Lucan Ferrow opened the door.
No words were exchanged. Just a scroll with the Prince's personal seal.
Moments later, in the south wing of the barracks, Ferrow's unit gathered in the debriefing chamber—small, windowless, and warded for silence. Four figures stood beside him, all dressed in travel-worn leather and muted grays.
"Orders just came down."
—Lucan Ferrow
He placed the opened scroll on the stone table. Ink was still fresh. The Crown's sigil bled faintly into the parchment.
"We're to deploy immediately to a suspected created dungeon. West shaft, central vault range. No engagement. Strict recon."
—Lucan Ferrow
He glanced to each of them in turn.
Selis: Trap master, already half in the room's corners.
Darin: Stealth, eyes pale with silent reading.
Merrin: Trap master, fingers twitching at the thought of layered seals.
Luna: Arcane Control, shortest of them, but the one who never flinched.
"Mission scope is fourfold," Ferrow continued. "First: identify the boss type. If it's forming a core intelligence or already has one."
"Second: beast assessment—numbers, behavior, hierarchy if visible."
"Third: map active trap paths, magical or otherwise. Avoid triggering at all costs."
"Fourth: estimate the dungeon level. Guildmaster flagged it as potential Level 6 or rising."
"Under no condition are we to engage, distract, or test hostiles. This is eyes-only."
—Lucan Ferrow
Selis's voice came, low and calm.
Any time limit?
—Selis
"Seventy-two hours. After that, the main force moves in—whether we've returned or not."
—Lucan Ferrow
No one questioned it.
Ferrow nodded once.
"Gear light. Move in an hour. No second brief. We won't get another look at this one."
—Lucan Ferrow
Yessir
—Lucan's unit
—————————————
The wind was dead by the time they reached the breach.
The west side of dungeon loomed before them—once a natural mine vein, now warped by mana saturation. The stone sweated, warm and veined with faint glow lines. No birds. No insects. No sound but their own
Ferrow gave the hand signal.
Split.
Selis and Darin moved left, vanishing into the ridge folds. Ferrow and Merrin took the right flank, slipping down through a fractured ledge that bypassed the upper lip of the dungeon's external structure.Luna will staying front gate of dungeon, detecting any mana disturbances,mana level and density.
Time: 22:43 local. Entry silent. No magical resistance.
---
[Pair One: Selis & Darin]
They moved without words. Selis layered veils along their path—strands of shadow drawn tight over stone. Darin crouched near the ground, one gloved hand brushing the dirt. His eyes went cloudy white as his bloodline sense activated.
He halted.
"Residual trails. Not standard beast formation. Clustered, tight pattern—like guard rotations."
—Darin (whispered)
Selis flicked two fingers—acknowledged.
They continued deeper, turning past a wall of fungus growth. Below them, in a hollow basin, several creatures stirred—thin, long-limbed, with exposed ribs and segmented claws.
"Six visible. Breathers. Sleeper state. No hunger twitch."
—Selis
"Behavior suggests discipline. Alpha strain likely present."
—Darin
---
[Pair Two: Ferrow & Merrin]
Ferrow's path took them along the upper lattice—an old mining walkway half-consumed by the dungeon's growth. Beneath them, mana patterns flickered faintly in the stone.
"Those aren't defensive."
—Merrin (muttering)
> "Trap grid?"
—Ferrow
"Worse. Layered arcanodynamics—something's learning from our formations. These trap adapting."
—Merrin
Ferrow paused. Up ahead, past a shallow drop, stood a gate—metal twisted with bone and root. Behind it, something massive breathed slow and steady.
"We found the core chamber. Boss presence confirmed. Not active. Breather class."
—Ferrow (quiet, steady)
"Mana density's pushing into Level 7 margins."
—Luna
---
[Camp: 03:18 local]
They regrouped in silence at the cliffside camp, a lean-to of shadow and netting. A single lantern glowed under blue veilcloth.
Ferrow laid out their notes—quick diagrams, creature sketches, trap traces, mana patterns.
Selis dropped a claw fragment on the table. Still pulsing.
"Discipline structure. Guard patterns and rotation. Possible intelligent boss."
—Selis
"Boss chamber is forming but incomplete. Adaptive traps suggest real-time learning. Not just created. It's evolving."
—Merrin
Ferrow looked to the western horizon. The first light of dawn barely crept in over the mountains.
"We take this to the prince. Now."
—Lucan Ferrow