Chapter Two Hundred and Ten — Read The Mood
Chapter Two Hundred and Ten — Read The Mood The entrance to the Insmouth Dungeon that Howard brought us to wasn’t quite what I expected. It was, as he had said, in a graveyard, but one unlike any I had ever seen.The grounds around the dungeon proper were filled with little statues, each one atop a plinth. The plinths had glass on four sides, with brass rods on the corners holding up a block of square stone.In most of the glass boxes was an object. A knife, a reel from a fishing rod, a small toy. Sometimes it was a key, or a mug like those at the inn, or even a tiny carved boat. The older plinths had baubles that were so aged and rusted that it was hard to guess what they had once been.The plinths were usually grouped together, some linked by iron bars, others just tightly packed.The statues above were mostly of fish, which was interesting, but I couldn’t help but stare at all the little knickknacks inside.“What are those things?” I asked.Howard turned his big fishy eyes my way, and replied with quiet reverence. “When one of ours passes, we bury them here, in their best clothes and wrapped in netting cloth so that their bones and flesh might better return to dirt. And to remember them, we take a little keepsake of theirs, something they cherished, and put it in a plinth. Once there was a plinth per family, but now our little community has grown close enough that it’s a wonder if half the village isn’t the other half’s third cousin.”“Oh,” I said. It was... actually a really nice way to remember people.We all remained silent as Howard opened a gate in the fence that circled around the cemetery, then stood aside to let us in.“Don’t worry everyone! I am here! There is no need to fear any sort of ghost or ghoul!”I sighed as Emmanuel’s voice rang out across the cemetery. It was like a spell being lifted, and suddenly the solemnity that came with being in such a place was entirely gone.“Did no one ever teach you to read the mood?” Amaryllis sniped.“Of course! The Von Chadsbourne family is quite well off. I have been blessed with a wonderful education,” our new cervid... friend said.I eyed him for a moment, then snapped my attention back to the little shack in the middle of the graveyard. It was a simple little building, made of stone just like the plinths and rising to be just a bit shorter than I was. That is, if you counted my ears in my height.“It’s okay, Amaryllis,” I said as I turned towards Emmanuel. “I think this is where we’ll be parting ways. It was nice meeting you, and I’d love to be friends one day, really, but we need to jump in the dungeon and fix it up as quick as we can.”I felt my Friendmaking skill activating, and eagerly read what it revealed.Emmanuel Aldelain Von ChadsbourneDesired Quality: Someone who admires his valour and chivalryDream: To be a hero of legendsThat... was kind of sad, actually. It looked like Emmanuel wanted admirers more than he wanted friends. But wanting to be a hero was pretty cool.“Pardon?” Emmanuel asked. He chuckled. “No worries, I won’t let you slow me down once we’re in the dungeon.”“Huh?”I heard Amaryllis’ talons smacking her in the face. “He’s an idiot.”“Dear young miss, I am no such thing. I am merely expressing my concern for your well-being. Accompanied as you are by two men, it doesn’t mean that there’s no danger to be had within a dungeon,” Emmanuel said.I blinked. “Wait, is that just... casual misogyny? But like, really, really obvious?”“I suspect anything more subtle than a sledge-hammer to the head is beyond him,” Amaryllis said.“Hmph,” Emmanuel said. “I can tell when I am being insulted. Very well, it is somewhat understandable. Perhaps you are acting on prejudice, perhaps you merely doubt my abilities.”The cervid pranced past us on his way to the mausoleum in the grave’s centre.“In that case, I shall prove my ability!”“Uh,” I said. “We... should probably go after him?”By the time we started to move, the cervid had torn the door to the mausoleum open and was stomping on in.“Hey! Wait!” I called after him.Our whole group, Howard included, squeezed through the doorway into what looked like a rather tiny building on the outside, but the moment we were within, we were all able to stand up straight. The ceiling was even arched enough in the middle that my ears didn’t rub against it.You are Entering the Depths of InsmouthDungeon Level 8-10Your entire party has entered the DungeonSeal Dungeon until exit?Amaryllis grumbled something. “I’m going to create an instance for us. Including that moron out ahead. We don’t want any more people interfering if we can avoid it.”“You’re including him?” I asked.“You’d whine if we didn’t save his foolish behind,” Amaryllis said.“Folk in town ought to know better than to come in here without me or one of the others used to running the dungeon,” Howard said. “And the other divers know that we’re moving in as a group today, they’ll keep an eye on things.”“That’s wonderful, thanks,” I said to Howard. I hadn’t really considered all of that. What if a child chose to sneak into the dungeon today and we ended up breaking the core later? That would be... really awful.I took a moment to gather myself and make sure everything was as ready as it could be. We had packed light. I had a sling bag over one shoulder-courtesy of Amaryllis who was very good at adventure-chique-and within that I had some necessities for a nice adventure.1 — Pack of hardtack1 — Can of beans1 — Knife and other utensilsA case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.1 — Kettle1 — Blanket1 — Bandages and a small first-aid kit1 — Book about plantsAnd out of the bag I had more things. A couple of health potions, a stamina potion and a mana potion. A nice knife for chopping things, and of course my warspade and trusty turtle-shell hat. My gambeson and armoured skirt were all nice and clean, and I’d even used some extra Cleaning magic on my breastplate and armoured bits.My friends were equally well-prepared. Awen in her big blue coat over some respectable adventuring gear, her big repeating crossbow slung over her back and her hammer being fiddled with in hand.Bastion had his whole paladin set-up, with light armour and his fancy sword by his hip. He definitely looked like the tankiest of us all.Then there was Amaryllis in her leather coat and her strange harpy pants. She only had her strange wand-knife on her and her magic goggles around her neck.I was a little concerned about my friends’ lack of armour. Amaryllis and Awen both preferred fighting from afar, when they had to fight at all, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t afford to wear a bit more.Probably a concern for later though. I could picture Awen doing all sorts of neat things with her Mechanics and Glass Cannon class. Maybe a teeny tiny mecha suit? No, that was just silly. Cool, but silly. Amaryllis could definitely use more armour though. She was a bird-person, and birds had lots of fragile little bones.I set that aside.“Okay. Our first goal is to find Emmanuel. He can’t have gone far. Then we suggest that he leaves. After that, it’s down to the fourth floor as quickly as we can. We need to clear out any Evil Roots that are mucking about around the core,” I said.“Sounds good to me,” Amaryllis said. “I wouldn’t mind being the one to drag that cervid idiot out of here. I need to practice my Puppeteering some more, and his unusual body shape would certainly give me plenty of experience.”“Just don’t hurt him,” I said. “He seems to mean well.”The opening corridor of the dungeon had bricks along the walls and ceiling, there were even a couple of lit sconces on the walls but only for a few paces. After that, they gave way to rocky walls and a floor glistening with moisture. The air smelled a bit like fresh mud and rotting seaweed, and it was surprisingly loud. Lots of pitter-pattering drops of water and the gurgle of what sounded like a stream. The sound echoes a little, making it sound as if the tunnel went on forever.We turned a slight corner and the light dimmed a bit. Moss on the sides seemed to glow very faintly, so faintly that I wasn’t entirely sure that they did glow. There were also lots of fireflies buzzing around, casting globes of yellowish light.And, right there ahead of us, was Emmanuel. The cervid had stopped for a moment, and was fixing a glowing lantern to a hook on the side of his saddle. Was it a saddle? Saddles were for riding, and his armour didn’t look like it would be comfortable to sit on.“Emmanuel!” I called out.“Ah, you’ve decided to join me after all,” he said. “Fear not, I was just about to enter this here grotto. I suspect that it’s the first floor. Or, perhaps, a shortcut!”The cervid pointed to a thin crack in the wall, one that looked like it was just barely wider than my shoulders in its middle.“That is the first floor,” Howard said. He gestured past the cervid. “If you continue down that way, you can skip it entirely, but it’s mighty treacherous.”“Ah, a bit of treachery never scared me!” Emmanuel said.“No,” I replied. “We, and by we I mean my friends and I, are taking the safer route. We might want to finish this quickly, but we also mean to finish it safely. But you, mister Emmanuel, I think that you ought to return to the surface now.”The cervid blinked at me. “Forgive me, but are you suggesting that I leave you alone down here?”“She’s not so much suggesting it, as she is ordering you to leave,” Amaryllis said. “Please, do refuse. I would find it a lot more amusing to kick you out.”“Amaryllis, there’s no need to be rude.”“I’m aware that I don’t need to be rude, I’m doing it purely for my own entertainment.”“Amaryllis,” I chided. With a sigh, I turned back to Emmanuel and tried to think of what to say. I really didn’t want him to get into trouble because of us, and I was a little afraid that he might get in the way. At the same time, he did seem prepared. He had his little lamp, and a decent amount of weapons and good armour. His level was high enough that I imagined he’s been on a couple of adventures too. “Okay, hear me out,” I said.“Oh no,” Amaryllis muttered. Awen patted her on the back.“Mister Emmanuel,” I began.“Emmanuel Aldelain Von Chadsbourne,” Emmanuel corrected gently.“Uh, sure,” I said. “Here’s the deal. We’re not really allowed to tell you to leave.” I shot Amaryllis a look before she said something rude again. “It’s not our dungeon. But, this is our party. So if you want to accompany us, then you need to follow our rules.”The cervid hesitated, then nodded. “I can accept that. What are your rules?”“Uh,” I said. Did... we have rules? “Mostly it’s unwritten... unspoken common-sense sort of stuff. We watch out for each other, we listen to those that know best about something, and we do our best to make sure that all of our friends have a good, safe time, no matter how dangerous the stuff we might be dealing with is.”“I suppose I can abide by that, though those rules are a little loose.”“Well, loose rules are good, right?” I asked. “Strict isn’t any fun.”Emmanuel gestured to the crevice in the wall. “Then shall we continue here, or will we be taking the more expedient route?”
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Chapter Two Hundred and Eleven — The Prisoner's Dilemma
Chapter Two Hundred and Eleven — The Prisoner's Dilemma Squeezing into the first floor was surprisingly hard. The passage was just wide enough at the start to walk through, but quickly became so narrow that I had to move in sideways. It was much harder for Emmanuel and Bastion. The cervid because he was just plain wider than us, and because of his body shape, couldn’t go in sideways, and Bastion because despite his size, his armour still clanged on the walls.Still, with a bit of sweating and grumbling, all six of us made it through.“Always tricky that part,” Howard said as he brushed off his trousers. “Had to guide this young lad once. Well-fed fellow. He stayed stuck halfway through and for a moment I feared we would be done for.”“That sounds awful,” I said. I couldn’t imagine being stuck in a cave like that.There was a fair bit of light in the cavern we were now in. The ceiling above was quite a ways up, and while the cave was somewhat narrow and had some plateaus and rocky walls, there was a clear space to walk along down the centre.A small rivulet ran across the floor, with faintly glowing moss on its edges. No stalagmites or stalactites though.I worked my shoulders and eyed the room, then turned to Howard. “So, what can we expect here?” I asked.“The first floor’s an easy one,” he said. "The worst monster here are the shrug-goths. Normally they wouldn’t disturb you at all, not if you know what you’re doing. Now... well, they’ve been a little more aggressive, but we’ve noticed that if you give them room they’ll go about doing their own things still.”“How very interesting,” Emmanuel said. He tore his sword out of its scabbard. “I shall, of course, eliminate these monsters before they truly pose a threat to anyone.”I placed a hand on his wrist and lowered the sword. “How about we don’t hurt anyone we don’t have to?” I asked.My ears twitched. I heard something, and it wasn’t Amaryllis’ whining about getting her feathers wet. A strange croak-y noise from deeper in the cave.“What was that?”“That’s the frogs,” Howard said. “Dungeon toad. Nothing to worry about.”Bastion, who had a hand on the pommel of his sword from the moment Emmanuel reached for his, looked towards Howard. “What’s the test here?”“It’s a trust test,” Howard said. “One of the reasons we’d rather send in only one or two folk down here. Makes it easier to trust each other. But as long as we all cooperate, there won’t be any harm. It’ll be easier to explain once we’re there.”We took a moment to make sure all our gear was ready—we'd had to take off our backpacks to fit through the crevice—then followed after Howard once more.The cave twisted around and opened up into a large room. It was maybe the size of a hockey rink, but misshapen, with darkened corners and piles of rock here and there. At the far end was a huge door, all old wood with metal bands across it, and a hefty chain above it. At a glance, I guessed that the door was meant to slide up into the wall.To the side was a large pond. In the near-darkness of the room, I could dimly make out some shapes moving within the clear water. A faint fog hovered just over the still waters, obscuring part of the room, especially as it spilled past the banks.“What is that?” Amaryllis asked as she snapped her talons to create a ball of light. She raised it, bathing the room in a whitish-blue glow.There was a monster sitting atop a stack of rocks. Big, about the size of a car, with dozens of tentacles and droopy eyes, as if someone had found a couple of squids, stuck them together, then rolled them through a pile of googly eyes.“That’s a shrug-goth,” Howard said, voice low and calm.The monster was some ways away in the cavern, tentacles trailing into the pond behind it. It noticed us, but its placid eyes soon shifted away and stared at other things, as if we weren’t really interesting enough for it.A Shrug-Goth of Insmouth, apathetic, level 9.“It doesn’t look too mean,” I said.“It shouldn’t bother us,” Howard replied. He pointed a webbed hand past the monster and towards that end of the room, drawing our attention to a little bridge crossing over the pond to a sort of pier on the far end. It was all wooden and looked a bit rickety, even from here.“Iä! Iä!”I glanced around, ears twisting to spot the source of the sound, and I found it in the form of a fat toad slumped next to the pond.“Iä!” the toad repeated.“The test here’s pretty simple,” Howard said. “Back over there, on the other side of the bridge are a few rooms. Usually there’s just three of them. Each one has a lever that you need to pull to open the floor’s door.” He pointed to the big wooden door at the far end.“And then we can go?” I asked.“That’s the most of it,” he replied.“That sounds a little easy,” Amaryllis said.“That’s because there’s a mite more to it. When you pull the lever in one room, the door to that room locks up until enough levers are pulled. You only need to pull as many levers as there are folk with you, so even if there are only two of you, and three rooms, you only need to pull levers in two of the rooms, letting you advance with only two folk.”“Um, I don’t see a trap,” Awen said.Howard rubbed at the back of his neck. "Well, see, when you pull the lever, it doesn't just work toward unlocking the floor's door, it also closes and seals the door to your own room. There’s a second lever that’ll unlock your door at the back, but pulling it before the floor’s main door is open isn’t a great idea."This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon."So, to open the floor door, you have to deliberately trap yourself?" Amaryllis asked.“Uh,” I said. “So we go into those rooms, and pull two levers?”“That’s the whole of it,” Howard said.The little bridge was a bit closer to the shrug-goth than I’d have liked, but even as we came closer the dungeon monster didn’t do much more than eye us suspiciously for a bit.“What happens if someone pulls the second lever right after the first? I don’t enjoy being trapped.” Amaryllis asked.Howard was quiet for a little bit. “Depends. Usually, someone dies. I think you’re all good folk, so I don’t expect that sort of thing to happen. Just sit back and wait for the mist to clear. I can hollar when it’s safe to leave.”I was a little concerned about the bridge, but it didn’t hide any traps, not unless being very poorly made and rather rickety was a trap. We avoided the more rotten planks and made it across the pond to the pier with no trouble.As Howard had said, there were three rooms here, each one dug into the side of the cavern wall. There were some torches within, lit already and casting an orange glow within. There were two levers in each room, one near the door, one at the far end.“You’ll want to pull at the nearest one,” Howard said.“Three rooms,” I said. “And a lot more than three of us. I guess three of us go in and pull the levers while the rest of us wait out here?”“Do we need to pull them at the same time?” Amaryllis asked.Howard shook his head. “Nah, just got to pull them all. We should all split up into the rooms.”“Don’t we just need one of us to pull the levers?” I asked.The fishman rubbed at the side of his nose. “Not quite. Once all three levers are pulled, the main door opens, and a fog rolls in. If the door of your room isn't closed when the fog arrives, you die.” Howard paused for us to protest, but we just stared. “We just need to wait the fog out.”“You die of what, exactly?” Amaryllis asked.The fishman shrugged. “Don’t rightly know.”“You never tried to learn?” Bastion asked.“Not worth the risk,” Howard said.I rubbed at the back of my neck, then shrugged. “Alright. Do we want to draw straws?”“That sounds troublesome,” Amaryllis said.“Fine then. Bastion, you’re with Emmanuel in the first room. Amaryllis, you’re with Awen in the third. Howard and I will go to the middle room. That works for everyone?”“I suppose so,” Emmanuel said. “Though I’m worried that two ladies are without anyone to protect them.”Amaryllis pointedly walked off.I skipped over to the middlemost room, Howard following after me a moment later. The room wasn’t very big, but it wasn’t too cozy even with two of us squished in. I turned towards the lever nearest the door, and noticed a little symbol scratched into the wall next to it. A sort of line with five branching bits. It was too careful to be an accident.“That’s the Elder Sign,” Howard said before I could ask. “It’s good luck.”“Huh, alright,” I said. Clearing my throat, I called out to the others. “Are you all ready?”“We are,” Amaryllis said.“As are we,” Bastion replied.I reached up and wrapped a hand around the lever nearest the door. This was us trusting Howard to do the right thing, or at least to guide us in the right direction. “On the count of three,” I said. “One.”“Two,” said Amaryllis.“Three,” Bastion said next.I grit my teeth and pulled the lever down as hard as I could. It was a bit rusty, and I had to put all my weight on it to force it down. I even heard Amaryllis and Awen grunting as they no doubt worked together to lower theirs.Three dull clunks sounded out as we finished, then the doors over our rooms came slamming down from above and closed us off from the main room. Metal doors, with bars spread wide enough that I might have been able to squeeze my head past them in a pinch.A boom came from the door at the far end of the room, and I saw the shrug-goth raise its head a moment before it slumped into the water, its many-tentacled form wriggling into the pond and disappearing with barely a splash.The floor door shuddered, then started to rise. It was slow, only moving up a centimetre or so a second. I soon lost sight of the edge as a rolling fog started to eek into the room. It carpeted the stony ground near the entrance, then coiled its way closer even as the tendrils of mist broke apart and filled with air with hazy white.“Just a few minutes, now,” Howard said.I nodded, eyes searching for something in the fog. There was... definitely something moving in it. Or maybe it was just the strange glow from the mossy walls playing tricks in the haze.Fog washed over my feet, and I felt a chill race up my legs and through my spine before I poured some mana into my Cleaning aura. The fog almost hissed as it drew back.“Creepy,” I said. It was almost a whisper. It felt wrong to speak too loud now that there was some very suspicious fog around.“We just need to wait a few minutes,” Howard whispered back. “Once the gate’s all the way up, the fog will start to clear.”“Alright,” I said. “I can be patient.”“I’m no coward that will hide from some measly fog! Come! Let’s scour this place for any worthy foes!”I closed my eyes and tried to pretend that I didn’t see Emmanuel trot out of his room just after the gate over that room’s door clattered up and out of the way.“Maybe Amaryllis was right,” I admitted.
