Aris stumbled past the arching gateway and found himself in an extravagant hall. Every wall had been chiseled out of a deep black marble, adorned with fine silver and gold that spiralled out into leafy branches along the walls. Great pillars of marble rose out of the ground, rising far into a ceiling that mimicked a starry night sky. A thick red velvet carpet flowed elegantly from the entrance, climbing upwards onto a dias at the far end of the room. Upon the dias rose a solid, angular throne of gold, at least twice the height of Aris. It looked like it was built for a giant.
But what sat perched on the golden throne made Aris freeze in place. A dark king, clad in polished black armour, a disfigured crown adorning a jagged helmet. Leaning on his side, as if bored with the proceedings, the king watched over a pair of Grimm fighting ruthlessly before him, circling each other with vicious eyes. Something menacing seemed to emanate from the figure; Aris couldn't seem to look away, his gaze transfixed on where the figure's face should have been behind the mask. It felt like pure terror seeped into his bones, a cold feeling sinking deep into his body, like he was looking at the embodiment of death.
As Aris watched, one of the hulking Grimm lunged at the other, resulting in a vicious scramble until one sunk its teeth into the other's neck, remaining stiff until life drained completely from the eyes of the inferior beast. Panting, the victorious Grimm looked expectantly at the kingly figure as he rose from the throne, grasping a long two handed blade that had been resting beside him. Gliding down the steps, the king regarded the monster briefly with a slight tilt of his head. With a flick of his wrist, the king's blade blurred as it lopped the Grimm's trunk-like neck from its body like butter, falling to the floor unceremoniously. The creature's eyes glazed over, seemingly unaware of its own death.
Aris felt his gut tighten as the cladded knight turned to face him.
"You." The king's voice rasped against the cold marble walls. His face was entirely hidden by a flawless steel helmet, save for two narrow slits where eyes should have shone through. They revealed nothing but darkness, but Aris could feel his gaze on him.
"A human on this floor?" He paused. "Interesting."
The figure marched slowly towards him. Aris was stunned into stupidity, his mind being torn between a hopelessly outmatched fight or a foolish flee.
"Tell me, boy." The king sneered. "How did you come to be here?"
Aris remained silent, his throat constricted. He wasn't sure that he knew the answer, even if he wanted to enlighten him.
The faceless knight stood before him. Aris was dwarfed in the shadow of the king, still hunched over as he nursed his wounds.
"Answer." The voice commanded.
"I- I don't know." Aris claimed, racking his brain for a way to escape this evil that stood before him.
The king scoffed.
"Garbage."
Hearing the word lit Aris' fire within him, stirring him from his inaction.
"What is this place?" Aris asked boldly.
"This, scum, is the first floor of the Helltrain." He answered mockingly, as if he had been asked why grass was green. "Now answer me. How can a human be on the first floor under the Stairhouse? Which entrance did you use?"
"The system sent me here." Aris answered. He wasn't quite sure what he was being asked, but he needed to bide time in order to come up with a plan, so he answered as best he could. "I woke up next to a Grimm. It's dead now."
The king was silent for a moment. Aris could almost sense his eyes narrowing.
"Tell me about this… System."
"Before I woke up, a voice told me that I was the last participant, and that some criteria had been met. I don't know any more than that." Aris lied. Something deep down was warning him that would be wise to keep the whole truth close to his chest.
"The last- Damn it." The king reared upright, looking coldly at Aris. "Well this does put a damper on our plans, doesn't it. Under normal circumstances, I'd kill you now." He looked at Aris greedily. "But I suspect that you're hiding something from me, and since there can't be any faults in our plan…"
In a blur faster than Aris could follow, an iron gauntlet smashed into Aris' side, sending him flying across the hall until he came to a stop, slumped on the floor. The pain was catastrophic due to the [Glass Cannon] skill, even with the negating effects from his most recently acquired ability. Coughing up blood, Aris summoned Lightning Dance, eyes fixated on the king.
"I knew it. You're one of hers." Said the king, his disgust plain to hear. "In that case, I have no more need of you. In fact, your death will be a nice message to send to your master for interfering with us yet again."
"I have no idea what you're babbling about." Muttered Aris, standing. He had a plan, but it would only work once. If he screwed up… Then there would be no second attempt.
The king walked up to Aris before picking him up by the throat. The pressure was immense, and Aris struggled to not claw at his neck. He swung the golden blade at the armour's weak spot between the forearm and bicep. The knight knocked the dagger aside with ease, clamouring as it bounced along the floor, away from Aris' grasp.
"What now, scum?" The king asked, disdain palpable in the air. "You're just as dumb as those Grimm."
It was obvious that he was enjoying this, as he drew out the time he took to kill Aris. He was undoubtedly a cruel and vindictive character. And Aris was counting on it.
Aris outstretched his unarmed hands towards the king's face, in a last, seemingly desperate attack.
The armoured king laughed.
With all the speed he could muster, Aris dismissed and re-summoned Lightning Dance, his hands already in the motion of striking as the blade materialised. The king, surprised, managed to lurch back, very nearly out of reach. The dagger would have simply scratched the surface of the king's armour, if not for Aris' ability. A gaping hole widened behind where the dagger scratched, doing tenfold the damage that it ought to have. For the first time, Aris was thankful for the tradeoff that he had received from the system. Roaring, the king's grip on Aris loosened, clutching at the wound that scarred him from shoulder to hip.
Landing on his feet, Aris had barely touched down before he lurched towards the still shocked king, plunging the golden dagger deep into his stomach. Wisps of light flowed over the king's body towards the blade, seemingly shrivelling up both body and armour. An ear curdling howl left the king, as he tried to pull the dagger from his body, but it was wedged too deep, and Aris' grip was just strong enough.
With a final cry, the knight toppled over, motionless on the marble. Golden hued blood pooled around him.
"Looks like kings can be just as stupid as a Grimm." Aris spat at the knight's corpse.
The system broke the following silence.
"Congratulations, Last Light. Your performance has exceeded expectations." The system sounded almost giddy as it congratulated him. "You have been awarded the rank of Slayer Recruit. Your library regarding the Stairhouse has been expanded. You have been awarded a Curse." It paused, as if thinking. Finally, it added, "Your exceptional display has resulted in a Special reward: Mad King's Wrath."
Gasping, and too fatigued to think about anything at all, Aris dragged himself up the dias and behind the throne. His body was bruised and battered, cuts tormented his body from head to toe. Both mind and body had been pushed far past their limits, and without rest, his next enemy might not even have to fight him to kill him.
"System, try to wake me up if you sense anything coming. Oh, and remind me to give you a real name when I wake up…"
Collapsing, Aris fell instantly into a deep slumber, hidden behind the golden throne from the untold horrors that prowled within the maze beyond the grand hall's entrance.