The Dungeon Trial

More days of relative uneventfulness passed with the training persisting in its harsh form and our studies with Anoir moving towards strategy. We grew stronger and far more skilled in that time as we continued to train even more in the gardens, using what little free time was available to us. In that time I did not see Zarin again, except for lunch times when I could sight him across the room, and I came to no further deadly ends.

Calendis came to visit me briefly during those days, he seemed to be somewhat uncomfortable and quickly found a reason to excuse himself. However in his visit he informed me that whilst Gaedon, the victim of my spirit’s brutal attack, was still in his catatonic state, Calendis had been able to perform a reading on him. It was not quite as invasive as the one he had performed on myself, but he was able to learn that Gaedon had been the one who stabbed my throat in my sleep and had been responsible for poisoning my food. Should he ever recover then he would be detained as a criminal and stand trial for his deeds.

The days continued to trudge forth and in what had felt like far longer than a week should feel, the end of another week came, and we had another test ahead of us. We had been warned beforehand of the coming trial that we would face, though there was little enough that we could do to prepare for it. Unlike the previous week where we tested ourselves against the might of other adventurers, we would be tried against monsters.

We had been told that we would be taken from the Citadel for the first time since the test of divinities and escorted to a dungeon nearby. The dungeon would be a relatively easy one, one that shouldn’t give us too much trouble if we remembered our training and took it as seriously as we should. The purpose of the test was not only to see how well our abilities had progressed but to also provide us with an environment where we could kill monsters for the first time without being in too much danger. The hardest part of the dungeon would undoubtedly be whichever foe resided in the heart of the dungeon.

The carriage came to a stop and as we looked outside the window, it was almost a surprise to see so much emptiness. There was sprawling grass planes as far as I could see, trees framed the landscape, and rolling hills and wildflowers pockmarked the horizon. After spending so much time in Alynthir, it was almost a shock not to see any buildings or people in sight. I couldn’t say that it wasn’t relaxing though.

We descended from the carriage, as Orion exited, he offered his hand to help the ladies come down the steps. We were dressed in the usual practical clothing that we wore to our training with the Citadel emblem stitched into the shirts. It was still the summer months and there had not been rain for the past couple of days, the ground was hard beneath our feet, and we had no worries of getting our boots muddy.

“Right” Orion said as he looked at us lined up near the entrance of a cave. It was a small entrance that was barely more than a crater in a hill, though by the darkness, it seemed to go very deep. “Before we let you go exploring the dungeon, we need to equip you with some gear” He added as Astrid and Anoir came up, carrying a chest between them and allowed it to slam onto the ground in front of Orion.

He opened the lid and displayed an array of weapons, armour, vials, and trinkets. “The reports from the scouts say that the dungeon is fairly easy to clear so you won’t be in too much danger. But do not think that you can’t get hurt, the monsters in there will try to kill you” he said as a warning. “Now then, you can help yourself to anything in this chest. I’d suggest leather armour, it will protect you from bites and scratches, and most things that can go through it will still go through heavier armour” he said as we all moved forward to examine the contents of the chest.

I selected for myself a leather breastplate with arm and leg guards, taking a set of knee pads as well, I also found a sword that felt of a similar weight to what I had been training with. It wasn’t as fine as my mother’s sword, but I had no doubt that it would still cut through the body of a monster. With the others equipped, Orion looked at us and tightened a few straps where he felt it was necessary.

He looked back at the chest and saw that the vials and trinkets had been untouched, he tutted “You’re going to want to take these” he said as he removed some red vials and handed a few to each of us. “Healing potions” he declared as we looked at them questioningly, “drink it and your wounds will begin to heal, should give you some energy as well. They’re not as good as healing magic, but it does the job in a tight spot”

I deposited the vials into bandoliers that spotted my breastplate and quickly reached my hands out to catch another object that Orion threw in our directions. “You’ll want this as well, it’s an aid-stone. If you channel mana into it, then we will be summoned to your location. However, if you do need to use it then you will have failed your test” Orion said as I placed the smooth white rock, etched with arcane carvings, into a pocket.

Astrid frowned at Orion, “Don’t think that you shouldn’t use the stones though. It is better for you to fail the test than to die, and don’t leave it until the last person to call for help” she said as she walked over to the back of the carriage and pulled out some folded wooden items. She walked over to the front of the dungeon and unfolded them, they were chairs that she began to seat herself on, her blue hair blowing in the breeze.

Anoir came over and sat on another chair, relaxing in the summer air as we finished our preparations for the dungeon. “You can begin the dungeon whenever you’re ready. It should take maybe a little over an hour, that can depend on whatever the dungeon lord is though. You won’t know until you reach it, that’s the fun part” Orion said with a grin as he walked over to the chairs and sat down, waving his hand in the air for us to begin.

We checked with each other to make sure that we were all ready for the dungeon and began to carefully step into it. The ground was rocky and covered with hardened mud and old droppings, cobwebs coated the walls and a sinister howl echoed out from the depths.

We walked slowly, careful not to trip as Cleo pulled out a crystal and held it high to illuminate the path forwards. Sybil remained at the back, apparently comfortable in the shadows and watching for any enemy that could pounce on us by surprise. We progressed through the tunnel-like passageway and came to an opening where the walls were wider and the ceiling higher.

In the cavern that we entered were three dark hounds, slowly padding across the ground. As we came closer, the hounds stopped moving and looked towards us, growling, and dripping drool onto the ground as their blood red eyes glowered at us.

“Korin, you ready?” I said, receiving a nod and a grunt in return as we drew our weapons. We waited for the monsters to move as we grouped behind the defence of the dwarf.

I felt my mana spike as Sara used her ability to strengthen it and I readied a lightning bolt in my off hand. I saw a change in the tension in the legs of the hounds and released my bolt into the chest of the closest one. It struck it and the hound dropped to the ground without so much as a whimper, the light in its eyes fading.

Korin brought his axe down on the hound that pounced at him, lodging it in the fur and causing the beast to thrash in pain before he pulled it out and slammed it into the monster again. The other one leaped towards the rest of us and was cut by Rayall’s sword in a swift strike. With it down on the ground, Sybil finished it off by throwing a shadow knife into its skull.

The monsters in that chamber were dealt with and we continued on, down the only path that presented itself to us. Given the difficulty of the dungeon, we encountered none of the traps that we had been taught about by Anoir. The floors did not disappear into yawning chasms, arrows did not shoot from the walls, and dangerous monsters did not appear when we felt we were safe. We did encounter more monsters in similar situations to the dark hounds.

We entered caverns as the tunnel widened at intervals and was loaded with different monsters. One cavern contained a pack of goblins that tried desperately to kill us with the weak attacks from their blunt weapons. Another appeared to house nothing at first until the slimy tendrils that coated the walls began to drip down and form into a solid foe, we quickly dealt with those by using Rayall’s fireballs and my lightning. More and more caverns we entered and conquered, Strangler Serpents, Undead creatures, we even encountered a Hunter Bat that dealt a few deep scratches to us before we managed to kill it. A few healing potions quickly dealt with the wounds, and we continued forth.

We were able to deal with the enemies easily enough as they assaulted us. None of us were dealt any serious wounds, though still it seemed that adventurers with the spirits that we had bonded should have been able to deal with them more easily. At last we came to the end of the dungeon tunnel and were met with two tall stone doors. It must have been the entrance to the dungeon lord.

“Anyone need anything healing before we go in?” Sara asked as we stopped outside of the entrance and appraised our situation.

“I could do with some” Korin said as he held up an arm that the Hunter Bat had mauled, his potion had done some healing, but it looked like it could still do with more. Sara stepped back and placed a hand on his arm, healing it under a soft glow. After that we waited some more so that our mana could be restored before we entered the last room.

Korin placed his hands on the stone slabs, almost looking comedic with his diminutive stature next to the tall doors. He pushed them open with ease; a groan echoed through the tunnels at the motion. Cleo held the crystal aloft as we stepped through to the end of the dungeon, into a cavern that was far larger than any we had faced before.

It was a large room, lit by a crystal that glowed on a pedestal in the centre of the room. Three chests lay at the far end of the room, as far as we could see there were no enemies in there for us to face. We stepped into the room, spreading out as we investigated the strange room. “Where’s the dungeon lord?” Cleo asked as we looked around for any sign of it. There was none, not even the droppings that seemed so common in the dungeon.

“I don’t know” I said as I walked up to the crystal that was placed on the pedestal. I reached a hand forward and touched it. The light didn’t change but a rumbling began to come from the end of the room, where the chests lay. I looked towards the sound and saw a protrusion coming from the stone wall, it seemed like the body of a large man. My gaze drifted and I saw two other protrusions coming from the wall, there were three of them.

“Stone Golems” Rayall said as he was the first to realise what they were. They were a tough enemy to face with few weaknesses that we possessed the ability to face.

“Shit” Korin grumbled as Sara and Cleo moved backwards, getting behind us for protection. Sybil began to form a long spear from the shadows, holding it in a firm grip.

Rayall threw a fireball at the Golem in the centre, it hit the stone body of the figure, scorching it but doing little damage. A few pebbles came off, but it continued moving forward, the rocks that formed the Golem held together by some magical ****.

The Golems stomped towards us, the heavy sound of rock against rock pounding across the walls of the cavern. I fired a bolt of lightning and hit the golem square in its chest. Again, pebbles went flying and a scorch mark remained, but no real damage was done.

Korin grunted and moved forward towards the golem that we had been attacking, “I’ll show ya how it’s done” he said as he gripped his axe and readied himself. The blade began to glow as he used one of his abilities, it wasn’t magical as far as I knew but a weapon art that his spirit gave him. It soared through the air as he swung it with incredible strength and cleaved through the stone leg, crippling it, and making it fall to the ground. It crumbled into more pieces but still remained intact. The Golem began to crawl forward, and the dwarf slammed his axe down again and again onto the undefended head without any use of his weapon arts. The rock chipped and began to splinter as he broke it into a number of pieces until the entire Golem returned to rocks.

There was just two of them left now and we had seen just how possible it was to defeat one of the golems. Sybil darted forward with her newly formed spear, she disappeared into a shadow and reappeared behind the golem to the left. She examined it for a moment and jammed her spear into a gap that bridged the rocks in the Golem’s arm. She twisted and levered her grip, pulling it until the stones loosened and came off.

The Golem spun around and swung an arm at her, she was able to disappear into a shadow just in time and avoided its attack. Rayall threw a few more fireballs at the one-armed Golem without any better effect. Deciding against further attacks he formed a blade into his hand and threw it into a gap between the joints. It stuck there and made it difficult for the Golem to move as he summoned another blade and started forwards.

Working with Korin, Rayall began to chop at the stone of the Golem, hacking off chunks of rock and slowly breaking down the monster. The Golem persisted in tying to move the arm that held a sword in its joints and eventually broke the weapon, quickly swinging a fist towards Rayall with the motion and hitting him in the chest and dropping him to the floor.

Cleo darted forwards and began to drag Rayall away from the danger as she focused her abilities on healing him. Sybil moved again with another shadow spear in her hands, instead of thrusting it into the arm again, she threw it into the joint that connected the head and the body. It stuck this time and Korin saw. He leapt upwards and grabbed onto the spear, pulling down on it and levering the head off of the body. It dissolved into a pile of rubble.

I turned my attention to the final Golem and formed a water lash in my arm. I sprayed it towards the golem and as it hit the body it began to spread out. I still felt control on the wider surface of water, though it was more limited. It coursed into the joints and the pressure halted the Golem in its tracks, I squeezed with my mana, tightening the ability and grasping at the rocks. I heard a crack and saw a split in one of the rocks, I tightened my grip further and another crack appeared. Tighter still and cracks were on nearly every rock that formed the golem.

I was sweating from how much mana I was exerting so quickly and at last, I couldn’t hold it any longer. I dropped my mana and the water lash disappeared, the Golem remained still and a moment later the cracks took effect. It broke into tiny pieces onto the ground and was still. The monsters were defeated.

The crystal in the room flashed once and I felt that the danger had passed. “I think that’s it” I panted as I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

Cleo was still healing Rayall who was groaning in pain, Sara joined her in the healing and poured a healing potion down his throat to aid him. “Is he okay?” I asked

The girls nodded, “Yeah, a cracked rib I think and some bruising. But he’ll be okay” Cleo said as we relaxed.

I walked over to the chests at the end of the room and cracked one open, there were some strange items inside of it. I wasn’t too familiar with them, but I thought that they were potion ingredients, we would need someone more experienced to tell us what they were. I went over to another chest and opened it; it was filled with coins. Mostly coppers, though there were a few silvers dropped in it and some trinkets that looked like they held some value. Finally, I went to the last chest and opened it, there was an axe inside with what looked like dwarven runes inscribed on the blade.

“Hey Korin” I called out, summoning the dwarf over to me, “you took down two of the Golems, I think you should take this” I said.

He looked down at the axe with delight, “Now that is a nice weapon” he said as he reached in and hefted the axe. He swung it lazily a couple of times before examining the markings on the blade, “Hmm” he said as he read the runes, “it’s the names of the people who have wielded it before” he explained as I look over his shoulder quizzically.

We stayed in the cavern a while longer until we were all recovered. Korin took the axe and the rest of us managed between us to carry the two other chests out of the dungeon, stopping for the occasional rest under the weight of them.

As we returned to the surface, we saw Orion with Anoir seated on his lap. The two of them appeared to be flirting with Astrid looking tired at the sight of them. She turned around as she heard us coming from the dungeon. “Ah, you two can knock that off now” she said to her friends who let out a grin each.

We dropped the chests onto the ground with exhaustion, they had been heavy things to carry. “Yeah, I think we need deeper pockets” Sara said, patting the lid of one of the chests.

“Well, aren’t you in luck” Orion answered as he got up, “we have a reward for you succeeding with the dungeon.” He reached into a pocket and pulled out six silver rings, similar to one that he wore on his hand. Looking closer, I saw that the other two also wore one of them.

“It’s a magic ring” he explained as he handed them out, “Essentially it houses a small pocket dimension that you can use to store items in. Be careful though because you can’t house anything living within it” he cautioned as I slipped the ring onto a finger.

Astrid explained it further, “They can not house an infinite number of items and I would suggest removing items from it when you have a place to keep them but it is better than carrying around heaps of bags” she started to say, “You place an item into the ring by tapping it against the signet and pressing your mana into it” she said as she demonstrated with the chair that she had been sat on. It glowed briefly and then disappeared from sight. “You can withdraw an item by channelling your mana into the ring and sensing the item that you wish to retrieve” she demonstrated once more with the chair emerging in a glow of light.

We all looked at our new possessions with something close to awe. Sybil stepped forth and pressed her ring against the two chests, each disappearing in a glow of light. “Huh, it doesn’t even feel heavier” she said.

We talked some more, telling our teachers of the foes that we faced and then sharing out our loot equally. With the sun beginning to dip below the horizon we boarded our carriage and began the journey back to the Citadel.