Black seemed to be today’s theme, because that's what awaited Wail and his group inside the tomb. Narrow stairs fit for two people standing shoulder to shoulder led deep down into the mountain. Long abandoned was the descending path - damaged and slippery, covered in the same mist that came though the doorway before. A strange thing to notice was that the mist kept on drifting upwards from the deep, leaving an unpleasantly cold and wet feeling down below. Lower. On the feet. Heck, as if that wasn’t enough – the floor itself was almost completely obscured and going down proved to be somewhat of a nerve-wrecking challenge.

Luckily, the group found a torch further down, which they happily requisitioned for the greater good. Their greater good. Uneasy glances were exchanged and the torch was lit – the doubts and fears somewhat alleviated by the dancing light cast by the fire. 

Further down they kept on going, with the uncertainty constantly growing within their hearts - as not a sound could be heard. For some reason - even their footsteps quickly faded away into nothingness. Swallowed by the mist below. You'd think that a dungeon would be a loud place - filled with critters to pound-on for loot and glory. Yet all they got a taste of now, was a long and uneasy journey down a flight of run-down stairs in desperate need of maintenance. 

After at least 30 minutes of heart-rending fun, the group finally reached an end of their descent, eyes now cast upon a dark corridor that lead straight forward from their location, its’ unlit expanse creating an illusion was if absolute nothingness awaited beyond. No end in sight due to everything being covered in pitch black. Width-wise it wasn't much different from the stairs, but standing shoulder to shoulder wouldn't be such a cramp experience anymore. Thus one could say that it was a minor improvement. People with claustrophobia would still find it an unpleasant place to be at of course. Heck, guess such individuals wouldn't be here in the first place. Unless they've ended up passed-out-drunk and were dragged here by prank-loving colleagues.

Thus the party continued onwards - fearless, restless, slightly pissed-off due to the lack of action. Another 20 minutes passed uneventfully. Wail started to think that he'd spend the rest of the week traveling like this, wasting away the experience and loot bonus. That did not set his mood high.

"Damn con-artists" - He mumbled under his breath, blaming the game creators for all his woes and worries.

Yet just as he was about to start scorching the walls out of frustration - the corridor finally ended. What opened up before them was an enormous expanse, the vastness more felt than seen, as darkness seemed to rule supreme here, while the usual damp mist crawled under their feet. No movement of anything living in sight. Yet they could now hear something. Scratching, growling, echoing screeches every now and then. Quite an unpleasant atmosphere. Morale wasn't too high, the bandits were starting to have second thoughts.

"H-hey, maybe we shouldn't have went in here? This doesn't look too good..." - One of them whimpered, but only got an elbow nudge from Wail.

"You're saying a life's worth of fortune isn't worth dying for? Don't spout nonsense" – Wail jeered half-jokingly and dragged the unwilling colleague practically by hand. Only Bob was holding up alright, though the greedy sparkle in his eye made Wail's fists clench unconsciously - like he was holding onto money that was being threatened by theft. Possible rivalry was in the making. Greed was a dangerous thing indeed.

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

Finally, the scenery seemed to shift in a more dungeon-like atmosphere – the air grew stale and rotten, while the occasional bone stuck out from within the churning mist as far as the eye could see. Not too far considering how dark the place was. Quite an unpleasant neighborhood to be in and Wail forgot his complimentary cookies. This won’t end too well.

As the light from the torch reached further into the expanse, the group finally found their welcoming party.

Deeper into the spacious hall, divided into sections by large crumbling pillars that reached far into the ceiling - disappearing in darkness, a feast was taking place. Three hunched figures were busy devouring one of their own by the looks of it. Goblins. Visibly different from their brethren on the surface - black, liquid oozing skin, two sets of overly sharp teeth. These little critters were smaller, but still seemed formidably dangerous. They didn't even need weapons, since their long arms ended with lethal-looking claws. Sharp. Not something you’d want to feel against the skin. They hissed at the sight of light, almost forcing certain individuals from the group to turn tail and run for their lives.

Not Wail though. He just spent almost an hour traversing thought narrow dark corridors, haunted by the echoes of the breaths from his own colleagues. One hour wasted with not a single item or experience point gained. He was done waiting. His patience reached its’ foremost limit. Enough to overpower whatever fears might have risen.

In a blink of an eye Wail conjured a fireball and in quick succession launched 3 of them at the feasting figures. A flair of light, a few screams and suddenly the figures were made into living torches - scurrying towards the party on all fours.

Due to the strange liquid oozing from their skin, the fires had a hard time spreading, thus the bandits, who now didn't have a choice - finished them off with a few unsteady blows. Considering how some of them were shaking, it was a miracle they managed to hit at all.

Wail was ecstatic. Finally, sweet experience. Just those three goblins raised his level by 10%. Let's not forget that the experience gain was still divided by 5 due to the bandit party. If by chance, there were more of such monsters to hunt, Wail wouldn't mind even living here. Though he might catch a cold due to the damp air.

A few moments of complete silence. Excluding the heavy breathing coming from close proximity. Surely - the source wasn't Bob and his friends. That and the slight jingle of coins, as Wail was busy picking up the loot. Soon though, the whole expanse erupted in a fury of sounds - mostly screeching, clattering of metal on rock together with numerous other indistinguishable sounds.

Bob was sweating all over, his friends were about to high-tail it out of there and Wail was smiling like a madman.

"Quickly, back into the corridor, we‘ll be overrun if we remain here!“ - He then shouted, after regaining his composure and sanity. Most of it.

As the four began to run back, Wail stayed behind for a few more seconds. 

Once the ear-tearing flurry of sounds got close enough, he started casting his top-two-out-of-two spell - Inferno. Moments away - a large area in front of him erupted into a fiery festival, inviting all who passed whether they wanted it or not. Engulfing them in its’ smoldering embrace.

Inferno lighted a large portion of the hall and Wail could only wipe away his own drool – the sheer number of monsters revealed was mind-boggling.

You have gained experience.

You have gained a level.

He leveled up already! By the looks of it, quite a few goblins got caught in the fiery festival – only a smoking pile of goo remaining. Those, who remained - were smart enough not to run into the fire and waited for it to clear. Some, who didn’t die from the spell, sprinted at Wail – paying no heed to their new fiery attire. Hardcore fans of Wail, by the looks of it.

Sadly though - their idol didn‘t stand and wait. Instead - he ran off as soon as the spell was cast, throwing a few fireballs behind, as a little goodbye presents. It was obviously hard to resist – all that experience and loot. Poor Wail. There was no need to rush though. It was all his. Everything in this dungeon now belonged to him. Slowly. Gently. He’ll take it all.