It was Duncan’s seventeenth birthday, and he was going to enter his first dungeon. His entire life to this point had essentially been one big training montage, and he was suitably excited. He’d spent the previous day visiting his family in Easthaven as he’d done monthly since his move to Stonewatch at age fourteen. I knew this was going to be a rough visit, he thought. Mama has always opposed me delving, and now the time has come, she’s not taking it well. His mother had been pecking at him the entire visit. Fortunately, the rest of his family was supportive, and he’d managed not to say anything to offend his mother. He tried to sneak out of the house to avoid a confrontation, but she ambushed him on the way out. “You be careful in there, Duncan! Stay in the back, let the real delvers take care of the monsters.”

I am a real delver, damn it! Exasperated, but trying not to show it, Duncan replied, “Mama, Pyotr is an experienced leader. You’ve known him for ages, since before I was born. You know he’ll take good care of me. His team is one of the best.” First time delvers were always escorted by a full group of very experienced veterans. Novice delvers were well prepared, but you never knew how one would react when first exposed to real combat, so the guild took no chances.

“I know, I know, but it’s a mother’s prerogative to worry. If only you’d had a gemstone affinity, or a music affinity. Something normal. Body and Blade are just so… so martial.” Duncan rolled his eyes at her as she continued, “This is your dream, I understand. I do! You will do us all proud and come back a fine hero. Just be careful. And maybe try not to kill anything this time. It’s your first one. Can’t you just watch?”

Duncan embraced his mother. She would never change. “I’ll be fine, mama. I’ll be out before dark and I’ll send you a message to let you know I’m safe.” He took the bundle she was holding – his breakfast wrapped in a cloth – and tucked it into his pack as he headed out the door. That was… not nearly as awful as it might have been. Once outside, he could no longer control his nervous energy, and took off for the guild hall at a run.

From a young age, he’d wanted nothing more than to be a dungeon delver, an adventurer bringing back treasures to supply the valley. To be a hero. On his fourteenth birthday, he had been tested for magical affinities, as all youths were. He was found to have a strong affinity for body, and a strong affinity for blades. Duncan had been ecstatic. His mother had been devastated. His affinities were ideally suited for becoming a dungeon delver. He wouldn’t be throwing around elemental magics with his affinities, but body and blade were a strong combination. Based on his affinities, he’d been accepted into the advanced training offered by the Delvers Guild and had moved to their training facility in nearby Stonewatch. Should he do well in the guild training, he would be offered a chance to delve the valley’s three dungeons.

In order to qualify as a junior delver with his affinities, Duncan had to demonstrate basic proficiency with a variety of melee and ranged weapons. In addition, he had to show proficiency with leather, mail, and plate armor (by completing an obstacle course in a competitive time whilst fully kitted up). Had he shown any elemental or healing affinities, the requirements would have been quite different, of course. But he was of Body and Blade. His blade affinity would eventually allow him to create Techniques that imparted his blows with mana effects, improving cutting and piercing power, and strengthening his blades. His body affinity should allow him to develop Techniques to reduce his bleeding, to cleanse his blood of contaminants such as poison, to dramatically increase his muscle endurance, agility, and power, and potentially even regenerate when injured.

Of course, Techniques were difficult to acquire. Some geniuses could, on rare occasion, spontaneously create a Technique through a burst of insight. Older masters with sufficient understanding of their Techniques could pass them on to younger students through long hours of mentoring. And, infrequently, Technique stones could be found as treasure in dungeons, providing an instant mastery (to one degree or another) of a single Technique when absorbed by a person with an associated affinity.

The Delvers Guild had two Blade masters, and several students on the path of the Blade. Similarly, there were three Body masters in the guild, and half a dozen students on that path as well. Duncan studied diligently with the masters as their time allowed, and traded pointers with the other students as well. The lessons were hard, the Techniques complex, and understanding near impossible to achieve without stress. A student upon a blade path was far more likely to grasp a blade Technique after using his blade in a series of life and death fights than a student who trained in safety, no matter how diligently. It was the same for all the martial paths, be they mage or melee. It was a harsh world, and only the strong advanced.

The run to the guildhall wasn’t a short one. Easthaven was an hour’s travel from Stonewatch, the fortified town closest to the Goblin dungeon, where he was to meet the team. But his steady pace ate up the distance and he arrived with plenty of time to spare. Where Easthaven was a village of three score houses on the edge of a picturesque lake, Stonewatch was a fortified town, with foreboding walls grown from the local granite by Earth-affinity masons. It contained five hundred homes and was home to a large campus of the Delvers Guild.

Rather than going to the student barracks, Duncan made straight for the main guild hall. The common room was mostly empty first thing in the morning. He sat at table in the corner and pulled out the breakfast his mother had given him. He unwrapped the package, and there on top of his food he found a pendant. Wow, mama may oppose me delving, but she’s really trying to keep me safe. His parents were fine jewelcrafters who made a good living providing protective and utilitarian jewelry to the citizens of the valley. His mother had gifted him a pendant of shielding – it would absorb a small portion of the force of each attack he received, be it momentum from a physical blow, or energy from an elemental attack. Each attack it dulled would consume a portion of the gem’s imbued mana. When it ran out of mana, the gem in the pendant would dissolve, but until it did, wearing the pendant would be akin to wearing a second suit of armor. It was a magnificent gift, and Duncan felt an upwelling of emotion as he fastened the pendant around his neck.

Not long after, the delving team he’d be accompanying arrived. Delvers typically operated in groups of three to five, depending on the capabilities of the delvers involved. Some Techniques and affinities just meshed well, and delvers with synergistic Techniques could operate in smaller groups without incurring greater risks. His escort team was a well-established group of four led by Pyotr, who was an old friend of Duncan’s parents.

The team dropped their packs and took seats around him. Pyotr was over a hundred years old but looked to be in his thirties. Lean and strong, with a thick mane of curly hair, pronounced eyebrows and a thick beard, he radiated competence. As delvers gained experience and mastery, they adapted to the concentrated mana in dungeons, and it sustained them. Their bodies stayed in peak physical condition, they aged incredibly slowly, they needed less and less food and water, and they became far sturdier than normal folks. If it weren’t such a dangerous activity, Duncan was sure the world would be overrun with nigh immortal delvers.

“Good to see you here and ready to go, Duncan. Let me introduce the team and go over the plan. I’m Pyotr Isilich, Stone and Spirit. I’m the group’s guardian.” He gestured to a tall woman with dark skin and intensely green eyes, wearing matte black mail armor, with a sword at her side and a shield strapped to her back, “This is Aiphe, healing and life. She’ll be keeping us alive and well.” Next was a short man with a barrel chest, completely bald on top but with a massive beard. He wore full plate armor and carried an impressive battle axe. “Anton Stonespear, Earth, Lava, and gemstone. He’s focused on control and damage.” Pyotr pointed at the fourth member of the team, “Yiska Iceblood. Water, ice, and decay. She’ll be focusing on damage in this dungeon.” Yiska was a plain woman of average height with brownish hair and dark eyes. She wore leather armor and offered Duncan a smile that lit up her face.

Duncan shook hands with each of them. “Nice to meet you all. I appreciate your time and expertise. I’m Duncan – Body and Blade. I’ll try not to mess up.”

Pyotr grunted at that. “Now, this is a training run. We’ll be delving the Goblin Caves dungeon. It generally contains relatively weak goblins and some cave salamanders. It’s a series of caverns, mostly dry, with a large supply of delicious cave mushrooms. It has a threat rating of low.” His eyes pinned Duncan. “That’s low to experienced delvers. Half a dozen goblins or an adult cave salamander would do you in, novice. There is no such thing as a low threat dungeon to a novice. The density of the mana alone will be enough to wear you out.” He paused to make sure Duncan was reacting appropriately – it wasn’t uncommon for novice delvers to think the Goblin Caves a walk in the park due to the way intermediate and experienced delvers spoke about it.

Duncan nodded, and made no comment, so Pyotr continued, “Guild rules state that on your first run, you observe, you learn to recognize the monsters, you familiarize yourself with the terrain and the mana density. You do not separate from the group. You do not leap into combat. You do not draw attention to yourself. Is this understood?” As he frowned at Duncan, his bushy eyebrows formed a deep vee, and the tips waved in the air. Don’t laugh, don’t smirk, don’t smile. Serious! Duncan nodded again, mostly so he could look down for a moment. “Yes sir!”

“Alright then, it’s a bit of a walk to the dungeon, so let’s get a move on.” The group picked up their packs and moved out, the serious tone of the briefing over and the experienced delvers chatting amiably amongst themselves as they led Duncan toward the dungeon and the start of his career as a delver. They set a casual pace, so Duncan was able to keep up and even enjoy the view as they climbed the hill towards the cave entrance.

The Goblin Caves dungeon was a short hike up a picturesque trail from Stonewatch. When they arrived, Pyotr entered the hut the guild maintained at the entrance. He signed the group in and greeted the guild healer who’d been meditating on a mat in the corner. There was always a healer on duty outside each dungeon in case something went wrong and a party came out in need of help.

That done, the group started their final prep, equipping their weapons and helmets, limbering up. Duncan’s nerves got the better of him, and he ducked into the hut’s outhouse to evacuate his traitorous bowels. Fight or flight, indeed, he thought. At least now I won’t have to go while we’re in there! No one said anything when he emerged, and it was with a bit of relief that he entered the dungeon through a shiny silvery portal that hung in the air in a shallow cave.

The first thing he noticed was the weight of the mana in the air. It pressed down upon him like a blanket, each breath requiring a little more effort than normal. By contrast, the other delvers took deep breaths, clearly enjoying the richer atmosphere. The caves were naturally dim, lit only by a phosphorescent lichen. Pyotr withdrew two glass spheres from the extra-planar space in the delvers’ bag he carried. He tossed one to Duncan and tossed the other into the air. It hung three feet above his head and lit the room with a soft glow.

Duncan focused his mana on the orb and copied the throw. His sphere lit up with barely a flicker and bobbed above his head. A little more concentration and it floated up high enough it wouldn’t interfere with sightlines if people were looking at or past him. There we go. Duncan hadn’t developed any Techniques yet, but his mana control was sufficient to support a light. It would hang above him now until he chose to move it or extinguish it, a gentle drain on his mana that his natural regeneration was (barely) sufficient to overcome.

The party moved deeper into the caves, Pyotr in front, followed by Aiphe and Yiska, with Anton in the rear, just behind Duncan. Duncan gripped his boar spear across his body so that the tip wouldn’t threaten an ally and moved confidently. This was what he’d been training for.