Delvers LLC: Welcome to Ludus

by Blaise Corvin

  He was proud to be in Delvers, LLC.

  The realization hit him like a rake to the head. He wondered when the change had happened. As the group carefully tromped down the dark passageways of Yanbei Cavern, looking for anything of value in the rooms they passed, Aodh realized it'd been a gradual thing. He hadn't been sure what to expect in an adventuring company, but he'd braced himself for hazing and hardship. He'd thought it'd be like a mercenary group with lots of cliques and rivalry. Instead, Delvers, LLC seemed more like a loosely bound group of friends who just happened to kill a lot of monsters. Really fast. A lot of the time.

  Aodh was just starting to smile, shaking his head, when Henry pushed open the door to the kitchen and he witnessed hell.

  The first thing he noticed was the acrid stench. Aodh had grown up on a farm, so he knew what slaughter and old blood smelled like. The stink rolled over him as soon as the door opened, and he had to whirl, running a few steps before throwing up. Feels like all I do is puke, he thought.

  When he got back, Jason looked a little queasy too. Henry's face was severe, and he absently patted one of his legs. Both men waited for him before they proceeded.

  Apparently the orks had been cooking when the Delvers showed up. In a corner of the room, the fire was burning low, starved of fuel. Suspended above the sputtering coals was the body of a man that'd been roasting on a spit. One side of the corpse was charred from not being turned after the orks were interrupted, burned before the fire died down.

  Racks and counters held meat, both people and animal parts. Aodh swallowed and felt nauseated again. There were enough humanoid body parts to make up at least a few people. A head that Aodh could recognize as Areva was sitting by itself. Aodh's Fideli eyes pierced the shadowy corners of the room to see even worse things.

  He turned around and walked out of the awful kitchen. Jason joined him a moment later and muttered, "I don't really want to go back in there either. We'll wait for Henry to poke around."

  Aodh just nodded.

  A few minutes later, Henry walked out with an empty oil can that he tossed over his shoulder. He grimaced and growled, "We'll torch the place when we head out. A proper burial would be nice, but we don't even know if these people believed in burying their dead. I also don't want to search through half-eaten body parts."

  Aodh nodded vigorously and plodded along in a daze while his employers continued searching rooms. As he followed, Aodh started to feel angry. He knew what it felt like to be helpless. For most of his life, he hadn't been part of a powerful adventuring company like Delvers, LLC. His hands flexed as he imagined the terror and pain of the people the orks had killed before they were eaten. Well, he hoped they were killed first.

  The anger permeated his whole body, a dull, constant roar. He wasn't sure what to do with it, but he held it close, feeding off of it until he was back in the present and paying attention again.

  As he thought about it, he realized that the setup of the kitchen, the way the drains were situated, and the old stains made it obvious that other monsters inhabiting this dungeon had probably killed and eaten people too.

  Aodh decided he really, really hated monsters.

  In the last room before they got to the dungeon's trap area, they discovered the commander's quarters. It was the only room the orks had occupied that had any objects of note. Jason spent a few minutes looking at the maps, notes, and a journal they discovered, but none of them could read the language they were written in. Aodh hadn't even known orks could write. Jason got a strange look in his eyes as he paged through the notes before stowing them away.

  Past that point, they followed the cave to the first trap room. The room was large and covered with tiles on the floor and the walls. Each tile had a hole in it, probably for some kind of nasty surprise. On the opposite side of the room was a switch. Jason handed Henry his pack and his sack of gear before saying, "Okay, I'm ready."

  Aodh asked, "What are you doing?"

  Henry answered, "This is the first trap room. The info we got on this place said we have to turn that lever to disarm all the fucking traps. But first, we need to test the ground around it."

  Henry took a handful of bronze balls from his sack and threw them near the lever. The balls spread out randomly and Henry frowned for a moment. Aodh thought he could see a ball or two quiver. Henry turned to Jason and said, "It's clear."

  Jason nodded and disappeared in a bamf, reappearing on the other side of the room near the lever. Aodh didn't understand what was happening, and Henry noticed his confusion. He said, "I just put downward force on each ball to see if there were any pressure traps by the switch. I'll do the same thing for our path once Jason throws the switch to make sure the room is really deactivated."

  "What about tripwires and stuff?"

  Henry nodded. "That's a good question. Jason was ready to teleport away as soon as he appeared. Plus, we're not sure how it works, but he can't teleport into things, so we hoped he wouldn't trip anything the moment he appeared."

  "Ah," Aodh answered. He hadn't known Jason's power worked that way.

  Henry and Jason basically repeated their methodical process to get through all three trap rooms. The other two rooms didn't have a lever. The little group had to avoid certain tiles or push buttons in a certain sequence to get across, but Henry and Jason had creative solutions for each problem using their magic.

  When Henry's magic triggered some of the nastier traps, Aodh gulped and felt eternally grateful he was nowhere near them. The stone, wood, and bronze impaling devices, the blades, the ground that opened up, darts, magic fire--none of it looked like a good time to him.

  Periodically Henry or Jason would light a torch or throw a "fireball" torch for light. The fireball torches were rocks covered in burlap and pitch dangling from a thin chain. They were lit on fire and thrown.

  The little team proceeded slowly and smoothly. They didn't encounter any other creatures or monsters at all. In less time than Aodh would have imagined, they stood before the door to the treasure room--a huge portal of solid bronze.

  As they all examined the door, Henry got a strange gleam in his eye and laid his hands against the metal. Nothing happened for about a minute until the bronze began running over his fingers. It looked like Henry was melting a hole straight through the door, but there was no heat at all. "It's lucky our info on this place had a drawing of where the latch would be on the inside of the door," Jason said.

  Henry absentmindedly replied, "Nah, I could have just bored a hole big enough for some light so you could see in, then you could have teleported in and opened the door."

  "Yeah but then we wouldn't be able to check for traps."

  "Sure we could." Henry was fishing around on the other side of the door now, his arm buried up to his shoulder. "We could just use the balls again like we've been doing."

  "Yeah, I guess you're right."

  Aodh narrowed his eyes as he watched Henry. "Why didn't you just cut through the door with your sword, Jason?"

  Henry just shrugged and kept working, but Jason scratched his head a bit before replying, "I guess I didn't really think of that. This power is too new. However, speaking of swords..." Jason drew his sword and stood at the ready.

  Aodh was alarmed. "Are we expecting a fight?"

  "No, but there's a first time for everything. The companies that came through here before might have left something out too. You can't see it, but Henry's entire arm right now is covered in steel, and he's probably got his earth strength turned to max."

  Henry grunted as he tried to find the latch and muttered, "You know it." Eventually he found what he was searching for. "Got it!"

  The door slowly swung open. Nobody moved forward recklessly. As they stood there, Aodh got his first good look at the Yanbei Cavern treasure. His eyes widened, and he breathed, "Wow."

  * * *

  Mareen perched awkwardly on the side of the Battlewagon while Uluula sat across from her. Neither woman spoke. Mareen held her hammer while Uluula
leaned her spear against her leg and crossed her arms, staring at the captive orks.

  The orks sat in a docile circle, their arms bound, far enough away from each other that they couldn't communicate without being noticeable. Mareen really didn't understand why Jason and Henry were keeping them alive. Monsters were supposed to be killed. Everyone knew that.

  The situation with Uluula was tense. Mareen didn't know what to say. The silence was awkward, not least of which because Mareen felt silly that she was basically babysitting a woman twice her age from picking a fight with and killing barbaric people... or demon people... or something. Mareen wasn't entirely sure at this point.

  She really didn't fundamentally disagree with Uluula on the subject of exterminating the orks.

  She glanced around and noticed that Keeja was gone. She'd probably randomly left for a while as she did from time to time. Bezzi-ibbi was searching the dead orks for anything of value, bronze weapons and the like. Rark-han was helping him. The big wolf man was using the hook prosthetic that Henry had made to replace his missing arm to flip over the bodies and check their pockets.

  Mareen shivered. She could kill now, but she didn't have to like it. She definitely didn't ever want to feel like a vulture, picking among the dead. Better them than me, she thought.

  She avoided looking at the entrance to the dungeon. She knew Henry was probably in danger, but she didn't have the right to control him or be worried. He let her face danger on her own terms too. When she'd asked him about it, he'd said he wouldn't be respecting her if he tried to forbid her from what she wanted to do. That simple statement was exactly the kind of thing she loved about Henry.

  Of course, he didn't seem to understand that on Ludus, it was Mareen who'd be judged for letting a man face danger, not vice versa. Mareen really needed to educate Henry more on Ludus culture, but she just didn't have the heart yet. For the time being, she wanted to prolong the feel of their new relationship and how they were exploring their fledgling love for each other.

  Love. It shouldn't have been such a giddy word to think about since she'd already accepted her heart song, but she couldn't deny the realization was taking some adjustment. She'd already given her future and her body to Henry. He was her best friend. She felt stupid for wanting to marry already since they'd been seeing each other for such a short time, but she couldn't deny the truth.

  She didn't know when to bring it up, though. She didn't want Henry to think she was a silly young girl. She was several years into adulthood on Ludus, but she understood that people weren't even considered adults on Henry's world until they were 18. Strange.

  People had babies, got adult responsibility, and felt the urge to couple much younger than that. Why would a culture pretend otherwise? Mareen didn't understand. People from Henry's homeland must have had very easy lives. In fact, Henry had basically said as much before, but Mareen couldn't imagine it.

  Suddenly, Uluula began speaking. The sudden sound startled Mareen so badly she almost fell off the Battlewagon. The Areva woman softly said, "You know, I think I envy you in some ways."

  Mareen blinked a few times before responding. "What?"

  "If we were just about anywhere else in the rest of the universe, I would have so many advantages over you in every conceivable way that the gap between us would be profound. Yet here on Ludus, our positions are roughly equal despite the fact you are a Terran farm girl. I used to look down on you for that, but being Areva is inconvenient sometimes. We can't lie to ourselves.

  "See, as you may know, I have almost perfect recall. This means I can't pretend, I can't deny the reality of my past thoughts or actions. And honesty compels me to acknowledge that regardless of my original intentions for myself on this mission, you're here now acting as my de facto guard.

  "It's humiliating, but maybe I needed this."

  Mareen blinked again. Uluula had a peculiar way of speaking sometimes. The Areva woman could come across as distant or aloof, but Mareen was used to that. This wry introspection was a side of her personality Mareen had never seen before, a side she definitely liked more. However, Mareen had no idea what the small, fierce woman was saying. "What under the sun are you talking about?"

  "I was just thinking about how after all my self-discipline, after all the time and effort I've spent trying to adapt to this world and make a new life for myself, here I sit. I lost control and attacked some parasites, some vermin. I'm ashamed, ashamed I ignored my own strategy for the operation. And now I'm being guarded by someone I looked down on before but who has not only managed to avoid acting like a fool but who also managed to establish an adult, committed relationship."

  Uluula snorted and didn't make eye contact. "Not to mention someone who can physically overpower me despite vastly less experience in combat. Meanwhile, all I can do is blow a little wind around with a trickle of magic."

  Uluula demonstrated by picking up a leaf, placing it on her palm, and causing it to blow away from her hand as she furrowed her brow in concentration. After the leaf was gone, the Areva woman clenched her fist before relaxing and gently clasping her hands together.

  Mareen wasn't entirely sure how to respond. At first, she was offended by the implied insult but forced herself to think through the rest of what Uluula said. She wasn't blind. She'd noticed how Uluula tended to avoid her. She'd thought it was because she had said something that offended the smaller woman. Either way, Uluula usually acted professional--if a little cold and distant.

  Plus, this wasn't the first time another woman had given Mareen the cold shoulder. Growing up in a tight-knit community where so many men tried to get her attention hadn't exactly made for a comfortable life sometimes. Some other women had blamed Mareen for the attention, saying her single status might have spurred on the interest.

  They might have been right. However, the worst attitude she'd gotten was from some of the women that had approached her to be the second or even third wife in their families. Mareen believed her outright rejection of these proposals was appropriate, and in truth it was. Mareen knew it, the women making the suggestion knew it, but rejection was rejection; some people handled it better than others.

  George had had no idea any of this had happened, of course. Mareen loved her grandfather dearly, but he could be somewhat oblivious. She wished her mother was still alive. The old ache flared up and disappeared again just as quickly.

  After a second or two, she finally replied, "You planned out most of this operation. If I wasn't orb-Bonded, I'd have no chance against you in a fight. In fact, Jeth almost killed me." Mareen put a hand to her scarred lower back. "I have been a burden more often than not. The same is not true for you."

  Uluula shook her head in firm denial. "No, the way you handled the incident with Jeth was very brave and quite intelligent. I'm just glad he got what he deserved." Her eyes flashed. "I still wish we could have crucified him, though. At the very least, he should have been tortured for a while. Based on evidence and what the bandits told the Jaguar Clan, he was one of the vilest bandits of the lot. We should have replaced his blood with acid, little by little."

  Mareen felt a slight chill as Uluula's words and tone reminded her of the stories she'd heard of Areva ruthlessness. She changed the subject. "Why did you attack the orks anyway?"

  Uluula didn't speak for a while but finally said, "Tusked demons, orks, killed my older sister. She was superior to me in every way. What's more, she had a kind heart and a sweet nature. She devoted her life to helping others. She probably ended up in an ork's stomach. I hate them. They're locusts of the universe. If allowed, they would spread unchecked and reduce a world to rubble."

  Mareen felt a sudden kinship for the other woman. "So it was about family then. I understand now. My father and my mother were both killed when I was young, murdered. Their room was locked from the inside when their bodies were found. My father was a famous adventurer. After he died, since nobody knew who did it, I was given to my grandfather's care and grew up on farms. If I ever find out who
killed my parents, I will probably be much less calm than you were.

  "In fact, if not for Grandfather, I'm not sure what would have happened to me. He's the only family I have left. I owe him more than I could ever repay in a lifetime. I don't know what I will do when Grandfather passes away, much less what I'd do if he was killed. It's something I don't like to think about."

  Both women were quiet for a while, Mareen was lost in her own thoughts. Finally Uluula said, "I owe you an apology. I've been avoiding you, and I didn't even know you very well. I made a lot of assumptions that were not true."

  "I haven't exactly tried to seek you out either. I think part of me was a little intimidated. I'm a farm girl, and you're Areva. You won't say so, but it's fairly obvious you're an aristocrat."

  "Yes, well, at least you're the same species as the person you love." Uluula colored slightly but didn't look away.

  "What?" Mareen was shocked. She wasn't sure if she'd heard the other woman correctly. Uluula didn't respond and just studied her feet. The conversation was awkward, but Mareen felt glad they were having it. It kind of felt like they were addressing and working through months of misunderstandings between them.

  Eventually, Mareen asked, "Are we friends now?"

  Uluula looked up, startled. "Yes... I suppose we are at that. How surprising."

  "I'm glad," Mareen said, smiling.

  Uluula looked thoughtful for a moment before her cheeks colored and she asked with an otherwise entirely straight face, "Well, since we are friends now, can you tell me how to go about becoming... physical with a lover? How was it for you? What did you do to get over your nerves? You were inexperienced, right?

  "Against my better judgement, I... established my sexual bridge a day and a half ago. The process has not gone as smoothly as I could have hoped."

  Mareen couldn't help herself. She chortled; her mirth rang out by itself until Uluula joined her. Both women giggled so hard they had tears in their eyes.

  When Mareen noticed Bezzi-ibbi look up at the sound of their hilarity, roll his eyes, and ignore them to get back to work, it just made her laugh harder.