Arganthes: The Capital Of Dungeons

When I did, I was overcome by joy and confusion as I was happy to see my friend Geo Birchwood after several days had pa.s.sed… Yet, I wasn"t certain if I could trust him,

as he too had been personally requested to partake in the expedition.

Doubtful about the situation I found myself in mustered up the courage to confront Geo with what had happened.

"Geo… Are you aware of what has transpired in the past few days?

Or rather… are you in with the rest of them?"

Geo looked confused as if he didn"t have a clue what had happened.

I sighed…

*sigh*

"The survivors, teams Ragnee and June brought along… Are you here by their orders, Geo?"

Geo looked at me, as he wasn"t sure what to say, although now he was certain something must have happened back there, he too decided to confront me with his findings.

"Indeed, I came along by request of Ragnee and June, but boy! Can I tell you,

that I didn"t expect to find what I encountered in the caverns…

You know, I was brought along for the safety and recovery of the survivors and fallen,

Inside… I encountered all our fallen brethren, most slaughtered by what seemed like a great battle, an ambush maybe? Others… had a less fortunate end… as they had been turned into the goblins playthings before getting slaughtered, so I was sad to find even your dear friend Yami to have been crushed by rubble…"

Geo looked away with pain in his heart as he noticed the news was even more difficult to bear for his dear friend Michael…

Hikari worried about what Geo was talking about looked at me,

then at Geo, and as she looked back at me, she turned her head.

"Friends…? You… Lost… Friends… Too…?"

I looked at Hikari as I broke down in tears, unintentionally I gave in to my needs as I tightly hugged her. Tears streamed down my face as I let go of all the pend up frustration and sadness…

After a short while, I wiped and dried away my tears as I realized Hikari too,

had lost her friends…

"Y-you… lost your friends as well?? Life must be hard for all of us…"

I said trying to create a smile on my face as to not worry her.

Then I turned to Geo and began questioning him about the survivors.

"Geo, you told me you were brought along for the retrieval of survivors and dead bodies, right?

Knowing Ragnee and June, they must have given you the order to move out once they returned… So, can you tell me who made it out of that h.e.l.l?"

Geo wasn"t sure what to say but obliged with my questions as he wanted to find out what transpired before he went inside and everyone laying dead on the ground.

"Ragnee and June had few companions with them if I remember correctly…

Sheila the girl with bow and arrow and the cute priest from the church, you know,

the one with white hair. I think her name was Sh.e.l.ly?

To be honest… those two and June were the only ones who returned from team serpent,

not to mention I didn"t see anyone from team shield either… only to find them dead in the caverns.

Rika the brawler girl with hot pa.s.sion had survived but was exhausted, which is why they left her at the entrance to rest up. As for team fang, which you were part of if I remember correctly. All members of the rogues a.s.sociation had come back almost unharmed, together with Maria, the fire mage. Of course, Ragnee had come out as well, but she didn"t seem to be doing okay… As if she was struggling with something on her mind.

Just before everyone had left towards the Sharoo for their report I heard the other rogue members say they needed to meet up with the king at the capital, don"t know what that was about… eventually, Maria volunteered to stay with Maria as the others needed to leave."

Geo looked at me as if he was waiting to fill him in on what had happened in his absence.

I looked at Geo, knowing I had to tell what transpired I mustered the strength to do so. Meanwhile, Hikari noticed it was difficult for me and firmly held my hand. As if to say, that she was there to support me.

"Okay Geo, with a heavy heart... I will tell you what transpired, as I owe you that much...

You see, we were all brought it, seemingly not just for the exploration of an uncharted area,

but really...

Ragnee and June had received a secret mission from the king...

A mission to get rid of those close to or accompanied by us "Summoned".

As we went through the caverns in search of the so-called ruins, we got ambushed by a ridiculous number of cave dwellers. Or "Goblins" like how you would call them...

We stood our ground and everyone was hanging on to dear life, as our only option to escape got blocked by them..."

I breathed in deeply keeping Geo in a slight bit of suspense,

before uttering the name of the beasts.

"Tuskan Trolls."

"One had let the goblins to us, and as we tried to fight off their leader we soon found out that we were already outmatched. I am alive today because of the heroic actions of not only my dear friend Yami but also the leader of team shield "Brendan".

As he pushed me away just before the troll could squeeze me like a bug...

As if we didn"t have enough trouble dealing with one of them, suddenly two others arrived as some of us tried to run for their lives… resulting in what you have most certainly come across as you are now where I am."

Geo looked at me in shock and could only reply with one word as he uttered it in disbelief.

"Painful!"

He then quickly proceeded to ask as now he wished to know if I knew what the serpentine twins their secret mission was.

"s.h.i.t… that must have been one h.e.l.l of a struggle… But, Michael, tell me.

Do you know what their secret mission was?!"

Again I sighed as I remembered how impatient Geo could be most of the time.

*sigh*

"you never change, do you?"

"Exactly! Haha, so, what happened next?"

"As the others held off the Tuskan Trolls, Ragnee ordered Yami and me to examine the shrine inside the area you to have been through. As we were there we wanted to quickly report what we had found back to them, but, before we could…"

I looked away, tightly gripping my chest as the tension became heavier than ever…

"A loud explosion could be heard, quickly followed by huge piles of rubble that fell from the ceiling and surrounding walls. Blocking off our path, but as I was still standing in the opening towards the are of the shrine, I knew at that moment, the rubble would crush me and end my life… But just before that happened Yami pushed me back allowing me to escape the rubble, which then ended up crushing her instead…

Soon after I could hear June laughing at our failed attempt for survival…

even laughing Yami her n.o.ble attempt to save my life… Soon after Ragnee began to apologize as she didn"t want this to happen, but couldn"t defy the demands of the king…

They then proceeded to tell me the only one left alive in that room why it is what they did…

I appeared the king, like the tyrant, he wants to keep the throne to himself…

But with us "Summoned" having unrivaled prowess, he came to fear the possibility of us defying him… Not to mention that he, himself was aware of what I had done during the tournament of beginnings, which is why he made them conduct the secret mission before anything could fall out of hand. Making sure I was out of the picture…

Soon after they left me alone to die without a word, which is probably when they send you for the retrieval of the bodies."

Geo was trying to process it all as he had carefully listened to my story, not too long after he reacted as he now finally understood what transpired before his arrival.

"Ah! At last, I truly see!! Hurting my friends like this…

I do understand that at least Ragnee wasn"t in a position to defy the king as that would not only have cost her own life but also that of her clan members…

"I Geo will personally see to the defiance of the king, as I will avenge those innocently killed by those trying to harm my friends!"

Geo stood up all fired up as he had now basically finished his mission.

Thinking about what he should report he turned around once more.

"Say… wasn"t the story they made up about the ruins of ancient times all made up?"

I looked at Geo as I didn"t know where this was going.

"Yes… Why do you ask?"

Geo pointed to the large crumbled bedrock structures as he answered my question.

"Because it seems like there are ruins here, aren"t there?"

"Yes! You"re right, you see, Ragnee informed me in secret with a letter hidden inside the skull I had taken with me for extra protection that even if June used it as a ploy that Ragnee had suggested, Ragnee had found the entrance beforehand and decided to cover up the pathway with an artificially made shrine, she also included into the plan with June, making sure she wouldn"t find out about it while allowing me to get out alive."

"Hmm… I don"t know Michael… Women, usually aren"t to be trusted…

But it seems she at least spoke the truth about the ruins, care if I come along to explore?

I mean… its at least a few days exploration in the caverns together with getting back to Sharoo before I can report, so…"

I laughed at geo"s funny way of struggling as he must have felt guilty about what had transpired.

"No problem! Just tag along with Hikari and me, at least I know with you there will be enough power to defend ourselves against imminent threads."

Geo the proceeds to get up close and personal with the young companion I had met as I had exited the cave. She quickly gets startled and begins to hide behind me as she is shy around people unfamiliar to her.

"Is… He… Friend… Too?"

Hikari asks as she buries her face into my back.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce you to two… come to Hikari, don"t be afraid, Geo won"t hurt you…

At least… I won"t let him, haha"

Geo got a bit to close as Hikari again hides behind me, but this time at the other side.

"Geo, this is Hikari, and Hikari, this is Geo. He is my friend too, just like you are."

Hikari stayed shy towards Geo as we decided to go on our way, Hikari held on to my shirt as we kept on walking deeper and deeper into the ruins of old. Hikari appeared to have been here more than once as she told us all about shiny objects hidden inside the crumbled towers.

Geo quickly proceeded to s.n.a.t.c.h whatever he could as he wanted to get enough compensation out of the mission…

Suddenly Hikari and I picked up strange energy coming from what appeared to be an island in the middle of the ruins. Hikari led the way as we soon found a lake with a small island in the middle, in a sense the island was cut off from the world as the water separated it from the surrounding lands. The Island was an open area as the sky surrounding it wasn"t covered by trees, like the rest of the area. Still, a tall tree stood firmly in the middle.

At that time the sun was already beginning to set giving way to dusk.

The moon began to pour down its like as it shined through the opening onto the island.

Almost as if magic the creatures in the water reacted in unison gently lighting up the water surrounding the island.

"Strong… Feeling… Michael… Comes… From… Over… There…"

Hikari pointed at the tree which had a shrine"s entrance on in it which seemed to go downwards. We had to find a way towards the island, as the feeling only began to grow stronger. Unaware of what resided in the water we had to make sure it was safe.

But when Geo wanted to use his magic to grow roots allowing us to form a bridge with them,

I silently stopped him and pointed towards Hikari.

Her eyes had grown dim and lifeless for a moment when suddenly they began to glow as the now brimmed with life. I looked in awe, dumbstruck of what was happening,

a voice other than that of Hikari began to speak to us.

"Drifters… I have waited since ancient times for you to arrive.

Please proceed thought the path as I will allow one of you to enter my lair."

Hikari put both hands to the sky as the water got separated from the middle,

allowing us to venture through. I sat foot on the ground with Hikari following behind me.

And before Geo could follow Hikari closed off the path, making Geo unable to follow.

But before I could continue walking towards the island Geo shouted at me as he already knew what time it was.

"Say, Michael, I"ll head on the back first. But, when I"m back… I have to report my findings,

so, what do I say when they ask about you?"

I looked at Geo"s puzzled, disappointed, pouting face as a hint of worry could be seen,

I smiled at him and answered before continuing towards the island.

"Just tell them, that you found me dead, ma.s.sacred by trolls and goblins in front of your eyes.

Tell them, that because of that you slaughtered the remaining goblins in a blind rage and quickly returned to town wanting the mission to end as soon as possible."

Pouting about the fact that it was an obvious lie for us Geo struggled to accept the answer,

Not only because he needed to head back in a hurry, but also because he secretly wanted to know what would happen to his rival. I turned around to continue towards the shrine when Geo began shouting once more.

"Hmm… But Michael… You know, I can"t lie to others, right?"

I turned around posing with a trustworthy thumbs-up.

"I know Geo, but since I don"t know when I"ll be back… let"s just tell them I did, kay?

Since I know you"ll be wanting to head towards the capital as soon as possible,

lets eventually meet up when we arrive there."

I then proceeded to walk towards the island leaving my trusting friend behind.

One last time he shouted vowing to become stronger before we were supposed to meet at the capital of dungeons.

"Michael! Trust me! As you are now set on your journey, I too will set off on my journey to enlightenment and knowledge. Let us meet in due time, my friend."

He said, before parting ways, hoping I would look back one more time.

Instead, I kept walking, but raised my arm and put up my thumb.

Giving him the approval he needed for our promise.

The view I got as I walked past the fishes made me realize it was best we didn"t swim across as it was filled with ferocious predators. As we sat foot on the island I decided to look back one more time, before entering the shrines pathway.

Geo had left already, dead set on his reward.

As I walked down… I soon found out what was emanating the surges of energy.

We found ourselves in a small room with an altar in the middle, where two items were stationed. Items that looked like something someone could wear around their wrists.

I walked closer when the voice introduced me to what seemed to be laying on the altar.

"During ancient times many have sought the power of the Ancients. Before you, none succeeded, yet what you see is only a small portion of what is spread throughout the worlds of our universe. Please, pick them up and allow the power to flow through you as they too will bond with your soul."

I proceeded to follow the instructions of the voice as I reached for what seemed like arm guards. As I came closer my elemental synergy began to bond with the items,

allowing me to pick them up without much difficulty… at first, I didn"t feel any difference when suddenly I felt the flow of energy stream towards my soul sea only to penetrate its essence.

As the energy was different I had to force the energy inside almost breaking my soul sea in the process… what happened afterward was the satisfaction of increased size as now the energy began to flow throughout my entire being. Quickly I began to realize I was now able to see the energy flow through me. When the voice began to speak to me, once more… but this time, from within…

"Dear Drifter, you are one of many… one chosen to collect the Artifacts of The Ancients.

Let the system guide you as it will provide you with the opportunity to strengthen not only thy physical self but like what happened just now, thy spiritual self. Bonding with the system increases your potential and understanding of "Energy" as you can now not only feel but see the flow of energy itself. Let me grant you, one final request as I too will have a request which you cannot refuse…"

I looked puzzled as I didn"t know what the voice was talking about,

only to find that a familiar figure took shape in front of me…

Yami"s spiritual form had come to the surface!

Soon after another familiar figure took shape as my conscience felt lighter than ever.

The other spirit that surface was Shigure. Not sure what was happening now I began looking at the arm guards that had bonded with my spiritual energy.

"Don"t look so puzzled child, this is what you wished for, is it not?

For them to gain physical form one more?"

The voice spoke, certain of my innermost desires…

I couldn"t believe what I saw as a metallic human-like doll artificially manifested in front of us.

Before I realized what was happening the two most dear to me began drawing closer to the doll as their spiritual energies began to merge… so did their physical appearance affect the doll?

As the process came to an end the doll had now a similar appearance to those dearest to me.

Again the voice spoke to me, as it introduced it"s creation to me.

"Dear Drifter, allow me to explain as I can see what happened seems impossible to grasp.

As I "The System" has bonded with your inner soul sea, it is but a simple task to read and manifest one"s most inner thoughts and desires… It seemed that your desire to see them both was so great that the system granted your wish, hope you happy about that teehee."

Unable to process what had happened I fell on to my knees overcome by emotion.

The creation certainly looked like the perfect blend of both my dearest companions as one side perfectly resembled Yami and the other side perfectly resembled Shigure…

The voice continued.

"As we have granted your innermost desire, allow us to ask for your cooperation."

In a sense I had both my dearest companions back,

the void inside my soul had been filled… But at what cost?