As soon as the elevator doors to the Delvers Guild opened, a wall of sound hit me. I stepped into the guild and felt like I got transported into an ancient period of Lost Terra. The floor and walls were made of rough-hewn stone. Torches lined the walls, and people dressed in primal-looking armor were milling about, chatting animatedly.
To the right side of the room, tables had been set where Delvers of all shapes and sizes were rowdily singing a raunchy song while waving wooden tankards in the air.
You could easily tell who was a Delver and who wasn’t from their attire alone. Every delver wore primal-looking armor made from leather and metal plates.
Zuri was leaning against a stone pillar, her arms crossed. She turned to me and nodded. “Good, you’re here. Let's go.”
I nodded, and we headed towards the room's far end, where a reception desk stood with an older, average-looking man behind it. He gave us a polite smile as we approached.
“How can I help you today?” He asked us, giving us both a nod.
“We’re going on a delve,” Zuri said before I could open my mouth.
“Ah, excellent.” The man said, tapping away at his terminal. “Is this your first time here?”
“Ah, it’s her first time, but not mine,” I interjected. “That being said, we ask permission to go further than the first floor.”
The man turned to me with one eyebrow raised. “If this isn’t your first time, then you know the rules, son. You must sign up with the guild to go further than the first floor.”
“Fine, we’ll sign up,” Zuri said in a rush. “Where do I sign?”
The man shook his head, giving Zuri an apologetic smile. “This ain’t so simple, miss. To join us, you must complete a month-long training course and pass the Delve Trials.”
Zuri’s eyebrow twitched, and she clenched her jaw. “And how much would it cost for a more expedited course?” she ground out. “I am a woman of considerable means. I don’t care how much it costs as long as you let us go through today.”
The man shook his head. “Sorry miss, no can do.”
“Please,” Zuri said, her voice quaking on the edge of fury. “It is important.”
The man opened his mouth to reply.
“Don’t bother, Lady Hiwara. Florence isn’t someone you can pay off.” a woman’s voice said. A woman emerged from the curtain behind who I assumed to be Florence. She was tall and muscular, easily dwarfing Florence by a head.
She had white streaks through her pitch-black, curly hair. She crossed her arms in front of her outfit, consisting of a cropped leather top with a lattice of dull silvery metal going down her ample chest and scarred abdomen. She turned to us and gave us a smile.
“Guild Master?” Florence asked, looking flabbergasted.
“Stop gawking,” she snapped at him, and his jaw closed with a click. “Let these two through to the Delver prep room.” She turned to head behind the curtain once more.
“But, ma’am,” Florence started protesting.
The woman turned and stared at him wordlessly. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and goosebumps erupted all over me. It felt like I was in the presence of an apex predator.
“Yes, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am.” Florence said, sounding cowed.
“Excellent,” she said, immediately brightening up. “I’ll see you two on the other side. Hurry along now.”
Zuri and I exchanged a glance as Florence got up and pressed his hand against the bio-lock of a door to the right of his desk. The door opened with a hiss, and he waved us through. I glanced at the archway to the far left I had used both times I went on a Delve.
The sound of Zuri’s steps snapped me out of my reverie, and I followed her through the door and a short corridor into the Delver prep room. The decor remained the same as in the previous chamber, but the atmosphere had totally changed.
There was a palpable tension in the air. Some people gathered in small groups and quietly talked to each other. Some others walked in and out of a building that emanated the sound of dozens of hammers striking metal. All looked to be preparing for battle.
The Guild Master came out of a side door and looked us up and down. “So, you’re Zuri, huh? And who’s this with you?”
“Razel Ibicas, ma’am. He is a friend. I assume you are familiar with my father?” Zuri replied politely.
The woman snorted and offered her hand to Zuri, who took it and gave her a firm handshake. “I’m Guild Master Naram. And I ain’t just familiar with your old man, girl.” Her smile had a drop of something feral in it. “We used to be rivals.”
Zuri looked at the woman, taken aback for a second. “I see. Well, Guild Master Naram, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Can you direct us to the lockbox P-51? I am rather eager to get going.”
Guild Master Naram nodded and hummed. “I’m sure you are. But I can’t let you proceed yet.”
Zuri bristled at that. “What, why not?” she took a threatening step toward the Guild Master.
I gently touched her shoulder. She turned to me and glared. “Zuri. Take a deep breath. Hear her out.” I nodded towards the Guild Master, who was looking at Zuri with a bemused look.
“There’s the fire I’d expect from his kid.” She said with a chuckle. “Don’t worry. I’m not putting you through any trials, girl. Your father gave me a [Black Token] to grant two people Senior Member access.” Zuri opened her mouth to speak, but Naram raised a finger. “He also asked me to give you a primer on the Delve-Lands before you go so you don’t get yourselves killed.”
Zuri took a shuddering breath and nodded. “Very well. I apologize for my discourtesy.”
The Guild Master waved it away and started leading us through the chamber. This place was far, far larger than I initially thought, with dozens of doors leading to large rooms lining the walls. Some had signs on it, like “Smithy” and “Terminal Room,” but some others were empty.
It was to one of these empty chambers that the Guild Mistress led us to. Once the door closed behind us, she stomped her foot, and a hidden door swung open on the other side of the room.
We followed her, and as soon as we entered the long, faintly lit corridor, she started speaking. “You said you’ve never been here before. So, how much do you know of the Delve-Lands, girl? How much did your father teach you?”
Zuri shook her head. “Not much. Every time I asked about it, he shut me down.”
The Guild Master ahead nodded. “Good. He stuck to our code.” She suddenly stopped and faced the left wall. She slowly and deliberately tapped parts of the wall. After a second, another hidden door opened, leading us into a small, comfortably furnished room. “Have a seat,” she said, waving us at the sofa facing an empty wall.
Zuri and I sat beside each other, and the Guild Master produced two small badges, handing us one each.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The little badges let out a flash of light as soon as they landed in our palms. I looked down at my own. The badge was diamond-shaped, with two straight edges at the top and two curved ones at the bottom. It had a raised silver border around a matte black surface, with an embossed silver sword in the middle.
On the left side of the blade was a silver door, and to the right, a silver key. I examined it to see if I could glean any information.
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[Senior Delver’s Badge]
Rank: Rare
Description: A badge usually earned by Senior Delvers. Gives authorization for a delver to go beyond the first level. Grants access to the Delver’s Archives up to the third floor. Grants a 10% discount at the Delver General Store.
“Enjoy your stay!”
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Guild Master Naram sniffed and crossed her arms, looking down at Zuri and me. “Congratulations. You are now fully fledged Delvers. Shal must either have immense faith in your abilities, or he wants you dead, sending you beyond the second floor on your first real delve.”
Zuri and I glanced at each other, an ember of concern landing inside my stomach. What had Shal gotten us into?
“Right, well. As I said, I was also paid to give you a primer, so here it is.” She cleared her throat and put her hands behind her back, starting to speak like she was giving a lecture. “You are about to enter the Delve-Lands. There are five basic elements to the Delve-Lands. Chambers, Doors, Keys, Corridors, and Luck.”
She snapped her finger, and a giant, wall-sized screen appeared behind her. The screen was white and blank, except for a text box saying “Delvers Guild” with a tiny house icon at the top center. Zuri and I squinted at the suddenly bright light assaulting our eyes.
“We are here.” She pointed at the little house. “Taking the entrance elevator to the Delve-Lands will lead you to the chamber of floor 1.” A dot appeared under the house, with the text “Floor 1” next to it.
“The Delver’s Frontier,” I said and nodded. That’s where I’d been before. Lovely place if you could deal with the critters that lived there.
The Guild Master gave me a smirk. “That’s what the tourists know it as. To us, Delvers, it’s The Frontier of 99 Doors.”
99 dots appeared around the first floor’s dot and connected to it with a line.
“Right before dawn, every day, the destination of every door and location of the corresponding key shuffles. Once you have the right key, go to its door and enter the elevator found there. You will most likely end up in one of the 99 chambers, or as we like to call them, expanses, on Floor 2. In very rare instances, you will end up in a Corridor.”
A circle of tiny dots was drawn around the first floor’s dot. “Corridors are small chambers with doors of two kinds. The first kind of doors are made of crystal. Unlike all other doors, they allow you to see a preview of the expanse beyond.”
Zuri nodded, “In this place where luck dictates where you go, this must be quite the boon.”
“Yeah,” Naram agreed but then winced. “Unless you are unlucky and encounter the second kind of door.”
I knew what she was talking about. The reason why we were here. I resisted the urge to wince. “The second kind of door is made of obsidian and has the adornment of a silver snake eating its own tail.”
The image changed to a picture of one of these doors. A shiver ran down my spine.
Naram turned to look at it and then turned back to us, her face grave, the terrifying pressure from before returning. “You must never open those doors. Ever. The only thing you will find beyond is death. It doesn’t matter how powerful you are, how rare your subroutines are, how clever you think you are, or how much money you have. The Delver’s Doom will take everything from you.”
Her eyes hardened. “If someone so much as tries to bribe you to open one of these doors, kill them. If someone tries to force you to open the door, kill them. If they try to force you to open the door and are about to overpower you, kill yourself.” She spat on the side in disgust. “It will be a better fate than what awaits you beyond those doors.”
“Is it truly so terrible?” I heard Zuri ask in a hoarse voice. I turned to look at her. She had gone pale, her hands grasping her kneepads so hard that her knuckles had turned white as she stared at Naram intensely.
“Yes,” the guild master said. “It will doom you and all your descendants. And there will be nothing you can do to stop it.”
“What,” I said, sounding hoarse myself. I cleared my throat. “What else can you tell us about this Delver’s Doom?”
The woman huffed and shook her head. “Nothing. Shal’s [Black Token] may have bought you Senior Delver status, but this is far above you. Any further information is reserved for Master Delvers and those unfortunate few afflicted by the Delver’s Doom.”
Zuri looked like she was about to protest, but the Guild Master’s eyes snapped to her with a look that froze her in place. “I would advise you against asking any more questions about this subject, Lady Hiwara, to me or anyone else. You know all you need to know.”
Zuri took a sharp breath, but her resolve crumbled under Naram’s intense stare. “Very well,” she muttered.
“Great,” the Guild Master exclaimed cheerfully, clapping her hands once. “Now, back to the fun stuff. Whether you go through the elevator as usual or go through a Corridor, the first expanse you find yourself in will be one of the 99 surface chambers of floor 2.”
The diagram with the dots returned and the 99 doors indicating the surface chambers of floor 2 were highlighted. “Each chamber of Floor 2 has 99 doors as well. Going through those doors has three potential outcomes. The most likely outcome is that you will be taken to one of the 99 deep chambers of floor 2. The second most likely outcome is that you will be taken directly to the next floor. Third is you end up in a Corridor.”
“That’s where the luck comes in, huh?” I muttered under my breath.
“That’s right.” She nodded at me, and I looked at her in surprise. How sharp was her hearing? “But, the Delve-Lands have a measure of fairness to them,” she continued. “At the surface expanse of Floor 2, there’s a roughly 30% chance you will go to the next floor without having to go through the deep chamber. If the coin flip lands wrong, though, don’t worry. All doors in deep expanses will lead you to the next floor or a corridor leading to the next floor.”
The dots on the diagram started multiplying, soon measuring in the hundreds, a spiderweb of connections creating a dizzying spiderweb. “Floor 3 is tri-layered. You have the surface, middle, and deep layers, each with 99 chambers. The chance of directly moving on to the next floor is significantly smaller than on floor 2 but rises with every layer you clear, with it being guaranteed on the deep layer. Floor 4 is the same, but with 4 layers.”
How big was this place? “Is there a floor 5?” I asked.
The Guild Master shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not.”
Zuri looked surprised. “You don’t know?”
Naram let out a bark of a laugh. “Wish that I did, girl, but nobody has managed to get past the fourth floor. Sure, delving deeper within a floor brings its own challenges, but those are more… manageable, let's say.” She leaned closer, an excited smile on her face. “Ah, but when you descend a floor… That’s when the real fun happens. It’s not just a step up in difficulty. It’s a leap. The things you have to overcome, the creatures you face, they don’t just get tougher. They are on a whole different level of cunning and strength.”
She leaned back and cracked her neck. “In the past 100 years, only two people have made it to the deepest layer of the fourth floor. Both refused to go deeper and left the guild soon after. Those two were exceptional individuals.” She looked at us flatly. “And you sure as fuck are not anywhere close to having their strength or experience, so if you find yourselves in over your heads, get out.”
Zuri shifted in place, looking nervous. “And how do we escape? Do we have to go through another maze on our way out?”
Naram sucked on her teeth. “Yeah, no. I wish that were the case, even if it would make it much more of a pain in the ass. Exploring this place would be much easier if we could move back and forth at will, but that’s not how the Delve-Lands work. There is only onwards.”
“Then…” Zuri urged her on.
“Simple,” Naram shrugged and pointed at our badges. “Go to the nearest door, tap your badge on it, and it will take you straight back to the guild.” She tapped her chin. “I’m not about to spend the rest of my year explaining the mechanics of every expanse you might find yourselves in, so… Yeah. Briefing over! Good talk, team. Off you go! Close the door behind you!”
“Well,” Zuri said, glancing at me. “If that is all…”
“Oh, I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but just ask around the first floor, and you’ll find someone to help. Oh yeah, here.” The woman said and reached into a pocket, bringing out a plain ring with a muddy yellow gem. “The other half of the [Delve Tracker].”
“But... What about the lockbox?” I asked. Had she broken into it? And when had she found the opportunity to do so? The Guild Master hadn’t left our presence since we mentioned the lockbox for the first time.
Naram grinned. “Lockbox P-51? Doesn’t exist, at least not in the traditional sense. It only goes up to 50. This room here is what Shal and I call Lockbox P-51. Now off with you.” she tossed the ring at Zuri, who snatched it from the air.
“Very well, I appreciate your assistance, Guild Master.” Zuri jumped to her feet and looked closely at the ring. With a satisfied nod, she headed for the door.
I followed after her, Naram watching us leave with a small smile. Right before the door swung closed behind me, my curiosity got the better of me, and I turned to ask the Guild Master why they called this room Lockbox P-51, of all things.
Our eyes met, and I became sure. She knew. I don’t know how much, but she knew.
Guild Master Naram gave me a sad smile. A bitter one.
My question died on my lips.
The door swung closed.