The tunnel narrowed as they pressed forward, the flicker of their torchlight dancing across jagged stone. John led the way, his knife drawn, eyes scanning for traps or signs of more goblins.

  That’s when the bats came.

  A wall of leathery wings and shrill screeches erupted from the darkness ahead, swarming the party in an instant.

  "Seriously?" John slashed at the air, his dagger barely grazing one as they zipped past. "Bats? I thought this was a goblin dungeon, not a haunted attic!"

  Kaia raised her staff, summoning a faint barrier that shimmered against the cloud of wings. "They’re just animals—surely they’ll scatter."

  They didn’t.

  The bats circled and dove, sharp claws raking at exposed skin. A searing scratch bloomed across John’s neck as one darted low, forcing him to stumble back.

  "Ow! Nope, they’re definitely hostile!" John swiped again, the blade too slow to keep up. "And way too fast."

  Thorin grunted, swinging his axe in wide arcs. "I can’t hit the blasted things! "

  Kaia’s barrier flickered, cracks forming as more bats piled on. "This won’t hold long—Thorin, stay close."

  "Close doesn’t help if I can’t reach them," Thorin growled, batting one away with his shield.

  John ducked low, trying to create space, but the bats pursued relentlessly. His stamina dipped steadily with each flurry of swings. A small red icon blinked at the corner of his vision:

  [Minor Bleeding: Duration 1:00]

  "Bleeding?" John barked a bitter laugh. "From bats? Really? This feels personal."

  Kaia winced, swiping at the air with her staff. "They’re persistent."

  John spun, slashing wildly as another bat snagged his shoulder. "I feel like I’m in some kind of terrible horror movie. Next thing you know, they’ll start sucking our blood."

  "If they drink as much as they’re spilling, we’ll be dry by the end of this fight," Thorin muttered.

  Kaia’s barrier shattered with a soft pop, and the bats surged closer. John twisted away, narrowly avoiding another claw to the face.

  "Kaia, any chance you can zap them or something?" John called.

  She huffed, knocking a bat from the air with her staff. "How many times do I have to tell you I can't "zap" things? "

  John unsheathed his off-hand dagger and started slashing with both hands. Finally hitting a few. "I really need to get an AOE attack I'm useless here," John said.

  "What’s a AOE?" Thorin grunted, swiping at a low-flying bat.

  "Area of effect," John shot back. "Its an attack or spell that hits multiple targets at once."

  The fight dragged on, every bat that fell replaced by another diving from the shadows. John’s movements slowed, each cut sapping more stamina than he wanted to admit. His health remained steady but chipped—death by a thousand cuts.

  Thorin spat a feather from his mouth, glaring at the swarm. "How many more of these pests are there?"

  John pulled a junk dagger from his inventory and threw it, watching it pin a bat to the stone wall. "Too many."

  Kaia’s magic pulsed faintly, easing the worst of their wounds but leaving fatigue in its place. "keep going," she said breathlessly.

  They continued like that, getting cut and healed as they slowly whittled away the swarm.

  John swiped again, finally knocking the last bat from the air. It hit the ground with a soft thud, wings twitching before falling still.

  For a long moment, none of them moved.

  John slumped against the wall, panting. "That… was the most annoying twenty minutes of my life."

  Thorin lowered his axe, breathing heavily. "I’d rather fight a troll."

  Kaia wiped her forehead, her barrier’s light flickering out. "Agreed. That was… excessive."

  John glanced at the pile of fallen bats, grimacing. "Next dungeon I pick—zero bats allowed."

  Kaia chuckled softly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You’re the one who wanted adventure."

  "Yeah, well, I was picturing treasure and heroics, not aerial rat fights."

  Thorin nudged one of the fallen bats with his boot. "Still, we survived."

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  "Small victories," John muttered. He crouched down, picking up a few bat fangs that glimmered faintly with magical residue. "I’m keeping these. If anyone asks, I’ll just hand them over and let them guess the rest of the story."

  Thorin grunted, shouldering his axe. "Let’s keep moving. If that was the welcoming party, I don’t want to meet whatever’s deeper in."

  Kaia nodded, already stepping forward.

  John lingered a moment, staring at the dark passage ahead. "Yeah," he muttered. "Let’s hope the next fight is something we can actually hit."

  ***

  The tunnel led them into a large, rectangular chamber. Smooth stone tiles lined the floor in a grid pattern, each marked with faint etchings. As the three stepped forward, Kaia paused, tilting her head.

  “Did you hear that?” she asked.

  John stopped mid-step. “Hear what?”

  Kaia pointed to one of the tiles she had nearly stepped on. “When I shifted my weight, it made a sound. A note.”

  Thorin frowned. “A musical puzzle?”

  Kaia crouched to inspect the floor. “It’s possible. These kinds of puzzles usually require playing a certain tune to unlock the door.”

  John nodded, crossing his arms. “Okay, but I don’t see any instructions or sheet music. Just a bunch of carvings on the walls.”

  Thorin huffed. “This again. Puzzles. I’m starting to think goblins aren’t as dumb as they look.”

  Kaia smirked. “Or they’re just very bored.”

  John stepped forward, testing a nearby tile with his boot. A low, single note echoed through the chamber. It was familiar—too familiar. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the carvings along the walls. Spiral designs and flowing patterns stretched across the stone, but one section in particular caught his attention. Five vertical lines carved in neat intervals—like a musical staff.

  “Wait a second…” John stepped closer, tracing the carved lines with his fingertips. Small, irregular dots were scattered along the grooves, mimicking notes.

  “Is that… music notation?” Kaia asked, stepping beside him.

  John’s brow furrowed. “It is. And this looks way too familiar.”

  He stepped back, staring at the pattern as a strange realization crept over him. He didn’t want to believe it. Testing the tiles again, he began pressing them deliberately—low to high. The notes rang out, and his suspicion grew.

  “Son of a…” John muttered under his breath.

  “What is it?” Thorin asked, folding his arms.

  John let out a small, incredulous laugh. “This is the song from ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind.’”

  Kaia blinked. “I don’t know what that means.”

  “It’s an old movie from my world.” John scratched his head. “This song… it’s the musical language they use to communicate with aliens.”

  Thorin gave him a flat look. “Aliens?”

  John shrugged. “Hey, it was the 70s. Don’t question it.”

  Kaia frowned. “But how could something from your world end up here?”

  John hesitated. “I don’t know, but I’ve learned not to ignore weird coincidences. Let’s roll with it.”

  He motioned for them to stand by different tiles. Testing the notes one by one, John assigned each of them a specific position.

  “Alright. Thorin, you’re low C. Kaia, you’re up here at the E. I’ll take the last one. When I give the signal, step on your tile.”

  Kaia glanced down at the tile beneath her boot. “This had better work.”

  John grinned. “Trust me, if Spielberg can talk to aliens with it, we can open a dungeon door.”

  Lining up, they stepped carefully into position. John counted down. “Three… two… one—go.”

  Their footsteps echoed in harmony as the strange, synthetic melody filled the room. The sound reverberated, and the door at the far end rumbled as ancient mechanisms ground to life.

  With a final click, the stone door slid open.

  Thorin lifted his foot and exhaled. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  Kaia brushed her hands off. “It worked. But this just raises more questions.”

  John walked forward, shaking his head in disbelief. “Yeah… questions I don’t have answers to.”

  As they moved toward the open doorway, John’s gaze drifted along the wall beside them. Something wasn’t right. The lines and carvings didn’t fully match up. He stopped, tracing the wall with his hand until his fingers pressed into a narrow crack.

  “Hold up.”

  With a gentle push, part of the stone slid inward, revealing a hidden entrance. A faint blue light glimmered beyond.

  John grinned. “And here’s the bonus level.”

  Kaia peered inside. “A treasure room?”

  “Looks like it.” John stepped inside, eyes adjusting to the glow of magical torches. Weapons, armor, and small chests lined the chamber. The faint hum of enchantments filled the air.

  “Pick your prize,” John said, running his hand along the rack of blades. A notification flickered in his vision.

  [Goblin Fangblade – +2 Dexterity, Bleed Chance 10%]

  Thorin gravitated toward the armor, pulling down a heavy chest plate that shimmered faintly in the light.

  [Iron Guard’s Plate – +3 Endurance]

  Kaia lifted a pair of bracers from the chest near the wall. Runes lit up as she slid them onto her wrists.

  [Bracers of the Mender – +5% Healing Potency]

  John chuckled as he examined his new blade. “Not bad for a little alien music. This might just be the weirdest dungeon ever.”

  Thorin laughed. “And we’re not even done yet.”

  Kaia adjusted her bracers. “Let’s press on. The next floor won’t clear itself.”

  As they stepped out, the treasure room was sealed behind them, hiding its secrets once again.

  ***

  The tunnel stretched on for another hundred yards, narrowing slightly before opening into a larger chamber. The faint glow of firelight flickered ahead. John motioned for the others to stop and crouched low, peering around the corner.

  John’s grip tightened around his dagger as the skeletons began their slow advance, bones creaking with every step. Thorin hefted his shield, stepping forward to block the narrowest part of the room. Kaia stayed a pace behind, staff raised, ready to cast.

  “Ugh,” John muttered, eyeing the three skeletons fanning out before them. “More freaking skeletons? Is there another necromancer? ”

  Thorin let out a grunt and charged, shield slamming into the nearest skeleton. The brittle creature staggered back, but its sword lashed out, scraping harmlessly off Thorin’s armor.

  John circled right, flanking the second skeleton. He darted forward, dagger flashing as he aimed for the base of its spine. The blade slid between vertebrae with little resistance, and the skeleton jerked, ribs rattling, before twisting unnaturally to swing its rusted axe at him.

  John ducked, barely avoiding the blow. “Yup. Bones don’t bleed,” he quipped, rolling away and springing back to his feet.

  Behind him, Kaia muttered a quick incantation, light gathering at her fingertips. She thrust her staff forward, sending a crackling burst of energy into the third skeleton. It shuddered and staggered, but still pressed on.

  “Kaia, aim for the joints!” John shouted, slashing again at the skeleton nearest him. His blade sliced through the thin connective ligaments in its knee, and the leg gave way, sending the undead creature sprawling to the ground.

  Thorin roared, his sword smashing down in a heavy arc, splitting his opponent’s skull clean in half. “One down!” he called, pivoting toward the next.

  The remaining skeletons showed no hesitation, driven by whatever dark magic animated them. John’s downed foe clawed at his leg, forcing him to stomp hard on its bony hand. He crouched low, plunging his dagger into the back of its skull with a sharp crack. The skeleton finally stilled.

  Kaia stepped forward, driving the base of her staff into the final skeleton’s chest. It reeled, but Thorin was already there, finishing it with a heavy swing that shattered its ribcage.

  As the last skeleton crumpled to the floor, the chamber fell silent once more, save for their heavy breathing.

  John wiped his dagger on his pants and nudged a pile of bones with his boot. “I'm definitely leaving this dungeon a bad review”

  Thorin chuckled, lowering his shield. “At least it's not zombies. They smell terrible and get all over your weapons.”

  Kaia gave a small laugh, tucking her staff away. “Let’s hope we don’t find those further in.”

  John scanned the room, eyes narrowing toward the shadowy corridor ahead. “Something tells me we’re just getting started.”

  They gathered their gear, stepping carefully over the bones as they made their way deeper into the dungeon.

  ***

  As they passed through the stone doorway, the chamber beyond was dimly lit by a strange green glow emanating from the walls. The air was damp, and the scent of mildew mixed with something metallic—blood, perhaps.

  Thorin stepped ahead, his broad shoulders tensed. “I don’t like this,” he muttered.

  John scanned the room, his rogue instincts kicking in. The walls were lined with crude wooden shelves, stacked haphazardly with trinkets, rusted weapons, and what looked like the remains of old adventurers. At the far end of the chamber, a heavy iron door stood slightly ajar. Beyond it, flickering torchlight danced in the darkness.

  Kaia whispered a soft incantation, her staff glowing faintly as she cast a protective ward. “Something lives here,” she said. “And it’s not friendly.”

  John crouched low, moving silently toward a pile of discarded equipment. He sifted through the mess, his fingers closing around a small leather pouch. He opened it carefully—inside, a handful of gold coins glinted in the dim light. “Looks like some poor fool’s last paycheck,” he murmured.

  “Leave it,” Thorin warned. “Anything here is cursed or claimed by something worse.”

  John hesitated. He wasn’t superstitious, but he wasn’t stupid either. With a sigh, he dropped the pouch and turned his attention to the iron door. “Well, we didn’t come this far just to turn back.”

  He pushed it open, and immediately, the sound of scraping bone echoed from the darkness beyond.

  Kaia’s grip tightened on her staff. “That didn’t sound like a goblin.”

  Thorin drew his axe. “No. That sounded… bigger.”

  The torchlight flickered as something massive stirred in the shadows, the green glow reflecting off smooth, pale bone. Then, with a heavy thud, it stepped forward.

  A skeleton—massive, at least twelve feet tall, its skull nearly scraping the arched ceiling. Its ribs were thick as iron bars, and in its right hand, it clutched a rusted greatsword the size of a man. Faint runes glowed along its bones, pulsing like dying embers.

  Its empty eye sockets turned toward them, and with an unnatural groan, it raised its sword.

  John swallowed hard. “Oh. That’s new.”