“Follow me,” said Faye through the tears. There's a large space up ahead, and I can detect no life. There's no evil either, but there is some sort of aura. It’s the only open space that we can get to at the moment, and the tunnel is getting smaller in this direction.”
“That's good,” said Rita. “That thing won't be able to follow us down this way.”
28
They found themselves in a large space that looked like it had been roughly hewn from the walls instead of made into a proper room. There was soil on the floor that covered the entire area, and it looked like it had been placed there by hand on purpose.
“I don't think I like this place, and I can't quite figure out why,” said Faye.
“Oh no,” said Rita. “This looks like it must be one of the mass graveyards they use to get rid of corpses when they pile up in the dungeon.”
“Yes, it is,” said a male voice.
All three of the party turned to look at who it was, but they didn't see a person there. No, they could barely see anything at all because it was a spirit.
“Please, do not be upset or alarmed,” said the man. He was wearing steel chest plate and chain mail coverings on his arms and legs, although they were just as ethereal as him. He had been wearing a helmet at one point, but it was now cleaved in half, and a large gash went through his skull. But no blood or brains dripped out. “Allow me to apologize for my rather grotesque appearance. I was killed in this dungeon, how long ago I do not know, just like many others to call this wretched little hole their final resting place…” He seemed very faded and far away.
“Sorry for intruding on your peace,” said Faye. “We’ll leave immediately.”
“And let that wicked serpent get you? You know, it can access some of these tunnels. Oh, not when it's just eaten, but once it's finished digesting whatever is in its stomach. Either way, this is one of the few places right near here where it can't go. These graves were designed so that the larger monsters could be tempted to come down and feast on the buried remains. They got stuck in these spaces too often, so the dungeon lord had them designed with very small entrances. It's a bit of luck on your part, really.” The man tried to smile, but it was so forced that it just seems sad. His ghostly façade shimmered in the very gentle breeze that was part of the constant draft moving through the corridors and passageways of the dungeon.
Kek wondered if he had been killed or if he was unconscious, in a coma, or dreaming.
“Please,” said the ghost man. “Sit down on the soft soil and catch your breath. I can tell you have endured much. Do not worry about myself or my fellow spirits. The only person we mean harm to is the dungeon lord and his fellows. Many of the others were minions of the dungeon lord, yet they hate him just as much as any of the adventurers, and often more. He made their lives hell, and they died in vain all for his glory and his evil designs. Anyway, if you need to talk to me, just say so. My name is Gerald.” The ghost man disappeared and left the three members of the party alone.
Although they knew that they weren't actually alone. “I don't like this at all,” said Rita. If she was saying that, it must've been bad because she had been living in this dungeon for much of her life.
“Kek needs to rest. I can tell that he was hit with a powerful debuff. Oh, that means that something happened that reduced his strength or skill”, she added, in case Rita didn’t know what a debuff was. “Please tell me you haven't lost the power, Kek.” She didn't look hopeful as he sprawled out on the soil in a semi-living state.
All he could do was stare at the ceiling and feel very weak.
Another ghostly voice came, and he assumed it was just Gerald coming back to say something he had forgotten to mention. But the voice didn't say anything. It was laughing, a low, rumbling sound that slowly rose up and was eventually complemented with a keening, high-pitched note. “Ha—ha—ha—ha—ha,” it went on and on. The laugh was more like somebody saying, “ha” repeatedly instead of actually laughing, because there was not a tiny bit of joy in that voice.
“What is that?” asked Faye.
Rita’s fur was standing on end, and her ears were pointed back. Her cat-like body seemed like it was ready to pounce.
The mysterious voice began to speak. “Your friend is dead, and her soul is now mine, said a deeply disturbing voice. All who fall in my dungeon belong to me. She will be slowly digested, and her bones will remain here forever, buried beneath your feet, and your corpses will join her right where you are. My serpent boss is no match for any pathetic intruders, and it never has been. Dog-man, I do not know why you are here, but messing with my boss monster has made me aware of you. You’re insects for me to squash at my pleasure. You will never leave my dungeon.”
“Was that—" started Faye.
Rita answered her without waiting for her to finish. “Yes,” she said. “That was the voice of the dungeon lord, and he knows where we are now. This is bad.”
Kek wasn't entirely sure if that really just happened, and all he could do was lament and think about how it was all his fault that Selena had died. She was just looking for treasure to help the less fortunate, and then she became tangled up in his stupid quest, probably out of a sense of guilt because she could tell that he couldn’t look after himself.
“He’s right too!” said Rita. “Look around, my friends, because this is going to be our eternal home. Our souls will never find peace, and our bodies will be disrespected by the evil minions in this place. Oh, I hate the dungeon lord so much. I would do anything to see him destroyed. And then all of the minions in this place could finally be free—free from his evil influence and free of the evil that corrupts their minds.”
“Wait, is that really true?” asked Faye.
Kek was vaguely aware of their discussion, but he was falling into a deep, black pit, and his soul went again into that dark night that he experienced while looking into the dark mirrors.
“Yes,” Rita answered. “That's one of the reasons I didn't try to leave. It's very difficult to break free from that kind of powerful influence, even if you were good before. The fact that Selena was able to come down here and remain free, having been an evil monster herself before, really speaks how much she had changed.”
“Oh…” The fairy clearly felt horrible about the hard times she'd given Selena about changing from being a monster to being a good creature.
Gerald appeared again without being called for. Kek always assumed that seeing a ghost would be terrifying, but this one was just sad to look at and evoked great pity.
Gerald said, “My friends and I all want to see the dungeon lord dead, but we would settle for the death of that mutated serpent out there. It was the thing that killed many of us and regurgitated our bones before they were buried here. The dishonor knows no limits. Ah, but you are a fairy. Please, my lovely young friend, will you perform the ritual?”
“What? Wait, no. Sorry, I am not allowed to do that. Do you know how much trouble I would be in if my parents found out I had freed a bunch of spirits without knowing for sure what their purpose was?”
“Our purpose is to kill that serpent and then see if we can get out of here. Please, this is the only way we can be released from where our bodies remain and finally have peace. I assure you that we have no ill intentions, not one of us.”
Faye discussed it with her comrades for some time and it seemed like they really had no other options. She said, “I know that this many spirits should be able to take down that serpent. You will be surprised to find out how powerful a bunch of scorned ghosts can be.”
“And ghosts can actually harm the living?” asked Rita.
“Of course, they can. We’re living in a world of magic and monsters.”
29
And so, it was decided that they would form the ritual to free the trapped spirits from that place, which was no great feat at all for her. It was the decision to do so that really was difficult. All she had to do was place her hands in the air and begin to chant. It to
ok quite a while, and the words that she used were completely foreign to Rita and Kek.
By now, he had started to feel better, but his power still had not returned. He was sure that it would be gone forever, and he would be just as useless as he’d been before all this started. He tried to tell himself to stay strong and hope that he would feel better soon.
In big blue and white balls, the ground suddenly exploded and what seemed like hundreds of spirits flashed from the soil. They didn't disrupt the soil though, but simply floated up from it. They exited the mass grave room but didn't need to take the corridor because they just floated directly through the rock.
“Thank you!” shouted Gerald just before disappearing through the wall. “You have my word that we will do as we promised. Wait until the sounds die down, and then come and see that you were right to trust us. Farewell, and thank you my beautiful fairy friend!”
And then the three of them were alone, but now they were truly alone, as the bones beneath them were only bones.
Kek was surprised to hear that the ghosts planned to stay true to their words, but they hadn't carried out the task yet. And then there was a great cacophony echoing through the passageways. It seemed as loud as an entire city at war, with sounds that were reminiscent of cannonballs roaring and rocks crashing down. That scream that the snake had let out echoed through the entire area, and the whole place came alive with the kind of energy that was unmissable even by those who didn't have any magic ability. Kek was no longer one of those people now, but he still felt the magic of the spirits.
It eventually died down, but nobody spoke or made a movement.
Even though his ability had not come back to him and there were no numbers displayed in his HUD, Kek decided he still wanted to act like a hero. “We should go and see what the outcome of all that noise was.” He could tell that his two female friends were hesitant to go up there, so he took the lead.
“Are you sure you're okay to walk?” asked Rita, rushing to his side and grabbing his arm.
Kek placed his hand on her hand and gently removed it. “Thank you for your help, but I'm okay to walk now. I've lost my power, but I feel physically normal again.”
“Do you think it will come back?” asked Rita
Faye let out a depressive sigh and said, "And I'm afraid a debuff potent enough to affect such a great power could remove it permanently."
When they got back up to the serpent lab, most of the mushrooms were completely obliterated, with just a few small ones spotted around the place still intact. And that was the smallest amount of damage that had been done. The massive chamber was a bloody horror show, with slivers of scaly skin and flesh stuck to just about every surface, including the glowing mushrooms. The blood and fleshy pieces were eliminated by the glow of the mushrooms and it made the place look so sinister where it had been magical looking just moments earlier. As they passed through, they quickly darted to the side, as Faye had seen something.
“What are you doing,” he asked. “We should get out of here don't you think?”
Rita was nodding her head in agreement.
“Look!” Faye shouted. She'd gone out to a large red mushroom that had something stuck in it so deeply that it had put a noticeable hole in the thing. She had to put her arms all the way into the mushroom to retrieve it. She pulled out glowing red crystal that was about the size of her head. “Do you know what this is?” she said.
Kek and Rita shook their heads and looked impatiently at her.
“This is Selena’s core! I knew that sirens had a core, but I didn't think that I would be able to find hers! She must've been completely obliterated when those spirits attacked the serpent, and she was inside of it still. It's really all for the best, as sad as it is.” Someone who had just been crying about Selena's death, she was showing a lot of strength, although she looked very sad still. “I'm going to take it and keep it safe. When this is all over, we can give her a proper funeral and set her eternal spirit to rest. Does that sound like a good idea?”
Kek said, “That sounds beautiful. I'll join you in doing that.”
Rita agreed. They then rushed out of that area because it was too horrific for any sane creature to want to hang around there for long. They found another spiral corridor leading down. Knowing that the dungeon lord was now aware of them and could send more monsters to take them down at any moment, there was a new sense of haste among the party of three.
Everyone was very tense, and a sense of danger was in the air. All Kek could think about now that the excitement was over, and that they had accepted the loss of Selena, was that he was completely powerless. It was back to being just another kobold.
But the next floor down surprised him, and did at least a little to lift his mood.
“It's like some sort of underground jungle!” shouted Faye. Her excitement level was seriously starting to peak now, and it seemed every other thing she said was a delighted yell. “This is much more like it, even better than the forest of mushrooms. This is the type of place my people are meant to live in. A little sunlight would be nice though.” She fluttered off into what was a vast underground jungle.
Kek immediately caught a familiar smell and he could detect hundreds of different species of plants, which were known to him. Well known. He said to Rita, who still stood beside him, “This is just like the jungle I grew up in. That gives me an idea too! With that, he ran off and left his beautiful comrade standing there in bewilderment. But you she no intention of staying there alone.
“Hey, wait for me,” she called after him without shouting. As she chased after him. She caught up to him she said, “What’s the idea that you have?”
“My master and I created the potion that gave me this power in the first place, and we got all the ingredients from the jungle where mercenary captives lived with us. If this jungle is just like the one up there, then it stands to reason that I should be able to get all the ingredients to make the patient again. All I’ll need then are some containers and fire, and I was able to find those in the jungle.”
“You can make your own fire too? Impressive,” said Rita genuinely. She seemed to be quickly warming up to the kobold, just as he was to her. It must not have gone unnoticed that they had a natural affinity for one another, both being humanoids that were not unlike common human pets. It didn't hurt that she was stunningly beautiful and wore very little.
Faye was darting back and forth and basking in all the natural beauty that she clearly had missed out on her entire life. “This is amazing!” she shouted again and again. “If only my people had been stuck in this zone instead of in that dank cave of mushrooms. It would almost be like we were still home. Oh, I have missed out on so much while we have been waiting here for somebody to get the nerve to find this shard.”
“Well you have it now, so your people can go home!” called out Kek to the elated fairy.
Rita became solemn and turned to him, saying, “That is if we ever get out of here. Do you really think will be able to destroy the dungeon lord leave with our own lives?”
“To be honest with you, I haven't thought that far ahead,” said Kek, “but I would be willing to risk my life to complete this quest. However, I made a promise to a man who was like a father to me that I would tell his family what happened to him if he died. If I perish before I know what happens to him, then I will fail to fulfill my promise to him. So, I can’t die yet.”
“I thought your family were dungeon minions and you were taken away from them when you were born,” said Rita. They were walking around, and Kek was looking for the ingredients that he needed.
30
Kek suddenly let out an excited shout and ran over to collect a handful of yada bulbs from a low, fat tree. He said, “This is one of the ingredients I need. I knew it! He tucked it into his pack and then replied to Rita’s query. “Well, we’re not related, and he's human.”
“Wait, are you speaking of the one you called master? You think someone who owns you as a slave is your fr
iend or family member? I certainly don't think consider the dungeon lord my father. Odd…” A rift seemed to form between them just like that.
Kek shrugged the remark off and continued looking through the jungle. It was much lower on creatures than the real jungle, and they didn't encounter any dangerous animals. It would probably be very difficult to survive down here with all the dungeon minions and monsters lurking around, for any dangerous creatures like poisonous snakes or insects. Maybe it was just jungle full of flora, which suited Kek just fine. They had stocked up on some food after killing the grid bug, and he wasn't interested in trying to get any snakes or innocent little porcupines to eat anyway. His pack was already loaded with dried meats. He found another ingredient, the rebeeles bush’s berries, with the bright yellow color and sickly-sweet aroma. “This is great,” he said.
“I think I might've hit a little too close to a nerve there,” said Rita. “Please forget I said anything about your, uh, family member.”
“He was also a captive of the mercenaries who held us in their camp. They were hiding in the jungle because they were wanted by the new regime that rules the land of Aleton, and most of the continent we are on.”
“Yes, I'm aware of that how the war ended. While I’ve been down here for a long time, news still travels, and there are others here who wish to know about their homelands because they cannot leave to find out themselves. We talk when we can.”
“Well, I suppose you can guess our new king might react to a band of mercenaries still at large in his kingdom after they sold their swords to the fallen opposition for the crown. They are not more than a week from here, and came down here themselves at some point when I was just a pup. That's how I was taken from here. But my master rescued me from being slaughtered like the other group of minions that confronted them. I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but I do know Hendrik was a kind druid who has taught me much, and he adopted me like his own son. He took me on as an apprentice, and that's why the mercenaries allowed me to live. I was useful to him, and he was very useful to them. He was an indentured servant. The title “master” is just a formality to appease the mercenaries.”
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