Worthy Core

Tafyaf steps forward, abandoning his attempts to gather up the Mage's remains. "What? Couldn't be, no! The Valleylanders only first cleared the third floor this week! Secretive they have been, but not reporting an entire floor? Would be too much, too much."

Yalonn Willowbranch leans against a wall of the tunnel as his head begins to swim, the stress of the day beginning to catch up with the lieutenant. "Whether or not the floor was only added after their visit doesn't make a great deal of difference. Exactly how dungeons unlock certain things is not entirely known, and even if it was, I'm not an expert on rates of dungeon growth myself. But I am aware that Worthy Dungeon is considered fast-growing just to have three floors after...what, a little over a month and a half of estimated age? To already be at four?"

The man cups his hand over his mouth as he considers the possibilities. "Everyone knows the Dragonlord knows dungeons better than anyone else on the continent, given the number that serve them in some manner or another. Could they have figured out a way to simply give dungeons new floors? Some manner of feeding them a particular resource? With every step we take in here, the worse it all becomes. What experiments might be happening in those dungeons within Domain territory?"

The party's medic, Goldleaf, approaches her fellow elf with a glare in her eyes. "That is not what we should be worrying about right now. What we should be worrying about is that we're still an entire floor - at least an entire floor - away from escape and the dungeon still clearly wants to kill us all. Mage Ress may have been the dungeon spirit's primary target, but I doubt it wants any of us to get out alive at this point. We can worry about what this all means when we're safely back under an open sky, wouldn't you say?"

Willowbranch nods as he straightens his posture. "...Yes, you're entirely correct, Combat Medic. Now's not the time for distractions. Frudd, take the lead with me, Scout Srooll, you and Goldleaf watch the rear."

Orders issued, the Wild Sentinel and the Vanguard begin to make their way down the long stone tunnel. Although they move cautiously, checking for traps as they go, they find nothing until they nearly reach the opposite end and Willowbranch spots a sign carved into the stone itself. "Warning, floor under construction...please pardon our dust? Rather polite given our treatment so far, perhaps it wasn't written specifically for us. I suppose it does imply this was added after the Valleylander party came through, at least. Let's see what a floor still under construction looks like, then..."

Whatever the party was expecting, the sight they see as they enter into the main floor chamber was very much not it. A massive dome makes up the ceiling above them, covered in glowing-blue growths that imitate a ghostly night sky. As for the ground around them, it almost seems to resemble a wild woodland...if most of the woods were missing and the ground was made up entirely of stone rather than soil. A cliff runs along the length of the cavern, dividing the space into lower and upper sections, with a pleasant-looking waterfall leading to a gentle stream not far from where they're standing. But between their current location and that cliff is little more than a scattering of bushes, trees, and patches of grass. As he looks further though, the Sentinel realizes the placement of the various plant life isn't just random - each patch of green seems to have a slightly different variety of plants within, although they all seem to be of common forest flora he recognizes.

"It looks almost as if...it were a painter, testing out dabs of paint on a blank canvas. This is surely intended to be some sort of underground forest, I would think, but it seems to me as if the master of the dungeon hasn't yet decided exactly what sort of forest they want to make."

Frudd's voice betrays more than a little nervousness as she answers. "A forest underground, is it even really possible? I mean, wouldn't that mean someone had to have been taking in samples of all of these different plants, sir? I know you were bringing up the chance of the Domain feeding the dungeon somehow, but...all of this? How would we have not noticed?"

The elf answers as he begins moving forward, scanning the bare stone for any sign of traps as he goes. "Forest dungeons are a thing, of course. But those dungeons are 'born' within forests to begin with, so they have easy access to the materials they require. If the dungeon could have somehow expanded..." The elf thinks for a moment, then shakes his head. "No, there's no way Worthy Dungeon could have expanded to the forest nearby. Even four floors is unusual, to reach all the way down the mountainside and somehow open up into the forest itself would surely take a dozen more, with at least one of those being out in the open where it would be noticed. No, someone must have brought the forest to the dungeon. But you're not wrong, Vanguard. Smuggling in so many plant samples would be a significant undertaking, so either many of the local Challengers are secretly feeding the place, or someone has been repeatedly sneaking in to do so. Any explanation I can think of seems to have disturbing implications."

"Ahem - too much thinking, didn't we just talk about that? Perhaps you should be more worried about that." Pointing between the two of them, Goldleaf's hand indicates a nearby shrub that seems to be gently rustling in the wind. Except, of course, that there is no wind. Willowbranch and Frudd both ready their blades which seems to tell the monster hiding inside that the game is up, triggering it to burst out and charge the party - or rather, them, as three albino-white rabbits dash across the stony floor as a group. One is quickly killed by an arrow from Tafyaf, with a second slain shortly after from Willowbranch's own bow following a magical weapon quick-swap.

The final rabbit leaps into the air from a surprising distance, launching from a good fifteen feet away from the party at least, but is knocked back to the ground by a bash from Frudd's shield. The Vanguard herself finishes the creature off an instant later, her sword removing the head from its small body. "Hah! That's...that's surprisingly tame, don't you think? For a fourth floor monster? They're just...you know, rabbits."

"Yes, well, imagine how much more dangerous they would be if the entire floor was covered in plant life, and we couldn't spot them charging us from thirty feet away. Also, I would bet you money these are no simple rabbits." Picking up the severed head Frudd left behind, Willowbranch prods at its teeth before humming to himself. "A bet I'd win, it would seem. Look, two extremely sharp fangs, here...eyes are rather monstrously red even for an albino, as well. Perhaps crossbred with something venomous? I doubt it could puncture heavy armor, but be on the lookout regardless."

The party keeps several careful eyes out as they approach the cliffside, but no further ambushes attack them. Their destination isn't too hard to decide on, thanks to the lack of foliage - not only are the climbable portions of the rock face easy to make out, but some of those have very plain traps built into them, with boulders poised to fall down or holes indicating possible spear or dart launchers. Even so, Willowbranch and Tafyaf both carefully check over their planned climbing location just to make sure that the lack of obvious risks isn't simply a method of making the group overconfident. Satisfied, Willowbranch eventually begins making his way up first. "This floor must be early in construction indeed. A place this large could probably support a hundred of those small rabbits, and those traps almost look to me more like placeholders than finalized versions. If the dungeon weren't so intent on killing us, I have to wonder if it would have even revealed the floor to us at all."

The thought gives Frudd's voice a hopeful tone as she pulls herself up after him. "If the dungeon can't even afford a handful of monster bunnies, maybe there's not even a floor boss yet!"

The lieutenant holds his response until he finishes the twenty-foot climb, cautiously surveying the upper level of the floor. "Doesn't seem to be much of anything at all, really. I'd say the space up here's about twice as large as the lower section, but it doesn't have much more in the way of plants to fill it with. No sign of monsters, or bosses."

It takes a good ten minutes for the full party to make the climb, despite the lack of traps to worry about, mostly thanks to Frudd's heavy armor and Goldleaf's modest upper body strength. Even so, no threats appear, and the group has time to rest for a breather while they consider their next move. Unfortunately, the next step is far less obvious. Even after scanning the room for quite a while, Willowbranch finds himself unable to locate an exit. "Hrmm. There's no tunnels or doors on any of the walls other than where we came in at. No obvious magical interfaces...we may have to sweep the floor entirely to find the way out."

Frudd however shakes her head, pointing at the island in the center of the domed chamber. "You see how that spot in the middle of the river's also in the center of the floor? It's gotta be important, everything else is built around it. Well...unless there was an exit hidden behind the waterfall. Fuck! We should've checked there before we climbed up here, there's always shit behind the waterfalls!"

The elf chuckles as he begins to head in the direction she pointed. "Both good ideas - we'll check the island first, now that we're up here. The only obstacle in the way is that river, apparently. I do hope everyone knows how to swim?"

The party indicates positively, although as they approach the shores of the artificial stream Frudd's voice regains some of its nervous energy. "Well...I can swim, yeah, but I've never tried swimming in full plate armor. That's gotta be what, twenty-five, maybe thirty feet wide? Too dark to see the bottom, too. I don't know...I could dump some of my gear first?"

Willowbranch considers the option briefly, but shakes his head. "Not if there is a hidden boss arena before the core chamber, or some other threat waiting for us on the other side. Scout Srooll, you have rope in your equipment, yes? And as a Scout, I know you're an excellent swimmer. I'll hold on to one end while you swim across with the other. Then Medic Goldleaf will cross, and we'll all help support our Vanguard as she makes her way. Then I'll go across last. Sound good?"

The group nods along, with Frudd and Goldleaf both looking more confident at the suggestion of having some assistance helping them make the crossing, and Tafyaf gets to pulling out his rope and handing one end to their leader before diving in. The gnoll isn't the most elegant swimmer in the world, but he is efficient, and crosses the river without too much difficulty. While the current is stronger at the portion closest to the waterfall, at their chosen crossing point it's quite sedate in comparison. Grayana Goldleaf goes next, and given her height advantage over the gnoll it's most likely thanks only to his waterlogged equipment that she doesn't outweigh the man. Still, with the rope to help her across the elf makes it through safely, if a bit grumpily, and it's time to see how well the plan holds up against its most significant challenge.

As Frudd crosses into the deepest part of the waterway the soldier does her best to help support her own weight, but it's clear that there's little she can do compared to full plate armor that's now filled with water. If it weren't for the rope, she'd almost certainly sink to the bottom immediately, and even with the rope it's a dicey thing. With no trees around to tie either end to as anchors, all three other members of the party have to strain to help keep her head above water. With that in mind the woman pulls herself along as quickly as possible, and everything seems to be going as well as possible - until the river eats her. As if the water itself had come alive, the previously-calm surface suddenly bulges upward around the armored woman, quickly dragging her away from the rope and under the water.

"Frudd! Dammit, there's a beast in the water! Did anyone see it!?" Willowbranch runs up to the edge of the river, and although he's unable to spy any sign of the monster that must have attacked, light still glints off of Frudd's armor as she struggles to free herself. Making a split second decision - and knowing that he'd have to cross the river himself eventually anyhow - the Sentinel dives in after her.

As soon as he slips beneath the surface, Tafyaf and Goldleaf lose all sight of what might be happening. Apparently deeper than it looks, the dark water gives no hint of the struggle beneath, with barely even ripples remaining from where the pair went under. Tafyaf's paw-like hands clench as he scans the water from a safe distance. "Gah! Foolishness, yes! Now we have two party members drowned!"

"Is there anything you can do to fight a water monster?"

Tafyaf shakes his head. "Arrows not effective under water, no, and besides, what is there to shoot? Without a target, more likely to hit victims, yes." Shortly after he says it however, movement catches his eye. "Wait, look! The Vanguard, almost at the shore!" Even as he says the words Frudd goes from 'almost at the shore' to 'sputtering and gasping on it', with the river practically spitting the half-drowned woman out. Tafyaf and Goldleaf both grab an arm to drag her to a safer distance before attempting medical attention, but the woman struggles to her feet before they can get far.

"The lieutenant! He's - where's Willowbranch!?" She turns, almost about to head back down to the river, but this time the pair do succeed in pulling her back. With a firm grip around her waist, Tafyaf does his best to calm her.

"Cannot help, no! Be happy that you survived - extremely lucky, that is!"

The woman shakes her head, her eyes beginning to water up for reasons beyond simply being soaked in a river. "No! It's, it wasn't luck! I was just bait! As soon as he reached me, the monster pushed me away and went for him! Gods, if he hadn't...another ten, or five seconds, and I would have..." The Vanguard reaches for her sword, and her eyes go wide once again. "My sword! And my shield, the monster took them! It's...gods, Willowbranch..." The three watch the river for a while, hoping against hope that the river might spit the elf out as well, but everything remains quiet and calm throughout the giant cavern, with no sign of what may have happened to the man. Eventually the party begins to stir to continue their search for an exit, but a voice from behind them shortcuts that particular concern.

"You won't get a body, I'm afraid. There's pockets in there deeper than you know." Quickly turning around, the trio spot a demon standing in the center of the otherwise bare, featureless stony circle. As demons go he's not particularly intimidating, unarmed and wearing only a simple mage's robe, although an impressive pair of wings jut from his back. Still, given their worn out state, none of the three are particularly eager to rush into a fight. Fortunately for them, it seems as if they won't have to. "Congratulations, you're the lucky three. I'm here to offer you a deal."

Making his way over to the group, the demon manages to look utterly unconcerned despite being outnumbered, and despite his lack of weaponry. "The dungeon master would very much prefer that you didn't go back home to tell everyone about what you've found out about the dungeon. The most obvious solution then is that you don't go back home at all. There is, however, another option. I have in my magical toolbox a spell that will allow me to revert a person's memories for the previous six hours. Regrettably, as I am today I would not be able to cast it on five people in short succession, and even three would be too much - if those three are resistant. So here is your offer. You can engage me in combat, and if you win, the survivors get to go home with their memories intact. Or, you can allow me to cast the spell, and guarantee your lives at the expense of a few hours. And to be honest, given the trauma you may have experienced in those few hours, it would likely save you quite the headache and heartache as well."

Frudd immediately raises her fists to a fighting stance. "Deal with a dungeon's demon!? Are you crazy, we'll never - " The woman's bold claim is quickly cut short as Tafyaf yanks the woman to her knees.

"Crazy, are you? We'll fight a floor boss with what, my knives, your knuckles, and Grayana's soggy bandages!? No, no, no! Do not be stupid, Vanguard! If it wanted, we would likely be already dead, yes!"

Behind him, Goldleaf nods along. "I think I'd have to vote for discretion over valor as well on this one. But don't let me stop you if you want to avenge your honor or some such foolishness."

Utterly defeated, the Vanguard simply collapses to the ground. "...Fine. I surrender. Do what you will, demon."

The demon's smile grows into a full, toothy grin as he comes closer. "Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit. Not that you'll remember, anyhow..."

Blinking, Frudd finds her eyes struggling to adapt to a bright, sunny sky. Turning around, the woman finds herself standing not far from the entrance to Worthy Dungeon, with Scout Tafyaf and Medic Grayana looking just as confused nearby. She quickly reaches for her weapon only to find it missing, and that she's for some reason entirely soaked. "What? Where - what? Weren't we just...hiking through the forest? How did we get up the mountain? And where's the lieutenant and the Mage?"

Before the others can answer, Doorman does it for them. "I've been instructed to pass on a few messages, actually. You should know that your mental state is the result of a new trap the dungeon is trying out, and your ability to remember the past few hours may be...lacking. But good news! You cleared Floor Three, and we even sent along your loot with you!" The door's face nods in the direction of a bag sitting on the ground between the trio, before growing more serious. "In, ah, less good news, I regret to tell you that your leader and your Mage did not survive the encounter. My condolences."

Tafyaf rubs his head, too confused to even leap for the bag of dungeon loot. "Dead? But...our mission, yes? We were supposed to...but with our memories gone...we wasted our time, no? And...the lives of Willowbranch and Ress?"

The three stand there in silence, wondering if they ought to go back inside, yet all of them feeling just how completely exhausted they all are. Eventually, Frudd speaks up once again. "We...we should report back. Let the Commander decide if he wants to send in another team. At least we can report about the new trap type..."

Frowning, Goldleaf grumbles. "I really need to stop letting myself be volunteered for dungeon assignments."