Dungeon of Doors

~ Rebecca Hawthorne, Fishing Village ~

The quiet atmosphere of the village isn't what I was expecting. When Teacher told me a new dungeon had appeared, I envisioned a secluded misty valley or a high traffic settlement. This? This is an ordinary fishing village. Most of the people here look like they've never held a silver piece, much less a weapon.

"Are you certain this is where the dungeon is, Teacher?"

Teacher chuckles "Yes, I am certain. In fact it's just over there."

I follow Teacher's hand as he points toward the river. I follow him, brow furrowed, as he leads me toward an old weather worn dock. We're near the edge of the village. I'm about to ask if Teacher is playing a joke on me when he steps beneath the dock and out of sight.

"Teacher?"

My steps take me over the muddy riverbank and around to the underside of the dock. Teach is standing a few paces into the dungeon's doorway--a stone door with a carved chamber on the other side. Above the door there's a title inscribed, Aquartis.

Curiosity wars with caution as I step close to the door. Something about this dungeon makes me feel unsettled. This place is dangerous, that much I can sense somehow. Teacher peers into a door down the corridor-like antechamber. He's grinning wide.

"This place sure does live up to the stories you sent me, Rebecca!"

"I... Don't think the last dungeon left such an impression."

The sound of footsteps approaching from behind me catches my attention. I turn to see three people walking toward us, but Teacher isn't looking this way. They must not be a threat if Teacher isn't even looking their way.

"Oh, Miss Hawthorne... I didn't expect to see you again."

The man at the front of the group recognizes me. At first this sets off alarm bells, but I quickly recognize him by his missing eye. Back before the church came to Daywark there was a guard who survived the red eclipse of the dungeon. He was imprisoned for desertion, and the time he spent in the dungeon left a scar on him so deep he never recovered.

I offered him a job as a guide for the guild. While he was interested, the church's arrival made things difficult. What's strange is seeing him here, and seeing him so unbothered.

"Billy. Surprised to see you as well, what are you doing here?"

Billy has an almost embarrassed look on his face now. The man grins halfheartedly, turning to glance at the two youths behind him. They look a good bit younger, but of age. What could they be doing with Billy?

"Well, you see, I have come to almost... Enjoy exploring Aquartis."

"Truly? That's surprising. What changed your mind on dungeons?"

"The first level is a lot different here. Simpler, easier to get through as long as you aren't stupid. You don't even have to combat anything if you play your cards right."

That's intriguing. For a man who's been through so much because of dungeons to turn over a new leaf, this dungeon must be very different from the original. The boy behind Billy is fidgeting now. He keeps glancing my way in a rather adorable attempt to subtly check me out.

"Who are these kids you've brought with you?"

Billy turns to gesture to the both of them. The rather scruffy looking boy, and a similar yet neater girl. They both look like village locals. The girl hardly reacts to being introduced, just waving. The boy looks ready to bury his head in the sand.

"These are my students. Your offer really got me thinking, and these two wanted to explore the dungeon for themselves."

"I'm glad my offer did some good for you. Were you about to delve?"

Nodding, Billy explains their plans for the day. Apparently we caught them just as they were about to enter the dungeon and check out the second level. I've never heard anyone refer to the areas of a dungeon as levels before--yet it just sounds correct? Strange.

Teacher hasn't said a word the whole time, but when Billy offers to give me a tour of the first part of the dungeon he suddenly speaks up.

"We'd love your help, lad!"

Billy straightens up and smiles. It's obvious he hadn't yet noticed Teacher was even present. No fault of Billy's, the man is a ghost when he wants to be.

"O-Of course. Who might you be, Sir?"

Teach gives Billy a wide toothy grin "Drist, little Rebecca here is my student. Taught her everything she knows."

"Pleasure meeting you, Sir."

I can tell Teacher thinks it's funny how respectful Billy is being. He's usually such a laid back person, so titles are never something he asks to be called. Billy comes from a bit of a military background, meaning he naturally defers to honorifics for those he sees as above him in some way. Probably because Teacher has the poise of a mountain lion and is old enough to be his or my father.

Billy leads the way into the first door. Rushwater Canyon, an area with a six person limit.

My first impression of the level is the sound. Water rushes through a canyon, the cascade of a waterfall and the rush of the current produce enough noise to make speaking slightly difficult. The echo of the canyon walls makes the effect more pronounced. We have to raise our voices just to have a conversation.

The second thing I'm taken by is the scale of the walls and the odd sense of smallness that washes over me. It feels like I'm in a place much bigger than usual. Like at any moment I could be swept away like an insect in a storm.

"Miss Hawthorne?"

Billy's voice brings me out of my stupor. The others are moving ahead, while Billy is giving me a concerned look. I move to follow them after quickly composing myself. This is just a dungeon, I shouldn't be so shocked to see it looking a little different.

We move through the canyon with little trouble. Thanks to Billy's informative explanation, we learn that the rather large drakeflies are in fact harmless so long as you don't attack them. They're curious creatures, so they can be a bit frightening at first.

We're also given warnings about the bridges. Apparently at some point the wooden bridges connecting the land become unreliable, falling apart at a moments notice. We're able to avoid any plunges into the water thanks to this knowledge.

Though, Teacher would be fine. Even if he fought every single drakefly and went alone I think he'd be able to easily overcome every obstacle. The man is a monster.

"You really should have given us some warnings when we first came here, Sir."

Leah, the girl Billy is teaching, speaks up. Billy looks a tad embarrassed as he continues walking with the group. We're almost at the end of the river canyon.

"I didn't think to... I've never taught anyone before, nor have I ever been in charge like that."

"So you're not some kind of wise veteran super soldier?"

The boy, Henry, looks dumbfounded. Apparently he had been putting Billy on some kind of pedestal. Billy shakes his head with a bashful grin on his face.

Conversation ends as we reach the end of the canyon. That sensation of feeling small comes back in full force, and I'm confronted with the sight of a cliff so high it is dizzying. Far below, clouds partially block the view of cerulean waters. What ocean is that? What land mass are we currently standing on?

"I found the sight breathtaking the first time, too."

"Did you change your mind, Billy?"

"That's not what I meant. I'm simply looking forward to seeing what comes next."

His outlook really has taken a complete turn. I find myself smiling despite the terrifyingly precarious position we find ourselves in. I never truly explored the dungeon in Daywark, and now I'm regretting that. Were the sights there just as impressive?

Teacher is the first to take a look at the treasure chest. He crouches down, prying the lid open. His gloved hands run along the metal bindings of the chest. He's hardly paying attention to the pile of copper coins inside the vessel.

"What's the matter, Teacher?"

"This metal is unique. I've never seen anything like it."

"It does have a rather nice blue hue to it..."

Shaking his head, Teacher uses his dagger to stab at the moist dark brown wood of the box. He's trying to pry it apart in a bid to get at the metal components.

"Not the color. It's got a strange wetness to it, like it's just been pulled from the bottom of a lake. And I don't think it's simple humidity."

While curious about Teacher's theory, I am more interested in the contents of the box. Billy has mentioned the potion to us once on the way in. Leah is currently carrying the one from their last journey, while Billy has one as well. They don't know what the tonic does--only that it is likely helpful in some way. I purse my lips in thought.

"We could test for poison... I've got plenty of means for it."

"That'd put my nerves at ease. I don't want these kids getting sick."

Teacher quits hacking away at the treasure chest and pulls a small silver thimble from his pockets. He holds it out to me without bothering to explain himself. Likely kept at his side for poison detection. My own equipment is kept in my office, so this is more convenient.

"Thank you, Teacher."

I take the potion from the treasure chest and bring it to the thimble. Carefully, I uncork and let a tiny portion of the mixture spill into the silver vessel. The shiny metal doesn't change in color nor texture. The potion is probably not poisonous.

"That's good enough for me!" Teacher exclaims.

Before I can react Teacher snatches the thimbleful of bubbling blue potion from me and downs it in a single gulp. The next few moments are awkward, as his expressions shift between excitement, discomfort, confusion, and embarrassment.

"Teacher? Are you alright?"

Belch!

Unamused, I cross my arms as Teacher fans the air with his hand. He takes a few deep breaths before shrugging his shoulders.

"Felt really strange, but I don't know what it did."

How irritating. Most of the time we conveniently discover the purpose of things in the dungeon shortly after interacting with them, but not this time. Weird that something like that always seems to happen.

"Let's move onto the second level, I'm far too curious to wait."

Billy leads the way. Unlike the dungeon in Daywark, this one doesn't have the open interconnected doorways. Instead of finding a door leading to the next area we're forced to back track, returning to the antechamber before moving into the next region.

"Upper Gunkthick Sewer?" Billy reads aloud.

Henry speaks up "What's a sewer?"

"They're rare. The capital has a sewer, it's an underground river that washes away waste."

"Waste? Like garbage?"

Teacher chuckles, stepping past the country boy with a grin on his face. That smile twists into a sour look as he steps over the threshold and into the level. It's clear he's not enjoying the scent of the sewer.

"No, my boy, by waste he means shit."

Leah lets out an understandable groan upon realizing the second level of the dungeon is going to be very unpleasant. I follow Billy into the doorway and find the stench of filth clinging to my nostrils. Nausea threatens to rise, but I hold it back with a grunt.

"This is awful! I miss the river level!"

"Don't be too upset, I'm sure the loot will be far better down here."

Teacher has a point. While the dungeon increases in deadliness the further in you explore, it also provides greater rewards. Some of the best rewards were found in a structure deep in the dungeon near Daywark. It's a shame we never got to fully explore before the dungeon was destroyed.

"There's something moving in the shadows," Billy observes.

I peer into the blackness with minimal success. The faint scrabbling of claws on stone is the only indication we have company, as the sunlight pouring in from the grates in the ceiling doesn't reach. Teacher throws a dagger into the dark. The squeak of a dying rodent is his reward.

"Easy enough. Was an oversized rat of some kind, looked real nasty."

"Teacher! What if it was like the drakeflies? Passive until provoked?"

Much to my chagrin, the sounds of scrabbling claws and irritated squeaking come from all around us. Clearly Teacher's attack has provoked the creatures. Teacher doesn't look the slightest bit bothered, and shrugs.

"I was getting bored, can you blame me?"