[What Is The Name Of Your Party?]

[What is the name of your party?]

Looking at the last notification in a short list of prompts I soon find myself scratching my head. "Guys, did we ever decide on a clan name?" I ask curiously, knowing we all had our own ideas about it but had never reached a decision "The system is asking me what may party's name is to put on this cave. Kind of like my name and then our names on the Elder Oak."

An hour ago, we had parked on the side of the road in the afternoon to go ahead and set up camp for the day after coming out of Fast Travel. When we came out of the travel skip, though, a few miles out from our camp turned out to be one very large and bare hill of hardened clay with only a few shrubs and patches of grass growing around it. In a region of rolling meadows of almost symmetrically sized and placed hills, what was this one placed for?

Thinking it might have been the scene of a wild boss fight that had taken place earlier in the game, we all left Dew at camp and went to check it out. Of course there would not be any loot but there might be other mobs taking over the area or something we could learn about the battle or even the boss.

The people who would have fought in a way that changed the landscape this thoroughly, as well, were worth investigating.

I myself had done some minor changes like burning some of the meadow and leveling hills, but those were in permissible instances. A random battle should not affect the game for more than a couple of days if 'kid forts' in the wilderness could only stay standing for a month of so. This screamed that real ranking players might have been here.

After crossing a few miles and half a dozen small-scale large confrontations with nothing but kobolds, we finally arrived at the hill. Instead of the remains of a battle or some kind of field boss's home, we received a map location and notification.

[Discovered Hidden Dungeon: Silk Spitter's Sepulcher]

Then came a list of experience rewards for finding the hidden dungeon before asking if I wanted to place the finding party's name on the dungeon before broadcasting the dungeon. Unlike the Elder Oak Passage, though, I was not given the option of keeping this one a secret. So, after reaching level thirty-one from the finder's rewards, I asked the team about the team's name.

Just like every other time the debate was brought up, nobody had a good answer or would vote on anyone else' answers. Go wanted the party and clan to be named Blitz Force. Lil wanted to name us Armageddon, Merch wanted to name us Mercatores Mortis- which was not bad at all since it was Latin for merchants of death- and Oleander wanted us to be called Hand of FEYt.

There was simply no way I would allow the last option even though I never put forth an option since I was made the 'ultimate deciding factor'. It was a cheap and cruel way to tell me I could decide the name of the clan but not name the clan.

[You should pick something a little more… relevant]

"Melpomene just told me your choices suck and we should find something relevant to the game," I inform the group bluntly. "That probably means relevant to her but I'll keep my idea mum for the moment. Go-Croak, spitball."

"Monochrome Era," Go replies with a smirk, referencing the game that had been corrupted and destroyed by player freedoms with Bygone Era's 'era' at the end of it.

"Go to monochromatic hell," I say flatly before pointing to Papi.

"Heralds of a New Era," Papi says while looking off to the side and away at the massive cave entrance in the end of the hill nearby.

"Stop using the game's name you unimaginative… urgh," I say at last before pointing to Oleander.

"Nature's Guardians," she replies quickly. "We can use the title and Guardian Spirit stuff to boost the power levels of our members and make it one of our gimmicks since we can't use your Cordyceps. Yet."

"The clan's shadow leader chops down too many trees for such tree-hugging name, though," I point out, opening my inventory to reveal the numerous stacks of evergreens I had collected in this region alone. "Plus, we can't monopolize the position titles more than we and somebody else probably already has. We dropped the available titles almost into the twenties and I think the uniques like that only go up to one hundred. That's how you piss the entire game off."

"If we don't, someone else will," Papi points out. "I agree with not taking the name, but we need a gimmick even if it comes with a major screening process."

"Off-topic," I dismiss with ease before pointing to Skooma. "You're the third newest member but your opinion matters, give the others some inspiration." I had to let him know his name would not be used but that he needed to do his best regardless.

Looking around at the rest of the group with an oddly humorous expression of awkwardness on his panther face, I Got Skooma hesitantly says, "Well… after Agnes and I joined you guys, you all told me about how the clan is going to be mostly crafting and business with a main PVP team and a couple of dungeon parties. Why not just call ourselves PVP Dungeon Crafters?"

"Too generic," I reply with a shrug. "Good try, though, really captures the literal essence of what we were going for. Merch."

"Merca-" he starts to say with a grin.

"Ivana," I say quickly, switching people.

"Players in the game basically represent figures from myths called Travelers in this world," Ivana explains more confidently than Skooma had while looking around at each person in turn after opening a few of her menus. "Travelers can be everything from old school summoned heroes to their arch rival demon lords in this world. So, whatever we name ourselves, I say we lay claim to the Travelers name because none of the other clans right now are using it. It's all pro league clans with names from other games or in reference to their sponsors or just generic stuff like Skooma from the regular player base. Something Travelers."

"Travelers Something," Conan says with a laugh, teasing Ivana while still agreeing with her. It would have been cute for an eight-year-old to flirt with someone who was almost old enough to buy their own booze. If he was not using the character of a bald and bearded old man.

"Just using the word Travelers is too generic," Skooma mumbles, probably having taken my refusal of his name personally. He would get over it. Probably.

"Melpomene is our patron god or whatever, right?" Oleander asks suddenly. "Tragedy's Travelers."

[I would put my mark on that name]

"Melpomene approves, we're going with Tragedy's Travelers," I say at last.

Then, unlike the usual white system prompts or blue menu windows, a large shiny gold window set with black text appeared in front of everyone in the party.

[Hidden Dungeon: Silk Spitter's Sepulcher has been located in the northern Canfor region of the Imperial Continent by the Party: Tragedy's Travelers. Hidden Dungeon: Silk Spitter's Sepulcher is now a Private Dungeon belonging to the Party: Tragedy's Travelers. Tragedy's Travelers can now control which players or NPC can and cannot use Silk Spitter's Sepulcher for any reason. Tragedy's Travelers are hereby awarded +1000XP, Gold x1000, and +100 Imperial Reputation for their discovery]

[+1000XP]

[Acquired Gold x1000]

[+100 Imperial Reputation]

[Acquired Unique Title: 11th Dungeon Masters]

[+400XP]

[11th Dungeon Masters: Epic. Passive. You and your party have been recognized as the 11th Dungeon Masters because you are the eleventh clan, party, or player to own their own dungeon. To help protect your ownership rights the 11th Dungeon Masters receive a permanent +5 to all stats, +50 to MP/HP, and +10% to all dungeon Loot/XP. +50 Imperial Reputation]

Then, the world around us began suddenly shifting and changing. The closest hills neighboring the dungeon's barren hill levels outward without ever disturbing the grass before a tall fence of stacked and crossed wooden poles almost like a bulwark sprouted up from the ground around the area. Next, a large wooden sign appeared above the entrance of the dungeon.

"Silk Spitter's Sepulcher," I read aloud while the others were still recovering from the subtle seismic activity. "Property of Tragedy's Travelers. Trespassers will receive the ire of Melpomene. Owners: Life Hack, Go-Croak, IvanaWin, PapiChurro, LilChurro, Stonewall, Merc Merch, Oleander, I Got Skooma, Agnes, Conansson."

Walking up toward the entrance with the others in tow, Skooma pumps his fist into the air and suddenly cheers before crying out, "WE OWN A DUNGEON!"

The others soon started cheering as well and I could not help but find myself smiling as I thought back on all the times I had lost my cool and celebrated an achievement. Alone or in front of other people. It was a very well deserved and glorious moment to express your triumph so I simply smiled and watched as the others danced and cheered for a while.

When everybody had finally calmed down, I walk up to the dungeon entrance and was soon greeted by a new system prompt.

[You can enter Silk Spitter's Sepulcher 4x a day. Silk Spitter's Sepulcher has four modes: Easy, Normal, Difficult, and Hardcore. Which mode will you attempt?]

[EASY/NORMAL/DIFFICULT/HARDCORE?]

"There are four modes and four entries a day, we'll start with Easy and work our way up," I inform the others before the 'EASY' option highlighted and disappeared. Then the once impenetrable darkness inside the cave lessened into a murky gloom. Almost as if a big solid darkness door had been opened between us and the dungeon.

Taking the lead as the party's leader, I draw my trusty Midnight Hauntings and start into the dungeon. Moments later after the others followed suit, the entrance to the dungeon simply disappeared.

[You have entered: Silk Spitter's Sepulcher]

[Exiting a dungeon and its modes that has not been cleared before is not allowed. You must defeat the dungeon bosses or die to leave]

"Alright, everybody," I inform the group even though they all received similar messages, channeling fire mana into my sword so that its blade began burning like a bright torch. "There's no way out unless we win or die, but its on Easy so let's just focus on learning the layout. The boss or bosses as well as some enemies will probably have actual skills here."

After a brief round of acknowledgments I started leading the way into the tunnel leading into the hill. The inside of the hill was a rocky clay just like the outside with some old and decay plant or tree roots poking through the walls or ceiling and hanging in our way. However, after traveling maybe a third of the length of the hill the tunnel began angling deeper downward and widening out.

Remembering our short time in the small tunnel system of a dusk imp nest, I cut the flow of mana to my sword at the top of the decline. There was no visible light coming up the tunnel so I simply signaled to the others with lights to wait here while gesturing Ivana and Merch forward. Both of them either had stealth skills or were naturally stealthy.

Leading the way down the tunnel ahead of the others, I leave the other two spaced out along the tunnel to relay information and gestures as necessary. However, the tunnel turned out to be longer than I thought because there were already fifteen yards between each of the three of us and there was no end in sight. In fact, the scenery was changing.

The ground at my feet switched from crude tunneling to old and cracked masonry steps leading down at a sharper angle. The walls further down also became masonry constructs but were old and displaced as well as broken and filled in with dirt in some places. As well, the tunnel was now about twenty yards wide as if to allow processions of people or large beasts.

It was only then that the name of the place actually started ringing bells in my head. Silk Spitter was obviously a reference to spiders or a spider boss, but the next word changed everything about the dungeon. Sepulcher. Also known as a tomb.

Spiders and undead? This was probably the best dungeon in the world for my team. Me specifically, but the team could certainly grow from it as well!

Gesturing for Ivana to tell Merch to tell the others to move forward, I once again ignite my sword and use Mana Radar to cheat my way down the tunnel. After going down only a dozen or so steps, I received a group of pings from several red dots on my mini-map. Moving a few more steps down I soon revealed the rest of the group of seven bodies at the end of the stairway.

Picking up the pace until the first enemy comes within sight, I find myself stopping in by tracks. I was right, spiders and undead in the same dungeons. Not only were there two 'Young Gigantula' who were the size of regular giantulas but were each level forty.

In front of the stairs leading these three tanks were a group of four ghostly skeletal soldiers. Each of them wielded old and worn looking large swords and were mostly made up of bones with a few patch of hair or rotting flesh. However, each of them wore mangled pieces of armor and were wreathed in an ethereal dark purple fire that spoke of the darkness element.

Leaping down the last dozen stairs and right up to the first level thirty-eight 'Spirit Soldier', I immediately transition into a leaping 360 Edge while calling out, "Geist!" Twenty percent of the undead soldier's black health bar disappeared before they and the others who only took ten percent damage from the surrounding Geists were thrown out from the stairs. Then I swept my sword through the air in a wide arc to unleash a Spirit Slash that spread across all three giant spiders.

*