NOVEL FROG 30. Into the Dungeon
The torch did wonders for my visibility. The entrance to the dungeon was a path that turned three feet from the portal, which ran parallel to the entrance for as far as I could see. The path was raised dirt that created a walkway about six feet wide. The path was well-worn. There was no safe wall along the route; instead, it cut off, leading to a drop-off. Fools rushing into the dungeon would overstep the small landing and fall off the side. I couldn't see below the path, but I knew well enough what was there.
The closer I looked at the ground, the more evidence I could find of the multi-leg crawlers below. My skin itched, and my ears ached. A part of me feared being here and wanted to leave through the door. I ignored the prodding to leave and summoned all the courage I could in the form of my ice armor. At least now that I was covered, I should be safe from the bugs. I lit three torches and dropped them below. The fire exposed the landing wall as it plunged into the darkness. The ground was further away than I thought. My guess was that the torches fell thirty feet below.
The entire ground was covered in bones. The hundred-leg crawlies screeched as they fled from the light leaving only a bone covered field to be seen. This place would be a paler's paradise. The mad death cultivators would probably reanimate the dead and throw a party of some sort. Then, they'd order their minions to create an immaculate castle, which they'd sell for millions of credits.
Deliverer damned cheats. The whole lot of them.
I threw one more torch below for good measure and then followed the path. The path ran in the same direction for a mile before it turned right and doubled in width. I stuck to the middle and walked cautiously for another four miles before coming to a tunnel that cut left. The path I'm on continued beyond the tunnel, though, leaving me with a choice. The tunnel was big enough that I could walk through without bending or turning, but it wasn't wide enough for a wolfbear to fit through, at least none of the beasts I'd encountered.
Go with the known or step into the unknown? I considered the option for a minute, then continued on the main path. I could fight wolfbears. I wasn't ready for another pit of insects or something worse. I'd need more confidence before I tackled that.
The path stretched on for another mile in a gradual decline. When I reached the bottom, I was on the same level as all the bones and crawlers. That didn't bring me any peace or add to my confidence in my decision. Massive walls still directed my path; I could walk toward the death pits or head in the opposite direction. The choice was simple, and this time, it didn't come down to a lack of courage. I was being clever.
When given the choice, avoid death and bugs. -The Guide's Guidebook to Guiding, chapter seven.
The initial rocky interior of the ground transformed as I traveled deeper. Life sprouted from the ground and walls. The musty scent of moss lingered on a cool breeze that blew into my face. Subtle rays of light reached through darkness and connected to the glow of my flickering flame. Vines filled cracks, and ferns sprouted wherever they could. The musty scent eventually faded, overcome by the lush smells of life. Another mile and I no longer stood in a cave.
A distant light, softer than the sun but brighter than a fire, filled the jungle cavern before me. Colorful flowers dotted the landscape. Some peeking out of the undergrowth, others hanging from trees. The trees were nothing like the bloodwoods. They were half as thick, which was still thick for a tree, and they did not defy the heavens with their growth. As far as trees were concerned, they stood at an average height. Their dark green leaves were wide and thick, almost looking fabricated, and vines tangled throughout branches and hung low.
The air was fresh, and the mana was thick with life, earth, and water. A bird flew over my head, its colors bright, and its beak long and insidious. It disappeared into the canopy, and a chaos of chirping erupted from where it ended up, which happened to be where I was walking.
It only took a few steps into the jungle to realize I wasn't alone. The fluttering of birds in the distance, their chattering back and forth, or the chirping of insects set me off. I had a distinct feeling that something watched me—not just watched but stalked me.
I kept my senses open; my eyes actively scanned every direction. I trusted nothing and was proven right when one of the beautiful hanging flowers turned into a mouth filled with teeth and lunged for my face. I stepped back, avoiding the face snatcher, and grabbed the vine's base below the flower. The devouring plant snatched at me despite its inability to escape my hold. I summoned a machete of ice and severed the plant. The vine withered and whipped, recoiling back into the safety of the dense canopy. The flower continued biting for another moment before wilting into black ash, and its dust turned into a toxic green mist.
I stepped away from the cloud, avoiding its foulness and the other lurching flowers.
My actions of preservation didn't seem to impress my stalker. Instead, it fueled it with a new courage. The lightest step sounded behind the tree to the left of me. I didn't dare look and kept moving forward, avoiding all plants and sticking to the natural path. Five steps deeper, my foot landed in a mushy, wet ground. I pulled my foot back. Before I could place it back down, I had to dive into the mush.
A black cat with fangs on the top and bottom of its mouth flew over where my back once was. It turned its body mid-air and slashed at me, but its momentum carried it outside of its reach, causing it to miss. The panther didn't sink into the marshy waters when it landed. The cat's feet were as large as the jungle leaves, allowing it to land in the mush like it was solid ground.
The cat took a step, its curved dagger-like claws sliced through the muddy ground and severed a fallen vine. Glowing green eyes locked onto me. I sensed the cat sizing me up and picking apart my weaknesses. It took another silent step. Obsidian-black fur absorbed the surrounding darkness. The panther nearly vanished before my eyes. Its body lurched and hovered close to the ground as it took another step.
A high-pitched scream wailed behind me. I refused to look. The panther lunged with its daggers extended just as a flower bit down
I Ignored the frozen flower, summoned a spear, and pointed it toward the cat. The panther tried to abandon its flight. Its eyes opened wide, and its teeth gritted. It managed to half-turn its body. The maneuver delivered my stalker's side into my spear. My weapon sank deep, injecting ice into the veins of the beast. As it slid down the length of the spear, its body froze.
I left the cat on my spear, summoned another machete, and cut the frozen flower head from its vine. The vine, bitten by my frost, slowly pulled away. I had to pry the flower from my shoulder. Its teeth left marks in my armor but were not deep enough to pierce my skin. Unlike the insects at the cave entrance, the jungle flowers and cats didn't seem resistant to my ice. It was a small comfort. I repaired my armor, washed off the muck, and primed my senses for more threats.