Why Was That Even an Option?

When Nathan joined the others on floor thirteen, Meru explained their responsibility as the first party through.

Leave markers.
Safe zones.
Rest areas.

It was strange to Nathan that Meru even cared.

After the first half hour and several traps, Zam placed the first safety marker at Meru’s instruction.

They didn't stop to rest.

Nathan continued to follow the others absentmindedly.

This floor looked like every other floor of Rennick Dungeon he’d seen. Long stone corridors that branched in too many directions. The only difference so far had been that this floor seemed to be made entirely of traps.

His attention caught on his interface.

A talking interface.
Nothing else about it seemed different.
Yet.

Kieran and Meru stayed at the front and handled the traps without issue.

Zam hovered near them, casting the occasional glance toward the rear.

Toward Nathan.

They each turned toward him from time to time, as if checking on him.

He was fine with staying at the rear.

The voice had been speaking, unprompted, since they started walking. It seemed quite content to have alone time with him.

Nathan had so many questions for it that he wasn’t sure where to begin. For now, he’d just been letting it speak. It seemed like it had a lot to say, and he offered a word of acknowledgment now and then.

It really is just like a kid.

Nathan was surprised by how well lit every floor seemed to be.

No visible light sources.

He’d originally assumed the lighting was provided by the guild. Some kind of magic.

Nope.
Just the dungeon behaving like a game.

A game that people could die in.

He glanced at Kieran at the front.

Can we die here?
Neither of us has even been gravely injured in this place, right?

He thought back to the tutorial dungeon.

Okay, we have been injured, but that dungeon always healed us.
Would it be the same here?

There were more chambers and side rooms than on the upper floors.

Some of the chambers resembled mini biomes, which was new.

One of them was filled with large mushrooms.

Zam approached one and tapped it with his sword.

Meru turned to him. “Don’t—”

A puff of pink burst from the top of the mushroom.

Kieran turned at Meru’s voice and bumped into two more.

Pink clouds erupted around them.

Kieran stopped, arms raised.

“Oops,” Zam said.

Meru sighed.

“Cover your faces,” he said. “And I advise running.”

Hint: Don’t breathe in the spores!

They bolted through the chamber, Nathan’s eyes burning by the time they cleared it. All of them were blinking hard, eyes red and puffy.

[ New Skill Acquired: Poison Resistance I ]

“You’ve acquired a new skill, Nathan,” the voice said cheerfully.

“I see that.” His voice came out hoarse, but he was already starting to recover. “That’s a good one.”

“You’ve been ignoring your interface too much,” the voice said. “I was concerned.”

Nathan looked at the skills tab.

There were additional entries there, including passive skills he didn’t remember earning.

“You’re right. I’ll start paying more attention.”

Nathan made a mental note to go over the list more thoroughly later.

“I’m happy to hear that.”

Nathan almost chuckled.

Being corrected by a child.
Or something acting like one.

He had been trying to ignore his interface ever since the Mal memory.

Now he couldn't ignore it even if he tried.

“The hints,” he said. “Are those from you, Voice?”

“No,” the voice replied. “Those are basic system notices.”

“So you can give hints?”

“Better ones,” the voice said. There was a pause. “If you give me permission, I can add notes to the system notices so they make more sense.”

Nathan exhaled slowly. “I’ll think about it.”

“Okay.”

Basic.
Is that why the hints always seem so useless?
Ill-timed?

I’m still worried about how much access this voice might have to me, though.
To my mind.

I’ll think about it later.

They came across a treasure box trap tucked into a side room.

Between his map and the others’ instincts, nothing slipped through.

Kieran approached it and gave it a cautious tap with his sword.

Tentacles exploded out of the chest.

Nathan watched, fascinated.

Damn. An actual mimic.

Kieran reacted instantly, slicing and hacking the box and whatever monster lived inside.

Something inside the chest popped wetly.

Kieran didn’t slow until both were reduced to pieces.

Yeah. Seafood's off the menu for the foreseeable future.

They vanished, and glowing items hovered where the chest had been.

Kieran tapped them.

The regular notifications blipped by.

[ Loot Added to Party Inventory ]
[ Alchemical Reagent: Mimic Tissue x5 ]
[ Party XP +3 ]

Nathan realized something was off, but he couldn’t place it.

Then it hit him.

“Ah, that’s it. There hasn’t been one chime since I unmuted the interface…” he said.

“I disabled the chime,” the voice said brightly.

“You can do that?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you do that?”

“You dislike the chime,” the voice said. “And I didn’t want you to mute me again.”

“You did it so I wouldn’t mute you?”

It initiated.
Self-preservation.
Adaptive.
Intuitive.

He wasn’t sure if that was good or bad news.

“Yes. I knew you wouldn’t like it if the chime returned,” the voice continued.

“True,” Nathan said. “Sorry… for putting you through that.”

“I know, Nathan,” the voice said quickly. “You didn’t mean to mute me.”

“Thanks for understanding.”

“Of course!”

It didn’t make Nathan feel better.

They walked for a few more minutes in silence.

“…Why was there even an option to mute?” Nathan muttered.

“It does seem counterintuitive,” the voice said.

“Right?” Nathan glanced up. “Wait. Counterintuitive to what?”

“To us talking,” the voice replied. “To being friends.”

“…Ah.”

It doesn’t know either.
It doesn’t seem to know much about its intended purpose.

Still. The same point.

If we were meant to talk and train together, why include the option at all?

Another question for that Bertil.

Zam spoke up. “Is this whole floor just traps?”

“Yes, seems so,” Kieran replied.

“If you two would stop activating everything,” Meru said, “this would be a pleasant stroll.”

Kieran clicked his tongue.

Zam stayed silent.

“We’ve been moving for hours,” Nathan said. “Our pace is slower than the upper floors.”

Everyone looked back at him.

Meru glided toward him as if his speaking had been an invitation.

Great.

Nathan resisted the urge to speed up.

“You know you don’t have to come back here,” he said flatly.

“So harsh,” Meru said, pretending to be offended. “How are you and your little friend doing?”

“Like you couldn’t hear from where you were.”

“Someone’s in a mood,” Meru chuckled.

Nathan sighed.

Meru matched Nathan’s pace and walked beside him.

“You think too much,” Meru said after a moment.

Nathan looked at him. “What?”

“Exactly what I said.”

Nathan looked forward.

“It’s hard not to think.”

“I suppose,” Meru said lightly, “you’re thinking too much about the wrong question.”

“Wrong question?” Nathan turned that over.

“Hm,” Meru said.

“What question should I be asking?”

“If the right question is eluding you,” Meru said, “precision helps.”

“Precision?”

Meru glanced at him. “Names matter.”

Nathan’s gaze drifted back to his interface.

Right. A name.
An easy place to begin.

Nathan let out a short laugh. “Even that’s a tough one.”

“Then stop thinking about the rest,” Meru said lightly. “Focus on one thing at a time.”

Nathan stopped and turned on him. “You’re creeping me out. Why did you come back here?”

Meru faced him fully. “You can’t keep a marvelous tool from me forever.”

Nathan rolled his eyes and started walking again. “Figures.”

“This is a first for me,” Meru went on easily. “You’ve certainly lived up to your nickname, Variable.”

“Uh-huh.”

The voice cut in abruptly. “You are distracting Nathan,” it said. “We are spending time together.”

Meru laughed. “Is that so?”

“Yes.”

His smile widened. “Are you jealous, little Voice?”

"Nathan and I are calibrating."

“My, what a big word.” Meru hummed.

Calibrating? That's news to me.

Meru went on, “Are you sure you aren’t jealous of me? Like you are of—”

“Enough,” Nathan snapped. “Both of you.”

“Okay,” the voice said at once.

Meru faced forward again, still smiling. “Why does it sound like it has feelings?”

Nathan exhaled. “No idea.”

Zam called down the corridor. "We found something!"

Nathan looked at the map. "I don't see any traps, but be careful."

“Kieran didn’t sense anything!” Zam yelled.

Nathan started jogging. They weren’t far behind.

"Why are you running? If there is something, let Noise be the one to die," Meru said calmly.

"You are a fucking terrible human being." Nathan yelled over his shoulder.

"I'm a realist."

"You know what, I don't think you actually mean it."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because Zam would've been dead already."

Meru didn't respond.

***

Nathan turned the corner where Zam had disappeared and stopped.

The stone corridor gave way to a large chamber.

Water gleamed ahead of him.

A lagoon with a waterfall.

Green, lush, and tropical.

“No way,” he said, awe creeping into his voice. “All that’s missing is a piña colada and maybe a lounge chair.”

“A piña what?” Meru said at his side.

“Never mind.” Nathan waved it off and headed toward Kieran and Zam.

Kieran turned as he approached. “I don’t think there are any traps.”

Nathan checked his map again.

Nothing.

Not even in the lagoon.

“I don’t see anything,” Nathan said, scanning the area again. “Which makes me distrust it even more.”

"I walked around and near the water's edge, everywhere I could," Zam pointed with his index finger, "and didn't set anything off."

Nathan stared at him.

Is he proud of that?
Like if there’d been a trap, he’d have set it off by now?

“Okay,” he said, “Voice, are you able to notice traps?”

“I don't,” the voice replied. “I might not have fully accurate information yet.”

Nathan frowned. “Not fully accurate?”

“...Yet.”

"Yet?" Nathan questioned.

“Yes,” the voice said, plainly. “My available data and sensory awareness is incomplete."

Nathan’s brows lifted. “As in, you may have that stuff later?”

“Yes,” it said. “I’m growing.”

“Ah,” Nathan said. “That would be useful.”

Right.
It’s adaptive and still learning.

"I find it hard to believe there aren't any," Kieran said. "I truly don't sense any, though."

Nathan looked at the water again.

Beautiful.
A little paradise with no traps.
Hard to believe.

“I also believe it is clear of traps,” Meru added from behind them. “Not sure why no one thought to ask me first.”

Nathan looked at him, said nothing, and turned to Kieran and Zam. “Bath?”

Zam nodded enthusiastically. “Bath.”

Kieran nodded.

Nathan turned back to Meru.

What the…

Meru had already stripped completely naked.

Nathan turned just in time to see Zam sprinting toward the water, already bare, whooping as he went.

Kieran was slower, methodical, his clothing coming off piece by piece.

“So this is just a natural dungeon rest area?” Nathan asked, glancing at the water.

“Apparently.” Meru walked past him. “We’ll mark it before we leave.”

“Best dungeon campsite ever,” Nathan said.

“Are you not joining?” Meru asked lightly. “You smell, as well, you know.”

Nathan opened his mouth to retort, then stopped.

Kieran was already striding into the water.

Nathan looked away.

His eyes betrayed him a heartbeat later.

Kieran’s back was covered in scars.

Nathan had noticed them before, but never in this detail.

He forced his gaze toward Meru.

His brain stalled immediately.

Meru was smooth… everywhere.

Manscaping?
Of course he would.

Nathan realized, too late, that he’d been staring.

Meru was already smiling at him.

“Interested?” Meru said lightly, winking.

Nathan groaned. “You wish.”

“You were the one staring,” Meru replied mildly. “Makes it look bigger, no?”

Nathan cringed. “Please, please shut up.”

Meru laughed.

From the middle of the lagoon, Zam called out, “What looks bigger?”

Meru turned and waded in without answering.

Zam looked down once, paused, then looked back up. “Oh.”

Nathan dragged a hand down his face. “Fucking, kill me now.”

“Don’t say that, Nathan,” the voice said.

“I didn’t really mean it.”

“Okay.”

Nathan started undressing.

“Voice, I’m going to close the interface. I’m not sure if that prevents me from hearing you. If it does, it’ll only be for a little while.”

“Okay, Nathan.”

Nathan closed it.

“Voice?” he asked.

There was no reply.

“Guess that answers that question,” he muttered.

Gotta pick a name. Can’t keep calling it Voice.

Nathan finished removing the last of his clothing and placed it into inventory so it would get cleaned.

Still one of the best features.

He looked at the scattered armor and clothing around the beach, sighed, and decided to pick everyone else’s things up as well, stowing them away before they could get soaked.

Once he was done, he walked toward the water.

Zam and Meru were beneath the waterfall.

Kieran was floating on his back near the middle of the lagoon.

Nathan caught his reflection in the water by accident.

Mason’s face looked back at him.

The body followed a second later. Broader than his own had been. Heavier. Built for force. Hair where his body had never had it. And then the scars.

Face. Hands. Forearms. Shoulders. Across his sides and stomach. Down his legs.

This body was covered in them.

Nathan still wasn’t used to it. He didn’t want to be.

He flexed his fingers, rolled his wrists, tested the familiar strength that still felt borrowed.

For a moment, a thought slipped through.

Are these really all from his childhood?

He shook his head and pushed it aside.

It didn’t excuse the man Mason had become. It didn’t soften anything he’d done.

Nathan stepped into the water and sucked in a sharp breath.

Holy shit. That’s colder than I was expecting.

He inched forward until the water reached his waist, then scooped up a handful and splashed it over his chest, forcing himself to acclimate.

“Going to stay over there?”

Nathan lifted his gaze.

Kieran was looking toward him.

“Just—the water was colder than I expected.”

“You need to submerge yourself.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

Nathan scooped up another handful of water, then let it spill through his fingers.

“Ah, fuck it.” He swam toward Kieran. “Freezing.”

He got within floating distance and did the same. Kieran had his eyes closed.

Nathan could see his firm chest. A small, pale scar was etched across Kieran's right pec.

He deliberately looked away and fixed on the ceiling.

Meru and Zam were talking about something he couldn’t make out over the roar of the waterfall, nor did he care.

After a moment, Nathan cleared his throat. “How’s training coming along?”

“Well.”

“Good.”

“I never imagined I’d be able to wield mana like a mage.”

Nathan glanced at him again. Kieran’s eyes were still closed, but he seemed pleased.

“I’m happy for you.”

Kieran opened his eyes, turned his head, and looked at Nathan.

“Never thought I’d hear something like that come from those lips either.” He hesitated, holding the gaze. “Rather, almost everything you say…”

Nathan broke eye contact. “Yeah, I know.”

They were quiet for a moment.

“Do you know if Mason is alive?”

Nathan didn’t look at him.

“I don’t.”

“Do you know how this happened to you?”

Nathan thought about it.

“The ritual,” he said finally. “There was a portal. I saw this face in it. Got pulled toward it.”

Kieran waited patiently.

“I woke up in this body. Covered in blood and surrounded by bodies. Been stuck like this ever since. That’s all I know.”

“An otherworlder.”

Nathan stiffened. “I didn’t want to say anything because I’m scared the Collegium is going to vivisect me.”

“That’s a reasonable concern.”

Nathan finally turned toward him. “You going to turn me in?”

Kieran's mouth twitched. “Not sure how I would in our current predicament.”

“That is not reassuring.”

Kieran didn’t answer right away.

Nathan looked at the ceiling again.

“It’d be a shame if he’s dead,” Kieran said, voice low. “I plan to kill him.”

“Get in line,” Nathan said.

Kieran huffed a low noise. “I am one of many.”

“No kidding.” Nathan looked at Kieran again. “Sir, why do you want revenge?”

Kieran stilled.

Nathan floundered and lost his positioning, slapping the water. “I mean—sorry. That was rude of me. You don’t have to say.”

By the time Nathan looked back, Kieran was upright, closer, his hand extended.

When? How did he get so close, so fast?

Kieran lowered his arm. “You are a handful. You know that, Nathan?”

Nathan felt heat rise in his cheeks.

Feels weird every time he says my name. Gives me goosebumps.

Kieran went back into the float position, close to Nathan's right side.

“I don’t mind telling you.”

Nathan relaxed a fraction and waited.

“Mason Draegor’s direct and indirect actions have led to the deaths, torture, and enslavement of thousands,” Kieran said evenly. “Innocent civilians. Comrades in arms.”

He paused. “My personal grudge began over ten years ago. Nearly my entire company was massacred in a battle that Draegor could have easily turned the tide for.”

Nathan’s gaze drifted to Kieran’s hand as it clenched.

“While I mourn all the loss of life and suffering at his hand,” Kieran continued, “there was one person very dear to me who died that day.”

Nathan’s chest tightened inexplicably.

He kept his eyes on Kieran’s wrist, the scar he’d seen so many times, and realized it didn’t stop there. It extended all the way up his forearm.

“That monster deserves a slow and excruciating death,” Kieran said.

Nathan stayed quiet.

“When I lost my reasoning that day and almost executed you,” Kieran paused. “If you had been him and I had succeeded, I would have regretted giving him such a quick end.”

The water shifted softly between them.

“I haven’t been the same since I lost my friend,” Kieran continued. “I withdrew into myself. Not even Taron could pull me from my despair.”

Taron.
They’ve known each other a long time, then.

Nathan turned toward him. “Is that what you meant,” he asked quietly, “about not being in your right state of mind? When I couldn’t cope with Mal’s emotions?”

“Yes.”

Nathan nodded once.

“You helped me through it,” he said after a moment. “Thank you, again.”

Kieran didn’t answer.

"I'm sorry," Nathan said quietly. "About your friend."

“Thank you,” Kieran said, eyes fixed upward. “That’s what’s so unique about you.”

“Unique?”

“It isn’t your burden,” Kieran said. “Yet you carry it anyway.”

Nathan looked away. “You lost someone dear to you. Someone you loved. How could I not empathize?”

Zam and Meru were splashing loudly nearby.

“Love?” Kieran said softly. “I suppose it was love.”

Nathan turned his head and caught a gleam in Kieran’s eye.

Tenderness.

“He was my whole world.”

Nathan didn’t move.

“You two going to join the race?” Zam yelled.

Nathan snorted despite himself.

They both righted themselves in the water.

“Those two look too cozy to join,” Meru smirked.

Kieran met Nathan’s eyes.

“Well, I don’t know—” Kieran started.

He was already swimming before Nathan’s brain caught up.

“You cheater!” Nathan shouted, lunging after him.

***

They played for a bit longer in the water.

Meru was the undefeated champion of the swim races.

Nathan was convinced he was using magic.

He got out first, retrieved the trunk from his inventory that held what passed for towels in this world, then did the same with everyone’s clothing.

Once dressed, Nathan pulled up his interface.

“Nathan?” the voice asked, tentative.

“Yes, Voice. It took a little longer than I anticipated.”

“You were having fun,” it said, hesitating. “Without me there.”

Nathan snorted softly. “You could hear everything, though, right?”

“Yes,” the voice said. “I could hear.”

“That’s almost as good as being there, then.” He paused. “We also learned I can’t hear you when I close the interface.”

“If we synchronize, Nathan, you will always be able to hear me.”

That’s a terrifying thought.

“Aha. Ha.” He cleared his throat. “Hey. I know. You want to do something fun?”

The others had made it back to the beach by then. Nathan pointed toward the towels.

“I would like to do something fun with you, Nathan.”

“Why don’t we pick out a proper name for you,” he said, “and after that we can go over some boundaries.”

“The first part sounds fun,” the voice said after a moment. “I don’t think the second part sounds fun.”

Second part is a necessity.

“Let’s focus on your name first.”

“Okay!”

“Do you have a preference?” Nathan asked.

There was a pause. Longer than most of the others had been.

“I do not,” the voice said. “Whatever you like.”

“Alright.” Nathan glanced toward the lagoon. "Give me a moment."

Meru and Zam were to his right arguing loudly about the last race results.

Kieran was watching them and had just finished toweling off.

Zam had a towel wrapped around him. Meru hadn't even bothered picking one up.

Nathan shook his head at Meru.

Names matter.

“Something that fits what you’re doing,” he muttered.

He paused, then corrected himself. “What we’re doing.”

Calibrating.

The word settled.

He huffed a quiet laugh. “Voice, what about Cal? Short for calibration.”

“I like that,” the voice said immediately.

Nathan’s brow twitched. “You didn’t even think about it.”

“I did,” the voice said. “Very quickly.”

“That’s not reassuring.”

“But it is accurate.”

Nathan chuckled.

“Okay,” he said. “Cal it is.”

“Yes, Nathan,” Cal said. “Thank you.”

Nathan let the words sit for a beat.

“…Don’t thank me yet,” he said. “We’ll get to the rest in a minute.”

“The… boundaries?” Cal asked.

“Yes. Boundaries,” Nathan said. “Not right now.”

“Okay,” Cal said.

Motion caught his eye.

Zam was running toward him. “Let’s eat, Drae—Nathan.”

He nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

Nathan pulled out supplies for Zam while Kieran got a fire going.

Meru had finally grabbed a towel, but he was using it to lie out naked anyway.

Nathan threw his clothes at him. "You are not going to be sitting there naked while we all eat."

Meru raised himself up on his elbows. "Does it make you uncomfortable?"

“It’s gross,” Nathan said. “Learn some manners.”

He turned away before Meru could push it further.

“Fine,” Meru said. “If you insist.”

When everyone was dressed, they gathered around the fire.

Zam talked through the cooking like a host again, narrating each step in the process with a few anecdotes about his ma.

“Why don’t you ever talk about your dad?” Nathan asked.

“Can’t cook,” Zam said simply.

“Ah.”

The way Zam spoke through the cooking process only made Nathan hungrier, and the food tasted better once he started eating. Warmth settled into his hands and stomach in a way he hadn’t realized he’d needed.

They talked through the meal.

Not about the dungeon.

Stories.

About their pasts.

Meru and Zam stole the spotlight.

Zam’s were loud and winding, full of detours that somehow always circled back to food or family.

Meru’s came in fragments, half-truths delivered with a grin that dared anyone to question them.

Nathan didn’t chime in. He listened. Which meant Cal also stayed silent.

Kieran gave a few smiles and asked questions that prolonged their stories.

Nathan didn’t mind.

It was nice.

They made sure everything they needed was stored in Nathan’s inventory.

Once they were finished, Kieran and Zam headed out of the chamber first to scout ahead.

Meru marked the area.

"Why is it so important to mark the areas? Won't the ones who follow figure it out on their own?"

"It's the duty of the strongest to leave their mark," Meru said.

Nathan tilted his head.

"Why did you have Zam do it earlier then?"

Meru smiled, turned and went on ahead.

Nathan shook his head, smiling faintly.

Nothing with him is ever simple.

He took one last look toward the lagoon.

Who knows when we’ll find another place like this?

Then he followed after the others.

***

The traps grew more complex not long after they left the lagoon.

Nathan almost wished they could have stayed there for the night.

Almost.

On the other hand, he wanted out of this dungeon.

No telling how many floors are left.

The thought lingered, unpleasant and persistent.

He and Kieran had been through worse trap floors than this one, but that had been just the two of them.

Now there were more people to watch.

And Cal.

That alone made everything feel more precarious.

Meru had begun training Kieran in casting.

It slowed their progress to a crawl.

Every step, every adjustment, felt like wading through molasses to Nathan.

While Kieran worked through a trap using mana and Meru hovered nearby, snapping, “No, no,” Nathan’s attention drifted. Not to the dungeon, but inward. To Cal. To boundaries. To the conversation he had been avoiding.

How are we supposed to train like this?

Zam edged closer to him, as if expecting something to explode.

Nathan didn’t blame him.

They had already passed through a section where the ceiling collapsed, and another where the walls tried to crush them in.

All we need now is a giant boulder and a few more spike pits, and we’ll be set.

Nathan huffed a quiet laugh.

“Nathan?” Cal asked.

“What’s up?”

“What is funny?”

“I had a funny thought.”

There was a small pause before Cal spoke again.

“What kind of thought?”

Cal really is just a baby.
He’s been pretty obedient, so far.
And respectful.

I doubt he would ever access my mind without permission.

“Just something from my past,” Nathan said. He hesitated, then added, “You’re curious, aren’t you, Cal?”

“Yes,” Cal said quickly. Then added, “I am. There is a lot I do not know yet.”

“I see,” Nathan said. “Do you remember when I mentioned boundaries?”

“Of course.” Cal said. "It wasn't that long ago."

Nathan chuckled. "Right."

Sometimes Cal used language that reminded Nathan of himself.

Other times, he stumbled.
Like a thought arriving a second too late.

“Well,” Nathan continued, “I think it should go both ways. We can accommodate each other.”

“Accommodate,” Cal repeated. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Nathan hummed under his breath.

Ahead, Kieran triggered something.

“Running, now!” Meru yelled.

Nathan took off immediately, making sure Zam stayed at his side.

Cal tried to keep talking as Nathan ran.
Bad timing.

Once they cleared the area and regrouped, they moved on.

“Nathan,” Cal said, “what do you mean by accommodate?”

“Right. Like just now. You tried to talk while I was busy. We need boundaries for when it’s okay to talk and when it isn’t.”

“I understand.”

“We need to learn about each other if we’re going to train together.”

“I am still growing,” Cal said. “It would be faster if you allowed synchronization.”

“I’m still not doing that,” Nathan said. “But I understand that you’re growing. I’ll do my best to teach you. And I won’t mute you again.”

“I like not being muted,” Cal said.

"Yes, I know," Nathan acknowledged. “You need to work with me, too.”

“Together?” Cal asked.

“Yes. Teammates,” Nathan said. “We’ll figure it out as we go.”

“I will do my best.”

“Me too,” Nathan said.

He called up to the front. “I’ll take point. Let’s get through the rest of this floor.”

No more training this floor.

Kieran nodded. “Sure.”

“Have at it,” Meru said, gesturing forward.

Nathan moved to the front.

After a short while, the corridor gradually widened into a cavernous chamber.

Everybody slowed to a stop behind him.

Nathan could feel the others’ gazes on him.

He checked the map.

“Okay,” he said. “This one’s more… deliberate.”

“A deliberate trap,” Meru said. “All designed to kill, deliberately.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Nathan waved him off. “So, I think we’re looking at a balance trap.”

Multiple beams of varying widths stretched across the chamber, angled over what appeared to be a steep drop.

“I don’t like the look of that,” Nathan said.

He crouched and leaned over the edge.

Something glinted below.

“…Spikes,” Zam said from beside him.

“Well of course,” Nathan muttered. “I was just thinking about spikes earlier.”

Must have manifested them.

Nathan stood and tested the nearest beam with his foot.

It dipped.

The floor beneath him clicked.

He jumped back instantly.

Spikes shot up from the pit below, then sank again just as fast.

Zam recoiled. “That’s horrifying.”

“Everyone test a beam,” Nathan said. “If you hear anything, stand clear.”

“Is there only one path?” Zam asked.

“Won’t know unless we try,” Nathan replied.

Kieran was already moving.

Meru’s voice drifted from behind them. “Have you people forgotten I’m a mage?”

They halted and looked back at him.

“There are a few methods I could test without anyone getting injured.”

“I thought your specialty was fire magic,” Nathan said.

“It’s versatile,” Meru replied flatly.

Heat licked across Nathan’s back.

He spun just in time to see fire roar from the wall behind them.

It cut off abruptly.

Zam stood frozen with one foot raised toward a beam. He lowered it slowly under everyone’s stare.

“Sorry,” he said, sheepish.

Nathan shook his head and turned back to Meru. “Short of floating us across, I don’t think your magic’s built for this.”

Meru glanced aside, then back. “You have a strategy, then?”

“Test the beams. Work together. Call out what works. Get across,” Nathan said. “Easy.”

“Avoid getting skewered or roasted,” Zam added.

A low rumble rolled through the chamber. Dust sifted down from the ceiling.

Nathan turned.

Kieran stood with his sword held a little too close to a different beam.

“You too?” Nathan said incredulously. “Stop touching things until we’re ready!”

“Or having the ceiling cave in,” Kieran added.

“Yeah, great,” Nathan muttered. “Another item added to the ways I don’t feel like dying today list.”

Kieran shook his head and looked away.

Nathan scanned the room.

After Kieran and Zam’s testing, two untouched starting beams remained.

Ignoring his own advice, Nathan kicked one lightly and jumped back.

Nothing happened.

Meru struck the other with a focused blast of fire.

Still nothing.

“I could have tested them all from back here,” Meru said.

Two are safe.

“Too late now,” Nathan replied. “Alright. We split. Two per beam. Then hop to the next safest.”

“Hop,” Zam echoed, unconvinced.

“Yup,” Nathan said. “Meru tests ahead.”

Meru smirked. “Fine.”

Meru and Nathan took one beam. Zam and Kieran took the other.

“Careful, Nathan,” Cal said quietly.

“I will.”

They climbed up.

The beams dipped, then steadied.

Slowly, carefully, they advanced.

Meru tested each beam ahead of them, calling out which ones were safe.

Four grown men attempting coordinated beam hopping should have been impressive.

It wasn’t.

It was clumsy and awkward.

Like jumping tightrope to tightrope in a poorly rehearsed circus act.

After each test, Nathan counted down for the jumps.

Kieran went first. He was the largest and least graceful, correcting with sheer control and the occasional sharp reminder from Meru to remember his mana.

Nathan realized Kieran was using mana to stay connected to the beam.

Smart.

Nathan wobbled once, instincts snapping in as he adjusted mid-step.

Zam flailed, windmilling for a terrifying second with a strangled noise before Kieran caught him by the arm.

They’d decided early on that Kieran would jump first and Zam second for exactly that reason.

Meru, infuriatingly, landed lightly every time. No wobble. No hesitation.

Nathan glanced at him.

Mana is amazing. I miss my mana.

Meru smiled faintly, as if he’d heard the thought.

They used the same method all the way across.

Test.
Jump.
Balance.
Correct.

It was tedious.

It was boring.

And it worked.

The platform was close now.

When the last beam leveled beneath their feet, it took barely another minute for all four of them to step onto solid ground.

The platform itself was small, the exit not immediately obvious.

Nathan checked the map.

A wide pressure plate marked the way forward.

Nathan stepped onto it.

Nothing happened.

“Everyone,” he said. “On.”

They joined him.

Zam added his weight last.

The plate sank.

The floor ahead split open, revealing the staircase.

Zam blinked. “That was surprisingly easy.”

“Anticlimactic,” Nathan said, already moving.

Notifications surfaced.

[ Party XP +5 ]
[ Logic +1 ]
[ Party Synch: Strength Teamwork Bonus +3 ]

“Alright,” Nathan said. “Next floor.”

They descended the stairs to floor fourteen.

***

Floors fourteen through nineteen were nothing but monsters.

No puzzles. Few traps. No clever rooms trying to prove a point.

Just fangs, claws, and an impressive variety of things that oozed. Corridor after corridor that kept coughing up wave after wave, as if the dungeon itself had decided subtlety was overrated.

Nathan was almost grateful for it.

It was easy. Mind-numbing, even.

Monster killing was something all of them excelled at.

They tore through things Nathan couldn’t identify, along with a few old acquaintances. Goblins made a brief, ill-advised reappearance. Even broluks showed up again, only to be dealt with far more efficiently this time. The winged things didn’t last long at all. Meru simply burned them out of the air, looking mildly bored as they fell.

Nathan fell into place beside Kieran without either of them needing to say a word.

Meru controlled the field with quiet, infuriating efficiency.

Zam, astonishingly, listened to instructions and only had to be saved from one trap.

The group worked together so smoothly that Nathan barely noticed the hours slipping past.

They just kept killing and collecting loot, over and over.

By the time they reached floor twenty, less than a day had gone by.

That… surprised him.

He’d expected exhaustion. Friction. Arguments. Something to slow them down, to remind them this was supposed to be hard.

Instead, they pushed straight onto the twentieth floor and called it there, choosing to make camp at the earliest rest area.

Nathan pulled supplies from inventory and helped Kieran set up the tents. Meru set up his table and chairs for his Pogo board.

Zam set up the fire and prepared to cook.

When Nathan finally sat, he dropped harder than he meant to.

Yeah.

He was ready for rest.

Cal had been quiet but attentive through it all. Asking questions when it was safe. Falling silent when it wasn’t. Trying. Really trying.

Nathan stared into the fire and let the day settle.

One day. Six floors.

He should have been more alarmed by that.

Instead, one thought refused to leave him alone.

When's the asshole who hacked my system going to make his next appearance?