The next morning Halina stood with her parents in front of a dungeon portal. The air was painted a thick foggy gray, and bitingly cold winds swept down from the mountain in front of them. Stonetooth Dungeon was a high level E-Tier dungeon. Her mother had chosen it as their starter dungeon to determine if they could safely attempt a C-Tier dungeon for the next run.

The mountain that shared its name with the dungeon curved slightly at its peak and completely lacked any form of foliage. It lay in the Northern Reaches far, far to the north of Alaborg, almost at the edge of the Jokull continent. Conventionally it would have taken Halina months or more to travel the distance. Using the Valkyrie crystal network to fast travel would have cost Halina a year’s worth of her Adventurer salary.

“Alright, this isn’t just a free ride,” Aschild barked at her. “We can’t just party up and share the rewards here. You’ve gotta pull your weight or this delve is for nothing.

That said, the lowest level monsters we’ll face here are still over twice yours. Your father and I will do our best to protect you, but the danger to you is very real and very high. Eyes up.”

The last was said both as a warning and a command. Swein had chosen the time to raid the dungeon carefully. Other teams had gone for earlier time slots, forcing them to go without sleep or preparation time. Their slot was an hour after sunrise, giving them more than enough time for both.

Dungeons in the Nine Realms existed in extraplanar spaces, one for every group of challengers who entered. The age and size of the dungeon determined how quickly they could recharge. Newer dungeons may only be able to accommodate one group per day, while some of the oldest dungeons could form a new instance in thirty minutes or less.

Stonetooth was fairly old and only needed two hours to clear its portal. That was why Aschild had called for eyes up. The gateway in front of them had been roiling like a light blue storm cloud. The clouds were swept away and revealed gray stone and white skies, completely out of place with the backdrop of the mountain outlining it.

“Let’s go,” Swein said, the first time he’d opened his mouth this morning.

Most dungeons looked and behaved like the world they grew on. They had ecosystems, flora and fauna, and other resources.

Stonetooth was not like that.

The only thing breaking up the monotonous gray stone plain they found themselves in were the stalagmites that inspired the dungeon's name. Most were small, merely three or four feet high. Occasionally one would tower over the rest, sometimes rising hundreds of feet into the air.

“The floor boss will be in one of the tallest teeth,” Aschild told her. “We’ll need to fight our way to them until we find it. Don’t break the smaller teeth around us either. Not unless you want to fight a swarm.”

A series of sharp squeals and rapid clicking noises echoed across the terrain. Right afterwards the beasts making those noises came into view. Three massive scorpions were crawling over the teeth towards them, clicking their pincers.

“Perfect,” Swein said with a grin. “One each. Scream in pain if you need help.”

Both of her parents blurred, and in the blink of an eye two of the scorpions disappeared along with them. Halina took a deep breath, trying not to grip her equipment too tightly. She brought her shield forward, slamming it with her sword and drawing a hissing screech from the scorpion.

The insect closed with her and immediately struck out with its tail. It clanged off her shield with enough force to send her reeling and unable to counterattack. The scorpion grasped her shield with both claws next, holding her in place while its tail flashed down.

Halina activated [Sentinel], tearing her shield from the grasping claws of the beast and slamming its tail away from her. She flashed with light immediately afterwards, smashing into the scorpion’s carapace with [Rebound]. It screeched loudly and stumbled away, but showed no other sign of damage.

Halina thought to herself.

Unfortunately the second rush from the enemy was enough to overwhelm her defenses.

Its claws wrenched her shield away before she could strike at them once more. She tried to roll with the pull only to feel a massive pinch on her right leg. The scorpion’s other claw had gone past the shield once she was exposed this time, and she found herself immobilized and stretched between its claws. The tail was already descending, so Halina’s only option was to drop the shield and tuck.

Hot, sharp pain blossomed in her back and she shouted out in pain. Shrapnel from the tail’s impact into the ground as it broke the stone with its strength. Halina didn’t have time to even breath a sigh of relief, stabbing into the joint of the claw still holding her leg and grimacing as it stretched torn muscles in her back.

A bubbling screech burst from the scorpion’s mandibles and it thrashed back and forth. The stinger was still impaled into the ground beneath them, apparently stuck fast in the rocky surface. She felt blood splash over her from the claw she had torn free from her leg.

“Need some help, kiddo?” Swein’s voice called from just a few feet away. “I heard the scream.”

“I’m fine!” Halina hollered back, launching herself away from the monster and towards her shield. “Just forgot my insect repellent is all!”

Her father chuckled, but made no move to interfere with her fight. Shield once more in hand, she spun back to the battle just as the scorpion freed its tail from the ground. They charged each other simultaneously.

The massive bug let out a series of angry screeches as it skittered along the ground towards her. Halina met its war cry with a roar of her own. Once more it tried to grasp her shield with its claws and immobilize her. This time its claws met nothing but air, as she raised her shield before slamming it back down. When the counterblow from the tail shot forward, it did not catch her unawares.

Halina twisted to the side as quickly as she could, but not fast enough to come away completely unscathed. Searing pain drew a line across her chest, spread out a bit by her armor. She counted it as a necessary pain, bringing her sword around and hacking down on its tail. The scorpion bellowed loudly once more.

Halina thought with annoyance that cut through the pain of her wounds.

She sprung away from her foe, but stumbled as she landed on her back foot. The twinges of pain from all her accumulated damage was starting to add up. She didn’t have time to gather herself, as the angry scorpion practically flew across the ground separating them.

It jumped as it approached, attempting to crush her under its weight. Right before it slammed into her, her vision pulsed, telling her that her skills were off cooldown once more. A grim smile painted her features then as she immediately activated her combo again. Her shield slid effortlessly up and under the massive carapace crashing down upon her, stopping its momentum for just a moment.

Her sword swept in a graceful arc over her head, and her entire body flashed golden. A single moment of perfection filled her as [Rebound] critically struck the scorpion’s body, splitting its front half from its rear. Exultation filled her, but was immediately cut short.

The beast’s death throes brought its tail straight through her still extended arm.

Halina collapsed with a cry, her arm hanging loose from just below the shoulder, still barely attached by a thread of muscle and skin. Swein was there immediately, kicking the still thrashing corpse away with barely a thought. A bottle was forced into her mouth, his hands holding her jaw tightly to keep it from biting through the glass in pain.

Scorching electricity blasted through her, radiating from her arm as the intense poison coursed through her veins.

“Drink it!” she heard her father’s voice as though he was miles away. “Do you hear me, Lina?! Drink it now!”

Luckily for Halina, the poison chose that moment to spasm her throat muscles. The healing potion went to work instantly, and she blacked out as the pain intensified.

Swein stood over his wife and daughter, a black expression darkening his face. Aschild had Halina’s head in her lap, her cloak stretched out underneath them.

“We’re pushing her too hard,” Swein said, anger boiling near the surface and threatening to involuntarily activate his [Totemic Rage]. “She’s not ready for something on this level. If she starts the Wild Hunt like this, she’ll be traveling Helvegr after the first quest.”

“Deep breaths, dear,” Aschild said quietly, with the patience of one who has said the same thing many times and expects to say it many more. “We can’t afford to let your rage loose right now. As for Lina, it is too late to stop her. She is Frigga’s chosen now. All we can do is prepare her.”

“We never should have accepted her offer,” he griped bitterly. “It has cost our family too much.”

“We did it for the same reasons she did,” she sighed quietly. “We wanted a fast path to power and glory. We were shortsighted, and we’ve paid for it ever since. The Aesir are not to blame for our own mistakes.”

Swein disagreed vehemently, but didn’t pursue the argument further. Their only option now was to impart everything to their daughter that they could.