“We have a problem,” Heath announced.

  They were eating dinner, Ekaterina joining them at his request. Though dinner might have been pushing it. Rations reconstituted with water into what could only technically be described as a stew did not a satisfying meal make.

  “What kind of problem?” Copperfield was already finished, the pirate having learned a long time ago how to get through an unpalatable meal. He was tinkering with a piece of his mech suit while the rest forced down the food.

  “Winter’s Fury is the name of the planet, but it’s not because the planet is icy. It’s because each dungeon is near one of the poles, and has some sort of cold theme.”

  The Loon helpfully displayed the public information for their next dungeon.

  Frost Caves - Rank 1 Dungeon

  Recommended levels: 4 entrant teams at level 25-30

  Environment: Arctic

  Challenge: Monsters, Environmental

  Challenge Subtype: N/a

  “And?” Ekaterina asked.

  “And you see the challenge is environmental, right? That means we need cold-weather gear.”

  “You’re saying you called us here to tell us you don’t own a coat?”

  Heath grit his teeth to avoid saying something he might regret. “Do you? It’s not standard gear for a Spacer.”

  The noble sniffed. “My cloak has enchantments to maintain temperature consistency.”

  “Right. Well those of us without noble houses need some extra gear. I propose selling some of our loot from the Forest Path, enough to buy what we need. Any objections?”

  None were forthcoming. He had half expected Ekaterina to demand it be taken out of the other’s shares, but even she appeared able to read the room. Not that the credits would mean much to someone who had gear that was enchanted for comfort.

  The conversation turned then into what they would sell. Avoiding any more complicated decisions, they looked up what would be most profitable on Winter’s Fury. A few well-insulated coats and boot clamps later, they were ready to go.

  Since the dungeons this time were planetside, the controlling guilds were less constricted for space, and they were allowed to use an actual waiting room. Or perhaps this guild didn’t like the aesthetics of a group of spacers loitering in the lobby.

  “One more time,” Heath said, “let’s go over the changes. I’ve gotten better at all my combat Skills from that last delve, and [Shield] will be coming more quickly. My job is to call the shots and figure out when it’s most useful. Copperfield?”

  “Same for the most part. Forest Path pushed me over the edge for level 25, so I have a shiny new toy to play with. Picked up [Empowered Slash]. Should make it easier to cut through something tough or work as a finisher. JM?”

  “I went up 4 levels. Enough for another Skill. I went with [Perception Aura] which isn’t, strictly speaking, a combat Skill. But! It will still be useful. My [Sharpshooter] also went up two notches after the last dungeon so I’ll still keep up there. Emerald?”

  “No changes for me, kid. Noble bi–?”

  “Emerald!”

  “Althalas?” Emerald grunted out.

  “I was also able to get a new Skill. As I know the Rim does not value education in the foundational Classes, that means a new school of magic, focused on the earth element. However I have not had enough time to practice. Nonetheless, in an arctic cave environment I expect there to be enough material to work with.”

  “Okay. We’ve practiced, we’re ready. Let’s do this.”

  “Woohoo,” Jenny Mae cheered while the rest stood up.

  Heath cleared his throat. “I mean let’s do this in another hour and a half when our slot is up.”

  They grumbled and sat back down. At least this guild wasn’t quite as bad as the Forest Path Association. It was only taking 10% of their profits this delve. Heath thought it had something to do with the presence of a second rank-one dungeon on the opposite side of the planet. With how sparse the population was, that still wasn’t an easy trip for a low level classer. But it was a hell of a lot easier than getting off-planet.

  With nothing else to do, Heath patted himself down one more time. He had two lengths of rope, one tied like a thick belt around his torso, the other secured over one shoulder. The gear would have been wildly uncomfortable but Copperfield had convinced him to spring for the regulating coats over the pure-insulating options. His second most popular decision as Captain, only behind the jump dampeners for the Loon. Instead of sweltering in the waiting room, or having to fully unpack and then regear when it was their turn, the whole crew was able to wait comfortably.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  In the coat pockets, Heath had stuffed what felt like half the Loon’s supplies. Medpacks, food and water, a cargo strap that would secure any couple of things together at need, and their lucky charm. Ekaterina had been spitting mad when she saw he was bringing it with them, but he would take any advantage, imaginary or otherwise. There was also an added bonus of making sure she couldn’t somehow steal it, but Heath kept that to himself. Trust was earned.

  He’d had a full week to stew between delves on how unprepared he had been, and how lucky. That none of them were seriously injured was due more to the easy nature of the dungeon than any of their own skills. This time he would be ready for anything.

  Their turn came around, and Heath stopped at the door, Jenny Mae prodding him in the back to continue. It was the exact same room. Stuffed full of sensors surrounding the disturbing reality of a dungeon entrance. Even the bored guild attendant, reading through the liability and reward split waiver could have been a member of the FPA, if not for the different uniform, this one a blinding white, with a blue logo embossed on the shoulder.

  “You understand?”

  “Yes,” Heath answered.

  Then they once more walked through a tear in reality and vanished.

  ***********

  The first thing he noticed was the smell, as he doubled over and forced himself not to vomit. “What the fuck is that?”

  The rotting fish stench was so strong he could feel it on his tongue. He gagged again.

  “Sucks to be relying on the flesh bags for a delve,” Copperfield said.

  Retaliation amongst the crew wasn’t wise for a Captain, but Heath briefly considered assigning the former pirate to extra chores for the sass. But it was only a passing thought. He would say the exact same thing if he had a nice air filter right about now. And their tank was doing his job and surveying the area while the rest of them recovered.

  “Form up.” Heath said when he had recovered from the shock. With his nose acclimating, he was able to take in the rest of the dungeon. Not that there was much to see. It was a dank cave, with torches lining the walls and flickering in colors ranging from orange to green. The combined result was no kinder on his senses than the stench. The sound of dripping water was the only noise he could pick up, though the source remained a mystery. And it was frigid. He felt the wires sewn into enchantments in his coat, gloves, and socks kick in to keep his extremities safe from the damage accrued just by existing in the dungeon.

  His mom was a Seamstress. Maybe if he got around to visiting soon he could ask for some more all-purpose outfits.

  Getting in formation was smoother this time. And faster. A few practice sessions did not make a professional delving unit, but he could see the path to get there, far, far in the distance.

  At his signal, they started forward.

  A loud crack echoed through the cave, not ten yards later. Heath’s head whipped around, a tug on his senses from Jenny Mae’s [Perception Aura] indicating danger.

  Emerald got there first, grabbing his arm and dragging him and Jenny Mae off to the side just as an icicle bigger than Heath smashed into the floor. Right where he’d been standing. The shards all flew away, Ekaterina’s glowing staff a light blue this time as she manipulated the water in the ice.

  “Environmental challenges,” Heath said aloud into the sudden stillness.

  He turned on the light sewn into the shoulder of his coat, and tipped it back to get a better look at the ceiling. Icicles shimmered at uneven intervals. Each a potential trap, or nothing at all to worry about.

  “Ekaterina, any chance you can get rid of those before they drop?”

  “Only if you wish me to be out of mana before the monsters show up. I’ve neither the reserves nor the mastery of water and ice to accomplish such a task.” Even when admitting her own limitations, the Wizard managed to make Heath feel like an idiot.

  “Nothing for it then but to pay attention. Jenny Mae, you focus on keeping an eye out on the ground, Emerald, pay attention to those and make sure if another falls we’re all out of the way in time.”

  Grunted assents and a flashlight continuously pointed towards the ceiling followed.

  The whole group made it another few dozen yards, when screeching heralded the next challenge.

  “Steady,” Heath called. “Get ready for them.”

  “Up top!” Emerald shouted a moment later.

  Heath’s eyes and pistol followed, to find a flock of bats flooding the cave. Not the cute kind. These were each the size of a rabbit, with sharp teeth and glowing red eyes.

  The party let loose. Shots darted into the flock from Jenny Mae and Heath’s guns, followed by the thuds of two carcasses hitting the ground. A fireball took out two more, and Heath noticed a ghostly hand appear and hurl one towards the floor of the cavern, where it struck with a squelch.

  Heath had readied for another shot, but the flock was already gone, disappearing into hidden openings behind the ice and stalactites.

  “I don’t think those were monsters,” Jenny Mae said.

  “Thank the gods for that. I’ve got fuck all over distance,” Copperfield had been dutifully guarding the rest of them, but a sword was not going to reach flying monsters.

  “Everything in a dungeon is a monster. Some are simply part of the ecosystem, rather than intended as a challenge,” Ekaterina pointed out.

  “We should probably try not to shoot up that way again anyway,” Heath said. “We’ll just drop the ice on ourselves. Let’s keep going.”

  The cave ended in a tunnel, which they entered in their standard order. Copperfield, then Heath with [Shield] ready, Jenny Mae, Emerald, and Ekaterina with her distance casting and superior gear guarding their backs.

  At the first bend, Heath heard voices in the distance. For a wild moment, he thought there must be another delving team that slipped into their slot. A moment later he realized his mistake. They were the only people in here. He gave thanks to Jenny Mae, Ralagan, and whoever the hell wrote the Imperial Guide to Classes, that his Administrator had picked up a perception skill that worked on the whole team.

  “Ice Goblins, like we expected. They’re smart, but like a pack of dogs, not like people,” Heath whispered. It was more to remind himself than anything else. Monsters with faces were nobody’s favorite.

  “Just like we planned. We go in hot then turtle up. Copperfield takes the brunt of the wave, we slow down the tide, make sure he doesn’t get overwhelmed. If things look bad, Ekaterina, you let loose whatever area of effect you have and we retreat.”

  “Ready?”

  “Hells yeah, let’s go!”

  Coppefield stormed ahead, and the others followed. No need for stealth when they wanted everything on the other side to notice.

  Heath fired as soon as he was around the bend. Aiming didn’t matter when the monsters were packed together in a wall of danger and seething flesh.

  There was no more time to think. The fastest goblins had already reached Copperfield. The Swashbuckler laughed as he cut them down. The dungeon guide had been specific. The challenge was one of quantity, not quality when it came to these monsters. Perfect for Copperfield in his armor. They would find bigger and bigger masses of feral monsters until they were overwhelmed.

  Heath kept shooting. It wasn’t a test of his [Marksmanship] skill, but that wasn’t his role here. Next to him, Jenny Mae had knelt for a better angle. Her rate of fire was slower than Heath’s but each shot killed at least one of the monsters, and most hit two or three. Emerald was shooting as well, but Ekaterina held off. That was part of their master plan, such as it was. With the challenge increasing, they were saving her spells for when they would have the biggest impact.

  And these were monsters in truth. No more cute-but-deadly forest creatures for them. The goblins screamed while they fought, fangs too big for their mouths flashing in the light as they threw themselves forward. Knobby turquoise skin covered bony frames, marred with scratches and dirt, along with the occasional patch of stark white hair. But it was the eyes that Heath found most unsettling. There were no irises and no whites. Just black pits boiling with unslakeable rage.

  When the wave ended, Heath looked around. Copperfield was still in his mech, which was now dripping in dark blue goblin blood and guts. He gagged, the stench only got worse when they were dead.

  A water bottle appeared in front of him and Heath snatched it and chugged a third before he had calmed down. Looking over he was surprised to see Ekaterina the one who had handed it over. A quick nod of thanks was all he had time for to get back in position.

  Aetherized argo seeped into their bodies, but it was nothing like the overwhelming rush after they defeated the bear in his first dungeon. It was going to be a long day if they wanted to match that feat.

  After a quick search they found no loot worth keeping in the goblin village, and they were once more off down the tunnels.