Dungeon of Doors

~ Andy, Daywark ~

The feel of a quiver on my back and a bow in my hand gives me mixed feelings. On one hand, I am quite happy to be exploring the dungeon again. On the other, I worry over the deaths and dangers we will inevitably face when delving. Several of Bran's team died in this dungeon before our very eyes. Now we are going in alone, just the three of us.

"Are you sure about this, Teddy?"

Teddy turns to give me a confident grin. He's already got his spear ready.

"I'm sure, Andy. We're not kids anymore."

"I'll protect us."

Will's gruff voice is enough to put me somewhat at ease. If a guy as quiet as him is speaking up, then maybe things won't be so bad. No one has ever stayed overnight in a dungeon, but we've packed just in case we can't make it out before nightfall.

"Besides, I've got this just in case something goes wrong."

Teddy holds out a bottle of red fluid. The last healing potion we have, stashed away and kept safely hidden during the crisis with the church. If any of those paladins had seen it we'd have trouble on our hands.

We make a few more checks of our gear. Lights, food, water. Everything is stowed properly in our bags. We turn to the man who owns the building and give him our goodbyes.

"We're going now!" Teddy announces.

"Go on then. I'll keep things nice and quiet out here, boys."

No more words are exchanged as we step past him and down the steps to the basement. The wide passage opens up into a surprisingly big room. Dirt floors and packed cobbled stone walls surround us. Resting against the far wall, the door beckons to us like the mouth of a cave.

Teddy gives us each a look before he starts approaching the door. He pauses a few paces from the door with a perplexed look on his face.

"What is it, Teddy? Did we forget something?"

Shaking his head, he points up "The dungeon's name is Woodrin."

"The dungeon? What are you saying?"

I look up to see where his finger is pointing, finding letters chiseled into the frame of the door. They weren't there before. The door's frame was always smooth, right? Could it be that we somehow missed the name of the dungeon all this time?

"Woodrin. Fitting, for the dungeon full of trees."

Teddy nods softly before finally stepping inside. Both Will and I take long looks at the name as we pass under the door frame. There's no tingle or special feeling as we step into the dungeon. It is almost the exact same as when we last saw it.

The antechamber is still the same. Some cracks or bits of stone are the only signs anything happened here. Another change is that a new door has been opened. Teddy is drawn to it much like I am, and so we approach it.

"Flathoof Haven. What's a flathoof?"

"Probably some kind of monster. The dungeon has loads of them."

Beyond the door we can't see perfectly. The blue tinted barrier keeps us from stepping inside, and so we can only make out the interior of a stone structure. Probably like Green Valley's entrance. Stone leading into a green landscape.

Teddy moves a bit faster now, his smile widening after seeing a new door has opened. He pulls his backpack up a bit and walks toward Wildwood's door. We're entering the dungeon proper now. No telling what it will look like, if it will have changed or remained the same.

I take a deep breath as I step through.

And then release it when I find the forested area much the same as I remember. Big tall trees, high ones with a particular bark. Birds and normal animals flitting about. The distant thump of big monsters moving through the woods. Wildwood hasn't changed.

~

It's been a grueling few hours. We noticed some flagstone paths shortly after entering, and decided to follow them. They led us to the small ruins scattered throughout the forest. We've been dodging traps, killing angry swarmers, and avoiding the bigger monsters outright.

It only took four separate treasure chests before we came across a new key. The door to the temple took the key with it when it slid aside. We expect the door to have returned, much like how all the chests refill.

Thankfully we were right to have sought a key before attempting to return to the forest temple. Upon arrival we found it blocked by a fresh door with the same keyhole as before. The key from the little ruin fits, and the door slides away as it did before.

"We're finally here. You guys ready to find out what's at the bottom of this thing?"

"Of course. Hopefully it's treasure!"

Teddy laughs, and we begin delving the forest temple's halls. The traps are in the same place as we remember. The first tripwire we step over with ease, while the merul in the study is dispatched with a few quick stabs of Teddy's spear. We gather the loot as we go.

The group of merul in the fountain room don't pose a threat despite their superior numbers. We descend after pilfering coins from the fountain's basin. Down the stairs we go, finding the next passage clear of traps. We decide to clear out the bunk room before we proceed to the big worship hall.

A pillow fight much like the last one we experienced greets us. We kill all the merul inside, and prepare to face the last part of this temple we've already seen before. The worship hall is big compared to these small chambers. The amount of merul in there is far too great for us to fight fairly, so we'll use some of the same strategy as our last delve.

"This time, no casualties."

I nod my head at Teddy's resolve. We had to watch too many decent people die here last time. This will be different, as we know what we're up against. Teddy starts the process by cracking open the door and throwing in a pair of bottles filled with potent flammable oil. They shatter on the wooden pews--which have been replaced since our last delve--and they douse the crowd of mushroom monsters. Will does the next step by tossing a flaming torch into the center of the room. While the merul are still clambering out of their seats the flames roar.

The smell of smoldering mushrooms burns my nose as the flames grow high. Nearly everything in the room is ignited, centered on the area near the door. Concentrating the fire near the door we're hiding behind is working wonders.

Teddy and I keep the burning horde back. He stabs with his spear while I fire arrows into those that stumble through the roaring fire. Will is ready with his axe just in case any make it through.

"Where are the big ones?"

I chew my lip at the astute observation. The biggest of the monsters aren't present, those massive mushroom beasts with enough bulk to keep moving long after being scorched black. This inferno is enough to nearly kill every merul present, but those hulking monsters are a different story.

"There it is!"

Teddy's warning comes just as a huge figure pushes through the smoke and fire. I draw my bowstring back, and loose an arrow. The beast doesn't even flinch as the projectile sticks itself in its head. It trundles forward, burning, and Teddy's spear is wrenched from his hands as the big monster takes the weapon in the stomach.

Things look dire. Teddy screams as the flames lick at his skin, burning him. I fumble for another arrow. The brute swims its club-like arm down toward Teddy's face--Only to meet the head of Will's axe. The big guy swings up, cleaving the monster's arm and head in one powerful strike. Teddy's face is stained with a few tears, but he grabs his spear and pulls it from the monster as it falls. We've won the fight, though it wasn't perfect.

"Are you alright?" Will questions Teddy.

Teddy nods, not answering verbally as he sets his bag on the ground. He rifles through it with shaky hands. I watch with furrowed brows as he dresses his burns with clean linen we brought for this sort of thing. Will looks just as helpless as I feel as we watch my cousin recover.

It takes a while for the fire to die down. When the flames have died down we finally get to step into the room. Smoke crowds the vaulted ceiling. Charred fungal bodies and burnt wood litter the floor. We make our way to the treasure chest at the base of the mural.

Inside we find some coins, like we're expecting. We've been picking up plenty of copper coins on our trip here from the various small ruins.

"Hang on, isn't something wrong with these?"

My brow raises as Teddy comments on the gold coins. They're gold, and can probably be melted down for some decent money. I don't get what he's saying until I pick a coin up and give it a closer look. The insignia on the coin is not the one the dungeon uses. These are Greatmane coins, the ones we use to trade at the market in town.

"These aren't dungeon coins..."

"Check the bags!"

Will does as Teddy says while I stare at the coin in my hand, dazed. Will is wide eyed as he looks up from a sack of the coins we've been collecting so far. The words are clear before he opens his mouth. Somehow we've missed the fact that the dungeon has given us real usable coins instead of dungeon coins.

"This is really going to change things, isn't it?"

I nod my head at Teddy's observation. He's right, this place is no longer an obscure and inconvenient way to get metals and strange curiosities. This place produces money! Real, usable money anyone can spend as they please!

"Let's go deeper, before anyone knows what's happened!"

"Fine, but I lead," Will interjects.

Teddy doesn't put up a fight. He's injured from the fire earlier and knows he's not the best one to take the front of the group. Will, being so brawny, is suitable for the role. I'm comfortable at the back where I can shoot my bow safely.

We take some time to pick around the debris, but there isn't anything of use beyond what was in the chest. There's only two doors in the room: the one we came from, and an unknown. Will opens the door with us on standby. Beyond it he finds another corridor. We're on guard for traps, slowly and methodically inching our way down the hall.

There's no tripwire, again. It leaves us feeling rather uneasy.

When the path branches we're not surprised. Going left is probably the best choice, since the path always turns toward dead ends. I noticed it after the bunk room and study were both right turns. The others think I'm onto something, and so we turn left.

At the end of the passage we find a wooden door like all the others in this temple. Nerves are high as Will approaches the door and slowly pulls it open. We're expecting a group of merul waiting to pounce on us, or even one of those savage giants.

What we get is an indoor outhouse. The room is strange, completely unlike anything we've seen before. There's a big basin on one side of the room. It's got a drain and clearly fills with water from a pipe in the wall. Aside from the basin there's a wooden seat with a hole in the center. It's clearly a toilet of some kind, but why is it in this temple? Do these mushroom things need to use a toilet? I wrinkle my nose despite not smelling anything in the air.

"Seriously? There's a shitter in the dungeon?"

Teddy looks flabbergasted. He's usually the most excited about new things in the dungeon, but something about finding a toilet is breaking him a bit. Will goes to say something comforting, but Teddy is already walking away from him. He strides calmly to the toilet and sits down on it.

I'm getting worried now. He's laughing for some reason. Sitting up, Teddy smiles like he's half crazy, and sticks his damn hand into the toilet! Disgust twists both Will and I's features as we watch Teddy reach down.

"Hah! I knew it!"

Teddy triumphantly pulls a small wooden box from the toilet. It looks a bit dirty, and I'm afraid to ask if that is mud or something less pleasant.

I really hope treasures like this don't become a pattern!