Tiny Dungeon

POV Cormac Torgir

“Move faster you lollygagging excuses for Fair Folk! We’re almost there!” Cormac heard his second-in-command roar. The person in question was a large [Boggart] by the name of Killian. By the aura he gave off, he was only a little ways from his Third Stage, hence the reason he had joined this little expedition. Cormac was glad for his help though he would watch Killian like a hawk anyway. It felt good to have another earth aligned in charge underneath him even if boggarts did tend to absorb water essence as well.

There were others in his band he would have to watch out for. Most were First Stage fodder barely even sentient. They had a pretty even smattering of [Gnomes], [Sylphs], [Salamanders], and even a smattering of [Undines]. They weren’t who he was watching.

His primary focus was on the three [Lesser Drakes] that had accompanied them. They were brothers and young enough into their Second Stage that he didn’t need to worry about them too much but drakes, even lesser ones, had dragon blood running through their veins. There were legends enough about [Salamanders] who evolved to true dragon hood that he couldn’t afford to turn a blind eye.

His other source of concern was the pair of [Pixies] that had come along. They were a stage down from true [Fairies] but they concerned him nonetheless. He hadn’t wanted to take them in case they were spies for Horace or the council but he also didn’t want them telling on him if they were rejected. So he brought them along and kept a close eye on them. It would be hard to keep the rabble in line once they got to the Dungeon but that was fine by him. He just needed enough bodies to get him in the door and a good group to delve deeper. He already had them picked out too.

Killian was one of them. Boggarts had a regeneration gland in their bodies that activated when they were hurt badly. It could even regenerate limbs although that was only if it hadn’t been used yet. The gland, accompanied by a Boggart’s larger size made him an excellent frontline choice.

Besides Killian, Cormac had chosen two others. One was Fiona, a [Brownie] and Cormac’s fiance. She was pretty enough he admitted to himself. Their engagement had been a political and financial arrangement orchestrated by her father a long time ago. Cormac’s only stipulation had been that she would need to match his Stage of Evolution. That had been before the tall folk had locked them out of the Dungeons. Her fire to evolve and delve was perhaps even stronger than his since an unmarried woman, even an engaged one, was seen as an unenviable position.

He snorted derision at the thought. Fiona was a brilliant craftsman even hampered as she was by her lack of Leprechaun magic. She even had her own shop. He even found over the years that his initial dismissal of her had only emboldened her to new heights. He had to admit that her list of achievements was impressive and in the deepest parts of his subconscious, he knew he desired her company. His pride kept him from any public or even private displays of his growing desire but she had been the first person he had told about his plan and her immediate acceptance had warmed him like a forge’s bellows.

Shaking away those distracting thoughts he turned his attention to the last member of their band as he stepped out of a shadow ahead of him. Evolved from a [Dark Elven] into a [Scáth], Eoghan was Cormac’s secret weapon. He had promised the elusive Fair Folk that he would guarantee his evolution in exchange for his help. [Scáth] were notoriously difficult to pin down due to their Darkness affinity and Cormac would need that flexibility to take out larger threats on his way to the Core.

“So?” Cormac asked. “How close are we?” Eoghan answered his question by pointing and as Cormac followed the Scáth’s finger he saw the trees begin to thin ahead of them. He smiled and rubbed his thick hands together. “Let’s go Fair Folk!” He called over his shoulder. “We’ve got a Dungeon to Delve!” As the cheers of the others washed over him Cormac led the way forward. It was time to conquer a Dungeon.

POV Mouse Captain

The Mouse Captain grunted as his blade deflected another blow from the large mantis creature. It was larger than the one he had fought so long ago with black and green chitin providing a pretty decent defense. It wouldn’t stop the mouse’s blade from penetrating but it did largely prevent his slaps and deflections from doing serious injury. It had decent battle instincts he grudgingly admitted as its wickedly bladed front limbs flashed out again from another direction.

He continued to fight off the large bug’s advances, monitoring the wider battle as his younger kin fought off the larger bug’s smaller evolutions. The pack insects were slowly overwhelming his group. Despite being a higher evolution his mice lacked the one thing that would make the most of their skills. Weapons.

That was the Mouse Captain’s primary objective and they had been on their way when the bugs had attacked. It was a lack of observation on his part, the mouse knew. He had failed to recognize that the First Floor had expanded to include all of the space between the inner and outer walls. So much had changed while he slept and the Master had been busy. The Mouse Captain took a deep breath even as he leaped over another strike, using his tail to unbalance his opponent. Aether-rich air flooded his lungs. Something had changed, because the Aether was purer and cleaner than it had been before.

It was also moving. There was a current now and despite his desire to Delve deeper, the Guardian knew he needed to outfit his kin. His blade carved gleaming lines in the air as he fought back the bug, steadily wearing it down with each deflection and swing. Flicking his tail towards a leg the mouse waited for his chance and when the large creature darted to slice off the offending extra limb he bulled forward in a charge. Caught off guard the insect attempted to retreat but found itself trapped against the outer wall.

With a quick movement, the mouse headbutted the creature and watched as it shrank away. He placed his blade at its neck and cracked his tail. He didn’t know why he did it but it felt good and it did its job of getting the bug’s attention as well as that of its lesser kin. They chattered at him enraged but a click from the larger creature made them pause. The two beasts looked at one another and the Mouse Captain spoke slowly.

“We fight? You Die. We go? You stay. Live. Yes?” It had taken him a while and much practice but his evolution slowly trickled knowledge of communication into his brain and he used every opportunity to practice. This exchange would serve two purposes. Either the bug agreed and they went on their way or the mouse would get a nice bit of Aether. He did not really want the Aether. He was the first and he knew his Master’s heart. He did not wish for meaningless death among his creatures. As the First Guardian the Mouse Captain felt duty bound to uphold that unspoken law. The bug would be a mighty defense against any intruders and the mouse refused to take that away from his Master.

Slowly the bug retracted its deadly limbs and clicked in cautious approval. It would stay and live. The mouse, likewise, slowly retracted his blade and stepped back walking backward until he was amongst his kin. The lesser insects clearly wanted to strike but were held back by the greater insect’s will. Nodding to his opponent the mouse gathered his kin and set off.

He heard the insects communicate to each other by clicks and chirps but they did not follow. He checked his kin and found they sported minor wounds that would heal with enough time. He nodded in satisfaction and then motioned them to follow him. He knew where he needed to go.

They wandered the inner road between the walls until they arrived at a small hole. They hadn’t met any opposition. A few spiders had scurried up the inner wall but they were lesser evolutions and knew to stay away. Upon reaching the hole he found it to be much smaller than he remembered. Snorting to himself in amusement the mouse looked down at his muscular Aether enhanced body and snorted again. Of course, it would be smaller.

With a gesture, his squire came over and received his blade with reverence. That would still take some getting used to. Turning to the hole he gripped the edges of it with his mighty paws and flexed. The wood splintered and a loud crack gave way as he widened the hole. His kin dutifully carried the bits of wood away as the large mouse ripped pieces off the inner wall. Grabbing his blade from the squire he carved the jagged edges off before squeezing through the newly widened hole.

A familiar sight greeted his eyes. It was dark in the cabinet but it didn’t last long as the Mouse Captain held up a paw, a flame coalescing into existence and brightening up the room. He almost shuddered at the feeling of using his Master’s authority. It felt spiritual, in a way that he would never be able to explain even if his evolution had granted him the knowledge. Shaking off the euphoria the mouse looked and around and honed in on his target.

A large bulky basket lay close to the large door that separated the room from the larger edifice. The mouse moved to it and climbed inside, his kin following. Inside the basket were various cloths and he kept his flame well away from them. On an instinctual level, he knew they would burn and he did not wish to have to flee from the ensuing flames. His animal instincts shied away from the idea in fear. Glancing at the flame he carried he wondered whether he would be able to stop the fire with his Master’s power. He shrugged. He wasn’t going to test it now.

Turning he grunted, motioning towards a large box. “There,” He squeaked gruffly. His kin beasts moved to the box and worked together to remove the lid. The gleam of metal met their astonished gaze. There, inside, were various needles of different sizes, some small and some larger than his original broken needle. The large mouse squeaked in pleasure. Laying his blade down he moved over to the box and reached inside, choosing a larger needle. He ran his paw over it and felt the Aether within warm his hand.

Enchanted. Just like he had remembered only now he had a word to put to the warm feeling. He put it back and motioned to his kin to pick out needles. They took to the task with eagerness, experimenting with various sizes until they had what felt right. When they were finished he nodded and led the way back out of the basket, picking up his blade on the way out. Going to the door he attempted to push it open only to be stopped. He strained harder only to have his efforts be for naught. He slashed at the wood in frustration only to have his blade meet rock on the other side.

He pawed at his muzzle, cleaning his whiskers as he thought. Using his blade he slowly carved away the offending wood and was left with a wall of stone. Placing his paw against the stone he tapped into his Master’s authority and began shifting the stone. He cancelled the fire to use both hands and the task became more manageable. Gradually light began to spill into the cabinet as a hole formed in the rock.

Almost immediately Aether began to flood into the space and a lot of it. From the richness, the mouse knew they had breached into a higher floor. He looked around and took in the huge cave system. Higher up he could barely see floating rocks connected by long green plants and the shadowy movements of flying beasts. They would have to be careful but now the mouse knew that they were getting closer to the Master. He moved to the other side of the cabinet and closed the other hole by forming a rock wall. He didn’t know why he did but his instincts told him the path to the new floor shouldn’t come from the First.

Returning he finished making a large enough hole that he could squeeze through. His smaller kin would be fine. As he exited he froze as the sound of battle reached him. Turning to peer deeper he noticed multiple small forms fighting something larger. Acting again on instinct, he formed a flame and launched it at the larger form. The flame splashed against the creature which hissed in displeasure. The light from the fiery flare revealed the monstrously big insect for what it was but it also revealed the smaller scurrying forms.

Mice. Or more specifically Mouse Guards. The mice in question squeaked in greeting but the Mouse Captain could see they were in dire straights. They were like his kin behind him had been only a short time ago in that they had no blades to bear into battle. They valiantly faced a foe with nothing but their empty paws and teeth. The Mouse Captain refused to let them face such a monstrosity alone. Turning to his kin behind him he motioned at one of them and spoke. “Collect needles. Then follow.” Turning to the rest he motioned with his blade outstretched, “You follow now. We go!” So saying he let out his signature bass squeak of challenge and tore across the space separating him from the battle, blade raised high.