Ten years pass by and the world changes and shifts. The war in the Southwest Midlands ended in a bloody defeat for Moilua and more lands were taken. Other regions of the continent along with the empire's internals itself started to fill with unrest.
With their resources stretched thin, the empire had struggled to remain unified. With the war in the Southwest Midlands, their men have a common goal again. But now they are again on their final moments as a nation.
The three kingdoms that had united to form the empire, now dissolved into one mass, have started to return to their original states.
The empire's wealth was also drained from the war. They replenished parts of it with war slaves, people in the millions captured and sold.
And now, they enforce their imperialism while quelling rebellions. Many noteworthy people and wealth flowed out of the country as this strife grew.
In other parts of the world, particularly along the cusp of the North Wilds and the Southwest Midlands, a new city-state was born. Originally in the Southwest Midlands, Soul City came into existence around the newly discovered dungeon resting right in the middle of the city known as the Soul Dungeon.
After 5 years of lawlessness, the situation was resolved by five merchants and politicians who had conquered the city and formed a council together known at the Soul Council. With such ruthless efficiency, the city-state cast itself out from the Southwest Midlands and joined the North Wilds as a independent entity.
Yet, trade and wealth funneled into the city like cattle. And dungeon goods flowed out into the rest of the world. The people of the city all developed a culture around dungeon mutations that occurred in the city.
A blue coral-like infection hit the city streets with multiple variations sprouting up. Many people had portions of blue skin with a rough patchy texture, while the more extreme had entire blue translucent coral structures growing out of them.
Additionally, these blue corals and a soft fuzzy blue moss grew along the walls and grounds of the city. When the dark black woods and irons of the area mixed with this vibrant blue, the aesthetic of the city was born.
As for the Soul Dungeon itself, not much was known about it. Explorers in this area had not seen the dungeon until about 15 years ago when it mysteriously grew from the very earth beneath their feet. Dungeons occasionally come into existence but this one was vast and dangerous as well as full of riches.
Scientists, Adventurers, Explorers, Merchants, and many more came to investigate. And the rest grew from there. But they have only cleared the highest levels. The dungeon is rumored to be ten floors deep, but nobody actually knows as the Soul Council has forbidden powerful adventurers from the dungeon.
Anyone above two diamonds is refused entry. Whispers of greed being the reason fill the Adventurer's Guildhalls of the continent, yet they still come in droves to seek out fortune's favor. And many enter to never return.
The dungeon becomes a self-sustaining system. Adventurer's souls join the ranks of the dungeon and populate the depths. And in turn, more riches and materials are made in the magical environment.
Yet the Soul Council lets rookies in in waves, feeding the beast to spit out more goods. And this exact reason is why Lileen and Marim had always avoided the city. It was predatory in nature. Something they didn't want to bring Jin into.
Over the ten years with Jin, they had become akin to siblings with deep bonds running through the three. Lileen and Marim climbs the ranks, reaching one diamond feather. Lileen also picked up two silver stars due to her over abundance of support magic casting practice on Jin.
Jin on the other hand, had not gone far. He had reached three copper fangs in ten long years. His control over the sword grew, but his stunted growth from his mana deficiency reared its ugly face. His body grew taller and stronger, but he was still leagues below the average adult man. His arms were thin and his ribs were visible despite eating well.
Lileen and Marim worried every time they saw him, but he always reassured them that its just a small deficiency that he always had; it wouldn't affect his combat abilities he said. They had gone on adventures across the Southwest Midlands, exploring dungeons and completing quests.
And Jin had learned about the world and the history of his companions. They told him of their past lives before becoming adventurers and of their adventures leading up to finding each other. They spoke of their time in the empire and their time in the South Midlands. Many nights and days passed with the three together.
Where Marim and Lileen at first didn't have any cohesion with Jin in battle, he had fallen into place as a frontline attacker that draws attention as the other two fire away. Lileen and Marim purposefully chose small and easy quests to ensure Jin's safety. That was up until they decided to see Soul City.
Recently, Soul City had become a hotly debated rumor among adventurers for the impossibly powerful dungeon that strong adventurers are forbidden from entering. It became the place of dreams for millions of adventurers. To Marim and Lileen, this looked too good to be true.
And after three years of hearing rumors and seeing the occasional success, they started to change their minds. With the two of them nearing two diamond feathers, they worried if their window to get in would close. So they planned their course northward, completing quest and training Jin but their minds were distracted with the possibility of success in the Soul Dungeon.
Then, in the small nation of Witneria, an agricultural exporter, at the final step before entering the North Wilds and Soul City. They decided to rest and prepare for their small journey through the mountains between the two.
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"The rainstorms in these parts are quite strong. So we must wait until the clouds pass before we cross the mountains." Lileen says with her clue cloak over her head. A heavy rain was pouring outside the tavern, pattering against the window like a tapping beak of a bird.
Lileen moved her slender, delicate fingers up to pull her wet hood off her head, freeing her golden blonde strands of hair to fall gracefully down her back. In the ten years past, her beauty had only grown as her womanhood blossomed. Though she was 144, her elven puberty took longer to bloom.
A fizzing mug of beer slammed down to her side, not startling her in the slightest. "Ahh! Damn! Who knew beer could be so good?" The black-haired woman chuckles out with some of her drink soaking her lip. She wipes it away with the sleeve of her black overcoat before grinning wildly. Marim had aged well, her beauty growing to fill the niche she stood in. Her short black pixie cut shined like obsidian glass and her patchwork overcoat along with the black tank top underneath only served to show enough skin to keep eyes on her.
Her rifle had changed, it was a new powerful gun with a barrel longer than before. Additionally, it had a metal butt for strong close range hits and a magical accelerator embedded in the chamber to allow for higher bullets velocities.
But her weapon wasn't the only one to change. Lileen's magical staff was longer and stiffer. It's wild growing wood had formed a wide base for when Lileen needed to lean against it as a walking stick. The gem in the top had been replaced after shattering in a battle. It was now a brilliantly decorated ruby that spun about itself with smaller chipped off fragments orbiting it whenever she cast magic from it.
"You are 27 as of yesterday. You've been able to drink for many years now. Why did you choose now to start?" Lileen questioned with a gentle smile. She leaned against her hand, lazily watching Marim gulp down the rest of the mug.
Marim promptly slammed the mug down again. "Don't worry about it. It's a Rennal custom." Her words slurred slightly. Lileen sighed as her finger twirled with the corner of a parchment slip.
"When will he return?" Lileen worried aloud. Marim looked down, her expression unreadable. The tavern around them was mostly empty save for the occasional local. Not many travelers were coming through this mountain pass at this time of year thanks to the powerful rains.
That's why they had sent their third and youngest member to search the village for a guide. Merchant carriages passed through this area regularly, so many locals were versed in traveling the mountains. They help guide travelers for a small fee.
Suddenly, Lileen was pulled out of her thoughts, the door opened and two black cloaked figures entered. The tavern's joyful chatter died down as the intricately woven clock of the man in the back was recognized. It was a simple dark cloak that had a silver pattern of curves and almost ancient looking symbols along the seams. The other cloak was a lighter grey and had almost no apparent patterns, it looked ragged and tattered. The grey cloaked man stood just slightly shorter than the other as they trodded towards Lileen and Marim's table.
A dark skinned hand came out of the grey cloak to remove the hood over the black curled hair. It hung down his head, drooping and curling about lazily. His face was smooth with a thin nose and wide lips. His black round eyes seemed to attract the moon's gaze and his darker complexion only added to his beauty. He looked no older than a teenager. Though despite all of that, he was thin beyond compare, his body was noticeably skinnier and if his cloak were to be removed, his frame would hollow out underneath.
Marim grinned. In her own way, it was a loving gesture but she looked more prideful than anything else. Lileen on the other hand eyed the other fellow beside the grey cloaked teen.
"This is Janius. A local who is willing to guide us." The teen said as he introduced the black cloaked figure. The man stepped forward and pulled his hood off. His grey beard framed his old face well. His messy hair was short and thinned. Along his hollowed cheekbone and across his left eye was a long gashed scar. And his other eye, his only remaining one, was greyed over.
The locals in the bar all turned away and scowled at the sight of the old man, many of them scoffing and glaring. Marim took notice of this.
"Aye, nice ya' meet cha, trav'lers." He spoke in a gruffled strange accent. He came up and plopped down in the seat with the two girls across from him. The teenaged boy came up behind Lileen and Marim.
"From what I know, he's not very popular around here for some unknown past transgressions. But he is by far the cheapest." The teen quietly whispered to Marim and Lileen. The two of them looked at the old man as the teen spoke to them.
"Thank you for finding a guide, Jin. We do need to save as much money for our next stop anyway." Lileen said almost pleasantly as she imagined the city. Marim grinned and nodded in agreement with her arms crossed. Jin nodded, accepting the compliment quietly.
"So ya' lookin' fer a guide trough the mount'n pass, I hear?" The man named Janius asked the two while playing with a small coin between his rough callused fingers. He flicked the coin up, the sound ringing aloud. Then he caught it with a toothy grin. He said, "Tryin' ta' make it to Soul City, amarit'?"
Lileen glanced at the old man, having underestimated his intellect. In that moment, a part of the two of them seemed to recognize the other's wisdom.
"How do you know-" Marim started to say. Lileen stopped her with a raised hand. Jin quietly watched, his hand twitching slightly as he noticed the presence of the nearby locals watching them. He reached back and drew his sword from the scabbard on his back, the ring of metal filling the quieted tavern. Lileen and Marim, as well as the old man and the locals all looked at him.
"Because of the blade on my back, right? All of our weapons are uncommon for anyone but adventurers and soldiers." Jin carefully examined his blade, making sure the locals saw its edge and shine. The watching eyes all quickly turned back to their own tables, fearing of the weapon.
The old man grumbled and nodded. He spoke, "Aye, lad. That and ta' fact that nobody else comes trough these parts but you adventurous types."
"Let's cut this crap short. How much do you want to take us to Soul City?" Marim butts in. She slams her fist down on the table, drawing the conversation to herself. The old man grins while fiddling with the coin.