Julian let himself fall into directing the party instead of addressing the metaphorical jagged knife threatening to cut into his chest at the end of the dungeon.

  He almost regretted tackling the dungeon first…. At least if they’d addressed her leaving first he could’ve used the dungeon as an outlet for the storm inside.

  But here they were.

  The party was strong enough that they progressed through the dungeon levels at a reasonable rate, and besides the treants there weren’t any other large monster groups over-populating their respective areas on the fourth or fifth floors. With a few hours to spare until their designated resting time, Julian called for a halt; they could clear one more floor, or set up here for an early break.

  Everyone agreed to hit one more floor before sleeping. At this rate, they could clear the dungeon in two or three days.

  They arrived on the sixth floor to an unexpected sight: destroyed terrain from a recent battle.

  The platform was in the middle of an icy lake, and a storm was rolling in from the left. That side was all grey mist and black dense cloud cover. A chill wind whipped at their clothing, carried over the frozen waters.

  To the right, off in the distance, there was an outline of trees.

  A few of them were on fire. Gouges and shattered ice littered the frozen lake, a testament to a violent battle. There weren’t any bodies, just the littered remnants of arrows, but that was to be expected since defeated monsters dissolved into shiny experience points.

  Only monsters that escaped the dungeon took on permanent corporal form.

  “There’s someone else here.” Julian spoke the words quietly, lifting his hand and making a symbol to scout ahead. “That’s why we didn’t get the achievement.”

  John disappeared. Jeffry had his wings ready, but before he could take off, Gerda tugged on the half-elf’s arm and handed him something. “Put this under your tongue to avoid detection.”

  It was one thing to get attacked by monsters… it was another entirely to face off against unknown adventurers in an unexplored dungeon.

  Jeffry nodded, doing as instructed. He vanished, but Julian could feel the rush of air as the half-elf took off.

  [We’re clearing the platform area and heading for the fires.] Julian put in the chat logs. Gerda walked with him and Pram, while Tully and Visha spread out to search the shoreline ahead. [Jeffry, fly ahead and set up base. I want us braced and ready for the storm.]

  Jeffry replied, [Right away, Your Grace.]

  [I’ve found signs of a battle deeper further out on the lake. Unfortunately, it looks like it broke the direct route across the ice. We’re going to have to take the long way around. Or wait for the dungeon to reset.] John sent.

  [Do you think they’re still here?] Julian asked.

  [No.] Jeffry replied. [I’m at the fire now, and based on the embers, it’s been at least a few hours. The trees still on fire are all Tarnel Yules, but they can burn for days.]

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  [I found blood in the snow on the far bank.] Visha informed us. [And tracks leading towards the fire.]

  They reached the rendezvous point and found Jeffry already setting up a shelter. One of the reinforced round canvas tents with a cap at the top to let out smoke or bring in fresh air while protecting from the rain. With the summer weather so agreeable, they’d only had to use it a few times on this trip.

  Even the wind turned from forceful to painful as shards of ice and sleet plummeted against him, and he quickly ushered Gerda inside before following in himself.

  [I’m calling everyone in. Now.] Julian ordered. [John, go get Tully.]

  Not three seconds later, John’s shadow deposited Tully in the doorway. The paladin stumbled from the teleport, “Hey! I can read, you know!”

  Gerda, who’d otherwise remained passive to the party banter, asked innocently, “But will you? It remains to be seen.”

  “Not you too, Miss Gerda!” Tully lamented, pushing aside one of the slumped tent flaps to join them.

  “Look what I found!” Pram wandered in with a chunk of burning yule log. It was giving off a pleasant heat. He put it down in the middle of the tent.

  Gerda pulled out her enchanted blanket and put it down beside the fire. The ice and snow from her boots and cloak muddied the edge, but she looked comfortable.

  Pram sat on the ice directly, Jeffry summoned a three pronged leather stool, and Visha stood beside Julian. Tully leaned on his warhammer.

  [John, report.] Julian sent over the chat logs.

  [My shadows are following a clear path of destruction around the lake, and I’ve found no signs of monsters. I would bet money they’ve already moved to the next floor.] John replied.

  [3 Gold they’re still here!] Tully wrote.

  [That’s what you reply to?] Visha added. Aloud she sighed, “I’m not even surprised anymore.”

  “Change of plans.” Julian told the group. “Since someone cleared the floor before us, the monster spawn time has been moved forward. If we stay here, we might not get a proper resting period, but if we push ahead, we might not get one at all. We’ve no idea if the other adventurers are friendly. We also don’t know how familiar they are with this dungeon.”

  “Even if they haven’t previously conquered the dungeon core, they could’ve been grinding levels here for any number of days, months or years. Which means we should assume they could be hostile and have the advantage.”

  “The storm doesn’t seem like it’s going to let up anytime soon.” Jeffry reached for the two tent flaps, dropping one but leaving the other open. There were small tasseled ropes hanging on each flap, and he tied them together. Doing so activated an enchanted barrier against the elements; rain, snow, wind and heat were repelled, allowing everyone to see outside without worry. There were a few small windows at standing eye height that were cut, also enchanted.

  “I say we push ahead.” Sir Tully stated.

  “John will find out if they’re still here even if we don’t.” Visha eyed the human with exasperation.

  “What’s the loss of one rest period?” He countered, “A few mana potions and we’ll all be good to go without the rest.”

  Pram mused. “I like sleep - but I’m happy to continue on without.”

  “And if we follow the other party, we should easily find the door to the next level.” Gerda suggested.

  [John, how is the storm?] Julian asked.

  [It’s bad.] John observed. [But it doesn’t look like it’ll let up anytime soon, and I could shadow jump everyone when I find the next platform.]

  That would leave John without mana, and his ability on cooldown when they crossed into the next floor. He only had so many shadow jumps per hour.

  [Then we’ll move ahead.] Julian decided. To everyone in the tent, he said, “We’ll stay here until John finds the entry to level seven. Enjoy the warmth while you can.”

  Patreon... the last chapter. It's surreal. Now I'm editing and updating Adore's chapters. Hoping to have 30 chapters written by the time Gerda and Julian get their ending.