The Adventurers Guild

by Phoenix Grey

  "And if there is none?" Sir Thornton was strangely calm for the intensity of the situation.

  Lonnell stuttered, “Then we'll figure something out. But this isn't the answer.”

  "I'm not moving from this door until you agree to find another way." Azure placed his hand on the hilt of his Bronze Sword. No doubt, Sir Thornton would kill him within minutes if it came down to a duel, but Azure wasn't about to let him walk out and murder the girl they'd just saved.

  "Velte said she's a special type of mage," Lonnell ignored Azure to try to talk sense into Sir Thornton. "Let's find out what type of magic she knows. She may be able to help us get the door open."

  "Oh, she'll help us, one way or another." The Asshole Knight pushed past Lonnell. He stopped in front of Azure, gazing down at him. Intimidation oozed from the knight. "You have balls, kid. But you're no match for me." With a motion so quick that Azure didn't even have time to draw his sword, Sir Thornton reached up, grabbed Azure by the back of the neck, and threw him into the pile of corpses.

  A shudder rolled through Azure as the stench invaded his nostrils, amplified by ten at such close proximity. It was so jarring that it stunned him for a moment. By the time he was able to find his feet, Sir Thornton had already opened the door and was walking out of the room.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  THE REALM – Day 54

  "I'm a Puzzle Mage," Velte explained. "That's why they came for me."

  "A Puzzle Mage?" Sir Thornton quirked his head back. "That's rubbish. I've never heard of such a thing."

  "It's true. I wield a special kind of magic that can open doors like this one." She gestured to the large wooden door behind them.

  "Then why didn't you just open it for them?" Lonnell asked, sounding equally skeptical.

  "Because they were bad men. And bad men shouldn't have the power of Gaia's Staff."

  "Then you know what's at the end of this dungeon." Sir Thornton seemed even less trusting of the woman.

  "It's all the Cultists could talk about when they were dragging me here," she said with distaste. "Listen, I'm clearly no fighter, but I know what an object like that means. It must be protected at all costs." Velte crossed her arms over her chest.

  "But you know how to open the door?" Sir Thornton pressed.

  "Yes. I can open it," she replied with a wry smile.

  "Then you'll open it for us." He gestured to the door.

  "That depends." Velte leaned against the makeshift altar. It shifted beneath her weight. "Who or what do you plan to resurrect with the staff?"

  "We plan to use it to resurrect the elves," Lonnell informed her.

  "Is that true?" She turned her attention to Azure.

  "It is." He nodded.

  "Swear to it," Velte said in a firm voice. "All of you. I will place a curse on you so that if you are lying, you will die instantly."

  "Let's try this again," Azure said, now feeling a tremor of fear from the threat. "He and I," he pointed to Lonnell, "were sent by The Adventurers Guild to help this guy," he then gestured to Sir Thornton, "obtain the staff for a Lord Blakemore who plans to use it to resurrect the elves." It was best to clarify, just in case the quest ended up being phony.

  "How about I just kill you now and see if that will open the door?" Sir Thornton straightened himself, reaching back for his blade.

  Lonnell interjected to soothe the tension. “Calm down. If you're not lying, then there's no need to fear what she plans to do.”

  "I am not letting no two-bit bullshit mage place a curse on me just to prove that I'm not lying," Sir Thornton insisted.

  "Then you must be lying." Velte stood her ground. "These other two brave heroes don't mind me cursing them. Do you?" She looked to Azure and Lonnell.

  Azure shrugged, not really comfortable with the idea of being cursed, but also feeling like he shouldn't have anything to be worried about. “I think I'm okay with it.”

  "If that is what is required of us to get through the door." Lonnell turned his attention to Sir Thornton. "You do want to get through the door, don't you? Killing her might mess up any chance of that. I'm sure your lord would not be happy about that."

  "Have either of you even considered that this might be a trap?" Sir Thornton shifted his weight.

  Azure walked up to the door and tugged on the handle. It didn't give. He gave the door a good look over but couldn't find anything significant about it. Having done that, he returned to his comrades. “Door's locked. Doesn't seem like a trap to me. There are a dozen dead bodies in that room, and the door isn't any less locked. I doubt adding another to the pile is going to do anything.”

  "I don't like the idea of being cursed any more than you do," Lonnell told Sir Thornton, "but if it's the only way to get through the door..."

  The Asshole Knight glanced at Velte, then at the door. He seemed deep in thought for a moment. Then he spoke, “I want more time to investigate.”

  With that, he walked past them to go examine the door.

  Azure and Lonnell waited while Sir Thornton mumbled to himself, drew circles on the door with his fingertips, and uttered words in various languages. Nothing made the door budge. All the while, Velte watched him with a smirk on her face. Was she enjoying seeing him struggle to open the door? It might have been funny to Azure if they weren't all stuck in the same shitty situation. The longer the door remained locked, the longer he'd have to stay partied with The Asshole Knight, which sucked big hairy goat balls.

  "Do you have any proof that you can open the door?" Lonnell asked. "He might be more apt to submit to your curse if he knows you're being genuine."

  "I can prove it, if you'd like," she quickly piped up.

  "You better come open this bloody door, or I'm going to put an opening in you," Sir Thornton threatened.

  "Manners," Velte huffed at him as she sauntered up to the door.

  "Get on with it." He nodded toward the handle.

  "Not until you get back." She met his gaze with the same determination. Sir Thornton took a step away, out of Velte's personal space. "To the other side of the room," she instructed. "I don't want you to be able to sneak up behind me. Believe it or not, I'm not a stupid woman."

  "Says the bitch who went and got herself captured," Sir Thornton huffed.

  "You're not helping," Lonnell chastised him.

  At this rate, they'd be lucky if Velte allowed them to pass through the door even if they did submit to the curse. Sir Thornton definitely did not have a way with the ladies.

  "Stand across the room, at the entrance to the hall. While I don't trust you one bit, I know he won't try to shoot me." She glanced at Azure. "And your brutish ass can only do close-range damage."

  "Are you so sure of that?" He grinned at her.

  "For fuck's sake, would you just stop!" Azure barked at him in exasperation. "Do you want her to open the damn door or not? I'm pretty sure that if Lord Blakemore heard about the hissy fit you've been throwing, he wouldn't be too happy with you."

  "If you say a fucking thing to Blakemore, I'll cut your balls off," Sir Thornton threatened.

  "Stop. Both of you," Lonnell said to them and then sighed, staring up to the ceiling as if praying to the heavens to give him strength. "Let's just do what she says. Worst-case scenario, she can't open the door, and we have to figure out another way to get inside."

  In silent agreement, the three Adventurers walked to the entrance of the hallway and stood there waiting. Velte placed both of her palms on the door and then pressed her body against it. With her eyes closed, she began to whisper. As she did, the door glowed an eerie shade of blue. The mumbled incantation took but a second. When she stopped speaking, the glow faded away. There was a sleepy look to Velte's face as she opened her eyes, as if coming out of a dream. She stepped away from the door, grabbed the handle and gave it a gentle tug. The door opened without resistance.

  Pleased, Sir Thornton left his spot near the hall and took long strides toward Velte. Before he had a chance to reach the door, she shu
t it, giving him a wicked smirk as if to say she had the upper hand.

  "Submit to my curse or never enter," she told him.

  "Open the door, or I'll slit your fucking throat," he countered with a voice that was pure evil.

  Velte pressed her eyes together in mock amusement. “You must have missed the part where I was up on that altar about to be butchered by a bunch of Cultists because I refused to open the door for them.” She gestured to the rickety altar.

  "It's a damn shame to see such a pretty woman die for nothing." Sir Thornton reached up to touch her cheek, but she slapped his hand away.

  "Just curse us," Azure said, trying to defuse the tension from rising any further.

  "Yes. I've seen enough. We trust you," Lonnell added. "If we're lying, we'll die."

  "He probably doesn't want to do it because he's lying," Velte said suspiciously of Sir Thornton. "I wouldn't be surprised. Men like him often have ill intent."

  Azure wouldn't put it past The Asshole Knight to have submitted the quest to The Adventurers Guild himself. But if that were the case, then why had he been so upset about it being Designation E. Perhaps he had just been unhappy to see Azure responding to the quest and was trying to cover it up. Whatever the case, something didn't seem right.

  "Night is falling," Lonnell pointed out. "If you can't make up your mind, then we should camp here for the night and decide what to do in the morning."

  "Is it safe to camp here?" Azure asked, remembering how the last dungeon had taken a toll on both Lonnell and Uden. If they were going to lose sleep and expose themselves to the possibility of Insanity, then it wasn't worth it.

  "It should be fine. The worse threat is someone else entering the dungeon looking for the staff."

  "It's a very real threat," Sir Thornton added. "While I agree that we should camp soon, it shouldn't be until we get into this door." He tried the door handle, but it wouldn't budge.

  "All it takes is you submitting to my curse," Velte told him sweetly.

  "I don't like curses," The Asshole Knight mumbled.

  "No one likes curses," Lonnell said. "But it's just to gain her trust. If you're not lying, then you shouldn't have anything to worry about. If you are lying, then you better fess up right now. I'd like to know what I'm really risking my neck for." Lonnell crossed his arms over his chest, obviously tired of the situation. Azure mirrored his sentiment but said nothing. He'd had enough arguing for one day.

  Sir Thornton stared at Velte for a moment as if trying to read something in her expression. Then his shoulders slumped, and he finally submitted. “Fine. Whatever it takes to get us through this bloody door. Curse us.” He threw his arms up in exasperation.

  "As you wish," she replied with a triumphant smile. "Now line up, my little duckies."

  Azure fell in line next to Lonnell and Sir Thornton in front of the door. There was a strange stirring in the pit of his stomach―the kind that told him something bad was about to happen. Maybe it was just because he'd never been cursed before. Velte had promised that the curse wouldn't take effect unless they were lying. He still couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the quest than Sir Thornton was letting on.

  "Wait," he said as Velte raised her arms to cast the curse. She paused, and he glanced at Sir Thornton. "If he's lying, but we don't know that he is, does that mean we'll die, too?"

  "All for one and one for all." She smirked at him. The suspense seemed to be amusing to her, but it absolutely terrified Azure.

  "If you are lying, I will hunt you down in the afterlife and double kill you," Azure threatened, even though he had no idea what the afterlife held.

  "If we die from this, it won't be because I'm lying," Sir Thornton assured them. "And besides, this was technically your idea. I'd rather just kill the bitch."

  "Are you guys done?" Velte asked impatiently.

  Lonnell blew out a breath. Though he'd remained silent, it was clear that he was nervous. He kept shifting his weight and shaking his hands as if he expected to be struck by something painful.

  "Just...get it over with." Sir Thornton motioned for her to continue.

  "As you wish." Velte raised both hands so that they were face-level with the men. She twirled her wrists and began whispering an incantation. Black smoke formed in a cylindrical cloud with each rotation. The blue of her eyes disappeared as milky whiteness seeped in.

  As Velte spoke, many things began to change. Her voice grew deeper, the smoke casting a soft shade of blue onto her skin. The smoke poured from her hands, circling the three Adventurers. Azure jutted his head back as it flew into his face, but the unstoppable enemy continued its assault. It filled his nostrils with the scent of ash and something putrid―a mix of muddy water and bile that made his stomach cramp.

  Casting a glance to the side, Azure saw the smoke sucking into Lonnell's nose like a vacuum. It was the last thing he was able to do before a fit of coughing overtook him, the likes of which racked his entire body with twinges of pain, striking at every cell. While it felt like an eternity, the smoke only strangled him for a minute at most. Before it had finished dissipating, a notification appeared.

  You have been inflicted with Curse of the Death Eater. You will die in 72 hours if the curse is not removed.

  That made no sense. Wasn't the curse only supposed to affect them if one of them was lying? That meant...

  "You bitch!" Sir Thornton coughed through the last of the smoke in his lungs. He was already reaching for his sword, but his actions were unsteady due to his lungs still clearing.

  "Aw," Velte pouted. "Don't tell me that you seriously thought those weak Cultists were the boss for this level. See you later, boys." She took a few steps back, waving at them while they struggled to regain composure, then disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

  "What *cough* just *cough* happened?" Azure choked out, clawing at his throat. It felt like there was a hair clinging to the back of it. How long before the effects of the smoke completely wore off?

  "Bitch isn't human," Sir Thornton informed him as he gave up on reaching for his sword and leaned against the door instead.

  "Death Eater," Lonnell panted, hunching over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath. "That explains the corpses with no marks."

  Azure still had no clue what was going on. “What's a Death Eater?”

  "An unholy abomination that traps and eats the souls of the dead." Sir Thornton stood, clearing the last bit of smoke from his lungs. "And you noobs fell right into her trap. I was right, we should have just killed her."

  "What do we do now...about the curse?" Azure noticed a small purple skull and crossbones icon set against a black backdrop next to his Health bar.

  "We have to find and kill her."

  "Where did she go?" He looked around. Velte had just disappeared. There was no indication of where she could be.

  "There's no telling. She teleported, but she couldn't have gone far." Sir Thorton walked toward the door with the corpses. Each step seemed like it took immense effort. He drew his sword with one hand while clutching at his throat with the other.

  Taking his cue, Azure grabbed his bow and pulled an arrow from his quiver. He nocked it as he headed toward the hall. The time for games was over. If they didn't kill Velte, they'd be dead within 72 hours.

  Before Azure had even made it to the bend in the hall, Lonnell was calling to them. “Guys.”

  He spun on his heels and noticed that Lonnell had pulled the larger door open. It was no longer locked.

  "Is she in there?" Azure called back.

  "I don't know." Lonnell kept his hand on the door handle, holding it open just an inch. It seemed as though he was afraid to pull it any wider in case there were foes or monsters on the other side. Clearly, he expected Sir Thornton and Azure to come rushing over, but Azure wouldn't be satisfied until he checked the hallway.

  He continued on, drawing back his bowstring before quickly turning the corner. His elbow was arched back, ready to fire the second he laid eyes
on Velte, but the hallway was empty.

  "She's not in the death room," Sir Thornton announced as he walked toward the hall.

  "She's not here either," Azure told them before rounding the corner again, loosening his draw on the bow.

  "God damn it! Fucking shit!" In a fit of rage, Sir Thornton turned and cleaved the makeshift altar in half. It splintered, sending broken sticks flying everywhere.

  Lonnell pressed back against the door, making sure not to close it. Azure was less affected, just wanting to find the Death Eater and correct his mistake.

  "Let's go." He brushed past Sir Thornton, a man on a mission.

  The knight grabbed him by the arm. “This is your fault! If you'd just let me kill her, none of this would have happened.”

  Azure jerked out of his grasp. “Stop being a whiny bitch and let's go. Having a ragefit isn't going to solve this problem.”

  "You're the problem!" Sir Thornton practically spit in his face.

  At the end of his rope, Azure dropped his bow and pulled back his fist. His hand connected with the inside of Sir Thornton's palm. Lonnell rushed forward to stop the two from fighting, finally abandoning the door. Sir Thornton sent him sailing with a backhanded fist. The last thing that Azure saw was that same fist racing toward his face, growing closer with each passing millisecond.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  THE REALM – Day 55

  Azure groaned back to life. It felt like he'd been hit by a bus. He touched his eye and found it swollen. Memories of what had happened came rushing back. The Asshole Knight had KOed him in one hit. A sliver of Azure's Health had also been shaved off from the punch.

  Azure sat up and looked around. They were in an unfamiliar area, presumably on the other side of the door, considering that there was a door set in the wall next to where he was leaning and a staircase that led down into the unknown. The walls were a bronze color, the architecture becoming more developed as they proceeded further into the dungeon. A seemingly solid slab of gray marble comprised the floor.