Okinawa Dungeon—-First Floor:
〈Entry Detected—-Floor Level: 1. Scanning Participants...〉
"Does it do this every time someone enters a dungeon?" Han asked. "A very time-consuming process, if you ask me."
"This floor's different than the Osaka one," Zaria noted. "Guess it switches per dungeon."
The floor itself was a mineshaft, with a vertical drop below. The shaft had two ladders, which were dusty and damaged.
〈Rule: Don't Look Back.〉
"No looking back," Rika said. "Okay, no way I mess this one up."
Omariro stood before them, examining the shaft. "Long drop. Totem below."
"How do you want us to get down there, sir?" Zaria questioned.
Han raised a hand. "I can use my cube, if you'd like!"
Omariro straightened up. "Go."
Han held out his hand, and his cube formed. "Scan."
[Scanning...Scan Complete. *3* Solutions Found. Picking Most Effective: Deploying Zip-Line.]
The cube fired a harpoon into the wall, which anchored down into the shaft. Three handles appeared on the rope.
"Looks like only three of us can go," Han admitted. "What do we—-?"
"Go," Omariro ordered. "We meet down below."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Han, Zaria, and Rika each took a handle.
"Han, are you sure there's no other way down?" Rika protested.
"Just grab the handle and close your eyes."
"You're not helping!"
"See ya, slowpokes!"
Zaria took her handle and zipped down into the darkness. Han was next, and Rika took a deep breath.
"I can do this. I can do this."
She stepped back. "Never mind! No I can't!"
Omariro looked at the drop. "Scared of heights."
She nodded.
"Come. Simple way down."
"There is?"
He grabbed her, putting her on his back. "Yes."
And then without warning, he jumped off the ledge.
"Wait, wait, wait—-!"
Omariro dove like a torpedo with Rika on his back, holding on for dear life. He darted past jagged ledges and spikes before the ground came into view.
"Don't die, don't die!" Rika thought.
Omariro landed on his feet, perfectly fine. Rika shuddered on his back.
"We are here," Omariro announced.
"Y...yeah," Rika stammered.
Zaria and Han were waiting for them, still facing forward. "Is that you, Sir?"
"Yes. Keep eyes forward."
There was a narrow cave with a railroad in front of them. Two minecarts were stationed on it, with a lever nearby.
"The totem is within," Omariro explained. "Pair up. Take cart."
"What are the pairs going to be?" Han wondered.
"I call dibs on Mr. Nyugawa!" Zaria immediately volunteered.
"No way!" Rika argued. "I'm the lowest level! It should be me!"
Han stepped forward. "Ladies, ladies. How about you two go together, and I go with Mr. Nyugawa?"
"No!" they both refused.
Omariro was already in the front cart. "Make pairs. Hurry."
Zaria sighed. "Fine, we'll play rock paper scissors."
"How will we do that? We can't look back at each other," Han reminded her.
"Right, that tracks. How about we race for it, then?"
"I agree with that," Rika said. "On the count of three! One...two..."
"Three!" Zaria interrupted. "Bye-bye!"
She quickly jumped into the cart with Omariro inside. Rika stomped her foot. "Hey, Zaria! That's cheating!"
"Ya snooze, ya lose, Rika!"
Rika and Han got into the cart behind them. Omariro pointed behind him. "Pull lever."
Han pulled it, and the carts slowly began to move along the track. The railroad led them deep into the cave, with torches surrounding them.
"Mr. Nyugawa," Zaria asked. "Does every dungeon send you down to a lower floor if you break the rules?"
He shook his head. "Rules vary. Not something to test."
"Noted."
The carts slowly curved around another part of the cave, drifting through an ore-filled mining site littered with precious jewels.
"Whoa, can I take one?" Rika asked.
"No," Omariro shot down. "Trap."
"Aww."
The carts continued their journey through a spacious ravine, when suddenly, they began to speed up.
"Uh-oh," Han worried. "Did Rika trigger something again?"
"It wasn't me, Han!"
"We're getting close," Omariro explained.
The carts zipped down another cavern, which was completely dark. By the time the group could see again, they were on a railroad track hovering hundreds of feet above a lava river.
"Why does it always have to be lava?" Zaria complained.
"Calm, everyone," Omariro stated. "Do not panic."
But the railroad began to creak and groan, and Zaria, Han, and Rika couldn't help but look behind them.
"What was that?" Rika wondered.
〈Rule Broken. Enforcing Penalty.〉
The carts suddenly stopped, and the three immediately turned red while Omariro remained silent.
"We're sorry, sir..." Zaria apologized.
"Remain still," Omariro demanded. "Do not move."
〈Penalty: Back-Breaker Goblins. Enemy Effect: Making direct contact will break the target's back.〉
"They aren't serious, right?" Han questioned.
To their shock, a horde of goblins with axes, swords, and spears emerged from the cave behind them, riding in their own carts.
"Eeeek!" Rika cried out. "Mr. Nyugawa, what do we do?"
"Stay firm," Omariro told her. "Do not get touched."
A pair of goblins reached out for Han and Rika, but Omariro pulled them back, quickly clapping his hands together and erasing the pair.
〈Enemy Defeated: +2〉
"Jugen-Sōunsha: Cursed Movement!"
Omariro touched his hand to the cart, and it began to take off. The goblin army raced after them.
"They're gaining, sir!" Zaria informed him.
"I drive," Omariro said. "Keep goblins back. Too close, I'll handle it. Go!"
"Yes, sir!" they replied.
Zaria formed her spear, jamming the nearest cart and causing the occupants to fall into the lava.
〈Enemy Defeated: +4〉
"These things are much easier than that boss fight!" Zaria boasted. "I think we've got this!"
Han deployed his cube, which fired a barrage of nets at the attackers, breaking their balance and causing them to tumble below.
〈Enemy Defeated: +8〉
"Looks like I edged you out!" Han taunted.
Zaria rolled her eyes. "Screw off."
Rika turned towards Omariro. "Sir, what do I do? My class isn't meant for this type of stuff!"
"Stand by," Omariro ordered. "Touch happens, you heal."
"But...it takes away lifespan!"
"Don't get touched."
"R...right!"
A goblin dropped on the front of the cart, knocking Rika over. It reached out to touch Omariro, but he backhanded it.
"Bad goblin."
"Sir!" Rika called out. "Watch out!"
A swarm of goblins tackled Omariro out of the cart, causing him to dangle from the edge.
"Shit!" Rika gasped. "Guys, they're ganging up on Mr. Nyugawa!"
Zaria slashed another cart with her spear. "We've got to help!"
The goblins began to pull Omariro down, who seemed eerily calm despite the situation. Zaria used her spear to stop the cart.
"Han, can your cube reach him?"
"I'll try!"
Two goblins dropped from above, touching Zaria and Han, breaking their backs.
"Ow!"
"Shit!"
Rika covered her mouth. "Crap, crap, crap! Don't worry! I'm coming!"
A goblin landed in front of her.
"Cute girl," it teased. "How cute do you look on the inside?"
Rika gulped, before baling her fists. "Go away!"
She kicked the goblin in the face, making it stumble into the other two and causing them all to fall out. With the cart cleared, she touched her hands to Zaria and Han.
"Jugen-Kaiseisha: Forbidden Healing."
They both sat up.
"Thanks," Zaria said.
"Yeah, ditto," Han added. "I'm sure you just took a year off our lives, though."
"More like nine months," Rika corrected. "Now we have to help Mr. Nyugawa!"
"Oh, right!"
Han fired a zipline down the end of the railroad, pulling the cart toward Omariro, who had an entire mass of goblins pulling him down. Once they got close, Zaria slashed off the first half.
"Sir, can you hear me?"
There was no response. Han fired a net from his cube, trapping another bunch of golems and sending them over.
〈Enemy Defeated: +25〉
"Almost there!" Zaria announced.
She reached out her spear, able to see a faint glimpse of Omariro. "Sir, grab on!"
Omariro reached for the spear, but the goblins pulled him over.
"Sir!"
"Jugen-Metsusha: Obliterate."
With a clap of his hands, every goblin in the area was erased, and Omariro jumped back onto the cart.
"Did well," he commended. "Held your own."
"Wait, what?" Zaria replied, confused. "Was that—?"
"Test," Omariro confirmed. "See your skill in crisis. Passed."
He looked at Rika. "You too."
"Oh! Well, t...thanks," she stammered. "Wait, why isn't your back broken, sir?"
"Secret," he answered. "Perk of old age."
"Was that a joke?"
"No."
〈Challenge Completed. Reverting Floor.〉
The cart continued as usual, traveling across the lava and finally entering the last cavern, where a totem was stuck within a wall.
"Totem," Omariro pointed. "Grab."
He gestured to Rika. "You."
"Alright, but what do they do?"
"Magic," Omariro replied. "Best with Kaiseisha."
Rika grabbed the totem, which transformed into another sigil. She put it in her pocket. "Can I look back now?"
"No. Next floor."
〈Totem Seal Acquired. Level 2 Clearance Enabled.〉
A gate opened before them, revealing a stone stairwell that led down.
"Phew," Zaria remarked. "That wasn't so bad."
The group descended down to the next floor, which had the design of a castle corridor, down to the decor and all.
"This is new," Zaria commented.
〈Rule: Don't Stop.〉
"Wait, that's just like the first rule we encountered!" Han recalled.
〈Domain Boss: Heir to the Fallen Blade—Kuroya. Failure to keep moving will result in permanent paralysis if caught.〉
"Another boss?" Zaria exclaimed.
〈Begin in 3...2...1...〉
A shadow rose behind them. A knight on a horse, with a massive lance in his hand. As he walked forward, the area behind him became enveloped in black.
"Run," he warned.
〈Begin.〉
"Go!" Omariro commanded.
The kids all took off as Kuroya ran after them, the shadows blocking the area creeping further and further. After a few twists and turns, they reached a dead end, with Kuroya on their tails.
"Nowhere to run," he growled.
Rika tugged on Omariro's arm. "Sir? We're cornered!"
Omariro clapped his hands together, erasing the wall, which revealed another corridor beyond it. "Fake wall. Run!"
They sprinted as fast as they good, the horseman matching their pace.
"So it's true," Kuroya remarked. "The famed Omariro Nyugawa, back from his sickbed."
A shadowy hand reached for Omariro, but he batted it away with his staff. "Back."
Shadowy hands erupted from the walls, and the kids jumped, side-stepped, and slid under them.
"You can only run for so long, old man," Kuroya warned. "Your days are numbered."
A hand burst from beneath the ground, trapping Omariro's foot, but he dispersed it with a single punch.
The party finally made it into a throne room, and the door shut behind them.
"The totem!" Zaria pointed.
The totem was floating right above the throne. Zaria quickly ran to grab it, but a dark force field pushed her back.
"Ahh!"
Rika helped her up. "Zaria! Are you okay?"
"Yeah. What's wrong with that thing?"
Omariro stepped forth to examine it. "Floor not done."
〈Floor Phase 1: Completed. Beginning Floor Phase 2.〉
Banners along the walls began to retract, revealing narrow passageways.
〈Rule: Slay *300* Level 20 Cursed Knights. Penalty: Stopping for more than 3 seconds increases opponent level.〉
"Great," Han scoffed. "A rule and a penalty. Nice."
〈Begin.〉
Knights wielding longswords, bows, and maces emerged from the passageways. One swung at Zaria, but she impaled it with her spear.
"We just gotta keep moving!" Zaria assured. "No biggie!"
She downed another 5 with precise thrusts. "Plus, these guys aren't so tough!"
〈*294* Knights Remaining.〉
Han's cube fired off two taser wires, shocking a row of knights. "Hey, my cube works much better now!"
〈*286* Knights Remaining.〉
Rika held up her totem sigil, but Omariro put a hand on her arm. "No. Save. You will need it."
She pocketed it. "Yes, sir."
A swarm of knights surrounded them.
〈Penalty Enforced. Knight Level: +20〉
"I stood still too long!" Rika realized. "I'm sorry, guys!"
"Pff, don't sweat it!" Zaria told her. "Level 40 is still light work!"
Though, it took her a couple more stabs to defeat the foes.
〈*271* Knights Remaining.〉
"Okay, Mr. Nyugawa says save the Sigil," Rika thought. "I'll listen to him, but that means I have to backseat."
Omariro dodged all the attacks of the knights, using his staff to bat them all away.
〈*150* Knights Remaining.〉
In less than a few minutes, the number had finally dropped to 1.
"I've got this!" Zaria shouted.
She jumped into the air, stabbing her spear into the final knight's chest.
〈*0* Knights Remaining.〉
"We did it," Han said, relieved. "We really did it."
The totem's field disappeared, allowing Rika to grab it.
〈Totem Seal Acquired. Level 3 Clearance Enabled.〉
Stairs leading to Floor 3 emerged.
"Down," Omariro stated. "We move."
Outside the Throne Room—-
Kuroya banged his hand against the door. "Damn it! You will not escape my sight!"
But to his surprise, another gate opened, revealing a man covered in shadowy armor from head to toe.
"Who—-?"
The man cracked his neck. "Okinawa, ehh? Not where I hoped, but if that Legendary Kaitansha is here, I'd be down for a challenge."
He noticed Kuroya. "Now tell me, pal. Have you seen a man by the name..."
His eyes glowed purple.
"...Omariro Nyugawa?"
—-