Mismatched eyes take in the large crowd. They observe the very noisy group in annoyance, scanning the many odd people mixed in--Elderly, teenagers, kids--anyone that you could think of.
It was then he noticed the one pregnant woman mixed into the crowd, appearing to be 7 months pregnant. He narrows his eyes and starts noting the odd familiarity he has with the woman. He observes her holding her stomach protectively, looking around apprehensively.
He suddenly jolts out of his observation, jumping up from where he was sitting against a wall, recognizing why the woman looked so familiar. 'Miss Cinna?' he speculates, unsure if he was right. He hurriedly makes his way to her, getting closer and further feeling that familiarity. As he gets closer to her, she turns around with tired eyes, fearful and paranoid, before she sets her eyes on him. Her whole face lights up, and a relieved smile crosses her lips.
He speaks her name questioningly, and she responds with a bright, "Fei! You're here too!?" She exclaims in disbelief. Her hands had reached out to cup his face between her palms, eyes roving over his face and figure in worry.
"Yes, I am well. Are you alright?" Fei replies, noting the dark bags under her eyes and slight tousled hair.
"As much as I can be right now.." She sighs, darting her eyes around in paranoia. After a slight pause, she speaks up as an afterthought, "You?"
Fei shrugs, replies, "Just waiting for the situation to get worse."
'I think I jinxed it...'
Cinna nods grimly, her hands going back down to clutch her stomach, eyebrows furrowed. She speaks up then, "Yeah, I'm just wondering when this will start, I-" she falters, eyes tearing up as she rubs her belly in comfort. Feis' mismatched eyes followed the self-comforting movement.
Fei speaks up then, "What class did you settle on?"
"Ah. Assassin. I was hoping it would help me hide since, you know..I'm not much of a fighter..."
Fei nodded as he also picked the Assassin Class. He has a lot of experience with knives.
It was then a System Message pops up, gathering all of the newbies attention. It states that all newbies had arrived and that the timer for the test to officially start will be in the next 5 minutes. It goes on to say that the dungeon test is all about survival. They just have to survive until the timer runs out and then they win and become Orins'. If they do not survive then they should know the implications of what happens. It finished on a condescendingly cheerful note.
Cinna mumbles, '5 minutes' under her breathe, drawing Feis' attention. Her eyes tear up and her lips trembled in fear. Fei put a comforting hand on her back, telling her in a low voice that she should stick by him and that they will get through this together.
Cinna nods, biting her lower lip in anxiety. She took in some deep breaths, thinking that she wouldn't ever wish this on anyone. Her thought continues, stating that being in this type of environment and putting this unnecessary stress on her body was not good for the baby.
It made Cinna angry and fearful for what was to come upon them. She wonders how she is gonna survive, being 7 and half months pregnant, already heavy and slow in her movements, how was she going to survive?
Fei observes her in silence, worry and concern in his eyes. He didn't want her to go through this either, especially with her being heavily pregnant. Voices around them upped in pitch, people exclaiming and yelling in confusion and muted horror, as the System Messages glitches.
Everyone's questions were cut off by the hard shake of the ground beneath them, causing many to stumble and fall over hard. Fei quickly pulled Cinna against him, crouching down to the ground so she doesn't fall over. Cinna clutches onto Fei tightly in fear and confusion. As dust and debris fell from the ceiling, coating them in thick dust, the shaking ground lessened and soon stopped.
Everyone slowly stood up, looking around in panic, fear, and confusion. When they glanced at the once glowing message screen, now dim of light, it showed the timer at zero. Before anyone could say anything, to spew questions, a high pitched roaring sounds out from behind them, followed by another, and then another, before more sounds encompass their ears. It was then they knew that the test had begun.
___________
Fei is running fast, shoes slapping against the ground heavily, away from the monsters picking off the people behind him. Cinna is on his back, arms wrapped tightly around him in terror. Feis' eyes are darting around frantically, looking for a place to hide away before he spots an opening in the wall. He makes his way there, running fast while also trying to speak to Cinna on his back.
"Is it still not working?" He questions, breathing heavily as he closes in on the opening in the wall. Cinna responds, tightening her arms around him, "No! It's not working! I don't understand why!?" Fei curses, recalling the moments before. How, once the monsters started chasing after the large group, it inevitably began a stampede. People stumbling, knocking people over or deliberately pushing out of fear and survival. Most screamed in agony and terror, being picked off by the beasts at their backs.
Fei had quickly gathered Cinna up and ran like his life depended on it, which in this case it did. But with her weighing him down, it quickly put strain on his body and he was slowing in his run. Thankfully, the beasts were more preoccupied with the prey that were closest to them so they were able to make it out.
It wasn't an ideal situation to be in, including the overwhelming fact that they couldn't access their classes abilities. They couldn't be stealthy or anything. They were just humans, mortals with no classes, no abilities, no nothing. Nothing to fight back with, nothing to help them. All they had was their body and their legs. To run or climb to safety.
It also didn't help that the monsters that were hunting them weren't entirely normal either. They had lasso like tails, capable up wrapping around a person to either strangle or whip, and a large maw that can, unfortunately, let out bright burning beams of light. It completely obliterates the flesh, cooking and charring it black. Don't ask how he knows that. They also, included a very good nose, like a cadaver dog.
It was not fun. Fei feels frustration, crouching low to the ground in the small cave he had spotted before, having made it quickly inside without drawing much attention. Cinna was still on his back, her hands gripping his shoulders tightly. Her breaths came out in frightened gasps, panic clear in how she trembled.
They both watched the opening of the small cave in anxiety. They watched as people ran by, those monsters hot on their tails. Some didn't make it past the cave entrance, falling or stumbling hard to the ground. They crawled or either begged, being picked up and chewed in half, blood and intestines littering the ground. Their screams and gurgles echoed throughout the cave. Their ears rang, eyes wide in abject horror.
Bones crunch and snap like twigs under their razor sharp teeth. The splat of blood falling to the ground was loud. All of it was loud, so so loud. They couldn't take their eyes off of the cave entrance. They couldn't breath, couldn't move, couldn't do anything, but watch as those people, those humans, the same as them, were eaten in the most gruesome and brutal ways imaginable.
They didn't stop staring until everything went quiet. Until, all they saw were glazed eyes, pupils wide, and bloodied lips. A horrified face, an open chasm of the chest, strings of meat and nerves hanging off of rib bones, open wide like double doors. The legs were gone, mutilated and eaten. The blood was still there, the chunks of meat and bone were left over when the monster decided to go for its next victim. Gorey. Sickening. Horrifying. Trauma inducing.
Distantly, Fei could hear the screams and roars. The pleading and begging. The crunch, and then the sound of retching behind him. He jerks out of his horrified daze, turning around, spotting Cinna at the back of the cave. She coughs violently, retching and throwing up all that's in her stomach. Tears coat her face, eyes wide in terror. Her body shook, knees almost giving out until arms wrap around her midsection, holding her up. When she is steadied, one of those hands come up to her back, rubbing up and down soothingly. She cries, sobs wracking her frame. She quickly puts a hand to her mouth, trying to silence them. They were gonna die. Be eaten and torn apart. Played with. They were gonna beg with all their might in vain. They were gonna die here and no one will mourn them.
Not her parents, not her friends, no one. Parents gone, no friends, nothing. They were alone. All alone. What was she supposed to do? She still has a baby to take care of. A baby that hasn't been born yet. A baby that won't get to grow up, to see the world, to experience their favorite colors, their favorite animal, their brother. She won't know that her mother loved her. That she did everything she could so that she could see the world. She wouldn't because her mother would be dead and so would she. New tears streamed down her face. She couldn't stop the sobs this time.
It took a while, but she eventually stopped crying, eyes red and swollen. She was sat next to Fei, one of his arms around her shoulders, thumb rubbing circles on her left arm. She was still shaking, trembling in fear. Fei hasn't said anything, but she hadn't either. It was a grim realization, but they knew they were gonna die here, in this dungeon. How were they supposed to survive in here for an hour? It was impossible, unbelievable. They were gonna die. This was it. Their last.
Crack. Fei tensed, arm going rigged around Cinna's shoulder. She flinched, glancing up at him in question, but his gaze was on the cave entrance. His eyes were wide, hands shaking. It was quiet, and Cinna was about to open her mouth to question him when she heard the noise too. They both jolted up, Fei pushing Cinna behind him and backing up towards the back of the cave. Another sound, and then another. Closer, hesitant, quiet but a little heavy.
Fei tensed, hands clenched, feet wide. Prepared, ready to move at any moment. To protect, to defend. They waited, bodies tense and coiled. Breathes fast and heavy in anticipation. Another sound, then another, until-
Feis' eyes widened as he looked at the individual in front of the cave entrance. Not a monster, but a human. Red wavy hair, tousled and matted in dirt and grime. Weary dark brown eyes, bloodshot and red rimmed. Mouth in a grim line before parting in shock at the sight of them. It was quiet in the small cave. Stunned silence, only broken by heavy breathing.
The teen, for he could only be so for looking so young, parts his mouth. Quietly, almost too quiet to be heard, he says,"Hey..." it continued to stay silent, Fei and Cinna apprehensive. The teen walks more into the cave, stopping abruptly and raising his hands in surrender when he makes the two in front of him back up more against the cave wall.
"S-sorry..could I-um, stay..?" he asks, grimly glancing over his shoulder, paranoid and fearful. It was quiet for another moment before Cinna peaked out from behind Fei. She speaks quietly, "I suppose you can...not like we can stop you..." The red-haired teen slightly smiles in thanks, moving more into the cave and taking a seat on one of the large rocks. He sighs in exhaustion, tense and tired.
Cinna lightly grips onto Feis' shirt, peaking out more behind him. She takes in the red-head. Grim, terrified, tense. His eyes are a little hollow. She speaks up again, "What is-uh..your name?.." her voice tapers off quietly. Nervous and anxious. The teen only grins a little, answering her, "Names Nael, nice to meet you..though, wish it was in a much better environment.." he nervously laughs, scratching the back of his head.
Cinna nods, humming. She glances up at Fei whose eyes are already on hers. Beautiful gold and purple lock onto her dark coal eyes. It was just a glance, but it was enough. She turns back to Nael, who is staring at the wall in front, a frown on his face.
"I'm Cinna, and this is Fei...nice, to meet you too.." Nael looks back at them, and smiles, nodding. Cinna smiles too, giving him a slight nod. Fei moves, taking Cinna with him as he closes in on where Nael is sitting. He carefully helps Cinna sit on a stone across from Nael, joining her. Cinna shifts, leaning her weight against him, sighing tiredly.
"Hey." Nael looks up questioningly at Fei, who stares at him with mismatched eyes. Nael feels awestruck, thinking how beautiful they are, unaware that Fei was continuing. It took him a few seconds to realize it, and when he focuses back in, Feis eyes are narrowed at him, an eyebrow raised.
'Ah.' Embarrassed, he clears his throat and averts his gaze, "S-sorry, what was that?" Fei continued to stare, making Nael sweat nervously, before Feis' voice cut through the quiet, "Are you also unable to reach your skills? To use them?" he asks. Nael nods, eyes glazing over from a memory before he wipes it away. "Yeah, it happened to many others. They think it's a System Glitch or something.."
"Isn't a System Glitch usually a dungeon going up in rank? Even a dungeon break?"
Nael nods,"Yeah. System Glitches happen whenever a dungeon goes up in rank or a dungeon break occurs. It basically scrambles to right things out or something. Anyways, I wish I had more info, but that's pretty much it." Nael shrugs, glancing at the cave entrance before adding, "Besides, how would we know if it was really a System Glitch and not something else..?"
It hangs in the air. An implication of something else possibly being a cause of their situation. But, they didn't know what. Couldn't put a name on it if they didn't know what the cause was.
Fei shivered, chills going down his spine. It's cold.