Heroes of Darkness: A Dark Dungeon Realm LitRPG Omnibus Collection

by Wolfe Locke

  Seraph was unsure what to make of each horrific vision that his mind presented to him. Is this insanity? Seraph wondered, believing that his very soul was conspiring against him, forcing him to be present in the moment of his own death, while all Seraph wanted was to remain at peace, sleeping, unconscious, and hoping for some dream of the past to visit him. But it was not to be, as Seraph forced himself to dismiss those thoughts and the comfort of the void, disassociating from each horror his mind plagued him with.

  “You need to wake up,” said a voice from within Seraph’s consciousness—the same voice that had told him to save the elf. “You need to wake up now.”

  With the command, Seraph opened his eyes and immediately felt sand give way under his back as he saw a wide trail left on the beach in his wake, leading away from the pier. His father, Paul, was hunched over in a squat, dragging him under the arms, a look of dogged determination on his face as the man stared forward in front of him at the black tendrils of the abyssal elemental that loomed and waved through the air, trying to grab them. The monster was so much closer. Seraph could see ivory bones beneath the oil-like surface, and within those tendrils, he could make out what he thought might be thousands of eyes staring back at him—the remnants of those consumed by the monster, trapped for all eternity.

  Seraph noticed that Paul’s face was covered in thick burns and matted scar tissue—a recent wound that had been healed by the dungeon but not repaired back to its original state. A recent injury that hadn’t been there when last he had seen his father earlier in the in-processing center, and as surprised as Seraph was to see his father, he was more surprised that neither of them was dead yet. If the wound on Paul’s face was telling, it was a wonder that he had survived.

  Not like I’m doing any better, thought Seraph as he looked at the stump that remained of his left arm. While the dungeon had healed the wound, it had not replaced the hand he lost. But Seraph remembered that was not his only injury as he glanced down at his shredded and ruined legs and screamed at the mangled mess.

  Without a moment of hesitation, Paul struck him upside the head, knocking him out so he could continue to move his son inland towards safety. Away from the water’s edge and the pursing tendrils of the water monster.

  Chapter 12: Reunited

  * * *

  A rapidly exploding headache hit Seraph long before he came to. With a groan, he opened his eyes. Dismissing the throbbing pain, he saw they had stopped a hundred or so feet from the shore, beyond the reach of the abyssal elemental.

  “Sorry about having to knock you upside the head, kiddo; you were starting to struggle a lot. With whatever that thing is that was after you, I couldn’t risk our lives. Not when you woke up freaking out,” Paul explained in a low, hushed voice, his eyes and face never moving away from the monstrosity right in front of both of them. With a grunt, Paul continued to drag Seraph farther away from the waterfront as the Abyssal continued to vie for them.

  But even though the Abyssal Elemental was close, the monster could not reach them, no matter how hard it strained. It went so far as to try and maroon its body on the shore, only to quickly retreat back with a hiss when its corrupted form began to evaporate. Seraph could see the abyssal straining its tentacles as far as it could reach. The monster’s bloodlust was intense and unmistakable as it sought to grab them, coming up short by mere meters. Though the monster could not harm them—and though, for the moment, both of the men were safe—neither of them felt safe as their limbs turned cold as the adrenaline finally left their bodies.

  Feeling an intense amount of relief knowing he was still alive, Seraph laughed a deep belly laugh, and the further inland they got away from the monster, the harder he laughed. Paul looked at him oddly but said nothing, assuming the boy had a break from sanity. When the Abyssal stopped struggling to reach them, Paul felt safe enough to stop dragging Seraph, carefully laying him down and then sitting down right beside him.

  “I watched part of your fight today; you got lucky, kiddo. I thought it was good thinking to blow the bridge, but you're reckless. I don’t care about your restart ability. You need to take better care of yourself. I mean, look at you! Your legs are a mangled mess, your hand has been torn open, and your other hand is gone. Up until a few minutes ago, you were bleeding from cuts all over your body. You’re lucky I came along when I did. If I hadn’t been nearby, that thing would have killed you, and if anyone else had been in my place, they would have left you to die,” criticized Paul, worry evident on his face in spite of the circumstances from when they parted ways.

  “What happened?” asked Seraph, pointing to damage on Paul’s face with his remaining hand, calmer now that his wounds were being healed and the damage to his legs was starting to fade. “How did you get past the skeletons?”

  Paul touched his face with his hand, wincing. “Ah, the skeletons. I didn’t actually see any of them until I saw you on the pier. When I arrived, I saw all the bodies, and I panicked, running until I got to the shore. I’ve been debating with myself turning around ever since and trying to go back to town. This isn’t a place I feel like running around alone in. As for my face… When I saw it was you on the pier, I started running. By the time I reached you, you had fallen over, passed out, and that thing was on you as quickly as I was. It pursued you as I dragged you along, fighting with it the entire way. The same way it took the skin off your legs, it took part of my face as I tried to pull you free. We are both lucky to have survived it.”

  Seraph could only stare in awe at what Paul was saying. To do such a thing required an iron will, the ability to move through pain and think under pressure, to act under great duress. All these were things that Seraph admired, and all were things that Paul admitted that he had done for him. “How did you survive that? You should have died; we both should have died.”

  “Almost dying trying to save you unlocked an ability specific to heroes—a legendary skill,” explained Paul without offering any sort of explanation or follow up. There was a tone of finality to his answer, making it clear he didn’t want to tell more.

  Judging by the awkward silence that settled between them it was telling to Seraph that Paul hadn’t forgotten the reasons for their parting of ways—or the words that had been said and the reason for their utterances.

  When they both got tired of saying nothing, each of them decided to move the conversation back to safer territory, away from each other’s capabilities. Paul broke the silence first. “I don’t know what that thing was, but judging from the little I saw of it, it’s not something either of us wants to have to deal with again. So instead of turning around and trying to find a way back through the gate, how about you let me team up with you and watch your back until we can find a way out of here.”

  Seraph nodded his head as best he could as he lay on the ground healing. His racial attributes were making the process last much longer then it would have for many players in the dungeon. "No, you're absolutely right. I had thought of it as an Abyssal Ocean originally—think of it as a spawn point for high-end monsters and an environmental hazard that can kill on touch—but I was wrong. There are some similarities between the two, but I’m positive that thing was an Abyssal Elemental. This entire waterfront is one large, corrupted elemental. In the decades I spent in the dungeon before restarting, I never once came across such a thing.”

  A strange and pained expression came across Paul’s face as Seraph mentioned decades in the dungeon, and as they continued to talk, Seraph could only guess what the root of that expression was. Seraph was not unsympathetic towards the man; he knew for his father, the man’s life had taken a very dramatic turn that could never be undone.

  Seraph looked expectantly at his father as the man rolled words around on his tongue as he struggled to find what he wanted to say. In Seraph’s experience, that had never boded well for the direction of the conversation.

  “Seraph. That’s what they called you, right? That’s what you call yourself?” asked Paul, his expressio
n grim as he held his hands together to hide their shaking. “It’s true then that you’ve been living this hell for years?”

  "Not years, decades. I have fought and bled in this dungeon for decades, and yes, Seraph—that’s what they call me. That’s the name I was given the first time I entered the dungeon,” he answered wearily as he stared at the sky, hoping to avoid another confrontation with the man. He was already tired of fighting.

  Paul looked down in contemplation before responding. “Then, I guess I need to start calling you that too. I can’t just ignore you, but I can’t keep things the same either. Just call me Paul from now on, OK?”

  “Why? What changed for you? asked Seraph curiously, hoping he might be able to regain his father as an ally in his mission.

  “Well, I was angry; I still am angry. I know what you did, and Erin didn’t deserve that. You killed her, and I should have let you die on that pier, but I can’t do that because if you die, any chance I have of ever getting my kid back, my actual kid, my Luca, dies with you. But I’m not your dad any more than you’re my son. You’re just wearing him like an outfit. So please, have a little sympathy, and just don’t call me father anymore,” explained Paul, his voice emotional as Seraph noted the desperation on his face as he struggled to contain his emotions.

  Seraph nodded in understanding, not surprised by the man’s conclusions or need. The trials of the World Dungeon affected everyone differently. It was not his place to judge a person’s response—so long as they responded and did not content themselves with never gaining strength or power.

  “When I left the improving building, I took off towards Hometown on the path through the woods. I needed some time to clear my head and be alone, but I’m not stupid enough to not arm myself. I was able to pick up a replacement weapon by spending all the Sol I earned from the tutorial at some elf’s shop. This time I went with a sword and shield,” Paul explained as he showed Seraph the iron sword at his side and the wooden shield he had paired it with.

  “I was trying to work on unlocking this legendary class I was granted. The elves are fairly helpful in that regard. They directed me to go to the dungeon and start grinding. They warned me in advance, though, about the pier. There’s no guarantee that something will summon that monster, but they guaranteed that too much noise and movement would summon it. Basically, the opposite of what you did, although they didn’t mention the dead or the skeletons that you fought,” Paul explained.

  “I need you to understand that when I saw it was you on that pier, I just knew I had to help. I couldn’t let you die, and the thought came to me that if you were in that position, it’s because you hadn’t experienced it before. You didn’t know, which means you’re not as all-knowing as you’ve tried to appear to be. You need help, and to need help is human. I’m willing to give it conditionally,” continued Paul, looking at Seraph.

  “What’s your condition… Paul?” Seraph said as he allowed the man the simple comfort he had requested.

  “At the first chance you can, I want you to leave that body and give me my kid back. I want you to take better care of that body, and find a way to fix the damage you’ve already caused. Act at least a little bit like you give a shit about people and try not to alienate everyone. If my son ever gets his body back, he’ll have whatever reputation you’ve given him to contend with,” explained Paul a desperate undertone to his voice.

  Seraph pretended to consider it. He could take better care of the body and try to be more empathetic to a point, but he could not surrender the body; it was after all his. He could, however, play into the narrative that Paul was suggesting and use it to his advantage. “Paul, I could return this body at the first chance I get, but if I win the game, I can and will gladly return your child to you. If I were to leave this body before the game is over, you and everyone you’ve ever loved, including the child whose body I possess, would die without my protection. I’ll leave, but only after the whole of humanity has survived this game. This, I promise as a binding oath.”

  Seraph awkwardly held out his remaining hand to shake on it, and as Paul reached out and grabbed it, they shook on it to seal the oath between them as each man received a notification.

  Notification: Seraph has made a binding promise to leave his inhabited body once humanity has survived the Genesis Game.

  Seraph received an additional notification that made him smile. He was not sure what conditions he had reached, but apparently, he had all of them. This was not information he would ever share with others.

  Notification: An ability of the Black Seraph has been unlocked. “Prince of Lies.”

  Notification: Prince of Lies - Allows the possessor of this ability to break a binding oath, promise, or contract with any person with whom the possessor of this ability has an equal or higher Luck status.

  Chapter 13: Upgrade

  * * *

  Notification: Event Notification – The Awakening

  Details: Having survived the awakening of Nitryon the Thrice Tainted, you gain 1 stat point to use freely. Additionally, as the first to unlock and escape this event, you also have received 1 Vial of Abyssal Ichor (Mythic – Cosmetic/Crafting) as a reward.

  Notification: Item Gained – Vial of Abyssal Ichor (Mythic – Cosmetic/Crafting)

  Details: This clear vial contains a darkly turning liquid, warm to the touch; it seems to pulse with its own life. This item may be used in the crafting of an item to add a ??? effect, or it may be ingested to gain a ??? cosmetic result.

  Note: Cosmetic Effects are not instant; please remain seated in a safe location while changes are occurring.

  Notification: Quest Update – The Seal of Power

  Details: You have unlocked two parts of the power of the Black Seraph. Unlock two more abilities of the Black Seraph to gain the “Seraph Wings” cosmetic.

  Seraph read the prompts and dismissed them with disinterest. He was still far away from ever getting his wings back, and the Abyssal Ichor was an unknown variable that he was concerned about. Mythic was a grade above legendary, and gaining new powers from cosmetic changes could provide him with precisely the sort of power boost he needed to survive. This Dungeon was more dangerous than he had thought, with its changing of the floors. Even surviving back in Hometown with its multiple layers of danger.

  As Seraph considered ingesting the Ichor, he considered holding onto it too and using it as a craftable. Still, crafting had never been something he held any passion or ability towards. There was nobody he could turn to either. Those with skill wouldn’t surface for some time, and those with natural talent would take longer still. In the meantime, Seraph could rely on some of the elves to craft items for him. Always, the cost would be exorbitant and nearly but not entirely invalidating the worth of the item.

  “Status,” said Seraph as he summoned his status screen. He saw that his fight with the skeletons and Skeletal Lord had given him a level up. The Skeletal Lord had given him 850 experience points, but the skeletons had given him only roughly 20 experience each. He could assume from the data that bosses and sub-bosses would be where most of the experience was to be found; he just didn’t yet know how the experience would be shared.

  Seraph applied one of the points to help him build up a passive gap to use his new oath-breaking ability. The free stat point he had received for surviving the Abyssal, Seraph decided to keep. He would use it as and when needed. If and when he ever made it back to Hometown, Seraph felt he might need to use both the new ability and apply all free stat points he had.

  Name

  Luca Fernandez

  Race

  Aliases

  Seraph

  Fallen

  Passives

  Body of Mana

  (+50 Melee Damage)

  (-50% Healing Received)

  (Weakness to Light)

  (Dark Vision)

  Abilities

  Thousand Handed (76 - 1000)

  Cold Hands (103 - 1000)

  Starfall (18 - 1000)
/>   Level

  Current Unassigned Stat Points

  1

  11 of 999

  Current Experience

  20 of 1000

  STR

  4

  INT

  3

  AGI

  3

  WIS

  3

  LCK

  2

  PHY

  1*

  END

  5

  PER

  3

  SOL