The delving group entered the [Rimwall Dungeon] together. They found themselves in a large stone corridor, wide enough for five people to walk abreast. The floor was smooth beige stone, with no visible joints. The walls were made of well-mortised blocks in a warm creme stone, and the ceiling was vaulted grey stone. Jane looked around, taking in the weirdness of going from the city to this strange corridor that could never fit in the city as it was. She wondered how it was possible, other than the obvious answer of just “magic”. Had they been teleported, or was this space compressed to fit? A question from Silah pulled her from her thoughts.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that, I was wondering how dungeon entrances work.”

Silah shrugged slightly. “Nobody really knows, they just do. Anyway, I was asking if you were ready to face the first [Lesser Dire Rat]?”

Jane nodded then turned to the General of Rimwall.

“Can I ask you some questions please?”

“Of course, this is a learning experience, not a test. This dungeon is one of the more forgiving ones, but it is still dangerous, so please ask as many questions as you require,” replied General Nui amicably.

“How does a [Dire Rat] stack up against a [Wild Dog]?”

“Oh! A good question. As the first to clear the new [Den] outside of Rimwall you would know about them.” the general paused to tap an armoured finger against his chin. “Well, they are obviously very different monsters, and I would compare [Wild Dog]s to [Lesser Dire Rat]s in terms of dangerousness, both are tier 2 monsters after all. The rats are slightly weaker but faster, which can make them more or less difficult depending on your build. [Dire Rat]s however are much more dangerous than the [Alpha Wild Dog]s, despite both being tier 3 monsters. They are just as strong, faster and can buff the [Lesser Dire Rat]s even more than the Alpha can buff the Dogs. Overall this first floor is probably marginally more difficult than the [Den of the Mother of Dogs], but you won’t be alone this time.”

The cousins three and Silah were staring at her.

“What?”

“You have already cleared a whole [Dungeon], on your own at Tier 1? That’s impossible!” stammered a wide-eyed Munodo.

“Well, it was only a brand new [Den]. I don’t think it's that impressive, is it?”

“I think I might interject, Akaisha, before your friends have a fit.” Interrupted General Nui, “It, in fact, is quite a feat. Even more so that you could only have been level two or three when you entered. It was indeed a brand new [Den], not that there is a difference between a [Den] or a [Dungeon]. A brand new [Dungeon] is generally weaker than others, but still, it is very impressive. Now please, I do have other duties to attend to, so I must ask that we move.”

Jane nodded and gripped her sledgehammer. She strode confidently forward until she could see the archway that denoted the entrance to the first room. She rolled her shoulders and psyched herself up into Akaisha mode. She could see the first [Lesser Dire Rat] of the dungeon, standing in the middle of the floor, staring off into the middle distance. It seemed almost frozen in time, waiting for someone to enter the room. She recalled that it seemed much the same in the [Wild Dog] dungeon, as if the whole dungeon just stood waiting for her. Before entering she turned to her escort.

“Are all [Dungeon]s like this, with the creatures waiting for us just behind the doorways? How does that even work?”

Tianaro Nui looked at her appraisingly, taking his time before answering.

“I am no expert in [Dungeon] theory or dungeons at all, for that matter. As a member of the guard I have dived a few times but any adventurer would probably be better placed to explain them. However my education was not lacking and so I shall endeavour to explain, such as I was taught. The full answer is that things do not react until someone engages the room by crossing the threshold, however, most rooms are far larger than these, often with flora or other environmental hazards. As to why it works that way, well, there are theories but in reality, nobody knows. Most think that they are challenges from the Gods, that we may become stronger.”

Akaisha nodded and turned to the frozen [Lesser Dire Rat]. She took a short run-up then leapt through the archway, her head barely scraping under the stonework. As soon as she entered the room the rat reacted, skittering sideways to avoid her strike. It nearly managed but the hammer blow meant for the middle of its skull clipped its shoulder and ear instead. It fell sideways and Akaisha easily finished it with a stomp to the neck. She grinned to herself, the rats were slightly faster but she could still hit them. This floor at least should be easy. The [Lesser Dire Rat] shimmered and disappeared leaving behind a couple of bronze coins. She dropped them into a pouch on her belt and turned to face the others.

The younger members of the group were looking at her in awe, and even the two guards clapped slightly. Tianaro Nui congratulated her, then motioned at her to continue. She crossed the room to the next corridor. The following corridor was identical to the previous one, and led to an identical archway that opened onto an identical room. This time there were three [Lesser Dire Rat]s. Akaisha hefted her hammer and prepared.

She lept again, the three rats reacting instantly. Her hammer slammed down, shattering the first rat’s skull. She twisted and sidestepped the second rat as it leapt at her. She rushed at the third one and swung at it. It skittered easily out of the way and dived at her shins. Akaisha lashed out with her foot, catching the dire rat on the chin and sending it careening into the wall. She spun just in time to see the second rat leap at her face. She threw herself backwards, nearly avoiding the horrendously sharp teeth. Pain flashed through her as the razor-sharp incisors sliced through her cheek, narrowly missing her right eye. She took her right hand off the handle of the hammer and punched the rat down on the ground. Spinning again she saw the third rat picking itself up from where it hit the wall. She spun the sledgehammer and hurled it at the rat before it could regain its feet. The hammerhead slammed into its ribs with a sickening crunch. Akaisha rolled sideways and rose in a low crouch, drawing her sword. The surviving rat dashed in, to bite Akaisha’s shin. She slashed at it but it twisted easily out of the way and dived back at her. Akaisha growled as she slashed clumsily again and again without landing a solid hit. She avoided getting bitten again but her boots were scuffed and chipped with teeth marks as she tried to chop the rat with her sword. She stepped back again to avoid a savage bite and caught her foot on the corpse of the first rat she slew. She flailed as she fell, her sword clattering out of her hand.

She saw the rat’s rear muscles bunch up as it prepared to leap at her. She threw her hands up to protect her face as she hit the ground hard, bruising her rear. The rat was about to land on her chest when a spear appeared, burying itself in the airborne rat's flank before it could bite her. Akaisha lifted her head and saw Silah shake the [Lesser Dire Rat] off of his spear. It landed in a heap near her hammer. She pulled herself up and unsheathed one of her daggers. This time she didn’t bother swinging at the rat, she just dropped on top of it and stabbed it in the neck. She rolled off of the corpse and stood, panting from the exertion. Even such a short fight had left her feeling the burn in her arms from the effort of swinging the sledgehammer and then the sword. Once she had got her breathing under control and had collected her weapons she turned and thanked Silah for the assistance.

“It was nothing, we have to look out for each other. How will you tier up if you get eaten by a [Lesser Dire Rat]!” he replied, with a light laugh.

Akaisha chuckled weakly and shook her head. Scanning the room she quickly found the strange treasures left by the disappearing dungeon creatures. An identical dagger to the ones she had on her, another handful of Cuprum and a chicken sandwich. She shrugged and offered the sandwich around before wolfing it down as everyone refused. The other loot was quickly dropped into a large sack that the other guardsman carried.

[Beginner Militiaman] level increased to 12.

Strength + 1

Dexterity + 1

Agility + 0

Endurance + 1

Perception + 0

Intelligence + 1

Willpower + 0

Sociability + 1

“Two levels down, only three to go,” Akaisha announced happily. They all left the room together and entered yet another identical corridor.

“Do these ever change?” Akaisha asked over her shoulder as she led the group through the repetitive stone halls.

“Only on the second floor, and then I presume the following floors also change each time,” Nyika explained.

Akaisha froze at the entry to the third room. Inside was not something that was just a very big Rattus Rattus. It was standing on its hind legs and probably reached above her waist. It was still visibly mostly a rat, with brown fur and a long pink tail, but it had hands that looked almost human other than the massive claws. It looked dangerous, all rippling muscles and dangerous fangs.

“What is that?” Akaisha wondered aloud.

“That is a [Dire Rat], they are much more dangerous than their lesser counterparts. They are faster, smarter, tougher, and they can command the [Lesser Dire Rat]s. Obviously that won’t be a problem here but will be in the next room. Very well, this should be a good test for you, and will probably bring you up at least a level. Off you go.” General Nui gestured towards the [Dire Rat] as he spoke.

Akaisha raised her hammer and prepared her leap. She focused on the giant upright rat, on how her hammer would smash its skull and drive it into the ground. When she was ready she launched herself into the air. The [Dire Rat] moved even faster than the lesser rats in the previous rooms. It shifted out of the way over the overhead strike and lashed out with its claws. Akaisha twisted and the claws scraped along her mail instead of gutting her straight away. She swung her hammer diagonally and forced her enemy back. She stood and slowly circled the [Dire Rat], each observing the other. As she stepped she slowly drew a throwing axe and launched it at the rat. The [Dire Rat] dropped to all fours, its claws clicking against the stone, and the axe passed over its head. Akaisha followed up with a slam but the rat had already moved out of the way.

Akaisha was forced to leap back to avoid a flurry of slashes. The brown rat's tail lashed out and tried to trip Akaisha. She saw it coming and lifted her foot in time to stamp down on the pink tail. As she began to congratulate herself she felt an excruciating pain in her left leg. The [Dire Rat] had its massive incisors buried in her calf. She screamed and smashed the sledgehammer into its hindquarters. As the blow shook the rat the pain intensified, ripping through her body like nothing she had ever felt before. She pulled a dagger and tried to stab the rat but it ripped its teeth from her leg and skittered back out of the way. She could feel the blood dripping down her leg, and she could hardly put her weight on it. Every movement brought a little whimper from her as pain flashed through her nervous system.

Akaisha knew she had to finish the fight swiftly or she would bleed out. She flipped the dagger into a reverse grip and hefted her hammer from the middle of the haft. She couldn’t leap but she gritted her teeth and ran at the brown-furred giant rat. A slash from its claw was easily caught on her dagger and she lashed out with the sledgehammer. The rat got its clawed paw in the way but Akaisha crushed through its block and slammed its own hand into its face. It flicked her dagger away with its other claw and slashed across her unwounded leg, just above her boot. They exchanged blows again, Akaisha driving it back into a corner of the room. It squealed in rage as her blade bit into its shoulder and then again in pain as a hammer blow slammed it into the wall. Akaisha left the dagger in as her opponent fell and brought the sledgehammer down in a brutal overhead strike. She hit it twice more before it ceased moving and she could stumble backwards and fall to her bum.

She clamped her hands down on her savaged leg, hissing in pain. She could hardly see through the tears that ran down her face. Chirembo rushed over to her and knelt by her side. He gently removed her hands from her wound and whispered “[Close Light Wounds]”. A soft light seemed to shine from his hands and the gaping hole in Akaish’s thigh slowly closed, leaving only a faint line and a rip in her trousers as evidence of the savage bite. A second spell and the scratch on her knee was healed too.

“Wow, that’s incredible!” Jane exclaimed, “Just like that I’m fine!”

“Well, of course, I am a rather good healer. I’ve had a lot of practice with those idiots!” Chirembo grinned, pointing over his shoulders. He laughed as Nyika slapped him in the back of the head. “I’ll tell you some stories when we get back!”

[Beginner Militiaman] level increased to 13.

Strength + 0

Dexterity + 0

Agility + 0

Endurance + 1

Perception + 0

Intelligence + 0

Willpower + 0

Sociability + 0

“Well, that's level thirteen, but damn it was a bad one.”

“That’s hardly surprising, as a [Beginner Militiaman] you have a fifty percent chance of getting a point of Strength and or Endurance, a twenty-five percent chance of a point of Dexterity, Agility, Perception and or Sociability, and a one percent chance for Intelligence and Willpower. All in all, you should only be getting between one and three points every level up.” Munodo explained. “You are lacking most of our general knowledge aren’t you.” As he spoke he seemed to realise how it sounded and frantically waved his hands. “No offence meant, of course, I simply meant that you hadn’t followed the same education as us.”

“Don’t worry, you aren’t wrong.” Jane smiled at Munodo and held out her hand.

Jane let herself be pulled back up and tested her weight on her leg. It was mostly fine, but she could feel a slight twinge. Still, it was incredible, not two minutes ago there was a massive hole in it, so just a slight discomfort was already amazing. She collected herself and donated the leather boots that dropped from the oversized rat to the orphanage. She led the way down yet another boring hallway to the arch of the third room. What she saw shocked her, even more than the third room. Two [Dire Rat]s and seven [Lesser Dire Rat]s at their feet. She had had a hard time against one [Dire Rat] or three [Lesser Dire Rat]s, there was no way she could fight all of that. She turned around and looked at the rest of the group.

“I know we want me to get the next two levels and tier up, but there is no way I will be able to beat that room. I think I’ll probably die!”

General Nui smiled paternally. “I’m glad that you think so, as otherwise I would have pulled you from this [Dungeon] dive right now. It may be a learning experience but I will not hesitate to punish recklessness. Now please discuss strategy together.”

Jane turned to Silah and the others. She wasn’t really ready to participate fully in a strategy, mainly as she had no idea what strategy really was. She let the four others discuss the best way of going about covering Jane while she got the highest amount of experience. Apparently the more damage she inflicted the more experience she would receive. There was also a long discussion about buffs to Jane herself. According to Silah the ease of killing would increase the amount of experience she gained in total whereas both Munodo and Nyika both thought that she would lose more. They went back and forth for multiple minutes with occasional interjections from Chrirembo. Jane followed as best she could before interrupting.

“What buffs do you actually have? None of you has mentioned any specific ones, so I was wondering what I would actually get before deciding.”

Silah looked at the others and opened his mouth to speak, before closing it and looking thoughtful.

“Well, I mean I don’t have any, but I’m a [Spearman].” He replied after a second.

“[Swordsman] don’t either.”

“[Apprentice Earth Mage]s might but I haven’t got any.”

“Don’t look at me, [Healer]s do but I have been entirely focused on healing so I haven’t got one yet.”

Jane shook her head slowly as the others looked rather embarrassed and the guardsman chuckled behind them.

“Well, buffs aside, we have a plan, so let’s get to it.”