“What do you see?” Rohl whispered as he leant slightly over his companion’s shoulder and attempted to glance at whatever she was looking at. Rather unfortunately, the small hidden grove they were using to scout the area ahead of them, provided just enough hidden cover for one person to scout from, if he tried to move next to her, Rohl was confident they would be spotted if they weren’t already.

If it created everything here, would it not already know where we are? It did reclaim its monsters through the ground surely it can feel our presence. Maybe they weren’t reabsorbed, maybe they just melted into the earth when they died, and the dungeon had nothing to do with it. I don’t know enough.

Rohl’s lack of knowledge on the subject was definitely a hindrance but he could at least make a few educated guesses from what he had seen so far.

It didn’t seem likely that the dungeon had mimicked the very dirt itself, otherwise they’d long be dead. Instead, it seemed like the dungeon simply burrowed into it and used its body to create the monsters and fake greenery they had seen so far. The fact there were still a handful of real trees within the dungeon did seem to support Rohl’s guess.

But as useful as Rohl found the information, it didn’t increase their chances of survival or aid with their scouting of the dungeon’s centre.

“Well, what is it?” Rohl asked again.

“An empty field with a heart at its centre.”

“Let me have a look.”

Without replying, Ell stepped back from her crouched spot and allowed Rohl to take her place. After a little manoeuvring, Rohl could just about see through the foliage in front of him, the area ahead did seem to appear just as Ell had said. There was a seemingly standard grassy field ahead of them, although it did appear to be circular-shaped and surrounded by forest on all sides.

However, what most drew Rohl’s attention was the heart at its centre, the monstrosity seemed half buried into the earth itself and held the exact same colouring that the forest did.

If this wasn’t a dungeon; I’d say I was looking at the heart of the forest. I suppose they are living creatures, why wouldn’t they have a heart? I wonder if this knowledge would change the guild's ranking on dungeons.

“You think it knows we're here. It seems what to undefended and open for this not to be a trap.”

“I imagine it does,” Ell replied rather nonchalantly.

“I can’t see any monsters but there has to be some, maybe once we emerge we will get swarmed or charged. We’ll just have to try and reach the heart before they stop us,” Rohl replied with a somewhat uncertain tone to his voice. They may have had the makings of a plan but it was hardly a detailed or likely successful one.

I don’t like our chances but it’s too late now, no more running.

“Should we scout some more, wait till night or just go for it,” Rohl asked as he crept out of their scouting spot and turned to face his companion. Given how his companion had gotten them this far, he trusted her judgement on their attack plan over his.

“If we wait, we’ll only get more exhausted and besides you wanted to end this today.”

The decision was settled and despite this being the moment where a hero would walk out to face his doom in the legends, Rohl couldn’t face the enemy ahead quite yet. There was something he needed to do before his legs would carry him forward.

“You know this is the opposite of how I expected to die, so much has changed, I lost my family, my home everything I knew, I always said I dreamt about adventuring but I never acted on it, I guess it was more a fantasy really, one I force myself into so I could hunt down the silence and avenge them, reclaim some meaning into my life. But here I am, in some new dungeon making a last stand with you by my side,” Rohl spoke as he stared at his companion in an attempt to gauge her reaction to the trauma, he was essentially unloading onto her.

“I know we didn’t start off on the right foot, more your fault than mine. But thank you for being my trial mentor and getting me this far. It was good to meet you,” Rohl murmured in what he hoped was a decent attempt at some meaningful last words. They may not have met under great circumstances, but he had formed a bond with the elf through their battle for survival, it was something that needed to be honoured before their battle to the end.

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Comradery, I guess. This is not how I imagined the trial going but I did at least learn some good basics of adventuring. A pebble in the road for the silence.

Rohl’s companion did seem rather surprised and thoughtful at his words. However, after a few seconds of silence, it seemed she was ready to give a reply.

“I may have treated you harsher than you deserved. Adjusting to the human way of life has not been easy, the food, culture, having to prove myself to the guild. Not all of your kind are as accepting of others as you. It was wrong of me to take my frustration out on you. You have made good progress, and I would have been… ok with continuing your mentoring after the trial.,” Ell’s answer came out far more quiet and timid than Rohl expected, it seemed like she wasn’t one for emotional or tough conversations either.

But after all they had been through, hearing those words meant a lot to Rohl and with them, he could step into that clearing ready to face whatever challenge awaited them. Almost in perfect synchronicity with his companion, Rohl drew his weapon and took his first cautious step into the core of the dungeon.

Okay, so we're not instantly under attack, I don’t know if that’s a good sign or bad.

The moment his foot pressed into the grass of the core, Rohl had somewhat expected for a true battle to begin, he had expected monsters to swarm at them from every direction, for the forest to come alive and desperately attempt to stop them from reaching the heart. And yet nothing had happened, the forest was as still as ever with the only source of movement being from a handful of leaves being occasionally blown by a gentle breeze of wind.

I mean apart from the giant beating pile of roots, it seems safe. But there’s no way we caught it by surprise, maybe it's waiting till we get closer so the monsters can cut off any retreat.

Given the look his companion was giving him, it seemed she had expected something similar, but with no immediate danger, there was nothing for Rohl to do but give his companion one last nod before taking another step into the field.

He was fully exposed now with no cover or shelter to protect him.

Still nothing, I know I’m covered in dirt and grime but still, why is nothing happening, it has to know I’m here. I just want this to end.

It was an eerie situation and a surprisingly silent one, if it wasn’t for the occasional breeze of wind or sound of trampled grass, Rohl was rather sure the core would have been completely consumed by the unnatural silence that permeated it.

If only we had some arrows left, it be so much easier to just shoot it from a distance.

It was wishful thinking and even if they did, Rohl doubted a handful of arrows would truly be enough to kill a dungeon, it would surely take more power and force to cleave apart those roots than a simple bow and arrow could muster.

I wonder if anyone’s ever gotten close enough to try. If not we’ll be the first.

The idea that he might be the first to kill a dungeon did flutter occasionally within him and whilst he may have only come here with the intention of ending this, there was a small portion of him that still clung to the idea that he might survive it.

It was an idea that allowed Rohl to continue putting one foot ahead of the other and slowly breach the distance between them and the heart.

They were approaching the halfway point and with it Rohl could get a better view of his foe. He had used the term hear simply for its shape but the closer he got, the more it seemed like an apt term. The dungeon did in fact resemble a heart not just in its shape and movements but also in the fact it contained what looked like veins and passage’s from where the roots grew around it.

It was a rather grotesque-looking sight, and one only lessened by the fact it held a simple earthy colour palette instead of a blood red one you would expect from a heart.

What is it waiting for? I think I’d have preferred a swarm of monsters over this.

Their slow walk across the field couldn’t remain peaceful forever, the tension hanging in the air around them was far too thick for that. Something would happen and soon, but whatever monsters finally charged at them, Rohl was ready for it. His fingers were wrapped tight around the hilt of his blade, his body was pumping with adrenaline and his senses were on alert for any foe.

I can’t see any around us and if they charge from the forest or heart I can brace in time. We are very open out here, if there are ranged or flying units, were fucked.

The possibility of a ranged monster hadn’t quite appeared to him, it was certainly possible given the variety of beasts out there and yet they had entered this open field without considering the fact. An oversight and one Rohl figured didn’t truly matter in the scheme of things.

For this to end we had to cross eventually, it’s not like there was nothing we could do about any hidden ranged monsters anyway. We either waited and searched until we passed out from exhaustion or simply took the risk.

The matter was settled but that didn’t quite stop Rohl’s eyes from scanning the treeline and tree canopies for any sign of a ranged monsters, if any projectiles were fired, Rohl wanted as much time to dodge as he could. He was ready and alert for that threat, he was ready for a charge of monsters, and he was ready for a ferocious battle to begin. And yet despite his readied state and twitching nerves, Rohl found himself taken completely by surprise as a painful gripping sensation took hold around his legs.

Fucking bitch.