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An Expedition into the Forgotten Lands Part 1
🕑 Added 2023-09-18 05:32:30 +0000 UTC.
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/BADUM! BADUM!/
'The drums of war bellowed, time and time again, for hours on end, shaking the world in preparation for what's to come.'
'This wasn't just any expedition; this was the turn of a millennium of traditions, of Centuries of conquest against the evils the world had thrown against the Human race.'
'This was their protest, their uprise, their collective power, the will of the Human race to persevere against the odds.'
'Today, they showed their fangs, the Human race may be no Tiger or Dragon, but they would pull them from their thrones if it meant making their point across.'
"..."
It's quite the view, enough to send anyone back on Earth to shivers.
'An Army of tens of thousands gathered atop and around this massive wall, a product of Engineering, Magic, and something else Philip couldn't quite tell.'
'Legends said the Wall was built with the bones of gargantuan monsters to support it.'
'Some tales affirmed those bones to be of Ancient Dragons, slain by unsung Heroes or found by forgotten pioners.'
'Others affirmed them to be of Giants, the savage creatures that rule the elements of Nature.'
'Some even believed the Wall to have been built from the remains of the Original Demons that invaded the Continent four Centuries ago, their flesh and carcasses used to prevent weaker monsters from even approaching the Wall.'
'Which could explain the reason they did not wash off the blood on the stone...'
'Maybe it was all of the above or none.'
'Regardless of what it was, the Wall was a testimony of Human ingenuity, a project that took hundreds of years to complete, with some parts of it still being under development.'
'Dozens of Kilometers long and a hundred meters wide, the wall was like some of those futuristic minimalist City designs Philip used to see from time to time back on his PC... When his biggest priority was his due assignments…'
'A ridiculous concept that wasn't meant to be as it simply could not work with modern technology and societal ideals... Or at least, too early to be conceived.'
'Yet, beneath them, millions of cogs and tens of thousands of workers worked tirelessly to maintain this colossal megaconstruct, the only thing between Human Civilization and the Corrupted wilds.'
'Their names wouldn't be remembered nor sung, and their accomplishments would be dwarfed by those of the soldiers above, and even them would not be remembered, as only those that led them would be inscribed in the history books.'
'Every Hero had someone to support them from behind, a shame a book's page was only so long and Human patience so thin...'
'But they did not complain, at least, they could not, as even if they did, no one would listen.'
'For generations to come, they stood within the Walls and around it, living in an almost symbiotic state with this machine, and from Philip's perspective, given its sheer scale, it wouldn't be impossible for someone to lose themselves within the confines of this micro-world.'
'Philip even heard a few of the Heroes whispering to each other about stories of people that grew beneath their feet and that to this day had never seen the sun.'
'The more exaggerated that this statement may sound, Philip couldn't completely discard the idea either, because even as he looked around, all soldiers remained still like statues.'
'Their discipline was impeccable and their coordination was outstanding, and although he felt no pressure from the soldiers, he respected the degree of effort and suffering many of these men and women likely went through to be where they were, downing heavy armor under the sun proudly.'
'Somewhere beneath them all, their recruits were likely training diligently, the people that would one day substitute these brave warriors when they inevitably fall.'
'How many of these people would survive and retire? There was a reason why one could retire as long as they reached 30 years of age.'
'From the moment they were born, if their parents were soldiers too, the chances of them following after their footsteps was large, if not definite…'
'They all held a belief, subservient to the Human authorities, they were cogs, nothing more, nothing else.'
'Some may take this as a fate worse than death or a life not worth living, yet for these people, they felt pride and honor in being who they were, they believed their lives were the best out there.'
'And between their living conditions and the indoctrination they received from young, it was hard to say where their rights ended and their wrongs started.'
'As despite it all, none of the cogs were hungry, none were misplaced, all had the chance to be part of this grand design and all would be given the means to fulfill their roles.'
'So despite it all, was it not enough to have a roof over their heads, good enough food, and the chance to grow stronger and even have some degree of education?'
'Even if that meant trading their freedom for it?'
'Some may say that it wasn't, that all Humans had the right to know the "truth" or be given the chance to pursue something greater outside of their Overlords...'
'But if given the chance to voice his opinion, Philip would laugh at these conceited people that did not understand what struggling with a crying stomach actually meant, and for believing they themselves were free.'
'None were free in the world, not even the King was, bound by Oaths and Promises, how far can he actually go without putting some thought into his actions?'
'Philip would even dare say he wouldn't even take a single step.'
'As such, if not even a King was safe, what to say a normal civilian?'
'The rules that fall upon the soldiers or both sides may be completely different, but even a normal person has to contend with the morals and ethics of people he doesn't know just for the sake of being accepted into a group he didn't even want to part of.'
'Because Humans naturally seek shelter with each other, thus, how can one proclaim absolute freedom when their own nature is a form shackle itself?'
'But in the end, that wasn't something of his concern, Philip would not touch the careful culture and ideologies of these people, he was in no position to do so anyway.'
'Instead, he waited patiently, and from the looks of it, it wouldn't take much longer.'
/Shine.../
/BADUM!/
/BADUM!/
"..."
I'm going to go deaf...
'As the red sun rose on the horizon, the drums grew louder, and the air was filled with rhythmic noises, causing his' and everyone's hearts to resonate.'
'The Heroes cowered in their own corner atop the wall, squished between the soldiers to their left and right.'
'They didn't belong here, many thought, I want to home, many thought…'
'They cried for their mothers, feeling the weight of these soldiers' duty and mission, they knew this was a place they came to die.'
'And they were right, the Crown did not expect all of them to return in one piece.'
'They had given them enough chances, it was time to start the screening.'
'How many would survive? That would be left for themselves to figure out.'
"..."
This place has quite the atmosphere, it's... A bit gloomy.
'While the Heroes cowered, Philip yawned, getting bored.'
'So he started to look around, inspecting even the tiniest detail of the rocks beneath his feet.'
'The Wall itself was gray and clean on one side and red and battered on the other, the reason why it was eventually named the Red Wall.'
'The thick stench of iron was so strong many had already puked several times over.'
'Though, for Philip, the smell was… Even a bit refreshing.'
'After living in utmost luxury for the past few months, the contrast he perceived in such a privileged life caused him estrangement, discomfort.'
'He did not wish to live in the rubble with a dirty rag as a bed, but neither did he wish to wake up in a bed as fluffy as a cloud with the smell of flowers all around as the birds sang in his window as if he was a prince waking up in his chambers.'
'At least… He didn't feel it was his time, maybe when he retired with a family by the countryside, yet even then, he couldn't quite imagine feeling comfortable.'
'After he experienced the life at the very bottom, it just never rubbed off even as he experienced the opposite end.'
'Either way, how could someone without a job retire?'
'Despite everything he did, Philip was unemployed, he and many.'
'The confusion of being thrown into another world and being called a Hero… Even if they accepted it, what was a Hero meant to do?'
'After half a year, each had somewhat formed their own answers… And so did Philip.'
'And for him, a Hero was meant to walk a path and overcome their Fate, whatever that may be.'
'So what he had to do was simple, take a step forward and pursue the end...'
'Yet, if the journey was endless, when should he draw the line?'
'He thought about it sometimes, when he had nothing else to do… Like now.'
'And unfortunately, he would always end up defeated and somewhat depressed, because the answers he arrived at would always point at the insignificance of his existence.'
'But just as that came, it vanished as he thought about something else.'
'Such was what boredom did to someone…'
…
/BADUM! BADUM!/
'Around ten minutes after the sun rose, the drums's intensity rose once more, becoming stronger, faster…'
'Philip was amazed at the endurance of the people playing those damn things, and at the people that confectioned those accursed instruments.'
/STEP!/
'When everyone started to think about what was going on, they saw all of the soldiers on their left part way, with one large collum forming on one side of the wall, and another on it's opposite end.'
'With this, they all managed to see just how extensive that line of soldiers went, and with a quick estimation, Philip calculated there to be at least five thousand soldiers atop the wall, all moving with great harmony.'
'About Two thousand, five hundred to their left and right, now divided into four rolls of One thousand two hundred and fifty each.'
'A beautifully imposing sight.'
'They may hold no weapons, but they knew those were merely hidden from their eyes, those soldiers were all armed to the teeth, so much so he couldn't imagine how much it must've cost to arm them all.'
'Maybe he wasn't that rich at the end of the day...'
/STEP!/
/BADUM!/
""HAUU!""
'Suddenly, the soldiers all screamed in harmony, slamming their feet on the ground and screaming loudly as the drums were hit with great strength, releasing one final bout of sound before everything went into silence, only the faint echoes of their might remaining in their ears.'
'After hearing their sounds for so long, it was no wonder most still believed they could hear them in the air.'
/STEP!/
'But while everyone marveled at silence, Philip gazed at the end of the line of soldiers to their right.'
'He could see another small army approaching, but that army wasn't anything to be trifled with, nor was it coordinated.'
'Firstly, all soldiers atop the Red Wall were over level 45, and if one was to consider the severe training and the resonance between their Classes, Gear, and Titles, then they were one hell of a force to be reckoned with.'
'But the people that were about to arrive… They were on another Level.'
'Leading the group was a man with a fierce expression as if the entire world was nothing under his cold gaze.'
[Landgrave Monnet
Level: ???
]
'A man beyond the limit of a mortal, a Trancedent.'
'The name was familiar to Philip, and to anyone that had paid attention to their History and Geography lessons.'
'This man was a General, very much like the Red Knight.'
'The person in charge of the Southern Wall and one of the four Generals of the Empire, Landgrave Monnet!'
"..."
The more I interact with this world the more of these Transcendents I meet… No, in truth, I may have already met with many.
It's just now that I can start to recognize their presence.
'Behind the man, Philip noticed many familiar faces, the Heads of many households of the Empire, the Nobles he had seen not so long ago during the party and the afterparty event.'
'It may be strange for them to be in such a gruesome place, but none of them seemed affected by the environment, and if they were, then they weren't showing.'
'By checking their Status, it was clear to see they weren't joking around, as the average of their Levels combined floated around the 80s with some reaching into the far ends of 90, albeit for the older ones of course.'
'People a few steps away from Transcending, though how far each of those steps were, only they could determine.'
'He may still be unsure about the specifics of Transcendence, but Philip knew it was a highly individual experience, even if they were to practice on a standardized path.'
'It wasn't a surprise they would make an appearance here, with the way the King was pushing this event forward, most if not all of the Nobility would try to leave their impact on the War and show the Crown what they were capable of.'
'For the prospects of their future descendants and their present wealth as well, they would go to War and conquer the South-Western lands once more.'
'It wasn't their first rodeo, and it would certainly not be their last, though it had to be seen if the current King was capable enough to lead them to victory like the ones before him.'
'Though given how none failed before, he wouldn't either, he couldn't.'
'Failure meant death in more ways than one…'
…
"..."
What's the point of all of this?
Do they want to look cool to the indoctrinated Soldiers? For us?...
Hum... A display of strength... For other Nations.
But then, are they watching? From where?
'His eyes sharpened, but in the end, Philip could not tell if there were any potential spies lying around, much to his disappointment.'
/Step…/
'With no success in his search, Philip then switched to watch silently as the General and the Nobles passed by him, receiving a few glances on the way from them, including the General himself.'
'Even now, his previous display was still on their mind, causing them to think time and time again on how to approach the elusive Hero that pretty much shut himself in his room.'
'They believed this would be a prime opportunity to grow closer to him, or maybe even, display their own line's talents in the off chance he grew interested in any of them.'
'Still, none did or said anything as they kept on marching to a high-up spot located after the Heroes to their left.'
"..."
/Nod…/
'While they did that, Philip turned to Dae and he nodded, it was time.'
'No words were exchanged between them, either mentally or through sound, a simple gesture was all that they needed to understand each other.'
'Everything that they had to say was already shared in their meets within the Palace, the only thing left was to execute what they envisioned before.'
/Smirk/
/Turns…/
'Without hesitation, Philip turned around abruptly, walking to the edge of the Wall, causing many of the Heroes to gasp in both surprise and wander as they tensed at the gall of Philip.'
'To move in such an abrupt way despite being in the presence of so many powerful individuals... Wasn't it just a blatant insult on his part?'
'If he wanted to leave, why not do so earlier and spare this moment of embarrassment?'
'Or maybe, this was his way of showing respect? They couldn't understand... Albeit it didn't remove the sense of awe and respect some of them momentarily felt for his decision, not that they didn't think he was being rash.'
'That they all agreed... If they had a brain to understand what was going on.'
"..."
/Stop…/
'Philip's actions caused the General and in consequence, all of the Nobles to stop walking and to turn to him.'
/Smirk.../
'And even for a moment, he seemed to scoff with a smile.'
/Pressure!/
""?!""
/BAM!/
'But just as that appeared, his eyes turned heavy as an intense pressure befell all of the Heroes, sending them to their knees!'
'The collective sound of them hitting the ground caused a loud noise to echo throughout all of their ears!'
"..."
/FWOOSH!/
'Yet, amidst this torrent of energy, Philip continued to walk, stepping on the edge of the wall as he unleashed his wings, taking to the skies like a comet! Leaving behind pale looks of surprise and confusion.'
"... Humph."
'The moment he left the wall, the pressure on the Heroes dissipated as the General turned his head to the side, causing many of them to breathe sighs of relief as they took deep and rhythmic breaths.'
/Chatter.../
'Meanwhile, the Nobles discussed amidst themselves for a moment while the General's eyes sharpened.'
"It seems not all of them are here for training." He mumbled to himself as he continued to walk ahead, uninterested in the rest of the Heroes
'While most may respect the Heroes not for what they were but for what they could be, the General was one of the few people that could not care less about them.'
'Only with work and physical proof of their accomplishments and will would he think better of them, until then he would look at them like any other soldier.'
'He would not mourn their deaths either.'
'A steal fist, that was the resolution a commander of this hellhole of the world had to have if they wished to be victorious and successful.'
"... You think…" Petter whispered as he turned to Dae
'Amidst the momentary confusion, Petter tried to strike a quick conversation with Dae, only to be refused outright:'
"Shh, not now." Dae replied as he looked ahead, his arms crossed behind his back as he stood in position
These old people and their pride...
Did he do it as a test or was he left surprised he did not fall?
He didn't hold back at all, this old geezer...
'The pressure from before had greatly impacted him, but Dae did not display any of his discomfort as he clenched his fists silently.'
"..."
Well... It's not like I needed to hear the answer.
I know Philip will be just fine.
'Even Petter seemed somewhat okay with it, but due to his bad posture and lack of guard, he was been sent straight to his knees together with everyone else, causing him great displeasure as he looked at the General.'
'Aside from Dae, none managed to resist the pressure, but don't be mistaken, there were many like Petter, people that were not affected but had been sent to the ground due to a lack of posture.'
'That was the reason none of the soldiers fell or even reacted, they had been trained to be on standby and ready at all times.'
'These undisciplined kids were nothing to the General, be them young or old.'
'He felt disgusted by both either way.'
'Regardless, from here on out…'
…
/In the skies further West…/
/Fwoosh…/
"..."
I should be far enough, time to land.
/CRASH!/
/Fold…/
'As he crashed onto the ground, sliding across the earth, Philip folded the blue wings on his back as they crumbled into blueish sparks, fusing into the flames surrounding his body.'
'His horns glowed faintly in response, flashing momentarily as they grew brighter.'
'In a sense, he seemed to fit with the environment, a blue-horned demon in a reddish hell...'
"Hum…"
From here on out… It's just me…
/Touch…/
'From behind, Carnatita appeared, touching his cheek with a frown and a look of displeasure on her face, offended at his thoughts.'
"... Yeah, sorry, not alone."
"Let's go on an adventure, this time, just the two of us." He said with a smile as he turned to the desolate landscape
This place… It's quite beautiful in its own way…
But there is a sense of emptiness in it, not entirely like that of a desert, but a bit more… Unwelcoming.
If someone saw a desert from afar, I don't think it would take much for them to realize it wouldn't be a good idea to enter it.
But this place… It's radiating a sense of danger as if it was actually telling me to turn back, and I can't quite point out if this is my instinct at play or something from this very land.
It could be even both.
'In front of him, a massive field of flat land stood, covered to the brim in tall red grass that reached his knees, like a dreamy picture of some far distant world…'
'Looking at the skies, some stars could even be faintly seen due to the sun only recently rising, together with the moon high above in all its glory.'
'If it weren't for the faint image of a tall Wall in the distance, Philip would've believed he had been transported to another world entirely.'
"This must be it, right?" He said as he crouched down on the ground, Carnatita doing the same as she looked around curiously
The specially bred grass that grows on the corruption of this place.
/Touch... Squeeze.../
'The grass beneath him seemed comfortable and not finicky like the usual one back on Earth, it felt smooth and even a bit comfortable as if a layer of silk covered each individual blade of grass, causing faint droplets of water to accumulate on its surface.'
'Upon a closer look, there were indeed thousands of small colorless hairs growing from each blade, acting as some sort of cushion for their feet.'
'But not everyone could appreciate what he felt right now, as this grass was far from welcoming.'
I heard this grass was engineered to grow in this desolate place, to provide as the base of this shattered and confusing food chain.
Because, as far as I can tell, there's nothing around me… Nothing at all.
No bugs… Maybe bacteria but if I could feel those I would've already died from sensory overload.
"Hum... It's oddly silent."
/Pluck…/
/Squish…/
'Philip pulled one of the blades of grass, and he immediately saw it bleed a viscous purplish substance.'
'Albeit it looked sickly and disgusting, like some sort of potent cartoonish Toxin, that substance was, in truth, highly nutritious, it was the base of this entire ecosystem.'
Long ago, to try and diminish the ever-growing corruption, many researchers came together and modified an undisclosed strand of grass into this, something that could absorb the Corruption and Sunlight, fusing both into this strange sap after purifying the first.
It supposedly feeds many kinds of beasts that survive in these lands, the corrupted abominations that somehow resisted the corruption, or changed with it into something else entirely.
And the Demons that prey on them… And the Demon Beasts that hunt the predators…
I wonder what is at the pinnacle of this food chain?
/Chomp… Spat!/
"..."
"Hot! Disgusting!"
'Much to his surprise, Carnatita put the end of the grass in her mouth, but she immediately spat away the sap, looking at Silver with a puppy face as she waved her hand at her mouth.'
"... Guess it doesn't taste that good, be careful next time okay?" He said as he tapped her hair, making her smile a little
The hairs must've irritated her mouth...
I'll keep a few for myself, I'll check it out later.
'What he forgot to consider was that this grass was extremely dangerous on its own.'
'As it had mutated due to the Corruption, it in itself was a weapon capable of murdering a man in minutes.'
'Not only was each individual blade of grass extremely resistant, with their fibers being like Nylon, the blade itself was as its name suggested, sharp.'
'To top it all, the sap was poisonous and it seeped through its pores, making each blade look moist and resplendent under the sun.'
'Not to say the thousands of microfilaments surrounding it, thin and long enough to pierce into someone's skin and rip it apart as they tried to walk past it, especially effective if the blade cut into it.'
'For them, the blades felt fluffy, but as Carnatita just found out, it wasn't a good idea to try and put those things in her mouth…'
"Anyway…" He said as he looked around
It's time to start the purge.
My mission is simple… Grow stronger.
How can I do that?... Well… There are many options.
I just have to choose which of them to start with.
"I have six months… Where do you want to go?" He asked as he turned to Carnatita
"Me?... Hum..."
'She thought for a few moments before saying:'
"The Ocean?" She mumbled to herself as she touched her chin
"... That's a good direction, let's go." He said with a smile as he started to walk SouthWest
'Philip wasn't in a hurry, the beasts of this place would go nowhere.'
'Besides, he was still technically within the territory of the army as just a few moments before in the sky, he saw a watchtower rise from the tall grass.'
'He wondered if the reason why there was nothing around him was due to the soldiers hunting everything down, maybe even down to the smallest of lifeforms.'
'Everything seemed to have been purged already, what a letdown.'
…
'As he walked nonchalantly, Carnatita floated around, grabbing anything of interest she could find.'
'Strange plants, flowers, and rocks.'
'She even found scales and bones, causing Philip to be impressed at her ability to dig out things even he couldn't detect due to how well they blended with the surroundings.'
I thought she would be bored but she's doing fine…
One less worry, time for the next one.
What to do from now on.
'The operation was simple, in the next few months, the Army would sweep everything as they moved to the West, purging all signs of life from the coast.'
'From the faintest blade of grass to even a massive monstrosity, everything had to die so they could move ahead without complications.'
'However, as Philip already knew, this wouldn't be easy.'
'With each Purge the creatures of these plains grew stronger and more resilient, to the point some of the previous Purges failed at accomplishing the same goals their Ancestors set.'
'With each Purge its efficacy was reduced and more creatures survived, being given more time to grow and to become a potential danger later on, something that happened numerous times.'
'Examples of this growth were the Demon Beasts created 300 years ago.'
'With time, some grew so strong they outclassed the Demon Kings and Lords of the past, now prowling the red grass in search of their next prey.'
'Even though no more Demon Beasts were officially created with the fall of the Demon Emperor and due to the Continental Ban on Chimera Creation, their numbers seemed endless.'
'For 300 years, the Crown purged the lands to prevent the rise of another King, or so they told the commoners.'
'In truth, the chances of a King rising again were close to 0.'
'With the crack leading to the world of the Demons being sealed by the batch of Heroes 400 years ago following the death of the first Demonic King, no High Demons or Pure Demons managed to rise again following the purges of their bloodlines.'
'And the few Demons that did survive were eventually whipped out over the centuries due to the little time to grow and advance they were given.'
'Now, what remains are their creations and the Corruption they spread.'
'If only they could close the Seal for real and prevent it from spreading Corruption into the world...'
"It's a wonder how most of these creatures managed to survive, but it's understandable when I think about it."
The underground world is vast, and due to the oversight of the Humans of the past, many lived underground, taking shelter in the dark.
The Ocean, the Never Ending Mountain range, and the Wall may have stopped the Corruption from spreading beyond their confines, but there was nothing they could do to prevent it from rooting deep under the ground.
However, what they cannot do, Human ingenuity makes up for it.
And that's where the Heroes come into play.
Since most of us are too weak to participate in the frontlines actively, a treasure hunt of sorts was issued.
All around these red fields, thousands of man-made 'Dungeons' were deployed.
Small orbs were scattered underground, acting in the same way as Dungeon Cores, attracting the energy of their surroundings to create a nest and eventually create a Tower to reach the Heavens…
Though of course, without the latter parts.
These Orbs gather the Corruption and prevent it from spreading, together with the beasts, but they cannot do so forever.
Because eventually, the Orbs will stop functioning, or a Demon Beast will devour it and try to grow stronger with most failing.
But those that succeed... Need to be disposed of.
Hence, the Heroes will descend into the underground and retrieve them… One by one.
And they'll then be able to exchange them for things, what those are, however, I'm not sure, they left it in the open. Though I can imagine what they are thinking of offering.
It's a competition where they'll compare the results of the Heroes based on how many Orbs they can bring back and their overall points, since hunting the Corrupted will also give them points.
It's the perfect chance to test the Heroes… A few may die but that's how it is.
Of course, not all Heroes can fight, so their roles and the way they can make those points will be based on the Roles the Crown gave them, but I have no doubts all of them will eventually fight.
They need those Levels to grow stronger at the end of the day.
Besides, they'll have the Nobles to keep them company, I'm sure they won't get bored…
It looks fun, but it's not my priority.
And it's not like I can't participate, I just have to hand in everything I collected at once at the end.
/Unfold…/
'Thinking of that, Philip opened his inventory, taking out a flat squarish object from within.'
/FLASH!/
'He twisted a small switch beneath it, and a massive hologram flashed onto the skies.'
'It was a map of this area of the continent.'
"Let's see, the closest Dungeon to here would be…"
/Tremble…/
"Oh?"
'As he walked, Philip felt the ground quake, causing him to smile momentarily.'
It didn't take long for something to appear it seems.
"Do you want to participate?" He asked as he turned to Carnatita
'Despite how she usually acted, Carnatita was pretty strong.'
'He was unsure what her body was made of but it wasn't flesh but some kind of strange mineral that acted like organic matter.'
'She had no difficulty winning against him in an arm bench competition, something that always caused him great distress.'
'Still, due to her collected and passive personality, Carnatita would often be unable to display her full potential, or maybe, she did it on purpose.'
'She was much smarter than she showed, so much so that sometimes, she would display an intellect completely different from what he was used to, almost strong enough to be seen as a different personality.'
/Shake…/
'Yet, as to be expected, she refused.'
'So far, she had yet to fight even a single time, talk about freelancing…'
"Then stand back, unless you want to get some dirt on your clothes." Philip said with a smirk as he cracked his knuckles
'From the looks of it, this won't be a clean fight.'
/BURST!/
/CRACK!/
"ROAAR!"
'The ground cracked and exploded into a rain of dust as something burst from within.'
...
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Notes
