Chapter 2 - Valerie Lataine
The rays of the sun Helios, signaled the birth of a new day. The light burst forth and overflowed the bedroom of Valerie Lataine. Bouncing off and giving life to a room only fueled by the subtle purrs of a newly lit fireplace. A sudden shift of weight on the bed notified Valerie of the presence of one of her personal maids. “My lady, your garments and meal have been prepared,” the maid announced.
Compared to a commoner, Valerie was a goddess. She contrasted a low-life in every single aspect. Her fiery crimson hair an indication of her bloodline; blood-red pupils matched the color of her hair. Her face showed pure ferocity like a noble Ruby Dragon. Smooth skin as soft as silk from a Spider Queen. Her graceful movements, a pure joy to those that witness such a blessing. Boys of noble birth knew their chances of even being able to approach her had long fallen into an eternal abyss.
Unlike the pampered princesses of her lineage, Valerie was a natural combatant and mage. She could easily master sword techniques that would have taken decades for a seasoned veteran to learn. Her mind quickly grasped the concepts and properties of the magical world, allowing her to cast nearly any spell on the first try. Valerie was a master in the art of war and carnage. Her bloodthirsty nature kept a secret from all the nobles and commoners. She was known for violent outbursts during her training, nearly killing several of her instructors. Other than her temper, Valerie appeared to thrive at being the perfect princess. However that was only to the outsider.
Sitting up from her bed, she let the light from the sun slowly filter into her eyes and allowed herself to adjust to the morning light. “A fair morning, is it not Cecilia?” she asked, questioning the maid. Slightly curious to see if the response would be the same as it has always been.
Slightly tilting her body and head forward she responded with the exact same boring answer, “Yes, a fair morning it is. My lady.”
“Have you wondered what would happen if you said anything different Cecilia?”
“No my lady. The thought has not crossed my mind,”
“Very well then, you are dismissed,” Valerie said, her words strained to match the stretching movement she committed to every single day. Turning around she could see the clothes of the maid. Black clothing outlined with an apron that could be detached whenever it was not required. The shoulders were rounded and spaced to provide flexibility. A long skirt that reached the ankles covered the maid’s legs. Silver frills decorated the dark cloth that hid the corset underneath. Cecilia’s face was rounded, combined with sharp cheekbones, and narrowing eyes, and a tail that had the strength of a fully grown ox behind it, Cecilia was identified as a Beast-man. “Oh! Before you leave, prepare my sword, I plan to go out today,”
“Yes, my lady, right away,” the maid replied and swiftly removed herself from the room.
An odd sensation tingled Valerie. Inspiration of unknown origins made her feel like she wanted change. She didn’t care if it brought fortune or despair to the people around her. Anything was better than being stuck in an endless sad loop she was stuck in. Valerie needed action and today was the day.
Unbeknownst to the general public and officials, a dungeon lived under the citadel. A Living Dungeon was unlike any cave or crypt one may explore to find hidden riches. To be granted access to the dungeon, one must acquire a sacrifice of significant worth. The lives given to the dungeon allows it to feed and hatch monsters. Each and every monster created gave resources for the kingdom to use. When defeated, the monsters shatter and, the shards combine into a single item to be retrieved. What was created was dependent on the monster and if searching for a specific item, luck. Such rewards were wrought with absolute life threatening danger. Defeating a single monster in a Living Dungeon was a great feat that only warriors or magicians of awe-inspiring skill could achieve. Valerie was the youngest among their ranks.
The castle itself was designed by the most symmetrical-impulsive engineer in the kingdom; his name was Pythos. The general shape of the castle took on a triangular shape facing north with towers on each corner connected by massive walls, guards, and ballista. At the northern-most point of the castle was the throne-room guarded by the King’s elites. The south-east contained the living quarters for all the servants. While, the south-west region was where all the barracks were found. The center of the castle held a courtyard riddled with trees and an artificial lake with a diameter of, a quarter of a league. Within the lake, hidden in its depths was the entrance to the Living Dungeon.
A couple hours passed and Valerie was finally finished her morning routine. Greeting her father, and the nobles that came to visit when the morning was still in its infancy and her training, all consumed hours she could have spent killing monsters and searching for interesting loot. By the time she regained her senses, she found herself by the lake. Each morning was like that. A blur of time where she would slowly fall into a trance until her routines were over.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Quickly casting a spell, she sent out a wave of energy into the lake, immobilizing anything that could be used as a worthy sacrifice. “Letta ora brofa oxos,” she chanted, casting a spell that allowed her to draw breath as she dove into the waters. “Drafta ora atre,” she spoke once in the water, drying her clothes. Casting another spell she countered her body’s natural buoyancy and let herself sink in the darkness of the lake. Once Valerie felt she had arrived at the correct depth, she cast another spell boosting her speed. She quickly grabbed a massive fish that lived in the lake and then moved deeper into the lake until she reached the lake-bed.
A gigantic shifting gate decorated with the bones of the underwater life that Valerie used to gain access to the dungeon, loomed over her. Lifting her sacrifice, the gate spewed out a dark crimson mist that mingled with the dark waters. Slowly her grip loosened as the dungeon took control of her hand, forcing her to let go. Her heart raced as she couldn’t feel her fingers. Her mind forcing her body to stand still and let the dungeon swallow her. An instant a bright light bathed her and a tug of her entire body brought her into the Living Dungeon.
“Deep breaths Valerie. You have done this many times over. Fear is beneath you.” Valerie kept reminding herself. Yet the screams of monsters as they battled each other, nearly forced Valerie to her knees. The sheer force of their battle cries forced Valerie to cast a spell to protect her ears, and reinforce her body, “Shastra ora ous tora brofa”. As she finished the spell she could feel the roars ease their power on her body allowing Valerie to draw onyx black sword and move forward. Scouting her surroundings, she noticed the disgusting walls. The walls themselves were a pinkish color with a blue and red incoherent pattern that pulsed with energy. Remnants of various creatures were scattered and poked out from the walls, as if the walls themselves were eating the remains and sucking out whatever nutrients it could find.
The floor itself was constructed of similar design with a bumpy feeling that unnerved Valerie to no end. However she pushed forward and finally found herself in the midst of a battle. All the monsters resembled humans with arms and legs but the differences were vast. The amount of arms differed from monster to monster as each one was a simple spawn of the dungeon with no evolutionary background to draw from. Sometimes the monsters had no limbs at all and were just piles of acidic goo that would consume everything in its path. Whatever the case may be, Valerie cast more spells that fortified her arms and sword, and two more spells to boost her speed and perception. Once she was ready, she charged into battle, cutting everything down.
Battles was where Valerie felt that she be herself. An insane blood-thirsty animal with the intent of annihilating everything that stood in her way. The feeling of flesh and bones splitting filled her with happiness that would be increased by the shattering sounds as the monster broke into magical shards to form an item she would leave behind for later. Adrenaline forced her to go faster, flicking her wrist to literally disarm multiple foes in a single strike. Spinning gracefully, she cleaved even more in two. The same trance that befell her during the morning soon set in as she let her mind drift away.
Clicking her tongue, she waded through the items that hovered over the ground. Many of them she had already received on her other visits to the place; today was her fifth time. Only several items caught her eye, two swords, a staff, and a fairly large rock with runes inscribed into it. With a pull of a string she opened up her pack and gathered the items she wanted, whether to sell or to keep, Valerie would decide at a later time. She sheathed her sword and moved to grab the items she wanted.
A sudden shift in the ground startled Valerie and she swiftly drew her sword. The metal screeching as she pulled out the sword. Facing the epicenter of the shock, Valerie noticed the ground rising. The floor suddenly being pushed upwards, only for it to slowly deflate and be violently pushed even more upwards. “This is it,” Valerie whispered to herself. Cracks formed as the tumor grew. The size of the room seemed to grow as well. Almost to the size of the castle itself. Her eyes widening, her grip around her sword tightening, she witnessed herself being faced with a slowly rising foe. At first mist, similar to what appeared near the entrance flooded the floor. Then, a massive gem the size of an entire house rose. Boulders seemingly connected to the gem with electrical and magical currents revealed itself. “I guess that’s the chest,” Valerie continued, fear slowly infecting her mind. The wait felt like an eternity, but Valerie was rewarded with the sight of a monster she had only read in myths and legends that were
unbelievable. What stood in front of her with its massive club drawn was a Phobos.