Difference Between Us

It wasn't just the two boys. Various other guilds were pooling into the archway. Some out of the goodness of their heart, others hoping to gain a reputation within the community, and some who had allies missing.

Regardless of the reason, everyone's resolve would be tested. Suppose they could not conquer the first dungeon. In that case, they'd surely perish before reaching the various dungeons toward the center of that dimension.

**

**

The leading tunnel was unfairly menacing. It may have been chummier when the standing illuminating trees were still green. But the now deep red path heralded them into their potential demise. The rocky ground made men miss their soft cottony home, and the nippy draft from the Garden ahead made them regret not spending more time near the Guild Hall's fireplace.

Crush and Sprite advanced with the flock like dozens of bees traveling through a cramped tube. Crush wore inescapable scorn on his face, traveling quietly while listening to the fearful talk among other groups.

As a greater light at the end of the tunnel approached, he had to question what the hell he was doing. Were any of the people they'd met in that world really worth leaving the safety of the Hub? Risking their life?

Whatever the case. Crush knew that, above all else, his and his brothers' safety came first. The moment things grew dire, they'd dip from that accursed region.

The path was a short walk, five minutes. During that time, not a single person escaped the Garden. Crush knew this was an indication of one or two things; Either there was a situation that entrapped the humans inside, or they were all dead.

There was a dramatic growth of space as they neared. And upon entering into the Garden, Crush was beaten with awe.

None of the reports he'd heard did it a lick of justice. It was divine. The cavern ceiling was just as high as the Hub's, and the walls were rounded and far apart. There were acres of green grass with shrubs that grew berries and a forest of trees. More jaw-dropping was the hill at the opposite end of the cave that housed a massive tree the size of the Statue of Liberty. Surprisingly, it was the only thing not revoltingly red.

Ah, how he had regrets about not visiting that place sooner. Back before the atmosphere was dyed scarlet, and the grass was sticky with blood from an ongoing war.

Crush could narrowly see beyond the backs of individuals and extended swords. Polluting the airwaves with their powerful ear-covering battle cries. He had stopped at the rear to analyze the situation, but tens more poured past him and joined the fray with raised blades.

Even yards away, he could hear the fleshy, grotesque sounds of skin being torn. Smell the humid, rusty scent of fresh death, and feel the ground shake from stampede.

A low rumble broke not far ahead. And Crush heard a masculine voice boom in urgency. "Sheild! Shields!"

Just as the message was heard, a screech was emitted, and a full-sized adult male was bashed into the air, high enough for Crush to see from behind the assemblage. They were airborne for seconds, broken and flailing silently before crashing into the ground with a wet thump.

There was a delay after the body was knocked upward. But soon, a sprinkle of blood rained down and splattered onto Crush's cheek. He looked upward, impulsively questioning if there was rain. The last thing he imagined was that a man was hit so fiercely that his internal saps landed yards away from his impact.

Crush unhurriedly raised his hand, then causally dabbed the wet spot. "Hmm?" he sounded, peeking at his fingertip.

His glance became a stare. He remained unmoving, unreactive to the unexpected sight.

...

"Shields!" He heard again. There were shouts and bassy pounds, and this time no one was flung upward; however, the barricade of people in front of them parted to the left or right of an incoming danger.

Instead of blocking, the humans dodged, fearing what might happen if they stood in the way. Their split revealed a frightening leafy creature. Round and meaty like a burger, it was as large as an automobile. Hardened with a turtle's shell, it charged heavily on all fours through anyone that didn't move, dashing toward the stationary Crush.

While somewhat resembling a turtle, it was mad with dastardly red eyes. Moss and plants grew on its stone-like shell, which suggested that the creatures may have always been there in the Garden, just buried beneath the soil.

Conceivably, guardians of such.

Undisturbed in the path of danger, Sprite tilted his head at Crush, raised his brow, then calmly asked. "Lost in thought?"

He knew his brother was notorious for blanking out. Sometimes to delve into his inner self and find solutions to their hardships; other times, he just needed to reboot.

Sprite, moderately nervous, stepped in front of Crush. He exhaled, then held his Rapier's point toward the charging monster.

"Are you ready?" he asked himself, trying to encourage valor. He knew he should grab Crush and dodge based on logical reasoning. Still, he hesitated because he didn't want to be dependent.

Both brothers were equal on Earth and brought the same perks to the table. However, that began to change once Crush was gifted with the magic window. He began to offer much more, performing acts Sprite could not replicate. What was he supposed to do while his headstrong brother spent hours and days committed to building the Guild Hall?

With too much time alone, Sprite felt discouraged and began questioning his capacity to contribute to their shared dreams. While he was floundering in uncertainty, Loriana emerged. She was docile, self-reserved, and, most importantly, possessed inhuman strength.

He remembered the day she freed him from his misgivings. He was training alone, stabbing a vulnerable rock. She had strolled in behind him and told him his form was "too idealistic."

Practice was one thing, but no one fights with the same beauty when surrounded by nightmares in a dark cave. When each swing you take is a matter of life and death. Sprite bullied her at first, but after, asked for her support.

She said no.

A few times, actually. Loriana was devoted to guaranteeing the success of the Guild Hall. Her primary investment was the Quest Board and ensuring the quest was balanced and catered to everyone. Though, after Sprite revealed Crush's plans to build a bath, she became more obliging, sparing a few hours in the day on his fixation.

Despite the limited duration of a couple of hours daily, he acquired a sense of self-assurance and poise.

Standing firm in that Garden, Sprite sharpened his focus on the bulldozing monster. "The entire time you were crafting, I've been training with Lori."

The ground became more unsteady the closer the shelled foe reached. Sprite slouched forward, his weapon pointed straight, then swiftly sprinted. He angled his dash to meet the guardian head-on but left a hairsbreadth of room to jump past it like a matador dodging a bull.

When only arm's length away from the creature, Sprite pulled his weapon behind his chest, then yelled in exertion as he put all his muscle into drilling his blade into the monster's forehead. The first attack needled the target as planned, but his assault continued as he recoiled the sword and rapidly stabbed two more times. Each jab was quicker than the last, combining three strikes in one and a half seconds.

[ Starting Class Skill: ]

2) Pierce, Pierce, Pierce (Active): Perform high-speed rapier stabs.

_

Sprite lept from the beast's path after his instantaneous hits. It was an effective effort; however, the creature continued onward.

Of course it did. Its wild rush was indisputable. Sprite may have mastered his proficiency, but that didn't change the fact that his overall stats were too low to deal adequate damage. He didn't have a system window to use skill points like his brother, so at level 1, his strength was low-grade.

He wanted so much to be more than a handsome brain. To offer more. After skirting past the Garden Guardian, he didn't give up and dug his heels before giving chase. As many attempts as it took, he wanted to kill it.

In front of the beast, Crush moved. His palm met his face as he calmly wiped the blood from his skin. He clicked his teeth, then grumbled, "You've been training?"

"To what, fight monsters? Humans?" He'd seemed to be blacked out before but evidently overheard Sprite's statement.

"This will NEVER be our life! The only thing we should have to fight is the urge to punch those self-entitled pricks at the Guild Hall."

With the red-eyed monster less than 3 yards away, Crush raised his palm to its large body, then scowled while fuming.

"We've already had to FIGHT just to get here. You've got me fucked up if you think we'll risk our lives in a place like this. For cattle!?"

"Repel!"

Crush felt a strong suction within his magic-infused veins. Like liquid energy was being propelled through his blood and out his extended fingers. Upon his utterance, an imperceptible, violent explosion of force slammed into the turtle-monsters head. There was a gross CRACK when its neck bent backward, breaking at the joint. Its entire body lifted from the Earth and then repelled yards away.

It was so quick and unobservable that non of the surrounding adventurers could see or understand what happened.

Immediately after, a window popped.

[ Main Quest: "First Kill" is now complete! ]

Directions: Deliver the finishing blow to an enemy.

[ Rewards: ]

Skill Points (10)

MP Potion - Small (3)

Potion of Poison Resistance (3)

Coupler Weapon Loot Box

Adventurer Backpack

_

[ New Main Quest: Taste for Blood ]

Directions: Kill (5) Garden Guardians

[ Rewards: ]

Skill Points (10)

MP Potion - Small (3)

Inventory Increase +5

_

[ Status: ]

[ Level: ] 1 --> 3

[ Name: ] Crush

[Race: ] Human (Click to view race attributes.)

[ Class: ] Lvl 3 Coupler

[ HP: ] 46 / 46

[ MP: ] (+10 Class Bonus) (85) / 80

[ Attack: ] 20

[ Defense: ] 19

[ Intelligence: ] (+2 Class Bonus) (109)

[Stamina: ] 30

[ Skill Points: ] 114

_

Crush quickly swiped away the tabs, turning from the scene and beckoning for his brother to retreat with him. Sprite didn't understand. They possessed such devastating ability and power as he wished he had. His brother was undoubtedly strong enough to save others, yet he wanted to flee.

Sprite... Was at a loss. He was frustrated. Outraged. All the training he did, yet his effort was washed over. Overshadowed again by his counterpart.

"Didn't we come to save Charles? You were so sure before. Why are you leaving!?"

The sight and stench of the dead was a revelation. Crush wasn't faint of heart nor afraid; he was hesitant because of all there was to lose.

It ANGERED him to even be faced with any real threat of danger. Those things were not the same weak skeletons he could annihilate with his hands alone, and he wasn't comfortable depending on a fictional concept like magic.

It was easy to talk big when he was still inside the Hub, safe and fresh out of a bath, but being there changed everything.

Sprite tugged him back, increasingly inflamed. "Listen to me!"

Crush yanked away, screaming, "Stop playing! We aren't characters in a comic; we could die! Then what about our business?!"

"I get it, man!" Sprite hotly replied. "We've held real shitty lives until now, but Crush, brother, there's so much more to life than just business and wealth!"

"I know you can agree. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come here in the first place to save a man you barely know!"

A momentary flash of Charles's family photo invaded Crush's mind. He remembered how he and his wife beamed and the ambitious look on the daughter's face. An expression that reminded him of his childhood. He heard Charles's soft, overly proper voice, like a whisper. "Yea, you would have gotten along."

In no universe did Crush think he could ever be like his brother. He knew it from when they'd met as kids. Unlike him, Sprite could never be satisfied with just riches. They'd always been helpful and sociable; the kids in the orphanage followed him where he led. That was always the case until he was stolen away from their circles for a life of criminality.

Crush had previously wondered what kind of person his brother would have been if they hadn't met. If he hadn't presented his "get rich quick" schemes or taught him to only care for himself.

He'd pondered the fulfilling life that the boy could have led.

Crush freed the tension in his shoulders, took a breath, then pushed Sprite a step away. "You're insufferable."

Sprite forced a grin, rubbed his arm, then kicked Crush's ankle. "ME? All you do is bark. I should send you to an animal shelter."

"Whatever," lamented Crush, crossing his arms and shutting his eyes. "Let's just find our employee and get out of here."

"There you go again. Ya know, it's okay to admit that you've made a friend."

"Shut up and let me think."

//"You've betrayed my bountiful bed, now bath in red."\\ Crush looked up at the gigantic green tree atop the hill, observing it as the only unaffected space in the Garden. According to the riddle- Red bad. Anything else good.

He'd also previously determined that the "Champion of Light" was the boss Zombie's Guild had challenged. He was willing to bet the Clown's life that the green light somehow repulsed enemies. It was why no monsters entered the Hub.

The same went for the turtle creatures; they were always underground but only surfaced when the chamber changed color.

(("Lith called this dungeon F-13. F is supposedly the lowest-grade region which is why it's so forgiving."))

((If there are any survivors, they'd be safe underneath that glowing emerald tree."))

Crush pocketed his hands in his bottoms to warm them, then began a slow stride into the Garden. "Stay close," he advised.

Sprite wanted to crack a joke and be the zany personality he usually was. But his frown hung, and he moped at the ground while begrudgingly sheathing his weapon. "Sure..."

Cautious as always, Crush peeked at his status to ensure he could continue to use his abilities. He confirmed there wasn't fine print somewhere that'd somehow screw him over. His mana was full when he left the Hub, but he checked again in the unlikely case it was depleted after the hefty skill.

[ MP: ] (+10 Class Bonus) (78) / 75

_

It was previously (85) which meant it dropped 7 units. His MP was still 3 points over the base stat since he had the +10 bonus. However, he only expended about 3 points on repel before. 7 was higher than usual.

Crush guessed the chance was because his INT was higher and he could discharge more power, but he wasn't sure. Loriana would be able to clarify why, but she wasn't there.

(("Sometimes gas goes up in price,")) he guessed. He'd increase his MP pool to accommodate sudden inflation if need be. Although, he didn't want to use all of his Skill Points before knowing the measure of the imminent peril.