I jumped back from the shining, breaking crystal and covered my body in a layer of stone, anticipating the explosion. Yet, nothing happened. When the stone fell away from my head, the crystal shattered into pieces onto the cart housing it. Visually, nothing came from it either.
Was it not a dungeon core shard, then? One that large should have produced some visible mana if the last few times were anything to rely on.
However, even though the crystal did explode, the world around us began to shift and warp again. The large room with the sarcophaguses disappeared as reality settled, and we found ourselves back at the plaza behind the burning bastion.
"You made it out," Lord Vasquez said approvingly, a ways away.
"Although they brought back some friends," Professor Garrison mumbled.
The Dullahan had survived til the end with a small amount of its retinue regenerating around it as it retreated toward the wall of the cave. Sylvia had taken a considerable beating. Although she was physically unharmed, she was covered in her own blood, and her spare armor and clothes were ripped to shreds. The Dullahan had seemingly bested her, but Sylvia still managed to hold on.
And now they were the ones outnumbered.
The Dullahan silently glared at us from a distance, but its head snapped toward empty space. I followed its hollow eyes, and the air shimmered as Tsarra materialized from thin air. She had her staff pointed as she gritted her teeth, and…nothing happened. At first, at least.
The air shimmered around the Dullahan and the Dread Knights; the bone was replaced with graying, decayed flesh. Their beards were short and trimmed, some black or brown. Although they all still had the empty, hollow eyes of a higher undead, their features were clearer with their longer limbs and taller stature.
"They aren't Skeletons but Ghouls! I removed the illusions surrounding them!" Tsarra shouted as she stumbled to her knees.
I see…that explains the blood and feeling of cutting flesh. But that Dullahan is still a Dullahan, but…with skin? Its head is just magically floating where its neck should be.
"A Dullahan that has kept its flesh. Something like this has never been recorded," Bowen said with a little too much awe.
Varnir and Professor Garrison rushed to Tsarra's side as the Dullahan gnashed its inhuman razor-sharp teeth. The monster glared at us as it scanned the room and eyed Sylvia one last time before stepping back. But it was only a cold stone behind it. Or at least it was like that.
In an instant, the stone disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place. We charged at the Dullahan and Dread Knights, but they dropped into the inky blackness one by one. By the time we reached them, they had all jumped into the wall, and the only thing left was the gaping maw of darkness that led straight down.
"We should probably leave them be…there is no telling where that will lead us," Ms. Taurus said cautiously.
"Agreed, it is almost certainly a trap," Lord Vasquez nodded.
Bowen rubbed his scraggly beard and mumbled, "I wonder…does that mean that creature is the guardian of this dungeon? It has been theorized that only a guardian of the core can be found on different floors, albeit rarely."
Bowen turned a raised eyebrow to Sylvia and asked, "But perhaps there is more to this. That undead seemed particularly bothered by you, Sylvia. You wouldn't happen to have any ideas as to why?"
Sylvia sighed deeply. "I doubt an ancient corpse has a grudge against me specifically, but I'm willing to bet it's because I'm a Vampire," she grumbled.
Bowen nodded, seemingly taking that response for what it was as he inspected his now-destroyed golem. "What did you guys go through for it to be that destroyed? Can you even fix it anymore?" Professor Garrison asked.
"A lot. And it can. But we do not have the time, tools, or resources. Sylvia, would you mind storing this for me? I'll make sure to retrieve it later," Bowen requested with a sigh of his own.
"Hey! I've found the exit to the next floor!" a voice shouted from afar.
We all looked up at the voice, and it was my mom. She was already on top of the inner castle walls somehow.
"I thought she was with you guys…" Professor Garrison mumbled.
"No, I thought she was with you. Did she just not get moved…or transported or whatever happened to us?" Ms. Taurus asked.
"Let's not waste time. We still may have enemies on the walls," Lord Vasquez said firmly.
As we started to move toward the castle, I asked Sylvia, "Are you okay?"
Sylvia's head snapped toward me as a flicker of anger flashed over her. But it faded as she said, "Do I—no…I'm not. I got beaten up so badly, I want to scream. I can't believe I didn't at least try to use more blood…damn it, I'm pissed that I lost. I should have just crushed it like all the others, but…it was almost like it wasn't its first time fighting a Vampire."
I got closer and asked in a low voice, "Do you think these ancient Dwarves have some kind of history with your family?"
"It's starting to look more and more likely, but I don't remember any Dwarves like this when I was kid…not that I ever saw any to begin with," she answered.
"I see," I said.
I looked over to my right and smiled.
Cerila smiled back with tired eyes. she signed back.
"Is Tsarra alright?" Ms. Taurus asked.
"She's fine, just used too much mana," Varnir said as he carried her on his back.
"Rest will be of importance after this. But don't let your guards down just yet. This dungeon may not be done with us," Lord Vasquez said.
We reached the castle and found it barren. Just an empty stone shell. Mom waited for us and led us upstairs to a guard tower on the corner of the wall. An odd set of stairs led down to who knows where.
"I searched through the entire place while you guys… disappeared. These are the only stairs down, and when I checked, it was definitely to the next floor," Mom said.
"And what happened to you, Ms. Shadowheart?" Bowen asked curiously.
"Nothing, it was all of you who disappeared in front of me. I was just left alone in the courtyard, and since I couldn't find you, I thought I would hold out in the castle," Mom answered.
"Mmm….to think the dungeon and its monsters could separate us even while we are on the same floor. This does not bode well," Bowen remarked.
"Ms. Shadowheart, please lead us. These stairs are too narrow in case we face enemies at the bottom, and we can not afford to face the forces behind us," said Lord Vasquez.
Mom nodded, and together, we descended the stairs to another floor in the dungeon. When we arrived at the bottom, it was just an empty cave with a long dark tunnel.
"Let us scout the tunnel. We can rest here if it's safe," Lord Vasquez said.
Lord Vasquez and Professor Garrison took out their torches and went into the darkness. When the light of their torches flickered out, we began to talk among ourselves as we rested.
Mom was the first person to reach me. She grasped my face with her hands and looked me up and down. "Kal? What happened to all of you? I was so worried when everyone disappeared," she asked nervously.
I pulled down one of her hands gently and explained to her what happened. For whatever reason, she was the only one who hadn't been affected by the dungeon warping and moving us somewhere else. Which was worrisome. It all but confirmed that the dungeon could physically warp us to some other destination against our will and outside the albeit "normal" transitioning of one floor to another.
Mom sighed in relief. "I'm glad everyone made it out alive," she said with a smile. "Sylvia is…looking worse for wear. Do you need help, dear?"
"Unless you have a warm bath and a quick way out of here, I just need some blood and sleep," she said weakly as she lay up against the cave wall.
"I suppose I have one of those. I didn't do very much this time, so I don't mind giving you a meal," Mom said.
"I'll take you up on that once we settle in," Sylvia said with a wave.
The light started to shine from the tunnel as Professor Garrison and Lord Vasquez jogged back to us. "It seems this is a transition floor. The tunnel is empty and devoid of any signs of monsters," Lord Vasquez explained.
"Then now is a good time to take stock of our supplies, repair and maintain our gear, and get some rest," Bowen suggested.
"Agreed. We take a day and a half to sleep here. But we will still maintain guards. I can't trust this dungeon not to spare us," Lord Vasquez agreed.
—
The time came and went. We were able to rest, unbothered by any monsters or the dungeon's machinations. Our food supplies were still strong, allowing us plenty of leeway to go deeper and return if needed. Our gear was in order, although Sylvia was running out of spare clothes and armor.
Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
We packed up camp and set off down the dark tunnel. It was the same dark stone passageway for almost thirty minutes until we reached a change in the dungeon. It was a straight path down into the darkness, something akin to what it was like to enter the dungeon from the surface.
Lord Vasquez turned and gave us a nod, which we returned. He led the way down the path for only a few minutes before the tunnel opened to a large cave. Although the stone was the same as it had been since coming into the Iron Citadel, there was a clear change.
The atmosphere of the dungeon changed immediately. It became damper and more humid all of a sudden. Not intensely to the point of wanting to return but enough to make one uncomfortable. My ears twitched as we stood quietly at the mouth of the cave.
"I hear water dropping off the ceiling," Tsarra mumbled.
"As do I," Varnir added.
"Then let us be careful. It would be catastrophic if the tunnels were to be flooded suddenly. And we may have enemies afoot here," Bowen said.
We made our way through the cave, and the entire place seemed…more natural—almost like an actual cave rather than a faux creation of a dungeon. The walls were jagged, the stone floor was uneven, and the ground eroded as small pools of stagnant water floated around.
"This place eerily reminds me of some of the flooded mines in Krunbar," Ms. Taurus said wearily.
"Yes, this place has a different feeling from the other floors," Bowen agreed.
"Stop," Mom said abruptly.
Everyone stopped and turned around to face her. I stared at the stone wall she was looking at and narrowed my eyes. I followed her gaze to the floor. It would have been easy to miss, but…
"This is a door. I'm certain of it. The ground is oddly smoothed out right here, and the rock face is too flat," she said.
"Yes…it must be now that I see it," I added.
Professor Garrison and Bowen shared a quick glance and shrugged. "I see what you mean, but…we can just find out," Professor Garrison said.
Lord Vasquez walked over and took a step back from the wall. "Stand back," he ordered.
We moved back, and he kicked at the wall with tremendous power. Stone flew off and crashed to the ground, revealing a black metal door. With a grunt, Lord Vasquez stepped back and kicked the door repeatedly but stopped after the second try. Even with the power of a War God the door was only being dented slightly.
"I'm going to need some help…" he grumbled.
Professor Garrison, Varnir, and I gathered around, and together, we kicked the door in until a sizeable gap formed along the frame. I placed my spear into it, and the four of us pried it open.
I doubt Squeaks had this in mind for my second spear…maybe I should tell him and get him to make me a crowbar one day.
With enough space for us to get through, we wedged ourselves through the door to find another sizeable tunnel. Minecart tracks flanked to one side, and there were clear signs of digging, but no equipment to speak of. We carefully moved through the tunnel until it opened up again. A small cave on the other side with another door, this time exposed. However, it was being guarded.
A decrypted mech slumbered in the center of the cave. Rocks had fallen around it as mushrooms grew on its shiny black surface. It looked abandoned and in disrepair, but…
"The odds that that thing wakes up and attacks is far higher than we would like, right?" Professor Garrison asked.
"Yes. We should attack it from range with everything we have," Lord Vasquez said.
"But it could be disabled…perhaps if you would allow me—"
"No. We destroy it. You can pick up the corpse for study later, Bowen," Lord Vasquez growled.
Bowen sighed as we prepared our spells and released them. A mixture of fire, wind, blood, lightning, and water blanketed the mech in a storm of magic. The mech was decimated and never stirred nor did it explode. It seemed as if time had truly worn it down.
"I told you it was disabled…" Bowen grumbled.
"Not a risk worth taking, even if Kaladin could tell if it was active or not, Boss," Professor Garrison said as he chuckled and slapped Bowen on the back.
"Let us handle the door again," Lord Vasquez said.
Together, we broke the door down and ripped it free of its duty. On the other side, however, it was a much different scene than before. The stone was covered in rusting iron and was overgrown with mushrooms. The place was exuding a large amount of humidity as the hot air flushed out from within.
"It just had to be hot and dark…talk about miserable," Sylvia complained.
"Any chance these mushrooms are dangerous?" Ms. Tarus asked her husband.
"I've never seen these before, but I can't say I am well-versed in all types of mushrooms. There is a chance they are poisonous, but if they caused any other problems, we wouldn't be able to tell until it affected us," Bowen said with a shrug.
Sylvia sighed as she bent down, ripped a mushroom off the floor, and ate it. Her face twisted into disgust as she scraped it off her tongue and gagged.
"Augh, gah, tastes as bad as it smells," she gagged.
"A rather brave way of finding out. What is your conclusion?" Bowen marveled.
Ms. Tarus gave Sylvia a water canteen, and she swished it around before spitting it out. "Tastes awful, but it's not dangerous. It would probably mess your stomach up, so we definitely shouldn't eat them," she explained.
"Then let us continue," Lord Vasquez said.
The metal tunnel was… uncomfortable. It was evident that they were designed with Dwarves in mind. Even if the ancient Dwarves were taller, these tunnels to even the tallest of that race must have been big. But for the few of us who were tall, we had very little room to work with.
The space opened up slightly to what could best be described as a checkpoint. It was in ruin, the metal rusted away and destroyed, but what seemed like protective barriers were facing the tunnel. A team of guards could have held the tunnel from that position.
There was a large door, but it was rusted, and with a single kick, Lord Vasquez sent it tumbling down. The mushrooms on the walls were everywhere, and the humidity increased drastically.
"I wonder what kind of facility this is supposed to be…this feels less like a recreation of a place but something that existed somewhere," Bowen remarked.
"A facility? What makes you say that?" Varnir questioned.
"This is far from a hidden hideout of bandits. The amount of metal and work it would take to dig this place out…funding and time would be needed to achieve what we've seen so far, not to mention the golem guarding the place. The only question is what was this place's purpose," Bowen answered.
With torches out, we ventured deeper. A room was right next to the place we entered from, but it was empty, with only mushrooms taking root. We continued to move through, checking each room, only to find it devoid of signs of life.
"There's nothing here. No signs of a battle or devastation are visible. Just time taking this place over. It was like it was ready to be moved into, but none had the chance," Professor Garrison said.
"Indeed. This place seems to lack a few things, such as pipe networks with the gas, light sources, and living or work equipment, as we've seen so far," Bowen agreed.
"Even so, the dungeon would not create a place of peace for us twice in a row. A threat or challenge is here. We only need to find it before it finds us," Lord Vasquez said.
With that, we continued deeper into the facility until we reached another door. With another firm kick, it was knocked off, and it revealed a much larger and wider open space. Torchlight swam to the edges of the darkness and revealed it to us.
I wiped the sweat off my forehead as I took it in. It was different. But it's not entirely alien to me. Metal tables, murky, empty glass cylinders, shelves waiting to be filled…it was a laboratory.
But for what?