They continued to work through the dungeon. For all of the labyrinth’s infinite variance and complexity, it could be oddly formulaic, too. Fight monsters. Deal with puzzle rooms. Look for traps. Seek out hidden loot. The exact shape of each encounter changed—and often by a significant amount—but the overall structure was quite similar from run to run.

Their ultimate goal was to find a boss room. Beyond wanting an access way down to the second floor, bosses came with incredible loot—and a big boost to experience. However, they were found far away from ‘spawn-in’ points, and could take time to track down. Luck played a factor, as it always did in the dungeon. Or life in general. But with enough time and consistency, they would find one. It would just take more or less effort.

Their steady progress through the dungeon, seeking out a boss, was interrupted by something unexpected.

Other delvers.

The encounter happened rather suddenly. One moment they’d been progressing through the dirt pathways lined by thick vegetation of the Wispwood, then they’d turned a corner, and at the end of the long, twisting route, a formation of five armored individuals appeared, swinging around the far end and arriving to the junction at the same time as Natalie’s group. As if by providence.

Likely, the dungeon had engineered the meet-up. Or, it could be a coincidence. You couldn’t ever know for sure when it came to the dungeon.

Regardless, they had company.

Bumping into other delvers was rare. Not extraordinarily so, but far from common. Most delves, even long ones, a party wouldn’t ever stumble onto another group. This was Natalie’s first time having it happen, and at a guess, Ana and Liz’s too.

Their nerves were immediately set on edge, and by the tensing posture from a good distance away, the other party of five, too.

The reasons why were obvious. Surviving the dungeon’s monsters was difficult but feasible, but going up against an aggressive party of equally prepared delvers? The risk of a lethal encounter leveled out much closer to fifty-fifty than any reasonable person would be comfortable taking.

Especially because, if it turned out they were hostile, then coming out unscathed, without anyone being injured or killed, was shockingly difficult. Monsters were tough, but other delvers—entire parties of them—obviously much more so.

Killer parties—delvers hunting other delvers with lethal intent—weren’t that rare, either. Rare, but not exceedingly so. Delvers were walking boxes of loot, from an enterprising and morality-lacking perspective. Wiping another squad meant five people worth of gear, and whatever loot they’d gathered from their delve so far. Even taking out a level-one party meant a major payday.

Strangely, the dungeon both encouraged and discouraged party-versus-party combat. Or maybe the system encouraged it, and the dungeon did the opposite. Because killing other delvers gave huge experience boosts—it was maybe the fastest way to level.

But oddly, the dungeon pushed back on that; killing other delvers was, in a similar but opposite vein, the quickest way to have the dungeon doing its best to kill you. In the best of cases, the dungeon wasn’t friendly, but to parties actively seeking other delvers to kill? Natalie obviously didn’t know first hand, but apparently, the dungeon turned into a hellscape. Doubly so for delvers who were overleveled, such as a party of level fives seeking out level threes. The dungeon would eat people like those alive.

All that said, robbing was more than on the table. One party pummeling another into submission, then stealing their gear and earnings, wouldn’t bother the dungeon. Only killings. Which were less frequent but still happened.

Hence, why the two groups tensed at seeing each other.

For a long moment, there was an awkward stare-off.

“What’s the plan?” Natalie asked, keeping an eye on the five individuals. From a distance, she couldn’t make out many details. Three women and two men, at a guess, though the vanguard—the tank—wore enough heavy armor for it to ambiguous. His helmet obscured his, or her, face. By his tall and bulky figure, though, Natalie assumed a man.

“If they let us, we leave,” Sofia said. “I’m not interested in … whatever.” She frowned. “But I don’t think that’s going to be a choice we have.”

Indeed, the opposing group had decided how they wanted to handle this much faster than them. They had started approaching. Notably, without sheathing their weapons. They didn’t hold them up and at the ready, either, but not dis-arming themselves wasn’t a great first indicator. At the same time, Natalie couldn’t blame them. She had zero intentions of putting her weapon away, either. They at least didn’t seem to be heading for them with hostile intent.

Retreating wasn’t an option. Or, it was, but not a smart one. Fleeing into the unknown pathways of the dungeon—even pathways they’d cleared—could throw them into an encounter with a monster, only to have a charging enemy delving party crashing into their rear. It’d be a tactical disaster.

Better to face it head on. She took solace in the fact killer parties were rare, and in the more likely worst case scenario, they were simply in for a brutal fight where their attackers tried to rob them.

The average case would be a tense, uncomfortable greeting, then everyone going their way. Most people didn’t want to deal with the headache of a party-versus-party fight. While lucrative, it caused problems with political and legal situations on the surface, and beyond that, was too risky from a immediate standpoint. Who knew how strong your opponents were? What if you lost? Even in the best case, you’d probably be dealing with a squad with their own set of serious injuries, even if you came out on top.

“Who goes there?” a masculine voice shouted. The man in heavy armor, the tank, was indeed a man, then. “Identify yourselves.”

As the party came closer into view, Natalie’s eyes widened in surprise.

Following to the tank’s right, daggers held down but still ready, was a tall woman with long, bundled up red hair and sharp green eyes. Natalie didn’t recognize her immediately, because she usually wore her hair straight, even during spars. But not, apparently, in the dungeon.

Elida.

Which made this group of five, likely, one of the few teams at Tenet who could flounce them. Not easily, but a fight would be close to a foregone result. Natalie understood why they hadn’t hesitated to approach; as far as teams went, this one didn’t need to fear much. Possibly even from a group higher level than them.

More importantly, Elida. Aligned with House Parda-Halt—bumping into Liz, of House Beaumon. Perhaps the most antagonistic relationship within all five major Houses.

Surely that wouldn’t be causing any issues.