February 11, 2019, 2:03 am. One small second after stepping into the Ring of Desh Atun.

With the quest reward confirmed, I can't stop a sigh of relief from escaping. We'd avoided talking about it, almost as if we were afraid we'd jinx it, but the zone quest really does have a 25 Edge reward. And if Genitha is to be believed, it doesn't just apply to our existing resources. It'll apply to resistances we don't even have in our Status sheet. Which makes it unique amongst Iron-rank dungeons on Akilo, as far as Genitha's aware.

The entrance is also distinct from the other two dungeons we've visited, existing as a sort of staging area that allows for multiple parties to enter at once, as long as we're all in the same Overparty. The System's version of raid groups from what I can tell. On either side are hallways which will lead to several barracks, a shop, a park with a fountain that serves as a partial Nexus and even a fully functional kitchen. Once they're unlocked. On the other side of the console are the six sets of stairs to the various instances of the arena itself.

The interface that sits on a pedestal in the center of the room only has the lightest of System touches, with translation for the various functions hovering directly above a control panel that would look more at home in an Egyptian pyramid. Probably. There are a lot of hieroglyphics anyway. Even the System translations match the look as best they can. Along the left, a set of images shows different beasts. The right displays groups of K'tharn holding different weapons.

Going through the list, I confirm the breakdown Genitha gave Beth. Dozens of different monsters to choose from on the left. On the right, ritual combat against the System's best impression of the K'tharn warriors who once called this place home. In the middle are the selections for group size and difficulty. At the moment, the only opponent whose icon is properly filled in with details is the first beast, a more durable version of a camel. Luckily with nothing interesting. No laser eyes or flaming spit.

All the other challenges need to be unlocked.

In addition to additional challenges, the other upgrades we can purchase are arranged along the bottom. Including the kitchen and the arena shop. The shop is the second reason we came here. We'll all be able to max out our attributes and levels in this single dungeon, just by farming enough Arena points. Something Genitha discovered after she'd already been level ten.

Glancing back, the entrance remains open, allowing us to leave at any time. And unable to return if we do.

We split up to settle in, choosing rooms and checking for any oddities. Just cause Genitha didn't encounter danger in the dorms during her visit doesn't mean we're assuming the same will be true for us. After looking through the complex and confirming most of the features simply don't exist yet, we settle in a series of rooms that are close enough to each other we can respond quickly but are still able to maintain our privacy. They're also close to where the kitchen should show up. Complete coincidence.

Given the long day we've had, once we've ensured we're reasonably secure, we head to bed in the spartan rooms. The morning finds Rufka and I in the challenge room before anyone else.

"Can't believe I'm finally here. It's crazy that mum might've been one of the last users to come here," Rufka says, running her hand over the challenge pedestal.

Nodding, I step up next to her, looking down at the console. "Think we'd be okay to take on the, what was it called, jexel?"

Rufka shifts, giving me a smile as she waves my concern away with her left hands. "A jexel? Easy as falling. Mum's drilled me about everything we might face here. Was always planning to bring me here, once I felt ready."

"You did mention that," I reply, shooting a smile back at her. Then I select the jexel symbol, dual combat and the basic difficulty. Not that the harder difficulties are available yet.

"Quest Received: Mersa of Desh Atun. Defeat combatants: Jexel. 0/1 jexels defeated. Rewards: First Clear: 25 Arena points. Unlocks: Jexel - level 3. Rewards: Subsequent Clears: 5 Arena points."

The door beside the pedestal grinds open, the material separating from itself like great jagged teeth, leaving a path of polished bone leading up. Rufka and I exchange a glance before starting up the stairs while Smoulder peeks out of my pocket to investigate the noise. When she realizes we're moving into combat, she bounces off Rufka to land back on my shoulder, eliciting a chuckle from my thiani.

When we get to the top of the stairs, they let out into an open arena of hard packed dirt surrounded by a crowd of roaring K'tharn. A quick analysis shows that they're all 'dungeon facsimiles'. As the roaring dies down, a curtain at the far end lifts, revealing not just a cage with our chosen combatant, but the Queen herself. She sits above the crowd on a throne of crudely bound bone, but she's no less majestic for the shoddy craftsmanship. Easily as large as Ivicka, the Queen has a great golden mane that cascades down behind her. Mounted above her rest a pair of weapons that vaguely resemble scimitars. If scimitars were as thick as their wielder, and just as tall with a long knotted grip set in their middle.

Then she stands up, and the surrounding crowd roars again. Though this time they cry a name. Atun.

Unlike the others, when I pause time and analyze her, I discover she's not a facsimile.

“Creature analyzed: K'tharn. Gene-seed D."

"Name: Atun of clan Okerren."

"Atun was once one of the greatest Desh (Rough translation, warrior-queen) to walk the face of Akilo. Once she conquered the entirety of the Aetherian continent, she settled in the harsh southern regions, the weather the only thing she was unable to claim. From atop her throne of skulls, she pitted warriors against vicious beasts to earn the right to challenge her in personal combat. While she had many contenders, few were able to challenge the Desh themselves. And of the few who did, none survived."

"Attributes: Physical; Very High, Mobility; High, Magic; Comparable, Awareness; Comparable."

"Attacks: Desh Mandate-Abilities. Multiweapon fighting."

"Defences: Physical: High. Magical: Comparable."

"Special: Disruption Field, Integral Being."

[Wyonna] "One of the ancient warrior queens herself. Well, a good copy of one."

She... doesn't look as challenging as Genitha made her sound. At least, not from base attributes. Focusing further, I discover that the Disruption field prevents mana from interfering within fifty-seven meters of her. Which covers over half of the arena, and a good portion of the stands too. Is that going to affect our other fights? It's definitely going to make fighting her tricky. Switching to Integral Being, I can't help but feel disappointed. The only thing my Focus tells me is that her being is integral. Maybe that's the source of the elemental resistances Genitha was talking about? I suppose it makes sense for the boss of a dungeon that gives a flat Edge bonus to have a similar ability.

Having inspected the queen, and the crowd, my gaze finally rests on our opponent. But a quick scan of the jexel reveals it's pathetic across the board. Its only special ability is its low water resistance.

I almost laugh as Pause comes to an end and it snarls at us from within the cage.

Before it's released, Atun speaks and despite not raising her voice, she's easily audible over the crowd. "After many years, challengers have come to my mersa! Let us see if they are worthy!"

At Atun's final word, the front of the cage drops down and the jexel jumps out. This time, I do laugh as its uneven gait carries it towards us. A single arrow from Rufka lays it down, the crackling energy tearing through it like it was made of wet paper.

"Huh," Rufka says as she lowers her bow. "That... was easy."

"Yep. Somehow, this managed to be even less of a challenge than I expected."

Across the arena, Atun has barely finished retaking her seat before standing again. "Looks like we have new contenders. I pray you survive long enough to whet my blades."

"Quest completed: Mersa of Desh Atun. Defeat combatant: Jexel. 1/1 jexels defeated. Rewards: First Clear: 25 Arena points. Unlocks: Jexel - Lesser."

With that notification, the crowd roars again and Atun returns to her seat, the curtain already closing around her. Even as it does, she keeps her eyes on us until it hides us from sight.

"Vaus damn. That was even easier than I expected," Rufka says, staring at where the jexel is already breaking apart into blue dust. Which is a lot faster than it usually happens.

"Yeah... I didn't even get to do anything," I note as we start back down the stairs.

"Might be a while before you need to," Rufka says, throwing her arms around me. "Think I can take it down with only left hands?"

"That one? You could take it down with no hands. Probably with your eyes closed too."

"Ha! Challenge accepted, come on, let's get as many of these easy ones done as we can before the others are up."

So Rufka and I start working our way through the challenges. She takes down the lesser jexel without any hands and with her eyes closed. We still do the challenges as a pair, just in case. Also, cause we're enjoying having time just to ourselves, Smoulder having decided that none of these opponents were worth burninating, and sleeping instead. By the time the others come to find us, we've unlocked the jexel's hardest difficulty and have enough points to purchase one of the other basic creatures. Or buy the kitchen.

It's only been ten minutes.

The most tedious part is waiting for Atun to start and end each performance. Her words have little variation, though after the first, she no longer mentions how long it's been or calls us new contenders. Her fixed dialogue is almost disappointing. For how alive every other dungeon has been (all two of them), this one feels the most fake.

"Good initiative, kid," Beth says as Rufka and I walk down from defeating the Extreme jexel. This one had finally had an active attack, a spike of frozen water that had surprised Rufka enough she opened her eyes when it struck. Not that it had been enough for her to need my help.

"Thanks. Guess it's time to start group combat?" I ask, glancing towards the console and the max party size of six. I'm glad it allows us to run several 'Mersas' at once. With the small groups available, even with our small party, it would get busy quick. I couldn't imagine coming here with a full Overparty only to have most of them sit around.

Beth waves my question off while inspecting the console. "Nah. You guys have the right idea. Let's unlock as much as we can first. We'll move on to group combat once there's something worth practicing against."

With a couple flicks of a button, she taps in solo combat against the jexel then moves to the staircase on the left before giving the rest of us a quick salute. Rufka and I spend a few minutes answering questions from the others before we find ourselves moving on to the next creature. We spend most of the day listening to Atun praise our worthiness and fighting monsters that are little more than pin-cushions for Rufka's arrows until we encounter the first who survives her opening salvo.

A turtle-shelled creature sits in a cage on the far side from us. On its back are a pair of thick bone tubes, each bigger than my... well, me. Analysis tells me it's called a Blast-turtle.

It's impressive that this least variant is capable of withstanding Rufka's arrows. So long as they hit its thick shell.

"Oh," I remark with a smirk. "We should let Smoulder have a go. We've kinda been hogging all the fun."

Rufka smiles back, waving forward. When I prod Smoulder, she sends a wave of eagerness back. So I let Smoulder play.

She charges across the arena, each pounce leaving the ground behind her more and more scorched until her last leaves behind broken glass. She's totally messing around. She could have made it across in a single leap. Her final leap takes her straight up and into the turtle's face. And then she's through, emerging out the far side of the poor Blast-turtle.

Guess they're not as tough on the inside. Rufka and I are delayed from leaving as Smoulder decides to explore the stands, leaping around until she smacks into the closed curtain. It brings her to a complete stop, with a solid twang echoing through the arena.

Even though I know she's okay according to my Status, I run towards Smoulder. But I stop when I find her glaring at the curtain. Then she unleashes a wave of pure fire. It's hot enough, I grab Rufka and teleport both of us to the far side of the arena before I have time to think.

The curtain remains undamaged, though Smoulder has incinerated the arena seats, revealing smooth stone buried beneath. Retrieving a still grumpy Smoulder, I give her plenty of head scritches while Rufka and I move on to the next challenge. Which we again let Smoulder take.

Instead of focusing on the Blast-turtle, Smoulder attempts to smash Atun. But she's knocked back by an invisible barrier, where the curtain normally falls closed. Which only makes Smoulder angrier. The Blast-turtle ends up being incinerated as a mere side-effect of Smoulder attempting to get at the queen. Rufka and I are eating snacks and watching from the far side, where we're maintaining ice-walls as simple counters to Smoulder's struggles.

Smoulder spends almost an hour trying to get to the queen before she gives up. At this point, even the stone near the queen's resting place has been cracked and warped, revealing a solid black surface beneath. A surface that isn't even slightly affected by Smoulder's best attempts.

While interesting, probing it with Facet reveals it's simply the boundary of the training space we're in. Hmm.

After her frustrating performance, Smoulder needs almost an equal amount of time receiving head-scritches. Luckily, Rufka and I are able to continue moving through the challenges while I oblige her.

It's nearly the end of the day by the time we've completed all the beast challenges as a pair. At this point, we have 4,525 Arena points each. More than enough to unlock access to the arena shop, park and kitchen for a hundred points each, which we have to pay for separately. Despite our success, we still haven't accumulated enough points to unlock the ritual combat side of the arena. The cheapest costs ten thousand points. And even with all the first time bonuses, we don't have enough. I'm glad the first time bonuses are available for every mode, so we should be able to unlock ritual combat early tomorrow. Hopefully, some will be interesting.

Today was lucrative, but if I hadn't spent the day with Rufka and Smoulder, it would've been tedious. Not looking forward to doing the solos.

As Rufka and I enter the arena shop, my attention is drawn to the array of items available. Instead of a simple list, everything is presented as a physical item. Next to an elderly looking K'tharn, whose fur is grey and sagging in places, Integration Points sit in a bowl. They're small black chits with swirls of colour beneath the surface, similar to Mana Essence but more solid. There is a set of slates next to them, ten black disks carved with branching paths with the same colour scheme which the System informs me are Progression Points. None of the prices are listed in the System, instead, displayed on little wooden signs scattered amongst the merchandise.

I find it interesting that the most immersive part of the arena is the shop. And that's despite the fact that not a single item in here is a physical object. There's a collection of red feathers woven into a headdress on one side and according to my analysis, buying it will grant increased fire resistance. There are dozens of similar items throughout the shop, all intangible, but permanent improvements. And the plan is to buy them all. Luckily, we each have our own 'inventory', so whatever I purchase won't affect the others. Not that I can afford much yet. The headdress alone is a hundred thousand points. The only thing in our price range, would be Integration Points at a thousand arena points per.

"Huh. More expensive than I expected," Rufka says while looking around. "Mum did say we'd be here a while though."

"Yeah. I think I'm going to save my points for tomorrow. The ritual combat's worth more, right?"

"Mhm. Though Mum said most of our points are going to come from beating the Queen," Rufka says while hefting a spear that represents an increase to Metal-based damage by ten percent. Only a quarter million Arena points.

My gaze flicks to the old k'tharn behind the counter, but he just smiles as we continue inspecting the available upgrades.

Once we're finished drooling over all the upgrades we can't afford, we make our way to the kitchen. Inside, we find that while the upgrades are expensive, food is cheap. We can purchase complete meals for a single point. Or meals that give long lasting buffs for ten.

"Mum mentioned the food was good, but she forgot to mention the buffs," Rufka half-complains while devouring a giant bowl of rolled meat in a soft fluffy pastry.

I don't respond, too busy with my own meal. There's a brief greeting when the others come in before we retire for the night.

The next morning is spent getting the rest of the points we need to unlock ritual combat. Without having to spend points on unlocking new creatures, it doesn't even take us that long.

When we spend the points on the first of the ritual combat scenarios the outline of the figures fills in with details. A pair of K'tharn, one with a pen and paper, the other with a giant chain. Once we have it locked in, Rufka and I head up to our arena.

Once more, Atun rises as we enter. But this time her voice sounds different, the cadence less artificial.

"Welcome, challengers. You have learned the beasts of our world are but stepping stones for true warriors. Now you shall face our most deadly foe, fellow K'tharn."

"Quest Received: Mersa of Desh Atun. Defeat combatants: K'tharn Scrivener, K'tharn Atoner. 0/2 K'tharn defeated. Rewards: First Clear: 1000 Arena points. Unlocks: K'tharn Scrivener and Atoner - Lesser. Rewards: Subsequent Clears: 50 Arena points."

Huh. Decent uptick in the first clear rewards. More than double what the toughest of the Extreme beasts were giving us.

The arena itself is also different. Instead of an open field, there are platforms scattered throughout. As I look closer, I realize I recognize the platforms. They're similar to the floating platforms used in desh'mersa.

Smacking my forehead, I can't help but chuckle. Desh Atun. Mersas. Ritual combat. So obvious I can't believe I missed it. I blame Rufka for being so distracting. Yep, it's definitely her fault.

"What's so funny?" Rufka asks while watching the two on the far side of the room.

"We're playing desh'mersa," I reply, stepping to the side as a feather whistles through the air beside me.

"Not..." Rufka pauses as she fires an arrow across the ring at the opposing K'tharn who both manage to dodge, despite the arrow's curving trajectory. Already they're proving more interesting than the strongest of the beasts. "Not really. Not yet."

I nod as I step out of the way of another whistling quill, which blows a hole in the stand behind me. The desh'mersa game we watched with Tipan was a little more structured than our current challenge. Really, the only similarity is the shape of the arena.

Not wanting to ruin Rufka's fun, I continue stepping to the side without using Pause, shooting weak blasts of fire at the Scrivener to keep its attention. Despite my minimal assistance, it only takes Rufka half a minute to defeat them both.

"Flawless Victory!" Atun declares from her throne, throwing her head back and laughing as the blue dust of our opponents swirls up towards her. It… She hasn't done that before. The curtain doesn't close as the exit appears behind us. Atun leans back in her chair as if dismissing us, I turn to go when a faint system notice appears, not even fully displaying its full message before flickering away.

"Primary Dungeon Sapience engag-"

A chill goes down my spine as I turn back to look at Desh Atun.

Her eyes meet mine.