THE ACCIDENT
Blind corridor. No map. No plan. Just away.
Click-click-click. Metal on stone. They weren't rushing. They were hunting.
I cut another corner—hard right. My foot slipped.
"Shit—"
I stumbled, arms flailing, crashed sideways into—a gap. A narrow crack in the wall.
I fell through it. Hit stone hard. THUD. Pain exploded through my shoulder.
I scrambled up, heart pounding, and looked around. A small cavity. A natural fracture in the Dungeon's structure. One entrance. No exit.
"Oh wow," I breathed. "Dungeon. You gave me a room."
Not a room. A tomb.
Click-click-click. They were coming.
I raised my sword and took position in the narrow opening. No room to flank. No space to surround me. Just one way in.
"Line up!" I shouted. "One at a time! I'm poor, not patient!"
The first War Shadow reached the entrance. Too wide. It had to angle its body to fit.
I thrust. CLANG. Steel met claw. The impact rattled my wrist to the bone.
It pushed. I pushed back. Boots scraped stone—scrtch-scrtch. I was losing ground.
Then it withdrew. Testing.
I stayed put.
It tried again—lower this time. I blocked—CLANG—deflected upward, then slashed across—SHHKT. Black mist spilled from its arm. It recoiled.
The second War Shadow surged forward, trying to squeeze past the first. I thrust—SHHKT—caught it in the shoulder. It hissed—not sound, just pressure—and pulled back.
They circled outside. Waiting.
I stood there, breathing hard. My arms shook. The sword was chipped in three new places.
"Come on," I wheezed. "I've got all day."
I didn't. But they didn't know that.
One lunged. I blocked—CLANG. The other tried to reach around. I twisted, slashed—SHHKT—drove it back. The first pressed again. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
My wrist screamed. Shoulders burned. Every impact sank deeper into my bones.
But they couldn't surround me. Couldn't flank. They had to come through the gap. One at a time.
I thrust—SHHKT—caught one in the chest. It staggered. Flickered. Unstable.
The second lunged—desperate. I jumped and rolled sideways in the narrow space—barely fit. Claws scraped stone—SCRAAAPE.
I drove my sword into its side. SHHKT. It dissolved.
One left. Wounded. Flickering.
We stared at each other. Then it lunged.
I met it head-on. SQUELCH. Straight through. It dissolved into black mist.
Silence.
I collapsed against the wall. The sword slipped from my hand and clattered to the floor. My breathing came in ragged gasps. Everything hurt.
"...I'm alive."
The Dungeon didn't respond. Because the Dungeon doesn't care.
WATER
I sat there for a long time. Just breathing. Listening.
Nothing moved. No echoes. No claws. Just the dark.
Then—Drip. Drip.
I turned my head. Deeper in the cavity. Water trickled down the stone, pooling in a shallow depression.
I stared at it. Then crawled forward. Pain followed me. I ignored it.
I cupped my hands and splashed my face. Cold. Clean. Real.
I washed slime from my arms. Blood from my hands. Sweat from my face.
My breathing slowed. My heartbeat steadied.
I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes. Relief. Suspicious relief. The kind that never lasted.
But for now? I'd take it.
I opened my eyes. And saw it.
THE REWARD
A faint blue glow. Near the water. Growing from a crack in the stone.
I leaned closer. A small plant. Delicate, translucent leaves. Soft blue luminescence.
I knew it instantly. Blue Latheon Wings.
Rare. Valuable. Used in high-grade potions.
Hope. Real. Tangible. Fragile.
I reached out slowly. Fingers trembling. Almost there. Almost—