"I hear it too," Nathan answered. He looked down the cave hallway. "It's coming from inside."

"Let's go, carefully," June commanded, looking specifically at Caleb.

Alex and the others crept forward, the ancient lights flickering in and out. "I thought this was supposed to be a power plant." She said.

"Eh, dungeons tend to have a theme in games," Caleb answered. "Did the message say anything when it appeared."

"It called itself the Coal Dungeon," Alex replied.

"There ya go. Coal themed." Caleb said.

The four crept closer to the sound of the music. As it grew in volume they could also make out what sounded like a pickaxe hitting metal. Turning the corner revealed everything.

"Oh I been workin' in a coal mine goin' down down down." A voice was singing along with the beat. In fact, it was many voices. Alex looked at a group of miners hacking away at the walls with their pickaxes.

"What in the world?" She said.

The miners were dressed in overalls and hardhats. A flashlight was embedded in the hat, shining a cone of light onto the dungeon wall. Almost all of the miners were fully covered in black dust that Alex assumed was coal. Sitting above them in an alcove was a band of skeletons. Each dressed in a black tuxedo and played an instrument. Somehow, despite having no lungs, the skeleton was playing the trumpet, with the one next to it on a saxophone. Two more sat behind, one on a drumset and the final playing the cello.

The workers were singing a rendition of Working in the Coal Mine, a song she only knew from the Muppet movies. One would belt out the lyrics and the rest would accompany. Once they finished the one next to them would continue. And it didn't stop.

"They're not bad," Caleb said. "I like the Devo version better but that skeleton can play."

"We should move forward," June said. She pushed Caleb to get him going.

"Alright alright, I'm going." Caleb walked forward through the crowd of miners. Alex followed behind, ready to pull out Sir Purrsalot just in case. June and Nathan had their hands on their swords, ready to draw if trouble arose.

The group past by the first bend without trouble. Alex breathed a sigh of relief, with Jim-Jam and Rocket tired out she'd have to rely on Butterwhiskers, and maybe Chonkers. She hadn't had time to learn what the nanocat could do. She assumed something similar to the drones from before, but there was really no telling with cats.

Another door sat in front of them, the modern design clashing with the cave interior. Caleb walked forward to open this door as well. As he turned the handle Nathan called out. "They're coming."

Alex turned around to see. The miners were careening and cavorting in a jazzy dance over to her. Their pickaxes would swing high, then low, to the beat of the skeletons.

A high pitched squeal erupted from Caleb, entirely out of character. "They're dance-fighting!" He exclaimed. Alex watched as he rushed forward, bringing his bat up to meet the pick. He tried to match the timing, not quite reaching the finesse of the miners.

Now that they were closer Alex noticed their desiccated flesh. These were zombie miners, apparently. She wondered why she couldn't smell the scent of decay on any of them. For that matter, she couldn't smell the coal either.

"Enough of this," June said. She focused her power, stopping the dancing dead. With precision she cut through the neck of each zombie, lopping off their heads.

None of the heads fell until June released her power. At that point, each slid off the miner and landed with a thump on the ground. June sheathed her sword and turned. "Let's go."

"You looked like an anime samurai there." Caleb joked. He opened the door and proceeded down the stairs.

"Kit?" Alex called.

"Mm. Yes Alpha?" The cat appeared on Alex's shoulder.

"Could you smell those zombies?"

"No Alpha."

"I was afraid of that," Alex said.

"Could be that these aren't actually undead. Just constructs by the dungeon." Caleb commented.

Alex raised an eyebrow.

"It wasn't hard to see that you were concerned about not smelling the zombies." He continued.

The second level was a continuation of the first. Except now the mining operation was in the modern era. Zombie workers milled about as a large drill bored into the wall. Alex expected noise, but not the industrial funk music playing. Skeletons were once again in an alcove above, this time with synth and electric guitars. None of the zombies were singing along but all were moving in time to the beat.

"This is ridiculous," June said.

"I dunno, this dungeon seems like it has a lot of fun," Caleb said.

Alex listened as the two bickered, but she was more interested in the drill. She smelled no oil or gasoline.

"Guys," She interrupted. "That drill isn't running with normal power."

"The dungeon's probably powering it," Caleb commented.

"And how would you know that?" June demanded.

"That's how it works in games. The dungeon has some shared pool of power for traps and monsters. It gets streamlined so the player doesn't have to worry about all the normal physics."

"So this dungeon can just, create power out of thin air?" Alex asked. An idea was forming in her mind.

"Maybe not thin air, but through mana or something. There's always some explanation for it." Caleb supplied. "Why whatcha thinkin'?"

"We don't need to find a generator. We just need to get to the core." Alex looked at the group. "We use the capsules on it and get the forgers to make them into mini generators. If this one can power the entire plant think of what we could do!"

June looked thoughtful. "It makes sense." She said.

"Wow, that's coming from you." Caleb snarked.

June shot him a look. "Just go forwards, you'll be soaking up all the traps got it?"

"Private Caleb at your command, sir!" Caleb mocked a salute and then marched off down the cave hall.

"I'll take care of the zombies. Nathan keep me covered." June commanded. Nodding, Nathan pulled out his sword and held it ready.

Alex kept her senses alert. She couldn't smell any of the zombies but her eyes gave her a nocturnal vision that pierced the darkness of the caves. As the group moved forward, Caleb would get caught in trap after trap. Various pitfalls and rockslides would impede the group for a bit before they could find a way around. Alex called out as she saw miners hiding in alcoves.

As they traversed the floors the cave became less and less like a mining pit and more like a meandering cavern. Instead of zombies, golems appeared to the tune of We Will Rock You. Alex couldn't help tapping her foot, Queen was a classic. The traps were deadlier as well. The pitfalls became spiked traps of diamond and the walls were lined with flamethrowers. Caleb lost a shirt and kept complaining all the way down to the last floor.

"I'm just saying no one has the decency to make something that doesn't harm clothing. I'm not a nudist."

"It's the goddamned apocalypse Caleb," June said. "I'm pretty sure decency is the last thing on people's minds."

The party had finally reached the last room of the dungeon. An open room, blacker than the night sky, greeted the four. Inside sat a diamond golem. Each piece had been polished and cut to attract the eye. As dim torchlight flickered the golem refracted the rays and turned them into stars that painted the ceiling.

"Wow," Caleb said.

Alex agreed. The sight reminded her of the glow-in-the-dark stars she had on the wall as a kid, only a hundred times better. A piano started to play and Alex heard Diamonds by Rihanna start playing.

"I don't have anything that can hurt that," June said.

"Me neither, Alex?" Nathan asked.

"No clue," Alex answered.

"That's the dungeon crystal over there." Caleb pointed past the golem to a gem sitting on a pedestal. It was coal-black and cut in a marquise shape. The stone hovered over the pedestal, radiating power.

Alex turned to June. "Give me the capsules, you three can keep the golem locked down long enough I can drain the essence."

Nodding, June took the bag of essence capsules Jonathan gave her and handed them over.

"Heck yeah! Boss fight to BGM I'm so pumped!" Caleb yelled.