Sri and Cian walked… and walked… and walked some more. Rain. The never-ending rain. The never ceasing torrent. A deluge that soaked them both to the core.

  He was freezing, despite his [Insulated] armor. Luckily, even though he felt both wet and cold, he had received no other [Debuff] other than the [Wet] status.

  “System,” he asked. “What does [Wet] [Debuff] mean?”

  [System]

  [Wet]: A condition that affects [Nimble] checks negatively. In addition, [Player] takes additional damage from [Electrical]-based abilities and magic.

  He ran his hand through his hair, wringing water out of the follicles. “Hopefully it won’t be a problem.”

  Sri forced a harsh laugh. “Speak for yourself,” she said. “Everything I do requires [Nimble] checks. I’ll be lucky if I don’t end up falling off a roof and breaking my damn neck.”

  He chuckled softly. “Wouldn’t that be a sight to see?” Then, thinking about it, he asked, “And why would you need to climb up a roof?”

  Sri flicked her crooked nose. “These [Dungeons] never quite go the way you expect. They are procedural. Generated at the time of creation. For this time, as we are the only ones using these [Keywords], the [Dungeon] will remain ours. If anyone else joins, they’ll join into this specific [Scenario]. When this [Dungeon] ultimately closes, if someone were to use the exact same [Keywords], they would be presented with an entirely different [Scenario].”

  “Then that would mean the possibilities are…” Sri smiled as they said together, “Endless.”

  He considered for a moment, though. Anyone could join in at any moment and ruin whatever plan they come up with. He wondered how often such an event happened.

  “Now you understand,” Sri said. “But it also means we cannot cheat. There are no guides. No wikis. Just your wit and skill.”

  Cian had to admit that the idea of completing a [Scenario] that none had ever done before gave him a sort of primal burst of excitement.

  “Now there it is,” Sri said. “Getting fired up? Good! Let’s go see these… ‘Townsfolk.’”

  Cian looked at her questioningly as they continued on through the rain and the barely visible cobbled path.

  “Why did you say it that way?” he asked. “‘Townsfolk’... Is there something I should know?”

  Sri turned and gave him a look of annoyance. “I just told you—[Dungeons] don’t go the way you expect. You best keep your guard up and your weapon close.” She fingered her own pair of daggers. “Think and act like me and you’ll be fine… probably.”

  On the outskirts of [Thawgarden], with a small flashes of lightning overhead for illumination, he could just make out two or three gnolls crouched in some bushes near the entrance to town, which had been boarded up, adorned with a mighty wooden gate with spikes pointed outward. The spikes seemed to already be stained red with gnoll blood. He didn’t remember the town looking anything like that before.

  Sri appeared next to him. She had scouted the area around the front of the gate, using her [Hidden] ability to ward off detection.

  “Just the three,” she said. “I can take them out. Just wait—”

  “No,” Cian replied. “I think I have an idea.”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  He strolled down the road until he came close to where the gnolls were hiding. He whistled and announced, “I know you’re in there. Come out.”

  Slowly, three dark figures arose from the bushes, sauntering out to confront him. He stood just a small bit taller than them, and he could smell the mange, and the scent of unwashed animal musk. Red eyes stared at him through hooded robes, and he could see clawed hands holding rusted blades.

  “Return to your camp,” Cian said. “The Azure God demands it.”

  At hearing the words Azure God. the gnolls crouched, as if fearful, muttering in their gnollish language, that he didn’t understand, between themselves. Soon, a message appeared:

  [System]

  Deceit check…

  Failed

  The gnoll closest to him lunged forward with a rusty dagger, and he feigned right.

  “Sri, now!”

  Sri jumped from behind a tree, throwing a glass jar into the face of one gnoll, ripping out her dagger, and slamming it through the glass into the gnoll’s flesh as its hood was thrown back.

  The gnoll shrieked in fear and fury as boiling blistering formed. The blisters began to pop and hiss as fur, skin, and bone almost seemed to fuse together in a tumultuous and agonizing mess.

  The other two gnolls were distracted, and he held his hand out, willing his [Swordbreaker] to appear as rammed the tip of the dagger into the neck of the gnoll who had attacked him.

  The third fell easily to Sri’s quick blade work. With a flurry of strikes, the creature was unable to withstand her onslaught and soon fell.

  As quick as the lightning strikes above, the battle was over and Sri had already begun to search the two bodies near her for any of their belongings.

  “That one’s yours,” she said, pointing a crooked green finger. “You earned it.”

  Cian reached down, rummaging through the corpse’s pockets and clothing. As he sifted around, he felt… warmth. Again he had to ask himself, why had the developers made such realistic creatures? Why? Soon, he touched something small and cold, and when he pulled it out, he held three silver coins. They disappeared into nothingness as they were added to his inventory. Looking at his hand, it was sticky and wet with gnoll blood. He leaned over to a nearby shallow pond and washed his hands in it.

  There was a creak, and then the gates of the town slowly swung open. Inside, six guards of varying species stood there, armored and wielding spears, beckoning them inside.

  Sri looked at him and shrugged, walking forward.

  He followed.

  Inside, the guards made a sort of circle around them, spears ever at the ready.

  “Is this anyway to treat heroes?” Sri asked.

  “Heroes?” someone replied. “Now that title is a bit much for some light gnoll work, don’t you agree? Three creatures would have never been a threat to us. Still… I am glad to see them disposed of. I assume you scouted and no others remain alive?”

  Sri looked hesitant, staring at each spearpoint in turn. Ultimately, she nodded at the question.

  “Fine work then,” they said. “Fine work indeed. Forgive me.” A figure stepped forward and past the guards, holding a lantern to his face. It was an elderly white-haired elven man with a sharp nose and even sharper ears. He had an insipid look about him. “Let me ask you, do you work for the Azure Lord?”

  Cian stepped forward, but Sri held out a hand, grabbing the edge of his coat.

  “No,” she mouthed, so low that he was sure no others could hear.

  He gave her a curious look, but pulled away, turning back to the elderly elvish man.

  “We do not,” he said, putting on his best smile. “We are here for the benefit of [Thawgarden].”

  He waited for a skill check, but it never came. Instead, the elvish man put a hand to his chin before finally giving him a look of… disappointment.

  “Shame,” he said. “I thought our Azure Lord had sent us reinforcements against the gnoll invaders and their pretender god. One knows that a god does not simply rule the sky, but all things. There is no such thing as a god. But a lord… A lord of the sky. Of the sea. Of the earth… Those are very real.” The elvish man gave him another once over, as if eyeing a piece of meat at a market. “Still a shame to waste such a fine specimen, but sacrifice requires… Sacrifices.” He turned to the guards. “Take them to the dungeons to await the ritual.”

  Before he even realized what was going on, a pair of irons were clasped against his wrists, and he was being shoved along at spearpoint through town, downstairs, and into a dark and dingy cellar of a dungeon.

  He was shoved inside a cell, and Sri, right after, and the dungeon closed and locked before his eyes. The poor illumination offered by a freestanding lantern was snuffed out, plunging them into complete darkness.