Chapter Text
On Christmas Eve many years ago the First Gate appeared. There was no warning, no signs that the tragedy was about to befall onto the world. The sky was white with snow and people rushed around, trying to get home as fast as possible. The festive atmosphere hung in the air and mixed with the smell of cinnamon and cold. In the town’s centre stood a beautiful, tall pine, dressed in eye-catching decorations, glistening in the Christmas lights. Small children ran around, trying to make as many gingerbread cookies as they could and put them on the tree, while their parents stood aside, carefully observing their little ones and conversing with one another. Merchants with portable stalls stood with wide smiles and sold hot drinks, food and sweets. In the corner next to a newly renovated church a large group of carol singers, differing between toddlers, teenagers and up to seniors, sang their hearts out with glee in their voices. Even with frosty temperatures the place radiated warmth.
A young girl - named Pearl - was walking through the back streets, dragging her two brothers behind her, careful to avoid any curious glances from other people. Her baggy shirt clung to her body with melted snow and her torn jeans gave little to no protection against the harsh wind. Her older brother - Grian - was in no better shape. His own hoodie, similar to his shorts, was drenched with water after a speeding car splashed him with street mud. Their youngest - Jimmy - was happily trailing behind, not realising the gravity of their situation and sticking out his tongue to catch snowflakes falling from the sky. He was perfectly warm thanks to Pearl’s coat combined with Grian’s scarf and mittens.
They were wandering through the city’s streets for a week now, stealing food from markets or distracted customers at restaurants. The unforgiving nights were spent with other homeless people or by breaking into abandoned factories and locals for sale. When the sun set, the siblings would lay on a stolen blanket and cuddle for warmth, trying to make it through the night. Jimmy would look at the worn out faces of his older siblings and wonder what was going on. Grian and Pearl would pat his head and tell him to go to sleep, to not worry about their situation. But Grian could still see the black eye on Pearl’s face, he could see the nervous twitching of her fingers, when she dreamt about their parents - since they died everything had changed for the kids.
At the beginning it was only him and Jimmy. The house was always full of laughter and silly arguments between the siblings. But suddenly one afternoon, their parents came back home with a tall girl by their side. She had wide eyes, looking at them with piercing glare and tense posture - ready to bolt at any moment, if not for their father’s steady hand on her shoulder. With one wide smile from Jimmy and a shy wave coming from Grian, her face relaxed and the girl gave them a small grin - showing off her sharp teeth. On that day Pearl became their sister in every way that mattered.
If their home was loud before, then no one knew how to describe it after Pearl’s adoption. The laugher was louder and lasted longer, as arguments seemed to lessen and disappear within seconds. Suddenly all the dogs in the area were very curious about their house and hung around their front door. And if the parents noticed regularly missing meat from their freezer, they decided to keep it a secret.
When they died nobody knew what to do with the siblings. No one from their extended family was in a good place or willing to take three additional kids. Eventually they were sent to a foster family that ended up being a living hell - but the older siblings decided to make sure their youngest would feel none of that. They were able to live like that for a few months, but with recent developments, Grian couldn’t let it slide anymore. That’s why the three children were now struggling to survive on the street.
“Still better than that house,” Pearl would say anytime Grian had second thoughts about his decision. She would grab his hand and hold him close. Close enough to muffle his crying, careful to not wake up Jimmy.
Later on Christmas Eve’s evening hundreds of lights were hung up between the buildings, making it seem like the night was just an imperceptible future and the late hour an illusion. With brightness spreading out over the night sky, all stars dimmed in comparison.
There was no quiet before the storm. Suddenly Christmas songs turned into terrified screams, laughter of children into cries for help, as their small bodies were swept into the air by ginormous monsters. Desperate parents ran towards the place where a mesmerising pine used to stand, trying to get as fast as they could to their little ones. The happy carolers stopped their song once the columns of the church collapsed, leaving behind only dust and blood.
In place of a once Christmas tree, a red portal hovered above the ground, its particles burning the clothes and skin of anyone unfortunate enough to touch it. With every second more creatures darted through the Gate, sowing despair and chaos in their wake. The blood flowed through the streets, pouring out of broken bodies and sinking into destroyed stalls, mixing with abandoned drinks and food.
Near all this turmoil, in a small empty shop with wooden figurines on the display, Grian hugged his younger brother and gently covered his ears to protect them from the screams of terror. Silent tears ran down his puffy cheeks while he tried to keep his composure.
“Pearl, what’s going on?” his wobbly voice rang through the shop. A tall for her age girl, just a few months younger, kneeled next to the window, her eyes barely reaching the frosted glass. She quietly sobbed, observing the fate of another young girl torn apart by a monster. It was pure luck that instead of manoeuvring between the food stalls, the three siblings happened to be inside when the hell broke loose. Their plan was to steal some food from forgetful customers near the Christmas market and maybe gather some clothes, but Jimmy spotted a beautiful wooden doll on one of the displays and with one wide smile, his siblings weren’t able to refuse going in and checking it out. They were aware now, more than ever, that this small decision had just saved their lives.
“The monsters… they are everywhere,” Pearl whispered and crawled back to her brothers. “Eveyrone else has either run away or…” she stole a quick look a small toddler curled up against his brother,” worse.”
“Grian, I don’t think anyone is coming to save us,” she murmured, eyes filled with tears as she hugged both of her brothers. With a loud crash the window in front of them broke, shattering into thousands of pieces. Pearl looked up just to see small shards falling through the air, reflecting the light of the nearby candles. It reminded her of a glitter cannon their parents bought for her first birthday with the family. Buried under memories, her mind found the scene beautiful.
At first Pearl didn’t register a lanky creature standing still in the destroyed display. Its red eyes pierced through the kids as the lights around them dimmed, reminding them of the upcoming night. The world became silent as the monster drew closer, with every step its sharp claws scratched the wooden floor. None of the siblings were brave enough to move, run, save themselves. Pearl closed her eyes and turned her back to the creature, pressing her brothers against her chest. She could feel Grian gently petting Jimmy’s hair while the youngest gaped at them with wide, scared eyes. Pearl smiled at the little boy, just as the creature jumped into the air, ready to inflict the deadly blow.
Suddenly the store was filled with red light - too bright for the children to keep their eyes open. With a fierce growl a different beast jumped onto the creature, digging its fangs into the monster's neck and tearing it apart. With an inhuman screech the monster fell to the floor, twitching for a few seconds and then fading away - its disgusting body leaving nothing more than smoke and dust. The remaining beast stomped around the store with heavy steps, sniffed around and efficiently chased off another creature that tried to come closer to children. For a few seconds none of the children had the courage to open their eyes. Only after a wet tongue dragged through Pearl’s hair, she dared to turn around. A big white dog towered over the siblings, wagging its tail energetically. It had glowing red eyes, matching perfectly with strange symbols adoring its fur.
In front of the animal Pearl noticed a levitating blue square. It looked like one of the status windows, she noticed when Grian showed her one of his favourite computer games. The message on it was written in simple, white letters. With curiosity Pearl read:
Call the Dogs of War
Rank SS
The warhound Tilly responds to your call. From now on she declares herself your best friend and faithful companion in life and death. This summon equips you with unlimited abilities*.
* explore more dungeons to level up the skill
***
The uncanny blue sky hung over them, its intense presence created an illusion of a real sky - yet a long enough glance could easily unravel its actual nature. Small movements, nearly impossible to spot with naked eye, helped the unfortunate souls trapped inside remember that no place here was safe. Eyes engraved into this place's existence, followed newcomers’ every move, their purple glow often betraying their location. They stared at intruders, unblinking, not missing a single gesture made, not a single word said.
No matter how hard Jimmy tried, he couldn’t dismiss the feeling that something was wrong. The gentle wind breezed between the two men, who stood on the highest hill in the nearby area. Yet as far as Jimmy could see, not a single being traversed the horizon. He knew better. The empty grass fields stretched for miles, depriving its natural inhabitants of places to hide. Of course, only the inexperienced and naive Awakened would actually believe that.
Just as a slight rumble traveled through the ground, Jimmy quickly activated his skill:
Canary in a Coal Mine
Rank B
Thanks to the blessing of the Canary, you are able to obtain its magnificent wings,
as well as an ability to detect any being, qualified as a B-Rank monster or below, in your proximity. Now say thank you, Canary!
Beautiful golden wings manifested behind his back and swiftly elevated him into the air. Soon his partner joined him, hovering next to him - within a safe distance to prevent accidental burning. The other man looked at Jimmy with wide, red eyes - his form wobbly as fire engulfing his body moved with the wind.
“Nothing yet,” Jimmy smiled at his partner and shook his head. “Just give me a second.”
The winged man turned his attention back to the ground. It was visibly shaking, scattering the blades of grass in all directions and sending layers of dirt into the air. Thanks to the activated skill he was able to observe as a sea of outlined monsters rapidly dug through the ground, closing up to the place where the two men stood just a few seconds before.
Jimmy looked back at his partner. They had less than a minute to prepare for a wave of vicious enemies. Even though the dungeon was confirmed to be only C-Rank, their guild decided to send two B-Rankers to deal with it - which wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, but most of the time this type of job would be entrusted to a group of C-Rankers with a B-Rank leader - just for safety precautions. If nothing out of the ordinary happened, Jimmy and his partner would have no problem dealing with the dungeon and securing a safe space for E- and F-Rankers to collect crystals from the underground.
With amusement Jimmy observed his partner, as the other activated his skill and surrounded himself in flying cards with various paintings on them. Tango grabbed one and waved it in Jimmy’s direction. The winged man was able to see a picture of a small flame. It had a wild smile on its “face” as it threw its arms in the air while crossing the finish line, as other smaller flames in the background cheered it on.
“This one again?” Jimmy teased and took a different card from the levitating swarm, but after looking at it, grimaced. The picture was nothing like the one on the first card. Instead of a happy figure, an angry muzzle of one of the summons was glaring straight ahead, as if it was able to tell that Jimmy was looking at it. Its cold golden eyes contorted in anger and sharp teeth peeking through a slightly opened mouth accompanied by frozen spit dropping from its mouth, gave the man chills. “Yeah, maybe we should stick with the other one.”
Tango just rolled his eyes with a poorly hidden smirk and took the object back from Jimmy. He checked which card his partner picked and burst out laughing. Most of Tango’s cards were pictured by flame characters doing something connected to the enhancement they gave, but just a few of them had a special painting on them. For example an angry summon.
Decked Out
Rank B
The Frozen Owner blessed you with his deck of cards. They will grant you and people nearby considerable enhancements. Be mindful of which one you chose as each of them can be used only once a day. Now shine brightly and make him proud!
“Which buff is this one even giving?” Jimmy asked and flew closer to his partner. “It’s kinda boring when we use the speed everytime.”
“I mean, I don’t think we need a strength bonus since it’s only a C-Rank dungeon. We could use agility or something, but isn’t speed fun?” Tango shrugged and showed the other man another card. This one had a small flame in front of the mirror. It looked pleased with itself, judging by finger guns and wink on its face. “I can always give you an appearance enhancement. You could try to seduce the monsters.”
“I could seduce anyone even without your buffs!” Jimmy seemed only mildly offended while he crossed his arms over his chest, opening his mouth to add something more. But before he could do that, the ground under them exploded and a monster broke through the surface. It looked disgusting. A small wrinkled snout sniffed around while its small black eyes adjusted to the bright sun. It stood on two legs and held a long silver lance in its bony fingers. The fur on its body was thinned out and dirty with mud. It kinda reminded Jimmy of a mutated beaver he once saw in a TV-show. Soon after the first monster emerged, hundreds of them followed close behind.
“That should be easy,” Jimmy remarked and activated his second skill. The light coming from the sun dulled, while a beautiful golden weapon stole its brightness and appeared in the man’s hand. All creatures turned their heads towards sudden radiance, but before they could comprehend what had happened, Jimmy already quilted and cut off dozens of monstrous heads.
Cover your Eyes
Rank B
The Canary was never able to see the light - fated to spend its existence in the darkest of mines. Accompanied by its grave tale, wield the power of light and be blessed by the warmth of the sun.
Tango peered at his partner, as Jimmy easily dealt with approaching waves of monsters, only sending a helping flame or two to burn the creatures alive. While another opponent was slowly burning to death, Tango felt the need to diversify the battle a little. With a wild smile he burned one of his cards to activate it - an inconspicuous painting of flame hugging a small dynamite-plushie was soon completely consumed by flames.
Just as the last piece of paper disappeared, a red square with a long wick appeared on Tango’s forearm. With delight the man quickly noticed that the skill worked on Jimmy as well, when enemy after enemy exploded shortly after meeting their doom. With every blast great amounts of blood landed on the grass and even more on the winged man.
“Not this one!” Jimmy screamed from the ground, looking at Tango with annoyance. “You know how much pain it is to get the blood off the clothes!”
“I told you to get the stuff offered by our guys.” Tango proudly swooned in the air, showing off the black outfit lent to him by their guild.
“I like mine better,” Jimmy pouted and continued to break through opponents, leaving only explosions and smoke behind. Tango followed the trail designated by his partner and protected his back from enemies. Some of the more intelligent monsters tried to throw their weapons at Tango, but with the assistance of his skill all of them were consumed by flames before they were able to cause any damage.
From dust you came and to dust you shall return
Rank B
The dungeon fell and the Frozen Owner was forever lost to the fire. To prevent you from echoing his fate, the Frozen Owner offers you a gift. Now you are one with the flames and the control of this dangerous element falls into your hands. The Frozen Owner asks you to rule it wisely.
Soon all of the creatures were wiped out, with nothing but filth left behind. Both men deactivated their skills and walked towards a shiny portal that appeared once the last opponent fell to the ground. The tiny blue particles fluttered around them as they came closer to the Gate. The familiar warmth embraced them, leaving a pleasant feeling in their bodies. Jimmy stepped closer to the exit, ready to leave, but suddenly the portal collapsed into thousand pieces.
The ground under them shook violently, leaving them desperately grabbing onto each other, trying to keep balance. As the trembling stopped, they turned around to see that a gigantic ravine mysteriously appeared behind them. Tango quickly activated his skill and flew over the unfamiliar structure. It was so deep that even with the bright sun over him, the man could not see its bottom. The stone cliffs on both sides were steep and covered in shimmering crystals - some of them hidden behind dense vines and moss.
“It’s too much,” Tango mumbled to himself, too busy staring at the ravine to notice Jimmy, who also activated his skill and flew closer. Only when the other man carefully placed his hand on Tango’s back, did the man become aware of his presence.
“What’s too much?” asked Jimmy and nervously tilted his head to the side. “I think that right now our biggest problem is the lack of exit, don’t you think?”
“No. It’s definitely too much,” Tango continued talking, completely disregarding what his partner said.
“Tango, you’re scaring me. What’s too much? Don’t we always get a prize at the end?” the other man kept asking, visibly more unnerved by the second. “How are we going to get out now?”
“Jimmy,” Tango paled and looked at his partner, “this is the prize for A-Rank dungeon.”
“But it’s a C-Rank! There’s no-” whatever Jimmy wanted to say was interrupted by a deafening roar. The crystals in the cave cracked as razor sharp claws dug inside the stone walls. Slowly emerging from the darkness, another beast came to the light. Its jaws opened wide, trying to reach for the men hovering above it, who barely managed to dodge a sudden attack.
“Do you think we can take it on?” Jimmy asked quietly, followed by a nervous laugh.
“Better question is, how long is it gonna take for help to arrive,” Tango tried to joke, but it felt flat.
As they watched as the creature slowly dragged itself to the surface, Jimmy felt his heart painfully drumming in his chest. He was terrified. Most of the anomalies always ended up in death and tragedy.
And right now, the only person on Jimmy’s frightened mind was Grian. His older brother, who unfortunately was one of the few people, who did confirm that statement multiple times.
The sudden splash of blue light startled both men, who frantically looked around. The grass hills, clear sky and the dangerous monster all disappeared in one second, leaving them hovering in a bright blue void. After a moment they were gently placed on invisible ground by a force they had never met before. In the distance they could see small planets and stars circling around them, changing the speed and directions on a whim. Jimmy swallowed nervously as Tango clung to his arm with shaky hands.
***
“If they make me wait another hour for these fools, I’m going to resign,” Grian loudly complained after sending another nosy reporter away. He stood in front of the Gate leading to the dungeon, where his brother and his partner entered three hours before. Grian’s own partner sat on a bench just a few meters away, enthusiastically speaking with a different reporter Grian had previously brushed aside. “It’s a C-Rank dungeon, what could possibly take them so long?”
“No idea,” Scar replied, after politely excusing himself and walking up to his partner, grabbing his shoulders from behind and giving them a comforting squeeze. “But you know Jimmy. He probably fell down a bridge or something.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Grian rolled his eyes at the funny memory. Back when he turned eighteen and the guild that took them in; no longer wanted to support the siblings for free, Grian was forced to join the ranks of Awakened and actively work on raids to the Dungeons. His first partner was Pearl - who just like him - had a S-Rank. They worked together for a few months, before getting another partner selected by the Guild. Pearl was assigned to a bubbly young girl with a wild, toothy grin and bright eyes. They created a perfect raid team. Pearl, a S-Ranker, with one of the most powerful summons known to mankind and Gem, a talented A-Ranker, with unimaginary fighting skills, who left even S-Rankers in shock.
But it was Grian, who climbed the stairs of ranks within the Guild. Shortly after his one year anniversary, the man was selected for a member of the higher council and as a reward he was assigned to be a partner - or more precisely - a babysitter of the most powerful Awakened, who even while welding mighty skills, was still just a clumsy newbie. They created a bond not many were able to forge in their lifetime. Nothing could have lasted forever though and after years of cooperation and one fatal mistake, Grian was assigned a new partner.
Coming back to the present, the two men stood next to each other in silence. Ever since finishing their raid on a freshly-opened S-Rank dungeon, neither of them had a chance for a minute to relax. Shortly after dealing with A and S-Rank monsters, Grian was summoned to an beforehand unannounced meeting between higher-ups in their guild - that took over an hour and no useful nor new information had been shared. For months now guilds around the world tried to discover the secret behind sudden changes that appeared inside dungeons, but failed miserably.
***
For years dungeons worked in a methodical way - they were predictable, easy to contain. When the Gate appeared, guilds had time differing from a few days to a few weeks to organize a raid and suppress the monsters inside the dungeons to prevent them from crossing dimensions into the human realm. The people, who acquired skills from their Patrons, were called Awakened. Those were the ones who joined guilds and swore to protect the world from Out-breaks - a terrible occurrence where monsters inside the dungeon lose their patience and break through Gates to wreak havoc on the other side.
With the help of the System, Awakened were able to successfully predict and estimate which type of rank newly emerged dungeon required. The System itself took the presence of a light blue status window - it presented the general rank of Awakened and their skills. The former depended on an individual's physical statistics and their potential to improve in the future. The ranks deferred from S - the strongest with highest potential - to E and F - with little to no power or likelihood of an upgrade.
Things got more convoluted with skills. No one was able to truly understand how Patrons worked or who they were. Hidden behind titles and mystery they looked over humanity. Once a person achieved the Awakening, a powerful being - the Patron - shared some of their power with a chosen one - giving them from one to two skills.
The usual protocol for Awakened ordered that:
- No Awakened is allowed to enter the dungeon presiding over their rank, unless authorized otherwise by their guild.
- Civilians and guildless Awakened are forbidden from approaching the Gates closer than ten meters.
- Access to the specific Gates can be bought by a single guild - no member from other organizations is allowed to enter - unless specified otherwise.
- All the crystals extracted from dungeons are the property of the guild that the workers belong to.
- No Awakened over C-Rank is allowed to create intimate relationships with civilians, as they pose a serious threat for the powerless. The families of the Awakened being an exception to this rule.
That was the structure for the past years, when the rank system worked as intended. A few months ago an anomaly had happened for the first time in one of the A-Rank dungeons. It resulted in the death of one of the most powerful Awakened in history. He - as many alongside him - perished, when the dungeon suddenly changed its rank from A to SS - a rank never observed in a dungeon. Most of the raid had been obliterated within minutes.
As is the case with other dimensions - the person who died in the dungeon is unable to be transported back to their world - their body forced to lay on the ground of an abandoned dungeon forever, even after another raid manages to close the Gate and clear the dungeon.
***
Grian looked terrified as the Gate in front of him buzzled and changed colors within seconds - going from ocean blue to bloody red. It wasn’t the first time he witnessed a dungeon's rank change. In fact Grian was one of the few people, who could say, that they had witnessed the original anomaly - the one that took away the legendary Awakened and majority of his team.
Grian’s legs buckled under him and if not for his partner, the man would have fallen to the ground. Scar tried to keep a straight face, but slight tremble in his hands and furrowed brows gave him away. Around them the havoc began; the scared civilians, who just a few seconds ago were ready to greet Awakened back, scattered, leaving scarcely any people who’d been frozen in place. The reporters with their cameras and microphones got as close as they could, ready to capture the best footage, all while the nearby enforcements and guild security tried to take control of the situation.
“It’s changed to the A-Rank!” a voice rang out through the chaos and immediately caught Grian’s attention. A tall man with a tablet in his hand waved at the pair, signalising to them to come closer.
“What’s up, BigB?” asked Scar while trying to look over the man's shoulder and peek at the data flowing through the Guild’s system. “Do we have anything new?”
“No, just the standard activity during the anomalies. The energy produced by the dungeon completely disappeared for a few seconds, but then got replaced by a stronger source,” BigB scratched his beard in thought.
“So, they managed to clear the dungeon and it got overwritten by a new one?” Grian asked and without waiting for an answer, continued. “Scar, we need to go.”
“Of course,” his partner answered, his signature bow already equipped in his hand. With a few steady steps both men had entered the dungeon.
***
Grian looked around confused. He stood on a purple glass floor with an endless void underneath it. Above him a dark sky with millions of bright stars and small planets, stretched over the horizon. The giant black hole was slowly traversing the skyline, creating new constellations and consuming planets standing in its way. In front of him, three tall figures, covered with dark robes, stood motionless, their hands raised as if in prayer to the heavens. The wide wings spreading behind them were covered in black long feathers - sometimes after looking at them for too long Grian could swear that he saw them slightly twitching. The statues looked like marble - created with a cold, hard surface and sharp edges. But Grian knew that if anyone was to touch one of these disturbing figures, they would be met with scorching material, burning off their skin, and soft matter. Once he himself was a victim of this unpleasant surprise.
With annoyance Grian realised that he got transported to a different dungeon - definitely not the one occupied by his brother and his partner. It wasn’t the first time it had happened and the man assumed that it was probably not the last one either. His memories connected with mysterious statues were fuzzy in his mind, as if he was watching them in third person through incorrectly adjusted glasses. The dungeon was always the same, the same dark sky, the same uncanny floor, the stale air making it hard to breathe. The only change occurred in the figures themselves - sometimes they would appear closer to him, their uneven breath fluttering on his skin - occasionally they would hide so far away that Grian would be losing hope of finding them in time.
It took him a long time to figure out what exactly the mysterious creatures expected from him, and after many trials and errors, he found the solution. With confidence Grian walked over to the closest statue and displayed the description of his skill.
What hides in the Shadows?
R̶̮̐a̶̰͑ṇ̵̿k̶̪͑ ̴͖̏Ṣ̸̓S̴̥̈́S̷̝͑Ṣ̷̑Ṣ̵͋S̴͕̏S̵͍̿Ŝ̴̲
Don’t let personal relationships interfere with your mission. Please consider your options and decide what is best for you.
Grian nervously swallowed. Normally the messages from his patrons would be less hostile - just assigning him small tasks to achieve in the human realm or giving useful advices concerning the dungeons he was supposed to conquer. It was the first reprimand he received from them. A few seconds later the description began changing again. The letters shook as if trying to stay in one place - but were forced to move either way. The whole process took less than ten seconds.
What hides in the Shadows?
R̶̮̐a̶̰͑ṇ̵̿k̶̪͑ ̴͖̏Ṣ̸̓S̴̥̈́S̷̝͑Ṣ̷̑Ṣ̵͋S̴͕̏S̵͍̿Ŝ̴̲
T̵̳̋h̶̥̋e̸̖̍ ̶̖͠S̶͓̒t̵̥̐a̴͕̿g̷̢̕ is on your trail. Eliminate its vessel.
That was new. Grian never met an Awakened with the Stag’s patronage before and he was sure that no one in Guild Life was favoured by this Patron either - he as a higher-up would know that. After leaving he would have to investigate and probably contact one of his informants - maybe even ask Scar for a favour - since his partner’s informants proved themselves more competent than the ones Grian hired.
With a simple nod towards the figures, Grian turned around and began walking in the opposite direction. After a few seconds he heard a quiet whisper from behind. In the place where the ominous statues stood previously, a half-broken portal hovered over the glass. It was neither typical blue nor red. Its edges were sharp and uneven, as the Gate emanated a purple glow. With no hesitation Grian crossed the portal.
***
Scar looked around the dungeon - searching for either Jimmy and Tango or Grian, who also got lost on the way. The man wasn’t surprised much with his partner’s disappearance. It was an unusual but not unexpected issue that they had run into before. Scar’s ‘informants’ already gave him enough material for the man to have a few theories. Even without the data provided by his friends he knew something was wrong. There were no previous cases where the Awakened was transported to a different place than the one they were supposed to clear. Scar really couldn’t wait to finally crack this mystery open.
The man looked at the crystal blue sky, immediately noticing the purple eyes following his every move. At some point they scared him - their sole existence sending chills down his back. But with time and experience, the man became desensitized to them and even got used to their presence - welcoming it every time he entered a dungeon. Scar winked at the glaring eyes and focused his attention on something different. The dungeon was covered in grass fields - with not many places to hide as the green hills weren’t high enough to give coverage for approaching enemies.
The man sighed, already expecting the low entertainment value coming from the dungeon. He took out a burning arrow from his inventory and shot it towards the sky. If Jimmy and Tango were the ones to notice the signal - his work would become easier - if something else saw it instead… Scar would have no issue dealing with an A-Rank dungeon by himself.
He waited for a good while before the ground began violently shaking. A giant, wolf-like, beast appeared on the horizon, jumping over hills as if it was nothing. Scar smiled widely and drew his bow.
Poppies and lilacs
Rank S
The Great Wizard was one unlucky fella and clumsy at that. An old tale says that one time he was so fascinated with a flower crown he was making for his friend, that he walked off a cliff. To aid his misfortune he was given the power to see the future. Unfortunately now only a fraction of its power remains. But you never know, just a few seconds may save your life one day. The Great Wizard wishes you best of luck.
Before the creature was able to come close enough to attack, Scar had already moved to a different location - distracting and confusing the monster. The man easily predicted where exactly the beast would strike - ready to counter it with his bow. Thanks to different types of arrows created by his dear friend, he effortlessly weakened the monster.
The first few arrows gave it slowness - the remains of the objects sticking out of the monster’s paws, slowly digging deeper as it kept attacking. The disoriented creature swayed on its legs and tried to sloppily strike the man. Scar smoothly dodged and sent another arrow flying. This one was different from the other ones - as it was covered in a slimy substance. When it hit the enemy, the creature momentarily stopped in its tracks and howled in pain.
The rest of the fight would be better described as a one sided massacre that ended with a very giggly Scar and much less amused monster. The grass around them was crushed and thinned from the powerful attacks while dust slowly settled down. With uneven quick breaths the creature laid on its back, not having enough strength to fight back or run away. Its eyes became glossy as the last of life escaped it.
Scar waited excitedly as the body of the monster poofed out of existence leaving behind a small blue window and a lot of sparkling fumes. As soon as they subsided, with energetic steps the man ran up to the status window and clicked on it to accept the reward.
Congratulations, Awakened!
You managed to clear -̸̝́̄C̴͍̓̄-r̶͔̠͛ä̴̹̰̍n̷̲̪̽͛ḳ̵̡͗-̸̝́̄ A-Rank dungeon and defeat ṭ̴̱͠ḧ̶̢̻́ḙ̴̹̂͐ ̴̣̺̓w̶̢̖̾ȁ̵̺̳̈́v̵̧̞͑̿ḙ̷͋̈́ͅs̵̗͍̿ ̸͖͌o̸͈̦͝f̸̗̎̔ ̸̩́z̵̚͜m̴̗̦͊͐u̶͎͎͗͛t̴̜͔͝o̶̢̺̅̒w̶̳̃̾a̴̧̓͂n̸̮͔̄͊y̷̻̏̃c̶̳̒̓h̷̖̲̆ ̴͍̏̈́b̸̡̃͑o̶̙̦͌̒b̷̠̓̚ṟ̸̬̕ó̶̡̤̉̆w̴͎̱̓̒ King of The Gievont - The Cave Wolf. Thanks to your dutiful work the area is now free of monsters. The rewards shall be distributed between Awakened based on their contribution in fights. The Patrons thank you for your assistance.
Jimmy The Solidarity - 153 C-Rank monsters defeated - no enhancements given
Reward: 153 crystals, 7650 xp
Tango of the Tek-variety - 52 C-Rank monsters defeated - 1 enhancement given
Reward: 104 crystals, 5200 xp
Good Times with Scar - 1 A-Rank monster defeated - no enhancements given
Reward: 1000 crystals, 5000 xp, special item: ‘The Enchanted Golden Apple’*
* to learn more about this object open the detailed description in your inventory
Grian - no monsters defeated - 1̷̝̳͎̞͗̓̋͝0̴̤̜̱̉̈́͠ͅ0̷͈̈̐0̴̢͖͆0̸̨̙̈́̐0̸̠̓̏̾̂ enhancements given
Reward: ļ̴̐a̸̠͝c̸̺̓k̶̨͝ ̵̹̊ȯ̷̱f̸̲͛ ̴̢̏á̷̪c̵̠̿c̵̅ͅȇ̴̝s̷͕̉ś̵͇ ̵͉̋ṱ̷͘ō̵͚ ̸̗͗i̵̹̽n̴͕͂f̵̥̑ō̸̞r̴̰̔m̵̥̒a̶͚̾t̵̥͑ǐ̵̼o̴͝ͅṅ̵̳
Scar read the statistics with satisfaction and closed the window, completely ignoring the glitched text next to Grian’s name. Like previously mentioned - Scar was no stranger to this type of anomalies.
Taking Scar’s deep understanding of the strangeness surrounding Grian, he was not surprised when the man in question tapped his shoulder from behind.
“Already done with the boss?” Grian asked casually as if they were talking about the weather.
“Well, hello there. I planned on waiting for you, but got bored,” Scar answered easily and tried looking for any signs of Jimmy and Tango.
“Liar. You just wanted all the fun for yourself,” his partner knew better as always. He looked at Scar with fondness breaking through his poker face, while the other man stood on his toes trying to see as far as he could. Suddenly a wave of dread reminded Grian why they were in the dungeon in the first place. “We should look for Jim and Tango.”
***
Jimmy looked at the canary with confusion. It was bright and sparkly, surrounded by hundreds of tiny stars. It flew through the void and with grace landed on his shoulder. The animal looked at him with its bright black eyes, as if seeing through his soul. Its beautiful golden feather tickled Jimmy’s nose when the bird drew closer - nearly nuzzling against his check.
Tango let go of his arm as the atmosphere around them changed. They didn’t know why but a sudden arrival of the canary eased the tension in their bodies and immediately allowed them to relax.
Many of the other creatures, who previously blended with their surroundings, drew closer. With wide eyes the men looked, as the mystical species, bizarrely dressed people and various animals took on shapes and colors - making them recognizable to the human eye.
One of the humanoid figures - a middle-sized man with blue hair hidden under a cloak and cold eyes - took a step forward. His face was frozen, just like the expensive robes trailing behind him on the invisible floor. Tango was able to notice his frosted purple fingers just before the man reached out for his face. He gently glazed Tango’s cheek and with pride patted his blond hair.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Tango,” the man’s voice rang through the void without him opening his mouth even once. “I wish our first union happened during a nicer occasion, but we can’t sadly change it now.”
As if reading Tango’s mind - or just his confused face - the man continued, “You may know me as the Frozen Owner.”
Jimmy felt his jaw drop and similar to Tango he could not find any words. The scenario suddenly became even more confusing than it was before. Jimmy turned his head towards a canary that happily chirped and proudly puffed its wings.
“Oh my God,” Jimmy whispered and scooped the animal into his hands, ”the Canary?”
“That she is,” a tall woman, nearly twice as tall as the Frozen Owner, came forward. She had a long, baby blue dress with silver ornaments, showing off her scaly shoulders and back. It was floating around her, alongside her pink wavy hair, as if the water itself was moving them. Behind her a long scaled tail followed - it was slightly trembling with excitement but contained enough to not let anyone notice. The external gills on her face were raised up, as her smile widened, showing off her sharp teeth. “I am the Ocean Queen. We would love to entertain you with more detailed exposition, but I am afraid we have no time nor permit to speak freely enough.”
“Wha-” before Tango was able to finish, he was shushed by the Frozen Owner, who put a finger to his mouth. It was icy-cold against his lips - making them numb within seconds.
“The time for your realm has nearly expired and the count down has begun. The dungeons will become more dangerous and unpredictable,” the Ocean Queen stated loudly - making sure the attention of both men was on her. “To stop the apocalypse you need to close all the dungeons. Permanently.”
“But!” Jimmy was allowed to interrupt her speech, “the dungeons. There’s always more and they keep coming back!”
The Ocean Queen lowered her gaze and cleared her throat. A short man, who was standing behind her for a while, finally chased off a stag that had been bothering him since the beginning of the conversation, and walked up to her. He was half her size, barely reaching to her hip. The golden crown contrasted with his dark, brown hair and colorful attire screamed for attention. He reached for the woman's hand and gently kissed her palm.
“That’s going to be your mission. You are the first Awakened we were able to summon with no complications and unfortunately you have no choice in this regard,” the man said with a monotone voice, scarcely acknowledging them - his sole attention focused on the Queen.
“The ones responsible for anomalies and their numerous appearances are called the Watchers,” the Frozen Owner took over. “They are omniscient. Their eyes follow our every move, your every move, they know everything that’s happening in all realms, yet… they bear no power beyond their own land. That’s why the Watchers use other beings to do their bidding. They corrupt them and use them to expand their territory.”
“What can we do about it?” Jimmy asked, confused, ignoring Tango who looked at him weirdly. “Since we can not fight them, what good are we?”
“Jimmy..” Tango whispered, “we need to find the people they control.”
“Ohhh, that makes sense,” his partner smiled and turned to the Frozen Owner. “How can we identify them?”
“The puppets shall be eliminated,” the Ocean Queen specified. “They don’t have consistent skills and rarely speak of their Patron. When they enter a dungeon there’s a bigger chance the eyes are going to be more alert.”
“That’s… basically nothing? And what do you mean eliminate? We have to murder them?!” Tango looked around to other Patrons, who deliberately avoided his glaze.
“The newest puppet’s name is ⊣∷╎ᔑリ”, a beautiful white stag walked to the Frozen Owner and gently snuggled up to his arm, “their hair is ᒲ𝙹⚍ᓭ|| ʖ∷o∴リ, they have ℸ ̣∴𝙹 ||o⚍リ⊣ᒷ∷ ᓭ╎ʖꖎ \.”
“What?” Both men were perplexed and looked at one another. The weird sound coming from the animal's snout was nothing either of them had heard before or could understand. The Stag trotted closer and booped Jimmy with its nose.
“We can’t tell you that, silly. THEY don’t let us.”
“THEY?” Jimmy asked, but before he was able to receive an answer, the same bright light took them back to the dungeon.
***
“Welcome to the land of living”, an excited voice broke through the ringing in Jimmy’s head. He slowly opened his eyes and was met with ginger curly hair falling over his face. With loud laughter a young girl moved further away and Jimmy was finally able to see her face. Next to the bed he was laying on, his sister’s ex-partner sat and looked at him with amusement.
“You, guys, gave us a nice scare,” she began and turned towards another bed, on the opposite side of the room. “Both of you.”
“Sorry, Gem,” Tango smiled at the girl and nervously laughed. “Believe us, the whole anomaly thing was not on our bingo card either.”
“I guess not,” she sighed and stood up, walking slowly towards the door leading out of the infirmary. It was a pristine white room in Guild Life’s quarters, where Awakened healed or rested after a successful raid. “You should go talk to Grian. He is not handling this well.”
“Oh… It reminds him of…” Jimmy started, but couldn’t force himself to finish.
“Her…,” Gem continued for him and turned around, just enough to not let anyone see her face. Her shoulders tense as she quickly walked out the infirmary.
“You should really see him. Grian’s probably not only thinking about her, but you know… him,” Tango added quietly. He was laying down on his bed, but Jimmy still could see the sorrowful look on his face.
“When did we stop using their names?” Jimmy laughed bitterly and pulled his knees up to his chest successfully hiding his face.
“When it became too painful to say them,” came a hushed response, resonating loudly in an otherwise silent room.
***
“We found Timmy and Tango on the ground. Completely out of it. Jimmy was mumbling something about a stag and a canary?” Scar laid on a queen sized bed and talked absently to the ceiling. A fancy lamp was turned off a long time ago to not hurt his eyes. They didn't need much light, as the room was slowly painted in oranges and reds of the upcoming sunset. Scar was summarizing the anomaly for a while now, adding his own thoughts and theories. “For a second I thought they smoked something or like got possessed. We even had to drag them back through the portal, cause they couldn’t stand on their own.”
“That’s a new info right there, ladies and gentlemen. From your previous stories only Grian would suddenly disappear and appear shortly after entering a dungeon,” a man sitting at the desk said enthusiastically and wrote down something in his notebook. His usually spotless lab coat was stained with colorful substances, leaving marks on the chair as he turned around to look at men sprawled on the bed.
Next to Scar, sitting comfortably against pillows another voice added, “Yeah, but Grian does that only when he’s entering the dungeon. Jimmy and Tango both disappeared after completing it and they both were feverish when they came back. Also, Grian always returns with full brain capacity.”
“Also the canary is keeping me wondering,” Scar sighed and turned to the man closest to him. “You know why?”
“Because it’s his Patron,” the blue haired man whispered and slid down to lay face to face with Scar.
“And the Stag is-,”
“Not important right now,” Scar was interrupted before he was able to finish the sentence.
Ignoring the burning glaze from his friend, Scar added with a smirk on his face. “I wonder if that’s just a coincidence.”
The man previously sitting at the desk joined them as well and patted Scar’s shoulder, “We will figure it out. For now we need to speak with Jimmy or Tango, preferably both, as fast as possible.”
“I can take Jimmy. The press is already interested in the situation and I’m sure he would rather it be me than any other reporter,” the blue haired man smirked and stood up. He stretched casually and without looking at other men, walked towards the door.
“He does have a soft spot for you,” Scar snickered and waved his hand, “Tell the boys, I will be late. I have to console Grian.”
“He did once. Not sure how it is now,” the man answered with slight bitterness in his voice, but quickly changed his tone. “I will pass on your message, but I can’t promise they will be happy with you, hot stuff.”
“They will get over it,” Scar said dismissively. The blue haired man let out a theatrical sigh and with one last eye-roll walked out, leaving two remaining men alone in a dimly lit apartment.
“I’m not getting involved,” the other man said and watched as Scar slowly rose from the bed to stand over him.
“I know, bud,” Scar squeezed his cheek with one hand and turned towards the door, “in that case I will talk to Tango. See you later, Cubby.”