Alex woke up the next morning, a nude Thalia snuggled against him. She was so soft, like silk and velvet and he couldn't bring himself to disturb her, so he waited patiently for her to wake. He kinda hoped she wouldn't wake for quite some time, he didn't want this bliss to end. He could stay there forever, his love in his arm, sunlight streaming in and but everything had to come to an end. Eventually, she awoke and left to take a shower, her hips swaying as she left the room.
"That is a sight I could get used to", he sighed wistfully. Once she was done showering, he too took one. The cold water chased away any fatigue that might be left in his bones. Alex looked out the window, the whole camp was caked in a layer of snow. Strange… it didn't snow or rain in the camp unless mr D willed it to do so. This amount of snow… could it really have fallen in just one night?
"Hey snowy", Thalia's voice rang out, "you want to go into a dungeon before we go to breakfast?"
Alexander's eyes lit up, "is that even a question?"
He placed his hand on their couch and created a dungeon, which the two of them entered without looking at the dungeon name or difficulty.
They appeared in a large arena, like the colosseum in Rome. People were cheering in the stands but these people had no faces.
"Seems like we have a two for one deal today! Alexander and Thalia! The demigod duo! Can they climb the ranks or will they be snuffed out like so many before them?!" A booming voice came from nowhere and everywhere all at once
[Quest: Fighting pits
You are chosen as the fighting pits champions. Defeat the three other champions to win eternal glory!
Reward: two random attribute rank ups; two random skill rank ups]
"Just some fights? This is gonna be easy", Thalia smirked, pulling out her spear with a dramatic flare.
"Oh- is that right? It's gonna be easy?" A slick voice came from the other side of the colosseum, quiet and yet heard by everyone. A figure appeared, as if the shadows themselves had birthed him(or her, it wasn't obvious) into existence. They wore a long, crimson robe and held a gnarled yew wood staff in their hands. They looked malnourished, like as if their skin was draped over their bones without any muscle in between and their eyes were black voids, as if they had been plugged from the sockets. They raised their staff and the shadows all around the arena birthed soldiers of metal and darkness. Their hulking bodies looked like they packed quite the punch and they each carried a weapon. Some carried swords, some axes and a few even bows, "dear… I think you jinxed us… this is only the first of three champions"
"Sorry… but don't worry, we'll do this, together!"
"Let the battle begin!"
The shadow soldiers and the two demigods charged at each other. Lightning and ice flew in every direction, impaling their enemies, frying them and some were also destroyed by their weapons but no matter how many they struck down, more came to replace them.
"I don't think this is working", Thalia dodged a heavy swing from a greataxe, "they just keep coming! We need to stop their flow. Do you know what I think we should do?", she gathered lightning in her hands and shot it at the wizard, "kill the summoner!"
The lightning bolt struck the wizard and it kicked off quite a bit of dust. Alex wondered ,for a short moment, if it was that easy… butbof course it couldn't be that easy. Once the dust settled, they saw the wizard protected by a glowing blue shield. There was a big crack on it but it was slowly mending itself.
"Not a bad idea but my shield is too powerful!"
"Don't fret, dear, it did damage the shield. You just need to keep shooting bolts… I'll keep the knights at bay. Anemo" he flew high up and focused. Wind pushed the enemies away. They couldn't approach and Thalia had enough time to send one bolt after the other.
"No! No! No! This wasn't supposed to-!" With a loud crack, the spell was shattered and the next bolt finished off the wizard. The shadow soldiers dissipated without a trace.
"The wonder duo has managed to kill the sorcerer, let's see how they fare against-" the voice was cut off, replaced by a deep, growling voice, "fuck this… i ain't letting them live. They have intruded upon my domain! The boy has even siphoned some of my power! They are asking to die!"
The quest log came up again.
[Quest update: Fighting pits
You have angered a great force. Defeat the king of games
Reward: new title: king of games]
Alexander's eyes grew wide as he watched the hulking figure appear. 4 meters tall, built like a bodybuilder and a bare chest, which displayed the tattoo of a 20 sided dice over his heart. He carried a deck of cards and looked absolutely furious. Above his head stood [Ozymandias, king of games]
"The fuck is this?!"
"This, Young halfblood, is your death", he drew a card and smiled. Immediately, the terrain shifted into a castle throne room. Dozens of guards began attacking them. They were no match for them on their own but their sheer numbers would've overwhelmed them… would have, if it weren't for their demigod powers. Wind smashed them against the walls, lighting burned them and ice impaled them. Once they were dealt with, Alexander and Thalia rushed at Ozymandias but he pulled another card and suddenly there were two of him, "you take the left, I take the right"
Another card pull and the left one got a sword and the right an ax. Steel clashed with steel and sparks flew. Ozymandias tried pulling more cards once he realized how outclassed he was in melee combat but they didn't give him the time to draw. More and more wounds appeared on him and he bled Snow White blood, not Red like a mortal, not golden like a god but white. He was neither man nor god. With one final thrust, the right Ozymandias died and the left one followed suit. He didn't disappeared like the others but his essence was absorbed into Alexander and he could feel the power drumming within his chest. Looking at his status, he was flabbergasted. Each of his attributes had risen by two ranks and his skills -those which could rise- had been risen by one rank and then there was his new title king of games… what did that mean?