by M_A_Hoath
Four childhood friends. One assigned bard with a book nobody asked him to recite. Long odds on every chalk board in the village. Vangard binds last of three parties for the Six-Day Trial: one mirror floor a day, five names that must come home, and a Crystal at the Cock and Bull where the whole village watches in silence while the guild masters invent the noise. Sam holds the shield line. Emily trusts the weave until it lies. Finn hears traps before he hears sense. Owen prays for vessels that stay closed. William updates The Creature Chronicles in the field — whether anyone wants the verse or not. The favourites, Eclipse, own the boards. Horizen owns the math. Vangard owns the corner table and a familiar each — private voices that record levels, roast bad rolls, and never shut up when pride gets expensive. Survive six days. Keep five walking. Touch the Return glass before the Binding takes someone for you. Or learn what the dungeon costs when mercy, greed, and faith disagree. LitRPG / Progression Fantasy. Party dungeon crawl. Familiars instead of HUDs. Rival teams. Inn nights that matter. Cliffs every chapter. Fantasy dungeon violence and bloodshed. Mild language. No sexual content.
