djarcher

The people of the alpha plane have made it their hobby to enter the dungeons of other worlds and conquer them. Naturally not everyone is happy with this as dark undercurrents begin to work against the conquerors.

As some people die in the dungeons they are made an offer. To give up their humanity in order to live on. 
Guy, a veteran carrier, is one of them, he can't bear to leave his family alone and accepts. From then on he must fight in the dungeons but as a monster while simultaneously continuing his life in the alpha plane in the shape of a human.
Jade, an elite adventurer, also accepts the offer but her intent is solely to get revenge on those who killed her and make humanity suffer for her life.
Monica, a little girl not native to the alpha plane is pulled into the happenings due to her childish innocence.

Counter Dungeon-Delving

I promptly snap my eyelids shut. I don't want any hypnosis BS in my mind. Having a talking navi in there is already enough.


As Navi says that a resounding snap echoes past me. I forcefully suppress the urge to open my eyes and find the origin of that sound. A good decision as I discover only moments later.


All the other participants of this meeting except Argus start to scream. And not in a fun way. Those are the screams of creatures that are being tortured or feel pain of similar severity. Argus must really be a scary foe.


<No, I never fought against him but I fought alongside him a few times. He is a top-class monster but Vespasian just uses him as a secretary and observer.>


The wailing around me dies down and an almost deathly stillness settled over me. I keep my eyes clamped shut and hope that nothing too bad happens.


"It's over, Jade. You can open your eyes again."


I tentatively open one eye and look around ready to snap it shut any moment. I avoid looking at Argus directly and check out the others first. The manticore is standing at rapt attention with its scorpion tail held high. The cyclops is rubbing his big eye but his back is straight as a rod. The amazonian-spartan couple is standing at attention with their right fist above their heart.


From the looks of it, the show is over. I open both my eyes and look at Argus.


"And what are you looking at? Did my display of exquisite power scare you?"


"But a coward that relies on mind tricks survives while others inevitably die due to their own bravery."


"Point taken. Now, let's move. The legion should have already broken through the wall in the 18th colosseum. We have to quickly establish camp before the entrance of the 17th colosseum and prepare our forces. The kobaloi should already be there."


We move as a group and use the breach to get past the wall and reach the entrance of the colosseum. There we walk through a large set of iron doors with countless engravings and for a moment I feel that same sensation I usually get when I am transferred into a new body.


Then these colosseums aren't located somewhere in the planes?


And the alpha plain can't get those coordinates? To my knowledge, they use exactly that mechanism to move adventurers and carriers into dungeons.


So they really need to fight their way through every colosseum? Poor adventurers! Do you know how many there are?


On the other side of the iron doors is another meadow. A wide grassy plain extends away in front of our eyes. 


"This is unexpectedly similar to the 19th colosseum. I would have expected something different."


"That's how everyone reacts. 18 and 19 are basically identical in all ways except for the troops stationed there. This is just a rumor so I never had the opportunity to confirm it but apparently, the Imperator uses dice to decide what environment is inside a colosseum."


Argus seems to know an interesting story about anyone within this dungeon. I wonder what his level is.


How about some real advice. How do I get such a skill?


Darwin being jealous? Isn't he this wildly overpowered ancient monster that can do everything he wants with ease?


<A funny way to describe him. But while it is true that Darwin holds immense power he is far more restricted than you think. His own conscience and the dungeon master make sure to keep him on a tight leash at all times."


While Navi and I are mentally chatting our group reaches a wall like on the previous floor. The only difference is that this one had a most and a wooden drawbridge that has already been lowered and is guarded by members of the undead legion.


The push (3)