After we cleaned the gore off Vral, we continued forward into the dark tunnel. As we walked up the narrow tunnel, I noticed that the stone walls changed the farther we went. At first, they were rough-carved stone, with the pickaxe marks clearly visible on the wall's surface. However, the deeper we went, the more those marks disappeared, replaced by a variety of surfaces: brick, smooth stone, rough stone, pitted, cave-like.

It didn't make any sense.

Pretty soon, the walls all looked more like a cave than a mine. After walking a few hundred yards farther, the tunnel ended at a crossroads, with two paths going to the left and right, each of which extended forward at forty-five-degree angles.

Ro slowed beside me, his brow furrowed. "This doesn't look right."

"What do you mean?" I asked as I pressed forward, placing myself between them and the darkness. If something was wrong, I'd be the one to take the hit. Not them.

"The layout." He said behind me, his voice echoing down the tunnel. "Unless I'm mistaken, the last time we were here, this corridor was at least fifty yards longer before we hit the crossroads. And the crossroads was perpendicular, not angled like this. I don't remember this at all." He looked at Na-Ya. "Am I remembering things wrong?"

Na-Ya shook her head, her face troubled. "No. That's what I remember, too. This wasn't here. At least, it didn't look like this." She ran her fingers along the wall. "And the walls were different, too."

Tristan said, "Copperhold's a mine, right? Then why doesn't it look like one? This doesn't look like a mine at all. It's nothing like the Galden mines."

"Copperhold's changed its layout since you all were here last." Faye's voice echoed up the tunnel. "Don't assume you know what's ahead. You'll have to stay on your toes."

The hell? "How could that be? Caves don't change themselves."

"Some do." The Hero's voice was light, like she was talking about the weather.

"That's... normal?" Tristan asked.

"For higher-level dungeons, yes." Faye stepped forward. "Part of what makes a dungeon a dungeon is that it's technically alive. But only some of them have the power to reshape themselves."

Ro closed ranks with me. "I've only ever heard of dungeons doing that from Renard."

"And now me." Faye's voice was light.

"Is this common?" He sounded incredulous. "I thought it was only supposed to be small things, like a room or two. A couple of items. Not the entire place!"

"At my level, it's honestly weird to be in dungeons that don't change practically every time you blink." She laughed. "Hell, the last time I did a dungeon, it changed every time we rested. That place was a nightmare."

"Does that dungeon have a name?" I wanted to know its name so that I could go ahead and never go there.

"It's called the Endless Tower of Nightmares."

"Ah. A little on the nose, yeah?"

"Honestly? Yeah. It took about two weeks to clear, and the nightmares it gave us weren't even that scary."

"What were they like?" Tristan sounded breathless.

"Oh, mostly monster dreams. Once you get eaten a couple dozen times, it loses its charm. Kind of a letdown."

Yup, never going there. "And you do that for fun?"

"I mean, I'm three hundred years old. There's not much left to do these days."

Tristan shook her head. "Have you ever considered, you know, opening a school or something? Or maybe an orphanage. You could help the world in other ways, you know?"

"Huh."

"That's honestly a great idea. You should do something like that." How much good could an immortal do in her endless lifetime? I turned to find the Hero going through a clear existential crisis.

"I..." When our eyes met, she shook her head. "I never thought of that." She laughed a nervous laugh. "I might have to try something like that one day. "

Three hundred years, and all she'd done was fight? "You can't only fight. What do you do in your spare time?"

"I, uh..." She blushed. "I read, mostly. Eat good food. Train a lot. Fight monsters. Turn down shitty nobles who want to use me for clout. Fight off the occasional suitor. Kick people's asses in duels. Oh! I get yelled at by kings a lot. Mostly because of stuff Greta does. I spend time with my brother. You know, hero stuff."

Sounded horrible. "Do you not have anyone to, you know..." I cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, no. If I were to choose someone... he's kind of..." She sighed. "So what will you do now, fearless adventurers?" Her tone of voice and glare said the conversation was over.

"Um..." I unslung my pack and pulled out the [Pathfinder's Map]. Unfurling it, I held it up into Na-Ya's light. As her light struck the page, words appeared at the very top of the paper. They read, "Copperhold." Then, thick black lines appeared on the bottom of the scroll. They were parallel and running north to south based on the small compass that appeared in the top right corner. Smaller blue dots were in the center of those lines, and a split in the path was visible to the north. It looked exactly like the split ahead of us.

"Whoa!" Ro's head moved close to the map and pointed at the blue dots. "I think that's us!"

Were they? They hadn't appeared last time. "Vral, run up the tunnel."

"Okay!" A second later, she was at the split. "Smells bad to the right!" Her voice echoed down the tunnel. "Should I go farther in?"

Looking down at the page, I saw that one of the blue dots had moved to the split. It was us! "No, that's good. Come on back."

She sprinted down the hall and to my side. "That's all?"

I placed a hand on her shoulder. "For now."

Tristan bent down and picked up one of the discarded tophats from a dissolved skitterslink. "Remember what we did with Uralt's boots?" The hat was made of matted fur and smelled like death. Holding it above the map, she asked, "Why don't we try to use one of these? Do you think it'll work?"

"Try it." We might as well try everything.

Placing the little tophat on the page, thin dotted lines appeared all over the map. "It's working!"

I studied the map the best I could. The lines snaked through a dungeon much, much larger than the lines we'd exposed so far. Based on the footprints, I could start making out tunnels and rooms without needing the thick black lines to frame them. It was clear that, while the rat monster had gone everywhere, it'd mostly stuck to the left half of the dungeon. So, that's where we'd go. "I think we should go left."

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"Smells better that way." Vral looked up at me, her nose twitching. "Want me to scout?"

"Yeah, but don't engage anything. If anything approaches you, you rush back to us, okay?"

"You've got it." She darted away and disappeared down the left tunnel a moment later.

Tristan reached down and picked up another tophat. Placing it against the page, more lines appeared. Unlike the first, this one revealed a specific area the skitterslink had traveled to more than any other. "Huh."

"What is it?" Na-Ya leaned over my shoulder.

"This one spent most of its time here." I pointed at the cluster of lines. "See how the lines all overlap?"

"A nest, maybe?" Ro suggested.

"Looks like it," Na-Ya replied.

"Nest?"

"They're like rats. They nest up, then start breeding nonstop until they overrun places. Then, they eat one another. Keep an eye out for the corpses. If you see them, there's an infestation."

"Gross," Tristan and I both said at the same time.

"Yeah, it really is." Na-Ya laughed. "Just wait until we burn the nest. It's foul."

"Tristan, grab another hat or two. Let's make sure that's where we're heading."

Doing what I asked, she placed three more hats on the page. All but one went to the same place. The other one went right, but it never went too far into the dungeon.

"I guess that's as good a place as any to aim for." I folded up the scroll and snaked it into my belt. "Everyone in agreement?"

"Works for me," Ro said as he adjusted his shield. "Let's do it."

"Agreed." Na-Ya held her staff high. "I'll light the way."

"I've got it." Tristan held her mace up, but Na-Ya stopped her.

"Save your mana. I've got it for now."

"O-okay." Tristan lowered her mace and stepped behind me. "Ready when you are."

With a deep breath, I stepped forward, shield up, sword high, and walked toward where Vral had disappeared.

Once we were in the tunnel, I was struck by how smooth the walls were. They were nothing like the rough-carved stone walls of the entry tunnel. They almost looked like they were molded instead of carved. It struck me as I looked at them that, if the dungeon was alive, the walls probably had been alive at some point. I didn't want to know what that felt like in practice.

After another hundred yards, we came to a half-open iron door. With my foot, I kicked the door open, filling both the tunnel and room beyond with a horrible squeal as the door nearly fell from its hinges. A handful of dust fell on our heads as Na-Ya's light reached the room.

"Sorry," I muttered.

Ro laughed and shook his head. "Easy now."

"Meathead." Na-Ya scoffed.

"Big strong man, you mean?" Tristan's voice was soft.

"Meathead," Na-Ya repeated.

I cleared my throat and stepped into the room. The instant I was through the doorway, I saw that I'd entered a vast chamber. The sound of rushing water echoed around us, its source hidden by the wall of darkness that Na-Ya's light couldn't penetrate.

As everyone filtered into the room, I felt the hairs on my neck stand on end. The edge of the light was alive with movement. Dozens, if not hundreds, of skitterslinks were scurrying across the floor wherever the light touched.

"Filthy things," Na-Ya's voice echoed throughout the cavern.

All at once, several dozen beady rat eyes focused on us and glared.

"Maybe don't antagonize the monsters, Na-Ya." I raised my shield and readied myself. "I don't want to end up a rat monster's dinner because of your sass."

"Keep that tongue sheathed, love," Ro walled up next to me.

[Barrier]

Tristan's mace flashed, and a wall of light appeared in front of us.

I watched as the rat monsters looked us over. Dozens of the monsters chittered and squeaked as they did, but none attacked. For some reason, they just kept watching and waiting.

"Let's press forward," I said. "Carefully. And keep those barrier spells ready."

"Okay," Tristan's mace sparkled.

"Got it," Na-Ya's light grew brighter.

Ro nodded. "Let's go."

Together, we marched forward, ready to do battle. However, unlike the monsters in the entryway, these didn't try to attack.

No.

Instead, when we got to the center of the large cavern, they all began squeaking. Then, as a group, they ran.

As one massive tide, the skitterslinks surged toward the northeastern corner of the room, disappearing into a tunnel there. Within seconds, the chamber fell silent except for the echo of countless tiny feet fading into the distance.

"Well, that was fun," Ro muttered beside me. "Not ominous at all."

"Why would they run?" Tristan asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"No idea." A chill ran up my spine. "And did it seem like they were talking with one another?"

"Yeah." Na-Ya took a breath. "Don't like that either."

"Don't like it at all," Ro added.

"Should we follow?" Tristan stepped up next to me.

"No." Chasing hundreds of rat monsters into the unknown dark sounded like a good way to end up dead. "Let's inspect this cavern first."

"Good call." Na-Ya held her staff up high and whispered some words.

[Brilliant Light]

Her light grew brighter, illuminating the entire cavern. All around us, the walls looked just like a cave that you'd find deep in the earth, stalactites and all. Other than the iron door standing ajar in the western wall and the sound of water in the north, there was little else of note in the cave.

"I remember this cave being on the third floor." Ro looked around, his brows knitted. "But I don't remember water being in here before. So weird."

"Let's check it out." I walked toward the source of the sound. On the far north side of the room, cascading down what looked like a rough cave's wall, was an underground waterfall. The water fell onto a water wheel that was set into the floor, then disappeared into the darkness below.

"That water wheel was on the second level, where the smelters were," Na-Ya whispered. "Weird."

Just then, I heard a noise to our left. Leaping in front of my party, I held my shield out and gritted my teeth. If they were coming back for us, I'd put them down.

"Hey," A familiar voice called out from the tunnel the skitterslinks had disappeared down.

"Vral?"

A green streak rushed toward me, then stopped by my side. "Who else would it be?"

Fair. "What did you find?"

"Well, besides about a hundred monsters running like hell past me, I found a big iron door, a few empty rooms, and another big empty room. Oh, and not a damn thing worth taking."

I laughed and patted her head. "Good job."

She smiled. "Thanks, but I want some loot by the end of this thing."

"I'll find you some. Don't you worry."

"You better."

"Found something," Ro called out from across the cave.

"Coming," Vral and I said together.

Vral followed as I made my way to him. As I got close, the smell hit me first. Death. Old, stale death. Then, I saw the source. Three bodies lay crumpled against the eastern wall, their adventuring gear rusted and torn. They'd been here a while. Long enough that there was no meat left on their bones. Whether that was from time or the monsters, I didn't want to think about it.

"Poor souls," Na-Ya said softly, kneeling beside them.

"Let's search 'em." Vral stepped forward.

"No." I held her back. "Let them rest." I didn't want to rob their corpses. "Would you want that?"

"Don't be silly." Na-Ya shook her head. "Of course we would. Their time is done in this world. They're with the Goddess now. Whatever they carried could help us walk in this world a while longer. It's only right for them to help us now."

Faye spoke up behind me. "That's how it is, Alex. You die on a quest, you offer your things to the people who come after you. It's only right to pay it forward."

"See?" Vral shook me off. "Even she agrees." She walked toward one of the corpses. "I'll search the one on the left."

Tristan stepped up next to me. Together, we watched as the trio searched the bodies with care, their faces grim. After a few minutes, they all stood, holding whatever meager belongings they recovered.

"Three health potions, still sealed." Ro stashed them in his belt pouch.

"And this." Na-Ya held up a silver pendant that glinted in her staff's light. It was shaped into what looked like a stylized flame.

Tristan stepped closer, her eyes widening. "That's Elara's symbol!"

"Elara?" Never heard of her.

"The Hearth Goddess." She reached for it gently, turning it over in her palm. "One of the Old Gods. Whoever this was, I think it's safe to say they worshipped her." She reached out and took the pendant from Na-Ya. Slipping it around her neck, she cradled the symbol with clear reverence.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"Some crystals," Ro said, holding up a small pouch. "Not much, but it's something."

"More crystals here," Vral said, tossing a pouch in the air, then snatching it just as fast. "It's enough to buy us a room for the night."

"Anything to identify them?" Tristan's face showed clear concern.

The three shook their heads.

"A shame..." She looked at the holy symbol on her neck. "Maybe we could go to Elara's temple in Llyn sometime and find out who they were?" Her eyes met mine.

This was something she really wanted. I could see it. "We'll do that."

"Thank you." She smiled at me. "I should purify them." Raising her mace, she began speaking words of power.

"Wait." Na-Ya's hand on Tristan's shoulder, stopping her. "Let me. I can do this one."

Tristan hesitated, then nodded and stepped back.

Na-Ya raised her staff, and the light around it shifted from its usual warm white to something softer, cooler, almost silver. She began chanting in that language I couldn't make out, no matter how hard I tried. As her light grew brighter, her voice carried a weight that made the air itself feel heavier.

[Rites of Passage]

The bodies began to glow with that same silver light, which spread across them like the orbs light spreading outward across Reial. Then, gently, the bodies began to glow with that same inner light and slowly crumbled away, not from rot but dissolving into a fine ash that seemed to fade into the stone itself. Within moments, nothing remained but their gear.

"They've been cleansed," Na-Ya said quietly. "They can rest now."

For a long moment, we all sat looking at the spot where the bodies had lain. Where they'd breathed their last breaths. Then, with what I felt was some unnamed shared feeling, we all turned away, toward the tunnel beyond.

We stood in silence for a moment before I cleared my throat. "Northeast?"

"Northeast," Ro agreed.

"Let's go."

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