Kyle sighed as they approached the entrance of their dungeon, the other group was already waiting there for them. The size of the group was the same, the people making it up weren’t. Then he remembered Birse speaking to one of them through his VCD about some squabble and a recruit.
He looked at each of them noticing that Sly was missing, the loser of that squabble. “So who threw the fit? And I’m not talking about the obviously missing perpetrator.” He asked them with a smirk.
Woody pointed at Jacky who was leaning against the wall looking as disinterested as ever. Kyle knew very little about the guy, only that Birse trusted him as much as Death and Sly.
“So this is the newbie?” Birse asked dodging the landmine Kyle almost triggered.
“That’s a weird IGN, what do we call you?” Soren asked after inspecting the Valkyrie.
“Just Sparta is fine…” She answered while looking at each member warily.
Birse hummed in thought as he inspected her and ‘Inspected’ her “Who vouches for her?”
“Sly forwarded the recruitment, I vouch too.” Jacky suddenly replied causing them all to look at him in surprise, he didn’t respond to it.
Steph chuckled “Way to try Jack, I vouch too.” She raised her hand up.
Woody shrugged “Don’t really care.”
“When do you ever?” Asked Cherry, “I vouch” he then replied.
“Question” Ch turned to Sparta “You had no qualms with hording a zone in our situation and you hadn’t either with leaving your previous guild but I still feel like I should ask the obvious if you are to join us.”
“Ask away?...” Sparta replied as she took an unconscious step back from being inspected by everyone, she felt like a new gun model on show for some weapon loving nutjobs.
Ch nodded “Consider our current situation, if you had the choice would you join arms with the ‘Enemy’ if it meant profit and better survival chances?” he asked while studying her expression.
Sparta’s expression grew thoughtful and serious as she considered his question, she took it as no more than a test of morality than an actual decision though “As long as it doesn’t mean slavery or being used as a force multiplier along a decent argument for them not to betray me…Yes I would.”
Ch smirked “We’ll see about that, I vouch for her.” He then told Birse.
“That’s all the spectators.” Birse glanced back at the others “You guys got anything to add?”
“Yeah, I got something.” Said Kyle as he took a step closer to stand in front of Sparta, he carefully studied her expression “Tell me…” Frostfire suddenly engulfed his body causing her to raise her shield defensively. Kyle smirked at her reaction “What are your thoughts on working with monsters?”
“M-Monsters?...” She stared back at him from behind her shield, entranced by the white-blue flames that covered him.
“I’m not human, I’m a fox spirit with the ability to use other’s pain and negative emotions as power. And if I’m being honest?” his smirk grew into a wicked grin “I enjoy watching it unfold.”
Sparta flinched at his declaration and leaned away “I…” (“He’s a nutcase…Yeap…Definitely worse that the others!”) she thought while trying to think up a response. She blinked her surprised expression away and straightened her stance “As long as you do not negatively affect my wellbeing…Yeah I’d work with ‘monsters’” she then replied honestly.
Kyle raised a brow and glanced around at the others “I wonder what ‘Wellbeing’ we’re talking about here” he chuckled then raised his arm “She’s got my vote.”
Birse snorted then turned to the rest “Anybody else?” he asked them, the rest shook her heads “Alright, here’s the deal then Sparta.”. Birse pointed at the dungeon entrance being her “Make it as far as you can through this dungeon then we’ll talk, you aren’t allowed to take anyone with you. Other than that? Just don’t destroy it entirely.”
Sparta turned around and studied the dungeon entrance, a dark red maw of fangs taking into a dimly lit tunnel of stone brick walls and dirt for floor “Sure…” she replied uncertainly. She continued to stare at the large set of almost black red fangs that grew out of the ceiling and floor, two were missing from the bottom set leaving an opening. She stood about two feet away from the entrance, even then it felt wrong to stand next to it.
“Well? Off you go.” Kyle nudged her back causing Sparta to take a couple steps forward.
“Huh?” was her only response as the missing fangs pierced through the stone ground “You have to be sh-” the maw closed behind her leaving her with nowhere to escape.
Kyle couldn’t help but laugh “How far do you think she’ll make it?”
Birse shrugged “The first forty levels were changed to be possible, the rest? Good fucking luck.”
Seren sighed “You’re all terrifying blah blah blah” she waved her arms around dramatically ”Open the damn door, I need a cold shower...”
“That bad a day?” Steph asked with a smirk.
Seren rolled her eyes “You try being almost eaten by a giant blob of slime…It gets…everywhere!” she shivered at the memory.
Kyle snorted “Tell me about it, you didn’t have to fight the damn dark slime!” he walked up to the left wall “Lilior open.”
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Sparta gave up trying to break open the closed entrance made of fangs, after what seemed like the seventh time her magic and sword were deflected with virtually no damage visible. “Only one way to go huh…” she turned and looked down the tunnel “Pull yourself together…” she told herself and stepped forward “It’s not that scary…Can’t be th-”
She tripped on something and fell forwards hitting the dirt ground face first, tentacles of slime had grown out of the dirt and entangled themselves around her arms and legs. After a brief sigh she looked up and back down the dimly lit dark-red tunnel, dozens of red tentacles made of slime were wiggling around from the floor, walls and ceiling.
Sparta dropped her head back down to the dirt “Why me…” she briefly whined.
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“Welcome back master.” Greeted Lilior as the group walked into the living room, the wall they came out of slid shut behind them. “Sly has respawned four hours ago, he’s very loudly resting on the couch.” She added disdainfully before asking “An unknown adventurer has entered the draining tunnels, anything I should do about it?“
Kyle glanced over at Sly snoring away on the couch and smirked “Monitor her, we’ll be coming over to the core room shortly” he replied while sneaking over to the back of the couch along with Woody. They each crouched down by a corner behind the couch and grabbed it from underneath while the others walked by.
“Lilior, how’s our guest doing?” Birse asked as Woody and Kyle pulled the couch up causing Sly to roll off and to the floor.
“Motherfuckers!” Sly swore as he hit the pavement “The hell was that for?!” he glared up at them.
“Couch rules bro, no laying on it!” Woody joked as he sat down on one end.
“What he said.” Kyle added as he walked off to follow Birse and Death who left the room.
“You aren’t even sitting!” Sly exclaimed while gesturing at the couch, he groaned in annoyance as Kyle walked over to the door while grinning back at him. “Seriously!?” He had looked back at the couch to see Woody, Cherry, Soren, Ch and Skill taking over the whole thing.
Kyle snorted in amusement and left the living room, he walked through the open door that took to the main hall acting as the ‘boss fight room’. The entire dungeon had received a complete overhaul, the hall itself that use to be a large forest was now a long throne room.
Pitch black pavement, dark-red stone brick walls and black stone roof. The throne room was a menacing sight, dark-red pillars of stone lined the black and gold trimmed carpet that took from the entrance to the left all the way to the throne to their right.
The throne itself…was the exact same one the Dwarven King Jekyll use to sit on.
Kyle glanced around the vast hall looking for the both of them.
“He is sulking in the back” Lilior replied to Birse’s earlier question.
“Bring him in please.” Death asked the dungeon as he waved at Kyle from the throne to catch his attention, Birse had already sat down on said throne and was leisurely leaning into it.
As Kyle walked over to them the ground ahead of him shifted as a black mass of shadows and dark-green smoke burst upwards before dissipating. “Finally decided to end my misery?” Dagon asked as he appeared out of the smoke.
“Hey we offered to let you watch some more anime, you’re the one that found the dimmest, smallest room in the dungeon and sat there patting a slime.” Kyle retorted as he stood by the frustrated Devil.
“We have treated you with better respect than your kind has shown us thus far, would it kill you to show it too?” Death asked with a grimace.
Dagon snorted “Abaddon’s destruction apart, which wasn’t your fault in the end. You insulted our mistress, dishonoured my brother’s attack with trickery and did the same with me. So I ask, why should I even speak to you? Of course, that doesn’t mean I cannot do so…with this dungeon owning my soul and all!” he exclaimed with frustration clear in his tone.
Birse sighed and leaned forward on his throne “Understand this prince Dagon, we are mercenaries, a contracted force. The defence of Frosthold was contracted to us by the town guard, the destruction of your sister and her dungeon was contracted to us by the city currently above us. As for you? We were simply defending ourselves.”
A low growl left Dagon as he considered Birse’s words “That doesn’t change our current predicament, you are all summoned, two of you are chosen and all of you have already picked a side. You think your little mess over at the roach’s capital went unnoticed by us?”
“How much do you know about what happened at Eslet?” Kyle asked with a lax expression, with the powerful being in front of him being bodiless except for the mana crafted body given to him by Lilior, Kyle knew Dagon was currently powerless.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“So this is an interrogation now?” Dagon queried as his expression turned suspicious “Fine I’ll humour you, our spies are concentrated deep within the Esfeltian alliance and we plan to use it as a base for our plans. This country is nothing more than a stepping stone for our mistress, once it is gone then we can better spread our numbers across the other continents.”
The Devil smirked “The last recon I received about that specific situation, very well crafted by the way, is that the golden city was falling. An illusion I’m sure, still a fine choice for fearmongering humans and beasts.”
“So conquering this country is nothing more than a side objective for you? Why haven’t you done so already then?” Birse asked trying to lure out more information.
Dagon shook his head “That is as far as I will say.”
Kyle snorted “Lilior can make you speak whether you like it or not, Devil prince.”
“That feeble discarded child can try.” Dagon retorted and met Kyle’s glare.
Kyle’s eyes narrowed “You know who she is?”
The Devil smirked “But of course I do, a different race we may be but us dark beings can very easily tell each other apart. It’s a shame that you didn’t allow it to be reborn, trapping the poor creature inside that crystal core instead…“ he sighed dramatically.
“What…do you mean?” Kyle pressed on for more as he grew confused.
Dagon shrugged and said nothing more.
“Oi Kyll, just make him talk dammit! He’s really pissing me off now.” Death exclaimed.
“No, don’t.” said Birse, he studied the Devil’s condescending grin as it faltered into a cold expressionless façade. “We aren’t here to make enemies of you prince Dagon, we have simply been trying to understand how we shall…approach you with our offer.” Birse explained.
“Offer?” Dagon raised a brow not comprehending what they were saying.
Birse stood up “I’ll be blunt then. We have no interested in protecting the Esfeltian Alliance, the shenanigans at Eslet were another contract we completed with the royal family which still awaits payment. Prince Dagon of the Dezol Legions, as leader I officially forward you the services of the Blood Pack Mercenaries.”
Dagon’s eyes widened “You…aren’t associated with the Esfeltian alliance or two churches?” he sounded actually surprised.
“We do not associate with anyone other than temporary employers and clients, during the length of those contracts it doesn’t matter to us what we have to do, we simply do it. Our own preservation always comes first of course but we have never once failed to close a contract.” Birse explained in length.
The Devil considered this with a complicated expression “Father might…accept that…Then comes the issue of my well being, your Devilling lies within MY body.”
“As long as I get to have a body you can have the stinking thing back” Said Sly as he walked out from between the pillars ”Oh and at least a full human life cycle.”
Dagon briefly glanced at him before turning away with a grimace “It’s not that simple, his aura morphed the body weakening it. He’s ruined that shell, at most it has sixty years remaining.”
“So what now?” Sly asked.
“Father can craft me a new body, you on the other hand will have to remain with that one.” Dagon replied with a shrug “The problem is explaining this situation to Father, I’m not going to be the one to tell him that I got tricked and plucked out of my body. I’d rather you release me into oblivion than deal with that dishonour. “
Death walked to stand in front of Dagon “That is what I do not seem to understand here, why were you dishonoured? You think so lowly of us simply because you’re ancient and more powerful. You came at us with the intention of fighting us all at once, we replied in kind.” He stated with annoyance.
“If anything that proves you underestimated us.” Added Kyle.
“So I’ll be basically vouching for your strength far more than you actually hold? Fair enough.” Dagon sighed.
“Oi…” Sly cracked his knuckles in annoyance.
Birse gestured for them to quiet down then turned back to face Dagon “Then you shall take us to him?”
“I would, but then comes around another question.“ Dagon gestured around them ”How? I’m bound to the dungeon, if the dungeon releases those bindings I’ll drift away.”
“I can fix that problem” Kyle interjected “I can transfer your soul from Lilior’s core into the new body. I’ve also thought up a way of how we’ll get you there too.“
Dagon smirked “Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out then?” he forwarded his hand to Birse “As second prince of the first Dezol legion Acrophis, I Dagon Venus w-”
“Awwshwiitt” Sly suddenly exclaimed as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, he fell backwards and to the floor.
Dagon, Birse, Death and Kyle briefly stared at his unconscious body with bafflement.
Kyle moved to check on him “The fuck ju-Oh” he also passed out.
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Kyle opened his eyes to find himself standing, briefly he lost balance and fell back on his ass “Shit…” he unconsciously continued his swear.
All around him lay a vast field of lush green grass for as far as the eye could see.
“Yo” Greeted Sly who stood to Kyle’s right grimacing up at something behind them.
“What…” Kyle turned around to see what Sly was looking at, slowly he stood up as he gaze upon the giant woman.
Tanned white skin with long locks of black hair, green gentle eyes and a full smile. The woman lay sitting in front of them with legs crossed as if meditating. She wore a red silk sari that wrapped all around her curvy body, golden bracelets lined her lower arms, two large silver earrings per ear and a golden amulet with a single green gem in the middle lay across her forehead.
Sly sighed “Kyll, meet Devi the supreme Goddess. Or is it Durga the Goddess of creation?...Hell I don’t know..” he massaged his forehead in annoyance.
The Goddess snorted “Insolent fool, you should treat your chooser with respect.” She waved her hand at the ground to her left and a spike of dark ice protruded out of the ground “See what I have to deal with Ymir?”
Ymir’s throne room was displayed on the spike’s lower surface with the winter God himself sitting casually on his throne “Oh don’t mind me Durga, I’m just an observer here.” He grinned mischievously.
“Oh do not insinuate that you have nothing to do with this!” her form suddenly shifted as did the scenery, the grass dried up and was replaced with a war-torn field of armoured corpses, the sky grew dark as a mist fell upon them.
Sly sighed again “Now meet Kali…the Goddess of destruction” he whispered to Kyle.
The Goddess’s skin had turned a dark shade of blue, her jewellery and clothing morphed into golden plate armour along with her arms breaking into another pair above the first. Her eyes glowed a fierce green as she glared down at them “This is all your chosen’s fault!” she growled angrily at Ymir.
“I’m inclined to disagree Du-Kali” he stuttered to correct himself “My chosen is free to do as he wishes to, you’re the one that failed at showing yours the way. Or maybe even…failed at choosing the correct one.”
“Okay what the hell is going on now?!” Exclaimed Sly with arms open wide, he didn’t seem as fazed as Kyle by the change of scenery.
Kali took a deep breath to calm herself causing the scenery and her form to change back, she then looked back down at them “I warned you of what would happen if Liliana succeeds in the grand quest, the many centuries of peace Chaoz has lived through will be brought down as the legions of demons march over the still pure lands!”
Sly leaned in to whisper to Kyle “She’s also an anti-demon fanatic”
Kyle was starting to get the picture “But you’re a Devilling?”
He shrugged “She said I can ‘Purify’ myself and become a Nephilim, whatever the fuck ‘Purify’ means.”
“When did this conversation happen?” asked Kyle.
“Meh…while you guys were wreaking havoc at Eslet…” Sly replied.
The scenery of death and havoc returned around them making them both look up at Kali “Right…we should probably not ignore the astral being in the room-er-field…” noted Kyle.
The Goddess gave out an exasperated sigh “Thank you, finally back to the issue at hand. You, fox, because of you my chosen has taken a dark path. You must correct this or face the consequences.”
Sly snorted “Sure ‘Mom’, picking the side you dislike is a ‘dark’ path!” he joked with a condescending tone “The fuck do you know? You haven’t told me shit about why the demons and devils are so ‘bad’ aside their nature of changing positive mana into abysmal wherever they stand.”
Durga grimaced causing Kali’s form to briefly phase in “Language…I explained to you already, creatures of the abyss do not belong on Chaoz! Vile corrupted cretins dirtying our lands! Tell them Ymir!”
The winter God simply shrugged “I only want change, matters not what kind.”
Durga waved her hand over the ice spike.
Ymir moved to stand “Don’t you hang up o-” the spike disappeared into the dirt.
The Goddess stared down at the two heroes “War is inevitable but the Elves stand divided by their own egos, the Orcs uninterested in crossing the sea and the Ogres too wary of their Orcish neighbours. The Esfeltian Alliance must survive, the coalition of races must be victorious over the coming swarm. War is inevitable yet we can shorten it’s lasting, you can stop it from spreading too far.”
She gestured at Kyle “Would you abandon innocents to the demonic hordes of the abyss?” then at Sly “Would you let billions die in vain?”
Sly opened his mouth to speak but nothing came with, he lowered his gaze and considered her questions.
Kyle chuckled “Don’t lay that crap on our shoulders, if we’re throwing around blame then the fuck aren’t you ‘Deities’ guilty of? So powerful yet so damn powerless, how does it feel to have daddy lock up your toys inside a reinforced glass box? Because that’s all we are to you isn’t it? Fucking puppets.”
Sly looked aside at Kyle “Yo Kyll don’t…”
Kyle stepped forward and glared up at the Goddess “Who is Liliana? What do we know of this half-blood Goddess? What do we know of what she’s had to go through? We’ve heard whispers and tales, none giving any of you a good impression.”
Devi was continuously shifting between her form of Durga and Kali as she clenched her hands into fists and glared death down at Kyle “How Oberon has treated his illegitimate daughter is none of our concern.” Her tone sounded like acid hissing.
Kyle snorted “Well that’s the problem now isn’t it? You just watched, you did nothing, didn’t even try to intervene? Now here we fucking are.” He gestured with arms wide, a wicked smirk plastered on his face. “Doing nothing makes you just as guilty as Titania and Oberon, who am I to stop her from lashing back out?”
“Heresy! You’d defend that half-devil!?” Kali took form in full force, her green eyes ablaze as she leaned forwards and smashed her four hands around them.
Sly glared up at the pissed off Goddess “Heresy? Half-Devil? Do you not hear yourself talk? After all that crap about ‘Purification’? About ‘Redeeming’ by bloodline? Fucking hypocrite you lied, didn’t you?”
It was Kali’s turn to open her mouth wordlessly.
“Oops” Kyle chuckled “Cat’s out of the bag, you only wanted to use Sly, a Devilling, to destroy his own kind.”
The ground beneath Kali’s clenching hands shattered as corpses were squashed and flattened, she glared down at Kyle “You can purify yourself, destroy your vile race along with your own existence and everything will be well child. Or do you wish to remain what you are? A being who’s only point of existence is war and corruption?”
“Fuck you, fuck your beliefs and fuck your ‘purity’ ” retorted Sly, his eyes had thinned out into slits “I don’t fucking care about what you think, I don’t fucking care what you want me to be. I am who I fucking am.”
“We aren’t the heroes this world needs, we are the villains this world deserves.” Kyle added with a smirk.
Sly looked at him in disbelief “Seriously? You’re doing that now? Like, right now?”
Kyle shrugged in response.
“Fuck it, go for it. I’m done with this bitch.” Sly raised his hands up and smiled as he took a couple steps back.
Kali was fuming, actual black smoke was being emitted as she was visibly smouldering out from between her lips, skin and eyes. “You would…abandon this world to destruction? Cruelly allow billions to die?”
Kyle chuckled “You deaf too? Don’t blame the cause of war on us, we’re just picking a side. You see the deaths of billions from one side insignificant compared to the other, what do demons and Devils have less than other races? Just because their use of mana is different? Their upbringing? Their history? Where they come from?”
“Enough! It is obvious now to me that there shall be no reasoning with either of you!” Kali exclaimed.
“Oh and what are you going to do? Glare at us all day? You cannot affect us.” Kyle smirked in amusement “All you can do as we bring this world down to it’s knees, is watch. So watch as we bring a new meaning to helplessness!” He began to chuckle wickedly.
Sly leaned away “This is why Birse does the talking…” he mumbled to himself.
Kali rose up to her full height, several dozen storeys higher than them. She looked down at Sly “As Kali I chose you to be the betrayer, to betray your kind and purge yourself.”
Her form changed revealing Durga “As Durga I chose another, to be the saviour. The betrayer has lived true to the prophecy, fallen to evil and betrayed their own. That betrayer is you.” She pointed down at Sly. Durga raised her foot up above them “Be gone from my presence, I have better beings to speak with!” she stepped down on them.
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Kyle opened his eyes to find the whole guild standing around him and Sly, they were both moved to the living room and onto a couch each.
"They're up!" Exclaimed Skill as he loomed over Kyle and slapped his face a couple times.
"The hell happened back there?" Asked Birse as he walked over.
Kyle glanced at all of them with a misciouvious grin "I think we should move..."
"Move?" Steph repeated in confusion.
Sly groaned and rubbed his forehead as he spoke "Yeap hit my head again...Oh and he probably means we should run the fuck away cause a very pissed off racist goddess with a multiple personality disorder is sending her hounds after us..."
"Which Goddess?..."Asked Dagon with a raised brow.
"Durga? Kali? I don't fucking know anymore..." replied Sly with a chuckle.
"Devi...We need to leave, right now." Dagon declared solemly.
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Eslet, Noble’s district
Church of Light and Day Monastery.
Talia opened her eyes from meditation, she sat cross legged inside her designated room. Wooden plank walls, smooth stone pavement and a wooden ceiling with carved paintings of several godly figures.
She sighed and stood up from her bed “Well she was pissed” Talia mused as she walked over to the sole window in the room. She looked outside were an open field of magically cared grass was being used as a training field, several men and woman of differentiating races were training in martial arts.
“So my colleagues have gone over to the dark side huh…’Purge their insolence’ she said…The hell did they do?” She sighed once more and stepped to the centre of her room to stretch. After she was done with her morning exercise she walked over to the wooden door sliding it open “Well time to hunt down a guild of villains and what not.” She stepped out of the room.