As it turned out, they hadn’t considered the classers inside the Dungeon when doing their count, and what they’d thought to be a dozen others was actually more like twenty-five.
The numbers didn’t really make a difference, but Jake couldn’t help but feel a small spike of concern when he saw them all grouped together outside the Dungeon.
All it would take was for one of them to be working for the Triarchy and this whole situation could go badly.
Thankfully, the newcomers were as indifferent to their presence as the rest, and the swap happened smoothly.
Settling back down to wait, Jake idly began to practice shaping and working with his Wyrd to form different patterns in his sword. As long as he didn’t lock it in place he was only losing a little Wyrd, so it seemed as good a way to spend the time as any.
When the other classers finally emerged, an hour or two later, Jake let the pattern he was working on fade and rubbed his face with a yawn.
“I hope you’re going to be a bit more awake than that when we go in,” Aspen said, giving Jake a playful nudge as he went to grab his gear.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine.” Jake shook his head as he went to do the same, leaving his shield behind in favour of the sword and wand combination.
With fast moving targets and flying enemies, a wand was likely going to be a lot more use for him.
Once everyone was prepared, they moved over to the Dungeon entrance and waited patiently for their turn to head inside.
Eventually, the doors opened and the classers from earlier emerged, all of them looking a little battered but otherwise in good shape.
“Alright, looks like we’re up,” Jake said, giving the others a nod before heading inside.
-**-
The Dungeon was very similar to the one where they’d fought the feathered snakes, though it was based over a gorge, rather than a mountain drop.
The premise was essentially the same, however, with the two different monster groups acting in a similar way to the others.
Aspen had already determined that the feathers of the birds were of value to crafters, but only the longest of the tail feathers, which were a shimmering red.
They collected as many as they could while working through the Dungeon, but each of the birds had only a single feather of that type, if they even had one, which wasn’t guaranteed.
The Guardian of the Dungeon was a larger variant of the bird, now the size of a small horse, with three of the shimmering tail feathers. An impressive creature, but no match for Gargan and Alan working in unison to bracket it with flames and arrows.
“Well, that looks like everything,” Aspen called out as he plucked the feathers from the dead Guardian. “From what I heard, these are worth a few Wyrdgeld each, which is why this Dungeon is popular.”
“Are we selling them, or keeping them?” Alan asked, tapping at the small bundle on his waist. “Varin could use these, right?”
“Yeah, but we don’t know for sure where he is,” Jake said with a shrug. “How about we sell most, but keep a few of the stronger ones for Varin?”
“Works for me.” Aspen finished his harvesting and wandered over to the exit. “Let’s head out and trade this in. I’m ready for some sleep.”
Murmuring his assent, Jake felt a stir of excitement as he joined them. He had high hopes for this Dungeon’s Boon. The big cats had been incredibly agile, as had the birds, so something emulating that would be very useful.
Passing through the Dungeon exit, Jake stepped out of the darkness and into the heart of the Dungeon. As usual, it was visually identical to all the others he’d seen, so Jake wasted no time in taking his seat on the Throne.
Congratulations, Jake Khesh, you have bound the Dungeon Kja Ascen. Choose from one of the four rewards the Dungeon has selected for you.
The prompt came as Jake sat down, but there was something different this time.
The air thickened around him as a sort of pressure grew within the room. Memories of the last time he’d felt this kind of pressure made Jake’s eyes go wide and he tried to stand up or stop the process somehow.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
The Throne curled tight around him, holding him in place despite his best efforts and the pressure peaked as a torrent of energy rushed through him.
The process was quick, as always, but when it ended there was a ripple of something that came out of Jake’s core and into the Dungeon.
Attention. Kja Ascen, one of your bound Dungeons, is increasing its tier.
“Damn it, let me up!” Jake struggled with the Throne, eventually getting free with a wince of pain from where it had gripped him too tight. “Fuck, this is bad.”
The four pedestals had lit up, so Jake focused on that first and foremost, quickly scanning each of the offerings before making his selection.
Calling up his System, Jake read the wording of the Boon.
Hunter’s Grace - (I) - Granted by the Kja Ascen Dungeon, this Boon allows you to use a Manifestation to receive a boost to all physical characteristics when hunting your prey. Maintaining the effect draws on the power of the Manifestation.
“Alright, not bad at all,” Jake said, running his hand through his hair as he considered the implications of all this. “We’ve got time. We just need to use it wisely.”
Taking a deep breath, Jake made for the exit, which had him stepping into the Dungeon foyer at the same time as his companions.
“Everyone, we have a problem.”
“What’s wrong?” Aspen asked, tensing and shifting his grip on his spear. “Corrupters?”
“No, worse than that. The Dungeon tiered up while I was in there.”
“That’s bad?” Alan asked, frowning a little. “I thought that would be a good thing?”
“Not when the other classers come in tomorrow and find that it has changed,” Gargan said before hurrying over to the Dungeon exit and peering outside. “We’re in luck. I think we’ll be the last group of the day.”
“Okay, good, that gives us until the morning to get out of here and as far away as we can.”
“And go where?” Alan asked, glancing around nervously as though Triarchy guards were about to appear from the shadows.
“Further east,” Jake said, holding up a hand as Alan went to ask more. “I don’t know where yet. We’ll need to look at the map before we make that decision. Both west and north take us back into Triarchy territory, though, and they’re no doubt already looking for us in the south.”
“Yeah, but the problem is that they might think that too,” Aspen said with a touch of worry. “We’ll have to move fast to make sure we stay ahead of whatever they send this way.”
“We’ll have at least a little time while news spreads,” Jake said, more for Alan’s benefit than anything. “I’m going to speak with Ivaldi, see if he has any insight that might be useful.”
“I’ll keep my swords to hand, shout if you need us,” Nepthys said, resting her hands on the hilts of her blades.
Jake nodded and split off from the group, heading for Ivaldi’s at a pace that was perhaps a little too fast. Making himself slow down and calming his breathing as best he could, Jake gathered his thoughts as he entered the store.
“Jake Khesh, be welcome in my domain,” Ivaldi called out in his usual refrain as Jake crossed the threshold. Emerging from the passage at the rear of the store with a stool in hand, Ivaldi paused in the act of placing it down to stare at Jake. “Something is wrong. What has happened?”
A little shaken by how easily Ivaldi could read him, Jake ran a hand through his hair and took a steadying breath before explaining. “I bound the local Dungeon, but it tiered up immediately, which means the Triarchy will know where I am. At least we dealt with the Corrupters, though we still don’t know if there was a second group or not.”
“Yes, I can see how that is problematic,” Ivaldi said, finishing placing his stool and taking a seat. “You have some time, however, so please, sit.”
Ivaldi passed Jake a stool and they sat in silence for a moment as Ivaldi pulled out a jar of mead and two mugs.
“Now,” Ivaldi said, pouring out the drink. “Before we approach the issue of the Dungeon, what did you mean by two groups?”
Jake explained about the camps and what they thought to be messages left for the Corrupters who had ambushed them.
“I see. Could you draw one of these messages for me?” Ivaldi asked, pulling out some paper and charcoal when Jake hesitantly nodded.
Jake did his best to draw out the shapes that had been left. Thankfully, it hadn’t been too complicated, just odd.
“This reminds me of something I’ve seen within Zath,” Ivaldi said, frowning down at the page with pursed lips. “It isn’t quite right, but a derivative, perhaps. Regardless, I doubt this is the work of Corrupters.”
“Why do you say that?”
“They would be local to Strovia, and there would be little reason or opportunity to learn something like this. Zath is a long way from where you are, after all. It is a possibility, but an unlikely one.”
“Alright, thank you for explaining,” Jake said, starting to relax. “Good to know that they’re not a threat.”
“Oh no, I think they are indeed a threat to you,” Ivaldi said, tapping the drawings. “These seem to show a direction to travel, which makes me think they were working with the Corrupters you fought. It would also explain how you were ambushed.”
“The ambush,” Jake said, looking up at Ivaldi as he felt the blood drain from his face. “Of course, we were so excited about our success that we never questioned how they knew we were there.”
“Exactly, which makes me think that…” Ivaldi trailed off with a pained wince and looked away for a moment before turning back with a neutral expression. “I apologise, I overstepped there. You should think about what we have discussed and act accordingly.”
“Oh, okay,” Jake said, caught off-guard by the sudden change. “I was going to ask about Varin as well, if that’s alright?”
Ivaldi paused and had a blank look for a moment before shifting uncomfortably. “Varin is at the second tier Dungeon that sits two days north-east of here. There is a small village near it where he has been staying. That is all I can share today.”
“Thank you,” Jake said, finishing his drink and getting to his feet. “I’m sorry if I’ve caused you nay harm with the questions.”
A smile touched Ivaldi’s lips for a brief moment and he inclined his head. “Some minor discomfort is no issue. As a general piece of advice, I would recommend you act quickly and keep your wits about you.”
Jake nodded, taking it as the warning that it was clearly meant to be. “Thanks, Ivaldi. I’ll see you at the other Dungeon.”