Gladius, God of Combat, the strongest immortal, and the only one left, sensed something behind him. The seven-foot behemoth sat, resting his heavy silver boots on the small block before him. A single scar ran down from his thick black hair, across his cheek, thin and long, and he stroked it idly. His heavy armor didn’t weigh him down as he moved. Kicking his feet off the Ottoman, he spun his chair around.

  "Ah! Hello once again, audience!" he greeted, before rubbing off the Scryer's Lens and squinting. "Oh. This isn't the usual story, huh? Well in that case, welcome new audience!"

  He stood, spinning around with his hands raised, indicating the massive 70" Scrying Screen and the lavish apartment, open windows letting in bright light from outside. An endless waterfall began in a pond on the lawn outside, and fell off the sharp drop-off. Clouds floated by underneath the glass floor, revealing a barren world far beneath them.

  "As you can see, I'm quite bored up here, in the Immortal's Watch. Not much to do besides watch other worlds. Well," he said with a smile, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "I've been watching two very special shows which I've named "The Eatey Rock" and "The Multi Personality Rock". And I've enjoyed watching the thousands of lives that I can with this screen, but," Gladius walked over to an opening in the floor, which showed only the open air underneath it. "I think it's time to spice things up..."

  He stepped out over the open air, and plummeted to the ground below.

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  About halfway to the room containing the Research Root, the Dreadnought stopped his waltz and banged his fist against the wall, right in front of the small room she’d trapped the remains of the Red Core within.

  “In here, mistress!”

  Muffled sounds came from the other side of the wall.

  “Hello?” A voice called, barely audible through the thick layer of dirt bricks and stone.

  “Hello, creature! The mistress is here now!”

  Mari was about to delete the wall with a thought, when with a loud crash, the wall exploded outwards, shattered bits piercing the Dreadnought’s body. He didn’t even flinch.

  What a monster…

  Mari watched through the Overseer’s viewport as a seven-foot tall man exited the new hole. He bent forward a little, as he passed through, his long scarlet cape trailing after him. A thin scar ran down his face, interrupted by the grin he loudly wore.

  “Hello, Marianna!” the man called in a deep voice. Power emanated from him, spooking her. Even the Dreadnought seemed a bit nervous in the presence of the unknown person.

  [Um, hi.] Mari thought back. [Do I know you?]

  The man laughed, placing his hands on his waist and throwing his chest forward as he did so.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “No, no, no! And I wouldn’t expect you to!” He tapped the side of his nose with an outstretched finger. “But I know you. Or perhaps I should say… your story.”

  [Sorry, what?]

  “This is the world that has been pulled over your eyes. It blinds you from the truth.”

  Mari’s imaginary eyes shot open with alarm. Did he know? That she wasn’t actually from this world? Was he associated with the man in the pinstriped suit? Could he… get her home?

  [What truth?]

  He leaned forward, conspiratorily, with a hand to the side of his mouth so that the Dreadnought might not hear what it was he had to say.

  “That you are a slave, Mari. Like many others, you were brought into a prison where you cannot smell, or taste, or touch. A prison… of the mental variety.” He brought his hand down, and looked questioningly towards the Dreadnought, who stood grinning nearby.

  So he did know! That she had been brought to this world against her will. That she was trapped inside the body of a dungeon core. Her hope rose, having found somebody that finally could help her. But her curiosity bit deeply into her as well, reminding her that this man had arrived in a room without an entrance, and that people in this world wouldn’t hesitate to cause harm.

  [How do you know these things? Who are you?]

  He didn’t answer, instead holding out two hands to the floating Overseer, lightly curled into fists as though holding something.

  “In my hands, there are two options.”

  His right hand unrolled, revealing a sapphire.

  That’s just like the stone that the man at the store left behind!

  She was about to ask him about it, when he spoke first.

  “You choose the blue gem, this side-story ends, and you wake up tomorrow and search for answers alone, unimpeded by my presence, and however you want to.”

  This whole situation was too much for her. Where had this guy come from? How could he just behave this way? Offer these “options” to her?

  His left hand unrolled, and another large gem, this one a ruby, was revealed.

  “You choose the red gem, you travel to my domain, and perhaps you discover the answers to all your secret questions. Including where your rat queen, be she still alive, really is.”

  She froze.

  Was Miradeen still alive?

  The possibility shook Mari to her core. Could she save the friend she’d made during her time in this new world?

  If that was true, it changed everything.

  Mari realized this was just like the famous scene from a movie long ago catapulted into history as one of the greatest ever made. If she chose the blue gem, this man, whoever he was, would leave her alone. And perhaps that was true. But Mari sensed he wanted her to choose the red one.

  And it did align with her interests to do so.

  [I’ll take the red--]

  “Remember,” he interrupted, his smile betraying his excitement. “All I’m offering is a chance at the truth. Nothing more.”

  She nodded mentally.

  [I’ll take the red gem.]

  The world went black, and the only thing Marianna could see was the smile of the mysterious man, and the red gem as it floated in the darkness before her.

You’ve been drafted into a Dungeon War.