The graveyard had a gate, but it was closed. The whole thing was enclosed with a short cobble wall topped with a tall wrought iron fence. Anyone could definitely climb over it, but it would probably take a while, and it wasn’t like there wasn’t anybody nearby. Just less than the main and inner roads. Abby should probably check the crematorium for people, but she didn’t want to be obvious about it. Her best bet was the graveyard itself, at least until it got dark.
Abby waited for a while in an alley, checking every direction for prying eyes. Seeing none, she just waited for the street in front of her to clear, or at least for everyone to have their backs turned. If someone turned a corner at the wrong time, there wasn’t anything she could do about it.
When the coast was clear enough, Abby got into a runner's stance. Taking off at a sprint, she cleared the road in three strides, bounding up and over the wrought iron fence with nothing more than a single hand on the metal to guide her. She silently landed on the grass on the other side, darting behind a large headstone to hide herself. Her breathing remained even and controlled, just like she would have it in a dungeon. Quiet.
Looking left and right, she confirmed once again that nobody was looking in her direction. Abby bolted for a new headstone that could cover her whole body, hiding behind it. She repeated this a few more times until she was well and truly into the graveyard. Between the trees and headstones, nobody from the road could see her. And as the sun got lower and lower, she could move closer and closer to the road, following the shadow of the city's outer wall.
Abby decided to start there, at the far reaches of the graveyard. Everlast’s outer wall provided a tall backdrop for the graveyard. The trees above Abby hid her from any prying eyes atop the wall, meaning she felt rather safe to just stand upright and wander. The wall itself had numerous decorations, including carvings that probably stood in place of headstones. Many of those looked vandalized, but some of the vandalisms looked like prayers. Abby took note of them, but otherwise didn’t catch anything of particular note.
She ran her hand along the wall, feeling for something. Nothing in particular, but something. A loose stone, or a change in temperature, anything that might indicate a hidden entrance. While the written vandalisms may have somehow hinted at a hidden door, or something else, Abby wasn’t going to waste time on things she didn’t understand.
The graveyard ended rather abruptly at one end. Abby saw it ahead of time and remained out of sight, tracing the remainder of the wall with a careful eye. She doubted that the church would hide something in a place where it could be seen by accident, but she couldn’t be too careful.
Seeing nothing of note, besides maybe a little less vandalism in the areas visible from the street, Abby turned around to check the other direction. Equally, nothing in that direction. But at least Abby knew the exact size of the graveyard now.
She began a search pattern, deliberately walking on every grave she saw. They were dead, what did they care? She alternated between pressing her weight down on the graves, tapping them with her foot, or even hopping on them, listening very carefully for a creak of wood or something else that would indicate a trapdoor. Abby reminisced in some childhood memories of adventurers talking about the various dungeons they’d explored. Occasionally, someone would find a hidden passage, or trapdoor, or something of the like, which inevitably led to something important to the dungeon they were exploring. Most of the time, they led to nurseries, or farms, or some other area for a dungeon’s non-combatants. Rarely, they led to the core room itself, and in one very unusual case, an armory of all the loot the dungeon had taken from the humans and opposing dungeons. The adventurers who found that room retired soon after, rich as any noble.
Of course, it was stories like this that initially inspired Abby to become an adventurer. The larger dungeons, like those situated closer to the larger cities, were worth infinitely more than the baby dungeons Abby had been dealing with her whole life. They did more than just control monsters. They built cities of their own, deep underground. Civilizations, specialized populations of a favored monster, and all sorts of fantastical things. It got to a point, in some cases, that a dungeon was actually worth more alive than dead, as the monsters it created were worth a lot of money for the parts they provided. Meat aside, the leather some of the monsters provided were tougher and more flexible than any domesticated creature on the surface. Their chitin made for armor as good and also cheaper than steel. In many cases, bones were used to create weapons or armor. Due to the increased muscle density of some of the monsters, their bones were much denser than normal bones, becoming nigh unbreakable in some cases. While obviously steel made much sharper weapons that could be cared for by anyone, bone hammars and other blunt weapons were apparently common. And since adventurers could provide them consistently, they were actually cheaper than many metal tools.
Abby’s bones were probably useless. If they looked anything like her whip-spike, the segmented pieces were probably only good as a broth enhancer. She shivered uncomfortably, recognizing that she was thinking of herself like a monster. While she wasn’t far off, she was at least more human than monster. Isabelle reminded her of that. She still ate and shit, same as any other human. She wasn’t like other dungeon monsters, which ate and ate, and never shit.
With a chuckle, she recognized exactly how un-ladylike her thoughts were. Thank the Goddess Owyn didn’t like ladylike. Well, at least she assumed so. He raised his nose at the concept of nobility sometimes, but he liked Isabelle enough. Maybe it was something closer to authority? Abby couldn’t see why, he had a good relationship with his parents as far as Abby could remember. Not that she saw them much. Owyn mostly visited Abby and her mother, not the other way around.
On her fifth lap of the graveyard, Abby thought she stood right about around where Isabelle had indicated her grandmother laid. Deciding she was bored enough to take a break, she noted the grave she’d stopped at and left her chosen path. Abby read the names on the graves, trying to find a Bellamy name. How were these graves sorted anyway? It clearly wasn’t alphabetical. Maybe in the order in which they died? Many stones didn’t have a date on them. Maybe it was just entirely random. Owyn would have a fit if he saw this place!
Abby looked up at the sky, trying to find the sun or moon. The clouds were dark, threatening rain soon. To Abby’s eyes, there was barely a difference between night and day. Daytime’s shadows became nightime’s normal. Nightime’s shadows were a little darker to Abby’s eyes, but not so much that she couldn’t make out any details. Maybe in less color, but the details were there.
It was past sunset, but the moon wasn’t completely out yet. Somewhere between dusk and actual night then. A squirrel wandered over to a branch near where Abby was looking. It froze, looking down at her. She smiled back at it as it cocked its head at her. The way it stood almost looked like it was holding up a hand to wave at her! Abby gave it a wave, just to be funny.
The squirrel cocked its head the other way. Abby matched it. The little guy was cute. She couldn’t remember the last time she actually appreciated nature. Without a sound, the squirrel scampered off. Abby ignored it, putting her hands in her pockets as she resumed her wander. The night was still too young for Abby to head on over to the crematorium, so she could afford to waste a little more time.
A few minutes later, and quite a distance away from where she’d guess it would be, Abby found a Bellamy grave. One ‘Harper Bellamy’. It had a short poem of sorts below the name, saying how grandma Bellamy was a good wife, and a great mother, and all these other things. No date on her stone. Was she on Isabelle’s mothers side, or fathers side? There wasn’t anything to indicate either direction.
A couple of leaves rustled. The squirrel was back, studying her curiously. It even seemed to deliberately look at the gravestone Abby stood in front of. Abby frowned. That wasn’t normal squirrel behavior. She activated her mana sense.
The squirrel was enthralled.
Abby tensed, but the squirrel just seemed inquisitive. Was this one of Lucid’s monsters? Owyn would probably be able to guess that Isabelle would lead them to Everlast, he was smart like that. He liked thinking ahead, and in many cases, that meant thinking like another person. Could he have guessed that they would be able to find Abby’s group in Everlast, and asked Lucid to send a scout? Were there more?
Abby kept half an eye on the squirrel, but otherwise looked to the ground. She found a good spot, with perfect directional lighting and a stone nearby. Just in case. Walking slowly over to it, keeping the squirrel in sight at all times and her ears open for anything else, Abby got into position. Hands in front of her, like she was holding a sword and shield, and back turned to the squirrel. She slowly moved her hands, casting shadows in a pattern only Owyn would recognize.
Safe?
The squirrel didn’t react.
Not Lucid’s squirrel then.
Acting fast, Abby picked up the stone beneath her, whipping around to throw it at the squirrel. The creature reacted in surprise, but not fast enough to avoid the stone. It struck the small creature in the head, no doubt killing it instantly. Abby didn’t chance it, rushing over to where it fell to pull its neck away from the body. The neck popped, broken, and she let it go again. Her eyes and ears were alert to everything nearby, but nothing happened. Was she being paranoid? No, not even in the slightest. A dungeon thrall, in the middle of the city? That meant a dungeon was getting ready to invade.
Sure, a single squirrel could only gather so much information, but that was besides the point. Was it even a squirrel to begin with, or was it a rat disguised to look like one? Could Abby tell the difference? Probably not. What should she do? Did she keep looking around the graveyard? Should she tell someone? She was supposed to be keeping a low profile! What if there were more!?
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Isabelle!
Abby took off at a sprint, dodging around headstones and trees alike. It didn’t take long to reach the edge of the graveyard. With a single vaulting leap, she cleared the wrought iron, landing in an empty street on the other side. The road was reflective, but not slick. Patters of rain were beginning to fall. A quick glance told her that the lights in the crematorium were still lit. Should she check that out? No! Isabelle first! This was an emergency!
All of her senses burned at their peak. She felt casual magic in all directions. Dashing past windows, Abby heard mothers summoning water to bathe their children over the rising sounds of rain. Her eyes strained, maintaining her mana sight. Though rats and mice were generally killed on sight, having some pests in back alleys at night was unavoidable. She checked each and every single one for enthrallment, but none of them had the marks.
Where was Isabelle!? She said she’d be wandering all night! Should Abby check the Boar’s Hide? No, that was stupid, Isabelle wouldn’t be there. They didn’t have enough money to afford a room. A restaurant? They could afford that much, and they forewent with supper to save money.
Abby slid to a halt on a large road. Where should she go? What would Isabelle do? Think Abby! She was supposed to check out the church! Where was that? Isabelle said something about the churches being around the residential areas. So they wouldn’t have to walk for so long to get to the church closer to the middle of town. That’s a good start. Where was the residential area?
Abby looked up, thinking she could see better from the rooftops, even through the rain. A raven sat on the rooftop above her, staring directly at her. A thrall, by Abby’s mana sense.
Her heart spiked. Without thinking, she picked up a small pebble from the edge of the road, throwing it to the raven. Her throw was off, but not by much. The bird hopped back, out of sight. It didn’t matter. Abby could barely make out another bird flying circles above. To normal eyes, it would undoubtedly be invisible against the darkening clouds. No doubt another thrall, but her mana sense didn’t extend that far. The fact that she could recognize the raven on the rooftop was entirely due to her already enhanced sense for magic.
Shit!
They were following her! Should she still find Isabelle? Would that put her in danger? Damnit, who cared! Abby needed to be there to protect her! Why did they ever think splitting up was a good idea!
“Left!” Called a distant voice above the rain. Abby’s ear flicked in that direction, picking up stomping metal. Knights.
DAMNIT!
Abby sprinted deeper into the city. Damn her trackers! She needed to find Isabelle!
She practically collided with a wall, running up it for two paces before switching over to the neighboring building. Her palms slapped against the wall, leaving little marks where her spike gained her leverage. Scaling up the wall led her to the tile rooftops. An easy hoist rolled her body onto the slippery tiles. Her boots were not made to walk on this. Still, she wouldn’t let it stop her. Her pace slowed, her footing unsure, but she never stopped.
A distance ahead of her looked like a residential area. It was difficult to tell by the rooftops alone, but those ones had smoke coming from their chimneys. This late at night, that meant that’s where people were living. She picked the tallest building in the area as a target, and ran.
Her bounds brought her over alleys and full streets alike. Running at full power like she never had before, Abby found a new confidence within her new body. It wouldn’t take long to get anywhere, and the faster she found Isabelle, the better. Heart and feet pounding, pounding. Abby ran with power and purpose.
A rope sprang up from a road, ensnaring one leg. Weighted balls attached to the ends of the three-pronged rope collided with her other leg, knocking her off balance. She didn’t make it entirely to the other side of the street, her belly slamming into the ridge of the rooftop. Her hands scrabbled against the tile roof, but the weights on her leg pulled her down. She fell a story, landing on a slanted wooden awning. Her leg crashed through the wood, but the rest of her body just slammed into the thing, nearly falling off. Her leg was suddenly freed from the weights as the rope slid off, and she felt herself flung backwards onto the street below.
She curled her stomach in, flipping over to stumble on her feet, ready to fight. Knights of the church surrounded her in both directions. WIth impossible coordination, they’d blocked off the alleys between buildings, trapping her in. Abby snarled, a clicking sound with her hard tongue. It did nothing to deter the knights.
They moved in slow motion. Their only advantage was their numbers. Abby dodged the first sword, using the distance this knight had made from the others to take her time to disarm him. She broke his arm at the elbow easily, wrenching his sword away from him in a way that undoubtedly broke his fingers.
Lightning flashed, illuminating the glowing parts of Abby’s eyes. Then the real battle began.
Abby held her sword tightly. A one handed weapon this time, something she felt intimately used to. Her parries and strikes were vicious, accurate. Human blood mixed with the rain pouring down her face and she reveled in it. Her blood was pumping and the sounds of battle surrounded her. She dodged attacks without looking, gripped shields and blunt weapons with her free hand, pulling the attached knights into her blade. She danced between these pathetic humans, beating her superiority into them with their own blood.
A heavy blade collided with her own, one she could not knock away. Fighting on instinct, she brought herself close to the attacker, throwing her weight into a punch while pushing into her sword. A gloved hand caught her fist, and suddenly, Abby was face to face with a man staring right into her eyes.
Lightning flashed, and both their eyes glowed.
The man whistled coily. “Unenthralled? Which one are you?”
Abby hissed, flexing the muscles in her arm. Her spike shot out between her fingers, gently jabbing the man in the palm of his hand. Abby brought her fist back, better gripping the spike now in the middle of her fingers and rammed it forward, stabbing through the mans palm.
His only response was to tighten his grip.
Abby backed off, dragging her sword and his away from her body, opening them both up at the front. She lunged for his neck, teeth and tongue fully prepared to taste blood.
A hammer slammed into her gut, pulling her away from her target. Still, he did not let her fist go. Abby thrashed, twisting her body backwards to swing her sword around in a vicious arc. It drove down into the shoulder of the knight holding the hammer, jamming halfway through. The knight cried out in pain, trying to pull away. Abby's eyes flicked to the next threat, a sword being drawn down like an ax ready to cleave her arm off at the shoulder. Abby let go of her sword, catching the attackers sword by the blade. It dug into her palm, only stopping once it caught on the bone beneath.
A new attacker kicked her in the crotch, and a third slammed a mace into her stomach. She coughed, doubling over and releasing the sword. A new fist struck her cheek, and then the blows just didn’t stop. The man held her fist high above Abby’s kneeling body, not letting her curl into a defensive position. Metal boots and fists struck again and again, bruising her body. Abby grit her teeth and beared the beating. Isabelle wasn’t here for her to protect, and she wasn’t sure she could win against all these knights.
Especially the evolved one.
The knights slowed their beatings long enough to tie her up at the wrists and ankles, doubling and tripling what was normally necessary. Abby wasn’t stupid. She knew how to save her cards for later.
So for now, she’d just pray that Isabelle was alright, and that wherever these knights were taking her was the same place they would take Isabelle. Or better yet, that they never found Isabelle at all.
----------------------------------------
No such luck. Abby was ‘escorted’ to the main church building. Isabelle was already waiting inside, tied up like a normal person. Unlike Abby though, she had a piece of cloth stuffed in her mouth, and another tied around the back of her head to hold it in place. She glared at Abby, and Abby shared the gaze. Neither of them blamed the other, but both were furious they had been caught so early.
Isabelle glanced at Abby’s hand, still dripping with blood. She gave Abby a look of ‘Are you ok?’
Abby shrugged under the grip of her knights. Could have been worse.
Two knights carried either girl, an arm under each of theirs so they could drag them facing forward. They dragged Abby and Isabelle silently through the back areas of the church. Down stairs into a basement with food stores, and further into some smelly rooms used to either prepare or store the dead. Maybe both.
What a rich concept. Abby sneered. Burn your dead like the rest of us.
She’d hardly thought about it at the graveyard, but seeing the thralls roaming the city had her thinking. These dead could become undead very easily if a dungeon had actually infiltrated the city.
“There’s thralls roaming the city.” Abby whispered to Isabelle. The knights overheard her of course, but they did nothing to stop her. Presumably, so long as she was quiet, she didn’t need a gag. Which would be important if she ever wanted to use her teeth
What did the roaming thralls have to do with the church exactly? How had they found Abby, much less trapped her? She knew they were weaponizing dungeon evolution, evidenced yet again by the evolved knight that had captured her. Had they weaponized dungeons for surveillance too? The church was practically upsetting the balance of power they so desperately said they were trying to uphold!
But Abby did not want a gag in her mouth, so she stayed quiet.
They were finally brought to a dingy room, deep within the church. It was here that the knights stopped just for long enough to blindfold Abby and Isabelle.
More dragging.
A door. Two. Three. Stairs. Another door. Long walk, and a pause. Grinding stone, like it was being rolled out of the way. More walking, this time down a slope. It curved. More than once Abby felt ridges and imperfections beneath their feet. They were no longer in a building. They were underground. For what felt like literal hours, they marched in silence.
And then they entered it.
“Dungeon.” Abby whispered. She heard Isabelle nod.
One last door. A heavy one, made of stone that ground against the stone floor. Abby felt the grooves in the floor when she dragged her feet across them. Their blindfolds were ripped off.
Brilliant, multicolored light bathed the room. Gentle, and unobtrusive enough that Abby was able to see everything instantly. A giant dungeon core, hexagonal, rising from floor to the ceiling four stories above, embedded in both. Giant didn’t suffice to describe exactly how large this core was. It would take three or four of Abby’s new body to wrap their arms around the thing. Definitely at least four if she still had her old body. Colors swirled like souls in the milky white light that made up the core. Abby had never seen anything so beautiful. So powerful. For a core to be this large, it must be ancient.
A large man held open his arms in greeting. Twice as tall as any regular man, and so much more than that. His very body strained against the armor he wore, branded with the church’s symbol at the center. He raised his arms in praise.
“All hail the God Core.”