Capítulo 21: Dungeon Wide Surprise
Dungeons : A tomb containing riches, Something bygone civilizations left behind, A Dragon's nest, A place where a lich hid his phylactery.
All are apt descriptions, but none of them applied to the dungeon in front of them.
It had risen out of the blue about a week ago, Elaria's Guild Master posted a request to explore right after.
Inside a cave, our four adventurers are standing in front of a gargantuan gate.
"Step on the four plates and the path shall open for you." Yulia read what was inscribed on the gate. "Alright, places everyone. Let's do this!" The tiefling stepped on the first plate, producing a stone clicking sound. The plates were a few meters apart.
The Amazon shot a worried glance at the cleric as she stepped on one of the plates, "Right, before we begin, I just want to point out that our healer doesn't have a weapon."
"Pfft. He'll be fine, it doesn't matter because we'll protect him." Yulia disregarded Amazon's concern. One might argue that it would be the perfect opportunity to start his training but Yulia's focus was entirely on getting in and out of the dungeon as soon as possible.
The next to step on a plate was Ellamir, "I still don't want this pipsqueak in our group. I'm not going to lift a finger if he needs any saving."
"Ellamir, Don't make me come over there!"
"Tsk." The dark elf looked away in order to avoid Antani's angry gaze. She didn't have a quarrel with the cleric, it's just that Ellamir thought that Yulia would be the last person she needed to tolerate getting in between her and Antani's time together.
The last to step on a plate was Stefano, "It's fine, my expectations regarding her were nonexistent in the first place."
"What the hell did you mean by that!?" Ellamir now has a quarrel with the cleric.
"It means whatever the hell you want it to mean, cyclops." Stefano snorted. In the few hours that he's been with the group, he's got an inkling that Ellamir's not going to pull anything as long as Antani is around.
"I'm going to fucking strangle you!"
"No, you're not strangling anyone." Antani's voice was stern, hinting that her patience is about to run out.
"B-but, he called me a cyclops!"
"You called him a pipsqueak, don't dish it if you can't take it."
Lo and behold, Stefano's was right. He flashed Ellamir a taunting grin. However, Antani wasn't done yet.
"And you, I would appreciate it if you would just ignore Ellamir's provocations. She is a bit…hot-headed. Do you understand?" Antani's sternness towards Stefano bewildered him, but her glare made him agree nonetheless.
"I..I understand."(Why am I getting reprimanded? Her lover is the one that…oh right, her lover.)
When Stefano's gaze drifted back to Ellamir, the dark elf was flashing him a smug grin.
(Mithra, please, remove this dark elf from my sight!)
A blinding light shone from each of the plates that they were stepping on.
+++
When the light subsided Yulia's party members were no longer around. She was still in a cave but now the floor seems to be made out of sand. Why the hell would their guild master compact a desert into a cave?
Taking her first step into the rough and coarse sand, she was forced to jump backwards.
She had just stepped on something 'unpleasant.'
The sand shifted upwards, revealing the abnormally large brown sand scorpion that was hiding beneath. Judging by its size, this one's probably about one meter long.
Yulia tightened the hold on her sword and shield, dealing with one overgrown critter is easy. She was about to attack the arachnid when the sand around her started to shift upwards.
"Ah, crap."
Judging by their numbers, there were probably about two dozen of them, pinching their claws and arching their stingers - poised to strike at any moment.
Yulia's helmet began to magically emerge from her armor, covering her head along with her horns. Now clad from head to toe, she's now ready to tango with the poisonous arachnids.
"Bring it!"
The first scorpion from earlier, being the closest, was the first to jump at Yulia.
While scorpions rarely jump, they do so only when they're sure that they are facing a prey, ensuring that it won't be able to make a getaway.
A grave misconception as Yulia swiftly twirled her sword into a backhand grip, impaling the scorpion into the sand, scattering its blue blood into the sand.
With a schlick sound, Yulia pulled her blade, taking her shield stance.
"Don't be shy, I can handle all of you at once."
As if the scorpions understood her taunt, they began charging at her in numbers.
One that jumped at her again was smashed by her shield, producing a *crrrk* sound as its carapace was smashed, leaking blue blood all over.
Then, one scorpion pinched her tail, with how hard it was clamping it would've no doubt tore it apart if her tail wasn't armored. Bless dwarven ingenuity. Just as another lunged at her, Yulia turned to swing the scorpion clamping on her tail at her attacker, colliding the two in mid air.
"Hands off...Er…Claws off the tail!"
Some slashed, some smashed. Her dance with the arachnids lasted only minutes before she was able to make quick work out of them.
Although none of the blood got inside her armor, Yulia still felt queasy as her entire armor, hell, even her sword and shield were dripping with blue blood.
At the far end of the small desert, Yulia could make out the large gate. "The things I do for 125 gold." Yulia trudged on.
Yulia was close to the gate when she felt the sand shift once more. "Oh, no."
Oh no indeed. A gargantuan scorpion emerged that is about 15 meters in length. Perhaps what's even more bothersome are the bundled up scorpions it carried on its back, the same size as those she had just fought earlier.
"Fuck this shit! I'm sorry, Guild Master, but I don't have time for your bullshit."
Yulia raised her sword up high, ready to recite her oath to the fallen angel, Zariel.
"Let the fallen angel's flame burn all impurities into oblivion."
A halo of fire forms above Yulia's head, burning bright and true.
Her oath comes in three lines, the first lets Zariel's power flow into her, the second turns her into Zariel's avatar, while the third manifests her Aeon into the world. Her devotion towards the fallen angel that stretches into eternity.
Thrice the length of her blade, swathes of hellfire enveloped Yulia's sword.
Yulia swings her sword downward, sending an arc of pure hellfire into the scorpion. Her arc connects, exploding into a pillar, burning the scorpion and her youngling into ashes.
+++
"That was fast." The cleric's prayers were answered, as Ellamir was suddenly removed from view, the only problem is that her other party members disappeared as well.
Stefano appeared to be in a crypt, surrounded by at least a dozen stone coffins. The torches that lit the room only added to the eeriness as the cleric wanted nothing more than to bolt out of there.
Luckily, the exit wasn't that far off. As soon he opened the gate leading to the exit, Stefano heard stone sliding sounds followed by large thuds.
"No way. Mithra, I'm going to make another prayer, please, I'm begging you - let it be nothing but the wind."
Winds don't make thudding sounds, Stefano was painfully aware, thus, he needed to turn his head around and check.
"No….Nooo!"
The stone coffins were opened, skeletons shambled out of them with weapons in hand.
Noticing Stefano's gaze upon them, they all gazed back at him with their empty sockets, their lower jaw cackled open and closed in unison - as if they were laughing at him.
The cleric stormed out of the crypt into a caveway.
And so, Stefano ran, it was the fastest he'd ever run in his entire life. The band of cackling skeletons following close behind him, their weapons at the ready.
His heart threatened to leap out of his chest both from fright and fatigue.
"Ah, Mithra please. I can't run anymore!"
Stefano's legs were about to give out when he stood his ground. It was time to use the ace up his sleeve.
The cleric stood his ground, waiting for his skeletal pursuers to approach. He waited until one of the skeletons was about to slam his mace into him. "Divine Protection!" A yellow glow slammed his attacker into the other skeletons.
Stefano was surrounded with a forcefield mimicking the color of the sun.
"Try and hit me now, you bony bastards!"
Them skeletal boys only cackled harder as Stefano provoked them. Spears, maces, axes, swords, they all attacked in unison but none passed by Stefano's divine protection.
Since their attacks didn't work, the skeletons paused. Suddenly, they were all dismantled as they collapsed into the ground.
For a moment Stefano thought his ordeal was over, but he decided to wait it out unless they were just waiting to ambush him.
Stefano was correct. Although sleeveless, the bony boys had an ace.
Leaving their weapons on the ground, the skeletons coalesced into one giant being. A mishmash of bones that stood on two feet, dwarfing Stefano.
"Sweet Mother of Mithra."
He's going to die for a measly 125 gold.
+++
Antani stood on the deck of a wooden ship that appeared to have been split in half. There was running water down below, but it wasn't that deep. Judging above from where she was standing, it probably goes up to her ankle.
The real question is, why the hell is there a broken ship inside a cave?
Antani was about to leave the deck when she heard a graceful melody from below. Something was singing, or rather someone. The song contained no lyrics, it was more akin to a soulful hymn. Near the shore, the amazon saw it. A mermaid.
Its captivating voice is matched only by her enchanting beauty. Her skin brown, her lips along with her hair and tail are jet black - streaks of yellow can be found on her tail and hair but her eyes were a concentration of it. A true temptress if Antani ever saw one.
Antani jumped from the deck into the waters below. The mermaid sings for her, beckoning her to come closer. The song combined with her voice was straight up captivating. Her yellow eyes bore deep into Antani as the fish woman continues her performance.
The closer Antani got to the mermaid the more she could feel her thoughts vanishing, she knew she was being lulled, yet she can't shake the mermaid's hold. In the mermaid's voice she found comfort, washing away all of her problems and worries.
Now up close with the underwater seductress, her singing ceased. There was no need for it, Antani was already ensnared.
The mermaid's black lips formed a tantalizing smile. With her webbed fingers, she motioned Antani to remove the distance between them. The mermaid closed her eyes, leaning in for a kiss.
(I really shouldn't, she would no doubt get angry at me. Wait, who would get angry?)
As Antani focused on the mermaid's black lips, its black shade reminded her of someone. (Who? Black shade, Armor, Adorable when mad…. ELLAMIR!)
The mermaid opened her eyes in surprise, instead of soft lips she was kissing cold steel.
Antani breathed a sigh of relief. (Shit, that was close!)
Blood dripped from Antani's left palm into the waters below. (My left hand just can't catch a break.) She had cut it when she remembered Ellamir, the pain broke her free from the mermaid's trance.
Anger flared up on the mermaid's face, she was about to start singing again when Antani pressed her blade on her throat.
"Sing again and I will cut your throat open."
The Amazon wasn't one for vicious threats, but the mermaid before her deserved it. She was so close to cheating on Ellamir because of her.
The Mermaid gasped, petrified due to Antani's actions.
"ᝣᝳᝤᝳᝥᝳᝦᝳ!" The mermaid's next words made no sense to Antani. She could only describe it as melodious gibberish.
"What, can you please speak human? Nevermind, I was about to leave anyway."
With the exit not being far off, Antani walked past the mermaid.
That should have been the end of this encounter, but it wasn't.
The Mermaid crawled on the ground with tears in her eyes as it followed Antani. It was a pathetic sight that made Antani halt. "What is it that you want from me?"
"ᝣᝲᝤᝲᝥᝲᝦᝲᝧᝲᝨᝲ!" The mermaid reached her hand out towards Antani, as if she was begging for Antani to take them.
Was the mermaid trapped? Did the Guild master imprison her here? Yulia did say that the Guild master was eccentric, eccentric enough to fit an entire ship inside a cave in fact. Antani couldn't really make heads or tails of the situation. But if the mermaid really wanted to be out of this dungeon to the point that she would break down in tears then Antani would be willing to let her transgression slide and help as long as she doesn't pull that shit again.
Antani scooped up the mermaid into her arms, the tears subsided as her expression now sparkled with joy.
Walking through the corridor, Antani was thinking of an excuse that she's going to give Ellamir when she sees her carrying a gorgeous mermaid.
+++
Unlike the other three, Ellamir's environment was pitch black. She could still make out her environment with her dark vision though.
It was filled with humongous cobwebs. Ellamir grinned, the place was like one of Underdark's various underground tunnels.
Ellamir searched for the entrance. She didn't even reach far enough when the inhabitants of the place made themselves known.
Ellamir's grin grew wider, the place truly was mimicking the Underdark. Spiders that appeared to be 5 meters in length began to skitter around Ellamir, surrounding her.
Looks like Yulia was right, this dungeon was going to be a walk in the park. She doesn't even need to lift a finger, it seems.
One of the spiders was about to attack. All Ellamir needed to do was don her shadow armor and it halted in its tracks. She couldn't blame the spider, it would be tantamount to travesty had it continued.
Ellamir continued searching for the entrance. The spiders made sure to avoid impeding Ellamir's way, they had only observed her in reverence, for hers is the armor that contained their genesis.
Not long after, Ellamir was able to find the exit.
"Easy."
+++
Being the first to finish her ordeal, Ellamir waited for the others in front of a golden gate. She assumed that it housed the legendary artifact inside.
It would seem that the four paths all branched into one and in one of those paths, Ellamir could hear someone screaming. It was Stefano.
A wicked grin forms on Ellamir's face. (This should be fun.)
+++
"Ellamir, please help!" The panic in Stefano's tone was apparent. The giant amalgam of bones was pounding his barrier. He had erected the barrier long enough, mana exhaustion was about to set in any moment from now.
"Ahahaha! Why? You're doing such a fine job of defending yourself."
"My barrier is about to break, please!" Stefano pleaded.
(Promise me you would at least try). Ellamir sighed. Antani's words echoed in her head. Had it been her old self she would have left Stefano to his inevitable doom.
Ellamir manifested her shadow armor in the blink of an eye. She wouldn't even need to draw her sword for this fight.
The dark elf jumped above Stefano's barrier, delivering a punch into the giant skeleton so great that it crumbled into pieces.
The bones reassembled themselves into a hulking mass once more.
"Tsk." Ellamir clicked her tongue, how is she supposed to beat the shit out of it if it just assembles itself back together?
Ellamir saw the crumbled bones, the ones that shattered from her punch. That was her answer.
The dark elf launched another brutal punch, scattering the skeleton into multiple pieces again. Her assault continued until a single skeleton remained.
"Lower your barrier." Ellamir ordered Stefano.
"Why?"
"Because this is the last skeleton, and this is your first battle. Take this skeleton down and become a warrior."
The dark elf was correct, this moment was the reason he chose to be an adventurer. If he can't down at least a skeleton then he might as well go back to Alcune.
With his barrier gone, Ellamir tossed him a mace that she had picked up on the ground, left behind by the skellies.
In front of Stefano was a single skeleton holding a sword.
Stefano's heart pounded as he gripped his weapon, what if the skeleton slashes him first? But what if his strike connects first? He was both afraid and excited at the same time.
"Do you have any advice?" Stefano asked the dark elf for her wisdom.
"My advice? Just hit fast and hard."
"Gee, thank you for such insight."
"You're welcome. Now take down that skeleton.'
With a warcry, Stefano charged towards the skeleton! In a split second before they clashed, Time stretched for him Ellamir's advice repeated itself over and over in Stefano's mind.
(Hit fast and hard! Hit fast and hard! Hit fast and hard!).
*Blam* The skeleton's head was shattered into pieces, making reassembly impossible.
"I did it, yeaaah!" Stefano howled with joy, with that, he is now a full pledged adventurer.
+++
Author's notes :
Here is my inspiration for the mermaid. I don't own it.
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/v2Og8x
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