The City of Hell – The Black Pit Tavern

  Isaac moved through the shadows of the bustling city, keeping his head down until he spotted a tavern that looked rough enough to contain useful information. He pushed open the heavy wooden doors.

  The smell of sulfur, cheap ale, and sweat hit him instantly. The place was packed with creatures of all shapes and sizes.

  On top of a central table, a red-skinned Demon with broken horns was shouting, spilling his drink everywhere.

  "To hell with Yamato!" the demon, Jiro, screamed, raising a tankard. "To hell with the Komodo Family! Their fall is coming! The Revolution is here!"

  A roar of approval erupted from the patrons surrounding him.

  "Death to the Dragons! Long live the Rebellion!"

  Isaac ignored the riotous atmosphere and approached the bar.

  "Want something? Or just here to watch Jiro scream?" the bartender grunted, wiping a glass with a filthy rag.

  "Something strong," Isaac said, placing a coin on the counter. "And information."

  The bartender poured a dark, viscous liquid into a glass.

  "What are you looking for, stranger? Besides trouble?"

  "How do I get to the sewers?"

  Isaac slid a stack of coins across the wood. The bartender glanced at the money, then at Isaac. Quickly, he swept the coins under a cloth.

  "If it's trouble you want... go to the city center. Turn right. There's a gate. Liam is the guard on duty."

  Isaac downed the drink in one burn, stood up, and walked out.

  In a dark corner, a pair of eyes watched him leave. July smirked, slipping into the shadows to follow.

  The Sewer Entrance

  Isaac reached the heavy iron grate that led underground. A colossal guard, Liam, stepped in his path, blocking the way with a halberd.

  "I need to enter," Isaac said calmly.

  Liam looked him up and down and sneered.

  "And why would I let a rat like you in? I don't know you. Get lost, before I kill you."

  Liam reached out, grabbing Isaac by the throat to shove him back.

  Isaac didn't budge. His eyes narrowed.

  SNAP.

  Isaac grabbed Liam’s arm and twisted. The sound of bone shattering echoed in the alley. Liam screamed, dropping to his knees. Isaac didn't stop. He grabbed the guard by the back of the neck and slammed his face into the iron bars of the gate.

  CLANG.

  The impact bent the metal and knocked the gate off its latch. Liam fell to the ground, unconscious and bloody.

  Isaac stepped over the body, walking furiously into the darkness of the sewers.

  The Hidden Chamber

  The tunnels were damp and smelled of decay. Isaac activated his Sight, scanning the walls as he walked.

  There.

  He detected a discrepancy in the brickwork behind a layer of moss. A hidden room.

  SMASH.

  He punched through the false wall, clearing the debris. Inside was a small, makeshift hideout. A bed, a table, and a glowing object.

  He picked it up. A Coded Transmission Crystal.

  "Shit," Isaac sighed, sitting heavily on the bed. "How am I going to view this without Freya?"

  He rubbed his temples, thinking. I need to go back to the tavern. Maybe find a mage for hire.

  SWISH.

  A sound cut through the air. Instincts took over.

  Isaac threw himself to the floor just as a dagger embedded itself in the wall where his head had been.

  He rolled to his feet. Standing near the entrance was a woman with a mocking smile.

  "You again?" Isaac growled.

  He sensed movement above. He sidestepped just as another figure dropped from the ceiling, blades flashing.

  It was the twins. Judy and July.

  "He's fast, sister," July laughed, spinning her daggers.

  "Let's see how fast," Judy replied.

  Isaac watched them, calculating. Suddenly, a blur of motion hit him from the side. A massive fist connected with his ribs, sending him flying across the room. He smashed into the stone wall, coughing up dust.

  A towering figure stepped into the light.

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  "Hello... Captain."

  Isaac stood up, wiping blood from his lip. His eyes widened.

  "General Oz."

  The General grinned. His body was a grotesque mix of flesh and metal patchwork.

  "Ah... so Queen Lyra's servant told you a little about me," Oz chuckled, his voice grinding like gravel. "Good. That makes this more fun. Doesn't it?"

  "Not for me," Isaac spat. "I still don't have my memories."

  "It doesn't matter," Oz roared. "I'm done waiting. It's time to die."

  He glanced at the twins.

  "You two. Guard the entrance. This one is mine."

  July and Judy bowed and slipped out of the room. Isaac was cornered.

  "You're like a rat in a cage," Oz taunted.

  BOOM.

  Oz punched the wall where Isaac stood. Isaac dodged, delivering a sharp kick to Oz's knee, but it was like kicking a steel pillar. The General didn't flinch.

  "You've improved," Oz mused, blocking another strike. "I'm going to savor every moment of this vengeance."

  The General unleashed a barrage of deadly punches. Isaac weaved and dodged, but the space was too small. Oz anticipated a move, grabbing Isaac by the legs.

  "Got you!"

  He swung Isaac like a ragdoll, slamming him against the ceiling, then the floor. Debris rained down. Oz grabbed Isaac by the throat, lifting him into the air and squeezing.

  "Look at that face..." Oz whispered, bringing Isaac close. "That look of pain... of despair... it makes me so happy. Delicious."

  Something inside Isaac snapped.

  The fear vanished. The pain became fuel.

  THUMP-THUMP.

  His heartbeat grew loud, echoing in the small room. His pupils dilated, flooding with a deep light.

  [Berserk Mode Activated]

  Isaac’s strength skyrocketed. He punched Oz in the stomach. The General gasped, dropping Isaac as the wind was knocked out of him.

  Isaac didn't retreat. He lunged.

  He grabbed the General’s head with both hands.

  CRACK.

  He slammed Oz's skull into the stone floor. Once. Twice. Thrice.

  Oz tried to fight back, but Isaac grabbed him by the armor and threw him upward. Oz crashed through the stone ceiling, flying into the upper level of the sewers.

  Isaac leaped, following him.

  Oz tried to crawl away, blood pouring from his shattered mask. Terror filled his eyes.

  Isaac stood over him, eyes glowing. Two beams of concentrated energy shot from his eyes.

  ZZZZZT.

  The lasers sliced through Oz’s legs. Then his arms.

  "AAAAHHH!" The General screamed, writhing as cauterized stumps smoked.

  Isaac stepped forward. He placed his boot on the General’s skull.

  "Die."

  He unleashed a final, point-blank blast.

  KABOOM.

  The General’s body was pulverized instantly, incinerated into ash. The shockwave shook the entire sewer system.

  July and Judy ran to the scene, weapons drawn. They froze.

  Isaac turned to them. His eyes were still glowing, smoke rising from his body.

  The twins dropped their weapons and fell to their knees, shaking uncontrollably.

  Isaac moved. He grabbed them both by the throat, pinning them against the wall.

  "Do you know how to use Transmission Crystals?" he roared.

  "V-very little!" Judy stammered, tears streaming down her face. "But yes!"

  Isaac dropped them. He tossed the coded crystal onto the ground. His face slowly faded back to their normal.

  "Decode it. Now."

  "Please... don't kill us," July begged, picking up the crystal with trembling hands. "We were forced by him... we didn't want to do it!"

  "FAST!"

  They flinched, channeling their mana into the device. The projection flickered to life, distorted and static-filled. Gwyn’s face appeared, breaking up.

  [Transmission Start]

  “.........yes....... Take....... I don't know............Docks at night............following........7 keys.......”

  [Transmission End]

  "What was that?" Isaac demanded.

  "I'm sorry!" July cried. "We don't have enough mana skill to fully decode it! It's heavily encrypted!"

  "That was all we could do... please don't kill us!" Judy pleaded.

  Isaac stared at the fading particles of light.

  "Docks at night... and 7 Keys."

  "7 Keys is a tavern!" July blurted out, desperate to be useful. "Near the center. The Seven Keys Tavern. The best in the city!"

  "Yes!" Judy nodded frantically. "Incredible drinks... and..."

  Isaac grabbed the crystal and stowed it away. The twins flinched again.

  "Okay," Isaac said coldly. "Get out of here. Before I change my mind."

  Judy and July didn't need to be told twice. They scrambled away, bowing and thanking him as they ran into the darkness.

  Isaac sighed, looking at his bruised hands.

  "Seven Keys Tavern. I need to move."

  The Cliff’s Edge

  BOOM.

  A sudden explosion rocked the cliffside, throwing dust and debris into the air. Mia stumbled back, paralyzed by fear, her mind flashing back to past traumas.

  Ery grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her roughly.

  "MIA! Snap out of it!" he shouted over the ringing in their ears. "We need you! You have to attack now!"

  A few yards away, Derek was locked in a vicious duel with Lican, their blades sparking. But the rest of Derek’s Renegades were failing. Safira moved among them like a silver blur, cutting them down one by one with ruthless efficiency.

  "Brother!" Safira called out, dodging a clumsy strike and slitting a throat in one motion. "We need to wrap this up!"

  "Agreed!" Lican grunted, parrying Derek’s heavy blow.

  Ery saw the carnage. He looked down at the silver sword in his hand—Mia’s weakness, but also a weapon against these assassin. He made a choice. With a roar, he charged Safira, attacking from her blind spot.

  Safira whirled, parrying his strikes with lethal grace, surprised by his sudden aggression. Ery didn't let up. He began kicking at her, forcing her back step by step toward the jagged edge of the cliff. A sheer drop to the churning ocean lay below.

  Safira realized his plan instantly. He wants to throw me over.

  She was too fast for him. As he lunged for a final push, she vaulted over his head, landing silently behind his back.

  SHHK.

  She drove her silver dagger deep into his chest.

  "ARGHHH!" Ery screamed, the agony of the silver burning through him.

  The scream cut through the battle. Mia and Derek turned just in time to see it.

  "ERY!" Derek roared.

  Mia scrambled to her feet, her heart shattering. Ery looked across the battlefield, met Mia’s tear-filled eyes, and offered her one last, weak smile.

  Then, his expression hardened into grim determination.

  Ignoring the dagger in his chest, Ery threw his arms around Safira in a crushing bear hug, pinning her arms to her sides. She struggled furiously, but his dying grip was iron. Holding her tight, still clutching his silver sword, Ery plunged backward off the cliff edge.

  They vanished into the void.

  "ERYYY!" Mia screamed, falling to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

  "NOOOO!" Derek bellowed, rushing to the edge.

  The battlefield went deathly silent. Everyone stopped fighting, staring in horror at the empty space where they had fallen.

  THWIP.

  A sound broke the silence. A grappling hook latched onto a sturdy tree root at the edge.

  A hand clawed over the lip of the cliff. Safira hauled herself up onto the grass, gasping for air. She was alive, though her silver dagger was gone, lost to the sea along with Ery.

  Lican smirked, relieved.

  "That," Safira wheezed, clutching her chest, "was too close."

  Mia stared at the assassin. Safira had survived. Ery had died for nothing.

  Something inside Mia snapped.

  The sorrow evaporated, replaced by an abyss of pure, unadulterated rage.

  VROOOOM.

  A massive shockwave of black aura exploded from Mia’s body, knocking Derek, Lican, and Safira off their feet. The air grew unbelievably heavy, suffocating everyone nearby with the stench of death.

  Giant, tattered wings of solid shadow erupted from Mia's back. Her form twisted, growing taller, her eyes glowing with predatory malice. She was no longer a frightened girl; she was a monster.

  Safira struggled to breathe under the oppressive pressure, looking up in terror at the creature towering over them.

  Mia raised her hands to the sky and let out a shriek of fury that cracked the ground beneath her. The soil began to churn. Decaying hands burst from the dirt. Skeletal warriors and rotting corpses clawed their way out of the earth, surrounding their new mistress.

  Mia looked down at Safira, her shadow looming over the elf, and began to laugh—a terrifying, inhuman sound that promised endless suffering.