Can't Catch Me

The Killen village faded, falling apart like pieces of a puzzle. The housing commission that hosted the entrance to the dungeon replaced it, followed by the mixed smell of tobacco and urine. Dustin emerged in a dark living area, standing on the yellow-stained carpet.

A red and blue light continued to flash through the room, revealing Dustin's mask as it passed over the empty room. He could detect three muffled voices talking outside through the ripping vibrations they released.

Dustin snuck over to the balcony door and scanned the lawn. Three police officers were standing in the middle of the pathway, chatting away. Two police cars blocked off access to the road, and one car had its lights on just at the end of the entrance.

A thick black truck sat on the other side of the road, hiding whatever laid inside. Dustin needed to escape and pulled the rusted metal door open. A worn-down fly screen followed.

Dustin cringed as the hinges squeaked and crouched down, watching the mini-map for any movement. No voices came, and he left the apartment door open. He crawled up the stairs, taking care to stay quiet.

A room on the third floor, opposite the one he had broken into, had its door open, and Dustin ducked inside. A dim kitchen light lit up the apartment, revealing the mess of pill containers and fast food containers.

Dustin jiggled the doorknob to the balcony and sighed in frustrated as it refused to open. He looked around the apartment, trying to find a set of keys to open the balcony. After searching for three minutes to no success, Dustin heard a shout from downstairs.

The sound of footsteps echoed up the stairwell, pressuring Dustin into deciding. He summoned a shadow dagger in his hand and slashed at the balcony door, shattering glass, and cutting through the fly screen. The shouts came closer, and he could see the footsteps on his mini-map as the team entered the second floor.

"Get down on your knees, hands behind your head!"

Dustin jumped through the shattered door and barreled over the balcony, landing on the ground with a roll. The fall would have been enough to injure or kill an average human, but Dustin had increased durability and strength.

A white light shone out from the balcony he jumped from as he took off, and a man wearing a black full body armour levelled his gun at Dustin.

With a bare glance, Dustin threw the shadow dagger towards the officer, using the time to jump the nearby fence.

Matthew, the officer on the balcony, threw himself to the ground as the dagger came sailing towards him, only to dissipate before crossing the balcony barrier.

Dustin chuckled as he snuck alongside the wooden fence tinged with morning dew, limiting the sound of his steps on the grass. He was in the neighbouring apartments yard now, and faced with a large brick complex, on the same level as the garage doors.

A cop car slammed on the brakes as it stopped in front of the building two officers jumping out and running over towards where Dustin hid.

With no choice, Dustin ran to the opposite side of the building and scaled it. He hoisted himself up by the balconies, climbing on the rusted barriers to reach the next level. The sound of the cops rounding the corner alerted him, and he laid flat against the concrete ground.

Dustin looked up, spotting an older man looking at him behind the sliding glass door. Dustin's breath caught in his throat as the man looked from him to the police officers searching the side of the building, picking through the rubbish.

A crooked smile spread on the mans face, and he turned around, walking over to his worn recliner. His frame shook as he sat down, hands holding onto the sides.

Dustin gave a sigh of relief, watching his mini-map to see the officers spouting orders into the radio, running off down the side to the car. The roof of the building was two floors higher, and Dustin climbed up, minimising his noise at the expense of speed.

He had a solid view of the surroundings from the roof, revealing more police vehicles, men wearing body armour popping out. The best way to escape was to distance himself from the police, taking off his disguise would make him just another civilian wandering the streets.

Dustin peered over the lip of the roof to gauge the height, and an idea sprung to life. Though apprehensive to spend more Dos, Dustin dug into the store, adding two items to his cart. A small backpack appeared on his back, and the information for a new spell seared itself into his mind.

[Geyser Blast]

You direct a strong blast of wind originating from a chosen location, blasting anything in its path.

Use: 130 Mana.

Dustin kept a firm grip on the red handle poking out of the backpack strap on his shoulder, casting the spell from his feet, and into the air.

The sound of rushing air filled his ears as the spell lifted his body up, clearing the roof of the building. He felt the sensation end, and his body plummet towards the ground. Before he descended too far, he pulled the strap on his backpack, and commanded another blast of wind to hit him.

Rather than straight upwards, he sent himself flying towards the east, just as a pair of triangular wings emerged from the backpack, carrying his body weight as the glider whistled through the air.

Officers heard the first explosion of air and saw a figure shoot into the sky. The second explosion sent it rocketing to the east. They scrambled to get back into their cars and drive after them.

Dustin couldn't help but laugh as he glided over the suburbs, carried by the wind that washed over him like waves. While a fall from the third floor wouldn't kill him, his current distance from the ground would.

He let the glider carry him away, aware that the sounds of sirens remained somewhere behind him, hidden among the darkened streets. Ahead of him was a large park, his glider heading straight for the tree tops that accented the black horizon.

Police cars flew down the street, screeching to a halt beside the park. People came out of their houses, dressed in fluffy gowns as the officers sprinted into the park, following the dark outline of a crimson glider.

They spotted it coming to a slow halt on the ground, shining their torches like a light show.

The empty glider lay on the floor, covered in leaves and ripped from passing by the hanging branches of nearby trees. They turned the glider over, revealing the backpack, and nothing else. The area around the glider was devoid of life, and they had seen nobody flee from it.

While the officers were searching the area in desperation, Dustin pulled a purchased towel from his inventory and dried his hair, already changed from the cloak and centipede carapace to a set of normal clothes.

When the glider was closing in on the ground, Dustin fell early, landing in a strangers pool. He was fortunate that no one had noticed, and he jumped out, walking down the street with a carefree expression. The sounds of whirring blades passed overhead as a helicopter flew towards the park, the words 'Police' printed onto the side.

Dustin was uninterrupted on his walk home, avoiding contact with any law enforcement. He wore a hoodie as he walked to hide from any surveillance, making his way to the neighbourhood he lived in untouched.

He was still being watched by the authorities, so he sent a message through the system. A figure emerged from the house a few minutes later, walking with the same hoodie Dustin wore.

They walked over to the public toilet block near the children playground where Dustin waited.

As the figure walked in, Dustin stood under the dim toilet lights, playing with his display.

"Dustin?" The figure asked, and both pulled down their hoods, revealing the same face underneath.

The real Dustin smiled and sent a small amount of Dos to the doppelganger facing him. The impostors face shifted, revealing that of a young boy underneath, a familiar sight.

"Thanks David, that'll be all for today." He waited a moment and flushed a toilet, pulling his hood back up and walking out, continuing away from the house first like he was on a morning walk.

Moments later David emerged under the visage of an old man, his features rough and wrinkled, and his clothes stained. Those following Dustin maintained a suitable distance to avoid arousing suspicion, satisfied when he returned home.

Meanwhile Dustin looked through his rewards from the dungeon, watching as his level rose.

[Level up! +5 available attribute points. +300 Dos.]

[Level up! +5 available attribute points. +310 Dos.]

[Level up! +5 available attribute points. +320 Dos.]

Pioneer: Dusty

Race: Human

Designation: XQB51

Level: 17

Attaining three levels from a single dungeon was outstanding, but failing the threshold he set at level 18 to enter the Eclipse Forest dungeon was disappointing.

Regardless, Dustin took what he could get. The dungeon's rewards made up part of the missing level.

The random assortment of items given by the villagers could sell for a little extra Dos if nothing else, or sold off to other pioneers. Dustin planned to read the agriculture book and keep the seeds.

The reward from the quest was a rare silk robe, which Dustin laid on the floor. The silk was dyed black, with white lining the edges where it came together. Rather than its appearance, Dustin was more interested in its usefulness.

[Rare Silk Robe of Vitality]

48/48 Durability

+30 Mana Shield

+3 Wisdom

+8 Charisma

A silk robe made from the cocoons of silkworms. Imbued with the power of vitality from the earth.

Vitality: Wearer regenerates 10% of their health after taking damage, may only occur once every three minutes.

Dustin let the silk wash over his fingers putting it on, wearing it underneath all the other armour. It felt smooth against his skin, better than the rough and patchy cloak.

The other reward was a choice, albeit an easy one. Of the options provided, the [Charm Grenade] was a powerful item.

[Charm Grenade]

A grey canister filled with purple smoke. Those who inhale the smoke will be rendered harmless for 10 seconds, believing others to be their closest friends.

Charm grenades were unavailable in the store, only given as rare quest rewards. They were game changing items, allowing the user to immobilise targets for ten seconds. Dustin looked at the [Skill: Cocoon] but shook his head, unable to pass up the allure that a charm grenade gave off.

Aside from the rewards, Dustin looked over his new achievements from the dungeon.

[Back off Bandits! You are the first pioneer of XQB51 to clear the Killen Raid dungeon. +5 Charisma. +20% health regeneration to your party when you are the leader.]

Completing a dungeon quest should have had a first time achievement attached to it, but someone had beat Dustin to earning that mantle. He took the useful Back off Bandits! achievement as a success and focused on his Dos earnings.

The dungeon had given him 3070 Dos, adding to the amount he had already for 3980. His plan to kill a Blood Ape Chieftain required some serious firepower, so Dustin purchased some gadgets to aid him.

The first were some traps. Bear traps would snare anything that stepped on the central plate, stabbing them with spiked jaws. He also purchased some offensive consumables, and a new staff.

The [Uncommon Static Metal Staff] was a good weapon early on, but the minor attachment of shocking enemies was becoming more useless as time went on. Close combat with the Blood Ape Chieftain was the worse case scenario. Dustin wanted to keep it at range and pound it with spells.

He needed a staff that aided spells, something packing some serious firepower. There were options for staffs that granted spells, a two-in-one combination, provided the user didn't lose the staff.

One option caught Dustin's attention, made from the spine of Magma Bear.

[Rare Vertebrae Staff of Incineration]

Durability 75/75

A bone staff made from the spinal cord of a Magma Bear, contains powerful magic that experienced magicians may draw out.

Incineration: Draw flames from the surroundings to incinerate a target, burning them over time. Extended exposure increases damage dealt.

Dustin's purchases brought him back into poverty. The bone staff in his hand was hot to the touch, each vertebrae was hotter than the last, with the end Dustin held providing a nice warmth, whilst the end of it could cause serious burns.

The attributes gained from levelling up he placed in constitution, as Dustin knew that he needed a backup in case his quarry got too close.

Constitution 31 (+15) → 46

He could hear bones creak in his arms as tendons tightened around them, making his body sturdier. The pain made him hazy, but his mind was clear afterwards, like a solid trip to the gym.

Dustin twirled the staff around, careful not to knock anything in his room over, and placed the tip on the ground before it disappeared into his inventory. He had a row of purchased goods to aid him in the fight with the Blood Ape Chieftain now, retrieving some lost confidence he had at being level 17.

While Dustin settled in for the night, police maintained a strict roadblock around the commissioned housing, searching every inch of every room, finding no one. Police questioned if a dungeon appeared at all, but the sight of the masked man was substantial evidence of its existence.

That led to further questions. Where did the inhabitants go? Did they all perish inside the dungeon? Or worse...

Did the mysterious pioneer kill them?