Haru: Acolyte 18/Apprentice 9

Optifex: Legionnaire 18/Initiate 9

ErcuEmu: Initiate 18/Legionnaire 9

Alara: Apprentice 18/Acolyte 9

Tacito: Footpad 18/Initiate 9

Haru stood in a circle with the rest of the party. They decided to return to the dojo to get their level 18 skills after defeating the Gogo boss on the beach. She looked around, trying to gauge everyone’s disposition.

The acolyte received Renew as her next skill, which slowly healed a target over time.

“I think we should just go for the next main boss now.” Emu placed his thumb and index fingers on his chin.

“Don’t we have to do the main quest first?” Haru tilted her head and squinted.

Emu and Alara shook their heads in unison.

“You don’t,” Emu replied, “the boss is counted as defeated once you have turned in the level 20 job orb once. And it’s faster to get the boss done first. All the main quests leading up to the dungeon are in and around Fairbank, so it’s free exp and can just get all your job skills at once.”

Haru scratched her head. “But aren’t we under leveled?”

“We’ll level up as we go through the dungeon.” Alara looked at Haru. “Besides, we don’t get any new spells or abilities until level 21 so waiting until we’re level 20 to start it is just wasting time.” She folded her arms.

Something felt wrong about rushing to the dungeon suddenly. While Haru wanted nothing more than to finish off the demon for good, for some reason it unsettled her that Alara was also in support of just going straight to where the demon resided. The acolyte looked around at the dojo. “Perhaps it would be a good idea to get a level or two before we do that?”

Opti shook his head. “They’re right. It’s for the best if we just went straight to Waylander’s Wastes and got it over with.” His voice was solemn, and he looked at the ground.

Alara passed a glance toward Opti, and a restrained smirk eased onto her face.

The acolyte shifted uncomfortably on her feet. Though she was outnumbered she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap. But Opti and she couldn’t simply go it alone at this level. Mobs were far too powerful, especially in dungeons. Haru wondered why Opti was going along with this idea, especially since he knew what was going on. This whole ordeal felt wrong, but it seemed like she was the only one who thought so.

Haru sighed. “If that’s what everyone thinks, I suppose we should go for it.”

Alara, Emu, and Taci nodded. Then, after some hesitation while still staring downward, Opti did the same in turn.

Haru exhaled slowly and bobbed her head. “Okay, then I’m on board too.” She stared for a while at Opti, looking like he was sulking for some reason.

The group departed from the dojo and ascended the elevator to the ground level of Fairbank. After they left through the main gate, they traveled to the four-way intersection halfway between the main city and the exit to the starter area dungeon.

They turned left at the crossroads, the only direction the group hadn’t traveled yet. The stone paved road continued through the forest, flanked on the left side by the sheer cliff that dropped down to the woodland that led to the shore, and by more forest higher on the hill to their right. The path twisted and bent around huge natural stone formations, slowly descending the farther the party traveled.

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After a great distance, the forest thinned around them, and the cliff to their left became less sheer. A long gentle bend to the left in the path transformed the grassy plain the group found themselves walking among, with a few interspersed evergreens, turned into a large mountain on their left and rocky outcrops to their right. Nestled between the rock formations was a sandy inlet. Beyond the inlet was Waylander’s Wastes.

As the party passed through the entrance, beached shipwrecks were revealed, appearing from behind the rocky outcrops to the group’s right flank. Much like the last time Haru was here, the beach was entirely empty. No Scallywags, pirate wolf mobs, or Plankers, pirate crab mobs, to be found anywhere.

“A bit emptier than I’m used to.” Alara folded her arms and surveyed the area with a frowning look of disapproval on her face.

Emu nodded at Alara. “I’m used to running around and avoiding all the mobs to get into the dungeon. Wonder why they changed the area.”

Taci scoffed but remained silent otherwise.

Opti looked around and scratched his head. “Too good of a leveling area, maybe.”

In the distance, dark clouds rolled in from the sea. Within the massive formation, lightning struck the ocean, which caused the water to grow restless. Waves crashing upon the shore became more violent, with larger swells that hammered the beach. The storm advanced rapidly before easing and slowing to hover just over the small cove which contained the demon’s dungeon entrance.

With each lightning strike, a silhouette formed against the momentary illumination. It was a castle embedded into the stone outcrop of the dungeon entrance. Haru traced its form upwards, high against the storm that now hovered over the beach. It was the demon’s lair.

The acolyte turned to find Opti staring at the very same thing. But the other three didn’t seem to notice. They were simply looking around, still disappointed by the beach’s emptiness. Then Haru’s eyes met with Opti’s and the doubt she sensed from him was gone. The look he gave her, squinted eyes and clenched teeth hidden behind pursed lips.

Resolve.

“Let’s get to it then.” Opti spoke to the group, but still stared at Haru. Then he turned and started marching down the beach. He raised his shield to cover himself from the hard driving rain beating down.

They crossed the sands and reached the cove where the portal awaited them. The storm grew more intense with howling winds and booming thunder that shook the shore. Each bolt of lightning revealed the form of the demon’s castle for just a bit longer. Both Opti and Haru couldn’t help but to stare at the structure as they closed in on the entrance. The other three, completely oblivious.

Stopping at the swirling portal, unusually dark crimson and opaque, rather than what it should have been, an otherwise translucent barrier revealing what was on the other side, the party regrouped.

“Are we ready?” Opti shouted over the relentless gales and crashes of thunder.

“I’m ready to get out of this nonsense weather.” Alara hollered. “Let’s keep going, everyone’s here.”

Without hesitation, everyone stepped through the portal.

Usually, stepping into the portal would cause Haru’s vision to fade and after a moment, the environment on the other side would quickly come into view. It was sort of like diving into a pool of water with eyes closed and then opening them once beneath the surface. But instead, she found herself suspended in total darkness.

In the distance, she could hear someone furiously shouting but couldn’t make out the words. But with each passing moment, the person became clearer.

The voice was familiar, lashing out with rage. “I told you it doesn’t matter! Just get that thing finished already, why is it so hard? Play it again, and again, and again, and again until it’s right! What are you, stupid?”

In the distance, two faint gray silhouettes could be made out in the distance. The person shouting was standing and thrashing with his arms over the other, who was sitting.

For a moment, Opti appeared off to the side of the two arguing. Both he and Haru stood looking over the scene as if the two were high in an amphitheater’s seats looking down upon a play. The legionnaire stared, clearly in pain, and seemingly unable to look away.

“Opti.” Haru called out to him. Her voice echoed out through the infinite void and silenced the relentless screaming.

He looked away and toward her with a gasp and a startle.

Then everything faded and Haru found herself in darkness once more, but only for a moment. Ahead of her, a blood red hallway came into view. Around her were the rest of the party.

It was a simple cubic hallway, wooden on all four surfaces, with a haphazard paint job. As if someone had to build this section of the dungeon by hand and in short order.

“Huh, this is different.” Emu looked around with a hint of awe on his face.

Alara scoffed. “I can’t believe this. I had this whole dungeon memorized down to the pixel. And now it’s changed.”

“Figures.” Taci shook his head.

Down the long hallway, a bright white room awaited them.

“Let’s take it slow. No need to rush.” Opti spoke, a tinge of sadness in his voice.

The rest of the party agreed with a nod, and they carefully continued toward the bright room.

As they advanced, manic laughter filled the space. It was Irae. He was waiting and wanted to make sure they knew it.