Damian trailed behind the man who had called him to the upper part of the arena. He had just erged victorious from a savage fight against a troll, but he felt cool and collected.
The man escorted him to a VIP area, where only the wealthy and influential could access. The room where the organizer of the fights resided was isolated from the others, with a sweeping view of the arena.
Two guards saluted Damian at the door, bowing with respect and awe. They opened the door for him and invited him in. Damian entered and scanned the room. His heart stopped when he saw who was standing near the window.
It was Miller! Or rather, the demon who had possessed Miller's body. The sa one who had almost slaughtered Damian the last ti they encountered.
A torrent of emotions surged through Damian. He felt fury, grief and dread. Miller was his adversary, his aspiration, his fixation. No one in that room, or in the whole Dungeon, knew that the demon who had inflicted so much carnage recently was impersonating Miller.
Miller had deceived everyone, acting like a survivor, a victim, a hero. So authorities still doubted him, but they had no grounds to accuse him of anything.
Damian was in the sa predicant. He couldn't expose Miller without jeopardizing his own life. He had no evidence, no allies, no power. He had to keep his lips sealed and play along.
"Berserker, your fight was astounding today," Miller said, turning to Damian with a smile.
He appeared sincere, but Damian knew it was a sham. Miller loathed all humans and wanted to eradicate them. He didn't care about fitting in, acting normal, waiting for his opportunity. He was like a ravenous snake waiting for a hare to approach.
Damian forced himself to smile back, saying, "Thank you, sir. I didn't expect to face a troll today, but I managed to vanquish it."
"Hahaha, right? I decided to add so thrill today and bring so beasts into the fray. Anyway, here's your reward," Miller said, flinging a large leather bag on the table.
The bag was heavier than Damian expected. He asked, "All this money?"
"Well, yes. Most people bet against you today, so I made a killing when you won. I decided to give you a bonus for your performance."
Damian opened the bag and saw a heap of gold coins. It was half of what he needed to pay off his debt to that man who believed Damian had failed to assassinate Miller.
'If I keep this up, I'll only need two more fights to clear my debt. Not bad,' Damian thought.
He took the money and thanked Miller again. Miller looked at him and said, "You can co back tomorrow if you want another fight."
"Of course."
Damian left the room as swiftly as he could. He only changed back to his normal appearance when he was far away from that area. The situation was more perilous than he liked.
The money was alluring, but it ca with a high cost. Not only could he die in combat, but he also had to face Miller every ti he fought. And if Miller ever discovered his true identity? That would be his doom.
Damian was torn between two options. Keep fighting and earn easy money or find another way out. He could use the money he had just earned, add so savings from Frederic's potion shop, and combine it with his monthly inco. That would be enough to pay off his debt, but it would hurt the potion shop badly.
'I don't want to drag them into this…'
After completing his secret mission, Damian hurried back to the inn. He hoped his friends wouldn't suspect anything. He saw Frederic, the friendly shopkeeper, and Raikono, Damian's companion who was staying more ti with Frederic than him.
The two smiled, looking happy with the success of their potion shop.
Aurora was waiting for him in the lobby. She ran up to him and hugged him. "Where have you been?" she asked, her voice full of worry.
Damian lied. He hugged her back and kissed her forehead. "Just a stroll around the city. Nothing to worry about." He smiled and changed the subject. "How's the temple coming along?"
He shared a room with Aurora and Magnus, his best friends. The others had their own rooms: Lila, Shareva, Natasha and Mary in one, and Frederic and Raikono in another.
Aurora and Magnus looked at each other. They sensed that Damian was hiding sothing, but they didn't question him. He was their friend, and they respected his privacy.
"The temple is almost ready," Aurora said. "We've cleaned it up, added so lights and furniture. It's cozy now."
They had been working hard to restore the temple, their new base of operations. They wanted to make it a safe and comfortable place for themselves and others.
"Any news about my father, Hazel and Vanessa?" Damian asked, hoping for a miracle.
Aurora shook her head sadly. "No, nothing. I can't find my parents either…"
Damian hugged her tightly and whispered, "We'll find them. I promise."
He wished he could keep that promise, but he knew it was unlikely. He had a feeling they were in grave danger. But he didn't want to scare Aurora more than she already was. Damian wanted to give her hope, even if it was false.
That night, they slept in each other's arms. Aurora felt safe and warm with Damian. She fell asleep quickly. Damian stayed awake, tornted by his dilemma.
He had to stop Miller, who was plotting to take over Lemoria, the largest human city on the tenth floor of the Dungeon. Miller had an army of demons, and was planning to kill everyone!
Damian had to find a way to stop him, no matter what.
But he didn't know how to expose Miller without putting himself and his friends in danger. He had to act fast, before Miller made his move.
Lemoria was the last bastion of hope for all the humans who had escaped from Earth to the Dungeon. It was the only place where they could live in peace and harmony. If Lemoria fell, humanity would be dood.
Damian knew that very well, and he was willing to do whatever it took to save it. Even if it ant becoming a demon himself…
The next morning, Damian's friends left for their new headquarters in the forest, except for Frederic and Raikono who stayed at their shop.
Damian had a different plan. He was going to fight in the coliseum at night, but he had sothing else to do during the day. Sothing darker.
He left the city, making sure no one was following him. He headed to the forest that surrounded Lemoria. Part of it was where their headquarters were located, and also a forbidden area that people avoided.
But the rest of the forest was open for exploration. Damian saw so adventurers fighting monsters along the way. He ignored them and kept walking until he found a suitable cave.
Yes, a cave. Damian wanted to continue his studies on necromancy. He had so books and so experints to try.
He opened his shop and browsed through the abilities. One of them caught his eye.
It was a low price for a grade 4 ability! Damian was tempted and bought it. He wanted more power. He knew he would have died without Shareva's help.
Damian entered the cave. It was dark, damp and quiet. A roar echoed from the inside, and a huge white bear charged at him.
It was not a normal bear, but a monster with ice powers. It slamd its paw on the ground, creating a wave of ice that aid at Damian.
Damian flew up, dodging the attack. He looked around the cave and saw so skeletons. He used his necromancy skills to resurrect them.
Eight skeletons rose from the ground and rushed at the bear. Damian knew they were not enough to kill it, so he cast another spell that he had mastered.
"Bone Spear!"
A spear made of bones appeared in the air and flew towards the bear. It pierced its chest, barely missing its heart. The skeletons followed up with more attacks, overwhelming the bear.
It collapsed and died.
Damian's skeletons guarded the entrance of the cave, preventing anyone from entering. Damian had a reason for doing this.
'I want to test my new ability!'
He wanted to use the blood of the bear, his victim, to enhance his attributes and learn new spells. It was a grade 4 ability, so it had to be amazing.
Damian created a dagger and a bucket using his Sli Ring, cutting the bear, and storing its blood using the bucket.
After filled, he created a circle with strange drawings that appeared inside his mind after buying the ability. It was a core part of the ritual.
'Let's see how this goes,' Damian thought.
While doing his ritual in the end part of the cave, a few adventurers were outside, surprised to see skeletons in the forest.
"Maybe this is the lair of a powerful creature? A necromancer? A Lich? Shall we enter?"
"Of course we will enter. Let's go, and keep the formation."
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