The City and the Dungeon

by Matthew Schmidt

  Chapter Twenty-Eight:

  Aftermath

  The single largest burst of Experience I have ever felt rushed like a tsunami of power throughout my entire being. I felt a thunk as I hit the overlevel barrier. A gilded chest appeared in front of me, then two more besides it. Everyone, everyone cheered, but it was more a sigh of relief.

  "Check the personal chests for traps!" Alice Black ordered, evident pain making her voices an angry demand. "Rogues, check the Boss chests. For all we know the Core traps them. Don't let down your guard!"

  Elise looked at ours. "No traps," she said. I opened mine. No shardgear—for once in my life, I was glad the treasure was worse. Among the purple crystal was much gear, including a pair of ornate boots and a soulbind-on-equip bracelet of Deep Telepathy. What was that?

  "Sampson," Andy said. I could see her tremor in shock. The battle had gone by so fast; most deaths had happened too quickly for anyone to absorb the shock.

  "I'll look," Xavier said. "You stay with Alex, all right?"

  Andy clung to me. I didn't know what to say or do, so I simply held her.

  All of his shards are here, Alice Black thought to us. Looks like the Core still obeys that rule, but I'd gather them sooner rather than later.

  I saw a hand—only a hand—tenderly holding a wounded cat. Deep wounds, it looked like. I cast a True Heal their way. Thanks, was Michael's telepathic reply. The next moment Cat was back in human form, blowing a kiss.

  Elise opened a Boss chest, looked inside, and closed the lid.

  Xavier came back with a pile of violet slivers, already reassembled. It looked so horribly wrong. "That's all of him. Where's Elise?"

  Elise? I thought to her. She didn't reply.

  Others had noticed by that point that Hermes and Alice and Isaac Black had gone to Elise and that chest. None of them were saying anything.

  "Everyone!" Alice Black shouted, the lioness roared, the ox groaned, and the eagle shrieked. "This chest contains a treasure that is hazardous to the security of the City. I cannot in good conscience let it be divided. Therefore, I am asking you to accept Hermes leaving the superparty to take this chest personally to the City. In return, he will relinquish any claim to the rest of the non-personal loot, and High House Black will add a thousand violet to the loot for every other delver."

  That was an insane amount of crystal. Multiply times all of us, and it was House budget levels of crystal. Even if we had just gotten that chest...

  "If it's worth thousands of violet, how come we don't get it ourselves?" demanded a delver.

  "Because if I did let it be divided," Alice Black said, "whoever had it would promptly get it confiscated by the City, or be killed by an assassin. I'm not joking."

  "You're going to trust an Eidolon?" another delver called.

  "Hey! That hurts," Hermes said. "I'm already giving up my share."

  "Listen!" Elise said. "All of you know I'm critical of the Black family, and every High House. I am asking you to do this. This isn't some top-tier gear, this is—"

  "Excuse me," the Master Summoner said as he walked to the chest. "High House Magica will agree. I am so certain of this that I am offering on their behalf another one thousand violet per delver."

  "We'll guarantee that," Isaac Black said.

  Murmurs passed among the delvers, and I saw several telepathic conversations start.

  Elise, I know how you will vote, but Andy? I thought to all of us.

  An image appeared in my head. The lid of a chest slammed and held shut. The strength of her thought surprised me.

  I guess I'll go with the party, Xavier thought. What about Sampson?

  I don't know, I thought. But Elise—

  Believe me, Elise thought. Agree.

  "Decide within the minute," Alice Black said. "I don't think we're necessarily safe in the Lock, down here. Remember, two thousand violet for each of you, or a chance at a treasure that you won't keep. Think about it."

  I heard grumbling, but no one objected. Those who raised a hand against stopped as others stared them down.

  "Hermes?" Alice Black said.

  "I'll get everything that isn't a threat to national security back to you afterwards," Hermes said. The snap as he left the superparty was fainter than a normal party leaving. He lifted the chest and disappeared.

  I could sense the unhappiness of the other delvers, even if each of us was theoretically two thousand violet richer. "Guys?" Alice Black said, calmer. "I don't want this to end on a bad note. We are literally the deepest delvers ever. Think about that. How about we make it one more Floor?"

  If you don't know why, after nearly being wiped by a Boss far beyond our power, we decided without argument to look at the next Floor, you do not understand delvers.

  * * *

  The Deepest Core, as I suddenly knew it was called, was entirely made of crystal. The floor, wall, and ceiling were pure red crystal. I could see everyone who stepped on it did so a little nervously, as we were literally walking on money. Money that was so little as to be irrelevant, but...

  "Are the lowest Floors made of violet?" Elise asked.

  We didn't see much more of it. "Retreat!" Alice Black called with all four voices.

  It was only our Force Archmage reflexes in casting Wall of Pure Force that prevented our vaporization by the fourteen breaths of the Deepest Core Prismatic Hydra. I fired a Drainstorm on it, and it was barely hurt. Our Master Summoner called a Nurikabe Lord, and we ran for the stairs as the Hydra tore the invisible summon to shreds. To this day, the events are jumbled, but somehow, somehow—

  We got out.

  * * *

  "Please tell me that was an out-of-depth," I said. "You only see Hydrae deep in the Deep, especially the Prismatic kind."

  "Can't be," Xavier said. "By every known formula, it would be as likely as a normal Deep Prismatic Hydra spawning twenty-four Floors early."

  "Or it wasn't random," Elise said.

  "We're done," Alice Black. "Back to the surface." No one made the slightest argument.

  Our Dimensional Archmage cast Mass Return. The last I saw of the Core was that same Lock, empty, as if waiting.

  * * *

  And we were back.

  "HEALER!" shouted Alice Black with the full capacity of every lung, and Adrianne Black, who was already waiting for us on her chair, winced.

  "What happened to all of you?" Adrianne Black asked, as Isaac Black ran to her and hugged her.

  "Everything," I said.

  "Basically," Alice Black said. In a flash of dark fire, she was just a human. "By the way, it turns out that there's another section of the Dungeon under the Core. After the 75th, it's the Deepest Core."

  It was almost worth the delve just to see Adrianne's jaw hit the ground. "What?"

  "We got a little lost," Alice Black said. "Anyway, where's Uncle Seth?"

  "I am here," Seth Black said, escorted by Hermes, a Grand Archmage from High House Magica, and one who appeared to be a Medici from the Bank. "I have heard of your adventure. Well done, here is the crystal."

  "It would be convenient if you would accept a transfer to your own accounts," the banker said. "Transporting large amounts of crystal is intrinsically dangerous."

  "I'll handle it," Isaac Black said. "Just tell me what you prefer, and we'll get it squared away."

  More flashes on the teleport pads: a Titan in complete armor and a thin, black Necromancer Archmage. "'Sup," the Necromancer said cheerfully. "I'm from the Morgue. I've heard you've got a number of special shards."

  "We do," Alice Black said. "Everyone? It's time to give up the shardgear."

  Not a single complaint was voiced. I didn't see a single wistful look, but many disgusted ones, as we handed the shardgear over. I myself wouldn't use Oscar's staff—Oscar himself—a moment longer.

  "Shardgear?" Adrianne Black asked.

  "The Dungeon's most new and exciting way to show its hate for all of us," Elise said.

  "Where did Cat go?" I asked. “Or
Michael?”

  There was an awful pause as we all looked around. "Cat had shardgear on her, didn't she?" Elise asked.

  "Yeah," Alice Black said. "At least three pieces. Ugh."

  "Excuse me," the banker said to the Necromancer Archmage. "I would like to speak to your head. We at the Bank would have far better protection for what will likely be a target of theft—as has just occurred, apparently."

  "I am the head of the Morgue," the Necromancer Archmage said. Oh. I recognized him now—I. L. Darkness, who had been the head of the Morgue for ages. "We're completely ready to withstand any level of attack. Heartstones are a target for theft, too, and unlike money, they're not replaceable."

  "Nonetheless, we have prepared any number of defenses—"

  "—So have we."

  "Both of you, stop," the Titan said with such fervor that everyone except Adrianne and Seth Black straightened. "The Council is in a closed emergency session right now because of this. For the moment the Law seems to be recognizing them as shards, and that's what we're going to treat them as. If the Bank would prefer, they can join the City Guard around the Morgue."

  "I will inform our security department," the banker said neutrally.

  "In addition," the Titan continued, "the Council will greatly appreciate it if you treat this like certain facts about the Deep. You'll all understand how critical this is."

  "Indeed," Seth Black said. "I would advise everyone to remain silent about everything they have seen."

  Elise? I thought to her. What the Dungeon was that—

  Later. She thought. LATER.

  "So," Isaac Black said. "Division after Adrianne revives everyone who popped? We've got enough R&R casts for everyone who shattered."

  * * *

  A princess from the Royals, Ngozi Red, arrived to take the place of the prince for the split—they wouldn't let anyone outside of their House revive him, let alone R&R him. Normally you don't see someone who wasn't on a delve do such—you don't know what's in the loot to begin with—but she was a sound loot negotiator.

  While she familiarized herself with what we had, we did our own revives.

  I had seen R&Rs before, but never on a party mate. The part where the heartstone is reassembled is simple enough—just like a puzzle made of a human being. But I couldn't help but clench my teeth as Adrianne Black cast the spell.

  "Sampson?" I asked. "Sampson?"

  He seemed so old and shriveled, though his body was still young. Perhaps in his twenties or thirties now, just from the complications. After a moment he said, "Fine." There was a new coldness in his words. "I'm fine."

  "We've survived!" Elise shouted. "We got loot!" Others would have been staring if they hadn't been grieving with their own party mates.

  "Sure," he said, dazed. "Sure. I'll be fine."

  "I'll get the loot for you," I said. "You just tell me what you want."

  "Really," he said with a tiredness I hadn't heard in him before. "Let me. I'll be fine."

  "Everyone, shut your mouths," Adrianne Black said as she reassembled Adam Black. The violet lights were extra bright, and with a shudder, Adam Black was alive.

  "Did I get it?" were his first words. "The record?"

  "Yes!" Alice Black said, hugging him. "Now never do something so stupid again!"

  "Fine, fine," Adam Black said, but he looked too happy to mean it.

  * * *

  After the division, Seth Black came to me. "I have heard of your valor with the Spell Regeneration staff."

  "Thanks, sir," I said.

  "Unfortunately, we can't offer you that staff. Nor, I suppose, would you want it." But Seth Black pulled out a different staff from a Bag of Holding. "We can still offer you this."

  I took it.

  Staff of Gnarled Forests

  Violet Gear

  +100/+140/+50

  Requires: 50 Intelligence, 50 Wisdom. Class Restricted.

  +10 Intelligence, +20 Wisdom. +1 7th spell slot. +20 Power to Nature spells.

  Indestructible. Spell Regeneration 2.

  I was disappointed for a fraction of a second, until I remembered that up until hours ago, no one had seen a Spell Regeneration 3 staff. This was top gear.

  "Thank you, thank you so much, sir," I said. I dared not protest it was too good a gift.

  "You are very welcome. Had you not been there, it is quite likely no one would have escaped." With these words, he walked towards my party. To Sampson—

  —Who looked completely downtrodden, even surrounded by loot. His own loot. "Yes, sir?" he asked.

  Wordlessly, Seth Black withdrew a flashing sword and handed it to him. "You will enjoy this more in a few days, once the shock of being shattered wears off."

  Sampson nodded slowly.

  "I suspect you will also enjoy this," Seth Black said, and handed him a bright potion. "A Potion of Youth—we have them in stock for such incidents."

  Sampson took it and drank without hesitation. In a moment, he was as young as I had seen him before—yet still old.

  "I don't need a bribe," Elise said as Seth Black turned to her. "I won't talk."

  "You deserve a reward, nonetheless," Seth Black said, and withdrew a cape to hand to her. "Please."

  Elise looked at the cape then took it. "Thanks, I guess."

  "Ms. Square, I unfortunately do not possess a better pick than the one you found in your personal chests," Seth Black said. "I have increased the bounty on your parent's quest into the violets. I cannot retrieve them, but I can at least do that."

  Andy's smile gleamed.

  Xavier looked too eager to hide his excitement.

  "Mr. D'Ambrose, I do not know what in particular you desire, but I have a library of unused spellstones. Most are of little use, but I will not object to your using as many as you wish."

  "Thank you, sir,"

  "You all are welcome."

  Some bribes, Elise thought to us as Seth Black walked to another party. SOME bribes.

  We did help rescue a whole superparty, I thought back.

  Sure, and I bet he also knows we'll keep quiet after this.

  Equipping one's own liegemen is considered a bribe now? Xavier thought. I'm sure that Spell Regeneration staff was just collecting dust.

  "Guys," I said out loud. "We made it through. No need to argue over anything. Let's celebrate at Mical's."

  "Tomorrow," Sampson said. "I really need to rest."

  * * *

  Mical must have bought the adjacent buildings, because her herb cafe now consisted of multiple dining rooms. Waitresses moved from room to room carrying loaded plates of herbs and stews.

  I could tell Mical herself was proud of it, particularly since it was still her first year in business.

  "Amazing what a single Boss can do," Elise said. "I cannot believe I am now violet. Violet!"

  "I've been waiting to eat so we can all do so together," I said.

  "I haven't eaten, because eating a violet is still too weird," Xavier said.

  "I know," I said. "Everyone ready? One, two, three—"

  Violet crystal is like—like someone had created a twelve-course feast with ingredients never seen before or since just for you, and you ate it all. Also, it tasted vaguely like frozen grape juice.

  "Oh, my," Elise said. "I have no idea what it's going to be like eating this regularly."

  "I haven't a clue either," Mical said. "Want some actual food? Drinks? It's on the house."

  "Sure," I said. "I'd like a..."

  I found it strange, looking at Mical as she went for drinks, how I had once been attracted to her. Of course, I now was constantly around people with high Charisma, and Alice Black with her maximum. Every random girl off the street seemed incredibly plain. But wasn't that... Was it really appearance that mattered? If I loved someone else more, simply because they were prettier, I had never loved the first.

  "You all look truly Dungeon-worn," Mical said as she returned. "Sampson, you especially."

  "Got shattered," Sampson said
. "Possibly the worst experience of my life. Felt like my soul had been broken apart."

  "Mind if I cast a Field of Silence around this table?" Xavier asked.

  "Go ahead. It's amazing how many high-level parties stop by," Mical said, as Xavier waved his staff. I looked around to see we weren't the only high spectrums. "Blues need poison resists, too, I guess. I'm starting to improve my higher-end menu."