Dungeon of Doors

The unnamed sewer is shaping up nicely. The great rats are enjoying the upper area, swimming through canals and feasting on nutrient rich muck flowing in from pipes unseen. The nautilurks are enjoying their habitat below. There's almost always one gobbling up algae and waste in the central shaft.

Unlike the upper tunnels and central shaft, the lower tunnels are completely devoid of life. I was interrupted in the process of populating this level of the dungeon. Now, it is time I finally give the lower level of the sewer a proper denizen.

I don't bother to model a statue of the creature before creating it. I'm confident enough in my ability to mold life from mana that I only need a clear goal in mind and enough mana to fuel its creation. In the depths of the lower tunnels I spawn the first aquatic monster, an oversized fish with a mouth full of teeth meant for piercing the flesh of prey.

While they lack any special abilities, their lethality is plenty potent due to having enough bite force to crush a person's limb between their jaws. These opportunistic carnivores will normally lie dormant, drifting listlessly in search of edible detritus. When something starts moving in the water? They give chase. I imagine plenty of these beasts will die to the nautilurk, but the smart ones won't tread in the central shaft.

I'll call them glugmaws, simply because they're so primitive I can't bring myself to give them a more compelling name. I don't plan on using them for anything beyond standard aquatic defense. Anyways, with the glugmaws in place it's time to create a reward at the end of the dungeon. Anyone who braves this gauntlet deserves some treasure.

The final room of the sewer level is a shaft illuminated by sunlight, the floor a metal grating that prevents descent into a false pit below. I place the treasure chest off to one side, so a trickle of water from above falls directly onto its shut lid.

Inside the chest I place a pile of gold coins--the kind the locals appreciate, with a lion's head on one side and a crown on the other. Atop this pile I place three items: a dungeon lantern, a water breathing potion, and a key made of saphite, the blue always cool and damp metal I created for Aquartis. The key won't do anything for now. Its purpose will become clear on a later level of the dungeon.

Now that I've added everything I want to be in the sewer level, it deserves a name. I can't connect it to the antechamber without one. Considering the sewer theme and the abundance of waste matter, I think Gunkthick Sewer fits it perfectly. Though I would like to revisit the theme at a later date. Upper Gunkthick Sewer it is!

I inscribe the name on the door as I connect it, creating an obelisk half buried in rubble at the bottom of the central shaft. The obelisk maintains the door's barrier, ensuring only twelve people can enter the level at a time. It also prevents those that haven't reached the end of Rushwater Canyon from entering.

The ease of which I can set that kind of condition is a bit worrying.

I'm sure it won't have any adverse effects, right?

~

The quiet footsteps of the two young villagers behind me sound just as unsure as my own steps did the first time I entered a dungeon. The click of my boots on stone echoes through the antechamber of the dungeon. The man, Henry, turns to the woman, Leah, and asks a rather silly question.

"Who do you think carved the name of the dungeon over the door?"

I can't help but chuckle, my bitter tone clashing with the verbalization. Henry looks at me with a confused frown. I glance over my shoulder to reply to the boy.

"The dungeon's name wasn't carved by anyone, Henry. Think of it like a mountain. No one carves a mountain to shape. It just is."

Both of them look a tad more nervous after my explanation. They eye the walls with more caution, and their steps are even less sure than they were when we first stepped through the door. I stop at the door to Rushwater Canyon, before noticing another door has opened.

My steps are hurried as I rush over to the open door. Just beyond the threshold I can make out the stonework of an interior space, and the sound of flowing water, echoing in some kind of artificial cavern. My curiosity is piqued, yet because I need to teach these two I can't go exploring this new area just yet.

"What's that? Upper... Gunkthick... Sewer?" Leah reads aloud.

"Someplace we aren't ready for. I'm teaching you how to be safe in a dungeon before we go any deeper. Let's move."

I motion for the two mildly confused youths to follow me. They do as they're told, shuffling along behind me as I lead them back to Rushwater Canyon's door. With a deep breath, I step over the threshold and into the space.

The rush of water is music to my ears. The humidity of the air mixed with the unique scent of the river relaxes me. I turn and watch a very confused Henry stumble through the door's barrier. He shivers in disgust as he looks along his skin for some sort of residue. Once Leah is through I address them.

"Alright you two, this is Rushwater Canyon. The first uh, area? Floor? No... level. The first level of this dungeon."

Not sure why I couldn't find the right word for it. I swear this sort of thing happens more often when I'm in a dungeon, but they don't affect my mind, do they?

"What was that weird shimmery thing we just walked through?" Leah asks.

I look up, my train of thought falling away.

"That was a door. There are many kinds of doors you'll find in dungeons, such as the one we entered the dungeon through, and the one we just stepped through. The kind out front was just a formality... Think of it as a foyer. These doors with barriers are the real thing. Walking through them is putting your life at risk."

"Why would a dungeon want to say welcome? Isn't this place trying to kill us?"

"Yes, and no. It isn't trying to do anything. As far as I can tell this place is similar to how ore can be found deep in the ground, or fruit high in the trees. There's no real purpose here."

Henry sheepishly pipes up after I finish my explanation, asking a question of his own.

"What's a foyer?"

Leah sighs like she's embarrassed to be from the same village as Henry. I educate him on the nature of a foyer, and he hardly seems satisfied. If anything he is simply appalled that anyone could have an entire room in their house dedicated to taking off their shoes. Henry doesn't even have shoes, much less more than a single room in his house.

With that I bring us back to the topic at hand, the dungeon. I start walking slowly toward the first bridge. The youths are more willing to explore. Their steps are a bit too eager, and I must temper their willingness to delve the dungeon with caution.

"Remember that we are in a very dangerous place. One wrong move could spell your death."

The others nod as they walk. I hear Henry swallow a lump in his throat, his fear not entirely unwarranted. Leah hasn't taken my warning to heart. She's still just as light on her feet as before. I suppose reality will have to finish teaching my lesson.

We walk over the bridge, and all the while I am keeping my eyes on the water. The first bridge is crossed without issue. This puts both of my students at ease further, and I can't help but click my tongue in disapproval.

The next section of land isn't an obstacle. We walk past the reeds, stepping carefully over the muddy soil. I glance down at the bridge as we step upon it. Wet wood, bending, yet not creaking nor breaking. Henry and Leah follow me behind, Henry lingering in the far rear.

Everything is going as normal, right up until I hear a buzz of wings. The flash of iridescent blue that moves past my vision alarms me for a brief moment. For the two youths behind me? They lose their composure instantly at the sight of a massive shiny drakefly hovering in their face.

"W-What is that?!" Henry shrieks

I turn, opening my mouth to reassure him there's no need to be alarmed. Unfortunately my mouth is slower than Henry's instincts, and he punches the drakefly straight in the face.

There's a soft whizzing sound as the drakefly spins back and loses control of its flight for a moment. When it stabilizes, no teeth nor claws appear. The monster looks exactly as it did prior. That could have gone really bad if it had been something more dangerous-

Another drakefly rams into Henry from behind. The boy shouts in alarm and nearly knocks Leah over as he stumbles forward. The drakefly that was punched by Henry rams into Leah's side, and I watch, slack jawed, as she falls into the rushing water of the river below.

"Henry! Get to dry land, I'll grab Leah!"

"Ouch! But these damn bugs are- Ow- Hurting me!"

I don't bother to argue with Billy. There isn't time. While I may have gotten lucky when I toppled into the water, there is no guarantee Leah will fare the same. I dive into the water with the grace of a hunting dog. The cool rush of the river meets me, and I'm greeted with the familiar sight of several great pikes swimming against the current. Leah is nowhere in sight, but some kicked up silt is trailing downstream.

My legs kick and I push and pull the water around me as I swim. I've never been the best swimmer, but I have to try and get to Leah before she gets to that waterfall. I swim around the edge of a bank. Still no sign of her.

Soon enough it's been entirely too long since I've seen Leah. There isn't even any more disturbed sediment, and I suspect she somehow breached the surface. I swim to a nearby bank and climb out of the water. Leah is sitting awkwardly on a bank a ways back from where I am. Henry is running across bridges towards Leah.

While everything seems great, there is a rather big problem, or perhaps many small problems. Henry is being chased and battered by a swarm of drakeflies. They're repeatedly ramming themselves into him in an attempt to knock the boy off balance. How he's staying upright, I don't know.

"Henry! Stay on land, I will come to you!"

"Help! Ah! Get away!"

Henry's rather pathetic attempts to fight the bugs urge me forward. I move quickly yet carefully across a bridge, the planks here are unsteady. I manage to reach the bank Leah is seated on. She gives me a weary look--she's completely soaked--and I pass her by in an effort to aid Henry.

My foot rests on the first plank of the bridge separating me and Henry. It creaks awkwardly, and I look between the bridge and Henry's panicked figure. He's managing to stay upright despite the bullying of the drakeflies. The problem is his footing might not be so stable.

"Henry! Wait there! This bridge isn't-"

The warning comes too late, and I bite my tongue as Henry slams his foot into a board that gives way. He tumbles straight through a second board that's also uselessly weak. All Henry gets out is a strangled yelp before he disappears beneath the flow.

With a frustrated grunt, I tear my shirt off. I kick my boots aside as I prepare to dive back into the fast flowing waters of the river.

"Stay there. Don't move, and don't provoke any of the drakeflies."

Into the current I plunge.