“Damn it all. First the guards and now Paladins are after us too. We have to get out of here in case there are more people searching for us.” Ash said.

Ash was stomping through the forest as the sun set. Luke and Ave’s arms were draped over his shoulders. Ash grunted with exertion.

“Is there somewhere we could hide? Somewhere no one would look for us?” Ave asked. She was limping.

“We could go to the dungeon…” Luke spoke up. His stride was sluggish.

“Shush, no more out of you. Go to sleep.” Ash playfully patted Luke’s face.

“What’s he talking about?” Ave asked.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Ash said.

“There’s a dungeon…mmph.” Ash put his hand over Luke’s mouth.

“See? Nothing.” Ash gave a panicked smile.

“Tell me.” Ave said.

“Okay. But it’s a bad idea. There is this old ruin on the outskirts of town. It’s been there for as long as anyone can remember.” Ash raised his eyebrows.

“They say that it was a dungeon during the Age of Darkness.” Luke added.

“Stop helping.” Ash snapped. “What they actually say is that it’s filled with traps and monsters.”

“There are underground passages that are supposed to lead all the way to the next township.” Luke continued.

“Sure. But it’s forbidden to enter the dungeon so no one really knows.” said Ash.

“So nobody has ever gone inside?” Ave asked.

“Oh no, everyone from town has been inside. The fifteen year olds tell the twelve year olds about how there’s a dungeon on the outskirts of town and if they go there they’ll die. Then the twelve year olds immediately sneak out of town and go to the dungeon. It’s kind of a Star Town tradition when you think about it.” Ash shook his head.

“Is it dangerous?” she asked.

“No. Critically safe. Been abandoned for years.” Ash said.

“So you don’t want to go there?”

“Oh no, I really do. We could spend hours there.”

#

“So this is the Wolframite Dungeon.” Ash said.

The group was standing in front of a large stone archway. A set of paved stairs led down to a tunnel under the ground. The Dungeon was built out of carved stones. The walls of the Dungeon were decorated with faded pictographs and glyphs. Thick layers of moss were plastered over the surface of the stones. Every now and then flakes of iron oxide drifted down from the ceiling to pile up on the floor below.

“We really shouldn’t be here.” Ash said.

“I thought you said it wasn’t dangerous.” Ave looked at him.

“It’s not, but now we’re going to be here all day. I mean we have to go inside. We can’t just leave after coming all the way over.” Ash gestured at the entrance to the dungeon.

“That might not be a bad thing. I think a rogue storm is approaching.” Luke added.

“A storm? Well… since we are already here. We might as well take shelter right?” Ash smiled.

“You said it was abandoned?” Ave asked.

“Yeah, nobody inside. Have you ever been in a dungeon?” Ash asked.

“All of the dungeons around the Capital are sealed off.” She said.

“She’s right. It’s forbidden to enter any of the Capital dungeons.” Luke added.

“It’s forbidden here too but that never stopped us.” Ash said.

“Haha, no it did not.” Luke chuckled.

“So you’ve really never been inside a dungeon?” Ash turned back to Ave.

“No.” She replied.

“Well now we have to show her around.” Ash said.

“We have to.” Luke nodded.

“We’re already here after all.” Ash rubbed his hands together.

“It would be a shame to turn back without going inside.” Luke smiled.

“We should give her the grand tour.”

“It’s the least we could do.”

The two boys raised their eyebrows at Ave.

“I have always wondered what the inside of one of these looks like.” Ave said.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Yeah! Let’s go.” Luke shouted.

#

“Watch your step here. There’s water that pools at the bottom of the stairs.” Ash pointed at the base of the stairs. He held up a candle to light the way.

Luke helped Ave down the stairs.

“Can you stand?” he asked.

Ave winced on her frozen foot. “It’s bruised but not broken. I’m fine for now.”

“Great. I’m uh, going to uh, go scout ahead.” Luke looked around nervously.

“Are you sure?” Ash asked.

“Yeah. I think I remember how it works.”

“Okay.” Ash winked. “Don’t take too long.”

Luke winked back. “I’ll be careful.”

Ave leaned against the wall and sat down heavily. She sighed.

“How’s the leg?” Ash inquired.

“Swollen. I wish we had kept some of that ice.” Ave rubbed her foot.

“You were doing really well back there. Until he cheated.” Ash tried to cheer her up.

“It was my fault. I got angry. I should have grabbed Luke and left. We could have snuck past them without a fight.” Ave’s hair fell in front of her face.

“He had it coming. If you hadn’t jumped up first I would have punched him right in the face.”

Ave let her eyebrows angle up ever so slightly. “Really?”

“Ha ha, no.” Ash shook his head.

“Have you ever been in a fight before?” Ave leaned away from the wall.

“Oh yeah. Lots. I was never a willing participant but I can handle myself.” Ash tried to crack his knuckles.

*Silence*

Ave popped the straps of her breastplate and slid it off of her chest.

“Help me with my armor.” she said.

“Uh… okay.” Ash peaked his eyebrows.

Ash took the metal breastplate and placed it on the ground next to them.

Ave held her arms up over her head. “Help me with my tunic.”

Ash gingerly pulled the quilted material over Ave’s head and down her arms. Ave wiped some sweat off of the nape of her neck. She pulled her undershirt to the side exposing her collarbone.

Ash looked around nonchalantly. “Luke… should be back any second so…”

“I need you to pull that letter opener out of my shoulder.”

“Oh yeah…. Uhh…”

Ash kneeled over. Ave held her shirt to the side. Ash could see a sliver of metal right above her deltoid. Ash gripped the edge of the shard with two fingers and wiggled his hand like he was trying to remove a tea bag from a teapot.

*Hmmm.” Ave let out a deep breath.

“Are you okay?” Ash pulled his hand back.

“I’m fine. You need to go deeper. Use both hands if you have to.”

“Uhh…”

“Don’t worry. You’re not going to hurt me.”

“Okay.” Ash wiped sweat away from his face.

Ash pressed down with both hands. He pinched the metal tip between his fingers. With a confidence he didn’t fully feel he pulled a two centimeter metal fragment of letter opener from Ave’s shoulder.

Nothing. Ash breathed a *Sigh* of relief. Then a bead of blood welled up and rolled down Ave’s shoulder.

“Huuurgggf.” Ash swallowed hard.

“Have you never seen blood before?” Ave asked.

“Of course I have. Only… Not coming out of a person, like this.” He took a few quick breaths. “I think I felt my stomach and my colon switch places.”

“Do you have any clean cloth?”

“Uhh…” Ash patted his dirty sleeves.

“Probably not.” Ave looked Ash up and down.

“No. But I do have this.” Ash held out a hand and concentrated. A tumble of ratty washcloths appeared on his palm.

“There’s always that.” Ave said.

Ave took one of the cloths and started wrapping it around her shoulder. Ash took the rest and started wiping the excess sweat off of his forehead.

“It’s all set!” Luke shouted from down the underground tunnel.

“Thank the moons.” Ash sighed.

“What did he say?” Ave asked.

“He said it’s all safe. Let’s follow him.” Ash held out his hand. Ave took it. With her free hand she picked up her breastplate. She tied the buckles together and slung it over her shoulder. The two of them started to walk down the corridor.

#

“And you two are sure that this place is safe?” Ave asked.

“Don’t worry we’ve been here multiple times. We know this place like the inside of our own eyelids.” Luke gave a reassuring wave. “Now come on.” He took a step forward.

*Click*

A pressure plate activated.

There was a hiss of air. Dozens of tiny projectiles launched from the wall. Luke was pierced, pincushioned, and perforated.

“Aaah! Oooh! Uuuh!” He exclaimed.

Luke dropped to the floor in a heap.

“Luke! Are you okay!?” Ave shouted.

Luke sat up.

“Fine. Why do you ask?”

A dozen small twigs and reeds were stuck in his tunic. He brushed some branches out of his hair.

“What the hatter’s mercury dipped felt was that?” Ave shouted.

“Haha haha.” “Hoho hoho.” Luke and Ash laughed in unison.

“Sorry. Sorry. We do that to everyone the first time they come into the dungeon. It’s a Star Town tradition.” Ash said.

“You pretend to get killed?” Ave said.

“Yeah. Nobody ever sees it coming.” Luke smiled. He leapt to his feet. “Check this out.”

Luke stepped on the pressure plate again. There was a second hiss of air from the nearby wall.

“Look at that craftsmanship. It’s a pressure activated re-arming dart launcher. This place is hundreds of years old and yet the traps still work.“ Luke smiled.

Ash idly kicked a femur that was lying on the ground. “The darts got used long ago, but the launching mechanism is still functional.”

“That was really stupid.” Ave wheezed.

“It’s tradition. It’s supposed to be stupid.” Ash replied.

“I think I’m bleeding again.” Ave put a hand against the nearby wall.

“Oh crap! Sorry.” Luke leaned over.

“Yeah. Sorry.” Ash repeated.

“Ahhh. I’ve lost too much blood. My heart… I’m going to pass out.” Ave slumped face first to the floor.

“Oh no! Ave? Are you alright?” Luke quickly crouched down.

“Quick take off her tunic!” Ash shouted.

“What?” Luke stuttered.

“I don’t know! Check to see if she’s still bleeding?”

“Uhhh…” Luke hesitated for a moment before grabbing Ave’s shoulders and gently rolling her over onto her back.

Ave stared up at him with a cold, emotionless gaze.

“My hero.” she sardonically quipped.

“Wha… you’re okay?” Luke asked.

“Yes I’m okay. Help me up.” she replied.

“Did you just…” Ash trailed off.

“What? It’s tradition. Ave said.

“Haha!” Luke laughed. “You know what? I think this makes you an honorary Starter.”