17:35, 6 June 1329.

Crafting Dungeon,

Glittering Falls,

Vanaheim.

Liam glared at the vision, reminding himself of the necessity of reading every notification when not in combat.

He could hear his heartbeat thundering in his ears as his adrenaline kicked in. Sweat beaded on his forehead as more horror than he’d ever felt flooded him with adrenaline. Four Years! How could I have been so STUPID! He berated himself.

No… It hadn’t been his fault. It couldn’t be.

He thought about the events that had led him here. Bragi. Bragi had been the one to send him on this quest. Along with Forseti!

It was them! They hadn’t even warned him that there might be more Trolls. There was surely no way the Aesir didn’t know that the Troll was over four times his level and far beyond his capacity to fight! That alone should have been enough for them NOT to send him on the quest.

In his panicked state, Liam desperately tried to create any reason he could think of why it was not his fault. It was so unfair!

He remembered how the Aesir had grinned at each other and sent the naïve young mortal to his doom.

Liam's horror slowly turned to embarrassment and then to rage. He’d thought himself welcome, but they saw him as some kind of weak mortal fool! In moments, Liam was second guessing every interaction he’d had with them, and even with Skeidbrimir. He remembered what Sir Keith had told him when he first entered the Keep at Douglas.

“I recommend you tread carefully and with a good deal of reflection. Especially with anyone you have not established as a new acquaintance. Even amongst your oldest friends you may find new jealousies and intrigues that will pull you into perilous waters.”

Now he knew why the wise old knight had given him that advice.

Here he was, stuck in a different world for four years, and truly alone for the first time in his life.

He still didn’t even understand what a Dungeon was!

Worse, from what he could see, the area beyond the translucent dome was an unmoving tableau, causing the river to turn into a lake between the two sides of the barrier. There would be no help to come for him if nothing could not move beyond this time-trap of a dungeon.

Liam looked up at the translucent dome of the dungeon. From its shape, it contained an immense tract of land.

Stretching from the edge of the Cliff-face where the waterfalls began, its far end was well beyond Liam’s view.

Within its bounds were a small hamlet of huts surrounding the stone tower, a large section of forest, a wide space of fields and the river.

Liam estimated it to be perhaps a mile or so wide and a mile and a half long. He could only guess from the shape of the dome. Douglas would have fit into the area a few dozen times, and although Liam had spent most of his life in the small town, he’d always known he could leave. The restrictive dome made this place feel claustrophobic, even though it was far larger.

Turning once more to the vision, he glowered at it as he made his way up the hill towards the buildings.

You have entered the Glittering Falls Crafting Dungeon.

The Glittering Falls Dungeon is a mid-tier crafting dungeon.

You cannot leave the Dungeon until all requirements are complete.

Explore the workshops to begin your crafting journey.

Dungeon completion will occur when participant:

Liam Lamberton

Has reached Journeyman level 1 in any craft class.

Dungeon is time locked.

Based on your current Classes and Skills you have

4 years to complete this Dungeon.

Upon completion, time will resume as normal.

The vision called this place a “Dungeon”, but the word meant nothing to Liam.

He’d heard of Donjons when Sir Keith had referred to the main Keep of Douglas, and the word sounded similar.

Liam turned his ire upon the tower. His lip curled in a sneer. It was barely a tower at all, let alone a Keep. As he approached, he saw its rounded walls only rose to a second storey. The squat structure was capped with a peaked roof of shingle that seemed in good repair, even if it was covered in bird droppings. Four large, shuttered windows stood equidistant around the upper floor. The only access to the ground floor was a large wooden door at the top of a short set of stairs.

The door stood open.

Liam scoffed at the diminutive structure. It was even smaller than the guard towers at Douglas! To call this a Donjon was rich!

It was hovel!

He turned his attention away from the disappointing structure to look at the other buildings. There were five, and all looked to be in varying states of disrepair. Liam supposed that this was what the System meant by a Crafting Dungeon. It was spectacularly unimpressive.

He still couldn’t believe that his momentary inattention had may trap him for such an unimaginable length of time. Worse, from the derelict condition of the area, it was clear to Liam that no one else had lived here for decades.

That, more than anything, confirmed he was alone.

Liam could feel his rage returning. It was so bloody unfair!

He couldn’t help but feeling that the two Aesir had set him up to fail as some kind of joke ascended beings play on mortals. Surely, they’d known about this place. But instead of warning him, they’d given him just enough rope to hang himself. A part of him doubted they’d be that petty, but why else would they have sent him to this location - to this trap.

Liam’s face contorted, and he sent a kick at a rotting bucket that lay on the ground. The wood splintered as he struck it, and his booted foot went right through the material, the wood cutting his skin and bruising his shin. He howled in anger. No longer caring to pretend to himself that he wasn’t furious.

He smashed his foot into the ground, cracking the bucket in half and sending more splinters into his leg. Free of the confining wood, he reached down and picked the bucket up, hurling it back down the hill towards the river with all his strength. It bounced a few times, before lying in the grass inoffensively.

Liam wasn’t looking at it anymore. He pulled his blade from his scabbard and began smashing anything that looked like he could break it. At some point, tears began rolling down his face, and he sank to his knees, sobbing. He hated this place already. Even though he knew his tears were performative, they made him feel as though someone should care. And that reminded him of his friends.

Then he thought of how they’d react to seeing him sobbing like a child.

His spiteful self-reflection made him laugh through the tears at how ridiculous he was being.

If Andrew, Llywelyn or worse; Aidan saw him like this - he’d never live it down. He scowled then, angry to be missing them.

Liam hoped that time had not only stopped in this world but also on Earth. If he missed the next four years away from his friends, he wasn’t even sure they’d be there when he returned.

The combination of tiredness, loneliness and fear had become too much for him to bear and he sobbed once more. He checked his stamina and saw he had depleted nearly all his energy in childish tears. This would have infuriated him more, but he was too tired to care.

He staggered towards the tower and entered, pushing the door open and searching for any place to rest. The well-appointed room had been derelict for a long time. Dust caked the furnishings from decades of neglect and bird droppings, and evidence of rodents was everywhere. In one corner, a bedframe sat, its mattress stood upright against the wall, covered in a heavy cloth to prevent dust and water from damaging it too badly.

Liam walked over and heaved the mattress back onto the bed, uncaring of the cloud of dust this caused.

Exhausted both physically and emotionally, he collapsed into it.

His last thought before falling asleep was that he’d forgotten to close the door.

*********************

Liam opened his eyes the next day to find the sun was in the same pre-dusk position as it had been when he emerged from the caves. He groaned, the feelings of helplessness returning. It wasn’t as bad as it had been the previous day or night. Liam wasn’t even sure how he could measure time in this place.

He was still in a foul mood. Liam lay there for a while before growing bored with his own anger. He supposed he’d better start exploring this privy-pit of a hamlet.

Cursing under his breath, he stood up. The tattered mail over his right arm jingling loudly in the stone room. He ignored the sound, unbuckling his sword belt, he pulled the mail over his head. He doubted he’d need the armour in this place. There was no sign of animal life close to the tower, and definitely no people about.

Bending double, the mail slumped to the ground. Liam, uncaring, left it there beside his scabbarded sword and the Harp that had gotten him into this mess. It tempted him to throw the damn thing away, but knew he couldn’t afford to. If he somehow made it out of this purgatory, he’d want something for his troubles. At least the statistics the harp would provide would be something!

Liam considered his immediate options. His wound had fully healed now, showing only a pink line of injured flesh, but the blood staining his clothes had congealed. Sighing, he stripped off his Gambeson and threw it upon the pile of discarded equipment.

Clad only in his trews, Liam completed a circuit of the room.

It was a comfortable living space, at least. A table, chair and small stove lay to one side of the room, while the bed and an old and damaged dresser were on the other. Across from the entrance, a decorative fireplace stood. An inscription of some strange language was visible, etched upon the lintel.

לא ניתן לעדן תכשיטים ללא חיכוך.

אי אפשר לעדן את האדם ללא תלאות.

Liam had never seen symbols like this before. His fingers traced the markings briefly as he wondered what they could mean.

It appeared as though this was the final writing of whoever had last left this place. A chisel and hammer sat side by side on the ground. Next to them sat a bucket and a straw brush. The bucket was full of the rock chippings and dust from the work. Whoever had written this had cared deeply that they not leave a mess, and Liam felt they wanted him to know that too.

Liam kept searching the space and became confused when he saw no evidence of a staircase up to the next floor. Looking up, he quickly found an open hatch. This simply created another problem. It was a good 15 feet to the ceiling of the lower chamber, and he had yet to see a ladder. The portal was about a yard on each side and was wide enough to enter comfortably if Liam could discover a way to get up there.

He could not see much of the chamber above, it being too dark.

Liam cast Flame and sent the magic upwards through the portal, controlling it carefully. He stopped its movement as soon as it entered the room above, illuminating the space. All he could see were the rafters that held up the roof. Disappointed, he withdrew the Flame.

A sudden noise from within the space made him jump, and a bat shrieked, fluttering out of the portal and out into the sky. Liam, his heart in his throat, took a deep breath and brought the Flame down into the lower room and cast it into the fireplace, where it ignited against the stone for a moment before sputtering out.

He decided that his best option was to spend a bit of time exploring the other buildings. The vision mentioning the dungeon had said it would also allow him to begin his “crafting journey,” whatever that meant.

Well, I’ll just kill two birds with one stone. He thought and set off toward the nearest hut.

Liam knew he would need to gain strength to fight the Trolls and complete his quest with Bragi so he could return to Scotland, and that meant leveling. Yet he hadn’t expected to need to take a crafting class. He definitely hadn’t expected to have to level it for four years.

Liam wasn’t even sure that a crafting class would allow him to grow his combat ability enough for it to matter.

For right now, there was no way he could leave and so he determined to make the best of his situation. Even if the barrier allowed him to pass, he had no way down to where Skeidbrimir awaited, nor was he sure if failing to complete the Dungeon in time would have negative consequences. Either way, he had plenty of time.

Shoulders slumped, Liam stepped outside. That damned barrier glowed faintly in the dusky light of the sun. Liam bit his thumb at it spitefully.

He would need to test the boundaries of the barrier soon, but for now, Liam began an exploration of the outbuildings. If it turned out he was to be stuck here, perhaps he could gain enough levels through crafting to face the Trolls. Either way, he would need to train in a craft to at least Journeyman level or greater if the vision was right and Liam could not leave. He did not know whether it was possible without a Master present, and so far, no one seemed to be within the boundaries of the translucent dome which encapsulated the area.

Liam also didn’t know how many statistics he could gain from the work, nor from crafting classes, but he supposed he would soon find out. Perhaps even better than the classes, he could create items like the harp, or the bow Colm had crafted.

Tiredly, Liam approached the first small hut. This was a wattle and daub affair, not dissimilar to those he’d seen in Ferniegair. Opening the door, he looked curiously at the assortment of flasks and glassware set upon a large table. The taller objects stood poised precariously upon thin metal mounts in its centre. A cauldron dominated the back wall, hanging from a metal frame over a fire pit.

Long desiccated herbs hung from hooks upon the wall, and old pots lay scattered about the room in untidy heaps.

A vision appeared before him.

New Class Available: Apprentice Alchemist (Uncommon)

An Apprentice Alchemist is on the path to great wealth. Exploring the elements, Alchemists can craft a variety of useful and powerful potions, items, and pills. You have gained this class as part of a Crafting Dungeon. All experience received from this class tree is at +50% while within a Crafting Dungeon.

Respected throughout the realms, Apprentice Alchemists receive:

+1 Intelligence

+3 Will

+2 Wisdom

+3 Available attributes.

Per level {This choice will unlock unique evolutions}

Liam did not know what the complex tools in the room were for, so he closed the door and continued on, closing the vision as he went.

Turning towards the next workshop, Liam saw it was a wooden framed hall, built upon a foundation of stone next to the river. The first thing Liam noticed was that an unmoving waterwheel sat within the waters. He chuckled at the sight. He wasn't sure how the system expected the massive object to turn if the river lay still due to the dungeon's magic.

Returning to a familiar building made Liam smile. Even despite its near ruined condition, the familiar scent of wood shavings filling his nose comforted him as he set foot in the ancient carpentry. Along the wall, poorly maintained tools hung, and the rope holding the saw of the mill had broken.

This was a large workshop for a carpentry, something Liam knew Colm would love to own. He could see stacks of dried timbers in the corner, awaiting the day a master would shape them. Liam knew most of the wood. There was oak, linden, birch and even some rarer dark woods from the East. Other woods were things of wonder that he had never seen before.

Liam was loath to use another workman’s tools, regardless of how long they remained abandoned. Colm had always taught to never use another man’s tools. Worse, to use another man’s workshop - at least without his permission. The guilds had very specific punishments for those who infringed upon another carpenter’s workshop. Although no one might discover his breach, it still didn’t sit right with him.

Another vision appeared before him. A familiar one.

Class Available: Senior Apprentice Carpenter. (Uncommon)

A Carpenter is a crafter of wood into weapons and tools of war and production. You have had the good fortune to attract the attention of a Master Carpenter who will train you in his art. As you are now in a Crafting Dungeon, it increases all XP from this class by 20%.

A Senior Apprentice Carpenter is a path of great wealth.

2 Agility

2 Vitality

2 Intelligence

3 Free Attributes

per level {This choice will unlock unique evolutions}

He left the carpentry, closing the door behind him. This Class hadn’t changed for the Dungeon.

Liam had seen enough carpentry, however, and while it was a good trade, and one he respected, it did not call to him.

Only three huts remained. The next he investigated was full of runic inscriptions. A pentagram covered the floor, and strange charms hung from the ceiling. Despite being the sturdiest of the structures, its stone facade evenly chiselled and still holding its whitewash, Liam immediately closed this door. He refused even to enter the strangely sorcerous room lest its magic somehow invoke foul sorceries which would irrevocably harm his soul.

New Class Available: Apprentice Runesmith (Rare)

An Apprentice Runesmith uses the magic of runes to empower their body. Exploring the elements, alchemists can craft a variety of useful and powerful potions, items, and pills. You have gained this class as part of a Crafting Dungeon. All experience received from this class tree is at +50% while within a Crafting Dungeon.

Respected throughout the realms, Apprentice Runesmiths receive:

+2 Intelligence

+1 Will

+2 Wisdom

+3 Agility

+3 Available attributes.

Per level {This choice will unlock unique evolutions}

Liam had no desire to take this class, and so he closed the vision after only a cursory glance.

The fourth seemed to be some kind of scriptorium. Decades of old parchments lay scattered across the room, many stained with rodent droppings or rotten with damp. Liam investigated the ink pots, which were long dried, although it looked like the ink remained in many of them. He looked around the room, discovering several scroll cases with their contents preserved. Within a chest at the far end of the room, Liam discovered many writing and measuring tools, including a pace-stick, protractors and compasses, as well as a fine ebony abacus.

He finally understood. This was an engineers' hall. He rolled up the scrolls he’d been looking at and placed them back within their cases. It was an interesting place, but he doubted he’d be able to teach himself the mathematics required without many books. Or a tutor.

Part of the ceiling had collapsed in this building. A nearby tree having grown too close, its roots had collapsed the rear wall, making the roof unstable. Once more, a vision appeared.

New Class Available: Apprentice Archimancer (Rare)

An Archimancer is a rare class created by the system to enhance construction of new cities and strongholds. Exploring the magic of constructed design, Archimancers are capable of designing a variety of buildings, earthworks and items and using Magic to create them.

You have gained this class as part of a Crafting Dungeon. All experience received from this class tree is at +50% while within a Crafting Dungeon.

Respected throughout the realms, Archimancers receive:

+2 Intelligence

+4 Will

+3 Wisdom

+2 Agility

+2 Available Attributes

Per level {This choice will unlock unique evolutions}

Liam gently closed the door and walked towards the last hut, closing the vision. It seemed interesting, but he'd need to improve more than one of his skills, and his desire to leave this place overwhelmed any curiosity he had towards this class.

This building was entirely open to the elements, and it wasn’t hard to see what it was. A forge stood proud in the centre of a large single space, and upon a large block of wood embedded into the ground rested a massive anvil. Above the coals, a chimney rose through the roof, supported by four thick stone and mortar pillars which rose at each corner of the rectangular forging space. Packed with fresh coal, the forge had been untouched by the elements, having withstood the trials of time far better than the other workshops.

As Liam gave the place a cursory inspection, he discovered the tools were all in fine condition. He discovered them within a barrel of oil along with several steel ingots and wires of spectacular quality.

Whoever had once worked this forge either intended to return or had left this as a gift to whoever came next.

As Liam looked at the Smithy, he saw the expected vision appear before his eyes.

New Class Available: Apprentice Magismith (Rare)

An Apprentice Magismith is a rare class created by the system to enhance the design and construction of metal worked items. Exploring fire and telekinetic spells. The Magismith can craft a variety of magical and powerful tools, weapons, armour and jewellery. You have gained this class as part of a Crafting Dungeon. All experience received from this class tree is at +50% while within a Crafting Dungeon.

Respected throughout the realms, Apprentice Magismith receives:

+2 Intelligence

+4 Will

+4 Wisdom

+1 Vitality

+2 Available attributes

Per level {This choice will unlock unique evolutions}

This was a far more interesting class to Liam. This was the art of creating magical weapons. If he could work out how to create weapons, armour and jewellery to enhance his attributes, he might not even need to increase his level.

He hoped that the system would base improving to Journeyman class upon skill, and not experience, but he couldn’t be sure. The artisans of Douglas had not been of a high enough level to receive a class, and so they had simply levelled up. He knew he still had a lot to learn.

He was about to accept the Magismith class, but then realized he wasn’t sure if he’d have the materials required to improve his skills. He looked around a bit more and see what he could discover.

As he searched, he found coils of copper, silver and gold wire, some uncut jewels lying within rough stone inside a small chest. Clearly, whoever had left these behind had intended to help the next person trapped within the dungeon as much as they could.

The greatest find for Liam was the Ladder which hung on two hooks above the forge. Liam wasn’t sure why the previous owner of the workshop had taken the ladder down here; he also didn’t really care.

Suddenly, he realized that there might be an even better class available at the top of the tower. Surely there was some secret to the place which had caused the ladder to be removed!

Deciding to leave the Class selection until after he’d finished exploring all the rooms, Liam dismissed the vision and took the ladder down from the hooks. He proceeded back into the tower, dragging the ladder across the ground.

Placing the top of the ladder against one side of the portal, he began to climb.

He ignited another Flame before him as he did, and upon reaching the top, he found himself in the greatest treasure room he’d ever seen.

Surrounding him were shelves and shelves of books. Liam couldn’t believe it! He leapt towards the nearest shelf and eagerly opened a book, hoping it would contain some secret or mystery he hadn’t yet discovered.

His excitement rose, and he thought perhaps things wouldn’t be so bad! If these works were manuals and treatise on crafting, he could learn rapidly, and perhaps even escape this place long before the four years expired.

Instead, he nearly tore the pages out in a fury.

The words were all written in the same mysterious text he’d seen over the fireplace below.

The book was useless!