The City and the Dungeon: And Those who Dwell and Delve Within

by Matthew Schmidt

  I heard Alice Black's four gasps, and her eyes on the wheel stared. Then, quietly, "There's over a thousand shards in there."

  "And gear," I said as we stepped in.

  Gear, indeed. There was more gear than shards, and as I stepped in I saw shelves on other walls overflowing with it.

  I took a chipped staff that glowed black, and could immediately feel an energy behind it. Did it have Spell Regeneration? It resisted my Minor Identify, but I knew what I was going to ask for at division. Only after much reluctance did I hand it to Elise.

  "I'm recognizing some of these," Elise said as she gently stuffed heartstones into the Bag of Holding. "50Q delvers. No, that's a 35Q, I remember the name from Blues."

  "There are two heartstones from our House down there," Alice Black called. "Actually, more. Look what happened to some of our indigos."

  The pile of heartstones and shards had grown tall by the time Alice Black took us back out. "I'm not sensing any of Dad in there," she said with some disappointment. "But there are a lot of them."

  "Something odd," Xavier said with a pointed finger. "You said over a thousand. But that pile is far too small for a thousand."

  I did the same estimate in my head, mentally agreed, and Hermes spun around the pile and frowned in concentration.

  "A thousand... Yeah, that's strange," Alice Black said. "But that's how much my N-Types are telling me."

  "Hold on," I said, as an instinct so horrible came I wished anything that it wasn't true. I took the Spell Regeneration staff from the pile. "Alice Black, could you please identify this?"

  "I'll Greater True Identify." Two arms moved in harmony. "It's... Oh. Oh no."

  "What?" Elise asked, but perhaps we had all had the same thought.

  Alice Black sent us the report.

  Oscar Washington's Staff of Drain Power

  Shardgear

  +300/+300/0

  Requires: N/A. Not Class Restricted.

  +40 Intelligence. +40 Wisdom. +5 7th spell slots. +60 power to Drain spells. Casts Drainstorm.

  Indestructible. Force Telepathy. Drain immunity. Natural Scry (monsters without drain immunity). Spell Regeneration 3.

  There was utter silence. Alice Black shook her head. "Alex? According to my N-Type Detect Shard, you're holding a shard right now.

  "Oscar Washington?" a Rogue King asked. "I know him. He fell in the Abyss. And... and he had a V-Type drain build." He walked to me. "Yeah, I recognize that staff, actually. Had it on him when he fell."

  "He didn't have Spell Regeneration 3, right?" I asked. I didn't need to; the highest known Spell Regeneration was 2. I couldn't bear to hold the staff any longer, so I handed it to him.

  "No," the Rogue King said. "But this is definitely his staff. I remember that chip on the tip—got it from blocking a sword. It's got insanely better stats, and it's glowing, but it's his. And we never found all of his shards."

  "Did the Dungeon...," Andy said. "The Dungeon made him into this."

  Everyone must have reached Andy's conclusion themselves. I heard ritual cursing of the Dungeon under a few breaths—any closet labylats no longer cared. The Dungeon-worn looked sick. I spotted Cat move her lips, but only after a moment.

  "At this moment, I would believe in Labyrintholatry," Isaac Black said, "because the Dungeon just did the worst thing I've ever seen."

  "Labydule here," Elise said. "It's aware. And it hates us." No one gainsaid her.

  Adam Black took one of the battleaxes. "Whose is this?"

  "Who is that, you mean? J.R. Jackson's," Alice Black said.

  "Thought so," Adam Black said, examining a crack in the blade. "I recognize it; it's the axe."

  "So, did he actually make it to the Core on his own?" I asked.

  "I don't know," Adam Black said, and stood as tall and imposing as all of his Charisma could muster. "No one, NO ONE, is getting any of this when we get back. It's people's lives."

  "On that subject," Hermes said. "I believe it is time to mention where we are?"

  "The 55th?" I asked.

  "Of course not. The 75th."

  Chapter Twenty-Seven:

  Desperation

  No one spoke. Those who weren't surprised were the High House family members—so they had been talking with each other about what to do.

  "We have two choices," Adam Black said. "Either we fight our way upstairs until we hit the 70th and fight that Boss from underneath. Or, we fight our way to the nearest Lock on this Floor and fight the 75th. We know it ends the section, like the 25th and 50th, so take that into consideration."

  "How do we know it ends the section?" a delver asked.

  "I felt a bump when we were yanked down," Hermes said, "like when you try to go beyond a Side Dungeon's edge, or between the upper Dungeon and the Deep. And, of course, the floor is a multiple of 25. Numerology, my great friends."

  "I can't scry below," Alice Black said, "which implies there is either another section with different rules, or we're literally at the bottom."

  Did anyone know what to say after that?

  "We're not," Elise said. "Think about it. We hit a forest of Core War Trees when we came here, which are between the 23nd and the 25th Floor. Where are the Core monsters from the Deep? And why 75? The level cap is 100."

  "Less numerology," Adam Black said. "Right now, what matters is getting out."

  "But if we are on the last floor," a delver from the Golden Hares said. "Then if we fight a Boss on this floor... We're done. We've reached the bottom. Can we set that aside?"

  "Yes," the prince said. "Now is not the time to engage in superstition."

  "Excuse me," I said. "However nasty the 75th Boss is, it's probably a lot less nasty than crawling up five floors, then fighting the 70th."

  “Plus, we're way underqualified,” Elise said. “The Dungeon is probably spawning out-of-depths right now.”

  "I'd argue that the Dungeon doesn't do that, but it's already broken a bunch of rules," Adam Black said. "Alice?"

  "We're about... twelve corridors from the nearest Lock?" Alice Black said. "It's about that distant to the nearest stairs."

  "Listen!" the prince said. "We cannot risk our lives here—"

  "We already are, if you've noticed," said Michael. "If it turns out it is the bottom—won't that be so interesting? I would almost give up irony for a chance at that."

  "We still can't risk our lives," the prince repeated.

  "Voting time, raise your hands for going for the 75th," Adam Black said. "Michael, I'm assuming you're putting your hand up, even if I can't see it."

  "Of course."

  Hands raised. There were more—about two to one—who wanted to take the 75th. I doubt it was rational at that point. Too many things had happened, and being at the bottom of the Dungeon—why not?

  "All right!" Adam Black said. "We're going for the 75th. Now, I'm going to ask you to do an awful thing, but we're going to, temporarily, use the shardgear." He shouted over our reaction. "If we don't get out alive, no one is going to come back. Or we'll be the shardgear."

  I watched in silence as we picked through the shardgear. Arguments simmered just below the surface—like your standard loot drama, except no one wanted the loot to begin with. Some choices were obvious—the helmet to our Knight Paragon, the lyre to the Master Bard, the claws to Cat.

  What's the axe like? I thought to Adam Black.

  Even crazier than when J.R. Jackson found it. It's got a damage multiplier. Wonder what else it can do.

  "I mainly throw daggers," Elise told Alice Black.

  "I know. This is a dagger," Alice Black said of the shardgear. "Throw it. It won't break."

  Andy held her new pick at a distance. I knew it couldn't be her parents, but nonetheless...

  "I need not use another weapon than Heavenspiercer," the prince said.

  "Anyone here dual-wield?" Isaac Black asked. "These have got crazy damage."

  "I can partially dual-wield," Sampson said, and took the two silver sabers. I saw a
sullenness—the first time I had seen him not upbeat.

  The rogue handed me the staff—his friend. "You take him. He was... the kindest, most generous guy I knew. Someone I could stand—unlike most Abyss runners. He'd have wanted you to have him."

  "Um, thanks," I said, and my face was turning red. Adam Black? Since I'm regenning spells, shall we wait?

  He took a moment before replying. Our current buffs are going to wear off before you're finished. We're going.

  Then inspiration struck. "Shall we revive any of these heartstones?" I asked out loud.

  "I can't allow it," Adam Black said. "I don't care if we're far beyond the Law's reach, I can't justify bringing back someone into this situation, where they could even be shattered."

  "Even if it leads to our own shattering?" Michael said. "Really, now?"

  "Listen," I said. "Some of these are from our house. Do any of you know their insurance policies? We could revive the indigoes, at least."

  "Actually," Alice Black said, and opened a Bag of Holding to pull out papers. "I've got all of them here."

  "What?" Adam Black asked.

  "If you can carry everything, why not? I brought copies of the paperwork just in case."

  Isaac Black shook his head. "All right, whatever."

  Adam Black dug through it. "Start with Mark Jenniferman."

  I found said heartstone and tried not to quiver.

  "Full Revive!" I shouted, and pointed.

  0% popped in my mind. The heartstone shuddered, then shattered.

  "That's... one way to make sure no one's revived down here," Alice Black said. "New rule of the Core, I guess."

  "That—No. No!" I said. "That was a stored cast. 94%! It should have just worked! And..." I felt so sick, no words came out.

  Alice Black hovered to the new pile of shards and frowned with every face I saw. "They're all still there." She patted my shoulder with one hand, and her wing brushed my face. "Alex, it's OK. You—we—had no way of knowing."

  "Enough," Adam Black said. "No more experiments. We have to get a move on."

  "Wait," I said. "Andy, write something on the wall. Just in case someone else gets here."

  "Make it quick," Adam Black said.

  Andy hurried to the wall, and wrote the following:

  The Core Delve from High House Black was here. If we did not return, we tried and failed to kill the 75th Boss. May the Creator have mercy on us.

  * * *

  We ran. Ran like a red party that had fallen into a shaft, or a dying party from slayers. One rogue screamed in delight—the rush was like nothing else. No, we ran, not even bothering to stop to fight monsters, only to destroy those in our paths.

  Was it minutes? Was it forever? We were through the great doors of the Lock.

  The 75th Lock was yet more ornate than the 25th and 50th Lock. It was also disturbingly wide, the space easily fitting a superparty much larger than our own. The carvings were more detailed, and I recognized some monsters from all around the Dungeon. The vaulted roof was incredibly tall, and beams clearly usable as walkways led to a circle around the Lockstone.

  Yes, a Lockstone. Sufficient evidence we weren't at the bottom. I felt disappointed and relieved at the same time.

  "Cast all prebattles that have worn off," Adam Black said. "Actually, V-Types, cast anything. No point holding back."

  I had already regenned several—this was amazing! Yet, shardgear: I hated and loved it at the same time.

  "Guys," Elise said. "If I don't come back but you do, I'd like one of you to offer a violet in the Temple of the Labyrinth. T.B. Kyoto will know what to say. It doesn't matter if you believe, just that you do it."

  "That's morbid," I said. "I think we'll make it."

  "Really? Say that over telepathy."

  I couldn't.

  "I don't have any last wishes," Sampson said. "If I die, at least it was against the deepest Boss ever found."

  I tried to say what I wanted, stuttered, and said instead, "Take care of my family, all right?"

  "Hear the trend we just started?" Xavier said. And indeed, I now heard the other parties whisper their last wishes to each other—confess a love, care for a family, give this to that, remember... "FYI, there's nothing I can ask you to do, since I'd just want to do it myself."

  Andy was too distraught, I realized, to say anything.

  "Everyone done writing their will?" Adam Black asked. "We're going to do this, now! Guess who is going to do the honor?" Adam Black shouted. "The guy with the highest Health!"

  An incredibly bulky Knight Paragon walked to the stone and touched it. Everyone dashed back as it grew. The mages unleashed a whole battery of spells at it, to no effect.

  It was several seconds before it finished growing. Its body was like a tower or circular pyramid, one round layer in each of the seven colors. Two long, spindly arms grew from every layer. Atop, the Boss bore a crown of spikes and horns at its crest. It made no howl, no taunt, no cackle, but a groan, a hum like the world was becoming undone, starting in that very room. The tower began to spin, arms moving up and down in spellcasts.

  Alice Black sent her scry report to us. It was a Guardian of the Deepest.

  Our Master Summoner sent a Colossal Ogre after it, and one arm on the lowest, red, layer ceased its spell to slam into the Ogre. It disintegrated instantly. The other arm finished its spell, and a wave of resistance-piercing heat hit all of us.

  It's vulnerable to fire! Yes, fire! Alice Black thought, and on cue every fire mage unloaded. The lowest tier, red, flashed and turned dull, and the arms withered. The next rays bounced off it. Physical, now!

  The second layer of arms finished its spells—and there were monsters everywhere. But not just monsters—Bosses. Bosses? But there was no time to answer that, only to fight.

  I sensed most of them were drain-vulnerable, I cast the staff's Drainstorm, which Xavier modified with Enemies Only. A true, ground shaking storm blasted through, and Health from every enemy—even the layers—poured into me, just as the nearest Minotaur swung its battleaxe into me. I survived simply from the Health bonus.

  Sampson buried his own sword deep into that sub-Boss before us, said, "Bye, guys!" and charged the true Boss. Two more sub-Bosses hit him on the way, but not soon enough to stop him from killing the orange layer with an Ultimate Strike. As they turned, Elise threw two daggers into their backs. They died, but it wasn't fast enough to save Sampson. Shards went everywhere.

  Paralysis! called Alice Black. A light flashed into all of us, and I could no longer move or see with my own eyes. Hermes cast a Time Stop on me, and the Paralysis wore off in that altered time long enough for me to Mass Perfect Cure. Two Spellshapers from the Magica party combined a spell—wait, those two Spellshapers?—and the rays stopped the layer from spinning. Alice Black launched her spear as others threw daggers and spells, and the layer dulled.

  With one arm, the green layer poisoned us all. Mass Cure Any Poison I drew just in time, and we had only lost billions of Health out of trillions. The other arm launched a burst of acid that disintegrated the Royal's entire party. High House Magica's party countered with an acid spell I had never seen, plus a Deadly Poison, and that layer was gone.

  Hermes froze the blue layer’s tidal wave in place, and the wave allowed two Atlantean Knights to climb the wave and spear the layer with their tridents. The layer dulled, but their spears broke and they fell to their deaths.

  Just two left. We expected the Ice, but not that it moved fast enough to count as physical. Two parties were scythed through. My Mass Full Heal saved the rest. Xavier fired a Fimbulwinter at it, followed by two more spells by the Magica party, and the layer was gone.

  Anything, now! Hit it with everything! Alice Black thought-shouted. Get the top layer—we can't survive its spell!

  The top layer was spinning rapidly now, and the spells the two arms were casting mixed together with sparks and bright lights.

  Elise threw the shardgear dagger and perfectly nailed one arm.
The other altered itself to grow a smaller arm to heal itself. Cat was on the walkway and shredded the layer with her shardgear claws, but was knocked away and collapsed. Twenty lights appeared from nowhere, cutting into the layer, but it still lived. Every mage fired offensive spells, and yet, and yet—

  Adam Black shouted one last order as he climbed up a ladder,—I couldn't hear it in the chaos—ran the walkway to the Boss, and swung his axe with a Final Strike. One of its arms connected with him at the same time. He shattered. Then the Boss made one final groan and exploded.