Hundreds of miles from the magma-filled chasm known as the Valar Pits, Awakened from every corner of Targarth gathered in a grassy field beside the raging volcano. A massive, swirling portal hovered at its center, humming softly as a cold breeze swept across the clearing. Unlike most dungeons, which spat raiders out at their point of entry, the Valar Pits deposited Awakened miles away.

  Members of various guilds—allied and otherwise—mingled as they waited for their comrades to return. Only one guild stood apart. Their members clustered around their leader, barely acknowledging the others as they stared at the portal with bored indifference. Stormlight, one of the largest guilds in Targarth and backed by Varidan, had no need to mix with the rest.

  Ayden, Stormlight’s representative, assessed the surrounding guilds with a calm, detached gaze, until his eyes landed on a man of average height and forgettable features.

  His jaw tightened.

  The only thing this idiot cares about is women, food, and booze.

  His gloved hands curled into fists, though his expression remained unreadable.

  I can’t wait to get out of this dump.

  He cleared his throat sharply. “Cotis.”

  No response.

  “Cotis,” he repeated, voice like a warning blade.

  The man snapped his head toward him, wearing a sheepish grin. “Did you really have to shout? My ears aren’t decorative, you know.”

  Ayden exhaled slowly. “How long until they retrieve the item?”

  Cotis shrugged. “Shouldn’t take long.” He yawned, eyes drifting to the portal. “Those three know the pits better than anyone from our branch.”

  That earned a faint relaxation in Ayden’s brow. “And what kind of haul should we expect?”

  Cotis mumbled to himself before raising three fingers. “At least thirty swamp vipers.”

  “Good.” Ayden scanned the field again. “We leave as soon as they return. Too many shady characters around already.”

  He eyed several masked groups and others wrapped in thick cloaks, drifting through the gathering without interacting, or fully isolating themselves.

  “How long does it usually take?” Ayden asked.

  “Well… depends. If everything goes to plan, and it usually does, no more than three hours.”

  “And if it doesn’t?”

  “Relax,” Cotis chuckled. “Those three were big shots in Gido before joining our branch. But this is the Valar Pits. Everyone’s competing for the same resources, and the monsters there hit harder than in most dungeons. Worst case? Five hours.”

  Ayden didn’t reply.

  Five more hours and I’m out of this forsaken place.

  Minutes bled into hours. Two passed quickly, and even more groups arrived at the field.

  “What the fuck are Fluke and the others doing?! How long does it take to pick Cameri Flowers?!”

  Ayden turned toward a burly man pacing and cursing under his breath.

  The once-lively atmosphere had soured into tense silence. Groups now stuck to their own members; all eyes fixed on the swirling portal. Not a single person had returned.

  Hunting dungeon dwellers could delay a group, sure, but gathering Cameri Flowers shouldn’t take this long. Did something happen inside?

  His frown deepened as he scanned the worried faces around him.

  He glanced at Cotis, who now wore the same stern expression as everyone else.

  “Cotis, have you received any message fro—”

  A chorus of chimes cut him off. Dozens of Awakened raised flashing crystals.

  Transmission crystals? What’s going on?

  He whipped around to the guild member holding theirs, and it was dark and inactive. Anxiety rippled through Stormlight and the neighboring guilds alike.

  Something big must have happened in the Valar Pits.

  He was certain.

  Seconds later, several guilds abruptly turned to leave.

  Ayden jerked his chin at Cotis. The man didn’t hesitate, intercepting a retreating party with an outstretched arm.

  “Who the hell do you think—oh. Cotis.” The party leader relaxed slightly. “Why are you blocking us?”

  “Alpus, my friend.” Cotis smiled warmly. “Why are you leaving? What happened?”

  Alpus’s expression darkened.

  Cotis’s smile widened. “C’mon. I’m not here to make trouble. Just tell me what happened and you’re free to go.”

  Alpus sighed, folding his arms. “The party we sent in said an abnormality happened before the dive—”

  “What abnormality?” Ayden cut in sharply. “Speak.”

  Alpus shot him a glare before looking back at Cotis for permission.

  “Answer him,” Cotis said, still smiling.

  “The lava erupted multiple times,” Alpus said quietly. “A lot of people died. And… the entry portal vanished.”

  Ayden’s mouth fell open, but no sound came out.

  This is bad. How does something like that even happen?

  “What do you mean ‘disappeared’?” Cotis asked.

  “I don’t know,” Alpus snapped. “I’m just telling you what we were told.”

  Ayden’s voice turned cold. “Did the lava kill everyone who made the dive?”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Alpus flinched. “N-no. Some made it in before the portal closed. The rest were forced back to the base of the volcano. That’s all I know. Really.”

  “Thank you,” Cotis said pleasantly.

  Alpus and his team fled without another word.

  Could our members be among those who made it through?

  Ayden turned sharply to Cotis.

  “Try to get in contact with—”

  “Already did,” Cotis said quietly. “No response. They either got in, or…”

  He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to.

  “Send a report to headquarters,” Ayden ordered after a tense silence. “They need to know there’s been a dungeon abnormality.” His gaze shifted to the healers gathered behind him. “Be ready. The moment our people come through that portal, you move.”

  Word of the incident had already swept across the field. Even those who hadn’t received transmission messages had learned the truth from the retreating guilds.

  “The portal is closing!” someone screamed.

  Ayden’s head snapped toward the vortex.

  It was shrinking.

  Murmurs died instantly, replaced by stunned silence as the portal collapsed inward—smaller, smaller—until it vanished entirely as if it had never been there. The grassy field felt suddenly hollow, the air thick and grave-like.

  “Have you contacted headquarters?” Ayden whispered, eyes fixed on the empty space.

  “Not yet. I—”

  “Do it now,” Ayden snapped. “This is beyond us. Report everything.”

  Guilds that still harbored even a thread of hope began to withdraw in haste. While death in dungeons was common, phenomena like this—entry collapse, mass casualties, an unexplainable anomaly—were the sort of disasters people whispered about for decades.

  Still, a few guilds remained rooted in place. Stormlight was one of them.

  Ayden paced, hands clasped behind his back, irritation and dread simmering together. Cotis approached with a hardened expression.

  “What did they say?” Ayden asked.

  “Johnathan and several elites are already en route to Valar,” Cotis replied. “We are to remain here, just in case the portal reopens.”

  “What about me?” Ayden pressed. “Did the guild leader say anything else?”

  Cotis hesitated, then shook his head.

  Ayden cursed loudly. “Damn it! What kind of cursed luck—wait, is it even possible for a portal to reopen after—”

  “Ayden…” Cotis gripped his shoulder and turned him. “Look.”

  A distortion shimmered in the air, the exact spot where the portal had vanished.

  Ayden blinked, unsure if his mind was playing tricks on him. But the ripple grew, widening, as whispers spread across the field.

  “The portal is reopening,” someone breathed.

  The distortion expanded, firming into the outline of a portal. A frigid gust spilled outward while an eerie resonance vibrated through the field.

  Ayden took an involuntary step back.

  No one dared stand near the forming gateway.

  The structure solidified. First translucent, then color seeped into it; deep, unnatural tartrazine yellow blooming across half its surface.

  “That color… C-rank!” someone shouted.

  It’s evolving… Ayden realized, cold settling into his bones.

  A D-rank dungeon evolving was a nightmare for Targarth. Stronger monsters, brutal competition, and worst of all—stronger guilds would soon descend on their territory like wolves to a fresh kill.

  “Cotis! Send that information to headquarters, now!” Ayden barked.

  “I—I’m on it!”

  A lance of lightning exploded from the portal, scorching a black streak across the grass. At that moment, two figures were hurled out, tumbling onto the field.

  Ayden squinted.

  They weren’t injured, at least not critically, but they reeked like a sewer. Their armor and robes were in tatters, smeared with sticky, bluish slime.

  Condensed Black Spider blood, and high-grade, at that, Ayden noted.

  The duo didn’t seem to care about the stares boring into them. They were too busy laughing, wrapped in a relieved embrace.

  “We made it out, Reggie! Told you to trust me!”

  “Quiet, Billy! Don’t let anyone hear what we found. Act normal.” Reggie clamped a hand over Billy’s mouth.

  They giggled like idiots as they staggered upright, until a calm, aged voice cut through the air.

  “You two. Stay where you are.”

  They flinched as an elderly man dressed in white robes approached.

  “Who’re you supposed to be, old man?” Billy challenged. “What do you want?”

  “We have no interest in whatever you found,” the old man replied, stopping a few paces away. “I need only one answer: what happened to the Raventhorn party?”

  “We don’t know anything,” Reggie said quickly.

  “Did you see them enter?”

  “Yeah, but that’s it. And with all due respect, we’d like to leave. We smell like Sally’s leftovers.”

  They began edging away.

  “Wait.”

  Billy turned to snap something back but froze. A third eye had opened on the old man’s forehead.

  “I didn’t give you permission to leave,” the old man growled. “I still have—”

  Another explosion of lightning cut him off. More figures shot out of the portal—four this time.

  Ayden and Cotis rushed forward, but the old man was faster, blurring ahead of them.

  “My name is Angus,” the old man said, addressing the newcomers. “Varidan students, yes? Did you encounter Raventhorn inside?”

  A tattooed student shook his head. “They entered before us. We didn’t cross paths.”

  “They headed toward the Baccarras’ den,” a young woman added. “They might come out later.”

  Angus nodded briefly and moved past Ayden without acknowledging him.

  Ayden approached the group. “Excuse me, we’re from—”

  “Stormlight, right?” the tattooed student cut in.

  Ayden blinked, then nodded.

  “No offense,” the student said tiredly, “but we’re in no mood for small talk. What do you need?”

  “Did you see any of our members inside?” Ayden asked.

  Another shake of the head.

  “How many people have come out so far?” the student asked suddenly. “Any other Varidan students?”

  “You’re the second group,” Ayden replied, gesturing toward Billy and Reggie. “They arrived first.”

  “Hendrix, should we wait here or go back to the city?” one of the young women asked.

  “City,” Hendrix said, patting her shoulder. “You all need rest.”

  He flicked his wrist. A crystal slid out from the tattoo on his arm, glimmering faintly.

  “Take this. Contact me if any other Varidan students exit.” He tossed it to Ayden. “And… I hope your people make it back.”

  Just as they turned to leave, another crack of thunder rolled out from the portal. The yellow glow deepened, pulsing ominously.

  “Yellow… why is it yellow?” Hendrix muttered. “We’re leaving. Now.”

  Ayden didn’t stop them. He was too focused on the churning portal, praying the next people who emerged would be his.

  Four hours had passed since the last group stepped through the portal. Dusk settled over Valar, staining the sky a burnt orange, and more than half of the swirling gateway had turned yellow. Yet, since the three-man party that emerged after the Varidan students, not a single soul had come out.

  “Any word from Johnathan’s team?” Ayden asked as he paced, brow furrowed.

  Cotis shook his head. “Nothing. They still can’t get anywhere near the volcano. And I doubt that’ll change until the dungeon finishes evolving.”

  Ayden stopped. “Then… do you think our people are still alive?”

  Cotis hesitated. “If those two bumpkins could survive, then our people can, too.” His gaze drifted toward the old man nearby. “Raventhorn still has people inside, and the other Varidan party as well. We just need to be patient.”

  But Ayden heard the weakened confidence behind the words.

  Another hour slipped by.

  The portal had turned completely yellow.

  “The Valar Pits is now a rank-C dungeon,” Ayden murmured, stunned.

  “The headquarters just sent new orders,” Cotis said, pulling out his communicator.

  “What is it?”

  “We’re to retreat. The leader’s calling a grand meeting.” He lowered the device. “I’ll explain everything on the way back to the guild.”

  Ayden nodded and glanced toward the portal again. It seemed the only ones who survived were those who escaped quickly.

  He exhaled, shaking his head. Around them, guild members began packing up and preparing to leave.

  E-rank and D-rank Awakened surviving a newly evolved C-rank dungeon was unheard of.

  He scanned the field and noticed that the Raventhorn party hadn’t moved. Still, he only spared them a brief look before calling to his companions.

  “Let’s go—”

  A whip of lightning cracked across the field, followed by a heavy thud.

  Ayden spun around.

  A young man with ink-black hair lay face-down on the grass. His clothes were shredded, his short sword broken in half. Layers of soot and ash coated his body, and the stench of burnt flesh and sulfur clung to him.

  Unbelievable! Someone else actually made it out.

  The old man rushed forward. “Young man! Did you see the people from Raventhorn?”

  The youth lifted his head weakly. “I-I didn’t. They told everyone to avoid the Baccarras’ den, so… they should be there.” He struggled to his feet. “I’m sorry, old man. I don’t have time. I need to get out of here. Everything in that dungeon has gone to hell.”

  Without waiting for a response, he staggered away, repeatedly glancing over his shoulder at the swirling portal as he fled.

  Ayden’s party departed soon after, leaving only Raventhorn’s people on the empty field.

  “Sir Angus,” one of them asked, voice tight, “does that mean Sir Gallien has failed?”

  Angus nodded grimly. “Gather everyone. We’re returning to Dratol.”

  “We’re on standby, sir.”

  “And the other matter?”

  “We got the Black Spider blood vials from those two. Should we send someone after the rest?”

  Angus shook his head. “Don’t touch any Varidan student. You’re free to chase the other three if you want, but…” He paused, frowning. “I’d avoid that kid. He smelled dangerous.”

  His gaze remained fixed on the path the battered youth had taken.

  “Let’s get out of this hellhole,” Angus said at last. “This dungeon’s not done changing.”