The party drifted back to their usual resting spot near the outer tents, a shaded patch beneath a half-collapsed awning that someone had turned into a makeshift lounge. The air was cooler now, the afternoon sun starting to mellow, and a faint breeze carried away the worst of the dungeon’s acrid smell. For the first time all day, they could just… breathe.

  Josh sank down onto a crate with a tired groan, tugging at the straps of his old leather cuirass. The moment it came free, the battered thing practically wilted in his hands. Deep cuts ran across the worn hide, the section around his shoulder punctured clean through where the goblin boss’s axe had bitten in. He held it up between his fingers, watching it sag. “This poor thing’s one hit away from becoming a stylish leather scarf.”

  Bhel let out a deep, amused snort. “Looks more like something ye’d lay under a wet dog.”

  Josh dropped it beside him, rubbing at a bruise under his ribs. “I really wish I’d had the new armour during that fight. Might’ve saved me from being turned into a human skipping stone.”

  His gaze drifted to the new gleaming chest plate resting nearby, the metal pristine and firm. Compared to that, the leather looked like it belonged in a bargain bin behind the tannery.

  Bhel nudged one of the slashes with the butt of his axe. “Lucky ye didn’t end up with ribs shaped like that armour.”

  Josh huffed. “Feels like my ribs tried their best.”

  Carcan, meditating a short distance away, cracked one eye open. “They did. And you’re still favouring your left side.”

  Josh blinked. “Wait, you can tell that with your eyes closed?”

  Carcan closed hers again, expression serene. “I can tell because you’re stubborn and pretending you’re not hurt.”

  Bhel cackled. “She’s right. Ye’ve got the same expression every time, like ye’re fine, but if someone breathes on ye ye’ll fall over.”

  Josh groaned, dragging the new armour closer and placing his old armour at his side. “Right. That’s it. This thing’s getting retired before you lot roast me any harder…”

  Perberos lounged beside a supply crate, cleaning his bow with careful precision. His movements were methodical, almost ritualistic. “You did well, Josh,” he said without looking up. “You didn’t flinch that time.”

  Josh gave a tired smile. “Thanks. Didn’t have much choice to be fair. That thing would’ve crushed anyone else if it got through.”

  “Confidence suits you,” Perberos said, finally glancing over. “Just make sure it doesn’t turn to arrogance.”

  “That seems to be today’s lesson,” Josh said with a small chuckle.

  A few feet away, Brett sat on an overturned bucket, eyes closed in concentration. The faint blue glow of mana shimmered around him as he meditated. Every few moments, a spark of light flitted across his fingers, like fireflies drawn to his energy. After a while, the glow dimmed and he exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders. “Mana’s coming back,” he murmured, sounding relieved. “Feels like the air in the dungeon squeezes it out of you.”

  “Good,” Carcan said, opening her eyes. “Make sure you’re back to full before we even look to going back in. You were dangerously close to running dry earlier.”

  Brett grinned. “Yeah, well, when fire solves problems, I tend to keep using it until the problem stops moving.”

  Bhel barked a laugh. “You nearly solved Josh too, with that last Fireball.”

  “Collateral damage,” Brett replied, deadpan. “His kind are touch by fire anyway.” He sniped back the well-known TV reference.

  Josh shot him a glare, though the corner of his mouth twitched. “Next time, I’m using you as a shield.”

  They fell into a comfortable quiet then, the kind that only comes after surviving something dangerous together. Around them, the camp hummed softly with distant sounds, metal clinking as other adventurers maintained weapons, the low murmur of voices, and the occasional crack of a bow or spell from the wall where the lower level groups guarded the portal and killed the steady stream of monsters.

  Carcan eventually stood, stretching gracefully. “I’ll fetch some water. Try not to move too much while I’m gone.”

  Bhel groaned and leaned back, staring up at the sky. “After that fight? I’m not moving for anything short of another invasion.”

  Josh lay down fully, folding his arms behind his head, gazing at the wisps of cloud drifting overhead. The tension in his body was easing, replaced by a strange mix of pride and fatigue. He’d nearly died again but this time, they’d all come out stronger.

  Brett sat cross-legged now, eyes flickering faintly with mana light as he toyed with a tiny fireball above his palm, barely the size of a marble. “You know,” he said softly, “if every run feels like that, I might actually get used to this.”

  “Let’s just try not to get used to almost dying,” Josh murmured.

  “Fair,” Brett said with a grin.

  The group drifted into a comfortable quiet, the afternoon softening into the early hues of evening. Shadows stretched long across the camp, and the crackle of freshly stoked fires blended with the muted sounds of the outpost settling in for the night. For the first time since entering the dungeon, the world felt briefly, mercifully still.

  They’d be going back in soon, stronger, sharper, better prepared but that was a worry for later. For now, they let themselves breathe. They talked about nothing in particular, the kind of idle chatter born from shared exhaustion and shared victory, though beneath it all a thin thread of unease tugged at the back of each mind. The dungeon waited. And they all knew it.

  But in this moment, they simply existed together, letting the quiet hold them for as long as it could.

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  —

  Their second run through the dungeon began with a quiet confidence. The edge of fear that had marked their first attempt was gone, replaced by focus and familiarity. The glowing torches that lined the walls no longer seemed so mysterious. Their eerie light cast long shadows as the party descended once again into the twisting tunnels.

  The first chamber came alive the moment they stepped in. A cluster of goblins burst from the dark, their eyes glowing with bloodshot and fury. Josh met them head-on, shield raised, letting the first few strikes glance harmlessly away before sweeping his sword in a wide, controlled arc. The blow crushed one instantly and sent another skidding across the floor. Behind him, Brett’s voice rang out, the sharp words of a spell cutting through the chaos. A bolt of fire roared past Josh’s shoulder, exploding against a wall and setting one of the creatures ablaze. They finished the skirmish quickly, two clean hits from Josh, one burst of fire from Brett, a few arrows, several axe swings and it was done.

  In the next chamber, a pair of goblins waited among the broken stone pillars. These ones were smarter than the others, flanking and darting in to jab with crude spears. But Josh’s newfound strength and constitution showed their worth; he held the line firmly, his shield absorbing every strike. When Brett found his opening, he unleashed a blast of mana that sent both goblins tumbling. The smell of burnt leather filled the air as they collapsed into stillness.

  “Your control’s getting better,” Josh said between breaths, offering a grin.

  “Your blocking too,” Brett replied, rolling his shoulders. “That one actually hurt to watch.”

  The further they went, the smoother it became. They moved as one, clearing rooms that not long ago would have once forced them to retreat and regroup. Even the larger fights barely slowed them down, even the Orcs they encountered were becoming nothing but chaff. Brett’s spells burned hotter and faster now that his mana pool held longer, while Josh’s endurance allowed him to keep pressing forward without needing to stop.

  Brett’s mana pool held out far better. He still had to pace himself, but the improved control and regeneration from his level-ups and new skills was noticeable. His fire bolts struck truer, each one cleaner and faster than before. Josh, for his part, felt the difference in his body. His shield no longer jarred his arm as badly when he blocked, and blows that had once staggered him now barely made him take a step back. He could feel the strength surging through his muscles, his movements heavier but more assured.

  The party moved from chamber to chamber in rhythm, Carcan no longer needing to shout constant directions. Her voice came only when it mattered, a callout before one of them unleashed a blast, or a warning about enemies approaching from the flank. They were becoming a team.

  They paused only briefly between fights, enough for them to drink water and for Josh to catch his breath. Their new gear and experience showed; they cut through monsters with precision. What had taken them several hours before now took half that time.

  By the time they reached the second to last area, their breaths were steady, their rhythm unbroken. The hallway stretched long and narrow ahead of them, torchlight flickering along the cramped stone walls. At the far end, looming beneath a sagging arch, the troll waited, its hunched form scraping the ceiling, mottled skin shining with sweat and malice. Three orcs stood before it in a crude line, tusked faces twisted with aggression, weapons tapping restlessly against the floor.

  Josh lifted his shield, testing his grip one last time. "Well," he muttered, "what a lovely welcoming committee."

  Bhel cracked his neck with a grin. "Aye. Let’s send ’em back to whatever hole spat ’em out."

  Perberos nocked an arrow in one smooth motion, his ears twitching forward. "I’ll thin the orcs. You handle the ugly one in the back."

  Carcan raised her staff, the faint shimmer of protective mana already rolling off her. "Stay close. I’ll keep you standing. Brett, don’t overextend again."

  Brett scoffed as flames coiled eagerly around his fingertips. "No promises."

  The nearest orc barked something guttural and the fight erupted.

  Josh charged first, shield angled forward. An orc swung at him with a jagged cleaver, but Josh caught the blow on the reinforced rim of his shield, sparks spitting off the metal. He shoved back hard, sending the creature stumbling.

  Perberos released an arrow that whistled past Josh’s head and buried itself in another orc’s throat. The creature gurgled, collapsing to its knees, alive but losing blood poured from the wound and it struggled to breathe.

  Bhel barrelled into the fray with a howl, both axes flashing. He met the third orc head-on, their weapons clashing with a crack of steel. "Come on then! Let’s dance!"

  Behind them, the troll bellowed, a low, thunderous sound that vibrated through the hallway. It lumbered forward, smashing its fist against the ceiling and showering dust across the battlefield.

  Brett lifted his staff, flames spiralling upward like a flare. "Josh, hold still!" he called.

  Josh braced as Brett fired a streak of fire past him, threading it cleanly between combatants. It struck the troll’s shoulder, exploding in a burst of heat that lit the hallway like sunrise. The troll shrieked, staggering back as fire licked up its arm.

  "Good hit!" Josh shouted.

  "Oh, I’m just getting started!" Brett replied, already gathering more mana.

  But the troll wasn’t slowed for long. With a roar, it charged, barrelling through the fading flames. Its massive fist swung downward.

  Carcan thrust her staff forward, casting her shield spell. Pale light snapped into existence in front of Josh’s shield just as the troll’s blow landed. The impact cracked the magical shell but didn’t break it, though the force still drove Josh back several steps.

  "Thanks, Carcan!" he gasped.

  The orcs were weakening, Bhel split his opponent’s axe in half before burying his own into its chest. Perberos fired another arrow that pinned the last surviving orc to the wall. The first orc had already expired, face down in the dirt.

  "Orcs handled!" Perberos called.

  "Then help me with this oversized bag of rubbish!" Bhel yelled, sprinting to join Josh.

  The troll swung again, and Josh ducked under the massive arm. Bhel used the opening to leap onto the creature’s side, hacking furiously. His axes bit deep, sending streams of dark blood splattering across the walls.

  "It’s healing already!" Brett warned as the troll’s wounds began to knit shut.

  Josh planted his feet. "Brett! Big one! Now!"

  "On it!" Brett roared.

  He thrust both hands forward, flames swirling into a sphere that pulsed with violent heat. A miniature sun ignited between his palms, casting stark shadows through the hallway.

  "Move!"

  Bhel launched himself off the troll’s back. Josh rolled sideways. Perberos ducked.

  Brett released the fireball.

  It slammed into the troll’s chest, detonating with a roar that rattled the stones. The shockwave blasted hot air down the hallway. The troll reeled, its torso charred and raw.

  Josh saw his moment. "Now! Finish it!"

  He surged forward with Bhel at his side. Josh slammed his shield into the troll’s knee, forcing it down. Bhel swung both axes in a brutal crossing arc that carved into the creature’s neck.

  With a final choking howl, the troll toppled forward and hit the ground with a heavy, echoing crash.

  For several seconds, the party stood in the settling dust, chests heaving.

  Bhel spat to the side. "That’s how ye deal with a troll."

  Brett wiped sweat from his forehead. "I feel… surprisingly alive."

  Perberos lowered his bow. "Let’s not make this a habit."

  Carcan exhaled, relief softening her expression as her barrier faded. "Is anyone hurt?"

  Josh checked himself, then grinned. "Just exhausted."

  As the troll’s body dissolved into drifting golden motes, a familiar shimmer of light formed in its place.