**Trigger Warning: depictions of violence, blood and gore!**
The next morning, Chaos and Bane woke up as usual and went through their morning routine before heading downstairs for breakfast. Afterwards, they relaxed on the balcony, enjoying the view over the Academy grounds while sipping their coffee leisurely.
When they arrived at Teacher Moros' sparring room, they took their seats—coffee still in hand—and watched as Moros entered, pacing slightly faster than usual, followed by the temporary team members they had worked with yesterday.
"There's been a change of plans. You were supposed to go through another sim I set up, but there's been a development," he began, gesturing for everyone to sit.
"Tian Dao, in its infinite wisdom, has determined that there's a group of Outsiders that are irredeemable and need to be ousted from the Dungeon they're holed up in. But there's a catch: They are NOT to know that we're the ones who ousted them, and they must be deterred from ever attempting to enter the Dungeon again."
"This means you are to design and implement a plan to achieve exactly that in the real Dungeon, ensuring that none of our Clansmen are injured or detected in the process."
"What means are allowed?" Chaos asked, seeking clarification.
"Any and all means, including, but not limited to, lethal force—as well as deciding what squad members you need to pull this off," Moros replied.
"So, to clarify: We're to design and carry out an actual op that ousts real Outsiders from the Dungeon, by whatever means necessary, so thoroughly that they're too scared ever to come back—and it can't be traced back to us?" Bane confirmed.
Moros nodded.
"Hmm, challenging… I like it." Chaos and Bane grinned after taking a moment to process the task.
They started conversing in half-words and gestures, baffling everyone but apparently understanding each other perfectly as they hashed out ideas. Meanwhile, the rest of the group muttered random suggestions among themselves.
"We could…"
"No, too easy…"
Celestial Cartographer Sun then muttered, "If only we could make the Dungeon take the blame."
Bane and Chaos simultaneously stopped and turned toward him, gazes unsettlingly intense. Slowly, disturbingly gleeful grins spread across their faces as they turned to each other, continuing their coded whispers.
"We could…"
"They'd be terrified!"
"This could…"
"It will WORK!" Chaos and Bane finished the thought in perfect unison.
Moros arched an eyebrow. "And what exactly have you two come up with? I must say, watching the process was rather unsettling."
"What if we make the Outsiders believe that the Dungeon itself is malevolent and hostile—so dangerous that entering it means certain death," Bane proposed with a wicked grin.
"These Outsiders have been holed up in this Dungeon for at least a hundred years," Moros replied, clearly intrigued but wanting to inject some realism.
"What if we make them think they only thought they knew the Dungeon's true nature—that it was lulling them into a false sense of security before striking?" Chaos suggested.
"Oh? Now you've really piqued my interest," Moros answered, raising an eyebrow.
"Before we go into the details, can you give us five minutes to check if all our ideas are feasible?" Chaos requested, and Moros granted the time-out.
—
Student Livestream Chat
LunaSky (14): OMG, did Moros really say any force is allowed?!
PixelMage (17): "Make the Dungeon take the blame"—that's genius and evil at the same time! I'd never go back after that.
NinjaBreadMan (12): LOL, Chaos and Bane are like mind-readers! How do they always know what the other's thinking?
LunaSky: I like Celestial Cartographer Sun's idea best. Imagine trying to sleep and thinking the Dungeon is out to get you...
PixelMage: If I were in there, I'd set up fake monster noises and leave weird messages on the walls! Totally freak them out.
StudyBot (21): Can we vote for the best plan? Making the Outsiders doubt everything would mess with their heads!
NinjaBreadMan: My idea: move their stuff every day so they think the place is haunted. Easy and effective.
LunaSky: Or play tricks with the lighting! Shadows moving, lanterns going out by themselves...
StarJam (18): How about illusions to make rooms look like they're shifting? I'd run if that happened to me, lol.
PixelMage: Chaos and Bane's grins are low-key terrifying. Would NOT want to cross them.
StudyBot: These plans are so creative! Anyone else have Dungeon prank ideas?
NinjaBreadMan: Turn the floor to fog so you can't see your feet, then play a deep, spooky voice!
LunaSky: Pranks > direct attacks! Mind games win every time.
Poll open: Best way to scare off Outsiders? Vote below!
—
"Okay, we did some checking, and our ideas seem pretty feasible. Most likely, only a handful of Outsiders will survive and manage to leave the Dungeon through their Gate; as for the rest… well, good luck finding them—or their remains." Bane grinned ferally as he spoke.
"Acceptable," Moros remarked.
"We plan to bring several additional Classes with us into the Dungeon: Illusionists, Spirit Warriors who specialise in amplifying negative emotions, Controllers of all kinds, Elemental Summoners, Hackers, and Barrier Masters."
"Working together, we'll make it appear as though the Dungeon has a cycle consisting of two phases. In the first phase, it's as it appears now. In the second, the Dungeon turns malevolent toward anyone inside, attacking the 'invaders'."
"Oh?" Moros asked, clearly interested.
"We'll have the team currently in the Dungeon pretend that they're aware of this 'cycle,' but that we haven't figured out the triggers or timing yet. Then one or two Illusionists will start by gradually changing the Dungeon's light source—from its usual colour to something different," Chaos explained.
"Picture this: everything looks normal in the Dungeon, then, without warning, the light source starts to shift in small increments, hinting at something changing. As this happens, our team begins acting as if the Dungeon is turning hostile. They'll shout that the 'cycle has changed' and try to exit through our Gate, only to be bounced back as though a barrier is blocking them," Bane continued.
"..!"
"Then, as the light keeps changing, the ground, plants, weather, and water all gradually seem to come alive and begin 'hunting.' This is when the Controllers come in. Next, the Spirit Warriors will amplify the Outsiders' negative emotions by, say, five percent," Chaos narrated.
".!!"
"Then the Summoners begin their work—calling forth Elementals, Undead, Corpses, Zombies, Golems, Spectral Beasts, you name it. These creatures, along with the Dungeon itself, join in an all-out assault. Negative emotions are ramped up by another five percent; the light source continues to shift, and a Barrier Master blocks their Gate so nothing can enter or exit." Chaos went on.
"The chaos keeps escalating. As the situation spirals out of control, the Outsiders contact their commanders outside the Gate, desperate for help, while utter pandemonium erupts within the Dungeon. Our own Dungeon team is the first to fall. No considerable remains can be found, only blood trails and pieces of minced meat and bones." Bane narrated animatedly.
"!!!"
"Outsiders are being snatched and ripped apart left and right as they desperately try to fight back or escape; no help can reach them from outside, and there's no way out. Once the light has fully shifted and negative emotions are at their peak, imagine how the Outsiders in their Universe must be reacting as they witness this chaos unfold through their live feed," Bane continued.
"Hells, that sounds like it's going to be epic and fun!" Blade exclaimed, a feral grin splitting his face.
Moros barely suppressed a shiver, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he struggled to maintain his composure.
"Then, as the light source begins shifting back to normal, the Barrier over their Gate dissipates. The remaining handful of Outsiders—those lucky enough to have survived—bolt for the exit, with the malevolent spirits summoned by the Soulmancers hot on their heels."
"The spirits surge through the Outsiders' Gate, unleashing chaos on the other side before being forcibly dragged back into the Summoning space. As they're pulled away, they let out a heartrending wail, as if they're being utterly destroyed."
"Through the few remaining operational cameras, the Outsiders watch as the Dungeon methodically cleanses itself of bloodstains, shredded flesh, and all traces of the 'invaders.' Meanwhile, several malevolent spirits converse in a language the Outsiders understand, discussing how a handful of 'invaders' managed to escape and lamenting the souls lost while pursuing them beyond the 'portal.'"
"They mourn that they cannot exist beyond this 'prison' as the Dungeon gradually shifts back to its normal state, the light changing once more. Just before everything fully returns to normal, the last remaining cameras are spotted by the spirits and destroyed amid their disgusted complaints about the 'invaders' trash left behind in their 'prison.'
"This plan looks like it could actually work, though there are still details that need refining. The framework is there, and it ticks every box for this mission. I'll present it to Tian Dao for approval. In the meantime, I want every last detail hammered out until the plan is perfect," Moros said, his calm facade slipping to show both respect and unease briefly.
—
Student Livestream Mega-Chat
PixelMage (17): Did Bane say "good luck finding their remains"? Yikes... that's direct.
DragonDrawer (13): Is it messed up that I think the two-phase Dungeon idea is brilliant?
StudyBot (21): I want to see the moment the Outsiders realise their Gate's blocked and everything is hunting them...
NinjaBreadMan (12): Imagine being the team that has to pretend to know about this 'cycle'! I'd be SO bad at acting scared.
LunaSky (14): Wait, there are Spirit Warriors whose job is to make you feel worse...? No, thank you, I'd be hiding in the nearest closet.
CodeSwitch (22): Respect to Bane for the evil grin, 10/10 villain energy.
GlitterGoblin (11): So all the lights turn creepy colours, and random monsters start popping up—I'd run for my life!
TechyTori (15): Who came up with Elemental Summoners, Hackers AND Barrier Masters on one team? That's overkill XD.
StarJam (18): They're blocking the Gate so nobody gets out, then amping up the monsters and dread? This is pure horror movie fuel!
Bookwyrm (21): No remains left, just blood and bones... Why do I feel bad for these Outsiders now? Haha.
MossyRook (16): The way the spirits actually talk about the invaders' trash before smashing the cameras is iconic.
Quizzer (10): Wait, does that mean the Dungeon cleans up after all the chaos? That's actually creepy AND organised!
PixelMage: I'd be the first one out the second the lights turned weird—100%.
StudyBot: Yo, and Moros is like "yeah, looks good" with visible fear in his eyes. Classic Teacher move!
DragonDrawer: I want to see if any of the Outsiders come back after that. I'd nope out forever!
GlitterGoblin: This is turning into a group project from hell XD
NinjaBreadMan: Group project, but the project is for your life LOL.
—
Moros stood before the sealed double doors of the Tian Dao Command Chamber, datapad in hand, tracing over every detail of the plan one last time. The stillness was broken only by the faint hum of magic running through the wards. Pulse steady, he stepped inside.
Tian Dao's representatives listened in utter silence, faces shadowed by deep hoods. Moros laid out every step—each illusion, each carefully staged escalation, the careful choreography of terror and chaos to befall the Outsiders. He outlined contingencies, safeguards, and every measure to ensure no evidence linked their people to the operation.
When his summary concluded, silence stretched. Then, with a single nod from the assembly's leader, approval was granted. "Proceed. Make Tian Dao's will absolute."
Moros nearly sagged with relief. "Thank you. We'll ensure none of ours are seen or harmed."
The message went out: the plan was greenlit. Within hours, Chaos, Bane, and the strategy team assembled at the facility housing the Outsiders' Gate. Moros, composed but unmistakably tense, stood before them with the weight of finality behind his words.
"I think most of you have heard the plan," Moros began, casting a meaningful glance at Chaos and Bane. Their eyes flashed in anticipation—the moment had come.
He nodded toward the gathered teams: Illusionists quietly whispering about the shifting light frequencies, Spirit Warriors warming up with focus exercises, Summoners checking their component pouches, Controllers and Hackers reviewing security logs. The Barrier Masters stood at attention, crystal rods gleaming.
"The moment we step through the Gate, no one breaks character. Once Phase Two begins, there will be no room for hesitation. Remember: the Dungeon itself is your mask, your story, your shield. We are shadows—nothing more."
Chaos grinned, rallying the group with wicked energy. "If we do this right, the Outsiders will never know what hit them."
Bane's smirk was cold, calculating. "They wanted a Dungeon legend. Now they'll live in fear of it for the rest of their lives."
Moros raised a hand for silence, scanning each face. "Move out."
The team flowed through the Gate in a silent tide, the air thick with anticipation and the hush before calamity. The actual performance had begun—one that, by dawn, would be whispered about for centuries.