Dungeon: Fighting Wraiths

The guards finally brought them to meet Priest Xander.

"Young Adventurer, you better have something important to say, or else I won't care about the City Lord token," Priest Xander stated sternly.

"I am not guilty. I only killed the murderer. He had already killed someone before I arrived, and he tried to kill me. I defended myself," Devin explained.

"Lies, Priest! Why are we even listening to them? They should pay for killing my brother!" an angry dwarf interjected.

"We didn't kill your brother. He did. If you want to punish someone, you can deal with him alone," James shouted in response.

The dwarves in the room glared at James with contempt and spat on the floor. "I hate disloyal people the most," one of them remarked.

"Priest, there's no time to waste. There is something in the corpse that is infecting your people. It is causing them to act violently. I warned your people not to touch the corpse, but they did not believe me. You can check their spiritual essence, and you will find that they are being infected by a dark aura," Devin urgently explained.

"What? How dare you insinuate such things without proof? Are you trying to cause chaos?" another dwarf questioned.

"With my experience as a junior apprentice, I can definitely discern when someone is not okay," Devin asserted.

"What proof do you have to show that you are a pharmacist?" the dwarf skeptically asked.

Devin pulled out his pharmacist badge and handed it to the priest. The rest of the group was surprised by this revelation. How many months had they been playing Oasis? There were already pharmacist apprentices. They tried checking the top ranking list to reconcile the name "Muriel" with the names they found, but came up empty.

Being a pharmacist certainly helped, as the priest ordered them to be taken back to their cell. Once they were back, the rest of the group couldn't wait to ask Devin questions. "Muriel, what's the secret? Aren't we all playing the same game?" they inquired.

"Maybe I am just luckier than most," Devin replied ambiguously. James clicked his tongue in frustration.

They didn't have to wait long before a guard came to release them from prison. He returned Devin's token and instructed them to leave the village. Though no longer considered murderers, they were no longer welcome.

The scene shifted, and this time they found themselves surrounded by wraith-like creatures in a dungeon. The air grew colder, and whispers of ancient sorrows filled their ears. Shadows danced along the walls, and the faint sound of mournful wails grew louder. Suddenly, a horde of wraith-like creatures materialized, their ghostly forms floating menacingly in the mist.

[These wraiths are the manifestation of Priest Xander's inner thoughts. Players are to kill and eliminate all the wraiths. Beware, players are liable to get infected by the dark aura.]

"This would be a good time to ask if anyone has light magic," Fineas suggested.

James, eager to redeem himself, quickly used fireballs on the wraiths, clearing a large part. He looked at Devin with condescension but smiled flirtatiously at Lydia. "Don't worry, Lady Lydia, I'll protect you," he boasted.

Devin rolled his eyes at James's lack of energy conservation and showboating. "No need for that. Let's all work together to conserve our energy. We don't know what we'll face after this," Lydia said, reacting swiftly. With a sweep of her hand, she conjured biting frost and ice, sending icy tendrils shooting towards the wraiths, freezing them in their ethereal tracks. The frozen enemies shattered into shards, temporarily dispelled.

As the players continued their struggle, the wraiths grew desperate, and their attacks became more ferocious. Sensing the imminent danger, Fineas petrified his body, using it as a shield to block an attack aimed at the distracted James, who was running out of energy.

Devin used Origin Annihilation to disintegrate the wraiths in the surrounding area, clearing the path ahead.

"How long can your petrification last?" Devin asked Fineas.

"Ten more minutes," Fineas replied.

"That's more than enough. Lydia, use your ice spell to freeze them in their tracks and slow them down. Fineas, you act as a shield for the three of them. James, conserve your power; you should be running out of energy. We don't know what we'll be facing next. Taylor, use the sound of your flute to try and control the crowd as much as possible. You three should stay within the circle and avoid getting scratched by these wraiths," commanded Devin.

As the last wraith dissolved, a wave of relief washed over the. They paused, catching their breath, their senses sharpened by the adrenaline-filled encounter. It was in these quiet moments that their individual capabilities shone through. Through their teamwork, with Devin's sword attacks, they were able to eliminate all the wraiths.

They noticed another door, but there was ancient text written on the wall. "Here lies Priest Xander," Devin read aloud.

They entered the sanctum of High Priest Xander, who seemed frustrated and muttering to himself. "Why is it not working? I did everything right, but it's not working," he said.

"I tried to save them, I tried my best. Why must my people bear this responsibility?" Xander continued his monologue, unaware of the group's presence.

Realizing he wasn't alone, Xander turned his anger towards the group. "It must be your fault. You must be the reason it didn't work," he accused.

"Priest Xander, it's not your fault, nor is it the fault of your people," Devin intervened calmly.

"Do you agree with me?" Xander asked.

"Yes, it's the fault of a wicked secret organization. They like to use sinister plans when you least expect it. You did all you could," Devin reassured him, meaning every word.

The rest of the group, seeing Devin effectively calming the erratic priest, decided to leave it to him since he seemed to know what he was doing.

Suddenly, a fireball attack landed on Priest Xander. Everyone turned to see James, who had a smug smile on his face. James then attacked Ray and Taylor, who transformed into rays of light, indicating they had been evicted from the dungeon.

Thanks to Fineas's petrification, he was unaffected. "What the hell are you doing, man? We're teammates," Fineas said.

"I hate useless teammates the most," James replied, looking at Devin with murderous intent.

"I guess we agree on something. I hate useless and disruptive teammates the most," Devin said as he activated Glide Stride, evading James's attack before swiftly decapitating him. "Get lost," Devin said.

The pace was too fast for James, and before he could fully comprehend what was happening, he turned into a ray of light.

This shocked Fineas, who struggled to keep up with Devin's speed. "Brother, how did you do that?"

"Stay focused. We need to hold the priest back," Lydia scolded, releasing her ice to slow down the priest, although her efforts were hindered by the high level of the priest.

Devin released Origin Aura into his sword, causing it to vibrate and split into two sharp swords. He aimed for the priest's vital points and didn't stop there, adding spiritual consciousness to his attacks. However, Devin didn't achieve the desired result. Instead, he felt his consciousness being pulled into another space.

He found himself in a vast sea of consciousness, filled with darkness and turbulence, with only a small portion of light remaining. Floating within the sea was a shining green seed and an illusory figure. As the figure opened its eyes, Devin recognized it as Priest Xander.

"I don't have much time. Thanks to the seed, I've been able to retain a small part of my sanity," Xander solemnly explained.

"Did you become like this after purifying the seed?" Devin asked.

"You must have read the story on the wall. That's good, it saves me from starting from the beginning," Xander said, continuing his narration. "I underestimated the dark aura within the seed. I thought it was just regular dark aura from the Dark Land. I didn't know that it carried the madness of the Dark Lord himself. They managed to infiltrate the forbidden grounds where we were safeguarding the seed, with the help of an internal traitor. He was a traitor who desired the title of priest and believed they were assisting him until he became the first to be infected by the parasites. I don't understand why people always think it's okay to dance with the devil," Xander explained, his illusory figure flickering with emotions.