7.27- Nuked Nested Dungeon
The bomb had really done a number on the inside of the nested dungeon. Theo maintained his barrier against death magic as the party entered, although he didn't know if it was necessary. As far as I could see, it was flat land. It was surprising that the bomb hadn't left a crater in the ground. But that was likely because of some dungeon shenanigans.
The group set off in a direction led by Xol’sa. He claimed to have a decent line on the dungeon core and headed the expedition. Not that there was much to worry about; Theo's bomb had obliterated any monsters in the area, and with the time dilation effects, they didn't expect any new ones to appear soon. Walking across the wasteland was disorienting, and conversation was the only thing that made it bearable.
The sky of the nested dungeon was a smear of pale colors, providing minimal illumination. Some adventurers pulled lanterns from their inventories, lighting the way and pointing out anything remotely interesting in the geography. Theo stayed in his own head, watching the future of the group one minute at a time. But his concern was for what would happen when they needed to escape. He assumed destroying the dungeon core would cause the nested dungeon to collapse, but he also suspected it might destroy the other dungeon. If that were the case, a hasty retreat would be necessary.
The walk to find the dungeon core took far longer than he would have liked, but as time seemed to drift in this place, it was simultaneously over before he knew it. They arrived at a raised platform that hadn't been touched by the bomb. It was clearly immune to the damaging effects.
"This might take me a while," Xol’sa said, approaching the dungeon core.
Of course, it was the first time Theo had actually seen a dungeon core. It was a floating orb of metal and stone, roughly the size of a man. It put off a faint light that splashed against the ground, fighting against the pale light from the sky. As he drew closer to the object, he heard a faint humming as it spun. Deep within that dungeon core, a weird and invisible power was barely perceptible to him.
"If things go wrong," Zarali said, coming up beside him. "Both Xol’sa and I have committed a Featherfall spell to memory. We'll be able to leap from the back of the monster and find the exit."
Well, that sounded like a flimsy plan. Casting a spell on fifty different people wouldn't be easy. And in the panic of the moment, they might miss someone or miscast the spell, dooming everyone. He wasn't sure what to think about it, but as they were literally in the belly of the beast, he didn't know what else they could do. Theo considered himself more of a ride-along than a core member of the group, and he wasn't sure he had enough potions for the entire party.
After a while of fiddling with the dungeon core, Theo checked on Xol’sa’s progress. "What's this technique you're trying to weave over the dungeon core?" he asked.