Eric awoke in an unfamiliar setting with Magdy wielding two heavy hammers. The man was quiet like usual but Eric could tell based off the look in his face that he felt tense. Trying to stand, Eric fell to the floor face first as he cursed endlessly.
"Shitty old man. Why am I on the floor? Is that a teleportation array?" Eric could see he had just fallen off a large stone. They were in some kind of cave and the area seemed quiet. Magdy turned around and looked at Eric who was rambling and gathering himself.
With a toss, Magdy threw two short swords and a whip along with a pack at Eric. Catching the items Eric continued his slew of questions. "Why are we in some abandoned cavern. This place looks completely empty."
No response came from Magdy, he just kept looking forward at one of the cavern walls intently.
'There's nothing there. What is he focusing on?' Grouchily, Eric grabbed his pack and his replacement weapons. His fingers running down the weapons and tapping on certain areas.
'Not bad. Dwarves really do have talent. It's still not the same as slithering snake and sir sharps a lot.' His short swords had a simple design of them having an average length and being double bladed. The grip ofthe sword was smooth and compact. His whip was of a similar pattern except for the knife-like attachment at the end of it.
Eric looked at Magdy who's eyes were locked onto a wall and decided to practice with his new weapons. Eric gripped his whip and went through his basic movements. The whip seemed to slither, jump, and constrict at his will. A loud cracking noise present as he used the weapon.
Switching to his dual short swords, Eric became lost in thought.
'I never learned to fight with both because Pa died before he could teach me.' Shaking his head the boy attempted the Southern Empire's swordsmanship. Like slicing the very wind itself, the blades each focused on speed and precision.
'It just feels so natural to use two. I feel like i could just get lost in this feeling.' Eric kept practicing and finally a certain gleam appeared on his swords and shot out from them.
Magdy turned and saw the gleam appear, his eyebrows rose but he said nothing. Eric was the complete opposite.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhh, man did you see that. That was the beginning stages of sword intent. I just need a couple more steps and I'll have developed my own sword intent."
Magdy was silent before turning to the wall expectantly. He took something out of his spatial ring and it hovered right before the wall. He waved Eric to come over and the two stared at the wall.
Looking at the object in the air, Eric was surprised to see that it was a key. A long and tattered looking one, Eric's eyes widened when a door seemed to slowly emerge from the wall. Decorations of angels lined the top while demons were at the bottom.
'The decorations on the door suggest the divine suppressing the demonic. Huh, and what's with a door like this being in this place?'
The two stood in place as the door completely emerged from the wall as though it was phasing into reality. Magdy motioned for Eric to take the key much to his confusion.
'What what am I taking this thing for? I better not be getting scammed.' Puttiing a hand on the key the mottled thing turned blood red before becoming gold.
The key radiated a golden light as it shot into the door like a high speed arrow. The door opened with a creak that made the cavern shake.
Eric's feeling of uncertainty rose, and he looked at Magdy. "Hey man, I don't know what that door is but an explanation would really help set me at ease. This thing looks like the type of thing to hold something that's being sealed."
Magdy didn't look back but a voice entered Eric's mind. "We're going to a gate of Tartarus, we need to find some specific materials that my father wants. Some of it is to make your weapon, while some of it is in order to grab some items my father himself needs. Try not to talk too much and get ready."
'Guy's voice sounds younger than I thought.'
Holstering his whip and readying his short swords, Eric watched as the door opened and a deep red vortex appeared.
"Stay close. Remember, you need to find some Volcanic Fiend Essence, some Umbral Nightshade, and couple of liters of... " Magdy jumped in the vortex and Eric followed after.
Screaming like crazy, Eric fell face first onto the ground.
"Urghhh, the world seriously has something against my face." Pushing himself off the ground, Eric saw that the ground was cracked and a dull gray color.
"Almost like the life had been sucked out of the ground." Popping up in a ready position, Eric found himself alone. His eyebrows shooting up at his current situation.
"Did Magdy account for us getting separated?" Eric never let go of his swords as he looked around. It just seemed like endless desert, walking forward Eric kept vigilance until he reached a certain rock.
'A regular rock but I can feel something from that rock. It's almost like.'
Turning the rock over was a symbol with a cross.
'This is a sealing formation.'
Feeling the rock, Eric tried to channel qi into the rock's cross and immediately a voice called out to him.
"You understand the risk of going further."
Eric was quiet as the earth seemed to spread, a cherub appearing. It's visage other worldly but it's words seemed to linger in the air.
"Can you tell me where my friend is?"
"You take full responsibility for going any further. "
Feeling himself not getting anywhere, Eric answered, "I take full responsibility."
"Access now granted to the first three layers of Tartarus box dimension." Stairs seemed to appear; a heat now present as the many eyes watched Eric.
"Man this sucks." Descending down the stairs Eric's face was somber. He could feel the antiquity of the stairs beneath his feet. Metal engravings of angels and crosses, the heat increasing with every step down.
After walking down a way, Eric reached a barrier that he passed through. his body temperature rose as he entered a land of fire and stone.
The land felt evil, a stench of aggression and chaos in the surroundings. Eric looked at the imps taking from a smaller and weaker imp. They snatched the rat from their colleague. Devouring it in front of him and proceeding to beat him.
They snickered and laughed while the imp succumbed to his injuries. Eric's eyebrow frowning, demonic birds flew around circling prey. Hellish golems walked around creating heavy impact with each step they took. A glance upwards and all that stood there was a red sky overcast with greyish black clouds.
Eric could hear it, a type of deep groaning coming from somewhere in the realm but it sent a shiver down his spine worse than anything he could see thus far.