This room was much smaller than the last one. What it lacked in size, it made up in majesty. There was a door on the opposite side of the room. The door was twice as tall as me and was made out of solid silver. I cast Sphere of Light and smiled. The metal that made up the door flowed like a liquid. It looked as if the metal was filled with a liquid, only the parts that were solid and the parts that were liquid seemed to change. It was beautiful. On either side of the door stood two statues. Each statue was of a knight in armor. At first I thought they had been giants who were turned into stone, but these statues didn’t look alive. They were incredibly detailed. The buckles of the armor looked like they could move, but they were clearly made of metal.

The metal looked like the same material as the door, but none of it flowed. The head of the statues were tilted forward and down as if expecting something. There was a plaque at their feet that read.

“Power exists in pairs. Use your wisdom and bestow my power to gain yours”

I looked around and found several other items. There was a stone sword, shield, crown without jewels and a stone crown with stone jewels. “I have to pick two items and give them to the statues. I assume that there should be some sort of theme behind the pairing.” I thought out loud as I picked up the sword and shield. I placed both of them together and then I placed the two crowns together. “These seem to be the obvious pairings, but which one?” I liked at each of them again and came up with another pair. I placed the sword, and the jeweled crown together. “It could mean that the blade will bring about riches.” I looked at the shield and jeweless crown. “This could mean the duty of the crown? To be the shield for the people? The lack of jewels makes it seem like a bad thing. Like a duty instead of a reward?” It was possible that there was no single answer. That I am supposed to pick the one I think is true. I sighed and shook my head. I didn’t have enough information to make any definitive answer.

I shrugged and looked at the four items and made a different decision. I grabbed both crowns. “The power and responsibility of the crown.” I murmured to myself, though I wasn’t sure if I was saying it because I believed it was correct or if I wanted it to be. I gave each crown to one of the statues and waited. At first, nothing happened, and I was just about to remove the crown. Before I could touch it, though, the doors opened. I stepped back with both hands raised. I prepared myself for another monster, but nothing came. There was no announcement telling me I made the right choice. It was a bit anticlimactic, but there was no one to complain to. I stepped through the doorway and looked around.

The room was as big as a kitchen, with shelves spread throughout. Half of which were filled with silvery-white ingots. I grabbed one of the ingots and read the notification.

You have found: Quicksilver Ingot Details: You do not have the smithing or mining skill and cannot know the qualities of this metal.Durability: 50/50Item Quality:HighItem Rarity:RareWeight: 7lbs

Well, that sucked, but it made sense. If I remembered correctly, Quicksilver was mercury. I had no idea how someone had managed to turn the liquid metal into a solid ingot. Touching the metal didn’t have an effect, which meant that either the metal wasn’t poisonous or I would need to work with it more to see any negative effects. I turned my attention to the rest of the ingots. I made my way over to the next pile when I caught sight of three ingots seated on a pedestal in the back of the room. I walked over to them and picked one up. It looked a bit like stainless steel.

You have found:Seswalt Ingot Details: You do not have the smithing or mining skill and cannot know the qualities of this metal.Durability: 70/70Item Quality:HighItem Rarity:Super RareWeight: 5lbs

The ingot looked like solid stainless steel with black shavings spread throughout. It reminded me a bit of black pepper when you were cooking. I chose to ignore that comparison. I couldn't identify the metal, but its location and rarity indicated its value. I willed it and the other three into my ring. I would take it to a city in order to get more information. I turned my attention to the last pile of metals. Each one was a lustrous gray-white color that was cool to the touch. When I read the notification, my eyes nearly popped out my head.

You have Found: Platinum Ingot Details: You do not have the smithing or mining skill and cannot know the qualities of this metal.Durability: 25/25Item Quality:HighItem Rarity:RareWeight: 5lbs

“Holy shit. It was genuine platinum. There had to be fifteen ingots here. I looked around, suddenly feeling like I had just gained a lot of wealth. I willed all the ingots into the ring and then gathered the quicksilver. Once I was done, the room was barren. I gave it another scan before exiting the room. Once I was outside, the door sealed itself and a new hallway presented itself. The path I took to get here was gone, which meant there was only one option.

I cast my light spell and headed forward. The next chamber was empty except for the podium in the center of the room. Unlike the other chambers, this room had a dome shape, a bit like a cathedral back home. I made my way to the plaque and read out loud. “Fear is destruction’s chain. Unleash yourself or succumb to the depths of despair.” No sooner than I had finished reading there a boom. I spun around, arms raised and found the path I took here closed off. I scanned the room, looking for a statue or a monster, but none came. A second later, water began to pour from the ceiling above me. I searched it but couldn’t find where the water was coming from exactly. Within seconds, the water was up to my knees. Panicked fought with reason as I tried to understand what was happening. I scanned the room for a lever, or a trapdoor, or anything that would help me. I unleashed rays of light at the podium, but I couldn’t even leave a mark.

The water was nearing my waist and the fear of drowning alive become real. I barely remembered not to cast fire magic while standing in water. “Not like this, not like this,” I repeated until I calmed down enough to think rationally. None of the traps so far were impossible to solve. There was no reason for this one to be different. I repeated the riddle again. I looked down at the water and ran my hands through it. The water felt like normal water. I let out a groan when it clicked. The riddle said that fear would be destruction’s chain. My fear of drowning would be the thing that gets me killed. I gritted my teeth as the water reached my chest. Every instinct I had told me that I was being stupid. That there was a better option, but that was also me being afraid. I waited for the water to reach my neck.

Once it was there, I took a final deep breath and sunk into the water. When nothing happened, the barely contained panic surfaced with a vengeance. I clawed at the water in a desperate attempt to pull myself above the surface. The fading rational part of my brain railed against the fear, but it wasn’t enough. I was going to drown. I was going to die. My vision darkened and my strength began to fade. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see, as if being blind to what was happening would make it better. I felt myself sinking deeper and deeper. Slowly the fear faded, replaced with a grim acceptance. There was nothing to fear once you understood there was nothing you could do about it. That thought sent a ripple through the water. My foggy mind found a thread of understanding and hung to it. There was nothing to fear. It repeated in my mind like a mantra until my back hit something hard. My eyes flew open as confusion shot through me.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

I was laying on my back. It took my mind a moment to process what was going on. The chamber was empty. Not just empty, there wasn’t a drop of moisture anywhere. “What happened?” I slowly stood up, expecting for a wave of water to slam down on me at any moment. When the next hallway appeared, I nearly jumped out of my skin. “Was it some kind of fucked up illusion?” I practically tip toed to the exit, not wanting to tempt some additional fresh hell. I didn’t relax until I was halfway down the new hallway.

I stopped in the hallway and caught my breath. I wasn’t sure how long I had been down here, but I was exhausted. This hallway was safe, at least for the time being. Three spheres of light came into being around me and I sent one to each side of the hallway while keeping one above me. They wouldn’t last forever, but they would help for now. Next, I summoned four light drones. The drone couldn’t fight from what I could tell, but hopefully, they would make enough noise to wake up. Assuming something bothered to attack the group. I sent two to either end of the hallway. With my preparations complete, I leaned back and closed my eyes.

When I next woke up, I was in complete darkness. I brought both hands up and summoned my spheres of light. Once I could see the anxiousness building in my chest abated. Everything was fine. The light drones I had summoned were still there, but they did not give off much light. They were closer to faint candles. I pulled up the spell description before ordering them to follow me. I had them for the 24 hours. If I assumed that I had slept for between eight and twelve hours, then I would be have four helpers for half a day at least. Ideally, this dungeon will have been completed by then. I flexed my fingers and rolled my shoulders, expecting to feel stiff or some pain, but I was fine. Better than fine, actually, I felt great.

I bounced on the balls of my feet and threw a punch. The bare bones shadow boxing attempt didn’t earn me a notification. “Does that mean there isn’t an unarmed fighting skill or that I don’t qualify for it?” I spoke out loud, wishing one of the drones could answer me. It did not surprise me when none did. I then got an idea. I cast revelation on the drone.

Light Drone: Level 1 Health: 30/30, Mana 0/0, Stamina 300/300

This magic construct is capable of freely altering its form and shape. The properties of the drone allow it move faster and move over obstacles that would normally be unable to support their weight. These constructs are mindless are only capable of menial tasks. Non-combatant

Now that was odd. Why could I see the stats of these summons? I couldn’t get the health of the monsters I used the spell on. I had to assume one of two things. Either my spell wasn’t strong enough to reveal the properties of enemies or the drones were showed because they were mine. I would need to cast the spell on the magmite next time I summoned it for more information. I wasn’t sure which option I wanted to be true. If I couldn’t use it on enemies, then I wouldn’t be able to learn about my targets, but my targets wouldn’t be able to know what I am capable of either. I suppose the worse case scenario would be that others had better abilities or skills for that.

Either way, what I needed was knowledge, and fast. I ignored that line of thinking when we entered the next chamber. As soon as we entered, braziers let up all around the room. The room was massive and had two doors on either side, with a tall staircase in the center. When no monster appeared, I began to relax. I instructed the drones to stay at the bottom of the stairs while I made my way up. When I reached the top, I found something strange. It was a large sarcophagus. It held the likeness of a woman. In one hand she held a scepter, the other was bare and held upright. She looked every bit the regal queen. I placed a hand on the coffin but didn’t receive a notification. I wasn’t sure if that was because the coffin wasn’t an “item” or if it was something special. I was thankful for that.

It felt wrong for her ultimate resting place to be trivialized. I considered opening it, but I quickly crushed that part of me. Even if some magic weapon was inside there, I wasn’t going to take it. I wasn’t going to be some grave-robber. Or more of one, anyway. I had already gotten the metals, the spell-book and more knowledge than I could have asked for. As far as I am concerned, she had already given me more than enough. I turned and made my way back down the stairs. The solemnity of the movement was destroyed as soon as I reached the bottom. There was a massive stone construct wielding twin axes the size of my body. It was in the form of a large man with a glass window in his chest. There was a dull blue light coming from it. It was so unlike the other statues that it made me hesitate for just a moment. When I snapped out of it, I brought my hands up ready to do battle.

I reached the ground and gave the statue a wide berth. I instructed the drones to stay between me and the statue. The statue stayed unmoving. I slowly made me my way around to the right side doorway and entered. This room led to another set of double doors. These were made out of the same metal as the entrance chamber’s doors. I pushed them open and let out a sigh of relief. They let back to the entrance. The insane dungeon was nearing its end. I turned away from it and went back into the room. The statue still hadn’t moved. When I reached the staircase, the statue finally started moving. It didn’t move toward me, but I still stopped. It had raised both axes as if prepared to do battle. “Alright, so either I can’t go back up the stairs or I can’t go into the last room.” I took a step toward the staircase, which earned a step from the construct.

I paused. I had no interest in the tomb, but that last room could have something special. I sighed and shook my head. The risk wasn’t worth it. This statue was clearly different from all the others and I was by myself not counting the magmite. Besides, I really already had everything I could want. I was also due the rewards for completing the quest. I slowly took a step back and then another. I repeated this until the statue went completely still again. I then made my way back to the entrance chamber. I made my way over to the mural and really looked at it. I still didn’t know the Silver Queen’s name, but she had to have been a special person. I made a mental note to look her up at the first chance, but it was time for me to go. I made my way out of the entrance chamber and back up the pile of black sand. The heat hit me like a truck and I considered if it was better to fight the construct.

I gave myself a few minutes to adjust to the heat before stepping away from the entrance. A hiss and low roar made me freeze. I sent a mental command to the drones and prepared myself for a fight. When a blur of movement came from my right. I whirled around, both hands raised, only to watch a lizard the size of a horse slam into the first drone. It ripped apart the drone in a moment, and I was just about to blast it when I realized who it was. “Rex!” I glared at the reptile, who looked down at the disappointing drone with annoyance. “You can’t eat the drones, Rex.” I reached down slowly to give him a scratch behind the scales. When he let me, I relaxed. It would have been a pain if my mount had gone feral in the day I was gone. After a brief reunion, I climbed up and into his saddle. I instructed the remaining drones to head back to the canyon. Me and Rex then followed behind them. I decided to take the chance to review my new notification.

You have been completed the Quest: Suzerainty Trial I

You have found and dealt with a dungeon within your domain. As a Suzerain of the closest Place of Power you have earned the right to choose one of your abilities.

Reward: 3000 Experience points, Selection of a Power

Choosing an ability will grant you a 50% reduction in the cost of magic for that spell type. You will also gain a 50% increase in duration to spells of that type. Most importantly you will gain the unique Suzerainty power associated with your Place of Power.

Geos Ability: "Land of Abundance" +30% to yields for all settlements under your control.

Lumos Ability: "Gift of Radiance" Reduce all your cool down's by 30%

Pyro Ability: "Charisma of the King" +30% to abilities and attributes for anyone who fights for you.

Spira Ability "Erudite Mind" +30% to skill level progression

Necro Ability: Grip of the Damned" Healing is 30% less effective on injuries you cause.