Factions Abound: Dungeon Found

As Merrick was leaving the dungeon to search for answers, they found him first. Rather than leave the Colosseum stands by heading through the crowds, Merrick found an abandoned tunnel that led back into Als Atbor. It was exactly the dark kind of tunnel where an ambush could easily be laying in wait or a secret meeting could take place.

Fortunately for Merrick, he was greeted by the latter. Halfway down the tunnel, Merrick came across the information broker. Still dressed in the boring clothes of a low level Merchant, the information broker looked out of place. "It looks like you took my warning seriously."

"Of course." Merrick answered.

"Yet it looks like in dealing with one set of foes, you may have created another."

"You mean Alric?"

The information broker nodded, "Among others. There seems to be a growing consensus that your meteoric rise may have been aided by Mouseion."

Merrick sighed, "I guess in a way it was."

"What do you mean?"

For a moment, Merrick thought about ignoring the question and moving on. Just as he was able to buy and barter for information, so could anyone else. In the end, he decided that not answering the question could look worse so he clarified.

"That dungeon that I asked you to look into, the Secret of the Elemental Cage, was my first dungeon."

"Really?" The information broker tapped at a status screen that suddenly appeared to cast a light blue glow over their face, "but it shows that it is uncleared due to a bug in the last update."

"I bet it does." Merrick thought about telling the whole story but he stuck to the basics instead. "After I nearly cleared the dungeon, Mouseion realized that I had been sorted into a dungeon that was not supposed to make it into the final game. It was more like a dev playground. When I cleared the dungeon, they booted me from the game and reset my account. Skills, items, achievements, and even my Knowledge Archive."

The information broker nodded, "That's rough, buddy."

Merrick cleared his throat, "Anyway, the only help Mouseion has given me is motivation to rebuild my character."

The information broker nodded again.

Merrick waited a second for the information broker to speak but when they didn't Merrick continued, "Anyway… it is good to see you again so soon, but is there a reason you are hanging out here in a dark tunnel?"

"Yes. I was waiting for you."

"To congratulate me on the Curious Glades' victory?"

"No." The information broker shook their head, "but congratulations, I ended up leaving right as your round was starting. There was a call on your request. Someone found the entrance to that dungeon."

"You could have led with that."

"I could have." The information broker smiled slightly, "but then I wouldn't be able to pull anything else out of you. After all, I practically work for free if you think about it."

"Where is it located?"

"I'll send you the map markers but to get there you'll need to go through the Dark Forest Zone."

Merrick nodded. That explained why there was not a lot of information about the Elemental Cage in circulation. The Dark Forest Zone was an open-world combat zone that separated the plains around Als Atbor from the mountains to the West. It was filled with mini-dungeons, monster nests, and Adventurers trying to find rare loot. Since it was a combat zone, there was no need to create a PvP zone like when Merrick was ambushed. The Dark Forest was a constant PvP zone.

"Who else knows about it?"

The information broker shook their head, "Just you, me, and the other information brokers. Dave found it in the patch notes for the next update. Just a set of coordinates and a note about the dungeon being re-released."

"How is it going to be re-released?"

"Apparently they found and fixed that bug that you mentioned and now it is going to be the new Mage's starter dungeon."

Merrick did his best to hide the frustration. He should have had the first clear for that dungeon. "What are the chances that the dungeon is accessible even before the release?"

"I'd say about fifty percent. It doesn't mention anything else other than that it'll be a new starter dungeon. Are you thinking about heading out there?"

"I would really like the credit I deserve for clearing it first. If they had to reset it because of the bug, I'll just have to clear it again. But if it's the new Mage starter, then I'll have to clear it either before the release of the next update or before someone can create a new Adventurer and select the Mage class."

"If you're headed through the Dark Forest Zone, I would recommend paying for transport. You would be a walking target if you strolled in. Trust me, this time the loot isn't worth it."

Merrick appreciated the heads up. He knew that if he tried to walk the zone, he would get distracted easily by the aforementioned loot. Yet if the information broker was mentioning the danger again, Merrick should take the hint.