Hidde was struggling. His Authority was battle, and because of that, he was able to sense the outcome of any fight, and when the conflict involved lesser beings, he could tip the scales slightly, if he so chose.

For this reason, he had been able to sense when the contest between Yur and the creator of the dungeons had shifted out of the goddess’s favor.

Hidde was the god of battle, rather than of victory, but that did not mean that he would attach himself to a lost cause. If Yur was doomed, then there was only one option in Hidde’s mind: join the other side.

The only question was, how did Hidde join a power that remained completely unknown? Fortunately, that was not terribly difficult. Hidde always quietly kept track of the locations of all of the gods and dragons on the planet, and so he had known when Anba had met with Azthak, as well as when the dragon had entered the dungeon in the Savaren Empire.

Unfortunately, that was where things had stalled out, as the dragon had not returned.

Years passed, and still the worthless lizard had not emerged. Hidde had started to grow anxious when he had sensed Yur’s decline, but finally, Azthak arrived at the entrance of the dungeon where Hidde could track them again.

While the dragon’s visit to Yur had been unexpected, it had not changed anything, and Hidde had immediately sent a minor avatar to Azthak’s lair to wait for the beast.

The dragon had taken far, far longer to return than Hidde had anticipated, but clearly something had taken place between Azthak and Yur that had caused the dragon to fly back so slowly. Fortunately, that had granted Hidde time to organize his thoughts. Not all battles were fought on a battlefield, and words could be potent weapons, when properly wielded.

“Azthak, so good of you to stop by. It’s been dreadfully dull waiting for you all this time.”

The dragon’s frozen shock was quite satisfying to see, even if startling the beast had been a bit petty of Hidde. Still, catching an opponent off guard always helped with any subsequent maneuvers, as a bit of time would be needed to regain proper footing. Time which Hidde had no intention of allowing Azthak.

“Come, join me. I seem to remember that you enjoy a drink now and then, and one of my followers sacrificed some excellent beer to me before a battle a few years back. We might as well enjoy it as we talk.” It would be a huge setback if the dragon attacked or grew antagonistic before Hidde could even start the negotiations, and gifts were always the best way to put someone on the back foot in a manner that left them unable to grow antagonistic.

Sure enough, “Hidde, what are you doing here? You know you are not welcome, especially after what happened to my broodmate Grthak. Don’t think that I don’t know that you are at least partially responsible for that matter!”

Conversation had been initiated, and Hidde had not been attacked or chased out immediately. The god already had the beer out and was pouring drinks for both of them. Azthak’s irritation had been anticipated, though there was no good response to the loss of a family member. Even if Hidde could not relate, he had observed mortal reactions for many, many years, and there had been a tremendous number of battles instigated by the loss of a sibling.

“Yes, I truly regret that incident. I never imagined that Grthak would fall to their own rebounded magic. It was never my intention to see Grthak die, simply repelled in order to strengthen my own following in Farun. I understand the truce, and you should know me well enough to know that I prefer to face my opponents openly. Subterfuge is only acceptable when you hold the weaker position. Regardless of your opinion on your broodmate, I believe we are both aware of which of the two of us held the advantage in a confrontation.”

The dragon’s silence was all that Hidde needed to know that Azthak agreed with that assessment. Grthak had been an eldar dragon, but had possessed a very minor control of any Concepts. They had been one of the weakest of the eldar dragons on the planet. The truth was that Azthak had been the biggest reason that none of the gods had gone after Grthak during the time of open hostilities.

As Azthak settled themselves down in their lair, the dragon’s eyes never left the god’s primitive form. Such constructs were not regarded as true avatars, and were within the bounds of Yur’s restrictions, though just barely. They were allowed to be used for communication and such, but not for interactions with the mortals. Azthak was merely being cautious and confirming that Hidde had not violated the restrictions and sent a true avatar.

The dragon slowly accepted the drink, but did not touch it as their eyes remained locked onto the god. “Why are you here?”

Hidde sighed. This was always the way Azthak had treated any of the gods other than Yur; brusque to the point of rudeness. Unfortunately for Hidde, he was the one asking for a favor this time, which meant that he needed to put up with certain things. “I’ve felt a shift, and I want to switch sides.”

That caught Azthak off guard, and Hidde could see the dragon start to say something twice before finding their words. “We are dragons. We do not accept others. While we might be willing to ally with you, you are bound to this planet and to the humans here. You are incapable of joining us, even if we were willing to accept you.”

It was Hidde’s turn to be left without words. The response was so different from what he had expected that it shattered all of his prepared arguments. “I am aware of that, but it was not the dragons I was referring to. Am I wrong in thinking that you spent these last few years in a dungeon? Are you not allied with the creator of the dungeons?”

Hidde was able to watch as Azthak started to understand the request, as well as the implications. “What do you know of the creator of the dungeons, Hidde?”

“Nothing, aside from what we have been able to learn for ourselves or from our followers. The creator is not a new god, nor a dragon, and yet they control Concepts and have recently acquired an Authority. Unfortunately, I am unable to find any hint as to what Authority has been acquired.

“However, I do know that one god has already capitulated to the dungeon master. I suspect Anba, but do not know for certain. There have been fluctuations in his Authority and in the Concept of order that he and I share. I believe that Anba’s Concepts have been conquered and he has only been allowed continued use of another’s Concepts, much like how your kaisers can grant access to Concepts to some of your kind.”

Azthak remained silent for a long time before finally responding. “You know more than I. I merely interacted with a hatchling dragon before taking a nap, and when I awoke, I encountered a young phoenix. I did not meet or speak with the creator, nor did I learn anything at all about them while in the dungeon.

“When I awoke, I…” The silence dragged on. Clearly the dragon did not want to say something. “Sigh. I have lost all of my Concepts aside from those granted to me by my kaiser. I believe this planet will soon give rise to a new kaiser.”

“What? A kaiser? Here? How? Wait, that… that actually does fit, especially if I am right about Anba. This would also explain why Yur is weakening and will eventually lose this battle…”

“I came back here because I need to report recent events to my flight. I cannot help you with your surrender. I would ask you to share with me what you learn, but if your surrender is accepted, I understand that you will be subjected to various restrictions, and you might not be able to tell me anything at all. Instead, I will simply ask that, should you succeed, make sure that this being understands what is at stake, should they decide to go up against my flight and my kaiser. I would not want to see that fate befall this planet that has become my home.”

Hidde just nodded. After several moments of silence, he finally stood and moved to leave. “Be well, Azthak, eldar of the Primordial Kaiser. May we meet again.”

The simple avatar dissipated as Hidde left the physical realm and returned to his typical state of being. He had a new challenge ahead of him, since approaching Azthak had proven to be a dead end. Hidde understood instinctively how to surrender to another being, provided they possessed Authority. It was a matter of being able to acknowledge that the other’s Authority encompassed Hidde’s own. There needed to be an admission of Hidde being the lesser of the two in the relationship, but for that to happen, Hidde first needed to learn exactly what Authority the master of the dungeons wielded.

While Authorities could be sensed, the realm of an Authority could not. Hidde needed to learn what Authority the dungeon master controlled so that he could surrender, but that meant something very unpleasant: speaking with Anba.

***

The day had finally arrived. Hera had waited until she was an adult, just as Burt had insisted. She had completed all of his training, though she never had managed to ever beat him, or even score a single good hit. Despite the man’s advanced years, his looks had never changed the slightest bit, and he remained the fastest and strongest person in the village, and not by a small margin.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Burt had never explained anything regarding his lack of aging or his improved physique, but Hera had heard the rumors, and given Burt’s history with the Farun military, Hera was certain that the rumors were true; Burt had been in a dungeon.

The strange locations had become far more prevalent and common from when Hera had been young, and neither the governments nor the temples were able to fully control access to the dungeons. Still, Hera knew that many people had strange ideas about dungeons and the people who had visited them.

The temples had spread rumors about dungeons since Hera had been a child, and as she had grown older, she had realized that the temples and their rumors were also the reason her first father had been taken from her.

If that was what the temples did to people, then they could burn, for all that Hera cared.

She took a deep breath as she looked at the entrance to the local dungeon, steeling herself to-

“You ready yet, Hera? You’ve been standing there staring like an idiot long ‘nough for the sun to move.”

While Evon might be her “cousin,” he remained one of the most aggravating people Hera knew. If not for the fact that she needed a team for the dungeon, as well as the need to keep the visit a secret from the rest of the village, she had been forced to team up with her “cousins.”

“Shut it, Evon. Even if ‘Era’s takin’ ‘er time, she’ll still get in there faster ‘n you. Give ‘er whatever time she wants, ya porker.” As always, Elburt sided against his brother.

Hera took advantage of the distraction to check her knives and bow. Well, the bow was hers, but Burt could sacrifice his precious knives for such a special occasion. Besides, he barely touched them anymore, and they were so, so much better than the ones he had bought for Hera.

Unfortunately, while his bow was also much better than Hera’s, she simply could not draw the string to fire an arrow, no matter how hard she had trained and strengthened her body.

Her cousins followed her lead and started checking each other’s equipment, tightening straps here and there while also making sure that weapons and shields were readily available. None of them had ever gone into a dungeon, but they had listened to all of the stories they could from everyone who would speak of them. The youths all felt that they knew what to expect, though some of the most recent stories had been… odd.

Regardless, they were ready, and Hera took the lead, acting as the scout, just as she had been trained.

The other three did not rush themselves and allowed Hera to take the lead, only following her when they felt they were ready as well. Two of them carried shields, and one carried a spear. There were no swords, but they all had knives, and Evon and Elburt carried axes with their shields.

After all, they could only use what they had available in their little village.

Edgar silently took up the rear with his spear when his shorter cousins followed Hera into the cave that led to the dungeon.

Just as they had expected, they entered a dark cave that led into the side of a hill and deeper into the earth. After a few minutes, the three youths caught sight of a bit of light up ahead, and they started to move more slowly. They inched their way up to the entrance, but did not enter the cavern. They had already agreed to wait for Hera to finish the initial scouting so that they could all agree how to proceed.

As they looked into the cavern, they shivered. Shockingly, what met their eyes was the sight of the depths of winter. Snow covered the ground, and all of the trees and rocks were covered with ice. They could make out a bit of movement in the snow-covered bushes and evergreens, but not enough detail to know what they were seeing.

Edgar pointed with his spear at some tracks leading through the snow. It was clear that Hera had not yet returned. Her tracks merged with an animal trail that led into the underbrush, but that was all they could see.

They settled in to wait, hoping that it would not be too long.

***

Hera tried to suppress her excitement, but it felt impossible.

Finally, finally she was in a dungeon, just like her father had once done, and just like Burt had done.

This was her way to get stronger, just like Burt. After that, she would be able to make sure that no one else lost their fathers in as absurd a manner as she had. If the gods could not forgive mistakes of their most devout followers, then they did not deserve to have followers.

Hera shook her head. She could not afford to get distracted while scouting the dungeon. She needed to learn what she and her cousins would be facing, and get back to them as quickly as possible.

It was already clear that she could not trust the footprints in the snow, as they did not match any creature she knew of. All of the tracks she could see seemed to be slightly off from normal.

Still, the six-toed, almost-human footprint had been rather disturbing, though she was still yet to have seen the creature which had made it.

She pushed a bit further into the frozen landscape, but eventually knew that she would have to return to her cousins without any real information. She could not stay out too long.

Also, her fingers and toes were starting to get numb. They had not been prepared for the cold, and they would have to fix that.

With a quiet sigh, Hera turned to head back to the entrance, but as she did, she was confronted by someone staring at her.

Actually, was it a person or a creature? It had the figure of a human, but was covered with shaggy white hair. Also, unlike Hera, this creature’s breath did not produce any clouds of steam when it exhaled.

Hera’s bow had been unstrung and placed on her back for her scouting, as if anything noticed her, it would already be too close for the bow to be of any use. She slowly slid Burt’s best knives out of their sheaths and prepared for the monster to charge. It stood between her and the exit, so there was no running away.

The creature stared at her for a moment, and then looked down at the knives in her hands. Its head tipped slightly to the side, much like a confused dog, and it then glanced to the side. It broke off two icicles from the rocks to its side, and then copied Hera’s crouched position, holding the icicles like she held the knives.

Hera took a quick breath, and then Burt’s training took over. She shot forward, feinting to the monster’s left, which was open. As soon as the creature moved to stop her, she darted to her own left, and the frozen rocks that were next to the creature.

It watched Hera slide past the icicles, and its eyes growing larger, but it could not stop moving quickly enough.

Hera’s foot touched a patch of the rocks that had no ice, and she bounced back towards the shaggy white creature. Her knives flickered, and the blade in her right hand went for the neck while her left knife pierced where a human’s kidney would be.

According to Burt, the pain of such a wound would prevent a person from being able to scream, and Hera could not afford to face more of these creatures. She needed to get back to her cousins as quickly as possible.

The creature straightened and went stiff when the knife entered its back, and Hera’s other knife tore through the creature’s neck. Blue blood spurted out, and its splatter burned Hera’s hand.

The knife in the creature’s back was pulled out, and quickly stabbed in again as Hera carefully helped the creature to the ground so that it did not fall with a loud sound. As she set it down, she saw that the neck was already starting to heal, and the creature was not nearly as weakened as she had anticipated. It seemed to be more frozen in shock than gravely wounded.

The neck was sliced open again, and a knife worked its way upwards from beneath the ribs into the creature’s heart.

Hera was breathing hard as the life left the creature’s eyes. She looked at her right hand, which had gone from burning to numb, and she saw that she had already developed frostbite where the creature’s blood had touched her.

No wonder the creature’s breath had not produced any steam, it was frozen both inside and out.

She leaned down to clean her knives on the creature’s fur, worried that the blood might ruin Burt’s knives, which would be a huge, huge problem.

Focused on cleaning her knives, Hera did not immediately notice the ball of light that rose up from the creature’s chest. By the time she noticed the glowing orb, it was already moving towards her chest.

Strength +1

There it was. This was exactly what the latest rumors about the dungeon had reported. Messages that only the person receiving them could see. They apparently tracked rewards given by the dungeon, informing people of when strength or other attributes rose. Oddly enough, people could not seem to agree on what the messages said, or even what the attributes were, which did not make much sense to Hera.

She heard snow fall from a nearby branch or tree, and she snapped out of her daze. She needed to get back to her cousins, and they all needed to get some warmer clothes, or else they would freeze in the dungeon.

Even as Hera stepped past the corpse on the ground, she could see that it was already fading away.

Despite knowing what was supposed to happen in dungeons, it was still bizarre to see a body just fade away to nothing, and Hera could not tear herself away from the sight for a moment.

Just as the body was about to disappear entirely and Hera prepared herself to leave, something suddenly caught her eye.

She had heard that creatures in dungeons would occasionally leave behind a piece of their bodies, and those could then apparently be crafted into exceptional tools, weapons, or armor. Hera had always suspected that Burt’s knives had been crafted by such drops.

However, instead of seeing claws, fangs, or even bones, Hera saw the corpse fade away to reveal a pure white bone dagger. The hilt was wrapped with leather, and some etchings could be seen along the blade.

It was a beautiful weapon, but it made absolutely no sense that it had appeared from the body of a monster.

Hera gingerly collected the knife, and then fled to the entrance to the dungeon.

Unfortunately, it looked like they might need to speak to Burt before fully delving into the dungeon. They needed more information.