by R. A. Mejia
I lean in, hug Kitsune, and tell her, “You saved my life. You never have to apologize to me again. Especially for something beyond your control. Thank you for healing me and making sure all my bones point in the right directions.” As I release the fox woman, I see that she’s blushing again. However, instead of running away, she gulps and nods an acknowledgment.
Hmm, ok. Note to self, Kitsune is not a hugger.
I turn back to face Mary and Vrax and for a moment the world spins just a little too fast for my, what I believe to be, concussed head. I have to close my eyes to make the room stop spinning and it takes me a second to steady myself. Once my vision is stable again, I ask Mary, “How long was I out? What’s our current situation?”
Recognizing that I’m trying to take control of things, Mary uncrosses her arms, sighs and begins, “It’s hard to tell time down here. However, Kitsune used up all her mana getting you stabilized. Then she rested, recovered, and worked on less vital injuries. She did this a couple of times, so I’d estimate you’ve been unconscious for at least eight to ten hours. While there are some tunnels here, we didn’t want to explore them in case something happened. Instead, Vrax and I tried to help Kitsune when we could, but we mostly watched her work.” Sticking out two fingers she continues, “To answer your second question, our current situation is that we’re alive. We haven’t heard anything from those bandits since we fell down here. I can only guess that they either don’t know how to get down here or just don’t know ‘down here’ exists.”
I nod at her succinct summary and ask, “Can we climb out of here or does someone have some kind of spell to help us?”
“Vrax tried to climb out but the rock walls were too brittle to support his weight. I could fly out but I don’t know how long it would take me to find anyone, much less convince them to travel here to help us,” Mary answers.
So, as it stands. We have no food, water, or shelter. We’re basically lost underground. We have to worry about the bandits and whatever else may be down here killing us if we’re found. Well, at least things can’t get worse.
Chapter 4.1
Of course. Things got worse.
The chasm we find ourselves in is over sixty feet deep. It turns out the only reason I didn’t die immediately from my fall was that I hit a couple of rocks on my way down slowing my rate of descent. It also helped that my fall was broken by a large pile of bones. Well, it helped me not die at any rate. It doesn’t help reassure me that we won’t be killed by mole people or something.
The chasm is roughly round and about thirty feet in diameter. Faint light filters down from above, however if I move forward only a few feet it’s completely dark. I can see the entire area we’re surrounded by when my [Darkvision] is turned on, and one of Mary’s light globes is near. Most of the chasm is lined by a sheer cliff face that seems to be too brittle for even my light kobold friend to climb. On the opposite side are three tunnel entrances. They’re clearly suspicious, and when I look at them, my skin starts to tingle. As if the lizard part of my brain is trying to warn me about the danger.
However, there doesn’t seem like there’s much choice about what we do. Mary could fly out of here and look for help while the three of us sit here and hope we’re not discovered by the bandits. Only, we don’t have any food or water. So, we’d likely start to consider eating each other after a week. Mary also advises that she has no idea where we are in the mountains. They span hundreds of miles, and it could take her weeks to find someone willing to help and to get them back here.
So instead, it’s just a matter of deciding which of the three tunnels entrances to go through. We could each pick one, but that would split up the party and one thing I do know from my gaming days is that you never split the party.
I point to one of the tunnels and say, “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by its toe. If it hollers let it go...”
But before I can finish, Vrax interrupts and asks, “Why you catch a tiger by its toe? Why not catch it in a net or in a pit?”
“Huh?” I ask, thrown off by the question, “I guess, but that’s not what I was talking about...”
“What’s a holler?”
“It’s another way of saying ‘yelling.'”
“Why would a tiger yell if you caught it? Wouldn’t it try to attack you?”
“Well, yeah but...”
“And why would you let it go if it yelled? Why not keep tiger if you caught it?”
I groan and try to remember that I like the kobold. He’s not trying to be annoying. It’s not his fault that he doesn’t understand. I count to ten in my head before answering, “You know what? You’re right. It’s a dumb rhyme.” I point to one of the tunnels at random and say, “We’re going that way. No rhyme, no reason. Just because. Ok?”
Vrax waves his hands at me and says, “You do not have to get mad about it. We will go that way.” Then without saying another word, he walks down the middle tunnel. The rest of us follow the kobold through the middle tunnel entrance. Once the last of us is through, I hear a grinding sound and loud cackling laughter that reverberates in the tunnel. I turn around, only to find that a large rock has blocked off the tunnel entrance. I pound on the rock with my fist and try to push the rock back up. But the massive slab of stone refuses to budge.
The cackling laughter fades, and a high pitched voice says, “It’s been a long time since I’ve had any visitors. Welcome to my dungeon.”
See, things got worse.
Chapter 4.2
Well, this just sucks. Not only was I kidnapped, robbed, unknowingly scheduled to be murdered, fell off a cliff and broke most of my bones, but now I’m trapped in a dungeon. It doesn’t help my mood that my balance seems to be off and I have to put my hand on Vrax’s shoulder to steady myself. Even just walking from where I fell to this tunnel causes me some issues. I start to feel nauseous and have to sit. Vrax sits next to my right on the cool stone floor. Kitsune leans against the tunnel wall a distance away from us. She holds her red kimono tightly against her body and bites her lower lip as she nervously scans the section of the tunnel we’re in with her eyes.
The tunnel doesn’t seem that different than the ones I saw in the dungeon near Restrian. This one isn’t lit by glowing green crystals, but it’s still roughly cylindrical in shape. The walls are made from the same type of stone as the outside chasm. The tunnel is actually a bit bigger than the ones I saw in Restrian. It’s more small room than a proper tunnel and has another circular exit at its far side, about fifteen feet away.
The only source of illumination in the room is a globe of light Mary carries as she flies around. Mary must be pretty agitated because she’s flying in circles around the room and the moving source of light makes all the shadows shift and jump. The sudden changes in the light are making my eyes hurt, and I feel a headache coming on. I hold my head and ask Mary a little irritably, “Can you please stop flying around with that light in your hands? It’s giving me a headache. I know you’re nervous but please just put that globe somewhere.”
Mary frowns at me but notices me holding my head and her expression changes to one of concern. She drops the globe of light onto the ground, and it rolls for a moment before coming to a stop between Kitsune and me. She flies over to me and puts the back of her tiny hand on my head. I flinch back, “What are you doing?”
“You don’t look well. I thought Kitsune healed your injuries.” Turning around to face Kitsune she asks, “I thought you healed his injuries?”
The question seems to shake the fox woman out of whatever state she was in, and she turns her attention to Mary, “Huh? Oh, I did heal all damage to his many broken bones and the injuries to his flesh. He hit his head multiple times during his fall and while I fixed the damage to the bones there,” She taps her own head with a finger, “I think there’s something hurt inside. I don’t have a spell to fix that. I can only suggest that he rests and lets his body heal the rest of the damage.”
I whisper to Mary, “I think I have a c
oncussion.”
She looks concerned and then slaps me hard.
Rubbing my stinging cheek with my hand, I ask Mary, “What was that for?”
She shrugs and answers, “I can’t let you fall asleep. I have to keep slapping you to keep you awake.” Seeing that I don’t understand her, she continues, “What? That’s what they do on TV to people that have concussions. Those TV doctors always say you’re not supposed to let someone with a concussion fall asleep.”
I close my eyes and face palm at the utter absurdity of the idea. That Mary, a mystical being who had access to vast knowledge banks when she was a fairy guide, is taking advice from the television doctors she saw when she was on my world doing research. I laugh inwardly until I feel another tiny slap across my face.
My eyes pop open and I yell irritated at my fairy friend, “Ow. Stop doing that!”
Mary looks at me with concern on her face, then nods. “Your eyes were closed. I thought you were falling asleep again.”
I roll my eyes and tell her, “Look, I don’t think it's that bad of a concussion. I had one once before, and it was a lot worse. I think Kitsune’s advice is right. I just need to rest.”
“When did you have a worse concussion than this?”
I think about ignoring the question, but I see Mary’s concerned look. I sigh and tell her, “You know that my parents died in a car accident when I was little?” She nods, and I continue, “Well, I was really angry for a long time after. I started getting into fights with the other boys in the group home I was at. During one of the fights, the other boy picked up a rock and hit me in the head with it. Repeatedly. They took me to the hospital, and I stayed there for a week.”
A reptilian voice to my right says, “You were not a good fighter when you were a little lizard?”
Vrax is so quiet, I forget he’s around sometimes. Only slightly startled by the question, I turn my head and answer, “No buddy. I wasn’t a good fighter when I was a little boy. I really shouldn’t have been fighting in the first place. Where I’m from, little girls and boys usually play and go to school. They don’t have to know how to fight or hunt to survive.”
I look up and notice that Kitsune has moved closer to us. She’s still leaning against the tunnel wall and looking around the room, but her fox ears twitch towards me whenever I speak.
Vrax opens his mouth to ask another question, but Mary flies between us and interrupts him, “Shhh. Stop changing the subject.” She turns to me, and I can see behind her that Vrax is sticking out his tongue at her. I have to stifle a laugh as Mary asks me, “Are you sure you’ll be ok?”
I nod, smile, and try to assure her, “Yeah, Kitsune did a really good job of healing me up. I still feel really sore everywhere, but I’m sure I’ll be ok if I can just get some sleep.” My stomach decides to contradict me and makes a growling sound. I add, “And maybe some food. Some food would be nice too.”
A high pitched voice that seems to come from everywhere startles me, “While I enjoy hearing you all talk about your pasts, it’s been a very long time since anyone has been in my dungeon and I’m anxious to get started. Would you mind leaving the safe room so I can try to kill you with my devious traps and deadly monsters?”
We all look around for the source of the voice, and I yell out, “Sorry, we didn’t know that you could hear us. Who are you?”
The voice cackles, then says, “I’m the ruler of this dungeon. I don’t normally use my ability to talk to the people that come here, but it’s been such a long time since anyone has visited I couldn’t help myself.”
Mary gulps, then flies towards me and lands on my shoulder. She whispers in my ear, “This isn’t good. If he’s the dungeon master, then he’s the entity that creates all the tunnels, traps, monsters, and whatever else is in this dungeon. If he wants he can start spawning monsters right in this room and kill us.”
The voice cackles again. Then in a mocking stage whisper says, “Even if you whisper little fairy, I can still hear you.” Returning to its normal high pitched level of speaking it continues, “But the fairy is right. I could spawn a bunch of monsters right here in this room and slaughter you all.” Then after a pause, it laughs and continues, “YoHoHoHoHo! But I won’t. I’m not that kind of dungeon. I try to be fair and not break the rules I’ve created. This is a safe room. I won’t spawn any monsters in any of the safe rooms I’ve created in my dungeon. Monsters may follow you inside if you’re stupid enough to lead them there, but I decided a long time ago that I’d have these spaces on each floor for adventurers to rest. After all, it’s no fun to kill an adventurer simply because they’re exhausted.”
“So, you won’t force us to leave this room if we don’t want to?” I ask.
The voice is quiet for a moment then answers, “No. I won’t force you to leave. But you’ll never find the way out if you stay here.”
“The way out?” I ask, curious what he’s hinting at.
“Yes, I’m a fair dungeon master. I heard you all talk about how you’re trapped and fleeing from some bandits or something. There are five levels in this dungeon. If you can reach me on the last level, then I’ll give you each a special reward. Including a way to get to the surface.”
The opportunity to leave these underground tunnels is very tempting, but I don’t know whether to trust this...guy? Gal? Thing? You know what I’m just going to go with ‘he.' Regardless of the gender identity of the voice, I’m not going to blindly believe everything he says. After all, ‘I’m a fair dungeon master’ is exactly what an evil lying dungeon master would say. I’ll go along with the being’s request for now. After all, the alternative is to sit in this room until we die of thirst and hunger. However, I’ll keep an eye out for another way to get out of here.
I look around the room, unsure where exactly to address my statements and say, “Ok…uh, sir. We’d be happy to try to get to you on the last level of the dungeon. However, we can’t start today. We want to give it our best effort, but we're hungry, thirsty, and pretty exhausted.”
There’s a moment of silence, then a loud sigh and the voice says petulantly, “Ok. Fine. I’ll let you rest.” Then in a slightly more excited tone, it continues, “Oh, how about I provide you with some food and water? That way you won’t have any excuse tomorrow not to run through the dungeon?”
To say that I’m startled by the offer would be an understatement. At best I’d hoped the dungeon master would let us rest for an hour or two. I’d never dreamed he’d offer to provide us food and water. Heck, I didn’t even know that was possible. I look at Mary and see an expression of bewilderment on her face. I guess it really is an unusual offer if she’s surprised by it.
“Hello?? You guys still there?”
I realize the dungeon master is expecting a response and answer, “Uh, yeah. We gladly accept your generous offer. Thanks.”
I hear a giggling sound and the stone room we’re in shakes slightly. The globe of light on the floor rolls, causing the shadows in the room to stretch and shift. When the shaking stops there’s a faint glow in the corner of the room.
With my [Darkvision] active and the light provided by Mary’s globe, I can see the room better than just about anyone in the group and the changes to the room are surprising. I can see that mushrooms have appeared there. They’re growing out of the ground like they’d been there for years. The mushrooms have a large flat top and a white stem. They have a variety of heights, with the tallest growing up to my knee and the shortest being a few inches off the ground. On the opposite side of the room, a thin stream of water pours down from the ceiling and disappears into a hole in the ground.
“Ok, that’s it for today then folks. I have some dungeon stuff to do. I’ll leave you to eat and rest. But don’t worry, I’ll wake you up bright and early tomorrow so you can try out the first level of my dungeon. Night.”
Everyone is silent for a moment, and then Mary tentatively calls out, “Hello? Are you still there?”
When no one answers, she turns to
me and says, “This is so weird. I’ve never heard of a dungeon talking this much to a group before. They occasionally taunt adventurers or try to drive them insane with creepy noises but nothing like this chatter box.”
I point to the stream of water falling from the ceiling and the mushrooms in the corner of the room, “Well, I’ll give the dungeon master props. He’s helped us out by providing food and water. He’s even letting us rest before we have to try out his dungeon. I only hope he’s as honest about letting us out if we reach the fifth level.”
Mary lands on the stone floor and begins pacing. She points at me with one finger and says, “That’s another thing. While some dungeons provide safe rooms for adventurers to rest in, I’ve never heard of one that actively aided them by providing food.”
Vrax makes a humming sound, then tilts his head and says, “He said that he not see people in a very long time. Maybe he is just lonely?”