Denizens of the Labyrinth

Sadé had been travelling inside the pyramid by herself, she hadn’t found anyone she had known yet, but she was doing her best to stay ahead of the marauding seekers who were plundering everything and anyone they deemed weaker than themselves.

She had fought tier II and III creatures within this pyramid and though she had held her own, she had found herself retreating against more than a few. She needed to get stronger, and she could tell she needed to do it sooner rather than later.

She had picked up a few good items, to sell though. Not to keep, she had been using that thunder short sword she bought, and it was amplifying her thunder skill already, but she could tell something was missing. She didn’t know what it was yet, but she knew something was lacking within.

She wondered how the others were doing; she knew they had all got the notification. Everyone below Ranker had been offered the opportunity and so it was within the pyramid the most ambitious would be pushing towards hitting ranker.

She was currently level 51 and had work to do, her stats were low, and she hadn’t been working on them as hard as she should have been. But that could change, she was ambitious enough to keep up with the others; especially Jazmel.

Her thoughts of Jazmel were growing deeper and more profound, for some reason every time she was near him it felt like she was wearing her thunder crown. The air around her was riddled with energy and she was just filled with thoughts of him in some way, shape, and form. She knew she liked him; she had known it from she first saw him, she just didn’t understand where this had come from. Of course he was handsome, she liked his brown skin and his deep brown eyes. She even liked them when they were ghost blue and she knew he was perceiving the Mana of the labyrinth. She realised that she had liked him curiously before; but when he had pushed her out of the way and saved her from the wendigo; her heart had locked full circle for him. he had saved her life and almost died for it, she admired his heart most of all and hers fluttered whenever she saw him.

She had been hurrying through the pyramid at a light run, not burning through her meagre stamina but also not sauntering around.

She came through a corridor and ran into a lone monster. It spotted her after she saw it and she stabbed up through the soft part; beneath its jaw and up into the brain.

DING

TIER II GHOUL REVENANT KILLED!

…

+1 WIL

+1 DEX

One thing she had learned though was that being in the labyrinth alone and fighting earned her much more than when she travelled in a party. She would need to do more solo hunts if she were going to keep growing as she needed and wanted to.

DING

…

MARAUDING FOX IN AFFECT

…

REVENANT LOOTED

…

TIER II REVENANT CORE FOUND

She smiled and continued forward, she sprinted and this time a group of revenants shambled down the corridor towards her, she rushed for them and stabbing as many as she could as she fluttered past them and when she had gotten through them without so much as a scrape she threw fire.

Foxfire

She watched as they burned and then shuddered to herself as new strength pushed through her body.

DING

TIER II REVENANT GHOUL X27 SLAIN

…

EXP ACCRUED

LEVEL UP!

+3 DEX

+3 AGL

+2 INT

+2 WIL

+2 STR

+1 VIT

…

MARAUDING FOX

…

…

TIER II REVENANT GHOUL CORE X3

TIER II REVENANT GHOUL BONE X11

TIER II REVENANT GHOUL SKULL X4

TIER II REVENANT GHOUL BLOOD X6

She smiled as she felt her storage ring bolster with these new additions, but she didn’t falter, there was still so much to do. She hurried on and entering the corridor from where the revenants had come from and she came out onto a walkway high above, she looked down and saw that many other walkways crisscrossed beneath and above her all heading into various parts of the pyramid; she was glad she didn’t suffer from fear of heights. She instead focused on her own walkway, the ones above were too high for her to reach, and the ones below were just out of reach if she leapt down.

She sprinted across the opening, and she heard others doing the same, shouts from fighting that had spilled out onto the walkways could be heard and she was grateful that she had chosen to travel alone. Sadé wasn’t new to the labyrinth at all, she had heard the stories from her parents and clan members all throughout her childhood and it wasn’t without their fair share of horrors too. People had been betrayed by friends and colleagues for power and riches. She would not go out that same way, she knew she couldn’t. In truth she was surprised by how much she trusted her people and her faction.

She made it across the walkway with no trouble and into another corridor which was a steep stairwell leading to the top, she was shocked, but she was happy that things were going so well for her.

She climbed the stairwell and below her she could hear others were actually trying to catch up to her too. But she wasn’t that far ahead of them. She hurried forward and even called forth two of her tails to add Mana and boost her speed.

DING!

+1 INT

+1 WIL

She was rushing now, leaping up the steps and as she reached the summit and burst through the top of the steps.

She leapt out of the floor and as she was moving so fast, she leapt high into the air, and she realised that she had entered a chamber with battles happening all around her.

Wand warfare

A girl uttered as she waved a small stick in her left hand and fired a concentrated beam of Mana at a revenant that was hurrying towards her. It hit it and disintegrated the revenant, but hundreds were ambling towards her, she had a dagger in her other hand, and she was ready for whichever came closer.

Foxfire!

Sadé uttered and from her ascension she let loose a barrage of fire that burnt through the revenants with ease. They turned to ash, and she was enthralled with rush as the Mana swelled in her.

DING!

…

A LARGE AMOUNT OF EXP ACCRUED

…

LEVEL UP

LEVEL UP

LEVEL UP

…

+3 STR

+3 END

+2 VIT

+2 PER

…

DING

TIER II REVENANT GHOUL X73 SLAIN

Her foxfire seemed to really damage the undead revenants and she was gaining a great deal of notifications from the deaths.

REVENANT SLAYER TITLE ACHIEVED!

10% EXTRA DAMAGE TO ALL UNDEAD

…

MARAUDING FOX ACTIVATED!

…

…

…

TOO MANY ITEMS

…

WILL YOU MERGE THEM FOR A CHANCE AT A BETTER ITEM?

Y/N?

Of course she would, she willed her agreement and the screen fluttered before changing.

DING!

…

TIER III HEART OF THE REVENANT

TIER III REVENANT GHOUL MONSTER CORE

Sadé was ecstatic but as she looked around she saw more revenants heading over to her as she landed beside the girl, and she nodded her thanks and in the time others were making their way towards them. the other seekers who had come through the same stairwell as Sadé crashed into the oncoming revenants.

A notification popped up and Sadé couldn’t believe what was showing on her screen this time and she smiled with delight.

DING!

FIRE FOX WOULD LIKE THE HEART OF THE REVENANT

WILL YOU OFFER IT TO IT?

Y/N?

She accepted and immediately the small fox burst from her ring, leapt onto her shoulder, and nuzzled her lovingly.

WILL YOU FORM A COMPANION BOND WITH THE FIRE FOX?

Y/N?

She accepted and watched as on the back of her left hand a small emblem flashed into form, it was the face of a fox, and it was red in colour, it hadn’t hurt to form but she was shocked by the speed of it. The fox purred and then leaping into the air it puffed out a small flame that looked remarkably similar to her foxfire skill. It burned through the revenants and as they became ash, it inhaled and sucked up all the ashes into its mouth.

COMPANION FIRE FOX HAS GAINED EXP

LEVEL UP

LEVEL UP!

…

WILL YOU NAME YOUR COMPANION?

She thought of a name for a moment and then with a smile she said it. “Kazumi” a name she had heard as a young girl, it was the name of a fire spirit that her father had come across in the labyrinth. But the name seemed to fit, and the fox seemed to like it as it bounded around her feet with glee and yipped at her.

“You like your name then?” she smiled and pet her fox and let it clamber up onto her shoulder.

“I know you just made a friend but let’s survive this, so you can pet and pamper your puppy later ok?” the girl said and pointing her wand, Sadé looked and saw bigger creatures and monsters reinforcing the other revenants that were doing their best to mob the others.

“You are right, let’s get busy.” Sadé said and she swigged down a Mana potion and called forth her crown.

Thunder crown

She felt the thunder around her body grow denser and one of the bigger monsters was aiming for her and trying its best to reach her on three legs in a weird waddle and bounding move.

Thunderfire!

The thunder struck the triple legged monster and burst its head like a melon.

DING!

TIER III VINDULAN KEEPER KILLED!

…

+2 STR

+2 PER

“That is what I am talking about!” the girl said, and she waved her wand and lashed out her own skill.

Arcana Bombarda!

Sadé watched with awe as literal bombs of Mana fell atop the many Vindulan creatures and onslaught took shape, they weren’t all massacred, but they were damaged and wounded which allowed the other seekers to change the flow of battle and crash out their own skills into the fray. Killing as many of the downed creatures as possible.

“Come on let’s go!” the girl said and grabbing Sadé by the hand, she rushed forward and Sadé realised she was leading her towards the exit of the chamber, she must have sussed it out before and had struggled to get there on her own. but now in this chaos; she was using the opportunity to keep going.

They reached the doorway and as she and the girl passed through she felt the Mana change and it felt much denser all around them. the doorway hadn’t led into a corridor like before; instead, it led into a completely different room which was much like the expanse they had all been standing in before they had entered the pyramid of Argilles.

The room was bright white almost like another plane and Sadé had to try her best to not squint while she stood waiting to see what she needed to do to advance.

CONGRATULATIONS ON MAKING IT HERE!

YOU HAVE REACHED THE PEAK OF THE PYRAMID

…

SYSTEM READS TWO SEEKERS AT THE SAME TIME HAVE ENTERED THE HALLS OF ARGILLES

…

THIS HAS NOT OCCURRED FOR MANY YEARS!

…

RECALCULATING

…

REWARDS WILL BE OFFERED NONETHELESS!

…

RECALCULATING

…

REWARDS WILL BE GIVEN!

SIGIL OF FIRE

ARCANE TOME

Sadé watched as the sigil floated down and landed in the palms of her hands. The tome landed in the other girls hand too. They smiled at each other and Sadé nodded a thank you to the girl who offered it back in kind.

“I am Sadé and part of the Black Wing Faction, you should join us.” Sadé offered and the girl looked at her and then laughed.

“I am Tera Nema, the Black Wing Faction? The same one as Jazmel ’s?” she asked and Sadé looked at her, incredulous.

“I met him in a trial like this a few gates back and again in the Mer King’s chamber.” She explained and Sadé nodded, remembering Jazmel telling her about this other seeker.

“I have heard enough about your faction, good things here and there. You are growing quite strong, but I am not interested in joining a faction just now and I have a party that I would have to consider all they say. But what I will say is; you have an ally in me. I would have said the same thing to Jazmel , but to you too. I would be able to come to your aid if you ever need.” She offered a hand and Sadé shook it; firmly and understanding.

Once they shook has the ground rumbled and Sadé felt fear in her stomach, but the system changed her mind quickly.

THE PYRAMID OF ARGILLES HAS BEEN CONQUERED!

REWARDS WILL VARY TO THOSE WHO HAVE ACCOMPLISHED

She sighed and then remembered Kazumi who was still nestled into her neck and using her tails to hold her in place too. She reached up and petted her neck and Kazumi purred an unnatural sound for a fox but still cute, she waited as the pyramid rumbled and she wondered where she would be kicked out.

“I sent you a friend request!” Tera Nema said as she disappeared, and the notification popped up for Sadé just as she was pulled from the pyramid too.