Rune Seeker

“That’s got to be the dungeon entrance,” Hiral said, pointing to where the roots curved into the side of a mountain. “Or it’s at least close.”

Thanks to the magic of the party chat, the others easily heard him even though their mounts were spread out. After a second of consideration, Seena told them to head down, and Hiral gave Drake a pat on the bone in front of the saddle. Thankfully, Drahn had stopped screaming a while ago, and he didn’t pick it back up again as the Dracolich tucked and dove towards the ground.

Like a bird of prey swooping for an unfortunate field mouse, Drake dropped at a speed that bordered on insanity. Hiral’s second skin snapped in the wind – though the magic saddle kept him comfortably in place – and he heard Yanily whooping from nearby as Thunderclaws joined the dive. Almost like it was a race, the two mounts shot down, the ground growing closer and closer every passing second.

Just when it seemed like they were going to splatter all over the rocky terrain beside the mountain – Why does this feel familiar…? – Drake’s wings snapped out to the side. In one stomach-turning motion, the Dracolich’s legs swept in underneath, and the great behemoth skidded along the ground.

Beside them, Thunderclaws pulled the same maneuver, and when the two mounts finally came to a stop, they turned to look at each other. A heartbeat passed as they locked eyes… and then Thunderclaws’ wings drooped.

“Looks like Drake won,” Yanily said while giving the Gryphon a consolatory pat on the shoulder.

“I’m just surprised Drahn wasn’t screaming the whole way down,” Hiral said. “He really got over his fears quickly.”

“No,” Left said. “He just passed out the moment Drake started to dive.”

“Ah, that would do it too.”

Bliss and Vili came down a moment later, landing between the other two mounts. The look on the Nightmare’s face clearly showed how she felt about the ‘boys’ little competition. Vili just looked sad she got left out.

“Sis,” Seena said. “Scout ahead and see where that leads us?”

“On it.” Seeyela hopped off Bliss – who vanished in a cloud of dark flames – then jogged into what appeared to be a mountain path.

“Watch out for goats!” Yanily said. “They’re bastards!”

“And don’t bring any Mid-Bosses crashing down on us,” Hiral added.

“It was one time,” Seeyela sighed into the party chat just as she vanished up the trail.

“Think this is Roc territory?” Seena asked, likewise getting off Vili and dismissing the mount in a gout of fire.

“More likely than goats,” Hiral said. “Sorry, Yan.”

“It’s fine,” the spearman responded. “I wouldn’t mind a rematch against some of those big, Elite birds. See how far we’ve come since then.”

“That actually would be pretty good,” Seena said. “We had some trouble with them, especially the big one. Kind of disappointed we didn’t run into it – I owe it some payback for how it chased me around.”

“Since they’re descendants of your Phoenix sponsor, shouldn’t you be protecting them or something?” Hiral asked her.

“More like the distant, distant step-nephew that always gets into trouble and nobody likes,” Seena said.

“Interesting analogy,” Hiral started, but Seeyela’s return interrupted what he was going to say.

“Dungeon entrance is just a couple hundred feet up the path,” she said. “Easier to walk than take the mounts.”

“Just need to wait for Drahn to wake up,” Hiral thumbed over his shoulder.

“No idea what you’re talking about,” the tracker said, eagerly climbing off Drake’s back already. “I’ve been awake the whole time.”

“He woke up just as Seeyela got back,” Left whispered to Hiral, then leapt off the mount.

Hiral could only chuckle as he followed his double down, then activated Foundational Split to bring Right out. “Welcome back.”

“Considering the racket on the trip over, I’m glad I wasn’t present for it,” Right said.

“It got better…” Hiral said with a shrug.

With that, the party moved quickly up the path, and just like Seeyela said, found the familiar, runed archway signifying they’d located the dungeon entrance. That and the glowing roots led right to it.

“Do you ever get used to the dark?” Drahn asked before they entered, and Hiral turned to find the man looking up into the lightly falling rain.

“Somehow, yes,” he said, then followed Seeyela and Seena through the arch. The usual shiver ran across his skin as he passed the threshold, but this time instead of a staircase leading down, it went up. “Huh, this is already different.”

When they got to the top of the stairs, a wide cavern greeted them, but one side stood open to the storm beyond, though a long overhang extended from the roof, keeping the room dry. On the wall opposite the secondary entrance to the cave, was the dungeon interface.

“Makes me nervous tentacles could reach in here,” Yanily said, eying the outside.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

“Not something we’re going to have to worry about,” Seena said. “Since we’re heading right in.”

“No group meeting to incorporate new abilities?” the spearman asked, clearly looking at Drahn as he spoke.

“Nah,” Seena shook her head. “Drahn won’t be fighting.”

“I won’t?” the tracker asked.

“You wanted to see what we can do, so we’re going to show you,” Seena said. “It’s only a D-Rank dungeon, so it’s not a great display, but we’ll make do.”

“She’s going to burn the entire place down, isn’t she?” Yanily leaned over and quietly asked Hiral.

“Oh yeah,” he agreed.

“Fine,” Drahn said. “Though if you need me to bail you out, I’m acting, no matter what you say.”

Seena just shook her head. “I honestly can’t believe how much you’re underestimating all of us. Well, whatever. Sis, let’s go.”

As if she was waiting for that, Seeyela swiped her hand above the dungeon interface. “Enter Dungeon,” she said, and the familiar blue portal spiralled open nearby.

“You know the drill,” Hiral said to his doubles, quickly absorbing them back into himself, then waited for the others to go through. As soon as everybody else was in, he followed.

The plain, blank walls and ceiling did nothing to describe what the dungeon ahead would entail. Though, the notification that popped up gave a small hint.

The Fields of Prey – Dungeon

D-Rank

Top Clear Times

XXX : --:--

YYY : --:--

ZZZ : --:--

Attempt Dungeon?

Yes / No

“Finally a dungeon that isn’t underground,” Yanily said.

“Everybody ready?” Seena asked.

Hiral quickly reactivated Foundational Split, then nodded to the party leader. A gesture of her hand – likely to tap the Yes button hovering in front of her – and the ready room vanished from around them. The sudden sunlight reflexively made him recoil, even though the hood from his coat offered magic protection from the brightness.

When he realized he really had no problem seeing at all, Hiral stepped to the front of the group to take in his surroundings. Not underground was a bit of an understatement.

Landscape stretched as far as the eye could see, a forest to one side, a lake or sea to the other. Far in the distance, impressive mountains loomed, with one standing closer and taller than all the others. Near the peak, a massive set of wings circled lazily.

The Roc in the distance was easily as big as the one they’d fought before, though it was still too far away for Hiral’s view ability to kick in.

“Village of some kind nestled up against the forest,” Left said.

“Rocs by the mountain straight ahead,” Hiral added.

“There is… something in the water,” Drahn said. “Something big.”

Hiral turned just in time to see the ridged back of a creature that had to be dozens of feet long curving out of the water before diving back down.

“Thoughts?” Seena asked.

“Has anybody run this dungeon before?” Hiral asked.

“We’re the first ones, I think.”

“So, no guide for it?”

“Why do I hear excitement in your voice?” Yanily asked, the spearman smiling widely himself.

“Same reason as you,” Hiral said. “Looks like there are patrols of some kind roaming between the water and the village. Groups of… four or five. Humanoids, but I can’t tell much more from this distance.”

“Could they be NPCs?” Seeyela said.

“N-P-Cs?” Drahn asked, looking at Yanily.

“Non-Party-Civilians,” the spearman said. “Some dungeons have people we aren’t meant to fight in them.”

“Often have to save them,” Hiral added. “We won’t know until we get closer. No quests to guide us since we outrank the dungeon, I guess?”

“The village does not look to have any children,” Left said, clearly squinting in that direction. “And the people I do see are outfitted for a fight. All are carrying weapons, and their movements are in line with other patrols we’ve seen in previous dungeons. All are in groups prowling around the village as if on the lookout.”

“They could just be doing that to watch for Rocs?” Seeyela suggested.

“There are no lookout towers to watch the skies,” Left said. “While the wall around the buildings is only tall enough to keep out things on the ground. Finally,” the double pointed as he spoke, “that large space in the middle of the town – does that look like an altar in the middle?”

“Sacrificial altar,” Li’L Ur said. “The mundane kind. No enchantments I can sense, but a heavy aura of death. Many have met their ends there.”

“Okay then,” Seena said, knuckles cracking. “Not good people.”

“Then we should assume there’s a Mid-Boss there,” Hiral said. “And, if I had to guess, the other would be in the water. I suspect that if we had quests, they would guide us to kill something in the town, and then go to the water. Maybe the Rocs feed there, and destroying whatever is hiding under the waves would anger the big birds. Get them to come down from their mountain.”

“It does seem pretty far away.” Yanily had his hand above his eyes to shield them from the glare as he looked out. “We going to do it that way?”

“Even if it doesn’t work,” Seena said. “It will clear the two Mid-Bosses – assuming they’re there – which we’d have to do anyway. If they aren’t, we’ll adapt.”

“Actually,” Hiral interrupted, stepping ahead of the group and turning around. “I have… another proposal.”

Seena narrowed her eyes at him. “Am I going to like this?”

“I don’t think you’ll dislike it…” he said slowly.

“Oh, this sounds like it’s going to be good,” Yanily said, dropping the butt of his spear to the ground so he could lean on the weapon. “What reckless – and likely entertaining – plan do you have in mind this time?”

Before Hiral answered, he glanced back at the wide dungeon ahead of the party. The mountain – and the giant Roc – were far, far in the distance, but not too far. If he was correct about the Mid-Bosses being in the village and the lake, only about a quarter of the distance to the mountain… Yes, it could work.

“The whole reason we’re here is because Drahn isn’t confident in my ability to pull my weight, as he puts it,” Hiral said.

“This really is going to be good.” Yanily rubbed his hands together.

“We know you can…” Seena started, but cut off when Hiral turned back to them and held up a hand.

“I know that, but…” he took a breath. “To ease his worries, even a little, I’d like to do this.”

“Do what, exactly?”

“I’d like to solo the dungeon,” Hiral said plainly.