The next day, they set out early together across the mountains.

It seemed like the bats had not quite recovered from the previous day. Either that, or the presence of the Ruffians had just changed the balance of power that drastically. The bats fell from the sky in droves, their howls, squeaks, and bellows vanishing beneath the roar of the magical and physical assaults swatting them from the air. Half the time, Clay didn't even need to bother using a [Chant], as the others had already destroyed the threat before it could arrive.

As a result, their progress across the mountainside was much faster than before. They made it to the bottom of the ravine within an hour's march, and their walk up the opposite side was unimpeded by the dozens of senior bats that threw themselves against them. Syr Katherine had found a relatively clear trail to lead them up the slope, and the result was a fairly simple journey that got them to the gate long before midday.

Of course, not everyone was happy about it, even as they wiped out the ancient bats that were lying in wait there. As the last of the creatures fell silent, Xavien let out a loud sigh. "Sir Clay, allow me to thank you once again for throwing us into danger today."

Anne laughed, her own nervousness partially buried beneath bravado. "Oh, come on, we were all asking for it. What else did you expect when you were saying you were bored?"

The [Oracle] grumbled something under his breath, and Natalie sighed. "I think we were hoping for something like a nice Lair to fight. Maybe a little one that we could crush in a day or something. Not even more, worse bats."

Lawrence nudged her. "You can't fool me, Natalie. You're probably the one who's the most excited to go in there. You wanted to see what it was like, right? Just a quick in and out?"

She gave him a glare, and the [Occultist] held up his hands defensively. Jack spoke up before the argument could break out. "Syr Katherine, could you remind us what our goals are?"

Syr Katherine nodded. Her eyes were serious as she watched the doorway, as if she expected something to emerge from it. "We have three of them."

"First, we want to test Sir Clay's theory about the Orison. If we find that it is successful at muting the Dungeon's ability to sense you, then it will open up several possibilities for us and other teams assigned to Dungeon missions." She paused. "Remember, recite the [Chant] before you enter, and maintain it while you are inside. Do not speak unless you have to; the slightest noise will break the spell, and you'll need to refresh it."

Xavien shook his head. "Though it will know we're there at that point. It might be too late."

Lawrence threw an arm around him with a grin. "Don't worry Xavien, I'll make sure you get back all right. Maybe missing a limb or two, but…"

Syr Katherine continued as if she hadn't heard. "Second, we want to introduce the lot of you to what a Dungeon is like. As Sir Clay can attest, it will not be pleasant." The others looked at him, and Clay shrugged. "If you need to retreat, inform us immediately. There is no reason for you to die inside this place today, and teaching you about the dangers involved is useless if you die in the attempt."

Olivia snorted, and Clay looked at her. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Glad to know we are valued so highly."

She had her scarf up again, though she wasn't projecting the same waves of menace that she usually did. If anything, she almost seemed nervous, though Clay didn't quite believe that was possible.

"Our third task is to halt the progress of the Dungeon itself." Syr Katherine looked around to make sure she had everyone's attention, her expression cold. "There are Guardians within the Dungeon who are the source of many of the monsters in the area. The more of them we kill, the fewer creatures can escape into our world. If we do enough damage, it might even take the Dungeon years to recover."

Natalie raised her hand hesitantly. "There's no way to destroy it, right? Not like a Lair?"

Syr Katherine shook her head. "No. Not that we've found." She paused, and her head tilted to the side for a moment. "It may be possible to cause it even more extensive damage if we reached the Curse itself, but it wouldn't be likely in this case. Even then, the Dungeon can always recover."

The Ruffians all nodded. It was Jack who asked the next question. "What kind of monsters are inside? Are they just the same as the ones out here?"

She shook her head. "No. The creatures inside a Dungeon are often much stronger than the ones outside. You should see at least four different monsters beyond the door here."

Anne spoke up this time. "One is a kind of Guardian, correct?"

Syr Katherine nodded. "Yes. This kind is called a soaring fox. They utilize illusions and strike from hiding using enchanted fire." She paused, as if collecting her thoughts. "The others are creatures of the Dungeon itself. There are three you need to worry about: horned ones, nested ones, and silent ones. Horned ones prioritize close combat and use a kind of blood magic. Take care to avoid having open wounds nearby. Nested ones use their young as weapons; engage at a distance if possible."

Clay felt himself grow tense. "And the silent ones?"

"They manipulate sound." Syr Katherine winced. "They are particularly effective against those who rely on [Chants] as a result."

He grimaced. That didn't sound encouraging at all.

She continued. "The nature of the Dungeon itself will also be dangerous. The world we are entering does not follow the same rules as this one. Light will be… difficult to come by, and the native life is unpleasant. Be vigilant, but do not lash out blindly."

As the Ruffians acknowledged her instructions again, Syr Katherine turned back to the doorway. Then Olivia spoke up again, her voice careful and low. "Is there anything left inside?"

Katherine paused. She looked back at Olivia with her eyebrows raised. "What?"

"The mountain. It used to be taller, didn't it?" Olivia looked around, her eyes resting on the odd trees rising out of the rock. "The Dungeon swallowed a piece of it, along with whatever else was here."

Clay heard mutters from the others, but Syr Katherine's gaze was still fixed on Olivia. "Yes. That is the case. In fact, if the Dungeon is allowed to grow, it would continue to devour more of the world."

Olivia nodded. "And is there anything left of what it has taken? Or is it gone?"

Syr Katherine studied her for a long moment. "There are rumors that some fragments of the lost portions can be found inside. The closer the piece was to the center of the Dungeon's creation, the more… intact the fragment it contains." Then the [Calculator] shook her head. "Still, I doubt we will venture that far into the Dungeon today—it would require us to spend more time there than we would be able to."

She turned back to the doorway. "Now, Syr Olivia, Sir Clay, you can do as you will. Sir Jack, Sir Xavien, Sir Lawrence, Syr Anne, and Syr Natalie, please begin your [Chants]. We'll enter once you are ready."

As they recited the [Chant], Clay tried to calm himself. His memories of the first Dungeon were more than sharp enough to give him concerns, especially with Olivia coming along. Was he being foolish? Should he ask the Ruffians to stay behind after all?

Then Olivia's hand landed on his shoulder. He looked into her shining green eyes, seeing the hints of her smile beneath her scarf, and felt his feelings calm. Clay nodded to her, and she nodded back. No matter what happened, no matter what was waiting for them on the other side of the portal, they would be ready.

Clay stepped into a very different world.

He had just a heartbeat to wait before the Curse struck at his Soul. His eyes took in a night so dark and so black that he didn't see a single hint of the stars or moon above.

What he could see, however, made his breath freeze in his chest. The floor, which he'd noticed was made out of some sort of wood, turned out to be something more crude. Clay realized that he was standing on the surface of a branch, and that the doorway out of the Dungeon seemed to have been set into the trunk of a massive, unfathomably vast tree. It stretched high above him, vanishing into the dark sky, and it plunged far below, past the edge of his sight.

He didn't see anything more before the Dungeon struck, and he crumpled slightly under the force of it.

{Malus received from the Curse of the Night of the Eternal Hunt! Receive an additional 20% damage from all sources for 24 hours.}

Clay felt a shiver of fragility run through him, and a bit of nausea flooded him. He coughed, trying to work some moisture back into his mouth.

It wasn't hard. The air of this place seemed thick and heavy, as if a mist was drifting around him. When he looked backward at the shining light of the exit, the haze around the opening confirmed that fact. A sharp, woody smell came along with the mist, as if the very scent of the wood around him permeated everything, and just at the edge of his hearing, a low hum rose and fell all around him. In the distance, muted by the mist, he could just barely see the twinkle of distant lights, as if they were torches.

As he looked back, the others came through as well. Olivia staggered, her face pale above her scarf, though she seemed to recover quickly. Anne and Jack both went to their knees, breathing hard but remaining silent. Xavien and Lawrence seemed to bear the weight more easily, shaking their heads as if they were trying to clear them. Natalie tripped over a part of the branch and nearly fell. Xavien caught her; when her mouth opened to thank him, the [Knave] quickly placed a hand over her mouth and raised his eyebrows at her. She blushed and allowed herself to be helped back up.

Syr Katherine entered last of all, her expression tense. She looked at the Ruffians first. "Nod if you maintained the [Chant]." As the adventurers all nodded, she continued. "Nod if you felt something like pressure when you entered."

This time, they shook their heads. "The Malus was still applied?" A nod from each of them this time. The [Calculator] turned away from them. "Syr Olivia?"

"I didn't have the [Chant] active, but I didn't feel anything new when I came in." Olivia paused and grimaced beneath her scarf. "Aside from the Malus, of course."

Syr Katherine turned to Clay, her voice still cool and calm. "Sir Clay?"

He grimaced. "It's watching, all right. It was hard to feel it, with the Malus hitting first, but it's there." Clay could sense it now, like a vile howl in the corner of his mind, an unpleasant observer peering at him out of the dark. "We should move."

She watched him for a heartbeat. "I agree. If you feel anything unusual, let me know."

Clay nodded, and she drew out a torch. A whispered recitation of the Spontaneous Spark set the tool alight, something she repeated as she handed the things out to the Ruffians. "Follow me and stay close. Do not go close to the edges for any reason."

As they started off through the Dungeon, it quickly became apparent that the challenges of this place were going to be very different from what he'd encountered in Sarlsboro.

Instead of closed-in corridors and musty rooms, Clay followed Syr Katherine along bridges made from branches. The things were broad and flat enough to drive two carts side by side, but they curved at the edges with no ledge or fence to prevent someone from disappearing out into the dark. He had crept up close to the side of the branch once, to peer over it, but the only thing he saw was other branches and blackness. There was no hint of the actual ground of the world, just as there wasn't any sign of stars or moon above.

There were some bits of light, but it quickly became clear that it wasn't from the sky. As they walked, they occasionally passed patches of dark moss that was growing across the branch. When they brushed it, the moss abruptly glowed, lighting up the immediate area as if it was on fire. The glow faded as they left it behind, but Clay couldn't help but feel like they were marking themselves for whatever would hunt them out in the dark.

When a branch from one tree met the trunk or branch of another, they fused together rather than clashing or breaking. At each junction with a trunk, it seemed as if something had tunneled through the outer layers of the massive bark, forming narrow passages between other branches. They formed something close to staircases or caves, all carved through the grey-green wood.

Clay wished he could say it was a mystery what had done the carving. He really, really wished it.

He watched as another bug the size of a cart wheel skittered across the wood, humming softly. Olivia raised her war scythe, her eyes locked on it, but the thing simply passed them by, its antennae thrumming. Syr Katherine eyed the Ruffians, who gave it plenty of space and sighed. "They are harmless, you know. Like the serfs in Sarlsboro."

"The serfs were a little less… that." Another bug poked its head out from the bark above their heads, and Clay had to restrain himself from stabbing it. The fact that he could hear dozens more of them both above and below him did not help. Destroying denizens always provoked a strong response, and the last thing he needed was to get them buried in the Dungeon's warriors by provoking a reprisal. "What are they, anyway?"

Syr Katherine stepped around a bump in the tunnel, reaching the opening for the next branch. "The Orison identified them as hummers. Apparently, they serve as prey for the bats."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Great." Olivia's voice was tight and her expression told him she shared his lack of enthusiasm for the tight spaces half-filled with bugs. Natalie stepped after her, followed by Xavien, who shuddered at the bug that was hanging above their heads. The others trailed after, all clutching their weapons and staying silent.

Clay focused on his ethereal senses, hoping to catch sight of an enemy. They had been quiet, save for the ever-present howl that ran through the Dungeon at a constant pace. Had the Dungeon somehow pulled back from them? Perhaps the [Chants] had failed to conceal the Ruffians, and it was gathering a counterattack to sweep them away.

Yet as he stepped out onto the branch alongside Olivia and Syr Katherine, he paused. There were new tones in the howl, moving quickly towards them. "Enemies, I think. Incoming."

"More than one?" He nodded, and Syr Katherine grimaced. "Obviously, the Dungeon has remembered me. It throws more challenges at you when it grows familiar."

Olivia looked back at the hole. "Do we retreat?"

Syr Katherine shook her head. "They'll just wait for us to emerge. We cannot stay here forever. Better to let them come at us in the open. Prepare yourselves."

Clay nodded. He walked out onto the bridge with her, starting the recitation of the Ballad of Air. It would be convenient if the monsters here shared the same weakness as the ones outside, but it was hard to believe they would.

As they filed out onto the bridge, Syr Katherine signaled for them to form a circle. She placed herself between Olivia and him, raising her torch to illuminate more of the haze around them. He studied her for a moment, and she glanced at him. "Remember, Sir Clay, I am in command."

He nodded, reluctantly.

Then, in the next instant, he felt a rush of power unlike anything he'd felt before. The others around him seemed to move slower somehow. He could feel an abnormal amount of strength running through him, and his senses grew sharper. Even his recitation of the [Chant] accelerated. Was this what everyone else felt when he boosted their abilities?

Before he could grow too adjusted to the difference, however, everything went quiet.

The hummers behind him suddenly cut off. In fact, all of the hummers seemed to stop their quiet thrumming, as if they had all agreed to go still at once. Clay glanced backwards, expecting to see something there, but he didn't see anything different. One of the bugs actually crawled past the opening in the bark that they had just left, its antennae still waving in the mist.

It was at that point Clay realized that he couldn't hear anything. Not the quiet scuffles of their boots on the wood, not the steady breathing of his companions. He couldn't even hear his own voice; the [Chant] had died without him even realizing it. A bolt of fear ran through him, quickly suppressed, as he stared in all directions. The enemy had to be coming, so where…

His thoughts cut off as he heard a roar behind him. Clay spun, his heartbeat the only remaining sound hammering in his ears—and saw nothing. There was no monster there in the darkness. He could only see the others in his group facing the darkness calmly, as if they hadn't heard anything at all. Olivia hadn't even turned her head.

He felt a sudden drop in his stomach as he spun again, hoping that he'd be fast enough. Just as he did, there was a flicker that ran through their torches as the wind from beating wings washed over them; the flames danced and bent away from him, even as the rush of air puckered his skin. Clay turned, and his heart leapt in his chest as a monster stooped over him, already reaching for its kill.

The thing was hideous and huge, larger than even the ancient bats he'd fought outside. It was a pale grey, and its body was the size of a horse. Both eyes were completely gone, replaced by blank skin that bulged slightly. There was a quartet of tendrils between the spaces where its eyes should have gone, which waved and shifted.

Its claws were long, iron-hard things that seemed to shine with some kind of poison. They were already nearly to him, and even as time seemed to slow, Clay knew he wasn't going to be able to react fast enough to dodge.

Yet as it snatched at him, Clay moved faster than he had expected. He pulled back, just out of reach of the snatching claws, and he lashed out with his spear to block a second strike. With a silenced yell, he lunged forward and drove his spear out in a single brutal thrust. The bat started to try to back-wing away from him, but it was too late.

His spear punched deep into the monster's chest, hard enough that it went in up to the crossguards. He felt bones crunch beneath the impact, and the bat's wings hitched as if the creature's mind had gone blank. Before it could lurch away from him, Clay shifted his grip on the haft and twisted, feeling the blade of the spear grind against the thing's innards. It twitched again, and this time Clay pivoted, dragging the spear across the bat's chest and leaving ruin in its wake.

The strength seemed to go out of its wings, and Clay stepped back as it fell to the wood of the bridge. He let it thrash for a moment before stepping back in to strike twice more, plunging his speartip into the thing's neck and head.

{Silent One slain! Soul increases by 150}

There was a flicker of motion out of the corner of his eye. Clay jumped backwards, pivoting to face the threat. He got a glimpse of an incoming winged body, about the size of his head. Blue flames trailed from it, and his heart leapt in his throat as it dove straight at him.

He moved on reflex more than anything else, smashing the flaming thing aside with his forearm. It exploded the instant he struck it, washing fire over him and throwing him from his feet.

{Bomb Batling slain!}

Clay felt a searing amount of pain from the fire, something that shocked him as he hit the ground and rolled. It was one thing to know how much more vulnerable the Malus had left him; it was entirely another to feel the difference in his durability.

Clay rolled back to his knees, wincing as the bones in his arm protested. As he blinked away the pain, the scene in front of him swam back into focus. He saw another silent one frantically backing away from the group, the fronds on its eyeless face waving frantically. Natalie hurled a javelin at it, followed by a bolt of red lightning, while Xavien hurled balls of lightning of his own at the same monster.

Another, larger creature had landed on the trunk of the tree behind the group. It was massive, easily the size of a small house, with a wingspan that could stretch three times that size. The face seemed less alien to him; its eyes and nose were nothing surprising, though they were far more intelligent and malicious than any natural bat.

Unfortunately, it carried plenty of problems along with it. More, smaller bats were crawling out from under its wings before launching themselves at the group, flames consuming them as they flew. Lawrence was smashing them aside or diverting them into strange portals that spat them out too far away to matter; Clay could see a handful of glowing explosions in the distance. As the [Occultist] defended him, Jack was running forward, his knives ready to strike at the nested one, even as it opened its mouth and disgorged another of the smaller creatures to throw at him.

Anne had stepped back, her eyes searching the darkness. A different monster swooped in at her, a pair of massive horns branching out from its skull. She fired an arrow at it, but a spear of dark fluid darted out to intercept the projectile. A second dart nearly struck her, but she danced aside and reached for another arrow, a smile on her face.

The branch beneath Clay shook, and he looked backwards out of reflex. A second massive nested one had landed heavily on the bridge behind him, its back and chest crawling with numberless smaller forms. He tried to pivot to face it, but a sudden searing pain ran through him. He grimaced, coughing in terrible silence; the taste of iron filled his mouth as he spat blood on the wood.

With malicious glee, the nested one looked at him and shrugged its shoulders. A pair of the smaller things launched towards him, their forms already alight with blue and purple flame. He tried to stagger to his feet to fight back, desperate to shake off the pain he was feeling.

{Fortitude increased by 1!}

Then Syr Katherine was there, her off-hand already outstretched. The two incoming bats smashed into an invisible shield as the [Calculator] advanced, her expression cold as they both detonated. Clay felt hot wind sweep by him as the shield was shattered, but Syr Katherine didn't hesitate. She dove past the guttering remnants of the two bats, moving with impossible speed. Her sword glimmered with power as she slammed into the nested one, stabbing with cold efficiency even as she picked off the smaller creatures with icicle after icicle.

Clay felt a wash of relief as he staggered backwards. Then another rush of wind fell across the back of his neck, and he turned.

It was another horned one, its wings beating the air above him. The thing's eyes were red and slitted, focused on him with the air of a predator having found its prey. He stared up at it, seeing the blood dripping from its mouth, and felt a tremor run through him.

The horned one opened its mouth in a silent roar, and a flood of dark fluid shot out. It turned from a torrent into a shower of incoming darts, each swinging around to shoot straight at his heart. Clay forced his limbs to move, fighting against the cough that was burning in his chest. He lunged to the side and stumbled, barely making any movement. Even as he staggered, the darts of foul blood curved to follow his position.

Olivia darted in front of him at the last moment, her war scythe held at the ready. She moved into the wave of attacks, her blade spinning and shattering the darts as they came. Clay did his best to catch any she missed; he winced as at least one of them tore across her leg in a spray of red, but she didn't even flinch. Another dart glanced off his helmet, and a third caught him in the shoulder, sending another spike of agony through him.

Yet as the horned one's attack finished, sound suddenly rushed back into the world. Clay staggered to one knee, even as he heard Olivia running through the Refrain. The horned one started to retreat, but it was too late. A spray of icicle spears caught it and tore it to pieces.

A look around told him that the others had finished their own battles; even Syr Katherine was walking away from the corpse of the nested one. Xavien rushed to his side a moment later, his hands glowing from the power of his healing [Charm]. In moments, Clay was nodding his thanks to the [Oracle], even as he turned to help Olivia and Jack, who was sporting some damage of his own.

Syr Katherine was nodding absently to herself. "Well done. It seems that the [Chants] are working. I'd have expected twice as many opponents if the Dungeon had known you were all here. Raise your hand if you are injured, or ready to return home."

None of the Ruffians raised their hands. If anything, they looked even more determined, though Natalie had to put her hand over Anne's mouth before the [Burglar] could say something. Olivia simply seemed satisfied, though there was a flash of worry in her eyes as she glanced at him.

Clay winced and looked at the [Calculator]. "It seems like they are sending more against us than they did at Sarlsboro."

She nodded. "I've been returning to the Dungeon repeatedly. It… knows me, and it sensed I had powerful allies. It sent about twice as many as it would have if I were alone."

He nodded. The ache in his chest had subsided, at least, and his armor was still more or less intact. "So, we continue?"

Syr Katherine nodded. "We do. Stay alert. There will be more." She looked forward into the dark. "There are always more."

They were attacked twice more as they continued across the branches between trunks. Each time, their small group overwhelmed their opponents in a few moments of hard fighting. Xavien continued to heal their injuries, though he began to count down the fingers on his hands to show that he was running short of uses for the thing.

It was a common message from the Ruffians. At the end of the day, they were still adventurers, and denied access to their [Chants], they had only the limited uses of [Feats] or [Charms] to rely on. Even their [Sigils] and [Styles] would only last for so long, in the end.

By the end of the third fight, they took shelter in one of the trunks. As they hid there among the hummers, Syr Katherine grimaced. "We may not be able to achieve our third goal here."

Olivia grunted. She looked at the Ruffians, who were looking far worse for wear. "Could they head back on their own while we continue? They should be protected by the Cloak."

Syr Katherine shook her head, her expression stern. "We cannot rely on that. Besides, the last thing we need is for our companions to be separated in this place. They likely do not remember the way home anyway, and in contrast, we don't know our own destination."

Clay saw Olivia stir a little, but she subsided. Syr Katherine was right. Pushing forward and risking the lives of the Ruffians wasn't a good solution.

He sighed. "Too bad those new [Chants] can't help. You said the Lament doesn't do anything inside a Dungeon, right?"

The [Calculator] nodded. "Feel free to experiment with it. The [Chant] does not even appear to attract extra attention from the Curse."

Clay exchanged a look with Olivia and shrugged. He started the [Chant], the unfamiliar words and syllables spilling out of him as he rested.

The [Chant] was an odd one, a little more similar to the Orison than most of the others that he'd used. There weren't any amplifiers inside of it—at least, not that Olivia or Syr Katherine had been able to see—and it was a fairly long process compared to the rest.

When the final syllables settled into place, Clay felt as if his ethereal senses had abruptly expanded, but in a way that muted them. He could feel the howl of the Dungeon much further away, but the subtler signs of the monsters within it became far less distinct.

Clay spent a few moments straining, trying to discern amidst the ever-present shrieking of the Curse. Then he gave up, shaking his head. Syr Katherine cleared her throat. "Any change, Sir Clay?"

He shook his head. "No. Maybe I should try the Fool's Rhyme. It doesn't do anything either, right?"

She made a dismissive gesture, and he heaved a short sigh. If they were headed back anyway, it surely couldn't do that much harm.

It took a few moments to concentrate on the Rhyme, speeding through the words as he worked towards the completion of the [Chant]. As he did, the others prepared themselves for the journey back to the doorway, moving with an impressive level of silence. He didn't know how much longer that Anne was going to be able to avoid making any noises whatsoever, but the fact that she'd lasted this long was impressive in and of itself.

He was still musing on that fact, a smile on his face, when the Rhyme settled into place, and his world changed.

The howl of the Dungeon abruptly hushed, as if his ethereal senses had been snuffed out. Even the sounds of the people around him were muted, and instead, he heard the faint sounds of a… voice in the dark.

It was hard to describe. The sound was both present and not at the same time, as if it was weaving in and out of his perception. His ability to hear it was not helped by the fact that it was incredibly faint, like overhearing a song from a farmer two fields away. As he strained to hear it, the sounds resonated in him, somehow, a pulse of harmony that washed away some of his fatigue and frustration.

At the same time, there were echoes of it closer by. Six bright specks in the dark, humming along with that undefinable song, with a seventh, more subtle, resonance. When he turned towards them, he found himself looking at the others, who were staring back in shock. Even Syr Katherine seemed surprised, though Olivia's eyes had simply narrowed.

Even as he opened his mouth to break the [Chant], Clay heard one more echo, this one much further away. He spun, half expecting to be able to see something coming, but he only ended up staring into the distance towards a nearly invisible tree trunk a few bridges away. Clay stared at it for a moment, feeling the pulse of that distant, fragile song.

{Insight increased by 1!}

Then Syr Katherine shook him, breaking his concentration. He let the [Chant] fall away and looked at her, his eyes wide. "It worked."

"I know." Syr Katherine looked at the others. "I felt that, as I'm sure the others did." The Ruffians nodded, though Olivia simply continued to study him, eyes narrow. "We need to leave, now. If that alerted the Dungeon…"

Olivia shook her head. "No. It didn't. Did it, Clay?"

Clay blinked. He focused on his ethereal senses, where the Dungeon was once again filling them with its unending fury. "No. It doesn't seem any different."

Syr Katherine gave them both a frustrated glare. "Then why could we feel that, Syr Olivia? How could the monsters not feel what we just felt?"

"Because we don't belong here, Syr Katherine." Olivia's smile was hidden beneath her scarf, but Clay could tell it was there all the same. "In this place, we're the invaders."

The [Calculator] stared at her a moment longer. Then she blinked. "Like the Lament finds creatures that don't belong in our world, the Rhyme finds creatures that don't belong to the Dungeon." She looked at Clay. "Could you sense the exit, Sir Clay?"

He looked in the direction where he'd heard the loudest part of the song. "Is it back that way?" She nodded. "Then yes. That's what I heard. Along with the other thing."

Syr Katherine blinked. She tilted her head. "Another thing?"

Clay turned back to look in the direction of the other echo. "There was something else. Something that had the same… tune to it." He shook his head. "It was in that direction."

"A part of our world." Olivia's voice was hushed, but her eyes practically glowed in the torchlight. "How far away is it?"

He looked at her. "A few bridges, not that much further."

Syr Katherine looked stunned. "We can't risk going further. Not with our resources stretched this thin, and not when…"

"When we could recover something from when this place became lost?" Olivia's voice was calm and unyielding. She was fixed on Clay. "Something that might have the Eternal Seal inside it?"

The [Calculator] looked at her. "There is no guarantee that you could find that here."

Olivia shrugged. "It isn't in the Guild, and we haven't found it anywhere else in our world. Why not a place like this one?"

Natalie made a knocking sound on the wood. Then she gestured for them to hurry up. Clay grinned. "All right. Who wants to continue forward, and who wants to leave? Raised hands for continuing."

Natalie, Jack, Anne, and Lawrence all raised their hands. Xavien followed suit with an exasperated look that suggested he'd rather have argued about it. Olivia shrugged and added her hand to the mix.

He looked back at Syr Katherine. "Let's continue and at least get a look. We might get a little more protection if we all use the Cloak, though."

Her lips twisted. "Of course." She looked around at the others. "Remember. No sounds until we reach this place. Leave one or two of the torches here; they may think we've stayed."

Clay nodded and started to recite the Cloak. They had one last thing to do, after all.

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