Franco passed through the doors leading to the second floor of the dungeon, the same doors where he had deactivated the soul well trap the Minotaur’s had set centuries ago to contain the undead Lich that he had led bravely on a merry little chase no matter how much his team teased now about it.

  His group walked in silence. The only sound was the steady rhythm of their footsteps as they began the long descent. From other adventurers, Franco knew it would take nearly thirty minutes to reach the next floor.

  The stairwell was broad, at least twenty feet across and gently graded. The steps were comfortable for Kimber builds, which meant they were slightly shallow and close-set for most other species. The staircase ran in long flights, doubling back on itself repeatedly. Sometimes a stretch would continue far in one direction before sharply turning and descending again. Light orbs were placed along the walls, illuminating the entire stairwell in its steady white light.

  Franco used the time to think about what awaited them at the base of the stairs. A new start for a new adventure. He felt the excitement and the pull of Fate on him as he walked. They entered a large chamber once the stairs ended. Nearly twice as wide as the stairwell, the room and another set of open doors across from where they entered. The space resembled a staging area: tables, chairs, couches, and a staff in workstations all along the sides of the room where officials and adventurers talked in low voices.

  Franco recognized several Expedition officers and a few Gold and Silver ranked adventurers. He also spotted artifact specialists and Enchanters consulting with teams preparing for their assigned doors.

  He glanced at Oaken, who shrugged.

  “Looks like teams are getting expert help before opening their doors,” Oaken said. “Apparently each one is unique. The traps aren’t groundbreaking, but they’re well-made and still functional after all these centuries.”

  “Well, Joscelin ?” Franco asked.

  “Come in and grab a seat,” Joscelin replied. “I’ll speak to the shift boss before we select one of the remaining doors. It won’t take long.”

  While Joscelin handled the logistics, Faye turned to Taryn as their group moved out of the way of the stairwell and remained standing as they waited.

  “So, what do you think so far?” she asked.

  “Of what?” Taryn replied.

  “The Expedition? The dungeon? Being placed on a team like ours. It must be all so new.”

  Taryn adjusted her long brown braid before throwing it over her shoulder. “It is different, but not entirely. The Route is one of the great Minotaur tribes. We have several large cities and dozens of towns. Hundreds of thousands of Minotaurs. So we are organized if not like this” she said pointing out the room.

  “We are not so rich”

  Hundreds of thousands of Minotaurs down here in the deeps. “That many?” Franco asked.

  “At least,” she replied calmly. “We would likely establish a single checkpoint and approach the dungeon as a tribe, organized from my father downward. We would sell or trade slots to other tribes or peoples, especially on a level with one hundred doors as this one is said to have.”

  “And joining this team?” Faye pressed.

  “I hope to contribute to such a prestigious one.”

  “Prestigious?” Oaken waved a hand dismissively. “We’re not there yet.”

  “Soon,” Franco said. “Have you seen how the new arrivals look at us?”

  Faye smiled. “Once we conquer this floor like the last, we’ll all be famous.” She winked, partly joking.

  “Up,” Joscelin said as she returned. “We have one hour to walk the hall and select a door before the next group arrives. Let's move.”

  She led them towards two massive doors that stood open. Each stood eight feet wide and went to the ceiling nearly twenty feet above them.

  They were a foot thick, carved in intricate relief. The scenes depicted Kimbers fighting monsters, building cities, forging weapons at anvils. The pale white stone gave each door the appearance of ancient masterpieces of art, truly museum artifacts.

  Maph brushed his fingers across one as they passed. “Beautiful.”

  “They are,” Joscelin said.

  “The expedition is already receiving purchase offers.” Oaken said. “My father intends to keep one for a museum in Gemport. The other may go to royal royal collectors or maybe even to Abigail or The Nahmoi Empire.”

  Taryn looked surprised. “Other nations know about the dungeon?”

  “Of course,” Oaken said. “It's impossible to hide such a thing. The Adventurers Guild alone has invested tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of gold into this expedition. And it operates worldwide. Some call it a nation unto itself.”

  Faye added, “It’s one reason the Guild is tolerated everywhere. It keeps secrets, but compared to most powers, it’s transparent.”

  They entered a far larger chamber once they passed the stone doors. It was at least ten times the size of the last. Dozens of adventure teams stood before numbered doors. Some were roped off, already claimed.

  “As you can see,” Joscelin said, “red numbers are taken. Green are available. Split up. Walk the entire room. Meet back here in thirty minutes. Bring at least three choices.”

  Franco turned to Taryn. “Walk together?”

  She nodded and pointed right. As they moved, Franco continued their earlier conversation.

  “This expedition is already reshaping the world,” he said quietly. “Even the first floor yielded more Gold-rated artifacts than some minor nations possess in total. Faye’s family, for example”

  He paused in front of door 100, an arched wooden structure with three large multicolored gems embedded down its center. He felt nothing from it. Taryn shrugged. They moved on.

  “Faye’s Gold ranked bodyguard, who is probably around here stalking us” Franco said as he looked around.

  Taryn looked mildly surprised as she looked around the large room.

  “Well he killed a very well armed Undead abomination and a bunch of other stuff. Enough to claim dozens of artifacts many Gold rated. Enough to help elevate her minor noble house into a major one in Abigail. One of the founding human nations of this world and arguably the most powerful one currently ,” Franco continued.

  “The dungeon is changing the world and its power structures,” he said after a pause.

  They passed door 99, already claimed and open. They stopped to peer down the long stone hallway passed the door. They couldn't see the adventuring team that had claimed this door but Franco could make out a few deactivated traps by the markings left in the well let hallway.

  Franco looked to Taryn and they both shard a smile. This was fun. They continued on.

  “Armies are reportedly mobilizing,” Franco finally added. “But with the Guild and Gemport backing this, we’re shielded, for now.”

  At door 83, Franco felt a faint pull of Fate. Subtle. Significant, perhaps but distant.

  “How about this one?” he asked her.

  “Nothing much,” Taryn replied. Dismissing the door. This one was narrow. Only four feet wide but went all the way to the ceiling at least thirty feet above them. It was a black, almost obsidian like stone door.

  He noted it anyway. At door 77, Taryn paused longer. Franco felt something faint—unclear but present. He wrote it down.

  Then they reached door 74. It was a seamless slab of silver metal. Eight feet tall, five feet wide. No hinges. No markings.

  The pull of Fate struck him immediately. Strong and focused. It seemed to whisper to him of battle and treasure. It was his new Title, Conquistador: I know the way

  Taryn was clearly reacting as well to this door. He wondered what her Scout senses were telling her about the door.

  “This one,” Franco murmured.

  She nodded in agreement.

  The sensation wasn’t danger. It was… necessity. Success, perhaps. He recorded it as his top choice.

  They continued walking. Passing every door in this large room. Doors where teams had opened and were exploring and many more were a team sat or stood frustrated in front of it. He noted a few more before rejoining the others at the entrance.

  “Shorten your lists to your top three, and hand them over” Joscelin instructed.

  Franco marked door 74 first nothing had beaten that feeling. Door 39 second, a wooden door shaped like a tree that had seemed to pull on his Jade saber and finally door 83 third. Marking through the few others he had written down before he handed it over.

  Oaken took several minutes to finalize his list as he made several changes to it. After he finally handed it over Joscelin compiled the results. The team was silent while they waited.

  Franco turned to watch a nearby Gold ranked group working on Door 8. A Kimber mage stood fifteen feet from a star-shaped stone slab door that just slightly came off the wall. Symbols marked its center. She pulled a wand out from her belt and cast a spell he didn't recognize. One glyph flashed dark purple before dimming again. Behind her, a dwarf in heavy goggles recorded notes while the rest of the team sat on folding chairs around a folding table chatting. The the Kimber woman pulled another wand and tried a different spell which lit up a different glyph.

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  After several minutes, Joscelin stood.

  “That was straightforward,” she said.

  She held up the list.

  “Door 74 it is. First choice for Franco and Taryn. Second for Maph. Door 83 had three mentions also but ranked lower overall by the same three. Nothing else had more than two mentions."

  “74?, I didn’t feel anything from from that one.” Oaken said

  “You didn’t,” Joscelin confirmed. “You only matched Faye on door 42.”

  Oaken trilled in mock annoyance. “Three votes including our Scout and our God-touched. Good enough I guess”

  “And my wisdom counts for nothing?” Maph said, nudging him.

  “Ancient wisdom,” Oaken muttered. “From a meathead teenager.”

  Joscelin ignored them.

  “I’ll claim it with the shift boss. Head to the door but don’t touch it until I arrive.”

  They walked over to door 74 and stood back from it.

  “Alright what do we have here” Oaken said as he took out a notebook and a pencil. While his right upper arm pulled out a wand.

  “Well this was the door with the biggest pull from my Title. It speaks to me of battle and treasure. A strong sense of Fate and danger to be fair. Its very strange.” Franco said.

  “I sense less traps and this door sparks something in me. A hint of a memory that I have been chewing on since I saw it. Maybe Fate is pulling at me also stronger here but that I am unsure of.” Taryn added.

  “This one wasn't my first pick but it definitely stood out to me. Should I throwing something at it” Maph added.

  “No” everyone said at once.

  Maph raised his hands in defiance. “I was joking.

  “Well we might as well get comfortable” Faye said as she walked further back from the door and off to its left before she dropped her ruck.

  The rest of them followed her example and unloaded their day bags. All of them started to pull out anything that might help them. Adventuring sticks, rope, wands and a dozen other little items.

  “So what's the play here Oaken” Faye asked as she was the first one ready to go.

  “Your the one that attends the Scholria and probably took a few classes on this” Oaken grumbled.

  “So did Franco” Faye was quick to add.

  “Sure I did but well I’m clueless now” Franco said as he robbed his head. He left his helmet with his bag and ran his fingers through his finally lengthening hair.

  “We do the basics, as I’m sure you were taught. Start start with the spell Detect Magic and [Detect Traps] ability, from there we say some common passwords or trigger words in ancient Kimber. Then we poke it a lot and try magic from there. We can also try to bypass it but from the look at the many frustratedly stuck Gold teams I expect the stone around the door is much tougher to get through then the door itself.

  “And then we hit it a lot” Maph added, nodding slowly as if passing on ancient wisdom.

  “What do you think Taryn” Franco asked their new team member.

  “A sound strategy to me. My people would give it just a few days before we decided to just break it down. We have little patience with the things of the Old Masters.” She said.

  Oaken wrote something in his note book but nodded in agreement.

  “I feel the same. No need to try and play those bastards games. We give it a good try and then break it down, but from what I heard there has been something fragile but precious attached to the eight doors that have been successfully opened and the the ninth which was forcibly opened had something that they broke. A mana core the size of fist but was broken apart when they forced their way in.”

  “Maybe patience is needed then” Faye said but she didn't sound convinced.

  Oaken trilled. “No what's deeper in will be much more valuable I believe and getting a head start before the Golds and Silvers strip the second floor is needed I think.”

  “It seems getting through a door is mostly luck based, I hoped we picked well” Maph said looking at Franco and Taryn. He was still the tallest of the group.

  Skinny and young looking. Franco still found Maph’s elongated head and pointed ears off putting. He found his feelings towards elves strange and wondered what had happened in this past to make him have such deep rooted feelings.

  It took longer than they expected but Joseclin finally returned after an hour. With several stacks of papers in hand.

  “Reading material, just two copies and we have to return one by lunch but it's everything they have tried and figured out with other doors. I got a basic briefing but if anything gets past us without us warning them about it then we pay a fine but if we stay ahead of it and warn them then its covered.” She said.

  She handed a copy Oaken and Taryn who both sat and started to read them. Franco sat next to them and after Oaken finished the first page he handed it to him.

  Desanigh Dungeon

  Floor 2

  Entry Way Room of 100 Doors

  By order of the Expedition Leader, Gold ranked adventurer Helmric Finstrider this ongoing document contains all knowledge used to good effect in the opening of the doors and all methods of ill results as of this day the 23rd day September in the year 3993 of the New Era.

  Following that brief introduction was the doors that had so far been opened and what had works followed by what had not worked. The first page was a very detailed accounting of what had opened door 17. In fact Franco had to wait till he get the second page to see how the Gold ranked team, The Barrens had solved their door. The first group to do so. In the end it was a combination of the right tones in the right order. Thought to be the melody of what might have been a popular song at the fall of Desanigh. The next two pages was a brief summary of the thirty six other things they had tried before. From speaking words of ancient Kimber to dancing in front of the door to dozens of spells tired in dozens of combinations. The most interesting thing of note before he read about the second door that had been opened was that a Silver rated crafting material was their reward for opening the door that was valued at 4,500 gold. Franco wondered what it was.

  His team spent the next two hours reading the report and the thousands of ways other teams had opened but mostly failed to open their doors. By the end of it Franco had lost a lot of excitement.

  “We are going to be here for months and we are going to burn thousands of gold” Franco complained as soon as Faye had finished reading.

  “Stop that” Joseclin said before he could really get started.

  “I don't think he is that far off, love” Maph mummed next to her as he lay on the floor in defeat.

  Franco could see that Maph had also lost his excitement for this day.

  “Don't encourage each other but I hope you all noticed what I did” Joscelin said with a smile on her face as she stood up from where she was sitting.

  “What's that?” Maph asked.

  “None of the opened doors used the same method” Taryn said before Oaken could speak who was raising his hand to lecture them.

  “Exactly” Joscelin said.

  “That’s what I saw, It doesn't mean they won't repeat or that there isn't a larger pattern with the doors but its a decent decent number to show us that they are all probably unique.” Oaken added.

  “That doesn't feel right to me” Franco said scathing his head and looking for support among this team.

  Faye nodded at him in agreement. “Its really not enough yet to say that, it would almost be better to try the eight ways that worked to knock them out of the way first and then experiment first”

  “That's not a bad idea” Joscelin said

  “That's boring” Maph said at the same time.

  “Let me give a few things a try unless anyone detects a trap on it” Oaken said as he stood up. He was looking at Tayn who stood after him.

  “I would want to get closer but at ten feet away my [Detect Traps] ability did not find anything amiss with the door” She said in her low but still feminine voice.

  “Lets start with that then and give me an hour with it. I’ll talk through my thoughts before I try anything.” Oaken said. He looked around the group eager to get started.

  Joseclin scanned her team and when no one spoke against the idea she agreed to his plan. Oaken and Taryn approached the door for the first time and after detecting no traps with her skill around or in the door Oaken began.

  It was two days later when something changed.

  ****

  Someone kicked him awake.

  “Franco, get up,” Maph said.

  He opened his eyes to see the tall elf standing over him.

  “Whats up?” He asked as he sat up.

  He had fallen asleep with his head resting on his ruck. Sleeping on the ground while they tired to open their door.

  The room of a hundred doors he woke to was louder than at any time since they had gotten here as more and more low ranked teams got chances to pick a door and give it a try before they lost their spot to a Gold ranked team that was coming in the next caravan. Set to arrive in three days.

  “They need your flame spray” Maph said before turning and walking towards the rest of their group.

  He stood up and checked over this gear to make sure nothing had fallen out. With that done he walked over to this group just a few feet away as they stood in front of their silver metal door.

  It was no longer blank but had faint etchings covering most of it. Of salamanders, bats, elementals and what looked to be golems on it. With esoteric and geomatic symbols surrounding and entwined with the monsters.

  “What's going on” he asked as he joined them, his eyes still a little blurry until he noticed Oaken.

  The Kimber’s fur was almost all standing on end and his eyes were wild in fatigue and near mania. His two larger arms hands were going back in forth as he was wringing them in nervous energy as his smaller more dextrous arm held a piece of a paper.

  “I have it, I have it. Its so simple its gong to work” Oaken said to himself.

  “I think it will but we must control our expectations” Taryn said standing near him. Her arms were crossed and she had a frustrated look on her face. Her nostrils were flayed by her emotions.

  “What's going on?” Franco asked again. He was getting frustrated by them ignoring him.

  Joscelin walked up next to him as they stood just a few feet in front of the door.

  “Oaken thinks he figured it out and if so it's going to be simple. Since it took certain magics to get all the etchings to appear he thinks its just those four in the right order on the right monster.” She explained.

  “Really” that seemed so simple to him but that's looking at it now.

  “Wait, so me just hitting the door with my Soul Lance spell was that big of a break through” Franco smiled. He had done that out of boredom that first day after Oaken and Taryn and spent hours trying to get the door to respond to anything.

  “Yes, you stupid lucky idiot” Oaken said as if he just noticed him.

  “Alright then, let's do this and prove your genius, and Franco’s luck” Joscelin said to the frazzled Kimber.

  “Yes, yes let's do this.” Oaken said a wide Kimber smile on his bill.

  “Franco you will use your Flame Spray wand on the salamander etched into the door and only that. I will then use a Wind Blast wand on the bat and then a very expensive wand of Mental Blast on the elemental followed by you casting a Soul Lance on the golem.” Oaken said as he steeped closer to the door now just two feet away from him.

  “Stand back and watch as I open the 10th door!”

  Franco looked at Joscelin who just rolled her eyes but smiled. Then he looked over the rest of this team. Faye was giving him a big smile and two thumbs up while staying back twenty feet. With Maph next to her looking board. Finally as he stepped next to Oaken he looked over his shoulder and got a nod from Taryn. So this might actually work then he thought. He started to get excited.

  He pulled his Flame Spray wand and held it in his left hand while he drew his Jade Saber in his right.

  Looking at Oaken his friend nodded his readiness and then Franco leaned closer putting the tip of the wand just six inches away from the etched drawing of the salamander and activated the wand letting the cone of fire wash over the etching for two seconds before ending it and moving back slightly.

  Oaken moved quickly as soon as he was done and hit the bat with the wind wand and then the elemental with the mental attack wand. Taking no more than five seconds.

  Casting through this saber he hit the large etched figure of the humanoid golem with his Soul Lance spell. Aiming it so that only an inch of the tip of the lance touched the golem in its body.

  The door flashed a myriad of colors before a loud pop echoed through the room. Franco grabbed Oaken and forced them both back several feet. He keep the Flame Spray wand and his saber up and ready for a fight as dust and a rush of hot air blow from the door that had moved back into the hallway behind it and was now sliding to the right. Disappearing into a grove made for it.

  “By the real God it worked” Faye shouted as she got near with a wand in each hand.

  “Stay back, keep him back Franco” Joscelin yelled.

  Franco grabbed Oaken was as straining to get a better look and through him behind himself. He then stepped forward and was soon joined by Maph who had his sword and shield out.

  They waited a few seconds for the dust to clear before the hallway in front of them became clear. There was some dungeon moss in it giving it some light but what they found was a hallway made up of small regular and worked stones. Like one would find in a castle or mason wall with stone walls and a stone ceiling. It was wider than the door by a few feet. At least ten fight wide and fifteen feet tall and it made goosebumps appear on his body. It screamed of traps and danger.

  “What's that on the ground?” Oaken said, pointing to the ground where the door had been. Joscelin was holding on to his shoulder holding him back.

  “Looks like a good size fire crystal” a woman's voice said from behind him.

  “These damn lucky Bronze ranked rookies” a gruff male voice said loudly.

  Franco took a peak behind himself to see that most of the adventures and Expedition staff and come over to look and most of the Gold ranked adventures looked mad.

  “Fucking Fate touched basterds” an older and scary looking human man said from the forming group.

  “No luck needed, it's Helmric’s boys team again.” A gruff Kimber man said.

  The Expedition shift boss stepped forward and made the crowd back up before he turned to face Franco and his team.

  “Stone Eaters, congratulations on opening the 10th door and the first Bronze ranked team to do so but don't even think about exploring that hallway yet. Captain Joscelin I need you to fill out a report on how you opened the door while it's fresh and we are going to set up some protective wards on this side of the door to help protect the rest of us. Figure out if you need anything else because you can't leave for your beds until at least the first hundred feet is clear and we can put up some wards in the hallway itself.” The shift boss said folding his two larger Kimber arms together as he pointed with his third arm at them.

  Joscelin sighed and looked to her group.

  “Taryn get a good look at the first few feet but don’t enter until I get back. Have a plan for the first hundred feet and picking up that fire crystal. I don't want to be here more than a day. Come on Oaken you get to fill out the form explaining your genesis with me.” She said as she dragged the frazzled but still excited Kimber with her.

  Franco looked over to Maph. “Grab the folding chairs, it might be while” He said.

  Maph sheathed his sword and went to get them all some chairs to set on but Franco couldn't help but smile as Taryn and Faye joined him. He could feel the pull of Fate even clearer now and he knew things would only get more intense from this point on.