Rachel - finally finished!

Michael - let's get the fuck out now, teleport to the 5th floor get the sap and get paid.

They were enveloped by a glowing dust and melted away leaving mitch behind.

Mitch - it should be something natural. Right?

He focused on the image of the 5th floor and felt a breeze run across his skin.

He looked down as his body “evaporated” piece by piece.

The group was back on the 5th floor, they had already collected part of the sap by the time he had returned.

Michael - how are you gonna take this?

They held onto the curved pieces of bark that served as bowls holding the pinkish sap.

Mitch - just… put it in this bottle.

Mitch extended his thermic bottle for them to fill.

Mitch - im gonna search around while you do that, make sure there isn't anything lurking around.

Mitch wanted to call Rick, as he remembered “he” had something to give him something.

He walked into the trees, disappearing between the plants as to not be spotted by the group.

*Brrrr*...*brrrr*...*brrrr*

Rick - umpf… So you made it in time.

Mitch’s face twitched as Rick's tone of voice sounded odd, he sounded worried and flustered.

Mitch - Rick, you sound, disappointed?. Were you fucking with me, expecting for me to fail?!

Rick - i wish, its something worse! I don't know how to tell you this but i guess you will accept it calmly either way!

Mitch - what???

Rick - mitch, you… you're not real! You exist, mitch existes! But… you're not him, you're his other half.

Mitch - i dont follow.

Rick - i know you know about people from your world supposedly having 2 “people” within them, that each hemisphere as its own personality and that one is passive, its what serves as “autopilot”. You are the “autopilot”, the heroes are yet to be summoned, that includes the “real” you.

Mitch - so what? Why am i here then?

Rick - i brought you here to help “you”. Each hero has a different skill something that sets them apart, that is given by the gods. Only the heroes have the possibility of becoming Gods but they are normally stopped by their patrons, the gods are afraid of change, they fear their own demise, so they use your worlds to fend off dangers, putting them in the line of fire.

I know its hard but you're going to disappear once you get summoned but before that happens, i can use the fact that you will be gone to help everyone.

The real heroes are constantly being watched by the gods as to check their progress and if another god interferes or tries something dangerous to others. You however are off the fucking grid and cant be spotted

Mitch - i…, so im not the real one! guess all that time i spent wondering what i would do if i was a clone will come in handy. Soooo... what do i have to do, and whats your purpose.

Rick -the powers i have been giving you can be kept and weaponised for later, all that you have gained can be used by the real you. And for the reason why im doing this is because i think i found a way to save everyone, or at the very least stop more worlds from being destroyed. but they wont accept it if i don't have more people to back me up. i need more power! i need a God that came from that world! not only to prove it to them but as a necessary element for my plan.

Mitch - ok, i'll help. How are you gonna do this? I'll join back into my body, i'll be separated from me in another body and help from the back?

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Rick - a living thing with your powers could only be God-made so none of the above. I'm going to turn you into a relic/artifact and find a way to give you to “you”, Gods can't interfere in the system of the dungeons since its a God like existence in itself, we will make it look like you were a VERY lucky drop from the dungeon’s monsters.

Mitch - you know what's more surprising to all of this. I'm not feeling weirded out by any of this.

Rick - that's normal, you are the passive one, you just go along with what you are told.

Mitch hung up and walked back to the group, they had been chatting between each other, talking about their kills and how they participated.

Soon Mitch would leave them behind, never to be seen by any of them again.

It surprisingly didn't hurt, it didn't sadden him, he didn't feel grief just a sense of annoyance from them soon being gone.

Mitch - You guys ready?

Michael - were ready to get payed!

Rachel - michael! Don't be rude.

Mitch went through his money and gave them 600 royals.

Mitch - here! a little extra for your troubles.

Mitch handed Rachel the money and walked back.

She stared at the money for a second before being snatched away by Michael.

He didn't give any importance to it and grabbed the bottle before going back to level 1 and heading out.

It was already a few hours into the night, the cold air crawled under his clothes and made his breaths turn white, there was almost no visibility in the path back but he managed to guide himself with the light of the moon shining through the branches.

He could see the town wall with its little torches in the distance.

There was only 2 guards at the gate but more on its walls, they quickly let him through into the city.

Most places had stopped and the inner gates between districts had been closed with only a single guard taking care of a small side door in case someone needed to go through.

The only inner gates that were not closed were the housing district and the church district with the guild being the only thing opened in there.

He entered the guild with his head down, the reception counters had been closed with wooden panels and the only one left taking care of its entrance was a short burly man in his 30.

Burly dood - you have a room rented or you wanna be beaten out of here?

Mitch searched his pocket for the key and raised it for the man to see, after opening a book for the room and checking if it had been rented he nodded back

Burly dood - alright. You can go upstairs.

He pressed forward past the brown bearded guy sitting by the stairs.

This was the last time he would walk up these wooden stairs since he had the feeling that night would be his last there, otherwise Rick wouldn't have made the deadline so soon for the dungeon conquering.

He entered his room and waited for the inevitable call that would soon occur.

*Brrrrr* *brrrr*

Mitch - is it time for me to go?

Rick - jeez, nice hello! No, it isn't yet, you have till midnight but i need your help meanwhile for this to work.

Mitch - what do i have to do?

Rick - im gonna give you a project that you need to build, the materials used don't matter except for its core. You need to make it all and then transfer your consciousness into it.

Mana powered hydraulic armor (soul vessel module): shoulder and arm

Mitch sat by the corner of the bed processing the new information obtained until he could form a more clear image of what Rick wanted.

He started by making its core: a round marble about the size of the tip of his pinky, it was made of the same materials that were used as the dungeon’s core, it was quickly covered by a round metal cage that branched into a series of wires made of the mana conductor connecting to the frame that started to resemble a hand, forming right after a series of crystals and tubes that started to drip in an oil similar to the tanglers tree resin.

He kept adding layer after layer to the mechanism until the inside couldn't be seen anymore, at which point he covered it in armor.

Steel plates shaped like the arm itself, with a thin layer of resins from both trees, forming a rubbery material that served as a shock absorber underneath.

He admired his new creation for it apparently would be his last.

It was a simple design that had slightly disappointed him, he expected a great looking piece to be made but it was just smooth plating even more simple than that of the first armors made in europe, so he decided to change it up a bit.

He thickened the finger knuckles,the back of the forearm and the outer side of its upper arm to twice the thickness; he then made a mesh pattern over it all.

Mitch - i made it. Now what?

Rick - equip it, put your arm inside it until you feel the tiny dungeon core inside and then ill do the rest.

The armor was cold but time was important and he couldn't waste it, jamming his arm inside it until his bare fingers reached the glove, he could feel something touching his palm.

Mitch - done. Im ready.

He felt anxiety for the first time since he had gotten there, his heart was racing but his mind kept quite calm.

Mitch - hey Rick!

Rick - uhh, what?

Mitch - Dying. Will it hurt?

Rick - what do you mean? This isn't the end!

Mitch - really?

He could hear the happy tone of voice on the phone, he felt like he could hear Rick smirk from the other… whatever side he was in.

Rick - pfft, this isn't the end for you. It's just the beginning!