Walking through the sphere item’s level was like walking through an awakened area—the distances were large and the threats made use of the environment. Three things became clear very early on. The first was that the creatures were much more intelligent, merging and breaking up in a way to gain the greatest advantage of their surroundings. Dallion had watched a giant boar-like creature burst into hundreds of piglets in order to pass through a bush of crystal, then merge again to minimize the effects of a crossbow volley. No wonder that the guild didn’t want newbies facing off such creatures. Even one such pack would wipe the floor with a random packrat. Looking at things realistically, Dallion thought he would have a very hard time winning against it in a one-to-one fight.

The second important lesson to keep in mind was that plants, like creatures, could also be lethal. Approaching too close to the popdragons caused the orange blossoms of the flower to explode, scattering a multitude of poisonous needles in anyone nearby. So far there had been no fatalities, but two packrats from another group had had their health deduced by a third. Dallion made a mental note not to approach anything that had bright colors, and be especially careful where he stepped. Judging by the reaction of the others in his group, he wasn’t the only one.

Finally, there was the third fundamental discovery—the guardian chamber was hidden. Upon first hearing it, Dallion had thought that it was a matter of going through the entire level, at most having to figure out a way into the heart of a dense forest, a hollow column, or something of the sort. The truth was much more different. Apparently, mind and perception were just as important when it came to large explorations as were body and reflexes. Guardian arenas weren't merely a location, they were a set of conditions that made the guardian appear: a fruit that had to be put in a specific spot, a challenge that had to be made at a specific time, a set number of ingredients that had to be mixed into a potion… An exploration was no less than an epic adventure as it was described in fantasy books back on Earth. From what Dallion learned, sometimes it took decades for an adventure to be complete, thus why powerful items needed real-life years to have their destiny complete even by guilds. It also meant that packrats lived up to their name even more.

“Get some of that moss as well,” Vend said to Dallion, as the rest of the group was resting.

“I already have some of that.” Dallion did his best not to grumble, but it was getting increasingly difficult the more things he was forced to carry.

“No, you don’t. This one’s yellow.”

Dallion glared at the moss. As far as he could tell, there didn’t seem to be a difference, but then again, his perception was only at ten.

“Bel, Falkner, guard him.”

The pair was another surprise Dallion had come across, although a welcome one. Given the number of people that took part in the exploration, it was normal to expect that his former party members would be among them. The reason Dallion hadn’t seen them in up till now was because they were among those who had joined earlier. The leader of their group had been banged up by an Amber Boar, forcing them to join other existing groups. Both of them had selected Dallion’s.

As much as Dallion wanted to think that the two had joined because of him, he knew the real reason—they had joined because of Vend. Given his reputation, it couldn’t be otherwise.

“How have you guys been?” Dallion asked. Spending time with them proved far more awkward than Dallion had imagined. For some reason both Bel and Falkner were racked with guilt about them passing their selection trial, to the point that they had even avoided his mission celebrations. In that aspect, they were unlike Arthurows who hadn’t given a damn.

“Fine,” Bel replied, while Falkner still avoided Dallion’s gaze.

“That’s cool. Same mentor?”

“No. I got selected by Blanda, one of the scout masters of the guild. She seems to think that I can pull it off.” There was a long pause. “It’s not as interesting as it sounds. I’ve been spending most of my time mending rooms at the guild… one at a time.” She looked at the ceiling with an annoyed expression.

“That sounds harsh.” Dallion was glad not to be in her shoes. Having to mend rooms a crack at a time sounded incredibly bothersome. “What’s the point behind that?”

“Training my stealth. When I’m able to kill a crack without the rest finding out, I’ll move on to actual scout jobs… supposedly.”

“I bet it’ll be cool,” Dallion encouraged her as he grabbed a handful of greenish-yellow moss. “Besides, beats being a packrat.” He put the moss in one of the dozens of pouches he was given by the rest of the group. “What about you, Falkner? Anything interesting?”

“I’m learning for group leader,” the boy mumbled in response. “It’s okay.”

“Group lead.” Dallion whistled. ”That sounds like quite a big deal. That means you’ll be leading parties soon?”

“Maybe… For now, I just have to get strong enough to pass my double-digit trial.”

“Right. I’m thinking of doing that as well,” Dallion said. The response piqued Falkner's interest, making him turn around and look at Dallion for the first time since he had joined the group. “But before that I need to get to level ten,” Dallion laughed in another attempt to make Falkner feel at ease. “A few more jobs after this and I’ll be able to pay for an awakening trial.”

“I can pay for you.” Falkner offered.

Dallion had heard the rumors surrounding Falkner. There was constant talk that his family was rich, not to mention noble. Money was no issue for him, especially such meager sums as a few gold coins. It would be the simplest thing in the world to accept, but a feeling of unease prevented Dallion from doing so. It was more than his fear of being indebted to anyone. It was as if a voice in the back of his head was warning him not to.

Maybe I should check my awakening room for more echoes, Dallion thought.

“Thanks, but I’m almost there.” Dallion replied. “Appreciate the offer, though.

“Don’t look at me,” Bel said despite no one doing anything of the sort. “I’ve got enough for the exam. I just want to gain some actual experience before I move on from the single digit. As my grandmother used to say you only get to be a single digit once, best enjoy it because it’ll all get more difficult from there on.”

Don’t you get to be anything just once? Dallion thought. Even so, he nodded, then grabbed another handful of moss from the ground.

It took longer than expected to fill a pouch of the moss Vend wanted. At first, he would indiscriminately pick whatever moss was closest, but after a while Nox would start mewing whenever he did. Further listening to the cub, Dallion found that the crackling could sense what he couldn’t see—the patches of unusual moss hidden among the rest. Difficult to come by and impossible to see, the moss was scattered about requiring Dallion to spend close to an hour to find the full amount. The fact was not lost on Bel and Falkner. Ironically, it was this annoyance at him that had driven them closer.

“Took you long enough,” one of the older guild members said when Dallion returned. “What were you doing?”

“Finding what I was asked.” Dallion waved the pouch. “Want to check it?”

“I will,” Vend said, then gestured to Dallion to toss him the pouch. Dallion did so without hesitation. “The moss is one of the ways to call the guardian,” Vend said, as he examined the moss. “Get this wrong and we’ll be in big trouble.”

Dallion didn’t say a word, though he suspected all this to be a test. Vend had already explained that all the guardians up to the twelfth were defeated and the gates kept open. The moss was needed for something else entirely.

“What do you think?” Dallion asked with a smile.

“Quite good.” Vend closed the pouch and tossed it back. “Better than expected. Did anything happen while you were gathering it?”

“Not a thing,” Bel replied.

“Good. Packrats, gear up. We’re going down.”

The connection to the second level was a few hours away. The smell of smoke told everyone the direction of the area, way before they could see it. As it turned out, the first gate was in the middle of a “crystal forest” in the middle of a circle of stones. A simple descending spiral, similar to the ones Dallion had seen in other sphere items, went down into the ground. Just as before, the space was only large enough to allow one person to go down.

I don’t think the items were made for more than one person to complete, Dallion thought. Leave it to people to find a way to hack through a perfect magical defense.

“Is it certain that the group went missing on level twelve?” Falkner asked, as they descended.

“The gate guards would have noticed if they had come back,” Dallion quickly replied. “Unless the people missing are the gate guards. Either way, we’ll learn when we get to the eleventh level.”

The second level appeared to be just as large as the first, only the atmosphere was different. If the first mimicked forests and meadows, the second mimicked a lake. Smooth “pools” of crystal replaced water, clusters of stalagmites replaced reeds and vegetation. The massive columns were still there, though, far more numerous than on the level above.

“Does the item have a pyramid structure?” Dallion asked.

“Just about,” one of the more experienced members answered. “The difference won’t be noticed till the tenth level.”

That was reassuring, at least, although it posed more questions.

“Next spot is in the middle of that crystal lake.” Vend pointed to the distance. “There are no creatures here, but be careful while you walk. The place is slippery.”

“If this place is clear, how come there are still creatures on top?” Dallion wondered.

“No idea. Hiding probably. Some levels are tougher than others. First, seventh, and eight are the nasty ones. Everything else, you just need to be careful where you step. And don’t touch your faces, especially you, packrats. The plants get more poisonous as we go down.”

Creatures and poison… this definitely sounded like a fun item to have. By the sound of it the ancients who had built it had a different understanding as to what a dresser was supposed to do.

“Also, Dal, you’re right. It was the guard group that went missing,” Vend said all of a sudden. “It was the scouts that found that out after they returned from exploring level twelve. That’s why we need the numbers. The experienced parties will be searching level twelve. Meanwhile, we, along with the rest of the packrats, will go through every inch of eleven.”

“What if we don’t find them on either of the levels?” Dallion asked.

“We will.”

“No, I mean, what if something took them deeper?”

“Nothing can go between levels.”

Dallion felt a chill in his stomach. Just now, for the first time since he’d known him, Vend had lied. It wasn’t even a very good lie. True, according to Dallion’s senses, the man had told the truth, but there was no denying the flawed logic. If creatures couldn’t go between levels, why were so many people searching the twelfth floor?

As the group stepped onto the smooth crystal surface, the walking turned into skating. It was impressive just how easy the activity became with improved body and perception. Dallion regretted not having such powers back on Earth. For one thing it would have made learning to skate a lot less painful.

The passage to the next level was exactly where Vend had said it would be—next to a camp in the middle of the crystal lake. The guards must have been here for a while, for they had erected several tents, as well as started a small campfire. Seeing Vend’s group, one of them rushed into a tent, then came out with a pair of scrolls, which he promptly gave to Vend. Dallion expected the scroll to be then handed to one of the packrats of the party, but surprisingly Vend kept them for himself.

“We’ll rest a while,” Vend announced. “Unpack and get some sleep if you have to. We’ll be going through five levels after this one.”

Suddenly Dallion felt Nox get on edge. Hissing like a furious kitten, the creature went into a corner of Dallion’s awakening room back first, ready to claw at anything that approached.

“What’s going on?” Dallion whispered.

He wanted to calm down his familiar, but he felt that things had gone beyond that point. Something absolutely terrified the crackling, and it was coming from the level below.