The map hadn't lied. It took the better part of the morning, a fair share of minor cuts, and two accidental falls into thick brush, but I stood there at last, facing the ancient stone archway carved into the base of a craggy hill. Moss clung to its surface like a living shroud. Faded runes marked the top, worn by time but still faintly glowing as if acknowledging my arrival.
"Well, this is foreboding." I muttered, half expecting the stones to answer.
Kurokami circled the entrance, sniffing, tail stiff and hackles slightly raised. He didn't like this place.
"You're not alone, buddy. But hey, maybe there's treasure or at least a cool hat."
The wind whistled softly through the mouth of the dungeon, like the exhale of something long dead. I took a deep breath, tightened the straps on my chestplate, and stepped in. The air was thick, damp, and filled with the scent of mold and old earth. Our footsteps echoed as we walked slowly through the narrow, stone corridor. Cracks ran along the walls, and some of the bricks had collapsed into small piles. I held a torch in my left hand, my sword in the right. Kuro followed close, ears swiveling. After a while, the passage opened into a wider chamber. The torchlight danced across several alcoves and...
Clack.
The sound made every muscle in my body stiffen. From the shadows, movement. I stepped back, raising the torch high. Out from the alcoves emerged three skeletons, jagged and creaking, swords in their bony hands. Their skulls twisted in unnatural angles as they focused on me.
"Kuro... I think we found the welcoming party."
He growled low.
They came fast, faster than I expected. I blocked the first with the flat of my blade, sparks flying as bone met steel. Kuro lunged at the second, biting down on its leg and pulling with a violent twist. It toppled. The third skeleton came in with a wide swing. I ducked low and jabbed my sword forward, piercing through the gap in its ribs. It didn't flinch. Not like a living thing. It raised its blade again.
Wind.
I stepped back and threw my left arm forward, pushing with everything I had. A gust of air burst from my palm, slamming the skeleton into the far wall. Bones scattered. Kuro had already finished the second. I rushed the first one I'd knocked off balance, slashing upward through its ribcage. It fell apart with a hollow clatter. Three down. My heart pounded, my breath quick.
"Okay. That wasn't so bad..."
We moved deeper, the torchlight barely reaching the damp stone ahead. After passing another tight corridor, we entered a second chamber. A hallway split off from it. Along the walls, small arrow slits. My instincts screamed.
"Kuro, wait."
I squinted and saw it, a faint string across the floor. A tripwire.
"Classic." I muttered. "They really leaned into the whole medieval death dungeon aesthetic."
Carefully, I took a breath and pointed my palm at the wire. A gentle burst of wind, like a breeze from nowhere, lifted it up and off the hook, disarming it.
Click.
Arrows flew, but into empty air.
"Still got it." I whispered with a smug grin. Kuro barked once in amusement.
We pressed on. The third chamber was much larger. More ominous. At its far end stood a massive door, slightly ajar. We stepped through. The room beyond was silent. Too silent. The air felt thick, pressing against my skin. Then I saw it. A hulking skeleton, nearly seven feet tall, clad in blackened, ancient armor. A massive great axe in its hands, the blade chipped but still terrifying. Its eye sockets glowed an eerie red. It turned to face me.
"Of course there's a boss."
It moved faster than anything that size should. The axe came down in a wide arc. I rolled to the side, the impact cracking the floor where I had stood. Kuro dashed in, biting at its ankle. The beast kicked him aside with a hollow thud, but the distraction was enough. I slashed at its back, but my blade barely pierced the armor. It spun, axe sweeping horizontally. I ducked just in time.
"Okay! Plan B!"
I jumped back and focused. Wind surged through me. I pushed down hard with both hands. A burst of air exploded beneath me, sending me up. I landed on a ledge above and ran, gathering momentum. Kuro vanished into the shadows. The skeleton lumbered below. Then Kuro reappeared from the skeleton's own shadow, latching onto its shoulder and tearing at its bony neck.
"NOW!"
I jumped, using wind to launch myself again. Sword aimed downward. I came crashing down, full weight and momentum focused into the blade. It drove through the helmet, through the skull, and shattered the floor beneath with a bone-splitting crack.
Silence.
The skeleton collapsed, unmoving.
I panted, staring at it.
Then, pain.
"Gah!"
My left arm glowed again, the tattoo pulsing violently. The light grew, spread down over my ribs, spiraling like a second wave of runes. I fell to my knees. Kuro barked in panic. Then, it stopped. The glow faded. My skin stung, the ink now expanded across the left side of my torso.
I stood, still panting. "Well... that was dramatic."
A soft click echoed.
To the right of the room, a chest revealed itself, rising from the ground.
"You better not be a mimic." I warned as I approached.
I opened it. Inside: a sword.
Its blade was long, slightly curved, gleaming silver despite the dusty dungeon. The guard shaped like wings, the hilt wrapped in dark leather. An inscription ran along the flat of the blade in runes I didn't recognize.
"Shiny." I said. "And it's probably cursed."
I held it. It felt right. Balanced. Lighter than it looked. Kuro sniffed it and sneezed.
"That makes two of us."
I strapped it across my back.
"Time to head home, Kuro. We've earned it."
He barked once, proud. Together, we walked out of the dungeon. Bones behind us. Sunlight ahead.