Wind hummed through the hot summer's day; leaves took a ride on the gentle breeze. Grass swayed and trees danced. Zach stared out of the window; watching as his friends played baseball outside. "Dad, when can I go out?" The young boy asked.
"When you finish your homework." Words that plunged into a child's heart like a dagger in the back, unable to be removed. The man left the room and the child's eyes stared out of the window. His gaze never moved from the ball.
Birds tweeted and kept tweeting. The chirps started to rise in pitch and volume. The frequency sped up rapidly. They were an alarm at this point.
Zach sat up covered in sweat, gasping for air. His vision was taken up by that damn blue message box; it obscured the now grey sky above him. Hard gravel pressed into his back, yet the sand he had fallen asleep on covered his clothes. Those itchy granules filled the gaps between his hair and the helmet stuck to him.
You have recovered from exhaustion
By discovering exhaustion, you have gained a level in Physical Fitness. You have gained 1 physical stat point
Would you like to assign now?
"No" came an exasperated sigh from the sweaty man on the ground. Swatting the message box away, Zach rolled up onto his feet and then stood. Placing his hands on his back and cracking it, he let a grunt escape his lips. "I always thought the bed in my dorm was bad, but sand is even worse." To loosen up, he began to stretch and spin, taking in his surroundings.
Everything was grey; the grass, the gravel paths, the singular house, the walls that rose into the clouds. All of it. Except the group of people stood in the center of this open cage, next to the grey water fountain. And there was one wearing a uniform, a blue and white one. Who's face lit up upon spotting Zach.
Zach's green eyes widened. His hand reached up and grabbed the plastic helmet and threw it on the ground with a thunk. His legs began to run. Arms opened wide as they wrapped round the comparably bigger man. "Jorge! What are you doing here man?"
"I have no idea but I'm glad to see you, my man!" Shouted the big man who was wrapping his arms around his friend.
"Not to break up your very touching reunion young men, but we were discussing something." Came the voice of a very stern man. His chin wabbled with each word, and his greying sides matched the aesthetic of the surroundings. His finely tailored suit had a few cuts and rips on it; the most egregious one being a sleeve ripped from the elbow down.
"Sorry Samuel." Replied Jorge, "He's my friend. We play baseball together."
"I can see that by the uniform." Retorted Samuel. It was with Jorge's release that Zach was able to make out there were 5 people stood around this fountain. Obviously, there was Samuel who was the closest. "We must make introductions again now. Hello young man, I am Samuel Peep." His words were slightly slurred around the S.
"Hey, Zofia." Came the girl next to him. On the younger side, wearing far more casual clothes. Short hair, mostly obscured by beanie that had been assaulted with badges and pins.
"Hey man, it's good to meet you. The name is Thomas Cadieux. It is my pleasure." The only one of the group who came to Zach and shook his hand. Zach immediately clocked him as a model. His fashion sense was immaculate even after whatever fight he had been in; an open jacket to show off his pecks but with a red scarf to draw attention to the neckline.
"Eva Volkov. Special Forces." And that was that. Very direct. She still had the camo trousers you would expect of military personnel, but she only had a black tank top on for the top.
Everyone turned to the last person in the group. A woman who looked very displeased to be here and quite cold. All she wore was a bikini, a sarong covering her waist, and a pair of pink rimmed sunglasses. "Fine. I'll do it again!" She said with a harumph. "My name is Mia Daniels. 23, influencer. Can we be done now please? I want to go back to my beach day!" Her words were whiny.
Everyone knew Zach and Jorge had met already, so there was no need to reintroduce him.
"Thank you, guys, for introducing yourselves to me. I'm Zach Montgomery." Whilst Thomas and Jorge seemed to be happy with this introduction, everyone else brushed it off. As if there was something far more pressing. Which Samuel got around to immediately.
"Back to business now." Samuel spat, which he had a habit of doing. "Do any of you know why we are here? What was the last thing you were doing before we had to fight that thing?"
"Sleeping."
"I was at a shoot."
"Playing Baseball."
"Watching him play baseball."
"I told you I was on the beach!"
"Getting coffee."
"So not a single one of us knows why we are here then? Well, that's just excellent, isn't it?"
"I do" Cried a chirping voice. The fountain began to bubble and broil. No heat emanated from it, but the water droplets began to rise and coagulate. The bubbling ball squirmed and squashed. Then all at once it exploded and from the ball came a glowing sprite. It was a translucent blue with a face. "Hello, my dungeon team. I am Willow the Wisp! It is sincerely a pleasure to meet you all."
"What are you!" Samuel thrust his finger towards the fairy. "Spit it out, why are we here?" The little creature floated towards Samuel with speed.
"Do not fret dear Samuel. I am Willow. I am your guide." Their words caused a gasp to escape the group's collective lips. It knew his name. "I am your personal guide, and you are my dungeon team. Together, you seven will raid dungeons, climb the tower, level up, and recruit even more new friends for us all." It stuck what appeared to be a long pointy nose to the sky with pride.
"What the actual frunk!" Mia shouted, before slapping a hand on her mouth. "Frunk... Frunk... Why can't I say frunk!?" She screamed.
"Mia, we don't condone the use of swearing in a safe zone. Please everyone let me explain, it'll make sense."
"Continue. We are wasting time." It was Eva who spoke. Once more it was direct and without emotion.
"I am Willow, I am an automated life form sent here to help you adjust to the test of the tower. Humanity has officially passed all of the prerequisites to join the council. We just need one more test. All humanity is currently participating in the test of the tower to see if you possess all the traits needed to advance further. You guys are going to duke it out with various races and universes that failed and fell to the tower. Every level contains a dungeon that must be completed. You have to fight your way through monsters, collect loot, level up your skills, and then defeat a boss to pass. However, to keep everyone watching at home from getting bored, you will be going up against another team. Every so often you will be able to merge teams together! There are more rules, but I will explain them as we go."
Clunk
Creek
A giant wooden door, previously unnoticed, crept open. Golden light leaked out of the now ajar doorway. A semi-circle appeared on the floor by the door; it shone a dull purple. Finally, in the blinding golden light that obscured everything beyond the door, it was a number: 7.
"Can I ask that everyone make their way to the purple zone please?" They followed Willow's request with a few grumbles.
"The Dimensional Dungeon Doorway or 3D will display how many players it requires to start a dungeon.
Once all the required players are in the circle there are 10 seconds before you are transported to the dungeon. Remember guys it's a race against the other group so Mia please enter the zone!"
Mia stood there, arms crossed outside. "And what? Go along with this? Why are we listening to this botch? I screamed when I fought that thing before and you want me to do it again?" Whilst her face remained in that perpetual scowl a few tears escaped her eyes as she spoke. The group watched her and a wave of compassion washed over their faces. It was Thomas who approached.
"Mia, I know this is scary. I'm scared too. But I think the rest of us have realized what I am about to tell you: what other choice do we have? If things are that scary, I will protect you, okay?" He gave her a smile; his eyes were soft and warm. He held out his hand.
With a blush and a shaking arm, she took his hand as he led her to the circle.
"Womanizer." Jorge whispered, elbowing Zach in the ribs. The two men could hardly contain their giggling.
"Okay team, good luck. Remember this is a perfect time to earn stat points and new skill trees so make the most of it!" Willow shouted before everyone's vision was washed out with white.
Once the white disappeared, they all stood in the same position but now their surrounds were a dank stone room. It was circular with 4 paths, one at each cardinal direction. The stone bricks were dank and covered in moss. The room smelled damp and some water dripping could be heard.
But standing directly across from them was another group of seven. At the front, stood one man. In a green and white uniform, baseball bat in hand. He smiled "Oh hey fellas didn't expect to see you here."
"Aaron" Zach said through grinder teeth, and which point both men got a popup window.
Registering Rivalry….
Zach vs Aaron…
… Deciding rivalry bonus based on history….
Rivalry Augment:
Hard Worker:
-20% luck
+20% stats gained
Whereas Aaron received:
Talented:
+20% luck
+10% base stats