To say we got mobbed when we left the dungeon wouldn’t be true. At first, we barely got noticed. A handful of soldiers lingered near the entrance, sitting or sprawled in the patchy shade like men waiting on orders that weren’t coming. They looked more bored than alert. I didn’t see Lieutenant Marmari among them. Hopefully, he was up by the road.

  [William of Brinsford:] [Bartholomew Ironshaper] [Looks like these guys aren’t paying attention. Care to wake them up and scare the shit out of them? I’m thinking drill Sergeant style.]

  [Bartholomew Ironshaper:] [William of Brinsford] [You’re right. They ain’t seen us yet. My pleasure.]

  [Bartholomew Ironshaper:] [PARTY] [Cover your ears. I’m about to get Ogre loud.]

  Ingrid clapped her hands over her ears and stepped away without hesitation. She was smart. Thinking this was one of those times when being macho would just mean being stupid, I followed her example. Blaze and Shadow caught on quick. By the time Bhaarrt drew a lungful of air, the four of us were at least ten feet behind him and still moving farther away when he cut loose.

  I won’t repeat what he shouted. If you’ve lived through it, you don’t need me to remind you. If you haven’t, trust me…you don’t want to.

  The air shook from the sheer volume. Soldiers jerked upright, scrambling to their feet, rifles clutched awkwardly, some already snapping into attention, others frozen mid-motion, trying not to flinch. From above the road, more voices shouted back. A moment later, boots pounded down the slope. Some men half-ran, half-slid on the dirt embankment, dust rising around them.

  Lieutenant Marmari took the path at a sprint. I’ll admit…seeing hardened soldiers stumble into the clearing like guilty schoolkids was funny. Some dropped into combat stances, while others, seeing their fellows locked at attention, did the same just to match.

  Marmari’s eyes swept across his men, then us, then landed on Bhaarrt. The big man snapped a crisp salute. “Advance patrol reporting in, Sir!”

  That broke us. Laughter spilled out of all of us.

  The lieutenant froze, blinked once, twice, then slowly returned the salute. Only then did he grin. “I heard some of that from the road. You could have heard it a kilometer away.” His gaze snapped to one of his men. “Sergeant. Please have a talk with the squad stationed down here. A long talk.”

  “Sir. Yes, sir,” he replied.

  “A long, quiet talk. Take them up to the road. Debrief them on what just happened here that made your discussion necessary.”

  “Yes, sir. With pleasure, sir.” The sergeant’s tone carried a quiet promise. The chastened squad packed up fast, heads down, and trailed him up the path without looking back.

  The Lieutenant looked back at Bhaarrt. “Were you in the army?”

  “Yes sir, mustered out just over five years ago.”

  “That was some of the finest verbal ass-kicking I’ve heard since I commanded a platoon at Fort Jackson.” He studied Bhaarrt for a beat. The big man stayed silent, jaw set. Marmari finally nodded, then glanced at the rest of us. “Congratulations on coming out alive. All of you.”

  His tone softened, his expression shifting back to the approachable officer I’d seen before. “If you’ll come with me, we’ll debrief up by the road. But first…that’s a dungeon, isn’t it? Is there any danger of something coming out to attack us?”

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  “Yes, sir. It’s a dungeon,” I said. “I wouldn’t worry about anything coming out, but no one should go in without knowing what to expect. Good chance they won’t come out again. Also, it has a twenty-four-hour lockout. Once you leave, you can’t re-enter until a full day has passed. You can come out any time, but no re-entry before the timer resets.”

  I paused, running through what else mattered most. “If people need to run from a fight, they have to run to the door. Nothing else will save them. Some rooms inside will kill most parties under Level 5 unless they’ve got a solid Healer above that. I wouldn’t recommend anyone under Level 3 even stepping inside.”

  Marmari’s eyes sharpened as he absorbed that. “Got it. Thank you.” He turned to the soldiers still in the clearing. “You heard him. No one goes in unless they’re at least Level 3 with a higher-level Healer. Until further notice, no one goes in. Period. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir!” snapped around the clearing, sharper this time. I doubted anyone missed his meaning.

  “Let’s go.” Marmari motioned for us to follow.

  We trudged up the hill with the squad, dust puffing under boots. The hum of insects filled the air, underscored by the low growl of a generator near the road. The soldiers had parked their vehicles in a rough semicircle around a temporary tent. When we stepped inside the shade, the silence broke.

  Cheering. Then questions, voices tumbling over each other.

  The cheering died quick, but the questions only grew louder.

  “OK… OK. Everyone quiet down and I’ll give you the summary.” I raised my clipboard, map sheets clipped to it, the notes in my other hand. A hush spread as eyes locked on the papers.

  “Short version: It is a dungeon. You can enter and exit any time, except for the Boss Room. Once you start that fight, you either win or die. If you die in there and your party can’t recover your body, you and all your gear become part of the dungeon.” That landed heavy. Faces paled.

  “You can only enter once in a twenty-four-hour period. If you go in at noon and leave at five, you can’t return until five the next day. Lockout starts when you exit. It may change with time.”

  “There’s one floor so far, though we saw spots clearly meant to lead down to Level Two. Still under construction. Difficulty ramps up the deeper you go.” I gave them a moment to take that in.

  “We’ve mapped the layout. Don’t know if it’ll change, but photos will circulate today. We listed what we fought in each room. Spawns vary. Loot varies. Nothing guaranteed.”

  “If you go in without a Healer, you’ll die. By the second or third set of rooms, guaranteed. Someone with FIND TRAPS is also mandatory. There are traps. They poison. Without CURE POISON, you’ll either miss the best rewards or die trying. The good stuff’s in chests, if there’s a chest in the room.”

  I took a breath, then continued. “Enemies: Kobolds, Goblin Warriors, Goblin Shaman, Orc fighters, Human mages. The Boss was an Ogre Mage. Think Bhaarrt, but throwing spells at you. Level 10. Nearly wiped us out, and we were all Level 6 or higher, plus my Level 9. His chamber only opens after you clear every other room. Twenty fights minimum, plus random patrols.” I caught eyes darting, nervous, some outright frightened. Good. That meant they understood.

  “The dungeon’s built on a three-meter grid. Biggest room was five by six squares. Most were three by four, or four by four. Single doors in and out, mostly. You’ll see it on the map. Pictures of it will do for now.”

  I swept the crowd with my gaze, soldiers and civilians alike.

  “One last thing. If you’re not ready to die, don’t go in. This place is here to level us past the spawns outside. This isn’t the only dungeon. More exist. Some already found. Some already have casualties.”

  I let that sink in. “You don’t need full supplies. Food and water for a day will do. We appreciate the MREs and water. We burned through a lot of energy in there. They helped. A lot.”

  I held up a hand before the questions started again. “We’ll take one question per person. You’ve got thirty minutes. Don’t waste time repeating what someone else already asked.”

  Turning, I pointed to each of my teammates in turn. “I’m Will. Bhaarrt’s our Tank. You’ll need one. Ingrid’s our Healer. Ask her anything about healing. Blaze and I can answer mage questions.” I grabbed Shadow’s shoulder, making her jump. “And this is Shadow. Ninja, trap specialist. She doesn’t get to dodge this either.”

  I eyed the crowd. “I know some of you have been recording. Keep doing it. But don’t broadcast it yet. And abso-fucking-lutely don’t reveal the dungeon’s entrance. Not until there’s a system in place. Entry is up to your officers.”

  Pulling out my phone, I thumbed in a timer. “You get thirty minutes.” I set it down on the table for all to see. Then I looked at my friends, at Shadow in particular. “Let’s get this over with. I said, as I started the timer.”

  This time, it's not exactly a musical interlude. It's an example, for those who've never been through it, what these slacking soldiers just got a taste of.

  US Marine Corps Drill Instructor vs US Army Drill Sergeant

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