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Industrialising Dungeon: The Crimson Forges
Arc: 1 - The Power of the Soul IV

Arc: 1 - The Power of the Soul IV

X---___Report__510___---X

Report authorised by: Overseer Teluga

Subject: Core-00

The request for termination of Core-00 have been approved, this will be the last report I will authorise under said subject.

Within several months Overseer Thymos will arrive to begin the process, I have failed both myself and the Exhalted one.

To prevent his name from being tarnished, I will take all fault upon myself and hope that with my execution, nobody will go after the Exhalted one.

As such, this is the last report that I, Overseer Teluga, First rank Administrator of the planet...

Core-00... has just sent out a signal! Further investigation is requiered before I am able to call off Overseer Thymos, praise the Exhalted one!

X---___Report__510_END__---X

Time had passed for ages, both outside and inside.

The city had expanded into a true metropolis; the skies were adorned with large, metal-constructed buildings as far as the eye could see, each one higher then the next.

Tunnels ran underground into large areas, bright floodlights shining down on pastures filled with now-domesticated animals and seemingly infinite oremines that fuelled the cities factories.

Both Techtrees, shading in purple and blue-green, would have been completed at 100%

The grey light, ever present, whisking backwards and forwards to give a helping hand, would hover back upon the spot he had arrived in so-long ago.

Floating through the city, would he glance inside the buildings, seeing what he'd dubbed the NPC's go about their daily life, smiling at eachother as they worked, slept, loved and married.

Every time he got bored, or didn't want to continue, he'd spent a while just... staring, content with their way of life. peaceful, without crime, without war, without hunger...

And yet. it pained him to know this was all but inside his own soul. all these faces were probably the ones he'd seen in his life, if only a glimpse.

All these stories, based upon the ones he'd read about, or heard from someone else.

''Well... even if I'm a completionist... this is getting kinda boring... maybe I should try that waking-up thing God said?'' -he'd mutter to himself, though, quite useless considering nothing could hear him.

A crackle of light would spark through the skies as the light left.

Darkness covered his vision, though he'd give no reply about the, atleast for him, frequently-occuring event.

''I thought the Old-man said I'd go back to my room... why am I in some hole?''

Turning his head, would he glance about, his vision slowly returning, in color.

Seemingly present in some form of a massive, mossed-stone chaimber, decorated only by large and sturdy pillars, would he give a confused expression.

. . .

Head...?

Glancing down, would he notice a distinct lack of body, or grey light. instead, finding a Iron-colored Dipyramid.

Though, before he could speak, would a strange figure teleport itself into the room, right infront of the gemstone.

If, said person was not a dwarf, or giant, he'd estimate the dipyramid to be about 3/4th's of a person, floating in mid-air.

Though this was a distinctly female-member of what seemed to be a atleast somewhat humanoid-species...

Dressed in a tight-fitting robe with purple-hair and silver-irises, would she hold a regal, relieved, yet somewhat arrogant expression.

''Core 00, took you long enough. now. obey your master, the exhalted one. as I, Overseer Teluga will bind you.'' As much as he wanted to 'float' backwards, Allen had no way to move as her hand touched the surface of the gemstone.

Which... as tradition, would make him black-out. again.

Atleast the familiar feeling of being a floating grey-light was welcoming... he could move in this form, after all.

The light would give a brief jerk as a loud warhorn sounded through the area, making him glance about in fright.

Well, that, and the fact the old-man popped up behind him again, giving a greeting ''Greetings Allen! seems like someone's trying to invade your soul, hm? I hope you've got a few swords and mages ready to f...-''

''...'' Would the Light say, a tralucent questionmark almost appearing over his head.

''...'' Would the old-man reply.

''Allen, my dear boy. What is this?''

''My... soul? is this a trick-question?''

God would remain silent for a while, before slowly shaking his head, mumbling something about 'having to had expected this'

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Giving a short cough, would the father-like figure turn towards the light, before extending a arm, and finger, towards the horison.

''My boy. the enemies are at your gate. fend them off and conquer them, take their soul for your own and grow stronger. you're our only hope in this.'' His earlier carefree voice gone, would it have been replaced by one with a authorative and stern tone.

Allen would have probably saluted if he could. instead, with the instructions given to him by the Old-man, would he sound the signal for war, blinking between crimson and grey for several second.

On a large plain would an army march. Werewolves, elves, dwarves, skeletons, wyverns. Anything remotely considered to be in the genre of 'fantasy'.

Their numbers atleast reaching over a million, their marching making the earth tremble and their shadows casting a black-shade on the ground.

Sitting on a moving throne, would a figure sit quite leasurely, her long, purple hair gently waving in the wind, silver irises glancing over her army with a bored expression.

''Goodness. if it wasn't for wasting as much of my time as it had, I wouldnt have to resort to such 'overwhelming' methods. this'll be quite the boring campaign...''

her soft voice would whisper, carried along the wind towards a certain grey-light. this was his soul, nothing could, or would, escape his grasph.

He flickered to crimson once more, the ground before the army breaking outwards to reveal square-shapes with several rods sticking out, their metal surfaces glinstering in the sunlight.

''Fire all weapons...'' He would have smirked if he could.

The opening serenade would begin with the whipcrack of machinegun-fire, tearing through nearly anything that came in range.

While the Wyvern's scales were somewhat resistant to the rifle-caliberd weaponry, the 4x bigger guns situated inside hatches ontop the bunkers, not so much.

The orcs were flattened under the threads of large, angular tanks, blasting away with the main cannon and smaller turrets situated on- and around the vehicle.

Golems went toe-to-toe with metal mechs, flamethrowers turning their rock and ground into fragile glass.

Magic would fly across the battlefield, the Overseer briefly smirking before they'd harmlessly bounce-off flickering shielding, striking only their already dwindeling allies..

The plains turned into a landscape Lucifer himself would be quite pleased with,

A litteral, figurative hell.

Amongst the black smoke and cnispering flames would the titans of war walk, the lightning chariots rolling their threads forwards, metal bodies clearing away any opposition, elven arrows bouncing off the plating, magic being sprayed with by chainguns and artillery.

She thought she was going to 'overwhelm' him.

Allen gave a soft chuckle, gazing upon the stomping like only a RTS-player would, a fully-tech'd army against someone who didn't know how to upgrade.

A distance away, God would watch with what would only be described as a conflicted look.

He was glad that someone had arrived who could stand against the 'system'

But... on the other hand, it seemed that Lucifer did have somewhat of a point...

While he himself could not see his own expression, he, God, could.

The smile was something God would rather pretend not having seen.

The mixture of mechs and tanks would approach the now greatly-flustered 'Overseer, still sitting upon her now-damaged throne.

She'd both sneer at what for her were unnatural monsters and gaze at them with fear before vanishing with a wave of her arm, the grey light being forced outwards together with her.

A crimson-liquid would now cover the otherwise flawless gemstone as the light returned to Taluga's silver-eyes, her hand lifting off the stone.

''Y-you... monster...'' she'd spit out, inbetween the blood seeping from her mouth

''Says the one who attacked me without reason, spouting things about trying to 'bind' me...'' Allen thought, only to find himself actually 'saying', or more like transmitting the words.

Though, it seemed the overseer was too busy staring at her bleeding and coughing form, gazing up at him in confusion, before glancing around

''No... this damage is not from the Soul-Battle... this whole place is concentrated with pure... mana?''

She'd raise her arm, a sparkling of magic created inside a nearly-closed fist. ''You.. Atleast... I'll take you with me... if not... you'd mess up the Exhalted one's plans...''

But, before she could even do whatever she'd planned, the light left her eyes once more, never to return.

The earth shook briefly, before a blue screen would try and form infront of his face, only to be rejected by a mixture of black and gold light, and vanishing

Silence... spread through the halls, as now, a pathway would snake outside, sunlight barely making it inside the grand, dilapidated hall.

With proper light now reaching inside, would he notice the thick-blue mist covering every inch inside the room.

Though, strangely enough, it would refuse to even float outside into the doorway towards the outside, as if perfectly content with remaining around the core.

Glancing around the hall, would Allen give a soft, non-existent sigh. having little-to-no control over... well, anything, besides his gaze and speech, apperantly, would he settle down.

Exhaustion taking over, would his eyes begin to close as it seemed that battle had taken more energy then the thought it would have.

Opening them again, he'd lay on his 'bed', staring at a familiar roof... part of him... expecting his sister to call him for breakfast...

Yet. he knew, that wouldn't happen. not now, not ever.

This was his life now. and God knows what it would entail.

''So, better ask him then, no?''