Welcome to the Brass Dungeon!

I look at the new screen in front of me. As it disappears, another takes its place.

"You have been selected to become this dungeon's hero. You and your fellow summons will fight the hordes of monsters and carve a place for yourselves among the ever-changing halls of the dungeon. Now, how do you complete your quest and reach the freedom of the new world you find yourself in? It's simple—all you have to do is reach the lowest floor of the dungeon. So far, only a few have achieved this, and even fewer have decided to leave.

You have questions, and I will grant you three answers, after which your grand quest will begin."

I look at Monty, who is staring in front of him in confusion.

"Did it also call you a hero?"

Monty nods, not being able to find the words.

"I guess I'll ask the first question. What do you mean we were summoned?"

"This dungeon is connected to your realm, and using this connection, it summons people from your dimension. Heroes like yourself are summoned to prevent catastrophic events from taking place. However, this dungeon uses this feature to fill itself with delvers who, unlike the locals, are actually getting past the first floor."

Monty, having thought about a question, speaks up.

"What happened to the rest of our class?"

"Your class and everyone else on the plane have been brought here after it suffered a catastrophic engine failure above the Pacific Ocean. They, however, are still in the transition phase and are in a magically induced coma to spare them the discomfort of the transition. You two, on the other hand, have been very receptive to the transition and have been awakened earlier than the rest to begin your quest as soon as possible."

I look at Monty.

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"Do you have another question for it? I can't come up with anything."

Monty stands and asks the orb, "What do you mean you're connected with our realm?"

The screen changes again and starts to explain what it means to be connected to their realm.

"In order to explain, I will give you a bit more info. Each dungeon of this realm is connected to a different realm, where they copy items, buildings, and weapons to fill themselves with loot unseen in this world. Most dungeons are connected to magical worlds, but I am connected to your world—a technological world so alien to the inhabitants of this realm that most don't dare to enter. But, sadly, your world lacks the classical monsters of magic worlds, so I had to pull from myth and legend."

With your questions depleted, your adventure will begin!

A large glowing formation lights up around the edges of the room, transporting both of us to a new location.

As the light fades, we find ourselves in a small room made of large dark bricks with only a door. As I open the door to the dungeon halls, I feel hundreds of spent brass ammo casings beneath my feet. As far as I can see, the floor is basically made of the brass casings, and in the distance, the unmistakable sound of gunfire.

Monty grabs my shoulder. “We should go left. Let's stay as far away from any harm until we can defend ourselves.”

I give him a nod of agreement, and we take the left corridor.

We start talking while we search for something to defend ourselves with.

"So, Grant, did you get anything useful from the blue screen?"

I think about my abilities: fire resistance might be useful in some scenarios but completely useless in others. Fast recovery was a bit more vague—it might mean recovery from injuries or fatigue. Either way, it will probably help, but I bet that minor luck enhancement will be a great ability to have.

"Yeah, I got an ability that enhances luck. I hope it helps me find a good weapon soon. Now, did you get something interesting?"

“I got two abilities and a skill. I think the scouting ability will be good, and my stealth will only enhance it, but I'm not very sure what my skill, steady hand, will help with unless I find a gun—or a bow, maybe?”

Monty stops talking and holds his arm out, telling me to stop and not make a sound.

We hear a noise, like someone kicking in a garage door.

There, around the corner, is an ugly short humanoid with green skin and barely any clothes on.

I whisper, “Is that a goblin? God, it's ugly. It also doesn't seem very friendly."

Monty begins to sneak up on the goblin. Not wanting to touch it with his hands, he kicks the legs out from under the goblin and begins to stomp on it.

I rush over and deliver a swift kick to the head of the goblin, killing it.

Monty stands there for a second. “I got experience in stealth?” Monty says, but I'm already lifting the garage door the goblin was kicking.

Inside, there is a car—or what will be a car if someone finishes assembling it—a workbench with various tools and several boxes stacked in the corner.

“I'll take the workbench. Will you search the boxes?”

Monty agrees, and I turn the garage lights on and close the door behind us.

As I search the workbench, I find some tools: a hammer, some screwdrivers, various loose nails and screws, and a pocket knife. The knife might be good for Monty with his stealth. I'll give it to him when I'm done searching.

Underneath the workbench, there are some woodworking tools and some old metal toolboxes. Behind them, I find a crowbar.

Will it be a good weapon? No. It's heavy, it's short, and I'm likely to injure myself if I swing it against something solid. But it's basically a solid bar of metal—it won't break anytime soon, and one hit from it can cause enough damage to those goblins that it will most likely kill them.

As I am contemplating the crowbar, Monty sets a box on the hood of the car. Inside, I can hear glass hitting glass. He opens the box and pulls out a large bottle of red wine, a look of pure glee on his face.