Chapter 34: First Blood

*Date: 33,480 First Quarter - First Dungeon - Location unknown*

Aris stood frozen, boots sinking slightly into the damp stone floor, his hand clutched tight around the strap of his satchel. The cave smelled of wet stone, rot, and something faintly metallic that reminded him of old blood. Moisture dripped rhythmically from the stalactites above, each drop echoing like the ticking of a clock counting down to his doom.

The shepherd who had delivered him into this cave was already gone to fetch new students, the swirling portal collapsing into nothing behind him. All that remained was a cavern that stretched forward into oppressive gloom, lined by pale moss that glowed just enough to sketch the outline of the path ahead. Screams echoed faintly from other student caverns, distant cries of pain and terror that made his stomach clench with fear.

Aris forced a shaky breath. He remembered the Templar's words "The first dungeon trial requires only healing and common sense". But as the gloom pressed in on him and the screams continued to echo, he felt neither healed nor sensible.

He walked forward, each step squelching against slick rock. The cave narrowed, the walls pressing closer, brushing his shoulders with cold stone. Faint bioluminescent fungi clung to the cracks like sickly stars, providing just enough light to see the horrors ahead. And then he heard it.

A wet, sucking noise that made his skin crawl.

Aris stopped, his heart hammering against his ribs. From deeper in the passage came the unmistakable sound of something large dragging itself across stone, accompanied by a disgusting slurping sound.

Then he saw it.

A slug the size of a dog oozed into the faint glow, its body translucent and pale like diseased flesh. Rows of jagged teeth churned beneath its gelatinous underside, clicking together with wet sounds. Behind it, another followed, smaller, no bigger than a rat but equally grotesque. Then another, and another.

They weren't alone.

The first slug reared back like a cobra preparing to strike, and spat.

Aris ducked too slow. The glob of acid grazed his forearm, burning instantly through fabric and into skin. He yelped in pain, clutching his sleeve as the fabric hissed and smoked, the acid eating through cloth and flesh alike.

"I need to dodge," Aris thought desperately.

He staggered back, heart hammering like a war drum. He flung out his hand and shouted the incantation for Light Missile. His palm glowed faintly, then sent a weak bolt of energy toward the slug, missing it entirely and striking the cave wall instead.

"Damn it!"

The slugs advanced with predatory intent, mouths opening to reveal rows of needle-sharp teeth gnashing together. Aris stumbled over a root jutting from the cave wall, almost falling backward. Then he grabbed it. The root was thick, solid, half-buried in the stone. With a desperate tug, it tore free, dirt scattering across the wet floor. A makeshift club.

The next slug lunged with surprising speed. Aris swung wildly, panic driving his movements. The root cracked against its translucent body with a wet smack that echoed through the tunnel. The creature shrieked, a high-pitched keening that reverberated in his skull like nails on slate, but it wasn't dead. It oozed forward even faster now, spitting again.

Aris dodged sideways, barely avoiding the acidic spray that sizzled against the stone where he'd been standing. The cavern was too narrow - he couldn't keep this up forever. He raised his hand again, voice cracking as he shouted the words of the spell.

This time, nothing. Just a faint warmth in his palm that faded to nothing.

The slug lunged again with deadly purpose. Aris thrust the root into its mouth, holding it back as its teeth shredded wood inches from his hands. He kicked desperately, stomping on its soft body, forcing it back with brute strength and terror.

Another slug crawled up from behind, its body glistening in the dim fungal light. Acid spat from its mouth, and this time there was nowhere to go in the narrow tunnel.

The glob splattered against his chest, burning through his Academy tunic and into skin. Aris screamed, staggering backward, clutching the wound as fire spread through his flesh. He slapped his hand against the burn, whispering the healing incantation through gritted teeth. Light flared faintly, knitting skin and dulling the agony.

It wasn't perfect. The burn still throbbed like a second heartbeat, but he could breathe again.

Aris gritted his teeth, raised his hand once more. The slug lunged. He shouted the words with desperate fury -

And finally, the spell answered. At the fifth attempt.

A brilliant bolt of light shot from his palm, striking the slug square in its translucent body. The creature shrieked as its flesh blistered under the radiant burst. It writhed, retreating into the shadows. The smaller slugs quivered, recoiling from the glow like vampires from sunlight.

Aris gasped, triumphant for a heartbeat. Then his stomach dropped as the spell fizzled out, leaving only his shaking hand. He knew he'd be lucky to manage another successful cast in the next five tries.

"I can only cast every sixth time. I can't hide or look away. No matter what, I need to hit with charged spells," he thought desperately.

The slugs came again, driven by hunger and the scent of his blood.

He swung the root like a madman, smashing one against the cave wall. Its body burst with a disgusting splatter, acid spraying across the tunnel. Drops hissed against his arm, burning shallow welts that made him wince. He stomped hard on another, crushing it beneath his boot until it stopped writhing, its acidic blood eating small holes in the stone floor.

Another missile attempt. He tried again, desperation making his voice crack. Nothing. He cursed, ducking as more acid spat toward his face. One glob struck his cheek, sizzling against skin. He screamed and desperately cast Cure Disease, light flaring over his face to soothe the pain.

The cavern filled with chaos and wet slaps of bodies against stone, the stench of acid and slime. Aris's gasps and curses echoed off the walls. He fought not with grace but with desperation, swinging his root club until his arms ached, stomping and kicking and scrambling for survival.

Another try. Light Missile flared again, blasting through a slug mid-lunge. Its body exploded in acidic goo, painting the walls with translucent slime.

But there were more. Always more.

He looked up at the ceiling, where crackling sounds were coming from above.

Aris glanced up, eyes wide with realization. Thick roots dangled from cracks in the ceiling, heavy with clumps of bioluminescent fungi. He swung his root weapon upward, smashing them loose with desperate strength. A clump fell, crashing onto the advancing slugs. The fungi burst in a cloud of spores, choking the creatures and making them writhe and flail in confusion.

Seizing the moment, Aris backed against the wall, raised his hand, and prayed to whatever gods might be listening. Back-to-back quick missiles without proper form or focus. At the sixth attempt, luck blessed him. The missile came again, striking true. The bolt seared through two slugs at once, their bodies bursting in radiant fire.

"Thank the gods they are slow," he gasped.

The small survivors quivered, retreating into cracks and shadows, hissing faintly before disappearing into the walls like the cowards they were.

Silence.

Aris collapsed to his knees, gasping for air, slime dripping from his ruined tunic. His arms trembled from the weight of the root club. His burns ached, his hands were blistered from gripping the makeshift weapon, and every breath rattled in his chest. He pressed his palm to his chest again, whispering the healing incantation until warm light washed over him, mending what it could.

The pain dulled but didn't vanish completely. His tunic was ruined, burned and slimy. He stank of rot and acid. But he was alive.

Aris laughed weakly, his voice ragged and hollow. "If this is the first dungeon... I don't want to see the second."

He leaned against the wall, forcing himself to stand despite his exhaustion, gripping the root like a lifeline. Ahead, the tunnel stretched deeper into darkness. Whispers still echoed from unseen mouths, promising worse horrors to come.

Aris swallowed hard, wiped slime from his cheek with the back of his hand, and took another step forward.

The dungeon wasn't done with him yet.

He started walking forward, each step an act of will over the voice in his head screaming at him to run.