The dungeon had started out well. Low level Slimes, Screamer bats and a couple goblins. Monsters magically generated by dungeons vanish and drop naturally grown magic crystal cores when defeated. The crystals can be exchanged for money. Bigger the monster, bigger the crystal, more money.

  This dungeon was a converted natural cave network. A maze of caves, mine shafts and small rooms.

  Evelyn's party consisted of a knight, a fighter specialising in chakrams and a wizard. Especially recruited for this dungeon run was a thief, a little higher level than the highest level member of our combined groups.

  So called "professional gambler" and handyman turned thief (class only), Bazyli or just Baz, was also the oldest member of our group by maybe a dozen years.

  Of course both level and age are based on my deceptive adventurer card. Based on my actual level, Baz did not impress me, it seemed to me that being a thief was not his passion.

  He dragged himself around just behind the leads and, more than once, had to be asked to inspect suspicious possible traps.

  The deal between our two parties was simple. We save the slightly higher party some energy by dealing with the low level beasties, as well as generally support them. The three other members of Evelyn's party being male, I suspect Isabelle's model-esque looks and Layla being very cute, also played a part.

  Layla, with a buffed attack from me, manages to leap up and tear apart a Screamer bat before it starts attacking with its god-awful shrieking. She lands gracefully and turns in time to reach out a swipe from mid air the falling crystal.

  "Woah" I give applause and smile at Layla, though not visible on her face, tensing fingers told me Isabelle was jealous.

  Isabelle finally spots the fast Screamer bat. I'd heard it flying closer before anyone had even registered the freshly slain bat.

  As soon as it enters the glow from the cleric's staff and the less impressive beam from my ring, it swoops over Layla and opens its mouth toward the group.

  REEE—ACK!

  Isabelle had pulled back her bow string with all her strength. The arrow shoots through the bat and explodes the base of a sizable stalactite behind.

  Layla's eyes widen in shock as my arms grab her, a moment before my body's weight pushes her, and we tumble away.

  Smash!

  The stalactite would have struck her shoulder, not telling what damage it would have done.

  "You OK?"

  "Ye-ye-yes I—"

  "Isabelle! Even without the stalactite falling, that arrow struck above Layla, be more aware! Ranged weapons should not be used with allies down range... err... but it's all OK! So just try to be careful OK..." Oops, I was scolding like an old man.

  Isabelle blushes and looks on the verge of tears. Murmurs of awe from the men in the group. Evelyn was giving me a strange look. I'd noticed her glances from the very beginning.

  "Hey, fall back a bit, I want to ask you something."

  I wondered why Evelyn had handed her staff to someone else. She tugs at my sleeve, I comply and we both end up a couple paces behind. The rear guard passes us with curious looks, but say nothing. Isabelle, still too embarrassed to look at me, had gone ahead with swords drawn, and so didn't see me and Evelyn falling back.

  "I can't get a read on you.... Passive healer skill of seeing a visual representation of health and, with skill upgrades, debuffs and maladies such as bleeding, burn or poison...

  I... I can't see anything above you." Says Evelyn in a hushed tone.

  SHIT! Passive shared skill of multiple dark classes VeiledStatus. I hadn't thought of this. While her seeing a "health bar" would not, on its own, be problematic. Seeing it go down only a sliver or not at all if I'm attacked would lead to questions. I turn off VeiledStatus while rummaging in my pocket for something that didn't exist. Turning on Deception—

  "I'm a private person, I have an item that protects my privacy, don't ask to see it."

  I turn off deception and smile.

  "You're likely not far off being able to see past it anyway. I hadn't even realised it concealed my health bar— Sorry!"

  "You're a private person. An item that protects your privacy... I understand, yes... you do seem reserved..."

  She mutters a while longer. I could see deception muddling the poor woman's mind. As the gormless look fades, normal Evelyn returns. I hate myself.

  "I suppose you should see it," I say pointing up. "We are a team after all."

  "The health bar makes sense now... I think— But! There's something else about you. The way you move at times... I can tell you're more aware too— then you let on I mean...

  Saving Layla the way you did... and I heard a story.

  Did you help take down an orc, saving an elf... about 4 months ago?"

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  "Ha! You accusing me of something? Jee I flattered you're paying so much attention to me. But it's simple really. I had a tough upbringing, saw a lot of violence. It's what put me off and made me want to heal— and why I'm so reserved, as you put it.

  But... There's no denying I'm quite capable, that's why I want to be a field medic, just a level off and I can take the capsarii exclusive skill of Triage. That locks me into that advanced class. You know what differentiates a field medic right?"

  My acting at ease is starting to be real, as I see my story resonating. Evelyn smiles as she blushes. This was good, I was feeling better, no Deception being used.

  "The closest thing to being an opposite of cleric while still healing. Capsarii— or field medic as many prefer, remain in the middle of combat and can provide some offensive support."

  "That's right. And yes I did happen upon a party in trouble a while back. I'm not sure how, but I got lucky and finished off an already badly injured orc. It moved like a bully I once knew hahaha"

  "A bully you once knew?..."

  We chat a little longer, I share a true story from the orphanage. Before being snatched, my concern had been an older boy, who despite a modest orphan's diet, managed to be chubby. Like the orc swinging his cleaver, I had tumbled under a stick being swung at me by the chubby bully.

  Evelyn smiles and explains how she was actually the bully when she was very young, but seeing the consequences of the hurt she caused, and the teachings of her aunt, guided her away from that path.

  The glow begins to fade, she excuses herself and goes to retake and charge up her staff. I move to position myself directly behind the lead two, beside Audovald and Baz. I point my ring ahead, illuminating Isabelle walking awkwardly just behind Layla. Layla was using cat's eyes to see in the dark.

  Isabelle had profusely apologized to Layla, and was moving awkwardly due not just to the darkness, but also being beside someone she'd almost got hurt.

  . . .

  "Oi! Check this out!" Terrance the knight points to a large crack in the wall.

  We'd finally come to something that seemed significant. A large hall with the cave we'd entered through on one side and three doorways on the opposite wall.

  Plotting the route in my head, we weren't that far in. We'd taken three wrong turns leading us to dead ends or back on ourselves, plus we'd stopped to explore the empty rooms. We were actually a fairly simple straight shot to the exit, as long as we went left at the only fork that would be presented going away from us heading back. The dead ends weren't an issue as we'd be walking past routes that would appear leading back.

  "There's summin' behind this wall. Shine yer light down there will ya?"

  I oblige, the crack is in the corner, obscured by a pillar, I direct my ring into the hole. There's a corridor behind the crack. Terrance starts calling everyone else over, I check the edges of the crack; the wall was healing itself.

  I had a bad feeling. I squeeze the side of my face into the crack. Having got my hand in, I strain to look down.

  The other side of the wall had healed, but included a thin lightning strike like crack from the floor. I knew this trick. The crack on the other side signified that several skills could break the wall.

  It was on the other side, not our side, so it's meant to be broken from there, to create an entry to here... not far from the exit... I suspected it was a shortcut from the final part of the dungeon.

  I'd become lost in thought, trying to remember off the top of my head at what level most classes would get the ability required to break these kinds of walls. All I knew for sure was that it was higher than this joint party's average.

  "Audovald, could you make the opening bigger? You could use the club off that goblin." Insists Terrence.

  Layla and Isabelle had slain the toughest enemy so far, at the mouth of the cave leading into the hall, the first armed and larger goblin.

  I make no objections, I figure the wall can't be the only obstacle, let them waste their time breaking off pieces of wall and entering an area they shouldn't. I was proven right when we all reached the end of the corridor on the other side of the crack.

  At a large chasm we found ourselves on a small ledge far from the ledge much higher up. Unfortunately, an excited Terrence had taken the lead and reached the ledge first. He squats down and tugs at a rope, had I reached it first I'd have disguised a much harder tug.

  I recognised the setup and knew what had happened. I would guess we were just a day after another party. To cross such a distance, and not take fall damage, one of a small group of similar mid level skills was needed.

  As an assassin the skill available to me was GlideJump. Magically strengthening my spread out cape as I jump, I could glide for some distance. Level one GravityDefy achieved something similar. This setup was meant to be one way... I had to guess the party before us had a lower level member or were weighed down by whatever treasure they found; they'd sent one member across with a rope, anchored both ends and ziplined down equipment.

  Why did the bastards leave the rope behind!? Rope isn't cheap! I could tell the makeshift zipline wasn't meant to be there, the stakes were being pushed out, unfortunately they'd been well hammered in and the otherside was still strong enough— at least for one of us.

  Trying to find the right words, I zone out again as Audovald drives the stake our side further in. Terrence hands an excited Layla his rondel dagger, the butt being strong enough to use as a hammer on the opposite stake.

  "Guys please listen."

  Not sure why, but when I spoke seriously, all the youngsters I'd met so far listened, they must sense some underlying maturity. I wait for the overlapping queries to die down. A glare is enough to get Terrence to shut up.

  "We're not supposed to be here. That crack was healing, I believe it was not meant to be visible from the hall.

  This rope is not supposed to be here, the stakes are being pushed out by the dungeon.

  I'm not sure what skills are needed to cross this obstacle, but I can tell they are higher level. I'll also add that I'm pretty certain we're not meant to be going up, this was made for people to come down, get to the hall and exit the dungeon— One Way!"

  "Relax, we're just exploiting a cheeky shortcut. Even if some partys' been here before, they might'a overlooked some treasure. Plus we can get straight to more interesting monsters and gain more XP. Come on brother, aren't you curious what's up there?" Says Terrence dismissively.

  "More interesting monsters? I think the skill required to break the wall back there is already maybe a dozen levels up from us. At ten levels higher it would take all of us to defeat a single monster..."

  Terrence goes to say something—

  "At fifteen levels higher! We're already facing an opponent capable of one shotting members of our party, while taking the hits from the rest. Neither Evelyn nor I can revive that many times, and keep up with healing."

  "Oi Oi— This a fairly low level dungeon, what'ya fussing about? Ain't gonna be summin that strong here."

  "Never heard of secret areas within low level dungeons? I've heard of adventurers wanting to collect all of a certain treasure, finding clues within one dungeon leading them back to others— secret areas tying many dungeons together, areas only accessible with higher level skills."

  "I've heard of that." states Isabelle while others mutter among themselves.

  I see Mohandas, chakram fighter, exchange some hushed words with Terrence who coaxes him to step back.

  "We'll take it to a vote, I wanna see what's up there. This dungeon's monsters have so far been a doozy, I doubt we'll find more than a sporting trifle up there, come on lads! Who's with me!?"

  Baz declines to vote. Only Isabelle and Evelyn keep their hands down, Lucas the wizard looks hesitant but seems to idolise Terrence, and so raises his hand. Shit, I have a bad feeling I'm about to use my assassin skills.

  Layla clears the chasm with, at this point, unsurprising ease. The other party, not used to her animal skills, gushed in awe. A primal roar is heard followed by hammering.