Hercules was a great figure in world history. It is said that King Eurystheus gave him twelve labors. Eight of these labors involved the legendary Hercules fighting eight monsters and sealing them into dungeons that he formed all by hand.
These dungeons were built intricately like labyrinths, meant to seal these monsters forever… in which they could. However, a few decades ago, centuries after they were built, one of the many guilds in the world for the first time located a dungeon. Then suddenly— they began popping up all over the world. Braywick, a small town in Elveria, was one of the eight places where a dungeon was located.
Braywick, Year 1003
“So… Lynda.”
“Yes, Wyrn?” Lynda followed a few paces behind, her hands tucked into her cloak. Wyrn walked ahead with his boots crunching softly on the path.
“Why did you tell the knight and his friend not to trust the Moringa tree?”
━━━━°⌜ 之后 °━━━━
A boy ran across the stone ground, panting with a torch in his hand as his heart beat out of his chest. His bushy tail stiff. The light followed his shadow, his shadow held hands with the light. The torch gripped in his hand. Orange marks decorated his body,
His breath was uneven, his wolf akin ears brushing against a chain hanging from the roof. He tripped for a second, picking himself back up. The floor was uneven, cold. The chilling breeze from it was enough to cause the boy to slow.
“N…No!...” He stammered, speeding up once again. Something was chasing him, another set of steps heard in the background. Moving. Gaining. His bare feet slammed into the cold floor: tired, labored and out of breath. The torch itself barely went through the darkness. As if the light itself wasn’t enough to penetrate the body of darkness.
His amber eyes shone from the torch, his white hair formed into a small ponytail stopping at his collar bone. His snow colored hair appeared to be melting from how the sweat dropped from his head. In front of him, the torch revealed a wall.
He skidded around the corner, the edge of his shoulder slamming into the rough stone but he would care less as adrenaline ran through his body. The thing behind him sped up, cutting the corner with him now. The slam into the stone slowed him more than he thought it did.
He bolted down the corridor, lungs burning. The walls closed in, scraping his shoulder as he maneuvered through the corridor. His feet stumbled, but he didn’t dare stop. Not with claws raking the floor behind him, each step, gaining. A gate was up ahead, heavy iron shone just slightly from the torchlight from below in the boy’s hands.
His pulse spiked as the creature behind him got closer “Damn it!” He forces himself to move faster. He put his hands to his mouth and cupped them “Lucy, drop the gate!” he shouted, the sound of his voice reverberated, on cue the gate began to drop.
He dove, sliding across the stone. The marks on his body turned yellow. A spark formed as a streak of lightning followed the boy, bursting into lightning as he flashed forward. The gate hit like thunder behind him, a sound split the air, crashing onto the creature’s neck. The sound was wet, final. Almost cruel.
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The wolf boy stumbled, falling to the dry stone floor as the torch he held hit the floor. He fought for breath. His eyes went wild with adrenaline still going through his veins.
The iron gate, now a mess of blood and the decapitated creature’s remains, stood at the base of the stone wall. The creature’s final scream still in the air. He exhaled, wiping sweat from his face. His hand moved to find the extinguished stick of the former torch.
Yet, a hand interlocked with his. Helping him up. “Wolfe! Are you alright?” a voice said, the torch light was lit again as Wolfe took in the two people now in his surroundings. Lucy, the girl that he had called to earlier.
And Mason, who held the reformed torch. Presumably, the person who set it ablaze again. Lucy’s large rabbit ears twitch with concern. Her blue eyes flickered across the body of Wolfe as the adrenaline began to wear off. Mason himself looked down at Wolfe, his face was stern yet unreadable.
Lucy scanned for injury, moving closer, her long white hair cascading behind her. Wolfe chuckled weakly, forcing himself to his feet. “That was the third one today. This dungeon’s really trying to kill us.”
“Don’t be reckless.” Lucy’s tone was firm, her voice was thick with concern and thin with the slightest tang of annoyance. She adjusted the golden jewelry on her neck and wrists. Her touch was light, contrasting the weight of the gold she wore. “We can’t keep rushing headlong into danger like this. We need to wait until the guild comes and saves us…”
Mason let out a low grunt, his gaze narrowing as he stepped forward. He towered over Wolfe and Lucy. His form glimmered in the torchlight he helf. He leaned his massive frame against the bloodstained gate.
“Wait for the guild?” he begun, his long braids swaying slightly “And what?—sit here like prey until the next creature shows up?” His voice rumbled with disdain, his sharp eyes fixed on Lucy. “We’ve been down here long enough to know no one’s coming.” Lucy’s ears twitched, her expression hardened “They will come. Guilds don’t leave their members behind.” she replied, standing her ground.
Mason snorted, dismissing her. “You think we’re that important to them? Two hybrids and one orc lost in a dungeon isn’t worth the ink to write a report. If we want out, we have to fight for it ourselves, and kill the Chimera sealed in here by Hercules long ago...”
Wolfe coughed, finally catching his breath as he steadied himself. His amber eyes darted between the two. “Mason’s got a point, Lucy. This dungeon’s been trying to bury us from the moment we stepped inside. If we wait too long, there might not be anything left for them to save.”
Lucy’s glare flicked to Wolfe, her hands clenching at her sides. “I just don’t want to lose anyone else. Is that so hard to understand? We’ve already lost Muffin... Larissa... Yana... Ramia… They were so happy to be hired by the Guild… to be able to make money for their families… If I lose hope in the guild, then those four kids and everyone else died for nothing…”
Mason scoffed “Hope in the guild won’t bring them back, Lucy.” his voice was bitter. “And it sure as hell won’t get us out of this deathtrap.” He pushed off the gate and straightened, his imposing figure casting a long shadow on the dungeon walls. “We’re not here to fight for their honor. We’re here to survive. And the only way we’re doing that is by keeping out of the Chimera’s path.”
He adjusted the hilt of his weapon, his gaze meeting Lucy’s then Wolfe “Let’s head back to the main section. We need to regroup, find a route that doesn’t lead us straight into the beast’s lair. Fighting that thing is suicide.”
Lucy’s ears twitched again, she hesitated then glanced at Wolfe. The wolf boy gave her a small nod. It made a sense of reassurance wash over her, but she still gave Mason a feisty gaze. “Fine,” she relented, her voice barely above a whisper. “But if we run into it, we fight together. I won’t leave anyone behind. I’ll use my magic and Wolfe can use his… Spark.”
“Agreed.” Mason’s tone offered a flicker of understanding “But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” The trio began to move, the silence of the dungeon broken only by the soft sounds of their footsteps. The torchlight flickered, casting shadows which danced across the ancient stone walls built centuries ago.
The air grew colder as they watched their steps, Wolfe’s amber eyes scanned their surroundings as they took their steps. The marks on his body dimmed since their earlier glow. He glanced back at Lucy then at Mason.
“Let’s hope Hercules really knew what he was doing when he locked that thing away,” Wolfe muttered under his breath. Mason didn’t look “Hercules might’ve built these dungeons to hold monsters. But he didn’t build them for us to survive.” he replied, his voice low.
━━━━°⌜ 之后 °━━━━
“Having to go back so you get basic clothing was annoying.” Kaiser stated as he ran at high speeds over to the dungeon. Elara on his back looked down at him, the blanket that covered her now elsewhere as she wore a green dress, simple in appearance. Her brown skin radiates against the light from the sun above. “I apologize…” she replied, but Kaiser only shook his head.
“Don’t bother apologizing… After this, we’re going straight to Rindale... So we can get you back home, and off my shoulders” Kaiser stated, an incoming boulder in his sight as he held onto Elara’s legs on his shoulder before jumping high into the air over it.
“Wooo!” Elara elated.
Kaiser smirked slightly
“Don’t get too used to that.”