They followed the alleyway past the food carts, the narrow corridor cutting cleanly through the city's bustle. The shortcut to the guild hall was quieter than the main road, but not silent. Distant vendors still shouted. Steel still rang somewhere beyond brick walls. Life continued, indifferent.
"Think they'll have any exciting quests?" Mira asked, practically bouncing as she walked. "I can't wait to get back into that dungeon."
Jax adjusted the strap of his satchel. "We still have a few days before the next dive. At most, they'll have a fetch quest or a poor farmer needing help clearing out pests."
"As long as I get to wipe out some monsters, I'll be happy."
That word again.
Monsters.
He did not answer.
They entered the guild hall and the air shifted immediately. Conversations were quieter than usual. More glances lingered. Fewer laughs.
They headed toward the job board, but the receptionist stepped in front of them before they could reach it.
"I'm so glad you two showed up," she said quickly. Too quickly. "The guild master needs to speak with you urgently."
She hesitated.
"Those black rods weren't normal."
Jax felt his stomach drop.
He had known something was wrong. But being summoned to the back rooms of the guild meant this was no longer just a strange encounter. It was a report. A matter of record. Authority.
His steps slowed despite himself.
"Please, follow me," the receptionist said, already turning away.
"I'm scared, Mira," Jax muttered under his breath. "Authority makes my skin crawl. It's like all I feel is their judgment."
"You've got this," she said immediately. "You're the one who made the call in there. You were right." She nudged his arm. "That was harder than talking to some old men with titles."
Old men with titles.
He wished he believed that.
They were led deeper into the guild hall, past the open training space, past the archive room, toward a door tucked in the far rear. Thick wood. Iron bands. Private.
As they approached, raised voices spilled through the crack beneath it.
"They can't be coming back," one voice snapped.
"They don't exist. It's only a myth," another argued.
"Then where do you think myths come from?"
Silence fell the moment the receptionist knocked and opened the door.
Every face turned toward them.
Alert.
Measured.
Afraid.
"Have a seat," a broad shouldered man said from behind the long table. His voice was calm, but his fingers were white against the wood.
Jax and Mira sat.
"Black rods," the man said. "Explain."
"Y-yeah," Jax began. His mouth felt dry. "They were embedded in the hobgoblin's back. Like stakes. They were emitting some kind of black aura."
"That's not possible," a woman to their right snapped immediately.
"Let the boy finish," the large man said without raising his voice.
Jax swallowed. "It wasn't just that. The hobgoblin was massive. Far above what should appear on the second floor."
That statement changed the room.
Posture shifted.
Hands stilled.
The smaller man at the far end leaned forward, fingers steepled beneath his chin.
"Is that enough for you to understand," he said quietly to the others, "that we may not be discussing folklore anymore?"
The large man exhaled slowly. "We believe you may have stumbled onto something very dangerous. When the next dive happens in two days, we have a team prepared to descend ahead of you."
"So it's not normal," Mira cut in immediately. "What is going on."
The large man hesitated.
"The dungeon has been showing signs of weakening."
Arthur, someone muttered.
"Arthur, are you certain you should be saying this in front of fledgling adventurers?" the man on the left asked sharply.
Arthur did not look away from Jax. "The only reason we have this information is thanks to them. Thanks to that stubborn girl over there."
Mira shot him a glare. "Who are you calling stubborn."
Arthur allowed himself a brief chuckle. "Tenacious, then. Thanks to your tenacity, we have confirmation."
"Confirmation of what," Jax pressed quietly. "Please. I need to understand what I saw."
Arthur folded his hands.
"There is a myth passed down from generation to generation. One where demons, monsters, and entities beyond classification roamed the earth openly."
The room was silent.
"In those accounts, the creatures that walked the land bore black pillars embedded within them. Anchors, according to the texts. Tethers. Binding them to something greater."
Elijah spoke next, voice low. "The pillars were said to stabilize divine and demonic entities in the mortal plane. Without them, they could not fully manifest."
Mira frowned. "So you are saying Jax's report is some kind of prophecy."
"Not prophecy," Elijah corrected. "Law. The old stories describe patterns. Cycles."
Arthur continued. "In those myths, the pillars appeared shortly before great upheaval. Entire regions fell. Kingdoms collapsed. Monsters rose beyond their natural tier."
Jax felt his hands go cold.
"The last collapse wasn't that long ago," Arthur added. "We are still rebuilding."
"Wait," Mira said sharply. "Other reports. You mentioned others. How many."
Arthur's silence answered her before his words did.
"Three confirmed sightings," Elijah admitted. "All deeper floors. Yours is the first so close to the surface."
"And you waited," Mira said, irritation rising.
"We observed," Arthur corrected gently. "Panic destabilizes faster than monsters."
Mira leaned back in her chair, jaw tight.
"So what now."
"You continue exploring," Arthur said. "As normal. Train. Take field assignments. Grow stronger."
"That's it?" Jax asked.
"For now," Elijah said. "If this is what we suspect, rushing blindly will only accelerate what is already in motion."
"And what do you suspect," Jax pressed.
Arthur met his eyes fully.
"That the dungeon is no longer self contained."
The words settled heavy.
"You are dismissed," Arthur said finally. "And do not speak of this openly."
They were escorted out.
The receptionist walked slightly ahead of them.
"You two know I can hear you whispering," she said without turning around. "Do not cause trouble for Arthur. Doing so would have direct implications on your status as adventurers."
"We weren't," Jax said automatically.
They stepped back into the central guild hall. Noise resumed. Life resumed.
The quest board stood crowded with parchment. Dangerous requests. Mundane errands. Bounties. Escorts.
Normal work.
Jax stared at it longer than usual.
"If we don't work, we don't eat," he said finally. "We also don't buy flaming swords if we don't work."
Mira's ear perked up despite herself.
He pulled a sheet free.
"This one will do. Close. Decent pay."
They accepted the quest.
They ate dinner that night in relative quiet.
Mira fell asleep quickly.
Jax did not.
He stared at the ceiling, Arthur's words replaying.
The dungeon is no longer self contained.
He wondered if that meant it was breaking.
Or if something was trying to get out.
Beside him, Mira slept peacefully.
He wondered how long that would last.