A short distance away from the work parties, Caistina stood with Ronald near a small ridge overlooking the dig site. She watched one of the groups below, her arms folded, expression tight.

  “They’re holding together well,” she said. “Better than I expected, given the pressure and what happened.”

  Ronald nodded. “They’re learning what it means to move as a unit. Not just to fight. To build, adapt. That’s something you can’t teach in drills.”

  She looked toward the dungeon’s warped entrance, where faint shadows still shifted inside the mist. “It’s expanding quickly. I can feel the mana keep spiking. If it continues like this, it will break in a matter of days.”

  “Aye,” Ronald said. “Which is why I’m going in.”

  Caistina turned sharply. “What?”

  He met her eyes calmly, voice even. “I’ve mapped enough dungeons to know when one’s getting ready to burst. If I can get inside and chart it, maybe I can slow it down or at least see what’s in there. A bit of intel at this point could be really useful in the future. Imagine if it’s just a low level dungeon inside, and we’re being too cautious out here.”

  “Ronald, you can’t—”

  “I can,” he interrupted gently. “And I will. I’m high enough level to handle whatever’s in there by myself. You know it as well as I do. My only risk is getting swarmed, and I’m fairly certain I can outsmart some orcs and goblins”

  Caistina’s jaw tightened. “Then at least take someone with you.”

  He smiled faintly. “If I take someone with me, I’ll have to keep them alive. Alone, I can move fast and stay unnoticed. This isn’t a raid, Caistina, it’s reconnaissance.”

  She exhaled, frustration flashing in her eyes before softening. “You always did have a hero complex.”

  Ronald chuckled. “If by hero complex you mean common sense and a bad attitude, then yes.” He adjusted the strap of his pack and glanced toward the others. “Keep them digging. The sooner this walls finished, the better. I’ll be back before sundown.”

  With that, he leapt off the wall and quickly ran up the ditch. As he walked toward the glowing threshold, Caistina called out, “Ronald, don’t try to fight the whole dungeon. And if it’s bad, there’s nothing wrong with retreating.”

  He lifted a hand in reply without turning back. “No promises.” The air shimmered as he stepped through the portal, the light swallowing him whole.

  For a few seconds after Ronald vanished, the clearing felt heavier. The faint hum of the dungeon’s barrier filled the air, a low, throbbing sound that made the ground seem to breathe. Soon followed by another goblin plopping into the world, then quickly being peppered by arrows.

  Caistina stood motionless, eyes fixed on the rippling veil where Ronald had vanished. The air shimmered faintly in front of her, and her fingers twitched at her side, half-formed spells rising and dying on her lips before she forced them down. A long breath escaped her. “Reckless old fool,” she murmured.

  “Talking to yourself again?” Perberos called, slinging his bow over his shoulder as he peeled away from his group, strolling towards her. There was a lightness in his step, the kind that came after surviving another day but the confidence in his tone faltered when he caught the look on her face.

  “Ronald went in,” Caistina said at last. Her voice was sharper than she intended. “Alone.”

  The younger elf blinked. “Yeah, I saw. Will he be alright?”

  “He’s mapping it out,” she replied, her gaze still locked on the portal. “Trying to see if it’s stable enough to enter or if he can slow it from the inside. He might even be able to weaken the mana flow. Ronald’s the right level to handle what’s in there, but…” She hesitated. “He’s not built for endurance. If the monsters swarm him, strength alone won’t save him.”

  Perberos spat into the dirt. “By Moradin’s beard, he could probably pick Josh up and throw him over the wall, some goblins aren’t going to end him.”

  A faint smile touched her lips. “Probably. But that kind of strength doesn’t matter if you’re surrounded. That’s why we fight in teams. Josh can take the hits, but without you covering his flank, he’d fall. Your sister can heal nearly any wound, but she’d never outfight an ambush alone. Every one of you fills a gap the others can’t.”

  Perberos frowned, staring into the purple shimmer that pulsed like a heartbeat. “Still. If anyone could get in and back out alive, it’s him. Is there anything we can do?”

  Caistina sighed, weary but fond. “You’re already doing it. The faster we finish that wall and get a watch rotation up, the safer he’ll be when he returns.”

  He nodded and turned away, joining the other rangers. Yet his thoughts kept circling back to Ronald, the quiet lessons, the calm authority. The old ranger didn’t waste words or take risks without reason. If he’d gone in, it wasn’t blind courage. It was necessity.

  “Hey,” one of the other rangers said softly, glancing over. “You think he’ll make it back?”

  Perberos paused, then grinned faintly. “He’s Ronald. If the dungeon’s got any sense, it’s the one that should be worried.”

  A few chuckles rippled through the group. Even Caistina, still watching the portal, let out a quiet laugh.

  But as the sun sank lower and the shadows stretched across the camp, the humour faded.

  The portal shimmered in silence, no sign of Ronald. But a near continuous stream of goblins, interwoven with the occasional orc to keep the rangers on their toes.

  Caistina stared into the dark purple pond. The deep, rhythmic hum of the dungeon, growing louder with every passing minute.

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  —

  By late afternoon, the sound of tools striking earth had faded into the soft rustle of wind. The makeshift fortification was finally done.

  The trench carved a wide horseshoe around the dungeon’s entrance, six feet deep and twice as wide, its edges packed tight with the churned clay and stone of the clearing. That same soil had been shaped into a low, sloping berm, now crowned with a rough palisade of sharpened logs. The timber gleamed faintly in the light, freshly cut from the nearby woods and lashed together by calloused hands and dwarven craftsmanship.

  It wasn’t pretty, but it was solid. A hundred feet separated the wall from the cave mouth, a killing field, clear and open. Enough room for monsters to spill out, and enough space for archers and mages to pick them off before they reached the line. The smell of sap, sweat, and churned earth hung thick in the air.

  Josh stepped back from the edge, wiping a forearm across his brow. His shovel clattered to the dirt. Beside him, Bheldur leaned heavily on his own, beard plastered to his chest with sweat. The mage with the earth magic’s mana had run out, resulting in them both having to pick their tools up for a while longer after their ‘break’ collecting resources.

  “Well,” the dwarf grunted, eyeing the completed work, “if that doesn’t keep the bastards out, nothing will.”

  Perberos let out a long whistle from atop the berm, bow slung across his back. “Looks better than half the town walls I’ve seen.”

  Josh chuckled wearily. “That’s because most of those were built by people who weren’t trying to get eaten mid-job.”

  Laughter broke out along the line, thin and tired but real. Even Brett joined in, clapping Josh on the shoulder. “You know,” he said between breaths, “if this adventuring thing doesn’t work out, I reckon you’ve got a real future in landscaping.”

  “Ha. Right,” Josh replied, giving him a shove that lacked any real force. “Next time, you’re digging.”

  Caistina, who’d been overseeing the construction from the palisade’s edge, allowed herself a small smile. “You’ve all done well. This will hold, at least long enough for us to figure out what’s happening inside.”

  The group exhaled as one, a collective release of tension they hadn’t realized they’d been holding. For the first time since they’d entered the valley, the air felt still. Safe.

  Josh sank down on the earth wall beside Brett, stretching out his sore arms. The last of the sun caught the purple shimmer of the dungeon’s entrance beyond the open field, the faint hum still pulsing from it like a heartbeat.

  For now, at least, the camp felt secure.

  But deep down, no one could quite shake the thought that the real fight hadn’t even begun.

  As the last tools were laid aside and the weary chatter died down, Caistina stepped forward, brushing a smear of dirt from her robes. Her voice carried easily over the quiet murmur of exhausted adventurers.

  “Alright, everyone, listen up.” She looked over the gathered faces, her expression softening. “You’ve all done exceptionally well today. The wall is strong, the field is clear, and the dungeon isn’t going anywhere.” Her lips quirked faintly. “So, for once, we’re going to do something sensible. Rest.”

  A few chuckles rippled through the group, though most were too drained to do more than smile.

  “We’ll be breaking the parties into watches through the next few days,” Caistina continued. “That way there’s always someone keeping an eye on the portal. I’ll take the first watch myself, so the rest of you can get a proper break. You’ve earned it.”

  She gestured toward the far side of the camp, where a few support crew had already pitched a cooking tent. The faint glow of lanterns flickered over steaming pots and the rhythmic clatter of ladles.

  “Food’s ready. Cook says the stew’s thick enough to stand a spoon in, and I think that’s exactly what we need right now.”

  As if on cue, the wind shifted and the smell hit them. Rich, savoury, thick with herbs and meat. Josh’s stomach gave a violent growl that echoed over the group.

  Brett doubled over laughing. “I think your insides just declared war.”

  Josh rubbed his abdomen sheepishly. “Can you blame them? I think I’ve been running on fumes since sunrise.”

  “Then stop talking and start walking,” Bheldur muttered, already making for the kitchen line with heavy boots.

  Caistina chuckled softly before continuing. “One more thing. The loot gathered from the fight has been sorted and placed over there.” She pointed toward a cart near the palisade, piled high with sacks, chests, and the odd glitter of weapons catching the firelight. “Anyone who wants to take a look can do so. If something catches your eye, put your name down on the list. We’ll divide everything fairly once things have calmed down.”

  Perberos raised a brow. “So no sprinting for the shiny bits? Shame.”

  “Not unless you want me to turn you into a toad,” Caistina replied dryly, though the corner of her mouth lifted.

  That earned another tired round of laughter.

  As the adventurers began to drift toward the food line and the loot cart, the atmosphere shifted. The air was still thick with the faint tang of blood and smoke, but now it was laced with something else. Relief. The knowledge that, at least for tonight, they had survived.

  Josh clapped Brett on the shoulder, the smell of stew pulling him onward. “Come on,” he said with a grin. “If that stuff tastes half as good as it smells, I might forgive this whole day.”

  The group settled down near one of the campfires that had been started, bowls of thick stew in hand. The flicker of the flames danced across their tired faces, softening the lines of exhaustion that battle had carved there. Around them, the camp buzzed quietly with the sounds of eating, low chatter, and the occasional clang of someone sharpening a blade.

  Josh leaned back on his hands, exhaling slowly. “Feels good to finally sit down.”

  Bheldur grunted in agreement between mouthfuls. “Aye. Best meal I’ve ever had, and I’ve eaten stew cooked in a boot before.”

  Brett nearly choked on his laugh. “That’s… that’s disgusting. Please tell me you’re joking.”

  “Wasn’t my boot,” the dwarf said with a shrug.

  Perberos snorted, glancing up from his bowl. “By the gods, you’re impossible.”

  Then Josh’s expression shifted as he blinked at the faint blue glow of his system window. “Oh.” His eyes widened. “Guys… check your messages.”

  There was a moment of silence as the others followed suit. Then came a chorus of reactions, surprised laughter, gasps, and cheers.

  Brett let out a loud whoop that startled one of the nearby mages. “Level seven! I actually hit level seven!” He looked like he wanted to jump up but thought better of it when his legs protested. “Two whole levels in one day. Guess that’s what happens when you take on half an army.”

  Carcan smiled softly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Feels… surreal, doesn’t it? We actually made it through all that.”

  Bheldur pounded his chest proudly. “Told you lot we would be serious about levelling up, and that’s exactly what happened. Ha! Seven already!”

  Josh chuckled, still looking at the glowing menu in front of him. “Can’t lie… this feels good. Like it’s finally paying off.” He paused, his expression thoughtful. “But we’ve still got a long road ahead of us haven’t we.”

  Brett raised his spoon in mock salute. “Then here’s to surviving today and not dying tomorrow.”

  Bheldur clanked his bowl against Brett’s with a grin. “I’ll drink stew to that.”

  Their laughter mixed with the crackle of the fire, warm and alive, carrying just far enough to drown out, for a while, the low hum that pulsed faintly from the dungeon mouth beyond the palisade.