Before The Games - Phoenix Flight

Davi stared out the window, watching as clouds went by in a blur. He was still mostly shocked that the train was able to take to the air at all.

"The train is pretty fast, so we should arrive at the dungeon soon." Falco tapped his finger on the table and let out a hum. "The dungeon typically appears in the middle of a deserted field. The area is always locked off, so the regular public can't accidentally get sucked in."

"You say that, yet they're bringing her?" Ken lazily pointed a thumb back toward the knocked-out body of Susie, which had been placed in a chair up near the bar next to Mama Herta.

"Yeah?" Falco frowned. "Not sure why she's involved."

He knew the captain had been training Davi in preparation for the Enforcer games, but it was weird that she also got a random girl who wasn't even part of the guild to be involved. Susie didn't really hang out with them at all, as when she wasn't training, she'd be back in the city, so this was the first time she'd be with the entire guild.

"She's special." Sieg sighed. "She and Davi are connected to something weird. It makes me wonder if I am as well."

"Of course you are," Davi said flatly.

"Yeah, but I haven't been targeted for an attack yet." Sieg shrugged.

"Fair." Davi turned to glance back at Olivia. "I'm curious. How much did you improve over the month? You trained with Miranda and Ghost, right?"

"Oh yeah!" Olivia perked up. "Check this out!" She flicked her hand and brought up her many screens. "Behold! The new Olivia!"

'Blood Core: Grade A-, Mana: Grade C+, Endurance: Grade B+, Strength: B+, Efficiency: Grade B+, Resistance: Grade E1.'

'Other Traits: Determined: Grade E1 | Polymorph: Grade C+ | Cursed Life: Grade C- | '

'Alteration: Grade A-, Destruction: Grade B, Enchantment: Grade B, Conjuration: Grade A, Illusion: Grade C-, Restoration: Grade B.'

"Tadah!" Olivia waved her hands and showed off all her new upgrades.

Davi looked them over. "You definitely got stronger." Her stats had all gone up by a bit, and she even gained a new skill, though he had no idea what Cloak-Whip meant. It also looked like she gained a new Fire Resistance trait and an E1 stat as well. "You're about at the point I was when I joined the Knights, I think. You caught up quickly, actually."

Olivia let out a sheepish chuckle and rubbed her neck. "Yeah, I sort of cheated and had help, but I've been working hard. I think I'm finally at the starting line!"

"Took you long enough," Ken snorted, and without a prompt, she flicked her hand out. "Now behold, my stats!"

'Flame Core: Grade E1, Mana: Grade A, Endurance: Grade A+, Strength: Grade E1, Efficiency: Grade S, Resistance: Grade B.'

'Alteration: Grade S+, Destruction: Grade S+, Enchantment: Grade D+, Conjuration: Grade C, Illusion: Grade D-, Restoration: Grade E1.'

Olivia's eyes widened as she stared at Ken's stats and traits. They were even better than Davi's. Not only had she now gained the ability to use Mana Step, but she also added a new martial arts style to her list and leveled several of her stats up to the point of being E1. In only a short amount of time, she had gone past what a squire should have been like, which made some sense, since before she even became a Knight, Ken was already considered strong.

"They're not as high as I wanted." Ken sighed and casually flipped her hair. "Ragna and I didn't train as much as we could have. Most of his stuff was all mentally based and required me to poke Clause over and over again. I'll try to work even harder later."

"That's pretty impressive." Davi gave her a nod as he looked them over. "You're pretty strong, Ken."

Ken suppressed a giggle and looked away. "Yeah, yeah, I'm pretty badass-"

She was silenced when Sieg casually opened his stat screen, allowing them all to bear witness to his greatness. They were certainly something.

'Electric Core: Grade D1 (Jumps to C1), Mana: Grade S+ (Jumps to D1), Endurance: Grade S+ (Jumps to D1), Strength: Grade E1 (Jumps to C1), Efficiency: Grade S+ (Jumps to D1), Resistance: Grade D- (Drops to E0).'

'Alteration: Grade S+ (Jumps to D1), Destruction: Grade S+ (Jumps to D1), Enchantment: Grade D+ (Jumps to C-), Conjuration: Grade S+ (Jumps to D1), Illusion: Grade D-(Jumps to D), Restoration: Grade D- (Jumps to A+).'

Even Falco looked stunned as he took in Sieg's stats. "Whoa! What gives? We're both mutants, but your stats are way higher than mine? Actually, wait. What does 'Jumps to' mean?"

"It's something a Lung can do," Sieg explained. "Lungs supposedly come from dragons, and so naturally they're some of the monsters that are most attuned to magic. They have a Vow built into them. It's something that is rare, but other monsters have this also, such as a Cerberus. In my case, by straining and squeezing my core, I can greatly boost my level of strength. Things like this aren't rare; plenty of mages can increase their stats far beyond what they should be. Ken's a good example. Her stats likely shoot up also when she merges with her spirit. The reason mine shows the increases is because it's affecting my Core in a permanent way rather than a temporary buff like Ken or Davi when he uses the Way of Self Iron."

"That's wicked, but why didn't this power come out when we sparred?" Falco demanded. "Looking at your stats, we're about the same level, with me being above you, but the moment that 'jump to' stuff kicks in, you even out a lot of our fields and surpass me in some. I know for a fact I won most of our sparring matches and went easy on you, so were you seriously holding back this much on me?"

"It wasn't done out of a lack of respect or anything," Sieg explained. "I can really only go all out when I use my Core Mask and Polymorph on myself to release my restraints. Doing that isn't very comfortable, and it also makes my Monster Core expand and swell. I use it for settling fights quickly when someone needs to die, not as a way of showing off."

Falco nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer. "I see. Alright, then in that case I'll let it slide."

"Looks like we all got a lot stronger." Davi cut in. "Think we'll be able to do well in these games?"

Falco gave a lazy shrug. "The games are always changing. That said, we do need to try our best."

"I know it was said we have to compete in order to close the dungeon, but is there a reason it has to be closed if the monsters are all reasonable?" Ken asked.

Falco's look suddenly turned a bit grim. "Yeah. Actually, that's one of the reasons this dungeon is kept away from the public for the most part." He leaned forward and spoke in a quiet tone. "When we complete the games, this causes the dungeon to shift and move—the monsters inside like when this happens. The issue is that if we don't finish the games or beat them in time, something bad will happen. The dungeon will open up fully, and the monsters will be able to come out."

"And that's bad?" Ken guessed.

"More than bad." Falco looked to the four of them, his eyes darting between them. "Out of every dungeon in the world, this is the only one I truly believe could result in the entire planet ending."

Shock and horror rippled through the table. Sieg grew tense; Olivia looked worried; Ken's eyes darted back and forth; and Davi frowned. The moment didn't last long, though, as suddenly a large hand clapped Falco on the shoulder. Ragna stood next to their table now, and he let out a deep belly laugh.

"Trying to scare the recruits, are we?" He chuckled.

Falco also laughed. "I just thought they should know."

"Is what Falco said true?" Olivia looked toward Ragna.

He kept a smile on his face and nodded. "Yes. Falco wasn't bluffing. When it first appeared, the Knights were in an uproar. If it isn't sealed, the chance of it seeping out into the world is very high, and due to what effect it has, it could easily destroy most of the planet." Worried looks crossed onto their faces, and Ragna quickly raised a hand. "That said, that hasn't happened. The monsters aren't the ones who do it, and in fact, they don't want it to happen, so they told us how to prevent it, which is why we do these games in the first place. The dungeon itself is perfectly safe and hasn't resulted in a single casualty. As long as we behave ourselves, follow the rules, and don't do anything stupid, the Enforcer games will be something we can all enjoy. So, please try not to worry or freak out."

"It's kind of hard not to, after hearing that," Sieg admitted. "How does it end the world?"

"In ice," Falco stated casually. "Deep within that dungeon is a great force so cold it freezes the very radiation that a dungeon normally produces, which is why the dungeon and monsters are so weird. I don't know the full story, but basically, an ancient creature was sealed away in the dungeon during the time of Haru. She did this because the creature was going to freeze the entire planet. They say it's as strong as a dragon."

Davi perked up, and his hand clenched into a fist. "That's cool."

"Is it?" Ken gave him an odd look, and he just shrugged.

Before anyone else could say anything, a loud voice pierced through the bar. "Where the fuck am I?" Susie was now awake, and she glared at everyone, looking back and forth. "Did you guys kidnap me?"

"Yo!" Davi called out and got her attention. "Su, you blacked out; we carried you back to the base. Oh, also, we're entering a dungeon that can wipe out the planet or something so that we can play games."

Susie nodded at his response. "Oh, okay, so it's some Knight stuff or something; that makes sense. I guess that means I'm in the Phoenix Flight base?"

"You took that answer way too casually…" Mama Herta frowned as she cleaned one of her glasses.

"Is it just me, or did she get a bit friendlier?" Sieg glanced at his brother.

"Oh, she still hates me, but there is nothing she can do about it right now," Davi said simply. "I guess after one month, she decided to hold off on screaming at me and is now a little tolerant of my existence. We're sort of cool now."

"Holy shit, we are flying!" Susie finally looked out a window and pressed her face against it as she stared at the passing clouds.

"So the dungeon bit did nothing for you, but the flying train blows your mind?" Miranda raised an eyebrow while her brother gorged himself on more food. "You're weird. I have a feeling you'll fit right in."

Susie nodded, though she wasn't listening. She watched the clouds move by in awe, and then something caught her eye. "What's going on there? Why are there so many airships?"

Davi looked out his own window and let out a whistle. Down below was a deserted field. Sand went on for as far as the eye could see, and they were now far away from any city. Starting to land were several airships.

They all were sleek, made out of a clean silver metal, and were about as big as a house. There were a dozen of them, flying through the skies with thrusters and wings that folded up when they came down. On the side of all the ships, the sigil of the Pantheon Guild was proudly on display, and sliding doors opened up along the sides of the ships, ramps lowering out as the Pantheon Knights strolled out.

"Looks like we're here." Clause noted. "I guess this is as good a time as any." He got up and walked to the back, where a crate rested. "Alright, come get your jackets, everyone."

"Jackets?" Ken was the first to reach him, and Clause handed her a large black winter coat that had the symbol of the Phoenix Flight Guild sewn into it. "We have to wear these?"

"The dungeon is going to get cold." Clause nodded, tossing the jackets to everyone. Each one was made specifically for their size, and he even had one for Susie. "You'll need to wear these. Even you, Davi." Clause piped up when he noticed Davi wasn't putting his on. "Cold Resistance won't cut it. Cold Immunity also doesn't work unless it is on a level nearing E2 or higher."

"E2!" Ken said, alarmed. "That's insane. How cold is this dungeon?"

"Cold." Clause snorted. "These jackets all have dozens of low-grade enchantments placed into them to help keep us warm. Luckily, when we get into the center of the dungeon, they won't be an issue, but the first part will be rough."

They all slipped the jackets on, and Davi rubbed his sleeve, feeling a strong heat course through his body. Everyone had one now, even Olem and Greenie. In fact, the only person who didn't put his on was Vlad, who kept playing his game and ignored them.

The train finally landed, coming to a jerking halt as it practically crashed into the ground and slid across it. When it did finally stop, Laerton's voice came out of the speakers, filling the room.

"We've arrived. Please get off the train." The doors snapped open, and they finally arrived at their destination.

Pantheon was already in formation when they stepped out. There were more knights than Olivia had ever seen before, all standing shoulder to shoulder. She saw a few familiar faces like Sky, Cinder, Whisper, Myth, and of course, Ash. There was also a lot she didn't know and some she had seen during the Arcane Knight exam. Like them, all the members of Pantheon wore heavy winter coats that had their symbols proudly displayed. They also all carried weapons or wore armor that was clearly enchanted and decked out.

By comparison, Olivia realized her own group was lacking. Their crowd was way smaller and way less impressive-looking. Especially since all the cool stuff they had was stored away in holding bags or stuffed into Davi's vault.

Susie also looked around in awe and debated whether she should switch sides but stayed put for now. She honestly didn't even know why she was here or what use she had. Well, that wasn't exactly true. She did know that Laerton was keeping her around in case that evil group came for her, but that was as far as her knowledge went.

Laerton met with Myth, the two meeting in the middle, and they both shook hands and quietly talked. When they were done, they turned to their respective guilds and began to speak.

"Alright!" Laerton called out. "The Enforcer games are about to start. Listen up, especially if you're new, because this is important." Laerton glanced at her new Squires. "The dungeon will appear, and we'll all be dragged into it. It's a barrier one, so it layers itself over the world. There won't be an entrance. The barrier is also sealed shut, and the only way to leave the dungeon is to either beat the Enforcer games or allow it to naturally unseal by waiting ten days. We can not let that happen. The games usually take three to four days, so we must finish them during that allotted time. Now. When we appear in the dungeon, we'll all appear somewhere random. The first thing you need to do is either find a group or another person and then head to higher ground and look around. You'll spot a massive city. Head there ASAP. Do not try to sleep in the cold, and do not try to lag behind. It is very important you get to the city as fast as you can."

Myth was giving a similar speech to his people. All of them grew tense and ready. Right as both Captains finished talking, there was a shift in the air. It was followed by a deep chill, cold and bitter; it crawled across the ground, and then suddenly there was a blinding flash of white.

The next thing anyone knew, they were no longer in the desert.

The dungeon had swallowed them up…

Chapter 189 - Before The Games