The excavator was finally secured on the back of the truck, its heavy weight pressing down on the reinforced trailer bed like a sleeping beast. The truck's battery had been reinstalled with care, wires double-checked, and clamps tightened. The engine rumbled, alive again, waiting patiently for its journey back to town.

Barry had spent the last half-hour circling the house, camera active and commentary steady. He'd captured close-ups of the hidden pits around the property—deep holes camouflaged with natural debris, each lined with sharpened stakes. Many of the stakes had dark smears on them, looking suspiciously like grease, or worse.

Dave stood by the truck, arms crossed, watching the sergeant—no, not Sergeant Barry Smith anymore, just Bazza, his "work colleague." That had been the deal.

But Bazza didn't look like someone ready to go home. He was scanning the treeline again, eyes drawn to the wilderness beyond. The sigh that escaped his lips was soft but unmistakable.

Dave felt a chill that wasn't from the breeze. He called out, trying to redirect the man's thoughts. "Right, mate, I'm ready. What direction do you want to go?"

Barry looked up, pulled from his thoughts. "There seem to be a lot of footprints heading this way. I want to know where they're going."

That was all it took.

They followed the tracks into the bush. The dirt path was worn but uneven, footprints overlapping in different sizes. Barry documented everything as they walked, describing the layout and the path for his recording.

It didn't take long before the trees gave way to a clearing.

There, in the middle of the bush, sat a massive black stone building.

It looked impossibly ancient and unnervingly clean. Its surface was smooth, like polished obsidian, absorbing light rather than reflecting it. One side was dominated by a white hemisphere, embedded like a pearl in onyx. It glowed faintly, as though moonlight had been trapped inside it.

Dave's gut clenched immediately.

Something was wrong about this place.

He couldn't explain it—there was no stench, no strange sound, no sign of life—but his instincts screamed at him like they had the day his rig nearly tipped off a cliff. His boots crunched softly over dry grass as he moved around the building's side, eyes darting.

"OK, Barry," he called out, trying to keep his voice light. "I went for that walk to look around, like I promised you. Now I think it's time to go."

No reply.

He frowned and raised his voice. "This place feels creepy, mate, and I really think we should get gone."

Still nothing.

Panic started to rise. He rounded the corner, and stopped dead.

Barry was standing stock-still in front of the white hemisphere. His hand hovered just inches from the surface, trembling slightly, like he was on the verge of touching it. His expression was vacant, his eyes unfocused.

"Barry?" Dave tried. "What you doing?"

No reaction.

Something cold gripped Dave's spine. He stepped forward and grabbed Barry's shoulder, giving it a firm shake.

"Sargent Barry Smith, respond to me!"

Barry blinked.

It was like watching someone wake from a trance. He turned to look at Dave, blinking slowly, and said, "What, Dave? What are you panicking about?"

Dave dropped his hand and stepped back in shock. "Mate, you weren't reacting. At all. I called your name—twice."

Barry took a deep breath, suddenly aware of the chill in the air and the tightness in his own chest. "Um... Sorry, Dave. I was just... I don't know. Just thinking, I guess."

He looked at the white dome again, then back at Dave. "Yeah. Sorry."

Dave exhaled, some of the fear easing from his shoulders. "Good. Right. No worries. Let's go, then."

But Barry didn't move.

"I think this white part is the door," he said, more to himself than to Dave. "Or something like it. I want to try to get inside."

Dave's face paled. "What?"

Barry took a half-step forward, his eyes locked on the stone again. "I don't think this is just a building. I think it's..."

"No," Dave said firmly, his voice rising. "No way, Bazza. Whatever this is? We've seen enough. You made your recording. You're not the police today. We're just here to pick up a bloody excavator, remember?"

But Barry didn't back away.

And Dave, standing just behind him, saw that same distant look creeping back into Barry's eyes.

The cold wind blew steady across the sparse tundra as Zane, Tarni, and Lily crested another low hill. Dry yellowed grass whispered against their boots, and every step crunched softly on the frost-hardened earth. With Bell and Kai sheltering back near the fire, the three of them moved cautiously but with purpose, scanning the dips and ridges of the land for anything that might hint at a dungeon boss—or any hint of a threat.

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"I reckon we're close to something," Tarni muttered, eyes squinting at the horizon. "The ground's flatter over there. Might be some kinda building, or... I dunno, ruins?"

Zane said nothing but nodded, his eyes sharp. Lily moved ahead of them slightly, her fingers twitching near her belt, always ready.

As they rounded a bend in the shallow valley, the terrain sloped downward toward a dark smudge in the hillside. At first, it looked like a shadow—or maybe an old landslide—but as they got closer, it became obvious.

It was a tunnel. A dark, reinforced mine shaft, framed by weathered stone and old timber supports. Half-buried rails stretched into the darkness like the teeth of a long-forgotten machine.

"Well, that's... not ominous at all," Lily said dryly, slowing to a stop.

"Mate," Tarni breathed, "that looks like a mine entrance."

Zane stepped closer, the air cooling further around the gaping mouth of the tunnel. Something about it tickled at his System senses. He reached out with the one thing that had rarely let him down so far—his skill.

"Basic Item Appraisal," he muttered as he focused on the mine entrance.

The familiar flicker of the System screen blinked into view—but instead of the usual underwhelming result, a shimmering pulse rolled through the message. It shifted before his eyes, lines rewriting themselves in real time.

Skill Level Up! Basic Item Appraisal → Appraisal You can now gain broader information about more detailed and complex items. Cooldown removed. Range increased.

Zane's face lit up like he'd just won the lottery. "Yes!" he grinned. "Bloody yes!"

Tarni raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"My skill just levelled up. It's proper 'Appraisal' now. Not just basic junk. Listen to this." He turned toward the mine and triggered the new version of the skill. Then read out loud.

Appraisal Result: Tundra Iron Ore Mine Capacity: 3,249.6 kg of 3,249.6 kg Ore Remaining Status: Untapped Note: You will need to be bettera skilled before you can mine this.

Zane laughed aloud. "This whole thing's full of iron ore. Over three thousand kilos of it! System even says it's untapped. Like… no one's touched it before."

Tarni whistled. "That's a lotta ore."

Lily tilted her head. "Think it's connected to the dungeon boss?"

"Maybe," Zane said, still grinning. "Or maybe it's just another resource. Either way, my skill's upgraded now—I gotta try this on everything."

He turned to the nearest rock and activated Appraisal again.

Nothing.

Then he tried the scraggly bush growing out of the permafrost.

Still nothing.

He frowned, stepping over to a patch of brittle moss. "Appraisal."

Nothing again.

Lily smirked. "Don't hurt yourself."

Zane shrugged. "Still figuring out the rules. Looks like it only works on items—things that are structured or crafted or placed. Not just raw nature stuff."

"Shame," Tarni muttered. "Would've loved to know if this weird tundra grass is poisonous."

Lily tapped her fingers together. "It's still useful. If this mine is part of a crafting reward, it might come into play later. Either way, if your skill's improving, we're probably headed in the right direction."

Zane stepped back and gave the mine one last glance. "We mark this place. Could be worth a fortune if we get out of here with mining skills."

"Big if," Tarni added. "Let's find the boss first."

They moved on, a little more hopeful, a little more wary, with Zane still gleefully appraising anything that looked vaguely 'item-like' as they climbed the next ridge.

The howling wind outside had dulled into a steady, frigid whistle against the makeshift shelter. Bell could feel the pressure building—literally. Her fingers trembled against the grip of her new Boomstick Bow, the glowing arrow in its nocked position now pulsing with dangerous intensity. Her skill Basic Powered Shot was still charging, and the longer she held it, the more power it accumulated. The arrow looked like a miniature star by now—condensed light cracking with energy, its tip humming with volatile power.

"This thing is gonna blow if I don't shoot it soon," she whispered through clenched teeth.

Kai was hunched low beside her, machete drawn and eyes wide, the cramped shelter doing little to mask his nervousness.

Then—a sound. A heavy snuffling. Footsteps. Wet and shambling. Something big was outside.

Bell leaned in, frantic. "Kai, get this tarp and move it to the side, I'll shoot whatever's out there!"

Kai nodded and reached forward, ready to pull. "Three… two…"

He yanked the tarp aside.

Wham.

The stench hit them like a freight train. An unholy mix of wet fur, rotting grass, and something much, much worse. Their eyes instantly watered, their vision blurring from the stench alone.

Ten metres away, framed in a haze of frost and watering eyes, stood something massive, fur-covered, and definitely not humanoid. The last coherent thought Bell had was, that ain't friendly.

Instinct took over. She loosed the shot.

FWOOOOOM—BOOM!

The world went white.

Then red.

Then black.

A thunderous explosion slammed them both into the ground. Their ears ceased functioning entirely. The shelter disintegrated in a single, concussive roar. Tarps flew. Sticks shattered. The fire snuffed out like a candle in a gale.

Kai coughed and rolled onto his side. His eyes were wide and unfocused, and his entire body was coated in a fine red mist. "Whaaa—" he said, voice distant and drowned in the aftermath.

Bell was already sitting up, blinking hard as the high-pitched eeeeeeeeeeeee in her ears slowly faded into background fuzz. The bow lay beside her, still warm. A red haze hung in the air where the creature had once stood.

It was... gone. Just gone. A triangle of scorched, blood-red ground marked the point of impact, with its tip pointing directly at them. Steam still hissed from the snow-dusted soil. A fine red mist was settling onto everything like grotesque fog.

Eventually, they got the fire going again. The shelter—rebuilt but pitiful—barely offered enough windbreak to function. Still, it was better than nothing.

Kai was the first to speak, still almost shouting, "I don't think you should use Power Shots on targets that close again. My ears are still ringing!"

Bell groaned. "You think yours are ringing? My skull's vibrating like a gong."

Then, in front of her, the familiar blue shimmer of the System appeared:

New Title Unlocked: Um, remind me to never knock on your door! +25% Damage when using a fully charged Powered Shot on a target less than 10 metres away. Warning: Splashback damage increased by 25%.

Bell stared at the title for a moment before turning to Kai, still shell-shocked.

"Well... shit. I got a new title."

Kai blinked, rubbing his temple. "That's great, Mum! More damage?"

"Yeah. Also more splashback."

He paused, then gave a hesitant thumbs-up. "...Still good. Not optimal, but we can work with it."

Bell sighed and nodded. "We'd just need to plan for it. Maybe shoot from cover, or through a gap where I can duck back before the blast hits."

"Or around corners," Kai added, warming to the idea. "Like a flashbang arrow. Hit-and-hide kind of thing."

As they sat there brainstorming combat tactics, the ground around them still glowing faintly red, they both glanced again at the terrain. The triangle of devastation looked less like an explosion and more like a warning sign from the gods.

Meanwhile…

Zane, Tarni, and Lily had frozen mid-step on the ridge above.

"Did you hear that?" Zane asked, scanning the sky. "Sounded like thunder."

Tarni rubbed his ears. "Didn't just hear it, mate. Felt it in my teeth."

Lily casually smacked him on the back of the head. "Told you not to joke about rain."

"I wasn't … yeah, you're right!"

"Well now there's a storm coming in."

Zane looked up at the clear blue sky, completely devoid of clouds.

He frowned. "I hope Bell and Kai are okay…"

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