Super Dungeon Series
The King’s Summons
by Adam Glendon Sidwel and Zachary James
The Forgotten King
by D. W. Vogel
The Glauerdoom Moor
by David J. West
The Dungeons of Arcadia
by Dan Al en
The Midnight Queen
by Christopher Keene
The Glauerdoom Moor
Cover and Interior Il ustrations © 2019 Soda Pop Miniatures
Characters contained in the text © 2019 Soda Pop Miniatures
Al text, excluding characters © 2019 David J. West
Published by Future House Publishing LLC under license from Soda Pop Miniatures. Al rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from Future House Publishing at
[email protected].
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: 978-1-944452-86-5 (Paperback)
Super Dungeon created by Chris Birkenhagen, John Cadice, and Deke Stel a
Series story development by Zachary James
Developmental editing by Emma Hoggan
Line editing by Britny Enos and Isabelle Tatum
Copy editing by Sydnie Brewster
Proofreading by Alicia Davis and Ahnasariah Larsen
Interior design by Ahnasariah Larsen
For Madeline
Contents
MAP
Chapter 1: The Trap
Chapter 2: The Mission
Chapter 3: The Shortcut
Chapter 4: The Spirit Path
Chapter 5: The Moor
Chapter 6: The Will-o’-Wisp
Chapter 7: The Camp
Chapter 8: The Witch Wealds
Chapter 9: Stilt Town
Chapter 10: Battle
Chapter 11: The Sunken Tower
Chapter 12: The Wizard
Chapter 13: Von Drakk Manor
Chapter 14: And Then There Were None
Chapter 15: The Offer
Chapter 16: The Gamble
Chapter 17: The Rescue
Chapter 18: The Mirror
Acknowledgments
About the Author
MAP
Chapter 1: The Trap
The clock at the top of the tower boomed upon the midnight hour. The echo of the clock
enveloped Sai while she climbed the moss-covered walls. It was an imposing tower, over a hundred
feet high, and she was only halfway up. The sheer walls were a challenge like none other that Sai had
faced—that anyone had faced, really. They were impossible to climb. But not for Sai; she was the
best.
Finding out about the Scarlet Heart jewel had been a surprise. Turlough, her best street rat of
an informant, was only supposed to relay information about the grand vizier’s vault. “The vault has
five hundred Crowns ready for the taking, down on Highbrow Street.”
“How many guards?” Sai asked.
“Only two guards who usual y sleep on the job, it wil be easy money. A whole lot easier than
stealing the Scarlet Heart from that mage, the one visiting King Jasper. Too bad,” he said, “it’s
beyond your capability of stealing.”
“Who do you think you’re talking to?” snapped Sai, as she rubbed her horns for effect. She was
proud of the short, white pointy things. It made her feel like she always had a crown.
Turlough gulped. “It’s nothing personal, love. I’m just saying it’s too bad. The Scarlet Heart is
already safely locked within the Tower of the Octopus. There’s no way anyone could get to it. Not
even you.”
“Don’t call me ‘love’ again.”
“Sorry, Boss Lady,” he said, sweat running down his face.
From the window of their dingy meeting place, Sai could see the Tower of the Octopus. It
stabbed into the sky almost as high as the royal palace itself. But this tower stood alone, a single
citadel with slick, sloping walls culminating in a large circular chamber topped with a witches-peak
roof and, of course, a clock and its booming bel . Finely engraved wooden beams stood out from
the top, curving in eight opposing directions: hence the name, since it did resemble an octopus.
Some great wizard had made it in elder days. What was his name? Iskalos? Sai tried to remember. It didn’t matter; what mattered was the jewel. The Scarlet Heart. She liked the sound of that. She liked the challenge of being the one thief to have ever scaled the formidable tower and made off with its
treasure. The hardest thing would be finding a buyer who could afford the precious jewel.
“Well, I’l tel you what I know, though I think it’s a death trap,” said Turlough.
Sai snapped her fingers at him. “If I want your opinion, I’l steal it from you. Keep it to what you know.”
Turlough gulped again. “Look, I’ve seen you steal and I’ve seen you fight. You’re no one I
would ever want to be on the bad side of.”
“Thanks,” she answered, rol ing her deep red eyes.
“I’m not done yet. You’re quick with your blades and there’s no Riftling alive that can do what
you do. You’re the best.”
Sai played with a lock of her ashy hair. “You forgot vain. What is your point, Turlough?”
“I got a bad feeling about the tower. I want you to leave it alone.”
She glared at him. “Why? So one of the other thieves’ guilds can do it? Oh no! If this jewel is
half as fantastic as you say, it’s mine for the taking! Tel me everything you know.”
Turlough continued, “Wel , this mage, I think his name is Landros the Magnificent.”
“Never heard of him.”
“Yeah, me neither `til yesterday. He bought the jewel from a family in Glauerdoom Moor.”
Sai cringed. “Ugh, that’s a place I’l be happy to never visit.”
“I know, right? Wel , Landros got the jewel from one of the great old families there that needed
the money. Crowns are hard to come by all over.”
“Stick to facts, not your personal problems.”
“Yes ma’am. It’s supposed to be a gift for King Jasper from this Landros. Maybe he wants to
become a court wizard? Maybe it’s his way of saying he’s sorry Princess Amethyst was kidnapped?”
Turlough quit speaking and held out his hand for his fee.
Sai frowned. “I’m not paying for your opinion on common knowledge.”
“If it’s so common, how come you didn’t hear about it?” he said, smugly, then instantly
regretted it and stepped back a pace.
She sighed, wrapping her fingers across her folded arms. “Tel me something I don’t know.”
“Landros has not delivered the jewel yet. But it wil be under extreme guard within the Tower
of the Octopus. More than a dozen knights at the bottom and who knows how many more al the
way up that spiral staircase.”
“What else?”
“Probably some traps, a vault, or some special type of guardian. I don’t know what.” He
shrugged.
Sai felt like she was pulling teeth getting the information out of Turlough. Strange, he isn’t usually so close-lipped. But a girl has to make a living these days, doesn’t she? But this would be a big s
core, maybe the biggest she had yet pulled off.
She tossed him a gold Crown. “You forget we had this conversation,” she ordered. “Don’t tel
anyone you spoke to me about it.”
She was walking away when he mumbled after her. “Sai, please. I got a bad feeling about this.
I’m asking you to reconsider, just this once. Don’t do it.” He shook his head with the sorriest look
on his face she had ever seen.
Sai glanced him up and down and with a smirk said, “I have to, or life isn’t worth living.”
It took minimal time to get her gear together, and then she was climbing the Tower of the
Octopus. Its wal s were white and slick, but with her dragon-toe shoes she could slide the smal , flat claws into the tiny cracks between the stones and leverage herself up, one step at a time. If she had a good feeling about the cracks above, she would teleport herself about ten feet higher, letting the
claws dig into the cracks just enough to hold her, and then up she went again. It was tedious, but
better than fighting her way past a dozen guardsmen at the bottom and who knows how many up
the spiral staircase.
The moon was on its way down when Sai reached the top. She climbed onto one of the
tentacle-like projections and teleported herself from beam to beam, to look in the tower windows.
But only half of the tower had any windows; there were none on the north-facing side of the tower.
Curious. She would have to enter through those on the south side. She inched her way to the
shuttered windows, ever watchful. Nudging the shutter, she tested it, sensing for any sign of a trap.
Nothing. This might be easier than I thought. She pushed the shutter in and jumped down onto the landing below. Perhaps no one believed anyone could make that climb?
The room was bare, save for a few bits of furniture, a sagging bookcase, a locked chest, a desk,
and a huge suit of bizarre, rust-red armor. Sai had expected something grander, to say the least. But
there were stil two doors. One hung open, revealing a spiral staircase that dropped into darkness.
The other was barred with heavy wrought-iron bands and a massive lock that was fashioned to look
like an anthropomorphized face of an octopus.
The face plate on the suit of armor was open, exposing an empty hollow as she knocked on its
breast-plate. A dull thud, thud, thud revealed nothing except a slight showering of red dust. The bizarre armor was gargantuan, coated in rust, and had six arms, each holding a weapon of some
kind: sword, mace, flail, ax, club, and whip. The kind of creature that could have worn such a thing was beyond Sai’s reckoning. It must have belonged to some unholy chimera in ancient days.
A glance at the book case and desk revealed it was covered in dust and had not seen use in
some time. It couldn’t be in the treasure chest, could it? She picked the latch with ease, a skill that came natural y to her, and found nothing.
Sai searched the desk, the bookcase, and even glanced down the dark stairwel . Nothing. She
tried the locked door to find what lurked behind it. She moved a finger to touch the lock. It sparked
when she was less than an inch away.
Sai leaned back instinctively. She teleported faster than she thought possible. A whip of
crackling energy swung, trying to grasp her about the waist but caught only air. Sai was gone. Then
she was ten feet away, getting her bearings. The suit of armor had come to life! The rust-red golem
immediately corrected and reached for her with sword and ax. She dodged, jumping over and
ducking under the multiple arms flailing wildly at her. Sai backflipped away, then leapt onto the desk and ported away again just as three of the six weapons slammed down, smashing the desk to
kindling.
This golem isn’t a mindless automaton, it’s a deadly spel : a thing born of sorcery itself.
Rushing at her, the spidery knight had flecks of rust flaking from it. Sparks of energy crackled
within the armor, the source of its magical animation revealed. Lashing out, it sparked its electrical whip across the interior wal s of the tower, blackening the stones. Striking the bookcase, it sent the books flying, pages burning.
The Scarlet Heart jewel must be worth more than Sai imagined for it to warrant this powerful
of a guardian . . . but she didn’t want to just port into a room she couldn’t see; she might land herself right into a nest of spikes or a vat of acid. No good porting where I can’t see— doing that could get me kil ed.
Sai had to at least get a look through the keyhole first.
She ported up to the window ledge. Would the rust knight follow her out? Scuttling along the
floor, it came closer, reaching for her.
Sai went back out the window, careful y balancing along the extending tentacle beam. She
stepped to the far edge of the beam, more than fifteen feet out into the open air, a hundred feet
from the ground below. The rusty golem followed, gripping the window sil and pulling its massive
bulk after her.
“Come and get me, brute,” she taunted.
It smashed through the sil , barely fitting out the gap left in the stonework. It pulled free arm by arm, just like a spider coming out a trapdoor. Then it stood, sightless, though it seemed to be
readying its vast array of weapons.
Sai was grateful it didn’t have a crossbow.
It stepped closer. Not as awkwardly as she would have liked but slow and easy. Soon enough,
its whip could reach her. Another step and its arms upraised, ready to strike with the sword and ax
too. She would be vulnerable to al of its devastating attacks at once.
Sai ported behind it and shoved. It was like trying to move a city. It didn’t budge.
“Oh boy.”
Its legs still faced forward, but the entire six-armed body swung around to face her. Red eyes
glared in the shadow of the helm.
Sai ported away, just as the multitude of blades slammed down into the wood where she had
just stood. This time she put herself up on the sloping roof of the tower. She backed up slowly as
the rust golem approached. The whip shot out and stung her exposed kneecap. Sai cried out in pain
but gritted her teeth, more determined than ever to triumph. Time to get mean.
She ported onto the thing’s shoulders and battered her twin daggers at its faceplate. These did
no damage at al , but did get its attention.
It swung its sword, ax, and mace at her. She ported away, letting the rust knight bash half its
head in. She attacked its legs, doing no damage, but ported away as it slammed its weapons after her
again, knocking itself off balance. It slowly started to tip. Sai ported back to its shoulder, helping it lean over the brink. Too mindless to catch itself, it brought its ax up to strike her and she was gone again. It finished the job of crushing its own helm and then fel , silent, into the night.
Silent, at least until it hit the ground in a clatter of metal and a bil owing of rust. That was loud enough to wake the entire city, Sai thought. She had to be quick.
She bolted back inside and got to work on the locked door. Since there wasn’t a thousand-
pound behemoth attacking her, the door came easy now with her lockpicking skil s. It swung open
on creaking hinges.
A small lamp barely lit the dark room. Sai peered through the darkness and sucked in a shocked
breath when her eyes focused.
Hatch, the dogged royal warden of the king, stood before her. He stared at Sai, a lopsided grin
on his stubbled face.
“Hello, Sai. We need to talk.”
Chapter 2: The Mission
“I’ve got nothing to
say to you,” Sai snarled.
“Real y? How about you just listen then.” Hatch offered her a seat.
“I think I’ll be going. I’m not going to play games with you,” she said, turning to go.
A handful of guardsmen with crossbows crowded into the chamber.
So many arrows, even with my abilities, I’d stil probably get hit by one of them.
His tone changed from friendly to menacing in an instant. “You’l sit and hear me out. It’s
important. No tricks.”
She frowned but remained where she was. “Do you want to gloat about how you’ve wanted to
capture me for months? Wel , now you’ve done it. Bravo, Hatch, bravo.”
“Thank you. But this was al so we could talk.”
“So, talk.”
“I’m going to offer you the possibility of being pardoned of al past crimes and thefts.”
“I thought you said you wouldn’t play games with me.”
He shook his head. “I’m not joking. Something important has happened and I want you to be
part of the solution.”
“Why me?”
He gave her that lop-sided grin again. “Because you are the best at what you do. You’re able to
get into anything, avoid traps like no one else can.”
“Not always apparently,” Sai said, as she glanced at the guardsmen and their crossbows.
“Just to speak face to face with you took more effort than you can imagine. I had to bribe your
man, Turlough, an awful lot.”
“That weasel! I’l string him up by his thumbs!”
“Let it go. This is important.”
She cocked her head. “What are you talking about?”
Hatch stood up and motioned for his guardsmen. “You will come with me. You will be civil
and courteous.” He guided her down the curling steps of the tower. “You will listen, and you will
accept the proposition if you don’t want to rot in a dungeon. It’s more than a fair bargain.”
“Where are we going?” She looked behind her at the looming guardsmen. They al looked like
they would be more than happy to use their weapons on her.
“Trust me,” said Hatch, as he put a black cloth sack over her head. “This is so you don’t port away. I need you to listen to everything.”
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