Outworld: Awakening

In another location in the dungeon, Gallien and his men trudged through a swamp. Glowing lotus leaves were the only source of illumination in the swamp. Trees taller and thicker than anything in Targarth covered as far as the eyes could see. Their intertwined vines formed a mesh above the vigilant Awakened.

"Aron, how close are we? Are we still in the territory of the swamp vipers?"

Gallien, who no longer wore his mask, stared at the decapitated corpses floating on the swamp's surface. With lengths of over seven feet, the swamp vipers were snakes who lived before the baccarras den. Unlike most of the creatures in Valar Pits, they didn't have any interest in feasting on humans.

Rather, they used human corpses as vessels to nurture their offsprings. They held the reputation for being the most venomous creatures in all of Targarth's dungeons. Once bitten, most Awakened would die after five minutes if they don't seek a healer.

"Sir, we are out of their territory. The baccarras den is only a few meters away," Aron said.

"All right, men. I'll go over the plan one more time," Gallien said as he slowly stared at his men.

"Those monsters are difficult to deal it alone, but collectively we can handle them. Vecatus, your Blessing is the key to the success of our hunt. Make sure you knock them out as soon as I say so."

Vacatus, a stubby man with a thick beard, smiled as he picked his nose.

"Once Vacatus activates his Blessing, we only have ten minutes to kill the queen. We can't afford to fail this mission. Do you understand?"

Gallien's gaze turned cold, and it frightened the men from Raventhorn. They swallowed hard as they nodded in silence, they all knew what awaited them if they failed their mission.

"Good. Take your positions. Vacatus, stay in the middle. Aron, take the lead."

They quickly assumed their positions like a well-drilled army.

'With the completion of this mission, I would have contributed enough merit to the guild. I hope they reward me with the mission in Vohir. I can finally payback my debt.'

Gallien parted his blonde hair as a smile crept on his pale lips. Only in his late twenties, he had already completed over fifty missions for Raventhorn.

Unlike most Awakened who only raided dungeons for its wealth, Gallien followed a different path. Wealth meant nothing to him. What he d.e.s.i.r.ed above any other thing was power.

Having come from the slums of Dratol, he Awakened at an early age. Slowly, he mastered his Blessing until he attracted the attention of regional guilds. His ascent continued, and he eventually got admission into the prestigious Varidan Academy.

Unfortunately, his good fortune ended within Varidan famous walls. No matter what he did, he couldn't pass the combat class required to partake in missions. Eventually, Varidan expelled him under the guise of withdrawal. His sponsors to Varidan abandoned him, and most guilds considered him an outcast in Dratol. If not for the mercenary jobs he took to survive, he would have ended up as a bandit plaguing smaller nations.

His fate, however, changed with the formation of Raventhorn. They didn't care that he had failed at Varidan; instead, they welcomed him wholeheartedly. Ever since that day, he devoted his heart to serving the Armstrong family. There were others like him who Raventhorn had accepted. They too, also pledged loyalty to the Armstrong family.

Because of their his past, Gallien couldn't comprehend why someone from Raventhorn could betray the Armstrong family. When he heard about Klein's betrayal which lead to Dominic's life-threatening injuries, it infuriated him. He blamed himself for not being powerful enough to have noticed their ploy.

Although he wasn't Raventhorn's guild master's first choice for the mission, Gallien's track record and absolute loyalty to the Armstrong family won him over. To Gallien, it didn't matter where they sent him. He would do anything to aid the family member of the man he respected the most.

'Klein, just wait for me in Vohir. I will surly bring back that dirty head of yours.'

"Sir, we are twenty feet away for the baccarra's den. We have—"

The ground rumbled before Aron could finish his report.

Gallien and his men rushed out from the swamp. Their eyes lingered on the rustling trees and the bubbling swamp.

"What's happening?"

Silence greeted Aron's words. None of the men understood what was happening. For most of them, this wasn't their first time crossing the swamp. However, they had never experienced such a tremor.

A few seconds after the rumbling started, calm returned to the swamp. Gallien and his men could still see ripples on the swamp's surface. They truly did not understand what had happened.

"Sir, I don't have a good feeling about this. This dungeon has been behaving irregularly all day. Sir, I think we should leave. Let's come…"

Vacatus's words trialed off as he met Gallien's cold gaze. He dared not continue his statement.

'Come back another day? That's absolute nonsense. What if our delay causes a complication in Dominic's recovery? How would I face the guild master and Lord Armstrong?'

"We will continue as planned. Once we kill the queen of the baccarras, then we can leave. Not one minute before, or else…"

Aron, Vacatus and the others flinched as they stared at Gallien's eyes.

"Assume your positions. Vacatus, go ahead," Gallien instructed.

* * *

Unknown to everyone raiding the dungeon, the magma sea surrounding the dungeon churned the moment Adam's Devourer title activated. Pillars of magma rose into the air, spilling in all directions. Amid the chaos, another portal opened, albeit within the sea of magma. The strange phenomenon and the portal only last for a moment, before calm returned to the volcano.

A few seconds later, another portal opened at the top of the tower. Inspecting it, half was colorless while the other half was bright yellow.

* * *

Gallien and his men cautiously made their way through a cave's passage. The attack class split themselves into groups. One group protected the supporters which made a fourth of their manpower. Meanwhile, Vacatus led the second ground which comprised Gallien and Aron.

Gallien hung his unsheathed long sword over his shoulders, while Aron gently adjusted his gauntlets as they neared the exit of the passage.

"Halt. Vacatus, good luck," Gallien whispered.

Vacatus turned and smiled at Gallien. His eyes had changed from that of a human to that of a frog. Bulging with vertical slits of black. Webs appeared in between his fingers and his neck swelled like a croaking frog's.

"You will know when I have started," Vacatus said.

In light steps, he walked towards the exit of the passage.

'You must succeed, Vacatus.'

Gallien's eyes followed Vacatus until he disappeared into thin air.

The strange occurrence didn't alarm or surprise any of the men, because of the extensive briefings they received before accepting the mission.

Meanwhile, Vacatus found himself in a dreamlike forest. He could see beautiful trees and colorful flowers all around him. A rainbow hung in the crystal-clear skies while splashes from a flowing river reached him. Vacatus didn't appreciate the beauty of the scenery; and, he didn't deviate from the path he followed from the cave.

His slit eyes only focused on what lay ahead of him. However, he paused on his twentieth step. Cold sweat covered his forehead while sweat soaked the gambeson he wore underneath his armor. Because, the soft and cheerful laughter of young maidens taking a bath at a nearby stream reached his ears.

To his right, he could see five elegant beauties dressed like Arabian belly dancers twirling in a nearby stream. In his forty years of living, Vacatus had never seen women so beautiful.

In fact, all the women he had seen in his life paled compared to these five. Especially, the seductive redhead surrounded by the other four beauties. Vacatus's eyes met the beauties emerald green eyes. His heart trembled and his legs went limp.

"You have been staring for a while? Won't you join us?"

Vacatus's heart thumped faster. Only angels could have such a melodious voice. He would give anything to wake up every day to such a beauty beside him.

Like a love-stricken idiot, Vacatus slowly inched towards the ladies. They seductively motioned for him with their index fingers while donning smiles that could melt the coldest of hearts.

'Calm down, Vacatus. Calm down, damn it! Remember what you came here for. Calm down, Vacatus!'

With ten meters separating Vacatus from the beauties in the stream, he paused in his tracks, before crouching like a frog. His actions surprised the ladies. Before they could say anything, Vacatus's throat expanded to twice his body size. A split second later, an ear deafening croak followed.

Unseen by the n.a.k.e.d human eye, unique shock waves spread in all directions. The Arabian beauties screamed, their visage slowly morphed into that of a hideous aberration. Warts larger than pebbles covered the formerly smooth face of the beauties. Their skin's visibly tore, producing a foul smelling yellow pus. Their limbs elongated and twisted at impossible angles several times, and a hunch slowly formed on their backs.

While these changes occurred, the beautiful scenery distorted in synch with their screams. A spacious well-illuminated cave littered with skeletons of humans and other creatures replaced the dreamlike forest.

Vacatus's heart clenched as he stared at the beauties. He didn't dare to stop using his Blessing, because he knew the beauties hadn't fully fallen under his Blessing, neither had they finished their transformation.

Although he was only a rank E awakened, his Blessing which manipulated sound waves to an extent, allowed him to overwhelm Awakened stronger than himself.

'It should happen anytime now…'

Vacatus's eyes quivered as the hunchbacks of the beauties exploded into a gory mess, revealing a goat's head with curved horns. The baccarras had revealed themselves. Proficient in the art of seduction and illusion, they prey on anything that was unfortunate enough to encroach on their territory. Depending on the creature, they would meet a befitting illusion. They used their control over smells to induce these illusions.

With most frogs having the ability to detect changes in chemical composition of the air through their eyes and skins, Vacatus Blessing was the natural antithesis for their abilities.

"Filthy human… I will kill you in the most painful way possible. How… long do you think you can keep us… down?"

Instead of the humanoid head, it was the goat's head that threatened Vacatus. Although it couldn't hide its pain, it still had the same melodious voice. Among the four baccarra, it had the longest horn. In baccarra's culture, the queen always had the longest horns.

Vacatus ignored the queen. If he deactivated his Blessing, he would meet a death far painful than anything he could imagine.

"Human! N-No one… will save—"

A thunderous explosion rocked the cave before the queen could finish her words.

"Sorry for being late, Vacatus. You can knock the others out. Leave the queen to me and Aron," Gallien said.

Gallien exuded a bloodthirsty aura. His grip tightened around the hilt of his long sword. Aron, on the other hand, donned his mask. Two blades extend from the side of his gauntlets.

On Gallien's command, Vacatus's croaks intensified. The ordinary baccarras screamed in pain as they clutched their goat heads. Within seconds, the four baccarras lay on the floor with their goat heads bleating. Vacatus's croaks had no effect on Gallien and Aron, since his blessing could only target a specific target at a time.

"I will kill you all!"

The baccarra queen screamed in pain. Vacatus's Blessing couldn't knock her out like her subjects.

"First squad, kill the unconscious ones! Second squad, protect Vacatus! Aron, do your thing!"

Ten Awakened sprinted towards the unconscious baccarras on Gallien's command, while another seven rushed towards Vacatus.

Aron's blades emitted steam as they turned fiery red. Like an assassin, he charged towards the baccarra queen. Gallien, on the other hand, remained motionless.

'These humans will suffer for this humiliation. After I kill them, I will kill the demonkin responsible for opening the gate.'

A sickening bleat escaped from the goat's mouth. The warts on the body of the queen bulged, within seconds, she hurled acid towards Vacatus. Once she eliminated him, she could slowly eliminate the others.

However, before the acid could devour Vacatus and the others, one Awakened's body emitted a blinding light, and a barrier surrounded everyone a meter from him. The acid fell on the barrier, however; it kept its integrity.

'How is this possible? How can these humans counter all my attacks?'

"Abominations like you don't deserve to live! Go back to the depths of hell!"

The queen baccarra flinched as she heard Aron's voice. She had lost sight of him earlier, and she didn't know where he would attack from. Still suffering from the effect of Vacatus's blessing, she couldn't move her body like she would have liked.

Like a ghost, Aron appeared on top on the queen's body. Before she could react, his blades tore through her flesh, eliciting sickening screams. Before Aron could reach the goat's head, the baccarra threw him off her body.

At that same moment, however, four miserable shrieks echoed. The four baccarras had met their demise. Having thoroughly prepared for their mission, the baccarras stood no change against Gallien and his men. And, Gallien had done nothing yet.

"Humans! I will—"

Aron impaled one of the goat's eyes before she could finish her declaration. Her screams echoed as she tried to grab Aron, however, she couldn't match his speed.

"Take a break, Aron. I will handle the rest."

Aron's blades turned to normal on Gallien's orders. He wasted no time in retreating. His Blessing gave him enhanced agility, while the gauntlet had a special mechanism which heated his blades without transferring the heat to his body. Using his Blessing took a toll on his body, and he was glad Gallien had noticed.

"Humans! You will pay for killing my subjects! I will—"

"For a goat, you talk too much. If you miss them so much, I will send you on your way."

Gallien's sliver long sword beamed with a blinding silver light. Neither his men nor the baccarra could look at him. The surrounding walls in the cave trembled as if it would collapse at any moment.

'How can a mere human be this powerful? Will I die in a place like this? Wait… this aura… isn't that the…'

Mid-thought, a blinding silver sword light severed the head of the queen. Even in death, her surprised expression remained.

'The difference between us is just too much, a rank C Awakened is not someone we can mess with…'

Aron couldn't hide the fear in his eyes as he stared at Gallien. With just one strike, he had ended a baccarra queen. Although he knew they would win with Gallien present, he didn't expect it to be so easy.

"What are you staring at, Aron? Those bones won't extract themselves. Hurry. Time is of the essence."

Aron woke up from his daydream. He and the others hurried to butcher the corpses of the slain baccarras.

'Apart from the incident at the dungeon's entrance, everything is going according to plan. Once we get the bones, we can get out of here.'

The hunt so far pleased Gallien. All that remained was for them to exit the dungeon, and it would be a wonderful harvest. He couldn't stop himself from smiling as he thought of slaying Klein in Vohir.

"Sir, what should we do with the heart?"

"What kind of nonsense are you asking? We will take it. Leave nothing behind," Gallien retorted.

Slowly, he scanned the room, only stopping when his eyes fell on an odd section of the cave's walls.

'So, that's where they keep all their treasures...'

Gallien's lips curved into a smirk.

"For your efforts, I will let you guys loot their den. However, you only have ten minutes. Boko, prioritize the bones."

The men broke into excited cheers. They thought Gallien wouldn't allow them raid the baccarra's den.

They hacked away at the corpses, tossing the bones to Boko, a slender Man who carried a small ordinary waist bag.

He placed each bone thrown his way into the bag, and it swallowed it like a bottomless pit. As a support class Awakened, his Blessing allowed him to force a finite space in any inanimate object.

Such a Blessing was extremely useful for looting dungeons. And, the best part was that hardly would anyone realize the bag contained a treasure trove.

"Their treasure trove is over there." Gallien pointed to a section of the cave's walls.

Only after his men had carved up the baccarra's corpses did he allow his men to pillage. Meanwhile, Gallien leaned on a nearby wall as he removed a cigarette from his inner pockets.

"Congratulations, Sir."

Aron lighted it via his gauntlet.

Gallien nodded, but said nothing. The hard part was over, he could finally enjoy a smoke. That Aron didn't pillage didn't surprise him. He had personally recruited him for Raventhorn, hence he knew his personality more than anyone.

'Is it just me or is it getting really hot in here?'

Gallien felt the temperature in the cave suddenly increase. He wondered if it was because of his cigarette. However, he rejected that thought. He wasn't a newbie to smoking. It couldn't just change the temperature in the cave like that.

"Sir, it seems like the temperature—Ouch!"

The wall Aron placed his hand had burned him. Gallien's counter darkened. This wasn't natural.

"We are leaving now! Forget about—"

A series of thunderous explosions buried Gallien's words. The cave rumbled and he could see the walls of the cave emitting heat hazes.

'Explosions? From where? Where the hell is this heat coming from? I have bad feeling about this.'

The men who had been gathering treasures stormed out of the baccarra's treasury drenched in sweat.

"Sir, what's happening—?"

"Now is not the time. Let's leave!"

No one argued with Gallien, the caved had turned into an oven. None of them had any intentions of being baked alive.

Within seconds, the party assumed their formation, before running towards the exit of the cave. As they ran, they heard constant explosions which only got louder the closer they got to the swamp.

'This isn't normal. There was nothing like this in the reports. Nothing must happen to Boko. If not...'

Absorbed in his thought, Gallien slammed against Aron who stopped abruptly.

"What the hell is wrong with..." Gallien's words trialed off as an unbelievable scene greeted his eyes.

'How is this possible?'

A blazing inferno had consumed half of the swamp. Charred and burning trees came into their sights, and the choking smell associate with it pervaded the air. Roasted corpses of the swamp vipers floated on the swamp's surface, however, they could also see something else. A creature none of them had even seen.

Black as ink with reddened claws sharper than blades, and over seven feet in length, the corpse of a salamander-like creature floated on swamp's surface.

They could see gruesome injuries on its body while a section of its limbs had mummified.

'What sort of monster is this? How did—'

Another loud explosion disrupted Gallien's thoughts. This time, he could hear the distinct echo of blade tearing through flesh.

He squinted his eyes, only to see an unbelievable scene within the inferno.

Over twenty of the magma salamanders fought against aberration who had devilish horns with red-black skin. The most surprising thing Gallien saw, was the figure of a human who wielded twin axes. Like the aberration, he fought against five magma salamanders.