The air shifted as Felix and I crossed the barrier into the dungeon. It was cooler and denser, with a subtle hum that seemed to vibrate through the stone walls. The path ahead was lit only by dimly glowing stones embedded in the walls, casting eerie shadows along the corridor.
"I guess this is it," I murmured, trying to steady my nerves. "We need to stay sharp. Dungeons-well… video game dungeons are notorious for traps, puzzles, and whatever else they can throw at us."
Felix nodded, his eyes scanning the dim corridor ahead. "Let's try to avoid any nasty surprises. Let’s move cautiously and keep our eyes out for what could be a trap.”
Right as he finished that sentence, Byte who was leading the way stepped on a stone that activated shifting down underneath of his weight and an arrow flew over his head.
Byte’s eyes shifted and he looked away guiltily. He let out slow sad beep.
“Uh… like that” Felix and I said in unison.
I used Byte to scan the way the pressure plate looked using [Data Integration]. He continued to scan the corridor in front of us pointing out those trapped stones as we worked our way delicately down the hallway.
The corridor eventually widened into a larger chamber that looked as though it was waiting to swallow us whole. At its center stood a lone pedestal, cradling an ornate box that seemed to glow under the eerie luminescence emanating from the moss-covered walls.
"Looks too straightforward," I murmured, eyeing the pedestal with suspicion. "There's got to be a catch."
Felix chuckled, though the edge of apprehension tinged his voice. "Yeah, last time I opened a 'straightforward' chest in a game, I ended up unleashing a horde of skeletons."
We stood at the threshold, debating our approach. "Let’s try something before we touch anything," I suggested. I focused my mana, and with a gesture, summoned a Holographic Decoy—an exact replica of myself. "Go check it out," I directed the decoy towards the box.
Felix and I retreated a few steps as the decoy obediently approached the pedestal. The chamber remained silent, oppressively so, until the decoy lifted the lid of the box. Suddenly, the sound of clicking gears broke the silence, followed by the whistling of arrows. The decoy flickered under the onslaught, its form disintegrating as the trap spent its fury.
"Decoys for the win," Felix breathed out, relief evident in his voice. "Now let's see if it was worth it."
Cautiously, we made our way to the pedestal, skirting the now-visible pressure plates that had triggered the arrows. I reached the box and opened it slowly, half-expecting more surprises. Inside, nestled on a velvet lining, were several artifacts, each shimmering with embedded runes that suggested they were not just ordinary items.
I carefully lifted a ring from its velvet nest, the runes along its surface pulsed softly with a light blue glow.
Ring of Swift Shadows: Enhance Dexterity +2
The craftsmanship was exquisite, the metal cool and light against my skin, seemingly adjusting to fit my finger perfectly as I slipped it on.
Felix reached for a bracelet, its silver links embedded with small, clear crystals.
Healer's Bracelet of Vitality: Enhance healing spells and reduce the mana cost for any healing abilities.
As he clasped it around his wrist, the crystals lit up with a soft green light, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. "This should help me keep everyone patched up without draining me completely," he commented, examining the glow with a mix of awe and hope.
Tucked beside the bracelet was a small, intricately carved wooden amulet. It bore the symbol of a phoenix—known in many cultures as a sign of rebirth and healing. "This might be useful too," Felix added, holding it up.
Resilience Charm: Offers protection against physical harm, reducing the impact of injuries and enhancing the wearer's natural recovery speed.
“Why don’t you go ahead and wear that Felix. I have a bit more protection from my armor than you do.” Felix looked down at his jeans and cloak and nodded reluctantly. With the last item secured the sound of gears started whirring and the box began lowering into the pedestal. We all froze looking around frantically, ready to run from the onslaught of arrows.
“Oh shit! Get down,” Felix shouted diving at me. Rather than arrows as the box sunk into the pedestal with a final clunk, the chamber's atmosphere shifted. The walls around us creaked, and then, with a grinding of stone on stone, multiple pathways opened up along the peripheries of the room.
Before we could discuss a plan, a low growl rumbled from the nearest corridor, sending a shiver down my spine. The sound was soon joined by others, echoing from the various openings around us. Felix and I backed towards the center of the room, positioning ourselves back-to-back, trying to cover all angles.
“Well, now we know there are traps and enemies.” I muttered, eyeing the dark openings warily.
Felix adjusted his grip on his staff, his other hand reaching to finger the Resilience Charm he'd just put on. "Whatever comes through those paths, we'll handle it."
No sooner had he spoken than shadows began to move within the corridors. One by one, creatures with sleek, dark fur and glowing red eyes emerged into the chamber. Their presence marked by a chilling aura, fanned out in a semi-circle around us, their growls filling the air with a concrete threat.
Shadowfang Wolf
Level 10
Description: A creature of darkness, the Shadowfang Wolf
prowls the depths of caverns, preying on unsuspecting travelers. Its sleek, obsidian fur absorbs light, rendering it virtually invisible in the darkness. Razor-sharp fangs and claws, infused with shadow magic, make it a formidable opponent in combat.
“There’s got to be at least 6 of them I whispered back to back with Felix. When they’re not moving I can’t see them at all.” I grasped the handle of my energy sword, activating it with a hiss. The blade cast a pale white light around us, the wolves' eyes reflecting it menacingly.
Felix gripped his staff tighter, his face set in a determined frown. "Looks like the real test is just beginning."
Byte, who had been quietly hovering beside me, started to beep anxiously, his sensors flickering as if he could detect something we couldn’t. I glanced at him, trying to find reassurance in his presence.
"Keep your eyes peeled," Felix whispered. "They could be—"
He was cut off as a shadow darted from one of the corridors. Reflexively, I swung my sword, the blade's energy casting a brief light over a sleek, dark wolf. The creature was almost as tall as I was but luckily it recoiled from the light It’s red eyes glaring malevolently at us before it retreated into the shadows.
"These things are Shadowfang Wolves," I announced, recalling the name from a fleeting glimpse of information in my HUD when the creature had been illuminated. "Extremely agile and dangerous, and they seem to absorb light with their fur, making them hard to track.”
“Oh you think,” Felix responded trying to keep his voice light. He adjusted his stance, using his staff to cast sporadic bursts of light around us, making the wolves flinch and hesitate. "Let's keep them at bay with light. Byte, can you do anything to help?"
Byte chirped affirmatively and began emitting a steady, low-frequency pulse that seemed to disturb the wolves further, causing them discomfort and disorienting them slightly as they prowled the edges of the light.
As one of the wolves braved the illuminated area, lunging towards us with bared fangs, I met it with a swipe of my energy sword, the contact sending a shockwave through the air. The wolf yelped, its form briefly visible as it scampered back into the darkness.
Felix used the opportunity to enhance the light from his staff, casting a wider glow that revealed two more wolves creeping closer. "There!" he shouted, pointing them out. I pivoted, bringing my sword down in a wide arc, deterring their advance.
As the wolves regrouped for another assault, I readied my energy sword, its hum a steady promise of defense. "Felix, I'm going to try something. Keep them off me if you can," I called out, concentrating on channeling my energy.
Felix nodded, positioning himself with his staff raised, ready to cast a barrier. The largest wolf charged first, its eyes glowing a malevolent red. Byte jumped out at the wolf knocking it off balance as I sidestepped its attack, slashing downwards, my blade cutting a bright arc through the air. The wolf yelped as the energy seared its side, and it stumbled, retreating with a whine.
The other wolves were more cautious now, circling with wary eyes. I raised my hands, palms outstretched, feeling the static charge build. "Here goes nothing," I muttered, releasing the pent-up energy. Bolts of electricity arced from my fingertips, snapping through the air. Two wolves caught in the crossfire twitched and collapsed, their bodies smoking slightly as the electric current overtook them.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Felix cheered, "Yes! That's how you do it!" But his celebration was cut short as another wolf lunged at him. He managed to deflect it with a quick burst of light from his staff, but not before the wolf's claws grazed his arm, leaving behind deep marks. "I'm okay," he grunted, shaking off the pain.
With three wolves down, the remaining three seemed to hesitate, but hunger and desperation drove them forward. I was ready to strike again when a sudden pain exploded in my leg. One wolf had broken through our defenses, its teeth sinking deep into my calf. I screamed, a mix of pain and rage, and kicked at the beast with my free leg, finally dislodging it.
Blood dripped down my leg, the pain sharp and intense. "Felix, need a little help here!" I gasped, limping back.
Felix was quick to respond, his staff glowing as he chanted a healing spell. Warmth spread through my leg, the pain dulling as the flesh began to knit back together. "Hold on, Maura. Almost done," he assured me.
Once steadied, Felix and I resumed our defensive stance, aware that the remaining three wolves were regrouping for another strike. Despite the pain throbbing through my leg, a fierce resolve took hold. Felix, noticing my grimace, offered a nod of encouragement. "You can do this," he whispered.
As the wolves approached again, their movements more synchronized and deliberate, I whispered, "Let's finish this." My energy sword flared to life, casting eerie shadows across the cavern walls. Felix, his staff ready, illuminated the area with a brilliant flash that briefly stunned the advancing wolves.
Suddenly, Byte, who had been covering my left flank, sprang into action. His internal mechanisms whirred and he emitted a high-pitched frequency that seemed to disorient the wolves further. Their heads tilted, momentarily confused, giving us the opening we needed.
I lunged forward, my sword slicing through the air, connecting with the nearest wolf. It howled in pain as the energy seared its flesh. Felix quickly followed up with a blast of light energy, targeting another wolf that was attempting to flank me. The light hit its mark, sending the creature reeling back.
With only one wolf remaining, it paused, its red eyes flickering between Felix, Byte, and me, calculating its chances. In a silent agreement, Felix and I converged on it, a combination of electricity crackling from my hands and Felix’s consecrated light spells weaving around us, forming a barrier the wolf couldn’t penetrate. Byte continued to run aggressively around the wolf, distracting it and nipping at it’s heels making it difficult for it to focus.
The final wolf, overwhelmed and injured, attempted a desperate leap towards Felix, but I intercepted, driving my sword through its heart. It collapsed with a pained yelp, its body seeming to dissipate into shadows that melted back into the darkness of the cave.
We stood there, breathing heavily, the adrenaline slowly ebbing from our veins. "We did it," I gasped, looking at Felix, who was checking his arms for injuries. Byte hovered back to my side, his lights flickering in a pattern that seemed like relief.
"Yeah, we did," Felix replied, managing a tired smile.
We took a moment to regroup and heal. Felix applied a minor healing potion to both of us, the cool liquid easing the pain and knitting our wounds. As we rested, we discussed our strategy moving forward.
"Next time, we need a better plan. Traps, enemies, we need to be ready for anything," I said, scanning the chamber for any hidden dangers.
Level Up!
Level 8 Technomancer
Level Up!
Level 9 Technomancer
I walked cautiously over to where the nearest wolf fell. There was no body to scavenge but I could feel the vital energy dissipating where the wolf had been. Upon inspection I received the same prompt as I had for the boar that allowed me to loot the creature. Concentrating and following the guide my HUD displayed I managed to draw out a vial of Living Shadow and a Shadow Fang. I picked up the fang and took a look at it. The tooth was a solid six inches long, ebony black and incredibly sharp. This could make a pretty good dagger. I thought to myself before sticking it in my spacial storage.
Shadow Essence
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: This dark essence is blacker than the blackest black. If spilled upon the ground it allows no light to escape and is indiscernible from a hole. Usable in potion making or other crafting.
Shadow Fang
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: Harder than steel this fang can be used in a variety of crafting and is highly sought in weapon making.
Felix came over, peering curiously at the items now safely tucked away. "What did you get?" he asked, his voice still rough from exertion.
"Some kind of essence and a fang. It's called a Shadow Fang," I explained, holding the vial up to the light. The darkness within swirled mysteriously, as if alive. "It might be useful for crafting or trading later."
After looting the last of the shadowfang wolves, Felix pointed towards a slightly larger, darker patch where the alpha had fallen. "Let's check that one. It might have something different."
We approached cautiously, the aftermath of the battle still echoing in the dim light of the cave. I used [Data Integration] once more, hoping for a significant find. As Byte scanned, his lights flickered with a quicker, more excited rhythm, indicating something unique.
"Aha," I exclaimed softly as the scan completed. The holographic display revealed a luminescent orb nestled in the shadows—a Core of Shadow Essence, pulsing softly with a powerful energy.
Core of Shadow Essence
Rarity: Unique
Description: Unknown
“This is new,” I mused, carefully extracting the orb. It was cool to the touch and vibrated with a contained power that seemed eager to escape.
Felix peered over my shoulder, his curiosity piqued. "What does it do?”
"I'm not entirely sure, I’ve never seen an unknown description before,” I said before handing the orb to Felix. He turned it over in his hands examining it.
“Wow. This is weird. Guess we should hold onto this,” he mused. Byte chirping in agreement.
The alpha had also left behind a sleek, shadowy pelt, which seemed to shimmer with a residual magic. "This pelt might make good armor or a cloak. It seems to have some properties that could help with stealth," Felix suggested, examining the fabric-like material.
Shadow Pelt
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: This pelt is infused with shadow essence. Usable in crafting.
I nodded, adding, "Good idea. It’s light but feels durable. Might come in handy if we need to move unseen.”
As I stood up pain from my injured leg flared up. I winced and took a clumsy step backwards to catch my balance. I heard the familiar click of a pressure plate activating. An arrow flew through the air and lodged deep into my thigh right above my knee. I let out a loud scream and fell backwards off of the pressure plate.
"Stay still, Maura. I got you," Felix said, his voice steady despite the urgency of the situation. He carefully approached me, making sure not to trigger any more traps. As he reached me, Byte scurried beside him, his sensors flickering as if trying to assess the situation.
Felix gently examined the arrow, his fingers expertly probing around the wound. "I'm going to pull it out. It's going to hurt, but I need to do this fast before the bleeding gets worse."
I nodded, gritting my teeth. Felix counted down, and with a swift, firm tug, he removed the arrow. Pain shot through my leg, intense and sharp, and I couldn't hold back a cry.
"Hold on, I’m going to cast a healing spell," Felix said as he began chanting. A green slow emanated from my knee and almost immediately, the pain began to subside as the magic took effect, knitting the flesh back together.
While I recovered, Felix took the opportunity to set up a more secure perimeter around our makeshift camp to ensure no more surprises. He arranged stones and remnants of the shadowfang wolves as markers and deterrents.
Byte, now back at my side, beeped softly, projecting a comforting warmth that seemed out of character for a robot but was soothing nonetheless.
“Thanks, Felix… and you too, Byte,” I managed a smile, feeling the pain ebb away as the healing magic worked.
"We need to be more careful," Felix said, looking around warily. "This place isn't just testing our combat skills; it's a full-on survival challenge."
As the adrenaline faded, the reality of our situation settled in. We were deep in a dungeon, surrounded by dangers seen and unseen, but at least for the moment, we were safe.
After Felix finished securing the perimeter and we both settled back against the cave wall, I glanced at my leg, now mostly healed thanks to healing. I attempted a light-hearted comment to cut through the tension. “Hey Felix?” I asked.
“Yeah?”
"Well, I guess I can officially say it now, huh?"
Felix looked over, a puzzled expression on his face. "Say what?"
Grinning, I continued, "I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow to the knee."
Felix burst out laughing, the sound echoing slightly in the dim cave. "Seriously, Maura? A Skyrim reference now?"
"It seemed fitting!" I laughed along, feeling a momentary ease in the grim atmosphere. "At least we can say our dungeon crawl is authentically dangerous."
"Yeah, just missing some dragons and cryptic wall carvings," Felix added, winking. "But hey, let’s keep the arrows out of our knees from now on, alright? Mana doesn’t grow on trees you know.”
“Well… it might.” I said narrowing my eyes as I imagined a huge tree Yggdrasill style.
Felix shook his head, “Yeah, it might.” He sighed. “But you’re missing the point. I don’t want you to get hurt to the point that I can’t help. I don’t want to fail you too.”
The conversation grew serious and I gathered Byte into my arms. “Felix. You’re not going to fail me. And you didn’t fail Corwin.”
“I couldn’t save his arm. He’s so young and with the system and everything. It’s going to be that much harder for he and Jackie. And it’s not just them I’ve failed.”
“First. I’m going to make Corwin a new arm,” I decided suddenly. “As soon as we get back and kick those jerks out of our home. And second what do you mean it’s not just them that you’ve failed.”
“I failed my sister,” Felix admitted.
“You have a sister?”
“I did. Her name was Ashley and she was was the smartest person I’ve ever known. She was four years younger than me and she actually helped me study to get into medical school. I was going to be a doctor purely to impress her so I’d always be the ‘smart big brother’ but she had surpassed me well before college.
Our folks passed when she was a senior in high school and I was in my last year of undergrad. She moved in with me. Losing our folks was hard on her and from that moment on she was afraid to let people get too close just as much as she was afraid to let me get too far.
Every weekend she drug me out of the house to go do some crazy adventure. We learned how to ski, we backpacked, one summer we rode our bikes 20 miles a day to train for some great biking adventure she had planned. We went camping, and saw stupid tourist traps like “corn-hedge” and the worlds largest apple basket.
We volunteered places under the guise of building up my medical school applications. Really, I think she just loved helping people.
She got picked on a bit by guys who she wouldn’t let get too close. Actually, you reminded me so much of her when you were telling your story that first night and Darren decided to be a tool bag. The revenge afterward and everything just was so refreshing. This whole adventure really just feels like something she would’ve loved.”
Gently I asked, “What happened to Ashley?”
“Six years ago she found out she had cancer. It was aggressive. I dropped out of medical school to care for her full time in her last few months. “
I placed my hand on Felix’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry Felix. She sounded wonderful. But from what you’ve described I don’t think you failed her, and I apologize if this is too presumptuous but I don’t think she would’ve thought that way either.”
Felix took a deep breath and wiped a tear from his eye, “Yeah you’re probably right.”
After a couple of silent minutes of contemplation I had a thought, “Wait a second. How are you a nurse if you were in medical school? That sounds more like you were on track to be a doctor."
"A neurologist. Actually, I guess I have a confession I'm not a nurse. Nor am I a doctor. I never went back to school. I sometimes wish I would have, but it was too hard to go back after- everything. I actually worked at our local dog shelter," Felix explained, looking down and kicking a rock by his feet. "But I do know first aid," he added sheepishly.
I feigned horror. “You lied to me?!” I gestured at Byte. “And what are you? A sheep!?”
We collapsed into a fit of weary laughter, the tension of the day unraveling as we realized the immediate danger had passed. Deciding to make camp right there for the night, we both knew we needed the rest—not just to recover our mana but also to allow our wounds some much-needed healing time. My leg throbbed painfully, a sharp reminder of the day’s trials, and Felix’s arm was far from healed. Settling down, we prepared to give our bodies and minds a chance to recuperate in the eerie silence of the dungeon.