The entrance of the dungeon was surprisingly easy to find. It was close to the doorway in the middle of the lava river splitting the city in half. But instead of being something on the ground dangerously close to the hot magma, it was on the top of an ancient-looking structure a few meters behind the doorway to a different room. When they got close to the building, it became clear that this was a popular dungeon among the explorers, maybe because of the location or the rewards. Either way, there was a considerable number of people around the area, most of which were walking towards the dungeon proper.
"Is there a reason why there are so many people here? Or is it just because it's still the closest dungeon to the city?" Blue turned to Hera.
"I'm not sure. From what I gather, there are some fun rewards but nothing that would justify a bunch of people coming here. I think it's just easy because it's in the middle of the city. It's better than going all the way to the middle of nowhere just to do a dungeon," Hera had her tablet open and was double-checking the information she had about the quest they would do.
"What are the rewards we can get here?" Alex asked.
"Well, it's a bit of the basics. Money, materials, and stuff like that, but we can also find some weapons. They change depending on who we help. If we go with the people of Bonpei, we should get water or ice-based things. Siding with the people from the volcano will give us fire and lava weapons," Hera explained after double-checking the information.
"So we're getting the fire and lava weapons? That seems to fit the theme," Alex nodded.
"Not just weapons. We can find some armor and accessories too. But yeah, If we are lucky, we can find some of those pieces of equipment as rewards. Also, let me just say. Don't try to steal any of the weapons that we see inside there. I mean like the things that are inside houses or anywhere else. The ones that people were carrying will disappear when we kill them, but there are a lot of set pieces just to make things more believable. If we try to bring any of them out, the army we're helping will consider it treason because we are stealing from army supplies. And this will reduce our rewards. People tested it out. We can't get negative gold, but it's possible that when we finish the dungeon, we don't get anything as a reward," Hera kept reading the compendium she had on her tablet.
"Is that it? I mean, it seems fine and all, but I don't see how that's a reason for this many people to be here," Blue looked around, "Maybe it's just the convenience then."
"Not really. You guys are missing something important," a male voice came from behind the group. The three turned around to see an elf with suntanned skin and long red hair tied to the back of his head. The man was wearing a comfortable-looking white shirt and a loose green leather vest along with a mantle that was a darker shade of the same color. He also had some jewelry around his fingers, neck, and ears. All those pieces had one thing in common. They were adorned with golden laurels and leaves. It seemed like this man was really leaning into the stereotype of a wood elf.
"Are we missing something?" When the man saw Hera's expression, he took a step back. It was clear that the explorer did not enjoy the interruption.
"Sorry. I just overheard you guys talking. The rewards of this dungeon are decent, but the reason why so many people come here it's because this is a great place to train some skills. If you're going with the human side, anything that involves hiding or stealth can get a very nice boost. If you're going on the volcano side, a lot of skills related to giving commands, passing orders, and strategy can rank up rather quickly," the elf continued speaking.
"Oh, that's good then," Blue nodded, understanding that some of those skills should help Hera a lot.
"Yeah. Maybe. Thank you for the information," Hera tried to end the conversation, but her friends had other ideas in mind.
"Have you done this dungeon before?" Blue asked the elf.
"I have. Quite a few times, actually. If you're going on the human side, I advise you to be careful with the patrol. They are much trickier than you would expect. And if you're going on the volcano side, watch out for spy groups and other teams trying to mess up with your army," the elf continued.
"And the fire people are the invaders, right? If we side with the humans, we are playing defense," Alex noticed Hera's annoyed look but chose to ignore it.
"It's more complicated than that but you are not wrong. If you're going side with the volcano, treat this like you would treat an actual war. The humans will use every trick in the book and then some to get you, and you have to be ready for everything. I've seen humans using booby traps, disguising random objects as people then turning them into bombs, saying they surrender, then turn around and attack the troops when they are distracted. This dungeon is a bit of a mess, and honestly, almost everything that happens here is a war crime," the elf sighed.
"Oh… that's not good. Thanks for the advice," Alex smiled.
"No worries. Say you guys don't have a free slot at your party, do you? I'm alone here, and I'm looking for a group to join."
The girls looked at each other, but they all shook their heads. They had two legacies among them, and having a random person in the party would stop them from using everything they could, "No, sorry. The three of us are more than enough for this dungeon," Blue said.
"Oh, OK. I understand. Again I'm sorry if I bothered you. It was just… I was passing by, and I heard you talking."
"You don't have to apologize, And we appreciate the advice. What's your name?" Alex asked.
"Oh. My apologies. I'm Adriel. It's a pleasure to meet you," the elf smiled and gave them a nod.
"I'm Alex."
"And I'm Blue. Nice to meet ya!"
Hera just glanced back to the elf, "Hera."
"OK, so you have the kind one," Adriel pointed at Alex, "The bubbly one," he turned to Blue, "And the brooding one," he said as he tilted his head towards Hera, "Yeah. You guys don't need a 4th. It's just gonna mess up the whole flow. I'm going to see if I can find another party. Maybe we will meet each other again someday. Bye and good luck."
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With that, Adriel left, leaving the party a bit stunned.
"Am… am I the brooding one?" Hera asked.
"Well... You have been brooding an awful lot lately. It's understandable, but you are," Blue nodded, "and I was never called the bubbly one before. It's kind of nice."
"Yes, he was," Alex mumbled.
"Alex? Really? That's your type?" Blue gasped.
"What? No! Well… I don't know… he was just easy to talk to," the assassin blushed.
While they walked towards the dungeon entrance, Hera and Blue kept teasing Alex about her new crush. It was a nice change of pace for her. She was too focused on solving her issues, and there were very few moments when she genuinely enjoyed herself. Unfortunately, that didn't last long. Just 5 minutes after Adriel left them, they were already in front of the entrance to the dungeon.
The way inside was quite simple. There was a large set of double doors inside the ancient structure. By opening set doors, one would pass a hallway before arriving at a large meeting room where two groups had a heated argument. On the left were regular people, elves, dwarves, humans, and Beastmen, all staring at the other side of the room with angry expressions. On the right, there were the denizens of the volcano. They had humanoid shapes, but their bodies seemed to be made out of pure fire. Their clothes seem to be pieces of lava that had cooled off somewhat and looked like tribal clothing, the type one would see in ancient tribes.
"This is a new low, even for you lot," The leader of the volcano tribe said while still staring at a specific human on the other side of the room.
"Oh, please. You were the ones low enough to call my kind to your aid," the human scoffed.
"It is not my fault that you are all greedy bastards who would do anything for money."
"It's called being thrifty, not greedy," the human who was speaking turned to Hera and her party, "You guys should help us. We may not be able to pay as much as them, but I promise that you won't regret it. After all, what's the use of money if you're all dead. Then again, if you decide to go against us, no hard feelings. If you are lucky, you end up as prisoners instead of corpses."
The fire tribesman turned to the party, "You may be just greedy humans, but I do expect you to keep your end of the bargain. Follow us so we can destroy this invasive species that is trying to take over our home."
After saying that, both groups left the meeting room. The humans and other races left through a large door on the left while the volcano tribe took the right exit. Both sides didn't wait for Hera and the others to reply, and any attempt to talk to them was ignored entirely. A notification appeared when there was no one else inside the room except the newcomers.
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Dungeon the Fall of Bonpei
You have arrived at a crossroads inside the dungeon.
To make your decision, follow the group that you wish to assist. Your decision will have an impact on your mission and your potential rewards.
To side with the Mountain Foot Alliance, exit through the left door.
To side with the Volcano Tribe, exit through the right door.
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"Are you sure you want to help the volcano tribe, Hera?" Blue asked.
"Want to? No, but I have to," Hera sighed. She could feel her hands shaking with just the idea of fighting against people, even if they were all just constructs inside a dungeon.
"Don't you want to look for another way to get past this? Going from I don't want to kill anyone who looks human to let's do a dungeon where we commit war crimes it's a bit of a leap. I know you think this is the only option, but we can figure something else out. I mean, you didn't even look into seeing a psychologist or something."
"I appreciate the offer, but I want to deal with this myself first. I'm not ready to talk with someone else about this," Hera shook her head.
Her friends wanted to push her to talk to a psychologist, but they knew that if they kept insisting, it would only make her hesitate even more. With nothing else to say, everybody walked towards the right door. They opened it without any issue and on the other side there was a large village made out of cooled-off magma. Looking up, Hera could see the peaks coming from the sides, almost like she was inside the volcano. That idea was confirmed when Hera looked to the side and saw the large pool of lava surrounding the tent she had just come out of. Oddly enough, she wasn't feeling too hot. Sure, it was warm, But it was a comfortable level, not the scorching heat that should exist when someone was right above the lava.
"There you are. I'm glad to see that some of you still have the honor to keep their end of a deal," the fire humanoid got closer to the group, "I suppose I should introduce myself now. I'm Releon, the leader of this tribe. In times of war, I'm also the general. The problem is, I'm not used to human tactics of war. That's where you come in. I expect you to show us some tactics that can be used against us and that you can lead our army to battle. And I hope you allow me to explain why we are going to war. Even if I'm not sure if that matters for you humans, we do not make declarations such as this lightly. In fact, We attempted diplomacy with the citizens of Bonpei several times. We allowed them to live at the foot of the mountain while we redirect the flow off the volcano to the other side so as not to hinder their city. The only things we asked in return was that they would trade with us at fair prices, and that they limit their city to a specific area. If their village grew too much, it would threaten the ecosystem of the region. Yet, the people of Bonpei laughed in the face of our requests. They lied and cheated. They grew their city to be five times bigger than we had previously discussed. To make matters worse, they saw fit to create farmland on the other side of the mountain, the same side where we were redirecting the flow of lava whenever an eruption was about to occur. They did so without telling us, and unfortunately, The last time we redirected the flow, it destroyed some of the crops and killed the family that lived there. This is the spark that ignited the war. They are blaming us for the death of the family when they are the ones who broke our rules and did not warn us of any changes. Now that you know the reason why this war started. What do you say? Are you willing to help us?"
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Dungeon quest - Help the Volcano Tribe
You have discovered a dungeon quest.
Releon, the chieftain of the Volcano Tribe, hired you to command his army against the citizens of Bonpei.
Win the war against Bonpei to complete the quest.
Rewards: 80 000 gold. Volcano Tribe gift
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"OK, do you have a map of the area, distribution of troops, and things like that?" Alex asked after reading the notification.
"We do. Follow me. I'll show you to the command tent," Releon turned around and started walking through the city.
"C'mon, guys, let's go," Alex had a glimmer in her eye.
"Why are you so excited?" Blue asked.
"I always loved strategy games, and it just hit me that this will be like one!"
Hera kept walking by her friend's side, wondering why their reactions were so different. This place was a dungeon, somewhere where they were the only people alive. Everything else here was fake. Alex was right. This was just a game, yet Hera couldn't bring herself to see things like that. Looking to the side, she saw more members of the tripe getting ready for war, people gearing up, couples saying their goodbyes, and children crying because their parents might not return. How could someone ignore all this and pretend it wasn't happening? Why was the MAZE creating simulations so detailed? Maybe doing this dungeon would help her find some of those answers.