Dungeon of Doors

The quiet chirping of songbirds fills my ears. The scent of grass and nature settles into my nose, and I take a deep breath. Silva is standing a few paces away from me with a contemplative look in his eyes. He strikes quite the figure, his antlers adorning his head like a crown. He is a ruler in a way, king of the forest.

I look past Silva to follow his gaze. There, high atop the cliffs surrounding Green Valley, are the newly introduced great hawks. No longer does Green Valley suffer a lack of the large birds. Silva has fulfilled one of his duties as custodian of forests, and reintroduced great hawks to Green Valley. I'm sure once the adventurers are able to enter again they'll be surprised to see them.

"Mother, do you think humans can ever be worth trusting?"

Silva's question catches me off guard. I clear my throat before speaking, my amulet modifying my voice so it sounds far more haunting and powerful than it normally would. It is as if I am three voices in one.

"Humans are like you and I in some way, Silva."

"But humans burn, kill, and take. They're not like us at all."

"They're people, Silva. We're all just people. Some people are bad, and some are good."

My words bring a quiet silence as Silva contemplates. He sighs, his shoulders lowering as if he is feeling defeated. What follows is a question spoken with frustration. His anger isn't directed at me, but at the circumstances surrounding the dungeon.

"Will the adventurers truly not return, Mother?"

"They can't return until the forces barring entry depart."

"Why not drive them out? They're invaders, so it would be justified!"

I raise my palm to stop Silva's aggressive line of thinking. He lets out a low whine and a snort, his chest heaving with a deep sigh. I chide him gently, reminding him of the commandments I inscribed at the very core of my dungeon.

"That would be violating the second commandment, Silva. They're not in the dungeon."

Silva looks like he wants to continue arguing. This isn't how he usually behaves, as he considers humans a nuisance. Why would he be so antsy for the adventurers to return?

"What's the matter, Silva?"

"It's just those humans I made an agreement with. We promised to meet tomorrow, at the obelisk in the Wildwood."

My expression softens as I look at the disappointment plain on Silva's face. His moose-like visage has never looked so pitiful, and I can't help but reach out and gently rub my hand along the bridge of his snout. He looks at me with wide puppy dog eyes.

"I'm sure they will come to visit in the future, just not while the dungeon is under siege."

Silva huffs, his eyes looking down at his hooves.

"I hope you're right about that, Mother."

There's a brief pause before I decide it is time to bring up why I sought Silva out. I clear my throat, the sound catching Silva's attention. In one hand I hold a bottle of water breathing potion, the baby blue bubbling mixture untested thus far.

"I was hoping you could help me test something, Silva. Do you have time?"

"Of course, Mother. How would you like me to test it?"

I shake my head, smiling and inspecting the bottled fluid. I hold it up to the light as it burbled away within its container. Silva watches me with furrowed brows.

"I'm going to be the one testing it. I just want you on standby to heal me in case something goes wrong. Can you do that for me?"

"B-But Mother, surely it would be more sensible for me to drink it?"

"Nonsense. I won't be making my own son drink what could be poison. Will you help?"

Silva sighs, nodding his head reluctantly. I uncork the bottle and raise it slowly to my lips. The scent of citrus tingles in my nose as I bring it close. I drink it in one careful gulp, letting the bubbly liquid flow down into my belly without any hesitation.

The sensations are strange. At first it feels like drinking a gulp of soda, but then quickly I feel the effects hitting me. Breathing becomes difficult as I wheeze, my lungs feel like bubble wrap, popping as I try to force myself to breath.

"Mother!" Silva bellows.

I stop Silva from approaching with a raised palm. Air finally fills my lungs as the tingling sensations settle in my chest. I smile, laughing slightly.

"I'm alright, Silva. The potion is certainly doing something."

"Are you certain you're alright?"

"Yes. I'm fine. Now, let me just-"

I cut myself off by promptly dunking my head into the flowing waters of the Green Valley river. Silva says something I don't hear, as my ears are filled with the water as it pushes against the side of my head. I do something that my instincts scream against, and take a deep breath, pulling the river water into my lungs.

The sensation burns briefly, but after a few moments of getting used to it I'm breathing somewhat comfortably. It's strange to breathe water. Each breath comes out as a mess of bubbles, and I have to wonder what happens to all the water in my lungs when the potion runs out. I pull my head out of the water and sputter, spitting up the stuff.

"Mother! That was dangerous! What if you had drowned, or-"

"Calm down! I'm great! The potion is a success, but I'll need to stay by your side a while longer, just in case there are any effects I haven't noticed yet."

Silva lets out a deep sigh, air pushing out of his nostrils. Sometimes I feel Silva is a bit like a big dog rather than a moose. I reach up and gently pat him on the shoulder, since reaching much higher is difficult due to his stature.

"You worry me, Mother."

"I know, Silva."

With the water breathing potion proven at least partly functional I can finish up work on Rushwater Canyon. Speaking of the new dungeon, I haven't explained everything to Silva. I'm not sure how he'll take me giving a non forest area attention. Everything I've made since he was created has at least been forest adjacent. This? Not at all.

"Silva, how do you feel about places that aren't forests? Like, say, rivers and lakes?"

Silva gets a ponderous look on his face as he considers my question. The flowing river beside us catches his eye, and he observes it with an unimpressed frown.

"I'm not particularly fond of them, but I can't say I hate them. Water is the stuff of life, after all."

"I see. I'm expanding the dungeon with a new separate wing, one centered around watery areas. I hope that doesn't upset you in any way?"

I see both Silva's brows raise as he listens to me. He didn't seem surprised by the fact I'm making a water themed region of the dungeon, but by the fact I worried whether he would find it offensive in some way. As for his lack of a reaction to me making a new region? He probably figured out my intentions once I tested a water breathing potion in front of him.

"No, of course not, Mother. Forests aren't everything there is to the world. The earth and the sky both support and shield the woodlands, while water feeds it life. It's all necessary."

Silently breathing a sigh of relief, I smile at Silva. For someone I created he sure does seem a lot more mature than me at times. Of course that could be how I pictured him to grow when creating him, but I'm not entirely certain.

Creating Silva reminds me of what I should do next.

If Silva is the custodian of forests, then I need a custodian of water. I need someone to help me maintain the flow of the watery section of the dungeon, to keep the creatures and environments in check. Having a helper suited to sub aquatic life would be a huge boon.

Smirking slightly, I turn to Silva.

"How would you like to have a younger sister, Silva?"

~

The talks with King Geoffrey fell through, but thankfully that isn't the end of my ventures. While the adventurer's guild is dead in the water my personal business isn't. I can still use my connections and caches of wealth to regain my former status.

Unfortunately a part of regaining my former reputation is that I must make amends with the church. Doing so isn't impossible, but they're rather miffed I cut and run instead of being apprehended.

To make up for my transgressions, I'm meeting with a particular inquisitor today.

The man in question approaches the table and takes a seat.

"You must be Inquisitor Glaive."

The man across from me carries a lengthy war glaive on his back. He's dressed in the ornate armor of the church, gold inlaid into shining steel. He stares me down with a judgemental glare. If looks could kill, I would already be in hell.

"Indeed. You are Rebecca Hawthorne, head of the so-called adventurer's guild?"

"Former head, the organization was abolished the moment heresy came into question."

Glaive snorts, squinting at me like he expects me to pull a weapon on him at any moment. I sigh, watching him pull a rolled up parchment from within his armor. He slides it across to me silently. I quirk my brow at his odd behavior, taking the missive and unfurling it.

My stomach feels a little queasy as I read the very direct request on the parchment. The church wants black powder, and a frightening amount of it. This stuff is only used occasionally in mining operations. It doesn't work well otherwise due to being useless when wet. But this quantity is startling. This is enough to blow up a whole mine, or maybe, a dungeon?

"Bishop Saxon requests you ship the goods to Daywark promptly. You will be paid a fair price for the goods and service, and your relationship with the church shall be mended."

I swallow the saliva that's gathered at the back of my throat. There isn't a choice here. I either go ahead and give the church what they want, or they have my head. Glaive notices me hesitating and decides to say something about it.

"Do you have a problem with the request, Rebecca?"

Shaking my head, I force a smile. I don't want to screw this up.

"No, no problem at all. I'll have the goods sent as soon as possible, Inquisitor Glaive."

Glaive relaxes his posture slightly at my appropriate response. He rises, and I with him. I am polite enough to walk him to the door of the room with one of my guards in tow. The inquisitor gives me a silent nod before turning toward the door.

"Bishop Saxon will remember this act, Rebecca."

"I would hope so. God bless you, Inquisitor."

"God bless you, Rebecca."

The inquisitor leaves me and my guard in silence. The scruffy looking man gives me a narrow eyed look before speaking up, his voice grating to my ears.

"Should I start calling you Rebecca too, Boss?"

I give him a sharp glare "Of course not. Do that and you'll be fired faster than you can say Boss."

My guard straightens up and gives me an apologetic grin. I step past him and down the hall in the direction of the dining area. The guard follows me with a curious expression on his face.

"Where are you going Boss?"

Sighing, I grab a bottle of wine from the rack.

"I need a drink. Now get out, will you?"

"Right away, Boss!"

The guard leaves me with my thoughts and my wine. I'll have to get the black powder ready for the church, and it will likely cost a significant portion of my current funds. Hopefully the church will honor their word and exonerate me after this.