Any possible chance that the Dungeon was the same was quashed the moment they stepped inside.

  Gone were the tight caves, heated rocks and oppressive atmosphere of the previous Dungeon. Now, they were standing in what Jake would almost call something close to the perfect afternoon.

  There was a gentle breeze coming from behind them and the sun was bright in the sky, highlighting the golden fields of wheat that lined either side of the trail ahead of them.

  Even the smell was relaxing, and Jake felt his guard slipping as he lifted his face to the sun and took a moment to appreciate the warmth of it.

  “Well. This is different,” Nepthys said, eyeing the wheat fields around them with wide eyes. “It all looks so calm, so relaxing. I feel like I should be more suspicious.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean,” Jake said, running a hand through his hair before shaking his head and focusing. “Alright, let’s get a grip and see what we’re dealing with here.”

  Shrugging off the oddly relaxing scene, they started through the trail between the fields, rapidly encountering what Jake initially thought was a Rootling.

  Where a Rootling was formed of twisted and knotted roots, however, this creature was made from twisted sheafs of wheat that were somehow bound together into a humanoid shape. It was an odd thing, and it died in seconds as Gargan hit it with a blast from his wand.

  Whatever these monsters were, they were very dry and equally quick to burn.

  Making rapid progress through the first two floors, they found flocks of crow monsters waiting for them. The flying monsters were slightly larger than their mundane brethren, and were particularly smart and malicious, even if they lacked some of the physical strength Jake had seen in other monsters.

  It all reminded Jake of the duck Dungeon, even down to the peculiar landscape.

  The Challenge involved clearing a wheat field with the animated wheat sheafs hiding within. The tiny monsters had claws made of tightly woven wheat, which were entirely ineffectual against any sort of armour.

  In no time at all, they were on to the Guardian floor, where they fought a larger animated creature that was made of straw and covered in rags.

  It looked almost exactly like an animated scarecrow, and the collection of crow-like monsters that rode it doubled down on that impression.

  A blast of flames from Gargan was an easy solution to the problem, and they quickly looted it all before moving on to the exit with a bemused feeling.

  Jake entered the Throne room of the Dungeon curious as to what he might find, only to feel the barest trickle of power from the Dungeon when he bound it. The rewards were equally odd, with the whispers being so faint Jake could barely hear them.

  None of the rewards were the kind that Jake wanted, so he took the increase to Manifestations and left, feeling odd about the whole thing.

  “Well, that was a weird Dungeon,” Nepthys said as they regrouped outside. “I wonder if all Dungeons leave like that?”

  “Maybe that’s why they were all stuck?” Alan frowned thoughtfully. “All the bound ones left, and then the new ones couldn’t progress.”

  “But then what about the ones at the second tier?”

  “Well, Jake’s not been the first Dungeon Noble. Maybe there have been others who tried to do the same as us, but they just didn’t make it.”

  “A sobering thought,” Aspen said, glancing back at the Dungeon with a complicated expression. “It makes me wonder where they go. Do they just go back to the first tier and start again?”

  “Maybe they go on to the next Realm, much like we do?” Nepthys offered, drawing thoughtful mutterings from the rest of the group.

  “Well, we won’t learn more standing around here,” Jake said, heading over to Ivaldi’s store as Moby coasted over to settle on his shoulder. “I’ll let you know what he says.”

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  Jake heard a ragged chorus of assent as the others made their way over to the usual tables to take a seat.

  “Jake Khesh, be welcome in my domain.” Ivaldi’s usual greeting rang out as Jake closed the door behind him. “Congratulations on your Ascension.”

  “Thank you, Ivaldi.”

  “Please, take a seat.” Ivaldi put the usual stool down and poured Jake a drink. “Your eyes hold many questions today, what do you wish to know?”

  “The Dungeon changed,” Jake said, going straight to the heart of the matter. “It isn’t the same as it was.”

  “Of course not,” Ivaldi said, sipping his drink. “It has Ascended, just as you have. Perhaps you will encounter it when you move on to Graldan. There are many Dungeons there, however, so it is unlikely.”

  “You make it sound so simple,” Jake said, shaking his head at it all.

  “That’s because it is,” Ivaldi said levelly, a slight smile touching his face. “I might even go so far as to say that the whole process is beautifully designed to rely on that simplicity.”

  “So, every Dungeon that reaches the third tier moves to the next Realm?” Jake asked, waiting for Ivaldi to nod before continuing. “Then where do they go once they are there?”

  “If an existing Dungeon has moved on, the newcomer will take its place, much as you saw here. If not, then it will become a new Dungeon on the outskirts of the Realm.”

  “So, does that mean there aren’t enough Dungeons, then?” Jake asked, his brow furrowing as he tried to visualise it. “If there is always space for more.”

  “Let me tell you a secret, Jake,” Ivaldi said, his smile growing as he leaned in close and whispered. “The Realms grow with the number of Dungeons. Every time one leaves Vash and moved to Graldan, it can help expand that Realm. Then one day they will move on to Imkara, and expand it in turn.”

  “Oh, I see it now,” Jake said, his eyes widening. “That’s why it matters so much that the Dungeons here weren’t advancing.”

  “Exactly,” Ivaldi said, his next words little more than a breath. “Graldan failed to grow for the first time in a very long time last year. The issue here, along with others elsewhere, slowed the progress of Dungeons too much. If the trend continues, it could even shrink.”

  “And if Graldan shrinks, then so do the others,” Jake said, envisioning the slow erosion of the higher Realms. “Then why has nothing been done? Why let it get to this state?”

  “A few decades is a mote of dust in the eye of eternity, my young friend,” Ivaldi said, leaning back and sipping his drink with a sigh. “Graldan is also a vast Realm, the loss of even a dozen Dungeons would be meaningless.”

  Jake blinked, shocked at the apparent lack of care, which made Ivaldi chuckle. “Make no mistake, Jake. This is an important matter, very important. However, failure is not permanent and the Realm will survive. Make your choices according to what you desire, not what you think the Realm needs.”

  “I see.” Jake sat thoughtfully for a few moments before speaking up. “So, why aren’t more of the Dungeons reaching the next tier now that they’re bound once more?”

  Ivaldi’s gaze slipped, becoming distant and unfocused for a moment before it sharpened once more. “I can tell you, but only if you keep this information a close secret. You may tell no one, not even your companions. Think carefully on this, Jake Khesh, there will be consequences if you stray from this agreement.”

  Jake blinked, caught by surprise by the sudden shift in tone. That distant look in Ivaldi’s eyes had happened before as well, and Jake had some private suspicions about what it meant. Despite that, he didn’t hesitate.

  “Tell me, please. I want to know, to understand.”

  Ivaldi nodded, smiling warmly down at Jake. “Then listen carefully, young classer. The System you exist in is a carefully crafted process, one that exists to further a single goal. The maintenance and expansion of existence. This is the task that every classer plays their role in, the great work that is furthered by millions of hands, working in concert. Humans are inextricably linked to the System, and so are Dungeons, in their own way.”

  Jake’s eyes went wide, the truth in Ivaldi’s words reaching down to his very core. To have the nature of the System revealed so casually shook him in a way that he never would have expected.

  “In the beginning, Dungeons were solely responsible for themselves, for their Mythos of choice and how they developed.” Ivaldi’s gaze was slightly distant again, and Jake was struck by the fact that the huge man wasn’t telling Jake a story he’d heard. No, he was remembering how it had once been.

  “What changed?” Jake asked after a few moments, prompting Ivaldi to continue.

  “Dungeons can be eccentric if given their wherewithal, as I’m sure you’ve experienced already,” Ivaldi said, nodding to Moby with a smile. “Their existence was too remote from humanity. So The Great Dungeon reached out to the best delvers of the time. Your ancestors, Jake. He bound them to his service, and made them intermediaries, to bridge the gap between human and Dungeon.”

  “Dungeon Nobles,” Jake said, feeling the weight of his Class press down upon him.

  “Just so, and to prevent the same problem again, the System was modified so that no Dungeon could advance when not bound to one of your kind. You have felt the rush of power when you bind a Dungeon, that is the connection being restored. A Dungeon can only hold so much while in that limbo, so those that were at the start of their tier have advanced only marginally, despite all their work.”

  “And because it has been so long a new Dungeon Noble came through, most of them were stuck at the start of their tiers,” Jake said, nodding his understanding. Ivaldi nodded, pleased that Jake understood, but he hesitated before continuing in a soft voice. “You said that the System was modified. Can any of the gods do that?”

  Ivaldi went perfectly still for a moment before smiling broadly. “No, Jake Khesh. They can not.”

  “So, does that mean that The Great Dungeon runs the System?”

  “You stray to the very edge of what I can tell you.” Ivaldi’s smile grew as he seemed to consider how to phrase his response. “The Great Dungeon doesn’t directly control the System, that is all I can say.”