Kyrios leads us through more of the same polished stone hallways, passing shiny metal doors all closed.
I silently test her name, Khloris. It’s an odd name. I like it. My mouth plays with it, feeling the way my tongue flicks off the roof of my mouth.
I stop creepily mouthing the name of a complete stranger I just met when we turn a corner and approach a set of large, reinforced doors flanked by two guards in full armor. They carry comically large rifles with hopper-like protrusions. One of the doors is open, swung outwards. The doors are meant to keep something in, where we are going.
The guards give Kyrios brawler a slight nod as we pass through the open door in a file.
Another hallway is beyond the thick doorway, much wider and taller. We immediately take a right at a T junction.
I have never been to this part of the facility, and I allow myself a little bit of excitement. More guards roam in their familiar jet black armor covering them entirely, huge rifles held easily.
A full squad of harvesters passes by their armor smashed, torn, ripped, and bloody. Their bodies are whole and healthy underneath. The armor of a harvester shines brightly, and it is much more menacing looking than the plain guards we pass.
No one speaks. The only sounds that can be heard are boots slapping against their ground, the grinding of armor on armor, and the hissing of doors opening and closing.
We finally arrive at another door that slides open as Kyrios approaches and enters.
Long rows of armor greet us. The walls are lined with the liquid black armor of the guards. The center of the room holds multiple racks of shimmering Harvester armor, separated into individual pieces.
Kyrios takes us to the right where the heavier pieces are hung.
“Remove all your clothes and store them in a locker on the back wall. You will find a second skin smart suit in the locker that goes on before the armor. The armor goes on one piece at a time, no particular order, just place the section over the appropriate body part and your C-unit will do the rest.”
No reply is necessary as we comply with the orders.
The one piece silvery smart suit goes on easily and feels like silk. I step into it like it’s a sack. It conforms to my body as I pull it up, covering every part of my body up to a hood at my neck. I pull the hood over my head, grateful that it doesn’t cover my face. Second skin is a good name for it, I cannot even tell I have it on, even when I wiggle my toes and I see it stretch between my digits.
I start with the oversized, high cut boots, easily sliding my feet in the gaping maw. The boots are tapered and have various ridges that are almost sharp. They tighten once my foot is fully in, almost painfully. They definitely won’t be coming off.
When I have both on, a simple image of boots appears, bright green, at the bottom right of my vision.
I complete the set save for the helmet. I feel like I am wearing power armor from one of my favorite games. I still play sometimes, visiting memories, hours of entertainment within Iroi.
The knee and elbow armor are spiked and have a dense, rubber like material at the joints that impede my movements almost imperceptibly. The gloves are oversized and powerful, knuckles large and brutal. Opposite each thumb is another protrusion for added hammer fist destruction. It makes me want to hit things.
The helmet slides on last, and I am in darkness for a moment, then the room returns. Just like that, I can see perfectly. The heads up display, HUD, from my C-unit synchronizes with the helmet, creating a layered display that I am familiar with. Wearing the actual armor is much better than the V.R training I have experienced. I can feel the power as I move my limbs easily.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
I look at my fellow synergists. The armor is cruel looking, all sharp edges and white metal scales. The helmet is plain and all one piece of metal. It’s shaped like a Reuleaux triangle, begging to be used for devastating headbutts. We are pure white dragons,wingless, but clawed.
Now I’m excited.
The comm in my periphery flashes the name Kyrios. His voice fills my helmet, softer than in person. “We are scheduled to enter Zeteo. We will only enter the first floor, the training grounds, but we will be in a dungeon and that means anything can happen. We are combat ready as soon as we enter the elevator. Comms are up. I will punish any false alarms personally.” He marches on, and we follow dutifully.
Dungeon entrances can be just about anything, and they vary from caves, to shimmering portals, to looney tune looking black holes on the side of a tree. They can also change without warning. The entrance to Zeteo, one of four father dungeons on the planet, has been an elevator bay for nearly a hundred years. 8 gleaming elevator doors face each other, the tunnel between them is arched, golden, and elegant. It is strikingly different from the huge unadorned stadium built directly around it that we enter now.
We pass rows of desks filled with heaps of different goods harvested from the dungeon. The piles of beast parts, cores, shards, crystals and metals are being picked through by various Aristos. Counters and Typers, they catalog and distribute. They don’t carry anything physically of course, they just give the order.
A beep emanates from above when Kyrios presses the button, and the oversized doors slide apart without a sound. We have plenty of room inside the lift. A large sign is hanging conspicuously on the inside of the doors.
RULES-
1. No weaponry.
2. No crying and/or begging.
3. No pregnant women.
4. No children.
5. No more than 8 people in a party.
6. Absolutely no sexual intercourse of any kind.
7. No torture.
8. No pets.
9. The Burnies on level 8 are not to be harmed.
10. No humming of any songs by the “artist” (I use that term very loosely) known as Tok. I hate him.
11. Wave your right hand clockwise and your left hand counterclockwise (palms forward) at the same time to signify you have read, understand, and agree to these rules.
“Zeteo is a peculiar dungeon, always has been. The rules are always changing, but absolutely mandatory. They may even change while we are inside but not without warning so pay attention. The consequences for failure are extreme, and swift in execution.” Kyrios explains dryly.
The quirks of this particular dungeon have been explained to us a few times, but not in any detail. It’s just a part of life here. At least the armor we wear is a long-standing loophole, because we are most definitely wearing a form of weaponry.
Six highly trained synergists awkwardly wax on and wax off in an elevator, fulfilling the requirements of the last rule. It’s a silent, bizarre sight. Another beep sounds, and a wide beam of light envelopes us, sliding up and down, scanning us from head to toe. The light thins and focuses on me, scanning me for an extra time.
That’s unnerving.
“Harvester Quall, keep yourself alert and ready at all times. Zeteo seems to have found something interesting about you. Extra attention from the dungeon is never a good thing.” He presses the top button. It’s a smiley face that lights up when touched.
The elevator lurches sickeningly, then descends…. Slowly. Honey rolls downhill faster. We don’t go straight down, instead we slide down at an angle like we are going down the side of a pyramid. I want to ask if this is normal, but I know the consequences of asking questions in this place.
Kyrios breaks the silence. “The first level of this dungeon is a large forest with pillars instead of trees. You’ve seen the videos, it never changes drastically, and only very rarely. It’s usually sparsely populated with small non-aggressive beasts that only contain shards. It’s large enough that you can practice manipulating Geo freely. When we enter, maintain position and keep eyes on your section. Do NOT initiate contact unless I give the order.”
Silence reigns again as the elevator lowers at its excruciatingly slow pace. Twenty minutes crawl by, my excitement builds. My Geia rages in anticipation. The beep sounds politely. The doors open.
Finally, A Dungeon!