by Tao Wong
A Dungeon’s Soul
Book 3 of the Adventures on Brad
By Tao Wong
A Dungeon’s Soul
License Notes
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Copyright © 2017 Tao Wong. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2017 Felipe deBarros Cover Artist
Copyright © 2017 Sarah Anderson Cover Designer
ISBN: 9781775058755
Chapter 1
Dawn light filtered through the wooden shutters of Daniel Chai’s room in the Spinning Top. He shivered, pulling his blankets closer to his body for a moment as the late autumn morning chill made itself known to him. Long years of discipline forced him to sit up now that he was awake. He ran a hand through his hair, smiling slightly at the uneven cut that Khy’ra, his girlfriend, had given him. She was a dangerous Adventurer, a beautiful Elf, and a kindly Healer, but the one thing she was not was a decent barber.
After stretching slowly to his full five foot eight inches, Daniel walked to the windows after wiping himself down, sliding a shirt back on. He threw the shutters open and looked out at the sprawling city of wood and stone before him, then leaned outwards slightly as he stared at the center of town to spot the Dungeon entrance and the Adventurers’ Guild. Early as it was, he could see streams of Adventurers entering and exiting the Dungeon, traversing the pathway between Guild and Dungeon to sell their loot before resting.
The Karlak Dungeon had reopened in the last few days after being closed for weeks as the Dungeon reconfigured itself. The wave of relief that had risen through the city when it was made clear that it was still a Beginner Dungeon had been palatable. As every Adventurer had to start again from the first Level, the Adventurers’ Guild had instituted a lottery system to stagger entry. Eventually, the more experienced Adventurers would trickle down to the lower levels and entry would no longer need to be staggered, as the Adventurers would all be spread out across its many levels. Eventually.
Daniel sighed again, pulled his head back in, and finished dressing. Unfortunately, their party had drawn a slot for tomorrow, leaving them to wait another day. Weeks without their most important income source meant that he needed to work whatever jobs he could find on the quest board if he wanted to eat tomorrow. Staying in bed was not an option.
Walking down the stairs, he waved to Elise, the Spinning Top’s owner, who was delivering food to the floor. The matronly blonde smiled at Daniel, nodding to a free table while she delivered watered-down beer, wine, and a mix of eggs, bacon, and leafy greens to the table. Daniel idly noted that the plates were nearly overflowing with greens as the very last harvest had been pulled from the ground. Soon, only canned vegetables and a small variety of magically preserved vegetables would be available.
“Morning, Elise,” Daniel greeted the innkeeper as she arrived with his breakfast. Elise just flashed him a smile, too busy to chat while he dug into the meal with gusto. As he finished up, Elise dropped off a pair of wrapped lunches at his table.
Outside, having retrieved his leather armor, shield, and mace, Daniel quickly joined the flow of humanity as he headed to the Guild. Daniel casually eyed the crowds who were mostly made up of human townsfolk with the occasional glimpse of a Beastkin. Early as it was, most Adventurers were either already in the Dungeon or still asleep. Once he arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild, he found his partner, Asin, waiting for him.
“Morning, Asin,” he greeted his friend and fellow party member. The smaller Catkin was crouched on the stairs that led up to the building, licking at her paw while her tail lazily waved in the air behind her. Jade eyes glinted in amusement as Daniel handed her the packet of food, which she quickly slipped into her bag, ensuring it was strapped in and out of the way of her additional throwing knives.
“Daniel,” Asin purred. The Catkin as always kept her speaking to the minimum, being one of the unlucky few who found it painful to speak in the human tongue of Brad. Unfortunately, as hard as Daniel worked at it, he found it difficult to shape his throat and tongue to speak the common Beastkin language.
“Checked out the quest board yet?” Daniel asked as he walked up the stairs. Asin stood smoothly, her movements all feline grace. At the shake of Asin’s head, Daniel nodded contentedly. Inside, the Adventurers’ Guild buzzed as Adventuring parties cashed out Mana Stones, hung out regaling each other with tales of the new floors, and generally made a mess. Asin’s ears perked up as she swiveled her head from side to side, listening in on the conversation. Being the third day of the Dungeon opening, talk mostly centered around the first floor and as such, Asin learnt nothing new.
The quest board was literally a pair of rolling wooden boards upon which the attendants at the Guild posted new requests. The board itself was separated into three portions depicting the most common quest types—Delivery, Collection, and Miscellaneous. Unlike the previous few weeks, the board was not stripped bare of all quests as more and more Adventurers went back to the Dungeon to earn coin.
Lips pursed, Daniel slowly read through the posted offers. Unlike many of his peers, the former Miner had been taught to read, so he ignored the symbols posted on the bottom right for the illiterate, instead studying the board for a suitable option.
“Ah, brave heroes! The morning’s fire greets you all!” The roared greeting makes Asin wince. Everyone in the Guild briefly turned to view the youthful barbarian who was the cause of the ruckus. Standing nearly a foot taller than Daniel, the blond-haired, tunic-clad muscular Northerner towered over the Adventurers within, a friendly smile on his face as he walked in. Carrying only a single, large sword, the barbarian strode over to the quest board, his grin widening as he spotted Asin and Daniel.
“Morning, Omrak,” Daniel greeted the youngster, shuffling over slightly to give the barbarian space.
“This? Is this quest worthy of a hero?” A brief few seconds later, Omrak was pointing out a quest with a meaty finger.
“Uhhh …” Daniel read the quest notice, lips twitching. “That’s a request for beaters for the upcoming Fall Hunt. It’s a few days away and you’d need to make your way there. Not bad pay though.”
“Ah …” Omrak rumbled, staring at the quest. Daniel raised an eyebrow and Omrak shrugged as he answered the unspoken question. “I have no party. I must wait a few more days before entering the Dungeon. This quest work, it is less than heroic but better than the docks.”
“No luck with finding a party so far?” Daniel asked.
“No. I fear I must wait for a new group or grow strong myself,” Omrak said, clapping a hand to his chest.
“Well, we’re going in tomorrow …” Daniel began to say before he was elbowed in the side by Asin. She snarled at him, making him blink.
“Hero Asin …?”
“Later,” Asin growled as she dragged Daniel to a nearby booth. She lowered her voice then, snarling at him. “No offer.”
“But why?” asked Daniel. “It won’t be for long and he needs some help.”
“First floor. Lousy ston
es. Split three way,” Asin said, her tail lashing out behind her.
“Uhh …” Daniel quickly parsed the sentences together before he blinked. “You don’t want to help Omrak because we won’t earn enough?”
Asin nodded firmly, making Daniel grimace.
“He’s not earning a lot right now. It won’t hurt for him to join us and we could use his help at lower levels. He’s roughly on the same level as we are so he wouldn’t be holding us back,” Daniel said quickly, lining up his arguments.
“Expensive,” Asin repeated.
“Yeah, but he can carry more than we can.”
Asin paused, clearly taken by that thought. Pressing his advantage, Daniel continued, “You know you can’t carry much and neither can I. With more help, we could potentially clear the second floor in a single day.”
Asin frowned before she finally answered, “Third.”
“That’s …”
“Third.”
“Fine!” Daniel grimaced, knowing that pushing to do three floors in a single run was going to be difficult. However, the Guild had agreed that any party that managed to make it to the third floor would be eligible to enter the Dungeon at any time. Having won her way, Asin stalked back to the big barbarian who had been watching the argument with interest.
“Join. Carry. Go fast,” Asin hissed at the big man, holding her fingers up as she spoke. “Equal share.”
Omrak grinned, clapping the diminutive Catkin on the shoulder and staggering her. “Thank you, hero! You shall not find fault in our progress. I shall be your shield, your sword, and your back!”
“Loud!” Asin complained to Daniel as she grabbed a quest off the board and stalked off to join the line awaiting an attendant.
“Omrak, quieter, please,” Daniel said, grinning slightly at his Catkin friend, who was rubbing her shoulder discretely.
“Of course, hero!” Omrak said in a stage whisper.
“Tomorrow, at the entrance. Dawn.”
“I shall be there. But for now, I must meet with the Master of Docks. I shall avail myself to the boats one last day.”
“Yeah, you do that. See you, Omrak.” Having said his goodbyes, Daniel strode over to his waiting friend, who held the quest notice out for Daniel to read. He winced as he read it over, grumbling. “Really?”
“Good coin.”
“I know …” Daniel sighed again and slipped the quest notice into his pouch. Well, he was asking her to help.
Hours later, Daniel stifled a slight groan as he hauled the next basket of fish up the steep hill. As Omrak would have said—this was not a hero’s work. However, it was decent-paying work for both of them—at least, so long as the fish were swimming. It was the last week of the run and the Fishermen’s Guild had finally opened up fishing on the river, ensuring that the nets and fishing traps were running full-bore. Even if Adventurers were not the preferred day laborers, this week any extra pair of hands was gratefully taken.
Daniel just wished that he was not stuck doing the heavy labor. Unfortunately, like most of the hired Adventurers, he had no Skills or background in crafting, so fixing the nets or the traps was out. His only saving grace here was his strength and endurance, and so he found himself trudging up the hill with baskets filled with fish. In the river, Asin—with her natural grace and her superb aim—was having the time of her life with the nets. Even without a Skill related to fishing, she was pulling a significant number of fish out.
As he came back down the hill, Daniel watched Asin tromp out of the freezing water to warm up against the nearby braziers. Enchanted galoshes kept her feet and thighs warm but did nothing for her torso. Daniel had to hide a smile when she finally exited and shook herself hard, sending droplets of cold water cascading from her fur. A choked snort from behind him told Daniel that he was not the only one to find the wet Catkin amusing.
If he had to spend a day outside of the Dungeon, this was not a bad way to do so. Still, as Daniel stretched and looked up into the sky, he could not help but look forward to the next day.
“Daniel,” Khy’ra greeted him as she entered her house. “I got your message at the Clinic.”
“Khy’ra.” He bent forwards, planting a quick kiss on her lips before he turned back to frying the fish. One good thing about working the river today—dinner was easily served. “Everything good at the Clinic?”
“The usual.” Khy’ra shrugged. “Nothing that needs your Gift, though if you could spare a few minutes later, we have a few patients that could use a Healing.”
Daniel nodded, relieved that he would not be required to use his Gift. A small number, maybe one in a thousand, were Gifted with an ability upon birth. The usefulness and strength of the ability varied but what never did was that the use of a Gift had a cost. For Daniel, that cost of using his Gift was the loss of a portion of his memories, his experience, his Skills. However, his Gift also provided him an uncanny understanding of the body which allowed him to learn and progress in the use of more traditional Healing magic.
“After dinner,” Daniel said.
“Of course. Worked the river today?” Khy’ra asked as she walked up beside him, breathing in the aroma of the fried fish. She could smell crushed pepper, the pork fat that she had saved, dried thyme, red peppers, and something else. Brows furrowed, the Elf stared at the tantalizing dish.
“Asin’s recipe,” Daniel answered, prodding the fish once again before taking it out of the frying pan.
“Should I get the milk then?” Khy’ra teased as she walked to set the table.
“I fixed it,” Daniel said proudly. Once again, he was grateful that the Catkin was as dedicated to good food as he was—his journeys in the last few months had taught him that this was not the case with most other Adventuring parties. On the other hand, the Beastkin had a tendency to eat intensely spicy foods—something that puzzled Daniel, considering their expanded senses.
“Oh good,” Khy’ra said, and Daniel laughed. As much as Khy’ra complained, he could still recall her stuffing her face without complaint the last time Asin was here cooking for them all.
“You’re headed into the Dungeon tomorrow?” Khy’ra asked as she finished setting the table, watching as Daniel fished out the bread from the oven. There were many reasons she cared for this young Adventurer, but the way he fed her certainly helped. A touch of sorrow flickered across her face as she recalled that he would be leaving soon. Like most humans, they stepped into and out of her life.
“Yes. Do you recall the Northerner? Omrak?”
“I’ve seen him around. Big man.”
“Uhh …” Daniel paused, noting the admiring tone in her voice before he shook away the flash of jealousy. “Yes. He’ll be joining us. At least for a few levels.”
“Mmmm … that’s good,” Khy’ra said around a mouthful of fish.
Daniel blinked, uncertain of whether she was referring to his cooking or Omrak. Seeing his confusion, Khy’ra’s eyes crinkled in humor and Daniel realized she had done it on purpose. Seeing him growl playfully at her, the Elf finally relented.
“It’s good that you’ve gotten more help. There are a lot of Dungeons that can’t be completed without more members,” Khy’ra clarified. Daniel nodded, knowing what she said was true. However, both he and Asin were workaholics, and finding others who were willing to keep up with them would have been difficult. Daniel, however, had a very good feeling about Omrak.
Biting into the fish himself, Daniel turned the conversation to Khy’ra’s day, pushing aside thoughts of the Dungeon and Adventuring. They would have more than enough to discuss tomorrow.
Chapter 2
“Morning, Liev,” Daniel greeted the red-haired, scrawny Guild attendant. Leaning against the wooden counter, Daniel proffered their chit in exchange for the entrance seal.
“Daniel, Asin. And Omrak?” Liev stared at the blond giant, lines on his face deepening as he raised an eyebrow in inquiry to the pair. After receiving a confirming nod, Liev just shrugged and added Omrak’s name t
o the seal. “Have you been keeping up with the news?”
“Yes, but best to go over it again,” Daniel answered for the group. Asin pursed her lips slightly, eager to leave, but said nothing. Behind, Omrak looped his thumbs in his belt, pushing his giant sword that hung by a shoulder sheath down his chest to the side.
“Right, first floor has Kobolds. No change there,” Liev said. “Second floor, we’ve got Elemental Turtles. Slow but tough. You either need to flip them or shatter their shells. As you know, breaking the shells in combat will decrease the chance that they’ll drop when the Dungeon dismisses the body and the Guild is buying the shells. We’re paying two copper per shell currently. No traps reported.
“No group has managed to make it to the third floor as yet. The first floor is relatively small—about three-quarters the size of the old first floor. The second floor makes up for it, being about thrice the size. It’s a mixture of water pools and caves, so you’ll need to be careful about walking around. There are no natural lights and the Guild has not installed any thus far, so you’ll need to bring your own for the second floor. An extra pair of clothing is also recommended, and rope.”
Having finished his rundown, Liev waited patiently for any questions. Seeing none, he finished.
“That’s about it for the Dungeon so far. We did get a letter indicating that we should expect at least a few interested Advanced parties soon.”
Daniel grunted at the news, not entirely surprised. The bonus for completing a new Dungeon added to the allure of the unknown was bound to draw some more experienced Adventurers. Even so, Asin hissed slightly, while Omrak was either oblivious to the implications or uncaring, having shown no reaction to the news.
“Thanks, Liev. We’ll see you tonight?” Daniel asked.
Liev nodded in agreement, watching the trio leave with a slight smile on his face before he turned to the next group.