Denizens of the Labyrinth

Jazmel rose up and moving over to the melted corpse of the tier III knight, he took the meat cleaver and the nicked sabre into his ring. He wouldn’t take anything else; he didn’t think being greedy was the best thing for these strangers as they banded together to escape.

The young girl came over and placing her hand on the core, she looked around to make sure nobody would stop her. She took it into her own storage ring and sighed as if she had just eaten a heavy meal. She looked up and noticed Jazmel looking at her, her eyes were unreadable for him, but he studied her for a moment and then she walked over to him.

“You are strong, what level are you?” she asked him, he hadn’t been asked that in a while, but he remembered that Mary had told him that it was considered rude to be asked this.

“What level are you?” she pursed her lips and then turned her head, clearly aware of the same rules as Jazmel.

“I just got the notification that I can push into ranker now, but it doesn’t seem smart to do it while we are in here.” she shared with him and Jazmel nodded, agreeing with her.

“We should move on, while its quiet.” Tango said, coming over as he sheathed his long knife after cleaning them off. Jazmel nodded and rose up to begin moving, he checked himself to make sure he had no wounds he was unaware of, but he was unscathed again.

“Hey wait! Can I come with you?” she asked, and Tango looked at her, smiled and then looked at Jazmel.

“It’s your choice leader.” He said and then began to scout the route that they should next take.

“You are his leader?” she asked, her eyes questioning and analysing him.

“He is part of my faction.” He admitted and she acknowledged how he didn’t say he was superior to Tango.

“Can I come with you guys? I don’t know the others and I entered this gate on my own and ended up in this castle.” She confessed and Jazmel shrugged.

“You can come if you can keep up. Make sure you do as we say, and we will make sure to fight and protect you where we can.” He said and she nodded, Tango whistled and beckoned to a route he had found. They broke into a sprint and Jazmel tagged behind Tango and Elai; the mage girl. Followed behind him.

They were well down the stairs when the other strangers began following them down, but Jazmel , Tango and the girl were well ahead of them. She was doing her best to keep up, but her physical stats were quite low compared to Jazmel ’s whereas tango had dexterity and agility in abundance, so it seemed like he was floating above the ground when he moved quickly.

“I wonder how Baek is doing.” Jazmel thought aloud and Tango chuffed.

“I don’t think you know how strong that man actually is.” He said and didn’t stop to even look back.

“Who is he talking about? Who else is there in the castle with you guys?” she huffed out, clearly tired from all their running. But they couldn’t slow down, and she knew it, so didn’t ask that of them. Jazmel almost answered her but above them they heard a roar and the din of fighting. The other Seekers had been caught and were fighting some new monster from the demonic forces.

“Let’s keep moving!” Tango said and he jumped the banister of the stairs to descend faster. Jazmel didn’t even know he could move any faster, but he was surprised again.

“Can he slow down?” the girl huffed, and Jazmel exhaled, he was struggling to keep up with Tango, but he was still well ahead of the girl. She needed to work on her stats, they were terrible. But he slowed down and tried to urge her forward, they made it down three flights before Tango beckoned for them to follow him and this corridor opened out into a wide chamber, it reminded Jazmel of his own chamber in the outpost, and he wondered if it was the bottom of the castle too; the meeting hall was wide, far wider than Jazmel ’s outpost and he wondered about the dynamics for a split second. The screams from the stairwell rang out and echoed up and down, he wondered who was winning and what that meant for Tango and Elai.

“Catch your breath, we might still have a fight left.” Tango told them and Jazmel pulled two stamina potions from his ring and swigged them both, he felt the lactic acid in his body diminish greatly and then he turned and pulled another out, handing it over to Elai.

“Drink it quickly, if you gained any stat points, you need to put it into willpower, vitality, and endurance. Your stamina sucks.” He told her, she pouted but drank his potion immediately and pulled a Mana potion to drink also as they prepared to fight.

Jazmel moved towards the centre of the hall; he needed the space. He put Nozarashi into his ring and drew Yoru no Tsubasa. He was ready for this fight.

“Here they come!” Tango said and then leaping across the ground he landed deftly beside Jazmel and pulled his two short blades again. Elai, the half-staffed mage was muttering to herself as she began pull Mana from her surroundings, Jazmel didn’t look back. His eyes were focused on the stairwell, but dread soon took control.

His senses were pulling at him, and he tore his eyes away to look at the entrance of the hall. The doors opened and demons poured in. Night terrors poured in and chittered and warbled as they bounded across the ground. The stairwell was filled with them, out of the group of seekers they had left behind only three remained. They were battered and bloody, but Jazmel could see they were still fighting and surviving.

“Over here!” he shouted, and they shambled over towards where Jazmel , Elai and Tango stood.

“What happened?” Tango said and one of the men, sneered before jutting with his chin.

“That happened!” he said and crawling through the much smaller opening creeped at demonic dark wing. This made Jazmel shiver, but he realised it wasn’t the same one as the one Baek had fought with. He sighed, his head swivelled, and he looked to see another dark wing enter through the double doored entrance.

“This is going to be fun.” Tango muttered, to himself but loud enough that everyone could hear.

“Alright, everyone. This is going to be hard, any potions you have. Drink them now. We are going to move as one and stay as close as possible. We need to take one of those dark wings down before they reach us at the same time. Elai you need to hit one of them as hard as you can, only strike the one you think you can hit the hardest. Then we will all strike that one. Whoever gets the kill, recover, and then resupply.” Tango explained, nobody questioned him, and Jazmel thought his idea was sensible.

“Get ready!” Tango commanded as the night terrors hurried at them and the different skills burst from the small group as they hit and bombarded the terrors. Jazmel didn’t used any of his skills yet, he was preserving his Mana to hit the dark wing when it neared. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t doing his best; he was protecting all those who were beside him, any terror that got close died or was wounded grievously. He struck sharp and quick, and they hissed from the blade he now was growing so accustomed to.

He felt his exp growing little by little and he could also feel his stats rising but he dare not look right now.

“Dark Wing at the stairwell is the closest!” Elai shouted and she began to pour her Mana into her staff and Jazmel watched as she drained the area of Mana to amplify her attack.

Star descent!

She screamed and Jazmel watched as she winced as literally all her Mana left in this attack. The skill she had called forth was monstrous, he could feel it in the air. Her Mana willed to life five stars into the ceiling, and they twinkled with Mana as she wrenched them from the sky and crashed them into the dark wing. It wailed in pain, wrought with wounds, it lost its left shoulder, its entire right arm and both wings. But it was still alive. It stumbled towards them now and Tango darted forward.

“Jazmel you need to kill it!” he ran forward, flitting through the attacks of the terrors like a gust of wing, he turned corporeal and sliced through the ankles of the dark wing, bringing it down to its knees but when it tried to rise up, it couldn’t and then decided to crawl towards them.

“Why won’t you just die?” Jazmel whispered and then he rushed in, dodging the terrors as they tried to swarm him, but he was deathly to anything that neared and the frigid death Mana emanating from his blade was enough to deter a few; which allowed him some space. He gained a few slashes and scratches, his Mana dripping away to repair his clothes as the night terrors tried their best to get to him, but any that drew truly close were carved up.

Jazmel focused, trying to meditate in the centre of this battle, they could die. He knew that but to his surprise he felt really calm and he watched as things suddenly began to slow down and he realised he had entered that sword state again, that place where it was just him and his sword.

He raised the sword above his head, steading his arms; planting his feet and with a deep inhale he urged Mana into his sword. He felt the three Mana’s coalesce into something beyond, something far stronger than he would have been able to create on his own and while he was in this stance, he knew that everything was perfect. There was no flaw in his sword. He didn’t even shout or say his skill, he simply whispered it, but the intent was so powerful it took almost half the Mana in him to wield it.

Cleave

The slash was so perfect, he felt as if he cut through the very air, it cut through Mana and when it reached the dark wing. It cleaved it in two, Jazmel ’s mouth was agape, and he watched as the giant beast fell apart and the ichor pooled the two cleaved parts.

“You are getting too strong!” Tango said and Jazmel nodded, suddenly aware that he should not have been able to do that. They hurried back to the group and Jazmel tried his best to not take note of the eyes on him, especially Elai who had taken to chugging Mana potions but also looking at him over the vials.

“One down!” one of the others in the group said and he slowly blinked his eyes in mute thanks. Jazmel nodded, but then stepped to the front of the group. He was going to defend them while they recovered, he had enough Mana for another attack like that.

BOOM!

That didn’t come from them or the dark wing, who also seemed worried about the sound.

BOOM!

BOOM!

The ceiling shook with the strikes and Jazmel wondered what monstrous thing could be making those sounds. Dust knocked from the crevices of the stones and bricks used in the castle, but they soon began to shake free, and a few dropped down onto the night terrors that mulled around.

They had stopped their attack as everyone waited to see what was crashing through the floors above.

BOOM!

The final one broke the ceiling and brought it down atop the dark wing and majority of its forces. Blinding white Mana filled the entire hall and Jazmel sighed with thanks as he felt the familiarity of Baek.

He landed gracefully atop the stone grave that he had made for the dark wing, it had tried to claw its way free, but he had driven his short blade sword into his skull and burned it with an expulsion of white Mana. It died instantly and he pulled its corpse into his ring.

“Enough!” he said, and his voice was quiet yet firm. He beckoned for the survivors to attend him, and he held back the night terrors with his Mana alone.

“The challenge is done as soon as you walk through the entrance it will end. What will you do though? This was an arduous task, and I am sure this will be the first of many, you need to recoup and resupply your potions and also settle your stats. What will you do?” Baek asked them while looking at Jazmel , he read the situation and stepped forward.

“I have an outpost you can join, there are members currently stationed there. All you have to do is enter it and they will help you, but we are new and have not set up heavy foundations. So, if you do need our help, you will have to earn your keep. You will be allowed to recover, but we will need you to offer your services once recovered.” He explained and the three were quiet, Elai was standing beside Tango, but she wasn’t alone. To his surprise the man with the giant sword from the first floor had come with Baek and he was battered and wounded but his eyes danced with life, and he grinned when Jazmel caught his eyes.

“I will join.” He said and offered his hand to shake Jazmel ’s they shook, and Jazmel realised just how big he was when his hand was lost in their grip.

He flicked the system screen up and offered the faction position to him and he smiled when he accepted.

DING!

GELTH RANKER TIER I HAS JOINED YOUR FACTION!

Jazmel nodded and the man stepped to the side, but he wasn’t alone for long. Elai stepped up and smiling Jazmel offered her the same offer, she accepted, and he watched as her name flitted up on the screen.

DING!

ELAI SEEKER TIER III HAS JOINED YOUR FACTION!

The others soon joined him, thinking it better to band together. “you guys just need to pick the outpost when you step through the gate and you will go directly there now, the option should show up immediately. Get rested and recover, we will join you as soon as able.” Jazmel said and Elai and Gelth stepped through the entrance of the castle and immediately they disappeared. The others quickly followed, and Jazmel watched as they too disappeared, he turned to Tango who just finished sending a swan off and he wondered who it was for.

“Mary, just to let her know who the new faces are.” He explained and Jazmel nodded, he did the same, sending one to Katie and then one to Sadé.

“We need to leave now, before the owner of the castle wakes up.” Baek told them and Jazmel looked up, there was something stronger here? he was ready to go.

They stepped through the gate but did not opt to go back to the outpost, no they were still going to go deeper into the dungeon.