It took Tibs more than a week before the forest thinned. Later that day, he left it behind and stepped onto grassland. As he'd been told, the trail was marked by trampled grass. Pushing a little Wood essence into it revitalized the color, but did nothing to make it grow until he also pushed hints of Life in. Then it quickly matched the surrounding grass.

Only once he considered his test done did he realize he was channeling Life and Wood essence, and that he didn't feel any changes to how he thought.

Did Life not have a personality? Or had he been channeling it so long it had already changed him as much as it would? Or was it because it was the element he channeled when not actively channeling another, and he'd learned not to let it affect him without noticing?

He couldn't find those answers anymore, but what mattered was that it was a pair he didn't have to worry about. And over the next two days of cautious testing, that Life didn't interact with any of his other elements.

That was when he sensed something off the path, at the edge of his sense. It was halfway between sunrise and zenith, and, while too far for details, he figured he'd found his wild dungeon. He stayed on the trail as it bent in its direction, following the low side of the hill, then bent away, searching for where the smugglers might have been attacked.

He sensed the creature much later than he should have allowed, especially knowing it was along the trail, but the path and turned toward the dungeon again, and he'd been trying to get more of a sense of it.

He still had enough time, as it ran over the hill, to prepare himself for the attack.

It paused at the top of the hill, eyes fixed on him. So, it was smart enough to understand a shield and sword posed a threat. He doubted he could scare it away. Even with autonomy, it was a dungeon's creature. It had been given something to do, a test to administer, and it would carry on with it.

Unlike the smugglers' description, it wasn't entirely stone. The tall wolf-like creature dripped sand as it paced. Mostly at the joints, but he could sense some around the plates that made up its body. Did it help with its flexibility?

Had the smugglers not noticed that aspect in their rush to survive, or had the dungeon altered it, maybe in response to that fight? If that was the case, the creatures weren't escaping it, but being sent out.

Didn't that go against the rules? If they killed outside its influence, the dungeon wouldn't absorb their essence and knowledge.

The creature leaped, crossing the too wide distance, and Tibs rolled out of the way, slashing at it as he stood. The line he left in the stone plate filled with sand.

A way to heal?

It swiped, and his block slid him back from impact. He cut it and they jumped apart.

It had a lot of Life essence. And unlike what causing it to fill gashes with sand implied, it hadn't leaked a noticeable amount. It had lost some; it was how it worked. Each successful attack cost them Life essence, but this creature had been made with a larger amount than its size led him to believe.

Absorbing its essence was an option. It would end the fight quickly and it was how he'd broken his reserve's walls, way back in Kragle Rock. How he'd managed to forcefully suffuse himself. But his reserve had been minuscule compared to what he had now. He couldn't even tell how close to full it was anymore. He always seemed to be able to add more essence to it.

But above all, Tibs wanted to test himself against the creature. See how it was made to fight him, what it could do. What the test was. They exchanged blows. Its stone claws cut his clothing, and he added gashes that filled with sand.

Then, as he jumped away from its pounce, sand spiraled out of its back into a tendril that slapped him and caused him to land awkwardly. He smiled as he turned to face it. It hadn't hurt him, in spite of the strength behind the blow.

Adaptability.

That was the test. It had lulled him into thinking this was a straight up fight, then changed the rules. How injured would he have been without Earth as his element? Could it have killed him? Did it have more changes in store for him?

He went on the offensive, relying on his immunity to damage from Earth to score hits after hits and now, he sensed its Life essence diminish, slightly.

The blow that sent him flying, to land two dozen paces away, came out of nowhere; almost literally. He glared at it as it closed its maw, looking smug. It scratched at the ground, as if inviting him to attack.

He had wondered if it would change things again. An Air essence attack was certainly a change.

He ran at it, then threw himself to the side as it opened its maw. This time, he felt the etching form at the back of its throat. He used an etching of his own, sending a metal spike at it before landing and rolling to a crouch, shield at the ready to block the air blast.

Instead, it looked at the spike in its side, then glared at him.

He smirked. "We can both change the rules of this fight."

As if it understood him, sand spiraled out of its back, pulled the spike, and angrily threw it at the ground, embedding it nearly completely.

"Come on. You don't see me getting angry because you slapped me aside, then blasted me on my back. I adapted. Can you do that?"

It pounced, and he slashed at it, dodging the sand tendril.

He turned, readying for the next attack, as it landed, but instead of doing the same, it immediately pushed with its front limbs, sending itself at him again. Its rear claws cut his clothing as he fell back from the impact.

He rolled and stood. "I guess you can." He formed the etching. "Let's see how agile you are." He sent the four spikes at it and reformed the etching.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The first volley hit. It dodged two of the second, only one of the third. Dodge two and slapped one away after that, then two, then it had three tendrils slapping any he sent at it without having to move.

That expression was definitely smugness.

"You learn. That's good." He rushed it and it jumped out of his way. Then he had to parry and block tendrils. He sensed the etching form, but he was too busy with the tendrils. So he disrupted its essence as soon as it left its maw.

The surprise let him score one hit, then he was sent away from a tendril impact. He hurried to his feet, ready for more, but the creature looked at the ground, maw open and etching forming at the back of its throat. The blast sent earth and grass flying. When it looked at him, Tibs was certain he saw malicious cunning in those stony eyes.

Six tendrils formed as it ran at him, maw open, etching forming.

He formed an Air etching under his feet and launched himself over it as the blast triggered. It turned its head to follow, and he was sent careening as air hit him in the side.

He spit grass as he stood. Had it always been a jet, and he hadn't paid attention? Or was this another change? He etched the old 'x' attack with Water, and it jumped out of the way. It sniffed the soggy hole, then looked at him, head tilted.

"Aren't I full of surprises, too?"

It blasted from where it stood, and he easily avoided it. Definitely a blast, which meant it had more than one type of air attacks. With its ability to make all those sand tendrils, and the toughness of stone, it was meant to take on groups.

Without his immunity to Earth and Air, he would be dead already.

They exchanged more blows; mixing direct attacks with use of essence. Tibs scored his biggest blow when he iced the ground where it landed. Then it reminded him it too could change things when a tendril split into two and knocked him off his feet.

They circled each other.

He'd cost it half its life essence, while all it had done, could do, was ruin his clothing. He'd have to make a new set before reaching people. But as fun as this had been, he wanted to investigate the dungeon, so he needed to end the fight.

As if it had a similar thought, it lowered itself, ass wriggling back and forth in a way more suited to felines than a wolf-creature. It leaped, and he sent metal spikes. It batted them away. He raised his shield as it landed and kept running, planning the strike that would pin it to the ground.

He struck, but it darted aside. Before he could regain his balance, it was by him, something grabbing his ankles. Then he was face down being pulled. He rolled onto his back, reforming his sword, and raised his head to see the tendril holding him. He readied to cut them, when he realized the creature ran toward the dungeon.

One of the smuggler had said the creature had grabbed her and pulled her away.

Had it intended to bring her to the dungeon?

Why?

To kill her within the dungeon's influence so it could absorb her?

Wasn't that cheating? Or did the dungeon consider the creature was enough of a test and dragging someone to it was them failing it?

He didn't know all the rules, but he thought there was one about the tests having to be within a dungeon's influence to count.

He released the sword's essence. He'd asked the dungeon once the creature took him to it.

He was confident he knew when he entered the dungeon's influence. The ground changed drastically. On one side it was lush, on the other, unnaturally dry, something he'd only seen after a year long drought.

"Oh," an unseen voice said. "What do you have for me? That's a juicy one. And with a lot of it. Tasty."

Craning his neck, he saw the…it was barely a hill, with a crack in it. It was jagged, as if something had pushed it out of the ground. Even the crack looked unnatural, unlike Sto's, before it made it a door.

"I might need a bigger cracking committee."

That was the destination, so he pulled the life essence out of the creature and it crumbled mid step. He barely felt an increase in his deep reserve.

"What happened?"

Tibs dusted the remnant of his clothes as he stood. "I did."

"Of course you did that. Who else is around. I didn't ask who did it. I asked what—Wait. You talk?"

"We all talk."

"Really? None of them did. Screamed a lot. Never talked. If you can do that, you're going to be so much better. I can't wait to taste you. Just come inside. I'm all ready."

The floor angled down as soon as Tibs stepped in.

"So, what was that? Never had one just drink up one of my gatherer before. Or be as full as you."

A dozen steps brought him to the end of the daylight, and he stopped.

"Why are you stopping?" it asked.

Well beyond the light, creatures waited.

He saw variety of shapes. Wolves, deers, bears, rabbits, small felines. They were made of combinations of all sorts of elements. All those he had, and a few he couldn't identify. Wood would be a threat to him, as were those others, but he only saw crystal as parts of the creatures that could strike him. Horns, claws and hooves. The others creatures would still serve to distract him.

Would the creature have dragged him into the middle of that if he hadn't killed it?

Even if it hadn't. Once in the darkness, no one would know the danger waiting for them.

"What kind of test is this?"

"Test?"

"Yes, test. You're a dungeon. You test us."

"I am a dungeon. But what I do is drink you up. Now, go get cracked open so I can taste all that yummy stuff. I so can't wait."

"No. You get to absorb those who fail your tests. Didn't your helper explain how to do things? Where are they?"

"My what?" It sounded impatient.

"Your helper. Every dungeon receives one. They're who tells you how things work. I don't know how it happens, but I'm pretty sure Sto said Ganny was there not long after he started thinking."

The silence felt pensive.

The dungeon laughed. "Is that what that was?"

"What happened?"

"I drank them up," it replied casually. Tibs almost thought he heard the shrug. "Cracked them open. It was tasty. Had a whole lot of stuff to think about after that. Now that you said what they would have done, some of it makes sense, but I'm glad they're gone. Having something telling me what I can and can't do would have been so tiresome."

"You…killed them?"

"Is that the same as drinking you up?"

Tibs had no idea what to make of that.

Even at his angriest at her, Sto had cared for Ganny. They were friends. If they'd been people the way he was, he'd be tempted to say they were special to each other. What he remembered of the purity dungeon and her helper had them being friends. Firmen and Merka had also been friend, although it had lacked the ease that came with being so for ages. There had been a fondness between Karliak and Simtor that made him think of siblings. Even those dungeons he'd spoken with where he felt the arrangement was more businesslike. There had been respect there.

"Why?" he finally managed.

"Because it was there?"

"But they were going to help you be a dungeon."

"I don't need help with that. I am quite good at getting things and drinking them up. So, let's get on with it."

"That isn't what you're here for!"

"Look. I don't know what you think you are. I'm the dungeon. You're my food. So, get to it. This isn't as amusing as you seem to think it is."

"You are supposed to test us! Help us get stronger. Those who fail. You absorb."

"Fine," it snapped. "Your test is further down the halls. Good luck with that." It snickered.

"I can see all the creatures waiting there. That's not a test. It's a massacre."

"It's the cracking committee. Go get cracked."

"This is the first floor! That's too many. No one on this floor would even have an element. This is supposed to toughen us up. Give us a sense of what's coming as we precede deeper."

"I don't know what your problem is. What's deeper is the same as what's here, so why bother stretching this needlessly. I am drinking you up. That's all there is to this. Now. Get to it or I'm having them come to you."

"You aren't going to be reasonable, are you?"

"You're the one not acting like he should."

Too many for an outright victory. But he couldn't leave and let it continue with this. The Them would eventually deal with them, but how many people would die before that happened.

But he also owed it a chance to change. "Tell me you will work with me to become a good dungeon. I'm not as good as a helper, but I've helped a dungeon before, so—"

"Stop wasting time! The only thing I want is for you to get cracked open."

Tibs nodded and readied himself. "Bring them on, then. I'm going to teach you what happens to dungeons who break the rules."

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