Outworld: Awakening

For a moment, Adam's stomach rumbled, and he lost control of his legs. Clutching his stomach, he fell on one knee while wincing in pain.

"What's wrong with him?" Curtis muttered.

"Don't know and don't care."

Cale turned towards Eli who held a blanket. With just a look, the beady-eyed Eli knew Cale's intentions.

He drew a dagger from his side, before covering himself with the gray blanket, and all traces of his existence vanished.

Cale and Curtis smiled as Eli vanished. His Blessing made him one of the very best assassins in Targarth. If not for him, they wouldn't have been able to sneak up on Hendrix and the others.

Meanwhile, cold sweat covered Chadwick's face as he heard Adam's shrieks. Initially, he couldn't believe Adam willing revealed himself. A faint glimmer of hope ignited in his heart. Although he sounded different, Chadwick didn't think much of it. He had totally forgotten about the way treated Adam earlier. However, hope only filled his heart for a moment. He remembered how he had snuck up on Hendrix earlier.

'With that bastard's ability to turn invisible, there is no way he can win. Am I really going to die in this place? Hendrix, this is all your fault!'

Chadwick's bloodshot eyes stared at Hendrix laying on the ground. Hendrix, on the other hand, could barely see Adam.

Under the effects of Chadwick's Blessing, Hendrix couldn't recognize Adam's voice, coupled with his hazy vision.

Adam's shrieks doused his hopes of survival. He could only pray Adam would survive and return to Varidan. He wanted Varidan to know what Chadwick had done.

Although only five seconds had gone by since Eli made his move, Adam's screams had intensified. It frightened everyone in the room, especially when none of them could tell what kind of pain he was passing through. His screams no longer sounded like that of a human; rather, it was that of beast hoping to be put out of his misery.

Unseen by those in the room, Fien's body spasmed in synch to Adam's shrieks. Blood leaked from the corners of her mouth while a faint darkness covered her daggers. They produced distinct echoes which were buried under Adam's howls.

'Should I aim for the neck? Or, maybe the heart... Hmmm...'

Eli's lips curved into a sly smirk. His grip on the dagger tightened as he towered over Adam's body. His beady eyes lingered on Adam's head. He could picture how beautiful it would be to stain his snow-white hair with blood.

'The head it is. Let's see how he bleeds.'

Eli raised the dagger. His eyes roamed around Adam's lowered head for the perfect spot. He couldn't just stab anywhere. To him, Adam's body was a canvas, and he was the artist.

A few seconds later, his eyes gleamed, he had found the right spot. Eli licked his lips as he made a beeline for his target.

At that moment, however, Adam's screams ceased, and he raised his head.

Eli subconsciously locked gazes with Adam. Those weren't the eyes of a beast, not to talk of a human. Those black eyes with glistening spots of blue could only belong to an abomination from the fiery pits of hell.

A chill went down Eli's spine. The world around him had gone dark, he could only see those glowing eyes.

Only a few inches separated the dagger from Adam's forehead, however, Eli couldn't move an inch of his body.

He could feel death's icy hands slowly c.a.r.e.s.sing his skin, teasing him, beckoning him to the world of the everlasting. Suddenly, the world of darkness disappeared.

Eli found himself in a room surrounded with beasts like nothing he had seen, or imagined.

"Help... Help... Help me. Demons! There are Demons here!"

Cale and Curtis flinched. The others couldn't comprehend the meaning behind Eli's word.

'Demons? What's Eli saying? Kill him already.'

Cale's brows creased as he stared at Adam's listless brown eyes. Curtis too, couldn't understand why Eli hadn't killed Adam.

Experiencing an illusion like no other, Eli ran with all his might as he tried to evade the Demons. In reality, the blanket covering him had turned pitch-black, but it still made him invisible. His body trembled and his veins bulged to twice their size as darkness slowly covered his body.

As the demons in the illusion tore him to shreds, his body physically wilted. His face had turned pale. His former athletic physique had disappeared, with a bag of skin and bones replacing it.

"Eli! What the hell are you doing? Finish him already!"

Eli's delay in handling such a simple task annoyed Curtis.

'That freak. He's probably doing his artistic game again. Just tab him already.' Cale thought.

"We don't have all—"

Cale paused midway as Adam's listless brown eyes turned towards him. He didn't know why, but it filled him with unspeakable dread.

In his absent minded state, Adam slowly rose to his feet. Startling the men.

'Did Eli runaway? That bastard better pray I don't find him.' Cale could hardly contain his anger.

That Eli ran way was the only logical conclusion to Adam still being alive. Curtis also came to the same conclusion. The thought of Eli being slowly mentally tortured didn't enter the minds of the brothers.

"What are you guys waiting for? Is this a show or something? Kill that bastard. We will chase down Eli once we are done here!"

Without saying a word, the seven Awakened encircled Adam on Cale's orders. The Archer among them stood farther away, with two arrows nocked on his silver bow.

Two meters away from Adam's motionless body, the six men stopped in their tracks.

"What are you guys doing? We don't have time for—"

Before Curtis could finish his statement, one of his men launched a ruthless blow towards the man by his side. Decapitating him instantly. Two arrows impaled the neck of the Awakened who decapitated his colleague. A split second later, a spear nuzzled in between the archers brows.

Cale and Curtis watched with their mouths open as their men slaughtered each other.

"What are you—?"

The space in front of Adam distorted before Cale could finish his statement. At that moment, a gray blanket fluffed to the side, revealing a mummified Eli.

'Eli? How did this happen? Who did this?'

Curtis's eyes shifted between Eli's mummified corpse which had a horrified expression on its face, and the corpses of the other men littering the ground. Instinctively, Curtis eyes shifted towards Adam's direction. Meeting Adam's gaze. Unlike before, his listless brown eyes had disappeared. Instead, Curtis could see a lattice of black veins extending out from Adam's eyes. It frightened him.

'We have to get out of here…'

"Cale! Let's get out of here. This guy is… Huh? Cale? Where are you?"

Still in the lair of the ashworms, Cale had disappeared from Curtis's side.

"What have you done to my… Huh? Where did that bastard go? Wait… where are the corpses and the hostages?"

Dread gripped Curtis's heart. He reached for his long sword while aggressively staring at his surroundings.

"Show yourself you bastard. Do you think this is my first time experiencing an illusion? This is nothing compared to the Vaskan Dungeon."

Wasting no time, Curtis bit his purlicue.

He knew that most illusions could only trick the sensory organs of its target, but could not inflict any physical damage. From his vast experience raiding dungeons, he knew the only way to overcome an illusion was to inflict a suitable amount of pain on one's self. The pain would disrupt the sensory manipulation caused by the illusion, eventually dispelling it.

'Any second now. The illusion should soon start disappearing.'

Fresh blood flowed from Curtis's hand. He ignored the pain; instead, his gleaming eyes focused on his surroundings. Once the air distorted, it meant he had broken free from the illusion.

However, nothing happened.

Unperturbed, Curtis bit his purlicue again, sinking his brown teeth deep into his flesh. Yet, nothing still happened. A dangerous sense of foreboding welled up in his mind, and he began to doubt his reality.

'Is this really an Illusion? Wait… what if Cale and the others used Eli's power to get out of here? Yes. That's it. After everything we have been through... Cale, how could you do this to me?'

Curtis sprinted towards the exit of the ashworm lair.

Cale's betrayal saddened and angered him.

However, he would never let him get away with it, even if they were twin brothers. Unbeknownst to Curtis, Cale also experienced the same illusion, and he came to the same conclusion as his brother.

In reality, Cale and Curtis motionlessly stood in the ashworm lair. Darkness slowly covered their bodies, turning the duo into a bag of skin and bones. Their eyes had a dull look in them as blood dripped from their parted lips. Unlike the illusion they witnessed of their men killing each other, in reality, their mummified corpses lay on the floor.

Mavis, Amara and Fien, who had stopped trembling, remained unconscious as they lay on the ground. Hendrix too, had joined them in their unconscious state. The last thing he saw was Adam's kneeling hazy figure.

Chadwick too, experienced an illusion. However, one couldn't find the darkness which slowly ate away at the others on his skin.

The only conscious person in the lair was Adam. His demonic visage had disappeared, but his unique glowing eyes remained.

[You have devoured 10 Blessed beings]

[The dungeon has recognized you as a Demonkin]

[Activation of Devourer Title has accelerated the dungeon's growth]

[The creatures in the dungeon has detected your presence]

[The creatures in the dungeon have expressed a profound hatred for you]

[You have gained a new passive Title]

Name: Adam Staples.

Age: Seventeen.

Race: Human & Demonkin.

{Stats}

Constitution: 10. Agility: 15. Endurance: 22. Luck: 2.5

Dexterity: 15. Strength: 18. Charisma: 10.

{Skills}

Summoning.

Illusion Inducement.

{Title}

- Manipulator.

- Illusionist.

- Devourer.

- Dominator.

- Slayer (Passive).

- The Hated One (Passive).

???

{Status}

Awakened!

{Omen Points}

- 24 (Maximum Omen Points Limit - 36).

{Inventory}

- Cataclysm, Runed Blade of Delusions.

- Fermo Crystal (89/89).

- Eyes of Pink-eyed Goblins (76/76).

- Slime sac (88/88).

- Familiar (1/50).

- Goblin chief Spectre (4/4).

- Hunch sac (72/73).

{Level}

-D.

???

"What a waste, Adam. What's the point of leaving the rest alive? Let's devour them too. Look at how much our stats have risen. If we devour them, we will definitely ascend to rank C. Didn't it feel good, Adam? C'mon, I know you want to. Let's devour them all!"

[Title: Devourer deactivated!]

Adam didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he saw the system's update. He didn't expect the Devourer title to bring forth such changes to himself and the dungeon. Like the other titles he got from merging with his demonic half, Devourer enabled him to absorb the ability of others. Breaking into bits, which would eventually strengthen his connection to the Omen.

After stagnating for years, Adam didn't expect the Devourer title to increase his stats. Although his body had no physical changes, Adam knew he had grown significantly stronger. He also understood that the reason the dungeon recognized as a demonkin was because of the Devourer title. That it also accelerated the dungeon's growth left him stupefied.

The Valar Pits, being a rank D dungeon, if it attained a new rank, it would open Targarth to an influx of higher ranked Awakened. And, since the dungeon would undergo a change, so would the creatures in it. Stronger creatures would displace and replace the weaker ones in a true reflection of the dungeon's growth.

Although unintentional, his actions drew the ire of all the creatures in the dungeon. They hated him to the extent; he gained a new passive skill. With such a passive skill, Adam knew he would meet a similar level of hatred in any dungeon he entered.

'This will be troublesome. If they have detected my presence, I have to get away from here as soon as possible. After the ashworm lair is the swamp. Then, the baccarras den is just ahead.'

A wry smile tugged at Adam's lips as he stared at mummified corpses and the unconscious Varidan students. Ahead, he could see a path in between two massive gemstones.

'If I leave them like this, the ashworms will feast on them before they wake up.'

* * *

"F… Fien. Chadwick, please don't let them hurt Fein, Amara and Mavis… Please." Hendrix muttered as he slowly regained consciousness.

He didn't know how long he was unconscious, and the last thing he could remember was Cale shouting at someone named Eli.

As he slowly opened his eyes, he realized he had regained control over his limbs. That he wasn't dead surprised him, however, he didn't have the time to worry about that.

'Huh? Where the hell is this? Where are the others?'

Hendrix's body tensed as he realized he wasn't in the ashworm lair. He reclined on the moss-covered walls of partially lit tunnel which had a faint murky smell. He couldn't find Fien, Amara or Mavis. He struggled to rise to his feet; but his body hadn't fully recovered from the effects of Chadwick's Blessing.

'Chadwick, I will never forgive you for what you have done. I will dedicate my life to make sure you pay.'

Hendrix's eyes had turned bloodshot. He feared the worse when he didn't see Fien, Amara and Mavis.

"Hendrix? You're up?"

Hendrix flinched as he heard the familiar voice from behind. Before he could react, a pair of delicate hands wrapped themselves around his shoulders.

"I thought… I'm so happy…" Fien cried as she hugged Hendrix from behind.

"Fien? Is that really you? Where is Amara and Mavis?"

"Yes, it's me. They are safe too. They woke up a few minutes ago. I went to get you some water. I didn't know you'd wake up before I returned. I'm so happy that you're okay."

Hendrix's tensed heart calmed. That his group had survived the ordeal was a miracle.

"What about the guy who came to save us? Where is he?"

Hendrix couldn't control his emotions as he asked. He vowed to repay such kindness even if it took him his whole life.

"I don't know, Hendrix. I didn't meet him. The last I remembered was hearing a whip crack—"

"Have you seen Chadwick?"

Hendrix's eyes turned bloodshot, it frightened Fien.

"Come with me. You have to see this yourself."

Fien assisted Hendrix to his feet, and the duo entered a nearby cave. There, he could see Amara and Mavis staring at something. The duo simultaneously turned their heads as they heard Hendrix and Fien's footsteps.

"Hendrix, good to see you're awake," Mavis said.

"How are you feeling, Hendrix? Do you need to rest some more?" Tears gathered at the sides of Amara's eyes as she stared at Hendrix.

"Thanks, guys. I'm okay. My body still feels a little sore, but I'll survive. What are you guys staring at?"

Without saying a word, Amara and Mavis pointed to a figure laying on the ground.

Hendrix squinted, a second later, fury and then shock covered his eyes.

Chadwick lay on the floor with his legs twisted to impossible angles. Scars of varying degree covered his face, with his whip wrapped his body. A thin cloth covered his mouth. His eyes met Hendrix's, and he didn't bother to hide his hate.

"We saw him like this earlier. We didn't know what happened, however, we decided not to release him until you wake up. We figured you might know something," Mavis said.

"This bastard deserves everything that has happened to him. He…"

Slowly, Hendrix recounted the events that took place before he went unconscious. Naturally, the three who hadn't witnessed the scene could hardly contain their bloodl.u.s.t, especially the ladies who Chadwick offered to Cale and Curtis.

"Hendrix, do you know the name of the person who saved us?"

Hendrix shook his head as he stared at Mavis. Silence soon covered the cave.

"That reminds me. We found this beside him." Amara punctuated the silence as she pointed at the side of the cave.

'That's our mission's objective. I wasn't expecting to see it again,' Hendrix thought as he stared at the blue orb.

"What do we do now, Hendrix?" Fien asked.

"We will take the orb and leave. Who knows what will happen next. As for our savior, we might find out his identity if we wait at Stormlight's branch in Valar. Let's go, guys."

"What about him," Mavis said as he pointed to Chadwick.

"Leave him. We don't know what happened to him. However, we will recount details of what he did when we make our report. Let's go."

Chadwick screamed and squirmed, however, Hendrix and the others ignored him. After what he had done, they were short on forgiveness.

Rather than kill him themselves, they would leave him to his fate. Whether he survived or not didn't matter, death awaited him when Varidan Towers got wind of his deeds.