Dungeon Noble - Squire

They set off for their next destination immediately, pushing to make as much distance as they could before nightfall.

When they did have to stop, it was with barely enough time to set up camp before they lost the light. They’d pushed hard, keeping up a steady loping jog that had let them cover the distance far faster than Jake could have hoped.

At this rate, they’d arrive tomorrow with plenty of time to get set up, but after the unexpected events of the day, Jake had concerns.

What were the Corrupters up to?

Jake hadn’t heard anything about Dungeons dying, so why were they doing this now? Or had they been picking off Dungeons far from the beaten path for a while?

Rubbing his face, Jake settled down on his bedroll and began to do some work with the pattern of how he infused his sword with Wyrd. Alan seemed to be able to understand what was going on here a lot better than he could, but Jake was tenacious.

It might take him longer, but he refused to give up; he’d understand what was happening eventually.

-**-

The subdued atmosphere of the camp faded somewhat by morning, and the four of them set off after a dry and somewhat unappealing breakfast. Truly, the worst part about travelling was the lack of decent cooking.

They’d skipped the sparring the night before, so Felix took the opportunity to have them run sprints along their chosen path. It was sweaty, tiring work, but he gave them a short break once they were done before they carried on.

Unfortunately, all of Felix’s work at distracting them from what they’d seen failed as soon as they came within sight of the next Dungeon.

Rather, what was left of it.

A weight pressed down on Jake’s mind for a brief instant, and his memory of what he’d seen the day before sharpened and became crystal clear.

Vengeance.

Jake stumbled slightly, but his Patron’s message was a lot simpler this time, and he was able to shake off the effects of its attention after a minute or so.

“This isn’t good, is it?” Aspen asked the silent group, bouncing his spear on his shoulder restlessly as he did.

“No. It isn’t,” Felix said, taking a deep breath before pulling out a small map and consulting it. “Our best bet now is to head straight for the meeting point with Nepthys. They may know more about what’s going on than us.”

Considering that Nepthys and Ari had left to specifically hunt down Corrupters, Jake really hoped that was the case.

“How far is it?” Gargan asked, tapping his pack as he did. “Do we have enough supplies to get us there?”

“Another two days,” Felix said with a grimace. “I was relying on us supplying at these Dungeons, but yes, we should have enough. We’ll need to ration it, though.”

“We could always hunt on the way. Regular creatures or Hollows, either would do,” Aspen said with a shrug. “We’ve cut time by not delving, so it’s not like we’re pressed as it stands.”

“True, that is an option,” Felix said, consulting his map once more. “I’m more concerned with getting there quickly, though. This deviation in behaviour from the Corrupters is worrying, and I want to see for myself that the next one is safe.”

“And if it isn’t?” Jake asked.

“Then we search the area for provisions and wait for Ari and Nepthys,” Felix said, doing his best to sound like he had a plan for such an eventuality.

Silence fell between them as they moved past the dead Dungeon, setting off into the familiar loping run as they followed a path north-east.

-**-

Two more days of travelling went by slowly, the only bright spots being when they happened across a Hollow filled with Blaze Boars.

It was almost nostalgic to fight the boars, and Aspen was quick to harvest as much meat as he could from them. They ate well that night, which did much to bolster their flagging spirits.

They didn’t get much Wyrdgeld from the encounter, but it was an oddly nice break from the steady routine of their travel.

It seemed to reassure Felix slightly as well, which made Jake wonder if Corrupters could destroy Hollows as well as Dungeons.

If they could, that did imply some sort of deeper connection between the two. Sure, they were similar enough on the surface, but Jake had assumed there were some fundamental differences, as he’d heard nothing about Hollows ever growing in size or changing.

Then again, Jake might be overthinking things. It was hard to tell, though, especially as no one seemed to really understand Dungeons.

It also wasn’t that important right now, not when Jake had the threat of this new hunter from the Triarchy hanging over him, as well as whatever the Corrupters were doing.

Shaking it off, Jake focused back on the steady rhythm of their run. They’d be arriving at the next Dungeon within a few hours if they kept this pace up.

-**-

A ripple of relief ran through them all as they came into view of the Dungeon where they were meant to be meeting Ari and Nepthys. It was whole and unharmed.

“Thank Napthir,” Gargan muttered as he took in the view. “I wasn’t looking forward to scavenging for food.”

“Thank Kalinkos that we don’t need to then,” Aspen said, all but stressing the name of his Patron.

“I think we’re relieved enough to thank all our Patrons,” Jake said quickly, not giving Gargan a chance to respond. He gave Aspen a quelling look for good measure as well. This was really not the time to be poking at each other.

“Looks like we’re the only people here,” Alan said quickly, distracting them further.

“Ari and Nepthys were meant to arrive before us, but that’s not exactly a surprise,” Felix said, leading the way further in. “We’ve done a lot of running these last few days, so let’s rest up for the rest of today. We can plan our next steps in the morning.”

“Sounds good to me,” Aspen said, heading straight for the closest building. “I’ll get grilling!”

Jake couldn’t help but laugh at Aspen’s one-track mind, though he had to admit he was looking forward to some freshly cooked steaks.

Alan and Gargan were picking out their own spots, but there was something Jake needed to do first.

“Jake Khesh, be welcome in my domain,” Ivaldi’s deep voice echoed out, as it always did when Jake stepped inside the store. The man appeared out of the darkness, placing down a stool and taking a seat. “You seem troubled.”

“I have a feeling that you already know what is troubling me, what I’ve seen,” Jake said, giving Ivaldi a pointed look.

“I confess that I do,” Ivaldi said, reaching into the darkness to withdraw a second stool for Jake. “Please, sit, be welcome as my guest.”

Jake took the invitation gladly, welcoming the chance to rest his feet for a while. “Why the pretence that you didn’t know?”

“I am bound to not discuss certain matters with just anyone,” Ivaldi said carefully. “Much like when we first met, and you asked me about your family.”

“I think I understand,” Jake said, wondering silently what else Ivaldi was unable to talk to him about. “So, what can you tell me about these Dungeons?”

A smile flickered across Ivaldi’s face, and he made an expansive gesture. “Almost anything, but what is it that you wish to know?”

“Are they truly destroyed? Was it Corrupters?”

“Yes, and yes, I’m sorry to say,” Ivaldi said, his smile fading. “A new Dungeon will grow to replace the dead eventually, but it will take time, and each death has consequences for the Realm.”

Jake gave the big man a questioning look, but Ivaldi simply shook his head, he wouldn’t elaborate on that any further.

“So, why not this Dungeon, then?” Jake asked curiously, thinking of how close the other two Dungeons were.

“I imagine there must be a reason, but I can’t tell you what it is,” Ivaldi said, and Jake saw an echo of something in Ivaldi’s eyes.

He had a feeling that this restriction was just as frustrating for Ivaldi as it was for him. Perhaps even more so.

“Are there other Dungeons that have been destroyed by these people?” Jake asked, hoping that it wasn’t the case and that Ivaldi could confirm it was an isolated issue.

Ivaldi motioned for Jake to wait for a moment as he rose from his stool and walked off into the darkness.

Jake blinked in surprise. Of all the responses he’d considered, that certainly wasn’t one of them.

A full minute dragged by, and Jake was just starting to feel antsy when Ivaldi returned. The shopkeeper had a solemn expression as he met Jake’s gaze. “There is another first tier Dungeon to the south of this one that has been killed. That is all they have done so far. This stretches the bounds of what I can do already, we can speak no more on this.”

Jake nodded and got to his feet. “I understand, thank you for answering what you can.”

“Of course,” Ivaldi said, speaking up as Jake reached the door to leave. “Good hunting, Jake Khesh.”