“Please, please, make it stop!” Lyla screamed, unsure what was real and what was a nightmare. Both she and Orian were stuck in a dim room, bound by rope.
A goblin kneeled next to her, opening up his palm. From it emerged the devil itself - a small, multicoloured spider. It was shimmering, never in focus of Lyla’s vision. Each time she wanted to look at it, it changed into something else. The spider crawled on her face, and then went further up. Lyla screamed as it injected its venom into her brain, her consciousness blurring.
Then, she woke up in her room. She shuddered, remembering the horrible nightmare she had. She wouldn’t be going into any dungeons anytime soon.
She stretched, listening to the bird calls outside the window. Mila, her fluffy white cat, meowed, demanding more food. Lyla laughed and opened her curtains, taking in the fresh air. The rolling plains never ceased to amaze her no matter how many times she looked.
Yawning once again, she opened the door to her room, only to see her sister standing there already. Without a warning, she lunged forward, lifting Lyla by her throat. She struggled, but her sister was much stronger than her. Air was running out, she was suffocating.
“Did you really think you could be proud of being a mere C-rank adventurer? You’re a shame, a disgrace to your family. Wipe that stupid smile off your face already, just looking at it makes me disgusted. It would have been better if you had never been born.”
Lyla looked up, only to see her sister’s face replaced by a giant spider’s. She wanted to shout, but she had no voice. The room around her vanished, now a swarming pit of spiders. Her sister dropped her, the spiders swarming all around her, tearing her apart piece by piece.
Then, it all began anew.
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Nightmare Bringer (C)
A spider born from the nightmares of a thousand dying spiders. It travels between dream and nightmare, elaborately crafting horrors that would hurt someone the most.
Abilities - Craft Nightmare.
Viv observed the creature, looking beyond the physical form and into its essence. His new title had finally created something worthwhile. When it was born, it consumed all the spiders nearby and threatened to even kill the drider.
Unfortunately, no option to summon more of them had appeared. They were natural-born elites, and Viv was half-tempted to name one in order to see what would happen. The church produced hundreds of spiders each day, and he didn’t doubt he would have a handful of them very soon.
He had planned to make use of the druid immediately, but once he saw the new quest that had emerged, he changed his mind. A slave collar would make controlling his slaves much easier, so for now, he had to keep them neutralized.
Spreading his vision throughout the entire second floor, he observed the rolling plains. The place was a death trap for the unprepared. He had initially created both the mushrooms and the spiders in hopes of corrupting unknowing adventurers, causing one of them to lose all hope in humanity, but during this time, he had found an even better target - a weak-willed coward that was on the verge of collapse already. It was time to set his plan into action.
“Artorius, make sure no one enters. Delay them if they do, even if you have to kill them.” Viv’s voice echoed in Artorius’ mind as he stood up, grabbing his sword.
Artorius had earned a reputation among the dungeon’s creatures. He fought every swordsman he saw, though he killed none of them and ignored those without weapons. He occasionally got killed by new adventurers, but he earned the begrudging respect of those who had been here for some time already. Thus, he was allowed to sit near the entrance, conveniently blocking the way for any of Viv’s fleeing enemies.
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“Come on, Hyacinth, what are you waiting for?” Hyacinth gnashed his teeth, looking straight ahead. He had done this multiple times, but each time he was risking his life.
Raising his shield, he walked across the light platform covering the trap, turning the corner. He held strong as a bolt of fire exploded against the shield, nearly knocking him over. He advanced step by step, breathing heavily from the heat, while his companions casually chatted amongst each other, laughing in the process.
“Get a move on. We don’t have all day,” Hyacinth had no time to respond, his shield scorching hot.
Levina conjured another light platform above the second trap as he unsteadily crossed it, remembering the time she had made it vanish as a joke. Of course, crossing the hallway was not the end of it. Several goblin warriors awaited him as he charged into the room and shouted, drawing their attention.
What followed next was a desperate fight for his life. While the three mages were casually casting spell after spell, he was blocking the goblin mage’s frantic attacks, watching out for the warriors about to flank him. It was a bloody but short battle that ended with him being hurt, several deep lacerations on his arms and legs from the goblin’s claws.
When the fight was done, the mages went over to butcher the infernal goblin. According to them, the goblin had a bit of demon’s blood in it, and that made it valuable. He would’ve had to do that as well, but after he “accidentally” crushed two of the eyes, he was relieved of that duty.
Hyacinth retreated to the side, leaning against the stone wall, panting from exhaustion. “Fuck this, what am I doing with my life?” He kicked a pebble angrily before realising how stupid he looked. It was his fault for being a coward, for running away when they were ambushed.
He looked back at his supposed companions. They were arrogant rookie mages from another country, but they were the only ones who would take him in after his previous mistake, so he had no choice but to bear with it. He sighed, getting ready to leave the dungeon.
“Do you long for power?” He stared at the wall he was just leaning against. The stone was crumbling, letters carving themselves into the wall.
“Stop tormenting me. I have enough shit to deal with on my own,” he whispered, turning around to make sure his companions were busy.
A week ago, he had gone insane. That was the only explanation for what was happening. It all started after his companions had died. That was when he first noticed the words. When he pointed them out to his companions, they said he was mad. Every time he tried to show them to someone, they would magically disappear seconds later.
“Hyacinth, you’re pathetic and weak! How long are you going to let them abuse you?”
He retreated a few steps, his face frozen in shock. This was the first time the wall had directly spoken to him.
“I will offer you power. No one will ever laugh at you or scorn you. So, I ask you again. Do you want power?” The words kept appearing and disappearing as he finally grasped the trick. The wall itself was crumbling, the words being etched into the surface. His mind spun, both exhaustion and confusion hitting him like a hammer.
“Hah, maybe I’m not as insane as I thought. I don’t know who you are and what you’re offering, but I’m done being a coward. I can’t take it anymore.” Despite his bold words, he whispered the words, looking back at the mages in fear.
“Open the chest and drink the potion. Then, I will grant you the power you desire,” Hyacinth tightened his fist as he turned around, rejoining his companions.
“Are you done moping? Or are you seeing those invisible letters again?” All three of them laughed at the shrill voice. “We don’t have all day, go get the chest and let’s get out of here.” Herman looked down at him, his beady eyes glistening with greed.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“If you’re so brave then why don’t you go and fight the guardian already?” Those words never came out of Hyacinth’s mouth no matter how much he longed to say them.
Slowly walking over to the end of the room, he saw the so-called treasure chest. It was a rather simple wooden storage chest, pieces of metal adorning the lid. Hyacinth often heard stories about trapped chests and mimics, but his party were only on the first floor, it was too early to face them. Then again, this kind of thinking had killed his previous party in the fight against the infernal goblin.
Slowly opening the lid, he saw two things that should only be present in higher rank chests. A clear glass bottle with dark-red liquid in it and a black sword, charred and worn. At the bottom were numerous gold coins and a few mana stones, created by the ambient mana.
He carefully lifted the sword, examining it with fascination. It was charred black, an intricate pattern of runes weaving all across the blade and the hilt. Parts of it were stained red from blood, and there were several cracks along the blade. Despite that, it was wicked sharp.
“Drink. The. Potion.” The words appeared on the cave wall, remaining long enough for the others to read them.
“Hyacinth’s insanity has spread to us. Where the hell did that come from?” The three of them approached closer, inspecting the wall.
Hyacinth picked up the potion, his other hand still on the blade. He looked at the slightly menacing liquid, his mind whirling with possibilities. Why should he listen to some writing on the wall? What if these words were the dungeon luring it in, cursing him for escaping his trap, only to kill him when he drank the liquid?
He stood at a crossroads. One road led to complacency - he could continue being a pushover, taking endless abuse for the mere chance of making it big. The other road led to possible death, only a slight chance of gaining power.
“Give us the potion, we’ll inspect it out of the dungeon. A new potion formula could sell for hundreds,” what was left unsaid was that he would receive only a small portion of the profits. He blankly stared at the wall, the words echoing in his mind. Then, he drank the potion.
He choked immediately, trying to spit out the vile liquid, but it was stuck to his throat. His entire body burned, his heart beating louder than thunder. His mind was clouded as he stumbled from side to side, his companions’ shouts no more than incoherent noise. His eyes glowed red as he gripped the sword tighter, feeling overwhelming strength coursing through his veins.
“KILL. THEM.” The words engraved on the wall etched themselves into his mind as bloodlust took over, remembering each second of humiliation and torture.
With a burst of speed, he slashed down at Lavina. She raised her hands in a futile attempt to block the attack, but she might as well have been moving in slow motion. The sword shattered the hastily conjured barrier of light, cleaving her straight in half. She fell to the ground, her mouth open in shock even in death. He felt sick joy in seeing her die, he had hated her from the first moment he had seen her, her pranks bordering on torture
He turned his attention to the remaining two just in time to dodge a force missile. He leapt past the attack, crashing into the wall and cracking it as a result of his speed. Another three missiles were coming at him, but they were pathetically slow. This time, he charged straight at them, dodging an incoming fireball that shook the cave.
Hamel gritted his teeth, holding both hands together and erecting a barrier of mana in front of him. The sword impacted the barrier, spiderweb cracks spreading out from the point of impact.
“Stop, what do you want? We’ll give it all to you! Please, just calm down!” Hamel was always the most vocal of the bunch, loudly expressing his distaste for having a mongrel from another country in his presence. Now, his voice quivered in terror, the barrier cracking with every strike.
As the barrier was giving way, a lance of fire hit him point blank, knocking him to the ground. He stood up moments later, a chunk of his arm gone. Still, he smiled, not feeling any pain. With a bellowing roar, he charged into the barrier, shattering it into a thousand pieces. He lunged, running Hamel through with his new blade, the other end coming out of his stomach. Hyacinth twisted the blade, cackling at Hamel’s screams.
Then, he yanked the blade out of Hamel, shattering his face with a heavy punch. He crumpled like a sheet of paper, a pool of blood forming beneath his body.
Now, there was only one. Tetra had abandoned Hamel when the barrier collapsed, desperately fleeing the mad warrior. She ran to the entrance of the room, looking back every two seconds. She burned her mana to move faster, but the demon was way too fast. If she could get out of the dungeon, others would surely protect her.
With such thoughts and a million more, she ran and ran until her footing disappeared beneath her. A sinking feeling in her stomach, a second of realisation that the platforms were no longer there. She fell, closing her eyes, but something caught her at the last moment. For a second, she hoped that a mysterious saviour had heard their cries, but when she opened her eyes again, all she could see was Hyacinth’s maniacal smile.
He grabbed Tetra by her head, feeling flesh give way as he squeezed. “Please,” she whispered as her head exploded into a shower of gore, covering Hyacinth with blood. Her body dropped into the pit, impaled by the sharp spikes below.
While the other two only tortured him, Tetra tried to kill him. She didn’t say much, but each of her actions was deliberate, whether that be aiming a fireball at him or not helping him when he was swarmed by monsters.
Each of their deaths filled him with joy, but he wanted more, much more. Just as he was headed towards the dungeon’s exit, the same words as before appeared before him.
“Do you long for power?”
He stopped in his tracks, regaining a bit of sanity.
“Yes! Yes! I need more, I crave it,” he scratched the wall, his nails as sharp as metal. He whirled around, hearing footsteps in the distance.
The infernal goblin that had killed his entire party appeared in the distance, disdain visible in his eyes. He was different from all the other devil goblins he had killed so far. Whether it be his quiet confidence or his relaxed pose, everything about him screamed that he was special, that he was more powerful than the rest.
“Kill him and eat his heart. Only then will you be strong.” For once, he fully agreed with what the wall said. He would prove he was stronger than anyone else right here and right now.
The infernal imp didn’t wait. With one hand, he conjured a dark-violet ball of fire, launching it straight at Hyacinth. He positioned his other hand in front of him, a black, swirling cloud emerging from his skin, slowly filling the room.
Even now, everything the goblin did was slow. He charged, rapidly closing the distance, fighting against the intense heat of the fireball. The fire streaked past him, faster than most spells, and even though it missed him, he still nearly died. The fireball exploded behind him, detonating mid-air and scorching his back, melting his skin. The impact blasted him to the ground and the noise made his ears ring.
Still, just like before, he stood up as if nothing had happened. He was invincible, nothing could hurt him. Even the previous injury from the fire lance had already healed, flesh rapidly knitting itself together. And even though his entire back was melted, he continued charging, entering the thick cloud.
He held his breath, but that didn’t help. His sanity slipped away second at a time, madness replacing his every thought. He started slashing at phantoms in the cloud, killing mage after mage in his bloodlust. Another blast of fire hit him, ruining his left arm. He whirled around and madly charged in the direction of fire, taking blow after blow.
He stumbled out of the cloud, half of his body missing. He howled to the ceiling, lightning sparkling beneath his feet. With a burst of speed, he launched himself toward the goblin, knocking them both to the ground.
Hyacinth raised his sword as the goblin struggled, his entire body lighting on fire. This time, he was burning with a black flame. The goblin’s hand shot out like lightning, his claws going through Hyacinth’s face, but that wasn’t enough to kill a demon. He raised his sword and plunged down, his sword hitting stone after going through the goblin’s head. Still, he kept going, stabbing over and over again until there was nothing left but a pool of blood.
Without any hesitation, he ripped the goblin’s heart out, holding the black heart in his hands. A translucent chain flashed before his eyes, but he ignored it as he ravenously devoured the heart, savoring every drop. The same feeling of power was magnified a hundred times until his body felt like it could no longer take it. He rolled on the ground, the pain making him howl in agony.
“Do you want power?” The words echoed through his mind, repeating over and over and over. He reached out his hand, but it was too short, he was too weak to grab and make that strength his own.
“I will grant you power. Trust in me.” This time, it was no hallucination. A domineering voice echoed through his mind, calming the raging power in his veins.
“You will be the most powerful being in the world. All you have to do is believe it. If you crave it with all of your heart, it will come true.”
He did want to be powerful, he truly did. It wasn’t just these last couple of weeks, he was tired of being bossed around and treated poorly. He wanted to be a hero, to be someone everyone knew, recognized and respected. Somewhere along the line, he had forgotten his dream. Now he knew, all he needed was power to make everyone else respect him by force.
As his thoughts were consuming him, Hyacinth’s body began to change. His previously black hair turned white, and two blue horns grew out of his skull. His nails twisted into claws as his entire body expanded, becoming leaner and taller. A black imp’s tail grew out of his back, thrashing around, cutting through rock on the floor. Finally, his entire body crackled with violet electricity. Then, the transformation was over.
“My name is Agares, the sword of legends. With me in your hands, you will never have to cower again.”