They stood in the dawn light, armor gleaming in the rising sun. The morning was quiet, broken only by the clink of metal and shallow breaths. Today was their first expedition. River turned and met his friends’ eyes. Conflicting emotions flashed across their faces. Even so, he felt as ready as he could be—and he hoped his friends did too.

  “Ready?” he asked, voice low. They both nodded. He wasn’t just fighting to protect them anymore. He was fighting beside them. That was scarier. His actions were just as likely to doom them as save them.

  At least Kamir would be with them. Acting as delve captain, there to make sure everyone came back in one piece. The other participants were either younger than River or around the same age. They all looked just as inexperienced and nervous as them. The weight of their first real delve pressed just as heavily on everyone. As they began their march into the wastelands, River pulled the essence back from his eyes. His essence blossomed; his body was ready to act. They walked mostly in silence, the clatter of armor loud in their ears. . Luckily, this low-tier dungeon wasn’t far from Varosha.

  By midday, they arrived. At first glance, it looked like any ordinary cave or abandoned mine. But River could feel it. Something was wrong. A subtle pressure seeped out from the entrance, carried on a rotten, metallic scent. It clung to his skin like smoke, and a shiver ran down his spine. Kamir raised his voice so everyone could hear. “Ready yourselves. I’ll hold the rear.” River hadn’t expected Kamir to lead them; the man could’ve cleared the dungeon solo. Still, he’d thought there’d be more guidance. More… anything. But no. This was their task. There were ten of them, all standing frozen before the threshold. One by one, they tensed—eyes fixed ahead, hearts pounding—waiting for the moment they’d been preparing for. Albert began moving before anyone else. The big man looked determined—ready for action. River followed a moment later, with Amalia at his side.

  As they entered the tunnel, the stench grew stronger—thick and rotting, as if the very walls were exhaling decay. It clung to their throats, poisoning every breath.

  Their anxiety grew with each step. No monsters jumped out. No sound echoed but their own footfalls and the occasional creak of gear. Then River spotted it. A thin tripwire stretched low across the passage. Maybe it was his improved vision, or maybe instinct. But there was definitely something there. “Stop!” he shouted. Albert halted abruptly at River’s exclamation. Without thinking, he stepped forward and snapped his hand up—fire flaring to life as he sent a sharp flame across the wire—and a heartbeat later, a rusted metal spike slammed down from the ceiling. Albert's expression shifted. The realization hit hard: monsters weren’t the only danger here. He turned to River, brow furrowed. “Tell me if you see anything else.” River nodded and moved to walk beside him. If he could help it, Albert wasn’t getting hurt—not on his watch. The tunnel was riddled with traps, but most were primitive. Once River spotted the first few, the others became easier to identify: tripwires, false stones, thin pressure plates. Eventually, the narrow tunnel gave way to a wide cavern, dimly lit by bioluminescent fungi. That’s when they saw them. Five goblins, hunched in the far corner, clustered together.

  Barely a breath passed before Amalia dashed forward — sword drawn, a blur of motion.

  The fight had begun. It was all a blur of swords and magic.

  River froze for a heartbeat, awe blooming as Amalia surged—sword in hand, water swirling like a living tide. ‘Fire!’ she cried, and a barrage of water slammed forward, her essence flooding out, barely controlled. They were in the thick of it now. And it was on him to protect them. The water obeyed, surging forward with far more power than River had ever seen from her. What once could barely bruise now blasted the goblins backward in a wave of force. No time to watch—he dove into the unfolding fight. Channeling earth essence, River focused on the three goblins Amalia had flung aside. Stone erupted from the ground, sealing them in. River silenced their snarls first — mouths sealed, growls swallowed. Then the cavern wall pulled them into the abyss, disappearing from sight. Before he could move to assist her further, Amalia and Albert had already finished the job. The remaining goblins lay sprawled and unmoving at her feet. Green blood sprayed across their blades. River glanced back—the first-time delvers were still frozen, wide-eyed. Kamir, arms crossed, gave a single approving nod.

  The others just stared, wide-eyed and speechless. The fight had ended before they’d even understood it had begun. They continued deeper into the dungeon, the stench worsening with every step. It filled their noses; fetid, sour, and ancient. Along the way, they fought through three more cavern openings, each crawling with goblins. With each fight, their swings grew more confident, their magic flowed more freely. They were growing. The other first-time delvers had begun to find their footing. They joined the fights this time, casting hesitant spells and swinging with uncertain strikes. But River could still see the difference. A clear gap between the others and Amalia or Albert. Then, after the third cavern, the tunnel curved sharply to the left. And everyone froze. A red door stood before them—pulsing faintly with essence. River felt it immediately: power, intention… presence. It wasn’t just magic; it was watching them. It was creepy as hell.

  Kamir stepped up beside them, calm as ever. “That’s the dungeon core room,” he said. “Don’t destroy the core. These low-tier dungeons are used for resources. Beat the boss within—that’s it.” So… that was the plan. They stepped forward, stopping at the edge of the chamber. River could see the boss now. The air thickened, heat pulsing off stone. Then he saw it — a towering goblin in black armor, jagged club in hand.

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  River swallowed hard. This was the real test.

  He drew a steady breath—and stepped into the core room.

  This wasn’t a lesson. This was survival.

  His gut wrenched — but not from fear. From excitement. This was his chance to prove it all had been worth it.

  They stood crammed in the entrance, too scared to make a move. Then the goblin boss noticed them and charged. Everyone moved reacting on instinct. River dashed to the right. Amalia veered left. Albert stepped forward, channeling nature magic. Vines burst from the ground, forming a large wall in front of him as he braced for impact. The goblin slammed into it with a deafening thud, the force shaking the air itself. The wall held for a moment, then shattered with a final, brutal charge. Albert and the other delvers scattered. Five of them used the chaos to slip away, hiding behind rocks and shadows, leaving Albert and the others to take the brunt of it. Before the goblin could strike again, River dropped to one knee and channeled earth essence, softening the stone beneath the beast’s feet. Its massive frame began to sink. Amalia dashed in from the side and swung — her blade rang against its armor with a sharp, useless clang. It didn’t even flinch.

  The goblin roared and wrenched its legs free from the earth. Barely slowed by his attempt.

  Goddammit. Then Albert and two of the remaining delvers charged, swords raised, screaming as they ran. The goblin swung wide with its massive club. The blow nearly hit Albert, missing by inches and carving a chunk out of the wall behind him. The giant growled and raised the weapon overhead for a full-force slam. The club hit the ground, shattering on impact. The force sent splinters and heavy chunks of stone flying in all directions. The cavern shook. Debris rained down from the ceiling. For a moment, it felt like even the world flinched in fear. River's eyes widened. A falling rock was heading straight for one of the delvers. And then Kamir was there. He appeared at the man’s side in a flash, pulling him clear just before the stone crashed down. At least we won’t die here, River thought. Albert stepped forward to shore up the line, determination burning in his eyes. River followed, his movements mirroring Amalia’s. Together, the three of them circled the goblin boss.

  With one coordinated strike, they attacked from multiple sides.

  Albert’s vines whipped forward, lashing around the goblin’s legs.

  River unleashed a sudden burst of light, blinding it.

  And Amalia drove water-infused blasts into its chest, forcing it backward. With a thunderous thud, the goblin crashed to the ground. It thrashed, snarling and clawing at the vines binding its limbs. The flash of light had left it blinking and disoriented, eyes wide but unfocused.

  Then, without a word, Amalia moved. She stepped forward, silent and sure. For a moment, it felt like the world held its breath—silence echoing through the cavern. Then, before River could even react, her sword slid cleanly across the goblin’s neck. A wet gurgle escaped its throat as it choked on its own blood.

  And then it was still. Amalia stood beside the corpse, sword in hand, blood dripping down the blade and splattering onto her boots. As they stood there, no one knew what to say. Kamir broke through the quiet. “You five—well done on not backing down.” His eyes shifted toward the back of the cavern, and his expression darkened. “You five—that was fucking disgraceful. These foreigners fought like they belonged. You fought like children.” River took that as a compliment. Maybe it was backhanded, lumping him in with “foreigners,” but he didn’t care. Not right now.

  For the first time, he really looked around the room. In the far corner, a blood-red and black stone pulsed faintly—glowing as if it were alive. The dungeon core. Nearby, mushrooms bloomed in thick clusters around a still pond. River figured this must be one of the resources Kamir had mentioned. Something the village would collect, likely to use in soups or medicines. He turned and grabbed his pack from where he’d dropped it at the entrance. He didn’t want to risk damaging the pack. After all, it was the only thing he had left from Lud. He made his way back to the mushrooms and began carefully plucking them, placing each one inside the pack. The next hour passed with them quietly stripping the dungeon of its usable resources—herbs, essence, meat, anything that was salvageable. No one talked much, but the silence wasn’t heavy. Just tired.

  Finally, they began the climb back toward the surface.

  -

  As they stepped outside, River exhaled. The air tasted sweet against his tongue. He hadn’t realized how used to the stench of rot he’d become in the depths of the dungeon. But now, the fresh air felt like a gift.

  He glanced at the sky. The sun was dipping toward the horizon, streaks of orange and pink beginning to stretch across the clouds. He guessed it had taken them four, maybe five hours to clear the dungeon. But no one had been seriously hurt. And in the end, that was all that really mattered.

  Their return walk to Varosha passed more quickly than the journey out. Everyone seemed eager to get home. But River sensed something strange as they walked beneath the fading light—a presence, like eyes pressed against his back. The hairs on his neck prickled. Every instinct told him they were being watched. But nothing came. To his relief, they arrived at the city gates just as true night settled in. Just like when other delvers returned, the bells rang out across Varosha, echoing through the streets. Crowds quickly gathered, eager for tales of victory and excitement. But River wasn’t in the mood. While the others basked in the cheers and questions, he quietly slipped away. He needed to check on his egg. Being apart from it had felt… wrong. With every passing moment, pressure built at the edge of his thoughts. Each time it vanished from view, something inside him stirred: unease, urgency. He needed to know where it was, that it was safe. He longed to feel connected to something larger, something more meaningful. He slipped inside and his heart lifted the moment he saw it—lying exactly where he had left it. Relief washed over him. He wrapped his arms around the egg, its warmth bleeding into his chest.

  River sank into the couch, a quiet peace settling over him.

  At last, he closed his eyes.