The Brain by Edmond Hamilton (namjoon book recommendations .TXT) 📕

one that has been here, what do you know about that?” he asked.  Squab was the most junior member of the Cohort with them today, at only Raider Level 12, and he had visited the dungeon once before it had been destroyed.  Or supposedly destroyed.  The rest of those with them ranged between Level 18 and 23, with Marvus being the most powerful at Level 25; none of them had any reason to visit a dungeon that was meant for Raiders just starting out.

“Uh…that wasn’t here when I visited before,” Squab said uncertainly.

I wonder if that is another entrance?  But why would there be two?  Marvus had been in his fair share of dungeons over the last decade or so, but this one was the most unusual one he’d ever heard of – and it became even more unusual at his first sight of it.  He had already heard about the dungeon’s ability to put one of their monsters in the tunnel leading inside, letting the next group know that it was ready for them, but a second entrance?  Not only that, but there appeared to be some sort of animal person waiting inside of the tunnel for them, which he quickly recognized as some sort of Gnoll.

Something new could potentially be good or bad.  As Sterge and Gwenda hadn’t been spreading the news that the dungeon was still operational, he tended to think that this was something good.  “I have a feeling we’ll find what we’re looking for in there.  If those two weaklings can come out with riches, then we’ll probably be able to find even more.”

Marvus refused to think of his last score, a previously thought defunct dungeon full of big cats, and a treasure room full of hundreds of thousands’ worth of gold.  He had destroyed the Core because he didn’t want anyone else knowing about his find, but in the end it hadn’t mattered.  It turned out that the Ministry of Merchants had caught wind of his activities there and had ambushed him one night as he was moving more of his treasure out.  Left for dead, they had cleaned out the entire cave while he was unconscious and severely hurt, and it was only by luck that they hadn’t finished him off.

Truthfully, at the time he thought it would’ve been a blessing to have died, because after he woke up and found himself stripped of anything of worth, he almost let his wounds take him to the afterlife.  His depression didn’t last long, and he managed to pop out the Minor Healing Potion he kept in his boot; fueled by a desire for revenge, he healed himself up and had been working to build up enough wealth to destroy the Ministry.  It was a lofty goal, but it was also something he felt driven to strive for; if anything, it gave his life purpose.

“Let’s head in,” he ordered, waving the Cohort members inside.  “This shouldn’t be too difficult; that other entrance was for beginners, after all.  I dare say that Squab could probably defeat whatever is in this new place all by himself,” he joked, taking pleasure in the horrified look on their junior member’s face.

As soon as they got close to the entrance, the Gnoll disappeared inside.  Emboldened by their numbers, the Cohort ran after it, intending to dispatch it before it could raise a warning – or whatever it was designed to do.  Enhanced by the speed of their Class choices, which most of them had chosen as Thief or Brigand when they hit Level 10, they were actually able to catch up before the Gnoll could get away.  Just as Marvus walked inside the entrance tunnel, he watched as the monster was practically decapitated from a powerful cross slice coming from one of their Assassin Classes, Gerthin, who had changed from his previous Thief Class at Level 20.

As for Marvus, he had chosen to become a Plunderer, which really helped to enhance his Valuation Sense ability.  Less about speed and staying hidden, the Plunderer Class was more melee-focused and had better defensive abilities – something that he found paramount when it came to avoiding the same fate as had happened before.  He was confident that if he hadn’t been just a lowly Brigand when he had lost his big score, he could’ve fought back against those Ministry cronies that took his stuff.  Stuff that he had earned fair and square after finishing off the rest of the Cohort that Marvus had led there.

He couldn’t help but recognize the parallel between then and now, as he was the leader and Squab was the lowly Thief leading them to the dungeon.  This time, though, he was watching out for any treachery that might arise; he didn’t want what happened back then to happen to himself, after all.

“There’s some sort of sloped hallway here,” he heard called back to him from up front, after the Gnoll’s body disappeared, leaving behind a single silver coin – which was promptly snatched up and squirreled away by Gerthin.

“Do you see another way?  No?  Then start walking.”  None of them had sensed any traps, obviously, but they were hesitant to investigate this hallway.  Eventually, a few started walking, only to slip and fall, sliding down the hallway without the ability to stop themselves.  Marvus and the remaining 15 waited for any type of scream to indicate that this was some sort of elaborate trap.

There were screams, but not of pain – more of fright at what they were probably anticipating.  In less than a minute, however, the screaming stopped, only to be replaced by vague echoes that sounded like, “Okay.”

“Alright, let’s go.”  When no one moved, Marvus pushed through them and flung himself down, leading by example.  He didn’t want to be there all day finding the riches he felt were down below, as his desire was to get in and out.  It was his