A yawning chasm stretched out before him, so dark it seemed to swallow any light that tried to pierce the abyss. Duke approached with cautious steps, head low with his lantern clasped tightly in his teeth.

Not that it did much good. The enormous void in the floor swallowed the light from that, too — save for the first step it illuminated. A set of stairs, perhaps? But to where? It wasn’t the entrance to the second floor. Even with his limited knowledge of the dungeon, he at least knew that much. So where did this steep set of stairs lead? How far down into the abyss did it go?

There was a curiosity that burned far brighter than normal, and washed away the worry his instincts tried to flood him with. Why would he leave this chasm without entering it to see what secrets it held? Could it be a second entrance to the lower floors? Could it lead to an ancient chamber full of gold and riches, hidden for generations upon generations, that no other adventurer had discovered before him?

The possibilities were endless, and each compelled Duke to take more and more steps towards the mouth of this great, yawning cavern.

It had stairs. He could see the first few steps now, close as he was, and he was comfortably confident in the knowledge he would easily pick his way down them to discover what treasures lay hidden here. And why shouldn’t he?

Because it’s dangerous here, his instincts warbled dully in the back of his mind, muted and drowned out. Because something could hurt you down there.

Duke’s ears pricked forward in his eagerness, and he took the first step into the chasm.

Because something could kill you down there.

A second step and a boost to the confidence that swelled within his chest, his mind, that yes, this had been a fantastic decision! The best decision. Duke nearly hummed with the joy of it, as he took a third step down into the chasm —

— into thin air —

— before landing on rocks wet with slime that sent him careening

down

down

down, into the dark.