[Alisha’s PoV]
Opening my eyes, I see Gerald sprawled on the ground face up, bleeding out with his stomach torn open, and a figure cloaked in darkness on all fours over him, blood sprayed everywhere around the corpse, dripping from the figure's jaw. I hear the sounds of chewing and growling. The figure once again bites down on Gerald’s flesh, ripping a part of his arm out this time, chewing.
I slowly walk over, I see the figure is humanoid, with black hair. Just as I approach just beside the corpse, the figure suddenly looks up, and reflected back to me is my face, dripping blood.
“Give in…”
Jerking awake in a cold sweat, I vividly recall that dream. Why did that figure have my face? Why was I eating a human, was it due to the hunger I was feeling? Hearing the sound of creaking I quickly face the direction of the sound in fear, and see a flash of light that blinds my eyes after so long in complete darkness. I don’t know how long I’ve been in here, my wounds have mostly healed, thanks to my monster blood. Squinting, I can make out Gerald standing there, and for a moment I recall the dream and I feel a gleeful hunger for a second, which leaves faster than it came. Without a word, he reaches in, grabs my hair and once again drags me along the floor. Having not eaten for the entire time I’ve been here and both mentally and physically fatigued thanks to a lack of sleep, I lack the strength to even think of resisting and let myself be dragged.
As we exited the building, the sunlight blinded me, causing pain, it was much brighter than the torch. Seeing the sun rising high in the sky, I knew daylight had just started, meaning I was brought out because they were heading back into Hounds Hell. Exhausted as I was, the chance of my death was coming was very high and knowing there was nothing I could do to resist, I resigned myself to my fate. At the moment of my death I will stab my own heart, so that Gerald gains nothing from me. Arriving at the carts, I see three hybrids already set to pull the cart holding the humans, meaning that last spot…
“Get to pulling Number 32, slow down once and I’ll kill you myself.”
Looking smug, Gerald gets on the cart. I can see the equipment cart being pulled by Sally and Randal, Number 41, and by looking at the rest of my brethren, I can see the humans got themselves another batch to replace the dead from last time. Almost everyone avoids looking directly at me, some like Sally just glance at me. Feeling a chill down my back, I turn to see Thomas staring at me oddly before turning away. Too tired to question it, I move to grab the handle of the cart alongside the other three, and start moving with them. As soon as we start pulling, I feel my body screaming in protest, some of the wounds that haven’t completely healed slowly reopen as I push my body as much as possible. We once again pull the cart, following the same path to Hounds Hell.
After over an hour, we arrived in front of the dungeon. Slowly dropping the handle, I collapse to my knees attempting to stay awake. Barely holding on, I hear footsteps coming towards me. Looking up, I see Sally standing over me, and without a word hands me a slice of bread and a canteen of water.
“Are you sure? It’s your ration isn’t it?”
Nodding her head once, Sally turns around and walks back to the equipment cart and equips her sack and sword. Thinking for a moment, I prompt my system for Sally’s information.
[Level 8 Monster, Sally]
With an idea of why she was willing to give me her ration, I sigh, sit up and unwillingly eat and drink my share. We have a few minutes while the humans organize themselves to rest, a rare moment that we all try and take advantage of before heading in, but not enough of a moment to get any sleep, something I badly require. Finishing the bread and having some of the water, I get up and move towards the equipment cart. Grabbing my sack and sword, I lightly stretch my arms and legs, getting ready to head in.
“Why did it go and mutate?!”
Hearing this angry voice from the group of humans, I turned to look over, wondering what they were talking about. Seeing them staring at the dungeon doors with a mix of anger, fear and annoyance, I turn my attention to the doors and seeing the prompt in my system I do a double take, wondering what happened.
[Level 6 Dimensional Dungeon -> Mutated Level 16 Dimensional Dungeon, Cerberus’s Domain]
‘The dungeon leveled up?’ Thinking to myself, I try to understand what has happened. The previous inscription has been replaced by a new one, a massive three headed dog standing tall before an archway, with flames and more hounds before it. It looks beautiful in a violent sort of way. Looking once again at the level of the dungeon, I knew if we were to step in, we would be slaughtered, most monsters inside would be at or above level 13, something we can not scratch. Well, we would be killed in a single attack anyway, so it doesn’t matter. I wonder though, what will the humans do, their highest level is 15. We exist so they don’t get injured or killed killing monsters at level 4, not to mention level 13 and higher. Turning and walking towards Sally to thank her, I keep myself in deep thought.
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[Elizabeth’s PoV]
“Well, this is a problem, the hybrids would be slaughtered before they can so much as distract a monster. A sneeze would kill them.”
Hearing Gerald mutter this, I also ponder what to do. Mutations don’t happen often, in fact this is the first one in a few months. Generally they wouldn’t mutate above double the original level, but this one has shot up ten levels. We could usually manage if it was level 12 or lower with the sacrifice of some of the higher level hybrids, but I would rather we avoid needlessly sacrificing them. I know why we use them, but I hate the thought of lives being thrown away, sadly there is nothing that can be done to change it since hybrids help our city survive. In return, I try my best to look after my batch of hybrids, but showing care for them may lead to execution. Sighing, I look at the large crowd of hybrids who have been silent this entire time, but are showing signs of being confused.
“We can’t risk going inside, we don’t know what level the monsters are, nor do we know if it will lock us inside. I’m not willing to throw my life away into the unknown. We’d need it cleared for Hounds Hell to return.”
Muttering, Ryan shrugs his shoulders. The only solution here was packing back up and leaving. We have less than an hour of daylight left however, and while we can make it back on foot within twenty minutes due to our speed, we would need to leave the hybrids behind. Taking even one of them will kill them while we run back, but leaving them behind means their death anyway. Sighing, I open my status like it has a solution.
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Elizabeth
Human
Level 17
Health: 900
Mana: 100 (Locked)
Experience: 21,550/23,000
Class: None
Class Level: Not Available
Experience: Ineligible
Skills: None
Magic: None
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Stats:
Strength: D+ Agility: F
Intelligence: D- Toughness: F
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One more level and I can join the upper levels of Crater, somewhere I could make changes, maybe make the lives of the hybrids a little easier before their inevitable deaths. Hearing my comrades converse around me, I consider the only solution we have, returning and requesting an Emergency Elite Squad to clear this dungeon. The squad consists of ten humans and three hybrids, all level 20, and their intended use is for situations exactly like this. The hybrids in this squad are kept a secret to most as it could cause fear, a byproduct of an experiment from many years ago to “reprogram” hybrids by brainwashing them to only ever listen to the orders of a select few. When not in use, they sit there like empty puppets, staring straight ahead.
I came about this knowledge due to my father being a part of the original research team that directed the experiment. The experiment was scrapped and most subjects killed as they found hybrids were stronger than humans of the same level, not by much but enough to ensure that we do not risk more than the three that were successful. The real risk was a hybrid of a high level unleashing their Monster Form Release skill, something that was rare and considered difficult for a hybrid to obtain. Useful if they were low level as they rampaged on instinct in that form, serving as a great distraction and later as good experience, but if it was a high level hybrid…
“We need to decide what to do with the hybrids, we don’t have much time left in the day.”
As I said this, my companions started thinking of what to do. The only safe option was returning ourselves. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Gerald look up with a sinister smile on his face, and in my stomach I have a bad feeling about what he was about to propose.
[Alisha’s PoV]
Leaning against the tree I sat by, I managed to get some rest while waiting for the humans to take us inside. It’s been about ten minutes since we’ve arrived, and we have just over fifty minutes left of daylight. Next to me Sally is resting her hand on her chin, staring straight forward. I had come over here where she herself was resting. After expressing my thanks to her, I sat down, intending to talk to her, instead I just rested, too tired to think of what to talk about.
After a few minutes more, there was loud laughter coming from the humans, with a few of them patting Gerald on the back. Wondering what could’ve invoked such a response to what I can only imagine a difficult situation for them, I keep my attention on the group. A minute later, Gerald walks forward with the rest of the humans behind him. Getting up with Sally besides me, we walk towards the rest of our brethren.
“Listen up, trash. It has been decided that we will be heading back to Crater, we will not be exploring this dungeon today. Fret not, for we also understand your plight! There is not much daylight left, not enough for you all to make it back. Thus it has been decided that we will loan you a cart, but due to its size, we can not take all of you back.”
The bad feeling within me grew, from the sounds of what he was saying some of us would be abandoned here while others may survive. However, surely if we were to abandon the carts, our chances of returning were higher. Unless the humans were to pull the cart themselves. As if answering my thoughts, Gerald spoke once more.
“We simply can not afford to abandon these carts here, each one is precious to us after all, very hard to make and expensive too! We will take the equipment cart with us, and you livestock can take the other one. But there is too many of you to fit on the cart, which is a problem that requires a solution!”
Confused, I tilt my head. I can see one of the handlers looking terrified at what was being said, while the rest seemed to be excited. The next thing that Gerald said reminded me of the reality we lived in, we were nothing but filth to them.
“You have five minutes to kill one of your fellow hybrids. We will kill those that refuse to fight within a minute. Now hurry on, we don’t have much time left haha!”