Chapter 7
Shattered
The room at the Inn was spacious with thick fluffy carpets. There was a bed against the left wall, a desk with a chair on the right, a large wardrobe in the corner, and a bench seat by the bay window. Gen sat at the desk deep in thought while Byron sat on the floor cleaning the dirt off his armor. “So what do we do? Do we still start a new Dungeon?”
“No...” The words hung in the air silently waiting for Byron to ask the inevitable.
“Why not?”
“Hmm… Several reasons.” Gen responded absently. Her mind was someplace else. “First the local mana likely isn't dense enough to support 2 dungeons this close together. While it has happened, it's very rare. I think the record was 3 in one place but it severely stunted their growth. More important though, to plant a new one we would have to kill the existing dungeon. But for now, I need to report back to Keeper Kronbe and update him on the situation.”
Gen opened her bag and took out a small crystal scrying ball. A paired communication device that would allow her to speak with Kronbe. Setting it in a metal cradle on the desk she tapped it channeling a small potion of mana into the orb. A blue swirling cloud circled inside turning the once clear ball opaque. After a short time, the fog cleared and a vision of Keeper Kronbe sitting at a desk peered out at her. “Keeper Marc, greetings. I didn't anticipate hearing from ye so soon! Are you and the young lad doing well?” Kronbe was speaking quickly as if preoccupied.
“Keeper Kronbe, yes we are fine. I needed to update you on our status - ”
“Yes Yes, the Dungeon. Set it up already have ye!? Excellent Excellent.” Keeper Kronbe was flipping through some pages at his desk as he spoke, “I'll let the Council know, and we’ll send the standard investigation team. Things are fairly busy… but it should only be three months… maybe six or so till they arrive.” Staring down at one sheet he grumbled, “A Thousand!?” Kronbe tossed one of the papers to the side with a disgusted look on his face.
Kronbe was speaking so quickly that Gen could hardly get a word out of her mouth. “Yes, Sir, the dungeon, I wanted to speak with you about it.”
“My apologies Keeper Marc but I don't have much time to talk shop. I'm sure what ye have set up is fascinating, but we’ll have to discuss it at another time, I’ll put out the notice to Adventurers Guild that the dungeon is ready. You should be expecting them in the next few weeks or a month at the most, word travels fast in their circles.” Kronbe turned to get up from his chair reaching for another stack of papers.
“No, wait! Gen nearly shouted to get his attention. Kronbe turned back at her words but bumped the table holding his Scrying Ball. It must have come loose as Gen could see flashes of light, a strange angle of Kronbe’s face and the words “Oh! Feck!” before her crystal cracked into several large chunks and a few tiny shards.
Silence filled the room as Gen processed everything that just happened.
Byron broke the silence. “Gen?”
“Yes, Byron?”
“Did Keeper Kronbe just break his Scrying orb?”
“I believe he did just break his Scrying orb, yes,” Gen replied a bit stunned.
“The only paired Scrying Orb connected to one in the village?” Byron asked tentatively.
“Yes Byron, that seems to be the case.” They both sat in silence for a few more minutes.
“Gen?”
“Yes, Byron?”
“And before that did Keeper Kronbe say the evaluation team should be here in a little over 3 months?”
“That is accurate.”
“And adventurers will be arriving, expecting a dungeon?”
“I believe that about sums it up, yes”
“So what do we do?” Byron eyed her nervously.
Gen thought for a moment. “Would it be possible? I know the method but I don't know when the last time it was done.” The thought intrigued her, It was definitely a risk. But they were low on options.
Taking a deep breath she spoke slowly as her thoughts fell into place “If we don't have a proper dungeon to show the adventurers when they arrive... the guild may decide to remove us from this dungeon's care and force us back to apprenticing at other dungeons.” Gen began drumming her fingers across the table. “We are not equipped to destroy a Dungeon so we can’t plant our own, but perhaps with some help I’ll get to show you something that almost no current dungeon Keeper has done.”
Picking at some stubborn mud on his breastplate from when he hit the dungeon floor Byron looked up “I think you lost me.”
“The vast majority of dungeons in the kingdom are older dungeons, every few years a new dungeon is planted to ensure new adventurers will have a place to cut their teeth. They get so busy the dungeons grow, thrive even, and quickly outpace the level of adventures, and then you have a low to mid-level dungeon instead of a starting area. That means most of the prime locations are already filled with dungeons that we artificially planted rather than ones that form in the wild.”
“So what you are saying is that wild dungeons are pretty rare?”
“Exactly!
“Then if we aren't going to kill it… what? Do we, adopt it?”
“It’s not an orphan, but essentially yes. Though the technical term: we are going to Tame it.”
“Like with a whip and a chair?” Byron said incredulously.
“No chairs and I'm not proficient with whips. No, we go old school, with your sword and my spells!” Gen was getting quite animated waving her arms as she spoke and it was a bit intense if Byron was honest with himself.
Her excitement at the thoughts churning behind her eyes burned away the shocking conversation she had just had with Kronbe. “Now what we have to do is conquer the dungeon: beat whatever it has set up for a boss, and then we can locate the heart to perform a binding ritual. Here’s a quick Keeper history lesson. The first Keepers were adventurers who bonded with a wild dungeon. So we have to go back to those roots and pull a classic dungeon dive.”
“If we can get to the heart of the dungeon, then why not just destroy it and plant our own?” Byron asked.
“Because we wouldn't survive the ordeal. To destroy a dungeon you have to crush the core and then escape the collapse. Without some sort of spell to get us out quickly… rocks fall, everyone dies.” Gen said sadly. “If we get lucky we only get buried alive.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Well that's a pleasant thought, ok so we clear a baby dungeon then? How hard can that be?” Byron said as he rolled his eyes.
“Not as bad as you might think, first it's not at full strength, second we can get help. Jorn would probably be interested. We will need to prepare.”
* * *
The next day Gen and Byron were up early in preparation for their first planned delve.
“As my Apprentice, you will need to know this,” Gen said.
Byron looked at the table a bit disappointed, “Potion Brewing?”
Gen and Byron were standing in front of a large set of alchemy tools set up in Gen's room at the Inn.
“Yes. It is the main way we will be supporting ourselves after the first year and I doubt I will be able to brew all of them by myself. Besides, we need potions if we are entering the dungeon again, I haven't had a chance to learn any healing spells; they are expensive and difficult to learn.”
With a defeated sigh he quieted down and began to pay close attention.
“This herb is called Caredanil, it can aid in healing. On its own, it's good in a pinch but suspended in a weak alcohol and oil mixture and imbued with some mana It creates a weak healing potion.” As Gen explained she ground the vibrant green leaves with a mortar and pestle adding drops of oil to create a smoother paste. Taking 3 pinches and adding it to the prepared Potion “blank” she infused mana into each measurement as it dropped to the flask. “Most people use glass vials so they can see at a glance the type of potion. I like metal flasks because they are more durable, but with your appraise skill it shouldn’t matter.” Handing the flask to Byron she prompted “Take a look.”
Byron took the flask and concentrated on the appraise skill his father practically begged him to spend his skill points on.
Slow Healing potion Rank 1 : 3 doses. Heals 5 HP per minute for the next 10 minutes
“Wow, 1 dose will completely heal me, and this is Rank 1?”
“Yep, it will be most effective on anyone in the beginner rank, Rank 1, or whatever you want to call levels 1-9. There are variations and combinations within that that can restore Mana, Stamina, and such. It loses about 10% of its effectiveness on Journeyman rank, 20% on Intermediate Rank, 30% on Advanced rank, and so on. Not that anyone above level 20 would bother with a potion like this unless they are in extreme need of healing. Why don't you give it a try? It shouldn't be difficult now that I've shown you, But you do need to feel out how much mana to imbue. That's the only art to this particular science.”
Byron took a pinch of the leaf paste left in the mortar and grabbed a prepared flask. “Like this?” He gently pushed a small bit of mana from his body into the paste. He felt it get sucked in greedily like water spilled onto dry dirt. Then dropped it into the flask. Repeating the process two more times he stopped the flask and looked at his handiwork.
Weak Slow Healing Potion Rank 1: 1 dose. Heals 2 HP per minute for the next 10 minutes
“Weak? What did I do wrong? And only one dose?” Byron looked puzzled
Gen Smiled “Well the first issue is you didn't put enough mana into it, that just takes practice. But the second isn’t your fault. You don't have the Alchemy skill so you can't put more than one dose in a container. Your skill and the size of the container will determine that limit. But Alchemy is also a conjunction skill It can benefit from other skills known. So my potions get boosts from Cooking, Medicine, and even Spellcraft. The medicine boosts any healing potions I make, while Cooking boosts Stamina restoration and Spellcraft will boost Mana restoration potions.”
Gen took a step back and grabbed her small bag. “We have plenty of ingredients, Why don't you keep practicing while I see about our other preparations. One tip before I go. When you are Infusing the mana, push until you feel a pressure building, that should be the stopping point to get a normal strength potion. Don't try to push beyond that until you have the Alchemy skill.” Gen smirked. “I lost an eyebrow being impatient.” Gen smiled as she shut the door on her way out.
* * *
Gen strolled along the sunny dirt road through town and knocked on the Bower’s shop door. A grizzled-sounding voice called out “Coming just a moment!”
A few seconds later an older wiry gentleman opened the door. A quick glance up and down seemed to tell him everything he needed to know about Gen but he still asked, “Hullo there young Miss I don't believe I have had the pleasure. My name is Mitchel. How can I help you today?”
“Hi Mitchel, my name is Genevive. I am the new Dungeon Keeper in town and I wanted to talk to Jorn. I wanted to thank him for the help he gave me in the forest yesterday.”
“Ahh yes, good to hear you are in town and all in one piece! Come in and sit I’ll see if Jorn is up he was out late after his hunting got er… delayed.”
Gen sat and looked over the Bowers workshop. Several bows were in various stages of completion hanging on the wall and bundles of arrows were stacked on a table. Various accouterments and tools used to shape wood hung on a tool rack near a clear table. Boxes of arrowheads, as well as wood shafts, sat on a shelf behind the table.
“Hello again!” Jorn called as he entered the room from the back. “I'm glad to see you under much nicer circumstances.”
“It’s nice to see you as well. I wanted to thank you for your help yesterday.”
Jorn smiled, “Well I couldn't just leave you in a hole in the woods.”
“Thank you for that as well, but more importantly you helped me save my apprentice. It’s not much but I wanted to give you this.” Gen handed him the healing potion she had brewed earlier. “But I also wanted to ask you something.”
Jorn perked up from looking at the flask “Oh?” Grinning “You can ask me anything.”
Oblivious to Jorn’s change in attitude, Gen picked up an arrow from the workbench examining it as she spoke. “I need to clear the Goblin Dungeon. Byron and I can likely do it ourselves but you showed excellent skills and I'm not sure what we will find in there, we may need all the help we can get. Does your father make these? They are excellent quality…” Gen trailed off when she looked up to see Jorn’s face was a deep red. “Are you alright? You didn't drink that potion, did you? It's not good for you if you are at full health.”
Blushing at his self-inflicted embarrassment at misreading the situation Jorn coughed and cleared his throat. “Ahem yes, the Dungeon. I would be happy to help! And yes my father made those. He is excited to have a dungeon in the area, He always said the best materials come from dungeons and he will finally be able to craft something truly exceptional with decent materials. He hopes to finally break through to Superior rank in his skills.”
Gen raised an eyebrow “His Bowery and Fletching skills are at level 39?” That was an impressive feat for anyone.
“Yes.” Mitchel chimed in as he entered from the rear door. “I used to live in a city before Jorn was born that was fairly close to several smaller dungeons. Did quite well, selling bows and other equipment. We decided to move here when we were expecting Jorn, we wanted a quiet life for him.” Mitchel eyed Jorn a small smile playing across his face. “If you are going into a dungeon you best not embarrass yourself there as you did here. Grab that bow off the top rack and take it with you.” Mitchel gestured to a bow so high up it was practically out of sight. Jorn had to get a step ladder to reach it.
“What's this you have me fetching old man?” Jorn complained once he got back down and inspected the weapon.
Swift bow Rank 1: Damage 10-15. When wielding this bow you fire 10% faster.
“A magic bow? Where did you get this!?”
“I am an advanced Bower if you haven't forgotten who your father is,” Mitchel replied dryly. “I just can't craft any more of them without proper materials. So if you find anything useful in the dungeon, bring it back.” Mitchel walked through the rear door deeper into the building but called out. “Take some of the good arrows with you too! I like my son alive and mooning over ladies out of his league.”
Gen arched an eyebrow. “You have a lady friend?”
After taking a deep breath and letting it out, “What a meddlesome old busy body.” Jorn muttered to himself. “Ah ahem! No,” Waving the question away. “That's not important. When are we heading to the dungeon?”
“Tomorrow morning work for you? I have a few more stops to gather equipment and going after a good night's rest would be best.”
“I'll meet you at the Inn in the morning.” Jorn smiled. “Will it just be the two of us?”
“Oh no, that would be dangerous, my apprentice will join us.”
* * *
The Scrying orb on the floor was shattered.
“Feck!” Keeper Kronbe shouted again as he gathered up the stand and put it away.
Ferona was observing this from the hall quietly listening in on her Boss’s conversation on behalf of her true master. She loudly made an entrance now that the sending had ended. “Keeper Kronbe? Is everything alright? I heard a noise.”
“Ah, Keeper Ferona, yes just a small mishap. Would you mind fetching me a dustpan? Don’t want these shards hurting anyone.”
“Of course, who were you trying to contact? Should I order a new set of orbs or was it urgent enough to call a sending mage?”
Kronbe sat, Folding his arms. “No it wasn't urgent, just the new Keeper in Heil giving her report on the Dungeon she has established. I can send a new orb along with the evaluation committee.”
“Is that the young Miss Marc? Already has her Dungeon ready for inspection? Seems a bit quick, yes?”
“Hmm? No… she was saying it was successfully planted it would be ready for inspection soon…” Kronbe knit his brows but said no more.
“Perhaps I said too much.” Ferona thought to herself. Smiling, she said, “Ah that makes sense. I’ll be back with the broom shortly.”
After she cleaned up the shards Ferona excused herself, She needed to report this progress to her master.