The dungeon wasn't what Severance expected.
He'd pictured a sinister cave or even the ruins of an abandoned castle, but instead, what he got were two stone pillars with a swirling purple-gray light between them. The pillars were waiting in a little clearing, surrounded by pale, silvery grass.
There was a trail leading off into the trees, meaning there was an actual path to reach the dungeon, but of course the men in black didn't bother with such things. Who wanted to take the easy way when there was a disorientating forest of giant trees to wander through instead?
No one else was in the area either, though Severance wasn't sure if he was grateful or disappointed for that.
He looked up at the stone pillars. The portal they held was far larger than the last one he'd seen. If two ten-foot giants tried to step through side-by-side, they'd easily fit.
Maun stopped just before the portal, which completely dwarfed him. He half turned to look back at them, his face illuminated by the eerie purple-gray light.
"This is it," he said. "Any last words?"
What?
Severance stopped in his tracks. Surely the man was kidding, right? Yet Maun appeared quite serious, from the menacing gleam in his eyes to the way he'd spoken.
Rasin sighed. "Maun, this is not the time to joke."
Maun's lips curved. Then he turned and stepped into the murky light of the portal. It swallowed him up without even a ripple.
"Please don't take him seriously," Rasin turned to Severance. "Sometimes I think he and Dhin are the same age."
A scoff came Dhin as he walked past them. "Don't lump us together, old man."
He walked into the portal and vanished. That left Severance standing in the clearing with the oldest member of their little group. He felt a little dazed. So, Maun had been joking. Right?
Thoughts of escape briefly flitted through Severance's mind, but he dismissed them. He wasn't foolish enough to think that he'd actually be successful. Instead, he eyed the portal with increasing wariness.
Sensing his hesitation, Rasin asked, "What's wrong?"
What wasn't wrong would have been an easier question to answer. Severance tore his eyes away from the dungeon entrance and turned to the man standing beside him.
"I don't think this is a good idea. I've never been in one of these before."
Creases formed in the corners of Rasin's eyes. "There is no need to worry, Severance. You're in safe hands."
"But what if I mess something up? You could get killed."
"I have faith that you won't." Rasin gestured towards the gate. "Now, shall we go?"
Well, at least someone has faith. Resigned, Severance made his feet move towards the portal. He was aware of Rasin following right behind him, no doubt making sure he didn't chicken out at the last second and make a break for it.
When he passed through the murky light, his entire world morphed into gray fuzz. A cold tingling pressure surrounded him. For one dizzying moment, it felt like he no longer possessed a body. He couldn't sense anything except for the icy static.
It didn't last long. It faded as quickly as it had come and next thing Severance knew, he was standing in a very different place.
A towering cavern rose up all around, its walls and ceiling made of glittering dark rocks. The floor, oddly enough, had patches of smooth black marble embedded in rock. Stalactites dropped out of the ceiling like enormous daggers, while little specks of light glittered on their surface. It wasn't much for a light source, but there was enough to dimly light the entire cavern.
More of the strange glowing lights circled a large opening in the cavern's far wall, leading into a smaller rocky corridor. And just in front of the corridor, three spiky creatures prowled restlessly, as if guarding it.
Severance stared, both terrified and awestruck. This was a dungeon?
You have entered the Ascendance Dungeon with three citizens.
A Party will automatically be created.
The notification flashed before him before a party list unveiled itself. Four names were on it, followed by their respective health bars. His own was at the top, being a mere tenth in size compared to the others. He nearly fell over at the difference. Sure these people were much stronger than him, but this was just ridiculous!
"It's interesting, isn't it?" As always, Rasin wasn't too far away.
"That's one way to put it," Severance managed. He drew himself together and checked out the creatures across the room. He half-expected them to come charging over any minute. "What are those?"
"Marble dragons," Rasin answered. He didn't appear concerned about them at all. "This dungeon has become a bit twisted, so the creatures aren't accurate representations. It's more of a close approximation."
"They don't look like dragons."
Maybe things were different in this world, but to Severance, the beasts looked more like giant rats than a fire-breathing reptile. They had patchy fur sprouting from gray scaly skin, and bony spikes on their shoulders and tail tips. Their muzzles were narrow and filled with an unhealthy amount of teeth, to the point that they actually seemed unable to close their mouths.
"It's an approximation," Rasin repeated. He chuckled, even as Maun and Dhin came over to join them. "Well, how does it look?"
"Nothing's changed," Maun answered. "At least as far as this first room goes."
"Good. Then we should be able to proceed as usual."
Confused, Severance looked between them. Changed? Proceed as usual? It was obvious they were familiar with this place, and that was good for them. It didn't help him at all, however. He knew nothing about this dungeon, and even less of what to expect.
He uneasily lifted a hand. "Uh, hey."
All three of them looked his way.
"Is there a plan or something? What am I supposed to do?"
"Ah yes." Maun brightened, like he just remembered something he'd forgotten. "That's a good idea, kid. Here's the plan."
Relieved, Severance listened carefully, determined not to miss a single detail. As far as he was concerned, he needed all the help he could get in this ominous place.
"Do your best, Sev."
Severance waited for the rest of the plan, but that was it. Nothing else was said. He stood in mute disbelief. That wasn't a plan at all!
"Right," Rasin gruffly nodded. It was as if he'd just listened to complex set of maneuvers and details, because he responded very seriously. On the other hand, Dhin just grinned, and twirled a pair of deadly-looking daggers in his hands.
"Sev?" Maun prompted. "Think you can manage that?"
It's not Sev, Severance grimaced. It's Severance. If you're going to get me killed, at least get my name right!
"Sure," Severance muttered, though he was silently throwing up his hands in frustration. He wondered if he'd revive back in town if he died. Or would he just appear back in the dungeon? He hoped it was the former.
"System, Inventory." A few moments later, his staff appeared in his hands. The leaves still looked wilted, giving it a miserable appearance. It fit the mood perfectly in Severance's opinion.
"Ready?" Maun asked. "Then let's go."
That was the only warning Severance got. The three men dashed across the cave. They moved as one machine, running in a loose formation with Maun in the lead and Dhin and Rasin flanking him. Each of them wielded long daggers with ebony blades.
The marble dragons noticed them. Warning hisses echoed throughout the cavern as they wheeled about to face the oncoming threat.
Gritting his teeth, Severance hurried after. He felt like a drunk cow tottering across the pasture in comparison to his companions' smooth, graceful approach. By the time he caught up, Maun was already upon the first creature, driving his blades deep into its flank. The dragon abruptly swung its head around and snapped at Maun.
Severance watched in shock as Maun seemed to casually step to the side, putting himself out of reach. The scaly dragon's teeth snapped shut on nothing but air, a sharp clack resounding into the cavern.
He could only imagine the kind of force behind its bite. It could probably crunch through bone without any effort at all.
Maun moved around the dragon's front, closing in from the other side. His daggers flashed, tearing into the side of its neck. The dragon recoiled, its jaws stretching wider to issue an ugly screech of pain.
"Watch the tails!" Rasin's shout startled Severance, who turned just in time to see Rasin ducking beneath a whipcord swipe of his dragon's tail. It moved so fast it actually whistled through the air.
Severance's eyes widened. Oh crap.
"Agh!" Orange flashed in the party list. Dhin's health bar plummeted, having lost more than half of his health in an instant.
Severance didn't even see what had happened. There was so much going on so quickly that he didn't know where to look. But when he saw Dhin, he gasped.
The entire left side of Dhin's body was bathed in dark red blood. It dripped down the side of his face, and sprayed from his arm even as he leapt out of a dragon's biting attack.
Oh. That's a lot of blood. Oh wow.
His shock only lasted a moment, however. The orphanage had also shown him gruesome injuries. There hadn't been as much blood then, but he'd seen his fair share of blistered and oozing flesh, so it was a little easier now to look past the carnage.
This was the time for him to step in. He pointed his staff towards Dhin, even though it wasn't necessary. The skill worked on whoever he was looking at, as long as they were in range.
"Mend," he murmured, and a shimmer of pale light flickered over Dhin's side. But it wasn't enough. The leaves of his staff trembled. "Radiant Dome."
The bubble unfolded over all three men, encasing them within its regenerative embrace. Though Dhin's health now hovered around half, he looked like he should be dead at this point. He wore blood like a second skin, leaking it like a sieve. He continued to dodge the creature's ferocious attacks, using short, quick movements that kept himself just out of reach. Each step, each little motion, sent more of his blood spraying across the ground.
It was absolutely horrific.
"Mend," Severance whispered. His skill sent another dusting of white light upon Dhin. An awfully small portion of Dhin's health bar was restored. It flickered green for a second, then dropped back into orange.
Severance faltered. He's still taking damage? He eyed Dhin's hp bar in the party list. A small red icon floated beside it, flashing. He didn't know what it meant, but there was no time to check it out; he had to get Dhin's health back up.
"Ugh," Rasin grunted, and a small portion of his health vanished from the party list.
You too?! Severance felt a wave of panic. How am I supposed to heal all of this?!
"C'mon, kid, focus on Dhin first!" Rasin called, as he ducked beneath another tail swipe. He ran alongside Dhin's creature, sinking a dagger into its hide. It screeched, and swung towards him, its attention leaving Dhin for a moment.
Okay. He could do that. He pointed his staff at Dhin. "Mend." Silver light briefly flashed around Dhin. That should hold him for a second.
While Rasin was keeping Dhin's marble dragon busy, Rasin's critter decided to chomp on Dhin. Dhin managed to dodge the worst of the attack, but the ratlike creature still skimmed its teeth alongside his good shoulder. Thankfully, only a small amount of health was lost.
"Mend," Severance hissed through gritted teeth. The young man's bar flickered green in the party list, and stayed green. It was now at the half mark. The strange red icon was gone.
Severance didn't dare feel relieved. He kept a laser focus on Mend, using it the second it came off cooldown. Radiant Dome collapsed, vanishing in a shimmer of light.
At the same time, Maun's dragon fell with one last dying growl. The man barely had a scratch on him.
Orange flickered into red, the only warning Severance got before Rasin staggered and fell to a knee. Both dragons rounded on him. The first whipped its spiked tail at him, while a second lunged at him with a mouthful of teeth.
"Mend!" Severance panicked. If both of those attacks hit, Rasin would die..
Maun leaped, daggers extended. He slammed into the side of one dragon's head, driving it right down into the ground before it could even bite onto Rasin.
At the same instant, Dhin moved impossibly fast, his body flowing around the dragons in an odd, wavy pattern before he skidded to a stop in front of Rasin. He threw up a dagger, catching the brunt of the other Dragon's tail attack.
Something cracked, a horrible broken sound that rose above the sounds of battle. Dhin flew backwards. His hp bar dropped into orange and he hit the ground like a ragdoll.
"No," Severance breathed, eyes wide as he saw the tail continue towards its original target, slowed but not deterred. All his healing skills were on cooldown. There was nothing he could do but watch in mute horror as the tail smashed him flat into the ground.
Rasin's health dropped into red, a hairsbreadth before death. Severance's heart leapt into his throat as he saw the horrible red icon appear beside the man's name in the party list.
Maun charged in, darting around the tail end of the dragon. He stabbed once, twice, thrice into its flank, before it wheeled around with an agonized cry. Maun never slowed, never stopped. He danced around, constantly moving, forcing it to turn in a constant circle to keep up with him.
On the ground, Dhin rose up onto his elbows, giving his head a half shake. A soft groan came from him, even as he lifted his head to look for Rasin. He sagged in relief when he realized his father still lived.
"Mend!" Another wash of light fed more life into Rasin, but his hp bar was still in the red zone. It felt like trying to pour water into a broken glass. Each cast of Mend did precious little, but at least it still restored a bit.
Rasin began to stir, his eyes flickering open. He rolled onto his back with a faint gasp.
Watching both Dhin and Rasin, Severance furrowed his brows. Though they handled it well, it wasn't hard to tell that they were hurting.
Maun finished off the last dragon, and hurried over to check on his companions. They looked like they'd crawled through hell; blood soaked into their clothes, their hair, splattered across their skin and faces.
The red icon vanished from Rasin's name, and the next Mend made his bar turn orange. Between that and the last lingering regeneration from Radiant Dome, it didn't take long to have them both up to full.
Of course, it was a lot easier now that there were no dragons chewing on them.
Severance was more than a little shell shocked at the fact that none of them had died. It was nothing short of a huge miracle.
Seeing that everyone was all in one piece, Maun stood back and flicked the blood off his daggers. "Nice work, Sev."
Severance just looked at his staff in uncomfortable silence. One of the leaves had started to turn yellow. He wasn't sure he was deserving of such praise, not when Rasin had come so close to dying.
"These dragons are a little tougher than I remember," Rasin grunted as Dhin helped him up. "Or maybe I'm just getting old."
"You are old," Dhin retorted. "Shouldn't you think about retiring already?"
"You watch your mouth, you brat." Despite harsh words, there was a fondness in Rasin's voice.
Maun stepped over the dragon's carcasses, which began to produce a few violet motes of light, and entered the corridor. "Both of you can retire later. Let's keep going."
Severance felt dizzy. He felt like they'd all been through a horrible life and death battle, one that had stretched on forever. All they had done was kill three marble dragons.
He tried not to think about how many more awaited them within the dungeon.