I tumbled through the air, further and further down into the earth. Roots, dirt, and other plant matter fell with me, cascading into the open space below the ground as the earth swallowed me whole.

There was nothing close enough to grab hold of to slow my fall. Only darkness greeted my eyes as the wind deafened my ears. I yowled, hoping that somewhere, someone might be able to hear my cries for help.

But nothing came.

The darkness swallowed me. I remember being cold and wet, then even that was gone, too.

* * *

The scene I woke to this time was a far cry from my peaceful, sun-soaked rock in the forest above. This was cold, and my fur was damp. It was not peaceful, it was not purrfect.

I raised my head wearily, trying to get a glimpse of this new and unfamiliar place before some other disaster befell me. It was dark, but I felt my eyes slowly dilating to let in more of the dim light in the cavern.

What little light was here, trickled down a thousand blue threads that hung from the ceiling. They dripped with water, filling a great pool around the edges of the cavern. No trace of sunlight penetrated the solid rock above, having closed sometime after my fall.

I must have fallen in that pool, because my fur was slick and wet. I huddled down, drawing my soaking tail around my paws as I considered what to do next.

Amsiii? Amsiii, are you there?

There was no answer. Had it abandoned me? Did it think my pitiful display against the Petal Hoppers rendered me unworthy of its attentions? Had I lost my chance to barter with it?

Amsiii didn’t respond. An idea came to my thoughts.

Amsiii? Can you tell me of the four classes of magic?

System Activation of Welcome to Atria

Relief filled me. Amsiii hadn’t left me! I wasn’t alone. I hunkered down, letting the strange being finish the lesson it had wanted to teach me earlier.

There are four classes of magic: Internal, Environmental, Energetics, and Enervation, which fit into two opposing pairs. The classes which dictate the location or target of a spell are Internal and Environmental. The classes which dictate the level of energy created or drained by the magic are Energetics and Enervation, respectively. Aptitude may be placed in any class of magic, but the combined aptitude of each opposing pair of magic may never exceed the individual’s level.

Thank you, Amsiii. I’m sorry I snapped at you earlier.

Amsiii didn’t respond to my apology, but I hoped that it accepted it. I was cold and lost. I didn’t want to add “alone” to that list of adjectives. Amsiii might not have been the most conversational of companions, but its presence was still a comfort.

Several more moments I waited, just watching the cavern around me for possible threats. The itching from the Petal Hoppers had thankfully faded, washed away by the water, I presume. It still peppered my lungs, but at least it wasn’t so bad when I wasn’t breathing so hard from running at top speed.

And so, I sat. I watched. I listened.

Beyond the safety of the shoreline, there were mushrooms. Some were much taller than I was, others were barely the size of my paw. I had no doubt that they hid all manner of enemies lurking just out of sight, but they made no pass at me. In fact, I didn’t even hear anything beyond the drip, drip, drip of the blue glowing threads.

When I had sufficiently calmed myself, and had let my fur dry a little, I stood. Cautiously, I made my way into the mushroom forest. I had to find a way out. If I didn’t, I would never have warm naps in the sun or feel the warm wind rustle my fur ever again. That was unacceptable.

The mushroom forest was still and silent. No monsters dwelt around the thick stalks nor on the tops of the great caps. There was no life at all, save for me and the mushrooms themselves.

However, there was a passage on the far side from the gentle pool. It led upward, and so I decided to follow it.

Exiting dungeon safe zone for The First Dungeon

Dungeon Monsters have been released

Oh, no. Amsiii, that’s not what I want to hear. Monsters, I understand, but what’s a dungeon? And why did I find myself inside one? Though Amsiii did not provide an answer for the latter question, it did have one for the former.

System Activation of Welcome to Atria

Dungeons are locations of great magical potential created by the manipulation of mana from a central core. Dungeons mold the space to their design, creating labyrinths filled with monsters of their creation. Dungeon Monsters offer greater experience gain for those who defeat them. Reaching the end of a dungeon will offer great rewards.

Greater experience gained and great rewards for those who reach the end? The challenges must be exceptional for such a reward.

Amsiii spoke again.

Note: Dungeons operate under the strict rules of Forced Fairness. Failure to adhere to Forced Fairness will be interpreted as opting out of the protections provided. Examples of violations include: Breaking down walls, forging new tunnels outside of the dungeon’s design, and abusing the use of safe zones.

Okay. Noted. Don’t be mean to the dungeon and it won’t be mean to you. Or at least…it’ll be less mean to you. I had the distinct feeling that the dungeon’s idea of “fairness” would be pretty lax compared to mine. Monsters were still monsters, and I was not keen on repeating the mistakes I made with the Petal Hoppers.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I padded forward down the tunnel, keeping my eyes and ears open for the first of these dungeon monsters to approach. Sounds began to echo closer, the hissing of water as it sprayed from a small hole…only it wasn’t that consistent.

A glimmer of movement caught my eye in the darkness. I stood very still, waiting for the motion to happen again. It didn’t make me wait long, as another thing streaked across the tunnel just ahead. They were long, thin things.

The hissing was not from water, I realized. It was the hissing of serpents. The first of the dungeon monsters I would face would be snakes.

I backed down the tunnel a small distance. I’d seen two of them, but there could well be more. It was likely their bite would be venomous. Even the tiniest injury could be fatal here.

After a deep sigh, I returned to the safe zone. I may not have wanted to enter this dungeon, but right now, it was preventing me from leaving. That made it as much an enemy as the Petal Hoppers. If killing these snakes would bring me back to the surface, then I would do it.

I only entered the safe zone briefly, not wanting to be accused of abusing it and lose the protections of Forced Fairness. However, it had something I needed, something I’d not found anywhere else in the tunnel beyond. I plucked three mushroom caps from the ground. Channeling the warm magic in my stomach, I lifted the three caps with Telekinesis I and padded back into the dungeon.

The snakes had not noticed me, and so I readied myself. Setting my mushroom caps behind me, I crouched on the side of the tunnel. Assuming these creatures perceived light similarly to me, they would have a very difficult time seeing me in the dark tunnel. My glossy black coat blended seamlessly with the gaping void of the dark hallway. Just another one of the benefits afforded only to beings as majestic as I was.

And now, the time was upon me. I took a mushroom and threw it down the hall at the snakes. A furious cascade of hisses echoed down the hall and my ears pricked forward at the sound of slithering scales creeping along the stone hallway.

Adjusting my paws ever so slightly, I tracked the snakes, ready to pounce as soon as they drew close. There were three of them in total…which was not ideal, but I’d manage.

The first snake drew close enough, and I lunged at it. My teeth sank into its scales just behind the head, severing its spine in one swift bite.

Congratulations. Level 1 Venomous Dungeon Serpent defeated. Experience gained.

The other two snakes hissed and coiled themselves in a defensive stance. I growled at them through the corpse of the dead snake I still held in my jaws. They hissed back. I growled again, and they responded once more.

I threw the corpse into the snake on the right. It writhed and struggled under the body of its deceased companion as I turned to the one on the left.

The serpent hissed before lunging forward at me. Venom dripped from its fangs as it sought to sink them into my neck. In response to the threat, my claws flashed. The snake was batted off course, landing nearby, blood dripping from the injury left on its scales. In the next instant, I pounced, not giving it the chance to recover.

Congratulations. Level 1 Venomous Dungeon Serpent defeated. Experience gained.

Two down, one to go. It thrashed under the weight of the snake I threw at it. By the time it was able to right itself, my teeth had sunk into its spine and that was the end of it.

Congratulations. Level 1 Venomous Dungeon Serpent defeated. Experience gained.

Level up to Level 3.

One Aptitude point available for allocation.

I blinked in shock. That was fast for a level up…Amsiii hadn’t been kidding about the additional experience gained from dungeon monsters. I felt my greed swelling up inside me, but I fought it back. Greed is what had gotten me into trouble with the Petal Hoppers. These monsters were bound to be more dangerous on the whole than those vile insects had been. I had to remain cautious.

Which brought me back to the aptitude point I’d gained. Where to put it?

I immediately discarded Internal as an option. Amsiii’s explanation had told me that my Environmental and Internal would only be able to add up to my level. If I put my point there, and found other sources of aptitude later, I’d be stunting the potential of my Telekinesis.

I could put the point into Environmental. That would increase my aptitude for spells like Telekinesis, which was only a good thing as far as my current options went. However, I could also broaden my options by picking either Energetics or Enervation.

Nope. Not today. Curiosity killed the cat, after all, and I only had so much focus to devote to learning new spells on the fly, as I’d done with Telekinesis I. I needed to spend more time mastering what I already had before I could start experimenting with other options…and preferably in a much less hostile environment than this dungeon.

Allocating 1 Aptitude point to Environmental

Environmental aptitude increased to 3

Amsiii delivered the information just as I focused my magic on the mushroom caps once more. As I’d expected, it was ever so slightly easier this time. As I continued down the tunnel, I began to spin the mushroom caps over my head, practicing more elaborate controls. Though I was still far off from precision manipulation of my floating objects, it was still enough to juggle them around in slow but deliberate motions.

The tunnel widened into a large room. The enemies here were not visible, though I was certain they were hiding nearby. I pricked my ears, listening carefully for the next enemies that might be lurking within.

A deep CROOOOOOAAAK echoed back at me. I peered into the darkness, unsure of where the noise had come from. My ears pinpointed the location, but I saw only stones where a creature ought to be.

Another CROOOOAAAK echoed around the room from a different set of stones. Were the stones themselves making the sound? If so, what was the point of pretending to be rocks? The noise defeated the purpose of camouflage. My only conclusion was that these creatures, like the Petal Hoppers, had a secret danger that I had yet to discover. I would need to be careful.

Gingerly, I took one of my mushroom caps and tossed it into the room. A great tongue flicked out and snatched the cap right off the floor. It was quickly returned to one of the huge stone piles. I tossed another mushroom cap at the other stone pile. Sure enough, it, too, was consumed by an enormous tongue.

I flicked my tail in frustration. The only danger they’d revealed were the giant tongues they’d used to eat the mushrooms. Granted, at that size, I could easily be wrapped up and gulped down in one great bite. I’d have to be careful.

Creeping forward, I hugged the right wall. If I could take them on one at a time, that would greatly increase my chances of success. They were big, but I was clever. I could do this if I was smart about it.

As I moved around the enormous creature, I got a glimpse of its head. It largely merged with its body, but I could see one large orange eye reflecting the low light of the room. That would be my target.

I adjusted my paws, readying myself to strike in three…two…one…

Claws flashed as I launched myself clean onto the monster’s back. I dug my claws into its skin and slashed its eyes. It bellowed in response, a deep CROOOOOOAAAAAK.

Ha! Don’t like that, do you!

Blood leaked from its eye, but otherwise, it seemed unphased. I raked my claws across the top of its head, only for them to scrape off the hard stone that covered its back.

It whipped its head to the side, rearing up on its haunches in fury as it bellowed the loss of its sight. I was thrown free, skidding across the ground until my claws caught on the stone floor.

The ground shook under my paws as the creature stood and turned to face me. Each step boomed like an earthquake around the room, but I stood firm. I puffed my tail up and hissed my defiance at the toad. I was not going to be deterred! I could win this!

Then the ground began to shake again. This time, it was from behind me. My ears flattened along my back as I realized the second creature had awoken, too.

They both stared at me, intent on having my tail for dinner.