Our party moved room to room. Most of the first dozen rooms we came across had the same format of a large stone platform in the center with enemies to fight standing in the center and the dangerous water moat surrounding it. A few had small variations to the layout such as half the room on one side being stone and the other half water, or a weird ‘s’ shaped walkway over the water. At the end of the first floor, a room with two Level 20 Skeleton Hound-masters with their Level 19 Hounds guarded a large waterfall that appeared to be the source of the water moats.

We cleared the room and Cain received a nice Level 19 Epic headpiece titled ‘Iron Knight’s Helm’. As we passed the waterfall, a new stone staircase opened up to us that led us to the lower second floor. The rooms then changed their theme from stone and water to muddy catacombs with pieces of bone sticking out of the wall. Nick poked at one of the femurs emerging from the wall. “This is a weird ass decor.”

The first encounter of the second floor was a lot more of a challenge than anything on the first. We entered a tunnel with mud up to our ankles and the walls looking like they’d collapse at the slightest touch. Cain was in front, followed by Graham, Nick, and myself. Theresa was holding up the rear. The tunnel was so tight that the group needed to move in single file. As we trudged through the grime of the tunnel floor, the walls began to shift. My [Discovery] kicked into gear as I saw identical profiles appear left and right.

Kobold Zombie - Level 20

While one or two of the creatures wouldn’t have been an issue, especially in better circumstances, we were soon facing 8 of the monsters appearing right in the middle of the group. My [Quickdraw] came in handy as I swiftly armed myself and aimed one of my pistols underneath the chin of the quickly emerging Zombie and fired again and again. After the third direct shot to the skull, the Undead Kobold stopped moving and stood dormant, half submerged in the mud of the tunnel wall.

Nick shot a fireball at one of the creatures emerging to his left. The ceiling immediately began to shake. “Shit!”

“No explosions! Physical weapons only!” I aimed my pistol at one on the back of the line, halfway out the wall already. I fired twice, watching the creature’s profile turn red as it began to let out wailing groans of pain. Theresa, who was nearest to my target, lifted her staff and whacked it over the head. The effect was minimal, but it turned the creatures head enough for me to get a direct shot to the brain. With two kills claimed by myself, I turned to see Graham and his spirit blade had taken down 2 others. Unfortunately, the other 4 had managed to escape their tunnel cells and were now actively attacking both the front and rear of our formation.

[Summon Phoenix] from Nick proved useful as the bird distracted the two Zombies attacking Theresa long enough for me to trudge my way towards them and begin to shoot. I could hear Graham and Cain dealing with the two up front as well. As I shot down one of the Zombies, the Phoenix descended onto the other and killed it with a fiery fury before being dispelled. The longer the Phoenix was channeled, the more energy it consistently drained from Nick.

Cain and Graham had just finished off the other two Zombies and we began to loot the Kobolds.

“I hit Level 21.” Nick gave a wide smile as he picked up a piece of gear from one of the creatures.

“I hit 23.” Cain looted his kill.

All-in-all, the 8 Level 20s netted us 318 gold. 16 of that went to the Guild Reserve and the remaining 302 were split five ways for a total of 60-61 gold a person. Graham took charge of the crafting materials and the gear was all that was left. In normal circumstances, 8 bodies might provide a single usable piece of gear on a good day. For whatever reason, we looted 3 usable pieces off of the 8.

Steel-miner Boots [16U +5 STR, +4 DEX]

Tunnel-rat Leggings [15U +5 DEX, +4 AGI]

Overseer’s Vest [13R +5 DEX, +4 WIS]

The boots were a clear upgrade for Cain. The leggings were an upgrade for myself. The vest was not an upgrade for Nick, who had an equally good robe already. Theresa was glad to receive a decent DEX/WIS item. It was good to see our stats go up. I could see that I was already 85% of the way to 24. I expected to hit at least 24 by the time we were out of the dungeon.

The boots worked well on Cain as the sharp reflection of the metal matched the rest of his silver attire. The leggings worked on me as the tan color of the pants matched well with the jacket of questionable material I had received from the Undead General. The only odd one out was Theresa, who’s Kobold Vest did not match the ‘prettier’ clothing the rest of her gear had the appearance of. Luckily, the Harehill tailor would be able to fix that up for her as soon as we got back. We just had to get back.

Once we made it through the tunnel, we found ourselves in what looked like some sort of base camp. The large open room was around the size of a corner store, with wooden tables and chairs decorating dirt-covered wooden plank flooring. There were no monsters here, which was odd. As we approached the door on the other side of the room, Nick decided to point out the obvious. “It’s locked.”

Cain rattled the metal chain that was tight across the door’s handles. “Thanks, genius.”

Nick shrugged as Cain began to strike his blade against the chains. They didn’t give way. I stepped forward and got only a foot or so away from the lock before firing. The bullet ricocheted off of the lock and embedded itself in the mud wall to the right of the group.

“Jesus! Careful, J.” Graham calmed down from the near-friendly fire and looked at Nick. “It might be magical.”

Nick rubbed his hands together. “Alright then…my time to shine.” Nick released a bolt of fire at the lock, the chains turning orange from the heat, but otherwise unmoving.

We all sat around, staring at the lock for a while. We rested at the tables and recovered our energy and our health. As we sat back, Nick stared at the wall. Cain noticed and decided to point it out. “What are you looking at?”

Nick shrugged. “I don’t know…somethings off about the skeletons in the wall.”

Theresa snorted. “Yeah. It’s fucking creepy.”

“No…I mean like…actually off. They don’t look like the ones we found back in the other tunnels.”

Graham stood up and moved over to where one of the skeletons was half buried in the mud, the creature giving a loving cameo of a famous character trapped in carbon. “Uhm…hey, J?”

“Yeah?”

“You still have that inspection ability?”

“I do.” I clicked it on and saw faint golden boot prints leading towards the door and then leading back out. The one exposed bony foot of the skeleton showed a yellow imprint along the sole. I stood up and walked over, kneeling down. I had to get within six inches of the foot for a profile to appear.

James L. - Level 19 Monk

“Oh…shit.”

Theresa leaned forward. “What?”

“It’s a person.”

Nick looked around at the various skeletons that adorned the walls and frowned. “There’s…five here.”

Graham nodded as he observed the bodies. “This was another party.” He tapped one, the loot menu opening up. "I thought you couldn't loot dead players....there's...there's only one item here: Foreman’s Key.”

I stared at the fallen players as my mind raced. “You think…this was in the last two days. Do you think that after these players died…”

Cain finished my thought. “The dungeon leveled up.”

Nick shook his head. “Even if the monsters could earn experience like that…why wouldn’t it just go to the boss or whatever killed them?”

I shrugged. “All I know is that as of last week, when Elsa came to scout this place out for us again, this was a Level 18+ dungeon. Now, it’s a Level 20+ dungeon. Something caused that shift to happen and we didn’t get any notification about a Zone Shift.”

Cain sat down with a groan. “So it’s these guys’ faults?”

Theresa pursed her lips. “That’s kind of fucking callous, Cain.”

He shrugged. “This would be a hell of a lot easier if the dungeon was still 18+. We should have cleared it earlier.”

I nodded. He was right. We know this world changes over time. We were capable of handling this dungeon a while ago and we let the fear of the Termites and Undead in Albany scare us off. If we had just taken it down when we could have, we probably would have been done and out already. “Well…we’re here now. Just be glad it’s not higher. Graham, you said you looted a key?”

He nodded. “You want me to put it in?”

“Only if you want to. I see the footprints leading out as well as going in. Whatever is on the other side of that door caused the party to retreat where they were buried in…in the wall.” I swallowed. Maybe I was crazy, but the thought of being buried in mud and forgotten two stories underneath the dirt wasn't a happy thought. It gave a whole new meaning to being put 6-feet underground.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Cain stood up, wiping his sweaty hair back into a bun and equipping his helmet once again. “I’m good to go. Tess?”

Theresa stood up, rolled a shoulder, and gave a nod. “Good to go.”

Nick gave a thumbs-up and Graham gave me a nod, holding out the key. I nodded back. “Go for it, Graham.”

Graham stepped forward and inserted the key into the lock, turning it and watching the lock open with an almost mocking level of ease compared to our other attempts. As the doors open, a stench filled the air of the chamber and faint growling could be heard from inside. On the other side of the door, a giant creature made of mud stood in the middle of the new room.

The creature was at least 12 feet tall with limbs the size of small tree trunks. Its body was mostly formless, just a hunk of mud that made up a vaguely humanoid shape. The face of the creature had little in the way of features, save for two eye holes that held oddly human eyes. I scanned the profile.

Muddle the Terramancer - Level 24 Elite

Terramancer? Like…earth mage? That would explain the mud. The creature took one step toward us as it squared its body against us. As its large foot left the ground, drops of mud fell onto the ground below. The intimidating thunk of the shelled foot of the Terramancer rattled the walls of the chamber.

Cain looked back at the four of us. “Ready?” He waited for the echoing ready from the rest of us before charging into the beast. He brought his sword back and slashed at it, watching the blade become enveloped in the golem’s layers of earth. He tugged it back, just barely, before the blade was swallowed by the creature. “What the hell?”

“Melee won’t work!” Theresa shouted from the rear.

Nick summoned a [Pillar of Flame], shooting it through the beast. The golem roared as the fire singed considerable amounts of the mud off the beast. I placed my [Ranger’s Mark] on the creature and began to fire one pistol after the other. The issue with a golem shield was that, with the constant green of the profile, I was unable to see if any damage was being done.

Nick launched his [Summon Phoenix] before casting another [Pillar of Fire]. Theresa placed a [Holy Shield] on Cain right as the monster slammed a massive fist into the tank’s shield. With the [Holy Shield] in place, the monster’s fist shattered upon the impact. He reached down to the ground, pulling more mud up with the fist.

“Oh…shit. It’s regenerating!” I fired my first [Multi-Shot], watching the bullets enter the mud and, as far as I could tell, do absolutely nothing against the creature.

The Phoenix descended on the creature, causing it to look up. With a screech, the Phoenix began to scratch and claw at the Golem's head. Cain took the advantage with Graham as the longsword and tachi blades of both men began to saw at the arms. Muddle shook his arms furiously, slamming fists into both of them and sending them back several feet. With a mouthless roar, the golem sent a wave of mud into the Phoenix, dispelling it instantly.

Nick threw a fireball directly into the golem’s face. Muddle stumbled back a step, tripping on the mud and falling on his back. Nick gave a grin that was quickly diminished as the mud on the ground pushed upwards and sat the Terramancer upright once more. Theresa finished her healing of Cain and Graham, sending them charging back into the beast.

“The eyes! Shoot the eyes, J!” Graham’s [Spirit Blade] fervently worked to slice at the two tiny targets, being dodged at every attempt.

I aimed carefully for the two small blue dots and waited. When the monster faced me, I took one deep breath in and fired. It hit. The creature recoiled and stumbled backwards with several large, clunky steps. Cain hit it with [Heavy Metal] as he slammed his shield into the leg of the golem. The creature was forced to one knee with one magical earthen glove clutching at its wounded face. It turned with a growl and shot a torrent of mud at me. I was shocked when a wall of black rock and fire stopped the mud in its tracks.

“[Magma Shield] was my Level 20 skill.” Nick gave a grin. “Kat told me to pick it. I figured it’d be a nice surprise for you.”

I gave him a thankful nod as he removed the shield and I fired at the beasts other eye. The golem rolled backwards and dodging the shot, continuing his roll across the floor and gathering more mud before he summoned the earth around him to put it back on its feet. The blood flowed from the injured eye underneath the masking shell. Cain hit it with another [Heavy Metal] and sent the beast lurching backwards. As it hit the wall, Nick summoned another [Pillar of Fire] to strike the golem. The Terramancer, now pinned to the back of its chamber and aflame, gave a terrifying screech. It sent a literal wave of mud towards all five of us. Nick used his [Magma Shield] to shield the three of us on the back rank. The mud swept over Cain and Graham, sending them shooting across the floor to where we stood. The mud instantly hardened, trapping both of them in the earth.

“Damn it! Nick! J! It’s y’all now.” Graham summoned his [Spirit Blade] and mentally commanded it to begin to cut himself out of the earth. Cain just struggled helplessly against the mudslide that had imprisoned him.

As the beast charged at me, I took a deep breath and aimed again. Nick began to panic along with Theresa. I realized that perhaps my [Resolve] skill was helping me more than I noticed. I fired a carefully aimed shot and finally took the beasts other eye. The creature dropped down to a yellow profile as the mud began to slide off of it.

The bony hands and feet of the Terramancer began to show, only exacerbated by the [Pillar of Flame] that Nick sent into the melting shell. Muddle the Terramancer was blown clear of his summoned armor and skated across the floor with a yelp. His skinny frame was incomparable to his previous form. The Terramancer was 5'10 and couldn't have weighed more than 150 pounds soaking wet. I approached the enemy mage with a smile. He held up two skeletal hands to shield his face. My [Multi-Shot] ripped right through them.

Congratulations! For killing a Dungeon Boss that had [12] player kills, you and your party receives 300% bonus experience!

You have advanced to Level 24!

I gave a grin as I checked my profile. I threw all 3 points into Wisdom to round it to an even 20. I was shocked to see that I had gained nearly a full level from the fight. Everyone around me had leveled as well, besides Cain who was sitting at 99%. He rolled his eyes and laughed. “Congratulations to everyone else.”

NAME

Jeremiah, L.

CLASS

Ranger

LEVEL

24 (62%)

GOLD

1,160

STRENGTH

10

DEXTERITY

56 (19+37)

WISDOM

20

AGILITY

45 (23+22)

CRAFTING SKILLS

Cooking (2)

SPECIAL SKILLS

Diplomacy (4)

ACTIVE SKILLS

Multi-Shot (14)

Quickdraw (10)

Ranger's Mark (8)

Cover Fire (3)

PASSIVE SKILLS

Tracker (9)

Resolve (8)

Bone Piercing (7)

Analyze (4)

Discovery (2)

MAIN-HAND

Black Dawn Pistols (15R)

[+11 DEX]

OFF-HAND

N/A

HEAD

Chitin Hood (15E)

[+8 DEX, +5 AGI]

CHEST

Zombie Flesh Jacket (18R)

[+7 DEX, +7 AGI]

LEGS

Tunnel-Rat Leggings (15U)

[+5 DEX, +4 AGI]

BOOTS

Scout's Boots (14U)

[+6 DEX, +6 AGI]

————————————————————

Upon arriving back in Harehill, I was happy to report the accomplishment to Chief Cassil. I was even happier to see that the accomplishment was rewarded with a massive amount of experience as well. Cain hit Level 24 and everyone else hit Level 23.

I was shocked to see myself hit Level 25. Two levels in a single day? One giant blue notification floated in front of me as soon as I closed out of the Level notification and my jaw tightened as I realized I had a very important decision to make. Luckily for me, the choice was an obvious decision to make.

PLEASE SELECT DESIRED SUBCLASS

Beastwielder

Wield wild beast companions against your foes.

Huntsman

Become a master tracker and analyzer as you can see information and whereabouts of a multitude of creatures and players alike.

Sharpshooter

Deal damage rapidly and accurately as you take aim and fire your way to victory.