Grim made his first move from just outside the chamber. Knowing that his greatest chance of success lay in taking out the smaller goblins first, then using his agility to keep his distance from the Greater Goblin and whittle it down slowly. That would only prove more difficult the more goblins were still alive to harass him, so they had to go first. The problem was that he couldn’t kill all four of them at once. They would make a commotion as soon as he appeared, which would almost certainly wake their leader up.

  ? So, he relied on his bow. Standing back and covered by the shadows as he was, he had all the time in the world to draw back the string and line up a shot. It was important that he land this first shot, as it would be his only chance to kill one from range. Once he was sure he had a clear line of sight, he drew the string back, only vaguely aware of the arrow materializing. He tried his best to remain utterly calm and hold his breath, but the thought of the upcoming fight had already set his blood burning hot, and his hand was unsteady.

  ? Scowling, he released the string, just hoping to hit. He did, but not the one he’d aimed at, nor was it a critical injury. The arrow slammed into the shoulder of the goblin beside it, nearly three feet away from where he’d intended it to go. The goblin let out a screech of pain at the surprising wound and lurched forward, nearly tumbling into the fire.

  ? Cursing, Grim dropped the bow and drew a dagger. He reached the goblins with one quick Shadow Dash, grabbing the goblin he’d originally aimed at. His knife stabbed twice into its chest, making sure he struck its heart. Then, with another Shadow Dash, he reappeared just outside the chamber and fished out the enchanted knife he’d just earned. He was much more accurate with a thrown knife than with the bow, and it sank into the skull of the goblin he’d struck with the arrow. The two remaining goblins, realizing that they were easy targets, screeched something incoherent and dashed deeper into the cave to avoid his ranged attacks.

  ? The enchanted dagger reappeared in his hand, and he threw it once again, but it was a hasty action. It missed one of the fleeing goblins by a few inches and clattered harmlessly off the stone wall. Then the Greater Goblin was up and hefting a long spear, charging towards the entrance. Grim didn’t bother recalling the knife just yet. Instead, he Shadow Dashed past the Greater Goblin. He tried to get behind it to slash at its knee with a critical hit, but the ground was already slick with the blood of the two goblins he’d killed, and he stumbled slightly.

  ? The Greater Goblin whipped around and thrust out with his spear, scoring a light but painful wound on Grim’s left ribs. Recoiling, Grim hurried out of the range of the weapon and recalled the throwing knife to his hand. The two surviving goblins attacked him from the side, forcing him to dance away again. The monsters were quickly driving him into a corner of the cave, refusing to commit to a true attack until he was cornered. Well, he thought, boss monsters, even the ones that were just weak aids, were more intelligent.

  ? Just before they could pin him in place, he used Shadow Dash to get behind one of the goblins and plunge a knife into its back, then strike out, opening a nasty cut across the face of the other. He threw the enchanted knife at the boss as it lumbered forward, and it couldn’t get out of the way in time. He had just enough time to finish the goblin he’d wounded while it staggered back, roaring in pain. Then, at last, it was just the boss left. He drew his second knife again as it wrenched the enchanted blade free, and let out a slow breath as it paced forward.

  ? There was a brief pause, then the boss lunged forward, trying to crush him with momentum and weight. He sidestepped the reckless rush easily enough and slashed twice at its knee but did nothing more than lightly scratch it before jumping back as it lashed out with its spear once again. It continued to thrust–slow, deliberate attacks meant to keep him at a distance and tire him out. But Grim wouldn’t let it control the pace of the battle, not when he could easily get inside its reach for maximum devastation.

  ? A quick Shadow Dash got him to its flank, where he managed one quick stab into its ribs, wrenching his knife as much as he could to widen the injury. Then, before it could grab him, he used the second charge of his skill and appeared at the opposite end of the cavern, near where his enchanted knife had landed. He took that chance to throw it again, but this time it was knocked out of the air by the boss’s spear. The two of them stared at each other for a long moment, then, both judging the situation. Despite nearly identical wounds on their ribs, neither of them were in poor condition. The worst Grim had was his bruised body and a thin trickle of blood from the stinging cut on his side.

  ? This time, Grim broke the standoff first. Dashing forward quickly, he ducked under the spear as it was thrust forward, then slashed up and across the inside of the monster’s elbow. Blood sprayed, but that wasn’t enough to disable the arm. The Greater Goblin tried to grapple him with its free hand then, but it was a lumbering beast trying to catch a shadow. Maybe he was capable of delving solo, he thought. At least, below his level.

  ? As soon as both Shadow Dash charges were off their cooldown, he got in to slash at its right knee again, this time scoring two quick critical hits before dashing away. Unlike the Greater Goblin he’d fought with his party during their examination, this creature was much smaller and much less durable. Those two slashes to the vulnerable tendons in its knee were more than enough to buckle the joint, and the monster went down quickly, but still had its weapon ready. That was fine. Grim could afford to take his time now.

  ? Another double use of Shadow Dash, and the boss’s other leg gave out, leaving it prone. Thirty seconds after that, he got at its already wounded right arm, successfully disabling it. The spear clattered to the ground and rolled along the slight slope to the entrance, where Grim stopped it with a boot, then stooped to pick it up. It was heavy, but not impossible to wield. “Faster than the daggers, at least.”

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  ? The boss was nearly dead from blood loss, but he still stepped forward and, lifting the weapon high, thrust it down into the monster’s neck. The Greater Goblin struggled for nearly a minute longer, but eventually collapsed. The rush of essence–not split among a party for the first time–nearly staggered him. Breathing heavily, Grim forced the large body to roll over and cut the key free. Searching the boss and the four smaller goblins netted him another eighteen silver pieces, and even a shiny golden coin. It had been a while since he’d held one of those, he thought, flipping it through the air.

  ? He was almost constantly aware of the weight of his coin pouch as he made his way back to the entrance chamber of the second floor, his ribs continuously stinging him and making him grimace with every other step. Climbing back to the first floor was a laborious effort only made worse by the injury, even with the climbing picks from his field kit. It took him almost half an hour to get past the point at which the water covered the tunnel floor. Despite the triumph of knowing that he’d cleared the dungeon on his own, it was a very irritable Grim that found his way back to the pool in the dragon’s chamber, digging up the chest he’d buried.

  ? Delving on his own had been a dangerous venture to be sure, but as he inserted the key and the lid sprang open, Grim had to admit that the rewards were more than worth it. Crammed inside the chest was a pile of coins bigger than his fists–all silver and gold–as well as a few random items and a potion he didn’t recognize. Gleefully emptying the chest, Grim experienced a full coin pouch for the first time in his life. He actually had trouble fully closing the ties, and there was no jingle as it moved, because it was packed so tightly. He was going to need a bigger wallet.

  ? “Still wish I could take more of this dragon with me,” he mused to himself, staring down at the beast’s corpse. But his packs were full to the brim now, and he didn’t like the idea of trying to drag its hide through the streets of the monster-infested city above. Still, despite the wealth of items weighing him down, it hurt him inside to turn away from the potential fortune that its body could earn him.

  ? He returned to the entrance of the dungeon perhaps an hour later, after a short rest. His body still ached, but the respite had returned a great deal of his energy. Now he was just a little sore, and very hungry. As eager as he was to return to the surface and get out of this city, he made sure to keep his guard up, even after crossing the threshold at which the dungeon began. Fortunately, he encountered no monsters on his way out of the mines.

  ?—

  ?

  ? Veyra tapped her knee as she stared down at the city below her, searching for some sign of Grim. She’d returned to the wall after leaving that strange dungeon. Her thoughts still wandered back to that man who looked so much like Grim, but she didn’t allow it to distract her completely. There’d be time enough for answers later, she assured herself.

  ? Bolton stood beside her on the wall, his arms folded across his chest, also surveying the city before them. She’d refrained from bragging to him about her instincts being proven right… so far. He knew what was coming, surely. She could even see the beginnings of a frown forming on his face, as if he knew–as she did–that Grim was more than the usual recruit they dug out of the dirt. Even at level three, he was already nasty with his knives, and he moved like a damn wraith.

  ? “We’ll have to get him training under Fendel as soon as possible,” Bolton muttered quietly. “I wasn’t expecting him to change weapons so suddenly.”

  ? Veyra nodded her agreement, the movement rocking her slightly where she sat crouching on the edge of the wall. Bolton’s eyes flicked to her, but she came nowhere near falling. “I like the way he moves, but yeah. He’s gonna have to learn how to use that bow, and I’m not letting some random rogue teach him. He has to know how to use it in combat.”

  ? “Terrence could help him hone that stealth, too,” Bolton added, almost as an afterthought. “He was trained by Orren. I’m sure he’d be a good teacher.”

  ? At the mention of her lover’s student, Veyra’s smile turned into a full feral grin. She rather liked that idea. And Terrence having some potential backup for his more dangerous missions would be good. “Think of anyone he’d make a good party with?”

  ? That ?question appeared to stump Bolton for a few minutes. Of course, Veyra had already formed some thoughts in her mind. “Maybe Maven?”

  ? “Could be, could be,” she spoke noncommittally, but the girl had been on her mental list. Maybe this boy could get Maven to delve more often. She was getting annoyed with how slowly the librarian was progressing. Support staff or not, she was part of an Expedition Guild. She had to get stronger and get a lot more delving experience.

  ? Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her body tensed like a cat who’d spotted prey. But in reality, she’d just noticed a silver head of hair appearing on a rooftop several hundred meters away from the wall. Her feral grin returned with a force as she watched the boy dashing towards the outer edge, his pack bulging with new acquisitions. She’d known he would perform the challenge properly without attempting to cheat or fool her, but it was still good to see how much he’d gotten away with. Probably had to even leave some things behind, she thought to herself.

  ? “Damn,” a nearby guard muttered. She turned to see the sergeant approaching their position, his eyes also tracking Grim as he came closer. “He got into a dungeon and out in just two days?”

  ? “He’s the best of our new recruits,” Veyra said in a pleased hiss. She didn’t comment on the fact that she’d only noticed him when he was practically already out of the city, but the thought did give her another buzz of pleasure. Oh, how she loved watching a talented young delver. They always seemed so confident and skilled until she could sink her teeth into them.

  ? “Well, let’s get to the stairs to meet him,” she said, rising to her feet and moving along. “We’ve got a long trip ahead of us.”