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Dungeon Management
Chapter 21: Misinformation

Chapter 21: Misinformation

Hel

The portal shivered and popped as Hel and Elijah stepped into the dungeon, the cool, stale air washing over them as if they’d crossed into another world.

Being among the first wave of adventurers to enter after the dungeon reopened, the excitement in the air was palpable. Around them, other adventurers split off in various directions, charging down different hallways in search of traps, loot, and danger.

Elijah’s voice was barely a whisper as he tugged on Hel’s sleeve, pulling her attention to him.

“Come on! We already have a map to the next floor’s portal! We can get one over on that boss again!” His tone carried the giddy excitement of a gambler who just found a sure bet.

Hel sighed, already regretting her decision to come along. She adjusted the strap of her satchel and followed after him as he darted ahead. Elijah wasn’t exactly quiet, but he was careful not to raise his voice enough to alert the adventurers nearby.

Hel could still hear the distant clang of blades and shouted commands echoing through the dungeon’s twisting halls, proof that others were already busy fighting for scraps.

‘Not my problem,’ she thought, adjusting her pace to keep Elijah in sight.

Unlike the others, who were diving headfirst into the chaos, she and Elijah had a plan—a simple but risky one.

Over the past few days, they’d managed to piece together enough information about their earlier dive into the dungeon to map a direct path to the portal leading to the second floor. From there, they’d use their knowledge to bypass the tougher parts of the first floor and aim straight for the boss portal on the second.

If everything went as planned, they could sneak away with high-tier loot without wasting time or resources on needless fights.

Hel wasn’t optimistic, but Elijah’s enthusiasm was hard to argue with.

They ducked and weaved through the maze-like halls, following the predestined path they’d memorized. The flickering torchlight cast long shadows on the walls, making the corridors feel narrower than they were.

Every now and then, they’d stumble into a monster—a skeleton shuffling out of a side chamber, or a goblin lurking in the shadows with a rusty dagger.

“Got it!” Elijah would hiss, his voice strained but triumphant as he cast his blinding light spell.

The creatures would shriek, covering their eyes and stumbling away, and the pair would either dispatch them quickly or sprint past while they were disoriented.

Hel kept a mental tally of how many creatures they’d run into. Four skeletons, three goblins… and something she didn’t quite catch in the dark that let out a guttural growl before retreating. It wasn’t enough to stop them, but every encounter left her feeling more drained.

The air grew heavier as they delved deeper into the dungeon, the temperature dropping slightly the closer they got to the portal room. Elijah barely slowed down, his determined footsteps echoing against the stone floor, while Hel struggled to keep up.

Finally, after what felt like hours—but was actually just under two—they skidded to a stop in front of the portal room.

“We made it!” Elijah gasped, doubling over with his hands on his knees. His face was flushed with exhilaration, even as sweat dripped down his temple.

“Haha! We made it in record time, Hels!”

Hel didn’t share his enthusiasm. She collapsed against the wall, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.

“This dude…” she wheezed, glaring at Elijah through narrowed eyes. “Oh my god, I’m going to die…”

Her legs felt like lead, and her lungs burned from the effort of keeping up with him. Elijah was faster than he looked—annoyingly so. At least someone was enjoying this ridiculous race to the portal.

She adjusted her satchel again, double-checking that nothing had fallen out during their frantic sprint.

“We wouldn’t need to sprint if you didn’t insist on running past every monster we see,” she muttered, more to herself than to Elijah.

He straightened up, grinning like an idiot. “Yeah, but that’s how you get the good loot first, Hels! You can’t waste time fighting every skeleton that looks at you funny. You’ve gotta be efficient!”

“Efficient,” she repeated flatly, staring at him like he’d just sprouted a second head. “You mean reckless?”

Elijah just laughed, brushing off her sarcasm like it was nothing. “Relax! We’re here, aren’t we? And we’ve got plenty of time before anyone else even thinks about reaching the second floor.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Hel rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t deny that he had a point. The portal room was quiet, the air around them still and heavy. There were no signs of other adventurers nearby—no clanging swords, no hurried footsteps, nothing to indicate that anyone else was close to finding this place.

“Alright,” she said, forcing herself to stand upright despite her shaky legs. “Let’s just get through the portal before something decides to follow us.”

Elijah nodded, already stepping toward the glowing portal that shimmered faintly in the center of the room. “You got it. One quick hop to the second floor, and we’re golden.”

But as Hel moved to follow him, she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in the back of her mind. Something about how easy this had been didn’t sit right with her. Sure, they’d run into a few monsters, but nothing had really challenged them.

“Hey,” she said suddenly, her voice low. “What if it’s… a trap?”

Elijah glanced over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow. “A trap? Like what?”

Hel hesitated, looking around the room. The faint glow of the portal cast eerie shadows across the walls, making everything feel just a little too quiet.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But doesn’t this seem… I don’t know. Too easy?”

Elijah grinned, waving off her concerns. “You worry too much, Hels. If it’s a trap, we’ll deal with it. But for now? We’ve got a portal to catch.”

With that, he stepped into the glowing light, disappearing in a flash.

Hel hesitated for a moment longer, her gut still churning with unease. But she shook her head, steeling herself, and followed him through the portal.

Whatever was waiting for them on the other side, they’d face it together. Or at least, that’s what she told herself.

‘If I don’t strangle him first’, she thought grimly.

The portal’s glow faded as Hel and Elijah stepped onto the second floor, their boots meeting the familiar cold stone of the dungeon. The room they arrived in looked eerily similar to the first floor’s portal room—large, circular, and dimly lit by flickering torches. But there was one noticeable difference.

They were facing outward, as if just entering the dungeon for the first time.

It wasn’t the strange hallway leading to a throne room like before.

“So it’s true…” Hel said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes darted around, scanning the shadowy corners of the room for any sign of movement. “The dungeon grew a floor.”

“Yep,” Elijah confirmed, adjusting the strap of his bag. “And while that intel from those adventurers cost us a pretty penny, their party has a solid reputation. It should be correct.”

Hel didn’t look convinced. The idea of a dungeon expanding so suddenly had been little more than a rumor, whispered among adventurers who had survived its earlier challenges. But reliable or not, the information they’d managed to scrape together all pointed to one thing: the dungeon had grown, and this new floor was a death trap for anyone unprepared.

“How much larger do you think it is now?” Hel asked, her voice low as she took a step forward, keeping her back to Elijah.

“Dunno,” Elijah admitted, brushing his fingers over the hilt of his sword. “But that’s why we’re here, right? To find out. Besides, the stories were all over the place—some said it was one new floor, others said it was three. Either way, we’ve trained for this.”

Hel nodded reluctantly. It was true—they’d spent weeks preparing, honing their skills after their first expedition to the dungeon had yielded them a small fortune in loot. That lucky break had kept them afloat for a while, but the funds were running thin, and the pressure to find their next big score was mounting.

Still, training didn’t make her any less wary.

The rumors about the dungeon’s growth hadn’t been consistent, but one thing all the stories agreed on was that this new floor was dangerous.

“A death wish for anyone under-leveled,” they’d said. And the goblins…

Hel shivered, gripping her staff tightly as she followed Elijah deeper into the floor. The stories about the goblins were particularly unnerving. They were supposed to be more numerous and more cunning than the ones on the first floor, capable of coordinated ambushes that even seasoned adventurers struggled to escape.

She let her eyes scan the dark corridors as they moved, her heart beating just a little faster with every step. If there were goblins lurking here, they hadn’t made their presence known yet.

Elijah moved ahead of her, his pace slower now, his earlier enthusiasm dampened by the oppressive silence that filled the floor. The air was still, heavy, as if the dungeon itself was watching them.

It felt wrong.

They crept forward carefully, sticking close to the walls, their eyes flicking toward every dark alley and shadowed corner they passed. Hel stayed a few steps behind Elijah, her staff held at the ready.

Another hundred yards. Still no goblins.

Another corner. Nothing.

Hel’s unease deepened. The floor was too quiet—unnaturally so. There were no distant scuffles of monsters, no faint clicks or creaks of traps resetting themselves. It was as if the dungeon was holding its breath.

She leaned in closer to Elijah, her voice barely above a whisper. “Psst. Elijah. Where are the goblins from the intel?”

“I don’t know,” Elijah replied, his tone low and tense. “It’s kind of creepy, though. The floor’s too quiet. No traps, no loot… we haven’t even seen anything worth risking yet. So…”

He trailed off as his steps slowed, his hand hovering near the hilt of his sword. “I don’t know…”

Hel opened her mouth to reply, but the words caught in her throat as Elijah suddenly abandoned all pretense of stealth.

He straightened up, stepping forward with purpose, his stance shifting as if preparing for a fight.

“Wait, what is it?” she hissed, gripping her staff tightly.

Elijah didn’t answer. His body was tense, his shoulders squared as his eyes locked on something just beyond the corner ahead.

That’s when Hel heard it.

The crack of bones grinding together, followed by the low, groaning sound of something shifting in the shadows. It was a slow, deliberate noise, almost rhythmic, like the sound of a predator tightening its grip around its weapon.

Then came the rustle—something moving. Something advancing toward Elijah.

Hel’s breath caught, her heart pounding in her chest as she strained to see into the darkness beyond him. The torchlight from the hallway didn’t reach far enough, and whatever it was remained hidden in the shadows.

“Elijah,” she whispered urgently, her voice trembling just slightly. “Back up. Now.”

Elijah didn’t move.

“Elijah!”

And then it emerged.

A skeleton stepped into view, its bones cracked and stained with rust and grime. In its bony hands, it clutched a rusted sword that looked like it had seen better centuries.

Its head jerked unnaturally as it turned to face them, the hollow black sockets where its eyes should have been fixed directly on Elijah.