Kaden had borrowed the [Acrobatic] talent from Vip but it didn’t have enough time to react before he landed flat on his back in cold sand. In a flash, Kaden stood and surveyed. The Larder’s description said every victim was kept separate but if that meant there were thousand to explore, or they all explored the same space, kept isolated, Kaden didn’t know.

It wasn’t pitch black, no, in the sky above, six stars blazed in a constelation Kaden didn’t recognize. The inside of the larder was made of rolling dunes with dead brush and dry riverbeds, and a constant wind that scoured his skin.

How different was time here? Kaden had no idea. But he summoned Burney. “I need light.”

And Trinity. “I need you to watch my back.”

Kaden began to hunt, searching for everything. Bones clattered beneath his feat as he crested a dune, and Kaden found a curved dagger of bronze. Not a quarter mile away lay the burnt remains of what must have been a soldier. Neganta was capable of eating corpses, so anything left here was probably dessicated or burnt.

Though it was a risk, Kaden summoned Vip and let her search, too, hunting everywhere through the wasteland. He had no doubt why Ashi had panicked. Without the knowledge that she would let him escape, Kaden, too, would have panicked.

Instead, it was a scavenger hunt. Bone? Armor? Burned plant?

An almost destroyed tomb of magic with skeletal hands still attached, a Shield driven into the rock, with chains through its loops and withered arms that had been torn from the one who held it. So many had fought the Cyclops’s grasp.

Chunks of buildings, a door, even a fountain that still drizzled water thanks to the enchantment. Kaden drank and stored it for later, moving on. His determination was to move in an ever-widening spiral, with Vip and Trinity to keep him honest. There were no signs of the monsters Ashi had seen, but the skull of something taller than Kaden made a worthy prize.

It must have been hours before he stumbled across the staff with the crystal. The moment Kaden touched it, the crystal blazed to life, the image of a man projected. “Misita, we have a plan. We will take to the sky far above the hand that grasps. Hear and remember—”

Kaden activated [Relive the Moment]—“Chaudra Eache Kolata Yi!” The words burned in Kaden’s mind, some kind of spellcraft he wasn’t familiar with. He used the staff to keep moving, proding piles of bones.

A single animated skeleton stood, waving back and forth, staring with empty eye sockets at the sky. Probably where its master had gone.

“Come.” Kaden triggered [Soul Binding] and the skeleton burst into flame. And walked along behind Kaden. The further he ran, the more desolate and empty the desert. Either he was growing mad or horizon had grown teeth.

With Trinity and Vip, Kaden stalked the edge of the world, moving ever closer.

Not teeth. Buildings. A city.

Kaden pulled Trinity into his soul and sprinted with Vip at his side, closer and closer. A city of black stone neared—then instict had Kaden slide to a stop. He stood at the edge of a deep bowl. Far, far beneath stood the city whose tip tops he had seen as teeth on the horizon.

Nothing had prepared him for something like this. It dwarved Verona, would have swallowed it whole. It might be miles to the bottom of the crater, but Kaden—crumpled over as a wave hit him. Sheer agony. Swords and shields and the roaring of Beasts and the flashes just kept coming.

There was only so much of Kaden and right now he drowned in experiences that couldn’t be his. Ashi had said it would be bad. Ashi couldn’t comprehend how it was his hands being burned or his body stabbed. Every thing that happened in his dungeon was reflected in Kaden.

It might have been forever.

Maybe it was only hours, but at last, a cool sense of relief flooded Kaden.

You have received a rank-up bonus.

You have gained experience.

You have gained a level.

You have unchosen talents. Warning - this is your last talent until level forty.

Sweat made his hands and arms slick, and Vip sat on his chest, licking his cheek and broadcasting fear. Kaden clutched her close as he stood, using his acquired staff as a cane. His breath came in ragged gasps.

Vip gave a frightened yelp and tried to struggle from his grasp, but Kaden pulled her into his soul and turned. A blazing fist reached from the sky with three fingers and one thumb.

Kaden sprinted to avoid it, but the hand moved faster than he could react, grasping his chest and yanking him up. He couldn’t help the panic, even as the sky struggled to keep him like a prize—then his head burst free and Kaden gasped for breath, laying on his side.

“What the actual hell happened to him?” Sara asked.

Kaden rolled over on his back and looked up. “Didn’t look like you. Didn’t look like you at all.”

“The first party has completed their run,” Ashi said. “And I see the bonus was well received.”

Trella swore. “I’m never going to catch up to him.”

Ashi glanced her way. “None of us will. His Dungeon will supply constant XP. There is no catching up to a high level dungeon. Was it what you expected, in the domain of the Cyclops?”

“A city. I saw a city.” Kaden stood and dumped everything from Inventory. “The staff has a spell in it. Some kind of flight magic.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Ashi took it and activated it, and smiled. “When I have a spellbook, this will be recorded. It is not so special, but I will not need to buy it from other [Mages].”

“Let’s get inside. I think it’s going to rain,” Sara said. “I need to wash all the blood off and collect my Quest Bonuses.”

With help, he gathered everything from Neganta’s Larder and limped back to the farmhouse. “How long do you think this will go on?”

Ashi shrugged. “The next two will be hard, but after that, you will acclimate. Each rank increases your bond, but also the level at which you you experiene what happens in the Dungeon. The worst has already happened.”

An hour later, Sara came down. “Did I get all the blood out of my hair?”

“I believe so,” Eve said. “How long do you think they will wait to restart their private war?”

“However long it takes them to find the Snake Goddess of Black Harbor.” Sara looked to the others. “Good news, the war between different Adventurer’s Guilds is over thanks to a terrible sneak attack during negotiations.”

Eve waited, arms crossed. “What did you get?”

“Faction tokens and favor.” Sara spotted the haircomb and guantlet. “Oh, very nice. Are these from your Hunting Party Quests?”

Kaden shared the [Hex Ring] and [Absolution Earrings]. “It’s a set, I think. Defer the statuses and then cleanse them.”

She handed it back. “Keep the ring, rely on Eve for status cleanses. She clears tier two, that’s a tier one artifact. Always bet on your party. There’s a solo class for items in the auctions, you should list it there. Same for the comb, but the guantlet, that will make my Horror more dangerous.”

Kaden handed the damaged spellbook to Ashi. “Describe this without using the words ‘vichor’ or ‘librarian’ or ‘treasure.’”

“Balat Tor,” she said flipping through it. “It is old magic but not ancient. Written when there was only [Mage], not specialties. It is hard to say more as of yet. But the knife, that I recognize.”

“Oh.” Eve picked up the copper knife and shared [Identify]

[Dreamcutter - Ritual Knife]

Among the high priests of Xenu, Dreamcutter was passed as the weapon of Xenu himself. Every soul sliced with it added to Xenu’s power, and that of his priests. But the day came when a priest turned the blade on Xenu himself, creating a weapon that unmade its maker. None dare wield it now, because to reap its power you must first feed the blade.

Adds 1-3 status effects for the first seven cuts. The seventh cut clears all status effects and enhances equivalant abilities. Every cut after this will buff the attribute of your choice and one of Dreamcutter’s choice.

Kaden put it away, then swore as an Adventurer party started their run. He put his head down on the table and let it go. “Where’s Trella?”

“She called a council of elders in ShadowVale, said she’d be late,” Sara said. “We’ll leave for Egalion tomorrow. While you and Trella handled the that erratic, I made nice with the Quest Brokers and handled three.”

A knock on the door made Kaden’s head blur when he tried to sit up too soon. Sara opened the door. “Wren! You don’t need to knock.”

Wren stepped inside, dripping water and took off her cloak. “Where is he. Granddad told me about the Drydel. Have you even thought about what we could do? Imagine putting automated wands or wards on it! Imagine it stomping through enemies and blasting them!”

Kaden sat up. “Just the artificer I wanted to see. Do not touch these, ok? If you do, we’ll have problems.” He dumped the lust and greed loot. “Can you adjust these? The necklace could be a constructed version of [Hated by Demons.] The sword could be..I have no idea.”

“Courage.” Wren drew tongs from Inventor and picked up the necklace. “Whew, that one’s messy. The good news is, lust, love and hate are all really, really similar. Adapting it to only affect demons would be the real challenge. The sword is easy. Also dangerous, because courage overrides fear, and fear is sometimes smart. But people will buy a sword of courage and no one will tolerate greed.”

Wren pocketed the sword. “The Drydel. I want it to be my student project, but I’ll need to take it to the Artificer’s Academy.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

“I know someone,” Wren said. “I have to get your permission in person. I was really worried you were heading out.”

Wren North has requested permission to modify your [Drydel]. Allow? [Y/N].

Kaden selected yes. “I want the inside braced in a way that will still let it grow. A huge part of their durability is that center mass and if we—”

“Who is the builder? Who designs and builds? You? No. Who is going to school to learn about modifying and building artifacts? Who’s not even remotely worried about modifying your lust and greed stuff?” Wren crossed her arms. “Me. Trust me. Granddad couldn’t stop talking about how you have plans for every beast you encounter.”

“That reminds me.” Kaden took out eggshell pieces from the [Destruction Wyverns]. “This isn’t a re-agent. I have a lot of it, but it destroys everything.”

Wren studdied it, then took out instrument after instrument. “I’m sorry, I can’t work with this. I mean, legally. Anything like this can only go to a Master Artificer. Can I take this piece? How much is a lot?”

Kaden retreated to Trella’s lab and came back with a mistake box. Made of enchanted metal, it served to contain unstable potions. And he began to dump egg shell into the box, then put bones on the table. The mistake box radiated destruction mana so fiercely it boiled the skin on Kaden’s arm when he shut the lid. “I have a bit.”

“I’ll take this piece back. What do you want made from it? It would make a killer solo suit, but it literally might kill your party.” Wren studied it. “Like I said, I can’t help with this but I know people who could.”

“That depends a lot on whether the aura will affect me. Why don’t you get proposals and we’ll see?” Kaden stored the rest away. Stone wasn’t as vulnerable to Ruin.

Wren sat on the couch and talked as a storm swept through, shaking the farmhouse. She spoke about learning to make artifacts, which almost always started as ten years modifying artifacts, swapping one enchantment for another. About magical engineering and the principles at play in large structures.

About her intense desire to disassemble gnomish artifacts and learn. “They can build at level one. We can’t. Didn’t you bring back some gnomish war wagons?”

“Yes, I sold them to the [Mage’s Tower].” Kaden had probably gotten ripped off.

Close to midnight, the front door blew open and Trella stepped in, sopping wet, with her hair plastered to her head. “You’re all up! Wren!”

While Trella spoke, Kaden stepped out into the storm.

The [Shield Tree] Ravena gifted him had grown, now standing close to fifteen feet tall. Its roots spread out from the base of the house, and the trunk grew closer every day, it seemed. At night it glowed the most gentle of pink, like a Charm of Veela.

Kaden ignored the wind and the rain and picked up a shovel from Sara’s gardens. He knew from the memory Nature’s Daughter gave him exactly where he’d kneeled. Exactly how deep to dig. And when the shovel struck a root, Kaden didn’t hesistate, sheering it off. Naski’s core fit exactly in the hole he’d dug, and sap from the [Shield Tree] began to bubble out, soaking into the cracks. Kaden carefully burried it and then patted down the dirt.

You have progressed a Quest: Regrow the Withered Seed.

That was what Kaden had expected.

He returned to the farmhouse and stepped inside. “Trinity, give her some space by the fire.”

The farmhouse wasn’t going to be practical for a beast her size. It already wasn’t practical, but everyone made room for her. At some point, he’d need to rebuild or build on.

“Tomorrow we’re heading to Egalion,” Sara said. “Noon bell, meet at the Guild.”

Kaden found Trella showering in the bedroom. “How was your short trip?”

“I’m not welcome back there for a while. Senior Sister’s words were ‘If you’re going to lead a revolt, you need to do a better job.’” Trella shrugged as she dried off and slipped into a gown. “They need to know. We don’t do a lot of dungeons, but we do work in parties, and that means dungeons. We have to do better or we’re failing our Sisters.”

“I planted Naski’s Demon Seed under the Shield Tree,” Kaden said. “The Quest progressed.”

“I won’t hesitate to kill her.”

Kaden wouldn’t either. “Tomorrow is going to go bettter.”

“Tomorrow will go a lot like today and a lot like yesterday and a lot like tomorrow. But I’ll be there, and if the folks in Egalion give Eve any trouble, I’ll make a sacrifice to the blood goddess myself.”

That was exactly what Kaden worried about.