We stepped through the door, entering a completely different kind of architecture. The white, polished marble stone of the catacombs transitioned to rough walls of rock and dirt.

  Large roots, which reminded me of the class exam room in the Adventurer’s Guild, interwove above to form the ceiling and snaked through parts of the upper walls. The air smelled of soil.

  A notification appeared as we passed over the threshold.

  New Quest! Stop the Senc!

  Interrupt the ritual and avoid a city–wide disaster! The clock is ticking. Verdantbrooke’s fate hangs in the balance. Reward: 1 Golden City Savior Chest, 1 Gold Hero’s Chest, Gold Coins x25. WARNING! This quest is far above your current level and rank.

  “I was speaking with an old contact in Moswynd about you, Chanter, before agreeing to be your mentor. They mentioned jewelry that had been going missing.” He paused at an intersection, looking both directions and sniffing at the air. The gold around his eyes reflected the gentle green glow of small flowers growing along the roots that illuminated the labyrinth.

  He turned his head to the right, listened for a moment, then chose the left path.

  “I performed a simple tracking song and followed the trail to a small shrine built into the side of the cliffs not far from Moswynd. It was empty. I assume it was used in some preparatory ritual.”

  The tunnel opened into a large room, the ceiling high above and obscured in darkness. Two earthen ramps ran along opposite sides of the room. One led up, to a floor that continued out of sight. The other led down, twisting away into darkness. The room also continued further ahead, narrowing back down to a tunnel.

  “Wait.” Cahl said, stopping at the entrance of the room. He turned, shoving me into Katarina and out of the room just as a portcullis door slammed down.

  “Damned weighted trap, I should have seen it,” he cursed. I heard a soft tchk as he lifted his foot from the plate.

  Fire erupted from the ground to the left and the right, twin plumes of flame that fully engulfed Cahl. I stumbled back, holding up my hands in an ineffectual attempt at blocking the wave of heat that radiated from the area.

  “Cahl!” I shouted. My stomach twisted. Not again, not like this. I couldn’t accept it.

  The flames sputtered out. Cahl stood there, charred but unharmed. Bits of his clothing were scorched slightly. Steam and smoke rose from his body. He scratched the back of his head.

  “Damn, can’t believe I missed that.” He said.

  “What the—” Katarina stared at him with an open mouth.

  I was surprised as well, but to a lesser extent. I knew he was different; I didn’t know specifically in what way. Apparently, he could withstand intense heat. And all of his gear must share his resistance to some extent.

  “Yeah,” he said, drawing the word out as he looked around the edge of the door. “This tunnel system is riddled with traps and… other things. Ah, there it is.” He manipulated something above the door and the portcullis rose with the clattering of chains.

  “How did you not get burned? That fire was hot, I felt it on the other side of Chanter! Hell, Encore is singed slightly, and he’s on Chanter’s shoulder!” Katarina gestured to Encore as she spoke. I looked over and saw the tip of one of his tails — he had all nine out at the moment — was burnt black.

  “Are you okay?” I asked him.

  “Yes I’m fine, just a little burned fur.” He swished his tails, merging them and separating them again. The burn was gone. “See? Good as new.”

  “Where does the um.. scorched fur go?” I asked.

  “No clue. It only works on mild superficial imperfections. If my fur is too badly damaged or too filthy it won’t work.”

  “Interesting.”

  “That… that has nothing to do with how Cahl survived being roasted alive!” Katarina stammered. “Am I losing it? What? How?”

  Cahl laughed gently. “Allow an old man his secrets. Keep an eye out, and keep up.”

  He began walking again, heading to the ramp that spiraled down. Katarina looked at me, her head cocked to the side in confusion. I shrugged.

  “I don’t know either. At least he wasn’t hurt.” I laughed softly. For a moment, the barest sliver of a second, I had thought him dead. The relief I felt at being wrong was immeasurable. I nodded towards Cahl and turned to follow.

  Katarina sighed and joined me.

  The earthen ramp looped around a half dozen times. The bioluminescent flowers weren’t present within the narrow area. Katarina lit a torch as we descended.

  “Tired of relying on those flowers to see,” she mumbled.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  The ramp opened into another large room. The ceiling was low, barely eight feet high. Dense roots wove around sharp stones. The room extended in each direction for more than a hundred feet.

  Cahl stopped just before crossing the threshold, chuckling.

  “Fool me once…” he crouched down. “You see that?”

  He pointed to something on the floor.

  I looked, unable to make anything out. “No?”

  “Here, bring that torch closer,” he moved to the side. Katarina lowered the torch, illuminating a slight indentation in the rough stone floor.

  “Another pressure plate trap. And look at the room. What do you think it will do? We don’t have much time, but this is important information. Your survival may depend on it one day.”

  I studied the indentation, then the room. I didn’t see any holes for fire or other trap.

  “Is it the roof?” Katarina asked, pointing up. “The roof has those jagged black stones sticking out of the roots. Haven’t seen those yet.”

  “Good eye, yes, that is most likely from a cursory glance. Follow me, be mindful of your foot placement. Step where I step.”

  He stepped over the stone, carefully making his way to the center of the room. I gestured for Katarina to follow, then took up the rear. I paid close attention to where Katarina’s feet landed and took cautious, slow steps to ensure I stepped in the same place.

  Cahl stood in the center of the room, still, listening. He turned and began making his way to the door on the right side of the room. We followed.

  It was slow going. Cahl paused halfway between the center of the room and the exit, raising a hand in warning.

  “There is a large pressure plate ahead. It surrounds the door. There.” He pointed.

  It was easier to make out, being both ten feet long and wide. Ten feet.

  “I don’t think I can jump ten feet,” I said.

  “Not with that mindset,” Katarina chimed in.

  I looked up at the ceiling, about seven feet high. “I have an idea. You both cross first.”

  Cahl nodded, crouched, and leapt the plate with ease. He landed, sliding half a foot and turning like a damn action star while he did it. Then he winked at us.

  “Think you can make the jump, Katarina?” He asked. She snorted and took two steps back.

  “Easy,” she ran and leapt. She launched herself with the prosthetic Abernathy made, shooting across the plate like a rocket. She slid, mimicking Cahl’s action star slide and wink.

  “Kat wins that contest,” I laughed.

  I bent down and undid my boots, placing them in my inventory before concentrating, enacting Transform. My body began shifting, changing. My feet elongated, my bulk shifting and shrinking down as I transitioned into my Quokka Beastkin form.

  My legs felt different. Springier, the muscles and tendons taut with potential energy. I hopped in place twice on powerful legs, feeling the strength they contained.

  Walking was difficult in this form. I now had a much better understanding of why Abernathy always travelled in small hops. It felt more natural with this body. I hopped back a bit, turned, and made my way back to the edge of the platform in two jumps.

  I launched myself across the trapped section of floor but held back slightly, afraid of jumping too far and breaking my neck on the distant wall. I landed on the other side, just in front of Katarina. The backs of my large feet landed on the trapped flooring with enough weight to sink the plate.

  The room shuddered as the trapped floor plate sank into the ground. Katarina pulled me from the edge as the floor in the room collapsed. Massive chunks of the thick stone floor tumbled down into the darkness below.

  “Shit,” I stepped away from the edge, changing back to my human form. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t mention it.” She looked to Cahl with a worried expression. “Uh, I thought that was supposed to be a secret.”

  “Oh, I already know about Chanter’s true race. Don’t worry about me.” Cahl laughed. “And you make a damned cute quokka, if I don’t say.”

  “Yeah he does. Maybe you should stay in that cute little form,” Katarina giggled. She actually giggled. I sighed.

  “Too hard to move around, I don’t know how Abe does it.” I reequipped my boots.

  “You get used to… challenges with movement… pretty quick when you don’t have a choice.” Katarina smiled.

  We continued following Cahl through the labyrinth. The tunnel narrowed and curved downward in a gradual decline. We walked for several minutes without encountering any additional branches or splitting paths.

  Cahl stopped as we approached an opening in the tunnel. A red light flickered from the opening, but we weren’t able to see within due to the angle of the tunnel leading to it.

  I could hear something from within, voices. Were they chanting? It was too soft to be sure.

  Cahl held out his hand, closed his eyes in concentration, and manifested a heavy tome with a blue cover, swirling silver filigree outlining the edges. He then rummaged through his pack, producing a scroll, rolled up and sealed with blue wax. A symbol was imprinted on the blue wax seal, a tower with a quill. He offered them to me.

  “I can hear them ahead. This is going to be dangerous. Far beyond what should be expected of a Bronze rank adventurer. If there was more time, we could have amassed a stronger party, a proper Adventure Guild Raid, but there is not enough time.” Cahl said.

  I took the items from him, inspecting them.

  Scroll of Arcane Door

  Opens a one-way door to a predetermined location for two seconds. Consumed upon use.

  The book was:

  Cahl’s Acervus Repertoire

  Cahl Goldentone’s collection of songs. Sealed by the life force of the owner. Only accessible upon his death.

  “I sent word for the Adventure Guild to amass a raid before leaving the archives, but I didn’t know where to direct them. I wasn’t sure if we would be able to enter the labyrinth at the time. If something happens to me, use this scroll. It will take you to Henrietta’s cottage. Tell the Guild where to go, lead them if you must, but bring them here.”

  He paused, glancing toward the doorway and pulling the lute from behind his back.

  “It is a… proclivity… of my kind to amass collections. That tome is mine. I have always been a collector of songs. It is nothing more than an elaborate paperweight unless I die, but just in case, I want you to have it.” His gaze shifted between the three of us. Encore nodded in my periphery.

  “The scroll requires a command,” he continued. “The command is ‘Ryuen’. Speak the word with intent, and the door will open. It will close quickly, so be fast… Hopefully none of this will be needed, but… I won’t lose another.”

  I nodded, adding the items to my inventory. Cahl began performing a familiar song, the Tatsu Pizzicato. He plucked the first few notes gently, barely sending any sound out before the notes were masked in the magic. There was an obvious mastery to his performance that was far beyond my current skill.

  We stepped within the song’s influence and followed Cahl towards the door.

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