28.

  Nestled among the burnt trunks of blackened trees and scarred landscape was a doorway. Santi breathed deeply, appreciating the thick layer of mana, the drifting tides of it as it was pulled in and filled the area. It was like wading through a warm sea, the pressure in the air a pleasing presence.

  The doorway was cut into the side of the hill, a gaping void that was filled with the dazzle of stars. The frame of the large doorway was made of a glowing silver metal that Santi knew was mithril. The swirl of mana was pulled inwards, flowing like a river into the mouth of the dungeon.

  Dungeon of the Burning Hills

  Lvl. 55-65

  “You told me it was a mid fifty dungeon, Duncan.” Santi couldn’t keep his eyes off of the levels. The levels were the range of the monster levels in the dungeon. It should have had a much smaller range if Duncan had been telling the truth.

  “It was when I found it a week ago. Only forty-nine to fifty-eight. The mana pull is stronger than I thought it was.” The assassin didn’t sound perturbed by the increase in levels. Santi knew Duncan could punch over his level, but how much higher was a good question. Santi still couldn’t [Identify] the killer or see his levels, but Santi assumed he was higher than he was.

  Duncan had spent a time traveling and fighting, killing and leveling constantly while Santi was stuck working on building a community and making sure things like clean drinking water were available for thousands. That crops were planted and evolutions were done safely.

  With all his titles and advantages, Santi was stronger than Duncan had been. But just how much had the shadow scout grown since they had crossed paths? Duncan had effortlessly killed his targets in the fight with Mercy’s Acolytes, and none of them had been weak.

  “Tank, when we go down there, don’t engage any of the monsters. Let me or Duncan deal with it.”

  “We’re still going down there?” Tank asked incredulously.

  “Damn straight. We need the riftheart and this is the only payment he’s accepting. Just play it cool and safe and we should come out of here with some extra levels.”

  “Santi. Are you…you?”

  “Yeah. No bloodlust at the moment. We do this carefully and we will be fine. I can hit hard enough and Duncan is a good enough scout. Just don’t fight anything one on one, alright?”

  “You’re the boss.”

  “Ain’t that the truth.” Santi shook his head, the weight of the crown pushing on his scalp. He forgot it was there most of the time, just resting there without notice. It was weighing on him now as they walked toward that hole in the side of the hill.

  Duncan took the lead, followed by his two goons and then Santi and Tank at the rear. The Apostate went though the portal without hesitation, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Trevor and Bo jumped through after a miniscule hesitation, then Santi was staring at the dungeon entrance. It had been years since he had done this.

  The dungeons were places for people to practice and level. There was no potential to be harvested, but plenty of experience and rewards for clearing them. By the end of the last timeline Santi had exhausted his potential, it drained away faster than he could earn it. He had been near the peak of Disciple and there was little to no reason to enter a dungeon.

  “You good?” Tank whispered. Santi just nodded and stepped into the entrance of the dungeon. There was a sinking sensation, as if going down a slide, slick with grease. All light disappeared and Santi sat in the darkness for a moment before he felt solid ground beneath his feet again.

  Torches burned, dim and smoky along rough natural walls of rough hewn stone. The tunnels were narrow and the haze of the smoke tickled the back of Santi’s throat as he walked forward. Trevor and Bo were both standing still, their weapons drawn as they peered down the dim path.

  Trevor pulled out a long handled hatchet in one hand and a thin knife in the other. Bo was armed with a wide metal club that looked like a bat had been squished down to a stub. Both of the bulky men were staring, nervously shifting back and forth as Santi got to them.

  “Duncan?”

  “Entered immediately and said he was scouting and to wait.” Trevor’s voice didn’t tremble, but the fear was there. Tank sidled up next to Santi, his own club in his hand, and they both looked about.

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  “This is just…kinda boring?” Tank said.

  “Ohhhh….Tank, you know better,” Santi groaned. Tank’s big head lowered and he shook it in disbelief.

  “I fucking jinxed it.”

  “Yup, here something comes now,” Santi said, his sharp eyes picking up movement as something broke free of the wall. Santi had a sinking feeling he knew what the mob type was going to be in the dungeon as the monster began to slide toward them.

  Earth Elemental lvl. 55

  [Gust] slowed it down, but the screaming winds did nothing to break its rocky countenance. [Crosscurrent-Orb] had more success, the wild tempest winds finding crevices to rip at and peeling apart some of the stony armor around itself.

  “Blunt weapons, clubs and hammers, or a fucking pick. You’ll shatter that axe hitting stone like that,” Santi warned as his spells wore off and the elemental continued to rush at them without slowing.

  “That thing is way to fucking strong. We won’t do shit to it,” Bo muttered as he shifted his grip on his club. Santi had to agree with the thumper, there was going to be very little they could do right away.

  “Keep that thing away from Tank.” Santi lunged, shoving off hard and sliding between the two frontliners. The morph transformed into a lance, the tip narrow and rapidly broadening as Santi targeted a chip in the monster’s stony exterior.

  Closer now that even the poor lighting couldn’t disguise it, it looked nothing more than a pile of rocks in a vague outline of a human. Its legs melded with the floor, so it didn’t step so much as it was propelled forward.

  Santi’s aim was good, the tip of the lance fitting into the crack in the dark stone and then splintering it apart as he continued to force it deeper. His strength and speed helped, but the monster was a higher level than him. It didn’t die, or even look perturbed that there was now a metal shaft wedged in its core. It just kept moving.

  Santi cursed all durability and strength builds as he was shoved backwards, inches from its grasping, thick fingers. Each time they missed his throat, they clacked off of each other. Santi imagined the lance expanding out like in a line. Rock split with a thunderous crack and the elemental groaned, the sound reminiscent of a landslide.

  Behind the thick plate of its outer layer was shifting mounds of soft, moist earth, glints of metal inside. And a pulsating, brown gem.

  “The gem!” Santi yelled as he was forced to disengage, the elemental suddenly lengthening its arm and striking at him with a closed fist. He ducked the fist, but not the sudden spike that erupted through the ground, piercing his calf. He bit back a scream as the first of the blood dropped to the dungeon’s floor.

  Bo lunged, his club a blur, a blue skill aura haze around the man that enhanced his speed. The metal club connected to the pulsating gem and the sound of glass shattering filled the air as the elemental froze.

  “It’s not dead. Dig, dig quick. Rip all of it out.” Santi had to grind the words out as he tried to free his leg from the spike in his calf. The soft soil was streaming out in a wave, making a small mountain on the floor at the elemental’s feet. The shard was already piecing itself back together, crystal wiggling through dirt and melding.

  Trevor reached in with a bare hand and grabbed the biggest piece, yanking it free with a sucking sound as the elemental broke apart in a spray of dark soil. The spike in his calf fell away and Tank was grabbing him and running a litany of spells over him that immediately eased the pain in his leg.

  “I see you already found the guardians. That was my fault, I stumbled over a trap on my way down the hall,” Duncan said, not sounding sorry at all.

  “Don’t sweat it. Here, give me a hand up…oh I mean give me your only hand up.” Santi shot him a vicious smile.

  “That wasn’t very good,” Tank whispered, looking disappointed at him.

  “I agree with Dexter. You can do better when needling someone Santiago.”

  “Hey, I didn’t get a kill notification or experience for that? What the hell?” Trevor said, being the only adult in the hallway apparently.

  “It’s not dead. As long as the core remains somewhat whole, the elemental lives. It’s just stuck right now with no way to build an avatar.” Duncan’s plain voice was a monotone as he reached out to grab the orb. Most of it had already melded itself back together when Trevor had yanked it free, just a corner piece missing.

  “So we get no fucking experience or levels in here?” Trevor asked, eyes narrowing.

  “There’ll be plenty of levels. It’s just that elementals don’t die easily. Also, these cores are good for future evolutions. Like your brother’s. He does have an earth affinity, right?” Duncan said, looking into Trevor’s eyes without blinking.

  “Yeah.” Trevor spat out.

  “Good. Wrap this up tight so no part is touching earth and then put it in your bag. The plan will be thus. I will go down and figure out the path forward. Follow my markings. Try not to die and assist Santiago when he requests help. This first level looks to just be a maze. If there are traps, I’ll leave a sign for you.” Duncan turned and faded from view as he went back up the tunnel the elemental had come down from.

  “Wow, that guy is just a peach. The subtle threatening is a nice touch,” Tank said. Bo shot him an angry look while Trevor just looked angry. Santi could see where Trevor’s rage was coming from, the forced impotence of the situation, the secrets and suspicions coming to the forefront.

  He had a premonition that Trevor wouldn’t be making it out of the dungeon and back to the main group. Not with how Duncan operated.

  “He’s a prick, but he’s right. Wrap it up and keep it from stone or soil. It’ll be a nice piece in an evolution ceremony.”

  Trevor didn’t say a word as he pulled out a strip of cloth, it looked like it was a shredded shirt. That there were bundles of the torn up clothing spoke volumes. Duncan had known, or at least had very strong suspicions that the mob down here could be harvested like this.

  Which brought Santi back to his and Tank’s conversation last night. Duncan wanted something out of this dungeon, besides the experience. It likely had something to do with killing Santi, which Santi wasn’t a fan of. He now had his first clue as they stepped over the lump of broken apart stone and went further into the dungeon.