Kaine dug his hand deep inside the corpse’s chest, stripped from its armour, caved in and carved up, he held his nostrils shut with one hand and fished around inside with the other.

“Oh, Oh I’m gonna…” Lara groaned out, hearing the squishing and sploshing as he reached in, she suddenly leaned over then and let her stomach loose as Jedd held her up.

“I...don’t think Lara can take it any longer…” Jedd mused.

“We’ve pretty much gathered everything useful out of the minions.” Roy also added.

“Almost!” Kaine groaned back, having finally grasped something familiar, he pulled with all his might. “Ah, got it.” Rising away from the rotting flesh-hole his arm had just been inside, as that arm’s same hand now held a violet cloth sack wrapped in pitch black rope.

“So, how exactly will this work now?” Rey then asked, “I mean, we didn’t really take part in killing this one.”

“This is a dungeon, and this elite here was standing as a miniboss, I…Nidhogg might have taken down the boss but you all took care of its minions.” Kaine explained, leaping off the corpse and landing amongst them, he lay the sack down and began untying the rope. “I do wonder though, this one is an elite yet its threshold ability never activated.”

“Kaine?” Roy then said, pointing at him.

“Yes…” Kaine answered with a groan, Roy had been playing this guessing game ever since, trying to guess which of his personalities were speaking at what time. “Anyhow, let’s see what it’s got for us.”

“Jor, right?” Roy then mused once more, gaining himself an annoyed glare from the entire party. “Ah…sorry.”

Opening the sack wide, Kaine stepped away, “Go ahead.” He gestured them forward, and Jedd needed nothing further to step to first.

Kneeling down before the blackhole that lay within the sack, she reached down into the depths of darkness, grasping something before pulling it out.

Eyy! More swag!

Shut it.

Kaine watched as each of his party pulled out their reward. A dark-metal full helm for Jedd, crafting materials for Farvo, a belt of knives for Roy, unnaturally soft red gloves brimming with energy for Lara and lastly a gleaming dark-metal dagger for Rey.

“You’re next mate,” Farvo then said, watching as Kaine faltered from approaching the bag.

“Yeah…” Kaine whispered out, still reminded of the last game-given equipment he received, he stepped to the loot bag.

Kneeling down before it, he drove his right hand down into the unknown.

Feeling about the darkness until his skin connected with something…It was soft to the touch but sturdy as he grasped onto it, Kaine pulled out his reward.

Dangling it in front of himself, he inspected it.

[Dark Knight’s Cape]

Make: Arcane

Creator: Revenants of Darkness

Material: Wraith Skin, Troll Fur, Dread Spider Silk, Hobgoblin Claws, Dark-Iron

Durability: 100%

{Dark Volatility}; Whichever stat from [Strength] or [Dexterity] is higher, the following effects apply-

[Troll’s Strength]: If [Strength] is higher than [Dexterity], + 10% to [Strength]

[Wraith’s Dexterity]: If [Dexterity] is higher than [Strength], + 10% to [Dexterity]

[Darkness]: If both [Dexterity] and [Strength] are equal, - 80% to both and + 50% to [Intelligence]

These effects are applied post other stat bonuses.

It was a dark cape with dark grey fur about the top and dangling blue strings ending in pitch-black claws.

“Well, this would have been so much more useful if…” Kaine sighed as donned the cape onto his back, he then opened his character window.

{Jor Mungandr}

{Character}

Race: Dark Elf

Total Level: 13

Martial Level: 9

Arcana Level: 4

Crafting Level: 0

Main Faction: None

Reputation: {Mixed}

Guild: None

Title: {The Merciless}

Racial Title: {First of the Dark Born}

{Equipment}

[Elven Civilian Shirt]

[Elven Vest]

[Elven Shoulder Guards]

[Dark Knight’s Cape]

[Elven Knee Guards]

[Elven Helmet]

[Bandage Gloves]

[Vine Belt]

{Nova}

[Elven Civilian Pants]

[Elven Boots]

{Arts}

[Martial Arts]; 9

{0} Neutral Points

-Strength / 19 (23.75) -

-Agility / 13 -

-Dexterity / 9 (11.25)-

-Vitality / 14-

-Perception / 14 (14)-

[Arcane Arts]; 4

{0} Neutral Points

-Intelligence / 7-

-Spirit / 7-

-Expertise / 4-

-Sense / 7-

-Aura / 4-

[Crafting Arts]; 0

-Brightsmithing / 0-

-Enchanting / 0-

-Handicraft / 0-

-Leatherworking / 0-

-Blacksmithing / 0-

-Tinkering / 0-

-Alchemy / 0-

-Ritualcraft / 0-

-Herbalism / 0-

-Gathering / 0-

-Mining / 0-

-Woodchopping / 0-

-Hunting / 0-

-Cooking / 0-

-Minstrelcraft / 0-

-Sigilcraft / 0-

“If someone hadn’t fucked up our entire build…” He groaned.

Bah, it’s better this way anyway!

“I can and will hurt you…us…” Kaine then whispered under his breath as he held his face in annoyance.

“What do you mean? That looks awesome!” Rey exclaimed, playing about with her new dagger by picking her teeth with its very shiny pointed end.

“You do realise that…” Kaine was about to say but then just watched as she fell face first onto the floor, paralysed.

[Dread Edge Fang]

Make: Arcane

Creator: Revenants of Darkness

Material: Troll Hide, Undead Bone, Dread Spider Fang, Dread Spider Venom

Durability: 100%

{Dreadful Touch}; The first hit dealt to a biological creature within combat paralyses them for 1min (-20 seconds for each consecutive use on each unique target). Creatures will remain paralysed until the effect runs out, until they are damaged beyond 25% of their maximum life, or the venom is counteracted.

“Well, you live you learn, I guess?” Roy said with a chuckle, kneeling down by his sister he proceeded to poking her with a femur bone nearby.

Rey couldn’t argue, she couldn’t move nor respond at all.

“I guess we can all agree what monsters to expect moving onwards,” Jedd mused, equipping her own new helmet as its T shaped visor left only her eyes, nose and some of her mouth visible. “More Undead, Trolls and whatever a Dread Spider is.”

“Something we’re not strong enough to fight.” Kaine then said, “Not if they keep coming at us in these large hordes.” He sighed, glancing over at the other end of the room, he could barely make it out in the darkness.

Looking away from the shadows, he focused his eyes on Nova who fluttered nearby, suddenly grasping the little demon Kaine stumbled back in surprise as its form changed back to the dagger Nidhogg had wielded.

“So…you’ve managed to get me to use it, now what?” Kaine asked, inspecting the blade-less weapon.

[{Nova}]

Make: Shapeshifter

Creator: Underworld

{Arcane Weapon}; Wielding this weapon drains your [Arcana].

{Familiar Weapon}; Your demonic bond links you and your familiar, summon up your hellish beastie into a wieldable weapon through your [Under-Martial] skill {Familiar Weapon}! This weapon will grow in strength and abilities as you and your familiar do, changing in shape and use as you also change your familiar!

Releasing the serpent from his grasp then, Kaine watched as the weapon burst into flames, out of which reformed Nova.

“Now nothing master…Master thinks we demons are out to trick and fool you, yet we simply do not reveal our true natures to others. It is up to master to decide how to use Nova, how to make use of mistress’s gifts. And whether to accept them.” Nova explained with a hiss.

“Sure…” Kaine replied, still distrustful of the demon and her patron, he let it go for now.

“About that actually…” Lara then said, still not looking away from her shiny new gloves, “That d-dreadknight b-back there i-”

“It called you a Demon.” Roy cut her off as he himself remembered.

“Y-Yeah, and I don’t think it w-was talking about your…s-snake.” Lara mused.

“The undead one sensed the one inside master.” Nova then added, and the entire party turned to her then.

Kaine’s cold eyes befalling solely on the little demon, as his aura of malice followed. “What…do you mean…inside me!?” Kaine exclaimed, grabbing Nova once more yet this time she was too stunned by the fear effect to react and shapeshift.

Slamming the winged serpent into the rotting corpse that was the dead elite, Kaine’s eyes were focused into thin slits as he glared into her own.

“M-master doesn-doesn’t know?...” Nova asked cautiously.

“Enlighten me.” Kaine hissed back, “Or I swear I’ll dissect you alive, and find out exactly how you tick.”

“M-Mistress sensed demons inside master…It is why master was c-chosen!” Nova quickly explained.

“What are you-” Kaine was about to ask.

“Maybe it’s your D.I.D?” Roy then offered, “I mean, Nidhogg is not far from the description of a pit fiend?...”

“You’re joking right?” Kaine then asked, “Does my brain sound like a joke?”

“It’s t-the-” Lara then stuttered out, but her quiet voice couldn’t match Roy and Kaine’s.

“No no, I mean, maybe it’s what the NPCs see?” Roy offered.

“Hah…and I’m crazy?” Kaine then mused with a groan.

“It’s th-the game!” Lara then suddenly exclaimed to be heard, gaining herself everyone’s sudden attention, she couldn’t help but turn bright red from it.

“The game?” Farvo repeated, “What ye mean Krell?”

“T-The system, if it’s out of c-co-control like the NPCs t-then…” Lara began to sheepishly explain, “It would explain things l-like…your s-sister’s weapon a-and this?”

“So, what you’re basically saying is, that the system is deciding not just what it’s supposed to like loot, encounters and story but…us as well?” Roy mumbled out, “It’s…deciding our story? How?”

“It knows everything we know.” Kaine then said, his expression falling solemn as he let go of Nova, “Maybe…just maybe, it’s reading our very thoughts and memories?...”

“Okay, that, now THAT is absolutely bonkers!” Rey then exclaimed, breathing in heavily as she regained her movement, carefully she then stowed away the apparently very dangerous dagger. “Reading our minds!? Sure, it can read our body’s motor controls, but brain? Fully? Hell no!”

“It’s n-not that far f-fetched…” Lara added, “To b-block others on t-the outside from f-forcefully logging us o-out…The s-system took over our g-gear too.”

“So…it’s in our…c-computers?...” Rey then mused, her expression going absolutely pale at the very thought.

“Enough, there’s no point in debating these things.” Jedd then stated with a steady tone, “We’re here now, we have no control over what is happening out there, but that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing we can do. Here is where we should put our focus, in surviving this damn death game.”

Farvo nodded in agreement, “I’m sure experts are being driven hard to sort this shit out, sure this game’s closed beta launch hasn’t exactly destroyed any rankings but there are still hundreds of thousands of people trapped in here.”

“Play the game in front of you, before the war within,” Kaine then mused, “It’s something she…my sister, would say.”

“Y-Yeah…Sorry.” Rey apologised, calming herself down.

“Alright, we can’t go forward, so let’s head back.” Jedd told them all, “This place…gives me the creeps anyway.” Turning back to the exit, the rest followed her back.

Kaine too did so, giving Nova one last glaring glance before he walked off after them. Nova, as the obedient familiar that she was, flew after her master.

Making sure to pick up one of the lesser dreadknight’s massive swords on his way out, Kaine continued after his party.

Reaching the open doors, a cold breeze blew past his left ear right then, sending a chill crawling down his spine.

“Leaving so soon?”

Kaine stopped in his tracks and looked back into the dark hall, seeing nothing but the mayhem he and his companions had left behind, he swore he had heard a voice.

“Jo-Kaine? Everything alright?” Rey called back, noticing that he had stopped.

“Yeah…it’s nothing?” Kaine mused, trying to make out the other end of the hall yet his eyes could not see that far into pitch-black darkness, turning back once more he continued after them.

Gone unseen by any of them, a figure watched them leave from the opposite end of this hall…

Grey, almost white long hair falling into wisps of smoke, wearing a pitch-black set of tattered robes also with wispy endings. The being hovered a foot above the ground as he watched with his hollow- blue eye-sockets amongst a dried-up husk of a complexion.

{Lair Boss} {Krakt} Lich Lord [Level 53]

“No matter…you’ll be back for more…fun, soon.”