The floor beneath our feet began to pulse with the same rhythm as the crystal formation, the carved lines glowing brighter with each heartbeat. The temperature in the chamber rose noticeably, and the air became thick with an energy that made my skin crawl.
Marcus advanced on Kira, his sword held with the casual competence of someone who'd killed before. "Nothing personal," he repeated, as if that somehow made attempted murder more palatable. "Just make it quick and clean."
Kira's response was to swing her hammer in a wide arc that forced Marcus to jump back. "Come and try it, you backstabbing bastard."
Behind them, Blackwood continued his extraction work, apparently unconcerned that two of his party members were about to fight to the death. The drilling device hummed louder as it bit into the crystal formation, sending cascades of red light dancing across the chamber walls.
I had seconds to make a decision. Run for the entrance while Marcus was distracted, or stay and help Kira fight impossible odds.
A year ago, the choice would have been easy. Self-preservation had always been my strongest instinct. But as I watched Kira prepare to face a trained killer with nothing but a hammer and determination, I realized I couldn't abandon her.
Not this time.
I drew my Kobold Fang Dagger, the enchanted blade catching the crystal's light with an ominous gleam. Marcus noticed the movement and laughed.
"Really, Jin? You're going to fight me with a butter knife?" He shifted his stance slightly, now facing both of us. "I've been killing people since before you learned to shave."
"Maybe," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. "But I know something you don't."
"What's that?"
"The floor trap you're standing on."
Marcus glanced down instinctively, and in that moment of distraction, Kira struck. Her hammer caught him in the ribs with a sound like breaking kindling, sending him stumbling backward toward the center of the chamber.
Toward the circle of bones and carved lines that my trap detection skill had been screaming about.
The moment Marcus's foot crossed one of the glowing lines, the chamber's trap fully activated.
The skeletal remains around the crystal formation suddenly lurched to their feet, animated by the same red energy that pulsed through the floor. Empty sockets blazed with crimson light as they turned toward us, weapons still clutched in bony hands.
"Oh, come on," I muttered. "Animated skeletons? Really?"
Marcus spun around to face the new threat, his sword raised defensively. "You didn't mention the dead guards, Blackwood!"
"Minor detail," Blackwood called back, still focused on his extraction. "Just kill them and get back to work."
The skeletons moved with jerky, unnatural gaits, but they moved fast. The nearest one—still wearing the remnants of Guild armor—swung a rusty sword at Marcus with surprising coordination.
"The trap's powered by the crystal!" I shouted to Kira. "If we can disrupt Blackwood's extraction—"
"On it!" Kira was already moving, circling wide to avoid the animated dead while making her way toward Blackwood.
I stayed focused on Marcus, who was now fighting a running battle against three skeleton warriors while trying to reach us. My dagger wouldn't be much use in direct combat, but I had other advantages.
My trap detection skill was highlighting weak points in the chamber's structure—stress fractures in the stone pillars, unstable sections of floor, places where a well-placed blow might cause significant damage.
I pulled out one of my climbing pitons and hurled it at a support pillar, striking exactly where my skill indicated maximum structural weakness. A spider web of cracks spread from the impact point, and dust rained from the ceiling.
"The pillars!" I called to Kira. "They're not as stable as they look!"
She nodded, understanding immediately. Instead of charging straight at Blackwood, she veered toward the nearest pillar and swung her hammer with all her strength. The impact sent a massive crack zigzagging up the stone column.
Blackwood finally looked up from his work, his expression shifting from annoyance to genuine concern. "Stop that! You'll bring the whole chamber down!"
"That's the idea!" Kira replied, moving to the next pillar.
The skeletons were torn between multiple targets now—some pursuing Marcus, others moving to intercept Kira, and a few shambling toward me with obvious hostile intent. I backed away from the nearest skeleton, a former mage judging by the tattered robes, and tried to stay mobile.
My Kobold Fang Dagger wasn't much against armored opponents, but it didn't need to be. The enchanted blade had other properties, and when I managed to nick the skeleton mage's exposed spine, the bleeding effect activated. Dark energy began seeping from the wound, disrupting whatever force was animating the bones.
The skeleton stumbled, its coordination failing, and I managed to push it into one of the glowing floor lines. The magical energy surged, overloading the animation spell, and the skeleton collapsed into a pile of ordinary bones.
"The floor lines!" I shouted. "They're part of the control system! Force them onto the lines!"
Marcus, despite being an enemy, was still a professional. He immediately adapted his fighting style, using his superior swordsmanship to maneuver the skeletons rather than just hack at them. Soon he had two of them positioned over intersecting lines, and the magical feedback destroyed both simultaneously.
Blackwood's drilling device was nearing completion, red crystal dust pouring from the formation as he extracted a massive shard. But Kira's systematic destruction of the support pillars was causing the entire chamber to become unstable.
"Almost there," Blackwood muttered, sweat beading on his forehead. "Just a few more seconds—"
A loud crack echoed through the chamber as one of the damaged pillars finally gave way. The ceiling shifted ominously, and loose stones began raining down around the crystal formation.
"Time to go!" I yelled, grabbing Kira's arm as she prepared to attack another pillar.
She looked at the entrance, then at Blackwood and Marcus, clearly torn between escape and finishing the fight.
"They're not worth dying for," I said firmly. "We have what we came for."
I held up my journal, where I'd documented everything—Blackwood's admission of deliberate murder, Marcus's role as accomplice, the evidence of previous victims arranged around the crystal. The Guild would have everything they needed to bring both men to justice.
If we survived to deliver it.
Another pillar cracked, and this time the sound was followed by a deep rumble that seemed to come from the dungeon itself. The Crimson Labyrinth was not happy about the structural damage we'd caused.
Kira nodded reluctantly and we ran for the entrance, dodging falling debris and the few remaining animated skeletons. Behind us, Blackwood's shouts grew increasingly frantic as he tried to complete his extraction while the chamber literally fell apart around him.
We burst through the passage and didn't stop running until we reached the central chamber with its four branching tunnels. Only then did we pause to catch our breath and assess our situation.
"Think they'll follow us?" Kira asked, checking her hammer for damage.
"If they survive," I replied, listening for sounds of pursuit. "But that chamber was coming down fast. They might be trapped."
"Good." Her expression was grim. "After what they tried to do..."
I was about to agree when I felt a familiar sensation—a warm tingling in my pocket. I reached in and pulled out a glowing blue rectangle that materialized as I watched.
A receipt. Finally.
DUNGEON RECEIPT
Location: Crimson Labyrinth (Level 3)
Deaths Processed: 0
Protective Actions: 2
Combat Actions: 4
Total Points Awarded: 1,000
Achievement Unlocked: Guardian's Path
DUNGEON SHOP NOW AVAILABLE
I stared at the receipt, understanding flooding through me. No one had died, but I'd genuinely tried to protect Kira and myself from deliberate murder. The system wasn't just about witnessing death—it was about the intent behind my actions.
"Jin?" Kira was looking at me strangely. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
I tucked the receipt away quickly. "Just relieved to be alive. Come on, let's get out of here before this whole place decides to collapse."
As we made our way back through the Labyrinth's entrance, my legs felt like jelly and my hands wouldn't stop shaking. The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving behind the reality of what had just happened.
We'd nearly died. Blackwood had tried to feed us to that crystal formation like we were livestock.
We reached the entrance to find daylight waiting for us, the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen. We stumbled out into the afternoon sun and kept walking until we'd put distance between ourselves and whatever was left of the Crimson Labyrinth.
Only then did I remember the receipt in my pocket, still warm against my fingers.
One thousand points. Not from watching people die, but from keeping someone alive.
"Come on," I said to Kira. "Let's get back to the city before something else tries to kill us."
Not a bad day's work for a professional coward.