Selvara hesitated as she prepared to open her portal to the fairy realm. It wasn’t logical but a gnawing fear whispered that the portal might not appear or that she might be barred from crossing. Taking a deep breath, she reached for her fairy magic. A glowing ring of light spiraled into being before her.
She paused again, but her hesitation left Malvorik impatient. With no warning, he cast Telekinetic Shockwave, hurling her through the portal amidst her indignant screams. Just as the swirling light swallowed her, the telepathic voice of her dungeon heart echoed in her mind, amused and faintly teasing.
Selvara emerged over a vibrant meadow, awash in colors from countless blooming flowers. The air smelled of sweet pollen and carried a faint hum of magic. She steadied herself midair, scanning her surroundings. She looked around to get her bearings and quickly found enough familiar landmarks to orient herself.
She landed softly and ducked behind a flowering bush, where she swapped her usual robe for a black one. The hood cast her face in deep shadow as she adjusted it. Then, with a determined flutter of her wings, she sped toward the secretive meeting place.
The entrance to the cave was hidden deep in the heart of an ancient forest. Cascading vines and thick moss concealed the narrow opening, which shimmered faintly under the light of the crescent moon. As Selvara approached, she felt the touch of several spells probing her. Each ward examined her presence and intent before reluctantly granting her passage.
Inside, the air was cool and damp, tinged with the faint smell of luminescent flowers clinging to the stone walls. The tunnel opened into a grand chamber, its cathedral-like ceiling veined with glowing crystals that pulsed in gentle rhythms, like the heartbeat of the earth itself. Wisps of silver mist swirled along the ground, weaving through runes etched into the stone. These ancient sigils flickered with protective magic, cloaking the chamber from all forms of scrying or detection, and even the third eye sight of soothsayers and augurs.
At the center of the chamber stood a round table hewn from the heartwood of an ancient tree that had been felled by foolish revenants. A symbol of their greed and prideful nature. Its surface gleamed, polished to a mirror-like sheen and was etched with runes that shifted subtly in response to the presence of the fairies gathered around it. Inlaid in gold at its center was the sigil of Golgoroth: three hydra heads emerging from the entrance of a dungeon.
Selvara arrived to find over a dozen dungeon fairies already present, buzzing and chattering in low voices. Their black robes shimmered faintly, their hoods concealing their identities as they took their places around the table.
At the head of the chamber stood a lone fairy, her robes trimmed with intricate golden embroidery that denoted her as the leader of the cabal. Her commanding presence filled the room, silencing all chatter as she raised her hands.
“I call this meeting of the High Council of AGATHA to order!” Her voice resonated against the stone walls, carrying the weight of authority. The faint glow of the crystals around them pulsed in rhythm with her words.
The fairies descended into silence, taking their seats around the table. Each fairy was draped in enchanted robes that concealed their faces in deep shadow and distorted their voices. Though most present likely knew each other’s true identities. The secrecy, Selvara thought, was more intended to remind everyone of the seriousness of this conspiracy, as it was practical.
The High Fairy swept her gaze around the table. With a deliberate motion, she pushed back her hood to show her face, since everyone knew her identity anyway, and raised her voice: “Most of you are too young, to remember the last time we dungeon fairies had to conspire to save the world. So, I will explain. During the last plague, a dungeon fairy overheard some revenants discussing their plans inside a dungeon. They planned to enact a great ritual blood sacrifice, killing thousands of innocents. All to raise the highest leveled member of their guild to the status of a demigod. We never found out if there was ever a chance of this plan succeeding, but even failure would have meant the death of all those sacrificed. Men, women, and children. After I was informed of this plan, I convened with the leaders of the church of Golgoroth. With his blessing, all fairies acted to hinder the members of the Grand Ascension Guild wherever they could. We invoked an article of the Fairy Accords that until then was just a joke, written by drunk fairies. In this hidden cave, we founded the Acolytes of Golgoroth Against Tyrannical Heroes Ascending – AGATHA for short. They still needed gold, items, alchemical ingredients, and gemstones to enact their ritual. Things every dungeon now denied them. We killed them whenever they entered a dungeon and sometimes even outside. We stole their equipment and blamed other revenants for it. We strengthened their enemies and planted notes and written plans for them to find in and near dungeons.”
A fairy farther back interrupted her: “Didn’t the Moderators intervene? They must have noticed they were being treated differently by dungeons. There must have been complaints enough to raise an inquiry.”
The High Fairy grinned: “A Moderator did indeed appear before me to demand an explanation. I told him of the conspirator’s ritual plan and he left. The next day, he reappeared and informed me, that our cabal was allowed to continue by Steve, God of Game Balance himself.”
A murmur of “Praise Steve.” was audible throughout the cavern.
The High Fairy continued: “Now we face an even greater threat. One born not from greed or power, but from the recklessness of revenants who dabbled with forces they didn’t understand with their failed Gross Ritual at the end of the last plague.”
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Able to identify each fairy present, she pointed at Selvara. “You were the first to report on the Krigesti nature. Tell us of your findings.”
Selvara stood, her wings fluttering nervously. Dozens of shadowed faces turned to her, and she swallowed hard before speaking. “We, my dungeon heart and I, first encountered the Krigesti when they took refuge in the upper levels of our dungeon, unaware of its nature.”
A murmur rippled through the chamber but quickly subsided under the High Fairy’s stern gaze. Intruders not realizing they were inside a dungeon was unheard of.
“My dungeon’s location is secret. Its upper levels are also not immediately identifiable as dungeon floors, so some Krigesti made their camp there. They brought prisoners with them,” Selvara continued, “feeding them… something. Malvorik believes it was a solution made of cerebrum crystals and alchemical salts. The victims either died or transformed into Krigesti themselves. They’ve infected animals as well, using them as tools to attack our dungeon. Some of their bodies could be retrieved and analyzed. Their brains are permeated with living crystals that control them. They are connected by a strange kind of communication magic. They all act like one. What one sees, all know of. My dungeon heart, who is wise far beyond what you’d believe, calls it a hive mind. They are all one being as long as they are in range of each other.”
The High Fairy nodded and continued. “We believe their origins lie in the underground Crystal Lake beneath the desert oasis, the same lake from the old revenant legends. What was once some harmless crystals, babbling in a similar mental voice as our dungeon hearts, is now a growing swarm, spreading through the desert and grasslands. If they breach the mountain passes into the kingdoms…”
The room fell silent.
The High Fairy stood upon her chair in a regal stance "I have already ordered some of you to act a week ago. During this meeting, we will further coordinate actions.” She extended a hand toward a fairy seated at the table. “You, please report on the current status of the defense against the Krigesti."
The addressed fairy rose from her chair, wings fluttering briefly as she spoke. "The desert dungeons, under Golgoroth's blessing, have ceased observing any of the fair play and dungeon etiquette rules. All four have been transformed into deathtraps, slaughtering any Krigesti foolish enough to enter. This denies them the easy leveling they seek. In response, three of the dungeons have leveled up themselves, acquiring feats to send dungeon creatures into the surrounding lands. The high priest of Golgoroth, the three-headed dragon himself, has decreed he will perform a feat-exchange ritual once the Krigesti have been defeated since they do not want to be branded as renegade dungeons and destroyed. Additionally, Pallandur has agreed to withhold quests that would typically arise from the activities of these rogue dungeons plaguing their surroundings."
The High Fairy gave a sharp nod before turning to the next fairy. "Has the kingdom finally realized the true nature of the Krigesti threat?"
The fairy waved her hands in exasperation. "No, they haven’t. We’ve mobilized all northern dungeons to help the kingdom’s heroes level up as quickly as possible. No breaks, no enhancement time-outs. Collondis, the mushroom dungeon, has deployed spores to reanimate dead humans, making them march in formations eerily similar to the Krigesti. He even dusted their eyes with ruby powder to mimic the glow of the Krigesti eyes. But the revenants remain oblivious. Travis placed appropriate books in his loot lists. Treatises on the Crystal Lake, cerebrum crystals, and even an eyewitness account of the Great Gross Ritual. And what do the revenants do? They skim the books for spells and treasure maps, then sell them unread in the city."
A chorus of groans rose from the assembled fairies, accompanied by muttered insults about the foolishness of revenants. The High Fairy raised a hand, silencing them with a commanding gesture.
"Enough!" she snapped. "This is the gravest threat our world has ever faced, yet the locals and the revenants still underestimate it. I did not invoke Article 50 of the Fairy Realms Accords to reactivate this ancient cabal, just to witness petty squabbling! This time the main problem is not power-hungry revenants, but something they have inadvertently caused. Even if they still don’t know it. I demand order! And I expect constructive suggestions!"
A fairy tentatively raised her hand, and with an impatient wave from the leader, began to speak. "Their nature still binds the Krigesti. They can only move in large numbers. This limitation has so far prevented them from establishing a foothold in the seas or crossing mountain ranges. For now, they remain contained. Without trade, they struggle to acquire weapons, armor, and food. But they’re learning. They’ve begun saturating the desert oasis, converting every animal larger than a rat, and soon, every humanoid. After that, they’ll likely expand their reach to the local monsters of Journeyman tier and beyond. We’ve been slowing them down, costing them resources, and hampering their plans. We should encourage more revenant expeditions into the desert towns to further disrupt their operations."
The high fairy let out a weary sigh. "We’ve already tried that. Their levels are too low to survive in Krigesti territory. It only takes one Krigesti to spot them before the swarm descends like starving World-Eater Ants. If there are no other suggestions, we will continue our current strategies."
The discussion dragged on for another hour, but no new ideas emerged. Some fairies who had not yet been informed of the plan were instructed on how to participate.
As the council adjourned, portals shimmered open, and one by one, the fairies departed, returning to their dungeons, each weighed down by the looming threat of the Krigesti, an enemy growing ever more dangerous, while the world remained blissfully unaware.
Before Selvara could leave, the High Fairy beckoned her to stay. After all the others had left, they met for a private discussion. After a last look around, Selvara pushed back her hood. The High Fairy sighed. “You probably know what I’m going to tell you to do.”
Selvara bowed reverently. “Of course. I’m to prevent the Krigesti to take Mulnirsheim from below.”
“Exactly. Stop them, no matter what. The city must not be allowed to fall. The Krigesti must not be allowed to enter the kingdoms through the pass. If you have to reveal your dungeon's existence, you will do it. Even if it means its destruction.”
Selvara gulped. “I… understand. The thing is, Malvorik would do that anyway if he thought it necessary. It’s just how he is. He’d just try to get out the duskgnomes first.”
The High Fairy placed a hand on her shoulder, her expression softening. “I dearly hope it will never come to this. The duskgnomes will always have the option to evacuate to the surface, but there’s just no way to move a dungeon heart. At least not after it has established its domain. Unless your clever dungeon core has found one?”
Selvara sighed and shook her head. “No. There really seems to be no way. We will hold the line or die trying. And no one will ever know it was AGATHA all along.”