Chapter 275: Stilled Shadows

The water treatment plant was, honestly, quite the disappointment. There may have been more to uncover if we spent a few days on it, but it was clear that it was meant to be cleared by someone with Marron’s time walking skill.

“How many people do you think have that skill, anyways?” Bella asked as we returned to the Mountain Crown. There was still some time before nightfall, but not enough for us to go after an entirely new dungeon.

“Probably only a handful,” Diane muttered. “Marron’s the only one that I know of that advertises it, but there are likely to be a few others that have found similar quests to explore the Cromoran storyline. After all, if this is the main story, they wouldn’t want to risk giving it all to a single Player that might decide that she’s gotten bored of the game at some point.”

“My guess is that there will probably be around ten or so different ways to get the skill, and people will be subtly guided towards obtaining it in order to further the story. As for whether those Players enlist the help of others like Marron or keep it to themselves and their guild, that depends on the Player.”

I gave a small grunt at that, making sure that the monster beneath our feet didn’t stir at our conversation while the sun began its descent over the horizon. “In other words, if we get unlucky, nine out of the ten people with the skill will belong to established guilds and keep the information to themselves. And because they have a guild, they would be able to move more efficiently than Marron.”

“Pretty much,” Diane confirmed. Seeing the sun starting to set, she got into the car. “Now, let’s get going. According to what she said, it should be about three hundred kilometers or so, and you won’t be able to miss it.”

I shrugged my shoulders, getting into the car together with Bella. Like before, Diane logged herself out in order to conserve more online time while we were driving, leaving her Chosen in the passenger seat.

“I don’t suppose you know what she meant by ‘can’t miss it’?” I asked, but Diane simply shook her head.

“No, unfortunately her communication with Marron happens outside of the game, so I can’t see their messages,” she answered apologetically. “I’m just assuming that it will be pretty obvious.”

After that, the three of us sank into silence as I drove the car forward, the sun sank below the horizon, the sky turning dark. Almost as soon as it did, I had to abruptly slam the brakes, earning shocked gasps from both Bella and Diane. All three of us stared in front of the car at a single point.

Just a few feet in front of the car was a large, brick building that had just appeared out of nowhere the moment the sun went down. The sand silently scattered around it, as if it had always been there, but I was very sure that the space had been empty just a few minutes ago.

“I… think we figured out what she meant,” Bella deadpanned while Diane messaged her Player that we had arrived. Her brand lit up less than a minute later, and Diane proceeded to blink in surprise at the building.

“Okay, yeah, that is more than I was expecting.” Though she said that, she still opened her door, ready to get out. “Nothing’s going to eat me from below if I hop out, is it?”

I did a quick scan of the area before shaking my head. “We’re clear. There aren’t any monsters near here.”

“That’s mildly concerning in its own way,” she muttered, hopping out of the car. Bella and I soon followed suit, stowing the car away in my inventory as we made our way to the front door. “Hopefully this dungeon is a bit more friendly to the average Player than the last one.”

After she said that, the three of us stepped inside. Once inside the dungeon, I let out a small hiss of surprise, covering my eyes with one hand. The darkness had been violently replaced by bright lights flooding a large room from the right side. In addition, I could hear the pitter patter of rain hitting the rooftop above.

Once my eyes adjusted, I looked around, finding that we were in a large lobby. Opposite of us was a double door with a sign posted next to it. The sign was written in Cromoran, and consisted of a set of rules, which Diane read aloud as she walked closer.

“Do not leave the light. 

Do not create your own light. 

Do not respond to any unfamiliar voices. 

Do not touch any unfamiliar people. 

This facility is abandoned. 

You must not remain beyond sunrise.”

“Well, they’re friendly,” I muttered, walking forward. However, as I took a step forward, I heard a sudden shout of alarm to my left. Diane and I both looked over, startled to find Bella trying to pull her arm free of the empty space next to me. She pulled at her own wrist, but her arm was unmoving.

Looking close, I saw that her hand was covered in shadow. Specifically, my shadow, as if she had reached forward when I started walking. I took another step, letting the light land on her arm again, and she stumbled back. “Okay, so now we know why we can’t leave the light,” Diane muttered, before looking at me. “Restrictions?”

I hesitated, shaking my head. “It’s the worst here. I can’t activate any of my skills. Even my constant toggles like the King of All Trades is down.”

To my surprise, Diane didn’t seem upset by this, but rather hopeful. “Really? That’s great, then. If all skills are disabled, that means that the time travel skill Marron has wouldn’t work either. This dungeon has to be solvable purely within this one timeline. It also means that this isn’t a combat dungeon.”

She turned to face the sign, nodding her head in understanding. “The key should be these six rules. The first rule obviously means that we can’t move if any part of our body is covered in something else’s shadow. But, why can’t we create our own light? And the rest of this… are we facing illusions?”

“We’ll find out when we go forwards,” I grunted, gesturing for Diane to lead the way. “Since the lights are coming from the right, we need to walk single-file in this part.”

Diane moved to open up the doors, revealing a large corridor beyond. The corridor was ten meters wide, and more than a hundred long, with windows along the left side. From above, a series of spotlights illuminated a path through the center of the corridor, leaving darkness on either side. Since the lights were now coming from directly above, we moved to walk alongside one another, with Diane in the center and Bella on the left.

The problem was the shadowy figures that we could see in the dark. A young boy throwing a large ball into the air, the ball frozen in space. Dozens of people gathered around, seemingly talking to one another. All of them were perfectly still, like statues.

“Are those the monsters of this dungeon?” Bella asked, but Diane shook her head.

“This should be a noncombat dungeon, remember. We can’t use any of our skills. Also, remember the sign. This facility is ‘abandoned’. They’re not monsters, they’re the dungeon mechanic.”

She leaned forward to look at some of the ones nearby. “Perhaps they’re expecting some Players that can’t read Cromoran to want to step into the darkness and investigate them, or to light a torch and walk over. Something probably happens when light shines on them.”

After she said that, she turned to look down the hall. “For now, we should investigate what we came here to investigate. There should be some information if we follow the path of light.”

The three of us started walking down the hall at that, careful not to let our shadows touch one another. I could see that there were signs along the right wall, but without any source of light, or my perception skills, I couldn’t make out what was written.

We made it halfway down the hall before lightning flashed in the sky outside, briefly illuminating the wall. I saw in red, scribbled text, the word ‘RUN’.

I looked at the other two, about to point out the sign, when I heard a thunk behind us. Turning around, I saw a ball bouncing and rolling slowly through the light. Just nearby, at the very edge of the light, was a human boy, his head half-captured by the light. His eyes stared at us, and then began to glow brighter and brighter while the light above seemed to flicker and dim.

Slowly, the boy began to move, as if his entire body had absorbed the light on his face. “Run,” I said, and the three of us turned towards the far end of the hall. Only now did I notice that, after the flash of lightning, every head in the room had turned to face us at once. And with another flash of lightning, they turned again to track us.

Meanwhile, the light above the boy went out with a crack. Only his eyes and mouth were visible, glowing like white crescents in the air as he walked forward. “Hello, mister and misses. Are you here to play with us?” he asked, stepping into the second light, which similarly began to flicker and die. His body began to glow, the light from it spreading and beginning to touch the other figures in the dark.

Remembering the rule against responding to unfamiliar voices, we didn’t answer him. We ran to the door at the far end of the hall while more and more figures came to life. By the time we passed through and slammed the doors shut behind us, more than half of the lights in the corridor had gone out, and most of the statues had come to life. They walked calmly towards the doors, while the three of us hastily identified the path forward.

Once again, there was only a single path illuminated by spotlights. However, there were no extra figures this time. Instead, there were five doors along the way, each one having a spotlight shining over it.

“We need to find the security office or the office for whoever used to run this place. That’s where we’ll get any information we need,” Diane said, turning to run down the hall. Bella and I followed shortly after. We made it ten meters before the door behind us burst open, the figures with glowing eyes moving faster and faster the more light they absorbed, their voices echoing louder and louder.

The first door had a sign reading ‘Mess Hall’, so Diane ignored it and kept running. The second was ‘Storage Closet’. The third said ‘Intensive Care’, causing her to briefly shudder before continuing on. The fourth door said ‘Security’, but we could see that the fifth said ‘Staff Offices’.

In other words, we had to make a choice whether we wanted to immediately go to security, or if we wanted to risk going to the staff offices. Either way could be problematic if we guessed wrong. We might end up trapped with our choice and unable to take it back.

However, we had no time to question it. The figures in the dark were now moving at a dead sprint, the lights going out the instant any of them touched one. Diane threw herself into the security door, pushing it open with Bella and I just behind her. Once inside, she slammed the door shut and locked it, stepping back while making sure to avoid either of our shadows.

Thankfully, there wasn’t another figure in the security room, and it was brightly lit. The screens were all on, as well, showing the view of the hall as dozens of glowing faces stood outside the closed door. “Open up,” one voice called out sweetly. “We just want to talk. It’s been so long since anyone came to talk with us.”