1.74

Bauru was in the lead, the other three preparing to follow behind. Rugiel lifted her rabbit, rubbing her hand through the soft warm white fur, waiting for Stronric’s command. Before he could give it a small script wrote itself at the edge of everyone’s sight:

Optional Quest — Crystal Hunter

Anchors neutralized: 3 / 3

Rift stability in this zone: greatly improved

Reward: Bonus will be added to the main quest line.

The others had also stopped seeing the same notification.

“The anchors are neutralized.” Rugiel read aloud.

“Aye, looks like th’ humans are good fer somethin’ on their own.” Bauru said playfully, “Next step, find a decent place tae sleep an’ wait fer them tae catch up.”

“Ah, might I remind you of ze many great deeds I, a humble ‘uman, ‘ave performed to save each of you?” Armand joked, a little more life returning to his eyes.

“Ach, ye don’t count,” Bauru responded playfully, “Somewhere in yer line, a wee drop o’ dwarven blood must be hidin’.”

“Aye, lad, right ye are. Explains th’ height issue o’ our dear knight.” Stronric added thoughtfully.

“I am not short for a knight, nor for a ‘uman! I stand at least three ‘eads taller zan you lot, and one more zan most men!” Armand protested, straightening proudly.

“Fear not, dear friend,” Rugiel said sweetly, placing a graceful hand upon his forearm. “Among our company, a person is judged by merit, not by stature.”

Armand smiled back, mockingly tender. “Zen perhaps we should continue onward, yes? Our quest for loot and glory awaits.”

Stronric laughed, “Aye, we’ll press on ‘til we find a place our paths’ll cross or at worst a spot tae rest while they backtrack tae us.” Stronric said.

The tunnel before them was black and Armand lit a small torch, dwarves. The light danced with the darkness, ebbing in and out as the cold air blew through the space causing the flame to respond. Bauru led the party by a few paces, then the rest followed.

They moved as silently as they could. Stronric ran a rough hand along the walls, noticing how the crude gouges of hasty picks gave way to smoother, more deliberate cuts, dwarven work by those who understood the stubborn language of stone.

Stronric ran a hand along the smooth walls and opened his mouth to tell the others his thoughts when the ground let out a groan. The first past quickly, low enough that only Stronric stopped to listen. The party also stopped turning to look at him, then the ground shook in earnest.

Stronric did not move but instead leaned a pressed an ear and hand to the stone wall. “Cave in.” He said. The rumble rolled through their tunnel sending dust and letting loose the small cracks above and beside that dropped small stones and debris.

“Ought we to be worried?” Armand asked, his eye fanning the tunnel around them.

“Nah, it’s a fair way off yet. These walls are transitioning to something that resembles dwarven hands. They’re sounder than th’ caves behind us. Come on.” Stronric said, his hand still pressed to the stone wall.

The party continued down the black path, swallowed by darkness with only the soft glow of Armand's torch lighting their way.

The Other Party

“Run! Damn it, run!” Dane shouted as the stone walls crashed in around them.

The humans ran. Dane led, his shield sending rhythmic tings as it hit the round in his haste. Serene followed just behind him with her staff glowing and raised above, trying to light their path to salvation. Lirian was followed by Kara who also held her stuff high in case a sheet of ice could be laid across the roof or floor aid in descent or prevent stones from falling. Giles brought up the rear, pushing Kara forward as needed to keep pace with the others.

A large chunk of rock fell clipping Lirian in the shoulder and sending him bouncing off the wall. Giles arms were under him in an instant shoving him forward.

“Move!” The young lord shouted.

It took two steps for Lirian to find his own footing and quickly caught back up to Kara, even as his left right shoulder hung limply as his side. Rocks flew past them, small debris clipping exposed skin and larger stone hitting bodies bluntly.

The path curved and as they sprinted away from the stones behind them the passage shrank, becoming thinner and thinner till they could only run in a single line. Before them a pinch barely large enough for Dane met them.

“Every one forward, through the gap, i’ll go last. My size will hinder you all.” He said, thrusting Serene through. The party slowed as each of the small humans shuffled though. The rock wall crashed ever closer, the sound deafening. Dane placed his shield, trying to catch the smalled projectives before they could inflict more damage, his free hand shoved the others through.

“Dane now!” Giles shouted! “‘and me zhe shield.”

Dane turned, sliding the shield off as the more boulders fell just seconds from collapsing atop him. Once freed from the metal burden he threw himself into the gap. Lirian grabbed Danes hand with his good arm and heaved. Danes chest tore and scraped and he was ripped from earth embrace just as the rock wall following hit the small gap. The impact sent the two men falling back in a tangle of limbs.

The party held their breath, the only sound was that of hearts thrumming and chests heaving. The ground no longer shook and the stone held.

Serene pushed more power into her staff. The soft glow of light filled the space. The cave path they came from had been jagged edged and crudely formed, for the mountain itself, then those who tried to force their passage. The gap was closed by the rocks of the cave in but the tunnel they now were in was made. The walls smooth and well formed. Arched supports could be seen off in the distance just inside the ring of light.

“Praise the heavens someone could carve underground paths properly,” she whispered, breathless, “or we’d be trapped beneath this earth forever.”

Dane and Lirian had untangled themselves and sat slumped over breathing deeply. The whole party was drenched in sweat, exhausted breath filled the air and their bodies all bore signs of damage. Lirian’s arm was slung across his lap, pain etched in the lines of his face. Dane tried to stand but crumpled, clutching his left ankle.“Blast it.” he muttered through gritted teeth.

Serene was there in an instant. “Let me see you stubborn fool.”

The ankle in question was broken, crushed from the last bit of falling stones. “This will hurt.” She said looking Dane in the eyes.

The warrior nodded once, “Do it.” He said through gritted teeth and deep breaths.

In one quick motion the healer pulled and twisted the ankle. Dane grunted but did not cry out.

“I’ll heal it now that it's set. It will still hurt, like a sprain till I can do more tomorrow. I must save some reserve magic for Lirian and the unknown.” Serene said gently.

She turned inspecting the Rogues shoulder. The arm was limp and the joint deformed and out of place. “Lucky you, just a dislocation.” She said to Lirian.

“I’ve lost this joint more times than I can count. I know the drill, love.” Lirian replied.

Serene clutched his arm forearm to forearm, then pulled down while rotating his shoulder outwards. A sickening clunk and the arm was back in place. “Can you move it now?” Serene asked.

Lirian waved his arm, still grinning despite the pain. Serene then passed over the room healing the worst of the injuries, just to close blooding cuts and allow the party to continue. They took a moment to catch their breaths, drink and eat then prepared to continue.

“Forward is our only recourse, mes amis. Let us ‘ope zat fate will guide us to ze others.” Giles said.

The Dwarves and Armand

Bauru came back around a bend, “There’s a room ahead many tunnels branch off it. We can make camp there. Didn’t see anythin’ livin’, at least.” He said a little breathless from his run ahead and back.

“Good lad.” Stronric replied.

They made it to the space Bauru had told them about without issues. The room was a large circle. There were arched door frames from cut stone and rock marking each tunnel that met the room. The floors were flat and smooth and mirrored the walls, all carved from expert hands. Unlit torches lined the walls with intricately carved stone holders. The walls held the whisper of old runic carvings; the depictions of kingdoms and monsters could be seen faintly in areas that time had not erased.

Rugiel went to one carving and ran a finger along the base of the carved stone door, slightly ajar with depicted streaks of light coming though the remaining portion was too faint to see. She circled the room as Armand lit a wall torch with his own before dosing his, and lighting another on the opposite side of the room.

Stronric walked to an arched doorway, taking in the shapes of the runes they held.

“What does it all mean?” Bauru asked.

“It is an entrance,” Rugiel replied before Stronric could answer, her tone precise and resonant. “But to what, I cannot say.”

Stronric nodded. “Aye. Somethin’ dwarven in shape, but different. Reminds me o’ what I saw when trapped with Dovren.”

Stronric continued to each doorway trying to find a rune that spoke to him. There were twelve doorways in total. One tunnel was collapsed just before the archway. Stronric walked over.

“This is recent, the dust barely settled. Could be what we heard but I felt the rumble to our side not before us.” He said kicking a loose stone at the base of the cave-in while speaking his thoughts aloud. “Rugiel stay here and listen, the rest of us will each track a tunnel for a short time to see if they are active.”

The Armand, Bauru and Stronric circled the room, Bauru marked four tunnels where the air was dead and stale, a collapse known for certain. Then they each picked a passage, the two dwarves with nothing but weapons and the knight with his short sword and torch, and went in.

They each took two trips back and forth down the remaining, just far enough to be certain the air was moving and there were no gnoll traps or camps just beyond a bend. One tunnel remained, it was the largest and the arch surrounding was nothing shy of masterwork stonecraft. It held the most runestones.

“I may not be a master of ze mountain, but zat seems the way forward.” Armand standing before the massive opening.

“Aye. That’s th’ path. We’ll camp here ‘til th’ others find us.” Stonric grumbled, not liking the many openings to their locations.

They moved the larger rocks that they could manage from the cave-ins and rolled them into the open archways, narrowing the spaces to allow their smaller number to protect their space if set upon while waiting.

Once the heavy lifting was finished the party stayed tucked against the archway with the cave-in just within the archway. This provided them coverage from the rear and left the circle open to move if needed. They pulled drink and meat from their packs and settled in on the stone floors. Rugiel’s rabbit who had followed the dwarf while she worked, avoiding the boots of those working now lay tucked into her lap, nibbing quickly on a reed end Rugiel had collected.

They rested comfortably in silence for a while. Each member processed the past day and thought over what was to come. The boss layer and end of this dungeon must be fast approaching.

“I expected more.” Rugiel said, breaking the silence. “Our purpose was to defeat the dungeon boss, halt the gnollish invasion, and leave with the town restored. Yet since the swamp, we have encountered little resistance.” She continued her brow furrowed in thought. “The anchors themselves, shouldn’t they have been guarded by gnolls, other than those dead and decaying feeding that corrupted monstrosity?”

Bauru shrugged, taking a bite of the smoked meat. “Warfront’s at th’ start. Makes sense th’ gnolls’d be clustered there.”

“Non. Ze deeper we go, ze less zis place feels like war and more like corruption.” Armand’s voice darkened his eyes were distant.

Stronric said nothing as he tugged on his beard, thinking over Rugiel’s words.

“hy have the gnolls not claimed the treasure for themselves? If victory is their purpose, would they not place it upon their warleader?” She retorted, looking to Stronric, waiting for his words.

“Maybe they already killed it before the overflow,” Bauru offered.

Impossible,” Armand said gently. “Ze dungeons, zey are each made for a single purpose. Zis one was crafted for ze gathering of herbs, of stones, and of ‘ealing waters. Only those who seek to defeat ze boss for its reward would ever dare to delve as deep as we ‘ave ventured.” He continued. “It takes time for a dungeon to reach its overflow status. Zese gnoll beasts, zey ‘ave been expanding, waiting, placing zheir anchor stones, but not striking down ze boss itself. If ze boss is defeated, ze dungeon resets. Zis… has not reset.”

Stronric’s spoke then, “Then what if th’ boss was slain, an’ invaders stayed with their Achor Stones in place. What happens then?”

“Zis ‘as not been done in my lifetime, so I know it not, save for ze tales spoken of ‘eroes and villains,” Armand said, turning to face Stronric. “Zere are legends of villains who invade dungeons and forge zheir own kingdoms within. Zey slay ze dungeon boss, yet do not depart, zey remain inside, hiding and thriving in a pocket of space and time, raising legions zat would one day spill forth to destroy ze world, unless a ‘ero of great renown enters and ends zem.” He finished with a soft shrug. “But zese are stories told to children, not histories we may trust.”

Bauru turn to Stronric, “Ye think th’ gnolls’ anchors are preventin’ th’ reset?” Bauru swallowed, “Making their own wargoss the dungeon boss?”

Armand responded before Stronric could. “If zat is true, we are on the wrong side of the dungeon entirely,” Armand said. “Forward is all we can do.”

Rugiel was about to reply when Stronric held up a hand, effectively silencing her. The party held their breath, and the soft shuffle of feet could be heard. They each rose, Rugiel placing the rabbit in Stronric’ pack against the wall. They lifted their weapons, and spread out dosing the wall torches except for one. They listened for which tunnel the sounds were coming from. Rugiel signaled that it was hers and the other repositioned. They then stood motionless, silent as shadows and waited.

Bauru was across the opening tucked into the shadows with Predator raised. Rugiel stood off to the side of the opening, with Stonric and Armand behind the rock pile they formed to narrow the passage. Rugiel raised her hammer ready to swing when the first body came through.

Footsteps fell from feet that were trying for silence but still getting louder as they approached. Rugiel let the flames of Morgel alight and readied her swing, but before it could fall, Bauru’s voice called out.

“Stop!” He said quickly running from the shadows as Dane’s shield filled the opening.

Rugiel's flames extinguished and the hammer swung down harmlessly before she rested it on the floor. Dane took in the running dwarf and exhaled.

“Nice to see you and not the ugly mugs of gnolls, even though you lot sure smell like the beasts.” Dane said, his voice full of humor. He led the other party into the room. They exchanged pleasantries and relit the wall torches before settling back into the protected corner of the room.

Stronric cleared his throat, ““Now that ye’re fed an’ breathin’,” he said, “I think it’s time ye told us why ye all look half-beaten tae death.”