The Adventurer’s Guild’s importance in the advancement of Earthlings in The New Age cannot be overstated. It is only thanks to them that such a large number of the Beta Testers survived as long as they did. Rescue operations, training, and employment are only the beginning of what this group provided. Without the organization and its members’ generous assistance, it seems unlikely that the transition would have been so comparatively kind to us. - History of a New Age, pg 78

In the hours following her encounter with the Certilia Matriach, Asher had had the most relaxing evening she had ever experienced in the dungeon. No fear of being set upon by vicious little predators if she decided to take a slow walk on the black sand of the lava lake. No stitches in her sides from hours of continuous fleeing. No constant low-grade headache from continuous spellcasting. It was incredible how many aches and pains she had learned to ignore as time passed.

Not to say there were absolutely zero threats. She had seen signs of something under the surface of the flaming lake more than once. She assumed more of the Certilia Matriarchs, but who knew for sure. Maybe this area was home to some kind of fiery variant of those man-eating catfish from Earth.

“You are referring to the Kali River Goonch Catfish attacks mistress. Though I must note that it was never conclusively proven that one of those creatures was responsible for the attacks.”

“Thank you, Bob. Guess there isn’t much point in worrying about animals that potentially ate humans in my old world when I am in an area with proven would be man-eaters now. Still, that would be something interesting to see. A twenty-foot-long catfish that swallowed people whole when they wandered too close to the lava.”

“You do not have the requisite permissions for me to confirm or deny such a monsters presence mistress.”

Uninterested in continuing down that particular rabbit hole, Asher decided to ignore Bob’s comment for the time being. She would need to get an identification skill or something one day, an ability that would allow Bob to help her out more. For now, she would simply enjoy not being hunted for once.

The dungeon really was quite beautiful sometimes, when you had the time to just look around and the ash clouds weren’t getting in the way. Something about the warring colors of yellow, red, and orange mixing and flowing in the massive lake was mesmerizing, soothing her as she simply let her brain shut off for a while. The black sand and obsidian blocks of the beach created a beautiful gleaming mirror for the light of the lava to reflect against. Splashes of color in various areas full of flowering cacti and rainbow colored Anisodrach zipping through the air added points that drew the eye. Then she saw something odd.

Things had been so hectic this entire time that she had never had a chance to really observe the sky. She had remembered seeing points of light and the fuzzy circle of the sun in the past, but now she had time to really look at it. The sun didn’t seem quite right and everything from the clouds to the birds was a little fuzzy, like she was looking through glasses that had a slightly wrong prescription or were smudged full of fingerprints. It gave the sky an almost artificial feel.

“What’s going on up there, Bob?” She called out lazily.

“You have noticed the dungeon’s Mana Horizon mistress. It is strange, but very few Beta Testers notice it without having it pointed out to them. Essentially that distortion is the point where the dungeon no longer holds ultimate sway over the surrounding mana. This causes a noticeable, and very quick, decrease in mana density at the edge of the territory. The inequality between the external and internal mana levels is enough to cause mirages not unlike heat waves. The-”

It was good to see Bob getting excited about a subject again, but she really didn’t have it in her to listen to the specifics of how such a thing worked. Before he could pick up too much speed on his rambling lecture, she interrupted him “Thank you Bob, that is interesting to know. Anything in particular on how that could affect me?”

“Mostly this just means that the dungeon is able to influence the weather and appearance of the sky within its domain. It might cause an area to be perpetually rainy or turn a beach into a snowy tundra. Moons may be added or subtracted from the night sky to increase or decrease light. The sun might appear closer, brighter, and hotter than it actually is. Generally, there is little danger or threat related to a dungeons manipulation of its Mana Horizon.”

“Thanks Bob.”

After that Asher decided to spend some of her accumulated Evolution Points on something frivolous. For five or six points she could create a multicourse feast worthy of a three-star restaurant (when questioned Bob had been very clear that a master of a craft could always create a superior version of a product if they had the right materials) and she intended to celebrate her accomplishments. She had been subsisting for far too long on bugs and snakes as she worked to scrape together and save every point possible in hopes of escaping her situation even a day sooner. Now Scarface would make that up to her with the points he had provided.

She even got a bottle of wine. A nice Pinot Noir, Sarah’s favorite. Sarah…Well she guessed that there had been some benefits of being under constant pressure and unable to take the time to think about other things. Hopefully Sarah was alright somewhere out in this new world. Asher just needed to grow strong enough to find her.

The meal was bittersweet after that. A celebration of one tiny step of the many she would need to accomplish her goals. She needed to get stronger, would get stronger, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t celebrate her accomplishments so far. She was alive and as long as that was true, she could continue to grow.

#

Her night’s sleep in another of the cactus patches had been rather fitful. She wasn’t used to having time to actually sleep, too used to catching small naps here and there. Just enough to keep her going. When she eventually woke, the sun was high in the sky and she could feel every muscle in her body tightening up after the longest time she had spent unmoving in weeks. Despite her body’s stiffness, mentally she felt well rested and ready for the day. That first stretch was quite possibly the best feeling she had ever experienced in this life. Heh, at least I can make jokes about having died.

She lazily made herself breakfast and began to make a plan for the day. “What do you think Bob? Keep following the coast? See if something interesting shows up?”

“That seems like a good plan given the information at your disposal mistress.” The returning answer was flat, almost pessimistic.

“Would it kill you to cheer up Bob? It’s a good day. We are going to do great.”

#

By the end of the day, she regretted jinxing herself like that. Nothing had gone wrong per say. No monster attacks, traps, or sudden bursts of lava. The problem was, she hadn’t found anything either. Between the heat haze, the small amounts of ash, and the succulents breaking off her line of sight, she couldn’t actually see that far along the coast at any given time. It made it hard to tell how far around the lake she had made it, but given she couldn’t see the far side she imagined it had to be huge. That meant this was going to take some time. If there was even anything to actually find. It was a constant frustration, an itch in the back of her mind that she was wasting time.

Her impatience was just getting the better of her caution, urging her to try to find a way out into the lava lake, when something finally changed. She had spent most of the morning working her way out onto the tip of what had turned out to be a peninsula. The center of the outcrop was covered by a rather tall group of succulents, originally leading her to believe she was still on track with the lake’s overall coastline. By the time she realized she was basically taking a massive detour, it had been easier to keep working toward the tip of the landmass and avoid trying to push through the thick growth of spiny plants.

When she eventually made it to the end of the peninsula, she immediately noticed something was different about the next stretch of beach. As she had noted in the past, small islands and isthmuses broke up the lake and formed land bridges to allow one to work their way deeper into the dungeon. The closest they had ever gotten was maybe thirty feet off the coast, too far for her to jump to. She had never seen a place where these narrow strips of obsidian actually connected to the beach. Until now.

The isthmus widened greatly as it connected with the beach that led away from the peninsula she currently stood on, forming a sort of long and thin bay. On the opposite side of the bridge was a second bay formed off the other side of the isthmus with a shorter, more claw-like peninsula. The entire structure served to rather effectively obscure the point where someone could begin journeying out onto the lake, hiding the wide entrance onto the isthmus. While the bridge out on the lake was maybe twenty or thirty feet across, the entrance section was easily two hundred feet wide. Tidepools of lava pockmarked the entire width of the entrance onto the isthmus and created a dangerous obstacle course for anyone who wished to dare the center of the dungeon.

As she watched, Asher saw a Certilia Matriarch climb out of one of the pools and wander a short distance before submerging herself in a new pool. Looking closer, she saw evidence of the matriarch claiming, or at least frequenting, large swathes of the isthmus entrance. Claw marks and small dig sites. A wandering group of younger Certilia that appeared to be learning to hunt by chasing the swarms of Emberwings that called the area home.

Even that was not the most interesting thing in the area though. At least not to her. No, the most interesting thing was the simple metal signs that seemed to have been driven into the ground at regular distances along this part of the beach. They were a distinctly artificial addition to a dungeon that had been all about nature so far in her journey.

Working her way down the other side of the isthmus took her several hours, but they seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Her excitement about what the signs might say was overpowering. At any other point in her life, she would likely have laughed at her own desperation to reach something that was likely either bureaucratic nonsense or educational information about the location. She had been alone for at least a month and a half at this point though. She craved any kind of communication with another fully sentient being, and a simple sign would do for now.

#

The start of the sign was exactly what she expected, a warning. The actual wording was more exciting than something she might have expected back on earth, but it was still just a warning. “Danger! Dungeon Center Northeast Entrance. Danger! From this point on this dungeon is considered E rank. Members of the Adventurer’s Guild are forbidden from entering this area without being part of an E or higher ranked party.”

The next section was a cause for celebration though, and literally made her truly scream out in joy. “For additional information on the following part of The Blighted Basin, please visit the Northeast Dungeon Camp. Simple lodgings available.”

If this was right, she would be able to see people again. She could sleep in an actual bed of some kind! Even a cot or air mattress would be an improvement over her current sleeping conditions. Hell, I might even be able to take a shower!

Thankfully the sign had instructions on how to reach this Adventurer’s Guild camp. Apparently, it was located in a permanent ash clearing maybe thirty minutes away from the beach at a normal walking pace. There were descriptions of a few other clearings in the area and their general relation to the camp to help find it as well. The route itself was fairly easy to find, having been smoothed out - nearly paved really - by an earth mage when the camp was constructed. The route was only two people wide though, making it easy to miss if you did not start out on the path. Additionally, the message warned that the dungeon would slowly revert the mage’s changes so she needed to be careful of rough spots. Supposedly the guild provided regular maintenance to prevent that, but they made no guarantees.

#

Rebecca had been enjoying a relaxing drink with Alejandro, trading information with him about the goings on of the dungeon. Apparently at least one pack of Certilia had been rather excitable for the last several weeks, chasing some unknown prey through a large swath of the dungeon. The Adventurer’s Guild hadn’t received any alerts or requests for aid, so they had been content to leave the creatures alone. Because of the danger though, the Northeast Dungeon camp had been rather barren lately.

It made Alejandro’s life boring, but rather easy. The tall, grey-haired man with a closely trimmed beard and an abundance of laugh lines was a retired adventurer who had taken a job with the guild running this particular encampment. Most people would consider an assignment in a lava field surround by voracious wildlife to be a punishment detail, but Alejandro usually considered it a “break from the hustle and bustle of society”. Not that she could blame his rather laid-back attitude. In his prime, he had been a C+ rank earth mage, easily powerful enough to wipe out this entire dungeon if he wanted to.

She almost envied his position. No spring chicken herself, conducting practice dungeon runs with newbies was only half a step from taking a retirement gig. She wasn’t that old, and looked significantly younger than she actually was, but she could use a decade or two away from the adventuring life.

Rebecca had entered the dungeon with a team of newbies, fresh out of training, and had come down from the northern entrance. Entirely avoiding the issue off the rogue Certilia swarm, which had mostly been contained in the eastern bit of the dungeon, she had been rather surprised by the abundance of room at the camp. Only two other parties had been present, each significantly smaller than her own group’s dozen and change members.

The Green Dawn party was a more defensively oriented party than was the norm, but had built a reputation as dependable during their stay in the Zoramir Kingdom. Due to their party’s original formation in the Republic of Chrix, there had been some small amount of mistrust at first. Thankfully, their fair prices and honest nature had quickly helped them overcome the rumors of shortchanging and unfair business practices. Habits not uncommon to see Chrix citizens being accused of. The riches that The Land of Blessed Earth offered were often a source of envy and greed. Course most of the party isn’t even from Chrix, but when has that ever stopped the idiots and rumor mills.

The Red Lynx party, on the other hand, was party of youngsters. More experienced than her own recruits, but only marginally more capable. Mostly F and F+ rank, but with an E- rank leader. They had been active for about a year and a half now, slowly building their strength in the hopes of becoming an official E- rank party. That would open a lot of doors for them and allow them to begin making some real coin. Unfortunately for them, they weren’t quite there yet by her estimate. Another six months before they’re ready for their exam I would say.

It was as she was leaning over to ask Alejandro his own opinion on the other parties when someone knew came stumbling in from the ash. It was a girl, maybe just shy of six feet tall and towering over Rebecca’s own five-foot-five height. The girl was deeply tanned, with an olive skin tone and bright, shoulder length red hair unlike anyone Rebecca had seen in the camp. Even without the hair, Rebecca felt like she would have noticed someone so…ragged…running around the camp.

The girl’s clothes, once apparently fine clothing, were now nearly torn to shreds and she had heavy bags under her eyes. Over her shredded top and shorts, she wore a cloak that seemed to be made from Certilia hide, a common item in this area but still well known for its defensive properties. An undersized pack of fine leather hung from one shoulder, large bumps bulging out as it was apparently stuffed to the absolute limit. Meanwhile, a large canteen with the glow of an enchantment sat at her hip. Her staff was basic, but serviceable, and she clung to it desperately in her exhaustion. Scratches covered every exposed inch of her, as if she had simply been pushing her way through the cacti patches in her way.

Despite that, a smile split her face when she saw them and her green eyes burned with satisfaction. Her wiry build practically blazed with an aura of victory and joy. Rebecca could literally feel the sense of accomplishment coming off of her thanks to one of her emotion magic sensory abilities. This girl had been through a trial and come out of it stronger than ever before. Rebecca approved of her already.

As the girl approached, Rebecca called out to her. “Hey, girl! What are you doing out here alone? The guild doesn’t allow anyone under D+ rank to explore this dungeon alone.”

That wasn’t strictly true. The outer part of the dungeon was available for even D- rank adventurers to solo hunt in. She wanted to see how this newcomer would respond though. She got her answer when the girl locked eyes with her and projected unwavering confidence as she walked into easy talking distance.

“I’ll admit it was tough at first, but I’ve been doing just fine out there! I’m not some helpless kid.” The beginning was upbeat, and the impressive attitude was only slightly diminished the rather relieved tone she ended with, “Good to see another person though, I was getting a little lonely out there.”

“Oh? How long you been wandering around out here kid?” Rebecca was betting on a week, maybe two. Enough for a greenhorn to prove their own strength to themselves, see their limits, and be happy to have an easy way back out.

The strangers next words had her staring though, “I’m not really sure. At least a month and half, but you kind of lose track of it eventually. Hard to keep days straight in your mind when you are being chased all the time.”

At the mention of being chased, Rebecca saw Alejandro stiffen up. His voice, calm and scratchy, cut in. “Chased? What do you have following you into the camp kiddo? I’ll need to make the right preparations.”

Alejandro seemed concerned, and Rebecca couldn’t figure out why. With his Tremorsense ability he should have easily detected any terrestrial monster trying to get to the camp from a mile or more out. None of the flying monsters in the dungeon were a real threat, so it wasn’t like any danger could escape his senses. Unless the fact he couldn’t sense anything was exactly what had him worried.

The girl’s next words instantly calmed him, and she knew she had guessed correctly. “Nothing, saw the little pains off already. Sent the remainder running back home to their mother. Got a nice new cloak out of it.”

Rebecca’s eyes widened a bit at that, but she was a master of emotions and didn’t allow any other signs of her shock to appear. It would be possible for a few of her recruits to manage the same, but none of them were a guarantee. It would also be wildly beyond any reasonable expectation for them. As far as she could tell, this kid wasn’t that much older and had probably received less trained. At least now they knew what had had the Certilia in such an uproar.

“Nice work kiddo. Have a beer on the house.” Apparently, Alejandro had a similar assessment to herself. He generally guarded his small stash of alcohol jealously, unwilling to part with it for anything less than exorbitant sums. A free beer was practically unheard of.

The mention of beer seemed to perk the girl up a bit. “You know, I’m not usually a fan of beer but that sounds absolutely heavenly. Got anything that would mix well with tequila?”

Reaching into her bag, the girl pulled out a large bottle of the stuff. Rebecca couldn’t help but be disappointed in the girl at this point. It was never a good sign when an adventurer was running around with a bottle of hard liquor. Alejandro frowned in obvious agreement with her.

Catching on, the girl quickly tried to explain, “I, uh, wasn’t exactly planning to be thrown into something like this when I packed it. Haven’t taken a sip the entire time I was out here because, well, it seemed like a pretty obviously bad idea. Still, it would be a shame to just, you know, waste it…”

Nodding slightly to Alejandro, Rebecca let him know her Lie Detection hadn’t caught any falsehoods in her words. That just made the entire situation even stranger though. Nobody just wandered into a Dungeon by accident. Then she corrected herself. Well, almost no one.

Grunting at her explanation, Alejandro cut right to the point. Not exactly her style, but Rebecca could respect his dislike for small talk. “How the hell’d you end up out here if you didn’t mean to be kiddo?”

The girl wasn’t very good at hiding her emotions, much too open in her facial expressions. The instant widening of her eyes and slight “o” of her mouth let them know she was scrambling to come up with an answer, but when it eventually came she was once more surprised to get no reaction from her Lie Detection.

“I am not a hundred percent certain. I kind of just woke up out in the ash cloud…Didn’t make it a day before accidentally pissing off a Certilia pack, so I haven’t had a lot of time to consider it.”

“Damn kiddo, must have been tough. Gotta say I am impressed though. Not many survive a dungeon unprepared.” Alejandro had always had a soft spot for kids like this. Who didn’t though? Capable without being boastful and achieving impressive feats despite the odds stacked against them. That sort of story never lost its shine.

Jumping in herself, she gave the same praise. “Alejandro’s right, you should be proud you managed to do so well. Incidents of individuals accidentally entering dungeons are rare, but exceedingly lethal. Just living means you’ve done something incredible.”

Realizing that she and Alejandro had never bothered to introduce themselves, she leapt up from her seat and walked over with hand extended. “I’m Rebecca and the old man over there is Alejandro, like I said earlier.”

“Who you calling an old man, you aren’t more than a decade or so my junior!” Alejandro cried out in feigned indignation.

Grinning at his outburst, Rebecca turned back to the newcomer, “Anyway kid, what should we call you?”

“Asher, my name’s Asher. It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Any chance I could get that beer from you Alejandro?”

#

After everyone introduced themselves, the three spent the next hour or so trading stories and small talking. Nothing major, nothing about monsters or dungeons, just stories. Rebecca would tell jokes and stories about her friends, family, and pet dog. Alejandro, when he occasionally popped in, would mention beautiful forests or rivers that he had visited throughout his life.

Between the stories, Asher picked up a few important pieces of information. Apparently The Blighted Basin was a fairly popular dungeon located in the Zoramir Kingdom, about three months journey from the boarder with The Republic of Chrix. They were about a week’s hike from Baramel, a city known for its glasswork. Supposedly the entire area was full of beautiful beaches, lakes, and rivers when you weren’t in the volcanic hellscape of the dungeon.

Asher was honestly amazed by how…normal it all seemed. Until Alejandro pushed one of his long sleeves up to show a scar he had gotten trying to carve wood once. Running along the arm was what appeared to be a vein of black marble.

Alejandro only grinned at her widening eyes. “What’s the matter kiddo, never seen a Hameptra before? Means “stoneblood” in the old tongue, for obvious reasons. We’re a fairly rare lot. Gotta have a bit of Deep Dwarf in you and a real close affinity with earth magic. Course, nowhere near as rare as Rebecca. Don’t see many Somna Fae outside the Dream.”

That had resulted in Rebecca showing off a bit. Apparently the short, plump woman’s thick black curls of hair were hiding long, pointed ears that stretched nearly to the back of her skull. That wasn’t all though. Beneath her bright, multicolored cloak that was decorated with a swirling, mesmerizing pattern, the woman hid a pair of dragonfly-esque wings. They were covered in scales that seemed to match her cloak, resulting in a riot of color easily capable of overwhelming the senses.

Combined with the woman’s Light magic, she became something like a living disco ball sparkling in every color of the rainbow. Rebecca said she wore it because it helped her with some of her spells, but Asher thought the woman also just liked the attention-grabbing aspects of the cloak. Not that Asher could say anything about the flashiness of anyone else’s magic.

Well, she was in a new reality. It was obvious she would be surprised to run into non-human sentient beings, it wasn’t something her life had ever prepared her for. She really shouldn’t have been though. The voice had said that “racial spawn points” had been rearranged after all. Who knew what other types of sentient beings might be out there?

Suddenly coming back to the moment, she realized Rebecca was staring at her expectantly. Obviously, she had missed a question directed her way. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

“I said I’ll be taking my kids back out of the dungeon in two days, so you don’t need to worry about working your way back out of the dungeon. Once we’re out, I can take you back to the guild and see about reconnecting you with any family or friends you have in the area.”

Asher was silent for a moment, considering the offer. It was the safe thing to do. The smart thing. She wanted to see what else this dungeon had to offer, the power that Bob and the system had promised she could find here, but she could always come back. Return when she was more prepared. More capable. She’d made it this far though, hadn’t she? Why shouldn’t she push herself a little more? She had thrived off the pressure this place had put on her. A day or two of rest at this camp, and she’d be in the best state she’d ever been in to push even further.

“I don’t think I am going to head back,” as she talked, Asher could already see Rebecca’s face hardening. She wasn’t going to let Asher take what she saw as a dumb risk. Speaking quickly before she could be interrupted, Asher continued, “I’m not ready to give in yet. I haven’t hit my limit yet and I know I can go further. I need to see how far I can make it. Please.”

Alejandro chuckled wryly at her words and Rebecca’s expression softened before she began to respond. “I know, but I don’t think you realize just how much more dangerous it gets from here. A swarm of Certilia is nothing compared to the stuff you would face out on the lake. I can’t in good consciousness send you out to die, you have to know that.”

Seeing an opening, a chance to get Rebecca to agree to let her continue in the dungeon, Asher quickly pressed for more information, “So, what would it take for you to feel like I am safe enough to continue? That you aren’t just watching me kill myself when I walk out there?”

Rebecca gave a long, soft sigh as she looked into Asher’s eyes. Then she seemed to come to a decision. “Tell you what kid. I told you earlier that there are two other parties in this camp right?”

“Yeah. Green Dawn and Red Lynx, right?”

“Those are the ones. Red Lynx is a younger party. Good, but also aware of their limits. They are resting up before heading back out of the dungeon tomorrow morning. Green Dawn on the other hand, I hear they plan to continue further in. At least until they hit the Central Caldera. From what I know, they’re a reliable team. They have problems completing some missions that call for a lot of offensive power, but they and their charges rarely suffer injury. You convince them to take you on as a temporary teammate, to let you tag along, and I’ll let you.” Rebecca gave Asher a small, seemingly encouraging smile.

After a brief pause to make sure her terms had sunk in, Rebecca continued on, “The rest of the dungeon really does require a team if you are any lower ranked than Alejandro or myself. I still encourage you to give leaving the dungeon a thought. The Green Dawn party is good, but there are no guarantees of safety in a dungeon. Even if they do take you on, I definitely discourage all of you from attempting to challenge the Central Caldera. Not unless you all improve quite a bit while traveling across the lake. Still, I think you would be safe enough in their care.”

Grinning broadly, Asher agreed to Rebecca’s terms. She wasn’t ready to give up yet, and she thought she could show Green Dawn she had plenty to offer them. “Thanks Rebecca. I’ll go talk to them now.”

#

“At least our level to take this place on solo huh? Little bit of an over exaggeration, don’t you think? Basin ain’t that dangerous.” Alejandro’s tone was soft, but showed he’d noticed her trying to nudge the kid out of continuing.

“Maybe, but you know kids. If you don’t make the wall out to be twenty feet tall, they’ll think you’re exaggerating when you say it’s ten feet.”

“I think you’re just worried about the kiddo because you see a bit too much of your own adventuring spirit in her. Reminds you of some of the dumb chances you took when you were a green horn.”

“Quiet you, just because you taught me the ropes doesn’t mean I haven’t gotten better than you in the time since.”

END OF PART 1: REBORN