S12, Dungeon Lessons

It had been a few days since the incident with the dungeon dogs. It had reached my ears that the three trainees who had survived it had left the guild and went back home. I still felt guilty every time I was remember about them.

We were inside the dungeon following Instructor Remme, he was guiding us through an unfamiliar zone deep inside the corridors. I was more excited than usual since this was finally the day we would visit the place that lay past the stone halls. After walking for what felt like a long time we arrived at a spacious hall where many paths merged. On the side of the big room a tall stone arch led to a distinct place.

Unlike the corridors, the space past the arch didn’t look like it was built by human hands. It was a natural cave made of light colored, rough stone. On a closer watch I found the wall was riddled with tiny holes, as if someone had pricked it with small nails. There were rocks of different sizes scattered everywhere, but the main path had been cleaned to make it easier to move. Even then the terrain was uneven, making it easier for people to lose their footing. Another thing that took my attention were the many spots where a monster could lay in ambush along the walls and behind the boulders. Seeing all that I came to the conclusion that this place was definitely more dangerous than the corridors.

For now there were no monsters on sight. The only livings things I could see were the harmless crunchbugs that were crushed under or feet from time to time and the moss on the walls. Even then, our lantern’s lights didn’t reach very far inside the cave, most of what was ahead remained shrouded in darkness.

‘Who knows what may be lying in ambush out there.’

“You are the first group of trainees to set foot in the caves this years.” Instructor Remme’s sudden words pushed me out of my thoughts. “But don’t get overconfident, some of the monsters here are way more dangerous than the dogs you faced before. I will tell you about the most common ones once we reach the next fork.”

“Oh! So we can get a lot of money from them, right?” Falnid asked, most interested about the rewards than the monsters themselves. He was probably thinking about how we would we able to afford proper meals soon.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Vesturke, you should get used to this place first.” Instructor Remme admonished him in his usual harsh tone.

“Are these caverns open to the rest of the dungeon?” Terence inquired, looking around at the many lateral passages that connected to the main cave.

“Yes, this path branches several times and finally reaches Vesturkal and Suidberg after passing under the Uncontested Hills,” Instructor Remme answered. “This is not like the corridors that only have a few connections with other areas. Here you can sometimes encounter unexpected monsters that have traveled from far away.”

“Like the lesser drake?” Falnid pointed, remembering the task in the bulletin board.

“Yes, although that beast is a bit of an extreme example. It has been seen in some of the bigger galleries north of here, so you should keep away from that area.” Instructor Remme kept answering our question without taking his eyes out from the path ahead.

“Can’t we just avoid it by staying in the smaller caves?” Falnid asked while touching the walls with the tip of his spear. It didn’t seem like he was alarmed at the idea of approaching what was probably one of the strongest monsters inside the dungeon, just one step away from reaching the peak.

Instructor Remme glared disapprovingly at his casual attitude before answering. “You probably can, but you may find equally dangerous things in there. Not many adventurers approach that place since the first sightings, and monsters tend to promote rapidly unless adventurers hunt them regularly.”

After walking for a bit we arrived at a fork where the cave split in two, in the middle there were many chalk marks, but unlike those in the corridors they were black.

Instructor Remme took a black chalk from one of his pouches and started to redraw a few signs that had been worn down. “As you can see we use dark chalks to make signs here, this stone is too white to do otherwise.”

“Couldn’t we just use charcoal?” Asked Falnid throwing a bored look at the marks.

“The chalks we use are easier to clean, at most you only need a bit of soap,” Instructor Remme answered, inspecting the rest of the signs before putting away the chalk with an approving look. “Now, if you don’t have any other questions I will give you a general explanation of this location.”

“As you can see in this wall the monsters in these caves are normally more spread apart than in the hallways,” Instructor Remme pointed at a few signs. “It is also more difficult to find many of the same kind gathered in the same place. That makes hunting them a more time consuming process, but it also has its advantages. As long as you scout the place beforehand and use a bit of repellent you should be able to dismantle your preys in the spot.”

That would make things a lot easier. I was wondering how we could transport our catches all the way to the entrance.

“About the new monsters you will find here. Two of the most common ones are dungeon varans and dungeon reptids, the varans are promoted dungeon lizards, bigger than a dungeon dog, but less agile. They normally live alone, just like their lesser kin,” Instructor Remme explained. “Reptids, or more accurately, ground reptids, are bipedal scaly monsters. They have long legs and necks and reach as high as your waist, in general they are a bit more dangerous than a feral rat. Unlike lizards, they tend to gather in small groups.”

I had already hunted similar beasts outside, although I had used traps and arrows to deal with them, Father had never let me fight something as big as a varans directly.

"Apart from them, the other monsters you have to watch out for in this place are the kobolds. There various kinds, the weakest ones are the size of a feral rat, while the strongest ones can be bigger than a man. They are extremely intelligent for a monster, so I advice you to not get close to their territory. If you see a rat-like creature walking on its hind legs then you should go back immediately.”

Kobolds were monsters unique to the dungeon, a race of evil creatures that appeared as the villains in many popular stories. Father had told me they had been born from the dungeon back during the age when all of humanity had been trapped inside it. Legends from that era were quite vague, but it seems this warped race that somehow mimicked humans’ intelligence was one of main culprits that almost drove humanity to extinction during that dark age.

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“I heard some kobolds can talk, is that true?” Falnid asked in a purely curious tone, like he wasn’t talking about one of the most evil monsters inside the dungeon.

“I was told so to, but I have never had the opportunity to witness it myself,” Instructor Remme answered. “Most adventurers tend to avoid them unless given a mission. They are a dangerous bunch and rarely have anything of value. If you have more questions about the monsters now is the best time to ask.” Even nowadays kobold tribes and other warped races that mocked humans’ intelligence occupied big parts of the dungeon.

“Are the varans and reptids in the dungeon similar to the ones outside?” I inquired, more interested in the beast-like monsters we would no doubt hunt in the near future.

“They should behave similarly, but they tend to be more independent than them since they don’t have many reasons to stay together. At least the newborn ones.”

Outside, lizards and other four legged reptiles were normally solitary animals that only got close to each other during the mating season, but little reptids usually lived in big groups.

“Do any of you have more questions?” Instructor Remme surveyed the four of us, looking at our expressions and inspecting our equipment. “No? Then let’s keep moving forward.” He guided us towards the left cave that had a slight downward slope. “Be careful not to trip, the floor here is not slippery like in some parts of the corridors, but there are many small rocks and a few cracks.”

“Hmm, why do these rocks have these tiny holes in them?” Falnid asked, looking at a remarkably big boulder.

“Tubeplumes, a kind of worm unique to the dungeon, burrow inside the stone. If we stay quiet for a while you will see some appear near.”

“Ah! I have seen those before, the hunters bring some at times. They are like colorful feathers!”

“The ones here are small and mainly light gray or almost white.” Instructor Remme stopped walking and pondered about something. “Alright, I was going to leave it for later but it doesn’t matter. Let’s stay put for a bit, and don’t make any noise.”

We followed Instructor Remme’s orders and after a bit tiny creatures started poking out from some of the holes. They could be described as small delicate feathers that opened up after leaving their rocky shelters. From time to time they would close up and disappear again inside their holes.

“What are they doing?” I whispered, being careful not to startle them.

“Good question, Black Hair. They are eating brighters,” Instructor Remme said in his usual tone, scaring away the little creatures.

“Brighters?” I had hear about them, but I thought they only existed deep inside the dungeon.

“Tone down the light of your lanterns. As much as you can. And stay alert, this is not something you should do under normal circumstances.” Instructor Remme warned us with a dead serious expression.

We lowered the lamps’ brightness to the minimum, once done I could barely see my hands.

“Now keep the lights out of your visual field.”

It took me a few moments to adapt to the darkness. Then I began to see more of the cave, much further than our lanterns could illuminate. “Uh?” I was truly surprised this time. There was light underground, just enough to make out the shape of the cave.

“I have heard about this phenomenon before,” Terence commented with a thoughtful voice. “They say in the Inner Dungeon there are enormous caverns brighter than the midday sun.”

The Inner Dungeon was another region deep inside the dungeon. Unlike the dark Outer Dungeon we were currently in, that was mostly a hunting ground for adventurers, the Inner Dungeon was full of bright caverns packed with ancient ruins and natural resources. It was the preferred zone of veteran adventurers and all kinds of intrepid people that dreamed of making a fortune.

“You are right, Blondie, the light here is produced by some minuscule creatures that float in the air. You can’t see them with your naked eye, but when there are enough in the same place their glow can get strong enough to see without the need of lamps. I heard some mage say they eat the mana in the air, so they are more common as you approach the central area of the dungeon.”

The Central Dungeon was a big, mostly unexplored, region in the hearth of the dungeon. Unlike the Outer and Inner rings, that had numerous human settlements and had mostly been charted, the Central Dungeon was only visited selfishly by expeditions ran by powerful guilds that hoped to unveil its secrets.

“Hmm, Instructor Remme, could you call me by my name? I’m Terence of Flodbred.” Terence said in an annoyed voice.

“No. I won’t.” Instructor Remme answered curtly. “Every year there are dozens of trainees, even if your group is a bit better than the rest, I don’t care how you are called. If you want me to remember your name make it to the end of the year and get your iron plate.” It was a harsh remark on his part. I felt like this was his way to keep his distance form the trainees.

Terence was clearly annoyed by the instructor’s answer but he didn’t say anything else.

“Now let’s keep going,” Instructor Remme said, ignoring Terence’s expression. “I want to show you a few more things before going back.”

We followed him until we arrived near some black roots that ran horizontally on the wall. They occupied a section about ten feet long before disappearing inside the stone again. Most of them were as thick as my arm, while a couple were even wider than my chest.

“These are dungeon roots,” Instructor Remme explained. “You can think about them as the veins of the dungeon, they spread all around inside the boundary. If you try excavating the walls or the ceiling you will end up finding more sooner or later. Inside them there is a dense substance that we call dungeon blood, it’s a red sap with a slight iron smell. The dungeon uses it to nurture the monsters.”

“We adventurers also have uses for it,” he continued. “Both monster baits and blood potions are made from it. Of course the alchemists have to refine it first, if you drink it as is you will get some nasty secondary effects.”

“What kind of secondary effects?” Falnid asked.

“Nausea and dizziness are the most common ones. If you keep drinking it you will get a stomach ache and a fever that will muddle your mind. In some extreme cases you may also experience hallucinations.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad, I don’t see why we can’t use it directly. Blood potions are expensive.” Falnid complained.

Instructor Remme gave Falnid a serious look. “You must only use it in extreme cases. It’s said that those who drink it regularly will begin to lose themselves and will end up acting like beasts. There are also stories about people who began looking like a monster after consuming a lot of it. I don’t know which ones of these are true, but the guild alchemist has assured me that drinking it is a very bad idea.” I could barely tell due to his tone but part of his explanation sounded like those stories made to scare children.

“Alright, then, can we take it to make baits? Or sell it to the guild?” Falnid asked casually, not bothered by the instructor’s serious expression.

“No.” Instructor Remme answered categorically. “If you damage the root enough to make it bleed all the monsters in the area will rush here in an enraged state. Also, after it touches the air, dungeon blood hardens and forms bloodstones. They look like translucent red, unpolished gemstones. Not very different from tree resin, but with a different color. They are hard and shatter in a way similar to glass, and are less valuable than the blood. Only useful to make baits and low quality potions. Our guild forbids trainees from trying to collect them, for their own safety.”

“Is it really that dangerous?” Falnid asked unconvinced.

Instructor Remme frowned and closed his eyes while taking a deep breath. “Both dungeon blood and bloodstones make monsters crazy. They will do all they can to eat them. So, once their smell is on you, it will basically be the same as carrying a strong lure around the dungeon. It doesn’t matter if you leave the vicinity of the root quickly. It wouldn’t be the first time that some newbie adventurers tried their luck by rushing through the dungeon with this kind of loot only to be stormed by some monsters on their way out.”

“Oh, then, isn’t there a safe way to collect it?” Falnid asked once again.

“The only way to avoid the smell is to use some special tools to collect the blood without letting it touch the air. Even then, the process has its dangers, sometimes monsters will rush to the place either way.”Instructor Remme explained patiently.

“Uh, I see.” Falnid said with a dejected tone.

"Then why didn't the monsters eat these roots?" I asked curiously.

“Nice question again, Black Hair.” Instructor Remme cheered up. “These roots have two main uses. The first is the one is, as I already explained, to collect dungeon blood and bloodstones. The second one is to take shavings from their bark to make dungeon repellent. Most monsters won’t approach the roots thanks to it. In the cases when one comes and destroys them the blood will stop flowing quickly and the repelling effect of the bark will rapidly quick in. After that it will take some time for other monsters to approach it, even if there are some bloodstone’s remains nearby.”

“Can you make something else out of them? Like some weapon?” I inquired again.

“Although their wood is quite hard they have too many holes inside so it’s difficult to carve weapons out of them.”

After the extensive explanation we left the roots behind and explored the caves under Instructor Remme’s guidance. From time to time he would stop and give us a few tips about how to track monsters from their footprints. I enthusiastically paid attention to his lessons, as this was something that was almost impossible to do in the hallways with their prim stone tiles.

“Now that I have explained the basics we should start to go back…” Instructor Remme said some time later, after he had ended showing us the prints of a pack of rats.

“What? Already? We didn’t even fight anything!” Falnid complained.

Instructor Remme sighted and answered him in a tranquil tone. “Today we had a constrained schedule, you already showed me how you conduct yourselves in the training grounds. Tomorrow I will bring you back and I promise you will see some action.”

Then we started making our way up to the surface. Bolton was walking ahead of me, he hadn’t say a word during this expedition. I supposed he was still affected by the death of that trainee. I couldn’t say I was back to normal either.