I panicked as I focused on the crystal beneath the rune. Then, I melted the connection points. The rune shook and vanished, as the reinforcing structure disappeared. The connections between the ring and the other four lines shattered.

My chest pounded as my eyes snapped open.

"Well, the rings are all connected to one another," I blurted. The ring in my palm no longer remained pitch black. Instead, it appeared like a clear crystal, with hints of air, fire, and forest inside it.

"What happened?"

"Something tried to follow me, and I broke the connection." My mind went back to the tendrils coming from the other ring. "All of them connect, and whoever is on the other end knows that Forger is disconnected."

The two harvesters were free from their shackles, and Azura folk on the other side of the third line no longer had a connection. Hopefully, they could find a way free.

"The collars still connected to the ring all broke…"

"So, we don't need to remove all the collars, just destroy the rings?" asked Fiko with a frown. He stared out across the water while tapping a finger against his lips. "The more we know."

"Either way, I'd prefer we still meet up with my brother," said Kabi, glancing at Geto. "Our plans are to head north to Steadfast, and find him a master to learn from…"

"He shouldn't have a problem finding someone within the water tribe," argued Fiko, his gaze returning to Kabi. "Especially not if he's already an apprentice. He will have his pick."

"I need to hear it from him."

I glanced at Lenna, then turned back to the conversation.

"This can wait until we get to the island," said Geto, steering the boat toward a dark shape on the horizon. "We're almost there, and I already sent the message for your brother to join us. The sun will rise soon, and we need to be away from the light."

"Why?"

"It can break the concealing rune," explained Geto. "This rune only works under the cover of night. We don't know if the Forgers can see this far, but we need to hide the boat and any activity on the surface. It's one of the ways we stay safe."

A small island took shape in the distance. A few scraggly trees sat atop a jagged rock sticking out from the sea. Geto steered the boat directly to the rock without slowing.

Bright light gathered behind us on the horizon, and Geto swore, making the boat go faster.

Lenna gripped my hand as the tip of the boat sliced into the rock, which shimmered and then went skidding across more rocks.

My hand latched onto the wooden seat under me as the vessel slammed into a rock wall.

"Everyone okay?" asked Geto as he crawled up from his seat and glanced at all of us.

"At least I didn't get wet this time," grumbled Fiko, who stood up from outside the boat on the rocks, rolling his eyes.

"That was rough," I muttered.

"But safe, at least. The opening closed at dawn."

I blinked, then kept my mouth shut.

Fiko shook his head as Sile joined him, and they both marched toward a dark archway in the wall, leaving Kabi, Lenna, and I behind with Geto and the body.

Kabi stumbled off the boat with a frown, his face looking a little pale. "I hate boats."

"You guys can go ahead." Geto chuckled and moved toward the body.

I motioned for Kabi to take the lead, since I didn't want to go first and run into a bunch of people who didn't know me.

Lenna followed behind me with a glance at the walls. "The inside is bigger than the outside…"

"It reminds me of a…

[You are entering the Labyrinth dungeon.]

Kabi froze as I assumed he also received the notification. He spun to face Geto. "That's not possible! The Immortals destroyed the Labyrinth."

Geto shook his head. "You'll need to rethink much of what you were told by those so-called Immortals, and the history of the water tribe."

"Is it safe?" I asked Kabi, thinking of other dungeons.

"It's a marvel of our world, destroyed in the battle for control of Steadfast."

Geto grunted.

"Well, we were taught they destroyed it…" He frowned, then stepped through the archway.

I shrugged and followed.

[You have entered the Labyrinth dungeon. This dungeon has multiple entrances and challenges. You can find all of the options near the loading platform.]

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

I kept walking, then a wall of sound hit me, making my ears hurt. People appeared on the edges of my senses, and I felt Lenna grab my shoulder. I yanked my radar down, limiting it to just the space around me.

At the old edge of my senses, stalls stood in a row like a marketplace. People argued inside brightly colored tents with tables of merchandise.

Fiko and Sile stood next to one another, chatting with a third person whom I didn't know.

Kabi glanced over his shoulder and waited for us to catch up.

"What is this place?"

"The Dungeon market. This dungeon is special. It has entrances all over this world; you just have to leave by the same way you entered…" His voice trailed off as he stared at everything in wonder. "My father spoke of this place. He found an entrance when he was younger, before the Immortals took over Steadfast and brought peace…"

"Kabi!" Cekta appeared in the crowd and dashed forward with a big bright smile. Shelli trailed behind him. "It's real!"

The two brothers embraced, with Cekta speaking so rapidly I couldn't follow the conversation.

"Think we can find new gear here?" I asked Lenna.

Shelli snorted at my question while looking at me from head to toe. My chest flushed warmly, since I knew my clothing stood in shambles.

"I don't know, this reminds me of the markets my grandmother spoke about…" whispered Lenna, still glancing around at everything.

Shelli smiled at both of us. "You need new boots, and new pants. Come, I found someone who can help."

Her hand wrapped around my arm, and off she went, twisting and turning through the crowd of people. Most towered over me by about a foot, though here and there I passed a child or young Azura folk who was more my height. Lenna stuck close behind me, latching onto my armor with a hand. I tried to catch glimpses at things for sale, seeing swords, daggers, and staves in one cart. A different one held gloves of all sorts.

Sweet, tangy scents filled the air, and in the distance someone cooked over a fire.

"Wait, are those noodles?!" I almost yanked my arm out of Shelli's grip when she turned to look.

"Yeah, those are sweet noodles." She said, seeing over the crowd.

"We have to stop. I haven't had noodles in years!" I said as earnestly as possible. While pants were important, noodles were even more important. My mouth watered just thinking about them.

She paused and really looked at me a moment before turning in that direction.

Inside the little stall stood the tallest Azura person I'd seen yet. They stood at least seven feet tall, with a bright blue mohawk adding another six inches or more. They stood in front of a set of massive pots, using tongs to place noodles in bright blue bowls. Then, a big ladle of broth was poured on top.

My mouth watered, and we waited behind another person who ordered a bowl. Then we arrived.

"How much is a bowl of noodles?" I asked.

[Crass, Soup Master, Level 145, Predator, Unknown.]

Crass leaned down and stared at me, then glanced at Lenna. "Never seen your kind before. Since you show me something new, they are on the house. Do you want it spicy?"

"Yes, but not so spicy I can't taste it."

He nodded and pulled a bowl from a stack behind him. "You need to return the bowl once you've finished."

He layered noodles in it and a green broth on top, then sprinkled something from a jar. Then he handed it over to me.

I stepped to the side with a nod and grabbed a fork out of my inventory. It was one of the ones I'd stolen from Lennas campsite.

She got her own both and eyed my fork. I snagged a second one and handed it over. "You stole the utensils from the campsite?"

I didn't respond as I twirled the noodles on the fork and took a big bite. So hot, but tasty! Tears came to the edges of my eyes in the 'I think my tongue got burned' but also in the 'that's pretty freaking spicy' way. But I didn't dare stop eating.

Real noodles. The texture was right, along with a salty, spicy broth. For a moment I was in heaven, then my bowl ran out. I slammed the broth, and I let out a pleased sigh.

[You have been imbued with increased healing. For the next two hours, injuries will heal more quickly.]

[You have been imbued with increased energy for the next two hours.]

"That was like a dream…" I mumbled, holding the bowl out. The burn on my tongue vanished.

Three people stared at me: Crass, Lenna, and Shelli.

Crass started chuckling.

My mouth burned, but it was amazing. Flavor lingered on my tongue, and I resisted drinking water to wash it down. I didn't want the experience to end.

"You weren't lying…" whispered Shelli.

"I've been in an epic forest for months, and before that, well…" I wasn't sure how to explain the cold tube and space travel. "Yeah, it's been a long time since I ate something I didn't kill."

My full stomach felt good even as sweat dripped down my back. The spice felt like it kicked up a level while I was sitting there, but still.

Crass took the bowl carefully, eying me. "I might have made it too spicy for someone like you."

"Worth it."

He chuckled again, shaking his head. He tossed the bowl into a bin and turned to face the next person in line.

Lenna ate her noodles at a normal speed, and the same went for Shelli.

By the time they both finished, I felt a little more normal. Well, at least less my mouth burned less and I was back to wanting to get moving.

"Now, are you ready for boots?" asked Shelli.

"Yep! You know, free noodles are amazing…" I mumbled, wondering how I was going to pay for anything. As far as I knew I had 100 credits to my name from that one dungeon reward.

Shelli made her way through the press of the crowd to a booth that had a bench on one side and a table on the other. Different foot coverings filled shelves on the back wall.

"Ah, Shelli, you're back…"

[Bente, Leatherworker, Level 122, Predator, Unknown.]

"Oh, is this the one who…" His voice trailed off as he stared at my feet. "Take those off right now. How are you fighting in those? Such a disgrace."

Bente shook her head and yanked a pair of boots off the wall and pointed to a chair. "Move it. Those need to be destroyed. They are a disgrace to the idea of foot coverings."

I quickly complied, sitting in the chair and unlacing my left boot. The right string broke, and I quickly slid it off. While Bente stared at my feet, I tossed my boots into my inventory. My poor socks were gross, and I then yanked them off too.

"Such small feet." She leaned down close. "You will need to take them to the bathhouse before you leave. Spend some time and take care of your body. Otherwise, you might get stuck while leveling…"

She shook her head, then picked up my heel in one hand and quickly laced a boot on my foot. It was too big by far, but I didn't dare say anything.

"Let's do this now…" Warmth flowed from her fingers, and the boot shrunk until it fitted like a second skin. "Much better."

She grabbed my other foot before I could comprehend what had just happened and repeated the action.

[Light Boots, they feel like you're wearing nothing on your feet.]

"Now that is a boot," I whispered. "And skill."

"Of course, this is what I do. Most here prefer sandals, but you don't have the same skin as us, so I understand using a boot."

"How much are the boots?" I asked, hesitantly, thinking of my very few credits.

"These are around 1100 credits," she said with a bright smile.

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