The dungeons were massive gateways into another world. Not literally, but they might as well have been.
Alaric, Melina, Adam, and Victoria stood before a mountain that did not belong.
It rose from the flatlands like a wound in the earth, jagged and abrupt, its stone darker and harsher than the surrounding terrain. No gradual slope, no erosion, no sign of age. It looked as though the land itself had been split open and forced upward overnight.
Because it had been.
Around them, other groups gathered in loose clusters. Adventurers in mismatched armor, mercenaries with scarred faces, mages murmuring to themselves. No one spoke across parties. Eyes lingered, then slid away. Everyone here understood the unspoken rule: trust ended at your own formation.
Alaric stepped closer and placed his palm against the mountain's surface.
The stone was rough. Cold and wrong.
"Doesn't look like the surrounding terrain," he said.
"That's because it isn't," Melina replied immediately. "It rose with the dungeon."
He glanced at her. "Hm?"
She startled slightly, realizing she had his attention. "Um—well," she began, adjusting her grip on her staff, grounding herself. "There are several theories about what dungeons actually are."
She took a breath.
"Most scholars believe they're entrances to an underground world. Why they exist is… debated. One of the leading theories says an ancient civilization built them. For what purpose…" She shook her head. "No one knows."
Adam stared up at the mountain, unimpressed. "Great."
Something shifted beside him.
Melina noticed first. Her brow furrowed. "Um…" She pointed hesitantly at Adam's pack. "Is there something moving in there?"
Adam blinked. "Huh? Yeah. Tani's in there."
"…Who?"
Before he could explain, the flap twitched.
"Gek!"
A small head popped out.
Tani blinked against the sunlight, large eyes glimmering, sand-colored scales catching the light. His plated body flexed as he chirped happily, tail flicking. Above all, he was truly adorable.
Melina froze.
Then gasped. "Oh—oh my—!"
Victoria lit up instantly. "See?" she said proudly. "Adorable."
Melina nodded wordlessly, utterly undone.
That was when the shadows fell over them.
A presence approached. It was heavy, deliberate. Melina looked up first, then Victoria. Adam's posture shifted subtly, weight adjusting.
A large group advanced toward them.
Their armor was expensive, well-maintained, etched with sigils worn smooth by use rather than age. Weapons hummed faintly with skill and enchantment. These weren't hopefuls or fresh recruits. These were veterans.
Alaric felt it immediately. The dense, disciplined aura of battle-hardened magic among their mages, layered and controlled.
At their head walked a tall woman with long, dark-blue hair flowing freely down her back. She wore white-gold armor, pristine but scarred in places where it mattered. A massive greatsword rested across her back, nearly as tall as she was, its ornate hilt contrasting with the raw, disciplined power it radiated.
She stopped a few paces away.
"You," she said coolly, eyes sweeping the group. "You all seem new here. Care to introduce yourselves?"
Her gaze locked onto Alaric.
Not hostile, but measuring.
The tension thickened, sharp enough to cut. At least, on her side. Alaric was mostly wondering why she looked like she wanted to dissect him.
Victoria stepped smoothly between them, flashing a practiced smile. "We're temporary adventurers! Just passing through, hoping to earn some coin for the road."
Despite her expertise in lying, the woman's expression barely shifted.
For a long moment, she studied them.
Then she nodded once.
"My name is Ophelia." She extended her hand toward Alaric. "A pleasure to meet you, warrior."
Alaric stared at her hand.
Oh.
A handshake, he recalled. That's what it's called.
He took it and shook.
Her grip was firm and controlled. Not a test of strength, but of presence.
The air shifted.
Barely noticeable, unless you were trained, or dangerous.
Ophelia stiffened just a fraction. Her pupils narrowed.
Alaric noticed none of this. He only registered that her hand was warm.
"Ah," he said after a moment. "A pleasure to meet you too."
She withdrew her hand slowly.
Behind her, one mage leaned in to whisper. A knight adjusted his stance, fingers tightening around his spear. The group had not relaxed. If anything, they were more alert.
"You don't carry a weapon," Ophelia said.
"I do," Alaric replied calmly.
Her brow lifted. "I don't see one."
"That's because it isn't out."
A short, humorless smile crossed her face. "I see. Carry on, then."
She turned, gesturing for her group to follow.
"The dungeon is dangerous," she added over her shoulder. "We've lost many. Try not to die and make us clean up after you."
They moved past, disappearing toward the entrance.
Victoria exhaled, shoulders dropping. "Wow."
Melina nodded a little too fast, still clutching her staff.
They moved to the cavernous entrance of the dungeon.
Melina looked up at Alaric.
"I'm sorry if this offends you but," she said, nerves turning. "Where is your weapon? Shouldn't you be armed?"
Alaric glanced at his empty hands, then smiled.
He held his palm out.
Shadow pooled in the air, smoke drifting and folding in on itself. With a soft, ominous hiss, a black spear formed, solidifying from nothing, its surface drinking in the light.
"There," he said pleasantly. "Now I'm armed."
They entered the cavernous entrance to the dungeon.
At first, the dungeon was… disappointing.
The passage sloped gently downward, wide enough for three people abreast. The stone walls were plain, almost crude, marked only by the occasional crack or tool-scar. Crude torch brackets lined the walls, most of them empty, a few holding weakly glowing crystals that cast a dull, practical light.
Their footsteps echoed softly, nothing dramatic about it.
"This is it?" Victoria muttered after a few minutes. "I was expecting… I don't know. More ominous chanting."
"Upper levels," Melina said, a little apologetic. "They're usually stable. Cleared often. Meant to ease people in."
Adam snorted. "Feels like a basement."
Tani chirped from his shoulder.
They passed the remnants of earlier expeditions. A cracked crate. A rusted blade abandoned against a wall. Chalk markings scratched into stone to mark safe routes, arrows pointing forward, warnings long since faded.
A goblin corpse lay slumped in a side corridor, already half-stripped of anything useful.
Alaric tilted his head slightly.
"This place feels faded," he said.
They followed the main path, merging briefly with other groups. Ophelia's party was visible ahead, moving with disciplined efficiency. Others peeled off into branching corridors, voices fading quickly.
Then the ground shuddered. At first it was a low vibration.
"It's common. Nothing to worry."
Ophelia said.
But, Tani's barks became ever so frustrated.
Finally, he jumped from Adam's shoulder.
"Tani!" Adam chased after him.
Just when he caught him, the dungeon walls gave away. The place where Adam had stood a second ago was no buried under a heavy boulder, that had fallen out of the ceiling.
"Sheesh," Victoria remarked.
"Mrrrr....." Tani growled.
The tremor grew.
Dust drifted from the ceiling. Pebbles skittered across the stone floor.
Melina's breath caught. "Earthquake!"
"This is common?!" Victoria asked, already bracing.
"Yes," Melina said. "But—"
The floor split.
Stone screamed as the corridor fractured violently beneath them. The world lurched sideways, then dropped.
Victoria shouted. Melina screamed.
Adam grabbed for Melina's arm as the ground vanished beneath their feet. Alaric moved without thinking, lightning snapping around him as he caught Victoria mid-fall.
They fell.