TASK THREE: SACRIFICE

I don't know exactly what it meant, but as I waited in the darkness for the Tower to teleport me to my new location, I could feel the warmth in my arm simmer at a comfortable temperature. It was like whatever was inside me — inside the arm — knew who I spoke to, and it decided to calm down after my conversation with the stranger.

As the dust effect came back, this time it seemed to create the floor I stood on, and the walls that surrounded me. I waited quietly as the dust formed to create a lit torch that brought light and I noticed both Kat and Saizo standing apart from each other nearby.

As I walked across the cavern we all found ourselves in, my mind raced through all the implications the stranger discussed. He came from a time when the System didn't exist, and he had the power to bend the System to his own end. Even if it did retaliate back.

I felt the strongest I've ever felt and of course that came from all the points I put into my Strength attribute, but the thought of being powerful enough to warp and manipulate the System never came to mind. Everything I knew had always been within the limits of Paradigm. From the stories that Saizo had told me about adventurers and other people that he met during his travels, I always thought that the System was what provided us with the means to be stronger than normal. What if, in reality, Paradigm did the opposite? What if, by providing us with such a strict method of gaining strength, through the Attribute and Levelling Up systems, it was subtly keeping us caged up from our true potential?

I slowly approached Kat, as not so long ago, she had seen something monstrous come out of me from the arm. I don't know if she knew exactly what she saw, but the last thing I wanted was to traumatise her again. For a split-second when she noticed me approaching her and Saizo, I thought I saw that fear flicker in her eyes. However, she called out my name and ran towards me.

She ran into me and hugged me tightly and it caused me to almost lose my footing.

"You're okay!" she exclaimed.

I didn't know how to react, and I just held my arms out above her, since I didn't know where to place them.

She seemed to have caught onto my discomfort and stepped away from me shyly and looked down.

"I'm glad you're okay…" she mumbled quietly.

"I'm glad you're okay too." I looked down at her. I really was glad she was okay, and I was glad that she seemed to have regained the trust that she had since what happened in the first task.

Saizo was standing near one of the lit torches that hung against the walls and watched us silently as Kat led me closer to him.

He looked like he wanted to say something but was struggling to figure out what to say. I knew what he wanted to say, so I took the chance to start the conversation.

"Like I said before, I know I owe you my life Saizo," I started. I was thankful that my voice didn't break as I spoke.

"But I'm expecting to get the justice I deserve," I said resolutely, "and all parties involved have to pay for the deaths of my parents."

Saizo's eyes were very dark. Even through the stark shadows that the flickering torch created, I could see his expression. He understood where I was coming from, though he didn't necessarily agree.

Instinctively it seems, Kat stepped aside away from us to give us some privacy.

"Ryuu…" he said quietly.

"Obaa—Aoi always taught us, kids, at the orphanage that our actions have consequences," I interrupted his objection, "and as the oldest in the orphanage, she and I chatted quite a lot when the others were asleep. It was always interesting.

"It's funny looking back at it now. Knowing what I know now, at how she almost religiously drilled that concept into us," I paused as I glared at him, "even though she was running away from the consequences of her own actions."

"I'm sorry Ryuu," Saizo spoke up again, "but Mobito's the only friend I have left."

"I read the Paradigm Help Files a lot," I said over his plea, "and there is an entry for basically anything you ask it. So let me ask you this…"

I saw the tension in his body grow as his jaw clenched shut.

"Do you know about our Pjanic Right to Justice?" I ignored his discomfort.

He stepped forward to me and his face disappeared into the darkness for a little bit before my eyes adjusted.

"He's suffered enough already, hasn't he?" Saizo tried to negotiate, "He's been cursed by the Churchgoers and has been in agony this whole time!"

He started to wave his hands wildly as he continued to passionately plea for his friend, "Ever since we've decided to go on this Quest Mobito and even Nato has treated you with respect, protected you, taught you, and this is how— "

Something seemed to have clicked in him as he spoke and when he spoke next, his voice turned deadly quiet and low.

"Is this why you were so desperate to go on a Quest with them? All to exercise your Right to Justice?"

I didn't say anything. I just watched him carefully.

A rage suddenly burst from the usually calm and friendly man, and he swung a tightly clenched fist at me. I could hear Kat scream at us from where she stood waiting, but I caught Saizo's wrist and held it away from my face confidently.

The rage that blinded him disappeared and he grunted as he tried to pull his hand away from my grip, but I held on tight. My strength attribute was higher than his and I tightened my grip. A flicker of pain appeared in his eyes. The simmering in my arm intensified.

"They destroyed my whole life," I said coldly, "all I'm doing is exercising my legal right."

I let go of his wrist and he stepped away from me, "you've just been using me," he whimpered, "all this time you've just been using me."

"Haven't you been using me all these years to deal with your own guilt?" I snapped at him, "Isn't that why you were so friendly to me and told me so many stories? Isn't that why you always checked up on me when you visit town Ohda?"

He didn't know how to respond so we stood in silence for a little bit before Kat tugged at my jacket to get my attention.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice sounded slightly annoyed since I was still riled up from the argument with Saizo, but I saw what she wanted to get my attention with.

Lines of fire appeared from the outer edges of the cavern around us and crept their way in multiple predetermined routes engraved into the cavern floor. The scene reminded me of what happened in the Solo Dungeon.

Kat and Saizo stepped away from lines of flames that came close to them, but I knew that they wouldn't have burnt us, since the flames didn't burn me in the Solo Dungeon. I started to follow a line of flame as it trickled left and right and around, and slowly made its way closer and closer to what I assumed was the middle of the cavern.

Kat called out to me in worry, but I raised my hand behind me and motioned that everything would be okay as I continued to watch the fire merge together.

Suddenly, in front of me, all the separate lines of fire met, they flew quickly straight up into the air as two different pillars before converging together in an arch a few centimetres higher than my head. It was high enough that all of us could walk through the arch without the flames burning us if they had any heat.

As the two points touched, a waterfall effect of fire fell and the whole middle area of the arch was covered by Firefall for a few seconds before the fire disappeared and we all could see a completely different room through the archway. It was a magical portal. Through the horizon, we all could see the other room was stony like the cavern we were in, with only torches propped up against the wall as the sources of light. However, these torches seemed to shine brighter, and we could see our missing Party member at the far end of the other room. Strapped to a rack of sorts.

I understood what the System wanted us to do straight away, and I turned to Kat and Saizo, "It's the only way we can go."

Kat, understandably, was terrified, "how do you know that?"

I looked at her, "I know it might be difficult to do right now, especially after all that's happened, but please trust me."

I could see Kat still struggling and I decided to try and reassure her, "I'll go first," I said, "I think all we need to do is just step through to the other room. There's nowhere else to go."

I turned my focus to Saizo, "I will get my Right to Justice done even if you don't want me to."

"Ryuu!" Saizo called out aggressively, but I ignored him and with a deep breath, I stepped through the portal confidently.

The portal felt natural and seamless. In one step, I was in the dark cavern with Kat and Saizo, the next I was in this other room with Mobito.

I took note of the surroundings and noticed that once again, like the Solo Dungeon, the stone walls and roof were more delicately placed. The same brick pattern was here again like in the Solo Dungeon. Like a castle.

I looked at Mobito splayed out on the rack at the other end of the room. It was the only other thing in the room, and that made the area feel lonelier and emptier. I started to walk towards the hurt adventurer before Saizo's bellowing voice behind me caused me to jump suddenly.

"Wait!" he yelled.

I turned and saw that he had gone through the portal in a hurry, holding Kat's hand tightly. He let go as he started to approach me and once again pleaded, "You don't have to do this, Ryuu."

I looked down at the ground and resumed to approach Mobito on the rack.

"Ryuu!" Saizo called out again, "Don't do it! This isn't like you!"

That comment made me stop in my tracks.

Almost as if it was waiting for the perfect opportunity to pop up, a notification Window appeared in front of me, and I assumed, in front of everyone else.

[CONGRATULATIONS!

YOU HAVE PASSED THE SECOND TASK IN THE CRIMSON TOWER!

500EXP REWARDED FOR COMPLETING THE SECOND TASK!]

"I've levelled up again," Kat mumbled.

[TASK THREE: SACRIFICE

AS THE OLD ADAGE GOES: "ONLY THOSE WHO SACRIFICE ALL THEIR WORTH TO THEIR GODS ARE GRANTED THE TRUE KNOWLEDGE".]

The scraping sound of stone sliding against stone came from my left, about a metre in front of Mobito and the rack. As we all turned to see what made the noise, we watched as a stone altar grew and formed from the smooth-stone floor.

The altar seemed to be for some sort of nondescript god or gods, and on the side that faced Mobito, a big stone basin that led to a deep dark hole into the floor stood like a big, gaping mouth, silently waiting for its meal.

I noticed near the top of the altar, there was a section of stone that seemed to have been made to fit a left palm. I looked at my left hand and thought about what the stranger had said to me, before in the second task.

He talked about how I would instinctively know what to do to reach 'her' in the third task. Could this hand imprint have anything to do with it?

I pried my mind away from the task. I had something I had to do first before I completed the Crimson Tower Quest. It was also something that the stranger said I had to do, and that was to complete the secret Completion Quest for the left arm. I started to make my way towards Mobito again.

Saizo noticed and called out again to stop me in my tracks, "Ryuu! What about Kei!?"

This was very effective as the simmering heat in my arm started to overwhelm me and spread throughout my body again. Only this time, I welcomed the anger that came from the heat.

"What about Kei!?" I screamed as I turned around abruptly, and faced the man who came to a stop about a metre away from me.

I could see Kat's terrified look behind him, but the anger kept rising and I turned my attention back towards Saizo. The man that had always been friendly and almost was a father figure to me.

"How dare you bring Kei into this!" I growled.

"You're not a murderer — not really — I know you're not a murderer Ryuu. But if you go to Mobito now, and claim your Right to Justice, then you're practically one," Saizo desperately explained as he carefully took slow steps towards me, "Kei wouldn't recognise who you would become if you kill Mobito."

Kei being brought up really shocked me to my core. Saizo knew what Kei meant to me. How I saw him. And the man used that knowledge to try and manipulate me. The anger rose to a new dangerous level as I could feel my control start to slip away from me.

How dare he?!

"He's right Saizo," a voice weakly said from in front of the stone altar behind me.

That was enough to give me back the control that I almost lost. I turned around and watched in disbelief as the weak man strapped to the rack wheezed in a short breath to speak.

"Let him have his Right to Justice," Mobito's voice croaked.