"We're never going to get out of this thing!" Aghast, the brown-haired young adventurer yells to his allies from across the dungeon. Torches illuminated the massive, stadium-like room to reveal the never-ending swarm of crimson goblins approaching his position. Through the help of a flame-producing skill, he was trapped within a blazing circle, preventing the goblins from reaching him.
One of his allies, a pink-haired female, yells through her cupped hands. "Allen, we're coming to get you! Give us some time and we'll get through this flood!" The flood was not water, however. The flood that she spoke of took the shape of thousands of goblins swarming their position, striking into a cobalt dome that blocked physical attacks. The incoherent yells of the goblins nearly drowned out the voices of the adventurers who were caught in a life-threatening situation.
"I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! This is hopeless, fuckin' hopeless!" Allen, the brown-haired male, had quickly begun to lose his composure. Faced with a swarm of endless goblins, all intent on stealing his life, it was fair for him to have difficulties remaining calm.
"Damnit, Allen! Calm down! We're on our way to you now!" Another male with black hair shouts to his panicking ally.
His words are without truth in the end. No matter how much they butcher through the swarm of goblins, the group could not grow any closer to Allen than a few inches. Their energy was running low, and their power dwindled with every passing second.
Rays of light, constructs of stone, and formations of sigils — nothing is enough to stop the flood.
Nothing but the distant echoing of a thunderous boom sent a more eminent wave of panic into the trapped group of adventurers. "Shit, it's coming!" One of the adventurers yells out, sweat droplets of exhaustion and concern mixing with the other.
Mightier than even the merciless stampeding goblins is a crowned foe with captivatingly orange skin. Larger than even the largest elephants, its sharp teeth cut greater than even the sharpest razors. "We've got no choice, we've got to leave!" As the orange-skinned foe makes itself apparent through the dimly illuminated darkness in the distance, thoughts of survival work their way into the minds of the formerly selfless group.
"H-Huh?! You guys aren't leaving me here, right?!!! You can't just abandon me!" Through the disarray, Allen cries to his comrades, hearing their concerns. As the group of goblins slowly breaks through his surrounding defenses, the time for rescuing him is becoming slimmer and slimmer.
The pink-haired woman yells to him again in an attempt to calm him down. "Allen, we aren't leaving you! Just... find someplace to hide! If you can, try reaching us -- even!" Her words reward him with no comfort in the slightest. Allen, who'd run out of options for reaching his allies, lost his composure.
"Fuck! Fuck you can't be serious! Help me! Guys, help, please! Come on, help me out here! Teleport me -- set more fire -- anything, please! Damnit!" Allen wildly swung the weapon in his hand around, slashing at any of the goblins who'd managed to get close enough to be a danger to him. The fear of death drowned any of his critical thinking abilities. Now, all that he could think about was his own survival.
"Ha... haaa....!" As the flames that surrounded Allen subsided, the goblins flooded in on top of him in unison. "Haaaaghhhhhh!" His cries of panic were the only evidence that the group had that he was even alive another second. His cries of agony and the burst of blood that shot onto the pink-haired woman's face shortly after his cries were swallowed by the taunting laughter of countless hostile goblins.
Allen's death didn't come quickly, the dungeons were not a nice enough place for that.
Daggers and teeth bore into his flesh, severing away at the flesh and bones that kept his limbs connected. The torment was done purposely, calculated to bring the most agonizing demise to him — torturing him in his final moments. The goblins punctured his lungs, even as he screamed out in pain. Gargled breaths and sobs did not delay their attack, but instead furthered the guilt felt by his allies who were forced to sit and listen to the final moments of the comrade they'd been unable to save.
If the sight of his own blood did not torture him enough, then the display of darkness that followed as his eyes were plucked from his skull would've haunted him in his next life, assuming that such a thing existed for the average person.
His death was cruel, but a perfect example of what happens inside of dungeons. Once you enter a Gate, you are not expected to come out.
Tears swell down the pink-haired woman's face, but she has no time to mourn the loss of her comrade. In the distance, the orange-skinned enemy continues its approach. Its massive feet crush and explode the goblins unfortunate enough to be caught in its path indiscriminately. "The Ogre is still coming, we have to run!" The man who'd suggested fleeing first speaks out, remaining level-headed during this entire ordeal.
"If we can leave, then we need to at least regroup and recover! Allen had stamina potions, but those are probably gone now!" Others wished that they could say something about how insensitive he seemed while speaking about their deceased comrade. Yet, they all held their tongues, seeing the larger picture before them. Faltering, stopping to cry, and even complaining will all result in their deaths that'd no doubt be as gruesome as Allen's.
The group prepares to push through the crowd of goblins until they are interrupted by a malicious voice, beckoning their attention from the darkness. "You guys can't leave -- I just got here."
Equally as alarmed as the next one, every member of the party looks around to find the source of the voice that managed to reach them through the parading goblins. As their eyes scan their stone surroundings, all they find are damaged constructs and pillars from their previous battle in the gargantuan opening around them.
"Leaving as soon as I get here is pretty messed up, folks. You should be more respectful than that -- I'm a visitor, after all!" The voice of the newcomer sent chills up the spine of every party member. Not a single one of them dared to speak while the man was speaking, and none could draw the courage to ask him who he was or where he was located.
A fleeting silence fills the room, and the goblins that were wound loud and obnoxious are all dismembered. Their limbs fly through the air wildly as a glint scans through the area. Heads roll and other body parts detach from their hosts, all before the group can thoroughly process what'd happened. "There we go, it was too damn noisy in here!"
The silence the unseen man hoped for didn't last for long.
"Hrrroougggghhh!" The orange ogre roars in anger at the sight of its fallen soldiers. In seconds, every goblin in the room had been dispatched with the swipe of a hand. "Whoooo darrreeesss?!" Dragging out its words in a speech that the Awakeners didn't know it could — the ogre raises its axe into the air as if it were going to take a swing at the oxygen around it.
"Shit, I got the attention of the boss? This world is funny! I'd been convinced that all of you guys were mindless! Nice to meet you!"
A blur passes by, and a short figure appears in the view of the party through the crimson mist of blood that'd formed from the spray of goblin innards. Short, grey hair presents itself to the group. The equally grey skin is revealed before them as well, but it doesn't compare to the brief moment where empty blue eyes look in the direction of the party. Strange black markings, reminiscent of tear droplets, run down the face of the short individual.
"Hey, since you're smart, why don't you join us in our invasion? You're a bit weaker than a foot grunt, but that's never stopped anyone! Whaddya' say, pal?!"
The mysterious male must've had his expectations crushed before his eyes, right beneath the axe that descended on him with killing intent. The ground shook as the ogre's axe attempted to cut the young male in half, only to find not even a hint of blood beneath its blade.
"You know... I don't like sparring with grunts — it's always too tiring, and I'm not the best when it comes to holding back either."
His tone would suggest that he was sympathetic and pleading, though the actions following this carried a stark contrast. Before the ogre could move out of the way or lift its axe to defend itself, a relentless onslaught of slashes was released down onto it.
"You may not really want to hear this from me, but if I had to compare you to a child in the world that I come from..."
The ogre's body was covered in lacerations, but it was not ready to surrender yet! As its body collapsed down, it swung its axe up at the male, who quickly moved out of the way, faster than its bleeding eyes could track. "You're pretty damn weak!"
Organized strafes of blood are unleashed from the ogre's body. Now, nothing more than a butchered corpse beneath the continuous slashes of the male. "Shit, see what I mean?! I didn't even mean to kill you! I was going to ask if you've seen somebody!"
The group of Awakeners stood in awe, too frightened to move. A B-Rank Ogre had been killed effortlessly by the newcomer. This made it clear to the group that none of them had even the slightest chance of surviving should the short figure attack them.
His eyes eventually meet them, a predatory gaze forcing all of them to their knees instinctively. "I ended up killing that last guy too quickly, so I know to be more careful with your fragile humans. So, let me ask you a question." Raising her head, the pink-haired woman finds the child-like face of the pale-skinned boy in front of her. "Where is Toy Cesta?"
"I've been told that this world's got strong people, so I willingly volunteered to be one of the first few who come here! Just from being in a place connected to that world, I can feel it — the strongest person that you all have to offer. So, if you refuse to tell me, I'm going to start killing all of you one at a time. Where is Toy Cesta?"
Shortly following this question, the Awakener who'd first suggested fleeing -- the same level-headed man who'd been trying to keep composed, vanished into a pool of blood on the ground. His body was precisely cut, nothing but a few cuts of flesh and gore being left where he once lay. The pink-haired woman would've opened her mouth to scream if the intense stare of the blue-eyed boy didn't leave her petrified.
"You humans are bad at this, real bad. We'll try this again," She tries to speak -- nothing escapes from her lips. She is too stunned to even draw a proper breath. "Where is Toy Cesta?" Another member of the party fell victim, sending more blood splashing through the vicinity.
"Phuh... Hiiii....! I-I-I-I-I...!" She could not produce a single coherent phrase through the stress of the situation.
The pale boy clicks his tongue, growing impatient after a few seconds. "I'd forgotten about the fear that's naturally instilled into you humans. You're making this way too difficult on me! Be fair, c'mon!" Without repeating his question, more blood spills around the pink-haired woman. The pale-skinned enigma has butchered more than one of her friends now as if he takes joy in it. Joy, or he merely didn't value human life whatsoever.
"F-Fadena! She's an Examiner in Fadena!" In an effort to save the rest of her comrades, the pink-haired woman powers through all of her nausea and fear. Most Awakeners knew who Toy Cesta was, she is renowned as one of the best A-Rank Examiners Fadena has to offer.
"Fadena, finally! Thank you! You made that so much more difficult than it needed to be, lady!" Lifting his hand to the face of the woman, as if he'd planned on gifting her the same fate that he'd bestowed onto her allies, the mysterious boy tilts his head.
Openings are formed in the bodies of the female's remaining allies. She opens her mouth to protest far too late, as they are all dismembered and divided across the room just as the ones before them had been — equally as gruesome as the death of the ogre that was once their enemy.
"But, you know, I've got no idea where the hell Fadena is! So, I'm going to keep you alive as my guide!" Flipping his open hand after the executions, his palm faces the surviving woman. "I, Sable Le Vixen, will let you witness my might for as long as I keep you alive, pet!"
The woman did not get the chance to oppose Sable's orders. Her trembling form is collected into his arms as if she were a bride. His form was smaller than her own, but he did not show any signs of discomfort. Sable's facial expression, painted by blood, showcased a bloody smile that'd leave horror in fiction appalled by its incandescent innocence. For a moment, she wondered if this was truly the boy who'd just butchered everyone in the room. Her mind desperately searched for anything other than the rising panic in her chest, and the thoughts of the heartless fates cast onto the breathing -- or formerly breathing -- comrades that she'd fought side-by-side with.
"I will fight and kill Toy Cesta before she can become the Red Queen, and from there, I'll... I don't have a plan for that, but the others have doubted my abilities!" The female in Sable's arms didn't understand a single thing that he was saying, but she'd never say these things out loud, lest she wish to have her head split into a dozen pieces, and then some.
Her body jolts when his eyes glimpse down at her, his attention now on her alone. There is a shuddering silence for a few seconds before he speaks. "What is your name, Bijou?"
She struggles to get the words out, but they are received. "P-Patience! I'm P-Patience!" Sable's smile turns into a smirk of intrigue.
"Humans do have good tastes with their names. I happen to have an ally named Patience! She's not here right now, but you'll see her once the Angels of God come falling out of the sky soon." In an unfitting stroke of irony, the ceiling above the two crumbles. Chunks of stone and massive stalagmites descend onto them, only to have their existences divided just as equally as the group of adventurers.
"Wow! The cage is collapsing! That must be my fault, I suppose. Since I don't know what opening you came through, I'm just gonna be creating my own, 'kay?" Patience sheepishly nods, incapable of finding the courage to speak again. Her stomach felt like it'd burst from her mouth, and the tension in her chest made her wonder if she'd been injured without realizing it. Thoughts of her body being left as nothing but a pool of blood crossed her mind, and she hated it.
As a rift opens in front of Sable, he looks down to ask Patience one last time before they depart the collapsing dungeon. "Which do you think is stronger? My Severance, or Toy Cesta's Control?"
Only after he'd recognized the clueless look on Patience's face did he shake his head, stepping through the rift. Sable would've liked the encouragement, though he didn't believe he needed it either. The words of his allies had been weighing on him endlessly since before he'd departed. They all warned him not to interact with the Woman of Red, speaking as if she were some kind of undefeatable monster.
He, Sable Le Vixen, who'd defeated Qeseachbeonth with enough difficulty to have energy for a second brawl after, was looked down upon. "I'm confident that my Severance is stronger. I am the strongest Maven, after all."
As one of the youngest in an unknown species from an unknown world, Sable Le Vixen arrived and butchered a dungeon in record timing. His presence is one of the least concerning things to be found in the world at the time that Luck and Roshia Qinlen explored their mysterious space. Imagining an end to the insanity is impossible, as innumerable glowing pillars make themselves known across the world.
Some Place Outside of The World.
Citizens look up at the sky above them. Bells chime as mighty winds overtake the air, sweeping light objects into the indomitable grasp of a divine gale. Languages that Humans wouldn't be able to recognize are spoken in a hurry. Green-skinned humanoids run about in their tunics and medieval-aged attire. Archers raise their arrows as if they are prepared to fight the air itself. "Take aim!" They cried in their language.
Speeding toward the ground with a fiery barrier around himself, a composed gentleman approaches the cyan planet of the green-skinned humanoids with murderous intent. "Please do forgive the intrusion," As he comes within range, the arrows of the villagers are unleashed upon him.
Fired with enough force to ignite mountains, the arrows move to completely erase the descending man in a black suit. His beige skin was expected to be charred and turned to dust. Had only it hit would they have been able to discuss the true results. "I have no choice but to ensure that the Voteagans cannot interfere with our invasion. Humans are an adaptive species, from what I've heard. Their universe will undoubtedly make a righteous battlefield for us."
His voice comes from behind the group. Appearing on the ground, he gives a polite bow to the panicking villages.
Before the archers can ready their next shots, a furious expansion of fire engulfs the entire village.
Continuing from the village, it eventually made its way to engulf what'd have equated to a city.
Like it'd been disappointed with the results of its own creation, the fire continues seeking out more destruction. Brushing through the air and earth, the flames spread to the neighboring villages, countries, and kingdoms. The surrounding continents were not spared from the mighty expansion of fire unleashed from the man's body.
In a matter of minutes, the entire planet was engulfed by his flames. He hadn't intended on killing just a single group when he'd arrived on this planet. He'd intended to eradicate the entire population. Screams echo from the distance, through the drowning noise of fire.
The suited man would've happily put out the fires in any other circumstance. He is a Maven who must set an example for his subordinates. "Goddess Aris does not appreciate the Founder's creations getting in the way of her business, I'm afraid."
