CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Instantly Finding Treasure!

The Bestial Inquiries: Quest Completed

Out on the outskirts of the White City, Baracus, the party ‘Storming Dawn’ had finally finished their latest quest.

(*Cough* Ok, the name wasn’t actually Storming Dawn, but Roari found it amusing so it stuck.)

In each of their hands was a capture crystal, a glittering red gemstone easily worth a fistful of gold coins. As their funds were extremely low, Dawn had immediately sent the Storm Sibling’s off to meet the city Taming Master who provided such a reward for slaying some ravenous wolves in the countryside.

Now, obtaining a cute little animal companion would no longer be a pipe dream. The only problem now was the success rate, as users found that it would take dozens of attempts to capture even the weakest slime monster.

Of course, there were ways to increase the odds for success, but such methods were kept classified by those who discovered them. And as a result, the market for pets was booming.

Still, it was a comfortable addition to their overall net worth. Dawn who had been in charge of the entire groups accounting was satisfied. At the moment, any additional wealth was welcome.

Roari however, didn't feel quite the same way, sighing deeply after finally receiving the quest reward.

"That took way too long."

She grumbled for the fiftieth time. Although the group had made a small detour for the crystals, that was not their true agenda near the White City.

With hurried steps, they quickly ran for the nearby beach and followed the shoreline.

"We'll still make it. It isn't noon yet." Dawn reassured her gently. After following the treasure map to find Meteos's Legacy, they found that the location to be on an island just a few hundred meters off the shore of the White City. It was simple enough to find, which begged the question of why nobody else had acquired the legacy yet.

The answer, soon became clear, as they realized that there were no boats that were functional on the coast of the White City. As massive sea crocodiles infested the shallow waters.

Although their levels were low, they were still capable of tearing holes in the hulls of ships, and the darkness of the water made it nearly impossible to see them in the briny depths. As such, only ignorant fools or mentally handicapped strong men would dare to brave such waters.

However, they would not need to join the ranks of crazed men who ended up becoming fish food. As they quickly discovered that on a specific day at a specific hour, the tides would drop low enough for them to run to the island.

Such a time would only last for six hours at most, or so the fisherman who provided such information said. Although it would be cutting it close, such a time frame would hopefully be enough for them to run in, find the legacy and then get out before being trapped for a week on the island.

At least, that had been the plan, but after missing the first opportunity, the party instead decided to wander around the area to do some questing. Pale and Roari had even explored the White City for a while as well, leaving Dawn who was still 'wanted' to wait in a forest for their return.

They hurried, taking only a few breaths of time before finally reaching the area on the shore closest to the island. Although the tide had mostly receded, the water would still reach their waists in some areas which beggared some nervousness.

Of course, since they were late already, such thoughts were completely out of mind as they charged through the waters. The crocodiles lying in wait flinched at the sudden movements.

Pale blinked a few times as he saw dark shadows approaching them from every side, but he needn't have feared as they seemed content to remain in the deeper water.

Shaken, they heaved themselves onto the island, whilst gasping for air. While they had also prepared for a long search on the island, there was a distinctive cave which protruded out of cliff face. Being the only landmark on an island filled with dense jungle, anyone would've clearly have guessed that that would be the location of choice.

Using the thick long vines that grew down the cliff side, they swiftly climbed up to the entrance, finding an entrance that was blocked off by cobwebs.

"Looks like there are spiders in this place."

"A cunning observation, my dear Watson." Pale snorted. As there was a time limit coupled with a lack of knowledge with the dungeons interiors, Pale was pushed to hurry. A madness burned within the depths of his eyes, and bright green flames appeared between his fingertips.

“Firefly”

The tiny balls of fire shot out from his hands, each of the four balls latching onto different sections of the web before spontaneously combusting. The webbing appeared to have been very flammable, going up into smoke in an instant, revealing the path that laid beyond.

Pale nodded, satisfied with results. After training his proficiency with the Flare Bubble Skill, he was given the opportunity to upgrade it at the White City's magician tower. As a result, his skill metamorphosed into something completely new. With the splash damage had decreased, there were now more projectiles with every cast. Not to mention, they had a homing feature which locked on to the nearest enemies within the vicinity.

As the path cleared, Dawn stepped up as both the designated tank and white mage of the party.

Until they could find a dedicated healer to join them, just her role alone made her the most important person on their time, both now and in the future.

Her eyes were steeled and her loins were girded as she prepared herself for a potentially dangerous situation.

"Like usual, I'll take point. Roari, the rear. Pale if possible, conserve your fire."

"Wilco!"

Dawn raised her eyebrows slightly at their swift response. Their transformation into competent team players in a week alone was astounding. With a small smile on her lips, she turned back towards the front, while Pale and Roari shared a glance.

The two of them were already familiar with being carried by their big gun. On their way here, Dawn had already blitzed through numerous hunting ground, making them feel comparatively useless. Although she did most of the work, they strove to at least provide some assistance in battles, if a bit, else they would completely be worthless in later fights with larger stakes.

Thus all of them rushed forward, their auras burning with fighting spirit as they dove into an antechamber of startled monsters.

Suffice to say, the spiders did not stand a chance.

They ripped, smashed, gripped, and pummeled. The death throes of the tiny kitten sized arachnids were disturbingly cute, almost like a balloon squeaking as it deflated.

After slaughtering their way through the first few areas, Dawn was perplexed.

"Is this really a quest meant for lv 37s? These spiders seemed awfully weak."

Weak was actually an understatement. They would die if they just stepped on them the wrong way. The experience they provided was abysmal as well, which led to some suspicions as to whether they were in the right place.

"Maybe it gets harder inside?" Pale offered. They had just reached a long tunnel lit by fluorescent ore veins. While none of them had any production subclasses yet, Pale was busy jotting down notes, as it may come in useful later on.

At the end of the tunnel, they found the spider queen, laying decadently on a massive floor of webbing. It was about the size of a rhino, with guard spiders that were half a size smaller, but no less intimidating.

Slick green venom oozed out from its hair-less fangs as its countless black eyes stared at the intruders with a curious interest. Upon their entry into its lair, however, it hissed and raised its forelegs, prepared for battle.

…

While Pale and Roari quickly crushed the two guard spiders with sword and fist, Dawn charged forward, her sword flashing as she buried it deep into the queen's reflective eyes. With side sweep from her shield, she also crushed half of its right legs, sending it crashing to the ground.

Needless to say, it died instantly.

"...Does anyone else feel that we've overtrained for this?"

Past the spider, they had come to a dead end.

"Maybe this isn't the right cave? Or maybe you read the map incorrectly? I really don't think its supposed to be this easy." Dawn said gently.

The loot from the queen had only been some venom sacks with a spool of silk. As a boss monster, the rewards were pathetic.

"No way!" The map reader, Roari shook her head. There was no way she was so useless that she couldn't even read a map. "There must be another cave somewhere around here."

Roari pulled out the map once more but frowned as she could not make out the dark lines.

"Bro! A light?"

"No problem."

With but a flick of the wrist, he converted the oozing spider corpses into eerie green bonfires. The ghostly light brightened up the room, revealing the mass of webs that covered every surface.

Roari perused the map once more, confident that she hadn't missed anything. She pulled Dawn in close.

"See look! An island, and there's even a little cave drawn on it. And this is pretty much the only island close to White City."

"Perhaps the scaling is wrong? I remember seeing another one off the coast of Jeju village a few miles over."

"That massive rock? That's not even an island!" Roari complained, not noticing the green flames beginning to spread towards the thick webbing.

"Uhh...Guys?" Pale began to slowly back away out of the room.

"Well, maybe the map was wrong! Where did you even get it in the first place?"

"Don't blame the map! There must be another cave!"

"There is no other cave!"

"Guys...."

"Fine! Then why then you lead us, ole mighty leader. And when you get us lost, I'll be twice as irritating compared to before!"

"You actually admitted it! You admitted that you're doing it on purpose!"

"I did no such thing!" Roari vented, but before she could continue to stroke her beef, Pale yelled.

"OI!"

"What!" The two girls said in unison as they turned to find Pale standing at the entrance.

"Your clothes are on fire," Pale said dryly.

Their eyes widened, finally realizing that the entire room was burning up. Their ankles were feeling rather hot as well, with the flames nearby licking at their ankles. The whole scene would have been comical if not for the fact that their health was beginning to plummet.

While screeching in shock, they panickedly retreated, and not a moment too soon. It might have been a random gas pocket, but the moment they stepped out of the boss area, the whole room erupted into a blazing green inferno.

The explosion blasted them away with a burst of superheated air, sending them tumbling into a pile of rocks.

'Of all the...Bwah--' The entire cave system rumbled, sending stalactites raining down on them. The falling rocks were deadly natural missiles, with the resulting shrapnel dropping his health drop to critical levels. Unable to respond, Pale could only curl up into a ball until the tremors stopped.

It was only when he heard a cry of victory did he raise his head from between his arms.

The dust had cleared, with some flames still lingering on half-burnt webbing as he found that Roari was already at the center of the boss room, jumping in excitement.

Beneath her was a massive manhole cover, with the shoddy etchings of a horned skull drawn onto it.

"The map was right!" Roari rejoiced, while her face was still caked in soot and dust. Dawn who had weathered the brunt of the damage for them both rose back up with a glare.

"Its a puzzle door," Dawn said in surprise. There were no grooves where they could fit their hands on it, with no other hints of how to open it aside from two slits within the demon's eyes. "I've come across one of these when I was still acquiring my sword."

"Well, how do we open it?"

"From its appearance, I assume it will need two keys, or perhaps a special item before it will open. Did you get any additional items with the quest?"

"Aside from the map, no."

"I see.”

"Well, there's nothing here, and if there was, it would have been reduced to ashes by now. Perhaps there was an item we missed along the path here?"

"I don't remember seeing anything out of the ordinary, and that would be too easy, wouldn't it? I'd say we should do a quick search around the area, and if we find nothing, then we can go do some research at the library. In the worst case scenario, it would just take us a little longer to figure out where the key is, but at least we know its location."

There's was a sharp shattering noise followed by a high pitched cry.

"I opened it!" Roari announced.

"What?"

Roari stood there, holding the demonic manhole cover with her gloved hands. No, it would be more accurate to say that it was a fragment of the manhole cover.

"It kind of just fell apart when I tried pushing on it." Roari shrugged, as she tried to read the flavor text. Her curiosity was not rewarded, however, as it was by all rights, a simple stone lid.

"I guess the explosion weakened it a bit?" Pale theorized, slightly relieved that they wouldn't have to go through the tedious process of finding the keys.

"This is a scam! There's no way it would be this easy. I won't accept it!" Dawn said uproariously.

Pale patted her shoulder while nodding in understanding. "There, there. It's alright. You don't have to complain. We still know you are a great help to this team."

"That wasn't what I meant!" She wanted to clear up the situation but realized that any attempts to do so would just make her look all the more petty. Thus she had no choice but to swallow her irritation feeling as though a blood vessel may burst if she dwelled on it any longer.

"We're wasting time. Let's go." She grumbled while flushed. The manhole unveiled some uniform stone steps which descended into the dark unknown, but upon taking the first step, a cacophony of raspy voices whispered out from the dankness within.

{Intruders?}

{Intruders!}

{Turn Back!}

{Please...}

Nameless Dungeon Discovered

"Polite fellow. That last one." Pale was amused. The notification suggested that this was the place, and while the voice had faded to nothing, it did not repeat its warning again.

After casually waiting for it to continue on for a few more seconds, the group merely shared a few glances with one another before continuing downward.

"Sounds like an invitation to me!" Roari shrugged before jumping straight down with reckless abandon. While landing on some moist earth, her eyes widened as she came face to face with a half-rotten skull. Blue soulfire burned within its empty eye sockets as it roared in greeting.

{I warned you…} The voice reappeared again, its tone depressed as if it were about to bear witness to a tragedy.

Immediately shrinking back, Roari could only stare in horror as two other desiccated corpses appeared behind the first one, each of them wearing but scraps of oxidized metal armor.

Upon seeing the undead, Dawn's palm began to itch as she reached for her sword.

"Get behind me!" Dawn barked. She didn't have a moment to lose, barely managing to raise her shield up in time to catch an axe swing. Her counterstroke screamed as she slashed diagonally across the attacker's face, but the battle had already begun.

The axe wielding zombie kept her attention, hacking away while the other two approached from either side. Relative to the foes she had faced so far, their speed was nothing to write home about, but that didn't mean they were by any means slow.

Of course, Pale and Roari weren't sitting back and relaxing. The moment Dawn had received the full aggro, they pounced on either side, employing their crowd control skills while Dawn hammered away.

Although each zombie had a remarkably high health pool, their clumsy movements listed them among the easier enemies that they had faced so far. As they each reprioritized targets, the constant change in combatants tripped up the zombies as they invariably ran into each other while trying to cope.

It only took a few more seconds, but soon, the living dead were slain handily, exploding into a shower of coins and items.

While Roari looted, Dawn made a quick review of the party's health reserves. After seeing that they have sustained minimal damage, they continued onwards while making full use of Dawn's natural lethality against the undead.

...

{Turn back, please! It's not too late.} The voice pleaded once more as the party pushed their way through the crypt. As they progressed, they found some zombies wearing surcoats that had not been destroyed by the ravages of time. Decorated on their raiments was a white tree over a black background.

Although such an image meant nothing to the Storm Siblings, Dawn exclaimed in interest at the sight.

"That's the symbol of the White Temple! These are the remains of Knights and Paladins!"

"So they are White Knights then? No wonder it's all guy zombies in here." Roari laughed candidly. She ended up having to run away, cackling as her words somehow managed to trigger hostility from an undead that had been focused on Dawn.

Not minding the warnings, they continually plowed onwards, only needing to stop when Dawn took an accidental arrow through the slit in her helmet. While it was a miraculous shot and did critical damage, Dawn managed to weather the attack splendidly, but they still required a brief rest regardless.

"You know, that voice is kinda making me feel a bit guilty," Roari muttered. As they proceeded deeper into the dungeon, its pleas had become more desperate for a time, but currently, it seemed that it had given up. Its only comments now were cursory ones spoken with a tired tone, as if it were hurt that its advice was completely ignored.

Of course, there was no way they would turn back now, but the sadness of the voice didn't sit well in her heart.

"Well yeah, we are kind of playing the role of graverobbers," Pale reassured her while misunderstanding her guilt. "Just think about the loot and this will all blow over soon."

Of course, such words cheered Roari straight up anyways as she laughed. "Ha! Not like I'd forget about that. Fuck that ghost!"

Seeing Roari's quick 180 in attitude, Dawn grimaced. 'Is this really ok?'

Although Dawn wanted the Storm Siblings to be apart of the Lawful Good alignment like she was, instead she felt herself being pulled slowly into the primordial vortex that was their sense of morals.

"Hey Dawn, are you upset?"

"No? Why do you ask?"

"Well, you're pouting for some reason, so I'm just wondering."

"That's just how my face looks."

Apart from the massive surplus of zombies, there was nothing else particularly special about the dungeon. No traps, no surprises. There wasn't even any treacherous terrain, as the entire route was linear and appeared to have been carved from stone beforehand.

They finally reached the end, coming across a circular stone chamber with a lone zombie and a stone arc erected behind it.

The moment they entered the room, an apparition made of spectral blue light appeared before them.

{Well, I certainly did not expect you to make it all the way here.} The spirit said apologetically. It was the same voice that was offering them 'advice' while they slaughtered their way here.

The corpse at the center was wearing blackened silver armor that sucked in light like a collapsing star. Just one glance at it confirmed that it was anything but ordinary. The body, however, remained unmoving even as the rest of them stared at it. Upon noticing their stares, the specter quickly said.

{Brave Her--}

“DIEEEEEE!!”

The ghost didn’t even have a chance to finish its sentence when a brick flew threw its ethereal body, smashing into the wall behind it.

{...}

“Sorry.”

{All is forgiven. Its not as though I have the capacity to hold a grudge now anyways." The spectre smiled sadly. It was then Pale realized who the spectre was, and he blurted out.

“You're Meteos.”

{I am!} The specter nodded courteously. {The others whom you so willfully destroyed were also my companions. Proud, good men, with no flaws except their trust in a foolish captain.}

His voice was courteous and subdued, neither haughty nor overly humble. Although the details of his face weren't clear, he seemed to be in a state of deep remorse.

“Sssss Ooh. Yeah. Sorry about that.”

"Oh..." Dawn said simply. 'We weren't exactly expecting that you'd still be 'alive', how are we supposed to steal your remains now?!!' She became crestfallen as she quickly realized that she would soon be coerced into doing something against her moral code...again.

{No matter. None of it matters anyways.}

‘Well aren’t you depressing.’ Dawn snorted as she removed her adventurer’s journal. It seemed that Pale had already done so as well, but after looking at it briefly, he had froze, which piqued her interest.

A quick identification of the Meteos soon explained why.

Dawn sprayed saliva out of her nose as she reeled back in shock. It was a crazy level, so high that there was no way they would be able to win. What was worst was that this was definitely not the level Meteor had been whilst in his prime. As common White Temple Knights were around level 90, the low levels of the zombies they faced suggested a huge degeneration in power upon death.

There was no need for any of them to say anything as Meteos continued.

{We were betrayed!} Without being prompted, Meteos began his backstory. {When we were still alive, there came an anonymous tip that a summoning portal to the nether realm would be erected in close proximity to Baracus. Such a thing would have become disastrous to the people, thus my squadron and I set off to destroy it.}

His spectral body flickered weakly as if a maelstrom of complex emotions was wrecking havoc within his body.

{It was a lie though. The portal was true, yes, but it was inactive. Bryden, the man who I trusted the most had worked together with a demonologist to use our souls to power the gate in an attempt to summon a greater demon. When we discovered such treachery, we destroyed the demonologist and Bryden, but not without a cost…}

{The ritual had already begun, and while we had aborted the final processes, our souls were still bound to the gate. Worst was that we were unable to destroy it, thus binding us here for eternity. Without food, our bodies became hollow husks, mere shells of the once great warriors of the Kingdom. A few of my men couldn't bear the pain of eternity and attempted suicide, but no matter what we tried, we could not die. Our minds are bound in a small range around the gate and can proceed no further to get help. As the years past, our minds degenerated with many becoming nothing more than primal beasts, incapable of reason. Perhaps I would've shared such a fate as well, but then who would remain to feel remorse over my incompetence.}

Somehow, the blue specter began choking up. He blamed himself for all of this, although the fault clearly did not lie with him. His dull sobs made Dawn feel so awkward that she couldn't help but look away.

She turned to find Pale doing the exact same thing. As they met each other's eyes, they seemed to have reached an agreement. Despite appearing suddenly, the ghost actually seemed like a pretty good guy, and his ghostly bawls seemed to be tugging piteously on their heartstrings.

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

{I initially thought you might be random travelers, thus I did not wish for you to perish in these hopeless depths, but seeing as you're here, you can free us from this curse. Please... Just let me 'die' while I still have a sense of self remaining.} The pitch of the specter's voice rose. Despite his cordiality from earlier, there was but an ocean of madness hidden under a thin layer of willpower.

"What do you want us to do?" Dawn asked gently.

{A premature summoning,} Meteos stated. {The portal itself is indestructible, but while our souls have been absorbed into the formation, they can't be used to power the demon's ascension into our world. Thus if we can bring the beast over here with insufficient resources, we can free the souls from the constraints of the gate while restricting the beast in a weakened material body.}

"You will be helping us kill such a demon of course?" Pale asked suspiciously. If they went through with this only for Meteos just up and disappear, he doubted that it would end well for any of them.

"Of course. I would not leave you to suffer for my sins."

"Well, aight. I'm cool with that. You guys?" Roari walked up to the gateway, studying it curiously.

"Sure."

"It's a paladin's duty. Of course."

The specter nodded before flying straight into the corpse. A blue soul fire ignited within its eyes as its skeletal mouth rattled. "I will assist you. All you have to do is to merely activate the lodestone in the center of the platform, and it will carry on from there."

Roari stared at an assuming grey rock. Apart from that, there was really nothing else that could be considered a lodestone. She reached for it without fear and was soon granted a choice.

"...Uhhh, sure whatever" Roari shrugged before suggesting the yes option. Immediately the room began to rumble, with wind slicing through the air while a vortex began to form before her.

Pale saw the drastic change in the setting and said sheepishly to Dawn. "You know... In hindsight, maybe we shouldn't have trusted some walking corpse in a deep dark dungeon."

Had they not been pressed for time, they might have pondered it a while longer. The specter's story had many holes in it, but it was too late.

As the vortex tyrannically sucked all the air around them, a black shadowy portal soon appeared from within. A dark putrid smelling miasma began to wisp out from the portal as a bestial heartrending roar came from within.

The heavy winds quickly ceased, but the party immediately felt something was wrong. The zombie that was Meteos turned in shock as a pulsating red ball of energy flew from one of the crevices and into the portal.

{Who!} Meteos screamed, but there was no answer.

From within the portal, the tone of the beast's roars changed, somehow sounding as if it were in pain. Slowly its roars began to cease, turning into low pitched whines before disappearing entirely. What soon replaced it was low, gurgling laughter that seemed to be reverberating through the room.

Upon hearing such a voice, Meteos tensed up. Even though he no longer had facial muscles, shock could still be seen on his face as he cried out.

{Bryden! So you were still alive this entire time! But how?!}

The laughing stopped, before a low sinister voice oozed out of the portal, spitting venom with every word. "Of course you fool. Back before you stabbed me in the back, I made sure that 'ALL' of our souls would be bound to this place. I had no wish to socialize with the lot of you, so I've remained hidden, biding my time."

{You fiend! The lot of us? These were our comrades! I have wondered time and time again over what had driven you to such extremes. How could you?!} The corpse yelled, baring his gauntlets towards the swirling portal.

The portal was silent for a moment, and then a reply came slowly, as if embarrassed. "All I did, I did for you. Rashenta promised...She promised..." The reply sounded more like an excuse than anything else, which seemed to have driven Meteos into a mad fervor.

{That witch?!!? All this pain and loss was just because of her? Whatever happened to your loyalty! I thought we were friends! How could you have been corrupted by a harlot's false promises?!}

"Bah!" A massive black paw erupted from the portal. "What do you know about love!"

"What do you know about anything!" The rest of the demon's body surged out of the vortex, revealing itself to be a massive black winged panther. With a height similar to that of a mans, its wings were more than 10 meters across with a length that was half that.

Its fluorescent yellow eyes seemed to pierce through the darkness, while drool slicked down its dirty jagged fangs.

Although its appearance was intimidating, Meteos wasn't cowed, storming towards the beast, shouting furiously. "You dare say I know nothing about love? What gall! Perhaps if you didn't have your head stuck so far up your ass, you might've seen it, but no! You only had your eyes on that demonic bitch!"

"..."

"You know...I feel there's a story we're missing here." Roari who was surprised at the lack of violence so far stopped and commented. "Also, is anyone else feeling some gay undertones here or is just me?"

"Enough!" With a fierce snarl, the panther flapped its wings, sending gusts of wind swirling violently around the room. You can save your worthless prattling for when you're in the depths of oblivion!"

Warning. Area Boss has Appeared!

Possessed Black Destroyer Lv92

And so, the battle had begun.

“So… Remember when I said we overtrained for this?”

“Hmmm?”

“I take it back.” Pale laughed hollowly as the shadowy miasma was thrown all around the stone chamber. With but a single touch, the stone sizzled, slowly melting away due to its devouring properties.

He pulled out his fire rod. A new weapon which he had acquired at the cheap-o-bin in White City. It was a simple wooden stave that reduced the mana consumption of all fire-related spells by 10%. It's attack damage, however, was abysmal, which thus reduced Pale to nothing more than a glorified arsonist.

Pale Storm Lv 23

HP: 480/480 (+10)

Ember Guard

MP: 1410/1810 (+5)

STR:15

DEX:10

VIT:10

INT:15

LUK:7

WIS:85

His stats had also become a mess as there was no guidance on how to use them. While he injected most of his points into Wisdom to abuse Living Fire, there were no other hints for what sort of role an Ember Guard was supposed to fulfill. Was he an actual guard or some kind of mage? The whole line was quite blurry.

Well, it wasn’t like currently mattered at the moment. Neither of his two skills scaled with anything and the improved firefly only utilized 20 mana per use. While he could control the direction of the fire as well, its main advantage was the constant burning state that it inflicted.

Despite his lack of versatility, the tactic of setting his opponents ablaze, and letting them slowly burn to death while being pounded on by Dawn had already yielded outstanding results.

*GrawwwwwR*

Pale's eyes flashed as it appeared that there was no more thinking to be had. The Black Destroyer had already begun its move. Pouncing upon Meteos with its glistening claws outstretched.

Although there was a massive size and level difference between the two combatants, Meteos was not perturbed. Instead, he calmly walked forward, his gauntlets glowing as he raised his fists.

“Meteor Impact!”

His arm disappeared into a blur of motion, as Meteos jumped to meet the monster, slamming his fists into it's exposed underbelly. Shockwaves burst from the blow, sending the big cat flying back. Its massive body crashed through a cluster of stalactites that were no different from stone barbs ripping through its wings.

Steam gushed out from Meteos's gauntlets as he smacked his fists together. "I see you've forgotten why I was elected captain of our troupe. Even like this, you are still no match for me."

"Preposterous! You are but a corpse barely held together by a few scraps of skin!" Bryden managed to shake off the debris from his body and was briefly airborne before shooting towards Meteos. "Just do us all a favor and die!!"

"I see in these long years of isolation, you've forgotten your fear of me. Allow me to give you a reminder."

Meteos charged forward once more, but Bryden was ready. Instead of meeting him head on, he dodged upwards before swatting at the zombie with his long whip-like tail.

As Meteos was sent crashing on to the stone, cold ground, black plumes of smoke began to leak out of the monster's mouth.

"It's a breath attack!" Dawn cried. She quickly slammed her shield against the ground with divine light bursting from her body as she braced herself. The storm siblings themselves hurried to hide behind her steady glowing shield.

“Flames of the Abyss!”

They had barely ducked behind Dawn's shield in time before a jet of black flame and molten rock sprayed from the panther's gaping maw. Even ignoring the heat, the sheer pressure of the attack alone pulverized the surrounding rock as Meteos ended up taking the full brunt of the attack.

Even through the shield, Dawn could also feel the demonic heat conducting through the metal, scalding her arms. She winced as she bit down on her tongue, trying desperately to endure.

Such a difference in power levels was enough to make the newbie trio despair, and the fight had only just begun!

“All is cinder. All will burn.”

A dot of light blinked from within the flames as it began to rush up against the current of darkness. Sensing something was wrong, Bryden closed his mouth, only to see a glowing zombie appear at the end of his spray of flames. A very human terror appeared on the cat’s face as he pleaded with his eyes.

'Please don't punch me.'

Although the zombie no longer had the lips to smile, it somehow managed to grin. 'Lol no.'

With a heavy fist, he smashed the big cat across the jaw, sending it flying towards the ceiling. It smacked into the roof noisily once more and bounced back straight into Meteos's itchy fists. His arms cocked once before shooting out like a cannon, crunching into Bryden's pelvis before launching him back up into the air, after which Meteos began to repeat the entire process.

In a sense, he was juggling his opponent, while using some sort of skill to remain floating in the air.

"Ok, I'm fairly certain this is animal abuse," Roari muttered while avoiding Pale's startled gaze.

However, despite the repeated blows, the giant cat seemed none the worse for wear as whatever wounds it sustained appeared to be healing instantly.

“Meteor Impact!”

Whether it was due to a lack of mana, or boredom from all the juggling, Meteos decided to hammer the cat with a heavy blow once more but was not prepared when a massive black paw suddenly appeared before his face.

With a resounding bang, both combatants were sent flying in opposite directions. While Meteos had recovered swiftly enough, he did not stop to recollect himself before charging. Steam jetted out from his gauntlets, while the giant black cat smiled and crouched, ready for him.

“Holy Prison!”

"...?"

Bryden had just been about to leap as well when a disarming golden light appeared on top of him and pinned him to the ground. Surprised by the sudden constraint, Bryden turned to see Dawn who was faintly glowing with holy power. Her sword held high as the accursed light came from its shining blade.

Although he tore through the light prison easily enough, he had still been restricted, albeit for only a second. This left Bryden completely unprepared when Meteos came rushing in to unleash an explosive right hook against his jaw.

Watching the beast once more, Meteos took the opportunity to begin pummeling again, but now he did not fight alone.

"Let's go!" Pale declared as he fired off four glowing pellets of fire that were no larger than a thumb thick. They had been standing on the sidelines for far too long, and the feeling of uselessness was not a pleasant one. Regardless of Meteos's performance, the fact remained that he was still heavily suppressed by the monster's level. Although there was no effect now, it would be folly to believe that the zombie would be able to come out victorious all on its own.

They would at least have to provide some sort of support, else should Meteos fall, they would inevitably follow.

The flaming projectiles whizzed through the air, barely avoiding Meteos as they splashed down on the monster. Although it quickly became apparent that its fur was flame resistant, the same could not be said for its wings.

The elegant black feathers were instantly set alight, causing the monster to roar in pain. Such an attack, however, seemed to have made the monster even more dangerous as it began flapping its wings wildly, buffeting Meteos with facefuls of flaming feather.

"Just sit down!" Roari yelled crankily.

Pale felt wronged. There wasn't much any of them could do, but could only stay silent while Roari crept up to the beast slowly.

Knowing that her puny fist techniques would be useless on such a monster, Roari clenched her teeth as giant hurtling balls of flame and debris just barely missed her. She had a secret weapon that would bring the monster to its knees. She just needed an opportunity to use it.

"Dawn!" She barked. "What's the cooldown on the Prison?"

"T-Two minutes," Dawn replied hastily. She too had attempted to get in close to the monster, but a mere glancing blow had almost sent her to the afterlife.

Roari grit her teeth. Would they have enough time? The signs of damage were already prevalent upon Meteos as much of his body was either scorched or ripped open. It was evident that he would not last much longer.

“Healing Hands!”

Although Dawn was a bit concerned over Roari suddenly taking a leading position, it was evident that she had a plan, thus Meteos had to at least survive until then.

Although the effects of her healing light were diminished when used on an undead, there were still some minor regenerative boosts to be had. The efficacy was also doubled if there was direct contact between the user and the caster, but when looking upon the battlefield, she had to swallow her trepidation.

Limbs were flying as a flurry of blows was being exchanged. Cat flesh distorted and massive gashes appeared on the zombie, but still they fought with an undying fervor. If one of those attacks landed on her, there was no question over her survival. She would be dead. Kaput. End of story. Actually, it was a godsend that the massive cat monster was completely focused on Meteos. If it had targeted any of them instead, their little adventure would've ended then and there.

After a series of clashes, the two titans regained their distance once more, but while the giant panther seemed relatively unharmed, Meteos's body was passing black smoke.

"Comrades. I have made a grave error. Even without Bryden's interference, the demon's material body is far stronger than anticipated. Flee now. I will do what I must."

Crossing his skeletal arms before him, the air around Meteos changed as steam began pouring out of every orifice.

"Foolish!" The panther's laugh was like an old rickety motor, trying desperately to ignite. "I don't know what's more insulting. The fact that you think that I won't kill them all after leaving this place, or that I'll allow you to finish channeling your attack. None of you are leaving this place alive!... Hguk!"

Bryden's long drawl was momentarily cut off. His entire face became queasy and he began to cough. As if a massive hairball was stuck in his throat. His head trembled before low primal growls started to surface from his throat. His control over the body had lapsed for but a moment and the inner wildness of the monster was beginning to resurface with a frenzy.

"Dawn! How long?"

"Ten Seconds!"

"On My Mark then!" Roari screamed, not missing this golden opportunity. While the big cat seemed conflicted with its inner demons, Roari approached it quickly, her hands furrowing into claws as she waited for the opportune moment to strike.

"YOU WILL OBEY ME!" Bryden's screeching voice signaled that he had re-established control, but at the same time, Roari yelled out the signal.

"Now!" Roari screamed. She dove under the Black Panther immediately after, trusting in Dawn to react instantly.

“Holy Prison!”

Once again, the binding light had descended once more. Startled Bryden had just barely noticed a tiny figure scurrying under his body before the heavy pressure forced him downwards once more.

"You hope to stall for Meteos? I won't give you the chance!" Bryden opened its gaping maw, and from the depths of its gullet, a purple light began pulsating, growing larger and larger with each second. Even without moving, he would blast Meteos to smithereens with his ultimate attack, the void beam.

"Roari!" Dawn screamed nervously. The pulsing energy was getting larger and larger. Her vision shifted as distortions began to ripple through the air. If Roari didn't complete her plan soon, then it would be all over.

"We have a problem! I can't find it!" A shrill reply came from beneath the Panther's body.

"Can't find what?!!" When she heard the playful tone that came with the reply, Dawn almost didn't even want to know.

"The voice might be that of a mans, but it's actually a girl kitty!!"

"JUST WHAT WERE YOU LOOKING FOR!" Dawn suddenly felt a migraine sweep over her. She might've fainted due to the sheer stupidity of it all, but she'd rather not crack open her head over something so stupid.

Even Bryden seemed taken back. His confusion led to a loss of control over the pulsing energy within his gullet, which ended up rebounding painfully in his face. With a bang! The purple maelstrom of energy exploded, causing plumes of shimmering violet smoke to gush from its head.

After the cat hacked out the remaining dregs, it roared, outraged. "You dare make a mockery out of me?" It flexed, instantly shattering the holy prison. "I WILL CRUSH YOUR BONES AND OBLITERATE YOUR SOULS. WHEN I AM DONE WITH YOU, NOT EVEN A MEMORY WILL REMAIN!"

It turned, baring a ferocious snarl at Roari who had decided to flee immediately. Whipping its massive black wing towards Roari's back, it intended on crushing her with its raw physical power alone.

“Martyrdom!”

Like clockwork, Dawn was already in front of Roari, taking the black blur on the thick of her shield. A massive ringing sound resulted from the clash as she found herself pushed back, but despite it all she still held strong. Her relief, however, was soon cut short as a burning notification appeared before her.

Attack received exceeds skill level. Duration reduced to 5 seconds

"I love you, babe...!" Roari cried before Dawn turned to flee alongside Roari. They had barely ran two steps when Dawn was struck once more. This time the blow hit her squarely on her back, sending both her and Roari flying into the dirt.

With her invincibility ending, she could only murmur incoherently in response, "You'd better, bitch."

"Insufferable! I will never be able to bear this disgrace!" Bryden raved as he stalked towards the two girls slowly. "I've changed my mind. I won't kill you right away. Instead, I will bring you to the blood coven. There they can enslave your souls, subject you to endless atrocities that I dare not describe. Your bodies will not be wasted either. They would make fine vessels for their newest initiates, should I decide not to eat them."

The cat's mouth widened to near comical proportions as it began to laugh. Roari, who was struggling to carry Dawn away could only quiver as she tried to lift the heavy metal body. But somehow, despite the situation, she did not seem afraid at all.

'Wait, it feels like I'm forgetting something.' Bryden felt an ominous feeling appear at his backside. Within an instant, his feline eyes widened as he realized his mistake.

He turned to see a rising geyser of steam which blurred out everything else, but within the silhouette of a man could be made out barely. There was a brief gust as the figure's body stepped out of the steam, its entire body wreathed in a silver glow.

It was Meteos, but at the same time, it wasn't. Rather than a zombie, what remained inside the armor was but a sparkling skeleton, its pupils lit with a shining blue light

'Oh... That'.

The skeleton's jaws cracked open slightly, and the all too familiar voice of Meteos came creeping out of it.

“Celestial Storm.”

...

In the world of Elseworlds, where intricate magics and other wonders were but commonplace, there was a firm separation between the everyday skills that players had access to, and those that ventured a level above. They were called ‘Ultimate Skills’. Yes, the name of the label is rather lame, but it is serviceable enough.

Such skills allowed players to fight above their weight class, producing unimaginable power. However, such trump cards would naturally be heavily regulated by the world and as such, each skill carried a heavy penalty.

Whether it be death, maiming, or a sacrifice of sorts, all these penalties would make player’s think twice before spamming their abilities willy nilly. Of course, there are also times, where such abilities would prove necessary.

…

The steam darkened and thickened until dark wispy clouds began swirling around the room. Sparks seemed to pop audibly from within the swirling darkness before all converging at once to strike at Meteos. The massive lightning strike caused their vision to go white momentarily but upon its return, Meteos had already charged before Bryden.

Two massive blue apparitions of his gauntlets were projected from his body, both slamming deeply into Bryden's chest. Blood spewed out from the giant cat's mouth for the first time as it was thrown into the air, however this time it did not fall.

The numerous dark clouds fired streaks of lightning, keeping the monster airborne while dozens of projections blinked into existence around its body.

There was a moment of calm before the numerous fists were sent crashing into Bryden like miniature meteors, pummeling, and smashing. Due to the electric field keeping Bryden in place, he had no choice but to just take it as he was struck was countless different angles, unable to even howl in pain as the constant attacks had paralyzed him.

Roari could barely squeeze out a breath at the sudden turnaround. The massive cat which was so domineering before was now a plaything in Meteos's hands. But that also begged the question of why he didn't do it from the beginning.

Regardless, Roari's eyes widened even more as she observed him closely.

"Why did his level increase?" She asked Dawn, whose head was nestled between her thighs.

"It seems to be a skill similar to my Martyrdom, but instead it sacrifices everything for a brief burst of power...Look!"

Dawn pointed to Meteos's face...or the remains of it. Parts of his skull were cracked and had begun to disintegrate into nothingness. While he dealt each blow with extreme prejudice, every attack was also wearing him down. It wouldn't be long before he was reduced to dust entirely, but still, he wasn't done yet.

The dark clouds soon dispersed as his skill came to an end, dropping Bryden into a lumpy heap on the ground. While he tried to rise, the remaining electrical currents had locked his limbs in place, thus the giant cat could only watch as Meteos jumped high and did a somersault in the air, his feet clacking heavily against the ceiling.

“Grand Fall”

With outstretched arms, he kicked off the ceiling. Like a hammer, he drove it in home to the beasts' defenseless belly, crashing in like a meteor.

Boom.

The ground split and cracked from the impact, sending dust spraying up into the air...And standing forlornly on the beast's body was a lone warrior, Meteos. He was missing part of his skull, and his arm was broken into three separate pieces, yet there he stood, victorious.

Splat.

And then he was not.

Warning: The Devourer of Worlds has become enraged

"Yep, it’s over." Roari's nervous giggles soon became sobs as the black cat shook itself back up, seemingly unhurt. With a constitution that would make anyone scream 'complete bullshit', it licked its chops before pouncing on the fallen Meteos, its heavy paws crushing him into the ground.

"Indeed." Dawn lamented as the remains of Meteos's head was bitten clean off.

"Rrrrr Worthless! You...Hrrr think...I'm the....same? I'll break... all of you!" Bryden roared as he staggered about erratically.

Despite having endured so much punishment, he was nowhere near death. The only damage that was apparent was the beast which appeared to be raging quietly from within, clearly rebelling against its new master.

"One final stand?"

Dawn looked at Roari in surprise. Despite going down valiantly, they would be dead either way, but perhaps such a choice could be considered growth on her character.

"You distract it. I loot the body."

And instantly, any such feelings were lost in the wind. Dawn could only provide a wry smile as she nodded to the determined Roari. At the very least, they should attempt to get what they came here for. From the performance of Meteos, it seemed that any one piece of his equipment would fetch a high price. Aside from the helmet which was eaten, the rest of the gear seemed intact.

"For a moment there, I almost thought you had become human." Dawn laughed. The two of them grinned at each other, before looking towards their new objective. Whatever motivations they had coming into this dungeon were now aligned as their knees bent, muscles tense in their final bid to risk it all.

But while they were completely focused on the monster, Pale, who had been sitting on the sidelines decided to make his move.

While everyone had been preoccupied with the massive spectacle between Meteos and Bryden, Pale had been shamefully concocting a way to remain relevant in the situation. And this was his answer!

A massive golden chain streaked past Roari and Dawn, instantly coiling around the rampaging winged panther. Like a snake, it coiled around the beast but did not appear to be restricting its moments in the slightest. Upon noticing such a thing, all eyes were quickly drawn to Pale who was standing to the side, with a pale blue gemstone in his hands.

"Capture!" Pale yelled, activating the spell within the crystal. He had been waiting on the sidelines for this moment.

"WHAT? NO!!"

Upon realizing what he was trying to accomplish, both Bryden and Roari screamed in unison. But both could only watch in abject horror as the crystal glowed with power. Of course, the motivations of the two saying such a thing were completely different. While Bryden feared for his life, Roari was just upset that she didn't think of such a ploy first, thus she secretly hoped for her brother's attempt to end in failure.

The chains quickly passed through the creature's body, pulling taut against something trapped on the inside. With a howl that blasted straight into their very minds, a spiritual projection of the beast was slowly being pulled out.

When she saw such a thing, Dawn was shocked beyond compare. Although she had insisted upon gathering the capture crystals earlier, she never would've believed that they would be used so soon. Not to mention, the rate of capture on level 1 monsters alone was already close to impossible. To use it on a monster that dwarfed one's own level, let alone a boss would be akin to throwing their money away.

Against all expectations, such a thing didn’t happen. The fact that an astral projection had been pulled out, indicated that Pale had latched on to the creature's soul. Although that didn't mean that he caught it just yet, he had at least cleared the first stage.

"Do you think a tiny crystal such as that could house the great Devourer? There needs to be a limit to your impudence boy!" Bryden shouted, but a tinge of uneasiness could be heard from his voice.

The golden chain buckled and twisted. It threatened to snap with the smallest of movements, but it seemed that while the monster’s soul was held in place, its body could not move either.

"OI! Monster! I know you're in there!" Pale shouted domineeringly. Sweat ran down his brow as the usage of the crystal steadily drained his mana. "I will give you a choice, and I will offer it once. Break the chain, and live with that freak controlling your body forever. Or accept it and come with me and I will feed you."

"...I think you should offer slightly more than just that." Dawn hissed. Though the panther had been content to watch the show, the ultimatum that Pale offered hard sparked a trace of annoyance.

"I am an excellent caretaker of useless felines" Pale's voice boomed as he continued. "You will get three square meals a day. In addition, I don't mind if you spend half the day napping."

"...An excellent display of your bargaining skills, ol' dear brother...hey!" Roari drawled sarcastically, but the cold arrogance that was plastered upon Pale's face did not crack. He stared at the black cat disdainfully, as if not caring a whit over what the monster decided.

"Don't be daft!" Bryden fumed. "This is a highly ranked demonic beast. Do you think it would meekly accept being some housepet?"

"Better a house pet than a slave! At least a housepet is fawned over and spoiled. I promise comfort and privacy. What do you offer? With you, it’ll end up with a whiny cunt for an eternal room mate!"

The light of the chains began to dim, as Pale's mana depleted, but he remained steadfast all the same. Through his vast experience with the human-feline that was his sister, he knew that it was never a good idea to rush it with cats. So long as one was patient, there was a chance that they would end up doing what was desired. They also didn't appreciate being spontaneously intruded upon, thus it was an excellent idea to establish boundaries beforehand.

The soul of the cat sniffed as if contemplating whether its pride or relative freedom was more important. After weighing the options, however, it began to slowly inch away from its main body.

"No! I am the master! I own both your body and soul. You will not leave!" Bryden howled as the cat's soul was jerked back involuntarily. He wanted desperately to slash the foolish boy into a fine blood mist, but so long as the beast was still in the process of being tamed, he could not move the main body.

With a cold snort, the winged panther made its decision, slapping away the grasp of the soul residing within its body as it spread its wings. A black ink began to materialize in the crystal, which gently welcomed its newest addition as the panther's soul dove straight into the congealing black mass.

Like a vacuum, the remaining energies were sucked into the crystal, which soon emitted a bright gold glow before becoming inert.

The Devourer of worlds had been successfully sealed!

Roari clutched at her heart while Pale unhurriedly pocketed the crystal.

With the body of the Devourer now lacking a soul, it could not be held together with Bryden's will alone. It twisted and bulged before imploding on itself, spewing clouds of black miasma everywhere.

Upon seeing such a thing occur, Dawn quickly activated her Crandor’s Aura, burning away the miasma with holy light before it could draw near.

"No...No...No...No!!!" From within the thinning cloud of darkness, a voice could be heard, muttering in frustration. What remained of the great demon's body was but a single floating red spirit, who seemed to be holding his head down in grief. It didn't a genius to identify the spirit as Bryden.

"I was so close...everything ruined, by a stupid crystal." His spectral eyes turned towards Pale and company who immediately tensed up, expecting another fight. Of course, with all of Dawn's mana exhausted, only Pale and Roari were in any condition to continue, but it quickly became apparent that there wasn't any need for such worries.

From the center of the cracked and battered stone chamber, the ancient gate had crumbled to fragments. And from those fragments, a blue light shone, sending numerous blue specters flying out into the chamber. All that had been absorbed were thus ejected and with their arrival, the rest of the miasma was eroded away.

While the shade of Bryden shrank back in fear, the low voice of Meteos rumbled from one of the souls. "Bryden..."

"Ehehe" Roari chuckled while she shook the dust out of Meteos's gear. She raised it overhead while allowing herself a wry smile. "Boi, you dun fucked up now."

As the numerous blue spirits began encircling the red, Bryden squeamishly pleaded. "Lewis...Arganon...fellas. It is not as bad as it looks. There is a very good explanation for all of this."

Bryden shrank back in terror, while the specter of Meteos rubbed his neck, weary. The rest of the spirits were also shifting their gazes between the two of them. Regardless of the outcome, they were still loyal to Meteos and would follow his order.

Meteos sighed, which was an impressive feat, considering he no longer had lungs. "Boys..." He started softly, his tone filled with understanding and forgiveness. "Sic him!"

"Thank...kuh!! Wait. Wait! Waiii--"

The tormented red spirit was quickly blanketed by a mass of blue and disturbing ripping sounds came from within.

"You bastard!"

"My life...My family! Give them back! Give them back?!!"

"Ahahaha Die Die Die!"

Voices came from those blue spirits as well, but most of their words were incoherent, as the years of strain had taken their familiarity with language.

The lynching was brief, and after a few breaths, the spirits were done, leaving not even a grain of Bryden's soul remaining. After which, they quickly began dispersing and floated away.

Some of the stronger ones stopped to pay Meteos their respects before leaving for different planes, but soon the room was emptied, all save for one lone specter.

"It seems I have underestimated you all once more. For that, you have my apologies and my thanks. It might not be much, but please help yourselves to my arms. Despite these years of misuse, they should still be very useful" Meteos nodded. His form shimmered as if he were prepared to ascend to the next world at but a moment's notice.

"Way ahead of you!" Roari beamed. She had already casually stripped the corpse of all its gear and was clutching a pair of gauntlets tightly against her chest.

The apparition floated over to Roari who clutched her loot possessively. All the while giving him a dirty glance, she flinched back upon seeing the ghostly hands stretching towards her.

Meteor Cannon

Tier: Professional

SP Cost: 0 (3)

Restrictions: Weaponless Fighter

Mana Cost: 50

Cooldown Timer: 60s

Projects a spiritual fist when punching, dealing 200% Attack Damage + 100% of Gauntlet Defence in overall attack damage while causing knockback. Additional damage may incur if the target is knocked into an object.

“???”

"This is my legacy. If you’re going to take my stuff, you might as well take this as well. It is the foundation of my fighting style, and with great proficiency, you may find yourself discovering my other skills such as the Celestial Storm on your own."

“Are you fucking shitting me?” The two jealous noobs to the side complained.

"Now, my brave heroes. I would hate to trouble you more, but now it is evident that a great evil threatens the safety of the White Kingdom.

It may have been several decades or centuries since I've fallen into this abyss, but I'm certain that the instigator of all this, Rashenta is still out there, concocting her next vile scheme."

Meteos gestured to an unassuming rock which was the lodestone used for the summoning.

"This is actually a bloodstone. Its existence should be proof enough that the witches have betrayed us. Take it to the Knight's Order in Baracus, that should be enough to convince our leaders to act." Meteos sighed. "It is not proper for a knight to wish for vengeance, but I cannot stomach the fact that she's probably still out their, casting her wiles over good men. I will not ask you to seek her out yourselves, but should you ever cross paths with her, you must slay her if you are able."

Quest Received: Slay the Mad Witch

"We will try." Pale promised for the group. He slid the bloodstone into his inventory while Meteos looked at him approvingly.

"Thank you." The specter's body starting to disperse slowly. "And now heroes...I leave you...--"

"Wait!"

"...Yes?"

Pale coughed as if embarrassed, but his voice was unwavering as he asked, "Since we're heroes and all...wouldn't a reward be in order?"

"...All I had was the armor. As a spirit, what other reward would you expect me to give?" Meteos who had been fading away, reappeared, annoyed. "Also, didn't you manage to seal the Devourer for your own use? It's not good to be too greedy. You have not lost out in any way."

"Oh, my good man. You've misunderstood me. I'm not concerned over my own gains, but what about the one person who contributed the most to this fight? Don't you think she's being shafted?"

The two men both turned their heads, their gazes falling upon a timid Paladin who was quietly jealous of Roari's good fortune.

"What? Me?"

"Don't you think she could use something?" Pale emphasized aggressively.

Dawn blinked, unsure whether to be thankful that the two of them didn't forget her, or outraged at being used to extract more rewards from what seemed to be a destitute old spirit. Regardless, she couldn't complain since Meteos was the one being put on the spot. Although she was about to refuse, saying she didn’t need anything, a casual prod from Roari and a glance from Pale convinced her otherwise.

"I...I don't get anything?" She stuttered, which instantly forced an awkward situation on the previously annoyed spirit.

"Uhhh. No...I mean. How could I possibly have forgotten you! Of course...I have something." Meteos said awkwardly. If he still had eyes, they would be bugging out right now. His dazed state left him completely unprepared for when Dawn went in for the kill.

"I mean...I don't want to sound avaricious, but after both, my companions received something nice...I can't help but feel a bit left out." A quiet raincloud seemed to have formed over Dawn as she hung her head in mock depression. Unbeknownst to Meteos, Pale was giving her a massive double thumbs up from behind him, to which Dawn almost broke out into a giggling fit. She was lucky her long hair covered her mouth somewhat, else Meteos would see her twitching sealed lips and may become outraged.

"Mmph!" A gust of air ended up escaping, despite Dawn's best efforts.

"No! No! Don't cry!" Meteos panicked, mistaking Dawn's giggles for sobs. If ghosts could sweat, Meteos would be sweating buckets as he was currently being watched by the Storm Sibling's disapproving gazes while in front of what he thought to be a crying girl.

"She's a quick learner," Roari noted, private messaging Pale through their adventurer journals.

"Don't you mean, she's just been infected by you?" Pale shot back. Their journals were amazing that way. Rather than being books, they seemed to be extremely sophisticated tablets, thus making low-key private conversations a snap.

(Inside the mind of Meteos: Oh my Anthea, why did I say yes?! Now I can't back out. What the hell is wrong with me. Bryden!! Why won't you notice me? Sob! #!%$$#*!)

"Your sword!" Meteos finally exclaimed. He had been grasping at straws as to what to do, but finally, he found an answer. "May I see it?"

"My sword?" Dawn had yet to sheathe the Crandor, thus she merely held it out for him to inspect.

Meteos eyes the blade carefully, before exclaiming. "It's an ego weapon!"

"An ego weapon?"

"Indeed. The sword carries an ancient design, even from back when I was alive, but it is still immaculate, without any chips or damage from constant use. That could only mean that its self-repairing, and the only weapons that can do that have souls nestled within the metal itself."

Dawn's eyes widened. When she had first acquired the weapon, all she had been told was that the weapon was ancient beyond compare. To her, it was just a very powerful and valuable weapon. It was clear that the metal used within the blade wasn't any ordinary steel, but she never considered that there might be a separate entity hiding away.

"That said, the long years of inactivity has sent your weapon into a deep sleep, thus it cannot even exert a fraction of its power. With the remaining energy I have left, I can attempt to wake the spirit resting within, but I cannot guarantee that I will be successful. Is that satisfactory?"

Dawn bobbed her head vigorously. "Yes. That would be incredible!" She agreed hurriedly. Although she knew the Crandor was upgradeable, she never thought a chance would come to her so soon. It truly did pay homage to the saying: You never get anything in life without asking for it.

"Very well then!" Meteos said firmly. 'Thank god, it seems she likes it."

A stream of blue essence was split away from his body and surged into the sword violently. As for the spectral form of Meteos, it had faded almost completely as Dawn's sword shuddered, then stopped.

Crainte Vomir (Ancient/Sleeping)

Req: 70(270)STR, 70(230)WIS

Attack: 80-92

Holy Damage: 2-7

Unique Active: Once a day, summon the inner holy element within the blade to replenish 500 health in addition to burning all enemies for 50 holy damage per second for ten seconds. While this skill is active, weapon attack is also increased by 75.

‘Eh? The name changed.’ Dawn's lips curled up as she checked the sword's new stats. It was a ridiculous boost. She looked towards Meteos who was flickering weakly. "It is amazing. Thank you."

"You're welcome! And now I take my leave!" Meteos said hurriedly, before quickly fading out of existence. It seemed he wasn't in the mood to deal with them any longer as the entire room became still once more.

With the conflict over, the party quickly realized that they had lost track of time. It was only after they quickly rushed out the island to head back to shore did they finally relax and begin to take inventory.

Although the helmet eaten by the Devourer had disappeared entirely, they still had an assortment of gear that still had to be checked.

Meteor Claws: Gauntlet

Req: 120 STR, 77 VIT

Defence: +40

Weapon Attack: +2

Unique Active: -Sealed-

Roari quickly did some mental arithmetic as she realized that it would take her to at least level 40 if she were to solely invest in the stats necessary to use such equipment. With her current dexterity oriented build, it would be sure to take longer.

Despite her insufficient stats, Roari didn't see any reason to not at least try it on. Although the gauntlets had high stat requirements, they still felt absurdly light in her hands. Thus she was completely unprepared when her hand was jerked down as if she suddenly took hold of 50kg dumbell.

As she laid there, flat against the ground, she found that she couldn't even close her hands completely. Her fists stuck in a claw position.

She looked towards the rest of the equipment, quickly realizing that she would have to stick with her newbie gear for a little while longer.

Meteor Plate

Req: 150 STR, 97 VIT

Defence: +40, All Resists: +10%

VIT: +20

Unique Active: -Sealed-

Meteor Crushers: Greaves

Req: 110 STR, 70 VIT

Defence: +30

STR: +7

Unique Active: -Sealed-

Even Dawn blanched upon looking at such frightening numbers. Due to her class, she had to invest in nearly every stat, thus she also wasn't anywhere near qualified to equip such gear. Even with the current Crainte Vomir, Dawn just barely met the requirements to use it.

What constituted the pants and the mantle, however, were nothing more than a ruined mess, but the main pieces of the set seemed serviceable enough. There also came the problem of the armor pieces being shaped for a man's body, but that would be a concern for later.

"Now that I think about it, did anyone else feel this quest was definitely not made for lv 37s?"

"Are you sure the map read 37 and not 87?"

“Hell, just stop complaining and be thankful.”

Roari hesitated for a while, before shedding off all of her unusable gear. She then looked towards Pale and said in her sweetest valley girl voice.

"Hey Bro!...Trade you a couple armor pieces for that cat of yours?"

"Ahahahaha...Keep dreaming." Pale grinned. He had head Roari's scream of denial when he had initiated the capture process which doubled the satisfaction he had acquired upon succeeding. While Roari was quietly cursing him behind his back, he released the seal on the pet crystal, watching it split apart in a swirling light.

Upon doing so, the pet would be bound to him forever, or at least he can seal it up again in a new crystal, but in doing so, he would never have to worry about losing it through death. A shadowy ball appeared before him, and it quickly yawned in greeting.

*Meow*

As the Devourer entered the crystal, the majority of its power had dispersed into oblivion, thus reducing it in size. What remained was a significantly less intimidating and significantly more adorable winged black kitten, which mewed at him while staring with its large black eyes.

"Dawwww" Roari squealed. "I think I hear the sound of something breaking, no wait. That's just my heart."

Without hesitation, she charged on over and began stroking the kitten's chin gently with a single finger. The tiny cat shot her a nasty look but did not bat her finger away as it stood there, purring.

Dawn who had been inching ever so closer, hesitantly proclaimed, "Hmmph. As an envoy of light, it would hardly be appropriate...--"

"Just pet it already."

"Ok." Dawn, who was waiting for the signal, more or less snatched the kitten from Roari's grasp, cradling it gently between her arms.

"Hey!"

[Nameless] Lv 1

HP: 500/500 (+10)

Devourer of Worlds

MP: 500/500 (+5)

STR:25

DEX:15

VIT:25

INT:25

LUK:15

WIS:25

'Wait a second.' A gasp rang out of Pale, surprise crawled all over his face as he perused the details of his newest companion. With stats such as these, wouldn't the tiny kitten be as strong as him as a measly Lv1? Or was the stat scaling different for pets?

Although it was but a bunch of data, Pale couldn't help but feel slightly inferior to the tiny fluffball resting atop Dawn's hands.

Aside from that, however, Pale was completely satisfied. He only had to choose the name now, as he certainly wasn't going to call his new pet 'Devourer of Worlds.'

"Hmmm?" Do you need a name? Roari piped up excitedly. She had more or less given up trying to reclaim possession of the cat from Dawn, deciding to bother her brother instead. "We should name it Stormy Storm! Since its going to be joining our family!"

"That makes it sound like we're the parents Roari."

"But we ARE the parents!"

"No!"

"But..."

"No!" Pale repeated.

"That name is also of horrible taste." Dawn agreed. "How about Bella or Shadow?"

Dawn immediately froze as Roari and Pale stared at her with quiet disapproval. Even the cat looked disgusted at her suggestion.

"It's not that bad a name," Dawn mumbled, turning sullen.

"On account of our idiot, we should call her Stormy Sunrise! She can be the mascot of our team, and we can call her S.S. for short!" Roari blurted out, evidently pleased with her cleverness.

"Wait! Why didn't we use that for our team name? That sounds far better than Storming Dawn!"

"Because it also doubles down as an innuendo! Storming Dawn is a great name!" Oblivious to Dawn's cold expression, Roari cocked a saucy eyebrow while beckoning her forward.

Dawn trembled but managed to regain her levity. The tiny cat in her hand hissed as if disapproving of the name.

"I suppose we could change the name of our team. It wouldn't do to overuse a joke anyways." Pale said sagely.

"What about, Storm Me Dawn?"

"Okay, I’m seriously going to get angry if you don’t stop!" Dawn's eyes fluttered as they struggled to stay open. The backlash from the constant hours of gaming had finally caught up to her as she found her body significantly more exhausted than a few seconds prior. But she still had the energy left to react to Roari's incessant teasing. "But if you're going to use such a naming scheme, then why not just call it by its shorthand name. Instead of Devourer of Worlds, it would be Devodi World."

"..."

"...That could work."

“Wait, seriously?”

An unsettling feeling filled Dawn's stomach as the two siblings mirrored one another, with shit-eating grins curling up on their faces.

Pale's fingers were steady as he scrawled in the newest name of his pet companion, writing with long confident strokes. He then showed his choice to Roari who then stumbled away, hands clasped over her mouth.

Dawn narrowed her eyes, and she slowly strode over to see Pale's choice in name.

...

What should've made for an awkward chuckle or two was completely blanketed by the awkward silence that immediately fell upon them.

Pale shivered as he stared into Dawn's soulless eyes, being strangely reminded of those murderous muppets from when he was a beginner. His gaze shifted to Roari, but she was huddled on the ground, shivering.

'Why are you taking her side!' Pale wanted to cry as he noticed his cat giving him the same soulless stare. The gazes of both animal and paladin bore deep into his soul, as they made no other sound. They just stood there...staring.

...

...

Eventually, Pale decided to make the independent decision to just change the cat's name to Devi.