Dungeon of Doors

~ Billy, Aquartis ~

The refracted glow of the shiny fish grows brighter as I sink into the water. With a gulp of water breathing potion and the belt of swimming around my waist, I feel oddly at ease in the deep body of water. I can't see the bottom, but I can move as easily as walking on land.

The vibe of this place is completely different under the water. Everything was grey and silent up above, but down here the movement of the water fills my ears while the glowing fish draw the eye. The floating kelp is somewhat transparent, letting me look through it like glass to see the dazzling fish swim in their large schools.

Turning away from the bright colors, I take a good look at the structure we were standing on. Despite its relatively simple surface it has a very detailed design below the water. Elaborate curves in the shape of the building stab down into the depths below. What strikes me as especially odd is the lack of any support. I can see the bottom, a sharp pointed rooftop aiming down, and there is nothing keeping the stone structure from sinking into the blackness.

I pray we won't have to venture down to the bottom of this ocean. Something about going that deep puts a pit of dread in my stomach.

Moving on from what is below, I look to the structure itself. There's a door carved into the thing near the surface. I swim toward it with caution coloring my movements. It's difficult to hear anything with precision underwater, but at least I can somewhat rely on my eyes to see threats coming. Nothing jumps out at me as I swim into the structure.

The room I've entered is at the bottom of a staircase. I can see the stairs spiral down, yet the design of the building makes it appear as if the structure should be flipped on its head. Looking down yields little information. It's far too dark to make out anything.

Swimming out of the stone building, I kick my feet and quickly resurface at the edge of the pavilion. It feels good to get the salty water out of my eyes. The group is waiting for me with eager expressions. I climb up onto the dry ground before explaining what I saw.

"This whole thing is floating, with nothing to keep it from sinking."

"Really? Fascinating..." Drist remarks.

The others don't seem as interested in the strange state of the building we're standing on. I go on to explain the layout, it being upside down, the spiral staircase, and the dark interior. This naturally brings into question how we are to proceed.

"Don't worry, I made sure to bring my lantern stone this time around."

Miss Hawthorne, reliable as always, produces a shining stone from her pocket. The glowing rock is the perfect solution to this obstacle. Drist offhandedly mentions how we could use the shining fish to illuminate the path if need be, but we're confident the lantern stone will be enough on its own. Now it is time to decide who descends further.

"Henry, Leah, you two should wait up here. We have no idea what we're up against, and the space was rather tight for five people."

"That's fine by me! I'm not the greatest swimmer, hah..."

Henry sheepishly grins, content to wait on dry land. Leah on the other hand looks rather frustrated by the situation. She doesn't say anything at first. She's too mature to throw a real fit, despite being on the younger end of our group. Instead she makes a demand.

"I understand, but I want to be part of the next group that goes someplace like this. I don't want to always be left behind. That okay, Billy?"

"Yes, of course. I'll count you in for the next time."

With the matter of who's going decided, we make our preparations. Those who are to swim beneath the structure are each given a drink of the water breathing potions we have on hand. Leah is willing to share, thankfully.

I offer the belt of swimming to Miss Hawthorne "Here, Miss Hawthorne."

"I won't be needing it as much as you, Billy. Keep it."

Feeling at a loss, I glance at Drist only to see him smirking. Apparently he taught her some of his skills in underwater combat. Or maybe he's just confident she'll be fine without the boost. Rather than dwelling on being the weakest swimmer of the trio, I simply buckle the belt back on and finish removing any unnecessary pieces of clothing.

I'm the first to dive.

The oddly quiet sound of water filling my ears is followed by a sense of calm. The shining fish gleam, swimming around us in schools like little clusters of stars in a night sky. I let a few bubbles of air out of my nose. Blinking the salt out of my eyes, I see Miss Hawthorne and Drist beside me. They're struggling to tread water while I remain floating without issue.

We take a moment to get our bearings before I lead the way. I have to check behind me several times, ensuring the others are keeping up with me as I swim into the structure's open doorway. The others follow me inside, Miss Hawthorne's lantern stone tied to her hip. The light casts long shadows off the walls as we gather inside. Now that we have a light source, the stairs are fully visible.

Floating lazily in the stairwell are a few miscellaneous objects. Framed paintings, a discarded stool, and an odd metal bowl. Bits of wood and other small scraps float through the water listlessly. We begin our descent, the darkness kept at bay only by the single lantern stone. It feels like we've gone from the open sea to a tight underwater cave.

Being unable to communicate is a problem. I'm making my way down, Miss Hawthorne just behind me, when I see movement out of the corner of my eye. Something is beneath us. I'm not able to say anything to warn the others before it rears its ugly head. Two pale half blind eyes peer at us from the dark. There's a massive fish, as big as I am, with a maw full of nasty looking teeth. It doesn't move at first. We all stay perfectly still in astonishment at the creature.

Then, I draw my dagger from my belt. The only weapon I've brought into the water. The nasty looking fish moves like lightning at the same time. I'm not able to block the beast's approach. It's toothy maw engulfs my hand with the dagger, and I feel searing pain as it bites down savagely. I can see blood clouding the water around its mouth as I struggle to maintain my grip on my dagger. Whilst struggling with the beast I feel sinew and flesh tear beneath the dagger's blade. It may be maiming me, but I'm also hurting it from the inside.

If it weren't for my past experiences I'd probably not be able to withstand this pain. This thing's bite is like a vice, and its teeth are terribly efficient at slicing my flesh. My strength wanes as I start to lose some feeling in my hand.

The fish monster's eye is suddenly replaced with a dagger. I stare in shock as another identical dagger is driven into the beast's other eye. Drist then wrenches the daggers free with a muffled grunt. I have to use my other hand to help free my bitten one. The beast's jaw didn't properly open in its death.

Gore and blood greet me as I free my limb. My forearm is a mangled mess, yet my weapon remains tightly held. Drist gives the wound a hard look before pulling a bandage from his pouch. Another item procured by Miss Hawthorne, water proof and helpful in this unique environment. I don't wince when he wraps the wound. I can't feel much of the pain at this point. If it weren't for the adrenaline I might be feeling a little more faint right now.

Miss Hawthorne gives me a worried look. While Drist isn't doing the same I can tell he is concerned. I shake my head as if to say things are okay, and we should keep going. While this wound is bad I still have another hand at my disposal. I switch to gripping my dagger with my off hand before motioning to continue.

We move on, despite the others' concerns. The dark stairwell doesn't hold anymore surprise attacks from those massive fish. Instead we come to a passage leading even further down--or up, if you're looking at it from the structure's point of view.

This time it is Miss Hawthorne who takes the first step. She carries the light, so she can see the best in this situation. Drist is right behind her. I naturally take up the rear, seeing as I'm wounded.

My first inkling that something isn't right is the muffled shriek I hear from Miss Hawthorne. The next is the fact the light shifts suddenly, as if the lantern stone has been moved. Swimming down I get to see what's happened. Floating near the entrance to the chamber is a desiccated corpse of the same fish monster we fought on our way in. Loose furniture floats around the room alongside debris. Situated at the room's far end is a massive creature, one I've seen before now. We never managed to come up with a suitable name for the lurking nautical monster.

This particular monster has its tentacles restraining Miss Hawthorne. She's got her knife driven into the beast's fleshy appendage, but it isn't budging. Drist is moving as fast as he can despite not wearing the swimming belt. He's remarkably agile even when hindered by the water, and his daggers flash with light as he stabs the beast's tentacle in a bid to get it to let go of Miss Hawthorne. I swim in to help them with a tight grip on my weapon.

Drist is suddenly pushed, his body sailing across the room and into a wall. The monster shoved him away with its tentacles. Thankfully the water made the motion too slow to harm Drist, but one of his daggers is still lodged in the beast. I move into the gap Drist left behind and stab the tentacle. It doesn't budge.

Another tentacle suddenly grabs me, not by the limbs or torso, but by the head. I'm unable to see a thing as the creature tightens its hold. My face aches as the thing attempts to squeeze my skull. The pain isn't enough to get me to stop driving my blade in and out of it.

The pain isn't lessening as I struggle. I grunt, teeth grit as it squeezes ever harder.

Suddenly it lets go. I'm perplexed as to what changed. Upon pushing the limp tentacle away I find Miss Hawthorne viciously stabbing the creature in the body, her hand grabbing the shell as she attacks. Drist is pulling his daggers out of an offending tentacle that previously held Miss Hawthorne at bay.

I'll have to remember not to get on her bad side.

With the threat dispatched the room is surprisingly calm. The pressure is a bit much due to how far down we are, but otherwise the room is eerily quiet. There's a treasure chest resting near where the monster fought us. Drist is quick to pop it open with an eager look in his eyes.

For our troubles we've been gifted a fair sum of silver coins, not bad by any means, but underwhelming compared to what we got from the sewer level of the dungeon. Along with the coins there is another water breathing potion and two healing potions. While a good reward it feels a bit underwhelming.

The last level we visited was far more complex than this one. We didn't even get the final reward, and yet we obtained special items that really aid in exploring the dungeon. Here? We fight several monstrosities and get an average treasure.

My thoughts on the matter come to a halt when I notice something off to the side. Behind a few discarded paintings and an overturned table, there's something set into the wall. I swim over and pull the junk aside with the ease of the swimming belt.

There's a door set into the wall. Wide and square, with a very prominent keyhole.

Where were we supposed to get the key?