Jack crept through the narrow passage, the darkness around him almost palpable, like a living entity waiting to pounce. His boots pressed softly against the uneven stone floor, the faint crunch of loose gravel barely audible over the heavy silence of the dungeon. His machete hummed faintly in his hand, the runes along its blade resonating with the ambient magic. He didn’t need a HUD to tell him he was getting closer to the third chamber.
Sis: Dungeon Threat Detected.
* Threat Level: Moderate - High
* Environmental Modifier: Shadow Veil Active (+5% evasion, -10% visibility)
* System Note: “It’s not the fall that kills you. It’s the floor. Or the venom. Or the traps. Good luck, Jack.”
“Thanks, Sis,” Jack said, reverting back to his old habits of talking with the system like it was his imaginary sister.
The layout gnawed at his memory. This dungeon mirrored one he had faced long ago in the Otherworld, back when he and Shalondra had been invincible - or so they thought. That dungeon had been deceptive in its simplicity, its mere five tiers disguising a vicious difficulty. They had been prepared, at the height of their strength, but betrayal had turned triumph into tragedy. Jack’s grip on the machete tightened, his knuckles whitening.
“Focus,” he muttered, shaking off the wave of memories. There wasn’t time for sentiment. Not here. Not now.
The air in the passage was damp, carrying the faint scent of mildew and something metallic - blood, perhaps, or rust. The faint echoes of dripping water created an uneven rhythm, as though the dungeon itself were breathing. Shadows pooled in corners where the flickering torchlight didn’t reach, and the walls were lined with faint etchings - symbols from a language Jack didn’t recognize, glowing faintly with a bluish hue.
He activated his Echo Sense card, the utility shimmering faintly in his mind’s eye. Pouring a little more energy into it than usual, Jack felt the familiar drain of experience, a resource he was rationing carefully. The faint pulse of the card’s ability radiated outward, mapping the twisting labyrinth in his mind. He grimaced at the resulting image - a complex network of dead ends, spiraling paths, and false chambers.
Sis: Echo Sense Active.
* Prismana Expenditure: -15
* Environment Analyzed: 65% Accuracy
* Map Fragment Acquired: [Chamber Network Fragment 3/5]
“Perfect,” he muttered sarcastically. His gaze fixed on the glowing thread indicating his way forward. The third chamber was close. What it held, however, was a mystery. A puzzle? A boss fight? Perhaps waves of relentless enemies? He didn’t know, and he wasn’t eager to find out. Whoever had created this dungeon wasn’t just after power; their intentions reeked of something far worse.
The distant grinding of stone against stone snapped him out of his thoughts. Jack froze, his machete raised defensively. The sound echoed through the tunnels, a deep, grating rumble that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. His first instinct was panic - had he triggered something? But no, the floor beneath him was steady, the walls undisturbed.
Then it hit him: someone else was here.
“Damn it,” Jack hissed under his breath. He moved quickly now, his steps careful but urgent. If someone else had set off a trap, they were in over their head. No one on Earth could truly grasp the dangers of a dungeon like this. They couldn’t. There were no Dungeon Masters here.
The sound grew louder as Jack rounded a corner, the tunnel splitting into two paths. His Echo Sense was still active, and he used it again, pouring another fraction of energy into the card. A soft vibration rippled outward, bouncing back detailed feedback. The right passage was a dead end. Beyond the thin wall at the dead end, however, lay another chamber - a deathtrap waiting to spring.
Sis: Chamber Analysis Complete.
* Status: Active Trap
* Threats: Venomous Stalactites, Descending Ceiling
* Detection Bonus: “Treasure ahead! And also death. Mostly death.”
His jaw clenched as the outline of the chamber formed in his mind. A pedestal stood in its center, likely bait for some hapless fool. Above it, jagged stalactites glistened ominously, a dark venom dripping from their points. The ceiling was descending with deliberate, agonizing slowness, like the dungeon itself was savoring the kill. Jack swore under his breath.
“They fell for it,” he muttered. “Classic mistake.”
Treasure hunters - or treasure idiots. Whoever they were, they’d entered the chamber thinking they’d hit the jackpot. They hadn’t even brought a proper thief or trap expert. Now, they were minutes away from becoming dungeon fodder. And Jack knew the cost of their failure - this dungeon would grow stronger by consuming them.
Sis: Dungeon Progression Threat.
* Dungeon Mutation Risk: High
* Warning: Allowing dungeon to consume adventurers may result in a Tier Upgrade.
He sprinted toward the sound, the grinding of stone mingling with faint, panicked voices. The passage twisted and narrowed, the oppressive air thickening with each step. He pressed his hand against the wall as he ran, the stone cold and unyielding beneath his fingers. His mind raced as he formulated a plan. He’d have to act fast if he had any hope of saving them.
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The passage opened into a wider corridor. Jack skidded to a stop, crouching low as his eyes scanned the area. The chamber was on the other side of the wall to his right. His Echo Sense had shown no immediate entrance from this side, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a way in.
He activated the card again, feeding it more energy. The feedback painted a clearer picture of the chamber. Eight figures were trapped inside, their movements frantic as they tried to find an escape. One was banging uselessly on the walls while two fumbled at the pedestal, likely searching for a way to disable the trap. He could make out the impressions of others fighting a horde of dungeon mobs.
The ceiling was less than ten feet from the ground now, the stalactites descending like the fangs of some colossal beast.
“Idiots,” Jack muttered, his pulse quickening. He scanned the wall for weaknesses, his hand brushing over the stone as he searched for an opening. His machete hummed faintly, its runes likely responding to the proximity of the pedestal at the chamber’s center.
There. A faint seam in the wall, almost imperceptible. Jack didn’t hesitate. He started searching through his Prismata Cards, looking for just the right card for the job.
Sis: Prismata Deck Accessed.
* Available Cards: Lance of Shadows, Mark of Passage, Echo Barrier, Leviathan’s Curse
* Recommended Card: Mark of Passage
The chamber echoed with chaos, and Jack’s resolve hardened. He wouldn’t let the dungeon claim another victory. Not while he was here.
***
The chamber echoed with chaos. The grinding of the descending ceiling mixed with the relentless clatter of stone elementals, their jagged limbs scraping and smashing against the defenders. Each venomous droplet from the descending stalactites sizzled ominously as it struck the floor, leaving faint scorch marks. The air was thick, charged with a building energy that pressed against their senses like an invisible weight.
Little Red’s knuckles whitened as she crouched behind the platform. Her breath came in quick, sharp gasps, her body screaming for rest, but there was no time. Around her, the battle raged. Big Red and Little John swung their massive weapons, smashing elementals into rubble, only for the stones to reform moments later. Brick, and Jason continued to fire at the approaching horde of elementals, their shots surprisingly effective as their bullets shattered earthen skulls and limbs, while Madi the Medic remained in the center of the protective circle, close to the safety of the pedestal.
Molly darted between the advancing enemies, agile as ever, while Rando worked furiously on the mosaic, his hands moving with frantic determination.
The elementals weren’t just attacking - they were evolving. With every strike, their forms became sharper, denser, their glowing cores pulsing with an unnatural rhythm. The runes on their jagged frames flared as they struck, their blows rattling even Big Red’s formidable defenses. Little Red’s heart raced as she realized the dungeon wasn’t just fighting back - it was learning.
The air was thick with tension as Little Red barked orders to her crew, her voice cutting through the cacophony of grinding stone and clashing weapons.
“Rando, hurry up!” Molly screamed, her voice shrill with panic as she flung another jagged shard of broken elemental from her path. Sweat dripped down her face, and her hands trembled as she fought to keep the writhing mass of elementals at bay. “We don’t have time!”
“I’m going as fast as I can!” Rando shot back, his face contorted in frustration as he knelt before the mosaic on the pedestal. His fingers scrambled across the worn surface, shifting pieces of the intricate design, the faint glow of the runes etched into the stone providing just enough light to see by. “This thing’s ancient - I can’t even tell what half of these symbols mean!”
“You’re supposed to be good at this stuff!” Little John muttered through gritted teeth as he swung his massive hammer into the nearest rock elemental. The satisfying crunch of stone cracking under his weapon did little to ease his growing frustration. “Figure it out, fast!”
Big Red let out a guttural growl as he drove his boot into the chest of another advancing elemental. The creature stumbled back, fragments of its rocky frame scattering across the chamber floor, but almost immediately, it began pulling itself back together. “Any day now!” he bellowed, his voice echoing off the walls.
Little Red crouched beside Rando, her hands trembling as she handed him another piece of the mosaic. Her mind raced, the oppressive weight of the descending ceiling pressing down on her like a physical force. Her eyes darted upward, catching the venomous fangs of the stalactites as they loomed ever closer. They shouldn’t have come here. The realization gnawed at the edges of her resolve, threatening to send her spiraling into despair.
This is wrong. We weren’t ready. We shouldn’t have -
“No,” she whispered harshly, shaking her head to banish the thought. There was no time for doubt, no room for hesitation. They had to survive. She shoved another piece into Rando’s hands. “Focus. We can do this.”
Rando grunted, his hands flying across the mosaic as he rotated pieces and slotted them into place. But then he froze, his eyes widening in alarm. “Shit,” he muttered. “There’s one missing.”
“What do you mean, missing?” Little Red snapped, her voice rising in panic.
Rando turned to her, his face pale. “Do you have it? The last piece?”
Little Red’s heart sank as she frantically searched her pockets, her fingers brushing against the smooth edges of her dice and cards but finding no mosaic piece. She shook her head. “No.”
Molly’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp and urgent. “What do you mean, no?”
Little Red’s gaze darted across the chamber, her breath catching as she spotted the missing piece, still embedded in the far wall, partially obscured by a cluster of elementals. Somehow it had been missed in the original search of the chamber.
The wall itself was a tapestry of intricate carvings, its surface alive with the glow of shifting runes. The piece was there, tantalizingly close yet impossibly far, nestled amidst danger.
“There!” she shouted, pointing. “It’s over there!”
The crew followed her gaze, and a collective groan rippled through them. The missing piece was thirty feet away, past a writhing mass of elementals and beneath the deadly shadow of the descending ceiling. The venom dripping from the stalactites hissed as it struck the ground, leaving faint scorch marks in its wake.