《Summit Seeker》 1. Did… I… Just kill that thing…? Stone glides across the lake. "Oh, that was a long one; let''s try again," said a boy. This boy isn''t really a boy, kind of; he is 18 now, so a legal adult. This is Axton Abanish, such an odd name for such an odd fellow, right? Stone glides further. Yeah, I know, my dad was a superhero nerd, and my mom... well, she was just a normal nerd, obsessed with literature. That''s why my name is... an alliterative; those nerds used to love puns. Axton refers to a town of "Ash Trees," and, well, Abanish just means "King," I think. I''m of no significance, though; I''m average height, weight, and everything really. The only thing out of the normal is that my hair goes to my shoulders, I guess. "I should... probably go back home now," I say to myself, not in any rush, though I live alone, and it''s getting a little dark out... not that safe here in Bangladesh, especially alone at night, even though I live in Dhaka; it gets a bit creepy at night. Doesn''t really matter; today is the end after all. "From Dhanmondi Lake to... 9/A street isn''t that far; I''ll just walk home," I should''ve taken a ride home instead. As I walked relatively aimlessly in the direction of my home, I saw... a doorframe? In the middle of the sidewalk? "That''s odd; it''s painted. No, it''s not actually painted; it''s... made of a black wood, a plain door frame made of black wood? The hinges look painted at least.", I muttered to myself. "I''ll try opening it; I wonder if it''s buttery smooth like it''s been doused in WD-40 or if it creaks," I continued. As I open the door and walk through it, it... took me to a room? "What the hell? Is this some stupid optical illusion?". I walk around to the side, with my palm grazing the wall, as disbelief, curiosity and intrigue floods my mind. As I look around, I see two doors and a rusty dagger on the ground. I walk over to it and pick it up and... "Damn, it''s still sharp, but it''s still fragile. How is it in this condition and not brea¡ª" One of the doors creaks open. "What the hell? Oh, so this was really an elaborate opti¡ª" I stopped, as the figure walked into the room I see... A small green silhouette, with its own rusty dagger, walked towardsme. "Hey... H-hey, HEY! This isn''t funny anymore; you win. Where am I, WHERE THE HE¡ª? That thing just LEAPED at me with the knife in hand, aiming at my gut. I fell backwards on the floor, narrowly dodging a one-way trip to the ER, either for disembowelment or tetanus, if I''m lucky, that is. I got a closer look at it, though; it was green, small, had crooked teeth, a long nose, pointed ears, brown eyes, and a brown loincloth. It''s fast. TOO FAS- I get up and run back to the door to get away from that thing in one piece. I ran as fast as I could towards the black doorknob. I try to turn the knob; nothing. I bang on the door, slamming it with my curled-up fist. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. "It''s not¡ªit''s not budging." "If I want to live, I have to kill that thing... don''t I?" It leapt towards me as I turned around, and it stabbed into my palm, penetrating the other side, then it used me like a wall and jumped off me, dislodging that barely sharp dagger from my palm. I screamed as loud as I could, a guttural scream. It hurt, It hurt like... Hell. I was... scared. I fell on my back this time, writhing in pain; it was unbearable, the blood¡ªit was EVERYWHERE, all over my t-shirt, all over the floor, EVERYWHERE, and that... THING... it was flashing its crooked teeth in an equally crooked smile. It was nonverbal, but it showed excitement. It fell back and... it started to get a running start; IT WAS ABOUT TO KILL ME. That thing leapt into the air at me, dagger in hand, aimed down at my gut again and¡ª THUNK It stabbed into me; the pain was killing me... but this thing... was coming with me; it landed stomach-first into my own dagger. "COME ON!" I mustered all the remaining strength I had into twisting the knife and pushing it upwards, bathing my own face in the blood of this... this... MONSTER. "IF I''M GOING DOWN, YOU''RE COMING WITH ME!" I screamed as I finally killed that thing... Both of us lay next to each other, both disemboweled, both dying. The lights started to fade... "That''s it...huh, dying like a coward, not what I expected, I guess," as I shut my eyes... the pain stopped? Dweller Slain "What? Who said that?" I opened my eyes to a large box on the ground and my woundshealed. I touch my stomach, feeling smooth skin; not even a scratch was there. "What? How did that¡ª. ", I mutter to myself, my tumbling thoughts cutting my words off. I get up and open the box to see a bronze revolver. And five bronze-colored coins with an engraved image of a star engraved onto it. And the body of the monster¡ªwait, no, a "Goblin." Those things are real? I guess so, and my injuries are healed? What else is real? As I look behind me, the door is now unlocked, but the two doors in front of me are also unlocked... except one of the doors is navy blue, and one is black. This place has given me more questions than answers, but staying here wouldn''t answer any of them. I walk up to the blue door. GULP Irunin, bashing the door open as hard as I can, preparing for the worst. "Ow! Watch it, youovergrown, hairlessdwarf,"said a feminine voice. I ran headfirst into a pale-skinned, blonde woman with... pointy ears? Confused, "An elf?", I mutter. "Yeah, I''m an¡ªTsk, never mind; I don''t have the time for this." She left me alone and vanished into the crowd. I''m in... a market? Behind the blue door was... an entire market¡ªno, a whole new world? The more I looked around, the more dumbfounded I looked: elves, dwarves, vikings, and knights even; they all looked like... people in a fan convention or a Ren Fair, but this time, it was real? "Did I passively smoke something?" "Did... I really just kill that thing and get sucked into... this? Oh god, OH GOD I KILLED THAT THING" I crouch, gripping the dirt, my breaths getting hard. That thing''s dead; I killed it. I almost died; oh god, I was almost dead; it was either it or me but I killed it. I grasp the dirt tighter, feeling the rough grains and doing my best to control my breathing. I can''t do this right now; it''s not safe¡ªget up, get up get UP GET "UP.". The beings passing by barely spare me a glance. They seem to have seen it all before. I''m not special. *** I walk around the market, seeing all the shops and stalls and restaurants, and it turns out the coins are called ''Totas.'' One gold Tota is five silver ones, and one silver is five bronze ones. And that''s exactly what I have. I am... too tired. VERY tired. I looked for the nearest seat, or bench, or¡ªoh screw it, I had just sat on the nearest chair I could find in front of a restaurant, getting drowsier by the second. "I just want to go home and sleep. I want to sleep and wake up from this f@@ked-up dream. I want to be back... in... my... own... bed...", I mumble to myself, tired as I doze off, I close my eyes and- I wake up in a soft, familiar place, in my own bed, in my own apartment, in my ownhome! I had never been so happy to wake up from a dream before! "Ah! My shirt! Since when did it have a hole in it? Speaking of which, that was a weird dream, wasn''t it? I need to take it easier, don''t I?", I try to convince myself, making sense of my dream, and how detailed it seemingly was. As I get up from bed and look around, I see my humble little studio apartment, black-painted walls, my gig bag with my electric guitar in it, and the peripherals next to it. I then stretched my back and yawned, and then I slowly got up from my bed to find something to drink or eat. Clink "What was that?" I look down to the floor. The floor is as it always was, except for the bronze revolver and... a rusty... bronze... dagger. 2. AA N(-N) "No! No! No! no no no no no no no no," "What the actual¡ªUGH," Axton kept adding on, and on and on. "Okay, so sit down and think," he says as he sits down on the bed, staring down at the gun and dagger. "Ah, screw it!" He grabs the weapons and reaches towards the first drawer on his bedside table, stops in his tracks, thinks about it and then he reaches for the second drawer, and pulls it out, shoves them in, and slams the drawer shut. "That''s going to be a problem for future Axton Abanish, the future ''Double AA''! Right now, I am starving.", he says out loud in frustration. "Oh, right, there''s a food court nearby. I''ll just get something to eat there. Ah lord, I''ll probably run into someone there; that''ll be annoying.", he thinks to himself. Axton then changed into something comfortable: his baggy blue jeans, some sneakers, and of course his trusty ''SleepHedge'' t-shirt, a hard rock band he got introduced to by his dad a few years back. He grabbed a random black hoodie and headed off with his wallet and his phone. He then decided to just walk to ''Cheffie''s Court'' since it''s close by. On the way there, he scrolled on his phone, going through his social media, just scrolling, looking at pages showing positions for gigs he could join since he was getting low on cash again. He''d rather think about something that would actually help him go about his life and not take it. As he scrolls through the media, he thinks of... Joining ''Presence'' again, a band he and his friends made a while ago; he left the band two months ago because- "Ow! Hey, watch where you''re¡ª," said the girl he ran into. "I am so sorry, I should look where I''m walking, and not run int¡ª" the girl standing in front of him was wearing a black hunting cap which was folded upwards, a black jacket with a red tee underneath, and regular black jeans. An outfit he was very familiar with, too familiar with¡­ She was one of his ex-bandmates and... best friends. "Oh... Nasri..." muttered Axton, an immediate rush of guilt flooded his bones. Nasri just hugged him. "Dude, Ax, you practically went radio silent for two months¡ªand no, sending random pictures of cats you find on the streets in the group chat does not count as being in contact," Nasri said in a concerned but somewhat annoyed manner. Ax was about to interrupt, but he stood corrected. "Hey... I was about to g¡ª" "Get some food? Good, you''ve gotten skinny. Come, my treat," Nasri interrupted. "Alright, I guess.". 10 minutes had passed; Nasri just ordered some chicken ramen, and Ax ordered the same, and now they are waiting for their food to be served. They were sitting at a window seat. Usually, coming here means coming to the food court with friends and hanging out, either at Cheffie''s Court or the Multimart underneath, which starts at the ground floor and leads up to the 2nd. The last few times they had been here at the same time, it was with other friends and bandmates; it was their usual get-together spot since literally everyone knows where this is. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. But... this time the air was awkward; last time they talked, Nasri was screaming at Ax for leaving, and if you were there, it would sound like she was the one who kicked him out. "Listen, I¡ª," said Nasri. "I''m so¡ª," said Ax, both simultaneously. "You can go first," said Nasri. "Ah, right, okay, look, I just wanted to say that I''m sorry for leaving you guys like that; I shouldn''t have cut you guys off, let alone actually leave like that," explained Ax, timidly, feeling ashamed and small, especially in front of her. "About that, Ax, why didn''t,-okay look, I have been waiting to meet you in real life, but I kept chickening out, but¡ª" paused Nasri, as she took a deep breath. "Ace told me why you basically went AWOL for a while," added Nasri, showing even more concern. Ax''s eyes widened in realization Ace was another member of the band who had known him the longest and was also one of his best friends ever since the day they met on the first day of school. "Axton, why didn''t you tell me that two months ago... it was your parent''s third death anniversary?" asked Nasri in a gentle, still so concerned voice. "It''s... complicated, and it''s not¡ª" "It''s not fair? Not fair on us for you to open up and burden us with your mental health," Nasri had basically gagged him; this was why he kept avoiding her; nothing gets past her. "I''m not going to push you, but just know that I won''t push you away either; none of us will. Take your time, but just be honest with us, or just attempt it for once," Nasri was stern with him. Their conversation was interrupted briefly by a waiter, serving their ramen, who then proceeded to scurry off. "Now eat your ramen before it gets cold," ended Nasri, because she could see that Ax was getting visibly stressed. "Right! Sorry" exclaimed Ax. Nasri sighed deeply. "On a less serious note... got any gigs planned?" asked Nasri. "Not really; I was actually looking for one as I bumped heads with you, literally," replied Ax. That joke made Nasri laugh a little bit, but she continued, "Our rhythm guitarist who took the gig kinda just bailed on us, dude. We need one by next week, or we''ll have to play that part of the track on the speaker. We kinda need you, but no pressure. Just text me on ''Redbook'' if you want to join us, just for a gig at least. It''s your favorite track and album.", she added, as if to entice him into considering going back to the band. "Alright, good to know," replied Ax, who kept a mental note. They both caught up with the small things and finished their food together. "Oh, and before I forget, Hamz wanted to pass this on to you.". Ax was confused, but Nasri handed him a... red guitar pick, 0.98 mm of thickness, with his stage name printed onto it, ''Double AA.''. "Held on to this for a whole month, but yeah, it''s yours now. It was supposed to be a New Year''s gift to us. I have one that just says ''N without the ''N.''". Ax laughed a little bit, it was an inside joke the band was familiar with. Nasri softly smiled. "Yeah, it''s about time I go at least, you... just take care, man, be safe." Nasri just said her goodbyes, and Ax did too, but Ax kept thinking he owes her for the rame- "You don''t owe me jack, by the way!" she yelled as she left. Ax just... sighed deeply. It was a lot to process, especially because of the day before. As Ax walked back home... he thought about his unique situation hard and deep, he is low on cash again, his only source of income were his gigs and his band, which he burned through the past two months. Not to mention the stupid door he was sucked into and almost died in, he thought about the ren fair place he ended up in, there were mentions of golden coins, those might be worth some cash, but his curiosity was getting the best of him. He checked his wallet and he was low. He''ll think about going to the other world or not and risk it later, and he still has some time to decide on the gig, so he''ll think about that later. ¡­ Hours have gone by, and Ax is just lying on his bed, contemplating; it''s 7 pm. He got up, wore his black cargos, black jacket, and black boots, and pulled out the second drawer and shoved the two weapons down his cargo pockets and the 5 bronze Totas into his hoodie pocket, and he walked out and headed for the lake, where the door first appeared It was eerily quiet, just like last time but¡­ the door was nowhere to be seen.. "Now... where are you... I really want to go back to the marke¡ª" A blue door appeared in front of him and hit him smack dab in the middle of his face. "Ah! I swear this thing has a will of its own." Punches the door; the door vanishes, reappears when he turns around, and he(it) hits him again. "I am losing a fight against a stupid door; I will shoot this thing, or so help me." He then opens the door and carefully walks in this time. Entered: Nexus 3. Me…?
As he walked around the market, it was clear that the time zone of this area was... off, not the same as the time zone in Bangladesh, which he was used to; it was daytime. He scoured the market until he saw himself before a shop, a shop with an insignia of a long sword in the shape of a cross, sideways with something etched onto it, something written in a language he didn''t recognize, but it was a sword, so clearly it was a blacksmith''s shop or a place that sells weapons or swords at least. As he opened the door and walked in, a bell chimed from above; to his left were swords of various kinds: longswords, zweih?nders, and some swords that looked like a Chinese Dao. and even some katanas and so much more, not including the daggers, maces, and hammers even, and all of these weapons looked unique; the metal came in various colors, and some even looked like they were shimmering and glowing. "You buying or selling?" asked a grumbling voice. It was from behind the table at the back of the room; there stood a bulky man with broad shoulders and a long, fluffy brown beard. He had muscle, and it was clear that he got them working in the furnace. His complexion was that of a tan, and his hands were calloused and still covered in ash and soot. "Oh right, sorry, I was looking to buy a new dagger or a sword, something I can rely on," replied Ax. "Take your pick; most of my wares are affordable, and you can lay your life on them.'', explained the man. "How much... is that one?" Ax pointed at the silver sword next to the table. "Three silver Totas." "Oh, lord, okay, that one," Ax pointed at the black short sword next to it. "Two silver and two bronze." "The... silver dagger?" he asked sheepishly. "Seven bronze Totas or one silver and two bronze; how much do you have anyway?" asked the man. Ax slowly reached for his pocket and pulled out five bronze Totas. The man raised his eyebrow and just stared at Ax when he put his hand in his pocket. "Sorry, this is all I have," said Ax. "No, that''s not why I''m... show me your dagger," demanded the man. Ax took out his flaky, blunt dagger and his bronze gun he found in the box. "So, you''re new here, I assume," asked the man. "Yeah, how''d you know?" asked Ax. "Because¡ªnever mind, you''ll figure it out, but give me the dagger and the coins," the man demanded once again. "Okay, I guess.". Ax said as he gave him his coins and weapon. The man took the coins, and they just vanished into his hand; he then took the dagger and tossed it aside by the scrap pile behind the counter. "Hey, what? Why did you¡ªhow did you¡ª" asked Ax. The man interrupted him by placing a clean, brand new bronze dagger on the table and said, "This is a ''Ranker Certified'' dagger, not my ware, not even as reliable really, so if this breaks, it''s not my fault, but this should be enough for what you''re looking for. You will have a lot of questions because you''re new, I can tell, but all you should know is that you should keep moving forward no matter what. What you are, or will be at one point, is a ''Summit Seeker.'' You''ll know why, and come back when you do become one with your rewards, and I''ll fix you up with something, and keep the gun with you; it''ll come in handy." "Can I still ask you some questions?" asked Ax. "No, and don''t bother asking anyone else; they''ll refuse to answer your questions," explained the man. "Alright, how do I go back to... one of those black-doored rooms?" asked Ax. The man nodded in a direction behind him; as Ax turned around, he saw... the same door made of black wood, the one that killed him once already. Ax then walked up to it and just stood there, contemplating in front of the door, just staring at it... He took a deep breath. He then tied his hair behind his head and opened the door standing in front of him. "Godspeed, newcomer," said the man. Ax nodded to him and walked in. As he walked in, the room was still the same color, except it was bigger this time; the opposing black door was still shut. He prepared; he took his newly given dagger in his left hand and held the gun in his right hand; he then kicked the door behind him shut. The door in front of him creaked open slowly, and out walked two goblins this time. As he took a final deep breath and said, "I guess I should''ve tested this beforehand, but... here it goes." he then aimed at the green imp-like creature on the left and- *Shatter* The gun shot a glass bullet that crashed into the goblin''s chest, shattering into pieces, but only after piercing the goblin''s chest, causing the shattered glass fragments. The shattering sound came from the gun''s barrel, and not from the bullet itself. "Oh?" Ax then aimed at the goblin right next to it, which was disoriented because a fragment of the bullet went into its eye. *Shatter* Another bullet exited the barrel with the same velocity and crashing sound as the first, piercing the skull of the goblin and killing it instantly. Dwellers Slain "That was... way easier... did I seriously die to that thing?". Ax then walked around the bodies and found seven bronze togas on the ground. Clink As he shoved them down his pocket, he looked around and saw three more doors, one blue and two black doors. If he wins again, there will be another black door, behind that, another door... and another one... and so on. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Deep breath Dwellers Slain Dwellers Slain Dweller slain Dwellers Slain Dwellers Slain Hours have passed since. The last couple of doors introduced walking skeletons with tattered clothes, sometimes none, sometimes they came with goblins, all of them carrying more varied weapons this time. To Ax, this was comparable to a ''Roguelike'' video game where more and more enemies kept coming. Sometimes the skeletons came with bows and arrows, which he compared to a different videogame. "Just one last one; let''s see if I get something new this time. All the other ones just gave me coins. My pants are getting heavy; I wanted a new weapon before I hit the hay." Ax talked to himself before he opened the last door. As he walked in, the room was... a jungle? It was a jungle, and he could not see the end of the room, meaning it was massive¡ªREALLY massive. This might be a hard room. "I should leave and come back with better gear, right? Yeah, this might be a tough one; doing that would make it easier, way easier." Ax slammed the door behind him shut. "Like hell I will; this is the most fun I have had in months!" he exclaimed, clearly enjoying the last couple of hours. Rattles Ax stood quiet, recognizing the slithering and the hissing that followed the rattle. It was a snake... "Usually they are small..." he thought to himself... but he knew it would not be that easy; even if it was, it would be a rattlesnake that would kill him even if a fang gently grazed him. As Ax stood still, he saw neon green beads with a slit in their diameters stare at him as the slithering got closer and closer... he saw it. It was a ginormous snake with green shimmering scales and a scarlet forked tongue. "I should''ve gone back home," he muttered to himself. The snake lunged at him; its head was already the size of his shoulder''s, but it unhinged its jaws, and it grew even wider, and he was swallowed whole in a blistering speed, before he could even think. It was as if it was as fast as lightning; he didn''t even feel a hint of pain as he was being swallowed whole. Ax closed his eyes... knowing that this was the end. "Should''ve said something, should''ve gotten back to them for the gig... sorry Ace, Hamz, Nasri, and of course, how could I ever forget. I''m sorry, A-," it was too late; before he could finish his thought, his eyes shut and¡ª He woke up, in front of the door, facing the jungle in front of him, face to face with the snake again. "What? Huh? I swear I¡ª" the snake bit his head. He woke up again; this time he sprinted to the side, causing the snake to ram its massive head into the indestructible door behind him; this disoriented the snake. As Ax ran, many questions kept coming up: Did he die? Is this a video game? Did he just come back to life? Is it a loop like one of those anime he used to watch? But all he really knew was he felt the pain every time, and there was no way to leave, so he had to fight and kill this thing before it kills him again. All this went through his head in a fraction of a second, as if time slowed down for him. He took his gun in his right hand and¡ª *Shatter* He shot the snake at the side of its head, behind the joint where the snake''s skull was attached to its spine. It knocked the snake to its side, and it didn''t die. "I am so screwed, aren''t I? At least I don''t have to worry about dying." He thought to himself as he kept running in that direction while looking at the snake and Slip His foot caught onto a vine, and he fell. He turned around to see the snake slithering at him; he tried to cut the vines off his foot, accidentally nicking his boot over and over again, and kept trying to shoot the snake at the same time, but he kept missing his shots. One missed its head by a hair, the snake dodged the three, and one bullet lightly grazed its body, and¡ªhe''s out; he shot all six shots. To reload his revolver, he just needed to air out the cylinder, but that needed to be done with two hands, and the snake bit his head again. He woke up, again, in front of the door. He ducked instinctively, but the snake was nowhere to be seen, and his gun was in his right hand and dagger in his left. As always, he was safe. He ventured into the jungle, ready to be ambushed at a moment''s notice by that ''Basilisk,'' but it never came. As he walked through the jungle, he lost sight of the door behind him, and he was surrounded by the darkness and a deep shade of green and brown all over. ... Ax walked on and on, and he found bones and skeletons, thankfully not the living kind, undead? No idea what to call them, all he knew was that the snake was the only dweller that was in this room. He walked around and rummaged through the different skeletons he could find, and one had... a singular golden Tota. "Jackpot." Ax found his first gold Tota, and as he tucked it into his pocket... he realized that it felt awkwardly light. As he dropped the coin, he noticed the lack of the clink he was used to; he put the gun in his other pocket and patted his pockets and found nothing, not a single bronze or silver Tota; his progress was lost as he was rummaging through his own clothes... A thick, scaly green tail wrapped around his body. "You...", he said to himself... The snake had slithered its way back to him, and it started constricting him more and more, making its body wrap around his, causing him to be trapped under its suffocating, constricting force. Only his arms were free, but that''s because the snake didn''t bother; it knew that its scales could not be penetrated by a measly bronze dagger. "Next time, I''ll make sure you bite the dust, you disgusting serpe-bingo." Ax noticed blood drip from the right side of its head, right behind its skull. Ax waited for the snake to get closer and closer... "Now!" he screamed as he rammed his dagger into the already inflicted wound of the snake. It was still ten times stronger than him, but he has a chance this time. He grabbed the dagger with both of his hands and shoved its head to the side, against its body that was constricting him, using its own force against it. Axton screamed as loud as he could, exerted as much force as he could, and as he was being crushed by the suffocating strength of the basilisk, he was about to lose consciousness due to being lightheaded, but the adrenaline going through his veins, the blood rushing through his body, went all into his arms, and he twisted the dagger and shoved it in deeper and deeper, twisting it again and again, all within seconds, and finally. The crushing force of the snake started to subside, and its eyes dilated, tongue stopped hissing, and tail stopped rattling. Ax did it; he killed the stupid snake as he fell onto his back, on the limp body of the beast he just killed. Dweller Slain Axton needed to catch his breath, so he just laid there, the muscles of the snake were... soft... a bit... too soft. Axton realized that he was lying on its stomach. He got up and felt it with his hands, and it wasn''t empty, it had something in it. Axton tried stabbing it with his dagger, but it was no use. *Shatter* *Shatter* *Shatter* No use; it somewhat pierced its skin, but he needed to improvise. He got an idea. *Shatter* *Shatter* *Shatter* He shot at the gums of the snake and broke free two of their fangs; very gently he grabbed them, careful not to nick himself, and as he was picking them up, he noticed that his boot had scratches on its heel. "No..." Ax hurried to the snake''s stomach, almost forgetting his fatigue even existed, and stabbed it with both of the fangs; it went in like a knife to leather. He mustered the last of his strength and ripped through the stomach, and out fell... three bodies and¡ª A metallic jingle could be heard. Those were the bronze and silver coins he collected... and the three bodies were... "These are... me?"
4. Second Chances
Ax was staring into the gaping hole he ripped into the stomach and what he saw, were bodies of himself. He just... sat down on the ground under him and went silent, dropping the fangs to his sides. It was a moment of much-needed clarity; something about seeing his own lifeless face changed something in him; it flicked a switch. The absurdity of everything that had happened the past two days made zero sense; the only thing that truly made sense was that nothing made sense. He reached out to the coins on the ground, and smudged the viscera off, the best he could, and shoved them back into his trousers. He rummaged through his own bodies, inspecting them one by one as he pulled them out, trying to learn the bizarre nature of his newfound power, if you can even call it that; he still feels the pain and death every instance he ''Dies''. "This is gross and unnerving, but... there doesn''t seem to be... there''s no dagger or my gun, just the ones I have on my own bod¡ªwell, living body.", he talked to himself. Only his bodies and clothes are duplicated, not his weapons or other important possessions he has, and the coins or Totas he collected, he loses them on his first death. A realization hit him, like a brick through a glass window. He pats his body all over and looks for- "My phone! It''s... it''s screen cracked... damn it.", he complained to himself. Figures, he was thrashed about and almost had his soul squeezed out of his own body as if he was a bottle of mustard; he hates mustard. "Now how do I... contact Ace and Nasri... forget it, I''ll worry about that later; I''m tired.", he muttered to himself. There were a lot of questions he needed to find out, but this was the most amount of data he could gather right now. As he got up to leave, he picked up the fangs and put them in his pocket; he then realized that he needed to go home, but first he needed to go back to- "Nexus... was it?", he asked himself. A blue door appeared behind the visceral remains of the pile of corpses on the ground. "Aren''t you a sight for sore eyes, bluey?", he immediately cringed the second the last word left his mouth. He silently made his way through the door, and as he opened the door. He entered that world again, making his way through the crowds of people, losing his train of thought. "Ow!", he exclaimed as he ran into another person once again. "Ah!", the girl reacted. "I''m so sorry, I should pay attention when I walk; I didn''t mean to-", he stopped. The girl he ran into was still clutching her head, but she looked different; she stood out. She was wearing a black leather jacket, but her right arm was covered in a metallic armor; she wore black jeans, but her boots were metal to match with her right arm; her left arm was just covered with a long sleeve, and her left hand was bare, but it was on her head; her skin tone was awkwardly pale, but that didn''t catch his focus; it was her hair. Her hair was two different colors, separating down the middle; her left side was jet black, and her right side was as white as snow, but they had braids running through them. Her eyes were closed, but her lashes were white, which to Ax implied that she dyed her hair black. Her bottom lip also had piercings, two rings pierced into them. They were snake bites. As she opened her eyes to look at him, moving her hand away, he noticed that her pupils were red; it was as if she- "No, it''s fine, I''m still getting used to walking too.", she continued as she walked away. She vanished off into the crowd. "Hey! Wait!", Ax tried to follow her, searching for her again; there were so many questions he wanted to ask her. ... As he ran around, looking for her again, various questions ran through his head. "Are you from my world too? Can you come back from the dead too? Do you know what all this is even about?" he thought to himself as the crowds changed; he eventually gave up. But, because he tried following her, he came to a new area with a new set of stores and buildings, the signboards... they were "English?", he muttered to himself. As he peered through the windows, he saw clothes which looked familiar. Mannequins wearing... normal clothes, human clothes, coats, gloves, hats, etc. He walked into the store and- "Hello! How may I help you?", asked a somewhat skinny man, wearing a white shirt, black vest, and black trousers. He was wearing a black cap on his head; he looked like a foreigner, but still human. He had a British accent. "You''re new here, aren''t you?" he asked. "Yeah, I came here followi-", Ax was about to say following a girl but he realized how odd that would come across. "I was following someone who looked like they were from the same world as me, and I came across this part of... Nexus? Was it?" Ax corrected himself. "I see, so you''re NEW new; it''s fine, and yeah, It''s called Nexus, but that''s all I should really answer.", replied the man. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "Seeing as your pockets are heavy and make a certain jingle, I''m guessing you just came through the doors, right?" asked the man. "Yes, actually," replied Ax. "Well? You buying?" asked the man. "Sure, I guess. Let me look around," replied Ax. ... Ax walked about the store; it was a clothing store. The front section was mainly ready-made suits, which he found odd because, "Who would wear suits to fight monsters?" he asked himself. But at the back section of the store, he found the leather section. He saw various clothing made of leather and leather-like materials; they came in a various selection of colors as well, but the most common was black. He picked up a pair of black leather gloves. "These are perfectly sized," he thought to himself. He walked back to the counter wearing them on and showing them off to the man. "How much are these?" he asked as he held his hands up. "Oh my, those fit you like a glove!" the man said, visibly proud of himself. Axton''s right eye twitched. "Three silver Totas, but... I''ll give them to you for two silver and two bronze because they are not selling at all," said the man. "Oh, like a clearance sale?" asked Ax as he dropped three silver coins on the counter. "Precisely like a clearance sale," replied the man. "Where are you from, by the way? I''m Welsh. I stumbled across one of the doors like five years ago. You?" asked the man as he picked up the coins. "Oh, me? I''m Bangladeshi. I graduated college like late last year. I''m kinda just taking a gap year before I apply for Uni. I just stumbled across one of the doors when I was walking back home.", replied Ax. "That''s cool, so you''re Indian?" asked the man. Axton''s right eye twitched again, and he just stared at him, blankly. "No, actually, Bangladesh is a VERY different country," Axton sternly corrected him. "Oh well, not that big of a difference; it doesn''t matter to me much," replied the man as he was turning around to fetch some change for Ax. As the man was turned around to look for three bronze coins, Ax had one foot on the counter and was slowly reaching for his neck with both of his hands. "Gloves... leave... no... fingerprints," he muttered to himself. "As long as you''re paying, that is," added the man. Ax quickly went back into position as the man turned around and handed him the bronze coins, assuming his previous position. ... "Hm? What''s wrong? You look off," asked the man, somewhat showing concern. "No, it''s just¡ª" Ax showed him his phone. "That''s rough; you know there''s an electronics shop nearby, you know that right?" asked the man, informing Ax in the same sentence. "No, actually, no, I didn''t. Where is it?" asked Ax. "This is house no. 46; look for no. 65; it''s a few buildings over; it''s somewhat obvious; you can''t miss it," replied the man. "Thank you. Sorry for trying to kill you just now," said Ax as he was leaving. "Yeah, no worries, come back anytime!" exclaimed the man. ... "Wait, trying to do what to me?" ... As Ax walked around the newfound area, he walked past a fountain, where he saw many people from his world just chilling there, relaxing. They looked like they were from different countries and ethnicities, but they were from his world, his time. It was clear that he belonged here, well, at least when in this realm. Ax found it, no. 65. It had glass windows, and through it, he saw... phones, computer parts, "and¡ªElectric guitars?", he muttered to himself. He walked in, and behind the counter this time was an older woman, in her 30s, so older than him at least. "My, my, I haven''t seen you here before," she noticed. She was wearing a band t-shirt and some regular jeans. "Yeah... Hi, I just wanted to repair my screen," Ax said as he gave the lady his phone. She inspected my phone. "Can I take this apart? It''ll take me like twenty minutes max, and I''ll get it fixed," said the lady. "Oh, it''ll cost five silver or one gold," added the lady. "Sure, I''ll just look around then," replied Ax. It was costly, but he was willing to pay for almost whatever. ... Ax was curious, so he looked around the store, and it was... almost everything he could ever think of needing: computer parts, phones, phone parts but most intriguing, he saw electric guitars, basses, drum sets etc. He even found some spare pickups and even amplifiers and multi-effect processors and interfaces. The lady noticed him gravitating towards the music section as she was wrapping his phone in rubber bands. "Hey, I''m done now," the lady said as she called out to him. Ax walked back to the counter, and as he placed a gold coin on the table and the lady gave him his phone, fully repaired, the lady asked him, "You play?". Ax was checking his phone, turning it off and on again. "Hm?" Ax was confused. "An instrument, I mean. Do you play an instrument?" "Oh yeah, I have an electric guitar back home." "That''s dope! What genres? You in a band or just a hobby?" asked the lady, making small talk. "Rock mainly, some metal, and a little bit of punk, but I''m not the lead in my band, which I was a part of," said Ax. "Oh wow, that''s actually really cool; my niece has been saving up for one. I gifted her an acoustic as a joke, and now it''s all she ever talks about; it''s annoying... but oddly... wholesome," replied the lady. "Anyway, have fun now and take care; do try to come again if you can," the lady added. Ax nodded and just walked out of the store, thinking about what she said. "I''d... like to go home now..." he mumbled to himself as he walked out the door, only to see the blue door appear ahead of him; without stopping in his tracks, he grabbed the knob and walked through and¡ª He was home again. ... Ax was about to crash onto the mattress, but he realized something. "I stink..." He made a turn to his closet, took off his gloves and placed them in there, grabbed some sweatpants, a towel, and a t-shirt, and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. ... Half an hour later. Ax was brushing his teeth, lost in thought. Who was the girl he ran into? Will he see her again? How long have people been sucked into the doors? Are they all like him, or is he the only one who can come back? Ax shivered at that last thought; if he was the only one, that would mean he might get targeted, or the worst kinds of torture might await him. But one thought kept repeating on loop in his head. It was the conversation he had with the lady about her niece and the guitar. "Why is it bothering me?". After freshening up, he checked his phone, and it was 4:00 am. He should go to sleep. He then headed to his bed and just crashed face-first into the bed, the dagger and gun sitting on the table next to it. He then slowly turned over and sat up straight and moved to the side of the bed, got up and took the fangs, then he grabbed his weapons and gently put them in the second drawer, knowing what the revolver was capable of this time. He then looked at the first drawer. Axton sighed. Heavily, he was tired of everything. He grabbed the first drawer and gently pulled it open. In the first drawer, he pulled out a ''CC 76,'' a standard-issue police pistol, with one lead bullet in its chamber. He raised the pistol towards him, held the gun in a proper grip, and- *CLICK* He turned the safety of the pistol on and shoved it in the 3rd drawer and put his revolver and dagger in the first drawer. He then finally laid down on his soft mattress, closed his eyes, and finally took a well-rested and much-deserved sleep. He was done with the day.
5. Catching Up
Axton woke up, standing in a space of emptiness and darkness, nothing to be seen, nothing to be heard; no matter how far he tried to see nor how hard he tried to listen, all he knew was that he could walk, and so he did. He walked and walked, as if he was stuck in an empty cave that spanned acres; however, he saw something move, something glow. As he walked closer and closer towards them, he could see two different white figures, as if they were waiting for him. So he ran. Axton Abanish ran and kept running, running as fast as he could for as long as he could. Both of the two figures had silhouettes of long hair; one had spikes on their shoulders, and the other one had longer hair that flew in the wind. The faster he ran, the more it felt like he stood in place, never getting closer and within an arm''s length of the two figures, so he reached out; he raised his hand as he ran and reached out to try and touch the figures standing in front of him, and as he was about to grasp at the spiked shoulder of one of them, the doorbell rang. Ax woke up abruptly in a cold sweat. He got out of bed as fast as he could and sat up, still trying to process what just happened. "That was a weird dream." His next thought got interrupted by the doorbell, which rang again. "Oh right, the door," he mumbled to himself as he finally mustered enough energy to get up from bed and walk up to the door, and as he stood before the door, his hair still disheveled, he finally opened it, and behind the door was someone he was very familiar with. There stood a man his age, with similar-length hair; it went to his shoulder, but he was taller, wore a metal band t-shirt, his hoodie tied to his waist, regular jeans, and some sneakers. He was Axton''s best friend named ''Aseef,'' and his nickname was- "Ace?". Asked Ax. Ace was scrolling through his phone while waiting for him to open the door; he then looked up and said, "You gonna let me in, or are you just gonna stare at me, dude?". Ax moved out of the way and let Ace walk through the door. Ace entered the apartment with two large white bags in his hand, one of them with a leek and some radish sticking out. "Nas told me that you guys met and had a talk; she also mentioned that she treated you to some ramen and how you were running low on some cash, so I just got you some groceries to get you by for a few weeks, also doing a wellness check," explained Ace as he observed Ax''s home. "You didn''t have to do this, you know. You could''ve just called or something if you wanted to check up on me, you know that, right?" asked Ax. "Yeah, I did at around 8 pm-ish, but you were unresponsive; also, Hamz gave you that pick, and Nas gave you some food. Don''t want to be caught slacking now, do I?" replied Ace. "Oh right... sorry about that," Ax said sheepishly. Ace walked straight for the kitchen section of the apartment and placed the groceries on the counter with an audible thud and looked at Ax. "You just gonna stare at me or help me sort these in the fridge?" asked Ace. "There''s no convincing you, is there? Alright, I guess," replied Ax. ... Ace and Ax sorted the groceries in the fridge together, making sure the right ingredients got to the right sections of the fridge and freezer. Ace brought some regular vegetables like onions, carrots, and flour, and some different meats with him as well, which were sorted in the top freezer. Ace took one good look around the apartment one last time and looked back at Ax. "Clean up your bed; I''ll clean the couch and the table," Ace told Ax. "I- alright, but why?" asked Ax. "Just do it, said"Ace. ... Time had passed, and the entire apartment was clean, the bedsheets changed, furniture wiped, laundry sorted, etc. Everything had been cleaned. As Ace opened Ax''s closet to put some clothes in there, he saw a pair of leather gloves. "Oh hey, these look great! When did you get these? I''ve never seen them before," said Ace. "Uh... my aunt gave them to me a while back, and I kind of just forgot about it," said Ax. "Huh, these are good quality," Ace said as he put them back with the clothes and closed the closet. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "Ace, sorry that you felt like you had to do all this; I owe you one," said Ax. "I did it because I wanted to; don''t mention it," said Ace. "I still owe you one," said Ax. "No, you don''t," said Ace. "Yeah, no, I do. I''ll do basically anything," said Ax. "Anything?" asked Ace, raising his eyebrows a bit. "Yes? Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Ax as he replied to him. Ace looked at him with a smug look across his face. "Rejoin the band," demanded Ace. Ax just looked at him with his mouth agape. "Fair enough, I did say anything; you win," Ax said with a soft smile. "Although, I will say, I broke my high E string on my electric so I still need to get that.", Added Ax. "Well, lucky for you, I have absolutely nothing to do, so let''s just get out with your guitar and just get it fixed by a professional because heaven knows we can''t fix strings for sh1t, and let''s just hang out for a bit after that." Ace said, explaining his idea. "Alright, I''m down, I guess," said Ax. ... They both had made their way to the city mall and were having some boba juice while sitting at the same table. Ax had his guitar hanging on his shoulder in the gig bag, and both of them were wearing similar t-shirts; Ace was wearing his hoodie over his, and Ax grabbed the nearest jacket he could find. Both of them had their hair tied up, but Ace had one of his ears pierced, wearing a black stud on his earlobe. Ax was around 5''9, and Ace is around 6 feet tall. Ace was a lot paler than Ax, who had a darker complexion. "Ax, check your Redbook; I sent you a list of tracks we''re going to play. They''re pretty easy, and the rhythm isn''t hard to catch on to, so take your time and practice because even if you didn''t, you''d do fine." explained Ace. "Alright, sure, where''s the venue, by the way?" asked Ax. "Okay, so you know ''Cafe Zio''? Yeah, so it turns out their owner used to be a huge rebel back in 2024. He himself was also 24 back then, and he used to love metal and punk music, right? So he''s organizing a metal gig for us in the cafe," said Ace. "Wait, ''Zio''? Isn''t that the big cafe quite literally known for holding gigs indoors? How''d you manage getting that?" asked Ax. "Not the point; I need you to come looking extra, like we used to back in the day," Ace requested of Ax. "Oh, so one of those. Alright, I''ll come prepared," said Ax. They both kept talking about the gig, about the TV shows they both like, and even some animals they saw on social media the other day. Time had passed, and it was late for both of them. "Hey, thanks for checking up on me again. I genuinely appreciate it," said Ax as he was getting up to leave. "Don''t mention it; you would''ve done the same if we switched places," said Ace. Ace grabbed Ax in for a hug, and they both parted their ways; the next time they would meet face to face again would be at the venue of the gig. Before Ax left the mall, he remembered something. Ax stopped in his tracks and made a stop at the cosmetics store before he left for home; he bought two tubs of red and white face paint. ... He went home, and when he finally reached his apartment, he pulled out his phone and looked at the track list Ace sent him; they really were simple, so practicing them wasn''t an issue for him. It was 9 pm, and he was not tired yet; his mind wandered, not about the gig anymore but about what happened to him the day before, how he practically learned that he will keep dying and now actually ''die,'' but he still feels the pain. He wanted to do something about it; he had 2 silver Totas and 7 bronze Totas left. He knew what he needed to do; he finally needed a sword. He stood up, put on his boots again, and grabbed his jacket and all his Totas again. The blue door appeared right in front of his right as he was ready to walk out. "So you appear when I have the genuine intention to enter Nexus, but how? How do you know when I want to enter that strange world?" he asked himself, talking out loud. Ax walked through the door, fully accustomed to travelling through the worlds now, but this time he also knew where he was going. As he was familiar with the area, he walked straight to the blacksmith''s shop he met the second day here. He found the shop, and he walked in. "Oh? You look more experienced; did you...?" Ax showed him a small bag, it jingling due to containing the coins he basically died for. "Ah, you''re a little experienced now, aren''t you? But alas, not what I expected," said the man. "How so? Can I at least buy something?" asked Ax. "You''ll figure it out, and yes, give me a moment. How much do you have exactly?" asked the man. "2 silver and 7 bronze," replied Ax. "Okay, give me a moment," the man said as he jumped down from a stool... He walked in front of the counter and looked at the different swords in his collection. He walked around and collected a few swords and walked back to the counter and laid all the swords down on the table, all while Ax was staring at him in utter confusion with his mouth agape. "Careful, child, a bee will fly in," said the man, sarcastically. "You''re short? But you''re so muscular and strong," said Ax in disbelief. The man now is just staring at Ax, with a face that shows that he has been through the same situation more times than he could count. "I''m a dwarf, you absolute waste of a nickel! Of course I am short! How are you less surprised with seeing elves with pointed ears than literally people who look like you but shorter?" exclaimed the dwarf, asking him in the same vein. "You... have a fair point," replied Ax, as he grabbed his chin. "Pick one already," said the Dwarven blacksmith. Before Ax laid four different swords, all one-handed. A falchion, an unbalanced sword with a weight distribution that makes it easy to dismember, and its blade is in the shape of a machete. A rapier, a swift, light, and thin sword made for dueling, it excels in thrusting strikes. It has a basket-shaped hand guard attached to its hilt. A shamshir, a very deeply curved sword, perfect for swift slashing attacks. And the final sword, a one-handed claymore with a cross-guard. "How much are they?" asked Ax. "Three silver, but two silver and five bronze will do fine," said the man. ... Ax took a few moments to consider what his first sword will be. "I see, in that case, I pick-
6. Breakfast
"I see, in that case, I pick... the one that looks like a machete," said Ax. "That right there is a falchion, good choice," said the dwarven man. Ax picked it up and immediately weighed it, gently swinging it, expecting it to be much heavier than what it actually is. "This is... one-handed, correct?" asked Ax. "Yes, it is," said the man. "I recommend buying a one-handed sword. You already have a dagger and a gun; use them alongside your sword," the man continued. Ax gave him the coins to pay for the sword, only left with two bronze coins in his pocket. "Compared to the prices I''ve seen for garments and some electronics, your weapons are surprisingly cheap. How do you even make a profit?" asked Ax. "Selling weapons is the easy part; even the ''Ranker''s Association'' sells weapons, not just local blacksmiths. However, we make the most amount of Totas from upgrading the very weapons we sell," answered the man. "I''ll tell you more when you come back... next time," the dwarf says as he visually inspects Ax. "Next time? Why next time?" asked Ax. "You''ll know; just get going and slay a few more monsters and come back," answered the man. "Alright, if you say so," said Ax. "And before you go, here," the man says as he pulls out a leather scabbard for his falchion and a small leather scabbard for his dagger from under the counter, laying it on top. "Oh, thank you," Ax said as he grabbed the scabbards and attached them around his waist, the dagger and sword both set on the left side of his waist. "Perfect, you look like an experienced sum¡ªnever mind, just go already before I kick you out," said the man, demanding that Ax leave as soon as possible. "Oh okay, damn, just say you don''t want me here," Ax said half-sarcastically. Ax was prepared, and after he walked back out of the shop, he stood there and thought about what he should do now. He walked around for a couple of minutes, and he ran into a vendor who sold some fruits he didn''t recognize. The vendor himself was an elven man; he was slightly taller than him, and he was staring off into the distance in a random direction when Ax was walking towards him, which he thought was odd. "Uhm, hey, what are these?" Ax says as he points to a fruit in the shape of an apple, but it was yellow, too yellow and somewhat metallic. The elf snaps out of it. "Hm? Oh, they are a mixed golden apple. You look new, so just know that these do not rot, and they are bred offshoots of the infamous Ieunn''s golden apples. They have some healing properties," explains the man. "I see." Ax thought about it; he wouldn''t need to buy the apples because he always comes out fully intact when he loses a fight in the rooms. "They are one bronze coin each," the elf added. "Oh, I see. Then I''ll take two," Ax said. After thinking about it, he doesn''t have much anyway, and since he''s going through the door at one point anyway, he might as well stock up just in case he needs to take a bite. Ax took the apples and walked away, thinking about how he should get back home. As Ax made up his mind, the blue door appeared in front of him again. With the apples in hand and the weapons on his side, he went through the door. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. He was back home again. It was 10 pm. Ax took off his jacket and his scabbards and the gun, kicked them under the bed, and went to lie down and try to sleep. As he was lying down, he went through his phone again, looking at the tracks he had to play and looking up the location the venue was situated at. He slowly drifted off to sleep; he was drowsy and fell asleep by 12 am. ... He slowly started to wake up at 8 am, too cozy to even get up from his bed, but he mustered enough strength to sit upright, get up, and walk over to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth properly for the first time in a while and washed his face with a facewash he didn''t touch in a long while. ... As he walked back out of the bathroom, he grabbed his gig bag, his amp and effects processor, and his phone, and sat down on his bed. He was using a 30W amplifier and a multi-effects processor his mom gave him years ago as a gift. But his gig bag, that was the bag that was holding his electric guitar. It was a crimson red guitar with a chrome finish; it was of a classic Gibson-shaped guitar. It had four stickers on its body, each representing the different suits found in a deck of cards. The Spade, The Heart, The Diamond, and the Club. He was getting ready to practice some tracks. ... After two hours of practicing, he took a break. The gig was in five days, but he was ready to play his parts at a moment''s notice; he just needed to take it easy, after all. "This''ll be my first proper gig... in like three months, with them at least; I don''t want to disappoint them," Ax muttered to himself; he wanted to make up for all the lost time. Ax put his equipment away properly and walked into the kitchen section of his apartment and went through his fridge, which was now full of groceries, courtesy of Ace. He grabbed two eggs and some bread slices, fried the eggs sunny side up, and overcooked them just a little to get the crispy texture he missed having, and toasted three slices of bread in butter on the same pan, making it just as crunchy. He grabbed some tomatoes and cut them up into thin slices. As he put them to the side, he noticed that the bag Ace left still had some stuff he didn''t sort into the kitchen; he rummaged through the bag and found some cheese slices. "Eh, why not," he talked to himself as he grabbed two slices and walked towards the vegetables, fried eggs, and bread. He grabbed a plate, put a slice of toasted bread on it, lettuce, a fried egg, and a cheese slice, and put another slice of toast on it, then he put a fried egg, some tomato slices, and another cheese slice on top, finishing it with the last slice of toast. Ax grabbed a seat by the kitchen counter, placed his phone to the side, and finally grabbed the sandwich with both his hands and took a large bite out of this goliath of a sandwich he just made. Crunch An audible crunch could be heard as he bit into the sandwich; the cheese melted slightly because of the eggs and toasted bread, the yolks popped in his bite, and the tomatoes and lettuce just added to the flavor. Ax audibly groaned with the first bite; he hadn''t had a proper meal in a while, excluding fast food and the random cup ramen he would find in his cupboard. As he was eating his breakfast, he went through his phone again, this time finally opening his Redbook messages. He then saw that the ''Presence'' group chat was oddly active at this time. He took a picture of his half-eaten sandwich and sent it to the group chat with the text, "I''m alive, by the way." "What the hell, man, I''m hungry now.". -Ace "That''s what you focus on? Ax finally remembered his password; also, welcome back, Ax!" -N "Oh right, welcome back, Ax." -Ace "Oh wow, his picture finally loaded. What the hell, man? Now I''m hungry too." -N "EXACTLY! THAT''S WHAT I''M SAYING." -Ace "Great to have you back, Axton Abanish." -Hamz "He called you by your government name; you''re screwed. Nice knowing you." -Ace "Dibs on his guitar."-N "I hate all of you."-Ax. ... Ax put down his plate in the sink, did his dishes, and went back to bed; he had nothing to do for the rest of the day, maybe practice a bit more. He wasn''t sure. But an idea crossed his mind: maybe he should go and test his sword out in the rooms. He then got ready once more, pulled his weapons out from under his bed, attached them to his side, and grabbed one of the golden apples he bought and put it in his hoodie pocket. It was around 12pm now and he was free the entire day, so might as well try to gain some more Totas incase he needed to buy something else and explore Nexus a bit more. He stretched, reached for his toes, and stretched his knees and arms. "Maybe... I should make a stop to Nexus first and actually try to talk this time," he muttered to himself. So he decided to go to Nexus instead, expecting the blue door to appear in front of him. But nothing happened, so he focused on it, trying to will it into existence. Nothing. So he decided to just walk into the rooms and worry about it later. With a simple thought he summoned the black door in front of him; he walked towards it, grabbed the knob, and turned. He was fully prepared this time and confident in his ability, in the fact that he can''t die anymore. Little did he know what awaited him.
7. Shattered
Ax entered the domain, preparing for the most. Ax sighed deeply. He was expecting to fight a horde of goblins or an army of skeletons. He slammed the door shut behind him with his leg and waited. The room in this exact moment was smaller than the room the snake was fought in; it was not as large because you could see the other doors from a distance, still visible. The room itself was a deep maroon and covered in red grass and flora; however, in the middle of the room was a red tree. At the other side of the room were doors just like the last time, except it was a blue door, a black door, and a much, MUCH larger black door, maybe eight feet tall. As he walked closer and closer to the red tree... he could see that it wasn''t just red; it had bones scattered around the roots of the tree, and the leaves were a deep crimson red. As he walked around the tree, inspecting every inch of it visually, he noticed a large, rather concave opening in the other side of the tree as he walked closer and closer... Splash He stepped in a puddle of blood, splashing it everywhere, all around his foot. He looked down at it, and then he looked up and stared into that opening, inching closer and closer, and he noticed a skeleton imbedded into the tree itself. As he slowly grabbed his dagger and unsheathed it, the skull moved and looked at him. Its jaws opened, and it tried to lunge at Ax. Ax backstepped out of the way, quickly unsheathing his new sword he had just bought. The tree morphed open, letting the skeleton free and forming a massive opening enough for one person to easily walk in and out of it. The skeleton rushed for Ax''s body, running straight to him but With a strike of his blade, he was able to dislodge the skeleton''s head off of its neck, killing it. "You guys are too weak to be doing that, you know," he says confidently. "This sword is stupidly easy to wield; what did he mean by unbalanced?" he asked himself, preparing for the worst to happen. As he was inspecting his new sword, a skeletal hand reached out of the tree; it splashed blood everywhere in front of Ax. As it climbed out of the tree, Ax noticed that it looked different; it was covered in blood, and the bone itself was red, and it was faster, much faster. It leapt towards Ax, trying to claw at his face; it barely grazed his cheek, but it splashed a handful of blood into his eye, blinding him. "Ah! Gross! What the hel"¡ªAx got interrupted by the skeleton, which took this opportunity to claw at his neck, ripping out his throat and killing him instantly. Ax wakes up standing, gasping for air. "What the hell was that?! That thing actually killed me!", he exclaimed, gasping for breath due to shock. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. He woke up right in front of the skeleton, which grabbed the leg of his previous dead body and was dragging it towards the tree. Ax stared at the skeleton curiously because... it wasn''t even looking at him; it was focused on dragging his body towards the tree. When the body was close enough to the tree, branches and vines the color of blood reached out and pulled his dead body into the hole the skeleton came out of. Ax could not see what was inside that hole, but all he could see was a massive splash of blood and viscera that poured out of that hole. The skeleton then snapped its head around and ran towards Ax, trying to claw at his face once again. But this time, he expected it; he used his sword and smashed the back of his sword into the side of the skeleton as hard as he could, dislodging the skeleton''s head from its body, and its headless body just fell down backwards as it''s head flew across the room. "That... took a much harder hit than what the¡ª" As Ax complained about how much harder that skeleton was to fight, he saw another red hand claw its way out of the tree. "No... you''re kidding me..." he muttered to himself in shock. A red skeleton, the same exact height and frame as himself, crawled its way out of the hole. In the same moment, the previously mentioned headless body of the skeleton stood up and walked towards its dismembered head on the ground. It grabbed the skull off of the ground and reattached it onto its neck as the new skeleton walked up behind it. "Oh, you have got to be kidd-", Ax was interrupted by both the skeletons rushing at him as fast as they could. Ax bobbed and weaved, avoiding the bony grasps and avoiding getting its viscera splattered over his face. As one of the skeletons clawed at his arm, he dropped his dagger, and in that split second, Ax grabbed his gun. the skeleton tried to bite at Ax''s head, but in that split moment, he moved his head back and held his up to its chin as it was up close and personal and¡ª *SHATTER* Ax pulled the trigger, causing the bullet to shatter its skull. The small glass fragments got lodged into his face, but he was able to avoid getting it into his eyes, but the bullet being so close to his head caused his ears to start ringing. He was disoriented, and at that moment¡ª The other skeleton clawed at his neck, and once again he was killed by a red skeleton. He woke up again, in that same spot, and he saw the red skeleton start dragging his body close to the tree. "Not this time," Ax said as he aimed his revolver at the head of the skeleton and pulled the trigger. *SHATTER* He shot the red skull of the skeleton, causing it to explode into pieces and fall over, dropping the body onto the ground. Ax picked up his dagger and put it on his sheath, only holding the revolver and sword in his hand. He then walked towards the tree; as he got closer and closer to the tree, red vines and branches jolted out of the hole and tried to grasp at Ax. He was quick; he leapt to the side and chopped off the branches with his sword, spraying blood everywhere, and he aimed his revolver towards the opening and¡ª *SHATTER* SHATTER SHATTER SHATTER He emptied his ammo into the cave-like entrance, firing a hole through the entire tree and the other side to burst open with blood-red viscera, splashing it everywhere onto the ground below. Dweller Slain Ax walked around the tree once more, and he found five silver coins on the ground; he picked them up and shoved them into his pocket. He then started walking towards the three doors. He stopped in front of the three doors and considered his options; he was curious about what lay behind the big door, but he should probably go to Nexus and walk around a bit more. "If I go back... maybe I''ll find a gun shop or a gunsmith, maybe even an armory. I might desperately need some more options because I am dying a bit too much for my comfort, which is definitely more than zero," he monologued to himself. He then walked towards the blue door and reached out his hand. He grabbed the knob and twisted it. "What the hell?" he asked himself. "It''s not turning," he muttered to himself. No matter how many times he twisted and turned the blue doorknob, it didn''t open, not once. Axton was locked out of Nexus.
8. Bones Ax grabbed his dagger and tried to shimmy the doorknob open, but to no avail. Nothing. "Why won''t you open?" he asked himself. He took a step back and thought about his situation. He could go back home and figure something out or forget about all of this; he could even ignore the fact that he ever walked through any door in the first place. But Ax was curious; he wanted to know why he was even able to go through these doors, why he could just come back to life, and how literally everyone he met in the other world knew that he was ''new.''. He was okay with the idea of going back and staying home, practicing for his band, but he also wanted to know more about that girl with the braids and metal arm. He made a choice. Ax opened the big door and pushed it; it was heavier than the other doors. Ax let his curiosity win and get the better of him. As he walked in, he entered a room as big as an airplane hangar, except he couldn''t see the ceiling. "What the hell? This place is massive," he said to himself, echoing. He noticed another door at the back end of the room, and he walked towards it. It was a normal-sized door this time, as he was halfway across the room already. The door behind him slammed shut, closing with a loud thud. Ax looked behind him, startled by the loud noise. Crash A massive crash could be heard behind him, opposite to the direction he was looking at. As he slowly turned his head, peering in the direction in front of him. He saw a massive cloud of dust, and as the dust settled down, a massive eighty-six-foot-tall skeleton had fallen from the pitch-black sky. It had massive, glowing red eyes, a cracked skull, and missing teeth with its jaw strung wide open. It was staring at him hunched over on its all fours, looking right at him. Ax froze up; he didn''t know that monsters this gargantuan in size could even exist; even behind these doors, it didn''t make sense. It reached out for him, trying to grab Ax. As its bony grasp slowly started wrapping around his body, he pulled his gun and shot it. This caused the skeleton to lose its thumb. It shattered into pieces. It immediately slammed its fist into the ground, crushing Ax into a pulp. Ax woke up. The first thing he did was shoot that fist once again, but he missed his shot. The skeleton slowly started getting up; Ax could only watch in awe as he realized how big eight six-foot actually is. The skeleton then hunched over to the ground, peeled off Ax''s mangled body from the ground with its other hand, and held it over its mouth and dropped it in, as if Ax''s body was just a random snack, and swallowed it. Its ribcage and bones were an off-white color; however, the inside of its ribcage was pitch black. Ax could not see what was inside it. For the better if he didn''t. The skeleton then turned its head and looked back down at Ax, as if it was asking for seconds; its red, glowing eye stared at Ax, giving him the chills, as if two red headlights illuminated his surroundings. It tried reaching for Ax again, but he knew better this time. He aimed at the ankles of the skeleton and shot one of them, shattering it into pieces. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it The skeleton fell over to its side. "Timber!" Ax yelled as it crashed to its side. Ax ran up to the skull and aimed his gun at its forehead and emptied his revolver. *SHATTER* *SHATTER* *SHATTER* SHATTER With the last shot, the forehead caved in and shattered, causing its red glowing eyes to dim and go dark. Dweller slain "What a monster! Thank the lord this thing was alone; if there were more, I don''t think I''d be able to leave this room in like... ever," he talks to himself as he was inspecting the skeleton, walking around it, not finding any coins anywhere. "Why isn''t there any...? Usually if I complete the room, they kind of just drop on the ground somewhere... unless..." Ax realized something sinister. He looked up and saw two sets of glowing dots in the sky... getting bigger... and bigger... until- Crash As the dust settled, Ax saw two red dots stare at him from above within the cloud of dust. As it cleared, two humongous skeletons stood in front of him. "I had to say something... didn''t I?" Ax asked himself. "You know what... on second thought... you can just keep your... coins; I''m good," Ax said as he started to walk towards the other door. The skeletons following him. Ax, seeing this, did what he knew best. He put his gun back into position. Sword back in his sheath, and... he ran. "AHHH!" Ax screamed for his life as he ran as fast as he could, the skeletons trying to catch up, but they were so massive they could only walk. Ax reached for the black door and stopped in his tracks. "Come on, come on, the blue door doesn''t open anymore, so surely..." Ax turned the knob and¡ª"Bingo,""he said to himself as the door actually opened. He pushed it open as hard as he could and ran inside, shutting it behind him as he heard loud thuds and banging on the door. "Ah, finally... I escaped," Ax said as he tried catching his breath. He looked around the new room, and what he saw was... a red door at the end and, in the middle of the room, an eight-foot-tall, large, bald man hunched over with his back turned. The room itself was like a forest, filled with various trees and grass, but the man was in the middle. As he slowly walked over to him, he noticed that his skin was blue... and he was only wearing a tiger skin cloth around his waist that led to his knees, and a long, spiky metal club was on the ground next to him. Ax slowly pulled out his sword, which he held with his right hand. As he pulled his gun out, he walked closer and closer to the monster. He could hear it crunching on something... it wasn''t just hunched over... it was eating something, something it killed with its massive club. Crack Ax stepped on a dry branch, which caused the monster to snap its neck behind and look back at Ax. It had massive fangs, barbaric features, two horns protruding from its forehead, and two milky white eyes, and red blood dripping from its chin and red viscera stuck to its cheeks. It faced Ax and roared. The deafening sound caused him to walk backwards, and he slipped on some vines and fell on the ground. The monster reached for the ground next to it and patted the grass around till it touched the club and picked it up. Walked up to where Ax slipped on the ground and raised its club as high as it could and slammed it into the ground. But right before he got hit, Ax rolled over to the left, causing the ogre-looking monster to miss its mark. "What the hell?" Ax asked himself. "Is that an ''Oni''?" Ax continued. An Oni is a Japanese demon or yokai, which is known to be evil and kills its victims; sometimes they were recorded as cannibalizing their victims, whom they killed with their said weapons; sometimes they were featured in the anime Ax watched, but they were demons or mostly written in Japanese folklore. "They''re real?" Ax asked himself once more. The Oni then looked right at him and raised its left hand into the air. Sparks started to form around its palm, and as it grasped its hand shut, the crackling in the air stopped, and a bolt of pure lightning formed in its hand. It had grabbed a bolt of lightning out of thin air. Ax somehow got up and jumped out of the way, right before the Oni threw the bolt of lightning right at his previous location, burning the ground right before it. Ax was silent. He stared at the Oni''s milky white eyes, and... they looked empty. Ax''s eye widened in realization. The reason why the Oni only engaged him when it heard something was because... it was blind. Ax now had to deal with a hulking monster that could throw lightning and had a taste for blood. But he had an advantage over the Oni... It was blind. 9. Two Onis
Ax slowly got on his feet, making sure not to make an ounce of sound. He slowly walked around the Oni, inspecting every inch of it visually, it was a vibrant blue, as he seen from every other angle. It was standing there, confused. Maybe it was all just it''s imagination. It turned around and crouched over, going back to eating whatever it was munching on. Ax looked down to see a pool of blood, and by that pool of blood he saw a lifeless head moving about due to the body having bits being chewed off. This ghastly sight made Ax gasp. This made the Oni''s head snap up, it''s milky eyes staring at him intently and furrowed. Ax jumped back and the Oni knew, it was sure now that something or someone was here with it, disturbing it''s feast. Oni tried to hit him with it''s club but Ax dodged out of the way. Ax ran back and aimed his gun at the Oni''s chest and shot. *SHATTER* It hit the Oni, causing it to lose it''s balance due to the impact but it didn''t leave a mark on it''s body. Ax was screwed and he knew it. Because the sound came of the shatter came from some where the club can''t reach, the Oni grasped at the air once more. The Oni grasped at the sparks crackling around it''s palm and grabbed a bolt of lightning and threw it at Ax. Ax was not able to dodge the bolt, it came at him fast and he was struck. The impact threw Ax backwards onto the ground, with the god knows how many volts running through his body, it felt as if he was paralyzed and was left gasping for air. The Oni hearing the crash started to walk towards Ax. Ax was left hopeless, he was ready to die and try again and keep trying, but he remembered something. He had one of the apples. He slowly moved his hand into his pocket and took the apple. As the Oni''s stomps were closer and closer. Ax took a bite of the apple. Ax''s eyes widened and pupils dilated, he was full of energy again. His minor injuries healed at a moment''s notice. Ax put the apple back into his pocket and the Oni was right on top of him. As the Oni reared it''s club one last time, Ax waited. He aimed his gun at it''s head and right before it dropped it''s club on Ax and shot. *SHATTER* This caused the Oni to lose balance and fall over backwards. Ax had caught onto to a small detail right before he shot it. "You were... bleeding...", Ax muttered under his breath. The part of the chest Ax shot at, the Oni was bleeding around it, at the parts the glass shards were stuck in. This would mean that the bullet either shattered before it pierced it''s skin, or that the bullet itself wasn''t as strong as regular lead bullets. Most likely both. But one thing Ax knew was that, the gun shots were strong enough to make the Oni lost it''s balance. Two small details failed to escape Ax... But Ax needed to test these first. Ax ran far away from the Oni as it started to get up. When it got up it once again raised it''s palm into the air and grasped at the sparks. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. At this moment Ax ran towards the Oni as fast as he could as loud as he could. Hearing the footsteps getting closer and closer, the Oni stopped grasping at the air and raised it''s club over it''s head one more time. Ax held his dagger right before getting close to the Oni with his other arm and as the Oni was preparing to hit him. Ax slid. Ax slid in between it''s legs, nicking the calf of the Oni in this swift action. The Oni roared in pain and dropped it''s club, grasping at it''s calf. Ax was correct. The Oni''s skin is penetrable by sharp objects, it''s as if the skin it self was made of rubber. Ax was correct with another detail as well, the Oni only threw lightning at it''s victims if they were far away from it and used it''s club for close combat. ... This meant only one thing: if Ax wanted to kill this goliath, he would have to get up close and personal. If it were any other person, they couldn''t afford to fight this recklessly. But Ax... couldn''t die. "You... have to kill me over and over again until I give up," he said to the Oni as it looked at him and started to reach for the club. "But I only have to kill you once," he continued as the Oni stood back up with its club back in hand. The Oni stomped on the ground and charged at him with its club. Ax ran towards it head-on, and as the Oni tried to hit him. *SHATTER* Ax shot the forearm of the hand the club was held to make the Oni drop it and get thrown back due to the pure kinetic impact. The Oni tried to punch Ax with its other arm, but Ax moved to the side and ran past him, using its dagger to slash across its other forearm, and he ran by, causing blood to spray everywhere on the ground. As Ax was behind the Oni, he shot at its back two more times, causing the Oni to fall forward. He then shot the club''s handle twice to get it away from the Oni''s reach. Click, click His revolver was out of ammo. "I''m not used to this...", Ax said to himself, unfamiliar with having to reload his gun. He flicked his wrist to the side, causing the cylinder of the revolver to be exposed, white steam got released from it''s bullet chambers and he quickly whipped the cylinder back in. The Oni was starting to get back up again. Ax show to Oni two more times and walked up on it''s back. Ax put away his dagger and pulled out his sword. As ax put away his gun, he grabbed his sword with his right hand and with a swift movement slashed the back of it''s neck. Dweller Slain On top of the Oni''s back, dropped two gold coins. Ax picked them up and put them in his pocket. Ax got off the Oni and looked around once more. He saw the body the Oni was feasting on. As Ax walked up to the body, he almost gagged at the sight, there was almost nothing left, not even bones, just a head and two arms. "I think I''m gonna be sick...", Ax said to himself in disgust. Ax then noticed the body''s arms, the sleeves were burnt off, and the part of the ground the palm was on... it was charred but the actual skin was... untouched? This person didn''t have any weapon on them but they were able to clear these rooms and continue to fight... and the ears were a normal pair of round human ears. Ax then looked at the red door that was on the other side of the room, he stared at it with intent. So many questions ran through his head, about what these doors meant, the other world, the human body on the ground, the charred bits of clothing... He considered the possibility of... "Did they control fire? Like some sort super power like in the comics? No, that shouldn''t be possible... but then again... I can come back from the dead...". Ax talked to himself. So many questions and the only solution to getting these answered was to... "I have to keep progressing... don''t I?", He asked himself. Ax walked up to the door and opened it. As Ax walked in and closed the door shut, he noticed a suit of armour sat kneeling on the ground, the room itself looked like a Japanese Edo Period household. Tatami mats on the ground, paper doors and the armour... it was a set of samurai armour. The armour itself was black with red highlights, it was wearing a red Oni mask under it''s helm. Two swords were on the ground next to it. A katana and a much smaller ''wakizashi''. It was a smaller version of a katana. Ax looked at the armour close and didn''t notice anything under it, so he let his guard down. He then reached for the katana on the ground and as he was about to touch it. The hand of the armour grabbed his arm, Ax looked back at the mask and the red Oni mask''s eyes glowed red and stared into Ax''s eyes. The armour then with it''s other hand grabbed the wakizashi and chopped off Ax''s hand. "AHH", Ax screamed in pain, trying to free himself from the armour, but the Oni swiftly in a single motion, slashed his neck and killed him. Ax woke up in front of the Oni, gasping for air. The Oni then grabbed it''s katana and put away the wakizashi back in it''s sheath. It held a fierce stance, intending to fight Ax. Ax grabbed his falchion and held his own makeshift stance, staring down the demon with his own eyes.
10. Abyss "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."¨D Friedrich Nietzsche ... Ax was face to face with another Oni, this one wielding a sword instead of a club, ever so slightly shorter than him rather than towering over him. Instead of throwing lightning, this one appeared to have no notable powers that Ax should be aware of, and yet this one seemed to be a much more fearsome monster than anything that he had faced up until this point. Ax died and woke up to the Oni holding a fierce stance, inviting him to a duel. Ax responded with his own makeshift stance, accepting this duel. Ax raised his sword for an overhead swing and- He woke up to see his body fall to the ground and his head roll off; the devilish samurai had already swung the moment it saw an opening and slashed sideways across his neck. The Oni resumed position. Ax attempted an upwards swing from below and- The Oni, with an overhead swing, slashed his head right down the middle. Ax woke up and ran to its side and slipped onto his own pool of blood. Ax quickly got up and tried to swing, but alas, with a sideways stroke of its blade, Ax''s blood was sprayed across the paper door. Ax woke up once more, and the first thing he did was run past the Oni towards the other door and shuffle to get it open; it, however, did not. As Ax turned around to see the red blistering eyes staring at him, he raised his sword once more and- Ax woke up once more, in front of the door. The Oni had its body turned the other way; it cleaned its blade with the crease of its elbow and looked over its shoulder to stare at Ax once more, preparing to swing once more. Ax took his gun out and- Ax woke up again; every time Ax reached for his gun, the Oni showed no mercy, no guns. It was as clear as day. ... It has been hours since Ax entered this accursed room, the Oni now surrounded by a ring of Ax''s own bodies, the room smeared with blood and the floor flooded with his own red viscera. Ax was gasping for air and stuck in a constant state of shock. "I''m... tired. I''m tired... I''m hungry; I just want to go home..." he complained to deaf ears. "But this... this monster does not get tired, doesn''t show fatigue, doesn''t need to drink or eat; it doesn''t even have a body; it''s as if this thing is possessed," he continued as the Oni was staring at him with its sword up. "And yet... this thing still chooses to show pity, letting me run and try and shimmy the door open... letting me get up when I slip, letting me¡ª" Ax''s words got interrupted by his own thoughts. Ax remembered that he still had his golden apple. He took it out and smudged off the red that painted it and took a bite. He had a wave of realization wash over him; the Oni wanted an honorable fight, and there''s no honor in killing someone who''s fleeing or is occupied. The bite tasted like a cool glass of lemonade after a hot summer day, filled him up like a hearty steak after a whole day of fasting, and gave him the rest of a full night''s sleep and the clarity of five hours of meditation. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. His fatigue and frustration got replaced with fury and determination. The Oni wanted a duel. Ax remembered a stupid conversation he had with a certain someone. ... "If given consent, we should be allowed to fight to the death in a duel with swords, just like the old days," said a man Ax''s age. "Sorry, what? Hamza, what the hell are you actually talking about?" asked Ax. "I''m kidding, but can you imagine? That is so odd to think about; people really would just consent to murdering each other," said Hamz. "I mean, I''m humoring you... but what would stop me from just carrying a gun around instead of a sword? I could win literally any and every duel if I wanted to," Ax asked. "Well, not really," said Hamz. "What do you mean?" asked Ax. "In the old days, duels would only be fought with swords and a knife in a separate hand; it was usually a dueling dagger or a sword breaker," said Hamz. "I genuinely will never have a use for this information, Hamza," said Ax. "Yeah, so a sword breaker is¡ª ... "What do you know?" Ax spoke to himself, smiling softly. Ax then held his dagger with his left hand and the sword with his right, knowing that the Oni would attack him purely for wielding a gun. Ax closed his eyes. Ax took a deep breath. Ax then rushed the Oni. It only ever went for killing blows or limbs and then the killing blow; Ax wanted to use this to his advantage. The Oni swiftly decapitated Ax, but Ax, immediately after waking up, kicked the body forward into the Oni''s sword, spraying blood into his own face as well as the Oni''s. The Oni lost balance, and at that moment, Ax took his chance; as the Oni raised its sword for an overhead swing, Ax blocked it with his falchion, holding it there. With its weapon immobilized, Ax went as close in as he could. Held his dagger in a reverse grip and shoved it in the crease of the mask and the neck and¡ªnothing. Ax felt nothing, no resistance under the mask. As if it was genuinely empty. Ax jumped back. He was at square one once again, with no way of killing it. It was about as immortal as he was. No, unkillable even. In a fraction of a second, Ax swiftly resumed position, dagger in a reverse grip and falchion in a lowered stance, ready to attack or block or deflect whatever the Oni threw at him. The Oni just looked at him with its dead eyes and grasped its throat with its hand, holding the sword with its other. It then walked towards the middle of the room, dropping its katana to its side. The suit of armor then kneeled down, sitting on both of its knees in a traditional position, and grabbed its wakizashi with its other hand, unsheathing it. The Oni then grabbed it with both of its hands, holding it towards itself. It then looked at Ax, as if it was waiting for something. Ax acknowledged what it was trying to hint at. Ax dropped his own sword and walked up to the katana on the ground. He picked it up off the ground and stood by the Oni, ready to swing down as fast as he can. The Oni then shoved the small sword as deep as it could into its own stomach. Ax then swiftly swung at its neck as fast as he could, as clean as he could. In one swing the helm and mask of the Oni were rolling on the ground, staring at him. The head''s red eyes slowly faded away, and the head turned to dust; the armor soon followed. The katana in his hand slowly turned to dust, from the tip of the blade to the hilt, as it turned to dust. Ax stared at it. When all of it disappeared, Ax looked at his fist and opened his palm to see five golden coins. Ax then walked around the room, rummaging through his own bodies, and found the rest of the coins he had lost the first time. Ax then walked to the middle of the room and sat down on the ground, surrounded by blood. Ax pulled his hair back, rubbing clean the blood from his face with his hands, and proceeded to take out the apple in his pocket; he once more cleaned the apple from any viscera and blood that dirtied it. Ax took a few more bites, finishing the apple, breathing heavily as he did. Ax was surrounded by piles of his own corpses and drenched in his own blood; however, in the end, he succeeded and is the one who won. ... After a few more minutes of sitting down and taking a breather, he got up and took a black door home. as he walked into his apartment, he filled the floor with his own footsteps in blood. Ax noticing this walked straight into the bathroom to take a well-deserved shower. ... After taking a shower and cleaning the floor, the clock struck 5 pm. However, he was no longer tired. "Must be the effects of the apples..." he spoke to himself. A few more days would go by after this, Ax wondering at night about what he went through. He would decide not to go back to the rooms until after the gig is over. 11. Kicked/Quit Days had passed since the last encounter; it was surreal for Ax, dying over and over and over again to the same monster. Ax is fighting that same monster again, but this time Ax has no weapons to his name, no magic glass-shattering gun, no sword crafted by the dwarves of the Norse pantheon. Just him, this monster, and a dark, dimly lit road. Each step Ax takes, he sees his own body fall and hears a loud thump. Each inch closer to the monster, the monster inches back. As Ax pushes on against the onslaught of desperate swings from the monster. It takes a step backwards, sword shaking in hand, Ax being unfazed. Each footstep being followed by a mountain of his own corpses. As Ax is face to face with the Oni, it drops its sword in fear, shaking in its own suit of armor. Ax walks up to it, raising his hand and grabbing its horned mask. Grasping it and taking it off, expecting a monster or a demon with a deformed face, but he sees... Nothing? The alarm rings with a deafening volume. Ax slams the alarm with his hand so hard it slips off and falls to the ground. "Ugh¡ªmy head hurts," Ax complained as he got up. It was 7 am. He had to wake up early because it was the day of the gig. He made his way to the bathroom, freshening up. Brushed his hair straight, brushed his teeth, and flossed. Washed his face and got ready to leave by 8 am. Ax then grabbed his gig bag and stuffed two tubs of face paint into a small bag and headed off to the train station. He had to take a rickshaw (a three-wheeled cart that is pulled by one person and can hold up to 2/3 passengers) there; it took him an extra thirty minutes to get there. After reaching the station, he went through his phone and opened the group chat. "I''m on my way, guys." -Ax "No way, guys, it''s actually happening." -Ace "I will throw him off the stage; watch me." -Hamz "Please refrain from damaging the guitar; I called dibs on that." -N "Who the hell changed my nickname to getting Axed?"¡ªGetting (Ax)ed ... 20 minutes have passed. Ax had slipped off into a sleep, and abruptly awakened by the train stopping, he got off the train with his eyes barely open and Slam Someone slammed Ax''s back so hard he almost fell over and dropped his bag; as he looked to his side, he saw a man his age, shorter hair than him but some parts of it dyed red, the same height as him and with a slightly athletic build. It was his other friend, Hamza. "Hamz? How long were you here for?" asked Ax. "Around 8:30ish," replied Hamz. "Oh," replied Ax. "That''s it?" said Hamz, sarcastically. "What?" asked Ax, confused. Hamz opened his arms, inviting him for a hug. "Dude, come here," Hamz demanded. "Oh right," Ax said awkwardly as he approached him. Hamz gave him a genuine, tight hug and a pat on his back. "Dude, we missed you. You feeling better?" asked Hamz, showing a bit of genuine concern. "I... could be doing better, but yeah, I''m doing way better compared to me even a few weeks ago," Ax replied to him, giving him as much of a genuine answer as he can muster. "Everyone''s chilling at my place. Wanna head out?" asked Hamz. "Yeah, that sounds perfect! You still have that spare amp, right?" asked Ax. "Dude, where else would it even go? It''s just kind of been collecting dust for a bit," replied Hamz. "Right.", said Ax. ... Some time has passed, and they are at Hamz''s apartment door now. Hamz rang the doorbell, waiting for them to open the door while Ax was anticipating, he was expecting to get chewed out by Nasri and Ace for not showing up for months. He was nervous; facing all of them at once was genuinely terrifying for him. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. As the door unlocked and the hinges started to open, Hamz walked in first. Ax was afraid of stepping foot in there; the last time he was here, he got chewed out by Nasri, and his two other best friends had a look of genuine disappointment smeared across their faces. ... Two months ago. Everyone was in Hamz''s spare room. Hamz was the most financially well off in the friend group, and because of his love for music, he had the guest bedroom in his apartment converted into an actual jam room months before. The walls were covered in foam soundproofing, and the sockets had multiplugs stuck onto them, those multiplugs powering the amps and the processors and effect pedals. They had just finished a morning gig they had rehearsed for; everyone was jamming off to some tracks to end off the day. Everyone was having a blast, everyone except Ax. Ax, usually someone who kept with the drummer''s tempo, someone who amplified the lead''s melody and blended with the bass''s rhythm, was not keeping up. During the gig he was doing perfectly, but now... he was missing his beats, messing up notes, and most importantly, he wasn''t having fun. Mid-session, Ax dropped his pick, and it snapped his string. Everyone abruptly stopped. "Ax? Axton, you good, dude?" asked Hamz, showing concern. "You alright? You haven''t been feeling it the last few hours," said Ace. "You okay?" asked Nasri, slightly annoyed. "Nothing, I''ll just get this restrung tomorrow; it''s okay," said Ax quietly. "I can just do it for you if you want; I have spares just in case a certain SOMEONE somehow snaps his low E string again," said Hamz, trying to bring some humor into the grim atmosphere. "Hey! I am standing right here!" Ace exclaimed. "No, I just¡ªI just want to head home for today. I know it''s early, but I really haven''t been feeling it for the past few days," said Ax sheepishly. "Why? What''s wrong?" asked Nasri. "Nothing important," replied Ax. "Okay, but Ax, you always say this¡ªthis exact excuse¡ªwhenever we bring up something that''s been bothering you," said Nasri, showing slight frustration. "It''s not a big deal... I just..." replied Ax, trailing off. "Just...? Just what exactly?" asked Nasri, putting her pick down on her amp. "I... I''ve been thinking about it for the past week. I''m just going to leave the band," replied Ax. "Leave the band? Why?" Nasri interrupted Ax. "It''s... none of your business," replied Ax, trying to hold his ground. "None of our business? Really?" Nasri said as she put her bass down. This snapped something in her, her fist clenching. "We''ve been a band for a better part of a year! What do you mean, none of my business? Are you serious? Walking away without even giving us a single explanation?" Asked Nasri, her blood boiling and her voice which sounded as if it was echoing even in a soundproof room. Ax stepped back, backing up a foot''s length. He should not have said it like that. "You shouldn''t¡ª" Ace tried to intervene. "You stay out of this!" Nasri shouted at him, shutting him up. "We have spent the better part of the year overcoming our stage fright!" Nasri exclaimed. "This was a dream for me ever since the first time I met you guys over a year ago! For us! We would genuinely play in front of stuffed animals, pretending we were on the stage, pretending to be playing to a crowd!" she continued. Hamz was staring down at his drumsticks; he wanted to say something, but his voice couldn''t escape his throat; he was biting his lips, fidgeting. "Nasri, I''m sorry it had to be this way. I have my reasons, and I want to be alone for a while," Ax said, showing hesitance in his voice, but he was adamant. "What about us? What about the late-night gigs we would have to do after having 5-hour energy drinks? What about me?" she kept asking, demanding answers, staring daggers at Ax. "It''s not about you... Nasri... Just drop it," Ax said, still holding his ground, staring at Nasri. "Sorry? Actually, no, you know what? Fine. If you don''t care enough to tell me why, maybe you should just go!" Nasri said to him, her voice in a controlled rage, as if she was trying to hold back tears. Ace and Hamz both looked at her. "You have been refusing to make anything about yourself! Refusing to accept help, and now you want to just leave us? Maybe you should! Maybe you should leave before I kick you out myself!", Nasri screamed at him, immediately regretting her words. Ace and Hamza were still staring at Nasri, their faces petrified with shock and disappointment. Ax froze in place, as if a deer under a pair of headlights; he wanted to speak, but he couldn''t. It''s as if his body started to move by itself, wanting to run away, wanting to scream, even though his mind wanted to talk to her, wanted to reason with her and tell her why. Ax started to stuff his guitar into the bag without hesitation. Not looking up even once, he picked up his bag, his phone, and his jacket and walked towards the door. Nasri had tears streaming down her face. But Ax never looked at her to notice, never looked back up at them. Right before he left, he snuck a peak through the crease between the door and the doorframe. All he could see were the disappointed faces of Ace and Hamz staring at the door, his mind just filled in the rest of it. ... Right after Ax left, closing the door of the apartment behind him, shutting it. Nasri''s knees collapsed. "I should not have said that. I should not have said that," she kept repeating over and over and over again, her voice cracking with each repetition. "I should have said something. Why didn''t I stop him? Why didn''t I¡ª" Ace held her shoulder with his hand, interrupting her. "You were frustrated, frustrated with him, I agree with you Nasrin, but you shouldn''t have lashed out like that.", said Aseef. "Yeah, look, he was breaking down himself. You''re not the only one who was frustrated with him because he¡ªNasrin, do you even know why he''s like this?" asked Hamza. "No... no, I don''t," said Nasrin. "It''s becaus¡ª," Hamza tried to say it. "Hamza. No!" Aseef interrupted. "Look, I''ll tell her later, not now, you''d be adding flame to the fire, let her collect herself a bit more.", said Aseef. "Right... sorry, yeah, no, you''re right," replied Hamza. "I should... we should run after him, right?" asked Nasri, sheepishly. "No, if we go now... he''ll just hold it in, he has stage fright.", said Hamza, trying to lighten the mood. "He''s right; Abanish doesn''t really open up to anyone. I think it''d be best if we give him a break for now, let him vent his frustration and cry or whatever; he needs it. We''ll make it up to him later," said Aseef. "It''s my fault," Nasri said as she held her knees close to her. "It... is, but... he shouldn''t have just said he was gonna leave, especially when he knew that you were getting visibly frustrated... right?" Hamza said as he looked at Aseef for approval, trying to make sense of what just went down. "I don''t... know," Aseef said as he looked down in shame; he should''ve done something; he should''ve stood his ground and run to his best friend''s side, but he... just stood there, even though he knew every bit of context there was. "Next time I see him, I owe him an apology and a shitload of food," Nasrin said as she looked down in shame. "He''s our best friend; we all do.". Aseef said with a quiet voice, looking at the both of them. 12. Welcome Back!
As Ax walked in behind Hamz, expecting to be bombarded with questions, he braced himself. The moment he stepped foot into the apartment, Pop Pop Two loud pops could be heard, followed by confetti shreds gently raining down from the ceiling. "Surprise!" all of them yelled in unison. "Wha¡ªWhat''s all this?" Ax asked, dazed and confused. "It was her idea¡ªOW!" Hamz exclaimed as Nasri elbowed him. Ace ran to the kitchen. "We¡ªno, I wanted to apologize to you, so I convinced everyone to chip in and hold a small party, just the four of us," explains Nasri, her voice showing genuine compassion. "It didn''t take much convincing." Ace came back into the room holding a paper box. "What''s that?" asked Ax. "While we figure out how the hell we open this, Nasri has something she wants to tell you," Ace explained to Ax while nodding at Hamz. Nasri walked up to Ax and started picking off the shreds of confetti. "I... owe you a proper apology," said she, her voice showing remorse. "Hmm? Apology for what?" Ax asked, feigning ignorance. "You know why I yelled at you, screamed at you, instead of communicating or encouraging you to communicate like the rest of us? I got fed up," Nasri explained slowly. "You had your reasons; I was also being a douche," said Ax, trying to brush it off. "You were suffering silently, that''s it,"e ssaid... "I''m sorry for lashing out at you, pushing youaway,"he continued, her voice getting weak. "I''m sorry for not considering your ffeelings.When it comes to showing anger, my voice is at itsudest, but when it actually matters,,,, my voice is nowhere be seen; I freeze up." she finished. "I... I''m sorry for not talking to you beforehand; even a slight hint as to what happened on that date would help you figure out everything by yourself," muttered to her, his voice getting even quieter. "I''m sorry for not giving you the space or opportunity to feel safe enough to talk to me yourself. I kept thinking about the band¡ª I kept thinking about myself. I''ll never do that again,"e finally finished, brushing the confetti off his jacket. "I''m¡ªelieve you. I trust you enough. I''ll open up, or well,,,, try at least," said, forcing his voice to be confident. "Do you know what my greatest regret is? So far at least," Ace interrupted, holding a cake in his hands. "Hmm?" asked. "That day I told Nasri to not run after you, to not bother you, saying that she should take a break because she didn''t know any better,"e said. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "However, I did; I should''ve run after you and talked to you. It didn''t even come across my mind that I could''ve just run after you and talked to you,"Ace finished, his own voice, usually strong and loud. Quieting down. "Aseef, I don''t know what to say,"said Axton. "I also... Ax, I should''ve spoken up; I shouldn''t have been just a spectator. I''m sorry for not taking your side,"said Hamz. "We took a few gigs the past two months,, but it wasn''t the same without you," he added, his voice being genuinely serious. "I¡ªI see. Look, I understand that me going away was heartbreaking; it was for me too, but you guys don''t¡ªyou guys don''t have to sugarcoat it. I... looked through the door before I left. I saw how disappointed you guys looked; I know that it''s also my fault as well," Ax explained, his voice faltering. "Axton... you idiot," Nasri muttered under her breath, holding her hands over her mouth. "Ax... we weren''t disappointed in you... we were disappointed in Nasri and ourselves. Did you genuinely think we all hated you for leaving?" Ace explained, his voice getting softer and softer with each word. Ax''s eyes widened. "We were disappointed in ourselves, and in Nasri.", Hamza added to Ace''s comment. Ace walked to the nearest couch in the living room, and just sat down, clutching his face on his hands as he was leaning over, his hair sparkling with confetti glitter. "You''re and idiot, Axton", Ax spoke to himself, under his breath. ... A few minutes have passed and everyone''s sat around Ax, comforting him. Ace got up and brough the cake and placed it in front of the couch, on the coffee table. It was a vanilla cake with frosting, Ax''s favorite, it was still cold due to being in the fridge. Hamz ruffled Ax''s hair, trying to get the confetti residue out of his hair and in a way, comfort him further. Ax let out a soft chuckle, as his hair was even more messed up. "You made it worse... idiot," Ax said to Hamz, a quiet laugh escaped his breath. "Just cut your cake god dammit.", said Hamz "Does anyone have a spare hair tie?", Ax asked the other two. "Yeah actually, here.", Hamz replied to Ax, holding out a hair tie with a smug grin across his face. Ax looked at his palm, then at his hair and then his palm again. "Okay, out of all the people here, why are YOU the one who handed me a hair tie?", Ax asked as he is visibly confused. "Hamza is that my hair tie?", Nasri asked as she''s still shuffling through her pockets. "Mayhaps.", replied Hamz. As Ax tied his hair in a bun, Ace handed him a knife. Ax then took a look at the cake and- There was nothing written, but rather a drawing made with frosting. It was a vanilla cake with the picture on top being a depiction of a stylized hand holding up a ''Four Of A Kind'' hand of cards of the four different sets of ''Ace'' cards. As Ax held the knife, his hand started to shake, his vision started to blur, and his eyes watered. Hamz and Nasri got confused and panicked, but Ace knew what was up; he placed his hand on Ax''s shoulder. "What''s wrong?" asked Nasri, her voice showing a hint of fear. "If you knew he was going to cry, why did you insist on getting him this cake?" asked Hamz in a somewhat protective voice. "No, no, guys, that''s not¡ª" Ax tried to clear up the misunderstanding, his voice getting weaker as he cut the cake. "I don''t think I want to eat this right now; can you put this away, Ace?" asked Ax. Ace silently took the cake and tucked it away in the fridge. "This was... the logo of my dad''s first band when he was younger," he added. Hamza''s eyes softened, and Nasri''s body decompressed, showing that she was listening. "This was also the band where he met my mom," he finished. The room went silent, not with shock or fear, but with genuine sympathy, because no one knew what to say, and no one had to. "In this room, Ace is the only one who truly knows what happened to my mom and dad," Ax explained. "Hamz and Nasri only know that they are gone, that''s it, right?" Ax asked. "Yeah... I didn''t fully tell Nasri what happened; it''s not my story to tell or incident to recall," Ace answered. "You guys said how I can open up about it, right?" said Ax. Hamz and Nasri both nodded yes. "As you know, my dad''s name was Axel, Axel Abanish; he was a popular musician in his band, with my mom, Mithra Abanish," Axton started to explain. "There''s no other way to say it, I guess," he said. "I''m just going to be blunt. Both of my parents died in an accident.". Ax finished.
13. Space Trash Opener "I''m just going to be blunt. Both of my parents died in an accident.". Ax finished. Hamz''s and Nasri''s eyes widened, Ace just listened close; even though he heard this story before. "So it was an accident. I didn''t know that, I''m so sorry.", Hamz said, trying to comfort Ax. "I''m sorry.", Nasri said, while looking at the floor. "It''s fine," said Ax, acknowledging their compassion. "My mom and dad were in a band which were pretty damn popular, their own band was called, ''Royal Flush.''. One of their first albums was-", Ax''s words got cut off by a small chuckle. "Their first album was ''Ace Of Spades''.", Ax said trying to hold back a small laugh. Everyone immediately looked at Ace. "Yeah... I''m unoriginal sue me.", Ace said while looking to the side. "Good thing you''re unoriginal.", said Ax as a response. "Back when we were kids, like around thirteen, he found out who my parents were and we just became best friends from there.", Ax continued his explanation. Both of the others had a soft smile spread across their faces. "Back on topic, when I was around fifteen, so three years ago, my mom and dad had to leave for a trip over seas, but they just never came back.", Ax continued. Hamz and Nasri kind of just, stared at Ax, trying to process what he just revealed. "But... you said...", Nasri was trying to ask but she trailed off. "They died in an accident, but I never saw they bodies. It wasn''t even on the news. I looked into the day that they died. Hell I looked into all the major accidents in that time frame and just... nothing. All I knew was that my parent''s bodies were, ''Almost Unidentifiable''.", said Ax. "I still remember them, Ax. They were so... warm. They treated me as their own son. It broke my heart when you texted me the news. I wanted to run to you as fast as I could.", said Ace, remembering the day. "In hindsight... I probably would''ve done and said the same thing.", said Nasri, with an apologetic look across her face. "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t hav-" "It''s fine, you didn''t know.", Ax interrupted Nasri. "Right. Sorry.", said Nasri, dropping the topic. "Thank you finally telling us, but... is it okay if I ask what actually happened to them?", asked Hamz, careful not to sound intruding. "I... don''t know.". said Ax, his face showing a grim expression. "All I know is that they''re gone, how I''m not sure. But everyone says it''s an accident, that''s all.", Ax finished. "Thank you for sharing this with us, I''ll also be better and do my part.", said Nasri, still feeling guilty. Ax noticed her expressions and body language, it''s clear that this has been eating her alive. "Thank god I ran into you that day, Nasrin.", said Ax, showing gratitude. "Hm? What''s with the government name?", asked Nasri, trying to deflect the statement. "I''ll tell you guys more as time goes on, even I''m not strong enough to reveal literally everything, right now.", Ax said, his voice stern but still showing vulnerability. "Thank you for sharing it with us, Axton.", said Nasri, reassuring Ax. "It takes a lot of guts to actually... well, spill your guts out like this.", Hamz said, trying to lighten up the mood while thanking Ax. "That''s got to feel at least a little better, right? Proud of you.", Ace said with his hand on Ax''s shoulder. "Now that that''s over with. Wasn''t the gig supposed to be in like an hour?", Asked Ax, trying to change the topic. "Well... we may have... lied. About a few things.", Said Ace... while looking away. "Ace? What do you mean by ''a few things''?". Ax said while directly looking at ace. Ace refused to maintain eye contact. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Ace? Aseef? What did you do?". Ax said after standing up, trying to look at him dead in the eyes. Ax looked back at Hamz and Nasri. They looked like deer captured under headlights. "So... the gigs not actually at the morning, it''s at night.", said Hamz. "Oh, that''s not that bad. I''m okay with that actually, what''s the big dea- wait what date is it again?", asked Ax, interrupting himself. It dawned on him. "Oh. Oh no," Ax said, with realization smeared all across his face. "It''s not at cafe Zio... is it?", Ax asked quietly, looking at Nasri. "Nope...", Nasri replied, looking straight into Ax''s eyes. "We''re doing an opening act... for ''Space Trash''... at their concert.", she finished. "When does it start... may I ask?", asked Ax. "7pm.". replied Nasri "Oh.", Ax reacted. "Oh my god. Yeah I''m gonna need to rehearse the tracks a few more times. This time with the band.", Ax continued as he grabbed his gig bag and ran towards Hamz''s guest room. "Well?! Come on!", Ax yelled at his friends on the way there. "He''s going to be annoying isn''t he?", asked Ace. "Well, he''s our best friend so...", replied Hamz. "What does that even mean?", asked Ace. "Well? Don''t keep him waiting, unless you wanna get yelled at by the both of us?", Nasri said as she was halfway to the room already. Ace and Hamz then sprinted towards the door. Nasri entered the room to see Ax shuffling to get his bag open. She then walked towards her bass and grabbed one of wires and plugged it in. Ace and Hamz abruptly entered the room tackling each other, Hamz grabbed the drumsticks on the ground and leaped onto his stool. Which he sat on, but the momentum caused him to tip over dramatically. "Ow!", he screamed out. This caused Ace to laugh at him maniacally. Hamz hearing this threw one of his sticks at his head, missing and hitting Nasri instead. "Ow!", she screamed out. This caused Ax to laugh maniacally, which caused him to drop his bag containing his guitar onto his foot. "Ow!", he... also screamed. "Alright, now. Collect yourselves.", Ace said while clapping his hands, trying to hold back laughter. Hamz got back up, grabbed another pair of sticks. Nasri picked her bass up. Ax plugged in his and Ace grabbed his. They all rehearsed for hours nonstop, excluding the breaks inbetween. *** It was 5 pm. The gig starts in two hours. The band stopped practicing and took turns taking the rooms to change. They wore their outfits, filled with black denim and studs. Hamz called a "Ryde" on his phone and they all just waited for the car to come. *** They were at the backstage getting prepared for the opening act. "Alright, Ax, did you bring the paint?", asked Hamz "Hmm? Oh yeah, did you forget again?". Ax answered Hamz with another question. "Guilty as charged.", Hamz replied, with a small grin. "Did you bring the brushes and blender?", asked Ax. "Yeah.", replied Hamz Hamz handed Ax a blender. "How do you feel?", he asked. "Considering that I just found out about this today. Way better than you''d think.". Ax replied. Nasri put two cans of energy drinks on the table in front of mirrors. Ax and Hamz sat on the table in front of the mirrors with the tubs of paint. "This better pay good.", Ax said, sarcastically. "Oh they do.", Hamz replied. *** It was time, it was 7pm on the dot. "Just an opening act... breath Ax breath.", Ax muttered to himself. "Do you still talk to yourself? Weirdo.", said Nasri, trying to distract herself from the atmosphere. "Guys, I might''ve had too much caffeine, can you tell? I think I had too much to drink guy-", Hamz was talking before Ace cut him off. "Okay, guys, best of luck. Let''s hope we get some cool pictures.", said Ace. All four of them entered the stage, all other than Hamz holding their instruments in hand. It was dark out but the lights flashed before their eyes, the cameras. The crowds cheers reverberating around the stage. The ground vibrating. "Alright, it''s time.", said Ace, to his bandmates. Everyone put in their earpieces, their faces painted white with a symbol representing the suits of cards on each of their right eyes. Spade for Ace. Diamond for Hamz. Club for Nasri. And Heart for Ax Ace walked up to the mic, everyone else assuming positions. As he took a deep breath. The crowd silenced themselves, but Ace... nothing could leave his voice. He had stage freight. Not a single hum. "We are PRESCENCE!", Hamz screamed from the top of his lungs from the back. He started drumming the intro. Ace looked back and nodded, acknowledging his help. Nasri followed suit, she started playing a heavy distorted bassline, setting the melody for the track. Ax joined in, playing the rhythm for the lead to follow. Ace felt the strings on his guitar harmonize, syncing in with the tune of Ax''s guitar. He followed. Ace started his intro. The crowd getting more and more riled up with each passing moment. Ace started his vocals. To everyone else, Ace was the heart and soul of the band, the one who held everything together. He was about the only person who couldn''t be replaced in this band. Ax felt everyone quickly snap on beat the moment Ace started singing. The crowd slowly roaring along. *** The band finally finished their routine. All four of them walked up to the mic, lining up. Ace screamed into the mic, "THANK YOU!". After this, all of them walked backstage. Ace falling to his knees right after having time to take a deep breath. "Dude I almost messed that up.", Ace spoke to himself. Putting himself down. "You did great, the crowd loved you.", Hamz said as the was comforting Ace. "So? How did this little, ''gig'' feel?", Nasri asked Ax. "I hate all four of you.", Ax replied to Nasri. "Four?", asked Nasri, with a smug grin across her face. "Three, you know what I mean, I''m tired.", Ax talked back. *** After a while of chatting, they decided to go their separate ways, face still painted. Ax walked towards the door to leave, right before he left, he thought to himself. "I wonder... should I go to the rooms again?". Ax didn''t realize it, but the simple idea and wish to go into these rooms made a black door appear right in front of him, temporarily replacing the exit. As he walked in... he entered a large red room with crimson ceilings and a red tree in the middle, surrounded by red grass. "Crap.", Ax said to himself. "I don''t have any weapons on me, I''ll just run back-" Clink Ax looked down and saw that he walked into a silver revolver and a silver dagger. "What the... wait why is there two?", he asked himself. Slam Ax looked behind him, towards the door where the noise came from. His eyes widened in shock. "Ace?!" 14. Half a Deck. The opening act finished, and everyone was preparing to go their separate ways. Hamz and Nasri took a ''Ryde'' together, which is an app that calls a taxi. Ace wanted to talk to Ax about both of their performances and how the crowd affected them and just wanted to catch up one more time before they called it a night. He looked around; after watching Nasri and Hamz leave through the exit, he saw Ax slowly walk towards the same exit. Ace ran towards Ax, his own gig on his shoulder. Ace saw Ax walk through the door. "Was... this always black?" he asked himself. Ace looked through the door frame to see... "Red?" he asked himself. "Why is everything red?" he continued. As he took a few steps inside, the door slammed shut, all by itself. Slam Ax looked behind him, towards the door where the noise came from. His eyes widened in shock. "Ace?!," Ax screamed. "Why are you here?! Did you follow me inside!?" Ax asked Ace over and over again. "Where... am I? Did we get lost or something?" Ace asked Ax, confused. Ax ran past him towards the door. He shuffled for the door to open. "You''re kidding me!" Ax screamed. "You okay? Ax? There''s another door right there we can"¡ªAce''s words stopped mid-sentence. A bony hand erupted from the red grass, grasping the ground right in front of Ace. Ace fell backwards in fear. "What... is that?!" Ace asked Ax as the skeleton kept trying to climb out of the ground. Ax dropped his bag on the ground and ran to Ace''s side. As the skeleton''s head was popping out of the grass, Ax kicked it after getting a running start, dislodging it from its neck, causing the skeleton to stop moving. "No time to explain," Ax said as he ran towards the gun and dagger on the ground. Ax picked them up and threw the revolver at Ace. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" Ace asked, his heart beating as fast as a hummingbird''s, the fear adding to his already caffeinated blood. Dozens of bone hands escaped the grass from below. The skeletons are crawling out of the grass and getting up on their two feet, preparing to lunge at Ax. "Aim for the heads, cover me," Ax said as he rushed a skeleton. "What?! Are you crazy?" asked Ace, worried for Ax. A skeleton tried grabbing Ax''s arm; Ax swatted it away and lodged his dagger into the elbow crease of the bony figure and twisted. Pop Ax dislodged its arm, the arm falling on the ground, its skull lunging at his neck. Ax shoved his thumb into one of the eye sockets and grabbed the top of its skull and pulled it up, exposing the skeleton''s neck, giving Ax a better view. He shoved his dagger in there and dislodged the skull swiftly, causing the skeleton to drop. He then threw the skull at another who was running at him. This caused the skeleton to lose balance. As the skeleton was trying to get back on track, Ax picked up the arm on the ground and hit its skull as hard as he could, causing it to fly off. The skeleton is falling forward. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "What the hell..." Ace muttered to himself. He was looking at what looked like two dozen bony skeletons, running around with the intent to kill. Ace was shocked to the core, but what made it even more shocking was the fact that they were actively trying to kill Ax... and were losing. Ace was looking at Ax, winning a fight where he was outnumbered, two dozen to one, and he was winning? A skeleton was able to sneak up on Ax as it lunged to bite the back of his head. "AX!" Ace screamed out at the top of his lungs. Ax looked back to see the skeleton, already in his face. "Shit," he muttered. Crack The skull became encased in ice. Freezing over, causing the body of the skeleton to fall to its side and the skull to shatter into shards of ice. Ax looked in the direction the crackling sound came from, and he saw a petrified Ace, holding up the silver gun. "You did that?" Ax asked Ace. "I¡ªI guess so?" Ace replied to Ax. "Well damn, good jo¡ª" Ax got cut off; he looked down to see a red bony hand sticking out of his chest, through his heart. He looked back up at Ace, his eyes losing vision. "Shoot..." Ax tried to speak to Ace once more before dying. "AXTON!" Ace screamed out to his friend, who was now bleeding on the ground, dead in his own pool of blood. Crack Ace shot the red skeleton as he quickly stood up. Crack Crack Crack Crack Ace kept shooting the head of the skeleton over and over again till he ran out of bullets, even though its head got encased in ice with the first round. "Damn it!" he screamed out as he ran out of bullets. Ax hid the red skull encased in ice with the backhand of his handle, shattering it into a million shards. He then pulled off the arm of the red one with all his might, dislodging it. He then started to attack the other skeletons with that arm. "AX!? You''re alive?" Ace screamed as he asked him. "But I saw you¡ª" Ace looked at Ax''s body on the ground. He was silent. "Well? Air out your gun and keep shooting; we''re not done yet," Ax commanded Ace as he was fighting off the skeletons. Ace opened the cool metal cylinder of the gun; as mist escaped the chamber, he closed it shut and started shooting the skeletons. Crack Crack Crack Crack *** After around thirty minutes, all the skeletons were dead on the ground, with a dead Ax with it. Ax walked towards the red tree. Ace ran towards him, getting ready to ask a million questions. "Ax!? How did we end up here? Did you die? Since when can you fight like that? How were you so cal?" Ace kept asking more and more questions. "Ace. I need you to keep shooting that tree," Ax demanded of Ace. "Alright...? Why though?" he asked as he shot the tree with his icy bullets. Crack Crack Crack Ace spread his shots out all over the tree. Crack Crack Crack Dweller Slain "Who said that?!," Ace asked Ax. "No clue, it just happens when you kill the main enemies and you clear a room," replied Ax as he picked up a sheathed katana that was lying on the ground. "What do you mean by... ''Room''? Are there more? How long have you¡ª" Ace got interrupted again. A black door appeared in front of Ax, separate from the door at the end of the room. "I''ll... explain everything on the way back..." replied Ax. "Okay...?" Ace acknowledged Ax''s comment. As Ax opened the door, he walked back into his apartment, his own room. Ace followed him inside... with his eyes even wider open. "What the f@ck?" he reacted. "Wash the paint off your face. How do you feel about a sleepover? Haven''t done that in a while," Ax asked Ace. "I feel like you''re brushing off a major detail, no, a dozen details, Ax, including that sword you just happened to pick up from the ground." Ace looked into Ax''s eyes while talking. "We''ll get to it; I''m just tired, and so are you. I''ll fetch you some spare clothes," Ax replied. *** Both of them took turns washing their faces and getting changed; Ax gave Ace a spare T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. "You calmed down a bit?" Ax asked Ace as he was going through his fridge. "A little. Are you going to explain to me now or what? Also, why are you going through your fridge?" Ace answered Ax with a few other questions. "A while ago, I walked through a back door the same way you did, kinda. It just appeared in front of me. I walked through it, had to kill a goblin with a rusty dagger, and got a gun of my own," Ax explained to Ace as he pulled out a carrot. "Ace, grab the dagger again," Ax continued. "Alright, I guess." Ace followed his instructions. "I''m going to toss this carrot, and I need you to try and hit it when you throw the knife at it." Ax explained. "Alright... sure, I guess." Ace was ready to throw it. Ax threw the carrot towards his closet. Ace talked to Ax while throwing the silver dagger, "Okay, but I swear I saw you die; what was¡ª" Ax hit the moving vegetable straight through the middle. "...that ...about?" Ace trailed off as he stared at the dagger that was sticking out of the closet door and the two halves of the carrot on the ground. "You... never had that good of an aim, did you?" Ax asked Ace. "No... I always had trash aim," Ace replied. "Yeah, for some reason. When we walked through those doors for the first time, we got a random superpower," Ax explained. "Mines... never missing a shot?" Ace asked. "It seems so... yeah," Ax replied. "My power is the fact that... I can never die," he finished. 15. Secret
Ax walked up to his bed and crawled under it. "What the hell are you doing!?!," asked Ace, still confused. Ax pulled aside his own dagger, his sword, and his gun. "You''re fucking with me, right?" Ace asked Ax with a baffled look. "About that... when I first went through the door, I thought the same thing really; turns out it''s real," Ax answered. "And I didn''t even mention the elves and dwarves in the other world," Ax finished. Ace was staring at Ax''s weapons on the ground when he looked back up at Ax. "I''m sorry, what?" Ace asked him, his voice going an octave deeper. "Oh boy... you might need to sit down for this," Ax gently asked Ace. *** Half an hour has passed since "So... you''re telling me a Welsh guy called you Indian?" Ace asked Ax, with a slight hint of rage in his voice. "Why is that what you focus on?" asked Ax. "Anyway, so what now? Do we tell the rest of the band?" asked Ace. "No, I''m against that idea," Ax said sternly. "Why not?" Ace asked Ax. "Well, it turns out I''m the only one who can come back after dying. I can throw myself at the monsters over and over again. You, however, most likely can''t, considering that you have perfect aim all of a sudden, just like how I''m basically immortal all of a sudden," Ax explained, his voice wavering. "So, now what do you want to do?" Ace asked Ax with a curious tone. "I want to go back to ''Nexus.'' I don''t know why, but I want to keep going, explore the other world, and see what I can find," he said. "For example, in that drawer is a golden apple¡ªdon''t eat it. In that drawer is a golden apple that heals all injuries and fills you up when you eat it; it apparently never spoils. Something about being ''Ieunn''s golden apple,''" Ax finished. "Wait, wait, wait, Ieunn? That''s a Norse goddess, Ax!" Ace exclaimed to Ax. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Ax''s eyes widened; why didn''t he think of looking it up? "Wait... I was¡ªNorse gods are real? No, no way, right? That''s impossible," Ax muttered as he was grasping his chin, thinking about it deeply. "I just saw my best friend die and come back to life, killing a small army of undead skeletons," Ace explained. "Though I can''t confirm it... for obvious reasons, but that would explain why there were dwarves and elves in ''Nexus.'' The word nexus itself just means a connection between things..." Ace explained as he was sitting down on the floor, lost in thought. "It would also explain the... ''Oni''-looking monster and the... samurai, right? Maybe there are more myths and pantheons behind these doors," Ace finished. "You have a point, Ace. I''m going to go back to the doors tomorrow," Ax told him. "You''re going in there alone? Let me come with you," Ace asked Ax. "Of course I''m going alone! You''re not coming with me." Ax raised his voice in a commanding tone. "I already dragged you into this; considering how many times I died, I''m not letting you die along with me. I can actually afford to lose a few lives!" Ax exclaimed to Ace. "I know it hurts every time you die; it has to! Let me help you; you already saw how helpful I was even though I was scared shitless. It''ll be faster, and you''ll reach Nexus that much faster," Ace explained to Ax, trying to entice him into letting Ace tag along. "Absolutely not!" Ax declined his offer. "What do you even have to gain from this?" Ax asked Ace. "What do you have to gain from this? Ax?" Ace asked Ax, gagging him. "You yourself don''t have any valid reason as to why you want to keep going; you said it yourself. Let me help you; my power may not make me immortal, but it does make me a hell of a lot more lethal, and it''s not like you don''t have weapons to spare." Ace was adamant in going through the doors with him. "I''ll... do it on one condition," Ax started to bargain with Ace. "Yeah? Anything." Ace was ready for any condition. "If I see you get hurt or get in my way, I''m kicking you out of the doors," Ax explained to Ace. "That''s... actually perfect!" Ace exclaimed excitedly. "Why are you so happy?" asked Ax, confused at his excitement. "No reason," Ace replied. "That''s a half-assed answer." Ax looked at Ace unamused. "But whatever," Ax said as he threw a blanket and a pillow at Ace. "Get some sleep; long day tomorrow," Ax grumbled. "And put the gear back under the bed," Ax finished. "Alright, sure," Ax complied, noting Ax''s amusement. Ace kicked the guns and swords and daggers under the bed. Ace then winced at the realization that he kicked loaded guns. "Hey! Watch it!" Ax exclaimed, noting the loud thud. "Oops'', Ace apologized as he set the blanket down and put the pillow over it. To finally sleep the night off, after the first opening gig in a while, and whatever the hell was behind that door. *** It was morning. "I''m ordering pizza," Ax said as he was brushing his teeth. "First thing in the morning? Really?" Ace asked him, making fun of him a bit. Ax turned to stare at him, leaning his head out of the doorframe of the bathroom. "..." Ax stared at him. "Yeah... I''ll have pepperoni and cheese," Ace replied to him. Ax went back to brushing his teeth, going through his phone with his free hand. *** "Ready?" Ax asked Ace. Ace fastened a katana, a dagger, and a gun to his belt loops. "Don''t bother using your phone in there; there''s no signal," Ax informed Ace, who was now wearing his boots, leather jacket, and the aforementioned gear. "Alright, sure," Ace replied to him. Ax turned around and faced the apartment door. "Oh, and before we go in, don''t die." Ax gave Ace a final warning. A black door appeared in front of Ax. Ace walked up to the black door and tried opening it. "Yeah, yeah, I''ll try not to," Ace replied to Ax. The door wasn''t opening. "The fuck?" Ace cursed at himself as he was struggling to open the door. "Wait, scoot over; let me try." Ax walked up to the door. It opened. "Ace, it''s open. Follow me," Ax commanded Ace. Ax walked in through the door; Ace followed suit. As they closed the door behind them, it slowly vanished from the Ax''s room.
16. A Pearl Ax and Ace walked into the room; the room, however, was outdoors, under a bright sun, a shoreline. A beach filled with clay and an ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see. There was no ceiling; the vibrant shade of blue filled the sky, peppered with fluffy clouds. The scent of the scenery was a fresh, salty aroma, the one only found when setting sail. Both Ax and Ace were in awe; the sea had no end, and neither did the ceiling. Ax snapped out, and he looked behind him; the black door slowly vanished. "Ace! Where is the other door?" Ax asked Ace, his voice showing concern. Ace and Ax looked around; no wall in sight and no door in sight; it''s as if they were stranded. "Are we stranded?" Ace asked Ax. "You''re asking me? I have no idea," Ax replied. "Should we just wander about?" Ace asked Ax, confused on what to do. "Yeah, I guess so. Did you bring hair bands?" Ax answered, also wanting to tie his hair back. Ace gave him a hairband and tied his own hair with a different one. Ax took it, and he tied his hair into a ponytail; Ace tied his into a man bun. They both walked about for about half an hour, relishing the vibrant sun, scent, and scenery of the room. "I''m definitely getting a tan, aren''t I? Should''ve brought sunblock," Ace complained, showing sarcasm. "Skill issue," Ax responded, not even looking at him. "I lack melanin, you dolt," Ace answered him, somewhat annoyed. "Oh, a melanin issue," Ax said without hesitation. "I could just shoot you... and you''d just come back..." Ace said sarcastically. Ax stopped in his tracks, causing Ace to accidentally bump into him. "Hey, I was kidding, sorry," Ace tried to apologize. "No, look," Ax interrupted him, pointing at the ground below. Ace looked at the ground to see... "Pearls?" Ace asked himself. "They are massive, like as big as our fists, and there''s four of them...?" Ax added to Ace''s question. Ax walked up to one of them; they were scattered about. As Ax reached to pick up one of the pearls. It shook. Ax jumped back, bumping into Ace. "Ow¡ª," Ace winced, as both of them looked at the pearl. The clay around the pearl caved in, surrounding the pearl, forming a mound. The mound got bigger... and bigger... till it was 7 feet tall. Ace and Ax both simultaneously grabbed their revolvers and shot them. Crack Shatter If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ace showed his icy bullet as the mound was still taking shape, freezing a portion of it. Ax shot the frozen portion of the clay, causing it to shatter. "That was... easy," muttered Ax as he walked up to the mound, which stopped taking shape and slumped over. Ace noticed a shiny shard of... clay? Ace asked Ax to pick it up. "The pearl?" asked Ace. "Yeah... I guess so," replied Ax, both curious. As they were both inspecting the shard of the pearl, the three other fully formed pearls grew into mounds... and took shape. They were 7 feet tall, massive hulking mounds of clay with arms as thick as their heads. Only two red glowing dots on their heads where their eyes should be. As they started to walk towards Ax and Ace, it felt as if they started to block out the sun itself. As they slowly approached the two. Ax grabbed his sword, and with one swift leap and slash, he lopped off one of their limbs. Ax jumped back and stared at the monsters. "It wasn''t... that hard to lop its arm off. We got this, Ace," he said while looking at Ace. "Uh..." Ace pointed at the ''golem.''. "Oh...", Ax could only utter while he saw the mound of clay regrowing its lost limb. "Is this where we run?" Ace asked Ax. "Yep, RUN!" Ax screamed as he pushed Ace to run and ran himself. They both ran as fast as they could in the opposite direction. "Are they still chasing up?!," Ace asked Ax as the both of them sprinted. Ax looked back to see the golems running at them. "YEAP, DO SOMETHING!" Ax screamed as he continued to run with Ace. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN!? YOU ARE THE ONE WHO''S IMMORTAL; YOU DO SOMETHING!" Ace screamed at Ax, bantering with him. "WELL, YOU WERE THE ONE SO EAGER TO COME WITH, PULL YOUR WEIGHT!" Ax screamed at Ace. "What do you mean¡ª" Ace stopped in his tracks to turn around and look at them. Ax stopped right after him. "Why''d you stop?" Ax asked Ace as the golems were still running at them. Ace put his fingers on his chin; he had an idea. "Ax, the clay formed around the pearl, right?" he asked Ax. Still thinking. "Yeah, I still have the shard¡ª" Ax''s eyes widened at the realization. "See what I''m implying?" Ace said with a smirk, proud of himself. "Huh, what do you know? You really are pulling your weight," Ax said as he aimed his gun at the golems, visibly proud of Ace. "Aim for the head," Ace said as he shot his icy bullet at one of the heads. Crack Ax followed his lead. Shatter One of the golem''s heads shattered, causing it to lose shape and fall apart. Making the other two golems tumble. "You take the one on the left; I take the one on the right?" Ace asked Ax, feeling confident. "Yeah, sure," Ax said as he unsheathed his sword again. They both ran straight towards the golems. Ax ran towards his golem, causing it to raise its arm as high as it could to hit him. Shatter Ax shot its elbow, causing it to burst. Making the arm fall down. As the golem''s arm started to grow back, it raised its other arm in retaliation as Ax was approaching it. Ax slid under its legs, causing the golem to miss its opportunity to hit Ax, as he slid past the golem on the ground; he aimed up and¡ª *Shatter* Causing the bullet to travel up to its torso and explode, making a gaping hole in its torso. Ax got up behind his monster and aimed at its head. *Shatter* The bullet exposed the pearl from behind its head. Shatter Ax shot the pearl, causing it to shatter into pieces, killing the golem instantly. *** Ace ran towards the golem. *Crack* Crack Ace aimed towards the heels of the golem. Unsheathed his katana with his free hand, ran up to it, and waited for the golem to raise its arms to hit him. As Ace heard the shatters of Ax''s gun, he chopped off the left arm of the golem, causing it to fall. Ace then aimed his gun at the thick amputated stump and¡ª Crack Ace froze the stump of the golem, not letting it grow back its arm. As it raised its other arm, Ace repeated the process. Crack The golem was frozen in place, without arms. But it started to slowly crack the ice around its stumps and almost broke free from its frozen feet. Ace raised his gun once more and¡ªclick, click. He was out of ammo. "Shit," Ace muttered to himself as he saw the golem almost break free. Shatter Ax aimed and shot the neck of the golem, causing it to expose its pearl. In the spur of the moment, Ace dropped his sword and reached for the pearl, grabbing it and pulling it out with as much force as he could muster. He then flicked his revolver open with one hand, airing it out. Ace threw the pearl as high up as he could, causing his hair to free itself through the momentum and- Crack He shot it midair; with perfect aim, he shattered the pearl. The mound is returning to the earth. Ace''s heart still thumping as the glittery ice shavings from the shattered pearl slowly descended down as Ace was still aiming his silver revolver upwards. Breathing heavily as his hair drooped over his eyes. He looked over to Ax to see Ax clapping with his weapons already put away and not out of breath at all. "Thanks for the show," Ax said as he was still clapping. "Oh, shut up," Ace said as he put his gun away and picked up his sword, putting both of them away. Ax slowly stopped clapping. "I guess... you can stay," he said to Ace. "Hell yeah," Ace replied to Ax''s comment. They both brushed off the clay from their clothes. Ax looked to his side at the black door and the blue door. Both appeared right in front of him. Ace saw Ax reach for the blue door and... fail to open it. "Still locked out?" he asked Ax. "Seems so, let''s head home for now," Ax replied to Ace, somewhat disappointed. They both opened the black door and returned back to Ax''s apartment. Ax was still locked out of Nexus. 17. Red Door no.2
Weeks have passed since. Ax and his friends were having lunch at Cheffie''s, talking about any random topic that came about. Ax and Ace kept the world behind the doors a secret from the rest, all according to Ax''s wishes. "You guys have been sleeping over at each other''s a lot more recently, what''s that about?", asked Nasri, curious about Ax and Ace''s current predicament. "Just... catching up, playing videogames and what not... ", Ace explained... his eyes wandering off into another direction. "Okay but really though, even I''m curious now, what are you guys up to?", Hamz continued, asking the both of them. "We- Uh..", Ace tried to think of an excuse. "We travel through worlds and fight monsters for the shits and giggles.", Ax said it blatantly, directly looking at Nasri and Hamz, with Ace''s eyes staring daggers into Ax, with his mouth agape. "Yeah... anyway.", Nasri changed the subject, not believing it in the slightest, dismissing Ax''s comment. "You two have fun with... your little fantasy, I''m done eating and i need to head home, big day for me today.", Nasri stated as she took one last sip of her drink and stood up, ready to head home. "Ah, that reminds me. I also need to head out, my shift starts in like two hours.", Hamz explained as he also stood up. "Wanna take the train together? Since it''s basically in the same direction.", Nasri asked as she picked up her purse. "Sure! I''m okay with it.", Hamz replied to her. "Okay, bye guys! See you two later!", Ax got up, ready to head home. "Right, meet up with you guys later.", Ace followed, both pairs waved each other good bye. *** As Ax and Ace were walking home together, Ace looked at him and- "Why... You fucking scared me.", Ace complained to Ax, referring to the stunt he did. "I worried too much, they wouldn''t believe you anyway. Without proof I mean.", Ax explained. "Also, a month from now, I might actually just tell them myself.", Ax finished. "Sorry, what? You looked like you would kill me if I ever told them anything.", Ace was annoyed with Ax, because he had been pestering Ace about keeping this a secret. "Turns out... I- well, we had been worried for nothing.", Ax explained, as he closed his eyes. He could feel Ace''s eyes stare daggers at him, baffled. "Axton, I swear I will-", Ace was about to complain. "Want to just head straight in there again?", Ax asked Ace. "Yes.", Ace replied to Ax instantly, zero hesitation. *** As Ax was getting the gear out from under his bed, Ace grabbed his laptop he had been keeping at Ax''s place for the past week, he sat on the bed and opened links to encyclopedia websites. "Ax, you might want to look at this.", He called over for Ax. "Yeah, what''s up?". Ax walked up to him, looking over his laptop. Ax was researching the monsters Ax had fought before and the monsters he fought with him. "The clay mounds were... golems from jewish folklore.", Ace stated. "The skeletons we fought on separate occasions appear in several folk lore and myths, however. The giant skeletons which you said you fought beforehand... were the size of titans right?", Ace asked Ax with a curious tone. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Yeah... yeah they were. I think I understand what you''re getting at.", Ax said as he was now interested at what Ace was implying. "Those giant skeletons are called, ''Gashadokuro''. They commonly appear in japanese myths and folklore.", Ace explained with an ominous tone. "What about the goblins and the red tree? I know what Onis are and possessed armor... but aren''t goblins just found in fantasy?" , Ax asked Ace, looking for answers. This was the most information Ax had gotten the past month or two, on this odd new world he''s found himself in. "The trees are very similar to something called a ''Jobukko''. Man-eating trees which grow on blood and flourish in battlefields, says nothing about summoning skeletons, but goblins they... they appear in a lot of european folklore.", Ace explained, showing his laptop to Ax. "Huh, I''m kinda stupid for now searching this shit up aren''t I?", Ax asked rhetorically. "Yes." Ace replied to him, looking at him straight in the eyes. "Anyway, I bought some books a few days ago, they are on the different mythologies and folklore that existed before us, guides basically.", Ace finished. Implying that Ax should read them when he get''s the chance. "Alright then, you ready?", Ax asked Ace, with his hands resting on his waist. "Ready as I''ll ever be, let''s go!", Ace said as he jumped up from the bed, prepared to enter the black door. *** Ax summoned the door in front of them and... it was red. Ax stopped reaching for the dooknob. "Shit... it''s red... that''s the one where you di- lost over and over again... isn''t it?", Ace asked Ax... his voice lower than usual. Ace knew that it was a touchy subject. "Last time I walked into a red door... I died over and over... and over again, till I could beat the suit of armour.", Ax explained... his voice wavering. "Ax...", Ace''s voice dropped. "We don''t have to go in.", Ace continued holding Ax''s shoulder, trying to comfort him. Ax swatted him off. "No, we go in together, it''ll be fine.", Ax said as he reached out for the doorknob again. "Wait!", Ace yelled. "I need to ask you some questions, Ax.", Ace finished, causing Ax to look at him with full attention. "The black door, sends us to a room with monsters to kill, and the blue door sends us- well, you to ''Nexus''. Which is in a different world, right?", Ace asked Ax, curious about the nature of these doors. Ax nodded yes, making Ace continue. "Only thing we know... about the red door is that to clear it, you either have to beat it in combat or clear a secret condition...", Ace continued. "Oh wait I understand what you mean. The suit was a samurai which wanted a duel, so by beating it in a duel... I cleared that room right?", Ax asked ace, with his eyes wide open, gleaming with hope. "Wait, then that means we got this! The fact is that we have to find what condition we have to clear, right?", Ax asked him, Ace nodded yes. "Before we go, Ace can you bring me the small box in the fridge? With the apple slices? Just incase I mean.", Ax asked Ace for a favor. "Sure thing.", Ace said as he ran over to the fridge. The two decided that they should cut the apple into small bite sized slices, just in case Ax or especially Ace needs to recover from any injuries, it had been sitting there for weeks but Ax decided that for the red door, they should be extra careful. With this new found confidence, Ax opened the door once more. Walking in to a large room with deep green walls and ceilings... The room was littered with... statues? *** Ace and Ax walked around the room, looking at the various statues, inspecting them. "These are...", Ax muttered. "Unique...", Ace finished his sentence, both equally at awe at the details these statues have. Ax walked around the room, glancing at the statues but his main focus was looking for the monster they have to fight. Ace however, was at awe, looking at the various expressions the statues have, such vivid detail... As he walked about, each statue looked very different, most had some common themes however. By their waist, hung a large token with various symbols. The tokens were the size of his palm and they hung at their waists with a chain which would hand from their belt loops, or just tied around them. Some on their necks some etched onto their clothes. The symbols varied, most had the symbol ''?'' etched onto it, it was an ''R'' but written in a fancy, royal font. Some were doves carrying a branch. Some a crown, One of them was a skull and crossbones. And one was an... emblem of a fire? As Ace looked at the tokens, he looked back up, all of the statues were of different races, elves, humans dwarves centaurs even. Ace stopped to look at a singular statue... it looked like a man, holding a hockey mask on one and, and a baseball bat in the other. His expression was different too. It was of... rage? Everyone else had a vivid expression of fear, but he was angry. As if they were scared of something, and he was ready to figh- Ace''s thoughts stopped and he ran, ran looking for Ax. *** Minutes have passed since Ax separated from Ace, he was looking for the monster. Behind a large centaur statue... Ax saw a girl... no a woman crying. "Hey... are you okay?", Ax asked her, concerned as he walked up closer. The woman hid herself. Ax approached her slowly... "Hey.. hey are you lost? Can you help? I''m looking for a monster... and I want to get back to Nex-" "¦¢¦Ï¦Ç¦È?¦Ò¦Ó¦Å ¦Ì¦Å...", the woman whispered, interrupting him. "What?", He asked. "¦«¦Ô¦Ð?¦Ì¦Á¦É ¦Ã¦É¦Á ?¦Ë¦Á", The woman said. Ax walked up to her, her hair covered in a cloth. "I''m sorry, I can''t understand you I-", As she looked up at Ax, he saw a woman with a olive skin tone, with warm undertones. Tears streaming down her face, here eyes hazel but bloodshot and her hair... her hair moved? Hissss Her hair hissed... The woman noticing Ax looking at her, jumped back, her arms and legs revealing green scales, her hood pulled back from the movement, freeing her long hair which were comprised of vicious snakes. Ax got spooked so he jumped back and pulled out his gun, which the woman noticed, "?¦Ö¦É ¦Ê¦É ¦Å¦Ò?...", She muttered to herself as her eyes turned to slits midair. A green flash appeared before Ax as he looked into her eyes, turning him into stone. But due to him being unbalanced, Ax fell over. His stone body shattering into a million pieces. All this happened before Ace''s eyes, he saw the snake haired woman... and Ax... shatter into a million pieces. The woman looked at Ace, and looked back at the stone crumbs, her gaze softened and her eyes faltered back into hazel, she was scared. "AXTON!", Ace screamed out desperately for Ax.
18. Lady With The Reptilian Hair "AXTON!" Ace screamed out desperately for Ax. The woman stepped back, looking at Ace. Ax dashed past Ace from behind and struck the woman with his sword. She blocked his blade with the back of her hand, wincing in pain. Her eyes turned into slits once more, and she stared into Ax''s eyes; with a green flash, he was turned to stone once more. The woman inspected her hand, seeing the blood drip from a slit cut into her scaly limb. She looked back up at Ace, and she hissed furiously. HISSS She ran straight towards him, her claws aimed at maiming Ace. Ace reacted fast; he didn''t want to get hurt. He grabbed his sword and deflected her claw, causing sparks to fly everywhere. As the lady''s arm flew back in recoil, she stared into Ace''s eyes, her emerald irises split down the middle, brows crooked with rage. She stopped attacking him. Ace was... confused. "Wait! Ax!" Ace looked around in concern, his eyes inspecting every angle and direction he could visibly see, looking for his best friend. Ace stopped looking for him as the thoughts ran, his mind going a mile a minute. Ace grabbed his gun and aimed at Ax''s statue. Much to the lady''s visible confusion. Her eyes widened in realization. As Ace shot his bullet, much to his surprise, the lady leapt in front of Ax''s body, her shoulder catching the bullet instead. Freezing in ice. She screamed in pain and ran as fast as she could towards Ace''s gun. Before she could reach him, Ace shot at Ax''s statue. Ax''s stone head had become encased in ice, however. The momentum from the bullet had caused the statue to fall over, shattering it. The lady ran to Ax''s shattered remains once more, trying to pick up the stone fragments, her eyes turning hazel. "I''M STILL ALIVE¡ª" Ax screamed as he ran to strike the woman once more. Ace grabbed Ax''s jacket from behind and pulled him back. "Wait," he asked Ax. His eyes are staring at the lady. "What''s wrong? We have to beat her to leave," Ax simply said it as if it was common knowledge. "Look," Ace said, as his eyes pointed at the lady. The lady looked relieved to see Ax alive. But it didn''t last long; her snakes hissed loudly at the sight of Ax. Flaring out in every direction and pointing at them. She looked down at her bleeding hand once more, and her eyes turned back to emerald as she started to run towards Ax. Axton dodged her, causing her to tumble over and crash into a different statue, causing it to fall over, breaking its head. Causing it to shatter. She then hissed as loud as she could, as if a sword had been quenched in a forge. She stared at Ax once more. Before the green light could flash before Ax''s eyes, he grabbed some gravel from the ground and threw it into her eyes, temporarily blinding her, causing her to wince and hiss in pain. Ace took this opportunity and grabbed Ax''s hand and ran. ** Ax and Ace had run away from the woman''s gaze. Hiding behind a collection of statues of different people who had been trapped here since before they entered the cursed room. "Shit, how do we beat her?" Ax asked Ace, breathing heavily. He was tired of running, physically and literally. "Quiet down! She''ll find us. But... I''ve been noticing some patterns," Ace whispered, his voice showing rage but turning quieter as he was trying to explain to Ax. "Alright, spill," Ax whispered back, quieting down and paying attention. "So, the one we''re fighting. She''s ''Medusa,''" Ace uttered. "Yeah, no shit," Ax answered back, sarcastically. "She''s the Greek monster, the one slain by Perseus," he finished. "Yeah, exactly. But here''s the problem. The only way to kill her is to kill her without looking," Ace explained. "Yeah, of course. That''s where you" "But..." Ace interrupted him, continuing his explanation. "I don''t think we should kill her..." Ace replied quietly, trying to avoid making Medusa find them. Ax was confused, then he grabbed his chin. Lost in thought. "You don''t mean to say..." he said as his eyes widened and he looked up at Ace. "From what I saw... she''s very protective of the statues. Which are the different people she turned? Her eyes only turned to slits when provoked, and he was relieved when she saw you alive... even though you tried to kill her," Ace finished his explanation. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "You don''t say... are you sure it''s what I think it is?" Ax asked him, looking for reassurance. "She took a bullet for the man who tried to kill her," Ace finally finished, confirming both of their suspicions. "Okay, so what''s your plan? Just to scream and walk up to her and pray for the best?" Ax asked Ace, both lost in confusion. "I don''t... know. Do you have any idea? Any other secret cards up your sleeve that I don''t know of?". Ace looked at Ax, hoping he had an idea on what to do. Ax arched back with his arms crossed, his back leaning on the statue of an elven woman who had turned to stone while lying on the floor. He saw her detailed brooch in the shape of an apple, as it had turned to stone. His brows furrowed, he squinted as he stared at the fruity shape. His eye widened. "No... but you definitely do!" Ax said a bit louder than he should''ve, excited. Making Ace look even more confused. *** Ax got up from his position, his sword in his right hand and clutching something in his left fist. Medusa was still looking at him, wanting payback for hurting her. "Hey! Snake for brains! I''m over here!" He screamed out, his voice echoing throughout the room. Medusa looked at him, her brows crooked in rage and pain. Ran as fast as she could, at blistering speeds. Straight towards him, her claws aiming for his chest. Ax closed his eyes and raised his sword to eye level. As she raised her arm to claw out his heart. Clank Ax dropped his sword on the ground right before Medusa could hurt him. Confusing her, her eyes were still filled with rage. Ax took a final deep breath, and he opened his eyes. Medusa, with all her snakes, stared into Ax''s eyes. His gaze was unwavering and unchanged, but it was not a gaze of fear or anger. It was of sympathy. Her gaze softened in reaction, turning to hazel as she took a step back. Her snakes lowered as they all looked at him, their lush jade-like scales shimmering in the little light there is in the room. Ax opened his fist to show two slices of the golden apples, and as he looked at her bruised shoulder and bleeding hand, he could only speak in a language she didn''t understand. "I''m sorry... for hurting you," he uttered as he looked into the woman''s eyes. She didn''t understand a single word he spoke, but his tone spoke volumes instead. She took one glance at the apples and glanced at him once again. She then grabbed the apples off his palms and took one bite and another. And another. The apples tasted like figs and blackberries, pomegranates, and honey. A sweet smoothie of both, which also filled her stomach. Quenching her thirst and calming her nerves. The bruise vanished, and the bleeding stopped as she inspected her hand, the wound closing. She looked back up at Ax, Ace now standing behind him, walking up to his side. Sharing the same gaze. Medusa only nodded in acknowledgment. A red door appeared behind her; her head snapped back at him. Medusa took a close look at Ax''s face, staring into his eyes as if she recognized them. Her eyes widened as if she realized something they didn''t, "¦Ó¦Ç? ¦Ì¦Ï¦É?¦Æ¦Å¦É?... ?¦Ö¦Å¦É? ¦Ó¦Á ¦Ì?¦Ó¦É¦Á ¦Ó¦Ç?," she uttered. She then turned around and walked towards the red door. Before she opened the door, she took a glance at the two of them. Nodding at them, saying goodbye, "¦Ï¦É ¦È¦Å¦Ï? ¦Í¦Á ?¦Ö¦Ï¦Ô¦Í ?¦Ë¦Å¦Ï?," she said as she finally left, closing the door behind her. Room Cleared *** Both Ax and Ace dropped on the floor, as if the weight of the world had been lifted from their shoulders. "You... are a smart one... Gotta learn a thing or two," Ace uttered as his shoulders loosened. "You''re one to talk; you were the one who figured out the trick to clearing this room," Ax complimented him, reassuring his wits. Crack Both of them stopped talking, both getting up. "You heard that right?" Ax asked Ace. "Yeah, I did... it came from¡ª" Ace was about to answer him. Every statue in the room shattered¡ªno, they shed. Freeing the people who were stuck and who were turned to stone. Elves, dwarves, centaurs. Humans even. They all were dazed and confused. But they snapped out of it. Some of them stared at Ax and Ace and spoke in languages neither of them understood. Acknowledging them, thanking them even as they summoned blue doors and black doors as they left the room. Ax snapped out of awe, closed his mouth, and ran towards the blue door one of them had left, trying to open it. Shuffling, struggling with all his might. "Damn it!" Ax screamed out in frustration as the door vanished, leaving him grasping at air. "That''s not how you do it... I''m guessing you''re new here, aren''t you?" Axton and Aseef looked back; this came from a voice neither of them recognized. They saw a blonde-haired man with blue eyes, holding a hockey mask and a baseball bat. He was wearing a varsity jacket and jeans, along with a pair of Converse shoes. "Who are you...?" Ax was about to ask him, but- "No time. Out of my way." The man, who didn''t look over the age of 21, pushed Ax aside, putting on his mask. Pointing at a dead body on the ground. "What the hell?" Ax asked as he stared at the man in shock. Ace looked at the body on the ground; he recognized it. It was the body of the statue Medusa knocked over when she tried to attack them. It was headless, but it was wearing a brown custom-fitted suit with a black token tied around its waist on a chain. He was wearing a trench coat on his shoulders before he died, a brown hat not too far from his grasp either. "He''s... dead," Ace said as he stared at the man walking up to it. "Oh, it''ll take more than that to kill this bastard," he said as Ace and Ax stared at the body. It twitched. The body twitched. Where the stump remained, blood pooled over it. But where his head was, it sparked. It then burst into flames, as if a small bush was cast on fire. The hand twitched and moved, gravitating towards the hat. The body itself then moved, the flames burning hotter and brighter. The dead man stood up on his own two feet, his back turned on them. The flames... under it, the three of them could see a flaming... skull? The skull turned around, as it did. Seared flesh started to form and wrap around its bony interior. As the previously dead man turned his shoulders to stare at them, his hand started to raise his hat. His eyes and muscle formed on his head, then his skin, then his hair. The fire is dying down as he regenerates. As the fire stopped, he put his hat back on. "You... you still don''t get it, do you¡ª" The man started to talk to the blondie. The blondie raised his bat and smashed it across his face as hard as he could, making him fly into the wall, splattering blood everywhere. "You two... might want to leave..." The blondie said as his orange and yellow token was rustling tied to his waist. The blood on the floor and wall burst into flame as if it was gasoline. "Like right now," he said as he was ready to give the flaming man a beating. "Meet me later; if you reach Nexus, look for the ''Prometheus Foundation.'' That''s where you''ll find me, if I live, of course," the man said casually. "As for me... I have some unfinished business to attend to." The blondie finished as he was walking up to the man wearing a suit. 19. The End Of Prologue Part One: Bestfriends "As for me... I have some unfinished business to attend to." The blondie finished as he was walking up to the man wearing a suit. That man formed a crater in the fall, which he was lying in. As the blondie got closer, the man grabbed the sides and mustered enough strength to stand up. He then grabbed a spray from his pocket, a perfume. Sprayed it in the air and huffed it. He took a deep breath and exhaled. His head and hands burst into flames brighter than any campfire the two had ever seen. He then conjured balls of flame in his palms. As the blondie was standing in front of him. He looked over his shoulder, staring at the two of them through the holes of his mask. "If you two survive... and make it. Look for the Prometheus Foundation. We could use members like the two of you, said Baron", sounding proud of the two of them. "What? Oh no, we didn''t kill¡ª" Ax tried to explain. "NO TIME! RUN ALREADY, GOD DAMMIT!" the blonde man screamed shortly before the other threw a ball of flame at him. Baron hit the ball as hard as he could, like a baseball being pitched. The blistering velocity of the bat hitting the ball caused a small explosion to form. As the ball got deflected back to the sender. It exploded like a firework upon impact. As embers rained down from the air, Baron could only mutter. "Homerun." Ace and Ax, seeing the conflict, looked at each other and nodded. "Yeah, we run, right?" Ace asked him. Ax, who was already preparing to sprint. "Way ahead of you.". Both of them bolted towards the only door in the room. "Hey, that looks¡ª" Ace muttered. "DOESN''T MATTER, BASH THROUGH IT!" Ax interrupted him as the both of them tackled through the door, it shutting by itself behind them. Baron looked back at the door they left. His eyes widened the moment he saw the purple door. "They weren''t seekers yet?! What the fuck!? If I knew, I would''ve gone with them"¡ªBaron''s concern and bafflement got interrupted by a ball of flame crashing into the side of his face. "Worry about yourself! We aren''t done yet, you insignificant¡ª" Baron threw a rock at the man, interrupting him. Baron''s hard plastic mask was now charred and smelled of a health hazard. The top left is broken and burnt off. His skin was charred and bruised. "Shit¡ª.". Baron cursed at his injuries. He grabbed an apple slice from his pocket and slipped it under his mask. His injuries were healing almost immediately, and his body was energized. The other man was no longer disoriented. They both stared at each other, breathing heavily. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Baron through his broken mask. Him through the flames that encompassed. Baron raised his bat and reared to hit. The man raised his palm, making a fist. Both were ready to clash, and that they did. They charged at each other with the intent to kill, the flames and the bat clashing in unison. *** Ax and Ace were breathing heavily. Adrenaline coursing through their veins. "Dude, that guy... he was¡ªhe was dead, right? Maybe there are others who come back to life... like me," Ax meekly suggested. Maybe he wasn''t so alone after all? "Maybe I''m immortal too, who knows?" Ace murmured sarcastically. "No shot," Ax argued. As the two of them bickered, they stopped halfway. Their gaze wandered at the new terrain in front of them. It was morning here, the sun barely peeping over the horizon, but still shining as bright as any morning sun would. They were on top of a grassy hill, marble pillars scattered everywhere and marble ruins peppered throughout the hilltop. Wild olive trees sprouted from the ground at a distance away, the fruits ripe for picking. Fig trees blooming near the olives. The air was sweet and warm, cozy, and comfortable. The both of them walked along the ruins, with grass and flora sprouting out of the ground, their hands grasping at the shrubs, which were a tad bit overgrown. Broken pillars and shattered floors everywhere. Upon closer inspection, they weren''t marble but rather an ancient Greek concrete. "Since... we have a chance to catch our breath. Let''s talk for a bit as we walk through this place," Ax suggested, wanting to have a proper, heartfelt conversation with Ace. "Yeah, shoot," Ace agreed, enjoying his company. "It''s about why I continue to risk my life over and over again, to clear every room in this place," Ax said as he walked towards one of the broken pillars on the ground. "It continues to push on, because... well, the doors are why I''m still alive, Ace." Ax mustered all his emotional strength to utter these words without choking. "Yeah, I guess so. That goblin did kill you, right?" Ace asked him, nonchalantly. Confused as to why he looked so confused. "Remember the picture I sent the group? Of the gun I stole from one of the police members during a protest?" Ax reminded Ace. "Yeah, you made a video of emptying the shells; we used the gunpowder to try and distress some denim jackets we had; it was horrible. Hamz almost burned himself, and Nas had to¡ª" Ace was reminiscing. "I threw all but one," Ax interrupted him. His voice was wavering. "Hmm? What do you¡ª" Ace stopped halfway; he realized where this conversation was headed even before he finished his sentence. "The gun has one cold lead bullet, locked and loaded in the third drawer," Ax finished. Expecting Ace to connect the dots. He did. "Did you pull the trigger?" Ace asked him sternly. "No, I turned the safety on," Ax answered him, expecting him to be angry and disappointed. Ace raised his arm, causing Ax to flinch. He wrapped one of his arms around Ax and ruffled his hair with the other, messing it up. "Attaboy, I knew you had it in you!" Ace proudly exclaimed. "Huh? You''re not disappointed?" Ax asked him, not expecting this reaction. "I''ve known you for long enough; you wouldn''t go down this easy. I knew you had trouble looming over you; I always kept an open mind. Remember the last thing Nasrin said when she ran into you in Multimart over a month ago?" Ace asked him, still just as happy, proud, and relieved. "I won''t push you... but I won''t push you away either..." they both uttered together. "Oh." That was all Ax could say; this was very anticlimactic to what he was expecting. "You''re stronger than you let on, stronger than you think even. You''re worth more than the emotions you feel about yourself; don''t let them win," Ace said as his arm was still wrapped around his best friend. "We can talk about this when we get back; it''s okay," Ace said as he noticed Ax''s eyes get wider, as if he was about to cry. Ace went silent for a few seconds, the corners of his cheeks curved. As he smiled, he said, "I guess I should tell you why I want to keep fighting with you and go through these doors," Ace said, somewhat changing the topic but still trying to keep the same tone. Ax looked up. "Hmm?". Ace stepped back a bit. "When I saw you fight the army of skeletons, Ax, your expression. The focus and determination you showed while fighting, it was the spitting image of¡ª" Ace''s speech got interrupted by a loud huff. Which was coming from behind one of the broken pillars...? Ax and Ace froze in silence as they saw a hulking, 8-foot mass of pure muscle, covered in fur, show itself. It''s two hulking horns peering into their vision before the rest of its head. As it revealed itself, its head peeked first, its face wearing a golden ring pierced through its septum. Its eyes staring swords into them. The sun is reflecting off of the gold. A bronze belt tied around its waist, tied around a fustanella or a kilt. It was a Minotaur. 20. The End Of Prologue Part Two: Never Say Die Both of them froze in fear the moment they saw the monster. It was tall, it was terrifying to look at, and worst of all, it looked strong. Stronger than anything either one of them have gone against before. It stared at Ace, sizing him up. He was taller than Ax. Looked larger, tastier. Drool dripping from its muzzle as if it were a rabid dog. Ax noticed this, and he ran. The bull charged at Ace with the intent to kill, aiming at his neck. Ax blitzed his way as fast as he could and pushed Ace aside, the bull''s massive horn piercing Ax instead. Ace could only watch as his best friend''s skull got pierced by its horn. The momentum of the bull not letting it stop, he kept charging with Ax''s body hanging off of its head, limp and flailing like a ragdoll, blood and viscera from his head splattering everywhere, including the bull''s eyes. The blinded bull crashed into a pillar, causing it to topple and fall on top of the bull''s head. Ax woke up, his eyes wide open and his body prepared to fight, but he was surrounded by a cloud of dust, dirt, and concrete. All he could do was rub his eyes and cough, looking for Ace as he walked about, trying to find his way out of the cloud. He walked into a tree. "Ow," he exclaimed in pain as his head hit its rough, brown bark. As he took a few steps back, feeling his head. He felt something wet drop on his head. As he looked up above him, he instinctively took a few steps back. It was blood dripping from its two branches... no. Two horns. As the dust settled, the rough bark revealed itself to be coarse fur, rippling due to the muscles under its skin. As he looked up, he saw the bull''s glowing red eyes and snarling muzzle. and blood-covered head and bits of his own brain and body still stuck on its horns. The blood was a mixture of his own and the bull''s head from the impact of the pillar. It looked at Ax, its mouth opening wide and drool still dripping out. It roared, with a deafening roar; the air itself felt like it was rumbling. It was a force of nature, the roar being a testament to its own bestial rage. Ax was petrified under the bull''s rage, like a deer stuck in headlights. A silvery blade came flying from behind Ax. Straight into the bull''s mouth, wedging itself into the back of its mouth. Shutting it up. "Great, now we''re even. RUN!" Ace screamed at Ax, telling him to move, run, and get further away from the bull. Ax, hearing this, snapped out of the trance. He grabbed his gun and aimed it upwards, right under the bull''s muzzle and- Shatter Ax shot its muzzle, however. Neither did the bullet pierce its tough skin nor did the glass shards wedge itself in. The force of the bullet and small explosion, however, did cause the muzzle to close at a blistering speed, making the bull''s own teeth bite its own tongue off and the force from the teeth against the silver dagger causing it to shatter, wedging itself into its own mouth and breaking some of its teeth. The bull roared once more, but this time in pain and anguish. Ace couldn''t get close to them; unlike Ax, he was mortal; he only had one life. There wasn''t much he could do from afar even if he himself had a gun. "Wait..." Ace muttered to himself. "Ax! Remember that one scene from episode one of Gok**gers?!", Ace screamed out at Ax, who was still in front of the bull. "What?! What the hell are you even¡ª?" Ax was confused. ''How could he joke even at a time like this?'', he thought to himself. But his eyes widened, and he smiled. "You better not miss!" Ax screamed out as he threw his gun towards Ace. Ace caught the gun, and as he did, his eyes looked around the terrain, the position of the pillars surrounding the two of them. A proud smirk formed on Ace''s face. He ran around the two of them until he was in the perfect position. As Ax raised his palm into the air, Ace unsheathed his katana and threw it at one of the pillars, the hilt of the sword hitting the surface of the pillar, bouncing off onto another pillar. The back of the katana hit it and ricocheted off into Ax''s grasp. Ace took out his other gun and shot them at the same time. Shatter Crack Both the glass and ice bullets, while traveling midair. Collided against each other while moving in the same direction. The glass shattering against the ice and the ice imbuing the glass shrapnel with ice. The glass shards peppered the bull''s rough hide, encasing a larger surface area in ice. Ax took both of his swords in his grasp and diagonally slashed the torso of the bull. The ice made its muscles brittle and blood spurting out from the wound, dyeing Ax''s face in red. But he was determined. "HIS LEGS, NOW!" Ax screamed out at Ace, commanding his aim. Ace followed. Using the same trick four more times, Shatter Crack Ace froze both of the bull''s legs in ice as it was still recovering. Ace jumped back and bashed the bull with his shoulder as hard as he could, as fast as he could. Making the already injured beast topple over. As the beast was on its back, lying, bleeding from its mouth and torso, numb in its legs. Ax jumped on top of its chest and slashed horizontally against its neck. "Fuck!" It was no use. Ax was not strong enough and his swords not sharp enough to dig into its skin. He tried and tried again. Over and over again. No use. This was enough time for the bull to reorient itself. As it slowly tried to grab Ax off of its chest. Ace aimed both of his guns towards Ax''s swords and shot his final bullets. Shatter Crack Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Both of the revolver rounds perfectly collided with the back of Ax''s falchion and katana blades, with Ax fiercely gripping the handles. This gave the swords enough centrifugal force to immediately overcome the rippling neck muscles of the minotaur, chopping its neck immediately. Causing it to die. The glass bullet shattered into the katana and caused the katana blade to shatter along with it, making the shards fly everywhere, peppering Ax and the bull''s faces but somehow avoiding Ax''s eyes. Dweller Slain Ax was gasping, his lungs a glutton for the air around him. Ax almost toppled over, his blood rushing through his veins, adrenaline coursing. As he was trying to get off of the bull''s body, he slipped. He fell over, into Ace''s arms. "Quite the badass if I do say so myself," Ace uttered, half sarcastically. "Yeah, dual wielding suits us," Ax added to his statement. As Ax regained balance, he looked at the broken handle in his fist. "Sorry about... well," Ax tried to apologize to Ace. "We can literally order one back home or try to get another one," Ace reassured him. The blue door appeared behind Ace. Next to one of the pillars. "The door," Ax uttered. Ace looked behind him. "It... wait, do you see it?" Ace pointed at the knob of the door. "Yeah! I do!" Ax exclaimed with joy and relief. Both of them were staring at the blue door that was gently creaked open. Ace handed Ax an apple slice. Ax immediately ate it; the refreshing attributes of the apple rejuvenated him. The both of them then started to finally walk over to the door. "Hey... you were saying why you are in the doors, right? Your motivation?" Ax reminded Ace that he was interrupted. Ace turned around to look at Ax. "Oh right! YEAH, the reason I want to keep continuing to go through these doors is because you look just like you". Ax''s eyes widened as another charging minotaur pierced Ace''s waist, almost immediately killing him. "ASEEF!" Ax let out a blood-curdling scream as he took action. Before the bull could continue further, Ax grabbed his own dagger and shoved it in the bull''s right eye. The new minotaur was roaring in pain as it continued to charge itself in one of the other directions. Leaving Ace behind, bleeding on the ground. Before the bull could come back, Ax took his best friend in his arms and ran, carrying him as fast as he could far away from the bull, leaving a trail of blood behind. He carried Ace to another pillar and let him rest there, against an olive tree. "Ace! You¡ª Are you okay?!," Ax screamed at him in concern; it''s as if Ax himself could feel Ace losing life, even though he wasn''t even touching him. "I''m¡ªI''m alright, just worry about getting help..." Ace winced in pain as he spoke, but Ax knew he was lying; somehow he could feel Ace''s life leaving his body. Ax grabbed the small box from Ace''s pockets and took out the last remaining slices and shoved them down Ace''s throat. Ace was no longer bleeding, but he was still injured; it wasn''t enough to fully heal him. He still needed rest. However, he could sense Ace''s body regaining life again. Ax was confused; how could it be so? His thoughts were interrupted, Ax could hear stomps in the distance, as he looked back he could see the bull looking for them, sniffing the air and following the trail of blood they left behind. As if something had possessed him, Ax stood up. His eyes showed fierce determination. He ran straight towards the bull. He leaned into the bull''s blind side, slashing at its arm with his falchion, which he was holding in a vice grip. As the bull roared in pain, it tried to grab Ax''s sword with its left hand, trying to crush it. However, Ax''s own sword was much more durable than the other; as the bull gripped its blade, Ax twisted the sword, cutting into the bull. It then tried to punch Ax, which he parried off and used its momentum to make the bull lose balance once more. The bull was fed up; it wanted to end things; it ran back. "It''s running... at... ME," Ax muttered to himself as he saw the bull start charging. "AX!" Ace screamed out. He used the last remaining strength he had to throw the glass-shooting revolver as hard as he could. Ax noticed his signal; he raised his palm, and in a swift motion, the gun landed perfectly in his hands, and he aimed at the bull''s head. Shatter Ax shot the bull dead center of its forehead. Knocking it out as it was charging at him. Causing it to fall over and stop right before it even touched Ax. He then picked up the dagger, dislodging it from its eye socket. Ace was spectating his entire fight. It must''ve been him seeing things because... he saw Ax''s hazel eyes glow a tinge of yellow or orange... "Ax... the expression you made when juggling the hoard of skeletons, even the golems and even the minotaur today," he muttered to himself. "The look you had in your eyes, it was the spitting image of Axel.", He continued to mutter to himself. "It looked just like the recordings of your dad playing in his band. There will never be a front man who motivated me as much as he did, and now I got to see the same look as my dead mentor in your eyes..." Ace tried to finish his words as he was talking to himself, but his eyelids weighed heavy. His vision tunneled, and his head rested on the warm bark as he was surrounded by the sweet scent of olives. Ax looked over to Ace, sleeping. "Must''ve been too much for him. I need to get him to a hospital as much as I can... What will we tell the band? Hell, what will he explain to the nurses? Oh well, I guess I can just buy a few more gold¡ªshit, I''m broke. Screw it, it''s a problem for future Axton Abanish," he muttered to himself, relieved and proud. He was happy to finally be able to get back home and reach Nexu-90 CRASH Ax was coughing; something caused the dust to return. As the dust settled, he looked up. He saw them again... "Gashadokuros..." Ax''s voice dropped in horror; he was looking at three gigantic skeletons with glowing red orbs instead of eyes. And something red squirming in their ribcages. He tried to squint his eyes, and he could not believe what he was seeing. As the red dropped and escaped the ribcages, they were an army of red skeletons. The grass below shifted to a deep crimson color. Red trees started to sprout and bloom from below. White skeletal hands escaped the ground from below, and the already furious minotaur woke back up. Ax''s legs were shaking; he was scared; he didn''t want to die, but... Ace. Ace was depending on him. With determination rejuvenated as if fed a mystical fruit, his legs still shaky, he raised his sword once more. *** Ripped in half while seeing his innards fall out, being eaten alive. Stomped to death. A pillar dropped on him, his intestines ripped out. Torn limb from limb. Eye gouged out. This had been going for hours on end. Him losing his will every waking second. Ax was lying against a broken pillar that had crushed him a few hours before. His right arm was smashed; he couldn''t even hold his sword this time. And yet, not even half the monsters were killed yet. He had just killed half the white skeletons and a quarter of the red ones, making the bull charge into them constantly. Hell, the bull actually did most of the work. "Fuck, I''m hungry," he muttered to himself in a groggy voice. "I''m tired..." he continued, his voice trailing off. "They''re not..." he says as he sees the minotaur gorging itself on his old bodies and skeletons dragging his bodies to red trees to make more and more. "They are feeding off of me, like I''m some farm animal, some cheap fucking commodity," Ax complained to himself; he was pissed. He was desensitized to seeing his own gore, but the idea of his friend dying still scared him. "I don''t think he''s dead," he said. "I didn''t feel him die," Ax continued, talking about Ace. "How am I so sure of it though...?" he asked himself as he winced in pain. He was still covered in blood, a slash going over his chest. Bleeding. "My legs are still fine... I think I have just enough strength to run, to run straight through that door in front of me," Ax said as the blue door, which was still creaked open, was behind the feasting monsters. In between the Gashadokuro, which was picking up his old bodies to munch on. "But... Ace," Ax said as he stood up, ready to take action, a loose grip on his sword. "I''d be leaving him behind... he''s my best friend," Ax continued. He had known Ace ever since he was a boy, his best friend; he grew up with him at his side, as a brother. "I''d be leaving him behind... there''s no way to go back to old rooms, is there?" he asked himself rhetorically. "Is he even worth it? I died again, and again, and again... OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN!" He screamed out, his voice fried. Ax grabbed his gun and aimed it at his own head. "He is." Ax uttered these words proudly, closed his eyes and- Click Nothing... he was sure he wasn''t out of bullets; Ax was confused. He opened his eyes and the monsters. They all disappeared. Vanished into thin air. Gone. A black two dimensional box appeared in front of him. Floor 0 cleared. Welcome! Summit Seeker. "Summit... Seeker?" Ax asked himself. His eyes widened. "ACE!" he screamed in concern as he ran to the tree in the dark, as he was running towards him, closer and closer to the tree. The silhouette of Ace didn''t appear in the vision. Ax could only walk up to where his body was resting. "How?" he asked himself; he was sure he didn''t die. He knew that he didn''t die. Instead, all that was left was a pile of coins and the silver revolver. As he picked it up, he put away his cool metal revolver. He was sure he didn''t die, so he refused to accept it. He then grabbed the coins, and "they¡ª"Vanished? Where did the coins go?" The black box appeared in front of him once more. As if it was a video game. Gold: 10 Silver: 25 Bronze: 15 These texts were written on the top left corner of the box... however... in the middle of the screen-like box was another set of texts. Name: Axton Abanish Oddity: Ouroboros Rebirth Secondary Oddities: Death Sense 21. New Beginnings Name: Axton Abanish Oddity: Ouroboros Rebirth Secondary Oddities: Death Sense "These look..." Ax muttered to himself as he raised his right hand, wincing immediately. "Shit, my arm¡ªit''s still broken," he reminded himself. "Ouroboros... Rebirth... Oddity?" Ax read the text under his name. He raised his left hand and tapped the text. Another, smaller window appeared in front of his eyes. "Is this some cheap webtoon or video game? What is this?" Ax complained to himself at how ridiculous this looks. Oddities: mutations and powers given to and unlocked by some current and potential ''summit seekers.". Supernatural powers that give the users an edge in combat and/or quality of life. Secondary Oddities¡ªSecondary supernatural powers awakened in moments of great stress, emotional distress, and/or very near-death experiences. Always related to Primary Oddity, it merely adds to the usefulness and combat potential of base oddity. "So... my oddity is... this thing?" Ax continued talking to himself as he read the texts. Oddity: Ouroboros Rebirth. Description: Death for most is the end. For you, however, death is merely a checkpoint. Come back to life immediately after each death; all damage other than poison is reversed. No matter how severe. "All damage other than poison is reversed..." Ax read to himself. "I had my suspicions, but..." Ax looked at his gun once more, then at his arm. Ax sighed deeply once more as he raised his gun to his head. His heart racing, beating profusely, sweat mixed with blood dripped down his temple. Shatter Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Ax woke up, his body lying dead with its brain and blood painting the grass red. Ax''s new body is untouched, undamaged... uninjured. Ax was desensitized to his death, having seen much... much worse happen to himself. The black screen vanished. "Where did it..." The black screen appeared once again. It seems the screen followed the same principle as the doors. Ax''s eyes drifted to his ''Secondary Oddity,'' his curiosity making him tap it. Secondary Oddity: Death Sense Description: A secondary awakening; you can sense with absolute certainty how close someone is to true death. "That... explains why I could tell Ace didn''t die... I hope he''s back home," Ax continued, his voice low with concern. Ax looked back down at where Ace was resting, a pool of blood where he was sitting, glistening with red. Ax crouched down and touched it. "Cold," he muttered to himself. Ax put pressure on the painted grass with his palm, painting it red. Ax then stood up and marked the tree with his red handprint. Grabbed his dagger and carved the words, ''Presence Was Here.''. The red handprint reaching for the sky was their band''s logo. Ax summoned the blue door to him. Reached out for the knob and- "It turned..." Ax turned the knob... he could finally go back to Nexus... but without Ace, it felt empty; they had been working on it together for over a month. Ax summoned the black door instead and went back home. A red mark was left on the doorknob. Ax took a deep breath as he was back home. He was relieved... But¡ª "I need a shower..." Before Ax went to his shower, he noticed something odd. Ace''s laptop, his clothes, and even the books he bought weren''t there anymore. "Did he... leave?" Ax asked himself, wondering if he left early or not, still having doubts on if he''s alive or not. *** Ax took a long and deep shower, cleaning himself, and now he was tired. Hungry but tired, too tired to eat even. "I''ll just eat later," he dismissed his hunger and crashed onto his bed once more. Sleeping it off. Ax slept till the afternoon, abruptly woken up by the doorbell. Ax jolted up, "Wuhu¡ªuh?!" He mumbled to himself, his eyes widened. Ax jumped off of the bed and ran to the door, slipping a few times on the way there. Ax stopped right before the door and opened it as fast as he could; in the door frame stood Ace... holding a bag of books. "Yo, what''s up?", Ace asked Ax casually, who''s mouth was left agape. "You good? Good morning, I guess... You look like you''ve just seen a ghost," Ace said sarcastically, but his voice showed a tinge of concern. "Oh, uh. Nothing, come in." Ax snapped back, asking Ace to come in; he wanted to ask him some questions. "Speaking of ghosts... and supernatural apparitions... I brought the books you asked me to buy," Ace casually mentioned. "Asked... You?" Ax was confused; he didn''t remember ever asking him to buy anything for him. "Also, want to play some video games? I brought my controller this time, since your spare controller has a shitty battery." Ace added "Uh, you have to run that by me one more time. What?" Ax asked, genuinely confused as to what the hell Ace was even saying. "Dude, I know marathoning video games is not good for your health, but¡ª" Ace continued to talk, and Ax continued to be more and more confused. "Huh?" Ace was talking as if he didn''t remember anything. *** After a long talk with Ace, Ace kept talking about the games they played and generally the excuses the both of them gave their friends when they were fighting monsters. Ax avoided talking about Nexus and everything else related to it. "So? Are we finally going to get back to playing?" Ace asked once more. Eager to spend time with his best friend. "You know what, yeah." Ax caved in. He booted up his dusty console. The both of them spent the entire day playing video games, something that Ax had missed. 22. The Dwarf Named Vithr After Ace left, Ax looked at the books he had gotten him. He said Ax asked for these, but Ax knows the real reason why. He finally opened the bag, and all the books were on different mythologies across history; the big three were here. Greek, Norse, and even Egyptian, but there were some niches, like Japanese Shintoism and some others Ax was too lazy to read. Ax was sitting on the floor, checking his boots, his thumb gliding over the scratch formed during the fight with the snake; it was clear that they were pretty scratched up. Ax''s eyes drifted to his bed, or rather, under it. His gaze locked on the silver gun lying there. It was 7 pm, and he had nothing else to do for the day. "I guess... now''s a better time than ever," Ax muttered to himself. He got ready, his gear equipped and boots worn. A red graphic tee this time and his jacket tied around his waist, all by 7:30pm. With a simple thought, the blue door appeared in front of his bed. He walked up to it, his arm reaching for the knob. With a deep breath, he twisted the knob. "It''s open," Ax was relieved. As the door was pushed open, the bright light welcomed him back to where he first arrived. Different races of people walking past him. The clicks and clacks of the metal boots, the harmonic tune of the lutes being played by passing musicians, the sweet scent of nearby florists and fruits rushing into his lungs with each breath. "Why did I not appreciate this sooner?" he muttered to himself. "Must''ve been pretty stupid," he said sarcastically, as he stretched his arms and shoulders. "Now... I owe you a visit, don''t I?" Ax said as he had one person in mind who he wanted to meet. *** Ax was now in front of the shop with his favorite dwarven blacksmith. As he opened the door, he saw an elven man and a woman with fuzzy ears on top of her head and a furry tail wrapped around her waist, both of them wearing a mix of leather and metal armor with swords stuck to their left sides. "That''s everything; we''ll be back for our order in about four days then. Is that enough?" The woman asked the shopkeeper with a satisfied tone. "Absolutely, upon my name as Vithr!" said the shopkeeper. "We''ll come back in about a week then; take care," said the elf; the both of them seemed rather joyous. As they walked out of the store together, "Well, well, well, who do we have here?" Vithr said as he dropped down from his stool to get closer to him. "Well? Are you qualified yet?" Vithr asked, his voice cautious and questioning. "For... what exactly? Oh, if you mean for a ''Summit Seeker'' or whatever, yeah, I am," Ax answered him, still confused as to whatever a Summit Seeker is. Vithr deeply sighed in relief. "Good. You must have questions then; ask me or whoever you feel like. Restrictions are off." He said as he walked back to the counter. "Well, first of all. What the hell are the restrictions for? Why could I not ask anything beforehand?" Ax asked Vithr as he walked up to the counter, eyeing the weapons in the store. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "The purple doors lead to the final conflict in Floor-0; the more knowledge you have on the nature of the floors, the harder it gets. The difficulty of the purple door scales with the amount of knowledge you have figured out or have learned," Vithr explained, expecting more questions. "Wait... what happens if you lose in the rooms?" Ax asked him again. "If you die in combat, your memory gets wiped, and the void gets filled according to your life. If you merely lose consciousness and wake up where you were safe, but this is also the case for someone in Nexus if they aren''t a Seeker yet," Vithr continued. "Die? Oh right, what about the oddities? Mine says"¡ªAx was about to reveal his oddity, but Vithr stopped him. "HALT! Oddities are abilities not everyone has access to; I myself do not have one. The nature of oddities is unknown, but there are theories as to why they manifest," Vithr interrupted him with an explanation. "The most accepted theory is the idea that this occurs due to so many different worlds and sources of power meeting in Nexus," Vithr finished his explanation. Ax mentally noted every bit of information he just laid out. "Okay, that''s a lot to process... however, just one last question. For now at least." "Ask," Vithr commanded. "Why did you stop me from revealing my oddity?" Ax asked Vithr; he thought oddities were common among seekers. "There are... Orders. Orders are groups summit seekers can join for benefits. Some with noble goals... Others... not so much. Some Orders and seekers make it their goal to hunt down and eliminate, or try and steal, the Oddities of powerful people. If you have a strong Oddity, I recommend you keep it hidden or attempt to do so," Vithr said, cautiously warning Ax, subtly hinting at the dangers of this world he''s not familiar with yet. "I see, thank you for warning me, I guess..." Ax said as his eyes widened. His heart beating just over his normal rate, the idea of people finding out his oddity... The implications sent shivers down his spine. Vithr noticed his body language, his eyes curious as to what his power may be to warrant such reactions. It, however, was none of his business. "Now, your name, boy. What is it?" Vithr asked him, trying to change the topic to accommodate his emotions. "It''s Axton; your name is Vithr, right?" He answered him with another question. "Axton, were you the one who bested Medusa?" Vithr asked him, his eyes staring straight into Axton''s. Ax''s eyes widened. "I¡ªyes, but how did you know?" Ax asked him. "Word travels fast. However, I assume the other human who was with you didn''t make it?" Vithr was asking about Ace. "He... he''s back home, his memory wiped just as you described it," Ax answered him, his eyes lowered. "I see. I assume you don''t want him to come back here?" Vithr asked him once more. "No," Ax answered bluntly. "Good, because death protection is only given the first time," Vithr answered bluntly. "I see..." Ax answered; he was dejected. Growl Ax''s stomach growled. "...didn''t eat much, did you?" Vithr asked him, directly referencing the noise. "Nope... just had a light breakfast; I''m starving." Ax was embarrassed to admit it, but it was true; he barely had anything to eat. "There''s a tavern... I recommend," Vithr continued. *** Ax was standing in front of the tavern Vithr recommended. ''The Dragon''s Kiss'' was written on a massive signboard, music playing from inside. The signboard was that of a dragon breathing fire into the name. "That''s... whimsical..." he muttered to himself, smirking in amusement. As he pushed the doors open and walked in, straight ahead was a bar stand with tables scattered to the sides, filled with people who can only be described as fantastical, looking like adventurers from fantasy novels and stories. As Ax walked closer and closer, ignoring the music and people. Walking straight to the bartender. He was a rather skinny man, tall and slender. He was wearing formal pants and was looking behind him, probably wiping a glass. He was also wearing a white shirt and black vest; he stood out from everyone else, however... What truly stood out to Ax was... As the man turned out, his head revealed to be a pressure gauge made from black metal, the needle showing that it was somewhat above atmospheric pressure. "Welcome to The Dragon''s Kiss, how may I help you?" he asked. "The name''s Valve," he finished. "I uhh... was hoping to catch something to eat," Ax answered Val, distracted by his head. "I see... the tables are full, however," Valve said as he looked around. He spotted an empty seat. He pointed to it. "Ask her if you can sit across from her, since that''s a pretty big table. If she says no, you might have to wait. If she''s okay with you sitting there, I''ll send someone over to take your order," Valve explained. "Oh, alright then." Ax looked back at the table. There sat a human girl, wearing a red and black graphic tee under a black leather jacket. Her right arm was covered in armor and- "That''s... her," Ax muttered to himself. She was looking in a different direction, but her eyes gravitated to Ax, squinting. As she stared at him, her eyes widened slightly. She recognized him. 23. The Goddess Of Oath and Justice The girl recognized him. Ax walked over to her table. "Hey, I''m sorry to bother you, but... every other seat is taken. Can I sit here?". Her eyes showed that she was suspicious, but she didn''t want to be rude. She looked around, glancing at every table in the tavern. "Sure... I guess, have a seat. Also, do I know you?" She asked him as she looked him up and down, visually inspecting him and his sword. Ax noticed this and set his sword on the seat next to him and sat down across from her. "I may or may not have bumped into you, literally," he says as he gets comfortable. "Oh right, we bumped heads before. Literally." She says as her shoulders loosened and she sighed, she was relieved. "Did... I do something?" Ax asked, confused. "Oh, no. The first bunch of fellow humans I ran into were... let''s say... intolerant," she explained. "Speaking of which... you''re ALSO from Earth, right...? Like 2034 Earth without monsters, right?" he asked, genuinely hoping to find another normal person here who isn''t trying to kill someone at the moment. She almost laughed, but she covered her mouth; after gaining composure, she replied with "Yes, you should''ve seen the look on your face. But I get why you''d ask that. Most people here aren''t... your average... well," she said as she looked around at the fellow customers. "Oh my go- You have no idea how relieving that is. The last guy I saw who was a human, he wore a hockey mask and tried to beat someone to death with a baseball bat." He stated as his shoulders also loosened and he slightly hunched his back. "Oh, you met Baron then, my deepest condolences... but how? Heard he went missing trying to chase a guy who was after Medus". She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening in realization. "You were the one... weren''t you? Who cleared that section in Floor-0?" she asked, seeking confirmation. "Yeah, but... before we get into that..." Ax stopped the conversation halfway and looked at Valve, giving him a thumbs up. He nodded and sent over a waiter. A deep, dark-skinned woman wearing a tavern maid''s uniform walked up to them. "What would you guys like to have? Want me to list the menu?" she asked as she was ready to write onto a piece of paper. "A large griffin egg sandwich and some non-alcoholic Apple Ale," the girl answered. "And what will this gentleman have?" she asked as she looked at Ax. "I... whatever you recommend, I''m so hungry I could die," he answered. A smirk formed across her face, "Alright then... A drink as well?" she asked him again. "Uh, same as her." As she walked away, he looked back at the girl. "...that was Lyxian; she... never mind. You''ll figure it out. Where were we?" They went back to their conversation. *** Ax and she had a long conversation; Ax initially just wanted to talk about Medusa''s encounter, but the conversation kept shifting topics, from the doors to Ace and his other friends to even the band he was in and the way both of them dressed. Turns out they had much more in common. Which included music taste. Lyxian came back holding a round tray of their food. "Here is both of your... Ale and... here is your sandwich!" The girl immediately grabbed the sandwich with both of her hands, as she was about to bite into it. "And here... is your basilisk steak!" Lyxian said with a wide smile revealing sharp canines. "Final¡ªwhat in the world am I looking at?" Ax''s joy turned into bafflement. "Have fun now! Bye~," Lyxian said as she walked away. The girl hunched over, her hands still holding her food. "Is... IS THAT A TONGUE!?" Ax screamed out, bringing more attention to him. Her shoulders started shaking. "...I don''t like you," Ax said as he looked up from his food. She couldn''t contain herself; a hearty laugh escaped her voice. As she calmed down, she wiped a tear off the corner of her eye. "Just try it, it''s good," she uttered while she went back to eating her sandwich. Ax looked back down at his plate, seeing a round chop of meat, almost as big as his head, with a lean piece of meat wrapping around the side of it... it had a forked end. It was a tongue. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ax grabbed a fork and knife, cut a piece of the steak, and tried it, closing his eyes as he put it in his mouth. "This is... actually pretty good..." he uttered as he cut another piece off. "I know, right?" she replied with a mouthful. "By the way... what did you mean by ''intolerant'' when you mentioned other humans?" Ax asked casually. She coughed, almost spitting her food. "Oh... you don''t know, do you? Well... there''s an order of people who basically hate all non-humans and attack", Her words got cut off by a small explosion that blew off the door of the tavern. A strong gust of wind blew both of their hair. "Oh, would you look at that... just like clockwork," she says as she absolutely devours her sandwich. "GET OUT OF HERE, YOU FREAKS! AND DROP ALL OF YOUR TOTAS!" the men started screaming; they were holding guns, which Ax recognized; the men were wearing clunky iron armor. They looked slow, and their stance holding the guns showed that¡ª "They look... inexperienced," Ax muttered to himself as he reached for one of his guns and his sword next to him. She noticed it. "Nah, don''t. Not worth the trouble." She said as egg yolk was stuck on her cheek. "Are they too strong?" he asked. "No, too pathetic actually..." she replied, not paying any mind. "WELL?! GET TO¡ª" The man in the front got interrupted. A black-haired boy with green pupils and an orange t-shirt swiftly held his blade against the neck of the loud man. "You''re not exactly... the brightest human in Nexus, are you?" he asked him, his voice showing annoyance and sass. Behind him, an elven man with long blonde hair was aiming at the men with three arrows on his bow. "You guys just have your food; I''ll clean up this mess." The both of them looked at Valve, acknowledging his request. Both of them went back to their seats. "So... you must be Valve, then? Quite the pushover," said the man, taunting him. "Just go back. We don''t want any trouble here," Valve continued. "Oh? Why is that? I heard no one''s ever seen your face... have they? Are you also a filthy freak too? Like the rest of them?" the man said as more and more men in armor walked into the tavern with weapons. "I think... I should..." Ax said as he was getting up. "Hush, just watch," she commanded him, drinking her ale. Valve went silent. "Take it off for us; let''s see for ourselves..." the evil man said with a shit-eating grin across his face. They had Valve outnumbered. Valve slammed the table with both of his fists, which for some reason switched the music, changing the chorus of the bar. Valve raised his hands once more, his black gloves grabbing the sides of his pressure gauge helmet. "Attaboy," the man stopped mid-sentence, distracted by small amounts of steam that started to escape his helmet. As Valve took off his helmet, a cloud of steam escaped it. Surrounding his head and obstructing his head''s silhouette. Which immediately surrounded the men in armor. "Boss!? What the hell¡ªHE''S AN ODDITY!" one of the men screamed out in fear. The vocals of the song started playing. Now he''s thinkin'' ''bout me every night, oh, is it that sweet? I guess so. "Is that... fucking Sabrina Carpenter?" Ax asked himself in disbelief. Valve stepped back and vanished into the steam behind him. The men raised their guns and shot in his direction; however, the bullets simply dropped on the floor as if they had no momentum. Say you can''t sleep, baby, I know That''s that me espresso "Oh my god, it is." Ax recognized the lyrics, the girl dying in laughter. Valve appeared behind the man in armor, his hand covering his mouth, and pulled him deeper into the fog. He then threw him out the window, breaking it. "Get him!" one of the men screamed out. Move it up, down, left, right, oh Switch it up like Nintendo. All the men drew their swords immediately, swinging them vigorously in random directions. Valve kicked one of their legs and disarmed them and then immediately threw him out the same window, "HEY WATCH¡ª" the man hitting their boss, who was still on the ground. Say you can''t sleep, baby, I know That''s that me espresso. Valve grabbed the sword in the ground and swiftly snuck into the crowd, starting a fight in the middle of the humans invading the tavern, his head still concealed in thick steam. "OW! That''s me, you bumbling fool! His strategic strikes against the men caused them to start swinging against each other. *** Say you can''t sleep, baby, I know That''s that me espresso "THIS ISN''T THE LAST OF US! WE WILL COMEBACK!" the boss screamed out as all the men were singlehandedly kicked out of the tavern within 5 minutes of entering it, a thick cloud of fog still in the center. They were all bruised and walked away, their wills broken and humiliated. Valve walked back behind the bar stand, picking up his helmet. The cloud followed him. As he put it back on, the cloud of steam got sucked back in his head as if it was a vacuum. Everyone immediately applauded Valve''s performance as he walked back to wipe some glasses. "Badass, right?" she asked. "Yeah..." Ax was still focused on the music that had just played. Valve looked at the both of them, and he stopped what he was doing and was walking up to them to take their bill. "Oh, we don''t know each other''s names yet. I''m Ela Perez," Ela asked. "Ela, the bill. Together or separate?" asked Valve. "Hmm? Oh, sorry, separate," Ela answered as she started finishing her drink. "Oh okay, Ela Perez and...?" Valve switched his gaze to Ax. "Right, my name is Axton, Axton Abanish," Ax replied nonchalantly. Ela immediately spat out her drink and choked on it. "Sorry, what?" she asked in disbelief. Valve merely stared at him, looking into Ax''s eyes; a small portion of the tavern went silent and stared at his table. Most of them dismissed it, thinking that they heard something wrong. "...Valve? The bill," Ax reminded him, dismissing the people staring at him. He was used to being stared at, especially since coming to Nexus. Valve snapped out. "Oh right... Ela, 4 silver and 3 bronze Totas. Axton, it''s on the house." "Oh? May I also get¡ª" Ela insinuated. "No, pay up. Cheapskate." Valve shot her down. "No fun," Ela said as she slightly pouted. "Axton, after you''re done, follow me. Lyxian! My shift is over. Your turn now!" Valve yelled out as he walked back to the stand to grab his top hat and coat. "I''m coming with you," said Ela, as if she knew where Valve was going to take him. *** Ax and Ela were waiting for Valve outside the tavern. "Let''s go," Valve said as he walked past them. "Axton, you''re new here, I assume?" asked Valve. "Mhm," Ax answered. An audible deep breath could be heard from within his helmet. "Nexus is a hotpot of different cultures, pantheons, and worlds," Valve stated, Ax and Ela immediately paying attention to him. "Gods from these pantheons exist here, however. Nexus itself has had its own standalone culture and pantheon," Valve mentioned as they walked towards a beautiful garden. Pass a metal gate near the tavern. "Which includes gods. However, gods in Nexus are merely titles given to the men and women who deserve it. Who changed the world or inspired others? They themselves are mortal, unlike the Greek and Egyptian gods and titans," he explained as they walked through a stone path to the center of the garden. The floral scent reminded Ax of home; it was the same scent as his favorite perfume. But he was getting distracted; he focused back on Valve. "A few years ago, we lost a goddess. A beautiful woman known for her gorgeous eyes. She was the Goddess of Justice and Oaths," he said. "She saved the lives of several men, women, and children from oppressive gods, including me. Loki, Zeus, Poseidon, Chronos, Surtr, and Apep... they were all defeated by her and her husband''s Order. This is her eternal resting place," he finished. Axton, Ela, and Valve were standing in front of a beautiful tree, with a statue of the Goddess erected in front of it. Ax recognized the statue, his eyes widening in shock. He walked up to the writing on the pedestal and read the engravings on it. Falling to his knees, his eyes streaming with tears, which ran as deep as the river Nile itself. Valve''s voice wavered, "Her name... her name was... Mithra... Mithra Abanish." 24. Electronics Ax broke down into tears at the mere sight of his mother''s statue. It was sculpted in marble with vivid detail, her long hair going down her shoulders through the bottom of her helmet. She was wearing armor that covered her legs in an armored ''pteruges'' or kilt, which went past her knees. In her left hand she held a shield with a lowered guard; in her right hand she held a sword that was not held with the intent to fight; it was lowered, and her gaze, her gaze was looking down at Ax, with a somber expression. Her eyes... they were the only colored detail of the sculpture. Its irises were stones, which were a beautiful deep hazel, which shined in the sunlight. A blend of warm tones, golden brown, green, and amber mixed with her expression would make anyone feel safe and comfortable. Eyes that Axton inherited. Her white marble sclera paralleled Ax''s, whose was red from crying. Minutes had passed since Ax had practically collapsed. Ela, who had just met Ax, walked up behind him and rested her hand on his shoulder. His head jolting back, "Oh, sorry, I didn''t mean to¡ªI''ll stop,"she tried apologizing. "No, no, it''s okay. You just reminded me of someone." He said as he stood up on his own two legs. Wiping his tears and clearing his throat. "Axton, I''d recommend you keep your identity hidden. At least until you join an ''Order,'' considering that you''re very new to everything." Valve recommended. "What''s an order?" Ax asked Valve, his eyes still pink, but he needed to understand. "It''s... a guild or a Summit Seeker group. If you join one, anyone who hurts you or attacks you makes enemies of that particular order of seekers," Valve answered. "What if I don''t want to join one?" Ax asked curiously. "You have no other option; your identity will eventually be found out one way or another... if you want to live, you need the protection of the order you join. There are bad people who still harbor hatred for your parents," Valve simply said it bluntly, implying that Ax''s life would be at risk if he didn''t. "Right..." Ax noted his concerns, considering that he didn''t know of Ax''s Oddity. "How do I join one of these ''Orders''?" he asked. "I''m not a part of any order, Ax. Ela, take him to Baron; he''ll explain it better than me." Valve''s voice redirected to Ela. "Yeah, okay." She answered him, taking over the responsibility. "As for me... I have some business I need to take care of," Valve uttered as he turned around and walked towards the exit. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "So... you have Redbook?" Ela asked Ax. "Yeah, I do, but I don''t remember my username, and there''s no signal here, so like..." Ax shrugged; there was no way he could get her contacts here. "Oh... I see. You are NEW new," Ela mentioned. "...?" Ax tilted his head in confusion. "Summon the ''Codex,''" she commanded him. "Huh?" The black screen appeared in front of him again. "CRAP! I completely forgot about this... thing." Ax got jump scared by the screen. "This, ''thing.''. It is called ''The Codex.''. This is only accessible or given to mortals like elves, humans, etc. Now press the 3rd icon on the left," she asked him. "Alright..." Ax said as he pressed the icon, causing the screen to change. The Unity Protocol List of members: 0 Add Member? __________ [ADD] "Okay... So I just add you?" he asked as he slowly figured it out. "Yeah, just think about adding ''Elaine Perez,'' and press add," she guided him. Add Elaine Perez as a Unity member? [YES] [NO] With this, Ax added Ela to his Unity. "Great, now we can send messages to each other," she said in a satisfied tone. "Wait, so ''Ela'' is a nickname?" he asked her. "Yeah, it is," Ela answered. "Then just call me Ax." He corrected her; she shrugged it off. "Now... do we go to Baron?" he asked. "Yeah, but first... we need to make a stop." She corrected him. *** Ela dragged him to the electronics store he was at about a month ago. "Oh my, isn''t it Perez! With the... boy I also met sometime ago. Small world, isn''t it? I assume you just became a summit seeker?" the older lady behind the counter exclaimed excitedly. "Oh, where are my manners? I''m Charlotte, Charlotte Schmidt, but just call me Char," the lady introduced herself. "Nice to meet you, Char! I''m Axton A-cks," Ela elbowed him with her metal arm. "Axton... Axe? That''s unique," Char dismissed her confusion. "Yep... That''s me... Axton Axe..." Ax slowly said as he held his stomach and slightly hunched over. Char looked at Ela and looked back at him. "I assume you two are here for the Codex SIM?" she asked the both of them. "Yeah, he needs one," Ela replied. "That''ll be 10 silver Totas," Char stated bluntly. "10?!", Ax exclaimed as his eyes widened in shock; that was expensive. "Oh, he doesn''t know, does he?" Char asked Ela. "Nope. Forgot to tell him," Ela said as she looked in a different direction. "Ela... what do you mean you for¡ªhey, I''m talking to you," he said in a stern tone as Ela was avoiding eye contact. "Just pay up; let me grab the SIM," Ela said as she walked away, giving them some space. *** Ax grabbed 10 silver coins from his Codex and placed them on the counter; he then walked around the store with Ela. Staring at the electric guitars in the music aisle. "I should really get a new guitar..." he muttered to himself. "I have an HSS Strat back at my place; I bought it from here," Ela revealed as Ax was eyeing a similar model. "Oh? I have an LP with HH pickups. Can I come over and try it out?" he asked her. "Sure, I guess¡ªoh look, she''s back." Ela pointed at Char, who placed a black plastic card on the counter. Ax went and grabbed the SIM card. "So I just place it in?" he asked the two of them. "Yeah," Ela replied. Ax popped out the SIM card and put it in his phone. His eyes widened in shock. "Oh my, it has a signal now... that''s neat¡ªwait, why does it have internet on it?" he asked, still amazed by the signal. "It''s infinite, and it will always have a good signal..." Char slowly explained. "...Yeah, it''s definitely worth the expense," Ax exclaimed. *** Ax and Ela were out of the store. "So... now what?" he asked Ela. "Now... We head off to the Prometheus Foundation Headquarters." 25. Spaghetti
Ela dragged Ax past the walls of the city. "How far are we? I think I see the ocean; this isn''t an elaborate way to kill me for my money, is it?" Ax asked sarcastically, his legs getting tired. "If I wanted you dead, you''d be six feet under by now. Anyway, it''s past the trees next to the riverside," she remarked. She was sick and tired of Ax constantly complaining over his legs getting tired. "What am I even looking for? I know we''re almost there, but what does this abode even look like?" Ax kept complaining. Ela sighed. She picked up the pace and ran past the trees at blistering, inhumane speeds. "Try to keep up!" She screamed as she ran past the trees. Ax''s jaw dropped. Was that her oddity? How was she going so fast? He then ran. As he caught up and stood by her side, he was leaning his shoulder on the trees, his body gasping for air. Ela raised an eyebrow at his breathlessness. "How far are we...?" he asked her as his eyes were still looking at the ground. "Look up," she said. Ax looked at her with confusion, but then he looked in front of him. It was a massive castle built by the riverside; his jaw dropped once more. The turrets of the castle pointed towards the sky like drills that would pierce the heavens themselves, all behind castle walls. The gates of the castle were arched and looked heavy, immovable even. The wood looked like a deep brown spruce. "Oh my..." Ax was in awe; he had only ever seen this view in video games and movies, never in real life. "I guess... we ring like a large... LARGE doorbell, right?" He asked her, his gaze never leaving the doors. Ela just smirked at him, the gaze he held towards the door. She then walked up to the doors and looked up. "What are you even doing?" he asked her, confused if the doorbell was dead set on the middle. She then looked at the door and took a deep breath and held her hands against both of the doors and started pushing, her body straining. "No way you can¡ª" Crumble The doors creaked open, dust crumbling off, footprints etched onto the ground from her metal greaves. The doors opened just enough to let two people walk in through the crack. Ela stopped and groaned; she then waved at him to follow. "Come on in." Ax was still at Awe. "How strong even is this woman?" he muttered to himself as he followed her in. *** Ela had walked him through most rooms, the interior, the bathrooms, his bedroom, and the different living quarters the other members lived in. Lastly, she led him to the kitchen to finish the tour. "And... this is the kitchen; we usually eat here. This is the smaller kitchen; there''s a larger kitchen under the castle, but this is where the food is usually eaten. No one uses the bigger one. Not that I''m aware of," she explained humbly. "How many members do you guys have again?" he asked her, curious as to how big this Order is. "Hm? Oh no, I''m not a member, but we have¡ª" Ela stopped halfway through the sentence to look past Ax; a blue door had appeared behind him. Ax looked behind him; both looked at the knob turn in pin-drop silence. As the door creaked open, a smell of burnt clothes and charcoal filled the kitchen. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. In walked a man with blond hair, a hockey mask stuck to the side of his face, which was burnt and broken. A charred baseball bat held over his shoulder with one hand, as he was yawning with his other hand over his mouth, blood stains all over his body, his head, and even his bat. "What took you so long? Baron?" Ela asked him, her voice showing a tinge of annoyance. Baron grabbed under his jacket and pulled out a sack, throwing it on the kitchen counter, making a metallic jingle. "Here''s the guild''s cut of the bounty; this one was a troublesome one," Baron said, and he dropped his bat on the ground and immediately went to grab a fork. "Oh, for the love of¡ªdon''t just drop your bat on the ground; there''s blood on the tiles now!" Ela went off at him for making a mess in the kitchen. Baron looked at her dead in the eye and placed his burnt, bloody mask on the counter. "Oh my god, what is wrong with you?" Ela held her forehead as she complained. Baron opened the fridge and grabbed a bowl of cold pasta. Pulled out a chair and sat down, placing the bowl of cold spaghetti on the stone counter. "He''s... not hurt, is he?" Ax asked Ela, concerned about his injuries. "No, this jackass pops apple slices like he''s a goddamn horse," Ela said as she pointed at Baron. Slurp "...And he''s spilling sauce everywhere. You know what? I give up," Ela said as she walked off. Baron''s eyes wandered off to Ax, his eyes squinting. "Hey, do I know you? Oh wait, you''re one of the guys who"¡ªBaron''s eyes widened as he spoke, but then he winced. His shoulder was still in pain. A golden apple came flying towards Baron; he immediately caught it with his other hand. Ax looked back, and Ela had gone to grab two apples. Baron bit into it, and he was already feeling better. "As I was saying... where''s the other guy?" he resumed. "Oh... you mean Ace; he couldn''t make it," Ax replied. "Sorry to hear that. He''s alive, but it must hurt to just not be able to talk to him about, well... this anymore," Baron continued, his voice showing empathy. "Now, I want you two to join us," Baron said as he slurped up pasta. "But there''s just one of me...?" Ax was confused. Baron then pointed his fork behind him, towards Ela. "What...? She''s not a member?" Ax asked, as he was more confused now. Baron, looking at this, put the bowl down and cleared his throat. "What''s your name?" he asked. "I''m Axton A-Axe, but just call me Ax." Ax closed his eyes, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Ax...? Okay, so Ax, listen to me close." Ax was now paying full attention. "Usually, the captain or head of the specific order can go about and give different seekers an emblem, which, if they accept, signifies that they''ve joined that order. The head usually handpicks their members," Baron explained. "Oh okay, so we have to wait for the head to come to select us, right?" Ax asked him. "Kind of, but he''s almost always busy with other matters. However... pass the Summit Trials, and the vice captains will be able to pick you as a member, if they consider you worthy, of course," Baron continued. "Yeah, and the Summit Trials haven''t started yet. That''s why I''m not an official member yet, even though I live here," Ela interjected herself. "The trials start in about a week, however... Ela had enough time to prepare, you however. Might just have to wing it, but that''s fine," Baron added. "I''m sorry, what? So basically I have to compete with other summit seekers, right?" Ax asked Baron, growing steadily concerned. "Yep," Baron said bluntly. "How...? If they''re anything like you two, they will be freakishly strong," Ax complained, as he dreaded the experience. "...?", both Baron and Ela were confused; they didn''t consider themselves to be that strong... "Ax... do you have doubts?" Ela asked him. Baron''s eyes widened. "Ax... when did the Codex appear for you?" Baron asked him. "Oh... after I cleared the room with the purple door," Ax answered him bluntly, confused. Both of Ela and Baron''s eyes widened in shock. "What...? So you cleared Floor-0 without having access to the Codex?" Ela asked him. Baron smirking as if he struck gold. "Doesn''t the Codex just give you details on your body? Like if you have oddities or not?" Ax asked the both of them. "You play video games, right, Ax?" Baron asked him. "Yeah?" Ax answered him, confused. "The Codex itself is a way to balance the playing fields; it takes off the limits of the body and soul. When the Codex reveals itself in front of you, you can get progressively stronger and stronger, much like a role-playing game. So, if you''re weaker than others, the Codex will appear earlier than others to help you reach an even playing ground," Baron continued to explain. Ax''s and Ela''s eyes widened, realizing the implications. "For me... the Codex appeared when I cleared my 3rd room," Baron stated. "For me... it was the first room," Ela stated, both staring at Ax. "So that means... by the time I reached the final room..." Ax started to mumble. "You and Ace were as strong since the beginning of the trials as most others were at the end..." Baron stated, as his teeth revealed themselves and dimples formed on his cheeks. *** After showing Ax his mother''s statue, Valve was now in a visiting room. As a white token with the emblem of a dove carrying a golden olive branch hung from his waist. He sat down in front of the inmate with his hands chained to the table and his mouth muzzled. "Careful... this one still likes to bite." A buzzing voice could be heard from the speakers in the white padded room. The inmate was wearing a straightjacket with belt buckles falling down his sleeves, his long red hair obscuring his vision. Valve reached over and ripped the muzzle clean off. Throwing it on the ground. Revealing a black and blue collar buzzing with electricity. His cracked lips now grinning with mischief. Hair no longer obscuring his scarred and scratched face. "Well... Time for your gracious monthly visit... isn''t it? Valve...?" said the inmate, taunting him. "My visit is anything but gracious, Loki," Valve grumbled in a voice that showed controlled rage.
26. Offspring
"Oh? Is the false Odinson not here?" Loki asked as his grin grew sharper. "My lip''s still cracked since our last... meeting," he taunted. "Lucky you, he''s busy with more important matters," Valve said as he started to get up. "That''s a tragedy; hunting down J?rmungandr shall never be an easy feat," Loki said, closing his eyes. Valve got up from his seat and started to make his way behind Loki. "However, overseeing the Seeker Trials would indeed be a much more... likely event," Loki said as he grinned slowly. Valve stopped in his tracks, startled by his statement. "Oh? Was I correct?" Loki said as his eyes opened to stare at Val who was standing by the table, leaning in towards him. His chain is pulling on the table. "How?" Valve asked as he collected himself and made his way behind Loki, whose gaze was following him. "Oh, it''s not that difficult. The Seeker Trials would occur every year around this time... and the last two years, Odinson just so happened to be absent from our... meetings," Loki explained. Valve huffed. "Sly devil," he said as he was behind him. "It''s a shame really...", Loki said as he leaned back, his hair shortening and his feminine voice deepening. "Axel would''ve loved to see hi¡ª" Valve grabbed Loki''s head and slammed it against the table, making his head bleed and go back to his old form. "Valve! Don''t let him get to your head, you know this!" a voice came through from the speakers. "What did I tell you about taking his form when I am present? False Aesir?" Valve''s voice deepened as he pulled his hair back and snapped at Loki, steam sneaking out of his helmet. Loki breathed in the air, sucking that small bit of steam in through his mouth. And laughed, chuckling as if he succeeded. Valve threw his head back onto the table and proceeded to walk away. "I wonder if his child will make it this year," Loki mumbled, barely loud enough. Valve stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned to look at him. Loki laughed, his hearty voice echoing in the room. "Even through that mask! It''s as if I can see what expression you''re giving me!" Loki kept laughing. "Eighteen years since the Goddess of your people went missing for nine months. You think I wouldn''t notice? As a mother myself?" Loki''s voice rumbled. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "He''s not your toy to mess with, god of mischief," Valve''s voice grumbled as he spoke. "Oh, so a son?" Loki''s eyes widened. Valve, noticing his blunder, realized the best thing to do now would be to leave, and so he did. "I killed Odin and Thor! Twice! What makes you think I can''t kill their son?" Loki screamed as Valve made his way through the door and closed it shut. "These visits are useless without Erik," Valve mumbled. The two guards who were at the doors nodded at Valve, and with their two spears and two guns, they walked into the room after Valve left to escort Loki back to his cell. "Valve? Is he saying the truth?" A younger woman asked him, her voice soothing his nerves. "Opal, this cannot leave this room, but... yes. Axel and Mithra... they had a child, and he''s old enough to be a Seeker." Valve talked to the siren standing by his side. Both started walking away and left the interrogation room. She was one of his colleagues in his order. Her name was Opal; she had cobalt blue hair, soft features, and a light blue skin tone. Her eyes were pitch black. Opal''s pearly eyes grew and shined with joy. "Oh my Gods! Mithra, she has a-", She screamed out but stopped halfway. "Ahem... is he strong?" Opal said as she contained herself. "He had this look in his eyes... he had his Mithra''s eyes, but..." Valve trailed off. "But...? Hello? Nexus to Valve?" Opal kept pestering him. "Sorry, I was lost in thought. Why did Loki mention Thor and Odin? He had a hand in the deaths of Mithra and Axel..." Opal walked in front of Valve and stopped him immediately. "Valve... for the past few months, Loki hasn''t been biting anyone. The first time he started biting whoever he felt like was... about eighteen years ago," Opal explained, her voice growing more and more concerned. "What does that have to do with what I just mentioned?" he said as he took note of her tone and body language. Opal''s eyes widened, and she grabbed his hand and ran back towards the interrogation chamber. "SHIT!" she screamed out. "Hey¡ªwhy are¡ª" Valve was startled. "He stopped biting a few months ago, and he has had odd cravings and eating habits!" Opal said as she kept running. Valve took note and freed his hand, sprinting towards Loki with Opal. *** The both of them bashed the door of the padded room open together and the view that awaited them froze them in place. Loki''s scarred back was turned to them, one bloody broken spearhead in hand and two grotesque armored bodies with viscera splattered all across the room. "LOKI!" Valve screamed out. As Loki turned out, his bloody grin could be seen, his red hair flowing down his shoulders, his straight jacket torn and tattered on the ground. Both of his hands looked malformed and broken as if he did it himself to be free of the chains, the table broken. As he faced the two, Opal looked furiously at his abdomen, which was cut wide open with the spearhead as it started to close. His other hand was cradling a small feline cub in his arm, black smoke emanating from its sleeping body. The black smoke got larger and larger, covering his entire body. "No!" Valve screamed as he took his right glove off and sent white steam towards Loki. Opal, with her shrill voice, screamed in his direction, sending sound waves. As both of them caused the black smoke to dissipate, Loki vanished. "No time to waste!" Valve said as the both of them ran towards the control room right outside the door. Opal picked up the microphone and switched the channel to every speaker in the prison. "CODE RED! CODE RED! LOKI HAS ESCAPED, CODE RED LOCKDOWN!" Opal kept screaming into the receiver, her voice echoing all over the prison. Valve ran out the door and sprinted towards the cell rooms where the other gods were held. Amidst the chaos and staff running about, all the doors locked down and alarms rang. He bumped into a few seekers stationed there, but he made it past the guards and into the cell rooms. "SHIT! SHIT SHIT SHIT!" Valve kept screaming as he looked into every cell of every floor. "EMPTY!" he screamed out. Valve saw black smoke escape the last cell cages in the room. He used his steam to maneuver and crash into the wall next to the cages. "Too late... Valve.", Loki said as he vanished with the smoke. "Valve! Those cells held criminals and Seekers!" Opal screamed out through the speakers. "The containment rooms for the Titan class prisoners! This was a distraction for them! They are all gone!" Opal screamed out. "Shit...". Valve cursed under his breath.
27. Golden Apples
Ax was lying in his bed; it was noon, and it had been two days since he met Baron. The training had begun for Ax, but right now... he had his friends over. Ace was lying against the bed, sitting on the floor with Hamz''s acoustic he brought with him. Hamz was playing video games on Ax''s console. Ace played his guitar while Nasri sang along, Ax and Hamz humming to the tune. She eyes me like a Pisces when I am weak. I''ve been locked inside your heart-shaped box for weeks. I''ve been drawn into your magnet tar pit trap. I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black. Hamz knocked at Ax''s foot, "Psst." "What?" Ax whispered back as he sat up. "This is... remember when we first met?" Hamz asked Ax, still whispering. "Yeah, how could I ever forget?" Ax replied with a soft smile spreading across his lips. "Right, after they''re done, there''s something I should probably tell you guys," Ax said as his smile dropped. *** Your advice, Your advice, Your advice. Nasri finished the song, her face having a somber expression. Ace poked her with the guitar headstock. "Ow!" she exclaimed as she looked back at Ace, who had a smug expression. "Guys," Ax called out to everyone. Catching their attention. "What''s up?" Ace asked, confused. "My aunt is back for a few weeks. I''ll be going to a different part of the country for like a month, in a week, of course. So I have to start packing up soon," Ax explained; he needed an excuse to vanish for like a month, and his aunt would come and take him for a vacation at least once a year. ''Oh? Auntie''s back? Tell her I said hi when you meet her," Ace mentioned. "Oh, I''ve never met her, but... tell her I said hi too!" Hamz added. "You have an aunt, and she''s never here?" Nasri questioned. "Oh yeah, she has a work thing, so she kind of just lives abroad," Ax was trying to explain. "Why didn''t she take you with her? So she just left you to live alone the past few years?" Nasri kept asking, her voice rising with each word uttered. "He specifically asked to live alone; drop it," Hamz cut in, interrupting her. "Right, it''s still dumb, but if he chose to... I guess I can''t really say anything..." Nasri''s voice trailed off. *** The three of them stuck around till 7pm; they hung around the area and made Ax promise to keep in touch when he''s away. After Ax was left alone, he went through his closet. Grabbing whatever clothes fit him, a few jackets, and stuffing them all in a backpack. Grabbed his gear and put on his scratched-up boots and summoned the door to Nexus. "I wonder..." Ax muttered to himself. "To... The Prometheus Foundation!" he declared as he twisted the knob. It didn''t budge. "Alright... then to... The Dragon''s Kiss!" he declared, the door opening this time. As he walked through, he entered the tavern; he saw a dark-skinned woman with pointy ears behind the counter. "Hey, Lyxian, right? Do you know when Valve starts his shift?" Ax asked her; he wanted to ask Valve some questions. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "Hmm? Oh Axton, no. Actually he doesn''t even work here; I just drag him here because he''s good company," Lyxian answered as her fangs poked out of her lips. "And we also need protection from the Numans sometimes," she added. "Numans are the guys who tried to rob you guys, right?" Ax asked again. "Oh yeah, Numans are humans born in Nexus without Oddities; they are an old-fashioned sort, clinging to the days when the other worlds didn''t migrate here," she explained. "How long ago was that?" Ax asked as he grabbed the stool and sat down, dropping his backpack on the ground next to him. "A few hundred years ago," Lyxian finished, and she prepared to take his order. "I''ll just have apple-flavored ale, non-alcoholic. I just need something quick," Ax ordered. "Coming right up!" Lyxian said as she started pouring ale into a mug. *** After drinking, he walked to the castle to his room and searched for Baron, to see him sitting by the green court, going through his phone. "Did it take me long?" Ax asked as Baron looked up. "No, actually, I just sat down. Ready for the training?" he asked Ax with a grin, grabbing his baseball bat. "First things first, put your guns away. Let''s spar; I want to see what I''m dealing with," Baron said as he walked into the grassy court. "Just a bat...? Really?" Ax scoffed as he followed him. "Ready when you are," Ax said as he unsheathed his sword, holding a stance. As Ax blinked, Baron was already within striking distance and tapped his head with the baseball bat. "Wha- how did-", Ax was fumbling over his words. "Focus," Baron said as he walked back, raising his bat. This time in a defensive stance. Taking his cue, Ax held his sword with both of his hands and ran to strike Baron in an overhead cut, however. Baron blocked it, both of them ending up in a guard clash. Ax, with all his might, tried to overpower him, exerting as much force as he could against his bat with his sword. Baron, however, was holding it with one hand, barely breaking a sweat. He slowly exerted more and more force, making the bat touch Ax''s head again. Ax dropped his guard, breathing heavily. "You... are freakishly strong," Ax commented on his strength as he raised his sword once more. "I fight others for a living, Ax; I know how to fight. That being said, I know you''re stronger. Show me," Baron commanded as he raised his guard once again. "Again!" Baron commanded. Ax charged once more, trying to strike Baron as fast as he could, but with his bat, he swatted the sword away. *** Again and again, Ax and Baron kept sparring till Ax was out of breath, gasping for air. "We can take a break for now if you''re that tired," Baron proposed the idea, looking at Ax''s breathlessness. "No, one more." Ax pushed the idea aside, asking for one final try. "Alright, come at me." Baron raised his guard once more. Ax took a deep breath and raised his sword with one hand once more and swiftly ran to strike Baron; he swatted his sword again once more. "How many times are we going to¡ª" Baron was monologuing, but he stopped as he felt something on his waist; he looked down to see Ax holding the back of his dagger against Baron''s waist. Baron grinned once more, "Well, well, well. You really are full of surprises; you caught even me off guard. That''s saying a lot. That being said, take a break. We''ll continue later," Baron recommended. "I''ll take over from here, Baron." Both Baron and Ax looked up at the gallery to see Valve standing above them. He leapt down onto the grass and walked up to the both of them. "Like hell you will; I scouted him out first. I''ll train him," Baron protested. "He can still join your Order; I just need him to be strong enough to pass the trials," Valve explained. "Why?" Baron asked, prompting Ax to stare at Valve. "Because... he hasn''t been strengthened by the Codex yet," Valve explained, causing Ax to sigh in relief. "How do you plan on doing that? How is your training any different from what I plan on?", Baron asked. Almost as if on cue, Ela walked to the courtyard with a basket of golden apples in her hand. Baron took a glace at the basket and looked back at Valve. "A bit extreme... isn''t it?" He questioned Valve, his face contorting with concern. "It is... trust me," Ela interrupted, reinforcing Valve''s side. "Alright, Ax I therefore transfer mentorship to Valve or whatever; don''t give up halfway," Baron said as he walked off. "Good, now Axton. Follow me," Valve commanded as he grabbed the basket off of Ela''s hands and walked off. "Oh, and Elaine, if you want to. You can join us; you''re good company, and a sparring partner would be convenient," he added. "Where are we off to?" Ax asked. "The forest," Valve answered bluntly. *** "fourteen... FIFTEEN!" Ax screamed out as he fell over to his side, staring at Valve standing above him. He was gasping for air. "Why did you make me run to the city and back here? And then make me do push-ups," Ax asked as some of his hair was clinging to his face. Valve dropped an apple into his mouth. "Get up," he commanded. Ax got up as the bite rejuvenated his body. "Is this where you tell me why you''re making me do this over and over again?" Ax asked rhetorically. Valve stood silent. "Elaine! Come here," Valve called for Elaine, who was lying against the tree watching him train. As Elaine walked towards the two of them. Valve took his helmet off. A large cloud of white steam surrounded all three of them, blinding Ax and Ela. But then it simply vanished within a moment''s notice. As Ax opened his eyes, he finally got a good look at Valve''s face. He was a tall, slender, but athletic man. He looked European and had black hair and pitch-black pupils. "Huh, you''re a lot more handsome than I expected," Ax uttered sarcastically. "I know, right? I expected a massive scar across his face." Ela agreed with him, also sarcastically. "...", Valve stood silent. "Also, where did the steam go?" Ax asked him curiously. "It''s my oddity; my body exudes an odorless and tasteless steam. However, I can alter the properties of it by giving it two conditions," Valve explained. "Oh, I see. So that''s why I heard bullets just drop down instead of breaking something," Ax pondered. "A smart one, yes, that''s precisely why they did that. However, right now. The two conditions are to be invisible and to be noise-canceling. So that no one else can hear us," Valve finished. "Why though?" Ax asked as he was confused. "It''s to do with Loki, Ax. He caused a prison break, releasing all the other gods," Valve explained. Ax''s eyes opened wide; Elain stood silent. "Loki wants to kill you."
28. Training
"Loki wants to kill you," Valve revealed bluntly. "I''m sorry, what?" Ax and Ela asked him both simultaneously, shocked and confused. "Axel and Mithra, they imprisoned the gods and humiliated them. And now the Aesir is back with a vengeance," Valve explained. Ax''s expression is getting more grim as each moment passes. "However, that being said. He himself is injured and wounded, much weaker than before, and has no access to Fenrir or J?rmungandr. Don''t expect to see him anytime soon, Ax," Valve reassured. Ax, somewhat relieved. "So, I still have to eventually face off against the literal god of Mischief?" Valve was a bit surprised, but then he remembered. "I keep forgetting that where you come from, the different pantheons were worshipped. Regardless, I assume you''re familiar with the training I''m about to put you through, correct?" asked Valve. "And before we begin, may I ask when the Codex revealed itself to you? Heard you''re a late bloomer.". Valve finished. "You''re not going to believe it, Valve," Ela prepared. "It was... after clearing the final, purple door," Ax replied sheepishly. "..." "Valve? You there?" Ax kept pestering him. Valve''s eyes were wide in shock, his lips parted and mouth slightly agape at the implications. "You... what?" Valve was gagged, still processing. As if he were a computer buffering. "Is it that unusual?" he asked him. "Elaine... she was chosen by the Codex in her first encounter. Ax, the most a late bloomer can take is about halfway, if they are really skilled," Valve explained. Ax''s eyes widened. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Now you know why that''s such a big deal?" Ela asked him. "As of right now, you and Elaine are equals in strength, whether it be because of brute force or intellect," Valve finished. Ax immediately thought of the castle gate Elaine pushed open; to think he was equally as strong as her... "That''s reassuring. So you''re capable of combat, but your body is just not as strong. May I ask how you fought the Dwellers?" he asked. "I have an oddity, just like you. Along with that, I have firearms," Ax explained as he showed his revolvers. "May I ask what your oddity is?" Valve asked curiously. "I''d rather not," Ax replied in a confident voice. "Alright, but Ax. Burn this into your mind," Valve commanded with a stern voice. Ax and even Ela stood silent. "The next week will be hell on Nexus; I will put you through months of training in a single week. And due to the use, not abuse, of apples, you won''t get any time to rest.". "What about... Elaine?" Ax asked nervously. "Don''t drag me into this!" she yelped out. "She''s been training vigorously for the past month. She''ll just spar with you and help out when I''m not around." Ax gulped in nervousness, his voice meek and his expression full of dread. "But what''s the alternative?" he asked out meekly, talking to himself. Valve heard it. "You''ll die," Valve was blunt.
"Until it''s 12 am, run back to the town and here again over and over. Do pushups till failure, spar till your arms fall off. Eat these fruits till the pain stops; train as if your life depends on it. I don''t care what you experienced in those doors; what matters is your body getting strong enough to compete against every other mortal in these realms. For every one that you''ll face from today onwards, they are just as capable as you or even stronger; your life depends on it." Valve monologued, making sure Ax understood every word of his.
"Now, I''ll spar with you once every day to see your progress. I''ll come back tomorrow, but for now... I have some business to attend to," Valve said as he put his helmet back on and walked away. The steam obscured their vision as he walked off; it finally dissipated. "So? What''s your plan?" she asked. "I can''t just go back home now, can I? If I can come to Nexus, maybe Nexus can come to me," Ax said as he stretched his legs, preparing for another run. *** Hours have gone by; it''s night now. Elaine had climbed up one of the towers to see the stars before she went to sleep. SHATTER CRACK SHATTER CRACK SHATTER CRACK "...?" "Are those gunshots?" Elaine asked herself as she jumped off the roof onto the ground below. She then walked towards the noise. As she walked closer and closer, cool air sent chills down her spine; it was almost summer. Why was it cold all of a sudden? In the heart of the source, she sees Ax. His hair obscuring his face, tired and sweating. However, he was surrounded by ice, trees frozen in place, and craters formed all around the area, shards of glass shimmering throughout. Ax flicked his revolvers open, reloading them. "Ahem," Elaine tried to make her presence known. This caused Ax to jolt in surprise and aim at Elaine instinctively. "Can''t sleep?" she asked him, completely unfazed. "Not yet; also, I need to shower. Right now I''m practicing a neat trick my friend used to do," Ax explained as he held his guns forward at a slight angle inwards. SHATTER CRACK As the ice and glass exited the barrels, due to the angle. It collided with each other. Causing the glass to shatter while being infused with ice, this caused a large amount of ground in front of Ax to get iced. Elaine''s eyes were wide open, her red eyes reflecting the moonlight. No wonder Ax was able to clear Floor-0 without the Codex. "The... shower''s on the second floor... use whatever you feel like," she guided Ax verbally while looking around the terrain, amazed. "Right... I should call it a night," Ax said sheepishly as he walked back to the castle. *** "Axel and Mithra... who exactly were you?" she muttered to herself, and she felt the crater etched into one of the trees with her left hand.
29. Final day! Begin! "Utterly humiliated," Ax replied to Valve''s question. "That''s how I feel, Valve. Utterly humiliated," Ax continued as he got up to his feet after tasting dirt the 5th day in a row. Training like hell for almost a week, his body feels different. Lighter, sturdier, stronger, and yet. "I still can''t land a finger on you," Ax finished as Valve put his helmet back on, the mist dissipating from the area. Ax was covered in dirt, his clothes a bloody and sweaty ruin from the week of training. "Today''s over; tomorrow will be the last day of training. Good luck." Ax dropped his sword; his gun soon followed. "Pathetic. Couldn''t even scratch you," Ax complained to himself. "Remember the group of Numans I fought that day?" Valve asked Ax. "Yeah, what about it?". "If I didn''t step in, you would''ve been heavily injured trying to beat them," he stated. Ax''s shoulders immediately dropped. "However, as you are now. They would stand no chance; you may not see it, but I see progress," Valve revealed. "How do you reckon that?" Ax asked curiously. "Reaction speed faster. You''ve always been resourceful, but now your body can keep up. Stronger, much stronger. Enhanced senses, etc.," Valve continued. "However, the true testament is..." Valve stopped as he raised his left hand, pointing at it. Ax looked closely, squinting his eyes. At the palm of the black glove, he sees steam emitting off of it. "Is that¡ª" "A tear, yes. You were able to tear through my glove, almost injuring me. That doesn''t happen often," Valve revealed as he saw Ax rejoice. "Hell yeah!" he screamed out. "Anyway, tomorrow will be the final day; get back to training," Valve commanded as he turned around to leave. "Oh right! Sorry." Ax got embarrassed. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Valve looked up at the sky, darkening. "It''s nightfall; train for two more hours and hit the hay. As it is now, you''ll do alright." *** Hours have passed. As Ax walked towards the castle, he stretched his shoulders, yawning. He stopped at the castle door. One was already open for everyone to use. However, the other door was already closed shut. He stared at the door for seconds, his curiosity growing more and more. "I wonder..." he continued, before he stood firm in front of the door. He reached out for the door with both his palms, grasping onto the cool, heavy metal. As he leaned forward, he took a deep breath and pushed. Pushed with all his might, gritting his teeth. He could feel his muscles pump up, his sleeves tightening slightly. But alas, it didn''t budge. Ax let out a heavy sigh as sweat dripped down his temples. "Forget it," Ax said as he headed towards the showers. As he walked up the stairs, he ran into Elaine, who had just taken a shower, her black and white hair going straight down her head, unbraided. "Done for the day?" she asked. "Yea¡ª" Ax got distracted and slipped, falling down, headfirst, onto the hard stone floor. "OW!" he screamed. "Pfft," Elaine tried to hold in her laugh. "WHY IS THE FLOOR WET?!" Ax screamed as he was lying on the floor. "Oops," she said as he walked off. Ax flipped her off. Ax got on his two feet and walked towards his room to get a spare change of clothes and a towel. *** Yawn Baron yawned as he walked through the castle doors; he stopped midway and walked backward and stared at the foot of the left door. "It''s... about an inch off where it last was... isn''t it?" he thought to himself as the moved door left a faint trail of dust. He grabbed the door and aligned it back, closing it, and walked back into the castle. *** It was the afternoon, and Ax was waiting for Valve at their usual battleground. Ax was stretching his knees, his joints crackling. ''How long is he going to take?'' he wondered. Elaine made her way towards him, looking confused. "Did... Valve call you here too? You''re supposed to be sparring with him, right?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Mist surrounded the both of them, and then it immediately vanished. Valve was now standing right in front of them, his helmet nowhere in sight. "Oh, you''re finally here," Ax replied. "Do we finally start clashing or...?" he asked. "No, actually, you will be fighting... Elaine," Valve answered. Ax looked to his left, seeing Elaine staring back at him. Her right hand is pointing at herself, just as confused. "I would crush him into a pulp!" she exclaimed. "YOU HEARD THE WOMAN, SHE WOULD CRUSH ME INTO A PULP!" Ax repeated, but this time much louder. "There are two properties within my fog; one is to make it invisible. The other is to make all inhabitants within the fog be of equal strength and speed," he explained thoroughly. "Also, here," Valve said as he threw two blank iron tokens with chains going through them. "The rules are, the first one to grab the token off of the other wins. Anything goes; if something goes out of plan, I''ll step in. This is training because you''ll go against foes you''ll least expect to. I can guarantee it.". He finished. *** They both fastened the tokens onto their bodies, inspecting the tokens as they prepared. "This looks good on me," she uttered. "I know, right? These could be fashion statements. Whichever person came up with this idea really knew how to accessorize," Ax exclaimed uncharacteristically. "Abso-fucking-lutely.". She uttered. They then stood a few meters away from each other, Ax holding his sword in his right hand, the dagger in his left. Elaine is standing in her metal boots and arm. "No sword?" he asked. "None needed," she replied. They both took deep breaths. "Begin!" Valve screamed. 30. Final Spar. Baron walked out of his room groggy and tired. He yawned as he made his way towards the kitchen down the stairs. Wearing fluffy slippers, an orange T-shirt,, and some blue pants. Grabbing a full carton of cold chocolate milk from the fridge, he walked out of of the castle and jumped on top of the roof,, then on top of the roof of one of the towers. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and¡ª "Oh shit, it''s 1pm,"he said in surprise; he usually wakes up at around 11am. "Not used to this... but then again... it was a rough night." He continued as he sat down and unsealed the carton of milk. Gulping a third of it down. The cold, refreshing dairy was felt all throughout his body. Lowering the carton, a fleeting thought entered his mind. "Why was the gate uneven? Knowing Elaine, she would focus on the right gate, but the left... Did Ax already...?" His eyes darted over to a section of the forest without any trees; Ax and Elaine were standing, facing each other, preparing to spar. "Speak of the devils! I have to get a better seat," he exclaimed as he immediately jumped down, accidentally knocking over the carton of milk. As he was standing on the ground, he stared into the puddle of chocolate milk before him. *** "Begin!" Valve screamed. For the first few seconds, it seemed as if Ax was eyeing her up and down, her doing the same. They were sizing each other up. Elaine fell back to a defensive position. Ax took note and dashed towards her with his sword aimed at her torso. Right as the falchion was about to graze her chest, she grabbed the blade with her right hand, pulled him towards her, and grabbed his arm with both her hands. "Fu¡ª" Ax said as she slammed him into the ground behind her with a loud thud. "AH!" Ax screamed as he felt the impact. ''Equal strength, my ass,'' he thought to himself as he opened his eyes to see her rearing her metal foot to stomp on him. He rolled out of the way the last second. Pushed the ground with his arms and stood back up. She balled her palms into fists and raised them in an offensive pugilistic stance. Ax, seeing her fists raised, pointed his sword towards her, maintaining an arm''s length of distance between the two of them. Elaine kicked his sword aside, breaking his stance, and kicked him in his solar plexus. Ax is getting thrown back a couple of meters and slamming into a tree. Spit escaped his lips. Before he could think, she dashed towards him, rearing a punch with her right hand. Ax dodged in the last second, which caused her to punch the tree instead. "What? Too chicken?" she mocked him. "Need to get on the offensive and end this, fast," he muttered to himself. Ax then put away his dagger, gripped his sword with both hands, and charged at her. She parried his sword and pushed it aside, but he expected this. Using the momentum, he turned around to his side and slammed her with his shoulder; before she could fall back, she reached for the token hanging off of her waist. She was caught off guard, but Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "Not quite." Elaine grabbed his shoulder and turned him away. Wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him tight. "Shit." Ax could only complain as she lifted him up and did a suplex on him. The impact disoriented him, but it was nothing he wasn''t used to. With his hair full of dirt, he got back up and made distance between the two of them. Ax put away his sword, much to Elaine''s and Valve''s surprise. Ax took a deep breath and dual-wielded his silver and bronze revolvers instead. This caught Valve''s attention. Elaine knew what he was about to do. SHATTER CRACK Ax shot the revolvers at an angle, colliding with each other midair. The bullets aimed downwards shattered into ice-infused fragments, causing an ice structure to form against Elaine. Elaine caught off guard, used as much force as she could muster in a weakened state to punch the ice, shattering the top half. "ICE?!," Elaine screamed out. "Hey! No complaining! You''re the one who can punch a hole through a tree," Ax bantered. SHATTER CRACK Ax formed another ice structure between the two of them. Elaine shattered it with a single punch once more, but- Ax had dashed right behind the Ice as the shard of ice grazed his cheek, drawing blood. He raised his fist to punch Elaine as hard as he could. With all his might, hitting her right cheek. The impact caused the braids running down her hair to get dismantled. Blood escaped her lips, and she stepped back a few steps. Ax''s eyes widened. "Shit! I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to¡ª" he started apologizing profusely. She started grinning as the blood dripped down her chin. "Seems like I''ve been underestimating you... Axton," she said as she reached for the air, sections of her metal arm reforming and bits of her boots moving up into her palm. In her hand was a two-handed, straight longsword. Ax was amazed at what he saw. "So this is her oddity..." he muttered. He then grabbed his sword, holding it in his right hand and the silver gun in his left. He smelled blood; drops of blood dripped down his nostril. He smudged it off. "Guess I''m not the only one bleeding out," she bantered. "Eh, been through worse," he responded. "Don''t doubt it," she finished. "Remember the objective!" Valve screamed out. Baron ran as fast as he could the moment he heard Valve scream. They both took deep breaths and ran for each other as fast as they could, with as much strength as they could. Ax aimed his gun, ready for his sword to follow suit. Elaine swung his sword as hard as she could, with all the strength that she could muster. CRACK *** Within the blink of an eye. Baron grabbed Elaine''s sword at the hilt and held it upwards. Valve jumped in and aimed Ax''s revolver at the sky and grabbed his sword with his other hand. "Enough," they most grumbled. "You''re ready, Ax. However, the both of you lost sight of the objective," Valve explained. Baron, however impressed as he was. He was silent. "Did I fuck up?" Elaine asked him, immediately seeing that he was pissed. This was uncharacteristic of him. "No, you almost killed him, but that''s besides the point," he explained. *** "Pink... slippers?" Ax asked Baron. "Why? Got an issue with it?" He was not in a good mood. "No, no. Just asking," Ax got defensive. "Ahem." Valve cleared his throat; he was wearing his helmet again. Elaine and Ax paid attention. "Elaine already knows where the orientation of the trials will be held. Ax just followed her; just remember. It starts in the evening," Valve explained. "Alright, thanks." "That being said, I need to go back. But before I go. Axton," Valve called him. "Yes?" "Good luck, you''ll need it," Valve said as he left. "Let''s head back; it''s getting dark out. Baron already left," Elaine said as the both of them walked back home. Ax was staring at her while they walked. "What?" she asked. "Did those snakebites hurt?" he asked. "Not really," she answered. "Sorry about accidentally unbraiding your hair by the way," he apologized. "It''s fine really; I can always keep braiding it," she answered. "Why did you dye half of your hair black?" he asked again. "Personal reason," she said bluntly; it was clear this particular question bothered her. "How about you though? What made you grow out your hair?" she asked. "My dad had long hair; I and my best friend back home decided to follow his lead," he answered fondly. "Axel... your dad. Was he a good parent?" she asked him. "Oh, the best! We miss him a lot, actually," he replied. "That''s nice," she said as she smiled softly while she looked ahead. "I''ll go faster; get some apple slices ready," Ax said as he ran towards the castle. Something still bothered her; why was Baron so angry? He''s usually sarcastic and frankly. Annoying. Did something happen? Did someone¡ª Elaine stepped in a puddle. "Hmm? I swear it didn''t rain," she muttered as she looked down to see a brown puddle and an empty milk carton laying on the ground. "...Baron that bitch," Elaine cursed as she looked down at the puddle of spilt milk. 31. New Coat! Switched it up. It was 3:00 AM. "Okay, this is a horrible idea. But who''s going to stop me?" she says she has a paper box sitting on the sink. A towel around her neck and her hair flowing down. *** It was now 4:00 PM. "Where is Axton?" Valve asked Baron. "Not sure, but apparently Elaine knows where to find him. She left like five minutes ago. Any idea where that is?" Baron responded, his brows furrowed. "Since when did they get so close?" he asked. "I see, I''ll go there without them," Valve said as he walked out. "Meet you at the showrooms in a few days. See ya," Baron said as his face shifted to a face of speculation. ''Why does he favor Ax so much? Medusa? No, it can''t be. But none of my business; he better not try and steal him, though'', he muttered to himself as he grabbed his bat and left the castle soon after. *** "There''s so much I want to ask you. You two specifically..." Ax talked to himself, leaning on the foot of the statue as he sat down. The flowery scent of the gardens was flowing through his lungs. "I miss you..." he muttered to himself. The shade of the massive tree encapsulating him, the sunny day wasn''t bothering him, however. Instead, it gave him comfort. He started to doze off. A soft grasp touched his shoulder. Ax woke up immediately; he looked to his right, and he saw a black-haired girl with metal boots and a metal arm walk up to him. "Knew you were here, well? What are you doing?" she asked Ax with a grin on her face. "..." "What?" she asked again. "Have we met before?" Ax''s face was painted in a shade of confusion. "You''re fucking with me, right?" she asked, her grin immediately vanished. "Oh Elaine! Hi, I didn''t recognize you." He said as his eyes widened. "Anyway, we still have like four hours. I''m going to go buy some stuff. Want to tag along or want to meet up back at the castle?" She asked him, knowing that he doesn''t know his way around the city yet. "I''ll tag along, since we''re supposed to meet up either way," he said as he got up. "Where to first?" "Vithr, I need to pick up something," she answered. Elaine and Ax were now at Vithr''s shop; Ax was browsing through Vithr''s wares while Elaine was waiting at the counter. His hand was on his chin as he looked at the prices; he still couldn''t afford most, but some of them... "Ah, finally you''re back!" Elaine exclaimed. "Forgive me, this has been sitting around for about a week. Needed to search for it," Vithr said as he plopped the sword onto the counter. The scabbard looked like that of a normal sword, but the tip was flat rather than pointed, and it was a two-handed one and larger. Elaine picked up the scabbard and unsheathed the sword for the blade to be revealed. Stolen novel; please report. The hilt of the sword was a deep red, black to those looking from afar. The sides of the hilt had small reptilian heads poking out. However, that was the least interesting aspect of the sword. The blade itself was a broad, straight-edged double-sided metal of the same deep red color. However, it lacked a point. It was a rectangular blade. "Whoa, is that an ''Executioner''s Sword''?" Ax asked, amazed at the craftsmanship. "Yep," Elaine said as she was proud of herself. "Fucking Emo." "Alright. Fuck you too," Elain replied. "But what''s so special about it? Why get it right before the trials?" Ax asked, genuinely curious. "Hmm? It''s enchanted, that''s why. I killed a salamander once, and I gave Vithr the lungs, and... Tada! Flaming executioner''s sword made from the blood of¡ªOkay, yeah, that is... I''d make fun of me too." Elaine''s voice shifted. As she stood in the corner, dejected. Ax turned to Vithr. "Enchanted?" he asked. "Yes, I''ve yet to explain to you, but when you kill a dweller... or any beast. If you bring their remains or specific body parts to a blacksmith, gunsmith, or armor artisan, they can fashion it into a piece of equipment," Vithr explained. "Such as the lungs of a flaming salamander, such as this lady. A heart of an Oni, throat of a Wendigo," Vithr kept explaining. "Or the fangs of a Basilisk!" Ax exclaimed. Both Elaine''s and Vithr''s ears perked up. "Wait right here!" Ax said as he summoned the blue door. *** After a few minutes, Ax returned with two snake fangs and set them on the table. "You fool! Be careful with that; these are dangerous!" Vithr yelped out. Elaine walked up with her sword on her back and grabbed one of the fangs with her right hand. "I assume this thing tried to eat you?" Elaine asked. "Yeah, a bit a few times, but¡ª" ''Shit.'' Ax immediately regretted saying that. "Huh, must''ve not seen you as a threat until the moment you killed it. Right? You''re lucky this juvenile was inexperienced." Elaine wanted to confirm her suspicions. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense¡ªwait, did you say juvenile?" Ax''s voice dropped. "Yeah, usually the fangs are big enough to fashion swords. This can only be made into daggers or ammo, or antivenom, I guess," she continued. "Antivenom?" he asked. "Yeah, take it to the Olive Doves, and they will buy it off of you," she finished. "Oh. I might just do that. I like my sword," he replied. "Suit yourself. That reminds me, the next stop is¡ª" Elaine''s ears perked up mid-sentence. *** They were at the suit and leather store Ax first stumbled into. "Oh, I bought some gloves from here this one time. It was when I was searching"¡ªAx stopped mid-sentence. "Searching for what?" She stopped mid-door. "I forgot," he answered. She shrugged it off and walked in, Ax immediately sighing in relief. She walked in, immediately seeing the Welsh man with a measuring tape hanging from his neck, inspecting a mannequin. "Ah, Perez. Always a pleasure to see you, and... you? I don''t believe we shared names before. I''m Gareth, Gareth Davis," he introduced himself. "Oh right, I''m Axton, Axton A-cks." Ax got his rib elbowed by Elaine. "Axton... Axe? That''s a funny name, especially for someone who''s Bengali. Anyway, Perez, Axe, how may I help you two?" Gareth welcomed them both as Axe was grabbing the side of his rib while staring daggers at the culprit. "Is the suit finished?" she asked as her eyes showed excitement. "Ah, not yet. Give it two more days; it''ll be done by then." "In that case, I''ll come back after the trials; I''ll be busy," she said and then turned to Ax, who was staring at a mannequin. "You going to get something or do we dip?" she asked Ax, who was preoccupied. "Gareth, how much is that?" He asked as his eyes didn''t flinch. "10 gold. However, it''s crafted with the leather of a Koguhpuk. A mammal usually found in frozen tundra. It is fairly resistant to ice and frost," Gareth explained, tempting Ax. Enticing him. "I''ll take it." *** Ax was back at his room at the castle. Opening his backpack, he grabbed a new black t-shirt, wearing it with his dark, tan pair of jeans. His boots he brought from home. He rummaged through his backpack, looking for something small. "Where is it... Found it!" he grabbed a red pick with a chain going through it. He tied it around his neck and looked at the bag he got from Gareth. "Cost is almost everything, but... worth it," he muttered to himself. Elaine was waiting for Ax at the entrance as she waited. She saw him walk up to the castle door. Wearing a deep blue leather trench coat, his guns hidden under his coat and his sword and dagger strapped to his left. As he walked over, she could only stare. Only one word could escape her lips. "Emo." "Fuck you." "You look good, but the orientation starts in an hour. We have to go, like, right now," she said as night fell. *** Ax and Elaine made their way to the other side of the capital; they ran for it and arrived at a large, open-air theater. The theater was massive, and all around them were people of various races and several cultural origins. Including some people who looked as if they came from modern times. Some even beyond that. As she led Ax in through the gates, she took him to the top rows. There were several rows of seats, capable of holding what seemed like about three thousand observers. "Fuck, should''ve come earlier. We only got the seats all the way back," Ax complained. "Oh, my sweet summer child. Just wait," Elaine said as she looked proud of herself. "What...?" Ax was confused. "Hush, pay attention." She said as a man walked into the center of the theater. Her eyes were glued onto the man. As Ax turned to look at him, he saw a Viking. A tall Viking. Easily over 6 feet tall. A golden lion hide caped over his shoulders. A round, deep brown wooden shield attached to his back and a large spear in his grasp. His blond hair is tied in braids, the same as his beard. "My name is Gorm Odinson!" his voice roared throughout the theater. "And I shall be the coordinator for this year''s Summit Seeker Trials!" he screamed out. "Your goal as a Summit Seeker is to seek your ideals and make them reality! Now, what even IS a Summit Seeker?" he asked rhetorically, but this caught Ax''s attention in a vice grip. 32. Let The Trials Commence!
"Everything comes to an end! Life, Love, Laughter, everything! Including Worlds! Yggdrasil, Gaia, Geb, Nuna and so many more! When a life ends, they are sent to the afterlife. A mirror of the world they resided in. But what happens when a World dies, what happens when the mirrors follow?", he asked. Gorm''s voice echoing throughout the theatre. "Every world that has gone through their ends, their apocalypse, their Ragnar?k. They all migrated here! On our world, our Nexus! How? Why? No one has solved this millennia old mystery! However...", his voice bellowed. "At the Summit Of Nexus, resides a Final Star! To catch this fallen star, is to gain the powers that far surpasses any god to have ever lived. Gain this strength and any wish your heart may desire! Shall be made reality!", He stabbed his spear into the ground. "Reach for the stars, clutch it in your grasp and your wish will be reality! My wish? Is to have my spear pierce the hide of Fenrir and the great serpent J?rmungandr!", He raised his fist, pointing at the sky. His bronze brace revealing itself. ''If I... get my hands on the star... I can wish for anything?.'' Ax asked himself. "However... the final star of Nexus. Was already claimed, clutched. Used. The wish used to bring all the gods, demi-gods and monsters back to life!", he said with fury. Ax''s face turning a shade of confusion. ''What?''. A smile flashed across Gorm''s face. "The final star of Nexus, the star of Floor-1. Has been used, diminished. The Final Star of Floor-2 however..." Ax''s eyes widened, his heart beating louder and louder. "The Final Star of Floor-2! Has yet to be claimed! The Final Star of Cosmorgia! Has yet to feel the warmth of a mortal hand!", the emotion of the theatre changed. The mostly silent spectators, started cheering. Growing more and more rambunctious. "All of you here! Are already Summit Seekers! But without Allegiance. Without a common goal. Pass the trials with flying colors and you shall be given a silver token! The token signifying competence! Use this new found competence to join a new Order! Join comrades in arms and be given advantages beyond mere Totas! Or follow your new life solo! With nothing to drag you down! Just don''t lose your sanity while you run solo.". "The First trial begins tomorrow! You will be given a symbol as you leave. Gamma! Theta! Or Kappa! They will guide a thousand of you to different trial grounds! The Desert, The Forest and a Fungal Lush!", as he started to finish his speech, flocks of ravens and doves started to gather around him. "The Odin''s Ravens and Doves of Aphrodite! They shall be our eyes! They shall see your performance, to fall victim to our judgements!", He screamed as he walked back to the spear, picking it up off the ground and equipping his shield. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Scream, my Summit Seekers! Scream for these trials are not only a test of might! For these trials are a festival! A celebration of life and mortal desire! A celebration of struggle! A celebration of our new lives as Summit Seekers! Let the Trials Commence!" He roared as he held his shield close to him and pierced the black sky with his spear. As Ax looked above him. He started to see, he started to see a shooting star, then another followed by another. Till the entire black sky lit up with showers of shooting stars. Compared to nothing Ax had ever laid his eyes upon. He looked around him, the other seekers who roared just a moment ago. All the seekers who couldn''t sit still. We were in awe in silence. He looked next to him and he saw Elaine, staring into the sky just like everyone else. The stars shimmering, reflecting off of her eyes and armored limbs. Staring with an expression of awe and pure joy. But who could blame her? He thought. Who could blame her? This wasn''t a common occurrence back on Earth. *** "What... was all that? Does it just happen here?", Ax asked her, in awe of what just unfolded. "Yeah! Twice every year, one month in between each other.", she replied, showing the same enthusiasm. "Is that why the trials take a month to complete?" "Exactly why they take a month to complete. That being said, the pamphlets with the symbols are being given out. Let''s walk back down.", She said as she got up, half the theatre already left. "Sure, I guess.", he said as the both of them walked down the stairs. Two workers in leather armor ran gave each of them a pamphlet, each with different symbols. Ax opened the pamphlet to see the letter ''K'' engraved onto it. "I got... a K... Kappa! I got Kappa!" Ax exclaimed. As he read the fine print. "The Fungal Lush... Is that¡­ a mushroom forest or something?" he asked himself. "Yeah, and I got... Gamma. The desert, shit. I guess we go separate ways then," she said as she dreaded the idea of getting sand everywhere. "I fucking hate sand," she said. A dove and raven perched on their shoulders. "Ah!" Ax shrilled. "Pfft¡ªdon''t¡ªlook at their neck, you idiot," she said, trying to hold back her laugh. The dove that perched on Ax''s shoulder had the K symbol around its neck as a necklace. "Oh, I think I know what to do from here," he said as he connected the dots together. "Yeah, they also act as our guides. Follow them and you''ll be fine," she said as the both of them walked towards the exit. "I guess this is where we split; see ya after the trial ends, I guess?" Ax said as he looked at her. "Hmm. Yeah, see you then. Good luck." Ax raised his fist at her. Elaine looked at it, then raised her fist and tapped his. "Good luck," he said. *** Ax followed a crowd that branched off the main one. And the dove sitting on his shoulder was silent, so it seems he''s not messing up anything. "I wonder..." Ax said as he turned around in a different direction. The dove immediately got off and started cooing, pulling Ax''s coat with its feet. "Alright, alright. I get it. Wrong way." *** After what felt like 15 minutes. "Whoa...''" Ax''s jaw dropped with awe. Ax, along with the crowd, stopped by a sea. The sea was expansive, and by the shoreline were two galleon ships anchored to the seabed. The ships were massive, bearing three incredible masts for navigation. The dove perched on Ax''s shoulder flew off to one of the ships. "I guess that''s the one I hop aboard," Ax talked to himself as he hopped onto the deck from the dock he was standing on. "This is one massive ship, holy shit," he said as he walked towards the front end of the ship. His elbows resting on the thick wooden rails of the ship. "All hands on deck!" a man screamed from the crow''s nest of the ship. "Next stop! The Lushmush Isle!" he screamed out. The anchor lifted, the chain rattling as it got pulled up below the docks. The wind started picking up, blowing Ax''s hair behind him. The salty scent of the sea wind flushed his lungs. A soft smile spread across his face. He turned his head to look at some of the fellow passengers. *Bleeeeccccccchh.* Much to Ax''s dismay, his serene movie moment got interrupted by a man wearing a silk robe, a tiger skin kilt, and was barefoot. The man looked up at Ax, whose face was already contorted with disgust. Ax''s eyes widened. "You... you look like... Sun... Are you a stone monkey?" he asked. As he got a good look at the guy under the moonlight. His primate features are more visible. His red skin and grey fur. He opened his mouth once more to speak. "Yeah, what of it¡ª" his words were immediately interrupted by more of his lunch.
33. The Lushmush Isle!
"I''ll... let you sort your... uhm. Yeah, see ya," Ax said as he slowly walked away. He''d seen enough multicolored goop for one day. Ax walked away from the front of the ship and stood on the starboard side of the ship. Leaning over the rails. As he looked over, beside the ship was a cluster of shadowy figures under the surface of the water. "Oh? These are some cool-looking fish." He said as he stared at them, elbows resting on the rails. As the fish got closer, one of them jumped over the water. Revealing itself in the air, much like a dolphin. Ax''s eyes widened. The multicolored fishy scales shimmered in the moonlight. However, they weren''t fishes. "Mermaids..." he uttered to himself. Friendly sirens were swimming by the ship, their hair the same color as their scales. Curls like seaweed, colors like sea glass. They were beautiful. That''s all that Ax could think about. There were five of them. One looked at him staring at them. As if she knew what he was thinking, she blew him a kiss. Ax only waved back at them, ''They''re kind of cute...'' he thought to himself. His face got immediately splashed with what felt like a full bucket of water. Immediately followed by rather unladylike snorts of laughter. ''Not that cute...'' he said as his face was now drenched with water. He shook his head really fast, getting water out of some of his hair that got wet. All while the mermaids were still laughing. *** It was around 9 AM. Ax had fallen asleep, leaning against the rails on the floor. "Here," one of the coordinators said as he handed Ax a small wooden box and a canteen of water. "Breakfast is in 30 minutes; this box has 10 apple slices. Take care," he said as he walked away. The coordinators all wore leather armor with the letter ''R.''. Engraved in a very fancy, regal font at the chest and back. "Welp." Ax got up. "I''m hungry." *** Ax''s breakfast was a mushroom sandwich. As Ax finished his food, he walked back out at starboard, and he saw something in the distance, getting bigger and bigger. "Land ho!" the man at the crow''s nest screamed. As Ax squinted his eyes, the island got closer. He could see a forest of tall... The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Mushrooms? That''s The Lushmush," he asked in amazement. The fungal forest was now in full view. A dark-skinned elven coordinator stood atop the forward bow, behind the base of the figurehead, and cleared his throat. "Seekers! Your first trial begins now!" Every seeker on the boat had their attention focused on this one man. Some indoors, some sitting on the rails. Someone was almost blue from vomiting the whole trip and being seasick. He had a silvery, mirror-like token in his hand. Holding high above him, he screamed. "There are three hundred and thirty-three of these tokens scattered all across the island at varying locations! These shine like stars under the dimmest of lights! Grab one and bring them back to the ship at the end of the week to pass with flying colors!" he screamed. All the seekers are on board the ship. Got up from their rest, up from being seasick, walked out the doors, and stood on deck. As Ax looked closely at the token, it was engraved. ''333K.''. As the ship hit the shore, the entire galleon shook. Anchors are being dropped down. The coordinator, with a sly grin across his face. His silvery hair down his shoulders. Clutched the token in his grasp and threw it towards the fungal lush. Throwing it as hard as he could, deep within the forest. "Your trial starts now!" he screamed. Ax almost lost his balance. The deck shook with the speed at which the seekers ran and jumped off the ship, onto the shore, into the forest. Ax looked over the rails, even though the shore looked soft. He was hesitant to jump; his legs shook at the simple idea. What if he broke his- "SWEET LAND, I''M COMING TO YOU~," the previously mentioned stone monkey screamed as he ran past Ax, diving headfirst onto a large mushroom. Ax could only look in awe at him bouncing off the mushroom like a cartoon character. "I... guess that works?" he said as he looked at the mushroom. He took a deep breath and gulped. He took a leap of faith. Jumping off onto the mushroom legs first. As if it was a spring, he bounced off. Reaching a great height and covering a fair bit of horizontal distance. "WHOAA¡ªAH!" he screamed as he fell headfirst into mycelium-ridden soil. Getting a face full of dirt. "Ow!" he yelped. His voice was muffled. As Ax got up, he smudged the dirt away from his face and looked ahead of him. The seekers were already in the forest; he could already hear the clashes of swords. Gunshots, small explosions. Ax slapped the dirt off his coat. The mushrooms towered over him, larger than any building he was used to being around. The sun is peeking over the mushrooms. He took a deep breath and ran. He ran into the forest as fast as he could, half prepared for what awaited him. Ax saw more of those mushrooms, shaped like umbrellas. But of varying sizes, as he looked overhead. He saw a chain with a silver token hanging off of it. An idea popped up in his head. "This is going to be a horrible idea," he said as he looked back down at the mushrooms. "Here goes nothing..." he said as he got a running start and jumped onto the smallest mushroom. Boosting him up into the air, he used that momentum to jump on the other. "WHOAH!" he screamed as he kept carrying the momentum onto the mushrooms till he reached the top of the tall, flat mushroom with the token hanging off of it. Ax landed atop the sturdy mushroom top on his knee. "That... went smoothly..." he said to himself as he walked towards the chain hanging off the ledge. He crouched over, reaching for the token, and finally had it in his grasp. "7K... What an odd number; anyway, that was easy enough..." he said as he was grinning with his teeth out, staring at the token. As he opened his coat to put away the token. Thwack "AH!" Ax screamed as something hard hit his forehead. As he opened his eyes, he saw the same monkey. With his tiger skin kilt, having his back turned, looking at him over his shoulder. Smirking, taunting him. "Thanks for the token, idiot," he said as he tried to jump off. "No, you fucking don''t!" Ax exclaimed as he grabbed his revolvers and¡ª SHATTER CRACK Shot an ice barricade between the ledge and him, as he was about to escape. "Tsk, pesky human," he said as he turned to Ax, with his staff aimed at Ax and token wrapped around his neck. "You''re one to talk, stone monkey," Ax said as he aimed at the one standing in front of him. "Your name? Human?" he asked as a smirk spread across his face. "Axton, Axton Axe. You? It feels wrong calling you a monkey," Ax replied. He chuckled, "My name is Son Houzi."
34. God I Hate Sand "Good luck," Ax said as he parted ways from Elaine. The raven perched on her shoulder poked her, pulling her hair towards a separate direction. "Ow! Oh, okay, I get it. That way," she complained as she followed a separate crowd towards a cliffside. As the crowd again separated into three smaller crowds, the raven guided her. Standing at the edge of the cliff, she was met with a wide, hard wooden bridge. It led to a... "Ship?" she asked herself. Half confused and curious. As she looked to the bow of the ship, she saw two massive whales. Her eyes grew wide in pure awe. "Skyfaring Whales!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with intrigue. She immediately took the bridge and jumped on deck. Running past other seekers, pushing some of them aside, and standing behind the figurehead. Her mouth dropped in pure amazement. The whales looked much like humpback whales but larger, and there were two of them. They looked rubbery black, but much like humpbacks, their pectoral fins were a different color. Tipped in a bioluminescent purple, the patterns glowed in the dark softly. Soft veins spread across the flying mammal, the tail and underbelly sharing the same glow. "They''re beautiful... I''ve only ever heard of them, such pretty colors..." she continued. As the bridges were lifted from the cliffside, the flying ships began to move slowly. The momentum made Elaine almost lose balance, but she stood up straight. As her gaze lifted, the glows of the two whales were brighter, like fireflies but much... much larger. They lifted their heads and called to the other ships, preparing to depart. As they lifted their fins... they started swimming, pulling the ships along with them. These gentle giants were only an example of the fauna native to Nexus. The wind blew her hair back; she closed her eyes and embraced the soft breeze blowing against her skin. "Maybe... this won''t be so bad after all..." she mumbled to herself. As she finally jumped back on deck. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. One of the coordinators of the trial walked up to her, holding a white folded cloak in her arms with a metal canteen on top and a small box of 10 apple slices. "Here, these are required for the trial ahead," the woman said. She is wearing a white cloak over her armor herself. "Ah, thank you," Elaine said as she took them off her hands awkwardly. Attaching the canteen to her waist and wearing the cloak over her black leather jacket. She had to attach her sword to her waist too, however. "Hmm, this isn''t too bad..." she said as she inspected how it looked on her. *** It was 11 am. Elaine had two regular, red apples for her breakfast and headed over to the main deck. Every other seeker had similar ideas. Elaine looked over the rails, and she saw a vast desert under her. However, as she looked closely. She could see the ships heading over a desert town with sandstone buildings. A coordinator jumped down the crow''s nest, her white cloak flowing in the wind. As she stood straight, she screamed. "Seekers! Your first trial begins now!" catching everyone''s attention. "We will be flying over a ruined town! Abandoned years ago due to the fauna that resides here, the cloaks hung on your shoulders will work as sails, gliders." She explained as she raised a silver token overhead. ''333¦£'' Engraved unto it. "There will be 333 of these tokens spread throughout the desert! Find one and hold onto it till the trial ends in one week, and you pass! Almost exactly a third of you will pass; fight amongst yourselves if you have to! Your canteens will become empty, however there are oases spread throughout the desert filled with drinking water, fill them up there if you are thirsty!". She explained. But a grin spread across her face. "However, you aren''t the only ones thirsty here. Before any of you die, we coordinators will drag you back to the ship," she continued as she tossed the token off deck. "Now jump! The trials start now!" she screamed. Without missing a beat, Elaine got a running start and leapt off the ship. Diving through the air, the strong gust of wind blew her braids free; she bared her teeth in a beaming grin. After falling a certain distance, her cloak spread open like a parachute, significantly decreasing her momentum. "Whoah!" she screamed as she fell through a cloud. Elaine opened her eye to look around, and she saw a stone house she wanted to land on. She tried maneuvering in the sky, finding it difficult. The cloak shifted to allow her to glide through the air like a wingsuit. As she flew faster and faster... and even faster... Her eyes, which radiated in unbridled joy and excitement, shifted to dread. "Shit, I''m going too fast!" she complained as she headed straight for the sandy dirt past the building. Her eyes immediately shifted to horror as she lost control. "No no no NO!" she screamed as she fell headfirst into the sand. *** "Ow..." she complained as she sat up. She got sand all over her clothes, her hair, and most importantly... her armor. As she flexed her right hand covered in metal. Sounds of sand being crushed could be heard. Grains getting smashed, ground into dust. Crush, grind, rustle. These were the sounds she heard and felt as she started to stand up straight, as the sand slipped into the crevice of her boots as well as her arm. Her face contorted in a cringe. "I fucking hate this," she complained as she walked. Mumbling profanities under her breath. "At least it can''t get any worse than this," she tried to assure herself, calming herself down. Almost immediately something the same size as her jumped out of the sand, dousing her in even more sand. "...", As Elaine slowly turned around, she saw an orange scorpion standing in front of her. *** For lunch she toasted a scorpion leg over her flaming sword stuck into the ground. She was sitting down on its corpse as she chowed down into it. The raven is looking at her with its lower jaw wide open. She got up and threw the half-eaten leg on the ground and picked up her sword, sheathing it. "Now... to find the token..." she mumbled under her breath. 35. Experience These Nuts. "Ow!", Ax exclaimed as Houzi thrusted his staff at the center of his forehead and immediately followed up with an overhead swing. Knocking Ax back a few stops, almost making him lose balance. "Fucking hell, get your own token.", Ax complained as he replaced his bronze gun with his sword. "Make me.", Houzi taunted him as he tried to hit Ax again, but Ax this time was able to side step away from the thrust. Catching him off guard. Ax immediately slashed at Houzi''s head. However, he leaned back. Letting himself fall back on the ground, using the momentum he kicked upwards towards Ax''s chin. Caught off guard, he fell back a few steps. "Full of surprises, did you train under an experienced master?", Houzi taunted him, half impressed. "Experience these nuts.", He said as he raised his sword back towards Houzi. He charged at Ax, striking the side of his head. But Ax used the flat of his sword against his other forearm to block the strike, still getting pushed a few steps. He aimed his gun at him and- CRACK Houzi backflipped off the ground as he saw Ax aim, jumping over the bullet altogether. Using this momentum to his advantage, he hit Ax with an overhead swing. But Ax was able to block it again, but the impact disorientated him. Ax was playing it safe, he would usually start to get tired by this point but... But his body still felt light, still felt like he had more energy to let loose. He dashed at the foe in front of him. Houzi striking him once more but Ax dodged it this time and shoulder bumped Houzi off balance. "AH!", he exclaimed as Ax bashed him onto the ground, as he opened his eyes he saw Ax''s foot raised to stomp his head. But Houzi dodged by flipping over. CRACK Houzi looked over to his hand holding the staff, and it was frozen solid. He immediately looked up at Ax, his eyes widened in shock as Ax kicked him. His arm broke free but that''s because Ax kicked him away. As Ax walked over to his foe lying on his back, Houzi jumped back onto his feet. His hand numb and wet from being frozen in ice. He slicked his hair back and grabbed his staff with both hands. "I''ve underestimated you... Axton.", He said as a grin spread from ear to ear. He was enjoying this. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "Same here, Houzi.", Axton said as his thoughts spoke differently. ''Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck I fucked up, he''s way too strong. I...'' "...Regret this.", he mumbled the last two words under his breath. Houzi heard it. "I''ll regret it? Really? We''ll see about that!", He screamed as Ax pissed him off. "Wait wait you misunderstood-", Ax''s words got interrupted by a strike which he had to parry with the barrel of his gun. *** The fight went on, Ax and Houzi going back and forth. Parrying, blocking and dodging each other''s attacks. Steps going back and forth like a waltz of endurance. A dance Ax was losing. Houzi''s movements were too erratic, too fast. Some hits slipped past his guard, weakening him. Slowing him down. ''I can''t... keep up. He''s too fast.'', he thought to himself. "Well well, all bark and no bite, Eh?", Houzi stopped to taunt him, noticing his fatigue. "You, jackass. I told you it was a misunderstan-", Ax''s loud complain got interrupted by a loud thud. Both Ax and Houzi looked off in it''s direction. Seeing that Ax is distracted, Houzi used this opportunity to jump off the flat mushroom and run away. "Hey!", Ax screamed as he started to off after him, stopping right before he jumped off. It was clear that he was too strong for him. So he shouldn''t chase him down and look for a different token. So instead he raised his fist and flipped him off as he ran away with his token. "He ran off with my token like a monkey with fruit.", He mumbled to himself. "..." "...maybe I should keep that one to myself." Ax looked down after moving over to the ledge to see one of those bouncy, blue mushrooms again. He walked closer to the jump and- "Shit.", he cursed as he slipped off the tall mushroom and fell, back hitting the ground under him. Ax groaned in pain, his head hurt. As he sat up disorientated... He realized that it, didn''t hurt nearly as much as he''d expect it to. "Huh.", Ax stood up and as he turned around, he heard crashes and rumbles. His dove perched on top of the flora of the island. It was watching him. He wandered towards the sound to see a seeker clashing against a... "Dragonfly?", he mumbled in awe at the sheer size of the jade insect. The seeker was aiming for it''s wings with his sword, questions were raised. ''Why?'' was the most prominent one. As Ax studied the monster, he saw a silver chain hanging from its neck. A token shimmering in a metallic glow. As the seeker was sent flying against the stump of a mushroom, he swallowed an apple slice and immediately went back into the fight. Ax''s eyes widened, he was able to connect the dots. He his behind the shroom and studied the clash. "So, either I have to look for the token lying about somewhere... or fight a monster for it? Seems fair enough... but there''s only three hundred and...", Ax paused. "The trial lasts a week, there''s a thousand seekers on the island. But enough tokens for only a third of us... a limited amount of apple slices...", he mumbled. As the seeker grew tired, he ate another slice. Washing it down with some water from his canteen and ran towards a large stump, one last time. Getting a running start, he jumped off the stump and was able to slice the head of the dragonfly almost clean in half. "He''s strong...", he whispered to himself. "But he used two of his slices just in the first few hours... he won''t have enough for the last few days if he keeps this up." "If the other seekers are like this... they''ll be at a disadvantage down the line. A thousand seekers will definitely find three hundred badges or tokens... so we''ll have to fight amongst each other for the tokens!", Ax exclaimed, the other seeker looked in his direction. Ax immediately got up and ran away, confusing the seeker who just let it past. "This isn''t a test of battle. This is a test of endurance!", he screamed as he ran deeper into the forest. "That''s when everyone else will be weaker... that''ll be my chance.", Ax planned out. "It''s underhanded and unfair but... they are just stronger. There''s nothing I can do about it.", He finished. *** Ax spent the rest of the day jumping from branch to branch, mushroom to mushroom. Running and inspecting as many corners as he could. But they all were surrounded by monsters or Seekers fighting each other OR the monsters. As night fell, Ax found a cluster of soft. Oyster mushrooms growing on the side of a much taller, LARGER mushroom. He snuck himself in between the layers and found it... rather comfortable. The spores were everywhere but it wasn''t much of a bother. Just looked like he was peppered all over. As he drifted off into sleep, his stomach growled. "I''ll have to... eat something tomorrow.", he said as he yawned. He started mumbling. "I wonder how Elaine is doing... I hope she''s having better luck than I am. I''m comfortable here." 36. IF HELL IS REAL, I’M LIVING IN IT! "IF HELL IS REAL, I''M LIVING IN IT!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as an orange scorpion the size of a small shed chased her down the streets of the deserted, sandstone town. The seekers clashing on the rooftops paused to look at the running Elaine as the monster followed her. Seekers running around the streets ran in the opposite direction, away from the two of them. As Elaine looked behind her as she ran as fast as she could, she stared at the predatory arachnid. "Look, I''m sorry for eating your child! Okay?! Leave me alone!" Her eyes darted all over the creature. Inspecting every inch of visible death. The sharp, slim pincers were intimidating, but even more intimidating was the darker-shaded tail. The stinger is a deep brown hue with a bulbous base and a much sharper tip. These were the signs of a scorpion with venom. Elaine''s eyes looked at the base of the stinger... it was shimmering? Elaine was able to connect the dots. "The token!" she exclaimed as she turned around immediately. She charged towards it, unsheathing her sword as it ran towards her, just as fast as before. As it reared its stinger, Elaine took this as a signal to dodge. She slid in between its legs, the stinger barely missing her cloak. As she slid under it, she used her sword to chop off two of its left legs. Sliding past it, she stopped her momentum by stabbing the flat tip of her sword against the ground. Then, immediately charged towards the base of its tail. ''It''s immobilized; it can''t turn that fast!'' she thought as she was ready to slice off its tail. Her sword however, bounced off its hard exoskeleton. "Should''ve figured... It''s harder than everywhere else. Makes sense, it''s thicker and everything," she mumbled as she jumped back. The scorpion was turning around. "Shit, I guess I have no choice," she said as she sheathed her sword and aimed her right hand at the scorpion''s eyes. All five fingers aimed at its cold, beady eyes. Before she could do anything, a silver sword came flying and nicked the tip of the stinger. Chopping off the bit that makes up its sharp point. Elaine lowered her guard and stared at the sword... confused. It kept moving and swinging about in the air, as if it were possessed. As if it was being... controlled. In the sunlight, she then saw something translucent tug at the chain tied to the stinger...? This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "The token!" Elaine screamed as the token got pulled off and flew off with the sword towards the top of one of the buildings. It seemed a figure in a white cloak the same as her was watching her; obscured by the sun, she couldn''t make out their silhouette no matter how hard she squinted her eyes. Their face was obscured by the white hood over their head. As they opened the cloak, the sword flew into their sheath and the token into their grasp. It was another Seeker. The seeker turned their head to look at her before immediately running off. "Hey! Get back! That''s mine!" she complained as she immediately jumped onto the roof of the building. Leaving the scorpion behind, she chased after the Cloaked Seeker. *** From rooftop to rooftop. This seeker kept trying to lose Elaine, periodically looking behind them to see if she was still chasing them. Elaine, showing zero sign of her legs getting tired, was gaining speed on them. "She''s stubborn," they mumbled as they abruptly switched directions. Instead, run towards the direction of a nearby, ruined pyramid. They jumped onto the sand, running through the crevices of old houses. Elaine, looking at this, elected to rather chase them down while running on the rooftops. Almost losing her, they ran into the entrance of the pyramid. However, Elaine followed them in. Hearing the echoes of the footsteps, she followed them up a flight of stairs. Her own metallic footsteps echoed throughout the pyramid. She ran into a dark room headfirst; she lit the torches with her sword as she looked around. To see herself surrounded by vases and piles and piles of unused sandstone. "Where the hell are you! I know you''re in here somewhere!", she screamed furiously. Shatter Elaine heard a vase shatter behind her, turning around as fast as she could and¡ª Thud. She got punched at the back of her head, knocking her off balance. She turned around to immediately attack the seeker, but... nothing. She turned around to see no one standing there. Thud. She punched again, and once again no one was behind her. She waited for another hit, and¡ª She was able to grab the hand that kept punching her, but as she turned around... nothing again? She looked down at her hand to see... A blue, translucent hand. She gripped it with force with her left hand. "Ow!" The hand vanished as she heard the voice coming from behind a sandstone pillar. She immediately threw her sword as hard as she could towards the seeker. However, they rolled out of the way as the pillar crumbled. Dust particles filled the air as the seeker was on one of their knees, staring at Elaine with their hood finally down. With long hair, they finally stood up in front of her. A skinny frame with tan skin. He spoke with a voice deeper than what you''d expect. "Caught me," he said as he sent out another hand at her. She ducked and dodged the punch. She then held up an offensive stance and charged at him, throwing punches with such velocity that her cloak flew in the air like a flag. However, the man dodged every hit, every punch, and predicted her every move as if he could see the future. He jumped back. "Your name?" he asked as he sent one of his hands away from the fight. "None of your business," she replied, cautious to not let her guard down; however, she felt a soft pressure on her scalp. She touched it to feel... a hand? He paused for a moment. "Ah, Elaine Perez... I see," he said as Elaine''s sword flew over to him. He snuck a hand under his cloak to pull out a small... purple cigarette and placed it in between his lips, his canine revealing for a moment. Elaine was gagged; she didn''t know what to say or how to react. She was outmatched, and all she knew was that she had to take him down. Lighting it with her own sword which he now controls, she could only stare at the small flame that lit up under his breath. "Ah, where are my manners?", he said. "My name''s Valak, Valak Diaz," he said as his silver sword floated to his other side. 37. Elaine Vs. Diaz Elaine raised her palm to the ceiling, bits of metal dislodging from her boots and arm. Molding together in the air to form a longsword in her grasp. Diaz''s eyes widened. "So that''s your power? Your Oddity?", he said as he visually inspected the metal that covered her body. Elaine''s mind went fast, thinking of every possible explanation she could think of. All she knew was that he could send out two spectral hands out which he could control remotely. The question is... Could he send out more than two hands? How did he read her mind? Is he doing it right now? "Just to test something out...", she said. Catching Diaz''s attention. She immediately threw her new sword at him as fast as she could; his eyes widened in fear. Immediately both of his swords crossed together to block her sword, deflecting it. The impact still caused him to get pushed back a couple of steps. Seeing him get back on his feet, Elaine bolted towards him. Throwing jabs and punches, which Diaz dodged and deflected with his sword. "That''s all you can do?" he taunted her, smirking. "Just give up and walk away; get a different token!" he said. Immediately retaliating, using both swords to deflect her fists. Seeing an opening, he lunged forward and punched her as hard as he could. Causing her to smash against a pillar, crumbling it into dust. As she stood back up, she smudged off blood from her busted lip. Staring at Diaz, she smirked. "Give up," he repeated before he could say anything else. Her longsword flew into his peripheral vision, reacting almost immediately. He dodged and took a few steps back. However, he wasn''t fast enough. His cheek was slashed, and she drew blood. Elaine opened the box and swallowed an apple slice. "You didn''t take the sword to use it against me like my other one... nor did you expect that I could control it," she said as her longsword floated next to her. Diaz''s eyes widened; she figured him out. "That could only mean that you can''t send out more than two hands at a time... or you can''t control two at least. However, that also means you need to be grasping my head to read my mind. Right?" she asked, as she was clearly proud of herself. "Fuck, I underestimated her," he mumbled as he ate a slice. "You''re still outmatched!" he screamed. Immediately sending both swords to attack her. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Elaine, much like him, controlled her longsword as it clashed with his silver sword. She then blocked her old sword with her metal arm. The metals clashed in a high-pitched whistle, echoing throughout the room. While her new sword could easily keep the other sword occupied, she had to improvise against her old sword. The metal was hot; she couldn''t afford to let it touch her. It would singe her skin. As she blocked and deflected the sword with her right arm, she maneuvered around it and tried to grasp the hilt of her old sword with her left hand. Trying to reclaim it but¡ª "Oh, come on!" she complained as she felt a hand clutching onto it tightly. She was knocked away by the flat of the sword, falling on her back. The metal felt like a hot iron against her skin. She looked to her side to see Diaz standing away, just watching her. A smirk spread across her face again; she had an idea. She raised her right hand towards her foe and aimed three of her fingers towards him. Her metal fingers launched off at Diaz; before he could react, the metal spikes stopped midair. Being held by a translucent, floating hand. Her sword immediately dropped by him. He instinctively grabbed the metal spikes with her spectral hand, letting go of the other sword. The metal spikes immediately flew back to her arm, and she grabbed her sword and immediately ran towards him to finally take him down. However, before she could hit him,. Diaz was able to grab a metal rod from off the floor and use it to deflect her sword. Elaine jumped back, expecting a sword, but... "A metal rod?" she asked. "You''re getting desperate, aren''t you?" She said, making fun of him. She still had to keep his hand occupied; it''s troublesome to keep track of. She thought about it, unsure of what to do. Her eyes widened. "I owe you one, Diaz." He looked confused. "What do you mean?" he said as he saw Elaine''s long sword, which was occupied with his own break off its tip. Flying towards Elaine. She grabbed it and molded it around the hilt of her red sword. "No...", he said as he realized what she picked up on. As the red sword started to float next to her, she sent it against the metal rod and dashed towards Diaz one more time. *** Clank, tink, thud, whack, and screech These were the sounds surrounding them as they fought hand-to-hand. Diaz was taller and faster, but Elaine was stronger. Diaz kept dodging her attack, matching her footwork. Syncing it with his, stepping in between her punches to land hits on her. Disoriented, Elaine stood tall again to see him missing. She looked up to see a white cloak flying in the wind; Diaz jumped to kick her down. She dodged it and was able to get a firm grip on the cloak and throw him against a wall. As he stood back up, both of them were gasping for air. Diaz tried to eat an apple slice to gain the upper hand but¡ª Elaine kicked debris off the ground; sand got into his eyes, and he dropped the slice. She took this chance to lunge at him with her right fist and punch him with all her might, twisting her body as she hit him. Her footwork grounded her to the floor, reinforcing her impact. Diaz''s head got knocked onto the wall next to them; he lost consciousness and immediately went limp. Dropping the lavender cigarette from his mouth. She was breathless and tired. "Fucking finally," she said as she walked over to pick up her swords, the metal longsword fusing into her armor as well. She looked back at Diaz. "..." *** Before she left, she picked out an apple slice from his box and fed it to his unconscious body, and she obviously stole his pack of lavender cigarettes because why not. She walked down the stairs of the pyramid, expecting the harsh, blistering sun to scorch her skin, but instead she was met with a cold... almost freezing wind, as it was dark. She shivered slightly as she looked up at the stars. "This must be why they gave us these cloaks...", she muttered as she embraced the wind and the stars that shined far above her. She took a deep breath and exhaled. She needed to find a place to sleep, she thought to herself. She looked down at her left hand; she was holding the token. Engraved onto it was ''26¦£''. A soft smile spread across her face as she put it away and opened her canteen to drink water. She gulped almost all of it down; she was tired. A thought crossed her mind. "Wonder how Ax is handling it; hopefully he''s having it easier than I am...", she mumbled to herself. 38. Crab Mushroom Stew! Ax spent most of the first day foraging for food and exploring the island itself, his dove following him everywhere. Even though the vegetation primarily consisted of mushrooms and fungal growth, there were ponds scattered throughout the island with trees and herbs growing. However, given that these are the only sources of fresh drinking water, they were surrounded by the fauna of this island or other seekers who were out to clash against each other. Three days have passed since. *** Ax was walking about in the forest, foraging for fruits and edible mushrooms. Humming to the tune of nursery rhymes, Ax picked off mushrooms off the ground as he was shopping for groceries. Looking around, he grabbed a few rocks and cleaned them off. With his hands full of mushrooms and rocks, he walked over to a pond. After hiding them in a safe spot, he cut one of the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces and placed them on the bank of the pond. Strategically where smaller critters would be more likely to take the bait. He then climbed a mushroom and began to wait, hiding in plain sight. About half an hour later... A crab the size of his chest crawled up and began munching on the mushroom. As it was distracted, Ax immediately jumped and, without missing a beat, kicked the crab over on its back. He pinned its legs down against the ground with his knees and immediately stabbed the center of its chest with his dagger, immediately killing it. As he got up, he picked up the crab and walked over to a mushroom the size of a table. Placing it on its flat top, he walked back by the pond and gathered twigs and branches and a flammable cluster of spores. Sparking it by scraping off bits of flint he found on the ground, he started a small flame. He placed the rocks he hid away with the mushrooms into the fire, skewering some mushrooms over it. Letting it cook while he prepares the crab. He walked back to the crab and utterly dismantled it, throwing the crab legs and claws over the flame. Letting them roast while he shoves his sword under the thick, top shell of the crab. Shimmying his dagger into the same crease, he was able to take the thick, bowl-like shell off of its main body. He picked off the delicate crab meat from the exposed body and placed it into the shell. Putting away the useless organs for future bait, he took the shell filled with meat to the fire. After filling it with water, he threw the roasted mushrooms in, along with some herbs for flavor. After picking up the hot rocks with his sword, he threw them into the bowl, boiling the makeshift hotpot immediately. While he was about to munch on the crab legs, he saw something in his peripheral vision. Looking to his side, he saw a man the same age as him. Blond hair, green eyes, green robes, and pointed ears. It was an elf, and he looked hungry. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Noticing that he was eyeing his food, he offered a cooked claw to him. *** "Thank you...", he said as he cracked the crab leg open. Almost gorging himself on its rich taste, groaning in satisfaction. "We haven''t had any solid food since we reached the island," he revealed. Ax''s mouth wide open, he gobbled up the claw like he was a dying Victorian child given. Ax, feeling bad, offered some more crab legs and some roasted mushrooms. Ax noticed that he didn''t have a token either. "I assume you ate some of the slices in desperation?" he asked as he eyed his box strapped to his chest. "Correct, I only have three left," he said sheepishly. "How about you?" he asked. "I still have all ten; I''ve been living off of the island the entire time," Ax revealed, the elf''s eyes widening in shock and amazement. "What? How? I mean, I know you just told me¡ª," he stopped mid-sentence. A shifty smirk appeared on his face, catching Ax off guard. After both of them finished their crab legs, the elf cleaned his side of the campfire. Seeing that Ax had a pile of crab shell scraps next to him, he walked over and tried cleaning them and threw them aside. "I¡ªyou didn''t have to; it was okay," Ax said reluctantly. "No-no, you gave me food. I should help out at least a little bit," the elf said as he wanted to get even. The elf almost immediately got up and began to walk away. "Hey! Don''t you want to try the stew?" Ax asked as he left. Silence "For someone who wanted to be polite... he didn''t even ask my name," he mumbled as he tasted the stew. The seafood soup and aroma filled his stomach and invaded his nostrils. *** After finishing the stew, he stood up to throw away the crab shell and¡ª Thus His box with his golden apple slices fell to the ground, confused as to why it fell. He picked it up, clearly remembering that he had tightly secured it to his waist. "Why is it light?" he asked himself, confused. His eyes widened as he immediately opened the box. He saw only three slices... "That elf...", he grumbled. The elf''s hand switched their boxes when he cleaned Ax''s side of the ground. *** The sixth day had arrived. As Ax finally began to take this trial seriously, he ran all over the island. Looking for tired seekers he could take on and any leftover monsters or tokens he could claim. Running past tall mushrooms, something caught his eye before he ran past it. He saw someone lying against a tall mushroom stump, surrounded by their own pool of blood. With one of the coordinators standing over them. As he walked closer, he recognized the man lying on the floor. "Houzi?" Ax asked cautiously. Houzi looked beside him to see Ax staring at him. The coordinator looked at Ax and looked back at him. "Seeker Houzi, you lack slices of Idun, and you are unable to fight. You are disqualified, and your token will be revoked," he said. Preparing to pick him up and take him back to the ships. Ax looked at him, seeing Houzi''s wounds. It was clear that it wasn''t done by any other seeker; it was inflicted by a beast on the isle. "Wait!" he said hesitantly as he walked over to Houzi and sat down next to him. "If you want to steal back the token, do it already. I don''t care¡ªah," His words got interrupted as Ax shoved a slice of Idun down his throat. As the wounds closed and he gained strength. He began to stand up on his own two feet. Seeing this, Ax looked back at the coordinator. "He can walk and fight now; he''s no longer disqualified, right?" he asked the coordinator, looking at him straight in his eyes. The coordinator chuckled and turned around. "I guess not...", he said as he leapt into the flora. "Why did you aid me?" Houzi asked. "...", Ax was silent. "I don''t need your pity," he said bluntly, ready to leave. "Wait, the reason why I help you is¡ª" Ax stopped his words as a three-horned beast was charging at Houzi. He knocked Houzi out of the way, and the beast pierced its horns deep into Ax''s chest. The creature had a horse-like head, a body that exceeded the size of an elephant''s and three horns that were all equally as sharp as spears. Lunged deep into Ax''s chest. His body limped on its horns, hanging and swaying as blood dripped from his legs. Houzi could only watch as his body couldn''t move; he was still tired. His legs shook as this monster had already horrifically damaged him before. The beast was an ''Odontotyrannos,'' and it just killed Ax in front of his very eyes. 39. Odontotyrannos. Still weak and tired, Houzi forced his body to limp towards one of the spring-like mushrooms growing on the ground. The beast locked its eyes onto him as Ax''s body limped on its horns, his blood dripping down its horn. Sensing its eyes over his shoulders, his fur stood on its end. His skin shuddered in fear. His paws grip his staff as he uses it to support his weight, limping to the mushroom. The beast roared as it tasted blood. "It''s not... it''s not supposed to kill," he whimpered in fear. "He''s dead... he''s dead. Dead, actually dead," he cried out, terrified. His confident and overzealous outer shell cracking with each passing moment. "If it catches me, I''ll die! I have to run; I have to escape!" he screamed, his voice growing hoarse. Houzi looked over his shoulder with fear in his eyes, terrified. The Odontotyrannos charged at him with blistering speeds; as he was about to reach the mushroom, he felt the ground rumble under him. Unable to see, he could hear it getting closer and closer with each second. As he reached the mushroom, it was already too late. As if he could feel it graze his back. His mind gave up. SHATTER He turned his head around to see the beast''s head knocked off balance, as both the beast and Houzi turned their heads to see¡ª "Axton!?" Houzi asked in surprise. "RUN! I''LL DISTRACT IT!" Ax screamed as he held a dagger and a gun. The beast roared in fury, eyes bloodshot from Ax''s old blood seeping into them. As it changed its focus to Ax, Houzi gripped one of the ends of his staff with both of his hands and raised it over his head. With a guttural scream, he smashed his staff onto the top of the mushroom as hard as he could. It explodes in kinetic energy as Houzi is sent flying into the air, onto the top of one of the massive, flat mushrooms. Rolling as he landed, he stood up, setting his bearings straight, and walked over to the ledge to spectate the clash. With horror, he saw Ax''s body being eaten. He died again? SHATTER Stolen story; please report. CRACK His eyes widened. "He''s a... gravewalker?", he mumbled. *** In the collection of worlds affected by the Codex, mortals have it easier to get stronger at inhumane speeds. Olympic athletes, in a matter of months, are the world''s strongest competitors compared to those unaffected by the Codex in a year. Regardless of weight, sex, or height. When these mortals, however, are close to death. The Codex sometimes pushes their bodies past their limits, going further beyond. Gaining a permanent burst of strength in something called a ''Codex Spark.'' There are rare cases where the Codex grants the user a supernatural ability, something known as an Oddity, most common in humans but possible in non-human entities. These can sometimes be organized into categories. Ax''s Oddity, ''Ouroboros Rebirth,'' can be categorized as a ''Gravewalking Oddity.'' Usually with few drawbacks. Gravewalkers, Seekers with oddities that let them walk off fatal injuries as if nothing happened. Usually by regeneration, however. In Ax''s case, he literally ''comes back'' from death. However, one major drawback seen in every gravewalker... is that it''s ''significantly harder'' to access Codex Sparks due to the nature of their ability, due to the nature of their oddity. For them, death is merely a checkpoint. Not a destination. *** Ax froze the legs of the beast temporarily to look up at Houzi. Seeing him alive put him at ease for a moment before he immediately locked eyes back at the Odontotyrannos, inspecting its body. "It''s missing...", he mumbled as he didn''t see any token or chain anywhere on its body. "Someone took it already...", he said as he realized there''s no point in continuing this fight. As he prepared to run off, a thought ran past his head. ''It... might still try to kill seekers; this monster might still try to taste more blood.'' He turned around to look at it once more. As it was about to free itself, Ax put away his bronze revolver and raised his sword instead. With a mighty roar, it broke free from the ice trapping its legs. Crash Something heavy fell from above, immediately killing the monster. The impact made Ax fall back on the ground. One of the coordinators leapt in from above. A woman with deep purple hair carrying a warhammer the same size as her stood over the limp body of the Odontotyrannos. "Faulty beast," she complained. "You''re not supposed to kill," she said as she looked over at Ax, her eyes wandering over to the two brutalized bodies, then to Houzi staring at them from above and finally back at Ax. "You there, Gravewalker," she said as she pointed her hammer at Ax. "I''ve heard about you from the others. Why did you help the stone monkey? Are you rivaling Seeker?", she asked, her voice commanding an answer. "What is your motive?" she asked once more. "I...", Ax hesitated. "Well? What is your desire? Is it worth not taking the token? Why did you help him?" she asked once more. Ax hesitated, but he parted his lips. "I... don''t have a desire," he replied. The woman was confused. "I''m not from Nexus; I don''t have any reason to be a Seeker. I can live life freely on Earth. However, every other Seeker. They all have ambitions, genuine wishes they want to fulfil. I don''t want to take their token and pass unless I earn it," he explained. "I see..." she said as she rested her weapon on her shoulder. "So...? What about the two times you died?" she asked as she looked around. "I can always come back; it doesn''t matter for me. But they can''t," he stated bluntly. Catching her off guard. She took one look at his eyes and scoffed. "Either you have complete disregard for your own life... or you value all life. Either way, you''re stupidly naive," she said half-sarcastically. "That being said. We''re keeping an eye on you, Axton," she said as she leapt away. *** Ax looked around and jumped on top of the mushroom Houzi was supposed to be standing on. But he vanished...? "Where did... you...? Anyway, I don''t have much time left," he said as night fell. He only had one day left for the first trial to end. 40. Dunemaws and Dune Stranglers "I''m out of water again. Shit," she mumbled to herself, cursing under her breath. For the past seven days of the trial, she was able to keep a low profile by staying far from the main town. Wandering off into the ruins nearby past the dunes, her raven always flying close. Getting clean drinking water from different oases sprinkled throughout the desert. Travelling to the nearby oasis, she had to be very wary as the trial was nearing its end. Rustle. Her armor kept crunching and rustling as she walked over the dune, the white cloak wrapped around her with the hood up. Protecting her from the sun''s scorching heat. She raised her hand over her eyes, sheltering them from the sunlight as she looked over the horizon to see trees and bushes surrounding a large lake. A sight she was far too familiar with for almost the past week. But she knew what it entailed every time she needed to fill her canteen. She had to fight off some monster. Scorpions, lizards, bugs, etc. Walking past the bushes and towards the body of water, she grabbed her canteen and screwed the top open. As she crouched down, she reached out for the water and filled her canteen to the brim. She cautiously scanned the environment around her. "No seekers or critters in sight...", she said as she sighed in relief. After drinking a fair amount and quenching her thirst, she washed her face with water and dried her face and hand with her cloak. Looking at her own reflection in the water, she stared at her hair. Running her right hand through the ends, she then stopped to stare at the palm of her right hand, clenching her fist as it creaked. Covered in metallic armor that she could control. She sighed and stood up, preparing to leave. Crunch Lost in thought, she accidentally stepped in the middle of eight large branches. "Shit." Her eyes widened before she could react¡ª A massive spider jumped out of the sand, throwing her off balance and making her fall on her back in the sand. "Ah!" she exclaimed in pain as she landed. She immediately got up on her feet and stared at the spider as it prepared to lunge at her. The spider was a macro recluse, as the name suggests. It was a recluse spider, but unlike its smaller relatives, this thing was big enough to feast on humans and other monsters as a snack. She unsheathed her sword immediately as it lunged at her, but it stopped the moment it saw her red sword. Studying her every move, Elaine knew that this one was troublesome. Baring its fangs at her, as Elaine stared into its beady eyes, she knew fighting it would be a bad idea. One graze would be enough to paralyze her, and she took a risk by being further away from the main town. The coordinators might not be able to rescue her if she gets fatally injured. She turned tail and ran, running as fast as she could, which caught the spider off guard. She ran along the body of water, her metal boots making rustling sounds in the sand as her cloak flew behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see the spider chasing her, gaining speed. "Shit," she cursed under her breath as she slipped and fell headfirst into the sand. As she pulled her head out of the sand, she looked back to see the spider lunging at her, fangs first, and its front legs pointing upwards. She raised her sword, ready to fight it head-on, but¡ª As the spider was in midair, something leapt out of the oasis beside her and bit its main body and dove back into the sand. Elaine was stunned at what she just witnessed. Two of the spider''s legs dropped to her feet as she stared at it; her eyes then wandered off to her side to see... a trail of sunken sand? Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. As her eyes followed the sand, they widened in shock and fear. Something was swimming under the sand. She saw a massive fin almost the same size as her shoot up the head of the sand, with two gradually smaller fins trailing behind it. As she studied its movements... it changed directions. It was heading straight for her. She jumped back a few meters purely out of fear and instinct. Making the monster jump in front of her, missing her by a few inches. However, she was able to get a glance of it. The size of a small house, with razor-sharp, jagged teeth and multiple fins that shot out from its body. Scars all over its pointed face, blue blood splattered all over its front half from the spider it just ate. It was a Dunemaw. A sand shark with sand-colored scales that shared the same roughness. It was one of the top apex predators of the desert. Its eye twitched. In the split second that she was able to catch a glimpse of this semi-aquatic monster. It glanced back as it dove back into the oasis. She almost fell back, her heart pounding in fear. She stepped away from the oasis as slowly as she could, as she could feel her heart in every part of her body. The monster didn''t seem to look for her, but she didn''t want to take chances. She immediately ran as fast as she could. The Dunemaw immediately chased after her; as she looked behind her, she saw its fins gaining on her. She stopped in her tracks and ducked, covering herself in her cloak. The Dunemaw leapt over her with its jaws wide open as she stared at the underbelly of this monster. Its shadow peered over her. She thought it would be over, but the shark dove back into the sand. Instead of eating her, it just swam around the area. It''s fins are revealing its position. Frantically swimming about... as if it was searching for her. As her heartbeat mellowed down, she pieced together the information given to her. Raising her right hand towards the oasis, she threw metal spikes into the water. The shark immediately switched directions and dove into the water, and as she called the bits of metal back, she realized the situation at hand. ''The shark... it senses vibrations or sounds. If I''m really quiet... I should be able to escape; it might just be poor eyesight,'' she said as she hoped to escape. It was not as dire as she thought it was; there was hope for escape. She stood up and slowly, cursing her boots for making sounds in the sand. As she took steps towards escape. Towards the ruins, she looked back every time any ounce of sound was made, praying that the desert beast doesn''t notice her. As she carefully climbed the dune, she saw the ruins she was hiding among, a bright smile spread across her face. But her joy was cut short as she looked over the ruins. A gust of sand flew back, originating from a single point that was heading straight towards her. "I''m in hell," she mumbled. These words were enough to alert the Dunemaw; now she had two of them to worry about. She immediately ran for the ruins, thinking that the solid ground would keep her safe. As she dashed towards her destination, she left behind a gust of sand herself. The Dunemaw and the other beast followed suit. As she was able to get closer to the ground, she jumped onto the ruins. As she rolled on the ground, tumbling to safety, she looked up. In front of her the other beast revealed itself. A serpent, a gigantic, fully grown serpent. A head resembling that of a horned viper; its thick, muscular snake body was the color of a deep brown. It had two fangs as long as two different swords. Its eyes were yellow with black slits down the middle. It was a dune strangler. Unlike Dunemaws... these had no issues traversing solid ground. As it bared its fangs, venom trickled down. It was hungry; Elaine almost gave up on life. But she didn''t; she picked up her sword one last time. Raising it to the sky and summoning as much metal from her armor as she could without hindering herself. As the metal formed around her sword, it grew in size drastically, as if it were a great sword. Preparing to fight, the snake just ignored her and lunged towards the Dunemaw. She dropped her sword and looked back in horror. Under the sand were what looked like explosions; spots of sand turned red as the battle raged on. The shark dove up over the sand, splashing it everywhere; the snake lunged itself towards its body, its fangs sinking into its flesh as the shark looked in pain. The snake then coiled around the monster, prepared to feast upon it. However, the Dunemaw took this opportunity to bite the serpent in half. Killing it immediately as blood showered everywhere. Elaine simply witnessed the incident in horror. Her eyes were sunken and her body was frozen. As the shark lay there, dying. She walked up to it with her giant sword and finished it off, then immediately returned the metal back to her body. She took a moment to sit down on solid ground and pulled out the pack of cigarettes she stole from Diaz, the lavender joint shaking in her hand as she held it near her mouth, lighting it with her sword. "What. The. Fuck.", she cursed as she was shaken to the core. *** As night fell, Elaine had roasted shark meat and serpent meat over her sword for dinner. Lost in thought and exhausted, she complained. "When will this end?" she said as she looked to the sky. Almost as if her prayers were heard, her raven pulled at her hair. As she looked over, she saw bioluminescent whales pulling a ship. She smirked and took up her sword and raised it to the sky, intensifying the flames that engulfed her sword. As it burned brighter than it ever had before, she walked towards the ship. As the red glow grew closer in distance, a very strong gust of wind was summoned from beneath her. "WOAH!" she screamed as she was thrown far above the ship. Her cloak then spread itself open like wings and guided her towards the ship. As she glided down, she could only smile in utter admiration. The mighty whales glowed majestically as the ship was under her. As she landed on her knee, her coat settled down. The coordinators simply clapped as they congratulated her. "Congratulations, candidate number 26. You have passed the trial," one of them said.