Chapter 18

Felix grinned at me, clearly proud of his makeshift culinary achievements, though the options he presented didn’t exactly have my stomach grumbling in anticipation.

“Dungeon rat?” I asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow as I looked at the fire and what appeared to be some sort of roasted creature on a stick.

He laughed, but it was tinged with a nervous edge. “Byte caught a couple, and I figured it was worth a shot. Tried my hand at skinning them, using what I learned back at camp. Probably could use some salt, but it’s not bad.” His grin widened, but I could see the uncertainty in his eyes. He knew as well as I did that this was far from gourmet.

I couldn’t help but chuckle, the tension of the day easing just a little. “Well, I’ll take anything warm right now. Even glowing moss stew,” I teased, my stomach growling despite my better judgment. The cavern’s chill seemed to seep into my bones, and the idea of eating something warm, no matter what it was, felt like a small comfort. I settled beside the fire, the flickering light casting long shadows across the stone walls.

Felix handed me a small, crude bowl. “This is moss with a bit of roasted spider leg. Protein’s protein, right?”

I wrinkled my nose, eyeing the strange concoction warily. Spider legs and glowing moss—how did we end up here? But, desperate times. I took a cautious bite, bracing myself for the worst. To my surprise, it wasn’t entirely terrible. Chewy, sure, and the moss had an odd aftertaste, but the warmth spreading through my body as I ate was enough to push through the texture. The fire’s heat added to the feeling of temporary relief, and I leaned back a little, savoring the moment of relative calm.

Felix glanced over at me, a mix of curiosity and amusement in his expression as he took a bite of his own bowl. “So… a key?” He nodded toward the puzzle box I’d pulled from the queen spider earlier.

I sighed, pulling out the small, intricately carved object from my inventory, its weight somehow feeling heavier in my hand now. “Yeah, the HUD calls it ‘Key (1 of 3),’ but that’s about all it says. No details, no hints about where the other two might be. Just that frustratingly cryptic label.”

Felix leaned in, intrigued, his brow furrowed in thought as he studied the object. “Three hallways, three keys… sounds a bit too on the nose, doesn’t it? What are the odds each hallway has a challenge waiting for us, and at the end of each, we get another piece of the key?”

I huffed a breath, feeling the weight of that possibility settle on me. “It’d be our luck,” I muttered, rotating the puzzle box in my hand. The smooth, worn surface felt strangely comforting, but also frustratingly ambiguous. The faint glow from the nearby moss reflected off its surface, casting tiny flickers of light onto the stone walls around us.

Felix reached out. “Mind if I take a look?”

“Sure,” I said, handing it over. “Good luck. I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.”

He turned the object slowly, his fingers delicately moving across the surface. The puzzle box was copper in color and had various rotating segments, each side adorned with intricate engravings that seemed to shift when moved, forming strange patterns that didn’t quite line up. Felix focused, his lips pressed into a tight line as he twisted one of the sides experimentally.

“What if…,” he mused aloud, his voice trailing off as he rotated another segment. “It’s not about the pieces fitting together here. Maybe it’s more like a key to something larger. These engravings could be a map, or a clue to finding the next part.”

Felix continued to turn the puzzle box in his hands, his concentration intense. He worked like he’d done this a thousand times before, each twist and turn purposeful. As I watched him, I noticed a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“What’s so amusing?” I asked, curious about the sudden shift in his expression.

He chuckled softly, still focused on the puzzle. “This reminds me of my sister, Ashley. She used to challenge me to Rubik’s cube competitions. She was way better than me, but I never backed down.”

“Rubik’s cubes? Really?” I asked, intrigued.

“Oh yeah,” Felix replied, his fingers moving deftly over the puzzle box. “We’d sit there for hours. She could solve one in, like, under a minute. I was decent, but nowhere near her level. Still, I never gave up, even though she’d beat me every time.”

I could hear the fondness in his voice as he spoke. “Sounds like she kept you on your toes.”

Felix nodded, his smile growing a little wider. “Yeah, she did. She was always pushing me, challenging me to be better, even with stuff like this.” He turned the box again, and I heard another soft click as the mechanism shifted further. “I guess this whole situation... it reminds me of those times. Figuring things out, one step at a time.”

I smiled, watching him work, feeling a connection through his memories of Ashley. “Sounds like she was good for you. Made sure you kept your brain sharp.”

I finished my food and sat there watching curiously. He glanced up at me, the soft light from the puzzle reflecting in his eyes. “She was. I think... I think that’s why I never gave up. Even now, I hear her voice sometimes, telling me to keep going, to solve the next piece, to not quit.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Felix’s fingers moved faster, more confidently, his mind locked into the rhythm of the puzzle. I felt my eyelids grow heavier as the warm fullness of my meal spread throughout my body.

“I bet she’d be proud of how you’ve handled all of this,” I said quietly, as I curled up on the hard ground next to the fire. I pulled the fur from the shadow wolf alpha out of my spacial storage and used it as a cushion beneath my head.

Felix’s grin returned, a bit more mischievous now. “Yeah, but she’d definitely still kick my ass at this. I mean, I’m taking way too long.” He glanced up noting me dozing off. “I’ll take first watch.” he assured me never taking his eyes off of the puzzle box.

Another soft click echoed through the cave, and Felix’s smile brightened as the runes carved into the copper box lit up with a green glow and a small section of the puzzle box slid open, revealing another layer of intricately engraved panels. “Gotcha,” he whispered triumphantly, his fingers expertly manipulating the new pieces.

We fell into a comfortable silence after that, Felix working through the puzzle with skill and care. Each soft click was a reminder of his persistence, the echoes of those old Rubik’s cube challenges with his sister driving him forward.

The last segment of the box clicked into place, and with a satisfying shift, the top slid open completely, revealing the glowing shard inside. Felix let out a deep breath, clearly pleased with himself. And a quiet “Yes!,” woke me from my slumber.

“Not bad for someone who lost every Rubik’s cube challenge, huh?” he said, grinning down at me. I felt completely refreshed as though I’d slept 8 hours. I checked my time and was surprised to see it was just after midnight, he’d been working on the puzzle for four hours.

I laughed groggily, shaking my head in admiration. “Ashley would be proud, Felix. You nailed it.”

I leaned forward, staring at the glowing shard. It pulsed with a soft, almost hypnotic light, and when I reached out to touch it, the HUD sprang to life.

Fragment of the Key (1 of 3)

Rarity: Unique

Description: Collect all three fragments to unlock the vault.

Felix smiled, handing it back to me with a yawn. “I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Oh it was my turn anyway.” I turned the shard over in my hands, its faint warmth seeping into my skin. “I guess this means we need to find the other two pieces and see what the vault is.”

Felix shrugged. “I mean, it’s either that or eat more dungeon rats. And while I’m getting pretty good at skinning them, I’d rather not make that our go-to meal.”

“Get some rest." I gave him my spot near the fire, as I brought up the HUD to review the schematics Anne had shown me in the dream. Byte hovered nearby, his sensors whirring softly, keeping a close eye on the surroundings.

Before I could even get my components out and ready Felix was already sound asleep. His chest rising and falling steadily beneath his cloak, the tension of the day finally easing from his face.

"Alright, Byte," I whispered, the cave’s stillness making my voice sound louder than intended. "Time for a little upgrade. Let’s make you more than just our adorable watchdog."

Byte chirped curiously, as if understanding what was coming. I reached into my spatial storage and pulled out the venom injector fangs from the Mechweaver Queen. They gleamed under the firelight, sharp and menacing. I turned the fangs over in my hands, imagining how they could fit into Byte’s compact frame. The fangs were large, much too big to simply attach to his body, but an idea was forming in my mind. I studied the schematic and realized I could reshape the fangs, breaking them down slightly and restructuring them to fit Byte’s design.

“If we place them here…” I murmured to myself, accessing Byte’s inner wiring via the HUD display. I could see his current capabilities laid out before me—his agility, his scanning sensors, his compact size, all already well-designed. But for his teeth, he lacked offense.

An idea struck me. What if we incorporated the fangs into Byte’s upper frame, almost like ears? Cat-like in their placement, but not just for aesthetics—these could be weapons. Byte could remain his usual unassuming self, rolling and zipping around under enemies, but when the time came, he could deploy the fangs and strike at their vulnerable underbellies.

I got to work. I used my multitool guiding it through the intricate process of breaking down the fangs and incorporating them into Byte’s exterior. Byte whirred in curiosity as the tool worked, his small form shifting slightly as if adjusting to the new parts being added.

The fangs took shape, fitting perfectly atop Byte’s sleek, round frame, blending seamlessly with his structure. I admired the way they curved upwards slightly. The cat-like quality definitely came through. When Byte gnashed his teeth he gave off steam-punk Cheshire Cat vibes.

After I was done admiring my work I modified the venom injector mechanism, ensuring that Byte could control when and how much venom to inject, and that the venom would only be used in high-threat situations.

Once the fangs were fully integrated, I moved on to the Adaptive Camouflage Circuitry. This was going to be tricky. I carefully wove the circuitry into his outer shell, making adjustments in the HUD as I went along. Byte’s surface shimmered slightly as the camouflage system activated for the first time, his body blending almost perfectly with the stone floor of the cave.

I sat back and admired my now invisible Cheshire Cat who grinned up at me only mouth and eyes visible. With a final tweak I adjusted the LED eyes to have a more cat-like pupil. Byte had certainly evolved—he was a stealthy, venomous protector now, capable of defending himself and us in ways we hadn’t been able to before. The possibilities of how we could use him in future fights raced through my mind.

Byte jumped into my lap and lifted himself up to eye level, his ears retracting back into his frame as he beeped softly, a new glint in his digital eyes.

"How do you feel, Byte?" I asked, running my hand over his now-sleek frame. He beeped enthusiastically, popping up and nuzzling his new “ears” against my cheek.

"Yeah, you’re gonna be a force to be reckoned with," I said, a grin spreading across my face. Byte’s upgrades had reinvigorated me. The exhaustion from yesterday, the fear of what lay ahead—it all seemed a little more manageable now that I had him by my side. I pulled up the HUD again and checked the venom injectors. Fully operational. I smiled.

Felix stirred in his sleep, mumbling something under his breath. I looked at him, my mind wandering to the fight still ahead of us. John’s voice echoed in my memory—Don’t come back without help. Well, Byte was definitely going to be that help. I just hoped it was enough.

Now all we had to do was get out of this dungeon and come up with a plan.

Easier said than done.