There was silence for a few seconds before everyone starting talking at once.

“My friend, that is awesome!”

“Wow, keep that on the down low.  The government would end up turning you into a lab rat.”

“Very interesting.  I promise to keep the government from getting their grubby hands on you if you I can test your abilities against mine sometime.”

“I figured, with the major image change.”

Kai held up his hands to calm the group and shot Ryu a pained smile.  “As much as we would love to chat further, let’s get this dungeon first.”

The group complained but Ryu tensed, noticing movement up ahead.  He was surprised to see no markings on the map but the group were quick to revert back and cautiously approach the shadowy figure ahead.

Everyone raised their weapons but the figure surprisingly raised their hands in the air.

And running towards them.

“Help me!”  The small figure shouted frantically, waving their hands and running past them.

Zion swore underneath his breath while the others readied their weapons.

Ryu could make out towering figures walking steadily towards them from the darkness of the tunnels.  Zariah whispered for her mana light the tunnel like torches floating on either side of the group.

“Well, you wanted to fight something so here’s your chance, big brother.”

Zion had large curved knives he took from his back and murmured something before both blades glowed with a similar blue as his sister’s mana. 

Gia and Zariah patted him on either side before lunging ahead with their own weapons in hand, their mana outlining the sharp blade of an axe and spear.

Zion howled in glee and joined them as the figures finally reached the trio.  The figures were decked in golden armour and elaborate head pieces, towering easily over even Zion’s 6’4” figure.  They each held golden spears and bandages wrapped around their torsos.

What surprised Ryu the most was that instead of a human head, they each looked like the head of a demon wolf.

Remembering the tablet hinting this tower was Egyptian, he realized they were soldiers of Anubis, the God of death.

His mind pictured a similar death God he had been fighting for years and felt the need to help them.  Ryu was about to join them when Kai appeared by his side, stopping him with a hand outstretched in front of him.

“I can help.” He argued, about to push the hand aside.

Kai shook his head.  “Observe and then act.”  He murmured, already watching the movements of his team.

Ryu pushed down his impatience, knowing he should assess the enemy first.  Pausing, he glanced ahead and watched as Zion acted as a tank, holding off the strong glancing blows with the plates on his forearms.  He would strike with his deadly curved blades before jumping back and Gia and Zariah would come forward and strike with their own weapons.

He was amazed to see that when they activated their own star powers, he could see hints of it cover their body.  For Zion, his tattoos became like silver starlight and his sister’s braids became streaked in silver.  For Gia her eyes glowed and one streak of silver highlighted a part of her hair.

A few minutes later, they made quick work of the soldiers, each figure dissolving into dark sand on the floor.  Ryu relaxed, admiring how well the team worked while Kai put his attention back to the first figure who had run to hide behind a large boulder.

“You can come out now.”

The small figure hesitantly popped his head up, glancing at the team before walking forward with a grateful smile.

“Umm, greetings?”  He tried, still with his hands up in the air.  “I am Brock, from the Thorin Clan.”  

Ryu was the first to relax, noting the profile that popped up on his screen.  

Name: Brock Thorin

Age: 750 years old

Clan: Thorin Clan

World: Galaxy X-173

Class: blacksmith

Affiliation: ****

Ryu wondered about the the marked out affiliation but he figured everyone was entitled to their secrets, especially when dealing with Celestials.

He nodded towards Zion and the others.

“Seems like he’s been stuck in this dungeon.”

Brock looked at him with wide eyes.  “Are you the inheritor of the Celestial power, lad?” He excitedly asked, lowering his hands and digging into the small pouch hanging on his waist.

The group were wary, but waited for him to retrieve whatever it was he was looking for.

“What do you mean by that?”  Zion asked, putting his knife away as he determined the dwarf was no threat.

“It is said that there would be a Chosen One to inherit the power of the stars.” Brock exclaimed, finally pulling out a small object from his pouch.

Zion grinned.  “Is that limited to one person, this chosen one?”

Zariah pointed to the silver alongside their bodies.  “We have all been involved with stars in one way or another.”

Brock scratched his head as he held an object in his hand.  “I am not sure but this is what our clan had been foretold.  They say the Chosen One would save our world.  All worlds.”

Kai and Gia exchanged glances while the siblings stared at the dwarf in amazement.

“I had a feeling there were other worlds, what with these dungeons popping up but the idea of a chosen one is quite cliche, no offence to your clan’s beliefs.”  Kai responded, while the rest tried to warp their head around what Brock had just revealed.

“If there’s so many worlds, why are you in the dungeon?”  Ryu stepped up to ask.

Brock smiled sadly.  “My world was overtaken by dungeons.  Various creatures escaped these dungeons to wreak havoc.  We were forced to flee into the very things that destroyed our world to save our people.”

Brock offered the small wrapped object he had taken out of his pouch.

“There are very few of us left.  But we wait for the one who will bring us home.”

Kai and the others tensed but Ryu stepped forward and found himself reaching out to the dwarf.

Before he could take it to investigate, the sound of a wall crumbling to his right started and he jumped to protect the dwarf instead as large boulders fell.

A few moments later, the group was coughing as they saw the large gaping hole in the side of the the wall.

“Well, guess that means we can head that way.”  Zion joked, dusting himself off as his sister was already moving small flames of mana towards the entryway.

“What about further down?”  Gia asked Kai, glancing at the new fork in the road.

Kai thought for a moment and nodded towards the new route.  “Considering we just got rid of a few of the sphinx’s dogs, we should be done with this route.”

“Are you okay?”  Ryu helped Brock stand up.  He coughed a little but grinned as he hit his chest. 

“Fit as a fiddle, lad!”

The group went through the hole in the wall, cautiously scanning their surroundings.

“Picking up anything?”  Kai glanced at Ryu while he held up his own small screen.

Reviewing the screen to find that the map slightly shifted, Ryu shook his head.  “After that last battle, seems like everything’s changed.  If this is the middle entrance from the main hall, it might not even contain the sphinx.”

Brock gasped for air as he struggled to keep up with the long legged companions.  “These dungeons have started to change recently.  They’re no longer as stable as they used to be.”

Ryu helped him stand up and the group walked cautiously down the hallway.  “Even though you’ve been here all this time, we may need to get you out of here before the dungeon collapses even more.”

“Aye, it may be time to find my way home.”

“Let’s figure that out once we get out of here.” 

A few minutes later after walking down surprisingly empty tunnels, they turned the corner and encountered a large set of double doors with two large winged creatures standing on either side.  They glanced ahead, as if they were more stone than alive.

“Whoa, we’re really going to get a workout out of this one.”  Zion exclaimed, already removing his weapon from his back.

Ryu looked to Kai, who seemed to be staring behind them.  

“This is not good.  No, not good at all.”  Brock muttered to himself, as everyone heard the thundering steps of what was most likely more of the soldiers they fought earlier.

The group readied to fight, seeing hundreds of the soldiers appear in endless lines down the hallway.

“We only seek to close this dungeon.  It is impacting our world.”  Kai called out, while Ryu kept an eye on the two still motionless by the doors.

“It is too late.  You have entered the dungeon.” 

Gia was the first to see the Sphinx from above the door, perched and glancing at everyone with an imperious stare.  Ryu felt a chill down his spine as its gaze ran over him.

“But I will let you all go.  Only if you leave the Chosen One.”