Katia is watching the teenage trio explore her new layout anxiously. They're carrying their wounded friend through the dungeon and look haggard. It's as if they've been wandering through a warzone for days, yet she just saw them today!
"Wait a second... How long have I been awake?"
Thankfully Katia can use Dungeon Scrying as it governs the area outside her portal and not her first floor. Outside the world looks similar to how she last saw it, but there are slight differences in the weeds growing the basement her portal is housed within. Water has pooled in one corner of the concrete room. Katia recalls that spot being bone dry the last time she looked.
Quest Added: Time Keeping
Objective: Create a working clock.
Reward: Dungeon Scrying upgraded.
~
Harsh white light illuminates a table surrounded by well dressed officials. Their expressions look grim as Staff Sergeant Edison finishes reporting on the most dangerous dungeon they've ever surveyed. The room is silent for more than a minute before one of the men seated at the table tosses his manila folder onto the table.
"You've lost three men in some hyped up fun house, and all you have to show for it is some jerky and linens!" Major Khan raves angrily.
The majority of the officials seated at the table nod in agreement, and a few even bark their own complaints. Staff Sergeant Edison has an icy glare on his pale face as he watches his superiors grill him for his squad's poor performance.
"How did you lose to static hazards and a bunch of rodents?!" One man barks.
"The items you pulled out of that hole don't come close to making up for the ammunition used!" A woman complains.
"You'd better march your men back into that useless pit and blow the place sky high!" Another man howls.
Everyone shuts their mouths and stands at attention when the door to the room opens. Dark hawk like eyes scan the room, and a slender woman with shoulder length black hair quietly enters the room. Her oppressive gaze brings a cold sweat to Major Khan's back as she sizes him up in particular.
"At ease." The woman says.
Everyone in the room relaxes ever so slightly, but none of them retake their seats. The woman gives them a frigid smile whilst taking her own seat at the head of the table. Each of them slowly sit down after seeing their leader seated firmly in her chair.
There's a brief pause before the woman slides a document across the table to Staff Sergeant Edison. She nods to it as if to tell him to take a look, and he obliges by gingerly taking the paper in hand. He's reading when she starts to speak to the room.
"I have heard his report, and your replies." She states coldly.
Major Khan regains a bit of his confidence upon hearing this, and opens his mouth to flap his gums once more for the lady in charge.
"Madam President, It pains me to say this, but Staff Sergeant Edison and his squad are not fit to remain our dungeon surveying squad." Major Khan says confidently.
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The man in question's eyes are widening gradually as he quickly reads through the document provided by Madam President. His hand trembles slightly as he puts the document back onto the table, and burns it using a lighter. The others all stare in shock while Madam President looks on with an unbothered expression.
"W-What the hell are you doing, Edison..?" Major Khan stammers.
"He's disposing of confidential information as I instructed him to." Madam President cuts in.
The officials all go quiet at this, and look away from the burnt page to watch Madam President remotely turn on the projector. Several images are displayed on the screen above her in a harsh blue and red symphony of light.
"Staff Sergeant Edison will be visiting these locations in quick succession, and you will need to figure out how he can reach these locations all within one hour." Madam President explains.
The room is quickly filled with chatter as the officials argue over the secrecy of the operation as well as the uncanny requirements they need to meet for success. Madam President gives them a cold glare that lasts for about thirty seconds before they all shut their mouths.
"You will be informed of the details once they are unclassified." Madam President starts.
The images above her head change to that of a list of items required, and their quantities. Materials for surveying land, construction equipment, weaponry, ammunition, and several items unique to the dungeons themselves.
"I'll also need this list of items fulfilled. You have twenty four hours to complete this." Madam President finishes.
Baffled expressions and incredulous scoffing fills the meeting room, and Major Khan takes it upon himself to voice the majority's displeasure. He stands from his seat with his head bowed respectfully to the commander in chief.
"With all due respect, Madam President... We can't possibly complete this assignment within the given constraints..." Major Khan trails off.
Madam President does not react for a few moments, but after letting out an exhausted sounding sigh she changes the slide on the screen once more. This time it displays a video player, and Madam President plays the recording as the overhead lights dim accordingly.
~
"Woah, check that out..." Neal says.
The camera pans up from the asphalt to show a dilapidated city street. There's human bones littering the ground and destroyed vehicles everywhere, but that's not what's caught Neal's attention. There's an apartment building at the end of the road wherein several floors have collapsed; Something black is on the building, but details cannot be made out at this distance due to poor resolution.
"What the fuck? Is that like, alien mold or something?" Taylor speculates.
"I dunno... let's check it out!" Neal replies.
Neal can be seen running off down the street to get a closer look, and Taylor follows with the camera in hand. The view of the building is replaced by asphalt and a pair of bare legs as the pair run up to the anomalous building. Wind garbles the audio for this segment.
"Damn! That's trippy!" Neal exclaims in awe.
Taylor pulls the camera up to get a view of the black object, and it resembles mold or fungus growing onto the building. The camera moves with Taylor as she walks around the building. It becomes obvious to any viewers that the mold like object is actually hovering in the air and not attached to a physical object.
"This is creeping me out... Maybe we should head back to the camp?" Taylor says quietly.
"What? You fight monsters and some weird gunk is making you pussy out?" Neal retorts.
The camera gets a little closer as Taylor scoffs audibly, and the substance can be seen more closely. Darkness that consumes all light touching it is what the material is. There's a vague movement to the odd thing. It is as if it's growing at an observable speed.
"D-Did you hear that..?" Taylor asks shakily.
There is no discernable noises picked up by the camera here, so it is unclear what she is referring to. Neal doesn't reply to her, and the camera whips around to where he was seen standing seconds earlier. Taylor's screaming blows out the microphone on the camera.
Most of the footage is blurry and garbled at this point of the video, but viewers can make out a brown and red mixture of flesh, tendons, and bone lurching toward the camera. It is unclear what happened to Neal, and Taylor at this point. The video ends in several minutes of corrupted footage with unintelligible audio.