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Scott Summers

Two men stood on top of the stone guard tower at the edge of the old highway, each of them wore thin armor made from mana beast hides, with a sword belted to their hips.

“Captain Hughes, it’s been almost seven days since they went in. At this rate, the dungeon will soon spill over into our world,” the younger man said, fidgeting with his sword sheath, looking past the overgrown interstate. Nature had reclaimed the road ages ago, but spots of the old world still survived.

Tom ignored his lieutenant. They couldn’t see the dungeon portal from the tower. All they could do was watch the flying mountain that hovered in the distance.

He fought the urge to fidget with his sword. There was nothing he could personally do now but watch and wait for the fate of the small town they protected.

But he knew what his lieutenant referenced. The nearby dungeon was the largest he’d ever seen, and if it spilled over, it would be a threat to the town behind him. But the level of the dungeon left few options. He had to rely on the Sect to deal with it.

No one in town was above a third-ring mage. Despite Tom’s experience, he had trouble getting near the portal entrance.

“Captain, do you think it’ll be okay?” Roger broke his thoughts. Tom turned towards Roger, realizing the kid was nearing the point of bolting and hiding in town. Not that that would save his life if the Sect failed.

Tom sighed inwardly. He had more riding on this than he cared to admit. He didn’t want the Sect anywhere near him or Isaac. But he would need their strength to close a dungeon this large.

The city wouldn’t survive if the portal spilled over. It would be a slaughter if the monsters in the dungeon crossed over. Even a fourth-rank mana beast could reduce the entire town to rubble.

Joseph E Tacelli

The First Dungeon

The First Dungeon - Part 1

A giant mountain loomed before us, taking up the horizon as we cut our way through the forest towards it. It floated in the air, like the clouds were holding it up over the city below.

Wind cut through the trees, making the hair that had grown to my shoulders tickle my neck. I brushed it away, trying to pick apart what I was seeing. I’d waited so long to get to a sect.

“You can see the elevators,” Celina whispered next to me.

I squinted towards where she was looking. “Those things dangling off the side?” They looked like some sort of fruiting plant growth, but at this distance, they had to be meters in diameter.

“Yeah. They use them to pass goods up and down between the mountain and the city. Every sect has a city at the base of their mountain; the city gets protection, and the sect gets resources and labor.”

I heard a muttered curse ahead, followed by a rip and lots of stomping. Celina and I walked up behind Michelle, who had been using a sword like a machete to clear away the dense forest. She appeared to have stopped to rip apart a branch that had snagged her sword. The foliage was paying the price brutally under her boot.

Clearly, she’d had enough. I squeezed her side before stepping in front of her to take the sword and her place clearing the path. She fell back with Celina. I fell into a rhythm as I slashed through the undergrowth.

We’d flown most of the way to the sect on Aurora’s back, but we’d stopped just short of eyesight to prevent too much unwanted attention. The sect would be my new home and hopefully new family, but I had no doubt there were still power dynamics at play. I didn’t want to show my cards too early.

The First Dungeon - Part 2

“You can’t do that,” one of the elders following me argued, but he didn’t try to physically stop me.

“Pretty sure I can,” I said, not looking back.

“No. She’s a fourth rank mana beast, and at present, she’s the only fourth rank beast or fourth-ring mage. She could cause havoc!”

I turned and stared the elder down. “I’ve been in this role for, what, thirty minutes? And you’re already questioning my choices?”

I arched a brow, letting the silence linger while he thought about how strongly he wanted to oppose me. I didn’t expect them to immediately accept my leadership wholeheartedly, but I damn well wasn’t going to let them walk all over me.

He seemed to come to a decision, stepping back and dipping his head in acknowledgment.

Nodding, I continued onward. I knew his intentions were probably to help and guide me, but I wasn’t about to be persuaded away from my current task. I was going to release Mei.

And thanks to my newly won station as the first ranked mage in the Ferrymen’s Core Court, I had access to Mei. I was now the core of the sect and I could, in fact, release Mei.

I smiled, enjoying finally having a position with some power.

“At least let us bring a dozen elders to help, in case of an issue.”

“No need. Mei will be fine,” I said.

I rounded the last corner and saw Mei already waiting by the door of her cell. Her fox ears swiveled forward and fixated on me. No doubt she had heard our conversation, although her casual stance didn’t give it away.

The First Dungeon - Part 3

The wind flapped at my robes as I stood on the very peak of the floating mountain. The Ferrymen sect lay out below me, sprawling down the mountainside.

Thousands of disciples worked tirelessly to progress their cultivation. All of them would kill to stand at the peak of the mountain and absorb the rich, pure mana that flowed out from the top and cascaded down to them.

But even this concentration of mana felt diluted to me now. I’d been cultivating the immortal mana from the portal for over thirty years. Cultivating at the top of the mountain now was like trying to get drunk on lake water after pouring a jug of wine into it. The immortal mana was just so rich compared to the mana of this world.

Thirty years had brought more peace across the sects.

At least, as peaceful as a world of cultivators could be.

Constant conflict between the sects and the wilderness toughened disciples, tempered them so they could be sharpened to a finer point with their cultivation. Struggles helped mages progress. Like diamonds, they needed pressure to form. I had learned that through my own experiences.

I’d been part of a generation toughened through the corruption of the Sun and Moon Hall. We had managed to come together, but it had almost been too late. And it had taken a long time to dig out of the chaos that was left when they were finally defeated.

My own cultivation had taken over a year to recover, and Kat’s had taken almost a decade.

I faced into the wind, letting the air batter my face as I breathed deeply, remembering the long road to recovery. It had been difficult to accept my weakened body as it had healed.

But we had recovered and pushed our sect forward, building our own cultivation to the peak of this world. Now I coached and helped mold the future generation of mages, but there was an empty space in me wanting to push myself further. To become something stronger.

The First Dungeon - Part 4

A month had passed since I’d decimated the Ying family and their estate.

I leaned back in the Su family manor, which had since become a buzz of activity. After the fall of the Ying family, everyone had looked to Wenxi Su and the Su family to lead Murdock.

And a new faction had formed as well. My family, along with the rest of the sects that had come up from the mortal world, had made a group called simply The Alliance. We’d carved the Ying family compound into five different structures, rebuilt within the grounds. Each structure was headed by one of the powerful sects that had come from the mortal world.

I had led efforts and used The Alliance’s manpower as we rebuilt Murdock after the fight with the Ying family patriarch. If anything, Murdock looked like it was well past recovery and moving forward at a blistering pace.

The mortal cultivators had injected a livelihood that the town had been missing before. Hundreds of third- and fourth-ring cultivators eagerly pushed their cultivation to the next level, using the immortal mana to speed up their efforts. Mana beasts outside the city were becoming scarce as the eager cultivators worked to fill their rings and progress their capabilities.

Looking around, I tried to spot my target. I needed to talk to Wenxi. For all the growth and excitement that was stirring in Murdock, I had other plans.

As a fifth-ring immortal, I needed stronger opponents, so I was thinking about venturing north towards Blueheavens. It was supposedly a mecca of cultivators and home to the main compound of the Su family.

Wenxi had said her family was only a medium-sized power among the city and other ancient families. I wanted to find more clues about my mother’s family and where she might be, and that was my best bet.

The First Dungeon - Part 5

Ming Feng nuzzled into the side of my neck, leaving a trail of tender kisses to wake me up.

“What time is it?” I groaned, shielding my eyes from the sun coming in the window of our marital suite.

Everything was draped in red, lacy silks, and flower petals were liberally dusted all over the room. Of course, I hadn’t had eyes for anything else last night to notice them before.

“It’s time for you to get up. We need to go greet our parents. And based on what I saw at the end of the celebration, all of your wives are staying here tonight too.” Ming yawned.

I stole a taste of Ming’s lips and rolled her onto her back before kissing her. My mind wandered towards morning sex as my erection brushed against her thigh.

Ming groaned, but not in the way that I’d hoped. She groaned in sexual frustration. “We can’t. But seriously, you are insatiable. Maybe it won’t be so bad to have help in the bedroom.”

Laughing, I gave her one more kiss before rolling off of her and sliding out of bed. “It was hard to keep my mana beasts at bay; they were begging to join us last night, but our wedding night was just for you.”

She propped herself up on an arm, staring at me. “Is this the last night of just the two of us?”

“No,” I said firmly. “We’ll find more time. After all, we have eternity together, but be ready for Aurora next time. I don’t know if I can hold her back again.”

The First Dungeon - Seria książek

The First Dungeon - Seria książek

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