Dungeon Dive

by Rohan M Vider

  “Understood, sir,” said Talia, expressionless.

  “Good. All ready, then? Remember, Lyra can only keep the portal open a short time, and once you have travelled, you’re on your own. We will not be able to relocate you or send reinforcements, especially once you leave the range of Lyra’s travelling.” He stared at the two champions and captain in turn to make sure each understood.

  Aveyad ducked his head. His grin returned in anticipation of the great adventure that awaited. Finally, the endless months of training were at end, and at last he could put all he had learned to use, for Crotana and his God, Eld.

  Satisfied with their nods, the marshall said, “Form up your party, Talia. They will enter first. Good luck, and may Eld be with you.”

  Game Data

  Galian’s Profile (Condensed)

  Name: Galian Lifaren. Level: 36.

  Player type: Basic player, vassal to Calistra Silvan.

  Race: Elf. Health: 450 / 450.

  Stamina: 800 / 800. Will: 670 / 670. Essence: 640 / 640.

  Attack: 72 (piercing).

  Defences (physical / psi / spell): 55 / 36 / 36.

  Class: Mountain ranger (rank II, apprentice).

  Elias’ Profile (Condensed)

  Name: Elias Silanlof. Level: 39.

  Player type: Basic player, vassal to Calistra Silvan.

  Race: Elf. Health: 500 / 500.

  Stamina: 850 / 850. Will: 630 / 630. Essence: 800 / 800.

  Attack: 78 (piercing).

  Defences (physical / psi / spell): 60 / 39 / 39.

  Class: Mountain ranger (rank II, apprentice).

  Lera’s Profile (Condensed)

  Name: Lera Vaynal. Level: 34.

  Player type: Basic player, vassal to Calistra Silvan.

  Race: Elf. Health: 402 / 402.

  Stamina: 900 / 900. Will: 600 / 600. Essence: 600 / 600.

  Attack: 68 (piercing).

  Defences (physical / psi / spell): 52 / 34 / 34.

  Class: Mountain ranger (rank II, apprentice).

  Alok’s Profile (Condensed)

  Name: Alok Silmoon. Level: 31.

  Player type: Basic player, vassal to Calistra Silvan.

  Race: Elf. Health: 360 / 360.

  Stamina: 820 / 820. Will: 500 / 500. Essence: 690 / 690.

  Attack: 62 (piercing).

  Defences (physical / psi / spell): 47 / 31 / 31.

  Class: Mountain ranger (rank II, apprentice).

  Chapter 3

  Players. Loved by multitudes, envied by some, and hated by others. They are the ‘chosen’ ones, mortals selected by the Gods to be their direct representatives in the Game. They are instantaneously granted gifts—knowledge and skills—the likes of which would take us norms, the derogative term by which the Game labels us non-players, years to accumulate. Players view the world, our world, as a ‘game’ in which to gain levels, and grow in power, by slaying foes and monsters.

  Yet, I say they are to be pitied. For the Gods’ ‘gifts’ are not without stipulations. In exchange for the wondrous benefits they receive, players must surrender their freedom and bind their spirits with pledges of loyalty or oaths of fealty.

  Pawns—that is what they are. No more. —Dagzid, Brotherhood scholar.

  Aveyad stepped out onto the dusty slopes of the Skarral mountains. The region was wild and barren. The closest civilisation, Wyvern Peak, was ten days northwest. The portal had opened onto a narrow valley that ran from north to south. He scanned the encroaching mountains. Empty. Behind him, the rest of the company flowed out of the portal, which was a blue-grey tear in reality that hovered a foot off the ground.

  He glanced at Talia next to him. His new commander. Might as well get used to it, he thought. With a tight smile, he asked, “Do we camp here for the night?”

  Talia was studying the mountain peaks and failed to see his pained expression as he forced the words out. Otherwise she would surely have something biting to say, he thought. She shook her head absently. Her thoughts appeared to be far away. Likely planning the next steps of the journey. “No, the dungeon is still a week away. I want to cover as much ground as we can before we settle down for the night. We march north.”

  She turned to the rangers. “Corporal, deploy your men in a screen around the company, and scout out the trail north to the dungeon.” Galian snapped off a salute and, pulling along his squad, hurried away. Talia strode towards the dwarven captain, while Aveyad trailed behind.

  The captain, with much bellowing and cursing, was forming up his company—one hundred swearing, grumbling, and boisterous dwarves.

  Aveyad winced at the racket. Good thing we don’t have any need for secrecy, he thought. The company of dwarven heavy infantry could not enter the dungeon with the party, yet their role was just as vital to the mission. It was their purpose to safeguard the shipment of essence crystals the convoy carried north, and to protect the champions. While the king and the marshall did not expect the party to encounter any problems, champions were too valuable a resource to leave unguarded.

  Talia waved, pulling the captain’s attention away from a particularly recalcitrant solider he was berating. “Captain, will you see to the order of the march?”

  The captain glanced from her to the elves dashing off. “Aye, Champion. You wish to push on into the night?” he asked.

  Talia nodded. “I want to make up what distance we can tonight. Can your men handle another few hours of marching?”

  The captain snorted. “They’re dwarves. They’ll march all night if they need to.”

  Talia shook her head. “Not necessary. We push hard, but at a pace we can sustain over a week. I do not want the men worn to the bone and unable to fight.”

  “Understood, Champion. I will see to it.” He returned to roaring at his men while Talia marched off on another errand.

  Aveyad, left alone, and bereft of responsibilities, marvelled at the activity around him. Talia had been swift and decisive. In mere minutes, she had stamped her authority on the company and got them moving in good order. Would he have managed as well, he wondered? Feeling redundant, he shuffled into his place in the line as the company marched north.

  ✽✽✽

  High above, in the peaks that overlooked one of the few passable routes north from Crota, the sharp eyes of a saurian scout spied the sudden dust cloud that billowed from the valley floor. He was too far to pick out any details, but a cloud that size meant only one thing.

  It was as Champion Meryl had suspected. The enemy attempted to re-supply Wyvern Peak by land. He nudged his fellow—who was asleep in the nest they had carved out for their lookout post—awake.

  “What?” hissed Loral irritably.

  Kroz flicked his tail forward, pointing. “Look. Crotans.”

  Loral snapped forward, yellowed orbs fixating onto the dust cloud. “When did they appear?”

  “Just now.”

  “A portal?”

  “Has to be. There is no dust trail from the south.”

  Loral nodded. He contemplated their next move. This was an unlooked for opportunity. They were sure to be rewarded, but only if they did not bungle matters.

  “Should we contact the commander?” asked Kroz.

  “Not yet,” hissed Loral. “We don’t know enough. Champion Meryl will want to know their numbers. We need to get closer. We will count them out, then report.”

  ✽✽✽

  Aveyad woke to the sound of shouted whispers. It felt like only a moment before that he had set his head on his pallet. The company had marched well into the night, finally breaking for camp close to midnight. He focused inward and queried his Game interface. It had only been two hours.

  He raised his head and saw Thadeak and Galian, crouched on the far end of the camp while in animated discussion with rangers, Elias and Alok. The captain gestured to something in the distance, to which Elias shook his head in denial.

  The object of their confrontation was hidden from Aveyad’s sight. He looked to his left. Talia was
sitting up, watching the conversation with obvious curiosity. She met Aveyad’s gaze. “Let’s go see what the fuss is about, shall we?”

  Talia’s wicked grin did not bode well for the captain and corporal. Whatever their cause for concern, he was sure that it was a matter over which they should have consulted the champions—the nominal heads of this expedition. And, he admitted to himself, if we were more experienced, they likely would have. Somehow, though, he doubted Talia would be so generous in her assessment. She was sure to take offense at what she would view as an infringement of her authority. Aveyad groaned. Already, he regretted waking up. The impending conflict would not be pleasant.

  The rest of the camp was asleep. Talia and Aveyad crawled around the slumbering forms to join the dwarf and three elves. At the champions’ approach, the four fell silent and rose from their crouches. Tight lipped and silent, Talia pushed past them to the crest, and looked out. Aveyad joined her and gazed out as well to see what had piqued their interest.

  The crest overlooked the western range as it stretched down from north to south. Darkness shrouded the mountain. He spun essence into his eyes and enhanced his vision with truesight. The mountain swam into focus, and he ran his gaze searchingly over its empty slopes. Nothing was out there. He scratched his head. So what were they looking at?

  Talia turned back to the four and folded her arms. Her gaze jumped from one to the other before coming to rest on the captain and corporal. She let the silence build uncomfortably before she said, “Someone wants to tell me what is going on?”

  The two exchanged glances. The corporal hung his head sheepishly, while the captain looked away, refusing to meet Talia’s gaze. Aveyad’s eyebrows flicked up in surprise. Why are they so nervous?

  Eventually, the dwarf fell to muttering half-heard imprecations. At Talia’s withering look, he stopped. Then raising his voice, he said, “Something is out there.” He stuck out one thick digit at Elias. “Or so this elf thinks.”

  With that, he fell silent. Talia waited for him to go on. When he didn’t, she let out an exasperated breath. “And? What is it?”

  The captain grunted. “Nothing.”

  Talia looked from the dwarf to the rangers, her eyes wide with disbelief. Each one studiously avoided her gaze. “Nothing?” she asked, incredulous. “Then why are you four here, arguing over nothing?”

  Aveyad frowned, puzzled by the captain’s behaviour. What is he doing? He can’t be trying to ‘manage’ his new champions, can he? Because if he was, he was doing a very poor job of it. And he clearly knew little of Talia, if he thought he could deflect her with this approach. Aveyad could sense her fury build. The signs were easy to read, in her thinned lips, drubbing fingers and delicately raised brows. The captain had to be blind not to notice.

  The dwarf captain opened his mouth to reply, but Talia raised one finger to cut him off. “Not you.” She pointed to the corporal. “You. Explain.”

  The corporal shifted from foot to foot, and looked to the dwarf captain for guidance—which only served to infuriate Talia further. The captain shrugged. Offered no help from that quarter, the corporal blew out a troubled breath and said, “We found some tracks. Ogre spoor. Heading north but that’s not unusual, given that feral ogres infest the range. We don’t believe its anything to worry about.”

  The Skarral mountain range bordered Crotana to the north, west and south. Much of it was barren and inhospitable, at least to the sentient species of Myelad. The only civilised race that called the mountains home were the dwarves, and they lived under it. The remote reaches of the mountain were given over to beasts and half-sentient ferals, barbaric races, which Crotana ignored—as long as they did not venture into its populated valleys.

  Talia narrowed her eyes at Galian. The corporal shrunk under her gaze but did not elaborate further. Talia sighed. “Then why were you arguing?” she asked with exaggerated patience.

  The corporal gazed down at his feet, delaying. “There is some… disagreement as to the nature of the tracks.”

  “What disagreement?” demanded Talia, foot tapping dangerously now. Her frustration at the drip feed of information was so palpable that even the captain and corporal could not mistake it.

  Even so, the corporal hesitated again. Talia, Aveyad saw, was on the verge of losing patience. The corporal was making an even worse mess of this than the captain already had.

  “We disagree,” a new voice interrupted, “about the type of ogres that formed the tracks.” It was Elias, chin raised and arms folded. “Ferals are solitary. They don’t gather in the numbers indicated by the spoor.”

  Talia turned to him and took in his defiant posture. Remarkably, her anger appeared to cool. Aveyad was surprised at her sudden turnabout. The marshall’s parting words to her must have something to do with it. Before they entered the portal, Marshall Rolan had pulled Talia aside for a private word. Aveyad had not been party to the discussion, but from the many glances they had cast Elias’ way during the conversation, he assumed it had to do with the old ranger. What had the marshall said to her? he wondered.

  Talia said, “Do you mean… that these may not be ferals?” Elias gave a short, curt nod.

  “If not ferals, then what?” she persisted.

  Before Elias could reply, Captain Thadeak interrupted. “Bah! What does it matter what ogres it is? It does not change our mission.”

  Talia opened her mouth to respond. Before she could, however, Aveyad entered the conversation. Seeking to defuse the tension, he asked, “Where exactly are these tracks?” The ground below the crest was barren rock. And though he was no tracker, he did not believe that even the rangers could find spoor in that granite surface.

  Elias pointed west. “About an hour’s journey that way.”

  Corporal Galian heaved a sigh as the nugget of information he had tried so hard to conceal was revealed.

  Aveyad’s brows drew together in consternation. “Why were our scouts so far afield?”

  Silence.

  “Well?” asked Talia, looking at the corporal once more. “Are you going to answer him?”

  Again, it was Elias that answered. “Sometimes when I cannot sleep… I wander.”

  Now the picture became clearer. It was Elias who had arrived drunk for their muster at Crota and Elias, who was much older than one would expect for an apprentice. Did the corporal and captain doubt his report? Was that behind their reluctance to share the information?

  “Has anyone else seen these tracks?” he asked.

  Another heavy silence confirmed his suspicion. So, only Elias had seen the mysterious spoor. Why had the marshall saddled them with him? And how to handle this matter delicately? He shot a glance at Talia but she failed to notice. Her lips were pursed in thought as she scrutinised the ranger.

  While Aveyad pondered on a solution, the thus-far-silent Alok stepped forward. “I have not seen the tracks, but I trust Elias’ judgement. He is the best tracker in the ranger corps.” The corporal bowed his head. Aveyad wondered if it was because he disagreed with Alok. Or perhaps it was because he had not been the one to support his trooper.

  Talia considered Alok for a moment before she swung back to face Elias. The old ranger braced himself for a dressing down. “What is your assessment, Elias?”

  Talia’s soft-spoken words caught the ranger—and Aveyad—off-guard. Talia was usually the last to suffer fools. Why is she humouring Elias? he wondered. The ranger blinked. His mouth worked soundlessly before he regained enough composure to answer.

  “The tracks are in a ravine to the west. They are deeper and fuller than usual, as if the ogres were weighed down. By my count there were ten, a full squad. At first I thought they hunted us, but the tracks headed north, not east. I followed them for a ways. After a mile or so, they crossed those of another party—more ogres, ten strong as well.” He paused, considering his next words carefully. “My guess is that both squads are part of a larger force. One heading north towards Wyvern Peak.”

  Captain Thade
ak thrust out his chin belligerently. “Even if what the elf says is true, that force is too far away for us to do anything about.” He smacked a closed fist against open hand. “I say our best course of action is still—”

  Talia held up her hand. “What do you suggest, Elias?”

  This time the ranger did not hesitate. “An organised force of ogres is cause for concern. I believe we should follow the tracks to determine the ogres true numbers. They may be the bigger threat to Wyvern Peak.”

  “Impossible!” snapped Corporal Galian. “We will lose days tracking them, and our timetable has little room for error as it is.”

  “Not to mention it defies our orders from the king himself,” growled the dwarf. “If we go off on a goose chase, Wyvern Peak will not get the crystals it needs. And then where would we be?” He spat in disgust, demonstrating what he thought of such a course.

  Elias glared at the dwarf, though he did not contradict the captain’s assessment. Aveyad, appalled that Talia even considered the notion, added, “Talia, surely you don’t—”

  Talia held up her hand for silence once more. “Gentlemen, please. I agree with everything you say, but Elias has a point as well. If a force of ogres marches on Wyvern Peak, we cannot allow the fort to be taken by surprise. We are duty-bound to do otherwise.”

  “If, Champion. If. We have no proof that such a force even exists,” objected Captain Thadeak, not swayed by Talia’s reasoning.

  Talia threw up her hands. “How can we obtain confirmation if we refuse to investigate?” she demanded, glaring at the captain until he looked away. The others remained silent, acknowledging the truth of her words.

  “What then do you suggest, Champion?” asked Galian.

  Talia took a calming breath. She said, “We split the party. Elias and Alok will head west to track the ogres and confirm their numbers.” She raised her chin. “And I will accompany them.” At this a flurry of protest erupted.