Dungeon Champions

I shoved the final crate into the vault and spun, calling my Accurate Dagger of Cruelty to my hand. It was almost too late. The door swung open as I brought the dagger up to throw it.

“Wait!” Merielle called out, her hands up. “It’s just us!”

I lowered my dagger, relief flooding through me as Merielle and Britney burst into the room, panting heavily.

“What happened?”

Britney shook her head, catching her breath. “Trade Regulation Bureau agents. A whole squad of them just docked. They’re tearing apart the ship looking for us and the cargo.”

Mayor Khatar’s face paled. “This is most irregular. They have no authority to conduct such a search without proper documentation.”

“I don’t think they care much about proper documentation right now,” Zuri said dryly.

“You’re right,” I said with a frown. “We need to move fast. Mayor Khatar, can you get us back to Boulibar Bay? We need to get Mayor Regan and Agent Kieran involved.”

He hesitated, his brow furrowed in concern. “I can arrange transport, but it will take time—time we may not have if the Trade Regulation Bureau is already here.”

I paced the room, my hands clasped firmly behind my back. “How far behind you were they?”

“We may have…caused some minor roadblocks.” Merielle cleared her throat as Mayor Khatar looked her way. “Nothing too disruptive! Some overturned cabbage carts and a very minor landslide.”

Distant shouts of, “My cabbages!” echoed between buildings, loud enough to be heard even in the Mayor’s chambers.

“Landslide?!” Khatar wrung his hands, growing visibly anxious.

“Very minor, I assure you.”

The idea of roadblocks unstuck something in my mind. “What if… What if Ulene provided a distraction? Something to buy us time while we make our escape. She doesn’t need to go with us, and is strong enough and also not subject to mortal laws if she needs to escape.”

Ulene grinned my way. “Without the binding spell, I will not be so easy to capture.”

“And we just need the crates to stay here. Locked away.” I gestured at the crates. "Don’t try to tamper with them or separate them—it may cause a Veil tear.”

Khatar groaned. “Agent Kieran owes me a lot for this ‘little favor’ of hers.”

“How do we get out of Lans?” I asked, dragging us back to the topic at hand.

“I’ve got a personal vessel that should suffice. It’s small but swift, and it should have you back in Boulibar Bay by tomorrow evening.”

A small boat would be much less conspicuous than a large vessel like Captain Drake’s. I hoped it would be enough to evade pursuit. “That’ll work. Ulene, are you ready to cause some chaos?”

The elemental returned her sphere to the crate. She looked out toward the large windows behind the mayor’s desk, a glint of mischief in her eyes. “I’ve been ready since the moment we stepped off that…floating prison.”

“You used that one already,” I said, grinning. She glared over her shoulder at me and stepped toward the window. “Just…try not to hurt anyone if you can avoid it,” I added hastily.

Ulene rolled her eyes but nodded. “Very well. I shall restrain myself… Somewhat.” She smiled at me. “Until we see one another again, Champion of Wind.”

My Tablet flashed with a notification that I decided I’d check later.

Ulene threw aside the shutters and walked out onto the balcony. Then she started to grow to her natural form. A burst of wind pushed us back as she took flight.

Khatar sighed, rubbing his forehead. “The Trade Regulation Bureau is paying for any damage she does.”

“Good luck getting them to pay up,” Britney said with a thin laugh. “You’ll be waiting in line so long that they’ll start charging you for loitering.”

Sounds came through the open window. Most of it was Ulene’s wind, cranked up to a hurricane whistle. The poor cabbage vender’s cries only rose as she moved down and over the docks.

Part of me wished to join her, to confront the people who had threatened our lives. Looking over at my team was enough to tamp my need for retribution, however.

The elemental’s distraction was precisely what we needed. Mayor Khatar was able to get his ship prepared, and some supplies were brought down for us. He also took the time to help us lock up the crates and hide the safe behind the painting.

I hoped it would be enough to keep the trapped elementals out of the wrong hands.

With our plan in motion, we moved quickly. Mayor Khatar led us through a secret passage behind his office, winding down through the cliff face to a hidden dock. True to his word, a sleek vessel waited for us, its sails furled and ready.

We boarded and prepared to set sail quickly. I looked back up at the town. There wasn’t any way to see the city itself, as it was around the bend in the shore, but I could see swirling clouds gathering above, and hear the distant rumble of thunder, echoed by her laughter.

Ulene was wasting no time.

“Good luck,” I murmured, hoping the elemental could hear me.

Khatar sent us off with a simple wave.

The mayor’s ship cut through the waves with impressive speed. Nym and Sadie were both displeased with the speed of this vessel versus Captain Drake’s cargo ship, but it was actually Britney who ended up getting sea sick. I ushered everyone below decks, leaving the navigation to the mayor’s helmsmen. But as soon as they were settled I went topside, determined to watch our tail and make sure we weren’t being followed.

Lans faded into the distance behind us. I could see flashes of lightning illuminating the sky and hear the howling of unnatural winds. Part of me felt guilty for unleashing Ulene on the town, but I reminded myself it was necessary.

Better a magical storm than a Veil Tear.

For the first time since hearing the term, I turned my attention inward, wondering if any of my inherited memories recalled such a…

Pain. Anguish. Death. WHAT IS BETWEEN WORLDS MUST NOT BE UNLEASHED!

The words, so unfamiliar and unusual compared to all I’d learned, nearly cost me my balance. Swallowing, I tasted blood and realized that I’d bit my tongue.

“What the hell was that?” I muttered, sitting on the deck. Breathing deeply, I tried again. This time, I realized what happened.

The words weren’t from any inherited memories. They were from the Tablet itself. There was a tether between me and the device, part of how it augmented my skills. It was through that connection that the warning had come.

At my realization, the Tablet appeared with warning text.

Warning: The realms between worlds bypass the laws and mandates of the Fates. Veil Tears must not be allowed to happen under any circumstances. If given the opportunity to stop one, you must. There will be rewards.

“Got ya,” I said, a little sourly.

Based on what I’d heard over the last few days, I knew Veil Tears were a big deal. I just hadn’t realized they were that big.

I let the train of thought drop, assuming that we’d left those concerns behind, along with the dangerous goods. No doubt the mayor would handle the orbs better than us.

Leaving the Tablet up, I checked on our most-recent quest.

Quest Update - Securing the Supplies: [The Society of the Defiant] has successfully completed this quest.

Reward: 100 experience points each; gold to be delivered.

There was an option to accept the experience, which would level my team up to five. Before we did that, I wanted to have a discussion. Each time the party leveled up, we had to sit down and allocate attribute points and skills. Given their current state of exhaustion and our timetable, I decided to leave the process off.

Just for now, I thought. As soon as we have a spare few hours, we’ll get everyone there.

We sailed through the night, and while I had originally determined that we’d take shifts for watch, I couldn’t sleep. Instead, I watched the sun set over the bay while my party snoozed below. At one point, Zuri brought me a mug of tea and some dinner, and stayed with me to talk for a while. But even her captivating presence couldn’t completely draw my attention from the horizon line where Lans lay beyond.

I kept expecting to see something. A ship, a giant hole in space and time over Lans, or even a man made of mist that just appeared on the deck.

Nothing happened though.

Instead, I ended up playing a game of cards with one of the helmsmen and had a chat with Skullie about getting him attached to his new body.

Eventually, I remembered to check the notification I’d received during our escape.

Title Acquired: Champion of Wind

Earned by freeing and befriending Ulene, Crown Princess of the Elementals of the Plane of Air, and gaining her trust. Your movement speed is increased by 25% when outdoors. Once per day, you can summon a gust of wind to push back enemies or propel yourself forward.

“Ulene is a princess?”

Skullie chuckled, the sound like rolling bones. “Let’s hope she survives, then. Wouldn’t do good to be the champion that sent the princess off to her doom.”

The wind stayed at our backs throughout the night, pushing us to incredible speeds. We made better time than I’d hoped. As the first rays of dawn began to paint the sky, I spotted the outline of Boulibar Bay ahead. Relief washed over me; we weren’t out of danger yet, but we were closer than ever.

I headed below deck to wake the others. “We’re almost there,” I said, shaking them awake. “Everyone up and ready. We don’t know what kind of welcome we’ll be getting.”

Groans and yawns greeted me as my companions stirred. Britney still looked particularly green—and the bags around her eyes were a clear sign she’d barely slept—but she managed to pull herself together.

“What’s the plan when we dock?” Zuri asked.

“We head straight for Mayor Regan’s office,” I replied. “No detours, no splitting up. We stick together and move fast.”

As we approached the harbor, I scanned the docks for any sign of trouble. Everything looked normal—fishermen preparing their boats, merchants setting up stalls. But appearances could be deceiving.

The ship glided into an empty berth, and we disembarked quickly. Our escorts wished us luck and turned around almost right away, heading back for Lans. I hoped the town was more or less how we left it, and that both Ulene evaded capture, and her fellows remained undisturbed.

It felt wrong to not feel pity for Captain Drake or his crew, but they had reaped what they sowed.

I led my party through the streets of Boulibar Bay. All of us were on high alert for any hint of danger, but none came.

We reached the town hall without incident, which only made me more nervous. Where were the Trade Regulation Bureau agents? Had they sent word ahead about our escape from Lans? Or did we manage to sneak out without anyone catching wind of our presence?

Bea, the mayor’s assistant, looked up in surprise as we burst into the town hall. “Do you have an appointment?” she asked, flustered. But then recognition flashed in her eyes and a wide smile crossed her tiny mouth. “Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes. Jiran, right?”

“Jordan. Is Mayor Regan in? It’s of utmost importance.”

She hesitated, chewing on her upper lip for a moment. “He’s…meeting with someone right now.”

“Who?”

Bea straightened up, her tiny body at attention. “You can’t just demand I tell you that! The mayor’s business is to the duty of—”

“I don’t actually care if he’s got the supreme leader of all the Fae Wilds sucking him off under his desk,” I said with a growl, letting the cold of battle touch my eyes. It didn’t take much; so near the man who’d threatened our lives, the killing cold was already creeping into my heart. “You need to interrupt him.”

She paled. “But…”

Britney stepped forward, her hands on her hips and voice imperious. “Lans could be home to a Veil Tear by now, and so you better let us in there!”

“Yeah!” Nym said, with Sadie hissing from her perch on the catgirl’s shoulder. “Let us in!”

“A what? Did you say…Veil Tear?” Bea looked at the door leading down the hall to the mayor’s office, and then back at me. Her eyes were wide and her lip quivered. It was obviously a bit of theatrics, but as long as she was willing to help us, I didn’t care. “That’s… All right. Follow me.”

She hurried ahead of us, not bothering to wait or hover at eye height to coerce me to look up her skirt. Instead, she threw herself against the door to knock on it. Without waiting for an answer, she opened the door with the press of a button.

“I’m so sorry to interrupt, but there’s an urgent matter—”

“I told you we weren’t to be disturbed!” came an irritated female voice from inside.

“Yes, I know but—”

I brushed Bea aside and entered the room. Mayor Regan sat behind his desk, looking pale and strained. Seated across from him was a silver-skinned woman in a crisp white tunic and slim black pants. She had a badge across her chest, worn proud and clear. Horns arched out of her forehead and swept back along her tightly bound black hair.

Both the mayor and his guest looked shocked as my party entered.

“Jordan? What in the world—”

“Agent Kieran, I presume?” The cold in my chest had grown. I could hear it in my voice. If either the mayor or the horned woman so much as gestured in the wrong direction, or implied a threat, that would be the end of our time in Boulibar Bay.

Instead of threats or denials, the woman bristled, clearly confused. “Who the hell is this, Milton?”

Mayor Regan groaned. “Please call me Mayor Regan while I’m working…” He looked up at me and waved a hand in the air. “Jordan Cash, meet Sera Kieran, Senior Agent of the Trade Regulation Bureau and resident pain in my backside.”

“Cash.” Something flickered across her face. “This is the man you assigned to help Giles?”

Her tone and Milton’s, both more bemused than angry, were the exact opposite of what I’d expected. The ice thawed just enough for me to breathe without considering attack vectors.

“We have no affiliation with that man or misdeeds,” I said, holding up my hands in a calming gesture. “My party and I had only been in Boulibar Bay a few days, after fighting our way out of a nearby dungeon. We have no stakes in any of the games being played.”

Mayor Regan cleared his throat. “So why are you here, and not in Lans?”

I spread my hands. “Where would you like me to start?”