by Wolfe Locke
With a big grin on his face, John challenged the offer. "That's not a bad deal, kid, but I'll sweeten the deal if you join my team. I don't care about which guild you belong to. I'll teach you a class. I'll teach you all the ways I know to be a tank and how to keep your teammates alive. Usually, I charge big money for that. It’s how I pay my drinking tab, and I’m offering it to you for free."
As Luca considered the choices, Dominic held up his hands to silence the group. "He'll have plenty of time to make up his mind. But for now, our leaders need to have a private chat with him, so make sure you brush up on your pitches in the meantime. I'm 100% positive. He's gonna be one of our heavy hitters. We’ve landed a Marlin."
I think I already know what my answer is going to be team-wise, thought Luca. "Can either of you teach me how to use a spear to fight?" asked Luca as he humored a fantasy of himself in dragon armor, the long spear in hand facing off against a horde of monsters, preparing to split the very earth in combat. Luca looked at each of the two team leaders longingly. The entire room erupted in laughter.
"Typical rookie power fantasy. We're Americans, well most of us, and none of us know how to use a spear. This ain’t a video game, kid. Besides, all those types died in the first wave," laughed John in good humor.
"Are you done?" interrupted the Gemini twins in unison as they walked through the room, pushing past Dominic and Luca. Both of them headed towards the stairway in the back that led up to the guild officers quarters. The room quieted before them as guild members whispered amongst themselves; something seemed off.
Shaking his head, Dominic replied, "Yeah. We’re done. Let's go." As he grabbed on to Luca’s hand and dragged him along up the stairs before disappearing behind the door as Kevin followed behind. In their wake, the members of the two guilds who had seen the abrupt change began to theorize and gossip about the newest prospect.
Chapter 12: Officers Lounge
The five of them went up the stairs into the sequestered Officer’s Quarters, leaving behind the chaotic comradery that the members of both guilds seemed to share in. As he went up the stairs, Luca felt a sensation of dread, a sixth sense of danger approaching. Stay alert. Stay alive. Listen to your gut. Right, that’s something Dad would say, Luca thought to himself, knowing that some part of him was noticing something, some detail that he wasn’t consciously aware of.
Luca was on guard as he stepped through the door into the Officer’s Quarters, unwilling to dismiss the feeling of unease that had crept upon him. The first thing Luca noticed about the room was that it was sparingly furnished and reminded him a lot of the apartment he and his dad had after his mom had passed away.
Handmade posters were hung on almost every wall, filled with necessary observations about the World Dungeon and how to survive within it. Luca didn’t take much time to look. The information seemed to be mostly conjecture, though it was good to learn that most people gained two stat points per level and started out with 1 stat point in each category. If true, he was already many times more powerful than most people.
The rest of the room was somewhat plain. The room had a long table made of warped plywood that sat off to the right side of the room, bordering a small kitchenette that Luca guessed comprised the guild officer’s breakroom or common area. In the middle of the room was a round table filled up with maps, drawings, site sketches, reports, and notes scattered across it. One thing stood out to him about it. I’m guessing most of these maps are for this place, but it looks like they have got a few current maps of the surface, Luca thought to himself.
"Are those maps from home?" Luca asked, pointing towards a map with familiar roads and city names with long red lines drawn all over entire regions, while larger sections of the map were etched in black.
Keira responded, walking over to the map to make sure she was referencing the correct one. "Yeah, this one’s from home. It’s localized, heading from Perimeter down into Newnan. You see these red lines? That’s as far as we’ve been able to scout when we’ve sent teams back to the surface. Honestly, it's rougher up there than down here. At least the first floor seems to be leveled. Upon the surface, we’ve heard rumors of monsters everywhere, monsters entirely beyond what we're currently capable of handling."
"Word on the street is Atlanta is completely overrun with the undead while the National Guard and the Army hold strong down towards Columbus. We’d like to help more, even help to evacuate and relocate people here, but so far, every time we’ve offered to help, the offer has been shot down. They don’t want to believe there’s an entire inner world on the other side of the gate. It’s just too much for them to believe," explained Layla, shaking her head at the thought.
"You can’t fault them for thinking that," interjected Dominic, his voice tired. Luca surmised this was a conversation the four of them frequently had. "The gateway continually spews out the very monsters that are ravaging the world above and like it or not, admit it or not. The four of us know what’s going on. It's like the Dungeon is trying to herd all of humanity into it by making the rest of the Earth uninhabitable. It’s hell up there."
They all turned to look at Kevin, expecting him to chime in with his opinion, but he shook it off, looking directly at Luca and shrugged. Ah, he wants to be a dick because he thought I blew him off. Whatever, thought Luca, irritated, before looking back at everyone else.
But nobody else spoke up. In the awkward absence of anyone saying anything, Luca distracted himself by reading some of the poster infographics he had seen. Starting with the one regarding personal stats and their effect.
The first poster explained that each stat point was a multiple of their own individual base and that every 10 points represented a 100% increase in that base stat. Notable was the importance of physique as it directly boosted physical stats. If Luca understood the relationship between stats and physique correctly, it meant he was 300% stronger than he had been before the accident. As for luck stat, it was circled, bolded to call attention to it, explaining that luck affected two things, drop rates, and a base modifier on ability price found in the shop but didn't give additional details.
The second poster he looked at was entirely filled with scribbles of rambling thoughts about ability shops. Judging by the ugly scrawl, Luca guessed the handwriting belonged to Kevin. It was still useful information to know though. Apparently, these Ability Shops were found near the entrance of any dungeon floor. Abilities were purchased with Sol, a sort of currency applied directly to a person when they completed quests or killed monsters. Abilities started out rather cheap to buy, but every time somebody purchased an ability, the price of that specific ability would double. A crossed-out note at the bottom hinted at how abilities could be passed between people, but the body of the text was too damaged by black markings for Luca to decipher the details.
"Are you done?" asked Layla impatiently. "It's not often people think they can just zone out and ignore any of us." I’m guessing I won’t be reading the rest of the posters right now, Luca told himself, noticing a sharp change in the body language and demeanor of the Gemini twins and their dwarven cousin. Before he could read some of the other posters, the air shifted in the room, heavy with an element of danger. The two elves looked toward the door, and Kevin walked toward it, blocking the exit as Dominic looked on with concern that things were about to escalate.
The three of them adopted aggressive postures as if preparing for a fight and seeing it excited Luca rather than intimidating him. Dominic seemed to notice that the thought of a fight was energizing Luca, and all he could do was shake his head. "This is completely unacceptable."
Kevin quickly shut the door leading out of the Officer’s Quarters, and with a loud clicking noise, he turned the deadbolt, locking the door so they would not be disturbed by anyone. Luca was unsure of the reason for the sudden change, but his heart fluttered nervously with the unfamiliar excitement at the prospect of violence.
"Alright, kid, we need to have a chat," said Keira, her voice gruff and blunt
, dropping any pretense of subtlety. "You’re strong, too strong for just a beginner, and before today I’ve never heard of much less seen you. How did you get the wings? Who did you kill? Which one of my friends have you killed? I've been here for a long time, then you show up out of the blue, and I'm supposed to believe you’re new? No, I call bullshit. Who the fuck are you."
Luca was reminded of Garen's warning and silently thanked the elf in his mind before replying. "I was wearing the wings as part of a costume before entering the World Dungeon; I thought they looked cool. I didn’t expect it to be permanent."
"Heh." Dominic fake laughed, trying to manipulate the mood in the room, even as the twins bristled in anger. The dwarf Kevin shifted anxiously, uncomfortable with the whole thing. "He's not wrong. I would have picked those if they had been a choice instead of my horns."
The twins glared at him, shutting the man up as he retreated away from the group in embarrassment at their behavior and sat down on the couch, watching them. "Don't hurt him," Dominic cautioned. "He should be one of us."
Ignoring what Dominic said, Layla turned to Luca. "So, tell me, kid, did you pick up the costume in the tutorial?" Her tone was leading, though more positive and engaging than that of her sister offering a way out for Luca.
Faintly, Luca could sense a trap and knew there was a wrong answer here but couldn't figure out what else to say besides to go along with it. "Yeah, during the tutorial." While his intelligence was boosted by the World Dungeon, Luca was still naïve and lacking in experience.
Layla's fake smile dropped. "That's impossible, kid. The tutorial was completely abandoned, its powers discarded and given back to the Dungeon, and, kid, I don't remember you from the tutorial. This is the first lie I’ve caught you in, and you know what they say about liars."
Luca panicked, no longer quite enjoying this. Panic flushed his face red. It was true that he had lied, but he protested, "No, I didn't lie to you. I just misunderstood your question."
Keira flicked her hand, and a glowing green circle appeared under Luca, causing thick tree roots to spring up from the floor and bind themselves in spirals holding his legs and body in place. While with her other hand she motioned for Kevin to step forward, saying only, "I don't believe you."
Understanding what was expected of him and obviously not the first time this had been done, Kevin left his position next to the door and walked over to Luca. Kevin looked Luca in the eye, a look of shame and embarrassment on his face. "Sorry, man, it's just business. Nothing personal. Our personal business, you and I will settle another time."
Without warning, Kevin slammed a metal dwarven fist into Luca's stomach. Luca doubled over in pain as he struggled to suck in air, not quite stunned by the blow but still suffering. Though Luca refused to fall down and refused to pass out. Even when Luca had to spit up bile that was pocked with freckles of red blood, he refused to show a sign of weakness. He would not be weak.
Notification: Resisted Ability "Stagger"
Details: The on-hit effect of "Stagger" did not apply due to the player known as "Luca" possessing a higher endurance stat than the strength stat of the player known as "Kevin."
"Hmm? Barely moved and still conscious?" mused Layla, curious, , as if her suspicions had suddenly been proven correct. "That was a straight endurance check. What's your strength at, Kevin?"
Kevin looked at Luca in grudging respect. "My strength is at 18, that should have knocked him off his feet into the wall, rooted or not. So, his endurance is at least 19. That's crazy. There is literally no way he’s new."
"Hmm… that is odd," said Dominic standing up as he tried to carefully appraise Luca before using a scan ability on him.
Notification: Resisted Ability "Advance Scan"
Details: The ability "Advance Scan" has been resisted. The player known as "Luca" possesses a higher perception than the intelligence stat of the player known as "Dominic."
"That certainly is something," admitted Dominic, joining the rest of them in looking at Luca with suspicion. "He has at least two stats that are on our level. That’s impossible for a new player, and it's impossible for most who have been here for a while."
Keira snarled. "See? I told you he wasn't normal. We all started with our stats at 1, and he's already been boosted that far. You don't see the problem here? It's not possible without being a player killer. He's probably been picking people off either here in the Dungeon or on the surface. We need to get rid of him now before he gets away and kills more of our people."
Pulling out a knife, Keira stepped forward menacingly, her desire to kill him broadcasted.
"You don't need to do this, I haven't killed anyone, I just got here today," Luca yelled as he struggled against magical restraints, steadily feeling the tension ease, but knowing it was insufficient, the spell wouldn't break anytime soon. Luca looked around at the other three. "Please, help me. I'm not a killer." But it didn't seem like any of them would help him. Fine, so be it. I'll save myself, Luca thought, he was not ready to die. Luca grasped at the only tools he had available, the memory of the ability he had subconsciously cast in the street of the unfinished summoning of a nightmare and the wings on his back.
Chapter 13: A House Divided
Darkness began to permeate through the very air around Luca as he grasped at the innate power that resided in him, coaxing it to bloom just as his dark wings had done. Luca was hoping for a miracle so he could survive. At the edge of his senses, he felt at the nightmare he sought to summon, but before he could finish, Keira was abruptly stopped.
Dominic had decided to interfere, and with his interference, the spell that Luca was trying to cast, the summoning of the monster failed. I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth, but he really could have stepped up a lot sooner, thought Luca as he dropped to the ground, suffering from painful spell feedback.
Staring down Keira, Dominic stomped one of his hooves and a pulse of magic spread out from him. The pulse dismissed the residual effects of the immobilization spell. His face showing no emotion but anger; Dominic reached down with a clawed three-fingered hand helping Luca get off the ground.
Luca was struggling, making painful-sounding shallow breaths as he fought for air as a result of the feedback. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he shouted in anger as he fought the familiar frustration of helplessness that threatened to overtake his senses.
"Hey, kid, don't lose yourself now," Dominic said, trying to get Luca to steel his nerves. "Let this be a lesson you never forget. Don't ever let any of your enemies see you suffer. Never let them see how they hurt you."
Keira glared at the two of them as her hands began to glow, getting ready to charge up an ability to attack as Layla and Kevin looked on timidly. "Get out of the way, Dominic, we need to know what he knows. Nobody, not even you are going to get in the way of that. Too many people are relying on us."
Dominic gave Luca a reassuring nod. Letting Luca at least know that he was on his side. "Keira, you don’t want to do this, you know how I feel about being threatened. You can’t take me, even if your sister and cousin support you. You need to back off. That’s more than enough, Keira."
Keira responded by launching the ball of lightning energy she had been charging towards them. Dominic quickly put himself in front of Luca and effortlessly absorbed the magic attack before yelling at her one more time.
"This boy didn’t kill Dane. You and I both know it. You’re acting crazy and making assumptions that could hurt everything we’ve tried to do here. Snap out of it." His voice was laced with eldritch as the power of chilled ice emerged from his fingertips. The magic spell encircled Keira in a layer of frost, freezing her in place. "This ends now."
Luca could see Keira struggling to try and turn her lips upwards in a snarl, but no matter how hard she fought against the magical binding, she couldn’t move. Keira was wholly immobilized by the devil-man’s spell. Dominic is a lot stronger than I gave him credit for, admitted Luca grudgingly. He was surprised and grateful for the rep
rieve from the elf’s craziness.
Luca hadn’t expected Dominic to interfere and was further surprised by the hard edge to the devil-man’s voice; Luca had assumed the man was cowed and intimidated by the twins, but here he was, with a dominating presence that hinted at hidden power as the room shook from the vibrations of energy that emanated from Dominic.
"I had thought we were all in agreement that we would take time to talk to Luca first before making any assumptions and figure out if he’s a potential ally or enemy. Yes, he’s different than the rest of the newcomers, and we need to know why.
If the dungeon is changing, we need to know why, and none of that happens if you can’t control yourself and lash out like an animal," chastised Dominic as he looked directly at Keira, and through her by extension, chastised her sister and cousin. "And we certainly don’t kill without good reason."
Disgusted, Dominic released the spell that was holding Keira in place as Kevin and Layla inched away with expressions of fear on their face. I guess they’re just as surprised as I am by Dominic’s power, reasoned Luca, as he realized both Layla and Kevin were intimidated by Dominic; even Keira, as brazenly belligerent as she was, showed an inkling of fear towards him.
But fear didn’t translate in this case into common sense and a bit of respect as Keira jeered. "Not a killer, Dominic? Why? Don’t have the stomach for it? You never did like getting your hands dirty. It’s not too late for you. We can still walk away from this as friends." Kevin backed away, an expression of fear on his face, but the twins only jeered, their faces a twisted contortion of hate.
