Trap

“Five years ago, back when I was an active adventurer with the guild, my partner and I accepted a request to investigate a dungeon. We figured it’d be a simple request, after all, the dungeon had been around for decades and we had a map from the last time it had opened, five years prior,” said Anna.

“What happened?” asked Flora, fear evident in her voice.

“We entered the dungeon. By the time we realized the dungeon had changed from what the map showed, it was too late. We fell down a trap door to a lower section of the dungeon. We wandered, lost, for hours until we unknowingly entered a room inhabited by a high vampire. We had no chance. Selene sacrificed herself so I could flee the room. I eventually got found, **** and bleeding out, by another party of adventurers,” said Anna, clearly sad, yet she appeared to have already come to terms with it.

“What happened to your partner?” asked Ophelia.

“She was never found. The dungeon closed a few days after I regained consciousness, and had been for five years,” Anna said.

“I see,” said Alice.

“So is this the part where you try and convince us not to go?” I asked.

“Huh?” said Anna, surprised by my bluntness.

“Well if so, stow it. We’ve all already made up our minds to go. It’s our duty as adventurers, and as Lucille’s friends to help protect her hometown from the danger that dungeon poses,” I said, my will resolute.

“But!” Anna complained.

“I will however, gladly take any information you can give us. The mere knowledge that the dungeon changes form each incarnation is a great help. If there’s anything else you know, we’d greatly appreciate it,” I said, staring her in the eye.

“I won’t be able to get you to change your mind will I?” Anna sighed. I nodded. “Alright then. It’s my duty as the guild’s clerk to aid you guys in any way I can.”

“Thank you Anna. I am indebted to you, as are the people of Aedon,” said Lucille, bowing.

“Sheesh, alright already,” Anna said, embarrassment creeping up onto her face. “All I could really gather is that, while the layout changes between incarnations, the general structure remains the same.”

“How so?” Sofia asked.

“Well, the labyrinth seems to be separated out into fairly well defined ‘zones’ that change the deeper you go. For example, the starting ‘zone’ is similar to your typical dungeon, appearing to be like an ancient ruin with enclosed corridors and trap mechanisms. That’s the ‘zone’ where Selene and I explored,” said Anna.

“Then,” she continued, “from what I later learned, in each incarnation, after the ruins ‘zone’, the labyrinth opens out into an expansive underground forest.”

“An underground forest!? How is that even possible?” asked Flora, bewildered.

“It shouldn’t be,” said Anna. “However, they said there was some artificial light source above the forest that allowed it to grow, though they couldn’t get close enough to tell what it was.”

“And after that?” I asked.

“Well, only one group ever made it past the forest ‘zone’. About 10 years ago,” said Anna. “That group was the one who made the map I had bought. They’re a party that consistently investigates the labyrinth, and have been doing so for the past 20 years, each time the dungeon opens.”

“Who are they?” Ophelia asked.

“The pride of Aedon. The most successful long running adventuring party of all time. They’re known as the Divine Knights,” said Lucille. “A group of former templars no longer under command of the church that works with the adventurer’s guild to slay monsters and defend the southern portion of the kingdom.”

“A group of Lucilles?” wondered Flora.

“Seems a bit poorly rounded to be an effective adventuring party,” I noted.

“Not all in the Templar order are paladins like myself. To form an effective combat unit, the Templar order has healers, casters, and archers as well as paladins,” Lucille explained.

“Anyways,” said Alice, “what was the area after the forest, Anna?”

“Oh yeah,” said Anna, clearly having gotten sidetracked. “If I remember correctly, it was a frozen wasteland. The knights were totally unprepared to venture through, so they had to return to the surface, but before they could go back in, the labyrinth had closed once more.”

“I see,” I said. “When we get to Aedon, we’ll need to take care to be well stocked and prepared for anything. After all, that frozen ‘zone’ may not even be the end of it. Flora, we’ll be counting on you.”

“Yeah!” said Flora, giving a thumbs up.

“Alright, here,” said Anna, returning the quest sheet to us, now authorized. “Make sure you all come back alive, you hear me!?”

“We will,” I said, doing my best to sound confident. After saying our farewells, we left the guild, and made preparations for the trip south to Aedon.