“Feels like we’re going deeper into the dungeon,” Max said, his voice echoing softly off the stone walls.
Eventually, they ended up yet in another chamber. The room was huge, with a huge ceiling. The walls were covered in strange, ancient symbols. In the center of the chamber stood a large pedestal and on it a golden chalice, its surface covered with jewels that shined in the dim light.
“That looks… important,” Max said, eyeing the chalice.
“Another trap maybe?” Boorg replied, preparing his axe. “Nothin’ been easy so far!”
Max slowly approached the pedestal, his eyes scanning the room for any signs of danger. “It is too obvious. Just sitting here in the open like this…”
As he reached to touch the chalice, the ground beneath them began to rumble. Max quickly withdrew his hand, but it was too late - the chamber was already reacting to their presence. The symbols on the walls flared with bright light, and the pedestal began to sink into the floor, revealing a hidden mechanism.
A circular pit emerged from the floor, and the chalice hovered above the pit, now surrounded by a dark vortex that pulsated.
“What now?” Boorg looked at Max looking for an answer, and slowly stepping back.
“I think it’s another trial. It wants us to retrieve the chalice, but we’ll have to deal with whatever that vortex is.”
The shadows in the pit began to take shape, forming into wraiths with glowing red eyes. They floated above the ground, their ghostly forms making Max scream in fear. “I HATE GHOSTS!” There were at least half a dozen of them, and they looked at Max and Boorg.
“These things look like they are made out of dark magic, we need a plan,” Max said.
Boorg readied his axe. “I fight them, you get the cup.”
Max nodded. He knew that standard attacks wouldn’t work against them, they needed something with light or fire to banish them. Or so he hoped.
He scanned the room, searching for anything that might help. He noticed the symbols on the walls still glowing as if they were connected to the vortex in the pit.
Max quickly made a plan. “Boorg, go and keep them away from me for a minute. I think I can use those symbols to weaken the vortex and the wraiths.”
“Boorg go smash!” he charged toward the wraiths without hesitation. His axe cut through the air, his attacks didn’t seem to do much damage.
Max ran to the nearest wall, studying the glowing symbols. They were ancient runes, the kind he had seen in the old book Boorg got him from the dungeon. He opened the book, looking for the meaning of the symbols. He quickly began to chant an incantation, his wand glowing brighter with each word. The rune on the wall flared with bright light, and one of the wraiths let out a shriek before it disappeared into smoke.
“It is working!” Max shouted, moving to the next symbol looking for it in the book.
Boorg continued to get the wraith’s attention, he moved fast without much attacks because they didn’t do much damage. “Hurry Max!”
The remaining wraiths became angrier, their attacks more aggressive, but Boorg somehow held his ground, protecting Max.
Finally, Max activated the last rune, and the vortex above the pit began to disappear. The remaining wraiths let out agonized cries as they were sucked back into the vortex, which collapsed in on itself, leaving the chamber in silence.
The chalice, now free of the vortex’s grip, gently floated down to rest on the pedestal once more. The pit closed up, leaving the room as it had been before.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Max and Boorg stood there, trying to rest. Max took the chalice, expecting another trap, but this time, the dungeon seemed satisfied with their success.
“Nice work, Max! How you find symbols so fast?” Boorg grinned, wiping sweat from his brow.
Max smiled, “Chapter 8, Dark Symbols. Most of the runes kept repeating. Easy work, you did the heavy lifting.”
Boorg chuckled. “It is what I do!”
Max carefully took the chalice from the pedestal. As he did, the walls of the chamber began to shift once more, revealing another doorway. This one was different from the others—it was lined with gold.
“This is it,” Max said. “The last trial.”
With the chalice in hand, Max led the way through the golden doorway, ready to clear this dungeon.
----------------------------------------
The last room was a grand hall. The towering pillars, each one carved with scenes of ancient battles and heroic figures, held the roof not to collapse. At the far end of the hall stood an enormous throne, and seated upon it was a figure in robes, their face hidden beneath a hood.
As they approached, the figure slowly rose from the throne, a sword at their side. The air was heavy, and Max could feel the tension rising. This was the final guardian, the last obstacle standing between them and the completion of the trials.
The guardian spoke, his voice echoing through the hall. “You have proven your worth, but one final challenge remains. Only by defeating me will you be granted the rewards of this dungeon.”
Max’s hand began to burn. Boorg prepared his axe once again. “Let’s go!”
Max prepared his wand. “We’re ready!”
The guardian unsheathed his sword, and without a warning, he lunged forward with incredible speed, closing the distance between them in an instant. Boorg met the attack head-on, blocking the sword with his axe, but the force of the blow sent him flying backward.
Max quickly followed up with a fireball, but the guardian effortlessly deflected it with a sweep of his sword. It was clear that this foe was unlike any they had faced before - faster, stronger, and more skilled. “How the fuck did the guild make this type of mistake, this is too difficult for the two of us!” Max thought.
Boorg jumped back onto his feet, his eyes looked different, just like in the past, in their first dungeon when Boorg began speaking normally. He threw his axe and took his giant greatsword with both of his hands. Boorg charged again, aiming for the guardian’s torso, but the guardian sidestepped the attack, countering with a precise strike that grazed Boorg’s shoulder. “Fireball!” Max cast again, trying to find an opening, but the guardian seemed to anticipate every move, deflecting or dodging each attack with ease.
“Max, we need a new strategy, what did I miss, did you notice anything?” Boorg shouted, speaking normally again.
Max wracked his brain, but he couldn’t think of anything. The guardian was too fast and too powerful for a direct attack. Then, an idea. A gamble that might just work.
“Boorg, distract him!” Max yelled.
Boorg didn’t hesitate, charging the guardian once again. He swung his sword in a wide arc, forcing the guardian to focus on him. As the guardian blocked and parried Boorg’s attacks, Max began to chant a spell, gathering all the mana he had left.
The guardian felt the buildup of energy and moved to attack Max, but Boorg threw himself in the way, taking the blow on his sword and giving Max the time he needed. “This is not perfect yet,” Max thought. “I didn’t have the time to work on this spell, I just had this idea, I hope this will work.”
With a shout, “Solar Flare!” Max unleashed the spell - a powerful surge of energy that exploded from his wand, a blinding light spread towards the guardian.
For a moment, the hall was silent. Then, the light faded, and the guardian kneeled on the ground, his sword broken in two.
“You have proven yourself worthy,” the guardian said, his hood falling back revealing an old face covered in scars. “The trials are complete. The rewards of this dungeon are yours.”
With those words, the guardian’s body began to turn into dust. The hall itself began to change, the pillars transforming into gold and the walls into shining mirrors that reflected Max and Boorg’s faces.
Where the throne once stood, a treasure chest appeared, its surface covered with jewels and glowing with a soft light. Max and Boorg exchanged a look of excitement.
“Fuck yes, we did it,” Max said.
Boorg grinned, his expression like his usual self. “Max so strong! Make Boorg blind!”
They approached the chest together. Max opened the lid, a warm light showered them instantly. Gold coins, precious gems, enchanted weapons, and tomes filled with forgotten knowledge, filled the chest. A small carved amulet that pulsed with gentle warmth also lay on top of the gold.
Max picked up the amulet, feeling the magic from it. It took some time for Max to put everything in his inventory. “We’ll share this when we get out.”
Boorg agreed.
In the center of the room now stood a small pillar with a circle on it. Max approached it and put the chalice on top of it. The floor swallowed the chalice and the pillar, and a giant door opened behind the chest. Max and Boorg left the dungeon behind, stepping out into the bright sunlight of the world above.
“I’m going to kill X when we get to Kingsport,” Max complained on the way out.