Len reached the point where his blade had sunk into the ground. He squatted down next to the hole it had created and touched the ground.

The excavated tunnel collapsed, pushing up the knife into his hand.

“There we are,” He tapped it clean against a nearby tree before standing. He used a cleaning spell on it, removing the remaining gore and dirt on the blade while he looked around.

They stopped over there and they had more gea-there it is.

He slid the blade back into its holster and moved through the forest to where the Hunters had waited for their scouts.

The undergrowth had been trampled down by their passage.

“Jackpot.” Bags created a pile among the trees. He checked the area, when you relaxed or were distracted, that was when you were going to be ambushed.

His eyes glowed as he looked through the forest.

Some creatures smell the blood on the air and are interested, but not so bold to rush in.

Len looped the biggest pack on his back, another on his front and shoved his left arm into the loops of the remaining three to leave his right hand free if he needed to draw his sword.

Len whistled before he entered the clearing around the camp. Rick looked up from where he was bent over a body.

He tilted his head back in greeting, throwing a pouch over to a growing pile of loot near the fire.

Len walked up to the low-burning fire, unloading his packs before throwing some wood into the embers to bring the fire back to life.

Rick had looted three of the bodies and was working on the fourth. The three dead were piled off to the side of the camp, each with a hole where their ribcage met their stomach.

Len held back from checking the loot and moved towards the more gruesome pile.

"I'll take care of the bodies," Len said.

“Thanks, nearly done with this one.” Rick flipped over the corpse. He was checking, running his hands up their pants, pinching as he went to see if there were any hidden pockets.

Len grabbed a leg of a spearman and another archer, dragging the bodies off into the forest.

Under his will, mixing an earth and water spell together, the ground shifted and moved creating an eight-foot-deep hole in the width and length of a man. The dirt piled up on three sides.

Len closed his eyes, feeling a headache, seeing a glimpse of mana fatigue.

He took a breath.

“It'll be good once I can move past these limitations.” Though even with their limitations, it had been easy to kill all five hunters.

He threw the two bodies into the hole and trekked back towards the third.

Rick had moved on to the fifth and final body, the swordsman.

Len repeated the process of dragging the remaining two bodies out to the hole and dropping them in, quickly returning.

Rick was pulling the leather jerkin off of the swordsman.

"Fuck me," he said.

"Not even on my worst day.” Len didn’t miss a beat, willing the ground to absorb the blood and remaining gore. It would remove the smell and calm the beasts around them.

"You know who this is?" Rick pointed at the swordsman.

"Dead fucking guy?" Len shrugged.

"He's fucking Larry," Rick threw the leather jerkin over to him. Len caught it. "Check the collar."

Len lifted it up, using the light of the fire to see better, rather than waste his mana sight.

"Larry Krasovich. Shit," Len's eyes widened. "Where do I know that name from?”

"Larry the fucking dragon killer," Rick said.

"Dragon killer?”

“Remember that wind wyrm that showed up in the mountains after the apocalypse? Started making its home here?" Rick said.

"The one they kept calling dragon." Len nodded, drawing the old memory forth. “It would glide down, hit beasts, people, even convoys out in the open and then rush back up to its mountain cave.”

“Yeah everyone called it a dragon because they hadn’t met a real dragon yet. Larry right here.” He tapped the man’s shoulder. “Was the one to land the last blow. Nearly the entire unit died, he dashed across the battlefield and drove his blade into the beast, again and again.”

His eyes moved over to the scabbard. “Wonder if that’s the sword, can feel its got at least and enchantment on it.”

“Second sword in his gear too, steel,” Len moved the jerkin around and the twin holes right through it. Don’t think this’ll be too useful.

Rick went back to looting Larry. “Everyone called him a hero, seeing as he killed the beast. Didn't even care that he took everything for the Hunter's Bureau." Rick paused, rifling through the man's pockets. "Wait, does that make us the dragon killer's killers?" He frowned up at the heavens as if seeking guidance.

Len frowned. "Well, actually, it's bigger than that. If we killed Lenny, then Lenny's not going to kill that dragon, wyrm whatever."

Rick looked over at Len. "Oh, I didn’t think of that. Guess we’ll have to do it then?”

“Yes, or hope there’s someone else in that unit that can kill it. We know Larry won’t be making it.” Len gestured with the Jerkin at Larry’s body, before continuing his walk to the backpacks and loot pile.

"Well, we're here. We can defeat it,” Rick said.

"Yes, but it's already showing how our actions change the future. The ripples we make." Len shook his head. "I can't even start to imagine or wonder where they'll end up."

He put the jerkin down to the side and started scanning through the loot pile.

"Okay, then we just don't kill any Larrys’." Rick suggested. Len looked back and raised an eyebrow in question.

"People that have a big and good impact," Rick clarified.

"And how the hell are we going to do that?" Len asked.

"Well, we can ask them for their name." Rick slowed down as he said the words, hearing them out in the open. "Yeah, that doesn't sound as good when it's outside of my head."

"Just rock up to someone who's trying to kill us and go, 'Hey, are you so-and-so, the Lord Emperor of Saving Orphans? I'm so sorry that you're trying to kill me or I'm trying to kill you. Let's just go our own ways because you're going to help so many orphans in the future.'" Len glared at Rick.

"It's a working idea," Rick slowly shrugged. "You got a better one?”

Len grimaced, rubbing his face. "No, I don't and I hate that. I hate this whole idea. Yeah, it was much easier when we could just kill people and not ask them their name."

His words held in the air. "Yeah, that sounds so much worse,"

"Yeah, it kind of does. Yeah." Rick grimaced. He looked down at the body. "Fuck you, Larry and your damn hero-ness. Jackass, I thought you were cool when I was a kid. Well, I guess in two years. Fucking time traveling bullshit."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Len went back to organizing the gear. “Most of these weapons are enchanted and they’ve got what I thought were backups in the gear they left behind.” Len said in a faraway voice as he moved gear off of a map, picking it up.

“Where’s the pit?” Rick asked.

“That way, thirty meters.” Len pointed without looking.

“Thanks!” Rick dragged off the body.

Len traced the lines across the map in his hands, one from the city to a marked off box, others back and forth across the search area. In it an x marked the map, it had been pressed into the treated paper. Made to last and important.

He put it to the side and picked up a spear, turning it in his hands. "Simple enchantment, interesting use." He turned it over in his hands. “Its really a javelin, though well made.”

The runes were artfully done, blending in with the weapon. Channels ran through the grain of the wood up to the spearhead.

Holes had been cut through the metal and small runes inserted into them.

He ran a thread of mana down the channels into the enchanted tip and thrust forward. The javelin lurched in his hands, jutting forward quicker than he could normally thrust. He withdrew his mana, turning the weapon over in his hands.

"So what enchantment that one got?” Rick announced his arrival back at camp.

“Increased attack speed. Very simple enchantment. You gotta power it with your own mana to use it. No internal mana storage," Len said.

He drew out an arrow, with the same holes and runes. “Arrows have the same enchantment, though they have some mana storage.”

Rick drew up next to him. Len used the arrow to point at the spearpoint. “The holes in the arrowhead increase the rate of speed that air passes around the arrowhead, spearhead, making your thrust much faster than before.”

Len held it up for Rick.

He took the javelin. “Decent smithing, simply done, made to be light.” He hefted it up. “I bet this was made with the intention of throwing. There’s not much mana capacity for sure, though enough to cross a few dozen meters before impacting.”

“I think its all from the same enchanter,” Len picked up an arm bracer and turned it around. “No enchantments on your bracers or armor though? Seems a really bad idea.” He picked up the map and handed Rick the map. “Enchanted gear will run you tens of gold right now. I didn’t see none for sale and this lot didn’t look flush with coin.”

Rick took the map and laid down the javelin.

"Seems they were heading to the northeast. Didn't find what they wanted there, so they headed west and were bouncing across different paths to try and find whatever tablet they're looking for." Len continued going through the gear, making a misc, fighting gear and enchanted fighting gear piles.

“Then they found something,” Rick said. “Dungeon, realm or tear you think?”

“I think dungeon. There’s not much gear and the mana here isn’t strong enough for a realm, let alone able to support a stable tear,” Len said.

"Makes sense. I was wondering where they got all these health potions from.”

“Arrows are enchanted, same as one of the bows, the javelin’s are both different with the same enchantment. The sword.” Len drew it out, it was a thick saber, though it had large oval holes down the tang.

“Its got two enchantments, increased speed and oh, that is unique.” Len widened his eyes. “It has a variable weight too.” He cut out with the weapon. “Reduce the weight and cut as hard as possible, then at the fulcrum increase the weight, it’ll make your attack devastating. Or throw yourself forward, then increase the weight. Decrease the weight and move incredibly fast. Complicated to make it work but if you can then it’d be one hell of a weapon.”

Len offered it up to Rick.

He took it by the hilt. “Its got a good weight to it by itself, steel.” He flicked the blade with his map holding hand and listened to the metal hum. “Very well done, high level apprentice or journeyman smith I’d guess.”

Rick held it back out to Len, he took it and slid it home. “How far between us and that dungeon?”

“Need compass and some time to figure it, but I’d think a few hours away out east. Lets get this cleaned up.” Rick folded the map up and put it under his breastplate.

They worked quickly to pile up the gear in different organized groups. Moving from the gear they’d been wearing to their backpacks.

Len moved the blankets and other gear, such as clothes, off to the side. Rick took all of the food, adding it to their own crate and split up the potions between their packs.

They both threw coin and valuables into a pile.

"Looks like they were running low on food," Rick said, as he closed up the crate. "About a day's worth left."

Len pushed his hands into his back, cracking it. Rick moved through the camp, squatting down next to the purses, coins and valuables.

Len rolled his shoulders and pointed out to the groups of gear.

“Got two quivers of arrows, five daggers of iron and steel, enchanted iron-tipped javelins, steel enchanted sword, enchanted bow to increase arrow speed, regular long bow, iron shield without an enchantment, bracers and leather armor. Pocket watch, a small weapon maintenance kit, fire starting gear. Food in the crate, then clothes and blankets I chucked into that empty backpack.” Len looked around, checking if he missed anything.

“Mana stones.” Rick held up a crystal with a soft glow, the light twisting inside according to its own whims. He tossed one to Len.

“Those will be useful.” Len turned it over in his fingers, feeling the mana inside. “Common grade.”

“Three common, one Uncommon. Then we’ve got cores, Five white vapors, four white liquid and one white solid. They were all white solid, Larry-boy was red vapor.”

No wonder they moved so slow.

“For coin, well jackpot there. Each of them was loaded, at least twenty gold each. The armor.” Rick tilted his chin in its direction. “They had mana-mutated beast hides, common grade, some pieces uncommon. Potions they had a big collection stuffed, three uncommon heals, four common heals, three common mana regen common, five uncommon stamina, and seven commons. Someone hated sleep or they were fighting all the damn time. Best part, the containers aren’t made of artist’s dreams and spit.”

Len took out his canteen and drank from it, resting his hand on his hip.

“Take the coin, cores, mana stones and the pocket watch. The throwing javelins, bows and arrows, gives us some range in our fighting abilities. Bury the clothes and blankets, we don’t have a need for them. The rest of the weapons and armor—what’s not got a fuck off hole through it—stash it so we can pick it up later?”

“That sounds like a plan to me,” Rick stood, pushing the coins, cores and stones together. “If you give me some time I can figure out this map.” He brandished the folded up map from his breastplate.

“Alright,” Len took another drink from his canteen and offered it to Rick, he took it with a nod. “Did you close up the hole?”

“Yeah.”

“No worries,” Len grabbed up the gear they’d be taking with them, putting it near their packs. What they would come back for he packed into the largest two back packs. The rest went into the remaining three backpacks that he carried off to the forest once more.

As he worked.

Rick took the map, checking it, and looking to the sky and the stars above. He drew out his compass, checking it.

Len returned to Rick whittling down a second piece of tree he’d cut up. He’d secured the javelins and bow to their packs with the quiver and its straps.

"I wonder who the poor bastard was who had their storage device implode to create that dungeon," Rick shook his head. His hands paused poised to work on the wood in his hands.

"I just had a wild thought.” Rick paused, looking up and frowning.

"You've been standing there for a little bit,” Len acknowledged.

“What do you know about dungeons?” Rick asked.

Len raised an eyebrow, Rick gave him a ‘go on’ gesture.

“Dungeons are where storage devices that imploded disappeared to. Their core can be as large as a closet or as big as a house. They draw a ton of mana that creates mana fiends, which you usually have to fight before you can get to wherever you're intending to get to," Len rested his hands on his hips, looking into the sky.

"Realms are places where space has been folded, either intentionally or not, holding a large area inside. Sometimes they have a high concentration of mana, though usually these places have rules of some kind. Like the trading city Rezio, where it's a city that's connected to a whole bunch of planets. Or like the Codex, where you defeat enchanted traps to gain knowledge. The higher the grade of traps you can bypass, the more knowledge is opened up to you."

"Or the Mine," Rick snapped his finger, "Where it generates metals and materials using the ambient mana that's gathered, making it perfect for smiths."

"Right," Len nodded.

"Well, see, the thing is, none of them have been found yet," Rick said, giving Len a meaningful look.

Len's face went through a myriad of emotions as he took in that little tidbit. It was well known whoever opened a dungeon realm or tear first gained the greatest rewards.

If you could open a dungeon, you got first pick of everything inside there. Usually, after the first couple of times a dungeon had been cleared, there was no more loot.

Only the mana fiends, they dropped mana-generated materials, cores and life-mana. A prize to be sure, but ancillary to the gear of some other being.

With the realms, some naturally regenerated, but others, once they were used up, they were no better than a wasteland without much use left to them.

A tear...Well, a tear allowed you to connect to other planets. If you could get the right tear, you'd not only gain access to another planet, but you could also access other cities, peoples, technology, and materials that weren't yet available on Earth.

It was just as easy to get a tear in the wrong place, which could serve as a spawning point for demons or hostile races and creatures.

Still, even these could prove profitable and valuable. If you could hold back the tide of creatures, you could farm them for materials and gear.

Dungeons, realms and tears had been crucial to humanity learning how to craft, how to survive the apocalypse. Arming them with gear and knowledge.

Some called them the golden gates.

“Fuck.” Len said.

“Fuck indeed,” Rick said. He chuckled and grabbed his map tube, opening it, he paused halfway. “Should I mark them down?”

“I’d say go for it but we have to protect that map. Don’t say what dungeon it is at the very least.” Len said.

“Alright, well give me a hand.” Rick continued pulling the map out. “Bring that crate over.”

Len picked up the food crate and put it down infront of Rick, both of them kneeling as Len helped roll it out. “How about the dungeon here?” Len asked.

“Out to the east of us, add a couple of hours to our trip, probably be best to do when we come back,” Rick said, squinting before marking his map. “Going to need the world map.” He reached back to his map tube as Len added his own marks.

They worked over the map, marking down locations.

It took them well into the depths of night before they were done.

“What you making?” Len pointed at the piece of shaved down wood Rick had been working on.

“Spear thrower,” He held it up, a notch of wood and a carved out semi-circle that ran up its length. “Seat the spear against the notch, adds to your reach, you bring it up and round like when you throw normally and let loose.” Rick moved with it, bringing it over his shoulder and flicking it forward.

“It work?” Len asked.

“Yeah, it’s a nasty way to have a bad day.”

“Well lets hope tomorrow is a good day,” Len poked at the fire with a nearby stick.

“Temper and cultivate later?” Rick asked.

“Yeah,” Len said.

“Sweet,” Rick held up his fist. “Rock paper scissors for who gets first watch?”

“You’re on,” Len held his fist up.