"So this is it, huh..." A lone adventurer said with his head hung low. Planting his now chipped sword into the ground, he used it as a support for his shaking legs. Gazing in front of him, he saw a vortex of what could only be described as malevolent energy. It swirled and twirled like a whip around this being of pure terror.
Its face was disjointed, its large body was interconnected, and its crude eyes laid bare the evil of what this place truly held. Unable to do anything, he accepted his fate like the others before him.
With the last of his energy, he swung his sword at the air in front of him and relented. Not being able to do anything but regret his greed, he let the abomination swallow him into an all-consuming void where it held nothing back at warping his body at unimaginable levels.
-----
Resting his hands on the side of a ship, he could feel the faint sea breeze brush against his skin. Looking out in the distance, he could see his destination. The homeland of a moderately-sized community, though that amount has been increasing lately.
For what reason? Well, a dungeon had suddenly erected itself to the surface. Thought unnatural, these events weren't too uncommon. It was probably because of that that the town of Drakalia opened its ports to foreign adventurers.
The crashing waves of the sea were the only sound he needed to snap back to reality.
Killia, one of the adventurers on the boat, clenched his fists and grit his teeth as they got closer and closer. Being a somewhat new adventurer, not many people had high hopes for him. That much was abundantly expressed to him on the vessel.
After a few minutes, the ship slowed down and docked. Taking his first-ever step onto the harbor, he took a good look at the sight before him. And that sight was that of a giant wall made out of stone. Looking to his left, he saw something akin to a castle gate.
Observing the side of the gate, there was an expansive stone wall that no normal human could ever even hope to climb. Not only was it tall, but it was also stretched to almost both ends of the island.
He was somewhat impressed, but he knew the true nature of these walls so he didn't give it much adoration.
(Keep monsters from getting outside...)
As dungeons are the home to a lot of vicious and dangerous monsters, it's not uncommon for them to come out of their holes once they feel that they've gathered a large enough army to combat the places they were in. It's happened multiple times before.
But shaking that thought off, he walked up to the guards and presented a slip of paper. Quickly grabbing it from his hands, they inspected both it and Killia thoroughly. Making sure it was him in the picture, they alternated from looking at the paper and looking at him.
The same short wavy brown hair and deep blue eyes. He currently wore a dark cloak and a scarf over his black sleeveless top and blue pants. His armor was stored in his duffle bag along with his weapons which the guards also inspected.
After double-checking everything, they escorted him inside and to his temporary residency. It was just a small house, probably only big enough to fit two rooms. Along its sides were multiple identical buildings. Not even bothering to check the interior, he threw his belongings inside and headed into town.
He yawned as he lazily stretched his arms in the air.
"Man. That was really boring." Walking along the roads of the town, he noticed that most of the houses were just made out of wood, not even bricks or stone. The woodwork on them was admirable, but beauty isn't something you should favor when you live in a town where a dungeon is present.
(It's already been two months since the dungeon's appearance.) He wondered as to why the people hadn't constructed it out of stone yet. The wall was already constructed so why wasn't the rest of the town also reinforced?
He couldn't imagine why. Maybe they were just slow on the delivery of the materials? But it's already been two months. With a shrug, he let the thought slip his mind.
Wandering around the town a bit more, he saw a somewhat big group of people gathered around a fountain. He figured this was a town square of some sort, judging from the multiple buildings surrounding it.
There was a general goods shop, a place called Fiesta's Wares, what seemed like a hospital, and various other buildings he couldn't quite figure out.
Looking around once again, he spotted a young man with a very striking hair color. It was green, tied back into a medium-length ponytail.
"You an adventurer?" Killia asked. Not many people had that striking hair color, after all. And adventurers were known to be rather flashy sometimes.
"Eh?" Evidently, he hadn't heard the question. "You want some money? Sorry, look somewhere else."
(Do I look like that much of a vagrant?)
"No, sorry. I'm a contracted adventurer. I'm looking for the guild," he informed.
"Ho... You one of those new ones?" The young man asked as he closed the gap between them, examining him closely before stepping back off. "Name's Pier. I was on the second boat here."
With a nod, the two had some idle chatter before Killia asked his question once more. This time, he was met with an answer.
The guild was somewhere in the forest a ways away from the town square. He found it a bit odd as to why they put the guild so far, but he nonetheless thanked Pier for the directions.
A few minutes had passed and he saw what looked to be a building in the distance. At this point, he was already way past the town and was in a rather lush and dense area. Thankfully a path was already laid out so he knew he was going the right way.
After some time, he noticed a silhouette in the forest, away from the path. He hesitated to check at first—his weapons weren't with him after all—but his sense of duty kept nagging at him.
Taking slow calculated steps, he got closer and closer to the silhouette while making sure he was out of sight. He then saw a view he's never had before.
Inside the dense forestry was a patch of land that was cleared out. No trees to speak of. The sunlight that shone in that spot was breathtaking, its bright rays perfectly illuminating the area. In that small patch was a woman with short black hair. She was wearing some sort of green dress with white accents at the edges. Thought it was a dress, it looked more like a maid uniform than anything else.
Stepping onto the small patch, he made his presence known by rapping his knuckles on a tree. The sudden sound seemed to catch her off guard judging by how fast she turned her head.
After confirming that he wasn't dangerous, she took in a deep breath and dusted herself off.
"Hello, there. I don't believe we've met?" She spoke with a very sweet, but at the same time, strained tone.
Looking right past her, he could spot a bed of flowers with a multitude of different colors. She seemed to have noticed his gaze since she tried to hide them using her dress.
Coughing into his hand, he introduced himself. "Killia. I just got here a few minutes ago by boat." Short and straight to the point.
"Oh, welcome to Drakalia then!" she said as she spread her arms out.
The act made him at least crack a smile. "And who might you be?"
"My name is Illia. A maid of the Euvalia household," she introduced with a small bow.
(Euvalia?) The family name didn't ring a bell. "May I ask what a lady such as yourself is doing out here then?" he asked, trying to sound as fancy as he could.
The girl at least appreciated his little joke, giggling a bit. "Well...if you must know, I quite enjoy gardening," she said, stepping out of the way to reveal the multitude of flowers behind her.
The young adventurer simply stared in awe at the amount of variety there was. He wasn't particularly interested in flowers, but just seeing the sun shower it with its warmth felt...oddly calming. It wasn't just the colors that were different; their shape, the number of petals, and even the structure of each flower were different.
Wanting to get back to his business, he bid her farewell and went back on the path.
Having made his way inside the guild, he found it rather empty. The only person there was a middle-aged man at the counter with reddish-brown hair and a beard. They eyed each other from across the room before the man greeted him.
"Hi there, Sir. An adventurer, mayhaps?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
After a reply in the form of a nod, the man started to explain a few things. Firstly, they were the fifth boat to have come here. There were about 25 other adventurers but only 13 of them remain. With the new set coming in, they should be around 20. Secondly, a majority of the adventurers were already exploring the dungeon.
Before turning to leave, the man gave him a piece of advice. "Listen, I don't like seeing you people just disappear. You can protect this town without having to venture deep, you know?" The message was clearly out of concern. Who wouldn't be concerned, after all?
-----
On the side of a cliff face was a giant gaping hole that had a very ominous aura about it. Its pitch-black darkness did nothing but amplify its gloomy appearance. The architecture surrounding it seemed old and worn down from ages of neglect. Its pillars were all but destroyed, its statues chipped and overrun with vines, the roof was the only thing still discernible from this ruin.
Having donned his adventuring gear; some pieces of leather armor scattered throughout his chest, legs, and forearms. Taking in a deep breath, he pulled out a dagger and multiple shivs from his bag, he then put the shivs into the small straps on his belt and the dagger in a sheath on his chest piece. Taking out a short sword and a lantern, he reassured himself once more as he clutched a white crystal in his hands which he put inside his pocket. He then steeled himself as he slid the sword into its sheath.
Entering the ruin, it took only a few seconds before he found himself inside the endless darkness which was this dungeon.
Just stepping foot inside made him feel woozy. Everything felt fuzzy for a few seconds but it quickly faded. Turning around he then saw...that the entrance was nowhere to be found, the only thing visible was a cave wall.
(Well, that's reassuring.)
Wasting no time, he flicked on the lantern attached to his belt, which was light enough to not impede his movement too much. Looking around, he saw that the dungeon's insides largely resembled a cave, it even had stalactites and stalagmites. The walls were spaced out far enough to fit three or four people in formation to be able to cover each other, but any more than that then they'd probably have trouble maneuvering around in a fight.
While the walls were pretty spaced out, the ceiling seemed like it stretched on forever. There was so much vertical space it was almost unbelievable.
His observations were interrupted as an abrupt sound was heard. Swiftly turning his head to his left, he pulled out his sword and readied himself.
He was very wary as he looked around. Though the lantern provided illumination, it still wasn't enough to see too far off, and with him being the one to wear it, it would probably attract a few monsters that were too scared to fight large groups of people.
With slow and steady steps, he readied himself if something were to ever jump him. After a while, the only sound he could even hear was the beating of his heart. But still, he remained cautious.
As he was about to pass what looked to be a door, he heard footsteps scurrying towards him from behind. Quickly dashing through the small doorway, he turned around and drew one of his shivs, quickly throwing it which collided with the wall.
At this point, he was well aware they were there. Observing his surroundings once more, it was just another part of the cave and the would-be door was actually just a slightly tight opening.
(They're being extremely wary.) Deciding to feign ignorance, he picked up his shiv and continued to explore further.
Exploring deeper and deeper, the scenery didn't really change at all nor were there any monsters. Not that he minded, the less work he had to do, the better. At this point, he noticed that the noises from earlier were all gone, replaced by an eerie silence.
Taking a few more steps, he noticed a piece of ripped clothing on the floor. Kneeling down, he attempted to inspect it, this was cut short when he suddenly heard crying coming further down. Jumping to his feet, he stopped his inspection and ran towards the sound.
He noticed that the sound came from someone who was hugging the dungeon walls, their cloak concealing them. Not being able to make out who it was, he approached them when suddenly, the cloak was thrown over him.
Vaulting backward on instinct, he felt his back collide with something blunt. With another leap, he quickly pulled off the cloth on his head, then turned to his opponents. It was a couple of humanoid monsters which had pig-like features along with horns. A Chartle; they stood on two legs, and had hair covering a majority of their bodies.
Still reeling from the pain earlier, he balanced himself. Looking at the three chartles, they were only carrying wooden clubs. They also seemed wary of him, not trying to inch any closer except one who seemed like he was raring to go.
After a few moments, it grew impatient and started running at him, wildly swinging around its wooden club. Quickly dashing to his side, he went in for a stab with his sword.
"SQUEEAH-" The sound was ear-piercing. Wanting to confirm the kill, he drove the sword in deeper, silencing it. The two others then started their advance. Not having enough time to pull out his sword, he pulled out a shiv and threw it in their direction before stepping away.
His projectile seemed to have at least hit as he heard a faint grunt of pain come from the enemy. Pulling off his cloak, he grabbed the dagger sheathed on his chest piece and closed the distance. The chartle swung its club down which he narrowly avoided, then stabbed its neck with his blade, making it fall to the ground. It writhed in pain for a few seconds before falling silent. The last porcine monster was just to his side so without hesitation, it swung its club in a wide arc which he was barely able to duck under.
With a strained but forceful kick, the chartle's back collided with the wall and met its end…as Killia dug his dagger into its head and twisted it, affirming the kill. The sound of it dying would make anyone shiver from just how pitiful it sounded.
Wiping the blood off his blade, he put it back in its sheath. The only sound now audible was his footsteps and the faint clanks of his lantern as it bounced on his hip. While he was a bit tired, it wasn't enough for him to not be able to defend himself.
Pulling out the sword from the corpse and putting his cloak back on, he ventured in deeper. It didn't take long for him to find a flight of stairs that headed downward, once again surrounded by a shroud of darkness.
The moment he stepped on those stairs, a damnable feeling overcame his body. It felt like something was crawling inside his skin, his organs being turned inside out, every fiber of his mind being invaded with thoughts of malice. It was a mix of all of these feelings. He himself couldn't describe the trepidation that he felt.
After enduring that, he found himself in a completely different place. A forest...no, maybe a jungle? There was vegetation everywhere, his every step through the mud would make an audible splashing sound. Looking around, there were massive hulking trees everywhere, the flora seemed to stretch on forever. And his exit was nowhere to be found. The flight of stairs going down somewhere had magically transported him to a jungle?
Turning off his lamp, he slowly walked with his sword in hand. This didn't feel like a dungeon anymore, it looked like a whole other world. The skies were blue, only a few clouds visible. The sun shone its rays upon the jungle, only a few rays of light passing through the thickness of the trees and leaves.
Before he could observe any further, he heard rustling from the thickets. He quickly decided to take his cloak off as it would probably just hinder him, it being able to be caught on branches and such. He then ducked and rested his back on a nearby tree.
His sword, shivs, and even dagger were all clearly visible now. Having completely lost the element of surprise, he tried formulating a plan.
(I have no materials for traps... Should I try hiding in the bushes for an ambush...? No, this is their turf, they know this place better than me.) His mind was trying to think of a hundred different things. Before he could even finish a single one, he heard a brief whizzing sound as something flew past him, hitting the bark of a tree.
Quickly scurrying, he turned back and started making a run for it. He couldn't run away, he knew that. With every step he made, the mud beneath his feet would not only leave marks but also give a faint sound. He was only running to try and buy time to assess things.
While running, he realized that the thing that whizzed past him was not an arrow, but a dart. A blowdart, most likely.
With quick steps, he dashed to the sides of the trees impeding him, vaulted and ducked over overgrown branches, and swiped away plantlife that stuck to his clothes. If he slowed down, he would probably get shot, but if he didn't, his train of thought would get cut off. The best he could do was just keep running while sporadically assessing things.
(Okay, so they're not firing. They probably have limited ammo and range then. Blowguns are fairly primitive weapons...maybe tribal monsters?) Looking behind him, he saw something extremely strange. (What the hell?!)
There seemed to be three tribal monsters riding on...something. The tribal monsters themselves looked normal enough, small monsters that were no bigger than 4 feet tall, they wore these—
"Shit!" he blared out as he almost hit tripped over a branch. Not wasting a second, he started dashing once more.
The monsters wore intricate-looking masks over their small brown bodies. As mentioned before, they were riding on something. And these somethings were freakish. They resembled a gorilla with their muscular build, but beyond that, they completely ravaged the jungle they were in. These freaks of nature traveled by practically launching themselves with their unfathomable arms that were about twice the size of their body.
With every launch it did, they bellowed out a deafening roar that would echo throughout the jungle. These things were completely just muscle. It was something he could not kill alone, let alone three of them.
He was starting to get tired. His movement was becoming more and more sloppy, his perception started to feel foggy, and his head felt like it was splitting open with how much he was pushing himself.
Biting the bullet, he pulled out the white crystal from his pockets and a bright light engulfed him. The next time he opened his eyes, he was right outside the gate of the dungeon.
With a drop to the ground, he put his hand on his chest, trying to calm himself down. That's what death truly felt like. Something he could not defeat had already shown itself. It also didn't help that he barely had any info on these monsters. Not of the tribal monsters, or those guerilla-like abominations.
It took everything he had to stop himself from puking.
Looking up to the heavens, he was met with dark skies. How much time has passed? He didn't know. All he knew was that he wanted to get some rest.