Spoils

Jose leaped into the air, fists pumping. “YES, XP GAINS!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the alien forest like a gamer hyped on a victory screen. “SHHHHHH!” Stephen hissed, glaring at his brother. “How can you tell?” Jose grinned, tapping the air where an invisible window seemed to hover. “The System window popped up—50 XP gained.” Stephen’s jaw tightened, irritation flaring. “I didn’t get no fucking window,” he grumbled, crossing his arms. A beat of silence passed before realization hit them both. “Party…” they said in unison, their voices overlapping as new translucent windows materialized before them. The System’s text was blunt: “Would you like to party with Stephen?” for Jose, and “Would you like to party with Jose?” for Stephen.

“Wait, you’re ahead of me,” Stephen complained, pointing an accusatory finger. “Let me kill the next one, then we party.” Jose shrugged, smirking. “Fine, fine, pussy,” he jabbed, his tone dripping with brotherly mockery. Stephen rolled his eyes but said nothing, the challenge accepted.

The brothers trekked along the riverbank, the alien forest’s shimmering trees casting dappled light on their path. A rustle in nearby bushes halted them, their eyes locking in silent agreement. Jose snapped his fingers, unleashing a lightning bolt that crackled into the foliage. “Screeeeeeeee!” A goblin burst forth, its pointed ears twitching, rags flapping as it charged, weaponless but furious. “Perfect,” Stephen spat into the grass, adrenaline surging. Jose fired another bolt, this one striking the goblin’s forehead. The creature staggered, dazed. “Thanks, Jose,” Stephen said, his voice firm as he sprinted toward the goblin. In a move that was more enthusiasm than grace, he leaped—awkwardly, humanly—and drove his foot down into the goblin’s face on descent. The creature’s neck snapped with a sickening crunch, its body collapsing, lifeless. A window appeared before Stephen: “50 XP Gained.” He pumped a fist, keeping his voice low. “Easy AS!”

Jose nodded. “Party.” The System windows reappeared, and they both confirmed, sealing their alliance with a chime. United, they pressed deeper into the forest, encountering more goblins. They fought as a unit, Stephen’s fists and Jose’s lightning felling three more, each kill netting them 25 XP each, their shared efforts splitting the rewards. By the time they reached the lake they’d glimpsed from afar, their total stood at 150 XP each—50 from their solo kills, 100 from the shared goblins.

The lake’s surface rippled, and a figure emerged, water streaming off its scaled form. Half-man, half-fish, it was labeled Sahuagin Baron, wielding a spear and a small shield. It gurgled unintelligible words, its fishy eyes glinting with malice, then charged. Stephen moved to intercept, but the baron was swift, driving its spear through his stomach. Pain exploded, a white-hot agony that tore through his body and mind. The spear yanked free, blood gushing as Stephen clutched his guts, collapsing to his knees. “Why would I ever think this was okay?” he gasped, his vision swimming. “Stephen!” Jose yelled, sparks flaring at his fingertips. “You fucker!” He unleashed a barrage—one, two, three lightning bolts, each searing the baron’s scaled hide. On the fourth, the bolt struck the spear, electrifying the metal. The baron spasmed, dropping the weapon.

Unnoticed by Jose, Stephen’s wound knit itself shut, Regeneration erasing the injury in seconds. He staggered to his feet, grabbed the fallen spear, and, with a roar, drove it through the back of the baron’s skull. The creature went limp, its body sagging, held upright only by the spear lodged in the soil. “How the fuck did we win that?” Jose panted, eyes wide. “No idea, don’t question it,” Stephen replied, wiping blood from his shirt.

A System notification flashed: “Congratulations, Portal Boss has been slain. 150 XP awarded. Random chest placed in inventory.” The brothers collapsed onto the grass, the weight of the fight settling over them. “Not what I expected,” Jose said, his voice cold, stripped of his earlier bravado. “Yeah, way more gruesome,” Stephen agreed, a chill running through him despite the warm air. “What’s up with this shit? Dungeon’s done—do we just leave?” Jose asked, frowning.

Stephen tilted his head. “System, what do we do now?” A window appeared, its text clinical: “While you have finished the dungeon, you have not collected the monster spoils.” Stephen blinked. “What do you mean, monster spoils?” he asked aloud. The System responded: “Each monster has a monster core. You should collect them.” Stephen’s stomach churned. “Where’s the monster core found?” The reply was blunt: “Their hearts.” He gagged, a wave of nausea rising. “Apparently… we need to cut out their cores, from their hearts,” he told Jose, his voice thick with disgust. “That’s fucking disgusting,” Jose snapped, grimacing.

Stephen stood, brushing off his unease. “Let’s explore a bit—maybe find chests or something.” Jose groaned but relented. “FINE, I’ll collect the stupid cores,” he muttered, kicking the Sahuagin’s corpse to roll it over. He retrieved the spear from its skull and used the blade to carve open its chest, blood soaking his hands as he reached inside. He pulled out a hard, glistening stone. “One Boss Core,” the System announced. Jose moved to the goblins, repeating the gruesome task for each, netting six “Minor Cores,” his hands slick with gore.

Meanwhile, Stephen wandered, spotting glowing crystals embedded in the roots of a tree. “System, what are these?” he asked. “Magical crystals,” it confirmed. He collected twelve, each vanishing into his magical inventory with a thought. Returning to the lake, he stripped naked, ignoring Jose’s raised eyebrow, and dove in, the water cool against his skin. Swimming down, he found an alcove concealing a chest. He hauled it to the surface, gasping. “Help me out, would ya?” he called. Jose waded in, grabbing the chest and dragging it to shore. Stephen climbed out, shaking off water like a dog before redressing. A notification chimed: “Congratulations, hidden secret found. Chest of the Lake.”

Stephen tried to store the chest in his inventory, but an error flashed: “Special chest must be opened in dungeon.” They exchanged a glance, then placed their hands on the chest, opening it together. Inside gleamed:

1x Magic Pistol

1x Gloves of Martial Arts

6x Magic Crystals

2x Magic Cores

“JACKPOT!” they shouted in unison, grins splitting their faces. Jose claimed the Magic Pistol, its sleek design humming with latent power, while Stephen took the Gloves of Martial Arts, their leather warm and faintly pulsing. They split the crystals and cores evenly, but Stephen, feeling generous, handed Jose six of the crystals he’d found earlier. Jose, in turn, passed Stephen three of the blood-soaked goblin cores. “Ew, dude,” Stephen said, wrinkling his nose. “Obtain,” he muttered, holding out his hand, and the cores vanished into his inventory. Jose’s eyes widened. “WTF, dude?” Stephen smirked. “System said we can collect things by saying ‘Obtain.’ That’s how I got the crystals.”

Jose’s face reddened. “SYSTEM!” he bellowed, then demanded, “Could I have used ‘Obtain’ on these enemies?” The System’s reply was calm: “Yes.” Jose erupted, cursing the System with a string of expletives for not clarifying sooner, his hands still sticky with goblin blood. Stephen laughed, dodging as Jose pointed the Magic Pistol at him. “Don’t tempt me,” Jose growled. “Okay, okay,” Stephen said, hands raised, still chuckling.

They turned to leave, stepping back through the portal. Behind them, the blueish-green gateway crackled with energy, then collapsed into nothingness, leaving the forest clearing empty. The brothers stood in their world once more, bloodied, enriched, and forever changed by the dungeon’s trials.