Chapter 62

The day had arrived.

Natalie stared around at the enormous dome enclosing the beating heart of Aradon, or indeed Valhaur, itself. The dungeon entrance. As one of the most mythical objects in existence, Natalie had of course seen it in textbooks, had seen the detailed artistic renditions of the one-story-tall, black obsidian slab.

It was somehow less than she’d expected.

Because this was the dungeon entrance? Four wingspans wide, and a single story tall, the slab of black stone was so ... unassuming, considering it was the lifeblood of society, as important to early civilization as rivers and arable land. The dungeon entrance ought to be bigger than life, majestic, awe-inspiring, towering ten thousand feet high. It should have Natalie falling to her knees, her mind overwhelmed.

Which was dramatic, she knew. But really. It was the dungeon entrance. While the polished, perfectly geometric slate of black stone was far from mundane—it was clearly of supernatural make, not a natural occurrence in the slightest—it simply lacked the enormous presence the concept of ‘dungeon entrance’ had in Natalie’s head. The artwork in textbooks had exaggerated the details.

Still, there was plenty of awe, but it stemmed from Natalie’s knowledge of what the object represented, rather than sheer presence itself.

The glassy black surface wobbled, a newest set of adventurers stepping into the seemingly-solid material, disturbing the surface like it was made of water. The group of five sank into the darkness, then were gone. Faster than liquid would, the obsidian stabilized, regaining its rigidity.

That, at least, lived up to the descriptions. Otherworldly.

“So,” Sofia asked. “Everyone’s ready, then?”

The five of them had showed up after class. Around them, other groups of Tenet students swarmed, some of them already having set off into the entrance’s glassy black portal. There was a steady flow into each of the entrance’s two faces, north and south. Most entered from the north. An old superstition, certainly false, but even Natalie’s group would be doing the same. Ridiculous as it was, no point in tempting fate, right?

“Ready to kick monster butt,” Liz said. “Over-ready. Feels like I’ve been waiting forever.”

That sentiment was, undoubtedly, mirrored in all of them. This was the culminating moment every Tenet student had waited, and trained for, their entire life.

Even Liz, permanently bubbly, seemed to be anxious in a ‘let’s get to it’ sort of way. The cheerful response had been more forced than usual, as if trying to ease everyone else’s nerves.

“Let’s do it.” Resting a hand on her hammer’s shaft, she vibrated with anticipation. She looked around at each of her teammates, then nodded. No disagreement.

Stepping forward, Natalie spurred the group into motion.

Her anticipation grew as she approached the tall slab of obsidian, but she didn’t let herself slow. With only two ways into the dungeon, and loads of adventurers trying to enter, clogging the flow of traffic was a quick way to getting kicked out of the building with a hefty fine attached. Plus, Natalie wasn’t scared. Just stuffed with adrenaline.