A Journey of Reiki

-Sybis-

“Wake up.” I was shaken awake by a foot stepping into my side aggressively.

I shook my head to wade the sleep away. I looked up into the eyes of a child, stern black eyes complimented his white hair, and he wore the stiff scholarly clothes that students of the Elven Academy wore. He stood rigid, sturdy. Though he was clearly younger than me, in my state of exhaustion I found myself slightly intimidated.

I stood up, and the kid was easily half a foot taller than me. He must have had some High-Elf in him. He looked down upon me as I brushed my new clothing and armor off, picking up my weapons.

“Sorry for that,” I mumbled. “New in town, had nowhere else to sleep.” He waved it away.

“I don’t care about you sleeping here, you’re just in the way of the hay I need.” He used a flick of his wrist to lift up the hay I was sleeping on and move it to the stall next to me. The horse I had pet the night before looked appreciative of being fed and began his feast. I gave it another subconscious rub and turned back to the kid.

“My name’s Sybis, it’s nice to meet you.” He didn’t want to shake hands, but instead, he continued his chore of taking care of the horses, using only magic. I found it a little odd but didn’t question it.

“Rynvus.” Was all his reply had to offer. His tone and attitude annoyed me slightly.

“It’s not very nice to ignore extended courtesies, Rynvus.” He ignored me. “Or ignore people. Rough day kid?” He turned on me, palm out. Reiki gathered at his palm, the energy swirling in a blue haze around a mark in his palm that utterly surprised me. He growled.

“I’m not a kid.” I put my hands up in a defensive gesture, hoping for the best.

“I say it to everyone, I apologize Rynvus. No need to escalate this to violence.” He glared at me for a long time, his blue eyes drilling into mine as sweat began to form on my brow. He was an Academy student, his magic was strong to get there, and if it came down to a fight with magic, I’d be better off cutting my own head off. I’d never win.

After another moment, he put his hand down, going back to his chores as if nothing had happened. I wiped my forehead, letting my heart rate calm down. I felt it was wrong to leave off on a bad note with this kid, you never know when a failed friendship could bite you in the ass. I tried making small talk.

“Ki--” Rynvus shot me a glare from over his shoulder and I quickly corrected myself, “--Rynvus, what’s your lotus? That magic is amazing. I’ve never seen so much Reiki accumulated so quickly.” For a moment he lightened up, his layer of anger dissipating, but he soon returned to his hard layer. He had a soft side, I just needed to get through to it.

“I’m an elemental sorcerer.” Sorcerers were the most versatile of magic-users, only defined by what elements they could use, the rest was up to their strength and imagination.

“What element?” He didn’t answer at first but instead began to brush the horse, this time manually. The horse enjoyed the attention he was getting, though the other horse looked a little left out. I walked over and began to brush him, using the brush resting on the fence between the stalls. It looked happier. Rynvus and I brushed in silence for a few minutes but he broke the silence.

“I’m an Auqamancer.” Auqamancer’s were water sorcerers. They were typically looked down upon, seeing as water wasn’t very destructive, but if you had the mindset and the power, it could prove very useful and dangerous. I didn’t comment on it, but let it hang, continuing to brush the chestnut mare. He cleared his throat. “Do you have magic?” I felt a pang.

“Not exactly. I have the ability, but not the knowledge.” Normally this is where people would make fun, poke and tease, or outright insult me. Elves were drawn towards magic like snow to land, and an Elf with little magical prowess was often dissected from the rest of society. But no ridicule came from Rynvus.

“You’re new you said, right?” I told him I was. “Why did you come here?” I knew exactly why I had come, but I wasn’t sure I wanted others to know. Not yet.

“I’m looking for someone, but first I need to get strong. I need to get stronger so I can find them.” Rynvus’s face formed into a frown as he finished brushing his horse.

“Who are you looking for?”

“Someone who did me wrong in life.” His face fell into a deeper frown.

“Revenge isn’t pretty.” I laughed. It was a funny statement.

“I don’t wish him harm, I just need answers.”

“Then why the power?” Rynvus set his brush aside, joining me in the other stall. I was almost finished.

“I need to prove him wrong.” Rynvus nodded, still looking confused. He didn’t further the topic however but changed the subject.

“Do you plan on staying in T’uuk for long?” I nodded.

“I’ll be staying as long as I can, yeah. I’m starting to like it here.” I gave him a look, “The people are kind when you get to know them a little.” He looked away.

“I’m sorry for my introductive tone. It’s been a rough week, and I’m not used to people talking to me in an informal manner.” I set my brush aside, finished. I brushed my legs off. Rynvus stood straight, and touched the tips of his ears, bowing his head slowly. “My name’s Rynvus Tinsaris, It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I smiled, touching my ears as well, bowing my head in turn.

“I am Sybis Glacia. It’s a pleasure as well.” I walked out of the stall, and he followed me. “What is it you’re doing here anyway, Rynvus?” He gestured to the horses.

“I enjoy taking care of them, plus, the coin helps around the house. Why are you here?”

“As I mentioned before, nowhere else to sleep. My ship docked late last evening, and I didn’t find a place to stay. So the stables it was.” He put his hands in his pockets, looking down at his feet crunching in the snow as we walked out of the stables, heading to nowhere in particular. “You got somewhere you need to go, Rynvus?” He shook his head.

“No school today, not that it matters anyway, I probably wouldn’t have gone.”

“Why?”

“School’s not my thing.”

“Then why join the Academy?” He seemed to tense up at the question. I must’ve hit a sensitive subject.

“My dad wanted me to, all of my family has, therefore I must.” He was putting back up the walls I had taken down.

“I get it, my aunt made me learn how to sing.” He looked at me and laughed. I laughed too because it was genuinely funny. Though in the end, I became a decent singer and knew a few traveling songs that made trips easier. Though the process of learning how to sing was quite embarrassing at times.

“I admit, that’s pretty bad. Are you any good?” I shrugged.

“I’m not bad.” He stopped, we were growing near the market district where people were walking back and forth.

“Sing something. I’m curious.” I rolled my eyes but warmed up my voice. One thing I learned at a young age was to not be shy in public, be the same all-round. It didn’t bother me to sing. I thought of an Elven folk song that was cheery, talking about a queen and her garden of flowers. It was a short song, but it was pretty, the words flew out of my mouth in the upbeat, merry tone of the song. Once I had finished, Rynvus gave me a small clap, and I realized a few other people had stopped to listen. They clapped too, and I felt warm inside. Praise was always a trigger for a smile from me, and I was happy they enjoyed it. I cleared my throat and began walking again. I made sure to direct us towards the crystalline forest, where Cinth told me Belrae and her sister Uvesilin lived. Rynvus followed again.

“That wasn’t half bad, Sybis.” I smiled.

“Thank you, I appreciate it.” He looked back in front of him, allowing a few seconds of silence to pass by. It had begun snowing again, but this time my discomfort was minimal thanks to my fur-inlined armor. “What’s your agenda today?” He asked, looking around him at the falling snow.

“I plan on meeting Belrae and her sister, I was told she would help me learn magic. It’s something I really need to do if I want to become stronger.” He chuckled.

“Belrae I’m sure will help you. Uvesilin though… I wish you the best of luck with her.” I gave him a suspicious look.

“What’s up with Uvesilin? People seem to have a very negative opinion of her.”

“Well, she typically has a bad attitude. She doesn’t like people and instead surrounds herself with animals. She just hates people, I’m not sure why. She’s really good at magic though, she was a top student at the Academy before she left last year.” That cleared up my curiosity. She was feisty, so people didn’t like her. I could deal with feisty, just not mean.

“That makes far more sense. What’s Belrae like?” He looked in the distance when I said her name and smiled.

“She’s very kind. A year younger, she used to be in the Academy as well. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and she’s ridiculously smart.” He thought about it for a moment. “Probably the smartest in our level.” That was promising.

“Well, I hope she can teach me then.”

“If anyone can, it’s Belrae.” We let the conversation drift off again as we passed by a blacksmith and I stopped in my tracks. I could use some repairs.

“Hey Rynvus, who runs the blacksmithing?” His answer was immediate.

“Finwen Borin, master blacksmith, and all-round artisian. Why?” The name sounded familiar, and I remembered Cinth had mentioned him the night before. He was the one that made the armor I wore. I tapped my sword.

“I could use some repairs.”

“He should be open.” I tried the door and it swung open easily, proving Rynvus right. I walked in and the warmth of the forge surrounded me, it was gratifying and made me welcome. The blacksmith wasn’t in sight, so Rynvus and I waited in the common room where some of his work was on display under glass casings. His name was engraved in all of the work, though it was high-quality. The metals he used were durable, and his style was simplistic and desirable. One, in particular, caught my eye. It was silver steel, the handle curved back simplistic brown and gold metal adorned it, no guard or hilt. The blade was straight for the first half and curved to the tip at the end of it. No jewels, no heavy pommel. Light and durable, it was an effective sword.

If only it wasn’t expensive as hell. I sighed at the price, looking away. A door opened from the back and a lean elf with a lean and tight complexion walked out. His face was long and grim, his hair black. He looked human-like with Elven ears, probably half-elf. He was muscular, but not ridiculously so, and his hands were tough. He wore a white shirt covered in soot and a heavy lead apron that was smeared with blackened stains and metal debris. He set a pair of tough gloves on the counter and leaned into it, looking at me with tired eyes.

“Welcome. I’m Finwen, an artisian. Something catch your eye?” I shook my head, taking one last look at the sword.

“No, sir. My name’s Sybis, I just need a few repairs to my sword, if you don’t mind.” I unsheathed my worn sword and let him see it. He took it, testing it out and looking subjectively at the edge. He shook his head after his inspection.

“It’s too old, it would break. Sorry.” I waved it away, it was worth a shot. He eyed me, looking at my armor. “You like my other work I hope.” I nodded.

“It’s warm for sure, I haven’t had a chance to test the steel, however.”

“I have no doubt it will do you well, newcomer.”

“How’d you know I was new?” He laughed, and it wasn’t nearly as grim as his features. It added more light to the room than the blazing forge.

“How not, is the real question. You have the look of a newcomer, and you don’t quite smell like snow… yet.” He shook his head, still chuckling to himself. “Come back every now and again, I’ll keep that armor up-to-date.”

“I appreciate that, Sir Finwen.”

“I’m far from a sir, Finwen will do fine!” I nodded.

“Of course.”

“Apologies again for the sword.”

“That’s alright. Have a nice day Finwen.” He nodded at my wave, and we walked back out into the snow, Rynvus completely unnerved by the cold.

“Not quite what you were hoping for, I take it?” Rynvus asked. I shook my head.

“Not exactly. Though that sword looked very nice, I think I’ll buy it when I have the money to do so. The next stop is Belrae’s.” I kept walking, and Rynvus did as well until we reached the edge of the forest. We stopped, and he must’ve realized I didn’t know exactly where I was going.

“It’s over here.” He led me further down the edge of the forest until I could spot something in the hills, their cabin not too far in the distance. I looked at Rynvus.

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.” He shrugged.

“I’m enjoying the company, and as I said, I don’t have much else to do just yet.” With that I pressed forward, my feet dropping into the half-foot of snow.

We reached the cabin’s door and I was impressed with the comfortability of it. It was a double story cabin, a short set of steps leading to the short porch that wrapped around to the other side of the cabin where it grew larger. It was on the side of a large hill, so the porch on the side stood hanging, supported by multiple beams underneath it. Trees surrounded it, covering much of it from view. The front door was wood and one-way stained glass that we couldn’t see through on this side. Above the front door, on the second floor, a large window allowed light in. Lanterns hung on either side of the front door, and when I knocked, I heard footsteps from inside. A mutter of the word “pyern” could be heard from inside. The lanterns sparked to life, the fire bursting out of air. I jumped, but Rynvus stayed still. I gave him a look and he shrugged.

“I could feel it coming.” I rolled my eyes, and the door opened. The woman who answered had dark, wavy black hair that curled, her eyes a lighter purple than her outfit, a half-dress made of dark velvet. Her face was naturally angry, and it took me about three seconds to figure out this was most likely Uvesilin, judging by her appearance. From behind her, I could see a hallway that led into a fire room and in that fire room another woman rushing about grabbing things left and right, piling them into her arms with hasty speed. She briefly looked over before looking away, quickly stuffing things in a bag she had wrapped around herself.

“Who are you and what do you want,” Uvesilin asked in a low tone. She wasn’t threatening but instead sounded like there were fifty-thousand other things she’d rather be doing than talking to us.

“Hello, my name’s Sybis, this is my friend--” She waved him away.

“I know this kid--” I looked over at Rynvus but he made no expression, “--but I don’t know you. What do you want.”

“I’m here to speak with Belrae.” She rolled her eyes to the extent that I thought they might go into her head. She turned and spoke to the other girl.

“Bel, people for you.” She turned around and walked away, leaving the door open. She slumped up the stairs I just noticed beside the hallway, and out of sight. The woman scurried out into the hall, her long black hair was straight, let free around her white fur coat. I caught a glimpse of a tattoo down her neck, but it was covered for the most part. She came to the door, and I noticed her ears were pierced multiple times, each with a small silver ring in them. She shut the door behind her, causing us to step back as she hurried down the stairs. Her eyes were a wicked blue, but in a crazy way, not a dangerous one. She was spunky.

“Follow if you want to talk,” She called behind her, skipping steps, “I’m running late.”

Rynvus and I looked at each other for a brief second before following after her, jogging to catch up. I walked quickly beside her in the snow, Rynvus behind me.

“Hello Belrae, My name’s Sybis, I’m looking for someone willing to teach me magic.” She gave me a look but kept walking.

“Go on.”

“I’m not very good, I don’t even know my lotus. But I want to learn very badly.”

“What are you willing to pay for it?”

“What would you like me to pay?” She thought about it, adjusting the overfilled bag on her hip. She was walking fast and her long legs made it difficult for me to keep up.

“Well, you could do me a favor, and we’ll talk about it.”

“What’s the favor?” She stopped, huffed a breath, and turned to me. I didn’t expect the sudden halting, so I had to take a step back to face her.

“A girl by the name of Eliseia, do you know of her?” I shook my head. “She’s the lord’s daughter, and she’s very high-maintenance…” She rubbed her temples, most likely from a headache. She seemed to have a lot of stuff on her mind. “I can’t help her today. She’s a friend, and very nice, but she needs a lot of assistance with things that I simply cannot give her today. You’ll find her at the lake near the Lord’s mansion. Just…” She gave me a very serious look. “Listen, I don’t know who you are but I’m hoping you can handle this. Deal with her for the day, do what she needs, and If I get a good report, I’ll be happy to teach you. Just don’t screw up.” She turned on the heel, then stopped and pointed as she stepped backward, hurrying to wherever she was off to.

“She’s that way! Good luck!” With that, she turned and ran, not stopping for anything more or even waiting for a response. I watched her until she disappeared behind a swath of trees, still shocked at my first impression of her. Rynvus looked amused and broke into a chuckle.

“Well, that was interesting.” I nodded, agreeing.

“Yes, it was. Well, I suppose I need to find this lord’s daughter.”

“That you do. I’m going to follow Belrae and see what’s up. See you again?”

“I’m sure we’ll meet again, Rynvus.” He smiled and we exchanged goodbye’s as he went off in the direction Belrae ran. He took his pace to a jog,

I watched him go and then began my own walk to the lord’s mansion. It wasn’t hard to find, being the only mansion in T’uuk, and mansion it was indeed. The lake, however, was what I was looking for. As I stepped around the massive three-story building lined with immaculate trim and decor, I found the lake.

A white fence surrounded most of the house, but a gate led through to the lake Belrae spoke of. Although it was far below freezing, the lake remained liquid despite it and I couldn’t help but sigh at the diversity of magic, at least I assumed that was the cause of it. I then got distracted, my mind trying to figure out how that could be, but I summed it up to ‘just magic’ and left it at that. Nothing else made sense. Not that my knowledge of the arts, or lack thereof, really helped.

Across the lake, I saw a bench, and on the bench was a small girl, what I thought to be a child. The lake was about a hundred feet across, the water calm even from the wind. I walked around the edge. As I neared the girl, she waved at me, though she said nothing.

“Hello,” I called out. I had about ten feet to go and I realized she didn’t look like a child at all. Though she was small. Her face was beautiful, her hair parted down the middle and layered in sheets down her shoulders and back. Her eyes were a dandelion yellow, gentle to look at, but intimidating if she wanted them to be. Her legs were curled under her as she sat, and I noticed the bench accumulated no snow. Her beautiful face was almost mesmerizing, high cheekbones on her soft features left it with an innocent look, though I was curious what laid beneath the mask.

She waved at me again, speaking no words. She still didn’t say anything to me as I greeted her in the typical Elven fashion. I pressed my fingers to the tips of my ears and bowed my head deeper due to her standing. As the lord’s daughter, she was deserving of more respect, and the last thing I wanted to do was piss off someone high-standing in this town.

“Hello my lady, my name is Sybis Glacia, I was sent here by Belrae to help you today, she’s busy it seems and she couldn’t make it, so she sent me in her stead. She picked up her wand, which lay to her side without a word, and began to write in the air. Symbols forged from fire appeared where her tip lay, and through it, she wrote me a message.

I apologize for the inconvenience, but I was born mute. My name is Lady Eliseia.

It all clicked, why she hadn’t said anything. “Oh, ok. That makes sense. I was told you’re in need of special help, and I’m here to provide that help. What am I to do, my lady?” She began to write again.

I would like flowers, Sybis.

“Is that all Lady Eliseia?” I asked after reading her message. She nodded.

The flowers I need, for a potion, for my back.

“What’s wrong with your back, if you don’t mind me asking?” She began to write again.

I have Phantom Spine, it causes the disks in my back to spasm and break if I don’t drink the potion necessary for toning it down.

“That’s terrible. Where do I find this flower so I can get it quickly, my lady?” Her face fell, and she gave me a concerned look.

It’s dangerous, you need to enter the Cold Knight Catacombs.

“I’m sorry Lady Eliseia, I don’t know where those are. Or what those are, as a matter of fact.” She looked to the sky, thinking before she wrote her next line. This one took a moment, and I patiently sat on the bench next to her as I waited.

The Catacombs are a dungeon, where monsters and thieves thrive. In it, the flower I need, Phantom Bloom, grows quite freely. It’s a silver-blue flower, and it’s easy enough to find. Two flowers are enough for a potion, but you really don’t have to go, it’s very dangerous. I expected Belrae, she’s done it far more.

“Lady,” I said, turning to her. Her yellow-green eyes were soft, and It made her face extremely appealing to look at. I found my gaze lost on her face, the words died in my mouth for a moment before I could catch them again. I looked towards my feet. “I’m more than happy to dungeon dive for you. If it’s that flower you need, it’s a flower you’ll get. I’ll bring back as many as I can.” I bowed my head to her, and she returned the bow. “Is there anything you need before I depart?” She nodded, writing.

I cannot walk, if you could be so kind as to carry me to the bench outside of my house, I would be very thankful.

“I can do that.” I walked over and thought about how I would carry her for a moment before I settled with the princess carry. She was extremely light, light enough to make lifting her a breeze. She was maybe a hundred pounds in all, and it was less than one could call an effort to move her. As I picked her up, I breathed in her scent, and almost dropped her as vanilla filled my nose. She smiled, grabbing me around the neck to help balance her.

“Sorry Lady Eliseia, I tripped. I’ll be more careful.” She nodded, and her grip on my neck loosened a little. I held tight as I walked around the lake again, back towards the gate I entered by. Walking out, I saw the bench she was referring to, and walked her over to it, setting her down in the position she previously sat. She began to write again.

Thank you, kind Sybis. Be careful in the dungeon, it’s dangerous, and I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.

“I will be, my lady, I’ll be back as fast as I can. Can you give me instructions on how to get there?” She nodded and drew me a map. I remembered it with the most detail I could, and headed off to the Cold Knight Catacombs.

It was a much longer walk this time, ranging about an hour from start to finish. The short trip took me outside of town, and I had hoped I read Eliseia’s map right, but eventually I saw it in the distance, a crumbling structure with a few people moving about. As I reached the dungeon, I was surprised by how nice the entrance was. Guards stood on the outside, two Snow Elves with hard faces and even harder weapons, guarded it on high alert. The doors to the inside were open, and the stairs leading down were lit with torches at repeating increments. The guards made no noise of protests as I approached, and I passed them without confrontation. The stairs led pretty far down, at least a hundred stairs or so, and the darkness was fairly pushed away by the light sources.

“Ho, there.” I stopped and turned, looking upward at the top of the stairs. An old, ancient looking Dwarf stopped there, one milky eye gleaning at me. He had an ax in his hand, and a Dwarven shield on his hip beside a canter of wine. By the way he was dressed, I thought he was a guard, but the armor was so old I couldn’t quite tell. Two long white braids of hair were tied together in his beard, his head bald. I couldn’t place how old this particular Dwarf was, but ‘pretty old’ was close.

“Yes, sir?”

“Hold your tongue, boy!” The Dwarf spit, waving his ax about. “Are you a Pyreh?” I was beyond confused, but another voice entered the fray.

“You know he is not Glaxton, the Pyreh haven’t been around for nearly three-hundred and fifty years. Leave him be.” The voice was an Elf, and she appeared from behind the doors a second later, terrifying and yet proud. Her bangs were spiked backward, edged upward while the rest of her snow-white hair hung down around her face, lining it. Her eyes were feline, black, and scary. Elves don’t have eyes like that. Black shadow smoked around her eyes, giving it a dangerous effect with her feline pupils. Tattoos, black and hazy, etched vertically through her eyes as if her pupils had continued onto her face, expanding. She wore armor with a fur neckband, her silver armor shined against the snow behind her. Something about this woman scared me, I found myself taking another step down.

“Have no fear, Strangling. I will not hurt you.” She smirked, confident. She turned around, walking away, but stopped and turned at the last second. “Yet.” I swallowed hard, and even the Dwarf looked a little palmy, playing with the hilt of his ax in a nervous fashion.

“Have a good day, Enlori.” The dwarf called.

“You as well, Glaxton.” I heard her call back. The Dwarf nodded his head for me to continue, and I did so, hoping to get far away from the Elf with the strange eyes. She had called me a Strangeling… What was that? I had never heard of it before.

I drew my tattered sword and hoped it was strong enough for what I was about to do. The stairs evened out into a hallway, on each side were doors that had long ago been pillaged and broken down, the jail cells inside looted clean of anything valuable. At the end of the hall were a set of double-doors, which stood open. I could see a split hallway ahead of it.

The split hallway gave me the choice between a closed door and another turn on the right or a turn on the left. I took the right, stopping at the door before the turn. It was metal, and when I tried the handle it was locked. I sighed, stepping away from the door. I readied my body, ran, and shouldered it.

The door shook on its hinges, a bolt almost falling out, but it stayed closed. My shoulder ached a little, but I had one or two more in me. I stepped back and tried again. It creaked, one edge of the door caving in while the rest only slid open a little. I finished it off by kicking the handle in, which burst the door open with a groan of protest.

The inside of the room was fairly dark, but I could see skeletons waiting for me. They cackled, their bones clacking together as they ran at me. I could see three of them, but with the door, only one could get me at a time.

The first burst through with a rusted, ancient dagger and a small buckler. It;’s bones were far past rotted and a horrid stench filled the air. I kicked at its leg, and while it tried stabbing mine, I took its bony head off with a deft flick of my wrist. I kicked the body into the next skeleton, which went sprawling into the door frame and bounced off into the next in line. I rushed into the room and stomped the heads of the two skeletons before they could recover. The dust from their broken skulls stained my boot, but I didn’t really care.

“That’s three down. More to go.” I searched the room, but only found a small bag of coins to keep. I pocketed them regardless and searched the rest of the room. It was an empty storage shed of sorts, and inside the crates it held I found aged liquor. The Elves didn’t drink, so I was curious as to who put this here. I didn’t take anything else, continuing down the hallway.

The turn led me into another hall, this hall had three doors in it before reaching the end. I stopped at the first door, wooden and simple, and saw the rune on it. A magical lock of some sort, a lock I had no way of opening. I continued onto the next. This one was wooden as well, but no runes adorned it. I tried the handle and it opened inward. I shut the door again.

“Now this is too damn easy,” I muttered under my breath. I prepared my sword and threw the door open, stepping back, ready.

The first thing that struck me was the sound of an arrow being released. I jumped out of the way and barely avoided being shot. The second was the sound of rushing goblins, their tiny metal footsteps indistinguishable. I realized what kind of dungeon this was.

Dungeons, for the most part, were naturally built, most of the time from the ruins of a grand building. In this case, the dungeon was built by people and the monsters.

A spell of some sort kept it varied, but it left this to be a diverse and ever-changing dungeon, with monsters that differed from day to day. It was used for training, but the creatures themselves weren’t aware of it. That was the only explanation I could think of to understand how living creatures could survive down here, they were summoned when the door was opened.

I rolled to my feet sloppily, taking a moment to right myself. A small group of goblins, five to be exact, rushed out of the room and into the hallway. Their green faces were beyond hideous, and in the end, they served as nothing more than fodder as my sword sliced through them like butter, their primitive armor, and weapons no match for even my damaged sword. I took a few bruises from a particular goblin that started throwing rocks, but other than that, I came out unharmed.

The room itself was far more interesting, the walls covered in different runes I didn’t understand. In the center were two chests, most likely randomized as well. On the floor it read in Elven “Choose only one” and that was all. I studied the chests. The one on the left was worn out and beaten to hell, the wooden filling chipped and rotted while the iron trim was decaying and wilted. The one on the right was relatively new, the only damage to it was the lack of shine and luster. I chose the one on the left, hoping that my thought process worked out for me. I opened the lid very carefully and peered inside after waiting a few seconds.

On the inside was a singular ring, rested at the bottom. I grabbed it and slid it on my finger. I wasn’t worried about anything bad happening, in dungeons like these they wanted you to get stronger, used to train soldiers and mercenaries. If it killed you, that would defeat the purpose. As soon as the ring was still, I felt warmth flood my body. A ring of warming; very helpful in the snowing lands. I could’ve gotten better, but I wasn’t complaining, it could’ve been worse too.

I secured my ring on my finger and walked out of the dungeon, onto the next door. Now that I knew it was randomized, I was more nervous than before. I could get anything from a rat to a dungeon boss, and anything in between, and so far my last two openings were easy. I opened the door and heard the sound of growling from inside. I stepped away and to the side, so the mouth of the door wasn’t open to me. A dog the size of a large wolf slid out, it’s skin black and rotted. A Hellhound.

“Lovely,” I muttered, raising my guard. The dog attacked, running quickly towards me then hopping up and biting at my neck. I stepped to the side but I wasn’t fast enough to avoid his body. His shoulder collided with mine and we both fell, him on top of me. He began snapping at my neck, and I placed my hand on his throat to keep him away. My sword had been knocked away in my fall, and all I had left was my hands, my bow, and my quiver.

My quiver was full of arrows.

I reached with my free hand to my quiver and removed an arrow from the front. I brought it up, but the dog saw it first and knocked it away with a heavy paw. His paws came up and hunched on my shoulders, keeping me pinned to the ground as he continued trying to rip my throat out. My arm was growing tired and I needed to use the energy I had before I had none left to give. I put all my force behind an arm and pushed the beast off of me, grabbing my arrow again rolling to the side. He pounced, but his pounce missed me and I had time to jab my arrow. It struck his side, stabbing in half-way down the shaft before breaking. The hound yelped and growled louder, snapping at my hand as I pulled it away. He got a good snip at my forearm and cut it open pretty good, but my arm came out fine the rest of the way. I already grabbed another arrow and flopped toward the hound in my awkward sitting position. I grasped his head under my arm like a ball and began attacking like a madman with the arrow. I got around ten stabs in before the dog struggled out of my grip, running to a safer distance.

I picked up my sword in the fray, tossing the now-splintered arrow away. The dog was bleeding badly, dripping all over the floor from the multiple punctures I had given it. It looked wary to engage again, but the animalistic hunger couldn’t keep away. With one last futile attempt it lunged at me, but I stepped to the side and brought my sword down on it’s back. It fell with a heavy thump, unmoving. It’s breathing was fast and shallow, still alive. I leaned over it, and stabbed it through the head quickly, trying to put it out of its misery as fast as possible.

I looked into the room and found it was once a torture cell. Bloody chains hung from the ceiling and blood coated the floor. Whips hung from the wall, thorns attached to them to make the victims even more uncomfortable. I looked around but found little value. Still, no Phantom Blooms either, which annoyed me more than nothing valuable.

I walked out of the room disappointed and headed back down the hall. The door at the end was shut and locked, the double doors holding no room for opening beside a magical seal that I couldn’t read. No other door occupied the hallway.

“Time for the other half,” I said, walking back to my original entrance and following the opposite hall this time. This hallway was far more empty, the only thing being another set of double doors at the end of two turns. I approached this door, and it had a gemstone, perfectly cut into a hexagon on the front of it. Above it read a cipher.

You saw me where I never was and where I could not be. And yet within that very place, my face you often see. Speak my name and ye shall enter me. What am I?

I frowned. A riddle. I was never very good at these, but I guess I had little choice but to figure it out. I sat down in front of the door, re-reading it.

“You saw me where I never was…” I scratched my head, thinking. “My shadow,” I said. Nothing happened. I cursed and kept thinking. “Hmm… I am where you could not be…my goals?” I took a guess. Nothing. I thought about it more, and a strange passing thought came to me of the photo in my pocket. I took it back out and looked it back over, taking in the features. He looked a lot like me, and in the end, I almost thought of this picture as a mirror, since he was basically--

I got it.

“My reflection.” The door’s gem shined brightly, and a loud groaning sounded as the door pushed itself open, revealing a sun-lit patch of white-blue flowers in short grass, a small surrounding field unaccompanied by any. I entered and took an extra-cautious peek around before walking into the flower-bed. There had to be at least fifty, which I knew I couldn’t carry though it didn’t stop me from trying. In the end, I could fit twenty-three in my bag, and another in my quiver to make it even.

Easiest dungeon crawl ever.