The torches appeared first as flickering orange lights glowed through the upper tunnels like slow-moving fireflies.
CLINK... CLANG...
Twenty adventurers moved carefully through the entrance corridor.
And unlike the first raid, these men and women were not laughing as their leader raised his hand.
"Slow."
The group stopped instantly.
The tall knight stepped forward, studying the tunnel floor. Bloodstains marked the stone where the first party had died.
He crouched as his finger brushed a dried smear of crimson colored blood.
"Battle happened here."
A robed mage adjusted his glasses and knelt beside him.
"Monsters?"
The knight shook his head slowly.
"No. Not just monsters. But something else and more than that."
He said that while pointing toward the wall.
A deep claw mark cut across the stone.
"Wolves."
Another adventurer frowned.
"Wolves alone can't wipe out a full party."
"They can", the knight replied calmly, "if the party is careless."
The mage studied the tunnel ahead. The mana in the air felt strange.
"Something about this dungeon feels… strange."
One of the younger adventurers laughed nervously.
"Pfft... It's just a goblin nest. Relax."
The knight stood.
"Prepare yourselves."
The group quickly gathered around him.
The shields followed and were placed directly in front of the spears. And the mages stayed in the middle. A compact and disciplined formation.
"March."
They moved further inside.
Hidden in the canyon's depths, the dungeon core tracked the cold energy radiating from the mages as they descended.
It sensed them as soon as they were within its reach.
Twenty life signatures who were strongly organized, making them dangerous.
The dungeon was sending its sense through all the tunnels accessible to it, narrow passageways, dark chambers, and also through the cavern where the first battle had taken place.
The wolves sensed the humans first.
GRRR...
Not far away, the goblins heard the signal given by the wolves.
Three goblins rushed toward the Goblin Fighter who was still standing near a crumbling pillar with the stolen sword.
The Goblin Fighter was slightly farther back away from the entrance to the tunnel and was scanning for the signature of the first in line to enter first.
The dungeon sent a signal.
Danger.
The Goblin Fighter froze for a second, and then he grinned.
"Humans."
One goblin trembled.
"Many?"
The Goblin Fighter sniffed the air.
"Many."
He raised the sword.
"Hide."
The goblins immediately scrambled toward the shadows.
Above them, narrow stone shelves stretched across the cavern ceiling making them perfect ambush points.
The Goblin Fighter pointed upward.
"Climb."
"Again?" one goblin complained.
The Goblin Fighter smacked him.
THWACK...
"Climb!"
The goblins scrambled up the rock wall.
Nearby, wolves slipped silently into the darkness.
They moved like shadows while circling and waiting.
The dungeon watched everything and sent small signals through the mana network.
For Wolves - 'Circle.'
For Goblins - 'Wait.'
The monsters obeyed instinctively.
Meanwhile, the second raid reached the first cavern.
The knight raised his hand again.
"Stop."
Light spilled across the chamber floor as the torches were lifted.
Dozens of bodies were laying around as corpses of the first raid.
One adventurer swore.
"Gods…"
Another knelt beside a body.
"Throat was torn out."
The mage examined a goblin corpse nearby.
His eyes narrowed.
"This doesn't make any sense."
The knight looked at him.
"What do you mean? Explain."
The mage pointed upward.
"Look over there."
Everyone followed his gaze towards the ceiling full of narrow shelves.
The knight's expression hardened.
"Shields up. Prepare for ambush."
CLANG...
Metal shields locked together instantly creating a defensive wall.
"Someone's watching us", the knight said quietly.
High above them, three goblins froze.
One whispered.
"They know?"
The Goblin Fighter shook his head.
"No."
The dungeon sent a new signal.
'Wait.'
The monsters held their positions.
Below, the mage studied the canyon again.
"Sir… goblins don't do this."
The knight's voice remained calm.
"Do what?"
"Ambush positioning."
He pointed toward the wolves' tracks.
"They brought the first party into this chamber."
A chill passed through the group.
"Tsk... Monsters don't have the brains to plan", someone muttered.
The mage wasn't convinced.
"Maybe something is controlling them."
The knight slowly drew his sword.
SHING...
"Good," he said.
"If something is controlling them…"
His eyes scanned the darkness.
"Then we will just kill that too."
The dungeon felt something new.
Anger.
These humans were not like the first group.
They were careful and observant, making them dangerous opponents.
The dungeon signaled the wolves through its mana threads.
'Strike.'
A wolf launched itself from the darkness, slamming into the rear of the formation.
"Behind us!"
Another wolf lunged from the side.
Teeth snapped.
An adventurer screamed.
AHHHH....
A sword split the wolf's skull.
SLASH...
But another wolf tackled a mage.
"GET IT OFF!"
Chaos erupted.
"Hold your formation!" the knight roared.
Above them, the Goblin Fighter grinned.
"Now."
Three goblins dropped from the ceiling.
SCREECH!
Daggers stabbed wildly.
"Goblins!"
One adventurer kicked a goblin away, but another stabbed his leg.
The wolves attacked again.
The formation began to break as the dungeon watched carefully while learning and analyzing.
One figure stood out among the monsters.
The Goblin Fighter.
He didn't rush blindly.
He moved between wolves and goblins, directing them with sharp gestures.
"Left!"
A wolf attacked where he pointed.
"Up!"
A goblin climbed and dropped again.
The dungeon focused on him.
This creature was different.
It wasn't just strong, but also smart and loyal.
The mana threads around him glowed brighter.
For the first time, the dungeon formed something new.
A word...
A name...
It pushed the name into the Goblin Fighter's mind.
'Ruk.'
The goblin stopped mid-motion.
"Ruk?"
The name rang inside his head, giving a warm and powerful feeling of belonging.
The dungeon repeated it.
Ruk.
The goblin's chest swelled.
"Ruk!"
He slammed the sword against a shield.
"RUK FIGHT!"
The goblins cheered.
"RUK!"
"RUK!"
The wolves howled.
Below them, the knight cut down another wolf.
But his eyes narrowed.
"Did that goblin just…"
The mage whispered.
"…give an order?"
Ruk pointed toward the rear flank.
"Wolves! Bite!"
The wolves attacked again.
The adventurers line broke.
"Everyone fall back!" someone shouted.
The knight stepped forward, sword blazing with aura.
He cut down a charging wolf in one strike. Then he looked straight at Ruk.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, both sides understood something.
This was not an ordinary dungeon.
And that was not an ordinary goblin.
The knight raised his sword pointing towards the goblin fighter (Ruk).
"Kill that one goblin. And everything will be over."
Ruk grinned.
"Humans come."
He raised the blade.
"RUK READY."
Deep beneath the battlefield, the dungeon core glowed brighter as the war had truly begun.