Skill-Eater: Prison World Saga-Chapter 170: Epilogue

Setna ran her gaze across the entrance to the dungeon—every cell in her body alive with an intoxicating cocktail of danger and anticipation. Ruby and Jed, the other members of her crew, were standing watch on either side while she figured out how to break the seal barring their way forward.

As usual, Setna’s instincts had been right on the money. Her treasure-hunting senses had begun to tingle the moment that she’d spotted a strange growth just beyond the border of the Ivory Plains—a mountain of vegetation jutting up from a jungle biome that didn’t look anything like the swamp she’d been expecting to find.

Since they had already eliminated their target beast and completed their scouting mission, the crew had voted to take a closer look before heading back. The growth was only a half day’s hike from the borderlands, so they decided to investigate, then add the details to the report that Dialla had commissioned.

The hunters had crossed into the jungle early this morning—fighting their way through packs of predators that she’d never seen before. But Setna’s three-man crew was formed from veteran beast and treasure hunters. They weren’t going to let a few dozen aggressive critters stand in the way of a prime haul.

By the time that they were drawing near their destination, she knew that they had found something even more valuable than rare resources or the lair of a high-stage beast. Her first clue was that the perimeter of the towering thicket was completely impenetrable—shielded from the sky as well as the ground.

When she found a sealed door running along one side, Setna knew that it could only be one thing. Her crew was standing in front of an unconquered dungeon. The score of a lifetime and the dream of countless treasure hunters since Prison World’s inception.

While exploring unknown dungeons was extremely dangerous, the rewards for being the first team to kill its boss were legendary. Each and every hunter that had accomplished the feat had left their mark on the history of Ord.

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Even if they didn’t manage to clear the final room, sharing intelligence from the inside would make them rich once they found the right buyer, and they could pick up some valuable resources and sealed chests along the way. Focus, Setna. There’s no point spending Credits that you haven’t earned yet.

With a grunt of concentration, she slid the stone puzzle inlaid beside the door into a new configuration—lining up a series of glyphs to form a complete picture. Then, in what would prove to be the highpoint of her life, everything clicked into place. With a rumble and a shower of dislodged dirt, the entrance slid open.

“Well, look at that.” Jed let out an appreciative whistle. “She did it. Go ahead and release the messenger bat.”

Ruby reached into the wagon and removed a small bat from a wooden cage—a trained beast that would carry the news back to Dialla. The mayor would bring more people to help clear the dungeon. It was too rich a prize to pass up and its assets would strengthen the settlement. But Setna’s crew was going to take a crack at it before anyone else arrived.

With Ruby and Jed at her side, she took her first step past the threshold—eager to claim her prize. None of them saw the winged lizard snatch their bat out of the air and devour it in a single bite.

***

(12 Hours Later)

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Setna pressed her palm against her stomach, trying to staunch the bleeding. Everything had turned to shit, and she had only herself to blame. Crossing the dungeon had been far more dangerous than she’d expected—filled with deadly traps and powerful opponents.

Ruby had died a horrific death when a monstrous ape descended from the canopy, followed by a shrieking horde of lesser monkeys. She had given up her life to save the others by turning to fight while they ran for cover.

Setna would have tried to stop her. But by the time she realized what Ruby was doing, it was already too late. Her only choices had been to keep on running or die beside her friend and make her sacrifice in vain.

It had been hell fleeing across the labyrinthine dungeon. Setna and Jed had gotten lost while fleeing from the apes and wound up heading deeper inside instead of returning to the entrance. She had taken a deep cut after triggering a trap, but at last, the final room was in sight.

Since they were already here, they decided to proceed with their original plan. All they had to do was see what was inside, decide if they had a chance of killing the boss, then either go for it or leave. It was usually safe to scout a boss’s chamber. They waited patiently for someone to challenge them and would only attack once you engaged.

When they scanned the final room from the threshold, all they could see was a shadowy figure in the distance, standing beside a glowing sphere that could only be a reliquary. After putting their heads together, the duo decided to take a closer look. A reliquary would make clearing the dungeon even more rewarding and was too tempting a prize to resist.

It was a decision that Setna would soon come to regret.

The instant that they stepped inside, a boulder hidden above the entrance began to fall. Jed reached out and pushed her back—throwing her out of the room, just as the rock hit the ground with a sense of utter finality.

For a second, she couldn’t hear anything as she desperately tried to roll it out of the way. Then the screaming began.

Whatever was in there, Jed never had a chance. Worse, it didn’t kill him right away. It took hours for him to die, at which point, the rock rolled out of the way and the entrance opened once more. Setna let out a horrified gasp. All that was left of her friend and lover was a bloodstain on the jungle floor.

With a heavy heart, she turned to exit the dungeon—ready to report her findings and leave this cursed place behind her for good.

When she made it to the next room, she learned two important facts. The first was that their actions had triggered a change within the dungeon. It was swarming with far more monsters than before, making it impossible to leave the way that she’d come. She was trapped, with no way out of this verdant hell.

The second was that her Guide was flashing—waiting for her to acknowledge it before imparting a message. Praying that it would offer her some path to salvation, Setna began to read.

You have accomplished a notable feat and have received a quest.

Quest: Clear the dungeon, ‘The Savage Jungle.’

Personal reward: A reliquary containing Runic Gear.

Faction reward: Core Manufactory (D-Grade).

You have one week before this quest will be automatically shared with your home settlement.

Settlement name: Puppet Town. Leader: Dialla Rivera.

This quest will also be shared with the closest settlement.

Settlement name: The Gilded Heights. Leader: Yussuf the Red.

Setna let out a groan of despair when she read the last word, awash in bitter irony.

The reward for clearing the dungeon was even better than she had dreamed. In addition to invaluable runic equipment, it would provide a core manufactory to the faction that completed it—a critical upgrade that would help ensure the survival of Puppet Town.

But they weren’t the only ones who would receive the quest when the clock hit zero. The Crimson Claws of the Gilded Heights, a notoriously bloodthirsty gang of jailbirds, would get it too.

Both settlements would receive the notice in one week’s time, and there was only one possible outcome. They would send their elite forces to conquer the dungeon and claim the manufactory. When they ran into each other outside the entrance, a battle would ensue, with the future of both factions hanging in the balance.

By some strange twist of fate, Setna had just sparked a brutal confrontation that would either save Puppet Town or seal its doom.