381 days until the Arkon Shield falls

0 days, 19 hours until Dungeon Purge

Supreme, initial examination of our new southern border has revealed multiple targets ripe for conquest. The mountains to the west are riddled with seams of ore, lairs, and dungeons.

To the east, the highlands are full of rich and fertile valleys, but as expected, the orcs are already deeply entrenched there. By contrast, the west is sparsely populated with only a few independent human settlements. I advise focusing our efforts there. —Archmage Cxal, svartalfar mages guild.

Despite the broodworm being hollowed out, it took considerable effort for me and Regna to drag its remains back into the bailey. A small hard object clinked out when we completed the task.

Bending down, Regna picked up the item. “A champion core,” he breathed, astonishment threading his voice. “And a full one too.”

I dropped the end of the corpse I’d been holding and stared at him. “What do you mean?”

Regna turned to me, still looking dazed. “Cores aren’t normally retrieved whole. More often than not, only the tiniest fragment remains to be recovered after a creature champion is killed.” He frowned. “Though I’ve heard stories that cores from newly seeded regions are different.” He studied the item in his hand. “It seems the rumors were true.”

I bit my lip, chewing over the information. “What are they used for?”

“I don’t know,” Regna admitted.

My face fell.

He chuckled when he saw my expression. “Information is power in the Trials. Even within a family, it is not freely distributed. I suspect only our clan’s elite players know the full truth about the cores.” He held out the diamond-shaped object to me. “What I do know, however, is that this small stone can fetch a pretty penny from the right buyer. Keep it safe.”

Interesting, I thought, taking the core from him and storing it in my pocket.

An errant drop of rain splashed the dwarf’s face, and he swiped at it in irritation. He glanced up at the sky, a scowl on his face. “Doesn’t it ever stop raining here?”

I shrugged. “Not since I’ve been here.”

Regna ran a hand through his beard, trying to shake out the water collecting there. A futile gesture, I thought. The rain would only soak through again.

“Bloody deadlands weather,” the dwarf muttered. “Which reminds me.” He pointed upwards. “You see that?”

“What?” I asked, glancing that way but not taking his meaning.

“The green sky.” The dwarf’s eyes twinkled. “Surely you noticed it?”

“Oh,” I replied. I had grown used to it over the past two days and barely noticed it anymore. “What about it?”

“That’s what tells you we are in the deadlands. All dominions relegated to the outer reach of Overworld have sky tinged the same shade of green.”

“Good to know,” I said and headed towards the now-cleared portcullis. Standing on the edge of the moat, I stared down.

The two serpents had not stopped fighting, although from the less-violent churning of the water, it seemed that both were weakening. “We need to take care of that before we can cross.”

Regna nodded. “You think the mindworm’s victim is still enthralled?”

“It appears that way, doesn’t it?” I shrugged. “Or maybe it’s lost in a battle frenzy.”

The fighter grunted in agreement. Dropping his hammer, he drew a pair of knives from where he had stashed his gear. The dwarf was still out of armor. “Well, I best go take care of them.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You’re entering the moat?” I didn’t state the obvious, that without armor, the fighter wouldn’t last long, but with it, he would only sink.

Regna laughed. “It’s not as crazy as it seems. I can see the creatures’ health pools. Both are hovering in the red.”

My gaze slid from the dwarf to the moat. I could barely see the two serpents through the roiling water. “A benefit of your anatomy skill?” I guessed.

Regna nodded. “It’s an essential Discipline for any fighter. It won’t take me long to deal with the pair,” he promised. “I know just where to strike to finish off each.” Seeing that I remained unconvinced, he added, “It will save us hours.”

“All right,” I said, reluctantly deciding to trust the fighter’s expertise.

Regna wasted no time putting his plan into action. Pulling in a deep lungful of air, he dived into the moat with knives in hand. The dwarf quickly disappeared from view, and I tensed.

The seconds ticked by, and Regna didn’t reappear. I began to fidget.

Should I’ve let him enter the moat? I wondered. A few lost hours now would make little difference. Perhaps it would’ve been smarter to slay the serpents the slow and sure way—as we’d originally planned. If the dwarf ran into trouble in the water, there was little I could do to help him.

Before my concern could transform into full-blown anxiety though, two Trials messages dropped into my mind.

Your party has killed a level 61 sea serpent.

Your party has killed a level 62 sea serpent.

You have gained in experience and are now a level 52 Trainee.

The tension in my shoulders eased. He’d done it. A moment later, Regna broke the surface, a broad grin on his face.

“Nice work,” I yelled.

The fighter bobbed his head and began swimming back towards me.

“Wait!” I shouted, struck by another thought.

Regna stopped and looked at me.

“Since you’re already there, how do you feel about doing a bit more diving?”

Regna’s brows furrowed in confusion, but he agreed readily enough. “All right. What am I looking for?”

“Two elemental fragments of earth,” I replied.

✽✽✽

While the dwarf searched for the fragments, I re-entered the Keep and gathered the items I marked for retrieval.

You have acquired 48 zelium padlocks.

You have acquired 1 jewelry box.

The castle’s basement was overflowing with zelium, both in the form of the cages’ padlocks and the ingots stored in the crates. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the capacity to take most of it. The best I could manage was to carry away the padlocks. The jewelry box, I took on a whim. It was light and pretty and, after the zelium, the most valuable-looking item in the Keep.

As it was, my booty made for a hefty load. Still, I judged it would serve Sierra well. Assuming I get the chance to haul it all back, of course, I thought, thinking of the orcs again. Creating a crude bag out of some curtains—my backpack wasn’t big enough—I loaded up my loot and dragged it back to the gate to find the fighter already waiting for me with his prizes in hand.

“Here you go,” he said, handing the fragments over. He glanced at the bag behind me. “More loot?”

I nodded. “Zelium. Think we can get it all across the moat?”

“Of course,” he said. “But we’re both in for a dunking this time.”

I smiled. “It’s not exactly any better standing out here in this rain.” I gestured at the moat. “Let’s get going then.”

✽✽✽

It took nearly an hour for me and Regna to get all our stuff out of the castle. Both of us ended up swimming laps across the moat a few times while carrying the largest load we could manage. By the end of the exercise, we were both exhausted and shivering.

When we were done, I steered the dwarf to one of the island’s small caves to recover and lit a fire using pieces of wood hacked away from the bridge. Before long, we were both dry and warm again.

Leaning back against the cave wall behind me, I sighed in contentment, relaxed and replete from the meal we’d just eaten. Now that our dungeon run was completed, any urgency that I felt to leave had passed. In fact, according to the purge timer, we still had another seventeen hours before the dungeon was wiped of all life, and I fully intended on using that time to rest, recover, and prepare.

I wasn’t sure what I would find when I exited the obelisk. If matters were as I suspected, there would be an entire company of orcs lying in wait for me. If that was the case, I wanted to meet them with my energy stores full and invincible ready.

I’d explained as much to Regna, and while hearing that the orcs were hunting me had greatly worried him, the delay to our departure didn’t seem to faze him. “I’ve waited days to get back home,” he’d stated. “A few more hours will make no difference.”

I studied the dwarf across our campfire. Regna was perhaps the biggest surprise of the dungeon, and in him, I thought I’d found a true friend.

“What?” he asked, noticing my stare.

“There is something I have to tell you,” I said.

He looked at me quizzically.

“I lied to you when we first met.”

Regna tilted his head to the side. “About?”

“I didn’t enter the dungeon with a party. I came here alone.”

“You came here—?” The dwarf threw back his head and laughed. “Of course,” he gasped. “I should have—” He didn’t finish. Seemingly overcome with laughter again, Regna fell backward with his hands wrapped around his tummy.

I stared at him in consternation. This was not the response I was expecting. “So, you’re not mad then?”

“Mad?” he asked, still chortling as he sat back up. “No, I’m not mad. Forgive me,” he wheezed. “I’m not laughing at you. It’s just I should have guessed as much.”

“All right,” I said, still puzzled by his reaction but glad he was taking it so well. Seeing that he was in such a good mood, I took the opportunity to ask him about something that had been playing on my mind since he had first mentioned it. “Regna,” I began, “on our first day together, you told me that I should flee the Human Dominion and seek protection elsewhere.”

The dwarf bobbed his head. “That’s right. There are many Dominions that will shelter refugees.”

“But what if I sought something more? Not just sanctuary for a few thousand, but for many more—an entire domain’s worth?” I looked at him carefully. “What if I wished for an alliance?”

“Ah,” Regna said, the last of the humor fading from his face. “That’s an altogether different matter. The orcs have many enemies. Some are powerful—like the elves—but most are weaker civilizations, unwilling to act against the greenskins, and certainly not openly. You will not find many prepared to ally with humanity, and those so inclined will demand a high price in return.”

“I suspected as much,” I admitted. As harsh as the Trials was, why would any domain help us unless it benefited them? I turned back to Regna. “Then there is no one my people could approach?”

The dwarf sighed. “There are some… possibilities. While strife is central to the Trials, it does not wholly rule this world. Some of Overworld’s less violent races have attempted to temper the Trial’s desire for conflict.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“There is an assembly, a coalition of nations that favor peace over conflict.”

“An assembly?”

Regna nodded. “They call themselves the assembly of independent nations or Ain for short. Ain is made up of some of Overworld’s lesser powers. Too weak to survive on their own, these races have banded together for protection.” He paused. “They have been surprisingly effective at it too, managing to survive nearly wholly intact for centuries. Individually, the Ain races are no threat, but collectively they command enough force that even the orcs are wary of needlessly entangling with them.”

“I see,” I sat back, considering this surprising revelation. “Are the dwarves a member?”

Regna grimaced. “No. Some amongst the clans—my sire included—have been advocating for years for us to join Ain, but our elders are too proud and set in their ways to do that. We stand alone.”

The fighter tugged at his beard. “And before you think to ask, the clans cannot help humanity. My people make for strong warriors, but dwarven mages are few and far between. Sadly, we don’t possess the magic to stand up to the orcs, or even the elves.” He gestured to his hammer. “We’ve survived as long as we have by making use of weapons such as these to overcome our lack and by turning our mountain homes into fortresses.”

Regna met my gaze, his own unwontedly serious. “I’m sorry, Jamie, but if my people could help, I would have offered our aid gladly.”

I lowered my gaze, moved by the dwarf’s sincerity. I didn’t doubt his words. “I understand, Regna,” I said quietly. I thought for a moment. “What about the gnomes? Are they part of this coalition?”

Regna snorted. “Ack, no! Their reasons though, are a bit different from my own people’s. The gnomes refuse to share their technology with anyone, including potential allies.” Seeing my blank look, he added, “Ain has strict rules governing the sharing of resources between its members.” His look turned grave. “More importantly, they are particular about who they let into their club. Take your own species for instance, Ain will not accept your people unless humanity can prove its worth.”

My eyes narrowed. “Prove our worth? How?”

“Humanity will have to convince the assembly that it has something tangible to offer, otherwise they will not risk themselves on your behalf.” Regna shook his head. “It will not be easy, my friend. The Ain is wary of accepting new entrants, particularly those who’ve already gained the attention of one of the greater powers. I will not lie to you. The chances of Ain accepting your people are slim.”

“Thank you, Regna,” I said. “You’ve given me much to think about.” I rose to my feet. “I guess we better get some rest then. I’ll take the—”

“Wait, Jamie,” the dwarf said, interrupting me. “There’s one more thing.”

Seeing the sober expression on Regna’s face, I sat back down and waited for him to go on.

Regna fidgeted for a moment before continuing. “About the orcs… do you have a plan?”

I shrugged fatalistically. “I’ve racked my brains a few times over the matter, but the truth is, there is not much I can do against a company of orcs.” I fell silent for a moment. “I intend to go down fighting,” I said softly, “and take as many of them with me as I can.”

The dwarf nodded, his face solemn. “I believe you would.” He hesitated. “There is a way for you to survive, you know.”

My gaze flew up to meet Regna’s, heart constricting against the sudden burst of hope his words had kindled. “There is?”

The dwarf studied me gravely. “Have you considered surrendering?”

I gaped at him, not sure if I’d heard him right. “What?” I finally managed to get out.

“You heard me,” Regna said. “Give yourself up.”

“That’s absurd!” I blurted. “I would never surrender to those bastards. I’d rather—”

“Hear me out,” Regna said, holding up a hand.

I snapped my mouth closed and glared at the dwarf. I couldn’t believe what he was suggesting, and I didn’t want to listen, but at the very least, he deserved the courtesy of a hearing. “Go ahead.”

“I analyzed you after I got out of the cage, you know,” he said.

I blinked, wondering what that had to do with any of this.

“The Trials reported your magic Potential as meager.” He smiled. “But after seeing everything you’ve done, I don’t believe it.”

I opened my mouth to explain, but the dwarf stopped me. “Don’t tell me, I don’t need to know. I’m guessing you’ve managed to conceal your true Potential somehow, and that’s good.” He leaned forward. “Here’s the thing. After seeing the Trials report, I underestimated you.” He paused. “The orcs will too.”

I narrowed my eyes, finally understanding what the dwarf was proposing. “You’re suggesting I let myself be taken and then escape.”

Regna sat back. “In short, yes. It’s your best chance of survival. From what you’ve told me, the orcs want you alive. They will not kill you if they don’t have to.”

“And what if I can’t escape?” I objected. “I’ll be subjecting myself to a lifetime of slavery.”

The dwarf stayed silent for so long, I’d thought he wouldn’t answer. “You’ve saved me from a fate worse than death, Jamie,” he said at last. “If it comes to it, I vow, I will do the same for you.” He held my gaze. “If I don’t hear from you by the time the Arkon Shield around your domain falls, I will come looking for you, and I promise you this: I will rescue you from the orcs—or kill you myself.”

I stared at the dwarf, not doubting him in the least. A year, I thought. Regna was asking me to contemplate a year in captivity. Could I do it?

I bowed my head. “Thank you, my friend,” I said finally. “I will think on your suggestion.”

✽✽✽

The next few hours passed with us talking of non consequential matters and sleeping in shifts. I had spoken true earlier. The dwarf was a friend, a kindred spirit, and I felt myself liking him more the longer we conversed.

Finally, with only a few hours left before the dungeon’s destruction, we were both ready to go. Making our way along the rocky pier, we stopped before the obelisk to say our farewells.

“It’s been a pleasure, Jamie,” Regna said.

I shook his hand. “It has indeed. Do you think we’ll meet again?”

“Perhaps,” he said with a smile. “You know where to find me.”

I nodded. “I do.”

Turning to the obelisk, I laid a hand upon it. The runes flared and energy shot up to its tip before falling back to form a pool of luminous green on the ground.

Dungeon portal activated. Condition 2 of 2 of the special contract between Regna Redmayne and Jamie Sinclair has been fulfilled. Contract closed.

Rift opened.

Regna stepped up to the rift. “Goodbye, Jamie,” he said.

I waved in farewell, and a second later, the dwarf vanished. I watched him disappear with a wistful smile. It was too bad Regna couldn’t join me in the Human Dominion, but the Arkon Shield made that impossible.

Our chance-met encounter had yielded many unexpected benefits. The dwarf had given me a glimpse of the world beyond the Human Dominion and the shifting weave of alliances between Overworld’s many factions. I had new hope for humanity’s cause now, and my plans for the future had altered somewhat.

But none of that is here or there, I reminded myself.

Right now, I had to prepare myself for walking into an ambush. I had given much thought to Regna’s words and had come to the reluctant conclusion that his advice was sound.

If the odds I faced on exiting the dungeon were insurmountable, I would surrender and live to fight another day. I owed it to Ma. But if there was even a sliver of a chance that I could escape, I would grab it.

Fight or surrender.

I would prepare for both eventualities.

With that in mind, I recast mimic. Opening my magesight, I reached within to the flowing lines of my spirit and altered them. I worked swiftly but surely, shifting individual filaments until I was satisfied with the results.

Mimic activated. Your true Might Potential, mediocre, has been masked and will be seen by others as low. Your true Resilience Potential, exceptional, has been masked and will be seen by others as low.

Taking Regna’s advice to heart, I had decided to embellish further on it and make myself seem a truly pitiful creature indeed. If the orcs did capture me, they would be hard-pressed to consider me a serious threat now. Which will hopefully lead to them being careless.

Next, I prepared myself to fight.

Summoning mana, I cast magma buckler and freezing sphere. With my hobbled foot, speed was not my ally. And if I was going to be slow-moving, I preferred any enemies to be so inconvenienced too.

After that, I checked the time.

Time remaining before the dungeon is purged: 8 hours.

I rubbed my chin. I had entered the Primal Keep in the morning. With eight hours to go until my three days were up, that put the time in Overworld at close to midnight. Spinning further essence, I cast night vision.

I was almost ready. Picking up the curtain bag at my feet, I slung it across my shoulders and cast shocking touch, wreathing my staff in lightning. I would’ve preferred to use flare, but the heat of dragonfire would only counter the cold of freezing sphere.

I exhaled sharply. My preparations were done, and I was ready as I could be. Time to find out what awaits me.

Stepping forward, I entered the rift.

You have entered a dungeon rift. Ward key destroyed. Exiting the Primal Keep. Updating dungeon data…

Status: reseeding and reconfiguring. Availability: closed. Last cleared: 0 days ago.

Transfer will be completed in 5 seconds.

4…

3…

2…

1…