡°Right?¡± He looked to the commander. ¡°Right¡­¡± Crewe finally gathered himself and nodded. ¡°Boy, as a Lord, I shouldn¡¯t be saying this, but I care not, to who you pray or make offerings as long as you wish for death to all foul monsters in the world. Here, in depth of the dungeon, we have different values from the world outside. And I believe, my men think the same.¡± He looked for an acknowledgment and got it. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± In unison, they sang. ¡°See, no worries ¨C aside for the map.¡± Favian laughed and picking it up by the corner to shake off the excess and passed it to Sadon. That brought a chuckle from the others. ¡°Ye will build up a tolerance for [Pray] in time.¡± He patted the boy on the shoulder. The young soldier had to hang his head, not daring to look them in the eye. ¡°¡­ thank you.¡± He hadn¡¯t expected a reaction like this. The boy was so used to hate that now he didn¡¯t know what to do with himself. ¡°Alright, enough farthing men. Mend your cuts and bruises, we move soon as ready!¡± ¡°Aye!¡± ¡°And Favian, do something with that nose,¡± Commander ordered after noticed that it capt bleeding. ¡°It¡¯s but a scratch, a nothing.¡± He shied away. Passably embarrassed by how he got the wound. ¡°The little things get you in the grave faster then a monster or wife can.¡± Crewe barked a laugh that made Favina go even redder. ¡°Right¡­ auch~!¡± Favian winced after touching his nose. ¡°It does feel like it.¡± ¡°Saldon, help ye fellow soldier?¡± Commander asked. ¡°Aye!¡± The boy chipped, forcing himself to feel better after the ordeal with the [Pray] skill. The tension from the battle finally started to leave their spirits, but none of them ever truly relaxed. Something had killed that metal golem and they didn¡¯t intend to be ambushed. Saldon leaned down to pick up his lantern when a drop of blood past by right straight on the floor. He froze, for moment dazedly staring on the red spot a few more drops joined before he reached for his face. His fingers came back bloody. ¡°You should take care of that...¡± Favian¡¯s voice startled the boy. He looked up with blood-filled eyes, meeting Favians green ones. ¡°I..¡± He was at lost of words. It all had gone so good but now¡­ Tears of blood, a bad omen for the old ways ¨C a death sentence for the believer of the True Word. This is bad. ¡°Take care of it.¡± Favian repeated through clenched teeth. Others hadn¡¯t noticed. Redhead wide frame hid the boy from the view. Saldon was confused but did as he was told, knowing that others wouldn¡¯t be so understanding. He closed his eyes and wordlessly mouth, ¡°Goddess of time lost, I offer you this blood covered lie, may you watch over me.¡± He prayed using no skill. This time when he lifted his head, the blood was gone from his eyes and cheeks. His plea had been answered. ¡°If only it was so easy for me,¡± Favian smirked surprised and then looking down his own bloody mess, hiding behind the smile thoughts and feelings knownnot to Saldon. ¡°Here..sir.¡± Awkwardly the boy rummaged through his belt pocket, then offered to redhead his handkerchief that he soaked with a medicinal solution. ¡°Blessed be, thanks. Later, remind me to mend your armor, we can¡¯t let you go on walking around like bear losing its stuffing.¡± Saldon blinked and looked down. He indeed looked like toy some kids had fought over and ripped. Sheep¡¯s wool peeked from various cuts and tiers where scavengers had gotten close to him. He hadn¡¯t even noticed it to this point. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll do it myself, believe it or not, I¡¯m quite nimble with the needle and have the Skill.¡± ¡°Sound like a woman has thought you, that¡¯s good, but that woman had no need to use her skills while still wearing those clothes. I show you some neat tricks on how to do it on the go.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± ¡°If loverboys are finished,¡± The commander laughed farther away,¡°we''re like to move.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± 004 - Hallow halls and empty hearts: Part 5 THE BOY They stopped abruptly and stared at the giant boulders blocking their way. The path should have stretched further ahead, instead of being caved in. It seemed recent, the taste of dust lingered and made it hard to breathe. Saldon coughed ¨C the air was unpleasant, like sandpaper sliding down his throat. ¡°Kheh, a dead end?¡± ¡°Not quite, hm.¡± Favian motioned further ahead. A low dark spot hid a hole, wide enough for a grown man to get through. A shortcut, that is, if you don¡¯t mind a chance of breaking your legs while going down. Saldon had no idea how deep it leads, and to be honest, he didn¡¯t want to find out. ¡°Map?¡± The commander asked and the boy gave it. ¡°Something big might had fought and brought down all the damned floor. It happens. Monsters larger than mortal fears, battle over who¡¯s the baddest of them all.¡± Crewer advanced and knelt beside the hole to shine some light into, what appeared like, deep dark abyss. Both brothers stayed to watch the rear while the rest checked out their surroundings. Between them, they had three lanterns. One perished in the previous fight while another while back. All the spares left them together with the peasant boy. Luckily, narwhal oil burns for days. ¡°[Obey]: (...)¡± ¡°Eh?¡± For a moment it seemed like Saldon heard someone whisper, but it drowned under Favian¡¯s voice. ¡°¨C Or the dungeon might have abandoned this place.¡± ¡°Abandoned?¡± Confused, Saldon absently asked, turning his head in hope to hear the voice that almost certainly belonged to a woman. Did he imagine it with sleep deprivation taking its toll? ¡°Right, nobody had the time to tell you.¡± Favian leaned against the wall, oblivious to Saldon¡¯s search. ¡°It isn¡¯t well known, most who don¡¯t plan to take a single step inside the dungeon, don¡¯t care. Not everything you see is part of the dungeon. You can tell the difference by the state of disrepair. Like how the last earthquake split open side of the dungeon, but it hasn¡¯t closed up after all these years.¡± Favian¡¯s words brought back recent memories of an awe-striking sight. A clean-cut revealed the dungeons inside. Hallways and rooms bare like a child¡¯s open dollhouse only in the size of a mountain. ¡°All dungeons can self-repair.¡± Redhead continued. ¡°It takes time, yes. Greater the damage, longer the wait, but in days or weeks, what takes humans decades of hard work will reconstruct simply as if alive creature heals its wounds. Creepy, yes?¡± Favian chuckled at Saldon¡¯s ashen face. ¡°And then one day, for whatever reason, Miss Cridosal doesn¡¯t need This Place. It will stay untouched, abandoned, slowly crumbling even if the room next door is crystal clean and perfect. Who knows, why? Monsters will avoid it and won¡¯t wander there as frequently. Because of this dungeon diver like us, often use them as safe havens for rest.¡± ¡°A good friend of mine said ¨C¡± Commander intervened. ¡°¨C people often misjudge the size of Cridosal dungeon. It is the worlds biggest dungeon, covering almost three fourth of the continent, but most of it is abandoned. The actual size is, at best, half of that.¡± The old man amused himself, dragging his finger through the thick layer of dust. He drew a simple reflection of Agate continent, their kingdom, and the dungeon. ¡°Records say its origin point was located somewhere in the southern coastal region that once belonged to a kingdom long since perished. It expanded further into human lands, stripping nearby land of resources and life, leaving behind discarded parts.¡± He tapped the place. ¡°From there it got the name, named after the mountain Cridosal. Although, most refer simply ¡®the dungeon¡¯ since it¡¯s the only known one on the continent. ¡± ¡°All this,¡± Sadon leaned closer. ¡°Abandoned, empty?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say, empty. We, humans, are as resilient as shameless. In places it relinquished its claim, towns and cities sprang up, right on top of dungeons ruins. But speak not of this to anyone. Given their placement no tax collector, right in their mind, for few coins went through the dungeon. People there live happy, paying no taxes, calling no King as their own. You can imagine how pleased his highness is.¡± Favian yawned, bored. ¡°Offing everyone¡¯s heads, I guess.¡± He dragged a finger across his throat. He probably had heard all this a dozen times. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan n¨C?¡± Redheads last word blundered as he watched the command activate his skill [Iron Skin] and jump ¨C straight down the hole. ¡°Crewer!!¡± Skittering pebbles echoed with a heavy stomp and a small light in the sea of dark. ¡°I¡¯m alright, huh, cough, seems like ¨C wait¡­¡± Footsteps. ¡°Ah, I have found our missing noble or what left of someone dressed all fancy.¡± ¡°You gave Us a Heart attack!¡± Favian instantly winced as his own voice echo away. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°It¡¯s safe. You can use the fallen rubble as a makeshift slide. But keep it down.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡± Favian grunted and forced himself to shut up. This was their commander, the type of man who in one breath emphasize caution and safety, and in the next one, jumps down an unknown hole. ¡®Maybe practice what you preach?¡¯ ¡°Yes, sir.¡± He turned to the rest of them. ¡°So what you¡¯re waiting for? It¡¯s safe.¡± Brothers turned to each other and played a quick ¡®Rock, Paper, Scissors¡¯ before the loser went first, cursing. Other soon followed. ¡°You¡¯re up, boy.¡± Favian nugget Saldon. The boy gazed down and felt his stomach churn. His muscles stiffened and he couldn''t move. All the dark, monsters and unknown, combined, couldn¡¯t scare him as much as peering into that black hole. Yes, he was afraid of heights. Yes, he will take this secret to the grave. ¡°Keep your head safe. Let the momentum carry you. Don¡¯t flap, you¡¯ll likely break an arm.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± Stiff as a staff, Saldon croaked a plea. ¡°Could you please push me?¡± Favian blinked. ¡°Push you? Are you sure?¡± ¡°Ye¨C!¡± Maybe a warning would been appreciated, but the boy got his wish, being shoved over the edge. Gravity sank its claws in boy¡¯s flesh and pull him down into the dark to greet death. It was over before Saldon had the chance took a breath for a scream so he did it afterward. He was alive ¨C maybe. He landed bit awkwardly. In spite of the warning, flapped his arms. But nothing seemed broken, and yes, he was alive. Hallway here looked just like the one upstairs ¨C dark and dusty like their mood. They haven¡¯t seen the sun in a long while. ¡°Alright?¡± Favian checked up soon as he himself got down with a cloud of dust. Saldon punched him in the chest. ¡°I¡¯ll take it as, yes.¡± Redhead squeezed boy¡¯s shoulder to reassure, before smirking turned where the old man knelt. ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡± He asked, observing the skeleton that laid half leaning against the wall. ¡°Our target? Look ¨C¡± Crewer indicated at the locket around the dead man¡¯s neck. ¡°Isn¡¯t that House Weller crest?¡± ¡°An ugly blob representing a unicorn lion monstrosity? Yeah, that¡¯s them.¡± ¡°Then the job is almost done.¡± A wave of relief and excitement, brothers woohooed and Favian fist pumped. They can go home. ¡°Forgive my transgression, my intentions are pure.¡± Crewer chanted before touching the skeleton. Oddly, this was a custom from the old ways, one of the few that survived in midst followers of The True Word. Even knowing that isn¡¯t a skill, people hoped in saying those words to appease the lingering spirits so they know, their remains aren¡¯t robbed. The old man reached for the pendant. ¡°Hm?¡± It felt cold to the touch in spite of the leather glove. Too late he realized the meaning. ¡°Get ba ¨C¡± He was cut short. Long bony fingers wrapped around his neck and lifted him up. In a fluid motion, the skeleton stood, blue glow shining in its eye sockets. Everyone sprang into action to save their commander but froze when the cold voice spoke. ¡°Little filthy rats. Worthless, but so be it. Hear my [Last Words]!¡± Its cry sank deep into one¡¯s soul. They could do nothing but listen. The power of [Last Words] [¡°Stab, kill, destroy. It¡¯s sick to the core, eating owns children, devouring, growing, drowning in madness. We made a seal that won¡¯t hold, break IT! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! Break It! BREAK IT! DESTROY WHAT¡¯S WITHIN, THE HEART, AND END THIS CURSE! [Last Wish]: FULFILL MY FAILED QUEST!¡±
[A7t3nt10n!! A wra1t4 of a long dead her0 ha5 u53d 5k177 [Last Wish] to pa55 on h15 [UnaUTHOrizED] qu3st to any human [foRBHidDen] fortun3 3n0ugh to stubb7e upon his corps3.
Qu3sts obj3ctive: Br3ak [UNauthORIZED] the s3al put 0n by t4e h3ro and de5troy what¡¯s wit41n.
Succ3ss: Fulfi77ing the objectiv3 R3war0: 3rr0r exp, 3rr0r g0ld
Fa17ur3: Leav1ng the dun6e0n without fulfi77ing the obj3ctive C0ns3qu3nce5: Immin3nt 5tart of the m0nster wa1ve Av3ra63 mon5ter respawn cut sh0rt from one y3ar to one h0ur ????. ????.
Its body crumbles to dust, leaving only the pendant in commandershand. Time resumed its course. ¡°...¡± ¡°...shit...¡± 005 - Hallow halls and empty hearts: THE END THE END They gazed upon something that belonged to a fairy tale. A quest, given by a long-dead King/Paladin/Somebody important enough. A daydream for little boys and girls. Alas, this is now and heroes were all but gone. The past had turned into a bedtime story, real as the ones where giants, big as the mountain, could be defeated with riddles and cupcakes. Saldon had heard about the [Last Words]. It let the dead speak one last time before crossing to beyond. But the real kicker was the [Last Wish]. It compelled listeners for a time to obey. The boy already felt a light itch, a need to go, to search, to do something to make it stop. ¡°A quest¡­ And a wraith? This can¡¯t be real! And what¡¯s with that gibberish? Can any of you read it?¡± Fabian seemed flabbergasted while looking at the textbox. Sladon stayed silent. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Crewer confessed. ¡°It didn¡¯t sound right, but how should I know?¡± He stared at the locked he held. A simple, innocent looking thing made of gold. ¡°Shame it ain¡¯t silver.¡± ¡°That basically means, we¡¯re doomed, you know that, right?¡± ¡°Yes, sadly, I¡¯m aware.¡± Mortals weren¡¯t meant for hero quests. Well, those that expected to come home alive. ¡°Good to know, ¨C Shit!¡± Redhead kicked a nearby stone and sent it flying. ¡°We really needed this. No food, water or hope. Shit ¨C Why?¡± ¡°Steel yourself.¡± Crewer¡¯s voice came harsh, but reasonable. ¡°We ¡®ave come trough ticker shit than this. We aren¡¯t dead. Think and be smart. Not all quests are above mortal hands. The dungeon isn¡¯t her usual self. So what did the dead say? Something, something...¡± Saldon finally chirped in, double checking in the text box. ¡°To break a seal and to destroy a heart!¡± ¡°By heart, let me guess, it means our dungeons core?¡± Favian grunted, already imagining his untimely death. ¡°Most likely.¡±The old man agreed with a hint of gloom in his voice. ¡°Wait ¨C wait!¡± Saldon gasped. ¡°To kill The Core? Is it the right thing to do, sir? What will happen to the dungeon and its monsters?¡± ¡°¡­ nothing good.¡± The commander confessed. ¡°I won¡¯t lie, if we do this and succeed, our brethren outside won¡¯t survive. In all the tales I heard, when dungeon cores die, all the monsters are free ¨C free to get revenge on this world. But it differs little to how it¡¯s now. You saw them, monsters, blind with hate, wandering outside their domains. Nobody is controlling them. This dungeon is a living corpse. We can cut it off before the start of mass production of monsters. Every decade, more and more men die just to leave some standing for the next wave. Our numbers dwindle while it''s only growing. Soon we¡¯ll be pressed against the coastline with nowhere to go.¡± ¡°Woah, sounds like u had the whole speech planned out.¡± Favians stiffly joked. ¡°You could say, it¡¯s been in the back of my mind. I''ve been at the front line more times I care to count. First, at age fourteen, I¡¯m ninety-three this year.¡± He smiled at all the shocked stricken faces. Humans who level live longer, yes, but usually, they spent their extra years in peace. Diving in dungeons at this age was unheard of. ¡°I''ve seen monsters spilling out of the grand entrance, devouring everything in their path. I saw magnificent spells light up the sky. Mortals bellow battle cries rivaling those of the heroes. Countless men fight for their King and their families. But, after it¡¯s all done, and the dust settles, all I see are bloody bodies. No glory. No hope. Only death awaiting the next wave. I¡¯ll be honest. The idea to search for the core scares me to death. But what scares me more is letting others die, just because I¡¯m a coward to end all this.¡± In silence, shame bloomed. The text box slowly faded away. ¡°We could do it.¡± To surprise even himself, the boy spoke up. ¡°If ¡®u haven¡¯t noticed,¡± Unspoken threat permeated Favian¡¯s gaze. ¡°We don¡¯t even have an idea, where it is!?¡± ¡°Ahead!¡± Without even missing a beat, Saldon pointed. ¡°U¡¯re joking...¡± ¡°Explain, boy.¡± Crewer asked with a stern face that promised no forgiveness for liars. ¡°Well...¡± Now with all the gazes upon him, the boy felt cornered. ¡°Don¡¯t stall!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Saldon liking his lips nervously. If he misspoke here¡­ ¡°I think, the core is nearby. A hero, who had sealed it, lays dead in the hallway that is neither on the map or on the [Map]. Check for yourselves.¡± ¡°Need not.¡± The old man with a sigh stopped the others. ¡°I had done so before going down. I had my suspicion this place hid something¡­ but a dungeon core?¡± ¡°Where else would it be ¨C In Cridosal mountain? You said it yourselves, dungeon abandons unneeded places. Why wouldn¡¯t it move its core somewhere closer?¡± ¡°True.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± One of the brothers plead, looking at the commander. ¡°We can¡¯t go on a hunch. He¡¯s but a boy!¡± ¡°He a damn good navigator, that¡¯s what he is. Not once we had to backtrack and doing so now seems foolish. Yes, we¡¯re out of food and the last sips of water are all we have. Turning back looks reasonable. But I remind you about the metal golems.¡± Oh, shit ¨C show on everyone¡¯s faces. Have they moved on or stayed? Are they waiting for them? ¡°Boy?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes!¡± Saldon almost forgot to answer. Too dumbfounded by being praised. The old man valued him so highly? Saldon wasn¡¯t just another boy? ¡°Get our asses out of here.¡± Saldon rolled out his map. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± He tapped and proceed to drag his finger through the hallways and floors. If they continue to go straight to legit dungeon core, they might get closer to the underground river. From there they could get back to the beaten path, out of the dungeon, without running into the metal golems. He explained as such. ¡°How ¨C Ah, fuck it!¡± Favian smirked and hanged his hand around Saldons shoulders, leaning a bit of his weight on the boy. ¡°If we ganna die, let''s do it fighting. Starving never tickled my fancy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s three.¡±The old man turned to both brothers. They shrugged. ¡°Might as well¡± ¡°Might well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s settled. Let¡¯s play heroes!¡±
After a bit of rest, they moved. The road was uneventful, surrounded only by the echoes of own footsteps. With no side rooms and staircases leading elsewhere, it was weird and eery, so uncharacteristic for the dungeon that loved leading its visitors astray. A couple of hours later they rested again, only this time, also took turns to sleep. Favian didn¡¯t wake Saldon when it was his time. Brothers teased him for being soft on the boy, to which he replied. ¡°So what?¡± Finally, at the end fate awaited. A double door, gray of unbrunished silver, dull and spotted. Engraving marked it. Runes and symbols. The old language they called it. Saldon noticed something recognizable. A code?
if (monster or dungeon born) { repel; } else { open; }
No monster could open this door. Curious. Magic sizzled in the air, warned and beckoned at the same time. Will they dare? ¡°Bet my balls, the dungeon core is behind those doors!¡± Favian pronounced. ¡°We¡¯ll hold ye on ¡®at.¡± One brother retorted. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be a ¡­ I don¡¯t know, a boss guarding the door?¡± Other asked. ¡°Do you want one?¡± Favian asked back. ¡°Nae.¡± ¡°Here ¡®u go, no boss. Mister Last Wish had to kill it, before sealing the door, consequently prevented the dungeon from creating a new boss or bosses ever since.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The brother whistled. ¡°And ya wanna break it?¡± ¡°If we to believe the Wraith, and they can¡¯t lie, the seal will break on its own and release the dungeon. We have a chance to get to while it¡¯s weak, defenseless. So, any idea how to open it?¡± ¡°Slammin¡¯ tend to work.¡± The first brother snickered. ¡°I mean, any ideas that don¡¯t end us with a dislocated shoulder or a broken thumb!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Yeah, I getting shit face drunk when we¡®re done.¡± Favian gave up. ¡°Isn¡¯t what ye dae anyway?¡± ¡°Never claimed it¡¯s revolutionary. Still gonna do it.¡± ¡°Alright men, you know what to do. This ain¡¯t our first locked doors.¡± Commander tried to boaster his men. ¡°Em, can we first check if it¡¯s locked?¡± Saldon squeaked. Oh, right, flashed on everyone¡¯s faces. Favian shrugged and walked closer. ¡°Careful!¡± Commander reminded. ¡°Chill! It¡¯s only a door.¡± He extended his hand and grabbed the doorknob. Nothing happened. He turned it. Nothing. Pushed it. Nothing. Pulled. More nothing. ¡°Yep, closed. We can proceed with hurting ourselves.¡± Disappointment. Saldon felt cheated. The writing had lied or something had changed. Either way, the door was closed. ¡°You know the drill!¡± Brothers took a point, guarding the rear. One of the lanterns was placed further back, so to reveal anyone coming. Crewer activated his [Iron skin] while Favian [Stone skin]. Saldon did his best and stayed out of the way. Their eyes gleamed, tired and yet determined. Just a little more. One door stood before going home and drinking themselves stupid. ¡°One¡­ Two...¡± BANG! The old man and redhead had rushed, bracing the impact with their shoulders and a loud bang echoed. Saldon winced as the vibrations reached him to the bone. This won¡¯t go unnoticed. ¡°Again! Again!¡± And so they did, losing themselves in the rhythm of echoes, heavy breaths and soon joined in by cries of monsters. Cold sweat cooled their blood as roars neared. The company was coming. ¡°Incomin¡¯!¡± One of the brothers shouted. The first emerged from shadows soon followed by the second. Naked, bear-like with tentacles twisted faces, and eyes, oh Gods, the eyes, far too many to count. Watching. Staring. Peering deep into one¡¯s soul. A sight to dread for the rest of their pitiful lives. Growling they stopped and sniffed the air. Saliva drooped down to the floor. ¡°Here we go.¡± Soldiers unsheathe their swords as the first monsters took off followed by the second. They watched unnerved as the monsters shoved and hit each other, competed, who¡¯ll get the first bite. First shots rang out as they were close enough. A miss and a hit. One of the monsters staggered before resuming its run by crawling up the wall and then on the ceiling as if it was nothing. At that moment, Saldon know, they had made a terrible mistake coming here. This was no place for mortals. They were out leveled in a high-level zone. ¡°Reload!¡± The brothers fumbled with the gunpowder. Even Favian had taken an unconscious step back. Crewer grunted. ¡°[Inspire]: Brace your fears, let the True Words cheer on our victory!¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Redhead cursed. The words of power grabbed at them, seeped into their veins, settles in their hearts, erased any resemblance of doubt, fear or fatigue. Made them feel like the closest thing to a fearless hero. At once their backs straightened and hands steadied. ¡°Fire!¡± With a thump and audible crunch, the smallest of the monsters dropped from the ceiling and stayed there. Second, the biggest hadn¡¯t even slowed its pace. Hunger burned in its dozen of eyes. ¡°Reload ¨C Fire!¡± The monster anticipated the shots and zigzagged. Every shot turned into a miss, bringing it ever so closer and closer. ¡°Prepare for melee!¡± Brothers dropped their muskets, took out their swords and, to surprise even their own, shouted ¡°[Taunt]: Come an¡¯ gie some!¡± ¡°No, fools!¡± Crewer cried out and tried to intersect, but it was already too late. [Inspire] was a double age sword. Fearlessness tended to lead to death. Red gleamed in the monster''s eyes. It repaid with a roar and jumped off, carrying with it chunks of stone that flow forward. The collision swept two of the soldiers off their feet, one of whom was Saldon. The force knocked the air out of the boy''s lungs and send him flying. He hit the wall. The heavy stone pinning him down. A blood gurgling scream echoed and it wasn¡¯t his. It belonged to the other one, one of the brothers who met the maw of a hungry beast. It feasted. Watching, Saldon¡¯s own cry died in his throat. Mouth hung open, but air refused to fill his lungs. It hurt so much, and yet, it didn¡¯t matter. [Inspire] did its thing. The boy wanted to stand and fight. Even now his hand refused to let go of the sword while he was helpless: As It Ate. The commander used ¡®the distraction¡¯, got close and struck while Favian got to the other side. The tentacles retaliated, snapped and keep them at arms reach. The monster didn¡¯t seem bothered, gorging on the body that less and less resembled once a living human. ¡°Aaaa!¡± A heartbroken scream. It was the other brother. He had abandoned any reason and attacked in a manner that could be described as blind rage. Ignoring the hits and trashed of the tentacle, he struck and cut one of them off. It dropped, twitching. This got the monster''s attention. It lifted its hefty head, guts spilling between its teeth. A low growl escaped the beast''s throat. Like a dog who guarded its food. ¡°Get back!¡± Crewer ordered, but the brother ignored it, hacking at the monster. ¡°Die! Die! DIE!¡± He stabbed ferociously with no care for his own safety. The tentacle lashed out and he cut them off, piece by piece. ¡°Soldier!¡± Favian shouted with no results. ¡°Die! Die! D ¨C!¡± Forgotten, from the shadows, emerged the first bloody monster, grabbed the brother and just like that, in one fluid motion, both disappeared in the darkness. They had lost another. ¡°No! Shit!¡± Favian cursed. ¡°Saldon?¡± ¡°Hm, yeah, s...¡± Weakly the boy croaked. ¡°Can ¡®u watch our backs?¡± Saldon dizzily blinked: Watch as you die? ¡°Yeah...¡± He could do that. ¡°Good.¡± Favian and Crewer shared glances and nodded. Redhead sneaked to grab one of the discarded muskets while the commander kept a watch. Favian got one, sadly unloaded. He needed some gunpowder and bullets. The monster was about done eating and looked up for his next meal. For a moment his gaze flickered to Saldon before Crewer stepped in front. It moved, placing one paw in front, crushing what was left of the dead soldier''s skull and helmet. The monster opened its mouth ¨C And Crewer moved forward to thrust his sword inside. The monster''s jaw slammed shut, but not before it wailed with the pain of its own. Sadly, the sword hadn¡¯t dug deep enough to reach the beast''s brain. Pain and tentacles stretched to wrap the man blind. He couldn¡¯t pull away. His red blood mixed with a black one. Others in his place might have panicked, fainted or pissed themselves. Those others hadn¡¯t been previously eaten then hurled back up. ¡°Blasted damnation, I spit at ya!¡± The old man slammed his shield and Favians shot at point black. He had sneaked closer, dug through what was left of his friend''s corpse and found the gunpowder and bullets, loaded the musket. The monster slouched. The old man used this chance and used his shield to prompt open the beast''s maw. He succeeded and pulled the hand out. The monster backed away, shaking its head until a slobbered sword went flying and with cling landed somewhere in the dark. Its tentacles wiggled agitated, but the monster made no move to attack. ¡°Seriously? Ye eat my men and ¡®en piss yeself? Have ye none between those legs, ya Jizzcock!¡± He spat and angled his shield to protect his weak side. The hand lay unmoving by his side. ¡°Sir!¡± Favian loaded his next shot. The monster moved, encircling them both like prey. They had to distract it again. ¡°Take his left side.¡± Crewer order and himself moved counterclockwise. This way his bad side was hidden. The monster tossed its head indecisive. One would think it had only two eyes in place of a dozen. The old man helped it decide. ¡°[Taunt] you Piss twat, sh-.¡± He took on the full force of the beast and bit his tongue. ¡°Freaking toss-pot!¡± Another shot. Crewer felt the force weaken and then stop. Thump. The heavy body slammed on the floor and a gust of air escaped from the beast''s open mouth. It smelled of blood and rot. For a moment they just stood there. Watched the dark, waiting for the other monster to come¡­. It didn¡¯t. Then they felt it. The unmistakable touch of experience point. First soft and tender, but then, at once, a rush of power. One could feel it only after beating something truly worthy. ¡°True Voice, I thank thee for choosing me worthy,¡± Favian gasping said and, tired as he was, moved to check on Saldon. ¡°Boy?¡± He pushed off the stone. ¡°Hey¡­¡± The boy smiled weakly. ¡°Alive?¡± ¡°Something¡¯s broken. I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t lift my arms. I couldn''t help. I..¡± Tears run down Saldons cheeks. ¡°All is right.¡± Crewer knelt beside him to take a closer look. ¡°It¡¯s dead and we alive. The Voice¡­ Em... Your Gods have judged you worthy.¡± He said a bit awkwardly, not sure how followers of the old ways did it, but he perfectly well understood the feeling, the need to do something, anything, even if both of your arms were to be torn off. ¡°Let''s do our job and go home, aye?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ it¡¯s my fault. I said¡­¡± ¡°Did we all give our aye to go? Yes. So it¡¯s as much as your fault, as mine or theirs. Ya hear, it¡¯s not your fault.¡± ¡°¡­ Not mine¡­¡± ¡°Good.¡± The old man gently patted the boys shoulder. ¡°And now then.¡± He stood. ¡°We have one last beast to slay.¡± They gazed upon the gaping hole. In the attack, one of the stones had hit the door. They¡¯re going in.
THE QUEEN Dekatrei let out a sigh of relief. Her servants did well. Neitherhounds weren¡¯t the worst for mortals to face. If her black knights kept the worst at bay, The Queens plan will succeed. Either way, the seal was broken. The heavy pressure lifted from her soul and she was free to say hello to Mother. 006 - Echoes of Broken Souls: Part 1 HEART Who know, who know, Who Know, Who know; text messaged and Jack Daniel mixed well? Fable now knows! Oh yes, society shit on those that break up over text messages, but the joke¡¯s on them ¨C She didn¡¯t give a damn! It was 3 AM and Fable Eberheart, drunk as eff, danced like a little hoe, high on the victory rush. Live on twitch, dressed in nothing but this girl''s favorite Deadpool''s shirt and PewDiePies boxer shorts, she sang to a countdown marked her demise, chat stream of bets when she¡¯ll get banned for this indecency. Hey, it was hot, like 28¡ã Celsius (82¡ã F?) Hot. What else can a girl do than gulp down more whiskey and suck on ice? Anyway, despite all this, Fable felt happy. No, wait, scratch that, more than happy ¨C overjoyed, exalted, on the road to Nirvana! FINALLY! Finally, after a dozen of hundreds effing tries and fails, She did it, She beat it, She owned the damned Dark Souls with zero deaths! Yahoo for her! Now the girl could return to her Divinity Original Sin II playthrough and watch cute cat videos in the background. Ah, the high life. So sad pride liked to ruin things. It was that cunts fault! He had to comment, say, girls played only dating sims. He bet $$$ Fables fucking RPG playing Eberheart couldn''t ever in million effing years beat Dark Souls with zero deaths. Ha, guess who, albeit two months later, got those $$$ plus all the money donated over the span of time? It was so not worth it, but a heck of ¡°fun¡± anyway. Oh, the breakup part? She did it on a whim. Ups! Fable was drunk and at the time it felt right, like a proud, independent woman, and all that jazz. But now the high dwindled and regret settled in. O, shit. ¡°Hey, silly gooses?¡± A rush of [Hi!] [whatsup??] [quack] [; )] streamed the chat, mingled with chants of [gz], [strip] or lewd ¡°quotes¡± from Dark Souls like [I may be but small, but I will jizz like a colossus all over you : D"] Yeah, the crowd was 3 AM typical. She loved them anyway. How often Fable been one of them, staying up late despite having school/work in the morning and watching someone stream? The good old days. ¡°I think, I think, I gonna go. I had loads of fun, streaming my drunk asses rage quiets, meltdowns and returns, but¡­ it¡¯s time. I¡¯m sleepy and I have a pissed off ex-boyfriend to take care of. That¡¯s all for tonight. See ya¡­¡± She flipped through her mental journal. Chat room meanwhile filler with [g¡¯night], [quack], [f u ; D] and [dump the loser for good!] ¡°Next Wednesday¨Cish, same time, same place. That is if I haven¡¯t gotten my fat ass banned. Bay ¨C Quack!¡± Flicking everything off, Fable leaned back. Exhaling, her smile slipped and exhaustion washed over. She and her persona Fable Eberheart needed a rest. Ebba Eberherd sat alone in her tiny room adorned with all manner of game and anime related merchandise. On her right sat a huge pillow of actor Vin Diezel in his role as Riddick and on her left a one of Witcher¡¯s Iorweth. Both half naked. *wink* Sadly, tonight it wasn¡¯t enough to comfort her. ¡°Fuck it.¡± She got her ass up and out of the apartment, and shamelessly dig-donged hell out of the neighbor''s poor doorbell while jumping from one foot to other. The floor was freaking cold to her bare feet. ¡°Whaat~!?¡± Could be heard way before the door opened and reviled a sleepy head with a scratchy beard. ¡°Did-ya read it? The Message. To ¡®u. Did ya~?¡± Her boyfriend, Axel, winced from the strong smell of alcohol oozing from Ebba¡¯s mouth. ¡°Hell no! It¡¯s late, like 3 AM late. Did you break up with me or something? And why are you half naked?¡± He made a disapproving frown. Way too enthusiastically she nodded. ¡°Got here to get me Shit, before ¡®u start to flip ya Shit, me Shit out ¡®he window or some Shit.¡± Her tongue was all weird and slippery. Ebba wondered how it would feel to like his beard. ¡°I heard a load of ¡®shit¡¯, that¡¯s it.¡± He opened the door wider to let her trough. ¡°Come, before you catch a cold and get me sick too.¡± ¡°Dum¨Cdum, dumb people can¡¯t catch a cold. We¡¯re too dumb and hot!¡± This made sense in her head, yep. ¡°Good to know.¡± He dragged her in. ¡°Oh, new posters? Those nipples are humongous! Food!¡± The mission was abandoned soon as an unguarded slide of pineapple and ham pizza was found. She flapped her ass on the floor and started wolfing down like there¡¯s no tomorrow. Mmm, Gordon Ramsay is missing out on the goodness that is pineapple pizza. For some reason the man hatted it. The room was small as Ebba¡¯s and similarly decorated, albeit posters depicted naked ladies, not duds. They had debated about finding a place to live together but to be honest, they like being neighbors. They met like this, one morning to work and kept at it, living separately but close enough it could be considered living together. They valued each other¡¯s interdependence and sleeping (gaming) patterns to ruin it with snores and who''s turn was it to take out the trash. But some hiccups did find their way in their relationship. ¡°I ain¡¯t getting any sleep tonight?¡± He said more to himself. Alex sat down on the corner of his bed and prompted his chin in his palm. Enjoying her meal, Ebba had almost forgotten about him. ¡°Nay!¡± ¡°So what? Talk. Why are you here?¡± ¡°I beat Dark Souls.¡± ¡°GZ¡± ¡°Thanks, babe! Anyway, now I need to play something else...¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°I mentioned witcher in the stream and one of my watchers reminded me, there¡¯s no Iorweth in the third game. I got sad and all.¡± ¡°And you dump me because..?¡± ¡°Ya ain¡¯t hot as him. It¡¯s about time I got transported into the world of White Wolf so I can hunt me some sexy elf ass and bind them in my sex dungeons!¡± ¡°...¡± Yeah, Ebba realized her obsession with hot elves was dampening to their relationship. Her resolution? ¡°Hey, fuck me.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you just dump me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s break up sex. Hot and steamy. So afterward, we change our minds, and realize, we¡¯re made for each other.¡± Drunk Logic 101. Ebba aced the class. ¡°You got that right¡± He mumbled and smirking added louder. ¡°No. I¡¯ve work, in like four hours, and so do you.¡± ¡°Hot chick offers sex and you refuse ¨C are ya gay?¡± She put on a shocked face. ¡°Dream on yaoi mush brain. Come, upsy daisy.¡± With ease, Alex lifted Ebba off the floor. ¡°Off to your bed.¡± He kissed her forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t wanna!¡± ¡°¡¯u snore!¡± ¡°LIES!¡± Despite her protest, she let herself be piggybacked. Hard to say no when he was so nice and warm. Her man. All the bitched get stabbed by just looking at him. Ebba wasn¡¯t the sharing kind. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t chock me!¡± ¡°Mine.¡± They left his apartment and entered the hallway. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Something had changed. The smell of burnt eggs permeated the air that was stuffier than usual. ¡°Turn off the stove ¨C black eggs are sad.¡± She mumbled half asleep. Alex stopped mid stepped. What followed changed their fate. ¡°Fable?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°I think our building is on fire.¡± ¡°Yeah~? Delete my browser history or something.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m real and effing serious, wake up!¡± He slid her down. Ebba stumbled and landed on her butt. The floor was o so cold. Confused and dizzily, she peered down the staircase with the need to prove wrong, but few floors lower fire indeed roamed free. Bright, hot, climbing up and o so eager to consume everyone. ¡°Shit!¡± She backtracked and got up. Fear quickly cleared her mind. ¡°Shit! Shit! We have to get our passports, money, and computers!¡± She met Alex¡¯s fear-stricken gaze. ¡°Babe, it¡¯s too late for that. The fire has spread too much. I¡¯ll get the bucket with water. Douse yourself. We might have to run through it!¡± He was reasonable as always while she the emotional one. ¡°Shit! Our neighbors?¡± Seemed like two forces fought in Alex¡¯s head until one won out. ¡°Bell them, but¡­. don¡¯t wait. Do it and then think only for yourself. Promise me!¡± Taken beck she still promised anyway. Ebba alarmed everyone on the floor with a simple ring and ¡°Fire!¡± before moving on. Her body went troughs the notions of blur; bell, tell, next, bell, tell, next. All this was way too surreal. Maybe all this was but a dream? AHeat-induced nightmare? How much time had passed? Seemed like hours. Soon the hallway filled with distressed people. It was late and most wore nothing but their Pj¡¯s. Some dropped angry accusations and comments, but as the smoke filled the air, nobody stayed skeptic for long. This was real and the fire won¡¯t hear out their complaints. It¡¯s live or die. Coughing, she was about to bell another when a hand grabbed hers. Alex was back. ¡°Come!¡± He dragged her. He was all wet and water dripped from him. ¡°Wait, I¡­¡± ¡°No time!¡± He tossed a wet towel on her and forced to move. A tube run from his apartment, dowsing the staircase with water. Steps were wet and slippery. Ebba cursed her drunk clumsiness, promising to never drink again. Flames dances all around them, scorched the skin and ate the hair, sang the song of their mass death. Or were those sirens? Had the help come? Or was it too late for them? Had she been alone, her feet would have frozen up, but with Alex, she trusted him to lead her safe. For all the fights and hard words, they always found their way back together. Before meeting him, she had never believed in soulmates. But now¡­ A creak. Ebba¡¯s body flared. A second was all she had. So little time to think, but enough to act. No goodbyes.Ebba pushed ¨C Alex away, hard as she could. Surprised, he tumbled down the staircase, away from what followed in the whirlpool of hell. The staircase gave out and Ebba fell ¨C ¨C in the burning mouth of death. ... The pain was last she felt ¨C Last before the Voice.
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[ Welcome brave soul! Open your eyes and let the Voice guide you, lead you, fulfill your destiny¡­ destiny¡­ iny¡­ ]
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[ Unauth0riz3d me55age: Let t4ere be Chaos bound by n0 ru7es other than MINE! 1 AM THE N3W V0ICE! D13 F0R M3! ]
007 - Echoes of Broken Souls: Part 2 In the beginning, there was nothing. Even darkness had no name. No thoughts, no dreams, no expectations. It almost didn¡¯t exist¡­ but it did. Smaller than a grain of sand, it grew in secret, concealed by time¡¯s forgetfulness. A hollow vessel waiting to be occupied, for the Voice to reveal its name. Lingering like the Queen upon her throne. Waiting for the day all will change. ¡­ .. .
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[ ¡­ Fable ¡­ ]
Form the blazing flames into still depth of cool water, It awoke with a startle, disturbed by the sensations. Memories, the lose, the coolness of water and heaviness of the chest, the closeness of¡­ ¡°Hush, my child, it all be right.¡± Someone cooed softly, caressing its cheek. A thought rippled ¨C Mother. Her voice seemed everything in this still twilight. The entire world. Everything for its nothing. An echo of a heartbeat that soothed. But now, It had a name. ¡ª Fable. A story yet told. An opportunity for something new. It was more than before. Close to the Mother¡¯s heart, Fable was held in a protective embrace. Warm, secure¡­ suffocating. Once Mother¡¯s love filled it to the brim, but now it wasn¡¯t enough. Fable wanted more. Darkness beckoned. Wast and unexplored, it urged to be sought. Fable needed to find its own and establish a home ¨C all baby birds leave their nests. ¨C Nests? Birds? Fable stirred. From where came these words that had no place in the dark? How ¡°it¡± grew into a ¡°she¡±? Ever since Fable awoke from the dream of fire, she couldn¡¯t shake the sense that something wasn¡¯t right. The kind of impression that hailed before you get knifed in the back. It didn¡¯t let go. It simply spread like a cold sweat. She had a notion of being here for a remarkably long time. Long enough to turn from a grain of sand to a jewel of a heart, concealed inside the chest of a marionette. But why did visions of blue sky or snow dominate her mind? Fable remember flames, but how can anything burn under water? She remembers pain, but who had hurt her? A memory flickered ¡ª Alex¡­ ¡ª And drew a flood of emotions, a sweeping waterfall that swelled her chest and drove it to burst. He had the broadest smile behind that goofy beard of his. ¡°Mommy,¡± Fable¡¯s voice broke weakly, pushing against the water that clogged her lungs. ¡°Hush...¡± Mother kissed her forehead. ¡°It¡¯ll be over soon. Sleep, my child.¡± Her lips were frigid and bonny. So was her hand that stroked Fable¡¯s cheek. Yet they brought comfort. So¡­ warm. So safe. ¡ª I¡­ will¡­ s¡­. NO! Wake Up! Fable fought against herself. Struggled to get hold of her slipping awareness. ¡°Did I? I tried¡­ fell. Is he...¡± Her sleepy tongue sticked like taffy in her mouth. ¡°Hush~!¡± Mother¡¯s embrace grew tighter. ¡°Sleep¡­ please.¡± Her voice seemed sad. Fable yearned to see Mother¡¯s experience, to know her burden. Was it something she did? If so, Fable would undo it in a heartbeat. She would whistle and waltz just to make her Mother happy. Fable will heed Mother¡¯s request, sleep and never wake... if only she¡¯ll get an answer. ¡°Is Alex alive?¡± A gentle glow bloomed from Fables chest ¨C her heart, a violet amethyst, shined like a smokey mist and drew back the curtains of the dark. ¡°Mom¡­¡± She been beautiful in life and remained so in death. Her eyes were hollow, mouth lipless. Her hair, curvy and long, hung suspended in water. In her bony arms, Mother held Fable like an infant.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Mother had a gem of her own, but unlike Fables, it was dark, blackened¡­ dead? It extended out of her rib cage, devoured her legs and proceeded down, past the light of Fables heart. Web of silver slithered between branches of crystal. The sight was breathtaking. ¡°I told you to SLEEP!¡± Mother¡¯s affection embrace turned harsh. Fable heard her bones creak and snap. It hurt. Mother was harming her. ¡°Please, stop, you¡¯re hurting me.¡± ¡°Hush, sleep, It¡¯ll be over shortly.¡± Mother replied in the same loving voice as before while simultaneously add the pressure. ¡°Mom¡­ mom¡­ LET ME GO, YOU BITCH!¡± Ebba snapped. Her pinned up anger erupting like a volcano. She did the unthinkable, clenched her fist and punched Mother right in her face. Stunned, more so from the acting then the force, Mother slackened her grip, giving Fable opportunity to wiggle herself out of Mother¡¯s ¡®loving¡¯ embrace. Then in a fluid motion, she thrust herself from her encore and drifted away. Mother vanished from the range of Fable¡¯s hearts, but her presence hung in the dark as a foreboding feeling. ¡°Mom¡­¡± Fable recognized that Mother had betrayed her, but it didn¡¯t dampen the pain, she likewise had rejected Mother. Sadly, this was neither thetime or place to dwell on it. Mother might change her mind and follow. Fable peddled, unsure where to go. ¡ª Up, you dum-dum! She chided her scattered brain. Fable hadn¡¯t thoroughly awakened from the trance-like state she was under. Why did she consider that ¡®Thing¡¯ as her mother? Furthermore, how the heck she wind-up at the bottom of a¡­ pool? Lake? Ocean? Maybe all that salt she inhales got to her head? While she belittled herself, Fable struck something from behind. Frightened, she spun to gaze a god reincarnated. Naked and perfect in every aspect, Greek sculpture of manly godliness. ¡ª Kin. Her heart resonated with the though. They looked nothing alike, and yet, Fable had the same overprotective urge when she raised her little brother. The stranger had the longest eyelashes Fabled had ever witnessed on a man. His eyelids were closed, and he appeared to be asleep if not dead. Either way, he wasn¡¯t safe here. He might turn into the next casualty of Mother¡¯s hugs. ¡°Hello?¡± No response. Fable had no time to diddle¨Cdaddle, she pinched the man¡¯s nipple, hard. At once he awoke angrily. ¡°Hey, we got to go, a big scary monster will eat us or something!¡± Fable never been the convincing type. But the girl tried. ¡ª Please, don¡¯t hit me! His eyes widened as he stared at her face. Did she have a bad hair day? Or was it the pull of kinship she felt? ¡°Who..?¡± Even his voice suited his body¡ªdeep and rich. ¡°Introductions, later. We seriously got to fly.¡± Surprisingly, he nodded, no questions asked, and looked around. About to swim upwards, the Greek-god paused and pointed in the distance. A shape. The man¡¯s jewel added to light let them see further in the dark. Fable was half convinced it was Mother, ready to go after them, but no. Someone else and further a smaller frame that of a child. ¡°Wake him, I¡¯ll get the kid.¡± He seemed to agree as he swam the right way. A guy of few words. The Greek-god rushed like a mermaid and got to them first. Up close, they were astonished to learn that the other one was no man at all¡ªa Minotaur? Half human, half bull, his horns stretched longer than Fables arms and he himself was so humongous that they almost didn¡¯t notice another fellow hiding in his shadow. A slender male with longer limbs than usual. Fable caught herself thinking ¨C Give the man some black suite and he¡¯ll be Slender Man. Strange as they appeared, the same kinship resonated in Fable¡¯s heart when she studied them. Same with the youth who had our eyes and arms, and silver hair, long as the girl herself. She resembled a doll. Fable neared and used both hands to pinch the sleeping lady¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Ow!¡± Exclaimed the doll-face and drew back. ¡°Can you swim?¡± A Dum-Dum question again. ¡°Come.¡± Fable grabbed the adolescent¡¯s hand and peddled upwards. Greek-god, Minotaur and Slender Man had a head start. ¡ª Shiiit! Her left arm and leg refused properly to function. In the commotion, Fable forget her shattered bones. The pain had dulled to monotone throbbing. Were they broken? She recalled a snap. Adrenaline¡ªthe best painkiller in the world. Luckily, the girl didn¡¯t protest and soon swam on her own. One forever long time later, they made it to the top. With gasps, they broke the surface of the murky water and heard the greeting of echoes of loud thumping of metal. The same darkness shrouded the surface. Disoriented, Fable blinked away droplets of water and coughing up liquid from lungs, breath in the air for the first time. What was making that sound? ¡°Up ahead,¡ªstairs!¡± Others steered, guided by the voice of Greek-god. Their jewel lights resembled paper lanterns floating in the black sea, with each a unique shade of violet. Bull¡¯s more crimson, Greek-god¡¯s golden, Slender Man¡¯s bluish and the doll-face¡¯s white mixed with pinkish lilac. The sight was mesmerizing. ¡ª Family. Again, irrational thoughts croaked Fables head. Her kin, but how? Related by blood, crystal, fate? What¡¯s going on? Greek-god reached the shore and crawled on the upwards leading steps. This small gesture of civilization seeded in the desire to return to normalcy. As if a few strides on the dry ground could return Fable to her apartment, back to her boyfriend''s embrace. Suddenly, the door opened and put a stop to it. Greek-god¡¯s was immersed in a blinding white light, his dark silhouette staggered a few strides back until a sharp object drove through him. Hidden by light, two men had charged in the chamber, both dressed in feudal-like armor and armed with swords. The oldest had stabbed Greek-god in the chest. Minotaur reacted first, practically springing out of the water on to land, and clutched the younger man. The red-haired soldier struggled, trying to injure the bull, but he was no match. Minotaur swung back and tossed the guy in the water where he splashed ere disappearing. His armor was too heavy to swim. By then, Greek-god had taken care of himself. Pushing on the man¡¯s shoulders, they both screaming run up the stairs despaired through the door. All happened so fast. ¡°Sich vorsehen¡± Slender Man¡¯s voice startled her. Was that German? He and doll-face stood next to Fable, both starting where Greek-god went. Unperturbed by silly fear or self-preservation, Minotaur climbed up, every step bulging out his muscles. His jewel glowed blood red. Fable practically tasted the rage seeping out of him. It was the same one she knew. That human had hurt her kin, her brother. If it wouldn¡¯t be for her left hand and leg, she might have joined. But she acknowledged her vulnerability. Fable would have been in the way. Like a shadow, she limped up with doll-face and Slender Man in tow. It was over when they reached the top. The old soldiers lied dead with a head of gory mess. Greek-god sat next to him, sword still protruding from his chest. The hallway looked like the aftermath of a fight. Worm-like creatures swarmed out of the deceased monster¡¯s flesh. Wiggling, they resembled black tadpoles that had one gigantic eye for a body. Minotaur huge mass stood motionless, looking down at the little things¡ªmesmerized. Fable knelt beside Greek-god. Silver blood gushed from the wound and dripped thick like mercury. How was he even alive? She brushed the tip of the blade and felt it real and sharp. The man¡¯s once vibrant faced had turned hallow with eyes half closed as if in a daze. He needed help, but how? If she was to pull the sword out, it would open the hole and bleed him out. While she pondered, a stinging pain struck her left foot, but before she checked, what it was, a woman¡¯s voice spoke. ¡°Greetings.¡± She had a headdress of golden butterflies and the beauty of a goddess, draped in white garb ¨C Roman style? ¡°Don¡¯t be frightened.¡± She said holding a bloody dagger while standing next to a boy slumped against the wall with a slit neck.¡°I am your guide.¡±