The Roman Church, based in West Byzantine, is the most influential church in Europe. Their history began thousands of years ago and they have millions upon millions of followers even outside of Europe. However, when the Dungeons started to manifest a year ago, many people, followers or not, were curious about all the various religions’ interpretations of the events.

Eventually, the Roman Church released this kind of statement. The Dungeons were not one of God’s creations. They were forces intended to bring about the ruin of humanity, God’s children. However, God, in his infinite benevolence, wished to protect his children. Thus, God bestowed upon many of his children a mark of faith that granted them the Skills to push back the corrupting forces of evil.

Why was the mark granted to so few, and why were many granted to non-followers of the Roman Church (or any other religion), though? It is because, although God loves us so much, God also wants humanity to grow together. Against such a global threat, it is unbelievable to think that God would be so petty as to shun all non-believers. Many humans still live and have the chance to change their lives, and God’s gift to these non-believers is symbolic of his belief in us. Therefore, these marks are not necessarily a symbol that any particular individual is the most worthy of God’s love. Nay, all humans are worthy of God’s love, and this seemingly random distribution signifies the reality that no human is truly unworthy. If, perhaps, a non-believer would finally see the error of their ways and put their faith in God as He has unto us, then that is merely incidental.

****

Date: March 20, 2021 - 2:29 pm

Location: East Prussia

A black sedan was on its way to East Prussia’s first B-rank Dungeon. Inside the car were four people. There was the driver, who was a staff member of the Earth Alliance, and three men who were wearing black cassocks. After a short ride from the airport, they arrived at their location: a small hotel where the mission briefing would occur. The men in black cassocks left their vehicle one by one. The first one was wearing spectacles, the second was one wearing sunglasses, and the third man wore no eyewear at all, but had an unnatural walk. However, no one brought it up or offered any assistance.

Inside the hotel, a woman looking outside the window saw the men exit the car.

“Looks like the last group is finally here,” she said. She turned back around to see the people around her, but they were mostly ignoring her. Closest to her was a group of people gathered around the seats of two women. On the other side of the room was another group of people who were also conversing amongst themselves, seemingly oblivious to the other group.

This woman heard the stories, but she figured they’d at least pretend to get along if they were going to risk their lives together. She shook her head and wondered if maybe this might be a bit too much for her. Her name was Taylor Falcone, and she was one of the world’s few C-rank Dungeoneer scouts. In fact, some might say she’s the best at scouting, as not only can she scout with fast-flying, bird-like familiars, but she also possesses the rare Cartography Skill which allows her to make accurate maps using the recorded routes and images from her familiars.

As a “perk” for all Dungeoneer scouts, they are permitted to participate in any Dungeons that they scout for. When they do, the other raiding Dungeoneers are expected to help the scout kill off some of the common monsters in the Dungeon in order to help raise their Stats and Skills. However, the B-rank Dungeons were much more difficult than the C-rank Dungeons and Taylor Falcone would be the first scout to enter one, assuming she doesn’t drop out now.

Taylor’s initial confidence came from the fact that three B-rank Dungeoneers would be participating in this Dungeon raid. First, there was the pair from Prussia, Angela and Miel Tennenbaum. Miel only earned her B-rank certification recently, but Angela earned hers in the first week that the B-rank certification was created. With her unique Avenger Skill, Angela is sometimes considered the strongest Dungeoneer in Europe. These were the two women at the centre of the crowd behind Taylor.

Then, there was the final B-rank Dungeoneer, Francesco Ricci. Francesco was a Dungeoneer who was severely injured in West Byzantine’s first C-rank Dungeon. He was in a two-month long coma, and after waking up, it was as if he was a completely different person. He suddenly had four new Skills, and the media also often commented that his demeanour had changed completely. Despite being physically unable to walk, he can still move around and even fight at an extraordinary level using his Telekinesis and Divine Spear Mastery Skills. Currently, he is a part of the Roman Church’s Holy Vanguard: an exclusive group of strong Dungeoneers that all possess healing, protection, or divine Skills. He and two other members of the HV were coming to the briefing room now.

Taylor waited another moment before finally taking a seat near the back of the room. A few minutes later, the three SV members entered and an EA official at the front of the room began the briefing after they seated themselves. At the seat of each Dungeoneer was a folder that contained various documents for them to look at while the briefing went on. After the EA official went over the introductions, he went straight to the Dungeon outline.

“Thanks to Ms. Falcone’s scouting, we have a fairly detailed map of this B-rank Dungeon. Please turn to page five. As you can see, this B-rank Dungeon is very unique in that it appears to be some sort of maze or labyrinth. The estimated total size of the labyrinth appears to be much smaller than the C-rank Dungeons, but in order to show all the currently mapped out routes, there are eight pages in total.”

The EA official paused for a moment to allow the Dungeoneers to confirm that they were each provided with all eight pages. When nobody had any questions, he then continued.

“Throughout this labyrinth, Ms. Falcone’s familiars only detected two monsters. Each one is humanoid in size and shape. They have a human-like upper body from the waist to the neck, and it has bovine-like legs. Its head is also similar to that of a bull. Due to the similarities, we shall refer to these monsters as minotaurs. Each minotaur appears to be naked except for something similar to a pleated leather skirt or kilt around their waist. They also each wield a large double axe.”

The EA official paused again, just in case someone wanted to ask for more details or did not know what a minotaur was. Again, there were no questions.

“Although the labyrinth contains numerous dead ends, thanks to the excellent scouting Skill that Ms. Falcone possesses, she was able to find the route to the end of the labyrinth. This route, even if only done while walking, should only take about three hours. At the exit is a set of two giant stone doors. Unfortunately, Ms. Falcone’s familiars had no means of passing through these doors so we do not know what lies behind them. Most likely, we believe that this is where the Dungeon Boss will be located, possibly along with many more monsters. Are there any questions so far?”

The official was greeted with continued silence.

“Very well, I will now go further in the Dungeon’s structure. First, although the entire labyrinth appears to be underground, it is relatively well-lit. A strange, indistinguishable light seems to shine down from the ceiling throughout the entire labyrinth. Second, the labyrinth is about three metres wide and three metres high, or ten feet. The two minotaurs seem to be patrolling certain sections of the labyrinth, and the estimated patrolling areas are highlighted on pages ten and eleven. Unfortunately, even after sending her familiars past the minotaurs, Ms. Falcone was unable to locate anything that resembled Empowering Stones. Another hypothesis we have come up with is that the Empowering Stones may be behind the sealed doors and that another path, or even possibly another labyrinth exists. If this happens to be the case, then we strongly recommend that the Dungeoneers return to the start of the labyrinth instead of continuing through uncharted territory. We will assume that complications have arisen if the Dungeon is not cleared within two days after you enter, and we will change the partial evacuation order to a full evacuation order.”

The EA official stopped again, this time to drink some water. Only a few of the Dungeoneers were still flipping through the pages. This was because, by now, most veteran Dungeoneers had familiarized themselves with the Uniform Guidelines and pre-raid briefings were not only short, but seen as mere formalities, especially when top-level Dungeoneers were participating. Copies of the briefing documents were also provided beforehand to all Dungeoneers specifically invited to a Dungeon raid. And, if questions did come up, they usually weren’t directed at EA staff, but towards other Dungeoneers, usually regarding the matter of splitting up monster kills.

“On the last page, you will find the summary of your expected compensation. The Dungeon raid is scheduled for tomorrow at 2:30pm, but please try to arrive at least ten minutes early. If you are no longer planning to participate in the Dungeon raid, please inform us as soon as possible before that time. I will remain here if there are any questions, however, the briefing is now concluded and you may leave at any time.”

There were no questions and the Dungeoneers began to leave the room. They left not in a single file, but in groups, and Taylor, not wanting to be anywhere near a potential argument, decided to leave at the end. However, when it was down to the last two Dungeoneers, the other spoke to her.

“Ms. Falcone? Is that right?” Taylor locked up for a second. She stared back at Francesco briefly before answering him.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Would you mind speaking with me for a few moments? Alone.” Taylor instantly thought back to an article detailing Francesco’s past. Specifically, it was about his past as a bodyguard for VIPs where he would often meet up with women even while on the job.

“Why?”

“I wanted to learn more about your scouting of the Dungeon.” Taylor didn’t think it sounded like an excuse to disguise the fact that he was just trying to pick her up. Although, Taylor didn’t have enough experience in that department to think this was an accurate judgement. However, the important findings were already in the report.

“Just read through the report. If there’s something you don’t understand, you can ask the EA staff.” Taylor was feeling a little proud about how she dealt with the situation as she started to walk past him.

From behind her, Taylor could hear the sound of clinking metal. Francesco was following from behind, but he didn’t say anything and he was keeping a moderate amount of distance apart. Francesco continued to follow her out of the room and then all the way to the hotel elevator. All along the way, there was the soft sound of clinking metal as Francesco took each measured step behind her to maintain his following distance. Finally, Taylor broke the silence.

“What?” Taylor asked, with some annoyance.

“I wish to speak to you about your scouting. Personally.” Taylor started to think that she misunderstood his intent, but she also wanted to be away from him even more now. The serious, cool voice he spoke with was concerning.

“Well, I don’t.” Taylor pressed for the elevator as Francesco continued to awkwardly stand a little ways away. When the elevator doors finally opened, Taylor quickly went in, and unsurprisingly, Francesco followed, this time closing the distance significantly. Taylor pressed for her floor, and Francesco just continued to stand there.

After her continued stares, Taylor seemed to remember why he looked so strange whenever he stood. Francesco could no longer walk, so he used his Telekinesis Skill to move around, but it is very taxing to finely control all the movements in the legs all the time. To help with this, metal bracers were linked up all along his legs and were connected by metal wires that ran all the way up his spine and up to his shoulders. This is so he could focus on using his Skill on just the metal bracers, and the connected pads on his shoulders to keep his body upright. And, if he just wanted to appear standing, he only needed to keep the pads on his shoulders at a certain position. However, it does look very unnatural to anyone looking closely, even if they can't see any of the metal underneath his cassock.

The elevator went to Taylor’s floor and after she left the elevator, Francesco continued to follow. Taylor said nothing about this and just quickly went to her room. When she was almost there, Francesco was still behind her.

“Just stop following me,” Taylor said fiercely, while also keeping her voice down to avoid shouting.

“I need to speak with you about your scouting.” Francesco sounded even more serious now than ever. Taylor looked like she was about to scream at him, but she held it in. However, her irritation was clearly showing on her face.

“Okay, fine, what did you want to ask about?” she responded, partially gritting her teeth.

“During your scouting of the labyrinth, did you see any inscriptions on any of the walls?”

“No, I did see anything written on the walls.”

“Not writing, inscriptions. For example, symbols or brands.”

“No, I meant that as well. The walls had none of that. They were all smooth stone walls.”

“What about the minotaurs? Did they have anything inscribed on their bodies or weapons?”

“What?” Taylor’s anger briefly subsided and was replaced with confusion. “Writing on the minotaurs? No…I don’t think so.”

“And the weapons, too? They had no inscriptions.”

“Uh…I don’t think so.”

“Think back carefully. Nothing on the shaft or the axe heads?” Francesco’s voice was at a consistent cadence, but perhaps because of her lessened irritation, Taylor was considering his questions much more seriously now.

“Um…no, I don’t think there were any inscriptions. No discernible markings.”

“And, what about the doors at the end of the labyrinth?”

“They had some patterns on them, but I don’t think I saw any writing.”

“What did the patterns look like?”

“Um…I don’t really remember.”

“Try to describe them to me.”

“Why? Do you know how to read the patterns?” Taylor asked, feeling a bit irritated again about the stream of questions.

“...Just to make sure we end up at the right door.” Taylor couldn’t tell at all from Francesco’s tone, expression, or posture if that was a genuine answer. Taylor sighed. She held up one arm, and then brought her other arm out just above it. She did some quick movements with the higher hand over the lower hand, and a falcon suddenly appeared, perched on her arm. Francesco didn’t flinch at all when this happened. Then, Taylor put her hand over the falcon’s head and her whole body froze up for a few seconds. Her eyes looked like she was in a trance. Then, she did another motion with her free hand and the falcon disappeared. She pulled a notepad out of her Inventory and started sketching.

“Here,” she said, after completing her sketch. “The door’s pattern looked like this.” Francesco took a brief look, but made no other discernible movements. “Happy now?”

“May I have this sketch?” he asked.

“Yeah, sure.” She ripped out a page from her notepad and gave it to him.

“Thank you.” Then, he turned around and walked away. Taylor looked incredulous at the sudden departure, and almost reflexively called him back. Taylor sighed to herself again and went to her room.

****

Francesco returned to his hotel room, which he shared with the bespectacled HV member.

“Anything happen?” he asked. Francesco did not respond and lay down on his bed, the weight of his body and metal attachments creating a loud thump. “Okay, fine, just lie there. But, listen up, because the raiding plan has changed a bit now. Assuming no further changes to the raiding party, there will be a total of twenty-nine Dungeoneers participating, including the three of us. There are also going to be seventeen Dungeoneers from Prussia, and eight Dungeoneers from East Prussia. The last Dungeoneer is the scout, Taylor Falcone. Do you understand where I’m going with this?”

“Yes, Riccardo, you’ve already brought up that the East Prusssian Dungeoneers don’t get along with the Prussian ones,” Francesco answered, still lying on the bed.

“That’s right. Whether this is justified by one side or the other is irrelevant. As agents of the Roman Church, we must maintain our stance of neutrality between nations. If a fight breaks out, we can intervene to deescalate the situation, but as long as it doesn’t get to that point, stay out of it. And, if the two sides want to split up at some point during the Dungeon raid, then there are three different priorities we must follow, regardless of whomever may be at fault for the division. First, we must take an action that makes it possible to clear the Dungeon. Second, if there are multiple different actions that make clearing the Dungeon possible, then we must accompany the scout, Taylor Falcone. The Roman Church views the Dungeoneer scouts as essential for future Dungeon raids for the world at large, and specifically wishes for us to create a positive impression with Ms. Falcone in order to build up a good relationship. Understood?”

“...yes.” Riccardo walked over to Francesco’s bed and leaned over him.

“What was with that pause?”

“I’m tired.”

“What did you do when you told me and Francis to leave ahead of you?”

“I had some questions to ask.”

“What did you ask?” Riccardo pressed further.

“Nothing you need to worry about. Continue. What is the third priority?”

“Francesco, it was fine for you to do whatever you wanted in the C-rank Dungeons, but this time it’s different. If you have intentions to deviate from the plans-”

“Where is Francis, by the way? Shouldn’t he be here as well?”

“He already knows.”

“Okay. Continue then.” Riccardo leered at Francesco a moment longer before dropping the matter.

“The third priority is about what to do if we are limited in our ability to assist anyone in the Dungeon. In that case, we will prioritize the following people in the following order, from highest priority to lowest priority. You will take the highest priority. Then, it is Taylor Falcone. After that is me. After me is Angela Tannenbaum. After her is Miel Tannenbaum. After that is everyone else, so it will be up to our discretion.”

“What about Francis?”

“He is in the same category as all the other unnamed Dungeoneers.” There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in Riccardo’s response.

“...Does he know that?”

“He knows. I should also add that although he is in the same category, you should keep in mind the Roman Church’s reputation when making your decision. It would do us no good if our actions were seen as selfish.”

“Do you think I care about something like that?” Francesco replied with an even voice. Riccardo seemed to ponder the question for a bit before walking away to sit on his own bed.

“There is one last thing to go over,” Riccardo began, ignoring Francesco’s question. “When a scout joins the raid, it means the other Dungeoneers have to assist her in slaying monsters. Normally, this is just for the common monsters, but since there are only two minotaurs, they are probably both mid-bosses. Unless some other monsters appear before then, then we would need to help her fight against at least one of the minotaurs.”

“That won’t be a problem. I can even let her get the kill if she wants.”

“No, that’s not the issue. It is likely that the other Dungeoneers may also want to fight against the minotaur since mid-bosses grant more Stat Points and also have a higher chance of leveling up Skills. However, the Dungeon will be quite narrow, making it impractical for many Dungeoneers to fight it at once.”

“I know that. What’s your point? Do you want to negotiate with the other Dungeoneers?”

“That would be ideal. Normally, the higher ranked Dungeoneers act as the vanguard, which means we would deal with one mid-boss while the two Tannenbaums deal with the second. However, the rest of the Prussian Dungeoneers certainly won’t like that.”

“So, what’s the plan, then?”

“Before we reach the first minotaur, we must get the rest of the raiding team to agree to us fighting the first minotaur. Realistically, the only way to get everyone else to agree is if Ms. Falcone is the one who decides. This whole matter is all about providing suitable support for her to begin with, so if she is the one who makes the decision, then the other Dungeoneers won’t be able to complain about us.”

“Okay, but, how are we going to do that?”

“Well, it would do us no good if we were to try to openly convince her, and it would look even worse if we tried to do it secretly.”

“So, then how?” Francesco didn’t let it show in his voice, but he was starting to get annoyed.

“You have a thing with the ladies, don’t you? Do you think you can catch her eye without making it too obvious?”

“...I might have some bad news for you.” Francesco kept his voice neutral as he started formulating some excuses in his head.