A Living Dungeon

by Allan Joyal

  “Some dungeons deserve to die,” Thumas said.

  “Not this one,” Aylia said. “You know that snake that just killed your friend? Those roam the entire dungeon. However, this is the first time one has attacked an adventurer. They don’t because Faestari doesn’t want to kill adventurers.”

  “So that Mordlew idiot is correct. This dungeon is his lost cousin,” Thumas said.

  “Not that the information would be worth anything to him,” Aylia said. “Faestari wants nothing to do with him. Just like she wanted nothing to do with you.”

  “You killed my friend,” Thumas said.

  Aylia snorted. “He wasn’t a friend. If he was a friend you would have turned back long before you reached this floor. You were obsessed with capturing Faestari.”

  “I didn’t know the dungeon has a name,” Thumas said.

  Faestari took that as a perfect moment to join in. She allowed some of the mist from the dungeon to flow into the room. Once it was thick enough she gave the mist enough form and color to look like a blond haired elven woman. “Why wouldn’t I have a name?” she asked in a light voice.

  “You’re the dungeon?” Thumas asked.

  “Or the dungeon is me,” Faestari said with a laugh. “There are times it is difficult to tell. However, that should not have been your concern.”

  “What do we do with him?” Aylia asked.

  Faestari used her mana to summon two rock snakes from one of the passageways. They slithered through the grass. Their slow progress got Thumas to take a step backwards.

  “I’m leaving the dungeon,” Thumas said quickly. “You can’t attack me anymore.”

  “You come into my home. You plan to capture or kill me. I believe that voids the unspoken agreement that adventurers have with dungeons. And from what I saw when you started, the other adventurers would agree with that statement if anyone tries to make it for you.”

  “I just,” Thumas started.

  “You got greedy and agreed to a contract without understanding what was being asked,” Faestari said. “However, I’m not entirely without mercy. You can try to escape. Aylia will not do anything to harm or hinder you in this room or any other on this floor. However, the other creatures on this floor will seek to kill you. If you can find the stairway, you can leave.”

  “I’ll just,” Thumas said with another bluster as he turned to look where the passageway had been. “What? Where is the passageway.”

  “I wanted to end this charade of a delve,” Faestari said. “That passage was just to get you and your friends to this chamber. Now you can exit by one of the other passages to this room.”

  Thumas looked at the rock snakes. The silent and deadly snakes were once again moving towards him. With a cry of panic the man ran from the room, heading to the nearest passageway.

  Aylia and Faestari watched him go. “Do I follow?” Aylia asked.

  Faestari shook her head. “Let’s meet at my heart. I am not happy with what I have done today.

  Chapter 26: Worries and Recriminations

  Faestari allowed the mist to disperse. She spared one last quick peek at Thumas. The panicked man had run into a room which had become a massive forest of fungi. There were a couple of large beetles in there, but the larger danger was the spores of the fungi. The man was so panicked he ran directly into a fungal bloom that included the same mushroom that the bug-headed humanoids used. Moments later the man was coughing as he tried to stagger away from the cloud of spores that erupted. The ones in his lungs were already taking root.

  The young dungeon opened her eyes back in her home chamber. She carefully stood up from the alcove and sighed.

  “My love!” Aylia shouted from the pool in the room. The water sprite rushed to the alcove and wrapped Faestari in a hug. “That was fun. I liked it when I realized they thought I was you.”

  “The last one is dead,” Faestari said sadly. “He ran into the fungal forest.”

  “Yuck!’ Aylia said. “I know it’s a great trap, but I doubt it’s a pleasant way to die.”

  “I can’t think of any that would be,” Faestari said. “And they are all dead. None by a sword. Two died to venomous bites. One to a trap I set up. Two to fungal spores and the last you drowned.”

  “He deserved it,” Aylia said. “He had no reason to try to kill you, but he came here anyways.”

  Faestari nodded. She still felt somewhat responsible. “What about the other adventurers?” she asked. “How will they take what I have done?”

  Aylia smiled. “I doubt they’ll hold it against you. And will you be allowing the rock snakes to attack at will? I saw you held them back against that last idiot. Did he really believe he could break the rules and then use them to protect himself from the consequences?”

  “Why not?” Faestari asked. “He didn’t believe much else about dungeons. And the rock snakes will be returning to being passive.”

  Aylia smiled and hugged Faestari. “You care don’t you?”

  Faestari nodded. “I shouldn’t. I mean, I’m not even human. But I don’t want to kill adventurers just for the mana.”

  Aylia looked a bit surprised. “But won’t you eventually run out of mana?”

  Faestari shrugged. “I might. Right now I’m wondering what I should do about the other adventurers waiting at the entrance.”

  “There are adventurers waiting?” Aylia asked.

  “The leaders of the four groups that have been regularly entering. I’m not sure how they’ll react when the other group never returns,” Faestari said.

  “Do you want to check?” Aylia asked.

  “I’m afraid to,” Faestari admitted. “You heard Thumas talk. This group wasn’t a real group of dungeon killers. They just claimed to be one.”

  “What will do you?” Aylia asked.

  Faestari sighed. “They need to see me.”

  “What?” Aylia said. “You can’t. They could try to capture or destroy you.”

  “I know,” Faestari said. “But if they know the truth, it might convince them to avoid trying to destroy me. Do you want to come with me? Can you?”

  Aylia smiled. “Try to prevent me from following. I will protect you. But how will we get there quickly.”

  Faestari pointed to a bare wall. Aylia turned to look and saw a spiral stairway appear. “We’ll use that,” Faestari said.

  Aylia laughed and stood up. She reached down and pulled Faestari to her feet. “Let’s do it before they give up and leave. It’s been hours since that group of idiots entered the dungeon. Where will this come out?”

  “I set it up to let out in one of the rooms I closed up,” Faestari said. “It will only work for us to go up and back down, and then I’ll close it up permanently.”

  “Let’s go,” Aylia said. The water sprite ran towards the stairway. Faestari ran after her giggling a little.

  The two made great time climbing the stairs. Aylia seemed tireless as she flowed up the stairs, occasionally finding a trickle of water and using that to skip steps. Faestari ran after the water sprite as they climbed.

  Faestari checked on the adventurers up at the plateau. Bezztol was standing and seemed about to leave the plateau with the young male adventurer who had refused to enter the dungeon with Thumas. Salene and Gee’if were standing to the side. It looked like Gee’if was asking Salene about her buckler as she was showing him the straps that kept it attached to her wrist.

  Roquel and Kalacho were standing near the entrance. They were paying rather close attention to the archway. Roquel was frowning. Faestari decided to spare a little of her mana to allow her to listen in on the conversation as she continued to climb the stairs.

  “I felt the mana of another death,” she said. “That would mean that all of them are dead. I thought this dungeon wasn’t all that dangerous.”

  Kalacho sighed. He nodded over towards Salene. “Salene over there told us a strange story. Her father claims that far in the past one of his ancestors fell in love with the spirit of a dungeon.” />
  Roquel snorted in disbelief. “I’ve been in enough dungeons over twenty years to know that dungeons do have a living soul. However, no dungeon would be interested in an adventurer. I find that story unlikely.”

  “Well, he makes that claim. He adds that according to the family legend, they had a daughter. Salene thinks he believes this dungeon is the daughter,” Kalacho said.

  Roquel started laughing. It was a laugh of amused disbelief. Faestari checked and found that she was just a short distance from the entrance. She reached out to touch Aylia.

  “Let me lead. I just heard something said out there that makes a perfect introduction,” Faestari said quietly. “Just slip out to watch over me. I don’t see anyone on the plateau who I fear.”

  Aylia nodded. Faestari ran the short distance to the edge of the light allowed into the dungeon by the opening. She then paused and started to walk out of the dungeon.

  She was about to step completely out of the dungeon when Salene glanced over at the entrance. “Who’s that?” she yelled out.

  The young warrior jumped back and drew her sword. She crouched down as she stared at Faestari. Her eyes were wide with fear.

  The other adventurers all jumped away and prepared their weapons. Faestari held up her two empty hands. “Peace,” she said.

  “Who are you?” Roquel asked.

  Faestari smiled. “Long ago a man named Feldmar married the spirit of Eastfjord dungeon. I am his daughter.”

  Salene gasped. “You mean.”

  “Your father is right,” Faestari said.

  “But why?” Roquel asked.

  “I don’t know,” Faestari said. “I didn’t even know my mother was a magical spirit. We lived peacefully for years. Then she sent me away. The expression on her face was one of pain.”

  “And now? Why create a dungeon here?” Roquel asked.

  “This is where I am,” Faestari said. “I could move, but that would take the help of others. And I don’t trust many people.”

  Salene sheathed her sword. She approached Faestari. “So you’re my long lost cousin?”

  “I’m not sure we qualify as cousins. And I’m quite a bit older than you are,” Faestari said.

  Gee’if snorted. “You don’t look it.”

  Aylia walked out of the dungeon. She put an arm over Faestari’s shoulders. “You should have seen her just a year ago. She looked like she was still ten years old.”

  “What?” Salene asked.

  Faestari shrugged. “This is just a shell for mana. I could make it look however I choose. I felt that it would be best to keep using the body I was comfortable with.”

  “How did you age before?” Gee’if asked.

  Faestari looked down. “I think my mother handled it. She never really talked about who she was. Like I said, I didn’t know.”

  Roquel looked a bit upset. “If you are here then.”

  Faestari nodded sadly. “They are dead. I didn’t want to do that, but I had no choice. Especially after hearing Thumas tell the true purpose of their delve.”

  Kalacho looked suspicious. “That was you that one day.”

  Faestari nodded. “I don’t want adventurers to die. I know some will. The monsters inside are going to defend their territories and many can be lethal. But your group had called off the delve.”

  “What did she do?” Roquel asked.

  “Can I tell?” Kalacho asked. “As I remember, we were instructed to never speak of it.”

  Faestari nodded. “Go ahead.”

  Kalacho looked worried, but then shook his head. “What am I worried about? No one is going to claim to be a dungeon soul unless they really are one. I’m just looking for an excuse not to speak. It isn’t all that complex. It was the first time we reached the fourth floor of the dungeon. In the first room on that floor we encountered a massive beetle. The fight with it was difficult.”

  Kalacho paused and looked over at Faestari. “Did you have to give that beetle a shell that was that thick? The only way to use a sword is to aim for the joints of the thing.”

  Faestari shrugged. “You and your companions killed it. And I could have allowed more into the room. I do keep the two most lethal creatures passive, most of the time.”

  Kalacho shook his head. “At least you are honest. Anyway, this beetle’s mandibles sliced Niscott’s hand off. We had no regrowth potion and were too deep to rush out and get it. His wife Ygryail was distraught that she was going to see her husband have to retire even if we could save him.”

  “I thought he was fine,” Gee’if said. “I remember that after that run you recommended all groups carry at least one regrowth potion.”

  “He is, but only because a stone golem stepped out of the wall and carried him out for us. Ygryail also suspects that some healing magic was performed while he was being carried,” Kalacho said as he turned to look directly at Faestari.

  “He needed it if he was going to survive until the potion could be brought,” Faestari replied. “I’m not going to say entering the dungeon will ever be safe, but in this case, I felt it was right to help him.”

  “But you gain mana when an adventurer dies,” Roquel said.

  “That makes it seem like I should just suck the life out of any adventurer that enters,” Faestari said with a pout. “Do you realize that I also get mana from every creature living in the dungeon? I can’t speak for other dungeons, but I find that I don’t need to see every adventurer die to receive plenty of mana for what I want to do.”

  “And yet, you killed Thumas and his party,” Roquel said in challenge.

  “Do you agree that their purpose was to harm me in some way? Not just to enter and challenge the monsters within for the generous treasures found?” Faestari said.

  “I can support the fact that the treasures are quite generous. Lots of mushrooms with alchemical powers and recently some people have been finding small ingots of mithril,” Kalacho said.

  “You can use the mithril?” Roquel asked.

  “Not yet,” Gee’if said. “None of the pieces have been all that large, but everyone hopes to find more. There is more?”

  Gee’if was looking at Faestari. She nodded. “It will never be found in huge amounts, but there is more. I just prefer to use the fungi as a treasure because that grows back.”

  “How did Thumas and the others die?” Roquel asked. “Did you cause any of their deaths directly.”

  Aylia stepped around Faestari. “She directly commanded one of her lethal creatures to bite a wizard. I was in the chamber where that happened. I killed one for her and Thumas ran into a room that had a lethal trap. He wasn’t watching where he was going.”

  “You have lethal traps?” Roquel asked angrily.

  “Doesn’t every dungeon?” Faestari asked. “Mine are easy to avoid if you are paying attention. Thumas was looking back and ran directly into the trap. Axcrete walked into another trap that was designed to be obvious.”

  “You realize you are telling adventurers to watch carefully for your traps,” Gee’if said with a smile.

  Faestari shrugged. “I’m not worried.”

  Roquel was looking directly at Aylia. “And who are you?”

  Aylia smiled as she allowed her body to turn back into water. The water sprite’s body crashed downward with a splash forming a puddle on the plateau. A moment later she rose back out of the puddle and reformed her body. “I live in the dungeon.”

  “A water elemental?” Salene asked. “But you seem friendly. I heard that they had to be coerced and chained magically.”

  “Wizards claim many things,” Aylia said. “Many of them rely on ignorance. I serve in the dungeon willingly. It helps that Faestari blocks any attempt to summon me.”

  “She should be free,” Faestari said.

  Roquel looked very surprised. “Why did you come out here then?”

  “Well, first to let you know that Thumas and the others won’t be returning,” Faestari said. “I wasn’t sure if you were waiting for them, but…�
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  Kalacho nodded. “I guess we were waiting for them. None of us were happy with the fact that they were entering as dungeon killers.”

  “Not that any of them had experience with that,” Faestari said. “I followed their progress and listened to the conversations they had. Thumas was counting on Roquel’s experience to get them to the heart.”

  “Which is confusing me more,” Roquel said. “You aren’t what I expected of a killer dungeon. And don’t claim you don’t kill. You just wiped out six adventurers.”

  “Which brings the number who have died inside up to twenty,” Faestari said. “Much too high I agree. Although most of them have occurred because inexperienced people entered and did not turn back when they should have. I hope I am not faulted for the death of bandits who don’t believe just how dangerous dungeons are.”

  Faestari looked directly at Gee’if. The man shrugged. “She’s right on nine of the deaths. I was part of the first group. We lost two members in my group a room after we should have stopped. Our leader at the time insisted that we could go deeper. We found out rather quickly that if you are tired or distracted you will die quickly,” he said.

  “And that was passed on to the other groups,” Kalacho said. “We’ve seen that as well. I don’t recommend this dungeon to new adventurers. At least not if they don’t have several experienced partners to help protect them.”

  Salene was nodding. “It’s actually a little fun. Yes, this dungeon can kill you if you don’t pay attention, but the monsters on the first floor back down quickly. All you have to do is show that you are ready and the kobolds will back off. The spiders you just have to watch for. They are easy to kill.”

  Faestari nodded. “I guess I encourage that. I’d rather that the kobolds retreat than fight to the death, even if I could replace them.”

  “Do they really worship you?” Kalacho asked.

  “Worship?” Roquel asked with a screech.

  Faestari shrugged. “I don’t know. They do have the altar and from what I’ve seen they make offerings to me. Usually it’s just a rat that they sacrifice.”

  “Rats?” Roquel asked.

  Faestari nodded. “Just regular rats. I have set up a number of special nurseries in the dungeon. The rats are food for many of the animals. The rest feed on the fungi that grows in the caverns.”