Dungeon Champions

Chapter 10: Dungeon Architecture

I stood at the edge of a bottomless ravine. Ahead of me was a cavernous room with a high, domed ceiling. Unevenly placed pillars rose from the darkness where a floor should have been, creating a treacherous path. They were only four feet across, but the fatal drop between them would be enough to trigger severe vertigo.

On the far side, maybe thirty feet away, there was a small ledge leading to a banded iron door.

Frowning thoughtfully, I studied the pillars.

Most had flat tops, but a few were spiked or curved. A handful had magical runes glowing atop them, suggesting potentially life-altering consequences for anyone foolish enough to land on them.

“Why is this even here?”

Skullie’s jaw creaked open. “Trap faeries.”

“Trap faeries don’t exist,” the celestial snapped, scowling at the lich. “They are a myth. Think about it: In what world does it make sense for there to be an entire species of fae who specialize in making random traps?”

“Trap faeries,” the lich said again, trying to nod and failing.

Ignoring my companions, I checked the map.

“Regardless of how odd dungeon architecture is, the closest way out to Nym and Merielle is over there.” I pointed to the other side of the chasm. “I can probably get across, but I’m not sure about carrying you.”

“Carrying me?” Indignation laced her words. “I wouldn’t dare allow you to carry me! I’ll have you know I am a descendant of Archons.” She stomped her foot. “Do you even know what that means? I have godly blood running through my veins.”

I glanced over, scanning her up and down. “Mmhm, sure. Tell you what, you can make your own way across. I’ll tie my rope around your waist. When you fall, I’ll reel you in.”

Skullie tipped his neck forward, aiming his sunken sockets at the darkness between the pillars. “That could hurt.”

She shuddered in revulsion and disgust, her chin tilting so far back it looked like she was looking down her nose at me. Her lips were pursed in a haughty frown.

If the celestial wasn’t so bafflingly arrogant, she might have been gorgeous. The skin that wasn’t covered by a conservative white robe—dirty and sweat-stained as it was—was flawless and the color of honey. Large brown eyes looked down at me from a heart-shaped face framed by golden ringlets. Her robe hid most of her, but it was still clear that beneath it, she had a lithe, slender physique. Those small wings peeked out from behind her, the feathers white and dusted with gold.

My inherited memories stirred, suggesting she might be able to fly with mana. With that revelation, her reluctance to admit she could fly was all the more baffling.

She should have mana, right? Those are the robes of someone with healing magic.

Thinking about her robes made me stop and examine those high-heeled shoes she kept stomping around in. They were made of a light-pink crystal, translucent and fragile looking.

“Hold up.”

“What?” She crossed her arms beneath her breasts, her heated glare daring me to say more.

“Two things. One: what’s your name?”

“Britnayel Dawnglow.”

“Great. And two…” I shook my head. “Why are you wearing glass heels in a dungeon?”

She started to reply, then hesitated. The celestial chewed on her lower lip, worrying at it for a moment. Finally, she said, “Betsy said they’d be okay. They were a gift from my father.”

“Are they magical?”

“Well, yes.”

“What do they do?”

Britnayel’s entire body language changed. Her hands were suddenly on her hips and she cocked her body to the left, jutting out her right hip indignantly. “I don’t need to answer that.”

Realization struck.

“They passively reduce your mana, don’t they?” She looked away. I snorted a laugh. “They look good, but they keep you from flying.”

“Maybe.” She glared at me. “Father said they would help protect me. I’m…not a strong flier.” She acted like that final sentence had been painful to speak, and a blush brightened her cheeks.

I rubbed my chin. “Uh huh. Well, heck. I’m sure you can get across an open space like this without the heels hindering you. Take them off.”

“No.” Again, she gave me that heated look, daring me to say otherwise.

I frowned at the celestial. Her brown eyes met mine, her gaze defiant, her jaw set. For all she was physically appealing, Britney’s attitude was anything but.

“So, let me get this straight,” I said. “You’ll risk your life, along with the lives of your friends, for those damn shoes?”

The color on her cheeks deepened. “I will not humiliate myself by removing a single article of clothing in front of a brute like you. If you understood things like honor, then you would understand that mine is more important than your petty complaints and problems.”

I gave her a flat look. “You can’t be serious.”

She smiled, although there was no mirth in it. “Try me.”

“Fine,” I said. Dealing with her so far hadn’t been exactly productive, and I didn’t have much time to spare. There was still one more woman to rescue. I started toward the celestial, then stopped. “Hey Skullie, do you think this is near another one of those growth zones for the Core?”

“Probably,” the lich replied.

“I haven’t seen any inhabitants for a while.” I pointed at the pit. “You think maybe this is the only threat in this area of the dungeon?”

“Maybe.” Working his jaw back and forth, Skullie considered. “Dungeon dwellers tend to concentrate around places of available magic. There’s nothing here, unless there’s some sort of flighted monster waiting in the depths. Gargoyles, perhaps. Giant bats, maybe. Hard to say.”

Britney stomped a foot, sending a plume of colored magic floating up around her ankles. “What are you talking about? Why aren’t we going another way?”

Ignoring her, I walked to the edge of the pit. Inhaling a deep breath, I roared a wordless shout into the darkness. After it echoed down into oblivion, I held a hand to my ear, listening closely.

Only silence answered.

“Seems empty to me,” I commented to the lich, who responded with its version of a nod.

“I demand to know what you are doing,” Britney said, although her tone lacked any real authority. She cleared her throat and said it again, sounding more forceful. “Tell me what you intend.”

I spoke over my shoulder. “Stay here. Once I make sure Merielle, Nym, and your last party member are all safe, I’ll lead them back in here. We can take the long way once I know for sure we’re safe. You’ll be fine.”

“Wait,” she said, her haughty tones melting into pleading whimpers. “You’re not—”

She cut off as I took two steps and leaped from the cliff.

Traversing the pit wasn’t much of a challenge. The pillars were close enough to only require a short jump, well within my capabilities. I had to focus and take into account the weight of my armor, plus the subtle shifts of Skullie, but I still made it across the room in six bounds. In fact, other than the fact that a single slip would send me to my doom, crossing the room was rather easy.

“Hey. No! You can’t do this. You can’t leave me,” Britnayel cried out. “Hey! You! Uh…Jasper? Jeremiah? Norman?” She stomped her foot. “Wait, come back! You can carry me!”

I looked down at Skullie. “Did she seriously just call me Norman?”

“Sure did.” His jaw creaked with laughter. “It’s like she isn’t even trying.”

“Do I look like a Norman?”

Skullie flicked yellow eyes across my face. “Normans are shorter, and they often wear their hair in braids. They also tend to favor the color green. No, you look more like a Conner, I think.”

I grinned at the lich’s detailed description of Normans. “I suppose you’ve known a few Normans in your life? Or, uh, lives?”

Skullie approximated a shrug. “Never met one. But still, everyone knows this about Normans.”

“Are you listening to me?” Britnayel’s voice broke as her panic started to rise. “Please? Please, Norman, don’t abandon me.” She trailed off, mumbling something.

The amazing acoustics of the place carried the words over.

“…don’t leave me like he did.”

Sighing, I turned back to the pit and studied the beautiful girl. She was haughty and annoying, but I wasn’t entirely sure now that I could just leave her here, even if only for a few hours. “You’re serious about having me carry you instead of taking your shoes off?”

“Not much of a choice,” she said, voice quavering. Reaching up, she wiped a tear from her smooth cheek before continuing. “It would take hours for me to generate enough mana to fly. These shoes don’t have a usage limit, but they lower my magic regeneration to a trickle. I can barely cast a healing spell without emptying my reserves, and I did that earlier.”

“So, why didn’t you say that?”

She looked at me, her eyes red-rimmed. Her fear and panic had lowered her guard, and the haughty, arrogant front began to melt away. In that moment, I saw that she was every bit as scared and vulnerable as Nym had been. She just handled it differently.

I let out a great sigh, then took a step back. I took another running jump to the nearest pillar, then used my momentum to propel me to the next. I was across in no time.

“It strikes me that someone without my attributes would be pretty screwed in this room,” I commented to Skullie.

“I don’t think I’d make it.” Skullie admitted.

I landed next to Britnayel. She watched me expectantly, her lips firmly closed.

“Alright, come here,” I said, reaching out for her. “And my name is Jordan, not Norman.”

Britnayel blushed and placed her hand in mine, then yelped as I pulled her to me. She was light in my hands, and I set her on my shoulder as unceremoniously as a sack of potatoes. She kicked her feet and demanded that I carry her in a more respectful manner.

“Enough,” I said, slapping her once on her firm bottom.

She immediately stopped thrashing.

Despite the pampered, pompous manner in which she spoke, her body felt surprisingly firm and athletic beneath her robe. That was a problem. Had she been soft, it would have been easier to carry her, and muscle was denser than fat. Every ounce of additional weight would make traversal more difficult.

Turning, I took another running leap from the cliff edge. Britnayel screamed in terror at the first leap, yelping as I landed hard on the pillar. I could feel her heart pounding against my chest.

“Try to not blow out my eardrums, all right?”

Taking a deep breath, I leaped to the next pillar, then the next. She yelled with each one, but her terror seemed to melt away by the time I finally reached the other side.

I knelt and set her gently on her feet. The lithe woman stood there for a moment, her face flushed with excitement. She looked up at me, then surprised me by reaching out and hugging me. It was brief, but the change in her demeanor was good to see.

Britnayel looked down at her clothes, then squeaked in embarrassment and began tugging her robe straight. Having been twisted around her a bit, the thin material more than displayed her strong limbs and womanly curves.

I respectfully turned away, but not before getting an eyeful.

The celestial was unexpectedly stacked. Not only that, Britnayel’s flawless golden-hued skin was interrupted by crisp, pale lines where it was obvious she had worn a bikini sunbathing.

“Once you’re done, I’ll catch you up on what’s going on,” I said, trying to distract myself by looking at the rustic architecture of the dungeon.

“What do you mean?” She paused and then tugged at my arm. “You can look now.”

I didn’t turn to look at her, but instead pushed open the iron door. Beyond it was a long, magic-lined hallway.

“Huh. This place must be on a hub-and-spoke model,” I said. Taking the lead, I broke into the same explanation I’d given Merielle, weaving in the updates and observations I’d made with Nym.

Halfway through my recounting of events, Britney stopped walking. “Do you mind saying that last part again?”

“Which one?” I stopped and turned to face her.

“The one about the Sisterhood being part of a Dungeon Core cult?” She crossed her arms, her face filled with shock and disbelief.

“In short, the Sisterhood sends untrained novices in here to feed the monsters of the dungeon. In return, they are rewarded with magical items and treasures.”

“That’s right!” Skullie said enthusiastically. “They’ve sent lots of people here over the years. Every single one of them, completely helpless and hopeless!” He noticed me looking down at him and changed his tone. “Ah, it’s really sad how the Sisterhood has betrayed so many. A shame, a true shame.”

“None of that can be true,” Britnayel said. A hint of the celestial woman’s former ire colored her words, though this time it wasn’t aimed at me.

“Why’s that?”

“My stepmother was a graduate from the Sisterhood. She’s the reason I joined them.”

“Maybe she didn’t know.” I thought back to Earth, and the mega corporations of my old world. “Sometimes the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. Besides, it doesn’t make sense for the group to not legitimately graduate at least a few girls, right? How else would it grow and earn a reputation?”

The lich in my armor made a worrying noise. “Ah. I may have a thought about that. You might not like it, though.”

Go ahead,” I prompted.

“Promise you won’t be mad at me?”

I gave him an impatient look. “Out with it, Skullie.”

“Oh, yes. Well, it’s entirely possible that the Sisterhood has a graduation process that includes some sort of obedience or secrecy pact. Liches have had such a setup for generations. For example, I still couldn’t tell you how to make a phylactery, even if I wanted.”

I considered what he was saying, searching both my knowledge from Earth and my new memories. There was one very obvious answer… but it was almost too on the nose to be true.

“Britnayel, you don’t have some sort of special inheritance or something, do you? Or access to a special Dungeon Core, maybe? Some reason for your stepmom to want you dead? There are a lot of stories about that sort of thing from Earth. It’s quite cliché there, actually.”

The celestial woman paled. “Two things. My father promised to make me a member of his Inner Circle upon graduation from the Sisterhood. That’s the condition he put on giving me a Tablet. It’s the last slot he has open.”

I checked my memories for details about an Inner Circle Tablet. “Those are the kind Kings and Queens can produce for their most important vassals, right? They give administrative functions and access to basic classes?”

“Indeed,” she said. “Even lesser Tablets are of incredible value, since the Fates have dramatically slowed production of them.”

“It wouldn’t be as good as the one he could give you,” Skullie said, beaming at me.

“Wait, what?” Britney looked confused.

I waved a hand. “Ignore that for now. You said two things. What’s the other?”

Britney continued. “There is a dungeon near Celestia, my father’s kingdom. It’s a celestial one. Father won’t let anyone near it. It’s guarded day and night, since the last monster that escaped ended up killing a couple powerful Tablet Holders.”

A Celestial Dungeon Core. Didn’t Corey say those were good, or safe or something?

My inherited memories were oddly silent about the details, other than to suggest the rewards for defeating one. The magical seed at the center of that place would be worth a fortune, even compared to the Legendary Tablet I’d lucked upon. If I had that…

“Probably for the best,” I said, stamping down the spike of ambition. “Dungeon Cores should probably be left alone unless they become a danger to the local environment.”

Britnayel gave me a confused look. “What?”

I waved for her to resume our walk. Once she did, I explained further. “They attract magic and monsters, right? The Dungeon Cores, that is.”

“Of course,” she replied slowly.

“They concentrate the danger, so the rest of the world can go about its business normally. Cores are a natural balancing force. Plus, they give people like me something to challenge themselves against. It keeps Tablet Holders from getting bored and doing something stupid.”

“Not all Tablet Holders,” Britnayel pointed out. “There are the Royal versions, which aren’t usually meant strictly for violence. And there’s other types, too. Not every Tablet is for adventuring. Just the best ones.”

I chuckled at that. “Sure, sure. Good observations.” Picking back up on the narrative, I resumed telling her about getting Nym and Sadie out of the dungeon. “If everything works the way Corey told me, we should be coming out just a little north of the waterfall. We should be able to see the others.”

“I don’t understand why the Core agreed to help you still.”

“I’ll explain that later.” While I’d told Nym and Merielle about my class, I didn’t want to tie my help for the celestial with the mission I’d agreed to take up. The more I learned about Tablets and their allure, the more I came to realize just how coercive mentioning my class could become. Especially to someone as desperate for power and strength as this young woman.

We traveled for a few minutes in silence. Britnayel seemed deep in troubled thought, and I simply enjoyed the silence. Eventually, I figured I might come to like the celestial, but only after she’d lived a little. Some exposure to the real world would do her a lot of good.

Our hallway finally ended at a familiar pair of double doors. Britnayel stopped me from opening them.

“Listen. I just… I want to say thank you. And…sorry. I’m… Today was a lot.”

“It’s all right,” I said, sighing. “I get it.”

“But you don’t. And I don’t know if I’ll ever tell you…everything.” She looked away. “Also? You can call me Britney. Only Zuri uses my full name.”

I wondered if that was the name of her last companion. Instead of needling, I smiled and rested a hand on the top of her head. “Let’s get you to safety.”

Britney looked up at me with wide eyes, as I turned and pushed open the large doors.

Instantly I winced at the bright sunlight. I saw the familiar rocky, forested overlook. The roar of the waterfall sounded nearby. Taking a few steps away from the tunnel, I discovered a rocky ledge thirty feet from the entrance. Looking down, I saw a sloping valley, with Merielle, Nym, and Sadie waiting at the bottom.

“Hey!” I called, waving.

Both women looked up, squinting at the sun backlighting me, then brightened and returned my wave. Britney, moving slowly on her high heels, came to stand beside me. She waved too, although neither of her companions seemed particularly overjoyed to see her.

I considered asking about it, then dismissed the idea. I had one more person to rescue. “I’m going back in. I want to get to your last companion before it gets dark.”