This was supposed to be a simple deep ranging trip, a resource hunt for the miners to hit as the fleet ranged ever deeper into the galaxy. Something simple to get my wings and move along my citizenship progress. What had happened that led me into a dungeon of all things?

I pushed all those things to the back of my mind, hauling my E.V.M.P.T.-12 up and thumbing the selector switch. I could tell the moment the creatures leapt, perhaps fifteen in all, that I'd never down them in time, too many of them for a simple multi purpose tool, but mother had paid good money for a good tutor and the muscle memory beat into my body took over, a reticle forming in my visor showing where i was aiming.

My weapon spoke, spouting blue flame as a plasma slug ripped through the air and detonated on the bug. My weapon moved, as smooth as a machine, and came to target a second bug, time passing so slowly as my heart hammered in my chest, the bug splattering as messily as the first, peppering me in smoldering chunks and green ichor. The third shot was much closer, sending a cone of viscera out and away from me before the impacts came.

The bugs hit me, and hit hard, throwing me back with the weight of their impact and crushing the hardened crash plate that protected my chest. I could feel the rush of wind, and shocking pain, as the bug crushed my chest piece, my arms feeling like lead as i tried desperately to bring another down. The second hit was just as bad as the first, bowing my body as it shattered parts of my belt, empty compartments doing little to protect me from the bug that was splattering itself against me, the shock making me squeeze the trigger and send a last shot into the room missing anything useful. The last hit blinded me, the impact slamming my head back and showering my face in fragments from the clear-steel that made up my visor.

The follow up hits didn’t come though, the sounds of bugs skittering off in every direction almost made me feel like someone had come to save me, but I knew I was terribly alone here. I didn’t have time to let my mind clear, no time to recover, and a spectacular dizziness as vertigo hit me and I felt myself collapsing to the ground. My hand reached for my missing weapon, confused mind trying to piece things together, but it was all fading.

‘At Least i won't feel them eating me.’ Was the last and first thought I had as I swam back into consciousness. Consciousness was a strange thing, my mind swimming worse than any intoxication I'd ever felt, my mind screaming in pain from the impacts that must have rocked my brain. I was beginning to wonder if this is what a dwarven boxer felt like after a championship when everything connected again. I was in a dungeon, I was in danger. My eye snapped fully open, dull light filling my vision and I tried to sit up only to find I was being restrained.

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‘No no no, this couldn’t be happening.’ I struggled, my body fighting harder than ever before, fighting my bonds. I knew what could happen in dungeons, i knew how many people had been made into breeders, or food, for dungeons to create more monsters. I fought as hard as my body could, feeling the pain of straining broken bones and bruised flesh. Until I heard the monster.

This was it, I'd stumbled on the first natural dungeon in centuries and it would use me to spawn more of its creatures. I couldn’t feel the bonds loosening, I couldn't feel my body wriggling free, I couldn't escape, I could only look for the creature and hope it would give me some opportunity to get away or, more likely, encourage it to kill me. The creature was everything from my nightmares, a spiked body, fangs long enough to go through me, and every one of its horrific eyes looked as if they were glued to me. I couldn’t move, until it did, flinching hard and weakly struggling again.

Insect dungeon, just my luck. Most known ones had a particularly gruesome way of spawning new monsters. At Least i’d only suffer one spawning. My panicked thoughts were interrupted by the spider stepping up again and hoisting a sign up to me, simple pictures that looked just like the ones left on the doors. Terror filled me then. A normal young dungeon would use me until I died, no matter how long or short the time, it had no mind for saving material for further use. Nor did a young dungeon have sentience.

I understood the sign as it turned and the spider began removing sections of the silk from my body as thoughts slowly worked through my mind. Ancient dungeons were terrifying, even to people properly equipped for them. They had intelligence, used tactics, and could overcome most dangers presented to them. They were also always universally cruel. An ancient dungeon would develop an ego as its intelligence climbed, and would seek to enjoy things more and more, mainly the death or torture of those that delved into them. But they weren’t impossible to deal with, maybe if i just play this right.

The spider seemed to understand me when I spoke of medicine, just confirming even more that I was dealing with an intelligent dungeon. However the dungeon must have known it injured me and let me get on with treating it. I considered giving myself an overdose with pain meds but it might figure out my plan and stop me, so I just treated myself, confirming that my left eye was ruined as I treated myself.

While treating myself I came to a conclusion. Ancient dungeons were smart but this one was natural born, and likely had been left alone for eons. Its ego might be easy enough to manipulate and it wouldn’t want to kill off the first bit of entertainment that had fallen into its lap. If i did things right I might be able to win its trust and flee this place with my life intact. I wasn’t an upper city noble, I was a prospector, a little rough work on my back wouldn’t ruin me. I’d just stroke its ego and fly right out of here. And that thought sent a shudder through my body as I pulled my suit off. The first natural dungeon since Eden, and I knew where it was. If I made it out of here alive I'd be rich enough to have a moon station built, manned, and operated for a century and a half.

At that thought, and after making sure I wouldn't be dropping dead anytime soon, I spoke and hoped the dungeon would want to keep me. “What would this noble, Ancient, dungeon have of me?”