Soul of the Warrior

“So are you excited?” Kefira asked, perring up at Reivyn.

They were standing in front of the portal leading to the Dungeon. Reivyn had spent the past week going over the status reports with the other officers. They had been redacted to keep Reivyn from spoiling any information about the actual Dungeon. He wanted the full experience like everyone else.

All the reports only contained the performance information on the mercenaries as well as recommended training. Each of the officers added their own thoughts to each group as they were passed around, and Reivyn reviewed the information before holding a meeting. For the most part, he allowed the officers to set the agenda for their own men, and he only made suggestions for a couple of them.

He was a big believer in decentralizing the power while still maintaining the option of total authority. Allowing the officers to figure things out on their own would also develop them as leaders better than if he held their hands.

Reivyn glanced at Kefira after looking at the portal for a moment. He nodded his head with a smile.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited,” Reivyn answered. “But it’s kind of strange. It’s the same kind feeling I get at other Dungeons. I guess the feeling of stepping into something completely unknown adds its own little flavor.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Kefira said. “That’s one of the biggest appeals for going on adventures for me. Sure, I know I’m doing it to improve myself and expand my available Classes for the future, but the adventure into the unknown is its own thing. It led us together.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Reivyn chuckled. “C’mon.”

Reivyn jerked his head toward the portal as he glanced at his Party members. Even though the information of the actual Dungeon had been kept from him, there were certain things that could be divulged without spoiling it. He had been informed that he could get the full experience with a small Party of only four people, so it was only him, Kefira, Serilla, Teilon, and Kimberly.

He didn’t bring any of the other officers along for his inaugural delve. Going in with just his core group felt like the right thing to do. This was a personal experience, and he could team up with the other officers to check them out some other time. Today, it was for him.

The others simply nodded their heads, hefted their weapons, and followed him into the Dungeon.

Entering the Dungeon wasn’t the same as the ones he had been in previously. All the other Dungeons were seamless transitions, most not even giving any indication that one had entered a closed space. Entering this Dungeon, though, left no room for doubt.

It might have been his increased sensitivity to Mana since the last time he had really paid attention to entering a Dungeon, but he felt it was more than that. It played a role, as it always would when he grew more powerful, but he could tell that even if he hadn’t deepened his Skills and Affinities, it would have been an obvious transition.

The air just felt different. There seemed to be a vibration in the atmosphere that he couldn’t quite place but knew was there.

He turned around to face his Party members and his eyes were immediately drawn to the huge army arrayed before him. They were far enough away that they were outside of his Divine Sense range, so their appearance came as a genuine surprise.

“Hah! It’s been a while since I’ve seen that look on your face!” Teilon laughed.

Reivyn glanced at his friend with a deadpan expression.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he replied.

“Sure, sure. Play it cool.”

Reivyn ignored his friend’s banter and focused on the approach of a heavily armed and armored man. He was obviously a grizzled veteran, and he had a no-nonsense characteristic about how he walked toward the Party.

“What are you doing out of formation?!” He exclaimed with clear exasperation in his voice and face. “Hurry, the battle could start any moment!”

The man didn’t wait for a response and turned to hurry off. Reivyn shared a look with Kefira who only gave a small smile and nodded her head.

Turning back to look where the man had run off to, a System Message suddenly popped up in front of his face. He quickly scanned the contents.

Spectator Mode: Fall into formation with the “Hero’s” Companions.

There are no rewards.

Easy Mode: Fall into formation among the General’s Entourage.

Rewards are reduced to 25% of Standard.

Standard Mode: Fall into formation in the center of the army.

100% Rewards.

Hard Mode: Fall into formation in the Vanguard.

400% Rewards plus additional guaranteed Tier 5 Magical Items.

Epic Mode: ????

???? Rewards.

Aha, so this is why Kayzor was so adamant that it would be the perfect place for an observer to witness the squads in action, Reivyn realized. Spectator Mode is the perfect option for something like that. It won’t interfere with the Party’s Experience or count detrimentally toward the Party size.

Reivyn continued looking down and shrugged. He always liked challenging himself with the Hard Modes of Dungeons, but the fact that this one was gated was already communicated to him because those in the know understood he would most likely immediately select Hard Mode.

He selected Standard Mode and started to look around for any changes.

The Window didn’t disappear.

Reivyn frowned and looked back at the System Message. After a moment, another line appeared at the bottom of the screen.

Error.

The Hero cannot participate in Standard Mode.

Automatic Selection initiated…

Error.

Prior Difficulty has not be completed, unable to select Difficulty.

Searching for Solution…

Complete!

System override initiated.

Epic Mode Selected.

The System Message disappeared and an ethereal arrow that Reivyn recognized as made up of Veridical Mana appeared on the ground directing him toward where the grizzled veteran had walked off to.

Reivyn hesitated and turned to his Party.

“There seems to be an issue…” Reivyn said, scratching the back of his head.

Kefira quirked an eyebrow. Teilon bounced back and forth on the balls of his feet while Kimberly stood quietly next to him. Serilla had her usual stoic expression on her face.

“Well, what’s the issue?” Kefira asked.

“It seems there’s some interference with my Class,” Reivyn explained. “It won’t let me select Standard Mode. The System did an override and forced me into Epic Mode.”

Everyone’s eyes widened at the revelation. Reivyn could see that it wasn’t just surprise, either. He felt genuine fear from his companions.

“We have to leave right now!” Kefira exclaimed.

She grabbed Reivyn’s hand and turned to drag him to the entrance of the Dungeon. They only walked a few steps though, but Kefira seemed to slam into an invisible wall just out of reach of the Portal.

A System Message popped up on the invisible wall for everyone to see.

Early exit from the Dungeon is disabled while Epic Mode is active.

Please complete the Dungeon to exit.

Kefira stood and stared in disbelief. Reivyn was also dumbfounded. He had never heard of a Dungeon that cutoff the exit for those inside. There were times when individual rooms were locked during encounters, but never an entire Dungeon.

Kefira just stood there and stared at the portal for several moments, even after the System Message disappeared. Reivyn coughed to get her attention.

“What’s the deal?” He asked. “We handle Hard Modes all the time. Epic Mode will just be a bit more challenging.”

Kefira shook her head. Reivyn could see tears well up in her eyes and begin to fall down her cheeks with his Divine Sense. She finally turned to face him with a sniffle.

“No, this Dungeon is different,” she said. “Hard Mode is already suicide. Nobody has ever completed it before. I don’t dare to imagine how impossible Epic Mode is supposed to be. It’s…its’...” she couldn’t finish her words, gazing up at Reivyn with near panic in her eyes.

Reivyn grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her in for a hug.

“Shhh, shhhh. It’s going to be alright,” he soothed her. “I’ve been in more dangerous situations than this before. You know that. This is just a Tier 4 Dungeon with an unusual setup and difficulty. We’ll clear this out in no time.”

Kefira pulled away and gazed into his eyes.

“I want to believe that,” she said, wiping her eyes. “And I believe in your abilities. But I’ve seen what Hard Mode is like. Everyone who’s been in the Dungeon knows exactly what it entails, but you’re supposedly going to have to skip right past that to an even harder difficulty…”

“I think, in light of the circumstances, we should go ahead and tell him what the Dungeon is,” Serilla spoke up. Reivyn glanced at her in surprise. He wasn’t expecting Serilla to be the one to speak up at this point. Kefira looked at her friend and nodded her head.

“Yeah, it’s too irresponsible not to,” she said. “So this Dungeon is usually a lot of smoke and mirrors. That being said, the smoke is quite real. The main antagonist is a giant black Dragon. On Standard Mode, we only have to fight off his reinforcements while somebody else defends us from the Dragon.

“Hard Mode is to participate in the vanguard, but the vanguard gets wiped out by Dragon Fire immediately. Nobody who’s ever attempted it has been able to survive the flames.

“We say it’s smoke and mirrors because each portion of the battlefield is compartmentalized. Those in Spectator Mode hang out with the Hero Party. Easy Mode are in the back and don’t have to do much at all. Standard Mode has us confront the reinforcements up here as well as down below after the plateau is destroyed by the Dragon.

“And none of the different difficulty groups can interact with each other. That also means you’re the only one who will be participating in Epic Mode, and we’ll all have to continue with Standard Mode.”

“I see,” Reivyn replied after a moment. “I heard you say something about a ‘Hero Party?’”

“Right. The person who defends us from the Dragon is referred to by the shadow-soldiers as the Hero. Everyone’s speculation has been that Epic Mode would see you take on the role of the Hero and fight the Dragon directly.

“Which is insane because we also speculate that the Hero and the Dragon are both high-Tier 7! You wouldn’t stand a chance!”

“There must be more to it than that,” Reivyn said. “This is, after all, only a Tier 4 Dungeon. I highly doubt there’s enough Mana powering the Dungeon to even create a Tier 7 Dragon. Is there anything else you can think of?”

“All we know is that the Hero is empowered by some golden light and fights the Dragon to a draw while the soldiers below fight off the dragonlings it brings along.”

“Well there you go,” Reivyn said with a reassuring smile. “That golden light has to be something. Even if it’s a Skill of the Hero, the System will probably do something to make it happen even if I don’t have that Skill. If it’s a Skill from other buffing the Hero, then I won’t have anything to worry about, either.

“Besides, it seems we’re stuck here unless you can use your Space Affinity to make a connection with the outside.”

Kerira’s eyes opened wide at that statement.

“I hadn’t even thought about that!” She nearly shouted. “I had been so panicked by what was going on that I wasn’t thinking straight. Here, give me a moment.”

She stepped away from Reivyn and placed her hand on the invisible barrier. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Reivyn could see the Space Mana flowing through her as she scanned the Space leading to the outside world.

She suddenly recoiled from the barrier and the Space Mana inside her seemed to suddenly freeze. Another public System Message popped up on the barrier.

System Override.

Space Mana is temporarily restricted.

Please complete the Dungeon to exit.

“Well…” Reivyn peered at the message. “That’s a little ominous.”

“So it looks like the System is forcing your hand,” Teilon said, walking up and placing a hand on Reivyn’s shoulder. “If there’s anyone who can get through this, it’s you.”

“Thanks,” Reivyn nodded his head.

“What is up with the System!” Kefira shouted in frustration, slamming her foot on the ground. “I’ve never seen it do something like this before. It’s usually so… passive, but now it seems to be actively working against us!”

“There’s been many times where I’ve felt the System is sentient,” Reivyn said. “This is just more evidence. It’s herding us toward what it wants, and it seems it wants the Epic Mode of this Dungeon cleared.”

“It’s not fair!” Kefira said. “Why would it act out now?! I’ll have to tell my father that it’s not safe to keep sending people into this Dungeon.”

“Eh, how many people do you know with the Hero Class?” Reivyn placed his hands on Kefira’s shoulders. She leaned back into his chest and let herself relax in his embrace. “It’s not dangerous to everyone… Just me, it seems” Reivyn chuckled.

Kefira glanced up sharply with an indignant look.

“This isn’t funny, Reivyn!” She shouted.

“I know, I know,” he placated. “I’m just trying to lighten the mood a bit.”

“Well, you can do that after we’ve figured out how to escape this death trap.”

“I don’t think that’s going to work,” Reivyn shook his head. “Maybe if my Veridical Affinity was much higher, I could tamper with the System and unblock the Space, but it’s still only at 2.”

“Wait, that’s what the Veridical Affinity does?” Teilon asked from the side. Reivyn glanced over to see a shocked expression on Teilon’s face. It was mirrored on Kimberly’s and even Serilla was taken aback.

“Something like that,” Reivyn confirmed. “Like I said, it’s only at 2, but it lets me manipulate System Messages and other System-related Mana. I figured with a high enough Affinity, I would be able to make changes to what the System was doing, like locking down the Space or forcing me to pick a difficulty.”

“Wow, that’s… weird,” Teilon said. “There’s a lot of implications behind that.”

Reivyn nodded his head.

“It’s one reason I’ve planned on researching the System itself more in-depth at some point,” he said. “There really hasn’t been the time for that, though.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Teilon said. “This isn’t the first time you’ve been steered by the System with a heavy-hand, though it is one of the more overt examples.”

“Ok, well, time is running out,” Reivyn said, stepping away from Kefira. She turned and faced him with a determined look. “We all need to get in position. I’m assuming you all have little System arrows telling you where to go, to.” He looked at each of them in turn and they nodded their heads. “Then let’s get this over with.”

He faced Kefira one last time.

“I’ll figure this out, and then we’ll see each other on the other side once the Dungeon is completed.”

Reivyn bent down and gave Kefira a kiss before decisively turning and following his arrow toward what he assumed was the commanders of the shadow-military. He didn’t look back. He knew the others would be distracted with this turn of events, but they would still do their best in their portion of the Dungeon.

Reivyn followed the arrow. A little further he spied what he assumed was the Hero Party. A group of people dressed differently than the rest of the military stood near the rear. He could tell at a glance that they were wearing some significantly powerful gear, and they looked completely out of place compared to the rest of the military setup.

His own arrow stopped a bit before leading all the way to them. The grizzled veteran was standing with a blank expression next to where the arrow led him, and there were several other older soldiers seemingly just waiting for him to arrive.

Reivyn didn’t know anything about the rank structure of this military unit, but he could guess from the insignias that they were sporting different ranks. The oldest, most distinguished man in armor had a familiar-looking sunburst on either shoulder with two stars hovering above it on either side. None of the others had sunbursts or stars, so Reivyn assumed this man was most likely the commanding general.

Reivyn walked up to his spot and stood where the arrows had led him. His palms were sweaty and his heart raced. He had put on a strong front for Kefira and the others’ sake, but he was nervous. He was more nervous than he could remember ever being.

It had been a long time since he had felt genuine fear. He knew Kefira wouldn’t act the way she had for nothing. She had been truly worried that Reivyn wouldn’t be able to survive this ordeal.

It wasn’t just the looming threat of the Epic Mode difficulty, either. The System had always been a bit suspect to Reivyn, but this situation was above and beyond anything he had expected. If he didn’t know any better, he would assume someone was manipulating the System itself.

Thoughts for another time, he told himself. I need to focus on the task at hand.

He watched his Party members make their way to a position in the middle of the formation and take up a position in one of the squads.

As soon as they came to a halt, a final System Message appeared before him.

Objective:

Defeat the Dragon