« (Lady Rivanna) »
Lady Rivanna resplendent in her living wood armour, enchanted silver broadsword in hand led her hearth guard and her warband into the Rose Dungeon. She was determined to help Rosita, whom she had come to consider a friend, and her dungeon core Marty.
She led the way across the lake and up the living stairway into the entrance passage of the dungeon. Once on the first level they hurried to reach the end chamber. On their way they discovered a cowering satyr. Him they left bound. They also found three dead runners and an slain elven maiden.
So it was a thoroughly incensed band that descended to the second level of the Rose Dungeon.
« (Marty) »
Marty was surprised when Rosita returned to their heart room with the elves and runners that had been on the first level in tow.
“Marty, they refuse to leave. They want to fight for us,” said Rosita.
“Yes indeed master dungeon core, we know how to fight, we are all part of the militia. We just need weapons,” offered their spokeself.
« Please call me Marty, it is my name after all. Um... I haven’t got many weapons... Um... are you sure you want to risk your lives... Hainrich and Leo are powerful, and they don’t seem too sane to me. »
“You are our ally lord Marty. We will fight. As for weapons, the Runners need whip-sticks, boomerangs and darts. We could use bows, short spears, swords and daggers.”
Marty felt moved, even as he kept a wary eye on the two fanatics about to enter his fourth level. He marked them as allies and searched his archives for available weaponry, the Runners proved easy. They had made several attempts on him, and they were reckless by nature. As for the elves, he found himself having to use the standard System supplied templates for short bows, spears and daggers. As for swords he had managed to obtain something better thanks to the Raptors.
« Before I make the swords you are asking for, I notice that none of you has any iron... is there a reason for that? »
“We are ... vulnerable to iron...” mumbled their spokeself.
Marty thought about it, then he tried to merge templates. It proved tricky and expensive, but he managed to produce silver falcatas with basic enchantments for hardness and sharpness.
Then he forgot about them and concentrated on his less welcome visitors.
« (The Raptors) »
Hainrich stopped abruptly when he obtained his first look at the fourth level. The room in front of him was huge. It contained scattered woods and close-cropped lawns. There were gravel trails winding around and two clusters of flimsy looking houses, two small lakes and a large stream crossed by two airy looking wooden bridges.
He could see one exit on the other side of the stream, behind the cluster of buildings on the far side of the stream. Several greenish looking beings were clustered by the bridge leading to it.
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“Goblins? On the fourth level? This doesn’t make sense Leo,” observed Hainrich.
“Who cares? Finally an open location, less chance of ambushes,” replied Leo grimly.
They prepared themselves for battle and left the path cutting across the lawn heading straight for the bridge.
Leo slowed when he got a good look at the ‘goblins’. Whatever they were, they were not goblins. The size and colour matched, but these things had long, shaggy black hair in a bowl cut, and they had a beak for a mouth. Then they were covered in scales and seemed to have a turtle-like shell on their back.
This hesitation probably saved Leo his life. Hainrich discovered the ant swarm by walking right into it. They swarmed him. Hainrich reacted by racing to the large stream, a near river, and diving in.
The green humanoids froze for an instant, and then with a scream of “Banzai” they all piled into the stream after Hainrich.
Leo watched the grass carefully and did his best to reach the stream without stepping into the swarm. He found himself backing up as the swarm raced after him. Leo found easy to outdistance the ants but he was driven further from the stream and Hainrich.
« (Marty) »
Marty couldn’t believe his senses. He couldn’t conceive how Hainrich could have been so stupid as to dive into the deep stream he had created as a home for his Kappa. It was one hell of a fight, but there was no way Hainrich was gong to win against fourteen Kappa underwater.
He watched bemused as Leo took the stairs and seemed determined to leave his dungeon. He contacted one of his pixies and asked her to follow him and when she could, to pass him and go and advise Lady Rivanna that he was fleeing into her arms.
Marty was feeling dizzy. The bounty he gained from killing Hainrich was electrifying.
« Rosita – we’ve gone up two levels, nearly three. And there’s still Leo. And he’s running. »
Rosita, who had been reassuring the elves, that yes the funny looking silver swords were theirs. A reward for their friendship and loyalty, was startled into exclaiming, “Hainrich Dead! HOW!”
« He jumped into the river in front of most of our Kappa. And the rest were waiting in the river ready to ambush anyone who was trying to cross the bridge. He put up one hell of a fight and managed to kill over half of them but – he never really had a chance. »
There was a silence.
« And now the System is indicating that the Kappa, like the ants belong deeper in our dungeon. I wonder whose side it’s on. I really do. »
“Never mind Marty, you can create another two levels now. Possibly three once the elves, our allies capture or kill Leo.” Rosita was grinning from ear to ear, and she was weak with relief.
« Hum, I think I’ll let the elves have the first two levels. That will allow me to thicken my defences on my deeper levels. Oh and here comes the cavalry. »
“Cavalry! What do you mean cavalry? How can there be cavalry in our dungeon?” asked a bewildered Rosita.
« Um, it’s just a saying where I came from. It means the reinforcements have arrived. »
« (Berthold the Cunning) »
Berthold listened to Rosita while scratching Slasher under the chin. He grinned ruefully and congratulated her on her partner’s prowess. Then he gathered his warband and accompanied by reinforcements in the persons of the ones who had been working on the first level he proceeded after Leo.
He delayed slightly to collect Hainrich’s head. Then they collected Luminos’ head and, leaving the rest for the dungeon, continued on their way.
They met Lady Rivanna on the third level of the dungeon. Berthold noted with a certain grim pleasure that his cousin had Daviinos’ head and had caught Leo.
“Well Vanna, what are we going to do with that,” he asked his cousin.
Lady Rivanna. “Leo is clearly guilty of murder and numerous lesser crimes. Let us feed our ally.”
The commander of her Hearth Guard forced Leo to his knees while the leader of her warband stepped forward and took his head.
Down in the depths Marty reeled again as the life force and experience flooded in.
« (Faldara Swifthands) »
Faldara was racing northwards with her urgent messages. She had left the centaur lands far behind, and she was using her string of horses like a pro. Every so often she looked back and worried about her friends.