For the fourteen floor, James and his group of novices’ returned to an underground area. James lit torches for himself and Wes to hold. Despite the dungeon’s natural light that permeated every floor this one was especially dark. James stayed silent as the novice’s explored the initial cave area.

After the floor portal, the cave tunnel opened up into a larger dome area with crisscrossing paths that wrapped around the sides and several bridge paths. The total dome volume was unclear, but it was a few hundred feet across at least. The cave was also more brightly lit than previous underground floors they had encountered but that also meant that there was more light for enemies to spot them.

“Where are the enemies?” Ian asked.

“They will be alerted soon. Take this time to learn the floor design here. The exit is a bit further past the top of the dome,” James said.

A minute later the sounds of continued clanging started and then it changed to shuffling. The novices tensed. Coming out of a few of the nearest tunnels on the ground floor came kobolds. Mostly just bipedal draconic lizards they carried a mix of shovels and picks as though they just came from digging the tunnels around them. There were nearly a dozen of them.

James used his movement skills to jump up to a bridge and watch. Ian as usual was the first to attack as the kobold turned to see them. A fire ball hit the nearest one in the face. The kobold snorted and rubbed at its eyes. The attack not seeming to do much.

‘The kobolds should be an interesting challenge for them. They have the best attributes so far and combine the two best aspects of imps and goblins. Their scales will be a bit harder to break through while restricting some heat changes and will have better intelligence. I wonder which side will have better teamwork.’

The kobolds rushed towards the novices with a few of them faltering as arrows and fire balls pelted them. Only two fell to the attacks leaving nine left. Naomi continued to use James’s method to dual-shot her arrow allowing for more damage.

The first kobold slammed into Wes. He didn’t move thanks to Derek reminding him. As soon as they were close Derek started swinging. As the cave had plenty of space he was able to move without much issue and dealt with the kobolds as they came. Similarly, Ian was able to clear enemies with more space due to the heat he was putting out. Once the kobolds tried to approach him it was a death sentence due to their melee-only capabilities. At one point three kobolds tried to attack at once but Ian wrapped himself in fire and started burning them while targeting their snouts.

“Their weak spot is around their snout. Let's finish this group,” Ian said to the others.

With that bit of knowledge, the last three kobolds were finished off quicker leaving them the floor to themselves. Wes and the others in turn turned towards James who was crouching on the bridge above them.

“Fine, your way up here and don’t get trapped in the tunnel sections.”

Naomi nodded and turned towards the nearest entrance that the kobolds exited out of. The others followed her shortly after. Inside the tunnel were scattered mining equipment and candle light lamps lit the tunnel at regular intervals.

As they rounded a bend as they suspected was a group of kobolds. This time they were smaller in number but wielded swords, and they could only fit two people side by side. Naomi fired the first shots while Derek and Wes got ready.

Swords collided with each other and Wes’s shield. Ian used this opportunity to fire off fireballs at the kobolds’ snouts. This caused them to drop their attention letting Derek take the opportunity. With a push he got the kobold he was tangled with to drop its weapon down before cutting off its head and then the one next to it in turn.

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This continued for the next four kobolds that came after. Ian and Naomi proceeded to distract and stop the kobold’s attack patterns before Derek would finish them off. After the kobolds melted away the tunnel presented two path options. Derek chose the right path.

After turning a corner, they were presented with a dead end and another six kobolds. Their fighting resumed similarly. After Derek finished off the last kobold instead of melting away its body transformed into a necklace. Ian looked over at it with greed.

“I want it.”

“You want everything that isn’t yours,” Naomi said.

“I think it is for me,” Derek said with it now in his hands.

“You don’t even have the skill required to read the enchantment. I can feel the mana on the necklace. Give it here.”

“No to both of you. We already went over this. It is going into James’s hands first and we will sort out the loot later,” said Naomi.

“But then he is just going to take it or steal it off me. Wes, Naomi, I want to hold onto it for the rest of the dive at least. Can you guys back me up on that when we meet up with James again?” Derek asked looking to Naomi first then Wes.

“I don’t want to cause any more trouble and get kicked out. Just hand the necklace over and we will ask him.”

“I don’t want to be involved in this dispute. I just want to get out of here,” Wes answered.

Ian seeing the likelihood of the magic item leaving his hands he put himself between Derek and the others.

“Give it to me instead and I will let you have the next magic item if we find one and if there isn’t another you can have the bitch’s agility ring. It would be much better suited to you who needs to work on your swordsmanship, not your power.--”

“So, it’s a necklace of strength is it?”

Ian paused and Naomi read his face like a book.

“I knew it. That necklace will do nothing for you. Derek or Wes is better suited to it,” said Naomi. “Derek don’t hand it over.”

“Naomi. Don’t get in between my chat with Derek.”

“Derek just pass it here.”

Derek looked back and forth between his two teammates unsure of what to do.

“Derek. I got you on this team with me now it is time to pay it back,” Ian said with is hands out.

Derek paused and considered the action. Ian saw the uncertainty in Derek’s eyes and pounced. Ian moved to grab the necklace from Derek’s hands, but he pulled back at the last second. Derek took another step back and before Ian could follow he tossed the necklace over Ian’s head where it landed in Naomi’s hands.

Naomi already knew what she was going to do when she first saw Derek pull back for the throw. As soon as the necklace was securely in her hands she spun around and booked it towards the left path. Ian followed her run with his eyes and then they fell back onto Derek.

“Traitor,” Ian scoffed.

Naomi followed the path and was not greeted with kobolds as the slope increased and turned again until she was met with James on the bridge.

“You alone?”

“Yeah. The others should be here soon.”

“They are at least twenty paces behind you, and you were running up here despite the possibility of more kobolds. You should have been more careful getting here. Especially as you are alone.”

“Well, I am fine aren’t I?”

“Just don’t do it—"

James stopped the discussion as the others turned the corner.

“Oh, by the way, we found this as well for you to hold on to,” Naomi said.

She passed James the necklace and then looked at Ian with a smirk. He just mouthed ‘I will kill you’ in response.

“Shall we get going? This next tunnel section should be a bit longer and then the next will be on the path wrapping around the dome up there. You will have to be careful not to fall when fighting. But at the same time dropping enemies down will make things easier if you can do so.”

James led the way and then was followed by Naomi. Next was Derek. As Derek crossed the bridge the ground started to shake. Dust from higher up in the dome started to fall. Derek gripped his sword tighter, not wanting to drop it multiple stories down, but did not keep his footing. The bridge collapsed and Derek fell. Naomi acted the quickest followed by Ian who grabbed an arm on the other side of a bridge. Naomi and Ian both glared at each other as they both held an arm.

“I’m slipping. Help me up.”

The call broke the pair's gaze.

“We got to take care of your weapon first. Wes grab his sword,” Naomi said.

James watched from the front as they dealt with the trap.

‘This is strange. I haven’t seen a bridge collapse on this floor before. They were lucky that it only dropped about a four-foot area. I will have to make note of the new trap for the guild registrars. Maybe this old dungeon can learn some new tricks.’