Ethan had rested better than he expected within the dungeon. When the group rose the next day, having a hearty breakfast that depleted their fresh reserves, they tested Targe’s new shield. The damage chipped away with every Rank 1 orc’s attack was reduced significantly. Since the shield was larger and heavier, it made for a fine defense. The size didn’t stop the Fighter from bashing orcs in the face, this time sending them on their ass with every smash.

“Feels like nothing at all!” Targe shouted, backhanding another orc with his new shield.

Twist stood with Ethan, allowing the Fighter to test his new shield. It was like watching a kid who just got a new toy. The joy on that man’s face would burn an image into the Caller’s mind. Meanwhile, he did experimentations of his own.

Luca darted down the hallway, a ghostly version of him visible through the [Caller’s Domed Hat of Sight]. Instead of vague thoughts coming back from the spirit, he got concrete impressions of things. Almost like thoughts, or whispers of what was actually happening. Ethan understood more of how the Symbol thought. A strand of power ran from the summon to the Great Spirit. While it was only a flicker of the true being’s will, it was there.

“He’s really excited about that shield,” Ethan said.

The pair hadn’t acted in the three-on-one fight yet. Twist shrugged. “For a tank, a shield is important.”

“We’ll have plenty of time to get more gear for you guys,” Ethan said. “We’ll drag the [Dungeon Core] back to Luca’s temple, then head over to Oudsted so you can rank up your [Blood Mage’s Core].”

“A keen plan.”

“Then we gotta run another dungeon so you can evolve your [Rogue’s Core]. Then we need to figure out how to do the feat of valor for Targe,” Ethan said, letting out a breath. “Yeah, we got a lot to do. Hey, that doesn’t even include going to find Parabaxis. Healing Void. Finding other Great Spirits and forming pacts with them.”

“Indeed.”

“Not even going to mention what happens when we heal Void. Feels like she’s a can of corruption waiting to burst.” Ethan tilted his hat, looking at the stone-faced man with his true sight. “Ya know?”

“I do.”

“Think this hat provides any protection?” Ethan asked.

Twist brought a fist down on the Caller’s head. The strike hit the hat, but the fabric held firm.

“Seems tough.”

“More than nothing, right?” Ethan asked.

As they stood, watching the Fighter have the time of his life with his new shield, something itched in the back of Ethan’s mind. The string between the Symbol and Luca twanged, as though plucked. The Caller felt a great sense of peril, then nothing. He looked around for another moment where the dungeon dropped a sub-boss on their heads. But there was nothing. Just the giggling Fighter and his shield. The expressionless dark elf.

“Did you feel that?” Ethan asked.

“I felt nothing.”

“Felt like… damn, I don’t know. Danger? Like someone was in trouble,” Ethan said.

“Targe is doing fine,” Twist said, gesturing to the Fighter. “Although perhaps we should end this. I’d like to leave the dungeon today.”

“Yeah. Me too,” Ethan said. “Clearing a Rank 1 in 2 days. Is that a good time?”

“Not really,” Twist said. “Depends on the team, of course. Those with means clear them far faster.”

“Go figure,” Ethan said, turning his attention to Targe. He sent Luca in to help. “Hey, let’s wrap it up. I’d like to finish this dungeon while we’re still young.”

“None of us are young,” Twist corrected.

Targe grumbled, even as Twist moved in to help with the orcs. They cleared the room easily, looting the orcs and moving on. By Ethan’s estimation, it took them half a day to clear out the other wings of the dungeon up to the sub-boss. The only one left was another [Big Orc], this time without a modifier. That made the fight easy and the group gathered to inspect the loot.

“Wow. Another [Mana Tap Ring],” Ethan said, holding the Rank 1 version of the ring up.

“You can only equip one,” Twist said. “Would you mind if I took your old version?”

“Not at all, good sir,” Ethan said, removing his old ring and handing it off to Twist. He inspected the new version.

[Mana Tap Ring]

[Ring]

Rank 1

Rare

Description:

Invest your mana within this ring, allowing you to restore it at will.

Effects:

Use your current mana to charge this ring.

At your command, restore the amount of mana you’ve invested.

Maximum of 75 mana.

“Some other junk,” Targe said, sifting through the things within the chest. “Another mage piece that increases [Affinity]. Money, sub-boss cores… You know the deal.”

Ethan nodded. He was happy with his new ring. Storing 25 more mana in the ring for use whenever he wanted was great. Between the sub-boss fight, and clearing out the rest of the dungeon, the party had burned away the day. The Caller got his [Evoker’s Subcore] to level 9, and his [Healer’s Subcore] to level 4. When his [Caller’s Core] hit level 4, he put a point in [Mind]. Of course.

Thanks to the increased [Mind] on his hat, Ethan now had 26. That gave him 245 mana, and 18 [Mana Regen]. Since combat regen was halved, he sat at 9 [Mana Regen] in combat. Lucantele’s base cost was 14, reduced to 10 by [Pact Upgrade 1]. Meaning he was only 1 regen away from having a free summon.

But as the group stood outside of the boss room, Ethan’s heart sank. The boss looked much like the Phase Mages they’d fought before. He hated the mages. Their experience with the monster type had been bad. Their luck and timing had been the only thing to see them through.

“Good,” Targe said. “Not a Phase Shaman. Just a regular old Shaman.”

The boss monster danced on a raised platform, surrounded by totems and effigies. It wore a reed skirt, a mask of bone, and held something that looked like a human head in its left hand. The image was only visible through the haze of the boss portal, leaving many details to interpretation.

As they stood there, creating a strategy for the fight, Ethan felt the uncomfortable tug again. This time it was more urgent, coming from somewhere in his chest. He looked around again, then collapsed to the ground. Flashes rolled through his mind. Images of the landscape outside the dungeon from the sky. He saw the dungeons from afar, and gained a great sense of danger. The Caller gasped, his eyes snapping open.

Targe and Twist stood beside him, eyes wide with concern.

“Bells,” Targe said, slapping the side of his face. “What was that? Are you alright?”

“His pulse is racing,” Twist said.

“We have to finish this dungeon,” Ethan said, pushing his companions away. But they helped him to his feet. “I saw… something. The area outside the dungeons. Then I felt this incredible sense of danger, like I was about to die.”

“A warning?” Twist asked.

Ethan closed his eyes, trying to get a better sense for the message. It was a jumble of things, but the more he concentrated the more he realized who sent the message. What the message was about.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Luca wanted me to… get out of the dungeon,” Ethan said with a nod. “No, he wants us to finish but he wants us out as soon as possible.”

“Can a Great Spirit do that?” Targe asked. “Send you messages?”

“The Callers are connected to the spirits,” Twist said. “That’s logical.”

The concept might have been logical, but Ethan didn’t understand the message fully. What did it matter if they hurried? Time was moving slower in the dungeon. At a rate that crawled, compared to the real world. Even if they spent 48 hours in the dungeon, only an hour and a half would have passed in the real world. The only reason Luca would have warned him was if…

“Seconds mattered,” Ethan said, reviewing the memory in his mind. There was something outside of the dungeons, he just couldn’t see it. Luca’s sphere of influence was too distant. “Let’s go.”

Equipping his [Healer’s Subcore] and gesturing to the portal, Ethan was ready to go. Targe touched the shimmering portal, sending all members to the other side. A system message appeared.

[Targe’s Party] has entered a [Boss Arena]!

Defeat the boss or solve the puzzle to complete the dungeon. Your reward is based on the amount of rooms and sub-bosses you’ve cleared.

Battle difficulty has been increased for 3 party members.

The room they saw outside of the arena was nothing like the room they stood in. The group found themselves in a narrow hallway, stretching forward into a haze. Two lights shone from braziers on the far side, the orc boss barely visible from their position. Twist coiled on the spot and Targe readied his shield. Then the fight began.

“Wait,” Ethan said, holding a hand to stop his companions.

The boss didn’t move on the far side of the hall. One brazier was snuffed out, leaving the other to burn. It crackled with a sickly green flame, while the one that had extinguished was bright red.

“Is this a boss and a puzzle?” Ethan asked.

“Never seen this one,” Targe said, poking his head out from behind his shield. “Why isn’t the boss moving?”

“That’s what I’m saying. They normally charge you down right away,” Ethan said, casting [Summon Lucantele]. When the spell was complete, he continued. The braziers flipped, the red one burning bright. “There’s this game back on Earth. Redlight, Greenlight.”

“You think this is an Earth game?” Twist asked.

“One way to find out,” Ethan said, ordering Luca to charge down the hall.

A rush of fire came from the walls, engulfing the spirit and destroying it in an instant.

“Yep! That’s the game,” Ethan said, chuckling nervously.

Targe made a warding gesture of his chest. “That was a lot of damage.”

“No joke,” Ethan said, allowing his mana to regenerate from [Caller’s Resilience]. Once he was topped off, he cast [Summon Lucantele] again. “Let’s be thorough.”

When the light shifted back to green, he ordered Luca to charge once again. This time, nothing happened. When the red brazier burned, the Symbol stopped. Ethan repeated this several times, confirming his suspicions.

“We can only move on green,” Ethan said. “Easy enough, right?”

“Until we get to the end,” Twist said.

“How are we going to fight if we can’t move?” Targe asked.

“Carefully,” Ethan said.

Edged on by the danger Luca warned him about, and the awkwardness of playing a child’s game in a dungeon, Ethan sprinted down the hall. He and his companions skidded to a stop when the light shifted back to red. Awkward moments of staring up at those braziers before they shifted again, resulting in another insane scramble. It took the better part of an hour to make their way to the end, to spot the boss of the dungeon.

The light changed again. Ethan only took a few steps before a wave of force issued from the platform. Both flames snuffed out, and the gibbering orc jumped from his perch. The monster threw wooden totems at the ground, then dashed for the Caller. Luca was there to intercept the attack, jumping in front of the boss and using his [Claw] ability.

Targe came in hard around Luca, slamming into the boss with his new shield. When the monster tumbled back, the Fighter activated his [Charge] ability to bridge the gap once more. Stabbing with furious strikes, he didn’t give the orc a moment to collect itself.

Twist, sensing something the others hadn’t seen, went directly for the totems. He cut each in half before they could release their deadly effects. Ethan ordered Luca to cast [Barrier of Hope] and [Persistent Light of Hope] on Targe. He activated the [Spur] and [Caller’s Sprint] effect on his gear, growing Luca to twice his normal size. The moment the Rogue and the Symbol descended on the boss, the room changed.

“Don’t move!” Ethan shouted.

He didn’t need to issue the instruction, though. Each member of the party, Luca included, stood motionless. The boss had retreated to his platform, the eerie red glow issuing from the brazier once again. The Shaman waved its hands wildly, and a wave of fire rolled from the platform.

Ethan’s instinct was to dive to the side. But this was a normal dungeon. There shouldn’t have been any tricks that broke the rules. While he didn’t need a command to stay still, Targe still shouted instructions.

“Bells, get the heals ready,” he said, holding his shield firm. “Take the damage. Not worth moving during red.”

Ethan had [Cure Wounds] at the ready, but as the wave rolled over Luca, he noticed it did no damage. It washed over the spirit harmlessly, passing over and inflicting no damage.

“It’s a feint,” Ethan said. “Meant to make us move during this phase.”

“A trick,” Twist added.

Ethan held his staff at the ready, eyes locked on the dim brazier. It turned red, and he slammed his staff into the ground, invoking [Caller’s Steadying Stance]. His mind spun, almost sending him tumbling onto his ass. Luca sprinted to the boss, slamming into it before it moved. Twist and Targe piled on, stabbing and slashing at the monster. More flashes of danger passed through the Caller’s mind. Now, with a plea for help. A drawn-out cry that pierced through the dungeon. In an instant, the puzzle clicked in his mind.

“Hurry!” Ethan said, gasping as his focus was split between his body and the will of the spirit. “We need to leave!”

Targe and Twist redoubled their efforts. The Rogue burnt all his cooldowns as the Fighter drove his spear through the monster’s heart. But bosses were made of tougher stuff than the regular monsters in the dungeon. Even with two of the three party members at the peak of Rank 1, it wasn’t enough to drive the orc down so easily.

A wave of fire washed over the entire party, inflicting damage and sending them back to the start of the puzzle. The red light blazed.

“Heals!” Targe shouted.

Ethan spent 100 mana healing everyone up, dropping his reserves to 50. He used his new [Mana Tap Ring], then slammed his staff into the ground. The second bell rang, filling him with the power of [Caller’s Mana Regen]. Then, he sent Luca forward. A wave of fire consumed the spirit, killing it instantly. [Caller’s Resilience] washed over him, sending his [Mana Regen] skyrocketing. When the light turned green, he was almost at full mana. The next time the light turned red, he cast [Summon Lucantele], ending with 180 mana.

“That [Mana Regen],” Targe said, drawing heavy breaths. “You’re a monster, dude!”

“Dude?” Twist asked, eyes locked on the braziers.

“Yeah. Bells says it all the time. It means ‘my friend’,” Targe said.

“That is not true,” Twist said. “What does it mean, Bells?”

Ethan’s mind wasn’t on the definition of Earth slang. He had to rip his thoughts away from Luca’s warning to offer an answer. “I’d say… ‘my guy’ is a better translation. Although, I see it as a unisex term. Some on Earth don’t.”

“Proper usage?”

“Let’s kill this boss, dude. Dude, where’s my loot? And so on,” Ethan said.

“I’d love to get this stupid boss mechanic over and leave, dude,” Twist said.

“Dude, right?” Targe asked.

The light turned green and the party surged forward. This time, the boss seemed to toy with them. It only gave them short sprints of time before turning red again. Targe was almost incinerated when he ran too far during the green phase. By the time they reached the shaman next time, each member was eager to end the fight. Running down the hall had worn them down, reducing their combat ability.

Twist took care of the totems when the shaman jumped from his platform this time. Targe didn’t give the boss a chance to attack and was upon him in moments. Without cooldowns, Ethan played the support role he was so good at. While the boss didn’t have any status effects to its name, the monster had a health pool that seemed endless. The party couldn’t burn him down quick enough to avoid another daunting phase down the hall. But as another wave of fire rolled out, they found themselves in a new position.

Instead of teleporting to the start of the hall, each member of the party stood before the platform. The boss danced and mumbled on the platform, shifting from one foot to the other. Ethan couldn’t move, but he spotted three braziers this time. All were unlit and aligned with where each member of the party was standing.

With a wide gesture, the boss pointed at the Caller.

Ethan could move, and the boss dove in at him. Revealing a hidden dagger, the orc drove hard at the Caller’s heart. Luca jumped, taking the hit as the party looked on in horror. Flooded with [Caller’s Resilience], he used [Rapid Summon] and cast [Summon Telbarantis]. The lizard-spirit sprung from the ground, snatching the orc’s outstretched arm and savaging it.

“Not fair!” Ethan screamed, bringing his staff down on the monster’s head.

The orc writhed under Tel’s grasp, cocking its fist to strike the spirit in the head. Tel used [Bulwark], taking no damage from the hit. Then the boss was back on the platform. The fire that represented Ethan was gone, and it gestured again. Targe’s brazier lit up, and the orc jumped at the Fighter.

Targe had no problem deflecting the first blow from the dagger, swatting it aside with his shield and driving in hard with his spear. He shoved the monster back, stabbing repeatedly until he lost control of his weapon. Then his word was in his hand, cutting deep into the boss’ flesh.

Once again, the encounter was over in a flash. But Ethan saw the problem with what happened next.

“You have to dodge the hit, Twist!” Ethan shouted. “I think the dagger is instant death!”

Twist grunted a response, unable to coil like he normally did. The orc danced on the platform, holding there for dramatic effect. The Rogue’s brazier lit up.

Twist used his [Rogue’s Leaping Ring], jumping high enough to twist in the air and touch the ceiling with his feet. The orc missed entirely, stumbling forward with the dagger extended. Twist pushed off from the ceiling, driving down with both knives leading. The strike connected in the back of the boss’ neck. Twist screamed, planting both his feet on the monster’s back and pulling his weapons to either side. Severing the orc’s head entirely.

The room flashed, releasing the party from the mechanic.

“Dude,” Targe said.

A system message appeared.

[Targe’s Party] has defeated the [Stop and Go Blorg], earning a [Gold Boss Chest]!

You defeated the stop and go boss without losing a party member, earning you a [Gold Bonus Chest]!

You’ve defeated every monster in the dungeon, earning you a [Platinum Bonus Chest]!

Clearing the dungeon in under one day earned you a [Gold Bonus Chest]!