It had been the lifeblood of Fantasy City—adventurers, scholars, mercenaries, and treasure-seekers all flocked here for one reason: the Dungeon that existed just a short ride east of the city walls. It had fed the city's economy, its tales, its very identity. The kind of place that twisted reality, warped fate, and devoured the unworthy.
And now… it was gone.
They returned to their usual inn—a snug, upper-tier place called The Booked Depth, ironically named after a phrase scratched into the last stone tablet pulled from the dungeon's third layer. Warm lanternlight spilled from its windows, and the familiar creak of the sign was oddly comforting. Asher and Valeris rested, their boots finally kicked off, gear set aside. The evening passed quietly—shared food, soft laughter, and a bed they didn't mind sharing.
But dawn brought commotion.
