Blake, Riley, and Rahi came to the Befouled Copper Mine of Dark Well one morning, after taking a job from the guild a couple days earlier to clear it. It was located on a mountainside part way between Sky Crest, the capital of Queensland, and Dark Well, one of the nearby satellite towns. For geographic reasons, there was less distance by road between the towns of Queensland—and Icemarch as well—than those of Greenwood, so it was only a few hours out of Sky Crest by carriage.

"We won't be visiting Dark Well. It's all locked up, they're freaked out about the dungeon. That's part of why we're here," Rahi said.

"So this dungeon's an abandoned mine?" Blake said.

"Yes. During the time of the revolution, this was simply a copper mine, but because the revolution lead to many far away dungeons becoming and staying cleared, it turned into a dungeon itself."

"Uh huh. Oh yeah, there's always supposed to be dungeons around or something like that."

"Indeed."

"What kinds of dungeons were there when you revolted?" Riley said.

"Oh, plenty. Icemarch hasn't been taking good care of its frontiers, and this region was frontier land to them, at least in recent years. Imp-infested groves, slime caves, abandoned villages turned into goblin encampments, the works."

"Huh. So there's goblins," Blake said. "Are they all evil?"

"Ah, I see what you're worried about. Worry not. Goblins are made from mud and the trapped souls of the dead. Killing them simply releases their souls and lets them continue on to the cycle of reincarnation as the land intended."

"As the land intended? Wouldn't it intend the dungeons and goblins and stuff too?"

"There are many conflicting forces acting upon this world. The laws of dungeon generation and monster spawning are imposed by a plethora of foreign divine spirits inhabiting the Netherway, not any god or power of this land. Thus the occasional bit of Netherite, these red crystals." He pointed to one such red crystal lying by the side of the way.

"The Netherway? That's what the queen mentioned, right?" Riley said to Blake.

"Yeah, it is. What were the demons doing in this Netherway place, anyway?" Blake said.

"We were exiled," Rahi said. "But enough of that. Let us enter the dungeon. Are you two prepared?"

"Yeah."

"Yep!"

With their carriage set up outside the entrance, they began the journey down into the dungeon, following the cart rails that went down into the caves below.

The first few twists and turns of passage were as ordinary as could be expected, a carved-out cave with wooden slats and pillars lining and supporting the sides, and eversteady torches—magic, perhaps—lining the walls. But as they followed a turn, the wood was replaced with support pillars made of giant bones.

"This is where the dungeon begins. Stay alert," Rahi said.

As they continued deeper, they came to a door. It didn't seem that they had any other options, so they passed through it. Beyond it there was a room of decayed granite pillars, bricks, and tile, fully lit, and another door on the other side.

Between the party and the other door was a mess of imp-like creatures fluttering from pillar to pillar. They looked like winged rodents, and an eerie glow came from their eyes.

"Zombie imps," Rahi said. "The weakest of all undead creatures. They can hardly hurt you, and they die to a single stab or bruise."

"Roger that," Blake said, taking out his sword and stepping forward. Riley followed.

An imp fell to the floor.

"What?"

Blake looked down. His sword was bloodied. An imp was on the ground below it. Just by drawing his sword, he already scored a kill, not even so much as preparing to attack.

"They are truly pathetic," Rahi said.

"I... See... Riley?"

"Let's do this!" Riley said.

Moments later, every single zombie imp in the room was dead.

"The moment we stepped in here, they were already as good as dead," Rahi mused.

"I mean they were already dead," Blake said.

"Of course, of course."

As they walked, a curiosity struck the back of Blake's mind.

"You said monsters are the souls of dead people attached to mud. Could you attach a soul to something else? Like a tower, or another person?"

"Ah, well... It's not impossible. Us demons had to do it many a time in the Netherway, else we'd be dead. But it comes at a great cost, proportional to how different the soul is from its medium. Mud is at once everything and nothing, and—"

"Okay, that's enough exposition. We're coming to a door, stay frosty."

"Yes. Of course. Apologies."

Past the next door, the hallways continued, but now lined with granite brick, not giant bones, and all illumination was gone.

"I guess we gotta keep going in the dark. Wait. Rahi, are you really gonna keep those shades on?" Blake said.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"Ah, yes. They're for a sensitivity. Don't mind them."

"I can see a little. I'll lead the way," Riley said.

So they did. They went down the hallway, which turned right at a square angle, and then continued onwards more for several yards before coming to a partially collapsed area. The floor gave way to cave dust, and everything opened out around them.

"I can't make out the walls any more," Riley said.

"That's fine, this place isn't dangerous enough for it to be an issue. Let's keep moving," Rahi said.

So they did. After moving forward a few dozen paces. they were stopped by a discomforting sound. A slimy, snappy writhing sound.

"What's this noise?" Blake said.

"Creepy-crawlies," Rahi said."

"What?"

"You don't know?"

"Pretend I'm an idiot."

"Creepy crawlies are... Well, one way to describe them is beetles with a mess of feelers instead of a shell."

"Uh huh. So they're gross and probably dangerous."

"Indeed. They don't hurt, but they can damage your equipment. Tread lightly."

"I guess we have to navigate by sound?" Riley said.

"Oh, yes, if you have the ability, by all means," Rahi said.

Riley listened carefully. She couldn't tell where the individual creepy-crawlies were, but she could tell how close they were in what directions.

"Follow me," she said.

They advanced through the collapsed area, making their way more than half way through it, before Riley stopped.

"We're surrounded."

"Seriously?" Blake said.

"Yeah. Are we screwed?"

"I mean I guess we can fight them in the dark if they don't hurt."

"Okay, let's do that."

Blake stepped forward until his feet started touching something, and then he kicked, hard. Whatever it was, it went flying and landed some distance away. At that moment, the sound around them got worse. A lot worse. The swarm was coming.

"Damn it!" Blake said, stepping back.

But it was too late. The swarm overtook him, Riley, and Rahi.

"Gyah!"

"Be careful!"

"Jesus Christ!"

They were covered and weighted down until they collapsed onto the floor.

"This is so gross!"

"Rahi! What do we do?"

"Light of Day!"

Rahi cast a spell, and with that, the room was filled with a very, very bright light, as though the sun was suddenly shining into it from above. The creepy crawlies scattered for the nearest shade they could find, which was very little, and most of them shriveled up, their coat of feelers turning into a hard shell, permanently locking them in place.

The party stood. Blake had a few new holes in his shirt and pants. So did Riley, in her top, skirt, and leggings. Rahi's equipment was immune, it seemed, as he was unscathed.

"Why didn't you do that earlier!" Riley yelled.

"I was testing your problem solving abilities, since failure in this room could only lead to a superficial setback. Apologies. I won't test you like this again."

"Right. You better not be lying," Blake said.

"On my honor."

"Wait, magic? What class are you?" Riley said.

"Class? Demons don't have classes."

"You don't...?"

"Indeed we do not. Unlike humans and demihumans, who one day of their youth find themselves bound to a class and able to use its abilities, demons are never bound to one, and remain without restrictions on our magic or abilities for all our lives."

"That's... Weird."

"Perhaps to you. It was one of the prides that the genocidal demons of long ago held over other hominids, though we know today that we are hardly special."

"Right... Does it take a lot of hard work?"

"Of course. We cannot just speak magic words we have never before practiced and fiddle with spells like they are toys, like you can. We must understand the principles and forces at play."

Blake spoke up.

"Okay, enough chit-chat, let's go. Man, this room is huge. I guess it's not supposed to be a room. That's the original hallway over there, it follows the edge. Maybe we could've just hugged right the whole time?"

"That would've worked," Riley said, kicking herself.

They continued on.

On the left, a door. Forwards, a short bit of hallway, and then a door. Behind them, a stretch of hallway, and then the partially collapsed area from which they came.

"So we've come to a fork. What will you do?" Rahi said.

"Is that a test?" Riley said.

"Yes, but one forthright."

"Left," Blake said. "Where I come from there's these things called 'games', like, uh, books you can see and hear happen but you can control the characters, mixed with like, uh, rules from sports? You guys have sports? Anyways even if that didn't make sense some games have dungeons in them and when there's a fork like this the side passage is usually a dead end with something good in it."

"Fascinating," Rahi said.

Riley nodded in agreement.

They took the left door. It lead to an open cave room, almost perfectly round, dimly lit by magic lanterns, with skeletal corpses lining the floor. The air smelled damp and dank. Some spots had puddles in them, though there was always a clear path around them. Off in the other end of the room, to the side, there was a moldy, rusted chest.

"Is it worth going to open that dinky thing...?" Blake said.

"At your discretion. This dungeon is too low level to have trapped chests," Rahi said.

"Whatever it is, I want it," Riley said.

"Okay, let's do it. Might as well clear whatever we can," Blake said.

They crossed the room. Nothing happened. The skeletons were merely for decoration, it seemed, not a warning of danger lurking in the shadows.

"Heave-ho!" Riley said.

She knocked open the chest's latch with her boots and opened it. Inside there was a full set of lightweight armor—a thin, reinforced, sleeveless cloth tunic with a leather chest piece, mythril-lined leggings, and long boots and gauntlets that both had steel plates attached. In the middle of the chest piece was a small red crystal, cut into a rhombus shape, in a soft white metal ring.

Fisthammer of the Morning Star

Full light armor set perfect for all 'brutish' classes. Enchanted with blessings of light foot and agility. A gift from a far-off country.

"What a find! You should put it on right away," Rahi said.

"Is it really that good? It doesn't have any metal protecting the chest or groin..." Blake said.

"Don't underestimate enchanted armor. That leather might very well be made of the skin of powerful monsters, and the mythril in those leggings is itself quite adept at absorbing damage."

Riley fidgeted, holding the set up to her chest.

"Right, we'll go away, sorry. Scream if something weird jumps out at you," Blake said.

Riley nodded.

The two men left, waiting outside. Just a minute later, Riley came out behind them. She fidgeted again.

"Looks good. A lot better than I expected. Feel alright?"

"Yes!"

"Great. Let's keep moving."

Blake turned off down the hallway, headed for the next room. Riley skipped off ahead of him, happy. Rahi trailed behind.