CONQUEST: The Dungeon Core Gambit Book One

by Antony W. F. Chow

  Looking to her left and right, she saw that the gap ran through the length of the floor. Tita soon realized that she had to jump over the gap in order to reach the other side and continue moving forward.

  The dungeon explorer turned around and walked back several steps. She turned again to face the gap and started running. With perfect timing, she leaped over the four-foot gap and landed on the other side.

  As the momentum propelled her body forward, the halfling buckled her knees and rolled on the ground. After one full-body rotation along the floor, she stomped her feet as a brake to stop rolling. BOOM!

  Tita winced at the tremendous noise that she had inadvertently made, announcing her presence to whatever guardians were on the floor. The thief's eyes darted back and forth checking for any approaching monsters. To her relief, she saw none and began to relax her body.

  The thief examined her current position and learned that she was on an elongated, oval-shaped platform. She walked to the edge of the platform and judged the distance to the next platform was six feet wide. And she had a nagging suspicion that the next gap will be even wider. In other words, the dungeon master was going to make Tita jump over ever-growing gaps to move forward. Ouch.

  The halfling turned around, took a few steps back, and made another running jump over the gap. When she landed on the next platform, she did a tumble roll and braked again.

  Tita walked to the edge of her platform and confirmed that the next gap was wider than before. However, this time the gap was ten feet. Tita was not concerned with this gap because she could jump across a fifteen-foot gap. The problem, though, was that the gap will eventually be wider than that. And sure enough, the next gap was about fifteen feet wide. She barely reached the other side and had to put her hands on the platform to propel her body forward.

  Immediately, Tita sprang to her feet because the brief contact between her palms and the platform had burned her hands. "Ack!" she yelled out in pain. "-5 Health."

  When the adventurer walked to the edge of the platform, she judged the gap to be around twenty feet wide. Even worse, something shot out of the lava with regularity. Pou-pou-pou! The halfling suspected that it was meant to be an obstacle for her to overcome.

  When Tita's eyes looked at the next platform, she was shocked by what she saw! Awaiting on the other side was a dungeon core! The next platform was attached to a wall. The dungeon core itself was placed on a dais inside an alcove on the wall. To the left and right of the core were two torches. On the ground in front of the alcove was a treasure chest. But unlike the others she encountered, this chest was easily double the size of the others!

  The halfling stared at the chest for a moment. Her greed made her imagine how many gold coins were inside the chest. "I can't wait to open the chest!" she blurted out loud with glee.

  Tita was not worried at all about the flaming rock that shot out of the lava. She could easily time her jump to avoid it. The bigger concern, though, was the twenty-foot gap. Fortunately, she had something to help her make the jump.

  Tita reached into her backpack and took out four metal rods. Each piece had a prong on the top and a hole on the bottom of the rod. The prong fitted neatly into the hole. The dungeon explorer quickly assembled the rods into a long pole. She carried the pole as a backup weapon to fight skeletons, against which her daggers were not effective. She intended to use the pole to catapult her body across the wide gap.

  The halfling turned around and walked to the other end of the platform. Holding the top portion of the pole in both hands, Tita ran forward. With perfect timing, she thrust the other end of the pole on the ground and catapulted her body over the flaming rock. Her small body flew across the wide gap.

  The halfling almost released the pole and dropped it. But somehow, she managed to hold onto the item; she needed it to cross the gap again on her return trip to the surface. However, she lost her concentration and landed awkwardly. She instinctively poked at the ground with the pole to stay upright. But her forward momentum caused Tita to slam her face into the unyielding pole. Wham! "Ouch!"

  The halfling squeezed her eyes as the pain flared from her nose to her brain. She became woozy for a moment and it took all her willpower to stay on her feet. Tita closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Normally, this would be a foolish thing to do inside a dungeon but the halfling had already checked and confirmed there were no minions on this platform.

  When the pain finally dissipated a few minutes later, Tita opened her eyes again. She looked around and saw that the ghost of Markos was leaning against the wall in front of his dungeon core. She walked closer to the stone and was mesmerized by it. It was solid like ice and clear in color and it resembled a diamond. The light from the torches was reflected on the surface of the smooth stone. "Your core is so beautiful," she gasped breathlessly.

  Tita stared at the dungeon core for a long time. Yet, the observer said nothing to her. Instead, he stayed silent and watched her. Wasn't Markos afraid that she will claim the core for herself? Or that she will smash it with her pole?

  His neutral expression was beginning to antagonize her. She wanted to make him beg for his life! She wanted to pay him back for making her quit the dungeon exploration with her friends! Remembering her humiliation, Tita impulsively reached out with her hand and grabbed the dungeon core off the dais.

  When the diamond-like stone was removed from its placement in the alcove, the torches suddenly flared! Fiery flames shot out of the alcove.

  Tita immediately backed away from the alcove. She turned around and prepared to jump off the platform.

  However, a wall of fire appeared on the platform, trapping the thief!

  A moment later, two fire elementals emerged from the wall. Each creature carried the form of a humanoid. One took the form of a man and the other took the form of a woman. The man held a flaming sword while the woman possessed a flaming whip.

  As the two guardians slowly approached Tita, the halfling backtracked until her back was against the wall. She quickly drank the Potion of Fire Resistance and then attacked the male elemental with her pole. However, she had forgotten that the pole was metallic. After a few attacks, the weapon became too hot for Tita to hold; she was forced to drop it.

  Crack! Suddenly, the flaming whip was wrapped around the halfling's throat! The fire from the whip started burning her flesh and inflicted searing pain. "-5 Health." Furthermore, she couldn't breathe and was beginning to black out. With no choice, Tita dropped the dungeon core to the ground and turned toward the apparition of Markos. She pleaded for mercy with her eyes.

  * * *

  Her companions were watching in front of the dungeon entrance. Their elation at her success in reaching the dungeon core quickly turned into horror.

  "Please let Tita go!" Zefina cried out!

  Her companions joined in the pleading for mercy.

  The ghostly image of Markos Turloch looked at them. "What will you give in exchange for sparing her life?" he asked. "Will you all become my slaves?" he demanded.

  The party members looked at each other uneasily.

  Aabroa spoke up. "I cannot become your slave. I still have responsibilities to my Patron Goddess, Gaea. However, I can offer a short period of servitude. For one year. To help you develop your village. I'm sure my companions are willing to offer a similar exchange."

  The rest of the party nodded in agreement.

  "So in summary, you are offering five years of servitude collectively. I will demand a matching five years of servitude from Tita personally," the dungeon core replied.

  Ouwanda nodded. "That's fine. Now please release her!"

  "Very well."

  * * *

  Tita slowly opened her eyes. She saw that she was still inside the dungeon. She was on the ground and her back was leaning against the wall. She noticed the apparition of Markos standing before her. The halfling looked at his face and said, "Thank you for sparing my life."

  The ghost offered a faint smile. "Thank your companions.
They were watching your solo run in front of the dungeon entrance. When you were about to die, they pleaded to spare your life. We reached an agreement. Each of them will become an Indentured Servant for a period of one year. They will help me build the village next to the dungeon entrance. In addition, you will provide me with five years of servitude. I have put a slave collar on you. When the period of servitude is over, I will release you."

  The halfling slowly reached for the collar with her hand. She bit her lips and tears began to fall from her eyes. She should not have touched the dungeon core. The mission was to explore the dungeon but not to touch the core. She lost control of her emotions and made an impulsive decision to take the diamond-like stone. And now she had to serve this man for five years! Even worse, her companions were punished for her foolishness!

  Suddenly, the wall behind her shifted and moved. Tita turned around and saw that a long staircase had been created.

  "You should return to the surface and join your friends. They are worried about you," the dungeon core said.

  Tita rose to her feet. She looked at the apparition and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Master Markos." The halfling retrieved her pole and started climbing the stairs.

  When the servant was gone, Jessica appeared next to Markos. "Trading Tita's life for a collective ten years of servitude was very generous of you, master," the faery commented.

  Well, I tried to convince the other four women to become my slaves. But they declined even at the cost of Tita's life. Oh well. He shrugged.

  "You made the right decision. If you claimed all five adventurers as your personal property, then the Adventurer's Guild would have been very upset. To the extent that they may send an overwhelming force to invade your dungeon and destroy your dungeon core," she warned.

  Good point, Markos conceded.

  Chapter 50

  Lamour

  The merchant caravan arrived in the Capital City of Lamour after a half-week of travel. Aside from the one attack by dark-elven bandits, there were no further incidents. Part of the reason was that the sight of the enslaved bandits, chained together by their slave collars and walking on foot following the last wagon in the caravan, discouraged others from attacking.

  On their third day of travel, the caravan was accosted by a group of female knights on horseback.

  The captain of the patrol demanded to check their papers. When Captain Deslogia Zusken saw the slaves, she inquired about them with Kurosa, the caravan leader. Once she learned how they were captured, Deslogia quickly sought out Sibalt. The noblewoman looked at the young man with a discerning eye. "Are you the one who enslaved those dark elves?" she asked in a stern voice.

  Sibalt bowed deeply. "Yes, milady." Suddenly, he received a hard slap on the back.

  "Hahahaha! This is too funny! Dark elves are usually too proud to permit themselves to be enslaved. They need to be interrogated by the Knights of Vessar for information regarding their base of operation and their numbers in the bandit group. I will take custody of them."

  Sibalt noticed that it was a demand rather than a request. "Yes, captain. I will be more than happy to transfer possession of these slaves to you. But . . . " He wasn't going to hand them over for free. After all, Sibalt knew that the dark elven slaves had tremendous monetary value on the slave market.

  The noblewoman nodded in understanding. "Of course, I will compensate you for your property. How about one gold piece for the entire lot? And before I forget, I was told that you are members of the Adventurer's Guild. I need to view your card to verify your identity. When I return to Lamour, I will instruct the Clerk's Office to deliver the bounty on these bandits to the guild office. How does that sound?"

  "That's very generous of you, milady." Frankly, Sibalt knew he should be receiving 1 gold per slave. But he wasn't in a position to demand fair compensation from the knight. Sibalt complied and reached into his pocket for his guild card. He handed the card with both hands and bowed deeply to the captain.

  Deslogia reviewed the card. She was surprised to learn that Sibalt was only an "F" rank. "How long have you been an adventurer?" the captain asked as she returned the identification.

  "I signed up with the guild right before I left Bethmund. So that's less than a week?" the young man replied.

  The noblewoman patted his shoulder lightly. "I will put in a recommendation to the guild and ask you to be promoted to 'E' immediately. Your accomplishment warrants a promotion from Rank F. And this promotion would open the door for you to take up more requests from the Adventurer's Guild."

  "Thank you very much!" Sibalt bowed again. The promotion of his guild rank will help ease the sting of being ripped off by the knight.

  "Think nothing of it. When you reach Rank D, please consider taking the examination to join the Knighthood as a magician," Deslogia suggested with a grin.

  "Okay."

  Deslogia paid Sibalt a gold coin for the slaves. "Havlina! Take the slaves!" she ordered.

  Once the knight took the chain, she led the slaves away from the merchant wagon they were previously attached to.

  "I still have a few hours left for my shift. But the road ahead should be free of monsters and bandits. I'll see you again in Lamour." The captain saluted Sibalt, turned around, and marched back to her group of knights.

  Sibalt returned to the caravan, which had been waiting patiently for his impromptu meeting to end.

  The coachman flicked the reins and the horses started moving forward. As promised, the rest of the journey was safe and uneventful. There were other merchants on the road with single carriages; they wisely followed the caravan and joined the group informally.

  When the caravan reached Lamour the next day, there was a long line at the gate for entry into the city. After three hours of waiting on line, the group finally reached the gatehouse.

  Gruff looking female guards demanded identification for every person entering the city.

  Sibalt and his companions presented their identification cards from the Adventurer's Guild, which the guards accepted with a grunt. After the cards were returned, the guards motioned with their arms for the caravan to enter the city.

  The caravan stopped at a resting area away from the gate and the merchants began to separate.

  Kurosa approached Sibalt and shook his hand. "It was great traveling with you and your companions. If you wish to report to the Adventurer's Guild, simply follow the main road until you reach the water fountain. Turn left and you will see a building with a sword and shield sign. That's the main guild office. Have a great day, young man." The caravan leader patted him gently on the shoulder and walked toward her wagon.

  "Thank you," Sibalt replied and bowed. He turned around and saw his wife, Alethea, stretching her legs while her dwarven guards stood nearby and slapped each other's back for completing their journey.

  Ryota looked at them with a wry smile. "Let's check in with the Adventurer's Guild and then go to the Clerk's Office to petition for the town charter." He began to walk on the wide street suggested by the merchant.

  Alethea grabbed Sibalt's right hand and pulled him along. Her guards walked behind the couple.

  Markos marveled at the sight and sound of the streets. The scene reminded him of home back on Earth. There were street peddlers everywhere hawking all sorts of merchandise such as fruits and vegetables, fresh meat, and baubles and trinkets.

  He was surprised to see a lack of clothing, weapons, or armor being peddled in the stands. But he saw that these goods were sold in shops instead. The noise level was fairly loud as peddlers shouted to draw attention from shoppers while customers haggled over prices with merchants.

  Some street urchins tried to pick their pockets but the dwarven guards easily caught their hands and dismissed them with a hard spank or kick to the would-be pickpockets' behind.

  Perhaps even worse was the gaggle of women who came up to harass Sibalt. They were either passive or aggressive in touching, pinching, or groping him. The worst offender of the lot was a lecher
ous woman who "bumped" into him and grabbed his groins. She received a shield slam on her skull and was knocked out by Pewma.

  Alethea became livid and tried to stomp on the woman's head but the rest of the group managed to pull her away.

  Since Ryota was a man, he, too, drew attention. However, his full suit of armor gave no opportunity for lusty women to touch his flesh. Furthermore, his harsh, withering stare scared off any woman attempting to steal a kiss from his lips.

  Markos watched the events unfold with mild concern. He knew that Sibalt was an attractive looking man despite his thin build. He noted that most of the women who approached Sibalt were older and some even offered to be Sibalt's surrogate "mother." Of course, he realized that these cougars had no interest in treating the young man as a mere "son." Horny women were definitely scary in this world.

  Eventually, the party reached the water fountain. The fountain was circular and approximately fifteen feet in diameter. At the center of the fountain was a statue of a woman holding a book in her left hand and a quill in her right hand. She was dressed in a beautiful dress which accentuated her voluminous figure. Her curly, long hair was pushed back by a tiara on her head. She was not particularly beautiful looking but she gave an aura of great intelligence and wisdom.

  Sibalt questioned a passerby, an older woman dressed like a farmer with a straw hat, sleeveless shirt and very short pants which ended at her upper thighs; the clothing seemed to emphasize her muscular physique which resembled a male version of He-Man. "Who is this person?" Sibalt asked her.

  The farmer was chewing on a piece of bark. She turned around and looked him up and down. She smiled, revealing a gap in her front teeth. "First time visiting Lamour, eh? This is our Queen Levioda. May she reign over Vessar for all eternity!" she said loudly and offered an exaggerated salute. "Good day." She nodded sharply at the boy, who she mistook for a new prostitute seeking an early client, and soon was lost in the crowd.

  Alethea pointed at a building. It was three stories tall and its exterior was made of stone. Additionally, the building was wide enough to encompass an entire city block. A golden sign in the shape of a circle hung over the entrance. On the sign was a black sword crossed over a light gray tower shield. "Ah, that's the Adventurer's Guild!" she exclaimed with excitement. The priestess grabbed her husband's hand and dragged him toward the office.