The Slave's Den (1)

Frshhh.

Shay envisioned Blarken's sliding technique and tweaked its style. His left hand behind bore into the cliff, creating five trails of fissures during his descent with his back facing the precipice.

As he got closer to a platform, his tips tilted, launching him from the wall. While landing, he firmed his posture and crouch pivoted.

Upon reaching the ground, his motion spread the force, letting him slide across the rocky space without diving inside the stone like before.

Stunned in place, he straightened and observed the dust trail behind him, shocked at his results.

"Yes!" He shouted, stiffening his fist and throwing back his elbow.

However, he extinguished the ember of excitement, scanning his whereabouts. His buddy, Shade, had previously appeared on this exact platform, exiting a cavern around the corner.

"I should kill a Cave Troll for the remaining free stats, right?"

Although the sun already touched the horizon, changing its warming coats to a soothing orange color, he should have enough time for a turnaround.

Without letting deeper thoughts appear, he walked toward the entrance, peaking out his head.

His eyes glimmered, jumping to the side and examining the intact hole. The spectrum of light traversed inside, getting grasped by the dark shadows.

"I'm glad my fight didn't cause an enclosure, hehe!"

The sounds escaping his mouth bounced from the caverns' round sides, creating three weakening echoes of himself.

Using Predator's Awareness, his eyes adjusted to the darkness while going in.

As he traveled deeper, his skin hardened on the freezing touch of a passing breeze, a common occurrence revealing tracks toward water sources, exits and secret passages.

Shay followed the most recent air flow, pursuing it through multiple splits and turns, stepping downward.

His walking slowed down, turning around and directing his perception to other routes.

'Should I change paths?'

This thought started appearing frequently, reaching no end after the endless walk.

However, his worries vanished, staring at a hole below his feet, wide enough to fit a trio of people of his build at once.

He chipped a piece of the stone wall, causing a shake to resound throughout the tunnel, and threw it down the gap.

Splash!

"Hmmm, water and a three seconds fall?" He said, pinching his chin while leaning above the opening.

Suddenly, a subtle tremor beneath him became noticeable, growing stronger and more forceful with each breath. The roof also shook, sending pebbles from its crumbling structure.

He wished turning back, yet the hole under him widened, forcing him to slide down.

A sense of déjà vu struck his head, calmness tying up his shaken mind as he dived in the cavern lake.

Bang!

The earthquake calmed down when a humongous boulder covered the cavity.

Shay swam up from the abyss, gasping for air above the waves while turning back and forth.

"Fuck. Is this one of the water sockets?" He said, scanning for a resting spot.

A single protrusion met his needs perfectly, being broad and long enough for him and his backpack.

He threw his arms effectively, thrusting himself toward the only place where he could stand.

"N-n-no way I d-didn't find any Cave Troll, and instead g-got myself i-in s-s-s-such a mess."

He held his shouts inside his throat, producing a feeble and shaky voice. He was drenched in icy cold water, striking an idea in his head.

The magical energy surged all over his body, sending weakened flames to dry himself. The vapor rose from his clothes, condensing back as it hit the roof.

[Mana - 3/10]

"Now, how can I get out of here?"

His thoughts soared with imagination, thinking of possibilities for escape. Thin walls, diving for underpasses, everything could be possible.

However, he didn't like the idea of crushing sides of the cave and risking rockfalls. Thus, he reserved breath inside his lungs, breathing in more before jumping in.

He left his bag behind for improved mobility under water, swimming with peepers open. Its clearness and purity helped to moisturize his eyes, gazing at divergent angles strainlessly.

The descension revealed air pockets with no further leads, serving as oxygen refill that let him go much deeper.

Somehow, the pond appeared infinite, becoming pitch black despite his improved vision. Well, his skill didn't provide him with complete nightvision.

Yet, Shay continued piercing through the darkest layer, which became more luminescent and even sparkled with stars like the ones on the starry sky.

Flump.

Instead of swimming, a stream of hot air engulfed his body while falling on a crackled ground. It comprised different materials, which only obsidian he could recognize.

Since that one material's sharpness could harm him, he sent himself toward a close, flat area, altering his fall with his lasting foot in the water.

Upon touching the surface with smooth movements, before observing the vicinity, a system message oversized his vision, its color transformed into a crimson red prompt with a gilded frame.

[Slave's Secret Den - class C, discovered.]

[Mission: Clear out the dungeon before the tournament announcement. Time Limit: 400:00:00]

[Rewards: System Update, Secrets Locator (Passive Skill), +50 choosable skill points.]

[399:59:59]

After his gaze swiped through the prizes, he locked onto the ticking clock, afterimages of seconds burning into his vision.

"I have to clear this out in almost 17 days?"

He scratched his head, scanning his surrounding thorough. Dozens of passages, each unique, led to uncertain locations.

This particular area mirrored from above ground, except for the magmatic like light—shooting from the fissures—clashing glows with the blue glistening surface above him.

The whole place reminisced fight between Satan and God. His heart could float between the two differentiating spaces, one cold and wet, and the other fierce and dreary.

[Bestiary milestone reached. Reward: Horned Rabbit's Thighs]

[Description: Increases legs' muscle strength and enhances their volume.]

"Urgh!!!"

As he read through the sudden occurred text, inside his standing limbs, fibers developed and intertwined. His clothes were tight for a second, before the muscles tightened and firmed together.

The process resembled piercing flame bullets spraying his flesh, as the nerves reconstructed to cover each area of his physique.

His groans ended with huffing and puffing, catching moments of breath.

"Ha…Haha…This was fucking weird."

His face shifted from frowning, and waving lips to his usual unhinged expression.

He checked his surroundings again, spotting a convenient pedestal perfect for his belongings. Behind it, a tiny spring flowed down, meaning that the corner wouldn't burn down his stuff in contact with the ground.

Thus, he tilted his head and connected his palms flat above him, flexing his rebuilt thighs. An immense power surged, wishing to burst each moment of his lowering crouch.

Boom!

More crackles advanced from his jump, withstanding the increased force from his legs. He bolted through the liquid as bubbles engulfed his bullet speed body, passing the dark blanket in seconds.

Somehow, in one launch, he flew just above the icy surface, sending shivers down his spine. His physique got used to the pleasant heat, which would cook him without his skills.

He swung his hands like a madman, his face stiffened, swimming toward his backpack. During his dive, its weight also helped him descend.

However, since he dipped after retrieving the bag, his positioning inside the floating blue sky was placed above an irregular part of the zone.

His clumsiness after receiving prowess leads to difficulties like this, facing shadowy blades of obsidian chips and spikes.

He gritted his teeth, landing on the pointy volcanic glass which pierced his foot through the dark boot. The pain he withheld spread all over him, forcing the soaked water to seep into his body and heal the injury.

"Pfwah. I should've peeked out before continuing straight down." He said, scratching his calves as itchiness sometimes became a result of recovery.

Then, he reached the resting spot in one leap, placing down his stuff and leaning against the somewhat pliable material.

[399:56:34]

"Wow, that didn't take long. Jeez."

A tiresome sigh escaped his lips while wiggling deeper into his backpack as his eyelids drooped, soft crimson carpet consumed his eyes.

******

Darkness occupied his mind, roaming like a ghost throughout a dark mansion. Multiple outlines of figures with horns stood in a row, possibly coated in majestic clothing, crowns, and different weapons.

Besides each of them, four smaller shadows connected to them, facing Shay straight.

'Didn't I meet Arthur inside this darkness?'

His mind scrambled into puzzles, connecting each essential information together.

However, Arthur dashed from the side and reconnected his mistaken leads.

"Hey, we cross paths again, which means you are confronting your very first devil. You should perceive some strange figures before you, right? Those are the demons and either their companions or slaves. Since you entered your initial dungeon, see the one its presence distorts? That's who you'll be fighting, if you reach him, of course." He said, pointing at an indistinctive character, whose characteristics were unrecognizable.

"Eventually, you will face everyone, hopefully before war starts."

With his last words, he vanished, leaving Shay alone in this shady place.

He wished to speak, yet deep inside his mind he knew this guy had reconstructed his memories like a 'tutorial,' explaining some events and predictions.

After the speech, he counted over 20 demons. However, as he grazed his view over the wry one, a tremendous aura shot at him, locking its gaze on his eyes.

******

Gasp! Cough!

He flung himself to the side, crashing into a farther wall which caused the safe area to shake, throwing droplets down from the inverted lake.

His breath became heavy, fastening his heart rate and condensing sweat all over his hardened skin that resided within the hard stone chamber.

Although his senses ensured security, his brain was struck with a psychological effect that even Fallen Hero's Resolve couldn't solve in an instant.

With a step, he tore a hole inside the rock, shaking off the stuck gray contour.

"Am I seriously supposed to face that?!" He shouted, punching a deeper crater to the wall, enlarging the close by entrance.