???
“Hmmmm… Let us see. Passing through the veil of the worlds, we can see many. Which shall we watch for now? I do not know… Perhaps before that I should check on my daughters’ Avatar.” The darkness fades, revealing the stars and nebulae in the distance. Metal ships pass by, firing on one another. “I see. I shall leave him be then. Let us see someone else.” The darkness envelopes once again, and soon fades, revealing a forest. The trees are shattered, and fallen. A black dragon stands in the middle of the new clearing, spraying a black fog at several jester-like combatants. “Him too?” The darkness returns, and the voice continues on to his next destination. “If it's more than two, then there’s nowhere that is not in conflict, knowing my luck. Oh wait! What about that new girl I made yesterday, and her world? Project Luné.” The world fades into view, and the Being shifts his form, knowing his next plan, and knowing this world can’t have fallen into a chaotic brawl yet. He chose a form suitable for this world, a Human Knight, and with a snap, he had the memories of the man, and a plan. Suddenly stealing his place in a fraction of a millisecond, he found himself in a caravan, riding beside it. The banner of Human Royalty sitting proudly on the carriage beside him.
Now I’m getting somewhere, he thinks to himself. As they ride, a small town comes into view through the trees. He looks behind himself, and points to one of the Knights behind himself, and beckons him to exit formation and approach. As the Knight approaches, he speaks, “Yes, Captain?” The Captain keeps a stern look, and points to the town, “I need you going ahead. Search for the hero, before the caravan gets there properly.” The Knight nods, and continues onwards, speeding up a bit, doing as bid. Beside the Captain, a young man’s voice is heard, “Captain? Why did you send a Knight ahead?” The Captain looks at the carriage, seeing the face of Crown Prince Leonarde Whitewood, and he responds, “To ensure that the villagers have less time to hide the hero, my Liege.” Prince Leonarde nods quietly, and then speaks, “You assume that if this village, as it is the last in our route today, does not have the hero, then one of the other villages has hid the hero?” The Captain nods in response, getting Prince Leonarde to continue speaking, “Good thinking. Hopefully they are not that foolish, though. As hiding the hero is treason.” The Captain smiles and nods, knowing he is supposed to be a ruthless and heartless bastard, “We will see, my Liege. And if they have, I will not hesitate to burn the worthless town to ash. All you will have to do is say the word.” Leonarde shakes his head at that, “None of that, Captain. Even if they do so, we should not punish them all. We have enough on our plates with that heroes only party being formed.” The Captain frowns at that, and looks ahead again, “Damn Dragonkin, pushing us around like they own us.” Leonarde nods solemnly, and speaks, “In due time, Captain. In due time we will rid ourselves of the other nations and their influence.”
They continue riding, and soon find themselves entering the village. The lead Knights, as the caravan halts, step forward, and yell out, “Hear us! Presenting Crown Prince Leonarde, of the regal Whitewoods! As is tradition, bring out the young who present possible signs of being the hero!” Children of all ages, aside from infants, are brought out and lined up. One is walking beside a horse, and the Knight who had run ahead. Her brown hair is terribly messed up, her clothes are rather clean, despite being a commoner in an outskirts village, and she has a burn scar on her right hand. “We will now ask the children to step up, one at a time, to be examined by the Priestess!” The children begin moving, and as they finish lining up, the Captain opens the side of the carriage, allowing the Crown Prince and Priestess to exit. The Crown Prince holds out a hand for the Priestess to take, and assists her off the carriage. As she steps down, all in attendance can see the white robe she wears, and the white veil, hiding her face, but even then they can still feel the powerful aura emanating from her.
Leonarde steps to the side, letting the Priestess walk to the children. The Captain, despite being a human now, could still hear her quiet voice, as she spoke to each child. “I am Priestess Isabell Jordan.” The name brings a spark of joy and excitement to the younger children, and to the eldest of them all, it brings a sense of safety, and calm. The Hero of the previous generation is the role model many of their generation looks up to. However, excitement and joy fades away to disappointment, as they each are told they are not the hero of their generation. The Captain can hear her thoughts as well, as she thinks to herself, There are false flags among them, with dull golden eyes. Eventually as she nears the end of the line, the Knight approaches with the child, and he speaks, “Priestess, I believe this child is the hero. She nearly was trampled by my horse as I entered town. Please check for injuries.” Isabell does, and tends to a scrape on the young woman’s leg. She then looks her in the eye, and sees proper golden eyes, she smiles behind the veil, and speaks as she lifts her veil, so that their eyes can meet. The young woman, amazed by healing magic, looks up to thank her, but she freezes, staring at Isabell’s golden eyes. Isabell stands slowly, holding a hand forward, as she says, “Hello, young Hero.” The Captain smirks silently. If he had not done that, Luné would have escaped her fate.
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Luné Alpenglow
Luné sat quietly, as she felt the weight of the world on her. The Crown Prince sat across from her, and the Hero before her sat beside her. It had been a few hours since she was carted away. Her father and mother had made such a scene, that several of the Knights had to hold them back. Luné was quietly sitting with her head down, partly in reverence, and partly in fear of insulting the two powerful individuals in the carriage. The Crown Prince speaks, “Luné, you said your name was?” Luné nods quickly, answering properly, “Yes, my lord.” The Crown Prince asks a simple question of her, “How old are you? You seem to be in your teens, or early twenties. So you could not have been born too long after our dear Priestess here did.” Luné was quiet for a second, trying to remember, before saying, “Sixteen, my lord.” The Crown Prince quietly pats her head, and speaks, “No need to feel so pressured. You are a Hero, Luné. We will go to the palace, you will learn, and then you will be a beacon for our nation. I will do you no harm, and even if I were, I would certainly not in front of the Priestess.” Isabell speaks in response, “My lord, do not joke about such a thing.” The Crown Prince raises his hands in defense, “Sorry, sorry. I was just trying to raise the mood. Awfully dour here.” Luné quietly sits, and waits for the time she will begin training.
A few months pass, and Luné is now bowing before the Crown Prince, who sighs, and speaks, “You are completely useless, Luné.” She flinches at that, as he continues, “You have no ability with weapons, you cannot use magic well, and your heroic ability is a party trick.” She felt miserable, and spoke, “I will keep trying, my lord.” But she was shot down immediately, as the Crown Prince spoke with condemnation, “No you will not. You are leaving in two days, when the hero party arrives. We have no more time.” Luné quietly stays still, staring at the glove hiding her scar. The Crown Prince approaches, and Luné dares not raise her head to look. He crouches, and with a solemn tone he says, “Raise your head.” Luné slowly does so, looking up at the Prince, whose face shows anger and sadness at the same time. He stares her in the eyes, and speaks, “I do not wish to throw you to the wolves, but I cannot delay them any longer. Just survive, okay?” She is quiet, unsure about if she can even fulfill that request, as he stands and leaves. Luné quietly starts to stand, after he exits, and feeling miserable, she returns to the training yard. She may have no aptitude for any weapons, but she doesn’t care. She must train. She can’t be weak. She is a hero.
The two days pass like blurs. During all of them, Luné is training. Using her ability to summon small food and drink from the “Consumables Summons”. She resents her ability. Why could she not get something better? Why not something like the Priestess, who could heal any and all wounds? She raises the wooden sword, and strikes the straw dummy again with all the anger she has for this stupid ability called “Carcere Fabricator”. As she smacks it again, she hears a voice behind herself. Rough and gravelly, she’s heard this kind of voice before, it's a Dwarf. She turns to see a group of individuals, each a different race. There was a Mountain Dwarf with an illustrious beard, a female Rock Gnome tinkering away at a small project, a female Moon Elf with a large bow slung over her shoulder, a male Beastkin with wolven traits, and a male Dragonkin with golden wings. The Dwarf spoke again, “Lass, yer terrible with a sword. Quit tryin’.” The Dragonkin spoke, “What can you do, Human.”
“Uhm-uhh-” Luné, who was startled and unable to speak properly, is saved by a familiar voice, the voice of the Crown Prince. On hearing it, she turns and bows to him. “Welcome, esteemed Heroes,” exclaimed the Crown Prince. “We must begin walking if you wish to see everything before departi-” The Dragonkin, who had not taken his eyes off Luné, spoke, “Quiet. Human, answer me.” Luné, startled again, turns back to the dangerous Dragonkin, and looks down quietly. The Rock Gnome scoffs at this, “A useless member, great!” The Beastkin is next to speak, “She can be useful in other ways.” He chuckles happily, only to get smacked hard by the Moon Elf. The Dragonkin approaches Luné, who takes a step back. The Crown Prince speaks, “What are you doing? Stop right there.” The Dragonkin keeps taking steps, and speaks to Luné, “Pick up a different weapon. A longsword is too heavy for your body, Human.” Luné is silent, a bit baffled that this powerful individual isn’t hitting her or getting upset at her for not knowing how to fight. The Rock Gnome scoffs at this and walks off, followed by most of the party, aside from the Moon Elf and Dragonkin. He continues speaking, his voice cold and calm, “What is your level?” Luné stammers out the word “six”, making the Dragonkin flinch. The Moon Elf looks on with pity for Luné, as the Dragonkin speaks, “You have a long way to go. You are far too weak. Humans often reach their peak at level 75. Almost all other races are 150 or higher. Pick up that wooden dagger, and lunge at the target. Put your weight in it. This will help you in fights for now, until you become stronger.” Luné quickly grabs the dagger, and speaks, stammering as she does, “Y-yes sir.”
The Dragonkin trained her until dusk, when he spoke, “That is enough. We must get going, Human.” Luné speaks, “Uhm… Sir?”
“What?” He seemed slightly annoyed at her stopping him as he had already started walking.
“What is your name?”
“I am the Templar, Proudmaul. The Elf is our Wayfarer, Lethhonel. The Dwarf is our Berserker, Jazak. The Gnome is our Mage, Thedlen. The Beastkin is our Cutpurse, Noalen.”
Luné, feeling a bit comfortable at this point, follows Proudmaul and Lethhonel away from the training yard. Soon she is properly introduced to the party, and they begin their journey.
----------------------------------------
Leonarde Whitewood
Leonarde stood quietly, watching out of the window. Worry filling his heart for the young woman he sees walking away from the castle. She may be a Hero, but she is not ready for the cruel world. He hears a familiar voice behind himself. “My Lord, you summoned me?” Turning around he sees the sharply dressed Dark Elf he trusts with his safety. “Quint. I need you to do something for me. Follow the Heroes, and protect Luné when you have to.” Quint bows slightly, and smiles, “Your wish is my command. I shall protect her as if she were you.” Quint then turns, and begins walking, leaving Leonarde alone in the room. He simply turns to look at the group, leaving the area. “Please remain alive. We need proper Heroes.”
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Luné Alpenglow
After a few weeks of travel, Luné finds herself going through a dungeon with the other Heroes, who have grown to show some warmth at the very least. She smiles, having managed to climb her way to Level 12, with their assistance. She walks behind them most of the time, but she was ready to climb further in her level, and one day not be a burden. Entering the final room of the dungeon, Luné is confused. Where a boss would usually stand, is nothing. Proudmaul steps forward, his shield battered and dented from the rest of the combat encounters. He scans the environment with his eyes, tense. Jazak speaks, “There’s no dungeon core, neith’r.” The party tenses up a bit. This is very unusual. Most dungeons have a core in the last room, guarded by a boss monster.
Luné takes a few steps forward, through the group’s line, and she begins looking around. A feeling of something being there, pulls her to the center of the room. Noalen speaks, “Human, where the hell are you going? Get back behind us.” Luné crouches in the center, beside Proudmaul, and she touches the floor. Brushing aside some dirt and dust, reveals a symbol. Proudmaul looks at what she’s doing, and stares in silent calm. Luné bushes away more dirt and dust, revealing the full symbol. A man, stalking a group of people. Proudmaul turns swiftly, staring at the party, and he scans the hall they exited, causing the entire group to turn and ready their weapons against the darkness behind them.
After a tense few minutes, Luné stands and speaks, “I think the dungeon is just trying to scare us. Why don’t we take a break and then get back to searching for its core?” She begins putting down her bag, ready to start setting up to help start a comfortable break in their adventure. The party all walk over, and as she is distracted, Proudmaul raises his shield, and slams it down on her back. Luné, hitting the floor, rolls, and starts backing away from them, terrified and scared now that she was suddenly attacked by her own “friends”. Proudmaul speaks, “You are right. It is just trying to scare us. But perhaps this is the best time to finally get rid of the Human Hero.” Luné, scared and worried, speaks in a shaky voice, “Wh-what do you mean, Proudmaul. This is just some cruel joke right? R-Right?” Tears begin to well up, as Proudmaul raises his maul to slam down on her, and she realizes this is no joke, as she notices the cold indifferent glares of the rest, and the voice of Noalen speaks, “No one will miss you, Luné. No one ever misses the weak humans. You’re better off as slaves, and not trying to live as heroes. Ungrateful bitch.”
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Luné closes her eyes as Proudmaul’s maul falls towards her, but the hit never comes, as she hears instead an expletive from Proudmaul’s mouth, a startled “what” from Thedlen, a growl of anger from Noalen, and a startled yell of “Dark Elf” from Lethhonel. Opening her eyes, she sees a well dressed Dark Elf standing with two daggers against the haft of the maul. A masquerade mask sits on his face, and the hanging cloth around the back of his legs whip from the speed of the movement he just did. He speaks in a playful tone, “I apologize dear Heroes, even if you do not deserve such a title. I cannot allow you to harm this young Hero.” He pushes the maul up, and slashes at Proudmaul, who jumps back to dodge. The rest of the party are readying to fight the Dark Elf, who speaks again, “My Lady, please take this.” He tosses a small white orb to her, which Thedlen yells out identifying, “That’s a random teleportation stone! Don’t let her use it!” The Dark Elf speaks, as he knocks Lethhonel’s arrow out of the air and dodges a tomahawk from Jazak, “Shatter that stone, My Lady. I shall find you again some day down the line.” He tosses a dagger at Noalen, who is hit with it, and yells out in pain. Proudmaul raises his maul, causing golden shields to appear, circling each of his allies. Luné slams the stone into the floor, breaking it, and the world around her begins to swirl. She sees the Elf pull out a potion and drink it, as a firebolt comes towards him. And with a smirk, the Elf bows under the bolt, towards her, as the world goes dark, and she feels a weightlessness take over.
As the weightlessness fades, and she opens her eyes, she sees in front of her a dungeon core. It pulses rapidly, like a heartbeat. And as it beats, she realizes it beats just as her own does. Looking around, she realizes there are no monsters in this dark and dirty wooden room. She starts to slowly stand up, the tears on her cheeks drying as she gets closer to the beating heart of this dungeon. She raises a hand as she nears it, pulled towards it. Touching it, she feels immense pain course through her, making her crumble to the floor, screaming out in pain. As the pain subsides, she begins to slowly sit back up, and looks at the core. She could see it, pulsing calmly, and she felt a calmness over herself. The calmness one feels when in their home, and resting with no problems around them, nor anything to think about. She feels a soft pull towards touching the core again, and she does, feeling no pain this time. She looks at her gloved right hand, and pulls it off, feeling an impulse to do so, and she finds her burn scar, that had been there her whole life, was missing. She looks back up at the core, and thinks quietly to herself, Where have I been sent? She puts her hand on the core again, feeling a warmth enter her body from the contact point.
The Core seems to be… Trying to communicate? Is that what is making her feel these strange impulses? She pulls her hand away, and speaks, “Open Dungeon Core Management.” Words come from her mouth, coming to her mind and being released without her input, and in response a screen appears in the air before her. Its edges lined in gold, and its words onyx on a pearl background. On the screen reads as such:
Dungeon Core Management
Welcome, Core Manager.
This Dungeon is unnamed, do you wish to name it? You can always rename it, or delay naming it.
Y/N
She quietly stares at it, and then says, “You wish to be named? Can this wait?” A pulse from the Core gives her a feeling that she is allowed to choose later, thus she presses the “N”. The screen changes again:
Dungeon Core Management
Resources:
1x Oak Collection Point
1x Copper Collection Point
Manage Resources
Monsters:
1x Void Sprite Spawner Level 10
1x Spider Spawner Level 5
Manage Monsters
Denizens:
Luné Alpenglow (You)
??? (Error)
Manage Denizens
Rooms:
Dungeon Core Room Level 1
Barracks Level 1
Crafting Room (Under Construction)
Manage Rooms
Expeditions:
Void Sprites x3 - 0:54
Spiders x3 - 0:54
Manage Expeditions
Dungeon Mana Pool 24/200
Luné stares quietly at the screen, her thoughts blazing a trail in her mind. Collection Points, she realizes, are the strange groupings of resources within a dungeon. Jazak carries a pickaxe so he can mine the ores the party finds. She notes that the Monsters are likely what appear in the dungeons to fight. She has never heard of a Void Sprite though. Denizens however, she has no clue about, but she gets the feeling that it means the people who live in the dungeon. Rooms are self explanatory, but she doesn’t know what a dungeon would do with special rooms. She tilts her head at the Expeditions, but keeps her mouth shut for the moment, and then speaks as she reads the next line, “You have a mana pool?” She feels a warmth from the Core, and watches as another screen pops up.
Dungeon Mana
Mana Income Source
Income
Legendary Ambient Mana
50 per Hour
Common Intruder:Flies
1 per Kill
Common Intruder:Rats
1 per Kill
Mana Expenditure Source
Expenses
Void Sprite Upgrade x2
30+40=70
Crafting Room Construction
100
Expeditions x2
6
Luné looks at the screen, then says, “Okay, so there’s a lot of Ambient Mana, and you suck it in to use?” A confirming warmth fills Luné, and then she speaks again, “Intruder?” A small tug pulls at Luné’s back, and she turns, looking at the dilapidated stairs heading up. Something to deal with later then, as she looks back at the screen and says, “What about these expenditures? Why upgrade? Why make a room? Why expeditions?” There’s silence from the Core. It can only talk through feelings, and it seems to be unsure how to explain in such a way. She sighs, and then says, “Well, we can find that out later.” She stares at the Ambient Mana and she feels a pull to open her ability. However, this pull is not of the Core, but something older. Something that makes her shiver uncontrollably. She follows the pull, and opens the blue screen that shows herself, and as she watches it, her ability fades from view, and then is replaced by something else entirely. Instead of “Carcere Fabricator”, she now has “Carcere Fabricator (Complete)”. She stares at it, reading it aloud. “‘Allows the fabrication of random items from a specified grouping, by using the ambient mana or the dungeon’s mana pool. Items can be converted into mana for the dungeon, at the expense of the item.’ That is just my old ability with extra things it can do.” She frowns heavily, and then feels a warmth from the core, a happy feeling. Perhaps it isn’t that bad, but she doesn’t want to be consoled about such a useless skill. She shrugs off the Core’s happiness, and stares for a few more seconds.
The feeling comes back, this time pointed towards using the skill. She sighs, and does so, opening the menu of Carcere Fabricator, and she stares at the old and new options:
Carcere Fabricator Activation Menu
Ambient Mana: Legendary
Dungeon Mana: 24/200
Personal Mana: 0/0
Equipment Summons *One Time Half-Cost*
Sustenance Summons *One Time Half-Cost*
Misc Summons *One Time Half-Cost*
Summon Summons *New Bonus: Guaranteed Summons, Dungeon Core Room Bonus: Half-Cost*
She stares silently at the “Summon Summons” button, and decides to press it, then use Ambient Mana. In front of her a burst of light appears, just as it does for all other buttons, but this one was larger. The white light remained still as another blue window popped into her view, she read it:
Guaranteed Summons
Ambient Mana: Legendary
Summons Cap: Legendary
Choose a Summon below.
Sebastia Rin
Human/Swordmaster
Female
Level 100
Strength: 36
Dexterity: 31
Constitution: 16
Spirit: 21
Roger Beaumont
Human/Elite Scout
Male
Level 100
Strength: 21
Dexterity: 51
Constitution: 16
Spirit: 11
Kaede
Beastman:Nekomimi/Wizard
Female
Level 100
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 26
Constitution: 16
Spirit: 51
Luné stared in utter shock. She had to choose one of these three? She had to choose between the peaks of normal people? She began to think, assuming the individual summoned will be her ally, If I choose the Swordmaster, she will be capable of protecting me from any threats. The Elite Scout cannot do that as easily, and would be more useful in expeditions and other things of the sort. The Wizard would be beneficial in the long run, but she wouldn’t be able to teach me as well as the Swordmaster. Before she decides, she notices something. Each of the individuals are human, or close to human. Kaede, being a Beastman instead of Beastkin, is far closer to Human than beast. She stared at the buttons, having made her choice after that small realization, and then pressed one. The white light on the floor suddenly glowed a heavy cyan, illuminating the whole room, and overpowering the Core’s ambient light. It became so bright that Luné had to shield her eyes, hiding them from its radiance. As the light subsided, she removed her arms, and looked at the new summon. Who immediately took a knee, bowed her head, and spoke, “I am Swordmaster Sebastia Rin, Martyr and Savior of the Sky. You who are now my Master, I pledge my sword to your defense, as I did the goddess Enna. If you demand me to give my life to your cause, I shall.”