"Legend." The woman known as Helen Shadestep said. She had finally told Dante her name. "Speaks of a King that rebelled against the Gods. Angered, they sought to twist him, manipulate him into a weapon. But he refused, and as punishment, they locked him away. Imprisoning him in what is now known as the Towering Vale. A collection of galaxies sectioned out of the multi-verse, and stored in a vacuum of space-time. Kell, in his rage to get back at the System that governs this pocket universe, devised a plan to escape. All he had ever loved was lost, so what reason shall he remain?" 

Dante sipped his tea, "Go on."

"Every few thousands of years, new worlds are taken from the multi-verse, and placed inside the Vale. Kell believed that the ability for this to occur, would weaken the fabric of reality. He surmised that was the reason new worlds are locked off from others in their same layer. But there is always a way in if you look hard enough. The Federation, Guilds, Sects and powerful Royals vowing for power, have proven this true throughout the centuries.

They seek out these planets, fighting to increase their spear of influence. Kell fled the Eighth layer, a crime in and of itself. He burned his way down until he found a powerful Dowser. We came in contact a few years later, and he told me of this new world, Telle'dorne. Their trial has expired, and soon the Treaty will fall upon them. If they fail this Treaty, this world will be forged into a dungeon world as well. But as the Treaty commences, the world will be sectioned off, outside of the First layer. Kell's plan was to make it here before the Treaty, and summon a being outside of the Vale. Naturally he would reverse the summon, and would have been the first to escape this hell."

"But he failed…"

"Yes, in more ways than you know. We all thought we had failed. We thought the summoning wasn't complete, but now I suspect there was a delay. Either way, we were tracked by the Emissaries of the Federation; the government that essentially rules the Vale. Kell fought them to a stand still, I fled, Nox, our Dowser died. And Kell was captured."

Dante leaned back in his chair, staring at the sky. This was a lot to take in. 'Is she saying? No she can't be… But here I am, chained and collared in a fantastical world. Who's to say a dungeon boss wouldn't want to break free either?'

"...And if I don't join this guild of yours. Then what? You turn me over to him? He's either dead or imprisoned. You don't have anything over me."

Helen took a sip of her tea, letting the silence answer for itself. Ultimately Dante knew Ignitrus wasn't dead, and if he was captured, who's to say he wouldn't escape again. He needed protection, but–

"Then what if I join him, I want to leave here as well!? I have a family, friends, goals!"

"Then your world will burn..."

~

"Mistress, the foods ready!" J'zaxx said. He walked over, swaggering with a large stew pot in his hands.

Helen gave a small sympathetic look his way, but they both knew she was placing her wants before his. "When I said there are no cures, I truly believed that. There's always a chance that I'm wrong, but if there is a cure the Were-kin dungeon has yet to produce such an artifact. I've offered Essence shards, I've offered lives, and I have taken lives. Nothing. But there is one thing that I have learned from Kell. He told me about a technique that can partition the soul, channel it. That's what I need, and that's what you need. You'll join the Hunters guild, then we'll continue from there."

She reached into the stew and grabbed a bone, tearing the flesh off with her fangs. "So, is that a; yes I will join you Helen?" She said.

"Fine! But I won't become like you, so casually using people as puppets!" Dante said, unclenching his fingers. "And what if I am found out, and this guild knows that I am no longer human?"

"Then you die." Helen said. "Truly I don't care about you, but this is personal. Kell offered me a way to save my sister, and you will fulfill it because I can't, and I don't have the time to find someone else. Life isn't fair. I could offer an apology, but instead I offer you a method to save my sister and yourself from this curse. Your humanity will be maintained, and if everything goes the way I plan, you will have protection from Kell, once the protection on this world lifts. I know it, and deep down you know it too. He will return for you, and gain access to your homeworld. If I left you out in that field, and you didn't die, then you would have eventually ended up in his mercy. And he doesn't have mercy, it died a long time ago."

"You could have told me! Asked me to help you! Instead you poison me and dangle the cure over my head!"

"I couldn't have been sure you would listen. Now I can partially guarantee both my sister's and your home worlds safety. What would have protected you from Kell if I didn't intervene? Nothing. You would have been slaughtered on sight."

The inevitability of fate led them both here, and Dante hated it for that reason. Her logic was sound. She was an asshole that placed him in this predicament, but at least she didn't pretend to hold a moral high ground. That, he thought, was somehow refreshing. But still, she was an admitted criminal, a murderer, likely a serial killer at that. Dante tried to place himself in her shoes, what would he do to save someone he loved? What wouldn't he do to save someone he loved? Could he kill a human? How much blood would he have on his hands after all this was said and done? The questions came with no answers, and that angered him further. But in the end he chose life. "What do I have to do?"

"We'll speak about that later. Right now we have to prepare you for the first Hunt. It's a test of sorts one gets when consuming the aspect of beast mana."

Dante turned to J'zaxx. "Is that what's in there? For a second I thought it was humans."

J'zaxx shrugged. "Meat is meat."

"No you're not eating this, Ghost will arrive with your food later. Tonights the full moon, and your first transformation. We'll stuff you with meat until you look like a pregnant whale, then we'll continue until you burst. You need all the power we can force into you before our plans set in motion."

Dante was relieved. If she tossed it to him, he would have devoured the entire bone and licked the bloodied juices off the stone table. "Fine, but can you take this collar off?"

"No. I think it looks good on you." Helen winked.

~

Dante Evergold

Race: Umbral Warg

Mark: Lonely Hero, Burning Path, Crystalized Monk, Slayer II, Death Defier, Shadow Stalker

Essence Points: 3442

HP: 270/270

SP: 300/300

MP: 340/340

Physique: F

Strength: 35, Endurance: 30, Vitality: 27, Regeneration: 20, Dexterity: 34, Agility: 34, Intelligence: 32, Magic: 34, Perception: 26, Focus: 28, Willpower: 23, Luck: 20, Fire Resistance: 19, Disease Resistance: 15

Racial abilities

Snarl Lvl 1, Growl Lvl 1, Howl Lvl 1, Paw Strike Lvl 1, Claw Slash Lvl 1, Bite Lvl 1, Track Lvl 1

[Unseen] [Night boon] [Daylight savings]

Combat Level: F

Dark Vision Lvl 4, Fire Manipulation Lvl 10, Fireball Lvl 8, Crystal gaze Lvl 2, Flame Burst Lvl 5, Charge Lvl 9, Imbue Lvl 6, Meditation: Waning Fire Lvl 8, Death's Corona Lvl 8, Dual Casting: Lvl 1

Legacy

Affinity of Fire [Locked]

Will of the Lonely Hero [Locked]

Arcane Blessings [Locked]

"So much for luck", Dante said, counting his seven new skills. Then he looked over his race description.

Umbral Warg: Bitten by a werewolf that was tainted with the Shadow Aspect of mana, your curse takes on the darkest of nights.

"You have a decent base of skills." Helen interrupted. "Covering defense, movement and attack. And you even managed to create a Foundation for your mana core. Truly impressive."

After removing the collar Helen had asked Dante about his Fire Manipulation skill. She explained the rarity of aspect manipulation to him, and told stories of people who would conquer worlds with that one ability.

He learned as with beast mana, there were tests to gain an aspect, but if one's affinity was too low they would die during said test. Villages burned over night from a fire caused by such failures. Beast mana had no such requirement. All was allowed to take the test at the same starting level, however such a trial led to cannibals running wild. Eating their unborns, from their wives wombs. It was a ghastly tale. One that apparently had the aspect outlawed, and only allowed under special occasions. Briefly he wondered why she would tell him this.

'Perhaps she thought it best, that I know of the full consequences if I fail?'

"Here take this." Helen tossed him a circular crystal that held silver substance inside. "That's purified mana, untainted by all aspects. We'll determine your affinities, stare into the center and tell me what you see."

"Fire. I see fire."

"What else?"

"That's all."

"Nope there's more keep looking."

"It's dark. Shadow?"

"Indeed." She grabbed the crystal, and handed him a red stone the size of a fist.

Grand Fire Stone

Used to test affinity caliber, and has a variety of uses in alchemic endeavors.

Dante held the stone, and within ten seconds it bursted into flame, with the ashes falling between his fingers.

"It appears Kell struck gold. Your affinity for fire is very high, outside of having a fire core, your techniques won't improve much."

Then she tossed him a white stone, surprisingly it was meant to test his shadow affinity. When Dante touched it, the stone soaked up his shadow essence as if water to a sponge.

"Lesser Shadow affinity, as expected."

"Do you have a Force stone or something? I'd like to try for that."

"Nope you're not that special. The max anyone person starts with is three, and you can thank me for the shadow aspect. If you want to wield Force mana properly, you'll have to cultivate it like everyone else. But I warn you. If you max out your charges, and take the test, your head will explode like a Palm fruit."

Curious, Dante asked. "What happens if someone failed the test for Shadows?"

"Living death, until all is silenced. No sense of touch, taste, smell you can't even hear yourself think. It may sound like simple meditation in a void, until your heart stops beating. Many have tried to cheat, only to have their body non-responsive to outside measures. A failed test equals true death. Remember that, my sister's life and your homeworld counts on you."

Dante was about to ask for a way to increase his affinity, but Helen brushed the question aside moving on to his skills.

"A Foundation dictates the behavior of your mana core during meditation. Today I'll have you incorporate a movement skill to build upon your techniques. That's why I won't remove your collar. Truth be told, you're a natural Manipulator, on the opposite spectrum of an Enhancer, like J'zaxx. In your spar, you blended two skills together. That was very well done, but you need to go further, and combine the skills. However, we'll push those skills to level ten first. Along with Death's Corona and Fireball. I'd love to see what race upgrade you get after the Hunt."

"What do you mean?" Dante asked.

"If your mind is still yours, you'll be given a few rewards to choose from. An upgrade to your race is one of them. I'd like for you to remain on the dark side, there's much I can teach you in regards to shadow magic, but I'd be a fool not to utilize your high affinity for fire."

J'zaxx walked up and curtsy. "May I have this dance?"

"I-I have more questions."

"No you don't." J'zaxx picked Dante up and carried him down a hill. The table Helen sat at, was centered above, and he noticed it was a deliberate design for people to watch someone training.

"What about my Slayer mark, aren't I supposed to get a weapon?"

"Ghost will talk to you about that later. Now we fight."

~

They fought through the morning and long into the day. Sweat ran down his chest and navel, and belatedly Dante realized he wasn't wearing any clothes. He stood dumbfounded, taking a blow to his ribs. It occurred to him that he meant to ask Helen why she was naked. At first he thought she was insane, crazed or feral. But nope, she clearly groomed herself and simply liked being naked. He knew the question was on the tip of his tongue, but then he questioned, why be clothed? And with that the issue left his mind.

But now, he couldn't fight with his member dangling about. What if it didn't grow back? "Stop! Wait! I need pants!"

They both looked at him with confusion. Then Helen nodded that she understood and waved her hand, signaling for him to use his inventory space. He had come to learn that his ability was special, yet similar to items such as rings and bracelets people often used in this world.

When he was ready, J'zaxx struck, not giving him time to collect himself. They played a game of cat and mouse, and within the hour Dante leveled up both Charge and Fireball to level ten. Flame Burst and Death's Corona were a bit more challenging. Death's Corona sat on level nine, while Flame Burst reached seven.

Soon Helen interfered suppressing his power, with her shadow aura. The debuff proved useful and Dante formed the level ten shield of fire around himself. It had improved as well, with a more solid appearance of plasma.

The sun had long parted when Ghost returned. The silver maned werewolf didn't say anything, he simply walked up to Dante and dropped a handful of hearts on the ground.

"Hey!" Dante yelled out.

Helen touched his shoulder, and he abruptly turned around. When had she crossed the distance?

"It's fine, eat up."

"What's his problem?" Dante asked.

"He hates you because you killed his pets. Now here, eat." Helen shoved the heart into his mouth.

He couldn't even fathom the idea of objecting, let alone form words. The heady scent of blood filled his nostrils, and he chewed. The muscle was thick and strong, and parted under his fangs. Dante was a King, with a Queen feeding him ripe and juicy berries.

Beast mana charges 1815/3000

"Eat." Helen fed him another one.

"Eat!" She marveled at the red tint to his eyes. The sweat and blood running down his chest.

"Eat!!" She inhaled, licking the blood off his neck. Ooh, he had made a mess, and she would clean it.

"Huh?" Dante blinked, and pulled back. She was kissing him, groping him and his lip was bleeding. "What–"

"Sorry." She cut him off, shoving the final heart down his throat.

Beast mana charges 3132/3000

Upon completion Dante's heart felt like it would explode. It pumped hard, faster and stronger than during his meal. His pupils dilated. Sound became muted. Why? He wanted to hear screams.

Dante couldn't describe the feeling besides death and ecstasy. He wanted to run and fight and mate and–

Helen slapped him, grabbed both sides of his face and stared into his red eyes. "Dante! Remember your name! Remember your fire! Flame Burst! Flame Burst!"

The spell billowed out, completely passing through Helen as she entered the void.

"Again!"

The courtyard was singed, the fire taking on a new and wilder form of life. Instinctively Dante used Fire Manipulation, pushing the skill beyond its normal limits.

Flame Burst has reached level 8

"Yes! Again. Again!"

Dante tried to maintain clarity, but when he thought about anything besides the domination, he lost his sense of self. So he channeled that into the fire.

Time ticked as the moon rose across the sky.

Helen shed tears, staring at what she created. Finally her sister would be whole.

Flame Burst has reached level 10

Once the moon reached its zenith, the court was bathed in a ray of light.

Helen bent close to his ear and whispered. "Remember who you are."

A blinding howl split Dante's mind, parting his consciousness.

Hunger.

Hunger..

Hunger leaked out of the crack. What remained of Dante stumbled forward in search of flesh to sate that need.

On the ground, it watched as his fingers twitched bloody. A new set of claws, gifted with his new transformation. Skin stretched and bled, accommodating bones that shifted and grew, popping back in and out of place. He felt the taste of his own blood fill his mouth, running down his chin from what remained of his tongue. It mixed with the blood of his news fangs that were designed to puncture and maim.

When the final transformation was complete, they sang to the moon.

"Hooooowwwwwllllllll!"