by Allan Joyal
Avcrod snorted. “That means nothing.”
The shaman used his stick to point at a spot just above where Hal’vik was standing. The other kobold snapped his hand and released the stone from the sling. It flew true and crashed into a thick rope made of spider silk strung at about ten feet above the floor. The silk moved with the stone, ripping apart.
A dozen rocks the size of a large rat rained down on Hal’vik’s unprotected head. Gee’if pushed him away, but Hal’vik collapsed to the ground.
Jyxton turned around and spotted the kobolds. He froze and just pointed at the creatures. “Av,” he tried to say.
Betrixy noticed Jyxton and turned. “Dogmen!” she screamed as she raised her hands.
The dwarf roared and charged at the two kobolds. The two monsters split up. The shaman darted back into the passage the kobolds had used to enter the room. The slinger ran straight for Hal’vik’s fallen body.
“What?” Avcrod said. “Dulgvan!”
The dwarf swung his axe at the shaman kobold, but the creature vanished into the small passage. The other kobold had reached Hal’vik’s body. The creature snatched up the torch and then ran out of the room following the human sized passage.
The adventurers stood in surprise. “What was that?” Jyxton asked.
“Kobolds,” Dulgvan said disgustedly as he stepped away from the passage and then knelt down to look into the darkness. “Not all that powerful, but cunning.”
“How is Hal’vik?” Betrixy asked as Gee’if knelt next to their fallen friend.
The fallen man groaned. Gee’if was checking his head, taking care to be gentle with their fallen friend.
“He’s alive,” Gee’if said.
“I can see that!” Avcrod said angrily. “How is he? Can he continue?”
“We don’t have any healing potions. But Betrixy can try to heal him,” Gee’if snapped back. “I’d recommend that if he does wake he head back up the stairs and waits for us.”
“Why?” Avcrod said. “If she heals him, he can fight.”
Betrixy came over and knelt next to the body of their fallen friend. “My healing spells only speed natural healing. He’ll be tired and hungry if it works.”
“And you don’t want to be tired and distracted in a dungeon. We were all looking at the passage and no one noticed the kobolds until after they set off the trap,” Gee’if said.
“Will they come back?” Jyxton asked. He was turning rapidly as he tried to get the light from his torch to illuminate the entire room.
“I doubt they’ll return to this room, but it’s obvious they are capable of moving where we cannot,” Dulgvan said. “It’s possible we’ll encounter them again.”
Betrixy had put a hand on Hal’vik’s left shoulder. She called out some strange sounding words. Her hands glowed pink. The glow flowed over Hal’vik’s body.
“Betrixy?” Gee’if asked.
“He’ll recover. I’ve removed enough damage that he should be able to climb the stairs, but he’ll need a torch. That kobold stole the one he dropped,” Betrixy said.
Hal’vik was rising to his knees. Gee’if reached into the man’s pack and removed an unlit torch. He held it towards Avcrod. “Let’s get this lit and make sure Hal’vik is climbing the stairs before we move on.”
“He could be attacked,” Jyxton said worriedly.
“Dungeons rarely attack someone who is retreating. The only times I’ve heard of it happening, the people involved had attacked a beast lair,” Gee’if said firmly.
“A lair?” Avcrod asked.
“Dungeon’s usually set aside rooms for the monsters to live and breed. Attacking one of these will anger the dungeon,” Gee’if said.
“Why?” Avcrod said.
Dulgvan shook his head as Avcrod reached out to light the new torch. “Think about it. The monsters are part of the dungeon. They fight us and the dungeon grows stronger. If you kill all the monsters, the dungeon loses a lot of its power.”
Hal’vik rolled over and sat up. “What happened?” he said.
“The kobolds had suspended a large number of rocks from the ceiling. They released them and you were hit by several,” Gee’if said. “Betrixy was able to heal you some, but you need rest.”
“We’re leaving?” Hal’vik asked worriedly.
“Not all of us, but you are in no condition to continue. Here, take this torch and head up the stairs. We want to check a couple more rooms and see if we can find anything,” Gee’if said.
“But,” Hal’vik started to say.
“He’s right,” Avcrod said firmly. “So far we haven’t found a single treasure. I don’t want to abandon the run without claiming something.”
“You’ll need my sword,” the man complained.
“No,” Avcrod said. “I can see that you are still bleeding. You also have been holding your head with your sword hand. If we had to fight, you’d just be killed. Head up the stairs and rest. We’ll be back soon.”
Hal’vik slowly got to his feet. Faestari immediately sent out a command that he was to be left alone as long as he was headed towards the dungeon exit. His companions watched as he climbed the first few steps of the stairway before turning to look at the passageway.
“We’re down to two torches,” Jyxton said worriedly.
Keep a bit closer together,” Dulgvan said. “But not too close. Kobolds are tricky and they could have more traps on the ceiling.”
“Watch for that,” Avcrod said. “Should we just set fire to any spider webs we find?”
Dulgvan shrugged. “It’s not always safe to do that.”
The group said nothing more as they walked the short distance down the passageway. Avcrod stepped quickly into the next room waving his torch as the others followed.
“Another cave room,” Dulgvan said. “And only one exit.”
“Where’s the treasure?” Avcrod complained.
“Don’t you have to kill something to get treasure?” Betrixy asked.
“But where are the monsters?” Avcrod asked as he walked across the room and looked into the next passageway. The others filtered into the room and spread out, looking at the walls and ceiling.
“I don’t see anything on the ceil… ow!” Jyxton said. The last word turned into an anguished scream.
Everyone turned to find out what had caused the scream. Jyxton was falling over. Two kobolds had snuck up behind him and were beating on his knees and thighs with rocks.
Gee’if growled a challenge and charged at the kobolds. One immediately grabbed the torch Jyxton had dropped and ran back towards a hole in the wall that no one had checked. The other froze as Gee’if swung his sword.
The blade caught the kobold in the shoulder. It bit through the creature’s flesh and tore open the hapless monster’s torso. The dying kobold fell away from Gee’if as the man stepped over Jyxton and came to a halt near the hole.
“It got the torch!” Betrixy screamed in fear.
Dulgvan had run over to check on Jyxton. The young man had dropped his sword and was holding his left knee.
“Can you stand?” Dulgvan asked worriedly.
Jyxton struggled to stand up. He had his hands on his knees as he bent over. “Why is it so dark?” he asked.
“The kobold stole your torch,” Betrixy said as she made her way over to the young man. “Hold still, I think I can heal this.”
“It’s not bad,” Jyxton said. “I’ve been hit harder back when I played in the village.”
Gee’if carefully backed away from the small tunnel. He stepped back over the fallen kobold and then knelt down to examine the body.
“Hey!” Avcrod shouted. “We aren’t healing a monster.”
Gee’if found that the kobold was wearing a belt that seemed to be made out of a thin leather strip. He felt around and found a fur covered pouch attached to the belt. The pouch pulled away as he stood up and backed away from the body.
“I wasn’t trying to check it to heal it. I figured it would have something v
aluable,” Gee’if said.
“What did you find?” Betrixy asked. “And can we get more torches lit. Those things are far too sneaky.”
Dulgvan sighed. “I’ll pull them from Jyxton’s pack. So what did our dungeon expert find?”
“I’m no expert,” Gee’if said with a sigh as he examined the pouch closely. It seemed to have been sewn from a single rat skin folded in half. The tail of the rat had been used to secure the top as well as attach it to the belt. It took a few attempts, but Gee’if managed to get his fingers under the tail and worry the top of the pouch open.
He walked over to Betrixy while holding the open pack. The wizard was pulling her hands away from Jyxton’s shoulder as the pink glow on her fingers faded. “What?” she asked.
“Is there any magic in the pouch?” Gee’if asked.
Betrixy looked surprised. She held a hand over the pouch. Her hands glowed pink for a moment. She lowered her hand with a shake of her head. “I don’t detect any magic.”
“Hold out your hand,” Gee’if said.
“What?” Betrixy asked.
“I don’t have a free hand if I’m going to hold my sword,” Gee’if said. “Hold out your hand and I can pour the contents into your hand.”
“If it bites or stings me I’m going to kill you,” Betrixy said with a smile. The smile twisted her already thin face into a dark grimace. Gee’if ignored this as he carefully turned the pouch over and shook it.
A pair of red spheres about the size of the first joint of Betrixy’s thumb tumbled into her hands.
“Rubies!” Jyxton shouted hopefully.
Betrixy shook her head. “They’re soft, so they can’t be gems. But I get a feeling that they are valuable.” She raised her hand to look at the spheres more closely. “They are organic. That’s all I’m sure off. We’d need an alchemist to say for sure.”
“So treasure?” Jyxton asked.
“Probably,” Betrixy said. “Let’s put them back in the pouch and head back to the entrance.”
“After just that?” Avcrod howled. “We’ve lost two torches and just lit two more. We also need to show that we’re more than a group of caravan guards who no one will hire.”
“I thought you said that it was too dangerous to continue,” Betrixy said in a puzzled tone. “And I should note that I’m almost out of usable magic at the moment.”
Jyxton laughed. “You fixed me enough to handle one more room. How bad can it be with Avcrod leading?”
Avcrod snorted. “I’ll lead. Dulgvan will be behind me. Jyxton and Betrixy next. Gee’if you watch the rear. The kobolds haven’t appeared in the middle of a passage, but that doesn’t mean they can’t.”
“I think we should retreat,” Gee’if said. “We are probably days ahead of any other group.”
“No,” Avcrod said as Dulgvan held lit torches out to Jyxton and Gee’if. “I’m not leaving with just a single pouch containing two beads.”
“They are not beads,” Betrixy said as Avcrod stepped into the passageway headed to the next chamber.
Dulgvan quickly followed the group’s leader. Jyxton looked back at his two remaining friends. “Do we follow?” he asked worriedly.
“Keep alert,” Gee’if said with a nod. “Let’s get going.”
Betrixy moved to the passageway without a word. She looked back at Jyxton and then headed deeper into the dungeon. The last two men followed, grim expressions on their faces.
Faestari watched all of this. She had felt the death of the kobold and was surprised by the amount of mana released by the poor creature’s death. The other kobolds were saddened, by the loss, but she could feel them gathering in ambush.
The adventurers kept moving. Avcrod entered the next chamber and raised his strange metal torch high above his head. “This chamber is a mess,” he called back. The leader of the adventurers took several steps into the room and then turned so he could see the passageway.
Dulgvan emerged a moment later and looked around. His eyes flashed with worry as he noticed the ceiling. “This room has too many hiding places,” he said. “Look at the walls and ceiling. Lots of places where a small creature could lie in ambush. We need to watch everything.”
Betrixy stepped into the room and moved to the right. “Avcrod? Are you sure we’ll be safe?”
“If you wanted safe you shouldn’t have become an adventurer,” Avcrod said. “Now, if you are ready…”
Whatever Avcrod was going to say next was drowned out by a series of loud barked calls. Three kobolds burst from the floor, throwing their bodies at Avcrod’s chest. The leader of the adventurers tried to dodge away only to trip on the uneven floor. There was a strange metallic ting and then two of the kobolds stood back up and turned towards Dulgvan.
The dwarf stepped forward and started to raise his axe. Gee’if noticed something moving on the ceiling and started to call a warning. Four multi-legged creatures the size of the dwarf’s head dropped from the ceiling. Two landed on the surprised dwarf, clinging to his shoulders and head. The remaining two fell behind him and then turned to start stalking towards Jyxton and Betrixy.
“Spiders!” Jyxton cried in fear. The young man started trying to back up to the passageway. Gee’if grabbed him and pushed him into the passage.
“Betrixy, unless you have an attack spell, start backing away.” Gee’if said.
“But Avcrod, Dulgvan,” the female wizard protested.
The two spiders kept approaching. Betrixy noticed their advance and ran to the passageway. Gee’if kept retreating as he watched the spiders.
“Can you do anything for Avcrod or Dulgvan?” Jyxton asked.
The two spiders seemed to sink towards the floor. Gee’if dropped down to one knee. He thrust the torch forward, causing the spider on his left to back away. The other spider sprang towards him. He swung his sword to his right. The blade cut through six of the spider’s legs. The creature crashed to the ground and lay still.
“Take it’s head,” Betrixy said. “And let’s get out of here.”
Gee’if turned his blade and quickly cut the head of the spider off while using his torch to keep the other one away. When the head popped free, he kicked it towards Betrixy and then stood up and continued to retreat.
The other spider near him turned and headed back to the body of Dulgvan. The two spiders that had brought the dwarf down were standing next to the fallen dwarf. Their fangs stabbed deep into the shoulders of the dwarven warrior.
“Dulgvan is dead,” Gee’if said.
“About a dozen kobolds came out after you dropped to a knee. They dragged Avcrod’s body deeper into the dungeon.” Betrixy said with a tremor in her voice. “Can we save him?”
“No,” Gee’if said. “Hal’vik isn’t here and Jyxton is too shaken to continue. We need to retreat and rest. Maybe in a few days we can try these rooms again. We now have a better idea of what to expect.”
“Are all dungeons this tough?” Jyxton asked as Gee’if backed into the passageway. And what about the rooms we’ll be retreating through.
“Yellowrock is not quite as tricky, but the rats can be deadly. I’ve heard that most dungeons are dangerous,” Gee’if said. “Betrixy, did you get the spider head?”
“Why did you do that?” Jyxton asked as Betrixy raised a small bag up to her shoulders.
“I can try to harvest the venom sacs, and the eyes. Didn’t you see the eyes? They are the same as the spheres we got off the kobold Gee’if killed.”
“He got all the kills,” Jyxton complained.
“You’ll get your share if we keep trying this dungeon,” Gee’if said. “For now, keep that torch high and make sure we don’t go down a side passage. I didn’t see any so far, but we don’t want to make that mistake.”
“Why not?” Jyxton asked.
“Because dungeons don’t as a rule bother adventurers who are heading back to the entrance. As long as we retreat we should be safe. However, if we enter a side passage, we void that protection,” Gee’if said.
Faestari felt herself nodding. She was not aware that it was tradition, but she had already decided to use some mana to ensure the kobolds and spiders left the retreating adventurers alone. The kobolds were still dragging the body of Avcrod off. Faestari expected that they would take him to the altar and dreaded the fact that the kobolds were about to sacrifice a man to her. The spiders were enjoying a feast as they swarmed over the body of Dulgvan the dwarf.
Faestari used her mana to split her focus. She maintained a watch over Gee’if and his companions. They were moving slowly as Jyxton’s knee started to tighten up. Betrixy was staggering a bit, and Faestari realized that the woman had used more magic than she admitted to her companions. She quickly reinforced the restrictions on attacking the retreating adventurers before concentrating her primary focus on the kobolds.
The kobolds had dragged Avcrod’s body out of the chamber where he had fallen. It lay just outside the room where they had set up their altar as they cut and ripped the man’s armor. As soon as the man’s body was naked, they pulled it up to the altar. The shaman orchestrated placing the body so it looked like Avcrod was praying in front of the altar. They placed his still burning torch in the body’s folded hands and then scampered back out of the room, leaving the body to sit a silent vigil.
Faestari looked at the body for a moment. She then checked to see that the kobolds had left the room. A couple were shadowing the retreating trio of surviving adventurers. The rest had returned to their lair, carrying the items they had stripped from the body. It was clear they planned to divide the loot and celebrate the successful defense of their part of the dungeon.
The young dungeon made a quick decision. She reached up with her mana and pulled the body down into the stone. It was a simple process to move the body to another part of the dungeon where the body would decompose and provide sustenance for the inhabitants.
Chapter 12: Dungeon Housekeeping
The adventurers were gathered just outside the dungeon by the time that Faestari finished moving Avcrod’s body. The quartet looked around and then pointed to a small grove of trees that surrounded a spring near the southeast base of the mountain. They started hiking back down the mountain. Jyxton and Hal’vik required help to remain standing so Faestari assumed that no more attempts would be made to enter the passages that day.