An Understated Dominance (Dustin Rhys)

Dustin looked at the stone steps leading down. He took a deep breath and slowly descended.

The hidden passage was long, but it was. dimly illuminated. After walking for a while, the path leveled out and grew wider the farther he went.

The path ahead was quiet. There were no new traps, and nothing else seemed out of place.

Dustin followed the passage into the secret chamber. The place was spacious, and every inch was filled with rare finds-divine weapons, cultivation manuscripts, valuable herbs, and priceless artifacts.

He scanned the displays carefully but didn’t see the ornate box that was said to contain the Dracan essence. His gaze drifted to the far end of the room, and he saw a solid steel door engraved with intricate runes.

Dustin took out his compass and looked at it. The needle pointed straight at the door and didn’t move at all.

“It must be hidden inside this vault,” he muttered.

He put away the compass and examined the heavy door. His eyes scanned the dense, cryptic runes etched across its surface.

Dustin knew these runes had to be the key to unlocking the vault. After studying it for a moment, he noticed something unusual.

Though the door was engraved with dozens of runes, only six showed faint fingerprint smudges. He could tell those six runes formed the password. If he could figure out the correct sequence, he could unlock it.

Dustin fell into deep thought and carefully tried several possible patterns. As the sixth rune clicked into place, a sharp crack rang out. Suddenly, a barrage of poisoned needles shot from hidden holes in the door.

With a swift push, he jumped and pressed himself flat against the ceiling.

The needles flew through the air and embedded themselves deep in the opposite wall. It left behind a dense cluster of holes. Their sharpness.was unmistakable.

as I thought. Something’s not

focusing for a moment, he

too. This time, the vault door didn’t fire poisonous needles. Instead, it sprayed a burst of acrid green

it and

already pitted with corrosive holes, and they were still spreading. The corrosion didn’t stop

rock, it would’ve stripped a man to the bone

risk meeting

and continued

triggered a new attack sometimes poisoned needles, a cloud of toxic gas, venomous insects, or

a restriction formation seal. Another time, a steel cage dropped from above. Each trap was designed

see that his

weapons posed no immediate threat, each mistake pushed him closer

be awake in less than two hours. If he didn’t crack the vault open by

alert Nathaniel. By the time he found

identity would be exposed, and it would lead to

that Dustin had no intention of letting play out. For now, he

began to bead on Dustin’s forehead as the pressure mounted with each failed attempt. Finally, after countless tries, the vault

as a sense of relief

codes had pushed him to his limits. He’d nearly lost control and almost resorted to

hidden weapons in the vault had been exhausted. He stepped

quickly stepped forward and lifted the protective cover. As he opened the