by Tao Wong
“I’m Marco, that’s Delia, Dale, and Palmer,” the tallest of the group who has added a dagger to his sword and shield style says, taking and shaking Daniel’s hand. “And we’ll take you up on that offer. Can you guys deal with lunch too?”
Asin nods firmly, the fire is started so she saunters away to talk to Chip about where to get their portion of the evening meal. Daniel chuckles, watching his friend move and notes the interested look Dale sends to Asin. “Asin doesn’t talk much. Though I think that’s my cue to get the water.”
“Right, we’ll get on the latrine then,” Marco says and waves his friends away. Split off, the camp chores that they have to take care of are completed quickly with Chip coming by to assign watches for the group.
As Asin warms the water and pulls out a pan to cook the slices of meat they have drawn from stores and warm up their bread, Daniel spots Palmer standing to the side surrounded by various waggoneers and working his healing magic on their assorted ailments. As Daniel watches, coin passes hands, and he turns away, his lips twisting wryly. For a moment Daniel considers helping out, but he dismisses the thought as being too petty. Just because the Priest was willing to take money did not mean that his actions were not justified. Instead he stood up to wander the perimeter.
To the south where they came from, he finds the grouping of poorer travelers getting ready to rest. He watches them for a short time, noticing how some struggle with the simplest of camp duties like setting up tents or starting a fire and he mentally sighs at the city folk. As one particularly burly and well-dressed man attempts to add a densely leafed, newly cut branch to a fire, he hurries over to help.
It is only when Delia comes over, mentioning that dinner is ready, that Daniel realizes how long he has been helping out. A few last words of advice quickly become another fifteen minutes, and by the time he gets back, his food is cold. As Daniel sits with his cold food, he makes a mental note though to make a quick trip back when he is done - there were a few injuries and illnesses among that group that could benefit from a quick healing spell. After all, Daniel justifies to himself, he had no use for his mana tonight. It had nothing to do with a particularly pretty young lady smiling at him.
CHAPTER 4
FOR A WEEK AND A half, the duo travel with the caravan, visiting a couple of villages along the way. They rarely stop longer than an hour or two at these villages, long enough for various waggoneers to buy and sell their goods before moving on, draining the villagers dry of coin. These villages are the lucky ones - located on main thoroughfares they receive relatively regular visits from caravans of wagons which can provide much needed raw materials and goods. Other villages further out or on less well-traveled paths have to make do with the occasional trader. For those villagers who cannot wait, a trip to the lucky thoroughfare villages will be required to meet the caravans on their scheduled runs. It is why Quidley has pushed the caravan each day, doing his best to keep to his posted timetable. After all, a prompt caravan sees the most customers.
Peel is a small town, smaller even than Karlak, though it has stone walls - or parts of one at least. The wall was built such that the bottom half was made of stone, wooden posts sandwiched between the stone exterior. As funds and materials became available, the next level of stone was added to the walls, strengthening the entire construction. Instead of entering the small town with the entire caravan, Quidley directs many to park outside while only a few wagons that have business in the town enter it. In this way, the waggoneers avoids the entry fee, parking the wagons in a nearby clearing outside the walls. As they pull in for the night, Chip waves the Adventurers over, four small pouches held in hand.
“Right, you four, this is your pay. Quidley will let the Guild know you’ve completed your Quest as agreed upon,” Chip says as he hands the pouches over to the other Adventuring group before turning to speak with Asin and Daniel. “You two are free to visit the town if you wish, we’ll be here for the rest of the day and tomorrow. If you intend to leave, you’ll need to be back first thing in the morning two days from now.”
“Okay,” Daniel says and then looks over to Asin who jerks her head to town immediately. Yes, definitely time to check out a new town. Chip just snorts, their answer being entirely within his expectations. Together the pair trudge down to town after saying some hasty goodbyes. At the gate, they pay their entrance fee and head immediately for the town center without discussion. The town center would be where the Adventurer’s Guild, the Dungeon, and inns that catered to Adventurers were located. Inns nearer the city entrance were mostly for the merchants, those who had no real desire to explore the town itself. Not that either of them intended to explore the city per se, their hearts and minds set on the new Dungeon.
“Adventurer’s Guild first?” Daniel enquires and Asin nods. Inside, the Guild gives a great sense of deja vu, so similar is it to the layout of the one in Karlak that Daniel almost expects there to be a red-haired, bookish attendant working behind the counter. Instead, a matronly older woman sits flipping through a book looking bored.
“Afternoon,” Daniel says as he walks up with Asin in tow. “We just arrived and were hoping you could tell us a little about the Dungeon.”
“You’re from Karlak, right? Five levels, only one kind of monster. All our levels are full levels, no chests on each floor but each floor has its own champion. In Peel, the monsters you’ll face are lizardmen - you’ll meet workers, scouts, hunters, warriors, champions, chieftains and warlocks. That’s in order of difficulty. What levels are you?” the woman intones, never even looking up from her book.
“Uhh… six,” Daniel answers quickly, and Asin adds, “Eight” to which Daniel starts, looking at his companion. He knew he had lost a level, but had she always been a level higher than him?
“Right then, you shouldn’t go past level three, and the third level is pushing it. We’ve got wider corridors so expect ranged weaponry,” the woman says. “Also, we close at eight.”
Daniel and Asin share a bemused smile before asking together, “Traps?”
“Pitfall, deadfalls, darts and poison gas in the lowest levels. The first level has pitfalls, each level after that adds one more type in order,” the attendant says.
“Ummm… How about mana crystals? Size and type?” Daniel asks.
“Grade D Level 8 to start,” she declares and sighs, finally looking up. “That’s all that I can tell you. The rest you will have to learn yourself.”
Daniel and Asin share another look, a bit put-off by the rude and brusque attendant. However, she is correct - there isn’t much more that either can think of to ask. Wishing her well, the two Adventurers leave for the Dungeon entrance, nodding to the guards and registering themselves before walking into the Dungeon. Both of them feel a slight chill of anticipation and find themselves grinning in excitement. This is, after all, their second ever dungeon.
“Down,” Asin chuffs and Daniel crouches, a pair of throwing knives flashing past his head to bury in the lizardman’s chest. Daniel straightens his knees immediately, catching the spear thrust on his shield and stepping forward to deal with the monster. Unfortunately, the lizardman steps back again, thrusting with its rusty spear and forcing Daniel to protect himself. He exhales hastily, drawing a deep breath to fill his lungs as he steps forward again in an attempt to force the monster back, frustration leaking through his control.
This was the third lizardman that they had met. In both other cases, the much wider and taller gray stone corridors of the Peel dungeon had allowed the two Adventurers to flank the creatures, rendering the monsters spears less effective. Unfortunately, they had the bad luck to encounter this particular creature in a smaller, narrower service corridor and were forced to fight him single file. Unable to flank the monster, the pair has to work at whittling it down gradually.
Daniel has pushed the creature three-quarters of the way back, receiving only a light gash on his arm for his trouble but the creature’s longer spear has ensured that he cannot close in an
d finish the monster. Every time he attempts to do so the monster step backs. Stuck behind him, Asin is unable to attack effectively and is forced to take occasional pot-shots.
However, that was about to change as the Lizardman Worker realized it had now been backed up nearly towards the exit. It hisses, the stabbing of the spear getting more agitated as it attempts to keep Daniel back. This is a mistake as Daniel takes a particularly wide strike on the edge of his shield, pushing against the shaft of the spear to pin it against the wall. This allows him time to step in and lash out with his mace, sweat flying from his brow as he twists. The mace swings upwards, biting into the lizardman’s body and sending it sprawling backward. Asin hops forward and passes Daniel in the small gap that is created, jumping directly onto the monster’s body and jabbing her knives into its prone form, twisting them to add to the damage. Asin snarls slightly, the slightly too smooth skin of the creature disturbing under her furred knees. As it dies, a brief flare of light surrounds the body, and it dissolves, leaving its mana crystal behind.
Daniel breathes deeply, eyeing the crude wooden spear with distaste and letting it fall to the ground. Once again, he wishes he has access to the Adventurers Level 10 Class Skill - Inventory. Without it, neither of them can safely store the spear for resale, and so they have to leave it aside, content with their earnings of mana stones.
Once Daniel catches his breath, the pair continue deeper into the dungeon to find the Level Champion. If the fight goes well, they hope to attempt the second level today as well, though it truly depends on how quickly they can finish this level. Both Adventurers move along the broad stone corridors quickly, Asin’s quick eyes having spotted and alerted Daniel of the way the pitfall traps were made of slightly discolored stones early on. Now, even Daniel can pick them out with relative regularity, allowing the pair to move faster.
The differences in the Peel Dungeon did not end at the stone corridors and lizardmen monsters, as even the first floor was much larger and more expansive than their own. Traversing through the corridors, the pair have to fight numerous times before they finally manage to stumble across the Champion’s location, after hours of exploration. Together, both Adventurers pull their heads back from the doorway leading into the room after quickly scoping out the Lizardman Champion and another worker. The two Adventurers look at each other before Daniel is the first to speak, “Champion’s mine, Miss Level 8.”
He smirks at her and Asin rolls her eyes but nods, hefting a throwing knife in her left hand and one of her longer knives in her right. She waits for Daniel to ready himself and then, together, they dash around the corner. Asin activates her Piercing Shot, throwing it at the Lizardman Worker before sprinting over as she draws her other long knife, engaging the creature in close combat. Her first throw drills into the Worker’s shoulder, making it hiss in anger.
Daniel charges at the Champion alone, taking the few moments he needs to cross the distance to further observe the monster. The Lizardman Champion wields a better-crafted spear and stands nearly six feet tall, looming over the shorter Adventurer. Covered in dark green scales and wearing a torn, red tunic over its torso and legs, the Champion jabs the spear towards Daniel to keep him away. Hours of fighting spear wielders has taught Daniel some new tricks however, and, instead of catching the spear with his shield, he bats the spear head aside to the left with his mace and continues to close the distance. The spear now out of alignment, he shoves his shield outwards at an angle, riding the spear shaft down even as the Champion retracts his blow. Once he has firm contact, Daniel grins and engages Shield Bash, slamming the spear even further off-course and making the Champion fight to keep hold of its weapon. Unfortunately, the spear does not conduct the lightning that dances on his shield to the monster, but he still succeeds in his main objective - to close the rest of the distance unharmed.
Daniel is now in range, and he immediately triggers his Double Strike skill, sending his mace smashing once then again onto the Champion’s head and shoulders. The blows are only partially blocked by a raised claw that has released its grip on the spear. The claw is crushed, and the monster drops its now useless spear to the side, the greater length of the weapon difficult to wield single-handed and in close combat. Instead, the Champion attempts to use its claws to swipe at Daniel. Daniel ducks to the side, then kicks the creature in the legs, upsetting its balance further before laying into it again with his mace. Keeping the pressure up, he smashes his mace into the Champion again and again before the creature falls over, dead.
Slightly out of breath, Daniel grins and looks over to Asin who has finished her monster. The staircase down is just in front of them but it is late, and after a brief discussion, they agree to test the next floor out tomorrow. They will head downstairs, activate the Dungeon glyph and then return to the inn. Better to hand in their money now and get a good night’s sleep.
Up early in the morning, Daniel and Asin meet up for a quick breakfast that they barely taste as they cram the food into their mouths. Without a word, they grab the pre-packed lunches they requested from the Inn and head out with a bounce in their steps. Day two of a new dungeon and a new level to boot. What could be better?
The second floor is very similar to the first, its wide gray stone corridors lit by the soft glow of mana imbued stone all around them. A slight breeze could be felt if they paid attention, bringing a dry, slightly sour smell through the level. Corridors turn into rooms where Lizardmen wait, in groups of two or three, playing a game of sticks, training, eating and on one occasion napping.
After the sixth such room, Daniel turns to Asin, murmuring, “This is so strange. It feels less like a Dungeon and more like, well, more like it’s their home.”
Asin nods at that, scratching at her cheek. It really did feel like they’d invaded the Lizardmen’s home and were uncouth, ill-mannered and violent guests, killing their way through their unsuspecting hosts. It felt wrong, even though they both knew that this was a Dungeon. The Lizardmen weren’t real; they left no bodies when killed and yet they could not shake the feeling.
For a time, the two stare at each other, battling the strangeness of it all. In the end, they shrug and focus, knowing that as strange as this is, the Lizardmen needed to be killed. Left alone too long, they would spill out of the Dungeon into the town, the corruption induced by Ba’al given a chance to spread. Eventually, such a Dungeon might be the start of a new Blight if left unchecked for too long. It was their job, however strange it seemed, to kill these Lizardmen before it happened.
They move on, pushing through the Dungeon and its monsters, their faces set and the bounce in their steps gone. Experienced Adventurers had a saying - that each new level taught a different lesson, each Dungeon a different experience. In Peel, it seemed the lesson was that whatever they felt, whatever they believed, they still had a job to do.
Focused now, the two work their way through the Dungeon, Asin testing for traps, and Daniel watching for Lizardmen Scouts. The Scouts were annoying as half of them were armed with crossbows, able to attack at range. It forced both Adventurers to move slowly, especially after the first deadfall that Daniel had landed in trying to chase a Scout down. It was only luck and the application of healing magic that allowed him to continue delving today, though the experience forced them to slow down significantly.
The only truly difficult fight comes three-quarters of the day in as they rest in a room for a quick break. As they rest, the Lizardman Scout Champion leans into the room from the doorway, lines up a shot, and fires at Asin. Only their wariness and Asin’s quick reflexes allow her to roll out of the way with a long scratch as her only injury. Daniel struggles to his feet quickly, putting his shield in front of him and the two follow the Champion’s quickly retreating figure carefully. Annoyed and angry, the two still remember the lessons of the day, making sure to check every passageway for traps and ambushes even as they slowly chase down the Champion. It takes them hours, working their way to the Champion as Daniel blocks the bolts it fi
res and Asin throws her knives, whittling down the Champion whenever it stops to attack them.
In the end, the Champion can only limp away, out of tricks entirely. It has dragged them into other rooms where Lizardmen wait, through trap-filled corridors and on a long chase through a series of twisting passages in an attempt to escape but now it is finally brought to heel. Out of bolts, out of tricks, it falls to Daniel’s mace in short order.
By this time, it is late, and the two Adventurers are exhausted. They journey up to town to sell their mana stones; another lesson learned this long day in blood and frustration. Before they leave, Daniel puts his money down for a new light crossbow with bolts. It is time to learn how to shoot. As for Asin, she comes back with a trio of bolos, chuffing to herself as she spins them around.
Dinner is a quiet affair; the two Adventurers exhausted from their days working the new dungeon. They had pushed hard to do as much as they could, but their lack of equipment and preparedness had stymied their ability to truly progress. Still, they were relatively uninjured, alive and though slightly poorer at least had new weapons.
Daniel smiles at his friend, raising a glass of wine to her and she purrs, sipping on hers. If nothing else, this inn had a good wine selection. They sit alone, the other patrons avoiding their table in the corner and eyeing Asin with trepidation. It seems Peel has an even smaller population of Beastkin than Karlak and while the patrons were mostly Adventurers, none desire to mix with the Beastkin.
As they are finishing up their dinner, a pair of familiar faces wander into the tavern looking the worst for wear. Black-haired Delia, her sword in its sheath but lacking her shield and Palmer, limping and holding his side around his green robes stumble in and find a seat at a free table. Adventurers turn, eye the pair and then dismiss them from their mind, their injuries and hangdog expressions telling the tale.
Asin turns to look at Daniel who sighs and nods, both of them approaching the table cradling the last of their mugs. Daniel takes the lead, murmuring, “Evening.”
