Drake walked around the small six-foot chamber, his glowing sword flickering shadows along the wall. Mike and Chad followed suit, thinking that perhaps they needed all three of them.

I wonder if the door we opened released the leeches, and this was where they were hiding. Drake looked down at the ring, wondering.

Before anyone could ask, he ran back through the tunnel toward the small chamber that held the split in the tunnels.

He could hear Mike and Chad following behind, trying to keep up with him. He had an idea about what he was supposed to do, but wasn't sure. He knew they were running out of time, causing him to sprint to the end of the tunnel. When he reached, he waited for his friends so they knew which tunnel he was going into.

After they arrived, he headed into the third tunnel, sprinting until he made it back to the Chamber of Knowledge and straight to the podium. He placed the ring and the three keys he held on the podium.

Seeing what Drake was doing, they added their own keys, then they waited… and waited… Nothing happened.

Drake stepped back and then began to pace as he thought frantically about what to do. He could tell it was a combination; he just had to figure out what the combination was. With an idea, he turned to his friends. "Let's try placing the keys and the ring at the same time."

Chad had his own key, as well as Ruby's. Mike had his own, along with Renn's. Drake had his own, along with the ring. "On the count of three, then place them," Drake stated, then began to count down. "1… 2…3… place!"

All at once, they placed the items on the podium, then waited. Still nothing happened.

Drake grumbled. "Let's try placing them in the order we received them," he suggested.

Mike placed his ring on the podium, then Ruby's. Next, Drake placed Renn's, then his own. Lastly, Chad placed his. After the rings were placed, Drake put his ring on the podium with them. The podium rumbled for only a second.

"Don't touch the rings. Let's try placing our hands on the podium, maybe all of us touching the ring," Drake told them. They followed his orders. As soon as each of them, including Renn, placed their hand on the podium, with one finger touching the ring as well, the podium rumbled again and disintegrated into a cloud of sparks. The keys, ring, and podium disappeared into nothing.

They waited for something to happen, but nothing happened. They waited, hoping it was just taking a while, but still, nothing happened. Drake frowned, grabbed Renn, and then rushed out of the chamber and sprinted down the tunnel. He was heading again to the small chamber where the three tunnels split.

Mike and Chad raced after him, trying desperately to keep up. Once they were all in front of the three tunnels, Drake headed down the first tunnel, not stopping until he reached the entrance of the chamber they had opened, not daring to enter until they could all enter at once.

As Mike and Chad made it to the entrance of the small chamber, Drake put out his hand. "Don't enter!" he hissed.

Drake's words stopped them in their tracks. As one, they stared into the chamber. On the floor was a ring of light, but nothing else. "That wasn't there before," Drake commented. "I still think there's something else we need to do. I think we need to check out the second tunnel again, before we enter this one."

Mike and Chad nodded, then followed Drake as he sprinted back down the tunnel, then into the second one, not stopping until they reached the chamber. They entered as one and scanned the walls, ceiling, and floor, but found nothing. "Shit!" Drake grumbled. "Back to tunnel one, but don't enter it… not yet."

Sprinting back to the first tunnel's chamber, they stood at the opening and looked in. "Now what?" Mike asked, breathing hard.

Drake thought about it for a moment. "Ok, let's analyze the tunnel. I already told you I thought it was a hand. We are the hand of the dimension to help and protect it. We each represent a part of the hand, making us a piece of a greater whole. We're in this together. Combined, we are the hand. It takes all of us to function," he began. "Whatever we need to do to get the Master Spell Book, we do it as one, for the purpose of protecting and helping the dimension… agreed?"

Mike and Drake nodded, and so did Renn. Ruby was also listening, screeching in agreement. Renn nodded her small head, giving out a squeak in agreement. Mike and Chad spoke simultaneously. "Agreed."

{Cohort Oath has been given, proceed to the chambers circle to give your oath in blood: Familiars are linked to Dimension Master Heir, The heir's blood speaks for all familiars.}

"We need to go to the circle and let some of our blood fall on the circle," Drake stated. "Renn and Ruby don't need to because they're linked to me."

They walked into the chamber and stood around the glowing circle. Drake cut his finger on the blade of his sword and let the blood drip inside the circle. Mike and Chad did the same, using their own swords to cut their wounds.

As the blood dripped, the circle began to glow. A pillar of light shot out of the ground, then surrounded them. When the light faded, there was a beautiful book floating above the ground.

Drake carefully picked it up, lightly caressing the book's intricately runed cover. Runes were placed in all four corners. One corner had Mike's runes, while another had Chad's. There was also a corner with dimension master runes, then lastly, the dimension runes.

Mike and Chad reached over and touched their respective corners as Drake held it. The book glowed briefly.

{Hidden Quest Complete: Find the chamber of knowledge/obtain the Master Spell book}

{Reward Received: Master Spell Book}

{Reward Received: Your familiars have evolved}

{Your familiar has evolved: Renn is now level 4}

{Your familiar has evolved: Ruby is now level 3}

{Reward Received: All power attributes have leveled up by 1 level}

{Fire Skills are now level 4}

{Wind Skills are now Level 4}

{Plasma skills are now Level 3}

{Emerald Energy is now Level 3}

{Your cohort has grown stronger}

{Your familiar has grown stronger}

{All allies have grown stronger}

{Protector is now Level 5}

{You may now proceed to Draco Town. Your quest is complete.}

Drake waited for the messages to complete. When it got to Renn, he watched as she briefly flashed green, to red, to blue, then back to green. He smiled, rubbing her small head. "Looks like your level 4 now," he told his familiar.

Communicating with Ruby, he told her she should be level three now. She shrieked lightly in his head, telling him she had changed.

Drake communicated with Protected, who was overjoyed by the bust in power.

***

Back in the ordinary world in Drake's room, Drake's father stared at the screen. He wasn't sure what had happened that forced the boys to give their blood. "We didn't have to do that. We didn't have to spill blood. The spell book materialized after we set the ring and keys on the podium in the order that was required, then touched the podium. Something has definitely changed.

Chad's father nodded. "Did you see the other loot they got. We never got that either. It looked like it made their weapons stronger."

Nodding, Mike's father folded his arms and stared at the screen as the boys waited for Drake to finish listening to the system. It was clear they received a lot out of the quest, other than the spell book and loot from whatever was in the tunnel. They didn't even see what it was. Drake had shot energy down the tunnel, killing everything.

"It was impressive how Drake shot that energy down the tunnel. I didn't know he could do that. It's as if he's doing things automatically out of instinct," Mike stated, still watching the boys.

Chad's father nodded. "The barrier he put up in the inn, and then in the Chamber of Knowledge, to protect them while they slept. I don't get how he learned that."

Drake's father turned to his friends. "I think it's the prophecy. Drake must be the last dimension master. He has all those beasts; Hundreds of them, which is part of the prophecy." He paused for a moment. "I'm just hoping he saves the dimension and doesn't destroy it. The prophecy said that the last dimension master will do one or the other."

They worried that Drake would destroy the dimension. He hadn't done anything that would indicate he would. He was even careful not to kill anyone unless they attacked him first.

"What about Gavin? He's new in the dimension, so I don't know anything about him. I can't tell if he is an ally or an enemy. What do you think?" Drake's father asked his friends.

Both Chad's and Mike's fathers shrugged; Then Mike's father spoke. "We'll just have to wait and see."

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