Paul crouched near the first level’s exit, his breath steady and his gaze fixed on the reavers. The twin automatons stood sentinel, their gleaming metallic forms imposing even in the flickering torchlight. Behind him, the faint warmth of a brazier did little to dispel the chill of the dungeon’s oppressive silence. In its glow, a heap of Bogre corpses lay still, a grim testament to the path he’d carved to reach this door.
Paul closed his eyes, aligning his spiritual energy - a skill refined over decades. Most people struggled with the basics, fumbling for weeks just to feel the flow of energy within them. Paul? He’d made it an art. As the energy coursed through him, the stinging cuts and bruises faded - a familiar, wondrous sensation. It always healed the worst injuries first, saving the trivial for last. That quirk still puzzled him.
Finally, Paul stood up and regarded the automatons grimly, two heaps of enchanted metal standing between him and a smoother timeline. He had killed these reavers before - arrogance in his first life had made that mistake. It had taken centuries of grinding through the dungeon’s cruel loops to understand the cost of every action. The ripple effects of that choice had haunted him, forcing him to burn through lifetimes chasing redemption. Never again.
‘Peek’. Paul spoke the word mentally, and a pair of status windows popped up in front of the two automatons:
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
[H.S.S. Reaver #1]
[Name redacted]
Strength: Unknown
Agility: Unknown
Constitution: Unknown
Intelligence: 4
Luck: 0
Status Effects: Mired II, Sentinel II, Shielded II, Conscripted, Political Asset, Named Asset, Asleep at the wheel
[H.S.S. Reaver #2]
Strength: Unknown
Agility: Unknown
Constitution: Unknown
Intelligence: 5
Luck: 0
Status Effects: Mired II, Sentinel II, Shielded II, Conscripted, Hazy, Asleep at the wheel
‘Hell yeah!’ Paul grinned at the ‘Asleep at the wheel’ status effect he’d managed to inflict on the pair of sentinels. This minor curse, mastered in his previous life, would lock the reavers in place, blinding them to his passage. The other status effects were supplied by the dungeon, and were the reason he’d had to resort to such a method in the first place.
‘Just a few more steps, and all of history will change’. Paul shivered, half excited, half awestruck by the importance of the next few moments. Then he turned, his eyes lingering on the pile of Bogre corpses. The smell of charred flesh still clung to the air. He hated this part - always had. But the dungeon had no room for mercy, and Paul had learned that lesson the hard way. These creatures weren’t evil, just unlucky. Pawns in a game they couldn’t comprehend. He bowed his head, fists clenched in silent apology, then pushed the guilt down, burying it alongside a thousand other regrets.
Paul turned back and stared at the door, the culmination of centuries of mistakes and second chances. This time, everything was in place. This time, he wouldn’t fail. His heart quickened as he pushed it open, anticipation thrumming through him. A green portal flickered into view, its surface rippling with an eerie glow. Its hum reverberated in Paul’s chest, steady and rhythmic, like a heartbeat. Paul stepped through.
