-[Act 4 * Part 5]-

When the twins emerged from the throne room they found themselves facing a wide open field, enclosed by massive walls in the distance. The smooth surface of the plaza that opened up before them had a dull shine to it. The material closely resembled that of the obsidian throne of their master, as did the tall black walls surrounding them.

As Aidan and Nadia looked up they found the endless red space of the Astral Sea staring back at them. And there, nestled in the not so distant sky was a world—their own cradle of birth—the grave of their precious Empire Solar. The visage of their world; the sheer scale of their new master’s lair—it boggled the already stupefied minds of the twins. What chance had their Empire Solar had against a force that travels the universe so freely?

No longer was the dungeon of Doom buried in the deepest, darkest corner of this otherwise vibrant world. It now hovered far above it instead, suspended in the Astral Sea that enveloped the planet. From this dominant position Basil and his minions could take stock of their most recent conquest, marking another Guild’s assignment as fulfilled. A world purged. A civilization destroyed.

Reaching well beyond the confines of the throne room, now released from the covetous grasp of soil and rock, the rest of the facility was revealed for the first time to the young siblings. The confined tunnels and halls of the dungeon had hidden from sight an amazing obsidian fortress, complete with courtyards, walls and towers. Minions of House Doom now rushed to take their place in the uncovered bastions of this fortress, ready to fight in defense of their Master and the all-important dungeon core.

Nadia stumbled forward as she wrestled with the mind shattering scene. Bewildered by the sights above and around her, she almost tripped and fell as she reached the edge of the platform upon which the chamber housing the throne room was perched. At the last moment she was caught by Elnora, who pulled her one step back from the ledge. Nadia was spun around by the sharp motion and now sighted the true nature of the walls surrounding the throne room of Lord Doom—a veritable temple to the master of this dark place, surrounded by statues and pillars of shining obsidian, trimmed in gold.

“Keep your mind from wandering too far, my servant,” the succubus advised her. “And make sure to stick close to Lord Doom. We are not safe yet.”

Elnora directed their attention to the middle of the plaza where a cabal of mages was currently gathering. They drew up magic symbols and runes as they made ready to awaken the obsidian beast. When the first echoes of their chanting began to reverberate across the central courtyard of the fortress, the glassy surface beneath them lit up with blue light. The mages channeled their power into arcane conduits that were hidden just below the ground. From here it was carried by a network of mana stone that fed directly into the as of yet dormant facility surrounding them.

When the ritual had breathed enough life into the slumbering fortress, the obsidian construct awakened to a bloom of blue light that spread itself out through the veins of mana stone crisscrossing the ground. The walls surrounding the courtyard began to move. They expanded outwards—unfolding like the petals of a blooming flower—and soon came to form a pentagram around the throne room in the middle. With the defensive structures now extended, the entire perimeter of the floating fortress lit up with a blue glow. An arcane barrier slowly rose up from the walls and soon encased the courtyard under a protective umbrella.

It was safe to say that both Nadia and Aidan had been rendered mute by the sights and sounds of the floating dungeon coming to life. Still, in spite of the vibrant wonders that just kept on coming one after the other, their attention always returned to the world floating above them—their world of birth; now left behind along with the remnants of their fallen civilization.

Aidan reached out for the slowly turning ball of water and dirt, suspended on the background of endless red skies to see if he could touch it. In a childlike expression of fascination, he tried grasping it in his hand. “It looks so small,” he noted. “How can it be so small?”

“It’s not small,” Elnora corrected him. “Rather, the universe is very, very large. And this,” she gestured at the wide open skies of the Astral Sea, “is just a tiny, inconsequential corner of it.”

Basil descended the steps of the platform, leaving behind the throne chamber. Elnora and her new servants followed. The twins made sure to stick close to Lord Doom and their new mistress as they traversed the wide open field of the obsidian courtyard.

Past the busy mages, the dungeon keeper led them across the entire width of the plaza. They eventually reached the base of the massive fortifications surrounding it. At the wave of Basil’s hand the solid obsidian wall began to transform, opening up a doorway for the dungeon keeper to pass through.

Having followed Basil to the other side, the siblings found themselves perched at the ledge of a platform that overlooked the vast expanse of the Astral Sea around them. It was here that the dark lord once more motioned for the living crystal fortress to change shape. He summoned up an extension to the platform and conjured four chairs around a table. With one last gesture he erected railing around the platform to provide some measure of safety and peace of mind for his guests.

Satisfied in his work, Basil invited Elnora and her servants to take their places for the conversation that was to come. “Please, join me at the table,” he said. “We need to discuss the long road before us.”

Aidan drew closer to the table, but his hesitation was palpable. It was not the shifting obsidian fortress or the fearsome demon commanding it that he feared—those he could comprehend. Rather, he feared the endless abyss that spanned just beyond the dubious safety of the railing. Thus, he edged towards his chair with ever shorter steps.

Oh her part, Nadia didn’t even venture beyond the comforting enclosure that was the passage in the wall. Faced by the prospect of an endless fall, she found it impossible to step onto the platform—her feet just would not move. The red sky beyond the walls of the obsidian fortress seemed to go on forever without a cloud or object in sight. For the poor siblings—creatures born into and accustomed to the duality of up and down; sky and ground—the endless expanse of the Astral Sea was as disheartening as the darkest abyss.

Basil seemed to be well aware of their fears. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Nothing bad will happen to you. Just as long as you don’t plunge over the edge, that is.”

Aidan and Nadia found the affirmation of their fears less than encouraging.

Basil cleared his throat. “This is your fist encounter with the Astral Sea,” he said. “I sometimes forget that it can be quite the harrowing experience.”

The dungeon keeper moved to rectify the situation by conjuring up chest high walls around the platform. He then joined them together and formed a roof over their heads to where the area now resembled a balcony, with but the smallest windows remaining to allow in a modicum of light. This adjustment made enough of a difference that the twins finally found it within themselves to approach the table.

Just as Aidan and Nadia finally took their seats, a group of maids arrived to serve them refreshments from silver platters. A pair of manservants followed, bring with them two food trolleys, stacked to bursting with all manner of delicious treats.

Once they had all been served, Basil partook in a cool glass of juice and gestured for his guests to follow.

At first, Aidan was reluctant to drink from his glass. His prior experience for when it came accepting the dungeon keeper’s hospitality had left him reasonably cautious.

“Have they been made aware of their new purpose?” Basil asked his apprentice.

Elnora nodded. “They know that they now report directly to me,” she replied. “Some disagreements will need to be worked out, but I am sure that we will soon become the closest of comrades.”

The dungeon keeper turned his gaze upon the twins. “If you have any objections to this pairing, I would have you voice them now,” he said. “Soon you will be joining Elnora on a very important quest, so we need to make sure that her authority will not be questioned by the two of you. So speak now, or be forever silent—do you refuse to be her bodyguards?”

Both Nadia and Aidan were quick to shake their heads in denial. After the chain of unpleasant confrontations they had experienced during the lead up to the jumping of the core, the siblings seemed to have finally learned their lesson. Given how little they understood of this new world and its laws, they resolved not to press their luck any further, least of all in the face of the dungeon keeper himself.

Basil nodded. “Your job will be simple,” he said. “You will follow Elnora to the world of Ragnadar and do your best to keep her safe. That is to say that your role will be twofold: to advise her on matters pertaining to the kith races and to guard her life with yours. Do this job well and a fitting reward will be granted.”

Nadia seemed perplexed by their task. “Why should we guard her?” she asked. “I mean no offense, mister—MASTER!” The priestess still found it hard to address the dungeon keeper in the manner most often echoed by his servants.

Having corrected herself, she continued. “Excuse me, Master, but you have such powerful minions guarding the halls of the Mansion. Why would you assign the two of us to guard the life of Lady Elnora?”

Aidan nodded in agreement. “We agreed to serve as your advisors on the matters of kith,” he said. “Has something changed? Why are we assigned to guard duty all of a sudden?”

“Because I don’t need your services at this moment,” Basil explained. “And you have yet to prove yourselves in the promised capacity. Why would I waste my time with you now?

“Instead, I would have you consider the task of protecting Lady Elnora a trial of sorts. If nothing else, I am sure that you will gain plenty of combat experience from it.”

“But why bodyguards?” Nadia asked. “Why can’t we just follow you now?”

“Because you are far too weak to walk the path that I must now travel,” Basil explained. “Rest assured, there will come a time when you will be granted the honor of accompanying me. But to bring you along now would be reckless. So, for the time being, your best course of action would be to try and regain some of your lost power. Right now you are only half as strong as your originals were, but at least we know that you possess that capacity for growth, no?”

Aidan examined his own reflection in the glassy surface of the obsidian table. The expression of the young man staring back at him was a far cry from the wise and venerable warrior that he still felt himself to be. He had the memories of a long life, but he was now aware that his confidence and skill could no longer live up to that image of himself. He was, just as Nadia had explained, not the man he once knew. He was someone new—unproven and surrounded by a strange world that could crush him if he was not careful.

“Make no mistake,” Basil said. “I will still call on you to fulfill our contract, when the time is right. But at your current power level… you would not survive the perils that I will face in the near future.”

Aidan grinned. “You want us to grow more powerful?” he asked without even disguising the skepticism in his voice. “I’m sorry, but I find it hard to believe. We drank your blood and what—suddenly our lives matter to you? We were your enemies not three days ago…”

Nadia tied to intervene by kicking him under the table, but her brother ignored her attempts.

“Why would you seek to empower us?” Aidan asked.

“Are you two still hung up on that?” Basil remarked. “Aidan, Nadia… you are my servants now. I have nothing but the best intentions for you two. I take my patronage very seriously.”

The dungeon keeper raised his finger. “That reminds me,” he said and pointed towards the passage in the wall. “This is but a small gesture of good faith, but I hope that you will find it reassuring none the less.”

The dungeon keeper snapped his fingers and a pair of servants brought forth two sets of armor. The maid presented Nadia with a white priest’s robe, complete with gold trimmed edges and embroidered with golden threads. It was an eerily similar copy of the garb she had worn on the day she ‘fell’ at the hands of the dungeon keeper.

Aidan was presented with what he recognized to be a set of mythril armor. Unlike the full plate armor he had worn during the assault on the dungeon core, this set of half-plate was classed as medium armor, but that had more to do with the lightness of mythril and not the design itself. The armor covered in a thick layer of gray pain—probably in an effort to disguise the expensive material from prying eyes.

“You will be issued weapons once we arrive at Ragnadar,” Basil told them. The dungeon keeper gestured towards the armor. “Go on, put it on. See if adjustments need to be made.”

Aidan and Nadia exchanged confused looks. “Here?” Nadia asked.

“Now?” Aidan asked.

“Why not?” Basil said. “It’s not like you have someplace else to be right now.”

The succubus glared at the blushing twins with hungry eyes. “Don’t worry,” Elnora reassured them. “I won’t be watching… too closely.”

Wary of their new mistress, the siblings took their time donning their new sets of armor. Unfortunately for the hungry succubus, they had underclothes enough to shield them from her predatory gaze through the most of it, but she did at least manage to feast her eyes on their lean, muscled bodies.

Aidan commented on his mythril armor. “It feels heavier than I imagined it would,” he said. “But I suppose it fits well enough. The gauntlets might need some adjusting.”

“It feels heavy because your mind has not yet fully adjusted to your true level of power,” Basil explained. “Don’t worry, you will grow into your new bodies soon enough. The hard part will be training you back up to your prime. It might take a few years, but, given your past experience, I imagine that you will find the task much easier than it was the first time around. Besides, we have ways of accelerating training that few civilizations ever develop.

“And speaking of leveling,” he said and looked to Elnora. “They are your bodyguards, but don’t think that you can resort to throwing them at all of your enemies. You still need to max out your own warrior class abilities. A dungeon keeper must be able to fight alongside the best of their minions.”

“I have no intention of avoiding combat, Master,” Elnora reassured him.

“Oh, but you will be tempted,” Basil said. “Your racial abilities as a succubus will soon come into their own.

“I heard what you did back at the gates of the imperial palace. Granted, you used an artifact to trigger the [Greater Charm] spell, but it will become more readily available to you from level 30 onwards. Try not to rely on it too much; otherwise it will become a habit.”

Elnora nodded. “Understood, Master.”

“I am serious,” Basil said. “It will become your most powerful ability, but such trump cards can become a crutch. I should know, I myself have come to rely on teleportation too much in the past—”

“Wait, you can do what now?” Aidan asked.

“I can teleport at will,” Basil explained. “It’s one of the most powerful abilities in the magic school of illusion.”

“I had heard of such power before,” Nadia commented, “but I had my doubts. It was said that no mage had successfully mastered that school of magic in the Empire for a hundred years.”

“But you have heard of it,” Basil pointed out. “From stories and legends of old heroes, I presume?”

The priestess nodded.

“That is because your ancestors were much more powerful than you are,” Basil explained. “Well, you two were an exception. But most other famous bloodlines in your Empire could probably be traced back to heroes the likes of which none of their descendants could even approach in terms of sheer power and arcane ability.

“When I came to destroy your Empire Solar, I found only weaklings guarding it. Your armies and mages never stood a chance.”

“Why is that?” Nadia asked. “Why did we— why did they grow so weak?”

“Because the universe seeks to balance itself,” Basil replied. “See, the fewer the number of kith that inhabit a world the stronger they will be. But once a civilization grows too strong and its citizens too numerous, it will inevitably dilute the pool of power that your world provides. That is where creatures that are [Unbound] come in. They don’t draw on that pool of power and don’t upset the balance. They draw upon the Astral Sea for their limits, whereas a single world only has so much arcane power to provide.”

“But my strength does not come from magic,” Aidan pointed out.

“So it would seem at first,” Basil said. “But are you not a conduit of incredible power, delivering results beyond the suggested limitations of your flesh and blood?

“It might sound counter-intuitive, but magic is not channeled by mages alone. They rely on that source more than others, but all creatures, living or not, draw from a single well for their existence and empowerment. You should not think of mana as a resource, but a concentrated fuel for all things more complicated than base elements. And, well, you already know that there exist creatures that are nothing but the embodiment of those elements—elementals to be more precise.”

Basil touched his hand to the surface of the obsidian table and conjured up a razor sharp spike of glass. He then placed his palm over it and pressed down. Soon a trickle of blood began to travel down the length of the spike. The dungeon keeper then raised his hand, wiped the blood from the wound only to reveal that it had already healed.

“There are two ways in which magic essentially interacts with the world,” he said. “We can divide the use of magic into active and passive—one representing spells and abilities, while the other grants unnatural constitution, quick reflexes and an uncanny intellect.”

He then used an ability to harden his skin of his palm to a point where it began to resemble rough stone. Basil once more pressed his hand up against the obsidian spike, only this time the glass gave way and began peeling off into shards as he pushed down upon the table.

Basil offered up his unscathed hand to Aidan for inspection. “Even a warrior, such as you, relies on the existence of mana to power his abilities. Thus, the more people there are on a world the less power there is to go around. It matters not if they can or cannot actively cast magic—you are all ultimately connected to a single source of power.”

“Is there a difference between how monsters and kith use it?” Nadia asked.

“They are more or less the same,” Basil replied. “For kith we can usually categorize your abilities into classes. A paladin is distinct from a warrior in that he can call upon holy magic, most often to temporarily bolster his own abilities, while the warrior achieves greater permanent constitution through rigorous training. They both use weapons, but one is more passive in their approach to combat while the other sacrifices endurance for power.

“It’s the same when comparing mages and fighters. Non-magic users manifest martial power through rigorous training, much like a mage could achieve mastery over their chosen element through meditation and study. It’s just the way of expressing their power that is different—their classes are distinct in how they interact with and channel the arcane element present in all of us.

“Different methods provide different results. Some are more compatible than others.” Basil pointed to himself. “I, for instance, have mastered the monk class to supplement my magic with a fighting style that does not impair my casting abilities.

“Other schools are less able to support one-another.” Basil pointed to Aidan. “You, as a warrior, would find casting magic difficult in heavy armor. Not impossible, mind you, just difficult. But it is always a good idea to choose a second class that will naturally build into your base abilities.”

The dungeon keeper turned to his apprentice. “Tell them about yourself, Elnora.”

The succubus nodded. “As you wish, Master.”

Elnora began by elaborating on her race and combat class. “As you might have noticed, I am a succubus,” she said. “That gives me access to certain racial traits and abilities that other monsters and kith might not have. For my first combat class, I chose to train in the ways of the warrior. My current power level sits at twenty three. Once I level up two more times, I will be able to finally master the most powerful of my class abilities. I have specialized myself into an offensive fighting style, since, thanks to my racial abilities to charm and confuse, I can reliably turn some of my enemies over to my side. I am great at controlling a crowd through active use of my abilities, whereas a defensively oriented fighter would have to rely on their endurance to… endure.”

Elnora stood up and backed away from the table. At the snap of her fingers a black halberd appeared in her hand. She presented her weapon to the twins. “This is my halberd,” she said, “There are many like it, but this one is mine. It is a [Soulbound] weapon, given to me by the Guild, and I can summon it from and banish it back to the Oblivion at will.”

She presented the weapon to Aidan for inspection. The young warrior found the halberd to be surprisingly well balanced, which was unexpected, given its impressive size and ornate design.

“If I understood you correctly, you will be able to pick a second class once you reach a high enough level?” Nadia asked.

“You are indeed correct,” Basil answered. “You are both classified as [Elites], so you can—if you focus your training and don’t pursue too many fields at once—master up to two combat classes in your lifetime. If nothing else, you should be about twice as resilient as your fellow humans because of that distinction. That is to say, the universe values your constitution to be twice as high as it would have been without the [Elite] designation. So it’s a mark of destiny, so to speak; a testament to your dedication to combat training, martial or arcane.

“What about you?” Aidan asked. “What’s your power level then?”

“I am classified as a [Legend],” Basil said. “That means I can master up to four classes instead.

“Depending on the circumstances, most kith and demons can attempt to master at least one, but there is a hard limit set by the creature class and the corresponding power level cap. You two will never go beyond human level cap of 50, while I am already maxed out at level 100.

Basil raised his hand to figuratively put a pin in their conversation. “But leveling and experience is an entirely different topic that I don’t have the time to explore right now,” he said. “The dungeon core will require my constant attention until we reach Ragnadar. Until then, I will leave you in the very capable hands of my apprentice.”

The dungeon keeper emptied his glass and rose from his seat. “You can stay here for as long as you desire,” he said. “You can expect the dungeon to perform several more jumps before we reach our final destination. I would advise you to make use of the time you have and question Elnora on whatever topic comes to your mind.”

Basil gestured towards the hole in the wall. “Should any danger present itself, make sure to quickly retreat behind the fortifications of the dungeon,” he advised. “The Fortress of Doom is quite impressive, but there are a few creatures roaming the Astral Sea dumb enough to attack us. Astral krakens, for one, are highly territorial, but about as smart as a mushroom crazed goblin. Still, they don’t take too kindly to sudden intrusions.”

Basil von Doom marched off towards the hole in the wall. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have a dungeon core to tend to.”

With Basil’s departure Aidan and Nadia expected to once more fall under the predatory gaze of the succubus. But with her Master gone, Elnora instead turned her hunger upon the trolley of confections that the servants of House Doom had delivered. She took particular delight in slowly picking her way through a box of chocolates with assorted liquor fillings.

Once a sufficient amount of time had passed, the twins turned to the succubus with their questions.

“Lady Elnora,” Nadia began. “Is that how you would like to be addressed?”

“Just Elnora is fine,” the succubus answered. “I mean, in a way you two can be considered older than me, so…”

Elnora returned the half empty box of chocolates to the trolley. “Listen,” she said as she waved for the twins to gather in closer around the table. “I know that you have many questions, but I don’t think that the timing is right. You clearly still need to acclimatize to this place and I… I could really use some rest. The last few days have been… wild. So much planning…

“So how about this?” she asked. “You go ahead and write up a list of questions and I will do my best to assist you.”

Elnora pulled a notebook and a pencil from a leather pouch that was fixed to the armor on her thigh. The succubus made sure to tear out the first few pages, leaving them with a blank notebook. “Be concise and don’t pry too deeply,” she said as she presented the notebook to the priestess. “Please keep in mind that just because I am a demon does not mean that I will have all the answers pertaining to the Nine Hells or the Astral Sea.”

Elnora made sure that they were out of earshot of the servants before she continued. “I am going to be completely honest with you,” she said. “You are not the only ones feeling out of place here. Incredible things are about to happen and I am not sure that I am up for the task... But I promise that if you help me with my goals I will make sure to support you in any way that I can.”

The succubus extended her hand towards the twins. “What do you say? Do we have a deal?”

Aidan thought about shaking her hand, but ultimately decided against it. “No,” he said, “this madness has got to stop.

“Answer me just this one thing,” Aidan said. “Why are you all so damn eager to trust us? Why? With all that has transpired… I just can’t wrap my head around it!”

Elnora seemed amused by his frustration. She smiled a knowing smile, but let the warrior voice his concerns.

“Why?” Aidan asked. “Why can’t I…”

“Why is it that you can’t bring yourself to hate us?” Elnora asked.

Aidan clutched his fist as if grasping at her words. “There!” he said. “That’s it! I don’t understand why, but I can’t despise you like I should!”

Nadia looked to her brother. “Aidan…”

The succubus shrugged, expressing clear indifference at his internal conflict. “Because we haven’t done anything wrong to you,” Elnora answered.

“That’s not—” Aidan seemed to be struggling with himself. “It’s not true! You—you destroyed Empire Solar! You defiled our Goddess and you killed our Emperor! So many lives lost…”

He could feel his frustrations and guilt choking up his throat. “You did all that,” he croaked, “and yet, I cannot bring myself to hate you… Just tell me why!”

Aidan glared at the gorgeous she-demon with eyes of maddened sorrow. “What is wrong with me?” he demanded to know. “Why am I like this?”

“You have to let go of your past,” Elnora advised him. “It’s all fake—your memories and your moral code—all of it inherited from a man you think you were, but in reality is dead. The logical part of you understands that you were never born, never grew up, never fell in love and have never lost anyone important to you. It’s just your heart that still lingers in the past.”

“But I remember it all so clear!” Aidan protested.

Elnora shook her head. “You have never actually lived,” she told him. “Your interactions with the world around you will be informed by your memories, but you don’t have any real connections to it all. It’s not that you don’t exist—your presence is self-evident—but you will not find meaning in your past deeds. They are no longer your burdens to bear. They are ghosts that you must shed.

“Let go of what you were,” Elnora advised. “You have been granted a gift—a second chance at life. But the one you inherited with your memories was never yours and neither are the things you loved and lost.

“I can’t help you any more than that,” she said. “Now, how about instead of tormenting yourself over things you cannot forget, you go ahead and try the chocolates? They’re pretty great.”

Elnora tapped on the notepad as she stood up from the table. “Take your time,” she said. “I know that this is all very confusing. Believe me; I was just as broken as you are right now when I was first torn from my world.”

The succubus left the twins sitting at the table, pondering their questions, as she followed her master back into the obsidian fortress.