1 Chapter one: Homeworld.
Sebastian, Eden, Alister and Corbin had been packing all of the muggy and quiet morning. Today was a good day for them, as they planned to once again enter the dungeon, long standing ancient structures littered across the world in various architectures and size. The one thing each location always has in common is within those walls is an incredibly dangerous and vast battleground. Within dungeons monsters appear. The way is not known but many various monsters spawn within certain walls or scenery. Commonly a few types will spawn for weeks or months before new or old types begin to form and this allows the Dungeon Understanding and Harnessing Committee (DUHC or the Dux pronounced duxe) to have a general schedule or list of the monsters known to be spawning for the time being.
The light of the morning sun was almost like the beacon illuminating the path to adventure, at least that's how Eden described it. I'm Alister, enough about me though, the story awaits.
"The Dux listed the current monsters in the dungeon are minotaurs, some variation of mutated spider wolf hybrids and the classic mindless Carss (pronounced Carce)" Corbin went over the monsters
"Minotaurs are self explanatory they're a few feet taller than humans quite strong and their horns are quite valuable. I know you guys know but, don't let them bull rush you for Visah's sake (Visah a goddess of wisdom pronounced vice uh). The spider-wolves are more complicated since they all form in very, odd mutations but bottom line is don't get bit or clawed apart, poison is quite annoying." It seemed like Corbin was about to continue when Eden interrupted
"Damn Carss, those rotten beasts of leathery, rot.. you guys know of any creature I'd rather face anything, even a dragon rather than those creepy things. Especially when they scream." At this point I assumed I had to butt in so I said
"Either way we've got a general idea of what's coming, Eden Carss are creepy but weak, Corbin you did well" Sebastian hadn't added anything so I asked him if he wanted to, although he said he had no extra thought on the subject.
When we got to the dungeon the mist had died down but as always a large crowd was far from down. From merchants to adventurer's the streets of Maceeiss (mace ee iss) bustled. The dungeon of Maceeiss is a large cave entrance, all of it made of marble of varying dark shades carved into the shape of a minotaurs head with the entrance at the mouth. It's creepy but not a truly horrifying sight although I've heard Bathscoes dungeon is truly terrifying, the gates to hell themselves. Needless to say we continued to the dungeon many last stop merchants trying desperately to sell equipment and items to adventurers entering the dungeon. After being stuck in the crowd for a few minutes the gate opened and people started walking down the "throat" of the dungeon (the entrance gates local nickname due to design.) After passing a certain point people vanish, everyone besides close groups formally acknowledged as a party via speech enters the dungeon at a random point within it although the exit always remains in the same place within the dungeon.
At this point we were clearly in the dungeon, Most of this dungeon is a very red stone cave like room(s). Monsters can spawn from mostly any wall within the dungeon though they don't form immediately so we noticed everything in time, the Carss were everywhere, we all hate them because they scream and wail at any living creature while they attack but we got over it. We didn't run into a single spiderwolf of course I'm not disappointed.
The air changed in the next moments, we knew the feeling, something different just spawned in the dungeon.
We weren't sure where or what it was, but the dreadful feeling was a clear sign a creature not seen before or for many years has appeared.
I said the only thing I could think of at the time
"Well shit.. I had hoped we wouldn't encounter anything new." In hindsight it sounded a bit more like "well shit we're doomed"
Suddenly Sebastian's staff swung out with surprising force, he saw the creature before anyone, a crystal like flesh beast with several insect like legs and a bulky torso, two large forearm appendages with long crystal like blades. I, no, none of us had ever seen or heard of anything like it within the Maceeiss dungeon. Sebastian was flung back, his gravity magic glowed from his eyes and staff, the beast seemed completely unaffected as it rushed Eden who was closest in the moment. Eden desperately blocked it's blades slashing him from odd angles while yelling
"Alister! Sebastian! Help me damnit!". I yelled
"I'm coming!" But the beast had already flung away from him and at me. My hand and a half sword seemed like nothing for a moment, then my world literally flipped Sebastian had launched himself to kick me away before twisting up and blocking the creature's swipe that had been intended for me. The crystal like blades changed so fast, beyond any mutating creatures we faced before, the blade split off like a bolt of lightning, Sebastian couldn't avoid it and it pierced his chest directly through his heart, we could see the crystal blade sticking out from Sebastian's corpse the blood dripping profusely from the wound. That wasn't the end though as the creatures blade mutated again on a larger scale inside Sebastian, like an explosion of crystal lightning bolts the mutating blade ripped through Sebastian and we could hear the branches of crystal blades shredding through his insides and cracking through bones. I'll never forget the sight of crystal blades sticking out everywhere from his body the blood practically a mist. His entire body hanging limp by chunks of flesh, organ, and bone.
"YOU BASTARD!" Eden was moving rage driving his step, I couldn't bring myself to move yet let alone attack it, Eden drew the greatsword he uses for his strength magic drawing the blade up for a hard slash that connected with the creatures torso cracking it slightly, but it did nothing against an even more brutal strike from the crystal beast. A solid violent strike from Eden's side up to his neck. The attack tore threw Eden's body and launched him aside with his blood and guts flying through the air in an arc only allowing him enough life left to scream. Eden's dying scream covered the entire cavern with an air of fear. Corbin's eyes darkened as he finally used his shadows, drawing them to the surface and making armor.
"We need to go." Was all he said. I didn't disagree, I was terrified two of my best friends had just been torn apart. Corbin threw shadows at the beast, binding shadows to stop it momentarily as we sprinted towards the exit. You've probably guessed it but it didn't work, the beast forced right through the shadows and darted towards us growing multiple arm like appendages and an extra blade. Corbin tried to put both his daggers into it's partially damaged torso with the words
"I am unsure but Visah, grant me this fools move!" twisting his body to whip as hard as he could, one hit. The injury seemed like something under the crack had popped and the beast was bleeding a terrifyingly dark red blood, the injury hadn't phased it. Then the beast took Corbin's head off with one blade. I wanted to run, it wouldn't work but it was all I wanted. I brought my fire magic to my blade, slashing and throwing an arc of flame at it accomplishing nothing. The dread washed over me as it turned and rushed me, all arms grabbing at me as well as the blades drawing back in preparation for a swing. I tried to roll to the side only to get struck by one of it's blade-less limbs. I got Sebastian's treatment on repeat. I think I actually felt all three blades pierce and tear flesh as my weight pressed down and almost a cracking sound before the explosive mutation, my lungs being torn open, my intestines being shredded and organs like my liver and kidneys being torn through, my heart needless to say ruined. I had nothing left to keep me going hell I can't really say I could still feel the pain itself after my heart went. The beast dropped me, things felt warm for a second, then cold, then nothing as everything went black.
