Assimilation complete. Dungeon Mass increased. Dungeon integrity is now at 42%.
Charlie clapped his hands together. This was going better than he thought. After the first Scaler corpse, he had gone to work consuming as many as he could without the other children noticing. He couldn’t consume them all, but there were plenty on the outskirts of the camp that no one would notice missing.
Now he would be able to fight. He also had a way to recharge his powers in dungeons.
Though he still wasn’t quite sure what was going on. He wasn’t sure what a dungeon mass increase was, but transporting the Scalers was making his dungeon integrity go up. The higher that number was, the more damage he could take, and the more power he could use. As long as he could aid the other children in their fight to rescue the others, he didn’t care.
Sophia was counting on him. Well, maybe she wasn’t exactly imagining Charlie coming to her rescue. As far as she knew, he was just a normal baby. But he was sure she hoped someone would come and help her. It just so happened to be him. So, it was the same thing.
He crawled up the friendly Scaler and put a hand over its back, trying to pull himself up. To his dismay, the ridges of the Scaler’s back weren’t very comfortable. He frowned. Riding it like he did Bleedy was out of the question. He inspected it, wondering if it was possible to turn his new friend into a mount at all.
He eyed its long tail and grabbed a hold of it.
He caught the Scaler by surprise. It reflexively jumped upward, leaping clear from the floor all the way to the ceiling. Charlie was still clinging on to its tail.
He hung in the air from it, swinging back and forth like a pendulum. The Scaler looked down, distressed.
A few of the other kids noticed as well.
“Charlie!” Luc called out.
Charlie giggled. It was actually kind of fun. The Scaler didn’t seem sure of how to get down now with its strange passenger and just let its tail hang limply in the air.
Lyra hurried over to relieve the poor creature and grabbed Charlie. He let go of the lizard’s tail after she’d secured him. “I thought you were going to act normal,” Lyra whispered.
Charlie chewed on a finger. “I didn’t mean to do that. But it was fun! Have you figured out a plan yet?” he asked.
Lyra looked over her shoulder at the other children. She held up a hand to let the ones paying attention know Charlie was okay, then walked further down the hallway. “We’re going to look for somewhere safe to let the younger children and the injured rest. Then the rest of us will go and rescue the others.”
Charlie thought about it for a moment. “Are there actually safe places in this section of the dungeon? So many Scalers attacked us earlier, and from both directions!” he said. He spread his hands out wide and then clapped them together, pretending they were the lizards.
Lyra nodded. “We have something in mind.”
Boop. The transparent temporary dungeon core bounced off the friendly Scaler still hanging from the ceiling.
Boop. Boop. Boop.
The Scaler swatted the core away with its tail.
Charlie smiled. It was just like being with Merlin and Orb.
***
Shortly after, Lyra and the others gathered everyone, and they continued further into Scaler territory. The children were bruised, battered, and beaten, but even after everything they’d been through, they were still willing to follow Lyra.
They trusted her a lot.
It wasn’t long before Charlie found out what she meant by somewhere safe. The first sign that they were approaching it was a series of small wooden tubes sticking out of the ground. Charlie couldn’t help but wonder what they were. He pointed at them and looked up at Lyra. “What are those things?”
It was odd seeing the dungeon’s weird decorations again. Since entering Scaler territory, the dungeon had almost seemed normal. But apparently, it was just that section of the dungeon. He had a feeling it would only get weirder from here.
“Those are table bulbs,” she explained. When he presented her with a look of even greater confusion, she elaborated further. “You saw all the furniture in the daycare, right? The beds, tables, and chairs? Well, all of that, among other things, was grown right here in the dungeon.”
Charlie blinked. “Grown? You can grow furniture?!” That sounded terrible for the economy.
Lyra smiled. “Outside of the dungeon? No. But here it happens. We don’t actually have any say over what grows. It’s a naturally occurring event. Varroc doesn’t care if we’re comfortable. But new furniture grows all the time in the dungeon. Sometimes it sprouts in the daycare, and sometimes we have to check the hallways and bring back whatever seems useful.”
Charlie nodded. That was really odd. The dungeon in Sirra only had six-crows and the core guardian. Well, there was all the dungeallis crystal as well, but other than that, it hadn’t grown furniture! That was a cool feature. If he could grow furniture, he could make a really cozy dungeon.
A dungeon without bassinets.
But plenty of other cool furniture would be great. It would be like Merlin’s big mansion idea, except inside a dungeon.
Super cozy!
Maybe he could invite Lyra and Luc and whoever else wanted to come as well! That would be fun. It was nice to be around other children. He tilted his head. He wondered how he would convince Merlin and Vetica to let him bring all of these kids on adventures with them. It would be hard to fit them all in Merlin’s wagon, but he did have that special compartment! It could work. Charlie nodded.
He would invite Lyra and the others after they finished with this dungeon business and escaped this stinking town!
Kashak and the other hunters in front of the group slowed. There were a series of doors up ahead. Kashak beckoned the hunters forward, and they split up, investigating the doors. Some of them wouldn’t open. Probably more fake doors. The dungeon seemed fond of them. Others opened up and led to new areas of the dungeon. But finally, one hunter called the others over.
They’d found what they were looking for.
Desmond was the one to announce it. “Over here! A safe room!”
The children hurried over. Pushing against each other to peek inside. Lyra made her way through the group and a big smile burst across her face. “This is perfect.”
Charlie’s eyes opened as wide as they ever had before. This wasn’t anything close to what he had been expecting.
The room was the definition of comfortable. Its walls were lined with one long continuous couch that stretched all the way around in a square shape. Every one of them could stretch out and rest in here with plenty of room to spare. But just in case that wasn’t the case, the floor was also made of some strange material. It was almost like a super mattress.
Charlie’s eyes lit up. This was exactly what he wanted. He needed to talk to this dungeon core and find out its secrets.
Before destroying it, of course.
Lyra beckoned the children in, and it was like the floodgates had opened. They all ran inside. A stampede of excited children. For a moment, it was like they’d forgotten the horrible events of the last few hours.
Charlie wished he could as well, but he couldn’t relax until they’d saved the others. He looked up at Lyra as the hunters helped the injured children get inside. Some they carried; others were able to walk.
“What is this?” he asked.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“We call them safe rooms. They aren’t really safe in the usual sense. They’re just fortifiable positions. One way in, one way out. They are kind of rare, but you can usually find one if you walk far enough in any direction in this dungeon. Now, we can focus on rescuing the others without worrying about the younger children.”
Charlie frowned. “Wait, we’re going to leave them here?” he asked.
Lyra started to respond, but Kashak and Desmond joined them.
“This will work. We can close the door and barricade it with furniture from the hallways. It looks like there are some fully grown tables further down the hall. If we collect a few of those, three or four spearmen should be able to guard everyone else while we go on ahead,” Kashak said.
Lyra ran two fingers along opposite ends of her lips and brought them together. Thinking to herself. “Hm, okay. That should work. Let’s get started then. I don’t want to waste much time. Leave some of the better hunters. If we don’t make it back, they have to be capable of getting the others back to the daycare.”
Desmond quirked a brow. “Not escape?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Without us, that plan isn’t viable. If we don’t come back, they’ll need to return and wait a few years. Once more of them are older, they’ll find another chance. I’m sure of it,” Lyra said. But Charlie didn’t think she sounded so sure.
Kashak nodded. Desmond looked like he wanted to say more but didn’t.
“Alright, I’ll get a few hunters and go grab those tables then,” Desmond said. He called a few of the other children out by name and they hurried down the hall.
Kashak watched him leave and turned back to Lyra. “So, the others will be safe here, but how do we find the Scaler nest? I doubt they can open doors, but it’s not impossible. Not to mention the fact that the dungeon could split off again. If we run into an intersection, it will be a matter of chance.”
Charlie shrieked, getting their attention. He pointed down the hall at the friendly Scaler creeping behind them.
Lyra and Kashak both turned to look at the lizard beast.
“What? What do you mean, Charlie?” Lyra asked.
He smiled. “Our friend will take us back to the nest! And then, I’m going to beat up all those bad Scalers!”
Merlin
“I have to admit, I didn’t think things would move so quickly. This Charlie must mean a lot to you. You’re shaping up to be quite the rebellion leader,” Crussus said.
Merlin choked on his cup of water. “Leader? I thought you were the leader! I’m just helping.” He cleared his throat and took another sip to soothe it. He adjusted his back, leaning against the wall of a mineshaft wasn’t exactly comfortable. But it provided a quiet, private place to talk about matters like this. “Anyway, how are things going? Logistically,” he asked.
Crussus paused to think for a moment. “Well, the weapons are coming along nicely. Torq is fast. To be expected of a blacksmith of Sange. His family has worked with kierstone for generations. In the old days, adventurers went through kierstone weapons like parchment. So, they had to make them quickly to keep up with demand. We couldn’t ask for a better blacksmith for our purposes. Not to mention recruitment is going well. You’ve got a way with words, my friend. I wasn’t sure how people would respond to you with that nice cloak of yours. But a lot of people are coming around to us.”
“Well, having your children taken hostage and shipped to a dungeon will do that,” Merlin said. He just hoped Charlie was okay. That poor girl Sophia, too. He had both of them within his reach. Was it really right to let Charlie go off on his own? Sure, he was strong, but sometimes it was easy to forget he was just a baby. Merlin was the closest thing Charlie had to a reasonable adult in his life. Shouldn’t he try harder to stop him from getting involved in crazy schemes like this?
Crussus looked grim. “Merlin, that’s been true for a while. They didn’t suddenly realize their children were taken from them. You gave them hope. You have something inside you. I’m telling you. You may not realize it, but other people can sense it. That’s why they're willing to follow you. Today, I think we should speak to Godo. He’s a merchant, he’s been here for a few weeks now and a lot of people have taken a shining to him. Guards included. They say Godo can get you anything, for the right price. He’s also got a silver tongue. If we can get someone like him on our side, it would help with recruitment. Our small group meetings have gone well, but you’re only one man. We need others capable of spreading the word without getting caught. I think you—”
“Merlin! Crussus! Are you in here?” A voice called out from the mouth of the mineshaft. They jumped to their feet.
“Who is that?” Merlin whispered.
“One of ours.” Crussus cupped a hand to his face. “Yes! We’re here! Further in! What’s wrong?”
“It’s Torq! The guards have him! They learned about the weapons! They might kill him. We have to do something!”
Merlin and Crussus exchanged a look. They both broke into a sprint and hustled out of the dungeon. Merlin huffed in deep breaths, trying to keep up with the more muscular man, but fell behind. He reached the mouth of the dungeon and rested his weight on his knees. Crussus was talking with the messenger. He turned to look at Merlin. “It’s not far! He’s been working out of a cave just over this way. We have to hurry!”
When they reached the forge site, an out of commission mineshaft that had been closed off, they realized they were too late. Before they could enter the cave, Varroc and a group of guards walked out of it. Varroc held a long, heavily bloodied blade in one hand. His eyes locked on Merlin, and he smiled.
“Oh? Funny seeing you here.” Varroc laughed and left with his guards in tow. Whatever they had come to do was done. Merlin and Crussus exchanged a look and hurried into the cave. They feared the worst.
The forge itself was a flare-zone. Torq, and a few other men from the resistance, had smuggled the kierstone inside the cave. They used them to create a series of tunnels to channel the fire bursts that occurred regularly. The result was a makeshift forge. Torq had to get inventive with some of his techniques, and it had taken time to adjust, but he’d figured it out quickly enough. He’d said after they took Sange back, he’d keep this place running. In only a short period of time, he’d come to love his mineshaft forge.
Now, Torq knelt on the floor of the sweltering room, staring at the stump on his arm.
His dominant hand was gone. Chopped off at the wrist.
Merlin fell to his knees.
This was all because of him. He had convinced this old blacksmith to get involved with his schemes. To build weapons for a small resistance army. And now, he’d caused the poor man to lose everything.
His dream…
Crussus looked just as dejected. But he pulled himself together long enough to check on Torq.
“Torq, what happened?”
The blacksmith was speechless. His eyes didn’t leave the stump on his arm. He was in shock.
Footsteps. Merlin looked past Torq and saw a man approaching from deeper inside the mineshaft. His shoes clattered against the rock.
It was Achai. “So, it was you two? You’re the ones who put us in danger? I knew Torq wouldn’t have done this alone. But you, Crussus? Really? Haven’t you learned by now? Put your dream of freedom to rest. Let them die. You’re only putting the children at risk.”
Merlin couldn’t believe it. It was him? Achai had reported them.
They’d gone out of their way to prevent him from learning about any of this…but Achai was resourceful. He had eyes and ears everywhere. They hadn’t been betrayed, not if he didn’t know they were involved. No, he’d likely wondered why Torq was spending so much time in an abandoned mineshaft. They should’ve taken steps to cover their tracks more.
There it was again. That anger.
Merlin rose to his feet and hurried past Torq and Crussus.
Achai eyed him distastefully.
He never saw the punch coming. At least, not until it was too late.
Merlin followed through. The blow sent Achai stumbling backwards.
Achai fell to the ground. He looked up in shock, holding his nose. “What is wrong with you? You think you’re helping? You know what they would’ve done to the children if I hadn’t reported this? What they would’ve done to my son?” Achai asked, his words muffled by the hand he held over his face.
“It’s all about the kids, huh?” Merlin asked. “You turned him in for your son? Why’s that? So he could grow up a slave like his father? Is that what you want? To ruin his chance at freedom?”
Achai stood up. He approached Merlin and stared at him. “You don’t get it. Here, in this place, I’m lucky my boy gets to grow up at all. So yeah, I’ll throw every one of you to the dogs if it means my boy gets to live any kind of life at all.”
That stunned Merlin a bit, he had to admit. He didn’t have the words to respond.
Achai brushed past him. He paused after passing Crussus and Torq. “I’m sorry, Torq. But they agreed to spare your life at my insistence. I hope you can understand why I did what I did. I…I’m sorry.” Achai left them alone.
Merlin approached the other two men. The guilt in his heart was growing by the second. “Torq…I never knew that…”
“That’s enough, boy,” Torq said. Crussus and Merlin exchanged a look. It only surprised them further when Torq stood up, shaking himself from his disoriented state. Torq looked Merlin right in the eye. “So, what did you think? Was I convincing?”
“Wha…what?” Merlin stammered.
Torq sighed. “Fooled you too, huh? Well, I may have a lost my hand, but little ole Varroc hasn’t crushed my spirit. Where’s my hammer? I need to get back to work.” Blood still poured from his arm.
Torq cursed. He looked up at Crussus and held his stump up. “Lend me a hand, will ya?” He chuckled.
Crussus ripped a piece of his shirt off and used it to bandage Torq’s wound. “You need a doctor…”
“You’ll have to bring one here. I’m not leaving. But make sure it’s someone you trust. I’ve only got one more hand to spare. I don’t need Varroc and his dogs returning. I’ve got enough work to do repairing the forge. They really did a number on her. Broke a few of the weapons, too. But they’re idiots to think I kept them all here. Had just as many stashed away further in. Didn’t even look for them. Fools!”
Merlin reached up and grabbed Torq by the shoulders. “Listen, you’re injured. You can’t keep this up. They…cut your arm off. Your dream…” Merlin shook his head. How was this man still standing?
Torq grew serious.
He stared into Merlin’s eyes. “My dream? What about it? I’m alive, aren’t I? Sure, they took my hand. But what’s a hand to freedom? Nothing. What’s a hand to a dream? Insignificant. I’ll finish making these weapons. And then, I’m going to make that boy of yours something that will make my ancestors crawl out of their graves to praise the fact our bloodline produced something so grand. And I’ll do it with one hand. If Varroc returns and takes my other hand, I’ll bite down on the hilt of my hammer and make it with my teeth. So, listen here Merlin, I’m alive and well, and a man like Varroc won’t extinguish my dream.”