Dungeon Sniper

"... How long are you going to hold me like this?"

Elysia finally squirmed under my arms after a minute-long tight hug.

"Just a little longer," I said as I hugged her even more tightly. 

"This is really creepy," grunted Elysia. 

"I don't care what you call me. I love you, babe."

"No. I mean, yes, you are creepy at times... lots of times, actually. But I was talking about this place. Look around, Beta."

I grudgingly let go of the lovely Elfina and looked around as told. 

We were standing in the middle of a cosmos, a dark, sparkly space void with millions of big and small stars shining around us.

"... Seems all right," I shrugged nonchalantly. 

"Are you serious? We're literally standing in the middle of outer space! How's this 'all right?'" Elysia shook her head exasperatedly. 

"Well, we just killed a dragon that was also a tree that breathed fire and s.u.c.k.e.d the life out of a planet—"

"So this looks normal to you?"

"I didn't say it does. I'm just saying I'm kind of used to seeing things that usually wouldn't make any sense, you know? For example, I'm dating a hot Elf chick—"

My voice, however, was drowned by the deafening blaring of an alarm, followed by a monotonous, automated female voice that one would hear after failing to reach someone over the phone. 

"Inspection complete. Quarantine over. Begin precautionary disinfection."

Right away, the mesmerizing scene of the astral space around us disappeared, and we were standing in a clean, simple room—with a multitude of showerheads on the ceiling. 

Elysia, speechless, blinked at the sudden change. I was a little better. I was able to cry out a curse.

"What in the actual f.u.c.k—"

Then water, smelling strongly of chemical, sprayed and showered us over our heads. That went on for about thirty seconds until Elysia and I were thoroughly soaked.

"Precautionary disinfection complete. Open the bay door now."

The machine voice echoed again, and what used to be a smooth wall just a second ago created a round, circular dilating door. 

And two individuals, dressed in spacesuits, walked out of it. 

The four of us stood still, staring silently. Well, Elysia and I certainly did that. As for the other party, I could not see past their tanned helmet. 

The spacesuits they were wearing looked identical, spotlessly white and looking highly advanced even at first glance. The only difference was their sizes. The one on the right was huge, towering—no, dwarfing—the other space-person. I would not have been surprised if they were an Orc and a Dwarf standing sideways.

Aaaaand they were, indeed. The helmets were off, and an Orc and a Dwarf showed their faces. Both were males, looking neither old nor young, and looked uniformly stern and grave.

"... Welcome, Transcendents. We have been expecting you."

Finally, the Orc said with a grim growl. Contrary to what he just said, I did not feel welcomed at all. 

"General Romula is waiting. Move your feet, freaks."

The Dwarf clicked his tongue and beckoned Elysia and me to the door. 

"Um... Hi," I said awkwardly. 

No response. The same stony faces.

"Could you tell me where we are?"

"In a minute. Follow us to the waiting room so you get properly dressed before venturing further in our ship," said the Orc. 

"This doesn't feel like a ship," said Elysia, frowning suspiciously. 

"Oh, yes, it does, babe. It does," I muttered with a wry smile. 

Of course, Elysia had been on only one kind of ship in her life. I had never got on anything else either, but I watched enough sci-fi movies to see what it felt like to be on one. 

"But there's no lull, no movement... Oh, are we docked? Is the ship being maintenanced on the ground?"

For a member of the race cursed with impossible unimaginability, Elysia did her best.  

"Quit yapping and move along. This is hardly the time for us to be your babysitters. Heck, we're literally at—"

"Do not cause panic among our guests, Balthasar... Not yet, at least."

The Orc said calmly but not without a hint of impatience and tension in his voice. Balthasar the cranky Dwarf, who was clearly the subordinate of the Orc, grumbled grudgingly as he shot Elysia and me a disgruntled, irritable look once again. 

"One question."

I stopped before the Orc-Dwarf duo and looked between them warily. 

"You guys are not slave traders, by any chance?"

We had been called guests—special and lucrative—once before, and what a mess of a beginning that was. 

To my surprise, both the Orc and the Dwarf smiled. Well, Balthasar scoffed in disdain, but close enough.

"We saw what happened to you at Level Three. Rest assured, visitors, that this is not a slaver ship and that we welcome you heartily... But we cannot guarantee your safety, I am afraid."

Just then, as if on cue following the Orc's last word, before I got to ask what he meant by 'seeing' what happened to us at Level Three and who knew more, the place—the spaceship—began to shake and tremble.

As if it had just been hit.

"... Is the ship back on the water again?" asked Elysia innocently. 

.

.

.

Elysia and I were led through a narrow tunnel to a small area with lockers lined up on one side of the wall. 

The space Orc took out two sets of spacesuits, identical to the one he was wearing, and politely asked us to change into them. 

"Do you guys always have these on? I mean, I like the futuristic look and all, but it looks really inconvenient."

The spacesuit was the most c.u.mbersome attire I had had to endure until now. It was heavy, clumsy, and, worst of all, hid the delicious body line of Elysia from view. 

Elysia was frowning as she moved her limbs under the thick suit, looking like a cute, confused snowman—snow woman.

"We do wear a different, the more comfortable set of clothes under normal circ.u.mstances," said the Orc.

"Yeah, about that—"

Grrrrr—

Another rumble. Another hit.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" 

This time, the Orc did not answer. Instead, he put on the tanned helmet with a sense of purpose and alert. Balthasar promptly followed suit, but not before nodding at us sharply to do the same. 

Elysia and I gingerly placed the helmets over our heads, inconvenience intensifying. 

"General Romula will explain everything to you after this is over," said the Orc, but this time his voice came from the speaker within the helmet.

"What's this?" I demanded.

The Orc did not answer again and sprinted toward the exit to another tunnel. Balthasar pushed us to run after him. 

"Are we being attacked?" 

Running, or more like clunking with the heavy spacesuit on, I decided to ask Balthasar this time. 

"Oh, you think? Of course we're being attacked. What else, stupid?"

It was official. I would never be friends with this little asshole.

"A skirmish, nothing more," said the Orc, having heard our unpleasant conversation through the communication. 

GRRRRRR—

And another quake. The biggest one yet.

"A skirmish, you say?"

"Welcome to Level Five, Human," snickered Balthasar. 

Just then, the tunnel ended.

Panting and blinking, I looked around at what I assumed to be the command center of the spaceship. 

Twenty or so individuals, all dressed in the uniform spacesuits, sat in their positions and were moving their hands wildly. 

The window-like monitor overhead showed the real-time image of what was happening outside—the outer space. 

Beams of laser shot through, heading our way, only to be blocked by the invisible barrier surrounding the ship. 

"Sullinger, did you find the damn fighters yet?"

An angry, raspy voice of a male. A Goblin male. 

"Seventy—seventy-two so far. But the General ordered us to hold fire until we found all of them, sir!" answered Sullinger, presumably Human, urgently. 

I listened to the intense conversation heard from the communication, but it was cut off as soon as it had begun. 

I turned and saw the Orc withdrawing his hand from the control panel on the c.h.e.s.t of my spacesuit, having muted the communication from my speakers. I saw he did the same to Elysia's spacesuit as he raised the other hand at me to be patient and not panic.

At that moment, the person standing in the center of the room at the highest podium, gripping the round handle in front, suddenly stood straight and took off the helmet—

A blonde Elfina, beautiful as any other but with the most intense, charismatic fire in her rich green eyes, threw away the helmet with one hand as she pointed at the monitor and shouted triumphantly. 

"NOW! BURN THEM! OBLITERATE THOSE FLIES!"

The crew began to move their hands over the controls in synchronization.

A choreography of death.

And then a flash, followed by a surge of blinding laser, a tsunami of yellow-white light, the glowing cannonball more powerful than a billion cannonballs put together—

The monitor turned white for a second. 

When it came back, everything was deadly still. There was nothing in front of the ship. Not anymore.

The entire crew cheered, taking off their helmets and wiping the cold sweat off their faces. 

"Wait here," said the Orc as he walked up to the center podium. The grinning Elfina was letting out a sigh of relief when the Orc got up to her. The Orc spoke something and then pointed at us. The Elfina's eyes widened along with a faint, but friendly, smile. 

"Take off your helmets," said Balthasar as he tapped me hostilely at the t.h.i.g.h. 

When Elysia and I took off the unwieldy helmet, the green-eyed Elfina was already walking toward us hastily. 

"Beta? And this must be Elysia."

The Elfina looked between Elysia and me with sparkling emerald eyes.

"Thank you, Urgaka, Balthasar, for bringing me our guests. I'm sure it must have been tough for you to miss the battle."

"Not at all, General Romula," said Urgaka the reserved Orc.

"Well, it was for me, just a bit," mumbled Balthasar, but not as nastily as he had been with me so far. 

"You may go back to your posts. My two most trusted officers," smiled Romula most elegantly. Urgaka and Balthasar went away, heads held high and barely hiding their proud smile. 

"Pardon the inhospitality. My name is Romula, and I'm in charge of this place, with everyone's help and support, of course," smiled Romula, her face reflecting the genuine humility of her character.

"I'm—"

"Beta, and Elysia. I know. I'm thrilled to meet you, finally."

Elysia and I exchanged glances, lost for words.

"How—"

"Let me apologize first. I hope the little incident we had just now didn't scare you," said Romula quickly, excitedly. 

"No, not really," I answered, acting tough despite Elysia's exasperated glance.

"Of course, after all you've been through, this is a child's play, right?"

"... I'm sorry, but I can't help but feel that you, and the Urgaka bro before, actually know about us?"

Before Romula could answer me, a loud cheer and booing were heard over at one of the control stations. Romula turned and we followed her gaze to find a young male, a Human at first glance and the most handsome Human dude ever if at that, staring back at us dumbfounded, his hair dripping wet from the celebratory alcohol being poured his head.

"Everything's fine! Just a little something to commemorate Sullinger's first day in duty, ma'am!"

Someone in the crowd hollered apologetically toward Romula.

"Make sure you don't let any of that get into the system!" shouted Romula back cheerily. 

The crowd went on back to haze the rookie officer as Romula smiled sheepishly at us and guided us away from the room. 

"Come. Let's talk more at my office. I think I have some cakes left from someone's birthday yesterday."

Romula led us out of the command center and through a different, wider corridor from before. 

First, we stopped at locker rooms, again the different, much bigger versions from the small, crowded one before. 

Before entering, Romula took off her spacesuit right at the door, much to my excited chagrin. 

Unfortunately, she had a full set of clothes under the suit. A gray and white uniform with a 'wolf' emblem on the c.h.e.s.t. 

"Just grab anything that looks like this and meet me out here. Elysia, you can come with me. Beta, the men's room is that way."

After changing, Romula then led us to a cozy office with a tea table for four and a work desk with several computers running. On the farthest wall from the door was another window-like monitor showing the serene, unworldly image of the outer space just outside. 

"Please sit. Tea for Elysia, I'm sure? We even have coffee, the one just like from your homeland, Beta."

Romula gestured us to the tea table as she moved about busily around her office. 

"Coffee, then, please," I blurted out inadvertently, as Romula quickly prepared drinks before us.

"... What is that?" frowned Elysia as she stared suspiciously at the coffee at my cup. 

Romula came back with her own cup of tea on her hand and sat down in front of us.

"I checked, but the cake turned bad. But there's another birthday coming in a couple of days—"

"Cake is the least of our concerns now... Miss Romula. General?"

"Just Romula's fine," smiled the gracious Elfina politely. 

"Good. Romula, I want to know everything that's going on this Level. This ship—"

"He keeps calling this a ship. He can be weird like this sometimes," scoffed Elysia.

"... She needs a lot of catching up, doesn't she?" Romula clicked her tongue with a wry smile. 

"As do I. I'm only a better than her. All I know is that we're floating on some kind of spaceship and you're in the middle of a war."

Romula put down her cup, looking serious and sad for the first time I had seen her.

"I mean, aren't we all?"

"Aren't we all what?"

"In the middle of a war. The entire Dungeon is at an interracial war. You've seen yourself."

I vaguely remembered Ms. God saying that, and only vaguely did I remember because the past Levels did have wars, small or big, but the 'interracial' part was not so clear.

"I've seen animosities. I've seen cruelties. But war, I don't think—"

"Wait. Let me show you something first."

Romula got up and went over to her desk. She then turned three monitors for Elysia and me to watch.

Each monitor displayed different images, some moving and some constant, switching every five seconds or so.

The various images showed ruined cities, both urban and pastoral, toxic wastelands, and more often than not just blank, black nothingness.

"Twenty-eight and counting," said Romula with deep regret in her voice.

"What are we looking at?"

"The Levels of the Dungeon that have seen wars, succ.u.mbed to them, and are destroyed for good."

I blinked at Romula and turned my gaze back to the monitors.

Then Elysia gasped. I saw it too.

"That's Deltaris. Level One," I said numbly. 

The city was destroyed, more completely and deliberately than I had bombed the Deltaris Complex. Shadows of individuals moved about hastily, wildly, desperately.

We were looking at war. 

"... Is this real?"

"As real as you and me. And real-time too. This is happening right now."

"But there was peace. An actual, achievable peace at Level One."

"What makes you think that?" asked Romula back with a sad look.

"... The Colosseum, the heroes' wills, the Gift—"

"The certain special individuals you know as the heroes of each race never ventured beyond Level Four. They all died or fell powerless before they could accomplish anything. Instead, and naturally, they had to leave a successor. Unnaturally, though, some of them chose the same person, someone not from their race even... You, Beta."

I closed my mouth. Benedikt's face flashed before me. Then Rafaqa. 

Before a certain unpleasant voice was brought back, I shook my head and turned to Romula.

"I don't know anything about that," I said adamantly. 

"... I like you, Beta. I've watched your progress, and I still believe that you have what it takes to 'end' the war in this world."

Despite Romula's earnest words, my eyes kept darting back to the monitors, all three of which now showing what was happening at various locations of Level One. 

That was when I spotted Rafaqa, one-armed but still the biggest Orc in the crowd, swinging his greatsword valiantly next to his granddaughter, Moniqa. For a moment, I had blanked out against whom the Orcs were fighting. 

Just as my mind formed the least friendly race of all, the Goblins, I saw the receiving ends of the deadly greatswords.

The Dwarves, fully armed with flashy metal armors and wielding various explosive gadgets, were wreaking havoc all across Level One.    

"... The Dwarves? Why? How?"

The Dwarves. The lazy, drunk, jocular race. The people of the foul-mouthed but compassionate, selfless Benedikt. 

Romula bit her lips and hesitated to answer.

"You don't want to know, Beta."

"Actually, I do."

"... A certain Human bombed a bar, killing thirty Dwarves one night."

A chill went through my spine, and I shuddered inadvertently... guiltily. 

"The Dwarves wanted to capture the culprit, bring justice, right the dead. The most dominant races of Level One, the Elves and the Orcs, refused to help find the criminal. Meanwhile, the Humans became the targets of the Dwarves. A payback of sort. The Elves and the Orcs got involved to protect the Humans, and the Dwarves began to believe that not only were the Elves and the Orcs slacking off in their search and investigation of the bomber, but actually protecting him, safeguarding him... His image more than anything else. After all, the ruthless bomber was the new hero that every race had to rely upon to build peace around—"

"Please. Stop," I said, feeling my hands shaking uncontrollably. 

I had never felt more guilty. 

I had never felt more devastated. 

"That doesn't make sense."

I heard Elysia but did not dare turn to her.

"Benedikt was the Dwarves' hero. He specifically told his race to forget about the bomber and move on. That was the decree. That was the new, binding law for them."

"It was. But Benedikt died, along with his influence."

I lifted my head up. Romula frowned at me pitifully, so I knew I looked like shit at the moment. 

"Laikaan, the King of Level Three, also died, but there was peace there... Slavery, yes, but no interracial war. How do you explain that?" Elysia asked poignantly after a prolonged, thoughtful silence. 

"Laikaan made sure that his words lived through people's minds and hearts. He left them in writing."

That shut Elysia up.

Meanwhile, my guilty eyes turned back to the monitors, this time showing the Runnels, dusty, scarred, and fatigued, trying to riding all over the place, trying their best to restore order. 

And my eyes caught Lapines, bloody and unconscious, and Dumont holding her on one hand and his longsword on the other, warding off the encroaching Dwarven battalion, crying tears of blood. 

"... Turn it off," I said hoarsely, finally looking away.   

Romula sighed and walked to the desk, not to shut down whatever was showing the image but only to turn the monitors away from my view.

"I said TURN IT OFF!" I yelled in anguish, tears flowing and throat closing tight. 

"I can't," said Romula, her eyes sympathetic, but her stature resolute. 

"Why? What's it to you? Is it your hobby to spy on what goes around every Level? To laugh at someone who messed up everything, a total fool who thinks he's bigger than real life?"

"It's not my hobby, Beta. It's my job, my duty, to watch over, and protect as many Levels as I can."

Romula's voice shook a little then.

"When I said twenty-eight Levels have fallen, I didn't count this Level. Nor Level One."

Romula smiled, her eyes tearing up as well.

"I'm just of a mess as you are, Beta."

"Don't say that," I said, palming my face away from reality. 

"There's no one like you, Beta. You are one of a kind, a true outworlder with power and means to bring changes."

"Romula, why are you doing this?" I m.o.a.n.e.d, pleaded.

"... I'm not like you. But if it's any comfort, I'm a little like you, in terms of being forced to be heroic, whatever that means."

And for the first time, I noticed the faint glow around Romula. The one I saw but took for granted when I saw one in Benedikt and Rafaqa. 

An aura.

"Just, who are you, Romula?" 

Elysia asked before I could. She, too, must have sensed an alien but familiar air surrounding the mysterious Elfina.

"I told you none of the 'heroes' made past Level Four. We'll get back to whether Alpha's a hero or not, but it's the truth. No hero has ever reached past here."

Romula grinned with the most refreshing wink ever.

"But a heroine did."

"... Venerable Velonis," muttered Elysia in disbelief. 

"No, no. I'm not her."

Romula waved her hands meekly. 

"I'm her successor, though."