Chapter 41 – Floor 5: Part 2

It was nighttime when Mathew exited the elevator. The sky was cloudy, and a light drizzle of rain made him zip up his jacket against the cold.

There was a large structure in the distance, lit with searchlights until it practically glowed. The clouds above reflected the light back down onto it, ensuring that Mathew could not mistake it for what it was.

It was a military outpost, and there was even a chain-link fence with guard towers surrounding the entire thing. A road ran past him to his right, snaking its way through the field and hills until it reached a gate. Mathew could see a few men in military uniforms holding rifles at the entrance.

“That must be the Pit.” Mathew muttered.

He had expected to see a wide open hole in the ground, with the army stationed around it. But it seemed that they had built a structure on top of it, literally sealing it off from the outside world. It was unfortunate that their efforts had been in vain. The things within had already escaped.

Mathew was about to step forward when he heard another ‘ding’ followed by the sudden appearance of three other elevators. A trio of other Champions exited, and Mathew stopped moving in order to wait for them to approach.

The ‘Buzz’ didn’t alert him to a threat, so Mathew assumed they were on the same level as himself.

The leader was a tall and muscular man, wearing a t-shirt and jeans. He held a large hammer in two of his hands. His face was scarred, with a particularly large one on his cheek that pulled his lips up into a grin.

“Oscar, Forger.” The lead man said as soon as he stopped in front of Mathew.

“Mathew, Trickster.”

“Alivia, Drafter.” The next Champion greeted them as she joined them. She was wearing a long, black coat over a pair of grey pants and a white shirt. She was holding a deck of cards in her hand, idly shuffling them as she waited.

Mathew had seen someone else wielding a deck of cards on one of the other floors, but he had no idea what it did. He guessed he would find out shortly. If they were to work together, they would need to trust in each other’s abilities.

The last Champion wore a sweater with a hood over a pair of blue jeans. Mathew estimated he was a teenager, and the young man kept his distance from the others.

“Ken. Burglar.” The young man stated and didn’t offer anything more.

“So, we’re to cleanse the Pit? I fought one of those ‘Greater Mimics’ on the last floor, nasty bastard.” Oscar spoke loudly, his voice boomed in the dark. Mathew looked at the forger in surprise.

“You did? We’re you in Arlen as well?” Mathew asked, and Oscar shook his head.

“Maple, Tennessee. There was a string of disappearances. Turns out it was a bunch of random items eating people. Same for you?” Oscar replied, and everyone in the group nodded.

“Different towns across America, but similar situations. How many of these things escaped the Pit?” Mathew muttered.

“We’re wasting time.” Alivia added, looking at the structure in the distance. It would probably be a half an hour's walk, and the darkness was already beginning to have a tinge of sunlight on the horizon. It would likely be dawn by the time they arrived.

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They began to talk about their abilities as they walked.

“I’m a Forger. Started as a Smithy, then moved onto Artisan.” Oscar explained.

“So you can make things?” Mathew asked, and Oscar nodded.

“Basically. Pure body stats the whole way so that I can hit like a truck. Plus, I have a few creations that can help out in a tight spot.” Oscar finished, and it was Mathew’s turn.

“Charlatan, into Coward then Trickster. I can create a fire.” Mathew snapped his finger, creating a bonfire in the distance before smothering it.

“I can also do this.” Mathew finished, pointing at a small rock on the ground. With a silent command and a push of mana, the rock shot forward as if someone had picked it up and thrown it as hard as they could. It sailed through the air from hitting the ground, sending a puff of dust skyward.

“Cute.” Alivia responded.

“What can you do?” Mathew retorted, irked that she was making fun of him. Alivia stared at him for a moment before responding.

“I can purchase ‘cards’ from the shop for Aether. Spells, summons, even items.” Alivia explained.

“That sounds overpowered. What’s the downside?” Oscar asked. Like Mathew, he had seen players holding cards on some of the other floors but hadn’t seen it in action.

“What I get is random, and I can only use one card at a time. And they're expensive, so I won’t be wasting them.” Alivia responded. It was like the admission was costing her something. Mathew had a feeling she was stingy with her Aether and would only be helping them if she had no other choice.

“And you?” Oscar coaxed the youngest member of their group into answering. Ken seemed reluctant to speak, shrugging his shoulders awkwardly at suddenly being the center of attention.

“I’m good at finding anything that’s hidden or picking locks and disarming traps. That sort of thing.” Ken stated, and the others didn’t push for more information. It was like pulling teeth to get an answer from him.

The sun had crested the horizon, turning the sky a bleak grey as they neared the front gate of the military base that covered the Pit. The guards had spotted them a while ago and were waiting patiently for them to approach.

If the men had any concerns over how they were dressed or that they had suddenly appeared from the middle of nowhere, the guards didn’t voice them.

Once they were within shouting range, one of the soldiers held up his hand to halt them.

“Stop right there! This area is off-limits. You’re going to need to go back to wherever you came from.” The guard said, and Oscar snorted at the statement.

“Look, we’re here on behalf of the gods to seal the Pit. You got a problem with that? Take it up with them.” Oscar replied, not slowing his steps. The guard raised his rifle, pointing it at the large, hammer-wielding man.

“I said stop! This area is on lockdown, and no one gets in.” The guard repeated, and his two fellows followed suit. Mathew was about to speak, to ask to speak to their commander when Ken interrupted him.

“They're not human.” Ken said in a loud whisper that his companions could hear, but the guards couldn’t. Mathew turned to the Burglar, wondering how he knew that. The young man only shrugged.

“I can tell.”

“Good enough for me.” Oscar said. Before the guards could respond, the Forger was leaping forward. His body stat was enough to propel him through the air. His hammer was raised before the lead guard could even track his movement.

With a crash, Oscar slammed the hammer down onto the guard's head. Expecting to see it splatter like a melon, Mathew was shocked when the weapon sank into the guard's head. The guard’s head deformed from the impact as if he were striking soft clay. The body began to writhe and morph, collapsing onto the ground and turning into a blob with eyes and teeth.

“Mimics!” Mathew shouted, pointing at a nearby rock the size of his fist. Using his ‘Catapult’ Blessing, the rock shot forward toward one of the other guards, where it struck its rifle. The weapon snapped out of its hands as the creature spun around from the force of the attack.

Oscar, having removed his hammer from the dead mimic, struck the unarmed creature as it was off balance, burying his hammer into its back. With another blow, he collapsed its head.

Turning to the last guard, Oscar was surprised to find that it had a knife sticking out of its forehead, while another had stabbed through its hand, preventing it from firing. It slowly fell, collapsing and writhing like its companions.

Ken had another knife ready in his hand, about to throw it, when he realized there was no need.

“Well, Burglar, aren’t you full of surprises?” Oscar commented, bending forward to pull the knives from the dead mimics and handing them back to the young man. Ken nodded in thanks.

Unsurprisingly, Alivia hadn’t done anything during the short fight. Holding onto her deck, she responded to the unspoken criticism.

“What? You had it handled.”