Currently, Kealin and Alex were standing in front of what looked like an abandoned underground town. It appeared as if all the stalls had been robbed and destroyed, but what stood out the most was how quiet this section was—eerily silent, as if the very air was holding its breath.
"What is this place?" Kealin asked, his voice echoing slightly in the emptiness.
"You probably haven't heard of it. The maze has been here for as long as I can remember. Turns out a bunch of people couldn't afford life on the surface and decided to make do with what they had down here," Alex explained as they walked through the demolished stalls, each step crunching on broken glass and debris.
"Back then, the maze was run by gangs, and they each had their own territories. At one point, a war broke out..."
"...and a lot of people died down here. If those on the surface hadn't intervened, the maze wouldn't exist today."
"This section suffered the most during the war and was never rebuilt..." While explaining, Alex had a sad look on his face, and Kealin couldn't help but think that the war had affected the latter in one way or another. Deciding to change the topic, he asked:
"How long till we get there?"
"We're here," the man answered simply.
The trio were currently staring at an abandoned theatre—one that hadn't been used for a long time. Its once-grand facade was now covered in graffiti and decay, windows boarded up, and the marquee letters hanging at odd angles.
"Alright, this is where I last saw 'em. Now pay up," the man said as he walked towards Kealin, his hand extended expectantly.
But Alex grabbed the old man's clothes and pulled him into the theatre instead.
"Hey, kid, let go! What do you think you're doing?" the man protested, struggling against Alex's grip.
"Well, we don't exactly know where the girls are, so we need you to be more specific," Alex said firmly as he dragged the old man into the reception hall.
While walking through the hall, Kealin could sense different auras, meaning they were being followed. But he decided to overlook it for now, focusing on the immediate situation. Unknown to Kealin, Alex had also noticed it and decided to do something about it.
"HOW LONG DO YOU BASTARDS PLAN ON HIDING?! IF YOU WANT A FIGHT, THEN COME OUT AND FACE ME!!!" Alex shouted, his voice echoing through the abandoned theatre like thunder in a cave.
Suddenly, Kealin and Alex were surrounded by eight figures in dark robes with hoods covering their faces. The air grew colder, and the shadows seemed to deepen around them.
"You idiots should have run away when you had the chance. Now you're both gonna die," the man said as he walked to the side of one of the hooded men.
"You can both—"
"Eh Eh!"
The man felt a stinging pain in his chest. Upon touching it, his hand came away warm and sticky with blood.
"Your services are no longer needed," the hooded figure said coldly as he pulled out the dagger from the man's chest, letting the body crumple to the floor.
[New Quest: Against All Odds]
[You are outnumbered. Defeat your opponents and earn your reward]
[0/8]
"This should be fun," Kealin muttered, cracking his knuckles despite the dire situation.
******
Inside a dark room filled with different computer servers and interconnected computers sat August, Tom, and James. August was currently hunched over the monitors while Tom and James stood behind him, watching the screens flicker with various data streams.
"So, um, tell me again how you're gonna find the culprit?" James asked while looking at the complex computer setup.
"Honestly, I don't know," August answered while scrolling through different footages of Max and Lena, his fingers flying over the keyboard with practiced ease.
"So what you planning to do now?" James asked, clearly skeptical about their chances.
"When tracking down an impersonator, there are a few factors that are used to find the culprit..."
"...Behavioral Patterns. We'll study the behavioral patterns of the impersonator, including their engagement with others and response to different situations..."
"...Body language and movement can reveal a lot about a person's identity and behavior. How do they carry themselves? Slouchy, upright, relaxed?..."
"...Observe inconsistencies. Look for inconsistencies between the impersonator's body language and movement and the real person's..."
"...Contextualize. Consider the context in which the body language and movement are being used. Is it consistent with the situation?..."
"...Compare with baseline behavior. Compare the impersonator's body language and movement with the real person's baseline behavior to identify potential differences..."
"And just like that... we have a match. April Mea and Rudy James—one is in 10th grade and the other is in 11th grade. Hmm... turns out the female was friends with your missing person..." August announced triumphantly.
Tom took out his phone and informed Sarah about their findings, his voice carrying the weight of discovery.
"Alright, a search party has been deployed to find those two. For now, let's head back to the station," Sarah's voice crackled through the phone.
Tom and James were ready to leave, but before they departed, Tom turned to August and said:
"Hey, August, there's a new bar that just opened on the surface. How about we go get a real drink and not some underground alcohol?"
"Hm. Whatever you say, mate," August agreed, already looking forward to proper whiskey instead of the bootleg stuff they usually had underground.
******
Inside the abandoned theatre, Alex and Kealin were facing the eight dark figures in robes. The tension was palpable, and the air seemed to hum with malevolent energy.
One of them rushed forward with a dagger in his hand, ready to attack the duo. He thrust his dagger forward with deadly precision, but Alex had dodged the attack and grabbed his wrist before delivering an uppercut to his opponent. The dark figure immediately moved back, but Alex covered the distance in an instant and delivered a combination of attacks, finally sending his opponent flying with a devastating roundhouse kick.
"His opponent had a weapon and he still overpowered him. Just what sort of monster are you?" Kealin thought as he looked at Alex with admiration and respect. But the moment was short-lived as another one of the dark figures rushed forward to attack him.
Kealin used his mana and increased his speed. He got behind his opponent and sent a right hook to his face, but suddenly something strange happened.
The shadows below the figure's body enveloped him, and he suddenly disappeared, only to reappear behind Kealin ready to attack.
"Shit..." The teenager gritted his teeth as the dagger pierced his right shoulder, the pain shooting through his arm like lightning.
The figure pulled out the dagger, ready to finish off the teenager. But before he could strike the killing blow, his wrist had been grabbed—and standing in front of him was Alex.
"Sorry I got you into this mess, Kea. But if I hadn't put pressure on that man, maybe you would have been duped and we would have gotten nowhere. Still, I can't let you get hurt or die because of me..."
Suddenly, the atmosphere around the two became dense and oppressive. The aura around Alex grew tremendously, his muscles seeming to expand with newfound power, and he now had a faint blue glow radiating from his entire body. Then Kealin noticed that Alex's mana had grown exponentially and enveloped both of them. It was then he saw that his shoulder had already healed completely.
[NAME: Alex Collins]
[CLASS: Warrior]
[PROFESSION: Paladin - Excels at both melee combat, healing, and support]
"I'll take it from here..." Alex said, his voice carrying a newfound authority and power that made even the dark figures hesitate.
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