《Dungeon Academy》 Chapter 1: Welcome to Misty Oaks The train rumbled on, speeding through the California countryside as Ethan Russell stared at his reflection in the window. Looking back at him was a short, pale, skinny boy in a plain white polo shirt with navy trousers. Reaching up with his hand his pushed his side swept back over which was starting to edge back over onto his forehead where Ethan didn¡¯t like it. Locking onto his pale blue eyes he sighed thinking about the sudden turn of events that lead to him being on this train. A couple months ago in June his mother had received a phone call that literally ended up changing his life. The call was from an administrator at a private school called Hinan Academy. She explained to his mother that he¡¯d won one of the scholarships given out to low income students in the state and that they were offering Ethan a full ride for the next four years of his life. As it turned out this was a very big deal, though neither Ethan nor his mother knew this at the time. Hinan Academy was a world renowned secondary boarding school located in the small town of Misty Oaks, California off of the coast of Big Sur. Graduates of this school were considered basically shoe-in to any of the top universities in the country including Stanford, Harvard, and Yale. Aside from that the school was paying for almost everything. His room and board, his schooling, and his books. The only thing that Ethan¡¯s mother would have to pay for would be his school uniform and any materials he might require like notebooks and pencils. For a struggling single mother with two children this was a god send and Ethan knew that. Though he hated the idea of leaving his mother and his younger sister, Jane back in Fresno, Ethan knew that by doing this he could give some relief to the financial burden of the family. Still while he was willing to do this for them, he dreaded the fact that he would be the poor kid at the rich kids¡¯ school for the next four years. Rich kids were nothing but trouble he thought scratching at the jagged scar on his left arm. It wasn¡¯t anything special. He¡¯d gotten it while defending a classmate from the older private school kids that bullying his classmate. They were bigger and stronger than Ethan and in the end they¡¯d hurt him pretty bad. So bad in fact, that he¡¯d ended up at the hospital where his mom worked as a receptionist. He still felt pretty bad about how much that ER visit must have cost her. Now I¡¯m one of those private school kids he thought scowling at his reflection. He hated that he was going to a private school, he hated that it was in an isolated small town, and more than anything he hated this stupid uniform. He looked stupid in it and the dress shoes were stiff an uncomfortable compared with hiis old sneakers. Reaching into his pants pocket he pulled out a folded-up paper and began unfolding it. It was an email with instructions for him to follow from the school for when he arrived at the town of Misty Oaks that his mother had printed out for him. Dear Mr. Russell, I¡¯d like to congratulate you on your enrollment to Hinan Academy. I believe when you look back at your time at the academy you will consider them four of the best years of your life. Before you come to the Academy you will need to buy the school uniform, the physical education uniform, and any materials you may require for your studies such as a laptop, pens, or pencils. Below you will find the uniform requirements. For Boys: For Girls Please arrive at the main academic building, Hinan Hall on August 19th no later than 3 P.M. When you arrive you will be assigned to your dormitory or house where you will live while you are at school. You will also be assigned a roommate who you will room with throughout your highschool years. It is important that you try to become friends with your roommate because changing rooms is nothing something that can easily be arranged. You will need to come to Misty Oaks by Train or Car as these are the only ways into town. Specifically there is only one tunnel that comes into town through the Santa Lucia Mountains. Students are not allowed to have cars (even those who are above the legal driving age.) It is our recommendation that students take the train into town as the Misty Oaks train station is only a few blocks away from our campus. Once you arrive at the train station head straight along Ocean Avenue for two blocks until you reach Sakura Street. Make a right here and then head another two blocks down the road until you reach Academy Way and take a left. If you follow this street it will dead end at Hinan Hall. Climb the steps and enter through the main doors where you will find tables with administrators set up to help you. We are looking forward to meeting you soon. Yours Truly, Akira Tanaka, Principal, Hinan Academy Folding up the paper he placed it back in his pocket. The directions honestly sounded simple enough. Besides how could you get lost in a small town anyways. Ethan spent a lot of his childhood navigating the streets of Fresno and that was a city so this was going to be a piece of cake. The compartment he sat in was pretty sparsely populated. There were only a couple other people scattered throughout it, all of them kids who Ethan guessed were students at the Academy like him. Still he wasn¡¯t about to go talk to any of them. Why would he want to get to know any of these rich kids? They were all the same as far as he was concerned. No he would do his best to keep his head down and get through this for his family. Eventually after a couple of hours the Santa Lucia mountains came into view towering over everything. A two lane country highway ran along the range with another road turning off of this and heading into-- no through the mountains. Where this road met the mountains a tunnel had been blasting and Ethan could now see that train tracks ran along the outside of the road and through the tunnel as well. That must be the way into Misty Oaks he thought as speed on at the same rate of speed directly toward the mountains. With a rush of exhilaration the sunlight outside was suddenly replaced by dim luminescent lighting overhead. There was something oddly exciting about going through a tunnel for Ethan but if you asked him what gave him that excitement he wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell you what. The tunnel itself was long and arched overhead with the train tracks being on the right hand side of the road. Ethan wondered what it must have taken to create this underneath an entire mountain. When he saw things like this it really gave him pride in humanity. If they were capable of feats like this, then surely they could solve any problem thrown at them. RIght near the end of the tunnel there was a green sign that read Welcome to Misty Oaks, population: 6072 and then in a rush of white light they were exiting the tunnel. It sort of felt like they were entering into another world. A heavy fog blanketed the town making it hard to see much of anything, but Ethan supposed it made the town aptly named. From what he could see the town itself sloped downwards from the tunnel until it flattened out further away from the mountain. Looking out to his left Ethan jumped back startled as he saw what looked like a giant red fox, at least four times the size of a normal one, running alongside the train. Shaking his head and blinking he stared out more intently but the animal was gone if it had even been there in the first place. Now he wasn¡¯t so certain but for a split second he would have sworn he saw it. Whatever it was it was gone now and the train was slowing down as it pulled into the Misty Oaks train station. Reaching under his seat he pulled out his backpack before standing up and putting it on. Next he walked out into the aisle and then reached down into the seat next to it lifting up a small suitcase. There were overhead compartments for storage but as he wasn¡¯t tall enough to reach them and the train was almost completely empty for most of the journey he¡¯d simply decided to stash his luggage in the seat next to him. As it was all his worldly possessions were either in the backpack or the small green and brown rolling suitcase he set on the ground before pulling up the handle. The suitcase had been his mothers from the days before she¡¯d had two children and been abandoned by Ethan and Jane¡¯s father. Apparently back in those days she could afford to do a little travel. That wasn¡¯t the case for most of Ethan¡¯s life, though when he was little they¡¯d taken a trip with some of her friends to Disneyland. Disneyland was great he thought smiling to himself, the rest of Los Angeles not so much though. As the train stopped Ethan followed the other passengers, all school children, up through the compartments to the front of the train where the exit was. As they neared the exit a small lined formed while the attendant helped children get down onto the platform with their luggage. An olive-skinned girl with black hair who was slightly shorter than himself stood in front of Ethan fidgeting with the zipper on her white and black polka dot luggage. She wore the white polo and blue plaid skirt marking her as a student of Hinan academy though the polo barely fit her. While her chest was small her round stomach protruded out from the rest of her body causing the shirt to stretch. As she turned to look over her shoulder Ethan finally caught a glimpse of her face. It was cute, but definitely chubby like the rest of her. Her brown eyes locked on to his and she asked, ¡°Are you a freshman at Hinan Academy too?¡± ¡°What gave it away?¡± Ethan asked feeling proud of himself for coming up with that so quickly. The girl laughed and said, ¡°I¡¯m Isabella Taverez, but most people just call me Bella.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ethan Russell, but most people just call me Ethan,¡± he replied. She laughed again and Ethan grudgingly found himself warming to her. He wasn¡¯t a very funny person and it was hard not to like someone that found his poor attempts at humor funny.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Where are you from Ethan?¡± she asked now completely turned around. ¡°I¡¯m from Fresno,¡± he replied, motioning to the line in front of her which was moving forward without her. ¡°The line¡¯s moving.¡± ¡°Oh right,¡± she said, hurrying to catch up. ¡°I¡¯m from Los Angeles by the way.¡± Speaking of the devil Ethan thought as she was assisted down off of the train by the attendant. Next it was Ethan¡¯s turn. The attendant grabbed and lifted his suitcase down while he climbed down onto the platform. ¡°Thanks,¡± he muttered grabbing the handle of the suitcase once more and following Bella down the platform and into the train station. The train station itself was small and scarcely more than an empty hall with a couple benches and a ticket counter. Doors on the opposite side lead out the front entrance and into the street. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know the way to the Academy?¡± Bella asked standing near the front doors and looking out into the foggy streets. ¡°They sent directions, it sounded pretty straightforward,¡± Ethan answered. ¡°Excellent,¡± Bella responded. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d mind if I walked with you?¡± ¡°Sure, that¡¯s fine,¡± he said pushing open the front door out to the street and holding it for her. Bella thanked him as she exited the building walking out into the foggy streets. Ethan followed after her feeling like if anything the fog had gotten even thicker in the short time since he¡¯d exited the train. Directly across the street from the train station was a fire station and next to it the police department but aside from that it was hard to make out any of the other buildings. ¡°Come on, this way,¡± he said starting down the sidewalk away from the train station. ¡°Right,¡± Bella answered matching his pace. On the right he could now make out a post office and a bar, but he wished this fog would clear up a little bit or finding Sakura Street was going to be harder than he thought it would be. Of course in a small town like this how hard could it be to find a big academy? ¡°So what¡¯s your story Ethan?¡± Bella asked bring him out of his contemplation. ¡°Huh?¡± Ethan asked to buy himself time. ¡°What is your story?¡± she repeated. ¡°When did you know you were going to attend Hinan Academy? Personally I only found out this summer when I received the scholarship notification. It was funny because I¡¯d never even heard of the school or applied for a scholarship before that.¡± So Bella a scholarship kid just like him. He really should make an effort to be nicer to her, he¡¯d completely misjudged her just for the fact that she was a student at the academy. It made sense though, there had to be other students receiving financial assistance as well. He couldn¡¯t have been the only one. ¡°My situation was actually pretty similar to yours,¡± Ethan finally said after thinking it over for a minute. ¡°I only found out about the school a couple months back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s excellent,¡± she said cheerfully. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to meet someone coming from a similar situation. Still I wasn¡¯t too sure about coming here. I didn¡¯t want to leave my family behind, but my parents were pretty insistent. They seem to think that this will open big new opportunities for me. Opportunities that they never had.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Eathan said absentmindedly not wanting to bring up the fact that he was only attending to help ease the financial burden on his mother and sister. ¡°I guess we won¡¯t know until after we¡¯ve graduated though. Hang on, I think this is the street.¡± Looking up ahead of them there was a stoplight at the intersection they were coming up to and if he stared hard enough he could just make out the words Sakura Street on the sign above the road. ¡°What do you think it will be like here?¡± Bella asked turning down the street to the right with him. ¡°Probably a bunch of stuck up rich kids,¡± Eathan replied not bothering to hide the sourness from his voice. ¡°Some of them will be sure, but I bet there¡¯s loads of nice kids,¡± she said smiling happily. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he replied. ¡°Kids whose parents can afford these kind of schools are usually spoiled rotten.¡± Nice homes were beginning to come into view now with mature trees in their front yards and well manicured lawns. It must be nice to live in this neighborhood he thought still it was strange that he didn¡¯t see more people around. There was a dark haired woman quite a ways down the street in front of them but other than her no one was around. He wasn¡¯t even seeing where the other students from the train had gotten to. ¡°This town is kind of creepy and colder than I thought it would be,¡± Bella muttered next to him shivering slightly. ¡°I think that¡¯s just this fog. It¡¯s so thick you could use it as a blanket,¡± Ethran replied smiling. ¡°I hope it¡¯s not this foggy every day,¡± she said. ¡°I prefer clear blue skies to this kind of thing.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t get my hopes up,¡± he said. ¡°The town is called Misty Oaks, so there¡¯s probably a good chance this kind of thing is pretty common.¡± She is really talkative he thought wishing he was better at making conversation with people. It was something he always struggled with trying to find something to say. He never knew what to say to people so he usually just kept his mouth shut, but Bella seemed to be a natural at it. ¡°Ethan,¡± Bella hissed at him. And here we go again he thought smiling to himself. ¡°What?¡± he asked turning to look at her. She was staring at something in the distance in front of them with an expression that was a mixture of shock and horror. ¡°Ethan,¡± she said again. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked following her gaze down the street. ¡°That woman has no face,¡± she whispered now completely stopped next to him. Ethan stared squinting his eyes to try and make out her facial features better, but just like Bella said it appeared that she had no face. Where here face should have been it looked like there was only pale skin. ¡°That can¡¯t be right. It¡¯s got to be a trick of the fog or something,¡± he said, trying to convince himself as much as her. ¡°It¡¯s really hard to see anything clearly right now.¡± ¡°She¡¯s coming this way,¡± Bella asked with her eyes getting wider. ¡°What should we do?¡± We should stay calm he thought. It¡¯s got to be just a normal woman out for a walk. As soon as she gets down here will see her face and realize we got ourselves worked up for nothing. ¡°Ethan, she¡¯s closing in,¡± Bella said sounding like she was about to panic. ¡°This way,¡± he said, jerking his head to the right and setting off at a brisk pace down one of the side streets. He didn¡¯t need to tell Bella twice because as soon as he gave the instructions she bolted down the sidewalk taking the lead. Moving swiftly he followed after her, instructing her to turn left at the next intersection. Looking back towards Sakura Street he could just make out the woman turning down the road after them. Is she following us? No she¡¯s probably just out of a stroll or a run or something. Faster Bella, he thought picking up the pace and passing her up. We¡¯ve got to move quicker. He¡¯d completely abandoned the rational part of his brain that was telling him to calm down and was now in full on flight mode. All he wanted to do at the minute was get off of these creepy streets and hide somewhere safe. Preferably well lit and with adults around. Bella did her best to match his pace but her short legs were holding her back as was her heavy suitcase that she kept having to adjust to keep it balanced on its wheels. He would have offered to help her but he had his own suitcase to deal with and he didn¡¯t think he could handle the second one especially with a backpack on. Crossing the street at the next intersection he lead Bella up the next street that was on their left. Ethan figured that if this woman or thing was following them, changing directions might cause her to lose them. ¡°Slow down a little bit will you,¡± Bella said breathing hard. ¡°I can¡¯t keep up if you keep going that fast.¡± If I slow down that faceless woman is going to catch us, Ethan thought annoyed. Maybe you should lose some weight. Actually don¡¯t, if I outrun you she can capture you while I get away. He felt bad almost as soon as he thought these things and quickly pushed that line of thinking out of his mind. No he wasn¡¯t about to abandon Bella here. What kind of man would that make him? The kind of man his father was, that¡¯s who. ¡°Are you alright?¡± He asked breathing a little heavy himself. ¡°Yeah, I just can¡¯t move quite that quickly,¡± Bella wheezed. ¡°If you haven¡¯t noticed I¡¯m not in the best shape.¡± ¡°Sorry I hadn¡¯t noticed,¡± Ethan muttered slowing his pace down a bit. He was lying of course and Bella probably knew it. How could he not have noticed that she was overweight? It was literally the first thing about the girl that stood out. If she thought he was lying she didn¡¯t call him out on it, which he was grateful for. Instead she just said, ¡°So far I¡¯m not really liking this town.¡± ¡°You know what the problem is?¡± Ethan asked as they moved up the street at a slightly slower pace. ¡°They¡¯ve populated this town with monsters that are only repelled by money and between the two of us we¡¯ve got none. Basically we¡¯re the kind of riff-raff they are trying to keep away.¡± Laughing Bella replied, ¡°That does sound like something ridiculous an elite private boarding school would do, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°This scholarship is probably just an elaborate prank to entertain the actual students,¡± Ethan went on. ¡°When we get to the school they¡¯ll probably feed us to a bear that has a particular taste for peasants.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± Bella replied frowning. ¡°I don¡¯t know how I¡¯d break it to my parents if this whole thing was one elaborate hoax.¡± Yeah I don¡¯t know either, Ethan thought scowling. My mom would probably cry. At the next intersection they came to he noticed that the street sign read Academy Avenue. Well that was lucky, he thought. We took so many wrong turns we still ended up finding the street. ¡°This is our street,¡± Ethan said pointing at the sign and looking back down the street behind them. The faceless woman was nowhere in sight so maybe they¡¯d finally lost her. She probably wasn¡¯t even faceless. It was probably just a woman out for a stroll and the fog kept them from making out her facial features. ¡°You really did know where you were going,¡± Bella said smiling at him. Yep, that¡¯s exactly it, Ethan thought sarcastically. Still he wasn¡¯t about to tell her that this was a lucky accident. Instead he turned left down Academy Avenue trying to give off the air that he had been completely in control the whole time. They walked in silence until they reached Sakura Street once more where they needed to wait at a crosswalk for a light. He lazily pressed the button while staring up and down the street in both directions. There were no cars coming, at least not that he could see, but still he wasn¡¯t about to risk crossing without the light. He didn¡¯t think that a car would be able to see a pedestrian that easily in these conditions. ¡°She¡¯s back,¡± Bella muttered grimacing. Turning he looked back down the direction they¡¯d just come from and sure enough the faceless woman was turning up Academy Avenue and making a beeline straight for them. Ethan hammered the crosswalk button with his finger hoping that by some chance this would make the light change quicker. ¡°C¡¯mon, c¡¯mon, c¡¯mon,¡± he muttered while he did this glancing back and forth between the woman and the crosswalk light. This is stupid he thought feeling his heart thumping. She¡¯s not a monster, it¡¯s just a regular person in the fog. There¡¯s no need to run from her. The logical part of his mind was telling him all of these things, but the illogical part of him was winning the battle. ¡°She¡¯s getting closer,¡± Bella said. ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°This light has to change any second,¡± Ethan said still pressing the button rapidly. ¡°Any second. Come on stupid light.¡± As if listening to him the light finally went red and the white person indicating they could walk lit up on the crosswalk sign. They both bolted out into the street dragging their luggage as fast as they could with the woman closing in. Moving quickly in silence the two of them moved down this street. He glanced over his shoulder every few seconds and yup the woman was still following them. That couldn¡¯t be a coincidence, part of him thought. There¡¯s no way that she decided to take this exact route if she was just out for a stroll. Further down the street a large building came into view looming out of the fog like it was some kind of gigantic ship. Made of red brick with large arched windows, and a tiered roof above its third floor Ethan had no doubt this was Hinan Hall. The road turned into a circular drive in front of this building and he could see other people for the first time since they¡¯d left the train station. Several luxury vehicles were parked in front of the steps that led up to the main arched entrance way while students and adults with a lot of luggage climbed the stairs heading for the entrance. In front of all of this in the perfectly manicured area between where the road circled was a sign that read: Hinan Academy, Est. 1955. At last we made it he thought looking over at Bella and smiling. Step one: survive the town was complete. ¡°Safe,¡± Bella mumbled as they made for the stairs causing both of them to laugh. It was at this moment, Ethan knew he¡¯d made his first friend at Hinan Academy. A shared experience like running from a monster or a woman really brings two people together and he knew that neither of them was likely to forget the experience any time soon. Chapter 2: Hinan Academy Entering through the main doors Ethan found himself in a large hallways a cluster of folding tables set up in front of a grand staircase leading to the upper levels of the building. Sitting at the folding tables were a group of adults with computers and hanging from the front of the tables were letters indicating where a student should go. At least that¡¯s what he thought they meant. Finding the one labelled O - S he approached that table and sat down in the chair in front of it. The middle aged woman sitting there smiling at him and asked, ¡°Name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ethan Russell,¡± he responded hoping he was in the correct place. ¡°Let¡¯s see, Russell,¡± the woman mumbled typing something in on her computer. ¡°Ah yes, here you are. ¡°Ethan Russell from Fresno, California. Here on a financial scholarship yes?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ethan answered wishing she didn¡¯t say the last part so loudly. ¡°Excellent, let¡¯s get you registered for your classes,¡± she said not really listening to Ethan at all. ¡°According to the results of your test scores as well as your previous schooling you¡¯ve been placed in Algebra I for math, English I for English, and Biology for Science. In addition to these all freshmen are required to take Physical Education I, Health I, Computer Science, US History before 1861, and US History 1861 - 1941. Those history classes will be split over the fall and spring semesters with the latter starting in January but otherwise you¡¯ve got it pretty simple with a bunch of two term courses.¡± ¡°Okay, I guess that works,¡± Ethan said struggling to follow her rapid pace. ¡°It looks like you get to pick out one elective per term this year,¡± the woman carried on oblivious to his confused expression. ¡°I¡¯d recommend picking something in Arts, which your required to take three terms worth, or Religion, which you are required to take two terms worth in order to graduate. So what will it be?¡± ¡°Um,¡± He said not really sure how to respond to this. ¡°I guess either is fine.¡± The woman blinked at him, looking confused for the first time and asked, ¡°Well what classes are you picking?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know what my options are,¡± Ethan replied feeling embarrassed. ¡°I never got a chance to look at the course catalog.¡± Sighing she said, ¡°Tell you what, pick Arts or Religion and I¡¯ll see what¡¯s available with your schedule.¡± ¡°Arts, I guess,¡± he muttered. ¡°Okay, let me see here,¡± she replied adjusting her glasses and typing hurriedly on her computer. ¡°It looks like we could slot you into Drawing and Painting which is a two term course, does that work for you?¡± It didn¡¯t sound particularly enjoyable to Ethan. He¡¯d always been terrible at drawing and he couldn¡¯t imagine enjoying it very much. Still he didn¡¯t want to draw any more attention to himself so he said, ¡°Yeah sure, that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Excellent, I knew you¡¯d be easy,¡± she said staring at the screen in front of her instead of looking at Ethan. ¡°Let me just print out your schedule for you real quick here.¡± She made a few clicks and then a printer set up behind her whired to life. Spinning around she stood up walking over and grabbing a couple pieces of paper before handing them to Ethan. Ethan Russell - Fall Term Monday - Sunday Lunch 11:20 - 11:50 A.M. Dinner 5:00 - 6:30 P.M. Monday - Saturday Homeroom 7:05 - 7:15 A.M. Hinan Hall Room 307 Mon, Wed, & Friday English I 7:20 - 9:15 A.M. Hinan Hall Room 202 Algebra I 9:20 - 11:15 A.M. Tanaka Hall Room 113 Computer Science 11:55 A.M. - 1:50 P.M. Tanaka Hall Room 200 US History Before 1861 1:55 - 3:50 P.M. Hinan Hall Room 110 Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday Biology 7:20 - 9:15 A.M. Tanaka Hall Room 204 Physical Education I 9:20 - 11:15 A.M. Gymnasium Tuesday & Thursday Health I 11:55 A.M. - 1:50 P.M. Tanaka Hall Room 211 Drawing & Painting 1:55 - 3:50 P.M. Hinan Hall B09 ¡°Hang on,¡± Ethan said having glanced over the top sheet and noticing one glaring issue. ¡°This schedule says I have classes on Saturday.¡± ¡°Yep, you will have classes for a half day on Saturday,¡± the woman said. ¡°It¡¯s part of what sets Hinan Academy apart from lesser schools. We find that the extra schooling gives our students a leg up compared to their peers.¡± What, Ethan thought trying his best and failing to keep a scowl off of his face. Handling four years at this school was going to be a whole lot more difficult than he thought. This school wasn¡¯t just going to be full of pretentious rich kids, it was also apparently being run by monsters. She must have noticed the sour look on his face because she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry you¡¯ll get used to it pretty quickly. Now a couple more things and I¡¯ll let you go.¡± Oh God what else, Ethan thought dreading what she could possibly add to this already lousy situation. ¡°First here¡¯s your dorm key,¡± the woman said handing him key. ¡°You¡¯re in room 406 of Salamander House. If you go out the back of this building it will be to your right. It¡¯s pretty easy to find don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s a public phone in the common room of your dorm if you ever need to call anyone assuming you don¡¯t have a cell phone.¡± ¡°That sounds simple enough,¡± he said taking a hold of the key. ¡°Just a reminder but boys are not allowed in girls dorms and vice versa,¡± she said putting on a slightly stern face. The girls dorms are to the left of this building and are Rabbit, Crane, and Wildcat respectively. The boys are to the right and are Salamander, Fox, and Raccoon. Don¡¯t break that rule or you¡¯ll be in big trouble.¡± ¡°I uh won¡¯t,¡± Ethan said trying not to laugh at the idea of him bringing a girl into his dorm. It was absurd and surely would never happen. ¡°Oh and do try to get along with your roommate, cause you¡¯ll be stuck with him for the next four years,¡± she said with her smile returning. ¡°Now take this card, it will allow you to get food in the dining hall since you¡¯re a financial scholarship student. The dining hall is located behind Crane House just so you know and of course you¡¯ll need this slip in order to get your books at the bookstore which is right next to the dinning hall.¡± Ethan¡¯s head was spinning at this moment and he barely noticed himself accepting the plastic card and the slip of paper. This was a lot of information to take in and he knew there was no way he was going to remember it all. ¡°One last thing and then I¡¯m done I promise,¡± she said smiling at what must have been overwhelmed look on his face. ¡°There is a mandatory welcoming ceremony tonight in the theater at 7:00 P.M. so make sure you are there. That¡¯s all from me and welcome to Hinan Academy.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± he muttered standing up and moving around the table toward the back of the building. He passed the stairs before walking down an empty hall lined with doorways before exiting out the much less grand rear entrance. Upon leaving Hinan Hall he got his first view of the campus and man was it nice. Concrete walkways ran back and forth over the perfectly maintained lawns of a quad that sat between a large assortment of buildings. In the center of the quad was a statute of smiling Japanese man with the name Hiro Tanaka, Founder underneath it. All around the statue were flower beds and benches making it ideal location for students to relax in between classes or at the end of a long day. To his left Ethan saw the three girls dorms and on his right the three boys dorms including his own, Salamander House. Straight ahead was a tall academic building labelled Tanaka Hall which he recalled being the location of quite a few of his classes. Maybe his time here wouldn¡¯t be so bad, he thought starting to walk down the rear steps of Hinan Hall. The campus was certainly a pleasant location to be and he definitely liked the idea of spending time sitting out in this quad where he saw plenty of other students chatting with friends or lazing about. There was definitely a nervous energy in the air. The kind that only came with the start of a new school year imminent. Tearing his eyes away from the quad he strolled purposefully toward Salamander House. It was a narrow five story tall brick building that looked identical to the other five dorms. So this is where I¡¯m going to live for the next four years he though grabbing hold of the front door and opening it. The first floor of Salamander House as it turned out had no dorms but was one gigantic common room with TVs, arm chairs on one side and a pool table and ping pong table on the other side. Directly across from the front door was a front desk staffed with an older man who was staring directly at Ethan. ¡°Hello, are you a freshman?¡± he asked. ¡°Uh yes,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°I thought so. My names James Hutchens, but you can just call me Mr. Hutchens or James if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ethan,¡± Ethan said walking up a little closer to the desk. ¡°You must be Ethan Russell one of our new house members,¡± Mr. Hutchens said smiling. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ethan answered. ¡°Well you¡¯ve joined a great house,¡± Mr. Hutchens said gesturing at a flag next to the desk bearing a large red salamander on a black background. ¡°Only a couple rules you¡¯ll need to hear from me. Curfew is at nine and lights out is at ten-thirty on weeknights. Midnight for both on Saturdays. I¡¯m sure you already know but no girls are allowed in the dorm. If you ever need anything don¡¯t hesitate to ask, I¡¯m here most nights.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Uh sure,¡± Ethan said thinking that nine seemed a bit early. Hell he didn¡¯t even have a curfew back at his mom¡¯s house. She just trusted that he would go to bed early enough to get up for school the next morning. This was going to suck. ¡°Elevators are on your left while you¡¯ll find stairs at both ends of the building,¡± Mr. Hutchens said pointing them out. ¡°We¡¯re glad to have you and welcome to Salamander House.¡± Thanking Mr. Hutchens he walked over to the elevators and hit the up button. Once it opened he pulled his luggage inside and hit the button for floor four. It was a slow elevator ride to get up to the fourth floor and Ethan made a note that if he was ever in a hurry the stairs were probably a better idea. Finally to doors opened letting him out into a narrow hallway lined with simple wooden doors on both sides of it. Following the numbers, which were labelled clearly on a small plack on the doors themselves, he located 406 on the opposite side of the hallways. He was just pulling the key out of his pocket when he heard a noise from inside and realised the door was already slightly cracked. He guessed that must be his unknown roommate. Hopefully the kid would be nice like Bella or this was going to be a long four years. Entering the room he found himself in a small area with a sink, a table, and another closed door to his left. Checking the door briefly he found it was a small bathroom with a toilet and shower. We get our own bathroom, he thought. This is fancy. Shutting the door softly he moved back out past the table and through a small opening that led into the rest of the room. This area was rectangular in shape with two windows opening on the opposite wall overlooking Tennis courts and sporting fields. The room was roughly split in half with a wooden desk, twin bed, and wardrobe on both sides of the room. The side hidden from the opening was currently occupied by an asian boy who was sitting at the desk chair playing video games on an enormous TV he¡¯d set up in front of the windows between the two desks. His desk had a laptop on it as well as books, notebooks, and other materials all neatly organized. A christian cross sat prominently on top of the desk, which Ethan thought was a little odd for an asian, but he wasn¡¯t going to ask about it. It looked like he¡¯d swapped out the standard pillow and blanket for much nicer ones on his bed and stashed the originals on the side of his wardrobe. Four suitcases were stacked neatly beside his bed indicating that he didn¡¯t travel lightly. In contrast the other side of the room, Ethan supposed his side, was empty aside from the light baby blue blanket and single pillow on the bed. Walking over to the bed Ethan pulled his backpack off and tossed it lightly down before lifting up his single suitcase and placing it their as well. ¡°You must be my roommate,¡± the boy said without turning away from the game he was playing. ¡°I¡¯m Alex, nice to meet you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ethan,¡± Ethan said. ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡± ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind I set up my TV here in the middle,¡± Alex said while his character fired a gun wildly on the TV. ¡°James said there wasn¡¯t a lot of space in these rooms but I didn¡¯t really believe him until I got here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a problem,¡± Ethan said thinking he didn¡¯t even have enough things to fill up the desk and the wardrobe. ¡°I¡¯m from Kansas City, where are you from Ethan?¡± Alex asked still not turning to looking at him. ¡°I¡¯m from Fresno,¡± Ethan answered starting to unzip his suitcase. ¡°Fresno?¡± Alex asked surprised finally pausing his game and turning to look at Ethan. This gave Ethan his first good look at Alex who looked to be about the same height as Ethan if maybe a little shorter. One thing he definitely had over Ethan was that he was solidly built, especially for a freshman. Messy black hair hung over parts of his ears while his bangs were uneven and wild though Ethan was fairly certain this was a deliberate choice. After looking over Ethan for a minute his brown eyes narrowed and Alex asked, ¡°You¡¯re not a shipper are you?¡± ¡°A what?¡± Ethan replied completely confused. ¡°Oh my god, you are,¡± Alex exclaimed. ¡°Wait until James and Ben hear this. They¡¯ll both laugh themselves stupid. They¡¯re always going on about how I¡¯m the spoiled one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I still don¡¯t understand what a shipper is,¡± Ethan asked starting to feel a bit annoyed at how he was being treated. ¡°A Scholarshipper,¡± Alex said emphasizing every syllable like he was speaking to an idiot. You know someone on a financial scholarship.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Ethan said blushing furiously. ¡°Just don¡¯t steal or touch any of my stuff,¡± Alex said turning back to his game. ¡°I¡¯ll know it if anything is broken or gone.¡± Anger flashed under Ethan¡¯s skin and he clenched his fist before he realized what he was doing. Ignore it, ignore it he told himself over and over. You knew this is what most of them would be like. Your family needs you to tough this out so you can¡¯t go getting into fights on your first day. Instead of punching Alex like he wanted to Alex unclenched his fist and busied himself with unloading his suitcase and backpack. Out of his suitcase he pulled a couple more sets of his uniform, sneakers, and some casual summer clothes, and some casual winter clothes. He also pulled out toiletries which he placed in the bathroom and a digital alarm clock which he placed on the desk. In his backpack he pulled out notebooks, pens, pencils, and other school materials which he stashed in the desk. Lastly he pulled out a framed picture of His mom, his sister, and himself and set it prominently on the desk where it would be easy to see. It was a good reminder for him of why he was here in the first place. After this he placed his suitcase near the base of his bed, threw his empty backpack on his desk, and left the room. He didn¡¯t have anything to do in the room anyways, but there was no way he was spending any more time in the room with Alex than absolutely necessary. For the next hour Ethan found himself wandering around the campus finding and locating most of the other areas of note that he hadn¡¯t seen from the quad. Directly behind the Boys dorms were the athletic fields he¡¯d seen from his dorm window and they were in much better shape than any of the fields he¡¯d ever played on before. On the far side of Raccoon House was the library which was remarkable in that it was its own multistoried building. He¡¯d never heard of a high school that had a library this large. To the left of the library and behind Tanaka Hall was the theater. It was also huge and posh from the outside, but really what else did he expect? This school just oozed money. Across a large parking lot from the theater and butting up against Ocean Avenue was the gym. From the gym he could make out the back of the girls dorms with the one closest to it being Wildcat House. To the side of the Gym and located directly behind Crane House were the dinning hall and bookstore. Figuring that he should probably pick up his books before the store closed he made for the store which opened both from Ocean Avenue and the side facing the dining hall. Once inside he was surprised to find that two-thirds of the store was taken up by school branded clothing and other Hinan Academy merchandise. There were even items themed with various houses. Ethan spotted a black Salamander House hoodie he particularly liked with the red salamander blazed across the back but then quickly shook away these thoughts moved towards the back where the books were. It''s not like he could afford the hoodie anyways. His mom had given him a debit card for use in the case of emergencies, but a new hoodie hardly qualified as an emergency for him and certainly would not for his mom. Making his way to the back of the store he found himself in front of a long desk with bookshelves stacked all the way to the ceiling behind it. Several clerks sat along the desk typing at computers. ¡°Did you hear about those two campers in Misty Oaks state park?¡± one near the end was asking another clerk near him. ¡°Yeah, completely vanished,¡± the other one answered. ¡°Found their tent and all their supplies, but the two of them were gone.¡± ¡°Here to pick up your books?¡± a kind-faced young man asked drawing Ethan¡¯s attention back to the area in front of him. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ethan answered pulling out the slip he¡¯d received at registration. ¡°Name?¡± the man asked. ¡°Ethan Russell,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°Let¡¯s see here,¡± he said typing into his computer. ¡°Ah here you are, a freshman. Welcome to Hinan Academy. If you¡¯ll give me just a few minutes, I¡¯ll go gather all of your required books.¡± With that he printed out a list and began to roam the bookshelves pulling down various books and coming back to the desk every once in awhile to set them down. When he was all said and done there was an intimidating tower of books sitting on the desk in front of Ethan. ¡°And how do you want to pay for these?¡± The clerk asked. ¡°We take Visa, Mastercard, Discover¡­¡± He cut off as Ethan held out the slip of paper to him hoping that no one else around was paying attention. ¡°Ah of course,¡± he said snatching the slip from Ethan¡¯s hand. ¡°Let me just plug in a couple numbers here and you¡¯ll be on your way. Would you like a couple bags for those?¡± ¡°Yes, please,¡± Ethan said relieved as he was trying to figure out how to carry them all back with him. After the clerk bagged the books for Ethan he left the bookstore not wanting to look at any other items he couldn¡¯t buy. He was just thinking about dropping his books back off at his dorm room when a delicious smell caught his attention while he was passing the dining hall. His stomach rumbled in response while his mouth started salivating. He really should get something to eat, it had been a long time since he ate before boarding the train from Fresno. Changing directions he headed for the dining hall where he entered through the sliding glass doors. Once inside he could see that it was bustling with activity as students made their way around various stations containing different types of foods. Directly in front of him was a register with an elderly won standing at it staring at him. ¡°First time in the dining hall?¡± she asked gently. ¡°Yes,¡± Ethan answered walking up to her. ¡°Well once you pay you¡¯re welcome to eat as much as you¡¯d like until you leave,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Oh I have one of these,¡± Ethan said pulling the card out of his pocket. ¡°That works just as well as money,¡± she replied, taking the food card and swiping it at her register. ¡°Grab a tray and some silverware and get whatever you¡¯d like.¡± She guestered behind her to a stack of trays and stand where silverware was set up. Ethan thanked her and did as he was told before moving behind her where all of the different stations were set up. There were so many options he didn¡¯t know where to start. There was a station for itailian food with a pasta bar and pizza, there was a burger and french fry station, there was a create your own sandwich station, there was even a breakfast station with every type of cereal he could imagine. Asian, Mexican, and special of the day stations rounded out the rest while a salad bar sat off to the side. Deciding to play it safe the first time he headed for the burger station and grabbed a plate. He then grabbed a cheese burger which was wrapped in tinfoil underneath a heating lamp and asked the attendant behind the counter for some friench fries. The man then placed a generous portion of fries on Ethan¡¯s plate. Wow he could get used to this. Ethan then turned around and began heading for the tables on the other side of the dining hall but not before spotting the drink and condiment station right in front of it. There was a giant soda fountain on it as well as chilled milk, juice, water, tea, and coffee. Not questioning it too much he grabbed a plastic cup, got some ice, and then hit the button for coke. This was awesome. This dining hall was definitely the best thing about his new boarding school. After setting his drink on his tray he grabbed some ketchup and headed for the tables where the anxiety of finding a place to sit washed over him as he saw groups of friends clustered around tables. Crap, he didn¡¯t know anyone, and had forgotten about that in his haste to get some food. Luckily for Ethan it turned out he did know someone because Bella¡¯s voice called out from his left, ¡°Ethan over here.¡± Turning he found her seated by herself at a table by the window with several large slices of pizza on her plate. She looked happy to see him and Ethan knew by the relief washing over his face that he was happy to see her. ¡°Hey Bella,¡± he said moving over to her table and placing his tray and bag of books down on her table before sitting down across from her. ¡°Looks like you just got your books,¡± she said looking at the bulky bag next to Ethan. ¡°Yeah, thank god I didn¡¯t have to pay for them,¡± he whispered smiling at her. ¡°No kidding,¡± Bella said taking a large bite of pizza. ¡°My parents would probably need to sell their car to afford all my books based off of the numbers I saw the clerk ringing up before I pulled out the slip from admissions.¡± ¡°What classes are you in?¡± Ethan asked between shovelling fries into his mouth. ¡°Hmm let me see,¡± Bella said swallowing. ¡°Advanced English I, Integrated Mathematics, Computer Science, US History Before 1861, Health I, PE I, Advanced Biology, and Christianities.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Ethan said frowning and feeling a bit disappointed. A Lot of her classes were at a higher level than his. He was hoping that since she was also a scholarship student and a public school kid she¡¯d be in all the same classes as him but apparently this wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°How about you?¡± she asked him apparently having not picked up on his facial expression. ¡°Algebra I, English I, Computer Science, US History Before 1861, PE I, Health I, Biology, and Drawing and Painting,¡± Ethan replied feeling stupid. ¡°Algebra I?¡± a familiar mocking male voice asked from somewhere to Ethan¡¯s left. Alex was walking toward the two of them with a couple of other boys behind him. Ethan scowled seeing the unwelcome face of his roommate. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know they taught that to high schoolers,¡± Alex said reaching into Ethan¡¯s bag and pulling out the Algebra I textbook. ¡°But here¡¯s the proof. Oh wow it¡¯s just color by number.¡± He opened up the book and mockingly laughed at this. ¡°Shut up Alex,¡± Ethan hissed angrily. The dining hall around them had gotten quiet and Ethan could tell that his face was flushed with both anger and embarrassment. Why of all people did he have to get the world¡¯s biggest jerk for a roommate. ¡°It¡¯s like a shipper¡¯s convention over here,¡± Alex said appraising Bella and setting the book back on the table. ¡°Look at this one, not just a shipper but also an illegal immigrant. What is Hinan Academy coming to?¡± Bella flushed at this and stared down the table while Ethan just got angrier and angrier. ¡°Shut up Alex,¡± Ethan repeated standing up. ¡°Or what?¡± Alex asked smiling at him. ¡°You going to hit me and get yourself thrown out on the first day?¡± ¡°I just might,¡± Ethan growled at him. ¡°Ethan,¡± Bella said quietly. ¡°Don¡¯t, it¡¯s not worth it.¡± ¡°Oh look, now his piggy little girlfriend is standing up for him,¡± Alex said causing several of the students around to laugh. ¡°I¡¯d be careful about getting too close to her if I were you Ethan. If she gets hungry enough, she might eat you.¡± This caused a louder round of laughter while Ethan balled his hands up into fist. He was going to beat the snot out of this smug kid. ¡°Alex, enough,¡± a stern voice called. ¡°Quit being a jerk and come eat your dinner.¡± Turning Ethan found a taller older version of Alex standing up a nearby table staring at Alex. It had to be an older brother he guessed though upon closer inspection there were actually two of them. Another older version of Alex sat calmly at the same table sipping soup seemingly oblivious to the commotion going on around him. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been doing for the last year, but this behavior is beneath you,¡± the standing one lectured. ¡°Fine,¡± Alex sighed. ¡°I was done here anyways. I¡¯ll see you later Ethan.¡± Having said that he turned around and marched back over to the other table where the one sipping soup said quietly, ¡°God loves all his children, even the less fortunate. Remember judge not lest you be judged Alex.¡± ¡°I know the scriptures Ben,¡± Alex snapped at the soup sipper who remained calm. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to try and teach me.¡± Sitting back down Ethan stared at his half eaten burger and realized that his appetite was gone. Not even one day at school and he was already going to be unpopular. Just great. ¡°Who was that?¡± Bella asked attacking her pizza ferociously. ¡°My roommate,¡± Ethan said sighing, ¡°unfortunately.¡± Chapter 3: First Day of Classes ¡°I still can¡¯t believe he¡¯s your roommate,¡± Bella said, shaking her head. ¡°What can I say,¡± Ethan responded looking over at her. ¡°I¡¯m known for my astonishingly good luck.¡± They were seated in cushy seats of the filled theater auditorium waiting for the welcoming ceremony to begin with the rest of the Hinan Academy student body. The theater like everything else at the academy was top notch and could have easily passed for a professional theater. The seats were all red velvet and cushioned in the most comfortable way while the part of the stage they could see had an extremely polished hardwood floor. After the events in the dining hall Bella went with Ethan while he took his books up to the dormroom where blessedly Alex was absent. Technically she waited outside of Salamander House for him since she wasn¡¯t actually allowed inside but this was good enough for Ethan. He wasn¡¯t quite sure if he could have faced his room alone without her support. If there was one good thing about coming to Hinan Academy it was meeting Bella. She seemed to be a genuinely good person who was in a similar situation to his and even put his needs before hers. He noticed when he got back out of his dorm that her eyes were red and puffy as if she¡¯d been crying but like the usual idiot he was he couldn¡¯t come up with anything to say to comfort her, so he kept his mouth shut. From there they¡¯d gone to the theater for the welcoming ceremony where they both found two inconspicuous seats near the back hoping to draw as little attention to themselves as possible. ¡°Still, I¡¯m really sorry Ethan,¡± Bella said. ¡°My roommate in Wildcat House was nothing like that when I met her. She¡¯s a pretty blonde girl named Jenny who seemed to be pretty sweet if very busy.¡± ¡°When I met Alex he barely stopped playing his video game to look at me,¡± Ethan muttered sourly. ¡°It¡¯s not right what he said about you, I should have punched him for that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t,¡± Bella replied smiling at him. ¡°You¡¯d have been in big trouble for sure if you punched him with all those people around. Still, I appreciate the sentiment, it sounds like something one of my brothers would have done.¡± Ethan was just trying to think of a response when the lights around the auditorium dimmed and the stage lit up. A tall middle-aged Japanese man strolled toward the solitary podium set up on the middle of the stage. ¡°Hinan Academy welcome,¡± he said. ¡°For those of you who don¡¯t know, I am Joseph Tanaka the principal of this school and it was my grandfather Satoshi Tanaka who founded Hinan Academy back in 1955.¡± A couple students in front of Ethan groaned while one of them whispered, ¡°Time for Tanaka¡¯s history lesson.¡± ¡°Like we could forget,¡± Another student shot back. ¡°He tells the same story every year.¡± ¡°Back in the late 1940¡¯s when my grandfather and other Japanese-American refugees from the Manzanar internment camp found this beautiful enclave they knew they had found a safe place for them and their families, a refuge if you will and so they settled and created a town called Hinan. My grandfather didn¡¯t want to just create a refuge for people, he also wanted to create a refuge for learning and thus the idea of Hinan Academy was born. It would take him quite a few years and the help of a village to make it happen, but in 1955 the first classes were started.¡± ¡°How long did it take him to build?¡± a giggling student whispered while another answered, ¡°Apparently several years, I had no idea.¡± This was met by appreciative laughter from the students around them. In less than five years the Academy would go from being relatively unknown to being the preeminent secondary school on the west coast,¡± Tanaka droned on. ¡°This didn¡¯t just happen, but was made possible by the drive to excellent and passion for learning of this community. By 1965 the town was renamed to Misty Oaks and a tunnel was blasted through the mountains to allow for easier commuting to the school by the influx of students coming from all over the country.¡± ¡°Hey Matt would you say you have a right to attend Hinan Academy?¡± a boy in the row ahead of Ethan whispered drawing more laughs from the kids around him. ¡°I tell you all of these because you don¡¯t have a right to attend Hinan Academy,¡± Tanka said as if to answer the students question. ¡°Going to school here is a privilege. You have been blessed with the opportunity for one of the finest educations in the world because of the sacrifices of those that came before you. Make sure you make the most of it.¡± Polite clapping met these remarks along with a few snickers. Evidently the history lesson was over, though it did explain a few things Ethan had been curious about such as the name of the school. ¡°With the start of a new school year please remember that you are here first and foremost for your studies,¡± Tanaka said. ¡°While I am reminding you that clubs will be recruiting this week and tryouts for fall sports are next week you need to maintain at least a three point zero GPA to participate in this extra-curricular activities. So please do you best in the classroom so you can make the most out of your time here. The schedule for both will be posted outside of the dining hall.¡± A three point zero GPA to participate in outside activities Ethan thought. That seemed way too high. Surely as long as he wasn¡¯t failing he should be allowed to partake in other things. Apparently Hinan was really serious about its students academic performance. ¡°Speaking of athletics,¡± Tanaka continued. ¡°We play Carmel in varsity football at home on October 24th this year and I expect all of you to be there. We need every one of you to cheer on our boys because I don¡¯t think I can stand looking at that principal¡¯s smug face if we lose again. Beat Carmel!¡± This drew an eruption of cheers from the audience and a few students even stood up to clap. Tanaka smiled looking pleased with the response he was getting from this compared to his history lesson earlier. ¡°Most of you are too young to know this,¡± Tanaka said, ¡°but the rivalry between Caramel and Hinan Academy grew so fierce in the 1970s that several Carmel students came south and threw sticks of dynamite over the mountains just to the north of our school. Of course Hinan students being brighter, lit them and threw them back.¡± A round of appreciative laughter and applause followed this joke. Ethan even found himself chuckling a little. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve droned on long enough,¡± Tanaka said quieting the crowd. ¡°Just one more reminder and then I¡¯ll get you out of here so you can all get a good night sleep before your first classes in the morning. Please remember to treat the dining hall employees with the same respect you treat any of the teaching staff with. These are the folks that work hard to keep you all fed. We had several incidents last year of which I won¡¯t go into the details of, but please be respectful. Besides Hinan students are supposed to be smart. The best of the best as we always say and how smart is it to mess with the people preparing your food?¡± He paused after he said this in order to give a stern look to the audience causing Ethan to wonder exactly what students did last year to warrant this reprimand. ¡°Now then have a wonderful term and hit your studies hard starting tomorrow,¡± Tanaka finished dismissing the crowd. Students began standing up and filing out of the theater. Ethan and Bella got in line behind some older students that were sitting next to them and made their way slowly to the theater entrance and out on the darkening campus. They split up once they reached the quad with Ethan going straight towards Salamander House and Bella turning left toward Wildcat House. Ethan was hoping he could beat Alex to the room and fall asleep before the other kid got back but he wasn¡¯t going to hold his breath about it. The next morning the alarm went off way too early. While Ethan did beat Alex back to the bedroom he didn¡¯t fall asleep before the other boy got back and Alex then proceeded to play videogames loudly on the TV until around one in the morning. Ethan wanted to scream at him but figured that would only give Alex the satisfaction of knowing he was keeping Ethan awake. Instead Ethan only pretended to sleep, not actually falling asleep until sometime between one and two A.M. once Alex finally went to bed. Exhausted he got out of bed and shut the alarm off before making his way to the bathroom where he took a lukewarm shower trying to bring himself out of the zombie like state he was in. It didn¡¯t work, but he did get ready in time throwing his two biology books, his health book, his gym clothes, and a couple notebooks in his backpack before setting off for his homeroom which was in Hinan hall. Homeroom, as it turned out, was completely pointless in Ethan¡¯s opinion. The instructor took roll and there were some pointless announcements over the intercom system, but he couldn¡¯t really figure out why they just couldn¡¯t do this in his first class of the day. He spent almost the entirety of the ten minute period using his backpack as a pillow before he then had to get up and walk across the quad to Tanaka Hall. Biology, which was his first real class was taught by an older teacher named Mr. Thorton. He may have looked old but he more than made up for it with exuberance about the subject matter in which he taught. When the class didn¡¯t seem to share his enthusiasm he frowned and reminded them that they needed to get a good night sleep before class or they would end up falling behind. A place red haired boy with bangs hanging over his eyebrows asked how they were expected to sleep on those pieces of paper the school called mattresses drawing some laughter. ¡°And what is your name?¡± Thorton asked him. ¡°Gavin, Gavin Lloyd,¡± the boy replied not looking the least bit concerned. ¡°Well Gavin, I suppose like all animals that survive you¡¯ll just have to adapt,¡± Thorton lectured. ¡°As Charles Darwin once said it is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most adaptable to change.¡± ¡°If I¡¯ve got to adapt to that mattress you might as well bury me now,¡± Gavin muttered drawing a few more laughs. ¡°That actually is a great example of natural selection,¡± Thorton went on not letting Gavin dampen his mood in the slightest. ¡°Those Gavins out there who don¡¯t adapt will die off whilst those in the species that do adapt will produce more offspring and pass on stronger genetic traits to them ultimately making the species stronger.¡± ¡°If producing offspring is part of the equation, I¡¯d say I picked the better side,¡± Gavin quipped. ¡°I mean have you met the terrible kids that go to this school? No thank you.¡± More laughter followed this statement and even Thorton gave an appreciatory chuckle. ¡°Now that brings us to tonight¡¯s homework,¡± Thorton said eying the clock which was already nearing the end of class. ¡°I want you to do the questions on page thirty two all of the odd numbers between one and thirty-nine. We will go over them in class on Saturday.¡± ¡°Do I need to do them,¡± Gavin asked. ¡°I mean if I¡¯m not adapting there¡¯s really no need to do the homework right?¡± ¡°You can skip the homework Mr. Lloyd if your failure to adapt has killed you before Saturday,¡± Mr. Thorton said, ¡°otherwise I expect it to be done even by you.¡± With that said, the bell rang and Ethan hurriedly wrote down homework before packing his bag and making for the exit. Next he had P.E. which was the class Ethan was looking forward to the most. Not only was it the easiest class in his opinion but he thought of himself as fairly athletic even if he wasn¡¯t very big in statue. Reaching the gym, where the class was, He found a group of freshmen, including Bella, standing around waiting for their instructor. Next to bella was a beautiful blonde girl with green eyes and her hair in a ponytail. The girl was thin with a small chest and delicate arms. ¡°Hey, looks like we¡¯re in the same P.E. class,¡± Ethan said walking up next to Bella. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Oh hey Ethan,¡± Bella said smiling at him. ¡°I was hoping we¡¯d be in some of the same classes. This is Jenny by the way.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± Jenny said smiling a perfect smile at him. At this moment the world froze and Ethan could feel his heart thumping in his chest. She was way too pretty. Almost perfect in every way. ¡°Hey,¡± Ethan said hoping he wasn¡¯t blushing. ¡°What are you?¡± Ethan heard a familiar masculine voice ask. Turning he found Gavin eyeing a tall athletic girl with brown hair, freckles, and a fairly large bust up and down. ¡°I¡¯m Quincy, Quin for short,¡± the girl said looking down at Gavin. ¡°Jesus, I didn¡¯t realize they were letting professional athletes in class with us,¡± Gavin replied. ¡°Try not to kill me. I don¡¯t really do this whole sportyball thing.¡± Quin snorted a small laugh and said, ¡°No promises.¡± ¡°Alright, alright enough standing around,¡± a stern-faced woman with short spiky blonde hair said jogging up to the group. ¡°I¡¯m Miss, not misses, Rockfort and I¡¯ll be your P.E. instructor. From now on when you get here I want you to go straight to the locker rooms in the back and change into your P.E. clothes. For today, I¡¯ll give you a pass since its your first day of classes. Now get a move on.¡± She barked the last part of this more than said it causing Ethan and a couple other students to jump. Moving quickly the boys made their way into their locker room where they changed into their athletic attire and stowed their school uniforms and backpacks in empty lockers. Returning to the main part of the gymnasium, Ethan found Ms. Rockfort bouncing a soccer ball impatiently on the floor. It took a couple more minutes for most of the girls to join them though Quin was exceptional quick. Bella looked self-conscious in her gym uniform which looked even more undersized for her than her school uniform had, but Jenny on the other hand looked amazing in hers. Ethan gulped and thanked whatever god had decided to bless him by placing him in the same P.E. class has her. ¡°I think that¡¯s everyone,¡± Rockfort said. ¡°Today we¡¯re playing the beautiful game of soccer so divide up evenly down the middle there.¡± She motioned as if to chop the crowd of students in half as she said this and they split apart with one group forming up around Quin and Ethan¡¯s group forming up around a tall asian boy he didn¡¯t know. ¡°You lot are red,¡± she said to Ethan¡¯s group, ¡°and you lot are blue. You¡¯ll find the vests sitting on the bleachers over there. Go grab one and throw one on and then follow me over to the soccer field.¡± Doing as they were told, each student picked up a vest and threw it on over their shirts before following Rockfort as she marched them out of the gym, across the quad, past the boys dorms, and to the soccer field. ¡°I assume all of you know how to play soccer?¡± Rockfort asked. Most of the students nodded their assent but Gavin muttered, ¡°Not really.¡± For a moment Ethan thought she was going to ignore it but then she went into a very fast and very annoyed explanation of soccer and the rules. Luckily for Ethan he already knew how to play the game, as he played it growing up in Fresno. When she finished, Gavin who was on Ethan¡¯s team said, ¡°I¡¯ve got dibs on goalie.¡± This suited Ethan just fine as everyone knew goalie was the most boring position on the field to play. You hardly got to play at all in that position. ¡°Now get out there, red you start with the ball,¡± Ms. Rockfort ordered pointing at the center circle. Ethan and his teammates as well as Quin and hers walked out onto the field. Quin in particular looked especially calm and confident like she was used to this. She wouldn¡¯t be so confident after he was finished with her. Ethan, after all, had been pretty decent at soccer, and this was the perfect opportunity to show off a little bit for Jenny. ¡°Are you ready?¡± the tall asian kid asked to Ethan while standing over the ball. ¡°Yes,¡± Ethan answered staring confidently back. ¡°I¡¯m Li by the way,¡± he said nodding. ¡°I¡¯m Ethan, nice to meet you,¡± Ethan replied smiling. ¡°What are you doing, start already,¡± Rockfort barked and then muttered, ¡°Standing around chatting like a bunch of schoolgirls honestly.¡± Li kicked the ball to Ethan and they were off. Ethan took it and dribbled around a short boy in a blue vest that was bearing down on him before kicking it out wide to Bella. Unfortunately Bella didn¡¯t seem to have a clue with what she was doing and just stood there looking petrified before Quin snatched the ball away from her like it was nothing. Quin athletic looks weren¡¯t just for show because she deftly dribbled through three of Ethan¡¯s teammates like they weren¡¯t even their and then slotted the ball into the empty net scoring for her team. The net was empty because Gavin, who was supposed to be keeping goal, was simply leaning up against a post looking like he was above the whole thing. ¡°Quin, nicely done,¡± Rockfort called. ¡°Make sure you try out for the women¡¯s soccer team next week. Gavin, if you don¡¯t at least try to stop the ball I¡¯m going to take points away from your grade.¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m supposed to stop the ball?¡± Gavin asked. ¡°I thought I was just supposed to make sure the goal didn¡¯t fall over.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that,¡± Rockfort said staring daggers at him. ¡°Red lets go again. Chop chop.¡± We lined up again and Li kicked the ball to Ethan again where he dribbled around not one but two opposing players before passing it back over to Li this time. As much as Ethan liked Bella, now that he¡¯d seen how she played, he didn¡¯t trust her with the ball. Li used his size to push past another defender before trying to pass the ball back to Ethan but it was intercepted before Ethan go get it. The boy who intercepted it passed it up the middle to a red-haired girl who looked like she wanted nothing to do with this game. Jenny haphazardly tried to take the ball away from her but without any conviction the red head held onto it passing it back to a hispanic boy. Inwardly sighing Ethan ran back up the pitch figuring his team was probably going to need his help on defense with the way this was going. Right as he reached midfield the hispanic boy passed it over to Quin. Oh no you don¡¯t, Ethan thought charging her. This time I¡¯m going to stop you myself. Two of his teammates were lining up to intercept her but sprinting Ethan reached her first. He tried to go shoulder to shoulder with her but as she had a few inches on him he ended up closer to her elbow than her shoulder. Still he tried to push her off of the ball, but she was strong and felt solid, far more solid than he expected. Without warning she suddenly lowered herself and jerked into him. Ethan found center of gravity suddenly shift from his middle to somewhere over his left leg and he knew he was in trouble. His right leg came up and he fell sideways turning his face at the last moment and catching a face full of grass as he crashed into the ground. Spitting out grass he looked up just in time to catch Quin scoring her second goal. She walked back over to Ethan and held her out for him to help him up. Ethan stared up at her stupid face gritting his teeth inside his mouth and could just see Jenny over her shoulder with the slighest of smirks on her face. ¡°Nice try, you almost had me there,¡± Quin said as Ethan begrudgingly took her hand and allowed her to help him to his feet. ¡°Ethan you¡¯ve got to trust your teammates, you can¡¯t do everything by yourself,¡± Rockfort lectured from the sidelines. ¡°Also it¡¯s never a smart idea to try an out muscle someone bigger and stronger than yourself.¡± He scowled feeling completely humiliated and decided in that moment that he hated Quin. He didn¡¯t care that she was bigger than he was, she was still a girl and he shouldn¡¯t have lost to a girl. Worse than that she¡¯d made him look like an idiot in front of Jenny and the rest of the students in his class. The game continued this way for the rest of class. Ethan did manage to score a couple goals and Li got another one, but with the rest of his team being incompetant and Quin on the other team they stood no chance. With the score at 15-3 Rockfort called a stop to it and sent them back to the gym to change. ¡°Good job out there man,¡± Li said slapping Ethan on the back. ¡°Thanks, you too,¡± Ethan said even though he was still grumbling in his head about how easily Quin managed to outplay him. After he¡¯d finished changing and came back out into the gym Rockfort pulled him aside for a second and told him that he might want to consider trying out for the men¡¯s soccer team. She said he¡¯d have a real shot at making JV. She also told him not to beat himself up over losing to Quin because that girl was going to be a star. This just irritated Ethan more. Still he managed to keep his composure long enough to tell her that he would think about trying out for the team before he headed out of the gym for lunch. On his way out the door when no one was looking he punched the door letting out his frustration. This was how he arrived at the dining hall with a very sore left hand. At lunch he sat with Bella and Jenny mostly not speaking because of his sour mood. When Bella asked him what was wrong he mumbled that he hurt his hand during the soccer game. Bella, being the kind person she was, proceeded to go get some ice wrapped in paper towels for him to put on his sore hand. This more than anything else brought him out of his funk and told him what a dolt he was being. Jenny, as it turned out, was from San Francisco and spent her whole life going to elite schools. She was rich, but for some reason in her case it didn¡¯t seem to bother Ethan. She also had her entire life path planned out already. She was going to go to medical school and become a world-class surgeon and then marry a doctor or lawyer. Ethan decided that he should probably look into those career paths just in case he might be interested in them. After lunch Ethan went to his health class where Ethan knew noone except for Alex, much to his annoyance. When he arrived at his classroom he found there was already someone bullying but to his surprise it wasn¡¯t Alex, who was sitting quietly in the back reading his textbook. Instead a very large boy with curly blonde hair was looming over a smaller boy¡¯s desk. ¡°Tony, I can¡¯t believe they let you in this school,¡± the blonde boy said. ¡°How can your parents even afford to pay for it? Did they have to sell their home, or are you now so poor that you¡¯re a shipper?¡± ¡°Shut up Stewart,¡± Tony snapped back at him. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you actually were able to pass St. Catherine¡¯s with good enough grades to get in here.¡± Stewart¡¯s face went red in reaction to this and he shoved the desk in front of him back into Tony¡¯s chest causing the other boy to recoil. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s what I thought,¡± Stewart said smirking down over a grimacing Tony. ¡°Leave him alone,¡± Ethan said loudly from right next to Stewart who was much, much bigger than he was from up close. Before he¡¯d even realized it, Ethan found his legs carrying over to where this confrontation was going on. There was no way he was going to stand by and watch this, not with the mood he was in today. Turning and looking Ethan up and down Stewart let out a laugh saying, ¡°Look at this tough guy here. You got yourself a knight in shining armor here Tony.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious,¡± Ethan said staring up into the other boy¡¯s eyes. ¡°Leave him alone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m touched by how much you care about your boyfriend,¡± Stewart said, ¡°but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to listen to a twerp like you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make you stop if you if you won¡¯t,¡± Ethan said softly and by this point most of the room around them went quiet with the other students all stopping to watch in case a fight broke out. ¡°You are going to threaten me?¡± Stewart said completely turning to face Ethan and pushing his chest out. ¡°First you butt into a conversation that doesn''t concern you and then you threaten me. Just who do you think you are?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ethan Russell,¡± Ethan answered, ¡°and I don¡¯t like people who act like you.¡± ¡°Well Ethan, you¡¯ve made a big mistake,¡± Stewart said rolling his neck like his was stretching it before a fight. ¡°Cause I¡¯m going to kick your¡­¡± He was cut off suddenly by the teacher walking in and asking, ¡°Boys what is this? I hope I¡¯m not going to have to give out some detentions on the first day of school.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Stewart said smiling over at the teacher. ¡°We were just introducing ourselves to each other. New school and all you know.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± the teacher said sounding like he didn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Find your seats before I change my mind. ¡°I¡¯m Mr. Flintski and this is Health I. Please open your books up to page three where we will begin today.¡± The rest of the class proceeded in the most boring manner imaginable. Ethier health was a really boring subject, which was Ethan¡¯s guess, or Mr. Flintski was not a very interesting teacher. Regardless Ethan spent most of the class staring at Stewart thinking about how he would approach a fight with the other kid. He decided that getting behind him, climbing his back, and putting his neck in a chokehold would probably be the most effective method for fighting someone so much larger than him. Ethan hardly noticed when the bell rang ending class and got up and left the classroom with his thoughts still on the fight. He was so focused in fact that he didn¡¯t even notice Stweart approach him until the other boy slammed the books out of his hands and hip check him sideways into the wall. Ethan¡¯s healthbook and notebook went flying while Stewart walked away laughing forcefully. Red anger flashed through Ethan¡¯s eyes and all he wanted to do was tackle and attack the other boy, but before Ethan could act Stewart disappeared into the crowd of students making their way to the final classes of the day. It took Ethan almost the entire five minutes between classes before he could pick up both of his book and notebook because of the students in his way. He was only halfway across the quad heading for Hinan hall when the bell rang. Great now he was late for drawing and painting on his first day. That wasn¡¯t going to go over well with the instructor. Moving swiftly he burst into Hinan hall and headed for the basement where he presumed classroom B09 would be. The basement was in worse condition that the rest of the building and desperately in need of some updating. The lighting overhead was particularly poor and made it hard to read the plaques on the doors. This is B08 he thought standing in front of a doorway at the end of a hall, but where is B09? Walking back down the hallway he noticed a very old-looking double wooden doorway that was unlabeled. There were heavy wooden beams running all over and it split in the middle but there was no discernable handle that he could find. There was also no plaque, but maybe with the age of this it fell off or something. Shrugging he went over and pushed on the door. It was extremely heavy but he could feel it move just a little bit. Putting his full weight behind his shoulder he shoved as hard as he could until it creaked open. A small amount of orange flickering light came from inside of the room allowing him to see a stone wall inside. Stepping through the opening Ethan said, ¡°Hello, is this B09? I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯m in the wrong place, I¡¯m looking for Drawing and Painting.¡± Suddenly he felt a rush of wind against the front of him and the door slammed shut behind him leaving him with only the dim glow of light coming from the other end of the room. Turning around he tried to pull the door open but it wouldn¡¯t budge an inch. It was as if it somehow locked when the wind blew it shut. ¡°Ethan Russell,¡± A deep voice boomed from everywhere around him and Ethan gulped now completely sure he was in the wrong place. Chapter 4: The Dungeon ¡°Who are you?¡± Ethan asked trying to back away further but was prevented from doing so by the closed door. ¡°How do you know my name?¡± ¡°I know many things about you,¡± the voice replied washing over Ethan like it was coming from everywhere at once. ¡°You are Ethan Russell and have a strong sense of justice and fairness ingrained in you which of course leads to a simmering anger that you sometimes struggle to keep in check. Regardless, you will make an excellent Red.¡± How would he possibly know something like that Ethan asked himself. Sure sometimes he let his emotions get the better of him and he exploded in anger, but that wasn¡¯t often public. He thought he did a pretty good job of behaving himself around other people besides his anger issues weren¡¯t really that bad. Whoever this was exaggerating things. ¡°Deny it all you want,¡± the voice said. ¡°You can lie to yourself but you cannot lie to me.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Ethan asked again with irritation rising in his voice. Who the hell was this person that said he knew Ethan better than he knew himself. Ethan may not have been the brightest person as this school, but he knew a liar when he met one. ¡°That¡¯s the wrong question,¡± The voice said in the same all consuming emotionless voice. ¡°I am not who but what.¡± Now Ethan was really confused. That doesn¡¯t even make sense he thought shaking his head. This person is crazy. ¡°What?¡± he asked trying to buy time while he figured out a way to get out of this room. There were no windows as far as he could see anywhere. Shouldn¡¯t there be windows? Even in the basement all classrooms should have someway to get out of them in the event of a fire or something. If there¡¯s no windows this problem isn¡¯t a classroom, but then what was it? Squinting his eyes he tried to see if there was anything he¡¯d overlooked in the room that would give it away. ¡°This room is and I am a dungeon,¡± the voice stated answered both his spoken and unspoken questions. ¡°You¡¯re a prison?¡± Ethan asked now a hundred percent certain that whoever this man was, he was completely insane. ¡°No, not in the sense you are thinking of,¡± the voice replied, ¡°though that usage of the word did evolve from those familiar with my brethren. To use concepts that you might understand I am more like a living, magical cave system with a full ecosystem of life connected to, and drawing power from the Earth.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a magical cave?¡± Ethan asked rolling his eyes. Yep this guy was crazy. Best to get out of here before he ended up hurting Ethan. ¡°I suppose it''s just best if I show you,¡± The dungeon said almost sadly. ¡°For all humanity has gained in technology they have forgotten their connection to the Earth and now all of you must be hit over the head in order to understand basic things that your ancestors knew.¡± Ethan was just about to respond when a searing pain began emanating from the underside of his right wrist. Screaming he tried to grab hold of his wrist but found much to his horror that it was literally on fire. Dropping to his knees he slammed his wrist into the ground hoping that by doing so he could cut off the oxygen and put it out. Unfortunately for him this didn¡¯t work so he settled for grabbing his left arm as close to the wrist as he could get without burning his other hand and rolling around while screaming on the ground. Ethan wasn¡¯t sure how long he writhed on the ground. But finally, blessedly the fire went out though pain still lingered. Gingerly he felt the underside of his wrist which was tender to touch and flipped his arm over so he could get a look at his injury. Instead of the blackened blooded skin he expected to find he found perfectly smooth skin with a strange symbol in red there and not just the red of irritated skin but a deep crimson red. The symbol itself were three comma like objects spiraling around each other to form a perfect circle. In the very center of the large circular end of each comma was an empty dot. It looked almost like he¡¯d gotten a tattoo done on his wrist, but surely it was burning only seconds before. He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d imagined it. ¡°What is this?¡± Ethan finally asked looking around for the person behind the voice still. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve unlocked your potential,¡± the voice replied calmly. ¡°You will now be able to challenge the dungeon and claim my heart.¡± ¡°Why would I want to do that?¡± Ethan asked frustrated by the vague answers the dungeon kept giving him. ¡°And what do you mean your heart?¡± ¡°That is something you¡¯ll have to figure out on your own,¡± the dungeon replied. ¡°I cannot give you all the answers. What I will tell you is to press hard into that tattoo as you call it.¡± Ethan thought about snapping back at the dungeon but what was the point. The stupid thing would only give him more vague and nonsensical statements. Instead he reluctantly did as he was instructed and pressed his index and middle fingers hard into the symbol on his wrist. At least most of the pain had dissipated already. At first he thought nothing was going to happen but then he felt something ooze out from under his skin and begin coalescing into a solid form. It wasn¡¯t just seeming through his skin though, but through his clothing as well, and even his backpack. In only a few seconds since it started it it hardened into a flexible translucent red shell over his entire body and for a few seconds Ethan was worried he wouldn¡¯t be able to breathe. Thankfully air was still flowing in and out of his lungs though which was a relief. Suddenly an object began forming in his right hand out of the material getting longer and longer until it shaped itself into a katana with what looked like a wickedly sharp edge on the blade. Carefully he ran his fingers over it and realized for the first time that his touch through the shell felt almost exactly the same. ¡°What is this?¡± Ethan asked for the second time in a matter of minutes, but this time with amazement in his voice. ¡°That is your spirit armor and your spirit weapon,¡± the dungeon replied. ¡°You¡¯re the Red, the Sword so your spirit weapon naturally takes that form.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Ethan muttered still feeling the weapon and finally starting to believe that this voice might not just be a person messing with him after all. ¡°It¡¯s quite simple,¡± the dungeon said. ¡°That armor and weapon are created by your spirit. When you touch your tattoo, your spirit forms into them. If you touch it again the will disappear. They will protect you from the dangers in the dungeon, though be warned, they can be damaged and if they are it will take time for your spirt to heal just like it takes time for your body to heal from an injury.¡± ¡°Why do I need protection from you, if you want me to seize your heart?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°There are things I can not explain,¡± the dungeon replied. ¡°This is the way it must be. This is the way it has always been.¡± More cryptic nonsense Ethan thought shaking his head. He ought to have known better than to ask for a straight answer from this thing at this point. ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to seize your heart?¡± he asked. ¡°I think you¡¯ll find I can be very compelling,¡± the dungeon replied. We¡¯ll see about that Ethan thought trying to judge if the blade he know held would be able to cut through the thick wooden door. It was probably worth a shot. ¡°I think I¡¯ve explained all I can through talk,¡± the dungeon said as Ethan squeezed tightly around the hilt of his blade. ¡°It is time for you to learn through experience.¡± Ethan was just raising the blade to strike when he felt the ground rumble underneath him. He stumbled just as part of the floor fell away creating a steep ramp into darkness below. Losing his balance he fell and began rolling down the ramp before the floor completely disappeared underneath him and he plunged downward into nothingness. A few seconds later he hit water. Gasping more out of the cold shock than anything else Ethan broke the surface and took in his surroundings. White light shone done from the moon overhead which made no sense at all. Hadn¡¯t it been day time and hadn¡¯t he fallen down through a basement further underground? Regardless of what he remembered, he was near the edge of a small lake with large reeds sticking up from the water nearby and a forest of trees on dry land. Swimming over to the shore he checked to make sure that he didn¡¯t imagine the armor and sword before. Nope they were still there. Maybe I fell asleep and this is a weird dream he thought pinching himself. A small amount of pain spiked in his arm where he¡¯d pinched. Nope, not a dream then. Guess I¡¯ve just gone crazy then. A small breeze blew across him and he shivered. It may have been summer but he was wearing soaking clothes and it was night. Oh crap, he thought suddenly realizing he still had his backpack on. Pulling it off and bringing it around to his front he unzipped it and found, much to his dismay that his books, notebooks, and gym clothes were also saturated with water. ¡°Just fantastic,¡± Ethan muttered zipping it back on and throwing it back on his chest. ¡°First day of school and I¡¯ve already ruined books I can¡¯t afford to replace.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. A rustling in the reeds drew his attention a second later. Looking over he found a bird staring at him. It didn¡¯t look like any bird Ethan had ever seen before with the top of its head and back black and the rest of its feathers white. It had eerie crimson red eyes but by far the most bizarre thing about it was the blueish-white glow surrounding it. At least it¡¯s just a bird Ethan thought and not like a crocodile. Sure that glow was a bit unnerving but it seemed harmless enough. As if in reaction to this the bird opened it¡¯s long black beak unleashing an angry squawk in Ethan¡¯s direction. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m leaving,¡± Ethan snapped at it. ¡°I don¡¯t exactly want to be here.¡± It blinked and for a second it just looked at him before opening its mouth again but this time a bright blue ball of fire came out of it instead of a sound. It took Ethan¡¯s mind a moment to comprehend what his eyes were seeing and by the time he recognized it for it was he barely was able to throw himself out of the way before the fireball shot past where he¡¯d just been. Maybe I should have hoped for a crocodile, Ethan thought pushing himself to his feet and scrambling away from the bird. Looking back over his shoulder he saw it shoot another fireball at him which he took as his que to run away. He made for the trees where he hoped it wouldn¡¯t follow or that if it did hopefully he could lose it. When he looked back over his shoulder he was greeted by a horrifying sight. The bird had taken off and was following him, but it wasn¡¯t the only one. There were now several glowing birds moving across the lake toward him. The funny thing was they weren¡¯t all the same. Some of them looked like the first one, but there were definitely a couple that looked like ducks. Regardless of what they looked like they all glowed and they all were shooting blue fireballs at him out of their mouths. Zigzagging as he ran, he avoided the fireballs which luckily were moving at a slow enough rate that he could dodge them. Once he was in the forest he felt a bit better as he knew that it would be almost impossible to hit him with all the trees and branches in the way. Still he didn¡¯t stop running. If you were being chased by glowing birds that shot fireballs sometimes it was better not to take any chances. Running as hard as he could, he made his way deeper and deeper into the forest. Minutes past and he didn¡¯t look back or pause even though his legs were now screaming at him. He might not have stopped at all in fact if not for the tree root, but there was a tree root, and he did manage to hook his foot under it. Tumbling forward his face and shirt slammed into the ground and his sword went flying from his hand. He skidded for a short way before he finally stopped bumping his head softly into the base of a large tree. Rolling over onto his side he found his face and shirt were covered in dirt and leaves. Aside from some stinging in his face though at least he wasn¡¯t hurt. One small positive in an otherwise terrible day Ethan thought looking around for the birds. They were nowhere to be found so maybe he¡¯d finally lost them. Whatever this dungeon was he wanted nothing to do with it. He was going to find his way out of here if it was the last thing he did and never come back. After taking a couple minutes to rest he finally stood up and retrieved his sword. He almost left the weapon but then figured it was probably better to have it just in case he needed it before he got out of this place. Looking around he paused thinking. Every direction looked the same. What was the correct way out of this forest. There was no road, no signs, and if he picked the wrong direction he¡¯d end up back at that lake with the glowing birds of death. Finally he decided on walking in the direction he skidded into the tree figuring that his momentum would have probably carried him in a relatively straight line. If he was running away from the opposite direction that had to be where the lake was so he wanted to head as far away from that as possible. Flawless logic he thought to himself. Alright maybe not, but it¡¯s not like he was going to come up with anything better. He walked, and walked, and walked, but the forest just wouldn¡¯t end. It hardly even changed. Sure there was a dead tree here or a moss covered rock there but nothing that signaled anyone was out here. Animals noises of course but Ethan steered well clear of those noises when he heard them. The last thing he wanted to do was to run into a flaming demon monkey or something. Just as he was thinking about changing directions the forest ended abruptly into a field at the base of a mountain. Roosters and hens roamed this field picking at the ground for food. Better yet there was a large structure near the base of the mountain that was certainly made by humans. It looked like one of those Japanese temples to Ethan though very plain, unpainted, and made simply of wood but it even had a gate in front of it. A stone staircase led up from the gate turning into a stone path at the top that led to the temple. Maybe there would be a like a monk inside who would be able to help Ethan get back to Misty Oaks or at least to Fresno if nothing else. Starting across the field Ethan prayed that these chickens didn¡¯t shoot fireballs like the other birds he¡¯d run into. They weren¡¯t glowing at least which in his mind was a good sign. There were quite a few of them so if they started shooting fireballs at him he wasn¡¯t sure if he could dodge them. It took the first ones quite a while to notice him but when they did they didn¡¯t shoot fireballs at him. Instead they breathed fire at him. The first one caught him completely off guard and catching him in a burst of it¡¯s flames. The fire washed over his armor and while he felt the heat he didn¡¯t feel like he was getting burned by it. ¡°Fire breath?¡± Ethan asked annoyed. ¡°Oh come on!¡± He was getting really frustrated now and this chicken was going to know his wrath. With his spirit armor seeming to protect him from the burning effects of fire he was going to teach this bird and any others to quit messing with him. Moving to the left Ethan slash downwards with his sword at one of the chickens bearing down on him. It was awkward and he missed. Not only had he never used a sword before but the chickens were small and close to the ground which made it more difficult for him. Missing left him exposed with his face close to the ground and the chicken countered with a burst of flame straight into his face. The heat hit Ethan like a wave and he recoiled backwards instinctively. While he wasn¡¯t burned by the blast the fire was still hot and he knew if he stayed in it too long he would be. Armor or no armor. Recovering he looked up to see more and more of the creatures running toward him. If he didn¡¯t move soon he was going to be overwhelmed. Making a decision he began running toward the temple. If he could make it there perhaps he could take shelter inside. As he ran Ethan slashed out again with the sword and surprising caught one of the chickens in the chest. The spirit blade must have been sharp because, though there was some resistance, it easily cut the bird in half. If catching the bird with the sword was a surprise, he was really surprised when it turned into a black essence and then flowed down into the Earth below it. There was no blood, no body, or any evidence that it had been there in the first place. Ethan wanted to linger longer over this strange development but knew he didn¡¯t have time. He continued his run jumping over and slashing at several more chickens as he went. He missed this time but luckily maintained his balance. He was closing in on the gate and staircase fast, but now there was a literal horde of fire-breathing chickens behind him. If he weren¡¯t so terrified they were going to catch him and fry him to a crisp he would have laughed at how ridiculous this scene must have looked to the outside observer. Actually his tombstone would probably be pretty funny too. Here lies Ethan Russell, burned alive by a flock of chickens. That¡¯s right, chickens. Focus Ethan he yelled at himself in his own head. Now was not the time to be losing it. Not if he wanted to live anyways. There would be plenty of time to contemplate the ridiculousness of this situation later after he was safely out of this cursed place. Reaching the gate he passed underneath it before leaping up the stairs. This was a mistake as his foot caught the edge and he fell forward face first into the stone steps. A second later his forehead collided with the edge of another step causing head to explode in pain. Searing pain temporarily blinded him and it took him a minute to remember what he was doing. Guess that¡¯s it then Ethan thought realizing what he should be doing. I¡¯m dead. Pity that this didn¡¯t knock me out first. At least then I wouldn¡¯t have to feel this headache or getting burned alive. Lying there he waited for the heat and fire to hit him hoping that the stupid chickens would finish him off quickly. The fire though never came and after a few anxious minutes he finally pushed himself to his knees while clutching at his forehead just above his left eyebrow. The spirit armor had shattered over much of his face after the impact with the staircase and he was bleeding from a shallow cut above his left eyebrow. If not for the armor taking a large part of the impact it would have been much worse, he reckoned. Still his face was exposed now so he didn¡¯t want to repeat the act. Finally he turned around looking for what became of the chickens and found them easily. They were all standing right in front of the gate just staring at him, but for some reason none of them breathed fire at him or would cross underneath it. That was weird. Slowly he backed away moving up the staircase and still the chickens didn¡¯t come any closer. Their eyes followed him and they shuffled around but they either wouldn¡¯t cross under the gate or couldn¡¯t. Regardless Ethan wasn¡¯t about to test it and instead turned around and began walking the rest of the way up the staircase occasionally looking over his shoulder to check that the chickens hadn¡¯t moved. Upon reaching the top he walked the short way down a stone pathway to the front of the temple, which he noticed for the first time had the exact same doors that the room in the basement had. That couldn¡¯t just be a coincidence, could it? Trying the door he found it unlocked, opening into a rather plain room with a couple of lanterns hanging around the edges of the room. Near the back was an elevator but it was made out of wood instead of metal. ¡°Hello, is anyone there?¡± Ethan called. Stepping tentatively into the building. No one answered and after checking the room over a few more times he was satisfied that there wasn¡¯t anyone around. Guess that was too much to hope for he thought walking towards the elevator. Not seeing anything else to do he pressed the button on the elevator and waited for a minute until the doors slowly slid open. Stepping inside he found more buttons than he¡¯d ever seen on an elevator in his life. One of them labelled Basement at the top had a green circle around it while the rest were all red. Hoping basement meant the school basement he pressed this button and watched it as it turned orange. The doors slid shut and the elevator began to move upwards at a faster speed than he would have thought was possible. When it finally stopped at the top the doors slid open revealing the stone room he¡¯d been in before, though this time the lights made it easier to see and the part of the floor he expected to see missing was still there. Oh thank god, Ethan thought dashing out of the elevator and making toward the exit. The sooner he got out of here the better. ¡°So you have returned,¡± the dungeon said sounding pleased. ¡°Now you know what awaits for you.¡± ¡°It can keep on waiting,¡± Ethan snapped not stopping. ¡°I¡¯m never going back there.¡± ¡°You are The Red, you will,¡± the dungeon replied calmly. ¡°A call to a dungeon is not something a person can refuse.¡± ¡°Guess there¡¯s a first time for everything,¡± Ethan said grabbing a hold of the door and wrenching it open. ¡°Hope we never talk again.¡± With that he left the room walking back into the main basement of Hinan Hall. Quickly he pressed his fingers to the symbol on his wrist disappearing the ridiculous armor before anyone saw it. That was the last thing he needed. To get ridiculed some more by other kids. Climbing the stairs he exited the basement, followed the hallway to the back door and walked out onto the quad where it was well into the night. Great he¡¯d missed a class and now dinner. Fantastic. Sighing he turned and headed back to his dorm realizing that he¡¯d just have to wait until lunch tomorrow to eat. At least he wasn¡¯t stuck in that underground hell hole anymore. When he reached his room he found Alex standing at the sink brushing his teeth. The other boy turned and stared at Ethan before saying, ¡°What happened to you? Were you out foraging for food or something?¡± Ethan couldn¡¯t even summon up the energy to yell at Alex. Instead he just walked into the bathroom and shut the door hoping to wash away his weariness along with the dirt, blood, and grime he¡¯d accumulated on this very long first day of classes. Chapter 5: Return to School The next day Ethan woke up feeling miserable. His head was throbbing from the cut over his eyebrow and he seriously thought about calling in sick to school. The only reason he didn¡¯t in fact, was that he wasn¡¯t sure how to go about doing it and besides he¡¯d already skipped one class yesterday even if it wasn¡¯t his fault. He was certain that he would be paying for that one later. One positive thing about his exploits yesterday was that he didn¡¯t need to take a shower this morning so he could snooze just a little bit longer. While he was able to clean himself up last night no matter how hard he tried he couldn¡¯t get the symbol on his wrist to come off. He even accidentally activated it startling himself especially with the sword appearing in his hand which he was pretty sure he left back in the dungeon on the stone staircase. Apparently it was bound to him just like the stupid symbol was and would reappear in his possession whenever activated. Regardless of that the extra time he had in the morning disappeared faster than he would have liked and soon he found himself dragging his zombie-like body across the quad to homeroom and then his first class which was English I. Ethan barely managed to stay awake through the class and this was mostly thanks to the constant headache which refused to let him relax. The teacher, Mr. Rayburn, droned on and on about the book Of Mice and Men and the various themes such as loneliness and powerlessness it would explore. Ethan barely listened as members of the class took turns reading passages from the beginning of the book and before he knew it the bell signalling the end of the class rang. Mr. Rayburn assigned them the rest of chapter one to read and to summarize their thoughts on it before dismissing them. Ethan then made his way to Tanaka Hall where Algebra I would take place. When he arrived he was pleasantly surprised to find Jenny sitting in the classroom. He wanted to sit next to her but that seat was already taken by another girl who was chatting with her. Instead he settled for sitting a few seats behind her where he promptly stared at her through the entire lesson. Mrs. Dotson, the elderly math teacher assigned them a ton of math problems from their book before dismissing them all for lunch. At this rate he was going to have to spend his entire weekend working on homework instead of relaxing. Did these teachers not realize that every single one of them was assigning homework so if they all assigned an hour worth of homework it would take almost all of their free time to do it. Scowling and in a poor mood Ethan made his way to the dining hall where he pilled his plate with so much pasta it threatened to fall off. ¡°Did you get enough to eat?¡± Isabella asked him from across their table. ¡°I¡¯m starving,¡± he mumbled between shovelling forkfills of noodles into his mouth. ¡°I can see that,¡± she said still just staring at him. ¡°Where were you last night? I looked for you in the dining hall but couldn¡¯t find you and what did you do to your forehead?¡± ¡°I fell down and hit my head,¡± Ethan said talking with his mouth full. ¡°By the time I came to it was already past dinner time so I just went back to my dorm.¡± It was a lie of course, but only half of one. He really did get the cut on his forehead from falling down even if it hadn¡¯t knocked him out. He felt bad for lying to Bella but what was he supposed to do? Tell her that he¡¯d stumbled into some magical dungeon that dropped him in some weird world with evil birds? Yeah that would go over well. He¡¯d probably lose his only friend who would think he was crazy. ¡°You were knocked out?¡± she asked concerned. ¡°Did you see the school nurse?¡± ¡°No, honestly it¡¯s fine,¡± Ethan replied not wanting to linger on the subject. ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡± ¡°You could have a concussion,¡± Bella replied sounding flabbergasted. ¡°You need to go see the nurse now.¡± ¡°I need to eat now,¡± Ethan said smiling placatingly. ¡°Honestly I¡¯m fine. I just have a minor headache that¡¯s all. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± ¡°Yes it is,¡± Bella retorted. ¡°I¡¯m taking you to the nurse right now.¡± Anger coursed through him which caused his head to throb even more and he wanted to snap at her. He didn¡¯t, which he was thankful for, because honestly none of this was her fault and the last thing he wanted to do was to drive her away. Instead after taking a moment to put his emotions in check he said stiffly, ¡°let me finish eating first and then we can go. I seriously don¡¯t think I could skip another meal.¡± ¡°Boys always thinking first with their stomach, just like my brothers,¡± Bella said smiling happily at him. ¡°Sure finish up and then we¡¯ll go.¡± The Nurse¡¯s Office as it turned out was directly across from the dinning hall in a small building Ethan previously hadn¡¯t paid much attention to. When they arrived and Bella explained to the nurse, Ms. Watanabe, Ethan¡¯s story the nurse had then exploded at Ethan. ¡°You fell and knocked yourself out for long enough to miss dinner last night and didn¡¯t come see me?¡± she asked incredulously. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m fine,¡± Ethan answered defensively. ¡°I just have a small headache that¡¯s all. I only came because she insisted.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m glad she did,¡± Ms. Watanabe replied praising Bella while narrowing her eyes at Ethan. ¡°A small headache? I doubt that with that gash on your forehead. Your head probably feels like it might explode right now.¡± Well she¡¯s got that part right at least, Ethan thought scowling. ¡°Come here and let me check your eyes and run some tests to see if you have a concussion,¡± she sighed and then muttered to herself, ¡°first week and someone is already being stupid.¡± Doing as he was told Ethan moving up to her and let her examine his eyes and then run him through and exhaustive array of questions and tests. None of which seemed to have much of a point to him. Maybe she was just doing it to punish him for not coming to her sooner he thought. ¡°Well, you are extremely lucky,¡± Ms. Watanabe said sighing. ¡°You don¡¯t have any signs of a concussion, but don¡¯t ever ignore something like that again. ¡°Let me clean and dress that wound on your forehead and I¡¯ll give you something for the headache and get you two out of here before your next classes begin.¡± Ethan¡­ ¡°What?¡± Ethan asked looking up at her wondering why she called his name after just explaining what she was going to do. ¡°I said hold still while I clean that wound of yours,¡± Ms. Watanabe snapped. He could have sworn she called his name, but maybe it was Bella. Looking over at his friend though he found her sitting in a chair and staring out the window. It must have been his imagination that¡¯s all. ¡°There,¡± Watanabe said finishing up the bandage on his forehead. ¡°Now take one of these every four hours until you no longer need them.¡± She handed him a small bottle with pills in it and dismissed the two of them. As soon as they were out of the office Ethan immediately took one of the pills though he tried to be coy about it. He didn¡¯t really want Bella to know how bad his head was hurting, but he wasn¡¯t about to pass up an opportunity to ease the pain. ¡°See aren¡¯t you glad you went now?¡± Bella asked him as they walked across the quad towards Tanaka hall where they both had Computer Science next. ¡°Yes,¡± he admitted begrudgingly still feeling a little irritated with her. ¡°Though I didn¡¯t have a concussion so I was right about not really needing medical attention,¡± he added not wanting to give in completely. ¡°But now you know, where you wouldn¡¯t have before,¡± Bella said happily. ¡°If you¡¯re not feeling well don¡¯t be afraid to tell me. I¡¯m pretty good at taking care of people. I learned from my mom who was the best and have taken care of my dad and brothers before when they¡¯re sick or injured.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Ethan said not sure how to respond to this. ¡°Thanks, Bella.¡± He¡¯d never had anyone offer to take care of him before. Well his mom would of course, but that was her job. Still he felt a little bit better knowing that Bella cared enough about him to offer even if he was unlikely to ever take her up on it. Computer Science, as it turned out, was a class full of familiar faces. On the good side there was Bella, Jenny, and Lee and on the bad side there was Stewart, Alex, and Quincy. Gavin was also in this class but Ethan still hadn¡¯t decided what to make of the kid who mostly tried to make everyone laugh and threw sarcastic comments out at every opportunity. He took a seat next to Bella who he was pleased to see take a seat next to Jenny. Being able to talk with her he was certain would help ease the pain in his head. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Unfortunately before he could say anything to her Stewart came out and loudly asked, ¡°Did someone else beat you up first Shipper? That¡¯s not fair, I wanted the first crack at you.¡± Ethan felt his headache spike as rage surged through him and he stood up, however before he could say anything Gavin said, ¡°Yeah, it was Quin on the soccer field with her she-hulk shoulder.¡± Several people including Jenny giggled at this and Stewert asked, ¡°Quin? A girl beat you up?¡± ¡°Ethan blushed furiously as Gavin corrected him, ¡°Not really a girl. More like Xena, Warrior Princess, right Quin?¡± This drew Stewert¡¯s attention to Quin who was sitting there looking bored with the whole situation. ¡°You¡¯re Quin?¡± He asked looking her up and down. ¡°I am,¡± she replied flatly. ¡°I like a girl who can handle herself,¡± Stewart stated. ¡°Would you like to go out sometime?¡± ¡°Go out?¡± Quin asked sounding a little confused. ¡°Go out,¡± Stewart repeated sounding nervous for the first time. ¡°You know, a date.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Quin said finally comprehending what he was getting at. ¡°No, I¡¯m not interested in that sort of thing. Sorry.¡± This caused several students including Ethan to laugh. Ethan probably laughed a bit too forcefully but it felt so good to watch Stewart get shot down so brutally. Stewart scowled at her and stomped away and Ethan thought that this class might not be so bad. That feeling lasted all of two seconds because Alex finally spoke up and said, ¡°Actually Ethan got that would digging through the dumpsters looking for food last night. He told me so when he got back to our dorm room late last night reeking of garbage and looking homeless.¡± It was Stewart¡¯s turn to laugh forcefully though several other students joined in. Ethan¡¯s face turned a shade of red brighter than he previously thought possible and he tried to sink down in his chair and disappear. ¡°Well I¡¯m always glad to see a class getting along,¡± a thin man with glass said strolling into the room. ¡°Hopefully this means we can get onto learning and I don¡¯t have to spend most of my time babysitting you. I¡¯m Dr. Kipling and this is Computer Science.¡± Dr. Kipling then proceeded to go into the most boring lecture Ethan ever sat through in his life. By the time the bell rang he was pretty sure he was drooling with his head resting on the keyboard in front of him and from the glazed over stares of the other students he wasn¡¯t the only one. ¡°Well that was certainly an experience,¡± Bella said as they and most of the rest of their class made their way out of Tanaka Hall and crossed the quad toward Hinan Hall. ¡°I don¡¯t think he knows how to actually teach kids,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I heard you snore a couple of times,¡± Bella said with a small laugh. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever been so bored in my life,¡± Ethan replied grinning sheepishly. ¡°If I ever need help falling asleep, I should just ask the doctor to come lecture at him for a couple minutes. Bella giggled at this which made Ethan happy that at least one person seemed to enjoy his company. He was in a relatively good mood now. His head was feeling a bit better now so the medicine or the sleep he¡¯d gotten in Computer Science must have helped and he only had one class left for the day before he was free to relax. Ethan Russell¡­ ¡°Did you need something Bella?¡± Ethan asked wondering why she¡¯d called his full name when they¡¯d been speaking already. ¡°No,¡± Bella replied staring at him confused and concerned. ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± ¡°Yeah I¡¯m fine,¡± Ethan answered. ¡°My head¡¯s actually feeling a lot better. Probably all of that rest I got in Computer Science.¡± Did I just imagine her calling my name Ethan asked himself. No I¡¯m positive I heard it. What is going on? As another class that all Freshmen were required to take U.S. History Prior to 1861 was another class full of familiar faces. Ehtan mostly sat quietly next to Bella before the class started not wanting to get into it with Stewart or Alex again. ¡°Welcome to U.S. History,¡± a tall dark-haired handsome man with a big grin said striding into the room. ¡°I¡¯m Mr. Darnell, or Al and I¡¯ll be your captain as we journey back in time to the earliest days of U.S. History.¡± It was cheesy but this was clearly a man who was passionate about what he taught Ethan thought and he couldn¡¯t help but be sucked in by that passion a little bit. ¡°Now who can tell me who was the first European to journey to the Americas?¡± Mr. Darnell Asked. ¡°Yes you there, who was it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Lee,¡± Lee said, ¡°and it was Christopher Columbus.¡± ¡°A good guess, but no,¡± Mr. Darnell said with his infectious smile. ¡°How about you there? What¡¯s your guess?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Alex,¡± Alex said, ¡°and it was Leif Erikksson.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Mr. Darnell said, ¡°Though Christopher Columbus was much more important to the colonization of the Americas and ultimately the founding of our nation. So let¡¯s start with him. You¡¯ve all heard the phrase in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue correct?¡± For the next hour we explored the early Spanish and Portuguese colonies in the Americas and how they drove the rest of Europe to look at these two new continents for resources. Ethan was enthralled. He¡¯d always enjoyed history and the passion and engagement Mr. Darnell showed for the subject as well as how he engaged the class really kept him interested in the subject at hand. ¡°Now I would love to spend more time on the Spanish and Portugese as well as early American Civilizations,¡± Mr. Darnell said, ¡°but this class is specifically about U.S. history so we will be focusing on that. Can anyone tell me what the first permanent British settlement was in America?¡± Ethan...Ethan Russell¡­ ¡°Jamestown, right?¡± Ethan answered feeling startled that Mr. Darnell called on him by name. ¡°That is correct,¡± Mr. Darnell said, ¡°ten points to whatever house you¡¯re in.¡± ¡°Salamander,¡± Ethan added. Grinning Mr. Darnell said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t catch your name.¡± ¡°It¡¯s uh Ethan sir,¡± Ethan said feeling completely confused. Didn¡¯t this man just call on him by name to answer that question? What in the world was going on? Why did he keep hearing his name when it apparently wasn¡¯t being called? ¡°Well Ethan, I appreciate the enthusiasm but next time please raise your hand and wait to be called on before answering,¡± Mr. Darnell said. ¡°And unfortunately there are no points for the houses. Those dorms are just where we adults like to lock you up at night to keep you from causing us trouble. What do you all think this was? A school for magic?¡± This drew collective laughter from the class and even Ethan couldn¡¯t help but smiling a little at the joke though he was still bothered by the fact that he kept hearing his name called when it wasn¡¯t. ¡°Quick for twenty more meaningless points does anyone know the first permanent European settlement in what is now the United States?¡± Mr. Darnell asked. ¡°Yes you Alex.¡± ¡°Saint Augustine, Florida,¡± Alex answered. ¡°Yes, I can see you¡¯re going to be the one setting the curve in this class,¡± Mr. Darnell said beaming at him. ¡°The rest of you can blame Alex when you all fail this class.¡± When the class stared silently back at him with concerned faces he laughed. ¡°Relax, that was my joke,¡± he said dismissively. ¡°I don¡¯t grade on a curve and I know you¡¯re all going to pass this class with flying colors. I¡¯m going to make sure each and every one of you do great so that when your parents get your report cards they won¡¯t be having a discussion with you about your history class at least.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Gavin said loudly, ¡°because my parents are going to be pissed already when they see my P.E. grade.¡± This drew more laughter from the class and Ethan decided then and there that history was his favorite class by far at Hinan Academy. While he usually would have placed P.E. above it, the way Mr. Darnell taught just made him want to learn and he found himself not minding that he was in class. When class finally ended Ethan was feeling pretty good and just wanted to go relax somewhere. Perhaps he could lie down in the quad somewhere or find a nice shaded spot. Bella ruined these thoughts a second later by asking him, ¡°Do you have homework you need to work on? I was thinking about heading to the library and trying to get some done before dinner.¡± Ethan responded by looking over at her sourly and narrowing his eyes. Bella laughed in response to this and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look so excited about it. Come on, it won¡¯t be so bad if we¡¯re together.¡± Sighing Ethan muttered, ¡°fine, I do have homework that I need to do. I really just didn¡¯t want to think about it.¡± This was true as he had Biology homework that was due first think tomorrow morning. Man, he hated school sometimes. It was bad enough that it was now taking up most of five and half days out of his week but it couldn¡¯t be content with that so it decided to eat into his nights and weekends too. He promised to meet Bella in ten minutes at the library after leaving his History classroom. Running back to his dorm room he quickly grabbed his Biology book off of his desk where he¡¯d spread it out trying to dry out the saturated pages. The book was now dry but the pages were now wavy, stiff, and showing obvious signs of water damage. We¡¯ll that¡¯s just great he thought. Hopefully it¡¯s still useable or I¡¯m going to be in real trouble this year. His Health book was showing similar symptoms, but he was at least grateful that those were the only two textbooks he¡¯d had on him when he fell into the dungeon lake. Scowling he added it to his backpack along with his other books and left the room before he chanced an encounter with Alex which were always unpleasant. Seriously, four years of rooming with him was not going to end well for either of them at this rate. Making his way across the quad Ehtan located the library on the other side of Racoon House. It was huge. Way bigger than any library he¡¯d ever seen in his life, especially for a school. It was two stories tall and stacked from floor to ceiling with books in row after row. There were tables in the front for students to sit and work at though there were also hidden cubbys and seating areas throughout the whole library as well. Bella was waiting for him at the front and the two of them made their way to a cozy corner on the second floor which overlooked the ocean. Ethan hadn¡¯t realized it before but the library was near the western end of campus next to a road that butted up against a beautiful white sand beach. He definitely needed to get out there sometime if he was living this close to it. Living in California he¡¯d been to the beach before but it was a rarity still as Fresno was hours away from the coast. Now though he could walk there in less than five minutes. That was awesome. Turning his head away from the window he refocused on his task and pulled his Biology book out of his backpack and cracked it open. ¡°What did you do to that book?¡± Bella asked staring at it. ¡°Oh my backpack got wet yesterday when I hit my head,¡± Ethan mumbled not really wanting to explain it to her. ¡°You¡¯re lucky you didn¡¯t drown,¡± Bella said looking concerned. No kidding, Ethan thought remembering his plunge into the lake. Could have drowned or been burned alive, just your typical first day at Hinan Academy. This caused him to smirk a little as he laughed at the joke in his head. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Bella asked curious. ¡°I was just thinking about how only I could have had such a great first day at school,¡± Ethan answered. ¡°Now your due for some good fortune,¡± Bella said. ¡°You got the bad stuff out of the way early so now it should be smooth sailing from here on out.¡± I highly doubt that Ethan thought as he heard his name called once again and this time he knew it wasn¡¯t coming from the girl in front of him. Chapter 6: Tryouts Over the next week Ethan settled into the routine of his new life at Hinan Academy. He¡¯d go to class and then go to the library in order to do homework with Bella. He expected homework when he came to Hinan but the sheer amount of homework he received was shocking. Did these teachers not expect students to have a life outside of school? Ethan actually probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep up with it if not for Bella. She was much smarter than she let on and was a godsend for his Math homework in particular, which was easily his worst subject. Math just didn¡¯t make sense to him. Sure he could add, subtract, and multiply with ease but now they were throwing all of these weird formulas at him which just were impossible to figure out even with him paying attention in class and reading over the book before attempting them. How the hell did 5-(x+2)=5x? That did add up at all. Was x even a real number? Bella was a saint though. She took time away from her own, much more difficult homework to help Ethan understand and finish his. Better than that though she didn¡¯t ever make him feel stupid or patronize him which he appreciated greatly. He hated feeling stupid even though he spent a majority of his time at school feeling this way outside of P.E. and History. Outside of school and the mountain of homework he was being given, the other consistent in his life was the unfamiliar voice in his head which was even less welcome than the homework. Ethan had since learned to ignore it though it seemed to be growing more and more persistent as the days went by. At the end of the day on Tuesday he finally attended his first Drawing and Painting class and it was even worse than he expected. The teacher, a younger woman named Ms. Phelan, really didn¡¯t seem to appreciate that he¡¯d skipped her first class. When he pointed to his head and tried to explain that he¡¯d fallen, hit his head, and knocked himself out on the way to her class she actually rolled her eyes at him. This story wasn¡¯t true of course, but what was he going to do? Tell her that he got lost on his way to class and stumbled his way into a magical dungeon that tried to kill him. Yeah that wouldn¡¯t go over well. He lost points for the homework he didn¡¯t do the night before, he lost points for skipping class, and then she assigned him extra homework and gave him detention to boot. Worse yet, he was truly awful at drawing and she was completely unwilling to help him. In fact, she almost seemed to enjoy watching him struggle. It was definitely going to be a long year in this class and if he passed it would be a miracle. Detention in contrast really wasn¡¯t so bad. It was served in a classroom on the main floor of Hinan hall and ran from the end of classes until dinner. There was only one other student in the room with Ethan and they were both instructed by the teacher that they couldn¡¯t talk or leave but could work on homework, which is probably what he would have been doing anyways. All in all it was actually a pretty productive time for Ethan as he finished all of his homework before heading to dinner in the dining hall where he met Bella. ¡°Where were you tonight?¡± Bella asked sitting at the table across from him. ¡°I looked for you all over the library, but you never showed up.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Ethan muttered taking a bite out of a chicken strip. ¡°My lovely Art teacher sent me straight to detention after class for skipping her first lesson.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you explain to her about your injury?¡± Bella asked. ¡°Of course,¡± he answered. ¡°She was having none of it and I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m on her bad side now. Outside of giving me detention she made sure to make my life hell in her classroom.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not fair,¡± Bella replied outraged. ¡°You told her the truth, suffered an injury, and she¡¯s punishing you for it.¡± ¡°Life¡¯s not fair Bella,¡± Ethan said. ¡°If it was we both wouldn¡¯t have needed a financial scholarship to get into this school.¡± And besides it¡¯s not really the truth he thought to himself. The truth is even more bizarre. Changing the subject Bella asked, ¡°So are you going to join any clubs?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°I¡¯ll probably try out for soccer starting on Thursday but I haven¡¯t thought about much besides that.¡± ¡°Yeah you¡¯re good at that,¡± Bella said smiling at him. ¡°One of the best during P.E.¡± ¡°One of the best because Quincy is always making the rest of us look like fools out there?¡± he asked smiling at her. ¡°Well Quincy is amazing,¡± Bella said in an annoying admiring way. ¡°You can¡¯t expect to play at her level. I heard Ms. Rockfort talking with some of the other instructors and apparently she¡¯s a shoe-in to make the girl¡¯s varsity team.¡± I bet she is, Ethan thought sourly. In the now three times they¡¯d played against each other in P.E. no matter how hard he tried Ethan just couldn¡¯t get the better of Quin. The stupid girl had an unnatural ability to control everything on the field and she was bigger than him which made going head to head against her all the more frustrating when this girl shoved him off of the ball. He hated losing to her and couldn¡¯t stand her stupid arrogant face. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t look like that,¡± Bella said throwing a french fry at him. ¡°You¡¯re good too, really. I¡¯m always impressed watching you out on the field. Tell you what, I¡¯ll come watch your tryouts on Thursday and cheer you on.¡± ¡°Oh thanks Bella,¡± Ethan said feeling a bit embarrassed that she saw his feelings about Quin bubble to the surface. ¡°Hopefully I can make the JV team, but we¡¯ll see. Are you thinking of joining any clubs or trying out for any teams?¡± She laughed at this and said, ¡°Well I¡¯m definitely not trying out for any sports. Look at me and you¡¯ve seen me out there during P.E. I have absolutely no coordination or athletic talent whatsoever.¡± She has a point there, Ethan thought looking at her. She really is awful at P.E. and I don¡¯t think any coach is going to look at her round figure and think that they can mold her into an athlete. He wasn¡¯t going to say this too her though so instead he said, ¡°I¡¯m sure you could make a team if you tried. Maybe soccer just isn¡¯t your sport. You could try volleyball or cross-country.¡± This caused Bella to laugh even harder and she said, ¡°I appreciate your kindness but seriously look at me. I won¡¯t be doing either of those. No, I think I might join model U.N. You know something a bit less physical.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯d be great at that,¡± Ethan said quickly glad to be getting away from the sensitive subject of Bella¡¯s body. ¡°You¡¯re really smart, like really smart.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just average,¡± Bella said and then smirking added, ¡°but I guess compared to you¡­¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Ethan exclaimed and threw a french fry at her causing both of them to laugh. The next couple of days went by quickly until Ethan found himself out on the soccer field at 6:30 on Thursday with quite a few other Freshmen and Sophomore boys. Seeing the older boys and how many of them their were made him nervous. He hadn¡¯t considered that it wouldn¡¯t be just Freshmen trying out for this team. All of the Sophomores were taller and generally bigger with their extra year of growth benefiting them. He¡¯d definitely have his work cut out for him if he wanted to make this team. True to her world Bella was there and found a seat on a bench near the field where she could watch the tryouts. Ethan was also please to see that Lee was there to try out as well which meant at least he¡¯d have a couple friendly faces around. To his surprise it turned out that old Mr. Thorton was the JV soccer coach in addition to being the Biology teacher. Apparently back in the day he was quite the player himself, though judging by his age and appearance Ethan guessed this must have been a long, long time ago. Still Thorton took his coaching seriously and jumped right into tryouts by setting them all on a two mile run much to Ethan¡¯s dismay. Sure he could run and play, but he was nowhere near in good enough shape to handle a two mile run without a problem. The run was exhausting and Ethan definitely didn¡¯t make a good impression on Thorton with it by finishing in the last third of the boys. When he finally finished he bent over with his hands on his legs breathing hard. He really thought he was in better shape than this but apparently not. Not giving the students a chance to recover Thorton then divided them up into group and set them to doing various drills. Ethan¡¯s first drill was dribbling the ball in a figure eight around and through some cones. At first it was easy as he was allowed to dribble around the cones in whatever manner he wanted to, but then Thorton got more restrictive with them by requiring the students to dribble around the left with the outside of their left foot and the right with the outside of the left foot. Then they switched and did the inside of their right foot while going to the left and the inside of their left foot while going to their right all while dribbling as fast as they could. Ehtan was proud of himself that he managed to mostly maintain control fo the ball the whole time though he definitely struggled a bit with his left foot. He was right foot dominate and it felt awkward using the other foot as much as he was being forced to. The next drill was better as it saw a group of students standing around in a small circle passing the ball back and forth to each other without settling it while one player in the middle tried to intercept it. This was actually a fun game of keep away and Ethan was much better at it and started to enjoy himself. Several of the other boys trying out struggled to keep the ball in the tight circle and either flubbed their passes or popped the ball up in the air and over their intended target, but Ethan felt like he had a handle on controlling the ball without settling it. He was only forced into the middle once and he intercepted the ball right away to get out. Next they were forced to do a dribbling, shooting, and passing drill that involved a player passing the ball to another player who then dribbled the ball through some cones towards goal before passing it outside to another player who then passed it back. As soon as the ball came back the player was then to attempt a first time shot on goal trying to beat the goalkeeper. This caused some spectacular misses as players struggled with the movement on the ball coming at them while they tried to blast a shot. Only a few players ended up scoring though Ethan was fortunate enough to put it in the net twice. He was slightly worse at passing than he was at dribbling and shooting but he was downright awful at playing the goalkeeper. He definitely let in a couple of goals that should have been saved because he wasn¡¯t good at reading the shot. Still he wasn¡¯t super worried about this because he really didn¡¯t want to be a goalkeeper. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Lastly Thorton split them up into teams of seven and set them to scrimaging against each other. Thorton actually divided the field in half and dragged out some smaller nets to accommodate multiple games going on at once. Ethan lined up in his preferred midfield position for the red team as they took on the blue team. The game did not go well. His team was vastly outclassed by the other team no matter how hard Ethan worked and how much of the field he covered. He felt like he ended up spending most of the time helping his teammates out on defense and then whenever he won the ball back they¡¯d give it away immediately again. His only opportunity on goal he missed as he attempted an audacious diving header in the box and sent the ball a full ten yards over the crossbar. By the end of the scrimmage his team had lost five to nothing and he was completely exhausted. ¡°Ethan, you need to trust in your teammates more,¡± Thorton barked at him as he dragged his heavy legs off the field. ¡°Also if you¡¯re going to play a box-to-box midfielder you¡¯re going to need to work on that stamina. They could hear your wheezing back in the quad.¡± ¡°Yes sir, I¡¯ll work on it,¡± Ethan said hanging his head. He felt totally deflated. Night one of tryout certainly didn¡¯t go as well as he¡¯d hoped. At this rate he might not make the team. Out of the twenty-eight boys trying out there were only fourteen to fifteen spots on the team so a good chunk of them would end up getting cut. As he walked over to where Bella sat he vowed to redouble his efforts Friday night and Saturday afternoon. ¡°Good job,¡± Bella said standing up as he approached her bench. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯m not sure Mr. Thorton was all that impressed with me,¡± Ethan muttered. ¡°Well I was,¡± Bella said. ¡°I thought you were great. Really he¡¯d be crazy not to put you on the team.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, there¡¯s quite a few quality players out there,¡± Ethan replied, ¡°and I¡¯m really struggling with my stamina. I really wasn¡¯t expecting that two mile run to start.¡± ¡°Yeah that looked painful,¡± Bella said. ¡°I would have probably quit right there as soon as he said to do that.¡± As the two of them walked back towards the quad the two of them caught Quincy running laps around the soccer field, tennis courts, baseball field, and football stadium. ¡°Didn¡¯t the girls have tryouts earlier?¡± Ethan asked staring after her incredulously. ¡°Yeah I think they held the girls tryouts on the baseball field,¡± Bella said staring after Quincy as well. ¡°She¡¯s been at that for the last forty minutes or so.¡± ¡°She¡¯s insane,¡± Ethan muttered. ¡°If their tryouts were anything like ours I don¡¯t know how she¡¯s able to run. I can barely walk right now.¡± ¡°She¡¯s amazing,¡± Bella said appreciatively. ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it,¡± Ethan muttered sourly. ¡°Don¡¯t be so sulky about it,¡± Bella said. ¡°Just because a girl has beat you a couple of times in P.E. doesn¡¯t mean you shouldn¡¯t be able to appreciate how athletic she is.¡± Not a couple times, Ethan thought, every time. Besides that¡¯s no girl, that¡¯s some sort of olympian alien disguised as a girl. This thought made him smile as he laughed internally at his own joke. ¡°There you go,¡± Bella said misunderstanding his facial expression. ¡°Really learning from her in P.E. will probably help your game.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Ethan muttered not really wanting to discuss Quincy any more. They walked in silence for the rest of the way until they split up in the quad with Bella heading for Wildcat House and Ethan heading back to Salamander. He was so tired all he really wanted to do was to collapse in his bed and fall asleep forever. Hopefully when he woke up his legs wouldn¡¯t be so weak. He didn¡¯t even care that when he got home, Alex was there and playing video games loudly. In fact it didn¡¯t even keep him from falling asleep because he past out almost as soon as his head hit his pillow. Unfortunately when he woke up in the morning his legs were even worse. They were now sore and stiff and had trouble responding to his mental commands. He tried to loosen up his muscles in the shower but only had moderate success. By the time he got to tryouts that night he was worried that he might collapse during the two mile warm up run. Miraculously he didn¡¯t, but he really struggled in the run and finished dead last out of all twenty-eight players. When he finished Thorton just looked at him and shook his head muttering, ¡°Stamina Russell, stamina.¡± While it was bad enough that Thorton noticed how badly Ethan ran the two miles, it was even worse when he didn¡¯t let up or give any sympathy. Instead he threw Ethan and the rest of them right into drills once more. Ethan only got through them by sheer force of will by mentally screaming at his legs and forcing them way past what he was sure their limit was. By Saturday, the last day of tryouts Ethan was even worse. His legs were lead and he even pulled a Gavin in P.E. by not putting in any effort. He figured if his legs had anything left he needed all of it during tryouts. He ended up walking part of the two mile run and was thankful that he wasn¡¯t the only one. Thorton coaxed on Ethan and the rest of the strangers but Ethan wasn¡¯t sure that any amount of coaxing would get his legs to operate any better. Somehow he finished the run and somehow Thorton didn¡¯t seem to notice how close to collapsing half of his players were as he threw them all immediately into drills. Ethan cheated a bit during drills. At this point he wasn¡¯t above that and everytime Thorton started watching another group he stood around lazily trying to rest his legs as much as he possibly could. It sort of worked at least until Thorton brought them all in to play a couple more scrimmage matches. This time he didn¡¯t play well and he knew it. Ethan just wasn¡¯t mobile enough to be effective and he ended up making a couple key defensive mistakes that cost his team a goal. All in all he was pretty exhausted and dejected when Thorton finally called it. ¡°I want to congratulate you all for working hard over these last three days,¡± Thorton said. ¡°You all should be proud of yourselves regardless of whether or not you make the team. On Monday I will be posting the final results of who made the team outside of the Gymnasium so please make sure your stop by and check because the first official team practice is Tuesday night.¡± With that he dismissed them all and Ethan limped over to the bench Bella was sitting on. ¡°Good job,¡± Bella said standing up. ¡°Did you make the team?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he replied. ¡°I won¡¯t know until Monday, but going by today¡¯s performance, probably not.¡± ¡°You look like you could use some ice on those legs or something,¡± Bella said looking at Ethan over. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I need ice,¡± he replied shaking his head. ¡°Probably just need to stretch them out a bit. They¡¯re so stiff. Maybe some light walking would help instead of all this running.¡± ¡°Okay, why don¡¯t we take a walk around all of the fields and maybe head out onto the beach?¡± Bella asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanted to check out the beach anyways and see how good it is.¡± ¡°Yeah that works,¡± Ethan said allowing the girl to take the lead. Maybe a swim in the ocean would help too he thought hobbling next to her. Either that or he should soak in a hot bath for the rest of his life. As they walked he scowled as Quincy blew past the two of them running her laps again. Does she ever quit? She¡¯d already run circles around him and everyone else in P.E. this morning and now she was running again. Jesus, she was the worst. ¡°You join Model UN yet?¡± Ethan asked Bella trying to distract himself from the pain and Quincy. ¡°No, the first meeting isn¡¯t until this coming week,¡± Bella replied. ¡°Unlike athletics, the clubs seem to want to give students a couple weeks to settle in before bombarding them with activities.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope they treat you better than Thorton treats us,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°He seemed to be pretty good natured in Bio. Little did I know that a sadist hid under that old man¡¯s mask.¡± ¡°He seems to be doing what all soccer coaches do,¡± Bella replied. ¡°One of my older brother¡¯s plays and they are always having to run. I think they just give you the ball and trick you into thinking that it¡¯s a game, when really they are just trying to get you to exercise.¡± ¡°I¡¯m beginning to agree with you,¡± Ethan muttered. ¡°This is why you¡¯re smarter than me though. It takes an old man almost killing me before I realize it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not saying much Russell,¡± an unwelcome voice quipped from behind Ethan. ¡°You¡¯re probably the dumbest person at this school. Turning around Ethan found Alex standing there with a mocking expression on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything better to do than to bother us?¡± Ethan asked annoyed. ¡°I do,¡± Alex replied, ¡°but on my pleasant stroll to the docks who do I run into but the Shipper couple. First there¡¯s the idiot who can¡¯t think or walk and then there''s the fat one who I should probably report to immigration enforcement.¡± Anger surged instantly through Ethan and he snapped, ¡°Take that back Alex. Bella doesn¡¯t deserve to be treated like that.¡± ¡°Aw I¡¯m touched,¡± Alex replied sarcastically. ¡°Look at how defensive he gets over his girlfriend.¡± ¡°She¡¯s just my friend,¡± Ethan spat starting to hobble towards the other boy, ¡°but you need to apologize to her right now.¡± ¡°Ethan, just let it go,¡± Bella said grabbing his arm. ¡°He¡¯s not worth it. It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°No it¡¯s not fine,¡± Ethan snapped at her harsher than he meant to. ¡°He¡¯s been a jerk to me since day one for no reason other than the fact that I¡¯m not as well off as he is and now he¡¯s picking on you as well. I¡¯m not going to stand for it anymore.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to what? Fight me?¡± Alex asked looking Ethan up and down. ¡°Good luck with that. You can barely walk, but by all means come at me and see how it goes for you.¡± Growling Ethan limped faster toward the other boy only to freeze a moment later as he caught the image of a large winged dog swoop down and land only a few feet behind Alex. It looked sort of like a german shepard but with brown and white fur and large wings protruding from its back. It¡¯s fangs were bared and the hackles on it¡¯s back were raised as is silently crept towards Alex. Something must have showed in Ethan¡¯s facial expression because Alex said, ¡°Yeah that¡¯s what I thought you coward. You¡¯re all talk.¡± Realizing that there were only seconds until Alex was mauled by whatever this dog was Ethan sprang forward using the adrenaline surging through his body to ignore the pain in his legs. This caught Alex completely off guard because his facial expression changed from one of condescension to one of surprise. The dog sprang forward right as Ethan reached Alex tackling the other boy to the ground. Ethan landed on top of the other boy with a thump and heard the snarling, snapping mouth of the beast miss his face by inches. He wasn¡¯t so lucky with the long claws on its front legs which raked across his exposed back ripping long tears easily through his light athletic shirt. Gasping in pain he seized arching his back and pushing his stomach into Alex who was underneath him. ¡°Gah, get off of me,¡± Alex yelled shoving Ethan and rolling him to the side. ¡°Jesus, what in the hell is that thing?¡± With Ethan out of his way, Alex finally caught sight of the dog who was slowly turning around to face them. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ethan said through gritted teeth pushing himself up onto his knees and staring at the animal. Ethan Russell, a voice said in his head. You can not ignore us. You have been bound to the dungeon and you must continue to attempt it. ¡°Leave me alone,¡± Ethan yelled at the dog. ¡°I don¡¯t care about you or your dungeon. I didn¡¯t ask for this. Find someone else.¡± I cannot, the voice said. You are not the only one, but no one who has been bound is allowed to ignore their duty. Such is the compact. You will either fight through the dungeon and claim the heart or your will die. With that the dog sprang forward launching itself directly at Ethan. Before he even realized what he was doing Ethan pressed the tattoo on his wrist summoning the spirit sword and armor and catching the dog¡¯s mouth as it tried to bite down on him with the blade of his sword turned sides. It¡¯s weight pushed down against him causing Ethan to fall backwards but he held the blade steady preventing the beast¡¯s deadly fangs from making contact with anything except for the sword. Rolling to the side he pulled the blade sliding it sideways out of the dog¡¯s mouth and slicing it along the joint near its jaw. He then pushed himself to his feet and slashed wildly at the animal grazing it near its midsection and drawing a trickle of blood. ¡°Leave us alone,¡± Ethan yelled at it as it yelped and jumped away out of his swordreach. Eyeing his sword the dog took one last look at Ethan before turning, running, and launching itself into the air where it flew away towards the nearby mountains. Exhausted, he stood their panting watching it fly away and wondering what he did to deserve this. His train of thought was broken a second later by Alex asking, ¡°what was that thing and for that matter what are you wearing and where did that sword come from?¡± Ethan looked down at the sword in his hand and then back at Alex with his mouth hanging open. How on Earth was he going to explain this one? ¡°Ethan?¡± Bella asked a moment later. ¡°I¡¯m a bit confused as well by what is going on.¡± Chapter 7: Explainations ¡°Well you see,¡± Ethan began trying to rack his brain for a way to explain this in a way that makes sense. How was he going to explain this? He didn¡¯t even completely understand it himself. You see there was a dungeon, whatever that was, underneath the school and it somehow bred these weird monsters that were similar to normal animals but completely terrifying at the same time, like fire breathing chickens. Yeah they¡¯ll totally understand that. ¡°Ethan, are you alright?¡± Bella asked moving closer to him with a concerned look on her face. Tentatively she held her hand out and tried to touch the spirit armor on his arm but her hand seemed to go right through it and instead she was just prodding at his shoulder. She tried this a couple of times before giving up and looking at him curiously. ¡°Dude, say something,¡± Alex finally snapped looking annoyed. ¡°Judging by this get up and the way you reacted, you¡¯ve got to know something about it.¡± ¡°I uh,¡± Ethan said still trying to figure out the best way to explain it. ¡°Maybe just start with the sword and armor, at least I think it¡¯s armor,¡± Alex said. Oh right, I should probably turn that off before I get even more curious people questioning me Ethan thought touching the tattoo on his wrist and vanishing the sword and the armor. Maybe I could just play dumb and prentend I have no idea what they are talking about? Nah, that wouldn¡¯t work, they both saw me, and besides I owe Bella an explanation even if I don¡¯t care what Alex thinks. ¡°Alright,¡± Ethan said pushing himself to his feet. ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to explain it really, mostly because I don¡¯t understand most of it myself so I think it¡¯s best if I just show you two.¡± ¡°Show us what?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Just come with me and hopefully this will all make sense, or at least as much sense as it¡¯s going to,¡± Ethan said starting to hobble back toward the quad. The pain in his legs, which had momentarily vanished during the fight was now back and worse than ever. Even worse than that was the fact that it felt like his back was on fire. He didn¡¯t even want to know what that looked like. He¡¯d have to contact his mom and tell her that he¡¯d ruined his P.E. shirt in less than two weeks of being at school. That was certain to be a fun conversation. ¡°Where are you taking us?¡± Bella asked him nervously before adding, ¡°maybe we should get the nurse to look at that back of yours.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ethan said lying automatically. ¡°It just a couple shallow scratches. I can barely feel it.¡± ¡°If you say so,¡± Bella said doubtfully. The three of them walked in silence back down the sidewalk past the tennis courts, past Ethan¡¯s dorm, onto the quad, and finally into Hinan Hall.¡± ¡°Why did you bring us into Hinan Hall?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Is this some sort of joke?¡± ¡°Just shut up Alex,¡± Ethan muttered. ¡°I¡¯m going to show you this so hopefully you won¡¯t ask me any more questions.¡± This actually worked because Alex did shut up as he followed Ethan and Bella down the stairs into the basement where Ethan turned down the hall and made his way to the unlabelled room near the end with the ancient wood doors. Heaving the heavy doors he slowly opened them allowing himself, Alex, and Bella to pass into the dark room. Quickly he strode across the room toward the elevator that he knew was at the back. ¡°What is this place?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Some kind of storage room?¡± ¡°This is the dungeon,¡± Ethan responded. ¡°What the hell is the dungeon?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Bella do they lock you shippers up in the basement as punishment for being so poor or something?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen this room in my life,¡± Bella said. ¡°Ethan what do you mean by dungeon?¡± She looked a bit worried as she asked this, like Ethan might be mentally unstable or something. Maybe he was. There were far too many weird things happening since he came to this town to explain. He was about to say something when torches lit up near the back wall and the big wooden door slammed shut behind then. ¡°Ethan Russell,¡± the disembodied voice of the dungeon boomed. ¡°You have returned. I knew you would.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t really give me much of a choice,¡± Ethan replied angrily. ¡°Ah there¡¯s that righteous anger that makes you such a fine red,¡± the dungeon said. ¡°Simmering close to the surface, always poised to strike like the tip of a sharp sword.¡± ¡°Could you shut up about that and just explain to these two what is going on,¡± Ethan snapped. ¡°Hmm, two you say?¡± the dungeon asked, ¡°but there are three. Let me see yes, all excellent candidates. Alexander Ishida with intelligence to spare. Cold, logical, and loyal to those who have earned your trust you will make an excellent blue shield for it is your brain that is your greatest weapon.¡± ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Just who are you? Come out where we can see you.¡± Ignoring him the dungeon continued, ¡°Isabella Tavarez, the kind-hearted sensitive girl who always puts the needs of others before her own, even when it harms you. You will serve others as the yellow ax.¡± ¡°How do you know my name?¡± Bella asked completely confused. Once again though the dungeon didn¡¯t answer and instead continued speaking, ¡°Quincy Phillips. Wild, stubborn, and independent. Like the roots of the great oak you go where you will and let nothing get in your way. You will be the green bow hunting all who would seek to stop you. ¡°Quin?¡± Ethan asked turning around and staring into the darker section of the room closest to the door. Sure enough there was a silhouette of a tall girl standing there. He was about to ask what she was doing there when his thoughts were abruptly cut off by the other three as they began to scream. Bella and Alex both fell to the ground clutching at different parts of their bodies. The symbols, Ethan thought looking at his own and remembering how painful it was getting it. Putting Bella first he rushed over to her and held her as she clutched the back of her neck screaming. ¡°Hold on Bella,¡± Ethan said trying to soothe her. ¡°It should be over quickly. At least it was for me.¡± The screaming went on longer than he remembered but finally it was over and the other three lay there panting. ¡°Bella are you alright?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°I think so she said still probing at the back of her neck with tears running down her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m alright too, thanks for asking,¡± Alex said lifting up his shirt and looking at a symbol that was identical to Ethan¡¯s, but blue, on the left side of his abdomen. I didn¡¯t really care if you were okay, Ethan thought rolling his eyes. ¡°What is this?¡± Quin asked walking forward toward the rest of them and clutching her left wrist where Ethan could make out the triple comma symbol in green on the inside of her wrist. She looked to be in much better condition than the other two, but Ethan guessed that she probably had a better pain tolerance or was better at pushing through the pain. ¡°I have unlocked each of your potentials,¡± the dungeon said and then proceeded to go into the same lengthy but vague explanation it gave Ethan over a week ago. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that if I press this symbol it will form into armor and a weapon?¡± Alex asked pushing the symbol underneath his shirt. For a second nothing happened and then blue oozed out through his clothes and shirt and formed into the hard but flexible translucent armor around his whole body before finally a tall rectangular shield formed in front of his hand with a grip landing in his hand. ¡°Hard to argue with physical evidence,¡± Alex said shrugging and looking the shield over. Next Quincy pressed the symbol in her wrist and her own green armor formed with a bow in her hand and a quiver full of translucent green arrows on her back. ¡°Do I have one too?¡± Bella asked me. ¡°Move your hand and let me see,¡± I ordered her. Slowly she moved her hand and held up her hair, exposing a yellow version of the symbol on the back of her neck. ¡°Yep, if you press on the back of your neck, I¡¯m guessing that your yellow armor and weapon will form,¡± I said as Bella pushed a couple of fingers against it. Yellow armor formed around her with the ax forming in her hand. It was a bit of a weird variation of an ax, with an exceptionally long handle leading to a double-sided head at the top. Both sides of the head had curving axe blades but one was far larger than the other one. ¡°What am I supposed to do with this?¡± Bella asked looking skeptically at the weapon. ¡°I imagine were supposed to fight with them, like Ethan used that sword to fight against that strange dog,¡± Quin answered her and then proceeded to fire an arrow into the wall from her bow. ¡°Yes, you will use them to defend yourselves as you make your way through the dungeon and try to claim my heart,¡± the dungeon said. ¡°You gave them all weapons and I got this shield?¡± Alex asked incredulously. ¡°How is that fair?¡± ¡°I did not give any of you weapons,¡± the dungeon corrected. ¡°You created those yourselves. Your spirit saw a shield as the right tool for you and that¡¯s why it took that shape.¡± ¡°Sounds like a load of crap to me,¡± Alex muttered. ¡°Look into yourself and you will see that what I say is true,¡± the dungeon replied. ¡°Now the time for speaking is over. You must experience for yourselves what the dungeon is like.¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Wait!¡± Ethan yelled not wanting to get thrown into that lake again. ¡°Can we just take the elevator down this time?¡± ¡°I assumed that is what you would do,¡± the dungeon replied flatly causing no small amount of irritation for Ethan. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you let me take the Elevator down the first time?¡± he asked very annoyed. ¡°You seemed to need the extra motivation,¡± the dungeon explained. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that will be the case will these three.¡± I hate this thing Ethan thought, but said outloud, ¡°Come on I¡¯ll show you all the stupid dungeon because the sooner we do this, the sooner we can leave.¡± Walking over to the elevator he hit the button to call it and a second later the doors slid open. ¡°Alright, everyone in,¡± Ethan order holding his arm in front of the door so it wouldn¡¯t slide shut. ¡°Where does this elevator go?¡± Alex asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know that this building had an elevator.¡± ¡°Just get in an you¡¯ll see,¡± Ethan answered annoyed. ¡°It will take me way longer to try and explain it to you.¡± Walking over Alex, Quincy, and Bella entered the elevator before Alex asked, ¡°What are all these buttons for? You can¡¯t tell me there are this many floors in Hinan Hall.¡± ¡°I have no idea,¡± Ethan responded entering the elevator himself. ¡°They each go to a different floor of the dungeon,¡± the dungeon said as the doors slid shut. ¡°Right now only the first floor of the dungeon is accessible to you as well as this room in the basement of Hinan Hall. You must clear each floor before the next becomes available.¡± ¡°What do you mean by clear each floor?¡± Alex asked. ¡°That is something you will have to find out on your own,¡± the dungeon answered without really answering. ¡°Each floor is different and they have different requirements.¡± ¡°Great that¡¯s super helpful,¡± Alex spat at the voice. ¡°How will we even know if we¡¯ve cleared a floor.¡± ¡°That is simple,¡± the dungeon answered. ¡°A green light will surround the next floor¡¯s button on this elevator.¡± Ethan hit the button for the first dungeon floor and the elevator began descending rapidly heading back towards the hell that he knew awaited them. When they finally reached the bottom the doors opened with a chime revealing the mostly empty interior of the temple. Stepping out he strode across the room until he reached the doors and pushed them open revealing the bright sunlight outside as well as the temple grounds and the fields in front of it. ¡°What in the world?¡± Quin asked stepping up next to him. ¡°Wasn¡¯t the elevator going down?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it was,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°I can¡¯t explain it either. It was like this the first time I got dropped in here too, though that wasn¡¯t nearly as pleasant as the elevator ride.¡± Alex and Bella stepped outside marvelling at their surroundings. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be possible,¡± Alex said staring up into the cloudless sky and at the mountains behind the temple. ¡°We should be in a sub-basement or even some sort of underground cavern.¡± ¡°As I said to Quin,¡± Ethan stated. ¡°I can¡¯t explain it. This dungeon is totally beyond my understanding of the world.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like it¡¯s a different world,¡± Bella muttered softly. ¡°What is this some sort of Japanese temple?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a shrine actually,¡± Alex said thoughtfully. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°No,¡± Alex answered. ¡°You see Shrines are-- well it¡¯s not really important right now. Quin try to shoot an arrow into the sky will you?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Quin asked looking puzzled. ¡°I just want to see if it¡¯s like a really good illusion,¡± Alex answered. Shrugging Quin did as she was asked and fired a shot nearly straight up towards the blue sky. It sailed a ways up before arcing, reaching its apex, and turning and falling down towards the ground where it ended up landing on the roof of the shrine. ¡°Guess that settles that,¡± Alex muttered quizzically. ¡°Definitely not an illusion. Maybe this is a different world.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious?¡± Ethan asked Alex rolling his eyes. ¡°We got on an elevator and went down, not through space.¡± ¡°Nothing about this makes logical sense, so in order to try and understand it I think it¡¯s best if we throw out our preconceived notions of how things are supposed to be,¡± Alex answered condescendingly. ¡°This place doesn¡¯t seem to operate by the same rules that we have thought the world works by so we¡¯re going to have to start from scratch here.¡± ¡°So are we stuck here until we clear this floor?¡± Quin asked looking out toward the forest in the distance. ¡°No, we can get back on that elevator and ride it back up to the basement of Hinan Hall,¡± Ethan answered. ¡°That¡¯s how I got out of here the first time.¡± ¡°How did you end up in here the first time?¡± Bella asked. ¡°I got lost on my way to Drawing and that stupid voice dropped me in a lake after I stumbled into that room.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how you got injured last week,¡± Bella said with comprehension dawning on her face. ¡°You never fell on the quad and knocked yourself out.¡± ¡°Yeah well who would have believed me if I said a disembodied voice in the basement of Hinan Hall dropped me in an underground lake where I could still see the sun overhead,¡± Ethan answered. ¡°Yeah I supposed I¡¯d have thought you hit your head harder than you were letting on,¡± Bella said looking slightly embarrassed. ¡°Yeah, my thoughts exactly,¡± Ethan said, ¡°and nothing down here is what it seems. Like take those chickens for instance. They look normal enough, but they actually breathe fire and try to kill you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous,¡± Alex said rolling his eyes while Quin raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°They¡¯re just chickens. Quit trying to scare us.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me go out there and see for yourself,¡± Ethan said shrugging. ¡°I¡¯ll watch from the steps behind the gate.¡± ¡°Why behind the gate?¡± Quin asked curiously. ¡°They seemed like they were unwilling or unable to cross it the first time I was down here,¡± Ethan answered. Moving slowly Alex climbed down the stairs, walked out from under the gate and approached one of the chickens who was absent-mindedly picking at the ground in front of it. ¡°Hey there Mr. Chicken,¡± Alex said. ¡°No need to panic, just trying to prove to everyone that you¡¯re just a harmless chicken.¡± The chicken jumped and squawked at hearing Alex behind him. It moved a few feet back from the kid and stared at him as if appraising the threat. ¡°That¡¯s it, take it easy, I¡¯m not going to hurt you,¡± Alex said edging closer to the bird. For a second Ethan really thought that the chicken wasn¡¯t going to do anything and that he was going to look like an idiot, but then it squawked loudly again drawing the attention of other nearby chickens. As soon as it felt it had suitable backup it opened its beak and let out a large stream of fire that Alex narrowly blocked by raising his shield. ¡°Jesus Christ,¡± Alex yelped. ¡°It¡¯s breathing fire. More chickens closed in and began adding their fire to the first¡¯s. Realizing that he was wholly unprepared for this Alex turned and ran back towards the staircase where Ethan sat smuggly watching the scene play out. Passing under the gate Alex ran up the staircase not stopping until he reached the top. He was doubled over and breathing hard standing next to Bella who was looking at him with concern on her face. ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Alex replied though he sounded anything but. ¡°I¡¯ve eaten fried chicken before but that has to be the first time a chicken has tried to fry me.¡± ¡°I guess you should have listened to Ethan,¡± Quin said with the same flat expression on her face that she always wore. ¡°He did warn you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you seriously believed him when he mentioned the chickens breathing fire,¡± Alex spat back at her still breathing hard. ¡°You yourself already said how strange and unnatural this place was,¡± Quin said shrugging. ¡°Why would chickens breathing fire be out of the question.¡± ¡°Fair point,¡± Alex said. ¡°Next time, I won¡¯t underestimate the chickens.¡± Like before the chickens stopped just in front of the gate and stared up at the group on the steps. ¡°Good thing they stopped at that gate like you said Ethan,¡± Bella stated. ¡°I¡¯ll never skip church again God,¡± Alex muttered speaking under his breath to the sky. ¡°Just please don¡¯t let me get killed by a chicken.¡± ¡°If you think the chickens are bad, you should meet the other birds down here,¡± Ethan muttered smiling back at Alex. ¡°What other birds?¡± Alex asked looking around frantically. This was what led to Ethan launching into the full story of his time in the dungeon from getting dropped into the lake, to getting shot at by ducks and herons to his frantic run through the forest. When Ethan was finished Quin looked intrigued while both Alex and Bella looked pale. ¡°This isn¡¯t a dungeon,¡± Alex said seriously. ¡°This has got to be the first level of hell and I want out of here.¡± ¡°We can leave anytime,¡± Ethan said not wanting to torment the other boy any more. Sure he didn¡¯t like Alex at all, but he didn¡¯t want to destroy the kid. Besides Ethan himself hated this place and had terrible memories of being attacked down here. Only he didn¡¯t think it would be that easy. ¡°We can go back up that elevator at anytime,¡± Ethan stated. ¡°As I said before, it¡¯s how I got out of here for the first time. Only I don¡¯t think the dungeon will leave you alone. It didn¡¯t leave me alone in the week after I left it. I constantly heard a voice calling to me and then today that thing attacked us.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that thing was really after you?¡± Bella asked. ¡°That¡¯s my guess,¡± Ethan said shrugging. ¡°When you both insisted on knowing what was going on I brought you here figuring I could show you this place so you¡¯d understand. I didn¡¯t know the dungeon would mark you as well. As I said I don¡¯t really understand much about it.¡± ¡°Thanks for that,¡± Alex spat sarcastically. ¡°I¡¯ve always dreamed of getting chosen by a satanic force of nature like this.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Ethan replied shrugging. ¡°You really were insistent and I couldn¡¯t think of a way to explain it without sounding crazy.¡± Taking an arrow from her quiver, Quin strung it on her bow and then fired it right into one of the chickens. The chicken and the arrow vanished almost immediately after the arrow hit it by turning into black essence and flowing down into the earth. ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± Quin said looking quizzically at the cluster of chickens and where the one she¡¯d shot had been. ¡°I guess eating them is out of the question.¡± ¡°Yeah, that same thing happened when I hit one with my sword,¡± Ethan said. ¡°Still it¡¯s nice to know you can shoot them from back here.¡± ¡°Yeah Quin, why don¡¯t you just go ahead and shoot the rest of those chickens for us,¡± Alex said motioning over at the remaining cluster. ¡°What do I look like to you?¡± Quin asked turning to him. ¡°Some kind of Chicken butcher?¡± ¡°Well I did say to myself after the first time I saw you. I said that girl has definitely strangled a few chickens in her day, no doubt about it,¡± Alex replied with a smile. ¡°So you thought I was some kind of farm girl?¡± Quin asked looking confused. ¡°More like Xena the Warrior Princess,¡± Alex replied. ¡°Whatever,¡± Quin muttered shaking her head. ¡°I grew up in urban Seattle just so you know and we got our chicken delivered to us from Whole Foods.¡± You got your groceries delivered to you, Ethan thought frowning. Someone definitely comes from money. ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t needlessly kill all of them,¡± Bella suggested. ¡°What have those chickens done to deserve that?¡± ¡°What have they done?¡± Alex repeated turning on her. ¡°They just literally tried to burn me alive. What have they done? They tried to kill me.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t know that they are malicious,¡± Bella responded quietly. ¡°You could have just started it and it might have just been trying to defend itself.¡± ¡°Maybe the first one, but what about the rest?¡± Alex shot back. ¡°They swarmed me and I wasn¡¯t anywhere near them. No, the only good chicken is a dead chicken, preferably battered and fried, but I¡¯m not too picky.¡± Speaking up before Bella could retort, Ethan said, ¡°Maybe we can figure this out later. I for one would really like to leave this place and go lay down. I¡¯m so sore I can barely walk and I really don¡¯t want to be moving around this place without full mobility.¡± ¡°Jesus dude, come on,¡± Alex said rolling his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve only been doing soccer tryout for what like two days?¡± ¡°Three,¡± Ethan replied defensively, ¡°and it¡¯s a whole lot more running than you do sitting on your butt playing video games all night. Thorton makes us run two miles before we even start.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sore from a two mile run?¡± Quin asked sounding genuinely surprised. Oh shut up Quin he thought staring angrily at the girl. Not everyone can be a superhuman athlete. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that my thumbs and fingers are in better shape than even the warrior princesses over there,¡± Alex quipped, ¡°but fine lets go back up and find a hospital bed for the old man here.¡± Without waiting for a response Alex set off back towards the shrine and the elevator. Ethan stood up slowly and followed after him with Bella falling in beside him. It took him almost the entire way back to the building before he noticed that Quin wasn¡¯t moving with them. ¡°Are you coming Quin?¡± Ethan called back to her. ¡°I was debating on staying and exploring on my own,¡± Quin said. ¡°You can do what you want, but I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s such a good idea,¡± Ethan said shrugging. ¡°It¡¯s really dangerous out there and if you get hurt there won¡¯t be anyone around to help you.¡± Looking thoughtful Quin thought for a moment before moving purposefully toward the others. ¡°Yeah I suppose you¡¯re right, but we should return as soon as you¡¯re healed,¡± Quin said. ¡°This looks like a good challenge and I really want to test the limits of these new abilities.¡± ¡°Yeah sure,¡± Ethan muttered not meaning it. He didn¡¯t have any intention of coming back down here if he could avoid it. Chapter 8: Hinan Academy Vs. Soledad In the days following the attack Ethan was true to his word, or at least the word he gave himself and avoided returning to the dungeon. Instead he spent a great deal of time in the bathtub or in his bed trying to loosen up his stiff muscles. By Monday he was halfway mobile again which caused Quin upon seeing him to say they should return to the dungeon as soon as possible. Ethan naturally blew her off saying he would bring it up with Bella and Alex when they weren¡¯t busy. Of course he avoided Alex, which wasn¡¯t all that hard as the other boy also seemed to want little to do with Ethan and Bella, bless her, seemed to understand that he didn¡¯t want to return to the dungeon. She didn¡¯t bring it up or ask about it at least not to him. Out of the three people that the dungeon chose, she was the only one that Ethan even liked. There was a big surprise waiting for him on the outside of the gym, when he found out that he made the soccer team. He questioned what Thorton saw in him that he liked, surely it wasn¡¯t the limping around or relatively small size. Of course this meant that he had practice now three days a week on top of all of his homework and everything else. Naturally this was a great excuse to ignore Quin¡¯s requests, but it also meant that he was sore almost constantly now. It got so bad after one particularly grueling Saturday practice that Thorton finally snapped at him and upon seeing Quin running her laps around the athletic fields ordered him to run with her every time she ran. Under Thorton¡¯s watchful glare Ethan set off after her seeing no way to avoid it without making his coach even more angry. Upon catching up to her Quin glanced over at him and stopped while asking, ¡°Don¡¯t you have practice right now?¡± ¡°Thorton ordered me to run with you from now on,¡± Ethan said feeling embarrassed. ¡°He seems to be getting fed up with my general lack of stamina.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯ve typically been running on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday because my practices are on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday,¡± Quin said looking thoughtful. ¡°Great, I¡¯ll just tell him that it won¡¯t work because you only run during our practice,¡± Ethan replied starting to move away from her. ¡°Hold up,¡± Quin said. ¡°This could actually give us a good excuse to discuss things.¡± ¡°Things?¡± he asked dreading where this was headed. ¡°Dungeon things,¡± she whispered smiling at him. ¡°I¡¯ll change my running schedule so that both of us can make it at the same time. Let¡¯s do Sunday morning, Tuesday morning, and Thursday morning.¡± Great Ethan thought irritated. Now I¡¯ve got to get up early, run, and spend time with Quin. What did I do to deserve this. ¡°Sure,¡± Ethan responded sighing resigned to his fate. ¡°I¡¯m glad that¡¯s settled,¡± Quin stated. ¡°Thorton is right, you need to get into better shape. Besides, if were going to go diving into that dungeon you¡¯ll need much better stamina for that too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like Bella or Alex are in great shape either,¡± Ethan snapped at her. ¡°Perhaps we should invite them to run with us?¡± Quin said thoughtfully. Oh yeah as if running with one person I don¡¯t like isn¡¯t bad enough, let¡¯s invite Alex along too for fun Ethan thought gritting his teeth. That way he can call me poor the whole way and make jokes about how I¡¯ve had a lot of practice running from the police. ¡°Bella has Model UN so I don¡¯t think she will,¡± Ethan said. ¡°At six in the morning?¡± Quin asked surprised. ¡°Well no,¡± he admitted, ¡°but let''s just say she isn¡¯t the running type. I think it¡¯s just us.¡± ¡°Whatever, just try to keep up,¡± Quin said before taking off once again. Ethan did a really poor job of keeping up which seemed to greatly annoy Quin as she had to keep slowing down for him. He didn¡¯t really care though. With the state his legs were in he could only go so fast and the fast run she was going at was impossible for him to keep up with. They ran around the soccer field, the tennis courts, the baseball field, and the football stadium four times before Quin finally called it a day. Ethan wanted to collapse and die. He wasn¡¯t too picky about what order that happened in. Unfortunately soccer practice was still going on and Thorton could see him from where Quin stopped the run. ¡°We¡¯ll skip the run tomorrow, since we ran today so meet me at the statue on the Quad at five fourty-five on Tuesday morning,¡± she said. Too tired to speak Ethan simply nodded his head in reply to her. Five forty-five, he thought. If the running didn¡¯t kill him the sleep deprivation was certainly going too. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a break this weekend, since you look like you¡¯re about to collapse,¡± Quin continued, ¡°but next week we really should head back into that dungeon. I¡¯ve started hearing that voice in my head like you described and I don¡¯t really want to wait until I get attacked in the middle of the day.¡± He nodded again to her before she bid him goodbye and jogged away, presumably heading back to her dorm. If Ethan thought that Thorton was going to go easier on him for the rest of the day since he just ran a ton he was sadly mistaken. If anything Thorton pushed him even harder and kept harping on the whole team about how their first game was a week away and that they better work harder if they didn¡¯t want to get embarrassed. On Sunday Ethan went to the library with Bella to do homework, but instead he promptly fell asleep waking up hours later with her backpack under his head and a light jacket thrown over him. Apparently Bella realized that he desperately needed his rest and decided to help make him a little more comfortable. This was nice of her but unfortunately he ended up spending the rest of the day in a mad dash to finish all of his homework before Monday. The teachers at Hinan Academy really piled it on like nothing he¡¯d ever seen before. It was like they assumed if any students got free time they would inevitably get into trouble or something. Classes at least at this point were falling into a routine with Mr. Darnell and History being the high point with Drawing and Computer Science being the low points. Drawing because the teacher, Ms. Phelan seemed to think it was her personal duty to make his life hell and Computer Science because he had to put up with both Stewart and Alex in that class. An absolutely terrible combination. More than once he almost hit Stewart for making fat jokes about Bella. Sure the girl was bigger, but it¡¯s not like she didn¡¯t know it better than anyone else, and she certain didn¡¯t need a jerk like Stewert reminding her every two seconds. Running with Quin in the mornings, just like Ethan predicted sucked. It really sucked. First of all he was late, which put Quin in a bad mood, and he was half asleep and exhausted which put him in a bad mood. They ended up doing the run without doing much more than grumble at each other. Unlike Bella who always seemed to put others first and was a very considerate person, Quin only seemed to care about how things affected her. She couldn¡¯t care less that Ethan was tired, sore, disliked her, and generally had no desire to run with her. No she only cared that he was late and that she had to wait a whole five minutes to get started. She should try to get up at five thirty after being kept up by your roommate blasting aliens until two in the morning. The good thing about both of them butting heads is that she didn¡¯t even bring up going back into the dungeon after the run on Tuesday morning. In fact she didn¡¯t say anything to him at the end of it. She just walked away back across the quad. This suited Ethan just fine as he really didn¡¯t want to discuss the stupid dungeon one more time or deal with her lousy attitude. Thursday morning he wasn¡¯t so lucky. First of all he made the mistake of being on time which kept Quin from ignoring him. Secondly she was very direct when he showed up that morning. ¡°I¡¯m going back in the dungeon,¡± Quin said as soon as he walked up to where she was standing near the statue. ¡°Good morning to you too,¡± Ethan said wishing he was a little more awake for this conversation. ¡°It¡¯s obvious you¡¯re avoiding it, and I¡¯m tired of waiting,¡± Quin stated. ¡°Not only that but I¡¯ve been hearing that voice in my head you described. I¡¯m done waiting for you to stop being a coward. I¡¯m going back in. I just thought I would tell you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not being a coward,¡± Ethan replied automatically feeling heat rise in his cheeks. ¡°My legs have been sore, you know that.¡± She gave a derisive laugh and said, ¡°you¡¯re legs will be sore until the end of the year at this rate. For a boy you¡¯re kind of a wuss. I figured after all those clashes in P.E. you¡¯d have had a bit more spine, but I guess not.¡± He could feel the steam coming off of his head and he snapped, ¡°I¡¯m not a wuss. I really have just been waiting for my legs to feel better. As soon as that happened I was going to suggest we go back in.¡± This was a lie of course, but Ethan was not about to admit it to this stuck-up, whole foods eating, rich girl. The truth was that the dungeon terrified him and he felt that it would terrify her too once she got out and realized how dangerous it was. Once thing was certain, even if he disliked her, he couldn¡¯t in good conscience let her go in alone. ¡°I was thinking we could all go back on Sunday,¡± he said thinking quickly. ¡°I was going to mention it to you but you attacked me before I could even great you.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Quin said. ¡°You¡¯re braver than I thought you were. Alright let¡¯s go after our run Sunday morning.¡± ¡°Actually, I was thinking after lunch,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°We¡¯ll probably be down there for hours and I don¡¯t particularly want to miss out on a meal.¡± ¡°Sure, after lunch,¡± Quin agreed, ¡°but if you or the others get cold feet I¡¯m going with or without you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to get cold feet,¡± he muttered. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll let Bella and Alex know about the plan then.¡± ¡°Yeah, I mean she¡¯s your friend and he¡¯s your roommate,¡± Quin said giving him a look like it was obvious. ¡°Come on, let''s get moving or we¡¯ll end up being late for homeroom.¡± Gritting his teeth he followed after her wishing that she wasn¡¯t so stubborn or at least understood the dangers of the place a little more. Now on top of going back into the dungeon, which he didn¡¯t want to do, he had to speak to Alex about it which was almost worse. That was going to be a miserable conversation, but at least Bella would be easy to talk with. Bella was easy to talk with and he told her that night as they ate dinner together in the dining hall. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°You don¡¯t sound like you really want to go back in,¡± Bella said looking at him concerned. ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Ethan muttered chewing on some crust, ¡°but Quin has made it clear she is going back in regardless and even if I can¡¯t stand the girl I¡¯m not about to let her get killed because she doesn¡¯t understand what she¡¯s walking into.¡± ¡°Well she¡¯s telling the truth about the voices,¡± Bella said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard them myself.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure,¡± he said remembering how it was when he was first marked by the dungeon. ¡°Look you don¡¯t have to come. It will be extremely dangerous and likely an unpleasant experience.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll go,¡± Bella said. ¡°I was chosen just like you were and besides what kind of friend would I be if I let you go down there all alone.¡± Laughing Ethan said, ¡°I¡¯ll hardly be alone. I have Quin with her charming personality for company.¡± ¡°You really should give her more credit,¡± Bella said. ¡°She¡¯s a lot better than most of the people at this school. She¡¯s never once looked down on me for being poor.¡± ¡°She¡¯s still a rich kid,¡± he shot back sourly. ¡°So is almost everyone else here,¡± Bella said calmly. ¡°They all aren¡¯t bad. It¡¯s not their fault that we grew up without money. Besides I think Quin is remarkable. She¡¯s got this kind of I don¡¯t care what anyone else thinks about me attitude and does things her own way.¡± Raising his eyebrows at her in response to this Ethan then rolled his eyes. It was obvious Bella saw Quin as this strong independent woman when in reality Quin was just a self-centered brat. She¡¯d come around to his side on that. It just might take a little time. ¡°What are you going to do about Alex?¡± Quin asked hesitantly. Sighing Ethan ran his hand through his hair and said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell him like I told Quin I would. I just might wait until Saturday night to do it. Hopefully he already has plans Sunday afternoon.¡± ¡°He certainly isn¡¯t the most pleasant person to be around,¡± Bella said diplomatically, ¡°but maybe if we treat him nicely he¡¯ll come around and start treating the two of us better.¡± This was Bella¡¯s problem Ethan thought. She always tried to see the best in people, when sometimes people were just who they were. She seemed to take the phrase kill them with kindness as some sort of philosophy to live by when it just wasn¡¯t realistic. Sometimes some people were just jerks and no matter what you did, they would always be jerks. ¡°So you¡¯ve got your first game on Saturday?¡± Bella asked changing the subject after seeing the look on Ethan¡¯s face. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re playing Soledad, at Soledad,¡± he answered. ¡°Thorton keeps yelling about how much they¡¯re going to kill us if we don¡¯t get our act together.¡± ¡°I¡¯d come root you on, but they don¡¯t allow us to travel with the different teams,¡± Bella said. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°Thanks for the support still. When do you have your first uh Model UN thingy?¡± ¡°Conference,¡± Bella corrected him, ¡°and not for awhile. I still am learning how it works. You wouldn¡¯t believe how many procedures you have to know. It¡¯s really quite fascinating.¡± That¡¯s one word for it, Ethan thought sarcastically. I would have used a different one personally. ¡°Well we better head out before we are late for class,¡± Ethan said standing up and picking up his tray. Bella followed after him and the two of them carried their trays over to where they were cleaned and then exited the dining hall. The next couple of days flew by with Ethan busy with school work and contemplating the best way to inform Alex about their plan. So far all he figured late at night when the kid was playing video games with the volume way up with the best option but it was still up in the air. Saturday after lunch he boarded the bus with Lee and his other teammates dressed in his brand new soccer uniform. The jersey was sky blue with the Hinan H emblazoned over his left breast and the number eleven on his back. Navy blue shorts, white socks, and cleats completed the look. Honestly it looked pretty nice and he hated that he liked it. The bus rolled down the streets of Misty Oaks until they reached the tunnel through the mountains. This would be the first time Ethan left the place since he¡¯d came in on the train almost a month ago now. Ethan Russell¡­ Snapping his head he looked to his left and spotted the giant fox right before the sunlight vanished as they entered the tunnel. He thought that he might feel something leaving town but when they exited the tunnel on the other side he felt nothing and checking his wrist the symbol was still there as clear as ever. Most of the other boys on the boy chatted excitedly about the game on their way to Soledad. If Ethan wasn¡¯t so preoccupied with Alex, Quin, and the stupid dungeon he might have even joined in, but currently the match just seemed so insignificant in comparison. It took a little over two hours to reach Soledad high school and for the entire ride he was quite content to sit and stare out the window and the California countryside. It was actually kind of strange, but after all of the bizarre happenings in Misty Oaks it looked like a different world. When they arrived at the school Thorton immediately set them to warming up on half of the soccer field. The other half of the field was already occupied by the Aztecs of Soledad in their white jerseys. From the look of it they were bigger and stronger than Ethan¡¯s team. ¡°Russell, you¡¯re starting at right center-mid,¡± Thorton said to Ethan as he started jogging toward the field. ¡°For both our sakes, I hope you¡¯ve kept up with your running.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been working on it with Quin,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°Good, pay attention to her, she could teach you a lot,¡± Thorton said with a smile. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, that girl is starting for varsity as a freshman. With her leading the attack our women¡¯s varsity team might go places this year, unlike our men¡¯s JV team which will be lucky if they don¡¯t get blown out today.¡± Thanks for the vote of confidence coach Ethan thought sarcastically. You really know how to inspire. ¡°You¡¯ll be partnering up with Samson who will be acting as captain and playing from the left side,¡± Thorton continued. ¡°Listen to him. He was on JV last year and has faced this Soledad team before.¡± ¡°Will do,¡± Ethan answered moving to join the rest of his teammates on the field before Thorton could lecture him anymore. Why was he always getting singled out? It¡¯s not like everyone else on his team was amazing or in incredible shape, but somehow Thorton always seemed to think that Ethan was some kind of idiot or something. As he ran through the drills with Lee, Samson, and the rest of his teammates he finally began to feel the thrill that always came on before a game. He¡¯d almost forgotten about it with everything else that was going on, but now that he was here and a couple hours away from Misty Oaks the thrill was rising inside of him. ¡°Hey Ethan, coach told me that you¡¯ll be in the midfield with me,¡± Samson said coming over to talk with him. ¡°I¡¯m Chris by the way.¡± ¡°Yeah that¡¯s what he told me a moment ago,¡± Ethan answered looking at the older boy. ¡°We¡¯ll be sitting back most of the game, defending in numbers and trying to hit them on the counter when we get the chance,¡± Chris said. ¡°We¡¯re parking the bus?¡± Ethan asked surprised. ¡°Trust me if we try to take them on head on, they¡¯ll destroy us,¡± Chris retorted. ¡°This is our best chance at getting a result out of this game.¡± ¡°Okay, I believe you,¡± Ethan said shrugging. ¡°Lee is going to be playing as a lone attacker for this game and since you and him already have pretty good chemistry make sure you look for him on the break,¡± Chris continued. ¡°He¡¯ll be our only attacking outlet so keep that in mind.¡± ¡°I got it, let¡¯s do this,¡± Ethan replied smiling over at the other boy. ¡°That¡¯s the attitude,¡± Chris said slapping Ethan, who was much smaller than him, on the back. They warmed up for a few more minutes before Thorton called them all into a huddle and went over the starting lineup and the game plan one more time. By now Ethan was tired of talk and just wanted to play. Both Chris and Thorton had already told him what he was doing and what their strategy was. Now was the time for action in his mind. After the captains met for a coinflip to determine who got the ball first the two teams lined up with the Aztecs getting the ball first. The referee blew the whistle and the ball was kicked starting the game. Adrenaline surged through Ethan as he slowly tried to ease into the game only to have the opposing Soledad player blow right past him. Holy hell, but that kid was fast he thought stumbling for a moment and then tearing after him. Chris and Thorton weren¡¯t kidding when they said these kids were good. Luckily for Ethan and the rest of his team one of the Soledad players got over ambitious and shot the ball from a good thirty yards out and sent it flying way over the bar. Still it was a huge wake up call for him and several other teammates that the Aztecs were able to penetrate their defense like it was made of swiss cheese. ¡°Come on, stay organized,¡± Chris barked at the rest of the team while clapping his hands for emphasis. ¡°Defend in numbers and help each other out.¡± He was actually a pretty good captain, Ethan thought or at least one that was good at implementing the coach¡¯s game plan and encouraging his teammates. The rest of the first half went okay for Hinan Academy though they still found themselves trailing one to nothing when the halftime whistle blew. For the most part they were able to absorb the pressure and clear the ball when they needed to. Still the entire half was played in their end and Soledad found a way threw when a defender slipped. The worst part was that Hinan didn¡¯t manage to get a single shot on goal. Actually Ethan was pretty sure than neither Lee nor the opposing keep touched the ball at all. Gulping down water and sucking on an orange slice he was determined to make something happen in the second half. He just wasn¡¯t quite sure how he was going to do it. Whenever Hinan actually managed to get the ball Soledad pressed and won it back quickly. It was almost impossible for them to hold it for more than a few seconds. ¡°Keep it up,¡± Thorton said to his players actually sounding encouraging for once. ¡°I know this is a tough game but you¡¯re doing well out there. You¡¯re putting up a hell of a fight and if you continue this for another half you¡¯ll have a lot to be proud of on the way back to Misty Oaks.¡± In the second half Hinan started with the ball, not that it did them much good. They lost it almost immediately and fell back into the same pattern as the first half. Falling back and defending in numbers around the box. It was a lot of work and for the first time since he¡¯d been ordered to, Ethan was actually glad that he¡¯d been keeping up with his running. As the half dragged on he became more and more sure that they would have to settle for a one to nothing loss. It wasn¡¯t the worst result in the world. Certainly it was better than getting blown out, but they wouldn¡¯t get any points out of it. Ethan Russell¡­ Huh he thought turning and trying to find who called him and spotting a large winged dog in the distance on a hill staring down at the soccer field. What the hell? How was it here? He¡¯d thought that since he left town the weird things couldn¡¯t follow him. Apparently he was wrong. What do you want Ethan asked mentally narrowing his eyes at it. It didn¡¯t answer, but then he wasn¡¯t sure if it could hear his thoughts. It simply just stared back at him. Hopefully it wouldn¡¯t attack him in the middle of this game with all of these other kids around. ¡°Damn it Russell,¡± Thorton yelled from somewhere to his left. ¡°Quit daydreaming about girls and wake up!¡± Ethan¡¯s head snapped towards the sidelines where he saw a very red-faced Thorton guestering emphatically past him. Turning he saw that the opposing Aztecs player had easily dribbled around him and was making his way towards the goal. Oh crap Ethan thought sprinting after him. Not this time. I¡¯m not going to let you score and have it be my fault. He closed the gap between them and just as the kid looked like he was going to shoot Ethan slid cleanly knocking the ball away from the startled opposition player. Quickly bouncing up to his feet he dribbled it away seeing five other Aztec players bearing down on him. This is not going to end well he thought desperately looking for a way out of the situation. Way up near the halfline he spotted Lee standing alone and looking completely bored. Screw it, it¡¯s worth a shot he thought as he hammered the ball with his right foot trying to give it as much lift and distance as possible. If he missed the ball would sail out of bounds or end up back in Soledad¡¯s possession. It didn¡¯t. Instead it sailed over a surprised Lee who took a moment to register what was going on before he ran after it gathering it up in the empty opposing half and dribbling quickly towards the now grim faced Aztec keeper. Three Aztec players collided into Ethan knocking him to the ground in a painful thump. His ribs hurt where they were smashed and he couldn¡¯t see what was going on with Lee but he heard it a moment later when his teammates erupted into cheers and several players on Soledad swore. Chris ran over and helped him to his feet hugging him and saying, ¡°That was brilliant Ethan.¡± ¡°Ow,¡± he muttered feeling dazed. ¡°Oh sorry,¡± Chris said smiling at him. ¡°Yeah they hit you pretty hard, but the ref played advantage and Lee dribbled around the keeper and tucked the ball into the back of the net. We¡¯re all tied up.¡± ¡°We are?¡± Ethan asked trying to locate the winged dog. He found the hill but the animal was nowhere to be seen anymore. ¡°Yeah, as I said that was brilliant to send the long ball while they thought they had you cornered,¡± Chris said. ¡°Now let¡¯s go out and finish this off.¡± They did finish it off, or at least held on for the tie and a single point though Soledad pushed harder in the last ten minutes of the game than the previous eighty, they just couldn¡¯t manage to break through Hinan¡¯s defense. Thorton was thrilled, Chris was ecstatic, and Ethan was honestly pretty happy himself though he couldn¡¯t quite shake the feeling of dread as he rode the bus back to Misty Oaks. Not only did he have to go back into the Dungeon tomorrow, but now he knew that the creatures and the voice could reach him outside of the town. Chapter 9: Dungeon Dive ¡°Hurry up,¡± Alex ordered. ¡°Let¡¯s get down there and get this over with.¡± Much to Ethan¡¯s dismay Alex came on the dungeon dive with the rest of them. Ethan waited until late Saturday night to inform him about the plans. Alex actually paused his video game for once with Ethan brought it up and said that since they were going in the afternoon it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. If it was in the morning he would have declined because he and his brother¡¯s were going to church. Another reason to dislike training Ethan thought shaking his head. ¡°Take it easy, we¡¯ll be getting attacked by insane chickens soon enough,¡± he muttered hitting the button and calling the elevator. Alex looked anxious, probably from his previous encounter with the fire-breathing chickens. Honestly Ethan felt anxious too, not that he would admit it in front of either Alex or Quin. He was the only one who¡¯d faced this area previously and probably the only one who really understood how dangerous it was. Bella on his left looked concerned while Quin on his right actually looked somewhat excited. She wouldn¡¯t have that look soon he thought frowning at her as they stepped into the elevator after it opened. They rode down in silence until they exited both the elevator and the shrine finding the sunlit clearing near the mountains once again. The chickens were of course still there and currently wandering all around picking at the ground. ¡°Alright Quin, you¡¯re up,¡± Alex said. ¡°Shoot those chickens.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to need someone to get there attention first,¡± Quin replied. ¡°There¡¯s no way I can hit most of them where they¡¯re at right now. I¡¯m not that good of a shot.¡± ¡°Okay, Ethan get out there and draw them over to the gate,¡± Alex said. Ethan¡¯s eyes narrowed and snapped, ¡°You go do it, you¡¯re the one with the shield.¡± Who did Alex think he was trying to order him around Ethan thought already feeling his blood boil slightly. Not only was everything going to try to kill them down here but he was stuck with Alex and Quin. This was going to be such a good time. ¡°Ethan does have a point,¡± Quin said shrugging. ¡°Besides you did a great job of gathering them the last time. Just do the same thing again.¡± ¡°Last time they almost fried me,¡± Alex snapped annoyed to find out that he was looking at two vs. one. Looking to Bella for help he didn¡¯t find it. She was carefully avoiding making eye contact with anyone and doing her best to stay out of the conversation. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it you freaking shipper coward,¡± Alex muttered reaching under his shirt and activating his mark. ¡°It would probably be a good idea for the rest of us to activate our armor,¡± Ethan said to Bella and Quin while purposefully ignoring Alex. Ethan¡¯s armor and weapon materialized seconds after he pressed his mark. He¡¯d done it a couple times before by now, but it was still a strange sensation and even stranger seeing the same thing happen to the other three. Holding his shield in front of him Alex moved cautiously down the stairs right up the edge of the gate where he yelled, ¡°Come get me you stupid birds.¡± A couple of them nearby raised their heads before looking back down to continue what they were doing completely uninterested in Alex. ¡°What are you, chicken?¡± Alex asked chuckling at his own joke. How clever, Ethan thought rolling his eyes. I can really see how you¡¯re at the top of our class. ¡°I think you¡¯re going to have to get out there a little bit,¡± Quin said matter-of-factly. ¡°They don¡¯t seem to be taking the bait with you behind the gate.¡± ¡°Alright, just get in position, because I¡¯m only doing this once,¡± Alex muttered edging out past the gate still making sure to keep the shield between the chickens and himself. Sensing an opportunity for mischief Ethan crept down the steps closing the distance between himself and Alex. The other boy was moving out towards the chickens, but at this rate he wouldn¡¯t reach one until well after the sun went down. Moving silently up right behind Alex Ethan suddenly let out a, ¡°BAWK-BAWK-BA-BAWK!¡± Alex jumped a full foot into the air before whirling around and slamming the front of his shield into Ethan¡¯s laughing face. Ethan toppled over backwards falling onto the steps laughing through the pain in his face. He couldn¡¯t help it. The terrified look on Alex¡¯s face was too much to handle. ¡°What is the matter with you?¡± Alex demanded angrily. His angry face was even funnier to Ethan and Ethan broke into further hysterics. He could feel water leaking from his eyes while he laughed but he didn¡¯t care. Alex was such a jerk. It felt so good to finally pull one over on the other boy. Alex was just about to round on Ethan some more when Bella yelled, ¡°Alex behind you, watch out.¡± Alex whirled around to find three chickens closing in on him with their mouths open. The shout snapped Ethan out of his giddy mood and he jumped up to his feet eyes wide as Alex attempted too slowly to turn his shield around to face the chickens. The first chicken was opening its beak to shoot a torrent of flames at him when a green arrow hit it right in the open mouth. A startled look came over its face before it vanished into black essence. ¡°Alex move,¡± Ethan snapped at the other boy who was frozen in fear. Hearing Ethan¡¯s voice must have brought Alex back to his senses because he stopped turning towards the chickens and dove at the staircase slamming into Ethan right as two seperate torrents of flame shot behind him. Falling down under the weight of the other boy, Ethan hit his back on the edge of the stairs and felt pain shoot up towards his head. ¡°Ouch, get off,¡± Ethan snapped pushing Alex away from him. ¡°Serves you right,¡± Alex muttered. ¡°You could have gotten me killed.¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t be so dramatic,¡± Ethan retorted. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been killed.¡± Alex was about to retort but then noticed Quin loading and unloading arrows from her bow. Regardless of how they felt about each other, the antics between Alex and Ethan did a good job of drawing around half of the chickens to within easy shooting range for her. Pairing that with her apparently endless supply of spirit arrows made it all too easy for her to dispatch them. ¡°Good job Quin,¡± Bella said a little too forcefully, obviously trying to distract Ethan and Alex from fighting each other. ¡°These chickens aren¡¯t really much of a challenge,¡± Quin replied. ¡°Honestly it almost feels like cheating, shooting them like this.¡± ¡°If you¡¯d like to make it more fair for them, feel free to go out there and let them torch you,¡± Alex muttered. ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot,¡± Quin said. ¡°I just feel kind of bad for killing them all like this.¡± ¡°Are they even real to begin with?¡± Alex asked. ¡°What kind of living creature do you know that turns into black shadow or whatever when it dies. Most real things usually bleed and leave a corpse behind.¡± ¡°Alex, that¡¯s a bit morbid,¡± Bella said looking grossed out. ¡°Eh, he¡¯s got a point,¡± Quin said shrugging. ¡°Still they certainly act living and that flame looks real enough.¡± It feels real enough too, Ethan thought. What were the creatures of the dungeon? Were they living things? ¡°Regardless, even if they are living,¡± Alex continued, ¡°they¡¯re trying to kill us so I think we¡¯re justified in killing them first.¡± ¡°We could just let them be and ignore the dungeon then,¡± Bella suggested. ¡°We don¡¯t really have to explore down here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we though?¡± Alex asked quickly. ¡°We¡¯ve all been hearing the voices in our heads and when Ethan ignored them for long enough one of the creatures attacked him outside of the dungeon. I¡¯d say the evidence suggests that the same thing would likely happen to each of us if we did the same thing. Currently I don¡¯t see any option except to explore this place until we can find a way to break free of the mark the dungeon has placed on us.¡± Ethan really didn¡¯t like Alex, but the kid made sound arguments. What Alex said made sense and finally resigned Ethan to the fact, more than anything else, that he would have to start spending time down here trying to clear floors. At least until they figured out a way to break free like Alex suggested. ¡°Let¡¯s move,¡± Quin said. ¡°I¡¯d like to think that you three can deal with any chickens that come close to us.¡± ¡°If you haven¡¯t noticed, all I¡¯ve got it is a shield,¡± Alex retorted. ¡°Surely you can bash them with it,¡± Quin said, ¡°or do you need me to do everything for you?¡± ¡°Where are we going to go to though?¡± Bella asked preventing Alex from further outbursts. ¡°It looks like there¡¯s a small path heading into the forest over there,¡± Quin said pointing towards where the forest began. Following her arm, sure enough there was a small path heading into the forest. How had Ethan not noticed that before? Oh right he was worried about getting killed by birds. ¡°Ethan and Alex should probably lead us,¡± Quin said. ¡°This way if anything attacks, Alex can block it with his shield while Ethan stabs it with his sword.¡± ¡°Bella is perfectly capable of being up front too,¡± Alex snapped, ¡°or are you just looking to get the boys killed first?¡± ¡°Actually she¡¯s not,¡± Quin replied flatly. ¡°It¡¯s clearly evident that she is the least coordinated person here. No offense Bella. She would cause more harm that good up front. I would keep her next to me where she can attack anything that gets close to us that I can¡¯t shoot with my arrows.¡± ¡°None taken,¡± Bella said shrugging. ¡°It¡¯s true. I can¡¯t fault you for being honest.¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s logical,¡± Alex said still sounding annoyed though. ¡°Ethan get up here and try not to get us killed.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say the same thing to you,¡± Ethan shot back at Alex as he moved up next to the other boy. Moving purposely the four of them moved in pairs of two away from the gate and towards the forest with Bella and Quin following about five feet behind Ethan and Alex. As they got closer to the forest several of the chickens began to take notice and rushed at them. ¡°Block them Alex,¡± Ethan ordered. ¡°What do you think I¡¯m doing,¡± Alex snapped back moving closer to the first one with his shield out front. The chicken blew out a burst of fire from its beak which hit the front of the shield that Alex was carefully hiding behind. ¡°Stab it,¡± Alex commanded. ¡°It may be hitting this shield but some of it is still getting around the edges and it¡¯s hot.¡± Instead of replying Ethan moved in circling around to the side, well out of the way of the flame and charged at the small bird with his sword pointed forward. He caught it in the midsection skewering it and causing it to vanish into the creepy black essence a moment later. For a second Ethan caught Alex¡¯s eye and they both looked pleased that the strategy worked, but then out of the corner of his eye he saw the rest of the chickens charging at them. There was no time to congratulate themselves. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Quin stopped further back and was now firing arrow after arrow at the running birds with only a small amount of success. Hitting the fast moving targets seemed to be a bit beyond her at the moment though she did manage to kill one. Alex charged straight into a stream of fire unleashed by a couple of them using his shield to block the majority of the flame and slamming it into their tiny bodies. This sent them flying backwards squawking. Ethan would have laughed at the comical scene if not for the fact that he was forced to dive out of the way as one tried to torch him. He rolled losing his sword in the process, which was just perfect. Without the sword what was he supposed to do kick the birds? That¡¯s actually exactly what he did realizing he didn¡¯t have a better option at the moment. Bouncing back to his feet he ran up to the bird and punted it away from him and unfortunately right at Bella and Quin. Quin fired an arrow at the tumbling creature but missed wildly. Bella meanwhile was just standing there holding her axe awkwardly in front of her when the bird¡¯s trajectory caused it to smack her right in the face. The scene seemed to freeze for a moment and then Bella screamed falling over backwards and swatting rapidly at the area in front of her with the flat side of the ax. It looked completely stupid, it was unconviential, and yet when she finally stopped yelling and swatting the chicken had vanished. Somehow she¡¯d pounded it to death while using the ax in a completely incorrect manner. Whatever works I guess, Ethan thought moving to pick up his sword. He charged after the two chickens Alex was holding off and quickly dispatched them while Quin finally managed to shoot the last survivor. It wasn¡¯t pretty and he was glad no one else saw the fight but the four of them managed to win their first battle in the dungeon even if it was only against chickens. Still Ethan was breathing heavily and felt mentally drained, especially knowing that this was just the beginning and that they were going to have to go much further into the dungeon today. ¡°Is everyone alright?¡± Ethan asked looking over each one of the others. ¡°Sorry about that chicken Bella.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Bella said though she didn¡¯t sound like it. ¡°I know it was an accident.¡± ¡°Pretty solid kick though,¡± Quin said smiling, ¡°and Bella literally crushed that thing. I think everything went pretty well.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll ever be able to look at chicken the same way again,¡± Alex muttered shaking his head. ¡°We should probably stay close together in that forest. Who knows what else is around here.¡± ¡°Last time I was in there, I got chased by a bunch of fireball shooting ducks and herons,¡± Ethan said. ¡°Guess that means we¡¯re due to run into turkey that burns our eyes out with flaming talons,¡± Alex said smiling over at the girls. Bella frowned while Quin shrugged in response as they closed the distance between themselves and the boys. ¡°What are these trees?¡± Quin asked as they stepped on the path and entered the forest. ¡°They¡¯re like redwood trees only a bit smaller. ¡°I think they¡¯re a type cedar,¡± Bella said sniffing at the air. ¡°It smells like cedar and look at the needle-like leaves.¡± ¡°As long as the trees don¡¯t try to attack us, I don¡¯t care what they are,¡± Alex said and Ethan couldn¡¯t help but agree with him. All of them were wary and were alert for an attack but none came as they made their way deeper and deeper into the forest. It was actually kind of nice down here when you weren¡¯t getting attacked by killer birds, Ethan thought. The forest was beautiful and had this nice outdoorsy fresh scent that brought back fond memories of exploring the Redwood forest in his childhood. As if on cue, there was a rustling of feathers overhead and Ethan looked up to catch a glimpse of a large bird taking flight before it vanished behind the trees. Holding his breath he waited for an attack, but it never came. Instead the four of them were left standing there holding there weapons aloft. ¡°I guess we scared it away,¡± he muttered after staring through the trees for a couple of minutes. ¡°Hopefully,¡± Alex replied. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s move before it comes back,¡± Quin ordered. ¡°I doubt we scared it off. We probably just startled it. Once it recovers it will probably return with friends.¡± Thanks for being so optimistic Ethan thought. Still, he¡¯d probably never look at birds quite the same way again thanks to this dungeon. Now anytime he saw one flying around he¡¯d probably keep one eye on it just in case it tried to burn him alive. The group walked on further and further following the path until it brought them out of the forest and onto a dock jutting out into the lake that he¡¯d been dumped in a week ago. This place was even worse than the area in front of the temple. ¡°Watch out for ducks and herons,¡± Ethan said staring around and trying to look into the tall reeds along the edge of the lake for anything moving. ¡°This looks like a dead end,¡± Alex said staring around. ¡°Unless we want to swim across the lake, I don¡¯t see how we continue onwards.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to swim,¡± Bella said timidly. ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you say you wanted to go to the beach the other day?¡± Ethan asked turning to her. ¡°Going to the beach and swimming are entirely different things,¡± Bella answered. ¡°I never said I wanted to go in the ocean.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t swim, perhaps we ought to head back for today then,¡± Quin suggested. ¡°It would be¡­¡± She was cut off suddenly by a loud screech from high above. Looking up into the blue sky Ethan glanced frantically around looking for any sign of a bird or birds but the sky was empty except for the bright midday sun. The screech came again, this time louder and his eyes automatically snapped to the sun where he caught a winged figure in front of it before the bright light temporarily blinded him. ¡°It¡¯s using the sun to disguise it¡¯s approach look out,¡± Ethan yelled to the others while cringing away and snapping his eyes shut. ¡°His ducks have finally showed up too,¡± Alex called from his left. ¡°They¡¯re rising out of the reeds and heading straight for us.¡± ¡°Get ready,¡± Quin barked. ¡°Alex get that shield up.¡± Rubbing his eyes furiously with his free hand, Ethan was desperate to get his vision back. It was all happening at once and he needed to be able to see if he was going to survive. He felt the first impact before he saw it. Sharp talons latched onto and raked across his right shoulder and neck before letting go. Instinctively he jerked away and swatted in the general direction with his sword. A second later it met a solid blunt object. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re swinging,¡± Alex snapped and Ethan now knew he¡¯d hit the boy¡¯s shield. ¡°Sorry,¡± Ethan muttered rubbing his eyes once more and finally getting his vision back. As his vision came back he saw low flying herons and ducks unleash a volley of fireballs right at them. Diving to the side he managed to avoid getting hit though it wasn¡¯t all good as he landed on his injured shoulder. The shoulder was sore, tender, and bleeding a little though it appeared his armor had absorbed most of the damage. Alex used his shield effectively and blocked all of the fireballs shot at him while Quin ducked and actually managed to shoot a duck with her bow and arrow. Bella wasn¡¯t so quick and got caught by two fireballs right in the chest that knocked her backwards causing her to topple off of the dock and into the lake. ¡°Bella,¡± Ethan yelled after the girl, but it was pointless as she was already underwater and probably couldn¡¯t hear anything. Taking a quick glance over the scene he finally caught a glimpse of what attacked him the first time as it came in for another attack. It was like a giant flaming hawk with flaming wings and talons. Was this a phoenix? Shaking that question out of his mind he refocused on what was most important in the moment. Bella was going to drown if they didn¡¯t help her. She still hadn¡¯t resurfaced though with all the body fat she he wasn¡¯t quite sure how she wasn¡¯t just floating to the top. Don¡¯t be a dick Ethan, he thought, just do something. ¡°Try not to die,¡± he called to the other two as he felt his legs beginning to move almost on their own. He dropped the sword as he reached the side of the dock and leaped off splashing down in the water a minute later. The water was both colder and deeper than he imagined it would be, but there was no time to worry about himself. The good news was that he found Bella almost instantly she was flailing around only a few feet below the surface, moving water around but doing very little else. She looked completely panicked and Ethan knew what he was about to do was stupid and very likely could end up getting him killed. Still he couldn¡¯t just let her die without trying to save her. Swimming quickly he moved over in front of her and attempted to lock onto her eyes. They were wild but seemed to at least recognize him which was a positive sign. He pointed in the direction of the dock and then made several gripping motions trying to tell her that she would need to hold onto it. She didn¡¯t nod or give any indication that she understood what he was trying to convey to her, but it would have to be good enough. She was running out of time. Diving down he got behind her and beneath her trying to aim his shoulders underneath her legs. It would definitely be an awkward position for both of them, but it seemed like the best position in order to push her up towards the surface and as she was drowning he didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be to worried about how awkward it was at the moment. His aim wasn¡¯t perfect and he ended up getting kicked in the face several times by her dress shoes which of course were about as solid as could be. Ignoring the increasing blows to his head he pushed upwards shoving her rear end with his open palms and feeling the girl start to move. Normally he knew he couldn¡¯t have moved her own his own. She was too big and he was far too weak, but in the water it was a bit different and he found he could shift her if only a little. Screaming silently he pushed the top of his head up against her rear along with his hands and kicked as hard as he could. God he hoped she broke the surface soon and figured out to grab ahold of the dock or he was going to sprain his neck at this rate. Come on, Bella. Suddenly he felt the tension against his hands and head ease up and she moved away from him. Yes, she must have grabbed it Ethan thought changing directions and moving away from her and then kicking rapidly towards the surface. He broke the surface a second later gasping for breath and sucking in air like a mad man. When he finally was able to assess this situation he saw Bella desperately clinging onto the dock, still in the water but definitely okay. Alex and Quin were somehow surviving up on the dock too with Alex blocking most of the incoming fireballs and Quin then quickly firing at the birds when she got a chance. ¡°Bella, just stay there,¡± Ethan order swimming towards the dock. ¡°I¡¯m going to help Quin and Alex and then we¡¯ll pull you up once it¡¯s safe.¡± She nodded her head in agreement but didn¡¯t say anything. She looked shell shocked and he guessed that the experience of nearly drowning was weighing heavily on her. Still he couldn¡¯t stay there to console her right now, not at least until the immediate threat was over. Reaching the dock he began climbing up the side until he dragged himself and flopped on the deck like a fish out of water. He half expected Alex to take a jab at him but the other boy was too busy and too focused on the attacking birds to pay attention to Ethan. When the ducks and herons weren¡¯t shooting at them, the fire hawk was dive bombing them at unreasonably fast speeds. There wasn¡¯t much he could do about the herons and ducks because they were keeping their distance, but if he was quick he might just be able to swat that hawk with his sword. Picking up his sword he moved over to stand with the other two and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to try to bring down that hawk, you two keep focusing on the other birds.¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of what we¡¯ve been doing while you decided to go swimming,¡± Alex snapped back sounding irritated. ¡°Nice of you to finally decide to help.¡± Ethan wanted to punch him, and it took most of his willpower to keep himself focused on what was actually important in the moment. The hawk dived towards them and Ethan slashed with his sword missing it spectacularly while it left a narrow cut across his forehead. Alex moved up in front of him blocking several fireballs that were coming right at him while Quin rapidly shot arrow after arrow and the birds. Their strategy would definitely work for killing the other birds, but there was no way Quin would be able to hit that hawk with an arrow. It was simply too fast. Hell, Ethan couldn¡¯t even slash fast enough with his sword. Maybe if I, he thought getting an idea. ¡°Come on you stupid hawk,¡± Ethan yelled at it taunting it and trying to make sure that it targeted him again instead of Alex or Quin. If it targeted them he¡¯d never be able to pull this off. The hawk made no indication that it heard him but after turning it shot straight at him like a bullet. At the last second as it was about to hit Ethan in the face he raised his in a blocking position with the sharp end of the blade facing the hawk. The giant bird hit the sword with a force that nearly knocked it out of his hands, but Ethan managed to hold on and watched as the bird split itself in half with both sides falling to the ground and vanishing in black essence. Suddenly the remaining birds stopped their assault and flew away while the dungeon boomed, ¡°Congratulations, you have cleared the first floor by defeating the Taimatsu-Maru. The second floor is now available to you.¡± ¡°We defeated the what?¡± Ethan asked stupidly, but there was no reply. ¡°Could you guys help me,¡± Bella asked timidly from below them. ¡°Oh yeah, sorry Bella,¡± Ethan said dropping his sword and moving to the edge to help her. ¡°Alex, Quin could you help please.¡± Ethan grabbed her left wrist while Alex grabbed her right wrist and together they heaved pulling, or rather dragging, Bella up and onto the dock. It was exhausting. The girl, who was already quite overweight, was made even heavier by the water clinging to her clothes. He actually didn¡¯t think they¡¯d have been able to get her all the way out if not for Quin grabbing her underneath the armpits and pulling once they¡¯d gotten her high enough. Still with all three of them helping they managed to get Bella back onto the dock safely. Breathing heavily Ethan asked, ¡°Are you okay Bella?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so,¡± Bella replied, ¡°I lost my ax though. Thanks for saving me, I thought I was going to die.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re ax will come back the next time you activate your tattoo,¡± Ethan said, ¡°and you would have done the same for me.¡± ¡°You might not have died today, but you¡¯re going to die of diabetes pretty soon, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Alex said standing up and brushing himself off. ¡°What do you weigh, like a metric ton?¡± That was it, Ethan had completely had it with Alex¡¯s crap. The stupid kid just couldn¡¯t ever stop being a jerk ever, even after they¡¯d all barely survived a battle in this godforsaken dungeon. Before Ethan realized what he was doing he felt his hand curled into a fist and found himself standing up. He was seeing red right now and he didn¡¯t care. Lining up Alex¡¯s face he unleashed his arm punching the other boy hard right in the jaw. Alex staggered grabbing his jaw and staring daggers at Ethan before launching himself forward and slamming his shield against Ethan¡¯s noise. There was an audible crunch as Ethan felt his nose break and now it was his turn to stagger backwards. The fight would have probably continued if it wasn¡¯t for Quin grabbing them both by the front of their shirts and holding them apart. Ethan always knew the girl was strong, but man he didn¡¯t realize how strong. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Alex spat. ¡°Can¡¯t handle the truth? Your girlfriend is fat, that¡¯s a fact.¡± ¡°Did you never learn how to be nice to people?¡± Ethan asked staring at the other boy. ¡°What did Bella ever do to you? For that matter what did I ever do to you?¡± ¡°For starters you¡¯re both causing my tuition to be higher since you¡¯re shippers freeloading off of the rest of us,¡± Alex muttered. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure it is so hard for a rich kid like you,¡± Ethan shot back sarcastically. ¡°Did your dad have to sell his tenth car because of it?¡± ¡°Are you two almost done?¡± Quin asked sounding annoyed. ¡°No,¡± Both Alex and Ethan snapped at her at the same time. ¡°Fine, I guess both of you need to cool off,¡± she muttered pushing both of them off of the dock in seperate directions where they splashed down in the very chilly lake water. Chapter 10: Rivalry In the weeks that followed clearing the first floor two things happened. Firstly, Alex and Ethan completely stopped talking and tried to do their best to ignore each other. Neither acknowledged the other¡¯s presence when they were both in the dorm room at the same time and for Ethan¡¯s part he tried to avoid it as much as humanly possible. Secondly, Quin became the organizer of ¡°Diving Club¡± as she called it. It was a pun that she seemed to be quite proud of. She would make sure that the rest of them went back into the dungeon about once a week, usually on Sunday afternoons even though neither Bella or Ethan wanted anything to do with the place and Alex didn¡¯t want anything to do with the rest of them. Still Quin was stubborn and persistent in making them go. She¡¯d tell Ethan during their runs who in turn would have to tell Bella while Quin herself must have texted Alex when they were going because both of them had cell phones and Ethan never saw them meet in person outside of the dungeon. Still despite all of Quin¡¯s persistence they made between little and no progress on the second floor of the dungeon. The rest of them just weren¡¯t motivated to clear it. Alex spent his time in the dungeon on replying to Quin and pretending like Ethan and Bella didn¡¯t exist, while Ethan and Bella mostly hung back and let Quin make all the decisions. This certaintanly had to be frustrating for Quin, but she never showed it. Instead she just took more and more responsibility for ¡°the club¡± on her shoulders. Ethan guessed that she must be used to relying on herself instead of others and wondered what she was like before Hinan Academy. The second floor of the dungeon itself was nothing like the first floor. Where the first floor was expansive with trees, mountains, and open skies, the second floor was a labyrinth of endless concrete tunnels and bunkers with flickering fluorescent lights. Personally Ethan hated the second floor of the dungeon and always felt like he was in some sort of post-apocalyptic bomb shelter while Quin walked them around it. The light messed with his eyes and gave him a headache. Also he just hated how confined it felt down there. It probably didn¡¯t help that Quin usually managed to get them lost everytime she made them come down there. Inevitably after a few hours she¡¯d stumble back on the elevator and they¡¯d return to the real world irritated and feeling like they wasted an afternoon. One good thing about the second floor compared to the first was that their appeared to be no animals or monsters in it. They all summoned their armor and weapons every time they went, just in case but he¡¯d yet to see anything down there that seemed remotely dangerous. Regardless it was still the worst part of Ethan¡¯s week as he couldn¡¯t stand being around Alex or in the dungeon. For that matter he still wasn¡¯t a big fan of Quin¡¯s. Something about her still rubbed him the wrong way. It was like she was just constantly trying to be rude to him and everyone else or something. Compared to dungeon days the rest of his weeks were getting better. His classes were all improving, well except for Drawing and Painting. Ms. Phelen seemed to have made it her personal mission to flunk Ethan and it didn¡¯t really help that he had absolutely zero talent for it. If he somehow didn¡¯t go home with an F on his report card over Christmas break he would consider it a miracle. Still his other classes were going well. He was pretty sure he was even carrying an A in History, which was a rare grade for him in a class that wasn¡¯t P.E.. Mr. Darnell was just an amazing teacher and Ethan loved learning all the little secret tidbits of U.S. History he¡¯d never heard before Darnell would point them out during lectures. He was also carrying an A in P.E. but that hardly counted as P.E. was really like a more structured version of recess. Quin still ran laps around him and everyone else but it was much more competitive since they switched to sports besides soccer. That apparently was her specialty and she was very good at it. In fact from the rumors he¡¯d heard, she¡¯d led the women¡¯s varsity team to a perfect record so far, which was unheard of for Hinan Academy. His own JV team was more of a mixed bag. After the first game draw they¡¯d won a couple and lost a couple of matches. Unfortunately one of the losses was to Carmel which was an especially bitter result for Mr. Thorton who¡¯d made them all run extra laps at the next practice after that one. Ethan actually handled that better than most as apparently his morning workouts with Quin were paying off. Math was still a struggle for Ethan but Bella, being the saint she was, was helping him enough to scrape through it though he had no idea how she had the patience. Bio, English, and Health were going well enough and he was pretty sure he¡¯d end up with a solid B in all of those. Computer Science was more of a mixed bag, mostly because of who was in the class. Stewart was always a jerk to him in that class though he found that Gavin and Tony were friendly towards him, though Gavin was friendly with everyone. That kid could turn an enemy into a friend with only a few jokes. Even Ms. Rockfort who disapproved of his complete lack of effort in P.E. laughed along with everyone else at his quips. While Stewart was Ethan¡¯s constant nemesis, he was pleased that a side effect of his and Alex¡¯s standoff was that Alex didn¡¯t get in on it in the classes they shared. Alex for his part just pretended that Ethan didn¡¯t exist which made dealing with Stewart easier as he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about it coming from multiple sides at once. Still one great thing about Computer Science was that he got to sit near Jenny because he always sat next to Bella who in turn sat next to Jenny. He¡¯d even had a couple of good conversations with her though keeping a conversation going with the girl was tough, he just never knew was to talk about with her and he didn¡¯t think that telling her that she was pretty was going to cut it. Bella for her part, figured out Ethan had a crush on her roommate way to quickly for his comfort. Still she was extremely supportive and always tried to give him ideas of what to talk about with Jenny though whenever Ethan attempted this he usually messed it up. Fall in Misty Oaks came on slowly but it did come and by mid October the trees around town were displaying a beautiful assortment of colors. The temperatures were dropping, but not enough that Ethan needed a sweater yet. Still he knew he was going to be struggling come November and December. He thought about charging a sweater to wear over his shirt at the bookstore as an emergency, but didn¡¯t really want to stick his mom with that bill. It was against this backdrop that the rivalry football game against Carmel approached. If Ethan was being honest, he''d have to admit that he had no idea how the school football team was doing and that he hadn¡¯t watched a single game, however in the days leading up to the game excitement and school spirit was running rampant through school and he found himself getting swept up in it along with everyone else. Well everyone except Gavin, who seemed to have some kind of immunity built up to sports and fandom. ¡°Sportyball¡± as he called it, and every other sport for that matter, was a waste of time and he wouldn¡¯t be getting himself all worked up over it. On the morning of the game, Ethan found himself bouncing out of bed easily where usually he struggled getting up, especially on mornings that he had to run with Quin. As if that wasn¡¯t surprising enough, when he met up with Quin, the girl had painted little Hinan H¡¯s on her cheeks. This was Quin, for God¡¯s sake, she never did anything remotely girlish, and here she was decorating her face with cute little H¡¯s like she was just another one of the girls. He would have expected it of Jenny, but not the tomboyish Quin. ¡°What?¡± she demanded after he¡¯d stared at her a little too long with his mouth slightly agape. ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect you to be wearing makeup or care about school spirit,¡± Ethan muttered feeling like it was the wrong thing to say to a girl. ¡°Oh,¡± Quin replied. ¡°I wanted to get decked out for the big game today. Did I go overboard?¡± ¡°No, it looks fine,¡± Ethan replied quickly wishing he had better control of his facial reactions. ¡°It¡¯s, uh very tasteful and works.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Quin replied with a small smile which was a bit unusual for her. ¡°Now let¡¯s get moving.¡± Following his run with Quin he headed to his Biology class with Thorton, who while hard on Ethan, seemed to like him. It probably didn¡¯t hurt that he played on Thorton¡¯s soccer team and a key player at that. Did Thorton go easy on him? No, but the man did seem to spend a little bit of extra time with Ethan everytime he struggled with a topic in class. After he finished Biology, P.E. went by slowly with Ethan, Ms. Rockfort and most of the class preoccupied with the upcoming game. For once she didn¡¯t even pester Gavin about trying to participate more in the game they were playing. Today it was dodgeball and everyone was hardly trying as they clustered around in groups and chatted excitedly at the prospects of Hinan Academy beating Carmel. From what he was overhearing, Hinan had a real shot at winning this year. Apparently it was the school¡¯s best football team in years and while Carmel was always good many of his more informed peers thought that now was the time. Of course, Ethan, like the fair-weather fan he was, had no idea if they were correct as he couldn¡¯t name a single player on the team or tell you how they¡¯d done in their season up to this point. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare hit me with that Xena,¡± Gavin yelled at Quin who was charging towards the center-line with a ball clutched in her hand. She didn¡¯t listen and a second later Gavin was smoked in the stomach with the bright yellow dodgeball. ¡°Oh no,¡± Gavin said loudly in mock outrage. ¡°I¡¯m out. I guess I¡¯ll have to go relax in the bleachers and think about how truly awful I¡¯m at this game.¡± He looked anything but upset and made his way over to the section of bleachers that was being used as the out area with a grin on his face and struck up a conversation at once with the students there who were soon laughing at something Ethan couldn¡¯t hear. It was actually annoying how easily Gavin did that. Ethan made a joke here or there but most people including himself wouldn¡¯t consider him to be the funniest person around. He certainly couldn¡¯t do it as naturally as Gavin seemed to. Was that something he could practice or did it just come to the other boy naturally? Either way he could admit to himself that he was a bit jealous of Gavin. Ethan never got along with people that well and it always took both him and them time to warm up to one another. ¡°What are you staring at?¡± Bella asked him walking up next to him. ¡°Nothing,¡± Ethan said turning to her. ¡°I was just thinking.¡± ¡°Why, is something bothering you? Bella as and then grinning she lowered her voice and added, ¡°or have you changed your mind about asking Jenny to the homecoming dance tonight like I suggested?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t changed my mind on that,¡± Ethan said scowling, annoyed that she¡¯d brought this up again. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you, I¡¯m not going, and it¡¯s really a moot point anyways. I can¡¯t afford to buy a suit or rent a tux.¡± This was a conversation that had come of several times over the last few weeks and one that Bella just refused to let go. He was so sick of reminding her that couldn¡¯t afford to go. Of all people, she should know that, as she was one of the other shippers at this school. ¡°It just seems like you really like her, and I think you¡¯d enjoy getting to spend some time with her like that,¡± Bella said undeterred. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. She meant well so Ethan couldn¡¯t get that mad at her, which in itself was very frustrating. It was really hard having a best friend that was always sooo nice to everyone because when he got irritated with her like he was now he couldn¡¯t snap at her without feeling like a complete jerk. ¡°How do you know she¡¯d even want to go with me?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but she seems to enjoy chatting with you so I just thought it might be an opportunity for you,¡± Bella said shrugging. ¡°See, she¡¯d probably rather go with someone who has mon-E-ouch!¡± he retorted as a ball smacked him right in the face. Turning he caught sight of a slightly embarrassed but laughing Quin standing near the middle of the gym floor looking right at him. ¡°Phillips you¡¯re out,¡± Ms. Rockfort yelled. ¡°No aiming for the head. Russell, Tavarez, stop standing around and pay attention.¡± ¡°I think she did that on purpose,¡± Ethan muttered scowling at Quin while she walked over to the bleachers still laughing. ¡°Maybe,¡± Bella replied. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like her, but I think we¡¯re some of the only people she likes and that¡¯s probably just her way of showing that.¡± ¡°Oh wow, smacking me in the face, I¡¯m so happy she likes me,¡± Ethan spat sarcastically rolling his eyes.¡± ¡°You should really give her a chance,¡± Bella said. ¡°She¡¯s a nice person if maybe a little aloof about how to interact with others, but I¡¯ve never seen her treat anyone poorly.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a slave driver, and she just rubs me the wrong way,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think either one of us wants to go back into the stupid dungeon and she drags us there every Sunday just to have us get lost for hours in those stupid tunnels.¡± ¡°Yes, well I don¡¯t want to go back,¡± Bella said sheepishly, ¡°but if she didn¡¯t drag us back down there every Sunday what are the odds of that winged dog attacking us again? I¡¯d guess pretty good. So she¡¯s probably keeping that from happening again.¡± That¡¯s probably true, Ethan thought annoyed that Bella was trying again to get him to be friends with Quin. The truth was that he didn¡¯t hate Quin, he just didn¡¯t really like her all that much either. She was just so self-centered and he really didn¡¯t like that she never considered other¡¯s feelings when she did something. She just did it. A second ball smacked him in the face right as he was about to respond to Bella causing his blood to start boiling. ¡°Johnson you¡¯re out,¡± an annoyed Ms. Rockfort snapped. ¡°Russell, Taverez do I need to come over there and force you to move?¡± ¡°No, Ms. Rockfort,¡± Ethan said between gritted teeth. ¡°We¡¯re moving and paying attention.¡± As he said this he caught the sound of Quin and Gavin¡¯s raucous laughter over on the bleachers. Scratch that, he might just hate her. Blessedly P.E. didn¡¯t last a whole lot longer and soon Bella and him were back in their regular clothes and following the long procession of Hinan Academy students as they made their way from the Quad and the main part of campus past the library, the soccer field, and over to where the football field was with it¡¯s identical set of bleachers on both sides of the field. The side closest to campus was for parents, teachers, town folks, traveling fans, and anyone else that chose to pay to watch the game. The side opposite that nearly butted up against the mountains was the student section where Ethan and the other students were allowed to sit for free at the games. This section was first come first serve when it came to seats with the exception that the school band took up a large portion right in the center of the bleachers. The two of them ended up in the very top row of the bleachers near the back, which wasn¡¯t ideal, but none of the seats were really bad so Ethan couldn¡¯t complain. He would still easily be able to make out the action on the field which was all that really mattered. ¡°So, why aren¡¯t you going to the dance tonight?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°Because I don¡¯t dance,¡± Bella replied quickly. ¡°Besides I could use the time to get some school work done.¡± This was a lie and Ethan knew it, but he didn¡¯t call her out on that. He knew perfectly well that she wasn¡¯t going for similar reasons as his, he just wanted to turn the tables on her from earlier a little bit. There was also a part of him that wanted to hear out loud that he wasn¡¯t going to be the only student missing out. He wasn¡¯t proud of that, but he could at least admit it to himself. Players from both teams were busy warming up on the field while students still filled into the bleachers are mulled around on the walkway behind the stands. Across the field the opposite stand looked to be full and nearly evenly split between Carmel supports and those for Hinan Academy. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll clear floor two anytime soon?¡± Bella asked. Why the hell was she bringing up the stupid dungeon right now Ethan thought annoyed. Even when he wasn¡¯t in that place he could never really get away from it. ¡°I doubt it, why?¡± he answered. ¡°Oh,¡± Bella said looking disappointed. ¡°I¡¯m just feeling a bit claustrophobic everytime we go down there. I almost miss the open skies of floor one.¡± ¡°You nearly drowned on floor one,¡± Ethan retorted with a snort. ¡°Yeah, and that wasn¡¯t very pleasant, but I¡¯m just sick of grey walls and tunnels,¡± Bella muttered. ¡°Well, if you beg Quin maybe we can skip a few weeks,¡± he said smiling over at her, ¡°I doubt it though. She so stubborn.¡± She tried to reply but whatever she said was drowned out by the announcer coming on and welcoming them all to the game which in turn brought out a jubilant cheers from the crowd. Ethan even found himself joining in. Anything to not discuss the dungeon. The game started rather faster than he expected not that he really was familiar with how these games usually got going. Hinan kicked off first with Carmel receiving the ball. Their returner didn¡¯t get far though and that in turn made the loud student section yell even louder. On the first drive Carmel got to close to the fifty yard line before they had to punt. The returner for Hinan brought the ball back almost all the way to the line of scrimmage which got the entire student section on its feet. There was an electricity in the air that was infectious and Ethan could help but grin. This was exciting. Every play caused the crowd to scream, groan, or cheer. It was entertainment like he¡¯d never experienced before. For the rest of the half and into the second he allowed himself to get completely sucked into the game. At halftime Hinan was winning by a score of ten to seven and in the third quarter they were threatening to score again driving the ball deep into Carmel¡¯s end of the field. Ethan turned to Bella to tell her that there was no way they¡¯d be able to stop Hinan¡¯s running back who already had one hundred and six yards rushing in the game when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye that made his blood run cold. Directly in front of him Bella¡¯s face was flushed with excitement and her eyes, like everyone else¡¯s were enraptured by the action on the field, but down below on the walkway behind the stands a figure was walking swiftly away from the stadium in the direction of Misty Oaks Point and the towns docks. Normally Ethan wouldn¡¯t have cared about a person walking away, except that this figure was covered completely in black armor. It was unmistakably the same spirit armor that Ethan, Bella, Alex, and Quin received when they were marked by the dungeon. From his vantage point he couldn¡¯t make out a weapon in the figure¡¯s hand but that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t have one because this person unmistakably had been in the dungeon. The game suddenly seemed insignificant in comparison to this new development and Ethan whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± in Bella¡¯s direction. ¡°Wha?¡± Bella asked turning towards him and looking confused. Her face got further confused and she added ¡°Ethan?¡± when she spotted him climbing down the back of the bleachers. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be right back,¡± Ethan said dropping the final few feet to the ground and taking off at a small jog after the retreating figure. Misty Oaks Point was a small curving peninsula that jutted out and the northwest part of town and formed a small natural harbor where several boats were docked. It butted up against the mountains on the north end of town and was only a short way away from the football stadium. Ethan was just breaking into a run upon reaching Seaside drive when he heard a colossal roar from the stadium behind him. Hinan must have scored, but that wasn¡¯t important now. Now he needed to find out who this person was, and what he knew about the dungeon. Maybe he could help break them free of its grip. Running diagonally across the empty Seaside Drive he moved across the small parking lot for the docks and the small walking trail that led to the point. The figure was climbing up the steps leading the the walking train and now Ethan was close enough he could make out a black knife clutched in its left hand. ¡°Wait,¡± Ethan yelled after it feeling he was now far enough away from the stadium that he wouldn¡¯t draw unwanted attention. The figure stopped and turned quickly looking down at Ethan. At least that¡¯s what it looked like it was doing, but he couldn¡¯t tell for sure because the black, unlike the other colors, completely hide the person¡¯s facial features underneath. Slowly it pointed its knife and Ethan and then to the football stadium before shaking its head. Was he telling Ethan to head back to the game? The hell with that. He was going to get some answers from whoever this was. Suddenly the person turned and sprinted up the steps and down the trail towards the point faster than Ethan would have thought was possible. Ethan ran after him, but was falling way behind as he just could move up the stairs nearly as fast as the other person. Still he wasn¡¯t too worried about it as there was only one path leading too and from the point so this person couldn¡¯t exactly get away from him. Upon reaching the top of the staircase he still couldn¡¯t find the figure. There were far too many trees lining to trail to make it easy to see. Gritting his teeth he ran down the trail as it climbed and curved. He could see the ocean now out the sides of the peninsula but still the figure was nowhere to be found. Breathing hard, he finally made it all the way to the top where the trees disappeared and you could see a fantastic view of the ocean on three sides. A small plaque embedded in concrete sat to one side while a bench with boy sitting on it was on the other side. ¡°There you are,¡± Ethan said staring at the dark haired boy who had his head down. ¡°Why did you run from me?¡± Looking up the boy¡¯s face lolled weakly and he looked shocking pale. Blood was oozing out of a wound coming from the area between the right side of his neck and shoulder. ¡°What?¡± the boy asked looking like he might be sick. ¡°Oh my god,¡± Ethan exclaimed rushing over to him. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel very well,¡± the boy said touching his wound and staring at the blood on his fingers. ¡°He just stabbed me. Why?¡± What do I do, Ethan thought trying to remember anything he learned about first aid. Uh first you¡¯ve got to stop the bleeding right, but I¡¯ve got no bandages on me. Smacking his own head in frustration he screamed in his own head to think. Finally he pulled his white school shirt off over his head and bunched it up, pressing it against the wound on the other boy. The boy gave a yell of pain and pulled away. ¡°I know it probably hurts but you need to keep pressure on the wound,¡± Ethan said repeating something he thought he remembered learning about first aid. ¡°Here if you want you can hold it yourself, but keep the pressure on. The boy took the shirt in his left hand and did as he was instructed. The shirt rapidly turned red as it soaked up blood as if it were a sponge. Well that¡¯s ruined, Ethan thought bitterly. Mom is going to kill me for ruining one of those. ¡°What happened?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°This guy dressed all in black came out of nowhere and startled me,¡± The boy said between deep breaths. ¡°He was sprinting at a full run and I knew the land ends after only a few feet up here so I moved out into the middle of the path yelling for him to stop before he accidently fell off the cliff into the ocean. He yelled something I couldn¡¯t understand so I repeated for him to stop and then he was on top of me and stabbing me with this dark knife. I staggered sideways and ended up on the bench somehow. I¡¯ve never been stabbed before, it really hurts.¡± ¡°What happened to the guy?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the boy admitted. ¡°I thought I heard a splash so maybe he jumped off the cliff, but I was so out of it after he stabbed me I might have imagined that.¡± No he must have, Ethan thought staring around the point. He didn¡¯t come back down the path because I would have seen him and he¡¯s not here anymore so he must have. ¡°What were you doing all alone out here anyways?¡± Ethan asked studying the boy¡¯s face. Something about it looked familiar but he just couldn¡¯t place it. ¡°I was praying,¡± he wheezed. ¡°I like to come up here to pray. It¡¯s peaceful, and with the football game going on I knew it would deserted which is perfect for trying to get closer to God.¡± ¡°Praying,¡± Ethan said letting the word roll around his mouth. There was something familiar about that too, it was right at the tip of his tongue. He strained his mind for a second and then he had it. ¡°Oh my God, you¡¯re Alex¡¯s brother,¡± Ethan said as it dawned on him where he¡¯d seen this boy before. It was in the dining hall on his first day at Hinan Academy. He¡¯d told Alex to stop picking on him and Bella. Now that he realized it the resemblance between the two was uncanny. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m James,¡± the boy said. ¡°I¡¯m Ethan, nice to meet you,¡± Ethan replied and added, ¡°Let me help you up. We should get you to the nurse right way before you pass out up here because there¡¯s no way I¡¯m strong enough to carry you.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± James said while lazily putting one arm over Ethan¡¯s shoulders and allowing Ethan to help him to his feet. Chapter 11: Determination ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go over this one more time from the beginning,¡± Mr. Tanaka said almost glaring down at Ethan who was sitting wrapped in a blanket outside of the nurses office. He was about to scream and throw the blanket in Mr. Tanaka¡¯s face but then thought better of it. The man was the Principal and there were several police standing around staring at him. This day quickly turned miserable once he¡¯d gotten James to the nurses station. To start off the nurse had actually yelled at him for moving the other boy in his condition. How was Ethan supposed to know that was a bad idea? That was only the beginning of his troubles though. After that she¡¯d called Mr. Tanaka and the Misty Oaks police who¡¯d proceeded to interrogate Ethan for hours over the events. He¡¯d told them everything he knew, well excluding references to the dungeon which he didn¡¯t think they¡¯d believe and still they kept making him repeat the story. Worse yet, Mr. Tanaka seemed to think Ethan was somehow complicit it what happened to James. ¡°As I told you already,¡± Ethan said barely managing to hide his irritation, ¡°I was sitting up in the student section of the bleachers watching the game when I turned to say something to my friend Bella and caught a black clad figure walking quickly towards the Point. Something felt off about it so I climbed down the back of the bleachers and followed after the figure.¡± ¡°Something felt off?¡± Tanaka repeated sounding annoyed. ¡°You followed after a figure dressed in all black because something felt off?¡± Not entirely, Ethan thought annoyed. I followed after it because it was wearing spirit armor, which as far as I know is only something you can get from that stupid dungeon. I thought this figure could tell me how to get the dungeon to release me and the others its marked, but apparently whoever it was is more out to harm students than to help others. Ethan smiled to himself thinking of how ridiculous that would sound to Tanaka and the policemen standing there taking notes. ¡°Do you think something is funny about this?¡± Tanaka asked angrily. ¡°A student, one of my students has been stabbed, and you¡¯re laughing?¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Ethan muttered quickly wiping the grin off his face. ¡°It¡¯s just a nervous reaction.¡± Sighing Mr. Tanaka barked, ¡°continue.¡± ¡°I tried to follow after him, but he was really fast, and he soon got out of eyeshot for me,¡± Ethan continued repeating what he¡¯d told them four times already. ¡°By the time I reached the top the figure was nowhere to be found and James was slumped on the bench at the point bleeding from a wound. I asked him what had happened and pulled my shirt off to staunch the bleeding as best as I could before bringing him here.¡± ¡°Yes, the nurse has already told us how you further endangered the boy by moving him in his condition,¡± Tanaka said dismissively. ¡°Luckily she was able to stabilize him, and an ambulance is on it¡¯s way from Carmel where he will be further evaluated, though from what she says the wound looks worse than it actually is.¡± Finally Ethan¡¯s patience ran out. He¡¯d had enough of being treated like he was somehow at fault for this. Tanaka and the nurse should be thanking him for saving James¡¯ life, not yelling at him for being the only person that did something. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for me James would most likely be dead,¡± Ethan spat. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t gotten curious and followed after that figure, James would have been all alone up on the Point and bleed out, so you¡¯re welcome.¡± Tanaka glared at him for a minute before turning to the policeman standing next to him and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re getting any more information out of this one. What do you want me to do? I¡¯ve got a homecoming dance that¡¯s supposed to start in the gym in less than an hour and we¡¯ve got dangerous person still on the loose out there according to both this one and James.¡± I have a name you know Ethan thought glaring right back at Tanaka. Why was the Principal treating him so poorly? Was it because he was a Shipper? Surely Tanaka wouldn¡¯t know that right off of the top of his head. ¡°That¡¯s ultimately up to you,¡± the police officer replied. ¡°Though it might be safer giving the students a place to be than having them all out roaming around campus tonight with the suspect still on the loose.¡± ¡°Alright, good,¡± Tanaka said more to himself than the other man. ¡°At least one thing can go correctly today. Between this stabbing and our team blowing a ten point lead in the fourth quarter this has turned into a pretty miserable day.¡± Ethan was just thinking about was a piece of work this guy was when the outdoor doors to the lobby burst open and Alex and his other brother came in looking alarmed. ¡°Ah Ben and uh?¡± Tanaka said turning to the two of them. ¡°My youngest brother Alex, sir,¡± Ben replied. ¡°We were just informed that James has been stabbed and was here.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Tanaka replied. ¡°Go on in, he¡¯s conscious and in stable condition, but if the nurse gives you any instructions or tells you to leave you listen to her. Am I clear?¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Ben replied and lead Alex through the lobby and into the nurses office where James was resting under the careful attention of the school nurse. ¡°We will post several officers in an around the gym for your students safety,¡± the policeman said to Tanaka after Ben and Alex entered the nurse¡¯s office. ¡°In addition, you may want to inform your students that the beach and the Point will be cordoned off for the time being.¡± ¡°Thank you, I will inform them as you say,¡± Tanaka replied. ¡°Can I go now?¡± Ethan blurted out tired of just sitting there. Tanaka spun on him with anger flashing in his eyes before his face relaxed and he said, ¡°I¡¯m done with you. Sargent do you have any more questions for Mr. Russell?¡± ¡°No, I think you can release him,¡± the policeman replied. ¡°You can go Mr. Russell,¡± Tanaka said and then added, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear of you getting into any more trouble.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Ethan said flatly standing up and dropping the blanket on the chair before exiting the building. Immediately he made straight across the quad for his dorm, mostly because he was tired of not having a shirt on. Unfortunately he was intercepted before he could reach it by both Bella and Quin. ¡°Ethan,¡± Bella said sounding relieved. ¡°Where did you end up going? I waited for you but you never came back to the game and why are all of these policemen around the campus?¡± ¡°More importantly, why are you running around without a shirt?¡± Quin asked eying him curiously. ¡°I¡¯ll explain everything in a minute,¡± Ethan said not stopping and continuing to walk toward his dorm. ¡°Just let me go up to my room first and get dressed.¡± To his annoyance the girls followed after him all the way to his door where they said they¡¯d wait for him. He seriously considered just staying in his room and leaving them there, but he didn¡¯t want to do that to Bella. It would have been much more tempting if it was just Quin though. Why did Bella have to drag her along in the first place? Ignoring his more spiteful instincts he quickly grabbed a t-shirt and threw it on before returning to the front of the dorm where Bella and Quin stood chatting. They both turned to him as soon as he emerged demanding answers with their eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere quieter,¡± Ethan said looking out over campus. ¡°I don¡¯t want a bunch of students overhearing.¡± ¡°The library?¡± Bella suggested before Ethan shook his head. ¡°No definitely not in that direction.¡± The library was just across Seaside Drive from the beach and the last thing Ethan needed was Tanaka finding out he was around that area. ¡°Manzanar Park should be fairly empty at this time, especially with the dance coming up soon,¡± Quin suggested. ¡°Speaking of the dance, shouldn¡¯t you be getting ready or something?¡± Ethan asked a little hopefully. Quin scoffed and replied, ¡°Why would I want to go to that. I don¡¯t dance and besides this is much more interesting.¡± Great, I always love having you around Quin, Ethan thought trying not to show his disappointment on his face. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Well lead on then,¡± Ethan instructed her motioning with his hand. She did as he instructed and led them around to the front side of Hinan Hall and then southwest where the park lay catty corner of the school and ran along Ocean Avenue. ¡°Why did you bring Quin along?¡± Ethan whispered to Bella annoyed. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what happened to you,¡± Bella replied defensively. ¡°She was right there and I trust her. Whatever your problem with her is, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s who you think she is.¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± Ethan muttered sourly and then added more gently after seeing the hurt expression on Bella¡¯s face, ¡°I appreciate your concern, really.¡± Manzanar Park was fairly large, being the central city park for Misty Oaks. A pond was located on the far side while an oval walking trail made its way around the entire park and was lined appropriately with Oak trees. In the very center of the park was a stone monument that read: This monument is dedicated to the 146 souls that lost their lives at Manzanar War Relocation Camp (1942-1945). Below this was some Japanese writing that Ethan couldn¡¯t read and all one hundred and forty six names written in both English and Japanese. Finally there was a small dedication at the bottom that read: This monument was built and dedicated by the citizens of Hinan on November 21, 1948 to mark the 3 year anniversary of the closure of Manzanar War Relocation Camp so that those who perished there shall never be forgotten. ¡°So is this private enough for you?¡± Quin asked pulling Ethan¡¯s attention away from the names written on the monument. ¡°Yeah I think so,¡± Ethan said looking around and seeing that the three of them were seemingly the only people in the park. ¡°What happened then?¡± Bella asked anxiously. Over the next ten minutes or so he recited the entire story of that afternoon¡¯s events from spotting the Black figure on the bleachers, to following it, to finding James stabbed on the Point, to taking the other boy to the nurses office, and finally to his lengthy interrogation by Tanaka and the police. When he finished Quin looked thoughtful while Bella looked pale and even more concerned. ¡°And you¡¯re sure that this figure was wearing Spirit Armor like the armor we received from the dungeon?¡± Quin asked. ¡°I¡¯m positive about that,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°It looked just like all of yours, only it was black and so dark that I couldn¡¯t make out any of his facial features.¡± ¡°If you couldn¡¯t make out any of his features couldn¡¯t it have been a girl?¡± Bella asked. ¡°Well, I suppose there¡¯s a chance, but I just got the feeling it was a he,¡± Ethan said. ¡°He moved like a guy, if that makes sense.¡± ¡°I think we¡¯ll put the gender in the unknown category for now,¡± Quin said. ¡°No offense, but a feeling isn¡¯t very concrete.¡± His lips tightened and he wanted to snap at her. This is why I don¡¯t like Quin, Bella, Ethan thought. Somehow he managed to restrain himself and instead said, ¡°Their gender is really beside the point because neither me or James got a good look at the person. Whoever it is, is really fast, like faster than you Quin, and not afraid to hurt other people. I think we can safely assume that they aren¡¯t going to be an ally of ours.¡± ¡°But if they have the armor, then they¡¯ve had to have been down in the dungeon,¡± Quin said. ¡°This means the three of us and Alex aren¡¯t the only people who know about it and have access to the place.¡± ¡°Yeah, maybe we should ask the dungeon about it,¡± Bella chimed in. ¡°Like that voice will give us any good information,¡± Ethan retorted scoffing at her. ¡°All it offers are vague statements that just raise more questions and answers. It wouldn¡¯t explain what it meant by its heart or even what it really is when I asked.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s worth asking,¡± Bella muttered quietly. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s worth asking,¡± Quin agreed but then added, ¡°though I¡¯m kind of with Ethan on this one. I doubt it¡¯s going to be very informative. The real question is, what does this mean for the four of us and the dungeon going forward?¡± ¡°Obviously, the dungeon just got a whole lot more dangerous,¡± Ethan snapped. ¡°Now we have to deal with a knife wielding psychopath on the loose while we¡¯re in there, as if it wasn¡¯t dangerous enough already.¡± Quin had an expression of grim determination on her face while Bella looked terrified and still Ethan couldn¡¯t stop his mind from spinning through all the information he¡¯d absorbed. What was that figure going to do up on the Point anyways? Surely it couldn¡¯t have been headed up there to stab James. James just happened to be there so the stabbing was a coincidence right? He wasn¡¯t the best with logic puzzles like this but this line of thought made sense to him. There had to be a reason that figure was going there and going there with his armor activated. Finally he made a decision, and one that he wasn¡¯t particularly happy about, but he couldn¡¯t passively stand around and let people like James get hurt. That just wasn¡¯t the type of person Ethan wanted to be. Sighing he said, ¡°Look I know two things. First, I¡¯m going to start taking the dungeon seriously, because I¡¯ll admit up until now I¡¯ve been reluctant to explore it and mostly wanted nothing to do with it. That¡¯s still mostly true, but now that there¡¯s someone with dungeon powers attacking people I need to understand the place better and get to the bottom of its mysteries. Secondly, I have a strong suspicion that character was going to the point for a reason and not to stab James. I think we need to find out what is up there that he or she would be interested in.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Quin said quickly while Bella looked less sure about it. ¡°Bella, I won¡¯t ask you to do this with me,¡± Ethan said not wanting to force his friend into a dangerous situation. ¡°No, I will,¡± Bella said with false confidence. ¡°I was marked by the dungeon as well so I have as much of a stake in this as both of you. I will do my part.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t over do it,¡± Ethan said forcing a smile at her. ¡°Speaking of the marks,¡± Bella said ignoring Ethan and looking thoughtfully. ¡°The odds have to be good that¡¯s it¡¯s a student right?¡± Wow, I¡¯m an idiot, Ethan thought gaping at his best friend. With everything he thought he figured out, this was the most obvious thing and he missed it. ¡°yeah , that makes sense,¡± Ethan finally said finally figuring out how to work his mouth. ¡°I mean I accidentally stumbled on the place looking for a class and it¡¯s in the basement of Hinan Hall so naturally a student would make the most sense.¡± ¡°A student or a teacher,¡± Bella said, ¡°but I would lean towards a student personally. I think we may be able to use the mark to locate the person though.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ethan asked curiously. ¡°Well, all of us received the exact same circling commas mark from the dungeon though in colors that matched our spirit armor,¡± Bella explained gaining confidence as she spoke. ¡°On both of you your marks are easily visible on the inside of your wrists, so there¡¯s a chance that this person might have a¡­¡± ¡°A visible black mark on their skin somewhere,¡± Ethan exclaimed figuring out where she was going with this. ¡°Bella that¡¯s brilliant.¡± Blushing but looking pleased she said, ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited cause it could easily be covered up like mine is or Alex¡¯s is, but there¡¯s a chance.¡± ¡°We should all keep an eye out for that,¡± Quin said. ¡°Bella and I can examine all of the girls in the locker room closely before and after gym class and I¡¯ll do my team as well. Ethan you should examine the boys closely as well as your team.¡± There¡¯s no way I¡¯m doing that, Ethan thought. You may be okay with being a creep Quin but I most certainly am not. Bella also didn¡¯t look comfortable with the idea but neither of them had the courage to say anything to Quin so they kept their mouths shut. ¡°With any luck,¡± Quin continued, ¡°we should be able to find The Black before they have a chance to hurt anyone else.¡± ¡°The Black?¡± Ethan asked feeling even more uncomfortable with where this was going. ¡°Yeah, The Black,¡± Quin replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we should call them that,¡± Ethan said quietly. ¡°Why not?¡± Quin asked sounding surprised. ¡°The dungeon called me The Green, you The Red, Bella, The Yellow, so I¡¯d have to assume someone in black armor would be The Black.¡± Is she really this dense Ethan thought not quite sure how to go about telling her that calling someone The Black didn¡¯t exactly sound the best. After grimacing and racking his brain for a minute he gave up. He wasn¡¯t coming up with a good way out of this so he just simply shrugged in response. Maybe he¡¯d come up with a good alternative later. ¡°We can go to the dungeon tomorrow, but for now let¡¯s head up to that Point and investigate like you wanted to,¡± Quin said. ¡°I think we¡¯ve cleared up everything we¡¯ll need to talk about. We can fill Alex in tomorrow at the dungeon. ¡°Alex will probably be with his brother tomorrow I¡¯d imagine,¡± Ethan said not that he was going to complain about Alex being absent. Maybe his brother should get stabbed more often and then he¡¯d be free of the jerk. Alright that is an awful thought to have regardless of how much he disliked the kid. James certainly didn¡¯t deserve that. ¡°And there¡¯s no way we¡¯ll get anywhere close to the Point right now,¡± Ethan added. ¡°The police have cordoned it and the beach off for the time being. ¡°If I¡¯m seen anywhere near that place, Tanaka will probably personally make sure I¡¯m thrown in a prison cell.¡± ¡°Surely he knows you weren¡¯t involved,¡± Bella said. ¡°I don¡¯t know, he certainly sounded accusatory towards me,¡± Ethan muttered. ¡°Maybe he just dislikes Shippers though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s just under a lot of stress and you were an easy target for him,¡± Bella said. ¡°He¡¯ll probably feel bad about it tomorrow. ¡°Yeah,¡± Ethan said while thinking fat chance of that. ¡°How do you want to proceed tonight then?¡± Quin asked. ¡°Let¡¯s just return to the Quad,¡± Ethan said. ¡°We can keep an eye on the students moving to and from the dance watching for any dungeon marks or tattoos on any of them. We might even overhear something important from some of the police officers stationed around.¡± ¡°Okay a stakeout then,¡± Quin said with an oddly excited look in her eyes. ¡°This should be a good time.¡± It wasn¡¯t. The three of them sat around the southwest corner of the Quad for hours listening to the blaring music coming from the Gym and watching as students decked out in dresses and suits, that probably cost more than Ethan¡¯s home, moved back and forth between their dorms, the Quad, and the gym. The police mulled around too, but didn¡¯t say anything worth overhearing about the investigation. Because of this they were mostly left to staring creepily at the girls who unlike the guys at least had some skin exposed. They did this for hours with large chunks of that time filled with nothing as most of the students remained in the gym the entire time. All in all this was a bad day. Ethan missed dinner, got interrogated for hours by Tanaka, and was now bored and feeling like a pervert as he stared desperately at every bare piece of skin that he saw. ¡°I feel like such a creep,¡± he muttered to Bella who was sitting next to him. ¡°I¡¯m looking every girl in our school up and down and none of them have a dungeon mark on them.¡± ¡°If it makes you feel any better,¡± Bella said turning to him and smiling, ¡°on Tuesday you¡¯ll get to check out all the boys in our P.E. class. Don¡¯t be late for that.¡± ¡°I hate you,¡± Ethan muttered, though he smiled at her as she laughed and even Quin smirked at him. Chapter 12: The Point of Friendship The remainder of the evening and the next day was a mixture of mostly failures with one positive thing happening. For starters for all the time they spent out on the Quad they didn¡¯t find a single person with a dungeon mark on them. Even though they stayed out until well after the dance ended nothing came out of their efforts and the three of them went back to their dorms frustrated but determined to conquer the second floor of the dungeon the next day. Like Ethan predicted he neither met nor saw Alex for the rest of that night or the next morning. Alex was probably at the hospital in Carmel with his brother and hopefully James was recovering alright. For all the issues Ethan had with Alex her certainly didn¡¯t wish i¡¯ll on his brother for it, besides the one time he¡¯d seen James before the attack the guy had been telling Alex off for how he was behaving. For lunch he met both Bella and Quin in the cafeteria and for once he didn¡¯t even mind that the latter was there. They¡¯d need to put all three of their minds together if they were to finally clear the dungeon after lunch. Upon reaching the dungeon they asked it about The Black, a name that was unfortunately sticking despite the fact that Ethan was uncomfortable with it. In typical fashion for the dungeon it game them a vague answer about how their have been many different chosen over the years and that it could not tell them any specific information about others. Already feeling annoyed Ethan led the other two to the elevator and took it down to the now wearily familiar second floor. They spent hours working methodically through the maze of tunnels and bunkers and still ended up back at the elevator. With animosity starting to rise between the three of them they once again started over though this time with much less patience. It wasn¡¯t to be. Even with the extra hours put in and careful attention to detail being paid to everything they were still missing something. By the time they stumbled upon the elevator for a second time Ethan had already snapped at both girls multiple times and come seriously close to punching Quin. He¡¯d restrained himself, but the stupid girl was so freaking stubborn and just didn¡¯t listen anyone else. If she thought that she should do something she was going to do it regardless if everyone else on the planet objected. It was infuriating. With nerves raw and tensions running high they called it a day and silently seething took the elevator back up to the basement of Hinan Hall where Ethan yelled an insult at the dungeon before the exited. As if mocking him the dungeon didn¡¯t respond. When they finally got out to the Quad it was dark and well past dinner which soured his mood even further. For the second day in a row he¡¯d managed to miss dinner and they¡¯d made no progress on anything today. Quickly he muttered goodbye to the other two before sulking off back towards Salamander House and his dorm. God he hoped Alex was still gone because if the kid made one snarky comment about how poor Ethan was he was going to lose it. Just like everything so far that day though, what Ethan wanted, and what reality gave him were two completely different things because when he reached his dorm he heard the familiar sound of aliens screaming as they were blasted by automatic gunfire coming from Alex¡¯s TV which assuredly meant the other boy was back. Taking a deep breath and steadying himself he opened the door hoping Alex would simply ignore him and act like Ethan didn¡¯t exist. That at least would allow Ethan to block him out and relax a little. Alex didn¡¯t ignore him and instead surprisingly paused his game when he heard Ethan enter the room and close the door behind him. ¡°Hey Ethan, do you have a minute?¡± Alex asked actually standing up and turning around to face him. ¡°Sure,¡± Ethan said feeling his hand curling up into a fist and bracing himself for the fight that was about to happen. ¡°I uh,¡± Alex started looking uncomfortable and struggling to maintain eye contact with him. ¡°I uh wanted to thank you for saving James. He told me what you did for him and that if you hadn¡¯t come along he might have, well¡­¡± He trailed off still looking uncomfortable and clearly didn¡¯t want to finish that statement. It took Ethan almost a full minute to not only register his words but for the meaning to sink in. Was Alex actually thanking him? The other boy hadn¡¯t shown a hint of kindness towards Ethan since they¡¯d first met and now he was thanking Ethan. Was Ethan actually unconscious down in that dungeon still in reality and this was just a weird dream he was having? ¡°He would have done the same for me,¡± Ethan finally managed to say. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone would have left someone out there to just bleed out.¡± Sighing and scratching his cheek Alex said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so modest. You did help him, and no not everyone would have done that. Hell you even pulled off your own shirt and gave it to him to staunch the bleeding so thank you for saving my brother¡¯s life.¡± Finally it was clear to Ethan that Alex was being serious and he felt himself relax before saying, ¡°It was just the right thing to do. How is James doing?¡± ¡°He¡¯s actually doing really well,¡± Alex replied smiling. ¡°They said the wound was actually more shallow than it first appeared and it didn¡¯t do any major damage internally. He had to get stitches and have a blood transfusion to replace some of the blood he lost but he¡¯s already back in his dorm resting.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s good,¡± Ethan said smiling as well. ¡°I¡¯m glad he¡¯s going to be okay.¡± ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± Alex replied before his face because serious once again and he added, ¡°I wanted to apologize to you. I know I¡¯ve been a colossal jerk since you showed up and I haven¡¯t been very nice or fair to you. It¡¯s not your fault that you¡¯re less fortunate than I am and you¡¯ve done nothing to deserve the way I¡¯ve treated you. I¡¯ve been a poor Christian and wanted to let you know that I¡¯m sorry for the way I¡¯ve acted and that going forward I hope we can get along better.¡± For the second time in the last few minutes Ethan was left stunned. Not only had Alex thanked him for saving his brother but now he¡¯d actually apologized for the way he¡¯d been treating Ethan. Was the world ending? ¡°Thanks for that, I really appreciate it, but you should really apologize to Bella too,¡± Ethan said stiffly. ¡°I plan on it, I know I¡¯ve been awful to her too,¡± Alex said and then added with a smile, ¡°and unlike you she¡¯s actually a really nice person.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Ethan exclaimed defensively causing Alex to laugh which in turn caused Ethan to smile and laugh and just like that they found themselves becoming friends. ¡°One more thing, well really two,¡± Alex said walking over to his bed and picking something up. ¡°I got you this to replace the one you ruined.¡± He handed a new white polo to Ethan which was easily the most expensive piece of clothing Ethan now owned as he couldn¡¯t fail to notice the expensive brand on the tag. ¡°I got the size out of your wardrobe, I hope you don¡¯t mind,¡± Alex said sheepishly. ¡°When I was in there I noticed you didn¡¯t have winter school clothes so I got you think as well as a thank you for saving my brother¡¯s life and as an apology for the way I¡¯ve treated you.¡± He held up a navy blue sweater emblazoned with the Hinan H on the left side of the breast. ¡°I got it at the bookstore so if you don¡¯t like it feel free to exchange it for something else,¡± Alex added blushing slightly. ¡°No it¡¯s fine,¡± Ethan muttered feeling stunned now for the third time. ¡°Thank you, I really appreciate that man. I like it a lot.¡± That actually took care of two problems Ethan mostly was pushing out of his mind because he hadn¡¯t wanted to saddle his mother with those expenses. The whole point of him going to this school, at least in his mind, was that it would take the burden of his living expenses off his mother and Jane. Speaking of Jane, he hoped that she was doing well. This was her first year of middle school and he remembered kids being especially cruel during his sixth grade year. Still, when he¡¯d talked to her on the phone last she sounded good and said she had a lot of friends which was a good sign since he was hours away and couldn¡¯t do much to help her. The scar on his arm tingled as he thought about this. Well it probably more in his mind than actually an itch, but he still scratched it out of habit. Hopefully Jane could avoid getting picked on by the rich kids and find herself a loyal group of friends. Friends were something that Ethan struggled with all throughout middle school and if he was being honest with himself into high school. He really only had Bella as a good friend but she was worth more than ten other people. Jane would have to fight her battles on her own, but unlike Ethan everyone seemed to warm up to her immediately. She was funny and sweet like their mother, two qualities that seemed to have skipped over Ethan. God he hoped that didn¡¯t take after their worthless father. No, he¡¯d never abandon his family like that man had. Even if he had to use every bit of willpower he had he¡¯d never be like that man. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Alex asked drawing Ethan away from his thoughts. ¡°You¡¯re kind of staring off into space with this weird look on your face.¡± ¡°Oh sorry,¡± Ethan replied slightly embarrassed. ¡°This whole thing just had me thinking about my little sister that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°You have a sister?¡± Alex asked. ¡°How old is she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s eleven,¡± Ethan answered and for some reason proceeded to tell Alex all about her. ¡°She sounds like a good kid,¡± Alex said and then added, ¡°Hey, do you want to play? I¡¯ve got an extra controller.¡± ¡°Uh sure,¡± Ethan replied, ¡°but you should know I¡¯ve only played video games a couple times before.¡± ¡°No worries, pull up your chair,¡± Alex said sitting back down in his chair and grabbing the second controller off of the TV stand. ¡°This game is pretty simple, all you have to do is point and shoot the aliens.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Ethan said accepting the controller from Alex and feeling a nervous excitement run through him as pulled his desk chair over in from of the TV. Over the next couple of minutes Alex proceeded to explain the controls to Ethan and they sounded simple enough. The objective of the game seemed to be even simply with the goal basically being to murder all of the aliens before they murdered you. That was leaving out a few key details of the plot but Ethan wasn¡¯t really bothering to read the story. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Ethan turned out to be terrible at the game but it was the most fun he¡¯d had in a long time. Wow he really needed to get one of these things. Alex more than made up for Ethan as they fought off wave after wave demonic looking aliens. Ethan figured that with more practice he could be just as good as Alex but right now the gulf between them was rather large. While they played, in between laughing at Ethan¡¯s ineptitude, Ethan filled him in on everything that happened over the last couple of days, from him following the Black to their complete failure to conquer the second floor of the dungeon. ¡°I can¡¯t believe the person who attacked James was wearing dungeon armor,¡± Alex said for the second time. ¡°It shocked me too, but apparently we¡¯re not the only ones who¡¯ve been chosen, marked, or whatever by that place,¡± Ethan replied once again dying to a burst of plasma fire coming from an especially grotesque looking alien on screen. ¡°You need to take cover when he does that,¡± Alex instructed showing him exactly how he was supposed to have fought the creature. ¡°And the dungeon didn¡¯t give you any information at all about this Black?¡± ¡°No, it was it¡¯s usual helpful vague self,¡± Ethan said shrugging. ¡°That figures,¡± Alex muttered deep in thought. ¡°I agree with you though, we¡¯ve got to get to the bottom of this now, for my brother if nothing else and I think you all are on the right track, there¡¯s got to be some reason the Black was going to the Point.¡± ¡°Yeah, the problem is the police made it very clear that they were cordoning off the point during my meeting with Tanaka, who by the way totally acted like I was somehow responsible for what happened,¡± Ethan said a bit irritated. ¡°Ben says he¡¯s like that with a lot of students, so I wouldn¡¯t take it personally,¡± Alex replied chucking a grenade a blowing up several smaller aliens in front of him. ¡°Apparently he¡¯s not very good with students for being the head of a school.¡± ¡°Well, I appreciate that,¡± Ethan replied feeling slightly better about it. ¡°Still we¡¯ve got to figure out a way to get up to the Point as soon as possible to investigate, and be done with those stupid concrete tunnels on the second floor.¡± ¡°The dungeon is just going to be trial and error over time,¡± Alex said shrugging. ¡°It might take time, but we¡¯ll figure it out, especially with all four of us working at it. If I¡¯m being honest I wasn¡¯t really that motivated before and was kind of just going along because Quin forced me too.¡± Laughing Ethan replied, ¡°That was exactly what Bella and I were doing too.¡± ¡°Still, we¡¯ll get it, it¡¯s just a matter of time,¡± Alex said thinking. ¡°As for the Point, that should actually be easier. In a couple of days they¡¯re likely to pull most of the police away from it as Misty Oaks doesn¡¯t exactly have a large force and can¡¯t afford to have all of their manpower stationed there. I¡¯d guess by Tuesday, they¡¯ll probably only have one patrol car stationed in that parking lot with a cop or two sitting inside bored out of their minds. That shouldn¡¯t be too hard to sneak around in my opinion.¡± ¡°If they catch me up there, Tanaka might just lose his mind,¡± Ethan muttered though he felt himself already moving towards Alex¡¯s side. ¡°So don¡¯t get caught,¡± Alex said with a small laugh, ¡°besides if you do, I¡¯ll just say I dragged you up there to investigate because I wanted to figure out what happened to my brother. We¡¯ll be fine. They¡¯ll give us slaps on the wrist but ultimately forgive a kid who is just trying to understand why his brother was stabbed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s uh, a little maniacal,¡± Ethan said having a newfound appreciation for the other boy¡¯s intelligence. ¡°Eh, you¡¯ve got to use the advantages you get,¡± Alex said smiling and then added, ¡°besides it¡¯s not a complete lie. I really do want to get to the bottom of this. This Black stabbed my brother. I can¡¯t just let that go.¡± This Black? Ethan thought, God that sounds so bad. I¡¯m never going to be comfortable with that term to describe this guy. Unfortunately for him, Alex, like Quin, seemed to have no issues calling James¡¯ attacker that. For Alex it was just probably logical. ¡°Okay so Tuesday night we¡¯re sneaking around that patrol car?¡± Ethan asked feeling a surge of adrenaline shoot through him. ¡°Yup, so I guess we should let Bella and Quin know,¡± Alex said pausing the game and pulling out his cell phone to text Quin. ¡°You and Bella should really get phones, that would make communication so much easier.¡± In response Ethan gave him a look that asked, ¡°seriously?¡± ¡°Alright, relax, I know you can¡¯t,¡± Alex said trying to placate Ethan. ¡°It¡¯s all good, we¡¯ll just tell Bella in person. I know you see your girlfriend everyday so it¡¯s not a problem.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not my girlfriend,¡± Ethan replied automatically. ¡°Whatever you say dude,¡± Alex said laughing. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a guy spending as much time alone with a girl as you do with her if they¡¯re not together, unless you¡¯re gay or something.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not gay,¡± Ethan replied a little too forcefully, ¡°and she¡¯s not my girlfriend. We¡¯re just friends. We¡¯re not interested in each other like that.¡± Alex raised a questioning eyebrow which caused Ethan to push his shoulder gently and mutter, ¡°shut up and lets shoot some aliens.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you mean I¡¯m going to shoot some aliens and you¡¯re going to get shot by said aliens?¡± Alex asked unpausing the game and laughing. ¡°Has anyone ever told you that you¡¯re the worst?¡± Ethan asked laughing and unfortunately dying on screen just like Alex predicted. Over the next two days Ethan and Alex filled the girls in on their plan of sneaking up to the point past the police car on Tuesday. Alex also apologized to Bella as well which Ethan was glad to see. As always she was super gracious about the whole thing and seemed to be genuinely touched. After dinner Tuesday the four of them gathered together by the on the pathway between the soccer field and the tennis courts. The plan was to head north from the baseball field into the forest that came down the mountains on the north side of town and then walk west until they were forced to out towards the Point where the forest continued around the path the city made there. This way they¡¯d have the cover of trees and would hopefully be much harder to spot by the police that were stationed there. Reach the forested slopes north of the baseball field was rather simple especially since at this time of year they didn¡¯t have to worry about the field being used. Traversing the slopes and navigating through the trees toward the Point was another story, however, as both Alex and Bella really struggled with their balance. All of the training Quin and Ethan were putting in on their legs seemed to be paying off and the two of them had a much easier time maintaining their balancing and walking sideways across the awkward angle of the slope. ¡°How do legs that skinny even support your body?¡± Quin asked catching Alex by the wrist as he once again started to stumble. ¡°You literally have almost no muscle on them at all.¡± ¡°Yes, well some of us spend more time training our brains than our bodies,¡± Alex muttered defensively. ¡°You alright Bella?¡± Ethan asked watching his friend take tentative steps along the slope. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m fine,¡± Bella replied. ¡°It¡¯s just taking awhile to get used to walking like this.¡± ¡°Take your time, we¡¯re not in a rush, and it would be silly for you to get hurt out here,¡± he said. ¡°At least I have A¡¯s in all of my classes,¡± Alex snapped drawing Ethan¡¯s attention back to where Quin was still helping Alex and apparently lecturing him in the process. ¡°You know, because academics are our primary goal at school. Not that you were smart enough to figure that out on your own.¡± Good to see that I¡¯m not the only one who¡¯s skin she gets under Ethan thought smiling. Quin was just rude, always saying things in a way that you weren¡¯t quite sure if she was just stating something or making fun of you. It was hard to tell. She just frowned slightly at Alex holding him in position until he was able to steady himself without her help. She showed a remarkable bit of restraint in not yelling at Alex, but then Ethan never had seen her get angry. The rest of the walk until the area narrowed and they closed in on the Point was a struggle but with Ethan and Quin steadying the other two the whole group managed to make it in one piece and without alerting more than a couple birds. He could see the cops now. There were two of them sitting in a single car and looking about as bored as people could be. Alex nailed that one, Ethan thought, but then the other boy was the smartest kid he knew. They¡¯d need to move very carefully through the thinning trees while trying not to alert the police who if they were watching the forest carefully wouldn¡¯t be able to miss them. It wasn¡¯t quiet sunset yet and this would have been better if it were. Actually, no it wouldn¡¯t have. Then they¡¯d just be stumbling around in the dark walking right into every tree in the forest because if they turned a light on that would be a dead giveaway to anyone else that someone was there. ¡°I think we should do this one at a time,¡± Ethan whispered. ¡°It¡¯s less likely to draw their attention that way.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Alex said eyeing the narrow area of woods they¡¯d have to walk through until they could get further up the hill leading to the Point. ¡°Quin why don¡¯t you go first, then Bella, then Alex, and I¡¯ll go last,¡± Ethan suggested. Quin nodded her head in agreement and slowly began creeping along moving along the sloping incline that led to the point. As always she was sure footed and every step she took served a purpose. Honestly, she was the person Ethan was worried the least about and she made without the slightest problem. Bella went next and she moved slower. She wasn¡¯t sure footed and seemed determined not to take the wrong step and fall over. This was probably a good thing because, though it took her way too long to reach Quin, she did so without either one of the cops looking up from their cell phone screens. One down, one to go, Ethan thought. He knew if they could get Bella and Alex up they were home free which is why he suggested they go in this order. Alex was next and already starting to creep along towards the Point. He looked nervous and every step he took caused the air to catch in the back of Ethan¡¯s throat. Moving slowly, almost slower than Bella had, Alex inched toward the Point. After a couple minutes Ethan breathed out realizing he¡¯d been holding his breath. It was going to take Alex another five minutes to reach the place where Quin and Bella were but the other boy seemed to be getting more confident as he went and Ethan was now certain he was going to make it without an issue. Of course he was wrong, for as soon as Ethan had this thought Alex¡¯s toe clipped a rock hidden underneath leaves and he sprawled forward crashing down on the slope. Oh crap, Ethan thought as he felt his body moving on its own. He was running towards where Alex lay stupefied, praying that the police hadn¡¯t just noticed the crash. Hardly noticing the loose leaves or the angle of the slope he dug in with each stride pushing his powerful legs down hard against the ground to give him stability. At least all of his training was good for something. Upon getting within a few yards of Alex he slid foot first towards the other boy as if he were going for a sliding tackle on the soccer pitch. His shoe slid past Alex and he grabbed the other boy around the midriff and began pulling him towards the nearest tree. ¡°Alex, I need you to help,¡± Ethan hissed at the other boy. ¡°I¡¯m not that strong and we need to get out of their line of sight now.¡± ¡°You should probably spend more time building up those arms than reading books,¡± Alex muttered. Ethan swallowed his laughter desperately, knowing that if he burst out into laughter it was all over. Instead he focused all of his will of lifting and pulling the other boy towards the nearest tree. ¡°What are you doing?¡± they heard a masculine voice ask in the distance. ¡°I thought I saw something move over there,¡± another male voice responded. Right as the voice answered the two of them slid behind the tree panting silently and praying that the police didn¡¯t take a walk over here. ¡°It was probably just a squirrel,¡± The first voice said. ¡°Those woods are full of them.¡± ¡°Yeah, okay,¡± the second voice replied, though he didn¡¯t sound convinced. ¡°Look if you want to go look, by all means go out there and look,¡± the first voice said, ¡°but either way shut the door, you¡¯re letting all the AC out.¡± Oh crap, Ethan thought. We¡¯re screwed. Tanaka is going to lose it when these two drag me into his office. ¡°Eh, you¡¯re probably right, it was probably just a squirrel,¡± The second voice said and they heard the sound of a door closing a moment later. For a minute the two of them continued to sit frozen until Ethan was finally brave enough to peek around the side of the tree to confirm that the cop had in fact returned to the vehicle. They gave it another couple of minutes before the two of them crawled the remaining distance from the tree they were behind to where Bella and Quin waited anxiously at the top of the hill leading to the Point. ¡°Alright, that went pretty smoothly,¡± Alex said standing up and brushing himself off. ¡°What now?¡± Ethan rolled his eyes in response to the first part of this and answered the second with, ¡°Now we look around and try to find out why the Black was heading up here in the first place.¡± Chapter 13: Aki Misty Oaks Point looked much the same to Ethan as it had the first time he¡¯d been there, though at least this time there wasn¡¯t a bleeding student slumped over on the bench. This time, the bench was empty, thankfully. ¡°What exactly are we looking for?¡± Bella asked. ¡°Anything that might be related to the dungeon,¡± Ethan replied reading over the plaque for the Point. ¡°Or anything that might give us a clue to who the Black is,¡± Alex added. The problem was that there wasn¡¯t a whole lot to inspect on the Point. It just wasn¡¯t that big and with the setting sun blinding him Ethan wondered if this whole thing was just one big waste of time. No, there had to be a reason that figure was coming out here, he just needed to find it. He chose the football game to come up to the Point, meaning he wanted privacy for whatever he was doing. Unfortunately for both him and James, James was already up on the Point praying. The ocean was beautiful and Ethan found himself staring off at the reflecting red sun in the distant waves instead of searching over the small area with the rest of his ground. ¡°Is something out there?¡± Quin asked looking in the same direction as Ethan. ¡°What-oh no,¡± Ethan replied snapping out of his daydream. ¡°Sorry I was just admiring the sunset.¡± ¡°I see, we¡¯ll maybe we should focus on what¡¯s up here while we still have a little bit of sunlight,¡± Quin chided him before she walked away to search the other side. Irritated Ethan bent down and picked up a rock and then chucked it over the cliff and down towards the ocean below. Stupid Quin, he thought stomping around and staring at the dirt and the grass near his feet. There was nothing unusual about it and he was about to concede that this whole this was a waste of time. Ouch. ¡°Did you say something?¡± Ethan asked snapping his head in the direction of Alex who was closest to him. ¡°Nope, I was to busy staring at all of these non-existent clues,¡± Alex replied. ¡°Yeah, sorry, this is starting to look like a waste of time,¡± Ethan said. ¡°When I thought of it seemed like a good idea but now-¡± Well aren¡¯t you rude. First you hit me with a rock for no reason at then you ignore me. Freezing Ethan started around looking for the source of the voice. He was certain that he heard it that time. It was clear as could be, but the problem was that there was no one around besides the four of them and the Point wasn¡¯t exactly big enough to hide anyone. ¡°Ethan are you alright?¡± Alex asked looking concerned. ¡°Quiet,¡± Ethan instructed. ¡°Someone is speaking to me I know it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no one else here,¡± Alex replied looking even more concerned, ¡°and I haven¡¯t heard anything. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Bella and Quin were now eyeing Ethan too with the same concerned expressions on their faces that Alex had. I¡¯m positive I heard that last one, Ethan thought frantically looking around for the source and still not finding it. I¡¯m down here. Looking down at the ground he saw nothing but dirt and grass and snapped, ¡°I can¡¯t see you.¡± In the water, idiot. Scowling Ethan moved over to the edge of the cliff and looked down where instead of seeing the blue ocean waters like he suspected he found an enormous red octopus with a couple tentacles running up the cliff faces. Involuntarily he jumped backwards and activated his dungeon mark causing his spirit armor and sword to materialize. You¡¯re really starting to irritate me, you know that? The octopus, or kraken, or whatever it was actually starting to sound irritated and Ethan didn¡¯t like the idea of this thing getting irritated. It had to be at least half the size of a football field if not larger. One thing was certain in his mind, he was never going in the ocean around here if he could avoid it. ¡°What is that?¡± Quin asked marveling out at the creature. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s a kraken,¡± Alex said looking pale. ¡°You know the whole mythical sea creature.¡± I am not a Kraken, the voice boomed in Ethan¡¯s head causing him to cringe. He could see the other three cringle backwards too and guessed that it was now speaking to all of them. If you¡¯ve come here to insult me, I will drag you off of that cliff and drown you, the voice threatened. I¡¯d eat you, but I found out long ago that human taste terrible. ¡°We didn¡¯t come here to insult you,¡± Ethan said, holding his hands out in what he hoped was a placating gesture. ¡°Your appearance has just startled us that¡¯s all. Could we ask, what are you? Are you from the dungeon?¡± Children, why must I deal with children, the voice muttered in their heads. I would have thought it was obvious what I am, I¡¯m an octopus. Look at my eight tentacles. Count them, Idiots. It flailed its tentacles around as if to emphasize this splashing large amounts of water around and knocking a small amount of rock off of the side of the cliff into the ocean. ¡°That¡¯s the biggest octopus I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Alex muttered shaking his head. ¡°Plus the fact that it can speak in our heads kind of doubles down on this not being a normal one.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just try not to offend it any further,¡± Ethan said not taking his eyes off of it. ¡°Maybe next time don¡¯t throw rocks at it,¡± Quin suggested flatly and Ethan couldn¡¯t tell if she was being serious or making a joke. ¡°Okay, you¡¯re an octopus,¡± Ethan said. ¡°Look I¡¯m sorry for hitting you with that rock, I didn¡¯t know you were there when I threw it. ¡°I¡¯m Ethan, this is Alex, Quin, and Bella. Do you have a name?¡± I do, the octopus replied and Ethan waited for it to elaborate. It didn¡¯t. Instead they simply stood there in silence staring into it¡¯s large eyes in silence as the red sun, which almost perfectly matched the shade of its body caused the creature to almost shimmer in the water. ¡°Would you mind telling us your name?¡± Ethan asked trying not to let the aggravation show in his voice. ¡°You know, so we know what to call you.¡± Your puny human minds would struggle with my name, but if you must have something to call me, you can call me Aki, the octopus answered after pausing for a moment. Must this thing insult us everytime it speaks, Ethan thought getting more and more irritated. ¡°Okay, Aki,¡± Ethan said, ¡°I assume you¡¯re from the dungeon?¡± Yes, like many others I am of that place, Aki replied, but I have no desire to return to it. I¡¯ve grown fond of the open waters out here as well as the variety of food. ¡°Were you waiting out here a few nights ago in order to meet with a person wearing black spirit armor?¡± Ethan asked trying to get to the heart of why they¡¯d come out here. One of the chosen? Aki asked. No, I don¡¯t wait on the whims of humans regardless of whether or not the dungeon has marked you. I have talked with a few over the years, like I am talking with you now, but they all come to me. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Have you spoken with one wearing black spirit armor before?¡± Ethan asked excitedly. Black? No, Aki answered. Ugh, a dead end again, Ethan thought frustrated. And just when he thought he was finally getting somewhere. ¡°How old are you exactly?¡± Alex asked taking over for the silent Ethan. I have been here many seasons, Aki answered. ¡°Very specific,¡± Alex muttered. ¡°Well can you tell us what the dungeon is exactly?¡± The dungeon is many things, Aki said. It is the Earth and of the Earth. It exists between the physical plane and the spiritual plane. ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand,¡± Alex said looking like he was struggling to fit the pieces together. He definitely wasn¡¯t the only one as Ethan was completely lost. What did this octopus mean by it was the Earth and of the Earth and for that matter what was the difference between the physical plane and the spiritual plane. You humans are all so stupid, Aki said annoyed. I¡¯m told your ancestors were more knowledgeable about these things but from my interactions with your kind I doubt it. The dungeon is something like a bridge between the physical plane, the world all around us, and the spiritual plane which is where the soul exists. ¡°So, if I¡¯ve got this right all of you creatures that are coming out of the dungeon are originally from the spiritual plane and you¡¯re using the dungeon as a bridge to cross into this plane from that plane?¡± Alex asked. No, Aki said sighing audibly in all of our minds. We are all of the dungeon and would not exist without it. Because we are of the dungeon we have both physical and spiritual characteristics. ¡°Okay, how did the dungeon create you then?¡± Alex asked looking and sounding just about as confused as I was. Obviously by consuming and converting life energy, Aki answered matter-of-factly. Oh of course, Ethan thought sarcastically. Now everything makes sense. ¡°And by life energy you mean?¡± Alex said nervously asking the question all of them were thinking. I swear it¡¯s like talking to a rock, Aki said. How does your species manage to feed itself? Life energy is pretty self explanatory. It¡¯s an energy that all living things have. The young and healthy have a lot more of it than the old. Animals have a lot more of it than plants, and humans have more still. Everytime a dungeon creature, or the dungeon itself kills a living thing the energy is absorbed by the dungeon and the dungeon grows stronger allowing it to expand, produce more of us, and for us to reach a larger area. ¡°So the dungeon is kind of like a vampire just leeching off of other life in order to grow stronger and more powerful?¡± Bella asked. The dungeon is like any other living thing, Aki said. You all consume life energy to grow and survive too or do you forgo eating plants and animals? Probably a valid point, Ethan thought but he kept his mouth shut as he didn¡¯t want to embarrass Bella any further. Besides letting Aki know that it made a decent argument would probably make the octopus more insufferable than it already was. ¡°So does that mean the who chosen or marked thing is like just a giant elaborate trap for us?¡± Alex asked bringing up something Ethan hadn¡¯t thought of yet. Yes and no, Aki said. By marking specific humans the dungeon is able to draw humans in with a high amount of life energy into itself where they sometimes die. However, the chosen are meant to seize the heart of the dungeon, so it is not just a trap for you. ¡°The dungeon brought that up before,¡± Alex said. ¡°What exactly is the heart of the dungeon?¡± That is a question I cannot answer, Aki said. I don¡¯t know. What I¡¯ve heard is that it was the first part of the dungeon that came into being and how the dungeon was created, but that is just what I have heard. Oh my god, Ethan thought irritated. Why is it that every answer this stupid octopus gives just raises more questions? Can¡¯t he just give a straightforward normal answer for once? Math was perhaps Ethan¡¯s least favorite subject but after speaking with Aki for awhile he was beginning to appreciate it a little more. It was really nice how there was always a solid concrete answer in math as opposed to the general vagueness coming from Aki. We¡¯ll, I always appreciate talking with you chosen, mostly because the sealife around here is even more stupid than you are if you believe that, Aki said, but I am hungry and must eat so I will say goodbye now. Not giving any of them a chance to speak Aki kicked off and then dove beneath the water¡¯s surface disappearing from their line of sight. ¡°Well he¡¯s a pleasant one,¡± Alex muttered. ¡°Yeah let¡¯s get out of here and then we can chat about what a good friend he is,¡± Ethan replied. Leaving the Point and returning to the main part of campus was actually easier than it had been on getting up to the Point, mostly because they¡¯d already done it and it was downhill this time. The cops were still in the parking lot and still looking bored when Ethan and the rest snuck past them. This time luckily there were no falls and no struggles. Upon reaching the quad Ethan said, ¡°So I think we can safely assume that the Black was going up to the Point to speak with Aki.¡± ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Bella replied. ¡°Aki said he¡¯d never spoken with the Black before when Alex asked him. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine that there was any other reason for going up to the Point,¡± Ethan retorted. ¡°The Black probably just spoke to him without the armor so Aki didn¡¯t realize he was the Black.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Bella said though she didn¡¯t look convinced. ¡°That¡¯s a possibility,¡± Alex said more to himself than the group, ¡°or the Black was planning on speaking to Aki that night but failed on account of James being up there. The problem with this is, how would the Black have known about Aki in the first place? The only thing I can think of is that he was told about him by another person, which would mean that person is probably another chosen.¡± Another chosen? Ethan thought. I sure hope not. One outside of our group is bad enough. ¡°Aki did say he¡¯d spoken with other chosen before,¡± Quin stated. ¡°Yes, but from the sound of it those were in the past,¡± Bella said. ¡°We can¡¯t know that he was referencing anything recent. In fact his whole concept of time wasn¡¯t exactly reliable.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Ethan replied smiling at Bella, ¡°the only thing that I¡¯m certain of after that is that is one arrogant octopus.¡± Bella and Quin laughed while Alex scowled muttering to himself and clearly not listening to the others very well. ¡°Did any of you understand all the stuff about the dungeon consuming life energy?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°Yeah, it seems to eat it just like we eat to survive,¡± Bella said shrugging. ¡°It makes the place sound more ominous than it already was, but if I¡¯m being honest its always been pretty dangerous.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Ethan replied remembering Bella near fatal first time in the dungeon. ¡°Nothing he said is going to keep me from trying to get to the bottom of this, because if we don¡¯t we¡¯ll probably see more people get hurt.¡± ¡°There¡¯s got to be another person who is working with the Black,¡± Alex exclaimed talking quickly. ¡°I¡¯ve went over that conversation multiple times and taking into the fact that the Black was definitely headed up to the Point and didn¡¯t know James was up there he had to be going to see Aki.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re presumming a lot,¡± Ethan said unconvinced. ¡°No listen,¡± Alex retorted. ¡°Aki is the only thing in the vicinity connected with the dungeon, but is independent and not always there so when the Black jumped off the cliff the other night, Aki must have been off hunting or something. We also know that Aki has spoken with others like us, he said so, but didn¡¯t remember ever speaking to a person with black spirit armor meaning that Aki must have spoken with a person who then told the Black about Aki.¡± ¡°I mean, maybe,¡± Ethan said shaking his head. ¡°Yeah, I just don¡¯t know about that,¡± Quin said in agreement with Ethan. ¡°I just don¡¯t see it. Even presuming that the Black knew about Aki, I don¡¯t know if he¡¯d bother talking to it. The octopus is pretty annoying.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll disagree with that one if you excuse me Quin,¡± Bella said looking a little embarrassed. ¡°I think we can all agree that Aki isn¡¯t the most pleasant thing we¡¯ve ever met, but he knows a lot of information even if he¡¯s not the best at explaining it in a way that is easy for us to understand. I¡¯m not saying I agree with Alex¡¯s whole theory about there being another chosen, but I can certainly see why anyone who was trying to find out more about the dungeon would go speak with Aki. The octopus is super talkative and more knowledgeable about the place than any of us.¡± ¡°If you say so,¡± Quin retorted. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan now?¡± Bella asked. ¡°We found out some new information, but it wasn¡¯t exactly what we were looking for. We¡¯re no closer to finding the Black or figuring out who he--¡± ¡°Or she,¡± Quin interjected. ¡°Or she,¡± Bella repeated, ¡°is. Personally I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll find much else up at the Point so how would you all like to proceed?¡± ¡°Ethan did you get a good look at all the boys in gym class and on your soccer team?¡± Quin asked starting over at Ethan. Blushing and feeling uncomfortable Ethan muttered, ¡°yes.¡± ¡°Yes, and?¡± Quin asked. ¡°Yes and nothing,¡± Ethan spat. ¡°None of them had any tattoos that I could see.¡± ¡°Perhaps you just didn¡¯t look closely enough,¡± Quin said giving a meaningful look to him and causing Bella to laugh. ¡°I looked a little too closely for comfort,¡± Ethan said purposefully not making eye contact with Quin who was actually slightly smirking now. ¡°Are you?¡± Alex asked looking nervously over at Ethan. ¡°No,¡± Ethan said quickly. ¡°We¡¯re just trying to find people with dungeon marks or tattoos on them and Quin insisted I get a good look at the boys in gym class.¡± ¡°That makes sense,¡± Alex replied looking relieved. ¡°I think keeping an eye out for the marks is a good idea but the only way forward right now is the dungeon. I think we put all of our effort into clearing the second floor.¡± ¡°You say that like we haven¡¯t been trying with all of our effort already,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°Well now you have my brain power fully focused on it so we¡¯re basically guaranteed to clear it this week,¡± Alex declared confidently. Chapter 14: The 2nd Floor For all of Alex¡¯s bluster he was soon proved wrong. Apparently even the smartest freshman at Hinan academy was no match for the puzzle that was the second dungeon floor. Though they tried on the following Sunday, and the two Sundays after that the ¡°Diving Club¡±, as they¡¯d taken to calling themselves, failed miserably. ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Alex muttered looking down over his notebook. ¡°I¡¯ve mapped the entire place twice and it just goes in a big circle. Well, it¡¯s a little more complicated than that but basically it goes nowhere and the only exit is the elevator. There¡¯s no creatures or people on this floor. In fact there¡¯s really nothing except solid concrete walls and crappy fluorescent lights that give me a headache.¡± ¡°I think staring at that paper is what¡¯s giving you a headache,¡± Ethan said from his position in front of the TV where he was currently trying to ¡°practice¡± killing aliens. ¡°We¡¯re missing something, I know it,¡± Alex said refusing to look up. ¡°If I can just figure out what it is we can move on.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be holding my breath,¡± Ethan quipped. ¡°You know, you could help,¡± Alex spat iritably. ¡°How would someone as stupid as me be able to help when even a self-proclaimed genius is struggling with it?¡± Ethan asked mockingly. ¡°Oh shut up,¡± Alex said laughing and threw the notebook at Ethan causing him to lose focus on the game and promptly die on screen. ¡°Ahhh,¡± Ethan grunted setting down the controller in frustration. ¡°Every single time.¡± ¡°Face it, if Earth is ever invaded and you¡¯re all that stands between the human race and annihilation, we¡¯re screwed,¡± Alex said. ¡°Let¡¯s hope my last soccer game goes better tomorrow,¡± Ethan muttered sourly. ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s your last game?¡± Alex asked surprised. ¡°You don¡¯t have playoffs like Quin?¡± ¡°No, we¡¯ve done alright but not well enough to make the playoffs,¡± Ethan said. ¡°If we can pull off a win tomorrow at least we¡¯ll end the season on a positive note and have something to work off of for next season.¡± ¡°Sounds like you all just didn¡¯t try hard enough,¡± Alex said smiling. ¡°If you had you¡¯d be able to remind us about your upcoming playoff game at least twice during every dinner and once per class.¡± ¡°God,¡± Ethan muttered rolling his eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t think she was capable of showing excitement for something, but apparently I was wrong. If I have to keep hearing about that game I¡¯m going to purposely root for the opposing team.¡± ¡°You may want to,¡± Alex said seriously. ¡°Do you have any idea of how insufferable she¡¯s going to become if they win and progress further?¡± Ethan frowned feeling like he should have more loyalty towards Quin. They were after all sort of friends. She ate dinner with him alot of nights and the two of them ran together three mornings a week in addition to the time they spent together in the dungeon, yet part of him resisted classifying her as one. Even though he knew it was stupid he just couldn¡¯t help but dislike her. She was rude, self-centered, and had this way of making you remember all of your flaws. ¡°Well I¡¯m going to bed,¡± Ethan said. ¡°I¡¯ve got classes in the morning and then that game in the afternoon tomorrow. If you¡¯re gonna stay up and play, can you please keep the volume low.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure thing,¡± Alex said moving into Ethan¡¯s chair when Ethan got up to get ready for bed. Alex had been a whole lot more amenable since Ethan saved his brother and usually was pretty courteous about his video game playing. Gone were the days were Ethan fell asleep swearing he was in a war zone because of the booming sounds of violence coming from the television. Instead he usually fell asleep to very muffled sounds of violence and a glow coming from the TV, neither of which bothered him as he was used to falling asleep in conditions that were far from ideal. While the investigation was making no progress, and the dungeon was completely outwitting them, Ethan at least was managing to get through his classes, even if he was only scraping by in a couple of them. Drawing & Painting was going to be a very close call on if he passed or failed it for the semester. He actually didn¡¯t want to know what would happen if he failed it. He¡¯d pass math, thanks to Bella helping him, but it wasn¡¯t going to be pretty. At least he¡¯d have P.E. and History to help pull his GPA up so his mom wouldn¡¯t completely lose her mind when he went home for Christmas break. In a few weeks he would head back to Fresno for the first time since he¡¯d come to Misty Oaks and Hinan Academy. It felt weird to think about, but he felt like a different person than the one who first arrived here back in August. So much happened since then and now he had the dungeon, the Black, and all of the craziness around him to worry about. Sleep didn¡¯t come easily to Ethan that night as his mind refused to shut down and worries bounced around it. The next morning a heavy fog had settled in Misty Oaks and was blanketing the school grounds. Ethan struggled through both Biology and P.E. because of his lack of sleep from the night before. Thorton seemed especially irritated that one of his players was so tired on the morning of a big game and Ethan was given a special assignment for Biology that was due the following Tuesday. Luckily Rockfort was less inclined to work them hard in P.E. as she knew many of her students had games that afternoon and she had no desire to tire anyone out before the match. For once she seemed inclined to follow Gavin¡¯s lead and allow the class to be lazy something that everyone except for Quin appreciated. After gym Ethan ate a light lunch and then changed in the gym and made his way over to the soccer field where Thorton was already barking at players to warm up. Today¡¯s game was a home game which normally was a good thing except that today the visibility was going to be awful. He could barely see half of the field at once, the fog was so thick. It was going to be a nightmare finding open players marking players on the opposing team. ¡°Russell,¡± Thorton barked as Ethan came up to where the coach was standing. ¡°Get out there and start warming your legs up. I don¡¯t want to see any sluggishness like I saw during class. This is our last game of the season and I want to go out with a positive result.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Ethan answered beginning to run short laps around the field. At this point after spending so much time running with Quin he barely felt it when he ran short distances like this. He was easily in the best shape of his life and for all the grumbling he gave and how much he hated getting up early and doing it, it made his life on the soccer pitch so much easier. Most of his games lately he found himself running circles around the opposition by the end of the game because his stamina was so much better than the opposing players. Quin might not be his favorite person, but he had to give her credit where credit was due. She knew what she was doing and he benefited from that alot. Of course while his legs and lungs worked perfectly for him while he warmed up, he couldn¡¯t say the same thing about his eyes. He narrowly managed to avoid collisions a couple of times and saw that several of the other players on both his team and the opposing team weren¡¯t so lucky. Honestly it was dangerous playing a game in thick fog like this, but he doubted Thorton would call the game off for anything short of the field falling into the ocean. After all of the players warmed up their legs by running, Thorton put them through a couple of drills to get them ready for what the conditions would be like when trying to pass and shoot the ball. It wasn¡¯t easy. Ethan, Lee, and multiple other players completely missed the ball on a couple of occasions when they went to kick it. Judging by the frown on Thorton¡¯s face, the second time Ethan did this, he was pretty sure the man was not pleased. Still there was a game to play and Ethan was determined, maybe not as determined as Thorton, but determined none-the-less to finish the season on a good note. When the teams lined up and the game started a few minutes later it was a mess. Neither team was able to handle the conditions well and to call it sloppy would be an understatement. Passes were missed, there were multiple whiffs on shots, and the keepers might as well have not been playing for all the good they did in net. At halftime it was five to four in favor of Hinan Academy and Ethan had scored a couple of goals though this was partially offset by the fact that he was directly responsible for a goal the opposing team scored. In the second half Ethan scored again leading to his first ever hattrick. Actually to be more precise he ended the game with four total goals which he would have liked to call heroic but if he was being honest, he knew it had more to do with the inability to defend well in the fog than anything he did. Still his four goals helped Hinan eek out a win by the score of eleven to ten, which was just a ridiculous scoreline, but then it had been a ridiculous game. While Ethan felt please, but somewhat unsatisfied with the game, Thorton was ecstatic. The man clapped all of his players on the back and actually hugged Ethan which felt a bit awkward coming from the normally sour-faced biology teacher. As he was getting ready to leave Ethan noticed Quin walking over towards him. Did she watch the match? Surely she couldn¡¯t have seen much if she did. ¡°Congrats on the win,¡± she said giving Ethan a rare grin. ¡°You¡¯ve improved from the first time we played against each other.¡± ¡°Thanks, but honestly I got lucky today,¡± he replied. ¡°The defenders couldn¡¯t see anything. Actually I¡¯m not sure how you saw anything yourself.¡± ¡°It was difficult but I was able to see enough,¡± she said. ¡°Give yourself more credit, you played well, I think you¡¯ll have a real shot of making varsity next year.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that,¡± Ethan muttered feeling this statement was a stretch. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you came to the match today. Did your team not have a game?¡± ¡°We have the week off in order to prepare for the big game next week,¡± Quin said happily. ¡°You¡¯ll be at that game of course?¡± ¡°I told you I would be,¡± Ethan replied flatly thinking me and everyone else you made promise to come. ¡°Excellent, well then I¡¯ll see you bright and early tomorrow for training,¡± Quin said starting to walk away. ¡°Training?¡± Ethan asked alarmed. ¡°My season just ended so I don¡¯t think that--¡± ¡°Just because the season¡¯s over doesn¡¯t mean you get to stop training,¡± Quin cut him off. ¡°You need to keep training so that you¡¯re actually in shape come the beginning of next season.¡± Ethan wanted to protest but then he caught Thorton¡¯s eye who was nodding in agreement a couple feet away. ¡°Fine, tomorrow morning then,¡± Ethan snapped gritting his teeth and mentally cursing at both Thorton and Quin. If Ethan was being honest with himself he would admit that when the next morning came and he got up and went for his morning run with Quin it was a comfort. It was part of his routine and a routine that he¡¯d grown comfortable with. Of course he wasn¡¯t being honest with himself so he complained and grumbled from the moment his alarm went off until the two of them finished their run. They waited until after lunch to meet up for diving club as usual though he¡¯d have liked to get an earlier start on it today with their general lack of progress on clearing the second floor, but Alex had church in the morning and the four of them were committed to sticking together for this. ¡°I heard you won your game yesterday, congrats,¡± Bella said. ¡°Thanks, yeah it was a mess with all of the fog, couldn¡¯t see a thing hardly, but we managed to stumble our way through it,¡± Ethan answered. ¡°Who told you?¡± ¡°Quin,¡± Bella said, glancing at the other girl. ¡°And why weren¡¯t you there?¡± Alex asked. ¡°That¡¯s not being a very good friend you know.¡± ¡°I had Model UN,¡± Bella said blushing furiously. ¡°I would have made it if I could have.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see you there Alex,¡± Quin said staring at him. ¡°That¡¯s because I wasn¡¯t there because soccer is super boring and I had better things to do,¡± Alex replied grinning at her. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Did those better things to do involve playing video games until two in the morning?¡± Quin asked. ¡°No,¡± Alex said defensively. ¡°I only played until one in the morning, thank you very much, and I still went to church this morning, unlike the rest of you.¡± Bella looked uncomfortable while I just shrugged and Quin said, ¡°I don¡¯t do the religious thing.¡± ¡°You should,¡± Alex stated. ¡°It¡¯s good for the soul, which this dungeon has basically all but confirmed exists by the way.¡± Quin just stared blankly back at him in response. ¡°It¡¯s your call,¡± Alex said trying and failing to look unconcerned. ¡°I don¡¯t care either way, but I know I¡¯m in a good place with God if anything happens down here.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just get going,¡± Ethan said wanting to change the topic. ¡°If this goes anything like the last couple times we¡¯ll be lucky if we¡¯re done by dinner.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Alex said striding over to the elevator and hitting the call button. ¡°I¡¯ve got a good feeling about today. I¡¯ve got my map and prayed for help in church so today is the day that we crack this floor.¡± Though he¡¯d been wanting to change the topic a second ago Ethan just couldn¡¯t help himself and he asked, ¡°So what your saying is you hadn¡¯t been praying for help the previous few times we failed miserably?¡± ¡°No, I did those times too,¡± Alex said, glancing away. Fat lot of good that seems to have done then, Ethan thought smugly. ¡°I¡¯m sure God is listening to you,¡± Bella said walking up next to Alex. ¡°My grandmother always says that he listens, but don¡¯t always help in the way you expect him to.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Alex said smiling at her and seizing on the help she gave him. The elevator slid open and the four of them climbed aboard before we hit the button for the second floor and went down into the dungeon. When they exited the elevator to the second floor looked the same as it always had with its concrete walls and fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling. ¡°Lead on Alex, you¡¯re the one with the map,¡± Ethan said already hating the way the place looked and preparing myself for hours of staring at these grey walls. ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Alex said walking over to the wall where a light switch was next to the opening to the next room. Why there were light switches down here he had no idea, but there were and they worked. They either turned the ceiling lights on and off perfectly. They¡¯d discovered this on their second trip down to this floor after curiously testing the switches a couple of times. Naturally Alex flipped the switch off plunging the room into almost total darkness save for the faint glow coming from the lights in the adjacent room. ¡°Alex, turn the lights back on,¡± Bella demanded. Bella wasn¡¯t very fond of darkness, which they¡¯d discovered back when they¡¯d initially shut the lights off the first time down here when testing the switches. ¡°Oh, what was that?¡± Alex exclaimed sounding surprised. ¡°What was what?¡± Bella asked with alarm in her voice. ¡°I think something just touched my leg,¡± Alex said. ¡°Alex,¡± Quin said sounding annoyed. ¡°There it was again,¡± Alex said sounding like he was moving away from his original position. ¡°Alex, quit being a--,¡± Quin started before she was cut off by the sound of Bella¡¯s scream followed by raucous laughter coming from Alex. Feeling my way around the wall I located the light switch after a minute and flipped it back on to find Alex doubled over on the floor near an alarmed Bella who was quickly turning into an angry Bella. ¡°That wasn¡¯t funny,¡± Bella yelled at him. ¡°You know I hate the idea of something grabbing me in the dark.¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± Alex said wiping away a couple of tears and looking anything but sorry. ¡°I just couldn¡¯t resist. Man I thought you would scream but that was even better than my expectations.¡± ¡°Here,¡± Quin said walking over and picking up the yellow axe where Bella dropped it. ¡°Next time hit him with it instead of dropping it.¡± ¡°Okay Alex, lead on,¡± Ethan said already feeling irritable, which to be fair didn¡¯t take a whole lot for him. ¡°This way,¡± Alex said moving down the concrete tunnel to their left. Ethan, Quin, and Bella followed after him and for the next couple hours they slowly and meticulously looked over every wall as they wound their way through the concrete maze. Once again though after they made it all the way back around to the elevator they were no closer to solving the mystery that was the second floor than when they started. ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Ethan said seriously annoyed. ¡°We checked every freaking surface in this place and ultimately it just goes in a big circle. All the walls and floors are solid concrete and other than the lights and light switches there is nothing else even down here.¡± ¡°There¡¯s definitely something we¡¯re missing,¡± Alex said thinking. ¡°Of course there¡¯s something we¡¯re missing,¡± Ethan snapped. ¡°Whatever it is we¡¯ve been missing it for weeks. I¡¯m starting to see gray walls in my sleep.¡± ¡°Maybe we should call it a day,¡± Bella suggested looking at Ethan with concern. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Ethan muttered. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try to cut through one of the walls with your sword,¡± Quin suggested to Ethan. ¡°Oh yeah because that will work,¡± he retorted sarcastically the rage inside of him instantly boiling back to the surface. ¡°The blade is sharp, but those walls are thick as hell. If I even tried the blade would just snap and then I¡¯d have to wait for it to recover.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see you coming up with any suggestions,¡± Quin replied keeping her voice level. ¡°What suggestions would you like?¡± Ethan asked seething. ¡°Maybe we could sacrifice a chicken in the middle of the floor and pray that it did something, or we could knock four times on each wall and hope that some person somewhere heard the secret signal. Better yet why don¡¯t we have you just shoot out all of the lights with your bow and arrow, then at least you wouldn¡¯t be talking.¡± Quin¡¯s eyes narrowed at him but she otherwise didn¡¯t respond, instead it was Alex who exclaimed, ¡°Would you two shut up? I¡¯m trying to think.¡± Angry Ethan wasn¡¯t finished yet though and now his ire turned on Alex who he asked, ¡°Hey Alex what does your map say? Does it say that Quin should shoot out all of the lights to keep her from making stupid suggestions? Oh right. Your map doesn¡¯t say anything useful because all it¡¯s done is walk us around in a giant circle.¡± ¡°Ethan,¡± Bella said softly to him placing one of her hands on his shoulder. ¡°I know your frustrated. We all are, but Alex and Quin aren¡¯t to blame for this. His eyes flicked over to Bella¡¯s eyes and upon meeting them the boiling rage inside of him cooled. At first he was going to snap at her too, but she was being so earnest he couldn¡¯t bring himself to be mad at her too. Worse than that she was right. It wasn¡¯t Quin or Alex¡¯s fault and he knew that. Taking a deep breath he said, ¡°You¡¯re right. Quin, Alex, I¡¯m sorry I snapped. I admit that this place gets under my skin and makes me just want to punch the dungeon in the face, if it had a face.¡± Shrugging Quin said, ¡°teams need to clash occasionally to grow stronger.¡± Alex didn¡¯t respond right away, but continued to mutter to himself until after a few minutes he finally said, ¡°Yes that¡¯s got to be worth trying.¡± ¡°What is worth trying?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°Well, you¡¯re pointless tantrum aside from letting us know that you need some anger management,¡± Alex started causing Ethan to grit his teeth, ¡°gave me an idea. The lights are the only thing down here beside the walls so what if we go around and flip all of the light switches off one by one.¡± ¡°What purpose is that going to serve?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°Here me out,¡± Alex replied putting his hands up placatingly. ¡°It¡¯s one of the only things I think to try and my thought is what if the light switches do more than just turn the lights off and on. What if they also open up a section of the wall or something that looks sealed right now? That¡¯s my theory anyways.¡± ¡°It¡¯s worth a shot,¡± Quin said looking convinced. Bella on the other hand looked horrified and very much had an expression like she object but her passive personality betrayed her and kept her mouth shut. ¡°Sure, let''s try it,¡± Ethan said. ¡°If nothing else at least we can check it off the list of stuff to try.¡± Working methodically they worked their way through the second floor shutting the lights off as they went. Bella clung close to Ethan at all times and looked to be on the verge of making a run for the elevator. Once they finally reached the last light switch Alex said, ¡°If my theory is right, when I flip this we should hear a rumbling or something to indicate a new way forward is open and don¡¯t worry both Quin and I have phones we can use as flashlights to navigate back.¡± ¡°Just flip it,¡± Ethan ordered feeling Bella squeezing onto his arm tighter and tighter with one of her hands. Alex did as he was told and flipped the switch plunging them into complete and total darkness. Ethan waited and waited for the sound of moving walls but all that answered was silence. Finally after a minute he asked, ¡°Have any of you heard anything?¡± ¡°Maybe something opened on the other side of the floor?¡± Quin suggested from somewhere to his left. ¡°Maybe,¡± Alex muttered but sounded less than convinced. ¡°If we¡¯re moving can we please turn the lights back on in here,¡± Bella asked squirming on my arm. ¡°Yeah sure,¡± Alex muttered, ¡°but I don¡¯t get it. I thought for sure that would do something.¡± Right as he said this a faint blue glow materialized out of the darkness across the room and a terrible angry shriek erupted. Squinting hard at the blue glow Ethan could just make out the figure of a woman with long dark black hair who was wearing what looked like a plain white kimono of all things. Her skin was blue or at least looked that way because of the blue light emanating from it. As if that wasn¡¯t creepy enough though, there were two jagged black horns protruding from the top of her head and her long thin fingers ended in wickedly sharp claws. ¡°What is that?¡± Bella whispered shaking. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ethan answered and added, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s friendly.¡± As if on cue his eyes locked onto to its eyes, giant pits of blackness, and it sprang at them unleashing another cry. It flew through the air like a hawk in full dive, flying straight at them. Quickly Ethan pushed Bella to the side to get her clear and only barely managed to get his sword up into a defensive position right as it hit him. The force of the impact knocked him backwards and caused him to drop his sword which with everything in complete darkness except for the blue glow coming from the demon lady, ghost, or whatever she was, meant that he would never find it. Grunting he pushed himself back to his feet just in time to catch the woman licking sharp black teeth with an abnormally long tongue. ¡°Ethan are you alright?¡± Alex asked. ¡°I¡¯m alive,¡± Ethan grunted circling blindly in the darkness to his left, never taking his eyes off of the woman. ¡°Lost my sword though.¡± ¡°Over here,¡± Alex yelled banging on his shield. ¡°Yes you, you stupid woman.¡± The woman seemed genuinely torn. On one hand she clearly wanted to attack Ethan again, but on the other hand the racket Alex was making was very tantalizing. Finally she made a decision, Alex and his noise was too much to resist and she shot straight at him hitting his shield like it were a gong. To Alex¡¯s immense credit he actually managed to hold onto the shield even with it vibrating wildly in his hands. She clawed at it, creating several long gashes down the front of it but didn¡¯t manage to get past it. Apparently at this point Quin decided it would be a good time to shoot at the thing. This sort of worked in that she managed to hit it with a couple arrows which stuck into the woman¡¯s back. Unfortunately she also hit Alex who yelped as a green arrow sunk into the spirit armor at his right shoulder. ¡°Sorry,¡± Quin yelled. ¡°It¡¯s hard to see.¡± ¡°No kidding,¡± Alex snapped. ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t be firing that thing in almost the complete dark.¡± Whatever else was going to be was lost in the angry cry the woman unleashed as her head snapped toward the darkness in the general direction Ethan believed Quin to be in. A second later it detached itself from Alex and shot in that direction. The sound of rapidly running footsteps echoed through the room and a second later Ethan heard a yell and a grunt to his left. ¡°Bella?¡± Quin¡¯s voice asked. ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t see you.¡± Oh no, Ethan thought, seeing the blue woman closing in on the area the sound came from. ¡°Look out you two,¡± he yelled feeling completely helpless. A second later he could see the glowing woman on top of Quin ripping into her spirit armor with its claws. The girl didn¡¯t scream instead just grunted and looked somewhat shocked. Please hold, Ethan mentally begged her armor. He had no idea how much punishment the stuff could take, but it couldn¡¯t be a whole lot. He never made it all the way to her because Bella let out a shriek to match the ghost woman¡¯s and fell on her and Quin like a mad woman with her axe. It was hard to make out in the blue glow coming from the woman but from what he could see Bella was slamming the sharp end of her axe again and again into the woman¡¯s back even as she tore at Quin with her claws. After a few seconds all went completely, terrifyingly dark and Ethan¡¯s mind raced. Were they alright? Was Quin even still alive? ¡°Bella, Quin?¡± he heard himself call out. ¡°Are you two okay?¡± Sobs responded though he wasn¡¯t sure who they were coming from though they were quickly cut off by the dungeon booming, ¡° ¡°Congratulations, you have cleared the second floor by defeating the Aoandon. The third floor is now available to you.¡± As soon as the dungeon stopped speaking the sound of sobbing returned and Ethan yelled,¡± Alex get the lights quickly. We need to check on the girls.¡± ¡°We¡¯re alright,¡± Quin¡¯s voice said shakily and Ethan was never so glad to hear the sound of her voice in his life. Sure he fully would admit that he wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of the girl, but that didn¡¯t mean that he wasn¡¯t to see her hurt or killed. It took Alex about thirty seconds longer than Ethan was comfortable with to find the light switch, but when he finally turned the lights on Ethan could finally make out the two girls. Bella was on her knees with her axe discard and sobbing vigorously into her hands while Quin lay on her back with the center of her spirt armor completely destroyed. Several long gashes appeared to have ripped through her closes near her midsection and she was bleeding from her stomach by the looks of it. ¡°Quin,¡± Ethan said hurrying over to her, ¡°you¡¯re bleeding.¡± ¡°They¡¯re shallow,¡± Quin said grunting and pushing herself up into a sitting position. ¡°Basically just scratches. Check on Bella.¡± They look like more than just scratches to me, Ethan thought but did as he was told and gently placed a hand on Bella¡¯s back. She looked up at him still sobbing and then buried her face into his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s alright Bella,¡± Ethan said soothingly. ¡°You¡¯re alive, we¡¯re all alive and you did really well. You killed that thing and saved Quin¡¯s life.¡± ¡°I freaking hate the dark,¡± Bella said between sobs while Alex came over and helped Quin to her feet. ¡°Well between you and me,¡± Ethan said, ¡°I think you won this round. The dark will think twice before messing with you again.¡± She laughed between a sob in response and said, ¡°I just lashed out instinctively, I didn¡¯t really think about it.¡± ¡°Hey if it works, it works,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°Come on, let''s get you on your feet and get out of here, besides I think Quin¡¯s wounds need looking after.¡± She allowed him to help her to her feet and the four of them made their way back through the second floor and out of the dungeon. Chapter 15: The Highest Heights... While Quin¡¯s wounds were a little more than just scratches they were pretty shallow and the nurse was able to patch her up pretty quickly. Unfortunately the nurse asked questions like how did you get these giant slashes across stomach and lower chest. The lie Quin came up with, rather quickly, is that they were all playing soccer in the empty field between the mountains and the baseball field and a bobcat jumped her. The nurse looked like she wanted to question it but thankfully let it go. Unfortunately the same couldn¡¯t be said when the girls saw healing wounds in P.E. The story of the bobcat got out and when it got to Gavin there was no stopping it. Soon it became an epic story about how Xena the warrior princess single handedly wrestled a three hundred pound mountain lion and snapped its neck with her bare hands. It didn¡¯t take long for every student in the school to want to see the ¡°battle wounds¡± on Quin¡¯s stomach and soon Ethan spotted her begrudgingly showing off the ¡°scratches¡± to random students throughout the school day. One other thing that was bother Ethan was the fact that for the second floor in a row the dungeon mentioned the name of the thing they¡¯d defeated and the names sounded japanese or asian to him. When he brought this up to the group they agreed that it was worth looking into. ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Because you¡¯re the Japanese one,¡± Ethan answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. ¡°Half Japanese,¡± Alex corrected defensively, ¡°and I¡¯m from Kansas City.¡± ¡°So don¡¯t you know some stuff about Japan?¡± Ethan asked undeterred. ¡°Well yes, but I don''t spend all my time studying it,¡± Alex answered annoyed. ¡°I know a little bit of the language and some cultural stuff I¡¯ve learned from my dad, but if you expect me to know what an Aoandon is or that bird you¡¯re mistaken.¡± ¡°Can you ask someone about it?¡± Bella asked, always playing the peacemaker. ¡°You know like your dad?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t ask him, he¡¯s too busy for this sort of thing,¡± Alex answered and then added, ¡°there¡¯s someone else I can ask though.¡± ¡°Who,¡± Ethan asked excitedly. ¡°Google,¡± Alex replied smiling at them. As it turns out Google was pretty knowledgeable on the topic according to Alex. ¡°From what I can tell both of those things assuming I got the names close to correct are a type of Japanese Yokai,¡± Alex explained to the group over dinner looking triumphant.¡± He frowned with none of them responded with more than confused expressions. ¡°So what are Yokai?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°They¡¯re basically like supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore,¡± Alex said chewing on a piece of chicken. ¡°There a literally hundreds of different types. It¡¯s actually pretty interesting reading.¡± ¡°Supernatural Japanese Creatures?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± ¡°Why doesn¡¯t that make sense?¡± Alex asked annoyed. ¡°I just told you that¡¯s what they are. I know I wouldn¡¯t have believed in them if I didn¡¯t see them with my own eyes, but I have--we both have, and that¡¯s what they are.¡± ¡°No, no,¡± Ethan said in response. ¡°I know that they are real. That¡¯s obvious, Quin has the scars to prove it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not going to scar,¡± Quin said cutting him off while Alex said, ¡°huh, I thought those marks were from her battle with The Great and Powerful Mountain Lion of the West.¡± Ethan snickered at this while Quin looked mildly annoyed. The story had taken on a life of its own and with Gavin as a driving force it wasn¡¯t hard to see how it kept getting more and more elaborate. Soon the Mountain Lion would a thousand pounds. ¡°No I mean, this is California, why would creatures from Japanese folklore be here?¡± Ethan asked. Shrugging Alex said, ¡°The town was founded by Japanese-Americans. Maybe that¡¯s the connection.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Ethan said, but something still felt off about it. Still even with that uncertainty he felt good. They¡¯d managed to finally clear the second floor and no one got seriously injured. He wasn¡¯t happy at how easily he¡¯d be knocked out of the fight by the thing, but he couldn¡¯t win everything. Besides he¡¯d do a lot better next time when they tackled floor three. Classes that week passed quickly without a whole lot of fuss if you didn¡¯t count Ethan butting heads with Stewart in computer science or Ms. Phelen yelling at him in Drawing and Painting. He didn¡¯t count either of these as anything special as both of them happened more often than not. Quin became completely insufferable starting on Thursday and it just got worse and worse in the lead up to her game on Saturday. The normally even keeled girl was now a bubble of excitement about ¡°the playoffs¡±. Bella did her best to feign excitement with the other girl but Ethan and Alex weren¡¯t nearly as good at playing along. Ethan actually found himself biting his tongue more often than not when Quin got talking about the game and the team, some private girl¡¯s school out of the bay area. He really wanted to say no one cared, but was trying his absolute best not to be a jerk. Alex was less tactful and muttered something about how meaningless school athletics were in the grand scheme of things. Quin frowned slightly at this but then pushed it aside and jumped right back into explaining how her team would have far superior stamina because of their training regiment. When the match finally arrived on Saturday Ethan found himself on the bleachers huddled between Alex and Bella and silently praying that the girl¡¯s lost this match. He didn¡¯t know if he could take another week of Quin tactically analyzing everything using french fries and cups of ketchup at dinner. Unfortunately for him, it went as these things often do and Quin and her teammates blew the other team out. With every goal that went in he found himself frowning deeper until Bella made a comment about how his face would get stuck that way if he frowned any harder. After that he put a little more effort into hiding his emotions. Surprisingly, he actually managed to keep a smile on his face the whole time while they congratulated Quin on a well played match and moving on to the next round of the playoffs. Honestly, she¡¯d been fantastic. It was easy to understand how she¡¯d jumped right into a starting role on the varsity team as a freshman. She was a natural, and her movement on and off the ball was first class. He knew even though he¡¯d improved a lot over the course of this season that he was still nowhere close to her level on a soccer pitch. Quin beamed at them and looked happier than Ethan ever remembered seeing her, but then again she usually showed very little emotion. That wasn¡¯t the case now though, she was jubilant and actually hugged Bella. She looked like she was going to hug Ethan too but then thought better of it and gave him an awkward punch on the shoulder instead. It actually kind of hurt. Her mood was infectious and he found himself against his conscious will enjoying the evening and cheering for the team. That was until Quin and her teammates reminded everyone of their next playoff match in one week¡¯s time. After that everything left a sour taste in his mouth. That meant one week of listening to Quin constantly talking about the upcoming match as if it were life or death. Of course there was the very real threat of the dungeon and the Black to deal still so a very mixed emotion group met up at the dungeon the following afternoon to start working on the third floor. The Black hadn¡¯t been seen or heard from since the night of the football game, but Ethan was positive that he was still out there somewhere and still a threat to the group. Alex was actually now insistent that there was a second threat, a person he called ¡°the Other¡±, but Ethan didn¡¯t really follow this line of thinking. The third floor of the dungeon was a surprise and was nothing like what Ethan expected. Of course, when was the dungeon ever predictable? Instead of the dark tunnels from the previous floor, he found a bright blue skies when he stepped out of the elevator. He also found a steep, uneven, and rocky ground underneath him and immediately had to struggle to remain balanced. It took a minute but he finally managed to get his bearings. Somehow, and this was weird even for the dungeon, the elevator let them out near the top of some steep mountains. When he looked down off of the mountains and saw clouds below it threatened to break his brain. They¡¯d just taken an elevator down and now were at the top of a mountain. It probably made perfect sense to the dungeon. The air was the next thing he noticed. It was thin and hard to breathe up here, wherever they were. ¡°This is interesting,¡± Alex said finally after a couple minutes of the group looking around in silence. ¡°It¡¯s better than the last floor,¡± Bella said breathing hard. ¡°Just be careful,¡± Quin ordered. ¡°If you lose your footing and start rolling, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll be able to stop.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move and see if we can¡¯t locate something that looks like it might be what we have to do to clear this floor,¡± Ethan said. ¡°I¡¯m hoping it won¡¯t take us nearly as long to clear this floor.¡± Choosing a direction Ethan climbed up to the ridgeline and began following it away from the elevator. The rest of the group followed after him in a single file line all breathing hard, even Quin. Apparently just having stamina didn¡¯t prepare you for high altitudes and thin air. Over the next hour, Ethan worked slowly and meticulously along the ridgeline. He could have perhaps moved faster, but he didn¡¯t want to take any chances of someone falling off to their doom. After an hour he finally spotted something in the distance. A small cave was situated in in the mountainside about ten yards below the ridgeline. ¡°Worth a look I suppose,¡± Alex said shrugging after Ethan pointed it out. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a giant blood sucking bat in there or something.¡± ¡°Alex, don¡¯t say that,¡± Bella said looking like she¡¯d rather do anything but explore the cave. ¡°I¡¯m just saying,¡± he replied. ¡°Everything else in this dungeon has been rather unfriendly.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just go see if there¡¯s anything in there worth our interest,¡± Quin said moving in front of Ethan and leading the way over toward the cave. It took another twenty minutes of slow steady walking to reach the cave mouth, but they did without any noteworthy issues. The first thing Ethan noticed was that the cave was deep, deeper than he could see from outside of it, and that it got dark very quickly. ¡°Why does it always have to be dark places?¡± Bella asked to no one in particular. ¡°Because the dungeon feeds off of your fear my dear,¡± Alex said smirking and moving a couple of feet inside the cave. ¡°There doesn¡¯t appear to be anything of interest that I can see from here, but it goes in a ways.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head inside then,¡± Quin said shrugging and stepping in the cave too. ¡°If there¡¯s anything in there, I¡¯m sure we can handle it.¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve got this, don¡¯t worry Bella,¡± Ethan said placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ve all got this sweet armor and you¡¯ve got that wicked axe to defend yourself with. I think we¡¯re good.¡± ¡°I just wish this place would use adequate lighting for once,¡± Bella said sighing and timidly stepping into the cave. Ethan took the initiative and moved up in front of the other three. He was feeling confident and was certain they were about to find whatever the monster of this level was and he wanted to have the first crack at it this time. Walking further into the cave he sword he heard a rustling but when he squinted his eyes a head of him he couldn¡¯t make anything out but the rocky surface of the cave in the dim light coming from outside. Up ahead he could see that the cave narrowed and then the opening turned to the left. I might need to borrow someone¡¯s phone at that point to use as a flashlight he thought. I doubt that the outside light is going to get past that point. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. A familiar hand snatched at his back and Ethan knew that Bella was holding onto a piece of him just in case. He smiled to himself at how his best friend was afraid of the dark. If holding on to him made her feel better he wasn¡¯t going to take that away from her. ¡°Hey Alex or Quin, I¡¯m going to need one of your phones with the flashlight feature turned on,¡± Ethan called over his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s getting too dark to see where I¡¯m going.¡± ¡°Hang on let me dig it out,¡± Alex responded apparently digging around in his pocket for it. ¡°Stupid thing. Here we go.¡± There was the sound of fidgeting and then a bright white light temporarily blinded Ethan. He blinked a couple of time allowing his eyes to adjust to the new light source and then looking around he saw it reflected in hundreds of tiny eyes. Angry clicking responded and as many tiny legs as eyes moved all around the group. ¡°Oh my god,¡± Alex said with his eyes going wide as he stared at all of the spiders. There were hundreds of fist sized spiders all over the cave staring and clicking right at the group. They looked angry and also hungry. We¡¯re going to get eaten alive, Ethan thought trying not to panic. ¡°Oh Heavenly Father, I come to You today, bowing my head and opening my heart, asking for protection from all the evil this world holds. Please protect me from this evil spawn of Satan all around me,¡± Alex recited clearly praying now and looking on the verge of losing it. ¡°How do you want to play this?¡± a much calmer Quin whispered to Ethan. ¡°I think we slowly leave this cave,¡± Ethan said. ¡°I don¡¯t think we want to try to take all of these things on at once.¡± ¡°Alright, I lead,¡± Quin stated and started edging back towards the cave entrance. The group slowly followed and for a second Ethan thought that they would be able to simply walk out but then the dam burst and the spiders swarmed. Alex screamed like Ethan¡¯s little sister would have and bolted, swatting spiders that came at him with his shield and inadvertently hitting them with the beam of light coming out of his phone. When the light hit the spiders they scampered backwards away from it, but Ethan didn¡¯t really have time to think on this. Bella, Quin, and him had no choice, but to bolt after Alex. The spiders were everywhere and Ethan¡¯s sword was about as effective as a piece of paper against them. Sure he probably sliced a couple in half but there were so many and it was like trying to swat a fly with a baseball bat. Sharp pincers nipped at his armor chewing at it. Thankfully he was able to knock most of the spiders of if his armor before they could do any serious damage to it. Alex burst from the cave mouth and kept running, scampering his way back up to the ridgeline and sprinting back towards the elevator. Ethan, Quin, and Bella weren¡¯t far behind him and this time none of them played it safe and took the mountain at a safe walk. There was a huge cluster of spiders behind them and all over them and the prospect of falling off of a mountain didn¡¯t seem quite as bad in comparison. The first time Alex slipped he was trying to reach a group of spiders trying to eat through the armor on his left leg. He managed to knock them off but lost his balance and fell down slamming into his shoulder and sliding a few feet below the ridgeline before stopping on a rock. ¡°Ethan,¡± Bella called to him. ¡°I¡¯m fine, keep going,¡± Ethan said pushing himself to his feet and trying to ignore the aching pain now coming from his left shoulder. ¡°We need to get away from these things.¡± She did as she was told and Alex scampered back up to the ridgeline only to slip again as he was just reaching it and slammed his face into the rock face. His armor protected his face somewhat but his nose still crunched and broke being smashed between the rest of him and the rock. Grunting he angrily pushed himself back to his feet and began stomping along the ridge after the rest of his group. He was pissed now, but the anger was giving him a clarity he hadn¡¯t had before. Instead of panicking now he calming pulled the last few spiders off of him and flung them off the mountainside hoping that the creatures last few seconds were very painful. In the moment he wasn¡¯t above spite and the pain coming from his nose and shoulder was making him very spiteful. ¡°Come on, hurry hurry,¡± Alex yelled at the group from inside the open elevator. ¡°Let¡¯s go, lets go, let¡¯s go.¡± Ethan was the last one to reach it and as soon as he did Alex hit the button that lead back to the basement causing the door to slide shut behind them. The four rode the elevator back up with only the sound of their ragged breathing. Upon finally reaching the top and piling out into the basement room Alex said, ¡°Well we had a good run, but I think the dungeon beat us, so we probably should never, ever go back to that place.¡± Ethan didn¡¯t respond, just dismissed his armor and felt at his nose. It was bleeding of course, which was what he suspected. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Bella asked him with a concerned look on her face. ¡°Yeah, I think I broke my nose,¡± Ethan said feeling ashamed at being the only one who injured himself. ¡°Hold still,¡± Quin said coming over and standing in front of him. ¡°What?¡± Ethan managed to say before she started touching his nose. ¡°Wait, what are you doing?¡± She didn¡¯t respond with words but instead after a few seconds began pressing his nose hard with her hands. Pain surged through Ethan and he wanted to scream, but he wasn¡¯t going to give Quin the satisfaction of knowing she hurt him. At least that was his plan, until he felt and heard a snap and the pain got too much. He finally screamed only realizing a moment later than she¡¯d let go. ¡°What is the matter with you?¡± he snapped at her. ¡°I set your nose back into place,¡± Quin said shrugging. ¡°It¡¯s not fun, but it¡¯s simple enough. Do enough athletics and you see several broken noses a year.¡± ¡°You set my nose back right?¡± he asked bewildered feeling his nose. Sure enough it felt straighter and the pain was actually starting to lessen already. ¡°Yeah,¡± Quin said. ¡°Thanks then I guess,¡± Ethan said, ¡°but warn me next time please. That sucked, I don¡¯t think it can get any worse than this though.¡± This was a foolish statement as things in fact got worse for Ethan in the coming week as he was about to find out. Most of the week was fairly normal actually with his classes being on usual range of their spectrum. History and P.E. were good, Math and Drawing were bad. Spending time around Quin was almost too painful for everyone as she was even more amped on her soccer time. Not only did she quickly make Ethan, Alex, and Bella promise to go to her game on Saturday but she also made pretty much every other freshman promise to go. Ethan suspected that most of them just agreed quickly to get her to shut up and that they wouldn¡¯t actually show, but hey if he could have flaked out he would have. Unfortunately for him, he still had ¡°Diving Club¡± with Quin so when her match Saturday afternoon rolled around he found himself sitting in the bleachers with Bella again. This time he¡¯d actually brought his math homework to work on during the game. With Bella sitting right there it was a perfect opportunity to get it done. One thing he noticed right away was that he¡¯d been wrong about the rest of his class, or at least most of them. Almost everyone Quin asked showed up from Gavin, to Stewart, to Jenny even. That last one was a nice surprise even if having Stewart there sucked. Still he did his best to ignore the sound of Stewart¡¯s loud, obnoxious voice and focused on his math problems as the whistle for the first half began. Ethan was making pretty good progress on his homework by half, but apparently Quin and her team weren¡¯t having the same luck on the field. They were down a goal to nil and she looked upset in the huddle. ¡°Did you really have to do that now?¡± Bella asked him looking like she disapproved. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be here supporting Quin.¡± ¡°Bella, you know I just can''t stand her team any more with how much she has been talking about it for the past couple of weeks,¡± he answered defensively. ¡°She¡¯s just excited,¡± Bella said shrugging. ¡°C¡¯mon, put that away and cheer for her. It means alot to her having you here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think my presence means all that much to her,¡± Ethan said with a small laugh. ¡°Besides what am I going to do from over here to effect the game?¡± ¡°Just cheer her on,¡± Bella said like it was obvious. ¡°She needs us rooting for her.¡± Ethan was just about to respond with, ¡°fine, have it your way,¡± when a less welcome voice sounded in his ears. ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± Stewart asked mockingly. ¡°Dare I ask, but is there a lovers quarrel going on up here?¡± ¡°Get lost Stewart,¡± Ethan snapped. ¡°We weren¡¯t talking to you.¡± ¡°Better get that anger under control or you¡¯ll scare your fat girlfriend,¡± Stewart said climbing up the bleachers towards him. Anger surged through Ethan causing him to clench his fist and stand up knocking his book to the ground. ¡°Ethan, let it go,¡± Bella said soothingly to him. ¡°He¡¯s not worth it.¡± ¡°What are you going to do Ethan?¡± Stewart asked. ¡°You should probably listen to Miss Planet there before you get yourself hurt. Her large gravitational pull can¡¯t protect you if you come over here.¡± Suddenly Ethan found himself in the air diving over two rows of spectators right at a very startled looking Stewart. Ethan slammed into Stewart hitting him with his sore left shoulder first causing pain to surge up his arm but he didn¡¯t care about the pain. He didn¡¯t care about anything except hurting the other boy. He swung his fists and began punching and punching and punching Stewart. Ethan would like to say that this first volley of punches did some real damage, but that would be a lie. Ethan was still pretty small, and regardless of how much stronger he thought he was getting, he was relatively weak outside of his legs, and Stewart was a much bigger boy. Stewart recovered from his initial surprise and his mouth turned from a smirk to snarling rage and grabbed Ethan off of him and threw him to the ground before jumping on top of him and punching him over and over in the face. The first thing Ethan felt was his nose breaking for the second time within a week. He felt shell-shocked as the fists slammed against him again and again. Blood was running down and he felt dizzy. He could hear screaming and yelling in the background but it was getting more distant by the minute. Everything was getting more muffled actually and he was tired. The last thing he remembered seeing was Jenny¡¯s face with a look of disgust on it. Then he passed out. When he woke up he was in the nurse''s office with a huge headache. His nose had been fixed and wounds on his face tended to. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re awake,¡± the nurse said stiffly. ¡°What happened?¡± Ethan asked holding his head. ¡°Here sit up slowly, and take this with water,¡± the nurse said holding out a couple pills to him. Ethan did as instructed and sat up slowly before downing the medicine with a glass of water on the table next to the bed. ¡°As far as what happened,¡± the nurse said. ¡°You started a fight with Mr. Hawkins and got knocked out pretty badly.¡± Oh that¡¯s right, Ethan thought feeling miserable. I jumped Stewart and he beat the snot out of me and to make things worse, Jenny saw the whole thing. ¡°Mr. Tanaka will be in, in a moment to have a word with you,¡± the nurse said. ¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t do anything else stupid in front of him. He¡¯s furious.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Ethan said wishing the lights in here weren¡¯t so bright. As the nurse said Mr. Tanaka came in a couple minutes later and looked Ethan up and down with his angry eyes. If Ethan thought the man was unfriendly the last time he saw him, he¡¯d seen nothing yet. ¡°Mr. Russell, what do you have to say for yourself?¡± Tanaka finally asked in a low dangerous voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Stewart provoked me,¡± Ethan answered feeling guilty now. ¡°He was saying all of these things about Bella being fat, and me being--¡± Cutting him off Tanaka snapped, ¡°I don¡¯t care what he said. Nothing give you the right to start a fight, especially in the middle of the stands during a prestigious girl¡¯s soccer game. What do you think parents from the other team thought? Hinan Academy is full of a bunch of thugs probably.¡± ¡°Yes sir, I¡¯m sorry sir,¡± Ethan said quietly. Mr. Russell are you aware of what a great privilege you have in attending this school?¡± Mr. Tanaka asked. ¡°Doubly so for you, because you attend on a financial scholarship. Do you know how many kids would do anything to change places with you?¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Ethan said not looking at the man. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed,¡± Mr. Tanaka said breathing out slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve talked to your teachers and all is not well. You¡¯ve got a C in math and a D in Drawing and Painting. Ms. Phelen especially seems to think that you don¡¯t put in the effort. You¡¯re lucky that Mr. Darnell, your history teacher spoke highly of you or this might be a very different conversation.¡± Well, Mom is not going to be happy about those grades, Ethan thought biting his lip. At least Mr. Darnell was there for him. ¡°As it is I¡¯m suspending you for a week, which so happens to be the last week of the semester,¡± Tanaka said. ¡°You¡¯ll take your tests like everyone else but will not attend classes. I¡¯m also banning you from participating in clubs or athletic teams next semester and will only reinstate this privilege in the fall if you show real improvement in your grades and how you treat your fellow students.¡± ¡°Suspended?¡± Ethan asked stupefied. ¡°Yes Mr. Russell,¡± Tanaka said nodding his head. ¡°Remember there are real consequences to your actions. Now then I have to go have a conversation with Mr. Hawkins. Freshmen I swear.¡± He left leaving Ethan to sulk about how unfair the world was. Unfortunately Ms. Watanabe, the nurse walked over with a stern look on her face and said, ¡°I hope you¡¯ve learned your lesson. Now then you¡¯re friends are here to check on you. Five minutes and then they have to leave alright?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Ethan said fighting a determined inner struggle not to cry. ¡°Ethan are you alright?¡± Bella asked when she, Quin, and Alex entered. Bella and Alex looked concerned but Quin looked distant and upset. Oh right, I started something during her match, Ethan thought. She¡¯s probably pissed about that. ¡°I¡¯m alright, suspended but alright,¡± Ethan answered. ¡°Suspended?¡± Alex asked. So Ethan told them everything about his conversation with Tanaka until Alex finally said with a chuckle, ¡°well if you thought he didn¡¯t like you before.¡± ¡°Hey Quin,¡± Ethan said looking at the girl and ignoring Alex. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should have been cheering for you instead of getting into fights with Stewart. I¡¯m sorry if I ruined your big game.¡± Turning she stared him in the eyes inspecting him with her big green eyes before finally saying, ¡°You¡¯re weak.¡± It took Ethan a moment to register what she said and when it finally registered all he could sputter out was, ¡°what?¡± ¡°You¡¯re weak,¡± Quin repeated. ¡°We all are. We need to get stronger. I lost today because I wasn¡¯t good enough. I didn¡¯t work hard enough. You lost today because you weren¡¯t good enough and didn¡¯t work hard enough. We lost in the dungeon because we weren¡¯t strong enough and didn¡¯t work hard enough. We need to get stronger.¡± ¡°How?¡± was all Ethan managed to ask after seeing the fierceness, anger, and determination in her eyes. ¡°We¡¯re going to start training harder,¡± Quin said. ¡°We¡¯re going to run further when we run and you¡¯re going to start working on your upper body as well so that next time you get into a fight you don¡¯t lose and next year when I make the playoffs I don¡¯t lose.¡± ¡°And next time we face those spiders in the dungeon we don¡¯t lose?¡± Bella asked. ¡°Exactly,¡± Quin said. ¡°Wait, what do you mean next time?¡± Alex asked looking alarmed. Chapter 16: Christmas Break Christmas Break. Two words that every kid loves, but this year the excitement that was normally there for Ethan was nonexistent as he rode the train back to Fresno. Aside from the fact that it felt weird to be leaving Misty Oaks for the first time in months he was depressed. On top of everything else that was rotten in his life right now his final grades for the semester came in and they weren¡¯t great. Algebra I - C Biology - B Computer Science - C Drawing & Painting - D English I - B Health I - C Physical Education - A US History Before 1861 - A If not for P.E. and History he¡¯d have been in real trouble but as it was his mom was going to throw a fit. Three C¡¯s and a D was not going to sit well with her no matter how much he mentioned that the Drawing teacher hated him. Part of him, though, was glad to be going home. He¡¯d felt humiliated ever since he¡¯d lost the fight to Stewart. He was almost grateful for the suspension he received because showing his face in front of Jenny or any of the rest of the students was not something he looked forward to. Quin was right. He was weak. What possessed him to think he could possibly take Stewart on one-on-one in a fight. That was stupid, but then he was stupid. After all he had the grades to prove it. The dungeon and the Black were also a lost cause. They were never going to get past those spiders. Alex was completely terrified of them and Ethan couldn¡¯t do anything against them. Hell, he¡¯d injured himself just running away from them. Hopefully the dungeon wouldn¡¯t freak out with all of them gone for a month. He was unsure of how it would react to their absence, but the last time he was gone from it for a while it sent a large winged dog after him. He could just imagine how that would play out if that thing tried to maul him in the middle of Fresno. It wouldn¡¯t be good. He was hoping the fact that they religiously visited the dungeon in the weeks leading up to the break would help stave off its constant need for them to attempt to find its heart, whatever that actually meant. He did little to nothing on the train ride back to Fresno, but the hours still went by far too quickly for Ethan¡¯s liking. It what seemed like no time at all it pulled into Fresno Station and he was grabbing his backpack and making his way off the train onto the platform. There wasn¡¯t anything impressive about Fresno Station. It was small, functional, and sat across the street from City Hall in downtown Fresno. Upon Exiting the platform and entering the actual train station it only took Ethan a second to locate his mom. She was sitting on one of the wooden benches in the center of the waiting area watching the doors. Her face lit up and she stood up upon seeing Ethan enter the room. Ashley Russell had the same blue eyes and brown hair that Ethan did though her hair was considerably longer than his. He actually wasn¡¯t sure what, if any, physical traits he¡¯d inherited from his father, but then he hardly remembered the man, not that he was worth remembering. ¡°Ethan, it¡¯s so good to see you,¡± she said meeting him halfway and wrapping him in a tight hug. ¡°Wow, I think you¡¯ve grown a couple inches since the summer. You¡¯re nearly as tall as me now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too mom,¡± Ethan said hugging her back and bracing himself for the inevitable lecture. ¡°Is that all you brought with you?¡± she asked eyeing his backpack, ¡°and that¡¯s a nice sweater, is that new?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have a lot to bring, so I didn¡¯t pack a whole suitcase,¡± Ethan said shrugging, ¡°and yeah my roommate got it for me.¡± ¡°Well isn¡¯t he nice,¡± Ashley said beaming. ¡°Come, you¡¯ll have to tell me all about him and your school life on the car ride home.¡± The 1996 green Toyota Camry that his mother drove was parked only a short way from the station. Truth be told it was an ugly car, but it reminded Ethan of home more than anything else so far. It was the only car his mother had ever owned, at least during his lifetime and climbing in the front seat of it brought on a whole wave of nostalgic memories. ¡°So tell me about this roommate and all the friends you¡¯ve made,¡± his mother said pulling the car out of the parking spot and making for the road. ¡°My roommate''s name is Alex,¡± Ethan said shrugging and proceeded to tell her all about the friends he¡¯d met at school. The conversation continued in a pattern of her probing for information and him reluctantly giving up the goods the whole way home. He told her about the school, playing on the soccer team, his friends, and the small town of Misty Oaks. She seemed particularly interested in the girls he¡¯d made friends with. Bella was one of the first people he¡¯d mentioned to his mother, after Alex, as she was his best friend and a financial scholarship student like him, but he¡¯d been reluctant to bring up Quin. Sure he was starting to respect her more, but he still didn¡¯t exactly consider her a friend, at least not completely. ¡°So this Quin is helping you out with soccer?¡± Ashley Russell asked. ¡°Sort of,¡± Ethan answered. ¡°She points out how weak I am, and runs with me.¡± ¡°I see,¡± she answered with a look on her face that he couldn¡¯t figure out. ¡°And you study and eat meals with this Isabella?¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s really smart and always wants to help others,¡± Ethan answered honestly. ¡°I doubt I¡¯d get through math without her.¡± ¡°Be honest with me Ethan,¡± she said turning to him at the stoplight. ¡°Are you dating one of them?¡± ¡°What,¡± Ethan asked alarmed. ¡°No, they¡¯re just friends.¡± ¡°Uh huh,¡± his mom said in a way that made him feel like she didn¡¯t completely believe him. ¡°Speaking of math, your grades came.¡± Oh great, here we go, he thought, trying to keep his face neutral. ¡°They weren¡¯t exactly great,¡± she said. ¡°I know it¡¯s completely a different experience, and moving away from home isn¡¯t easy, but you need to be getting better grades than this. Your Drawing one was especially bad.¡± ¡°That lady hates me,¡± Ethan said defensively. ¡°I missed her class the first day because I got completely lost and she¡¯s never forgiven me.¡± ¡°That might be the case,¡± Ashley said gently, ¡°but then how about Math, Computer Science, and Health? I would think that Computer Science and Health shouldn¡¯t be that hard.¡± ¡°Look I¡¯ll try harder,¡± Ethan said starting to feel and sound annoyed. ¡°They¡¯re not as bad, its just so much work and so much going on.¡± Pulling into the driveway she put the car in park and paused for a moment before asking softly, ¡°Are you happy?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ethan asked not prepared for this question. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± she asked again. ¡°Because I also got a call about a fight you started and a suspension you got. I want you to know that you¡¯re not obligated to go to that school. I mean I think it¡¯s a great opportunity for you, but if you¡¯re not happy there, you always have a home here.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Thanks mom¡± he said after a pause. ¡°That means a lot, but honestly I like it there. I thought I would hate it, being surrounded by a bunch of rich kids all the time, but some of them aren¡¯t as bad as I thought.¡± ¡°Okay, well that¡¯s good to hear,¡± she said smiling, ¡°just promise me, you¡¯ll work on controlling that temper and improving those grades next semester.¡± ¡°I will, I promise,¡± Ethan said feeling pleased at the direction this talk had taken. Well he was please until his mom added, ¡°You inherited that temper from your father, he had one just like it, so that¡¯s not entirely your fault. Still please try not to start any more fights.¡± After that the two of them climbed out of the car and made their way into the house where Ethan expresion settled into a scowl. What did she mean he¡¯d inherited his temper from his father? He didn¡¯t want to get anything from that worthless man. Ironically this just made him mad and sent him into a further bout of sulking. ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t the rich private school kid returned to the poor neighborhood of his birth,¡± a smaller, more adorable, version of his mother said from the living room upon seeing him enter the house. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too Jane,¡± Ethan said smiling at his feisty sister. ¡°What you think you can leave for months and you¡¯ll just be welcomed back like nothing¡¯s happened?¡± she asked with a small smirk on her face. ¡°Pretty much,¡± he replied shrugging. ¡°Okay then,¡± she said before her face split into a full grin and she ran over and embraced him. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you Ethan.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve missed your sassy attitude too,¡± he said returning the hug. ¡°Just my attitude?¡± she asked. ¡°Yep, just that,¡± he answered with a small laugh. ¡°It¡¯s the only part that¡¯s worthwhile.¡± ¡°I changed my mind,¡± Jane said punching him in the shoulder, ¡°you can go back to your rich kids school now.¡± ¡°Ouch, hey be nice,¡± Ethan said rubbing his shoulder and still laughing. ¡°I was joking. It¡¯s good to see you. How is your new school treating you?¡± Jane, unlike Ethan was still going to public school in Fresno, but she had just started middle school and if Ethan learned anything about middle school during his time there it was that kids can be cruel. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jane said smiling. ¡°I¡¯m not taking crap from anyone just like you instructed me. This one boy thought he could stick a note on my back and I would just take it because I¡¯m a girl. Boy was he surprised when I punched him. You should have seen the shock on his face after I pulled my fist away.¡± Ethan laughed relieved to hear that Jane was doing well for herself with him around to look out for her. ¡°There you go,¡± Ethan said, ¡°just try not to get in trouble with the teachers.¡± Shrugging she said, ¡°they gave me detention for it, but if you ask me, it was worth it just to teach him a lesson. Like you always say, we¡¯ve been dealt a tough hand, but it¡¯s not going to get any better if we whine about it. Gotta tough it out and fight for everything, only then will things get better.¡± Shocked, he stood frozen staring at his sister. It was true this was something he often said to her when they were younger when she complained about the food that night or not being able to get a toy she wanted. He was genuinely surprised that she¡¯d taken that advice to heart and even more surprised to realize that that old advice that he¡¯d given fit his current situation perfectly. Things weren¡¯t going great for him at the moment, he¡¯d been dealt a tough hand as he said to his sister, but it was never going to get better if he sat moping around and whining to himself about how tough he had it. The dungeon, The Black, his grades, and school weren¡¯t going to go away simply because things weren¡¯t going well for him. No, if he wanted things to get better he would have to make that happen himself. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right, thanks Jane,¡± Ethan said smiling at her. He wasn¡¯t going to settle for weak. No he was going to get stronger and show Quin that she was wrong about that. He was going to get so strong that the dungeon wouldn¡¯t stand a chance and if Stewart ever fought him again he would win. ¡°For what?¡± Jane asked looking at him curiously. ¡°For being you, of course,¡± he said before launching into a tickle attack that sent her into giggling hysterics. From that day forward and for the rest of his Christmas vacation, Ethan stopped feeling sorry for himself and focused on what he could do. He kept up with his running, even without Quin being there. In fact, he pushed himself to run farther and faster every time he went out. He started doing various exercises around the house and in the neighborhood with the intention of building up his strength. He didn¡¯t have access to a gym but that wasn¡¯t going to stop him from at least doing what he could. He¡¯d do push-ups, situps, pull ups on the playground equipment, and whatever else he could think of to start trying to build up his severely lacking upper body strength. In the lead up to Christmas his mom noticed his new training routine but said nothing. In fact, if anything she seemed pleased that he was focused and determined about something. Maybe, because of this, or maybe because she¡¯d said her piece, there were no more lectures for the rest of the break over his grades or the fight. Unfortunately there was one more lecture that popped up on Christmas Eve when she noticed his dungeon tattoo for the first time. Ethan hadn¡¯t even thought about it being a problem, in fact he hadn¡¯t thought about it at all since break started, but it was still there on his wrist and as red as the day he got it. ¡°Ethan, what is that?¡± she asked pointing at his wrist as he relaxed on the couch with his palms behind his head and the inside of his right wrist very visibly sticking out from behind his head. ¡°What¡¯s what?¡± he asked confused before pulling his wrist down and examining it. Oh crap, she¡¯s probably not happy about that, he thought remembering the dungeon mark. ¡°That¡¯s tattoo,¡± she snapped seizing his wrist and examining it. ¡°Oh yeah, it¡¯s a tattoo I got a while ago,¡± Ethan said knowing that if he told her the truth about it, she¡¯d never believe him and he¡¯d get in even more trouble. ¡°How long is a while ago?¡± she demanded. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you would do this to yourself and for that matter what tattoo parlour would tattoo a kid without parental permission?¡± ¡°Uh, well back near the beginning of the school year I got it done with some friends,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°And I dunno, this guy didn¡¯t have a parlour, just some equipment.¡± ¡°You got a tattoo from some random guy on the street?¡± she asked now practically yelling at him. ¡°Yes calm down,¡± Ethan said hoping to pacify her. ¡°It was fine, everything was clean. As I said I got it back at the beginning of the school year and I haven¡¯t had a problem since.¡± ¡°It is not fine,¡± she snapped. ¡°You¡¯re just a kid, you shouldn¡¯t have a tattoo and what would you have done had you gotten an infection?¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯d have gotten sick and died,¡± Ethan replied rolling his eyes dramatically now thoroughly annoyed himself. ¡°Ethan Russell, don¡¯t you take that tone with me,¡± she said, ¡°and if I ever see another tattoo on you, you¡¯ll be grounded for the rest of your life. Do I make myself clear, this had better be the last one.¡± God, I hope it¡¯s the last one, Ethan thought mentally shuddering at the painful memory of receiving it from the dungeon. ¡°I won¡¯t get another,¡± Ethan said and then in a more reasonable tone added, ¡°I promise. I didn¡¯t think it was a big deal, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Yes, well, thank you,¡± his mother said stiffly. ¡°You kids just don¡¯t think before you do things sometimes. I just don¡¯t want anything to happen to you.¡± For the rest of that day, she was a bit cold towards him, but by Christmas morning the next day her usual warmth returned. Christmas was all three of the Russells¡¯ favorite holiday. Ashley Russell was probably responsible for passing on her infectious cheerfulness and enthusiasm about the holiday to her two children. As was tradition in the Russell household it was Ashley Russell waking up her two children at six in the morning to go inspect the Christmas tree and not the other way around. Apparently Ethan¡¯s stay at Hinan Academy was benefiting the family financially because it was his best haul ever for Christmas ever. First of all his mom really was paying attention to his new workout routine because he received some resistance training equipment and some weights for use in his dorm room. They weren¡¯t the nicest or the highest end stuff but they were totally usable and he was touched that she noticed his goals. In addition he also received another school sweatshirt, this one with the red salamander emblazoned over black representing his dorm, Salamander House. Last but certainly not least he got some toiletries. They weren¡¯t exciting but he totally needed them. Meanwhile Jane got a bunch of new clothes which she seemed genuinely excited about. Ethan would admit if you asked him that he could never get that excited about clothes, but if she was happy he supposed his mom did a good job. Looking over at his mom he felt bad. Neither him, nor Jane, got her anything for Christmas again this year. She¡¯d obviously understand that neither of her kids had any money of their own, but it meant she would spend Christmas without being able to unwrap a single present herself. Once again Ethan silently cursed the worthless man formerly known as their father. If he hadn¡¯t walked out on them then he¡¯d at least have been there to get her something. Still, what¡¯s done was done and she looked happy enough watching her two kids delight in the gifts they received. The rest of Christmas break passed by without incident. Ethan actually expected the dungeon to throw something at him, but it never did even though on every run he went for he constantly kept one eye watching over his shoulder. Somehow he guessed that the dungeon must have known he would be unable to return to it until the break ended and he came back to school. Either that or it simply trusted he would come back now that he¡¯d show how determined he was to solve the mystery of it. He was determined. The Black was still out there and could still hurt people. For that matter the dungeon could still hurt people. Ethan knew that better than ever now that Aki explained how the dungeon fed off of life energy. They needed to reach its heart and hopefully put a stop to the whole thing assuming that was even a possibility. Resolved to overcome anything it through at him, to defeat the Black, and to maybe improve his grades he boarded the train back to Misty Oaks in mid January. Gotta tough it out and fight for everything, Ethan thought as the train pulled out of the station. Chapter 17: Spring Semester Like the fog, Ethan returned to Misty Oaks, a familiar and undeterred force. The first one of his friends he saw was Alex who he met in their dorm room playing a new game on a new console. Apparently he¡¯d had a very, very good Christmas. Of course Alex came from money so this was probably just a standard Christmas for him. ¡°Nice new Sweater Ethan,¡± Alex said looking away from the screen long enough to glimpse Ethan¡¯s new Salamander House sweater. ¡°Thanks I got it for Christmas,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°I see you had a pretty good Christmas as well.¡± ¡°Yeah not bad, though I didn¡¯t get the flamethrower I asked for,¡± he said shrugging. ¡°Flamethrower?¡± Ethan asked raising an eyebrow. ¡°Yeah, you know so one of you can burn all of those things down on the third floor,¡± Alex said with a grin. ¡°One of us?¡± Ethan asked amused. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going near those things again,¡± Alex said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. ¡°Still my mom seemed to think that a flamethrower was dangerous and illegal, so you three are on your own.¡± Amused as Ethan was he wasn¡¯t letting Alex out of assisting the group that easily. ¡°Oh you¡¯re helping, you¡¯re part of the diving club just as much as the rest of us,¡± Ethan said. ¡°I tried to help and failed,¡± Alex said shrugging. ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing left to offer.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you always talking about how smart you are?¡± Ethan asked staring at the other boy. ¡°Or is that all talk? Because if the three of us solve this one without you it will just show that you really aren¡¯t any smarter than anyone else. Actually it would probably put you on the same level of intelligence as Stewart.¡± This was a cheap shot and Ethan knew it, but even if Alex did have a serious phobia when it came to spiders he also had a serious ego and Ethan was not above exploiting the latter. He knew that comparing Alex to Stewart who he thought of as a neanderthal would really get under the boy¡¯s skin. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll help think of a solution,¡± Alex said stiffly, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going back in there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯m asking for right now,¡± Ethan said smiling. This was a good start. With Alex working on a solution to the dungeon Ethan felt accomplished already and happily set off to find Bella to check up on how his best friend was doing. He hadn¡¯t seen her in a month and if he was being honest with himself, he missed her. She was a reassuring presence to have around, plus she was the most caring person he¡¯d ever met. He found Bella outside of the dining all and they embraced quickly, both apparently happy to see each other. As it turned out she¡¯d had a wonderful Christmas of spending time with her family and cooking the most amazing sounding dishes with her mom. Most of the dishes like bacalao a la vizcaina and pavo navide?o Ethan had never heard of before but when Bella described them to him they sounded amazing and honestly better than the ham his family ate for Christmas. Lucky for Ethan, whose mouth was watering, they were outside of the dining hall and it was dinner time. Sure the food in the dining hall wasn¡¯t nearly as good as what Bella described, but it did the trick of sating his hunger. Quin was the only one out of Diving Club that he didn¡¯t see that night. In fact he didn¡¯t see her until the early hours of the morning on Tuesday, a full day after classes started. She didn¡¯t say anything about how her Christmas went but looked happy to see him. She even expressed surprised delight when he pushed them to run further than they used to and then admiration at how his workout routine was improving his strength and stamina. ¡°Like you said before break, I¡¯m weak,¡± Ethan said during their cooldown walk. ¡°I made a decision over Christmas that that is going to change. If I can¡¯t even beat Stewart in a fight, what hope do I have against The Black or the dungeon.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re serious about that, there¡¯s equipment in the basement of the gym you can use,¡± Quin said. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good stuff.¡± Of course it¡¯s good stuff, Ethan thought. This school doesn¡¯t spare any expenses for anything. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you back,¡± Quin said somewhat awkwardly, ¡°my morning runs have been rather quiet for the past month.¡± Was she actually expressing, or at least trying to express, enjoyment at having another person around? This was Quin, she never told or showed others she cared about them. Not knowing quite how to respond, Ethan shrugged and said, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too.¡± His class were all the same, well except for history which was now US History from 1861-1941, aka Civil War to just before entering World War II. Mr. Darnell taught this version of the class as well though, which Ethan was thrilled to see, and it was in the same room, on the same day, at the same time, so it felt like a continuation of the previous US History class. Drawing and Painting was as awful as it ever was, even though he was absolutely determined to get a better grade in it this semester. Unfortunately he had what amounted to zero talent in it and Ms. Phelen showed no signs of letting go of her almost unhealthy dislike of him. On the plus side Mr. Thorton, his soccer coach, must have found out about Ethan¡¯s situation because it seemed to Ethan that he was determined to do all he could to help Ethan get an A in his class. The man must have been worried about Ethan¡¯s ability to participate on the soccer team during the fall semester and was going to do his part to help get Ethan the grades he would need to lift the suspension on extra-curricular activities. Of course he wasn¡¯t just going to give him an A, but Thorton made sure Ethan understood every little thing they went over and even assigned him extra homework he could turn in for extra credit. It meant extra work for Ethan, but honestly he was happy that Thorton cared enough to try and help him out. If he could get an A in Biology it would definitely help improve his GPA as well as maybe help him look better in the eyes of Tanaka. Actually no matter what he did, he¡¯d probably never look good in Tanaka¡¯s eyes. Algebra was no better and if he was honest with himself the C he earned in that class during the prior semester wasn¡¯t for lack of trying. Realistically he probably couldn¡¯t hope for much better than that and would again need to lean on Bella just to pull off that grade. Computer Science and Health though were a different story. Both of those classes he should have done better in but his complete lack of interest in Health had manifested into a very poor effort in that class during the fall semester. Most of what was discussed like how fast food was terrible for you, was just dull as could be with the exception of when images of naked people were thrown up on the screen. Ethan certainly was far from the only person in the classroom to pay closer attention during those parts of the lessons, though looking back on it he couldn¡¯t remember a single thing their teacher said at those times. Computer Science actually started off a bit better this semester because Stewart who normally got into it with Ethan during that class was now choosing to pretend like Ethan didn¡¯t exist which suited him just fine. It would keep him from getting into trouble during class and allow for him to listen and absorb what they were supposed to be learning. His other major distraction in the class, Jenny, was still a distraction but less so, mostly because after losing his fight against Stewart in front of her he was two embarrassed to look at her. Mostly he just hoped she didn¡¯t see him, though that would be unlikely with her sitting next to Bella and Bella sitting next to him. Regardless he knew that while Math would be a struggle to improve his grade, he could definitely improve his grades in these two classes this semester if he just made sure to take his schooling seriously. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. While Ethan was telling Bella about his academic situation over dinner one night he managed to coax her grades out of her. The girl was a straight A student, which really wasn¡¯t surprising at all to him. She was that exceedingly rare combination of natural intelligence combined with a strong work ethic. Usually in Ethan¡¯s experience, the naturally gifted students he¡¯d met were quite lazy. They¡¯d easily skate buy with mostly A¡¯s and a couple B¡¯s without trying. If they were extremely smart like Alex, they¡¯d get all A¡¯s anyways. It was endlessly frustrating to Ethan, that he¡¯d work ten times as hard as them and still end up with worse grades. Now that he and Alex were actually friends he tried not to begrudge his roommate over the disparity between their luck. It wasn¡¯t Alex¡¯s fault that he was born with high intelligence and into a wealthy family while Ethan received neither. He mostly succeeded, though he¡¯d be lying to himself if he didn¡¯t admit that he was still a little bitter about it. His other two classes, English and P.E., were pretty much identical to how they were during the fall semester. English was still all about reading classic literature and then ¡°interpreting¡± the meaning behind the words. It wasn¡¯t Ethan¡¯s favorite, but it wasn¡¯t hard. P.E. still felt more like recess than an actually class, but he was totally okay with that, after all he¡¯d gotten an A in the fall so apparently he was really good at playing. Quin came right at him in whatever they were doing and he had to admit that while he didn¡¯t quite understand why she was so determined to beat him at everything, he enjoyed the challenge. Gavin still spent most of these classes making flippant jokes and trying his best not to participate in any physical activity. He succeeded about half of the time because he could make Ms. Rockfort laugh and she genuinely seemed to like him, even though she disapproved of his laziness in the gym. The humourous redhead was interesting in Ethan¡¯s eyes because the two of them were almost exact opposites. Everyone liked Gavin. Ethan couldn¡¯t think of a single person that didn¡¯t enjoy his company but the other boy didn¡¯t seem to have any close friends as far as Ethan could tell. On the other hand, Ethan had only a couple close friends and whatever Quin was. He had quite a few people that disliked him and his list of enemies seemed to be growing longer by the day. ¡°Xena, you do know that hitting on someone doesn¡¯t actually require you to hit them, right?¡± Gavin called to Quin after she placed a particularly vicious hip check on Ethan in the middle of a basketball game. Ethan was sent sprawling to the hardwood floor which felt typical of his interactions with Quin in P.E. class. Since the beginning of the year, like several of the boys in his class, he¡¯d closed the gap on their height difference but she was still a couple inches taller than him. He looked up in time to actually see her face redden as she muttered, ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about Gavin.¡± ¡°Sure you don¡¯t,¡± Gavin replied with sarcasm dripping from his tone. ¡°I mean I get it, he¡¯s a solid seven or eight, but if you keep beating him up and messing up his face, he¡¯s gonna drop to like a four and then he¡¯ll have to wear a paper bag just so the rest of us don¡¯t get sick looking at him.¡± Quin was about to respond when an exasperated Rockfort snapped, ¡°Mr. Lloyd you¡¯re supposed to be playing the game not sitting on the bleachers making remarks.¡± ¡°Sorry Ms. Rockfort,¡± Gavin said grinning. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to coach these kids. You know turn them into something respectable because without me they¡¯re all likely to turn into monsters when they grow up.¡± ¡°More like that they¡¯ll turn into monsters if they listen to you too much,¡± Rockfort muttered under her breath chuckling at her own joke. ¡°Well come on guys, pass me the giant orange,¡± Gavin said climbing down off of the bleachers onto the court. ¡°Let me show you how to score a goal here and win some sporty-ball.¡± Rolling her eyes Rockfort turned around shaking her head but still had a smile on her face. That was the effect he had on people. He was ridiculous and tiresome, but he was funny and always entertaining. Spring semester sports held tryouts and clubs took applications that week but since Ethan was on Tanaka¡¯s official ¡°Banned from Fun¡± list, he ended up just going to class and the library to do homework. Bella stayed in Model U.N. which she said was a lot of fun, but Ethan really failed to see how negotiating fake trade deals and treaties between random countries would be fun. Alex didn¡¯t say he joined any clubs but Ethan knew he was in a couple because he would be gone for hours from their dorm at night during the week. Quin meanwhile, joined the women¡¯s track team to ¡°stay in shape¡± for the upcoming soccer season though Ethan was pretty sure she¡¯d be fine even if she didn¡¯t do track with all the running the two of them did on a weekly basis. The one thing they didn¡¯t do the first couple weeks back was to actually attempt the dungeon. None of them were especially anxious to try it again and some of them, mainly Alex, were almost opposed to the idea. Aside from their lack of motivation towards retrying the third floor, no one had come up with a reasonable idea for dealing with all of the spiders. Alex for all of his smarts was still stuck on his flame thrower idea but Ethan was tired for mentioning how unrealistic getting one was, not to mention that they were just as likely to burn themselves as the spiders if they did get one by chance. The only other thing anyone came up with was Quin mentioning calling a pest control company and having them go down there but this presented a multitude of issues. For starters the dungeon didn¡¯t make sense the way everything else in the world did and they were likely not to be believed.. Secondly they¡¯d probably get whoever they threw down their killed and none of them wanted that on their conscious. ¡°Well we¡¯ve got to go back down there sometime,¡± Ethan said a little annoyed at Alex. ¡°Sure, once the sun has flared up and burned all life on those mountains, then we can head back down there,¡± Alex replied. ¡°Until then all we can do is be patient.¡± ¡°Alex, come on man,¡± Ethan said shaking his head. ¡°Aside from the fact that the dungeon will come after us eventually, don¡¯t you want to discover who was behind the attack on your brother.¡± ¡°Of course I do, I just don¡¯t want to get eaten alive by spiders to find out,¡± Alex said shrugging. ¡°Besides we don¡¯t even know that the Black is even down there.¡± Sighing Ethan said, ¡°just please try to come up with some way to defeat them.¡± After looking at the other boy again he added quickly, ¡°A realistic option.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to think on it,¡± Alex conceded, ¡°but I haven¡¯t been able to come up with anything yet so everyone should be trying to think of solutions.¡± The truth was Ethan was trying to think of solutions but no matter how hard he racked his brain he was coming up blank. He knew if both Alex and Bella were struggling he was going to be useless anyways. At least Quin came up with pest control. That was, if nothing else, creative. The end of January brought on a very important day for Ethan, his birthday. He turned fifteen on the twenty-eighth and Bella somehow got a small cake and made the diving club sit down in the dinning hall and celebrate. Fifteen didn¡¯t feel any different than fourteen but then Ethan never felt any different on his birthdays. He knew he¡¯d grown over the past year and he was definitely proud of how his physical stamina and strength was coming along in comparison but the changes were gradual and by the time he¡¯d realized he was getting taller or stronger he was already used to it. ¡°Happy Birthday Ethan,¡± Bella said smiling across the table at him. ¡°Sorry there¡¯s no candles but they don¡¯t allow any fires in here even the small kind. I asked them about a few candles and a candle lighter and they said even that can start a big fire so it was a no.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Ethan replied smiling. ¡°This is more than you should have done to begin with.¡± ¡°Happy Birthday,¡± Quin said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you were so young?¡± ¡°What do you mean so young?¡± Ethan asked defensively. ¡°When¡¯s your birthday?¡± ¡°In September,¡± Quin said flatly. ¡°Oh so you have a few months on me no big deal,¡± Ethan said rolling his eyes. ¡°I know for a fact Bella¡¯s is in March and well I have no idea when Alex¡¯s is.¡± Alex was sitting at the table with them but wasn¡¯t paying attention to their conversation and was muttering to himself. ¡°A candle lighter,¡± he said softly under his breath, ¡°that might just do the trick.¡± ¡°Alex,¡± Quin said punching him hard on the shoulder causing him to cringe away from her. ¡°Ouch, what was that for?¡± he snapped looking annoyed with her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to wish Ethan a happy birthday?¡± Quin asked. ¡°Oh happy birthday Ethan,¡± Alex said sounding irritated with Quin still. Ethan laughed at the sour expression on his face and said, ¡°thanks man. When is your birthday anyways?¡± ¡°It¡¯s in March,¡± Alex replied rubbing his shoulder. ¡°Same as mine,¡± Bella said smiling at him. ¡°Maybe we can have a joint celebration.¡± ¡°Uh sure,¡± Alex responded. ¡°See, not that young,¡± Ethan stated smirking over at Quin. ¡°So you¡¯re saying I shouldn¡¯t see your age as an excuse for the lack of muscle in your upper body?¡± Quin asked with a mischievous look on her face. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s definitely there,¡± Ethan snapped defensively. ¡°It¡¯s just a little hard to tell, but it¡¯s definitely there. See you can feel a pec right there, I didn¡¯t used to have that back at Thanksgiving.¡± He¡¯d grabbed her hand and pulled it up against his chest over his heart as he spoke. He did have some muscle there, it wasn¡¯t very big, but it was there and he wasn¡¯t going to let Quin pick at him for this. ¡°I see,¡± Quin said averting her eyes and sounding a bit embarrassed or uncomfortable. Ethan was surprised by this reaction. He didn¡¯t think she got embarrassed or uncomfortable about anything. She didn¡¯t even have an issue with searching all the girl¡¯s bodies for dungeon marks back when the Black first appeared. ¡°Are we going to eat or do you just want to keep feeling him up all day?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Let¡¯s eat,¡± Quin said quickly pulling her hand away and going bright red. Alex smiled to himself, apparently delighted that he¡¯d gotten her back for the punch earlier. Bella pulled out a butter knife and sliced the cake into four parts, one for each of them. As she dished up each of them Ethan took pleasure in the realization that he had friends. It wasn¡¯t a feeling he was familiar with, but it was one he could definitely get used to. Chapter 18: The Third Floor ¡°What¡¯s in the backpack?¡± Ethan asked to Alex as the four of them gathered in the dungeon entrance. It was the last day of January and for the first time in over six weeks the Diving Club was going to attempt some diving. An excited Alex informed all the members the day before that he had something he wanted to try. This was actually quite a surprise considering how much he seemed to be terrified of the spiders on the third floor. ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± Alex said with a knowing smile. If you say so, Ethan thought hitting the button to call the elevator. Whatever Alex had in mind it had better be good because their spirit weapons were pretty much useless against the spiders. They were just too small and too fast, though compared to normal spiders they were huge. ¡°It¡¯s about time you found your courage,¡± Quin said to Alex. ¡°I thought we were going to have to drag you back down here. Alex didn¡¯t respond but instead glared at Quin while Bella, ever the peacekeeper, said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t very fond of them either. I think it¡¯s brave of all of us to come back down here.¡± Alex smiled fondly at her while Quin just gave her a blank look until the elevator doors slide open and the four of them climbed in. Ethan hit the button going down to the third floor and a moment later they were descending. Exiting out onto the third floor was disorienting. Just like the first time, going down only to step out onto the top of a mountain confused not only Ethan¡¯s head, but the rest of his body as well. He hoped this time he¡¯d at least keep himself from falling like an idiot. ¡°Let¡¯s move out a little ways and then I¡¯ll go over what I¡¯ve brought and the plan,¡± Alex said motioning for Ethan to lead them along the mountains. Doing as he was instructed Ethan began moving the group in the direction of the cave though Alex stopped him once they¡¯d gone a decent way from the elevator and were on a flatter part of the mountain top. ¡°Hopefully you have an exterminator hiding in that pack,¡± Ethan said smiling at his own joke. ¡°Not an exterminator, but rather exterminators,¡± Alex replied pulling out a candle lighter and holding it up triumphantly. ¡°What¡¯s with the lighter?¡± Quin asked looking less than impressed. ¡°Patience my dear lady,¡± Alex said dramatically. ¡°First put these on though.¡± He rummaged in the bag and pulled out four respirators. Not the fancy kind with valves, but the cheap kind you¡¯d see worn around hospitals by people trying not to breathe in illnesses. ¡°You want us to put face masks on?¡± Bella asked sounding unconvinced by the idea. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to wear one myself as well,¡± Alex said and to demonstrate he deactivated his armor and pulled the respirator over his nose and mouth before reactivating his armor. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡± His voice sounded slightly muffled as he implored Bella to take the masks with the hand they were in. She finally did as he wanted by grabbing them and passing them out to the other two. One by one they deactivated their armor, put the masks on, and then reactivated their armor. Ethan was not at all a fan of this. The mask made it hard to breathe and was uncomfortable to boot. How in the heck did people walk around wearing these things all day? ¡°I know they¡¯re not fun,¡± Alex said pulling some long heavy gloves out of his backpack and putting them on, ¡°but I think they are a necessary precaution. The fumes produced by this stuff can be quite nasty.¡± ¡°Just show us what your plan is,¡± Ethan said starting to get annoyed at all the theatrics. He was never one for too much drama and right now Alex was very much enjoying building anticipation among his friends. Finally he metal spray can out of his bag and held it aloft like it was the big reveal. Ethan didn¡¯t get it. Ethan didn¡¯t get it at all. What was it? ¡°Is that spray paint?¡± he asked confused. ¡°No,¡± Alex said rolling his eyes. ¡°Like spray paint would pack the kind of firepower we need for this. Come on man, it¡¯s Engine Starter Fluid.¡± ¡°Engine Starter?¡± Quin asked also clearly not understanding. ¡°Alex, I don¡¯t think this is a good idea,¡± Bella said looking nervous, clearly understanding something that the other two did not. ¡°Relax Bella,¡± Alex said smiling at her. ¡°It¡¯s perfectly safe. I¡¯ve taken all the necessary precautions.¡± AUTHOR¡¯S NOTE: This is not perfectly safe. DO NOT try this at home. Turning away from the group and pointing the spray can out over the side of the mountain he began spraying before clicking the lighter and holding the flame up into the stream of liquid. A second later the liquid was gone and a torrent of fire was now shooting out in front of Alex. Ethan¡¯s eyes went wide and he took an involuntary step back from the heat that was being produced. Grinning he shook his head at the audacity of the other boy. ¡°Alex I thought I told you no flame throwers,¡± Ethan said still grinning. ¡°Hey you told me we wouldn¡¯t be able to buy and bring a flame thrower down here,¡± Alex said stopping the spray of flames and turning back grinning. ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything about not making our own.¡± ¡°You do realize how volatile that fire is?¡± Bella asked still looking concerned. ¡°It will burn everything in sight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the general plan,¡± Alex said winking at her. ¡°Everything includes us,¡± Bella said softly. ¡°Hey I¡¯ve brought everyone fireproof gloves, and with our spirit armor around the rest of our bodies I figure the risk of burns is pretty minimal,¡± he said shrugging. Bella looked like she was about to argue some more but whatever she was going to say was cut off by Quin saying, ¡°Now this looks fun, give me that stuff. I want to try.¡± ¡°I knew someone would see my side,¡± Alex said happily reaching into his bag and pulling out a pair of gloves, a can, and a lighter before handing them to Quin. ¡°Like my momma always said, the only good spider is one that¡¯s been burned to ashes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re mother did not say that,¡± Ethan replied laughing. ¡°No, she didn¡¯t,¡± Alex admitted before adding, ¡°but it¡¯s the thought that counts.¡± ¡°How did you get all of this stuff?¡± Ethan asked curiously. ¡°Isn¡¯t that stuff like highly controlled or something?¡± ¡°No,¡± Alex said laughing. ¡°I ordered a crate of it off of Amazon. They even brought it right to our dorm for me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just--,¡± Ethan began before Bella finished for him, ¡°Dangerous.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not my fault I paid attention in Chemistry,¡± Alex said shrugging. I don¡¯t recall Thorton teaching us anything like this in Biology, Ethan thought. Maybe he was in the wrong class. All they seemed to do in Biology was poke at dead squid. A wave of heat suddenly came from his left as Quin unleashed a stream of flame just like Alex had showed them. Her face lit up and she looked like a child experiencing her first roller coaster. ¡°This is awesome,¡± she said delighted. ¡°I take back every time I thought you were a coward, Alex.¡± ¡°You thought I was a coward?¡± Alex asked with a mixture of surprise and hurt in his voice. ¡°Yeah pretty much every day you wouldn¡¯t come back down here,¡± Quin replied shrugging. Anyways let¡¯s do this.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Alex said and he looked like he wanted to say more but then shook his head and pulled out materials for both Ethan and Bella. Both of them took the gloves, lighters, and cans reluctantly. It seemed like a really stupid idea still to Ethan, but now with Quin excited for it he didn¡¯t know how he was going to point this out. Sure they were likely to burn the spiders, but in the process he also thought it was likely that they end up burning themselves. In the end he settled on silently accepting the stuff and following behind Alex and Quin as they led the group along the mountain towards the cave. Like the previous time, the journey wasn¡¯t easy, and the thin air did no favors for Ethan. As they approached the cave, Ethan saw Alex tense up and he really couldn¡¯t blame the other boy for that. Even though he didn¡¯t have the same fear of spiders, the place was like something out of a nightmare and he didn¡¯t much look forward to going back in. ¡°Alright here¡¯s the plan,¡± Alex said stopping several feet away from the cave mouth. ¡°We¡¯re going to line up one right next to each other and move forward slowly spraying our flames at every surface in front of us. Move your flames slowly and for the love of God do NOT point them at any of us.¡± Following his instructions they lined up with Alex on the right, then Quin, then Ethan, and a very nervous Bella on the left. She looked like she was going to lose what little nerve she had any moment now and make a break for it. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Ethan whispered to her. ¡°I just really don¡¯t like this plan,¡± she muttered. ¡°I know, I¡¯m not crazy about it either,¡± Ethan admitted. ¡°Let¡¯s just see how it goes and if it gets too dangerous we can always bolt.¡± ¡°Not if we end up getting burned alive,¡± Bella said somberly. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s better than getting eaten by hundreds of spiders,¡± Ethan said winking at her. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I might take the spiders instead,¡± Bella retorted. ¡°Are you two done being babies?¡± Alex cut in. ¡°If you trust in the Lord, you¡¯ll be fine. Now let¡¯s light it up.¡± I¡¯m not worried about the Lord, Ethan thought. I¡¯m worried about you shooting flames around me. Quin was the first to get her flame going, followed by Alex, and then Ethan. Bella took a good minute longer than the rest of them before a stream of fire shot out in front of her as well. Slowly they inched forward trying to stay in sync and keep themselves lined up. They had pretty good motivation for this because if one of them got out in front they¡¯d end up getting blasted by flame. One good side effect of using fire like this was that it lit up the cave in front of them and made it very easy to see where they were going. Spiders of course were everywhere inside, but they didn¡¯t stand a chance against the streams of fire come from the four students. Ethan had to admit that even if this wasn¡¯t the safest thing to do, it was very effective against the arachnids. A problem was fast approaching that the cave was narrowing as they got further in and soon they wouldn¡¯t be able to march four across. In fact if he remembered correctly it turned sharply to the left at the back and there was only enough room for people to go through single file. ¡°Alex we¡¯re running out of room,¡± Ethan called over to the other boy. ¡°I know, we¡¯re going to have to have some of us stop spraying as we get towards the back,¡± Alex replied. ¡°Quin, when i tell you, stop spraying. Alright stop.¡± Unfortunately while Quin was known for many things, listening was not one of them. She didn¡¯t stop and as Ethan edged past her he was blasted by a torrent of fire. It washed over him like he¡¯d just walked into an oven and caused him to stop his own spray. Quin realized a moment later what happened and stopped but Ethan was already on fire by that point. Doing as every kid learned at a young age, he dropped to the ground and began frantically rolling around. He felt hard rock scratch through his skin but ignored it until the intense heat disappeared. ¡°Ethan are you alright?¡± Bella asked very concerned. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I think so,¡± Ethan said breathing heavily. ¡°That was too close. I knew this was a stupid idea.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a stupid idea,¡± Alex retorted still spraying in front of them. ¡°Some people just don¡¯t know how to listen.¡± ¡°You hardly gave any notice,¡± Quin snapped defensively. ¡°I gave enough,¡± Alex said staring at her. ¡°Are you burned?¡± Bella asked helping Ethan to his feet. ¡°I don¡¯t feel burned,¡± checking over the parts of his body he could see. His spirit armor looked to have taken all the damage. Huge sections of it around his midsection where the flames hit him were completely gone. It was missing from his left arm too which was scratched and bleeding from the rocky ground. Luckily though the armor served its purpose and prevented the fire from reaching his actual body for which he was extremely grateful. Burning to death was definitely something he never wanted to experience. ¡°Look at your armor,¡± Bella said. ¡°It¡¯s half gone.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll repair itself over time,¡± Ethan said shrugging. ¡°Maybe we should go back for today,¡± Bella suggested. ¡°No, I¡¯m good, let''s continue,¡± Ethan replied quickly before adding, ¡°but maybe I¡¯ll walk behind Quin.¡± Quin looked at him with an embarrassed expression and he thought she was going to say something but instead she just nodded after a moment. Yep, should have figured apologizing would be too much for her, Ethan thought sourly and this was just when he was starting to be able to tolerate the girl. ¡°Okay, listen carefully,¡± Alex said giving Quin a knowing look. ¡°I will go first spraying. I will be the only one spraying and you three will follow closely behind in single-file order. I¡¯d keep those gloves on just in case you¡¯re going to need to spray but for the love of God don¡¯t spray unless instructed and do not point them at anyone else...Quin.¡± She didn¡¯t respond verbally to this obvious jab but instead stared daggers at Alex. If he wasn¡¯t careful she¡¯d ¡°accidently¡± light him on fire next. The look in her eyes said she was definitely thinking about it. Always the one to try and defuse the situation Bella asked, ¡°Can we just move? I don¡¯t like it in here, so if we could get this over with quickly I¡¯d appreciate that.¡± Grunting Alex nodded his head and began moving towards the back of the cave moving his spray back and forth as he went to prevent any spiders from getting close to us. This wasn¡¯t difficult as most of the spiders were fleeing as fast as they could deeper into the cave and away from the flames. When they reached the narrow opening at the back that turned left Alex took the lead with Quin close behind him, then Ethan, and then Bella clinging closely to his back. Ethan actually felt like the middle part of a sandwich squished between Bella and Quin with almost no visibility. He kept bumping into Quin, but she didn¡¯t notice, or didn¡¯t care enough to acknowledge it. Honestly he was just glad he wasn¡¯t claustrophobic because between the flickering darkness, the girls, and the cave walls he was feeling very cramped and uncomfortable. ¡°What¡¯s it look like up there?¡± he called up to Alex. ¡°Still just a tunnel,¡± Alex said. ¡°Hang on it¡¯s gonna go completely dark here for a second while I get a new can.¡± Just as he said the light coming from in front of them went out causing Bella to dig her fingers harder into Ethan. Her nails were actually starting to hurt a little bit, but he knew she was afraid of the dark, so he simply gritted his teeth and put up with it in silence. A moment later the light came back as Alex started on his new can and they started moving again. Bella relaxed her grip slightly relieving some of the sharp pressure on Ethan¡¯s arms. In silence they walked on. The only sounds being the spraying flames coming in front of Alex and the sound of burning spiders which was not a pleasant sound to listen to. Even though the spiders tried to eat them the last time they were here, Ethan didn¡¯t think he could ever get used to listening to something burn to death. Part of him was actually glad that he couldn¡¯t see that well in here. ¡°Oh my god,¡± Alex said stopping abruptly and causing Quin to walk right into his back. ¡°What is it?¡± Ethan asked anxiously. ¡°I think we found their nest,¡± Alex said with a note of horror in his voice. ¡°Get out here and look at this.¡± He scooted forward and Ethan noticed that they must have reached the end of the tunnel because it opened up into a larger cavern. Stepping out Ethan could see by the firelight what Alex was talking about. Spiders and spiderwebs were everywhere in this enormous cavern. The walls looked like they were living things because of the constant movement of the hundreds or maybe thousands of legs moving on them. The only place they didn¡¯t move was the area around the four of them where Alex kept a steady flame going. The webs were giant hanging from the caverns ceiling and run from wall to wall. They were far bigger than any one of these spiders could have possibly made by themselves but then there were hundreds of them. In the center of one of these webs was a large bundle wrapped up tightly in webbing. ¡°So we¡¯re burning it all right?¡± Alex asked as more of a statement than a question. He clearly didn¡¯t want be in here any longer than was absolutely necessary. ¡°Wait,¡± Ethan said. ¡°They¡¯ve caught something there, we should probably check out what it is.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Alex asked looking like he was on the verge of panic. ¡°Whatever it was, it¡¯s probably dead. Let¡¯s just torch this place.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t know for sure until we check,¡± Ethan said calmly. ¡°Alex you and me are going to move up close to that thing. You keep the spray going to keep the spiders away from us, but please don¡¯t hit either me or whatever is in that bundle. I¡¯m going to cut it down with my sword. Quin and Bella will stay back and spray fire to the sides to keep us from getting surrounded.¡± ¡°Fine, just be quick,¡± Alex said shaking his head and moving up towards where the bundle hung from the web. Following close after him Ethan dismissed his armor and resummonded it in order to summon his spirit sword to him. He¡¯d need to be careful when cutting whatever was trapped in that bundle down so as not to cut it, but he thought he could do it. Twin eruptions of flame sounded behind him and he knew that Bella and Quin were following his instructions. He was less worried about them than Alex who looked to be on the verge of completely losing it. This must have been like something straight out of his nightmares. Raising his sword Ethan began to cut through the webbing around the bundle figuring it would be safer to first bring the whole thing to the ground and then try and free whatever was inside. The webbing holding it in place was surprisingly strong and it took a great deal of effort for Ethan to slice through it. Little-by-little though he was able to free it until it finally dropped to the ground. From up close the bundle was around the same size as he was, which meant that whatever these things caught was fairly large. Slowly he began scraping at the webbing covering it with his blade. It was tedious and time consuming but it was much safer than just sticking the point of his blade straight down into it which might end up stabbing whatever was inside. After a few minutes of this Alex finally snapped, ¡°Are you almost done? What is taking so long?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to be careful,¡± Ethan replied annoyed. ¡°If I just stick my blade in, I might kill whatever is inside so I¡¯m scraping off one layer at a time.¡± ¡°Just try to hurry up,¡± Alex said looking like he was about to turn his spray on Ethan. A couple minutes after this and he finally had enough of the webbing off to begin to make out a form. The crazy thing was that it wasn¡¯t an animal, it was in the shape of a person, but how did a person get trapped down here? ¡°Alex,¡± Ethan said to him after finally clearing the webbing off of the face. ¡°What?¡± Alex asked irritable. ¡°Look,¡± Ethan replied calmly motioning to the face. It was the face of a girl around their age. Her skin had a bluish-purple tint that Ethan guessed was from whatever the spiders did to her and her eyes were closed but upon leaning his head in he could hear her breathing. ¡°How did she get down here?¡± Alex asked alarmed. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ethan answered removing more and more of the webbing. ¡°Aren¡¯t you glad I didn¡¯t let you burn everything now.¡± Alex ignored this question and instead asked, ¡°Is she alive?¡± ¡°Yeah she¡¯s breathing,¡± Ethan said looking at her jet black hair and facial features as he worked. She was cute, very cute and probably Japanese like Alex. Was she a student from the school? He didn¡¯t remember hearing about any going missing but who else could she be. ¡°Here take over spraying,¡± Alex said, ¡°let me check her vitals.¡± Of course, let me do all the work and then you get to come in and play the hero, Ethan thought rolling his eyes. He did as he was asked though and swapped positions with Alex letting the other boy inspect the girl¡¯s vitals. ¡°Her heartbeat is erratic, unlike any that I¡¯ve heard before,¡± Alex said after checking her pulse. ¡°Her breathing is okay, but she¡¯s ice cold to the touch, we should probably warm her up. Hold that thing very, very still and I¡¯m going to move her closer to the flame.¡± Lifting her slight frame, Alex moved closer to where Ethan held the flame nervously. This was asking for a terrible accident. ¡°If we can get her body temperature up then I think we should try to carry her back to the elevator,¡± Alex said watching her. ¡°She needs a hospital, there¡¯s only so much I can do down here in this cave.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on up there?¡± Quin asked from behind the two boys. ¡°Not a lot,¡± Ethan answered smiling. ¡°Alex just found a cute girl that I think he¡¯s falling in love with.¡± ¡°I am not,¡± Alex said quickly blushing. ¡°You found a girl?¡± Quin asked surprised. ¡°Yeah, wrapped up in webbing,¡± Ethan answered. ¡°We¡¯re trying to warm her up before we move her.¡± Suddenly the sound of coughing cut any reply Quin would have given off as the girl next too Alex began coughing and wheezing. She hacked for a good minute before opening her eyes and staring wildly around looking completely panicked. ¡°You¡¯re alright, you¡¯re alright,¡± Alex said grabbing her shoulders to keep her from shaking. ¡°We¡¯ve got you, you¡¯re safe now.¡± She locked her terrified eyes on his and then fell against him clinging on. Ethan noticed that Alex didn¡¯t look displeased with the situation. He could hardly blame the other boy though. The girl was cute. She was even cuter with her eyes open now. The were this beautiful reddish-violet color that seemed to dance in the firelight. ¡°I¡¯m Alex,¡± Alex said after a minute. ¡°What¡¯s your name? Are you a student at the school?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ai,¡± she replied softly, ¡°and yes I¡¯m a student.¡± ¡°Do you think you can stand?¡± Alex asked. ¡°With your help, I¡¯m sure I can manage,¡± she said. Gingerly Alex helped her to her feet and allowed the girl to lean on him when she apparently couldn¡¯t stand on her own. ¡°This is Ethan, and the two girls over there are Bella and Quin,¡± Alex said walking her back toward the cavern entrance. ¡°Girls?¡± Ai asked snapping her attention in the direction of Quin and Bella. ¡°Yeah, Bella and Quin,¡± Alex repeated there names. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Bella asked a moment later. ¡°This must have been a terrible experience for you.¡± ¡°It was, I¡¯m just glad Alex found me,¡± she said and Ethan caught Quin roll her eyes out of the corner of his. ¡°Bella or Quin, one of you should lead and then we¡¯ll follow, and Ethan you spray backwards as we move to keep any spiders from following us,¡± Alex instructed. ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Quin said quickly to Bella moving into the narrow tunnel. The rest of the group followed as Alex instructed and Ethan found himself walking backwards in order to blast fire to cover their retreat. ¡°What is that blue armor you¡¯re wearing?¡± Ai asked. ¡°Oh that¡¯s um a bit hard to explain,¡± Alex replied. ¡°I¡¯m very curious, I¡¯d like to know all about you,¡± Ai said and now Ethan was absolutely sure that she was hitting on Alex. ¡°I¡¯m really not that interesting, I¡¯m from Kansas City,¡± Alex said in an embarrassed but pleased tone. ¡°Where are you from?¡± ¡°Hinan,¡± she answered causing Ethan to think. She was from the school, that didn¡¯t make sense. Maybe she was just being shy. ¡°You¡¯re from the town of Misty Oaks?¡± Alex asked sounding suspicious now. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m from the town,¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯s a lovely place, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Alex answered a bit stiffly. ¡°What grade are you in at the school Ai?¡± Alex asked casually as the group exited the tunnel into the cave. ¡°I¡¯m a first year,¡± she replied calmly. ¡°You¡¯re a freshman?¡± Alex asked surprised. ¡°So are we, but I don¡¯t remember seeing you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been down here a long time,¡± she replied shrugging. ¡°Have you been conscious the whole time?¡± Alex asked. ¡°No, but it¡¯s been a long time,¡± she replied. ¡°Hey Ethan that¡¯s probably good enough,¡± Alex said turning to Ethan. ¡°You can probably go up ahead with Quin and Bella.¡± ¡°Okay, if you think so,¡± Ethan replied stoping the flame and turning around in order to walk straight. ¡°Ai, I¡¯m going to lean you up against the cave wall for a second so I can grab something out of my backpack for the mountain climb,¡± Alex said calmly moving her over to wall. ¡°Sure, just be quick, I don¡¯t think I can stay on my feet for very long without you,¡± slipping her arm off of his shoulder and allow him to lean her against the wall. Pulling off his backpack Alex began rummaging inside of it while the rest of the group waited impatiently. Ethan wasn¡¯t sure what Alex needed out of the thing that couldn¡¯t wait until they were back on the elevator. Ai looked to be in decent shape but the girl still needed to be checked out at a hospital. Frowning Alex straightened up pulling a lighter and a can from his pack and aiming them at Ai. ¡°Alex what are you doing?¡± Ethan yelled alarmed as it dawned on him what was about to happen. ¡°What needs to be done,¡± Alex said clicking the lighter and holding down the sprayer on the can. Flames shot forward and hit Ai like a tidal wave. The last image of her face Ethan saw was one of shocked horror. She then began to scream terrible piercing screams that grew higher with every second. ¡°Alex stop,¡± Ethan yelled even as he knew it was too late. ¡°You¡¯re killing her.¡± Alex didn¡¯t stop instead he continued reciting something under his breath that Ethan couldn¡¯t hear over the screaming. Suddenly the flaming body of Ai transformed, flattening out and elongating with eight long and terrible legs coming from it. The body of a giant flaming spider surged forward with it¡¯s pincers clicking at Alex and for the second time in the last few minutes Ethan stood completely motionless, shocked. ¡°Alex, don¡¯t you want to help me?¡± Ai asked in the same voice. ¡°Did you not enjoy me clinging to you?¡± ¡°Our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name,¡± Alex recited louder aiming the fire directly into Ai¡¯s, now terrible face. ¡°Ah, stop that, don¡¯t you want a nice girl like me?¡± Ai asked again trying to push forward through the flames. ¡°We¡¯ve got to help him,¡± Ethan finally said snapping out of his surprise. ¡°Hit that thing with everything we¡¯ve got.¡± Moving next to Alex he aimed his can and began to hit the spider with fire followed by Quin and Bella who fell in beside him. Ai was doing alright with the single stream hitting her, but with four of them blasting her she recoiled curling her legs underneath her body and screaming in pain. They kept going until they ran out of fluid and her body was nothing but ash. Alex actually kept holding his can down even after he ran out and had to be stopped by Ethan snatching it out of his hand. ¡°Alex, snap out of it, we¡¯ve won,¡± Ethan said shaking his friend. ¡°Congratulations, you have cleared the third floor by defeating the Jorogumo. The fourth floor is now available to you,¡± the dungeon boom all around them. ¡°Alex?¡± Ethan asked again. ¡°I should have known better than to think a cute girl would start liking me that fast,¡± Alex muttered shaking his head. ¡°Well, she was pretty,¡± Ethan said, ¡°and you couldn¡¯t have known. Actually how did you know?¡± ¡°Her answers didn¡¯t make-¡± Alex started before he was cut off by Quin saying, ¡°Which part was pretty? Her giant pincers or her eight beautiful eyes?¡± This caused Bella to laugh but she quickly hid it when she caught the look in Alex¡¯s eyes. ¡°Whatever, I¡¯ve learned my lesson,¡± Alex said. ¡°I¡¯m never trusting a girl again. I¡¯m going to have nightmares for the rest of my life about this.¡± Chapter 19: Valentines Day The days following their defeat of floor three went by in a blur. Alex apparently wasn¡¯t kidding about the nightmares because Ethan was woken up more than once by his roomate violently yelling in his sleep. Aside from that hiccup though things were going smoothly for Ethan. He felt his school work was showing him in a much better light this semester and he even was doing a better job of putting up with Ms. Phelen¡¯s constant need to put him down in front of the rest of the class. Sure he had the occasional fantasy about punching her in the face but that was hardly indicative of Ethan becoming a terrible person. Who wouldn¡¯t have those fantasies with the amount of abuse she gave to him. The Diving Club briefly checked out the fourth floor last Sunday before ultimately deciding to take the day off. It¡¯s not that it looked atrocious by any means, it¡¯s just that they weren¡¯t all that motivated currently. Alex was still reliving the terror of the third floor everytime his mind wasn¡¯t occupied and Bella and Ethan were mentally exhausted. The dungeon didn¡¯t just push you physically but mentally as well. How many times were they going to come close to death before finally getting killed by the place? The Black hadn¡¯t been seen in months and it was beginning to feel like the whole ordeal with James and the Black was part of a different lifetime. Whatever the Black was doing, it certainly wasn¡¯t threatening the kids at school because everything seemed normal. Well as normal as the town of Misty Oaks ever got. Ethan was far to preoccupied with the coming holiday to put too much thought into the dungeon. Valentine¡¯s day was only a couple days away and lately he felt more confident with Jenny. They¡¯d spoken amicably a few times in Computer Science and she even laughed at some of his lame jokes. He was hopeful she¡¯d forgotten his whole getting beaten by Stewart and that maybe if he played his cards right she¡¯d want to spend some time with him on Valentine¡¯s day. For most of his life, Ethan hated Valentine¡¯s day. Actually, he still hated the fake, commercial holiday, but this year perhaps it could serve a purpose by bringing Ethan and Jenny together. With her blonde hair and her beautiful face she looked like she belonged in a hollywood movie to Ethan. Admittedly she was way out of his league, but if he was going to aim for something he might as well aim high. Still he hadn¡¯t quite figured out how to broach the subject with her. Should he just walk up to Jenny and ask her out? Maybe he should buy her a Valentine¡¯s day card or some chocolate? What if she shot him down again? He didn¡¯t think his reputation on campus could stand another hit like that. He still occasionally overheard the story of his beatdown after all. ¡°Let¡¯s see who was paying attention during the lecture,¡± Mr. Darnell said in the delighted tone he always used when discussing history. ¡°What was the name of the telegram that helped in pushing the United States towards entering World War I? Let¡¯s see¡­ Mr. Russell how about you?¡± What if he bought her some flowers? Girls liked flowers right? Ethan didn¡¯t quite get the attraction of them. Sure they were pretty to look at for like a second but what purpose did they serve? Still men bought flowers for women all the time and women seemed to like it. No that¡¯s not an option, he thought sighing. He had no money after all. ¡°Mr. Russell?¡± Darnell asked louder with a hint of amusement in his voice. Ethan bolted upright as his name finally registered in his brain. ¡°Yes sir,¡± he said more stiffly and louder than he¡¯d intended. ¡°Well, do you have an answer for me?¡± Mr. Darnell asked his eyes glinting with mischief now. Scrambling Ethan racked his brain trying to find the question, but it was like looking for a book on an empty bookshelf, completely pointless. Finally after a few moments he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, I wasn¡¯t paying attention, can you repeat the question,¡± Ethan asked with embarrassment in his voice. ¡°Now what would have a young history buff like yourself daydreaming in my class instead of paying attention,¡± Mr. Darnell asked fingering his chin. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t happen to be a certain holiday coming up in a couple of days would it?¡± Ethan blushed furiously in response to this. God why was Darnell so perceptive. He wished he could just disappear right now. ¡°Oh ho, so that is it,¡± Darnell said smiling. ¡°There must be a lucky lady out there, perhaps even in this class. Well in honor of Mr. Russell¡¯s soon to be excellent love life let¡¯s go off topic and talk about Valentine¡¯s day. Contrary to popular belief it was not in fact created by Hallmark. February 14th is the feast day of St. Valentine or Valentinus of Rome. He was a martyr of the early Catholic Church known for marrying early christians who were persecuted in rome at that time. Among the many legends about him is one where he is said to have healed a blind woman. Can anyone tell me, for five points of extra credit who is rumored to have sent the first ¡°Valentine¡¯s Card¡±?¡± Ethan had no idea, but more than that, he was just happy that the conversation moved past his love live and back to history even if it was focused on Valentine¡¯s day still. As usual Alex¡¯s hand shot up. ¡°Yes Mr. Ishida,¡± Darnell said pointing at him. ¡°St. Valentine himself is said to have sent the first Valentine on the eve of his execution,¡± Alex stated. ¡°The legend says he sent it to the very woman who¡¯s eyes he healed and signed it Your Valentine. Though, I should add that this is likely a myth.¡± ¡°Correct as usual Mr. Ishida,¡± Darnell said delighted. ¡°And yes it is likely an embellishment, but a fun one if I say so myself.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lucky Darnell is so cool and likes you,¡± Alex said as the two of them walked back together after class. ¡°I know for a fact that some of the other teachers would not take so kindly to your daydreaming about Jenny.¡± ¡°Oh shut up,¡± Ethan said. ¡°I just wasn¡¯t paying attention.¡± ¡°Whatever you say,¡± Alex replied with a knowing smile. The campus bookstore, like any good business, saw an opportunity and sold cards, chocolate, flowers, and other Valentine¡¯s day gifts in the lead up to Sunday. On Saturday morning Ethan briefly considered stopping in to get a card for Jenny, but what would he right? Ultimately he was deterred by his own indecision and the line that stretched across the walkway almost to the dining hall. He paid about as much attention in Biology that morning as he did in History but with worse results. As much as Thorton liked him, and Ethan was pretty sure he liked Ethan a lot, Thorton was not one to put up with inattentive students like Darnell. He snapped at Ethan and ultimately assigned him so much extra homework, Ethan was worried he¡¯d spend the entire weekend working on it. P.E. didn¡¯t go much better. Sure, it was easier to get away with not paying attention especially when you normally excelled at the subject. Rockfort also usually spent much of her time trying to coax Gavin into giving more of an effort and failing. Today the were playing flag football in the gym which wasn¡¯t Ethan¡¯s favorite game to begin with but with less than a day left before Valentine¡¯s day his heart really wasn¡¯t in it. Lee was playing quarterback while Ethan and most of the rest of the team ran routes as receivers. Unsurprisingly, but unfortunately Lee passed the ball to Ethan who reacted instinctively and caught it before turning to run towards the end zone. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. He was met and leveled by the destructive force of nature that was Quin. Instead of grabbing one of the two flags around his waist she straight up tackled him driving him down into the solid hardwood below. Smooshed between Quin on top of him and the unyielding floor he felt like he¡¯d run into a brick wall. His face smacked the hardwood briefly causing him to drop the ball and grab for his nose which he was pretty sure was bleeding. His shoulders and chest ached from the impact and he was all but certain he would have some nice bruises by tomorrow. Ethan cursed Quin in his head with a few choice words that would have made his mother blush. Honestly he wasn¡¯t proud of it, but he was pissed at her. He felt like his eyes were going as red as the blood dripping out of his nose. Why couldn¡¯t freaking Quin just play normally? Why did she always have to hit him as hard as possible? A whistle blew and Rockfort came running over yelling, ¡°Quincy Phillips to the bleachers now. This is flag football not tackle. Unbelievable. Up now, get off of him.¡± Ethan felt her weight get off of him and heard Gavin yell, ¡°Fatality. Xena pulls off her trademark face smash and now all that¡¯s left of Ethan are a few lumps of flesh and a--.¡± ¡°Stow it Lloyd,¡± Rockfort snapped before asking more gently, ¡°Russell are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Ethan said after sitting up. ¡°Just will be a little sore.¡± ¡°Damn it, you¡¯re nose is bleeding,¡± Rockfort said sighing. ¡°Tavarez take Russell to the nurse please.¡± ¡°Ethan, can you get to your feet or do you need some help?¡± Bella asked him a moment later. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I can stand,¡± Ethan said annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s just a nosebleed. It''s no big deal.¡± Standing up he glared around the room before staring at Quin for a second. She looked a little remorseful but he wasn¡¯t about to forgive her that easily. In fact if she wasn¡¯t a girl he¡¯d have gone over and punched her right in the face. ¡°Come on Bella, let¡¯s go,¡± he muttered turning and walking angrily towards the exit. ¡°Ethan, wait up,¡± Bella said jogging to keep up with him. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he replied stubbornly. The two of them walked in silence the rest of the way to the nurses office. He wasn¡¯t mad at Bella and part of him knew that but he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to say anything that wasn¡¯t mean to her so he kept his mouth shut. She must have realized this too because she didn¡¯t try to make conversation but just settled for the angry silence that emanated around her friend. ¡°Ah, my favorite customer,¡± Ms. Watanabe said upon seeing Ethan walk into the nurses office with his bloody nose. ¡°What have you done now?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything,¡± Ethan said sourly. ¡°Someone tackled me in the gym.¡± ¡°Well come on let¡¯s get you patched up,¡± she said guiding him back into the office proper. He came back ten minutes later with two circular pieces of gauze sticking out of his nose and a left eye well on it¡¯s way to turning black. If he¡¯d been worried before about how Jenny would react to him, he now knew that she would be disgusted just by looking at him. ¡°Feel better?¡± Bella asked standing up from her chair in the waiting room and smiling at him. ¡°No,¡± Ethan replied narrowing his eyes at her. ¡°I look like I got into a fight with a raccoon and lost.¡± ¡°Oh come on you¡¯ve got that whole appealing tough guy look going on,¡± Bella said in a tone that betrayed her words. She was trying to be nice and deep down Ethan appreciated that, but it wasn¡¯t exactly helping him feel better. His mood was now as bad as his face looked and all he was going to do for the rest of the day and the next day was going to hide in his dorm room and play video games. Hopefully he¡¯d have healed some by Monday. ¡°Do you want to get lunch?¡± Bella asked him still trying to cheer him up. ¡°No, I¡¯m not hungry,¡± he replied dismissively. ¡°Want me to try and find out how Jenny feels about you?¡± Bella asked smiling at him. ¡°No don¡¯t do that,¡± Ethan answered quickly with part of him panicking. ¡°Why not?¡± Bella asked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t okay,¡± Ethan snapped at her. ¡°What would she want with an ugly shipper like me anyways? I¡¯m going back to my dorm, I¡¯ll see you later.¡± ¡°Ethan wait,¡± Bella called running out the door after him. He didn¡¯t stop. In fact he picked up his pace almost running across the quad on his way to Salamander House. He expected her to call after him again, but she didn¡¯t. Either she wasn¡¯t fast enough or finally figured out that he wanted to be left alone. Upon reaching his dorm he slammed the door shut and collapsed in a chair in front of the TV. Grabbing the disk to a fighting game he slide it into Alex¡¯s new console and booted it up. He needed to take his anger out on something and figured this game might be a good place to vent his frustrations. For the next few hours Ethan was soundly beaten again and again by his computerized opponents. He felt like he should be getting frustrated and pissed off but the beatdowns were oddly therapeutic and took his mind off of the stupidity from that morning. Finally relaxing, he realized he wasn¡¯t even that mad at Quin. Yes, she needed to stop trying to overpower him in every sport that wasn¡¯t soccer but it¡¯s not like she was trying to hurt him. Hell, Quin probably saved him from embarrassing himself with Jenny anyways. She¡¯d never be interested in someone like him anyways. He should also apologize to Bella and try not to take his frustrations out on her. She was a good friend and only tried to help. She shouldn¡¯t have to take the brunt of his bad moods. He needed to get better at controlling his anger and not lashing out at those around him. The door clicked behind him and he turned to see Alex walking in smiling. ¡°Wow, she took it that poorly did she?¡± he asked laughing. ¡°Shut up,¡± Ethan said throwing a controller at him and cracking a grin. He caught it and dropped his backpack near his bed before pulling up the other chair. ¡°I mean I knew she was out of your league, but I didn¡¯t expect her to beat you,¡± Alex said still grinning, ¡°though it could be worse.¡± ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Ethan asked sardonically. ¡°How could it be worse?¡± ¡°She could have turned into a giant freaking spider and tried to eat you,¡± Alex replied like it was obvious. ¡°That¡¯s actually a good point,¡± Ethan said laughing, ¡°though you know Jenny didn¡¯t do this to me.¡± ¡°I know, and they are still replaying it out there,¡± Alex said shrugging. ¡°Gavin had Quin using a couple baseball bats on you in his version before he left. Quin actually looks a bit embarrassed about the whole thing, which is an odd look for her. Wow you suck worse at this game than you do at the other one.¡± He said the last part after finally noticing the stats on the screen near Ethan¡¯s health. ¡°You¡¯re just such a good friend,¡± Ethan muttered sarcastically shaking his head. ¡°No need to tell me things I already know,¡± Alex retorted. ¡°Now back out to the main screen so I can jump on.¡± Ethan did as he was told allowing Alex to jump on as the opposing fighter which turned out to make the game even more difficult. If he thought the computer was tough, Alex was on a whole different level. How in the hell did he get so good at this? Finally after about thirty minutes Alex sighed and paused the game. ¡°I was going to give you this as a reward for beating me, but I think we¡¯ve officially verified that that¡¯s never going to happen,¡± Alex said pulling out a pink envelope. ¡°It was by the door with your name on it. I think you might have a chance with her after all.¡± Grabbing the envelope gingerly, Ethan held it like it was the most precious thing in the world. Freaking Bella must have talked to her, Ethan thought staring at his name on the front. It was unmistakably his and written in neat block handwriting. After a few seconds Alex asked, ¡°Are you going to open it? Because if not, I¡¯ll unpause the game.¡± Slowly, ever so carefully Ethan slide his finger under the seal and began working the envelope opened. Inside there was just a single piece of stationery with the same neat block writing on it. Dearest Ethan, His hair is red, His face will turn blue, He¡¯s waiting down on five, He¡¯ll be dead soon without you. Sincerely, Your Football Buddy Ethan¡¯s heart which had already been in his throat as he opened the letter rose even higher, but this time for completely different reasons. Rereading the poem several times he finally started to feel the panic when he said, ¡°Alex, you need to read this.¡± Chapter 20: The Fourth Floor ¡°What room is Isabella Tavarez in?¡± Ethan demanded to the front desk. ¡°Kid, you¡¯re not allowed to be in here,¡± the baffled middle-aged woman replied to him. Following a brief conversation with Alex, Ethan took off for Wildcat House in order to find Bella while Alex attempted to locate Quin. The two of them figured that if they were going to have a chance at saving whoever was taken down to the fifth floor they would need the whole group. The particular problem Ethan was having right now was that the girls¡¯ dorms were off limits for boys. He really didn¡¯t have time to jump through these hoops. He needed the whole diving club now because ever second that went by worked against whoever was trapped down on five. ¡°Please, this is an emergency,¡± Ethan replied pleading with the woman. ¡°What is your name?¡± she asked clearly annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s Ethan, Ethan Russell,¡± Ethan answered automatically. ¡°Please what is her room number, I really need to get in contact with her right away.¡± ¡°As I told you Ethan, you are not allowed in this building, now please leave,¡± she said motioning towards the door. Letting out a howl of frustration Ethan turned and stormed out the front door startling a couple of girls lounging near a television. Why couldn¡¯t that stupid woman understand he thought. Someone was going to die if they didn¡¯t save them and without Bella that was far less likely to happen. A situation like this would be a whole lot easier if both Bella and him had phones but as shippers it¡¯s not like either of them could afford one. At least Alex was probably able to call Quin. He knew both of them had cell phones. Upon exiting from the dorm Ethan tried to rack his brain for his next move. Should he just barge back in and go door to door inside until he found Bella? No that would take far too much time. Time that someone clearly didn¡¯t have. They might just have to do this without her. It wasn¡¯t ideal but what choice did they have? As if to answer his frustrations he turned and saw Quin walking quickly toward him. ¡°What¡¯s with that look?¡± she asked him. ¡°Quin,¡± he said never having felt as happy to see her as he was now. ¡°We¡¯ve got a--¡± ¡°I know,¡± she cut him off. ¡°Alex called me. ¡°It looks like you had some trouble locating Bella?¡± ¡°Yeah, they wouldn¡¯t listen to me,¡± Ethan said. ¡°Wait here for a moment and I¡¯ll get her,¡± Quin said walking past Ethan and opening the door. She disappeared inside a moment later and Ethan was left again with an irritating wait. This time it wasn¡¯t very long though. Quin came back out a couple minutes later leading a frazzled Bella behind her. ¡°Ethan,¡± Bella said breathing heavy and clearly out of breath. ¡°Quin filled me in on the details. I assume we¡¯re headed for Hinan Hall?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go,¡± Ethan said turning and walking rapidly towards the academic building. When they arrived in the dungeon room they found Alex already waiting for them with the elevator doors open. ¡°Sweet, Quin found you,¡± Alex said as they approached him. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure you¡¯d be able to get into Bella¡¯s dorm or not.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± Ethan admitted sourly. ¡°Quin ended up locating Bella for me so good call on that.¡± ¡°Well come on, everyone in,¡± Alex said jerking his head towards the elevator. ¡°We¡¯ve got to clear four before we can even search five for this person.¡± ¡°What are we going to do if we can¡¯t figure it out like the second floor?¡± Bella asked. Pray that it¡¯s not like the second floor, Ethan thought. ¡°Keep going until we beat it,¡± Quin said. ¡°Can I see the poem?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Ethan said handing her the poem as the doors closed. ¡°His face will turn blue,¡± Quin quoted. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably either somewhere where he can¡¯t breathe or that¡¯s cold,¡± Alex replied. ¡°That¡¯s my best guess anyways.¡± ¡°What if the entire floor is just water?¡± Bella asked. ¡°Each one of these floors has had an entirely different environment so it¡¯s not out of the question.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case,¡± Alex replied, ¡°then not only is the person probably already dead, but we¡¯ll be dead too when we get there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying that there has to be an area in the dungeon for Aki and creatures like him to live,¡± Bella said. ¡°Maybe a beach,¡± Alex suggested. ¡°A beach might be a nice place to bring girls. ¡°Like you¡¯ll ever have any girls to bring to a beach if we find one,¡± Quin replied with a knowing look. ¡°You could always bring a spider though.¡± ¡°Oh shud--,¡± Alex began before Ethan cut him off with, ¡°Focus guys. Someone out there is in serious trouble right now. We don¡¯t have time for this nonsense.¡± ¡°Right, sorry,¡± Alex answered while Quin just shrugged. The elevator finally came to a stop and the doors opened to reveal the dark inside of what appeared to be a temple or shrine. In fact it looked pretty much identical to the one located on floor one. ¡°Did you hit the right button?¡± Ethan asked climbing out and looking around the room. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m positive,¡± Alex responded following him. ¡°Maybe we should look outside.¡± Walking purposely they crossed the room to the large double temple doors and pushed them open. This revealed a similar shrine setup exactly the same as the first floor. Off in front of the gate though were flooded overgrown paddy fields fanning out in every direction until they hit mountains off in the distance. Elevated bamboo walkways snaked out from the bottom of the stone staircase at the gate in multiple directions allowing for people to walk the fields without having to wade through them. ¡°That settles that,¡± Alex said smugly. ¡°Told you I hit the right button.¡± ¡°Are these rice fields?¡± Bella asked walking up behind the two boys. ¡°That¡¯s hardly what I would have expected.¡± ¡°This dungeon doesn¡¯t play by normal rules if you haven¡¯t noticed,¡± Ethan said dry. ¡°The whole taking an elevator down from a basement only to find open skies still throws me off every time.¡± ¡°So we just choose one of these walkways and follow it?¡± Quin asked. ¡°Looks like it,¡± Alex responded. ¡°Hopefully these walkways are in better shape than the fields. I¡¯d really prefer not to get wet or muddy.¡± ¡°Only one way to find out,¡± Ethan said stepping past the gate and beginning to walk down the middle one. The bamboo felt solid enough under his feet if a little weird. It was rounded instead of completely flat which kept him from feeling sure footed while he walked. The other three fell in behind him and as a group they deliberately moved away from the gate. He wished there was something to indicate what to look for down here but the dungeon never worked like that. On the first three floors they¡¯d simply stumbled through them until they found and defeated some awful monster. With Ethan¡¯s luck there was probably some giant snake hiding in these muddy fields waiting to eat them all. ¡°So the Black must be watching you,¡± Bella said falling in beside Ethan. ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied. ¡°It¡¯s a comforting thought.¡± ¡°When you followed him back at the rivalry game, did you do anything to give away that you were marked by the dungeon?¡± she asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but maybe he saw me and did some digging,¡± Ethan said shrugging. ¡°It¡¯s not like my mark is hidden. My mom noticed it at Christmas. You should have heard that lecture.¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯m lucky that mine is hidden behind my hair,¡± Bella said smiling. ¡°Whoever the Black is, he must have his mark in a place that is hidden like mine.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Ethan agreed again. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand why he would take someone and then tell me about it. If he wants to feed the dungeon a person to make it grow wouldn¡¯t it be better if he didn¡¯t tell me about it?¡± ¡°Maybe this isn¡¯t about growing the dungeon,¡± Bella said thoughtfully. ¡°Since he sent you the note we have to assume he either wants something from you or is trying to eliminate you.¡± ¡°That makes sense,¡± Quin chimed in. ¡°He probably sees you as a threat since you noticed him before.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not much of a threat,¡± Ethan muttered sourly. ¡°No matter how much we investigated I couldn¡¯t find out anything about the Black.¡± ¡°He might not know that,¡± Bella said. ¡°If he ever saw Ethan play video games he¡¯d know that,¡± Alex quipped. ¡°Oh shut up,¡± Ethan muttered rolling his eyes. ¡°I doubt he cares how well I fight on the Playstation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not good,¡± Alex whispered loudly to Quin. ¡°Last time I won in about five sec--AHHH.¡± His tone changed from the mocking whisper to yell at the end causing Ethan to spin around where he found Alex being dragged backwards off of the walkway. A bald old man with one eye had emerged from the muddy water and grabbed Alex around one of his ankles causing him to fall over and was attempting to drag him off of the walkway and into the flood paddy field. The grip was weird because it was only with three fingers but it was evidently strong enough that Alex was unable to break free of it. Quin was currently the only thing keeping him from getting completely dragged off of the walkway. She¡¯d grabbed his arms and was now in a tug of war with the swamp man. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Alex,¡± Ethan exclaimed moving toward the two of them. ¡°Get it off of me,¡± Alex yelled kicking the man in the face with his free leg. The kick had absolutely no effect. The man didn¡¯t even grunt he simply continued to pull. Worse yet more one-eyed swamp men were rising out of the waters on both sides of the walkway slowly stumbling towards them. If they didn¡¯t do something quickly they were going to be completely surrounded. Taking one look between Quin¡¯s determined but struggling face and Alex¡¯s terrified eyes Ethan made a decision. ¡°Try not to move your leg,¡± Ethan commanded Alex. Allowing himself a deep breath to steady his nerves he leveled his sword and swung it down where it bit deep into the man¡¯s arm. Surprisingly, the man showed no signs that he was aware that a sword was buried half in his arm. Seriously? Ethan thought. What the hell kind of zombie apocalypse was this? He would have liked to have said that first cut was clean but it wasn¡¯t and he just didn¡¯t have the strength to cut through a man¡¯s arm in one move no matter how sharp his spirit sword was. Instead he hacked at it before he broke through the arm. The release in tension almost caused Quin to fall off the other side. As it was the only thing that kept her on the walkway was the fact that she was holding on to Alex. She pulled him a few inches before steadying herself. ¡°Alex we need you to get up,¡± Ethan snapped grabbing the other one of Alex¡¯s arm. ¡°Quin let¡¯s pull him to his feet.¡± ¡°Hang on is that hand still on my ankle?¡± Alex asked. It was gruesomely still attached to his ankle but they didn¡¯t time to remove it at the moment. ¡°Just leave it for now,¡± Ethan snapped as Alex began fidgeting with it. ¡°Quin pull.¡± The two of them yanked hard and an unprepared Alex stumbled to his feet where he was held upright by both Quin and Ethan. ¡°They¡¯re about to surround us,¡± Bella said watching the figures push their way through the water towards them. ¡°Run,¡± Ethan yelled pushing Alex and Quin in front of him. The two of them responded and began running down the bamboo walkway followed by Bella. Ethan took off just as three fingered hands began clutching desperately at his legs. Somehow he managed to avoid them and was soon on Bella¡¯s tail. Bella was good at a great many things, but running was not one of them. Ethan soon found himself having to slow down just to make sure he didn¡¯t run over her. Up ahead Alex was frustrating Quin in his own right. It wasn¡¯t even that Alex was that bad of a runner but Ethan could tell that Quin was annoyed at having to hold back so he could keep pace with her. It was an expression Ethan saw plenty of when he first started running with her. At least she didn¡¯t have that look on her face anymore when they ran together. If all of them survived this dungeon maybe they should start making Bella and Alex run as well. Fat chance of that, Ethan thought. The two of them didn¡¯t agree on many things but he was pretty sure neither of them were too keen on exercise. The pathway wound threw the paddy fields always moving towards the mountains on the other side of the valley. As they ran the fields began getting less muddy and less flooded. It was as if someone was actually taking care of these fields. ¡°Can we stop running?¡± Alex asked breathing hard and stopping which caused the other three to stop. Quickly Ethan looked behind them but the swamp men as he liked to think of them were nowhere in sight. ¡°I suppose we can,¡± Ethan said, ¡°but we should probably keep walking just in case. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Alex said bent over and looking like he was about to pass out. Bella too was also struggling but Ethan felt absolutely fine. In an odd way the contrast between them and him made him feel good about all the work he put in to getting in shape. As if she picked up on this Quin seemed to give him a look that said you¡¯re welcome. ¡°God how is that still on my ankle?¡± Alex asked bending down and prying the hand off of him and holding it out towards Quin. ¡°Quiiincy Phillips I must feed on your braaains.¡± ¡°That¡¯s disgusting,¡± Quin said glaring at him. ¡°Throw that thing away.¡± Alex did as he was instructed and then said, ¡°Okay, let''s walk,¡± ¡°This dungeon is going to be the death of me,¡± Bella muttered reluctantly following after Alex. Quin waited for both of them to pass and for Ethan to catch up to her before she started moving as well. ¡°Do you think those things are the monsters we need to defeat to clear this floor?¡± she asked as the two of them walked much more comfortably than the first two. ¡°I doubt it,¡± Alex said shaking his head up ahead. ¡°They didn¡¯t seem to be as dangerous as the usual floor boss.¡± ¡°Floor boss?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°Yeah, I figured we needed a name for it and floor boss seems to fit,¡± Alex replied. ¡°My mom always said video games would ruin my mind, little did she know they¡¯d expand my vocabulary.¡± ¡°They seemed pretty dangerous to me,¡± Bella said, ignoring his second statement. ¡°That first one could have drowned you.¡± ¡°Yeah that wouldn¡¯t have been fun,¡± Alex admitted, ¡°the bottom of my pants and shoes are soaked because of that jerk.¡± ¡°A phoenix-like bird, an invisible ghost, and Alex¡¯s girlfriend,¡± Ethan listed, ¡°what do you think is next?¡± ¡°If Alex¡¯s wife is on this floor we¡¯re doomed,¡± Quin said cracking a rare joke and causing both Bella and Ethan to laugh. ¡°I thought that was a girl in need,¡± Alex muttered between gritted teeth. ¡°Besides I was the one who noticed something wasn¡¯t right with her not the three of you. ¡°What was it that gave it away?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°When you touched her did you notice that she had eight legs instead of two? Or that her mouth had mandibles instead of lips?¡± ¡°Imagine if he kissed that mouth,¡± Quin said flatly. ¡°Oh god stop,¡± Alex said shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯m going to be sick. As it is I keep having nightmares about that creature.¡± ¡°If she keeps visiting you in your dreams that¡¯s love,¡± Ethan quipped unable to stop himself. ¡°If the boss of this floor is a spider you¡¯re all on your own,¡± Alex replied. ¡°I¡¯d like to get a full night¡¯s sleep at some point before I graduate high school.¡± As they continued walking the thatched peaks of buildings took form in front of the mountains in the direction they were headed. The further they walked it became apparent there was a small village on the edge of the rice paddies. ¡°I assume those are Japanese again?¡± Ethan asked Alex. ¡°Yeah, they look like farmhouses straight out of medieval Japan,¡± Alex replied. ¡°My family actually visited a preserved village like this on one of our trips. It was pretty cool actually.¡± Why is everything in this dungeon Japanese? Ethan asked himself. This was California which was literally thousands of miles from Japan and had absolutely no history of ancient Japanese anything. ¡°It looks like the village is at least built on solid ground,¡± Quin said. ¡°About time, I¡¯m sick of walking on this bamboo,¡± Alex replied. ¡°I think those of us who dropped our weapons should dismiss and resummon our armor so we have them,¡± Ethan said. ¡°Why are you worried about something?¡± Quin asked. ¡°Well were still in this dungeon, and even though this looks like a village, nothing in this dungeon has been friendly so far,¡± Ethan answered. ¡°Probably best just to be prepared.¡± Quin nodded her head and did as he instructed while Ethan and Alex did the same. He may not be the smartest person in the world but you couldn¡¯t say he wasn¡¯t learning. ¡°Do you think there¡¯s people here?¡± Bella asked as they exited the walkway onto solid ground. ¡°If there are, they probably aren¡¯t normal,¡± Ethan said to her. As if to answer her question a door opened on the central and largest of the buildings in the village. Five teenage boys walked out all wearing identical light blue kimonos, clogs, and circular wide-brimmed straw hats. ¡°Uh hi there,¡± Alex said. ¡°I assume this is your village?¡± The boys didn¡¯t answer. Instead they spread out and lined up in front of them. ¡°Can you speak?¡± Alex asked. They gave no indication that they heard him but instead just stood there like statues. ¡°Maybe try Japanese,¡± Ethan suggested. ¡°For the last time,¡± Alex said sounding annoyed, ¡°I don¡¯t speak Japanese. I may have Japanese ancestry but that doesn¡¯t mean I know the language. That would be like me expecting you to know whatever European country you¡¯re descended from instead of Dumbass which is clearly the only language you¡¯re fluent in.¡± Anger flashed inside of Ethan and he was about to reply when the central boy finally spoke. ¡°You have come far, but will go no further,¡± he said softly. ¡°All life demands sacrifice and the dungeon must feed to grow. Let the rain cleanse your soul before your end.¡± What rain? Ethan started to think before he felt the trickle of droplets begin to hit his head. The soon turned from a couple drops into an all out downpour soaking him in a matter of seconds. Apparently the rain wasn¡¯t harmful because it went right through his spirit armor. The visibility around them dropped significantly but they could still easily see the five boys across from them who were now drawing rice sickles out of their kimonos. The short wicked looking blades were normally used for harvesting rice, which was appropriate considering the paddies near the village, but somehow Ethan didn¡¯t think these boys were planning to use them for that. ¡°Quin shoot them,¡± Alex yelled holding his shield out defensively in front of him. She unleashed an arrow just as the boys charged them, hitting the boy furthest on the left right in the heart. The green spirit arrow went straight through the soft kimono like it wasn¡¯t there and caused him to vanish in black essence a moment later. Unfortunately that was the only shot she managed to get off before the boys reached them. Alex easily managed to block the blows from the central boy with his shield. The rice sickles just weren¡¯t big enough or long enough to either get through or get around the shield. Ethan and Bella had a tougher time of it trying to fend of the attacks with a sword and axe respectively. The short sickles allowed them to get quick precise jabs in and more than once they managed to get past Ethan¡¯s sword and jab him in the side with the blades. The only thing that saved him was the spirit armor which did it¡¯s job and absorbed most of the attacks though some pain did get through. Quin not having anything to block with was forced to roll sideways and dodge the attacks aimed at her. Luckily she was perhaps the most agile person Ethan knew so this wasn¡¯t much trouble for her. The boy slashing at her was relentless though which kept her on the defensive unable to get in a counter attack. The surprise of the fight came when Bella of all people, who was holding her ax sideways in an attempt to block shoved it forcefully up under the brim of the conical hat and into the face of the boy assaulting her. He stumbled backward, clearly dazed and she didn¡¯t give him time to recover. Instead she surged forward gripping the handle of her yellow ax tightly and generating a great overhead swing before bringing the sharp end straight down into the top of the hat . It went right through straight down the center of the boy who dissolved into black essence before it reached the bottom. Every small stab into his armor was making Ethan more and more irritated. He thought he was getting better with this sword but apparently that was wrong because he was doing a really lousy job of blocking. Oh that is it Ethan thought as he felt the small jab of pain in his side again. This time instead of pulling backwards away from the strike like he had been doing he pushed forward into pushing the blade further into his spirit armor where it was breaking through and probably cutting his side. He grabbed the surprised boy¡¯s wrist and held it in place while using the growing pain as fuel for his anger and adrenaline. With his other arm he awkwardly swung the sword down into the boy catching in between his shoulder and neck. It took a few swings before the boy finally vanished, mostly because he couldn¡¯t generate enough power one handed to get deep enough with one blow. The pain in his side eased when the boy disappeared but didn¡¯t completely vanish. Looking down he could see he was bleeding a bit but the cut didn¡¯t look all that deep and he didn¡¯t have time to worry about a wound now there was still an enemy out there to deal with first. There was only one left because Alex had expertly fended off his attacker with his shield and then circled him backwards towards Bella once he realized she¡¯d finished hers off. It didn¡¯t take her long to figure out what he was doing and she soon chopped Alex¡¯s attacker down from behind. Quin was another story. She was simply running around in circles dodging blow after blow and looking increasingly frustrated. Knowing that Quin was usually all about offense and charging in whether it was in soccer, life, or the dungeon Ethan fully understood why she was frustrated. She simply wasn¡¯t used to having to play nothing but defense. Moving towards her, he tried to catch her eye. His plan was to try and have her move the unsuspecting boy into a position where Ethan could take him down from behind like Alex did with Bella. Unfortunately the non-verbal communication between Ethan and Quin wasn¡¯t nearly as good as it was between Alex and Bella apparently. Ethan did make eye contact with her which she seemed to acknowledge. He moved into position and thought Quin was going to lead the boy into position. Instead she dodged straight into Ethan tripping him and falling on top of him. Luckily this caught the boy by as much surprise as it did Ethan because he tripped over Ethan legs and rolled over the top of both of them. Ethan was just about to quickly shove Quin off of the top of him when he saw the bottom of Alex¡¯s shield slam into the boy¡¯s undefended neck. It was blunt but a couple of blows from a heavy sheild was enough to break his neck and cause him to vanish in black essence like the rest. ¡°Great teamwork you two,¡± Alex said laughing down at where Ethan and Quin were still tangled together on the ground. Ethan was just about to respond when the dungeon boomed, ¡°congratulations, you have cleared the fourth floor by defeating the Amefurikoz¨­. The fifth floor is now available to you.¡± ¡°Ugh, Quin can you get off of me?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°I¡¯m soaked, I¡¯m bleeding, and we still have another stupid floor to go.¡± Chapter 21: The Fifth Floor ¡°Jesus this floor is still cold,¡± Alex said shivering with his hood pulled up underneath his spirit armor. They were down on the fifth floor now. The floor that was referenced in the poem left for Ethan and it was a miserable place. It was snowing heavily and the ground was covered in both snow and ice. Hopefully whoever the red haired boy that was taken down here had a coat or he was likely to die of hypothermia before they found him. After defeating the bosses on the fourth floor the group walked back along the bamboo pathway until they returned to the shrine and took the elevator down to the now available fifth floor. As soon as the doors opened and the cold air and snow hit them Quin stopped any of them from getting out and hit the button for the school basement. She insisted that they all quickly return to their dorms, dry off, change out of their very wet clothes, and then meet back in the basement wearing their warmest winter gear. Ethan was not about to complain. He knew that he wouldn¡¯t last two seconds out in the ice and snow with how wet he had been. As it was he was a little worried he still wouldn¡¯t be able to stay warm enough. He had a coat but it wasn¡¯t super heavy duty and as far as pants and shoes went he didn¡¯t have anything better than his school pants and tennis shoes. The best he could do was put on his warmest pair of socks and hope for the best. Down in the basement Bella wasn¡¯t dressed any better than Ethan but both Quin and Alex had snow pants, boots, and heavy winter coats on. Ah the advantages of being rich strikes again, Ethan thought annoyed though he couldn¡¯t blame the two of them for their more fortunate circumstances. ¡°At least your coat is made for conditions like this,¡± Bella replied. ¡°I thought I was going to school in California not Alaska. I do not do cold like this.¡± ¡°Keep moving,¡± Quin instructed. ¡°It will keep your blood flowing and your core body temperature up. Honestly once you get used to the wind this isn¡¯t that bad. Trust me Crystal Mountain gets much colder in the winter.¡± ¡°Are we supposed to recognize that name?¡± Ethan asked glaring at her. Out of the four of them, Quin was the only one who seemed to be handling the cold alright. It made sense, he supposed, she was from Seattle, had the best gear, and was unquestionably insane. ¡°Just be grateful that those mountains are blocking some of the wind,¡± Quin said gesturing to the tall mountains on the left. ¡°Such comfort,¡± Ethan snapped sarcastically. ¡°If you haven¡¯t noticed we¡¯re on a mountain covered in snow. Hell there¡¯s so much ice and snow we can¡¯t even see the tree parts of those trees.¡± It was true there were scattered trees all around them but they were completely covered by snow and ice that had drifted onto them over time. The odd branch stuck out here or there but for the most part they were completely white and looked more like snow monsters than trees. ¡°Yeah don¡¯t take this the wrong way Quin,¡± Bella said between chattering teeth, ¡°but I kind of hate you right now.¡± ¡°Aw come on Bella don¡¯t be like that,¡± Alex said shivering himself. ¡°Think of how much worse this is going to get when a freaking Yeti jumps out from behind one of those trees and eats us alive.¡± God what was the boss going to be on this floor? Ethan thought and nothing he came up with made him happy. It certainly was going to be something that was designed to live in these ridiculous conditions. ¡°At least we won¡¯t have a hard time finding our way back to the elevator,¡± Ethan said trying to take his mind off of giant hairy fanged beasts. ¡°We¡¯re leaving enough tracks that it should be easy.¡± ¡°Ah but there you¡¯re assuming they won¡¯t be covered by the snow by the time we try to return,¡± Alex said. ¡°Face it, we¡¯re all going to die of hypothermia or frostbite out here. I¡¯ve at least made my peace with the lord.¡± ¡°Thanks for the positive encouragement Alex,¡± Ethan muttered sarcastically. ¡°Just being a realist,¡± Alex responded. ¡°This redhead is almost assuredly going to be dead when we find him and if the cold doesn¡¯t kill us the Black certainly will.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t know that and we have to try,¡± Quin said defiantly. ¡°If one of us were trapped out here we would want to be saved. Do what you want but I¡¯m not about to leave someone out here to suffer.¡± Naturally Ethan¡¯s first reaction was to hate Quin for pushing them so hard in conditions like this, but deep down he respected her for taking that stance. It was a stance he agreed with. He just wished they could have done this rescue mission somewhere else. Not in the freezing cold on top of a snowy mountain. ¡°Is it just me or did that tree just move?¡± Bella asked nervously. ¡°Probably just the wind blowing it,¡± Quin replied. ¡°Come out let¡¯s move faster.¡± ¡°Faster?¡± Alex asked. ¡°We don¡¯t even know if we¡¯re going in the right direction.¡± Shrugging Quin said, ¡°Away from the elevator is usually the right direction.¡± Too cold and tired to argue they marched after her moving as fast as they could, which wasn¡¯t very in the snow. As they reached the ridge of the mountain they could look down into a valley where a frozen lake loomed large at one end. ¡°See that,¡± Quin said pointing to it. ¡°That looks promising.¡± ¡°That looks like a difficult hike back up here,¡± Alex replied. ¡°It¡¯s the only landmark of note I can see around here,¡± Quin shot back actually starting to sound annoyed. ¡°Tell me, do you have a better idea?¡± ¡°Yeah, we turn around and head back to the elevator, ride it up, and find a nice fire to forget this whole thing by,¡± Alex muttered. Secretly, Ethan was agreeing with Alex. While the slope down to the lake looked gentle enough, he really didn¡¯t fancy trudging through the snow to climb back up here to get to the elevator. ¡°That¡¯s not an option,¡± Quin said staring at him. ¡°I¡¯m with Quin on this one,¡± Bella squeaked nervously. This came as a surprise to Ethan as he was of the opinion that Bella was the most miserable out her out of all of them. ¡°Really Bella?¡± Alex demanded turning on her. ¡°Why in God¡¯s name are you siding with her?¡± ¡°Mostly because of them,¡± Bella said pointing behind the group at a set of the snow-covered trees that were lumbering towards them. They were walking, though the limbs were far from even causing them to stumble and some of them to fall. Sort of humanoid in shape, devoid of any facial features, tall as trees, which they were underneath, and covered in white they were one of the most terrifying things Ethan had ever seen. ¡°Oh crap,¡± Alex said staring with his mouth ajar. Keeping her head Quin fired an arrow at the closest one. It pierced the white powdery outside and disappeared leaving behind only a small hole to show where it had gone. The snow monster didn¡¯t even acknowledge it was hit. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to work,¡± Ethan said readying his sword in what felt like a pointless gesture. ¡°Dear Jesus please don¡¯t let me get killed by Frosty,¡± Alex said evidently praying. ¡°I swear I¡¯m working on being a better Christian. If Frosty is the reason I die that¡¯s really going to ruin my childhood.¡± ¡°Alex quit muttering nonsense and get your shield up,¡± Ethan snapped at him. Truthfully, he didn¡¯t have anything against his friend praying but he really didn¡¯t want them all to die because Alex was waiting for divine intervention. ¡°Alex your shield,¡± Bella exclaimed. ¡°I heard Ethan the first time,¡± Alex snapped holding the shield up, in front of him. ¡°No,¡± Bella said excitedly. ¡°Put it on the ground upside down.¡± ¡°What--Oh,¡± Alex said evidently understanding something that Ethan wasn¡¯t picking up on. Flipping it over and throwing it on the ground Alex motioned for the rest of them to come over to him. Bella was the first to reach him and she climbed on top of the shield sitting down and sliding up to the front of it. Oh my God, I¡¯m an idiot, Ethan thought finally realizing what they were doing. They were going to use it as a sled and slide down into the valley, which would alow them to outrun snow monsters. ¡°Ethan, Quin come on,¡± Alex yelled. ¡°Hold on to each other tight, we¡¯re only going to just have enough room if we squeeze together.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Jumping on next Ethan slide up right behind Bella and wrapped his arms around her midsection. Moments later he felt Quin do the same to him pushing up against his back. ¡°Hold on tight,¡± Alex yelled and began pushing the back of the shield. It slide slowly underneath them at first and then began to pick up speed right as Alex jumped on the back of it behind Quin. A second later Ethan felt himself being lifted up into the air as a giant snowy fist slammed down on top of Alex causing him and Quin to be pushed down. ¡°Alex?¡± Ethan yelled. ¡°I¡¯m alright,¡± Alex yelled as the shield skidded sideways beginning to turn while still sliding down the slope. ¡°It looked worse than it felt.¡± ¡°Is someone steering?¡± Quin asked with the shield still turning. Ethan and Bella were now facing up the hill where he could see a group of the snow monsters clustered up at the ridgeline. Facing the wrong direction did not stop the shield from sliding. If anything it seemed to pick up speed as they went down. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°I¡¯m sorry this was a terrible idea,¡± Bella yelled. ¡°I think I''m going to be sick.¡± ¡°I dunno Bella, it¡¯s kind of fun like riding a roller coaster backwards,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°We have a very different idea of what is fun,¡± Bella said. They continued to slide down backwards picking up more and more speed. The stupid part of Ethan wanted to throw his arms up in the air and cry out in delight. Lucky this was overruled by the sane part of him that held on desperately to Bella. He hoped they stopped before they hit anything or slide out onto the sheet of ice that was the lake. Who knew how thick that ice actually was and if they fell threw, even if they didn¡¯t drown they¡¯d probably die of hypothermia. ¡°Alex can you see where we¡¯re going?¡± Ethan yelled over his shoulder and almost accidently bumped his head into Quin¡¯s. ¡°Sort of,¡± Alex called back. ¡°The good news is that were not going to slide out onto the lake. The bad news is that we¡¯re going to crash.¡± ¡°What?¡± The other three of them exclaimed as the sheild hit a snow bank, turned slightly to the right, and launched them into the air. The first thing Ethan felt was the shield falling away from underneath them. He only had a second for his brain to comprehend this and know that it meant something was very wrong. Then they hit the snow. The impact was shocking and sent a jolt throughout his whole body. Instinctively he let go of Bella as they bounced and tumbled across the ground end over end. Unfortunately Quin had the opposite reaction and squeezed ahold of him even tighter every time they hit the ground. Hitting the snow wasn¡¯t too bad, it mostly gave and cushioned the impact but when he landed on Quin or she landed on him depending on which was they were rotated it was less friendly. Finally after a terrifying eternity that was probably only a few they stopped half buried in snow with Quin underneath him. The first thing Ethan did like all sane people was check to see if he could still move his limbs. Finding that while he was sore pretty much everywhere, his arms, legs, and neck all seemed to be functioning fine. That was a huge relief. ¡°Ethan can you please move,¡± Quin croaked below him. ¡°I think you cracked my ribs and possibly popped one of my breasts.¡± ¡°Is that even possible?¡± Ethan asked surprised. ¡°It feels like it,¡± she said. ¡°Please move.¡± Gingerly Ethan rolled to the side off of her pushing some of the snow away from them as he went. Looking out from there final landing spot he could see a large debris field of snow over the crash site where they¡¯d completely destroyed the clean white area. Like Ethan, the first thing Quin did was check her limbs and neck and like Ethan they seemed to be working okay. After that she sat up causing a pile of snow to fall on her head which she quickly brushed away. Next she began probing at her chest with her fingers while grimacing. ¡°Not popped, but definitely going to be bruised,¡± Quin said after a moment. ¡°Ribs could be broken, I¡¯m not sure but man did that hurt.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let go of me?¡± Ethan asked looking her over. ¡°It all happened so fast,¡± Quin replied. ¡°My instincts took over and I guess their first reaction was to hold on tighter.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m uh sorry about your ribs and whatnot,¡± Ethan said blushing and feeling slightly embarrassed by the whole thing. He certainly wasn¡¯t used to a girl talking about her breasts to him let alone so nonchalantly, but Quin wasn¡¯t like most girls and never seemed to follow the usual social norms. ¡°Can you walk?¡± he asked pushing himself to his feet and finding that while they weren¡¯t huge fans of the idea they held his weight. ¡°We should find the other two and make sure they are okay.¡± ¡°Yeah I think so,¡± Quin said standing up. ¡°Bella, Alex,¡± Ethan yelled looking out over the crash area and trying to locate his two other friends. They weren¡¯t hard to find. There were two distinct paths cut through the snow leading to their final destinations. Ethan and Quin reached Bella first who was closest to them. She was sitting up and leading against the snow, which was probably a good thing, but crying which usually wasn¡¯t. ¡°Bella are you alright?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°Lost my Axe,¡± Bella muttered. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you can resummond that,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yeah I¡¯m fine, I don¡¯t think I broke anything,¡± she said and then added, ¡°This is the worst place on Earth.¡± ¡°Are we even sure this is on Earth?¡± Quin asked causing Ethan to give her a look meant to ask, really? Now isn¡¯t the time. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get you on your feet,¡± Ethan said holding both his hands out for her. She grabbed ahold and after a brief bit of struggling on his part he managed to pull her to her feet. Quickly the three of them made their way over to Alex¡¯s landing site where much to their surprise they found it completely empty. For a split second Ethan panicked thinking that his friend had been killed or something but then he saw the foot prints leading around the side of the snow bank. Following them they found Alex as well why Alex had walked over here. ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s disgusting,¡± Ethan said after he walked into full view of the stream of projectiles coming from Alex¡¯s mouth. ¡°No one asked you to watch,¡± Alex shot back once he¡¯d finished. ¡°Are you, uh going to live?¡± Ethan asked refusing to move any closer. ¡°I think so,¡± Alex said wiping his mouth off on his sleeve, ¡°but remind me never to trust Bella again. Here I was thinking she was the most trustworthy person in the group and then she forces me to go down a hill backwards at high speed on a shield.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Bella said looking like she was about to cry again. ¡°I was just thinking about how we could escape from those tree monsters and it seemed like a good idea at the time.¡± ¡°Ease up Alex,¡± Quin said. ¡°It worked. We not only got away from the monsters but we made it down here not too far from the lake. Personally I thought the ride down was exhilarating with the exception of the crash.¡± ¡°Speak for yourself crazy lady,¡± Alex muttered. ¡°I¡¯m never doing that again. In fact if I never slide down anything on snow again I¡¯ll be very happy.¡± ¡°Well now that we know Alex is alright we can get moving and before you ask, yes the brain damage was already there before the crash,¡± Ethan stated smirking. ¡°Says the person failing Drawing,¡± Alex retorted. ¡°Like how is that even possible? You don¡¯t even have to think to draw.¡± ¡°The teacher hates me and I¡¯m doing alot better this semester,¡± Ethan responded and added mentally, I hope. ¡°I think I see something on the far side of the lake,¡± Quin said obviously growing tired of the bickering. Looking up Ethan saw it too. There was a small orange glow coming from valley wall next to the lake. From this distance he couldn¡¯t make out what exactly it was but as orange wasn¡¯t typically in the frozen color palette of this place it was definitely worth checking out. The immediate problem was that it was on the other side of the lake and while the lake was frozen Ethan wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to trust the ice to hold his body weight. How did you even check if ice was thick enough? If any of them fell through it likely meant death. Hypothermia would surely be almost immediate even with the temperatures in the valley feeling warmer than it was up on the mountain top. ¡°Let¡¯s move,¡± Quin said starting toward the lake. ¡°Quin I don¡¯t know if we should walk across that,¡± Ethan said. ¡°It might give out underneath us.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one way to find out,¡± she said smiling maniacally at him. ¡°I¡¯m serious, if one of us falls in, it''s probably certain death,¡± Ethan said running to catch up with her. ¡°I¡¯m with Ethan on this one,¡± Alex said. ¡°Personally it¡¯s already cold enough out here in the snow.¡± ¡°Give me your sword Ethan,¡± Quin said holding her hand out for the blade. ¡°Why?¡± Ethan asked eying her suspiciously. ¡°So I can stab it through your cowardly heart,¡± Quin answered sarcastically before adding, ¡°I¡¯m going to check if it¡¯s safe for us. Ethan handed her the blade by the hilt before following after her to the edge of the clear blue ice that made up the lake. Carefully Quin took a few steps out onto the ice which thankfully didn¡¯t give out. Moving deliberately she went about ten yards away from the shore before stopping and plunging the blade straight down into the sheet of ice below. After working it for a minute she finally pulled it back out staring carefully at the hole she created below her. Finally after another couple of minutes she walked back over to the shore where the other three were standing and handed Ethan back his sword. ¡°I think it¡¯s thick enough to hold our weight,¡± Quin said, ¡°but we should cross spread out so as not to put too much weight on it all at once.¡± ¡°You think?¡± Bella asked. Shrugging Quin said, ¡°It¡¯s hard to get a precise measurement only using a sword and besides the thickness is going to vary from place to place. Personally I¡¯d recommend we stay as close to the shoreline and mountains making up the valley walls as we can when crossing.¡± ¡°Screw it, let¡¯s just get this over with,¡± Alex said stepping out onto the ice sheet quickly where his legs almost immediately went out from underneath him. ¡°Careful,¡± Quin said looking down at him. ¡°It is ice you know.¡± ¡°I know what ice is,¡± he snapped angrily while gingerly pushing himself back onto his feet. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll lead,¡± Quin said. ¡°Alex wait ten steps then follow, Ethan same after Alex, and Bella you¡¯re after Ethan.¡± Slowly Quin led them around near the edge of the frozen lake where it butted up against the side of the mountains. Personally Ethan was glad they were going so slow. The traction on the bottom of his shoes were terrible and he found himself almost skating along instead of walking. At least Quin was right about the ice. It didn¡¯t give way while they walked. Heck, it didn¡¯t even crack which was a huge relief to Ethan. As they got closer it became evident that the orange glow they¡¯d seen before was coming from a large cave which had giant icicles hanging over the cave mouth. The glow continuously flickered leading Ethan to believe it was most likely coming from a fire. At least we¡¯ll be warm if we have to fight, he thought trying to stay positive. Quin was the first one to step inside of the cave, followed by Alex, and then Ethan. Once he was inside and could get a full view of the cave he frowned. There was a fire sitting in the middle of a large round cavern and near it was Gavin sitting on the ground with his arms and legs bound by ropes. Behind him almost blending into the shadows, The Black was standing leaning against the cavern wall. His spirit armor was still far too dark to see anything that was inside of it. ¡°Gavin?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Oh look you found the Batcave,¡± Gavin said in typical Gavin fashion. ¡°I was just telling Batman here that I have no idea where the rabbits are and that he should stop asking.¡± Chapter 22: The Frozen Lake ¡°Ethan,¡± The Black said in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you got my valentine.¡± ¡°More importantly did you bring s¡¯mores though?¡± Gavin asked cutting in before Ethan had a chance to respond. ¡°I mean if I¡¯m going to be kidnapped and dragged to a campfire there should be s¡¯mores there right?¡± ¡°Do you ever shut up?¡± the Black asked Gavin annoyed while spinning the black knife in his hand. ¡°I swear if you keep talking I¡¯m going to sacrifice you right now.¡± ¡°Yes you¡¯ve mentioned the whole sacrificing my soul to make this place stronger,¡± Gavin replied rolling his eyes in dramatic fashion. ¡°The joke¡¯s on you though cause you know what they say about gingers and souls.¡± ¡°Gavin,¡± Ethan said quickly once the other boy finished talking. ¡°We¡¯re here to rescue you but please don¡¯t egg him on. This one already nearly killed Alex¡¯s brother.¡± ¡°Yeah, I owe you for that one,¡± Alex added. ¡°What did James ever do to deserve that.¡± The Black laughed before saying, ¡°What I did to James needed to be done.¡± ¡°You tried to kill him,¡± Alex spat. ¡°No I didn¡¯t,¡± The Black said calmly. ¡°If I wanted to kill him he would be dead. I simply did what needed to be done, but I didn¡¯t invite you here to discuss James. I invited you here to discuss something else.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Alex asked with anger still rising in his voice. ¡°What do you know of this place?¡± The Black asked still calm. ¡°The Dungeon?¡± Alex asked. ¡°It¡¯s of nature and wants us to find it¡¯s stupid heart.¡± ¡°So you only know what it has told you in other words,¡± The Black said, ¡°which means you know almost nothing about it.¡± ¡°By all means share if you know so much,¡± Ethan snapped already feeling his anger rising. ¡°Dungeons are as old as the human race themselves, maybe even older,¡± The Black answered. ¡°This one is relatively young for a dungeon, only created in Showa 11, and as such it¡¯s influence is rather limited right now. Of course you¡¯ve certainly noticed all the apparitions around town and maybe even a bit outside of town. It''s still confined to a relatively small geographical area right now, but given enough time it will spread to much of the rest of California and perhaps even further.¡± It can¡¯t be that confined, Ethan thought remembering seeing dungeon creatures at one of his away soccer games that was a couple of hours from Misty Oaks. ¡°If left unchecked, this could lead to a disaster,¡± The Black continued. ¡°Civilization in the western United States could even collapse in the dungeon¡¯s endless quest to grow and expand. However by seizing the heart of the dungeon we can control it--¡± ¡°What about destroying the dungeon¡¯s heart?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Can¡¯t we do that to maybe destroy the dungeon and not have to worry about it?¡± ¡°You could,¡± The Black said pausing, ¡°others in the past have done just that, but that would be a waste. Considering all that goes into creating a dungeon as well as the amount of time and sacrifice required for a dungeon to grow we not only see that option as a waste but something that dishonors all those who have been consumed by the dungeon.¡± ¡°What would you suggest then?¡± Alex asked. ¡°We would harness control of the dungeon and use it once it is powerful enough to reshape this state and even the country into a better place,¡± The Black answered. ¡°Getting to the heart and finding it ourselves has proven difficult so I am asking you to join us.¡± ¡°You want to remake the country using the dungeon?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°That is the stupidest thing I¡¯ve ever heard. Why on Earth would I want to help you do that? You stabbed my friend¡¯s brother and kidnapped my other friend, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be benevolent in your rule right?¡± ¡°Ethan please understand that everything I¡¯ve done is for a higher purpose,¡± The Black said. ¡°Life''s an endless cycle of sacrifices. Surely you can see that what I do is for a purpose.¡± ¡°He said no and I agree with him,¡± Alex stated. ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind.¡± ¡°Shut up Alex,¡± The Black snarled. ¡°I knew you would never understand and that a Yellow wouldn¡¯t have enough of a spine to understand our methods, but I thought perhaps that Ethan and The Green might listen to reason.¡± ¡°The Green has been told several times that she is terrible at listening to reason and far too stubborn for her own good,¡± Quin said shrugging. ¡°So you¡¯ve all made up your minds?¡± The Black asked shaking his head. ¡°That¡¯s a pity, I had allowed myself to hope. Oh well, your deaths with serve a purpose and help grow the dungeon so at least this isn¡¯t a complete waste.¡± Raising his sword defensively, Ethan saw the rest of his friends doing the same with their weapons aside from Alex whose shield was still laying on the ground where it crashed. A couple seconds passed and he knew something wasn¡¯t right because The Black hadn¡¯t moved from his position leaning against the wall. ¡°I thought you were going to kill us?¡± Ethan asked unable to stand it any longer. ¡°Are you having second thoughts? ¡°I¡¯ll kill you if I have too,¡± The Black answered shrugging and pointed to the cave roof above them with his knife, ¡°but you should know there¡¯s a reason I picked this spot.¡± Looking up Ethan saw the icicles falling just in time to jump out of the way pushing Alex over backwards in the process. The icicles hit the floor and shattered right where the two of them were standing on moments before. Floating in the air near the cave roof where the icicles had been hanging from was a woman made of ice the same clear blue color of the frozen lake. She had long dark hair and pale blue lips and was wearing a white kimono that hid her feet from view. ¡°This just happens to be the place where the twins hang out,¡± The Black said and they are really quite welcoming to people.¡± Twins? Ethan thought just as he saw Bella¡¯s yellow form blasted past him into the cave in a flurry of snow. Turning his head towards the cave opening he saw her floating about ten feet outside of the cave in a swirl of snow. Her face was identical to that of her twin with the same dark hair and soft blue lips. She even wore the same white kimono. The only real difference was that instead of being made out of ice like the other one she had skin that was so white it almost blended into the snow swirling around her. Shaking his head to keep himself from staring Ethan yelled, ¡°Bella?¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright,¡± Bella answered a moment later. ¡°Just watch out.¡± More icicles shot from the ice twin¡¯s hand towards Ethan and Alex and they bolted from the cave sprinting past Quin and out onto the open ice outside. The snow twin as Ethan was starting to think of the second one launched a flurry of snowballs at them that while annoying, felt fairly harmless when they hit. Unfortunately behind the snowballs came a blizzard. Straight up whiteout conditions with visibility reduced to only about a foot in front of him. Living in the west Ethan had of course heard people use the term blizzard from time to time, but this was the first time in his life that he really understood it. He couldn¡¯t see anything except the wall of white swirling all around him. If it wasn¡¯t for the constant feeling of cold that was getting worse, he would have thought he¡¯d gone to afterlife or something like it was often depicted in movies and TV shows. ¡°Alex,¡± he yelled hoping the other boy would be able to hear him over the noise of the storm. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± he heard Alex call from what sounded like only a couple feet away. ¡°Not that that¡¯s going to do much good in these conditions.¡± Quin,¡± Ethan yelled trying to find the next person closest to them. Unlike Alex there was no response from Quin. She must have been too far away from him to hear over the storm. Hopefully Bella and her were alright, but with the ice twin and The Black near them in the cave that was far from a certain thing. What do I do? Ethan thought. Just standing there wasn¡¯t an option as he could be attacked at any moment from any side but if he struck out he with his blade he risked hitting someone by accident. Finally he settled on shoulder charging in the direction he thought the snow twin was in. he figured if he got it wrong and hit someone like Alex all he would do was knock him over instead of skewering him with a sword. It didn¡¯t come to that because as soon as Ethan started running he slipped and fell shoulder first into the ground which not only hurt but was disorienting when he kept sliding across the frozen lake in the middle of the whiteout. The one thing he¡¯d forgotten when formulating his plan was the fact that he was standing on ice and that it had very little traction. Sliding on his side with his check occasionally rubbing against the ice had one very positive side effect. It took him out of the blizzard allowing him to see what was going on. The area in front of the cave was getting hammered by whirling snow while the Snow Twin floated about five feet away occasionally blowing more snow into the mix. Her entire attention was focused on the storm and somehow she didn¡¯t notice Ethan slide out to the side which if he was careful, he could use to his advantage. Now he just had to figure out how to get over to her without falling down and without her noticing. Running was strictly not an option as he was certain to fall and slide again and while aside from an aching shoulder that worked out for him the first time he didn¡¯t want to keep hoping to get lucky. Carefully using his sword to help stabilize him he pushed himself to his feet. Sliding was probably the best option actually, just not sliding on his butt or side. If he could keep one foot planted on the ice he could use the other to propel him and steer him. This plan of course wouldn¡¯t allow him to suddenly change directions or brake so it would only give him one shot at hitting the Snow Twin but it was the best he could come up with at the moment. Stolen story; please report. Taking a silent breath he gripped his sword tightly in hands and aimed himself straight at floating Snow Twin while pushing off with his left foot. His right foot stayed planted and he began to slide across the ice, slowly at first, and then picking up speed as he continued to pump the ground with his left foot. He was actually picking up far too much speed for comfort. This was going to end poorly for him regardless of what happened and worse yet he saw as he got closer to her that the Snow Twin was further off of the ground than he thought. He¡¯d be able to reach her if he jumped most likely, but attempting to jump while sliding at high speeds across a sheet of ice wasn¡¯t exactly something he knew how to do. I¡¯m going to have so many regrets in like a minute, Ethan thought no longer pumping the ground with his left foot. Instead he bent both of his knees getting ready to spring. She was only five feet away now and getting closer every millisecond. If he was going to do this, it was going to have to be now. He leaped. Upon finding himself in the air hurtling at high speed his first thought was, I¡¯m going to die. That was right before the tip of his sword blade caught the unsuspecting Snow Twin in the back and then his body slammed into her, his momentum and body weight shoving the sword straight through her. She gasped and he saw the swirling storm stop right before the two of them slammed into the ice below them cracking it. Upon hitting Ethan felt the hilt of the blade jab him in the stomach before he was bounded off of her and sent sliding and spinning away. The Snow Twin went sliding too but was quickly stopped by the edge of the blade sticking out of her chest catching in the ice. By the time Ethan finally came to a stop and recovered enough to drag himself over to her all he found was two thirds of his sword and some black essence dispersing in the air around it. The tip of the sword had snapped off stuck in the ice but he didn¡¯t have time to worry about that now. He needed to make sure the others were alright. Alex was the first one he saw and was perfectly fine standing on the ice near the cave mouth and staring open mouthed at Ethan. Quin and Bella seemed to be at least moving because he could see flashes of Yellow and Green running around the cave entrance along with light blue which he suspected was the Ice Twin. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Alex asked still looking amazed. ¡°I couldn¡¯t see anything.¡± ¡°Luck,¡± Ethan muttered in response. ¡°Come on, we need to help the others.¡± His shoulder was killing him and his stomach and chest ached something fierce from where he landed on the Snow Twin but he couldn¡¯t stop right now. Slowly he halfwalked and half slide back over to the cave mouth near where Alex was standing. Inside the Ice Twin continued to shoot, or really spray icicles at Quin and Bella who were throwing themselves around dodging. The Black was still leaning casually against the wall of the cave looking like he couldn¡¯t care less while the still bound Gavin flinched near the fire every time ice shattered against the ground. ¡°Hey ice lady,¡± Alex yelled. ¡°We killed your sister, I hope that¡¯s okay with you.¡± Inside of the cave the floating woman froze and turned to stare at Alex. Her eyes then flicked over Ethan, his broken blade, and finally to the remnants of black essence before she let out a shriek and flew straight towards the two boys. ¡°What¡¯s your plan Alex?¡± Ethan asked bracing himself. ¡°Plan?¡± Alex asked. ¡°I was just trying to draw her attention away from the girls.¡± ¡°Well it worked,¡± Ethan yelled diving and sliding out of the way as icicles hit the ice right where he¡¯d been standing. Alex did the same but wasn¡¯t quite as fast and a couple icicles struck him in the leg and chest. Most of their momentum was stopped by the spirit armor but the sharp points at the end still managed to shallowly pierce him. Rolling and pushing himself onto his feet Ethan tried to think of a strategy to use against this thing but came up with nothing. He was standing on a sheet of ice, this thing could fly, and it could shoot sharp projectiles at them. It wasn¡¯t going to be easy to avoid getting hit by it, let alone counter it and do some damage. More icicles shot toward him and he threw himself out of the way again slamming his already injured shoulder back against the ice and letting out a gasp of pain in the process. Sure he could keep avoiding the attacks, maybe but if he couldn¡¯t counter attack it somehow it was going to wear him down and kill him eventually. Rolling over onto his stomach he started to push himself up again and saw that the Ice Twin had floated closer to him and was already about to unleash another round of icicles straight at his face. There would be no avoiding all of them this time, but maybe he could at least protect his head to keep himself from getting killed. Right as he began to lift his left arm in front of his face he caught a small green streak out of the corner of his eye right as it flashed across the sky and struck the Ice Twin in the side of the head. Her head jerked sideways and she looked down at Ethan with a mixture of disgust and surprise on her face right as two more arrows in Quick succession struck her. She vanished into black essence a moment later and Ethan finally let out his breath which he realized he¡¯d been holding the whole time. Thank you Quin, he thought making a mental note to try to be nicer to the girl in the future. She¡¯d just saved his life, or at least saved him from a great deal of pain and he¡¯d have to be a real jerk not to at least try harder to accept her moving forward. ¡°Ethan, Alex, are you two alright?¡± he heard Bella asked as he pushed himself back to his feet for what felt like the hundredth time. ¡°Yeah,¡± Alex said while Ethan said, ¡°I¡¯m okay, are you two?¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine,¡± Quin said walking out towards him. ¡°Good shots,¡± Ethan said smiling at her. ¡°I thought that was going to be it for me.¡± ¡°When you two distracted her, I finally got a chance to attack,¡± Quin replied shrugging. ¡°It¡¯s time to kick the--¡± Ehtan started before he was cut off by the booming voice of the dungeon. ¡°Congratulations, you have cleared the fifth floor by defeating the Yuki Onna and Tsurara Onna. The sixth floor is now available to you.¡± ¡°Oh unlocking the sixth floor, that¡¯s quite the accomplishment,¡± The Black said walking calmly out of the cave with the bound Gavin hosted over his shoulder. ¡°Put him down,¡± Ethan demanded glaring at him. Ignoring Ethan the Black said, ¡°It¡¯s really a pity you won¡¯t join us. I must admit you¡¯re all quite resourceful in the way you defeated those two. It took us nearly twice the length to defeat them when were were making our way through this floor.¡± The condescending tone of The Black¡¯s voice was really starting to piss Ethan off. It was like everything he said was a dig at them whether he meant it to be or not. Gripping the hilt of his blade tighter all Ethan wanted to do was charge the jerk but with Gavin in the way he couldn¡¯t at the moment. ¡°Oh Ethan, you really do have an anger problem you know?¡± The Black said walking over and inspecting the cracked ice where Ethan killed the Snow Twin. ¡°I can see the fury in your eyes, but know if you do something stupid like try to snap part of that sword off in me I¡¯ll slit Gavin¡¯s throat here.¡± ¡°Honestly that might be preferable,¡± Gavin said. ¡°It¡¯s freezing out here and you¡¯re not a very good chauffeur.¡± With a quick jab the black smashed his free fist into Gavin¡¯s face. There was an uncomfortable crunching noise and Ethan heard the nose break and saw blood start to drip down onto the clean ice below. ¡°God, you¡¯re annoying,¡± The Black said. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you how long I¡¯ve been waiting to do that.¡± ¡°Put him down and fight me,¡± Ethan growled. ¡°What are you proving by hitting a tied up kid?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not proving anything,¡± The Black replied stomping down hard on the part of Ethan¡¯s sword that was still sticking into the ice. ¡°I don¡¯t need to prove anything to a shipper like you. Look at you and pretending to be a hero, you look ridiculous with that red spirit armor.¡± His boot and the Blade tip went through the ice breaking apart the cracked up area beneath it and creating an opening in the sheet of ice. At the same time Ethan felt his vision get more blurry as the rage continued to build up inside of him. It felt like his eyes were going as red as the armor he was wearing. Who was this person to treat him like this? He was going to make him pay and he didn¡¯t care how. ¡°Such a fierce glare,¡± The Black said in the same irritating tone. ¡°I¡¯m trembling over here.¡± Muted in the distance Ethan heard Bella yell, ¡°Ethan don¡¯t,¡± but his legs were already moving on their own. He charged the Black no longer thinking about the fact that he had a hostage. All Ethan could think about was that he was going to beat that smug tone right out of the person. Miraculously he didn¡¯t slip on his way over to the Black but as Ethan lunged for him with the broken sword the Black effortlessly spun out of the way causing Ethan to slip past him and land face first on the hard ice. ¡°Ethan, you should have listened to your fat little girlfriend,¡± The Black said. ¡°Because just for that, I¡¯m going to have to kill Gavin here sooner that I¡¯d planned.¡± Releasing a feral grunt Ethan pushed himself onto his knees and spun around just in time to see The Black toss Gavin face first into the hole he¡¯d created in the ice. Gavin let out a small yelp before it was muted by the water. Still bound he strained against the ropes but they didn¡¯t give and he began to sink. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve got that off of my chest,¡± The Black said with a chuckle at his own joke, ¡°I¡¯m ready to see how powerful that anger of yours really is.¡± Pushing himself to his feet Ethan readied his blade and thought about how nice it would be to wipe the smile off of The Black¡¯s face that he was certain was there. A small voice in the back of his head caused him to hesitate. Part of him knew that Gavin was going to die without help and could he just let that happen? ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The Black asked. ¡°I thought this is what you wanted. Now you¡¯re going to hesitate like a coward?¡± With a roar Ethan charged. He hated this person so much and it would feel so good to pummel him. The Black got into a defensive position anticipating Ethan¡¯s attack, but five feet from The Black Ethan threw himself face forward down onto the ice and slid with his sword held in front of him straight towards the hole in the ice. This took The Black by surprise as Ethan passed him on the ground and slid head first straight into the frigid water. The first impact took his breathe away it was so cold. The second second sucked out all of his rage. It was hard to stay angry when your body was going into complete shock. It had to be just about as cold as water could possibly be without freezing. The only thing that kept him from completely freezing up was the part of his brain at the back that told him Gavin was down there and going to die. It was the same part of his brain that moments before tempered his anger and made him dive in a frozen lake. Staring down into the clear water it wasn¡¯t hard to find Gavin. He was about ten feet below laying sideways on the lake floor with his arms and legs still bound and looking like he was panicking. Adrenaline surged through Ethan and he swam as hard and as fast as he could towards the other boy. It didn¡¯t take long to reach him but it was a battle to get the other boy to hold still enough so that he could cut the ropes without cutting him. Gavin didn¡¯t seem to understand what Ethan was trying to tell him at first and Ethan getting frustrated hit him a couple of times with the pummel of his sword until the other boy stopped trying to rip his way out of his bonds. It only took a couple quick cuts with the jagged end of the blade to free Gavin and as soon as he was free he kicked off bolting for the hole near the surface like a mad man. Dropping the sword Ethan kicked after him feeling almost as desperate to get out of the water. Gavin broke the surface first and while the hole was only big enough for one person at a time he was quickly pulled out of the water by someone Ethan couldn¡¯t make out. Ethan broke the surface next and while the air entering his lungs was a relief, the air hitting his skin was almost worse than the water. It freaking burned. Blue, Yellow, and Green hands grabbed ahold of him and dragged him out onto the ice next to Gavin where the two of them lay coughing, gagging, and shivering. ¡°Where is The Black?¡± Ethan finally asked between chattering. ¡°Gone,¡± Alex answered. ¡°He ran off shortly after you dove in after Gavin. We thought about chasing after him, but with the two of you under the ice we figured we needed to stay close by in case you needed help.¡± ¡°I thought you were going to attack him,¡± Bella said. ¡°You really surprised me when you dove down and slide at the last moment.¡± Honestly, I thought I was going to attack him too for a minute there, Ethan thought. ¡°I appreciate the rescue and all,¡± Gavin said sitting up and shaking, ¡°but I¡¯m freezing so can we talk later?¡± ¡°Both of you need to get back into the cave near that fire,¡± Quin order pulling Ethan to his feet and pushing him into the direction of the cave. ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me twice,¡± Ethan replied teeth still chattering. ¡°I¡¯ve never wanted to be so near a fire in my life.¡± ¡°You¡¯re also going to need to strip,¡± Quin added causing Ethan to exclaim, ¡°What?¡± Chapter 23: Exit ¡°Thanks for diving in after me,¡± Gavin muttered being careful to avoid looking at Ethan. ¡°I thought I was going to die, so I guess that makes you a hero for saving my life.¡± ¡°Yeah I really feel like a hero right now,¡± Ethan said dryly, squatting down at the fire next to Gavin. They both laughed which caused Ethan to feel slightly better about the situation. Just like Quin instructed both of them had been forced to strip after the battle with The Black. Ethan hated it but he knew she was right. There was no way he could keep on those wet clothes in temperatures like this and expect to be fine. Whenever someone did something stupid and heroic in stories they conviently left stuff like this out. The real world was different though. That line of thought caused Ethan to laugh inside his head realizing the irony. Was the dungeon even the real world? He couldn¡¯t be sure, all he could be sure about was how much this sucked. He just wished his clothes would dry a bit faster. It felt like they¡¯d been squatting around the fire for hours. You never realized how vulnerable you were until you were forced to squat naked in a cave next to all of your friends. There was very little chance that any of them would let Ethan forget this. Jokes about this would be made for years. The very small positive about this situation was that the fire seemed to be a part of the dungeon itself and it never burned down or went out. They didn¡¯t even have to add wood too it which was a can of worms that Ethan didn¡¯t feel like wrapping his brain around, at least until he safely had some sort of fabric wrapped around him. ¡°Are our clothes dry yet?¡± Ethan asked for only the fifth time. ¡°Close,¡± Quin answered from only a few feet away. ¡°I¡¯d say another five to ten minutes and we¡¯ll be able to make for the exit.¡± Thank God, Ethan thought trying to will the time to go faster. ¡°Isabella Tavarez,¡± Alex said suddenly, ¡°are you attempting to sneak a peak?¡± ¡°No,¡± Bella replied quickly and Ethan could hear the embarrassment in her voice. ¡°I was checking on the clothes.¡± ¡°Uh huh,¡± Alex replied clearly enjoying making her squirm. ¡°I¡¯m shocked. I¡¯d have never expected something like that from you. Quin, sure. We all know that she¡¯s that type of girl and desperately needs to work on her relationship with the lord.¡± ¡°Bella ignore him,¡± Quin said and Ethan could practically hear her eyes rolling. ¡°The more embarrassed you react the more he enjoys it, but don¡¯t worry, I''m going to drop him in the lake on our way out.¡± Alex shut up quickly causing Bella to giggle. Ethan could just picture the scowl on his roommate''s face and it made him smile and forget how uncomfortable he was for just a moment. The next ten minutes or so passed in relative silence. It was really hard to hold a conversation in his current condition. Blessedly, Quin finally said, ¡°Alright, they feel dry.¡± ¡°Thank God,¡± Ethan said turning and snatching his clothes quickly. Gavin was almost as quick and they both dressed rapidly. Putting on dry clothes was the best feeling after the frigid water of the lake and the uncomfortable lack of them for hours. Unfortunately, this also meant they had to exit the warmth of the fire and head back out onto the frozen lake and then up the mountainside. ¡°Alright now that everyone can focus,¡± Alex said leading them out of the cave, ¡°especially you Bella, I think it¡¯s time we discuss some of the things The Black said. The first response to this was Quin punching him in the shoulder which caused Alex to yelp and glare at her momentarily. ¡°Anyways,¡± Alex said after a moment, ¡°I think we can safely confirm that The Black is a man and he¡¯s not working alone. So I was correct in my assumption there.¡± ¡°The whole if we leave the dungeon unchecked it could destroy the western United States bit was a bit scary,¡± Bella said. ¡°Yeah and it definitely is past just Misty Oaks,¡± Ethan added. ¡°I saw one of those winged dogs at one of my away soccer games back in the fall.¡± ¡°So the world is going to end, awesome,¡± Gavin said acting more like himself now that he was clothed. ¡°Oh yeah, this is your first time down here,¡± Ethan said realizing that Gavin was probably completely confused. ¡°I mean I picked up on the fact that this is Narnia and that black guy is a psychopath,¡± Gavin said shrugging, but I would appreciate it if you¡¯d all fill me in on what¡¯s going on. I¡¯m especially curious about that translucent armor you all seem to have.¡± Over the next twenty minutes while they walked and climbed they did their best to explain the dungeon, how they¡¯d found it, the spirit armor and weapons, and everything else they knew about it. ¡°So basically instead of a wardrobe it¡¯s an elevator in the basement of Hinan Hall?¡± Gavin asked. ¡°This is the craziest thing I¡¯ve ever heard, but considering where we are I can¡¯t really not believe you.¡± ¡°Trust me, we¡¯ve been coming down here for most of the school year and it¡¯s still crazy to me,¡± Ethan said smiling. ¡°I actually refused at first, but the dungeon doesn¡¯t exactly let you just ignore it.¡± ¡°Yeah, it sends it¡¯s little beasties after you until you start trying to find its heart whatever that is,¡± Alex added. ¡°The scariest thing,¡± Bella said thoughtfully, ¡°is the fact that The Black mentioned that there are more than one of these things and that this one is realively young.¡± ¡°Yeah he said it was created in Showa 11,¡± Ethan said. ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m almost positive that¡¯s a Japanese year,¡± Alex said. ¡°I¡¯m not positive and I¡¯ll have to look it up when we get back but it sounds like one.¡± ¡°Japan has a different calendar than we do?¡± Quin asked curious. ¡°They use the western calendar but they also have a calendar based off of who was emperor at the time,¡± Alex explained. ¡°It¡¯s really confusing and made things difficult every time I¡¯ve gone to visit family over there.¡± ¡°So Showa was an emperor?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°Maybe, probably,¡± Alex responded. ¡°I¡¯m honestly not sure. Don¡¯t look at me like that. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve studied Japanese history. I¡¯ve just picked up on a couple things.¡± ¡°In other words you¡¯re useless and know nothing,¡± Gavin said. ¡°I don¡¯t know why they¡¯ve kept you around all this time.¡± ¡°Oh shut up,¡± Alex retorted. ¡°I helped rescue you, you know.¡± ¡°Were you the blue one standing around doing nothing while Ethan, Bella, and Quin did all the hard work? I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t remember.¡± He smiled as he said this to let Alex know he was teasing him which got a laugh out of the rest of the group. Despite the fact that The Black had gotten away they were all in pretty good spirits as they approached the elevator. They¡¯d saved Gavin, cleared a floor, and no one was seriously injured or dead. Piling into the elevator Ethan couldn¡¯t help but smile. He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d ever wanted to return to school as badly as he did right now. All he really wanted to do was return to his room, crawl in his bed and sleep for the next five days or so. Riding the elevator up and returning to the entry room of the dungeon always felt a bit like leaving a movie theater in that it was hard to keep track of time while they were inside the dungeon and he was never sure what time it would be when they got out. This time Ethan was pretty sure it was going to be late though. They¡¯d gone through not one but two floors and then sat around a fire waiting for clothes to dry. Finally, after what felt like a longer than usual ride the doors to the elevator opened and they walked out into the entry room in the basement of Hinan Hall. ¡°Oh man is it nice to be out of that cold,¡± Gavin said stretching out his arms. ¡°I mean don¡¯t get me wrong as a Minnesotan I appreciate it as much as the next person, but this is definitely better.¡± ¡°Honestly if I never see snow again I¡¯ll be fine with it,¡± Bella said smiling. ¡°It really wasn¡¯t that cold,¡± Quin muttered. ¡°Xena, we already know you¡¯re tough, you don¡¯t need to keep proving it,¡± Gavin said to her. ¡°Just enjoy the comforts of this creepy basement like the rest of us.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°I wonder what time it is,¡± Alex said out loud more to himself than to the group. ¡°Who knows,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°It¡¯s almost impossible to keep track of time while were in there, but I¡¯d guess late since I¡¯m feeling completely exhausted.¡± ¡°Pink,¡± a familiar but completely unwelcome voice said from all around them. ¡°Now this is a taste I haven¡¯t had in a long time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s official I¡¯ve completely lost it,¡± Gavin said looking around wildly. ¡°Now I¡¯m hearing a disembodied voice. Mother did always tell me to make sure I took my meds every day or something like this was bound to happen.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not crazy,¡± Ethan said sourly. ¡°That¡¯s the dungeon and it¡¯s never good news when it speaks.¡± ¡°Gavin Lloyd,¡± the dungeon continued ignoring them and causing Ethan to groan internally. ¡°Always the jokester, you wrap yourself in humor like a shield, never letting any harm come to the boy on the inside.¡± ¡°What are you my psychologist?¡± Gavin asked. ¡°Guys is this an intervention? Look I promise to lay off the drinking right after one last--Ahh!¡± Dropping to the ground Gavin clutched at his ankle screaming in pain. A scream and a pain that was all too familiar to Ethan and the other three. Without a doubt Gavin was getting marked by the dungeon right now which would probably be the cherry on top for him after being kidnapped and tied up in a cave. ¡°Hang in there Gavin,¡± Bella said dropping to the ground and holding him. ¡°It will go away in a minute.¡± ¡°What are you in on this?¡± Gavin spat through gritted teeth misreading her. ¡°No Gavin,¡± Bella replied calmly, ¡°but this is something that it did to the rest of us so we¡¯re familiar with what you¡¯re going through right now.¡± Giving the slightest nod to her Gavin closed his eyes and moaned for a couple of minutes. ¡°Did I sound like that?¡± Alex asked Ethan out of the corner of his mouth. ¡°Nah,¡± Ethan replied smirking, ¡°you were worse.¡± ¡°Xena,¡± Gavin said, ¡°I need you to come here and do something for me.¡± ¡°What do you need?¡± Quin asked moving closer to him. ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to take that sword and amputate my leg right here above my ankle,¡± Gavin replied. ¡°Amputation is the only option. Bella I¡¯m going to need you to wad up some towels or something for the blood.¡± ¡°Quit being so dramatic,¡± Quin replied folding her arms. ¡°If you can crack jokes the pain¡¯s already starting to fade. You¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Gavin Lloyd,¡± the dungeon said. ¡°I congratulate you on becoming The Pink. If you¡¯ll touch the mark on you will summon your spirit weapon and armor.¡± ¡°Sweet, I got a weapon and armor too?¡± Gavin said suddenly dropping his woe is me act and sitting up straight. This startled Bella who¡¯d been holding him and caused her to fall over backwards. Gavin didn¡¯t seem to notice though as he was far to preoccupied pulling up his pants leg to reveal the three swirling commas mark on his ankle. Just like the dungeon said, it was pink which looked ridiculous but at least it was in a spot where he could easily hide it. Taking two fingers Gavin pressed them against the mark. A moment later transparent pink armor manifested around him and a long straight-headed spear was clutched in one hand across his lap. He took a long moment looking over the spear before he finally said, ¡°Pink? I freaking hate pink. First of all it clashes horribly with my hair and second of all, it''s just the worst color. Can I choose a different one?¡± ¡°You can choose the color no more than I can,¡± the dungeon replied in its typically calm tone. ¡°You are the color and the color is you. I simply help you to access what is already inside by placing the mark on you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the most useless disembodied voice I¡¯ve ever heard,¡± Gavin muttered scowling. ¡°You¡¯ve heard one before this?¡± Alex asked raising an eyebrow. ¡°What do you this is always preventing me from participating in P.E. or other physical activities?¡± Gavin replied grinning. ¡°That¡¯s not a disembodied voice that¡¯s just your laziness,¡± Quin muttered. ¡°Ah but I do hear a voice in the back of my head that tells me I wouldn¡¯t enjoy it and who would I be if I didn¡¯t listen to that voice,¡± Gavin retorted. ¡°Someone respectable,¡± Quin said frowning. ¡°You must use that weapon and armor to fight your way through my floors and to claim my heart,¡± the dungeon said completely ignoring the banter. ¡°That sounds like a lot of work,¡± Gavin replied. ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass. Thanks for the gear though.¡± ¡°Once you¡¯ve been marked you have no choice,¡± the dungeon said in response. ¡°Well as I didn¡¯t choose this kindly remove the mark then,¡± Gavin said shrugging. ¡°I cannot,¡± the dungeon replied and Ethan waited to hear more but all that followed was silence. Finally after waiting a minute Gavin asked, ¡°What do you mean you cannot?¡± ¡°It is impossible, I cannot,¡± the dungeon simply said. ¡°Are you always this helpful?¡± Gavin asked sarcastically. ¡°So what are you going to do tie me up and drag me down to your frozen wastelands? Oh wait that¡¯s already been done to me tonight.¡± ¡°What I meant was, that the dungeon-born will be drawn to you,¡± the dungeon replied. ¡°The longer you go without entering the more they will be attracted to you. As you¡¯ve already entered and cleared a floor you have some time but eventually that will wear off and they will come for you. However, because of this I don¡¯t see any reason to make you return to the dungeon today.¡± ¡°How generous,¡± Gavin said still all sarcasm. ¡°Well this chat has been awesome just like this whole day, but now I¡¯m going to go lock myself in my bedroom and hope I wake up back in the real world tomorrow.¡± Without another word he deactivated the armor, sprang to his feet and marched towards the double wooden doors on the opposite side of the room. After another moment Ethan and the other three fell in after him. He burst out the doors and kept walking down the dark hallway in the direction of the stairs. The lighting in the building was completely off so Ethan guessed it must be exceptionally late. ¡°Gavin, wait up,¡± Ethan called after him. ¡°Look I appreciate what you did for me, though I still don¡¯t understand it,¡± Gavin called back starting to climb up the staircase, ¡°but I really just want to forget this whole thing now. So if we could just pretend like this never happened that would be swell.¡± I tried that already, Ethan thought quickening his pace to try and catch up. It won¡¯t work. The dungeon doesn¡¯t just let people go. ¡°I know that was messed up and confusing, but you¡¯ll be better with us than alone,¡± Alex said as they all hurried up the stairs after him. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m pretty good alone,¡± Gavin replied. ¡°It¡¯s been working out for me so far.¡± ¡°Alone on Valentine¡¯s day?¡± An angry masculine voice asked. ¡°Oh I think not Mr. Lloyd.¡± Who was that? The voice sounded so familiar to Ethan but he just couldn¡¯t place it. That was until he reached the top of the staircase and saw Mr. Tanaka walking out of the shadows staring at Gavin angrily. ¡°And it looks like you are not in fact alone,¡± Mr. Tanaka said shifting his glare to the other four. ¡°Do you students have any idea what time it is?¡± ¡°Uh, no sir,¡± Ethan stammered feeling his heart drop onto the floor. ¡°It is two in the morning and here I find five of my students, freshmen I believe hanging out in the school basement,¡± Tanaka answered. ¡°Is that smoke I smell? Have you all been doing drugs?¡± ¡°No sir,¡± Alex said sounded mortified. ¡°We have not been doing drugs.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± Tanaka replied. ¡°Mr. Ishida is that you? I¡¯d have expected better of a student of your level.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Alex answered miserably. ¡°Ah Mr. Russell of course you¡¯re behind this,¡± Tanaka said finally looking directly at Ethan. ¡°I should have known from the start you¡¯d be the ringleader getting your fellow students into trouble.¡± Biting his tongue Ethan stared defiantly back at Tanaka. He probably shouldn¡¯t have glared at the man but it was all he could do just to keep himself from shouting at him. ¡°Ms. Phillips I¡¯d have expected better of you as well,¡± Tanaka said looking at Quin and then sliding his glance to Bella. ¡°And who are you?¡± ¡°Isabella Tavarez,¡± Bella squeaked out in reply. ¡°Of course, another one of our scholarship students,¡± Tanaka said dismissively. ¡°Well if you weren¡¯t smoking drugs what were you doing down in the basement?¡± ¡°We were uh,¡± Ethan stammered trying to come up with something off of the top of his head and failing. There was no way they could tell him about the dungeon and expect him to believe them. It was crazy who would believe something like that. The whole story from today was crazy actually. Would they all get expelled if Tanaka thought they were doing drugs? Probably. ¡°We were uh,¡± Ethan said again and Alex finished, ¡°just hanging out.¡± ¡°Just hanging out?¡± Tanaka asked dryly looking like he didn¡¯t believe them. ¡°You know teenagers,¡± Alex said shrugging and avoiding eye contact with the man. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to give me more than that,¡± Tanaka said sighing. ¡°We were playing make out games,¡± Gavin said quickly causing Tanaka to spin on him. ¡°Make out games?¡± Tanaka asked staring down at Gavin who actually looked cool under the glare. ¡°Yeah, you know making out with one another,¡± Gavin said shrugging. ¡°It is Valentine¡¯s day and we¡¯ve gotta have fun somehow. I¡¯d just decided that I was done playing when you found us. I know it bothers some people but I don¡¯t mind being alone of V-day.¡± ¡°Is this true?¡± Tanaka asked to the rest of the group. One by one all four of them nodded in response and Ethan noticed that all of them had gone beat red. If he could see himself in a mirror his cheeks probably looked as red as his armor usually did. Still this story sounded a whole lot better than having Tanaka think they were doing drugs. Finally after a minute Tanaka sighed and then laughed causing the tension to let up in the air. ¡°I should have known,¡± he said still chuckling. ¡°You¡¯re not the first set of students I¡¯ve caught over the years romantically involved.¡± ¡°We¡¯re really sorry sir,¡± Alex said with an embarrassed grin. ¡°We won¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°Of course you won¡¯t do it again Mr. Ishida,¡± Tanaka replied, ¡°because the basement is off limits to you five outside of your classes now and you all have dentition for the next month.¡± ¡°But sir,¡± Alex pleaded mortified. ¡°No buts Mr. Ishida,¡± Tanaka replied still grinning. ¡°If you wanted to kiss some girls, someone of your intelligence should have known there was a price to be paid. I hope it was worth it for you.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Alex replied hanging his head. ¡°The five of you will report to detention straight after classes on Monday,¡± Tanaka instructed. ¡°Ms. Phillips are you listening?¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Quin said coming out of the far off look she¡¯d had on her face. ¡°And what did I say?¡± Tanaka asked her. ¡°We have detention for a month, the basement is off limits, and there was a price to be paid for kissing boys,¡± Quin replied flatly. ¡°Very good Ms. Phillips,¡± Tanaka said to her, ¡°I certainly hope it was worth it for all of you.¡± ¡°It was,¡± Ethan muttered defiantly, glancing at Gavin and thinking that if saving someone''s life was worth a month of detentions he¡¯d gladly pay that anytime. Chapter 24: The Diving Club ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Gavin said. ¡°Now rip out his spine and and use it like a rope to hang him by. Fatality!¡± ¡°You know Gavin,¡± a frustrated Ethan said setting down the controller, ¡°don¡¯t people usually root for the underdog?¡± The remains of his character on screen were now hanging from the rafters of the temple complex while Alex¡¯s character posed with the word perfect in the foreground. ¡°I only root for winners Ethan,¡± Gavin replied, ¡°and you are just plain terrible at this game.¡± ¡°If you think he¡¯s bad at this you should see him try to shoot aliens on the Xbox,¡± Alex said laughing. It was April, nearly two months after the incident with The Black and their month of detention which had actually turned into nearly six weeks of detention. While Gavin initially tried to keep a distance from them, he quickly grew more friendly with all of them. It was hard not to become friends with people who not only saved your life but that you were forced to spend time with everyday after school. One positive thing about detention was that they were allowed to do homework during it which forced Ethan to immediately start his homework every night right after class. His grades were definitely improving as a result. It also didn¡¯t hurt having two of the smartest people in his grade available to answer his questions pretty much all the time now. His drawing grade was still likely to be a C but hey that was better than the D he got before. He also thought that wasn¡¯t bad considering he had less talent at Drawing than at video games and he was really bad at video games. It was like there was some kind of thumb coordination he never learned as a child and because of that he was way behind both Alex and Gavin. Surely he¡¯d end this semester with better than a 3.0 GPA which meant that with any luck Tanaka would have to allow him to play on the soccer team at the start of the next school year. Quin probably would never let him live it down if he didn¡¯t play. He was getting to know the girl better slowly and priorities for her definitely went something like: soccer, exercise, exciting challenges, air, water, food, school, and finally last, people¡¯s opinions. In the time since Valentine¡¯s day they hadn¡¯t been back down to the dungeon. None of them except Quin had any desire to push Tanaka further but Ethan knew this was going to have to change. It was only a matter of time before dungeon creatures started coming after them again and the longer they went without returning the more likely this was going to be. Privately Alex also voiced this same opinion to Ethan, but neither of them were quite confident enough to mention it to Gavin who¡¯d made it very clear he wanted nothing to do with the place. Sure he liked the armor and spear minus the terrible color, but as far as returning to the dungeon he was a definite no. Bella would do whatever Ethan did. He knew that and he also knew that she probably also knew they¡¯d have to return sooner or later. Even though his friends group was growing she was still easily his best friend and the person he knew he could rely on the most. She was much more helpful with his homework than Alex was, who had little to no patience for anyone who couldn¡¯t keep up with his line of thinking on things like math. The problem was that almost no one aside from Bella could keep up with Alex and she didn¡¯t exactly need help. She was also his number one supporter on the get Jenny interested in him club which admittedly consisted of just him and Bella. Ethan just didn¡¯t feel comfortable sharing his crush with the others. Gavin and Alex would both make jokes and give him a hard time and Quin probably wonder why he cared what another person thought of him. She¡¯d probably just tell him he needed to focus on his soccer drills and getting his running speed up. Quin would be even easier than Bella to get to return to the dungeon though. She¡¯d actually mentioned during every run how they should head back in and keep going. When Ethan brought his concerns about Tanaka she replied with, ¡°So what?¡± She was a rich kid after all and lived in a different world than he did. ¡°We should get going,¡± Ethan said scowling. ¡°We promised to meet the girls for lunch and it wouldn¡¯t be nice to be late.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got plenty of time, you just don¡¯t want to get your butt kicked any more,¡± Alex replied. ¡°To be fair to Ethan,¡± Gavin said, ¡°there are legally blind children that don¡¯t lose as badly as he does at this game.¡± ¡°Remind me, why do we keep letting you into our dorm room?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°Because without my charming personality and witty banter you¡¯d be bored out of your minds,¡± Gavin replied, ¡°but also because the school insisted you two have a responsible chaperon.¡± ¡°Yeah okay,¡± Alex snorted rolling his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re many things Gavin, but you might be the single least responsible person at this school.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Gavin said with mock indignation, ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I¡¯m mostly responsible for all the A¡¯s in our P.E. class.¡± ¡°How do you figure that?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°You don¡¯t don¡¯t do anything in P.E. You¡¯d probably fail if Rockfort didn¡¯t like you so much.¡± ¡°I single handedly took it upon myself to lower the curve for everyone else,¡± Gavin replied puffing up his chest. ¡°I¡¯ve made that sacrifice so that all of you kids can go home to your parents with a good grade. I put the needs of the group before myself. Ethan couldn¡¯t help himself he smiled at laughed and just like that his annoyance for being made fun of for his video game play was gone. That was the effect Gavin had on people. He¡¯d irritate you with a quip one second and make you laugh with another the next and it was impossible to stay mad at someone who made you laugh. ¡°Let''s actually go though,¡± Gavin said getting up off of Alex¡¯s bed where he¡¯d been sitting. ¡°I¡¯m starving and if they run out of the good food again, the kind with gluten, I¡¯m going to be livid.¡± ¡°Remind me again how you aren¡¯t 400 lbs with diabetes?¡± Alex asked as the three of them left the room heading towards the dining hall. ¡°Superior genetics,¡± Gavin replied. ¡°Sure my good looks are obvious to everyone, but beneath them unseen is a perfect metabolism that insists I eat a lot of fried food and ice cream lest my body eats itself to death.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let Quin overhear that,¡± Ethan muttered. ¡°She already lectures me about using a mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise to dip my fries in.¡± ¡°Obviously she¡¯s concerned that you¡¯re using medicore condiments,¡± Gavin replied. ¡°Everyone knows that ranch dressing is the best condiment followed closely by barbecue sauce and honey mustard.¡± ¡°Pretty sure she¡¯d say those are bad too,¡± Ethan said shaking his head. ¡°The girl is a health nut.¡± ¡°What is wrong with her?¡± Gavin asked as they walked across the quad towards the dining hall. ¡°High School kids are supposed to eat poorly because these are the years we can. Personally I go out of my way to eat specific things in front of adults that can¡¯t have them anymore just to remind them what life was like before they got old and their body¡¯s betrayed them. Quin should at least be waiting until she¡¯s an old maid at like 25 to be worried about nutrition.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s going to be an old maid at 25?¡± Quin¡¯s voice asked. Turning quickly to the right the saw Bella and Quin walking towards them from the direction of Wildcat House. ¡°Clearly not you,¡± Gavin said, ¡°because you¡¯re already an old maid now lecturing Ethan on his condiment use.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°There is little to no nutritional value in gobs of mayonnaise and ketchup,¡± Quin said giving Ehtan a look like he ratted her out or something. ¡°At are age all of us are still developing and our bodies need good fuel to grow bigger and stronger. With the almost exclusively sugar-based diet that you eat, lack of physical exercise, and general ignorance about health you¡¯ll be lucky to make it to 25.¡± ¡°Hey don¡¯t knock sugar, it¡¯s the jet fuel of the food world and my body requires the best,¡± Gavin replied. ¡°In fact I¡¯m thinking some Cinnamon Toast Crunch would make for an excellent lunch.¡± ¡°Quin was just about to respond when Alex cut in, ¡°Quin don¡¯t. You¡¯ve made your point. People are going to eat what they¡¯re going to eat so just worry about your food. And Gavin,¡± he added, ¡° please don¡¯t antagonize, just eat whatever disgusting concoction you think of and let us discuss more important things.¡± ¡°What could possibly be more important the the ice cream sundae that I¡¯m going to have after my cereal?¡± Gavin asked as the five of them scanned into the cafeteria. ¡°The dungeon,¡± Alex said giving him a look that said shut up. ¡°It¡¯s high time we discussed it and before you say anything, ignoring it is not an option. Ethan tried that before and it worked out poorly for all of us.¡± This actually did shut Gavin up. The dungeon was one of, if not the only thing guaranteed to do it. Ethan understood where he was coming from, actually. He really didn¡¯t want anything to do with the place either and if you compounded that with the fact that Gavin¡¯s first experience with the place was being kidnapped and almost drowned it was rather reasonable. The five of them went in and made their way through different stations before meeting back up at a table in the back corner. If they were going to discuss something like the dungeon at least this would give them some privacy. ¡°Okay,¡± Alex said after eating a few bites of his stir fry. ¡°There are really three or four things to discuss here. The Black and whoever he¡¯s working with, Showa 11, which I did some digging into, and the ticking time-bomb that is ignoring the dungeon, and how we¡¯re going to get around Tanaka¡¯s banishment.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy,¡± Gavin said slurping spoonfuls of milk, ¡°We don¡¯t go back down there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not an option as I already said,¡± Alex replied sighing. ¡°As the dungeon mentioned if you were listening, which I suppose is always an if for you, the longer we go without visiting the dungeon the more likely one of these dungeon-born creatures is going to come after us. You weren¡¯t there, but it happened with Ethan last semester. This giant winged dog attacked him as well as Bella and myself who were with him at the time. This was out in the open in broad daylight and not something I especially want to go through again.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been trying to give you and all of us some time after the struggle on the fifth floor, but Alex is right,¡± Bella said gently setting down her fork. She was actually eating a grilled chicken salad which wasn¡¯t her standard fare, but over the last couple of months she¡¯d actually been taking Quin¡¯s advice about nutrition very seriously which is more than Ethan could say. He was currently eating a cheeseburger and fries with extra mayonnaise and ketchup just to annoy Quin. Who was she to tell him what he should be eating? ¡°Personally, I think we¡¯ve waited too long,¡± Quin said. ¡°We should have checked out the sixth floor the following Sunday and just ignored Tanaka.¡± ¡°Yeah, no,¡± Ethan said. ¡°The guy already has a grudge against me, probably for being a Shipper or something, and that would just give him more of an excuse to come after me.¡± ¡°Yeah, we don¡¯t want to make an enemy out of him,¡± Alex said. ¡°He could make our lives miserable or even get you kicked off of the soccer team Quin.¡± ¡°Not if he wants a team that can win,¡± Quin replied with just a hint of anger in the stare she gave Alex as if he was trying to kick her off the team. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, it would be better to be stealthy and have a reasonable excuse as to why we¡¯re in the basement of Hinan Hall,¡± Alex continued. ¡°This means that Sunday is out for now as that¡¯s the least likely day we should be down there. Do any of you actually have classes in the basement?¡± ¡°I have drawing and painting at the end of the day on Tuesday and Thursday,¡± Ethan muttered sourly. ¡°That teacher hates me though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Alex continued. ¡°What you¡¯re going to do, and anyone else that has classes in the basement is you¡¯re going to stay late after class occasionally working on homework or practicing.¡± ¡°Seriously you want me to stay late in that room with Ms. Phelan?¡± Ethan asked not liking this idea at all. ¡°Yes, because then you can occasionally head to the dungeon instead and if Tanaka catches us down there you¡¯ll just say you were working on your drawing for class which Ms. Phelan will back up since you will actually be doing that on occasion,¡± Alex said. ¡°I personally don¡¯t have a class in the basement, but with my grades and the fact that you are my roommate I can probably get away with saying I was trying to help you improve your grade or something.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Quin said. ¡°When do you want to head down again?¡± ¡°I think directly after classes on next Tuesday,¡± Alex replied. ¡°Tanaka should probably be busy still administrating or whatever he does and it gives us an excuse to be there. Just make sure you actually stay late in the meantime.¡± ¡°Great,¡± Ethan muttered thinking about how awesome it was going to be to spend extra time around Ms. Phelan. ¡°You¡¯re not going to bend on this are you?¡± Gavin asked unusually serious. ¡°No Gavin, I¡¯m not,¡± Alex said. ¡°Look none of us are going to force you to go, but just know if you don''t you will get attacked. I think all of us, well maybe not Quin, would prefer to simply not have to deal with the place, but it marked us and now until we figure something out were just going to have to keep playing it¡¯s game until something changes.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go with you at least the first time,¡± Gavin muttered dropping his spoon onto his tray. ¡°Not making any promises after that though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Alex answered. ¡°Now onto The Black, he¡¯s still out there and I was correct he isn¡¯t working alone. He definitely said we a couple of time and I don¡¯t think he was using the royal we.¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably not too happy that we rejected his offer, saved Gavin, and got away,¡± Ethan said thinking. ¡°He surely can¡¯t handle all of us,¡± Quin said. ¡°He ran after you dove in the lake and that left only three of us and now we have five.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± Alex said. ¡°There¡¯s no doubt that he knows more about the dungeon that we do and that he is more skilled than any of us, but I think it¡¯s safe to assume he isn¡¯t about to try to take the five of us head on together.¡± ¡°So what he¡¯s going to come after us in our sleep?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know about our sleep, but I could definitely see him or whoever he is working with trying to get us alone,¡± Alex said. ¡°We should at least for the time being try to always make sure we¡¯re around other people.¡± ¡°Should be easy enough at school,¡± Ethan said shrugging. ¡°Yeah, and we should see if we can come up with any research on dungeons or people they mark since he also mentioned this wasn¡¯t the only one,¡± Alex continued. ¡°I already went through the entire library and there wasn¡¯t anything, but if they¡¯ve been around as long as he implied there¡¯s got to be some information out there somewhere.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll start looking too,¡± Bella chimed in happy to find someway to contribute at something she was good at. ¡°Finally,¡± Alex said. ¡°I looked up Showa 11 and I was right, it is a year on the traditional Japanese calendar. It¡¯s 1936 which if accurate opens up even more questions for me.¡± ¡°Why would that open up more questions for you?¡± Quin asked. ¡°The dungeons almost a hundred years old big deal.¡± ¡°It opens up more questions because that year doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Alex explained. ¡°The town of Hinan, or Misty Oaks as we call it now was founded by Japanese-Americans from the Manzanar internment camp after World War II in the late forties. The Black just told us that the dungeon was created a decade before that when this area was basically supposed to be wilderness.¡± ¡°That is weird,¡± Ethan said thinking. ¡°Could dungeons perhaps come about naturally from nature?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Alex answered, ¡°but from what he said I¡¯d say that seems unlikely. It sounded like humans are involved in the creation and if they are it couldn¡¯t have been created by the refugees from Manzanar.¡± ¡°Who created it then?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°That¡¯s the big question,¡± Alex answered. ¡°We¡¯ll have to find out more, especially about this town¡¯s history.¡± ¡°Sounds like we¡¯ve got a lot of work to do,¡± Ethan said. ¡°And it all starts with you practicing your drawing,¡± Alex replied with a wink causing Ethan to scowl. Like Alex suggested over the following week Ethan stayed after in drawing to work on improving his drawings and his grade. Ms. Phelan wasn¡¯t exactly pleased with this situation but seeing as he seemed to be trying to get better at her class she could hardly complain. For Ethan it was even worse than his regular classes because for whatever fault they had at least there were other people for her to focus on. When it was just her and him she never failed to let him know he was doing something wrong and in this classroom he was always doing something wrong. The days crept by slowly until finally the following Tuesday came around and he snuck out of Drawing at the bell and made his way down the hall to the ancient double doors leading into the dungeon. Ethan was the first to get there which wasn¡¯t a surprise. He was the closest after all. One by one the others showed up, all of them grim-faced except for Quin who had just a hint of excitement in her eyes. Once they were all there Ethan pressed the button to call the elevator. It opened instantly and they all piled in activating their spirit armor. Reaching out Ethan hit the button for the sixth floor and said, ¡°Gavin let me be the first to officially welcome you to the Diving Club.¡± ¡°Worst club of all time,¡± Gavin muttered as the doors to the elevator shut and they began to descend.