Dungeon Crawl

by Drew Jager

  "She's always so nice, isn't she Ter? I bet it's so much fun in the Troops room. Maybe we should visit them more often. Let's visit them more often." Sis said while admiring the many statues in the room.

  Ter was unsure if her sister saw the Monkey physically berate the other three, but she didn't want to be the cause of any strife. She just took a place next to her sister, paying homage to the statues.

  They were the culmination of the Great Ones efforts, and needed to be treated as such. They both pressed their noses into the dirt in front of the statues in order. Each one was a mystery to the sisters, but who were they to try to gleam the Great Ones genius?

  "I think this one is my favorite. No! This one! Or maybe, this one. I don't know Ter; they all look so nice. I can't wait to meet them." Sis said excitedly.

  "You think we will meet these Monsters?" Ter asked, a little fear in her voice. She admired the beauty of the statues just as much as any other Monster, but the real version was not something she was keen to see.

  "I hope so! We just have to wait and see. The Great Ones do what they want, when they want." Sis replied.

  After paying their respects to their Creators artistic attempts, they moved to help open the door the Monkeys were struggling to move. Soon the Serpents joined, and the door began to open, inch by inch.

  "Stupid birds, won't even help." Sis mumbled through wheezing breaths.

  "What do you expect, all they care about is their addiction." Ter grumbled.

  "Yeah, but you would think when the Creator asks for all of us to come, that they would be in more of a hurry."

  It was true, the Great One himself had told them to come into the Boss room and meet the new member. This heavy door must just be another test of their devotion towards the Dungeon. Why else would he have left it closed?

  Once through, all the Monsters collapsed into a small heap. They heard a yawn from Grizzly, and both sisters felt their hearts skip a beat at the sight of the Boss. It took a lot out of the twin Spinebacks, but they forced themselves up. They would not show weakness in the eyes of their Creators, or in the strongest of the Dungeon.

  "Sis! I see her! Do you see her? I do! She feels so warm, just like it does in our den! I love it, I love her. I wonder if she will talk to us? I wonder how she keeps her wings so clean? What do you think it's like to have wings?" Sis took a deep breath, most likely to ask more questions. She had spotted Bel, and was feeling starstruck.

  "Hey Sis, I think I see the new addition." Ter strategically added, cutting off her sister's rampage of questions.

  Sistine squealed and started running toward where the other Monsters had lined up to meet the new guest. She slowed when she got a good look, and was shocked to see it was a tree.

  "Ter, I think that tree has arms."

  "It does look like that." She also noted legs, and a lot of leafy green hair.

  "Oh, come on! The stupid birds just gave it a gift. I knew we should have brought a gift." Sis sulked.

  Ter just rolled her eyes; it was nearly their turn to greet the tree. "Get ready."

  When they stepped up, they first nodded towards Grizzly. Respects had to be paid. Once they turned their eyes onto the new member both were left speechless. Which was impressive in Sistine's case.

  Hello, Sisters.

  A tiny voice sounded out in both of their heads, and they let out a small squeak in response. More in surprise, than anything else. It sounded like what they imagined a child would be. The eyes of the small tree bore into theirs, and they felt the intelligence in them. So far, only Grizzly was able to speak to them. It seemed the Boss had an ability to talk to all types of species of Monsters, and so did this tree.

  My name, Sol. Sol is boy.

  He seemed to stress the fact he was a boy, and put a lot of extra emphasis on Sol. He seemed proud of the name. Neither sister had the ability to reply, as the communication was only one way. They were not powerful enough to reply. Only Grizzly and Sol could speak freely to the Monsters.

  So, they both squeaked once more in reply, and stood to the side. The Troop started walking towards Sol, and the Dam broke.

  "Ter. Ter. Ter!"

  "What?"

  "I would die for that tree."

  "Don't be so dramatic." She rolled her eyes again.

  Sol turned his head over, and looked at both of them. The little eyes and small mouth were in a small smile, and Ter felt her heart skip a beat.

  "I guess we can keep an eye on him. Just to make sure he doesn't get into trouble." She said, staring at the floor.

  * * *

  During the first day of Dungeon Dives.

  Wham!

  A sound of something being hit, and a whimper directly after sounded out in the Troops room.

  "I swear to the Great Ones if you three don't stop I'm going to start biting off tails." The female Ilvan Monkey yelled towards her companions.

  She had caught them peeking out of the room. Again.

  "If we leave the door open the Great Ones are going to be furious! Don't you three fur-heads understand that. We need to be ready for when the Adventurers come in the room." She said, exasperated.

  "Yes, Leader." All three said in chorus, eyes downcast.

  "I hope they are strong."

  "I'm just glad we get to fight."

  "I wonder if they will taste good."

  All three were chatting in low whispers towards each other, and she felt a pang of guilt. It wasn't their fault they were curious. Hell, she certainly was. She had to be the strong one though, the level headed one. The Great One hadn't made her the leader of the Monkeys, but she took the role anyways. It was only natural. Why else would she be the only girl in the Troop?

  She sniffed at the three boys, then turned to swing back up into the vines in the ceiling. She settled down onto her favorite bed, the Silverbark beam. It had fused with the vines long ago, and now made for a comfy resting spot. It never ceased to amaze her the genius that her Creators possessed. To think that they added the beams specifically for the vines was incredible to her. The amount of fore thought it took to predict the Monsters needs before the Creator had even made them filled her with a sense of pride. Pride at being a Monster in the greatest Dungeon in the world.

  Granted, she had never been in another Dungeon. She had no desire to see one though. This was her home, and she wouldn't have it any other way. A small insect flew in front of her face, and she snatched it from midair. Another example of her Creators excellence. The Great Ones even added snacks to help them pass the time.

  She squealed in thought of her Creators, then settled down for another nap.

  She did not expect any of the Adventurers to reach their room, so she felt no guilt at taking it easy. So far, all the Adventurers that had come in had either died, or fled after the Flower room. The Serpents had proven themselves very useful, and had been the driving factor in removing the invaders. She was pleased to hear that even the lone Serpent had managed to take down an Adventurer.

  "Leader."

  "Hey, Leader!"

  "Quiet you two, can't you see she's napping?!" The third male said, even louder than the other two.

  "I've been thinking, we really only need three Monkeys in the Troop..." She said absentmindedly.

  This seemed to mollify the three boys, but one of them gathered his courage and spoke up. Probably because the other two had shoved him forward to be their designated speaker.

  "Humans, Leader. Humans come. One is very short, and the other two are strange shapes and colors. Nothing like the pale one from before." The male said.

  She ripped a vine from the roof and whipped it across the heads of the other three. "How do you know they are coming, unless you opened that damn door?"

  She took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Get in position, boys."

  "Yes, Leader." They said in unison.

  All three hooted in response, glad their punishment only went as far as it did. She could get very creative, with very little tools at her dispos
al.

  "Remember, the Great Ones watch us today. We die before we let these filthy Two-legs pass!" She had heard the insult from her Creator, and felt it described the invaders perfectly.

  Soon the door opened, and true to the male's words, there were three Two-legs in the room. She saw one noticeably shorter than the other two, and decided he would be the easiest target. The one with a shield seemed to be a female.

  Figures. Of course, the females in the Two-legs world are larger than the males. Just my luck.

  She hooted as quietly as she could to have the boys in position. While they were sneaking across she was devastated to see the dark skinned Human in the back notice one of them.

  "Above us!" She heard him shout.

  Damn.

  She watched in slight awe as the short one, clearly the Leader, shouted out orders to the other two. They both followed without hesitation, and she felt begrudging respect for the Two-legs. Her own companions were just as efficient, but he didn't even have to threaten bodily harm.

  Interesting, I should see if the boys will respond better to rewards than punishment... She shook her head; she can't get off track now.

  Suddenly, she felt the eyes of the Great Ones upon them. All three males stiffened, and she saw bloodlust in their eyes. She smiled a wicked smile, and her fangs peaked out of her mouth.

  She had to give the boys time to get in position, so she began the plan. Jumping from her hidden space in the Silverbark beams, she leapt to the ground opposite the Two-legs. She felt nervous when a ball of what appeared to be ice of all things streaked just past her as she fell. Luckily, it missed, and she landed safely.

  Once on ground, she hooted to signal the other three to start the ambush. She watched in satisfaction as all three descended towards their prey, cowering in the corner of the room.

  "Michael!" The female Human yelled out.

  What the hell's a Michael?

  The dark-skinned Human swung his stick, and two of her brethren were knocked from the air.

  That must be the Michael.

  "You two, focus the one in the back!" She screeched towards the two boys who had been knocked from the air.

  A howl rang out in the room, and she turned to see a horrific sight. She felt devastated to see the Monkey that had made it through was now on the floor, with a blade in his eye. She screamed out towards the invaders, and felt her blood burn with the anger she felt. That was her Monkey. Her companion. Her family.

  The other two seemed likewise affected, but obeyed her order to attack the Human in the back. Suddenly, the female Adventurer stepped forward, and the very dirt in the room shifted against them.

  It was mesmerizing to see the rolling wave of earth crashing towards them. It hurt a lot more when she stumbled over, and fell because of it.

  The female Human, however, was hunched over on her shield.

  She has weakened herself, trying to play Hero.

  With pure force of will, she clawed herself from the dirt and into a standing position. She would not let her brothers die while staying to the side. The short one noticed her, and began forming another ball of ice.

  Too slow.

  She thought, as she reached him. She swung her claw out towards his eye, intending to blind him. She missed by the slimmest margins, and the look of triumph in the short Two-legs infuriated her. It was good, then, she had two hands. Her second swipe connected with a sickening sound, and she felt the flesh in his face give way under her claws. She raked him from the top of his head, down to the strange fur on his chin.

  If he was so low to the ground, it would be even easier to bring him down. Diving towards his legs, she aimed to knock him off balance. With his weakened state, she saw her chance for victory. Unfortunately, the short one had finished the ice spell.

  She watched in horror as he grasped the end of the ice, and used it as a blade to fend her off. She had underestimated the will of the group's Leader, and she had failed because of it. Seething with hatred, she watched as the ice descended and impacted directly against the side of her skull. Ending her life in an instant.

  The two other Monkeys had done what they could to the Michael, but neither could deal a fatal blow, before they too were killed off.

  A moment later, all four Monkeys were back in the center of the room.

  They had failed. She had failed.

  The three boys all hooted softly, and when she turned to look at them, they all flinched. Most likely preparing themselves for another punishment.

  "We did our best. You three did well. Next time, we won't let them get by." She said, trying to instill confidence. Leaders needed to do more than just violence, it seemed. She needed to learn if she wanted to protect her family. She needed to grow.

  Suddenly the Great Ones eyes were upon them again. "Come to the Boss room. We have a new member to welcome into the Dungeon."

  This announcement made the Troop stand up straighter, and the excitement in the room was palpable.

  Chapter 16 - A Day in the Life (Part 3)

  * * *

  Inside the Crawl room, right after Will decided to create the Treant.

  "Bel! It's happening!" A sound whispers from all across the room. It wasn't easy to hear, but if it focused hard enough it could just make out the voice. It sounded excited.

  "I didn't think it would become a Bound Monster..." A second voice began speaking. It sounded warm. It wanted to bask in the warmth until the end of its days. Maybe if it listened long enough, it could find a way to talk to the two voices?

  It would have gladly done so, but the second voice was abruptly cut off by a new sound. A sound that was devoid of all warmth, and sent a shiver down its non-existent spine. It missed the other two.

  Chime

  Congratulations! You have been chosen to become a Bound Monster for a Dungeon.

  You will serve the Dungeon you are created by, and will do so for as long as the Dungeon is alive. Bound Monsters may leave the Dungeon for a short time if they so choose, but cannot be recreated upon death should they die outside of the Dungeon.

  Due to the Unique nature of your situation, as you are a recognized Sentient race, you have the ability to decline your new purpose. Declining will result in the Treant being uprooted from the soil, and removed from existence.

  Stupid sound. First it interrupts the lovely voices, then it threatens it. It was able to gleam some facts from the box about its new existence, though. Like the fact it was one decision away from being removed from existence.

  Not good.

  It had been created by a Dungeon. What was a Dungeon? Did it have to do with the voices? It had to choose between eternal servitude, or death.

  Seems fair.

  It needed more information before it damned itself to one extreme. The blue box could talk to it like this, even when the other voices could not. Maybe, then, it could respond.

  Why, box?

  It had actually meant to be a lot more complex in its question, asking for the meaning of its existence. Infuriatingly, though, its thoughts felt jumbled and disoriented.

  Chime

  The sound felt forced, and grated against its senses.

  No box appeared.

  That felt unfair, why should it have to make such an important decision after just a few moments of living?

  Answer, Box. Why... me.

  It managed a few more words in its question. Progress!

  Chime. Chime. Chime. Each came out in quick succession, creating a discordant echo throughout the grey room.

  The sound would have brought it to its knees, but it didn't have any of those. So, it settled for mentally withdrawing into itself. It knew it was a Treant, thanks to what the box had said earlier. Whatever a Treant was must not like these sounds, it much preferred the other two voices.

  After an unbearable moment, the new Treant felt suffocated. The air around it felt toxic, and it had a hard time focusing on one thing for more than brief second. It felt like something was looking at it, and al
l the calm in the room had disappeared.

  Just as soon as the presence came, it lessened to a more tolerable level.

  Why am I here, young one?