The sky roiled, angry and impatient to unleash its fury upon the Mukti Plains. A persistent wind whipped the grassland into a frenzy, bringing with it a desperate chill. A lone drop of rain fell upon Zeke’s upturned face, a herald of the storm to come. He glanced to his right, where Rasa Tomasi stood unmoving, her hooves planted firmly in the ground. The other nearby centaurs possessed none of her stoicism, though, and they showed their nerves – whether from the coming deluge or because of the unprecedented events that were about to unfold, it was unclear – as they anxiously stamped their hooves and swished their tails.

“I hope that’s not an omen,” Eveline remarked.

Zeke ignored her, instead casting his gaze toward the reason for his presence. The ruins before him were ancient, and the moss-covered bricks used in their construction had been pitted by the elements. However, there was something in the air that lent the ruins a certain, ill-defined gravity. Zeke knew he was looking at the remnants of a great history, and that carried with it the weight of everything that once was.

“There lay the remains of our forebears,” said the Mistress of the Herd, raising her callused hand and pointing at the expansive ruins. They stretched for more than a mile toward the north and south, forming a perfect circle around what sounded very much like a dungeon. The centaurs hadn’t referred to it as such, instead going on about Rites. However, Zeke could infer the area’s nature. “You must go alone. You must endure the Rites without outside aid. Do you accept this challenge?”

“I do.”

By this point, Zeke had little choice in the matter. When the situation had been explained to him, he’d been a bit reluctant to go through with yet another dungeon. However, Rasa had assured him that the Rites were meant to be undertaken alone. More, she’d challenged them and survived, which led Zeke to believe that he could as well. After all, if someone else could do it, he liked his chances of repeating the feat.

Still, he’d remained unconvinced until Rasa had made it clear that, if he conquered the dungeon, he would become the Spear of the People, which was a unique position within the herd that would place him above everyone else in the herd. He wouldn’t be expected to tend to the day-to-day business of the herd – Rasa would retain her position and see to that – but where he led, the centaurs would follow.

And given the nature of the war on the horizon, Zeke knew he couldn’t rightly refuse such an opportunity. He’d come for an alliance, and now, he had a chance to leave with the centaurs’ allegiance.

“And all you have to do is defeat a dungeon all by yourself,” Eveline said. “Which, I don’t think I need to remind you, is unprecedented. No one goes into a dungeon alone.”

“I know.”

“Yet you charge ahead like a blind –”

“If Rasa can do it, so can I.”

“That is blatantly untrue,” she remarked.

“I believe it nonetheless,” he stated.

“Of course you do,” she sighed.

“Do you have any questions?” asked Rasa.

Zeke shook his head. “No – I think I get it. I go in, find the entrance to the dungeon, conquer, then return. That sound about right?”

“An oversimplification, but I cannot say more,” the Mistress of the Herd responded.

“Alright – do we need to do some sort of ceremony or ritual before I go?” he asked. “Or do I just head in?”

“You may proceed at your leisure,” was her reply.

“Great.”

Zeke had already discussed everything with his people, and everyone knew what to do in his absence. Hopefully, they wouldn’t have to go on without for more than a few days – that was how long Rasa had claimed it should take – but if it took longer, it would just give the kobolds more time train and grow stronger. The beastkin, too, had been taken under Bracken’s wing, and as they recovered from their enslavement, they would be introduced to their possible paths of development. Some would inevitably become craftspeople, laborers, or farmers. A few might go into the bureaucracy. But a good number would assuredly wish for revenge against their former masters, and for that, Bracken and the kobolds would prepare them most thoroughly.

In the meantime, the kobolds would continue to hunt the plains, and there were even some plans in place for contingencies in the unlikely event the Knights crossed the river. In short, everyone was as prepared for Zeke’s absence as they could be, which freed him to do what he needed to do.

Having already said his farewells, Zeke didn’t hesitate any longer before striding forward into the ruins. As he did so, he was keenly aware that the eyes of the herd followed him, so he was more than a little relieved when the ground began to slope downward, taking him out of sight.

The ruins reminded him a little of the ancient elven city, Tua’ta’alar, he’d encountered just after escaping the troll caves back in the Mortal Realm. The architecture was dissimilar, but the weight of age was the same. It brought back some pleasant memories, chiefly the creation of the soul bond with Pudge. Back then, he’d been a tiny cub, but now, he was his own person. Zeke wasn’t sure how age worked with dire bears, but he suspected that Pudge would be considered an adult by this point. Certainly, his current maturity level suggested as much.

Regardless, he quickly pushed those thoughts out of mind. He’d been told the ruins were deserted, but he didn’t want to take any chances through lack of awareness. So, he proceeded cautiously, making certain that nothing would get the jump on him. Fortunately, no such threats presented themselves, and he progressed without issue. One thing he did notice was that the ruins were far more expansive than he’d first thought, as evidenced by the fact that, three hours later, he still hadn’t reached his destination.

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During that time, the storm finally arrived in the form of a torrential downpour that soon drenched him and his surroundings. Lightning flashed, and thunder cracked as the wind whipped the storm into a fury that was closer to a hurricane than a simple rainstorm. Still, Zeke pushed on, eventually switching into his colossal form rather than endure his wet clothing.

Where the clothes actually went, he had no idea, and the only explanation on offer was summed up in one word: magic.

“What a scholarly explanation,” Eveline remarked.

The rain pinged against Zeke’s metallic colossal form as he continued through the ruins, and as he went, he started to notice that they gradually became more intact. At first, they’d been little more than a few scattered stones amid old foundations, but with every progressive mile, the buildings grew more recognizable until, by the time the sun began to set, they actually resembled the buildings they had once been, though only in the most basic shape.

That slowly changed as dusk gave way to night, and eventually, the structures looked entirely intact, though weathered and covered with moss. The same could be said for the decorative statues and fountains, and though the details were lost to time and erosion, Zeke could see enough to recognize the artistry on display.

He also saw that none of the statues depicted the four-legged centaurs.

A few hours after dark, Zeke summoned a jug of water and some dried meat, but he didn’t stop to rest. Instead, he ate on the move, eager to finish the Rites as quickly as possible. Still, it was still early the next morning – a few hours after the storm passed, and when the sun had just peeked over the horizon – that he reached his destination at the center of what had obviously once been a city.

“That’s…a big hole in the ground,” he said, peering over the edge of a massive pit. It was at least a hundred yards across, and around the inside of the circular edge ran a winding staircase that extended all the way to a stone pillar at the center. In contrast to the rest of the surrounding city, the stairs looked as if they’d just been built. There were no crumbling edges, no moss, and certainly no weathered surfaces.

As much as any other detail, that told Zeke that he’d reached the dungeon’s entrance.

“How positively deductive of you,” remarked Eveline, who had chosen to appear beside him. It was both pleasant and a little disconcerting hearing her speak aloud rather than in his head.

“Any advice before we dive in?” he asked, glancing toward her. She had taken her natural form, which presented as a stereotypical succubus, complete with hooves, a spiny tail, and tiny horns above a perfectly sculpted face. She was beautiful, and in a way that few people ever could be. However, Zeke could never look at her in that way.

“Ouch,” she said, dramatically clutching her chest. “That’s an arrow to the heart of any succubus.”

Clearly, even though she’d manifested visibly, she could still hear his thoughts. “I’m sure you’re very broken up about it,” he said sarcastically. “You’re like the sister I never had. A bit crazy. A little murderous. And completely amoral. But a sister nonetheless.”

“That’s exactly what every girl dreams of hearing.”

Zeke rolled his eyes at her joke, then changed the subject. “You didn’t answer my question. Any advice?”

“Just do what you always do,” she said. “Charge through whatever gets in your way. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“Alright. Let’s do it, then,” Zeke said before circling the pit until he reached the top of the stairs. Then, he began his descent. At first, it was no different than traveling down any other steps. However, he soon felt the ambient mana beginning to thicken. Minutes passed into hours, and with every step, the magic in the air grew ever denser until, after the third hour, it was almost suffocating.

Still, Zeke kept going.

Down and down, he went, and after a while, the ambient mana manifested into a heavy fog that blocked all visibility and obscured Zeke’s senses. More importantly, it also came with a metaphysical pressure that felt like it was squeezing his soul, resulting in a different kind of pain than he’d ever endured.

It was then that Eveline’s visible form flickered and dissipated. At first, Zeke was alarmed, but then he felt her presence in his mind. With a labored sigh of relief, he continued on, struggling to keep his balance as he stumbled down the steps.

After that, Zeke lost track of time. Instead, he focused the entirety of his being on putting one foot in front of the other. As he did so, he kept one hand on the outer wall, as much to reassure himself that the physical world continued to exist as it was to help maintain his balance.

Then, suddenly, the wall disappeared.

A step or two later, so did the fog.

The pressure followed soon after, leaving Zeke gasping for air as he looked around. When he finally registered what he was looking at, his jaw dropped.

“Are you seeing this?” he asked.

“I am,” Eveline answered, her own voice just as awestruck as his.

And for good reason, too. The steps were suspended in a vast expanse of nothingness. When Zeke looked, there was no evidence of the pit through which he’d been descending. Looking down showed him similar results. Just a huge carpet of black, peppered with tiny pinpricks of light.

Looking around, Zeke saw hundreds of celestial bodies, most of which he couldn’t name. It was as if he’d been suspended in space, though everything was compressed into a much smaller area. Never before had Zeke felt so small.

So inconsequential. And he could feel through Eveline’s thoughts that she was beset by a similar emotion.

For a few minutes, Zeke just stopped and appreciated the view.

“Sometimes, I forget we live in a world of magic,” he said. “I mean, it’s always there, all around us. But it’s so easy to take for granted. Then, I see something like this, and…it’s awe-inspiring.”

“It is.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Just noticing the differences between our worlds,” she said. “There are no sights like this in Hell. It’s just misery.” She paused for a long moment, then said, “Misery and pain.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“You can. I wasn’t kidding before. I know neither of us really asked to be stuck together, but for better or worse, we are. And over time, I’ve started to consider you part of my family. And family is there for one another. If you need to talk –”

“I said I didn’t. Leave it at that, Ezekiel. For once, just respect my wishes.”

Zeke sighed. He wanted to point out that he always did his best to do just that, but he knew she was in no mood to hear it. So, he gave her the silence she obviously wanted. Like that, the pair of them simply looked at the galaxy spread out before them, appreciating the opportunity to see something that most people would never enjoy.

Finally, though, Zeke said, “We need to move on. It’s already taken longer than I expected.”

“You’re right.”

With that, Zeke tore his eyes away from the sights, then continued down the stairs. Like that, he progressed, steadily descending for hours more. With the backdrop of that fantastic galaxy, that leg of the trip was much more enjoyable than the previous, but after a while, the passing time still frustrated Zeke.

So, he was more than a little relieved when, at last, he reached the end of the stairwell. Or more appropriately, the stone arch that was his obvious destination.

“Ready?” he asked.

Eveline said, “As prepared as we can be.”

“Let’s do it, then.”

He stepped forward, and for a second, experienced the same nothingness that he’d felt the last time he’d entered a dungeon. And just like before, he stumbled free only a moment later.

Thus, his latest dive into a dungeon began.