“I said that we should no longer treat the Grove of Bones as a hostile location, but instead as an exceptionally rare training resource” the nobleman said calmly with an air of authority and surety that hid his own misgivings. He would trust his son’s solemn report even though it seemed farfetched. There was a chance this could be embarrassing for him and his family, but very little of their own resources would be lost even if the whole arrangement turned out to be a sham.
“Well I heard what you said, and the Adventurer’s Guild already uses dungeons for training, but... but… they are always hostile. That’s just… just a given.” Ravira protested, and with good reason. Kurtis hadn’t been able to find any information in his own family’s archives about cooperative dungeons, and even his ancestor’s notes on the Dungeon Lord hadn’t held any clues. Still, he trusted Rheagan, and if there was even the slightest possibility that the arrangement could be upheld, the massive changes that he had felt coming could be a boon instead of a bane.
“Master Ravira, I assure you that I am aware of how dungeons work,” he said with a hint of dry amusement, reminding her that he was actually a higher level than even she was. “But I have taken the reports of the scouting party in person and can verify that they believe every word of what they say.”
“What of Augustus’s testimony?” she asked pointedly.
“Augustus is not the most reliable source of information, I have found,” the patriarch said carefully. “While I am certain that he means well, he did not take sufficient precautions when returning to the dungeon, and his report is… somewhat suspect.”
Ravira blinked at him a bit owlishly, and he set a report on her disk, sliding it toward her. It only took her a few seconds to read the whole report, after which she had to stifle an improper giggle and nod to him. “Ah, I was not aware of the full… nature of his debriefing. Murderous fluffy animals that require hugs are… somewhat suspect, yes.”
Kurtis restrained his own smirk, but his eyes still twinkled. “It’s a shame when warriors neglect both certain ability scores and the protections to avoid those weaknesses being exploited. Actually, I also got the impression Augustus was planning on returning to his party post haste as a matter of fact.”
Ravira blinked, then nodded. “I see. But still, what makes you believe that this dungeon is no longer hostile? You mentioned the reports of the scout team, but how reliable are they?” She blanched slightly at the hardening of the noble’s face, and realized that she could once again taste phantom shoe leather. “Ah, right, your son,” she said hastily, “I meant no offense my lord, but you have to understand how this sounds, and after reading Augustus’s report….” she trailed off, not wanting to chew on her own appendages any more than she already had.
Somewhat mollified, Kurtis inclined his head slightly, accepting the point and the apology. “I do, and of course I understand that it would be difficult to accept, but my son’s group took precautions, and one of their members was immune to the effects as well.” He didn’t mention that the young mage in question was the most dubious of the Dungeon Lord’s intentions, but even the elemental had grudgingly admitted that this Xander had tried to seem reasonable.
“I… ummm… believe that your son… believes his report to be true,” Ravira said as carefully as she could manage. She wasn’t great at pandering to nobles, which was part of the reason she was the guild master here instead of a larger city. “But it is still a Dungeon Lord’s dungeon, and therefore beyond dangerous. What do you request from the Adventurer’s Guild?” she asked, her words reminding him that however she might appear, she was an official, and the head of this branch of the guild.
“The House of Heintfeld requests that you review the entire transcript of the conversation, then work in tandem to create a modified framework for local dungeon operations.” he replied, reminding her of his own position. He then withdrew another spindle of writing disks from his storage space and placed them on her desk amongst heaps of similar spindles. “Of course we will need to be cautious at first, but if this opportunity pans out, can you even begin to imagine having a safe dungeon to grow your guild members’ levels?”
She hadn’t, in fact, considered that at all. But once the suggestion was made, the cogs began to turn in her mind, and she could do math better than most merchants, let alone pushy nobles. As her mind chased the implications down various rabbit holes, Kurtis leaned back and watched as she inevitably came to the same conclusion that he had. Dungeons meant danger, but they also meant wealth and power to the survivors. If everybody survived… how much could they accomplish?
—-----------------------------
Teyla was nervous. She had been into several dungeons before, but she was new to this team, and none of the team had ever been in this particular Dungeon before. The local adventurer’s guild had assured them that it was actually a very safe dungeon as long as you followed the rules. It sounded like a crock of shit, especially now taking in the grim sights of the area in front of her.
Black wrought iron fencing surrounded the entire dungeon, the tips wickedly sharp. A large number of burial sites were scattered throughout, with blood red and black rose bushes growing everywhere. A few skeletons wandered about the graveyard with dark vines and colorful flowers growing throughout their bones, picking their way past a wide variety of gray tombstones. The monsters carried wicked looking shortswords that were reminiscent of the spikes on the rosebushes, but moved with eerie fluidity and silence.
In the distance, a massive structure loomed at the center with high arches and sharp angles, looking something like a cross between a cathedral and a mausoleum. There too, vegetation played a strange part of the architecture with the roof consisting of a peaked canopy of leaves and the trunks of large trees making up supports. It was all very eerie, and Teyla nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand landed on her shoulder. “Are you ready to go?” asked Evvan, their group’s leader.
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“As ready as I’m going to be,” she replied when she got herself back under control, “But are we really sure that we can handle this?” she asked, trying to hide her growing fear behind a professional expression. She was pretty sure she wasn’t fooling anybody, but Evvan just calmly smiled at her.
“Make sure you put on your mask then, we’re heading inside in two minutes.” Teyla very carefully didn’t slap her forehead. She had been so distracted while staring at the dungeon that she had forgotten to put on the facial covering that the local guild had been so helpful in selling them. She grimaced at the memory of the vastly inflated price, but there hadn’t really been any way around it.
Forming up with the rest of her group, she glanced sideways at their ranger, Julius. The man already wore wraps of cloth around his mouth and nose and was almost infuriatingly calm. Still and silent, he waited patiently without a single hint of nerves. Contrasting him, their two spellcasters were a bundle of energy, the twins almost bouncing up and down with excess enthusiasm. Saya used lightning and Tasha used earth, but they were still identical in almost every way, including their personalities.
Teyla hefted her own shields, and their comforting weights calmed her nerves somewhat as she joined Evvan at the front of their group. These were just undead afterall, even if they were strange ones, and the other members of her team were strong in their own right. On a hand signal from Evvan, they all walked forward through the gates and under the imposing iron arch.
Welcome to Dungeon Lord Xander’s Grove of Bones!!
Dungeon Status: Open. Suggested level: 25, or level 20 if in a party of 4. Remain courteous or face your well deserved eternal rest in the Grove or Gallery.
Art Gallery Status: Under Construction. Exquisite and exclusive art coming soon, donations appreciated.
The whole party froze briefly as the strange contents of the system disk displayed, and her anxiety returned. Even the twins seemed momentarily taken aback at the odd message. Even though it was only text, the tone came across as somehow both chipper and threatening. Teyla had been in quite a few dungeons, and not a single one of them ever listed anything besides their name and suggested levels.
“I don’t like this, boss” came the deep and quiet voice of the ranger. Evvan frowned a bit, but then shrugged. “It’s strange, but we’ve got to trust the guild and our own abilities. We’re right on the suggested level, and a party of five besides. Not to mention that the guild suggested that this dungeon is oddly non-lethal for some reason.”
“Did they say why?” asked the twins in semi-unison. They were off in their timing, as usual, but Evvan shook his head. “No, they wouldn’t go into it, just said to follow the rules.”
“It’s not about what the guild told us,” Julius said. “This whole place feels off, the plants here are… wrong. I can’t really put my finger on it, but something sneaky is going on.”
“Do you think we should push on or fall back?” asked Evvan, somewhat to Teyla’s surprise. In her experience, most team leaders wouldn’t have bothered to ask. Julius thought it over for a few seconds before replying, “Push on, but keep your eyes peeled. Something is going to jump out at us or hit us from some angle we don’t expect.”
“Good!” the twins laughed, magic beginning to crackle around their fingers and looks of glee on their faces. “We’ve tackled nastier dungeons, what’s the worst that could happen?!”
Personally, Teyla got the same feeling as Julius about the place, like eyes were watching them, but she supposed it could just be the undead they could see roaming. She had never been comfortable around the undead, not that most people were. There was just something about their empty eyes and the knowledge that they had once been people that always struck her as perverse. As the new girl to the team though, she didn’t have a lot of say, so she just lifted her twin shields and gritted her teeth, preparing herself for the worst.
Three hours later, as Teyla languished in the surprisingly gentle arms of her new lover Fabio, she couldn’t help but giggle and think dreamily of how coming here had been the best decision of her life. Sure, she couldn’t really move her arms or legs, but she didn’t need to with the handsomely muscled and dashing man carrying her off into the sunset.
The vine minion gently set the female guardian down on a bed of moss next to the other four humans who already languished there. All five were splashed in purple and yellow spores, so the minion spent a few minutes dusting them off lightly. They had actually managed to make it all the way to the throne room, but were too far gone by that point to give a proper fight. Still, the Lord was happy, so these humans were not to be killed. The minion didn’t care one way or the other, it just followed orders. Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip. After administering the slow acting antidotes, the minion headed back to its post inside the Dungeon.
—--------------------------
Kord strode along the road with a new purpose burning in his heart. He hadn’t believed it at first when he had heard that the Grove of Bone was not only still open, but that the Dungeon Lord was still in residence. Her lovely head was still in his bag, magically preserved so that she could always remain with him. Thinking about her again, he reached into the bag at his side to stroke her hair once more, as he re-lived the fight and the deaths yet again. It still brought a smile to his lips every time.
He had been a little sad that the Dungeon Lord had needed to die at the time; the way that Delsa had died had been so unbelievably beautiful that it had really struck him. Unfortunately, with only him and his brother left, the chance that they could restrain her had been so low that it hadn’t been worth trying. Kord missed his brother, but Tor had been a prick at the best of times, and he couldn’t blame his goddess of death for reaping the fool’s life. They had been trying to kill her after all, so it was fair.
Now that he knew she was somehow still alive though… well, other plans could be made. None of these back-water hicks would understand what he wanted, and they certainly couldn’t be trusted with The Plan. No, he would need to build a new team from the ground up. A small but powerful team of individuals who would understand the beauty and possibility she represented. There were a few members of the Brotherhood that he might be able to call on, but he had other contacts as well.
Pressing the stump of his tongue against the inside of his teeth had become something of a habit, and he caught himself doing it again now as excitement over the future built up within him. He wanted her badly, and he would have all of her in time. Her beauty, her deadly skills, even her dungeon. Kord could see it all in his mind’s eye, him sitting on the imposing throne, her on another to one side, and scores of other adventurers coming to them to be harvested.
He hadn’t known it could work like that until a few nights ago. He had been visited in his dreams by a figure wrapped in shadows. It whispered to him of many things, including The Plan. The whole dream still sent a shiver through him whenever he remembered it, and the vision of power rushing through him that he had seen. Kord could almost taste the lives that he would reap, and the beautiful deaths that he would distribute. Everyone died, that was just a fact, so how you died became of ultimate importance, not when.
Regardless, he would need to overpower and subdue the Dungeon Lord if he was to take over and become the new Dungeon Lord himself. He knew he would need more power for that though, both personal power and the assistance of others. And he knew where to find both of those kinds of power. The Krandak Labyrinth beckoned.