For a moment, the treasure chest shone so brightly that Astrid was blinded, but it soon faded to a faint glow, and she began examining the content.

You have received 5 large coppers

You have received 2 vials of healing potion

You have received 2 vials of stamina potion

You have received 2 vials of mana potion

You have received large iron key

Astrid added the coins to her inventory and the vials to her medicine kit before holding up the large iron key for a better look. This had to be the one she needed to unlock the door.

She was about to go to the door when she froze. Something felt off. She dodged to the side just in time to avoid getting pinned to the ground by the monster. She barely got a glimpse of the beast attacking her as she dropped the candle during the evasion, and it went out before it hit the floor. All she managed to see in the faint light from the empty treasure chest was a slender black creature with large fangs and claws that her ability told her was a level one monster called a shadow panther.

Astrid pulled out her dagger and backed away from the spot she had seen the monster at. Maybe she would be able to disappear into the darkness and make herself invisible again, then make a run for the door. How had the monster even found her? She had been so careful not to make any sounds that could give away her position. Her only explanation was that opening the chest had given her away, and if that was the case, it had been impossible for her to avoid.

Astrid had only taken a few steps by the time the monster launched another attack at her. She winced as sharp claws ran down her arm, and she quickly swung her dagger. The monster let out a howl as the blade slid across its skin. Astrid tried to stay on the offensive, getting close enough to use her dagger. It was difficult against an opponent who fought with fangs and claws. Only the higher running skill allowed her to evade fatal blows, turning them into glancing once instead.

Still, her health was depleting rapidly, along with her stamina. Astrid stabbed the dagger into the side of the monster and retreated before the monster could retaliate. She used the moment of reprieve to chuck a few potions. They tasted like burned cooking grease and left a waxy feeling in her mouth, but they did the trick of restoring her stats. A warm feeling spread through her body as her health and stamina were fully healed.

The short break ended, and she threw herself back into the fight with renewed resolve. She knew she could beat this monster. She had, too. Dying in here was not an option. She would find a way out, whatever it took.

This was not the first time in her short monster-slaying career she had wished for a different weapon. Not that her dagger was a bad weapon, but its real strength lay in surprise attacks and not in combat. At least not at her current skill level. At times like this, she would really like something with ranged attacks, or at the very least something that dealt more damage. The quarter staff would have been nice even if she only knew how to cast a single spell.

A sharp pain across her chest brought her back to the fight, and she slashed her dagger, trying to discourage the monster from further attacks. The wound the claws had left hurt, and she could feel blood seeping out, soaking her dress, but there was no time to deal with it. She couldn’t allow herself to be distracted. Her focus had to be on the fight. Her health told her the wound wasn’t too bad, but a few more hits would still be fatal. It would be best to try to end this quickly.

She lashed out after the monster again and slashed it across the snout. The monster reared back in pain, avoiding getting stabbed in the chest by Astrid’s follow-up attack.

Stupid monster. Why can’t you just die already?

When she had fought monsters in the forest, it often felt easier than now. Normally, she used her environment to her advantage. Out in the forest, there was always a tree she could climb or a river to jump into when things got out of hand. If that didn’t work, she could always run away.

Even with her increased speed, she found it harder and harder to hit the monster while simultaneously avoiding getting hit in return. She realized why as the monster’s claws came out of nowhere and slashed her across the arm. The dim glow from the chest was fading quickly, and soon it would be gone. Then the room would be encapsulated in total darkness, leaving her unable to see anything. When that happened, she would stand a chance, as the darkness was to the monster’s advantage and not hers.

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Astrid stepped backwards, avoiding a claw swipe to her face, only to have her leg slide out from under her body. She hit the ground with a sickening crack from her skull slamming against the rocks of the cave floor. She lay dazed on the ground, unable to comprehend why she had fallen. A message appeared, and she read it.

Warning!

You have a concussion

You will spent more focus when concentrating and focus will be unable to recover until you have fully healed from the concussion

Current focus 8/ 12

She had only just finished reading when she had the wind knocked out of her by the monster landing on her chest, pinning her to the ground. Sharp pain erupted from her shoulder as the monster sank its fangs into her flesh. Tightening her hold on her dagger, she plunged it into the monster’s throat.

As she pulled it back out, sprays of warm liquid splashed onto her face, and the monster was retrieved. She staggered to her feet through waves of nausea and dizziness that almost made her collapse again. Somehow, she managed to stand, but she was in no condition to fight. She knew the monster was far from dead, and any moment now it would launch a new attack. She had to get out now. She still had the key, so she ran toward the door. No matter what she found on the other side, it couldn’t be worse than thins. At least she hoped it couldn’t.

With shaking hands, she located the lock and inserted the key, but before she could turn it, she had to jump out of the way to avoid the monster. It slammed into the door as Astrid ran to create distance between them. Staying out of its reach was the only defense she had left. The room was now completely dark, as the light from the chest had finally died. This meant Astrid had no way of knowing where the monster was.

She quickly drank another health potion, winching at the taste. It closed her wounds and restored her health to full capacity, but it did nothing to fix her concussion. She would need a proper healer to fix it.

She focused her senses, trying to determine where the monster was, but concentrating made her head hurt. She heard footsteps echoing through the room, making it impossible to tell where they were coming from.

She moved around the room for what felt like an eternity, avoiding the monster as best she could. She no longer had any idea in which direction the door was or if the monster was still after her. However, she knew this couldn’t go on for much longer.

Something knocked into her back, and she slashed at it with her dagger. This time, she didn’t let the monster retreat. She stabbed and slashed repeatedly, keeping up a continuous barrage of attacks and not allowing the monster any time to counter or recover. One way or another, the battle would end here. Either she killed the monster, or it killed her. Her stamina was quickly depleting as she continued the assault, but eventually the monster went still.

Astrid let out a sigh of relief. The monster was dead. She sheathed her dagger and went to loot the monster, receiving a black hide. Then she went to pick up the candle she had dropped earlier. She had a suspicion that it had been the thing she tripped over earlier, and she hoped it hadn’t been damaged. She only had that one, and she couldn’t buy a new one while still stuck inside this dungeon. Besides, they were expensive to replace.

After searching for a while, she found the candle. She relit it and debated with herself whether she should keep going now or rest for a bit. She checked her stats to get a better idea of her condition.

Health: 8/24

Stamina: 12/28

Mana: 14/14

Focus: 6/12

Spirit: 10/16

She was injured, but taking a few potions refilled her health and stamina for the third time since she entered the dungeon. At this rate, she would quickly go through her entire stash of potions, but she couldn’t risk moving forward unless she was as healed as she could get.

Her concussion prevented her from doing anything about her focus, which had half its points left. With no way to heal that and no food or water, staying here for long wouldn’t benefit her. It might even make her situation worse. Leaving now would be her best course of action.

With her mind made up, she made herself invisible and walked toward the door. She turned the key, still stuck in the lock, and heard a click, indicating the key had worked. With the candle in one hand and her dagger in the other, she managed to push open the heavy door and step through. Immediately, the door disappeared behind her. As she saw what waited on the other side, she was glad she had had the foresight to apply her invisibility. The cavern ahead was swarmed by monsters. It didn’t seem like they had noticed her entering, and she planned to keep it that way.

She held the candle high and scanned the room, hoping to find something to aid her in getting through. The cave walls were green with a thick layer of moss that emitted an eerie glow where the candlelight hit them. The air smelled stale, and the ground was so slippery that she feared she would fall at any moment.

She carefully walked through the long cavern, trying to avoid making any noise that would give her away or accidentally bumping into a monster, which would also give her away. The last thing she wanted right now was to fight more monsters.

Her progress was slow, but she remained unseen, and worries about what she would face ahead began to make themselves known. Would she find another locked door? More vicious monsters? Not knowing was nerve-racking. She had no idea how long she had been trapped in the dungeon or how much longer it would take to get out.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the cavern ended at a door. She went through it and disappeared behind her like the other doors had done. She had expected it, but it still unsettled her. Now she was trapped in another room with whatever unknown danger lurked outside the candle’s dome of light.