Runeguard 022

It took over an hour, but eventually, after quaffing multiple mana potions and setting the behemoth alight with fire spell after fire spell, Beth brought the shambling mound to its knees.

Dungeon Notice 1050-B-02

Congratulations Paragons + 1, your party has completed the first stage of Dungeon 1050-B. Claim your rewards before proceeding to the second stage.

With a last moan of anguish, the creature crashed into the water.

“Wow!” a jubilant Jorge exclaimed, his eyes flicking rapidly sideways as he scrolled through a System message invisible to the rest of us. “I’ve gained two levels!”

“Me too!” shouted Gavin. “I’ve reached the level cap!” Dancing around, the two back slapped each other.

I shook my head at the pair’s antics.

“Finally!” Lauren breathed from beside me.

I glanced at her. “You’ve maxed out your level too?” I guessed.

She nodded. “We all have.” She smiled at me. “You aren’t the only level ten player in the Creche anymore.”

I just grinned and watched the others advance on the behemoth’s corpse. But before they got to within a few feet of it, the shambling mound shimmered out of existence, vanishing entirely.

“Hey! Where’d it go?” asked an outraged Gavin. “Did we just lose our reward?” 

I frowned, wondering the same thing.

The Paragons raced to the mound’s last location and thrust their staffs in the murky water in search of the promised reward.

I didn’t join them. Standing still, I turned a slow circle and surveyed the chamber. The vines were disappearing, retracting back to the ceiling. The water, too, was receding. Then something else caught my attention. “Ah,” I breathed.

“Hey guys,” I called. The Paragons stopped poking at the water and turned my way. “Look,” I said, gesturing with my chin towards the chamber’s far end. Six bronze chests lay revealed there.

“Now that’s more like it!” Gavin said, whooping in joy. The Paragons bolted towards the chests, and I followed more slowly.

But despite their eagerness to open the treasure chests, the group waited for my arrival. “Nice work everyone,” I said, coming up from behind the Paragon leader and clamping my hand down on his shoulder.

Bayan tensed under my hand, but didn’t turn around. 

“Six chests,” Jorge mused, kneeling down to study them. “One for each of us?”

Bayan still hadn’t acknowledged me. I was puzzled by his behavior but shrugged it off. Leaving him to whatever preoccupied him, I approached one of the chests.

“That’s what my administrator says,” Beth agreed.

“So which one does each of us open?” Lauren asked, glancing at their leader.

Bayan shrugged. “I don’t think it matters. Whichever chest you choose, will key itself to you.” The bearded man gestured us forward. “Go ahead.”

 I knelt beside the chest closest to me. It was a simple, unadorned box, seemingly cast from solid bronze and wrapped in bands of steel. There was no locking mechanism that I could see.

I placed my hand on the chest. The lid lifted back to reveal an empty interior. I felt a moment of gut-wrenching dissatisfaction, which vanished as System messages flickered across my vision.

You have acquired the life magic scrolls: minor mass bless and minor healing ward.

You have acquired: a +1 steel chainmail helm.

Item: Minor Mass Bless Scroll

Effect: Buffs all targets in the area, raising their highest-ranked Essences by a value determined by the caster’s life magic skill.

Parent Essence: life. Parent skill: life magic. Requirements: 10 life magic skill. Duration: 5 minutes.

Item: Minor Healing Ward Scroll

Restores: HP every second to allies within the targeted area. Parent skill: life magic. Requirements: 10 life magic skill. Duration: 2 minutes.

Item: +1 Steel Chainmail Helm

Base defense: 5.

Parent Essence: strength. Parent skill: heavy armor. Requirements: 5 strength.

Enchantment: +1 heavy armor skill.

Debuff: -5% to all magic skills.

I blinked as I studied the System messages. The loot was… disappointing. It wasn’t bad. But I had expected more. On either side of me, I heard similar exclamations from the others.

“What did you get?” Beth asked.

Turning her way, I extracted the helm from my inventory and held it out to her. “This,” I said, “and two scrolls. You?”

Beth’s mouth turned down. “About the same. A pair of fire magic scrolls and a ring of fire magic.” She held out her right hand showing me her new ruby ring.

“Huh,” I grunted and equipped my own item. The helm fit snugly around my head, covering it entirely except for my face.

“At least, you look a bit more like a tank now,” Lauren said, walking up to us.

I couldn’t disagree. From the loot the System was awarding me, it seemed it, too, thought that was my development path.

The other Paragons’ loot turned out to be little different from Beth’s and mine. Each had gotten a pair of scrolls suited to their magic, and a stat-boosting item.

Once everyone had stored away or equipped their loot, we made our way to the trapdoor in the center of the chamber. Like the treasure chests, it had been revealed when the water receded.

“The next stage of the dungeon is likely to be more dangerous,” Bayan said, addressing the party before we descended. “But we are stronger now.”

There were pleased grins from the Paragons at that. 

“Though we have not exactly been at our best so far,” Bayan added bitingly, wiping away their smiles. 

The Paragon leader let the silence draw out before gesturing to me. “If not for Dace, we would have wiped—twice over at least.”

The Paragons shifted uncomfortably, not liking hearing that. Beth and Lauren lowered their eyes, Jorge struggled to keep his face impassive, and Gavin scowled.

Bayan fixed his gaze upon the youth. “Gavin, if not for Dace, you would be dead.”

The youth’s mouth worked soundlessly, and his face turned red, but he swallowed his protests.

I bit back a grin and nodded in thanks to Bayan for setting the youth straight. The Paragon leader’s eyes shifted away from mine. 

I frowned. What was wrong with him?

“We are better than this, people. Dace, as helpful as he has been, is not a Paragon,” Bayan continued. “He will not always be there to save our hides. We have to perform better if we want to get out of this dungeon alive. We have to be better if we want to be the best guild in the sector.” He paused. “Or have you all given up on that?”

There was stark silence.

I could see what Bayan was doing, and perhaps even agreed with its need, but I didn’t like being used as the stick with which he beat his team into shape. It would only make them resent me more, I was sure. Bayan must know that. 

But then it likely did not bother him. After all, I wasn’t a Paragon.

In wordless disgust, I marched up to the trapdoor, yanked it open and descended to the second floor.

✵ ✵ ✵

Dungeon Notice 1050-B-03

Paragons + 1, your party has entered the second stage of Dungeon 1050-B. This is the final stage of the Dungeon. Creature levels advanced.

On first glance, the dungeon’s second floor looked little different from the first. The ladder leading down from the trapdoor opened into another entry chamber that was also sealed by an iron door.

Sitting down cross-legged, I waited for the Paragons to join me. It was a full ten minutes before they descended, and when they did, all their faces—even Lauren’s and Beth’s—were set in grim lines.

Looks like Bayan’s little pep talk worked, I thought. 

With little in the way of words, the Paragons deployed themselves across the room, and Bayan gestured me toward the iron door.

I rolled my eyes. So, it’s going to be like that. I rose to my feet without objection though and made my way to the door. After a single backward glance to confirm the Paragons’ readiness, I slid it open.

✵ ✵ ✵

Three hours later we reached the door to the dungeon’s final chamber. 

To get there, we’d waded through a maze of watery passages infested with crocodiles. The beasts, lightning fast and level ten, had been tougher opponents than the serpents, or even the mud golems.

It had mattered little, though. 

The Paragons, infused by new determination, had displayed an uncanny precision and coordination in their attacks. So much so that my own aid had been nearly superfluous. Watching the Paragons at work, I had been left in no doubt as to why they were the preeminent guild in the Creche and so highly ranked in the sector.

I studied my companions while I chewed on my travel rations. We were sitting down cross-legged outside the door to the dungeon’s final chamber and enjoying a moment’s rest before we tackled the dungeon’s final boss. 

The Paragons were all business as they ate. There were no smiles. No jokes. Not even Gavin needled me. I wondered what drove them. Was it simply the desire to be the best? Or did something else motivate them?

And Bayan… there had been something off about the Paragon leader ever since the first boss battle. He had been giving me the cold shoulder ever since. What had I done to offend him? 

I glanced in his direction. “So, what’s the plan? Same as the first boss?”

He shook his head. “We’ll do things a little differently this time. I’ll lead the way.”

I frowned. “Why?”

The bearded man ignored my question. Turning to his team, he said, “It’s time we make use of those scrolls we collected from the first boss.”

Jorge looked up from his food. “All of them?”

“Yes,” Bayan said. “We’ll take no chances. We go in with overwhelming force and take down the boss fast.”

I nodded. Except for Bayan, each of the other Paragons had received a lesser elemental summoning scroll. Bayan himself had received a force barrier scroll. “That’s a good idea,” I said. “With my minor mass bless buffing both your elemental pets and the party, I can’t see the boss—whatever it is—surviving long.”

Bayan turned to me. “No need for you to use your scroll, Dace. Save it.”

My lips tightened, only then realizing what Bayan was up to. This was about pride. He was sidelining me. The Paragons wanted to prove they could do this without me—or at least Bayan did. Perhaps, in anticipation of the next dungeon?

I held Bayan’s gaze. “You sure you know what you’re doing?”

His eyes turned cold. “Don’t question me, Dace. Remember, you are here on my sufferance. We didn’t need to bring you along. Follow your damn orders.”

I narrowed my eyes. It was the Paragons’ show, but Bayan’s attitude galled me, nonetheless. I glanced at the others. They had all lowered their gazes, refusing to meet my eyes. Even Beth and Lauren.

I rose to my feet. “Have it your way, Bayan.” I walked away from the group. “Let me know when we go in. I’ll be ready.”