"Oi! Hurry up!"
Jak groaned as he woke up to the shout coming from the window of his room, a sound which was quickly followed by the rattle of gravel hitting the window.
"Come on, Jak! We have to get moving! Otherwise we'll never get in!"
He groaned again as he rolled out of bed then shouted through the window.
"Alright! I'm up! Just give me a minute and I'll be right down!"
He glanced out the window and saw his friend Heth staring up at him impatiently, as he tapped his fingers on the bow he was holding.
Jak quickly went into the washroom and relieved himself, then splashed water onto his face to help him wake up. He briefly combed his fingers through his wet hair, getting it into some semblance of order, then went back to his bed to get dressed. He pulled his leather trousers on, then slipped on a course woven, brown shirt and pulled his leather jerkin on over the top. He went out to the main room of the small house he shared with his family, where he saw his mother.
"I think Heth wants you" she said dryly. "Something about being late?"
"I don't know what he's thinking" Jak muttered. "It's not like the dungeon is going anywhere."
She looked at him, with a worried expression.
"You will be careful, won't you, Jak?"
"Of course, mum! Besides, it'll only be the first floor. It's not like it will be that dangerous."
She sighed as she replied "I know that. But still. Are you sure you want to do it? There's no shame in waiting longer."
"Come on, mum. You agreed that I could enter the dungeon if i finished the all the training courses and I did. Enter Master Jhen said that I was ready for it."
"I know," she replied hesitantly. "But you're only 16."
Jak groaned again, as she clearly prepared to rehash the old conversations that they had had many times.
"You were even younger, the first time you went in!"
"Okay, okay. I'll stop" she replied, seeing his expression. "Do you have time to eat before you go?"
She held out a bun with cheese and ham in it in one hand, while she held his backpack in the other. Jak smiled as he realised that she had been prepared for this all along.
"I gotta go, mum! Love you!" he said as he grabbed the bun and darted out the door, grabbing his shield and club as he did. He didn't turn, so he didn't see the worried expression on her face.
"There you are! Come on, come on!" Heth almost shouted as Jak ran around the corner and saw him. Heth grabbed his arm and almost pulled Jak over as he quickly started jogging off. Holding the bun in one hand, Jak grinned at Heth, then quickly started jogging himself. By the time they reached the main street, they were almost running. They turned onto the street then started dodging around the slower pedestrains and other traffic, as they made their way to the Dungeon Corner.
As they reached the thick double wall that seperated the Dungeon Corner from the rest of the city, they slowed, staring around. Even here, outside the Dungeon corner, there were signs of adventure and excitement, as men and women in all types of armor and clothes made their way to the Dungeon. The different races were all here, Elf and Dwarf, Human and Draken. There were even some of the Wild Races; Orcs, Trolls, and even Beastkin. One huge figure in a massive robe must have been a Half-Giant, as nothing else could explain her 9 foot height. Jak and Heth slowed to a stop as they approached the thick, heavy gates that led into the Dungeon Corner. The guardsmen on duty waved everyone through, stopping only those that carried bared weapons. The crowds all moved inwards into the Dungeon Corner, all moving for the same destination; the huge central square.
As they reached the square, Jak and Heth looked around. The area around was full of Dungeon Runners, while around the outside of the square merchants shouted for attention. The noise was almost unbearable, as hundreds of people talked and shouted to and at each other.
"Potions! Dungeon Grade potions!"
"Adventuring supplies! Rope, torches, trap balls! You don't wanna forget your trap ball!"
"Spell stones for all spells up to tier 3! Guaranteed to work or your money back!"
Jak looked around at the different stalls and people. This was by no means his first time here, as he had attended the beginner classes in the huge Dungeon Hall that took up one entire side of the square. Having finished his just the previous week, this was the first time the Dungeon was open since then.
"I can't believe it took over a month to reopen. That must be the the longest time it's ever been closed." Jak said to Heth.
"Almost, yeah. The record is for six weeks and two days, so it's only a few days short." Heth replied.
"What do you think it will be this time?" Jak asked.
"I don't know. Last time it was a Beastial Colony theme, and Master Jhen said that the longer it takes, the more different it is from the previous one. At this long, it must be almost the exact opposite, so I think it'll be the cave system, going down into a labyrinth, or maybe a Tower."
"I hope it's not a Tower theme. Freaking bird monsters flying every where. Not much I can do there."
Heth smirked at him before replying "Don't worry. You can always carry my bags as I shoot them down." He laughed while miming shooting a bow.
Jak gave him a light shove as he grinned back. "I hope it's a proper cave system, nice and low, full of rats and spiders. You can prove how good you are with your piece of wood then."
A dwarvish Dungeon Runner next to them said "I heard rumours that it an Undead theme" then quickly got into an argument with his neighbour about it.
Turning back to Heth, Jak said "I don't care what it is! I just want to get in!"
Heth nodded in agreement, but before he could reply, there was a bang and a burst of coloured sparks from the front of the crowd. Loud voices quickly called for silence, which soon filled the square. A large man in full plate armor amde of some oddly shining metal stepped onto a small stage and started speaking to the crowed.
"The reports from the Dungeon Testers are all in. This iteration of the Dungeon is a fairly typical cave system, at least on the first three floors. It also seems like a big one this time. They made it down to the 10th floor before turning back late last night. The first three floors are light on traps, with most copies of the dungeon having just the basic rockfalls and pits. For monsters, there doesn't seem to be a set theme, with the first three floors having beasts, skeletons and a few monsters. All monsters on the first three floors are appropriately leveled for their floor, but you should still be careful! They all go around in ones or twos, but there were a couple reports of patrols and rushing to loud noises."
The crowd all started talking to each other, until the man banged his heavy hammer on the ground.
"Now, I've asked the head of the Dungeon Tester's up here to tell us a bit more about this iteration."
A tall, lean, elf, with a flowing, azure robe and long silver hair climbed up onto the stage next to him.
"Thank you, Guild Master Rotit."
"You're welcome, Madame Ceclava” he replied to the elf. Her blue eyes seemed to glow red for a second, making her thin face seem almost diabolic.
“The dungeon is following the general rules for each iteration. Anyone entering as a group needs to be in physical contact while they enter; the first five floors are all maintained in the Dungeon Pockets, meaning that when you are in them you are alone. Remember that; no one is going to be able to help you. The first five floors are all suitable for beginner adventurers; they get harder until the fifth, but nothing that a decent group shouldn’t be able to handle. Note, we couldn’t find any evidence of scaling to ability even when we put some of our trainees through, so you need to be careful. The first couple of floors you will be fine with a random group, but by the third floor, you will need at least a dedicated Healer class or a Guardian class and by the fifth floor, beginner groups will need both. Good news though is that Thrones are appearing on each floor with the first floor Throne working for all group members. After that, it seems that each Throne only works the once, but there have been disputes about that. We have a confirmed event of the third and fourth floor working twice, as long as the adventurers are in a pair; if you have three or more people in your group, they only work once. There is also speculation that any group clearing multiple floors without exiting between can get multiple workings from the Thrones up until the fifth floor, but we haven’t been able to prove that yet. We also strongly discourage beginner groups from attempting that, as the floors get harder quickly.”
The crowd looked around at each other, murmuring. Most of the comments seemed to be happy with the possibilities offered by the dungeon. Madame Cleclava waited for the crowd to quiet again before continuing.
“From the sixth floor, the dungeon is NOT using Dungeon Pockets. Be careful of this, as there are also no penalties for attacking other adventurers, and the monsters in them do not differentiate between different groups. It’s entirely possible that you could be mobbed by monsters that have been chasing another group.”
Moans emitted from the crowd, everyone agreeing that they hated that part. The Half-Giant that Jak had seen before shouted out in a booming, yet respectful voice “Madame Master, do you have any ideas about the reasons for the different styles of the dungeon? I understood that each iteration used the same rules throughout.”
Madame Cleclava paused before replying.
“Yes, that is what we have typically seen in the past, but there are also multiple observations of the dungeon doing this. It almost always means that the dungeon is bigger than normal, at least 50 normal floors. So far, this seems accurate, as up until the tenth floor adventurers with a moderate level of experience should be fine. We haven’t yet moved past the tenth floor, as it has a puzzle lock on it. If past iterations are anything to go by, this means that each tenth floor will also have a puzzle lock.”
The crowd of adventurers swore as a group; everyone hated the shifting, ever-changing puzzle locks that the dungeon used.
“Any themes in the puzzle lock?” a voice near the front called out. Jak couldn’t see who spoke, but the soft, sibilant voice made him think it was a Beastkin.
“Nothing confirmed yet,” Madame Cleclava replied. “Of the five groups that have made it to the door, three have reported elemental aspects, while the other two didn’t. Four of the groups also experienced motion locks, but one didn’t. The group that did not find this did not have a lock expert, so it’s possible that the puzzle doors are based on the individual group. There does seem to be a time aspect to them, as the area by the door is NOT a safe area; monsters come in increasingly large numbers if you spend time there. We haven’t yet been able to confirm static puzzles for each group or if the monsters stop coming while you work on the door, but we will announce it once we have been able to.”
Master Rotit spoke up as Madame Cleclava finished “Madame Cleclava, is there anything else the adventurers should know about the sixth to tenth floors?”
“No, not particularly. They follow a similar theme to the first five floors, but unless you are a highly experienced adventurer, you should only enter them in a full group. The dungeon does not seem to be limiting group sizes, but we can’t find any evidence that the Thrones activate more than once per group on those floors, so the rewards probably aren’t big enough to justify large groups.”
“How about treasure?” a deep voice rang out from the crowd.
“From what we have seen, it’s low to medium at best, at least on the floors we have seen so far. From what we have seen of puzzle locks in the past, the treasure should improve once you get past the tenth floor, but that will have to be confirmed later.”
“Thank you, Madame Cleclava, you have been as clear and instructive as always.” Master Rotit said. “Is there anything else that you think we should know?”
“Yes, there is one thing. Each Floor Master is dropping a bronze token. They are coin-like, but about twice the size of a normal coin. These tokens are tradeable exist outside the dungeon. We have found no clear use for them as of yet, but there is speculation that they are needed to create a Master Key. Therefore, the Dungeon Tester’s Guild is offering to purchase each of these tokens for one silver coin. We are hoping to be able to find the Dungeon Master of this iteration, and finally complete this dungeon once and for all!”
The crowd broke out into excited conversations at this.
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“What?! I thought the dungeon was impossible to complete?” Jak hissed at Heth who looked back at him, obviously as confused as he was.
Master Rotit slammed his hammer onto the ground again to get everyone’s attention.
“If that is all, then we can begin entrance. As usual, the most experienced adventurers first, working down to beginner adventurers.”
The crowd quickly started splitting up into different groups, with the smallest group of adventurers moving to the entrance of the dungeon. They were all clearly highly experienced adventurers wearing highly enchanted equipment, while the other adventurers moved off into groups, waiting their turn. Jak and Heth moved to the group of beginner adventurers that was also a smaller group. The largest group seemed to be the experienced adventurers, with at least a thousand waiting in it. The group of highly experienced adventurers were quickly approaching the entrance in small groups, normally between four and six members per group. As they approached the entrance, they all clasped arms and then the lead member would touch the entrance. As they did, the entire group would seem to be pulled into the dungeon instantaneously, although they also appeared to walk in. The paradoxical effect hurt Jak’s head as he stared at it and he quickly turned away. As he did, a dwarf in a bushy white robe chuckled at him.
“First time seeing the entrance like this?” he asked in a deep, gentle voice that matched his face.
“I’ve watched groups enter plenty, but never like this.” Jak replied, wincing again at the pain in his head.
“Aye, the warp entrance spell is a rarity, but I hear it’s a good sign. Apparently, it means that the dungeon is watching and will offer better rewards for certain feats.”
Heth looked up excitedly “really? So, if we do something really brave, then we’ll get rewarded for it?”
The dwarf nodded as he replied “that is the theory. I haven’t experienced it myself, and there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of it, but the Dungeon Worshippers believe it. In fact, I imagine that there’ll be some of them here once they hear about it.”
“What do they believe, the Dungeon Worshippers? We learnt a bit about them while learning to be adventurers, but Master Dalem said that they are all a bunch of nutjobs who don’t know how to leave well enough alone.” Jak asked.
The dwarf scratched his chin thoughtfully, his short beard giving him an air of wisdom.
“I don’t rightfully know. As best as I understand it, they believe that the dungeon is sentient, more so than what most people think of it. They think it is watching and observing all who enter it and that those who listen hard enough will hear it talk to them. I only entered the dungeon a few in the last iteration, so I’m no expert, but I never heard anything from it.”
A human standing behind the dwarf interrupted him, his harsh voice almost angry.
“Bloody dungeon botherers. In the last iteration, they kept setting up camps on the third floor and killing all the monsters on it. It made it almost impossible to clear that floor, unless you had someone who could kill the monsters before they did.”
“Why did they do that?” Heth asked, confused.
“They claimed that the dungeon was speaking to them there and that it wanted them to. We all complained to Master Rotit, but he always said the same thing; that as long as they weren’t attacking adventurers, then he wouldn’t do anything.” The man replied angrily then spat on the ground.
“Aye, that is the rules that the crown forced on the guild. They are allowed to police the dungeon, but they cannot enforce any rules that are not laws in the city. The queen doesn’t want the adventurers guild to get too powerful or to challenge her authority” the dwarf replied.
“I know that the adventurers guild works to maintain order in the dungeon and help train adventurers,” Jak said, confused, “but why would the queen worry about them? Aren’t they on her side? I saw them fighting with the army when I was a kid.”
A Half-elf wearing a mixture of leather and chain-mail interrupted before anyone could reply. He was standing with the group of beginner adventurers, but he didn’t seem like he was new to it. His gear all seemed to match, using browns and greens to soften the shine of the chain-mail, while his grey hair was swept back and held in a knot. His eyes stood out the most though; one grey and one green.
“The queens fears the power of the adventurers, because she knows that they have the power to resist her. Just look at Madame Cleclava and Master Rotit. They have both been exploring the dungeon for decades. If they wanted to, they could invade the castle easily enough, especially if they got some of the other adventurers to help them. They might not be able to defeat the army, but they could make enough trouble for the queen and the army that it would ruin the city.”
“That’s why there is never a tax on the dungeon” the human man continued. “The kings and queens have always known that as long as they leave the adventurers guild alone and don’t make problems about the dungeon, then the adventurers don’t make problems for the city. In fact, most adventurers rarely leave the Dungeon Corner apart from when they are doing quests outside the city.”
“But I’ve seen adventurers in the Commons corner all the time.” Jak countered.
“Aye, plenty of the adventurers who are born in this city live in the homes there at first. I still live with my brothers there. But once you can afford it, the inns in the Dungeon Corner are better. The best ones are enchanted with area spells, meaning that a room in the inn can be bigger than a large house easily. And the inns all have maids and what not.”
“How about in the Noble Corner? Do any adventurers live there?” Heth asked.
The human man spat again.
“Ha! As if those stuck up toffs would let adventurers live among them. That’s one of the rules that the queen enforces. Adventurers can’t buy land in the Noble Corner with money from the dungeon. They claim it’s to because of tax issues, but everyone knows that it’s just to keep the adventurers away from the Nobles.”
“Besides, why would the adventurers want to live there? All forms of magic work better in the Dungeon Corner, which is why the inns can have the area spells. To make them work in the Noble Corner takes a huge amount of power. I know that a few of the Nobles have area enchantments, and the queen does obviously, but that’s it.” The Half-Elf replied.
“Fascinating” Jak breathed in amazement. To think that he had lived in the city his whole life but hadn’t realised these things.
“Why don’t people know about all this?”
“Aach, the Nobles know, so do the Adventurers. It’s not hidden from those who live in the commons, but it’s not spoken about too much.”
“Why?” Jak asked.
“Ha, you are fresh, aren’t you lad? Don’t worry, you find out eventually. Here’s a tip though; save up your money and get yourself a place in one of the cheap inns as soon as you can. It doesn’t matter how much you like your family, you want to get away from them as fast as possible.”
“Leave my mum? Why would I do that?” Jak asked, bewildered.
“You’ll find out, lad. You’ll find out.”
Jak opened his mouth to ask another question but was interrupted by the ringing tone of Master Rotit’s hammer hitting the ground again.
“Next group! Hurry up about it! You all like hanging around here?!” His voice rang out, loud but calm. As he spoke, the largest group of adventurers formed into a long, snaking line in front of the dungeon entrance. Individual groups starting disappearing from into the dungeon almost as fast as Jak could count. Within minutes, they had all disappeared, leaving just the beginner adventurers group that Jak and Heth were with. Master Rotit shouted out again.
“Next group, get a move on! If you haven’t entered before, wait until the end and we’ll get you stamped!”
The group of beginner adventurers lined up. This group seemed to be made up of small teams, normally only two or three people. Even though the line was much shorter than that of the previous group, they seemed to take much longer to get in. Jak and Heth moved to the end of the line, fare welling the other adventurers they had been talking to while they waited. Heth almost shook with excitement as they stood in line.
“Yes, it’s happening! We get to be adventurers now! I can’t wait for the stamp! I hope I get the Throne. Or the crown! What do you think you will get, Jak? I bet you get the shield!”
“I never did understand the stamps. I mean, I know what Master Dalem said, that it is a sign of how we connect to the dungeon, but I couldn’t follow him when he started talking about what the different stamps mean. How are they different?” Jak asked him.
“Well, from what I understand, they show what the dungeon believes you will do well. If you work in a way that matches the stamp the dungeon gives you, then your abilities are stronger and better. Well, perhaps, anyway. He also said that no one had been able to prove it, as no one knew what like half of the stamps mean. Like, the Throne? What role would that be? And the queen didn’t get the crown when she entered. She got the bird.”
“Yeah, my mum has the bird too. She always said that it showed her what she wanted most, but she never did say what it was.”
“My big sister got the flame, so she became a fire mage. She said it felt right to do it.” Heth said.
“I knew she got the flame. Are you saying that it made her more powerful as a fire mage?” Jak asked excitedly.
“Ahh, well, she doesn’t say it like that. When I asked her, she said the same thing that Master Dalem said. That she couldn’t prove it made her more powerful than if she had done something else, but that she felt it had. She said that the abilities she gets from the Thrones are always good ones, but she isn’t sure if she would have got good ones if she had done something else.” Heth said awkwardly. “She said she believed it did and that was good enough for her.”
The line of new adventurers had moved up as they talked and it was almost there turn to enter the dungeon. Jak could finally see the gate now, a seeming blue wall of light that seemed to buzz and vibrate. As each group touched it, they disappeared into the dungeon and the next group moved up. As they approached the entrance, Master Rotim stopped them, as he had each other group.
“New adventurers, huh? Are you sure your old enough? Got your passes?” he asked in a gruff voice.
Heth pulled out the necklace that he had tucked into his shirt as he answered excitedly “Yes, Master Rotit. Master Dalem gave them to us last month, but the dungeon closed before we got a chance to enter it.”
He pulled the small, silver charm off his necklace and passed it to Master Rotit as Jak did the same.
“Ahh, you took his classes did you? Good for you! He’s one of the best teachers. I wish I could get more adventurers of his quality to take on some of the teaching work, but what can we do?”
He held the charms in his hand as he muttered a brief spell, which made the charms glow briefly before he handed them back.
“It’s good to see that you both learnt all the basic skills. Just the two of you going in?”
“Ahh, yes, that’s okay, right?” Jak answered uncertainly.
“Well, we normally recommend that new adventurers have at least a group of three before they enter, but since you both know the basic spells and the first floors of this dungeon are easy enough, it’ll be fine. Just make sure you remember that those charms can be used as a one-off escape spell. Just hold it and say exit now and you’ll end up back here.”
“Ha! We won’t need to use those! Besides, I heard that the dungeon punishes you for doing that?” Heth replied boastfully.
“Yes, some people say that. It certainly seems to make the Thrones less useful for you. But, it’s better than dying, so don’t let pride get the best of you, boy!” Master Rotit answered sternly. “Better a weak adventurer than a dead adventurer.”
“Yes, sir!” Jak said quickly, elbowing Heth until he did the same.”
“Alright then boys, hold arms and then one of you touch the gate. Getting stamped will feel weird and it seems to happen differently for everyone, but I’m sure you’ll handle it just fine.”
“What if we don’t want to get stamped?” Jak asked uncertainly.
“You can always refuse the stamp, but then the Thrones won’t work for you. Personally, I don’t recommend doing that. If you don’t want the stamp, then there’s plenty of other dungeons that you can go to, that are probably safer than this one.”
Jak swallowed nervously, before turning to Heth and saying “Okay, let’s do this.”
With that, he took Heth’s arm, grasped it firmly as Heth nodded at him, then reached out to touch the gate.