Kate giggled gently as Seamus led her down the beach, telling her all the things they'd do together. After a lifetime in a convent, she wasn't prepared to resist his charms, and she was inextricably wrapped around his finger, putty in his hands. As the night slipped further on, he teased and cajoled her, until she agreed to go for dip in the bay with him.
The two young lovers swam and laughed, until their revery was broken by a haunting refrain, a flute cutting through the calm of night. The two dressed quickly, terrified of being caught, but the music played on, and seemed to become less sinister and more aluring the more they listened. Eventually, Seamus gathered his courage and pursued the music, chasing as it slipped passed hills and under bushes. While Kate fretted and worried, Seamus plunged deeper into the woods, before coming across a cave entrance, the music echoing from deeper within. Recognizing at once what he'd found, Seamus hurried back to his waiting companion.
"Kate!" he shouted, the music rising behind him as he returned, "Come quick! There's a dungeon!"
"A dungeon?" she asked, unsure how to take the news. Delvers could get rich quickly, of course, but she also knew just how dangerous they could be.
Seeing her hesitence, Seamus grabbed her arm, pulling her forward as he tried to stoke her enthusiasm. "A new one! Noone knows about it yet, or it'd be all over town, so it must be brand new! If we can figure out what monsters it has and report it, we'll be rich! We just need to sneak in and sneak out, no need to fight anything!"
Wavering, Kate feebly tried to protest, but she knew they needed the money, so she gave up and let him lead her on. Soon, they stood in the entrance to a deep cave, stone carved into rough blocks, curving away before them. The music, louder than ever, echoed around them. Seamus put a finger to his lips, and signalled her to follow him, dropping to all fours and slowly creeping forward. A short distance in, he indicated a section of ground, signaling that it would move if stepped on. carefully stretching past it, he led her onward, and into the first chamber. Here, he marked the center of the room, pointing out cracks on the floor, and kate couldn't help but shudder, wondering what would await her if she fell into the pit.
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Next, the two considered the pile of fruit and meat in the room, the tantalizing scent drawing their eyes, but they looked to one another and grimaced. It was probably poisoned. Seamus signalled forward, and, after collecting herself, Kate followed. The music still called from further in, and more than every she wanted to know what kind of monster could make soimething so beautiful.
Soon enough, they reached the next room, and Seamus rose to his feet to examine the chest, while Kate waited in the doorway, eyes glancing left and right, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Taking in the walls for the first time, she noticed collections of gears arranged at regular intervals. "Hey, Seamus," she whispered, drawing his attention just as he finished picking the lock. "What do you think the gears mean?"
Seamus looked up, checking the walls, as he opened the chest, and in a moment, the world was pulled out from under Kate, a low rumble her only warning before massive rocks began to fall from above, burrying Seamus in seconds. With a strangled scream, Kate surged forward, desperate to save him- and as she did, strange bronze golems burst from the right, charging her. With five of the creatures in front of her, she had no choice but to run, leaving her lover for dead. Gently sobbing, she ran for the exit, carefully avoiding each trap he had pointed out to her, and the music nearly covered the sound of clockwork turning as she leapt over the pressure plate. What it didn't cover was the too loud sound of bolts firing, and she fell to the ground, legs failing her even as she tried to form a spell, to push out the bolts and close her wounds. The manna leapt to her command, well practiced skill serving her even now, but slow, too slow, and her lifeblood fled her body.
The music cut off as she bled out, the magic knitting her skin closed even as she died.
Quiet reined in the dungeon for a time, before footsteps echoed through the dungeon, and a gnome came to examine her pristine corpse.
"Sorry lassie," she whispered, "but the dungeon needed a proper meal."
Putting her flute away, Bonnie stepped out into the night air, a spring in her step.