Chapter 12

  Maura

  The cold, damp air of the cave enveloped us as Felix and I sat close to the small fire we had managed to kindle. The light from the flames flickered, casting ghostly shadows against the rough stone walls, which were shot through with veins of pale crystal that caught the firelight and scattered it in faint prismatic patterns. The smoke curled upward, disappearing into some unseen vent in the ceiling where patches of bioluminescent moss clung to the rock, pulsing with a soft turquoise glow. I pulled my knees closer to my chest, feeling the chill of the stone seep through my suit despite the fire's warmth.

  At least Abzx had kept his word about the supplies. We'd found them stacked against the back wall of the cave: ration packs, water containers, dried fuel for the fire, and bundles of basic crafting materials. Enough for a week, he'd said. It was the only thing keeping us going right now.

  "How did you find me?" I asked, my voice flat. Numb. "I thought you had been captured. Where are the others?"

  I wanted to be happy that I wasn't alone, but between Abzx's revelation and the raid on Galene, I had nothing left. Emotionally exhausted didn't even begin to cover it.

  Felix looked away, his mouth drawing into a thin line. "Well," he began, taking a breath before continuing. "There was a moment of chaos after Elara..." He swallowed hard and tried blinking away tears, but one escaped and fell silently down his face, dripping off his chin.

  I waited, giving him the space to process. My own grief sat like a stone in my chest, too heavy to examine yet.

  "I still can't wrap my head around it," I started, my voice low and haunted by the images of the raid. "Galene was supposed to be our sanctuary. It wasn't just a camp. It was home, a place where we were all supposed to be safe."

  Felix nodded, his expression grim. "The way they stormed in, it was like they knew exactly how unprepared we were. It's horrifying to think about how quickly everything fell apart." He paused, his gaze lost in the fire. "The people we lost. I can't stop thinking about them."

  The silence that followed was thick with grief and the shared burden of those we couldn't save. Billy's body by the well. Tomas cut down by three raiders. Elara bleeding out in the dirt.

  And I ran.

  "We have to do something, Felix," I said, forcing the words out. "We have to go back there and rescue everyone. Jackie and Corwin. John. All of them."

  Felix nodded slowly. "We do, but we're not strong enough right now. Most of those raiders were at least level 10. I got off a few Inspects before they grabbed us. I agree that we need to rescue people, but I don't want to make things worse until we're confident we can win." He paused, and something like hope flickered across his face. "And as far as Jackie goes, I think she got away. We snuck her out the back of the hospital shelter using her shadow cloak."

  A tiny spark of relief pierced through the numbness. At least Jackie might be safe.

  Felix shifted, clearly trying to lighten the oppressive atmosphere. "So... you being some kind of chosen one destined to save the multiverse. That's, uh, that's pretty heavy."

  I let out a short, humorless laugh. "Feels more like I've stumbled into a Buffy episode. Up next, a broody vampire will become obsessed with me."

  A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes. "At least you've got Byte. That's like having your own magical creature."

  "Yeah, a magical creature who almost got destroyed today," I said, my voice going flat again. "Along with everyone else."

  The attempted levity died. Felix looked down at his hands.

  Byte whistled and beeped, looking between us before heading toward the back of the cave where Abzx had indicated the globe lay.

  Felix watched him go, then leaned forward, his voice quiet and earnest. "This class change globe Abzx mentioned. I know you're attached to the Technomancer class, but I think we should get it just in case. He made it sound like we aren't just going to find another one lying around. We can retrieve it and use it to level up, and while we're doing that, we can come up with a plan to take the camp back."

  The idea resonated with me, igniting a small spark of defiant hope in the numbness. "You're right. We need to find that globe." At the mention of it being worth something, I remembered the shop. We'd browsed it back at Galene yesterday, focused on practical supplies for the camp, but I hadn't had time to look through the full catalog before the raid hit.

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  I opened my HUD. The shop timer still showed a few hours remaining before the 24-hour window closed. "The shop's still open," I said, pulling up the interface. Maybe there would be an answer to our problem there.

  I started scrolling past the basic supplies our delegation had already picked through and into the sections I hadn't explored before. My hope slowly transformed into a sinking feeling.

  Potions and Consumables:

  Minor Health Potion - Heals 20% of maximum health. 100 Credits

  Minor Mana Potion - Restores 20% of maximum mana. 100 Credits

  Stamina Booster - Temporarily increases Stamina by +5 for 1 hour. 1,200 Credits

  Intellect Elixir - Temporarily increases Intelligence by +5 for 1 hour. 1,300 Credits

  Strength Tonic - Temporarily increases Strength by +5 for 1 hour. 1,400 Credits

  Dexterity Draught - Temporarily increases Dexterity by +5 for 1 hour. 1,500 Credits

  Wisdom Wine - Temporarily increases Wisdom by +5 for 1 hour. 1,600 Credits

  Charisma Chai - Temporarily increases Charisma by +5 for 1 hour. 1,700 Credits

  Weapons and Armor:

  Photon Blade - Energy sword that adds +3 to Dexterity. 5,000 Credits

  Arcane Staff - Magic staff that adds +3 to Intelligence. 4,700 Credits

  Sniper Crossbow - Long-range weapon that adds +2 to Perception. 4,300 Credits

  Battle Axe of Fury - Heavy weapon that adds +4 to Strength. 5,200 Credits

  Elemental Staff - Magic staff that adds +3 to elemental damage. 4,100 Credits

  Wraith Daggers - Dual daggers that add +3 to Agility. 4,900 Credits

  Quantum Blade - A high-tech sword that phases through armor, granting +3 to Attack Speed and +2 to Precision. 5,300 Credits

  Arcane Longbow - An enchanted bow that increases range and accuracy of each shot, providing +3 to Dexterity and +2 to Critical Hit Chance. 5,100 Credits

  Armor Options:

  Guardian Shield - Defensive gear that adds +3 to Constitution. 4,800 Credits

  Stealth Cloak - Enables invisibility with +2 to Stealth. 4,500 Credits

  Elemental Robes - Armor that provides +3 to Resistance against elemental damage. 4,100 Credits

  Titanium Mesh Armor - Lightweight yet durable armor that adds +2 to Dexterity. 5,000 Credits

  Sorcerer's Mantle - Enhances magical abilities, adding +3 to Intelligence. 4,900 Credits

  Vanguard Plate - Heavy plate armor that adds +4 to Strength. 5,200 Credits

  Agility Suit - Special suit that boosts speed and agility, adding +3 to Agility. 4,300 Credits

  Oracle's Vestments - Increases magical insight, adding +3 to Wisdom. 4,700 Credits

  Special Artifacts:

  Resurrection Stone - Prevents death one time. Side effects may apply. 300,000 Credits

  Portal Generator - One-time use portal to any visited location. 31,000 Credits

  Time Rewinder - Reverses time by five seconds. 32,000 Credits

  Cloak of Shadows - Renders the wearer undetectable by magical means. 35,000 Credits

  Charm of Binding - Temporarily binds a powerful enemy. 34,000 Credits

  Orb of Clarity - Reveals hidden traps and doors. 31,000 Credits

  Mirror of Truth - Reveals true intentions or forms. 32,500 Credits

  Amulet of Peace - Calms nearby aggressive entities. 30,000 Credits

  I let out a slow, anxiety-filled breath as I checked my own credits. 1,000. I had started with 500, earned 1,000 from the orc encounter, plus another 500 from the First Kill achievement, then spent 500 on Corwin's prosthetic schematic and another 500 on the camp's communal pool. The Resurrection Stone alone would cost 300,000 credits. That would be 600 initiates worth of credits at the starting amount, or 300 kills if every victim had the starting 500 plus a 500 achievement bonus.

  Six hundred lives. The number made me sick.

  And having seen the raiders killing and attacking without discretion just hours ago, I knew that they, or people like them, would be highly motivated to accumulate credits through PvP to get items like these. A promise to cheat death would drive people to murder.

  I looked over at Felix. His eyebrows were drawn together in confusion as he scrolled through his own shop interface.

  "How could anyone get this many credits?" he asked quietly. "I've only got 1,500 total, and most of that came from the orc encounter."

  I grimaced. "I've got even less. A thousand. Between the camp pool and Corwin's prosthetic schematic, I spent most of what I earned."

  I waited a beat for it to sink in.

  "You mean..."

  "Yeah. Killing people is the quickest way to get credits." I stood up, the cave suddenly feeling too small, too suffocating. "We need to get that globe and level up as quickly as we can if we have any chance of saving the people back at camp."

  Felix nodded, his expression resigned and grim. We both stood and moved toward Byte, who was chirping and beeping excitedly just out of sight around a bend in the cave.

  As we rounded the corner, Byte came into view, and so did a shimmering barrier right in front of him. It glinted faintly, colors dancing and swirling across its surface like an oil slick catching light. I reached out tentatively to touch it, and a message appeared in my vision:

  Congratulations on finding a Dungeon!

  Would you like to enter the dungeon with your party?

  Warning: Once you enter, you cannot leave until the dungeon is completed.

  [Yes] [No]

  I looked at Felix. "Seems like a way to level up?"

  He stared at the notification, his face pale. "Yeah," he said, his voice tight. "What could possibly go wrong going into a place that we can't leave?"

  Before I could second-guess myself, I selected Yes. Within a heartbeat, I found myself standing with Byte on the other side of the barrier. I turned and through the shimmering surface saw Felix staring back at me, his eyes glazed over as he looked at his own HUD, clearly weighing the decision.

  I crossed my arms and waited, trying for impatient but probably just looking exhausted.

  Half a moment later, Felix materialized beside me with Byte. He looked around, then at me.

  "Well," he said quietly. "No turning back now."

  I nodded, gripping my energy sword a little tighter. "Then let's get stronger. For the people we lost. And for the ones we're going to save."

  The dungeon stretched out before us, a corridor of dark stone lit by glowing crystalline veins in the walls. In the distance, I could hear something moving.

  We walked forward together into the unknown.