374 days until the Arkon Shield falls

24 hours until Dungeon Purge

It is done, Mother. The die is cast, and matters are out of our hands now. Elders help us all.

—Administrator Nexus.

Transfer completed.

The moment I entered the dungeon, I knew it was different. There was no green storm-wracked sky or crashing waves. Instead, the portal spat me out into a void of blackness and silence.

The only light in my vision came from the messages vying for my attention. I scanned through them.

Jameson (Jamie) Sinclair, welcome to the Champions’ Arena. This region of Overworld is only accessible through its dungeon rift.

Your party members are the only entrants allowed in this dungeon. Complete the challenge that awaits you, and you will be justly rewarded! To finish this dungeon, you must defeat all its occupants.

Your dungeon run has a time limit of 1 day. If you are still in the Champions’ Arena once the allotted time runs out, the dungeon will be purged, obliterating you and every other living creature within it.

The Trials alerts didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know, and I dismissed them to cast night vision.

I was underground.

That was the only explanation. The smell of earth hung heavy in the air, and not even a smidge of light penetrated from the outside. Turning a slow circle, I studied my surroundings.

I was in a passageway, one large enough for a dozen people to walk abreast. Behind me, the corridor ended in a cul-de-sac with the obelisk in its center. Ahead of me, the passageway extended beyond the limit of my vision. The floor was paved with granite cobblestones, and the walls were similarly bricked.

I was standing alone. The others, minus Cedric’s undead pet—it too stood apart—huddled together on the far side of the obelisk, but before I could step in their direction, a bubble of energy floated upwards from Cedric’s outstretched hands.

Magelight.

Magelight was one of the few universal spells available to mages of all magic schools. I’d not bothered to learn it though, preferring night vision instead.

Light shone down on the group, and they straightened from the crouched postures they’d unconsciously fallen into. “Pierre, tell me what you see,” Jain whispered.

The ranger growled in frustration. “I can’t make anything beyond a few yards,” he complained. “The magelight isn’t helping much.” He paused. “Wherever this is, it’s damnably dark.”

“I think we’re in an underground tunnel,” I said. The group turned to stare my way. “As for your sight, I can help with that.”

Jain looked at me questioningly. Instead of responding, I cast gift of sight on the four.

“Wow,” Liyanda remarked. “That’s a handy spell. Thanks.” She thumped Cedric on the back. “Now, why couldn’t you do that?”

The mage scowled at her. “It’s an air magic spell,” he said, sounding offended. “I’m a death mage, remember?” He glanced in my direction. “You know air magic too?”

I shrugged. “I dabble here and there.”

“The more fool you,” he half-muttered under his breath.

I said nothing, letting the matter lie.

“Turn off the magelight, Cedric,” Jain ordered. “Let’s not alert the dungeon’s residents to our presence if we don’t have to.” He turned back to Pierre. “Scout the passage, but be careful.”

The ranger nodded and slipped into the corridor.

“Now what?” Liyanda asked.

“Now, we wait,” Jain replied.

✽✽✽

While we waited for Pierre’s return, I explored the cul-de-sac. There was not much to it. The walls were undecorated, and the floors were uncovered. There was a distinct lack of furnishings too, and I suspected there would be even less loot to be had in this dungeon than I’d found in the Primal Keep.

A somewhat different experience, I thought, wondering what the dungeon Jain’s group had finished had been like. I would’ve asked, but the others appeared too much on edge for conversation. Eventually, I sat down and closed my eyes, but no sooner had I done so than Pierre returned.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Back already?” Cedric asked.

The ranger nodded grimly. “The tunnel is trapped.”

That got everyone’s attention. “Trapped?” Jain asked. “How?”

“I found a tripwire stretched across the corridor. I hadn’t been expecting it and almost fell over the damn thing.” He nodded my way grudgingly. “Only my night vision saved me.”

“Can you disarm it?” Jain asked.

“I think so. It’s a simple contraption,” Pierre replied. “I’m more concerned, though, about what the trap’s presence bodes.”

Rising to my feet, I joined the conversation. “What do you mean?”

Jain glanced at me. “The other three dungeons we entered were not trapped.” He paused. “What about the dungeon you completed?”

Three dungeons? That explained it. In a group, they would’ve advanced slower than me, but if they had finished three dungeons, their higher levels made sense. I did not know how they were finding the dungeons, though. Something else, I need to get them to tell me.

Jain was still waiting for my answer. “There weren’t any,” I replied.

The group’s leader stroked his chin. “We can safely say this dungeon will be different then.” His gaze darted back to the ranger. “Disarm the tripwire, but be careful of more traps. We’ll follow a few yards behind.”

Pierre led the way down the corridor while the rest of us followed in close-knit formation. Thirty yards in, the ranger raised a clenched fist, halting the party. Narrowing my eyes, I just about made out the thin strand of wire stretched across the passage at ankle height. The ranger was keen-eyed indeed to have spotted it. I was sure I would have missed it, even with night vision.

Kneeling down, Pierre fiddled with one end of the device. A moment later, the tension in the tripwire relaxed without triggering a calamity, and Pierre expelled a careful, controlled breath. “It’s done,” he said. Perhaps, the trap hadn’t been as trivial as he’d indicated.

The ranger waved the rest of us forward, and we crossed over the disabled trap to continue on our way. But less than two dozen yards later, Pierre stopped us again.

“What is it?” Liyanda asked tersely.

“Pressure plate,” Pierre replied, pointing to the cobblestones at his feet. Dropping down and lying flat, he examined the floor from ground level. “Do you see it?”

The rest of us stepped closer and looked down. “I do,” Jain replied at the same time as Liyanda and Cedric shook their heads.

I blew out a troubled sigh. Two traps this early on meant that the dungeon was likely riddled with them. And even if that was not the case, we could not afford to assume otherwise. Our progress would be slowed dramatically. Given the time limit of one day, I wondered if we could still finish the dungeon run in the allotted time.

Jain seemed to share the same concern. “This will hamper us, but there’s no helping it. We can’t risk triggering any of the traps.”

The others nodded in grim understanding. Stepping gingerly over the concealed pressure plate, we continued on our way.

✽✽✽

An hour later, we were still in the passageway. Moving with painstaking care, we’d navigated past five more traps. Two had been tripwires, one a false floor concealing a spiked pit, another a steel-jaw trap snare, and the last, a gut-wrenching walk through a section of corridor riddled with murder holes.

In every instance, Pierre spotted the traps before we could run afoul of them. The rest of us proved of little help in that regard. Only the ranger had invested in the perception Attribute to any significant extent.

In all that time we were in it, the corridor did not bend or curve, nor did we discover any side passages or hidden entrances. More surprisingly yet, we encountered no monsters. This is a strange dungeon, I thought. Why are there no hostile creatures?

I’d begun to fear the dungeon consisted entirely of traps, and I could see the same concern etched on the faces of the other. Even more worrying was the suspicion that the traps would get harder to spot.

If Pierre slipped up even once, death would come without warning. I gulped. That was not a comforting thought. The potential rewards wouldn’t matter if none of us survived to enjoy them.

Did I make a mistake coming here? I wondered.

But despite my worries, I didn’t suggest turning back, and neither did any of the others, I noted. If anything, I sensed the group’s determination growing in the face of the challenge.

No dungeon would prove our better. I grinned wryly to myself. We are players, indeed.

We navigated past two more pressure plates—without incident—before we spotted the first change in the dungeon’s design.

The corridor had come to an end.

Ahead of us, a metal door barred the way. For a moment, the five of us stared at the door in silence—not counting Cedric’s pet, of course, it didn’t stare. A mix of emotions ran across our faces: relief, concern, and even joy in the case of Liyanda. “Finally!” she exclaimed. “An end to this god damned tunnel!”

I couldn’t help smiling in agreement.

“Quiet!” Jain hissed. He gestured Pierre forward. “Go check it out.”

The ranger crept up to the door and ran his hands across its surface. “It’s trapped,” he mouthed a moment later to no one’s surprise.

“Disarm it,” Jain whispered.

Pierre nodded and set about the task. A handful of seconds later, the door clicked open, the sound unnaturally loud in the silence.

At the door, the ranger froze. A few yards away, the rest of us did likewise. When after a handful of heartbeats, nothing else happened, Pierre looked to Jain for instruction.

The party’s leader turned back to us. “Get ready,” he ordered, his voice a hoarse whisper.

We fell into formation. Jain slipped forward, positioning himself on the opposite side of the doorway from Pierre, while Liyanda crouched in front of the door, her shield and broadsword in hand, and Cedric’s pet shuffled up to join her. Only Cedric and I remained where we were, readying our staffs.

When he was satisfied, Jain nodded, and the ranger pushed open the door.

Peering past the others, I saw that the door led into a large room.

A large occupied room.