by Drew Jager
Bel was getting into character, and he could see her practicing her lines in the reflection of a gem.
She flew down to the Ore room and spoke, "You have kept your promise Human, so we will keep ours. Send in your weak and strong alike, we will take them off your hands."
Brian, to his credit, actually cracked a small smile. "I would expect nothing less. It is likely you will not see me again unless an emergency arises. In my place there will be two B rank Adventurers that will stand guard at your entrance during the day. They will be monitoring the men and women we send into the Dungeon, but they will not interfere should any or all perish inside."
"We expect nothing less." Bel mimicked. She would've sounded a lot more intimidating if her voice wasn't similar to that of a small child.
Brian just nodded, and was turning to leave before a look of what Will would only be able to describe as fear mixed with hope, came onto his face.
"I have one more request Dungeon. It is my belief that... that you may have the missing piece of my Quest." Brian was actually looking bashful, which was beyond repulsive on a Two-legs.
Bel looked shocked, and Will felt a mix of emotions play across his mind. He settled on indignation. "Who does he think he is! As if we would ever help someone become a Hero."
Bel turned her voice so only he could hear her, "Think carefully about this Will, if he is an Expert then he may not be the worst kind of Hero."
"All Heroes are the worst kind of Heroes." He replied matter of factly.
"Don't be bigoted, while the inexperienced may let the power get to their heads, this man is most likely close to a century old." She chided.
"Thats not possible, he looks like he is only 40." The man, while certainly ugly, was not ugly because of age lines. That much Will could admit.
"The higher ranked a Sentient becomes, the longer their lifespan extends. Some Experts are well over 200 years old. While there are some Heroes closer to 500. There are powerful people in this world Will, and it would not hurt to have one indebted to us." She said all this without taking her eyes off the man. He was still just sitting in the same spot, looking nervous.
"I don't even know what he wants though! I don't have anything to give him for a Quest. Ask him what he means, and we can go from there." He said.
Bel nodded at him and turned back to the Human.
"What is it you seek?" She asked, with an air of superiority he was amazed could fit into such a small voice.
"I received my Quest over 60 years ago, and until a month ago I had given up hope of ever completing it. Every Dungeon I had gone to was unable to help. When I received word of a potential Nature Dungeon though, I knew I may finally get my chance."
The man paused to take a breath, and the hidden Dungeon Serpent that had been inching closer over the past few minutes took it's shot. Will was cheering it on, pride welling in him at the patience of his Monster.
Without even taking his eyes off the ground, he grabbed the snake behind the head and throttled it with one hand. He then continued as if nothing had happened.
"It is my Quest to find a Dungeon who will help me become something more than I originally was." He said all of this with a straight face, but Will knew the Human couldn't hear him, so he laughed out loud.
"He said, 'Become something more'! What the hell does that even mean. Hahaha" Will was nearing hysterics when Bel just shot him a glare, but she couldn't fully conceal the tears forming in her eyes as she tried to hide her smile.
"It is vague, I know. That was the hand I was dealt though, and I wish to know if it can be done."
Bel, restraining herself, asked what they were both thinking. "Why our Dungeon?"
"A Nature Dungeon is rare. It is not uncommon to have a Dungeon that specializes in plants, or Beasts. Or any other mix of flora and fauna, but it is very uncommon to have a Dungeon that embodies all of it." He said with a little less hope in his voice.
This was news to Will, but all it did right now was stroke his ego. "Well... I am pretty great. I guess it only makes sense."
Bel shot him a glare, crushing the beginnings of his pride.
"We have nothing of the sort. Come back when we have expanded and we will see if we can be of assistance. For a price, of course." The human crumbled under those words, but nodded once and turned to leave.
"By the way, you almost got me today. Better luck next time, Dungeon. I look forward to speaking again once you've grown."
Bel just giggled and replied with, "Next time, we will see if we have what you seek. Do not lose hope Human."
The man smiled, and left.
"Why did you promise him we would help Bel?" Will wasn't actually angry, but now he felt dirty having agreed to help a Two-legs.
"I already told you why, it would be good for us if we have an Expert ranked Hero indebted to us." She replied matter of factly.
Will just grumbled to himself, "Yeah, yeah. Fine. Well we better get ready, it seems like we will be getting visitors tomorrow." He was starting to get pumped up, he would finally get to test his Dungeon against the Two-legs. He was also a little self-counscious the Human hadn't mentioned his new Dungeon entrance. He had put hundreds of Resources into creating it and he wanted people to appreciate it.
Name - Willem Chosen Monster - Beasts Mana - 30/30
Species - Dungeon Crawl (Lv.3) Chosen Location - Ilvan Forest Mana Regen - 15/d
Number of Floors - 1 Number of Monsters - 13 Resources - 103
* * *
The night before the Dungeon is officially opened, a lone Elf stalks towards the entrance.
Tannar El Verandin was not a name to be taken lightly. At 20 years of age he was a tall elf with black hair stretching down to his shoulders. He had a large hooked nose and sky blue eyes. He had been told by his Mother multiple times just how handsome he was. So how was it that these Human savages and Beast mongrels could tell him what he could and could not do?
He was a member of the proud Elven nobility. Maybe not part of the royal family, but his father held enough influence to earn them a seat at the table. The Verandin family would not be taken lightly, and he would not be kept back from his destiny.
It had been just a few weeks ago when he received his Quest. The second he had heard tell of the new Dungeon and the town being built around it, he had recieved a notification from the Voice of the World.
He pulled up his Quest's information with a gleam in his eye, he loved being able to see the proof of his power. The proof of his nobility, and right to rule.
Chime
A Heroic Task
Congratulations, Tannar El Verandin!
You have unlocked the hidden requirement to begin your Life-long Quest. In order to ascend into the ranks of the Heroes, you must accomplish that which many will say is impossible. All Tasks must be completed through your own merit.
Prove yourself to the World, and defeat your greatest adversary.
Tannar sighed to himself, it never grew old to just sit and stare at the Blue box. To him, it was all he could have asked for. It was well known that not all Quests were equal in terms of difficulty. He would be the first to admit he had no idea who his greatest adversary was, but since he received the Quest at mention of the Nature Dungeon, it was a good bet he would find them in there.
The filthy Human who ran this Town, Brian, was blocking his attempts to enter the Dungeon at every turn. Even after he offered to pay the dumb brute, he had still said no. Tannar spat on the ground at the memory.
Who does he think he is, preventing me from completing my destiny? I offered him enough money to live a comfortable life ten times over, and yet he still holds me back. He must be jealous. Jealous someone so young and talented as me will outclass him in a matter of days.
He laughed to himself again, then looked over the hill right after the town and towards the Dungeon entrance. He was just as shocked as everyone else was when the entryway to the Dungeon changed before their eyes. He watched crude statues the likeness of horrif
ic beasts get carved into the stone through golden green Mana. They formed a concentric ring around the gaping maw leading into the ground. A lesser man might call it intimdating. What Monster had antlers and fangs he did not know, but he had no inclination to find out. Unless that was his adversary?
I will find out soon enough.
He knew the Guild representative would be asleep, most likely curled up with his wife. What a disgusting man. The elf thought.
Until now he had never tried going into the Dungeon at night, mainly because he felt it was beneath him. Why should he have to sneak around in the dark like a criminal?
It was different now though, he could feel the Dungeon calling to him. He could swear it was cheering for him to enter its depths and prove himself. He had no doubt even the Dungeon wanted him to succeed, to become the greatest Elf in the history of the kingdom.
Steeling himself, he dropped down into the dark cavern below and prepared to fight for his life.
He was no fool, he had come prepared. As he walked through the entrance and into the first tunnel, he prepared a torch for the inevitable dark that was a Dungeon's halls. He was surprised to find, instead, a soft light similar to that of the Sun. It permeated from every corner, and seemed to be coming from the moss on the ceiling. No. That wasn't right, it was coming from under the moss.
With a smile he put his torch back into his bag, and continued forward with dagger in hand.
The Verandin family had some of the finest Smiths and Craftsmen under their banner. This knife was of Rare tier, and was wickedly curved to hook into whatever he fought. The handle was a polished Ebony wood, with a gleaming Silver blade. In the handle was a small clear gem, an Air Crystal. Using this dagger alongside his affinity made his strikes whistle through the air, adding extra power to each blow he landed.
He was still learning how to use his affinity, but he would soon ascend into the ranks of Heroes. Once he did he would have all the time in the world to train after that.
At the moment, he was what the barbaric Humans would call a D ranked Adventurer. He was not part of the Guild but he knew his power would coincide with their second tier. He had received formal training in blade work and knew he could handle anything an F ranked Dungeon had to offer. Not to mention he was wearing Uncommon tier leather armor, made specifically to fit him.
"I hope this Dungeon can provide me with at least a little challenge." He said, as he quietly side stepped the Fake Floor trap right before the entrance.
As if I would fall for something so trivial.
Thinking nothing but disdainful thoughts towards the Dungeon, he reached the first room. He looked around for any potential Monsters or ambush sites, but all he saw was some Copper Ore on the wall. There was a cave on the far side of the wall that may have housed a Monster, but it appeared to be empty.
The floor of the room was covered in a thin layer of grass and moss. While it was possible a Monster could be hiding somewhere in the room, it would take too much time to search every inch of the area. So instead he decided to move on, and listened closely for any signs of being followed.
His paranoia was well founded. As soon as he turned his back on the room, he heard a slithering sound coming from behind him. He whirled around and threw his Dagger at where he thought he heard the sound.
No response, he must have severed the Monster's head in one blow. Of course he would, he was amazing.
He went to grab his Dagger and the subsequent loot when he found his blade lying harmlessly on the ground. He knew he had made a mistake before he even heard the hiss in his ear.
He spun around, and came face to face with a 3ft long serpent staring at him. At eye level. The Beast was hanging off a vine from the ceiling, and almost appeared to be smiling as it struck out at him.
The snake was fast, but he was faster. He dove to the ground at the last moment, and scrambled to pick up his fallen Dagger before the snake could get another attack in. As soon as his hand closed around the handle of his blade, the snake reached him and lashed out.
It sank its fangs deep into his left calf, eliciting a scream. It really wasn't all that painful, but the fear of the situation scared him enough to incite a response. The Beast had begun coiling around his leg now, refusing to let go as it pumped more and more venom directly into his veins. With a wild yell he slashed down into the Beasts body. Again and again he stabbed, tearing chunks of flesh out of the Monster. It didn't even seem to mind, it just continued pouring its payload into his leg. It was as if the Beast did not care that it was on the verge of death, only that it inflicted as much damage as it could before it perished.
After a few more good stabs, and a healthy amount of screaming, the snake dropped dead from the wounds it had sustained.
Tannar felt like shit. His calf was a bloody mess, and there was a green liquid visible in the veins of his leg.
He reached into his pocket and yanked out the only vial of anti-venom he had brought with him. He expected the Dungeon to have Beasts, but not Reptiles as well. Did Reptiles count as Beasts? Apparently so. He was just about to unstopper the vial when he felt his consciousness fade.
No, not like this. I still have so much left to do.
Tears began flooding out of his eyes as his breathing slowed and he lay his head down on the ground. Trying as hard as he could to stay conscious. He failed.
He awoke with a jolt and tried to process what happened. He remembered what occurred and laughed at himself for being so foolish. It was an F ranked Dungeon. As if the toxin would actually kill him. It was a well known fact that in the first floor the most a toxin could do was incapacitate. A well known fact he had forgotten, and lost his composure over.
Focus Tannar! From the look of the room it has only been a minute or two since you passed out. There is still time to complete my destiny before that disgusting Human finds out I've gone.
After giving himself a much needed pep talk, he continued down deeper into the Dungeon. Now considerably more wary.
After a short walk he reached another tunnel, and nearly laughed at his good fortune. Traps. He could handle traps with ease. He was an Air affinity, and that made him one of the most sure footed Adventurers in town. Every affinity provided different bonuses to their user depending on which one they had. For Air, one of the many bonuses was an increased ability to detect and avoid traps.
He laughed as he danced around multiple Fake Floor and Falling Boulder traps. He was just about to reach the end when he overstepped, misjudging the distance between two traps, and his leg broke through. His bad leg, the one that had been bitten. He watched in horror as his foot slammed into the ground.
No spikes. The Dungeon didn't even trap the bottom of the pit. He couldn't believe his luck. That was, until he lifted his foot off the ground and heard an audible click.
A pressure plate. Hidden underneath the fake floor.
There was no time to think, or berate himself for his second mistake. He just rolled forward, further bruising his left leg in the process, and rushed to the end of the tunnel. There was a sound of crashing thunder, and he saw a two hundred pound boulder smash in the exact spot he would have been just a moment ago. He stood up, now limping slightly from the abuse he had just received, and turned with shaky hands towards the next room. He would not give up, he had a destiny to fulfill.
The next room was, in one word, beautiful. A large field of flowers stretching from wall to wall, and what he could only describe as a Divine tree rested in the center of the room. He heard birds chirping, and saw insects buzzing around the flowers. It was a paradise in hell.
He watched in amazement as a small yellow bird flew towards him. It had red tipped wings and looked so at peace in the Flower room. He thought it looked the picture of calm and serenity. It landed on a nearby bush, took one look at him, and howled.
Skraaa!
His legs buckled, and his vision swam as he felt sound waves batter against his ear drums.
He threw his dagger at the bird an
d scored a lucky hit. The bird released one final wail as it fell to the ground, now soaked red. This time, he noticed the Beast disperse into golden green Mana, part of the Mana flowed into him and was converted to a bit of experience. The rest flew back towards what he assumed was the direction the Crawl was in.
In the birds place was his Dagger, as well as some small yellow feathers and a few copper coins. Standard Dungeon loot.
"What kind of Dungeon is this place?!" He asked incredulously. Birds able to incapacitate, snakes with more cunning than any first floor Beast should have. Not to mention the room he was standing in would be considered a National Treasure in many countries.
