by Max Anthony
A search of the alcoves revealed little more than a few piles of dust and the occasional piece of armour that was so rotten that it had fallen away from the skeleton it had been meant to protect. Rasmus located a dozen copper coins, with an unfamiliar design stamped on them, and Viddo found a copper ring. To adventurers such as these, copper items were scarcely worth the effort of picking up, but they pocketed what they found on the basis that it meant their exploration would not be a total failure were it to end immediately. Of course, with no obvious means of escape, there was little chance that their quest for loot was going to end in the near future.
“Let’s go back and take one of those other turns that we went past,” suggested Viddo. He didn’t like to go back over old ground, but he had little choice in the matter.
“Chin up, Viddo! We have found copper here, but next time it may be gold.”
“Or platinum!” said the thief, cheering up at once.
“Gems aplenty!” said the wizard, as they resumed their hunt.
Six
With the light of Rasmus’ spell to assist them, they soon found another passageway and followed it with their hopes high once more. They spoke in hushed tones, now that the dangers of this place had been clearly illustrated.
“So what was that creature that followed us?” asked Viddo.
“I am not certain,” said Rasmus. “You said that it vanished once you got into the room and then the trap was triggered.”
“A trap I shouldn’t have fallen for,” said Viddo ruefully. “It wasn’t the most sophisticated of traps I’ve ever come across.”
“I wonder if that creature was a part of the trap itself,” pondered Rasmus. “It may have been the manifestation of an ancient spell that we no longer use today.”
“You mean it might have been cast there to lure in the unwary, in order that they blunder into a room full of undead?”
“That’s all I can think of,” admitted Rasmus. “You can’t sense it following us any more, I assume?”
“Nope. I’m certain that it’s gone. For now, at least.”
“Any thoughts on what this place might be?” asked the wizard. They both paused for a moment in their stride.
“I’ve been thinking about it a little,” said Viddo. “I’ve come across places like this before, once or twice. It seems likely that a creature of great power lives down here, or has lived here in the past. Everything needs somewhere to live. Perhaps such a creature made this place for its own amusement. Or it could be that this place is a hundred thousand years old and has been expanded time and again by many different creatures or races. One thing is for certain – the deeper we go, the more dangerous it will become!”
“How do you know?” asked the sceptical wizard.
“I just do,” said Viddo. “It’s a well-known fact amongst adventurers that the deeper you go, the greater the risks and the greater the rewards.”
“Well there needs to be greater rewards,” said Rasmus. “A man can’t retire on a half share of twelve copper coins and half a copper ring.”
“And it’s a long while since I’ve found a nice, magical bit of armour,” said Viddo. “This breastplate is quite decent and it cost a pretty penny – or at least it would have done if I hadn’t stolen it – but I probably need something better as befits the level of my training. I wouldn’t mind ditching these daggers for a long-sword as well. Daggers are good for stabbing things in the back, but they’re next to useless against some creatures.”
“Like skeletons?”
“Yes, like skeletons. And it’s time you got rid of that shoddy little cosh of yours. It makes you look like a gutter criminal when you wave it around. You want to get yourself a dark wood stave, like all the best wizards.”
“Staves are for showy wizards,” Rasmus protested, though he’d already taken a fancy to the thought of finding one. “Wizards who’re all talk and no trousers.”
“Sometimes the show is enough,” countered Viddo. “What’s the point in being enormously powerful if no-one knows it?”
“I don’t like to brag,” muttered the wizard.
“It’s not about the bragging though, is it? You’ve earned the right to be granted a certain degree of respect. Like a fighter in glowing silver plate armour. Such a man will have trained hard and fought hard to get his rewards, so I see no harm in displaying those rewards publicly.”
“I suppose,” said Rasmus. “I think all the wood down here will have rotted away though.”
“Maybe there’ll be a metal staff. Or one of them swords that I’ve been seeing on some of the wizards in the big cities.”
“A sword might be nice,” admitted Rasmus. “But I like thumping stuff, so maybe we should keep our eyes out for a metal staff. With an orb on the top of it.”
“That’s a better attitude!” said Viddo. “We’ll be rich men when we leave this place! I can feel it in my bones.”
“I’ll bet those skeletons could feel it in their bones as well, when we hit them!”
The pair of them laughed at this poor joke and resumed walking, with the origins of the catacombs speculated upon, but not resolved.
They had not travelled much further, when the light from Rasmus’ spell illuminated a door ahead of them. It was another metal door, similar to the one which had trapped Viddo in the skeleton room, but this one had a round handle. The door didn’t fill the entirety of the passage, but was much larger than a standard-sized door.
“Aha!” said Viddo. “Doors are something I like.”
Having been caught off-guard by the last door which closed behind him, Viddo motioned the wizard to stay back and approached this new door with caution. As a thief, he had a good eye for traps when he was looking for them, and he stared carefully ahead. It was fortunate that he was alert - not because the door itself was trapped, but because the floor of the passage was trapped. There was a click and two halves of a hidden trap door fell away, dropping Viddo into a pit beneath. Had he been less on his guard, he would have fallen much further than he did, but on this occasion managed to get a hand onto the lip of the pit and stopped himself from plummeting to the bottom.
Rasmus hurried forward to help, but his assistance wasn’t needed. Viddo lithely hauled himself up and out, whereupon he went through the motions of dusting himself down.
“That’s twice I’ve been done now,” he complained. “I feel like a right tit. I’m not going to be made a fool of a third time, this I promise!”
They both stared at the trap door. It was five feet square and right in the middle of the passage. If one knew it were there, one could walk safely around the edge of it. Otherwise, the two sprung halves of stone lid would open, sending the unwary cascading below.
“It’s pretty good workmanship on that trapdoor,” said Rasmus. He was right – the stone surfaces that concealed the opening had fitted together almost perfectly, making the trap difficult to see in the poor light they had available to them.
“It’s not bad,” Viddo conceded. “Not that I’m looking to make excuses, you understand. I shouldn’t have fallen into that at all. Anyway, cast your light down there a bit more, would you?”
Rasmus duly complied and the two of them peered below. The pit dropped almost twenty feet and at the bottom, there were several rows of spikes.
“Not very welcoming, is it?” asked Rasmus.
“Trap doors are always a bit unsporting,” said Viddo. “A bit of a cheap trick, if you ask me. Especially when you put one just before a door. Still, one lives and one learns.”
“I think there’s something at the bottom,” said Rasmus. “I can see metal.”
“Get that light spell in there a bit more.”
Sure enough, there was something at the bottom. A figure in full plate mail armour was impaled by three spikes, which jutted clean through the metal.
“His armour didn’t do him much good,” said Viddo, not unsympathetically.
“Rest in peace, fellow adventurer,” said Rasmus.
&nbs
p; “He’ll not be needing his coins anymore,” said Viddo.
“Perhaps you should get down there and see if he was carrying any. I’ve not met a poor adventurer yet.”
“The poor ones are generally dead,” replied Viddo. “Because they weren’t very good and they died before they could find any treasure.”
“I’m aware of the logical process,” said Rasmus. “Are you going down there, or not?”
“Of course I’m going down there. Just give me half a second, would you?”
The spikes were densely-packed, but Viddo was able to hang and drop, landing with care between them. The unfortunate adventurer who had died before him was firmly stuck and though he pushed and tugged, it was no easy matter to lift the plate-clad figure from the spikes. After a great effort, Viddo pulled the body upwards, gritting his teeth at the loud screeching sound the plate armour made as it broke free from the metal spikes. The armour was well-made and Viddo knew that a suit of full plate armour was a significant investment for a fighter, so the man inside was either a veteran or had wealthy parents.
Unable to resist, he lifted the visor, finding it moved easily even after all the years that had passed. He knew that many years had passed, because all that remained inside was a skeletal face, grinning back out at him. Viddo closed the visor again, imagining he could smell musty decay, even though common sense told him that any lingering odour should have dispersed long ago.
Underneath the dead adventurer was a long sword. The leather scabbard had decayed, because there was no sign of one and the sword had fallen to the floor between the spikes. Viddo stood and tested the sword, making a few tentative thrusts, jabs and chops. If it was magical, the enhancement was only slight, so he put the sword back down. There were three gold coins here as well, which Viddo pocketed. He was a thief, but he would share the spoils honestly once he and Rasmus parted ways. There was also a scattering of broken glass, suggesting that the dead man had also carried magical potions to aid him on his journey. These potions hadn’t done the man much good when his body was pierced by sharp pieces of metal, but Viddo was a little disappointed that they’d all broken in the fall.
Content that he’d searched enough, Viddo climbed back up the shaft of the pit. Rasmus watched, determined to learn how it was done, but all he could see was the thief using impossibly small hand and finger holes to pull himself upwards, as easily and rapidly as if he were climbing a flight of stairs.
“He died decades ago at least,” said Viddo. “But at least his presence means there’s a way to get into here, and therefore a way out.”
“Anything worth having?”
“Three gold. He must have spent everything else on his sword and his armour. He’ll have arrived in high hopes of making his fortune, and died with three spikes in his guts.”
“Sooner him than me,” said Rasmus for something to say, rather than because he was heartless.
“Yeah. No one said that adventuring was easy.”
“Anyway, let’s see what’s behind that door.”
Viddo drew his lock picking spoon and walked around the edge of the pit, with Rasmus following rather more gingerly in his wake. When the wizard reached the door, he found Viddo on his knees, with his tongue sticking from one side of his mouth in concentration. The spoon was gone and he had an array of more business-like picks spread on the ground in front of him.
“This is a bit of a tidy lock,” Viddo said. “First time in a while I’ve had to use something other than that spoon.”
“It’ll keep you in practise, won’t it?” asked Rasmus, already impatient to see what was behind the door.
“Ooh a spring-loaded needle!” said Viddo. “There, got rid of that little fellow.”
There were a few more grunts, some exhalations of breath and then a click.
“Aha! Got the bastard!” said the thief in triumph. “I’ve not met a locksmith yet who could defy me!”
“I thought you said that stuff was meant to get harder as you went deeper into dungeons, catacombs and the like. What’s an expert lock doing up here?”
Viddo looked momentarily surprised at the question. “I don’t know,” he said. “I only assumed we’re at the top level of these catacombs. Maybe the shaft took us halfway down or something. Anyway, that man in the pit didn’t look like he was well enough equipped to fight off a load of top-level undead.”
“I’m sure all will become clear. Now are you going to open that door or stand talking?”
Without hesitation, Viddo grasped the large metal door handle and gave it a twist. It emitted an unpleasant screeching sound, ensuring that whatever lay beyond was fully aware of their impending arrival. Undeterred, Viddo pushed the door open a crack and peered inside. Then, without a word, he pushed the door open further and vanished inside. Rasmus was reassured by this boldness and followed at once.
They found themselves in a smaller room this time, a mere fifteen feet to each side. There were metal doors in two of the other walls and the floor was paved, rather than being cut from the stone. In the centre of the room was a six-feet wide circular fountain, made of stone. It was decorated with carvings of fantastic creatures, most of which the pair had not seen before, if indeed these creatures existed anywhere at all. The fountain gurgled happily.
“What’s a fountain doing here?” asked Viddo. “I could do with a drink, now that this splashing water has reminded me about it.”
Rasmus looked at the fountain and sure enough, could see that water cascaded from a dozen holes, falling into a low, wide basin beneath.
“That water could be a hundred thousand years old!” exclaimed the wizard. “You’ll have the shits for weeks if you drink it!”
“Perhaps it is fed with a fresh water supply,” said the thief dismissively. “Anyway, I’m going to have a look.”
The fountain was only a few feet away, but Viddo was greatly vigilant after his recent brushes with the traps in this place. He reached the fountain without finding anything of concern and peered into the basin. It was only four feet high, but deeper than it looked, going down through the level of the floor to a depth of about ten feet. At the bottom was the unmistakeable glint of gold, along with a few other metal objects that he couldn’t discern through the shimmering surface of the water.
“Get over here,” said Viddo, waving an arm at Rasmus.
The wizard approached and looked into the fountain. “What’s all that?” he asked.
“Treasure. Just waiting to be taken from the depths and placed into our pockets.”
“What’s it doing there?” asked the wizard. He was as wary as the best of them when it came to apparently unguarded wealth. “I’d certainly not be chucking a load of gold coins into a fountain I stumbled across at random in a place full of undead.”
“You might be onto something,” conceded Viddo. “Have you got anything to drop into the water?” he asked.
Neither of them was carrying anything that they classed as disposable. Eventually, Rasmus volunteered one of his socks. He’d had them on a few days now and his boots were comfortable enough without having to wear socks inside. The wizard shed a boot and tugged off his sock. It was a green sock.
“There,” he said, throwing it into the fountain. It sat sullenly upon the surface for a few moments, before it was dragged below by the weight of the water it had absorbed and the current from the falling water that cascaded from the holes above.
“All looks fine to me,” said Viddo, reaching out a cupped hand towards the water.
“Wait!” Rasmus insisted. “Look at the sock!”
They stared at the green material in puzzlement. The outline of it seemed to shimmer and soften, more than they would have expected from the distortion of the water alone. They continued to watch in fascination as the sock appeared to disperse, until it became nothing more than a wobbling greenness in the water, which in turn slowly became as clear as the water surrounding it.
“That’s not water,” said Rasmus. “It must be an acid of s
ome sort.”
“I wonder if that metal at the bottom is all that remains of the friends of that man outside in the pit,” said Viddo. “Imagine how each death will increase the riches visible in the fountain, and make it harder for each new adventurer to resist the folly of jumping in to recover them.”
Rasmus didn’t bother to remind his friend that he’d been about to commit that exact same folly.
“Come on,” he said. “We’ve got nothing that can get those coins safely out of there.”
Viddo was less eager to give up. “Don’t you have a spell of acid neutralisation you could use?”
“What on earth would I have a spell like that for?”
“Maybe we could hide outside of the room and you could cast a couple of fireballs around the edge of the door and see if you can cause the acid to evaporate.”
“That’s a daft idea. What if all the acid turned to airborne steam that corroded the flesh from our bones as we tried to escape it?”
“I’m just trying to think laterally,” said Viddo. “To come up with something new to confound whoever it was that laid all of these traps. What if we plugged the holes on the fountain so that no new acid could come through? Then all of the old acid would drain away and we’d be able to climb down there safely.”
Rasmus shook his head at these plans, knowing that they had none of the materials necessary to put them into fruition. Viddo could tell when he was failing to convince and he quickly gave up on his attempts. He’d lived long enough to know when it was best to move on.
“Very well, we’ll leave the fountain alone,” he said. “Now why don’t you choose one of those two exit doors for us to proceed through?”
“I’ll take that one,” said Rasmus at once, pointing towards his chosen door. “It feels lucky.”
The door was lucky in that it was not locked and opened easily, without a metallic screech. There was a short passage behind, which took them to another room. This one was enormous. It stretched ahead of them for almost one hundred yards, being twenty across and with ceilings of a similar height. The glass balls, with their eternal light, were embedded high up on the walls, giving off their welcome, but insufficient glow. The floor was paved here, in smooth white marble. This was one of the first distinctions they’d seen from the drab grey they had begun to get quite sick of. Along the walls, pillars were carved and veneered in the same marble, which reached from floor to ceiling. There were alcoves between the pillars, but not deep enough to conceal anything that might wish to remain hidden.
