Dungeon Master 3

by Eric Vall

  “When wicked collides with holy, a proposition shall mark a cursed age and the rise of what was forgotten,” she said to the elf.

  Morrigan didn’t attempt to glean any further information, she simply narrowed her dark eyes at the old woman.

  “And you,” the oracle turned to look at me with her white eyes. “There comes a day when the world becomes shrouded in shadows at the hands of a false god. When ice pierces the shadows, a great kingdom will fall. Another shall rise and in the process usher forth death and destruction.”

  “Who is this false god you speak of?” I frowned at the wrinkled woman. “Are you speaking of me?”

  Just like before, the oracle didn’t answer, and she turned to face Annalíse.

  “Don’t bother,” the warrior woman growled as she raised her hand.

  “Are you certain that you do not wish to hear what I have to tell you?” the old woman asked.

  “No thank you.” The princess shook her head. “I’ll discover what the future holds for me in my own time.”

  “Very well,” the oracle nodded, and her eyes started to shift back to their original shade of brown.

  “You have to tell us more,” Carmedy placed her hands on the ground and leaned forward. “None of what you said makes any sense.”

  “My words will become clear in time,” the haggardly soothsayer nodded. “These events will unfold just as I have said, you only have to wait.”

  “But, but,” Carmedy sputtered.

  “Come on, let’s go,” Rana grabbed the feline’s arm. “We’re not going to get any more out of her.” Carmedy reluctantly stood to her feet.

  “Just one moment,” I raised a hand to stop my minions before they left the tent. “Before we go, I’d like to address the matter of what you are doing to the villagers on this island.

  “I… do not understand your meaning,” the old woman blinked in surprise. “I’ve done nothing to these people. All I have done is look to see what their future holds.”

  “I think we both know you’ve done more than that,” I narrowed my eyes.

  “What are you talking about?” Rana asked as she wrinkled her nose.

  “I worried when you entered, ancient one,” the witch whined “Please have mercy on me. I didn’t take anything from your women, and I read their futures hone--”

  “Master, please explain,” Annalíse asked as she reached for her sword handle.

  “These fortunes cost more than just a mere coin,” I said without breaking eye contact with the oracle. “For every fortune she tells she reaps a piece of the person’s soul. That’s why these people look so ill, and that man that was only twenty seven looked so old. These people come here every day, and she steals their souls bit by bit and they're wasting away.”

  “Please forgive me, Master,” the witch said as she bent forward and placed her forehead on the table. “I offer myself to you and your dark power, just let me live, and I will serve you.”

  “I already have a dark sorceress who deals with the consumption of souls,” I laughed. “No. It would be more entertaining to kill you.”

  Suddenly the old woman leapt to her feet and dashed toward tent opening. She was surprisingly fast for such an old and twisted thing.

  But I was much faster.

  Before she could leave through the tent’s opening, I grabbed hold of her wrist and lifted her from the ground as if she weighed only as much as a feather.

  “Noooo!” the oracle screamed as she tried to kick me and wrench out of my fingers.

  “You are done tormenting these people,” I growled.

  No sooner had the words left my mouth did the area of her wrist that I held started to defragment. The woman screamed as a gaping hole formed in her wrist turning to an ashy colored dust which slowly worked its way up her arm. She fell to the floor writhing in pain as my death projection overtook her right shoulder and the left side of her face. She continued to wail in agony as the flesh eating magic devoured her, but within moments her body had been reduced to mere dust in the air.

  “Well, didn’t see that whole soul sucking thing coming,” Rana said after we were all silent for a few moments, “but I knew there was something wrong with this place.”

  “I knew she couldn’t be trusted,” Annalise shook her head. “At least now the people will be freed from their curse.”

  “Master is a hero!” Carmedy said as she clapped her hands together. “A hero of evil!”

  “Uhhh, Kitty, you can’t really be a ‘hero of evil’ if you are evil,” Rana laughed. “They don’t really work together. Just saying.”

  “Yet that is what our master does,” Morrigan said as she crouched down to examine the spot where the oracle died. “He uses his dark powers to make our world better.”

  “Do not be mistaken, Minions,” I chuckled darkly. “There is light and darkness in the most unusual of places. I have both murdered and loved. I have created and destroyed. I have freed and imprisoned. Existence is more complicated than good versus evil.”

  My beautiful minions nodded at my words, and then we walked outside to see that all the people suddenly wore expressions of joy. Many that had looked elderly before now looked much younger, and their eyes blinked quickly as though they were coming out of a daze. The fog that had surrounded the island had lifted, and the sun shone its brilliant rays.

  “Bless you,” one woman said to us as the crowd from the town began to walk toward us. “The oracle has had us in her clutches for years but we couldn’t escape the hold that she had on us.”

  “You’re welcome,” I said to the woman and dozens of other town folk as they repeated their thanks as we made our way down the road toward the edge of the island.

  “Well I don’t feel like I got my money’s worth,” Rana said as we walked back toward the port where the Sarpedon was docked. “Does she tell everyone such weird cryptic stuff or was it just us? I mean, what was all that about wind and deception?”

  “Who knows,” Annalíse grumbled. “I told you it would be a waste of time. They were just the rantings of an old woman trying to make money off people and steal souls.”

  “I’m not so sure,” I mumbled as we made our way down the quiet muddy road.

  “Don’t tell me you actually believe all that nonsense she spewed?” Annalíse groaned. “She just came up with some random things and tried to make them sound like wisdom by saying things like it shall be and there comes a day.”

  “Perhaps, and perhaps not.” I shrugged as we weaved in and out of the pale citizens. “We can’t really be sure, can we? And you do have to admit, the things that she said about us when we first entered were quite accurate.”

  “Indeed, they were,” Morrigan said with a somewhat puzzled expression across her pale features. “Perhaps she truly was what she claimed to be. How else could she have known such specific information about us?”

  “Yeah, that was kinda creepy,” Rana grimaced. “How did she do that?”

  “Not you too,” Annalíse groaned loudly, and a few of the villagers glanced over at her. “She probably has people stand in the line to get information from the others and they report back to her. That’s how she found out Carmedy was open minded and that I was skeptical, and Rana, she probably assumed that you participated in illicit activities because you’re a fox.”

  “But what about everything else she said?” Carmedy spoke up. “How could she know how honorable and loyal Rana is? Or that you’re a princess?”

  “Or that I was older than her,” I chimed in. “I certainly don’t look it.”

  “She could have found out about who I really am,” Annalíse grumbled.

  “And the other stuff?” Carmedy raised an eyebrow.

  “I-I don’t know,” Annalíse said, and she pinched her freckled face in frustration. “But it has to be a hoax. I refuse to believe any of it.”

  “Well, I guess we’ll find out when the first prediction comes true,” Carmedy grinned.

  Chapter 3

  “
Brrr, it’s freezing,” Carmedy shivered, and she clutched her white fur cloak to her chin as she stepped across the snow.

  “What did you expect?” Rana chuckled “It wasn’t exactly going to be warm and toasty like Valasara.”

  Not too long ago the Sarpedon had dropped us off within close proximity of the first dungeon on the glacial continent of Tamarisch that I wished to tackle. It had taken us weeks to arrive at our destination, and the sailing had been rough going with the rapidly decreasing temperatures and frequent storms, but we had finally made it.

  “Well I’m freezing my tail off, but you know what? I don’t care.” Carmedy laughed as she kicked up some snow and glanced at the mountain tops surrounding us with her bright blue eyes. “Just look at all of it. It’s so beautiful.”

  I had to agree with her. Annalíse had been absolutely right. Tamarisch did indeed have a resplendent natural beauty. The land that stretched out around us was covered in pure white snow that glistened in the sun’s rays. Several massive snow coated mountains erupted in every direction and way off in the distance. There were great frozen lakes lined with snow capped rocks and seemingly endless forests of white dusted pine trees that peppered the terrain. Though the sun shone high in the sky, it offered no warmth to the day whatsoever. Stiff winds blew past us every few moments giving the air a brisk chill and large snowflakes poured down from the skies. But like Carmedy, I didn’t mind the cold so much. It was so peaceful and serene here.

  “Look, Rana!” Carmedy said gleefully, and she stuck her tongue out to catch one of the falling snowflakes.

  “You’re really enjoying yourself, aren’t you?” the fox-tailed woman said with a laugh as she watched Carmedy dart around catching snowflakes.

  “Uhuh,” the green-eyed feline nodded her head, her tongue still out. “Ooh wait, let’s make snow angels,” she said excitedly and started to lower herself to the snowy ground.

  “We don’t have time for snow angels right now Carmedy,” Annalíse said as she continued to trudge through the snow. “We have a dungeon to conquer, remember?”

  “Can’t we play in the snow for a little while?” the petite alchemist pleaded.

  “Annalíse is right,” I said kindly. “It is best if we get a move on, but I promise we’ll make snow angels later.”

  “Alright,” Carmedy sighed, and we continued on our way. Having lived in Tamarisch all her life, naturally Annalíse knew the terrain well and she took us the quickest way toward a sprawling mountain range. Somewhere in those jagged mountains that towered over us was the first dungeon.

  We walked over snowy hills, down shallow ravines, and across a small frozen pond. The trees we passed were painted a pure white, and the distant hoot of an owl encouraged us when we trudged through a hip deep drift. As we traveled, I glanced at each of them, and saw that even Morrigan had a small grin on her lips.

  “Which of these mountains must we enter to reach the dungeon?” the blonde elf sorceress asked when we finally reached the foothills. “I do not observe any entrances.”

  “There isn’t an entrance,” Annalíse shook her head. “At least not right here.”

  “How are we expected to enter?” the pale elf asked the swordswoman.

  “We have to go up there.” The princess pointed up to the mountain pass between the two peaks closest to us. “This will take us up the mountain’s side and lead us to the entrance.”

  “Fine with me,” Rana shrugged. “Let’s get--” The fox thief paused at the sudden sound of a low distant howling, and she quickly turned to look at the forest of pine trees behind us.

  “Um, what was that?” she said slowly as the rest of us turned around.

  “They’re bánwolves,” Annalíse said as she narrowed her eyes at the forest for a moment. “Come on. Let’s get a move on.”

  “Ooh, I want to see the cute wolves,” Carmedy clasped her hands together as the rest of us followed. “Can I ride one?”

  “No, you can’t ride one, Carmedy,” Annalíse said darkly. “They’re not at all cute, actually they’re quite monstrous. It’s best if we get to the first dungeon as quickly as possible, trust me. Bánwolves about five times the size of regular wolves, and they have razor sharp fangs. They’re known to feast on human flesh, and yeah… They aren’t fun. From the sound of them, they seem to be far away, it’s best if we keep it that way.”

  “Oh, okay,” the feline gulped in surprise. “N-nevermind.”

  “Just out of curiosity Annalíse, where is your father’s castle?” I asked the female warrior in an effort to quell Carmedy’s fears. I had already consulted the maps, so I knew its location, but the sight of it would distract the cat-girl.

  Annalíse turned to look east and pointed toward a group of icy mountains far off in the distance. “Do you see that sharp white point that rises between those two mountains?” the princess asked.

  I raised a hand to my eyes to see what she was referencing and soon found the point that she had mentioned far off in the distance.

  “Yes, I see it,” I nodded.

  “That is the tip of the tallest tower in my father’s castle,” Annalíse said quietly.

  “It’s white just like the mountains,” Carmedy observed.

  “The whole castle is white.” The swordswoman shrugged. “It sort of blends into the mountains that surround it. The base of it is carved into one of the mountains, actually.”

  “I can’t wait to see it,” the cat said with widened eyes as we continued up the pass.

  “It is quite remarkable.” Annalíse looked over her shoulder at the castle tower’s point for just a second, and then she turned back around. The warrior woman sighed, and her breath emerged from her mouth in a puffy cloud.

  As we continued to trek up the mountain pass, the wind started to pick up. The frigid air rustled through the fur of our hoods, and the chill became harsh enough for me to wear my helmet. The snowfall became heavier and everyone’s clothing, save for Carmedy’s white cloak was dotted in white. We picked our way through the snow with snow-covered mountains on either side of us and after about half an hour’s walk, we came to the pass which began at the sides of gargantuan snow covered rocky formations which formed a narrow winding stone bridge that curved in between the mountains with large gaps on either side.

  “Well, this looks lovely,” Rana smirked. Then she cautiously stepped toward the snow-laden bridge and peered over one side to look at the jagged rocks far below us. We had climbed upwards for quite a while, one misstep would cause any one of us to go hurtling downward to an icy death.

  “We should be alright as long as we step carefully and take our time,” I said as I moved to the front of our party. Then I stepped a foot onto the rocky bridge and spread my arms out on either side of me to keep my balance.

  If I fell, my avatar’s death would only be a short-term inconvenience, but it would take a month or so to create a new body and then catch up to my minions from my old dungeon’s core. This was time that I didn’t want to waste, and I also didn’t want to leave my minions unattended should something happen.

  “Follow me,” I instructed my minions. “Walk slowly.” I glanced over my shoulder to see the others file into a line behind me in their usual order. First Annalíse, then Rana, Carmedy, and finally Morrigan. The heavy winds made our perilous walk all the more dangerous and threatened to send us careening off the bridge with every gust. Not only that, the winding pathway was slippery. The temperature was so low that the snow had frozen over into ice in some areas.

  “This is fun,” Carmedy said cheerfully from behind me.

  “I fail to see the amusement in our present situation,” Morrigan said flatly

  “You’re kidding me right?” Rana scoffed. “Please explain to me what’s so fun about creeping across a twisted icy bridge thousands of feet off the ground.”

  “It’s like we’re doing one of those balancing acts,” Carmedy giggled. “Just like the performers in the circus, only we don’t have those little umbrellas.” />
  “You can’t be--” the red-headed fox started to say a bit loudly.

  “Shh,” Annalíse hissed. “You don’t want to cause an avalanche do you?”

  “Sorry,” Rana said in a quieter tone. “You can’t be serious Carmedy.”

  “It’s no big deal to me,” the cat replied in a sing-song voice. “I have great balance. You just put one foot in front of the other.”

  “Leave it to Carmedy to make light of a walk of doom,” Rana grunted. “Out of all of the-- woah!” I whirled my head around to see the fox start to teeter over the side as she frantically moved her arms to keep her balance.

  “Rana!” the others shouted in unison. Carmedy quickly grabbed hold of one of the fox woman’s flailing arms and Morrigan grabbed hold of the other. Together they pulled Rana back onto the bridge and steadied her.

  “Are you alright?” I called back to the red-headed woman who was breathing quite heavily.

  “Yeah… I’m… fine,” Rana said between breaths as she gestured to the ground with a gloved paw. “I just slipped on a patch of ice. Thanks, you guys.”

  “No problem,” Carmedy grinned.

  “I too, accept your gratitude.” Morrigan nodded. “Please tread carefully from this point onward.”

  “What do you think I was trying to do?” Rana wrinkled her nose, “Trying to tap dance my way across? This bridge is a death trap, plus I’m still trying to get used to these stupid boots.”

  “Just try to be mindful of the ice,” I interjected, and we started to move again.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Rana said back, but I could still hear the shakiness in her voice from her near fall.

  We continued our precarious journey across the winding bridge between the mountains. The jagged rocks below seemed to beckon to us, waiting for our blood to be splattered across them. Every so often Rana or Annalíse would slip but each time we’d quickly pull them to safety and would start on our way again. It seemed to take forever at the pace that we were going, but finally we made it to the bridge’s end, and onto the side of one of the mountains.

  “Wow,” Carmedy breathed as we stepped off the stone walkway and onto the mountain. “Look at this place.”