"My ears are working overtime," groaned Toby.
I knew how he felt. My eardrums needed a break too. The firework sound didn't just hurt our ears, it also reminded us that someone had died. The knot in my stomach tightened.
"We should head straight. There might be food waiting for us," I said softly, trying to encourage him.
Toby looked cranky, and that was not good. I needed him functioning.
His reflexes, his speed, his athletic ability. We were up against adults. Dangerous adults.
He thinks I'm the smart one, but I'm just observant. People call me weak for being cautious. I call it being logical.
The blood along the walls glistened faintly as we retraced our steps. I still had no clue what happened here.
A fight? A murder? A massacre? There was so much blood that I almost slipped. I expected it to be dry, but it felt wet. Was that creature's presence still lingering?
The thought alone made me shiver.
As we approached the corridor ahead, the smell of food grew stronger. I thought I wasn't hungry, but my stomach clearly disagreed.
The walls were no longer covered in blood. Instead, the black bricks gradually shifted into white tiles, the kind you see in kitchens.
We reached a double door. It looked strangely normal.
"Looks like one of those canteen doors," Toby muttered.
He pushed it open, and we stepped inside. It really was a canteen, though with a few eerie twists.
The place was abandoned. A few trays were scattered around, but two trays were neatly placed with steaming mac and cheese and glasses of orange juice beside them.
"Is that edible?" Toby asked suspiciously.
I shrugged. It smelled fresh and looked hot, which meant someone or something made this recently.
I should have been cautious, but my hunger erased any logic within me and I wolfed down the food.
Toby joined me moments later.
A screen popped up saying our "thirst to eat may have consequences," but I ignored it.
"We should explore. This place is supposed to be a treasure room," I told Toby.
He nodded, and we split up. One of the chairs had a rusted pistol on it. As soon as I reached for it, a screen appeared.
Note
This is a weapon that is not one you can use
You can keep it in your inventory if you desire it
You can use this as a bargaining tool
"Should we take it just in case?" Toby asked.
Normally kids our age shouldn't even touch it, but the law wouldn't protect us here so why obey it now?
I took it, opened my Inventory screen, and watched it disappear into one of the slots. I now had nine spaces left.
Before I could ask Toby how much space he had, the lights suddenly cut out.
The darkness lasted five seconds.
When the power flickered back on, Toby screamed. He pointed beside me, and that was when I saw it. A model skeleton stood inches away, unmoving.
That wasn't their before.
My body reacted before my brain did. I stumbled back, hitting a chair. A sharp pain shot through my wrist so violently it felt like it wanted to tear apart.
Did I just break my wrist?
Toby didn't hesitate. He stepped forward and kicked the skeleton straight in the core, snapping its ribcage and pelvis like it was made of clay.
A jump scare. Seriously? If this was the consequence for eating too fast, then I was more embarrassed about getting injured than being spooked.
"You okay K?"
I nodded, wincing as Toby helped me up.
We explored the area more carefully after that. Near where the skeleton collapsed were two packs of ammo, fifteen bullets each.
"I'll take them," Toby said.
"How much space do you have in your inventory?" I asked.
"Fifteen."
I didn't even get a chance to ask why he had more when something caught his eye.
"Hold on. Something's on the floor."
He crouched and crawled under one of the tables. When he came back up, he held a hand grenade.
I tapped it to inspect it.
Consumable Item
Hand Grenade
Can be used by anyone
Finally, a way to fight back.
Encouraged, Toby searched under every table. In total he found four hand grenades, two smoke grenades, and one noise grenade. All usable.
The kitchen was open, so we checked it next. Toby hopped over the counter easily while I struggled with my injured wrist.
The kitchen was empty except for a pair of muddy shoes in the sink. A strange place to store them.
We also found three kitchen drawers, each locked. A screen appeared.
Drawer Key required
We had only one key thanks to Toby, so choosing mattered.
We opened the drawer closest to the serving area. Inside were four items:
Items
Knife (Consumable) 4 uses only
Book 'Chef's Techniques' (Dagger/Sword users only, single use)
Purple Shard
Ice pack
"Looks like the book is for you," Toby said, handing it to me.
I opened it, but my Codex appeared again.
Due to the inability to use your weapon you are unable to access this book
Annoying, but fine. I stored it away. Toby took the rest except for the ice pack, which I used on my wrist.
We climbed out of the serving area. Only then did I notice two vending machines we had overlooked earlier. As we approached, screens popped up.
Insert 20MP?
Insert 10MP?
Toby went first without hesitation. He inserted 20MP, and a rock dropped out. At first we were confused, but the next screen appeared.
Skill Stone (Rarity Emerald)
Breaking the stone allows the user an opportunity to gain a skill
This is only accessible to shield users
Once broken, you must complete five challenges to unlock the skill
The methods you choose can determine the skill's final effect
"I'm keeping this," Toby said with a devilish smile. Clearly he knew that this might be very valuable later on.
My turn. I inserted 10MP.
A chef's coat came out.
I froze, disappointed, until my Codex explained it.
Gear: Chef's Coat (Rarity Gold)
A coat used by an extremely skilled chef
Perks
100% immunity to sickness or infection
15% increased speed for slash attacks
Would you like to equip it?
Accept / Decline
I accepted. A silhouette of a jacket appeared on my Codex avatar.
"All right, I think that's everything. Let's head to the staircase," I said, feeling more confident now that we had supplies.
We left the canteen, the dungeon's presence pressing against us like always.
Somewhere in the distance footsteps echoed, though no one was around. A cracked phone lay on the floor against the wall, its screen dark.
We followed the map and turned left. The corridor seemed normal at first, but the deeper we went, the more the dungeon tried to unsettle us. Cracks spread across the walls. Toby noticed too; he kept touching his pockets, a habit he had whenever claustrophobia crept in.
Then the cracks began glowing. A jade-green light seeped through them, almost hypnotic.
My instincts told me to stop, but my mind drifted. I reached out and touched the wall.
Instantly, everything changed.
The corridor vanished. Toby vanished.
Panic clawed at my stomach. Being alone in this place was a death sentence.
I heard voices.
I turned quickly, but what I saw wasn't human. Two figures. Their faces blank, their bodies wrapped in mist, their skin translucent like ghosts.
I expected them to come at me since I was right in front of them. But no, instead they stopped right in front of me and struck up a conversation.
"It's quiet in here isn't it?"
"Yeah. Especially since downstairs was so crowded."
"True. It's their fault for not cracking the code."
"Was it 1207?"
"Yep. Thank God though. I want to get out of this place alive."
"We'll make it."
Then they vanished. The mist thinned and dissolved.
I felt like my face was getting slapped. Once. Twice. Repeatedly.
I gasped and opened my eyes. Toby was slapping me. Should I even be surprised at this point.
"Wake up!"
He told me that from his perspective I had been standing still with my eyes closed, like a statue.
If this was an excuse then it wasn't the most creative one.
I was certain I had moved. But the dungeon clearly had other ideas.
"The dungeon strikes again," I muttered.
We picked up our pace, jogging past another three-way intersection. No hesitation this time. We followed the path leading down.
A faint breeze brushed against my face. That had to be from the floor below.
We reached a large hall-like room. Pillars filled the space, reaching toward the ceiling like the remains of some ancient ruin forced to fit inside a cramped area. A campfire burned in the center of the room.
Strange. A fire like that should be outside, not down here.
Then two loud bangs echoed through the chamber.
Fireworks.
Two more people had died.
My heart should have raced, but instead I felt numb. Maybe the saying was true. Fooling me once is easy. Fooling me twice is impossible.
Maybe I had grown used to the dungeon's fear tactics.
A groan filled the room.
Footsteps approached the fire.
And when the creature stepped into view, I felt every inch of confidence die immediately.
It was humanoid in height, but nothing about it was human. Its skin was a dark purple with patches rotten away. Its fingernails were long and sharp like daggers. A mask covered most of its face, but parts of it were cracked, revealing rotting teeth and blood-red eyes beneath.
The sight alone made my stomach drop.
The dungeon hadn't fooled me.
It was only waiting to reveal its hand.