Deep in the city’s underbelly, an intricate network of tunnels carved a path into the unknown. The pungent sewage smell was present throughout the entire maze, and hideous critters hunted ravenously for anything to fill their bellies.

Among the many paths and dead ends, a specific wall hid a secret passage—a long and pitch-dark corridor leading to ancient catacombs, its existence unknown to even the higher-ups at headquarters. No kind of surveillance or scanning skill could go that far.

Inside these decrepit crypts, a room stood out, far from ordinary. It was shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from a few flickering candles. The smell of burnt wax filled the room, and shadows danced in the walls as if they were alive. At one end, an almost crumbled set of stairs gave way to a second floor, with a railing that barely held up, bordering the ledge.

But the first floor was the focus this time, as a group of seven people stood ceremoniously in a circle right in the center of the room. The air around them seethed with eeriness as they remained still, except for one of them who trembled erratically.

Their faces were obscured by their clothes, but also by red masks that were put in place as a second layer of privacy, each sporting a unique design tailored for its owners. Their identities were to remain hidden at all times, even from one another, with the exception of their ‘leader’ who personally recruited all of them.

image [https://i.imgur.com/KTsXRZ7.png]

One of the mysterious figures raised his hand, revealing a reddish, oval-shaped amulet, with engravings that depicted an open, ominous eye with two irises. The rest followed suit, showing their own trinkets as a sign of greeting—aside from the trembling one, that is.

The first to move hid his charm, as a raspy voice came out from beneath his mask, which had the motif of a falcon.

“My brothers and sisters, it’s good that all of you could make it today.” He exclaimed, his voice cutting through the weird atmosphere. “I’m sure some of you are aware by now, but for those who aren’t, we’re here today because of Greed’s actions.” His tone of voice turned displeased, and his hood shifted in the direction of the trembling figure.

The rest of the group followed suit, and the object of everyone’s stare convulsed in place, a ghoulish wail escaping his hood. “I only had. The Septem’s interests. In mind.” His voice lacked any hint of humanity.

Another voice joined the conversation, coming from a figure that wore a mask with the motif of a cat. “Alas, he did bear the Sin of Greed, and now remains an undead husk of his former self—a puppet unfit for his seat.” His voice was soft and slow, his words melodic as a poem. Hearing this, the trembling silhouette growled.

“I am. Still me. Please. Another chance.” His ragged lips forced a voice, taking great effort as his lungs weren’t even functioning.

Then, a feminine voice chimed in, from a voluptuous body that could not be hidden by her robes, sporting a mask with a bunny motif.

“Poor thing! That’s what you get when you hurry things up, instead of taking them slowly…” Her tone was like a seductive whisper, a voice that could make many men weak at the knees.

“But even if you are- well, were Greed, it was just too soon, dear.” She added, as she shook her head.

Most of the hooded figures nodded, and the one bearing the falcon motif spoke once again. “It’s as Lust says. We discussed this on many occasions. Our hour is yet to come; she needs more time to ripen.” He paused, then raised his hand and clenched his fist tight.

At the same time, the trembling figure wailed in agony, and collapsed to his knees.

“You went against what we all agreed upon and ended up dying in the process. I brought you back not out of pity, but for information. And you’ve outlived your usefulness.” His tone showed no empathy for the creature.

Then, another womanly voice could be heard, from behind a mask with the motif of a fox. “So you’ve got the info out of him already, right? Share it with us already, Wrath.” Her tone was commanding and bold, lacking any respect whatsoever for the one she called Wrath.

At these words, the man sighed, flickering his fingers. The trembling creature gasped, and stopped moving entirely.

“Yes. He tried to use Rosco of The Flaming Fists to get to her, but failed. We have a new variable to take into account—a wanderer, a truly strong one at that. He thwarted our late friend’s plans and saved the girl.” The man exclaimed as he gazed upon the floor, the former being known as Greed now unmoving.

The rest of the hooded figures started mumbling and whispering among themselves. The woman with the fox mask was the one to interject once again.

“Bah! Who cares about some weirdo from another world. We will bring forth the fated night, no matter who gets in my way.” Her boldness made a few of the others nod in agreement, as a new voice joined in, coming from a mask with the motif of a boar.

“Our way, you mean?” The man, whose body was the largest of the group, scoffed. The girl in the fox mask didn’t need to show her face for others to sense her displeasure.

At that point, most of them had chimed in, but one remained silent: the bearer of a mask with the motif of a serpent, who simply observed.

The one called Wrath acted before the fox could complain. “Yes, it’s as you say, Pride. Our time will come—we must be patient.” The lights flickered, while everyone in the room nodded in agreement.

“This meeting was just to remind ourselves of our goal. Don’t get impatient like Greed. For now, keep your ‘normal’ lives going; put on a good show for these inferior beings.” They nodded once more and the room darkened ominously.

“I will be on the lookout for a kindred spirit to fill the seat of Greed… Although, I do have a few candidates in mind.” He added, as the one with the serpent mask let out a curious ‘hmmm’.

Wrath stepped into the center of the group, and raised both his arms, his amulet clasped tightly between his hands.

“Soon we won’t have to hide, it will all be worth it… We will bring back the old ways for our true Lords of this undeserving world!” The hooded figures mimicked his actions, and repeated his words. The air in the room seemed to warp for a moment, malice seeping in all directions.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The lights went out, and the mysterious men scattered in the shadows, leaving behind what once was ‘Moleman’—the seat of Greed, now just a pile of dust and robes.

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Back at The Chalice, the group sat at the bar counter, which had become Ascalon’s favorite place in the tavern. The master hummed a tune behind it, while Selorien slowly ate a piece of cheesecake.

Lilithra, on the other hand, was absentmindedly poking at her own piece, lost in thought. Ascalon gazed upon her, while savoring the delicious pastry. It was so sweet and soft, and made him question why he had to go so long without tasting such delicacies.

Raphael was truly a dangerous man, holding a shackle on Ascalon’s stomach and palate. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to live anymore without the man’s culinary skills. It was a scary thought.

That aside, he decided to speak to Lilithra. “Lady Lilithra, is something the matter?”

She looked at him and smiled softly. “I’ve been thinking, yeah…” She paused, returning her gaze to her plate. Then, she picked up a piece of cheesecake and brought it to her mouth, promptly eating it.

Ascalon waited, mimicking her actions. She proceeded after she gulped the treat. “After what the Guildmaster said, I think I need to level up.” Lilithra showed a conflicted expression, somewhat sad. Ascalon tilted his head, and Selorien brought his attention to her.

“Maybe you’re right. If we’re really going to… You know, some extra stats wouldn’t hurt.” Selorien nodded as he spoke, picking his words carefully in front of Raphael, and continued to enjoy his cake.

At these words, Ascalon decided to interject. “What is the meaning of these levels and stats? I have seen them in my profile.” Both friends looked at each other, and Lilithra then shifted on her seat to face the knight. Ascalon knew that expression, she was about to enjoy giving him a lecture.

She cleared her throat, and a screen appeared in front of Ascalon.

image [https://i.imgur.com/o99Puat.png]

Ascalon gazed at the numbers, as Lilithra spoke. “Well, they’re pretty straightforward. Levels are like, uhm, a representation of your overall skills and such. The higher your level, the stronger you are, simple as that.” Ascalon nodded to let her know he understood.

Lilithra then pointed with her finger at the stats on her screen. “Then, you have stats. As you can see, they represent our different, uhm, abilities so to speak. Strength, dexterity, wisdom, etc.”

The blonde kept scanning the numbers with his eye, nodding in understanding. “I see. And how do these stats increase?” He added, as Lilithra pondered for a second and smiled.

“Well, to level up both your level and stats, you need experience!” Her triumphant look made Selorien giggle before interjecting.

“You’ll need to be more specific, Lil.” Lilithra looked at him with puffed cheeks, and her gaze sat on her plate.

She decided to grab another bite of her cake, munching on it quickly before proceeding with her explanation.

“Yum. Well, experience is… just that, experience. You gain experience doing pretty much anything. It’s kinda annoying to track, actually… Heck, we’re probably gaining experience as we talk.” This confused Ascalon, and it showed in his expression, so Lilithra continued.

“You know how if you train with a sword or something, you’ll gain experience handling it, right? Well, it’s the same. As we do different things we acquire experience, and eventually level up!” It was still a bit confusing, but Ascalon grasped the basic concepts as he nodded.

Then, Selorien interjected. “The thing is, when you level up some of the experience you gathered will be turned into stats… so, if you focus on training or fighting, you’ll probably get more points in strength and constitution.” His explanation made a lot of sense.

“Ah, I see. It is pretty straightforward.” Added Ascalon. Lilithra nodded with a smug smile, and Selorien continued.

“Even Raphael is gaining stats while he cooks or cleans—not as much as he would fighting or crafting, but I’m sure it’s a steady increase in dexterity and maybe wisdom, heh.” The man behind the counter laughed as he polished a glass.

Ascalon pondered, fascinated by the explanation.

“Experience increases reaaaaaaally slow when doing it that way though! But that means everyone can find what they’re good at, one way or another, and just specialize in it if they want.” Lilithra said in a cheery voice, pointing at her uncle and smiling.

“Especially, because as your stats increase, you will lean into a ‘class’, like a warrior, rogue, etc. This makes certain stats get a bit of a boost when leveling up! Like, a knight would get more points into constitution, you get me?” Ascalon smiled, nodding energetically.

Selorien took the chance to interject once again. “Although it would be so much easier if it was just like in video games… simply kill some slimes and bang, level up! Put the stats wherever you want and get OP.” He smiled wryly, while Ascalon Ascalon nodded, now certain he had grasped most of the explanation, except for the last bit about ‘video games’.

Ascalon’s expression turned pensive as he pondered. “So this means you want to train, Lady Lilithra?” Asked the blonde, referring to Lilithra and her earlier remark about leveling up. She beamed, and blushed slightly.

“Yup, you got it!” She then focused on eating the rest of her cake. The two men mimicked her again, and everyone let out a satisfied sigh. Doubt plagued the knight once more.

How could Raphael be so good at cooking?! Maybe his class was something like ‘master chef’, Ascalon thought as he smiled to himself.

He rested his gaze on Lilithra one more time, and asked. “How are you planning to train? I would like to help you in any way I can, Lady Lilithra.” At his sincere words, she showed a cheerful expression, her chest tightening as she met his gaze.

But before she could answer, Selorien jolted with a face full of surprise. “Wait! You don’t mean…?” As the realization hit him, he questioned the girl, who simply smirked in his direction.

“Yes! Let’s go to Howling Chasm tower!” She exclaimed with enthusiasm, while conflicted feelings appeared on Selorien’s face.

Ascalon, of course, showed nothing but confusion on his visage. Surprisingly, the elf was the one to explain it to him this time. “It’s a dungeon—a newly opened one at that. Remember the portals and stuff Lil told you about?” Ascalon nodded, a bit intrigued.

“Well, she wants to go to one of these… and of course, it has to be one we have barely any info on!” Lilithra’s eyes sparkled as she rose from her seat.

“That’s exactly why we should go! Let’s scout it out and gain some experience. We might even find some treasure, like a relic!” She exclaimed in obvious excitement. Ascalon thought it was kind of contagious.

Selorien sighed, clearly torn. He didn’t want to deal with new surprises and dangers in an unknown tower, but he also wasn’t about to leave Lilithra, of all people, to go to a new dungeon without him.

“Ugh, it’s gonna be a pain, but I’m in.” The girl jumped at her friend’s grumpy words, and looked at Ascalon with huge, pleading yellow eyes. He immediately understood what she wanted to hear, and smiled.

“If this will help you achieve your goals, then I shall assist you in this crusade against the tower!” He raised his fist and clenched it tight. Selorien giggled thinking they were about to lay siege to a dungeon, as Lilithra jumped a few times in place, overjoyed.

Raphael sighed behind the counter, hoping these kids would stay out of trouble for once, but smiled gently as he put down the glass he had been polishing. It was good to see Lilithra being so cheerful with someone other than him and Selorien, and he felt she was in good company.

The group then would begin preparing for their first incursion with Ascalon, the atmosphere filling with a palpable sense of adventure. They had to gear up, get some supplies, food that Raphael would kindly provide, and a good night’s rest.

It was a good time to convince Raphael to lend Ascalon one of the vacant rooms for the day, even though Lilithra hoped that it would become the knight’s permanent residence. However, that would have to wait for another time.

The next day they would march on, their objective: the Howling Chasm tower.