The next floor was earth and rock.

The floor below was nature and this one was about rock. The worms were similar to the snakes as ambushers but, ironically, were tougher than the snakes but not as fast. This forced a slight change of tactics, with the melee fighters taking more of the lead.

The group moved through the first cavern, which changed into cut stone and wooden support beams. The worm attacked Xerack, but he avoided it, allowing Randle and Fredrick to kill it. When presented with the choice, they chose to go east first. Xerack spotted the trap and tripwire in the entrance to the room before them. He smashed the covering, revealing the spiked pit, an almost standard Dungeon trap.

They continued fighting the worms that appeared. Against a bronze-tier team, they were not a serious concern, but her team did not underestimate the monsters. Randle and Fredricks's shields showed the scars of these fights. Nimora noted that if they go through this Dungeon again, they should bring extra shields. Kyle observed the similarities between the teeth of the worms and the fangs of the snakes below. The alchemists would want both samples to be examined, but that was something for another day.

They found the copper vein on the floor. They were not here for mining, so they moved on. The next room allowed Xerack to shine, as it contained a complicated trap. The [Shadow Thief] went to work with relish. It took him nearly fifteen minutes, but he recovered the small bag of coins from the chest. The rest enjoyed the break.

Silver Old Empire coins were an excellent find and were added to the pile of coins gained so far. The journey through the Dungeon was looking to be profitable for her team.

They returned to the first cavern and went south. Room by room, they advanced, taking out the worms and avoiding the traps. They ranged from tripwires to well-disguised pitfall traps and a few nasty ones. The circular room with a pit and the half-moon pendulum blade gave Xerack some pause.

He got around them and the other discovered pressure plate plinth traps. The worms were killed, and before long, they were approaching a room with a large earth mound in it. The group consensus was that this was the floor boss. They entered the room under this assumption.

They were proven right.

The giant worm erupted from the mound and attacked. Randle and Fredrick were pressed in, holding it back as Kyle used different arrows to pierce its hide. Xerack and Nimora had the most challenging time injuring this beast but began wearing it down in the end. It still had a few tricks as it used its own skills and spells to keep it in the fight. The snake below relied on speed, while this one used brute force.

They were all sweating when it finally collapsed dead. After collecting the reward, they returned to the stairwell. Mealina treated those who needed it here, as they all suffered minor injuries from the fight. They now understood that the door in the room marked the boss room exit—another oddity of this Dungeon.

The fourth floor was different again. This time, the monsters were spiders. They fought through the first cavern but initially found the restrictions in movement due to the webbing annoying, but they adapted. Altor collected the webbing as they went. Nimora was impressed with the extent of his harvesting skills. He would be hired again if he was free.

The spider's speed was greater than the worm's but not as great as the snake's. Their most significant advantage was the above ambushing. Numbers against her team were not as much of a concern.

The different-shaped rooms were unusual, but the spiders within were no obstacle. Things were a bit harder when they reached the room with eight inside. Randle got bitten when he was swarmed, but his plate armour protected him from the worst of it. Mealina had him healed within a few minutes.

Nimora was starting to feel the strain from the journey as she taxed her mana pool. She still was more than able to finish this Dungeon, but it was proving to be a far sneaker than she gave it credit for. Throwing in the monsters and changing environments, she understood that more adventurers were being drawn here.

The next room contained two advanced spiders, but they were not enough to slow them down much. This was the first time they had encountered more evolved versions of the base monsters since the sixth. Kyle enjoyed looking them over and even quipped about writing a book on the different types within the Dungeon.

The floor boss came next. As they rose instead of descending, the bosses became easier. This one was not as fast or tough but used more tricks. The [Shadow Arms] were a surprise along with it summoning lesser spiderlings. Her team quickly adapted, but the fight was more challenging than Nimora had expected. The boss seemed more intelligent and used everything it could to its advantage.

They rested again in the stairwell before going up.

The third comprised mud, grass and boars. The floor rooms were simple and not complicated. The boars were dangerous to even copper-tier when they attacked in numbers. Thankfully, only one room had this danger.

This floor took longer as Ator stripped all the hides and meat as he could. Nimora had taken this into account from her brief time walking the town. This floor supplied much to the town.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

The floor boss was a shadow-infused boar and was the source of Xerack's new -slightly damaged now- armour. It fell and Ator got to work. They did not rest in the stairwell but continued upwards. Nimora and her team blew through on the following two floors with little resistance. The water-filled rooms caused the biggest number of complaints among the team. The flowers harvested from both the third and second were a small consolation. It all was adding up and Nimora was thinking about doing it again.

Not long after, they found themselves walking out of the Dungeon returning to the town.

## ## ## ## ##

Ranus was reading some reports on the town's finances with his newly appointed treasurer, Amya. Amya was new to the town and had come from the northern Skaald lands. She was tall, blonde and had green eyes. He hired her after challenging her to organise the town's finances. He had been handling them, but his other duties had been steadily causing him to fall behind in keeping them up to date.

It had taken less than two days to reorganise them and get them in order. She chased down all the outstanding taxes and fines, adding them to his treasury. Amy had also exposed waste and minor corruption, which were quickly dealt with. Then, she implemented a faster way for townsfolk to pay their taxes, making many happy.

Amy sat with him as they reviewed everything. The figures were better, but they were still grim reading. She had compiled all the sources of revenue and expenditures into a report, which she presented to him.

"If I am reading this right, we will not make it to the Summer solstice, " he said glumly.

"No, Lord Goldwind. I am amazed at what you have down with your limited finances." She said, looking at a copy of what he was. "You made some excellent decisions and listened to sound advice, but the town's expansion outstripped everything you could have done."

The figures before him could not but show him the stark reality facing him. His growing depression was disturbed by a rapid knock at the door.

"Enter!" Naru entered at his word and handed him a message from the Adventurers Guild. He opened it and his eyes could not believe what he was reading. "Send back a verbal reply. Yes and I will be over to work out the details as soon as I have finished here."

Amy wondered at Lord's change in demeanour. He handed her the message and she became excited as she read it.

"My lord, you must organise a mining team at once!" She exclaimed. The message was assigning the grade of high copper tier to the sixth floor and that a significant silver vein had been discovered.

"I will, but the vein is on a floor, which we have few groups able to handle. I will need to speak with Elian to see who is available." Ranus was going through options in his head, giving a distant look.

"A single ingot of sliver will give the town fifty silver coins matching the Old Empires and what the Dungeon is producing." Ranus's commitment to the same coin quality was a big source of his financial troubles. Amya understood why, as it was making the local currency trusted and sought after.

"Five of six ingots would, in turn, cover the deficit in the town finances." Ranus stood. "Excuse me, Amya, I must be away."

He did not wait for a reply and was soon out the door. Amya collected her reports, thinking about any future income from silver, both what the Lord could mine and the taxes on the metal pulled from the Dungeon.

"Maybe things will start to improve, " she thought. The Lord's financial system, which he had set up, was surprisingly robust and worked far better than it should have.

## ## ## ## ##

Elian was waiting for Ranus's arrival. Albrot was reading her report and presenting the image of not being happy with the local Lord. He would listen in when they talked. The knock at the door heralded his arrival.

"Elian, you must tell me everything about this silver vein!" Ranus was not his usual self and Elian wondered what had made him so agitated.

"Calm yourself, Ranus. Sit. There is a copy of my report sitting in front of you." Elian indicated to the chair and report. Ranus snatched the vellum and started reading, pacing as he did. That was the final sign that something was agitating him. He stopped and spoke calmer but more insistent.

"Elain, I need a priority request fulfilled. I need the vein mined out and tested as soon as possible, preferably today." He knew what he was asking. Dungeon Lords had the right to ask for a priority request once every half a year. So far, he had never used this right, but today, he would see that change.

"I must make sure you understand what you are asking," Elain asked seriously.

"| understand." He told her, and she was satisfied he understood the importance of what he was asking.

"Gran and his team are available. It will be tough, but they can perform the task of miner escort. As for miners, they can easily be arranged." She thought out loud as she went over what was required. "I will ask Gran today."

Ranus slumped slightly, relieved as if some weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Thank you, Elian."

"Please excuse me. I have things to deal with to get your request done today." He stood as she did and escorted him from her office. Shortly, a receptionist arrived.

"Find team leader Gran and have him come to my office." The woman nodded at the order and vanished back downstairs. Albrot came into the office and sat down opposite her.

"Well, that answers a question I had." He mused.

"And what was that?" She asked.

"The town finances are starting to strain with the town's constant expansion. This silver vein might keep him afloat." Albrot pointed out. Thinking about it caused Elian to agree that money was always an issue for Ranus, which had only been worsening.

"The silver vein will help with that." Elian knew that mining directly or just from the taxes would boost the town's finances.

"Tell me of the floor," Albrot instructed. He had read her report but always liked to get opinions directly from the assessor.

"The environment leans now into a nature type. The long grass is no hindrance but is excellent for hiding the snakes. As for them, they can blend in with their environment, and fangs can punch through plate armour." As she spoke, she leaned on the desk. "It is another escalation of danger level not as marked as the earlier floors, but the Dungeon is adapting and creating new types of monsters at an incredible speed."

"I agree. We have searched the Guild records and not found a single instance of such a Dungeon or its Core." Albrot told her. She looked up and was alarmed by the second part. "Fear not. I asked for the colour of every Core that did unusual things with its Dungeons. It turns out that the older a Dungeon gets, the more likely it is to start to mix things up, but nothing like this one."

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Enter!" Elian called out.

A receptionist opened the door and allowed Gran to enter. He noted the room occupants but did not show any reaction. The door closed behind him as the receptionist withdrew.

"Excellent, Gran. We have had a priority request made and were wondering…"