"I don't want to die…I don't want to die…I don't want to die…I don't want to die…I don't want to die…", a female mage kept muttering to herself with a dazed look on her face, seemingly in a delirious state.
Lucas didn't blame her at all, as he himself felt like his mental state was in shambles at the moment. Per the instructions of the unknown powerful monster, the entire group ventured inside the temple.
Surprisingly, the interior of the temple was even more enormous than it appeared on the outside. So huge, one would assume that it were built for giants.
'Giants…' Lucas thought to himself.
He dreaded the thought of having to fight multiple giants with a group this small. He was confident that they could take one or two giants, three if they really pushed it. However, anything more than that and they would probably be toast.
Away from that, as they walked deeper and deeper into the crypt-like temple, Lucas couldn't help but frown at the absurdity of their whole situation.
'It spoke...', Lucas realized.
He had come across plenty of intelligent high-level beasts. Even the highest level of monster, one capable of wiping out entire planets and civilizations, the Ancient rank. However not a single one of those beasts, even the most powerful, had ever been capable of interaction of any sort.
Just what sort of creature were they dealing with?
A shaky tug on his arm shook Lucas out of his thoughts and he turned to see Caitlin following close behind him. He couldn't help but notice that she kept her gaze low and that her hand never let go of his arm. It was subtle, but Lucas could feel her quivering in fear.
"Cait-", Lucas opened his mouth to say something reassuring.
"Don't", she immediately cut him off before he could speak, "Please…just let me hold onto you like this for a moment. I'll be alright in just a bit"
Reluctantly, Lucas kept silent and obliged. They continued walking on for a couple minutes more before they finally arrived at the inner sanctum of the temple. The passage opened up into a majestic looking room, with pillars draped with fine linen and walls carved out with intricate patterns.
Between the pillars, as well as in the very center of the room, stood a couple of obsidian statues. There were seven in all, six smaller ones surrounding a larger one. Each statue depicted a unique persona and the one in the center seemed to bring them all together.
It was a statue of a tall nobleman, draped in a grand and expensive looking robe. He carried a stoic but prideful expression on his face that gave the impression of an arrogant ruler.
However unlike everyone else who were staring at the largest statue, Lucas' attention was elsewhere.
For some reason, Lucas could feel his blood rush through his body when he gazed at the statue that stood to the right of the ruler. The statue was of a demon-like warrior. A tall handsome man with two horns jutting out of his forehead and wielding a great sword just like himself.
His face was twisted in some sort of bloodthirsty grin that would have struck terror in the hearts anyone who saw him. Anyone but Lucas, that was.
He did not feel fear in his heart, he realized. What he felt was more like…anticipation?
'How odd...' Lucas thought to himself.
"I welcome you, humans-"
Everyone's attention was drawn to the other side of the room where a regal throne stood. Kneeling before it, shackled and bound with strange red glowing chains, was the creature who had just spoken.
Generally, it had a very human-like appearance. A regular body frame with a head covered with long disheveled black hair, two arms and two legs. However, it's skin was ashy grey and it's eyes were two spires of swirling multicolored light. Covering the creature's body were a few old rags, cloths long worn out from the cruel passage of time.
Hesitantly, Lucas tried to scan it but was only met with disappointment.
[System: The target is of a higher level. Unable to scan]
With seemingly great difficulty, the creature lifted it's head to speak once more.
"I welcome you all to my master's temple", the creature repeated slowly, "I appreciate your willingness to cooperate and-"
The creature stopped mid sentence when suddenly, two people broke off from the group of raiders and lunged towards it with their weapons drawn.
"No! Stop!" Lucas shouted at them. He recognized the two as Egan and Evans. They were two formidable S-ranks who used to follow Lucian as his right hand and left hand men.
"Even if by some chance you're an Ancient rank beast, there's no way you can defend against us in your current position!" Egan snarled as he drew his two jagged long-swords and charged forward, "Sword Arts: Feral Blade barrage!"
SWOOSH!
SWOOSH!
SWOOSH!
SWOOSH!
SWOOSH!
Egan rapidly swung his swords, forming a number of sword slashes that raced towards the kneeling creature.
"This is for Lucian and the Captain, you retched beast!" yelled Evans as he also drew back his bowstring and notched a golden arrow, "Archery Arts: Heaven's Piercer!"
BZZZZT!
ZWOOOM!
The arrow pulsed with arcs of powerful lightning as Evans let it fly, closing in rapidly on it's target.
Normally, two powerful S-rank attacks would be enough to wipe out whole cities with no problem. However, Egan and Evans had greatly underestimated the opponent that they were up against.
"Fools-" said the creature with a calm expression on it's face as it did not make a single attempt to try and block the two incoming attacks.
KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The entire room erupted in a massive and violent burst of light. Everyone used all sorts of means to protect themselves and Lucas made sure to shield Caitlin with his own body to protect her from the resounding shockwave. He silently prayed that somehow, maybe the duo had actually managed to pull something off.
Unfortunately his hopes were nothing but short lived.
"What did you expect to accomplish with those pitiful little attacks you just threw at me-?"
When the dust finally settled, the creature was rooted to the same spot as before and without a single scratch on it's body. Egan and Evans stared at it in utter disbelief. Two of their most powerful attacks weren't able to make it budge even an inch?!
"M-m-monster…", whispered a pale faced Egan as he slowly began to back away.
"Ancient rank beast, you called me? Please I'm nothing like those youngsters. Know your place, ant", said the creature with a cold expression and a chilling aura began seeping out of it's body, "Get crushed"
With just those two words, Egan and Evans bodies seized up and froze in place. Their weapons dropped to the floor as both their bodies tightened and began compressing at an alarming rate. Without even a chance to cry out, their forms continued to get pressed and squeezed before their both exploded into a gory mess of twisted armour, shredded flesh, blood and organs.
"AHHHHHHHH!"
A few people screamed in horror while a majority chose to look away, lest they wished to lose whatever contents were in their stomachs. Lucas couldn't stop shuddering, looking at the creature in a whole new light.
'It's something way more powerful than an Ancient rank, that's for sure!' thought Lucas with beads of cold sweat plastered on his forehead.
"Right. Are there any other imbeciles amongst you?" asked the creature in a carefree tone, "Hmm?"
Feeling his intent gaze, the creature narrowed it's eyes at Lucas causing him to flinch and look away hurriedly.
"You...you are clearly scared of me but your eyes haven't lost their shine yet, unlike most of these little ones", mused the creature as it analyzed him, "You shall be the advocate. Come forward"
Lucas felt his heart rate quicken and he cursed himself for staring at the creature for so long. He swallowed nervously and was about to walk out but Caitlin tightened her grip on his arm, a silent message to him to not follow the creature's instructions.
"Cait, it's going to kill us both if I don't do as it says", Lucas whispered to her without taking his eyes away from the waiting creature.
"It's a beast, Lucas! It's going to kill us all regardless!" Caitlin argued stubbornly, "If I'm going to die, at least ah-!"
Swift as a serpent, someone's hand appeared from behind them and struck the back of Caitlin's neck, knocking her out cold.
"Ben!" said Lucas in surprise as he watched his friend pick up and carry Caitlin's unconscious body in his arms.
"You can thank me later. Just try to get us outta here alive, will ya?" said Ben with a small half-hearted smile. It was clear that he didn't really mean much with what he had just said but he still had some faith in his friend to try.
Lucas stood there for a second before giving him a small nod, "Right"
He then returned his focus to the creature and approached it. "Your comrade was smart to knock that girl out", said the creature with an amused smile on it's face, "Had she continued to throw her silly tantrum, I would have killed her"
Lucas sucked in a breath of cold air and silently thanked Ben for his quick thinking.
"I have waited several millennia for this, so I'll make this brief", said the creature as it let out a weary sigh, "Please free my King"
DING!
[System: You have received a
[
-Comply with the wishes of and undo the seal binding the .
Rewards:???]
Lucas suddenly received a quest from the system. However, Lucas' thoughts were completely elsewhere as the first question that popped into his head was-
"King…?" Lucas asked in confusion.
"Yes", answered the beast before it continued, "Tell me, human, what do think this place is?"
"Umm…", Lucas mumbled hesitantly, "A high level dungeon?"
"So that's what you sentient lifeforms refer to it as nowadays, huh? Well, no matter", said the creature, "And no, human. This is not a 'dungeon'. It is a prison"
A prison? Did that mean every dungeon out in the open universe was a prison of some sorts as well? And if so, what exactly were they meant to be holding captive?
The beasts?
Or maybe something far worse…?
"Is that why you're all chained up?" Lucas asked slowly, taking a quick glance at the chains that bound the creature, "This is your prison?"
The creature chuckled dryly, "Not at all. I merely picked the worst form of punishment for myself when we were all imprisoned here eons ago"
"What do you mean when you say 'we'?" Lucas asked with a frown on his face, "There's nobody else in the dungeon besides yo-"
'Wait!' thought Lucas as he suddenly came to a realization. Based on the quest he had received, he had thought maybe he was just supposed to undo chains binding the mysterious creature. But now, an even scarier thought suddenly struck him.
A chill seemed to run down his spine as he slowly forced himself to turn around. His eyes fell upon the obsidian statues of the warriors he had been staring at earlier. This time, at the one in the center of the other six.
"Yes, the prison is his", said the creature as if reading his thoughts, "My lord and King, the tyrant of eternal flames, the Immortal Dragon Emperor"