by Jaxon Reed
“I, uh, don’t know how to pick locks.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll let you practice on some easy ones. Now, what else? There are four daggers.”
Percel examined all four knives carefully while wearing the glasses designed to let him See Magic.
“The first two are fine quality. Mithril. They will stab through most anything. Nessa, swap out your knife for one. It’s a major upgrade. Erik, you should take the other one.”
The two dutifully handed over their knives, replacing them with the better ones. Percel placed the old ones in his own Magic Bag.
He said, “Now, this pair is magical. Typically what people pay for on twin weapons is Blades of Fury, or one of its derivatives.”
Percel took a blade in each hand and approached the corpse of the doppelganger. He started stabbing it in the chest. His hands seemed to blur for a second. When they stopped, dozens more wounds showed in the bony torso.
“Yes, this is very good,” Percel said, straightening up. “Tawny you should carry these. There are times when even a mage has to defend herself in close quarters.”
Tawny nodded, accepting the enchanted daggers and looping them in her belt.
“What about the ornate dagger?” Erik said. “Is it magical in any way?”
Percel inspected it with the glasses. He said, “No, it’s just expensive. We’ll turn it in at Headquarters. One of the perks of working for Dungeon Corps is, if you survive you get a share in the run’s profits. After the corps takes their cut, of course.”
Everything was now packed away or distributed. Percel gave a final glance around. The corpse of the bony doppelganger stood near the guard shed. Sunlight broke through the cemetery’s trees, lighting up tombstones in morning brilliance. The wind soughing by made a moaning sound, as if the spirits of the past tried to warn them in the present.
Percel took a deep breath, and drew his sword. Erik followed suit, unsheathing his own. Tawny readied to cast Globe of Light, and then mentally ran through offensive and defensive spells she might need. Nessa prepared to cast Rested State, and wondered if that would be enough. She resolved to try and cast something stronger in their moment of need. Toby stuck a finger in his mouth.
Percel said, “Everybody ready? Let’s go.”
He turned and marched down the slope into the ground, Erik at his side. Tawny and Toby followed and Nessa came last. They moved down into the darkness of the crypts.
-+-
The passage widened as it headed deeper, and Erik noted with interest the bricks making up the floor and walls and ceiling. Here and there, an enchanted torch burned, casting fitful shadows.
Soon the way leveled out and greatly expanded in width. The smell of decaying corpses hit them hard.
Tawny cast Globe of Light, and a ball of illumination floated before them. To either side of the cavernous room, they could see shelves, nooks, and alcoves. All were filled with bones, and bodies in various states of decay. Some of the corpses looked fresh.
In front of several of the nooks, people had left flowers. Sometimes they were in vases, quickly wilting this far underground with no sunlight. Sometimes they were laid in bundles on top of a fresh corpse. Sometimes they were simply scattered over bones.
“This is the City Ossuary,” Percel said. “People place their beloved here when they die. Older bones are cleared out in piles further back to make room for newer bodies.”
“Aren’t they worried about zombies rising or anything?” Tawny said.
Nessa answered before Percel could say anything. She said, “Clerics cast Peaceful Rest on corpses so they won’t rise again. What do elves do?”
Tawny said, “Elves live long lives. When we finally die, our bodies are offered as food for the Great Tree in the center of Dryadopolis. Of course, that’s not always possible, especially if we are far away from the Great Tree when we die. Then the preferred method is incineration, so that our ashes may mix with the soil of our surroundings.”
“Can we change the discussion away from death?” Erik said, glancing deeper into the ossuary with apprehension.
“Come on, lad,” Percel said. “Let’s go find Death and wrestle with her.”
He led the way and the others followed.
The other end of the long chamber of bones necked down to become narrow again, and the passageway maintained a steady downhill slope. Chambers branched off to either side, with open doorways.
Tawny stopped at one and let her light globe float inside. Shelves surrounded the walls, skeletons lying in state.
“The wealthy are placed down here,” Percel said. “Some families keep the same burial chamber for generations. Typically there’s nothing of interest in these rooms. The tradition of placing items of great wealth with the deceased thankfully died out with the Ancient Empire, so grave robbers are less of a concern at these levels.”
Tawny nodded and pulled her globe back out. The party continued its descent.
“So, the cemetery up at the top . . .” Tawny said. “What is the purpose of having cemeteries and crypts and ossuaries? It would seem to me only one is sufficient.”
Percel said, “The current custom is to use the ossuaries. It’s efficient and does not require much effort. In olden times, the wealthy would bury their dead along with sacrificial offerings such as coins and a weapon or item of jewelry.
“Over time, when monsters started infesting the crypts, and traps set to thwart grave robbers got out of hand, they turned to cemeteries on the surface. Alas, there is only so much space in the city for cemeteries. By that time Dungeon Corps had been formed, and worked to keep the lower levels of the crypts sealed and the upper levels swept clean of monsters and vermin. And around that time, ossuaries became popular.”
Before them the passage widened and branched off.
“An intersection,” Percel said, pulling to a halt. He reached into his bag and fished around in the enchanted space until he pulled out the map taken from the doppelganger.
He said, “This clearly shows an entrance into the lower crypts . . . here. It’s the nearest one to the Grimuald Cemetery entrance. My guess is the grave robbers used those magical lock picks on it. We’ll go this way. From here on out, be on guard and ready for anything.”
The mood of the group turned serious. Erik gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. Tawny and Nessa tensed and held magic in reserve, although Nessa could not really do much. Even Toby sensed the darker atmosphere and no longer sported the silly grin that normally graced his face.
As they traveled further down, the corridor became more restrictive, shrinking to an 8 foot by 8 foot passageway. Tawny’s globe sailed ahead, now their only light source, the magic torches far behind.
“Hold it,” Percel said, raising his fist in the air. The party stopped and everyone held their breath.
Ahead they could hear scratches, the sound of tiny paws on paving bricks.
“A mischief of rats,” Percel announced.
“A mischief?” Tawny said, confused.
Percel nodded. “That’s the term for a group of ’em. Like a flock of birds, or a herd of cattle.”
He waited a bit longer as the scratches grew louder.
“Big ones. Tawny, move your globe further that way.”
The elf obliged, sending the light to hover several feet down the passage.
First, red glowing eyes peered from the darkness. Tiny specks, steadily growing larger. Then a horde of vicious rats bounded into the light. They were black and brown and the size of dogs.
Percel said, “Alpha rats! Toby, beside me! You and Erik and I will hold the line. Tawny, cast what you can behind us. Nessa, prepare healing spells and watch our back!”
Nessa decided now was not the time to remind their leader she could cast no such spells.
Toby reluctantly shouldered his way to the right of Percel, one finger in his mouth. The scourge of large rats bearing down on them made him frown.
“Pull out your sword, lad!”
To
by looked down and seemed surprised to find a broadsword hanging at his side. He pulled it out and looked at it in wonder, admiring the way it reflected light.
“Don’t mind him,” Tawny said from behind Percel. “That’s the first real sword he’s ever had. Takes some getting used to.”
Percel sighed deeply and said, “Lord Creator help us.”
He looked to his left. Erik stood in a battle stance, holding his own shield and sword ready. Percel nodded in approval.
He said, “Now, remember what I taught you, lad. Feel the sword’s spirit when you swing.”
Erik nodded, keeping his eyes on the rats as they swarmed forward, a churning, roiling tide of vermin.
Percel said, “Cast something, lass! Before they reach us!”
Tawny nodded. She stretched both her hands out and bright red light formed between them. Then she pushed it forward and a Fireball shot down the corridor, expanding rapidly.
It hit the first wave, incinerating rats in front, two and three deep. The ones behind them jumped over their blackened corpses and continued racing down the corridor.
“Good work, Tawny!” Erik said, with a touch of awe in his voice.
Tawny smiled. She said, “That’s one Mistress Norra taught me. Takes a while to build up mana for another one, though.”
“Make ready!” Percel said.
The wave of giant rats rushed upon them, running and jumping and skittering down the corridor. The first one leaped toward Percel’s face. He flicked his wrist and his sword sliced it neatly in half. One part flew to his left, the other to his right. Rat blood spattered everywhere.
The next two ran toward Erik. He bent down and slammed his shield to the floor before they reached him. Their momentum caused them to crash headfirst into the shield. He poked down from above and stabbed them with his sword. They died screeching.
Three charged at Toby. He stared at them, brows furrowed. One leaped up and bit him on the arm. The other two launched themselves onto his torso. They could not quite reach his face.
“ARRRRRGH!”
Toby grasped the one on his sword arm, crushing its neck. He threw it to the ground with a splat. He swung at the two bouncing off his torso, clumsily, almost hitting Percel. He missed one rat but sliced into the other. It shrieked at him while the next wave pounced.
Nessa cast Minor Damage at the next two rats coming for Toby. They blew back, their relatively smaller bodies absorbing the spell. It stunned them, but did not kill them.
Toby literally got into the swing of things, arcing his sword wide and slicing into rats as they kept coming. When one made it past his clumsy arc, Nessa stunned it with Minor Damage, giving him another chance. Between the two of them, they made decent work of it.
“That’s the spirit, lad!” Percel yelled. “Keep staying mad! Kill those rodents!”
He moved, staying out of Toby’s range. His own graceful arcs were smooth, efficient, and deadly, slicing through rat after rat after rat.
A few normal-size rodents were mixed in with the alphas, and Erik found they were harder to strike. He tried to copy the graceful moves of Percel, but soon gave up and just slashed and hacked away, trying to kill vermin while keeping them off of him.
Tawny felt the mana in her build up enough for another Fireball. She concentrated, holding her palms facing each other and thrust out the energy at close range.
Thwaboom!
Dozens of rats blew up, instantly crisped black. Everyone threw their hands up, protecting their faces.
When the smoke cleared, charred rodent bodies lay spread out before them. A few survivors skittered back down the corridor in full retreat, fur smoking.
Everyone turned and looked at Tawny. Her eyes widened at the carnage.
She said, “Oops?”
“Dang, Lass. Iffen yer gonna cast Major Fireball, y’ should do it at foes still at a distance. Not when they’re right in front of us! Had they been taller or caused more blowback, it might’ve hurt us.”
“Sorry! I didn’t know it was going to be bigger than last time. I just channeled a lot of . . . emotion into it. Or something.”
“Not to worry. I’m sure Norra can help you distinguish the magic. Another thing you need to work on is to tune your spells so they don’t cause damage to the team. She can help you with that, too.”
The proper admonishments given, and with another sigh, this time one of relief, Percel turned to the corpses.
“Sometimes a rat may have a coin or two. Mayhap a ring or bit of jewelry someone lost through a storm grate or something. But keep an eye out for any packrats. They often have a fair bit of treasure worth looting.”
Percel poked around with his sword among the corpses, picking up a copper here and there. The others followed suit.
Toby brought up the rear, smiling again. He grunted when he saw one rat corpse off to the side, passed over by the others. He stooped down and picked it up, shaking it. Everyone turned at the sound of coins hitting the pavement.
“There it is! Good eye!” Percel said, walking over to collect the coins.
“You got one gold, six silver and 29 copper out of this packrat, Toby. Plus two gold rings . . .” He pulled out his spectacles and glanced at them. “Not magical, but still valuable. Excellent work.”
Toby smiled back down at him, the grin growing a little wider with the praise.
“Alright team. We survived our first dungeon encounter. We learned a little, we earned a little. Onwards!”
Percel turned, stepping over charred alpha rats and headed deeper down the corridor. The others followed.
They did not see anything threatening until the next intersection. The passage branched off into three smaller ones. Percel consulted the map and took the one on the left.
This tunnel proved to be considerably smaller than the previous one, only six feet in diameter. They could no longer walk together easily. Erik stayed by Percel, their magical boots keeping them firmly on the round sides of the circular tunnel.
Behind them, Toby had to walk hunched over in the middle of the path. He did not like the enclosed space, and frowned at his sister before going in.
“We’re right behind you, Toby,” she said in an encouraging voice. “Just follow Lord Percel and Erik. You’ll be fine.”
Tawny and Nessa followed. On occasion, Tawny would give her brother a helpful push to his backside.
The tunnel seemed to go a long way. Erik kept peering through the gloom at the far periphery of the light globe but nothing seemed to change.
“Hold it,” Percel said, raising his fist. Everyone stopped.
He peered intently at the way ahead. Erik looked too, but could not see anything different.
Erik said, “What’s the matter? What is it?”
“Something’s not right. The shadows ahead are not moving the way they ought to.”
“The shadows?”
“Tawny, cast another globe of light behind us.”
“Alright. Why?”
“Don’t question me, lass. Do as I say and we may live through this.”
Tawny swallowed nervously, but she put her hands together and cast another Globe of Light. She sent it floating down the tunnel back the way they came.
Percel said, “Some monsters stay in one location, more or less. Others, like the rats we just fought, tend to wander. The very worst seek out prey, even outside the dungeons, like the doppelganger who took poor Gellnar. That’s why we lock off access to the lower levels. Things are much more dangerous there.
“Iffen I am not mistaken, we are about to face another wandering creature. Steady now. Prepare yourselves for a corporeal shadow.”
“Oh, great,” Erik said. “Is that what I think it is?”
Percel nodded. He said, “Darkness incarnate. See it?”
Erik squinted. In the gloom beyond the light’s edge, something . . . moved.
Percel said, “Typically it will try to take away any light. Prepare yourselves!”
Erik watched as
a blob of darkness jumped at the globe and . . . threw its arms around it.
The way ahead darkened, the light extinguished.
“It looked like a person!”
Percel said, “Aye. corporeal shadows are said to be enchantments left over from actual people. Don’t let it get past us or it will try to take the globe behind us out, too.”
They waited, tensely watching the gloom ahead. Toby stuck a finger in his mouth while Percel and Erik gripped their swords tight.
About the time Tawny considered casting another light spell, the creature struck at Percel, shrieking.
He swung, slicing through the dark. It screamed, a shrill, piercing noise that sounded especially loud in the confined space of the tunnel.
A body launched itself into Erik, screeching and blocking out what little light reached them. He felt cold and clammy darkness envelop his face and dig into his chest.
He swung with his sword, swiffing right, then left. The shadow screamed at him and then opened its mouth wide and swallowed Erik whole.
He felt his arms constricting, held tighter to his body as giant lips wrapped around his torso. He stabbed and poked, his movements growing jerky, constricted.
“Stand still, lad!”
Percel swished his blade through the shadow, taking care not to go too deep and hit Erik.
Toby gawked at the sight, or what he could see of it. Darkness surrounded Erik, and everything looked confusing to the big elf.
He reached down and whapped the shadow, his hand whiffing over the top of Erik’s head.
The shadow screeched and unswallowed Erik, seemingly spitting him out. An angry, dark face stared up Toby, and it launched at him.
Toby stumbled backward, the girls scrambling to get out of his way.
“Guh! Guh!”
Tawny said, “Stand still, Toby!”
“Cast light at him, lass! It’s the only way to dissipate that thing!”
“SCRAAAAAHHH!”
Toby slapped his face, whiffing through the shadow again and again.
Foom!
The entire tunnel lit up in bright white light, temporarily blinding everyone.
The shadow said, “Eep!” and snuffed out of existence.
