Ethan stood in the first room of the dungeon alone. Only the slowly pulsing light from Luca illuminated the room. The system provided him no more information, other than that he had to solve his own puzzle. Scattered around the room were various tables, cupboards, dressers, and other furniture. Resting atop each one was a candle, while torches burned in sconces on the wall.

An archway dominated the room’s center. Made of well-hewn stone and bearing an inscription Ethan couldn’t understand, it was imposing. The center of the structure was empty, and there was no way out of the room. All entrances had been sealed with shimmering portals.

“Alright. Just take a second and think,” Ethan said, examining everything in the room. But there was no more information he could glean. “Luca, rummage through the stuff. See if you can find anything useful.”

The silver squirrel got to work. Ethan approached the archway and ran his fingers along the surface. He couldn’t reach the inscription at the top, but the stone felt normal. But why place an inscription on something if he couldn’t read it? Was the system trying to throw him off? Perhaps the corruption of the dungeon had something to do with it.

“Candles,” Ethan said, approaching one. He blew, but nothing happened. “Everlasting candles.”

Luca chirped. He’d found a drawer filled with junk.

“Make a pile, Luca,” Ethan said, walking to the far side of the archway. The inscription on this side was different from the other side. Each phrase was carved with blocky writing that seemed somehow familiar. Like the meaning of the words were right at the edge of his mind. He just couldn’t grasp them.

Fearing there was a time-limit, Ethan moved to one table and knocked the candle off. It reappeared where it was before, and the flame remained burning. He determined that this was the purpose of the exercise. Unlike most parts of the dungeon, the candles were the only thing illuminating the space. Normally there were mushrooms or fairy lights on the walls. But this room lacked such light sources.

Luca built a bigger pile as Ethan searched around. He tried everything he could think of to make the candle out. From dumping watered wine on the flames to screaming at them. Nothing seemed to work. Not until Luca made an excited chirping sound, shoving the shard of a broken mirror across the floor. The spirit used its mouth to drive the shard into the ground before staring at it.

Ethan came over, scratching his head as he looked at the display. The spirit sent no more information with the action. Instead of worrying about it, the Caller got on his belly and looked into the mirror.

“What do you see, dude?” he asked.

Luca chittered, then growled.

Ethan poked the mirror, tilting it back. He saw the text inscribed in the archway. His eyes went wide.

“It was backwards,” Ethan said, snatching up the mirror. He held it, getting a better angle on the text. “Just says ‘extinguish’. Yeah, I know that.”

Luca chirped again, sending an intensely frustrated emotion through their connection. The spirit bound to the far side of the archway, jumping at the other text.

“Oh, right,” Ethan said, walking to the other side. “Says something different here… ‘dirt’. That’s… helpful?”

Luca growled in frustration again.

“Oooh! Use the dirt to snuff out the candles?” Ethan asked. “Sure, why not?”

Ethan scooped up a handful of dirt, then dumped it on a candle. The flame snuffed out immediately. Then he had the laborious process of digging in the ground with his hands to snuff out all the candles. It was hard to judge time in the dungeon, but he figured it took between a half hour and an hour. The last scoop of dirt fell over a blazing torch, extinguishing it.

But nothing happened.

“I don’t get it. That’s all of them, right?”

Ethan checked the areas in the room, making sure there were no hidden burning candles. But every candle he needed to snuff out seemed to be in plain sight. He paced around the archway, circling around the outside. He passed through it, stomping his foot as he came to a rest on the other side. Nothing came to his mind. The lights were out. What else was he supposed to do?

As the Caller turned to walk through the gateway, he spotted something strange. The inscription on the archway had changed. It was no longer a single word, but a scrawl of them that wrapped around the thing. Using the mirror trick, and the light from Luca, he read the inscription.

The darkest days bring the brightest lights. When…

The message continued on the other side. Ethan shuffled over there, angling his mirror.

…all lights are out, the true light shines.

Ethan dragged his eyes over the room, finally settling on Luca. All lights. Including the little peppy spirit currently bathing the place in a silver glow. With a thought, the Caller dismissed his companion, plunging him into total darkness. He couldn’t even see his hand in front of his face, no matter how much he waved it. But as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he spotted something on the far side of the room. Judging from how low it seemed, it was in the pile of things that Luca was digging through.

Stumbling a few times as he walked through the dark room, Ethan snatched up the item. A system message popped up immediately.

[Puzzle Solved]!

You’ve completed your individual puzzle.

Teleporting to the boss room…

The world swirled around him and he was suddenly standing in the boss room. There was no boss, only a magical fire and a one-eyed dark elf making tea.

“Hooray,” Twist said. “Which did you get?”

“A light puzzle. Had to snuff out all the lights,” Ethan said.

“Agility puzzle,” Twist said with a sage-like nod.

“That’s not fair.”

“No, it is not. Tea?”

Ethan nodded, sitting near the magical fire. The water was already boiling. Twist added a healthy amount of black tea to the mix before drizzling a honey-like substance into the kettle. The aroma filled the room with a mixture of sweetness and earth. A sound like a pop came from nowhere, and Void appeared.

“A riddle?” she asked, shouting the question. “Well, I just hate riddles.”

“Yeah, I hate riddles too,” Ethan said. “Want some tea?”

“Oh, I’d love some tea,” Void said, walking over to sit near the fire.

Twist gestured to himself, “agility puzzle,” then to Ethan, “extinguishing lights puzzle.”

“Glad I didn’t get the agility one,” Void muttered. “I’m about as agile as a crocodile.”

As long as Targe solved his puzzle, Ethan hoped this would be the end of it. He didn’t want to entertain the idea that they’d also need to fight the boss. That wasn’t something he was interested in at all. He’d rather sit here and sip tea than take on another horrifying ant monster. He didn’t know how horrible the regular ones were, but the corrupted ants could all die in a fire for all he cared.

Telbarantis was nearby. Ethan could feel the Great Spirit pressing against the dungeon, clawing his way in. Something about the way the spirit jabbed its claws into the dungeon seemed desperate. He couldn’t sense Lucantele nearby, and he couldn't figure out if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Another pop issued from the room’s corner and Targe appeared. The man was covered in slime and heaving breaths between coughing the viscous liquid up. Ethan sprung to his feet and cast a few [Cure Minor Wounds] on him. A system message appeared.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

[Puzzle Solved]!

You’ve completed the Rank 1 [Corrupted Ant Dungeon]!

Defeating the final boss by solving the puzzle and surviving has granted you a…

ERROR!

“What? Error?” Void asked.

The dungeon shook around them. From behind, the dungeon core rose from the ground. It was a man-sized orb of malicious energy. A pulsing cage of black ooze and malice. Tenbarantis’ claws ripped into the dungeon, tearing through the earthen ceiling.

“My tea!” Void shouted, covering the top of her cup.

Ethan spotted Twist shoving his things into his bags, even as the maw of the Great Spirit came down. Telbarantis clamped his jaws around the dungeon core, ripping it from its place before disappearing into the dark void he left in the ceiling. A system message popped up again.

[Dungeon Core] has been removed.

Ejecting [Targe’s Party] from the [Corrupted Ant Dungeon]!

Ethan was flung backwards through space. The darkness of the dungeon gave way to the brightness of sunshine. He tumbled, listening to the shouts of fear from people around him. Unfamiliar voices filled the air.

“Well, that sucked!” Void shouted.

“Agreed,” Twist said, groaning to his feet.

When Ethan’s eyes finally adjusted to the outside light, he saw what the duke’s men were shouting about something. Towering over their camp was the massive form of Telbarantis. Clasped in his jaws was the corrupted dungeon core, tentacles forming on the edge of the thing to slap against him uselessly.

“It is done,” the Great Spirit said.

“Caller Bells!” the commander of the outpost shouted. “Why is the Great Spirit Telbarantis here?”

“Removing the corrupted core, I’d guess,” Ethan said, waving at Tel. “Did we do good, boss?”

Telbarantis nodded. “The core cannot be destroyed by a mortal. And I could not penetrate the dungeon without a Caller near the core. You’ve done well. Well enough to earn my favor.”

“A pact?” Ethan asked.

“A pact,” Tel repeated. “I hope you don’t forget me when you get your next quest. I hope you don’t forget the other Great Spirits.”

“I won’t,” Ethan said, staring up at the massive alligator-like lizard spirit. “But I have a favor to ask.”

“Oh? What would you ask of a Great Spirit?”

“My friend Void here has a cracked core. Know any spirits that could heal her?” Ethan asked.

Telbarantis tilted his massive head, fixing a single eye on the Mage. Void shrunk at his gaze, staring up with fear in her eyes.

“Is he gonna eat me?” she asked.

“A fissure. Void magic leaks into her soul. She doesn’t have long to live, Caller Bells,” Tel said. “A month, perhaps. Send her to my temple. I can prolong her life while you search for the Lesser Spirit Parabaxis. A nescant spirit, yes. But she can help.”

“Thank you, Tel,” Ethan said, waving up at the massive spirit. “We’ll bring her right over. Need anything else while we’re here? Should we close the dungeon up, or something?”

“It will collapse on its own. Advise the duke’s men to retreat from this place. Immediately,” Telbarantis said. “Bring the Void Mage to my temple.”

“Will do.”

Tel nodded, then simply vanished. That got another chorus of shouts from the duke’s men.

“Hooray, we did it!” Ethan said, turning to his companions. Everyone in the camp was staring up at the empty space where Telbarantis just occupied.

“I didn’t crap my pants this time,” Targe said. “That’s a start.”

“You’ll explain what just happened,” the leader of the camp said, stomping over. He got a bit too far into Ethan’s personal space.

“Unless you want the big lizard back, you can just leave me alone,” Ethan said, pushing past the man. “Jobs done. The dungeon is going to explode soon. Like real soon.”

The camp went into a panic as everyone evacuated. Targe’s adventuring party walked together as the duke’s men scattered. They found a decent vantage point after traveling for a few minutes. Far enough away to witness the duke’s camp explode. Streams of black goo shot into the air, joined by plumes of dirt and dust. The sound rolled over them, almost deafening. Then Ethan remembered he’d completed a quest.

The Caller went to his quest screen, finding that he could complete the [Heal Telbarantis] one whenever he wanted. The moment he accepted, a new staff appeared before him. Like the old one, this one had a wooden handle with a brass cap on the butt-end. Depictions of various Great Spirits were etched in the wood. Two bells rested inside the decorative brass circle at the top this time. He inspected it before the next quest appeared.

[Caller’s Beckoning Staff]

[Staff]

Rank 1

Epic

Description:

A caller’s staff is specific to their class. Topped with a summoning bell, these staves are used to encourage the Symbols of Great Spirits.

Effect:

Allows half mana regen within combat.

With intent, shake to invoke the [Spur] ability once per hour.

With intent, shake to invoke the [Caller’s Mana Regen] ability once per hour.

“How many bells does one man need?” Targe asked.

“Two, at least,” Ethan said. He inspected the ability attached to the item.

[Caller’s Mana Regen]

Equipment Ability

Cooldown:

1 hour

Description:

For one minute, you gain full mana regen in combat.

Effect:

Full mana regen in combat for one minute.

“Oh, that’s nice,” Ethan said. He tested the item, shaking his staff. As he intended, only one of the two bells rang. It activated the [Caller’s Mana Regen] ability. He shaked it again and the other bell rang, activating the [Spur] ability. They were at slightly different tones.

Before the Caller could appreciate his staff more, a quest notification popped up.

[Rebuild the Temple]

Quest

Description:

You’ve cured the dungeon blight! Now get back to work.

Lucantele’s temple is in ruins. Restore the place to its former glory through whatever means necessary.

Objectives:

Rebuild Lucantele’s Temple

Reward:

Building Crystal

“Building crystal,” Ethan said, trailing off before he said more.

“Hah! That settles it. System wants you to own the temple,” Targe said.

And Ethan could put it together. The crystal represented some ownership of the building. Something he wanted nothing to do with. Perhaps there was a way he could usher stewardship of the building to someone else. Maybe make a cult for Lucantele like there was for Telbarantis. Was it really a cult, or an actual religion? The Caller decided it was a real religion. At least the giant lizard showed up to say ‘hi’.

“Time to get back to Oudsted,” Ethan said. “We need to get Void to Telbarantis’ island.”

“Why?” Twist asked.

Ethan remembered they couldn’t hear the conversation he had with the Great Spirit. “She’s dying. Sorry, Void. You’re dying.”

Void shrugged. “Meh. Already knew it.”

“Telbarantis can keep you alive for longer while we look for a Lesser Spirit named Parabaxis,” Ethan said.

“Oh, really?” Void asked, brightening up. “Seriously? You have that kind of pull with the spirits?”

“Well, I’m the only one around who can talk to them so… yeah, I guess,” Ethan said. Something came to mind. “Oh! Check this out.”

Ethan channeled a spell. [Summon Telbarantis].

The blue lizard jumped from a blue arcane circle, landing to dig his claws into the ground. Releasing a roar that would have been mighty if he was large, the small creature posed. He was slightly larger than Lucantele’s summoned version, but not by much. The adventurers came over to pat the Great Spirit’s Symbol on the head, cooing at him as though he were a baby.

Ethan examined his new summon while the group played with the spirit.

[Telbarantis]

Spirit of Fertility (of the land)

Bond Level

1

Bond Rank

0

Mana Cost

Medium

Perpetuation Cost

Low

Description:

Telbarantis is the Great Spirit of Fertility (of the land). He is known for seeding the shores of the Oudsted river with fertile beds. Those within the area pray to him for a good planting season. They also often pray for babies, but Telbarantis is legendary for his hate of children.

Abilities:

[Bulwark]

So he had to level the new spirit up. Ethan knew that before, but seeing it himself made him realize how much work there was going to be. What would happen if he got 10 spirits? He pushed the thought from his mind to examine the [Bulwark] ability.

[Bulwark]

Summon Ability

Mana Cost

Extremely Low

Cooldown

1.5 minutes

Description:

Absorb the next strike directed at the summoned spirit.

That was a solid ability. Telbarantis had already said his Symbol was defensive, and Ethan could see some applications where this would be useful. The one thing that stood out was how inflexible he was in combat. He’d keep an eye out for abilities that let him summon faster so that swapping them out wouldn’t be such a pain. With a mental command, he ordered Tel to use [Bulwark].

The spirit dug its feet into the ground and tilted his broad head forward. His body shimmered with blue energy, a cloud of dust swirling around him. When Ethan ordered the Symbol to move around, it did so without issues. But there was an obvious drawback. Unlike Lucantele, Telbarantis was quite slow. He wouldn’t be used for any recon missions. Only tanking duties. But that’s what it meant to build out a diverse set of powers.

“I’ll build him like a tank as I level him,” Ethan said, patting Tel on the head. The spirit growled.

“Not trying to replace me, are you?” Targe asked.

Ethan clapped the Fighter on the back and smiled. “No, I don’t think I am. Not after I saw you taking hits in the dungeon.”

“Damn right.”

The group departed the hill, making their way down the forested hill. Void was bluffing. She collapsed half-way back to Oudsted. Twist volunteered to carry her on his back, handing his pack off to Targe for the remainder of the journey. The need to get her to Telbarantis’ island was more dire. Ethan’s desire to find Parabaxis suddenly outweighed his obligation to help Lucantele.

The Caller entered Oudsted with a flood of conflicting feelings.