The cavern was silent in the wake of the old man’s departure. A stillness so absolute it pressed against Nick’s ears, ringing louder than the clash of steel. The oppressive weight of his presence still lingered, a phantom pressure that neither sight nor logic could dispel. Even the unseen source of light flickered faintly, seeming hesitant to resume its usual glow.
Nick exhaled, his breath ragged as he used his forearm to wipe the sweat from his brow. His body ached from exertion, but he forced himself to move. The battle wasn’t over—not completely.
Fireballs still danced around him, waiting patiently for him to point them to their final destination. The air was thick with the acrid scent of scorched flesh and burnt cloth. Smoke coiled around the Shaman’s kneeling form as it struggled upright, its clawed hands gripping the cavern floor in a desperate attempt to rise. The eerie green glow of its staff had vanished, snuffed out in an instant by the old man’s inexplicable presence.
A guttural growl rumbled deep in the shaman’s throat. Its crimson eyes darted to its surviving guards—hobgoblins that now hesitated, their weapons wavering. The shaman spat something with its wretched tongue, sharp and clipped, a command laced with frustration and barely concealed fear. The remaining hobgoblins reacted immediately to the order—turning as one, they fled. Their heavy footfalls echoed through the cavern as they sprinted toward the deeper tunnels.
Nick watched them flee—both the shaman and the hobgoblin guards—for a moment before pointing a finger gun at their retreating forms.
“Bang.”
The fireballs streaked through the air like miniature meteors, their molten cores roaring as they raced toward their fleeing targets. The cavern flashed with a blinding burst of orange and red as the first explosion consumed the slowest of the hobgoblins, its dying shriek cut short as a second and third blast reduced it to charred remains. The fourth fireball followed followed, striking another hobgoblin square in the back. It stumbled forward, barely having time to process the searing pain before it, too, was struck by five more fireballs, its body crumbling into ash and embers.
More explosions erupted almost simultaneously, catching two more hobgoblins in their desperate sprint for survival. One was thrown violently against the cavern wall, its armor glowing red-hot as molten metal fused to its flesh. The other let out a ragged, gurgling scream before collapsing mid-stride, smoke pouring from its smoldering body.
The shaman barely had time to twist around before the final fireball reached it. Its crimson eyes widened as the blast struck, sending it hurtling across the stone floor. It tumbled, limbs flailing, before slamming against a jagged outcrop of rock. Its robes were blackened, half its face scorched, but it still breathed.
=You have defeated (4) Hobgoblins=
=You gain 0.08 skill points=
=Current skill points: 0.97=
One of the remaining guards—one lucky enough to have barely escaped the blast radius—grunted, dragging itself upright. It was wounded, its arm burned and trembling, but it remained standing. Another managed to survive by diving behind a cluster of stalagmites at the last second, using the stones as cover. Now, it peeked out cautiously, its eyes darting between the ruined remains of its kin and the smoldering battlefield behind it.
Nick narrowed his eyes as he prepared to cast another Fireball.
But the shaman, still on its knees, snarled something in its native tongue. Its staff, now cracked and splintered, pulsed weakly with what little magic it could handle. The remaining hobgoblins hesitated, then turned without another word, hauling the wounded shaman to its feet and half-dragging it into the deeper tunnels.
The shaman shot Nick one last venomous glare, its burned face contorted with fury. It spat a single word in its native tongue before the darkness swallowed it whole.
The tunnel beyond the shaman’s retreat seemed to yawn wider, the shadows unnaturally thick, swallowing even the faint glow of the cavern’s unseen light. Whatever lay ahead… this was just the welcoming party.
Nick sighed, lowering his hands. Just two more hobgoblins would allow him to finally see what happened when he accumulated a full skill point. He could chase them, but there were more important things to deal with right now.
The cavern fell into silence once more.
The battle was finally over.
A ragged cough snapped him from his thoughts.
Ray.
He turned just in time to see her pushing herself upright, her movements sluggish and disjointed. Blood smeared her face, her body still trembling from the brutal pummeling she’d taken. The cavern floor beneath her was slick with red, but even as he watched, her wounds were already closing.
He moved before he could think. His boots crunched over charred goblin remains as he crouched beside her, reaching out a steadying hand.
“You alive?” His voice came out rougher than he intended.
She blinked up at him, her expression unfocused for a moment before she giggled. “Pretty sure. Feels like I got sat on by a dragon, though.”
“I bet.” He glanced toward the tunnel where the goblins had fled, his jaw tightening. “Next time, try not to fight an entire dungeon by yourself.”
Ray flashed a weak, but defiant, grin. “No promises.”
Nick shook his head firmly. “I’ve seen your traits and skills. I know that you’re immune to your own aura, so don’t try to pretend like that was okay. You completely lost control.”
She bit her lip, her smirk faltering as she met his gaze.
Then, she looked away.
“Tch.” She wiped a streak of drying blood from her cheek with the back of her hand, shaking her head. “You sound like a nagging old man.”
Nick exhaled through his nose. “You might not believe me, but I’ve been here before. I know you wouldn’t have died, but someone else could have been killed.”
Ray didn’t respond. She didn’t smile.
He pushed himself to his feet, rolling his aching shoulders before surveying the rest of the battlefield. The cavern still smelled of burnt flesh, the remains of goblins and hobgoblins alike scattered across the jagged stone. His fingers twitched slightly, the residual heat of his magic still humming through his veins, but his reserves were uncomfortably low. His fireball skill cost way too much mana.
Jantzen stood off to the side, still composed despite the carnage. He hadn’t moved an inch toward Ray during the entire fight—hadn’t even lifted a hand to assist after her brutal takedown.
Nick shot him a glance. “No words of wisdom? You seemed ready to scold her a minute ago.”
Jantzen met his eyes with an expression of cool detachment. “She has received her lesson already.” He gestured toward the streaks of blood still staining the cavern floor, the smeared imprint where Ray had been pinned. “A broken body conveys a lesson more clearly than words ever could.”
Nick grimaced. “True. And what if she died?”
Jantzen’s gaze didn’t waver. “Then she would have received the full lesson. Death in battle is proof that one still has much to learn.”
The words settled between them like dead weight.
Nick sighed, biting back the sharp response rising in his throat. There was no point in arguing with someone like Jantzen—he saw the world in terms of strength and worthiness, nothing else.
Instead, he turned away. He wasn’t about to waste time on the stubborn priest when there was someone else to check on.
The beastkin.
He scanned the cavern, his eyes locking onto the small, trembling figure near the cavern wall. She was still gripping her chains, her knuckles pale from the sheer force. She hadn’t moved much since the fight ended, her wide, feline eyes focused fully on where the mysterious old man departed.
She was shaking.
Nick studied her for a moment before approaching.
She didn’t react to his presence until he was a few steps away. Her ears twitched, but she kept her gaze down, her shoulders stiff as if bracing for something.
He crouched in front of her, making sure to keep his voice level. “You okay?”
She flinched, her hands impossibly tightening around her chains. “I…” She hesitated, glancing up at him for the briefest moment before lowering her head again. “I’m fine.”
Hah. Liar.
Her tail was stiff, curled close to her body in a clear sign of distress. Her entire frame was locked tight like a coiled spring, barely suppressing whatever emotions were roiling beneath the surface.
Nick sighed and rested his forearm on his knee, keeping his posture relaxed. “What’s your name?” he asked.
She blinked, clearly caught off guard. “…Lexi.”
“Lexi,” he repeated, committing it to memory. He gestured toward the battlefield behind them. “You fought well.”
She stiffened again. Her fingers twitched against the chains, but she said nothing.
He watched her for a moment, then decided to push a little further. “You handled yourself back there,” he said, tilting his head. “Kept those goblins off you, landed some good hits. That’s more than a lot of people in your position could do.”
Her ears flicked again, and she finally looked up at him. “…Yeah?”
Nick gave a small nod. “That’s right.”
She swallowed, her dark eyes flickering with something unfamiliar—something fragile.
He didn’t press her any further. Instead, he let the silence settle between them, offering her the space to absorb whatever she needed.
Her death grip on her chains loosened, just slightly. Her tail flicked once, hesitantly. Then she bowed her head, so low that her dark bangs almost covered her eyes. “…Thank you,” she whispered.
Nick tilted his head. It wasn’t the response he was expecting, but there was something honest about it.
He resisted the urge to sigh and instead rose to his feet, offering her his hand.
“C’mon,” he said, keeping his tone neutral but firm. “We’re not done here.”
Lexi hesitated, her dark eyes darting between his hand and the bloodstained cavern floor. Slowly, she reached out, her fingers brushing against his as she allowed him to help her up. Her movements were cautious, wary—but she didn’t flinch away.
Progress.
Nick released her hand as soon as she was steady, not wanting to spook her. It was clear that she wasn’t used to anyone speaking to her like a person, let alone offering her help.
He turned back toward the battlefield. His mind was still sharp, but another thought crept in:
The old man.
Nick wasn’t the only one thinking it.
Jantzen, ever the immovable force, stood with his arms crossed, staring toward where the stranger had disappeared, his brows drawn slightly, the faintest furrow of contemplation on his otherwise stoic face. Ray, meanwhile, was rubbing her ribs with a wince, but even she looked toward the cavern’s entrance with a wary expression.
Nick ran a hand through his damp hair, shaking his head. “So, uh. That was odd, right?”
Ray scoffed. “A creepy old man walks in, nearly makes the dungeon collapse just by standing there, and then leaves without explaining anything? Nah, seems totally normal.”
“It’s not exactly normal,” Jantzen corrected. “More like… uncommon, but it does happen.”
Nick shot him an incredulous look. “Mysterious old people just casually walk around flexing their strength?”
Jantzen raised an eyebrow. “Yes? Wouldn’t you?”
Nick paused. Oppression with just his presence? Yeah, that was definitely a power he wanted to have. He wasn’t sure about using it to casually flex, though.
Of course, he was lying. He knew that if he could flex that hard, he would do it without hesitation.
Ray giggled. “You think I can get that strong?”
Jantzen shrugged. “I don’t know how strong he was, but anything is possible with enough effort.”
With the old man’s presence lingering in the back of their minds, the tension finally ebbed.
Nick took a deep breath to steady himself. “Well,” he said, stepping forward and planting his foot on the ashen remains of a hobgoblin. “We’re not done here. That was just the first wave.”
Ray grinned, stretching her arms. “You want to keep going?”
He turned his attention to the dark tunnel ahead. Since the goblins had retreated into it, no more threats had arrived—yet.
Jantzen followed his gaze. “We can assume they had more than just a welcoming party waiting for us.”
Lexi tensed at the mention of more goblins, her chains jingling softly as she unconsciously tightened her grip on them.
Nick nodded. “We go forward carefully. No more reckless charge.” He focused his gaze on Ray.
She sighed. “Alright, alright. I get it.”
He turned to Lexi. “How’s your stamina?”
Lexi blinked at him, startled by the direct question. “I… can keep going,” she said quickly.
He nodded, satisfied. She was nervous, but she hadn’t broken down. That was enough.
He took one last glance at the cavern around them before stepping toward the darkened passageway. By RPG logic, the deeper they went, the stronger the dungeon’s monsters would become.
It was time to see what else was waiting for them.
The air inside the tunnel was heavier than before. The deeper they went, the more the lingering scent of smoke and blood faded, replaced by something colder—damp earth, stale air, and something faintly metallic, like rusted iron.
Nick’s boost crunched against the stone, his gaze shifting between the uneven ground and the walls narrowing around them, forcing them into a tighter formation. He moved cautiously at the front, his sword in hand and his senses sharp. Every step echoed faintly, the sound bouncing off the uneven walls in a way that made it impossible to tell if they were alone. He kept his ears open, his mind on high alert for any sound of movement beyond their own.
Ray followed beside him, her halberd resting on her shoulder. She was quiet, hopefully reflecting on what happened, though he suspected she was just waiting for something new to kill.
Jantzen took the rear, unbothered as ever, his massive frame taking up nearly the entire width of the walkway. He didn’t speak, nor did he seem the least bit wary. If anything, he exuded a casual patience as if he already knew whatever came next wasn’t worth worrying about.
Lexi, meanwhile, kept close but not too close, her chains jingling softly with every step. She was tense, her ears flittering at every sound.
The path widened again, opening into a small, natural chamber. The walls were rough and uneven, riddled with deep gouges and claw marks.
Then they saw it.
A corpse.
It lay slumped against the cavern wall, half-buried in loose rubble. This one was human, presumably.
The body wore the tattered remains of an armored uniform, though the insignia was too damaged to recognize. A cracked helmet rested beside it, split open down the center. The dried blood around the wound suggested a clean, forceful kill—too precise for goblins.
Lexi hesitated at the entrance. “An adventurer?” she muttered to herself.
Nick knelt beside the corpse, eyeing the shattered blade still clutched in its bony grip. “Looks like it.”
Ray nudged the broken helmet with her boot. “Didn’t make it all that far into the dungeon. Must’ve been a scrub.”
Nick examined the markings on the walls. Some of them were crude, likely made by goblins. But others… others looked deliberate. Symbols carved deep into the stone, their edges smoothed by time. He traced his fingers along one of them, feeling the faint indentations.
Jantzen, standing nearby, took a single glance at the carvings before speaking. “Dungeon marks. Every pseudo-dungeon has them. If you see them, you know the dungeon doesn’t have a core.”
Nick looked up. “Do they mean anything?”
He nodded. “I’m sure they do. All we know for sure is that they are older than the dungeon spaces themselves. Wherever these pseudo-dungeons are, the marks were there before it became a dimensional space.”
Nick studied the carvings again, their jagged patterns oddly unsettling. Something about them felt… familiar. Not in a way he could explain, but he felt like he should know what they are.
Lexi’s voice was barely above a whisper. “We shouldn’t be here.”
Jantzen scoffed. “Hesitation is death.”
Nick shot him an annoyed glance before turning his attention back to the corpse. Whoever this adventurer had been, they weren’t the first to die here. And they wouldn’t be the last.
He reached for the remains, brushing away some of the dust to see if there was anything of use. The decay was advanced, but not enough for it to have been here that long. A few weeks at most. The fingers were stiff, curled around something—he pried them open carefully, revealing a small leather-bound book.
Nick flipped through a few pages, scanning the contents. The ink was smudged in places, but he could tell it was a journal.
Entry 26:
Another day stuck on babysitting duty. I should have been reassigned to the fort by now, but no—some noble bastard up top wants their ‘researcher’ protected while they poke around in a monster den. Just my damn luck.
The goblins aren’t the problem. They’re just dumb enough to get in the way. But something is wrong with this place. I don’t like it.
Entry 29:
We lost Karven today. It wasn’t the goblins.
The deeper we go, the more I think we shouldn’t be here. The doc won’t say what he’s looking for, just that it’s ‘significant’ and we have to keep going. Bullshit. This whole expedition is fucked.
Entry 31:
If anyone finds this—leave.
Don’t go further.
It’s not dead.
Nick’s grip on the journal tightened slightly.
“…Well, that’s ominous,” Ray muttered.
Jantzen took a step closer, scanning the corpse before his gaze settled on the tunnel ahead. His expression remained unreadable, but there was a tension in the set of his jaw.
Nick closed the journal with one hand. His mind raced. A noble-funded research expedition, deep research in a goblin nest, and something ‘not dead’. This wasn’t just a dungeon run anymore. It was something else. Something bigger. And they were walking right into it.
This was starting to sound like something far above the pay grade of an F-rank adventurer.
He stood, slipping the journal into his pouch.
“Thoughts?”
“We keep going,” Jantzen asserted. “Whatever they found down here, it needs to be stopped.”
“Should we turn back and tell someone?” Ray asked.
“No.”
“She’s right,” Nick said. “We hardly know anything about this threat. This needs to be escalated as soon as possible.”
Jantzen shook his head. “We will do no such thing.”
Nick narrowed his eyes. “And why’s that?”
Jantzen met his gaze. “If we turn back now, we lose the element of surprise. By the time any proper response arrives, whatever is down here will have moved or fortified itself. We handle this now.”
Nick frowned. “Are you hearing yourself? We just found out this dungeon has something strong enough to wipe out an armed expedition. And you want to fight it?”
Jantzen scoffed. “You fear an unknown enemy because you lack faith in your strength.”
Nick took a step forward. “No, I fear walking into a death trap because I have common sense.”
Tension thickened in the air between them.
Ray let out a low whistle. “Damn. Never thought I’d see a pissing contest between you two.”
Nick ignored her. He wasn’t backing down. Not this time.
Jantzen regarded him for a long moment, then exhaled through his nose. “Go back if you must,” he said, voice level. “But I will proceed.”
Nick clenched his jaw. He wasn’t about to let the muscle-headed priest drag them all into a premature grave. He turned to Ray. “What about you?”
She stretched lazily, rolling her shoulders. “I wanna see what’s ahead. Creepy mystery, potential danger? Sounds fun, right?”
He sighed.
That left Lexi.
She had been quiet the entire time, but at the mention of turning back, she hesitated.
“I…” She took a deep breath. “I want to keep going.”
“…Why? Is it because Jantzen is forcing you?”
“I want to,” she repeated, her voice firmer.
Nick studied her carefully. His instinct screamed at him to be cautious, but something in the way she looked at the tunnel made him wonder if she felt a pull, if maybe something was affecting her mind.
“Fine,” he muttered. “But we do this smart. No rushing ahead. No reckless fights. We learn what we’re dealing with first.”
Jantzen grunted but didn’t argue.
Nick turned toward the tunnel. The darkness beyond felt deeper than before.
“Well,” Ray grinned, twirling her halberd, “let’s see if you guys survive.”
The group pressed forward, leaving the corpse behind.
As they moved deeper, the shadows stretched just a little longer behind them.
Project Knightfall 