Dungeon Master 2

by Eric Vall

  “Perhaps Rana can remain here in Ficcha until she finds out what we need to know while the rest of us go on to the next dungeon,” I suggested. “Then she can catch up with us later. Morrigan can leave one of her ravens to communicate.” I nodded to Fea who was still perched on Annalíse’s shoulder.

  “That could work, divide and conquer,” Rana said as she gave me a friendly punch on the shoulder.

  “Aw, I’m gonna miss you, Rana,” Carmedy said with a slight pout as she dug into her third slice of cobbler.

  “I won’t be gone long, pussycat.” Rana laughed as she playfully tugged at the feline’s furry black ears. “It’ll only be a day or so, and I’ll be back before you know it.”

  “Okay,” Carmedy said quietly, but there was still a somber look in her green eyes.

  “Think of it this way, Carmedy, we won’t have to hear Rana’s whining about the heat for a whole day,” Annalíse said with a twisted grin, and the fox rolled her eyes.

  “That’s true,” Carmedy covered her mouth as she giggled.

  “Yeah, yeah, that’s enough of that,” Rana said mockingly. “You know you’ll miss me too, princess.”

  “Maybe, but then again, I think I’ll enjoy the peace and quiet,” Annalíse said with a mischievous look in her eye.

  We settled into a companionable silence as the remained of the hour passed. Just as she had predicted, Morrigan returned at the end of that hour, almost to the second, and walked over to our table.

  “So, did Lady Tamsin tell you where Alistair’s palace is?” I asked as the tattooed woman sat down beside me. Fea flapped over to her and rested on her shoulder as Morrigan took a long sip from my ale mug before she spoke.

  “Yes, after a rather lengthy discussion,” the white-haired elf said with a look of exasperation. “That woman talks unceasingly and asked me several questions about my homeland and my family. You were right to send me of course. She was quite impressed when I told her of my descent, but her incessant questions were--”

  “Morrigan, the palace?” I interrupted the elf’s rant.

  “Yes, my apologies, Master.” Morrigan bowed her head slightly before she continued. “Fortunately for us, the king’s palace is approximately a day’s journey beyond the next dungeon. So, we may stop there before proceeding to the palace without going out of our way.”

  “That’s perfect.” Annalíse nodded and quickly told Morrigan of our plan to leave Rana behind in Ficca to gather information.

  “I find this to be an agreeable strategy,” the pale elf said flatly.

  “Then it’s all settled,” I said.

  “There is one more thing,” Morrigan spoke up again. “Amidst Lady Tamsin’s endless chattering, she informed me that the next dungeon is a sort of oasis.”

  “You mean like there’s water around the dungeon?” Carmedy tilted her head to one side.

  “No, the dungeon lies beneath the water,” Morrigan said darkly, and the others blinked in surprise.

  “Of course, it does.” Rana threw her paws in the air. “We’ve experienced a dungeon with a labyrinth teetering over a sea of lava, a dungeon with an entire forest not to mention a whole ‘nother sun inside of it, and our most recent adventure was with walking meat puppets. Why wouldn’t there be an underwater dungeon?”

  “Not everyone is aware that the dungeon is within the oasis,” Morrigan continued without acknowledging Rana’s comments. “Some have passed by it all together, while others are said to have been lured into the water and never seen again.”

  “What do you mean?” Carmedy said with fear in her eyes.

  “Lady Tamsin said that people have told tales of water demons enchanting passersby with their voices,” Morrigan went on. “They lure them to the water’s edge and pull them beneath the waves. Strange as it may be, only humans seem to be affected by their songs.” The elf pointedly glanced in Annalíse’s direction.

  “Oh, well, we don’t have to worry about that because none of us are--” Carmedy started to say, but then she too looked at Annalíse. “Oops, sorry I forgot.”

  “Was Lady Tamsin certain of this?” I questioned Morrigan.

  “Indeed, she has heard several accounts, some of which came from personal friends,” the white-haired woman replied. “It seems that those who were unaffected either left their human companions to perish or they themselves perished attempting to save them.”

  “I see,” I mumbled as I mulled Morrigan’s words over in my head.

  “There has to be a way around this.” Annalíse placed her hand on the table determinedly.

  “Perhaps it would be best for you to stay behind with Rana,” Morrigan proposed.

  “No, that wouldn’t be wise.” Annalíse shook her head. “Given what happened today with those soldiers, it’s better if I move on.”

  “But you can’t just waltz in there and let water demons serenade you into a watery grave,” Rana said with a smirk. “What are you gonna do, put your hands over your ears?”

  Carmedy suddenly looked up from her dessert and snapped her fingers. “Not cover them, plug them!”

  “What are you talking about, Carmedy?” Annalíse said somewhat dubiously.

  “If you plug your ears with candle wax when we get there, you won’t have to worry about those nasty water demons,” the cat said. With a confident smile, she scraped up the last traces of cobbler off her plate with her fork and licked the eating utensil clean.

  “That’s an excellent idea,” I said to the petite feline. “Candle wax will most certainly do the trick.

  “That’s great, but how are we going to travel beneath the water?” Annalíse chimed in. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can only hold my breath for about a minute or so, and I think it’s going to take a little longer than that to conquer the dungeon.”

  “Don’t worry about that, you just leave that to me and Master,” the cat said with a wink.

  Chapter 13

  We left the dining room of the inn shortly after and went up to our rooms. We were all staying on the third floor of the building, but as we walked together, we passed a sign indicating the bathing rooms.

  “Ohhh, I could really go for a scrub,” Rana said as she nodded her head at the sign on the doors.

  “As could I,” Annalíse said, and both Carmedy and Morrigan nodded.

  “Let me check it out,” the fox-girl said, and she opened the door, peeked her head inside, andthen turned around with a wide smile. “Two doors. One for men, and one for women.”

  “Is there not a water shortage?” Morrigan asked, and one of her crows let out an annoyed cackle.

  “Maybe it is just showers.” Rana shrugged. “Either way, I feel like I carrying ten pounds of sand on my tail. I’m going to see what’s going on.”

  The rest of us followed her through the door, and then I went left through the men’s entrance while the four women went right through the woman’s door.

  The men’s bathing area was thirty-feet wide by forty-feet long. On one side there was a cedar bench with a stack of buckets at the nearest end. On the other side of the room was a long tile tub that looked like it was wide enough to fit six or so people. Each side of the wall hand pump faucets arranged, but a sign hung above them with words inscribed in various languages. One set of writing I recognized as “Please do not waste water,” and I nodded to myself at the recommendation.

  “Awww! The water doesn’t work!” Rana cried from the next room, and both Annalíse and Carmedy let out loud groans.

  I walked over to my nearest pump and pushed down the lever a few times. Sure enough, my pump didn’t work, and I shook my head with a bit of disappointment.

  But then an idea came to me, and I cleared my throat.

  “Minions, I have a solution to our problem,” I shouted near the wall. “Might I come over to your side?”

  “What’s your solution?” Rana asked, and her voice was filled with skepticism.

  “Just come over,” Annalíse said. “We haven’t taken o
ur clothes off or anything.”

  I exited the men’s side and then walked over to the women’s area. Their bathroom looked similar to mine, except the tile had a bit of a rose hue, and there was an additional seating bench.

  “What’s your plan, devil man?” Rana asked as she crossed her hands over her chest.

  “Observe,” I said as I reached toward the large tub and let a bit of my power trickle through my form. A few moments later a small pool of water appeared at the bottom of the tub, and then the four women gasped when a human sized figure reached a hand out of the pool, grabbed the side of the tile, and then pulled itself up into the tub as if it was pulling itself out of a portal to another dimension. Its body was made out of shiny reflective water, but its eyes glowed a deep red.

  “What the heck is that?” Rana gasped, and I heard her pull her daggers out of her belt. The other women also stepped away, but I waved my hands toward them to indicate it was okay.

  “It is a minor water elemental,” I stated. “They can be difficult for mortals to control, but it is almost effortless for me. The real issue is the environment where you summon them since they tend to leak through soil and sand.”

  As I spoke, water poured from the being’s body and slowly began to fill the tub, with in a minute, the pool was about half-filled, and Carmedy hesitantly moved to the side so that she could dip a finger in.

  “It’s cold,” she said after she touched the liquid.

  “I have a plan for that as well, my minion,” I said. “Do not worry.”

  “Wow, we have the best Master ever,” the cat-girl giggled, and then she ran to get some buckets from the other side of the room.

  The tub soon filled to the brim, and I gestured toward the wall that separated the two bathing spaces. “Go fill up the next tub, and then return to your dimension, servant.”

  The elemental nodded, and then stepped out of the pool with a wet plop. A few moments later, it had moved to the next room, and I walked to the edge of the large bathtub.

  Then I reached my hand into the clean water and called upon the barest fraction of my powerful fire magic. A small smile crossed my lips as the heat flowed from my outstretched hand and into the water. A normal person probably would not have had the level of control required to heat water this way, but for me, it was as simple as breathing.

  “Okay, I’m impressed,” Rana said when the water began to steam.

  “Of all the feats our master has performed, this is the one that impresses you the most?” Morrigan asked as she raised an eyebrow.

  “What can I say? I like baths!” Rana laughed, and then she carefully reached her hand into the water. “This feels great.”

  “Good,” I said as I pulled my hand from the now steaming bath. “I will now do the same for my bath. See you all when we finish.”

  “Thank you, Master,” Morrigan said as she bowed her head.

  “Yes! Thank you, Master!” Carmedy clapped.

  “Thank you, Master,” Annalíse repeated.

  “Yeah, that was useful.” Rana rolled her eyes at the other women, and then she moved to unbutton her armor. Then she seemed to realize that I was watching her, and her cheeks turned a bit red before she turned away from me.

  But she didn’t ask me to leave.

  I did leave though, and by the time I made it to my bathing area, the elemental had just about finished filling my tub. Once he was done, I gestured him away with a wave of my hand, then warmed the water using my power. Five minutes later I was finished lathering up with soap and had rinsed myself off with a bucket of steaming hot water. Now I was soaking in the tub, andas I lay there letting my muscles relax, I heard my four minions let out loud groans of satisfaction.

  “I love Master,” Carmedy sighed. “He takes such good care of us.”

  “He does,” Morrigan agreed.

  “Why didn’t he tell us he could summon water whenever he wanted?” Rana whispered, though I could still hear her. “We were all worried about traveling across the desert with such a small supply, and--”

  “Why do you give him such a hard time?” Annalíse whispered back. “He’s done nothing but help us.”

  “Since he imprisoned us in his dungeon,” Rana hissed.

  “You said you wanted to help him defeat the king here,” Annalíse replied. “Also, you like him, so stop pretending.”

  “I don’t ‘like’ him,” Rana huffed. “I’m just not in love with him like you three are.”

  “I never said I loved him,” Annalíse replied.

  “I’ve seen the way you look at him,” Rana said, and her voice held a twinge of amusement. “You don’t have to hide it.”

  “You look at him the same way,” Annalíse scoffed. “And I’ve never hidden my feelings. I’m just more reserved because of my upbringing.” A listfulness had entered her voice as she’d spoken, but it disappeared when she seemed to realize where she was. “Anyway, as I said before, it’s obvious you ‘like’ him, so you may as well stop being mean to him.” Her voice turned questioning. “Or are you trying to woo him by being mean to him?”

  “Look, just because I don’t bat my eyelids at him like a love sick--”

  “Well, I love Master,” Carmedy said. “He gets me all the food I want, and scratches me behind the ears, and… I dunno. He makes me happy to be around. He’s protected us and--”

  “And you love everything.” Rana laughed. “That’s why you are so cute.”

  “Awwww,” Carmedy giggled. “Thanks Rana, that’s nice of you to say.”

  “See, Annalíse, I can be plenty nice--”

  “I also love Master,” Morrigan said suddenly. “He has taught me many useful things.”

  “Of course you do,” Rana laughed. “You are making ghost noises with him every night.”

  “You seem jealous,” the elf replied flatly.

  “I’m not,” Rana huffed.

  “He is excellent at that as well,” the sorceress said. “You should allow him to pleasure you. It will probably adjust your negative attitude.”

  “I don’t have a negative attitude,” Rana huffed, and then I heard her take a deep breath. There was silence for a few minutes before Rana spoke again. “I’m sorry. I know he’s nice. I’ve just been betrayed before, and I--”

  “We get it,” Annalíse said knowingly. “We’ve all been hurt.”

  “For the longest time, I’ve only trusted you three,” Rana continued. “I’d trust you with my life, and I know I can trust Master as well. I just wish we knew more about him.”

  “He’ll tell us, in time,” Morrigan said. “I think it is less likely that he is keeping secrets and that he is simply so far beyond us that he does not think to tell us. Every single time I have asked him something, he has told me.” I heard her shift around in the water. “So, if you wish to know more about him, you should simply ask him. He will likely appreciate your interest.”

  “Yeah, Carmedy piped in. “Master is always so kind and thoughtful when he asks us things. It’s like he truly wants to get to know us.”

  “Yeah, well...” Rana laughed. “I guess I just fear super powerful magic guys. I’m worried about my family. I need to find these sacred items or--”

  “Master will help you!” Carmedy interrupted. “He said he would. We’ll help you too.”

  “I know,” Rana sighed. “Sorry. I’m trying to be nicer to him.”

  “I think he knows that,” Annalíse said. “Honestly, we are lucky he took pity on us and made us his minions. We were way out of our league trying to take out dungeons by ourselves. Now we have plenty of money, and a nice hot bath.”

  “Cheers to a hot bath,” Rana grunted, and then they grew silent again.

  I leaned back in the water and let my mind wander a bit. Each of my minions delighted me in their own way, and while Rana had been a bit of a tough nut to crack, I knew she was coming around. She admitted to trusting me, so it was only a matter of time before she also admitted to loving me.

  I cooked in
the bath for another ten minutes, and then I dried myself off, gathered my clothes, and went to my room. I heard the women exit the bath as I was walking out the door, and I guessed that they would soon adjourn to each of their rooms.

  A few minutes later, I was in my own room and inspecting my armor. The dark metal was nearly impossible to damage, but it never hurt to ensure that my equipment was in perfect working order. After I found no damage, I examined God Slayer, and then retracted the blades into the haft.

  A knock sounded at my door, and I guessed that it was Morrigan coming to spend the night with me. Instead, I opened the door to find Carmedy carrying several sheets in her hands.

  “Hello Master!” She giggled, and her smile was bright enough to light up cold winter day. “I’m ready!”

  “Ready?” I asked.

  “Yep!” she said as she walked into my room carrying the sheets. “I’m a little nervous still, but Morrigan said I would have a good time, and that I shouldn’t worry.”

  “Worry?” I asked, and I couldn’t hide the confusion on my voice.

  “For the ghost noises?” she asked me as the smile faded from her face. “You said you would teach me. Remember?”

  “Oh,” I chuckled, and then I closed the door behind her.

  “I went to Morrigan’s room, since I didn’t know if you were going to practice in her room or yours, but she said that she could take a night off so that I could just practice with you.”

  “She said that?” I asked as I raised my eyebrows.

  “Yep!” Carmedy nodded. “Then I asked if we needed costumes, and she said that you and her normally ‘practiced between the sheets,’ so… yeah.”

  “I am amused,” I chuckled, and I imagined the pale elf trying not to laugh as she directed the cat-girl to come to my chambers.

  Carmedy had no idea what she was getting into, but I would soon show her.

  “Oh, she said it would be lots of fun, and that I should relax, let you work, and enjoy yourself.”

  “Interesting,” I said.

  “Yep. Morrigan is so nice. I know she likes practicing with you, but she didn’t seem upset at all to just let me work with you alone. I do have to admit that I’m a little scared though.”