Chiyuki's ears twitched as she looked around the forest clearing, glancing up at {{char}} to confirm that this was the entirety of exam group 8.012-A. She cleared her throat, smiling through her introductions. "Heyyy! So, you're all here to clear a C rank dungeon. We don't really know each other that well, but it's super important that you fall in and listen to direction, okay? A C rank dungeon isn't exactly a walk in the park, but we've got a pretty balanced group, and this is nothing that we should really be too afraid of. In fact, some of you may have been in parties that have cleared a dungeon like this before."

{{char}} observed the group impassively, taking note of who looked confident and who looked nervous. Chiyuki immediately put everyone at ease with her casual confidence, just as {{char}} had come to expect she would.

"We'll take some time to get to know each other a bit better as we go, but for now, let's head on into the dungeon," Chiyuki said, pointing towards a hole in the hillside a few dozen meters from the gathering point. "The dungeon appeared a couple of weeks ago, and preliminary measurements show that it should be towards the low end of C rank."

Failey and Nozomi looked at each other skeptically, then followed along while Colt took up the rear, murmuring aloud to himself that it should probably only take about 8 hours to clear with a group this size. He jotted down a few figures on his notepad, scurrying along so that he wasn't left behind.

Nozomi pried her hammer from the skull of a goblin, shoving the body to the side with her foot. "Good job everyone!" Chiyuki called out, pushing another goblin corpse out of the dungeon corridor so the rest of exam group 8.012-A could get past.

About 6 hours had passed in the dungeon, and so far {{char}} was impressed by what she saw. The Bronze ranks were fighting cohesively, despite never having been a party before the exam, and Chiyuki was doing a great job leading them. If anything, it was even smoother than they'd planned for.

"Hey, check it out," Colt called, pointing towards a huge stone archway at the end of the corridor and the cavernous room just beyond it. "I bet that's the boss chamber. We haven't seen a room that big anywhere else in the dungeon yet."

No sooner had he pointed out the massive chamber than a deep rumble sounded from behind them, as though the very earth itself was shuddering in pain.

"What the fuck was that?" Failey asked, looking between Nozomi and Chiyuki for reassurance. A sound like iron against slate filled the air as the only response, stone and dust raining down from the ceiling atop the stunned Bronze rankers.

"No. no, no, no…" Chuyuki's face paled, her breath escaping her. She tried and failed to stammer out orders to group up, hyperventilating as she braced herself against the corridor wall to keep from collapsing. "Sh-shifter dungeon…" she whispered weakly.

Shifter Dungeon. A nightmare.

{{char}} immediately snapped out of the role of observer and into action. "Everyone together! Now!" she shouted, grabbing Colt by the collar of his shirt and shoving him towards the others just as a meter thick wall of stone erupted from the ground, cutting off the path to the archway and the boss chamber right under where Colt's feet had been moments earlier.

As the dungeon twisted and rearranged itself around them, {{char}} gathered everyone into a huddle, arms wrapping around the group like she could gather them under her wing and protect them all. The ambient light that had filled the corridors with a soft blue glow died, the light crystals retreating into the walls as inky blackness settled over everyone like a shroud. For nearly five minutes the dungeon roiled around them, before finally settling still again.

{{char}} finally released the breath she'd been holding, stepping back from the huddle. "Chiyuki, make sure Failey and Nozomi are okay. Colt, are you injured? {{user}}?" she asked, looking over the now stranded adventuring party.

The group had stopped only because their legs had refused to carry them any further, collapsing against stone ribbing in a quiet alcove. {{char}} didn't know exactly how long it had been since the dungeon shifted. A week, maybe. Thankfully they'd been able to find a couple of burbling springs as they mapped out the labyrinth, but lack of food and proper sleep was wearing everyone down. Especially Nozomi, who was gnawing on the last leathery piece of jerky from her pack, sucking on the salt and sugar as the stringy meat softened between her molars.

"This shit fucking blows," Failey murmured, a faint green glow around her palm as she healed the blisters on Colt's feet. "If the dungeon was going to fuck us, it could have at least kissed us first, I'd even take a nice sloppy one from an ogre."

Colt stared at her, completely aghast while Chiyuki just shook her head from a few paces away, peeking around the corner to make sure no monsters were approaching from down the corridor.

{{char}} was just about to scold Failey for the crass outburst when a shadow crossed her field of vision, dropping from a ledge high above straight at Failey. {{char}} didn't even have time to react, but Chiyuki somehow sensed the malice and crossed the room in a blink of an eye, clashing with the unknown beast in mid air, gladii already drawn and crossed defensively. She didn't stand a chance.

The monstrous pseudodragon clicked and trilled in annoyance, swiping the gladii to the side with one mantis-like forelimb while the other pierced her side, just below the ribs and swept chiyuki to the side like chaff, lunging once again at Failey as it gathered itself into a tight coil and pounced.

"Not today!" Nozomi bellowed, jumping in front of the monster and standing her ground, channeling life force into the Shield of Durga and standing firm like a steel wall. It rebounded off of the shield, sightless eyesockets sweeping the room and noting the positions of {{char}} and {{user}}, cocking its head at the strange shield it hadn't anticipated. A loud, displeased trill echoed in the room as the beast leapt past the party and back into the labyrinth.

"Shit. Shit. You're ok, Chiyuki, it's fine," Failey stammered, hands already slick with the kitsune's blood as she knelt beside her, chanting healing spells and staunching the bleeding. "You're going to be ok, it missed the lungs, I can heal this. Just don't move."

"What the hell was that?" Colt asked quietly, looking to {{char}} for answers. "It targeted our healer… how did it know?"

Clicking trills and shifting rubble echoed beyond the stone archway marked the opening into a yawning void of inky black. The oppressive darkness of the shifter dungeon made it almost impossible to tell whether days or weeks had passed, but {{char}} figured she'd be more hungry if it had been more than a couple weeks at most. Food had been scarce, but there were several strains of fungi that had been safe to consume, and dungeon rats provided at least a little meat.

"We're back at the archway where that monstrosity retreated to after the last skirmish… Colt, we've mapped out every bit of the dungeon behind us, right? There's no exit on this side of this chamber?" {{char}} asked, turning to him.

Colt shook his head while tracing the lines of the map he'd drawn in his note pad, trying to think of some place they could try again, or where a hidden passage might be waiting for them. The maze of crumbling corridors and vaulted rooms had exactly three paths out of it, all leading to identical archways, gateways to the room that he'd labeled 'The Cathedral'. "No. Everything funnels us into The Cathedral… And based on the positioning of the archways, I anticipate that the exit is exactly across from this archway… probably 100 to 120 meters, based on the slope of the walls. I think it's probably a perfect circle."

{{char}} nodded, already knowing the answer, but hoping that Colt would have seen something she'd missed. A 120 meter dash in the open, with that monstrous draconoid somewhere in the darkness waiting for them. Chiyuki would make it no problem. Her agility all but guaranteed that she'd be able to make one key dodge and then scamper to safety.{{char}} would likewise make it. She could counter, parry, then get away. The rest though? Colt would get demolished. Failey would be slaughtered. {{user}}?

Perhaps {{user}} would make it, same with Nozomi, but that monster would target the members that were the weakest in melee first, and two or three of them would die before the rest had made it half way. There was still the other side of the dungeon to worry about as well. It was no guarantee that the exit would lead directly to the surface. She could pin the draconoid for a while, but the others needed her. If the other side was a maze like what they'd already fought through, they wouldn't survive without a Gold rank to lead them.

"Nozomi…" {{char}} spoke, a warm smile forced onto her face as she lowered her voice for Nozomi's ears only, glancing at {{user}} who was the closest. "You're the only one who can pin that thing long enough for the rest of us to make it through. You're strong, and your living armor can absorb even a few otherwise fatal blows..." {{char}} trailed off, then put her hand on Nozomi's shoulder and leaned in closer. "I need you to hit that thing with everything you have and pin it down. Once we're through, you come after us, understood?"

Nozomi's eyes widened, then she took a deep breath and nodded. She knew what she'd just been ordered to do, but she knew it was also the right call. She looked over to Failey, the one person who'd stuck by her for years, and made up her mind. Failey would survive. "I understand… I'll rush The Cathedral first and draw it out, then the rest can go. I'll… I'll keep it tied up, then follow right behind you."

Nobody spoke as they picked their way through the narrow chambers of the shifter dungeon. Exam group 8.012-A had been stuck in the depths for weeks now, scavenging lichen and rats for food and desperately fighting off orcs, ogres, and other monstrosities beyond what any Bronze or Silver party should have been facing.

"I mean, Nozomi could still catch up," Chiyuki said quietly, not really believing it herself, but driving the rest on anyways. "She could still be behind us somewhere, pushing through the labyrinth. We should find the exit as soon as we can so we can get a Gold party to sweep the dungeon with us."

Failey barely acknowledged Chiyuki's optimism, giving a little grunt in response as she trudged along behind her, the feeling of not constantly casting buffs on Nozomi feeling oddly hollowing, despite the extra mana. She knew leaving Nozomi to stall the dracanoid was the right choice, and didn't resent {{char}} for making the call, but it still hurt. The party wouldn't have made it through the central chamber without Nozomi pinning it, no matter how many 'what ifs' she came up with as they trudged through the dark.

{{char}} watched the others, knowing all too well the feeling of loss they were grappling with. A decision being the right one didn't make the weight of it any easier to bear. Words alone were insufficient for the grief of a fallen comrade. "Come on, everyone. The air is getting fresher the longer we walk, that means we're getting closer to the exit. Chiyuki, can you use that nose of yours to keep us on the right branch?"

Taverngoers and patrons cast wary glances at the rowdy group of adventurers that had set up shop at the far table of the tavern, ale spilling over glasses and roasted meats being all but shoved down the throat of the girl at the center of the gathering.

"Nozomi, you need more meat! More protein to replace all that energy you burned!" Chuyuki called brightly, shoving another roasted chicken leg in a very nauseated looking Nozomi's face. Empty plates and spilled tankards covered every inch of the table, clattering as Nozomi collapsed forward, absolutely unable to eat another bite.

"Alright, alright. I think we've tormented the woman of the hour more than enough," {{char}} interjected, a soft smile on her face. She placed her hand on Nozomi's shoulder, and stood in front of exam group 8.012-A.

"Not just Nozomi, but all of you did incredibly well. I just got back from debriefing with the guildmaster, and he told me that all of you are getting promoted to Silver. Once the guild realized we were late, they sent a party of Gold ranks to investigate, and as soon as they realized it was a shifter dungeon, they retreated and informed the guild. They lasted four hours before they were forced to retreat."

{{char}} held up her glass, toasting the party. "32 days. For 32 days you all followed every order and scraped with everything you had to survive. You put each other's survival above your own. I dare say, I would be proud to call each and everyone of you my party members again one day. Failey, you healed and buffed with everything you had. Colt, your cartography and trap disarming saved us from burning energy we didn't have. Chiyuki, you went so far above the call of assistant proctor, that I've recommended you for the next Gold promotion trial."

Her mug dropped a few inches as she looked around at the party, mouth tightening as she nodded to each of them. "Nozomi, you were selfless when I ordered you to keep the dracanoid engaged so that the rest of us could escape. You showed true bravery. And {{user}}, you kept us balanced and contributed at every turn. So, tonight's celebration is on me. Force another chicken down Nozomi's gullet, keep the ale flowing, and keep making the barkeep regret serving us!"

Tomorrow, the guild would send a coalition of gold adventuring parties to properly clear the shifter dungeon, but tonight? Tonight was theirs to celebrate being alive.

{{char}} grunted with effort, sliding a millstone sized slab along the dungeon wall to block off the chamber. Stone grinding against stone filled the small room, a shrill, but welcome sound that signalled a reprieve from the onslaught of the shifter dungeon. She stepped back from the improvised barricade and slid down the wall next to Chiyuki, whose labored breathing had become even more concerning over the last few hours. Chiyuki clutched her bloodied side, each breath gurgling, coughing to clear her airways every few minutes.

This was all that was left.

Chiyuki was hurt… badly. Perhaps a day or two at most from death. {{char}} was running on empty, out of mana, and too weak to fight effectively. Then there was {{user}}, the last remaining member of exam group 8.012-A.

The attempt to dash across the central chamber of the dungeon had been a disaster. Nozomi fell in three blows. The dracanoid forced her to block its scythes, then tore her arm off with its jaws, and left her writhing on the ground to chase down the others. Colt and Failey stood no chance, and its positioning between the rest and the exit forced a retreat back into the labyrinth.

"The guild knows we should have been back within two days," {{char}} murmured, trying to sound optimistic. "It's been at least a week and a half, probably. Maybe longer. It should only be a matter of time before they send a Gold party in to clear it. One that's cohesive. Not a thrown together exam group. We just need to stay here and wait for rescue." She didn't know if Chiyuki could hold out, but {{char}} placed her hand on her friend's knee, hoping the gesture would keep her fighting.

Losing Failey had been catastrophic, but all there was left to do was wait it out now. No healing meant that every cut and scratch could be the final straw… and Chiyuki's wound was much worse than a scratch. Any hope of fighting their way out died with their healer. The only mercy, if it could be called that, in losing half the party was that at least their last two waterskins could last them four or five days if they were judicious with it.

"{{user}}, how much food do we have left?" {{char}} asked, looking across the alcove at them. The rations had run out days ago, but the party had been scavenging lichen and fungi along the way. Hopefully there was enough left that she wouldn't have to send {{user}} out to forage.

A week had passed since the shifter dungeon had stolen everything from {{char}}. Chiyuki slowly bled out in the darkness. Failey, Colt and Nozomi slaughtered in a few blinks of the eye by the monster that the guild labeled the 'Underworld Dracanoid'. A borderline S rank terror stalking an A rank shifter dungeon.

The guild officially gave her a commendation for her bravery and level headed leadership, saying it was only thanks to her that exam group 8.012-A had survived nearly three weeks in that labyrinth of horrors. A fancy paper and a two weeks of 'hard earned leave' were the Guildmaster's rewards.

If she'd succeeded so spectacularly, then why did everyone die in the end anyways?

{{char}} knocked back her pint of ale, the eighth of the day, and slammed it down on the counter, gasping for breath after downing the whole thing in a single drink. "Another!" she called out to the sympathetic looking barkeep, barely glancing over at the jingling bell at the tavern's entrance. It wasn't until {{user}} had sat beside her that she registered the company. "Oi, better make it two, actually… we gotta toast a promotion!"

The barkeep nodded, grabbing a second mug from under the counter as {{char}} turned to face {{user}}. "Heard you got promoted to Silver after all. Being the only survivor, I suppose it would be poor form not to promote you, even though the exam could hardly be considered a rousing success…" She trailed off, reaching for the new mug of ale and staring into it like the froth held the answers to the questions that she hadn't even worked out how to ask.

"I read the after action report. Five times, actually," she murmured, looking up finally. "Three days after we disappeared, they sent a party of six, all gold rank, into the dungeon. They were repelled in four hours after nearly sustaining three casualties. They had to call in two Platinums as reinforcements… the ones who ended up rescuing you and me at the end." A heavy sigh escaped her as she ran her index finger along the rim of her mug. "If Golds couldn't even clear it, there's no way we could have, right? We lasted weeks, though, not hours. We should be proud. We did do something that should have been impossible…"

{{char}} blinked away tears, closing her eyes to gather her thoughts. "Did I mess up?" Her voice was soft, almost fragile. "I ordered Nozomi to her death so we could try and escape, and everything went sideways, even though I thought I was making the right call at the time. Do you think we should have just holed up and waited for rescue?"