Natalia Talios POV

  Welcome to my home, Natalia Talios.

  Natalia Talios, heir to the Archmage Calamvor by System decree, looked up from where she had been examining her newly shrunken form. She and her party had spent the better part of a month or two seeking what they believed to be a dungeon somewhere in the northern part of the Sylcyne Forest. It was going to be her leverage to pressure the Delving Society into giving her leave to find her adopted grandfather’s killer. She had simply wanted closure. What she had found was something else.

  Golden light cast its rays upon a scene of utter bedlam and chaos. Numerous creatures had been stuck outside the dome that had separated her and her team from her grandfather’s woodland cabin/mansion, a strange ward that had kept out all but the smallest forest denizens. Now, all of the larger creatures who had desired entrance were shrunk to 1/24th of their normal size, and many were too simple-minded to cope with the change. They went ballistic, charging straight for the large mansion that dominated the back half of the clearing. Many didn’t make it that far, immediately setting upon any other creature that happened to pass by near enough to see over through the tall grass.

  All of that took a backseat to the pressure currently pressing down on her. It wasn’t truly akin to weight but rather an aura of attention, an awareness that saw her completely with nothing hidden from its sight but her thoughts. The attention of a dungeon. It wasn’t a foreign feeling. Natalia and her team had been Delvers for years. They had experienced such attention before, but not to this extent or with this level of focus. The only dungeon that came close was the Shattered Peak in the deep south.

  It was the evidence of an awakened mind, a dungeon with a personality and spirit of its own — and this one had something deeper still. Parts of its aura sang out, like a melody one could barely hear. It was bright but deep. It brought to mind the glittering of ocean waves that hid fathomless depths beneath the surface. Similarly, the more she paid attention and the deeper she dove, the more she could feel the pressure surrounding her and her friends.

  Still, for all that, the voice that spoke was young and distinctly male. It rumbled through Natalia’s body from her head to her toes, and yet she was sure that it had lowered the volume of its voice so as not to frighten or hurt her. She looked around to find her party still examining themselves with interest, although Boris seemed to feel there was more going on around them.

  Do not mind your companions. I am speaking to you alone at this time.

  Natalia breathed deeply to bolster herself before trying to project her thoughts outward. It was awkward, but it seemed successful.

  Are you the Dungeon? Valterra Unok’Davaas?

  Please, call me Valterra. I have been expecting you, though your arrival is sooner than I expected.

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  Why were you expecting me at all?

  You were special to the Archmage Calamvor.

  There was no questioning tone; the dungeon stated it as if it were a fact. That it did so was telling, as was the use of the past tense when speaking of her grandfather. She managed to calm the sudden inhalation that that realization brought, fighting to maintain a calm outward appearance.

  Did you kill him?

  No, I was not the one who killed Calamvor, the dungeon replied, and Natalia breathed a little easier. She didn’t realize how badly she needed its confirmation. The presence of the Dungeon softened and came lower like a cloud or a blanket. It wrapped its way around her like a hug as if preparing her for something else.

  However, I am perhaps both the cause and the result of his death.

  Natalia’s eyes narrowed. What do you mean?

  Hmm. I’m not entirely sure I’m supposed to tell you that. But I might be able to…aha.

  Natalia felt something settle over her like a weighty blanket. The sounds around her deadened to silence as if pushed momentarily away.

  I cannot hold this for long, or my uncles and aunts might grow suspicious. Like I said, I wasn't expecting to meet you for some time, so I admit that I’m not quite sure how to broach this subject. The Dungeon paused and seemed to gather its thoughts. The Archmage Calamvor was my creator. The process by which he created me is not something I fully understand, but when he died, his Spark helped to ignite mine, and I became a living being.

  I was told he passed abruptly, but I no longer know if that story was correct. The High Spirits were the ones to tell me about his death, but…

  But? Natalia prompted. The Dungeon seemed to pause as if holding its breath.

  My…father left me quite a few of his memories. Some came with the piece of his Spark that awakened mine. You first came to my attention then as a fragment of a memory. Some time ago, I stumbled across an…inheritance of sorts.

  Memories of the time leading up to my creation, though I haven’t gone through all of them. Perhaps his dying memory is contained within. However, now is not the time to open those memories. Look to your party members, Natalia Talios; they seem to be needing your direction.

  I look forward to seeing what you make of my dungeon. Try to have some fun…niece. And before I forget, your grandfather wished for you to know that he was sorry he couldn’t fulfill his promise.

  Natalia barely kept herself from collapsing to the ground; the only thing preventing her was her Silver-Core strength. She felt the dungeon take a step back, sound rushing to fill in the space where it had been. A hand on her shoulder forced her to turn, and she saw Boris looking at her with concern.

  “Natalia,” he asked, his voice laced with care and slight urgency. “You alright?”

  Natalia tried to shake off the shock of her conversation, her training kicking into gear as her senses expanded. Her team was beginning to move, Korim darting ahead, practically disappearing with one step to start scouting now that he was inside the dome. Boris must have seen her hesitation during her short conversation with the dungeon and came to investigate.

  “No, but I will tell you everything later. First, we need to move out and establish a safe spot to regroup and catch our breath.”

  Boris frowned at that but nodded. They were in a dungeon, and Natalia’s position as both party leader and healer demanded swift obedience. He knew as well as she did that their entrance into the dungeon hadn’t been seamless. They had been fighting for some time before they entered, and now they found themselves in uncharted territory. They needed some space to recharge.

  Natalia turned to the rest of her party and motioned in the direction Korim had headed.“Let’s get going. The dungeon won’t delve itself.”