Tiny Dungeon

POV Cormac Torgir

Rising from the remains of the ritual circle Cormac went over what they had learned. That creature was labeled as a Great Tidal Whale and was Rank 4 on the Dungeon scale. Which meant that this Dungeon was dangerous, more so than he thought at first. What interested him, even more, was that such the ritual depicted it as a massive creature almost as long as the Mother Tree was tall. But here in this Dungeon, it was at most 5 to 6 feet long.

Cormac couldn’t wrap his head around it. For it to be that small, it would have had to shrink a good deal and the amount of power that could do that was outside his understanding. For the first time, he pondered the wisdom of Delving deeper. He was no coward but he was the only Stage 3 here. His teammates were closing in on Climbing to the next stage to join him but there was a danger inherent with Climbing Stages within a Dungeon. He did not have the means to protect them adequately if they all underwent The Climb simultaneously. Not against Rank 4s. Of course, this might be the only creature of such power that the Dungeon had.

Did he want to gamble on that outcome? Gamble the lives of his team and his betrothed? Even as he had those thoughts others pushed their way to the forefront of his mind. The power that would be at his disposal with such a Dungeon would be truly great indeed. If he claimed this Dungeon he could actually succeed in his goal of saving the Mother Tree. He could return a hero, having shaped a Dungeon that could provide for his people what they needed to Climb higher. Their race…their race might even grow enough to evolve completely. If enough Aether was brought back to the Mother Tree…it might be possible.

He turned and headed over to where Killian was directing the bridge building. “How are we doing?” He asked looking over and down to the edge of the water. “I don’t see the creature anymore.” Despite his words being a statement there was a hint of a question in his tone.

“The building is going fine. The Dungeon stone is hard to manipulate but it’s possible with enough people and we certainly have that. As for the creature, it slinked away after it saw that we weren’t going to be trying to swim for it. What is it anyway? I saw you finished the ritual.”

“It’s called a Great Tidal Whale. Rank 4.” He heard Killian whistle next to him in appreciation with just a hint of fear.

“I’m glad I chose the high road then,” Killian muttered.

“So do I my friend. So do I,” Cormac said as he turned to look out over the inky blackness. A few of his [Salamander] kin had lit small fires using the heavier Aether as a fuel source but the lights didn’t penetrate very far into the gloom. They could already see the far side and what he saw wasn’t encouraging. It just kept going and he could see how the basement went further down until it was completely submerged underwater. That was a lot of space to hide in.

Perhaps it was a sixth sense that guided him at that moment but he turned to Killian and said, “Make sure our team is ready for anything. I don’t trust that creature to remain idle. I’m not sure what it can do but I don’t want to be surprised. We need to be ready to move at a moment's notice.” Killian nodded as he moved off. Cormac was determined. He would conquer this Dungeon for his race, no matter what it took to do so.

POV Great Tidal Whale

The Great Tidal Whale Matriarch hummed a song in satisfaction of another successful rat hunt. She had gotten adept at using her affinity to flood the low rock shelf, the Maker had put there for their use. When caught off guard the rats would be washed into deeper waters where she and her pod could feed. As she was breathing deeply for the return journey she heard a song echo through her sunken hall. It was from one of her ‘sons’ and he was telling a tale of pain and victory. The invaders had come and they had wounded her son but not before he had eaten one of them. He claimed they were delicious but were now above his reach, on high shelves of rock where he could not reach.

She called back to him telling him to join her, the message also calling to any other member of the pod to do the same. ‘Gather in the lowest section,’ she sent via her song. ‘We will wash them off their perch.’ Jubilation echoed through the waterways as her fellow pod mates joined her as she swam deeper. Soon they were all gathered and she communicated her plan. They marshaled their affinities together and began to swim. Swiftly and gathering their Aether together they meshed their multiple affinities into one song and the water responded.

Something in the motion sang to their deepest being, beyond their lived experiences. Images of giant waves and rough seas appeared unbidden in their minds and they clung to the image as it coalesced out of their fury. It did not matter that they had been summoned to an underwater labyrinth far from their place of origin. Right now the tide sang to them and when they sang back the tide answered their call. The invaders would taste the fury of a tiny ocean unleashed.

POV He-Who-Chitters-In-The-Dark

He-Who-Chitters-In-The-Dark looked out over his kingdom and smiled a snaggle-toothed grin. His eyes sparked in satisfaction as he watched his rats move rock and stone to dig deeper into the Dungeon. They had learned much in the time since The-One-Who-Was-Not-There had set them free upon the ledges. They had learned to dive for the glowing grasses to make bedding and to light their way, for the grass continued to glow after being ripped from the bottom of the water. They had learned to lure the giant insects onto the lowest rock shelf in order to hunt them. The divers were compensated and the clan was fed.

For that is what they were now…a clan. His plan to woo Bone-Crusher had worked. She found his eyes entrancing when he wasn’t in one of his mad fits. Those fits had been increasing in regularity. He saw things in the dark of his sleep. The-One-Who-Was-Not-There sent him images that were like thoughts and yet not. He saw images of creatures in the likeness of the tall two legs but smaller and knew that they sought to harm The-One-Who-Was-Not-There. The anger was often transmitted in the dream and he would often wake to a beating by Bone-Crusher for having nipped her in his sleep.

He always apologised profusely and she seemed pleased by his offerings to her. Their mating had been official with all the proper ceremonies involved. He had brought her an abundance of insect meat and a carapace that shined. He had even fastened it around her upper torso to protect her from harm, using crude wrappings of dried grass. She had loved it. Their nest was on the highest of ledges and their litter was safe from harm, far away from the giant creatures that lurked in the depths. He smiled again at the thought of the litter. Eight pups were up there resting after gorging on insect meat. It was tough to feed so many mouths, even for him, but it was nice to be the leader. And to have a mate that was physically superior to other rats.

He-Who-Chitters was not like her in that respect but he had his own route to power. The mining of the spark crystals proceeded under his direction but even beyond that, the tunnel that led to their freedom was proceeding apace. He directed the efforts flawlessly for his mind knew where The-One-Who-Was-Not-There held court. He could feel it in the Aether coursing through him. He did not go straight there of course. He needed to prove that he and his fellow rats were worth keeping around. What better way to do so, than to take care of its infestation?

Yes, he would direct his people well. They were close…he could feel it. He moved deeper into the tunnel, his guards helping to shove other rats out of the way until the rest got the message. Summoning the other Mad-Touched in the tunnel He-Who-Chitters began to lead them in the chant. It didn’t actually have words but it did contain meaning. The meaning was simple but profound. Destroy. And the Aether in their minds and flesh responded. Green lightning sparked from their eyes and crackled down the length of their bodies. As one they ended their chant and thrust outwards. The lightning roared forth with all of their collected might and began chiseling through the rock at terrifying speed. With an explosion of dust and rock, light poured into the tunnel from the new opening ahead.

Many rats flinched away from the light as it burned their retinas from their long time in their subterranean home but not He-Who-Chitters-In-The-Dark. He had a destiny and nothing would stand in his way to claim it for himself, his mate, his pups, and the rest of his clan. Clan Spark would claim everything they could get their paws on.