Keepers POV
*ba-bum*
I had escaped the realm named "Magic rails" to find myself in another prison.
But this time only my body was the prisoner. As I was slowly healed in a cocoon.
*ba-bum*
I had acquired a new ability after my time in the magick rails. Making me capable of looking at zones away from my own body.
Dungeon Eye
This ability allows the user to dislodge a part of his/her's soul or consciousness called an "astral body" that is separate from the physical body and thus capable of traveling freely outside.
*Dungeon specific: Astral projection limited to Dungeon Hearts domain of corruption.
Though the limit was only one km in a radius from my body. Or to be more precise, from Lair.
Underneath my oval room in the ground, connected with a tendril to my cocoon. Laid Lair's heart. Where it was growing.
*ba-bum... ba-bum*
I have never seen a heart so far in my life. But it would be the pink organic heap of flesh growing in the stone floor. Since that is indeed Lair. I wonder how big it will grow.
*ba-bum... ba-bum*
With my [Dungeon eye], I traverse throughout our domain... I don't know how, but it seems like an innate knowledge.
Domain!
The area which Lair's tendrils had reached and where Lair could pump its lifeblood and exert our dominance.
It was so much more different seeing the dark tunnels I used to dive into. Winding and dividing creating a labyrinth of tunnels.
This was our dungeon. My kingdom and Lairs home. There was but just one thing bothering me... No, actually two.
*ba-bum... ba-bum... ba-bum.*
I could still not enter Maleck's study as Lairs tendrils, even though it could reach everywhere in a radius of one-kilometer, but could not penetrate into the study.
And the more pressing issue which was the five intruders that had just set foot in our domain. And averted our vanguard, the corrupted pillbug which had been used as an organic trap.
'Kill! They have to die! They must not step further!' [Keeper]
Something feral was awakening inside me.
*ba-bum... ba-bum...* *crack*
Awakened Dungeon
"Two separate, one whole. The Dungeon awakens."
Dungeon mana... Connection established!
Avatar strenghtend!
Intruders immanent!
Awakening last defense...
No last defense available!
Forcing Minions to the area...
No minions available!
Awakening avatar:
Avatar unabel to awaken...
Constitution below minimum 45% requirement for awakening!
Forcing awakening...
Failure!
Forcing awakening...
Failure!
Lair combine a forbidden dark category ritual to the awakening process...
Forcing awakening...
Success!
The entity called "Keeper" has been designated as the last boss mob.
Avatar lifespan 3houers.
02:59:59
*crack* *rumble* *crack*
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Finger's POV
In the pitch dark tunnel, a small voice was heard.
"Everybody ready?" [Brute] said in a low voice. Still, everyone heard him clearly.
They had decided to use speech as Mat had no knowledge of their sign language. Everybody in the group nodded slightly towards Brute.
The atmosphere was tense, so tense that one could cut a knife through it.
They had decided to extinguish the torch beforehand. As to not draw any attention. But as they got closed to their destination the dim light from the mushroom suddenly stopped halfway as the cave wall gradually turned deep black. Making the road ahead covered in darkness.
An aroma filled this part of the cave similar to that of beef, and a side of fatty pork. But the Fingers won't mistake the scent for anything else than death... as the smell of burnt hair would cling to the fingers nostrils for days.
"Something died here recently!" [Enrik]
All with weapons at hand slowly crept forward to a bend in the cave corridor and took cover by the wall. Enrik carefully looked around the corner.
"A four- to six- meter pitch dark tunnel, leading to what seems like an equally dark room. No lighting, I can't see anything inside it... No, wait! I think I see something in the far back maybe twenty extra meters away... Too dark to see through. " [Enrik]
Enrik might not have dwarven eyes but after adjusting his eyes to the dark with his [Night vision] and with an amazing feel for mind mapping and a sharp eye for details. He could determine all of this. Truly a skill an assassin needed in their skill set.
"Can't see anything else?" [Brute]
Enrik shook his head sideways. It was too dark to get anything more useful from his survey.
Jenn wich had smeared some mushroom pollen on her hands making them glow lightly, caught the attention of the group. Making some sign language to Jenkins and Enrik.
'Switch, let Jenkins take a look!' [Jenn]
Both nodded affirmatively to their leader's commands.
Jenkins switched places with Enrik's and looked around the corner.
"Ya, me see somethin' alright, a door. But nothin' else. It's so dark in thar as if I'm starin' in ta a bottomless pit..." [Jenkins]
Jenkins Dwarven eye would surely see something out of the norm. But to hear a dwarf with dark vision. Say that it's too dark. Just made the group's nerves stiffen a bit more.
Mat which had stood at the sidelines pitched in.
"What n-?" [Mat]
The leader had quickly covered Mats mouth. And with a gloved finger across the mouth area on her mask, she made a hand sign to be quiet.
"Are you daft!? Do you want to give away our position?" [Enrik]
Jenn took away her hand from Mat's mouth as he looked at the group and in a low voice said.
"But there is no one there right? You didn't see anything right?" [Mat]
The Finger's looked at one another's dark figures and Jenkins rose his shoulders with his hands half way up.
"Tha door seems thick enough, so we should' be fine talkin' normally." [Jenkins]
"Yea sure. So, a door inside a cave. It must be Maleck's base of operation right?..." [Brute]
It was an open question but mat took the question to heart and scratched his chin.
"Probably. As I said in the debrief I never went inside the caves before now.." [Mat]
Some eyes were rolled after his statement. But only Jenkins was able to see them in this darkness and had no reason to point it out.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"...And a natural born Dungeon... You think all of this is the work of that loner mage?" [Brute]
No one answered this question because no one knew or could tell with the current information they have.
'Okay, who goes first?' [Jenn] hand-signed to the Fingers with her dimly glowing hands.
As she asked this question the Finger's all looked in the same direction.
"Trick question right?" [Enrik]
Enrik said as he eyed Mat.
"Hu? what?" [Mat]
Enrik shoved the boy into the tunnel. Which made Mat take several long unsteady steps on the uneven rock to get his balance back.
When he finally stopped, he realized what had happened. But too late as he had already set his foot inside the pitch dark oval room.
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Mat's Pov
"Anything happening? I wanna see!" [Enrik]
Cold sweat was running down my back, I dared not move. Had Enrik just pushed me into an un-scouted room?... Well, not necessarily I comforted myself. Jenkins and Enrik had surveyed without any indication of anything. But...
Their views had been narrow. And they had not seen the two sides of the room. Sweat dripped down from my brow as I looked first to the right as I was a right-hand man and this was a habit.
Dark... But nothing else but darkness.
Then I slowly turned my head left and there in the dark...
Was nothing, just more darkness.
I sighed in relief. As my tense muscles relaxed. I turned around to face the Finger's
"Guys it's nothing here!" [Mat]
"Aw! I wanted to see some bloodshed! So was that big bug the dungeon's boss?" [Enrik]
The Finger's came out from around the corner one after the other and started walking up to me. As I could hear the echo of metal boots clang on the hard stone floor.
*clang*... *clang*... *clang*
"Guy's! Which one of you decided to put on steel boots now?" [Mat]
Jenkins had just gotten the Torch lit at that moment and as the light illuminated the black walls and filled the tunnel seeping into the oval room. I noticed how the dwarfs face turned pale as snow. The rest of the Finger's followed with reactions of there own as they halted with shock clearly shown on their faces.
"Oy, oy! What is that red orb hovering in the air?" [Enrik]
*clang*... *clang*... *clang*
I immediately started to panic.
"G... Guys! W... What is happening!?" [Mat]
I turned around. I always had to fucking turn around.
*clang*... *clang*... *stops!*
Into the dim light, something materialized... No emerged. A two-meter tall giant had emerged out of the darkness donned in tar-black armor as if fused with the darkness. The armor was covered in several spikes. Most notable on his head as they were forming a tall crown.
Looking down on me, the armor covered giant revealed the only part of its face through a T shaped slit in the mask.
Revealing a shining red, left eye. On closer inspection. I could see that the right eye was not present. Instead, there was a fresh wound wich where seeping blood out of. A hole as if something had taken a mouth full of its flesh somehow. Yet the armor was completely intact. The giant rose his left arm over his right shoulder.
In the next moment, my head was spinning, flying through the air. Looking down on my headless body...
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Narrator:
The head of the young boy which had stood before the tar-armored giant landed on the ground in front of the group calling themselves Five Fingers. The head rolled on the floor leaving a trail of blood at the same time as the young boy's headless body got limp and fell to the ground before the giant. Blood was spraying from te headles nape giving the giant a short shower of blood.
The tar-armored giant looked down at the body in front of himself for but a moment.
"..." [tar-armored giant]
As the tar-armored giant raised his head, a clutched first connected to his face making his head bend back an inch. The tar-armored giant then grabbed the arm by the wrist and pulled it aside to see a big burly man with a stature only a head shorter than himself.
"Sry, but you're looking the wrong way!" [Brute]
The man said with a smile. As the same time, the tar-armored giant felt a sharp pain in his neck's right side.
"Lucky catch guy's, it's only an infant dungeon. This must be its only boss monster!" [Enrik]
The pale man said with glee as he tried to dig the dagger deeper into the side. The boss monster turned his head with ease as the daggers trust was only shallow and did not penetrate. The assassin believing himself to be digging his dagger between the armors gaps. But there were no gaps on this armor.
"..." [boss mob]
"What the!" [Enrik]
The pale assassin had to retreat before the boss got the chance to retaliate. Instead, it had to focus back on the big berserker which arm it still held firmly.
"..." [boss mob]
"Whats wrong with this guy?" [Brute]
"..." [boss mob]
The boss mob squeezed tighter on the big beserkers wrist. Making an unappealing crack as the sound of his bone where getting crushed.
"What! wOOooOooOooOooO." [Brute]
The berserker took his ax in his left hand and hurriedly hooked it by one of the boss mob crown spikes and then turning around 190 degrees.
Trying to slam it into the cold black wall of the entrance. But instead of the boss slamming into the wall. The berserker only had a broken spike to show for. He threw it away.
Blood was dripping down from the berserker's right arm as his arm was bent in an unnatural way and bone was sticking out.
"Aaaaarrrrrr" [Brute]
The berserker screamed in pain he was freed from the boss grip, but he was not safe. He had no luxury for rest, as he with wide eyes looked at the boss which hadn't moved an inch.
He saw the boss rising its arm again but it was already too late to react as the giant was about to back swing its hand like it did with the young boy.
"NOW!" [Jenkins]
A jolt went through the Berserker body as it created and dived to the floor. At the same moment covering his ears, as best he could with one broken arm.
The boss mob, confused about the situation. Looked at the direction of the dwarf's voice. Wich was just a look down to the floor to see him stand before him now instead of the berserker. The dwarf had just not been seen because of his small size and because of the berserker's big build which had covered him.
Now in the entrance, the dwarf stood just a meter away with a tall stick pointing at the boss mobs belly.
*Blam!*
A loud boom echoed in the cave making anyone hearing it ears ring. The tar-armored boss was flung back in a tumble. But in an astonishing and unnatural movement of its body stopped before it hit the red door on the other side of the oval room by using both his hands as breaks in the ground.
Whatever that force had been, it had flung the giant 20 meters back in the room.
The dwarf of the group was sitting on his ass at the entrance of the room laughing, with some makeshift earmuffs and the tall stick with smoke coming out of the tip.
"Boya! How ye like me boomstick!? Bwa Bwa Bwa!" [Jenkins]
The boss rose up as he dislodges his hands from the rock. It's hands shaped like razor-sharp claws but in seconds turned back to normal looking armored-gloves.
But the Finger's concentration was not on the boss mobs hands but the big hole in its armor.
The giants gray ripped abs scarred by previous battles, even some wounds that had not heald completely was seen beneath its armor. The damage made from the boomstick in comparison had only been minimal damage, as the armor had taken the bulk of it.
"...!" [Boss mob]
"Bloody hell, be me eyes deceived or be that armor regenerating'?" [Jenkins] said with his jaw dropped.
The pale assassin appeared out of the shadows and sliced a piece out of the boss mobs exposed belly before the armor had the chance to regenerate completely.
"It's just a living armor on a beast!" [Enrik]
On closer inspection, the dwarf could see the different shade of gray dripping down from its face and stomach area. An obvious sign of low to heavy blood loss in the different areas.
"Me see it! We are makin' him bleed, leader whats yer orders?" [Jenkins]
Their leader was standing off to the side by the dwarf, literary handing out instructions to the fingers.
'Keep pushing it.' [Jenn]
At this moment the big berserker was standing again. His arm mending at an unnatural rate. Yet slower than the living armor.
"Bloody ars! Jenkins reload!
That potion cost me a fortune, you damn mutt!" [Brute]
The giant's left eye shimmered as it locked its gaze on the big man.
"Oh!? you don't like being called a mutt? You, mutt!" [Brute]
The dwarf was filling the tube of the stick with black powder as fast as he could.
"I dinna think ye show'..." [Jenkins]
"OOOOOAAAAA!" [Boss mob]
With its face facing the ceiling it roared as the armor started to turn and toss unnaturally on the boss mob, spikes started to protrude randomly on it's back like a porcupine. Its hands and feet visibly turned more beast-like forming sharp claws.
The face turned from the previous T shaped slit into a snout of sorts with numerical sharp fangs. As the armor started to calm down, what was left was a monster with the snout of a wolf, back of a porcupine and hands and feet resembling that of a lizard. Truly portrayed a demonic figure as a heavy pressure emanated from the boss.
"Keee.. ee... pe.. ee... eer." [Boss mob]
"Keeper? HA! The mutt barks! He, he, Tell me. What are you a keeper of? Treasure perhaps?" [Brute]
The big man said with greed in his eyes, yet with a hint of his voice cracking in uncertainty. As his palms moistened with sweat.
"Enrik! Good old one-two! " [Brute]
The berserker gripped his trusted ax and with an equally strong warcry, he dispelled the pressure of the boss and charged.
The boss charged as well and they clashed approximately in the center of the room.
A right hook, a left claw. A surprise uppercut. A bite into thin air, as the berserker dodge just in time.
The boss swung his claws. As the big man swung his ax and they clashed with one another.
*BLAM!*
"AAOOOOOOOWW!" [Keeper]
The boss wailed as it was hit in its left side. This time not close enough to get the massive recoil. Its skin getting dyed a darker shade of gray, in the area of three broken ribs.
Suddenly a knife was dug deep in the armored giant side.
"That's one! Here comes two more!" [Enrik]
The pale assassin said as he embedded two more daggers in the armored giant exposed left side.
"OOOO!" [Boss Mob]
The boss wailed in agony. As the armor mended around the daggers. As the assassin was done and preparing his retreat into the dark again.
That was when the assassin noticed a second too late, as one of the several spikes off the boss armored back moving. Hurriedly he covered his face as the spike sliced from above through the air. His right arm getting sliced up from the back of his wrist down to his elbow.
"Rott!" [Enrik]
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"Hn?" [Jenkins]
At the same time, the dwarf was reloading again and was the first to notice it!
As he was pouring more gunpowder into the pipe. His hands started to shake the tiniest of bits and his boomstick as well, making him pour powder over to the side. That's when an ear-deafening rumbling was heard as the room started to shake uncontrollably and rocks fell from the ceiling.
*RUMBEL!*
"EARTHQUAKE!?" [Jenkins]
The participants were stunned by the sudden event as another gardening boom was heard but this time...
*KRACK*
Underneath the feet of the three mele fighters, the floor started to chatter making them lose balance. Falling out of sight.
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Jenkins POV:
RUSTED DOORKNOBS! I lost tha torch.
I had been tha only one to react in time as the boss an me two companions had fallen somewhere. But lost tha torch in da confusion. It was dark. So dark...
Our leader was nowhere ta be seen, an for tha boss? I hurriedly reached for me boomstick.
However much me try me dinna see tha boss. It's armor like a natural camouflage inside this room.
*Clang*... *Clang*... *Stops*
I saw tha red ord shining above me basking me in da light.
"Naeeee!" [Jenkins]
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Brutes Pov
As I recover from my ordeal I notice myself stuck down a hole... No more like a small room. An upside-down bowl-shaped room not larger than five diameters or so. As I rose up I also noticed that the hight was just so tall that I could not reach the caved-in hole.
I didn't see Enrik nor the boss down here, so I'm to conclude that it seems like I was the only one of us which fell down... Though it is strange...
I have never seen a dungeon create a pitfall in an invasion instance before.... had this always been here? No, it's too mundane to be a pitfall. Not deep enough to make permanent damage, no spikes and not even acid...
"Oh! Don't tell me..." [Brute] said with annoyance in my voice.
The ground under my feet started cracking, I hurriedly took a step back as a slim brown arm emerged followed by several others. Then with the most annoying screech, I have heard in a long while, they burst out from the ground.
"""Screeeeech""" [???]
Their size not larger than a child, brown, with scrawny twig-like arms, big beer bellies, unnatural big round black eyes and missing their small wings common for their race.
Cave Imps! the drudge of demons!
"Curses! I'm in a summoning pit!" [Brute]
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Enrik's Pov
Administrating first aid to my cut up left arm and bracing it. I surveyed the area and went through my head of the situation. I had gotten out of the mess by my pure agility, just in time grabbing the edge an pulling myself up with my one good arm.
Though it seems like some of us had not been so lucky as our berserker had fallen down without a chance.
As for the boss... something was definitely off. It didn't feel like a level 1 boss.
Just as guilds had ranks for adventures ranging from F-Class to A-Class. So did they also have difficulty class for monsters ranging from DC 1 - 10. Level one being simple as any E rank adventurer could handle and level ten being a calamity needing a group of A class or higher.
Boss Difficulty Class Adventurer rank DC 1-2 E Rank DC 3-4 D Rank DC 5-6 C Rank DC 7-8 B Rank DC 9-10 A Rank DC uncalculated S Rank
*break*
I hear something in the dark. As I see the outlines of the dwarf in our group falling to the ground with my [Night vision], flailing with his hands fighting something in the dark.
Fighting for the preservation of his life!
I hardly get a second to think as I take to my feet, as the boss swings his claws downwards. The dwarf desperately tried to protect himself with his broomstick as a shield.
The cracking sound of the boomstick and then a small flash of an explosion as the powder ignites and blinds us all for but some seconds.
*Bang! Flash!*
When my eye's recovery, with several moving smudges of white in my vision. I spot the dwarf as I hear him cough up blood. His boomstick broken in half.
"Dw ...Dwarf?... Jenkins!" [Enrik]
I sprinted as fast as I could to the dwarf's side. I carefully pick him up by the head. Blood is seeping out of his mouth and half his head is burnet by the explosion.
"...*cough* That's yer first time... *cough* yer calling me Jenkins! " [Jenkins]
The dwarf said to me with a smile as blood dripped down over his beard.
"Be quiet your old fool, your getting blood all over your beard." [Enrik]
I tried to administrate an expensive potion but the dwarf shoves it away from his mouth.
"Ta think... a tree hugger like yere self woul' care so much... about *cough*... A cave dweller like me *cough*... " [Jenkins]
"You bloody know why! Now drink the damnd potion!" [Enrik]
"Nay *wheeze* ye will need it. *wheeze* Tha ain't nae boss mob... That's a... *cough* Dungeon Lord~!" [Jenkins]
Cold sweat ran down my spine. Something I have not felt in decades. A Dungeon lord... the embodiment of chaos, destruction, and death. A deity of carnage! Even if we kill him now he will only be regenerated at a later time... We must flee!
"""Screeeeech!!!""" [Cave Imp's]
"RUN you damn half-blood!" [Jenkins]
With the last of his energy, the dwarf shoved me out of the way with strength only a tool loving dwarf could have. As I took to my feet and ran, behind me the pressure of a hand slicing thin air could be felt.
"AAAAARRRRRRR!!! this is where ye die!" [Jenkins]
The sound of the dwarfs flint and tinder was heard clicking together followed by as the whole cave shook from the explosion.
*BOOOM!*
The dwarf had lit his oils and gunpowder making him go down in a suicide explosion. The whole room lit up as the dwarf body burned bright in the fire.
The explosion propelling me further. Throwing me into the wall. My side hurting and the reduced oxygen levels in the cave room had got me light headed. That was probably the reasons for the tears in my eyes, right!? It was only platonic!
"It was only platonic!" [Enrik] I told my self loudly. As I hammered a fist into the ground.
In the corner of my eye, I saw Jenn knocked out cold on the stone floor. She was a few meters away from the entrance. I ran towards her.
If anything I need to save her. If anything I must honor my promise to him.
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Chapter 9 End.