The Manaverse

Slatewell Town Hall Food Court

Granite City

"It's our punishment." Jut said solemnly.

"Are you telling me, we are forced to fight Human Monsters because so many people died in the bunker during the wave?" Brick asked, scowling. "Did Ophelia tell you that?"

Jut shook his head. "No. It's just how the notification was worded when we learned about the Dungeon. It felt like a punishment. And, if you say those runs aren't punishment, I'll start laughing now."

Brick didn't respond. They both just huffed out their frustration.

"I say we call it a day." Brick said tiredly. "My Stamina isn't goin' up at all."

Jut nodded. "Same. I'm tired too. Besides, the lockout lasts until tomorrow at eleven."

They both had received the same notification when they were ejected from the dungeon.

You have died and failed to clear the Crypts.

-1/2 Experiance Gained in the Dungeon.

-1/2 Loot Collected in the Dungeon.

12:00:00 penalty remaining until you may re-enter the Crypts.

"Right, right." Brick agreed. "I'll meet you after breakfast and we can try again. I have a date tonight." He grinned widely.

Jut shook his head, chuckling. "Whatever, man. I'll see you then."

Brick departed and Jut followed suit, heading back to get the dogs for a late night potty trip. They had stayed behind when they left to go to the Dungeon.

Sitting by the elevator door, after Nox and Gunther had finished their business, Lily sat quietly. The tabby acted as if she hadn't been gone for over a day. Instead, she was waiting ever so patiently. When she saw the group, her ears twitched in recognition.

"Finally decided to come home, did you?" Jut said with a chuckle.

Lily meowed in agreement, skirting into the elevator when it opened. She sat between the dogs who each sniffed her before sitting next to her. As one, the three followed Jut to the Penthouse elevator. Before the group got there, a familiar voice came from an unfamiliar face.

"Yo, Jut. Wait up." Diggy called.

When Jut saw the man, he had to do a double take. Diggy had tall, ivory horns protruding from his head, a ring in his very human looking nose, and black fur with white spots on his chest, neck and arms. He was still much shorter than Jut but it looked like he had bulked out quite a bit in the change.

"Diggs. You are a Minotaur now..." Jut said flatly.

Diggy grimaced. "Yeah, my bad, but my other Title Race option was a bug man. I couldn't do it and I didn't want to miss out on the sweet bonus stats."

Jut instantly let the disbelief and skepticism fade. It was a Monster that killed his team, not Diggy. Being a Minotaur was irrelevant. He offered Diggy a hand and they did their extended hand shake until the Elevator doors opened. Each time their hands met, Jut felt a little bit better.

"Comin' up?" Jut asked, tipping his head to the open doors.

"That was the idea. Wanted to check out your place and see if it was the same as mine. Brick also mentioned a party slot and spare room...." Diggy hedged.

"Sure. So...I have a question..." Jut said, only after the doors closed and he confirmed Diggy as a guest through a System notification. The controls to add Diggy as a resident required both Brick and Jut to approve the application, and that could only be done from inside the Penthouse. "How long have you been hookin' up with Joy?"

Diggy instantly went scarlet. "Oh. You found out about that, huh? I guessed you would if I brought her to the Rally. And, it was supposed to be more than just hooking up."

Jut scoffed derisively. "Impossible. For if it was more serious then that, I figure your best friend would know about it." He gave Diggy a very convincing fake scowl. He did keep things from Diggy too, it just happened sometimes. That didn't mean Jut wouldn't take the opportunity to tease his friend about it though.

"Okay, okay. We were just keeping it on the "DL" until we decided it was what we wanted...or not. It isn't...for her at least...so yeah. We haven't spoken since after the end of the wave....." Diggy just stopped speaking.

No one but Jut would have noticed the subtle change that told him Diggy wasn't okay with it. Also knowing that Diggy wouldn't want to talk about it past what he already said, Jut nudged his friend just before the doors opened to the Penthouse.

"Brick got something and told me I could have half." Jut said, bouncing his eyebrows at his friend.

"Oh really? What's that?" Diggy asked, glad for the change of topic.

Jut walked past the center island into the kitchen. He opened the futuristic looking fridge and pulled out two, brown bottles. He placed one before Diggy, popping the caps off both.

"Beer? No way. Aren't they charging an arm and a leg for it?" Diggy asked, sounding a little excited. He was looking around the Penthouse.

"Yes, they are. That didn't stop Brick from spending the majority of his food credits on a stock of it." Jut said with a chuckle as he held his own beer up to Diggy.

Diggy smiled, picked up the name brand beverage and clanked it against Jut's bottle.

"What we cheering to?" Diggy asked.

"Living." Jut said, rather solemnly.

"To living." Diggy said, taking a deep swig.

"So, why are you wanting to move over here? Aren't you set up in a Penthouse too, being an Iron Fist? Isn't it identical?" Jut asked as he set his half empty bottle down.

Diggy sighed sadly. "Yeah, I am and it is identical. But it feels wrong after what happened. Besides, Joey doesn't want to be a Hunter anymore. He is going to vacate his share of the Penthouse. I figured I would join up with you as I know you would never stop fighting Monsters." Diggy gave Jut a serious look.

Jut only nodded. He was unsure what to say to that. While it was true he was not going to stop hunting Monsters, he couldn't blame Joey for making the choice. Wanting to live wasn't cowardly.

"So, why not join our team, but stay assigned to that Penthouse? We can try and expand our new team to have ten people and occupy both?" Jut suggested. "We can move you over here once we can maintain them both."

Diggy smiled and the pair began chatting and discussing all the possible things they could do with two Penthouses. Anytime one of their beers ran empty, Jut would pop out another one. They spent a couple hours in this cycle. It was when Diggy started becoming silent more often that Jut circled back to the painful issue his friend was harboring.

"We should talk about Joy now." Jut said softly.

"I know." Diggy said, his shoulders slumped. Yet, he didn't open up right away.

Jut prodded his friend. "Tell me what happened? How did it start and how did it "end"? Are you sure she isn't just busy? I mean, over half her team..."

Diggy looked out the wall window towards the South East tower. "Joy and I met at the party we hosted for Prime a while back. You know the one. She was at Derrick's bar. We hit it off right away, but remained mostly friends. After I found her again, here in the Safe Zone, I asked her out. She didn't say yes, but we did start to hang out. After the Wave, I went to the girls' penthouse. They said she was "busy" and told me to come back later. After the third time of that, I kind of gave up." He shrugged. "Kind of a hard hint to miss."

Jut saw the hurt in his friend's eyes and gave him a nudge. "You never know until you do, bud. She's probably just wanting to be alone for a while. Let's get wasted and we can approach the situation in the morning. Brick and I are planning on going into the Dungeon again. You should join us. We can try and make a five person run. Maybe we can get Joy for that. Or not."

Diggy smiled and nodded. "Okay. Let's do that. Now, you can tell me about your new Race. I see those scales poking out. Are you a Lizard dude?"

Jut chuckled and pulled out his eighth beer and began recounting his Ascension.

"A Dragon man is so much cooler than a Lizard dude." Diggy exclaimed once Jut had made it through his tale.

Jut shrugged. "I don't really care any more. I would have preferred to be human, but if I'm going to become strong enough to not die, I will accept the change."

It wasn't long before Diggy decided to head back to his Penthouse. They explored the sky bridge as they walked together. To get to the bridge, they walked out onto the balcony. On the west side was a set of stairs that led to a security door. On the outside of the door was a panel Jut could use to open it again when he got back.

Going left exited the tower and lead to the sky bridge. To the right was a stairwell that lead down deeper into the Tower. They turned left and Jut described his Dungeon run to his friend.

As they walked, Jut was nearly stunned into silence at the view. The sky bridge was half as wide as the tower, with topiaries and other art works spaced along it's length. There were railings made of thick granite colored metal and a fence beyond that allowed him to see the city below without risk of slipping off.

Jut could see the Safe Zone to the North. There were more lights than before and he could make out the graveyard and the original neighborhoods from before the integration. The Granite City architecture wasn't anything unique past the tell tale stone, but it held its own majesty in it's simplicity. Being the higher income area also helped with many well crafted yards adding a deceptively pleasant atmosphere. The Barrier made the scene so surreal, its soft glow highlighting the area.

"So, clear a hallway, rest up and loot, then repeat until all the hallways are clear? What kind of messed up Boss Monster do you think is in the center Coffin?" Diggy asked.

Jut shrugged, stepping back from the fence after actually getting dizzy when he looked down. They were so high up now. "No clue. I hope it's not an Abomination or a Lich." Jut cringed at the possibility of seeing an inky black slime like Abomination with human mouths and eyes spaced throughout.

"Yeah. No thanks. I'll take a Giant Skeleton any day over one of those things. A Lich might add the opportunity to farm EXP though." Diggy added thoughtfully.

When they entered the North West Tower, they could pass through and find another entrance to the Southward Sky Bridge. Diggy's unit was the South Western one.

Diggy turned to Jut when they reached the Panel. "Thanks homie. I'll meet you at your place pretty early."

Jut stuck out a hand and they immediately launched into their handshake once more.

"Sounds good, dude. Catch you later. Oh. Should I talk to Joy as our fifth? Or not?" Jut asked tentatively.

Diggy smiled sadly. "If you want. She fits our needs. I am a big boy and can handle it. No matter what she decides about "us", she's one of the best DPSers around, you know?"

They finished their handshake and Jut turned to go. "Let's sleep on it and talk in the morning. Later, Diggs."

Jut spent the walk back, taking the two Bridges he hadn't walked across yet, to remember all the times they had walked home from the Stony Jigger together, just like that night. Sometimes singing drunken songs and other times using one another for physical and emotional support as they stumbled back.

He saw a familiar person waiting for him by the entrance to the South Eastern Penthouse. He recognized her despite not knowing her very long and the changes she'd been through.

Crimson stood, leaning against the wall. Her skin was a deep red color. As were her eyes. Her teeth were sharp when she smiled and her fingers were clawed when she offered Jut a hand to shake. Her pixie short hair was now vibrant shades of red and orange, making her look like a fire elemental. Two short horns protruded from her forehead. Her horns looked more sinister than Diggy's by far.

"Boss man. How's it hangin'?" Despite the cheery words, Crimson's tone was sullen.

"About as well as possible, I think. Did you choose a Title Fae Race?"

Crimson smiled again, flashing her sharp teeth. "Daemon, actually. What do you think?" She curtsied.

"Very nice. I like the fire aesthetic with your new name." Jut said. "So. Are the Vixens going to reform?"

Crimson's face fell as they stepped apart from the hand shake. She shook her head. "I don't know. I'm not fighting anymore though. I chose a Non-Combat Path." She refused to meet his eyes.

Jut placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly when she looked back at him.

"I was telling Derrick this earlier. If you won't fight, there are plenty of us who will. We just need the support from those at home. What craft did you get?"

Crimson smiled weakly. "Cooking, actually. I'm voluntarily moving down to the fortieth floor and will start working for the Safe Zone starting tomorrow. When I saw you coming down the bridge, I figured I'd pop out for a minute."

"I'm glad to see you. Before you move out, could you relay a request to Joy for me?" Jut began. They were teammates after all.

Crimson rolled her eyes. "Is this for Diggy again? She isn't up to seeing him."

Jut cocked an eye brow. "It wasn't about that, actually. But that might change things. Is she mad at him or something?"

Crimson shrugged. "I can't tell. They're not my feelings. But, I'd say it's more the opposite. What did you want with her then?"

Jut understood. She meant Joy was more apathetic than emotional towards Diggy, which was akin to not really interested in advancing their situation as Diggy had suspected.

"Well, I need to build a new team. I need a damage dealer and Joy is a great choice, or so I hear. Maybe even one of the best now. However, I wouldn't want to make her or Diggy uncomfortable, and Diggy's my first choice..."

Crimson gave him a look of approval then turned thoughtful. "I'll tell her about the offer and let her decide. Sound good?"

Jut nodded. "Sounds good to me."

They parted after another handshake and some more niceties. It was clear to Jut that Crimson was emotionally damaged too, like everyone else he knew. Then again, who wasn't? He felt bad for Diggy, but he knew his bud would bounce back quickly enough. He always had.

Despite the dreary nature of the of the day. Jut couldn't help but feel a bit of excitement. He was looking forward to forming a new team and getting stronger. The dungeon needed payback. He also knew it was what Jonny would have wanted so there was no point stopping now.