Dungeon Battle

by Andrew Bardsley

  In the gateway was a large woman, built like she had seen many battles and fully prepared to deal with anything that was thrown at her. On her back was to axes that looked like they had a lot of use, she also had scars crisscrossing her thick muscular arms and did not seem to care about the cold wind that her bare arms were exposed to.

  To Ceras estimation she looked about forty and had a no nonsenses expression on her face, but at this time she was frowning as she looked around the castle with all the adventures talking about a dungeon as they were going from the keep to different areas of the courtyard.

  As Ceras walked towards her, he tried to smile under her direct stare as if she was shocked to see somebody so young greeting her.

  "I'm the dungeon master," said Ceras as a way of introducing himself, "and welcome to Hidden-Caverns dungeon."

  "Yes, I can see and hear what it is, somebody in the guild screw up and put this urgent request on the bottom of my workload and I just got to it his morning," said the intense large warrior woman that was slightly taller than Ceras over large body," somebodies heads going to roll, in the guild for this screw-up!"

  As Ceras eyes went wide as he looked at the two axes and she said with a smile, "Figuratively, I mean, not literal, I'm not that mad, but now you think about it might be good to give them a nasty death as it will stop them doing it again.

  "So, you're the dungeon master, a bit young for the job but oh well you're either learn or die trying. If you can show me around please, it would help with the assessment, not that I'll have to do much of one, but it always helps to add more detail into a report. The fact that it says dungeon on it will change the whole province for certain and may even affect some of the surrounding kingdoms. Good luck with that as when the higher-up nobles challenge your staring dungeon here, you're going to need it."

  Ceras was taken aback by the matter of fact tone the last comment was spoken in as if she was talking about the weather, not his own and the dungeons continuing survival. He moved to the side and gestured for her to follow him into the castle's courtyard and started to show her around the facilities in the courtyard with the shop, hospice, and accommodation.

  "You'll need to expand the facilities for the dungeon on the topside," was her only comment as they finished up the tour, "this place is going to get full quickly as you'll probably find most of the town moving here and then some more from the surrounding area, and they will need a place to stay."

  Ceras stopped dead in his track as he thought about what the assessor was saying, the adventures and the dungeon had thought that what they had done was large enough, but his lady was saying it was just not going to cut it which made Ceras slightly worried about how big this how dungeon was going to be.

  "Are we talking town size or small city size?" said Ceras in a questioning voice trying to understand the magnitude of what needs to be built.

  The large woman gave Ceras the first smile across her normally very serious faces that Ceras had seen and laughed slightly in a deep voice.

  "All the dungeons that I've visited have had large cities around them controlled by the dungeon master, making it possible for them to operate at full capacity. I can't understate the scale of what you have here, if you survive, you're going to be a very powerful person and most likely set up your own kingdom so you need to have a city around here to accommodate all the people that will be making a living of the dungeon. You also might want to create a weather dome to make the city area more pleasant to live in; else you just be receiving a lot of complaints all the time."

  As he walked toward the keep, he thought to Hidden-Caverns in his mind, "Did you know about the full scale of the topside project?"

  "Yes," said Hidden-Caverns in Ceras mind, in a usually apologetic voice, "but I didn't want to overwhelm you at first. The main task for you at this moment is for you to gain strength in magic as this should give us the edge to battle the high-level noble when they challenge us as I'm hoping that the magic that I have as a dungeon will enable us to beat them. So, keep it quite from the assessor that you're a wizard, and a warrior, let's keep that under our belt.

  "We need to start the construction of the city on the surface anyway as the amount of material with has from the dungeon is starting to pile up and can be used for the cities building materials. See if the assessor wants a job, she looks like she could handle things."

  Ceras looked at the assessor as she seemed to examine with meticulous intensity every aspect of the castle and the keep, they were approaching, and sometimes making a note in a small book she would take out of her bag of holding at her side. As the two passed the orcs guarding the keep entrances, he noticed a flicker of fear on their faces, that was so quick he wonders if he had seen it at all. Entering the keep, he directed her to the dungeon entrances in its large reception room.

  "The artwork is of the highest class," the assessor said with a bright smile as she stared at the sculptures on the wall of the room and the entrance to the dungeon, "you must have somebody that is from the noble families to be so good."

  "No, it just the work of the healer Symania who's very good at art," said Ceras matter of fact voices.

  The assessor only looked at him shapely with a curious look and then walked on into the corridor to the first level of the dungeon passed some of the young adventures that stepped out of the way seeing such a large higher-level woman from the guild.

  Walling down the long corridor to enter the dungeon's first level she was silent as she seemed to take everything in. The entrances to the first hall in the dungeon, opened up automatically as the two stood on the fresh-hold Ceras could hear the sound of fanged rats in the hallway scurrying around.

  Rhef had crafted this first level to represent a crypt with large halls full of tomes and wall alcoves where the skeletons, specters and another dead monster could hide to attack the adventures from. Between the hall was a maze of corridors perfect for ambushes by the crypt's occupants.

  This first hall only had fanged rats, so the lowest level adventures could enter the dungeon and gain some experiences. As the two warriors were of such a high level, the rats fled to a different hiding place in the room, allowing the assessor and Ceras to walk through the large gothic styled hallway unmolested.

  The whole of the first level was like this as the two preceded, only to be disturbed every now and then by a monster with no sense of self-preservation, that attack. Ceras watched a skeleton was easily beheaded by the large warrior with a flick of one of her axes. As the head rolled across the floor, hitting a tome and smashing into pieces the rest of the body was absorbed into the dungeon to be replaced by about twenty copper coins and a few bones that could be sold for ingredients.

  "Hmm," she said, "I know its early day, but soon you might want to lower the amount of money for each of the kills. It a fine balance to get, but remember you only have limited resources.

  "I bet your dungeon is screaming at you to put all your stat point into knowledge, for more levels they always do but do not neglect the charisma stat as it's the most important for the dungeon in the long run. It affects the number of people you can support." said the stern woman to Ceras with a straight face.

  "What does she know about running a dungeon!" said Hidden-Caverns inside Ceras head in a peeved tone of voices.

  "But is she right?" thought Ceras back.

  "Well yes, but it doesn't mean she knows a lot about dungeons," said the peeved voice of Hidden-Caverns as Ceras follow the assessor.

  "Sounds like she does," thought Ceras in a mocking tone of thought.

  At the end of the level was a reception hall with a portal in it, that took the assessor by surprise as she stood and stared at its dark watery surface.

  "You, already have portals between the level," she said with her second smile, "that pretty impressive and will help the adventure in the dungeon as they won't have to walk through all the levels every time. So how may level do you have at the moment?"

  "Fifty, but the interior of
most of them are not finished yet," said Ceras, "but the levels have all been made."

  The assessor gives the second surprised look of the day as she said, "What are you using for the excavation of the level?"

  "Large rock worms," replied Ceras.

  "That surprising as they are a very high-level monster. It must have been hard or you to get one," said the warrior.

  "Yes, it was," said Ceras, "shall I show you one of the later levels that have just been finished and is awaiting adventures to reach it?"

  The large warrior just indicated for Ceras to show her the way, so he walked into the portal that connected to where-ever Hidden-Caverns directed it to. Ceras walked out of the shimmering surface of the portal with the assessor beside him, into another large reception room for the level they were visiting. The room was carved out of the bedrock with large wooden and stone door at the existing. This time the polished stone was intervened in the wooden door giving it the effect of misty clouds within woodlands. The rest of the hallway was decorated with sculpted scenes showing the type of cloud on the walls and the ceilings as if it was a stormy, blustery day that the clouds were rushing by the observe trying to outrun the storm. The colors of the rocks had been used to get contact using white stone against a darker rock for the sky.

  As the two approached the door, it opens releveling a grand expanse of a level. This cavern was gigantic, to say the least as Ceras thought that maybe Rhef had gone over the top with how large she had made this level. She had used the excuse that it needed the space for what she wanted to do, so as it was her job Ceras had not complained but kept quiet. When it was finished, he was glad he did as he didn't, as he did not enjoy an egg on his face, and that's what would have happened as the results were magnificent. He had wondered if he would have literally had an egg on his face as Rhef was known to get upset if she was criticized for her work.

  Beside him, he heard the gasp of the assessor as she saw the cavern the seem to go on and on into the far distances. The ceiling and floor of the caverns in the distance had whispery cloud obstruction the view of the rock above and below.

  Like massive integrate floating corrals suspended in the air, there were large islands, most a few hundred of meters in diameter, with large vines in-between the island that would allow people to cross from island to island, making their way through the cavern. Each island had holes allowing the internal to be accessed in numerous places, making up a maze of forests and cave for the monster to have lairs and for the adventures to attack.

  Ceas had talked to Rhef about how each of the islands was itself like a mini dungeon that had so many levels to explore that; she had said it would take years of constant battling if the adventures wanted to every beat every area of this level.

  Just below the stairs in front of the two were tens of large vines that people could walk on leading up and down to the first island closest to the entrance. On some of the vines, Ceras could see monsters waiting to attack any adventure trying to pass them. In the sky were thousands of birds, some as large a Ceras flying between the island and the clouds.

  "I'm not one for being impressed by the most thing I've seen," said the assessor in an awed tone of voices, "but this is truly impressive. If the rest of the dungeon is anything like this, then you'll do well, if you survive the nobles challenging you."

  The two stood on the stairs of the starting area, taking in the view as the assessor made some notes in her little book.

  "I need to go back and report to the guild about the dungeon," said the large warrior in a serious voice to Ceras sighing as she turned her back on the scene in front of them.

  "Before you go, I'd like to make you an offer," said Ceras embarrassed as he was asking the intimidating assessor, "would you like to build the city about for use. You can have all the creature you need to do the job."

  The assessor looked at him intently and just said, "Yes, I will be back once I hand in this report."

  "You don't want to think about it," said Ceras as he was surprised at the quickness of her response.

  "No, I've always been very decisive, and how can I turn down such a wonderful opportunity. This may even get me to a legendary level of construction as I already have the standard level in that class." said the warrior, "oh you can call me Cleosre as we'll be working together."

  Having seemed to have said all she wanted Cleosre and Ceras walked back to the portal to be transfer to the top of the keep were the surface portal was located.

  As he was saying goodbye to Cleosre at the gatehouse, both of them notices a large group of adventures make their way up the mountain. From the distances, they could see them laughing and joking in loud voices showing arrogance for the other adventures on the road to the dungeon by mocking them. Ceras recognized the clothing of the adventures with the wealth it entailed and the expensive weapons.

  "Here come the rich idiots," said the warrior Cleosre with a look of contempt on her face, "I would stay around for the spectacle, but I've needed to hand in this report and then get to work on the city, so you'll just have to enjoy it by yourself."

  "Thanks"

  Don't go easy on them, as they deserve everything you can throw at them. Oh, and they will defiantly challenge the dungeon with their arrogance, which is stupid as you can only do it once and if they were sensible, it would be if they get stronger.

  "Good to know that."

  "Also, get some more soldier out to keep them from bothering the other adventures."

  When she had finished speaking some of the side door leading onto the courtyard of the castle slammed open with hundreds of orc warrior running to take a position all over the castle as Hidden-Caverns had instructed them.

  Cleosre waved and walked off into the distance as the loud adventures got closer. Ceras noticed that the rich brats went quiet as Cleosre passed, but she just ignored them as if they were not worth her contempt.

  As the guard was all in position within minutes of their call to duty, the noises of stamping feet and fapping of armor was short lived only to be replaced by the approaching group of adventure. As he spied them from just inside the courtyard, he could hear several loud mouth boasting of what they would do in the dungeon. Ceras was still young but having to work hard on a farm, for most of his life, had the effect of driving out a grand idea he had of his self-importance that these young men and women seemed to have.

  Moving to the side to allow them to enter the courtyard of the castle Ceras watched them file past, now quiet as they saw all of the orc guards around the yard standing in position with a look of hunger on their faces ready for any excuse to start a battle.

  As the column of well-dressed and fully armor people walked past now subdued as they looked at the inner courtyard, Ceras noticed a face amongst the crowd that he had beaten to death in the market square. The boorish man walked past him seeming not to recognize him again in his well-made clothes from the dungeon.

  One of the young women in the group who seemed to be a leader, with armor that was bright silver with a winged helmet on her head, that had golden curls cascading down her shoulders. She also had scabbard with gems encrusted on the metal surface that sparkled in the sunlight. She walked over to Ceras with a frown on her face as if she was judging him, not knowing what to make of him as he expensive clothes with a strong staff make of fine metal and dark wood but no finery that marked him as the upper class of adventures.

  "Where is the entrance to the dungeon located?" she said in an ambivalent tone of voices.

  "It's in the keep, in the center of the courtyard on the first level, you can gain access to it easily as nobody will stop you," said Ceras in a polite tone of voices.

  She seemed to look around the courtyard for the first time seeing many of the poor dungeon adventures moving between the buildings as they went about their business.

  "When we take over well get rid of all this riffraff, and clean this place out for our own kind," she said in a loud voice to a well-dressed young man that seemed to be
hanging on her every word.

  "Are you going to challenge the dungeon then?" asked Ceras still in a polite tone.

  The two rich young adventures looked at him as if he was a goblin that had just appeared from under a slimy rock picking its nose in front of them.

  "What business of your is what we do, but of course that is why we've come all this way up the goddess forsaken mountain," she said back rolling her eyes as her hanger-on laughed in as if she had said something witty.

  "You should be more respectful of the Shunneth the magnificence when you address her, cretin," said the hanger-on in his arrogant voice.

  The two walked off towards the keep without another word to Ceras who had a slight smile on his face as he was listened to Hidden-Cavern, saying "I'm looking forward to all the experience that I will gain from this party. The weapon will be a welcome addition to my manufacturing ability as well.”

  Chapter 5 Challengers

  Shunneth looked back at the group of young adventure following her with contempt. She hated to have to deal with all of these people. All of them were from rich families, but none of them, except for a few, had the correct breeding of being like her, from one of the high noble families. This fact was always front and center in her mind, seeing that she was the daughter of one of the kingdoms high noble dukes, even though she was the youngest child of eight children.

  She had been sent here, to this goddess forsaken outpost of the kingdom, by her father to as he said she needed to learn some manner before she was spoilt forever. Her mother, however, had a different option and had gone around her father back, as she understood her beautiful daughter.

  She was from a true, noble family, unlike her father who was only a noble because of his great power and high-level, that he had worked his way up from the bottom as if he was a peasant. Shunneth mother forbids any discussion of her father's family and tied to ignore the reality of how she thought she had married beneath herself, even though her own father had demanded it.