Goran Steelriver invites you to join his group. Accept?

Thinking yes, Horn joined the group. A list of other members of the group popped up for a second before disappearing. He could resummon it at any time, but it didn’t give any further information. He had a vague understanding of direction where the rest of the group was, but that was all. Honestly, he wondered why he didn’t think about that earlier. This was supposed to be an RPG, and partying up was the bread and butter of any such game. Instead, he asked, “Goran, how can one start a party like this?”

“You need a Leadership skill, my Chief. Then you can start creating such warbands. Depending on its level, you’ll be able to create bigger groups and get a lot of information about your warriors.”

“Damn, now I start to regret taking that Lore skill. Nevertheless, it's time for a dungeon dive!” Horn exclaimed. After half a day of handling clan affairs, killing some monsters seemed almost relaxing.

“Chief, no dungeon is a place to joke around. We are in danger out here. Please stay behind with Skuti and heal us when required.” Goran interrupted him, then turned to another fighter and said, “Diamond tip formation, on me.”

Captain pointed Horn into the middle, and despite wanting to argue, Peter took his place. The dwarfs quickly reshuffled themselves, with melee fighters flanking Goran just a step behind him, Skuti the javelin thrower a few steps in the back, and boars followed in the rear. In such formation, they entered the gateway. A brief flash of light appeared in a little cavern, just big enough to fit their party. However, boars didn’t reappear with them. They discussed with Goran beforehand that there was a probability that the dungeon wouldn’t allow not bonded creatures. It was a huge loss but a manageable one.

The cavern itself looked utterly different from the clean, smooth gray stone that made out the rest of the caverns he saw so far in the Nexus. This stone was, well, stone. Dirty irregular with different colors were mixing together. The walls were covered in moss, and pieces of gravel and bones laid scattered on the floor. A single exit led out of the room with a single crystal shining over it, giving a bit of light in the room.

“This is a safe room. Monsters won't chase us in here. If things turn dire, we retreat here – Chieftain’s life is the most important. If needed, shield him with your own body. Now Vir, Gardan, torches up.” Goran commanded.

The two melee dwarf lighted quickly torches taken out of backpacks. Goran insisted on bringing enough food and water for two days and a bunch of empty sacks. Which hopefully was a good sign, as any and all loot would be very welcome in a clan that had to eat rats to get by.

A few moments later, they moved in. Torchlight was the only thing parting darkness, but Horn saw as clear as day even with minimal lighting. The corridors meandered and split, creating a kind of a maze. Finally, a larger cavern came into view, and the scraping of claws on the stone followed.

They slowed down, but there wasn’t anything in the cavern. It was maybe thirty yards across, with stalagmites and stalactites taking half the space. Horn saw something wooden between them in the middle of the room, but there weren’t any hostiles. But where did the scarping come from? Then he realized it, just as they reached the room threshold, “Above us! Radiant blast!” he shouted, casting the spell just as the first monster dropped on Goran.

The blast intercepted the creature mid-flight, flinging it off course into the closest stalagmite. Three more already in the air were also pushed back. They looked like a cross between a spider and a mole. With six long hairy legs protruding from the torso, each ended with a wicked claw several inches long. The head had two probably blind eyes and a snout with sharp teeth. The creatures hissed in pain as the light had to hurt them. Quickly checking, Horn saw a plaque hovering over them,

Rockeater youngling level 3-6

Just as he was to shout it, Goran took his thunder, “Rockeaters! Their claws can cut metal, and their bites are poisonous. They’re scared of light, keep the torches up and focus on the legs! Skuti, target heads! Chief, keep in the back and heal. Blast with light if possible. Engage!”

Horn was impressed. Goran turned out to be an experienced leader, passing a lot of information in a short sentence, creating a whole game plan. Nodding, he kept his position and watched his warriors in battle. Goran shot forward, roaring, which made Rockeaters snap their heads towards him. Vir, the dwarf with the sledgehammer, pushed the torch in Horn’s hand, then hefted his weapon and circled the closest monster looking for the opening, Gardan the other dwarf was just behind Goran, pushing the lighted torch into the face of the stunned creature. While Skuti already had two javelins in the air. With a whiz - the first one punched through the cheek of the closest monster. A mere heartbeat later, the other dug into its midsection.

The creatures didn’t just stand by. They quickly regained their sense, their limbs flashing in a deadly dance. With four of them focusing on Goran, the dwarf was overwhelmed, he dodged some strikes, blocked even more with his shield and axe, but some went through. His chainmail stopped some of the attacks, but not all of them. Claws dug through his flesh, and blood started flowing. Goran just grunted with irritation but kept the pressure. It allowed Vir to take a swing. The hammer flew through the air striking straight in the midsection. With a wet splat, the chest caved in, and the monster slumped to the ground. At the same time, Skuti’s javelin pierced through the eye of the already impaled creature taking it out. With two versus two, Goran and Gardan evened the playing field and kept the monsters in check. As quickly as the fight started, it ended with the monsters overwhelmed by dwarven warriors.

Horn just stood there, jaw wide opened. The minute of the skirmish looked better than any action movie he ever watched. Awe in his eyes told everything. But then, he realized he froze. After the initial blast, he was utterly useless, and Goran paid the price. He was bleeding heavily. Horn rushed to his champion, casting Cure wounds. A sigh of relief came from Goran, making Horn feel guilty for his actions, or rather inaction.

The brief skirmish got him almost a hundred Essence points, even as he didn’t participate too much in the fight. Horn was about to ask Goran, but the dwarf launched into his own monologue, “Skuti, good throws, but I said aim for the head only. You wasted three shots at midsections. In a prolonged fight, you’d be out of ammo. Gardan, if I’m tanking, you can risk a bit more. Enemies will be focused on me in at least for the first thirty seconds of the combat. You wasted that chance covering my back. Vir, good job, nothing to add here. Chieftain, you – “ Goran paused for a second, “ did well. Keep it up. We’ll be taking a five and going further.”

“Bullshit,” Horn replied. Dwarfs around rose their brows, “I did shit, and you could have paid the price. NEVER patronize me. If you lead, I follow, and I expect the same when our roles will reverse.”

With a nod of approval, Goran said, “That’s why you’re the chieftain. You froze, not because of fear but in astonishment, this could have cost lives, but you had a good reflex. Warning and the initial blast probably saved my life. You have to remember. This is combat, not sightseeing.”

“I’ll do better. This is still new for me.” Horn said, “But I have a question, what’s with the crazy amount of essence I got for sitting in the corner?”

“Ah, of course, allow me to explain. The dungeons are special places. Here Essence is spread evenly between all involved in delve. This is one reason why they are so sought for and protected. Secondly, the Essence gained is based on the average level of the party. The higher the level of the monster is compared to yours, the more essence you earn. This applies everywhere, but in the dungeon, your level is an average of party levels. Four of us were on the first level, and we killed creatures around five or six times higher. Even with you having more Essence, our average was way lower than their level, so we received a bonus. However, as we’ll progress further, the gap will lessen, so will the rewards.”

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“Clear, kill a more dangerous enemy, get bigger rewards. Take newbies on a hard dungeon, get bigger rewards. Want to boost your low levels? Take them through a dungeon.” Horn summarized.

“Indeed,” Goran agreed.

“So looting time?”

Not waiting for approval, Horn rushed towards the chest. Opening it, his eyes sparkled a metal helmet, scroll of some kind, a ring, and a pair of daggers. Focusing on them, he saw:

Iron Helmet – common - average quality – min. 10 might, 10 endurance – 15 armor – made by an unknown crafter.

Unidentified scroll – uncommon - average quality – min. 18 mind - unknown

Minor mana ring – uncommon - average quality – increases maximum mana by 5 points – made by the unknown crafter.

Steel dagger – common - average quality – min. 15 reflex, 8 endurance – 10 piercing damage – made by the unknown crafter.

The helmet went to Goran, while the ring took its rightful place on Horn’s finger, daggers were given to Skuti as backup weapons, and the scroll was just stored. However, seeing the loot, Horn broke into a laugh. The game was on!

A few minutes later, they moved forward. Soon they found another chamber and another set of Rockeaters, this time knowing their enemies the fight was trivial. Horn opened up with Radian blast, then they all launched into all-out as Goran taunted their enemies. Before enemies' enrage ended, only one was standing, and it was quickly dispatched. It only took a few scratches on their tank to clear the room. The chest contained some regular items and three minor healing potions. Loot was quickly divided, and the group moved on.

For another five encounters, nothing changed. The fifth chamber had a surprise in it. Instead of the chest, there was an outcropping of reddish rock, or as Skuti quickly explained, a node of iron ore. Dungeons could generate such natural resources. The ore was usually extremely pure, almost one to one ratio of ore to metal. There were just two complications, no one had a mining skill, nor they had a pickaxe. However, Vir sacrificed his hammer and smashed it into smaller chunks. Half an hour later, they had almost a hundred kilograms of ore in their sacks.

Horn was ecstatic, items, including some minor magical ones, resources, and loads of essence. It took only several fights, and he earned six hundred of it. Enough for a new crafter, or half the way towards another warrior, and it took only three hours. The essence flow slowed down the longer they went in, but his warriors grew. Goran was already at fifth level, with others at four. They seemed fitter, stronger, and were beginning to be more talkative.

After each fight, Goran kept doing a quick summary, pointing out what went wrong and could be improved, and the others started chipping in. It just felt natural and was fun. The fights kept getting smoother, with teamwork improving. The time flew by, and it looked like an easy adventure until they met the boss.

It started, as usual, corridor widening a bit into a cavern. However, this one seemed much more extensive than the previous ones. Goran immediately stopped the party, whispering, “Beware, probably a boss encounter.”

The group looked around cautiously. Horn was already casting his buffing spell, he didn’t need to use it so far, but it just felt like a perfect moment. It was still mana intensive, so he just paid base twenty points, buffing Goran. It took him to half mana immediately. Drinking a potion, he went back to three-fourths of his total. The effect on Goran was quite spectacular. His armor started shining, his hair began flowing upwards and similarly glowing with golden light. Horn almost erupted with laughter as the dwarf began resembling a super Saiyan. However, the old veteran didn’t seem bothered.

Slowly they entered the cavern. Looking all around, the Rockeaters liked to hide in the dark places, dropping on their victims; however, no monsters were waiting in the shadows this time. They reached the middle without anything challenging them. A fat chest just stood there, waiting to be looted. Horn was a bit disappointed. He was looking forward to the epic fight. Instead, they just found a chest standing on a small hill in the middle of the room. It was funny; the floor, despite a lot of stalagmites, was extremely even so far. The mound ahead was the first unevenness of the terrain so far.

The second he realized it, he knew they were duped. Just as he opened his mouth to shout a warning, the pandemonium started. The ground shook, throwing them off, and a monstrous figure rose. The eater was the size of a minivan. Each of six legs was longer than he was tall. Each ended with a foot-long jagged blade. The beast’s jaw had row upon row of sharp pointy teeth, each of them glistering with poisonous saliva and the label above its head said, Adult Rockeater Broodmother level 10-15.

All of that, Horn noticed in a brief second that the monster took to dig itself up. Before anyone could act, two spikes pierced Skuti, his leather armor giving out like a piece of paper. The dwarf, just a few moments ago ready for a fight, now laid with his chest gored, coughing blood. Horn locked eyes with him and saw the light in them fading. That was a wake-up call.

Horn jumped to his feet. He saw Goran already in the front, his roar echoing in the cavern. The monster snapped its head towards the champion and poised its appendages for a strike. Gardan was getting up. Vir’s hammer was already midswing. Horn watched with fascination as the heavy mallet stroke, raising a wave of skin from the point of impact. But the monster seemed unaffected, completely shrugging the blow and just kept striking at Goran.

Horn threw himself in action. Cure wounds flew towards Goran, closing few nasty gashes on his side. Then just as the tank’s taunt dropped, Horn threw Radiance blast, which blinded the monster, buying them a few more seconds. He quickly took second to the last vial of mana potion, gulping it in one swing. Instantly, he began casting Blessed weapons. As he was chanting, the boss recovered from blindness and unleashed its fury. Balancing on three legs, the remaining three slashed. One caught Vir, who was just about to dive under the beast. The strength of the blow spun the dwarf around, spilling droplets of blood all around. The second claw was deflected by Goran’s shield, while the last one struck at Horn.

At the last second, he raised his shield, taking the impact on the hardwood. He felt pain spreading through his arm but clenched teeth and kept muttering the incantation. However, just as the appendage retracted, his shield just cracked in two. The monster wasn’t done, and another barrage flew out. Gardan covered Vir, who with shaking hands downed a vial. Goran tried to attract the remaining claws, but the monster started to ignore him. Instead, it focused on Horn, either seeing an easy target or sensing danger from build-up in a spell.

Horn dropped flat, avoiding the first strike, but the boss wasn’t stupid and delayed the second strike impaling him to the ground. A wave of pain similar erupted from the wound, and bile rose up to his throat, but despite everything, he finished the spell. All remaining weapons started to glow with the holy light, and the monster retreated a step. The claw went out of Horn’s body with a sickly crunch, and the taste of blood and bile filled his mouth. Both health and mana bars were almost empty in the corner of his vision, with single points remaining, and the former was quickly draining. In his last moment, he just wished it would be enough to kill the bastard.

As his vision began fading, he saw a silhouette kneeling over him, and then something sour was poured into his mouth. He felt warmth spreading through his body, and he felt his mind clearing up. Goran was kneeling over him with an empty vial. Just as he was about to say something, Goran smiled, and then his expression changed to shock and pain as the boss’s limb pierced his chest straight through the heart. The dwarf whispered something in dying throve, but the words were unintelligible. Horn just shouted in anger. A roar of frustration and hurt escaped him. In a dream-like state, he raised to his feet, grabbed Goran’s axe in one hand and his own in the other, and charged the monster.

The remaining two dwarves were keeping the boss’s attention in check, and it missed Horn standing up. He ran from behind and launched into the air. His axe dug into the monster’s back like in butter, the enchanted blade easily digging through. Gripping the handle with all his might, Horn latched to the monster’s back, and with the other axe, struck again, a bit higher. He kept climbing higher and higher using axes as handholds. Already after the first strike, the boss started trashing, trying to get the object of his pain off his back, but Horn was determined. The only thing he saw was Goran’s smile and then the light escaping his eyes.

Finally, he reached the neck, the adrenaline in his body kept burning through his stamina at an astonishing rate, his arms began weakening, but he just wouldn’t take it. He raised on his feet with a last-ditch effort, holding his ax firmly and raising Goran’s weapon. With a roar, he struck at the spine, severing it. The monster dropped like a puppet with its strings cut. The fight was won.

Slumping to the ground, Horn fainted, the last strike draining him of remaining strength, but he had a bittersweet smile on his lips. His men were avenged, and the dungeon was completed.