by J. T. Wright
Soldier Ants crawled up from holes in the ground to defend their monarch, and Trent hacked at them in passing. Each blow crushed an insect as he made his way to the downed Guardian. Sorrow fell into his free hand, and Trent fed Spiritual Flame into the soul-bound knife. The knife’s edge burned white from the intensity of the Charm that Trent fed Mana to unceasingly.
The Ant Queen tried to skitter away, summoning her troops and trying to cast her Skills. Trent slashed at her, his sword cutting away two legs. The Queen teetered and snapped with her mandibles while Trent weaved his way around her, hacking at her body. The Guardian’s Defense was high. Trent’s blade left gashes that looked gruesome, but no blood or ichor flowed.
Felicia and Kerry joined the fight, concentrating on the Soldier Ants and staying far away from the enraged Swordsman. Kerry’s flail and shield pushed back the lesser minions, and Felicia’s Spells roasted the reinforcements that kept exiting from holes in the walls. Dreq wavered between helping the duo and clinging to Trent’s side, ultimately deciding his teeth were better suited to dealing with the Soldiers.
Trent noticed his companion’s efforts in an absent way. He kicked the bodies of slain Ants away and continued backing the Queen into a corner. He aimed for the fragile joints of the Guardian’s limbs, seeking to destroy her mobility. He fought in a blind rage, trying to dispel the knot in his chest, the fury that had overcome him.
It was the actions of the Queen that finally returned Trent’s sanity. Energy built between her antennae and lashed out at him, forcing Trent to give up his assault. He threw himself to the side. The bolt of sizzling power struck his sword, nearly tearing it from his grip. Trent backpedaled a few steps from the force, grimacing at the scorch marks that marred his blade.
Seeing her foe reeling, the Ant Queen prepared another blast to finish him. Trent lunged forward, twisting as his sword slashed through an antenna, severing it. For half a second, Trent thought he had succeeded in preventing the insect’s attack. Then the built-up energy detonated outwards.
Trent crossed his blades and activated Block in a futile attempt to stop the magic explosion. His Skill broke, leaving him dazed as he was flung backward, like a leaf in the wind. He maintained the presence of mind to relax his body and roll when he hit the ground. His sword returned to its ring form, and Sorrow dropped from his hand.
Trent lifted himself to one knee, his sight blurry. The Ant Queen could have tackled him with little resistance at that moment had she been able. Having had three legs, a pair of wings, and an antenna severed, the pain the Trial Beast was in left her stunned. Adding to her misery, her Spell exploding directly overhead had slammed her head to the stone.
Trent let fly with three darts, and shook his head when two missed and the third pinged off the Silver Ant’s carapace without scoring it. He rose to his feet, his sword flickering back into his hand. Strife, in the form of a hatchet, was plucked from his belt, and Trent advanced on the Guardian, more cautious this time.
He circled around the Beast until he was at her rear and struck at her legs again. The Ant tottered away, whirling to bite at him, then falling back when Trent threatened to fill her mouth with steel. Her instincts told her to fly high and unleash magic from above. The wings laying on the ground a few feet away stirred as if they sensed her intent ,though it was more likely that the motion was caused by the backlash from the Fireball Felicia cast into a group of the Queen’s protectors.
Robbed of her mobility, the insect Beast might still have had a chance against Kerry or Felicia. She was a floor Guardian, blessed with regeneration Skills and power that her subjects did not have. Even crippled, she was more dangerous than anything else on the second floor.
If only Trent would realize that. There was no respect in the way he deployed Skilled slashes and hacked at the same points on her body with unerring accuracy. The rage he felt had not faded, but it no longer burned hot. A simmering anger fueled his blows, and rational thought was guiding his actions.
The Guardian turned to the side to avoid absorbing a third slash on a weakened area of her exoskeleton and lost a fourth leg for her efforts. That was the end for her. Trent pivoted and hacked to remove the last two limbs, and the Queen collapsed. Sword and axe crashed against her in a slow, relentless rhythm. The Swordsman she fought might have been replaced by a wood cutter or laborer for all she was able to resist.
When the Guardian’s head rolled away, the stone ground sparked as Trent’s sword struck it. He stepped back, shoulders and chest heaving. There was no sensation of victory. He felt no accomplishment or pride. His feelings were a mess of hot and cold waves.
When she was alive, the Queen’s Soldier Ants had come forth in three-minute intervals. Felicia and Kerry had barely managed to keep pace with the swarm of minions. There were five left when the monarch fell. Dreq paralyzed them with a howl and Kerry bellowed, his flail cracking the armor of the helpless insects one after another.
“That’s the last of them,” Felicia addressed Kerry as his head swept from side to side, looking for another target. Kerry heaved a sigh of relief and allowed the chain of his flail to retract. His borrowed shield became a black iron ring once more, and he removed his helm to wipe the sweat from his face.
“I'm not sure I have enough XP to level up,” Kerry said to the wall, refusing to look at any of his companions. “I can check if you two think that’s for the best.”
He didn’t tell them that he was terrified of what the next floor would bring. He had lost a gauntlet getting to this Guardian. The armor on his legs had done its job during this fight, but his greaves had been damaged beyond repair in several places. If this continued, he would soon be fighting naked.
No one answered him, and Kerry’s head hung low while he waited for judgment to fall on him. When a gloved hand pried open his clenched fist and deposited a coin in it, he looked up. Trent had removed his cowl and was staring at him.
There was no emotion, no recrimination or pity in his violet eyes or Trent’s voice when he said, “Do what you have to do. That’s the second gold. We have enough copper and Beast cores to make up the third, I think. You can go back and level up.”
Trent passed two Return Scrolls to Felicia. Her hand shook as she took them. It had been doing that ever since she had started casting Fire Spells. Her face was white and covered with sweat, plastering her hair to her scalp. She tried to make her voice firm when she spoke, but there was a hitch in it that was hard to miss.
“Two more scrolls and a gold piece.” She swallowed and gratefully took the water skin that Trent handed her. Her canteen was buried in her Storage pouch. Not the first time she thought she should find a more convenient way of carrying it.
“It’s getting harder, but the rewards are still too much.” Felicia took a second drink and sent a burst of Mana into the skin to refill it before passing it back to Trent. “Guardians in this Dungeon normally don’t drop more than silver.”
“New layout, and there are only three of us.” Dreq gave a dissatisfied bark, and Kerry corrected himself. “Four, I guess. Academy rules say party of six, and one should be a Healer for the second floor Guardian. Could explain the loot.”
No one said it didn’t, though the thought hung heavily between them.
“I'm going to finish Harvesting.” Trent pulled his cowl back up. “I can give you your shares when I’m done. You should both use those Scrolls.”
“What about you?” Felicia asked. She wanted to grab Trent’s shoulder as he bent down and began slicing at an Ant’s corpse. Her hand twitched and remained at her side, letting Trent work uninterrupted. “You’re going on? Why?”
“You ask that a lot.” Trent had to use Appraisal on the Sliver Winged Queen, but the Soldier Ants were just bigger versions of the insects they had fought before. The Harvesting went smoothly; Trent’s knife never paused as he spoke. “Kerry came for gold, you came for materials. You both have what you need. I want to clear the Trial. I haven’t done that yet.”
�
�By yourself?” It was a stupid question that Felicia regretted immediately. She was here because she expected a violet-eyed Al’rashian to be capable of going deeper into the Dungeon than any Academy student up till then. Trent had met her expectations and exceeded them. She was glad when he didn’t answer her.
Felicia jumped when Kerry took one of the Return Scrolls from her hand. She had forgotten she was holding them, forgotten Kerry was standing next to her. It unsettled her the way the chant to the hated Firebolt Spell tried to force its way to her lips in her surprise.
“I'm going to keep going, if that’s alright with you.” Kerry tucked the scroll into his satchel. “When I think I’m holding you back, or it’s getting too dangerous, I'll use a sScroll.”
He moved towards the entrance to the next floor and peered into it. It was an empty gesture, performed more to avoid an awkward silence. Felicia followed him and joined him in staring down the long tunnel.
“Why?” She whispered, “You could die, Kerry. Six for the second floor, eight for the third. You know he's going to face the Guardian.”
“Why?” Kerry grinned at her. “He’s right; you do ask that a lot. I'm going for the same reason you are.” He tapped a finger against the scroll she still held. “You should tuck that into your robe instead of your pouch. Just in case.”
“The same reason? What makes you think I'm going with you two?”
“Three,” Kerry corrected. “The Dog is like his owner, more than he appears. We have to count him too. You didn’t come here for insect legs.” Kerry turned to face Felicia, and it was her turn to avoid his eyes. “Or, you didn’t stay to pay him back for the insect legs, anyway. There’s a chance here, Felicia, to be real Adventurers and not…”
“Soft metal, Dungeon Farmers,” She finished for him, as Kerry waved his hand looking for the right word. “You think that’s what the Academy is making us?”
“I think,” Kerry wiped the corner of his mouth with his knuckles, “I didn’t think that before. I don’t know what I think now. Maybe all Adventurers end up soft metal eventually. I know the lessons Trent has been hammering me with and what the instructors tell us are different. Some of it sounds the same, but it’s not.”
“I don’t mind being soft metal. I like crafting. I come to the Dungeon because that is where the materials are.” It was something she told herself often. Before, it had been true.
“Then use the Scroll. Go back. Knit scarves, make wands and hats. You'll miss the first day of the term if you don’t leave soon. No one will think less of you.” He tapped the Scroll again. “Use it or keep it close. I'm going to go see if Trent needs any help. And when he says he doesn’t, I'm going to eat.”
It didn’t take long for Trent to finish cleaning up the Ants. Kerry cleaned up the drops with Dreq, muttering about food and how you couldn’t depend on people to do what you expected of them. Felicia stared towards the third floor, thinking about her family and Al'rashians.
She wondered when Trent had stopped being a dangerous tool to be handled carefully and started being… it was hard to call the Swordsman a friend. There was still so much she didn’t know about him. So why did she want to trust him? Why was she thinking that the third floor with Trent and Kerry was better than knitting scarves in her room?
She did ask why too often. She smoothed the crinkled Scroll in her hand and placed it in an inner pocket of her robe. Trent didn’t say anything as he led the group forward. Felicia fell in beside Kerry, slapping his arm when he tried to elbow her side. It was anticipation that brought color to her cheeks and not the anger Kerry imagined, as he fell back a pace to keep away from swatting hands.
It was excitement, because she had never seen the third floor and wouldn’t be allowed to until two or three more terms according to Academy policy. And she would be seeing it in a way no one ever had before. A new floor, a new configuration, new dangers and challenges ,and none of the school’s safety nets. It was going to be thrilling!
Chapter Thirty-Eight
As they entered the third floor, the group was met by another high ceiling. Kerry and Felicia wrapped their arms around their ribs and let out tiny relieved gasps when no staircase of bruises could be found. Trent saw what they had missed and frowned, readying himself to summon his sword.
No Safe Zone! Hadn’t Kerry and Felicia said that all floors in permanent Trials started with a Safe Zone? However, no enemies rushed to meet them as they stepped into the first chamber, and no Traps released arrows or pitfalls. It wasn’t a comforting thought because, as far as Trent could see, there was nothing on the third floor at all. No Beasts, no tunnels, no obstacles or doors, just stone walls extending upwards to a height he couldn’t judge even using Far Sight.
The Ability leveled up while Trent used it to scan for caves or breaks in the wall, but the minor increase it provided didn’t bring any answers. Trent rubbed at his left bicep and canceled Far Sight. Climbing the walls that rose to where his vision couldn’t reach seemed like the only way forward, and that made phantom cramps break out in his muscles.
Gradually Felicia and Kerry recognized what Trent had spotted, causing Kerry to ask, “Is this it? Do you think the Dungeon is still growing and the third floor hasn’t been finished yet?”
“Not how it works. We’re missing something, is all.” Felicia began casting Light Spells, sending glowing orbs soaring to the limit that she could control them. “There has to be a way, or there wouldn’t have been a tunnel leading from the Guardian chamber!”
“Maybe we're supposed to use a drop.” Kerry snapped his fingers. “How about it, Trent? Think you can dig through the wall with your spoon?”
“Where, though? It all looks the same.” Trent began walking around the square room, running his hands along the wall.
“It was a joke, Trent! You can’t break stone with a wooden spoon.” Kerry rolled his eyes and joined the others in tapping at the walls looking for a secret door or compartment.
Dreq sniffed along the bottom while the taller party members swept higher. Kerry struck with the butt of his flail, and Felicia explored with the fingertips of both hands, spreading out a sheet of Mana to examine for minute cracks.
It was a slow process. There was a lot of wall to search. Trent was starting to think he should climb higher and leave the area reachable from the floor to the others when his fingers touched on a rectangular hole. Not much more than an inch wide and less than an inch tall, the opening could have been a natural break in the stone. Kneeling for a closer look, Trent was able to confirm the hole didn’t appear special. It was really, only big enough for a finger or…
Trent’s snort brought Felicia and Kerry running.
“Find something?” Kerry bent down and looked over Trent’s shoulder. “A hole? What do you think it’s… seriously Trent, I was joking.”
Trent pushed the wooden spoon in as deep as it would go. When the bowl hit the back of the opening, there was just enough handle sticking out that Trent could grip it with his fingers. He pushed and rocked it, and when nothing happened, he tried turning it. To Kerry’s dismay, the wooden implement twisted around and produced an audible click that was followed by the sound of stone falling to the ground behind them.
Trent refrained from looking to see the source of the noise. He drew out the spoon with exaggerated care and polished it against his chest. Tucking it into his belt pouch, Trent made sure the treasure was secure and said, “All drops are provided for a reason.”
Kerry leaned his forearm on the wall and pressed his face into the inside of his elbow, muttering to himself, “He'll never stop now. He'll make me pick up every rock and piece of trash we find. I'll spend the rest of my life on my knees, picking through crap that sells for a copper a dozen.”
Kerry was left muttering to himself while Trent and Felicia moved to where a new hole had opened up in the wall. The hole contained three iron rods, each with a symbol engraved on the side. The first resembled a wand like the one Felicia used. The center rod held a
picture of a sword, and the third a flail.
Trent ran curious fingers over the engraving of the sword. The rod extended into the stone and he was unable to draw it out. It did shift some when he pulled it towards himself. Felicia slapped his hand away when he started to tug at it.
“We don’t know what the levers do. Let me study them before you start yanking randomly,” she scolded, pushing Trent away from the hole. Trent rubbed at his hand, reluctantly stepping back to give the Mage room.
Kerry, wandering over to join them, peered over Felicia’s shoulder. “Think we have to pull them in a pattern?”
“I don’t know.” Felicia brushed her fingers across the levers, cautiously casting Evaluation. “They could be here to mislead us. Why don’t you two look around and see if you can find anything else?”
“Have you heard of puzzles appearing in this Dungeon before?” Kerry bumped against Felicia’s shoulder as he ignored her suggestion and leaned closer, squinting at the lever with the flail engraving. His hand fell unconsciously onto his weapon.
“No, it’s strictly a combat… move back, would you? And use a Cleaning Charm, you reek of sweat!” Felicia twisted her neck to glare at him, wrinkling her nose as Kerry pushed in closer.
Trent left the two to their arguing. He walked away and began to look for an area he could scale. He made three circuits of the chamber before giving it up. The walls were smooth as glass. There were no protrusions for him to grasp or ledges to leap to. Other than the levers, there was nothing to be found.
“Dreq, come here!” The Dog, who had been sitting in the center of the room, tracking Trent’s movements, came quickly at the command. Trent started to pick him up and then stopped. Dreq had grown. Standing almost as high as Trent’s knee, the pup wouldn’t fit in a pouch anymore. Trent altered his plan.
