You have entered a dungeon: The Wandering Gate

Irregular – Arcane – Level [hidden]

The dungeon message popped into Allen’s brain as soon as he stepped through the threshold. He dismissed it quickly and absentmindedly took in the white marble shrine at the middle of Wan’s root node. Blue sky and fluffy clouds could be seen outside the building, framed by regal columns and motionless Faceless Ones.

Behind him, the rest of his group streamed in through the secret entrance. The dark and damp cave that housed the Temple of the Spade was on the other side of the gateway. Leaving that node was as simple as walking out the false cave entrance until the gate opened ahead of them. Entering it, on the other hand, was impossible for anyone but the dungeon beings or someone with a temple ring.

Christopher was the last to enter the marble shine, walking on his own two legs. He was still visibly deep in thought, so he had been lagging behind, but he was also visibly thrilled to be walking again. It was an odd duality. Regardless, he didn’t even notice when the hidden gate he had just walked out of softly sunk back into the floor.

“Let’s see if anyone can open the door straight to our destination. We will need a Gatekeeper or an Overseer for that,” Shoam offhandedly began. “Hopefully not Kali,” he added under his breath.

The elf took the lead, guiding everyone outside. They found themselves in the central acropolis again, surrounded by the forty-two major gateways. Every door represented a major branch of the dungeon that connected to hundreds of nodes each. They were looking for one in particular, a node called the Endless Gauntlet. Allen had been there a few times; it was one of the most straightforward challenges the dungeon had to offer.

Nora pulled up beside Allen as they walked around the courtyard. She looked a bit frightened, but Allen could see from the corner of his eye that her wonder and amazement were overshadowing that fear. She glanced over at him thoughtfully before seeming to reconsider.

“What is it?” Allen asked, lips curling into thin smile, not that anybody could actually see it from behind his mask.

Nora stuttered for a second, then she cleared her throat. “Um, where are we, master White Wraith?”

Allen sighed as Shoam stifled an annoyingly childish giggle. “We’re in the same place as before,” he began, “This place, along with the Temple, are part of the Wandering Gate dungeon. Some of the nodes, or rooms, have different names and levels. Don’t ask me how that works…. Anyway, you’re supposed to search for the keys to these doors out in the wilderness beyond this platform, but we get to bypass that system since I have VIP status.”

“Oh…”

Shoam coughed. “I’m a Spade as well,” he said.

“I have seniority, so you don’t count,” Allen shot back immediately. “And don’t call me White Wraith,” he continued, whirling back to face Nora who shrunk away slightly. “That title only exists in the East and it doesn’t really match my aesthetic. Sure, I get the ‘white’ part given my old outfit but calling me a ‘wraith’ makes no sense. Just call me Allen.”

“Um… Oh, okay… master Allen,” Nora said, looking put off.

“Heh, well why does everybody call you ‘Jerr’ here then?” Camila asked, somehow coming off as accusatory.

Allen took a deep breath. He had no obligation to tell anybody the truth about his names or titles, but sometimes lying was more work than it was worth. “It’s short for Jeremiah, but I’ve always gone by Allen, which is my middle name.” The enlightened expressions on the others from his group was just annoying.

“Should I call you Allen as well?” Shoam asked, his eyes giving away his stupid shit-eating grin.

“Sure… if you show me your level. I know you’re only hiding it because you haven’t passed six-hundred yet,” Allen replied, putting every bit of effort into his mocking tone.

The elf’s eye twitched, but a new character appeared before he could continue the banter.

It was a masterfully subtle entrance; the Gatekeeper had appeared a few steps ahead of the group before anyone even noticed him. Like the other Gatekeepers, he looked like a PG-thirteen Greek statue carved from living white marble. His body was lean and indistinguishable from any other human besides the three short horns above his forehead and the talons he had for fingernails. His head was a bird’s nest of shaggy stone hair that partly covered his blank expression and the pitch black marbles he had for eyes. The Guardian’s most notable feature, however, was the massive golden longbow he had slung over his shoulder.

Name: Gatekeeper Orvis

Primordial Soul Golem – Ranger – Level 950

“Hello keeper, we would like to go to the Gauntlet,” Shoam said, drawing Orvis’s attention.

The golem silently turned his head to the door they had all stopped in front of. It was nearly five stories tall and made of a dark wood with cast iron reinforcements and ivy growing all over. With a curt nod from Orvis, the gateway came to life with magic while an image swirled into view within the empty doorframe.

There was a dirt path leading to a massive stone colosseum in a large clearing not too far off in the distance. The sky was dark, making the evergreen forest that surrounded the path and tall snow-capped mountains in the distance look a bit chilly, but the braziers burning brightly every few dozen meters along the path made up for it.

“Thank you, keeper,” Shoam said, already walking towards the door. “I’m glad I we didn’t have to talk to Kali or Maráuh. It would have taken ages.”

Allen returned another nod to the golem who cracked a small smile before vanishing in a silent blur.

You have entered a dungeon: The Endless Gauntlet

Structured – Control – Level 300

The message popped up as soon as Allen crossed through the gateway, along with a blast of cold air. The walk to the colosseum took about five minutes. Only Christopher and Amelia talked between themselves, discussing something to do with Doc based on bits and pieces that Allen heard.

“I don’t exactly know how he does what he does either,” Allen thought to himself, smirking inwardly. “Doc has his secret techniques and I have mine. I was willing to trade, but that didn’t happen did it.”

“I will just be there to raise the level of the monsters for you. I will also intervene to keep you alive.” Shoam said, breaking the silence. Then, he turned to Nora. “You should also sit out until they have reached your level.”

Nora nodded obediently.

“With you here, the monsters will probably start around level two-hundred, which should be manageable,” Allen began, getting acknowledging looks from his group and surprise from Nora. “We’ll get double experience for the level threshold difference. You all know your experience bonuses too, right?” he finished, glancing over the four from his party as they all came to a stop in front of a massive portcullis. All four nodded easily, which was expected since none of them could have advanced jobs with their own bonuses before level two-hundred.

Shoam cleared his throat and looked up above the colosseum gate. “Open the gate!” he shouted, “We have come to challenge the Gauntlet!”

The elf’s voice echoed against the walls of the huge stadium, and for a few seconds nothing happened. Then a horn blared from inside the structure and the portcullis slowly rose with a cacophony of harsh grating sounds.

Allen walked though at a carefree pace. It took an hour and ten minutes for Dead Calm to reach its maximum, and he had started the skill around twenty minutes ago. The boost to his stats and his mind was just starting to sink in.

Break was fully overcharged, and all his other skills were ready. Ideally, they would be able to reach level one hundred in one go, but that would require a lot of endurance.

The dark corridor under the colosseum opened into an arena the size of a typical football field. Only, it was just simple dried dirt with boulders and other debris strewn around near the edges.

They were in a five-story deep pit, surrounded on all sides by stands full of spectators. The crowd, tens of thousands of mindless proto homunculi, all jumped to their feet to cheer as another horn sounded their entrance. The performance was exceptional for a dungeon, but it still lacked a certain vitality of a real audience in a real colosseum.

A loud voice suddenly drowned out even the crowd, drawing everyone’s attention to the identical gate on the opposite side of the battlefield. “Welcome challengers!” the voice shouted with palpable enthusiasm. Two huge braziers erupted into flames above the opposing gate, followed by more and more until the whole pit was encircled by blazing fires.

With a crackling explosion and a plume of smoke, a male figure easily twice the size of a man appeared in the center of the pit. He was dressed in regal robes, but his skin was blackened like cast iron and his eyes were glowing white dots. His nametag wasn’t visible from such a distance, but Allen could still pull it up in his mind.

Name: Lord Regis

Soul-forged Dark Mithril Automaton – Bard – Level 300

The machine man dipped into a sweeping bow while holding a crown in place on his shiny metal head. “Fight to your hearts content,” he continued, “but be aware that feeble mortals can never leave the Endless Gauntlet! Your first opponent… the brutal behemoth… THE MOUNTAIN TROLL!” With magnanimous laughter and another smoke bomb, the metal man vanished again.

The gate behind the group shut with a thunderous crash while the one on the opposite end opened. Then the crowd cheered again as a beastly roar came out from the back of the dark corridor.

“That was nice and quick, just the way I like it,” Camila said, sword appearing in hand.

“Heh, I’ll keep that in mind.” Ty laughed and armed himself as well.

Camila shook her head at him and snorted derisively. “You would, wouldn’t you.”

In the same moment, a stout humanoid creature rushed out of the opposing gate. It was almost twice the size of a man, covered in warts, coarse hairs, and a thick layer of filth. It was horrendous to look at; it made the ogres and the Shade Ghouls seem clean by comparison.

The Troll’s grey, stony hide rippled with each thunderous step it took, dragging a small boulder bound to the end of a thick chain behind it. It sniffed at the air before two yellow eyes rolled maddeningly over Allen and his group. With a vicious grin showing crooked brown teeth, it launched itself into a dead sprint.

“Well, you five have fun,” Shoam said. He teleported into a seated position on a nearby rock and pulled out a book from his inventory. Nora joined him quietly, sparing a glance at Allen.

“Ty, Camila, attack from the front. I’ll form a stack behind you with Amelia behind me. Allen, you flank from the side, we’ll try to hold it still.” Christopher walked past Allen, giving him a firm look. “It’s level is high, so stay out of its direct attack path.”

Allen offered a small nod before turning back to the incoming monster. “Alright then.”