Endless Dungeon

by Richard J Thorn

  "Thank ye! Now let me rustle you up some grub. You're probably starving."

  A half an hour later, with Cass's and Trexxa's bellies full, they gathered up the Goblins, took stock of the loaves of bread and set off for the next step of the quest. Cass was ready for it to be over with.

  *** Quest Complete: Sub Quest 2: Procure 10 loaves of bread. XP gained 50 ***

  "Which way to your caravan?" She asked the Goblins, who pointed her in the right direction.

  The party walked in silence. It turned out that they weren't very far away.

  "What took you slaves so long? I oughta flay your hides for this!" Cass heard a gruff voice shout out as they approached the stranded caravan.

  "Is that your slavemaster?" Cass pointed to the tall, gruff human. His corded neck muscles rippled under the strain of his fury and he looked like he was about to explode.

  They nodded fearfully.

  "Who the hell are you?"

  Cass stepped forward and handed him the loaves of bread. "Your Goblins luckily found me to help them."

  "What's a girl like you know about fixing wagon wheels?" He huffed and took the fresh loaves of bread from her.

  "A lot more than you might think." She folded her arms across her chest defiantly. "And apparently more than you."

  The slavemaster steamed, his face reddened. "You dare insult me? I'll make you one of my slaves. Then what will you do?"

  "You don't have the balls." She spat.

  "Are you prepared to become my next slave? You and your stupid overgrown lizard?" He pulled out his staff and challenged her, summoning his imp.

  Cass's eyes flew open as she realized that he was a warlock. Trexxa hissed at being called an overgrown lizard.

  "I'm nobody's slave."

  "We'll see about that." He snarled.

  "I'll make a deal with you. If I win, you let the Goblins go free, never again to be enslaved." Cass said with a confidence that she didn't feel.

  "And if you lose?" He sneered.

  "I won't." She promised.

  "If - when - you lose, you'll get me more Goblins for my slave mill. Agreed?"

  Cass ground her teeth. She hated the thought of losing to this scumbag and she had no intention of bringing him any more slaves.

  "Deal." She lied. She felt like she was making a deal with the devil.

  That's when she saw he was level 5.

  Chapter 7

  "Get her!" He shouted to his imp who began casting Fel Fire at her. Remembering her shield, she quickly surrounded herself with fire, causing the imp's green energy to bounce off impotently. Now if she only had a reflect spell. Maybe she could learn one in the future.

  Trexxa bolted after the warlock as he began casting a complicated spell. Cass dotted both of them up, then focused her attention on the warlock. If they could burn him down quickly, the imp would be no problem.

  The magical fire burned both for 4 hp, leaving the slavemaster with 46 and his imp with 21.

  "You'll have to do better than that!" He shouted and side-stepped Trexxa's slashing blow.

  A moment later, Cass felt her own health being siphoned away. She glanced at her HUD and saw that he'd cast Corruption which was slowly draining her health, bypassing her fire shield.

  Trexxa was not about to be outmaneuvered. She hissed and whirled around, catching the warlock in the back with her sharp talons. She nicked him for 3 hp. The imp shot another bolt of Fel Fire, chewing through her shield and inflicting 2 hp along with 4 hp from the warlock's dot, bringing her down to 18. Cass retaliated by raising her wand and striking the warlock in the chest with her strongest fireball yet, devastating him for 10 hp. Her dot ticked at the same time, bringing him to 29.

  "Grab his staff, Trexxa!" Cass shouted as she dodged a Fel Fire from the imp.

  Trexxa leaped up into the air and reached out for the warlock's staff, but he jerked it away at the last second and laughed in her face.

  That did it!

  Trexxa was enraged now. No one laughs at the overgrown lizard and gets away with it.

  Cass took advantage of the situation. She had an idea for a new spell. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on sending a flashing blast of fiery light into the warlock's eyes. Before she knew what had happened, she felt the energy blast from the tip of her ebony wand and in the next second, the most ear-piercing, soul-shattering scream rent the air. She flicked open her eyes and saw the warlock writhing on the ground, clawing at his own.

  The three of them stood there, frozen as they watched the helpless warlock try to put the fire out of his eyes.

  That wasn't exactly what she was going for. She just wanted to blind him. Not set fire to his eyes.

  "Okay you win! You win!" He rolled around on the ground, alternating between crying and screaming. "Take it away!"

  Could she? "Promise you'll let the Goblins go and never enslave another again."

  "That wasn't the deal!" He raised his fist weakly.

  "Have it your way, then." She turned on her heel, knowing that he'd do anything to stop the burning flames in his eyes.

  "No! Don't go! I'll do it! I'll do anything you want! Just reverse this!"

  Cass closed her eyes and imagined soothing, healing light enveloping his. She didn't know if she could reverse a spell like that. She'd never tried before.

  A moment later, the screams ceased.

  "I can see again!" He thanked the heavens. "You did it!" He hugged Cass. "I don't know how, but you healed my sight. Thank you!"

  Cass stepped back. "Healed?"

  "Yes. Your fire spell burned my eyes and I couldn't see a thing. Whatever you just did, healed them fully."

  Cass checked her spellbook and - sure enough - there was a new entry. Two of them, to be precise. Blind and Heal. Which made sense when she thought about it. Fire had a purifying and sterilizing effect.

  What couldn't she do?

  "You heard him, boys!" Cass turned and addressed the Goblins. "You're now free men."

  The Goblins cheered, jumped up and down and hugged each other. One of them came up to her with a worried look on his face. "Will you help us get our caravan to the main city?"

  "Sure! What do you need?"

  An hour later, the broken wheels had been repaired and the caravan was safely on its way. The warlock slavemaster - former slavemaster - slunk back, never to be seen again. At least Cass hoped.

  The Goblins, once they realized they really were free, had become upbeat and chipper. They were no longer so fearful and submissive. Cass's heart swelled as they took turns thanking her and promising her any help she desired. They heaped so much praise on her she burned with embarrassment. Trexxa took it all in stride. She soaked up every pat, belly rub and chin scritch they offered.

  *** Optional Quest: "Deal with" slave master complete: XP Gained: 100 ***

  *** Sub Quest 1: Turn wood into wheel complete: XP Gained: 25 ***

  *** Congratulations! You are now level 5! ***

  *** Recipes are now unlocked. Find them in loot or by killing mobs ***

  *** Please roll for health and mana ***

  Wow, Cass hadn't realized that she was so close to leveling. Both her health and mana restored to full and she rolled a 4 for health and a 3 for mana, bringing her up to 28 and 20. She was excited to start learning new recipes. Maybe now she could make her bed and lie in it.

  The hungry Goblins who had stayed with the caravan dove greedily into the bread from the tavern. They offered her and Trexxa some and she gracefully accepted. Biting into the still piping-hot bread was one of the most pleasurable experiences of her life. She'd earned that bread with her own sweat - hers and Trexxa's. And somehow that made it taste just that much more delicious.

  Once the bread had been consumed and everyone's belly was content, they set back off on their journey.

  "What exactly is inside the crates?" Cass wondered aloud as they walked near the front, keeping an ever-wary eye out for danger.

  The lead Goblin stopped and turned to her. "We
're trading silk and hand-made clothes to the city. Master makes us do this trek every month." He explained.

  "Well, this is the last time you'll ever have to make this trip." Cass beamed and Trexxa hissed, wagging her scaly tail.

  The Goblin looked up at her, his face twisted in puzzlement. "What do you mean?"

  "You're free now. All this belongs to all of you. Sell it like you normally would, split the proceeds and go about your way."

  Trexxa hissed.

  "The raptor's right. Maybe some of you want to continue this business. Have you ever thought about becoming a rich business-Goblin?"

  The Goblin moved his lips and tried to speak, but nothing came out. Clearly he had not contemplated the effects of freedom.

  When he finally found his voice, it was a low whisper. "Do you have any idea how valuable this cargo is?"

  Cass shook her head.

  "We supply work clothes to the entire city."

  Now it was Cass's turn to drop her jaw.

  "Maybe you can form your own company and continue making and selling these clothes, but instead of all the profits going to the slavemaster, they'll go to you."

  He nodded and they continued walking. The sound of oxen chains rattled as they plodded along at a snail's pace on the winding, twisting path. There were ten oxen with two riders in front and several more in back keeping them in line. The entire valley was lit up with some kind of artificial lighting. It almost looked like a sun, but there was no sun.

  Suddenly, the entire cavern shook. Goblins and oxen alike screamed and ducked for cover. Cass stared in open-mouthed shock as boulders as large as horses hurtled down all around her. She tried to keep her footing, but found she couldn't and fell to the floor. Trexxa laid on top of her, covering her from as much of the debris as possible.

  The earthquake only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity.

  She had never felt so terrified in all her life. The screaming sounds of the rocks as they tumbled from all around her and the screeching of the ground as it moved beneath her was something that would haunt her in her dreams.

  Moments later, when it was all over, Cass stood, shakily and surveyed the destruction. Luckily none of the Goblins or animals were injured, but they sure were spooked.

  "What happened?" Cass shook her head, trying to calm her frayed nerves.

  Only one Goblin was sane enough to answer.

  "It's him!" He cried out, pointing a crooked finger to the sky, his eyes wide and mouth agape. His entire body shook and Cass could actually see the fear radiate from him.

  "Who?" She asked dumbly.

  "Him! Our slave master! He's the only one with the power to cause the earth to move."

  Cass stared dumbly at the shaken Goblin. She didn't know enough about warlocks to disprove what the Goblin was telling her. But she had a sneaky suspicion that it wasn't true.

  "Then we should get the caravan to the city as quick as possible!" Cass surveyed the situation. She turned to her trusty, overgrown lizard. "Trexxa, scout on up ahead. See if there's any damage."

  As her and the Goblins cleaned up the debris and set the wagons back up, looking for any damage, Trexxa raced up ahead, hissing, her tail wagging behind her. Cass watched until she was out of sight.

  A half an hour later, everything was ready to go, but there was no sign of the raptor.

  "We can't wait any longer." The head Goblin shook his head. "We're already days late."

  Cass wondered if Trexxa had found anything.

  Like a well-oiled machine, the caravan started back up. There were small cracks in the dirt path and debris large enough to hurt an oxen's hoof strewn all over. Several Goblins ran on up ahead and cleared the pathway. But still no Trexxa.

  They walked for what seemed like hours and yet Trexxa had failed to appear. Cass was just about to re-summon the beast, fearing the worst, when she heard a distant hiss.

  "Trexxa!" She cried out and ran on up ahead.

  "Hiss!" The raptor responded. Cass found it odd that she wasn't running toward her. Suddenly a chill swept through her body. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and her heart caught in her throat.

  "What's wrong?" She raced on up ahead, dodging fallen debris and open holes and chasms in the ground. Her vision narrowed and all she could think about was the plucky raptor. Trexxa had long-since become more than just a pet she could summon at will. She was a friend, a fellow adventurer and a confidant. Even though she knew she could re-summon her at anytime, it didn't feel right. She only wanted to do that under the most extreme conditions.

  Trexxa hissed her excitement and frantically indicated toward her tail.

  Cass cried out as she came upon her friend. A quick survey revealed that a large boulder had somehow pinned Trexxa's tail to the dirt path.

  "Are you hurt?" She cradled the raptor's head, stroking her shimmering, blue-flecked scales.

  Trexxa shook her head and made an effort to pull her tail out, but it wasn't budging.

  Again, she could've just re-summoned Trexxa and that would've been the end of that, but she could see the rising dust of the approaching caravan off in the distance, moving upon them like a slowly-moving thunderstorm.

  She had to find a way to move the boulder. Pushing it wasn't going to work, it was more than any of them could move. She didn't even think a team of oxen could move it. Was this the end of the road? There had to be a way.

  "Don't worry, Trexxa, we'll get you out of this mess..." Cass reassured the dino. "What are you doing?" She furrowed her brow when Trexxa reached in her pack, fumbled around and pulled something out.

  "The pickaxe!" Cass jumped up. "Why didn't I think of that? You're the greatest raptor in the world, you know that?"

  Hiss! Trexxa agreed and pointed to her tail.

  "Yes, yes! We'll get you out in no time."

  For several minutes, she carefully chiseled out the rock around Trexxa's tail. Hopefully it wouldn't unbalance the boulder. Sweat poured from her brow and she could now hear the gasps of the Goblins over the clopping of the oxen hooves as she freed her right hand raptor.

  Finally, she broke her free and Trexxa healed herself up, then danced all around, her eyes bright and shiny.

  Cass stepped back and took a swig of her canteen. She'd filled it with ale before they left and now she downed about a quarter of it in one big gulp. Using her pickaxe on this fucker was going to take hours. But there really was no other way. A couple Goblins came up beside her and they grunted, then tried in vain to move the boulder. It didn't even budge. How on earth was she going to do this?

  She fiddled around with her magic a bit until she realized that she could use some of her mana to speed the process along. She found that the more mana she pushed into the process, the quicker the chunks of rock fell away. Once she figured that out, the process became much quicker. To the point that she was finished clearing the rock off the road in less than an hour.

  When the last chunk had been mined out, cheers erupted from the Goblins. Even Trexxa hissed her approval. It felt good to be able to use her special powers to help others. She was really looking forward to getting to the city and seeing what quests were there. How many people could she help and maybe make a little coin in the process? If the city was as big as the Goblins indicated, there should be numerous opportunities for some easy - and perhaps not so easy - quests for her and Trexxa to complete. Maybe she could also get these gems identified and sold. She also needed to get them outfitted with some armor. Did armor even come in raptor sizes?

  *** Sub Quest 3: Remove boulder from road complete: XP gained 50 ***

  Once the last bits of stone were cleared away, they set back on their mission to get the Goblins to the city. Not more than perhaps a few minutes later, Cass spotted something sticking out of the side of the road. It looked like discolored rock, but it was much more jagged and odd-looking. What was it?

  Intrigued, she decided to check it out.

  Upon careful inspection, she realized that it wasn'
t dirt or stone, but something else. Could she use her pickaxe on it? Only one way to find out!

  Swinging her pickaxe down upon the discolored, black stone, she dislodged a bit and saw that it was iron.

  Iron?

  Then she remembered that she had crafting skills she could learn. She was sure that iron was part of that. Maybe she could even eventually craft a new pickaxe. Gathering as much of the rough, heavy metal as she could before the caravan got too far away, she stuffed it all in her backpack (which surprisingly didn't feel any heavier) and ran back to the caravan. She looked through her spell-book, but couldn't find anything specific about iron. Maybe she wasn't high enough level?

  The rest of the journey was completed in relative peace. A few ominous sounds came from the distance, but nothing dared attack. No more earthquakes or large boulders in the middle of the road. Just fairly smooth sailing.

  "Thanks again!" Each of the Goblins took turns thanking Cass as they'd finally made it to their final destination. They sold all the goods and Cass made sure they split up the profits evenly. They vowed to have a nice, long drink at the tavern and discuss their future. Forming their own company sounded like a spectacular idea. They already had the equipment and expertise.

  *** Help Goblins Repair Caravan complete: XP gained 100 ***

  "Well, that's that!" Cass turned to Trexxa who was lost sniffing all the stunning scents in the air.

  "What do you smell?" Cass tasted the various aromas. There were dozens of them. Fried foods of all kinds, spices, freshly-baked bread, chili and just a potpourri of delicious and sometimes conflicting smells that at once soothed and assaulted the senses. Cass was almost bowled over by the sheer number of them.

  Trexxa rubbed her belly, stuck her tongue out and closed her eyes as hypnotic sounds emanated from her throat.

  Cass laughed. "Let me guess. The wittle waptor is hungry."

  Trexxa hissed and nodded. Cass could practically see meat dancing in the beast's eyes.