Her arms hurt, her legs hurt, but eventually, she reached the shining door out of the dungeon and, as a reward, a huge bag containing smaller baggies. Baggies with long, intricate labels not just of their contents but also on the care of these plants. As she exited the gate, she found herself fortunately not in the chamber she reached via the ceiling but in the rest area. She half-fell half-sat onto a bench and dropped her bag: “It’s done!” she said.
Only then, she looked around and noticed that the group of Shanastanis were there as well.
“Oh, you got good reward of your delve?” one of the people asked.
Kiresula responded: “Yes. Many seeds of the plants of the dungeon.” Only then, she realised that she probably should not have said that.
The person asked: “Seeds? Like, for garden?”
Kiresula nodded. She opened the bag and showed a smaller bag of Twitching Thistle seeds: “These are Twitching Thistles. A beautiful plant that exists near the Kobold setting.”
The Shanastanis exchanged glances and curious-sounding words, then one of them asked: “You went to core for plants?”
Kiresula shook her head: “No.” and after a pause, she added: “But sometimes things are better than expected!”
The Shanastanis looked at each other and then went to the dungeon entry for the Goblins. A few moments later, they chatted among each other in their language. Then, one of them returned to the group and asked: “Come?”
Kiresula slowly nodded, got up and moved to the entry. She gasped: There was a blue and a green door there. The green door seemed to practically glow with broken magic, the blue door didn’t but she assumed it was full of conventional magic.
Kiresula took a long breath to steady herself and then nodded: “I think the dungeon learned how to handle broken magic and allows glitchlings to delve here!” She pointed at the green door. “You should be able to feel the magic from the other door.”
The Shanastanis eagerly thanked her and filed through the blue door.
Kiresula returned to the bench, this time made it to Mayana and checked her notifications:
Dungeon Achievement: You defeated both sides of the war and reached the core. This provides experience for your Seferian Mage and Elemental-Somatic Mage class.
Class Achievement: Reached Level 9 of your Seferian Mage class.
60 stat points assigned, 5 free stat points.
You have gained the skill: Improved Climbing
She checked her status and assigned her free points to strength:
Name: Kiresula
Species: Emergent Glitchling
Highest Class Rank: Emergent
Highest Class Level: 9
Classes: Seferian Mage (Rank: emergent, Level 9), Elemental-Somatic Mage (Rank: emergent, Level 5)
Power: 613
Might: 145 (+20)
Fortitude: 391 (+20)
Willpower: 67 (+10)
Speed: 484
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Agility: 170 (+20)
Mental acuity: 156
Perception: 138 (+10)
Magic: 653
Magical force: 232 (+10)
Magical control: 233 (+10)
Magical defence: 198 (+20)
Social: 153
Charisma: 60 (+5)
Empathy: 80 (+5)
Cunning: 13
Health: 391/441
Magic: 230/580
Skills: Improved casting, Seferian Fortitude, Control of the Pioneer, Immediate Escape (only for: Dungeon of the Bridge), Enhanced Synthic Restoration, Elemental Awareness, Botanical Awareness, Glitched Recovery, Improved Climbing
Learned Spells: Illuminate, Sunlight, Freedom of Movement, Travelling Light, Nightly Sojourn, Waterproof Object, Icy Terrain, Foggy Terrain, Spherical Vision, Enhance Ability, Grains of Time, Northern Star, Preserve Commestibles, Bite of the Elemental Beetle (Rank 3), Wind Step, Fire Strike, Evaluate Plant, Move Soil, Synthic Magnetism, Find Plant, Adapt Plant Trait, Light Body, Ice Strike
As she was out cold, the group looked at her and Haina asked: “So, can someone actually check what is in the bag? I mean, telling that it was seeds was a nice way to get these folks off her back, but I don’t believe it.”
Mayana took the bag and said: “If my wife wants to show you, she will.”
Haina deflected: “That was cold.”
Mayana responded: “So is what you wanted to do. My wife has just saved the dungeon. Let her have her reward!”
Haina raised his hands in defence: “I didn’t want to take her reward, just to know what it is.”
Mayana stared at him silently.
After a while, Haina looked to the ground.
When Kiresula came to herself a while later, she saw that there was a lot of tension between the group. She looked at the others. “So, can we get going? And how do we get out of here when the entrance is guarded?”
Haina smiled: “No one forbids you from leaving the dungeon, just entering. We just need to pretend that we had delved here for a few days.”
The group nodded, picked up their stuff and trundled to the exit.
None of them had to pretend to be in serious need of a bed, a bath or a good meal. Kiresula just slowly followed the others. Mayana held her hand.
As the guards were seen, Haina just tried to move past them. There was a short to and fro, after which the guards allowed them to pass through. The guards did ask for their names and Haina said their names, but did so in a weirdly slurred way. Haina sounded more like Irhaina, Kiresula more like Kirishule, Mayana more like Meyane and so on. He also said that they had recently glitched. Kiresula looked at the others in confusion. Mayana held her hand more firmly. Only after they were in their carriage did Haina explain that he was not sure if the guards had truth spells. Giving a false name would trigger these. Pronouncing the names in a strong mountain dialect would not. He also mentioned that he had given the impression that Kju and Kiresula glitched in the dungeon but never said it. “Implications don’t trigger the truth spells.”
He brought the group back into Ilkshehir only to lead them to the wealthier part of the town. The driver led them into a fenced off property which looked like the settlement of a rich merchant family. Haina smiled: “This is our family property. I have a wing to myself and my parents and grandparents don’t mind if I have guests occasionally.”
Mayana immediately asked: “Do they know about us?”
Haina had the decency to blush: “They don’t! But I doubt they care as long as I continue to work.”
Mayana asked: “Won’t they complain?”
Haina shook his head: “My brothers did worse! As long as I remain with the Holy Order, I am fine.”
Kju asked: “You are their contact to the Order? To assert the influence of your family?”
Haina nodded sadly. “Someone has to do it. But yeah, they know what frog they put on my plate.”
The group entered the mansion and Haina led them to a guest room. There were three beds, however, like the beds of peasants, each was in a wooden construction akin to a wardrobe. These beds were designed to keep warm even in winter. Haina reminded with a grin that they also provided privacy.
Kiresula asked: “So, what is the plan now? When will we take on the next dungeon?”
Haina looked seriously: “I will need to work for a month, but then, we have time for the next one. I have a list of a few dungeons that you should look into. None of these are currently glitching, but being proactive might be good… You don’t have to, of course. If you want to spend time relaxing and getting yourselves back together, that too is good. If you want to be productive, go ahead. The maid can get you materials, provided they are not too expensive. And no one is in the study most of the time, so it’s no problem if you spend some time there either.”
Kiresula nodded: “Can we do some gardening? I have some plant seeds from the dungeon to plant.” She smiled as she was holding a satchel with Karakalp seeds.
Haina looked at the satchel in confusion: “Are these from the dungeon?”
Kiresula confirmed: “They are.”
Kju pointed to the desk and the chair: “Can I write home?”
Mayana and Kiresula looked at him, realising what they forgot: “Yes! We also need to let our folks in Memleket know that we are alive and well!”
Haina disappeared and returned later with paper, quills and ink. A few days later, a censor of the Crown and one of the Holy Order flagged a letter to their respective administrations.