The first rays of dawn filtered through the vibrant canopy, stirring the group from their exhausted slumber. As Calvin blinked awake, a bold quest prompt flashed before his eyes:
NEW QUEST: SUNKEN CAVERNS DUNGEON CRAWL
Explore the nearby Mountain Pass and locate the rumored Sunken Caverns dungeon. Goal: Find the dungeon entrance and return with information before nightfall.
Rewards:
- 2,500 XP
- Dungeon clues
Calvin sat up with a groan, his bruised body protesting. Nearby, his companions were also staring at the sudden quest log with bewilderment.
"A dungeon crawl?" Ian piped up nervously. "Are we even remotely prepared for something like that?"
"It says it's rumored nearby," Calvin mused. "And we could use the experience and intel. It does sound like we don’t have to enter the dungeon according to the description, just gather some information. That XP would land us solidly in level 5 territory though."
Marshall stretched his lanky frame with a yawn. "I for one am ready for level 5. I’ve got my eyes set on that class upgrade. We need some gear too. I’m really tired of putting my life in the hands of a sharpened stick."
Ian fidgeted with his glasses. "Agreed. The whole Javelin thing is neat and all, but not really my style."
Calvin stood, wincing slightly. "Let’s grab some breakfast and make our way there. We can always back out if things get a little too out of hand."
He extended his hand to Amy. She accepted it tentatively, Freya rising to join her. "Well, no rest for the weary. Let's go find us a dungeon!" Calvin declared.
As the group ate and packed up their supplies for the trek, Amy pulled Calvin aside.
“Don’t you think we might be getting in a little over our heads?” She asked with concern. In Amy’s eyes, Calvin had always been driven and dedicated to his professional life, but he was also highly analytical and risk-averse. In their old lives he was safe, and that was a comfort to her. He was predictable and Amy always knew where she stood with Calvin. Now, he was leaning into all of this at an almost reckless pace.
“I do. I’m not blind to the fact that this is all WAY beyond our scope. But I’ve been thinking about it….every night. Look where we are.” He waved his hand to indicate the world around them. “We’ve got a robot voice in our heads telling us we have to survive this fucked up mess. We’re in the ass end of some alien jungle, spending nearly every moment trying not to become fertilizer. The way I see it we have a few options. We sit here in camp and wait for this all to blow over, maybe that works. But what happens in two months? At the end of this tutorial, where will we be?”
“Do you not think we’ll be back home?” Amy asked. Although she already felt like she knew the answer, as the same question had been tugging at her too.
“I doubt it. This place is called a tutorial. I can only guess it’s a tutorial for something. Maybe it’s simple, and it’s just preparing us for new lives under the system. We’ll go back home and now everything will be like it was but with levels and stats and weird ass magic. I’m leaning far away from that possibility thought. The only way I see this tutorial ending is with us being thrust into something even far more shit stained. It’s preparing us for something, and the road so far has been God-awful. Whatever it’s preparing us for must be a hell of a lot worse.”
Amy nodded in understanding. Concern was still etched on her features, but she was coming around to Calvin’s view.
“So if we sit around in camp, we won’t be getting stronger. If we survive, which I doubt we would without any power, then we’ll just be infants in some bullshit and that will be it for us. We die. I also get the feeling that this tutorial has a purpose. It can’t be some big cosmic prank to pick up a bunch of earthlings, drop them in a battle royale and watch them get fucked over by psychotic wildlife. If the tutorial has a purpose, then the messages we get from the system must be purposeful too. This quest for instance….” Calvin pointed up at the invisible system prompt. “I don’t for a second believe it’s going to be a walk in the park. It’s probably going to be dangerous as fuck. But there must be a reason behind it…one that results in us overcoming the challenge and becoming more powerful, or being erased from existence. If the system is guiding us toward power, then we really need to consider taking those opportunities at every chance we get. I’m terrified, as I know we all are. Marshall might put on a brave face but I know he’s shitting his pants over the prospect of this quest. I hate that you’re dragged into this as well, but a part of me is happy that you were.”
Amy gave him an almost offended look at that, so Calvin continued to explain.
“I can’t imagine if we had been separated in the chaos back home. I would be here, and you would be….where? I’d live every second wondering what I could have done differently. With you here, I can see you. I know you’re safe, and I know that I’m going to do whatever I can to keep it that way.”
“That’s not your job Cal.” Amy retorted. “You don’t need to take care of me.”
“Maybe I don’t. I know you can take care of yourself, Amy. I’ve seen it firsthand. But that’s not the point. We are friends. Right now, you and Freya are all I’ve got left in this world, and you’re my most important reason for getting through this mess. You may not need me to take care of you. But I need it for myself. I need to know that whatever shit comes our way, I did my best. If the worst happens and we end up getting stomped to death by some freaky mutant Rhino….I’m not going to go out thinking that I just shit the bed and got you killed. We are in this together, and I’m not backing off from the challenge even in the slightest. I’m getting that power and I’m getting answers. Frankly, I’m sick of all this. Having no understanding of what’s happening around me. Wondering which of the walking monstrosities here is going to spell my doom. I’m not going to be the victim in this….and I’m going to have you at my side for this ride. We’re getting through this Amy.”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Amy looked at Calvin, searching his eyes before choosing her next words. “Alright, Cal. But you’re not my protector. We’re together in this. We take risks together. We fight together. I know how you are…always thinking the responsibility falls on your shoulders. That shit stops in this tutorial. Look at us. Every one of us has pulled our asses out of the fire more than once. We rely on each other equally.” Then she gave him a sly smile. “Understood?”
“Yes ma’am.” Calvin replied offering a half-assed salute. With that, they made their way back to the group to finish their preparations.
The group gathered their battered equipment and set off towards the distant mountain pass under the fluorescent jungle canopy. Apprehension and excitement dueled within them – they were slowly becoming survivors, a guild of unlikely adventurers pushed to overcome each impossible new challenge.
Freya led the group's trek, her keen canine senses alert for danger. Calvin took up the rear, unusually silent amidst Marshall's dramatic re-tellings of his role in the previous fight.
A tense urgency drove them onwards as the sun crept higher. The novelty of questing as a means to survive had long worn off, but necessity compelled them to continuously test their fledgling skills against the jungle's ruthless trials.
Distant mountains slowly emerged into view by midday. The terrain grew more treacherous, neon flora giving way to jagged glowing crystals jutting from the mountain's base.
“This must be the place.” Said Marshall.
The Mountain Pass yawned before them, a jagged scar against the jungle’s dense canopy. Ian squinted up the treacherous, crystalline path, a shiver crawling down his spine. It wasn't fear, not entirely. It was something else, a tingle in his fingertips, a whisper of wind along his bones. The air itself felt charged, the silence humming with unseen energy. "Guys," he stammered, "something's… different here."
His voice, barely a whisper in the echoing pass, drew surprised glances.
Calvin squinted at him, concern creasing his weathered face. "Different, how?"
Ian shook his head, frustration building. He could feel it, almost taste it – an energy buzzing beneath his skin, a dissonance in the usual rhythm of the jungle. It was faint, just a tremor in the world, but it sent shivers down his spine.
"I… I can't explain it," he mumbled, "but everything feels… heavy. Like the air's thicker, the shadows sharper. Like we're stepping into a different atmosphere entirely."
His words, cryptic and unsettling, hung heavy in the air. Marshall scoffed, dismissing them as the jitters of multiple, back-to-back near-death experiences. Amy gave him a concerned look, a silent understanding flickering in her eyes.
Calvin, though, felt a cold knot tighten in his gut. He knew there was something to Ian's strange sensitivity, a truth beyond their present understanding. It was the same tingling awareness he'd felt before danger struck, the same premonition before the raptors attacked.
"Alright, listen up," he said, his voice firm despite the unease churning within. "Ian might be onto something. Let's be extra cautious from here on out. Keep your eyes peeled, stay alert, and trust your instincts."
His words fell like a heavy cloak over the group, dampening their earlier lighthearted banter. The path ahead, already treacherous, loomed larger, more menacing. The humming sensation that Ian felt danced along their skin, a chilling reminder of the unseen forces at play.
They continued their ascent, apprehension a silent passenger at their side. Every rustle of leaves, every echo in the crystalline canyons, carried a potential threat. Ian kept his gaze fixed on the mountain peak, the dissonance in the world growing louder with each step.
And then, they saw it. A jagged maw nestled amidst the glowing crystals, a darkness that swallowed the neon light. The entrance to the Sunken Caverns, shrouded in an unnerving silence, a waiting maw promising peril and intrigue in equal measure.
As they stood poised at the threshold, a sudden shift rippled through the air, the humming energy morphing into a low, primal tremor. Ian stumbled back, a gasp escaping his lips. This wasn't just a difference – it was a reaction, a response to their presence.
Calvin drew his spear, his gaze never leaving the cavern's ominous depths. They had come seeking a dungeon, a challenge. But what awaited them beyond that inky void might be something far more unsettling, something tied to the very fabric of this neon reality.
With a shared, grim nod, the group stepped into the darkness, hearts pounding, senses alight. The Sunken Caverns awaited, promising answers, danger, and perhaps, the key to understanding the strange new world they found themselves in.
As the group swallowed the last sliver of sunlight and ventured into the yawning maw of the Sunken Caverns, a wave of damp heat washed over them. Crimson moss pulsed against the obsidian walls, the air thick with the whispers of unseen currents. Then, with a soft chime, a system notification bloomed before their eyes:
DUNGEON CRAWL QUEST PART 1 COMPLETED
REWARDED: 2,500 XP
BONUS REWARD: Dungeon Clues
A collective gasp rippled through the party. Most eyes met with wide surprise, then jubilation. Level 5. They had reached the threshold, the point where specialization awaited.
But the excitement of their new levels was quickly eclipsed by the second reward, a pulsating orb of information hovering before them. With a touch, it unfurled a holographic map, intricate passages weaving through the depths of the caverns. Glowing symbols, pulsating with a malevolent red, marked potential traps and lurking horrors. Yet, alongside the warnings, nestled amidst the danger, shimmered tantalizing promises – rare crafting materials, powerful relics, and cryptic hints of knowledge beyond their wildest imaginings.
QUEST: ECHOES OF THE OBSIDIAN HEART
Level: 5+ (Recommended party size: 4-5)
Location: Sunken Caverns (Deepest Depths)
Goal: Unearth the source of the unsettling power emanating from the caverns' core, known only as the Obsidian Heart. Retrieve the artifact responsible for this potent energy and neutralize its potential threat.
Rewards:
Rare crafting materials: Uncover rare crafting materials, suitable for unlocking new equipment or utility item recipes.
The Orb of Obsidian Vision: A mystical artifact forged from the Obsidian Heart's raw essence, granting the ability to glimpse hidden pathways, uncover invisible threats, and pierce through magical illusions.
Fragment of the Lost Codex: A cryptic page from an ancient text rumored to hold the key to unlocking the secrets of this world, revealing forgotten lore and unlocking hidden potential within yourselves. This reward requires the other fragments to be utilized.
Hidden class evolutions: Completing this perilous quest may reveal whispers of specialized paths beyond the standard classes, hinting at unique abilities and powerful transformations for those who prove their worth. This will grant access to hidden class evolutions at level 25 that are normally unavailable.
The air crackled with a new kind of tension. The thrill of victory mingled with the sobering weight of the clues. This was no ordinary dungeon – it was a beast crouching in the darkness, hungry for the unwary.
Calvin traced his fingers along the holographic map and finally broke the silence. "This seems risky as hell, but the rewards," he rasped, "could change everything."
A grim but determined consensus settled over the group. Marshall, his usual carefree swagger tinged with respect, nodded. "Those red dots look nasty, but the loot, man, if it's even half of what this thing shows…"
A smile graced Calvin's weathered face. "No question about that. Now, let's head back to camp. We have classes to choose. We're going to need every bit of power we can get before attempting this."