Made in Abyss

Ace walked through the room towards a thick iron door. It had two large metal bars keeping it shut. He grunted as he lifted both of them off, and dropped them besides the door.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, and then turned back towards the players. "Now, I am going to describe the process for enhancing your bodies. Please, follow me."

He opened the door and stepped inside.

Raven, Sol, and Kara followed. 

The inside was enormous, with walls of black stone. A dim, red light filled the space, coming from the hundreds of small, floating lights in the air.

At the center of the room was a large, circular area. It was covered in blood and gore, and the air was thick with the smell of death.

Surrounding the area was a ring of pillars, each covered in intricate, glowing symbols.

Raven inspected them carefully, trying to understand what they were.

Ace walked towards that area, and stuck out his hands. The pillars glowed a furious red, and then a grating noise could be heard from the center.

Slowly, a large metal cage rose up. The bars were each a couple feet thick, with three inches of space between the bars. Each bar had a glowing white sigil. A disturbing, pure darkness emanated from the cage. Light seemed to melt away upon coming in contact with the darkness, and reality twisted. 

Ace turned back towards the players. "Alright, now does anyone here know the process for enhancing the body?"

Raven nodded. "Yep. It involves scars, correct?"

Ace pulled back the sleeves of his shirt, revealing his arm. After pouring Aura through his arm, dozens of scars glowed with a dark Aura. 

"Correct! Whenever you receive damage strong enough to leave a scar, a little bit of Aura stays behind. Some of it from the attack, and some of it from ambient Aura that always surrounds us."

"There are a couple of conditions that determine how much the scar improves your body. First, how deadly the damaged received was. The closer to fatal, the more important for your bodies development."

"Next, how much Aura enhanced the attack. So, an attack from a magical monster, or a human with an enhanced body, will develop you further."

Sol frowned. "So, to develop our bodies, couldn't we have you beat us relentlessly?"

Ace smiled. "Yes, but then we have the final condition. That is, how much effort you put into the fight. Just letting an attacker damage you isn't enough, you have to be fighting back. The more desperate you are, the better."

Raven pointed towards the cage. "So, for our bodies, you are going to let that thing out, and we will have to fight it?"

Ace scoffed. "Hell no. If I let it out, it would kill all of us in seconds, and then wipe out at least a quarter of all life on this continent."

"Then how the hell did you capture it?"

Ace looked back towards the cage. "I didn't. I am still a long ways away from that level. This is a creature form the Abyss, and there are only a handful of people in all seven continents that could even survive a real fight with it."

Ace looked back towards the players. "So, take this opportunity seriously. This is a creature far above your power level. Not only that, but it has Aura from the Abyss. The scars it will leave on you will turn you into true powerhouses."

Kara scratched her cheek. "So, if we ain't gonna fight it, how are we gonna get scars?"

Ace waved his hand, and the sigils on the bars faded. Immediately, dark, fleshy tendrils slipped out form between the bars. They swung around wildly, whipping about with immense speed.

"These are the only bits that can fit between the bars. These are just the tentacles it uses to sense its' surroundings, and it is still powerful enough to kill you if you are not careful."

Kara whistled. "Damn, I like this power system! That looks like a lot of fun!"

Raven watched the tendrils flail about, mesmerized.

The tendrils whipped through the air, slicing into the ground and leaving deep gashes. Each time, the sigils on the pillars glowed, and the ground repaired itself.

He looked back towards Ace. "This must have been incredibly difficult to procure. If you couldn't obtain this, you must have traded for it, right? If so, this must have cost a fortune."

Ace laughed. "A fortune doesn't even come close to describing the price. I got this little guy from one of the few humans alive today that has reached the second level of enhancement. People like that are far from normal. Sating their desires is a monumentally expensive procedure."

Raven bowed. "I must thank you from the bottom of my heart for this chance, then!"

Raven kept his head low, hiding the smile from his face. He had finally received confirmation of a theory of his. 

'Assuming he isn't lying, why would he spend so much on us? There is one answer I can think of. He knows about the quest system, so it isn't unreasonable to assume he knows we cannot truly die.'

'Each player has a game system behind them, granting them an easy path towards power. Not only that, but they cannot die. It won't be long before the power of players outshines even the most talented NPCs.'

'If that's the case, then there is only one hope for the existing power structures of this world; to bind the players to their will.'

'I imagine that won't be hard, in a lot of cases. Our world is pleasant, and our people are kind. Yes, some will probably want to usurp power for themselves, and rule the land. But plenty of players will gladly work to protect the peace, and many more will join a nation's army for the right price.'

'So, this will be the future game played between kings, emperors, and all other influential inhabitants of Liegthaven; a game to control access to players. A competition of gathering up the most talented.'

'If I wasn't such a nasty prick, Ace would be extremely lucky to have me! Poor bastard...' 

Raven stood back up.

Ace smiled. "Oh, don't thank me. I am a selfish guy, so I will be asking for quite a lot in return. So, now that you know what we will be doing, let's have a discussion. What are your goals?"