Wait! What’s that Plaque?

The group managed a total of two steps before Ivy suddenly threw up her hands.

"Wait!" she shouted. "I forgot to tell you guys, I found something!"

Roland glared at her in frustration, having already been halfway through drawing the greatsword from his back. Sighing, he let the metal slide back into the leather. Gorin and Trixa both relax, having nearly jumped out of their skin at the sudden outburst from the Tinker.

"Damnit, Ives," Gorin growled.

"Sorry!" she shot back. "Just, when I was looking at the door, I found something interesting I wanted to show you before we went in."

"Less it's a pile of gold, not sure I give half a shit,"

"What'd you find, Ivy?" Roland looked down at Gorin, who bristled and focused on the open door and the marble hall beyond. "It might help us navigate whatever this place is."

"Mmmph, fine," Gorin relented.

"I don't know about that, but I bet you'll like it anyway, Gorey." Ivy offered with a smile. "Come on! Come here!"

Ivy turned and skipped towards the grand archway but veered off to the right, short of entering Demi's Dungeon. Roland arched a brow, expecting her to have been planning on showing them one of the pictures on the double door's face, but instead, she made her way toward the plaque and the base of the archway. The three traded confused glances but, with a shrug, followed the excitable elf.

"What is it?" Trixa asked, walking ahead of the two men who hung back, watching cautiously.

"I don't know," Ivy admitted. "The wording is a bit weird, but it almost seems like there's an offering to make a pact with a god here."

"I'm sorry, come again?"

"There's a message here." Ivy reiterated, pointing down at the carved plaque at the base of the archway. "I think it's offering to help you make a pact with a god if you give them money."

"Sounds like most gods," Gorin remarked. "Out there begging for coin."

"Seems like an odd thing to have in front of a dungeon, though," Roland said as he joined the other three. "What does it-oh."

Looking down at the plaque, he found that the redwood of the archway had a rectangular relief carved into it. While that much had been obvious at a distance, what hadn't been was the beautiful etchings around its exterior. Bordered by carvings of great oaks on either side, with ivy vine etchings framing the plaque, they all reached a point at the beautiful lunar relief at the top. The moon was identical in placement and appearance to the one that crowned the archway they stood under, with this one resting above elegant, carved writing on the plaque.

It was written in a language that Roland couldn't understand.

"Shit."

"What's wrong, big guy?" Gorin asked, smacking Roland's armored stomach, "Misreading it?"

"Can't read it at all," Roland admitted, his mood souring. "And I suppose you can?"

"Ha!" Gorin barked a laugh. "Not a fuckin' chance."

"It's beautiful," Trixa remarked, running her fingers lightly across the flowing script. "I've never seen its like before."

"Great," Roland said with a sigh. If Trixa hadn't read it, then they were…hang on. "Wait, you can read this, Ivy?"

"Mmhmm!" the elf hummed happily.

"I guess ye pick some things up in a couple hundred years," Gorin considered.

"I guess so." Roland agreed.

Trixa, still running her fingers along the flowing script, turned her attention away from the men's unhelpful comments and over to the elf, "Ivy, what does it say?"

"I'm not that good at it," Ivy confessed, suddenly unsure of herself. "But it looks like an old language my grandpa used to read to me when I was younger."

"When the mountains were but molehills," Gorin smirked.

"Enough," Roland shot back. Now, it was his turn to smack the dwarf on his armored head. "You're not helping."

"Weren't tryin' to."

"Both of you, for crying out loud," Trixa sighed before turning back to Ivy. "Please, why don't you just read it for us, Ivy."

"Alright," Ivy agreed, immediately perking up.

Trixa stepped aside, allowing the taller, elven woman access to the plaque. Ivy stared at the writing intently for a moment, sounding words out silently, her mouth working in a language that none could read on her lips, before finally beginning to speak.

"Okay, so remember that it's been a really long time since I tried reading this," Ivy said, suddenly looking nervous again.

Gorin opened his mouth to say something, but Trixa shut him down before he got a sound out, placing a finger over the dwarf's lips without looking at him.

"It's alright, Ivy, go ahead." She encouraged the elf. "None of us will judge you."

Ivy nodded and finally began to read.

"Welcome, travelers…" Ivy read before answering the wood with a "Hello, plaque." And a little wave. She said aloud, "You find yourselves before the Dungeon of Demi, Goddess of Fertility and Rebirth. In this place, you will be challenged by the Dungeon's Patron to think and act in ways you may not have conceived before. You will face peril and pleasure, torment and titillation, risk and reward. Not only will you find riches, but you will grow and know yourself better for the experience."

"Sounds like almost every dungeon," Gorin considered, nodding along.

"But, unlike any dungeon you've been in, this one shall grant you an opportunity unlike any before," Ivy announced, her finger moving smoothly along the elegant writing.

"Demi heard you talking shit," Roland remarked, nudging the dwarf who snickered softly.

"Just as Demi is the Patron of this Dungeon, so too can you be. On entering these Halls, you will find a special tree adorning its entrance. It is a tree whose branches and roots ignore time and space, taking shape and holding it firmly throughout realities both near and far."

Jokes instantly ceased as the seasoned adventurers realized this might be critical information—plenty of dungeons housed tremendous and wonderous things guarded by terrible traps and monsters. Failing to adhere to the plaque's warnings about whatever this treasure was could mean their end.

"This tree is known by beings like myself as a "Link Tree," as it can tie together many places using its roots as the thread that stitch together alternative dimensions. The Link Tree you find at the entrance of this Dungeon is very special, even amongst its kind, for at the base of one of its roots, you will find an offering plate." Ivy read aloud. "Should you place an offering in the plate of the root that's labeled as…um-"

The group eyed Ivy expectantly, waiting for her to finish. A moment later, though, she shook her head.

"Sorry, I don't know this word. It looks like "Patron," but it's got a funny extra letter." Ivy explained. "Let's just say it says 'Patreon'."

"Patreon?" Roland asked, raising a brow.

"What's a Patreon?" Trixa wondered aloud, glancing at the plaque but finding no answers in the obscure text.

"Never heard of it," Gorin stated flatly.

"Whatever, magic word, moving on," Roland said, motioning Ivy to continue.

Ivy cleared her throat and started again. "Should you place an offering in the plate of the root labeled as 'Patreon,' then you will seal a pact with me, and I will grant you a portion of my power."

"Sounds like a Devil begging for tithes." Roland considered.

"By creating this pact, three things will occur," Ivy explained, nearing the end of the plaque. "First, on the light of each full moon, any offering made, great or small, will be retaken until you call out my name and wish the pact to break. Announce it to the full moon; under its light, our deal will end."

"Well, at least it sounds like a nice Devil." Trixa admitted, "Normally, they want the blood of a baby or something."

"Kind of them," Roland agreed.

"Second, within this Dungeon, you will find a grand door locked with a key that does not exist but to those who hold a pact. The door will open, and inside, you will find a library housing all I hold dear and all the pages I have dotted with my knowledge through the eons."

"So Demi is a writer, then? Interesting." Trixa considered, but Ivy shook her head. "Not a writer?"

Ivy shook her head again, quickly saying, "Just wait," before continuing.

"Third, and lastly, you will be granted a portion of my sight. You will be given the ability to see into the future in exactly one week. You can use this power three times a week, and it will help you continue on your journey, to know what comes next, and to reach the end of Demi's Dungeon, no matter the twists and turns that occur within."

"Future sight? Now we're talkin'," Gorin grinned.

"Except I think you're forgetting none of us have a coin to our name," Roland lamented.

"Should you ever wish to enter this pact, simply place your offering, great or small, at the base of the Patreon root, and you will enjoy the riches and power that come with this pact. Many blessings upon you, Luna."

"Luna?" Roland asked, "I thought this was Demi's dungeon."

"I don't know," Ivy confessed. "The message is just signed by a 'Luna.'"

"What do you think? Second Patron for the Dungeon?" Roland considered, turning to Trixa.

"It could be," Trixa said, scratching her chin, "It's rare, but sometimes dungeons have more than one. However, I've heard that name before. I'm fairly sure Luna might be S.M. Luna if it's the god from my studies. They were known as the Writer of the Sun and the Moon. Or sometimes they were called the Midnight Author. They were another old god, like Demi, but a weird one."

"Weird, how?"

"Weird, like, super powerful, but very few followers. They supposedly wrote reality into existence and could change it with words, but only sought to see the world turn."

"Weird."

"Aye. Well, it sounds like they fell pretty far from 'writing reality,' and they're trying to pay rent for this library of theirs," Gorin snarked, "Begging for coins out front of their landlord's dungeon."

"I mean, I would like to go to a Library." Ivy said, a smile blossoming, "Can we?"

Roland's expression soured as he looked back and forth between his other party members. None of them had any money even to consider such an idea, much less make a pact that takes coins from them every month. Still…

"Maybe we'll stumble across it," Roland said, "But first, we need to make some coin to share with this 'Luna.' And then we'd have to double back to this Link Tree after we do. So, for now, let's see what we can find in Demi's Dungeon."

"Reasonable," Trixa agreed.

"Fine by me," Gorin grumbled.

"Yay! Adventure!" Ivy cheered, hopping up and down, her pink undercut bouncing with each jump.

"Well, let's not dally then," Gorin said, turning away from the plaque and staring into the marbled halls. "Let's go."