I left the adventurers guild and followed the road that Ssarina had marked on the map. Surprisingly, it seemed there were quite a few dungeons within a small area. Did the academy locate here because of that, or did they somehow attract or seed the dungeons after the academy was established? It was an intriguing question, but the answer wouldn’t help me clear this dungeon.
A wall around the city matched the one at the academy. This one lacked the students helping to defend it, but at the city gate I used, there were a half dozen guards armed with spears and wearing chainmail. They should be enough to keep any troublemakers out. A quick flash of my adventurer’s guild badge, and the guards waved me through without any hassle.
Once outside the gate, I followed a cobblestone main road for about a mile before branching off onto a dirt trail that was supposed to link up with the dungeon entrance. I was outside the city and its guards, so I went ahead and summoned my minions. First out was the drone, quickly followed by Elida.
I thought about my third minion for this summoning contract, Clancy, and it seemed that just by thinking about him, I was given a summary of his efforts so far.
Clancy, Merchant Cart Vendor.
Current funds available for you to withdraw:
- Gold: 3.
- Silver: 18.
- Copper: 75.
Items of interest held by your minion.
- Summoning figurine, Tier 1, Rank 4.
This minion can be recalled to your location. Do you wish to recall Clancy? Y/N.
I answered no, not wanting to disturb Clancy’s business. Despite only having started the night before, it looked like Clancy was off to a fine start. I was especially happy to see that he had already bagged a summoning figurine for me. Most of my figurines had been left behind on Earth, and I was down to the dregs with my current supply.
All I had on me was a pair of fire mephits, a very situational-use seahorse, the helpful staff figurine, and the reuseable kobold warband figurine. I also had Rodney’s Bag of Beasts that could summon something, though the usefulness of the random summons was always questionable. The Fangs of the Hydra Pouch was a bit more formidable and would slowly replenish over time as I used up the teeth inside.
The trail I was on led through a rather pleasant forest and would have made for a relaxing afternoon walk if I wasn’t nervous about what I might face in the dungeon. Well-worn from travel, the hard-packed dirt trail finally gave way to a large clearing. In the center of the clearing was a ruined building. The cracked pillars and intricate stonework reminded me of ancient Greek or maybe Roman architecture and I began to get excited about testing myself against whatever the dungeon was going to throw at me.
In front of the ruins was a log building with a sign announcing that it was the adventurer’s guild access point. The structure was of a relatively new construction which was a bit surprising as I had expected that the dungeon would have been here for a while. A party of three adventurers walked out of the log building cursing as they moved over to one of several tables placed around the wide porch.
More than a few glares were cast in my direction as I walked past them. Pushing open the door, I was greeted with something that reminded me more of a store than a guild administration office. Displays and shelving took up much of the floor space, and a long counter at the back of the building was manned by several clerks.
The items on offer in the shop ranged from adventuring gear, armor, weapons, and camping supplies. It was all rather basic equipment, and nothing showed any signs of enchantment. Maybe the good stuff was behind the counter. I approached the nearest clerk, an older man in a plain beige tunic.
“Hi, I was told there was an open slot for the dungeon I could take,” I said, passing over my guild badge as Ssarina had instructed.
“Oh, you’re the one from the academy that’s jamming up the works for today’s schedule. We’ve had to hold back on any new parties from entering until you get your crack at the place. Let me get you a starter kit,” the old clerk said. Despite complaining about me “jamming up the works”, the man didn’t seem bothered by my presence. He rummaged around behind the shelf and handed me a small booklet.
“What’s this?” I said, flipping through it and seeing a crude map of the dungeon as well as notes about various threats.
“The guild doesn’t want anyone slaughtered by the dungeon, so they let folks know of anything that might be a bigger threat than it seems, or other threats that might be beyond the typical rating of the dungeon. Mind that you don’t get too confident. Just because we’re warning you about the unusual, doesn’t mean the mundane won’t kill you if you’re stupid,” the old man said.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
“Thanks, I’ll give it a read before I head in. Speaking of that, where exactly is the dungeon entrance?’ I asked.
“It’s just out the back door there,” the clerk said, pointing toward a hallway at the far side of the building.
“I’m assuming this is all for sale, is there any other gear not on display?” I asked, looking around the place. It sort of reminded me of a Cracker Barrel in the way it looked and how things were displayed, though I don’t recall the Cracker Barrel offering any melee weapons. Maybe they had them for sale behind the counter, I’d never asked, and was always too distracted by the candy display when I ate there.
“This is it, just simple gear that guild members can requisition for their delve. It’s meant to fill out any gaps in the gear of newer adventurers, not upgrade what they currently have. You look rather well equipped, so I doubt anything I have would be of interest. I will give you this, every adventurer with a guild badge gets this when entering their first dungeon run,” the clerk said, passing over three small vials that the system identified.
Minor healing potion (2).
Minor mana potion (1).
“Thanks. Do I owe you anything for them?” I asked.
“No, it comes out of the guild’s cut of your delve. Just something we do to make sure you have what you need. Whenever you’re ready, you can head in. I’d recommend starting as soon as possible, the others have to wait until you’re finished before they can begin their runs,” the clerk said.
I was beginning to understand the frustration of the adventurers outside a bit better now. If your livelihood depended on dungeon delving, it would be annoying for the school faculty to essentially cut in line ahead of you. I really needed this delve, but I’d try to be conscientious about future runs and not cut in line if I could avoid it.
“I’ll get on it right now, before I go, there is one thing I was curious about. This building seems new, but I was assuming the dungeon has been here for a while. Why doesn’t the guild have a more permanent structure on site?” I asked.
“Ah, yeah, it would seem a bit out of place. I can assure you it’s not some cost-cutting measure. It’s the dungeon here, it likes to shift about its entrance every few years, and we rebuild to accommodate those changes each time,” the clerk told me.
“Thanks, I’ll get my run going now,” I promised before leading the drone and Elida toward the hallway the clerk had indicated. Double doors at the end of the hall had an armed human clerk standing near them. He nodded before unlocking and opened the doors, giving my odd party only a cursory glance as we walked into a much larger room.
At the far wall was the swirling portal of a dungeon entrance, and around the entrance were several temporary fortifications. A low wall, and sharpened stakes pointed toward the dungeon entrance, left only a narrow path for my team to enter. Four guards, three armed in chainmail and carrying spears, and one in mages robes, stood watch over the dungeon entrance.
I wondered if the dungeon occasionally spewed out raiding parties, but didn’t want to waste time asking. The guards waved me forward, and I stepped into the portal. My minions went first, and I followed behind them, happy to find that the first chamber of the dungeon was clear of any attackers.
That was supposed to be standard for dungeons, giving parties a chance to get organized before their delve began. Given the defenses at the dungeon entrance, I had been briefly worried that the dungeon was more aggressive than normal. Speaking of that, I figured it was a good idea to start off the delve in a polite manner.
“Hello,” I called out to the dungeon. “I’m Rico Kline, and I’m here for a standard delve. I want to thank you for the challenges I’ll face, and I hope we’ll both benefit from my presence here. I don’t know if you can hear or understand me, but I’m a class called Contracted Summoner, and if you ever have need of my services, I’d be glad to consider your offer, I’ve helped several dungeon cores in the past,” I announced.
There was no reply, so with my minions standing guard, I looked around before scanning the information booklet. The dungeon was dark, but instead of a closed-in cave, I found myself in an outdoor glade that was lit by stars and a sliver of moon. Ruins, like those outside the entrance littered the glade, much of it was nothing more than lumps of marble.
The dungeons I’d been in before had all been underground, this one had somehow created at least the illusion of an outdoor area. It was impressive that the core would create such an ambiance, and I hoped that boded well for the rest of my delve. For the most part, the booklet from the guild proved to be a bust.
It was clearly geared toward newer adventurers and the only unusual twist was a warning to not disturb any graves, no matter what the gravestone or posted signs said. I’d take that to heart as I readied my weapons and led the team deeper into the dungeon. According to the guide, there were three main outdoor areas I had to clear of their veteran bosses before I could enter a crypt and deal with the final challenge. The first enemies were supposed to be about twenty yards away, near a large, fallen pillar.
As we approached the pillar, a haggard orc stood suddenly, raising his empty hands to show he was unarmed. My minions stopped their approach at my command, and I waited for the orc to state his business.
“My master thanks you for your polite introduction. Such manners were common when he ruled his empire, but now, are forgotten by most. He also bids me to remind you that while proper behavior is appreciated, it doesn’t mean that he will relent from his duties. You will either die in this place, or be proven worthy to leave with your rewards,” the orc said as rusted plate armor suddenly covered his form, and a great axe appeared in his hand.
A new group of armed and armored figures rose from the ruins, and all of them readied their weapons as they strode confidently toward my small party. The system identified my foes as I concentrated on them.
Orc Revenant War Leader, Tier 1, Rank 5, Veteran.
Armored Skeletal Warriors, Tier 0, rank 5. (6).
“Destroy them all,” I ordered my team.