"Thanks," I told Alice Black.
"I wouldn't have minded going with her," Sampson, who was with Alice Black, said.
"Cat is a predator. An emotional slayer who collects boys' hearts instead of heartstones," Alice Black said firmly. "She is the most amoral human being I have ever met. You'd be lucky to have... let's just say you don't want to chase after 500 Charisma."
"Seriously?" I asked. "Five hundred?"
"Class feature. It also turns her into a cat."
"Did I miss something?" Xavier asked us, and Andy trailed him.
"Be glad you did. Anyone heard from Elise?" I asked.
"I thought she was with you," Sampson said.
"Dead?" Andy asked with total concern.
Alice Black drew a high-powered scrying spell, and sighed. "Not dead. She's in the Temple."
* * *
The Temple of the Labyrinth looks less impressive than one would expect for a place of worship, but this is because it is the most natural structure. That is, the Temple itself is simply an ordinary room near the center of the Undercity that fits the use of its adherents. Or, more accurately, the Undercity tends to center itself around the Temple, as the changing of the Dungeon causes the Undercity to migrate over time.
The exterior's only sign that it was the Temple was a slowly deteriorating inscription above: The Temple of the Labyrinth, followed, shortly below and in smaller print, Check door for traps before opening.
"This is good advice for all the Undercity, by the way," Alice Black said as she casually drew a shape over the door. "Traps can grow from any door. But these doors are perfectly natural and tend to get the worst of it."
"Sounds like the Dungeon doesn't care for its worshippers," Xavier said as we followed her in.
"Ah, but that is no trouble for at least twelve religions," answered a jovial, tall, and quite wide man, made all the larger by a flowing, shimmering robe of Prismatic Dragon scale. I am having trouble explaining how large he appeared, but had I thought it possible, he would be covering more than one tile. He wore a helm, also of prismatic scale, but from a different dragon, giving an eye-hurting effect to look at his relaxed, bearded face. He held four staves—one in each hand, and two hovering stone hands held the rest—each decorated with different symbols. "Welcome and Sanctuary to all of you! I am T.B. Kyoto, 100th Ecumenical Minister."
I experienced a sense of peace. The Temple's interior was a mostly empty room with us inside. One tile was painted with a spiral labyrinth in seven colors. A few tiles away, Elise knelt, head bowed and arms crossed, holding her shoulders.
"Twelve?" asked Andy.
"This Temple provides for the needs of twenty of the twenty-two forms of Labyrintholatry and related religions, and I am authorized to act as hierophant and sacerdote for five out of the thirteen forms that possess ministers in such capacities. In any case, I may offer you counsel or long-lasting protective buffs, depending on your inclination and donation, regardless of any religious posture you may or may not possess."
Andy looked as if she was genuinely considering the offer while Alice Black said, "Elise? We're waiting for you."
"I'm ready," Elise said. She stood up from what must have been a long kneel, for she winced and brushed her knees.
"You said you weren't a labylat," Xavier accused.
"I'm not. I'm a Labyrinthodule."
T.B. Kyoto explained. "This Temple allows any who adore, honor, fear, propitiate, or challenge the Dungeon or any form of intelligence or principle that created, rules, or sustains it to do so. If my partially-co-religious sister wishes for me to explain, I shall."
"No, I will," Elise said, and with great sternness, like a child who knows she is right against the adults who disbelieve her. "This Dungeon is a test, sent by the Creator as divine judgment for the grief that the prior world caused Him. It is the duty of all humanity to defeat the Dungeon and restore all to the state of Earlier Paradise."
"That sounds an awful lot like worship," Xavier said.
"It's the truth. And it isn't worship," Elise stated. "It's no more worship than you worship the crystal you eat, even if you don't want to, or the gear you wear, even if you would rather wear something else, or the Law which you obey, even if it's not in power down here. You do it because it's the right thing."
"The suffix -dule means servant," T.B. Kyoto said. "Labyrinthodule is the technical category that encompasses any who do not worship the Dungeon in particular, but gives it deference in any form, including that of fear, forgiveness, or offering. If at any time you wish to commit the latter, or avail yourself of any sacrament of which I am authorized to provide, you may do so. All such acts are tax-free."
"And where precisely does that money go?" Xavier asked.
"That tile over there," Elise said. She took out a large blue crystal from her purse, and chanted, "Hear, Infinite Creator, the voice of one who seeks penance. Accept this token, which adds nothing to your all-consuming majesty, but provides us with hope in our offering to you. Amen." She tossed the crystal deliberately to the spiral tile. The tile opened in a trapdoor, and the crystal fell into darkness.
"Sheesh. What a waste," Xavier said.
"Young man, it is not for you to decide what is a waste and what is not," T.B. Kyoto said. "If she is right, has she not done what no matter of great gear or vast Experience could?"
"But it isn't," Xavier said. "It's just throwing perfectly good crystal down a trapdoor."
"Oh, it doesn't matter to the Creator per se that we do so," Elise said. "As I said, it adds nothing to Him. But He is pleased that we do so."
"Enough," Alice Black said. "We need to get going."
"I'm done," Elise said, and she left with an irritated glare at Xavier. With a return glare, Xavier followed Elise as did the others until only Alice Black, the priest, and I remained.
"Any religions that don't care about what words you mutter?" Alice Black asked T.B. Kyoto.
"The Humble Devotees of the Impossibly Magnificent Dungeon believe that all actions are unworthy homage to the One Dungeon, but nonetheless any amount, no matter how small or great, might perhaps appease its infallible judgments."
"Whatever," Alice Black said and tossed a blue to the spiral. My mouth fell open as the trapdoor did.
"I thought—" I began.
"I don't," Alice Black interrupted. "But I do believe in good luck."
I walked out without a word in my mouth. Xavier and Elise's argument had devolved into bickering.
"What kind of name even is T.B. Kyoto?" Xavier asked.
"His initials are short for Tengu Bushi, the first monster who killed him. His last name is one of the Earlier Cities, related in myth to his first name. By this, he is able to serve two more religions," Elise said. "Don't you get it? Don't you see how much of a sacrifice it is for him to even live, having to bear the needs of thousands, no matter how bizarre, no matter who asks, no matter how right or wrong he thinks they are? Idiots like you act as if he's a moron for doing this, but he's making a bigger sacrifice than any of you ever have."
Xavier's mouth moved, but no retort came out.
"Guys, settle down," I said. "We got what we came here for, right?"
"Tell me," Alice Black said. "Did you figure out what we needed?"
"I didn't get anything before Cat ambushed me," I said.
"I got bridge building skillstones," Sampson said.
"Same," Xavier said. "Don't tell me you got six, too."
"Whoops," I said.
"I got tools," Andy said.
"Did anyone get segments?" I asked. "I was trying to, before Cat came."
Alice Black watched us all with increasing mirth.
"And what were you doing?" Xavier demanded of Elise.
"I figured," Elise said, "That as Even Earlier worshippers sacrificed live blood when bridging a river, a small token to true Godhood would be beneficial in our own attempt." She paused. "And I have a right to do what I have always longed to do."
"Still
, you could have gotten something useful," Xavier said.
"And which would be more important? Our work, or the will of the Infinite?"
"People!" I interrupted. "Get over this. We need to—"
An ear-splitting, thought-crushing wail of a siren overrode anything we tried to say for at least three seconds. I couldn't hear what Alice Black was trying to say, but it was probably obscene. Every Underdweller started drawing weapons or casting prebattles.
"What's happening?" Andy asked as the siren died.
"That's the summonstorm siren," Alice Black stated. "By the way, you've all got your retrieval insurance policies paid up, right?"
Chapter Twenty:
Summonstorm
The principle of a summonstorm is simple, almost academic in definition: a situation where the monster population of a section explodes nonlinearly, such that more monsters are spawned faster than they can be killed.
A very simple summonstorm can happen relatively shallow: a Summongus summons another Summongus which might summon another Summongus, and so on. It's rare that this would be left unchecked. On the deeper floors, monsters have more powerful summoning abilities. Yet what they summon cannot summon in turn. A Tengu Madoushi can summon many Crows, but the crows themselves are weak. Yet, go deeper, and you will find Tengu Daimyo, who can summon armies of other Tengu, including Tengu Madoushi, leading to absurd hordes of crows everywhere.
In still deeper floors, Tengu Shogun can summon the army-summoning Tengu Daimyo as well as the crow-summoning Tengu Madoushi. The section is now clogged with Crows so deep that it is impossible to even travel a corridor without being clawed at by hundreds of birds. This mass murder of Crows spawning will inevitably lead to out-of-depth ravens such as Nevermores and Crow Paragons, which can be more dangerous in combat than the original Tengu Shogun. This is just a glimpse of a true summonstorm, but far from the worst.
The sorts of summonstorms that can obliterate superparties are the ones where the first summoner is generic, allowing anything lower-level to be summoned—including other generic summoners. If some kind of Lord is spawned, it will begin organizing the monsters than it can command into groups. Higher ranked monsters, or worse yet, generic Lords can coordinate the hordes even further and apply a level of strategy that individual monsters would never do. And, of course, those higher ranked monsters often have summons of their own. This kind of summonstorm can destroy the most well-protected camp, such that the only rational choice is to escape.
But the Underdwellers would never abandon the Undercity. And we, who had no loyalty, could not Return out of the Deep.
Spell Shield Party. Prevent Doom on Sampson. Resist Silence on myself, Xavier, and Andy. Curse Mirror Party. Greater Heal Party—just because. Party Regeneration.
Alice Black's black wings unfurled to their fullest length, and she held her spear with a fist. Got any anti-banish?
I cast Teleport Lock, which involved actually touching her. Well, her armor, but—.
"There's no rule we have to stay and fight, right?" Elise asked.
"No, but it's recommended," said a suave voice from nowhere. "Quite the loot. And, of course, you probably can't escape anyway. Out-of-depth Deep Lich King."
"Ugh," Alice Black said, which was how we all reacted. Liches, aside from everything else terrible about them, were notorious starters of summonstorms.
"We can dig," Andy said.
"Not now," the voice said. "It's not against the Rules, simply ineffective against Deep tunnelers. They follow holes in the ground."
"Where are you?" I asked. I didn't sense anyone around.
"Enough invisibility to stop anything but force telepathy from noticing me, and I don't really have the time to show myself. But enough about me. Where are you planning to stay?"
I noticed that all Underdwellers were either gone from the streets or stood in front of buildings, weapons drawn. Alice Black looked at me. "Here," I said. "Worse case, we jump down the trapdoor inside."
Slow clapping. "Brilliant. If you don't fall in the River, die, and have your heartstone washed down deeper, you might actually live to die alone. You do know that trapdoors down here drop randomly, yes?"
"Better than a zero chance of survival," I said.
"Fair enough." The voice did not seem even slightly apologetic.
"Michael, what are you doing here?" Alice Black asked. "Shouldn't you be at the gates?"
"Why wouldn't I be here? Someone needs to help old T.B. out, you know."
At those words the doors opened. "Ah, you're still here!" T.B. Kyoto raised all four of his staffs and moved them in a bizarre multi-legged pattern. I felt several buffs at once. "If you would, attempt to hold the door. If one of you is injured, you can run inside and enjoy the Sanctuary."
"It's the equivalent of a permanent E-Ward," Elise said.
"Yes, but not if it is desecrated, which will happen if you don't hold that door. May the deity or deities of your choice be pleased to protect, guard, or guarantee you, your survival, or your victory." T.B. Kyoto closed the door quite firmly.
"So, when is it coming?" Sampson asked with undue eagerness.
"No need to be impatient," the voice said. "Very shortly, you will wish that this time will have lasted—" His composure did not break as a group of Tengu Bushi appeared and were instantly obliterated by a number of colored rays from nowhere. "Pity T.B. Kyoto didn't stay for the show. Those were his spirit monsters I just killed."
"Tengu Bushi?" Xavier said. "Don't tell me that that Lich King just summoned a Tengu Shogun."
"Need you state the obvious?"
"Were you born insufferable, or is it a class feature?" Elise asked.
"No, it was a skillstone. What do you think?"
Our banter ended at that moment, for a cloud of bright Spellflares burst in the distance, in a pattern I barely recognized. Many reds.
"The third quarter is under attack. Mind you, we're about to me—"
Though I have been afraid before and since, I have never felt the same total fear as I did that moment when the horde charged down the corridor towards us. A summonstorm is really a storm, not individual monsters but a raging typhoon of knives, claws, and spells. Even if you can kill one monster with a strike, more, and more, and ever more monsters will replace it.
And the heals I cast, and more, were not replaced. Xavier stopped casting at all. Elise reached for a dagger and found none. Andy and Sampson fought, but no matter how many they killed, more and more, more and more...
I turned my head for a moment to see Alice Black firing lightning and stabbing with her spear. More, more, more monsters. An endless murder of Crows passed through, only to be fried by the colored rays.
Then the Dragon came.
"Stand back," Michael said, and all around lesser monsters died in flashes. The Dragon paused, reached for something invisible, but bit empty air. Then it breathed. I saw, for the briefest of moments, our invisible ally, an absence like a caped man in the Dragon's fire. A cone of several blinding-bright lights pierced the Dragon in turn, and it fell.
The calm lasted moments. More monsters came around the corner.
"How much longer does this go on!" I shouted.
"Until the Lich King is dead, or we are!" Michael shouted back. A cone of fire incinerated a wave of monsters. I saw him briefly again, a hand as he fired several spell flares, two red, one yellow. More flares replied in the distance. Then the hand fired two red, one blue.
"Get ready to retreat," Alice Black said.
"We can't leave T.B.!" Elise shouted.
T.B. Kyoto himself left the Temple and looked around. "A bad one, isn't it?" With all four staffs, he cast what seemed like a multi-caster spell by himself, and the next wave stopped in place. No, they were moving, just incredibly slowly.
"Probably top ten, or five for that matter," Michael said conversationally. "We're making a stand at the Deep House, unless any of you feel like dying, for which the Offense is taking volunteers."
"I'll pass on the dying," I said.
Sampson, Alice Black, and Andy cleaved through the stopped monsters as we headed inwards. Others had not been so lucky to have a Tier One and whatever Michael was with them. I saw heartstones and shards everywhere. High-spectrum gear was laying broken or abandoned, monsters too many for any would-be Rule breaker to steal.
You will not believe me, but as we passed through the Market there was still bargaining going on. The bargaining was now for shelter or consumables, admittedly, but the haggling continued. One large violet delver in a black cape discussed supply side economics with a shopkeeper as monsters were incinerated against his aura.
The City and the Dungeon: And Those who Dwell and Delve Within Page 19