Camelot Dungeon

by Galen Wolf

  I sigh as I see Tye go down under the ghast, but he's not dead, he's still stabbing wildly at it, jabbing it time and again in its leprous side. Bernard's on his feet at least. He stands at bay, rune sword in his hand.

  Seeing me coming, he meets my eye. I yell, 'Go, go go.' But I know we can't really get away. If they could get away and maybe free Henry and Bessie, I could stand and take on these others to buy them time.

  But Bernard has other ideas. With a shrug, he produces two flasks full of a boiling grey liquid and hurls them up into the air. I watch them as they rise to their apex and drop smashing on the ground, releasing billowing clouds of thick smoke.

  As Bernard disappears behind the thick grey mist, he says, 'That was Plan B.'

  I wonder why he didn't do this before. (Later I ask him and he says it's because he thought we were going to win. Gotta love an optimist.)

  In the middle of the smoke, I shout, 'Free the mules.'

  I hear Tye's voice, 'Crystals?'

  'Save the mules.'

  I guess I'm sentimental, but I couldn't bear Henry dying.

  Then there's confusion. I hear grunts and yells in the mist, but no one can see anything. I push Spirit forward and we suddenly exit the smoke and I can see. The entrance to the Forgotten Chapel Dungeon is close. I can't see my guys. I hear them though. Then Henry appears from the fog followed by Bessie. I point to the dungeon door three hundred yards down the trail. 'Run!'

  Henry gives no back-chat as he gallops down the path. Then Tye appears, clutching two crystals. He's got one under each arm, but they're burdening him down. 'Couldn't leave them,' he gasps, struggling towards me.

  'Drop one. We only need one. Hell, drop them both.'

  The realization dawns on him and he lets one of the smoky crystals drop with a thump onto the soft peat. He's still trying to save one of them, then he breaks into a jog. Still no Bernard.

  I'm going to stand here and block the way until we're all safe. But maybe Bernard's dead already.

  I see two struggling figures fall out of the fog. It's Bernard in combat with Morrigan.

  She's streaming with blood, so she hasn't healed up fully, but Bernard looks in a bad way and I think she's going to kill him.

  I nudge with my knees and Spirit explodes into a gallop, crossing the ground and I raise my sword. Morrigan's got her back to me. It's not chivalrous to kill a woman with her back to you so I yell her name, she turns surprised, but she's still half twisted away so I get a crit.

 

 

  <600xp>

  And she's down.

 

  Bernard gulps down a healing potion. 'Run for the dungeon door.'

  But then Maligon emerges from the mist fully healed. I grit my teeth, sitting there on Spirit, I wait for him.

  Bernard's running to the door. Tye's already there. The wizard yells back, 'The door's locked. The dungeon's closed to adventurers.'

  Damn. He's right. Fitheach has the key.

  'Maligon’s got a big smile on his face. 'First I'm gonna kill you, Gorrow, then I'm gonna kill all your little friends.'

  'Yeah, yeah. Quit talking, start fighting.'

  He throws back his head and starts to laugh. He makes me sick. Especially as he's probably right.

  Then I see a dove fluttering into the air from Bernard's hands. He's sent a personal message to someone. I don't have time to think about that now.

  Maligon rushes me. Spirit rears and clatters his hoofs against the Death Knight. In response Maligon jabs his sword into Spirit's chest. My horse screams in pain. I dismount and hack at Maligon from the side, distracting him from cutting Spirit down. 'Call Spirit,' I yell back to my allies.

  They shout, but Spirit won't leave me.

  Bernard is prepared to come fight, but I wave him back. This is about honor and chivalry. At least for me it is.

  I face down Maligon. He's still laughing. Then he says something and he's wreathed in a black fire. This must be a Death Knight skill. He can't have thought he needed it until now.

  I jab him and when my sword strikes for 150, I get a message:

 

  So each time I hit him, his aura will burn me. Great.

  Then he hacks at me and my shield block fails.

 

 

  He got a Doublestrike. I only hope I do. I sip health and set my feet on the ground. I block and jab, block and jab. He gets his attacks through, and I'm keeping my health up as best I can, but slowly, slowly he's wearing me down.

  'You've got good skills,' he says. 'For one of Arthur's losers. I thought I'd have had you by now.'

  I smile grimly to myself. It's all in the build.

  I get a crit and he's on the back foot. I follow up and get through but am burned by that damned aura of his.

  Then he crits.

 

  I sigh. Potion's on cool-down. I see his face. He thinks he's won. So do I. Then I know he'll kill my friends.

  There's a commotion by the Dungeon Door. I hear the sound of it being unlocked. I can risk to look back and lose my concentration. I manage to sip Health potion, and block a blow then he hits me again and I'm back to 120. One more hit, that's all he needs.

  I hit him and I'm 90. I shake my head. Death is close. So, bring it. I'd rather die fighting than surrender to this cur.

  Then I hear Fitheach’s voice. Bernard must have messaged him and he's opened the dungeon. At least they'll be safe.

  I hear Fitheach yell out, 'Begone, servant of evil. I will not allow you to pollute this place.'

  Maligon laughs and hacks at me, but I block.

  Then there's a crackle and a sudden smell of lilies as a blinding white beam shoots past me and smacks into Maligon, sending him standing back.

  I see my chance and lunge.

 

 

 

 

 

  <1000xp>

  Well, goodness me.

  I think I'm pleased but I don't know. The fight has drained me completely. Maligon's ghost shimmers and is gone. He'll want revenge. And he knows where we are now, but I'm past caring.

  Tye comes up and gives some of his healing potion to Spirit. He says, 'Good job, boss. We're all proud of you.' He points to the carts. 'I'll go fetch the crystals.'

  Henry and Bessie are re-hitched to the wagon and they bring the crystals creaking and lumbering down the path.

  Fitheach comes up to me. 'I hope you didn't mind me interfering. I'm sworn to fight evil, you see.'

  I tip up my visor and smile. 'I'm big enough to realize I needed your help, Fitheach.'

  'Not so chivalrous, though...'

  I throw up my hands. 'Thanks anyway.'

  We get unload the wagon and Thorvald's miners help us take the crystals through the dungeon into Bernard's workshop in Silver Drift Mine.

  They'll be coming for us soon.

  25

  BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES

  I can almost hear my enemies hammering on the door.

  'So what do we do now?' Bernard stands, looking grimy and tired just inside the dungeon. We've shut it against our enemies. I doubt they're actually outside yet, but they will be.

  Fitheach says, 'As long as we keep the dungeon closed, they can't get in.'

  Tye pushes back his unruly yellow-red hair from his forehead. 'What's the point us building the dungeon if it's never open?' He turns to me. 'I thought you plan was to get revenue from the adventurers to fund building an army?'

  I shrug. 'In part. But also, it was to be cover. They'd know there was a dungeon here, but never suspect we had a working settlement behind it.'

  'They still don't know about
Silver Drift Mine and the Secret Valley,' Fitheach says.

  'No, they don't. Yet.' I feel weary. 'But,' I continue. 'They'll start sniffing around. I would. If they don't see us coming and going out of the main dungeon entrance, they'll begin to search for a back door, and that search will inevitably lead them to the Secret Valley.'

  'We can shut the back door from the mine into the settlement,' Fitheach says.

  'But they'll still destroy the farms and barracks.'

  'Bring the barracks into the mine.'

  It's not a bad idea. In fact it's one I've been pondering for a while. The only unit that absolutely needs to be outside is the eagles. The rest could be trained and housed underground.

  I sigh. 'But I don't want to lose the farms and fields. Not again. We'll be back in the same position of not being able to feed the population.'

  'Eat the mushrooms? There's loads of mushrooms growing in the lower levels of the mines.' Tye is trying to be helpful.

  I laugh. 'Not sure there's enough to feed an army. But we should start harvesting them to supplement the beer and potatoes.'

  'Beer, potatoes and mushrooms, there's an enticing menu.' At first I think Bernard is being sarcastic, but then I realize from the look on his face, he actually likes the sound of that meal.

  I grow more serious. 'So, we are discussing whether we could survive locked in the mine.'

  'I guess.' Tye scratches his head. Bernard smiles ruefully. Fitheach stares at his hands.

  I go on. 'It might be possible. But really do we want to be stuck like rats in a trap, never able to see the sky unless we sneak out when our enemy isn't watching?'

  A grumble goes round the room. They all look exhausted, except Fitheach, but he appears as downhearted as the rest of us.

  I shake my head. 'You see, to me, this is about more than survival. It's about honor. A Knight of the Round Table doesn't skulk underground, hiding from the bad guys.'

  'Ah yes, honor,' Fitheach says.

  'I was wondering when that would come up again,' Bernard says.

  Tye looks grim and angry. 'I say open up the dungeon. Let them send their best team. We put our best team together.'

  Fitheach grins. 'You mean us standing here?'

  Tye nods. 'Yes, I have faith in us.' My, he's fierce, even though he's little.

  Bernard looks less sure. 'Not sure I fancy getting my ass handed to me every day.'

  Fitheach says, 'Much as I applaud Tye's courage and attitude. There's more than us to think about. There's the dungeon and the settlement. Lots of people have put lots of work into it. They've put their hopes into it. We can't just let it burn.'

  He's right. It's a dilemma. Open the doors and die day after day; and that'll drive all these players away eventually, no matter how loyal they are now. Especially since every time they die, they'll go to their bind points miles away, getting harassed and hunted on the journey back until they just give up. Anyone would.

  I look at the scarred and burned wood of the front door. It won't keep Maligon and his followers out. It's just the game rules that are doing that. At the moment, I have the dungeon shut down in my HUD settings. As soon as I reactivate it, anyone can come through the doors.

  But we could close them permanently and attempt to grow the settlement and hope they don't find the Secret Valley.

  I check the population. We're at 86 now. Very close to getting the settlement milestone. At least when we get that we'll be able to bind here for when they kill us.

  Then I shake myself mentally. This despondency and defeatism is getting to me.

  I leave the players for a while. I want the company of NPCs now; they're less complex. I wander through the dungeon and find the new stairs they've cut down to Level Two. The stairs are just behind Tye's chambers where the Tome lurks in its trapped chest. I heard the sound of digging and make my way down.

  I find Peter the Silent, our halfling trapsmith, standing measuring a wall.

  'What's up, Peter?'

  He bows. 'Sir Gorrow, sir. How nice to see you.'

  I point at the wall. 'New trap?'

  He grins and rubs his hands. 'Yes, and it's a new challenge. A new theme. I've enjoyed working with Mr. Tye. He's...' He pauses as if searching for the right words, then concludes, '...fiery.'

  I nod. 'He is that.'

  'But Level Two belongs to Mr. Bernard. No more fire. He said that. He said he was bored with fire.'

  I shrug. 'He's an alchemist not a fire mage, so I guess there'll be a different theme.'

  'So I thought — acid! That's suitably chemical.'

  'Sounds good.'

  He points down. 'Do you see these filaments?'

  I follow where he's pointing and see stalks of fine metal, like some kind of artificial grass.

  'So, I've used a lot of pressure plates and tripwires as activating mechanisms. I thought I'd try something different. These filaments activate the acid shower trap, but any one of them will do it. So it's not just one pressure plate or one tripwire. Much harder to disarm.'

  'Fiendish.'

  He loves his work. 'You think so?'

  I did kind of mean it as a compliment so I smile.

  'Check the trap, Sir Gorrow. Please.'

  I look through my HUD and hover over the wall and ceiling with my targeting recticle until I get the trap's details.

  Name: Acid Shower

  Type: Trap

  Level: Six

  Disarm Difficulty: 120

  Damage: 300

  Crit Chance: 20% x 4

  XP Value: 400

  'Level Six?'

  He nods. 'Level One traps can be dungeon base level plus one, Level Two traps are dungeon base plus two. So when the dungeon levels to Level Five, as it will shortly, this trap will go up to Level Seven, and the stats will go up as well, so it'll go to 350 damage and I think 22% crit chance.'

  I slap the weird NPC on his shoulder. 'You're doing a great job, Peter.' He gives a silent chuckle, and as I leave him, I think how sly and murderous he is. But then that's probably what we need for this job.

  I run into Thorvald and his miners at the left hand fork of the main tunnel. They've split it like a trident from the passage that starts at the bottom of the steps.

  As always, he seems really pleased to see me. 'Sir Gorrow, an honor.'

  'You're getting on well, I see.' I gesture at the work. I see two beer kegs and a pile of raw potatoes. That must be their lunch.

  'Bernard asked us to do this as quickly as possible so he can get Oliver and Asterix and begin to dress the dungeon. Peter's already at work.'

  I nod. 'Thorvald, if I needed to divert you to the settlement itself and create barracks rooms underground, how long would that take?'

  'It would delay the building of the dungeon, obviously.' He scratches his jaw thoughtfully. 'A couple of days, I guess.' Then he frowns, 'So you want two barracks?'

  I shake my head. 'No. We demolish the one outside and re-use the materials.'

  'Okay, we can do that. You want us to start?'

  I hesitate. 'No, not yet. Maybe we won't do it. I'm just thinking it through.'

  26

  I SEE FIRE

  'We're opening the dungeon.'

  Tye nods. 'Good.'

  Bernard looks more thoughtful.

  'I've been thinking it over. Honor won't let me hide down here. It's just not the way a knight is supposed to be.'

  Bernard says, 'I get that. I respect your choice. We still can't bind here?'

  'Not until the settlement grows. We're nearly there...'

  'Ah well, I kinda got used to the walk.'

  Tye says, 'And it's hard binding anywhere else closer, because all the settlements are enemy zone of control, so as soon as you respawn, you're fighting. That's okay for big guys like Bernard...'

  Bernard grimaces. 'Well, you know. Still it's a pain.'

  'But unless I've got a ton of potions to replenish my mana, and heal up, even if I do fight my way out of enemy towns, I'm half dead and easy pre
y for anyone coming across me.'

  He looks knowingly at Bernard. 'Like I say, unless I have a ton of potions.'

  Bernard shakes his head, reaches into his inventory and pulls out four potion bottles, two sparkling and two blue. He gives them to Tye.

  'Thanks, Uncle Bernard.'

  'I've said before, I'm not your uncle...'

  Tye grins. 'Honorary.'

  Fitheach says, 'So when do we open up?'

  'Soon.'

  'Now?' Tye asks.

  Bernard ignores him. 'They'll send their team as soon as they know it's open. Are we ready?'

  'Ready as we can be, I guess. We have an advantage in that we've got traps and mobs.'

  'Level Four traps and mobs. Level Five at best. They're much bigger than that.' The alchemist isn't looking worried, more resigned.

  'So,' I say. 'They'll come. They'll kill everything.'

  'They'll try to kill me,' Tye says.

  'Including Tye,' Bernard mutters.

  'They'll smash the place up, take the loot.'

  'And then they'll do it again,' Bernard says.

  Fitheach puts his hand on the alchemist's shoulder. He says, 'A full party's six, so they'll come with six. There are four of us.'

  'Are you sure you want to be part of this?'

  'Of course. It's my job to defeat evil.'

  Tye's been thinking. 'But it could go different. We could beat them. Fitheach’s Level Twenty.'

  Bernard turns on him. 'But there's only four of us and you're only Level Six.'

  'Level Seven now.'

  'Whoop de doo. Level Seven.'

  Tempers are fraying. I know we've all put so much into this place that when we fear we'll lose it, it hurts. But we can't fall out among ourselves.

  'We'll do our best. If we face them believing we can win, we can win.'

  'I hope you're right, Gorrow,' Bernard says.

  Ten minutes later, I switch the dungeon tab to 'on.' And the doors are open. We retreat inside and prepare. At first nothing happens, no one comes, not even regular, innocent adventurers.

  The connecting door is closed so they won't get through to Silver Drift. I make sure we're all prepared with full potion bottles and our weapons are all repaired by Geraint to one hundred percent durability.