The others perked up as they gathered around, Davick rubbing his hands eagerly, while even Tybalt allowed a hint of a grin. Coren opened the lid with a sense of reverence, revealing gold coins, finely crafted weapons, and a scroll tucked between them.
But before anyone could get a closer look, Tybalt cut in, “Hands off,” his tone harsh. He removed a small pouch from his hip—the dimensional bag. “These don’t go to us, remember?” he reminded them, loading each item into the bag where they disappeared one by one.
Kaiden frowned, glancing down. Of course, they all knew the rule, but he’d still hoped for a moment to study the items up close. “Whatever,” Davick spat, as he grumbled about Tybalt’s attitude.
Tybalt only harrumphed and continued gathering the loot. It was a strange sight: watching a sword vanish into a bag it had no business fitting into was somehow both eerie and deeply satisfying. So this is magic, Kaiden thought.
Finding this a good opportunity, Kaiden activated his arcane vision to watch the bag in action. But his attention quickly wandered to the portal, its surface rippling with strange energy. He stepped closer, studying the symbols circling it. A row of unfamiliar runes repeated across the portal’s edge, new forms of magic he’d never encountered before.
Fascinating, Kaiden thought, his mind already trying to commit a few of the symbols to memory before they stepped onto the next floor.
After committing a few of the runes to memory, Kaiden was snapped out of his focus by Tybalt’s sharp voice. “Let’s go,” Tybalt ordered, striding through the portal without a second glance to check if anyone was ready.
Coren and Davick exchanged a quick shrug, and Kaiden took a steadying breath before stepping in after Tybalt, the portal’s strange energy pulling him forward. The moment he passed through, the world around him shifted in a blink.
As soon as Kaiden came through the other side, he was greeted by a startling change in scenery. Unlike entering the dungeon, which had left him disoriented, this was smooth—like stepping through a thin veil. He’d felt no resistance, no lurch in his stomach. It was like crossing from one room to another, the portal merely blocking the light from the next area.
He glanced around, taking in his new surroundings. This was no open, dark cavern. Instead, they found themselves within what looked like a massive stronghold. The walls were solid stone, lined with heavy iron supports. There were no windows, but the space was well-lit, with large fire lamps mounted along the ceilings and braziers glowing steadily in each corridor. The air here was warmer and held the faint scent of burning wood.
“Wow,” Davick murmured, stepping up beside Kaiden. “I was expecting more caves.”
“So was I,” Kaiden replied, still marveling. The walls were carved with intricate symbols he couldn’t decipher, winding down long hallways that branched off in multiple directions.
Tybalt walked a few paces ahead, studying the layout of the corridors with a practiced eye. “Stay alert,” he warned. “Second floor should up the difficulty.”
Davick’s expression turned thoughtful. “As long as it’s not dark, I’m not worried.”
Kaiden chuckled. “Maybe worry a little. I feel that was probably the point of the first floor. Hard to see, but in exchange weaker monsters. Here, we can see which means stronger monsters.”
Coren nodded, his hand shifting to the hilt of his weapon. “Exactly.”
With Davick taking point, they began down the main corridor, their footsteps echoing softly off the stone walls.
The party continued down the corridor, moving cautiously. At each corner, Davick would peek his head around to check for enemies before they advanced, keeping them from walking into any nasty surprises. Thankfully, the path remained mostly linear, with no side passages to complicate their route.
After some time, Davick paused at a corner, leaned around for a look, and then shuffled back to the group. But instead of the usual “Clear,” he whispered, “Enemies. Skeleton warriors.”
Everyone exhaled, relieved. Skeleton warriors could be tough, but they were straightforward—no tricks, just bones and rusty weapons. There were only two of them: one armed with a massive club, the other with a sword and shield.
Tybalt nodded and signaled for the group to advance in formation. As they approached, Kaiden couldn’t help but feel a chill as he watched the skeletons move. There was something about the jerky, unnatural movements that unsettled him, but he pushed the thought aside and readied himself.
Davick, taking the lead, activated his shield’s taunt ability for the first time. A faint blue light pulsed across its surface, drawing the attention of both skeletons. The club-wielding skeleton and the swordsman turned their hollow, glowing eyes toward Davick and lumbered forward. He hadn’t used this ability earlier against the viper bats because it would’ve been a death sentence—the sheer number of bats would‘ve swarmed him instantly. But with only two skeletons, the ability worked perfectly, drawing their attention and isolating them from the rest of the group.
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Tybalt fired off a shard that hit the shield of the swordsman skeleton, but the ice shattered harmlessly against the old metal. He cursed under his breath as Davick raised his shield to brace for the impact. Both skeletons swung down, and though Davick staggered back from the momentum, he held his ground.
Coren moved in from the left, his massive sword swinging in a powerful arc that cleaved the club-wielding skeleton’s arm clean off. The skeleton didn’t let out a sound as it turned to focus on Coren, raising its remaining arm to strike back. Tybalt sent another shard of ice crashing into its ribcage, disrupting its momentum just long enough for Coren to swing again, this time severing its head with a decisive blow.
Meanwhile, the swordsman skeleton continued to hammer its blade against Davick’s shield, sparks flying with each strike. Kaiden watched intently, feeling somewhat useless but knowing his role was crucial. He kept an eye on the rear, making sure nothing crept up on them, and stayed ready to hand out potions or backup if anyone needed it.
Tybalt tried several more Ice Shards, but each one deflected off the skeleton’s shield. The distraction wasn’t needed, however, in those few seconds, Coren slipped behind the swordsman skeleton. With a powerful swing, Coren decapitated it, and the skeletal body collapsed in a clattering heap.
The group let out a collective sigh of relief.
“That wasn’t too bad,” Davick said, wiping some bone dust off his shield.
“Stupid shield,” Tybalt grumbled, casting a glare at the fallen skeleton’s equipment.
Kaiden stepped forward, scanning the group. “I’m guessing no one needs a potion, right?”
Davick turned, giving Kaiden a nod. “Not this time. But this shield ability really does drain my mana. I’ll yell out if I need one, which we might if we fight bigger groups.”
Kaiden looked down at the skeletal remains, watching as the bones crumbled and dissolved into a soft pink mist. Even now, he could hardly believe he was actually in a dungeon, fighting monsters. It felt surreal, almost like a fever dream. The adrenaline of combat had kept his thoughts focused, leaving little time to fully process just how incredible—and bizarre—it all was.
It was also the first time he could clearly see what happened to dungeon monsters after they were killed. On the previous floor, with the chaos of bats swarming in the darkness, he’d kept his gaze on the ceiling to watch for attackers. Here, he could finally appreciate the sight of the magic that took place when they defeated these skeletal warriors.
“Let’s keep moving,” Tybalt said, his tone brisk as ever.
“Fine by me,” Davick replied. “But if we run into more enemies soon, we’ll need to hold back for a bit—I need to recover my mana.”
Tybalt paused, his expression flickering as though he wanted to retort, but instead, he simply nodded. “Very well.”
Davick took the lead again, and they proceeded down the hallway. It was several minutes before they encountered another group of enemies: three skeletal warriors this time, none of whom carried shields, to Tybalt’s visible satisfaction. After a quick two-minute rest to let Davick fully recharge his mana, they moved into formation and attacked.
The battle unfolded similarly to their first, but now the group felt more confident. Tybalt’s Ice Shards landed more effectively without any shields to deflect them, and they quickly wore down the skeletons, taking them down one by one. With a collective sigh of relief, they caught their breath and continued onward.
This time, though, the path grew less straightforward. Instead of a single corridor, they found themselves facing intersections and dead ends.
“Looks like we’ve finally made it to the serious part of the floor,” Davick muttered, glancing around warily.
“Stay close, keep formation,” Tybalt ordered, his tone sharper than before. The added complexity of the maze had everyone on edge.
The party tightened ranks as they pressed forward, knowing that this part of the dungeon would likely test them in ways they hadn’t yet faced. They’d been at it for hours without a scratch. Everything had gone almost too smoothly, but Kaiden wasn’t about to complain. The only issue was how long it was all taking. Including their time on the first floor, they’d been in the dungeon for nearly half a day. Kaiden had no idea if this was considered fast or slow progress, though he suspected they were on the faster side, given that they hadn’t stopped for injuries or food.
Kaiden mentally thanked Oros for providing Stasis Veil to keep their minds focused on the dungeon and not on other things. It was an odd but welcome relief, knowing they could keep going without worrying about bathrooms or finding food and water until they reached the recess floor.
Finally, Davick reported there was a serious fight up ahead. He reported his findings and Tybalt nodded to advance. They rounded a corner and emerged into a large, open chamber, much wider than the narrow corridors they’d been fighting in. Kaiden’s eyes widened at the sight that Davick reported: five skeletal warriors lined up across the chamber, weapons at the ready, but they were different—better armored, with pieces of old, dented plate covering their bodies. And at the back, looming ominously in a black cloak, stood a skeletal mage, faint green energy swirling around the bony fingers holding a twisted staff.
Tybalt’s eyes narrowed. “Boss room.”
The monsters wouldn’t attack until the party was close enough, so it allowed for a few moments of planning.
Coren gripped his sword tightly. “We take out the mage first, right?”
Tybalt nodded. “Yes, but the warriors are going to protect it, and it’ll keep its distance.”
After a bit more discussion, it was time to act.
Davick took a deep breath, steadying himself as he prepared his shield’s taunt ability. “Got it. Let’s do this.”
The moment they stepped forward, the skeletal warriors raised their weapons in unison, their hollow eyes glowing red as they advanced. The mage, expressionless, lifted its staff and began chanting, the eerie green glow intensifying as it summoned a wave of dark energy.
Davick activated his taunt, his shield flaring blue, drawing the attention of the first few skeletons. They clattered toward him, weapons raised. Kaiden felt his pulse quicken as he took position behind Davick.
“I got the mage!” Tybalt shouted. He cast his ice ability, which flew toward the robed figure in the back, only to disintegrate inches before impact as a shimmering green barrier formed around the mage.
“Of course, it’s shielded,” Tybalt barked, grimacing.
Coren swung his blade in a heavy arc, knocking one of the skeletons back. It didn’t go down in one hit like the previous ones had. Meanwhile, Davick absorbed blow after blow, the sound of steel clashing against his shield echoing through the chamber. Kaiden stayed vigilant, watching for any sign of weakness in their formation, ready to jump in if anyone needed help.
The mage raised its staff higher, chanting louder as tendrils of dark energy snaked across the floor, twisting toward the party. Tybalt cursed under his breath and yelled, “Get ready—whatever that thing’s channeling, it’s about to get ugly.”