Dungeon Noble - Squire

The Shrouded were a story told to naughty children. Stories of monsters living in the deepest shadows and beyond the sight of living things, always plotting how to steal the sun.

“The Shrouded are real?” Jake asked in a shaky voice. Stories of the Shrouded weren’t that scary, but that was because you knew they weren’t real.

“Yes, and the Corrupters try to bring them and their servants through via rips in reality that we call Rifts. There’s one not far from here now that is being closed, but I went hunting the Corrupters that opened it rather than stay to fight it.”

“Wait, is that where all the higher tier Classers are?” Jake asked, sitting back in his chair as she nodded. It was all coming together now. “So those Corrupters we killed were the ones who opened the Rift?”

“Some of them, yes,” Nepthys said with a nod. “Any involved likely gained a boost in strength, so for them to only be as strong as they were, I think there were more present. They likely split up to avoid people like me.”

“This is so much to take in,” Jake rubbed his temples, trying to think if there was anything he hadn’t asked about yet. “Wait, so what is Skryx then?”

“It’s the name for the energy used by the Shrouded and their minions. It’s also what the Corrupters use.”

“Ah, right, I probably could have figured that one out, really,” Jake said, remembering how Ivaldi had said it was lingering in his wounds. “This will feel like a bit of a tangent, but how does Ivaldi fit into all this?”

“I’m not sure. He’s linked to our Patrons somehow. The fact that he’s at every Dungeon gives that away, but if anyone knows more than that, they’ve not shared it with me.”

“Okay, last question,” Jake said, making Nepthys smile slightly. “Do you have to pay double for your ranks as well? Is that a thing for anyone with a Patron?”

“That’s a complicated one,” Nepthys said, taking a moment to order her thoughts before continuing. “In short, no, I don’t have the higher cost I’ve heard you have to pay. Patrons can bless specific bloodlines, which is why our Classes are bloodline-derived, and we start with specific Skills. The cost of doing so varies, and most gods tend not to, from what I’ve heard.”

“So, you don’t pay double, but you still have some sort of cost?”

“Yes, those in the service of The Watcher are unable to gain active Skills. Instead, we gain Favour by acting in their service, and we use that to gain Sigils, which are similar to Skills in a way.”

“Like that shield, the one you used in the fight?”

“Exactly, it is known as Guardian’s Shield. Our Sigils are shown here,” Nepyhys leaned in and turned her head slightly as she pointed to the corner of her eye.

Peering at what he initially thought was a mole of some sort, Jake could actually see a small shield that had seemingly been tattooed there. It was incredibly intricate for how small it was and had a deep blue colour to it.

“Huh, that’s pretty amazing. Are you limited in how many you can have?” Jake asked before abruptly realising how close they were and quickly sitting back in his chair.

“One per tier, I believe, so while we are limited at first, we gain strength later. Such is the way of gifts like these. You will see when you start to earn your own.”

“Hopefully,” Jake said, sighing a little as he considered his own lacklustre abilities. Perhaps once he bound the Dungeon, he would start to see the full depth of his Class, but for now, it was frustrating, to say the least. “So, what now?”

“I’m not sure. I intended to move on and continue my hunt elsewhere, but your presence complicates matters. How close are you to binding the Dungeon? What rank are you?”

“I’m rank three, and we’re reasonably close. We’re down to the final fight, but the enhanced murk hounds are a problem. We should be able to take them soon, though. We’re getting steadily better.”

“I see. What sort of a group do you have?” Nepthys asked, tapping a finger against her lips in thought as she glanced at the closed door. “I assume your companion Alan is part of it?”

“Yeah, he is,” Jake said before launching into a general assessment of their group and what general capabilities they had.

“I see, so both Alan and Rhew fight from afar, while both yourself and Karl are mainly defensive fighters?” Nepthys asked with a raised brow, one hand idly pulling at her braid.

“Yeah, I want to be a bit more mobile, but if I move too far from them, they’re open to getting flanked or the like,” Jake said with a sigh that he couldn’t quite hold back. It wasn’t Alan’s fault, but Jake did feel tied to him while they were in the Dungeon.

“I believe I can do much to assist here, and we are the same tier, so that should prove no issue for you binding the Dungeon. If you’re willing, I will temporarily join your group and help protect you. If those Corrupters are in the area, they will seek you out if the Dungeon tiers up.”

“Ivaldi said it was ready to tier up. I just need to bind it, apparently.”

“Then this is even more relevant, but I won’t force my presence on you if you’d prefer to keep things as they are?”

“I mean, I have to run it by the group, but I think having you join would be great. This whole thing would be much easier for sure.”

“Excellent. I’m going to go look at getting some lunch in the meantime and see about renting a room here as well, for that matter. Let me know what you decide,” Nepthys said, rising gracefully to her feet and heading out of the room.

-**-

It didn’t take Jake too long to find the others after his conversation with Nepthys, and while Alan and Karl were onboard with her joining their group, Rhew was more problematic.

“The way I see it,” she said, folding her arms and lifting her chin with a defiant look. “This is our opportunity to prove that we can run a Dungeon and manage on our own. If we bring in outside help like this woman, then we’re not proving that at all.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but we’ll still be getting stronger from having her on the team. We’ll be ranking up and earning more money, after all,” Jake said, trying to appeal to Rhew’s avaricious nature.

“Yes, but what if she leaves afterwards and Ari goes as well?” Rhew looked somewhat swayed for a moment but ultimately shook her head. “No, we’d risk being stuck, unable to finish the Dungeon. What are we meant to do then?”

“So, ultimately, it’s the question of whether she’ll stay past this Dungeon? Is it the long-term aspect you worry over?” Jake asked carefully, wanting to isolate exactly what Rhew was worried about.

“Well, yes, I suppose,” Rhew said after a moment. “It’s also about proving ourselves, but yes, it’s the long-term part that worries me.”

“So if I get her to agree to stay with us for at least the next few Dungeons, would that settle it?” Jake asked, hurrying to keep going when he saw that she wasn’t fully onboard. “Just imagine how much more we’ll make with the second chest from each run.”

“Yes, more Wyrdgeld that we also have to split five ways, not four,” Rhew retorted, making Jake realise just what was really bothering her.

“True, but with no rebirth sickness, we can run the Dungeon more and maybe even head somewhere with a tier two Dungeon we can start working on. A higher tier means more money from the number of monsters alone, never mind the additional chests!”

“Fine, fine, I’ll go along with it,” Rhew said, throwing her hands in the air. “She better be good, though, and she better stay for more than this Dungeon.”

“I’ll make sure of it,” Jake said, trying to suppress his grin at Rhew folding. The lure of the next tier seemed to have been enough to get past her reluctance.

-**-

Jake arranged everything as best he could, and everyone agreed to spend the rest of the day relaxing.

Well, everyone but Nepthys.

Jake’s new ally said she’d be patrolling the area to keep watch for more Corrupters but that she’d meet them at the agreed time outside the inn for a morning run.

The idea that there were more Corrupters out there trying to get to the Dungeon sent a cold sweat down Jake’s spine. There was still too much that he didn’t fully understand about them, and their powers were terrifying.

There was something viscerally unsettling about the magic they wielded, that was for sure. Still, he trusted that Nepthys would hunt down any she found. She certainly seemed dedicated enough.

With so many pressures on them, resting was difficult for Jake, and he was tempted to keep training. In the end, however, Jake knew he needed a break from the Dungeon just as much as the rest of them.