Chapter 7 – The First Boss
As they climbed the stairs, both kept their eyes peeled in every direction. Luckily, the floor was well-lit. Upon reaching the top, they encountered a crouching monster with three legs. Its skin was pale white with a reddish hue, and it was completely hairless. The creature was thin, almost skeletal, with pointed ears. Its mouth was filled with numerous teeth, and its face was dominated by a single, enormous eye.
"What the hell…" Lucan thought, realizing he might have to eat that thing's meat at some point.
The creature, upon seeing the two humans, hobbled away awkwardly on its three legs. Lucan stepped back as Clyde took the lead, sword in hand. With a swift spin, Clyde decapitated the monster, sending its head flying into the wall.
Lucan whistled in admiration.
"That was nothing, just a bit of Segment," Clyde said, bringing Lucan back to reality.
"Did you get a card?" Lucan asked eagerly.
"No. Remember, getting cards isn't that simple. The drop rate varies for each creature, and the rarities are different too…"
"Sorry if I'm being a bother with all these questions. This is all new to me…"
"No worries, but keep your focus on the task," Clyde reminded him.
They continued walking, staying alert.
"You know, once I even got an invocation card," Clyde boasted.
"Those really exist?"
"They do. I even got to test it. But I had to hand it over to the leader of my expedition. Usually, we keep our drops, but in special expeditions, there are contracts that oblige us to turn in all our loot."
"That seems a bit unfair," Lucan reflected.
"Sort of, but we still get paid for what they're worth, and they give some cards back to us. It's part of the deal. When you're a vassal soldier, you accept these things. There are independent Deviants. The profit is good, but the risk is higher. Having a House or the royal army behind you has many benefits. You get housing, a base in the Oblique World, access to healers, family insurance, a salary that's mostly yours since you don't spend on food or housing. Plus, the items they give you. I might have given up an invocation, but the set of item cards I've received over the years is worth at least a house. And the equipment is top-notch. Whenever it breaks, we get new ones since we are the ones protecting these areas. Of course, I'm not a soldier dedicated solely to expeditions. Soldiers like that have a different contract; I only went on mandatory expeditions."
"I see, so that's how it works."
"Yeah. But imagine this: you're placed in a team with good equipment, food, and housing. Plus, your team is made up of people compatible with your ability, and you have a strong commander to help you. You have an area designated that's been verified for your level. Wouldn't it be fair to share the card loot with your employer?"
"Looks like they've thought of everything…" Lucan remarked.
"Everything is organized. You can choose an easy life as a guard at some fortress or city, or if you're lucky, serve at the Royal Family's Castle. Or try to get rich by being active in expeditions. There are rewards and money for those who want it. Not to mention, with the reward cards they give you, you're free to sell them."
"Man, I'd love to make money selling cards…"
"You just need to find someone interested in a torch or a broom," Clyde laughed.
"Funny…"
"Seriously though, your broom card will be a hit in the cities. You could make some money with that card. Think about it, a broom that never breaks. If it does, the person just dismisses it for a while and it comes back fixed."
"Thinking of it that way…"
He and Clyde walked through the floor, reaching the stairs to the next level. The monsters were mostly solitary, but occasionally they encountered a pair or a trio. Clyde handled them efficiently.
That creature must have been truly dangerous for him to lose his partner and be forced to retreat. If only he'd give me a weapon... things would be easier for me.
On the new floor, Clyde turned and whispered, "This is it. This is where my partner and I appeared. Be careful; the creature might be lurking."
Lucan nodded, and they continued their cautious advance.
Each time they passed an open door, Clyde would stop and peek inside. Lucan then threw his torch, and Clyde stood ready with his sword. After confirming the room was clear, they closed the door, marking it as checked. They didn't dare open any closed doors.
"Lucan," Clyde whispered.
"Yeah?"
"We only made it this far before. The creature came from over there," he pointed to a staircase leading up.
I hope that thing choked on his partner and died... for our sake.
"Stay calm. Back then, we were both confused and making noise, trying to find the rest of the expedition. As long as we stay quiet, the monster is probably satisfied. Let's take it slow and search the upstairs until we find another staircase. If the pattern holds, the stairs should be on the other side of the floor. The monster is likely territorial, so it should stay in its area. As long as we don't make noise, we just need to find the stairs."
Territorial creatures don't leave their area unless something grabs their attention. That's the advantage of having a good education—you're more prepared for this kind of thing than a civilian like me.
"Got it," Lucan agreed.
"You're doing well, Lucan. Another civilian would be terrified and crying. I know I said you don't have talent, but there's a place for people like us. If we find a captain, things will get easier..."
"Come on, man, don't jinx it. You're raising a lot of death flags…"
Clyde laughed. "I used to be like you at the start. Who knows, when we get out of this, maybe I can get you on the team, even as my squire."
"Seriously?" Lucan asked.
"Of course! And relax, I'm not crazy enough to live this kind of mission every day. If it weren't for that return error, I'd be having a nice meal and killing time as a guard at the base."
"Thanks, man, really... for trying to lift my spirits," Lucan said, grateful.
"No worries, it's my job as a soldier of the kingdom," Clyde joked.
They continued walking, and just as they neared the stairs, a frenzied monster leaped down from the ceiling onto Clyde. The monster resembled the three-legged ones but was slightly larger.
Clyde tried to dodge, but the monster's full weight knocked him down. His sword skidded out of reach.
"Damn it!" he grunted, struggling to keep the creature's snapping jaws away from his face.
"Lucan!" he yelled.
Luke's attention was torn between Clyde and the sword. He didn't have the strength to push the monster off. So, he dashed for the sword, grabbed it, and plunged it into the monster's eye.
Seizing the opportunity as the creature writhed in pain, Clyde rolled to the side. He stood up, grabbed the sword, and drove it deeper, straight through the monster's head.
After a sharp scream, the creature fell dead to the floor.
Clyde quickly retrieved his sword and looked at Luke.
"Thanks…" Clyde said, examining himself for injuries.
"It's all good, I know you'd do the same."
"Right, but we have a problem…"
"What's that?"
"This isn't the creature that attacked my partner and me."
Almost simultaneously, a roar echoed from the top of the stairs. Clyde and Luke exchanged glances.
They ran to a closed door and slipped inside. In the darkness, they stayed silent, listening to the monster's footsteps.
The creature moved down the corridor, making a clicking sound with its mouth.
Gods! Please don't let this thing have a keen sense of smell…
In the darkness, countless thoughts raced through Luke's mind about the monster.
If it had a keen sense of smell, it would have tracked Clyde… but it's territorial. Does that change anything? Would a territorial creature abandon its prey just because it's not in its territory? My lack of knowledge is hindering my thinking. No… it left its territory because it heard something, so maybe its sense of smell isn't good.
Sweating, he listened to the monster's footsteps in the corridor. When it finally moved away, Clyde slowly opened the door and rushed to the stairs.
At the top, he said, "We need to find the stairs to the next floor as quickly as possible!"
And if there's another creature of that level? No, thinking like that will only hinder me.
They walked quickly, checking all directions as they moved through the corridors.
There must be some way to identify the level of the creature, otherwise, this guy wouldn't have said it's a boss.
This floor was different, like a maze. Sometimes they encountered corridors with locked doors and dead ends, a stark contrast to the similar lower floors.
"At least it's not dark," Luke muttered.
Clyde nodded in agreement.
They weaved through the corridors, turning corners, avoiding dead ends, and quickly glancing into open rooms.
We won't have time… damn it, we'll have to check those closed rooms. What if there are more monsters inside that will start screaming?
Time was running out, and they could hear some clicks coming from where they had been. They retraced their steps and changed directions.
"It must be here somewhere…" Clyde said.
They reached a corridor with a massive wooden door.
"An exit?" Lucan asked.
"Looks like it," Clyde nodded.
When they reached the door… it was locked.
Don't tell me we have to kill the boss? Damn it!
"Wait!" Clyde almost shouted. He was pointing to a locked barred door. Inside was a place filled with bones, what seemed like hay and wood, and it reeked.
"It's a lair," Clyde said, pointing to the wall inside the lair.
"The key!" Luke said.
"We need to go back and get the key from the lair…" Clyde said.
"I don't think that's a good idea…"
"It's our only option."
With silent, cautious steps, they retraced their way through the labyrinth of corridors, trying to remember the path to the monster's lair and retrieve the key.
Occasionally, they heard a click and looked around in fear.
"I think it's time you gave me a weapon," Lucan whispered.
"And risk you bumping into the walls in a panic and attracting that thing?" Clyde retorted.
"Good point..."
Every turn was tense. Lucan took the initiative to peek around corners while Clyde gripped his sword firmly with both hands.
Their minds played tricks on them, making even the shadows cast by torches seem menacing. As they walked down the corridor, they passed by a grated door.
The bars were torn apart and gnawed, the iron bent in several places with a large hole in the door.
"Something tells me the lair is that way," Lucan whispered.
Clyde nodded.
"A measly grated door is nothing to it..." Clyde whispered back.
If only that thing had broken the grated door of its lair next to the exit...
Carefully passing through, they entered the new corridor and ventured deeper. The place was poorly lit.
The corridor grew narrower, and both men felt increasing agony. Glancing quickly to the side, Lucan saw Clyde tense and sweating.
I don't think he can kill this creature even if I distract it.
Then a click came from somewhere.
The worst fear is the fear of the unknown... it's suffocating me not knowing what that thing looks like.
Their minds conjured images of the creature in every dark corner, from the ceiling to an ajar door, the fear of the unknown suffocating them.
Amidst that fear, they rounded the next corner and came face to face with the lair.
Still not here...
Clyde rushed to grab the key, careful not to step on the bones.
"We got it, Lucan!" he said.
But as soon as he spoke, loud clicks came from one of the corridors.
For a moment, both froze and moved to the door, with only two directions, trying to listen for the source of the clicking.
Damn it!
Then a deafening roar came from the darkness of the right corridor, followed by a loud click.
"Run!"
They started running, the monster hot on their heels.
And I didn't even see what that damn thing looks like!
Without daring to look back, Lucan ran.
He and Clyde made turns, trying to find the way. As they passed through a wooden door, Clyde closed it behind them and ran. But as soon as they moved away, they heard the door explode from the impact of the monster.
Lucan cursed every possible name in his mind.
Running and shutting doors to buy every second and distance, nothing seemed to work.
"The path! I think we need to turn at the next one!" Lucan shouted.
"I know!"
They threw themselves through the gap, and at that moment, Lucan didn't care about scratching himself on the grate.
"Now we're back in the damned maze of corridors!"
Trying to retrace their steps, they continued, and suddenly Clyde pushed Lucan and locked a grated door with a padlock.
"What are you doing?" Lucan demanded.
"Sorry, there won't be time to get there and still try to open the door."
"But why? I thought we were friends."
"And why would I waste my time being friends with a mere inferior commoner?"
"Hahahaha," Lucan laughed nervously.
"You'll buy me some precious time. Look on the bright side… you'll die for the good of the kingdom," Clyde said, running away and leaving Lucan behind with the approaching monster.
Point of View: Clyde
Running through the corridors, I tried to navigate the route to the exit.
If he runs in another direction, he'll buy me even more time by luring that thing away.
"I knew acting as a babysitter would pay off eventually," I muttered to myself.
I had made it clear from the start to that useless commoner that his job was to attract and distract… in the end, that's what he'll die doing.
I heard a whistle and looked back, then something hit my neck. I felt an excruciating pain as something pierced my flesh.
"Fuck!" I coughed, spitting blood and collapsing to the floor.
At that moment, I was overcome with great fear.
"How?" I was dragging myself on the ground. My neck was bleeding profusely, and I pulled out the cause of the pain, a piece of glass.
Damn, my… my neck… I'm going to die.
I desperately tried to stop the bleeding with my hands, but it was no use; it was fatal.
"H-how?" I asked, looking at the figure in the darkness observing me in silence like I was trash. Even facing death, seeing the expression on that boy's face made me feel an even greater fear; his eyes somehow made me feel miserable. To him, I must have been nothing more than… a rat.
"How? How what? How did I get here so quickly?" he asked mockingly.
The sound of iron echoed; the monster was tearing and opening the grated door somewhere behind me.
"I knew acting like someone who needed babysitting would pay off eventually," the boy laughed, mocking my words.
Again, those frightening eyes stared at me, and I swear I saw a quick black shadow behind him.
Was it his shadow on the wall? What was that?
"What the hell are you? Who are you? How did you hurt me?" I spat blood as I asked.
"Oh… I grabbed that glass shard on the day of the noise when I went to take a piss… I bet you thought I was just a scared idiot," Lucan laughed.
"You little shit, you… you planned to betray me?"
"I should ask you the same question, were you planning to betray me? We were just walking hand in hand…"
I looked at him with rage.
Had I been fooled by a little shit the whole time?
"Two treacherous thieves were given the key to each other's cell. To free themselves, each had to trust the other to hand over their key. But how could two liars who never trust anyone take the first step, believing the other would change their nature and not betray them?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked.
"Nothing, just reflecting…"
I started vomiting blood, feeling my whole body giving in. I was dying.
From the depths, I could hear the clicking noises getting closer.
"Go to hell!" I shouted, throwing the key towards the corridor where the monster was coming from.
He'll die with me!
"Wow, very mature of you," Lucan mocked.
"Goodbye, Mr. Clyde. May you make great company for your partner."
"Damn… how… how can you stab someone so easily? Don't you feel any remorse? You should be just a damn commoner!"
He didn't even seem to feel anything as he watched me die… this kid… it doesn't even seem like I'm talking to someone. It feels like I'm staring into an empty void.
He looked at me and just laughed, saying, "My upbringing wasn't the best…"
He spoke as if recalling his childhood, and I could feel my body shiver as the air grew heavier with a suffocating pressure. I couldn't tell if the oppressive aura came from the monster or…
Is it coming from him? How is that possible?
"You're going to die here with me, you little shit!"
"Am I?" he asked, turning his back on me.
He walked towards the exit door.
"Goodbye, Clyde."
The boy passed through the door.
A different power? He… he's a damn Dissident!
Seeing that, I laughed bitterly.
"Son of a bitch! You could have avoided this whole situation."
The monster was getting closer.
Then Lucan returned.
"I could have, but I preferred to test your character in a situation I controlled. Don't you agree? It's much better than truly depending on you in a critical moment and my mistake costing me my life. Remember, Clyde, I trusted you with my key… but you didn't change your nature. Your misfortune was that I didn't change mine either. Now, enjoy your walk to hell."
Point of View: Lucan
Lucan stood at the door, watching Clyde as the monster arrived and began to devour him.
"So… that's what the monster looks like…"
After hearing the screams, Lucan passed through the door using his intangibility and stepped outside.
He emerged into a garden; it was night, and the sky was covered with dark clouds.
I have to be a fool to trust my life to anyone… I'll never make that mistake.
[Location: Corrupted Regions]
[Zone: Haunted City of Greed]
[Area: Garden of the Haunted Asylum]
"Alright, let's see what awaits me…"