I checked my gear. I had brought one short and one spear. My pack had just water and food. I had two knives on my waist as well. Castille was inspecting the walls with some script on them, but it was not Latin. Konstantin moved next to me, “You always enter the dungeon at walking speed. Even if you run into the entrance, it takes some getting used to.” He indicated the walls, “We read the script yesterday. It says the dungeon allows seven to enter. So there might actually be someone alive in here.” He continued, “We think all the monsters are insects. Spiders, centipedes, beetles, and roaches. At least that is what the ones who came before noted on the wall there.”
“Thanks, Konstantin.” At least someone was telling me what was going on. As Mage Castille was still studying the writing, I wondered, “What language is that?”
Konstantin harumphed, “Orc. And an old orc dialect as well. This dungeon had not been explored in a long time before that nitwit entered. And yes, the baron’s son was here. The length of time this dungeon has been alone means the critters inside are going to be nasty.” He spoke softly, “If it all goes to shit and you are the last one standing, run as fast as you can to the entrance,” he whispered seriously.
I had a million questions, like why was Konstantin being so nice suddenly, but Mage Castille waved us forward. Konstantin and Delmar walked at the front as we descended a rough rock-hewn corridor. The corridor suddenly opened up. It looked like we were entering the outside as stars could be seen above us, and the night sky was all around us with very bright stars.
“Everyone be quiet,” Delmar whispered. “We are in a massive chamber. Those are not stars. They are fire beetles. Not overly dangerous, but dungeon ecology usually means something preys on them.” Suddenly a buzzing sound started, and the stars grew brighter and brighter as the beetles flapped their wings. The massive chamber began to light up, showing a rough rock-strewn floor and a ceiling covered in stalactites.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Everyone was on watch, looking for an enemy. I felt the ground tremble, and I was not the only one. Everyone’s eyes were searching the ground. Castille swore, “The fire beetles were an alarm for something. It is coming. Spread out!”
I stood there dumbly while everyone else moved apart. Someone pointed, and I saw the rocky soil collapse on itself and then erupt upward thirty feet away. A massive crawfish-looking monster emerged. Someone yelled, “Ankheg!” which meant absolutely nothing to me.
I held my spear at a ready position but did not think my twig would have much effect on something so large. Castille cast her wisps of black ropes at the beast. The monstrosity turned on her and blasted a rain of glowing green water at her. The fluid washed over her, hitting an invisible shield and splashing everywhere. Konstantin was already flanking the restrained monster. The green water was steaming where it hit the ground. I guessed it must be some type of acid and noted to myself not to get in front of the creature. I got my senses and rushed to the flank of the monstrosity as well.
It is not every day you get to fight a twenty-foot-tall burrowing crawfish. Maybe it was more ant-like. It has some nasty mandibles, so getting behind the creature seemed wise to me. Everything was happening so fast. The straining beast was slowly snapping the black tendrils of smoke cast by Castille. The clang of metal on chitin rang through the air as everyone tried to penetrate the shell. I angled my spear between two plates and leaned in with my body weight. The tip of my spear entered, and the spear sunk a foot deep.
My victory was short-lived as the beast broke the black restraints, and one of the body-sized claws snapped toward me. I fell backward, letting go of my spear but keeping my head as the clawed arm snapped the air where my head had just been. Ok, I decided I definitely did not like dungeons. Someone yelled, “Second coming from behind!” What was going on? My vision was blocked as I tried to figure things out. Another voice yelled, “Watch the acid spray!”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})I drew my short sword and one of my knives and rushed toward the injured one. It was oozing from a dozen puncture wounds and struggling to remain upright. I thought we needed to put it down before engaging the second. I ran up its carapace because I had the great idea of getting close to the head and stabbing it from behind—and it could not attack while I was on its back.
I realized in the back of my mind how I had been conditioned to fight even under circumstances that seemed dire. I did not fear injury, and my goal was to end the threat before I was killed. I ran up the shiny carapace, gaining confidence with each step. I needed to get my blade between the chitin plates behind the head. Just two more steps...my boot slipped on the angled, shiny shell, causing me to fall quickly to the left. My knee slammed hard into the shell, and I dropped my short sword in favor of using my two hands on the dagger to aim it at a gap in the armor. I succeeded in lodging it in the shell. This saved me from falling underneath the beast that started thrashing to get me off.
I hung on to the handle as the motion of the beast’s death throws started to whip my body with it. My focus had been on this one beast, and I had not been aware enough to understand everything else that was going on around me. Now as I was being thrown about, I could see Mage Castille and two legionnaires fighting the other ankheg. One of my fellow soldiers was slumped over in obvious pain. My ride slowed as the goo that made up the ankheg’s blood stopped flowing from its wounds.
I pushed off hard and landed into a roll to gain distance. My shoulder was in pain, and I had definitely strained the shoulder socket and was lucky I had not dislocated the shoulder as well. I stood and moved to help with the other ankheg. Konstantin spoke, “Stay back. It is handled. Brave, but stupid boy. The beast was finished if you just gave it time. There was no need for a killing blow,” he walked past me to watch the end of the other battle.
Castille seeing I was free, yelled, “Fool! Eryk, get a healing potion to Linus!” I flashed to the injured soldier and rushed to him. It wasn’t my fault. I was ordered to follow Linus’ orders. In the absence of orders, I helped fight as best I could.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})I knelt and pulled the potion from my space, and helped the man drink it. He had a relieved look on his face as his injury healed and the pain faded, “Got caught in a claw. Got a wee bit crushed.” He coughed up some congealed blood, the potion doing its work. The second beast was now in its death throws as well. We had won, and everyone was alive. Linus was going to take some time for the potion to do its work but other than that; everyone was in one piece.
Mage Castille removed her collector shield and placed it over the ankleg. It activated smoothly, and an essence ball formed in the center. Castille announced, “Major essence of constitution.” She moved to the other beast and repeated the process, “Major essence of constitution again.” Everyone looked on as Mage Castille looked at everyone present. “Linus and Firth,” she finally said, handing the essence to the eager men.
Delmar announced, “Not much worth harvesting that wouldn’t take a long time. I say we let the dungeon reclaim them as is. It will make the respawn process quicker, but I hope to be out before then.”
Linus spoke with a rasp as his lungs were still healing, “We are not going to do that again?”
Mage Castille considered, “No. We will delve as deep as we can and then retreat. If we don’t find the person, we will call for an experienced delve team. Our team is not balanced enough for this dungeon, and we are a person short of the party limit.”
Delmar had a sour look, and Castille mollified him, “Relax, Delmar. I know you did this for a living, but we are not equipped for it and will run out of potions before long. I want someone to capture a fire beetle and everyone else to search this large chamber. I see the one exit opposite where we entered. There should be a prize in here somewhere as well for defeating the two monsters.”
Everyone spread out, and I remained in the center with Delmar and Castille. I listened to them talk. Delmar stated, “Tough first room for a dungeon, and those ankheg were stronger than the norm. I don’t see how they got past them. Maybe their party was killed, and the sole survivor just ran to the exit and will be in the next safe room.”
Castille gave him a withering look, “Delmar, those were respawns. The carapace was too shiny for them to be ancient. I have been in my fair share of dungeons too. You are smarter than that.” Delmar flushed in embarrassment.
Konstantin came with one of the fire beetles. He held it by the wings as in flared its light in defiance. She took the collector shield and used it on the beetle as it was alive. An essence formed, and the three of them were surprised. Mage Castille looked up. There were hundreds of fire beetles. “It is a minor perception essence. If only one in ten of those beetles yields one, this could be quite the harvest.”
Konstantin swayed her thoughts, “They are only on the ceiling. Got lucky catching this one. I do not think getting them down will be easy.”
She nodded reluctantly, “Ok,” she tossed Konstantin the essence. “We would need to use the collector on the live ones in order to get a chance at an essence as well. Delmar, start making preparations for the next room.”
Firth came up a short time later with a small stone chest. He had a huge grin on his face. Delmar scolded him, “Fool. It could have been trapped.”
“But it wasn’t,” he retorted. “Seven gold are inside.” Delmar eyes went up in obvious surprise.
Castille took the coins with slyness, “That is one for the Empire and one for each of us. No word leaves your lips about this.” She looked pointedly at me. I nodded.
As we rested at the passage further into the dungeon, Konstantin sat next to me, “She chose this group because she trusts us. You are an unknown, Eryk. Follow our lead, and this delve could be profitable for you.” He mulled next to me in silence, and when I did not say anything, he stood and walked away.
My impression from their surprise was that seven gold was a lot for a first room in a dungeon. An hour later, after Linus said he was good to go, we all stood and made our way to the tunnel.
It opened into another large chamber with fire beetles. Everyone swore as the beetles lit up the large room. We were at a bridge and had to cross to the other side. But there were dozens of other bridges crisscrossing the chamber. Konstantin swore, “Fuck, I hate spiders.” I looked again; those were not bridges but webs. Imagining what size spider needed to be to create those, I decided again that I did not like dungeons.
