Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

As the group made their way through the main tunnel of the mine, the lights dimmed, with only a few torches hanging from the walls to light the way. Shadows seemed to dance around them, making them feel uncomfortable and tense. The smiles from before disappeared from their faces as the musty smell began to permeate their nostrils.

The druid, the dwarf, and the samurai could feel the eerie atmosphere of the mine, as if something was lurking in the shadows, watching them.

And they were not wrong, there was indeed someone in their shadows, only it was not a being, a monster, or a group of players, but only one: Kaizen.

Psyker, for his part, thought:

Where the hell are all the players who should be in this place?

The absence of other players in the mine only added to the discomfort and uneasiness of the trio of strange players. They moved silently through the shadows, peering into every corner of the corridors, their senses sharp, trying to pick up any sound or sign of impending danger. As the group moved deeper into the mine, the air grew heavier and harder to breathe.

The trio spoke in whispers, but it was still possible to hear parts of their conversation.

"I think this mine has been abandoned for years," the druid said with a note of fear in his voice, clutching his staff with both hands. "Why the hell are we even here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the dwarf replied with a mocking tone. "We are here to find other players. We have the advantage in numbers, there's no reason to be afraid. And if there are any monsters or other players, we will show them what we are made of."

The samurai remained silent, maintaining a serious and vigilant posture as he walked in front of the other two players. He seemed to be more experienced than the other two players.

Eventually, the group came to a fork in the tunnel. The druid suggested they go left, but the dwarf and the samurai disagreed, arguing that the path to the right looked more promising, as there were still torches burning.

"I agree with the dwarf, let's go right." The samurai finally said, looking suspiciously at the path the druid suggested.

The group followed the path to the right, with the samurai leading the way. As they advanced, the torches became more frequent and the light began to intensify, illuminating the path better. However, this did not diminish the feeling that something was wrong in this place. In addition, the cave's natural walls, pitted by the picks, were gradually being replaced by gray brick walls.

"Something is wrong here." The druid whispered to the other two players, who agreed and looked around worriedly.

The dwarf gripped the handle of his hatchet tightly, while the samurai gripped his katana tightly with both hands, and the group continued down the tunnel.

Meanwhile, Kaizen was a few meters back, half a dozen dead giant rats beside him, which had emerged from a hole in the tunnel ceiling. Unintentionally, Kaizen ended up protecting the trio and still managed to kill the monsters without making a sound that would attract much attention.

"Really? How distracted are these guys?" Kaizen wondered as he looked around the corner and noticed that the other players were oblivious.

Suddenly, the trio came to a large metal door with a rusty, weathered lock. The dwarf immediately tried to open the door with his hatchet, but could not, and the metallic sound of the axe head hitting the lock echoed down several of the corridors, drawing further attention from the giant rats that infested the entire mine. Again, the rats targeted Kaizen, who happened to be closest to where they had left.

When the dwarf failed to open the door, the druid decided to use his skills to unlock it. He approached the lock and began chanting, causing his wooden staff to twist and enter the lock. After a few seconds, the druid managed to unlock the lock, and the door slowly opened, creaking loudly. They entered the room cautiously, their weapons cocked. The room was huge and dark, with only a few torches on the walls to illuminate it, and two levels to explore. In the middle of the second floor was a table with a few chairs around it and a door on the other side.

The druid looked around and said, "There's no one here."

The dwarf looked at him scornfully. "How can you be so sure? Look around, someone could be hiding here." The samurai remained silent, watching the room intently.

Suddenly, they heard a noise coming from the door on the other side of the chamber, on the second floor to be exact. The samurai quickly signaled to his colleagues to prepare for the impending confrontation, not moving a muscle. The group stood tense, weapons in hand, ready to face anything, and suddenly the other metal door opened, revealing a group of players on the other side, as surprised and alert as they were.

"What are you doing here?" asked one of the players from the other group.

"Shit, what are we doing?" The uncertain druid inquired.

The samurai was silent for a moment, considering his options. Finally, he decided that the best thing to do would be to join forces with the other group, since they were more numerous and seemed to be stronger. There were four of them, and two of them looked like barbarians, and another looked like a priest. There was a small chance that if he was alone, they would rather have him as an ally than an enemy.

So the samurai bowed his head and, violating his character's honor, slashed his katana in the direction of his own companions, startling them and the other players in the group. With one swift blow, he slashed the throat of the dwarf and the druid, who fell to the ground covered in blood. He looked at the other group of players, his katana still in his fist, and said, "I offer you these sacrifices as a token of my devotion. Allow me to join you in this phase of the tournament until only we are left."

Meanwhile, Kaizen was still on the other side of the door, dealing with a horde of annoying rats.

"What's that screaming on the other side of the door? And where the hell did those rats come from?" Kaizen tried to kill the rodents as quickly as possible.

...

Edited by: DrHitsuji

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