1 — Silver Meetings

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Magic flowed through Jennifer’s hands in a steady, pulsating rhythm. She ran her crystal across the shimmering shield, tracing the etchings carved within it with lines of mana. It was a delicate process, with even the slightest of mistakes resulting in a wasted enchantment. She held her breath tight, carefully inscribing the last rune—

“Come ‘ere lass!” her Master roared from outside the chamber. “yer late already!”

With a snap, the enchantment crumbled, the glowing lines of mana fading as the spell matrix fell apart.

“Jennifer!” her Master called out once more.

“Coming!” she shouted back, taking one last look of disappointment upon her failed work before she set her crystal aside and ran out.

Jennifer stumbled into the front chamber of the shop, watching her master pick out a few packages on the desk. One package looked like a wrapped up blade. She felt the mana emanating from the weapon brush against her skin.

“Ye need to run these, lass. This one’s for yer friend, the other one has its address written. Be quick, it’s an express delivery for the sword,” her master grunted.

Jennifer grumbled under her breath. She grabbed the package, picking the sword from her master’s hands and rushed out, sending the door swinging against the wall with a dull thud.

“Be careful with the sword, ye dumb brick! And make sure he pays!” her master shouted.

“I know!” Jennifer wove through the bustling crowd, trying to avoid bumping into strangers and hurting them — or worse, dropping the sword.

“Sorry! Excuse me! Make way!” Jennifer shouted as travelers barred her way.

A bustling crowd greeted her — far denser than usual, even for the merchant lanes of Lienmont. Jennifer slipped through the spaces in the crowd and saw a toppled cart blocking the path. An injured Narel beast - a kind of scaled lizard-horses from the Ostiri desert - sat licking its wounds next to a distressed merchant. Likely part of the caravan from the south. She’d heard of their arrival briefly from her Master.

Sera, just when I have a delivery to make. Time for magic.

Mana wove itself around Jennifer, drawing the attention of more than a few adventurers nearby. Digging her crystal out, Jennifer awkwardly inscribed the 'Float' enchantment onto her clothes and package. She stretched the spell matrix over to her body and tied the enchantment to her spell.

With a pulse of mana, the wind whirled around Jenn as she jumped. The spell carried her above the crowd, blowing dust into the face of anyone nearby.

With a shout of exhilaration at the big jump, Jennifer landed beyond the crowded section with a light thud and broke into a run as fast as she could. She heard a few angry shouts, as her wind scattered the fallen goods, but no one seemed to be mad enough to give chase.

She ran through the streets, rushing ahead with her spell humming behind her in a trailing gust of wind. A few streets later, she was walking to a shop decorated with neat trinkets and flowers. A familiar redhead girl sat inside.

“Rumina!” Jennifer shouted, trying to wave when she remembered the sword she carried in her hand.

“Jenn!” her friend responded with a cheerful smile, as she walked outside the shop to greet her.

“Sorry, no time to talk today. I’ve got an express delivery. Here’s the things that Master sent for you, and a letter for the you-know-what business,” Jennifer said in a single breath, handing off all the items to her friend.

Rumina quickly dug into her pouch and threw her a couple of copper coins. “Dropped in a few extra because of the amazing [Runner] who came to deliver,” the redhead said with a wink.

Jennifer rolled her eyes, nodding as she pocketed the coins and stormed off.

“I’ll see you this evening! You won’t escape the last celebration party for the Academy!”

“Again?! Fine!” Jennifer said, looking at her grinning friend as she ran off. This had to be the third or fourth time Rumina had insisted on celebrating her acceptance into the Academy. Even her family had tired of the news by now, having had an entire month to celebrate over it.

Jennifer shook her head as she took out the note her master had written for her. Irwys Silveran. Delivery to the dungeon entrance. Silver hair. Tall, Zandrian guy.

“Zandrian? A northerner, huh? I think I remember something about a new prince there. Why by the dungeon, of all places?” Jennifer muttered as she pocketed the note. Zandria was not a country she was awfully familiar with, outside of being aware of its propensity for producing [Oracles] and [Seers] with no rival in all of Zweiril, at least if she were to believe the textbooks.

Jennifer wished she was in her shop, working on her enchantments. The Academy would open for the first-years soon, and she wanted to make as good of an impression on the [Mages] as she could.

But here I am stuck, doing dumb deliveries.

Jennifer navigated through the twisting lanes, finally arriving at the central plaza. With news of the new dungeon branch spreading like wildfire and its promise of lost artifacts and treasures, she wasn’t too surprised to see a larger than normal crowd gathered here. The city had been gaining an influx of adventurers for the entire month.

The dungeon walls soon caught her eyes, towering over the crowded plaza. Jennifer had always found it odd how the dungeon entrance in Lienmont was close to the very center of the city. That’s what happens when you build a city on top of a dungeon, I suppose.

Soldiers guarded the entrance to the dungeon gates. They weren’t necessarily there to prevent people from going in, but those running out, such as a runner hazard—when some idiot had gotten himself killed too close to the entrance, drawing monsters into the city.

“Get the orc, silver man! I’ve got my silver riding on you!” a man shouted, as laughter echoed from a crowd of people gathered up ahead.

A brawl, ugh, perfect timing.

Jennifer grimaced as she circled around the area. It wasn't uncommon to get injured as a bystander to these fights, a fate she wished to avoid. Her eyes scanned the area as she searched for a man resembling the one she was supposed to deliver to when her eyes drifted towards the fight once more. No way right?

She looked around the area once more but saw no one who would fit the description. Cursing the gods under her breath, Jennifer stomped towards the fight. She hugged the sword tight to her chest so that she didn’t accidentally hit someone or get robbed by a [Thief]. The weapon was enchanted.

“Get the brute, silver hair!” a man screamed, waving a bundle of coins in his hands.

Jennifer squeezed through the crowd, using her thin frame to make her way in. Her remaining hopes of the man being just an onlooking passerby were dashed, as she noted the two participants of the brawl.

There was a large orc staring down a tall human man with silver hair and pale skin. The human fighter wore metal armor that hugged his body. Jennifer’s [Enhanced Mana Sense] revealed the magic hidden beneath the armor. Enchanted, expensive, and layered with Tier 3 spells, or stronger.

The silver-haired man—Irwys, she assumed—took a stance, taking out a dagger as the people erupted in a roar of cheers.

“You’ll regret this,” the orc grunted in a thick eastern accent of someone from the Highlands. “[Strength of Ghalir]” he bellowed and his muscles tensed as the already-huge guy bulked up even more.

The orc's muscles bulged, his armor stretched to accommodate his growing body, leather straps sliding apart, a resizable piece crafted by Master leatherworkers and not the magic of enchantments. The ingenuity of the design had Jennifer nodding in approval. She noted the symbol of a pair of crossed swords on his armor, marking him as a visiting mercenary.

The orc lunged at the swordsman with a roar that made the passers-by flinch away as the brawl began once again.

The swordsman leapt, dodging the assault as the orc's fists hit the pavement instead, cracking it.

“[Sword Art: Mistblade],” Irwys spoke, as mist flowed around his dagger, forming a blade that extended into a short sword.

A sword art, that’s a rare skill type — and mist too. Specialized [Swordsman] class, perhaps?

Jennifer blinked, losing track of Irwys as the silver swordsman vanished from her sight. She heard a roar from the orc as the blade of mist cut through his armor, the silver-haired man reappearing behind the orc.

The orc roared and charged forward in a mad dash.

The swordsman didn't disappoint, his shallow slashes and cuts slowing the orc enough for him to land a deep blow to the orc's thigh. The crowd cheered madly. Few residents of Lienmont liked orcs, even fewer appreciated their increased presence in the city.

The swordsman stood unharmed while the orc bled profusely. It was a one sided brawl, but Jennifer felt herself tensing as the fight continued. She didn’t like the red glow in the orc’s eyes.

“Five coppers that the orc lasts fifty more seconds!” a call came, drawing cheers.

The orc let out a roar of fury, eyes glowing a deep red. “[Ghalir’s Rage]!”

Bringing both hands forward, he smashed the ground. The swordsman danced away as cracks formed where he once stood.

Jennifer felt her heart leap as the orc’s massive form blurred. The lunge struck the swordsman, sending him crashing into the crowds of onlookers. The orc rushed into the toppled crowd and towards the swordsman as the people nearby hurriedly ran away.

With a stomp of his foot, the bulky orc pinned the man down with a slam that sent cracks through the ground, roaring in the rush of victory.

Jennifer looked around in concern, searching for the [Guards] to come and interfere. She saw them standing at a distance, spears poised, but doing nothing to stop the fight. The realization came soon after.

They’re waiting for the swordsman to die so that they can arrest the orc for a much more serious crime. It’d make for the perfect excuse for the High Council to kick the orcs out of the city.

A bitter taste rose to her mouth as Jennifer turned back towards the fight. Not willing to watch the bloodbath about to occur, she closed her eyes and turned away, ready to walk back to the store, when a sudden thought stopped her. Jennifer looked down at the sword in her arms.

This is his sword, isn’t it?

Moving on impulse, Jennifer took the sword out of its cover and screamed. “Hey! Silver hair! Catch this!”

The blade arced across the field, vibrating with power as the swordsman’s eyes turned wide. With a burst of magic rising from the sword, she watched the blade fly into the swordsman’s hands.

“[Hidden Edge]” the swordsman intoned. The blade multiplied, tearing through the orc’s armor as the swordsman freed himself. With a charge, the orc dashed, taking the human with him as he slammed to the ground.

Rolling to the side, the man tried to dodge, but the orc grabbed his coat. Dragging the swordsman over, the orc's massive hand wrapped around the silver-haired swordsman's neck and lifted him into the air, muscles bulging as he glared at his captive.

“Don't kill him!” Jennifer shouted as she ran through the crowd, into the encirclement of the fight.

The orc’s red eyes glared down at her, blood dripping from the shallow cuts; flowing down the still-tense muscles in his arms as his chest heaved from exhaustion.

Suddenly, she wasn't feeling as brave.

“Get the green skin bastard, girly! You’ll probably have more of a chance than that pansy-ass over there!” a shout came from the crowd.

Jennifer gulped. I’m gonna die. I’m so gonna die. He's just going to swat me like a bug. Sera take me, I’ll haunt whoever said that.

"Why should I?" the orc demanded. His nose flared as he glared her down, all the while holding up the swordsman as if he weighed nothing.

"Because he owes me money!" Jennifer said, her eyes pressed shut.

She felt the orc’s gaze on her for a moment that stretched on forever. The silence was broken by laughter nearly as loud as his roar.

Hesitantly, and upon confirming that she was not a blood smear on the ground yet, Jennifer opened one eye.

“That's a good answer, girl. No one knows the worth of debt more than a mercenary. And you're brave enough to stand up to me, unlike half these idiots,” the orc grunted, glaring at the crowd.

Jennifer watched the people hurriedly scatter off.

The massive orc growled, licking his tusks as he turned towards her. He bent down, putting his face right up in front of her, and she felt his warm breath on her face.

She almost closed her eyes in fear once more.

“But next time, look at the strength of your opponents before you run ahead to die,” the orc rumbled, staring into her eyes.

Jennifer nodded eagerly in response.

“You won't have a little girl to save you next time, Zandrian,” the orc spat in a heavy accent, unceremoniously dropping the man. Then he chuckled once more and threw one last glance toward Jennifer as he walked away, his massive frame shrinking with each step.

Jennifer felt her legs go weak, but she kept herself upright as the [Guards] finally arrived to disperse the crowd. She almost ran to scream at them for not interrupting the orc earlier.

Her eyes drifted towards Irwys, who sat on the ground, clutching his head. Jennifer felt her annoyance rising. She had almost died because of some stupid fight.

“Do you have the money?” Jennifer asked, glaring at the disoriented swordsman.

“I do - or did, up until meeting that orc,” the man replied with a frown, looking up at her as he pulled himself up to his feet.

Jennifer noted the lack of serious injuries present on him, despite the orc being riddled with shallow cuts by the time he’d left. Perhaps the fight had been much less one-sided than she’d assumed.

“Oh, I just assumed you were an idiot who loved fighting. Being a dungeon city, Lienmont gets a lot of those types.”

The man glared at her for a moment. “I apologize for the inconvenience. Wait here, or go back to your shop. I’ll have the money sent there. I have something important to do,” Irwys said, turning away.

“Wait, where are you going? Hold up!” Jennifer screamed as the swordsman pushed to his feet, rushing towards the dungeon. “Stop! Guards! He’s running away—” Jennifer cut off mid-sentence. She cursed the day, the gods, and every fancy fighter who just didn’t pay their bill and chased after the man.

The swordsman sped away towards the dungeon entrance, and Jennifer’s eyes widened in surprise. Sera, he wouldn’t. No one would be that insane.

A tremor shook the ground as Jennifer gave chase. She looked ahead in surprise and saw cracks spreading from beneath the dungeon entrance. A deep, unsettling rumble echoed from the ground.

Something was wrong.

A crash sent her tumbling as a resounding roar echoed from the dungeon. The world shook beneath her feet, shouts and curses rising to the skies from the surrounding people.

Fighting the disorientation, Jennifer pulled herself to her feet at the sudden earthquake. She saw several people - adventurers - rushing out of the dungeon with some of them dragging injured team members.

“Dungeon Break!” one adventurer shouted, a tremor in his voice. There was a moment of silence as the city registered the words. For just a moment, Jennifer’s heart stilled.

The moment broke as panic descended upon the city. Jennifer’s heart thundered, her legs turning stiff from shock. She felt the wards around the dungeon go up as alarms and calls sounded out. Jennifer looked around wide-eyed, trying not to fall as tremors once again shook the ground.

A Dungeon Break… now? It’s been decades… just how?

Mercenaries gathered around her as a high-ranked adventurer team stumbled out, joining with the collection of assembled adventurers, burning through healing spells and potions. They formed a perimeter around the entrance, evacuating civilians as they prepared for the hordes of monsters about to flood the city.

She bit back a curse as [Enhanced Mana Sense] told her of the flood of mana rising from the depths and she soon recognised the source of the mana.

The monsters were rushing out.

With a burst of exploding rocks, dark figures erupted from the dungeon as the ground beneath her gave way. Jennifer stumbled back from the shock wave, squeezing her eyes shut on instinct.

A loud crash resounded as hands pulled her aside. She opened her eyes, watching a silver barrier shimmering in front of her, originating from a familiar silver haired swordsman.

The swordsman's blade cut through the beasts as the surrounding barrier faded. The man turned, grabbing her hand. His silver eyes met her own.

Another rumble shook the ground, the cracks from the entrance extending outwards as the floor collapsed underneath her. Jennifer screamed, her voice distant to her ears, as something grabbed her ankle from below.

A dark claw reached out from the dungeon underneath and dragged Jennifer in.

***

Jennifer's eyes shot open, arms flailing out as she screamed. “Get away!”

Silence greeted her words and Jennifer looked around in confusion at the dark and empty cavern around her, glowing with a soft blue sheen from the mana present in it.

Blood soaked her neck, the cool sensation accompanied by a strong throbbing pain as awareness returned to Jennifer’s mind. She winced as memories flooded in. Of something dragging her down and— “How long was I…?” Jennifer mumbled, clutching her head in pain.

“A few hours,” Irwys replied.

Jennifer’s gaze shifted to find the silver-haired swordsman sitting next to the corpse of a huge scaled beast, and multiple smaller monsters. She recognised the giant beast as the monster that had dragged her in. Looking around the area, she tried to pull up a system prompt. A message popped up in front of her eyes, confirming her fears.

The Great Dungeon of Lienmont.

Location: The First Layer

Jennifer turned to glare at the swordsman. “What were you doing running in here?! You can’t just—” Her words cut off at the assault of a fresh wave of agony. Her head felt like it would split in two.

She leaned against the wall, breathing slowly as she tried to subdue the pain. I’m going to die. Because of this stupid delivery and a madman. A dungeon break, and of all the places to be in, I’m in the Elphion damned dungeon.

Jennifer bit her lips as tears pooled in her eyes. She tried to lean her head back, but the stabbing pain in her neck wouldn’t allow it.

“Show me,” the swordsman said as he walked closer.

Jennifer looked at the man, her anger draining away as he knelt next to her.

The swordsman’s rough hands swept her hair to the side as Jennifer held back a wince. The swordsman’s rough hands swept her hair to the side as Jennifer held back a wince.

“Minor concussion, and a cut across the neck.”

Jennifer felt like slugging the man in the face. She didn’t wish to be told she was as good as dead. The dungeon monsters would come chasing at the smell of her blood. SheJennifer felt like slugging the man in the face. She didn’t wish to be told she was as good as dead. The dungeon monsters would come chasing at the smell of her blood.

tried to push the man away, not feeling any strength in her limbs. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She should’ve been at her master’s shop, preparing for her entrance into the academy. Why was she stuck in the dungeon with a strange man during a dungeon break?

“You need to calm down. I have a healing potion. It’ll take care of your wounds,” the swordsman said, waving his hand as a vial full of red liquid appeared in it.

“I have a head injury,” Jennifer said, feeling more exhausted with each passing moment. “You can’t use healing potions with head injuries. May as well kill me.”

“This one won’t,” the man said, unscrewing the vial as Jennifer sensed mana pour out in a wave. Jennifer stared at the potion, before looking up at the swordsman, his silver-gray eyes silently meeting her own as he handed her the potion.

Jennifer took the bottle, hesitating to drink something given by a man who’d just tried to run away without paying.

I’m dead if I do, I’m dead if I don’t. Might as well give this a shot.

Putting the vial to her lips, Jennifer drank the liquid. She felt mana dissolve in her mouth, coursing through her throat with a metallic flavor. She sipped half of the vial’s content before she was forced to stop, unable to lift her neck any further.

Within moments, the base of her neck started to itch. Then her shoulder until every cut and scrape was on fire. A cool sensation spread from inside, rising like a tide as the mana from the potion mixed within her core, reaching for every part of her body.

A few moments later, her headache was gone.

Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief as her chest grew heavy for a second before returning to normal. She wiped the tears away from her eyes, feeling a light flush rising to her cheeks at her outburst. But if the swordsman noticed, then he didn’t make any comments.

Her eyes drifted to the corpse of the scale hound nearby, its body already being absorbed back by the dungeon.

“Are you better now?” the swordsman asked.

Jennifer nodded as she pushed to her feet.

"Good, then take this," Irwys said as he held out a dagger. “We need to head deeper into the dungeon.”

“What?” Jennifer said, staring at the swordsman, dumbfounded. “Are you mad? Do you want to die?”

“We don't have a choice, girl. The dungeon break has started, you should feel the rising mana levels yourself. A horde of monsters is making their way into the city as we speak, and the entrance has collapsed." He paused, waving at the mountain of rubble blocking off the end of the tunnel. "The only way out is from deeper inside."

“I don’t- I just- Why? Why did you have to run in here?”

“That isn’t something that concerns you.”

“It does concern me,” Jennifer retorted, heat rising in her voice. “It’s because I had to chase you that I’m stuck here with an Elphion damned dungeon break doing on. You were the one who ran away without paying without saying a word and I—” Jennifer's voice cut off as Irwys pressed his hand against her mouth.

She almost bit his hand in anger when a low growl from nearby stopped her. Jennifer’s eyes widened as she sensed the monster walking nearby, reminding her of the hordes of monsters running through the dungeon in a frenzy, ready to tear her apart at any moment.

Jennifer clenched her fists, grinding her teeth as she glared at the silver-haired swordsman who removed his hand a moment later. Deep breaths Jennifer. He’s the only one who can get you out.

She held her hand out, grabbing the dagger he’d offered, and received a nod from the man.

“Stick behind me, and we’ll both make it out alive," Irwys said, turning ahead.

With her mouth squeezed shut, Jennifer put the vial of potion in the belt on her waist. Gripping her borrowed dagger, she pulled herself up and followed the waving silver hair down into the dark depths.

***

“Mana Bolt!” Jennifer shouted as she wove one of the first spells she'd ever learned.

A glowing bolt of mana launched from her outstretched hand and struck the large vermin. Her bolt only staggered the beast, providing enough time for Irwys to sever its head, killing the monster instantly.

She prepared another mana bolt, shaping her spell matrix in her mind before launching the bolt off, this time silently. She’d long past grown the need to rely on vocalization for this spell to cast it, but some habits died hard.

Jennifer panted, waiting silently for another clear shot at the dire rats. With poisonous teeth and claws, the dire rats could tear out chunks of flesh with each bite. She shuddered to think what would happen to someone who got bit by these enough times. She watched Irwys kill the largest rat with a swift strike that left it headless.

The other Dire Rats paused in their tracks, screeching and hissing as if reassessing the threat before they turned around to scuttle off.

“Hopefully that’s the last of them,” Jennifer said, looking around the dungeon while squeezing the dagger tight in her hand. The mana had reached levels she'd never felt before, making her head buzz.

“I doubt it,” Irwys replied, wiping the blood off of his sword, striding deeper into the dungeon.

Jennifer followed, leaving the monster corpses behind. They'd either be eaten by other monsters or absorbed by the dungeon itself.

A waste of good monster parts.

She turned towards Irwys. “How much further?”

“Depends. Shouldn’t be much farther. I’ve been avoiding any larger pathways to keep away from the frenzied monster horde as they push up from the deeper regions.” Then he muttered under his breath, and his sword lit up the tunnel. Runes floated around the weapon, and she saw silver threads extend from the blade for a moment before they vanished. Resuming his pace, he muttered again, though this time she caught his words. "It's close."

She nodded, following behind as she wondered what they were close to. She was certain they weren't close to the exit yet, since they hadn't moved upward. But most of those routes had been blocked, anyway.

The last hour had made it clear to Jennifer that Irwys was anything but an adventurer. The way he fought was methodical. His traversal of the dungeon would've been smoother if he didn't need to defend her, so he had enough skill with his sword, but…

No adventurer brings a long sword like that into narrow dungeon caverns. Or shiny armor. Not unless they're a Ranked Plate who can just blast through everything.

Irwys paused, his sword flashing once more. “A Mark,” she heard him whisper as a foreboding sensation built in her gut.

Mist flooded around Irwys, causing Jennifer to take a step back. His sword flashed, as Jennifer felt a skill being invoked.

The wall in front of them collapsed, its hollow structure crumbling with that single strike, revealing a dark passage behind it. Her eyes widened in surprise at the hidden room laid with dark brown bricks, murals running up and down equally dark pillars.

Some kind of ruin? A part of the newly discovered section? Has the dungeon already moved around that much?

“Follow me,” Irwys said.

Jennifer could only nod as she followed him in. The realization that she was on a delve, even if through circumstances out of her control, finally settled on her. Part of her was excited at the prospect, yet another part dreaded what was to come. Unexpected delves rarely had a happy end.

The path ahead was cracked from age, with walls covered in depictions of creatures and pictures that had faded away with time. Those same walls expanded further ahead, tall pillars of stone rising to support the ceiling. There, the murals were replaced with runes, depicting words she didn't recognize.

Jennifer tried to pull up the dungeon notification when a different screen popped up.

Alphion's Lair

Location: Unknown

Unknown? If that isn't foreboding, then I don't know what is.

“Where are we?” Jennifer asked, her hand reaching toward one of the carved pillars.

“A hidden section of the dungeon,” Irwys replied.

Jennifer stopped, staring at the man as a frown overtook her face. “How will this help us get out?”

“It will, now stay quiet,” Irwys said, walking ahead.

Jennifer glared at the swordsman’s back silently, wondering if she should just try to escape on her own, but a look back the way they came had such thoughts fading. It was a long way to the surface, and she didn’t know the way out. Jennifer turned around, breaking into a light run as she hurried towards the swordsman.

The runes on the walls caught her interest, and Her eyes wandered around, trying to pick out familiar patterns. Old runes, older than the Zweirilian convention.

The path extended for a long while, and Jennifer found herself running out of new runes and symbols to keep track of on the walls. There was a suspicious lack of monstrous activities in the area, the only movement being cracked walls falling apart with a single touch.

Jennifer breathed a sigh, wondering what was so exciting about walking through the dungeon. There must have been something, considering how many hot-blooded teenagers rushed to join the guild. She’d much rather be reading her books on enchantments and magic instead.

A chill ran up Jennifer’s spine as she felt a presence shift with her [Enhanced Mana Sense]. Moving swiftly, Jennifer turned as she grabbed her borrowed dagger, throwing it. The knife missed, hitting the walls with a metallic clang as a hissing sound greeted her. A black lizard with shimmering oily scales hissed at her, as two dark blue eyes shone with an inner light.

Even as she started gathering mana, Irwys moved, his sword swinging toward the lizard. Before his strike could land, the lizard jumped back, melding into the darkness once more.

“Shade Lizards. A third layer monster all the way up here?” Irwys muttered.

Jennifer felt her heart pound. She’d never heard of creatures from the bottom layers coming this far above. Carefully, she walked closer, trying to check for the lizard as she picked up her dagger once more.

Lesson learned. Never turn off my mana sense and never let my guard down.

“Let’s hurry,” Irwys said, waving her onward.

She nodded and continued to follow, keeping the dagger in her hand and her guard up. She didn’t want to be monster food.

After another minute the path opened up to reveal a wide gate in the distance. Yet, that was where the path ended. Irwys didn’t slow down, making his way ahead.

Jennifer pushed to her feet to join Irwys who was staring at a door that had been hidden by the broken pillar. It looked to be made of stone with metal engravings with two beams of metal running on either side. The smaller pieces were laid out in a pattern forming different runes.

“What now?” she asked.

Irwys simply stared at the door, his hand gripping the hilt of his sheathed sword.

Jennifer turned to inspect the door. There were semi-circular lines of metal arranged to form letters. She felt her skills point her towards a few of them. There was some kind of spell embedded within.

Curiously, she decided to touch one and was surprised when she could slide it across the surface.

“There’s a spell on it. I think you have to arrange the metal portions in a specific way,” she said, turning back to look at the swordsman.

“Can you open it?” he asked, his eyes locking onto her.

“No, of course not. I can’t even read this.”

Irwys shook his head before stepping next to her. He started moving the symbols around. At first, she thought he might have a clue she'd missed. But then she realized. He was just fiddling.

“Isn’t there any other way out of here?” she asked, crossing her arms as she watched him continue to shuffle the symbols.

“Not without going through a large horde of monsters, no,” the swordsman replied, causing their conversation to die down once again.

Jennifer stood in silence, her anxiety increasing as light tremors continued to shake the walls every so often, causing dust to fall from their decrepit surroundings. Her eyes drifted upward, searching for the source, and they fell upon one of the patterns on the ceiling. It almost looked like...

Getting up, Jennifer walked closer to the gate. Irwys paused upon her arrival but didn't comment as she pointed at the pattern she'd been inspecting.

“We need to derive the runes from that image on the wall with the symbols. Basic universal runic language principles. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s what this is,” Jennifer told Irwys as she pushed her [Enhanced Mana Sense] to its limits.

Tiny, fragile threads of mana ran through the gate, barely present to her senses. Something she likely would’ve missed if she hadn’t been used to using delicate mana runes in her job as an [Enchanter].

Dragging the piece to its location was a slow but steady process, requiring her to carefully channel her mana, much like when creating an enchantment. When felt a change in the mana when she got it into the correct position, as one of the metal grooves set in its hinge.

The grooves form a mana circuit.

One at a time, Jennifer moved the pieces around as she pushed her senses to the limits. Piece after piece ran with mana as a mana circuit began to form.

Jennifer felt the excitement building up in her chest, the activity oddly reminiscent of magical puzzle training for mana sensitivity, something she enjoyed quite a bit. It was enough to let her forget the bundle of nerves she'd been before they'd found the door.

There was a loud click as she placed the last groove, and something shifted within the gate. The magic began to flow with increasing intensity, and she took a step back. She watched with nervous excitement as the magic flowed through the gate.

Her eyes were drawn towards the shifting metal blocks as runes and characters lit up. An image formed on the gate, of armies standing beneath giants taller than trees, of Leviathans of incredible size that rose from the sea, and of winged creatures that blotted out the sun.

Blue glowing lines of mana streaked across the gate, gathering at the center as the last piece clicked in place, forming a silhouette Jennifer found vaguely familiar. With wings sprouting from its back, flew one of the sovereigns of the sky long lost to time.

A Dragon.

The gates opened with a groaning noise, kicking up dust as light streamed out from inside.

Jennifer covered her eyes, momentarily blinded. She stumbled in, followed by Irwys as they stared in awe at the pristine room paved in flowing white stone. Each slab, brimming with magic that shone like the sun to her senses.

There was something about the way this place was constructed that made it seem cut off from the rest of the world. It was a great hall hidden beneath the earth, larger than any she'd been in before. She tried to call for a system prompt for the dungeon.

Location: Unknown

“Is this still inside the dungeon? Where are we?” Jennifer turned to look at Irwys.

“A trial?” she heard Irwys muttered. His eyes turned towards Jennifer as he gripped the hilt of his blade. “Perhaps the Fates wanted not the sword but-”

A powerful tremor shook the ground, the noise of stone grinding against stone cutting him off. Eight statues of women rose from the ground all around the room, their backs adorned by soft white wings.

At the center of the chamber rose the statue of a woman sitting on a throne, her eyes deep red slits, with two curving horns peeking through her thick hair as a scaled tail hung behind. The statue lounged on a throne of stone; her legs crossed as she watched over the entire hall. Jennifer stared mesmerized at the woman, feeling as if she could come alive at any moment.

With a slam, the door closed behind them.

Mana flooded the chamber, and Jennifer heard a cracking noise as a hulking ogre coalesced from the swirling mana. Its red skin glistened in the white light as it towered over the two of them, four powerful arms stretching out from its sides.

Jennifer felt her heart stop in her chest as the beast stared at the two of them. Its eyes were a shade of blood-red as the beast opened its fanged maw and roared.

The Trial of Time

Survive the encounter and prove yourself worthy to carry the Mark.

Sera take me, I'm so dead.

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