Chapter 22 – The End and The Beginning

Days became hours, and then the beginning of the expedition arrived. Each party member was inspected thoroughly, mentally, and physically. Specific guidelines for personal equipment were outlined as well. If you couldn't fit your own things on your person or in a storage artifact like a storage ring, it couldn't be brought. Meetings about expected etiquette as well as negotiations for individual soul contracts were officialized. Also, official party equipment was handled by the sub-group equipment managers, and everyone was brought towards the red zone around Hell.

Different members came for different reasons, and some didn't even get along because of the different factions involved. One hundred members was seen as too large of a party, and Ziphe was still under heavy scrutiny by elites. If they failed to conquer Hell, it could even cause a worldwide panic and power vacuum. Nonetheless, everything advanced smoothly. Every official procedure was met, and every sponsor wanted to film the occasion, just like the selection. However, after a final goodbye ceremony, the cameras would shut off, and the party would enter the dungeon.

Ziphe stood in front of the cameras with the party behind him. Hell's menacing gates could be seen in the distance, and the cameras would soon watch from a distance for their own safety as the party started their journey.

Ziphe began his speech.

"Today, the High Mage Council and our associates from the Great Dungeon Party will embark on the most dangerous and daring expedition of our generation. Thanks to the support of many, one hundred of the brightest minds from around the entire world will set aside their differences and work together towards a bright future.

Together, this party's goal is simple: we will subjugate the dungeon that took the lives of so many ten years ago. The Shade War's scars will not heal quickly but defeating Hell will be a step towards future security and peace. With the resources, hopes, and trust of the world on our shoulders, we will arrest the man responsible for this crisis. Lavalin will be apprehended, and the legendary Hell's Dungeon will be subjugated."

The small audience roared with applause, and some of the family members of the party members said their goodbyes at the short reception. All formalities had been completed; the only thing left was to enter the dungeon. Following Ziphe, the party began the journey of a lifetime, with the whole world watching as they walked away into the red zone where only official personnel could go.

Ziphe and his ninety-nine companions approached the gigantic metallic doors of Hell. Different moods surfaced throughout the crowd. Adventurers and Wandering Sages heartily told jokes to each other as they walked closer and closer. Meanwhile, the higher ups held serious and solemn faces. They had heard the rumors and read the history books. The opening of a dungeon was the precursor to tragedy. In the recorded history of planet Ryko, no party had ever been able to conquer any of the Three Great Dungeons. Wiser members fully understood this would likely be the last time they would see their families.

All of this did not stop the weaker or less experienced members from being caught up in their dreams of glory. No matter what history said, they had joined the grand party for the adventure! No one could make them believe they couldn't conquer the dungeon. No one could take away this historic moment from them.

Although their party was not the strongest nor biggest in dungeon conquering history, a feeling of optimism was brought about by the rumored strategies and recordings of the last excursion into Hell's Dungeon. The hype caused by the media during the Dungeon Party Selection was all-consuming. Various floors had been documented thoroughly during the last opening of the dungeon, and pieces of the layout gave way to preparation that had been unprecedented until now. Each sub-group had equipment managers who specialized in the magic of dimensional space with entire plans for specific documented floors and had detailed plans and scenarios in case of a floor changing its contents.

Ziphe stood prominently in front of the four leaders of the sub-parties. He signaled for the crowd to quiet down. They had arrived at the Gates of Hell. Around them, the emergency response team from the council had created a makeshift encampment for the worst-case scenario of another dungeon break or the failure of the party. If remnants of the party were to come out injured in the worst-case scenario, these guards and doctors would attend to them. Ziphe waved them away from the gates to make more room for the party and looked at the sub-party leaders as the masses silenced.

Superior Councilman Naxa, Ziphe's right hand man, stood seriously with a scowl on his face. He was augmented with different robotics to enhance his body, lending him a scary demeanor. His robotic left eye glowed with ferocity.

"Those who were not taking the expedition seriously don't deserve a spot in my group." thought Naxa, grumbling as he scanned the crowd. These newbies wouldn't last long anyways…

The Ex-King of Phanec, Augustus, stood indifferently on Ziphe's left side. He was another overbearing looking man. Wearing a green gasmask on his face to help him breathe, his green cloak and pale skin made him look like a cliché villain. Despite his shady appearance, he patiently waited for the crowd to get silent and nodded to his subordinates to nudge the rowdier individuals.

Behind Ziphe, a truly skeevy man scanned the crowd. The Ex-King of Pyrite, Skele, had joined the subjugation team for one reason and one reason alone: to make a profit. Dungeon loot would surely be rare and expensive, and Skele stepped down from his king position in order to become the world's wealthiest person through the profits the expedition yielded. He tried to keep his public image good for the Selection, but his true colors would be shown soon enough.

With a greedy grin on his face, Skele was adorned with jewels, sparkling rings, and other glowing artifacts. The quieting clamor of the crowd made no difference to him. In fact, the deaths of his subordinates made no difference as long as he was able to take hold of this opportunity that came once an era. Perhaps he could even write a book about the adventure! Unimaginable wealth was just behind Hell's gates!

Ziphe's short brown hair swayed in the wind as his light brown eyes glowed with determination. He was short, but his fierce determination made up for his size. A microphone was always attached to his ear, and he started his speech to the party.

"Fellow colleagues, friends, enemies, and esteemed guests, the challenge in front of us is a daunting one. All of you have different reasons for being here, but a common goal we all share is to progress in this dungeon further than any who have attempted it before us. We will subjugate Hell's Dungeon. We will conquer Hell.

No longer will a horrendous Dungeon Break take the lives of innocents. We will set aside our differences and find commonality to save our shared world. We will hold the man, Lavilin, responsible for his crimes of instigating global unrest and suffering, and he will face justice." He paused as the crowd stirred.

Different faces flashed with disgust, determination, rage, sadness, and even joy at hearing the mention of Lavalin. Ziphe's eyes connected with a specific individual in the crowd as he continued. His rage towards Lavalin could be felt even at Ziphe's makeshift podium.

21 smiled beneath his black mask.

"Despite our differences, we have all agreed by the bounds of the Soul Contracts to fulfill our roles in this expedition, and this all starts on the first floor.

Actually, there are some inconsistencies in the previous accounts of the Dungeon's layout. There is a floor before the first floor." People murmured, confused. Ziphe continued anyways.

"Wizard King Xie introduced me to a prophet. This man goes by the name of '21'. Please come to the front 21." A man in a plainly black mask adorned in average Wizard Association's clothing walked next to Ziphe from the crowd.

"21 is a prolific prophet, unmatched in our era. Recommended to me personally by Wizard King Xie, I have found no fault in his prophecies. Together with him, King Xie, and the other sub-party leaders, we have formulated the exact plans necessary to conquer the dungeon efficiently.

With that said, it has come to our attention that there is a preliminary trial before floor one of the dungeon." Murmurs spread again through the crowd, but Ziphe continued, nonetheless.

"Before floor one of the dungeon, there is a Floor 0. This floor is the entrance of Hell and the first trial we must all face. While technically not a floor, the entrance itself gives a tailored trial depending on the individual or party that attempts to enter the dungeon." Looks of disbelief and concern sparked throughout the people. Ziphe waved his hand again to silence the murmuring crowd. Naxa's face went red with anger at the crowd's interruption. How impudent!

"21's prediction of our trial is the splitting of our group from 100 into four groups of 25. Originally, we planned to work as a group of 100 using scouting methods to move through the dungeon slowly and methodically, as they did in some of the previous documented expeditions, but if the splitting of our group were to happen, our current plan would surely fail.

In conjunction with 21's predictions, we have preemptively arranged sub-groups accordingly and will plan to meet on a specific floor later on as we explained briefly with the introduction of the sub-parties."

Some voices started to speak up with concern,

"Why should we trust that masked man?"

"So that's why we were given sub-groups!"

"Why haven't we heard of him before?"

"What if 21 is wrong?"

Augustus motioned for the group to calm down with a slow hand gesture. Ziphe waited patiently for the questions to subside before responding.

"Wizard King Xie himself has personally recommended 21 as his personal prophet. Xie has kept his existence a secret, but 21 took the initiative to ask to join the Great Dungeon Party as our official prophet to stop calamity from befalling us.

Now, if there aren't any further questions, we shall begin." Ziphe didn't give the party any time to respond but turned around sharply to open the enormous gates. Some skeptics frowned while others were relieved to hear Wizard King Xie was the backing of the mysterious prophet.

The Gates screeched open. They towered high, about three whole stories tall, into the mountain Hevel, but Ziphe pushed them open quickly, putting his full aura into his arms. Instantly, an aura of darkness, sinisterly black and red, shot out of the doors as they opened. Everyone unprepared to feel an aura of death suddenly became uncomfortable as they stared into the large, empty abyss. It was darkness that could be felt.

Ziphe unhesitatingly walked alone into the darkness, and everyone lost sight of him. Naxa, Augustus, and Skele signaled for everyone to follow and walked into the abyss. Scared, some felt the primal urge to turn back and run away from the dungeon. Some unhesitatingly followed the leaders, but those who had never experienced the unnatural aura of death were frozen in place.

21 patiently watched as the more eager members walked or ran past him after the party leaders. A few of the scared adventurers and association wizards inched a little closer to the gates and were eventually swallowed by the darkness.

Only a few members of the party were left.

21 spoke in a low voice to the final remaining members, "There's no shame in turning back. For the souls of the dead, and, for the unluckiest explorers of our party, this is the end of the line. There will be no hope of returning home.

Hell was designed to put the souls of the dead to eternal rest. In other words, Hell is a place where souls cannot escape until they meet a true death. However, you don't need to worry. Put your faith in me, and you will survive. Even if you do die, it will not be for nothing; this expedition will go down in history as the greatest expedition of all time."

21 turned around and entered the shadows of Floor 0. Looking at each other in disbelief and fear, the last remaining members silently followed 21 into the unknown.