“Now, each dungeon likely has its own set of geographical challenges and corresponding floral and fauna. Say, something found deep in a jungle might be overrun with vines and animals. Whereas a dungeon found in some dusty corner of Carrador might be filled to the brim with undead from ages long past. Or something in Traxia, which might just actually be a dungeon where they keep prisoners or experimental subjects. All in all, it is best to do your research and make sure that you have already consulted with pathfinder teams before you enter a dungeon. Remember, the goal is to explore a section at a time, ensuring its safe before another group arrives to continue the progress. It is sheer lunacy for a singular group of adventurers to try and tackle an extensive dungeon complex on its own purely because: "We don''t know how big a place is.” Thus there is no guarantee of rescue if you push too deep into unexplored territory. So remember, always consult the local guild hall before any expedition!


    - An Adventurer''s Guide to Common Tasks, “Chapter 15: Dungeons!”


    <hr><hr>


    Two above, two below. Sophie sighed. Good fortune was hard to come by and she was just glad that either the expedition or the cultists had already cleared out most of the halls. It meant an eerie but smooth journey as she ironically now followed the very same corridors to hunt them down. The picture was clear, she could at least reliably give a report to the guild or the Academy about what had occurred here. The traitorous elements embedded within the expedition or the guilds involved had hypnotized or mind controlled its victims using the strange crimson orbs. Those orbs were in turn powered by some form of Myndiri dark magic, most likely through the use of blood sacrifices. Barring the hopefully still alive victims and the survivor, Sophie was certain that most of everyone else was either a cultist or had already perished.


    If there was one thing she could speak positively about Myndiri ruins is that whatever magical enchantments they used to keep things running were extremely robust; having survived for the most part, down the ages. This also meant that what could’ve been a dark, depressing exploration of a nearly pitch black structure within the mountain was now a well lit, eerie if possibly haunted jog through the pale blue corridors.


    The path downwards saw her entering unfamiliar territory and she had to bypass a collapsed section of the ruin by scurrying through the ruin’s servant tunnels. At one point, she had slipped down a flight of stairs, tumbling to a half only after she was able to catch herself on a doorway. Her equipment was fine but she found herself more worried about the noise she made as opposed to her bruised body. Waiting in ambush and seeing no one coming to investigate, she picked herself back up and continued down another level. Sub level one felt relatively mana free and to her increasing dismay, the trail led to sub level two and where the rumbling from earlier had occurred. Of course, she was now in a completely different part of the ruin, but she couldn’t help shake that ominous feeling that the creature or whatever it was, would make an appearance sooner or later.


    Still, the atmosphere down here felt significantly worse than above. The air hung heavy with the smell of mold, moss, and things far less pleasant. The acrid scents almost made her hurl but she held back, still focused on the task at hand. Her mind worked overtime, knowing that whatever emotions were building up within her would render her incapable should she dwell on them too much. She could just barely suppress her trembling hands if she wallowed in the rage against the cultists instead.


    The magefire down here also seemed dimmer somehow, weaker as if exposed to something that was sapping the very energy of the ruins. Like the void, like a fake void… the God. She growled at the thought and kept moving forward, though she was keenly aware that even the air here felt thicker, almost like a miasma that lingered unpleasantly within the very soul of the structure itself. Her mana sense too, grew far less reliable. The very act of trying to focus on the mana trail now proving to be a nauseating experience when combined with the environment.


    At long last however, she could spy a red glow breaking through the monotony of the hall. Sophie found no door to protect her this time and was spotted by a singular cultist wielding a shield and mace. The cultist seemed almost gladdened by her presence and silently made their way past the crimson orb to fight. This time however, Sophie saw no signs of a second cultist or even of dazed people staring blankly at the orb. Fair enough.


    Wordlessly, the two combatants circled each other. Their gazes hardened and their sword arms tense. Sophie launched the first strike, thrusting forward only to have to quickly back away as the mace came barreling down where she stood. It pulverised the very ground she had been at and suddenly Sophie felt worried. That counter attack contained some tremendous strength, if she were to block, she might just get beaten down regardless. The cultist then took up the dance and attacked. Chunks of wall came alongside each blow, the savage brutality behind each strike was contrasted only by how apathetic the man wielding the weapon seemed.


    Sophie tried to create some distance by lunging forward before immediately pivoting to the side to get behind him. Unfortunately he seemed to read her mind and she found herself crushed by a heavy blow from the shield, barely able to extricate herself in time as he brought the mace down. Bruised and a little shaken, she immediately tried to back off only for him to rush her position. Without warning, the man barrelled straight for her like an angry bull and sought to pin her against the wall. She ducked and rolled out of the way only for him to smash shield first into the fall, taking out a small section of it and breaking through to the other room.


    Sophie was stunned by the force on display and almost gawked before she remembered her goal. Taking advantage of the distance she just gained, she raced towards the crimson orb and knocked it off the pedestal, shattering this one as well.


    Perhaps realising his mistake at leaving the orb undefended, the man roared out loud and pointed the mace at her. “You’ll pay for this, outsider. The Gods will devour your putrid soul!”


    Sophie ignored him and readied herself for another attack, waiting until the man closed the distance to lunge back at him. She jolted back from the impact as her sword made contact with his shield, getting parried and pushed out of the way as he avoided her strike. Fuck, he’s dangerous. Undeterred, she jumped back into the fray with a second attack, following up by trying to trip the cultist.


    That seemed to give her a quick advantage and he staggered slightly, giving her an opening to quickly cut at his back. He roared with theory and swung his shield backward, catching her on the side and sending her crumpling to the ground. Sophie gasped in pain and scrambled away. The cultist seemed unwilling to let her escape and threw his shield at her. Sophie whimpered as it smashed into her leg, gritting her teeth and pushing through the pain to stand back up. She limped backwards whilst he clutched at his back.


    The two shared a gaze filled with both hatred and understanding. They were both fighters at heart and she could understand that much at least. Steadying herself, she brought her sword back to bear and simply waited for him to strike, the cultist doing the same.


    A few moments passed and though Sophie felt the pain flare up, she could tell the cultist was suffering a bit more. After what felt like a full minute of silence, he seemed to also realise the fact and launched one last attack at her. His mace almost connected with her face but it was over, he had been caught off guard earlier and he was getting weaker over time from the injury. With the near miss, she had an opening. She plunged the blade into his back once more and pushed until it pierced through the otherside. He jolted to a standstill and seemed to suddenly lose his energy. Sophie ensured the fight was over by wiggling the blade up and down as she pulled it out. With his wound widened and now blood flowing down his back and front, he grunted one last time and just slowly slid down to the ground, gasping desperately for life.


    Sophie used her foot to dislodge the heart that had been caught upon her blade, the organ splattering to the ground with a squelchy plop. Looking down at the man, he glared up at her but said nothing else. Acknowledging the moment, she just nodded and left the room. One orb to go.


    Outside the room, she felt unable to hold back and vomited out her disgust. The unpleasant memories of Melisgrad rising to the surface. She clutched at a nearby wall for support and scrambled desperately for her water canteen only to not find it. Fuck. Spitting out what she could she tore off part of her sleeve and used that to wipe her mouth. Crap, focus. Focus, Sophie. Taking a deep if now tainted breath, she stilled her racing mind once more and tried to hone in on the last mana trail. Her attention was scattered but eventually, she could see it, the last trail.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Pained and little weaker than before, she staggered forward with half a limp, the shield blow stinging her muscles with every step. Making her way along the trail, she felt her mind grow more delirious the longer she spent down in this sub level, the thicker air scrambling what little sanity she had left. Combined with the fight and her own doubts, she could feel herself slowly reaching the breaking point as she began hyperventilating. Just a little more, gotta keep moving. Drawing upon all her energy reserves, she tried to push through her limit and continue the journey. Shit, it hurts. This leg… stupid shield. She cursed herself.


    Darkness seemed to cloud the edge of her mind and she suddenly felt a jolt of agony in the back of her head.


    “Argh!” Sophie screamed, unable to hold back.


    She stumbled in her step and almost hit the ground, her arm weakly bracing her against the walls. She swayed unsteadily on her feet as her vision clouded. Feeling light headed, Sophie leaned against a wall and slumped down, her whole body feeling as if it was slowly being constricted. It’s this air, something down here’s not right. I have to… have to finish it soon. She fumbled around her little pack and pulled out the little box. Her eyes widened in surprise at not just how she had found the thing so easily, but that she had been fighting with the pack on this whole time. Got so carried away I forgot to even take it off, figures.


    Unlocking the little mechanism, the box opened to reveal the battery protected within. She welcomed the sudden change in sensations that it brought, almost like a refreshing breeze amongst the dank moldy air that permeated this sub level. Here goes. She held a hand over the battery and closed her eyes, locating the purified mana source in her mind’s eye. With a huff, she imagined herself drawing energy from it and slowly felt a multitude of different emotions swirl to life within her. Guess it works, heh.


    She felt a groundswell of energy and recoiled from the sudden influx with a gasp. Her eyes opened wide and she felt almost reinvigorated, the fog over her mind clearing up. Thankful for the device and the little energy boost it gave, she muttered a small prayer for her friends and pressed on. A renewed sense of urgency now controlled her actions, the knowledge that she too was losing strength with every step she took.


    The rest of the journey only grew more arduous the more she walked. The air was thicker the more she followed the trail and she soon felt the presence of eyes that now watched her from all angles. She knew that it was just her own mind acting up, for every time she turned back she found nothing. Weary, she carefully made her way past two more silent corridors, her mood getting steadily worse.


    By the time she reached anywhere of note, the earlier boost of energy had already begun to fade. She had been practically fighting the very air itself trying to walk forward, the sickening acrid smell now mixed with sulfur and iron. Fighting the urge to gag, she no longer needed to sense the mana, for the air itself was charged with fragments of dark energy and she simply headed to where it was thickest. Rounding the corner into another corridor, she could hear the faint sounds of a drum beat and fell into battle stance. With her blade at the ready, her mind was almost too numb to take in any of the details in the hallway as she advanced towards the last door that stood between her and ending the cult’s nefarious plans.


    Yet, despite almost nearing the end, she felt a pang of sorrow as she looked around her. Her heart ached as she saw no one beside, no friends, comrades, or allies. Anna, Mila… everyone… She scowled and pushed ahead. Carefully tiptoeing towards the door, she immediately noticed an odd change. Where the red glow had been a deep crimson and scarlet before, this one was more natural, orange even. A torch?


    Wary of a trap, she examined the door only to find it more like a gate with a mechanism that needed to be activated instead. Conveniently, beside it was a small spoked door handle more akin to what she would find on a clockwork device. The contrast of it and the dusty stonework around her was suspicious enough that she was certain this was the way forward. So what now? Turn it? It’ll still alert everyone that I’m approaching. But if I don’t, do I really have it in me to look for an alternative entryway? Tossing a quick look behind her and taking stock of how exhausted she felt, she shook her head. Well… damn.


    Throwing her head back in annoyance, she grunted and clasped the handle tightly. Here goes nothing. Stars protect me. She heaved her weight onto it and turned the handle, the gate slowly groaning as it opened, Sophie wincing every time it made noise. The first thing she felt was a gust of air that blew into her face from under the gate. Huh? Air? Opening it further let the soft warm glow of torchlight shine through. The sounds of the drums grew louder as well and she froze, cursing herself for not thinking of this earlier. Listening intently to the beat, she would then push the handle only when it grew louder, easing off as it softened up. It took a little bit longer and the gate was still loud as the hells below, but there had been no change to the rhythm and no one was investigating yet. I’ll take that as a win. Slipping through the opening, she soon found herself frozen at the sight ahead of her.


    Deep below the ground, nestled within the depths of the mountain structure, she had walked to an area where the ceiling from top to bottom stretched multiple stories. Where the stonework of the ruins ended and opened up to what looked to be a cavern city. Small ruined buildings squatted in dark little corners and two massive structures stretched upwards towards the top of the cavern. Dozens of vines and overgrown plants lined the streets. Crumbled structures covered her view of where the sounds might be coming from but judging by the acoustics of the area, she suspected that they were quite close by. At the center of it all, a massive shaft of light descended from the heavens, a moderate cascade of water flowed down from the Highwall. It offered a refreshing if distracting contrast to the rhythmic beat of whatever cult ritual was going on. This looks like it could’ve been a majestic place, once.


    For a moment, the sight stole her breath away and she just marvelled at the wondrous sight. It was as if the ruin had been a trial to see if someone would be worthy of entering this sanctum. Her wonder however, lasted only for a moment and the dread at having to pursue the cult through this second labyrinth seemed even more daunting than expected. Taking a minute to let the exhaustion sink in, she hurled what she had left out of her stomach and shuffled off in a corner to rest. The air here was clear enough given the opening in the roof, and she had to recover from the lightheadedness from earlier anyway.


    After making sure no one was around, she reluctantly sat down. Before she could truly relax, her heart pounded loudly as sweat began to drip from her brow. She immediately clutched at her ears and curled up into a ball, retreating into herself. Her heart pounded loudly as sweat began to drip from her brow. She felt sick to her stomach and could only quietly whimper as there was nothing left to expel. The rational part of her fought to regain some semblance of control but it was too, all it could do now was to keep her contained as her mental facade broke apart. Before, she had tried her best to compartmentalise it, to push it away. She had been a savage back in Melton, driven by the traces of the Lemurarch and her own desire to avenge her humiliation. But here and now, she could somehow still see and hear the sounds in her mind, the groans, gurgles, and cries of pain. She could feel the weight of muscle and sinew as it fought against her, the moment it broke apart when she pushed. It was them or me, she tried to tell herself. It was them or me.


    Rocking unsteadily in place, she wanted to scream, to wail out to the world and be comforted. She wanted help, someone to reassure her that everything was fine. That these were circumstances beyond her control. For the most part they were, that much she knew. But with everything that had happened, now there was nothing she could do to excuse her actions. She was a killer, she had not just taken life but had so effortlessly done it. While she was travelling, she could pretend that everything was in service of protecting her charges, such as keeping Aryana safe from the orcs. Here, however, she was alone, with no one else to blame but herself. She could''ve waited, the caravan would''ve only been a few hours behind. She wanted to cry, to simply sit here and let out her emotions until there was nothing left. Yet, she could not. For some part of her still knew that there would be more suffering to come, that it was too late to walk away.