PREVIOUSLY-
Sigmund exhaled sharply, then tapped Y.
[QUEST: Labyrinth Hunter]
◈ Clear 15 labyrinths
Progress: [1/15]
Reward: ???
Penalty: None
Sigmund coiled the steel wire neatly, every motion practiced, deliberate.
"Mr. Skaleg," he said, eyes already scanning the far tunnel,
"Let's move."
-*-*-*-*-*--*-
THEOBALD-
The torchlight flickered.
Theo stepped into the cavern, shadows writhing across stone walls like sleeping serpents disturbed. The flame in his hand sputtered with every breath he took, barely keeping the dark at bay.
DING!
The chime echoed through the cave, sharp and sudden.
[INBOX]
◈ New Quest Available
Do you accept?
[Y/N]
Theo nearly dropped the torch. His heart thumped like a caged drum before he caught his breath.
"Haah… just a system ping," he muttered, tapping 'Y' on the translucent prompt.
DING!
----------------------------
[QUEST: Labyrinth Hunter]
◈ Clear 15 labyrinths
Progress: [0/15]
Reward: ???
Penalty: None
--------------------
Before he could absorb the message, a low growl rolled from the shadows ahead.
Green skin. Short, stocky frames. Rotten grins split beneath pointed ears. Goblins.
They emerged like roaches, crawling from cracks in the rock.
"Heh… goblins." Theo tried to chuckle, but it cracked at the edge. "Just goblins…"
"Krr!"
Rook shot forward with a shriek, his wings slicing the air like knives. The vulture blurred past Theo's ear.
Behind him, Gorvax scoffed, narrowing his eyes.
"Lad," he said, voice gravelly and low. "Are you… scared?"
Theo swallowed hard. He wanted to lie—say no, laugh it off—but his throat wouldn't let the words escape.
"You're kidding me." Gorvax's voice darkened. "You bested a high vulture, and now you cower before goblins?"
Theo gripped his pole, his fingers slick with sweat. The shaft trembled slightly in his grasp.
"Why?" Gorvax pressed, stepping closer. "You weren't this scared earlier."
Theo looked at the older man. "I… I'm scared of monsters," he confessed, barely audible. "It's only when Young Master Raphael is with me that I feel brave…"
A vein bulged on Gorvax's temple. His patience thinned like string drawn taut.
"Weak. Spineless," he growled. "Even ten-year-old girls fight goblins without crying."
Theo lowered his eyes, lips sealed shut.
"Krr…"
Rook returned, landing before them. In his beak hung a limp goblin's arm, still dripping. He dropped it at Theo's feet with a wet slap.
Gorvax pointed to the vulture. "Look at him. Your partner. Your brother-in-arms."
Rook fluffed his wings proudly.
"Is he a coward like you?" Gorvax jabbed. "Why do you disgrace everyone who believes in you?"
Theo said nothing. Rook gave a guttural squawk in protest—not at Theo, but at Gorvax. Even the vulture had his limit.
Gorvax exhaled hard, rubbing the bridge of his nose. His next words were quieter, gentler.
"Theobald," he said. "Try to remember the day you fought the high vulture."
Theo blinked. "I… remember."
"Are you scared of it now?"
Theo shook his head slowly.
"Lad," Gorvax continued, folding his arms. "Do you think our master Vincent… was fearless?"
Theo turned to Gorvax,
"Wasn't he fearless?"
Gorvax gave a hollow laugh. "Far from it."
He stepped toward the cave wall, resting a hand against it, as if touching something that wasn't stone.
"When I first met him during the Epoch of Celestial Clashes, he'd just become a Transcendent. He had just lost a woman who was like a mother to him."
Theo ran a hand through the back of his head,
"He lost someone? Vayren?"
Gorvax nodded faintly.
"That loss lit a fire inside him. At first, rage made him strong. But rage doesn't last. Not through war. Not through centuries."
Gorvax's expression saddened,
"As time passed, the fire dimmed. What remained was… grief. Resentment. He watched friends die. He took wounds that would kill men ten times over. Even when facing devils. Gods. Armies. Monsters. Beasts. Spirits. Ghouls. Angels. He lost limbs. His body burned. His mind shattered. And yet… he kept going."."
Theo hung his head,
"Doesn't that mean that he was fearless?"
Gorvax crossed his arms,
"No," Gorvax said, firm. "There was a day we stood before a true devil. I watched him tremble. I saw his eyes dart to the exit."
He turned, eyes glinting with memory.
"His determination faltered. He clenched his teeth as comrades fell around him. Spears through his chest. Limbs torn. Flesh burned. Poison in his veins. His voice trembled when he told us…"
Gorvax hesitated. Then:
"He asked us—me, Threxil, Skaleg, and Drelgor—for a week."
Theo blinked. "A week? For what?"
Gorvax turned towards the cave.
"He wanted to face his chains. The fear, the weakness inside him. He vanished… and returned as someone else."
The torch cracked, a gust brushing its flame sideways.
"Someone else?"
"Someone true," Gorvax muttered. "He said he was done lying to himself. He said the person who returned was the real Vincent."
Theo questioned.
"Who was the real Vincent?"
"His real self, his psychopathic personality. Once he returned, he was ruthless and insane. He would go alone to battles where armies were needed. Even when the sword of enemies would cut off his limbs the maniacal smile on his face would not falter. The more he slaughtered the more he grew insane."
"Just where did he go?"
Gorvax straightened his tone,
"He spent one week in hell. Not the hell of those phonies but the hell of the true God."
Theo pondered on the revelation, then spoke,
"Who is true God? When did this war happen? And who are all these people you are talking about? Just what changed in one week?"
Gorvax realizing his mistake, slammed his palm on his forehead,
Theo's lips parted. "Who… is the True God?"
"I've said too much. I won't answer any more."
Silence hung like a blade between them.
But then Gorvax muttered, almost reverently, "One week in that place… was seven hundred years for him."
Theo stood motionless, the weight of the tale pressing into his spine.
Gorvax reached out and patted his shoulder.
"Haha! Boy, did I fool you?"
"What?" Theo stumbled back, embarrassed,
"You were lying?"
Gorvax wheezed,
"Haha, you gullible boy! Haven't you seen master Vincent your whole life?"
Theo shook his head,
"Yes,"
Gorvax slapped his back again,
"When do you think he might have fought such a war,"
Theo bit his lip.
'I nearly believed him.'
Gorvax wiped the sweat off his brow,
'Should have kept my mouth shut.'
"Mr. Gorvax…" Theo raised his hand.
"Speak," Gorvax chuckled
"Then was all you told me a lie?"
Gorvax scratched his chin,
'Well, I can't dishonour master Vincent's legacy…'
CLAP!
Gorvax clapped his hands,
"Well, aren't you a clever little sprout?" Gorvax muttered, half amused, half annoyed. "Such a thing did happen… but it wasn't Master Vincent, you numbskull. It was a God."
Theo blinked. "A God?"
"Aye." Gorvax crossed his arms, his fur rustling faintly. "They called him the Mad God."
Theo's eyes sparkled with awe. "Mad God? That sounds so cool!"
"Of course he's cool!" Gorvax barked, puffing his chest with pride. "He's the most dangerous, most twisted, most unhinged being to ever crawl out of the divine pits and still stand on two feet."
Theo's grin slowly withered. "Wait… you mean he was evil?"
Gorvax froze. For a moment, only the crackling of the distant torch fire filled the silence. Then he coughed into his fist and looked away.
"Well… that's just how some people saw it. It's all a matter of perspective, really."
"He was evil, wasn't he?" Theo tilted his head.
Gorvax grumbled under his breath, hair ruffling like a displeased crow.
"Bah! Morality is for philosophers. Power doesn't care what names people give it."
Theo stared.
"Whatever, boy!"
Gorvax snapped at last, gesturing toward the yawning tunnel ahead.
"Quit asking dumb questions and go clear the damn labyrinth already!"
Theo walked towards the dead goblins.
CHOMP!
He swallowed a small lump of its bicep.
"So, where is this Mad God?"
Gorvax sighed,
"He is dead. Happy?"
Theo tried to swallow the meat.
"Whatever,"
Rook tapped his talon on Theo's back as Theo tried his 'Energy Circulation'.
A FEW MOMENTS LATER-
Theo opened his eyes.
"Thanks Rook,"
"Krr,"
Rook replied.
Theo turned to the holographic werewolf,
"Mr. Gorvax how many of them do I have to eat. I don't feel any stronger."
Gorvax stared at Theo for a moment.
An exhale slipped past Theo's lips, shallow and wary.
"About ten more…" Gorvax muttered, his voice rough with gravel and age.
The boy walked deeper into the cave, the torchlight flickering behind him until it became no more than a nervous glimmer. Stone walls closed in, hunched and sweating. The path narrowed to a throat. Another torch could be seen in a distance.
Suddenly—
"@#!@!"*
The echo of a guttural snarl tore through the passage, alien syllables scraping against the walls. Theo's hand shot toward the pole on his back, instincts flaring.
"Stop."
Gorvax's voice rang with a spectral distortion, like a growl filtered through static.
Theo froze.
"What happened, Mr. Gorvax?"
Theo asked, trying to steady his voice.
The towering image of Gorvax growled low, a vibrating snarl that hummed in the marrow.
"Boy… check your goddamned surroundings before grabbing a weapon," he barked, baring his spectral fangs.
Theo blinked. He looked around properly this time.
The tunnel curved like a snake's gut, low and tight. Stalactites like jagged teeth hung from the ceiling. One careless swing and he'd wedge his weapon into the rock — or gut himself on a backstroke.
He released the pole.
His fingers wrapped around the haft of his sideaxe — a solid, dependable tool. Short enough to control. Heavy enough to kill.
Gorvax's luminous form nodded.
"If you'd swung that pole here," the werewolf growled, "you'd be on your back with a broken nose and a goblin pissing in your ears."
Theo gave a nervous smile but said nothing. His eyes refocused ahead.
From the dark, shapes shifted — low to the ground, grumbling, squinting at the light.
"Krrr…"
Rook motioned to the goblins ahead.
"!@#@*^"
A goblin pointed to Theo.
LUNGE!
CRACK!
Theo lunged at the goblin, his axe in a vertical arc.
THUD!
The goblin fell to ground. Blood and brain spilling from the broken skull.
One down. Five more.
"@#!"
The second one leapt at Theo.
But before it's club could touch Theo, a claw tore through its torso.
"Thanks partner."
Theo gave Rook a thumbs up.
"Krrr,"
The vulture replied.
"Rook, you can only assist. Don't fight his battles."
Gorvax whispered.
Rook stared at him, then at Theo.
"Krrr…"
He shouted to Theo,
Theo yanked his axe free from the goblin's chest with a sickening shlrrk. The creature's body slumped with a wet sigh, twitching once before going still.
He turned toward Rook,
"Okay, partner," Theo muttered.
"#@^!"*
Three more goblins burst from the shadows — shrieking, snarling, their eyes glowing like filthy emeralds in the gloom.
One darted to his flank, club raised to shatter the back of his skull. Another charged head-on with a chipped, iron-toothed blade aimed for his belly. The last lifted a battle-worn axe overhead, howling as he leapt at Theo's head.
Theo smiled — a crooked grin, blood still flecked across his lip.
"Not enough."
He moved with a clarity born of exhaustion and adrenaline.
CRACK!
His boot lashed out, slamming into the swordsman's gut. The goblin folded like a crushed bellows, tumbling backwards with a shriek. Theo pivoted without pause, stepping into the club's arc.
He caught the wooden handle mid-swing — muscles straining, feet planted.
"Mine now," he whispered.
With a grunt, he twisted the club free from the goblin's grip and hurled it toward the axe-wielding attacker. The makeshift projectile spun once in the air—
CRACK!
The axe-goblin's skull met the stone wall with a crunch that echoed down the tunnel. It dropped like a puppet with cut strings, brain matter blooming behind it like a grotesque flower.
Theo turned to the final goblin — the clubless one, now wide-eyed and panting, teeth chattering in terror. The creature stumbled backward, searching frantically.
A rock.
Its clawed fingers seized it and hurled the stone with all its might.
SWISH!
Theo tilted his head with lazy precision. The rock passed harmlessly over his shoulder.
CRUNCH!
His boot drove into the goblin's ribs, ribs snapping like twigs beneath his heel. The creature folded, screeching, bile and blood spurting from its mouth.
"@!#^!!" it wailed.
Theo stood over it, eyes calm, axe dripping.
"Meet your elders," he said softly.
SHING!
The blade plunged into the goblin's mouth. Its jaw split open with a wet crack as iron sheared through bone and sinew. Blood sprayed upward, catching the torchlight in bright arcs.
The goblin didn't scream.
It just died.
Theo yanked his axe free, wiping it on the ragged cloth of a fallen corpse. Behind him, Rook landed with a quiet krr, talons gleaming.
From deeper within the labyrinth, another howl echoed.
Theo didn't flinch.
He just turned toward the sound.
"Its not scary anymore, Mr. Gorvax."
Gorvax chuckled,
"I heard you were a wolf. You are, and I will mould you into an exceptional one."
DING!
------[INBOX]--------
◈ Hidden Quest received.
Do you accept?
(Y/N}
--------------------
"Haha, just take the quest."
Gorvax snickered.
TAP!
Theo accepted the quest.
-----[HIDDEN QUEST]------
◈ Clear Thalassor's Labyrinth
Progress: [0/1]
Reward: Basics of Titanseed Rhythm
Penalty: 100 Lashes by the beastborn Executioner
Detail- Fail, and a spectral giant appears to discipline you—with a chain whip that burns into your bones.
-------------------------
"Mr. Gorvax," Theo's hand trembled nervously,
"Do you hate me?"
Gorvax who looked equally shocked patted Theo's shoulder,
"Kid, we need to clear this. 'Titanseed Rhythm', we need that."
"Huh?" Theo tilted his head,
"You are worried about that?"
Gorvax leaned in,
"Trust me kid. You are really lucky, that you can learn Titanseed Rhythm."
"Is it that good?"
"Krr…"
"Rook, you too?"
Rook nodded,
"Okay,"
Theo took a slow breath and stepped forward, axe in hand.
The cave around him breathed.
Something clicked deeper in the stone.
Something wet.
Something waiting.