Author notes: Sorry for the delay. The internet was crazy, But at last.........
CHAPTER 4: FATEFUL MEETINGS
Dungeons.
As far as history could tell, dungeons have been present in the world since its creation. During the time gods and mortals would walk the same land, dungeons were already explored. The pioneers on dungeon exploration were the people of an ancient civilization. Although it was said that the civilization colonized most of the continents, majority of its people suddenly disappeared after a great battle to defend the world against destruction. Though the civilization was lost, the records and part of its technology were left to the remaining ones, and one of these technology is dungeon exploration.
The people who risk their lives to explore the countless dungeons around the world were called Adventurers. They would enter such dangerous places for different reasons. Some would like to earn fame, others covet the hidden treasures and relics of the past, while others just for thrill and fun.
Dungeons would contain different monsters, that were recorded by the ancient civilization. From the goblins of 'Beginner' dungeons to Ancient hydras that haunt 'Legendary' dungeons, these monsters were magically created by the dungeons themselves. Research on this phenomenon did not progress well, so the people of the world just assumed dungeons were 'alive' and converts its enormous magic capacity to shape itself and its interior randomly
And if dungeons were rated Mythical, even gods would be in for a surprise.
"WHAT IS THIS?!"
A shout of despair came from a lady garbed in white cloak. She looked like she was dancing in the dark, but if you look closely, she was dodging against something that cannot be seen. Shadow-like creatures, swiftly moving through the darkness were trying to impale the lady.
"
Her ornamental sword sparked, and sharp blue energy flowed through the thin blades. The giant sword of light moved nimbly through the air, leaving afterimages as she cut through the shadow creatures, making sizzling sounds as she hits.
"Is there no end to this?"
The girl, Tishia was fatigued as she could not count how many levels she descended in this temple-like dungeon. Upon reaching this particular level, countless shadow creatures spawned from the darkness and she had been battling for hours non-stop.
"I feel I regret the contract with that trickster."
She made a cartwheel slash, cutting through multiple shadows as she voiced her complaints. Using the momentum, she made an upward slash with her sword, white light cleaving through a straight line and annihilating the shadows. With the way clear, she ran past the other monsters and advanced little by little. Continuing this tactic, she finally made through the open stone door at the other side, closing it to prevent the shadows from entering. The huge dark room she entered was only illuminated by her sword of light, Claiomh Solais.
"haa..... haa..... For the first time, I really feared for my life in a dungeon."
She tried to catch her breath, but a rumbling sound coming from the walls of the rooms would not allow a moment of rest. Four grey metallic hand came from the walls and slammed towards Tishia. She managed to evade by jumping to the side, but the place where she was before now has a crater.
"Golems?! And they're not normal either!!!"
Lifting up her sword of light, she felt the abnoral aura of her enemies. A pair of six meter tall golems, their grey texture having golden streaks, Their back were line with stalagmites of sharp grey rocks. She had heard of this kind of golem in her lessons before, but to meet it in person was not what she was hoping for.
"
They were golems that were said to use time magic to accelerate. One of the strongest golems ever recorded. Living up to their reputation, the two grey constructs swiftly charge at Tishia using inhuman movements. And their aura was gold.
She was able to dodge the first charge, but not in time for the second one. Raising Claiomh Solais, she managed to block, but the force from the charge sent her flying backwards. Executing a somersault, she landed on her feet safely, but her arms were numb from blocking.
"Should I use my powers?"
She contemplated on using her goddess form, but her aspect of Justice would be no use on nonliving organisms. It would only spend her remaining energy.
"Think Tishia, think!!!!"
She rattled her mind for any information about these formidable enemies. The golems made a stance to prepare another fearsome charge.
"To defeat it......."
She managed to sidestep, avoiding with a hair's breadth one of the golem's charge.
".......use the same or stronger materials!!!! But..."
She managed to remember it. But she currently did not have any materials that could possibly be stronger than Grey Adamant. At that moment, she failed to evade a charge, and went crashing against the wall.
'"GUH!!!"
The wall crumbled upon impact, bringing her over to another room. Though her bones did not break due to having stronger constitution as a goddess, her body was still sore all over from the damage the charge gave her.
"Ugh.... It hurts..... if only I have the same material...!!"
She thought of something. Desperately, she ran back to the room where the golems were preparing to charge, and made it to a corner of the room.
"Bring it on!!!"
The first golem charged at her, but Tishia was prepared and evaded. But instead of running, she positioned herself at the stony back of the golem who charged, and had its grey arms stuck to the wall of the room. As if taunting the other golem, she waved with a smile. The second golem charged swiftly.
"Got you!!!!"
Tishia jumped to the side in timing to the charge. The monstrous impact was transmitted to the first golem, while its sharp stalagmites of Grey Adamant on its back pierced the second golem. After the impact, both of the golems stopped moving and crumbled, disintegrating and absorbed by the dungeon. On where they stood before, two large metallic ores lie.
"Ohhhh. What are these? Rare ores get!!!"
Despite being injured, Tishia was happy at the items dropped by the Golems. It was indeed a rare loot. After gathering the ore using basic storage magic, she examined the other room where she crashed before.
She did not noticed because she was too absorbed in the fight against the golems, but what lay inside was an endless darkness, not a room a room at all. A few meter in front was a seemingly bottomless chasm.
"Whoa.... I- I almost fell down."
She could feel a faint blue light with her perception, probably shaped like a dome, far away down the wide chasm. She wondered how to advance now, and upon investigation, found what she was looking for.
"Stairs! I really wonder how dungeons form themselves."
She cautiously went down using the stairs, due to her blindness and wary that it might collapse or some magic array would suddenly activate leading to all sorts of trouble. It was based form experience, when during the two years of training with her teacher, such instances could never be completely avoided.
"Whew. That was hard."
But nothing of the sort happened. She smoothly went down the very long stairs, wondering if this really was a Mythical level dungeon. Reaching the bottom, she could not see the blue-colored dome that was made out of some kind of flowing liquid, but she could definitely see it aura."
"What..... is that?"
She was baffled. That large dome that was about a hundred meters away from her, but she could still feel the pressure coming from it.
"Is this really golden aura? Its so beautiful."
Even though the dome was blue, her ability told her it was gold. But she never encountered such aura before, except that it was a little bit similar to that of the Grey Adamant Golems. Drawing near, she made sure there were no other presences. The dome that was 20 meters in diameter was the only sole thing that released its aura in the vicinity.
"Now what do I do with this??"
She tried throwing a rock at the dome, but it passed through, and she could not tell what happened to it inside. But Tishia did not fail to notice an aura that leaked the moment the stone passed through.
"That feeling, someone's inside the dome??"
She felt two distinct aura that were very faint.
"Is it the god.... no, there's two people. Are they trapped inside? Their presences are too faint."
Tishia contemplated on whether to try save them or not. If she did, her instincts told her it would be a disaster. But her conscience was telling her to do so. Being a goddess of justice, she would do the right thing.
As body went past the dome, she felt a different kind of atmosphere inside, giving a feeling that time was stopped. She sensed the two people who were together on the ground. A small girl in a golden dress, and a teenage boy wearing faded black coat and pants. They were together sleeping, and gave the feeling as if they were siblings.
Deciding to investigate more, she drew near.
"This girl is a goddess."
She made a conclusion, as the presence coming from the girl that looked around 10 years old was definitely that of divinity. She pondered for a bit and decided to do what she had signed for, releasing bloodlust. It was then that someone spoke.
"Don't..... dont... hurt...."
It was the sleeping boy beside the little girl. He unconsciously embraced the little girl, as if wanting to protect her from harm. And them she felt something. That boy was releasing divine aura too, although it was too weak to easily notice.
"So he's one, too. That trickster said to kill a god, but I have two gods right before me. What to do now?"
But if Hermes was right, if the god in the prophecy lived, world-wide havoc and chaos would ensue. Sacrificing two people for the sake of the world, was this the right thing to do? The goddess of justice in the end chose the 'greater good'.
"Let justice be done, though the heavens fall"
Activating her divinity, her blind eyes glowed white, along with the outline of her body.
"God-mode."
Enveloped in white light, Tishia's cloak seemed to melt and form into a sleek white armor. Her fiery eyes that glowed white stared at the two unconscious beings she was about to condemn. She raised Claiomh Solais overhead, as she intended to finish it in one blow.
"This is nothing personal, but for the sake of the world."
Right before she gave the finishing blow, she felt something that sent a chill down her spine. She ducked instinctively, as a wave of golden light slashed to where her upper body was before.
"WHA?!!!!"
Another wave almost ripped of her right arm, if it weren't for her ability to detect presences. But this enemy was too fast, as if her senses could not follow it.
"Show yourself!!!"
She notice that the golden aura from the sleeping child was manifesting into something humanoid. With it, was an ominous looking black scythe that she never saw before. The presence of that humanoid being was affecting the surrounding, as if it was being distorted. Tishia dashed to immediately eliminate the threat before it acts again, but Claiomh Solais only cut through air. The humanoid shaped aura that was there in front was gone.
"Teleportation, or could it be?!!"
She sensed the incoming bloodlust from her back, and parried the slash from the scythe with her sword of light.
But the strength from that slash was enough to blow her outside the dome. Getting back on her feet, she raised her sword, parrying another slash from the being that followed her, with movements that cannot be followed by the naked eye. But Tishia was blind, and her senses were honed to the limit and she was an expert in a duel.
She prepared using her current best technique, staying still while her sword at the ready. As the presence of that humanoid being came into her range, she moved.
Mortal Judgement!!!!
Dashing in a straight line faster than the enemy, she slashed horizontally. But that did not end as she seemingly disappeared from the front of the humanoid being, reappearing a split second at its back before delivering another blow. The enemy tried to slash with the scythe, but she was gone even before the attack started. It failed to notice that she jumped overhead, striking again the helpless humanoid, before disappearing to its side. She bombarded her opponent with fourteen sword strikes, then finishing up with a final powerful overhead slash, shredding it to bits.
"Haa...... haa...... that thing was too strong."
She silently congratulated herself. If that battle had continued longer, she would have lost. But her sense of victory immediately dissipated when the aura that made the humanoid being, gathered and reformed, as if time was rewound.
"......This will take longer than expected."
She rushed to meet the reformed being's attack, but did not noticed that the blue dome had cracked due to the shock waves of her powerful strikes, and was now disintegrating.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Alter had a dream. No, he considered it a nightmare,
Tied to a pole, his upper body was bare, showing the lean body that was honed through training and acquiring monstrous stats.
Strings of different color bind him to the pole, and he stood there, helpless. What was worse than that? The fact that three ladies stood in front, gazing at him with different expressions. One had a bubbly expression but was staring at him like a hungry fox. Another looked skeptical, yet seemed to be analyzing him. And the worse was the last who looked like she wanted to murder him.
"Tell us, human. What do you intend to do in the future?"
The one that was analyzing him, said. Her glasses indicated she was somewhat the intellectual type of woman and looked like she was in her early twenties.
"I don't know what you're talking about..... tell me, where is this place?"
"
"
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"He may be, but I think we're missing something. We don't even know his origins."
"Well... try asking him. I don't believe he'll lie in this situation."
"Okay! We'll ask in a fair and humane way of course."
After saying that, the girl named Clotho grabbed a 3 inches long needle from thin air. Pointing its tip to Alter, she spoke.
"Hello boy!! My name's Clotho!!! For every statement, if I prick you and you feel the pain, it means you're lying. Nice to meet you!!
Where's the 'fair and humane' way in that!!! Alter screamed silently.
"Kidding!"
".........."
This girl has personality issues, he concluded. Clotho, who looked like a girl who just reached her teens, giggled at Alter's incredulous expression.
"Clotho, stop fooling around."
The lady beside the girl reprimanded her actions. Alter remembered her name. It was Lachesis.
"Okay~okay~. Now boy, we're visiting your dreams right now. Do you know that your appearance caused a stir among the gods of the world?"
".....no."
If she was talking about gods, Alter believed he was acquainted with a few of them. In fact, his closest companion was a goddess herself, and he could name a few close ones if asked. But something was off.
"Umm... don't you know me?"
He thought being the leader of the Players and also commanding the NPCs which included some of the gods was enough to be known throughout Mythologia. But it was not the case.
"Please identify yourself. We know you're some sort of god, but we have no clue on your aspect or whatever"
"I am Alter, the one who led the battle against Typhon."
The two girls widened their eyes at the mention of the word Typhon.
"To know such ancient, despicable creature.... what are you??"
"Sister, if this guy is really saying the truth, we need to support him"
Clotho said in a serious voice contrary to her earlier attitude. But Lachesis rebuked her.
"And what proof did he have? He is probably lying."
"I'd rather kill him. But he's telling the truth.n He's a genuine god."
The third girl who was silent before, said those words with malice. Unlike the two others who wear white robes, she was wearing violet and black, like some black magic apprentice. Lachesis wondered at the black robed girl's words.
"What do you mean,
"Exactly what I said."
She stabbed her hands to Alter's chest.
"WHA?!"
Alter was surprised at her sudden movements and flinched, but the girl's hands slipped through his chest. Pulling it out, the girl was holding on to a thread that was connected to his chest.
"Look at his thread of fate"
After drawing near to look, the two others gave a gasp and surprised faces.
"I-Indeed! I never saw such color!"
"Almost transparent, what kind of being are you really?"
"That's not all"
The girl named Atropos said. She drew out an ominous looking scissor. If you observe closely, it was stained with red liquid, giving off the vibe that it was used as a murdering tool.
"W-what are you trying to do?"
Alter tried to protest, his instincts told him his life would be in danger if that thread was cut. But Atropos ignored him.
SNIP.
".............."
"Eh? It can't be."
"Amazing!!"
The three girls were amazed. The scissors only passed through the thread, and nothing else happened to Alter. Atropos was the one that was shocked the most, even if she already deduced what would happen due to the thread having a strange nature. She was the one feared by living creatures as the the 'cutter of the thread of life'. Even the fate of gods can be twisted by her 'demonic shears'. But here is a man that was not the least bit affected.
"......What are you?"
She could only ask. The existence before her made her doubt her own powers. Even though an ancient law stated that the three of them must not involve themselves in the affairs of the world. Atropos became interested in this young man.
"For now, we'll monitor you more closely. For the sake of the world, of course."
"Alter, its almost time to say goodbye!!! We'll meet you a bit later. But I'll give you a parting gift."
Clotho drew near to Alter's ear.
"Listen closely so you could analyze what to do. You are trapped in a dungeon that was made from some magic even we don't have knowledge about."
Alter's face tensed. It seems that these are very important information he must not miss.
"Your other companion, though weakened, was unconsciously fighting a girl who's goal was to kill you."
"Kill me?"
"Its all due to the prophecy that you will bring forth chaos to the world. Everyone wants you dead. Even our cute Atropos here."
"Prophecy? I don't~"
"Listen, You must prevent your friend from killing that girl. And you must persuade that girl to be your companion. Her fate is strongly connected with the preservation of this world. If you could do so, you should proceed to Delphi. Only there you could find your answers, as we here cannot say any more that this."
"..... I understand."
"Clotho, what did you tell him?"
"Nothing~!!"
The four-eyed lady asked in suspicion, but the bubbly young girl denied anything."
"I'll do my best to support you as much as I can, Alter. Even if we have to much restrictions, Clotho here will do her best"
"Umm.... thanks?"
Alter could only smile wryly at the bubbly attitude of the girl.
"See you, Alter!!!"
"If you do anything suspicious..."
".....I'll kill you."
After giving off different goodbyes, the surrounding images became hazy, and Alter woke up with a start.
---------------------------------------------------
"Haa.... haa.... this... is bad...."
Tishia was leaning on a wall. Her breathing was erratic, as she faced both fatigue and injuries. Her pure white armor was ripped and stained in her own blood. And her sword of light was far off, embedded on the ground after her hands were too injured to weild it. On the other side, the entity made of aura that was holding a black bladed scythe was standing and facing her direction. She though she could win, but it was clear who was more powerful.
"Am.... I gonna die here?"
She was too hasty. She relied too much on her powers. She should not have been tempted by the trickster's deal for she was still far too weak. And now she faced the consequences. Closing her eyes, she resigned to her fate as the humanoid being approached, its deadly scythe ready to swing and claim her soul. Without even giving proper justice to the ones who destroyed her family.
Clank!!!!
She thought it would hurt. But no sound of flesh being ripped was heard. Instead, the sound of metal clashing with another echoed around the dark cavern. When she tried to sense her surroundings, she felt the aura of an unfamiliar sword, holding off the scythe in place. The sword vibrated as if telling her to hold on.
"Hey, are you okay"
"........No.."
She heard a voice. It definetely belongs to a boy. Though she never heard of it before, she thought the voice was very reliable.
"Hold on. She unconsciously used the 'doppleganger' skill. It'll be hard to stop her, as it copies almost all of the user's stats. I.... I need your help. You're a goddess right?"
She could partly understand his predicament, but she can't fight anymore.. Her body was bruised all over, and blood was flowing from her wounds.
"I can't.... help..."
".......do you really want to live?"
The boy asked a funny question. Of course anybody would want to live. But the serious tone that was used prevented Tishia from making fun of him.
"......Yes"
"But..... we need to have a 'connection' with each other. I don't know any other effective method, but......"
The boy sounded reluctant. As if he was hesitating on something. Tishia wanted to scold him for dallying in this life or death situation.
"Since I don't even know you, I have to do something against your will. Please feel free to hate me after this"
She doesn't understand what he means, but she nodded, as she felt the humanoid being readying its scythe to slash at both of them. It was then that she felt something.
"Mmph..."
It was a sensation she never felt before. Her lips were pressed against something soft. Her heart skipped a beat, welling up with emotions of both confusion, excitement and fear.
He kissed me! she screamed in her mind, but she personally did not hated it. But for her first kiss to be stolen by a stranger, any woman would complain.
She felt her soul tremble, as if its essence was mixing with that of the boy. She could only helplessly endure this moment that seemed to last for hours. Even as he parted his lips, that feeling lingered for a little bit more.
"Please rest."
The boy gently laid her down, before facing the humanoid image made of golden aura. She wondered what he would do, and was surprised when both her aura and the golden aura swelled from the boy.
Tishia's symbol, the scales of justice, floated above his head along with the hourglass symbol of Gold.
Brilliant gold and dazzling white.
The boy recited a chant that made his outline glow, in contrast to his black clothes.
"Let it be known. My true name,
As the light completely enveloped his body, he whispered.
"God Mode"
The light seemingly exploded and dispersed, and what appeared before Tishia was something beyond her imaginations.
-Chapter End-