The Tower in the Shadows

Elian was in her office, feeling more like it was a prison these days.

The day had started early, as always. She needed to be on hand if anything happened that fell within her realm of responsibility.

She glanced at the day crystal on her desk. The first team was in the Dungeon close to finishing and the second would follow as soon as the Dungeon recovered. She was slowly working her way through the never-ending paperwork her position needed her to deal with.

No matter how hard she worked, the pile before her always returned. The sight of it was a constant reminder of the unrelenting nature of her job. Yet, knowing that nothing would change for the better unless you made it, she returned to work.

Requests, applications and messages. Over and over, she rejected or approved them, delaying some and replying to others.

There was a noise from outside her office. Elian paused and looked up. Someone was running up the stairs. She frowned, knowing that this rarely brought good tidings.

There was a rapid and hurried knock at her door.

"Enter."

The door opened, and the lead receptionist, Naru's head, appeared.

"Sorry to disturb you, Guild Leader, but the fifth floor has opened!" She exclaimed breathlessly.

Elian breathed in deeply and let it out before she began.

"Notify Gran's team to meet me at the palisade. Cancel my appointments for today. Inform Lord Goldwind and Guild Leader Drum of the reason for my absence." The woman nodded at each instruction. "Close the door. I will be getting ready."

Naru closed the door and Elian heard her rapid footfalls along the balcony, returning to the stairs. She was also on her feet and crossed to her closet in the room, where she stored all of her gear for the days when it was needed. After the fourth floor, she made it a standard rule that the first group checked the bottom of the Dungeon's stairs each day to see if the new floor was open when they were finished. If it was, they reported it at once.

It looks like today she would escape the paperwork.

Everything was set so she could quickly change and she was soon walking down the stairs and out of the Adventurer Guild building. Around her, she saw the looks and heard the whispers. The mood and energy around her were different and she knew why.

The new floor.

Experienced adventurers were looking on with calculated interest while the excitement and hunger of the young bloods were blatant.

A not-so-small crowd soon followed her at a respectful distance while others watched her lining the mud street as she walked to the gate in the palisade that granted access to the flood plain before the Dungeon. The murmur of conversation was constant as she walked.

She could almost feel the hunger and excitement that was building around her.

Even with the increased number of people and carrying animals on the street, she made good time as they all parted before her.

The gate was open and two watchmen stood alert and ready. They were not generally like this, understanding that something big was happening.

Gran and his team were only a few moments behind her. The ever-growing crowd parted again to allow them through. Adventurers were returning from the Dungeon, irritated that their assigned entries had been cancelled.

Some made to complain when they noticed her, but her glare changed their minds.

"Good new day, Guild Leader." Gran greeted her and she turned to face him.

"Good new day, Team Leader Gran. Are you ready?"

"We are." He responded. They both knew this was just theatre for the benefit of those watching, but they did the dance anyway.

"Then we depart." With this, she turned on her heel and walked through the gates. Gran and his team following.

They crossed the flood plain with a measured stride, following the track created by the near-daily flow of adventurers going to the Dungeon. Gran caught her up and walked beside her.

"What do we know?" He asked.

"Nothing. The first team in reported the floor was open when they checked."

"Understood."

They fell silent until they reached the doors. One of the guild's flunkies sat in a wooden box that gave him some shelter from the weather. He sprang out as they arrived.

"Anything to report?" She asked.

"No, Guild Leader. The Dungeons aura has remained stable."

"Excellent. We are entering. The Dungeon will be closed until we are finished. Understood."

"Yes, Guild Leader." The young boy was so petrified he gave a little bow. Elian just rolled her eyes and walked in.

They were all soon inside the entry room and closed the doors. Elian looked them over. They were ready with their gear prepared and faces set. Nilus did look a bit hung over but ready.

Now they were here, Gran took over.

"Stay alert, people. This Dungeon is going to throw something new at us with this floor, as it always has. Kimor will lead us in. There are no heroics; we do this slowly and steadily."

As he spoke, Elian got her gear ready. She checked it over as the others did with their weapons and supplies. She was soon set up to map the new floor. Elian watched the group's interactions.

"You awake there, Nilus?" Hena teased the archer.

"I am fine. I was just showing the youngsters last night how it is done." He acted like he was fine but dropped most of the act as soon as he was in the room.

"Here, drink this." Mags handed him a small bottle with light green tinted glass. Uncorking it, he downed the contense in a single swallow. Grimincing at the taste, he returned the bottle with a nod of thanks.

Gran looked at everyone and then nodded.

"Let's start." He drew his sword and indicated Kimor to start their journey.

She moved forward towards the door to the tower. The shutters were open, and the light was plentiful in the room. The tower base was darker, but now a soft blue glow came up from the stairs going down.

Kimor went down the stairs alert but not expecting trouble. The Dungeon was consistent in a few things; the stairs being a safe place was one of the best known.

The descent was without issue, and once they reached the fourth, Gran called a halt for the final gear check.

"Hey, Gran, will we hire a carrier now that the fifth is open?" Nilus asked.

"We might. It depends on what we find on this floor."

Elian thought of Seela, the woman, as a dedicated carrier hauling all the gear and supplies Doltum needed. The third attracted many adventurers, who started to hire the first carriers to make their presence known to get everything they were harvesting out. As the Dungeon got larger, demand for their services would increase.

As the group discussed this possibility, Elian looked around the room. She did her best to avoid looking at where the Core had been. The room had changed; if things were the same, the Core would be on the next floor.

"We are starting." Gran's voice cut through the conversation. Things were now serious.

Elian began recording. Kimor was already moving down the stairs. As last in the group, Elian brought up the rear. Tobar and Gran are just behind Kimor at the front. The others are behind them.

The first room they came to was the same half-built room that indicated the last floor they could reach. Elian began sketching the room dimensions. She found herself sweating, as she knew this was the Dungeons' Core room and the Core knew it. This Core is unpredictable and might take action against her.

"There are two egress points in the room: one open doorway to the south and a heavy wooden door to the north." She mutters into the voice crystal. The door indicates the exit from the floor boss's room.

Kimor inspected the door and confirmed it could only be opened from the other side. The walls were covered with patches of blue moss that gave everything a surreal blue tint.

Gran instructed, "Light your lanterns." Elian and the team drowned out the soft blue light with their harsher white.

Kimor was across the room, looking along a short corridor; she was the only one without a lantern.

"Cave ahead." She spoke. "Stone paving ends at the doorway. It's loose earth from there on."

She was kneeling, inspecting the ground. Elian recorded this on the map. This is the first significant change, as all the floors above are paved. What this signified she did not know, but she knew that the group would find out.

Kimor had moved to the edge of the cave; blades were drawn and ready to be used. Gran and Tobar are close behind. Nilus had notched an arrow but not drawn the bow.

"Two exits located to the south and east. I cannot see any…"

Suddenly, the earth before her exploded outwards as something attacked her.

Gran and Tobar blocked her view as they engaged whatever was attacking Kimor. Nilus was moving to get a shot with Mags and Hena was ready to provide support.

Whatever they were fighting was tough, as she heard the sounds of impacting weapons. There was an audible grunt of pain that she thought came from Kimor. The rogue stepped around Tobar as he moved up to help her. Elian saw her armour had been ripped and blood was flowing from the tear and her sleeve. Mags reached into her satchel as she moved to treat her.

Gran and Tobar were now pushing what they were fighting back into the cave. Elian had seen it was some type of giant worm or snake. Tobar's mace glowed a faint white as he raised it, triggering a skill. Bringing it down, there was a loud crack and the monster collapsed to the floor.

Both men were breathing hard from the brief but intense fight.

"Clear the cave. There might be more." Gran snapped. Nilus moved, checking the rest of the cave. Kimor would have done this but was getting her wounded arm treated by Mags.

Elian got a good view of the wound before Mags blocked her sight. Kimor wore hardened but flexible leather armour over all of her body. It was designed to allow easy movement and was dyed a deep blue to have her blend in with any patches of darkness. The forearm section had been ripped right through and the material was now hardly holding together. Elian had never seen damage like it.

"We are clear, Elian." Gran said.

Elian went in and up to the body of the monster that had just been killed. The creature was a giant worm, not a snake. Its body was like a ring earthworm, but its ring sections were armoured. The "front" of its body was open, revealing a large mouth lined with sharp crystalline teeth. There were signs of injuries on its body, with a significant dent that had cracked its hide and was leaking yellow fluid, which indicated it was blood.

Elian began recording the details of what she saw into her voice crystal as Nilus collected the reward that had appeared in its customary flash.

"Seven copper coins. Not bad."

"Anything else?" Gran asked.

"Nothing."

"Mags, how is Kimor?"

"She will be fine. Whatever that thing is ripped right through her armour. There are no signs of infection or poison." Gran nodded at her reply.

Elian kept working, adding any details she thought were relevant.

"Two exits. Any ideas on which to follow?" There were no answers. "Nilus, toss a coin. Seal south, monarch east."

Nilus took one of the new coins and flicked it into the air. As it fell back to the earth, he caught it and slapped it onto the back of his hand. Looking at the face-up side, he announced, "East."

"Is Kimor ready?"

Gran asked Mags instead of the other woman. Elian quickly concluded, watching the group, that Kimor would say she was fine even if her arm was hanging off.

"She is ready."

Kimor never said a word but moved across the cave to the exit on the eastern side. She looked down the corridor as the rest of the group moved up behind her. Without a command, she slipped forward. They could see the next room along the short corridor.

Kimor had almost reached the doorway when she stopped and stiffened. Elian and the others had yet to enter the corridor and became tense when she stopped. Dropping to her knee, she inspected something in front of her.

"Tripwire." It was not loud but carried to them. Elian began making notes on the board with the rough map taking shape.

Kimor leaned over the wire's location. Using the point of her shorter dagger, she prodded the doorway frame and then the ground. Elian could not see what had happened, but something had happened. Kimor turned the blade and brought the pummel down hard onto the dirt. Something gave way and her hand partly disappeared.

"Pitfall trap hidden under a thin layer of dirt and stone." She worked to reveal the area it covered and cut the wire. As she worked, she motioned that they could move up.

They went forward. Gran and Tobar stepped around the expanding area that Kimor was revealing. Tobar moved around the edge further into the room. It was a large room but seemed to have no other dangers.

Elian moved up last into the room and inspected the wire and trap with Gran. They both knelt to get a better look.

"It appears that the wire is meant to cause a trip and fall into this pit." He reasoned.

"I believe that is correct. Look at the pit. Those are serrated arrowheads." The heads could be seen in the pit above the dirt, and the broken stone was now sitting at the bottom. Her crystal was recording all that she was saying.

"A marked increase in lethality." Elian said as see recorded the trap on the map.

"We are continuing." Gran said, standing and looking to the south exit.

Kimor led the way again through a U-shaped corridor connected to a similar-sized room. She inspected the doorway but motioned that it was clear. Gran and Tobar moved into the room.

Not far in, Gran was attacked. He was able to block but was being forced back.

There was an explosion as another worm erupted from the dirt. Luck was not with it as it attacked. It made contact not with Tobar but with his heavy shield. The impact was loud and staggered the big man, who quickly responded with his mace.

"Nilus, Kimor flank now!" Gran called out.

They quickly responded as Nilus loosed an arrow at the worm attacking Gran. Elian could not see the result, but Nilus's curse indicated it was not good. The two melee fighters had now recovered from the initial shock of the attack and were countering.

Kimor joined Tobar, and the two brought down his attacker. Nilus fired two more arrows at Gran's attacker with more success and helped bring that one down. The flash of the rewards marks the conclusion of the fight.

Elian waited for the fighters to recover before entering with the last two group members. They explore the room as she inspects the dead monsters with Gran.

"They are the same as the cave." Elian noted.

"They are tough and can take a lot of injuries before dying." He indicated the numerous wounds that had breached the creature's hides.

"Comus will be eager to study them." She had never heard of these types of monsters before, but that did not mean they had not been recorded elsewhere.

"Those teeth are dangerous. They damaged my shield far more than I expected." He turned the shield to show her what he meant. The flat of the shield had dozens of scratches and gouges in the wood. They corresponded to the teeth in the outer sections of the mouth.

"What is your opinion, Gran?" Elian asked. He took a moment before answering.

"Tougher than the spiders but with fewer tricks. In all about the same rating, I would say."

"I concur."

The others milled around the room, listening to what they said. Surprisingly, Tobar added to the conversation.

"There is a large copper vein in the wall."

Elian looked at the rough wall, noting the green streaks in it. It stood out already, being bare stone rather than the bricked walls of the rest of the Dungeon.

"Larger than upstairs?"

"Twice, maybe three times the size."

Elian trusted his words and recorded everything on the map. The miners and the town's copperworkers would be happy. The node on the first was a constant but low-amount producer. More ore would be welcomed, even if it would be harder to reach. More work for her as an escort contract would need to be arranged for the miners to reach this node.

Gran got them moving through the north exit to the next room.

The doorway was clear, but two worms attacked them again. Gran and his team were now getting used to fighting them and developed tactics to help. The flash of the rewards marked the end of the fight, but this room gave them something different to deal with.

At the western end of the room, the wall had been cut back in a half-circle shape. There was a large raised round platform there. A step was facing them, allowing someone to step up onto it and stand in front of the chest sitting on it.

"Kimor, this is yours." Kimor nodded at Gran's words and moved forward very carefully.

"Well, this does not scream trap." Nilus quipped. No one contradicted him.

This was their first time encountering an actual chest in the Dungeon. Similar platforms could be found on the second. They knew this was a trap, but what was stressing them was the shape it would take.

Kimor was using her training and skills to try to see all the possible dangers. She quickly identified and revealed the pit trap before the step. This did not make her relax and she continued to move forward slowly. The rest of the group remained tense and would not relax until she said it was safe. Elian stopped sketching the room until this was done.

Stepping up, Kimor was on the platform. She walked around the edge slowly, not approaching the chest, inspecting everything, trusting nothing. Elian noticed the sweat on her brow. Kimor was pushing her skills and she was starting to show signs of tiredness.

After a complete circuit, Kimor stood in front of the chest again. With a hesitant step, she was at the chest. Nothing happened.

They all let out a held breath. But this was not over.

She bent down and began inspecting the chest. Running her hands gently over it, she sought to find what it was hiding. Elian was standing behind her and could not see her face, but her body language hinted that she had found nothing. She leaned back.

"What do you think?" Gran asked.

"There are no signs of a mechanism on the chest, but I still think it is trapped."

"What do you recommend?"

Kimor was silent as she considered it. Like Gran, Elian knew she was the best in the group at this, so deferring to her was only natural. The rest waited.

"The only thing to do is open it."

The group's reaction was apparent. They were not happy. What she was recommending was incredibly dangerous.

"Are you sure?" Gran asked.

"Yes. There is a trap here, but I cannot tell what it is." She turned to face him when she said this.

"Alright. Everyone back up." They all got further from the platform. When she opened the chest, anything could happen.

Kimor waited a few moments, bending over again to slide her thin blade onto the gap between the lid and chest. Nothing.

She moved the blade to the left and right to the lid hinges, looking for a trigger. Nothing.

Standing again, she flipped the lid open….

It appeared the ceiling fell as Kimor leapt from the platform.

Several large cylinder weights impacted the platform with a loud crash. Everyone jumped at the sound and speed of what had happened.

"Kimor!" Mags cried out as the group surged forward.

The woman in question staggered back to her feet, looking at the platform with a rarely-shown display of emotion.

Her team reached her and Mags instantly barged forward to check on her condition.

"Are you ok?" The priestess asked, overflowing with concern. Kimor nodded that she was.

The cylinders had fallen over and were now covering the platform. One of them destroyed and covered the chest. They could move them, but they were large and heavy and would tire them out doing so.

"Well, it seems the Dungeon has developed some new tricks." Elian muttered into her crystal.