《Cycle of the Cursed Throne》 First Entrance Part 1 "Oi! Hurry up!" Jak groaned as he woke up to the shout coming from the window of his room, a sound which was quickly followed by the rattle of gravel hitting the window. "Come on, Jak! We have to get moving! Otherwise we''ll never get in!" He groaned again as he rolled out of bed then shouted through the window. "Alright! I''m up! Just give me a minute and I''ll be right down!" He glanced out the window and saw his friend Heth staring up at him impatiently, as he tapped his fingers on the bow he was holding. Jak quickly went into the washroom and relieved himself, then splashed water onto his face to help him wake up. He briefly combed his fingers through his wet hair, getting it into some semblance of order, then went back to his bed to get dressed. He pulled his leather trousers on, then slipped on a course woven, brown shirt and pulled his leather jerkin on over the top. He went out to the main room of the small house he shared with his family, where he saw his mother. "I think Heth wants you" she said dryly. "Something about being late?" "I don''t know what he''s thinking" Jak muttered. "It''s not like the dungeon is going anywhere." She looked at him, with a worried expression. "You will be careful, won''t you, Jak?" "Of course, mum! Besides, it''ll only be the first floor. It''s not like it will be that dangerous." She sighed as she replied "I know that. But still. Are you sure you want to do it? There''s no shame in waiting longer." "Come on, mum. You agreed that I could enter the dungeon if i finished the all the training courses and I did. Enter Master Jhen said that I was ready for it." "I know," she replied hesitantly. "But you''re only 16." Jak groaned again, as she clearly prepared to rehash the old conversations that they had had many times. "You were even younger, the first time you went in!" "Okay, okay. I''ll stop" she replied, seeing his expression. "Do you have time to eat before you go?" She held out a bun with cheese and ham in it in one hand, while she held his backpack in the other. Jak smiled as he realised that she had been prepared for this all along. "I gotta go, mum! Love you!" he said as he grabbed the bun and darted out the door, grabbing his shield and club as he did. He didn''t turn, so he didn''t see the worried expression on her face. "There you are! Come on, come on!" Heth almost shouted as Jak ran around the corner and saw him. Heth grabbed his arm and almost pulled Jak over as he quickly started jogging off. Holding the bun in one hand, Jak grinned at Heth, then quickly started jogging himself. By the time they reached the main street, they were almost running. They turned onto the street then started dodging around the slower pedestrains and other traffic, as they made their way to the Dungeon Corner. As they reached the thick double wall that seperated the Dungeon Corner from the rest of the city, they slowed, staring around. Even here, outside the Dungeon corner, there were signs of adventure and excitement, as men and women in all types of armor and clothes made their way to the Dungeon. The different races were all here, Elf and Dwarf, Human and Draken. There were even some of the Wild Races; Orcs, Trolls, and even Beastkin. One huge figure in a massive robe must have been a Half-Giant, as nothing else could explain her 9 foot height. Jak and Heth slowed to a stop as they approached the thick, heavy gates that led into the Dungeon Corner. The guardsmen on duty waved everyone through, stopping only those that carried bared weapons. The crowds all moved inwards into the Dungeon Corner, all moving for the same destination; the huge central square. As they reached the square, Jak and Heth looked around. The area around was full of Dungeon Runners, while around the outside of the square merchants shouted for attention. The noise was almost unbearable, as hundreds of people talked and shouted to and at each other. "Potions! Dungeon Grade potions!" "Adventuring supplies! Rope, torches, trap balls! You don''t wanna forget your trap ball!" "Spell stones for all spells up to tier 3! Guaranteed to work or your money back!" Jak looked around at the different stalls and people. This was by no means his first time here, as he had attended the beginner classes in the huge Dungeon Hall that took up one entire side of the square. Having finished his just the previous week, this was the first time the Dungeon was open since then. "I can''t believe it took over a month to reopen. That must be the the longest time it''s ever been closed." Jak said to Heth. "Almost, yeah. The record is for six weeks and two days, so it''s only a few days short." Heth replied. "What do you think it will be this time?" Jak asked. "I don''t know. Last time it was a Beastial Colony theme, and Master Jhen said that the longer it takes, the more different it is from the previous one. At this long, it must be almost the exact opposite, so I think it''ll be the cave system, going down into a labyrinth, or maybe a Tower." "I hope it''s not a Tower theme. Freaking bird monsters flying every where. Not much I can do there." Heth smirked at him before replying "Don''t worry. You can always carry my bags as I shoot them down." He laughed while miming shooting a bow. Jak gave him a light shove as he grinned back. "I hope it''s a proper cave system, nice and low, full of rats and spiders. You can prove how good you are with your piece of wood then." A dwarvish Dungeon Runner next to them said "I heard rumours that it an Undead theme" then quickly got into an argument with his neighbour about it. Turning back to Heth, Jak said "I don''t care what it is! I just want to get in!" Heth nodded in agreement, but before he could reply, there was a bang and a burst of coloured sparks from the front of the crowd. Loud voices quickly called for silence, which soon filled the square. A large man in full plate armor amde of some oddly shining metal stepped onto a small stage and started speaking to the crowed. "The reports from the Dungeon Testers are all in. This iteration of the Dungeon is a fairly typical cave system, at least on the first three floors. It also seems like a big one this time. They made it down to the 10th floor before turning back late last night. The first three floors are light on traps, with most copies of the dungeon having just the basic rockfalls and pits. For monsters, there doesn''t seem to be a set theme, with the first three floors having beasts, skeletons and a few monsters. All monsters on the first three floors are appropriately leveled for their floor, but you should still be careful! They all go around in ones or twos, but there were a couple reports of patrols and rushing to loud noises." The crowd all started talking to each other, until the man banged his heavy hammer on the ground. "Now, I''ve asked the head of the Dungeon Tester''s up here to tell us a bit more about this iteration." A tall, lean, elf, with a flowing, azure robe and long silver hair climbed up onto the stage next to him. "Thank you, Guild Master Rotit." "You''re welcome, Madame Ceclava¡± he replied to the elf. Her blue eyes seemed to glow red for a second, making her thin face seem almost diabolic. ¡°The dungeon is following the general rules for each iteration. Anyone entering as a group needs to be in physical contact while they enter; the first five floors are all maintained in the Dungeon Pockets, meaning that when you are in them you are alone. Remember that; no one is going to be able to help you. The first five floors are all suitable for beginner adventurers; they get harder until the fifth, but nothing that a decent group shouldn¡¯t be able to handle. Note, we couldn¡¯t find any evidence of scaling to ability even when we put some of our trainees through, so you need to be careful. The first couple of floors you will be fine with a random group, but by the third floor, you will need at least a dedicated Healer class or a Guardian class and by the fifth floor, beginner groups will need both. Good news though is that Thrones are appearing on each floor with the first floor Throne working for all group members. After that, it seems that each Throne only works the once, but there have been disputes about that. We have a confirmed event of the third and fourth floor working twice, as long as the adventurers are in a pair; if you have three or more people in your group, they only work once. There is also speculation that any group clearing multiple floors without exiting between can get multiple workings from the Thrones up until the fifth floor, but we haven¡¯t been able to prove that yet. We also strongly discourage beginner groups from attempting that, as the floors get harder quickly.¡± The crowd looked around at each other, murmuring. Most of the comments seemed to be happy with the possibilities offered by the dungeon. Madame Cleclava waited for the crowd to quiet again before continuing. ¡°From the sixth floor, the dungeon is NOT using Dungeon Pockets. Be careful of this, as there are also no penalties for attacking other adventurers, and the monsters in them do not differentiate between different groups. It¡¯s entirely possible that you could be mobbed by monsters that have been chasing another group.¡± Moans emitted from the crowd, everyone agreeing that they hated that part. The Half-Giant that Jak had seen before shouted out in a booming, yet respectful voice ¡°Madame Master, do you have any ideas about the reasons for the different styles of the dungeon? I understood that each iteration used the same rules throughout.¡± Madame Cleclava paused before replying. ¡°Yes, that is what we have typically seen in the past, but there are also multiple observations of the dungeon doing this. It almost always means that the dungeon is bigger than normal, at least 50 normal floors. So far, this seems accurate, as up until the tenth floor adventurers with a moderate level of experience should be fine. We haven¡¯t yet moved past the tenth floor, as it has a puzzle lock on it. If past iterations are anything to go by, this means that each tenth floor will also have a puzzle lock.¡± The crowd of adventurers swore as a group; everyone hated the shifting, ever-changing puzzle locks that the dungeon used. ¡°Any themes in the puzzle lock?¡± a voice near the front called out. Jak couldn¡¯t see who spoke, but the soft, sibilant voice made him think it was a Beastkin. ¡°Nothing confirmed yet,¡± Madame Cleclava replied. ¡°Of the five groups that have made it to the door, three have reported elemental aspects, while the other two didn¡¯t. Four of the groups also experienced motion locks, but one didn¡¯t. The group that did not find this did not have a lock expert, so it¡¯s possible that the puzzle doors are based on the individual group. There does seem to be a time aspect to them, as the area by the door is NOT a safe area; monsters come in increasingly large numbers if you spend time there. We haven¡¯t yet been able to confirm static puzzles for each group or if the monsters stop coming while you work on the door, but we will announce it once we have been able to.¡± Master Rotit spoke up as Madame Cleclava finished ¡°Madame Cleclava, is there anything else the adventurers should know about the sixth to tenth floors?¡± ¡°No, not particularly. They follow a similar theme to the first five floors, but unless you are a highly experienced adventurer, you should only enter them in a full group. The dungeon does not seem to be limiting group sizes, but we can¡¯t find any evidence that the Thrones activate more than once per group on those floors, so the rewards probably aren¡¯t big enough to justify large groups.¡± ¡°How about treasure?¡± a deep voice rang out from the crowd. ¡°From what we have seen, it¡¯s low to medium at best, at least on the floors we have seen so far. From what we have seen of puzzle locks in the past, the treasure should improve once you get past the tenth floor, but that will have to be confirmed later.¡± ¡°Thank you, Madame Cleclava, you have been as clear and instructive as always.¡± Master Rotit said. ¡°Is there anything else that you think we should know?¡± ¡°Yes, there is one thing. Each Floor Master is dropping a bronze token. They are coin-like, but about twice the size of a normal coin. These tokens are tradeable exist outside the dungeon. We have found no clear use for them as of yet, but there is speculation that they are needed to create a Master Key. Therefore, the Dungeon Tester¡¯s Guild is offering to purchase each of these tokens for one silver coin. We are hoping to be able to find the Dungeon Master of this iteration, and finally complete this dungeon once and for all!¡± The crowd broke out into excited conversations at this. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.¡°What?! I thought the dungeon was impossible to complete?¡± Jak hissed at Heth who looked back at him, obviously as confused as he was. Master Rotit slammed his hammer onto the ground again to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°If that is all, then we can begin entrance. As usual, the most experienced adventurers first, working down to beginner adventurers.¡± The crowd quickly started splitting up into different groups, with the smallest group of adventurers moving to the entrance of the dungeon. They were all clearly highly experienced adventurers wearing highly enchanted equipment, while the other adventurers moved off into groups, waiting their turn. Jak and Heth moved to the group of beginner adventurers that was also a smaller group. The largest group seemed to be the experienced adventurers, with at least a thousand waiting in it. The group of highly experienced adventurers were quickly approaching the entrance in small groups, normally between four and six members per group. As they approached the entrance, they all clasped arms and then the lead member would touch the entrance. As they did, the entire group would seem to be pulled into the dungeon instantaneously, although they also appeared to walk in. The paradoxical effect hurt Jak¡¯s head as he stared at it and he quickly turned away. As he did, a dwarf in a bushy white robe chuckled at him. ¡°First time seeing the entrance like this?¡± he asked in a deep, gentle voice that matched his face. ¡°I¡¯ve watched groups enter plenty, but never like this.¡± Jak replied, wincing again at the pain in his head. ¡°Aye, the warp entrance spell is a rarity, but I hear it¡¯s a good sign. Apparently, it means that the dungeon is watching and will offer better rewards for certain feats.¡± Heth looked up excitedly ¡°really? So, if we do something really brave, then we¡¯ll get rewarded for it?¡± The dwarf nodded as he replied ¡°that is the theory. I haven¡¯t experienced it myself, and there doesn¡¯t seem to be any evidence of it, but the Dungeon Worshippers believe it. In fact, I imagine that there¡¯ll be some of them here once they hear about it.¡± ¡°What do they believe, the Dungeon Worshippers? We learnt a bit about them while learning to be adventurers, but Master Dalem said that they are all a bunch of nutjobs who don¡¯t know how to leave well enough alone.¡± Jak asked. The dwarf scratched his chin thoughtfully, his short beard giving him an air of wisdom. ¡°I don¡¯t rightfully know. As best as I understand it, they believe that the dungeon is sentient, more so than what most people think of it. They think it is watching and observing all who enter it and that those who listen hard enough will hear it talk to them. I only entered the dungeon a few in the last iteration, so I¡¯m no expert, but I never heard anything from it.¡± A human standing behind the dwarf interrupted him, his harsh voice almost angry. ¡°Bloody dungeon botherers. In the last iteration, they kept setting up camps on the third floor and killing all the monsters on it. It made it almost impossible to clear that floor, unless you had someone who could kill the monsters before they did.¡± ¡°Why did they do that?¡± Heth asked, confused. ¡°They claimed that the dungeon was speaking to them there and that it wanted them to. We all complained to Master Rotit, but he always said the same thing; that as long as they weren¡¯t attacking adventurers, then he wouldn¡¯t do anything.¡± The man replied angrily then spat on the ground. ¡°Aye, that is the rules that the crown forced on the guild. They are allowed to police the dungeon, but they cannot enforce any rules that are not laws in the city. The queen doesn¡¯t want the adventurers guild to get too powerful or to challenge her authority¡± the dwarf replied. ¡°I know that the adventurers guild works to maintain order in the dungeon and help train adventurers,¡± Jak said, confused, ¡°but why would the queen worry about them? Aren¡¯t they on her side? I saw them fighting with the army when I was a kid.¡± A Half-elf wearing a mixture of leather and chain-mail interrupted before anyone could reply. He was standing with the group of beginner adventurers, but he didn¡¯t seem like he was new to it. His gear all seemed to match, using browns and greens to soften the shine of the chain-mail, while his grey hair was swept back and held in a knot. His eyes stood out the most though; one grey and one green. ¡°The queens fears the power of the adventurers, because she knows that they have the power to resist her. Just look at Madame Cleclava and Master Rotit. They have both been exploring the dungeon for decades. If they wanted to, they could invade the castle easily enough, especially if they got some of the other adventurers to help them. They might not be able to defeat the army, but they could make enough trouble for the queen and the army that it would ruin the city.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why there is never a tax on the dungeon¡± the human man continued. ¡°The kings and queens have always known that as long as they leave the adventurers guild alone and don¡¯t make problems about the dungeon, then the adventurers don¡¯t make problems for the city. In fact, most adventurers rarely leave the Dungeon Corner apart from when they are doing quests outside the city.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve seen adventurers in the Commons corner all the time.¡± Jak countered. ¡°Aye, plenty of the adventurers who are born in this city live in the homes there at first. I still live with my brothers there. But once you can afford it, the inns in the Dungeon Corner are better. The best ones are enchanted with area spells, meaning that a room in the inn can be bigger than a large house easily. And the inns all have maids and what not.¡± ¡°How about in the Noble Corner? Do any adventurers live there?¡± Heth asked. The human man spat again. ¡°Ha! As if those stuck up toffs would let adventurers live among them. That¡¯s one of the rules that the queen enforces. Adventurers can¡¯t buy land in the Noble Corner with money from the dungeon. They claim it¡¯s to because of tax issues, but everyone knows that it¡¯s just to keep the adventurers away from the Nobles.¡± ¡°Besides, why would the adventurers want to live there? All forms of magic work better in the Dungeon Corner, which is why the inns can have the area spells. To make them work in the Noble Corner takes a huge amount of power. I know that a few of the Nobles have area enchantments, and the queen does obviously, but that¡¯s it.¡± The Half-Elf replied. ¡°Fascinating¡± Jak breathed in amazement. To think that he had lived in the city his whole life but hadn¡¯t realised these things. ¡°Why don¡¯t people know about all this?¡± ¡°Aach, the Nobles know, so do the Adventurers. It¡¯s not hidden from those who live in the commons, but it¡¯s not spoken about too much.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Jak asked. ¡°Ha, you are fresh, aren¡¯t you lad? Don¡¯t worry, you find out eventually. Here¡¯s a tip though; save up your money and get yourself a place in one of the cheap inns as soon as you can. It doesn¡¯t matter how much you like your family, you want to get away from them as fast as possible.¡± ¡°Leave my mum? Why would I do that?¡± Jak asked, bewildered. ¡°You¡¯ll find out, lad. You¡¯ll find out.¡± Jak opened his mouth to ask another question but was interrupted by the ringing tone of Master Rotit¡¯s hammer hitting the ground again. ¡°Next group! Hurry up about it! You all like hanging around here?!¡± His voice rang out, loud but calm. As he spoke, the largest group of adventurers formed into a long, snaking line in front of the dungeon entrance. Individual groups starting disappearing from into the dungeon almost as fast as Jak could count. Within minutes, they had all disappeared, leaving just the beginner adventurers group that Jak and Heth were with. Master Rotit shouted out again. ¡°Next group, get a move on! If you haven¡¯t entered before, wait until the end and we¡¯ll get you stamped!¡± The group of beginner adventurers lined up. This group seemed to be made up of small teams, normally only two or three people. Even though the line was much shorter than that of the previous group, they seemed to take much longer to get in. Jak and Heth moved to the end of the line, fare welling the other adventurers they had been talking to while they waited. Heth almost shook with excitement as they stood in line. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s happening! We get to be adventurers now! I can¡¯t wait for the stamp! I hope I get the Throne. Or the crown! What do you think you will get, Jak? I bet you get the shield!¡± ¡°I never did understand the stamps. I mean, I know what Master Dalem said, that it is a sign of how we connect to the dungeon, but I couldn¡¯t follow him when he started talking about what the different stamps mean. How are they different?¡± Jak asked him. ¡°Well, from what I understand, they show what the dungeon believes you will do well. If you work in a way that matches the stamp the dungeon gives you, then your abilities are stronger and better. Well, perhaps, anyway. He also said that no one had been able to prove it, as no one knew what like half of the stamps mean. Like, the Throne? What role would that be? And the queen didn¡¯t get the crown when she entered. She got the bird.¡± ¡°Yeah, my mum has the bird too. She always said that it showed her what she wanted most, but she never did say what it was.¡± ¡°My big sister got the flame, so she became a fire mage. She said it felt right to do it.¡± Heth said. ¡°I knew she got the flame. Are you saying that it made her more powerful as a fire mage?¡± Jak asked excitedly. ¡°Ahh, well, she doesn¡¯t say it like that. When I asked her, she said the same thing that Master Dalem said. That she couldn¡¯t prove it made her more powerful than if she had done something else, but that she felt it had. She said that the abilities she gets from the Thrones are always good ones, but she isn¡¯t sure if she would have got good ones if she had done something else.¡± Heth said awkwardly. ¡°She said she believed it did and that was good enough for her.¡± The line of new adventurers had moved up as they talked and it was almost there turn to enter the dungeon. Jak could finally see the gate now, a seeming blue wall of light that seemed to buzz and vibrate. As each group touched it, they disappeared into the dungeon and the next group moved up. As they approached the entrance, Master Rotim stopped them, as he had each other group. ¡°New adventurers, huh? Are you sure your old enough? Got your passes?¡± he asked in a gruff voice. Heth pulled out the necklace that he had tucked into his shirt as he answered excitedly ¡°Yes, Master Rotit. Master Dalem gave them to us last month, but the dungeon closed before we got a chance to enter it.¡± He pulled the small, silver charm off his necklace and passed it to Master Rotit as Jak did the same. ¡°Ahh, you took his classes did you? Good for you! He¡¯s one of the best teachers. I wish I could get more adventurers of his quality to take on some of the teaching work, but what can we do?¡± He held the charms in his hand as he muttered a brief spell, which made the charms glow briefly before he handed them back. ¡°It¡¯s good to see that you both learnt all the basic skills. Just the two of you going in?¡± ¡°Ahh, yes, that¡¯s okay, right?¡± Jak answered uncertainly. ¡°Well, we normally recommend that new adventurers have at least a group of three before they enter, but since you both know the basic spells and the first floors of this dungeon are easy enough, it¡¯ll be fine. Just make sure you remember that those charms can be used as a one-off escape spell. Just hold it and say exit now and you¡¯ll end up back here.¡± ¡°Ha! We won¡¯t need to use those! Besides, I heard that the dungeon punishes you for doing that?¡± Heth replied boastfully. ¡°Yes, some people say that. It certainly seems to make the Thrones less useful for you. But, it¡¯s better than dying, so don¡¯t let pride get the best of you, boy!¡± Master Rotit answered sternly. ¡°Better a weak adventurer than a dead adventurer.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Jak said quickly, elbowing Heth until he did the same.¡± ¡°Alright then boys, hold arms and then one of you touch the gate. Getting stamped will feel weird and it seems to happen differently for everyone, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll handle it just fine.¡± ¡°What if we don¡¯t want to get stamped?¡± Jak asked uncertainly. ¡°You can always refuse the stamp, but then the Thrones won¡¯t work for you. Personally, I don¡¯t recommend doing that. If you don¡¯t want the stamp, then there¡¯s plenty of other dungeons that you can go to, that are probably safer than this one.¡± Jak swallowed nervously, before turning to Heth and saying ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do this.¡± With that, he took Heth¡¯s arm, grasped it firmly as Heth nodded at him, then reached out to touch the gate. First Entrance Part 2 Time froze as Jak fell into blackness. Jak floated in the nothingness, until he heard a rumbling voice. ¡°Hmm, what do we have here? My, my, my. What a lot of potential.¡± ¡°Who is that? Who¡¯s there?¡± Jak shouted, panicked. The voice ignored him, continuing on its monologue. ¡°What a lot of options for you. You could do much with many of the gifts I could bestow on you. What would you like, I wonder?¡± ¡°Like? Gifts? Who are you? What are you giving me?¡± ¡°Ahh, I sense your true self. You don¡¯t want power to destroy, or power to rule. Your truest goal is what? Adventure? Is that all?¡± the voice carried on talking, seeming unable to hear Jak. Jak calmed himself, trying to understand what was happening. Was this the dungeon? ¡°Are you talking about me? Are you giving me my stamp?¡± The voice didn¡¯t react to his questions, but Jak imagined that he felt something probing his mind. ¡°Hmm, I see you now. You desire to be renown and remembered forever. You want to complete the dungeon, don¡¯t you? Why yes, I sense it. I have the perfect gift for you.¡± The energy probing him mind left off and Jak felt it move onto his arm, seeming to wrap around his wrist. ¡°You want it, don¡¯t you? Here, take it. Seize it. Make it yours. This gift will give you the power you truly desire. You will be strong. Perhaps strong enough to achieve your aim. But you will suffer for it. Oh, yes, you will have to sacrifice for it. But it will be enough to aid you.¡± With that, the energy circling his wrist suddenly burnt, making Jak shout out in pain. Suddenly, the darkness disappeared and he appeared in the dungeon, holding Heth¡¯s arm. ¡°That sucked¡± Jak said to Heth, letting go of his arm as he did and looking to his wrist. On his wrist he saw bright red image of a snake wrapping around his wrist and biting its own tail. It seemed to glow, shifting colours slowly. Finally, it dimmed, leaving a golden snake around his wrist. ¡°What did you get?¡± Heth asked him excitedly. ¡°I got a bow! And it¡¯s got two arrows nocked on it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a snake, all around my wrist. Is that normal?¡± He put out his wrist, showing it to Heth, who put him wrist next to him. Heth¡¯s mark was indeed a bow with two arrows, a green image on his inner wrist. ¡°I guess it shows that you should keep using you bow, Heth. But what does this mean? A snake? I should look for animals?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you now, Jak, I¡¯m not adventuring with you if you start carrying a snake around. They give me the creeps.¡± They both chuckled, then started looking around the dungeon they were in. It seemed like a low roofed cave, with stalactites hanging down almost to their head height. The floor and walls were rough, but they seemed normal. There didn¡¯t seem to be a light source, but the cave wasn¡¯t dark somehow, as they could still see their surroundings. ¡°This is amazing!¡± Heth said excitedly. ¡°It¡¯s like being in a real cave!¡± Heth was right. While Jak knew he was in a dungeon, it felt like a cave. Jak could even feel a slight breeze blowing on his back. When he turned, the strange blue light that they had entered through had disappeared, to be replaced by a typical cave mouth. It seemed so real that Jak reached out to touch it, feeling a strange resistance as he did. A flash of blue light glowed as he did, making the strange blue gate appear. A message appeared in his mind [Do you wish to exit?] Jak pulled his hand back and the message disappeared. He turned to Heth, who was staring down the tunnel. He was about to speak to him, before he saw Heth preparing his bow. Immediately wary, he asked Heth quietly ¡°is something there?¡± ¡°Maybe¡± Heth whispered back. I think I can see something moving, but I¡¯m not sure. I think the dungeon turns over there, so I can¡¯t be sure.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s check it out! Just like we practiced, right?¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stick to the right, so I can shoot past you. Ready?¡± Heth asked. Jak readied his club and shield, holding them loosely. He moved past Heth and started moving down the tunnel cautiously. As he approached the turn in the tunnel, he saw what Heth had seen. A single skeleton was walking back and forward randomly, seemingly with no purpose. Jak slowed as he approached it, walking as quiet as possible. He got to dozen feet away from it before it reacted to his presence by turning its head and staring directly at him. A light glowed in its eye-sockets briefly, but disappeared at Jak stepped back again, and the skeleton started to ignore him again. Jak moved back to where Heth was aiming his bow at the skeleton and started whispering. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s only going to attack us if we get close to it. Why don¡¯t you try shooting it so we can see if we can get an easy kill on it?¡± ¡°I dunno, Jak. I don¡¯t know if my arrows will do much to it¡± Heth said doubtfully. Regardless, he brought his bow up and aimed carefully at the skeleton¡¯s head. He released, with the arrow speeding towards the skeleton. As the arrow got within a dozen feet of the skeleton, it¡¯s head snapped around to look at it. However, it wasn¡¯t fast enough to stop the arrow, which struck it directly, knocking it back. The skeleton stumbled then stood up again and starting towards the pair in a stumbling jog. As it approached, Jak moved to stand in front of it, holding his shield up to block it. The skeleton swung it¡¯s arm at Jak, trying to scratch him. Jak blocked the strike on his shield, grunting and stumbling slightly at the force of the hit. He quickly balanced himself then pushed the skeleton back with his shield, making it stumble away. As he did, Heth fired another arrow at it, which glanced off it¡¯s shoulder, making it stumble even more. ¡°It¡¯s not working, Jak. The arrows don¡¯t do anything to it!¡± Heth¡¯s voice sounded panicked. ¡°Relax, Heth. It¡¯s just like in training.¡± Jak pushed the skeleton with his shield again, knocking it further off balance. As it stumbled, he swung hard with his club, cracking the bones in the arm that the skeleton hastily threw up to defend itself. He swung again, cracking the bone even more, but failed to block the swipe that the skeleton made in return. Its fingers left long cuts down his arm, which stung but didn¡¯t bleed much. ¡°Shit! That¡¯s not fun!¡± he swore as Heth fired another arrow at the skeleton, hitting the cracked bone in its arm, which promptly broke and fell off. ¡°Haha! Hit! Get it, Jak!¡± Heth shouted in excitement. As Jak swung again, the skeleton jerked its body, as though trying to block with its missing arm. Jak¡¯s swing hit the skeleton directly in its face, cracking the bones there. Jak swung again, as the skeleton struggled to block itself with its one remaining arm. His club crashed right through the skeletons arm and into its skull again, knocking it off the body. As the head separated, the entire skeleton collapsed into a pile of bones, with the light in the skeleton¡¯s eye sockets going dark for a final time. Jak and Heth panted in exhaustion from the fight, before Jak turned to Heth. ¡°See, I told you! Just like in practice!¡± Heth laughed back at him as he replied ¡°it definitely feels more real. I¡¯m just amazed it was so easy.¡± Jak looked at his arm, seeing the long scratches that the skeleton had given him. ¡°I don¡¯t know I would call that easy. It was only one skeleton, and it was a weak one at that. The ones that Master Dalem used to bring to training were harder than that.¡± ¡°Ahh, don¡¯t worry so much, Jak.¡± Heth replied. ¡°Are you going to heal your arm, or do you want me to?¡± Jak looked at the scratches again, which were still leaking a bit of blood. ¡°I¡¯ve got it.¡± Jak focused, and cast one of the only spells he knew, the most basic healing spell. It wasn¡¯t enough to fix the scratches, but it healed them enough to make them stop bleeding and to take most of the pain out of them. He stared at his arm, as the scratches changed to look like they were several days old, then frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about this, Heth. That was just one skeleton, and it did that. If there had been two, or if it had been stronger, then we would¡¯ve had a real problem. Maybe we should find someone to heal us.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, Jak¡± Heth replied airily. ¡°You heard Madame Cleclava. For this floor, we¡¯ll be fine.¡± Jak frowned doubtfully, but before he could speak, Heth continued. ¡°Anyway, we should see if the skeleton had anything!¡± Both boys quickly started searching the pile of bones, but apart from a ragged leather belt that the skeleton had been wearing, there was nothing there. Jak held up the belt, examining it. ¡°What do you think, Heth?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my style, but it seems like your style. You know, ripped and broken.¡± Heth mocked Jak playfully. Jak punched him in the shoulder, grinning. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m gonna keep it as a trophy of our first proper fight.¡± Jak stuffed the ragged belt into his backpack, then picked up his shield and club again. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving, Heth.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll lead, then jump back behind you if something comes, so stay on the left.¡± Having planned their formation, the two set off again, traveling through the tunnels again. After a short walk, Heth put up his hand to stop Jak, then quickly crouched and pulled him down. ¡°Did you see it?¡± he hissed at Jak. ¡°Where?¡± Jak whispered back quietly, not doubting Heth. Long experience had shown them both that Heth¡¯s sight and hearing were better than Jak¡¯s, which was why Heth had chosen to become an archer. ¡°About 100 feet ahead of us, there seems to be some sort of cave. I saw something in there. Wait! There it is again!¡± Jak stared into the darkness of the dungeon. Although it wasn¡¯t as dark as he had expected, as they had moved away from the entrance, the tunnels had gotten darker, making it hard for Jak to see that far. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, Heth. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m gonna be able to see it until we¡¯re almost on top of us.¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s true. I don¡¯t think I could even shoot it from here, not in a single shot. And if it¡¯s like the skeleton, as soon as we attack it, it will start the fight.¡± Heth and Jak stared into the darkness, until finally Heth sighed. ¡°I guess there¡¯s nothing for it. We¡¯ll have to do the light arrow.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t that just make it attack us? Besides, Master Dalem always said that it was stupid solution to fighting in the dark.¡± ¡°He¡¯s just jealous that I thought of it! Besides, unless you want to just go out there and attack it, I don¡¯t think we have another option.¡± Jak sighed, before agreeing with Heth. Heth nocked and arrow, then drew it back. As he did, Jak cast his light spell, attaching it to the arrow. Heth fired the arrow, making it hit the ground well in front of the monster he had seen. The arrow bounced and then bounced again, finally stopping a few feet from the monster. The light from the basic light spell that Jak had been taught as part of the training was enough to illuminate most of the cave, which was a rough dome, about 20 feet in diameter. Jak and Heth both stared at the monster, which was some sort of beast. It looked vaguely like a dog, with patchy brown fur, but it¡¯s rear legs were almost absurdly oversized, as was its head, with tiny black eye, a large bulbous nose and a wide, slobbering jaw. ¡°Ahh, crap. It¡¯s a Hynous.¡± ¡°Shit, shit, shit!¡± Jak swore. ¡°I hate these things.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it doesn¡¯t seem like its realised we¡¯re here. The arrow must not have been enough to make it attack us, since it didn¡¯t hit it.¡± Jak realised that Heth was right. The cave-dwelling monster didn¡¯t seem to know what to do with the light spell on the arrow. It was staring at it, moving forwards in a sort of shuffling hop to sniff at it. ¡°Do you think it will smell us?¡± ¡°Nooo, I don¡¯t think so. Remember, it¡¯s a dungeon monster, not a real monster. It probably doesn¡¯t really use it¡¯s sense of smell to hunt, so it¡¯s just acting on reflex right now.¡± Jak remembered the lessons that Master Dalem had given them about dungeon monsters and agreed with Heth. While a real Hynous would definitely have smelt and attacked them by now, dungeon monsters always followed the rules of the dungeon, and they were clearly too far away from the waist height monster for now. ¡°What should we do about it?¡± Jak asked Heth in a whisper. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna run out there. Those things can jump way too fast for me to hit it with my club.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll shoot it in the back leg to stop it from jumping. Then you just stay by the entrance to the tunnel and hit it if it gets too close, while I shoot it. Hopefully, it¡¯ll never get close to us.¡± Jak frowned at Heth. ¡°Are you sure you can make that shot? I know you¡¯re good, but this isn¡¯t like the practice targets.¡± Heth gulped, as he looked at the beast. ¡°I¡¯ll get it, you just watch! Now, get ready. Remember, just focus on keeping it out of the tunnel. Ill keep shooting at it.¡± Heth nocked an arrow, drew back and carefully took aim. He tracked the beasts movements, trying to predict where it¡¯s leg would be. Finally seeing his chance, he loosed the arrow! Unfortunately, the beast moved the wrong way, and the arrow that was supposed to disable its leg instead hit it in its side, until its ribs. It went in deep, making the beast howl in pain and surprise. The hynous quickly turned and started towards the two boys. ¡°Crap! You missed, Heth!¡± ¡°I know, I know! But it¡¯s fine! A shot like that should be enough to slow it down!¡± Indeed, while the monster was hopping towards them, it wasn¡¯t the huge jumps that the beast was famous for. Jak braced himself, holding his shield up. As he did, Heth fired another arrow, this time hitting the beast¡¯s shoulder. It snarled in pain, then quickly bit down on the arrow and broke it. As it did, Heth shot it again, this time only scratching its face, as the beast moved again. The beast finally made it to the tunnel entrance and lunged forwards, biting at Jak. He blocked it with his shield, then pushed it as hard as he could, forcing it back. Jak moved back into his position, focusing on keeping the beast out of the tunnel. While Jak did this, Heth was busy lining up another shot. As the beast stumbled back, Heth shot it again, finally hitting it¡¯s overgrown rear leg. The beast howled in pain again, and finally slowed down, limping at them again. ¡°Got it! Quick! Hit it, Jak!¡± Jak leapt forwards, swinging his club as hard as he could at the beast¡¯s head. The beast was unable to move in time to dodge and took the blow directly to its face, spraying blood around the cave. Jak swung again, but the beast dodged back, before lunging again. Jak blocked the lunge, but the force of the blow knocked him off his feet and onto his back. The beast tried to jump on him, but Jak kept shield between the two of them, holding the beast off of him. As he did, Heth fired a final arrow, piercing the beasts head and killing it. The hynous slumped down, but Jak quickly pushed it away with his shield, before he stood up again. ¡°I bagsies that you fight the next one¡± he said, groaning at his sore muscles. ¡°Don¡¯t be such a wimp, Jak!¡± Heth replied, laughing. ¡°You didn¡¯t even get a scratch.¡± ¡°Yeah, but falling over hurts, and injures muscles. And you know that the healing spell we have won¡¯t fix that. That could¡¯ve been bad.¡± ¡°But it wasn¡¯t. Sure, it didn¡¯t go quite as planned, but the tactics we learnt in training worked just fine. Anyway, do you think that thing has treasure or anything?¡± Jak sighed at his friend. ¡°How would it have treasure? What would it even do with it? But if you want to look, go ahead.¡± Heth made a rude gesture at Jak, before moving forwards. He quickly pulled out his arrows, checking to see if they were still good, before cleaning them and putting them away. Then he looked at the beast¡¯s corpses, before saying ¡°I think you¡¯re right. Nothing there.¡± While Heth did that, Jak looked around the room, seeing if there was treasure of some kind. Finding, nothing, Jak stood and stretched, while he waited for Heth. Seeing that he was ready, Jak moved to the opposite side of the save they had entered from, then looked down the tunnel. Only 20 feet from the cave, the tunnel became too dark for Jak to see. ¡°What do you want to do? Torch it?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so. You hold the torch, while I lead. Keep your shield ready and we¡¯ll see what happens. They slowly made their way through the tunnels of the dungeon. The tunnels twisted and turned, entering caves every so often. Most caves had a beast or a skeleton in them, which Jak and Heth defeated using the same techniques they had used before. They continued onwards, until they finally came to a huge cavern, which had lit torches around the outside. They crouched down as far from the cave as possible while still being able to see into it, putting out their torch to keep themselves hidden. ¡°What can you see?¡± Jak asked Heth. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not good. It¡¯s big. Very big.¡± Jak gulped, nervously. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a skeleton. Big. With a sword.¡± The skeleton was six foot tall and wielding a two-handed sword almost as big as Jak was. It was wearing an old, rusted chain shirt and a holey helmet. ¡°Crap. This is gonna hurt, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I think we can handle it. I think if you move in and go left, I¡¯ll move right and shoot it as it moves towards you. If we time it right, we can keep it off guard while we try to crack a leg or something.¡± ¡°And what if it goes for you, Heth?¡± Heth shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°I¡¯ll run towards you, so make sure you hit it as it goes past!¡± Laughing, they both prepared themselves and moved towards the entrance to the cavern. Jak stepped through first and immediately moved left. As he did, the skeleton stared at him, a burning light in each eye socket. Jak stepped around the edge of the cavern, while the skeleton followed him with its burning eyes. He glanced over to see Heth, bow drawn, and then moved forwards. As soon as he stepped closer, the skeleton moved towards him, raising it¡¯s sword and pulling the sword back in preparation to swing. At that moment, an arrow from Heth slammed into its shoulder, making it stumble forwards. Jak took the opportunity to swing at its leg. His first blow struck its knee solidly, leaving faint cracks. Jak moved to strike again, but then had to duck as the huge sword swung over his heard with a faint hiss of air parting. Jak jumped back and shouted to Heth. ¡°A bit of help here!¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Heth shouted back. As he did, he fired another arrow, striking the skeleton¡¯s back, which made it stumble slightly but nothing else. The skeleton swung at Jak again, forcing him to dive out of the way. He rolled, trying to get out of the follow up chop he was expecting, but it never came. He stopped rolling and saw that the skeleton had moved to attack Heth, who had hit it with another arrow. As Jak stood up, the skeleton lashed out at Heth, who dodged backwards and then started running around the outside of the cave. The skeleton chased after it in a jog, doing well at keeping up with Heth. ¡°Get ready!¡± he shouted. Jak stood back, dropping his shield and grasping his club in two hands. He pulled back as Heth approached, then swung low as he passed, just in time to take out the large skeleton¡¯s leg. It fell forwards, rolling over and landing on its back. Jak raised his club to attack the skeleton¡¯s head, but the skeleton blocked his blow with its arm, then swung at him with its sword. He dodged back again, jumping back and picking up his sword. The two boys moved away from the skeleton, waiting to see if it would get up again. The skeleton stood, turning to Jak, the light in its eyes burning angrily. The lights grew brighter, then the skeleton suddenly lifted its sword in both hands then quickly sliced down. As it did, the sword burst into fire! ¡°Crap, crap, crap! This isn¡¯t good!¡± Heth shouted as he drew his bow. He fired, but the skeleton blocked it with the flaming sword. Jak moved forwards to draw its attention as the skeleton swung the sword at him. He blocked the blow with his shield, but was forced back by the power of it. The skeleton lifted the burning blade again, when suddenly an arrow from Heth struck it in the leg, making it stumble forwards. As it did, Jak attacked again, crashing his club into the skeleton¡¯s arm. It stumbled again, then lashed out, punching at Jak¡¯s face. Jak managed to raise his shield, but the hit knocked him back, making him stumble backwards. He jumped back as far as he could, as the skeleton swung at him again. He jumped back again, then turned to face the skeleton again. The skeleton stepped towards him, but it was slower than before, limping on the leg that he had struck before. ¡°It¡¯s working!¡± Heth shouted excitedly, as he fired another arrow, smacking into the skeleton¡¯s leg again, which cracked more. As the skeleton turned to face Heth, Jak stuck the leg again, finally breaking the knee, which made the skeleton fall over. It caught itself as it fell forwards, trying to lift itself up again, but Jak took the opportunity and smashed his club down onto its head, once, twice, then a final time, which smashed it loose from the body, killing it once and for all!