At the other side of the room was a door that had originally been hidden by the bones that turned into the colossus. It led to another room, which held a pedestal with the Dungeon Core and two more doors. The Dungeon Core had a shape that reminded Serenity of the temple that held the dungeon - an old stone building with a steeply slanted roof - though the core was made of a dark crystal.

One of the walls had an old tapestry; Serenity couldn’t tell what it depicted. The other wall turned into a shelf at about waist height. There were three items on the shelf, but Serenity’s attention was drawn to the one in the middle.

It was an axe that seemed to be sized to be thrown. It also seemed familiar. As he walked up to it, Serenity used Identify.

Axe of Vengeance

This axe was commissioned by Vengeance to bring down those he had sworn-

Serenity stopped reading. “Axe of Vengeance? Really?” He was sure recognized the axe now. He’d had it made the year he left Earth for good by one of the first weaponsmiths he met. “It was a tool, not some instrument of vengeance…”

The man had been a good weaponsmith; it was too bad he’d disappeared when a noble family claimed the land he’d lived on. Serenity didn’t know if he’d survived or not; Vengeance had never looked, he’d simply found another weaponsmith. “What was his name? Artem… but what was his family name?”

Serenity used Identify again, and had to laugh. Order’s Voice had clearly been listening, even if it hadn’t said anything.

Serenity’s Throwing Axe

Made of exceptional-Grade orichalc with an adamant blade, this axe was designed to cut through magical barriers, even when thrown. Enchantments and infusions placed on any part of the axe other than a secret channel directly behind the blade edge are siphoned away, and when the axe is not enchanted it will drain any magic the blade rests against.

This custom design was made for Vengeance by MasterSmith Artem Kyrika in a timeline that never happened.

This axe is Bound to Serenity, and will recognize only him as its owner.

Enchantments: Self-Repair (inactive), Call Weapon (Bound)

“Much better.” The new description was accurate. Serenity knew that much of it was because he knew what the axe could do; Basic Identify wasn’t nearly powerful enough to identify odd properties of a weapon, especially not ones that had been deliberately hidden.

The Call Weapon enchantment was new. Serenity seemed to remember that Vengeance had used a Skill, instead. A Skill Serenity didn’t have. Of course, Vengeance had also been at least three Tiers higher when he had the axe made - and it could have been more than that.

Serenity reached out to pick up the axe and realized that even though it was heavier than he remembered, it wasn’t as heavy as he’d expected. He had one slot left on his Quick Belt if he removed the potion he’d been keeping there for emergencies, so he placed it there and stuck the potion in his pack. As he did so he tried to make a mental note that he’d want to get a proper sheath made. The naginata, bow, and shield all made sense to carry in the Quick Belt, but the axe would be just as easy to carry elsewhere, and having it off the belt would allow him to keep a utility item more accessible.

At least, in places where carrying weapons was permitted. In places where it wasn’t, the belt could be very useful until people learned how to find such things.

Serenity turned around to find Raz and Katya studying the tapestry. “What do you see?”

Times like this were when he really regretted his lost sight. Most of the time, it didn’t matter too much, but not being able to see something interesting was annoying at best.

“There’s a man with blue skin sitting on a six-legged animal in front of a portal. He faces a - I’m not sure what. It almost looks like cliffs, only it’s silvery blue with some lighter lines, and the cliffs look like they’re been squared off, mostly. I think one of the cliffs - mesas? - is on fire. There are mountains in the background, and some people standing in front of the cliffs?” Raz seemed perplexed.

That was probably an Earth city. Squared-off cliffs could be buildings. Blue people on six-legged creatures… could it be? “The people out front. Are they … a man in black armor, probably with a large axe. A woman in leather with a bow, red hair. A woman in leather armor holding a book. A man in chainmail with a sword, might also have a shield. A woman with a giant hammer, she’d be in heavy plate armor. There might also be a man in leather with a pair of daggers.”

“No man with daggers, but the others are there. How did you know? You know what this is?” Raz turned to look at Serenity while Katya kept examining the tapestry.

“It’s the defense of Denver. The blue man with the sleipnir gave it away.” Serenity tilted his head in thought. “I don’t know why there’s a tapestry. I think there was a picture, but I don’t know of a tapestry. Odd.”

“What does it have to do with the Final Reaper?” Katya continued examining the tapestry as she asked. “I see a lot more details, this is incredibly detailed for a simple weaving, but it has to have something to do with that quest.”

“Vengeance is the man in black armor.” Serenity turned towards the dungeon core. He hadn’t gotten the dungeon completion award yet, but that usually came from touching the core.

“What does Vengeance have to do with the Final Reaper?” Katya sounded impatient.

Hadn’t he told them? Well, maybe not. Might as well. “Same person, different time.”

Serenity would never know what Katya’s reply would have been, because that was the moment when Raz finished identifying one of the two remaining items on the shelf. “Bound item? Does that mean what I think it means?”

Katya’s voice was dry, but the speed she moved over to the shelf gave away her true feelings. “If you think it means the item has features only you can use, yes.” She stared at the last item. “By the Voice. How did it know?”

“The Voice always knows,” Serenity stated. “It usually doesn’t bother. It wants us to work for what we get, which means it can’t give too much away.”

“Did you get something this good?” Katya held a slim knife. Serenity couldn’t identify it at that distance, but he was certain it was a nice weapon - or possibly tool. He seemed to remember he’d had an entire section of the Armory devoted to tools instead of weapons, even though he didn’t use them himself.

“I’d say so.” Serenity pulled out the axe and threw it at a wall. It penetrated more than an inch into the wall, even though it was clearly a reinforced stone.

Serenity knew that it had penetrated as far as it did partially because it was a reinforced stone - the mana incorporated into it meant that it was actually weaker than the base stone if the mana was suddenly negated. If he’d Infused the blade, it probably wouldn’t have penetrated as far, but it might have done more damage to the surrounding area.

Katya stared at it as he Called the weapon back to his hand and held it out for her to see. “Orichalc primarily for weight, strength, and mana stabilization with an adamant blade. Some special features in the blade. I can use it, but it’s roughly what I’d expect of a Tier four or five weapon. Probably five, with the quality of the crafting.”

Katya took a moment to identify it, then looked up at Serenity. “It says it was made by MasterSmith Artem Kyrika. Artem isn’t a MasterSmith. He’s years away from that.”

Serenity shrugged. “Give him ten or fifteen years. The axe isn’t-” He broke off. He shouldn’t have let her read the description; he hadn’t even considered that she might know the smith. Of all the ways to end up talking about time travel! “He’ll probably never be asked to make this axe.”

“You’re telling me this axe is from the future.”

“No, I’m saying it’s from a future. A future that isn’t ours.” Serenity put the axe back on his Quick belt as he muttered, “It’s my task to make sure it isn’t.” He tried to speak loud enough for Katya to hear, but quiet enough that Raz might not.

He knew he’d succeeded when Raz stayed involved in examining whatever item he’d gotten and Katya quietly asked, “So you’re going to kill the Final Reaper?”

“No. Death isn’t the solution.” Serenity didn’t elaborate as he reached out to touch the dungeon core.

Hello

The dungeon core still seemed like a child to Serenity. “Hello. Are you-” Serenity stopped. He felt something … something reaching for him. His first reaction was to try to defend himself, but he stopped himself. It was the same curious mana he’d been seeing before, wasn’t it?

Yes, it was, but it felt different. Serenity concentrated on not attacking it and realized what the problem was. The last time he’d touched a level crystal to talk to the Core, there had still been a path from the crystal to his own Core without the Heart’s infiltrating mana in the way. Now, the Heart was angry about the dungeon’s mana interfering with its own.

He could feel Death mana controlled by the Heart trying to spread outwards, into the dungeon core. He wasn’t going to allow that; he didn’t want the Heart trying to take over another dungeon. Serenity needed to talk to the core without using his hands.

Serenity took his hand off the core and leaned his forehead against it instead. He expected another “Hello” from the core, but one of his horns tinked against the core as he leaned forward and suddenly he was floating in darkness.

It reminded him a lot of dreamwalking, even though he knew he wasn’t asleep. In front of him floated a darkly glowing cloud that seemed to echo the shape of the dungeon core for the Ancient Temple.

[Dungeon Combat initiated by Direct Core Contact]

“Hello?” Serenity didn’t want to fight the core. It didn’t know what it was doing, but it seemed relatively friendly, unlike the Last Refuge.

Hello. Lonely.

Talk?

What is dungeon combat?

“I think it wants us to fight. I don’t want to fight.”

Want talk. Only wraith talks. Wraith Memory.

“Wraith? Do you mean the wraith we ran into on the third floor? The one that showed us fears? It remembers the past, when this place wasn’t dead?”

Wraith said show what happened. No one sees.

“We saw. Is that what happened when the temple fell?”

Yes. No. Wraith knows. Ask Wraith.

Like you. Changed. Covered in Death, not defined by Death. Wraith likes you.

Wraith!

The core seemed happy. A moment after it called out, Serenity could see another dark cloud in the emptiness. It was the wraith he’d spoken to back on the third floor. It seemed to be hugging the dungeon core. “I’m glad you came, and even happier you don’t want to kill the little one. It doesn’t deserve that.”

“It’s a child,” Serenity stated. “Seems like a nice one. I haven’t talked to a dungeon core before.”

“You haven’t? You feel like a core, yet not.” The wraith seemed to consider Serenity from its position around the core.

It seemed like a long wait before the Core spoke again.

Tired. Talk later?

“I don’t know how to leave, or how to talk later. Once I get out of here, we’ll be leaving the dungeon.” Serenity didn’t plan to come back, but saying that seemed mean.

[Dungeon Bind offered]

[By: Ancient Temple]

[To: Serenity]

[As: Dungeon Boss]

“I really can’t stay. I’d be happy to talk later if we can figure out how to do that at a distance.” Serenity felt something shift in the darkness. It was like he was talking to something else, something other than the core or the wraith.

It wasn’t the same as talking to Order’s Voice. It wasn’t even the same as talking to the strange, personality-less voice that seemed to try to take over when he Evolved. He got a feeling of emotion, even though the words didn’t carry it.

[Dungeon Bind Rejected]

[Dungeon Link offered]

[By: Serenity]

[To: Ancient Temple]

[As: Conversation Partners]

A moment later, he saw the response.

[Dungeon Link Accepted]

[Dungeon Combat concluded by mutual agreement]

Suddenly, Serenity was back in his body, leaning over the dungeon core. He managed to stand back up without losing his balance, but it was close.

The conversation couldn’t have taken very long; neither of the others seemed to have realized anything was wrong.

[Ancient Temple Complete]

[2000 Core Awarded]

[Path Chosen: Reinforcing the Path]

[Path Choice Quest (Branching) Step 3: The Dungeon of Death Complete]

[Death Incarnate unlocked]

[Hidden Conditional Reward Complete: Making Friends]

[2000 Core Awarded]

[Additional Reward: Build a shell from Essence for the Nightmare Wraith from the Ancient Temple to summon it to your location. The Link to the Ancient Temple must be active]

Serenity was pretty sure he wouldn’t be doing that for a while. Having a nightmare wraith follow him around was probably not a good idea when he was planning to go into a city filled with people who don’t like necromancers.