Chapter 20 -Dungeon’s Event-
Alter Violet
After hearing what the waitress said in the cafe, Pearl and I decided to investigate this dungeon that the founder, Kyle Goodman, had entered. Many speculations had been roaming around like a crystal that could grant you immortality, strange power, and authority, but one caught my attention more than those.
Resurrection of the dead.
Knowing whether it was true or not it brought my searching somewhere, a place that was no longer square one.
Olivia, the waitress, had told us that the event was held every few years and surprisingly those few years were held tomorrow.
That’s the reason why I had called Chuzeoth and Eugene back to the Inn to get their opinion, the talk was held for hours until sunrise was already happening.
Pearl was yawning through the night, she ended up sleeping next to me on the couch. Eugene and Chuzeoth were across from us, seriously was the expression that they had for the whole talk.
I told them what I had heard from the waitress with extreme detail, since not being able to hear it themselves, questions would be asked here and there.
As the hot ray of light hit my face making me realize that today was the day that the event was being held.
“Alright then, let's come up with a plan.” The exhaustion had gone in my voice that even Pearl noticed it when she started to wake up. Stretching both of her arms allowing Eugene and Chuzeoth to see her bracelet, making them curious.
“Sister, where did you get that bracelet?” Eugene asked, holding his chin with his hand. The old dragon asked something too, “Princess that bracelet is not normal is it?”
I raised a brow, can Chuzeoth too see mana? I thought to myself. Then I started asking myself if it’s possible that I have gotten it from Onyx. I probably should ask him myself when I get the chance to see him.
At the entrance of the dungeon were all dragon mercenaries of all shapes and sizes, some had horns and some didn’t. The atmosphere was that of my old world where people would get excited over some famous singer.
“Are y'all ready for this event!” said out loud a woman behind the enormous amount of dragons equipped with weapons and armor.
“““YEAH!””” repeated the mercenaries, yelling at the top of their lungs that my ears felt ringy every time there was a moment of silence.
I looked back to Pearl and the rest, to my surprise Eugene and Chuzeoth were the ones looking annoyed while Pearl didn’t seem bothered by it. In fact it appeared that she was having a great time being around a wide amount of people.
Then the announcer started talking again, “The rules are simple. You and your team go in, map the dungeon and loot artifacts. But of course things are not that simple are they? Monsters from different dimensions will be inside, ready to kill anyone who stands in their way.” She announced with an eager voice. “But this is where things come to play. First one to go in and out the dungeon and have defeated the boss. Will be granted the crystal of reanimation.”
The shard crystal came into view, all the yelling that was going on for two minutes had suddenly stopped. All the people here had their eyes locked on the shard. The shining green crystal shard.
That single object had reminded me of what my goal was, of what to do, of what was necessary to do for it.
My mind flooded with many possibilities of getting the shard here and now. I imagined how I used abeyance to cut the woman’s hand to take the crystal and then leave. I didn’t care about how she or the others felt, I only cared for what I wanted, for what I needed.
These thoughts were then cut fast but a sudden touch, a gentle touch of an arm. When I looked back to where the touch had happened. It was Pearl.
Pearl had noticed my face and probably guessed what I was thinking. As she and I locked eyes she moved her head left to right, telling me that it was a bad idea for me to do.
Her blue eyes showed an emotion I haven’t seen her express for a long time, she was worried.
I reassured her that I won’t be doing what I had thought by giving her a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. Pearls’ hand had ungripped my cloak, but I could tell she was still worried.
Dismissing the thought of it, I decided to pay attention to what the women had still to say.
“Now shall we start the party!” She said as if it was a battle cry, then the dragons soon followed too. Yells and magic were being used up in the sky.
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It reminded me of the fireworks people in my old world would have.
Concentrate Alter, you are not in that world anymore. You now have a goal, a burden, and responsibilities of this world. People who you hold dear to. People who care about you. If I want to have a peaceful life, I need to finish whatever he started once in for all, I told myself.
The woman announcer then said, “The event you have all been waiting for starts in three, two, one.” Breaking my thoughts, the hordes of dragons then rushed into the dungeon.
Soon after we followed, I searched for a weapon in my dimension bracelet that I had gotten from Pearl. I ordered the rest to do the same for when a monster would arrive unexpectedly.
A dark black sword appeared in my hand. Catching me off guard a single, yet huge monster had approached me. Something I haven’t seen before, I couldn’t tell if it was strong or not. But this was the chance to test this sword out.
As the giant creature ran full force towards me, Chuzeoth, Eugene, and Pearl warned me about the monster. Thinking that I hadn’t seen it or heard it, but they were wrong.
Few steps away from me, the monster from a different dimension was easily cut by the black sword. A single swing was able to cut through what seemed tough enough for a normal blade.
Unexpectedly, different emotions began to emerge in me. I began to feel the emotions that surfaced in the atmosphere, turning to my team I noticed their emotions. Concerned.
I question whether or not this power was from my ring phase. The feeling that I once felt before was embedded into me, the feeling of power flowing through my veins.
I sensed another emotion, not from the people I was staring at but from behind me. Turning my body to the source of the emotion I had been feeling, it was the unknown monster’s reaction to the pain I had inflicted upon him.
“So even monsters have feelings too?” I muttered as I walked into its direction, ready to slice another limb if possible, trying to know what other emotions were deep inside it.
‘Calm yourself down Alter. Don’t let him take over you, not yet at least.’ Said an awfully familiar voice but I couldn’t tell who.
Blinking twice, I realized what I had done, the process had linked to my brain. My eyes widened to the point where I saw the monsters’ expression, I bit my lip in guilt of the scene in front of my eyes.
“I’m sorry for what I have done to you. The most I could do is apologize to you with a quick death.” Gripping the black sword with my dominant hand, quickly swinging towards its neck and watching how it’s head hit the ground in slow motion.
I turned to my right only to see many more of the creatures that I had just finished off, without any emotion in my voice I told Pearl and the rest to help me out.
Cutting and slashing through the horde of creatures, showing no signs or symptoms of emotion towards them.
As I kept killing, the dark colored sword would begin to reveal symbols, ancient texts that I didn’t understand even with the knowledge that Onyx had.
***
It had been twenty minutes since the last attack of the monsters. At this point we knew that the dungeon was bigger than we had expected it to be, so we kept on walking trying to find the boss and get the shard.
I felt a feeling of pressure, of rush, enter my mind as I tried to find the boss room.
A hand had rested on my shoulder, making me jolt and jump forward, getting into an offensive position. I had my brows down but I quickly came into reality, noticing what I had done.
Lowering the dark sword I looked at Eugene, the only one who had his arm up. The expression on him was solicitous.
“I-I’m, sorry I just think we should find the boss room before anyone else.” I admitted, gripping the sword in my hand before making eye contact with everyone else. I let out a sigh, “Look I just want to get the shard before anyone else. I want to finish all this before something I can’t stop happens, before I bring you guys into danger.” I said as I watched my feet.
Footsteps began to be heard, turning my head up. I watched silently as the three people who I left Erza with were coming to me. Their faces showed relief, “We understand Alter, after all we three had already talked before you picked us at the dinner meeting that we would need to take our time and support each other during this trip and in future others.” Said the white haired girl next to me.
Chuzeoth was next to say, “Young master, there was a reason why I didn’t reject your choice.” The old dragon laid his on my left shoulder, “It was because I couldn’t see young master Onyx grow or protect him when he left Ezar. I won’t make the same mistake with you young master Alter.”
The generals’ words had put a smile on my face, almost like how a parent or guardian would tell a kid that they were going to an amusement park.
The next person to talk and mostly unexpected was Eugene. I could tell that even he did not have a motion for words. Opening his mouth but no words came out until a couple of seconds later.
Eugene took a couple of deep breaths to gain strength in his words, when his black eyes opened, a strong feeling of confidence was being thrown into the atmosphere.
I was amazed by his confidence. It was that to a soldier when war was on his doorstep, ready to go into a hellish zone without a second thought.
It quite reminded me of my old comrades of this world and my old one.
“A-Alter, you might or might not know but I’m not great with words or feelings. But I agree with Chuzeoth and Pearl, even though Onyx wasn’t the one to put people he cared for in danger no matter how much he suffered or how much burden it was thrown to him.” His eyes seemed unfocused even though they were looking at me, almost like he was looking at someone past me, through me. “I wasn’t there for him when he most needed it, but he had you when he was going through whatever he was going through. The feeling of guilt would haunt me when he left Ezar, and it still does… That is why I made the decision of coming here with you, to thank you for what you have done for him. And to spend time with someone who I considered family, a brother.”