The stone doors creaked heavily, stepping through them they slid closed by themselves. "Ominous." Lee stated turning towards the door and walking backwards near Sara. Sara didn't bother acknowledging it, they were too focused on watching the large dome arena they just walked into.
Soft flickers of lanterns were hanging on the dome ceiling, the walls were smooth, untouched by time itself. The floor was squeaky, porcelain, something you'd see in the museums back in their original time.
Mist was slowly filtering through the room, beginning to cover the floor under their feet. At first it seemed so quiet, empty, until something pulsated under the mist.
"What was that?" Sara asked, stepping a few feet back gripping their bow.
"What was what?" Lee asked, something suddenly moved over his feet causing him to squeal like a little girl.
"That!" Sara said looking around them cautiously, the lanterns began flickering. Then, without warning, they went out. The entire room pitch black, the sound of Lee screaming in fear, hands wrapping around Sara who stumbled. "Bitch, get off me!" Sara groaned pushing Lee back some.
The lanterns re-lit, revealing vines up the stone walls, chunks missing. The porcelain floor scuffed and stained with what looked like blood. In the very center of the arena was a large slumped over tree giant.
It looked like a giant stone golem, but covered in vines and roots. On the ground next too it was a massive pillar with a large chunk of stone floor on the other end like a hammer. It also had vines wrapped around it.
The face of the creature had a wooden mask on, it looked dormant, fast asleep. "Maybe its already dead." Lee said, a glimmer of hope in his voice. Sara followed it with crushing realization, "Nope. Its doing the dramatic boss wake up delay."
Like clock work, the system dinged.
**Boss Encounter: Hollow Grove Warden- Level 15- Initiating Challenge instance.**
"You had to be right didn't you." Lee groaned, the ground rumbling and shifting under their feet. Slowly a blue light began glowing from the cracks of the Warden, the hand gripping the pillar and his body beginning to lift up off of the ground to its feet.
"I hate myself as much as you do Lee," Sara said in agreement watching the creature lift up.
"Fight!" Lee shouted, "First one who gets the hit in is usually the winner!" Lee added in. However, this wasn't another fighting game. This was real life, It let out a hefty roar, Lee's quick movement was halted instantly. He went to fall forward but wasn't even capable of that, vines had attached around his feet and legs keeping him in place.
**Root Snare activated. Current condition-Grappled**
Sara reared back the string of her bow, they took a long deep breath in feeling the energy around them.
**Skill unlocked. Skill Upgraded**
**Precision Throw Upgraded too Precision Shot**
**Aura shot unlocked.**
Sara didn't have time to read what these did, the creature began stepping towards Lee who was hacking at the vines. Sara released the arrow, "Aura shot!" Their words left their lips like second nature, energy pulsated from the back of the arrow slicing through the vines around Lee and striking the creature straight in the knees at the same time.
The force of the arrow caused a ripple effect of energy particles through the air. "Holy shit!" Lee shouted back towards Sara, who also had the look of awe in their face.
"A boss with Crowd Control, keep on your guard!" Lee shouted, raising the shield up he slammed his sword into the base of it. "Come on you strawberry bush! I've fought hedges more powerful than you!"
**Skill Unlocked- Taunt.**
Lee's words were like a booming effect, it washed over the Warden causing it to roar and take off charging towards Lee. Lee reared back and fast dashed, cutting the creature's ankles. Sadly, vines wrapped back up around the cut marks. The fight, was only beginning.
The ground was shaking, chunks of stone shattering and splintering everywhere. Lee was going in and out of fast dash, whirlwind, and other attacks he had learned. Each time he cut some of the vines off of his stone body, Sara would fire aura shots straight into the creature trying to chip away at its health.
The creature was strong though, they had also forgotten to level themselves up before entering into the boss arena. Level 11, they could have had their classes by now. Dodging blow after blow, Lee ducked, dodged, dived, and dipped around the hammer as it crashed into the ground.
"This sucks! I haven't been this annoyed for ages!" Lee shouted hacking at the creature before rolling backwards just as the hammer smashed into the ground.
"Remember when you played that one Souls game and got bodied?" Sara laughed, the arrow firing smashing into the Warden's body cracking it.
"Bite me," Lee shouted!
The creature's blow caused it to halt. Lee stumbled back closer to Sara panting. "What now," Lee said, regaining some of his stamina. "It has Phases." Sara said with realization, they looked at each other with exasperation.
**Hollow Grave Warden- Phase Two**
"Thats it!" Lee shouted, he took off running. "No wait!" Sara's words left their mouth too late, their hand just missing Lee to stop him. Lee charged at the creature, charging up his swing a new message popped up.
**New skill unlocked. Sword Charge**
Lee saw the message, and smirked. "Hell yeah," this distraction prevented him from seeing the phase two bark shield that formed in the wardens other arm. It was a large shield made from wood, Lee's sword collided with it.
The Warden parried Lee's attack, in doing so the stone hammer smashed into the right side of Lee's body sending him spiraling straight into the wall with a crunch.
**Critical Damage**
Sara saw Lee's health depleting, almost 3/4ths of the way down. Lee slammed into the ground screaming in pain, his cries blood curling. The cracks in the giants stone body was glowing a soft blue, 'Thats new' Sara thought trying to remain calm from Lee's frightening screams of pain.
"Lee! Get a hold of yourself! Life or death dumbass! Aim for the blue weak points!" Sara scolded Lee, Lee slowly and weakly stood up spitting up blood.
"I hate that your smarter then me!"
"Then level up your intelligence DUMB ASS!" Sara retorted.
Sara released another aura shot, the arrow pierced through the cracks into the blue light causing a massive screech from the creature. The Warden proceeded to charge at Sara who let out a loud scream, one hit and they were dead.
Lee suddenly spun, slicing the heels of the warden causing it to collapse and slide. Its head right in front of Sara, who reared back the bow and released a point blank crit shot straight into the Wardens head.
The mask exploded from its face showing a skeleton head made of stone. It let out a vicious cry slamming both hands into the ground. Massive seed pods began firing from its back. Sara and Lee both took off running, both of them dodging the pods as they began exploding around them.
The pod slammed into the ground in front of Lee, 'One pulse. Two pulses.' Lee counted in his head, and as soon as the second pulse happened he raised his sword back and smacked the pod like it was a baseball. The pod slammed into the Warden, who was now standing up, and it erupted in its face staggering it.
"This is like its fourth Phase!" Sara shouted, growing annoyed by this creature.
"Of course it does! This world hates us!" Lee screamed viciously.
The Warden began going aggressive, it was in a berserk mode. Fast, angry, and it began lashing out at the roots in every direction. Lee's face grew weary, Sara was as far back as they could get.
The massive stones, and whips of roots being sent made Lee taunt him over and over to prevent Sara from getting targeted. An arrow smashed into the side of the Warden's head, his attention going to Sara.
Lee charged up his sword, and activated Twister, his body began spinning rapidly straight up towards the jaw of the Warden. Releasing the sword charge, all his energy slammed into the jaw causing half of its stone skull to explode into chunks of shrapnel.
Lee slammed into the ground on both legs panting, through the smoke was a charged aura blast. The arrow landed firmly into the remaining eye socket of the monster causing its health to finally hit zero.
The creature fell back with a heavy BOOM, shaking the arena. The creature evaporating, Lee collapsed to the ground. Sara hands on their hips trying to catch their breath.
"I hate trees," Lee said.
"You should have been a gardener," Sara teased.
**System Message
Boss defeated: +250 XP
LEVEL UP X2
Class Selection unlocked
Artifact retrieved: 2x Broken Grove Cores
Crafting Module updated**
Before they could react to the news, the center of the room began shaking, the ground cracking open as an altar rose. On it was what looked like another module, similar to the one that gave them the system.
Looking at each other, they both pushed off the ground sprinting too it. Lee reached his hand out too it for it to pulsate and explode. It was like a flash bomb, ears rang, the lights bright. Slowly the world returned around them, except now they were someplace new.
Now just anyplace, space itself. Around them were bright glowing light trails that weaved like a spider web all around them. Under their feet was a stone platform, stars, planets, galaxies were all around them. The scariest part, when they opened their mouths to talk, nothing came out.
Lee, who hadn't realized it, was mouthing up what Sara could only assume was cursing and screams of anger. Something about being blinded, teleported, and now stuck in space really made his blood boil.
Shadows slowly began forming, growing up around them This caused everything to halt. Lee froze in place, Sara was staring in awe. Ten massive shadows stood around them, giants, omnipotent beings, Gods.
"How are they alive!" A higher pitched shadow squealed
"Impossible! I couldn't detect them under the stars!" A feminine male voice said.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" One burst into a laughing fit.
"I'll crush them!" A heavy voice shouted, the argument from 8 of them erupted as they started yelling at each other.
"Silence!" One who hadn't spoken finally shouted, his massive arms sprawling outwards. Lee and Sara were like toy action figures amongst children. Or so, that's how Sara personally felt.
The figure shrunk, the shadows unraveling around him showing him in full form. Tall, 7foot man with a lean athletic build, he looked graceful regardless of it though. He wasn't bulky, each step towards them he took felt like it had been planned out.
He had beautiful baby blue eyes, they flickered in every direction, almost like planning something out in his head. He had a long robe mixed with armor on. It was a royal blue with golden trim, a soft glow too his outfit in general.
His face and more detailed features were hidden behind a mask, the only thing revealed were the eyes and the mouth. He had no real expression, the world growing colder and colder around them all the closer he got.
Lee readied his weapon, Sara drew the bow. "Pathetic." The god said, before he could continue. Sara and Lee felt the world bending around them. The god's hand quickly shot out trying to snatch them, but they were torn from the void itself.
Hitting the ground with a thud, they had returned to the chamber. "What the hell!" Lee suddenly shouted, able to speak again holding his throat.
"I…I think we were about to be killed." Sara said, their voice trembling, holding their stomach a soft wheeze coming from their lips.
**CONGRATULATIONS!!
True Tutorial Completed!
System Restrictions Lifted!
Class Access UNLOCKED
World Events Enabled!
Diving Sight: Active!
Artifact Bond Complete!
Part Name Available!
Achievement unlocked: One or more members, beat the Warden without taking damage
Achievement unlocked: Complete the tutorial with out a class
Achievement unlocked: Devine intervention!
Title unlocked: Mistakes
Title Unlocked: The Accidents
Title Unlocked: Oopsie Daisies!
WARNING: The Gods can now see you. Proceed with caution!
Would you like to receive your rewards? Click Yes!**
Silence fell amongst them, it was all so much at once. They sat there for what felt like forever, their eyes not moving off the ground.
They weren't sure what the next course of action was besides to stand up, brush themselves off and leave.
Ignoring the notifications for the time being they did exactly that. Standing up they slowly made their way from the dungeon arena too the nearest door. In silence they pushed it open only to be outside in the cold. Turning around Lee saw the door slam shut and all that was there was the entrance to the old rickety house that they had fallen through.
The hole they fell through, filled with nothing but dirt.
The silence hush of the world around them, just a soft cold breeze filled the air.
**Notification: Welcome to the Game.**