Rune Seeker

Congratulations. Achievement unlocked – That’s No Moon.

Originally built to quell a rebellion, you have destroyed a secret weapon that instead found itself protecting the future from the past.

Please access a Dungeon Interface to unlock class-specific reward.

Hiral read the notification window, then read it a second time. After a third – his eyes getting stuck on that flavor text – he finally closed it to look at the others.

Seena lay on her back on the floor, limbs spread around her as she stared up at the ceiling, breathing heavily. Seeyela, Yanily, Wallop, and Right walked through the air towards the party leader, pink splashing under their feet with every step. Romin was rubbing at his shoulder where he’d blocked the huge blade, but with a look at where the others were headed, he started towards Seena as well.

“How’s the Banner cooldown?” Hiral asked Left, the double jogging up to him.

“It’s back up,” Left said.

“Good,” Hiral said. “Arena of fun and death should be fading soon, and I think we’ll need the recovery boost. Everyone is low.”

“That Mid-Boss’s defenses were impressive,” Left said, already shaping the Banner of Courage as they walked. Interestingly, as soon as it formed in his hand – the flag snapping as if caught by an invisible wind – the representations of it in the Domain of the Sun+ completely vanished.

“Ah, guess we can’t stack the same buff on top of itself,” Hiral said with a shrug.

“Because they’re exactly the same,” Yanily said over the party chat. “If they were different amounts, you might be able to do it. Some folks were testing that kind of thing for the guide before we left.”

“Different amounts?” Hiral asked. When he looked at Left, the double clearly had the same thought he did.

“Double Trouble+,” they both said at the same time. If that actually worked…

“Good job on destroying that monstrosity,” Vorinal shouted down into the arena from the ledge above. “We’re almost finished up here. Ten minutes tops. Be ready to move after that.” Without waiting for a reply, he ducked back over the edge, leaving the party looking at each other.

“Bossy, isn’t he?” Seeyela said.

“Just ignore him,” Seen said, sitting back up. “At least until we have to escort them again. Did you all see that notification window?”

“Yup,” Hiral said. “Got a thought on it?”

“Just that whatever Tomorrow was keeping in here, it might not be loot,” Seena said.

“There better be loot!” Yanily said. “For us, at least.”

“There will be,” Seeyela said. “It’s a dungeon, after all. Ten minutes is going to be tough to recover our solar energy, though.”

“With the Banner, we should be okay,” Seena said. “We don’t need to be full to start moving again.”

“There’s a good chance whatever’s through there,” Hiral said, pointing where the Mid-Boss had come from. “Is the mechanism or switch for the door. We may have to backtrack before we need to fight anything else.”

“Want me to go scout?” Left asked, though his eyes went to the Banner in his hand. “I can go when we’re at three minutes until the researchers are ready.”

“May still want to wait for them,” Hiral said after a second. “This is a dungeon, right? One of us going through the door might trigger them deciding to move because they think we’re ready.”

“Hiral’s right,” Seena said. “Let’s not push it unless we’re running short on time. As it stands, we’re pretty good now.”

Like that, the group waited out the ten minutes until – almost on the second – the researchers began their descent down the ladders. One after the other, the eleven would-be Fallen reached the arena floor, then turned towards the large door where the Mid-Boss had come from. Hiral had pulled in Right and Left to get them topped up as well, and he activated Foundational Split.

“Let’s continue,” Vorinal said.

“Surprised you spent so much time up there looking at the pretty pictures when it seemed like you were in a rush before,” Yanily said as the party took up position around the researcher group.

“It’s not every day you find an alternate version of history,” Vorinal said matter-of-factly. “Especially one written by a Primal. If what the pictures depict are true – and we have every reason to believe they are – it challenges our understanding of so many things. We needed to record it in case we weren’t able to return.”

“Why couldn’t you come back?” Seeyela asked, the two groups passing through the doorway at the edge of the arena. A tall hall stretched out ahead of them, though it didn’t look to be more than a few hundred feet long, the track that had carried the Death-Sphere continuing all the way to the end. “We broke all the guardians before it. Oh, I guess the traps would be a pain.”

“The traps would definitely be a nuisance,” Vorinal admitted. “Also, this is one of Tomorrow’s installations, and they have a… habit… of repopulating themselves. Even this place, though the previous expedition didn’t get much further than the entrance when they found…”

“Vorinal!” Bellina cut the man off.

Vorinal’s mouth shut so quickly there was an audible click from his teeth. “Yes, perhaps I have said too much already. Come, it looks like we’re here.”

What was he going to say that Bellina felt the need to interrupt? And, that wasn’t a normal dungeon block of information – it was scripted in. Where are we?

From the looks of the room they entered, the answer to Hiral’s question was a laboratory. A big one. Or, maybe some kind of assembly line? Both?

One side of the room had dozens of Sentinels in various states of construction, with the ones closest to the near wall, also the closest to completion. The nearest one actually looked so done, Hiral half-expected its head to turn in their direction and begin to attack. A few seconds of watching it – it didn’t move – and Hiral let his gaze wander down the line.

Close to two dozen of the Sentinels hung from a mechanical rack by attachments on their shoulders, while devices stood on either side of the procession. Even though nothing was moving, it was clear what the purpose of everything was, with many of the devices sitting motionless with Sentinel components ready to be attached. Automated construction of the… constructs? It was well beyond anything Hiral had ever seen.

By the gasps and chatter of the researchers, they were equally impressed, though the way they spoke about what they saw, it wasn’t revolutionary. They even made comments about ‘which technique was better’. That could only mean they had their own version of this, which… made sense, considering the type of equipment Dr. Benza and the others seemed to have access to.

Looking away from the line of constructs, Hiral turned his attention to the other side of the room. Though it was bereft of the massive brass bodies, that didn’t make it any less impressive. The walls – and numerous freestanding boards – were covered end to end in detailed schematics. Having never seen anything more complicated than building plans, Hiral’s eyes bulged at the sheer amount of fine details shown on the pages.

That, right there, had to be the plans for the Death-Sphere, and the large, handwritten note beside it made Hiral do a double take.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Self-Destruct device – optimal output at ten seconds after device activation upon sphere’s demise. Flaw: damaging the central component of the sphere could result in damage to self-destruct mechanism. Review.

Additional note: Exhaust port represents potential, direct line to self-destruct mechanism while open. Could trigger explosion during maintenance or combat. Review.

Hiral gulped as he realized he’d literally been standing on a massive explosive.

Forcefully putting his imagination on hold – though it was kind enough to play out six separate possible and gruesome ends before he did – Hiral turned to Vorinal. “This what you were looking for?”

The researcher shook his head. “As interesting as this is, it’s not what we’re here for. Spread out and look for the mechanism,” the man said to the other researchers. He had to repeat himself – twice, for some people – before the group was looking around for some kind of clue to opening the wall blocking their progress.

It didn’t take long.

“Got it,” one the researchers near the back said. The woman reached into some kind of cabinet, then seemed to pull on something. Above them, a single red light in the ceiling turned on. That was it, the only change. No dungeon-shaking rumble or notification window. Then again, Hiral hadn’t gotten a quest telling them to open the secret door, so it made sense.

“Wait a second,” Yanily said. “Does this mean we have to go back through the traps?”

“We shouldn’t have to,” Vorinal said. “Tomorrow usually has a…”

“Found the other one,” another of the researchers said, while a section of wall silently rose beside him. Beyond, there was a clear tunnel, though not nearly as large as any of the ones they’d passed through up until this point.

“Odds that it’s trapped because Tomorrow is a masochist?” Yanily leaned in and asked Hiral quietly.

“Pretty good,” Hiral said. “Let’s send Right first.”

“Hey!” Right said, snapping his head at the pair, then looked back at the tunnel. The one the researchers were already heading down, apparently without a care in the world. “Guess I’m not going first.”

“Ugh, these guys,” Seena groaned with a roll of her eyes. “Let’s go folks. Hiral, can you get up front and do your thing?”

“You got it, Boss,” Hiral said, casually darting ahead with microbursts of Rejection and Attraction. A few seconds later, he was in front of the researchers – though they hardly seemed to care one way or another – and he pushed his sensory domain ahead. Nothing happened. No buzzsaws, flame jets, poison darts, or anything else looking to make for a bad trip. Instead, after one corner, the hall gently sloped straight up. At a guess, it was probably long enough to take them all the way back to the Y-shaped room.

That was one Mid-Boss and secret switch done, with no extra complications.

“It’s kind of nice not to be in a lost dungeon sometimes,” he whispered to himself. Then again, just because he didn’t see a threat yet, it didn’t mean one didn’t exist. And they still had another section for the other switch – and the likely Mid-Boss at the end. No time to get complacent. To be on the safe side, Hiral drew his RHCs – Piercing Shot+ active on each of them – and moved twenty feet ahead of the researcher group.

Soft footfalls behind told him Right and Left had joined him, and like that, the group moved to the end of the hall. Another corner, and Hiral didn’t need any help spotting the switch beside the blank wall. The simple lever would obviously open a ‘secret’ door, letting them back into the Y-shaped room, and Hiral sheathed and RHC before grabbing it.

Then he stopped.

“Wouldn’t it be funny if the lever was the trap?” he asked Left and Right without looking at them.

“It’s something you would do,” Right said.

“It is,” Left agreed, and there was a pulse of solar energy from behind Hiral.

You have been buffed by Shield of Peace.

All damage is negated for 6 seconds.

Hiral chuckled at the notification as he felt his doubles take several, large steps back. Then Hiral pulled the lever.

And the world turned red as flames gushed out of the ceiling directly above him. Lightning arced up the lever into his hand, ropes of it as thick as snakes and scouring every inch of Hiral’s body. Holes in the walls on both sides opened and spat a dozen poison tipped darts that hit him and fell to the floor.

Click, the lever reached the down-position, and the assault stopped just like that. Ambient heat warped the space, while the smell of the electricity tainted what air remined. At Hiral’s feet, the green-tipped darts still rolled gently on the floor where they’d fallen.

Hiral pried his fingers off the lever just as the six-second buff faded, then turned to look at Left and Right. Behind them, the rest of the party – and the researchers – stood with wide, disbelieving eyes.

“So,” Hiral started slowly. “The lever might’ve been trapped.”

“Might have been?!” Seena asked, stepping forward, then stopping as she looked suspiciously at the walls. “How are you okay?”

“Left gave me Shield of Peace,” Hiral explained.

The look Seena turned on Left was far more dangerous than all the traps combined. “You knew it could be trapped and you still let him do that?”

Left hesitated before speaking. “The buff was meant as a joke,” he started. “None of us really thought it would be trapped.”

Apparently, that wasn’t the correct answer, with Seena’s eyes narrowing.

“Look,” Hiral interrupted before something terrible happened to Left. “It’s fine. I’m fine! Door is open too. Let’s just move on to the next Mid-Boss.”

The researchers seemed to agree with Hiral, already moving up and past the talking group. For a moment, the party watched them go, as if wondering if another firestorm would engulf them. When nothing did, Seena gave Left one more small glare, then sighed like she was letting it go.

“They’re probably going to move straight to the next Mid-Boss, so let’s not fall behind,” Seena said. “All of these traps are good to remember for when we run the dungeon again for experience.”

“Do you think the next section will be traps too?” Yanily asked through the party chat as the group rushed ahead to catch up with the researchers. “We got some experience for getting past them, but not very much. The Mid-Boss was good, though.”

“Sentinels weren’t bad either,” Seeyela added.

“If it’s traps,” Gran spoke up, still staring daggers after the researchers. “We’re going to be in trouble. My well of healing is almost empty. The trash in here is too damn hard. My attacks don’t do enough damage to build up much healing.”

“Could you attack Hiral a few times?” Yanily offered. “He’d heal pretty quick after. Just a few pokes.”

“What if I don’t feel like getting poked?” Hiral asked.

“Where’s the team spirit?” Yan asked right back.

“Wouldn’t work anyway,” Gran said. “Haven’t you noticed most of our abilities don’t hurt party members? A quirk of the magic. PIMs protect other PIMs. Mostly. At least the ones in the same party. Prevents friendly fire. Mostly.”

“You mean Seena’s Fireballs won’t roast us?” Romin asked.

“Didn’t you just hear me say mostly twice?” Gran cackled. “She packs too much firepower for the built-in safeguards to completely protect you. For knucklehead’s plan to work, I’d have to suck the boy so dry he’d shrivel and flake away.”

“I’d finally get my apprentice?” Li’l Ur asked.

“Yeah, one who’d need a mountain of moisturizer.”

“Ah, a mummy. Requires a certain amount of upkeep, but always handy to have one around if you need to blow your nose.”

“What’s moisturizer?” Yanily asked. “Or a… mommy?”

“Eyes up, people,” Seena interrupted. “Other tunnel.”

The banter – and talk of poking Hiral – stopped just like that, the party focusing their attention on their surroundings. Hiral stayed at the front, his sensory domain pushed to its limit, and he quickly found the hallway “end” out of sight around a turn. Though, maybe end wasn’t quite right. It wasn’t a wall, but instead a large open space.

Even as he got closer, he couldn’t feel anything other than the floor continuing ahead. No, not a floor. A bridge.

When they turned the corner, Hiral saw what his domain was trying to tell him. The narrow hallway opened up into a truly massive room, with the floor continuing as a twisting bridge. More of the flickering lights filled the huge space, other balconies and bridges visible from the end of the hall where the group stopped.

“Bridge trapped?” Seeyela asked.

“Think Tomorrow would repeat the same trick from the other section?” Seena asked back, eyes peeled. “It’s possible, but my gut is telling me this is something else.”

“It’s hard to tell with the lighting in here,” Hiral said. “But it looks like the bridge twists down a few times and exits over there.”

“What are the other bridges for?” Yanily asked.

“Maybe we have to circle around after we cross this one?” Hiral offered.

“Why have we stopped?” Vorinal asked, coming up to join the party. “We need to keep moving.”

“No art here,” Yanily said quietly to Right, who just nodded.

“Your domain?” Seena asked Hiral. “Feel anything?”

“Room is too big. Nothing other than what we can see.”

Seena seemed to think about it for a few seconds, then nodded. “Okay, let’s move out. Our guests aren’t going to wait around for us to figure it out first, so we’ll have to do it on the fly.”

“I’ll go first,” Romin said, but Hiral held up a hand.

“Let me,” Hiral said. “My attunement will give me a better chance to spot anything.”

“Go,” Seena told him, though her eyes also told him to be careful. For once. Just one time. That was all she was asking.

He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead, then stepped out of the hallway onto the bridge. He didn’t even get a full step before his sensory domain felt something rocket through it, straight for him.

A gentle push of Rejection deflected the projectile, and a thunk sounded in the wall off to his side. Hiral turned his head – just for a second – to spot a large bolt, like a crossbow’s, still quivering where it had punched into the metal wall, as a second entered his domain. Another push with Rejection sent the other bolt wide as well, and this time Hiral felt where it came from.

Eyes going up to one of the other bridges, he found something hanging from the bottom of it. Eight legs, two mechanical pincers, and a tail curved over its back, the thing had to be almost fifteen feet long. A scorpion? Almost, as instead of a stinger, the tail ended with a launcher for the bolts. A second of watching activated Hiral’s View ability, and the name appeared below the hanging construct.

(Elite Construct) Tomorrow’s Scorbalest – High-B-Rank

Even as the name appeared, Hiral spotted movement out of the corner of his eyes as dozens more clattered into view, their weaponized tails aiming in his direction.

At least it’s not traps…