"Are you sure this is safe?"

  "Of course it's safe. It's just a snail. You ought to relax and enjoy the ride."

  Twigs and leaves crunched far below them. The swaying branches were starting to grate on Silver's nerves, and the jagged curve of the shell beneath him wasn't doing him any favors.

  "This thing is almost as tall as the trees," he muttered. "It isn't 'just a snail.' Snails don't usually get this big." Silver and the red-haired girl sat atop the giant creature's shell. Its rough spirals dug into him no matter how he shifted.

  "I know you've got naturally tough skin and all that," he added, wincing as the shell jostled, "but this is borderline torture."

  The girl lay flat on her back, hands behind her head, completely unbothered. She blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Are you seriously going to complain the entire trip? If you walked, you wouldn't be able to keep up." She tilted her head toward him, grinning. "What, you want me to carry you the rest of the way like a wittle baby?"

  Silver folded his arms and refused to answer.

  She laughed, loud and bright. "And if you think this is big, just wait until next cycle."

  ---------

  Silver woke to the clinging and clanging of objects crashing somewhere inside the house. The entire building was shaking.

  He grabbed the bed's railing and held on as the violent quaking rattled the walls. It went on far longer than it should have. His teeth clenched. Five full minutes passed before the tremors finally eased.

  Silence fell.

  Silver released the railing and slid off the bed onto his feet. A second later, hurried footsteps pounded down the hall. Air and Garret burst into the room. Garret looked pale and shaken. Air was grinning. "Silver! Silver! You've gotta look outside!" He actually bounced where he stood.

  Silver hurried downstairs and pushed through the front door. Linnea and Faelan were already outside, staring at something in the distance. A gargantuan crystal structure towered over the town. It hadn't been there yesterday.

  Silver stared, trying to make sense of it. Air hopped up beside him and tugged at his shirt. "Can we go over to it? It looks so pretty!"

  Silver looked down at him, unimpressed. "No. You're staying put. I'm going to find out what's going on."

  Air's smile wilted. "Aw. That's not fair..."

  Silver stepped toward Faelan and tapped his shoulder. "Can you make sure he doesn't get into trouble?" Faelan nodded once.

  Without another word, Silver set off toward the guildhall. The closer he got, the louder the noise became. Adventurers were spilling out the doors, arguing over one another, panic bleeding into every sentence. He slipped inside and followed the noise to a meeting room. No one noticed him. They were too busy talking over each other.

  Silver eased up beside Anya and tapped her shoulder. When she turned, she looked terrible. Silver suspected her morning had been even worse than his.

  "What's going on?" Silver shouted, his voice nearly swallowed by the chaos in the room.

  Anya pinched the bridge of her nose. "We're estimating at least a level eight."

  Silver stared at her. "Level eight? Are you serious? That shouldn't even be possible."

  When a dungeon manifests, a scout is sent to assess its level. There are ten in total. The higher the number, the more dangerous the dungeon. The upper tiers are exceedingly rare and typically appear only in regions saturated with extreme magical energy. The Quingrove trees surrounding Alderbrook do release large amounts of magic during blooming season, but nowhere near enough to produce something like this. In other words, a level 8 dungeon appearing here was an anomaly.

  Anya lifted her rough wooden wand and traced three symbols in the air. A sharp popping sound cracked through the room. Silence fell instantly. She cleared her throat. "Are you all done screaming your guts out? Good. Now we can organize a party."

  A large parchment hovered beside her, covered in hastily written guidelines. "Let's make this simple. Any adventurer below rank five is not permitted to enter this dungeon. If you're under level six and somehow still sitting in this room, leave."

  Groans rippled through the hall. A handful of adventurers stood and shuffled out, muttering under their breath. Silver wasted no time claiming one of the empty seats. Sir Borin's voice from across the table cut through the room. "Can you believe those low-level goons? They wouldn't even make decent human shields."

  A few adventurers burst into laughter. Anya did not. She cleared her throat again, slower this time. The laughter died. "According to our scouts, the dungeon is filled with crystalline creatures. Dense exteriors. Heavy physical durability. We'll need strong frontline fighters." She tapped the parchment.

  "Anyone proficient in hexcraft should step forward. Weakening them before engagement will be critical. Their bodies are likely resistant to elemental magic, so only two combative spellcasters will be permitted. Strategic use only."

  Her gaze swept across the room. She moved to the far side of the floating parchment and tapped it lightly with her wand. A list of names shimmered into view. "If you've submitted your guild cards at the front desk, those selected will be notified within the next one to two hours." She paused. "However, Sir Borin has already been chosen as party leader."

  A murmur rippled through the room.

  "His second-in-command will be Silver Selwyn." Several adventurers nearly lurched out of their seats.

  Sir Borin did not look pleased. "Surely one of my men would be better suited as my right hand," he said stiffly. "No offense, but how capable is this Silver, really? I've heard he's competent, but he seems rather... average."

  A soft smile curved across Anya's face. "Well," she said lightly, "if an average man is ranked one level above you, what do you suppose that implies about you, dear Sir Borin?"

  Borin opened his mouth. Nothing came out. He crossed his arms and sank back into his chair.

  Anya turned back to the parchment. "With that settled, you are dismissed. Those chosen will receive maps of the scouted sections. That includes you, Sir Borin. And you, Silver." Her eyes flicked briefly toward them. "I trust the two of you are civil enough to formulate a plan together."

  Silver stretched his arms overhead as he stepped out of the guildhall. He had barely taken two strides when Sir Borin and his entourage blocked his path.

  "Who do you think you are?" Borin demanded. "You think that just because you're on that woman's good side you're above me?"

  Silver rested a hand on his hip and offered a lazy, smug smile. "I don't think anything. I know I'm above you. You're level six. I'm level seven. You only became a knight a few months ago, right? Sure, you're from Aurelios. I'm sure you've seen a few noteworthy dungeons, but I've been doing this my entire life." He stepped around them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to eat breakfast. After that, we can come up with a plan."

  He whistled as he slipped past. Borin scoffed and stalked off in the opposite direction.

  Silver made his way back to The Holloway and was greeted at the door by Garret and Linnea, both still visibly tense.

  "So, what's going on?" Linnea asked.

  "Looks like a level eight dungeon," Silver replied. "No idea how something like that sprouted here, but we'll figure it out. Anyway, I hope Faelan's cooking something good. It smells amazing out here."

  Inside, Faelan stood at the hearth with Air beside him, watching intently. Pots and pans rested atop pulsing orange circles etched into the stovetop. The steady glow of sustained heat spells kept everything simmering evenly.

  "So, what's the situation?" Faelan asked without looking away from the skillet.

  "Level eight. Hard to believe, right?"

  Faelan snorted softly. "A mountain just rose in front of my house. I don't have much choice but to believe it."

  Air scratched the back of his head. "So... is that bad? Or good?"

  Silver leaned against the wall. "Complicated. On one hand, a dungeon that size is probably packed with the best loot I've seen in years. On the other hand, my entire party could easily die in there if our plans fall flat. The scouts said the creatures are made of dense crystal. Tough bastards."

  He folded his arms. "I'll be fine. I know my way around a tough dungeon. I'm more worried about the rest of them. Especially that oaf Sir Borin. I'm not convinced a brain that small can come up with anything more advanced than 'Hit monster hard so monster die.'"

  Faelan chuckled under his breath.

  Air tilted his head. "So you're going inside that thing?"

  "Yes."

  "Then I'm going too," Air said immediately. "I'm not scared of any monsters."

  "Yeah. No," Silver said flatly. "Whatever you're capable of, a kid like you wouldn't last in a dungeon like that. Enjoy the town while you can. We'll probably be heading to Aurelios soon. With Garret around, you'll be fine."

  Garret was untouchable. Harm him in any way and you were banned from the Holloway, the only medical clinic in town. For adventurers, that was a death sentence. Without reliable healing, there were only so many dungeons a body could survive before it gave out.

  Later, after breakfast, Silver sat once more in the guildhall's meeting room. The full party of eleven had been chosen. Maps covered the table.

  They marked points of interest. Debated routes. Calculated risks. And ignored Silver. Much to his annoyance, most of his suggestions were waved off by Sir Borin. Several of Borin's men had made it into the party, which meant his influence carried weight. Too much weight.

  Silver rubbed his temple. Dealing with a group whose combined brainpower barely rivaled a cow's was exhausting. Still, when his arguments were clearly the most practical, they stuck. Eventually, the plan was finalized.

  After a hike through the forest surrounding Alderbrook, They stood before the crystalline structure. Up close, it was breathtaking. Amber light refracted through towering crystal spires, casting fractured sunlight across the gathered crowd. A magical gate barred entry to all but authorized guild members. Two guards stood watch. If anything went wrong, Anya would know immediately.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  The party consisted of Sir Borin and Silver as leads, four additional knights, three spellcasters trained in hexcraft, and two generalists. If things collapsed, the spellcasters would be their best chance at retreat. After final checks, they stepped through the massive opening and entered.

  The first chamber was almost serene. Crystals gleamed in every direction, catching and scattering the light. No creatures stirred. Early stretches of dungeons were often quiet. Even a level eight followed that rule. This dungeon, however, did not descend in a simple path. Its sheer size allowed for ascent as well.

  Borin had wanted to go down. Silver had argued for up and got his way. Being able to go upwards in dungeons like this wasn't something adventurers got to do often. They soon encountered a towering crystal wall. Jagged formations jutted outward, forming natural handholds. At the top, a visible path led deeper inside. Silver drew his dagger and struck one of the protruding crystals. Sparks flew. The blade barely left a mark. He nodded. "Looks climbable. Guess we're lucky. Usually we'd need ropes."

  Borin folded his arms. "Then go ahead. We'll follow once you confirm it's clear. You're not afraid to scout alone, are you?"

  "Of course not."

  Silver began climbing. The abundance of crystal handholds made the ascent easier than expected. When he reached the top, he carefully lifted his head above the edge. A long tunnel stretched ahead. Empty.

  According to the scouts, creatures could have migrated here by now. But he saw nothing. He looked down. "It's clear! Start climbing!" He pulled himself fully over and stepped into the tunnel. The walls glittered around him, thin crystal growths lining the sides like delicate ribs. Strange, but he assumed they were natural formations. One by one, the rest of the party joined him. When everyone had gathered, Sir Borin unfolded his map.

  "Alright everyone, there's a very good chance of enemies being up ahead, so be on guard! Surround the spellcasters until they're needed."

  The party marched forward.

  One of the knights drifted closer to the wall. A crystal near his shoulder caught his eye, jutting out at an odd angle. It looked loose. Thinking that it might hold some value, He reached for it. A scream came a second later.

  Silver spun around. The knight staggered backward, clawing at his helmet. What had looked like a crystal was latched onto his faceplate, writhing violently. It wasn't just crystal. It was alive. Silver ripped the whip from his belt and lashed forward. The strike cracked against the creature and tore it free. It hit the ground and scuttled away.

  Chunks of the knight's helmet were missing, bitten clean through. If it had stayed attached a few seconds longer, it would have reached his face. That was when Silver noticed the walls. The crystal growths lining the tunnel were wriggling All at once. His eyes widened. "Run!"

  The party bolted without breaking formation. Crystalline spiders burst from the walls, skittering across the floor and ceiling. The front line swatted them aside with steel. Blades sparked against hardened bodies. Behind them, the spellcasters launched explosive spheres that blasted creatures backward. The impacts scattered them, but the damage was minimal. They reached a sloped passage that angled upward. The incline grew steeper, their formation straining as they climbed.

  "We should have gone down like I originally planned!" Sir Borin shouted.

  "Oh yeah," Silver shot back, breath tight, "because there definitely wouldn't have been spiders down there!"

  They crested the slope and stumbled into a wide cavern. Silver's gaze snapped upward.A massive crystal hung from the ceiling, split by a jagged crack. It loomed directly above the tunnel entrance they had just escaped through. "That crystal!" Silver shouted. "We can bring it down and block the passage!"

  He swung his grappling hook and lodged it into the crack.

  Borin turned sharply towards the spellcasters. "Strength enhancements. On my men. Now."

  The spellcasters traced quick sigils in the air. A faint glow wrapped around the knights' arms and shoulders. They seized the rope and pulled. The crystal groaned and then fell.

  The impact shook the cavern as the shattered mass sealed the tunnel completely. A handful of spiders had slipped through before the collapse, but empowered by the buffs, Borin and his knights crushed them swiftly under steel and boot.

  Silence returned. Silver wiped sweat from his brow. "That was close. Good call, Sir Borin. I was thinking the same thing. Just figured it'd go smoother if the order came from you."

  Borin stared at him. "You gambled our lives on that? How reckless can you be? Now we'll have to find one of the other exits."

  Silver shrugged. "Relax. All the exits are mapped. Just not the connecting routes. We'll connect the dots."

  After a moment, the party reformed their ranks and pressed deeper into the cavern.

  Crouching by the riverbank, Air and Garret watched the fish drift lazily through the current. Air poked at them with a stick, scowling.

  "How come Silver gets to go to that cool thing while I'm stuck here watching fish?"

  Garret shrugged. "Dungeons are seriously dangerous. My mom and dad used to explore them with big groups. The stories they tell are scary."

  "Really? They used to do that? That's awesome. Why'd they stop?"

  "I'm pretty sure it's because they had me. The money they make now isn't as much as they earned selling treasure, but it's stable. I'm grateful they gave that up." He glanced at Air. "What about you? Any memories of your parents yet?"

  Air shook his head. "Nope. Can't remember them at all. I'm not too worried, though. I'm sure it'll come to me eventually, right? I just want to have as much fun as I can. This world is amazing, and I've barely seen any of it."

  A large toad hopped into view.

  "Oh!" Air lunged for it, lost his balance, and pitched forward. He tensed, certain he was about to squash the poor thing. Garret covered his face, bracing for a squish. Air hit the ground and immediately rolled onto his back. The toad wobbled, blinked, and then hopped away unharmed.

  Garret lowered his hands slowly. "Uh. The toad's okay. And your clothes..."

  Air sat up and patted himself down. "Wow. I totally thought I crushed it." He brushed at his shirt and pants. "Huh. No dirt. Maybe I'm just lucky."

  When he stood, Garret's eyes widened. Air's back was completely caked in mud.

  "Actually," Garret said, trying not to laugh, "your back's filthy."

  Air twisted around, failing to see anything. "Really? That doesn't make a lick of sense."

  "We should probably head back to my house," Garret said, standing. "I've got spare clothes. They should fit you."

  Air beamed. "Aw, thanks, Garret. You're the best."

  Back inside the crystalline dungeon, the party moved through another narrow tunnel. This time they scanned the walls carefully for any sign of the spiders and kept their footsteps light.

  They soon reached a stretch of cracked flooring. Jagged lines split the stone into uneven sections.

  Silver raised a hand, stopping the party.

  "What's the meaning of this?" Sir Borin asked.

  "Give me a second," Silver said.

  He crouched and pulled an empty pouch from his pocket, filling it with small loose crystals scattered across the ground. After weighing it in his palm, he tossed it onto the fractured floor. The pouch hit, slid forward-and nothing happened. For a heartbeat, that is. The section beneath the pouch sank slightly. Two crystals embedded in the walls shot outward, spearing through the space where a person would have been standing.

  Silver exhaled. "Thought so."

  "Ah. Of course," Sir Borin said quickly, as if he had known all along.

  Silver scratched his chin. "Any of you spellcasters know water magic? We don't need much. Just enough to cover the floor ahead of us."

  All of the spellcasters nodded.

  "And can any of you freeze it? I know that's more advanced, but level six spellcasters should know freezing spells. You'll need to cast it quickly."

  Only two looked confident enough to answer. Silver gave a light clap. "Alright. Cover the floor in water, then freeze it. Do that two or three times. The layers should stack thick enough for us to cross."

  The spellcasters stepped forward and began tracing symbols in the air. A broad, wave-shaped sigil formed first, shimmering blue. The two assigned to freezing added four smaller glyphs around it, their lines sharp and angular. Together, three of them released a surge of water across the cracked floor. The other two froze it almost instantly. They repeated the process twice more until a thick sheet of ice sealed the fractured stone beneath.

  "Now we wait," Silver said.

  A few seconds later, several of the wall crystals shot outward, triggered by the hidden mechanism. They struck the ice and retracted with sharp scraping sounds.

  Silver studied the surface, then nodded. "We're good."

  He kept close to the wall as he stepped onto the ice, steadying himself with the untouched crystals that jutted outward. The surface held. One by one, the others followed, boots crunching softly as they crossed. No one was impaled.

  Silver allowed himself a grin. "Is this really a level eight dungeon? I've cleared level fives tougher than this."

  As if offended by his earlier bravado, the dungeon struck the moment Silver stepped into the open chamber. His balance vanished and he was yanked upward. Sir Borin and one of his knights were lifted as well. Silver's stomach lurched as the ceiling rushed closer, jagged crystals glinting like teeth above them. He shot out a hand and caught a crystal jutting from the wall before he rose any farther. Borin and the knight managed the same, armor scraping loudly against stone.

  "Are you alright?" one of the spellcasters called from the tunnel entrance. The rest of the party had stopped just short of the room.

  "Ah. Sure, I think so," Silver replied, though his grip tightened.

  Sir Borin shot him an irritated look. "Any bright ideas on how to get past this one? "

  Silver glanced downward. In the center of the chamber floated a glowing orb, suspended in midair. Its steady pulse felt deliberate, controlled.

  "That orb down there. We probably have to destroy it or something like that."

  One of the spellcasters immediately began tracing a sigil. A sphere of light formed between her palms.

  Silver's eyes widened. "Hold on!"

  The spell fired anyway. The glowing projectile streaked toward the orb, then abruptly veered off course as if seized by an invisible hand. It ricocheted wildly around the chamber, slamming from wall to wall before crashing into the stone beside Sir Borin and exploding. The impact shook him loose. His fingers slipped. For a heart-stopping second he drifted upward toward the waiting spikes, but he managed to snatch another crystal and steady himself, armor rattling as he caught his breath.

  Silver let out a sigh of relief. "Are you trying to get us killed here? Sheesh. We need to figure out exactly how the gravity works. Based on what we just saw, things that enter this room don't go straight up. I think different directions have a stronger influence over different parts of the room."

  "So we've got to figure out which path reaches the orb," Sir Borin said.

  "Exactly. And quickly. We can't hang here forever. Everyone down there, start throwing small crystals in. Sir Borin, Gotfried, and I will track their paths. Three at a time."

  Three crystals flew into the room. Each curved wildly along invisible currents, spiraling in erratic arcs before finally lodging between the spikes on the ceiling.

  "No good. Try again."

  Though only seconds passed, each failed attempt tightened the strain in Silver's arms. The pressure mounted until one crystal tapped the ground beside the floating orb before whipping upward.

  "There! That one! Sir Borin, Gotfried, did you see where it was thrown from?"

  Gotfried pointed. "Right there! I saw it when they first threw it. Before it started flying around, it reached that exact spot."

  Silver smirked. "Alright. Fire explosive spells in that direction. It should disrupt the orb."

  Two spellcasters raised their wands and traced symbols in the air. Light gathered at their tips and shot forward. The blasts twisted midair, dragged off course by shifting gravity, but eventually collided with the floor beside the orb. The orb jolted free. It began whipping violently around the room. Silver, Sir Borin, and Gotfried were hurled through the air as gravity twisted and spun. Silver lunged and caught the orb just before the three of them were driven into the ceiling spikes. The moment his grip tightened on the sphere, the chaos stopped.

  Sir Borin and Gotfried seized floating debris and climbed back down. The rest of the party hurried through the room while Silver held the orb steady. Soon he was the only one left, suspended in midair, his back facing the spikes. "Alright," he muttered. "Let's figure out which way is down."

  He tilted the orb slightly. His body drifted backward. "Ouch! Wrong way!" He adjusted again, slowly rotating the sphere until his boots touched the floor near the exit. Once he landed safely, he stepped through to join the others. As they continued walking down the tunnel, Silver bumped Sir Borin's shoulder.

  "I'm surprised you waited for me."

  Sir Borin scoffed. "What do you take us for? Animals? You waited for us to get through. The least we could do was return the favor."

  Silver chuckled. "Maybe you're not completely awful."

  "Who are you lot?"

  The unfamiliar voice stopped them in their tracks. The two men had walked into a much larger chamber without realizing it. Open gaps in the crystal walls revealed bright blue sky beyond. Without even realizing it, the party had somehow made it to the top. At the center of the room floated a jagged, human-sized crystal. Three figures in vivid red cloaks stood around it. Two kept their hoods up. The shortest had hers down, revealing bright blue hair.

  "Oh wait," she said. "You're with the guild, aren't you? Don't tell me you think this is a dungeon." She glanced at her companions. "Can you believe this, Rumus? These guild errand boys are simply adorable. I don't know why the Minister even worries about them."

  Sir Borin stepped forward, hand on his sword hilt. "What is the meaning of this? I doubt you're authorized to be here."

  The other two, Rumus and Kelar, continued weaving an intricate spell around the floating crystal. "Elara. Don't let them interfere!" Kelar shouted.

  The blue-haired woman drew a dagger and dragged her tongue across its blade. Symbols etched into the metal flared a searing orange. Smiling, she advanced. Silver stepped back as Borin and the knights raised their weapons. Suddenly, she threw the dagger. It barely missed Sir Borin and streaked past Silver. The blade embedded deep in the crystal wall behind him.

  Silver turned-

  -and froze.

  She was already there. Elara was standing right behind him. One hand gripped the dagger lodged in the wall. In her other hand she held a twin blade. Red liquid dripped steadily from its edge. Panic surged through Silver as he turned toward his party.

  Gotfried and one of the spellcasters stood unmoving for a single breath. Then both collapsed, their throats cleanly sliced open. Blood poured across the crystal floor. Silver drew his dagger just in time to block the woman's next strike. Metal shrieked against metal as they pressed against each other, the sound echoing through the chamber. He gritted his teeth.

  She laughed.

  "Ha! Two in one-"

  "What-"

  "Can you believe that's not even-"

  "Are you even-"

  "My personal record!"

  "-doing here!?"