Now, since I’m sure you skipped all the boring shit to get here, go the fuck back to the beginning and actually read it this time! Yes, that means you, and no, you’re not special. That boring shit is just as important to your survival as knowing the four types of dungeons.
- Delver’s Guild Handbook, Section 10 – “Introduction to dungeons”
“A dungeon just appeared?” I asked, my voice still quiet. “What do we do about it?”
“Most likely nothing,” Mason replied, to my surprise. Seeing my look, he asked, “What do you know about the types of dungeons?”
“I know that there are stable dungeons, like the one in Sunland, but that most dungeons are unstable. I don’t really know the details, but I was taught that sometimes monsters can escape from dungeons if they aren’t cleared.”
“There’s a lot more to it. There are actually four categories of dungeons, with stable ones being by far the rarest and most valuable. A substantial majority of dungeons are what we Delvers call decaying or collapsing. Those dungeons appear at some initial Level, but they immediately start leaking mana. Gradually the dungeon’s Level goes down until the portal falls apart and vanishes harmlessly. Sometimes Delvers choose to go into a decaying dungeon for the Essence and items, but they can also be left alone. If Hassan did spot a dungeon, and it’s decaying, we’ll just let it be.
“The next most common type is a rising or growing dungeon. This means that it’s pulling in mana from the outside, so the Level of the dungeon goes up. Eventually, the dungeon will rupture, dumping all the monsters out into our world – some people call this a dungeon break, so it’s probably what you learned about in school. It’s always best to clear a rising dungeon before it ruptures, unless it’s already too far above your Level to handle.
“Finally, there is the second rarest type of dungeons, most Delvers call them unstable dungeons but the correct term is oscillating. The dungeon alternates between pulling mana in and pushing it out. Its Level goes up and down like a wave,” he paused, gesturing with his hand to illustrate. “The speed of the oscillation gradually gets faster and faster. When it gets too fast, something we still don’t fully understand happens and the dungeon merges with the world around it.”
He stopped and held up a hand, as if listening to something I couldn’t hear. His expression turned grim, and he looked at me.
“Hassan’s found the dungeon, and it’s a mid Tier 0 and rising fast. Let’s wake everyone up and get packed. We’ll need to wait for it to reach Tier 1 and then Block and Vale can go in and clear it.”
We had everyone up and our belongings hastily stuffed into our packs in minutes. Mason silently led us out into the night, giving the rest of the team a quick summary of what he’d told me over the Comms. We did our best to stay quiet and close as we moved. The moonlit landscape was eerily silent around us. Several times I thought I spotted movement in the distance, but I couldn’t be sure.
My thoughts raced. If the dungeon stopped going up at Level 8, then it must be stuck in Tier 0. That means Block and Vale can’t go in – if you’re more than 1 Tier over the Level of a dungeon it has a high chance of destabilizing with you in it! That’s why Gleason wouldn’t let their dungeon-jacks hit Tier 3, since the dungeon in Sunland is only Tier 1… If this dungeon is stuck in Tier 0, then the only people in our group who can go in to clear it are… us! Level 8 is way too high though!
My heart was racing as we started climbing a small hill. As we neared the top, I saw a dungeon portal for the first time. It was eerily beautiful. A shimmering mix of greys, almost like a cloud, denser in the middle and fading into transparency on the sides, but the middle was… dark. Dangerous. It looked to be about two yards tall and maybe one across, with an oval shape. It was hard to see exactly where the edges were, but it looked like it was floating a foot or so above the ground.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Even though it seemed to be glowing from within, as we got closer I realized that its light didn’t really reach the ground around it. The churning, roiling ‘clouds’ within, the false light it generated, and its ill-defined shape – everything about it screamed unnatural, dangerous, stay away!
I felt the faintest tingle, almost like a very, very faint breeze brushing against my skin, and I wondered if that was the feeling of the mana leaking out of the dungeon. I’m probably imagining things…
At the same time, my rebellious streak, the one that had constantly gotten me in trouble with Hazel, was urging me to do the opposite, to run towards the danger, the excitement. I shivered. You’re definitely a bit crazy, Az. I tried Identifying it.
Dungeon Portal Stolen from RoyalRoad. Support AzureInk by reading the original.
Level: 4
Shit, that’s still too high for us! But just maybe, if it keeps going down… My heart raced with a mix of excitement and dread.
Mason held out a hand and a gleaming metal pole, thicker than a quarterstaff and easily eight feet tall, appeared in it. I noticed that the bottom of it ended in a sharp spike, but the top was flat. Mason moved directly in front of the portal and lifted it so the spike was a couple of feet off the ground.
A minute passed slowly, everyone waiting tensely. Mason’s arm showed no sign of strain from holding the strange metal device, even though it looked heavy. Idly, I wondered if I could even lift it.
Mason’s hand slammed the spike down with a WHUMP! He drove the pole deep into the dirt in front of the portal, a shower of dust blasted out by the impact. The strange device suddenly let out a hissss as it started glowing, followed by a sharp crack as a wave of energy was released. I felt it pass through me with a strange sensation, like my insides were briefly twisted around unnaturally.
The discomforting sensation passed in a few moments. In front of me, I could see that the portal had stilled. The churning of the ‘clouds’ within it had slowed dramatically – but as I looked closely, I could see that there was still a hint of motion.
I couldn’t hold back any longer.
Mason looked at me.
My mind was racing as fast as my heart. Mason had turned away from me and was saying something to Hassan, but I only caught the occasional word.
He’s not even mentioning the obvious… if it’s Level 2, or 2.3 – whatever that means – then the four of us could go in. Assuming that the others would go along with me… I am not going in there alone. I’m Level 3, and the others are, I think, all Level 2. Surely we could handle it, right? We took out a Level 6 rattlescorp earlier! I mean, we had Vale’s Barrier on us, but still!
If this thing merges, it sounds like it could be bad. Some of the monsters could attack Sunland, and if the road is cut, there’d be fewer caravans… It could be bad for the town. I don’t give a shit about most of the people there, but what about the kids?!
I suddenly missed them terribly, even though it’d only been a couple of days. I looked at the others. Zaire was unreadable as always, Raylan was looking back at me with a grin that suggested he knew what I was thinking, and Elin… The other girl looked excited. Her eyes were practically gleaming as she followed the conversation between the senior Delvers.
I think she wants to fight something… I can’t figure this girl out! She scares me a little, but would she be willing to go into an unknown dungeon? I guess there’s only one way to know…
“Or, the four of us could go in and clear it!” I spoke out loud, trying to sound as confident as possible.
I'm sure no one saw this coming, right?
? The Dragon Striker (Steampunk fantasy) ?
by DanWerkhoven
In a frozen wasteland stands a city built from the slaughtered corpses of an ancient race…
The Dragon Striker.
What to Expect:
- Complex family dynamics
- Alchemy and technology-based magic system
- A cold, harsh world invaded by dragons and monsters