Level One God

“Dungeons are a different beast?” I asked. “How so?”

My question had drawn the attention of some of the Riverwell townspeople, who were now shifting their attention from Bloody Steve’s story to Kass.

Kass grinned, clearly enjoying his new audience. “Well, you’ve seen an infestation, so let’s start there. Infestations are places where rotten, corrupted mana dwells. The things that feed on it gradually lose their intelligence and become mindless thralls, driven only to consume more and more rotten mana. Hence the name. An infestation is an overabundance of dangerous, hungry things that will eventually drain a place dry and emerge, seeking the next source of food. More often than not, the closest source of new mana is a town or city. Bad stuff.

“Dungeons are different. There are places all across Eros where some unknown force has crystallized corrupted, rotten mana. No one knows if these places were formed in the wake of ancient battles, rituals gone wrong, natural causes, or even forgotten technology. But you’ll see the mana growing in these places like black or purple crystals, hence the name—dark mana. They say you can even see it growing out of the creatures inside, sometimes.

“The heart of a dungeon is where you’ll find a massive dark-mana crystal. You can use them to supercharge your class corestone, making massive leaps in advancement. Of course, the dungeon heart is always well guarded.”

“Guarded?” I asked. “But who is trying to stop people from entering?”

Kass spread his palms. “That’s the question, isn’t it? But dark mana seems to be fueled by some kind of intelligence. It seeps into the environment inside a dungeon, transforming the geography, the creatures, and even the people who delve into them. Spend long enough in a dungeon, and you’ll feel it seeping into you. People say it’s like sensing a puppet master plucking at your strings after too long.”

“How long is too long?” I asked.

Kass shrugged. “To be honest, I’ve never been crazy enough to go in a dungeon, myself. I’m only sharing what I’ve heard.”

“A few weeks,” Bloody Steve offered suddenly. I hadn’t even realized he stopped telling his story to the little girls. “One week was enough to make me start thinking about bashing in my mate’s head. After a week and a half, I was a bit past ‘considering.’ At two weeks, well… Turns out we should’ve left before that.”

“Right,” Kass said slowly. “Whether you think there’s an intelligence behind the dark mana or not, it doesn’t matter. Dungeons are incredibly dangerous, but in a different way than infestations. An infestation is purely a test of combat prowess. It’s about surviving whatever lives inside. A dungeon can test more than just your might. And the strangest part?” He swept his eyes dramatically over his rapt audience. “Some say the force that grants us accomplishments wants us in them. Ask anyone, and you’ll hear the same… You won’t get better accomplishments than you can earn in a dungeon.”

“Reward enough even to draw in the occasional Forsaken,” Perch said darkly.

I didn’t like the idea of worrying about one of those inside the dungeon on top of all the other dangers.

Lyria chimed in from my other side. “Dungeons draw the most deadly adventurers from all over. The ones who are trying to advance will come in droves. Sometimes, you can join a big expedition. The catch is you usually have to sign a contract to share all your accomplishment rewards, and the group size means you won’t advance too quickly.”

“But the naidu make you claim rewards in private, right? Couldn’t you just hide your rewards?” I asked.

“You sign a special contract,” Kass said. “Everybody is obligated to watch the claiming of accomplishments if there’s a shared loot clause.”

I pondered all the new information. “So, what makes these dungeons keep coming back?”

Kass leaned in, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “That’s the mystery, isn’t it? We know people can sometimes clear them out and drain the heart, but the dungeons always return. Anything more than that, and your guess is as good as mine.”

“It almost sounds like somebody created them to be training grounds,” I guessed.

Kass nodded. “Some people think so. Most people don’t care because you couldn’t pay them to go into one of those hellholes willingly.”

I was working through the details in my head. “Would the adventurer’s guild have maps?”

“Only the parts they can safely explore,” Kass said. “And only if somebody has bothered coming back with one yet. The deeper you go, the more dangerous it gets. And sometimes, the layout changes faster than they can map it. It’s a constant challenge. But a challenge that rewards handsomely. I’ve heard of people finding powerful class core stones within dungeons, too. Fully formed things, I mean. Of course, I wouldn’t be crazy enough to try binding to something formed from dark mana, but I imagine you could find a buyer in the city.”

A corestone formed out of dark mana? The idea sounded like pure insanity after what he had just explained about dark mana, but I was still intrigued. My first thought went to my bedroll’s ability to cleanse the effects of dark mana. That would likely mean I could entirely avoid the derangement Bloody Steve was talking about. I couldn’t help wondering how the boon would interact with a corestone made from dark mana, though.

“If I went to the dungeon near Thrask, would you and Perch want to come?” I asked.

Kass drained his drink and wiped the foam from the blonde stubble on his lip. “Me and my brother have a bit of a… situation here in the city. We’ll be indisposed for at least a few weeks. But if you survive your little excursion, feel free to come asking for us. You handled yourself damn well out there. We’d be happy to go hunting with you any other time.”

“Situation?” I asked.

“Don’t—” Perch started.

“My brother owes a debt,” Kass explained with an apologetic smile. “We were in Riverwell because of a rumor. Rumor was we could get a phylactery of a slumbering lich. A woman here in Thrask was going to pay us… well for it. As you discovered, along with us, the lich was definitely not slumbering. We also didn’t get the phylactery. So we’re going to have to deliver a bit of our disappointment in the quality of information. And then we’ll have to hope nearly getting killed excuses our empty hands.”

“Wait,” I said. “You knew there might be a lich there?”

“Knew is a strong word. We were told slumbering. And a lich can be Iron. It can be Wood. Nothing we knew would’ve changed anybody’s decision to go down there. They all knew the risks.” He shrugged.

I spent a few moments deciding if I should be pissed at Kass and Perch, but figured he was right. Circa had already suspected necromancy was at play, and we knew there was an intelligent presence. If he didn’t know the Forsaken’s rank, then nothing he withheld would have really changed our odds.

Kass got up and went to the bar to get a refill on his drink.

I turned my attention to Minara. Either she had a stash of spare robes in her slip space, or she had some kind of magic to clean it. I’d seen that robe covered in dirt and blood a time or two, but it was spotless now. “What about you, Minara? What’s next?”

“I was on an errand for the Radiants in Riverwell. Lich or not, I was headed back here to rejoin them with my news.”

“News?” I asked.

“I’m afraid I can’t say precisely. Except that the Radiant Order is vigilant regarding monitoring and predicting plague, sickness, disease, and the properties of corrupted mana. To say more would be a violation of my oath.”

“Any chance you’d want to go dungeon diving with me? I’m sure we could use a healer.”

Her smile was grim. “I would advise you to stay out of dungeons. Yes, there may be some areas you could handle as a Wood. Especially you,” she added. “But it’s as Kass said. They are not safe places. They’re unpredictable. You’ll find a different breed of adventurer in those places. Pardon my saying so, but that’s where the reckless and violent ones tend to go—the ones with little to no regard for their own safety.”

“I’m in,” Bloody Steve said. “But I need…six days.”

“Six days?” I asked. I was happy to hear he wanted to come, but didn’t understand the oddly specific timeframe. I also slightly doubted I could afford to wait that long, considering my hungry bedroll.

“There are twelve whore houses in Thrask. If I hydrate, I can make it to two per day.”

Minara let out a quiet sigh, shaking her head.

“We may have to start without you,” I admitted.

Bloody Steve narrowed his eye. “What’s the rush, pup? Better to let a few rounds of fools rush in first. They’ll clear out any traps and work out the kinks. See too many bodies, and you just head the other direction. That tip is a freebie. You’re welcome.”

“Have you been in more than one dungeon?” I asked.

“Oh, sure,” Bloody Steve said, though there was a drunken note to his voice that made me unsure if I could entirely trust his honesty.

“Once,” Bloody Steve continued, “there was a dungeon near Coil. Threat level two or something like that. The Silvers down deep got wiped out while the Irons and Woods were busy picking at the scraps up top. Poor fools had no idea what hit them when the beasts from the lower levels came up looking for fresh meat. The crew who went in to clear it out afterwards said all they found were rivers of blood. Oh, and a few eyeballs.”

The little girls had stopped giggling and were staring with wide eyes.

Bloody Steve noticed they had been listening and smiled, waving his little hand. “And chickens! There were chickens, too!”

One of them started crying.

Bloody Steve shrugged and went back to his drink.

“Lyria?” I asked, turning my face toward her.

She looked at me seriously. I could see the conflict in her face, and then her eyes fell. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “Dungeons are something even my mom always avoided.”

“I’m not going to force you,” I said. “Take your time to decide. But I’ve already made up my mind. I’m going to at least check it out.”

Her face was stony as she gripped her mug, shoulders hunched over the table. “Damn it. Yeah. Alright. Of course, I’m going to come, I’m just not happy about it, okay? And you’re going to promise to listen to me if I say something is too dangerous and we need to back out. Understood?”

“Good,” I said. “It’s a plan, then. Six days.” And, of course, if my bedroll looked like it was awakening too quickly to wait that long, sooner, even if it meant going with only Lyria. Somehow, I doubted we would get to wait anywhere near that long before my bedroll’s hunger drove us into the dungeon.

As we finished our meals and prepared to head out, I couldn’t help but feel a thrill of anticipation.

A dungeon.

I knew it was dangerous, but I still had powerful loot tokens to claim. Any one of them could dramatically change my odds of survival in there. If there was time, I could maybe look for a chance to recruit another ally or two before we entered, though it sounded like there would be enough people at the dungeon to join forces if we still wanted a larger team.

Then again, it might be best to avoid bringing any new faces in for the time being. I could probably use some time away from prying eyes to get used to my new bedroll. I also planned to claim a Heart corestone before we left, and I would need to find a way to quietly use a second class’ abilities without making it obvious—if that was even possible.

And if I couldn’t figure out how to keep my bedroll fed, I reminded myself I always had an exit plan. I didn’t want to destroy something so valuable, but knowing I could relieved some of the pressure.

We all said our goodbyes, some possibly for good, and I left the tavern with Lyria.

We got directions to the closest Arcanery, which wasn’t far from the tavern.

There, we collected our tokens from a naidu who was just as odd as the one in Riverwell, and headed straight for an inn to access our personal spaces.

Even Lyria had a few tokens to claim, though her rare weapon and rare survival token didn’t quite match the haul I earned.

I had a bag loaded with three epics, three rares, and two commons, and I could hardly wait to claim them. Especially that bug trophy.