Chapter 74
Angelica and Jay talked for a few moments just between the two of them as they caught up before M'redith cleared her throat and Jay remembered they weren't alone. “Oh, sorry! Guys, this is Angelica – she ran with me on my last dungeon run, Peril House. That rod she is holding was the reason we went in the first place. Angelica this is M'redith, Aiden, and Norri.”
Angelica kindly shook everyone's hand. Although her face was covered it was easy enough to tell when she was smiling from her voice alone. “I'm pleased to meet any friend of Jay's.” She noticed the patch on Jay's collar and reached out to touch it.
“What's this? Did you run another dungeon?” she asked as she inspected the patch. “It looks different.”
Jay grinned, “We formed a static Guild group. Glimmerhide Group.”
The smile was evident in her voice as she replied, “Congratulations! All of you! I take it then this will be your first dungeon run together?”
They all nodded but Norri spoke up, “First dungeon run period except for Jay.”
Angelica nodded kindly, “This dungeon is perfect for that. It's been cleared daily so it shouldn't be difficult at all for you guys.”
“What are we fighting?” Aiden asked curiously.
“Undead.” replied Orin with a grin. “Lots of them. They're mostly just skeletons of various types. Angelica is a Healer and has a few damage abilities that work especially well against the undead. Your run should go smoothly.”
Angelica nodded, “Kagan's Dome is a fun dungeon to run – not many people get to see it since you have to be cleared by the Church before you can do so. It has a unique structure that should be a fun break from the usual dungeons you see.”
Jay laughed, “There hasn't been anything usual about any of the dungeons I've run. They've all been different and unique.”
Orin nodded, “Well get ready for more uniqueness. Why don't we all have a seat?”
The group sat down, Lux as well even though he had been cut out of the conversation and had been relegated to merely listening instead of controlling how things would go that day.
“So, picture a giant dome. Inside that dome is an outer ring that your group can walk on. Picture the ring like the face of a clock. You start at 12 o'clock. There is a wall preventing you from moving counterclockwise so you have to move all the way around the ring to get to the 11 o'clock position where you will find a set of locks set in a pedestal. Remember that pedestal.” Orin paused for everyone to fix the image in their heads before he continued.
“In the center of that ring is bubble holding a giant bad guy. A giant skeleton. Don't worry, you don't have to fight him. Your group will be moving in a circle around the dome. There are three groups of skeletons stationed along the ring which all must be defeated.” Orin recited from memory.
Aiden raised a hand, “Are you SURE we don't have to fight the giant bad guy?”
Orin laughed, “I'm sure. We've run this dungeon thousands of times over the years. No one has had to fight the big guy at the end yet. Although there are stories of others having done so long long ago no one living has seen it happen and folks are fairly sure they made it up.”
Aiden nodded but did not appear mollified.
“Each group of skeletons will drop a skeleton key. Take three keys and run around the ring to the pedastal. Insert the keys and turn them and a giant half dome should fall on to the giant skeleton in the center, trapping it and completing the dungeon.” Orin finished with a smile. It sounded like an easy dungeon.
Norri looked confused. “So we just fight three groups of skeletons? That's it?”
Lux laughed and Orin spared him a glare before he turned back to Glimmerhide Group with a smile. “There are three groups of skeletons that will drop a key but there are other monsters to fight as well. It isn't meant to be a very difficult dungeon.”
Orin paused, “One last thing. There are no experience points rewarded for running this dungeon. For some reason any time the Church builds a temple over a dungeon entrance the dungeon stops providing xp points as a reward. It has made it difficult to get non-Church dungeon runners to show any interest in helping to clear these dungeons but we've gotten by so far.”
Jay pursed his lips, “Was it always like that?”
Orin laughed, “Gods no. We have records going back thousands of years showing that people used to fight to get on waiting lists just to run our dungeons. No one has any idea why however. Why would anyone want to run a dungeon with no loot or experience points? The dungeon is great as a training tool but not much else.”
“So why run the dungeon at all?” Norri asked.
Orin nodded, “A lot of people ask that same question. The reason is because it needs to be done. If we don't run the dungeon then monsters will eventually spill over in to the city, not something anyone wants to happen. So that is why – not for loot or money or xp but merely because it needs to be done. As you can imagine it isn't a big draw for dungeon runners.”
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The group all looked at each other but finally Jay shrugged, “We're still interested if that's what you're asking.”
Orin chuckled, “Just like to be sure. Plenty of people tend to lose interest once they realize there is no reward. Let's head in then, no sense in wasting time.”
Everyone got up and followed him through the almost hidden side door and down a hallway. They came to another door, this one thick and banded with metal. Two Church Guards stood at attention and allowed them to pass without comment.
On the other side of the door was another stairwell that they walked down and down until they reached a hallway made out of stone that looked much older than the rest of the building. Orin led them in to a room with a giant dome of a ceiling. In the center of the room was a giant pylon four feet across. At head height and set around the pylon in a ring but attached to the pylon were eight flat rectangles. Each was featureless and completely smooth.
“What are these?” Jay asked.
Orin shrugged, “No one knows. Only dungeons with a Church Temple built atop it have these rooms – every Church Temple dungeon has one of these. We've tried everything we can think of and nothing has any effect. They appear to just be decorative.”
Jay nodded but filed that information away for later.
Orin motioned towards Angelica to take over.
Jay could see her nod her head but couldn't make out a facial expression due to her face covering. “I'll be along for support only. If you get in to a tough spot I'll help out but you really should be trying to rely on your own abilities, not waiting for me to save you. Any questions?”
Aiden raised his hand, “What about loot?”
Orin sighed, “There is no loot.”
Aiden was not to be deterred however, “Jay tends to find unusual and hidden things in dungeons. I think we should discuss loot just in case we find some.”
Orin looked like it was a silly request but shrugged.
“Let's do need before greed for any loot we get. If none of us want the item we'll sell it and split the money.” Aiden insisted.
The group nodded in agreement and Jay looked at Angelica. She nodded as well, “Sure, I'll take a share in the non-existent loot pool.”
Aiden grinned, “You never know!”
“Anything else?” Angelica asked.
Jay nodded. “Travel order?”
M'redith perked up, “It should be me, Aiden, Jay, Norri, and Angelica.”
Aiden looked at Angelica just to see if she agreed.
“Perfect. That's what I was going to suggest.” Angelica replied.
M'redith grinned. After a moment it was clear that no one else had any questions and just wanted to get moving. Everyone stood up and followed Orin to the other end of the room where the entrance to the dungeon itself was.
“Good luck Glimmerhides!” said Orin with a grin. Lux looked bored as he was no longer interested since he wouldn't be able to make any money off of Jay.
The door was a deep black and opened on its own when M'redith put her hand on it.
“Creepy.” said M'redith.
“You say that a lot.” remarked Norri with a grin.
The group filed through the open doorway and the black slab of a door shut silently behind them. The group turned around after the door had closed but there was no longer a door there, just a featureless wall. They were trapped in the dungeon until they finished it. Orin hadn't mentioned that.
You have entered the dungeon: Kagan's Dome. This dungeon is intended for levels 1-5.
Visibility was poor, not dark just foggy, and Angelica and Jay shared a look before they each reached in to their bags and pulled out matching masks which they affixed to their faces. Jay brought up the item description for the mask.
Midnight Mask – rare
This item when worn adheres to the user without use of straps or glue. The mask molds itself to the wearer covering the entire face while concealing the user's eyes. The mask will allow the user to see the outlines of all objects and beings in view even in total darkness. The outlines will be drawn in green with details being shown in a lighter green color. Further rarity upgrades will unlock additional abilities. This item must be bound before use.
Immediately Jay's vision cleared up and he could see clearly. Granted, everything was in shades of green but the edge detection of the mask made it easy to make out everything around him. Angelica's vision cleared up as well. At least two out of the five group members would have no problems seeing.
M'redith looked back at Jay and Angelica, “You two look..”
“We know, CREEPY!” interrupted Norri with a grin.
M'redith looked playfully upset, “Fine. Maybe I do use creepy too often. I'll find another word.”
She turned to face a group of three skeletons that were running towards them, “Time to fight!” M'redith said as she didn't even bother using her sword but instead body checked one of the skeletons so hard that it shattered. Then she drew her sword.
Forgetting their nervousness the rest of her group joined in and soon the skeletons were being cut down as the group worked together to keep the monsters focused on M'redith.