Dungeon Noble - Squire

“What are you doing?” Jake called out as he hurried after Felix. “We need to get out there and rescue Nepthys!”

“There is nothing we can do at this moment, we need to focus on making sure that the situation is in hand and that more people aren’t in danger,” Felix said in a tight voice as he pushed open the doors of the kitchen and strode inside without hesitation.

“We can’t just leave her!” Jake shouted, rushing in front of Felix angrily and standing in his way.

For a moment, Jake thought that Felix would push him aside, but the older classer simply exhaled and met Jake’s eyes. “The only thing we could do for her now would be if I personally went and retrieved her. Even then, we’re assuming that they have no one capable of taking me on. If they don’t, I could cut a bloody path to her and bring her out, but what then?”

“Then we get the fuck out of here,” Jake growled, but he could feel his anger turning cold as what Felix was saying got through to him.

“Yes. We’d run, and then the Triarchy would come down on the town like a hammer, crushing everyone, irrespective of their involvement with what happened. They could afford nothing less against what would look like open rebellion.”

Jake started to say something several times before eventually slumping down and grimacing. “Damn them. There must be something we can do, though?”

“It’s too soon to know,” Felix said gently, reaching out to rest his hand on Jake’s shoulder. “We need to get you out of here first of all, then I can reach out to the resistance and see what they know.”

Jake’s eyes went wide at the mention of the resistance, but he moved aside, following Felix over to a trapdoor which led down to the inn’s cellar. Felix took a lantern from where it hung on the wall and lit it before leading the way down the stairs.

The cellar was filled with all the mundane and everyday supplies that the inn would need, making it look entirely innocuous at first glance. Looking over it all, Jake began to turn to Felix with a question on his lips, before watching incredulously as the other man opened a hidden door set into the wall.

Felix’s lips curved into a slight smile as he held the door open and motioned for Jake to head through, offering him the lantern as he did. “This will close behind you, sealing you out. All you need to do is follow the tunnel and pull the lever when you reach the far end. It will let you into a small hut outside of town. Stay there and wait for us, got it?”

Jake nodded mechanically, looking between Felix and the door with something akin to wonder. This raised so many questions, not the least of which was if Felix was working with the resistance.

“I will answer your questions later,” Felix said as Jake hesitated. “We don’t have the time right now.”

“Damn it, I’m going to hold you to that,” Jake said, starting to step forward before pausing, his eyes going wide. “Shit. What about Varin, the crafter I’ve gone to see?”

“Was he there when the Seeker saw you?”

“No, it was just the five of us.”

“Then he’ll be fine in the short term. I’ll get a message sent to him, though. He can take whatever steps he needs to from there.”

“Right. Damn it, I just feel so useless,” Jake said, his hands curling into fists before he made himself relax. All he was doing was slowing Felix down now.

Taking the lantern before he could change his mind, Jake headed down into the darkness beyond the door, stooping a little as he entered.

The tunnel leading from the cellar was slightly too small to be comfortable, but Felix had already shut the door behind him with a firm thud, sealing Jake in.

The walls of the tunnel seemed to close in on Jake as he started walking, it reminded him of the first Dungeon in the worst ways, and he half expected a rat to come jumping out of the darkness at him.

Jake gripped the lantern tighter as he grit his teeth and got his thoughts under control. He’d been in smaller places than this before, and without a light.

After what felt like an eternity of slightly stooped walking, Jake saw the glint of metal up ahead and quickened his pace. Crossing the last section in a jog, Jake found himself facing a stone doorway, with a lever set to one side.

Doing as Felix had told him, Jake pulled the lever, causing the door to creak open slightly. Pushing it the rest of the way open, Jake stepped out into a cellar that was smaller version of the one he’d come from.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Jake closed the door behind him, comitting to staying where he was. Not that he could really go back, but it was still hard to do.

Leaving like this went against everything Jake wanted, but his struggle against the trike guard had driven home how powerless he was in the grand scheme of things.

If it wasn’t for his Boons, he’d have died in that alley. It was a cold, sobering thought, and one that brought to mind the vision he’d had of the wider world.

Jake was insignificant, he was a speck of dust to the eyes of the gods, but he had a path forward. He had a path to the power to choose his own destiny.

It would require him binding himself to a greater power, but everything had a price.

Resolve filled Jake as he made his choice. It wouldn’t be set in stone until he’d bound two more Dungeons, but he wasn’t one to change his mind from a course of action once he’d decided.

Jake began to head for the stairs out of the cellar before pausing and hesitantly muttering a prayer. “Great Dungeon, please watch over Nepthys and help us find a way to rescue her.”

Jake stretched his senses for any sign of a reply or acknowledgement from his Patron, but only silence answered him.

Feeling foolish, Jake took the stairs up from the cellar and extinguished his latern before hanging it on a nearby hook.

He’d seen what the Great Dungeon had to deal with, why would he think it would care for his petty issues?

Rubbing a hand over his face, Jake set about exploring the cottage he found himself in. It seemed reasonably well stocked with dried foods and the like, but none of it looked like it had been sat for a long time.

Most importantly, however, was that the cottage was in the woods outside of Casthorpe. Given that there was a secret tunnel running out to it, Jake was confident that this belonged to the resistance.

With yet more questions for Felix, Jake did his best to wait patiently for the others to arrive.

-**-

Jake was pacing back and forth when the door to the cottage finally opened and Ari walked in, swiftly followed by Rhew, Karl and Alan.

“Jake, thank the gods you’re okay!” Alan exclaimed, his expression swiftly falling as he looked around the cottage. “Where’s Felix, and did you manage to get Nepthys out?”

Karl and Rhew paused in their own greeting, looking to Jake as they waited for him to answer the Scholar.

“Felix sent me straight here, I don’t know where he is,” Jake said, his throat tightening as he looked away. “He said we couldn’t risk getting Nepthys back, that it would cause a response from the Triarchy.”

“He’s not wrong, we need to tread carefully,” Ari said with a serious expression. “The Triarchy is not known for its restraint. Felix will tell us more once he’s here.”

“So there will be a chance to rescue her then?” Rhew asked hopefully, before scowling as Ari shook his head.

“I don’t know for sure, we can only wait and see.”

“Why did they even take her?” Karl asked, looking to Jake questioningly. “You were there, Jake, what did you hear?”

Jake froze, unsure what to say as he was put on the spot. It hadn’t even occured to him that the others wouldn’t know why Nepthys would be wanted by the Seekers.

Jake looked over to Ari for advice, but the other classer had deliberately moved away, leaving Jake to deal with the situation.

Really, there was only one way to deal with this. Perhaps they could have continued as they were, but not now that they had clashed with the Triarchy.

“They took her because of her Patron,” Jake said, his mouth dry as he saw his friends’ eyes widen.

“Nepthys had a Patron?” Rhew echoed in surprise before giving Jake a curious look. “Wait how do you know?”

“I know because I have a Patron as well, and they’re linked,” Jake said, his heart pounding as he took in their shocked expressions. This could be the moment where they cast him aside, when they decided he wasn’t worth the risk.

After everything they’d been through, Jake didn’t want to see their group broken up, especially not because of this.

“Is that why your Class is so strange?” Alan asked curiously, which wasn’t exactly surprising. There was a reason why he had the Scholar Class, after all.

“Yes, my Class is linked to my Patron; The Great Dungeon.”

Alan perked up and looked like he was going to ask more questions but Rhew beat him to it. “What about Nepthys?”

“She serves The Watcher, who is part of the same pantheon as my Patron.”

“I don’t know either of those gods,” Rhew said, her brow furrowing as she considered his words. “Are we in danger from merely associating with you?”

“I don’t think so?” Jake hedged, hoping that it wasn’t the case but not really knowing for sure.

“I knew that there was something odd about your Class, but this is something else,” Rhew said, rubbing her temples wearily.

“I know, and I wish I could have told all of you in a better situation, but with what’s happening, I couldn’t keep it to myself.”

The door to the cottage opened before Jake could say anymore, revealing Felix and a short woman who Jake didn’t recognise.

“Good, you’re all here,” Felix said as he came inside, the woman trailing along behind him. “First things first, I need to know how you all stand on the Triarchy. If you leave now, you will be safe from reprisal and can carry on in whatever manner you prefer.”

“And if we stay?” Karl asked, lifting his chin slightly.

“Then you’ll be helping us plan how to fight back and rescue Nepthys.” Felix said evenly, motioning to the open door. “Make your choice.”