The City and the Dungeon

by Matthew Schmidt

"How much?" I asked.

  "Two hundred violet."

  Extortion, but I would rather be extorted than spend another minute in that wretched place. "Send the cloaks with an invoice to the House. Goodbye."

  It was after I stepped outside that I felt like I wanted to puke all the food. I didn't want this. I didn't want any of this. Why did I become a god, simply because I had killed enough monsters and survived a Core Boss. What was there in life, besides this?

  Many delvers would think otherwise. Delving to the deeper Floors, gaining as much Experience as possible, increasing power endlessly. I can't say I regretted any of that. But what at the end? I wished I could be a labylat, or a -dule, or anyone who had a goal.

  What did I want?

  Chapter Thirty:

  Dreams

  "And thus," I said in the common room, "I will never visit Ivan's again."

  "There's probably not too many stores that are better, to be honest," Elise said.

  "The Skill Shop," Xavier protested.

  "Not a high-class store," Elise said.

  "Ivan's is particularly awful," Adam Black told us as he came by our table. He looked older as well—perhaps he had decided not to drink a Potion of Youth. "Even Adrianne can't stand them. But look at this," Adam Black said, and set a pile of Blues magazines on our table. The glossy cover was a simple, stylized 76th followed by the words Special Edition. "You're in, oh, six articles?"

  "I cannot have imagined they would talk about anything else but the delve," Xavier said, and took his copy.

  "You're lucky," Elise said. "I've been pestered with interviews."

  "Why you?" I asked.

  "Because, you know, a certain treasure," Elise said.

  "Ah," I said. "No one's come to me about it."

  ALEX KENDERMAN

  V, 100th Black Hierarch, High House Black, 75Q, +101

  Already a climber, and now shot all the way up to violet. His party is now one of the few that have ever reached the lowest floor. Known to have a Spell Regeneration staff, given by Seth Black himself. Now that's interesting. Does the High House have further plans?

  SAMPSON KERRYMAN

  V, 100th Black Knight Grandmaster, High House Black, 75Q, +101

  His near perfect one-death record was broken in a battle with the 75th Boss (see our article). We'd rather take the treasure. Sources say he found a cauldron's worth of Strength increase, and a few draughts later now has 1,000 Strength.

  XAVIER D'AMBROSE

  V, 100th Master of Magic, High House Black, 75Q, +101

  We're not sure why he chose Master of Magic over Grand Archmage, but he chose wisely. Sources say he was destroying Core monsters handily. And if the 75th Boss they fought (see our article) is any clue, he's not wrong to go for flexibility.

  ELISE PURPLE

  V, 100th Rogue Queen, High House Black, 75Q, +108

  In addition to being one of the deepest delvers, she has faced the deadliest trap known (see our article). She could start a House handily with her fortune—or did she find new loyalty to an old enemy?

  ANDROMEDA SQUARE

  V, 100th Grim Knight Grandmaster, 75Q, +103

  The Miner/Mage/Knight hybrid build (see our article) she used worked, and we think you'll be seeing a lot more of it soon. Now possesses the greatest known pick in existence (see our article).

  "It's not the greatest," Andy said.

  "No one wants to talk about that pick, honey," Elise said, "yet."

  "How long will the charade go on, I wonder?" I asked.

  "The Law will have to outlaw shardgear," Xavier said. "Or it already does in shard laws."

  "Sure, it won't go on forever," Elise said. "But they'll keep it going for a little longer."

  I flipped back.

  ALICE BLACK

  V+, 50th Black Cherub, High House Black (family), 75Q, +223

  The cornerstone, if you will, of the delve, her infinite carrying capacity may have been the only thing between success and absolute failure. Led the delve after Adam Black's shattering.

  ADAM BLACK II

  V+, 117th Black Knight, High House Black (Family) +250

  We now know why he overleveled Black Knight (even more now): breaking J.R. Jackson's damage record, and also scoring the killing blow on the 75th Boss (see our article). What's his next goal, we wonder?

  I wondered myself. At least someone got what he wanted.

  Xavier cleared his throat. "Andy, I should have told you this earlier, but one of my personal drops was a new spellstone. Seek Heartstone Anywhere. So..." He drew an elaborate spell. "Looks like they are on the 25th. Your parents."

  We all got up. "Let's do this." I said. "Now."

  * * *

  The 25th Floor—how it used to seem so dangerous. True, we still avoided the War Trees, but it was more out of convenience. We also followed the corridors for convenience since Andy could tunnel through the walls in moments. And we did. We knew exactly where on the 25th Floor we needed to go.

  I feel bad, Alex. Elise thought to me. Couldn't we have asked Alice Black for this earlier? I'm sure she would have enough power in scrying spells.

  I just thought the same thing, I replied. But we know now.

  "Guys," Xavier said. "I'm scrying a lot of heartstones where we are going. I think it's a slayer camp."

  Fear rushed through me only long enough for me to realize they didn't stand a chance. "Guess we're going to wipe out a slayer camp today," I said.

  * * *

  And we did.

  I hate to summarize a battle so banally, but it was no contest. They didn't even know we were coming, as Xavier cloaked us and instakilled the scouts. Andy dug through the wall, and we barely noticed the detonation of the traps they had set. Sampson ended the melee parties in a matter of hits. Elise had gone and killed their mages before they could cast any strategic spells. I barely needed to heal anyone. I did get my own share of instakills: drain spells which I immediately replaced by my Spell Regeneration.

  "Guys?" Elise told us, having returned holding an indigo heartstone. "They had a Dimensional Archmage. This whole camp's in a DA bubble, which is why no one ever found it."

  "It was remarkably well organized," I said as I surveyed the wreckage we had made. "Was."

  "There was that rogue DA," Xavier said. "Back when they started the Elevator, he flipped out and killed some reds. Bet he fled here, started his own little kingdom. And no one would ever overthrow him, being as he's the one who kept the bubble going."

  "My parents," Andy said, angrily.

  "Let's go," I said.

  They hadn't been reviving their prey, for slaves or for torture. In one storage building, we found chest after chest of heartstones—twelve chests in total.

  I said, "We're taking everyone back. No point sorting them down here."

  "Man, though, if we just had Alice Black to carry this all," Elise said, but Sampson walked over and picked up one like it was made of paper, then stuffed it into his Bag of Holding. "Never mind."

  Andy held onto Elise and cried into her cloak.

  "There might be some survivors, for all we know," Xavier said, and fired off a number of Spellflare codes: Red-Red-Black-White. White-Red. Red-Red-Black. Slayer Camp. Camp destroyed. Danger, slayers. Then he cast Return.

  * * *

  "Healer!" I shouted.

  Adrianne Black was already there, leaning on her cushion chair in boredom. "You don't need to be so loud," she chided. As Sampson unloaded the chests, she added, "I see you've been busy. I don't suppose you expect me to revive all of them."

  "We ran into a slayer camp," I said. "We want you to revive Andy's parents. They're in there."

  Adrianne Black raised an eyebrow, but made no snarky retort as she got up and left. "I'll prepare, then."

  Anthony walked in, and stared at the chests with pure disbelief. "Did you just wipe a slayer camp all by yourselves?" he asked.

  "Basically. A privilege of being violet," I said. I didn't know how I would tell my support g
roup without boasting—which is what I wanted to do. "We brought back their heartstones, too, actually."

  "Congratulations," he said blandly. "You just complicated my life immensely. Now I'll need to call the City Guard and file all sorts of paperwork, just because you didn't want to throw them down a shaft."

  "Actually, we were on the 25th. Nowhere to throw," Elise said. Andy was still wrapped around her.

  Before Anthony could complain further, two Titans and several more Knight Commanders appeared on the teleport pads. "We're from the Guard," one Titan said. "You have Chaotic heartstones?"

  "Quite a few, actually," I said proudly. "We wiped out a slayer camp. If you're heading to the Morgue, could you take these chests?"

  The other Titan, a woman, said, "Per our procedures, we can't. I'll tell the Morgue you have them, and they can send someone to pick them up. Good work, though. Where's the rest of your team?"

  "We're the whole team," I said, adding at their skepticism. "We out-leveled them by a lot."

  "There's a bunch of Chaotics, here," Elise said as she and Andy sifted through heartstones. A few were dim, some even dimmer. "Also, we killed a Chaotic DA."

  The male Titan took the heartstone in question. "R.R. the Great? Sheesh. Finally got him, huh? Bet he was in a bubble, right?"

  "The whole camp was," I said.

  "No wonder no one found them. You'll be getting about five different bounties in a few days. Well, more than that."

  "You've got more Chaotics in those chests," a Knight Commander said, staring at one. "We'll have to sort it all."

  "Slayers preying on slayers," I said. Perhaps R.R.'s little kingdom hadn't been so stable.

  "Listen," Elise said. "We can just leave these with you, right? We just delved for two lost heartstones and ran into them. So..."

  Another teleport, like a shadow opening up. "Is this now a public teleport chamber?" Adrianne Black asked as she reentered.

  "If you don't want people teleporting in, then don't return directly from the Dungeon with heartstones," the Necromancer Archmage said.

  "'Sup, I. L. Darkness," I told him.

  "'Sup. All of those chests?"

  "All heartstones," I said.

  "Sheesh. That isn't a record-setting amount of heartstones," the Necromancer Archmage said. "But it's up there. Man, you got Reuben? Shame he went that way. Always thought he just needed some help." He shrugged and turned to the Guardsmen. "Anyway, you can come with me, and we'll sort out all the Chaotics."

  "Sounds good," the male Titan said.

  Andy went to Adrianne Black and tugged silently.

  "Yes, yes," Adrianne Black said. "I'll do it. Mr. Darkness, there's two heartstones in there. A Mr. and Mrs. Square."

  "Have a right to them?" I. L. Darkness asked. "Have to ask."

  "They're my parents," Andy said.

  He cast a spell, and hands of shadow opened one chest and gently dug through the heartstones. They brought out two and handed them to Adrianne Black. "Here you go. Anyone else?"

  "For all I know, yes, but no point digging through it here," I said.

  "Right, then." Shadow arms lifted every chest, and then he was gone. All but one Knight Commander followed.

  Anthony motioned her along. "I guess we'll be doing the paperwork. Mr. Kenderman?"

  I was torn between following them and the rest of my party and Adrianne Black. "Eh, don't worry," the Guard said. "No rush."

  * * *

  If not that Adrianne Black would need her arms free to cast, Andy would probably still be clinging to her. She was wrapped around Elise instead.

  "Here we go," Adrianne Black said, and drew two pluses, one after another. "80% and 81%. Good, considering how long they've been down there."

  The two pluses flew into the heartstones. Soulbounds flashed into place, picks for both of them, then long, flowing gold coats. I would have cast heals, but Adrianne Black must have burned two Full Revives. They sat up, entirely whole. I could see the resemblance, in Mrs. Square especially.

  Andy went and squeezed the two so tightly they winced.

  "Andromeda?" Mrs. Square asked. "My, how you've grown!"

  "It's been two years," Elise said.

  "You've grown, too," Mrs. Square told Elise, then looked at us. "Who are all of you?"

  "Andy's friends," I said. "And Adrianne Black."

  "Well, aren't we witty today," Adrianne Black said, and walked out.

  "Could... you leave us by ourselves?" Andy asked.

  "We'll leave you to them," I said. "It'll be good."

  Outside, I wiped my eyes.

  "That felt a lot better than any loot I've ever gotten," Xavier said. "Or stone used, or monster killed. Just, awesome."

  "Someone's dreams were met, that's why," I said.

  But what about mine?

  Why had I even come here?

  Tomorrow, I decided. Tomorrow, I would do something I had put off too long.

  I would visit you.

  Chapter Thirty-One:

  Home

  "Hey, Xavier?" I asked that next day. "Do you have a world-scale party teleport?"

  "No, but I've considered buying one. Why?"

  "I want to visit my family. They live all the way in America, so..."

  "No problem," Xavier said. "We'll just stop by the Skill Shop and buy one."

  * * *

  I didn't know if I could stand another high-class store, but the Skill Shop was different in practically every way. It's open to the public, for one, as the lower floors are dedicated to their collections of beginning skill and spellstones.

  Our goal is simple! declared a sign. Have one of every stone, no matter what!

  I thought about it. There were a few stones I was interested in, but... There was no way that the Skill Shop could have every stone. Not when Master Legal and Master Business Management went for thousands of violets at the Auction House. But maybe if there would be enough drops for them to complete their collection.

  Unless shard-skillstones existed. Ick.

  "Just think," Xavier said. "There is not one spellstone they sell here—not one—that I cannot use."

  "Still planning to use them all, one day?" I asked him.

  "Why not?" Xavier grinned. "Seth Black already gave me good help down that way."

  There was only one guard by the high-level stone section, sitting without a helmet hiding his bored expression. Xavier flashed a shiny card at him, and he waved us on. "Have a nice day."

  "Prismatic membership," Xavier said. "I shop here all the time, anyway. Actually, if you want something, I'll buy it for you."

  "Thanks, dude," I said. "Actually... Hey," I said to an attendant, a lady in a red uniform. "Where's the drain spells?"

  "Right that way, sir."

  "Meet you later," Xavier said. "I've got a few more spells I'm looking for, too."

  "Thanks," I said, and walked to the section. It was large, although the size of the displays—each stood enthroned on a pillow embroidered with the name—made it feel larger. A few were empty. I had to tell myself that I could empty any of those displays—any one. Even without Xavier's offer, I had the money.

  I looked through all of them, and looked again. Not only was there not one stone for Drainstorm, but they didn't even have a display case for it.

  "Are you looking for something, sir?" asked another attendant, an older guy.

  "Drainstorm," I said. Then with inspiration added, "It might be a new spell."

  The attendant opened a small, thick book and flipped through it. "We've never heard of it. Was it a Core drop?"

  Of course. At this point, everyone in the City knew where I had been. "Sorta. It was an inherent cast of a staff, which I don't have any more," I said. I saw him making the mental connection, and his face turned to horror. "I had to use it to survive," I protested. "Anyway, it's locked away in the Morgue, now, but I hoped I could find the spell separately."

  "We'll see if it ever comes in, then tell you," the attendant said, and made
a note in the book. "We're always looking for new spells. Your name, sir?"

  "Alex Kenderman," I said. This place was so much nicer than Ivan's. "Hey, I'm not saying I saw any, because I didn't, but... Just make sure that anything you get from the Core isn't... well... part of someone."