Dex fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow on the bed. Finding himself within a dense forest with gigantic trees that seemed to stretch towards the heavens high above his head. Some were huge, bigger than most buildings back on Earth.

It reminded him of a trip his family took through the redwood national forest just before the twins were born. It was the first thing that came to mind seeing the size of the trees in front of him, but these trees all were more similar to a birch tree with white paper-like bark. All the leaves were transitioning for fall. Turning all the leaves vibrant. Oranges, yellows, and the occasional reds that seemed to pull the eye towards them.

The forest seemed to go on forever as far as Dex could see. Birds were chirping and the rustle of the leaves on the wind made him look around in wonder. Then he felt a vibration within the earth, and the sound soon followed. It sounded like a wet thud, like when you drop a stone into a mud puddle as a kid. It became louder, and the vibration turned into shaking until he saw what it was.

Between the trees, a man was walking, but he was no man. Not a human, but a giant bipedal with stone covering his skin. It had a slight hitch to its walk as it made its way through the trees. Dex braced himself on a nearby tree that was only a sapling compared to the others to hold his balance. While the creature moved, it felt more like a small earthquake than simple footfalls as it approached. The creature seemed to be honing in on Dex.

It had light brown skin, almost sandy in color. The rock that grew out of its skin was a stark contrast. White with flecks that sparkled like a rainbow when light glanced off it. The sparse light that randomly pierced through the dense canopy of the forest. The stones reminded Dex of a geode he had on his desk at home.

Dex didn't run, he just knew somehow it didn't have any ill will and knew it was coming for him. It stared at Dex as it approached. It was over twenty feet tall, still being dwarfed by the massive trees that were easily over a few hundred feet tall. Most of them, even the young ones, were over fifty.

It was only a few meters from Dex when it stopped and stared before it lowered itself to a knee. Bowing its head to Dex. Dex looked at the giant, knowing that this must have been part of the evolution of the troll blood gem. Dex never heard of anything like this from the memories he had gained. Mord didn't know what would happen or how. Dex bowed his head to the giant. The troll raised its head, turned, and walked away. Heading deeper into the forest.

Dex watched as the giant disappeared just as fast as it had appeared. Dex looked up towards the canopy and watched the leaves sway. The light between the canopy became brighter as a bright bream broke through and moved over him. Out of reflex, he closed his eyes.

Upon opening them; he found himself back in his not so comfortable bed within the inn. The light was directly over his face from the nearby window, blinding him. Dex still felt tired, but he shook it off as he still vividly remembered the dream and kept recalling it in his head.

Getting dressed and heading downstairs, he carried all of his things and sat at a table in the common area of the inn. The same server Emily from last night brought him some sort of porridge with honey pooled on top of it, with a side of honeyed bread to go with it. She offered him a mead but just asked for water instead. The water was cold, but it had a tangy taste to it but was easily forgotten by the taste of the breakfast that was both savory and sweet.

Dex went to find the leatherworker Mord sent him to find, and after some directions, found the location. The leatherworker and the tanner were at the outer edge of the city near the wall near the east gate.

Going in, Dex immediately found himself in a two-story wooden building with an overwhelming scent of leather and oils that tickled the nose. A thin woman of middle age was behind the counter working on something. Behind her were tables, and an older man, who was hunched over his work with nimble fingers. Dex cleared his throat, and they both looked up at him. "Hi, Mord sent me..."

The woman sat down the glove she was working on and cut him off. "We know. Show us the blade."

Dex placed the glaive on the table, which was covered in a variety of hides and scraps of hard and soft leathers. She had been working on a pair of gloves; it seems. The man in the back was working on a vest of hardened leather. The women picked up the glaive. Pulling out a length of string, she started writing notes on a sheet of paper that seemed to appear out of thin air. "We'll need the day to finish it. Come back in the morning and it will be ready. Should be four coppers, kid. Anything else?"

Dex looked at his feet. "Do you have boots, by chance?"

The man in the back looked up from his work. "Boots?" he asked. "What are... boots?"

Maybe they didn't have boots, or maybe they went by another name, he thought. "Footwear, something to protect my feet more than these," Dex said, showing the thin cotton slippers that were given to him by Patricia, Mord's darling wife. They barely protected his feet. If it wasn't for the cobblestones, he might have ripped his feet open.

"We have some of these," he said, showing a pair of long leather boots that were laced up the front. Made of soft leather with hard, wood soles.

Dex looked at the boots longer. "Could you do a custom order if I were to give you an idea of what I'm looking for?"

"We can, but our time can be expensive, but if this is something we've never seen before," he said, shrugging, "then maybe we'll work something out."

Dex looked at the lady. "Would you mind letting me use the pencil and paper for a minute? I'll give you a sketch quick." She handed over a fresh piece of paper that was rough to the touch and a thin pencil of graphite.

Sketching out the drawing, and even going as far as lacing, and the bottom ridges, even a note to make them steel-toed, just like the ones he had back home. Showing the sketch to Ken, and his wife Ada they seemed amused by the idea, and they took measurements of Dex's feet.

They said they would make a prototype and I would test them out. I would pay for costs, but I still had some money left over. Plus, I was planning on going into the dungeon after this. Buying the leather boots they had in the meantime for a few coppers. They clashed with his mismatched outfit, but the wood soles were more dependable than cloth, with thin wood that barely absorbed any impact.

Noticing almost everyone's footwear outside on the walk back to the dungeon square was primarily made of leather or cloth and looked more like slippers than shoes. Protecting your feet seemed important in doing any kind of physical activity.

Dex stopped at a food vendor along the way and grabbed some type of roasted meat on a skewer that tasted smokey, salty, and sweet. Getting in line for the dungeon while finishing the second skewer. The line wasn't very large, only a couple of groups were waiting their turn.

"I could really go for another skewer," Dex thought while waiting. Ever since coming to this world, he always felt hungry. Though he noticed he didn't look as scrawny in the mirror as when he woke up. He even appeared to be putting on some muscle, filling out the shirt he was given.

The glaive was a little awkward to carry around now since he had it wrapped in some linen Ada had given him to conceal the blade, just in case some guards spotted Dex with an open blade. A minor crime within the city. Using it as a walking stick, he rested the butt against the cobblestone as he stood in line.

Finally, his turn came up, and he was once again greeted by Michel, who greeted him with a smile and even a once over. Checking all of his new equipment and even the bag slung across his shoulder.

"I see you met my mom and gave you some of my old things. Looks good on you, though still some room to fill it, I see," Michel said, and seemed to realize Dex was alone. Frowning, "Are you going in by yourself?"

Nodding, "I am, I'll be fine. Yeah, your mom and dad are very kind. I owe you and them so much."

Michel just waved it off. "Don't think of it that way. If dad brought you to see mom then he likes you, and if you paid for his "Services" then he considers you an investment, and as long as you look out for him, he'll do the same for you."

Dex and Michel noticed a group come out of the dungeon. One was carrying another out fireman style, the other was covered in blood. Michel shook his head and looked downcast.

Watching them walk past, all looking unfocused in their tasks. The people in the market parted ways for the group as they made their way down the street, heading towards the church. "They lost someone inside. I'll have to make a note of it." after writing it down on a sheet of paper and folding it back up and placing it within his robes. "It doesn't happen often really, a few a month. The dungeon is weak, but it has its trials, especially for new groups from the guild in town. Shame."

"Guild, what's that?" Dex asked.

Michel looked up at the crystal on the wall, and it was still not glowing. "You probably know already, but it's a local guild for dungeons and hunting. People will hire the guild for requests and jobs. If you're a solo, you should check it out, maybe get a team together." Michel finished, just as the gem lit up. "Your turn. Be safe in there," he said with a warm smile.

Smiling. "I will," Dex said, walking inside with the glaive leaning against his shoulder.

Once Dex was in the tunnel, he removed the cloth from the glaive's blade. Slowly giving it a few practice swings within the tunnel. It was light and flowed in his hands. The intricate carvings ran down the metal shaft from blade to the blunted pommel. The designs were highly ornate and detailed. It even seemed to help add to the grip of the short spear-like weapon. The blade reminded Dex of a long dagger. After revealing it. He finally remembered what the glaive reminded him of. The spear used by Prince Nuada from the Hellboy movies. The original, of course.

The blade of the glaive was a third of the length of the shaft, longer than any spear, and the blade was only on one side. It didn't quite have the same elegant curve, but it ended in a nasty tapered point. All the intricate details gave the glaive its own flare.

Dex took a few more steps until he heard the familiar skittering ahead. He slowed his pace and prepared himself. "Personal goal is to complete this run with only the spear," he thought.

An ambushing spider leaped from the ceiling, aiming for his face. With an overhead swing, he bisected the spider completely in half with the blade. The spider fell into two halves as it landed with a wet thud against the floor.

Looking at the blade, which left no ichor of the blade behind. He felt powerful, felt a connection like a spark between him and the glaive. He continued through the tunnel, killing with ease as he approached the big, bad boss. The baby spiders stopped posing much of a threat. He could easily dodge, parry, or outright kill them before they can reach him.

The boss, on the other hand, moved more nimbly. It seemed to know how Dex would move. Dex began getting frustrated and ended up using a shadow spike beneath the spider to finish the fight. Picking up a toxin gem. Pocketing it, he returned to Michel.

Michel was talking to a group of adventurers and noticed Dex walkout. He motioned me over. "That was fast. How many did you leave behind?"

"None, the spiders are predictable and easy to kill once you get a hang of their pattern," Dex said, holding up a Venom gem for Michel to see.

Michel looked impressed and in disbelief. It wasn't completely unheard of, after all. Nobles sent their children into dungeons solo as well to get combat experience without being coddled by their guards. The only way to improve is through life and death encounters, they say. "I'm glad you made it through. I'll see you. I have to send the next group through."

Dex put up his hand in passing. He heard "NEXT" get called behind him by Michel. The line was long now. Midday had arrived, and people were looking forward to the dungeon to earn some experience and fortune. Looking at the Zero on his hand, he frowned. When will I level up?

He ended up getting in line again. Dex completed it using only shadow spike this time. Occasionally using Scan, which outside of allowing to sense great detail through tactile touch, it also gave an x-ray live vision of whatever was in front of him if he focused. Something he found on accident when squinting at the boss he just killed. It showed the spider's organs and a dim glow that radiated from inside of its body slowly fade. Using Scan for even a few seconds gave Dex a headache that lingered, and even more so when using the x-ray like version.

Sitting on the steps of Mord's shop, he watched the line to the dungeon, which seemed to have wrapped around the dungeon itself and continue to form within the square like a coiling snake. Footsteps brought him back to himself. Looking behind him, he saw old man Mord standing in his doorway.

"Mind if I sit?"

"Your stoop. I'm just loitering."

Mord looked at Dex queer before seeming to move on. He sat down next to Dex. "A lot of people walk through that dungeon every day and most come back, but one day it will go up a level, and whoever is inside. Gods have mercy on those poor bastards." He said, shaking his head.

"What does the dungeon leveling up entail?"

Mord seemed to take a second to recall or come up with the words before he began speaking again. "When a dungeon levels up, they grow. The floor gets bigger, and more danger always comes with it. Natural traps and more monsters, but if the monsters are too powerful, they can escape the dungeon and wreak havoc on the surrounding lands," taking a breath, "When a dungeon like this goes up a level or evolves, as some say. It will do this without warning and when a large enough influx of people are inside of it. It will trap them inside until the dungeon is done or they clear the alpha monster at the end. Either way, it will gain enough energy to finish its evolution and become stronger."

Looking into the distance, he could see the peaks of the nearby mountain range that spanned the continent. Letting out a breath, he continued. "Dungeons in the wild take centuries to level up and if they're undiscovered, the monsters they spawn will continue to make more and more filling the surroundings and the monsters outside them will begin to evolve as well, growing stronger away from the dungeon and be able to move away from it. Going further, and further, until the tether in the dungeon is severed completely."

Mord was full of useful information. Something has been bothering Dex ever since seeing his gem of power. Why did it have so many sides, and why did Mord's have so few? "You saw my gem of power, and I saw yours why makes them different?"

Mord looked at Dex and glimpsed at the zero on his hand. Then looked at his own. "Gems come from monsters in dungeons or sometimes from the ones who break out of dungeons and begin roaming the countryside, as I explained. Gems of power, or whatever people call them. They carry power in them. The sigil on your hand allows the wielder to use them."

Mord pulled something out of his pocket, a carved pipe. He packed it full of tobacco and started smoking. "The gems of power are all cut differently, like precious stones, you see. So the more cuts, the stronger the gem. Yours is the second gem with so many cuts I've ever seen. I'm not sure where you got it, but don't tell anyone else you have it. Your life may depend on it."

"What are the cuts?"

"Eight is the weakest, and it allows for one support gem. Ten-sided allows for two support gems like my own. Twelve-sided gems are considered the best. They allow for three support gems."

"What about mine? It has twenty."

Mord scanned around us quickly. "Shhh, keep it down. Most consider your gem a myth. But I knew someone with one, and now you," he said, looking around again. "It should give you five support gem slots, but yours only has three. Other than that, I don't really know what other benefits you get. The difference between a ten and twelve-sided one is massive in scale of power, but different gems do different things," he shrugged.

Dex asked a few more questions, but most of them Mord didn't have much of an answer to or just didn't know. Mord left to tend to the shop. Dex went back to the inn. No use getting in line when it was so busy. He decided to wait until late at night when everyone called it a day and go when no one else would be around.

On the walk back to the inn, Dex forgot to tell Mord about the dream he had about the giant."Next time," he said to himself.

The inn was lively, people were filling up the common area, sitting at the heavy long tables eating and drinking. A singular chair near the fire in the back was empty and Dex decided to wait and relax until nighttime rolled around, so he sat. Within a minute of sitting, Emily brought him an ale with a smile. She moved away as quickly as she came. Dex watched the other patrons. Sometimes hearing their chats. "It's not eavesdropping if they're talking loud enough for the whole bar to hear." Dex thought as he sipped the warm ale that tasted like hops and dirty boot.

"Did you hear the war in the East is finally settling down?"

"Of course it is. In a couple months' time, it be winter and no man wants to march through unknown lands with snow up to their eyes and ice growing from their nethers."

"I have a silver that they'll start marching as soon as thaw hits."

"Aye, I say they turn back."

"I think you're both wrong. I say they continue towards the borders and continue into the lands of the frigid queen herself."

Talk of the war to the East seemed to be a major topic. Finding that far to the East more than a year's journey by carriage, a war had been going on for the past year between two kingdoms with no signs of stopping.

"Why hasn't the Emperor stopped them yet?"

"Why would he? As long as both are paying their taxes, what does he care? A few idiots are playing at war." The main said with a slur.

"If they stop paying, then the emperor's blades will step on both of their throats. If one wins, then they would have to make up for the loss either way."

"Fair point Jin, fair point."

Dex was leaning back with his head against the soft fabric of the chair. A different group that was only a few feet away from Dex was eating and drinking, but one of their colleagues looked around and tried to talk to the man next to him quietly. Dex could still hear enough. "Did you hear there is a rank three dungeon just a few days' ride from here?"

"Another one of your stories?"

"No..no, serious as the gods. I heard it from my uncle. He be part of the guild there. It sprouted up near the foot of the mountain. Says some guy found it and claimed it. Guild is already sending a few caravans over to build up a town around it. They got tight wraps on it until its fortified. Even heard it had a beast wave,"

"We should check it out."

"Aye."

"That is some interesting news indeed. Maybe I should check it out as well," Dex thought. As he sipped his ale, the taste was growing on him.

People came and went. Some stayed and got a room retiring upstairs after their meal. Dex didn't move from his spot, just nursed his drink all night. Refusing the refills from Emily when she did her rounds. Which resulted in a pouty face from her.

Leaving the inn. The sun was already falling below the roofline of the buildings nearby. Casting the street in an orange glow.

Feeling a little light on his feet and warmth in his cheeks, he finally made it to the square. Only Michel was there, sitting under the entrance in the alcove.

Walking up to him, the glow of a brass lamp with the glowing rock inside cast a yellow glow over the immediate area. Michel looked up as I approached, boots clicking against the stones. "Dex, you're back." Michel looked beat, not physically but tired.

"Long day?"

Michel nodded, "Every day, but it's for the church, and I do enjoy it. Better than being trapped inside the temple all day."

The stone above the door was glowing, meaning no one was inside. Instead of going in, Dex continued talking, "Must like it if you keep coming back."

Michel nodded, "I enjoy it, and I have dreams of becoming a healer one day and also becoming an alchemist as well. The church is the fastest way to get an apprenticeship if one of the gods accepts me. My family may not look it, but we are all devoted to the god of light, and follow her guiding light. Dad must have seen it to pick you. He doesn't pick most."

Dex was intrigued. "So your church is for the goddess of light?" he asked.

Michel looked into Dex's eyes, seeing if he was being honest or just playing with him since everyone should know about the church. Sensing he was telling the truth. Shrugging, he answered, "The church here houses all of the gods' statues for prayer and donation, hoping to gain their gods' blessing. Our church is one of many 'Churches of the six'," he said before stretching a little, "Though each temple may hold them all like our church, there are some built for a specific god or goddess as well by their own acolytes. My family follows the goddess Elune, the goddess of light, but not being chosen by her means, I'm stuck as an acolyte to the church until the day she chooses me." he explained.

"It's all so confusing," Dex thought.

Michel got up and stretched, stiff from his long shift. "My shift is done. I'll be off tomorrow. Be safe in there. May the light guide you," he said, waving goodbye as he grabbed the lantern and started walking up the street towards the massive temple in the distance.

Dex remembered the church. It was where he spent a lot of time. The healing house was attached. His mother had spent a lot of time there. He and his sister were born there as well. He was familiar with it, more than most. He remembered the last time he was there vividly, a month before his father had disappeared. He kneeled before the goddess of light and begged her to heal his dying mother, going as far as giving a donation of blood to the altar before being removed by the high priest for making a scene.

Even though his family never believed in the gods, to begin with, long before his mother got ill. Dextum still prayed. Then later, Dextum began thinking that the gods were punishing him and his family for not believing. After being enslaved and treated no better than a dog.

Hate, fear, and pain were all that filled him at the end of his life. Those emotions seemed to still be there. Hidden behind the memories of his past. Dex felt wetness on his cheek. Wiping it with his hand. A tear had rolled down his cheek.

Looking towards the sky, he took a breath, then walked into the dungeon and got to work.