Saint Helen Hospital was the most expensive hospital in the city. Also considered one of the best in the country. The reception looked more like 5 stars hotel than a hospital. While Matthew waited for his ID to be checked by security, he was offered coffee that seemed more expensive than all his belongings put together.
He felt really under dressed to be there. He decided to wear his dungeon diving clothes and equipment since he felt this was only going to be a quick visit and then he would head to the dungeon. The wait was leaving him really nervous.
The security seemed a bit excessive, with at least 6 men to guard the only door in and out. He could also see more armed people behind the closed doors when eventually they opened here and there.
Was he really allowed to be there?
"I'm sorry for the wait, Mr. Lordstone." A sweet young man approached him. "Security has been tight recently. I hope you understand."
The concierge guided Matthew to Faralynn's room on the 27th floor.
E timidly knocked on the door just to hear a cheerful "Come in" from inside. Matthew slid the door open finding it out of character for Faralynn to answer like that.
It was Erin. She held a huge smile on her face while sitting down on a large couch that could easily turn into a bed for those accompanying the patient. Faralynn was sat on the bed covering her mouth hiding a smile. By her side, her sword rested against the wall.
"I'm sorry for intruding." Matthew said finding himself at a loss of words. Seeing both smiling like that was all he wanted to see. Now he could have peace of mind about the events in the dungeon.
"Matthew?!" Faralynn exclaimed while tightening her gown and fixing her hair. "What are you doing here?!"
Matthew quickly diverted his gaze to the big window that covered all the wall in the opposite side of the door and gave a view of the city and a beautiful horizon.
"I'm sorry for coming unannounced, but your father told me I should visit and I was a bit worried…"
Erin laughed out loud seeing both being so timid around each other. Specially Faralynn who she knew well and has never seen flustered like that.
Both gave Erin a stern look that silenced her and then Faralynn got up covering herself on a robe.
"It's not like I'm not grateful for your worry. But I was just not expecting you to come see me here. Today. Now…" The elf said getting close to him and extending her hand for him to shake.
Erin laughed again. They entered business mode, she thought while Matthew, startled by the sudden approach gave a step back and shook her hand firmly, like he was in a job interview.
"Isn't there anything else you wanted to tell him, Lynn?" Erin said mischievously.
"Oh yes!" Faralynn quickly let go of his hand and bowed her head taking a somber tone: "Thanks for coming to our aid and saving our lives."
"I didn't do much! You were already fending them off, I just helped a little."
Faralynn gave him a sad smile: "I assure you. We wouldn't last much longer on our own. Also, you had no obligation on charging in with us. On the contrary. We were the ones who shouldn't have charged forward then. We put you in risk."
"But you saved your classmate. You two did the right thing. And I just couldn't let you two there to fight on your own."
There was a moment of silent when no one else had nothing to add, but soon Matthew broke it:
"How's he, by the way? I heard he had a serious concussion."
"Fred is fine. He was discharged two days ago. Good as new." Erin said and tapped on the couch near her. "Come and sit, let's talk a little."
Faralynn looked at her as if saying not to do it, but she ignored the elf and repeated: "Come, sit!"
Matthew barely sat down when Erin started to shower him with questions about himself. First, his relationship with Vanessa, then his time as an adventurer and lastly about his family. All while Faralynn just listened attentively, but pretending to be uninterested.
"Wait. You sister is Sarah Lordstone? I love her! I follow all her socials! She's so beautiful!"
"Really?" Matthew answered with a smile and having not much to add he said: "You should meet her. She'll be happy!"
"Realy?!" Erin said almost screaming. "Please! Let's set is up! Let me give you my phone!"
While exchanging numbers, Faralynn finally said something:
"Erin, I think Matthew was planing to go to a dungeon today, seeing how he's dressed. Perhaps we shouldn't keep him longer?"
"Yes, I was." Matthew said getting up. "I'm sorry for bothering you for so long. I'm glad you two are well."
"Not at all, Matt." Erin said already giving him a nickname. "Lynn is just being shy. But we should let you go to work. Thank you for coming!" She finished giving him a hug.
Matthew was already close to the door when Faralynn gained the strength to also say: "Thank you for coming…"
Matthew smiled and said "My pleasure." before leaving.
After closing the door, he could hear Erin giggling and speaking to Faralynn in a teasing tone words muffled by the door he couldn't understand.
He had a huge smile on his face. Erin was very friendly and cute and he got her number and a promise to meet again. Faralynn, that at first seemed arrogant, was surprisingly shy and cute. He felt really blessed to get close to them.
However, that feeling of bliss didn't last long. At the end of the corridor he saw a person among the hospital personnel and visitors that chilled his spine. A man with a scar over a glass eye just like Rolland described. He was dressed like a doctor, but Matthew's instincts told him he was the same man.
He hurried back to the room, feeling that Faralynn and Erin were in danger.
"Matthew? Did you forget something?" Erin said when he suddenly barged inside the room and quickly closed the door.
"I think you're in danger. Where's your security?" Matthew said scared. If that man was a Summoner, he was at least level 11, he could not defeat him.
"I told dad to leave them downstairs since they were…" Faralynn said but soon interrupted herself. "What's going on?"
"We don't have much time. But I saw someone that I think is here to kill you" He said while dragging a chair to bar the sliding door. Why hospital doors don't have locks? He thought.
"What?" Erin said while jumping out of the couch.
"Call them now!" Matthew screamed.
Faralynn took her phone and quickly dialed a number.
"Are you armed, Erin?" Matthew said while loading his gun and drawing his machete.
"Always." Erin said while taking out her magic staff out her Inventory.
"Come quickly!" Faralynn ended the call and reached for her sword.
A knock on the door startled the trio.
"Miss Laufgraan? This is doctor Smith. May I come in?" A voice said on the other side.
Matthew looked at Faralynn who shook her head and mouthed to him: "I don't have a doctor Smith"
"Come back later!" Eric screamed frightened.
The door shook, but the chair didn't let it open. Matthew raised his gun, aiming at the door.
"Go away!" He screamed.
"Fucking kids." The voice on the other side said angrily.
The man then kicked the door that flew off the frame in Matthew's direction who barely evaded it jumping on the ground. Erin quickly reacted sending a lightning bolt towards the man, but in a flash of light, a goblin appeared and shielded the man.
Matthew got back up and opened fire hitting the man twice and forcing him to go out the room and hide behind the wall, although unharmed. The bullets didn't have enough strength to pierce his Vitality.
Then another flash of light and 4 hobgoblins charged the room. Matthew shot the first, who didn't flinch at all to the bullets piercing his skin and engaged Matthew in close combat. Faralynn charged by his side engaging the second and holding the other 2 behind the first ones.
Erin concentrated a blast of lightning taking advantaged of that none were near her and shot it towards the door burning the 2 hobgoblins who were trying to force their way in the room.
"Hold them! Security will be here soon!" Faralynn screamed while piercing her opponent on the shoulder.
The hospital floor was soon in chaos with people screaming and running away from the sounds of battle. Matthew could barely hold his own against the hobgoblin. Despite being stronger than when he fought the first. This one wasn't injured when they engaged in close quarters and Matthew was an inexperienced fighter, relying on his strength rather than technique.
The hobgoblin took a huge bite from his left arm while he drove his machete into its neck with his right hand.
Matthew screamed in pain.
"They'll be here!" Faralynn screamed again and Erin hit another lightning bolt on the hobgoblins.
The glass-eyed man then showed himself behind his hobgoblins carrying a gun. He took aim, but missed the shot when the building shook violently with an explosion. Suddenly all of them were thrown towards the big window as the building started to tilt.
One part of the window broke when a hobgoblin hit it and it fell over. Matthew found himself over Erin shielding her from the one he was fighting. On his left, the broken window, on his right Faralynn was wrestling on top of the glass with the other hobgoblin.
Matthew himself was being showered in the hobgoblin's blood from its open wound on its neck. Even with the hobgoblin's teeth in his arm, he found strength to push it towards the broken window sending it down to its death.
The fourth hobgoblin was holding to the door frame and, on top of it, the glass eyed man was also holding himself not to fall.
Matthew decided to help Faralynn, and hack her opponent on the back while she held its arms down. Soon it stopped moving.
Taking a quick break to catch their breaths, they heard a chilling sound. Cracking of stone and the moan of steel. They could feel the building tilting more. Looking down the window, they didn't see the city and the horizon anymore, but the pavement of the parking lot which the hobgoblins and pieces of the building rested on top of broken cars.
Erin started to cry and Matthew quickly held her shifting their positions to be under her. Faralynn held her hand saying: "It's going to be fine. We're going to be ok."
And as soon as those words were spoken, the 4th hobgoblin fell from the door passing through the open window and taking out a scream from Erin.
Matthew looked up, the glass eyed man was holding for his life and completely ignored them.
The building crumbled and moaned again tilting more. It was odd, Matthew thought. They were almost at 90 degrees now. How was the building still up?
He quickly check his stats. If he leveled up, he might take a good skill to save them?
Alas, he didn't. He had no hope but to pray.
Matthew pulled Faralynn towards him, positioning her over the dead hobgoblin, holding the two girls on his arms. "If we fall. Try to use me and goblin to cushion your fall." As if that were going to save them. He knew it wouldn't, but he at least wanted to grasp at some hope.
The building cracked one last time, but now, instead of falling the trio found themselves on the ceiling of the room. The building was now upside down. The shift in their weight made them realize that they were going up.
They looked at the glass eyed man and he looked at them. Now they all could get on their feet that pierced through the dry wall of the ceiling. He lifted his hands showing no hostility saying: "We got other things to worry about now, kids."
As the building ascended to the sky, they could smell the scent of rotten eggs and the heat invading the hospital. The watery wall of a red gate passed through them swallowing the building whole.
All of them knew well what a red gate meant. There wasn't a human who didn't. Not a gate to another dimension, nor a gate another world. A red gate was a gate to another plane of existence. A gate to one of the many hells. And by the smell and the heat, it was a gate to the reign of Aym, the lake of fire, the hell of murder: Violentia.