Azure: Gunner

Once a DMZ has existed for a few years or decades, the original boundary between it and the rest of the area may become hard to detect. In the wilds, it is quite possible to pass through one entirely without ever knowing.

In some cases, however, the dungeon may have contained contaminants so virulent that they sicken and kill even centuries later. In one tragic incident in SY 257, the town of Orleans was rendered uninhabitable and many of the residents killed when the Delver's Guild Squad attempting to clear a nearby oscillating dungeon was wiped out.

The dungeon merged, leaving behind a vast quantity of arsenic-laden dust. Gusting winds carried these deadly particles to the nearby town – and beyond. Virtually no one under Tier 2 survived, and to this day the entire area is best avoided.

- Bonnie, Level 41 Beastmaster, Bonnie’s Bestiary

I fought back a whimper as I emptied my canteen, the warm water inside doing little to quench my thirst.

Fuck, I don’t want to die here! Hah, if we die when we’re already in Hell then where the fuck do we go afterwards?!

I pushed back the intrusive thoughts with every scrap of will left at my disposal. We’d just fought off the sixth group of flying monsters, and the heat had reached a level where my feet felt scorched and raw inside my boots. The rubber soles were starting to melt and I knew that anyone without Levels would already be long dead. Even with our Stats we weren't going to last much longer.

The worst part, aside from dying, was that we couldn’t even sit down to rest. The ground was too hot for that. All we could do was hobble forward, desperately looking for some sign of shelter while the certainty of another aerial attack ran our nerves ragged. We’d all drunk healing potions after the fifth attack – G’hala believed the regenerative effect would help us fight off the effects of the heat a bit longer – but I wasn’t convinced it was helping.

I’d even started reloading my shotgun with 4BK to conserve my dwindling mana. My Adjudicator didn’t have the range I needed to deal with the flying monsters with shotshells, and I was too exhausted to bother reloading it with 454s. The cracks in the rocky ground were literally glowing red now, and I forced my eyes away, back up to the terrain further in front of me.

<Come on, everyone, just a little bit farther!> I tried to encourage my team, but even over the Comms my voice was drained.

<Shut up, you don’t know that! We’re going to die here!> Tara snapped back, and I turned towards her with a snarl. Her challenge drew out a hidden reserve of energy in me, and my eyes flashed.

<GET. MOVING. NOW!> I barked, glaring around me as precious points of stamina trickled into Intimidation.

Arlo put his hand on her shoulder, and the resigned pain on her face made me want to hug her, but instead I turned back to the path. Several agonizing minutes later, the canyon walls fell away, opening up into a large area. The achingly hot, stagnant air stirred, and a hot blast of wind hit us.

I gasped in relief as it whisked away some of the sweat that drenched me, then my eyes widened in shock as I saw the dark clouds ahead blow away. The ground shook as the enormous monster before us stepped forward, and I felt my fragile hopes shatter and die.