———Rose———
Torui, a Japanese fighting prodigy raised in a kenjutsu dojo. His life was hard, before the dojo he was orphaned on the streets where he picked up his skill for blades. His knife mastery is what got him into trouble. He had made it a habit to mug people and do odd jobs to survive, and so one day... he mugged the wrong person. Local self-proclaimed samurai and owner of the kenjutsu dojo was pleasantly surprised to be challenged by a kid with a long knife. After teaching the poor kid a lesson, he took him in at the dojo. there he trained his mastery with a kife and grew to short swords then long swords and finally the katana. At only 14 years old he became the best U18 swordsman in the entirety of Japan, mastering his sword style at 15, and creating his own by combining his techniques with archery of a huge longbow at 16.
"The perfect candidate," I said to my beautiful shadow. It shrugged at me "I get that you're on the fence but... think about it, I see big things in his future."
I watched him walk down the road, he had just finished winning a tournament and boy were those losers sore. I saw an opportunity. I didn't influence their minds, well besides a basic charm to get them to listen to me. "Don't you boys want to get back at Torui for what he's done. He embarrassed you, you have no honor to return home with, and I know your parents... They won't let you return home, and with your injuries, you'll never be able to hold a sword again." thats all they needed... Humans are such violent and envious creatures. The thought was alien. she looked at her shadow and it seemed to laugh inaudibly.
--------Torui--------
I was walking when I saw some guys walk out and then they surrounded me. "Come on guys it's not a big deal if you want the prize money you can have it cause I don't need it."
They surrounded him, anger clear in their eyes.
———Sui———
Sui and the dungeon lord Magnus were locked in combat with some adventurers and they easily bu tired the deplorable knights of justice.
Sui was never sure where he was born, or who his parents were, but he knew this was his home. All he could remember was waking up in the dungeon one day at four years old saved only by the grace of Lord Magnus.
He raised Sui in the dungeon-like a son for almost a decade, until one day, a girl showed up and piqued The Dungeon Lord's interest with her magical power, and slowly but surely I was losing the only affection Sui ever knew. He soon grew envious of the girl, but she treated him with respect and he was compelled to do the same, after a while though she received blessings from Lord Magnus something he couldn't get no matter how hard he worked and his envy grew, but she still treated him with kindness despite her newfound power.
He eventually, and quite reluctantly decided to give her a shot and actually talk to her and that was by far the best decision he had made while he was in the dungeon, he realized she wasn't there to steal his dose of affection, she was there as another source of it.
He didn't know how old she was but he knew she was a bit older than him, so he thought of her as a big sister.
After that, he realized that even though there was an evil in his soul, there was still room for accepting and loving others
He finally had what his life was lacking, a big happy family, and he clung to it with all his might. From that day he made a promise to himself to protect the only family I had left, to protect Magnus and Saphra.
Sui was struggling to keep up with The Great Dungeon Lord Magus "The paladins and adventurers are coming, I heard the Dark Gods envoy will bring us some otherworldly helpers. I need you to take this dungeon crystal, build an underground dungeon, and grow stronger. It's that damn academy they put us in this situation, learn as much as you can join them if you have to."
"Yes sir, but will there be any cute girls... Sir? Don't hurt me it was a joke." It was a genuine question but he had often received abuse for such statements. Look it wasn't because he was horny okay... he just had often enjoyed the company of women.
"I hear the envoy has taken a female vessel, and I'm sure you can find them somewhere- why does it matter just go." The dungeon lord quickly realized it was an unnecessary question.
"I see I got you wrapped up around women too sir, you're a bit lonely down here all alone aren't you."
The dungeon lord just blinked. He off handily handed Sui the crystallized dungeon core, "I'll hold them off." He creates a sword out of thin air. "Find the witch Saphra, she will help you, check the library."
"Yes sir!" Sui said while running away towards the library.
He arrived and saw the door to the library on fire and heard the cackling of a madwoman... That definitely the sounds like Saphra. He burst through the door biting himself in the process, it wasn't very bad but seeing as he didn't have time to treat it... it just got worse.
Inside he saw a young woman, around his age, with crimson flame shoulder-length hair, a thin curvy frame, and a tight two-piece dress that opens in the back and unfurled at the ends of the dress and sleeves. Some might call her beautiful if it weren't for the fact she was a pyromaniac. "Melt and burn before my power." She grins maniacally. "I am the great witch Saphra. Let that be the name you remember before your death. INFLAMAS TURBINE!!!" a tornado of flames consumed the priests, soldiers, and adventurers leaving behind only melted skeletons.
Sui walked up with an uneasy smile, "Hello there."
"Dungeon lord apprentice Sui?" She said more than asked. They weren't very close but they were still a part of this dungeon... still a family.
"Hi nice to see you're having fun with the intruders, I'm here on business from the master, Lord Magnus, we're currently in a sticky situation as you can see and he told me to request your assistance in escaping and making a new dungeon."
"Hmm?" suddenly the dungeon aura went away signifying Magnus's death.
"Damn, he really died, he was a good man, taught me well, and treated me right, I promise to be the best dungeon lord the world has ever seen in his honor. Now, will you provide your assistance or not?"
"I yeah, problem, without his blessings... my power is just bronze ranked Elementalist and bronze ranked witch. We're in trouble if we run into adventurers."
"Goddammit, do you have any clue what we should do now?" Sui was stumped.
Two paladins broke in just like Sui had but Saphra reacted first, zapping them but it only stunned them and did minor burns to their skin and clothes. "We get out of here, kill them you brute."
"Hey, that's not nice besides what am I supposed to kill them with anyway?!"
"The massive dungeon lord blade on your hip you oaf."
He blinked, huh... I do have that don't I. You stab into one not very deep and then you cut into the other's neck.
"+70 essence, +65 essence." The system had seemingly updated his life essence gain. He had the mantel of the dungeon lord so without having special technology or some sort of divine interventions to explain your status.
Then the pair saw two portals open up outside the room.
———Torui———
He straighten up and put his hand on the hilt of his blade. "Now now now, no need to take a hissy fit over losing. Just do better next time."
"No I lost everything after this, I'll take you away from everyone else." The main one in charge of the gang of sore losers, the one with a knife, rushed him.
Torui squeezed on his sword hilt, holding it backwards with it still sheathed. As the man got closer he braved himself then, he pivoted, the blade of the knife clipping his cheek, he then slammed the hilt of his sword into the loser of a fighter's gut. "You couldn't beat me in the ring with a real sword, what makes you think you stand a chance with a tiny thing like that?"
"There is more than one of us." He took a few steps back and then the other two rushed him from opposite ends.
He let them get closer till he had to move before he was skewered, just before they attacked I stepped back letting them run into each other, but he had underestimated the reach of the bat. The range of the bat allowed him to get a good shot to his arm dislocating Torui's left one but he ended up stabbed by his buddy.
Torui rushed to get the bat from the assailant but the leader rushed him from behind. Torui got the bat and jumped to the side and used his sheathed blade to deflect the stab. He used the bat to break the leader's right knee open.
Or if the other guys lunged onto Torui tackling him to the floor. He began punching him over and over and then used his knife to stab at Torui's face.
Torui used the bat to deflect the blade and hit the assailant getting free. Then he wound up the bat and hit the man's head, leaving an indent on the man's dome, fracturing his skull. Blood pooled in that side of the man's head as he lost consciousness, but torui was already on to the others, giving their heads and bodies similar treatments to knock them out.
Torui was bruised and cut up but stood victorious. A girl stepped out and started clapping. "I'm impressed... you look ready for the mantel. Want to walk with me, wouldn't want to get caught with your pants down you know, all these bodies and whatnot."
"The mantel- what?! Who are you!" Torui raised his bat but she immediately took out a badge.
"Undercover agent Rosette Blackwater. I'm your new best friend. I have a job offer but I can't get you out of here till you accept."
"Listen, lady, I don't know who you are. If you work as some private agent for some rival dojo I'm not interested, I've really gotta go."
"No not a dojo really. No, I'm here to grant you power beyond your wildest dreams, I understand it may sound strange but," she looked down at her watch, "the cops are almost here and I'm your only ticket out."
"Jesus alright, what do you need from me? What is this power you talk of, this mantel?" He felt rushed, he was anxious to get away, and right now he'd do almost anything to never have to go back to the life he once had as a street rat.
"I assure you, you're gonna love it. First thing's first." She plunged a suddenly blackened fist into his chest ripping out his heart.
"What-" he felt his consciousness slip as he began to bleed out and die.
"Shhhh!" She quieted him and he felt the need to comply, she would save him his mind told him. Then she did the same with her own blackened heart and she gave him her heart, ramming it into his chest. "That should do."
"What the hell did you do to me." His confusion and rage boiled to the surface as his eyes became red hot, literally, his eyes burst into flames that illuminated the insides of his skull.
"I prepared your body for the core, now for the dark god to make things official."
He got weak in the knees as he appeared before an infinitely large mass of black hearts, crystals, muscles, and shadows. He heard many almost unintelligible voices chanting as the monster ate what looks like a red grain of sand covered in a translucent aura that he realized was his original heart, and was that his... essence? The concept of essence faded from his mind almost as soon as it had come. The giant form shrunk down into a manageable size of 6 feet tall. The being shrouded in a cloak of darkness walked up with an empty crystal. He then filled it with... his essence? Again the thought became lost on him. "Let's see..." the being took the crystal and pressed it to Torui's right breast. It seemed to dissolve inside his chest as the uncomfortable feeling of something foreign displacing organs and muscles in his chest before fusing to it. "Run now my dungeon lord, show me what you can do." He turned and cackled as he walks back to the impossibly enormous throne which he grew to once again fit.
The world faded to black and as he woke his nostrils were assaulted with the sick smell of overcooked flesh.