*BEEEEEEEP*
*BEEEEEEEP*
*BEEEEEEEP*
Aeric opens his eyes and reaches to turn off his alarm clock, and sees it says 9:30 AM. "Dammit, I'm late!" Aeric says as he jolts out of bed tangling himself in his blankets, ruffling his jet black hair into a fluffy mess. He gets up and dashes to his closet and quickly changes his gray T-shirt for a new one. Aeric then grabs a pair of black jeans off his closet door and puts them on. Aeric bolts out of his room, snatching his boots off the dresser before dashing down the oak stairs. He jumps the banister and hurriedly sits in a black leather chair to put on his boots in the living room.
"Fuck, the foreman is gonna have my head today," he grumbles as he looks around the room. Where did I put that stupid phone? What if he tried to call? He starts looking under furniture and opening drawers. "Screw it I guess," he thought as he grabs a red hoodie off the door — his phone already tucked in one of its pockets. "At least something's going my way so far," he thought. He pulls out his phone to check the time as he grabs his keys off a hook beside the door, and glances down at the phone as he walks out.
[Friday, 9:45AM...]
[25 Missed Calls...]
[12 Missed Calls From Foreman...]
[9 Missed Calls From Theresa...]
[3 Missed Calls From Marcello....]
[1 Missed Call From Hendrix...]
"Theresa is going to kill me for not answering her calls," Aeric thought as he locked up his door. He goes to walk away when he hears the sound of squeaking brakes and the hiss of an engine coming to a stop. He looks up from his phone to see a beat-up rusted bus parked in front of his neighbor's house. The driver starts beating on the horn and screams, "What the hell ya waiten fer? The got damned grass to grow?! Stop yer piddle dicken and get the F*#$& on the bus! Yer lucky I stuck around waiten fer ya this long Hoss!" "Shit Theresa can wait," he raised his voice, "Hold up, I'm coming!" He sprinted for the bus door before the scruffy old driver can shut it.
As he boarded the bus the old man pulled a little black satchel with a leather strap from under his seat, and extends his arm towards Aeric. "KEEP leaving yer stuff and maybe I ain't gonna be so nice next time Hoss!," the bus driver tells Aeric as he drops the bag on the floor. Aeric rubbed the back of his head."Thanks Gary. I'll try not to make a habit out of it." He grabbed his bag off the floor and he turned away from the driver and made his way to the back of the bus. As he passed through, he notices cloth mannequins scattered among the seats. He takes his seat in the far back and opens his phone. I should text everyone to check in with them, I'm feeling lazy though so I'm gonna send a mass text...
To: Marcello, Hendrix, Theresa
Message: "Hey sorry I missed your call, I over slept. What's up?"
[Message Sent...]
Aeric puts his phone in his jacket pocket and reaches into his bag to make sure everything was where it should be. Rope, check. Headlamp, check. To do list, check. Crap! I have to get a few elixirs and make sure to rent some gear. Hopefully there's still a few good items left in the bazaar by the time I get there. Aeric closes his eyes and begins meditating for the remaining bus ride. Gary the bus driver stares at Aeric from the front disdainfully. Gary pulls the bus off onto the highway, grumbling under his breath almost inaudibly " .... Boy... Sleeping... My bus... What for?..... Sleep.... That's what!...."
[*VvvvvvV*]
[*VvvvvvV*]
Aeric reaches into his pocket before opening his eyes, as he pulls out his phone he glances down at it.
[*10:15 AM*]
[2 New Messages From Theresa]
[Message: "where are you?? The Foreman is going to kill you!!"]
[Message:👊😡🫸🤛🤬🫵]
"Should I be more afraid of her or the Foreman," Aeric jokes to himself, " at least I have Marcello there to protect me."
[*VvvvvvV*]
[*VvvvvvV*]
[1 New Message From Marcello...]
[Message: "Where are you dude? We can't wait forever. The foreman might dock your pay again if you don't get here soon!"]
[Reply?]
[To: Marcello]
[Message: "Still on the bus bro. Should be off shortly. He won't dare I'm the only pack mule willing to work for the dirt pay he's offering out. Wait till I awaken man, he won't know what hit him!"]
[Message Sent...]
Aeric stared at the screen for a second longer than he meant to.
"Wait till I awaken..."
He'd said that same line a hundred times now — out loud, in texts, in his head.
And each time it tasted a little more bitter.How much longer could he keep saying it like it was a joke? Aeric sighed, leaning his head against the window as the scenery crawled by — half-cracked roads, broken buildings, and the occasional overgrown sign that still remembered when the world made sense.
It's been four years.
Four years since everything went to shit.
The Calamity — that's what they call it now. When the first rift opened, nobody really knew what to make of it. We called them Dungeons, thought they were cool. Another weird headline.
But then people started disappearing inside.
Then monsters came out.
Day Break. That's what stuck.
The day the fairytale turned nightmare.
After the dust settled — what was left of society slapped some duct tape on the cracks and called it a system. People who lived through the first waves started Awakening. Nobody really knew why or how. Some got powers for being in the right place. Others had to suffer or nearly die.
Most? Never got anything at all.
I was one of them. Still am.
So the powers-that-be made factions.
The Hunters fight.
The Tower of Magi pokes at stuff nobody understands.
The Merchants Guild… well, they pay bottom rates and don't ask questions.
Only factions get to dive into dungeons now. Everyone else just cleans up the mess — hauling gear, running errands, babysitting egos.
That's me.
A transporter. Not Awakened. Not special.
Just disposable labor the Merchants Guild won't miss if I don't come back.
If it weren't for Theresa and Marcello, I probably wouldn't have made it this far.
But something feels different today.
Maybe this time, it's finally my turn.
[*Gary over Intercom*]
"Attention passengers! Listen up and listen good! Gary only gon say this one damn time! We are approaching our final destination, Devils Gulch! We ARE NOT responsible for lost or stolen belongings! Soooo PLEASE be sure to grab your S#$@ and get the F@#$ off my bus! Don't y'all forget to come on back now ya hear! Iffin ya can live to see another day!
Aeric grabs his things and starts walking up to the front of the bus. As the bus comes to a halt at a dilapidated office building, he turns to Gary and asks, "Doesn't that bit get old Gary? Why do you say that every day when I'm the only person from town to ride your bus, let alone the only living passenger?" Gary looks at him with a sullen yet grim look and opens his mouth to say something, as Aeric begins to hear a loud ear splitting ringing sound. Aeric grabs his head and the rail beside Gary's seat as he felt his head seize with pain. While wiping tears from his eyes, Gary looks at him as if he had twelve heads and says, " Iffin yer sick get yet ass off my bus! Ain't trynna catch whatever sick yews got Hoss!" As the ringing in his head faded, Aeric stumbled off the bus and spotted two familiar silhouettes waiting near the broken-down terminal…
The man looked to be in his mid twenties, with brown shaggy hair falling near his shoulders and a broad, muscular frame — exactly what you'd expect from a spear-wielding barbarian like Marcello. His fur-pelt cloak and worn martial artist's gi were reinforced with metal pauldrons and shoulder guards, making him look halfway between monk and warlord.
Standing beside him was Theresa. Late twenties, tall, sharp-eyed, and confident without trying. Her long purple hair framed her face like a warning sign — striking and hard to miss. A crisp white button-up was partially hidden beneath a crossbody holster rig that clung like a second skin, housing twin scoped revolvers under each arm. A sawed-off shotgun was strapped to her thigh, and a spiked utility belt at her waist held spare ammo and tools. She wore cropped black pants and heavy combat boots built for punishment. Everything about her screamed readiness — the kind that didn't just come from training, but surviving.
As the bus drove away Aeric walks up to Marcello and Theresa. "Sorry I was late again guys. I stayed up late doing my daily workout hoping I might get a physical awakening!" Theresa smacks Aeric and says, " That's all you have as an excuse after leaving a girl on read, not answering her calls, and making her worry? The audacity. I'm soooo not saving you if monsters try to eat you on this raid." "I can handle whatever gets thrown my way," Aeric retorts weakly, as Marcello stands by and watches, laughing heartily. "Go easy on him Theresa, we can't have our transporter get seriously maimed or injured before we even start the raid," Marcello teases. "I already said I could handle myself!," Aeric says frustratedly as his vision began to spin. Aerics knees buckled, vision swimming, and he tipped forward as Marcello grabs his shoulder to keep him steady. "You okay man? You don't look too great. Why must you always push yourself so hard? I swear you're going to kill yourself before you get the chance to awaken," Marcello says to Aeric with worry on his face. "I'll probably die from malnourishment before I die of overexertion. One failed subjugation is all it takes to go a week without food. Unless I awaken this won't change. Till that day comes, I just have to do what I have to just to get by. Now that I'm here let's get this over with already. I just need to grab a few things before we head into the dungeon," Aeric replies.
The group walks around the side of the building to see what looks like aminiature market. Each vendor has makeshift stalls made with plywood and blankets. Some vendors have weapons, others had gear, most had forms of food or components to make elixirs. As he passed a delightful smelling BBQ stall, Aeric saw something shine from his peripheral vision. "Hey, I'll meet up with you guys in a few minutes. I'm gonna check out a stall over there for some stuff," Aeric tells Theresa and Marcello. The shining object had led his attention to a dwarf in a green cloak. The dwarf is sitting with his back against a crate with a deep purple blanket laid out in front of him with wares for sale. Atop the blanket were elixirs, weapons, and some rusty looking trinkets. As Aeric got closer to the stall his head began to throb again. The dwarf took notice, stood up, and walked over to him with an elixir in his gloved hand. "You all right, friend? Looks like you need a pick me up. Here! Maybe this will help. It's on the house! It's a recovery elixir that should heal whatever ails ya," the dwarf says as he extends the elixir out to Aeric. "Under normal circumstances I wouldn't accept strange gifts from people I don't even know, but who am I to look a gift dwarf in the mouth. Thanks friend," Aeric responds weakly.
He grabs the elixir and pops the cork. Aeric notices it has a mellow fruity aroma, and puts the bottle to his lips. As the fluid touches his tongue he could taste roasted nuts and cinnamon. As it got to his stomach he could feel a warm tingly sensation spread throughout his body as his headache began to go away. "That was wonderful!" He grinned. "I've never had an elixir that didn't taste like total troll dung. Do you have more of these on hand? If so I'll take six!" As he came back to his senses Aeric got a closer look at some of the gear laying about. There was a small metal shield next to a sign that said 5 gold, a few knives marked at 10 gold, a smith's hammer for 50 gold, a bow for 45, and a couple swords marked at 85. What really caught his attention was a sword laying on the crate the dwarf had been sitting against. It had a deep crimson red hilt with chrome accents that made it look like it had shimmering roots wrapped around it. The blade was only three or four inches wide at the hilt and gradually got thinner towards the point. Aeric couldn't see the blade itself because it was stored in a royal blue sheath. "How much for that-, I don't believe I caught your name, what was it friend," Aeric asks the dwarf. "The names Dorrin, and in regards to those elixirs sadly I only have 3 more left in stock. Since they are in high demand I could let you have the lot of em for 200 gold," The dwarf says excitedly.
"That's not too bad a price given how well they went down. Not to mention how well they work! I'll take them. How about that sword on the crate over there Dorrin? Is it for sale too?" Aeric says to Dorrin. "Oh, that old thing? Bah! I ain't got a use for it any more. My hunting days are behind me anywhose, you can have it if you want," Dorrin replies. "Really?! You would just give it to me? What's the catch?" Aeric asks cautiously. "No catch. I'm just old and feeble now. I'd rather someone young with a long life left to live make better use of it. Better than letting it collect dust like this old bag of bones before you!" Dorrin says with a gleeful laugh. "Here's two hundred for the elixirs, five for the shield, and should probably take my leave now. It was nice meeting you Dorrin, but I have a subjugation to get to," Aeric tells Dorrin as he collects his purchase.
After putting the elixirs in his bag and the shield on his back, Dorrin hands Aeric the sword and he equips it to his waist. "Be careful in there kid, that dungeon has been off lately. People have been saying they've seen strange shadows moving around near the dungeon's entrance! Big hulking monstrosities they were, or at least that's what the ones who claim to have seen it say." Dorrin warns Aeric. "Thanks for the heads up friend. I'll be sure to stay on my guard! See you around!" Aeric says as he walks away down the alley.
Aeric walked up to Marcello and Theresa back at the entrance to the bazaar. "You guys just about ready to meet up with the advanced party?" Aeric asks them. "About that, they already went in ahead of us. The Foreman got impatient and said it wasn't his fault if you missed out on anything good," Marcello replies. "Shit! We've gotta go then!" Aeric exclaims, he broke into a run as he burst through the spinning glass door in a broke down building near by.