In the comforting darkness I just floated in the emptiness, free of pain and worry. I was content for the time being, I just continued to float there until I started to feel a slight pain, and the pain wasnt just in a single spot but continuing to increase through out my entire being and my eyes shot open.
"AAAGGHHH," I yelled but was muted do to me gritting my teeth so hard I heard them grinding against one another and a slight *crack* noise. My back arched and my arms and legs spasmed, the pain I was feeling at the moment was what one could assume felt like being struck head on by a lighting bolt. For the time being all I could do was bare the pain and power on through it.
**********************
For what felt like an eternity the intensity of the pain started to die down little by little until it have fully subsided. I had started to feel the pain fading for sometime but my body was still would not move probably do to it having not rest since the end of the battle with the Kapalonos. I had started to open my eyes slightly and as I could start seeing around me which everything was blurry for a second for it was the first time in what had felt like days in using my eyes and not having them closed tightly.
I started to move my head around which took me a little by suprise do to it still feeling extremely stiff, I was look for the girls who had passed out after the fight. After not being able to see everything a little bit of anxiety crept into my mind, I started to think the worse and I had attempted to get to my feet. I started to try and move my body little by little from my finger tips all the way to my toes, knuckle by knuckle and joint by joint, all in the hopes I could move.
Starting at my finger tips I had attempted to move them starting with my thumb. Noticing that the entirety of my thumb could move I had moved on to my index, then my middle finger, followed by the ring finger and finally the pinky finger. I was ecstatic that I was able to move my fingers on one hand so I tried it on my other hand, and once again I could move my fingers, I then tried to move my wrists on both hands at the same time and they both moved. I did this with my entire body until I was able to sit up and then eventually with great struggle get to my feet.
I finally manged to get to my feet after losing strength multiple times and falling back down to the ground. "Shit," I said in a raspy and hoarse voice, I did not think my ability to talk or speak aloud would be impacted, maybe it was due to us mainly using that party chat feature more than anything. "I guess it could have also been I talk to myself a lot and like to narrate everything I do but I guess I could afford to talk aloud a little more unless it isn't necessary," I thought to myself to try and not agitate my voice any further.
After I was done with whatever I was doing I stood up using the wall that was so conviently next to me, I held myself in place while I walked up and down along the wall so see if I could spot the girls. I had to have walked along the wall up and down about 5 times now, but on the 6th time going up but going a little farther I spoted a pool of sunset orange-red hairpooled atop of a rock running down its front. I started to limp over there while my heart sank with every step I took, they were about maybe 50 feet from my location on the wall but that 50 feet felt like 500 feet.
I remember the cave crumbling a little during my fight with the boss but I never really paid it much mind. The debris around was sparse but large, I really hoped to god that they did not get squished by it. I had reached where the hair was and to my relief they were just in a crater but seemed to be bounced around by the intense quakes. There were small rocks that happened to have landed on both of the women but I carefully and tenderly moved them just in case they might have been injured. I moved them over to the wall and propped them up against it while also having them lean against one another.
I had started to rise up from my kneeling position to pan my gaze across the area and to my utter delight, I saw it, the door. The door was a magnificent piece of carved out wood with very ancient looking engravings that had hints of black, gold, and dark green hue against the ornate door. Next to this majestic looking door I had spotted something else. It seemed to resembels a orb about the size of a basketball, as I walked closer the colors of it became more pronounced, bright green and sky blue tinged with a hint of light purple hue.
When I was right on top of it a screen popped up,...
{Ding}
(Thank you for completing this private dungeon, for your efforts you have been awarded with the door and a bonus item. The difficulty of this dungeon was near impossible for you and your party at your level and for clearing it your EXP gains have been trippled. Other reqards are unique to each person and are growth items do keep them because they .... *error* *error*... this message will come to an end)
"Huh?" I thought to myself, "Why did it just do that again, did it happen before? Why does it feel like I have seen that error when something important was about to be mentioned." There was not much that could be done at the moment and at that moment he pulled up his status page.....
(Nickname: Mike or Reality Shaper)
{Race: Sovereign}
[Class: Ruler] .....
(King - Low Rank)
LEVEL - 3 (348/750 EXP)
{Stats}
Str - 16 ( +4 ) x3 -> (28)
Dex - 20 ( +2 ) x3 ->(26) (+10 free points)
Con - 23 ( +6 ) x3 -> (41) (+14 bonus points)
Vlt - 27 ( +2 ) x3 -> (33) (+ 24 total extra points)
Cha - 41 ( +2 ) x3 -> (47)
Mind (wis, per, Int) - 21 ( +8 ) x3 -> (45)
Sta - 19 ( +4 ) x3 -> (31)
( Unused Points- 24 )
"HOT DAMN! THIS IS AN INSANE INCREASE IN LEVEL AND RAW STATS!" I was jumping for joy at this and noticiing that I started to calm down. "Ok, lets take a breather *inhale* *hold* *exhale*, ok now lets get this under wraps." I started to move towards the girls walking normally now, I had not noticed when I was healed enough to actually start walking normally again but I did not pay it mind for now. As I was approching the 2, I had noticed they had started to awaken and by the time I had reached them both were propping themselves up on there elbows.
I stood there waiting for them to notice me while having a big smile on my face. A few more moments had passed then Sarah had started to look around, while she did not look my way first I had thought she knew I was there, but that was not the case. When our eyes locked after she looked in the other direction within what could only be a milisecond was Sarah who had bolted into my arms hugging me tightly. After getting bear hugged, Sasha had heard a grunt so she wiped here eyes again and looked right at me, and when our eyes met, I swear I could see them becoming moist. Just like Sarah, Sasha had also got up faster than I thought and added another bear hug.
I just stood there in there embrace, I could feel slight tremors coming from both of them and hear soft sobs coming from both of them. "Hey," I said in a soft voice trying to get there attention before continuing, "Everything is fine now, I am fine now and you guys are safe. I am very sorry I could not be there to help you and letting you get hurt." I had put each hand on either one of there heads and started to stroke their hair. We stayed like that until we felt like the time was right, while we just wanted to take a breather and relax for a little while we knew we could not do that for now so we seperated and talked.
"I guess now we can finally leave this place," Sarah said with a joyful expression on her face while glancing at the door. "Ya, I can't wait to see what has changed on the outside," Sasha added. "I know one thing for sure, and that the world as we knew it is no more," I said with a hint of joy but that was covered up with my serious voice. "OH! Before I forget, did you guys level up at all during that ordeal?" I asked them both before I had forgotten. "Yeah," Both of them said in unison, I chuckled at the instintanous response.
"So... How many levels did you guys gain? What were the XP increases like for both of you if they are different," I asked a more specific question but I had to see if something is consistent.
"Well the XP increases are double for me and I got all the way to level 5. For each level I gained it always doubled, like for 50 XP for level 1 to 100 XP for level 2 and so on," Sasha said and then was followed up with, "Yep, same thing for me pretty much," from sarah.
"Wait, so you are telling me that you started at 50 XP to level up?" I questioned in a disbelieving tone. "Yes..... why? Didn't you also start at 50 XP to level up?" Sarah asked beating Sasha in asking the question. "No I fucking didn't, I started at 250 XP and it doubles the same as you!" I basically started to shout in frustration unable to believe the unfairness I was recieveing.
"Well... I think we can put this to the side now, I really want to get out of here. I really don't want to continue this anymore and want to be free again," Sasha said after a brief silence before speaking. "I agree with Sasha, I would also like to get out of here before discussing anything else," Sarah added her 2 cents. "Ok, ok, lets leave this hell hole before anything else decides to either happen or show up if that boss was not the only thing in this dungeon," I had to agree that this place was making all of us uneasy.
We all decided to turn to the door and head in its direction, and once we had reached the door we looked at each other and nodded, a silent agreement to hold each others hands in the hopes it would prevent us from seperating upon exit. After taking in one big breath and slowly exhaleing, we, simultaneously took each step in sync as we entered the portal towards the outside world.
*****
In the plains, out wide in the open there was a door, but not just any door, this door is the very door that appeared randomly during the collapase of the world before its rebirth. This same door was approximately 15 feet tall and 20 feet wide that seemed it would fit into an archway at a castle, and after nearly 2 centuries of no sign of the door opening a *CRACK* sounded like a bolt of lighting striking the ground. The sound could be heard throughout the whole world, but there was a certain someone who was more connected to this even than anyone, but it was not her who knew it for she would not know for some time.
"INHALING DEEPLY," a elderly lady dressed in black and gold robes shot up from her sleep. "GRAN-, ehm I mean Elder whats wrong, Are you ok?" Asked a young woman who was standing guard in the room.
"I am fine Rina, its not so much as my health declining but a vision I was forced to watch," The elder replied to the guardswoman with a slight simile barely curling the edge of her lips. "WHAT! A VISION? What was this vision if I may ask?" The guardswoman asked the elder. "I am sorry child but you know I can never tell any vision I see to anyone for it may change the outcome of it in the future." The elder replied back instantly.
"...."
Seeing as the guardswoman who was named Rina did not speak anymore or ask anymore questions seemed to have gotten the idea that she will not be getting any answers for now.
While the Rina the guard seemed to mulling over her thoughts, the elder was thinking to herself, "I am sorry Rina, I do want to tell you but the future can not be risked. The door is finally opening, and if things go in the right direction then we will have a place to call home again."