Jessica’s voice broke through his thoughts, snapping him back to the present. “Jack,” she said, her machete tapping lightly against her leg. “Are you going to explain the plan, or are we just going to stand here until this place decides to kill us?”

Jack smirked faintly, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I already told you the plan,” he said evenly. “We destroy the dungeon. No bargains, no gifts, no shortcuts.”

He saw the doubt flicker across Rando’s face, the way Big Red shifted uncomfortably, his axe scraping against the stone. Even Molly’s confident smirk faltered slightly. Only Jessica seemed steady, though he could see the questions burning behind her eyes.

She’s sharp, Jack thought. She won’t just take my word for it. That’s good - she’s going to need that skepticism to survive.

But the thing he couldn’t say - the thing he had to keep locked away - was what happened if someone made the wrong choice. The dungeon deities weren’t benevolent. They weren’t patient. They thrived on cracks in your resolve, on greed disguised as ambition.

Jack’s gaze drifted to the glowing veins along the walls, their rhythmic pulse a constant reminder of the dungeon’s watchful presence. “If you’ve got doubts,” he said suddenly, his voice sharper than he intended, “you’d better deal with them now. Once we’re in the core chamber, there’s no room for second thoughts.”

Jessica’s fiery hair caught the light as she turned to him, her expression unreadable. “Doubts?” she asked coolly. “You’re the one being cryptic. If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

Jack hesitated, his grip tightening on his machete. He thought of Rickard again, of all the others who had faltered when it mattered most. “Just… trust me on this,” he said quietly. “It’s better if you don’t know everything.” Not yet.

Jessica raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “Convenient,” she said dryly.

Jack let out a low sigh, his patience thinning. “It’s not about convenience, Red. It’s about survival.”

The group moved deeper into the dungeon, the air growing colder with every step. The pulsating veins along the walls seemed to flicker faster, their light casting jagged, shifting shadows that danced like ghosts. The oppressive silence was broken only by the faint hum of the dungeon’s energy, a sound that seemed to crawl under their skin.

Jack took the lead, his machete glowing faintly. The others followed, their weapons ready, their faces set with grim determination. Jessica stayed close behind him, her machete carried against her shoulder, its presence as steady as her resolve -as she scanned the darkness with sharp, searching eyes.

“You said this dungeon is different,” she said quietly. “What makes it so special?”

Jack didn’t look back as he replied. “Most dungeons evolve slowly. They feed on energy, grow their networks, expand their reach over decades, even centuries. But this one is on the fast track. It’s maturing far too rapidly, pulling in energy from sources it shouldn’t have access to.” It’s seeking to become a power.

“Like what?” Molly asked, her voice edged with curiosity. She sidled up to him and gave him a sidelong glance.

Jack hesitated, then shook his head. “You don’t want to know.”

***

The corridor opened into the trap room, and Jessica froze at the threshold. The space before her was a nightmare brought to life. When they’d first discovered it, the room had been massive, its ceiling stretching so high above them it seemed to fade into shadow. Jagged stalactites hung like teeth from a monstrous maw, vibrating faintly as if alive. At the center, a pedestal glowed with a pale, shifting light, its runes writhing and twisting like serpents. Shadows danced erratically along the walls, their movements unsettlingly organic as they played over the mosaic etched into the stone.

Now, the room was transformed into a suffocating mass of calcite columns. The once-open space had closed in on itself, forming an impenetrable wall of what looked like jagged teeth. It resembled the closed mouth of some slumbering demon, waiting for them to venture too close before snapping shut.

Jessica’s gut twisted, a visceral reaction that went beyond fear. Something ancient and terrible lurked here, its presence suffocating. A low hum vibrated at the back of her mind, faint but insistent, as though the dungeon itself were whispering directly to her. This wasn’t just a trap. It was a predator, and she could feel its gaze boring into her.

“I can feel it… watching us,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jack turned his head slightly, his machete resting casually in his grip. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes glinted with understanding. “Yeah,” he said softly. “It’s always watching.”

Jessica shook her head, trying to shrug off the oppressive feeling, but it clung to her like a second skin. “No,” she said more firmly, her voice trembling despite her efforts to steady it. “It’s different here. Like it’s waiting. For me.”

Jack’s gaze sharpened, his interest piqued. “The dungeon’s keyed into you,” he said, his tone a mix of curiosity and caution. “That’s rare. If it’s responding to you specifically, we might be able to use that to our advantage.”

“And if it’s not?” Jessica asked, forcing herself to meet his eyes despite the unease curling in her stomach.

Jack’s lips curled into a wry grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Then we hope it doesn’t decide to kill us first.”

Jessica rolled her eyes, masking the nervous energy that refused to settle in her chest. She forced a laugh, short and humorless, and stepped toward the room. The hum in her mind grew louder with every step, a pulsing rhythm that matched her racing heartbeat. Her boots crunched against the uneven stone floor, and her fingers brushed the hilt of her machete. As she approached the wall of teeth, the runes carved into their surface flared to life. Their glow pulsed, radiating a strange warmth that sent a shiver up her spine.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Careful!” Jack barked, his voice sharp, but Jessica didn’t flinch. Her hand hovered over the surface, the warmth of the glowing runes radiating against her skin like a living thing pressing back.

“I can feel it,” she said, her voice distant, almost as if she were in a trance. “The path. It’s… ahead, and below us.”

Jack’s machete twitched slightly in his hand as he stepped closer, his expression guarded but intent. He searched her face, as if looking for answers she wasn’t yet aware of herself. “Then you’re up, Red. Let’s see what this dungeon wants from you.”

Jessica took a deep breath, willing herself to ignore the knot of fear twisting in her stomach. “Fine,” she said firmly. “Let’s finish this.”

***

“Hell no,” Big Red barked, his deep voice reverberating off the jagged stone walls. He crossed his arms, planting himself like a boulder in her path. Brick and Rando quickly fell in step behind him, their expressions mirroring his unease, though neither had the same fire in their stance.

Molly stood off to the side, one dagger spinning idly in her hand as her sharp gaze flicked between the siblings. Madi, Nick, and Jason lingered a few steps back, watching with wary curiosity, while Little John leaned against the wall, his massive hammer balanced casually on his shoulder. The faint hum of the dungeon veins pulsing along the walls seemed to amplify the tension, as if the room itself were holding its breath.

“There’s no way I’m letting my little sis go in there alone,” Big Red said, his voice firm, his tone brooking no argument. His broad chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, his concern plain on his face.

Jessica glared up at him, her fiery hair catching the dim glow of the runes carved into the stone. “You’ve got no say here,” she shot back, her voice sharp with defiance, but there was an undertone of something else - resolve. “This is my crew, my team, my dungeon run. And if Jack says this is the only way, then this is the only way.”

Her words hung in the air, heavy with conviction, the kind of finality that made people either step aside or dig their heels in. Big Red didn’t look inclined to move, his jaw tightening as his gaze darted to Jack, then back to Jessica. The faint tremor in his hands betrayed his unease.

Jack leaned against the wall, his machete resting loosely at his side. He let the exchange unfold without interruption, his sharp eyes flicking between them. His stance was casual, almost too relaxed for the tension in the room, but there was no mistaking the calculated focus behind his gaze. He and Jessica had already come to an understanding: when it came to reading the dungeon’s strange pull, she led. But for the mechanics, traps, and keeping everyone alive, that was his domain.

“But Jess,” Big Red stammered, his voice softening, concern bleeding through his tough exterior. “What if he’s wrong? What if this is a trap?”

Jessica’s jaw tightened, her knuckles whitening as they gripped the hilt of her machete. “Of course, this is a trap,” she snapped. “We already knew that. And now we have to navigate it.”

Jack finally pushed off the wall, his calm, authoritative tone cutting through the rising tension. “The only way to reset the trap is to go in there and activate the mechanism on the pedestal,” he explained. “The only way to do that is to work our way through the teeth. And don’t worry about it. She’ll be fine. Because I’ll be with her.”

For some reason, those words stirred something warm in Jessica - a fleeting sense of reassurance that she quickly shoved aside. She didn’t need his validation. She could handle this.

Madi stepped forward hesitantly, her voice carrying a note of hope. “There’s no real threat, though, right? I mean, the trap’s already triggered. And you already put the pieces in the pedestal, so… there’s nothing to worry about, right?”

Jack’s gaze shifted to her, his expression unreadable. “That’s right,” he said evenly. “Nothing to worry about. The venom’s no longer dripping from the teeth. Everything’s deactivated. We’re just going to worm our way through, get to the pedestal, trigger the reset, and then the rest of you can join us.”

Big Red muttered something under his breath, frustration etched into every line of his face. “I don’t like this, Red. I don’t like it at all.”

Jessica stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly. Her voice softened, but her resolve remained ironclad. “I know,” she said quietly. “And I love you, Bro. But I’ve got this.”

Big Red’s expression flickered, torn between protectiveness and trust. Finally, he stepped back, his reluctance palpable. Brick and Rando mirrored his movements, their unease written plainly across their faces.

Jack’s smirk deepened as he caught Jessica’s eye, his sharp features catching the flickering glow of the dungeon’s veins. “You’re cute when you’re feisty, Red,” he said with a teasing lilt.

Jessica stopped mid-step, “Excuse me?” She fixed him with a glare. “Are you serious right now?” she snapped, though her cheeks flushed faintly under the faint glow of the dungeon’s veins.

He shrugged, the smirk deepening. “Just trying to keep things lively. You seem tense.”

Her grip on her machete tightened, but before she could retort, Molly’s voice cut in like a whip. “Alright, knock it off, you two,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Or should we clear the room and leave you to it? I’m sure the dungeon has a romantic little alcove available somewhere.” Jack appreciated her playing along.

Jessica groaned, running a hand over her face. “Why am I surrounded by children?”

Jack raised his hands in mock surrender, his expression softening. “Fine, you caught me. It was a ploy. A terrible, poorly acted one, I admit - but breaking the tension felt necessary.”

Jessica blinked, momentarily taken aback, before shaking her head with an exasperated sigh. “Horrible taste,” she muttered, stepping past him toward the glowing room. “And worse delivery.”

“Noted,” Jack said with a sheepish grin, falling in step behind her as his tone shifted back to business. “Now, let’s move. We’ve got a dungeon to clear.”

“I just want to point out,” Rando muttered from behind them, his voice heavy with unease, “you already said we’re basically walking through some kind of giant circulatory system. And now you’re both about to crawl down the thing’s throat? Yeah, that’s not creepy at all.”

Jessica shot him a glare over her shoulder, but her lips quirked slightly despite the tension. “Thanks for the running commentary, Rando. Really helpful.”

Jack, unfazed, kept his focus on Jessica, his gaze steady as he gestured toward the calcite teeth. “He’s not wrong, you know,” he said, his tone almost conversational. “It is creepy. But creepy or not, it’s the way forward.”

Jessica paused, just a step away from the jagged, crystalline teeth that loomed like the maw of a sleeping beast. Her hands gripped the sling of her machete tightly, her knuckles white. “And the core?” she asked, her voice quieter now, tinged with uncertainty. “What happens if we reach it?”

Her hesitation was palpable, and Jack didn’t blame her for it. The weight of what lay ahead pressed down on all of them, but her question carried the sharp edge of someone wrestling with the unknown.

“When we reach it,” Madi interjected, her soft voice cutting through the tension. She stepped forward slightly, her kind smile radiating a quiet determination. “When, not if.”

The faint encouragement bolstered the group, their postures straightening just a little. Even Jessica seemed steadied by the quiet faith in Madi’s tone.

Jack’s expression, however, darkened as he answered. “The core is the heart of the dungeon,” he said, his voice carrying the weight of someone who had seen it all before. “It’s where all the energy flows converge. Destroy it, and the dungeon collapses. But...” He paused, his eyes flicking to each of them, lingering just long enough to drive his point home. “Cores are heavily guarded. Traps, elite mobs, environmental hazards - you name it. The dungeon throws everything it has at you to protect it.”

The air grew heavier, the faint hum of the crystalline veins around them deepening as if the dungeon itself was eavesdropping on their plans.

“And if we fail?” Big Red asked, his voice low and grave, the weight of his question pressing down on the group like a stone slab.

Jack’s machete twitched slightly in his grip, but his voice remained steady as he replied.

“Game Over,” he said simply.