Dauntless Dungeon

by Devan Johnson

  “What was that and where is everyone?” Caprice asked as Kheeta cleared the jump back onto the building they were camped on. The Satyr was placing three large vials full of the orange liquid into her bag, and Kheeta noticed two more arrow ridden Goblins a few feet behind her.

  “A lava Dragon, we need to go!” She yelled in answer as she quickly moved to the woman and her child. “Murdock you said that there was another way out… take us there.”

  The knight turned to face her, a confused expression locked his feathered face, “a Dragon?”

  “Well it didn’t have wings but yeah a dragon so let’s go!” They didn’t have time for everyone to wrap their head around the situation, they needed to get moving.

  “Alright,” Tehsugon said loudly, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and turn their focus on him. “Knight Commander Murdock will lead since he knows the way, I’ll head next with Soza, she can walk with assistance, behind me I want the two civilians and Golluk.” The group nodded in agreement as the Shelidon took control of the situation and continued, “after that will be Kheeta followed by Tarek and Caprice, now let’s move out!” He lifted Soza up by her arm, as she fought to open her eyes and began to mumble something inaudible, “shhh, save your strength. I’m going to get you out of here.” As he finished hoisting her up Murdock pushed ahead, leading the way to safety

  The group hurried as quickly as they could with the injured, which was still half as fast as Kheeta would have liked, towards an inn on the far side of town. Kheeta flinched, but kept running, as a house behind them exploded into a million splinters, announcing the arrival of the tunneling Drake. “It’s here!” She screamed, not needing to look back for confirmation, as the air had risen in temperature considerably in mere seconds.

  “Quick through here!” Murdock yelled in reply as they finally reached the inn’s roof. The Aven man lifted a hatch, revealing a ladder leading down into the interior of the building. “The entrance is behind the bar, under the keg, quickly!” Kheeta watched with relief as Murdock, Tehsugon, Soza, the two civilians, and Golluk made it down the ladder, and through the trap door.

  As she began her descent she turned to check on Tarek and Caprice, before letting out a loud scream. “Tarek, behind you!” The Dragon had exploded from the street, landing perpendicular to the buildings they were running on. As it lifted its head over the edge ready to spit its lava breath, Tarek made a split-second decision. Kheeta’s eyes swelled in shock as the Sylphyte placed two hands on the Satyr girl’s shoulder and gave her a hard shove backwards… into the Dragon’s gaping maw.

  There was a flash of realization and betrayal in Caprice’s eyes, before a much bigger and louder flash consumed her body; the vials in her back exploding on contact with the lava. The force of the shock wave knocked Kheeta down the ladder and by the time she had regained her footing Tarek had hopped down as well. “Tarek what did you just do?”

  “I saved us,” the boy replied with a scoff as he walked over and hopped down the trap door without another word. Kheeta stared at the black hole for a long moment wondering what she to do about what she had just seen. Deciding that here and now was probably not the best place for such deliberations she walked over to the trap door and jumped feet first into the black abyss below.

  14 Graduation

  Kheeta rushed at the large doors she had materialized in front of, I can’t believe he did that, and to act so nonchalant! The doors slammed against the wall as she briskly walked down into the hall, frustration at her teammate rising, no one is going to trust us because of him, no one will want to work with us, her mind raced through all the ways he may have cheated them in their first year.

  As she entered the chamber filled with students her eyes fell on the Cleric and her rage overflowed, “Tare-“ she began before being cut off.

  “Tarek!” A similarly furious voice screeched over the crowd’s murmur, all eyes, aside from Tarek’s, finding the flushed Satyr. “Hey! I deserve an apology for what you did Tarek!” Realizing she was being ignored Caprice’s eyes filled with cold fury as she lowered her head, charging across the room and colliding with the Sylphyte, sending him flying across a table and spilling its contents onto him.

  “What in the six Abyss’s do you think you are doing?” Tarek yelled as he stood, covered in drink and soggy crumbs. He began storming towards her before Gorn stepped between them. The large Selchii towered over the Sylphyte, his visible displeasure causing the latter to squirm. “I-“ he started, trying to defend himself against Caprice’s attack.

  “No. She didn’t even give you half of what you deserve boy. We saw.” Everyone looked to Tarek as a murmur once again washed over the crowd and they tried to guess what would possess the teachers to allow one applicant to attack another. “I think they should see, don’t you. They’re the ones who’ll be putting their lives in your hands, so lets show them what yours do...” The stage where the Pro-Questers were seated lit up, an image of Party five and eight’s test appearing above their heads, as if it were being broadcasted on an invisible screen. The crowd huddled closer to the stage, trying to get a good view as they watched the test.

  They saw Kheeta vault across buildings, shouting for her teammates to run. She looked around the large room and several people ‘awed’ as the illusion of her cleared several more rooftops. Wow, I didn’t realize just how far apart those ledges were on the way back, the Kitsune mused, rather impressed with herself. She turned scanning the room for Tarek and found him being shadowed by the enormous Selchii, irritation and embarrassment contorting his normally aloof demeanor, and intimidation keeping him rooted in his spot. She turned back to the screen as the large dragon slithered up to meet them, she saw the fear leave Tarek and watched once again as he shoved Caprice into the dragon’s maw, causing the entire audience to gasp in shock before turning to glare at the boy; to which, he simply crossed his arms and glared back.

  “Oh what are you going on about it was just a test. She didn’t actually get hurt, and it saved me and Kheeta.” He raised his hands defensively, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

  “And that’s why you will not be a Quester this year Tarek,” Morla’s voice chimed in as the spider-woman descended on a long stringy web. “Sure this time it was a test, with illusions and no real danger… but once you reach the school, it’s not always illusions and the danger will be frequent.” She had reached the ground now and the crowd had begun murmuring about her recent revelation. “Dauntless Dungeon has no room for people who place themselves above the safety of their Party.”

  “But-“ He began before Gorn’s hand squeezed his shoulder, letting him know firmly that it wasn’t his turn to speak yet.

  “That’s why what I’m getting ready to do will be a first for us…” The Arachling paused for dramatic effect, looking around at the one-hundred gathered applicants. “Tarek, because of your actions during the placement exam, you have been disqualified for graduation.” The room exploded in shocked gasps and conversation as the Cleric’s face began to redden deeply. “I think that with further study, and a great deal of soul searching, you can be a great Quester… we look forward to seeing you next year!” Her voice had returned to its normal chipper tone and it seemed to infuriate Tarek even further.

  “Look here bug, I did what I had to do so that I could-“ Tarek was once again cut off, only this time it was by Golluk who strode forward angrily.

  “Master Tarek, I am ashamed by what I have seen and I know your father would be as well.” The Golem continued, standing mere feet from Morla and Gorn.

  “Shut up, you bucket of bolts, no one cares what you think, you’ll be coming home with me.” Tarek reached out to grab the iron man’s hand but he quickly pulled it away. “You forget yourself Golluk… you’re mine, and you’re coming with me!”

  As Tarek reached out again to grab him, Golluk pushed him away, knocking him off of his feet. “You need to learn respect!” Golluk was yelling now, something Kheeta would never expect from the s
oft spoken Warrior. “You have done nothing but insult our party and our instructors and I for one refuse to allow it to continue!”

  “Well you don’t have a choice because you’re just a stupid present, you belong to me.” Tarek’s tone was snider than usual, which surprised Kheeta because she didn’t think that was possible.

  “Actually Tarek, when Golluk signed his entrance papers, he was granted his own agency over his life. Golluk has the same rights as every other Rehspiran now.” Gorn corrected with a snarky smile splitting his shark-like face.

  “Oh you think that I’m just going to leave and let this stan-“ A thick patch of webbing connected with his mouth muffling the rest of his sentence and causing his eyes to widen in shock.

  Before anyone could process what had happened, Morla began spinning Tarek in a circle with her extra legs; the Cleric becoming encased in a cocoon of webbing rather quickly. Morla muttered a few words that Kheeta couldn’t quite make out, and then suddenly the wiggling mass of webbing went still and fell to the ground, empty… Tarek was gone.

  The crowded room was awash with noise and commotion causing Kheeta’s ears to twitch back and forth, her tails joining in as her anxiety reached a boiling point. The loud crash of a gong shocked her and the rest of the room into sudden silence as Pip yelled to get their attention.

  “Thanks Morla,” he said saluting to the spider as she took her seat. “Now, how would the rest of you like to move on to the test results?” A brief roar of excitement overtook the crowd again, before silencing and allowing the Bard to continue. “If you take your assigned seats you will find a personalized scroll. This scroll contains the scores from all your tests, as well as notations from each Pro quester on what you could improve upon. Now-“

  Pip was cut short as a blue and orange Fungee near the stage unraveled their papers and disappeared in a soft puff of white and blue smoke, leaving behind a cold mist and the musky smell of wet soil.

  “Well fine then… ruin my moment,” Pip exclaimed, mocking offense and a pouting expression, before continuing. “As I was saying, there are three possibilities: you will either succeed in being accepted into the class of your choosing, in which case you will line up before the corresponding Pro.” Several shimmering rope blockades appeared, separating the Classes into lines. “The second option is that you did not meet your desired goal,” he paused for dramatic effect as usual, looking over the crowd of worried faces, “however, the second option means you were also accepted by another Pro. In which case, you can choose to take on a different Class.” That must be why I still had to take the other tests, Kheeta thought to herself as Pip continued. “The final possibility, as you all just saw, is that you will not be asked to join us at Dauntless Dungeon this year. This is not to say that you did not do well… there were many incredible applicants this year. For those that are not accepted we hope that you will take our advisements to heart and return next year to try again. Now, go on and open your results!”

  Kheeta looked around the room as several people giddily jumped up to get in line, obviously having passed their preferred class. Some walked forward with a disappointed smile, while others simply vanished filling the room with the crisp smell of the waterfall. I’m too nervous to open it… Kheeta moaned internally as she stared at the scroll through her two bushy tails.

  Around her, Bartlebee and Aurora clasped hands as they bounced up and down; while Golluk stood nearby, his ethereal blue mist glowing brightly with pride. Well it looks like everyone else in the Party passed… She looked down at her own scroll and took a deep breath, pulling on the binding string; she squeezed her eyes shut as it unrolled, preparing herself to feel a cool mist settle on her fur, but to her surprise it didn’t come. Kheeta slowly peered between her lashes.

  “Oh…oh my God’s,” Kheeta gasped her mouth agape as she stared down at the paper in her hand. Aurora and Bartlebee quickly turned, worry crossing their faces.

  “What is it, what’s wrong?” Bartlebee asked jumping onto the chair and looking over her shoulder.

  Congratulations Kheeta!

  …

  You have passed your Mage’s exam and have been accepted into Dauntless Dungeon Academy!

  …

  Below is the summary of your test results, please select your specialty and proceed to the Pro-Quester of your choice.

  …

  RESULTS

  Mage’s Exam: Pass + Bonus Objective

  Class: Invoker or Witch Doctor

  Warrior Exam: Pass

  Class: Barbarian or Monk or Champion

  Bard Exam: Pass

  Class: Artist or Musician

  Cleric Exam: Fail

  Rogue Exam: Fail

  Party Coordination Exam: Pass + Bonus Objective

  “Wow Kheeta, that’s awesome! We even passed the same number of tests,” Bartlebee continued as he patted her shoulder. “Are you going to stick with Mage?”

  She looked back and smiled at him, “of course, I wouldn’t be able to stay with you guys otherwise. What about all of you?” She asked as they began walking to the lines.

  “Well Aurora could pick from any class she wants,” Bartlebee answered shooting the Florae a jealous look, “but yea, we’re all staying with our first pick. Lets meet back up at the table when we’re done signing up, then we can go get some lunch.” He hollered as he hurried to his line, his excitement showing in each bouncing step.

  “I agree with Bartlebee,” Aurora piped up as she held her stomach, “lets hurry so we can get some food, I’m starving!”

  Kheeta waved to her friends before proceeding to her spot in the Mage’s line. She watched as people in each line spoke with the Pro-Quester for a minute or two and then left to take their seats again. She looked around at her line as it slowly moved forward and realized scenes from each student’s test were being projected above the Pro-Quester as they spoke with them. Looking to the Rogue’s line next to her; she watched as a green and red Froeggart walked into the cavern with the Venova Dente and chest. As it came into view Kheeta shuddered, thinking back to when it had eaten her. Focusing on the projection, the frogman walked around the edges of the plant, mumbling to himself quietly as he did, careful not to wake it from it’s slumber. Crossing to the opposite side of the room he took off his shoes and began stretching, before shooting off into a bouncing sprint and launching himself through the air. As he neared the end of the room he stuck to the wall midway up, and began to climb, his sticky hands and feet finding footing easily. As he neared the ceiling he flipped around to face the room below him; his tongue quickly darted out, and attached itself to the roof behind the monstrous plant. Readying himself, he leapt off the ceiling and swung over to where his tongue has landed. His wide mouth slid into a smile as he slowly lowered himself to the chest that was now below him. As he gracefully landed on it a bright light lit up the screen and his test ended.

  Wow, that was so easy for him Kheeta thought jealously as she looked onward to the next line, where a Arachling stood before Pip. Glancing up at the screen she saw the spider-boy rapidly drawing a bow across his violin strings as the image of Pip beamed. Kheeta took a few steps forward and let her gaze wander to the next line, disappointed she couldn’t hear the Bard’s song over the hum of the crowd.

  Settling her eyes on the Warrior’s screen Kheeta watched as a Lycarion strained under the weight of a collapsed home, a small gap revealing the trapped the family. His body froze as his ears swiveled and lifted his nose to the air, he needs to hurry, the Goblins should be there any second. The Lycarion kneeled and placed his shield under the beam like a make-shift lever. The group of Goblins turned the corner and he began barking orders his large muscles straining against his shield, and one eye continually darting towards the rushing group.

  The mother and daughter managed to crawl out from under the beam as the first Goblin reached them. The wolf-man’s reflexes were fast enough to get the shield out from under the burning beam and raised to block the short sword arcing fo
r his head. Lifting his shield he forced the Goblin’s arm to do the same, leaving its chest wide open. The Warrior swung his flail with all of his might crushing the Goblin’s sternum with a loud crack. The green corpse flew backwards into his two companions forcing them to pause for a brief moment. Shoving his fallen ally to the side the second enemy rushed at the Lycarion, who simply raised his shield to be ready, his grey fur shimmering in the firelight. A loud clang rang out as the shield deflected another sword blow, only this time the Warrior decided to swipe in a downwards right swing, his flail wrapping itself tightly around the Goblin’s leg. With a swift yank his enemy was pulled off of its feet, and a second lightning quick strike from the flail made quick work of the thick skull between it and the ground. Yes! He did it… who is this guy? Kheeta found herself thinking as her cheeks began to heat. A yelp turned her attention back to the screen, a second arrow finding it’s mark into the attractive boy’s shoulder. Kheeta gasped audibly, her hand instinctively covering her mouth as she watched with baited breath. The Lycarion snarled loudly before throwing his shield and flail to the ground, what is he doing? Kheeta’s question was answered almost as soon as it was thought; the Warrior jumped towards his attacker, throwing his full weight upon him, and sending them both crashing to the ground. The projection screen went red as the student began slashing at the Goblin’s chest with his bare claws, ferocious snarling finishing out the clip.