It wasn’t long before we were on the move again. Rowan recovered his mana, Magnus recovered from his poisoning. He also laid claim to all the poisoned barbs we recovered from the Manticore. Saying something about using them to increase his poison resistance and cultivate his body.

We made good time along the mostly flat expanse of highway; I even got on my bike instead of jogging along. We rode until we got to Highway 80. It was the beginning of the steep climb up through a canyon-like pass that would bring us up out of Utah and enter Wyoming.

“Son of a bitch,” I muttered after we got off of our bikes and looked upon our main way forward.

There had been a massive rockslide that covered both sides of the highway. Rukia walked up to the edge of the scree and sniffed around while we took in the sight.

“Did you guys hear anything that would suggest this?” I asked with a gesture at the massive pile of rock.

“The ground shook some a few days ago,” Cody answered. “But we didn’t think anything of it. What was a little earthquake with everything else going on?”

“Well, I don’t know any other paths from here to get up into Wyoming, and the only other way I know to get to Colorado is heading south all the way to the I-70 and go through Eisenhower tunnel.” I said, picturing the routes in my mind.

“It doesn’t look too bad, bro. We’ve all increased our agility since this whole thing started.” Magnus said. “Besides, that path is harder, with steeper climbs and possibly worse conditions. I’d hate to travel all the way down to the seventy just to find it impassable.”

“Ok, we go slow and carefully. We don’t need any accidents or injuries. We may heal faster than before, but our heals are limited.” Everyone nodded in agreement at my words, even Rukia nodded, giving me her own brand of doggy grin.

The scree was loose and unstable as we made our climb; even Rukia had to scrabble a few times as the rock shifted under her paws. The rest of us had to resort to using our hands and feet together to make slow progress.

It took quite a bit of time to reach the top of the pile of debris. Magnus and I made it to the top first, followed closely by Rukia. It looked like one of the steeper sections of the near vertical cliff walls in this section sheared off and filled this narrow section.

“AHHHH SHOOOOT!” I spun around, almost losing my footing, and saw Cody forming his armor as he tumbled backwards. He was rolling uncontrollably back down the scree and towards the broken cliff face. A moment later, he disappeared from sight.

“CODY, ARE YOU OK?” I shouted after him after I scrambled over to where he had disappeared from sight.

Rowan was closest and reached the area first, repeatedly calling out for his brother with no return answer. Magnus and I made it to Rowan without falling further down the slope. By the time we reached him, Cody could finally answer, just not as we expected.

Cody: um… hey guys? You know that dungeon thing the system mentioned? Well, I think I fell into one.

Reply Y/N

Gods damn it. I hit reply.

John: Are you ok?

Cody: I got a few scrapes before I turned on my armor. Nothing major.

Rowan: What happened?

Cody: The rock shifted under my feet, and I fell. I bounced into a hole in the wall. I glimpsed a shimmer and a prompt flashed up just before I fell through.

John: Are you able to leave?

Cody: Just a sec. let me try. No, it’s like pushing up against a solid wall. Hold on, a new window popped up.

Magnus: What’s it say?

Cody: It says that I can’t leave until the dungeon is cleared.

Shit, I wanted to avoid any dungeons. They weren’t worth the risk when my family’s fate is still uncertain. But if Cody can’t get out, we can’t just leave him in there.

Rowan: Don’t worry little bro, I’m coming in with you.

John: Rowan, hold on for just a minute. Cody, are you safe for the moment? Any mobs around you?

Cody: I seem to be in some kind of entry room. No monsters are around me yet. There are weird red torches on brackets in the walls so I can see at least.

John: Ok, stay right there. If you can’t get out until the dungeon is cleared, we will come in with you and clear it. We just have to make sure we stay safe as we do.

“Let’s find the entrance and make sure you are careful,” I said to the others. They agreed, and we started searching around the wall to find the opening.

It took a couple of minutes to find the cave entrance. Rock, dirt and broken brush that must have followed Cody as he fell partially covered it.

Once we cleared the opening, I could see the entrance to the Dungeon. An opaque field of opalescent light shimmered before us. And as I studied it for a moment, a prompt appeared before me.

Hell Beast Dungeon

Rank: E

Floors: 1

Departure Requirements: Defeat Dungeon Boss

“Well, at least it’s only one floor. I guess we will figure out what Rank E is, although if it follows common anime and manga tropes, it ranges in difficulty from F to A, with A being the most difficult, possibly S as well.” I sighed. “Let’s get in there and get this over with.”

I felt a bit of disorientation as I passed through the barrier, like the world lurched around me for the briefest of moments before I was through. The antechamber for the Dungeon was about twenty feet across and looked to be hewn from solid rock. Like Cody said earlier, there were crimson torches attached to the walls providing a ghastly red light that made everything look covered in blood.

Rukia wandered around the room, sniffing at the walls. Magnus tried to remove a torch, but even with his prodigious strength, they wouldn’t budge. The flames didn’t produce any heat either, just that creepy red light.

I took a deep breath. The Essence in the dungeon's air felt thicker than outside. The density wasn’t as high as in the Wellspring, but it was easily twice as thick in here. It would be a great place to grind combat skills and cultivate if I didn’t need to get home.

“Um… guys, something new just happened.” Cody said once everyone entered the dungeon. “I just received a quest.”

“Wait, what?” I asked, and a chorus of similar questions erupted from everyone at the same time.

“Here I can share the Prompt, though it looks like I can’t share the Quest.” Cody said, and then waved his hand in the air before a prompt appeared in front of me in a new color.

Divine Patron Quest

You have received a quest form your Divine Patron.

Quest: Clear the Hell Beast Dungeon and Either Destroy the Hell Tainted Core or Remove and Cleanse it of evil.

Reward: 2 DF, c5000, 1 Purification Blessing.

Note: as a Divine Patron Quest, you may not share this quest with any non-follower.

“I’ve never seen a quest in this new system yet. One more thing to research when we get to another settlement, I suppose.” I let out another sigh. “I wonder what we can do with a dungeon core.”

“I’m not sure, but I get the feeling that God doesn’t like the Hell type of this dungeon. And that’s why he wants me to destroy it. Do you think god intended for me to fall through the entrance?” Cody asked.

“Who can say what the Gods can or cannot do,” Magnus said. “It doesn’t really matter right now. Let’s clear this dungeon and get us some loot while we’re at it.”

With everyone in agreement, Rowan summoned his lightning dragonling. Magnus, Rukia and I stood abreast in the ten foot wide tunnel, Cody and Rowan taking up the rear with their familiars and aeon.

The tunnel was about ten feet tall and curved to the left. I could faintly hear flapping wings. It sounded like those of bats, but without the squeaking one would expect. Instead of squeaking, I could just barely make out strange, guttural words from around the bend. It sounded like a bunch of creatures talking to each other in some unknown language.

As quietly as we could, we approached the chamber ahead. It was about thirty feet across and nearly twenty feet tall. Flapping around and chattering at each other were nearly a dozen red and wrinkly creatures.

The short, fat little creatures were clearly imps of some type. They were literally the opposite of those cute cherub images. I used my Identify on one.

Dungeon Imp

Level 5

HP: 40/40

Stamina: 80/80

Mana: 280/280

Defense: 0

John: Everyone with a ranged attack, try to take at least one out before we engage. We need to make the most of our surprise round.

Rowan: I’ll have Sparks launch a lightning bolt, they are too spaced out to catch them in his breath weapon, Tess and I will launch Arcane bolts together. Just give me three seconds for the cast.

John: Sparks?

Rowan: Yeah, I decided to name the lightning aeon Sparks.

John: Ok… Anyways, moving on.

Cody: Malakai will strike one with his Holy strike.

Magnus: I got nothing.

John: Ok, ill charge up my Ki bullet. Magnus will you give us the count?

Magnus: Sure thing bro.

I put a full twenty points of Ki into my Ki Bullet technique and carefully lined up my shot. Magnus held out his empty hand and started counting down from three. The moment he made a fist, I launched my Ki bullet at the closest Imp. A bolt of lightning cracked over my shoulder and two streaks of blue energy, one over twice the size of the other, launched into the room.

My Ki bullet struck one imp right in its rotund belly, detonating the Imp and spraying yellow goo all over the place. The lightning bolt caused the Imp it struck to spasm, arcs of electricity running up its pair of horns coming out of its forehead like a Jacobs’s ladder. It fell to the ground, smoking.

Malakai’s holy strike struck one imp with a vengeance. The light from the attack struck the Imp and spread all over its body. The thing’s red tinted skin bubbled and hissed as it was engulfed. In less than a second, the Imps body fell to the floor, a charred husk. It must have been vulnerable to the holy damage.

The smaller of the two arcane shots struck an Imp in the head. It looked like it landed a critical hit and it dropped to the ground, dead as well. Rowan’s higher powered spell caused another imp to explode like the one I killed. But that was the end of our surprise attack.

Burning discs of energy popped up near most of the imps. Each Fire shield was just big enough to cover each of the flying demons completely.

Once our ranged attacks hit, Magnus, Rukia and Cody charged into the room. Rukia already had her Flowing Arctic River activated along with her frost fang. Magnus’s hammer flickered with little arcs of purple electricity, and Cody’s soul bound mace glowed with holy light.

Half the imps were already dead once our party reached melee range. One of the fire shields intercepted Magnus’s hammer. With a small boom and a snap of electricity, the hammer blew through the shield and pulped the Imp behind it. The defensive spell barely slowed the swing. His arms smoked a bit from the attack, but Magnus didn’t seem to suffer any actual damage.

Rukia Leapt nearly ten feet into the air and caught the imp in her jaws. Once she landed, she shook it like it was one of her stuffed dog toys. Even through the din of combat, I could hear the dry twig snap of the thing’s neck and probably its wings breaking from the violent movement.

Cody was a sight to behold as he charged in, silver light radiating from his spectral plate armor, his iron oak mace glowing gold in his hand. He snapped out with his mace and struck one imp with enough force to slam it into the wall over twenty feet away. It crunched on impact and slumped over on the ground.

The last two imps hovered near the top of the domed ceiling. Their hands extended in front of them, light flickered over their fingers. A small bead of dense red light built between their hands. By the time everyone made their attacks, the beads launched forward.

The moment the beads impacted the ground ten feet apart from each other, their shell cracked and a wave of force and fire erupted. I crossed my arms in front of my face as the spell impacted me. It flung me from my spot and I hit one of the curved stone walls. Stars flashed before my eyes as my head struck just a moment after my back.

-26

-10

You have been Stunned

Stun Duration: 5 seconds

The five seconds of being stunned were the longest five seconds of my life. My head was pounding and my limbs flopped about like an infant. I could hear the commotion of the fight going on around me, but my vision was distorted and I couldn’t make much sense of anything. Honestly, it felt like the time I wrecked by motorcycle, at least I had my helmet and leathers then. This time, it was my bare head that hit the wall.

Once the timer ran out, my vision came back into focus, and everything made sense again. I could finally lift my head and look around. My skull still felt like they cracked it in two, but I took in the situation as I picked myself up from where I slumped against the wall.

Rowan looked like he avoided any damage and was launching bolts of arcane energy at the last surviving in along with Tess. The lightning dragonling was nowhere to be seen; it probably died in the explosion.

Rukia was dancing around under the flying imp, wanting to reach the creature, but unable to jump that high. Magnus and Cody had their shields out and were providing cover for Rowan. By the time I got to my feet, Rowan slew the last Imp. It fell to the ground and Rukia could finally get at it and shook it around like her favorite chew toy.

“Ugh, that sucked.” I said once I was standing. I assessed my injuries and saw only minor burns on my unarmored bits and a bump on the back of my head the size of a golf ball. “Is everyone ok?”

“I managed to avoid the blast entirely, but my Sparks detonated.” Rowan reported.

“I was only a bit singed thanks to my armor,” Magnus said.

“It managed to knock off a quarter of my health. But I was able to restore it with my Lay on Hands.” Cody said.

I checked over Rukia, but she wasn’t even singed. Her shoulder seemed tender when I pressed on it, but looking at her Ki pool, she was already healing up the minor damage she took from the wall impact.

“Ok, well, we should take a minute to heal up and top off our Ki and mana, after we can choose one of these paths. Cody, you mind keeping watch with Rowan since you are already healed up and Rowan didn’t take any damage?

“Sure thing,” Cody agreed.

Magnus and I sat down in our respective cultivation positions. Rukia lay down beside me and began breathing in a slow and even measure with her eyes closed. When did she start using breathing patterns to cultivate?

I took a moment to cycle Ki into my eyes and watched as she drew in the denser Essence in the air here. She was drawing it in and converting it to Ki faster than she did back in the Wellspring. She’s such a clever girl, figuring out how to regain her Ki faster all on her own.

I stopped cycling the Ki to my eyes and settled in to recover my health and refill my Ki pool. It took almost seven minutes to recover the thirty-six health I lost in the fight, and I was left with only ninety-four out of my maximum of one hundred fifty points of Ki.

Once I fully recovered, it took almost five minutes to refill my Dantian. It would have taken twice as long even with the thirty percent bonus I got on day one, if it wasn’t for the fact that the essence density in this dungeon was about twice the outside.

So after a ten-minute break, give or take a minute, I finished my cultivation for now. Magnus was still refilling his, but Rukia refilled her pool and finish healing herself by the time I finished.

“We went ahead and looted all the Imps.” Cody said once I stood up. He held out a book and a scroll to me. “We got a spell book, a spell scroll and five hundred fifty credits from the eleven Imps.”

I took the scroll and book, Cody then transferred the credits to me. I guess I was loot master for this dungeon run. I pulled out a notebook and wrote down the loot real quick. It was best to keep track since there weren’t separate pools for credits. Once I wrote it down I used Identify on the items.

Scroll of Flame Shield

Activation cost: 5 Mana

Damage: 10/second of contact

Defense Bonus: 10

Effect: Conjure a 3-foot wide disc of solidified fire for five minutes. This shield will interpose itself between caster and incoming attacks, dealing retributive damage to those attacking from melee.

Spell Book: Fire Bolt

Requirements: Rank 1 Fire Magic Skill

Effect: Read Spell Book to Permanently Learn the Fire Bolt Spell

I looked over to Rowan, “Are you able to use either of these items?”

Rowan shook his head, “The scroll I can, anyone with Mana should be able to use them. But I don’t have the fire magic spell school unlocked, so it won’t let me read it. I can’t even open the cover.”

“That’s ok, I’ll store the book for now, but you can take the scroll. It’s useless to anyone else here.” I said as I handed Rowan the spell scroll.

A couple of minutes later, Magnus stood up with a long stretch and groan. “All righty then,” he said in a poor Ace Ventura impression. He smiled at us and said, “Let’s get dangerous”

“Dude, Darkwing Duck? Really? Pathetic.” I said with a chuckle. “Well, is everyone full up and ready to go?”