Dungeon of Doors

Geoff has already assured me the drop won't hurt as long as I land in the center of the hole, where the water is deepest. I step forward and eye the only barely illuminated tunnel below. The whole thing is flooded, but the water is shallow on the sides where the submerged walkways sit. The central canal is the only area with real depth.

"Here I go. You boys wait until I holler for you to jump down, alright?"

"Yes, Boss!"

I take a deep breath before leaping off the edge of the pit. My stomach churns as I'm in free fall, and soon after I hit the water with a loud splash. The sound is cut off when my ears are submerged, the water stinging my eyes as I swim up to the surface and climb onto the walkway. I'd rather just have wet feet than swim around in this filth.

We're all going to be soaking wet by the time we get through this hell hole. Hopefully nobody gets sick, but it's probably unavoidable at this point.

"Alright, go ahead!" I shout up.

It doesn't take long for Clyde to take the plunge. The big boy comes down like a cannonball, producing a huge splash that soaks me even further. I sputter, face twitching with anger as he clambers up and onto the walkway alongside me.

"Your turn, Dick!" Clyde shouts up.

This time I'm ready for the splash. Clyde isn't, and gets hit with a wave of brackish water. Glad to see him get his comeuppance.

Dick climbs out of the water and soon after Geoff joins us. Now that we're back in a group we move forward. Down here it stinks awfully of mold, and the air is especially fetid. We have to move half blind since the sunlight that comes down is blocked by the tunnel above. Only occasional chutes allow light to pour in.

"Damn, can't stop shivering..."

"Shut up and keep walking, Clyde."

"Right! Sorry, Boss."

We make our way as far down the passage as we can. At the end of it is a large metal barrier, bars that remind me of a prison cordon off the passage. There's a few holes in the bars but they're so high and jagged that I don't fancy trying to climb through.

"What now?" I turn to Geoff.

Geoff looks around for a while. Dick and Clyde toss bits of broken brickwork into the canal, watching the splashes. I lean against the wall and watch Geoff work. The wimpy looking guy is quick to find a solution to our problem. He discovers another one of those wheel things--a valve--attached to a pipe tucked into the corner of the passage. He hasn't said anything yet, for some reason.

"Geoff."

"Y-Yeah Boss?"

"What're you stallin' for? I see you found the valve thing."

Fidgeting, Geoff relents "Afraid this isn't going to be easy, Boss. We gotta turn the valve and swim up as the water rises back up. Or at least that's what I think we'll have to do."

Damn. That does sound more than a little dangerous, and like it'll be uncomfortable as hell. I stand up and walk over to the valve. I start to grip the wheel, turning to shout to the two knuckleheads who haven't heard the plan.

"Boys! Get your asses under that shaft! We're swimming out of here!"

I don't bother waiting for their answer. My hand squeezes the rusted metal tightly as I twist it, rotating the wheel and opening the valve. The sound of water gushing through the pipe tells me Geoff's hunch was right. The water that was at my ankles is rising, fast. I trudge toward the sunlit area just below the hole leading to the tunnel above, water up to my knees.

"Is that a fish?"

"Forget the fish, Clyde! We gotta swim!"

The water is rising fast. It's hitting my waist now. Of course that's when I catch sight of the fish Clyde mentioned. Just beneath the surface of the water is a fish nearly as big as a pony. The thing is huge, and its got the teeth to match. Two dark eyes stare at us from the water as it floats slowly toward us.

"Shit! Boss, I don't wanna get bit again!"

"Just shut up and swim! It's hardly moving anyway."

Geoff is looking ready to bolt. Everyone's getting nervous with a fish big enough to take off our whole arm swimming so close. The water is rising, and now it's up to my neck. Thank god the water is rising quick.

I start to float up. I fill my lungs with air, paddling as the water pushes me up toward the opening in the ceiling. Geoff is right by me as we ascend. Soon enough we're being pushed up through the hole toward the dryer sunlit tunnel above.

The flooding is faster the longer it takes. We practically get shot up the last few meters like water coming out of a geyser. Geoff is quick to climb onto the walkway beside the canal we're floating in. The water doesn't rise further, just high enough to fill the canal on this level. I climb up alongside him before turning back to look down the hole.

Dick is there with a rather fearful look on his face. His complexion is all pale, and he's scrambling like a crazed animal to get out of the water.

"What's the matter with you?"

"C-Clyde! It got Clyde!"

My brow furrows as I glance past Dick and see nothing but the slightly bubbling water. There's no sign of Clyde, and the quiet trickle of water is all I can hear. I take a few steps forward before peering down through the murky waters in search of Clyde.

"Clyde?! Get up here, now!"

No response. Hard to hear anything underwater. Wait, something is coming to the surface! I lean down and reach out to help the big man out. It's certainly him, I grab his hand and tug with all my might.

The weight I expect isn't there. I fall on my ass with Clyde's hand still clutched in mine. Looking down reveals I've simply pulled his severed arm out of the water. I don't react at first, I just stare at it. Dick loses his lunch, the guy is vomiting right into the canal we're probably going to have to swim in some more. Geoff is crying.

"Damn it, Clyde."

~

The squeal of the rat in front of me makes me flinch. I feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment as I swing my sword, stabbing the creature through the shoulder. It claws at the weapon as I pull back. Damn things are so gross!

Another swing of my blade and the oversized pest finally dies. The others are finishing up their fights as well, except for Teacher. He's calmly leaning against the wall next to a pile of corpses. He's been killing the great rats as easily as breathing.

"What's the matter, Rebecca? Afraid of a little mouse?"

I make a rude gesture at Teacher before turning to approach Billy and his two students. They've just finished killing the rats that attacked them.

"Have you explored this region before, Billy?"

Billy wipes blood from his sword before sheathing it. He gives me a blank look, shaking his head at my question. Leah is standing ready beside him. Henry is busy trying to dislodge the makeshift spear he's wielding from a rat corpse.

"Not at all. I'm as blind here as you are."

"Right. Of course."

I reach for my pocket and curse myself for not bringing my lantern stone with me on this journey. I've kept one around out of sentimentality, but here it would serve a very practical purpose.

Now that we've dealt with the threat, we begin moving as a group. Teacher leads the way since he's got the keenest senses of us. Billy doesn't complain. He may have enjoyed guiding us through Rushwater Canyon, but he's happy to follow someone with more experience.

"Sounds like we're getting close," Teacher warns.

"Close to what?"

Teacher doesn't answer me with words, instead he gestures ahead of us. There's an opening where sunlight pours in. Stepping toward it I'm greeted by a massive chamber. The space is tall and cylindrical, with water pouring in through various openings and from the surface above. Despite the bright light the sky overhead is cloudy and grey. At the base of the shaft is a lot of roiling water, too dark and choppy to see into.

"Wouldn't want to fall from here, jeez..."

Leah takes a step back after peering over the edge. From what I can see it looks like we're meant to climb down the wall. Various outcroppings and makeshift plank bridges form a pathway. At the end of the path is a tunnel. There's a worrying drop beneath that tunnel where another tunnel mouth sits. Teacher makes an observation.

"Strange. The water level isn't normally that low."

"How can you tell?" Leah questions.

"The filth staining the wall. See how there's a blackened ring a good storey or two up the shaft wall? That forms when water stagnates at a certain height."

Irritatingly observant as always. Teacher is right, the water is lower than it usually is. What that means and how it might pertain to our delve are unclear. For now it's a small detail we can keep in mind for later.

Teacher takes the lead once more as we descend. He's the perfect one to spot the loose bricks and any gaps in the path, warning us before we reach it. The climb down is slow and careful. Several times I notice Teacher pause ahead of us to stare down at the choppy waters below. Whatever has his attention escapes me.

We're nearly at our destination when Teacher stops us. We pause, expecting him to point out some unreliable part of the path ahead. Instead he stares down at the water. I turn my head, peering down into the bottom of the pit to see the water is rising. It only takes a minute or so for it to settle at the depth Teacher theorized the water normally rests.

"Told you it wasn't normally that low!"

"I never doubted you, Teacher!"

Shouting is the only way to communicate when the water is rushing down around us in artificial waterfalls. We soon arrive at the open tunnel near the water. Teacher doesn't immediately start heading inside, instead crouching low to the ground.

"Seems the other party was here recently."

Teacher is referring to the people who are in this level of the dungeon. When entering we saw the count wasn't zero, but it wasn't important. This dungeon isn't some private affair. Likely some locals or travelers exploring the place in search of fortune.

Wordlessly, Teacher approaches the edge of the water and dips his head beneath the water. I watch, appalled, as he then pulls his head from the filthy water.

"There's a monster under there! Real big one, too!"

"Really? What did it look like?" Billy questions, joining us.

"Kind of like an octopus. Had tentacles, but I couldn't see its actual body. Big enough to toss a grown man clear across the room."

Billy shudders at the description, taking a step away from the water's edge. I do the same with a look of disgust on my face. Things were bad enough when we had to fight a horde of big rats. Fighting a sea monster is just out of the question.

Teacher pulls his cloak off and hands it to me. I watch, brows furrowed, as he begins undressing. The others look just as confused by his behavior. When Teacher notices us gawking he turns to explain.

"I'm not going to swim with all my gear weighing me down, obviously."

"You're... Going to swim?"

"Of course! There's a treasure chest down there with my name on it!"

With that, Teacher finishes setting aside everything he doesn't want to bring. I grab his arm to stop him, giving him a firm stare as he grins back at me like there's nothing wrong.

"No. Teacher, dungeons aren't to be trifled with. That thing could kill you!"

Shrugging my hand off, Teacher chuckles to himself. He turns toward the water. He's only got a single dagger strapped to his waist. No real protection, just his underclothes.

"Oh Rebecca, your teacher isn't going to lose to some glorified calamari!"

And with that, Teacher dives into the water. The four of us all look aghast as he vanishes into the roiling murky waters. Then, as if having missed the seriousness of the situation, Henry decides now is a good time to ask one of his questions.

"What's a calamari?"