"What's the problem?" Venus asked, still shaken.
"Well… it's a really high free fall, no way we survive that," Edwin said.
"And we just gotta find a way to get down, since the ladder to the next floor is right down there," Jack added.
"But how are we gonna find a way down? You don't have anything in that bag, Edwin?" Venus asked.
"I already checked when I went in—there's nothing."
Everyone fell silent for a moment, until Muta stood up.
"Hm… can't we, like, all get inside the bag and jump? Then get out after it lands?" he asked, stretching.
"That might work, but who's gonna throw the bag? And who's opening it? Someone would have to survive that fall to open it once it hits the ground," Edwin replied.
Silence came back, and everyone stared at Muta.
"What?" he asked, worried about how they were looking at him.
"Hehehehehe," Zoe laughed through her tears.
A few minutes later, at the edge of the ladder to the next floor...
"You did this once before, it'll be easy," Jack said, climbing inside the bag and closing it.
Muta went to the edge and looked down. This floor was bright, unlike the others, with walls that looked like a painting of sky and clouds, and the fall was huge.
"Damn, look what they leave for me," he thought about what Jack said and said out loud, "I WAS SLEEPING, JACK! I have no idea how that happened, and what if this time it's different and I smash on the ground? I die and you guys stay trapped in this bag forever."
Muta thought about opening the bag and telling everyone to get out, but then he heard the creature's scream. One quick scream. He spun around startled, and then heard more. Many. His body shivered, heart racing. A horde of those creatures appeared, stacking up and covering the whole corridor. They were coming.
In total panic, two thoughts crossed Muta's mind: slow death or fast death. He chose fast, jumped hugging the bag and shouted, "iabadabadoo!" The ladder behind disappeared, blocking the monsters from coming down.
Muta closed his eyes, waiting for death. But his power made the ground soft, and he fell without any pain. He opened his eyes, still not believing he was alive.
"Did it- did it work?" he said, looking around.
He opened the bag. Everyone got out.
"You guys were right. I can't believe I ac—"
Before he could finish, everyone burst out laughing.
"What was that scream?" Venus said, laughing nonstop.
"Iabadabadoo!" Edwin repeated, crying with laughter.
Zoe rolled on the floor hugging a new plushie, Jack held back his laugh just watching Muta out of the corner of his eye.
Muta's face instantly turned red. "C-could you hear that??" he asked, dying of embarrassment.
No one answered. They were too busy laughing.
"Hm," Muta said, angry and embarrassed.
After the group calmed down, Jack got serious and told everyone to head to the next floor.
When they arrived, the floor was covered in water up to their calves. Even with the fruit's effect, the place was still dark.
Muta, coming last, said, "I can't see a thing."
Everyone turned to him. Zoe said excited, "Follow the dad who's chillin', I got owl eyes!" She said while opening her eyes wide with her fingers.
"Venus and I can see in the dark too, but nothing like Zoe."
"Hehe, I'm so co—"
Before she could finish, a strong light appeared behind Muta, lighting up the whole group.
Muta's eyes went wide. "It's behind me, isn't it?"
Without looking back, Muta was the first to run. Zoe and Venus followed. Edwin grabbed Jack and ran too.
Following Zoe's orders, the group ran the entire floor but didn't find the ladder.
"That creature… I think, no, I'm sure we have to kill it to pass," Muta said, out of breath.
"You'll have to fight in my place, Muta," Jack said. "Because of someone here, I'm in no shape to fight," he added, glancing sideways at Edwin.
"But how? I don't even know how my power works…"
"The gloves, Jack! Give him the gloves!" Edwin said excited.
"RIGHT!" Jack said, opening Edwin's bag.
He pulled out a pair of gloves made of dark metal glowing purple and tossed them to Muta.
"They should fit you perfectly."
Muta put the gloves on. He was shaking, but said, "I'm ready."
Everyone turned to the creature.
Edwin put Jack down and got ready. Venus changed into her jaguar form. Muta was trembling and scared, but still prepared. Zoe stayed behind, watching with Jack.
The creature stopped in front of them.
It was a bit bigger than Venus's panther form. Its body was completely black. Also panther-shaped, but with a much longer tail ending like a stingray's tip. Its head looked like a moose skull with two huge antlers. Its eyes shone like flashlights.
The creature attacked first.
It jumped straight at Muta.But before it touched him, Venus threw herself in front.
They grappled on the ground, rolling and hitting each other.Venus's clothes even burned the creature...But it was so weak it didn't matter.
The creature bit her neck.
On pure impulse, nervous, Venus bit back.She tore a piece of flesh off the beast with her teeth.
The creature screamed and pulled back.Venus spat blood.Her mouth was almost completely burned inside.
And when she looked again... the creature had already healed.The torn part was back, like nothing happened.
It jumped again — right at Venus — wanting to return the bite.
But Edwin stepped in.
His arms stretched out with a dry crack like twisting branches, grabbing the creature in the air.
Venus didn't hesitate.
She crawled, jumped, and bit off one of the creature's hind legs.
The pain came instantly.This time her mouth was fully burned.It turned black.Her teeth trembled.
The creature screamed and hit Venus's face with its tail.
The blow was hard, cruel.Her left eye flew out from the impact.Blood splattered.
A deep scar remained where her eye once was.
And the creature's leg?
It grew back.
The creature thrashed and screamed.Edwin held tight, but his arms were already shaking.
"DO SOMETHING, MUTA!!! " he yelled, puffing, losing control.
"O-Okay!" Muta answered, frozen with fear.
He moved toward the creature, every step heavy, like his heart was in his legs.But before he could do anything...Edwin lost strength.
The creature fell to the ground and charged straight at Muta.
He froze.Sweat poured. Trembling.About to die.The monster's mouth wide open, ready to rip his head off...
"YOU CAN DO IT, MUTA!!!"
Zoe's voice cut through everything.
It was scared.But it had confidence.You could feel it. Believe it.
Muta blinked.His heart was still racing, but now…He knew someone believed in him.
The creature lunged.
But Muta did too.
With all his might, he punched.A punch right inside the creature's mouth.Its skin stretched, warped...And when it snapped back —
CLACK.
Muta's glove glowed.
The creature froze for a second.And started burning from the inside out.
The creature fell dead.
Its body disappeared and where it was, water formed a hole. At the bottom, the ladder going down appeared.
Muta stood there, sweating, tired, nervous, and with a faint feeling of joy for having made it.
"VENUS!" Zoe yelled running to her.
Venus had lost her eye. Muta only noticed then. The joy vanished instantly, replaced by guilt. Guilt for acting too late, for resisting when everyone, even scared, was trying to fight. He approached Venus and asked if she was okay.
Venus, back in humanoid form, looked at him and said with pain in her mouth:"I know how you're feeling now. It's not your fault. It's mine for being careless… and it's just one eye"
Muta tried to respond, but Venus stopped him. Edwin pulled a bandage from the bag and gave it to Jack, who quickly wrapped Venus's eye like he'd done it before.
Zoe cried."VENUS, VENUS, why did you lose your eye, VENUS?!"
Venus chuckled softly.
Jack stood up and told everyone to move on to the next floor. Muta was the last to descend. Still feeling guilty, upset about what happened.
The next floor was like a safe room, all white, with just two tables holding bottles of water and bread. The ladder to the final floor was right next to it. When Muta entered, everyone was already sitting, eating and drinking.
"Huh…" he said, confused.
"The penultimate floor of the towers is always a resting room" Edwin explained.
"Towers? There's more like these?" Muta asked.
"There are several spread across the Purgatory. Some you have to climb up, others down, like this one. The last floor has a reward. But this one won't, because we already took it — Jack answered." — It was Edwin's bag.
"Weird, right? Like, the floors and creatures in the tower always change every Dark Hour, but the last floor stays the same after you get the reward… why?" Edwin said.
"No idea, man" Jack replied.
Muta thought about it.
Jack looked at his watch."One hour left until the Dark Hour ends. Since we already got the reward, the last floor's doors stay open. We'll stay here until it's over, it's safer."
Everyone took advantage of the time. Venus and Zoe slept while Jack, Edwin, and Muta stayed awake. Edwin opened the bag and pulled out a deck of cards.
"Here's the deal" Edwin said. — Each player builds their own 100-card deck: 25 attack, 25 defense, 25 support/buff, and 25 traps. Since it's your first time, you'll use the beginner deck.
Cards must be shuffled and separated by type. You take 3 of each.
Each player starts with 10 coins. Coins buy cards, each costs 5 coins.
To earn coins, you have to kill opponents' attack cards or destroy a player's castle. The amount depends on the defeated card's rarity.
Rarities go: common, rare, epic, legendary, and mythic.
From rare to legendary, each card has 3 different actions. Mythics have 4. Actions are written on the card.
There are two game modes. The first (Duel), only for two players, works like this: each player has a figurine with 100 HP. On your turn, you can use 2 cards. The goal: reduce enemy HP to zero.
The second mode (Conquest), up to 4 players, works like this: each player starts with a castle and a piece of land on the board. Use specific support cards to generate money, letting you expand your territory without fighting anyone. This mode lasts 30 minutes, and whoever controls the most land or is the last alive wins. It's not turn-based, so you gotta think fast.
"Since it's your first time, let's start with the two-player mode, it's simpler and you have more time to think" Edwin said, handing Muta the beginner deck.
The cards came in a box separating them by type.
"Just shuffle and let's go" Edwin said.
Muta shuffled and took 3 cards of each type, like Edwin explained.
"Pick 3 numbers from 1 to 6" Edwin asked.
"5, 2, and 4" Muta replied.
"Then 3, 6, and 1 are mine" Edwin said, rolling a die.
It landed on 1.
"I'll start" Edwin announced.
Muta thought: weird way to choose who goes first.
Edwin opened a buff card: Legendary Strength Potion. It had 3 options — use, empty, or mix with another potion. Edwin chose "use." His next attack damage increased 35%.
When activated, his figurine moved: a potion appeared in its hand and it drank.
The second card was a Mythic Dragon, with 4 options: Fireball, Scratch, Fly, and Armageddon. Edwin chose Fireball. His figurine summoned a dragon and launched a real fireball at Muta's figurine.
Muta's mouth dropped, eyes wide. His figurine not only lost the battle, but was destroyed. The dragon's fireball melted the figurine.
"DUDE?!" Muta said, shocked.
Edwin and Jack were dying laughing. It was their plan all along.
"So?" Muta asked, poking the ashes of the figurine.
"I need to make more figurines, but not now. Let's move to conquest mode," Edwin said.
"What are these figurines made of?" Muta asked, curious.
"Me," Edwin answered casually.
Muta stood there, staring, trying to understand, then realized Edwin was made of wood. Didn't ask anything else.
Edwin set up the board, started the timer, and they began.
Muta lost 10 seconds later, no cards in hand to defend against Jack and Edwin. He threw down his cards and said:
"Man, fuck that shit."
Jack and Edwin were serious, neither backing down. Cards were evenly matched.
Suddenly Jack laughed evilly. Edwin looked visibly nervous. Jack used a mythic card called Hill Giant. It had 4 actions: Stomp, Club Attack, Throw Rock, and Destruction.
Jack chose Destruction.
The giant from the card appeared on the board. It was 1 meter tall. It screamed and immediately smashed Edwin's castle.
Jack won.
Edwin angrily packed everything and threw the table at the wall, waking Venus and Zoe, who jumped scared. Jack and Muta burst into laughter. Edwin sat down, angry, back to the group.
At that moment, their watches beeped. Five minutes left until the Dark Hour ended. Everyone got ready and gathered near the ladder.
They were nervous. No one said a word until the Dark Hour finished.
Snap.
The first Dark Hour of many Muta would face was over.