Abby sat with Barry and Lady Bellamy in the old core room. Grant’s statue lay in crumbled pieces at the entrance to the room, but that was the only difference from the mere minutes ago that they were here. Even the other statues remained, however those ones remained frustratingly still.
Abby flexed her arms against her restraints, trying to simply will them to fall off. No such luck. The rope hardly even flexed before it became too tight for her to move. She sighed through her nose, rolling her aching wrists around. There had to be another way to escape. Could she steal a knife from their captors?
Nine knights surrounded them, three for each prisoner, with a tenth member, a priestess, wandering about, providing light. They expertly watched Abby, Barry, and Lady Bellamy in shifts, switching off every hour or so. Or maybe every half hour. Time was rather fluid without daylight, and Abby had never had to estimate time while sitting still. Owyn was better at that. He would also be able to come up with some sort of plan, something like waiting for the priest to wander behind a statue to take advantage of the temporary lack of light and tackle one of the knights. But with the rope binding her arms and legs together, and the risk that the knights would do something to Barry or Lady Bellamy, it just wasn’t feasible.
What other unconventional method would Owyn think of? Could they somehow scoot over to the water and hope Lucid’s little fish monsters chewed through the rope before they chewed through her flesh? No, that was stupid. Even if they did as she needed them to, they wouldn’t be faster than a knight wielding a sword.
Shit. Shit. What could they do!? Abby rocked in place, trying even harder to just will her restraints away. If she could bite at them, she totally would!
“Save your energy.” Lady Bellamy advised, dejected.
“You know as well as we do that we’re not going anywhere.” Barry agreed. His voice was a little more assured than Lady Bellamy’s. “We need to wait for something to happen.”
“Something isn’t very specific.” Abby hissed, but she did settle down. “Do you have something in mind?”
“No.” Barry said immediately. “That’s why I said ‘something’. We need a variable.”
Abby snorted. “Lucid’s a pretty big ‘variable’.”
“True, but I don’t know dungeons as well as Grant does.” Barry said. “I don’t know how I’d get a message to him asking for help.”
“You can ask the dungeon for help?” The priestess asked curiously. She wandered closer, having finished her latest inspection of the checkers board and its pieces.
Abby growled at her. She was sort of grateful that this was a priestess she hadn’t met before. If she was Tabitha, Abby would probably have tried to attack her, restraints be damned. She’d bite her ankles if she’d had to! The traitor!
“Why do you care so much?” Isabelle asked. “Not you specifically, the church. I thought you guys hated dungeons!”
The priestess shrugged, taking a seat. “We do. For the most part.”
Barry had to look over his shoulder to see her behind him, though he didn’t speak to her directly. “The church in Hastings hired many adventurers to take care of the dungeons in the area. They purchased the majority of the cores the adventurers would collect.”
Lady Bellamy narrowed her eyes at the priestess. Abby could tell that she’d thought of something, but deliberately wasn’t saying anything. She glared at the priestess, trying to figure it out too.
The priestess sat back, putting on a thoughtful look. “Hastings… that’s part of the Mayflower Earldom, right? I’ve never been there myself. Heard good things though!”
“Earldom?” Abby turned to Barry. “You’re an Earl!? Doesn’t that mean you’re higher than Lady Bellamy!?” Shit! Should she be calling him Sir Mayflower?!
Barry shook his head. “I’m the son of the third son of an illegitimate bastard. I share the name, but I’m not really a part of the family.”
Before Abby could ask, Isabelle answered the next question that came to her mind. “It means he shares the responsibility without the prestige. Both him and his father are technically knights. I’m beginning to suspect that Grant’s in a similar situation.”
Knights? As in like, actual knights? Didn’t that mean that Mr. Mayflower, the gentle baker of Setterton, was actually on par with the knights surrounding them right now!? It would also help explain where Mr. Vernant got that huge sword from. And why Barry and Grant were so good at swordplay at such a young age.
So many things clicked into place at the same time.
The priestess scooted closer, eager to latch on to the subject. “How is Grant by the way! Are you still able to recognize him!? Like, personality wise! Or has he changed in any way? Does he follow the will of the dungeon and act like other undead, or does he seem alive to you?”
All three adventurers just glared at her. The priestess didn’t seem to mind.
“Ah yes, I suppose there is more interesting things to talk about. Like the Baroness! If she’s able to blend so well with her previous life, surely that must mean that she’s retaining some of her personality, right? And she’s so far away from the dungeon! I bet they can’t even talk to each other!”
“Where are you going with this?” Isabelle growled.
“Isn’t that the biggest reason why people resist dungeons?” Her voice took on the tone of someone trying to sell something. Abby didn’t appreciate it. “I mean think about it, wouldn’t it be cool to be like Garroway!? Oh, I’m sorry, he’s the cardinal. I mean look at him! He’s huge! I heard that he can lift a whole tree above his head!”
Abby believed it. He really was just that big. And his eyes glowed funny too, like a cat. Owyn would probably have something to say about that, Abby just wished he was here now to tell her that.
“I’m pretty sure most people just don’t want their wills to be overwritten.” Abby said. “I’m not sure personality has much to do with that.”
“Lucid’s monsters pretty much all have a personality.” Barry comments. “I’m not sure how much personality a guppy can have though, so…”
“But the dungeon hasn’t forced you to become enthralled to it, has it?” The priestess leaned in. “Has it ever asked if you wanted to serve it?”
“Who would want to serve a dungeon?” Abby scoffed.
Lady Bellamy looked over her shoulder, giving Abby a deliberate look. Abby returned the look with a questioning shrug. The Lady then pointedly looked at the eager priestess.
It clicked.
“You!?” Abby couldn’t believe it. “You actually want to be enthralled? Why!?”
One of the knights scoffed. “You serious? Didn’t she just talk about how much she admires the cardinal?”
“More lust than admiration.” Mutters one of the ones on break.
“Ooooh, you guys!” The priestess squirmed bashfully.
“What does that have anything to do with being enthralled?” Abby still didn’t make the connection.
“The cardinal was enthralled.” Barry stated harshly. “Was. The dungeon he was enthralled to was destroyed. But not before it evolved him.”
“He’s an evolved human!” Abby finally connected the dots. The huge muscles, the glowing eyes. And he could still use magic! Which meant he really was no longer enthralled!
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“Oh, I don’t blame you for not knowing.” The priestess cooed at Abby. “There’s probably only a few hundred in the entire world, and most of them are subtle enough that they can pass as normal humans. The church keeps track of them though. I know each and every single one!”
“You can’t say ‘probably’ and still claim to know every single one.” Lady Bellamy argued.
The priestess dismissed her concern. “Humans are enthralled and freed from dungeon control every day. It’s rare, but accidents happen. But sometimes, when a human is enthralled for long enough, mutations start to occur. The longer one is enthralled, the more likely it is that the dungeon pushes them past the point of independency. They lose the ability to process food properly, and either gorge themselves to death or starve on a full stomach.” She then put on a pouty face. “Almost all of them become infertile in the process though.”
She sounded disappointed. And now knowing about her ‘lust’ for the cardinal… Abby considered the body of the small priestess. She just couldn’t imagine the logistics of it all working out.
“So what? Is this the church’s goal?” Lady Bellamy shifted in her spot. “Find a dungeon, get enthralled to it, evolve, and then kill the dungeon?”
The priestess laughed. “God no! Why would we destroy the dungeon!”
“Because that’s what you’re supposed to do!” Abby was on the verge of shouting. “You’re supposed to kill dungeons! You’re supposed to save people! Not kill people and save dungeons!!”
“That’s enough.” A deep voice grumbled.
All heads turned to face the giant cardinal. He came without other members of the church, though Abby couldn’t see the use in assigning him any body guards. He escorted a rather passive looking Baroness.
“Mom!” Lady Bellamy tried getting to her feet and failed, flopping to the ground.
The Baroness, unrestrained, just lifted a hand, silently asking her daughter to stop.
The cardinal guided her through a streak of blood on the ground, urging her to keep moving to the next room over. He spoke as they walked.
“They do not need to know more unless they plan on submitting themselves. And I don’t need to remind you, but we do not force people to choose.”
“What are you going to do to her!” Lady Bellamy growled.
The cardinal paused at the exit to the room. He half rotated in order to better regard the three prisoners.
“Bring them along. They’ll make for excellent conversation pieces.”
The knights grunted, getting to their feet. The ones that were already standing walked over to Abby and the other two, picking them up by the shoulders. However, without the ability to walk themselves, the knights just hefted each of them over a shoulder.
“Why’d I get the heavy one?” Complained the knight carrying Abby. She jerked her body, attempting to hit him somehow. All that happened was her knees rang against his steel chestplate.
“Well this is unpleasant.” Lady Bellamy muttered, squirming.
“What’s going on outside?” Barry asked the Baroness. “How many knights did the church bring?”
“They’re ‘occupying’ the town.” The Baroness informed them without turning around. “They’re being rather pleasant, all things considered. They’ve managed to talk with every single person in Setterton, one on one. I think they outnumber us two to one.”
Lady Bellamy clicked her tongue. “And everyone is happy to accommodate them, am I right?”
“Why wouldn’t they be?” The Baroness’ tone dripped with sarcasm. “For now, we’re the only ones with any suspicion at all. I don’t suspect that will last long however. Barry will have to go home eventually, and Mrs. Brook will cause a ruckus if Mr. Vernant doesn’t come home soon after. Although I’m sure our hosts have already planned for that.”
If they did, they didn’t say anything about it.
They proceeded through the caves without rush. Abby amused herself by making it a pain to carry her. More than once, the knights had to trade off who carried her. She also watched as the priestess not so slyly cozied up to the cardinal holding on to the hem of his short robes. Barry spoke out the joke everyone was thinking, asking if the church simply didn’t have anything his size.
Abby chuckled at the joke, but eyed the giant staff that he carried. Particularly the magic core fragment affixed to the end to look like a spearhead.
Lucid’s dungeon had expanded. They approached the final room, and Abby noted that the room was a part of his dungeon entirely now. Abby thought that the group would proceed into the dungeon fully, but the cardinal stopped everyone short. In particular, he rested a hand on the Baroness, though she didn’t seem eager to run. The knight carrying her put her to the ground at their feet, drawing their sword. Likewise, the other knights readied their weapons and shields.
“We, the Church of Will, greet Lucid!” The cardinal boomed.
No response followed.
Abby looked expectantly up at the Baroness, but she betrayed no emotion, positive or negative. The knights shifted, uncomfortable in the silence. A pair of them took up positions to either side of the entryway, ready to engage with anything that came through. Nothing did.
The cardinal continued. “The Church of Will wishes to enter a dialogue with Lucid!”
Again, no response. A number of those present turned to the Baroness with questioning looks, but still, she betrayed nothing.
“This… is Lucid’s dungeon, right?” Abby asked her.
For the first time, she responded. Just a simple nod.
The cardinal noticed this. His grip on the Baroness tightened slightly. “The Church of Will asks of what it can provide to the dungeon to-”
“Lucid wants you to vacate Setterton.” The Baroness stated.
The cardinal, finally receiving an answer, calmed down a touch. He glared at the Baroness.
“And why, pray tell, would he want that?”
The Baroness’ expression soured. A few moments followed, where it suddenly became apparent that she was communicating with Lucid silently.
“He… wishes to ‘play’ with its residents.” The Baroness didn’t seem happy with the answer.
The cardinal smiled. “Excellent! Please, tell us how we can help Lucid achieve his goal!”
“You can help him by leaving.” The Baroness repeated. “He wishes to be left alone. The dungeons of Setterton are his and his alone to claim.”
“Dungeons!” The cardinal seemed much more relaxed now. “We can supply Lucid with many cores!”
The Baroness shook her head. “Not cores. Dungeons. He-”
Abby felt a scratching on her hand. She jerked her hand away, glancing down at the silent invader. A mouse, standing on two feet. Abby glanced around at the knights surrounding her, but they all paid attention to the Baroness’ conversation with the cardinal.
Abby assured herself that no one was looking, and returned her attention to the mouse. It cocked its head at her, sniffing. Then, it did the most curious thing. It mimicked drawing a bow. The small creature turned its back on Abby, facing directly away from the light the cardinal emitted. It jerked its hands about in repetitive motions. No, not just any motions. Signals. Owyn’s signals!
Abby paid attention to the shadow as the mouse moved its limbs about, mimicking Owyn’s bow and arrow as best it could. Although it took a few repetitions due to the crude and small movements, eventually she was able to decipher his messages.
We’re safe. Owyn said through the mouse. I’m ok. Dungeon help. You retreat when safe.
Abby pat the mouse on the head. A tricky ordeal, considering her arms were bound behind her. The mouse turned around to look at her, then down at the bonds. It drew its fake bow again, and gestured two signals on repeat.
Retreat.
Escape.
Abby shook her head again, a gesture she was sure the mouse could see in her shadow. She attempted to make gestures of her own behind her back when the mouse suddenly ran away. Abby gasped slightly, not willing for it to go, but caught herself before she could make any more noise.
“No sacrifices.” The Baroness said firmly, now staring down the cardinal from below his grip. “No feeding the dungeons, no assisting the dungeons, no interference in any way, what are you not getting! Lucid wants the church to leave!”
The cardinal raised a hand, bringing it across his body in a slap. The sound echoed throughout the room, as did the sound the Baroness made when she collapsed to the ground. The cardinal breathed heavily in anger over her slowly recovering body.
“Mom!” Lady Bellamy shouted.
The cardinal looked over his shoulder at her. An idea seemed to form in his mind, because he left the Baroness alone, walking over to her daughter instead. He knelt in front of Lady Bellamy, shoving her aside so he could grab her wrists bound behind her. Without any effort, the giant man stood, carrying Lady Bellamy above the ground. Lady Bellamy screamed, her arms refusing to rotate the whole way. As the cardinal took a large step over the Baroness, Abby heard Lady Bellamy’s shoulders crack, and suddenly she hung from two dislocated arms. She screamed.
“STOP!” The Baroness shouted, just as the cardinal entered the last room.
He paused, looking over his shoulder.
The Baroness bit her lip hard enough that she drew blood. Her eyes remained locked on her daughter. With a dejected look, she turned her gaze away.
“Lucid isn’t strong enough.” She said finally. “He can’t deal with both the dungeons below and the church up above. He needs you to leave him alone so he can deal with the dungeons first.”
The cardinal dropped the screaming Lady. She landed on her legs, collapsing to her knees, but not further. He turned again to face the Baroness. “Lucid is admitting weakness?”
The Baroness squeezed her eyes tightly. “He-”
The sound of metal on metal. The light coming from the cardinals staff snuffed out.
All eyes whipped up to the cardinal’s side, where he held up a defensive arm. Two knives grinded against a metal plate, bound to the cardinal's forearm. The demon from before growled, glaring at the giant man. It vanished in a blur, and the cardinal’s form followed suit. Bone impacted meat, and the demon let out a screech.
The knights abandoned the prisoners, charging in to defend their cardinal. He just stood upright, shaking a wrist.
“Take them back to the statue room. I have some things that need doing, it seems.”
The knights, somewhat reluctantly, retreated, picking up Lady Bellamy in the process. They walked past the Baroness, picking up Abby and Barry as well. Abby struggled for a bit, just to say she had, but ultimately gave in. As she fell against the back of the knight carrying her, she looked over to the hole in the crevice where the mouse had ran away to. It stood there, hidden in the shadow to everyone who didn’t know where to look. It drew an invisible bow.
Escape.