Rune Seeker

Several hours later, after everybody had a chance to get a good sleep and recover their solar energy—and the injured were back in fighting shape—the group approached the interface.

“Shall we?” Seena asked Hiral.

The two of them stepped forward, circles of light forming under their feet. This time, to match Hiral’s status window, a yellow circle followed him, and he motioned for Left and Right to come closer as well.

“Hrm, no circles for them. I thought maybe the interface would count them as Makers,” he said.

“Just means you still need us to get into the dungeon,” Seena said with a wink. “Now, get this thing started. I think my sister will pace a hole in the floor if we make her wait any longer.”

“That, or Fitch will glare a hole into the back of my head,” Hiral said just for Seena’s ears.

“He’ll come around, don’t worry.”

“I guess, though I don’t know what he has against me.”

“He… has his reasons,” Seena said quietly.

From the look on her face, she wasn’t going to go into those reasons now, so Hiral waved his hand over the activation crystal.

Like last time, Dr. Benza appeared on the pedestal off to the side.

“Welcome, challengers, to the Splitfang Keep Dungeon. Please choose an option,” the image said, and a blue notification window sprang up beside him.

Tutorial

Enter Dungeon

Help

“Well, I’ll be…” Seeyela said. She stepped forward, her hand passing through the hanging image of Dr. Benza. “You really did get it working.”

“What? How?” Fitch asked, moving closer. “How did you do it?”

“Wasn’t me alone,” Hiral said. “Seems like it needs more than just Growers or Makers—or Builders, I guess. For some reason, the dungeon needs at least two of us to get it started up.”

“What should we do first?” Seeyela asked, standing close to the three options hanging in the air.

“Dr. Benza, Tutorial, please,” Hiral said.

The image of the doctor shimmered briefly. “Accessing PIMs. Access complete,” Dr. Benza said, his voice oddly flat. “No dungeon clears detected. Introductory Tutorial loaded. Please complete further dungeons to access more advanced Tutorials.

“Welcome, challengers, to the Splitfang Keep Dungeon,” Dr. Benza continued, his voice more normal. “As this is your first dungeon attempt, I will enlighten you to the most basic… basics of the dungeon.” Again, he looked off to the side. “Whatever, we can edit that later. Can I continue? Thank you.

“Now, then, assuming we don’t have any further interruptions, I shall continue,” Dr. Benza went on.

“Who’s he talking to?” Cal asked quietly.

“No idea,” Yanily said.

“Shush and listen,” Seena scolded.

“The Dynamic Understanding and Navigation Growth Epoch Operating Nodes—or dungeons, for short—are snapshots of a time and place on this world, complete with its usual residents and associated dangers. Upon selecting Enter Dungeon, a portal will open, allowing a party of up to six members limited access to this space. From the moment the portal opens, you will have three hours to successfully clear the dungeon and claim the associated rewards from our vault.

“Should you fail to complete the dungeon within the given time, you will be forcibly ejected and made to restart from the beginning, if you choose to challenge the dungeon again. While”—the image of Dr. Benza shimmered—“Splitfang Keep”—the image shifted again—“is graded as Mid-E-Rank”—another image shift—“you need to be aware that injury and death are very real possibilities within the dungeon.

“Extensive studies have shown that true danger promotes exponential growth in… What? What do you mean they aren’t interested in the science behind it?” Dr. Benza looked off to the side again. “You want me to just wave my hands and say, oh, it’s magic? Well, of course it’s magic! We literally named the system the Personal Interface Magic,but the science behind why it works is very… Oh, fine. Whatever. I’ll skip the science. Plebs.

“Ahem, where was I in the script? Right there? Thank you.” Dr. Benza looked ahead again. “However, if you survive the trials of the dungeon and overcome the enemies, you will be rewarded with unique items we believe will aid you in your battle against the Enemy.”

“Who’s the Enemy?” Yanily asked. “Troblins?”

“Probably your interruptions. Shush,” Seena scolded a second time.

“This unique equipment will only be awarded to each party member the first time they clear the dungeon, and the dungeon can only be cleared three times per person. Now, regardless of whether the dungeon is cleared or not, after three hours, it will reset to its base state. All creatures will live again. Any damage done to structures will vanish as if it never happened, and all progress will be lost.

“Don’t worry, though. Completing”—the image shimmered—“Splitfang Keep

”—another image shimmer—“will also unlock access to the other two dungeons in the area.” Another shimmer. “The Mire and Splitfang Throne.

“Further, successful completion of all three regional dungeons will unlock access to the local Asylum, where up to eighteen party members may seek sanctuary from the Enemy. Please be advised, however, that no more than eighteen people may occupy the Asylum at any one time. You are encouraged to stay only as long as needed so the next group in need can move through the area.

“That brings us to the end of this Tutorial. Should you require further information, please complete more dungeons and proceed to the next interface. Note, the Help section of this interface has only been uploaded with information pertaining to details found within this Tutorial.

“Thank you for choosing…” Dr. Benza looked off to the side again and shrugged. “What? I thought it would be funny. Fine. You can edit that out too!” He stamped his foot and walked off to the side, vanishing from the platform, only for his image to shimmer back into its standing position a second later.

“Anybody have any idea what just happened?” Lonil asked.

“Dr. Benza,” Hiral said. “Help.” The image on the pedestal shifted slightly. “Dr. Benza, how many parties can enter the dungeon at one time?”

“Up to three parties may enter at once, after which point a cooldown of three hours will begin before the next party may enter,” Dr. Benza answered. “However, once a party enters, the entry portal will close, and the only methods of exit will be to clear the dungeon or wait out the three hours.”

“So, we can all go in at the same time, if we want to,” Seena said with a nod to her sister. “What do you think?”

“We might want to have one party go first, see what it’s all about, then report back to the other group?” Seeyela suggested. “Reduce the risk.”

“Let me guess, you want your party to go in?” Seena asked.

“We are the more experienced group,” Seeyela said.

“And we’re the more balanced one,” Seena said. “Less injured too,” she added, glancing toward Lonil, Fitch, and Picoli.

“I’m fine now,” Lonil said.

“Cal fixed up my arm, and after the rest, I’m ready for whatever the dungeon wants to throw at us,” Picoli said.

“Me too,” Fitch piped in. “And the Islander shouldn’t go in if it’s risky. We need him to access the other dungeons after we clear this one.”

“Wait, what?” Hiral said. “You expect me to just wait outside while you guys go in?”

“It might be the safer play,” Cal said. “Keeps him out of danger.”

“Or puts me in more, because I don’t have the same opportunity as you all do to get stronger,” Hiral pointed out.

“We’ll keep him safe,” Seena said.

“I’m not sure it’s your choice,” Seeyela said. “This affects all of us.”

“It is very much my choice,” Seena said, stepping toward her older sister. “He’s in my party.”

“Now, now, now,” Picoli said, stepping in between the sisters before the conversation turned tense. “You both bring up good points. What do the rest of you think?”

“It’s safer for all of us if Hiral comes in with us,” Nivian said. “We can keep him safe, and it means we’re also not short a party member. Less risk to the whole party. Also, if we’re going to be stuck down here on the surface until the islands come around again, we all need to be strong enough to survive.”

“Nivian’s right,” Balyo said. “We barely handled that lizard-thing. We all need whatever this dungeon has to offer to make us stronger. Experience and… uh… what did he call them? Unique items?”

The other Growers looked from one another, but Balyo seemed to have made a good point, and none of them spoke up.

“So, it’s settled—both parties go in at the same time,” Seena said, crossing her arms like she was daring her sister to correct her.

“And see who gets the faster clear time,” Yanily added with a wink.

Seeyela looked at her party, and Fitch in particular, before she turned back to Seena. “Fine. Both at the same time. But! This is not a race.” She directed that last statement at Yanily. “We have three hours to clear this dungeon, so I want us to move slowly and safely. Better to get ejected and restart it than get seriously injured or worse.”

“Agreed,” Seena said, uncrossing her arms when it seemed the argument was over. “Anything else we should ask this guy before we go in?” She thumbed toward Dr. Benza.

“If I may?” Hiral asked, and when Seena nodded, he turned his attention back to the image. “Dr. Benza, what are the difficulties of the three dungeons in this region?”

“Splitfang Keep is Mid-E-Rank, while The Mire and Splitfang Throneare High-E-Rank,” Dr. Benza said.

“And how can we find The Mire and Splitfang Throne?”

“Upon clearing Splitfang Keep, your PIM will be upgraded to illuminate a path and show you to the next dungeon,” Dr. Benza said.

A PIM upgrade, huh? How’s that going to work?

“Does every region have three dungeons and an Asylum?”

“Yes.”

“How long can we stay in an Asylum?” Hiral asked.

“There is no time restriction on an Asylum, however, only eighteen people may be present at any one time.”

“Why is that?”

“Eighteen is the maximum number of people that may pass under the Enemy’s notice, though six is the recommended and safer number. Any more than that is almost guaranteed to bring the Enemy.”

“Who is the Enemy?” Hiral asked.

Dr. Benza’s image shifted. “Information on the Enemy is not present in this interface. Please clear more dungeons to unlock advanced Tutorial and Help information.”

“Really feels like the important stuff is getting held back,” Vix said, and several of the other Growers nodded their agreement.

“Dr. Benza, what are PIMs?” Seena asked.

“Personal Interface Magic systems. Please clear more dungeons for further information.”

“Why do we need to clear more dungeons? Why can’t you just tell us?” Yanily asked.

“Access and dungeon interfaces have limited storage capacity, and information is uploaded based on initial PIM scans. Dungeon clears will update your PIM so the next scan will upload information you haven’t already been told.”

“I don’t understand what half those words mean, but I think I get it,” Wule said, tapping the center of his chest.

“Yeah, the doctor here doesn’t have a very good memory,” Yanily said.

“Not what I meant,” Wule deadpanned.

“Either way, we need to clear this dungeon and then get to the next one if we want to learn more,” Seena said. “And, since it sounds like we can’t stay in the dungeon for more than a few hours, that Asylum he was talking about sounds like our best bet to survive until the islands come around again. Anybody get anything different from all that?”

“I think you covered the important stuff,” Seeyela said.

“One more question, if you don’t mind,” Hiral said, and Seeyela gestured to proceed. “Dr. Benza, is there cooldown before a party can enter the dungeon again after clearing it?”

“The dungeon will reset after being cleared and exited, at which point the party may enter again,” the image answered.

“Sounds like we could go back in right away, but we probably shouldn’t,” Hiral said. “Good chance to talk about it if we decide to clear it again for… experience, I guess?”

“Hey, if it gets us all closer to level twenty, or D-Rank, why wouldn’t we?” Yanily asked.

“You’re such an experience junkie,” Vix said.

“Experience is life,” Yanily said with a smile. “So, let’s get in there and see what this dungeon is all about.”

“Yeah, let’s. You all ready?” Seena asked, and everybody nodded.

“Seeyela, your party should actually go first, just in case you can’t access the interface after I go in,” Hiral said, and the party leader nodded.

“Dr. Benza, Enter Dungeon,” she said.

A ball of blue energy appeared in the air in front of her, quickly spiraling open until a portal led into another plain-looking room.

“That’s kind of neat,” Balyo said, walking around the portal. “This side is… uh… closed, I guess.”

“It’s just like the portal I found up in Fallen Reach,” Hiral said. “I’d always assumed it was just a fancy door into the next room, but… maybe not…”

“Fancy door or not, follow me,” Seeyela said. She took a deep breath, then strode straight through the portal. Testament to her party’s trust in her, they followed her in without another word, and the portal spiraled closed a second later.

“Our turn next,” Seena said.

“One second,” Hiral said, waving Left and Right closer. “You should probably come in with me.” He held out his hands, and his doubles grasped his arms to vanish in a puff of solar energy that flowed back into his body. “Just in case they counted as people when we entered,” he explained.

“Good thinking. You get a chance to figure out your abilities last night?” Seena asked.

“I did, and as an added bonus, it seems I get a third of their stats added to mine when we’re all together,” Hiral said, pulling up his status windowto show them the extra 3 points in all of his stats. “It’s not a lot, but every little bit helps.”

“Enough showing off—let’s get in there and clear this thing before Balyo’s party does,” Yanily said.

“I’m… actually with Yanily on this one,” Nivian said almost sheepishly.

Seena chuckled, then turned and faced the interface. “Dr. Benza, Enter Dungeon.”