“Can I just say, I really hate this plan.” Jacob is complaining from his spot next to the door. He hasn't stopped bitching since Thea and I told our plan. Surprisingly, she almost had the exact same idea as me, but she was just a little more conservative.

“Stop bitching, it ain’t doing any good.” Shiva gives him a shove before looking back to me. “You sure you want to do this?” I give her a slow nod as Thea finishes her praying, the light fades behind me.

“Remember the plan, we go in quick. My first shots are at the manticore. If it goes down, great. If it doesn't, I take out the orcs. Then we skip out like her husband just got home from his shift at the Sheriff's department.” Shiva and Jacob nod to me as I finish speaking. Vaunea looks confused, but she also nods while taking her shield off her back, and gripping it in her left arm.

“The fuck is a Sheriff's department?” Shiva’s growl causes me to chuckle as Jacob prepares to open the door.

“Sarge, on me.” Jacob throws the door open and we charge inside. As we slide to a stop in the center of the room, the door behind us and the one in front of us slam shut. I freeze up for a moment, the manticore is larger than I was expecting. Its body is the size of a draft horse with wings the size of the hood on my truck. Its tail whips back and forth as it stares at the door. It spins on us, glaring angrily with bright blue eyes.

"I don't fucking have time for this!" My fingers freeze on the trigger of my rifle.

"It can fucking talk?!" I glance over and the rest of the group is just as stunned as I am that the manticore just spoke to us.

"Yes I can talk, and I don't have time for this. The core is in trouble. I have to help, so fucking leave!" I look around and do not see the orcs that are supposed to be there with it.

"Where are the orcs?" I glance at Vaunea, and see that she is just as confused.

"They spawned faster than I did and ran ahead. Please leave, I'll make it worth your while after the core is safe!" The manticore is frantic as its voice becoming shrill. I blink and realize for the first time that it's a female. The lack of mane around her neck and soft face finally clue me in.

"Who is the core in danger from?" She paces back and forth in front of the door as she starts to answer.

"The party that killed me earlier. They are planning to steal the core!" Her eyes stare into mine and I feel my rifle lowering. This doesn't feel like a trick, but more like the manticore is truly desperate. I hear Shiva curse, so I turn to look at her.

"Jim, we can't let them get the core!" I see a mix of desperation and anger in Shiva's face. I turn back to the manticore and see her dance around like she is full of energy.

"We can help." My voice is steady even though I don't feel it. The manticore glares at me with suspicion.

"Why would you help me? You are adventurers, same as the ones who are trying to steal the core!" I don't know how to respond to her, so I just answer honestly.

"Shiva said we can't let them have the core. I don't know why, but I trust her. We will help. After it's handled, we can talk then."

"How do I know you won't just help them and take the core yourself." I think for a moment, then answer her. My voice is calm even though I'm afraid of what I'm about to say.

"I, James Marserson, swear to Ava. That we are not here to harm the core. That we will help you fight off those that are. We will take no action to intentionally harm the core until the threat is gone. If we do, may I be struck down where I stand!" With a grunt, I nearly double over as a bright light wraps around me. Chains made of light encircle my body, constricting around my chest. I can't breath as my gasps refuse to let air into my lungs. Vaunea catches me before I can fall, holding me upright. As I look up, I see the manticore staring at me.

"Why would you make an oath like that?" Her face is as confused as her voice sounds.

"Because." I can finally breathe, but I'm still not steady."I'm not like the usual assholes you probably deal with. You don't trust me, and I can't blame you. It was the only way I could prove to you that I was serious." Finally able to stand on my own, I push away from Vaunea. "We will help. We might have dove in the dungeon, but we aren't with the ones trying to hurt the core." She stares at me for a moment, then tilts her head like she is listening to something.

"Fine! Follow me." The door behind her opens and she starts to run through it. "If you can't keep up, follow the trail. I'll leave marks at the junctions." We are racing after her, but she is much faster. She leaves us behind as she runs through the passages.

"Why do we not want them to get the core!?" Shiva is beside me so I ask the question that's on my mind. She thinks about it for a second.

"The guild has a policy to leave cores in dungeons. If you remove it from the dungeon, it's possible to enslave it. If someone does, they can use it to spawn anything they want. They can spawn gold, armor, weapons, even monsters to use as shock troops. A kingdom that has one can raise and arm an army practically overnight." She gives me a look as we continue to run.

"What country do you think would be looking to steal a dungeon core?" Shiva stares at me while waiting on the answer.

"Dolus." I curse as I realize she is right.

"That's right. We can't let the king get the dungeon core. If we do, he will be unstoppable." We slide around the corner of the passage and race down the stairwell in front of us. The marks from the manticore are impossible to miss. They are deep gouges in the stone that look melted around the edges.

I look back at Thea as she's huffing worse than I am. The backpack is weighing her down. Even with her cycling her mana, she is starting to slow down. Jacob is falling behind as well. I make a decision that I already hate. Only Shiva and Vaunea seem to be keeping pace with me easily. The goliath's long legs really help. I mean, ever two steps I take is one of her own.

"Jacob, you and Thea catch up when you can! Vaunea and Shiva, you're with me! Sarge stay with Thea!" I force my legs to push harder as I go from a fast run to an all out sprint down the passage. At the next stairwell, I don't even slow down as I take the steps four at a time. The shock from my feet hitting the stone pummels my knees. In my old life, I wouldn't be able to walk tomorrow with the abuse I'm doing to my body. As I cycle my mana through my legs, I feel the pain and fatigue slip away each step I take.

I don't know how many floors we pass through as we run. I'm not even trying to count as we follow the manticore's trail. At one point, we pass what I can only assume is an orc. Its long legs pump furiously as it tries to keep pace with us. It doesn't move to attack us though, so we leave it to follow behind.

Finally, we arrive at a huge set of double doors with one thrown wide. The sound of voices inside causes me to stop short. I slide to a stop beside the doors, chest heaving. Shiva comes to a stop right beside me, somehow even more out of breath than I am. Only Vaunea seems to be fine as her chest barely moves fast from the extended run. I hold up a hand, signaling for them to be quiet while I creep closer to the edge to listen.

"I don't fucking like it! We fight our way down here, then the monsters start swarming from the floors behind us! We were told these damned things were stupid. It shouldn't have been able to do that!" The man speaking is clearly upset, his words coming fast and loud.

"Ah, shut the fuck up!" He, however, sounds more bored than anything else which makes me think he is in charge. "You knew this was going to be a tough job. What did you expect? The core was just going to let us walk out with it without a fight?"

"We were not expecting this! Hell, there were eight of us when we started. It was supposed to be a cake walk. This dungeon wasn't supposed to have A-rank threats inside it!"

"That just means we will get a bonus. Besides, splitting the take four ways beats the hell out of eight don't it?" The man laughs at his words, proving he has no love for his fellow party mates.

"How can you laugh at this man!? We worked with Grog and Malieek for two years, man. Don't you feel anything for them now that they are dead?" My breathing is almost even now with my hands steady on my rifle.

"It's easy, I don't give a shit about any of you fuckers. As far as I'm concerned, if you all died, it would be no sweat off my back." There's a break in his words as well as a scuffling sound. "Ess, you have that fucking wall down yet!?"

"Not yet. The damned core keeps reinforcing it as I break it down." This one is female, and it sounds like she is struggling. I raise up four fingers, motioning to the doorway. Vaunea nods in understanding. Shiva gives me a look to remind me that her hearing is better than mine.

"Well, hurry the fuck up! We still have monsters spawning and showing up randomly!" As he says that, the orc we passed earlier comes racing around the corner. It's not stopping as it sprints into the room. There is a loud roar from the orc, followed by a frantic sound of metal bashing against metal. The room goes quiet again, except for the sounds of huffing.

"Fucking orcs! Useless pieces of fucking fodder!" There is a sound of a boot striking flesh followed by a weak groan.

"Please, please help me." A weak moan barely reaches my ears and then by a wet cough.

"Ha! If you wanted help, you should have brought more potions. It's not my fault you packed light!"

"For fuck sake Garth, give him one of yours! You still have ten of the damned things!" The first man I heard sounds desperate, not wanting his friend to die I guess.

"Fuck you, Terance, and fuck him too. Not my fault that you all can't prep for a dungeon." There is a wordless yell from inside, followed by the sound of metal on metal again. A low gurgling reaches my ears which sounds like a balloon letting out air under water.

"You know what's better than a four way split, Ess? A three way split." Garth laughs at his joke and I hear Ess groan.

"You know we still have to fight our way out of here, right?" She sounds more annoyed than worried. Her voice still sounds like she is straining against something. I pull back from the door, and speak in a low whisper to Shiva and Vaunea.

"We go in fast. Shiva, you break right as soon as you clear the door. Vaunea, you go left. I'm going center. Anyone that is standing, you kill. Vaunea, don't get directly in front of me no matter what. That's where my fire is going to be. Understand?" She nods slowly with her eyes on my rifle. I check the magazine, swapping it for a full one. With one final deep breath, I charge into the room. As I'm about to clear the door, I hear Ess yell out.

"Finally, we're through!" As I step into the room, I take in the situation in an instant. Six bodies lay around the room, most torn to pieces. A dark haired woman in a black robe is near the back wall. As she starts to turn towards us, her eyes opening wide at the sight of us. I push her out of my mind because she is farther right so she is Shiva's problem.

To the left stands a giant man in heavy plate mail. A curved scimitar is in his hands as he roars and steps towards Vaunea. The two meet in a clash of blades. Her shield slams into him and knocks him back.

The man in the center who I assume is Garth, charges at me. His worn leather and chainmail armor doesn't make a sound. My first shot causes him to twist and he raises his shield. I fire off a handful of rounds, denting his shield, but not penetrating.

"What the fuck is this!? We are here on special order from king Marcel!" He tries to speak over his shield, but my next round takes a chunk of the rim off.

"I don't give a flying fuck about him!" I yell as Garth hunkers down behind his shield. He steps back as I fire several rounds into the shield he is using for cover. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the black robed woman cast some kind of spell at Shiva. I loose a round in her direction. I miss, but stone start to fly off the wall into her face.

"Fucker!" Garth covers the distance between us while I'm distracted. He slams his shield into me, knocking me back. I unleash a burst of rounds and force him back again as I struggle to my feet.

Shiva and the spell caster are nearly onto of each other now. The black robed woman swings a thin sword wildly. I fire off another couple rounds at Garth, hearing the bolt lock back. I curse as I slam a new magazine into my rifle.

Garth is nearly on top of me by the time I fire into his shield again. He's fast, nearly as fast as the Lamia. His shield is holding up better than I was expecting. The edge is chipped away, but the center is only dented.

"Give up now! If you do, we will let you leave with your life!" Garth's voice is full of anger as I continue to fire at his shield. Underneath the anger, I can hear his fear. He knows he can't get close enough to do any harm, but his shield is holding, for now.

I step forward and sideways to try to get a better angle on him. I nearly trip over the body of one of the bodies on the ground. At the sound of my cursing, he peeks over the rim and adjusts to face me head on. I don't have a good angle on him because of the way he is crouched. I change strategies, twisting to fire at the spell caster again.

"Bastard!" Garth reacts exactly as I thought he would by dropping his guard to charge at me. Before he makes three steps, I send a round through his leg. He drops to the ground. He groans and I see him move the shield closer. He hides behind it but not as well as before.

Two rounds go into his exposed leg, causing him to yell curses at me. I keep calm as I swap out the empty magazine for a full one. The center of his shield is nearly a bowl from my previous rounds. I go through half the fresh magazine into the dent. The last round from my burst, followed by a yell as the shield goes flying. I put two rounds in Garth, one center mass and the other catches him just below the chin.

"Noooooooooooooo!" Spinning to the right, I see Shiva flying through the air. The spell caster faces me with power arcing off her like lightning. She starts to chant as I swing the barrel towards her. When I pull the trigger, I'm met with only a dry click.

"Fuck!" My mind freezes as my hands move on their own. I drop the magazine that's in the rifle and slam a new one home. I yank the charging handle and I see a ring of light forming in front of the spell caster. Giant icicles form in the air in front of her. I fire my rifle and after a split second, she finishes her spell. I see her eyes go wide as her attack rushes at me.

I try to twist out of the way of the giant ice spear that is rushing towards me. Even as I move, I know it's not going to be fast enough. As the ice hits me on my left side I wonder for a second how my armor will do against magic. Feeling myself being lifted off the ground and flung backwards, I realize it's not well.

My arms are numb as I slam into the wall, my head bouncing off the stone. For a moment, I wonder why my feet aren't touching the ground. I look down to see two feet of ice sticking out of my stomach, just below my ribs on the left side.

"Huh." Right now, it doesn't hurt. The voice in the back of my head screams that's a bad sign. My rifle falls from my numb fingers, bouncing on the end of the sling. I hear Vaunea yell, followed by something crashing to the ground. Shiva is beside me and trying to hold me up against the wall.

"Jim! Fucking stay with me, Jim!" I want to tell her I'm right here. My mouth doesn't want to form the words. All that escapes my lips is a weird bubbling sound. As I cough, I see crimson drops land on Shiva's face.

"You're bleeding." My voice is slurring as I look down at her. She turns away and screams something, but I can't hear it. I try to look in the direction she is, but my head is so heavy.

Shiva slaps my face, waking me up. When did I fall asleep? I don't remember doing that. I'm not on the wall anymore. I'm laying on the soft sand of the floor. My armor and rifle are missing. I try to ask Shiva where they are, but my words won't form again.

"Goddess dammit, Jim. You can't keep dying like this. Fucking fight, just hold on. Thea is almost here!" Thea, she shouldn't be here. It's dangerous. She can't defend herself like Shiva can.

I try and reach up to touch Shiva's face. I planned on wiping the blood away from it. I need to see how bad she is hurt, so I know if I need to worry or not.

"Fucking no! Stay awake dammit!" Shiva slaps me again. Why can't she just let me sleep? I'm so fucking tired.

"Just a quick nap and I'll get up." I feel my eyes closing again.

Something hot is stabbing me in the stomach. It's forcing me awake and making me try to crawl away from it. I yell, a wordless scream of pain that sounds inhuman to my ears.

"He will be alright now." The voice is one I don't recognize. It's high pitched almost like one of the chipmunks from that old cartoon.

"Jim, just hold on! Stay with me dammit! I did not decide I wanted you for you to fucking die on me! Do you understand!?" I can't help but chuckle through the pain. My head still feels light, but Shiva is still yelling at me.

From somewhere far away, I hear Sarge barking. His voice getting closer with each passing second. I force my eyes open and look around the room as best I can. Vaunea is cradling me in her arms, can't say that's ever happened before. Usually, I'm the one holding someone in my arms.

Shiva is kneeling over me, her face covered in sweat as she continues to curse. She is opening bottles from a stack by her feet and pouring them on my stomach. Every time she does, the burning feeling starts again in waves. I try to wiggle away, but Vaunea holds me still.

"Hold still, master. If you don't, you will die. These potions can only do so much." Her words don't make any sense to me. I feel the blackness creeping up on me again, the edges of my vision starts to go dark. My head rolls to the side and I see my tourniquet strapped onto my arm above my elbow. The part below my elbow on my right arm is a bloody mass of meat. I feel myself starting to panic as I look at the mess that was my arm.

"Calm down! If you freak out, you're going to bleed harder!" Shiva dumps another bottle on me, this time on my arm.

"Your friends are close." The squeaky voice is back and I force my head to turn towards it. A woman is floating above my head, barely as big as my outstretched hand. A pair of translucent wings beat furiously on her back, keeping her afloat. She is wearing a single piece of pink sheath over her light blue skin. Her bright red hair cut short, framing her face.

"Who… wha… I don't.." my words don't want to form. Fuck, how fucked up am I right now?

"Don't try and speak." The woman above me lands on my shoulder. She starts to wipe a bead of sweat off my forehead.

"You are going to be alright. They are almost here, and the cat has enough potions to keep you alive." I try to speak and it comes out as a yell. The winged woman flutters away, coming to a rest on Vaunea's shoulder. Sarge crashes through the door and circles the room.

"Jimmmmmmm!" Thea is right behind him, sliding to the ground beside me.

"Thea." My voice is low, barely above a whisper. She is moving her hands fast and her lips moving too fast for me to follow. A glow is starting around her hands, covering my whole body.

"Fuckkkkk!" My back arches as the glow covers me. I've never felt pain like this before. It's like my body is being turned inside out through the hole in my stomach. Vaunea pins me to the ground with Shiva holding my legs. Before I can scream again, Jacob is there to help hold me down.

I scream as Thea works to heal me, cursing everything around me. I don't know what all I say as I writhe in pain on the ground. My friends pin me to the blood soaked sand. From deep inside me, I feel a pull, a tugging that feels like it's yanking on my very soul.

"Bastard fucking whore!" Thea is sweating as she continues to chant, curses slipping in amongst the spells she is weaving. I feel the pressure slamming into my chest and it forces me to struggle against the arms holding me down.

"Fucking hold him still!" Jacob is cursing as he and Vaunea struggle against me.

"I'm trying! He's lifting me up! How fucking strong is he!?" Vaunea slams me back into the sand. Sarge is barking and running around as they pin me to the sand. I want to calm him down, but I can't focus enough

The pressure on my chest is moving, climbing higher. I yell and it feels like my throat is coated in glass as I scream. The feeling inside me is like it's burning me alive from the inside out. I search around me, looking for someway to make the pain stop.

My ruined arm flops to my side, my hand just reaching the grip of my pistol. In that moment, if I could, I would pull it to turn it on myself. Anything to end the pain wracking my body.

Thea is still casting something, tears streaming down her face. Why is she crying? It doesn't make sense. Nothing makes sense anymore, the world is all pain. Why won't they just let me die? It would be so much easier.

"I've almost got it! Just a little longer!" Thea's voice is ragged, she sounds almost at her end. I'm still screaming, my voice cracking in pain. The pressure is at my throat now, hurting as it climbs upward. Something fills my mouth, tasting like ash and rotted meat.

With a wet gurgle, I spit out a mouthful of foul tasting liquid. I feel myself heaving as Vaunea twist me onto my side. Whatever it is, it's forcing itself out of my mouth. Wave after wave of foul liquid spews out of my mouth.

With a low groan, I feel my head sagging down. The pain is almost gone now, fading fast as Thea continues to work. I don't know how long I lay there held by Vaunea. After what feels like hours, I can finally move again.

I push myself away from everyone, scrambling to get away. I don't stop moving until I feel the cool stone against my bare back. My eyes are wide as I look frantically around the room. Everyone is staring at me as I try to crawl farther away. Thea starts to move towards me when I scream.

"Nooo! Don't fucking touch me!" Sarge slams into me, and my arms lock around him. He is heavy on my chest, and I hold him uncomfortably tight. I hear him whine as I hold him to me. I force myself to ease up on him. I don't know what the hell is going on, but all I know is I am terrified right now. My mind is racing as I try to figure out what the fuck just happened.

"Jim, it's alright. We are your friends." Thea's voice is calm as she inches forward, hands held open in front of her.

"What the fuck was that!?" My voice is wild, I can hear the note of hysteria in it. Thea moves closer and she rests her hand on my arm.

"It's ok, Jim. It's ok. Just let Sarge go, Jim. You're hurting him. Can't you hear it?" At her words, I finally hear Sarge still whining. I let go of him and he twisted away from me. In a second, Thea is in my arms. Her own arms are holding me as tight as I'm holding her. I can't help it as I sob, tears running down my face.

Shiva is there now too, but I don't know when she arrived. Somehow both of them are holding me. We are a mess of limbs and blood.

"What the fuck?" I hear myself repeating that sentence over and over again. Both of the women whispering quietly to me as I rock back and forth. I slowly start to pull myself back together. Shiva and Thea whisper quiet words to me the whole time.

"What the hell happened?" I look to Thea for answers because she always has them. I didn't realize how much I depended on her before now. She stares at me, her eyes full of tears.

"The sorceress hit you with a nasty spell before you killed her. It was a two part spell. The first impaled you with an ice spear."

"I remember that part. It hung me on the wall like a picture." Thea nods at my words, looking over to Shiva who also nods.

"The second part was more complicated. She basically forced her own mana inside you. When it got there, it tried to bind with yours. If Shiva hadn't dumped all those potions on your wounds, it would have tore you apart from the inside." I feel a brick settle in my stomach at Thea's words.

"What do you mean?" My hands are shaking again. No matter how tight I grip the two women, I can't make them stop.

"Your mana was attacking your body. When I dumped those bottles on you, it stitched your body back together like they are supposed to do. Your mana was actively tearing you apart while I was pouring potions on you." Shiva's voice is soft, she sounds like she is scared while she speaks. I feel my body go cold at her words. My mana was tearing me apart because of a spell. I don't have any way to comprehend what she is saying. There is no way for me to understand, the idea is too foreign.

"How, what…." I trail off, unable to form the questions racing through my mind. Thea holds me tightly as I try to think, Shiva squeezing in beside her. For a moment, I try to make sense of her words. Finally, I give up and push them away for now. I bury my face in the two women's shoulders.

I'm surrounded by the scent of the two women sitting on my lap. Thea's vanilla and cinnamon melding with Shiva's scent. Shiva smells like pine needles mixed with sunshine. The smell of pine pulls me back to a simpler time. A time where I didn't have the worries or pain I do right now.

"I know you are going through a lot right now." Shiva is whispering in my ear, her hand stroking the back of my head gently. "We need to get up. There's still a lot of work to get done. I promise, when we have time, I will let you work through this. Right now, we need to take care of business." I pull back, resting my head on the wall. I know she is right, but I don't want to deal with anything right now.

Thea stands first, slipping out of my arms. She offers a hand up to Shiva, who takes it and pulls herself to her feet. Jacob and Vaunea are searching the bodies on the floor with Sarge watching the door. Thea and Shiva pull me to my feet and catch me as I stumble.

"Easy, we got you." I wave Thea off as I straighten myself up. I work to unfasten the tourniquet on my arm. I roll it up and look for my vest to stow it. I don't see it immediately so I shove it in my pocket. A low groan from the body Jacob is currently searching pulls my attention to him.

"Please, help me." The voice is weak as I walk over to look down at the man. He is ripped to shreds, more dead than alive.

As I stare down at him, I don't feel anything and that scares me more than anything I've faced so far. Not long ago, I would have tried to help him without knowing anything about the situation. My lack of empathy towards a dying human tells me I'm losing a part of myself. I just hope it's not a part of me I will need later.

"Why should we help you? Aren't you part of the group that was planning on stealing the core?" The man starts to speak, then a bloody cough cuts him off. I realize he is about to die, bleeding out on the floor next to his fallen friends. The thought occurs to me like a thought about the weather. It's there, but it doesn't mean anything to me.

"I'm sorry. Please help me. I dont want to die." Another bloody couch racks his body as he begs. Jacob looks up at me, seeming to ask what we should do. Before I can open my mouth to speak, a voice from the back of the room interrupts.

"Vixi, we should help him." I turn my head and I cannot see who spoke. The flying woman on Vaunea's shoulder flutters towards the hole in the wall, landing on a broken edge to the wall.

"Are you sure mistress? He was part of the group that tried to enslave you." Her wings flutter as she walks along the broken stone.

"If you want my opinion, let him die. He deserves it as far as I'm concerned." Every head in the room turns in my direction as I speak, including the little winged woman.

"Who are you talking to?" Thea is stepping close to me, her face confused.

"Whoever the flying woman is talking to. She said they should help him." I gesture towards the hole in the wall, then the man on the floor.

"You can hear me!?" This time the voice is louder, a shocked tone to the words.

"Yeah I can. Why can't everyone?" I nod as I answer, looking around the room at the confused faces.

"No one can hear dungeons except the dungeon's pixie." The pixi flies over, hovering in front of my face. "Even if you could hear their words, you shouldn't be able to understand them. Dungeons have their own language that is understood by them and pixies alone." I try and gently wave her out of my face as her wings slap my nose gently. The way they move reminds me of a humming birds, flapping so fast they seem to blur and turn invisible.

"Yeah, I'm not most people, though." I try to step around the pixie and try to get a better look at the hole in the wall. The pixie, however, has other thoughts, buzzing in front of my face to block my way.

"No. No. No. You don't get to just drop something like that and then move along like you said nothing at all! How the fuck can you hear my mistress!?" I let out a sigh, trying to figure out how to explain it quickly. Luckily for me Thea comes to my rescue.

"Jim is a summoned hero. He has an ability that lets him understand any language. That's why he can hear the core and why he understands it." The pixie flies into her face, wings beating even faster as she sputters.

"A hero! Here! Now! Why is there a hero in the dungeon?" While she is distracted with Thea, I slip over to the wall and peek inside the hole.

There is an open space just big enough for two or three people to stand if they push in close. On the back wall is a ledge with a small bed just big enough for a pixie. There's a mirror with a table and soft chair beside it. A miniature armoire is on the far side. In the center of the space is a stone pedestal.

The smooth stone seems to have been carved up out of the floor itself. Setting ontop is a smooth pink orb about the size of a softball. It seems to be made of some kind of nearly clear crystal, shining in the dim light it produces. As I look at the orb, it flashes a brighter shade of pink. Light seems to flow out and around it as I stare.

"Hello." The dungeon core seems flustered and a little timid as it speaks. The voice sounds young, and female now that I think about it for a second. I smile at the core and try to show that I'm not a threat to it.

"Hello, my name is Jim. What's yours?" I have to stop myself from sticking out my hand. I realize that it would be a waste since it obviously can't shake my hand back.

"I'm core number 12367098743, but my name is Alexis."

"Nice to meet you, Alexis." I lean against the wall as I try and force myself to relax again. Here I am in a different world, talking to a living crystal of some kind.

"Nice to meet you too." She pauses her light flickering and changes as she appears to think. "Are you really a summoned hero?" I nod my head as I continue to smile at her. Behind me, I can hear Thea arguing with the pixie, but I ignore it. Instead, I focus on the core in front of me.

"Yes, I really am. You probably haven't heard of my world. It seems the king decided to summon me to fight some war he is waging for him." At the mention of the king, her light starts to flash rapidly. The pink turns a darker shade and changes colors until it's almost black.

"You aren't working for the king, are you!?" I raise my hands slowly, trying to reassure her.

"No, no, no! When I first got here, I escaped from his castle. I've been on the run ever since. I'm just trying to get out of the country and live in peace. Or at least as much peace as I can." Sarge comes up behind me, nudging my leg as I talk. I absentmindedly reach down, roughly scratching his head.

"You really aren't working for the king?" Somehow I get the feeling I'm being stared at. The back of my neck prickles like someone is staring at me.

"I swear, I'm no friend of the king. If I see him again, I'll put a round between his eyes and not think twice." When I mention shooting the king, I realize my rifle is still missing. I look around the room and don't see it lying anywhere.

"Oh, you have a Bernese. I love them, I haven't seen one in years!" My head spins around, Sarge is inside the room now. His nose is almost pressed against the dungeon core's smooth surface.

"Yeah, I've had him since he was a pup. My family raises them back home." Something about what she said is bothering me, but I push it aside to look for my rifle.

"Hey Jacob, did you put my rifle in your bag again?" He looks to me, confused.

"No, it wasn't here when I got here." He looks around the room, eyes scanning the ground. "It has to be here somewhere. Maybe Shiva set it somewhere."

"I just tossed it near his armor, over there." Shiva points at an empty space on the ground near the stack of potion bottles. "What! It was right there, I swear!" I feel my shoulders tense up as I search the room. Before I can move very far in my search, Alexis's voice stops me cold.

"I took it. Your armor too. I haven't seen anything like it in a long time so I wanted to look at them closer." I turn back to the wall, confused and more than a little angry. The core had stolen my weapon and my armor. She also said she had seen them before? How the hell is that possible?

"What do you mean you haven't seen anything like them in a long time?" My voice is low, my anger seeping into it. Vixi flies into my face, keeping me from moving closer again.

"Don't you mind. I'm sure she will give them back. She just wanted a closer look. So leave it alone!" I grab the pixie out of the air, walking closer to the core as she struggles in my grip.

"Can we talk about it after I save the man on the floor? Please, he doesn't have long left to live." At her words, I glance at the nearly dead man on the floor. He's unconscious now, his skin taking on a pale shade.

"Why would you want to save him? He tried to kill you."

"If I bind him to me, he will be servant. I can use him to gather new things for my dungeon, and that's always useful."

"He's unconscious now. He can't agree like that, just let him die." Vixi is fighting against my grip now while she tries to convince Alexis.

"Please can you help him?" I stare at the core in front of me. Her lights swirling and seeming to flash as they change colors.

"Why?" I let go of Vixi who flies away and lands on Alexis.

"If you help him and he swears loyalty to Alexis, she can use him. He can actually make her stronger and more secure." She seems to be fighting to get the words out.

"I take it you don't want me to help him?" Vixi looks at me, she is clearly angry most likely at me.

"No, I don't want you to help him. Mistress Alexis does though, so please help him." She sighs after she says it, turning over to stare down at the core.

"So should I help him or not?" Thea is standing over the man, looking to me for a yes or no. With a sigh, I turn back to Thea.

"Yeah, I guess. Don't heal him all the way, just enough to wake up." I walk over and draw my pistol. If he tries anything, I'm going to kill him. Damn whatever the dungeon core wants with him. Thea kneels down, mumbling under her breath as her hands start to glow. After a minute, she stops and looks up at me.

"He won't die right now. They need to hurry or he could still bleed out." Thea stands and wipes her hands on her robe, a troubled look on her face.

"Hey." I grab her arm and pull her to me. "What's wrong?" She bites her lip for a second, looking up at me.

"When I heal someone, I can get a sense of them. Not everything, but a few things. Sort of a general feel for them. That man is not a good man. He feels…. wrong somehow." The man starts to groan, trying to force himself upright.

"No! You stay right there." I step closer and rest my boot on his chest.

"Please, you have to let me go. I need to get out of here." He starts to plead as I stare down at him. I cut him off with a glare.

"The only reason you are alive is the dungeon wants you. If it wasn't for her, I would have let you die." He swallows as Vixi flutters over. She lands on top of my boot, sitting on the toe and staring down at the man.

"Mistress Alexis wants you to swear loyalty to her. If you do, you will be healed, and allowed to live. If you don't then you will die here." I see what little color left in the man's face drain at the pixie's words. He tries to scramble away, but I push him down to the floor.

"Please, no. Anything but that, please?" Vixi sighs as she looks back towards the hole in the wall.

"I told you he wouldn't do it."

"Please, try again. I need more help if I'm going to get stronger, and I need someone to help us get out of this country." Vixi looks up at me as Alexis speaks.

"Did you ever think about asking him?" Her arm stretches up, pointing at me.

"I mean, I didn't think he would help." Her voice is soft now, barely above a whisper in the room.

"So we saved the idiot on the floor for nothing?" I see his eyes widen at my words. He tries to scramble away. I lift my foot off him, letting him scramble to his feet.

"Would you help us?" Vixi is fluttering in front of my face again.

"Maybe, it depends on what's in it for me." As the man looks around, he seems to realize no one is paying attention to him. In a flash, he races towards the door. I'm about to put a round into his back when he stiffens. A long black spear sticks through his back, lifting him off the ground. As I keep my pistol trained on him, the spear shakes him loose and the manticore from earlier walks through the door.

"I am tired of dying today." It shakes its wings loose before turning to look at me.

"Hello again." I feel my heart race as it stares at me. I'm once again reminded of how underprepared I am right now. My rifle is missing, stolen from the room by the dungeon core.

"Hello humans." The manticore circles the room, stretching its body like a cat before laying down in front of the door.

"Jim, Jim, can you come here please." Alexis's voice pulls my attention back to the hole in the back wall. Looking around, Shiva, Jacob, Vaunea, and Thea are settling against the far wall. They are eyeing the manticore warily. Giving a shrug, I walk over to the hole in the wall. I see Sarge still sitting by the core's pedestal.

"You called?" I slide my pistol back in its holster, taking a position where I can see the core and the manticore.

"Will you help me leave the country? Please, I can't stay in Dolus anymore." I stare down at the core, wondering how I got stuck in this position.

"You stole my rifle, my armor, and now you ask for help?" I feel myself getting angry again. My hand twitches as I stare down at the core. It seems to shift colors under my stare. By the door, I hear the manticore start to growl.

"Jim, I'd advise you to go easy right now." Jacob is fingering his blade as he looks from me to the manticore. I wave him off and force myself to calm down.

"I'm sorry. Your armor was tore to hell. I didn't think you would mind."

"And my rifle, was it tore to shit too?" I swear the core turns bright red for a split second before returning to its bright pink. Vixi flies up into my face again, causing me to flinch back.

"If it's dropped in a dungeon, it's fair game. So what if it wasn't broken? She had every right to take it!" I am opening my mouth to reply to the pixie when Alexis speaks up.

"No! He is right, I just saw it and wanted to get a closer look at it. I shouldn't have taken it. They all worked so hard to help us and I stole from them right after. All the while he was nearly dying five feet away." Vixi floats over to the core, landing gently on top of it.

"It's what dungeons do, you don't need to be sorry about that." She tries to comfort the core gently, rubbing her hands over the surface of the core. I see shades of blue running through the core as Vixi tries to console her.

"He's from my world and I just stole from him!" I feel myself going stiff at her words. My mind going blank for what feels like an eternity as the two argue back and forth. The only thing going through my mind is what the core just said.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN FROM YOUR WORLD!" At the sound of my shout, my group jump looking around. The manticore looks up, then lays her head back down on her front paws. The room is silent, the only sound I can hear is my heart beating in my ears.

"You are from Earth right. I recognize your guns and armor." Alexis is speaking like she is commenting on the weather, like it is the most common thing in the world. I feel a vein in my forehead start to throb as I stare at the core in front of me.

"You are from Earth?" At my words, I see Thea and Shiva's heads spin around towards me. Shiva's mouth dropping open in shock.

"Impossible!" Shiva runs over to stand next to me, staring at the core in front of us. "You are an actual person stuck inside a core!" I turn my head to look at her, seeing her shocked expression up close.

"Yes she is, but you can't tell anyone. Dungeons are not ever supposed to tell enlightened races about this unless they are bound to them." Vixi flies in front of Shiva's face, staring her in the eyes. "Do you understand?" Shiva doesn't respond, mouth gaping open for a minute. Then she surprises me again by falling forward.

I grab her as she falls to the ground, catching her in my arms before she hits the ground. I start to check her over, looking for some wound I hadn't noticed. She seems fine, just unconscious in my arms. I look up to Thea and see she is just as shocked as Shiva had been.

"What the fuck!"