Dungeon of Doors

~ Billy, Aquartis ~

The long corridor of Aquartis' antechamber stretches out before me. I enter, each step echoing just slightly off the walls. Leah walks just behind me with a new sword sheathed at her hip. He gait has changed. Each step she takes has the poise of a newly recruited soldier.

Just behind Leah Miss Hawthorne and Drist walk in tandem. Teacher and student scan the room as we walk through it. We pass the first three doors, ignoring the levels they hold. I come to a stop in front of the fourth door.

"Tengku Basin," I read aloud.

A quick look back at the others reveals they know nothing of whatever a tengku is. I would dismiss it as just a name if not for the dungeon's pattern of naming levels based on what is contained within.

We take stock of our gear and supplies before stepping through the door. The change in the air is immediate, filling my nostrils with the scent of salt water. We're standing in a narrow rocky channel, sunlight pouring in from a gap high above in the rock. Two tunnels stretch out to our left and right. Distant sounds reach my ears. The thump of wood being moved, the chatter of voices, and a din of general activity.

"Are those voices?"

Drist nods to Leah, "Yes. They're voices, no doubt about it."

Goosebumps erupt along the back of my arms as I strain my ears to hear them. They're distant, too far away to make out any of the details, but they're speaking our language. Tensions rise as each of us double checks our weapons. Miss Hawthorne speaks up before we can proceed.

"I heard reports of a monster that could talk and reason, but that was in Daywark."

A shiver of fear goes down my back as I struggle to come to terms with something other than a person being able to speak. The party wordlessly follows my lead as I choose one of the two paths arbitrarily. Following it leads down at a gentle slope, the sun peeking through the narrow channel above us. The rocky path winds back and forth as we descend.

Eventually the sounds we've been hearing are joined by the gentle lap of water on rock. We step out from behind a chunk of stone to find ourselves on a small outcropping jutting from a natural wall surrounding a central basin of water. Drist chuckles dryly as we take in the view.

"Now that's something I never thought I'd see…"

The basin is contained within a hollow mountain. At the peak there's a massive opening allowing in bright sunlight, while several openings in the rocky borders pour strange fog. At the center of the basin floats a city unlike any I've ever seen. Houses stacked on top of one another, market stalls manned by unrecognizable figures, and docks complete with boats big enough to be considered decent fishing vessels. Everything is aglow with light and activity.

There's a splash to our left and Drist is first to whip his head in that direction. There's a monster seated in a boat. Beside him in the water a fishing net floats up to the surface, the bird monster's beak agape with an expression I think might be surprise.

The monster is quite the sight. It is comparable to a human in size and stature, but its body is quite different. It resembles a bird. Long scaly legs with webbed feet, wings with talons capable of grasping like hands, and dark eyes that reflect higher intelligence. Miss Hawthorne steps forward to speak to the creature.

"Excuse me, can you speak?"

There's a brief pause where the bird monster blinks. It clacks its beak closed before opening it again, speaking fluently in our language with only a slight accent I cannot identify. Its voice is harsh and squawking, but understandable.

"Y-Yes, of course I can."

"Wonderful! I have lots of questions for you, if you don't mind?"

Quiet whining ekes out from the monster's beak. It shakes its head, carefully using an oar to pull its small boat up to the stone outcropping we're standing upon. Miss Hawthorne helps by grabbing the front of its boat to keep it from drifting away.

"I can't answer all your questions, stranger, but perhaps our mayor can."

"You have a mayor?"

"Certainly. Mayor Tekel, he runs the basin."

Miss Hawthorne and I exchange a look. This level is vastly different to those we've seen prior. The idea of monsters speaking to us and having a chain of command is more than a little outlandish. The monster lets us board his boat, each of us carefully stepping onto the small craft. The stink of fish he's caught mixes with the smell of saltwater. The boat sits lower in the water now, but it can still float well enough.

"I'll take you to the town, but you'll have to find the mayor yourselves."

"You're doing plenty already, Sir."

The way both Miss Hawthorne and the monster speak to one another is strange. She's so relaxed around the monster, yet both Drist and Leah are tense. Each of them has a hand on their sheathed weapons, and are constantly eyeing the bird monster as he ferries us toward the floating monster town.

At first no one seems to notice us. But the closer we get the more heads turn, beaks agape, eyes wide. The bird monster takes us right up to a section of the floating city lined with docks and other boats. There's a full crew of the bird monsters carrying cargo off a boat, yet they all stop to gawk at us.

"Quit staring and get to work, chicken shits!"

The harsh squawk of who I assume to be their superior sets the monsters back to hauling the wooden crates off the sizeable vessel. The bustling activity and the smell of the sea reminds me of the fishing village, but somehow more active. Is this what a port city looks like? I've never been, so I can't be sure.

We step off the boat one by one. The monster who brought us here gives up a parting wave, shrinking back under Drist's gaze. It only takes a few moments for us to go from taking in the sight of all the monster and their creations to being accosted by a group of armed bird monsters.

There are four of them, each holding a lengthy wooden spear, wooden plates tied with rope and thread armor their torsos. An unfamiliar symbol is painted onto the front plate of their wooden armor.

"Halt! You are clearly not tengku, correct?"

We look at one another for a moment. Is this a trick question? Are we being arrested by a bunch of strange monsters in their floating city? Miss Hawthorne answers for us.

"We're not tengku, we are humans."

"Humans, hm. Are you adventurers?"

The way the bird monster—tengku?—says the word adventurers makes it clear they don't often use the word. Maybe someone superior to the guards informed them of what to ask, but that still brings into question how these monsters know what an adventurer is. Someone must have told them, but who?

"We're adventurers, yes. Is that a problem?"

Tension rises as Drist fiddles with a dagger just beneath his cloak. I can tell the older man is sick of talking, and wants to go toe to toe with these talking monsters. I gently place a hand on his arm to remind him to stand down. He glares at me as he stops touching his weapon.

"No, not at all. Our mayor is expecting you, we're here to escort you to his dwelling."

"Oh that's splendid! Thank you."

What a nice surprise. Drist and Miss Hawthorne exchange a look that makes it clear neither fully trusts what the monsters say. Leah is wide eyed, likely having her worldview so shaken and simply unable to hide her emotions in this situation. I swallow my distrust and follow the others.

The monsters dressed like town guards guide us through the floating city. We leave the docks behind, crossing a simple bridge into a more spacious area. It is just as loud here as it was at the dock—market stalls laden with goods are manned by the tengku. Shouted offers and promises of quality items fill the space. The scents here are densely packed and mixed with one another.

We're led past the market and toward a residential area. We cross another small bridge onto a large platform, this one densely packed with square buildings that sit precariously on top of one another. We're led up stairs attached to the side of these mismatched buildings, rising up to walkways above the floating platforms. Rope railings keep us from slipping or falling. Eventually we reach a door marked with the same symbol painted onto the tengku's armor.

"This is our mayor's quarters. Please be quiet as we enter, as he has recently hatched young."

Recently hatched young? My brows furrow as the tengku guard raps his talons upon the door in a distinct pattern. There's a brief pause before the sliding of a latch is heard. The door swings open to reveal two more tengku equipped with the wooden gear. They step aside and let the whole group enter single file.

Once inside I'm surprised by the grandeur of the chamber. It has fairly high ceilings, with wooden pillars lining the sides of a central path. The guards arrange themselves between the pillars. Between these guards and the pillars a rug made from some kind of dried woven fiber guides us. At the end of the room is a throne carved from wood, decorated with fragments of a familiar blue tinted metal.

Seated at the throne is a tengku dressed in formal garb. Long flowing silky fabric hangs off his shoulders, with a splendid looking wooden circlet upon his head. The aura he gives off isn't diminished as he speaks.

"Welcome, adventurers. I've heard tell of your quest to venture further into this realm."

Somehow this mayor of theirs feels more like a king than anything. Miss Hawthorne is once again the one to speak for the group, and she goes the extra mile by bowing to this speaking monster as a show of respect. A soft squawk of approval from the tengku puts a slight grin on Miss Hawthorne's face.

"Thank you for the warm welcome, Sir."

"Of course. You may feel free to call me Tekel, as that is my name."

"Pleasure to meet you Tekel. My business partners call me by my last name, Hawthorne."

An approving nod from Tekel puts me somewhat at ease. For a monster, he is very well spoken. The presence of the guards doesn't feel quite as threatening as it first did with the diplomatic direction of our conversation.

"I see. Well, Miss Hawthorne, so long as your group respects our laws you will suffer no injustice."

"Naturally. I have many questions for you, namely how you know of our occupation?"

There's a sudden change in Tekel's demeanor. He coughs, clearing his throat awkwardly. Before he answers our question he snaps his talons to produce a sharp noise that grabs the attention of his guards. One of them shuffles away from his post and steps into a back room.

"Never mind that, what you seek is a way to proceed further, yes?"

"Well I suppose, but-"

"I've got the first piece of that method forward!"

The guard steps back out of the room he stepped into carrying a small unremarkable wooden box. He hurries to Tekel's side, handing him the box with the gentleness of someone passing a newborn baby. Tekel opens the box and shows Miss Hawthorne what it contains.

"What is it?" She asks softly.

Inside the box is a strange metallic fragment of something larger. Lines carved into the object's surface hint at some larger picture it is meant to be a piece of. The jagged edges clue me into the fact it is not whole. There are others meant to fit into it.

"This is your key to the next leg of your journey. It is incomplete, but the pieces are all in the basin."

So it is a scavenger hunt, then? Before we can progress we have to find these fragments.

If this monster is to be believed, anyway.