The Fallen Hero King

Rifts and Dungeons.

*Twig*

A group of people was walking in the forest - there was a group of armor walking behind a maid, a girl with blondish-blue hairs, and a young man with black hairs.

"How much farther..." Vivian complained, leaning on Jay.

Ilma put her hand inside the bag she was carrying, taking out a map, handing it to Jay.

Who looked over it, saying, "we are almost there..."

He stopped, "let's take a rest here."

A knight walked out from behind him, "Sir, we are almost there? Why are we stopping here?"

Jay glanced at the man with a rough face, golden beard, and hair, "Knight Thomas, you don't want other knights and dames entering Dungeon when they are tired, right?"

Thomas knit his brow - if you asked him, only this much walking wouldn't affect the Knights.

"He's right...We don't know what we'd face in the Dungeon...Let's get some rest first." A Dame walked out from the group. She took off her helmet, revealing her chin-length golden hairs and green eyes.

"Well, then," Thomas waved his hand, gesturing to other people to start making a camp.

While they were making camp, Vivian was staring towards the place where Dungeon might be.

"What is it?" Thomas asked her kindly.

Vivian said, watching the forest, "I feel something Dark there..."

"Ah, must be the dark creatures from the rift." Gracia the Dame said as if it was a regular thing.

"Oh, from the rift..." Vivian said, realizing what it was. There was a look of dread on her face.

"What are the rifts?" Ilma asked with a puzzled face. The Knights looked at her but didn't reply.

Ilma became self-conscious after looking at their eyes, but Jay patted her head, "answer her."

Thomas was disgruntled, but after seeing the cold look in those scarlet eyes, he gave in, "Rifts are one-way passages to other worlds. Usually, dark, dirty creatures invade our world through the rifts. In legend, it was these rifts that caused the old world to fall. But Ancient ones managed to contain those rifts in towers. Those towers are called Dungeons."

"But not all Dungeons have rifts - most are closed. Only Forest of Death and few other places have Dungeons with Rifts in them." Vivian said this was also the reason she was surprised. Because this was the first time - she had seen a Dungeon with a rift in it.

Ilma bit her lips - she was a bit scared but was trying her best to be brave.

After all, Jay asked her to come with him on the expedition. There couldn't be a higher honor than this.

"I'll protect you." Jay smiled, reassuring her.

"Yeah," Ilma said with a cheerful smile on her face.

Forest of Death was a place near the Edge of the World. Beyond the territories of small monsters like Goblin, Ogres, and Trolls. It wasn't hard to cross - Thomas and Gracia were the only two Silver Rank Knights. That meant they had gone beyond level 100.

The two were able to with other Knights, and Dames were clear most of the obstacles.

It was the early morning of the next day that Jay woke up hearing a loud scream.

Even as he yawned and leisurely woke up and stretched, the screams of a woman became louder and louder.

There were voices of people in armors rushing about after hearing the scream.