Chapter 6
Exploration
The northern area around the town being “difficult to navigate” was an understatement. The forest was thickly overgrown with dense underbrush even for an area this high in the mountains. With the warm summer air, the scent of pine was nearly oppressive, and bushes with sharp thorns were pervasive.
Over the next few weeks, Gen and Byron had been systematically walking along the north side of the village, scouring the land 1-2 hours away starting from the east and moving to the west.
That meant hiking an hour outside of town in the northeast. Turning North, hiking 1 hour north, turning west, hiking for about 10 minutes, Turning south for 1 hour, turning west for another 10 minutes, and doing it all over again. Gen assured Byron this pattern would cover as much area as possible allowing them the best chance to spot interesting areas as possible dungeon locations.
It was grueling, and by Byron's calculations, they only covered 6 square miles a day. Which at first sounds like a lot but when Theodor told them there are 100 square miles to cover north of the village Byron's joy sank.
The only bright side was that it was the first time he and Gen had been truly alone. He could finally get some explanations on how dungeons worked, some real training.
“So what exactly are we looking for?” Byron asked after Stepping over what had to be the same log for the third time. It was just the 6th day and walking the forest in silence was getting on his nerves.
“Hmm, oh sorry I was concentrating. Yes, we are looking for anything interesting, A cave, a large downed tree, a large clearing, anything that would be easy to find, we want the adventurers to be able to get to the dungeon easily enough but still be far enough outside of town the dungeon won't bother anyone.”
“If that's all we need, the villagers probably know several places. We could just ask them.”
“Yes, we could, but I want to do this myself.”
“Ok, you’re the boss, but can we at least talk to pass the time? I’ve been your apprentice for weeks now and I don't feel like I’ve learned any more about Dungeons than what I knew before.”
Ducking under a large branch Gen chuckled, “I suppose I have been lax in my duty to educate you. I had planned on formal instruction to be, of a practical nature, but I suppose lectures have their use. Where should I start…” She mused to herself.
Though Byron thought it was directed at him. “How do dungeons make monsters?”
Glancing back at Byron as he got a sleeve caught in a bush, Gen began her lecture. “Dungeons use mana to create them. The exact method is unknown but we know they need 3 things. Mana, Space, and a monster heart crystal. The mana is gathered naturally, The space is a room in a dungeon, and the crystal is provided by Keepers.”
“But I thought heart crystals were for enchanting weapons and armor and they drop from monsters in dungeons.”
“That's correct as well, but the hidden use that we Keepers keep quiet about is that a dungeon uses them as the core plan for their monsters. You can acquire crystals from wild monsters, but dungeons can actually grow them. We keep this knowledge secret so the dungeons are not exploited, and to ensure no one tries to steal the heart crystals from a dungeon. Some Dungeons will protect them more aggressively than they will protect their core.
The exploration wasn’t quite so bad once Byron got Gen talking. Unfortunately walking and talking through the dense underbrush was more difficult than in the town. Over the course of 4 days, Byron tripped at least seven times and hit his head four. Gen on the other hand seemed at home in the woods.
"Okay I think that's good for today, let's head back."
Byron knew better than to let that get his hopes up. They were at the far end of a loop and just getting into the western half of the land they were exploring. Which meant a 2-hour trek back to the village. "Sounds grand."
Gen had been lecturing on how dungeons tunnel through the ground and expand rooms. But the technicals were getting away from him. Something about the rank of the dungeon being inversely proportional to its digging speed. Which didn't seem to make sense to him as logic would dictate a stronger dungeon should be able to do more than a weaker one.
As he turned to ask Gen about this inconsistency the ground fell out from under his feet.
Gen glanced around at Byron's yelp. One minute he was about 6' away, the next he was gone.
Glancing around for any predators that may have dragged him off, Gen slowly approached the area he disappeared. When nothing pounced on her and all was silent she began to inspect the area. Her non-existent tracking skills couldn't even tell her where he was standing before he disappeared, but it didn't look like anything was disturbed by the passing of a fast silent killer.
"BYRON!?" … standing still waiting for some sort of prank to be sprung for an agonizing minute frayed Gen's nerves.
"BYYYROOOOON!?" not even an echo returned to her from the dense trees.
"For fucks sake!" Gen muttered, "I had an apprentice for less than 1 month and I've already gotten him lost, killed, or worse…" Gen took a deep breath and let it out slowly thinking, "Ok Breathe. Relax. Think. He can't be far.
She began to walk about when her foot finally found something.
"She-iiit!" A hole in the ground that was rapidly swallowing her leg up. Scrambling, Gen grabbed a root and managed to stop her downward movement. But now she was stuck doing a tortured split; half her lower body in a hole with her left leg and arms above her head, the former doing all they could to keep her above ground. Exploring with her right leg she found no purchase, only managing to hit her ankle against something hard making it throb with pain. With time to think she checked her logs.
Pit trap causes twisted ankle: 5 damage. -20% movement speed till healed.
"Well, at least I know where Byron went," Gen muttered to the dirt. Gen sat there for a good 10 minutes, her arms beginning to cramp before she finally started shouting for help.
* * *
Jorn knelt on the damp moss carpeting the forest floor. Tracking a wounded deer through this forest had become easy as he grew up and became familiar with the land. He spied his quarry just ahead. The arrow protruding from the buck's side had the distinct red and white fletching he used that made finding his missed shots easier. Not that he missed all that much anymore.
Approaching the majestic beast cautiously he drew his knife intent on making the kill quick and relatively painless. More than once he had wished for magic that would end a hunt quickly without pain. Although he had grown scars over his feelings, he still remembered the effect the ragged breathing of a wounded dying animal set into him when he was a boy.
The first time he saw this, his heart made the sound of ultimate suffering. Not from just causing pain to another creature but because that pain was necessary for himself and others to live. But urged on by his father to end the suffering he gave the final mercy.
He steeled himself, now as always; before thanking the forest for this bounty and resting 1 hand on the deer's smooth fur, restraining it lest it shifts and makes the last stab miss the vital spot.
With the deed done, Jorn lifted the animal on his shoulders to carry it to his small hunting cabin north of town. It was during this hike he heard a noise, not of the forest.
"Help!"
A woman's voice carried on the wind. Faint at first, and it slowly grew in intensity and desperation as he got closer. And he found a most peculiar sight. A woman with 1 leg by her head and another buried in the ground; desperately clinging to a tree root.
He set down his burden and approached the woman. "Hello?"
"Ahh!... Oh… hi! Yes, um, would you mind helping me up? My leg seems to be in some sort of pit."
"Heh, I suppose I could lend you a hand." Stepping over her he reached down and grabbed her hands finding them surprisingly rough for such a pretty little thing. "On three."
"One, two, three!" He hauled her up and out of the ground like uprooting a carrot. Dirt flew up into the air splattering jorns shirt.
The woman sat and immediately began examining her ankle. She pulled out a small pouch of herbs, took 2 pinches, chewed it up, swallowed half, and put the other in her boot against the skin.
Unknown woman treats twisted ankle with Caredanil poultice.
"Caredanil?"
The woman nodded as she stood "My name is Gen, thank you for your help. But I must get to work, my apprentice is still down this hole and isn't talking. I think he may have hit his head on the way-" but the hole was gone. "What the hell!?"
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
"Hold, the trap just reset, let me." Motioning for Gen to step back he knelt and passed his hands along the ground. After a moment his fingers dug into what appeared to be moss-covered roots and he pushed them aside. Using some rope he tied them back and out of the way.
Gen moved forward and they both looked into the hole. A drop of at least 20 feet greeted them. There was no visible sign of the apprentice. “My name is Jorn, I have some rope that we can use to climb down, but no lantern. I was not intending to be out past sundown.”
“I have a light. Thank you but this could be dangerous, I can’t ask you to come with me. Byron is my responsibility.”
“Unless I miss my guess he is a young lad in need of assistance. And besides, many hands make light work. Here, tie this off on that tree, it looks strong enough to hold us.”
Gen looped the rope around the trunk of a thick tree and tied a crude knot. Jorn eyed the dubious knot but gave it a sharp tug and nodded. With quick hands, Jorn dropped the rest of the rope down the pit.
Hand over hand the two lowered themselves down the rope into the darkness.
Once Gen joined Jorn at the bottom of the pit she began casting a light spell. “Byron!”
The muscular woodsman took a step back “You’re a sorceress?”
“A Dungeon Keeper, but yes I do have magic.”
“Oh, I think the mayor was going on about you. What are you doing out in the woods?”
“Scouting for Dungeon locations. More importantly, do you feel that?”
Looking around, Jorn appraised the empty cavern. The area was oblong with a packed dirt floor, large roots weaving around the roof and curving down the walls. At the far end of the cave, a tunnel leads off to the north. "Um, how warm it is, considering we are underground?”
“Not exactly, I assume you have never been in a Dungeon before?”
“No. There aren't any around here.”
“Well, none that you knew about.” Gen held her light higher examining the Dungeon Entrance room. “Very peculiar…”
Looking around, Jorn scoffed. “So… this is a dungeon? Not that impressive to be honest.”
“Well… it isn't impressive, but for the same reason that you never knew about it, The entrance was hidden and it also seems to be very new.”
“New? So is this the dungeon you were going to… what is the word: build?”
“Plant would be the closest term, but no. This is a wild dungeon so it has been growing for nearly 50 to 75 years. It's not quite ready to break through to the surface. Hence the pit trap entrance.”
“50 years!? I've been running through these woods for the last 15, surely I would have noticed-” Gesturing to the room “-this.”
“No. dungeons feed on ambient mana till they breach the surface, even then it’s years before the entrance is easily accessible let alone visible. But we are getting distracted, let's find my apprentice.”
“Yes... my apologies. It looks like there is only one way to go.” Jorn crouched down to examine the floor. “and I see drag marks in the dirt. We should proceed with caution, no telling what dragged him off.”
“Goblins most likely, there is a slight metallic tang in the air.”
Once she pointed it out Jorn could just taste it in the air. “Is that what that is!? Blegh! Feels like I just bit into a fork. I've never encountered any goblins in the area. How dangerous are they?”
“Beginner rank, around levels 2-3. I know it's usually not polite to ask but I don't want to go into this without knowing your capabilities. Could you tell me what your level is?”
“Level 3, Don't get much experience hunting deer.”
“Mmmm, well we should be fine, The goblins in Dungeons tend to take prisoners rather than kill helpless adventurers.”
You have been offered a Quest! Missing Apprentice
Dungeon Keeper Gen’s apprentice Byron has been kidnapped by goblins. Aid her expedition to the dungeon.
Rewards: Unknown
Do you accept? Yes / No
Accepting the quest Jorn motioned to Gen. “Ladies first.”
Peeking down the tunnel, It slowly descended and curved to the right maintaining the natural aesthetic. Gen conjured a second light and handed it to Jorn.
The light was egg-shaped, smooth to the touch, and slightly cool beneath his fingers. "So you can make glowing… rocks? Convenient."
"Only occasionally. Most dungeons will make some light form of light for adventurers. Making this spell next to useless for my purposes."
"Should we be concerned about traps? Or making too much noise?"
"In a dungeon this young, no. Monsters also tend to stay in certain areas regardless of the noise made. More powerful dungeons can have wandering monsters, but that would be extremely rare here. If they see you, or you attack, they will chase you for a bit… how far they chase depends on the creature."
As they progressed down the tunnel the two began to hear low grumbles and mutters, and a faint glow began to appear just beyond the curve.
Slowing down and motioning for Jorn to be silent, Gen put her light in her pocket and crept forward, spying into the next room. Three goblins each about 4 feet tall with rough moss-green skin were sitting around a campfire roasting what looked like a rabbit. They had long fingers with sharp talon-like nails they used for gripping and tearing apart their prey. Just beyond the three on the other side of the fire lay Byron. He didn't appear to be hurt but Jen couldn't see from here. Leaning just a bit too far out she remembered why she didn't usually scout in dungeons.
Gen's hand slipped on a loose patch of dirt and rocks on the wall where she had been leaning. She fell with a thud, “OOF!” The air flew from her lungs.
Jorn quickly stepped forward to help her up but it was too late, the goblins were already looking at the pair of clumsy intruders. Breathlessly Jen motioned at the goblins. Jorn looked up only in time to see the goblins stand and flex their clawed hands. The realization dawned on him that he should have had his bow out, arrow knocked, and ready.
He scrambled to pull the bow from his back but abandoned the plan when the snarling slobbering goblins charged at him. He leaped to the side further into the tunnel giving himself enough time to draw his small dagger. The straight-handled single-edged blade was more of a tool than a weapon but his options were few and far between.
Jorn heard some scuffling as the Goblins must have reached the tunnel entrance. Praying the Keeper could handle at least one of the goblins he poised to strike. The moment the bulbous eyes and the pointed nose of the goblin appeared in the tunnel he struck, driving the small dagger into the goblin’s neck.
Jorn Strikes Goblin 1 for 21 Damage.
Goblin 1 is bleeding.
The goblin dropped to the ground, its last energy spent gripping the gash across his neck as his blood seeped between his fingers. Knowing the goblin would be dead soon Jorn quickly sheathed the dagger and drew his light hunting bow. The smooth wood found its place in his palm as his other hand grasped an arrow. Drawing the bow he stepped into the line of sight of Gen and the other goblins. They were in a tangled mess on the floor. It appears as if they tripped over Gen in their haste to get to him. He wasted no more time gawking and let his arrow fly, activating a hunting skill. It sunk deep into the hide of the farthest goblin’s back.
Jorn uses Execute on Goblin 3. Goblin 3 is Dead.
Gen was finally back on her feet and she croaked out a single spell. Jorn couldn't comprehend the words but the effect was apparent. A large... lemon? Shot forth from Gen’s outstretched arm. The last goblin had just managed to make it to its feet as the spell cracked into its sternum. The sound of the crushing bones grated against Jorn and he nearly gagged once he realized the fight was over.
Gen strikes Goblin 2 for 25 Damage
Goblin 2 is dead.
Goblin 1 bleeds out. Goblin 1 is dead.
30 Experience earned for victorious combat with Goblins (3x20)/2
Quest Complete! Missing Apprentice
Reward: 50 Experience
Coughing and gasping just a little, Gen looked around the room. “I thought you had run for a second there.”
“Oh, um… no I guess it was a tactical retreat. I wasn't thinking much, just going off instinct.”
“Well, those are pretty good instincts you have there.” Gen’s eyes fell on Byron's form lying near the fire. Quickly she dashed over to him. Rolling him to his back She did a quick examination.
Jorn looked down at the boy, or young man he supposed if Byron was indeed an apprentice. Scars ran up his face, and he was missing a finger on his hand but those were old wounds. A large lump on his head was the freshest damage the young apprentice had acquired.
“Warm to the touch, but that could be the fire… Breathing… and a steady heartbeat. Lump on his head probably from the fall. Could you help me get him sitting up? I have a healing potion if we can get him to take it.”
Jorn moved to help her and held the boy up while she rooted around in a small bag at her side producing a vial with a dark amber liquid. Tilting Byron’s head back, Gen trickled the potion into his mouth and massaged it down his throat.
“There, he should be up in a few minutes. Thank you again for the help. I don't think I could have found him if you hadn’t come along. I wasn't even thinking about traps when you showed up.”
“Are you not good with traps?
Gen sighed, “To be honest they are probably my biggest weakness as a Dungeon Keeper.”
“How will you grow a dungeon if you can't find the traps?”
“Hmmm, well I really would like to tell you, you have been so helpful, but unfortunately I can't share that information. But if you want a brief overview of Dungeon information that most adventurers find out the hard way I could help you there.”
“Oh, and what do adventurers find out the hard way?”
“Well to start, if you don't loot the goblins in about 5 minutes they, and their loot, will disappear.”
“What kind of stuff can I get from goblins?” Jorn questioned dubiously, “Would I even want it?”
“The first room monsters almost always have some sort of healing item, for a wild dungeon this will probably be herbs or a healing salve.”
“You keep saying ‘for a wild dungeon’ What's the difference?”
“I can't go into details but Kept dungeons are… better in most fundamental ways.”
“So in the dungeon you make, there might be a potion in the first room rather than potion components?”
“It's possible.”
Jorn got up and went to search the goblins. “Hey, you were right, Healing herbs on this one here.” When he returned to the fire Byron was beginning to stir.
“Hey, Byron! Take it easy, you may be a bit groggy for a few more minutes.”
With slow and slurred speech Byron spoke. “What? Hum… where are we? Is this still the forest? Who is that? Wait, that feeling are we-”
“I am Jorn, A local hunter.”
“And yes, as you were about to ask, this is a Dungeon. You fell in and we just got down here to help get you out but rest for a few minutes the healing potion I used is probably still working.”
“Hokay…”
“I thought most Potions were supposed to heal fast, something about warriors using them in battle?” Jorn inquired
“Yes, most adventurers tend to favor the quick potions. But you can brew a potion with weaker ingredients in a certain way to enhance the healing effect but at the cost of recovery time. They aren't as useful so the method is not typically learned by all potion makers.”
“Master Gen? How deep in this dungeon are we?” Byron looked around, perhaps a touch nervous.
“Just the first room. When you feel up for it we can head out and back to town.”
“Yeah, I think I am ready. What creatures are in this Dungeon? Who is the keeper? I thought we were going to make one.”
“Take it easy, I can explain all that when we get back. Think you can climb a rope yet?”