It only took a few minutes to reach the Rumbling Rooms. There was no sign or wall carving, but there was plenty of rumbling. It wasn’t a single loud noise but a chorus of sorts, just strong enough to make the floor vibrate. His suspicions were confirmed with a single glance. Inside one cavern, scattered across carved ledges, slept hundreds of dragons.
Darin entered the nearest room and took a moment to look about. The largest of the dragons slept in the most convenient spots. Their roosts were as massive as they were, only a few inches above the ground. The walls were covered with alcoves, terraces and precarious ledges. Walkways connected the different tiers to the cavern floor. As the path got higher, it got thinner and the ledges got smaller. He paused to watch as two individuals landed on the same perch at the same time.
Darin was too far away to hear them, but he could tell that both were posturing. Neither dragon wished to back down, and a fight broke out. It was a flurry of flared wings, slashing claws and teeth gnashing. While the battle was brutal, it lasted only a few moments. The vanquished fled from the perch, and the victor roared his triumph. His celebration however was quite short lived, as a large dragon on the tier below him took offense. One prolonged glare later, and the would be champion went silent. With head lowered in shame, he plopped down on his ledge and closed his eyes. Satisfied the larger dragon below him also returned to his rest, his expression shifting from angry to amused. Having stood there too long, Darin was caught off guard when a massive claw slammed into the ground beside him.
“Oh, a youngling.” Said a rather sleepy dragoness. Darin looked up in fear, only to be gently brushed aside by the claw. “Do not block the path. I nearly stepped on you by mistake.”
“Sorry…elder?” He apologized, not quiet sure what to call her. She just laughed and shook her massive head before walking off. Realizing how close he’d come to a respawn, Darin made haste to get out of the path. Scanning the room, he spotted a nice ledge that was unoccupied. It was much longer than it was wide and seemed troublesome to reach on foot. “Perfect”
He’d seen other dragons fly to their preferred ledge, so he doubted it was taboo. After a quick loop to spiral up, he came around and landed on her new bed with ease. No one was around to bother him, so he took a moment to look around. He panned his head slowly, taking 3 screen captures that would traumatize anyone with a fear of reptiles. Feeling he achieved something, however minor, was still a good feeling. He lay down with care, being sure to protect the amulet(bandoleer) he was wearing. A soft yawn escaped him, sounding more like a chirp. After he finished the damn bed time quest, he intended to…
Darin never even realized when he fell asleep, nor did he notice the quest timer lingering in the background. The soft chorus of rumbling had become a gentle lullaby.
* * * * *
Tail whip: Dragon whelp has dealt you 2 damage.
Darin came awake with a sudden stabbing pain. The dim lighting in the cavern did nothing to help with the room spinning. He crashed into something, causing his wing to scream at him before falling further. The next impact was softer, as he crashed into the side of a massive dragon sleeping below him. A his combat log updated while he tried to get his feet under him.
Fall damage, rock ledge has dealt you 3 damage.
Some of your equipment has been damaged.
Fall damage: Elder Dragon has dealt you 1 damage.
You have dealt 0 damage to Elder Dragon.
As he read the updates his blood went cold, he’d lost almost half of his hit points to a surprise attack. And he only had one piece of equipment. A quick check on the amulet confirmed his fears.
{Quest Item} Iron amulet of light.
Slot: Neck (bandoleer)
Durability: 24/25 (scratched)
Effects: Activate for white light, 30 feet. Costs 15 Mana/Minute.
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Special: Can not be dropped, stolen or looted from your body.
"Never stub your toe in the dark again."
He cleared the messages and looked up at his prior perch. In his place was a spikey black whelp, the very one from this morning. The smug expression, as it watched him, was the clincher. Darin let out a soft growl, eyes fixed on the whelp before he noticed a rather large eye focused on him. He froze as the massive head of an elder dragon lifted slightly and swung around to face him.
“Kicked off your ledge little one?” It asked, it’s tone was quiet but deep. The eyes narrowed on him a moment.
“Yes, while I was asleep.” He admitted, he saw the eyes narrow in response. “I am sorry for crashing into you on my way down.” He added. He didn’t want to finish his evening by being chewed and swallowed for waking his betters.
“How rude.” The larger dragon mumbled. Darin grew nervous for a moment. “Sleepers are supposed to be left alone, unless they are clearly on too large a perch. To attack someone in their sleep, is considered cowardly. It’s almost as frowned upon as using flames in here”
“I will be mindful of that.” He told her, his eyes drifting back up to the ledge that had been his. The dragon drew a deep breath and exhaled a golden mist onto him. A moment later, his aches went away and his hit points were restored. He turned back to the elder in surprise. “Thank you.” Without any acknowledgment, the massive eye closed. A moment later the elder moved back into their preferred sleeping position. He was ready to leave, when the eye flicked open again.
“When kicked from your perch, you have two choices.” It told him. Darin sat at attention and listened, revenge was second to respect. “You can find a new perch and sleep there. Or, you can kick them right back.” It was clear from the way it spoke which option it would choose. Still angry about the sneak attack, he was of the same opinion. If Spikey wanted that ledge, he was going to have to fight for it.
“I think, he needs to learn some manners.” Darin growled out. A moment later he took flight and began circling up to the ledge. Behind him, a slow and deep chuckle could be heard. It seemed that he had chosen well.
A few moments later, he landed on the far end of his previous ledge. As he landed, Spikey’s expression changed from smug to shocked. He was being challenged by a Level 1 hatchling, a mere quarter of his size. The very same hatchling, who had stood up to the red whelp. True the little one had lost, but the red bully still looked scorched from their exchange. As they looked around the ledge, there was easily room for both. But as the two began to posture, it was clear that neither dragon was willing to share.
“You sneaky little shit.” Darin confronted him, anger clear in his voice. “You attacked me in my sleep and damaged a quest item”
“Quest- Never mind, learn your place, little winged runt. I’m about to do a lot more damage.” Spikey growled. He turned about and slashed though the air with his long, barbed tail. Darin dodged by ducking under it, he already knew it would be a short fight if he let himself get hit. He tried to close the gap, but Spikey simply lashed back and forth with his tail. Damn one trick pony. The black whelp wasn’t very fast, but he held range with his tail. Darin could dodge him for a while, but he had no way to strike back, not with that damned tail whip.
“Maybe that’s the opening I need…” Darin mumbled, as he moved closer to the back wall.
“I wont give you any openings. Give up or die freak!” The black whelp hissed. The more noise they made, the more dragons turned to watch them. He put extra force into his next swipe of his tail, trying to smash him flat. Darin jumped over his attack which hammered at the wall. Seeing his chance he dove at the black dragon, not for his body, but for his tail.
- - - - - -
Author’s Note: Let me know if it’s going to slow. I’m trying to only describe each area fully on the first pass. As it’s still early in the story, I keep having to flesh out the world. Thank you for reading, it means a lot to me to see those numbers rise. As ever, feedback, corrections and reviews are welcome.