The way down was quite long and when Kiresula made it to the ground, her hands felt sore. She had not seen any synthic magic on the way down and thus shouted upwards: “Coast is clear!”

In that moment, she heard a loud growl and felt a slight movement of air near her left ear, as if she was breathed on. She turned around and in the motion to do so cast [Sunlight] behind her. In that moment she realised two things seemingly at once: The creature in front of her was the end boss of the dungeon: the giant bear and also that no one would come for her now that she had cast sunlight. She did what she deemed most prudent and while the bear struggled to see, she ran. From a distance, she looked at the giant animal more than twice her size and inspected it. “Idea of an emperor bear. This gigantic bear is the dungeon’s idea of an emperor bear. Besides sight, this monster mainly relies on its keen sense of smell.”

Kiresula dispelled [Sunlight] and cast the weakest version of [Illuminate] she could. Then, she covered herself in [Nightly Sojourn] while the bear approached. Its grey fur now seemed to slightly glow, but the rest of the place was almost completely dark. The bear roared and ran towards Kiresula. She dodged to the side, reaching for her dagger. Before she could use it, she had to throw herself onto the ground and dodge an angry paw that moved towards her, ready to scratch or slap. She then crawled out of the way and tried to get to her feet. Before she could do so, the bear moved towards her again, slowly, not quite sure where to go. Kiresula tried to crawl away and only then noticed the wall ahead of her. She mentally cussed and moved to the side again. As the bear approached, she wildly slashed at the animal, missing widely. Again, she scrambled out of the way. She weaved and dodged continuously from this thing but realised that this was doomed to fail. She needed a strategy and she needed one now.

Her tunic was sliced as she tried to evade the attacks of the giant creature again and again. She tried to force herself to think but it was hard with the beast attacking again and again. Silently, she started to talk to herself: “Think. Kirey, use your big, ugly head! You cannot beat that thing with your dagger and you have no,” a moment of cussing interrupted her thoughts as she dodged again, “no spells in your class list to assist you. Maybe some general spells that I have still access to…” she was dodging, weaving and trying to slash at the bear with all the grace of a three legged cow that had had fallen into a deep mud pit. Nightly Sojourn kept her obscured enough to keep her skin unscathed but her tunic looked like an indecent exposure charge waiting to happen. “Think, Kirey, what is transferrable? What works with your class? What the hay can you do now?” She dodged again, while she looked into her small spell list. “Sunlight, no, Illuminate, no, Freedom of Movement? No… unless…”

She cast Freedom of Movement on herself and, after another attempt to dodge, tried on the fly, transforming the regular spell [Slippery Slope] into a Synthic equivalent. The Bear again tried to attack and this time fell flat onto its belly. Kiresula moved towards its head and while it tried to get up slit the throat with a quick movement of her dagger. The bear had foreseen that attempt and slashed at her with its claws. She couldn’t dodge in time and screamed in pain. Then the bear dropped and disappeared.

A loud gong sounded. Kiresula sat down, out of breath and tired. She noticed the notification symbol and after having steadied herself after several minutes, selected it.

Dungeon Achievement: Art Critic. You found the incorrect elements in the mosaic of the battle. Better rewards upon completion of the Dungeon of the Bridge.

Discovering the shortcut to the boss gives you class progression in the Seferian Mage class.

Spell learned: Icy Terrain

Dungeon Achievement: Victorious. You defeated the final boss. Cross the Bridge to claim your rewards.

Clearing this Dungeon for the first time gives your class progression in the Seferian Mage class.

Class Achievement: Reached Rank emergent, Level 2.

60 stat points assigned, 5 free stat points.

Kiresula read these messages and checked her stats screen. After the last battle, which had been mostly a matter of luck and remembering a spell from the general spell list, she put the 5 points into Agility. She saw Speed also rise corresponding 5 points. She felt slightly better, still in pain and exhausted, but a slight bit more invigorated and the broken magic seemed slightly more bright and accessible. She tried to regain magic using Serenity and her recovery felt faster.

Name: Kiresula

Species: Emergent Glitchling

Highest Class Rank: Emergent

Highest Class Level: 2

Classes: Seferian Mage (Rank: emergent, Level 2)

Power: 303

Might: 30

Fortitude: 266 (+10)

Willpower: 47

Speed: 389 (+5)

Agility: 115 (+5)

Mental acuity: 146

Perception: 128

Magic: 363 (+50)

Magical force: 122 (+20)

Magical control: 143 (+20)

Magical defence: 98 (+10)

Social: 123

Charisma: 50

Empathy: 70

Cunning: 3

Health: 270/286

Magic: 107/360 (+40)

Skills: Improved casting, Seferian Fortitude, Control of the Pioneer, Immediate Escape (only for: Dungeon of the Bridge)

Learned Spells: Illuminate, Sunlight, Freedom of Movement, Travelling Light, Nightly Sojourn, Waterproof Object, Icy Terrain

She dispelled Icy Terrain when she realised just how cold the ground was. She looked around and saw that a section of the wall had disappeared and led to a hallway. She looked around. Another smaller passage had opened as well. She saw stairs upwards from that one, so it must have led to the higher levels.

She drank water and idly wondered where people would go potty when exploring and just how much filth the poor dungeon core had to clean up between runs.

Eventually, she got up, and started to walk towards the hallway on even ground. She felt like sleeping right there on the ground as the battle tired her, but she moved methodically. While doing so, she wondered about the difference between Level and Rank. She knew that both were part of her stats now and it confused her. Do you need to do different things to increase your Rank? Were Levels merely subranks? And why were there ranks for her species as well as her class? Did these improve independently? Or would she change her species when her class rank increased? But even if not, would she eventually be something else than a glitchling or rather, as the system said, an emergent glitchling? As she wondered this fruitlessly, she barely noticed the view. She knew that the dungeon was called the Dungeon of the Bridge, and that it used several bridge symbols. She also knew that the last trip was over a bridge over a canyon, but as she looked around now, she was amazed at how the view had changed: The canyon was no longer a dark cave with the stream at the bottom being dark and forboding, but it was now illuminated by an artificial light that imitated the moon, the canyon had rough stone in bands of light and dark stone. The river at the bottom was glistening and glittering and luminescent fishes were swimming in its depths. Kiresula was struck by the beauty. She stopped and admired the view, losing track of time while she committed every bit of it to memory. The different, glowing fish were fascinating. Inspecting them showed her different species. The large basses and trouts, tiny minnows, glitchfish and many, many more. Inspecting them gave information about their life, habitat, enemies, and much, much more. Some were dungeon ideas and some were just fish, apparently from the outside of the dungeon. The creatures from outside the dungeon had little more than a name while the dungeon ideas had a lot of information. She realised that there was a smell in the air that she could not place. It literally smelled like success to her, but she could not identify what it was.

Kiresula walked slowly towards the end of the bridge, enjoying the view when she heard noises from behind. She turned around and saw people coaming out of the tunnel.

“There is someone!” shouted Makit.

Kiresula thought that she recognised the voice despite the echo and she shouted back: “Makit? Is that you?”

“Kirey? You made it here?” Makit was surprised. “How the hay did you past the giant bear?”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Magic, Fortitude and a lot of luck!” Kiresula responded.

Tamijet looked at Kiresula in anger: “I could have used that dungeon clear. I really would have loved the level up and it’s not as if you glitchlings can do so!”

Kiresula nodded sagely: “Yeah, we ourselves cannot gain levels.” A slight grin was visible as she thought ‘only our classes’. “But as I was faced with that giant bear all alone, I had to do something. Now, I have no idea how it is in the monster run, but at least in the puzzle run, a group clears the dungeon together no matter the individual contribution.”

Kedsel tried to change the topic: “This environment looks so pretty! The dungeon has done good work on it.”

Kiresula nodded: “I have been admiring it for a while.”

Makit nodded: “Yeah, it looks better than normally. Everything is glowing!”

Tamijet shook her head: “Let’s get through this. We gain nothing standing on this freaking bridge!”

The group walked to the end of the bridge. It seemed to end in a door with a glowing crystal in the middle. Under the crystal was a receptacle, which would deliver their rewards for clearing the dungeon. Everyone in succession put their hand on the glowing orb and then received their rewards from the chute below it. The others went first and got their rewards in the form of ingots and magic stones. Kedsel received a scroll instead. Kiresula went last and she received three scrolls and one flask of a kind of dried herbs. After they all received their prizes, the door opened and they walked forward to find themselves in the safe room of the dungeon in the beginning. “Geometry in dungeons is really something else!” Kedsel remarked.

Kiresula nodded: “It very much is, yeah.”

The group remained silent as they left the dungeon, barely even acknowledging the message it sent after leaving: Thanks for delving the Dungeon of the Bridge! Please delve again! There will often be new challenges!

Walking back to town, Tamijet turned towards Kiresula: “I need to talk to you!”

Kiresula looked at Tamijet: “Hmm?”

Tamijet responded: “Can we walk a bit slower and talk for a moment so that not everyone hears us?”

The glitchling nodded, slightly annoyed.

Makit's affair partner let the distance between the main group and her increase and when she deemed the others out of earshot, hissed: “What is your deal?”

Looking at Tamijet, Kiresula responded: “In what sense? What I said about you?”

The human shook her head: “Why do you pretend to be a glitchling?”

This shocked the [Seferian mage], who opened her eyes wide in shock and confusion: “What?”

The fighter looked at her: “I know that you are not really a glitchling! You can do magic. I have seen that you are not invoking things.”

Kiresula shrugged: “You can inspect me? I am a glitchling?”

Tamijet shook her head: “That’s the thing, I get a weird message when I do. I have no idea why, but I assume that it is some form of magic.”

This was a philosophical matter, of course, so she responded: “I have no way to prove the absence of magical effects.”

“But you can do magic, right? I have never heard of glitchlings doing magic ever! And you had not even attempted to deny it.” Tamijet insisted.

“You can detect me with the rods that detect broken magic?” Kiresula suggested.

Tamijet touched Kiresula with the rod and it shone brightly. “Wow, I didn’t expect that to happen! How did you manage to do that?”

Kiresula smiled sadly: “Broken magic. About 100 Seren of it. I lost my class, I lost my previous stats, I lost my levels, but I gained a new lease on life.”

Tamijet looked confused: “But… I saw you cast magic!”

Kiresula raised her eyebrows: “How so? Can you see broken magic? I didn’t know that this was possible.”

Tamijet shook her head: “No, obviously not, no one can! I saw you cast often enough, Kiresula, I know your facial expression when doing so. It’s different than your look when invoking items. You suck in your lower lip when casting a spell!”

Kiresula looked slightly embarrassed. “Bad habit… yeah!”

Tamijet continued: “And you always look slightly angry when you invoke an item. As if you hated invoking them.”

Kiresula raised an eyebrow: “Do I?”

Tamijet nods: “You angrily squint, yeah! So, yeah, you cannot fool me! How do you cast if you are a glitchling?”

Kiresula breathed in: ”I cannot tell you, I am sorry.”

Tamijet stepped in front of Kiresula: “You will tell me.”

Kiresula stepped around Tamijet: “I won’t.”

Tamijet again stepped ahead and stretched out her arms. “You will, or I will end you!”

Kiresula nodded: “I guess that leaves you the latter option. This is not something that I am free to discuss.”

Tamijet looked shocked. “What?! Why is this so important to you? You are a teacher. You were my teacher for magic back in the day.”

“Why is it so important to you that I tell you?” Kiresula said.

Tamijet responded evasively: “I don’t want to tell.”

Kiresula shook her head: “And I cannot tell you about if and how glitchlings use magic.”

Tamijet looked at Kiresula: “What would it take you to make you talk about this?”

Kiresula responded: “You being a glitchling.”

Tamijet raised an eyebrow: “So, you would tell it to a glitchling?”

Kiresula nodded: “Yeah.”

Tamijet smiled: “Great! Come with me!”

Kiresula was confused at the sudden shift but didn’t argue. Tamijet led Kiresula through a small path in the forest. Kiresula followed, with a big pit in her stomach. She would not be able to overpower Tamijet. Even with her recent level up, she wouldn’t. Especially as she had no offensive spells. She had been lucky against that bear as it was almost blinded and rather slow. She would not be as lucky against Tamijet. The undergrowth was thick enough that she was aware that not even [Freedom of Movement] could make it passable. This part of the forest had mostly tall, white barked trees. The trees went for height, not complete coverage, so the ground had enough light for bushes and brambles to thrive on the ground. This made it difficult for her to get away should Tamijet get angry and getting away would be necessary. She had an idea, but it was a shot into the dark. She asked Tamijet to slow down a bit or even to pause for a moment and when Tamijet did so, she read the scrolls that she had received from the dungeon. She squatted down on her feet and read the first scroll. She found the symbol of a waiting notification as soon as she unwrapped it and upon confirming it, saw: ”Do you want to learn the spell [Spherical Vision]?” She accepted and the scroll disintegrated. She checked her status and saw the new spell. She realised, that she knew how to shape magic into a new form for the spell and felt this structure in her mind without actually casting the spell. With how different synthic magic behaved, it was difficult to translate from Synthic back to the conventional system when so far, she only did so into the other direction. She mentally cussed, and casted it.

She was very happy that she was sitting. The mental shift would have made her fall onto her butt otherwise. This spell changed her vision in a way that was mentally taxing. It took her a while to understand what was happening. Her vision had been extended, not only to what happened around her, but also to what happened above her and below her. She would need to train with this a lot before she would be able to use this spell well. She dispelled it swiftly and felt a huge weight lift off her head and mind.

She read the other scrolls as well. Each of them contained a spell and she learned both upon which the scrolls disappeared. She felt for the structure of [Foggy Terrain] and [Enhance Ability] and realised that these were very situational. Reading the description, she realised that the latter spell only worked on other glitchlings or other creatures who used the green system or were created by a dungeon with abilities to handle broken magic.

She rose again and motioned towards Tamijet that she could continue now. They walked for about half an hour more, then Tamijet showed a hidden hovel. A small wooden hut, hidden under the brambles. She heard sobbing from it.

Tamijet knocked on the door. A famished-looking glitchling opened the door. She had been crying just moments ago but apparently tried to regain her composure. “Tami? Who this?” the glitchling asked.

Tamijet waved at the glitchling: “Ikandijenja, this is Kiresula, Riajenja’s sister in law. She has recently become a glitchling.”

Ikandijenja looked at Kiresula in confusion: “Move in here? Parents not accept as well?”

“No, but she has learned some things about glitchlings and spells that she can only tell other glitchlings.” Tamijet explains. “And I thought it would be better for you to train that here, so you could have a slightly better life.”

Kiresula asked: “I thought Ikandijenja died five years ago… you kept her hidden here?”

Ikandijenja nodded: “Yeah. My sis hid me here from my father and since then Tamijet cares for me and brings me food and books to read.”

Kiresula was confused: “And you are here all alone?“

Ikandijenja nodded: “I am, but I have my stories here. And while sis cannot visit, we send each other many letters.”

Kiresula hissed at Tamijet: “Why didn’t you bring her to the Rainbow House?”

Both Tamijet and Ikandijenja looked confused. Tamijet asked: “What the hay is the Rainbow House?”

Kiresula explained: “They are a group of glitchlings helping each other. They live together outside of the city.”

Ikandijenja looked at Kiresula for a moment silently: “There is an entire group of glitchlings? And no one knew?”

Kiresula said: “I didn’t until a short while ago.”

Tamijet responded: “And I didn’t know until just now.”

Ikandijenja looked sadly at Tamijet: “Can I go there?”

Tamijet shook her head: “Someone might recognise your name and it might be linked back to the Jenja Family. And you know how they are, don’t you?”

Ikandijenja looked sadly: “But… I would love more company! Especially if they are like me.” She paused for a while and sighed, “But… I know that glitchlings are not accepted because they cannot gain levels or classes. And as my father is a [cleric], me being a glitchling is a disgrace for the church. So, according to them, I died. And as he still keeps Riajenja’s coming and going so she got Tamijet to handle this. No idea how she finagled that. Tamijet has a life, and I am sorry that so much of it is spent keeping a glitchling like me alive and keeping me reading so much that I gained a skill from it.”

Tamijet smiled: “Yeah, let’s say that she has agreed to quite a thing herself.”

Kiresula looked at Ikandijenja: “I see. You must have read a lot.” she tried not to show just how excited she was.

Ikandijenja nodded: “Yeah, a lot of books, both fiction and nonfiction.”

Kiresula tried to be about as subtle as she could: “Have you read the Green Spire? It’s one of my favourite books.”

Ikandijenja nodded: “Yeah, I read it. Why do you ask?”

Kiresula could not read her response, so she asked something to make sure: “What do you think of the works of Yeshilnur, sometimes translated as “the Sage of the Green Light”? If you had read the classics of the old empire. If not, I can lend you the books.”

Ikandijenja opened her eyes in shock for a moment. “I have recently gotten into it, yeah. It had been an important change from the works of Maviist scholars like Jantak.”

Kiresula knew that Maviism was not a real thing (Jantak and their peers were Dunyaists), but she understood Ikandijenja despite it: In the language of the old empire, Mavi meant blue. “I see. Yeah, it is indeed an important change. She was the one to bring green light to the bl…, wine-dark ocean of confusion.”

Tamijet looked at them in confusion: “Do I need to understand you?”

Kiresula shrugged: “We are talking about the classics of System theologyfrom the old empire.”

Tamijet imitated a yawn: “I am already bored by current theology, but it’s great that you find interest. Would you mind if I already go back to town? You handled anything getting at you in the dungeon very well.” she looked at Ikandijenja, “I don’t have a letter from Riajenja for you today since I didn’t expect to visit you today.”