Paol, one of the tenets of a dungeon is that there is always a way out. It might be difficult or dangerous, but there is a solution to every problem. Powerful adventurers generally rely on their abilities to bull their way through the dungeon, but the dungeon is required to provide the means to escape. It is one of the laws.

“Laws? There are laws about dungeons?”

Yes. And those laws are determined by--

“The Paraclete. That’s what you’re about to say, right?” I interrupted.

You learn fast.

This time, I ignored the subject of that Paraclete thing and asked simply, “So what are you getting at? What’s the solution to our problem?”

Besides a few coins here and there, the only other thing the dungeon has given us is your helmet.

I frowned and then pulled the helmet off my head and looked it over. I hadn’t examined it carefully before, but I saw now that it was made of a very dark metal that seemed to soak in the light. It covered my head but left my face open so my vision was unobscured.

“Veritas,” I began slowly. “You said that when skills level up to a multiple of five that they change somehow.”

Yes, that’s correct.

“What happens when Identify hits level 5?” I asked.

Identify at level 5 may allow you to detect and classify enchantments on an item, depending on your luck and the item’s power.

I bit my lip and made a decision.

Congratulations! Your Identify skill has increased to Level 3.

Congratulations! Your Identify skill has increased to Level 4.

Congratulations! Your Identify skill has increased to Level 5.

I focused on the Identify skill to see if it would give me any abilities the way Swords had, but I sensed nothing. Uncertainty roiled my gut.

“I used three skill points to raise Identify to level 5,” I told Veritas.

It’s a gamble, but it's a smart one.

I examined the helmet again and triggered Identify.

Helm of Darksight.

Defense - 3

Light? Who needs light?

I blew out a breath of relief.

“The helmet gives me darksight.”

Excellent, then you’ll be able to see when my light is extinguished.

“But why didn’t I see anything before when the light was gone? I was wearing the helmet.”

Unless you are born with it, darksight is a triggered power or ability. Races that have it can instinctively switch back and forth from darksight to regular sight when in the appropriate situation, but an item will not know when you need it and when you do not.

“And darksight works even if there is no light?”

Yes. Nightsight requires at least a low level of light, but darksight requires none. However, viewing the world with darksight is different from normal sight, or so I understand. I’ve never had the opportunity to use it before. I’m quite curious to see what the world will look like through your eyes when you trigger the power.

I suddenly remembered what she had told me before about skill points--that if you died any unused skill points would be lost. Should I use them now? The likelihood of my death was suddenly much greater than before.

Veritas was soulbound to me, but nothing else was. I hadn’t appeared naked the last time I had died, but my clothes had been minimal and practically worthless for defense or even warmth. Also, I would lose the bag of holding. I couldn’t afford to die.

“Should I spend any more of my skill points? I have five left.”

That’s smart thinking, Paol. Improving your Hide or your Stealth might be helpful, but unfortunately, I’m unsure how those will work in the Realm of Shadow or if they’ll work at all. I’m sorry, but my knowledge of this realm is mostly theoretical. I’ve never been here before.

I was torn. Should I use my points? If so, in which skills? Maybe Hide or Sneak would help me get out of the room when I phased into the Shadow Realm. Or maybe not. Would that really hide me from creatures who lived all their lives in shadow? Maybe I needed to increase my Swords level. I could spend three points to get to level 10 in Swords. I should get another ability at that point. Would that help against creatures that could kill me so easily? Would I have any chance at all if it came to a fight?

Decisions, decisions. And my life depended on the right choices. Or was there a right choice at all? Was it even possible for me to get out of this? Clearly this area of the dungeon was meant for those who were much stronger than me.

Maybe I should level up Dodge. If I couldn’t fight and I couldn’t hide, maybe I could dodge my way out.

“You said that whenever you use your light we come into stasis. So when we return to darkness, will we be in the exact same spot we began in, even if I try to move while we’re here?”

Unfortunately, yes.

“Okay. That doesn’t seem like an absolute rule though because I can change my body position. When the light went out, it’s not as if I was forced back into however I was standing before.”

Go on, Paol. What are you getting at?

“We can flash in and out of existence, moment by moment in the Realm of Shadow. If I can remember exactly where we are and what is around us when we disappear, I can adjust myself to a strong position for when we go return. Is there a limit to how often you can turn your light on and off?” I asked.

No. My limit is how powerful the light will become, which will affect how far it reaches. Not how often it can be used.

Thinking back to what she had said before about her powers, I mused, “So your light will become more powerful as I become more powerful?”

Correct.

“Exactly how powerful can it become?”

If you were to be strong enough to use me to my fullest ability, I would be as bright as the noonday sun.

My jaw dropped open. As bright as the sun at noon? That…

“How strong would I have to be to be able to use your full power?” I asked awestruck.

She hesitated.

It is...not a precise measurement. It would be a combination of your personal levels as well as various skills or abilities that you might have. Suffice it to say that you will not be able to use me to my fullest potential for many decades, if ever.

Decades.

If ever.

I looked down at the sword in my hand, full of a new respect and a certain amount of unease. I had been taking her so much for granted. A sentient sword that could change shape, give light, evoke flames...and who knew what else? I remembered now--her description was Legendary. What a fool I had been!

Her communication interrupted my thoughts.

Your idea has merit, Paol, though it will be a slow and arduous effort. Who knows how many times we will need to flash in and out of the realm? Still, it could work.

“If I get hurt, we can always turn your light back on and wait for me to heal before reentering the realm,” I thought aloud.

Yes, this gives us a fighting chance, Paol! Shall we begin?

I shuddered. I would be risking my life again. I hated this so much. I should have jumped through the Gate back to the surface as soon as it had appeared. I closed my eyes, took three deep breaths, and held myself in readiness. Thinking of the sword forms, I centered myself, and felt my heartbeat subside. A strange, lucid calm fell upon me like a cloak.

Ippon-me.

“Release the light,” I commanded.

Veritas’s light winked out, and I ordered the helm to give me sight. I looked up and around me to see how large the chamber was, how far we needed to go to escape this awful room.

The Realm of Shadow burst into my sight. Everything was gray. Dark gray. Light gray. Blackish gray. Gray with odd streaks of lighter and darker gray. Gray, gray, and more gray. Despite the lack of any normal color, the world around me was clear and comprehensible. The helm granted me vision--a strange kind of vision but vision nonetheless.

The floor beneath me was not a floor, it was ground made of sand and pebbles. I must not have noticed how it felt before, shocked as I had been at the pitch black when Veritas had quenched her light. The air around me felt dry and breezy. I turned my head this way and that to find the walls of the room.

There were no walls.

I looked up and a clear sky greeted my incredulous gaze. Stars which gave off dark light--I don't know what else to call it--twinkled above me. The beat of wings intruded upon my ears, and flying creatures flapped and fluttered through the air. Dozens of them circled in a huge cloud that surrounded me on every side.

Stricken with fear, I spun every which way, desperate for some obvious passageway or door that would lead us to safety. All I saw around me were steep hills that gave way to craggy mountains. Tracing the way ahead of me with my Darksight, I could see what might have been the remains of a riverbed. Scattered across the ground in every direction lay bones and ancient armor, the remains of the many, many people who must have been transported here just as I had been.

This was no room. It was a valley. A valley of death.