Prologue – In Darker Times

I stood on the precipice, overlooking the small town of Neldwick. Hellfire fell from the sky through a portal to the Underneath I had created.

The sun had fallen only an hour ago, and I was well beyond my allowed time to complete the mission, but I had favor with the guild. They liked my work. I was thorough.

The screams of the townsfolk reached my ears, and I drank it in. It was lovely to listen to, the agony made my heart shudder. But I wasn’t finished yet.

I performed a series of complex gestures, carving sickly, purple runes into the air. The outlines of them shifted and dripped with dark energy as I spoke the final word of power: “Decay.”

An enormous rune, the same I had just carved in the air, appeared in the sky above the town. The portal to the Underneath closed, and from the rune poured toxins. The spell I had crafted myself from the unlawful fusing of magics, combining water, death, and dark magics into a single, powerful spell, fell from the sky and shredded flesh like knives.

Those whom it did not kill, it poisoned. The rain burned its way through the roofing of houses, even the fire-resistant stone ones. Everything would perish before sunrise.

“This is good.” I said, turning away from the carnage I had unleashed, feeling the darkness gather behind me. “I’m doing what’s right.”

The journey home, though long, seemed incredibly short, as my mind went through a number of possible outcomes of the villagers.

One: They had all be slaughtered by my power. The most beneficial outcome.

Two: Some few had escaped, and would live to tell of the shadowy figure who stood overtop of their village and rained death and darkness from the sky.

Three: Several survived, and would seek vengeance, though none would dare take on a Dark Wizard of the Guild without at least a few Paladins.

None of these outcomes mattered. I would be paid well for my time and my talents, and could spend the next few days burning through that coin at my own discretion.

I arrived at the city gates and was waved in by a guard who bore the Guild’s symbol on the shoulder of his platemail. His name was Horace. I would never forget when he saved my life as a fledgling mage. I didn’t have time to think about that now, though. I needed to report to the Guild as soon as possible, so I could get paid and go to bed.

Walking down the dark streets of Adelor, the Guild Capital, I felt eyes on me. Every alleyway I passed, every single building. They were everywhere. Creepers, Crawlers, Daemons, Familiars, and worse.

Everything kept an eye out for Dark Wizards, especially since we were considered so vulnerable to the Darkness of the Underneath. I kept my mind locked, for a reason. I didn’t need a Familiar, I needed my power. I refused to become a pawn in someone else’s schemes. If I didn’t want to complete a mission, I didn’t. Period.

The Guild Hall was in the center of Adelor proper, behind a second layer of once-useful walls. Now, though, they were decayed and falling apart. Nobody bothered to assail the City of Mages, the Guild Capital of Adelor. We were simply too powerful, and who would nobles and kings hire to do their assassination work, if not us?

I stepped up to an old, disused kiosk, with a digital screen on it and typed in my Guild ID. The screen was ancient, probably from the Beforetimes. When men created mechanical monstrosities to rule the world and do their bidding. Now, though, Wizards, Sorcerers and Summoners brought forth magical monsters and powerful elements against the troubles of the world.

I waited for the kiosk to register my information. Some days, it took a while. Depended on how the network was running.

I sighed as I watched the little circle spin, endlessly. “Logging In” it said, underneath in amber letters on a faded black screen.

This was my life, waiting for the stupid kiosk to recognize who the Underneath I was, and then taking my report, then waiting endlessly as my currency was transferred via Digital Tender.

The kiosk chirped and I narrowed my eyes. Was that a good chirp, or a bad chirp?

“Welcome, G. Darkfyre. Please upload your report.” It read, the same amber letters against the slightly staticy screen.

“Fine.” I pulled the cable from the A.M.H.U.D. that I wore on my wrist, and plugged it into the input slot on the kiosk.

My AMHUD device churned, like it was going to explode, while a small loading circle appeared in the corner of my vision. This was the part that took a while. I had to upload a video of the event, from live footage taken at the scene of the mission.

The Guild would look over it, and pay me in kind. If the mission was deemed successful, I would be paid in full. If it was deemed only partially complete, the Guild would decide if it was worthy of payment at all.

“Congratulations” The kiosk chirped. “Your report has been uploaded successfully. Please await your recompense. You may go about your business. Have a good night, G. Darkfyre.”

I unplugged my AMHUD, returning the cable to its proper place, then slide the sleeve of my robe back over it.

Another sigh as I walked away, heading to my small apartments. Sure, I enjoyed the life of a Dark Wizard. It paid well, it allowed me to level up my magic skills and kept me fed, but I felt like there was more to life than this.

A static buzzed in the air tonight as I walked. Likely just interference with my implants from the meteor shower we were expecting in the early morning.

“Grimm.” A voice called from the darkness. It was cold and feminine.

“Eh?” I turned and stared into the shadows, impatiently. I just wanted to sleep.

“Back already?” Cinza, one of my rivals, and a damn good Fire Witch, stepped out of the dark alley and put up a hand.

“Yeah, everybody died. Surprise.” I said, deadpan, with a shrug.

“I’m kinda tired of wiping out villages, aren’t you?” She asked, stepping forward.

“I mean, that’s what we get paid to do. Kill the heretics, wipe out the good people, sell our souls for a piece of the Underneath.” I waved a hand dismissively in the air.

“Sure, sure. But what if there was something more?” She smiled slightly, which immediately gave me cause for alarm. The only time Cinza smiled was when she was up to something.

That something was usually trying to kill me.

“What are you after this time?” I asked, immediately running through a series of spells in my head, giving myself a spell shield that enveloped my body.

>>>

Buff Active: Shielding Aura

Effect: Dissipates the energy from a single spell strike on you, converting the mana cost of the spell into mana for your use.

Duration: 5 Minutes.

>>>

A notification hit my interface, and I dismissed it immediately, knowing exactly what I had cast. I wish there were a way to ignore those, if I already knew what the spell did.

“Did you get the mission too?” She looked at me, her eyes unfocused. “You won’t need the spell shield.”

“No, I didn’t, and I’ll keep it, thanks.” I replied, putting a hand up.

“Oh, that’s unfortunate.” Cinza walked past me and disappeared into the alley across the street. “I was hoping for a challenger.”

“Yeah, whatever. Stupid bitch.” I said, shaking my head and continuing on my way to my apartments.

The remainder of my journey was unmolested, arriving at the small door to my home without an issue.

Aside from the usual Daemons lurking about, there was nothing amiss about the hovel my apartments were in. I flicked some dark energy into the handle of my door, and the spell ward I had placed fell off, the energy becoming visible for a moment before fizzling and disappearing.

I turned the handle, pushed my way through, then slammed the door shut behind me.

Finally, I was home.

A quick snap of my fingers lit the lamp at the far end of the small living area, where a ratty old couch, my favorite chair, and a small VisBox sat forlorn. It wasn’t much, but it was home.

“How many did you kill today?” A tiny, irritatingly high-pitched voice called from the other room.

“Shut up, Leese.” I said, rolling my eyes hard as I stripped off my outer robes and threw them onto the couch.

“You’re a murderer, you know.” Leese shouted, her voice muffled.

“What’s new?” I asked, annoyed.

I pulled up my stat sheet and glared at it for a moment.

Name: Grimm Darkfyre

Job Class: Dark Wizard

Exp 795/1500

Title: Hired Killer

Level: 4

Health: 250/250

Mana: 700/700

Stamina: 125/125

Strength: 9

Job Skills:

Endurance: 12

Water Magic: 7

Dexterity: 10

Death Magic: 9

Intelligence: 18

Dark Magic: 12

Wisdom: 16

Fire Magic: 6

Charisma: 14

Underneath Summonings: 2

Luck: 4

Short Blades: 5

Long Blades: 3

Physical Armor: 10

Light Armor: 13

Magical Resistance: 45

Mysticism: 12

At least my Death, Dark, and Water Magic skills had leveled since the mission.

“So, how many.” Leese’s voice called again, more insistent.

“Three-thousand, four-hundred and sixty-seven.” I said.

I plopped down on the couch, but couldn’t stay still. I stood up, paced around the living area once, twice, then went into the small dining room/kitchen combination, where Leese stood leaning against the glass wall of the bell jar I had ensorcelled to keep the Fae in.

“That’s a lot, Grimm.” She looked at me with a small amount of concern on her tiny face. “Let me out, please?”

“No, the Fae are not to be trusted.” I snarled, slamming my fist on the shoddy wooden table that served as my dining room table.

“I’m not going to entrap you in some kind of ridiculous plot to somehow break the rules of good hospitality, or force you to give me your true name, for Beldes’ sake.” Leese sat down, cross-legged, in the middle of the jar.

“You’re not getting out, Leese.” I said, opening the refrigerator and staring at its virtually empty contents.

I snagged a carton of Moo Juice, a kind of synthetic milk, and took a quick swig from the container. It tasted like paper, but it had enough calories to be useful for the night.

“You should eat better.” Leese reminded me, for the hundredth time.

“Yeah, and you should be bigger. Neither of us are getting what we want.” I said, sarcastically.

“I can be bigger, you know.” Leese had a tone of mocking in her voice.

“Your jar is pretty small, I doubt you could get too much bigger.” I shot snark back at her, and she pulled a face.

“Let me out, and I’ll show you how much bigger I can get.” She narrowed her little eyes at me, but I just laughed.

“Nope, not happening.” I put the Moo Juice back in the fridge and shut it, then filled a glass with water from the nearby sink.

What I wouldn’t give for some good, high quality alcohol.

“How much did they pay you for wholesale slaughter this time, mage?” Leese asked. She only called me “mage” when she was mad.

“I haven’t even been paid yet.” I sat down at the one chair at my table, and pulled up the AMHUD mission details listing.

>>>

Mission: Neldwick Village Must Burn

Status: Complete (Late Submission)

Objective: Destroy all traces of Hero Worship in the village of Neldwick by any means necessary. (Complete)

Secondary Objective: Annihilation of the village as a whole. (Complete)

Bonus Objective: No survivors. (Complete)

Expected Payout: 12,450 gp + 5,500 gp (Bonuses)

EXP Payout: 1,250

Time Allowed: 14 Hours (Expired)

Job Restriction: Dark Wizard, Fire Wizard, Death Wizard, Summoner

>>>

“Looks like the pay is just under eighteen thousand GP.” I said, looking over the mission details again before closing the tab and turning off my AMHUD.

“Eighteen thousand!?” Leese sounded surprised.

“Yeah, why?” I tapped my fingers absentmindedly on the tabletop.

“That’s enough to buy several week’s worth of food and supplies.” She said, pushing against the glass jar wall.

“And? What of that?” I wondered if she had some kind of scheme in her head.

“You could easily leave the city, and find a new way of life. One that didn’t require you to kill people for a living!” Leese practically shouted the words through the glass dome.

“That’s probably true, but they’d track me down and either have me killed, or strip my Job Class once I quit the Guild.” I scratched the side of my head while thinking about the outcomes. They didn’t seem like good choices.

“What if…” Leese started, then stopped, shaking her head. “Nah.”

“Oh, now you have to tell me.” I said, leaning closer to the jar.

“What if you stole a Dungeon?” Leese tapped a tiny finger against her tiny head, her wings buzzed with excitement.

“How would I even go about doing that?” I asked, incredulously.

“Just, you know, think about it.” She answered, a sly smile on her face.

“Fine, I’ll consider it, even though that’s absolutely mad. Where would I even go? What dungeon would I even overtake?” The answers seemed impossible, so I threw my hands in the air, got up from the table, and lay down on the couch.

My apartments didn’t have a bedroom. Underneath, the dining room/kitchen combination was little less than a small wall between the living area and the bathroom, which was also just a small wall.

“Are you considering it?” Leese’s voice rang out from her enclosure.

“Shut up, Leese, I’m sleeping.” I said, rolling over on the couch and staring at the tattered back.

I snapped my fingers, allowing a small trickle of power to turn off the lamp at the far end of the room, plunging everything into darkness.

Except for the rising sun that was starting to come through the sheet I had put over the small, yet inconveniently placed, window.

I grumbled at the rising globe of light, turned over again, and pulled my robe over my head. Maybe I would suffocate during the short, undoubtedly tortured sleep I was going to get. That would be nice.

My AMHUD buzzed on my arm, letting me know I had a notification, which splashed itself across my vision, even with my eyes closed.

>>>

~~MISSION ALERT~~

~~HIGH PRIORITY~~

Mission: Assault on the Eldritch Temple

Briefing: The Eldritch Temple, within the Blighted Territory to the north of Adelor. The Temple itself has fallen into disrepair, and will require modifications. However, the individual who can destroy the Temple Lord and claim the Throne of Horror will be rewarded with control of the Temple, allowing them to expand their influence and take control of the surrounding area. Expect heavy resistance from fellow Wizards and Witches. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Objective: Claim the Throne of Horror from the Eldritch Lord, taking your seat as a Dungeon Lord.

Secondary Objective: Kill 5 Fellow Wizards or Witches to cement your power

Bonus Objective: Enslave 1 Fae to the Dungeon

Expected Payout: Unknown

EXP Payout: Unknown

Time Allowed: 71 hours, 52 minutes.

Job Restriction: None

Accept: Yes/No?

>>>

Was this the mission that Cinza was so worked up about? It certainly seemed like an opportunity to completely change my life.

“Yo, Leese. How do we take a Dungeon?” I yelled out to the kitchen.

“You’ve decided!?” She chirped excitedly.

“You know, yeah. Let’s give it a shot.” I answered, accepting the mission with a thought and closing the notice.