"This is a sentient dungeon, Jack," Sharon whispered. "That's why the chest appeared. It's attempting to bargain to avoid it's own destruction. Worse, it's strong enough to make a golden offer."

Jack blinked. "Pocket Realms can do that?"

"The more powerful ones can. And do. Stable ones that don't erupt upon the surface world and are no threat to mundanes are always left alone. Delvers there always take the treasure, modest as the rewards are, because to claim those Dungeon Cores would be to destroy a steady supply of resources and experience, and likely earn you the enmity of all sorts of players far more powerful than you. And if a town's economy depends upon a stable discrete pocket realm and the adventurers who explore it..."

"Shit," Jack hissed. "If I had actually managed to dare a dungeon before I met you...

"You'd probably be dead," Lauren smiled. "But don't worry. Adventurers far more powerful than us have already taken steps. Including walling off every stable benign dungeon core they could find, so no idiots will try to pull it out, including carving very big letters in the local dialect and our own, amounting to 'Take the chest and leave the core alone.' To the best of my knowledge, no one's been stupid enough to do otherwise."

"But this is a wild core. A pustule!" Sharon hissed. "If we don't grab the core, it will only temporarily close, popping up who knows where, and the golems will threaten whoever's nearby!"

Lauren gazed anxiously at her friend. "But if we take the core... the dungeon goes wild! Any core strong enough to summon a golden chest is strong enough to summon all of the original denizens of this delve with the singular purpose to kill us before we can leave!"

Sharon paled but didn't deny it. "True. Which is why we have to be ready to jet out of here as fast as we can, before any of those abominations can fully form." She caught Jack's gaze. "You ready?"

Heart racing with an impending sense of dread, Jack just nodded, quickly summoning forth his Ice Shield and Elemental Armor. "Ready as ever," he said, waiting for the moment their whole world would come crashing down.

Before Sin opened the Golden chest.

"What? Sin, No!" Sharon cried as the crystalline face gave a satisfied smile, and the entire chamber flooded with golden light.

***

"Sin! What the hell did you just do?"

Jack squinted, rubbing flash struck eyes to behold a sight that chilled him to the bone.

The mysterious rocky mound with the mining entrance was gone as if it had never been.

They were on the road once more at the crack of dawn, surrounded by stately trunks soaring to the heavens, the entire road shaded by the cathedral-like bower of overhanging branches.

And just a few feet from Jack upon that hardpacked road was an otherworldly box that shimmered and sparkled, like golden light given etherial form.

And just before it was Jacob, eyes alight with a murderous fire, a golden shaft of light piercing the foliage overhead to flash upon the blade presently at a coldly glaring Sin's throat.

All of them froze at the sight, no one saying a word for long, agonizing moments, horrified by the sight of bright steel riding with Sin's sharp, ragged breaths.

And it was Sin who flashed a bitter smile. "So, this is what it comes down to, is it, Paladin? Live by my whim, or die by my blade." His face twisted in a bitter smile. "Well, asshole? Do it! Go ahead, cut my throat! You can sit back as I twitch and bleed on the ground and tell yourself how fucking rightous you are! Come on, asshole? What are you waiting for? Let's show all our supposed friends what kind of man you really are!"

"Jacob..." Mitch, of all people, was raising his hands. "Just step back, brother. There's no fucking reason to do this."

Jacob's expression went from righteous fury to consternation. He blinked, shaking his head, still glaring coldly at Sin even as he eased his blade. "Why?"

Sin's bitter laughter washed over them. "Why? Are you serious? The why should be obvious!" Intent, desperate eyes locked Jacob's own. "I was saving our lives, fool. Why the hell do you think?"

"You took the chest! You sold out every noble ideal, everything we had for, for simple coin! Assuring that that monster, that abomination lives again! Reincorporates again! All the lives that rupture claims are your burden to bare, Sin, and yours alone!"

Sin's bitter laughter washed over them. "Is that what you think this was about? The stupid chest at our feet? How about the fact that the jewel was completely sentient! That the delve was fully capable of reincorporating every damn beast we had slain as a final fuck you to kill us if we dared try pry that jewel free! Are you ready for that, Paladin?" He gazed Sharon's way. "Be honest, Sharon, how many times was your heart pounding with the fucking certainty that this was it? This was the end? We were surely dead? Because I count at least three!"

Sharon opened her mouth and just froze and shook her head as Sin spun back around. "Weren't you the one who swore that no matter what, the safety of our party came first? That we wouldn't risk our lives stupidly? That you would protect us at all cost?"

"This was a wild delve, Sin! Dangerous to anyone it comes across!"

"You're damn right it was!" Sin snapped. "And you still wanted us to investigate it! A call that would have killed who fucking knows how many of us if water-boy hadn't come along just in time to save our asses! Tell me, Jacob, is that putting the safety of our party above all else?"

Jacob gave an angry shake of his head. "We had to clear it. For the sake of any nearby towns, this forest, and for us! We went up nearly three levels, facing those challenges headon. Even you agreed that the reward was worth the risk!"

Sin smirked and nodded, right hand flicking away the dew forming on his slick leathers. "You're right. I did. Until I got inside. Until that stone lurker nearly took out half the party. Until I nearly died, slowly being burned alive by fire golemns a damned bronze monstrosity straight out of Skydragon blasting us all with fire and steam!" He paled, clenching his fists. "That was too close, Jacob. Too damn close. And to have you or any other self-righteous prick say that I have to endure that madness again, that Sharon or Lauren have to risk their lives after nearly getting killed just getting there, all in a desperate to escape homicidal horrors that will all be working together... how the hell is that anything but suicidal?"

Jacob paled. "That's not what this is about, Sin. This is about you unleashing that pustule back into the world for cheap coin!"

"This is about me keeping us alive!" Sin roared, glaring at the distinctly uncomfortable looking Paladin. "This is about me paying you all back for saving my sad stupid ass who should have never left hismelf so vulnerable! This is about me taking the heat you're too cowardly to! So I can play the bad guy! Never mind your promise, Jacob! To always think of the party first! Never mind the fact that all that smashing that jewel would have done is assure at least a few of our deaths! Deaths that would be mourned by no one but us! Lives that no one cares about but us! And whatever town we supposedly saved wouldn't have even known how close they came, wouldn't have a lick of gratitude for the nameless, faceless, idiots who died saving complete strangers who couldn't give a shit if we lived or died! Is that really the cause you want to die for? Is that what you want to put on the tombstones of our friends? Because i fucking promise you, not all of us would have made it!"

Jacob's cheeks blotched with fury. "You're a fucking coward, Sin. That's all there is to it!"

Sin burst out laughing. "Really? Is that what you think? I'd be out of there so fast you're head would spin! I'm the only one who can Shadowstep and Cloak, you arrogant piece of shit!"

"But you nearly died, Sin," said Sharon. "If we hadn't gotten there..."

"I would have been fine! Trust me, Sharon, I'm not ever letting myself get pinned in that deathtrap of a boss room again! Especially not because some idiot aggroed that massive lurker! But tell me, Sharon, how many of our lives will assuage your paladin's honor? How many tombstones are worth your boyfriend's ascension?"

"You stupid shit! This isn't about me, it's about protecting the people! It's about doing the right thing!" Jacob roared.

Sin nodded. "I agree completely." He gazed intently at all of them. "It's about protecting our people. And it's about keeping your word, the word you gave us, to put our safety above all else, including your goals of saint-hood!"

"He's right," Lauren whispered, looking on the verge of tears. "I... I was frozen, my heart was pounding, because I just knew the move you and Mitch were going to make, Jacob. And I told myself it would be okay, that we could do it, but all I felt was terror and in my heart..." she swallowed. "In my heart I was begging someone. Anyone, to just take the box so we could all go home. So I wouldn't have to see any of my friends die. So I wouldn't have to die!"

Jacob blinked, his features taking on a definite pallor. "Lauren I..."

Mitch patted Jacob's steel-covered shoulder. "Let it go."

"But Mitch!"

Mitch gave a solemn shake of his head. "For all the shit he puts out... Sin made the right call."

Jacob looked aghast. "Mitch, are you... seriously?"

"If he hadn't taken it... I would have."

"Mitch!"

Mitch slowly shook his head. "Sorry, man. You know I love you like a brother. But the party comes first. Always. Including Sin." He nodded Jack's way. "Including the new kid who owed us nothing and still stuck his neck out, saving our own." Eyes filled with tenderness and regret rested upon a quietly sobbing Lauren. "I should never have dragged her into this." He clenched his jaw, shaking his head. "No, that's not what I meant. The starter mission we still have to complete to open our guildhall and gain formal recognition? That's what we had agreed to. And that's all Lauren had agreed to. We should have never jumped into a wild pit of regio thinking we were the damn heroes of a fucking movie. Especially after having taken the Path of Peril, and finally finding out what it really means."

His powerful fist grabbed his friend's pauldron. 'We were lucky, Jacob. More fucking lucky than we had any right to expect. For us to have pushed any further?" He shook his head. "I'm sorry, buddy, but that's just not acceptable. And if that means that that dungeon is going to pop up someplace else down the line? That's something I'm willing to live with. Especially if it means we're keeping the people we love safe.

He didn't hesitate to take the girl he obviously adored into his arms, gently kissing her brow. "Sin's right. It's why I put up with him. We're all we got."

Jacob blinked, clearly at a loss for words.

He slumped to the ground, resting his head in his hands. "What the hell."

Sharon exchanged a look with Lauren before going over to Jacob's side, delicate fingers toUslingg his now helmetless locks of golden hair. "It wasn't the wrong move, Jacob. You really are one of the kindest, most ethical people I've ever met. And I love you all the more for it. But we were too low level. Far too low a level. I know you sensed that just like I did, with the way that golden flood of experience roared into our souls." She bent down, kissing his cheek. "We were lucky as hell Lauren and I were able to synergize our spells so damn well as to take out a Boss Golemn. And we shouldn't ever count on that luck coming our way again."

She kissed his cheek, now leaning against him as they gazed up at flashes of a crimson sunrise from between the branches of the rustling trees overhead.

"One day, we'll be strong enough to be the heroes of our dreams, lover. One day. But right now, above all else, we have to take care of ourselves. To protect ourselves. To keep ourselves safe from all the threats and people and things out there that would happily kill us, if they could. Because I know that the thought of even one of our friends dying for the sake of a mission in a game, even if this game is now our world... I don't think you'd forgive yourself anymore than I would."

Sin chuckled softly, rubbing his hands together. "No one else wants to kill me for putting the group first? Great! Now all that's left is to count our sweet, sweet loot."

Mitch grinned. "It's all about the loot, isn't it Sin?"

Sin nodded. "Only thing I love more than loot is not having to tend to all your fucking graves. So, shall we give it a looksee?"

Arcane Perception check successful!

Jack's eyes widened in sudden alarm. He was feeling utterly out of his depth and didn't want to dip his toes in group dynamics he was just barely a part of. But some things just had to take precedence. "Guys! The loot crate! It's sparkling!"

Mitch frowned. "It's looking fine to me."

Jack shook his head, rapidly closing the distance. "No, Mitch. Trust me. The arcane tethers are ripping!"

Sin's bemused gaze was filled with sudden horror. "Shit, step back!"

And before Mitch could protest, Jack had shoved him aside and forced open the crate.

Mitch's angry glare turned to a look of awe when Jack found his hands full of jewels and a weapon promising incisions so painless that death would be as easy as slipping into an eternal doze. Artifacts radiating such power that he almost thought the madness had been worth it.

Almost.

And before he knew it, the Nightstalker's had deprived him of all his goods, faster than he could blink.

"Good job, Jack," Sin said, beaming at a handful of prizes now in his hands as the golden chest faded away in a sparkle of light the entire party could see.

Jack earned a few relieved nods before everyone's focus turned to the prizes they had claimed.

"Sin?"

Sin grinned wide, hooting with a gamer's glee when he tossed different colored gems to all of them.

"This is for you, my battle-frenzying friend. And for the witch in our group, a little sparkle and flare. And Ah! Our holier-than-though paladin. It looks like you can feel more holy than ever, now!"

His companion's looks of consternation turned to expressions of awe, excitement, or fiercest exultation as they claimed the sparkling transluscent jewels he passed out to all of them.

Save for a dagger that seemed to be made of shadows, and Jack had played far too many games not to know who would be perfect for that prize.

Sin smirked, catching his gaze. "Yes, I know. But what rogue in his right mind would pass up on a Shadow Dagger?"

Jack nodded, though he didn't hesitate to grab the ruby jewel he was handed. "I'm guessing it boosts your backstab, or cuts right through enemy armor?"

Sin winked. "Clearly you've played this game before."

"I mean... it is a trope."

"But definitely a useful one."

Jack nodded. Surprised at how hungrily he was gazing at that knife.

"I take it you played a Nightstalker, once upon a time?"

Jack grinned. "It was the one and only time I ever got the drop on Hexxar. Brought him down to 20% of his health with a knife that looked just like that, before he finally owned me."

This earned a gleeful chuckle from Sin.

Mitch blinked, gazing at Jack with an oddly approving grin. "That was you? Damn this is a small world, after all."

"Or afterlife," Lauren softly said, squeezing Mitch's hand tight. "And one I hope we can enjoy together for a very, very long time."

Mitch grinned. "Safe missions we agree to, from now on. No more wildcard pockets like this one. Promise!"

Sharon gazed intently down at her beau.

Jacob flashed a sheepish smile. "Agreed. That was..." he gave a rueful shake of his head. "We never should have been put in that position, or forced to make that choice."

Sharon and Lauren exchanged relieved nods. "Then maybe this won't be the last time we adventure together," Lauren said. "Because leveling up really is the sweetest rush in the world, and it never gets old, and there's nothing to regret the next day. Just the joy of accomplishing in weeks and months what it takes the most dedicated mages in the city decades to duplicate, if they're even capable of it at all." Her gaze hardened. "So long as we never try to take on anything beyond what were capable of. So we can always come back strong, healthy, and happy. Come back to the ones we love."

Sharon nodded. "We can take the slowest, easiest path in the fucking world. Because that way, we'll be safe, and we'll still be advancing lightyears faster than any NPC... I mean, anyone who's not an original." She paled. "Or, well, copy of an original."

"Because we've already wiped at least once before. We can bet money on that," said Sin, tossing her a jewel. "Here. Give this to your homicidal boyfriend. I think he'll like what it does. But I'm almost positive the buff won't work if he's trying to kill his fucking teamates."

Jacob had the grace to flush and lower his head. "Sin, I maybe..."

"Just shut up and absorb the jewel. I'm scouting ahead, now that we're finally on a mission that shouldn't get us killed."

Jack exchanged a glance with Lauren, who flashed him a reasuring smile. "Go on, Jack. Absorb it. You've certainly earned it." He wasn't quite sure what she meant by that, but nonetheless gazed down at the crimson jewel he now held.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and felt the world erupt in flame.