Worlds made for pleasure/forget or treasure/Come from there/Gone, how would we fair?

Wading through madness/Devious grey darkness/When the heart beats true/We never cling to fate.

Wearing the mask of blindness.

Instigate selective perception/Manipulate saccadic suppression/One and the face/On and off but always apace.

We're stuck in a schism/Of fact and fiction/Sovereign lives we steal/Adrift as fractured tears.

Worlds made for pleasure/Forget or treasure/Come from here/Ever, how would we fair?

Wading through madness/Devious grey darkness/When the heart beats true/We never cling to fate.

Tearing the mask of blindness... -Lyrics from the Puzzle and Dragons World, Special Dungeon Theme (sung by Rina Nakamura, w/ Keith Aitken)

Pirugan Continent

Sacred Bakke Mountains/Special Dungeon

The knight, once known as Verche, rushed forward and locked weapons with Leilan. The clash of steel triggered her combat instincts. Her opponent deflected a hesitant strike. Two battles waged: one internal, and the other physical.

Ray knew there was no possible way they could achieve victory with both their mindsets in turmoil. They would respawn after their hit points reached zero. There was no evidence that this would prove the same for a monster bound to a dungeon.

Leilan side-stepped a second strike that forced her back on her heels. Verche seized the opening. Leilan clenched her teeth as she fought to reestablish her stance. The momentum took her out of sword range and enabled her to land on her toes. She pushed off the balanced foot to dodge another attack. Verche's sword merely grazed her thigh, but he continued to whittle away at her feeble defenses.

Ray had no idea how much damage they could sustain from these attacks. He didn't even know the hit points needed to defeat him. No health bar, no stats, nothing useful in the least.

Ray examined the board of orbs in front of him. He had been given a terrible set. Most of the orbs were water, wood, and dark. The only ones useful to him were a few fire and light. The best course of action was to match as many orbs as possible to create a favorable board for later in the fight.

He picked up a water orb and made combinations to get rid of the useless orbs. He became distracted by a shout from Leilan, and he involuntarily glanced up. The motion of his head forced his upper body to follow it, and the finger that was moving the orbs accidentally lifted from the holographic screen, ending Ray's time for matching indefinitely.

Ray stared with his finger still hovering as the board faded to gray. The mocking red X appeared. Trepidation transformed to anger as he punched the database on his wrist.

Dammit! Dammit!

At least the ones he did get rid of were mostly replaced by heart and fire orbs.

But now was not the time to wallow in self-pity.

Leilan avoided a concentrated thrust from Verche that was accompanied with a short jab from one of his wings. He attempted to insert his sword into the curve of her own weapon, which would then give him some control of the upper body. The swift blows from the wings did not decrease her health much, but that was not the purpose of these attacks. They were meant to force openings for his blade.

Ray saw Leilan glance at him as she pushed off to make space.

He masked his irritation and drew his katana. Screw this!

Verche took advantage of her diverted attention and leveled his wrist just as he saw Leilan's eyes dart to the side. He pointed the small shield on his arm just below the neckline. The shield launched itself and he rushed forward immediately after the dangerous projectile.

Leilan half-saw the whirling missile as she tore her attention away from her partner. Her arm relaxed with the lack of focus, which forced her to lose that precious half of a second that was needed to block the speeding shield. The shield glanced off the shaft of her pole-arm with a metallic clang and angled towards her shoulder. It collided and broke her already shaky defensive stance, bringing one of her legs back so that she now faced sideways.

Verche had already closed the distance with a rebound offensive. There was no way for Leilan to bring up her weapon in time. She braced herself.

The broadsword changed coarse to deflect a katana aimed for its wielder's side. Verche curled his other hand into a fist with the intent of pummeling the katana's owner into the floor. A muffled growl emitted from the helmet when the attack scraped along Ray's wrist guards. He thrust his wings forward to make some space when Leilan joined in with a thrust from her pole-arm. One of the wings clipped Ray's shoulder and knocked him to his back.

His health bar flashed and lowered, but remained green. Not bad.

The golden knight retreated a generous distance, drove his sword into the ground and clawed his fingers. He looked up at the ceiling.

Two voices melded together: one ferocious and demonic, the other strong, yet distressed, “I am Godly Knight of the Sky, Verche! Weapons of light, hear my call!”

Circles of luminescent yellow appeared all over the cavern. They swirled faster as Verche clasped his hands. The bright surfaces shifted as glowing weapons gradually manifested. All of them aimed at the duo of monster and Player.

“Oh shit,” Ray muttered.

He knew there was no way he could dodge them all. Leilan might be able to deal with them, but not if she focused on protecting him.

The database on is wrist alerted him that the board of orbs was ready. The signal was like a switch for his brain. Maybe...

Leilan grabbed his shoulder. “Ray! We need to-”

He whirled on her. “No! I have an idea! You have to retreat!”

Verche drew his sword from the floor and charged forward. His wings contributed to the speed and warped the air around him.

“Sorry about this!” Ray shouted. “Activate puzzle mode!”

The bluish barrier appeared around him and enacted its exterior force. Anything within the circumference of the barrier was forced outwards; this included Leilan, who pushed back along the ground. She slid her grip towards the blade of her weapon and dug it into the stone. The weapons of light fired and disappeared in geysers of earth as they assaulted the Player.

Verche, already in the midst of his swing, failed to halt his momentum. The broadsword collided with the barrier and the blue hue caved inward. Waves of energy rippled along its surface. The moment was fleeting as the barrier reinstated itself into that perfect, smooth semi-circle. Ray felt the energy of the sword and light weapons drive against the shield. It was a strange lukewarm feeling that spread throughout his body. Then, the energy recollected itself at the sections buffeted by the active skill.

All that was on Ray's mind was hurting Verche. The manipulated power seemed to understand this and concentrated at eye level. The cerulean hue morphed into a swirling lime green and launched at Ray's assailant and other points of impact around the barrier.

Verche lifted his sword to deflect the beam. His shield was now gone after the attack on Leilan. A portion of the blast split against the edge of Verche's sword and arced towards the ceiling, fracturing into a hail of stone. The remaining half drove into the knight's chestplate and plunged him into the ground. He angled his body in an attempt to put himself into a roll. A stray rock that had fallen from the ceiling mocked this plan. Verche's shoulder made heavy contact and sent him sprawling sideways in an uncontrollable spin. He landed flat on his back in a heap of debris. Many of the sharp points of the jagged rock found creases in the armor and drove through. The wounds were shallow, but they inflicted some noticeable damage, enough to provide Ray and Leilan a brief respite.

Holy shit! That actually worked!

The focused energy from the barrier had taken Ray by surprise, but he didn't take the time to admire his handiwork. The board was ready again. They would have to stall as long as possible until the time came when Leilan could enact an effective counter-offensive.

Before he placed his finger on the board, he heard Leilan's voice behind him, “That was reckless.”

Ray turned to her. She rose from the ground with the support of her weapon. Blood crawled down the side of her leg, and the blow to her shoulder was turning a nasty purple. A few feet from her was a concave depression where one of the uncontrolled beams past by. A heaviness weighed in Ray's stomach at the sight of her.

“Thought I told you not to think,” Leilan said. She rapped her knuckles against the barrier.

Ray turned away from her. He saw through that confident posture.

“It just sort of popped into my head,” he said. His arm didn't move to start working on the orbs.

Leilan closed her eyes. She smiled. “You did well in that Departure Tower, right?”

Ray regarded her with a confounded look. “What are you talking about?”

Leilan strode around the barrier to stand in front of him. “When you arrived in this world. Think about it. At the time, you were walking in blind. How is this any different?”

He considered her words. Granted, their current situation was dire considering the consequences, but when he first entered this world he didn't have a clue about anything. He'd forgotten everything with his elation: the people of his world watching, the possibility of defeat, his past anxiety. The tamadra had been there, relying on him to provide it power so they could overcome their obstacles. Just like how Leilan relied on him now.

Ray looked past her and saw Verche striding towards them. A portion of his chestplate was slightly caved in and a splash of blood stained a pauldron. He brandished the broadsword and the malevolent crimson seeped down his arm to engulf the blade.

“No thinking,” Leilan repeated.

Ray nodded and stared down at the board of orbs. He didn't take his gaze from it as he thought back to Leilan's bouts with Verche.

He selected the light orb he wanted to use. “I got it. Same to you.”

She regarded him with a glance and tightened the grip on her weapon. “Fair enough.” She leveled the blade at Verche. “I won't leave you here in the dark, Verche. You will see the light again.”

The golden knight's arm shivered and one of his steps fell out of rhythm. The helmet tilted as he rolled his injured shoulder.

Leilan rushed forward with newfound vigor.

Ray placed his finger on the light orb. No thinking. Just see.

He shut out the battle in front of him. As of right now, he was not a part of it. All that concerned him was the board. What happened after was disregarded.

He took in the different positions of all the orbs. He'd done well to clear off the dark and water. Some wood orbs still remained, but they weren't too detrimental. After a few seconds, he saw the path.

The combos formed naturally. The movements were smooth. He ignored the clash of steel that echoed through the cavern as the two god monsters engaged. As the orbs burst and faded to nothingness, more fell from above, creating extra combinations in a number of successful skyfalls. The combo reached five, seven, nine and then, miraculously, it reached the double-digits. Ten. The power of the orbs merged. This strength intensified and closed in on itself as the board faded to gray and locked.

He waited to see the results of his work.

Leilan did well to hold Verche back. She even managed to counter a few attacks with her own that put Verche on a brief defensive. Her strikes were precise and calculated once again, her stance firm as she planned the next strike two steps ahead.

Verche reoriented himself as the axe blade of Leilan's pole-arm glanced off his wrist and scraped to a crease near the elbow. His willingness to allow the blade to cut into his exposed flesh took Leilan by surprise. Her forward momentum was enough for Verche to place the tip of his blade right in her path of movement.

Before Leilan's body drove into the blade, the power generated by Ray surged into her. An outward force that resulted pushed Verche back, his armored feet skid along the ground as he attempted to retain his stance.

Leilan's back arched and body trembled as this new, overwhelming energy swelled and dispersed.

This power. The power of the attributes. It exceeded her expectations. It flooded her limbs, poured into her hands and exited her weapon, seeking an escape. If she could receive such power from this Player even without her leader skill, then what other potential did he have hidden away?

These Players... Leilan thought.

They were the key to everything. With them, they could win the coming battles. They could win this war. She could save Verche.

As the surge subsided, Leilan stared at her hands and beheld the elegant, untamed orange and yellow aura that emanated. She tightened the grip on her weapon and the flames from her hands seeped through. The blade soon resembled a similar quality.

Verche took a controlled step back, not the least bit intimidated by the spectacular display. He dug his broadsword into the stone floor once again. As he did so, a gust rushed forth, forcing his adversaries to brace themselves.

The muffled, disparate voice spoke, “So, this is the power of Players. Impressive.” He extended an armored hand. “Initiate active skill reconstruction, Light Weapon Change. Convert leader skill, Divine Revelation.”

A board of orbs consisting of weapon symbols appeared, and he went to work matching them before Leilan and Ray could collect themselves.

He finished the board with a total of six combinations. Pillars of light appeared from the ceiling and an assortment of weapons drove into the floor. The lingering particles of light swirled around his body and merged.

Ray was just barely able to discern what Verche had formed. It was nothing like the active skills he was accustomed to.

“Leilan, what the hell kind of skill is that?” he shouted.

Before Leilan could respond, Verche grabbed the first weapon and launched himself at her, beating his wings more furiously than ever. The scythe that Verche wielded grazed along Leilan's side as she redirected it. The blade cut across behind her as she extended her arm out to distance it. She beat her wings once to lift her from the ground, drove both feet into Verche's head and executed a graceful back flip. She swung her pole-arm in a downward arc as Verche was about to hit the ground and drove it into his chest.

He let out a grunt as the axe blade sliced into the unyielding armor in a shower of sparks and screaming metal. A blast of hungry fire erupted, but even the concentrated power within the blade was not enough to fully pierce through.

A short sword emerged a few feet in front of Leilan from a familiar glowing portal. She failed to notice as she focused on the weapon digging into the opponent lying at her feet.

Ray shouted as he ran forward to provide support. “Leilan! In front of you!”

Leilan shifted to the side and let out a pained gasp as the short sword pierced through her flesh. It penetrated her shoulder all the way to the hilt where it was forced to halt its skewer, but the driving force remained. The sword carried Leilan straight back as if no obstruction interrupted its flight. Leilan felt a sensation as if she were weightless and the sword drove her into the opposite wall in a shower of eradicated stone.

Ray had already been on the move to flank their opponent as Verche initiated the sneak-attack on Leilan. As Verche rose from the ground, Ray swung his katana downward, only for it to be intercepted by a wrist guard. The god monster crossed his other wrist underneath to halt the weight.

A god monster was just simply too powerful for a Player.

Verche forced his arms out wide and pushed the katana a sufficient distance so he could roll to the side and reestablish his stance. He discarded the scythe in favor of a weapon more suited to his style - an enhanced broadsword.

Ray glanced over at where Leilan sat gripping the sword driven into her shoulder. She pulled at the handle and blood spurted as a few inches of the blade came free.

Just a little longer, he thought desperately. Just a little longer and the next board will be ready. I should be able to heal her with some heart orbs.

Verche interrupted his thoughts with a quick thrust of his sword that Ray dodged thanks to his innate reflexes. A second strike glanced off the edge of his katana, but it unexpectedly changed course and dug through his lead foot.

Ray stared down at his impaled foot in disbelief as blood seeped out of the tear in his leather boot where the weapon lodged. He didn't scream. He didn't make a sound. But the pain was unlike anything he had ever felt; worse than when he had fractured his wrist falling off his bike, more excruciating than when he had taken a line drive to the face at baseball practice, more than when he tore the cartiledge of his ribcage in highschool, more than any of it.

The pain threshold in this world was heightened. He'd experienced some pain in the Departure Tower. But this...

His eyes were drawn back impulsively to Leilan who was now rising unsteadily to her feet.

The pain began to numb. As it dissipated, Ray could see a slight shift in Verche's weight. He was leaning further forward on the hilt of his blade. It drove the sword deeper into Ray's foot, but Verche was also moving his upper body towards him.

Ray looked down at the leather straps attached to his wrist. He'd forgotten what his second weapon choice had been up until now.

Aw what the hell, he thought.

Ray flicked the switch between his thumb and pointer finger and the hidden blade appeared from the metal compartment beneath his wrist. He lashed out with a desperate right hook and dug the blade through the crease between Verche's helmet and pauldrons. The spurting blood was confirmation enough.

Verche groaned and reached with his hand to stifle the wound. As he fell forward, Ray lifted his knee and drove it into the damaged helmet. With the wound in his neck and this second disorienting blow, Verche reeled back and his grip loosened on his weapon.

Ray saw his opportunity. He pulled the blade out of his foot and managed to ignore the catastrophic pain. His adrenaline pumped as he quelled the hurt. But he made the same mistake as Leilan. Seizing this opportunity and witnessing the collapse of his opponent's defense, unwittingly fed his confidence. He failed to notice the movement of Verche's fingers as he fell.

Before Ray could drive his sword through Verche, the tip of a spear entered his back.

Leilan saw the spear. She saw Ray's eyes widen. He turned his head and looked at the spear in disbelief. The katana fell from his grasp. The resounding clang echoed through the silence. He touched the area where the spear penetrated and stared at his blood-stained hand. Upon seeing the blood, he collapsed.

Leilan tested her wings and found that they at least retained their strength. She pushed off the wall and flew for Verche, her pole-arm supported by one working arm.

Leilan let out a gasp as Verche prepared to finish off her partner.

Then, suddenly, Verche was flying backwards through the air in the opposite direction. He landed a few ten yards away from Leilan's position and she redirected her course.

Leilan now saw what had thrown Verche back. Ray's barrier was in affect. He'd waited until the last second to activate the barrier when Verche entered his space.

She laughed with relief as Ray stumbled to his feet. The shield had also pushed the spear out of his back. Anything hostile was forcibly removed.

“Leilan!” Ray shouted. He nearly lost his footing from the effort.

She turned to him in mid-flight and saw him pressing some unseen button on his database. Her pole-arm started to shiver.

This is...

She landed a short distance from Verche, who was already charging forward. She drove the scimitar blade of her weapon into the stone floor. “Initiate active skill, Southern Seven-Star Formation!”

The floor erupted beneath her as seven glowing spheres emerged. They floated around her, shining bright enough to blind anyone close.

She tapped into the ability of one of the glowing objects and the short sword in her shoulder eased out of her body and fell to the floor. The wound bled for a brief time before being sealed by another one of the gleaming stars.

A transparent board appeared in front of her face. The orbs morphed into fire, light and wood attributes.

Leilan watched as one of the orbs moved, passed through its neighbors and shifted them into combinations.

Is this...

They moved at an incredible speed.

So this is what you can really do for me, Ray.

The orbs completed their work and the power entered Leilan's body once again. It was even greater than before. And this time, she was ready for it.

The outward force did not deter Verche in the least. He charged through it unfazed and prepared to subdue Leilan with a two-handed strike from his sword.

Leilan swung her pole-arm as he came within reach. The blades collided with the sword for a split-second. After brief resistance, the sword shattered into hundreds of shards and dancing light particles. The scimitar blade sliced through Verche's body armor. A brutal gash from shoulder to opposite thigh spurted a fountain of blood.

Leilan finished the swing and averted her eyes as the gold knight fell to his knees. Verche wordlessly stared down at the lethal wound. He quivered in this stance for a short time and extended an arm to the side. A luminous falchion with a wide blade broke free of the floor and settled in his hand.

Verche heaved himself upright and let out a string of sputtering gasps. “N-Not yet.”

He made a series of signs with his fingers and the swirling portals appeared behind him. Animated replications of Leilan's weapon emerged and aimed at her.

“This world is mine-” Verche started.

His body jerked and went rigid. He lifted a trembling hand and grabbed at the face of his helmet. The fingers gripped inside the visor and wrenched violently.

His other hand clawed desperately at the fingers. “N-no. How dare you-resist me. You are mine. All of you belong to me!”

Leilan hesitated. Briefly. Through the internal struggle she saw a glimpse of her old friend fighting the dungeon's influence.

The melded voices roared as a katana ate into Verche's back.

Leilan rallied and charged forward as she saw Ray duck underneath a wild swing and make a stumbling retreat towards her.

The Player let out a stuttering laugh. “Forget about me, asshole?”

The entity controlling the golden knight willed itself forward. “You-puny Player!”

Leilan intercepted Verche and bat aside his weapon. She readjusted grip and drove the scimitar blade of her pole-arm through his chest.

He seized up as his throat bubbled. Blood seeped through the base of the helmet and crawled down his neck. The knight rested a hand on the blade and reached forward, tracing its edge.

Leilan heard a full, familiar voice, "I-I'm sorry, Leilan."

He fell off the blade and collapsed face down on the bloodied floor.

Leilan's knees buckled and she dropped next to him. She rested her weapon gently on the ground, leaned forward and supported herself with trembling hands.

I'm so sorry, Verche.