Entering the only path connecting the last two rooms, Owen kept his guard up. “My Map didn’t show any enemies in the last room. Was that fog blocking it somehow? I wonder if there’s a way to upgrade my Map?” Owen noted a single dot in the upcoming room as he talked to himself. Entering into the room, Owen had to squint his eyes since it was brightly lit. Expecting an ambush, Owen brought his guard up; after nothing happened, he began to take in the strange surroundings. This room seemed much broader and even taller. There appeared to be a stone wall; above those were dozens of Gobbo’s. They seemed to surround the strange area but were gray and see-through. Near the other end of the room was a stone throne, and a large, muscular green monster was seated upon it. As it noticed Owen, it grinned. Standing up, it lifted a large battleaxe before throwing it over his shoulders and bellowing out.
“Azrah, gerr’a no too,” raising his voice, he yelled out, the strange wisps above the wall’s making loud screeches in response.
“It’s a fucking Arena,” Owen realized as he inspected his opponent.
Orcus Raid Leader | Level 7
Class: Raider Species: Orcus Level: 7 EXP: 115 Stats Strength: 9 Endurance: 8 Dexterity: 5 Vigor: 5 Intelligence: 7 Focus: 2
Owen froze as the creature continued to cheer and chant. Raider, didn’t they say no elites were seen leaving OR returning. Then this guy, Owen thought, as the memories of Lily and the town returned with force.
“It’s all your fucking fault,” Owen whispered as he summoned his pistol. Looking at the strange creature cheering and jeering, hot tears spilled from his eyes.
“Arrah, le gou ha,” the Orcus said while raising his weapon, but the words didn’t reach Owen. He couldn’t hear anything, just the beating of his heart and a soft voice in the back of his mind. It’s so cold,
“AHHHH, Double Strike,” Owen screamed in fury while pulling the trigger, “Double Strike, Double Strike!” He yelled as three large holes tore apart the chest of the monster. Silence encompassed the arena as everything was stunned. The large Orcus looked down at his chest as he fell to his knees. Owen approached the creature, pushing his pistol’s muzzle against its temple.
“Double Strike,” Owen said coldly as its skull disappeared into a black mist. Shortly after, Owen was assaulted by a tremendous migraine as notifications flooded his vision.
{Red Warning}
WARNING: The User is low on mana. Do not exceed mana limit, or damage may come to the User.
Orcus Raid Leader Slain Elite Variant Slain
Skill increase: Eagle Eye Skill increase: Assassinate Skill increase: Double Strike Skill gained: Mana Path’s Combat Exp gained 115. Achievement gained: Dungeon Cleanser
Looking around in the silence, Owen noticed that the Gobbo wisps were gone; even the Orcus’ body had disappeared. The only proof left was its large BattleAxe lying on the ground. Feeling empty, Owen just stored the item away in his Armory. Looking around, Owen let out a shudder as he looked at his newest gains.
Iron BattleAxe: Created in a Dungeon, this Iron weapon is sharper and more durable than its standard counterpart. Mana Paths: Allows the User finer control of their mana when using spells. Achievement: Dungeon Cleanser – Defeat all the opponents within a Dungeon. Increases VIG and FOC by 1.
“Right, I still need to destroy its core.” Still shaken, he began looking around the room. Owen inspected everything until something other than Dungeon Stone appeared. As he inspected the stone throne, he found it,
Dungeon Core: The Miasma core of a minor dungeon.
System Notice: Dae’s Gift further decoded. New Function available to the User.
Absorption: Consume a Miasma Core for Exp and/or Boon’s.
Curious, Owen reached out and touched the fake throne. With that, more boxes appeared,
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Would User like to Consume the following Core: Minor Elasus Raider Dungeon WARNING: Consumption of a Core will destroy it. YES | NO
“Yes,” Owen spoke softly; as he did, large cracks appeared throughout the stone. The cracks grew larger as chunks fell off, becoming black mist. The mist floated there for a moment before flowing into Owen’s chest. Along with the black mist, another dark box appeared,
Dae rewards your determination to save this poor world. Please select a boon: Affinities unlocked 1000 Exp 5 Pieces of Alchemical Gold
Staring at the box, Owen began to think aloud, “1000 Exp is what, a level or two. Then some money, that totally won’t raise some eyebrows. Sergent Fell said I would be lucky to see a silver piece; I probably shouldn’t take those. The Affinity’s, though, there’s an S there, so plural. It would cost me two skill points for just fire, so that’s worth at least four. Fuck it, everything else I can get on my own. I want my Affinity’s unlocked.” Owen spoke as the screen disappeared, only to be replaced seconds later.
System Notice: Scanning User’s Soul to determine compatible Affinity’s.
Affinity’s confirmed. The following Affinities have been unlocked for the User:
Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Life, Death, Null
System Notice: User possesses all Affinities. Beginning fusion process.
Skill gained: Primordial Affinity.
Primordial Affinity* ( I ): Manipulates and harnesses the primal forces of the universe for weak spells and effects.
“Well fuck me, putting my points into luck has finally paid off, huh,” Owen said meekly as he stared at the empty space the throne once occupied. SMACK! The sound of Owen slapping himself echoed in the empty room. “It’s done, Owen, snap out of it. Now these fuckers can’t hurt anyone else. Let’s get the hell out of here.” As he turned around, a final box appeared in his vision.
Unique Achievement gained: Solo Dungeon Destroyer. Unique Achievement: Solo Dungeon Destroyer – Destroy a Dungeon that hosts an Elite without outside assistance. Increases INT and FOC by 1 every five levels.
Whistling as he entered the hallway, Owen spoke aloud, “Dam, is that how Gorden and the Captain have such crazy Stats. I wonder if it’s something I can ask about or if that’s Taboo. Hopefully, when I return, Todd can help me learn to read. Then I won’t have to ask such stupid questions constantly.” Entering the next room, Owen slowly approached, but noticing no fog or anything on his Map, he relaxed slightly. GRRRRR, Owen flinched as his stomach made itself known.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll feed you as soon as we’re out of this shithole.” Owen huffed as his fatigue started to set in. Entering the next room, the fire was extinguished, and he still noticed no enemies in sight or on his Map. Soldiering on, Owen arrived back at the stairs and began his assent. Reaching the surface, Owen took a deep breath, savoring the smell of the outdoors. He started his return trip to Oakshade using his Map to orientate himself. As he neared the forest edge, Owen could finally see the village, with the sun setting on the horizon. Pushing himself just a bit further, Owen made his way towards the open gate.
“Owen!” A cheerful voice called out to him, “You made it back. That was so quick; what happ-” Looking towards the voice, Owen could see Vesper looking at him in shock. “By the Gods, Owen, your hurt. Mike close the gate and then help Owen over to the empty house. I’ll be right back with a stitcher’s kit.” Before Owen could protest, Vesper took off in a sprint. Looking down in confusion, Owen was greeted with a grisly sight. He must have bleed more than he could tell, as his shirt and pants were stained a deep red. Owen heard a creaking as he walked into the village, followed by a loud thud. Turning around, he saw that the gate had been closed, with a beam placed across to keep it shut.
“Mr. Owen,” the guard from earlier said as he was jogging towards him, “Let me help you to the house.”
“Um, it’s ok, it’s just right there. I can make it. Thank you, though.” Owen said, trying to brush the man away. Instead, the man stayed there and continued to ask.
“I couldn’t, Mr. Owen. There must be something I can help with.”
“No, it’s fine. See, I’m already here if you want to do something. Just, ah, let Vesper know I’m here.”
“Yes, sir, right away.” Owen watched as the strange man took off towards the Elder’s home. Not giving it a second thought, Owen entered the empty house. Feeling an odd sense of deja vu, he noticed it was furnished nearly identical to the home he squatted in at Grest. Dropping his pack near the foot of the bed, Owen began to undress. While he could just store his things in his Inventory, it sounded like Vesper would come over to help, so he just had to do it the old-fashioned way. Placing his sword and shield with his pack, he finished by getting his armor and shirt off. While his armor was still in good condition, not counting the strike marks, his shirt had gotten the worst of it. Looking around, Owen noticed there were logs stacked in the fireplace. Quickly, he purchased the lighter from his Shop. It appeared to look exactly like the disinfectant. Crouching near the logs, he pressed his thumb into the indent, and small flames shot out from the hole. Holding it there for a few seconds until the logs caught, Owen stood up while storing his lighter to get a better look at his wound. Sure enough, he had a large, jagged white scar across his hip, and now that he was in a better light, he could see that his skin and trousers were caked in dry blood. Just then, the door opened, and a flustered Vesper stood staring at a shirtless Owen.