The Dungeon Age (Wingshadow & I)

A long time ago in a world unlike the Earth, there was a great war. Races of all shapes and sizes waged a seemingly endless war against one another in an attempt to establish themselves as the dominant species. As they fought, the world around them was reduced to nothing more than a barren waste, nearly incapable of supporting life of any kind. And Just when it seemed like there was no hope left, when it appeared that the foolish pride of the beings of this world would destroy themselves, the ground shuddered beneath them. It was a quake that, quite literally, shook the world to its senses. For within the epicenter of this massive quake, something mysterious awakened. Upon investigation, it was revealed to be an immense labyrinth consisting of monsters, minerals and other various oddities never before seen in this realm. One by one, the races of the world congregated to explore this new, undiscovered land that laid under their noses. With their hearts still sullied by the sin of pride, they kept their distance from each other, hoarding their discoveries to themselves fearing that knowledge would give their enemies an advantage over them in the conflict above. But as the years passed, a strange thing began to happen. The deeper they went into The Dungeon, as they soon named it, the more they discovered how dangerous a place it truly was. Monsters of greater and greater strength began to appears that no individual race could take on alone. So daunting was they mystery of The Dungeon and the curiosity of those who braved it, that they had no choice but to agree to a truce in order to advance. And it was in this truce that the world began to experience a revival that no one had ever imagined to be possible.

Out of the barrens, new life began to spring forth. Waters that were once dirtied with the blood of the slain started to become clear. Trees that had been stripped bare began to blossom. Minerals and tools excised from The Dungeon were used to rebuild the civilizations from the ground up, and what's more, after a set period of time, they would somehow regrow as if by magic. Unfortunately, this also extended to the monsters of The Dungeon, who not only gained new life, but seemed to learn from their earlier defeat. Soon, simply throwing massive numbers at these creatures proved to be futile. Millions lost their lives in the following years and it became apparent that only those who had the constitution and the will were allowed to enter the depths of The Dungeon.

The races of the world held a grand conference to determine what their next move should be and agreed on two important things First, they agreed on the construction of a grand capital dedicated to the exploration and excavation of The Dungeon. In this capital, one would be allowed to take up various professions, whether it be an adventurer dedicated to slaying the monsters of the dungeon or a blacksmith, who's job it was to construct weaponry and other useful tools for either The Dungeon or the outside world. The other agreement would the the authorization of The Guilds. These Guilds served two purposes. One, the congregation of professions in order to make their jobs easier and two, to promote peaceful relations between the races of the world since despite this time of peace, there were still those who held a grudge against those not of their kind.

This was the beginning of The Dungeon Age. Ever since then, the world has slowly been expanding its parameters. Gone were the years of war and strife and in its place, a new kind of battle was taking place. The battle with The Dungeon itself. Since its emergence, not one single person has ever found the bottom. To those who tried, only death or disappointment awaited them. While it was revered as a miracle that brought the world from the brink of annihilation, it was reviled as a place of death and destruction that tore brothers from sisters, mothers from sons, fathers from daughters and husbands from wives. Still, there were those who did not heed the warnings. It was not just from those who held stubborn pride in their hearts, but also the very small and innocent. The Dungeon has grown to have many entrances through the years, many of which are well guarded so that only those who are authorized to enter may do so at their leisure. But every once in awhile, a new entrance pops up. One that is unseen by the naked eye. It is by complete luck that one child was able to discover this new entrance. He had heard the stories from their parents and other adventurers who happened to pass their way and thought it would be fun to take on The Dungeon as if it were some kind of game. With naught but a wooden stick in his hand, he slowly descends the mysteriously crafted staircase into the first level of The Dungeon.

For most, the first level looks like your typical cave carved of stone and glowing moss. Small patches of grass shake in the light breeze that comes up from the deeper parts of the level. There is an echo of dripping water in the distance signifying a nearby puddle or pond, the latter of which might occasionally hide some small, fresh water fish for those who want to fish at the beginners level. To the boy, it all seems surprisingly...boring. Where's the epic adventure? The thrills? The spills? For a moment, he contemplates leaving the dungeon until a nearby bush shakes with activity. As he turns to investigate, a small, green goo jumps out and lands with a slight jiggle. It is a simple slime, one of the most common monsters to inhabit The Dungeon. Curiosity suddenly filled the boy's mind. How could such a creature exist? It didn't have the look of any living thing he had ever seen. It didn't even appear to have a heart, yet it was lively as it rolled towards him, leaving a slimy trail behind it. The boy knelled down to get a better look at it and when he did, the slime gyrated back and forth as if it were dancing before suddenly shooting forward and hitting the boy in the forehead, knocking him back on his rear end.

The boy was shocked, not at the fact that the slime attacked him, but just how much it stung. It felt like someone gave him a swift backhand to the face. Curiosity now turned to anger as the boy picked up his wooden sword and swung it wildly, hitting the slime and splattering it against the cave wall. It slid down and landed with a whimper before exploding into dust and leaving behind a shiny object. If he remembered correctly, this is what they called Fol. It was a kind of gem that all monsters dropped when they were killed and the bigger they were, the larger the stone would be. For some reason, people liked to collect this stuff and trade it in for currency , but why would such a generic looking stone like this be so valuable? Whatever the case was, maybe the boy could make some use of it and thus, he picked it up and pocketed it before continuing further into the dungeon.

As he did, he began to encounter more slimes. They seemed to pop up out of nowhere and, just like the first one he encountered, attacked with the same charge which, by now, the boy was ready for. Soon, his wooden sword was made damp and green with the 'blood' of the slimes he had slain and his pockets were nearly filled to the brim with Fol. "This was easy," he thought to himself as he tore through another of The Dungeon's denizens, a slightly large cockroach. What exactly was there to fear? These monsters were pushovers, even for a child. Surely, the rest of The Dungeon would be as easy, right? As soon as that thought crossed his mind, a strong gust of wind blew towards him from the north. He turned in that direction, frozen at the sudden change in atmosphere. Even though he was but a child, he knew something wasn't right here. The walls of the cave began to shake slightly, and then again in a pattern that grew louder and louder. It was as if something large were walking in his direction and when it entered his field of vision, a chill crept up the boy's spine.

He was used to the sight of slimes by now, but this one was on an entirely different level. The thing must have been as tall as the ceiling and almost just as wide. Upon its head was a crown befitting a king and thus, the boy confirmed it to be a King Slime. What he didn't know, what all properly trained adventurers were supposed to know, was that within each level of The Dungeon was a creature much stronger than its smaller brethren. Since it normally guarded the path to the next level, it was given the title of Guardian Monster and these things were no joke. It would normally take a party of at least five adventurers to take down a Guardian and in some extreme cases, a party of over 100 different individuals, each with their own unique skills and talents would have to be made necessary. And regardless of whether the Guardian was facing a seasoned adventurer or a child, it would show no mercy towards its prey, a fact that the boy found out first hand as it shot a massive ball of slime at him which he frantically dodged before taking off and running as fast as he could to get away.

But now that the King Slime had seen an intruder in its territory, it was set on eliminating its prey. It began its pursuit, rolling much faster than a normal slime should and it was soon apparent that the boy would not be able to outrun it. In fact, much to his horror, he found himself lost within the corridors of the cave, his fear clouding his judgement and sense of direction to the point that he ended up cornered in a section far from the exit to freedom that he desired. The King Slime began to close in, now joined by some of its slimy minions, their intent made clear by their aura of murderous intent. The boy cowered and closed his eyes, praying that someone would be fortunate enough to come to his rescue...

Closer and closer the King Slime and its underlings, the young boy's hopeless state seemingly egging them onward with greater and greater speed and determination, to put a swift and painful end to the young adventurer who had dared to venture so deep within the mighty and ominous dungeon. The King Slime's massive body swung back for a brief moment then lunged forward with its full force, the ensuing impact which would doubtless render the boy unconscious if not instantly fatal.

The attack, however, never landed. Instead, its entire body slid apart into six even, wedge-like slices which divided and splattered against the wall, missing the boy entirely. Had the boy's eyes been open at that very moment, he would have seen a brief flash of intersecting lines of light, as three nearly simultaneous blows landed upon the slime king, sliding clean through its jellylike body.

There before him stood a young woman, several years his senior, with a gleaming, angelic appearance. A pair of short yet magnificent wings sprouted from between her shoulder blades, the soft feathers emitting a dim yet warm glow. Her polished armor gleamed with an otherworldly light, along with her wide kite shield and magnificent long sword. Her eyes were pale and calm, without the slightest hint of anger or aggression within them, as if the serenity of heaven itself resided within those eyes of hers.

She turned and faced him before speaking in a soft voice, "...What are you doing here? Where you trying to die?" Her tone carried more genuine curiosity than anything else, devoid of the usual harshness or derision that would commonly accompany such words.

"Leave, and do not return unless you become a true adventurer," she instructed him, "This place is not for the weak of body or of mind... You have much life left in you, so it would be wise for you not to toss it aside in such a careless manner." Sheathing her sword, she reached her gloved hand toward him to help him to his feet, "True power is the strength to protect those around you, but foolishness drives the weak to pretend they are strong."

As the King Slime thrust its body at him, the boy shut his eyes. This was the end for him. Such a foolish endeavor to try and traverse The Dungeon. But rather than
feel the harsh sting of slime upon his body, there was a sound he could only describe to himself as many little *shinks* The few seconds of silence and the realization that he was still alive caused the boy to open his eyes. What stood before his gaze could only be considered a miracle from the gods. The King Slime's body was not one singular mass anymore. It had been cleaved cleanly into several smaller slices, guided by the sheen of a finely sharpened blade. One by one, they exploded, no longer held together by the will of its body and a light rain of blue stickiness began to shower the area. The boys gaze turned upward to look upon the wielder of the blade and there he saw the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.

She was like something out of folklore. If he remembered correctly, they were called Valkyries, the goddesses of battle. Beautiful pale skin clad in shining armor, a shield that could deflect any blow, a sword that could pierce the hardest of metals and a gaze that could pierce one's very soul. If the legends were real, then this woman was the very embodiment of it. She was, without a doubt, the perfect adventurer. The boy was still, no longer in fear, but in awe of the sight in front of him. His breathing calmed and his pain and exhaustion seemed to disappear in her presence and then, as she spoke, there was a calmness in his heart he had never experienced before. He could not bring himself to answer her question. What would she say to a mere boy who wanted to explore The Dungeon merely because it was nothing more than a game to him? Instead, he remained silent, his eyes lowering ever so slightly so as to give off a hint of regret and embarrassment until she spoke once more as if she already knew the reason. There was no anger, no malice in her voice, only words that he felt he should never forget as long as he lived. Words that served to inspire him to become a great adventurer just like her.

Finally, the Valkyrie extended her hand to his. He was hesitant to lay his dirty hands upon her grace, but like a child eager to find comfort in the arms of a parent, he eventually relented and took her hand. "T...thank you," he replied sheepishly as his gaze turned back towards the ground after her continued speech. "Please...don't tell anyone I was down here. I'll go home just as you said and I won't come back until I'm ready. Then...then I'll show you that I'm strong...no...I'll surpass you." The boy's breathing escalated slightly. His hands curled into fists and he looked into her eyes and showed her a look of determination that he hoped would convince her of his conviction. "That's how I'll pay you back!" Without another word, he turned away and ran as fast as his feet could carry him. As he did, he slowly began to remember the path he had taken to get down here. It was only a matter of time before he found the entrance and freedom from the unforgiving Dungeon.

The boy was a mere ten years old when he first entered the dungeon. It would be eight more years before he returned...

The Dungeon capital of Labrynthia, a massive fortified and layered city built on top of the primary dungeon entrances. It is here where hopeful souls bare themselves to The Dungeon and pray that their dreams are fulfilled. Nearly every corner of this community is dedicated to preparing those who would traverse the perilous underground beneath them. The roads are lined with shops and vendors peddling their wares brought from outer lands and within The Dungeon itself. The second layer is home to the brunt of the forces who lead the expeditions into The Dungeon itself, the guilds. Based on how successful each guild is, their facilities could include anything from basic living quarters to training grounds to lavish museums dedicated to their members glory. Each guild is unique in their profession and thus, they go about their business in very different manners. While they all seem to compete for wealth, fame and power, they all hold the same ironclad bond through their exploration of The Dungeon. No one guild tries to be too competitive with another. The top layer, which is also the smallest is home to a great castle. Within its walls can be found every single scrap of information that has been collected about The Dungeon over the many centuries it has existed. If there was anything anyone ever needed to know about it, monsters, minerals, the heroes who traversed it, it could be found in the pages of the tens of thousands of books stored within. This was also home to the governing counsel of not only Labrynthia, but the entire world. Representatives from all the races gather here to discuss relations, law and The Dungeon. These select few had perhaps the toughest job of all, to protect the people below from the perils of The Dungeon. Their laws and decrees would ensure the sanctity of life and limit those who's ambitions exceeded normal standards set by The Dungeon's previous challengers.

Sol Garett was not familiar with any of this. Living on the outskirts of Labrynthia through his youth, his only knowledge of The Dungeon came from the stories he had heard from local residents...and, of course, his ill fated journey into The Dungeon eight years ago. Since that fateful day, since he met that person, his only goal in life was to prove he was worthy of her and The Dungeon. He spent years developing his own style of combat. He picked up various things from other adventurers who liked to show off on occasion and from those bits and pieces, he found a way that suited his physique. In his mind, no slime, or any other kind of monster would be able to stand a chance against him. But, just to be safe, he also carried with him a wooden shield, or rather, a wooden pot lid fashioned into a shield and decorated to make it look fancier than it actually was. As for his weapon, it was the same wooden sword he had brought with him all those years ago. He didn't really intend to use it in The Dungeon despite knowing that a weapon was required to even enter in the first place. It was a keepsake to remind him of the promise he made to that woman who saved his life. He wondered what she could be up to now. Probably off slaying some giant dragon, no doubt...

With a knapsack full of basic supplies and a pocket full of dreams, Sol approaches the gates of Labrynthia. He stares in awe at the colossal city in front of him, his
eyes full of wonder and curiosity as to what kind of adventures he will find himself in once he enters the gates.