I continued grumbling to myself as I made my way out of the tunnel and into another three doorway tunnel. It was good to see each doorway, but what was really odd about each one was that they all seemed to smell of rancid meat. The far right one smelled of rotting fish, the middle of a rotting swamp, and the far left one of decaying flesh.

  It was absolutely disgusting, but at the end of the day, I didn’t really have a choice. With a shiver I made my way down the right tunnel, slashing a line in the wall. My senses reached out cautiously, but I didn’t even have the time to really search for an enemy as my danger senses lit up. I hadn’t even had the chance to walk ten steps into the tunnel before a group of six half decayed piranha headed humanoids rushed me.

  I cursed and activated sword slash, spinning around and lopping off the heads of the first three, sending their bodies flopping to the ground with a wet sounding thump. The other three gargled and chucked their tridents at me, forcing me to activate dodge in order to avoid them. Since that failed they leaped forward, mouths open wide, and I had to activate leap and fly backwards in order to get out of range again.

  They landed on the ground with a hiss and looked up to me, receiving another two handed sword slash that sliced off one of their lower jaws and slashing the other two across the chest. Oddly enough, that didn’t actually kill them and they stumbled forward, reaching out with skeletal rotting hands. It really was disgusting, and with a low growl I danced backwards and slashed each of their heads off the rest of the way, dodging wild snapping bites, lunges, and slashes from their decaying hands. Thankfully, cutting off their heads was good enough to end their undead lives, and with a thankful sigh I watched as their headless corpses flopped to the ground, finally dead.

  It really was disgusting, and as I glanced around at the loot, I sighed and decided to leave it all behind. Even though there were quite a few weapons and clothing, it all reeked of rot and decay, and honestly, I would rather die another time than wear something that smelled that bad. I just made my way down to the end of the tunnel, not even slightly surprised that it was yet another deadend. With a minor sigh I headed back out, making sure to cross an X on the line on the side of the tunnel wall.

  I considered the other two, and then with a sigh I walked down the middle tunnel, slashing a line in the wall. As before, I only made it about fifteen steps before suddenly a slew of arrows came flying down the tunnel towards me. I used both dodge and dash in order to avoid all of them, coming to a stop in front of ten rotting goblin archers.

  They gargled and screeched, raising their bows at me, but I was already gone, using dash to get out of the way as two massive fireballs roared into existence, incinerating four of the archers before crashing into where I had been. I came to a stop in front of the robed goblin on the right and brought the sword down in a diagonal slash, opening it up. It staggered back from the force of the blow, but continued chanting, and with another sigh I spun around and lopped its head off, sending its body crashing to the ground with a thud.

  Another slew of arrows came my way, and I was forced to use leap, dodge, and then dash as another roaring fire ball slammed into the ground at my feet. I whipped around and raced towards the reloading archers, slicing the head off of one, using blow to blast apart the skull of the next, and then activating sword slash to cut off the heads of two in a row.

  The remaining two were able to hit me with two more arrows, forcing me to fall to my knees since they hit me in the back of the leg. It hurt like hell, but I couldn’t relax yet and I cursed as I sensed yet another fireball forming from the other goblin mage. I bared my teeth and screamed in pain as I ripped out the first arrow, and as the fireball began to roar towards me I ripped the other arrow out, feeling my vision darken for a second as its barbed arrowhead took a chunk of flesh with it. At the very last second I was able to activate dash and get out of the way of the massive fireball, skidding along the ground as I heard the twang of bowstrings from the remaining two archers.

  Agony flooded my vision, but with a hissing roar, I pushed off of the ground and activated dodge, diving out of the way of the two arrows. I could sense the other goblin mage chanting again, but my eyes locked on the goblins, and with a roar I staggered forward, viciously slicing off the head of the first one. The other goblin raised its bow and pointed it at my chest, and with a hiss I flexed my claws and lashed out, snapping its bowstring, causing an explosion of pent up energy that sent the goblin flying backwards. It looked down at its useless bow, but it didn’t even get the chance to even consider acting shocked before my sword stabbed down and into its throat, cutting across with a roar and decapitating it.

  I could sense the mage goblin drawing close to the end of its incantation, and with a hiss I whipped around and chucked my sword at its head. It sailed through the air, straight and true, and then thunked into its skull with a satisfying crunch. The force from the throw was enough to not only interrupt its spellcasting, but also send it staggering backwards.

  Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to kill the damned thing, and with a roar I staggered forward, wincing as the intense pain lanced up from the two new holes in my leg. The damned goblin couldn’t have seen me, but it must have sensed its true death coming and tried to scramble away in desperation. It was smart to try and run, but it was too slow with that new wound and my hand shot forward and crushed its throat, choking the damned thing as I viciously ripped my sword out of its head and then finished decapitating it.

  Its body thunked to the ground, and with a sigh I collapsed against the dungeon wall. I couldn’t help but winc as the pain from the arrow wounds rocked my body, but I had felt worse before. I just… really, really hated getting wounds in my legs. It was restrictive, painful, and it took away my freedom of movement, even if it was only slightly.

  I glared down at the reeking corpse of the mage, “I really hate you long range types… Bunch of fucking cowards, I swear. Always so content to sit back and shoot your little arrows and spells, but you never know what to do when we melee fighters can get close. Ha… even you undead fucks couldn’t do anything.”

  I kicked the edge of its side and chuckled to myself as I felt Unending Vitality work to repair the damage to my leg. The loot that had dropped from the other goblins was incredibly similar to their living counterparts, minus the fact that it reeked of decay like those zombie piranha things.

  I sighed and left them alone before limping down the tunnel. I usually never had to worry about traps if I ran into a monster down a tunnel, but I still checked nonetheless. I could never tell with the dungeon, and who knows? Maybe they would change things up and I would end up coming face to face with a horrific trap that one tapped me out of nowhere, or a beast that crushed me instantly?

  Thankfully, that wasn’t the case this time. As I came to the end of the tunnel, I sighed as it was yet another dead end. I guess I shouldn’t have been that surprised, especially with my shit luck, but really? At this point I was almost certain that the other tunnel was a dead end, and I really was going to have to go through literally every single tunnel in this damned dungeon.

  I rolled my eyes and limped my way back up the tunnel, slashing an X on the line on the side of the tunnel before turning to the last tunnel. It was probably yet another tunnel with some freak of nature zombie creature, but… I don’t know. Something about this one seemed… more dangerous than the other two. I guess it could just be my mind playing tricks on me, but… it hadn’t led me wrong yet.

  I shook my head and laughed before slashing a line on the side of the wall, “Ah… no use worrying about shit like that, right!? Come on dungeon, let’s fucking go!”

  The dungeon purred below my feet again, and I grinned as I felt the last of the wound on my leg finally heal itself. I made my way forward, expecting to suddenly be rushed or ambushed like the other tunnels, but there was nothing. There were no traps, no skeletons or zombies, not even the sound of screeches or gargling. It was just the reek of decay, silent stone walls, and the light thuds of my feet on the stone. Only when I made it to the very end of the tunnel, which was of course a dead end, did I finally run into this tunnel’s monster.

  As my senses wrapped around it, I felt my blood freeze. It was a zombie, like the monsters in the other tunnels had been, but this one… was fucking massive! It was easily ten feet tall, although at the moment it was kneeling in front of some altar. It was entirely encased in plate armor, including a closed helmet, that hid any sign of what I assumed was decaying flesh below. Along its back there was a massive zweihander, and around its hip there was a heavy chain with a large tome wrapped around it.

  Interestingly enough, the whole dead end was actually lit by several torches that were arranged around the walls. It was the first real light that I had seen besides the flames from those lizards, and not only that, but they each seemed to be glowing a different color. The colors of the flames ranged from a deep blue, dark red, a forest green, a pure black, a bright white, a golden yellow, a luscious purple, and a vibrant orange. They were gorgeous, and though I could sense the power and death that emanated off of the massive armored warrior in front of me, I couldn’t help but stare in awe at the wonderful array of colors that all of the torches gave off.

  I considered the warrior, and then carefully made my way forward until I was standing next to them. They didn’t raise their head from where it was lowered, look at me, or even move, simply remaining in the same position as before, praying to the altar. The altar had seemed rather simple at first, but as my eyes looked it over, I realized that it was anything but. It was almost as if it was a fountain, but along the top of it there were many different colored gemstones, each one of them matching the colors of the torches from above. From each gem a stream of liquid with the same color poured forth, landing in a bowl at the base of the altar. Each altar had various different offerings, such as a seashell in the blue, a broken sword in the red, a striped orange pelt in the green, a skull in the black liquid, a crystal knife in the white, a golden goblet in the yellow, a silver key in the purple, and a shield in the orange.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The water from the bowls pooled at the base of the altar, making an intriguing fathomless brown that swirled with a kaleidoscopic hue of various colors. It was… well… there were no words to describe it. It was simply… right. So right that I found myself kneeling there at the edge of the altar along with this massive armored monster. I bowed my head and closed my eyes, allowing my senses to stretch over the altar and pure bliss to flow throughout me.

  Silence descended upon the altar and the two of us for a long time, until suddenly a deep voice broke the silence, “I… see you… little one.”

  I blinked in surprise and looked up at the massive warrior, realizing with a start that they had finally moved and were looking at me now, “Uh… hello there… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt your prayers! I just… this place… wow…”

  A deep laugh shook the massive warriors shoulders and they leaned their helmet back and rested a large hand on their stomach, “Hahahaha! It is… quite the altar… no…? I am happy… to see that there… are still… those that respect… the true ones…”

  I stuttered and raised my hands, “Ah… I’m sorry, I’m afraid I probably don’t know what you’re talking about… see, I had this thing happen with my memories and–”

  The massive warrior laughed again and slapped one of their massive gauntlets on my shoulder, “Hahahaha! No, you misunderstand me little one. I imagine that not many recognize the true ones anymore, not after that slew of… new… ones won.” The massive warrior sighed and shook their head, “No… I refer to the respect you showed to an ancient altar such as this. Not only that, but… I see the mark of two… hmm… three of the true ones upon your soul. To still be able to curry favor with them… you must be quite special.”

  I blushed and glanced at the altar again, “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about… but thank you warrior.” I hesitated, but then shrugged and looked back at the armored warrior, “If I might ask… why are you here in the dungeon? Praying all alone to this altar on the first floor?”

  The massive warrior sighed and clasped their gauntlets together, “A good question little one… I’m sure you know that in order to gain the power of an ability, there is a sacrifice that must happen. This… is my sacrifice. In life I fought as a powerful soldier in the Bathurian War, and in order to gain new strength I promised my everlasting soul to the Goddess of Dungeons and the Earth Zohlshun. When I died, I became one with them and now guard the dungeons, testing new adventurer’s and delvers in order to discover if they are… worthy.”

  I swallowed hard and eyed their massive zweihander, “Ah… I see… well, I am once again sorry that I don’t necessarily recognize the name of your goddess or the war… but I am sorry that you are stuck here.”

  The massive warrior laughed and clapped me on the back again, each clap possessing remarkable gentleness, “Hahaha! No need for you to be sorry little one! This is my penance to serve, and I would have it no other way! This was merely the service I offered as a sacrifice! I am glad to serve the goddess of the dungeons and earth! I sense that you have already communicated, albeit lightly, with them as well, so you should already be aware of their… unique… kindness!”

  I blinked in confusion, and then with a start I realized that they meant the thrumming that had echoed from the dungeon itself, “Wait… you mean… holy shit! Really!?”

  The warrior chuckled and turned to the purple torch and inclined their head, “Ah yes, my Zohlshun… you know… hmm… They tell me that they are quite interested in you. Even with the blessings of the other true ones, you are quite the fighter! They wish to make you an offer.”

  I blinked in surprise and cocked my head to the side, “An… offer? What does that entail?”

  The warrior was silent for a long moment, and then with a gasp they snapped their head from me to the altar and back again, before turning to me with a shiver, “Oh… you see… they… they would like to speak to you directly. I apologize if this is… unnatural.”

  I didn’t even get the chance to ask the warrior what they were talking about before suddenly their whole body convulsed wildly. The warrior fell forward onto their hands, shaking like a tree in a tornado until they suddenly stopped. They leaned their head back and a loud screeching emanated from within the armor, almost as if the metal was screeching against each other, and they clapped their hands on their helmet. A deep boom echoed around the chamber, and the purple torch suddenly guttered, making the glorious mosaic of colors below my feet go crazy for a moment. I glanced around in surprise, before being drawn back as a luscious purple light shone through the helmet's eye holes and they turned their head to me.

  I was frozen still in surprise as the head tilted to the side and the warrior clapped their hands together excitedly before speaking with a new, cheerful, and vivacious voice, “Oh hi there! Hahahaha! Oh I’m so excited to actually be able to talk to you! Have you been enjoying the dungeon so far!? Haha! I’ve tried to make this floor extra special for you!”

  I blinked in surprise, and then laughed, “Oh! Hi there, Zohlshun, right? Haha… You know… I have been enjoying this dungeon so far! That trap with the maw was awesome! And that creature that can throw its own explosive limbs!? Freaky, but so fucking cool! The loot that has been dropping has been so amazing as well!”

  The warrior clapped its hands together excitedly again, which was honestly really weird, but I didn’t mind too much, “Hahahaha! You can call me Shun! And I knew that you would love that chainmail vest and pants! The longsword was a nice touch too if I do say so myself! Are you excited to almost be at the end… ah… hmm… wait… what’s your name again?”

  I laughed and bowed to them, “You can call me Will! It is an honor! Now, if you don’t mind me asking, the warrior you’re possessing right now mentioned that you had an offer for me?”

  Shun laughed again and cheerfully ran a finger along the wall, causing it to shiver and warp before settling back down, “Will, huh? I like it… As for the offer that my dear Mahl mentioned… you see Will, I like to make this dungeon interesting and fun for everyone that enters it! I try so damn hard, and yet… Agh!” Shun slammed their foot down, and I could swear I felt an earthquake happen, even though I remained in the same spot, “Ahhh! These damned adventurer’s and delvers! I make them this crazy cool dungeon, and what do they do!? They map it out and try to cheat the system! Skipping fights, sneaking past traps, poisoning bosses and waiting for them to die instead of fighting them, avoiding certain parts of the dungeon, and not even collecting all the loot! Ahhh! And I could forgive those, but what I can’t forgive is that no one fights the special minibosses I create for each floor! Will! How many Delvers do you think have fought the first floor secret boss in the last millenia? Not even defeated them, but actually just tried to fight them?”

  I was caught off guard by the rant, but with a slight hesitation, I shrugged and glanced at the purple eyed warrior, “Uhh… I don’t know, like a thousand? This is the first floor, right? It has to be a pretty common fight, right?”

  Shun hissed and slammed their foot down again, “That’s what you would think, right!? But nooooo! The answer to the question is ten! TEN! In all of the millions of Delvers, TEN have dared to fight the first floor secret boss! Argh! I just cannot believe it!” They hissed again and then suddenly turned their glowing purple eyes towards me, “But… you know… You are different. Will, right? You are the first Delver in so long that has well and truly tried to defeat my dungeon whole heartedly, appreciating the different challenges I have laid forth, taking all of the loot that you can carry, and fighting the monsters and beasts I have created with your all! Oh how you have truly excited me!”

  I laughed wholeheartedly and grinned up at Shun, “Well, of course Shun! This place… It’s amazing! Just that massive exploding thing I fought against a few tunnels ago was crazy awesome! This… this has been the most fun I have ever had!”

  Shun clapped their hands together and giggled, “Yes! See, you get it! You’re just like Mahl and the ancient Delvers used to be! Ah… How I missed the old days, but you know… I don’t do this often Will, but… ah… fuck it! Hey, how would you feel about becoming a dungeon born?”

  I blinked in confusion and cocked my head to the side, “Umm… Well… I think I would love to…? I’m just… not exactly sure what that is…?”

  Shun giggled and placed their hands on their hips, which again, was a really odd sight, “Hahaha! Well of course you don’t! The last person I made a dungeon born was oh… ten millennia ago? Here, I’ll explain it to you! Basically, it is an ability that I will gift to you, much like those other three you have! It will allow you special opportunities within the dungeon, unique experiences with the monsters, the ability to speak to many of them and the true inhabitants of this world, and my personal favor! Isn’t that great!?”

  I felt my jaw drop in surprise, “Are… are you serious? Really? That… that sounds awesome! But surely you can’t just give me something as powerful as that, right?”

  Shun laughed so hard that they choked, and after a moment gathered themselves, “Ha… Hahaha! You really are a riot Will! You are fully correct with that assumption of course! Unfortunately, gaining power does come in return of a sacrifice, no matter what that pantheon of fakes tries to preach… but the sacrifice in this case is rather easy.” Shun leaned real close and spoke in a lively whisper, “In order to become a dungeon born, I need you to defeat the first floor secret boss, gain the dark core, return here, and then sacrifice it to the purple shrine of this offer and torch it with the purple torch there. Once you do that, I want you to devour the core, and that’s it! Rather easy, wouldn’t you say?”

  I blinked in surprise, but with a wild laugh I spread my arms and grinned at Shun, “I don’t know about easy Shun, but it does sound fun! Now, where do you find this secret boss?”

  Shun leaned back and laughed, “Oh I can’t just tell you that! That would ruin the fun! But trust me, you’ll know! Now, good luck Will! I expect great things from you, don’t let me down!”

  With that, the massive warrior once again convulsed wildly. Their entire body shook as the purple torch guttered, and they clapped their hands over the purple rays of light and fell to their knees with a screeching groan. Three loud booms shook the entire room, the purple altar shook, and then the floor beneath my feet thrummed excitedly before all went silent once again. The massive warrior, who had been frozen still, slowly moved and shook their head, looking at me with dark eye holes once again.

  Silence reigned in the altar room for a moment, and then a deep voice broke it with a chuckle, “So… How’d the talk go? Did Zohlshun make you a great offer? Did you accept it?”

  I grinned and cracked my knuckles, “Oh yeah… I definitely took that offer. In fact, you could probably say that they made me an offer that I couldn’t refuse!”