“Alright, you lot, here we are,” Andrew, the Knight in charge of the weapon skills class, said as our little group came upon a cave about an hour's walk east of town. “Before one of you asks, yes, this is the dungeon. Most dungeon entrances aren't extraordinary structures like the one in the capital; they are just unassuming caves or mounds that most adventurers wouldn’t give a second look at. That is one of the reasons the guild pays handsomely when a new one is found.

“For our little foray into this dungeon, we’ll be sticking to the first level, which only has monsters ranging from level one to three. The objective today is to gain experience fighting with your new weapon skills. My assistants and I will be patrolling the floor, so in the unlikely chance you do get in over your head, we can pull you out.” He paused for a few seconds as if expecting one of us to ask a question. When no one did he said, “well enough talking, let get to it.”

Gem says as I wait for the rest of the class to follow the instructor into the cave,

I said as I followed a few steps behind the last person in class.

Gem began.

I finish for her.

Gem responded.

I comment with the best mental equivalent of a blank look.

Gem responds,

I did as Gem instructed, and two panels appeared, one black with a blinking white line at the bottom left, and the other appeared below the first at a slight angle with a bunch of smaller boxes with letters or words inside them. I did and saw the white line move as each letter appeared on the black screen. I did, and the blinking white line moved, but this time, no letter appeared where it had been. I did; it looked funny. Still, I was sure there was a reason for it, even if I didn’t know what that reason was. I did, and the two parallel lines appeared on the black screen. I did; now the black screen showed “set friendorfoe=foe.”

I did, and the only thing that happened was that everything moved up a little, and the blinking white line now showed back where it started. When I said this, Gem responded with

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, I was stopped from saying anything by a deep masculine voice as I stepped off the last step

Gem retorted in a way that, if I didn’t know any better, would have seemed almost unconscious while at the same time, I sent

I commented to Gem.

Gem responded with a chuckle.

I ask.

With that cheery thought, I focused on my first dungeon room. In a word, it was unimpressive; the steps had ended in a semicircular room with seven exits, not including the stairs. The walls were made up of some gray stone, and the only light was the dim glow of torches scattered around the room. The rest of the class was milling about, looking around.

“Looks like everyone’s down,” the knight said, getting our attention. “We are in a safe zone, meaning no monsters should attack you here. As a general rule, dungeons put safe zones right after the stairs leading down from higher levels, but some of the dungeons with larger floors will have a couple of safe zones throughout the floor. With that being said, most dungeons will have unwritten rules on how delvers should behave, and if you or your team break them, not even a safe zone will be able to save you from the dungeon's wrath. On the bright side, the Adventurer’s Guild has spent a lot of time and resources figuring out what those rules are and has pamphlets for sale at all the branches for the local dungeons. Anyway, the rules for this Dungeon are pretty simple. You and your group will be okay if you don’t attack one of the monster breeding grounds and don't cause excessive damage.

“Another thing I should mention before you all get going is that most dungeons' layout changes randomly, making mapping them difficult. However, the Adventurer’s Guild periodically requests that those adventurers with the Cartographer skill map local dungeons, which the guild sells. However, the guild only guarantees their accuracy as of the last time the dungeon was mapped. So I would suggest if you are planning to delve into a new dungeon that, in addition to getting the latest map, you should also speak to other adventures that have delved into it recently to make sure there haven’t been any significant changes.

“With that out of the way, the first level is set up like a maze of rooms, each with its own set of challenges, from monsters to traps. Behind me, you will see seven entrances, and just so you know, it doesn’t really matter which one you choose, as they all end up at the floor boss and, ultimately, the stairs down to the next level. The only difference is that some entrances have shorter paths than others. To make things more interesting, the Dungeon likes to change up which entrances have the shortest path almost daily.

“I assume you all have figured out how to use the timekeeping function of the system, so I want you back here by seventeen hundred, which should give you all a good nine hours to explore and gain experience.” When none moved, the Kight added, “well what are you all waiting for, an engraved invitation, get to it.”

Choosing one of the entrances on the far side of the room, far away from the rest of the class, who had broken into two groups of three, I walk into the pitch darkness. Almost as soon as my foot touches the stone of the hallway, a flashing icon in the upper right-hand corner of my vision appears. Focusing on it, the icon expands into what I can only assume is a map of the dungeon. To the right of the map, numbers ranging from one to five can be seen, with the number one highlighted. I could only assume the blinking red dot near the top indicated my position on the floor.

I comment to Gem resignedly,

Gem confirms, then adds cheerfully.