Runeguard 018

Day Four

I awoke to a loud banging. 

Groaning, I turned over. “Who the hell is that?” I growled. “And what time is it?”

“It’s 5:05 AM, Dace,” Adi said. “You are late for your meeting with the Paragons.”

My eyes snapped open. Damnit, Adi was right. I heaved myself upright, rubbing bleary eyes.

“Dace!” Beth yelled through the door. “Are you in there? You better get out right this minute. Bayan is all set to leave without you.”

“Coming,” I grumbled.

I heaved myself to my feet and yanked open the door just as Beth was about to knock again. “What happened to you?” she asked, eyeing my disgruntled appearance.

“Rough night,” I said, closing the door behind me. “Let’s go.”

Beth led the way downstairs. The others were gathered near the door, waiting impatiently. “Finally!” Gavin exclaimed. “I didn’t think sleeping beauty would ever awake.”

I shot him a cold stare. I wasn’t that late.

“Enough chatter,” Bayan said. “Let’s go.” He strode through the door with the others following closely on his heels. 

I stepped out of the tavern into the cold morning air. The town was silent and dark. No one else was dumb enough to be about at this insensible hour. Sighing, I hurried after the Paragons.

Bayan cut across town and led us south to the reed-filled river. I was unsurprised. “Where exactly is the first dungeon, Adi?” I asked, seeking her confirmation.

“On a river island about an hour further south from where you met the bloat fly queen.”

I grunted. We had a fair bit of hike ahead of us. Pulling out one of my travel rations from my inventory, I began eating.

Lauren and Beth dropped back to walk on either side of me. “You’ve been this way before, Dace?”

I nodded. “It’s where I found the bloat fly queen. You guys?”

She shook her head. “No, we’ve spent most of our time east of the town in the catacombs.”

I paused in my chewing. “Catacombs?”

“It’s filled with undead,” Lauren said.

I frowned. East. I hadn’t explored much in that direction yet. “How do I get there?”

Lauren waved aside my query. “I’ll send the coordinates to your personal admin.”

“Thanks,” I said around another mouthful. “Your group been anywhere else interesting?”

Beth laughed. “We can’t reveal all our secrets, Dace. Bayan didn’t even want us to tell you this much, but we figured since you’re travelling with us—if only temporarily—we owed you a little information.”

I eyed the two sisters suspiciously. I liked Beth and Lauren. They had both been kind to me when they didn’t have to, but I didn’t think they were volunteering this information for free. “So, what do you want to know in return?”

Lauren chuckled, but she didn’t deny the Paragons wanted something. “Tell us how you reached level ten so fast.”

My brows drew down. It was not the question I expected. I hadn’t thought much about my jibe about their levels when I raised the matter last night, but it seemed I had piqued the group’s interest. “What level are you guys?” I asked.

The sisters exchanged looks. “If he is going to be in the dungeon with us, he will figure it out soon enough,” Beth said with a shrug.

Lauren nodded. “We’re all level eight except for Bayan. He is level nine.”

Interesting, I thought. If the Paragons were the top guild in town, it meant most everyone else was lower levelled. I could be the only level ten player in the Creche.

“So how did you do it?” Beth prompted.

I scratched at my head thinking over the matter. It was not like I had set out to power level. “I haven’t been doing anything special,” I conceded. “I’ve fought a few bloat flies, a pack of wolves, a bear, and some scorpions. That’s all.” I described the level and numbers of the creatures I killed, but I left out any mention of the black dragons. No reason to tell them about any of that.

“That’s it?” asked Lauren incredulously when I was done.

“Well, I killed a few thieves too,” I said. “If that counts.”

Frowning, the sisters fell silent.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Are you sure you’ve told us everything, Dace?” Beth asked, her face troubled. “It’s just that as a party, we’ve killed four times the number of creatures you have, and yet you still seemed to have out-levelled us.”

“I have,” I stated firmly. “I’ve not left out any of my kills. And tackling some of them alone… was quite a challenge.”

“That’s it,” said Lauren suddenly.

I looked at her blankly. “Huh?”

“You’ve been adventuring solo,” she said. “Even though you’ve fewer kills to your name, you’ve made every one of them without help. That’s why you’re higher levelled than us,” she pronounced with certainty.

Beth pursed her lips. “I think you’re right, Lauren.” She glanced up at me. “Thanks, Dace,” she said.

I opened my mouth to reply, but the two sisters were already gone. They had hurried forward to rejoin the rest of their guild. Clustered together, the Paragons fell into an intensely whispered conversation.

Staring at them in bemusement, I just shook my head and kept walking.

✵ ✵ ✵

We reached the dungeon just as the first rays of the sun touched the ground. With the aid of our personal administrators, finding the dungeon itself was easy.

Standing in front of it with the others, I studied the entrance. It looked innocuous enough, no more than a cave set upon one of the many small islands dotting the shallow river. Only the stone plaque affixed in the ground hinted at the cave being anything more.

Kneeling down, I read the words inscribed on the plaque: “Dungeon 1050-B: A Swampy Place.”

“Before we enter, let’s discuss our tactics,” Bayan said.

Turning around, I blinked in surprise. Each of the Paragons was wearing a leather duster over their blue and black garments. Each also carried a tall staff.

I eyed the heavy, black dusters the group wore. “Don’t those interfere with your magic?”

Beth shook her head. “No, the System doesn’t consider it armor.”

Jorge laughed. “It’s a bit more complicated than that, Beth.” He looked at me, and surprisingly, took the time to explain. “Spells are cast through magical pathways in the body. As long as the duster is left open and does not wrap completely around the body, it leaves a mage’s pathways largely undisturbed.”

Beth rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatever he said.”

“And the staffs? What are they for?” I asked.

Again, it was Jorge who answered. “The staff serves as a casting aid. Depending on the staff, one or more spell incantations can be stored within and released by the caster with a much-condensed vocalization.”

Beth snorted. “He means the staff reduces our casting time.”

“Ah,” I said, my interest piqued. “By how much?”

Jorge shrugged. “It depends on the spell. But it is an invaluable tool for any mage.”

I nodded my thanks to the freckled youth. It seems that I had been mistaken about Jorge, after all. The youth was both a more knowledgeable and serious player than I had first taken him for.

“If we’re done with the magic lessons,” Gavin said acerbically, “can we get on with what we came here to do?”

Bayan turned to me. “Dace, how many spells do you have?”

“Two,” I answered, describing both while I pulled out my shield and sword.

Bayan eyed my weapons. “That your preferred gear?”

I nodded. “I have a battlehammer and some daggers too.”

“Can you heal yourself while you fight?” Lauren asked.

“I can,” I confirmed.

“Alright then,” Bayan said. “Once we enter the dungeon, Dace will take point.” He looked at me. “Your job is to grab and hold the attention of any creatures we encounter. Our job is to kill it. Got it?”

I nodded. It was what I had expected.

He turned to the rest of the party. “Lauren, Beth, you two take the right flank. Gavin, Jorge the left. I’ll hold the center behind our tank.”

“Everyone clear as to the roles?”

The others nodded.

“Let’s get to it then,” he said and strode confidently into the dungeon.

“Wait” I yelled. “You haven’t told me about your own abilities!”

Beth paused and on the threshold of the cave as the others followed after Bayan. “Don’t worry, Dace, you’ll find out soon enough,” she said with a grin before ducking into the dungeon.

I growled in frustration, but followed on her heels, anyway.

✵ ✵ ✵

The cave entrance was a portal. 

The moment I stepped over its threshold, I found myself in a black void with a System message hanging before me.

Warning: You are entering a dungeon. Dungeons are public instances. While you are inside it, your progress, guild, and level will automatically be reported on all noticeboards within the Creche. Do you still wish to proceed?

I confirmed my acceptance and, in a heartbeat, found myself elsewhere. I was in a large stone chamber and there was another System message waiting for me.

Dungeon Notice 1050-B-01

Paragons + 1, welcome to Dungeon 1050-B: A Swampy Place. You are in the entry chamber of the first stage.

Expected creature levels: between level 5 and 15.

Current dungeon party size: 6.

Instance specific properties: first clearance bonus available.

I glanced at the System message wryly. No prizes for guessing who the ‘+ 1’ is.

The others were studying the chamber, running hands over its smooth granite walls, inspecting the low-hanging roof, and even eyeing the floor suspiciously. No one had yet made a move to the chamber’s only exit, a cast-iron door held closed by a large wooden bar.

I glanced behind me. No exit lay there. “Adi,” I asked slowly, “where is the portal out of the dungeon?”

“The exit portal will be in the dungeon’s final chamber, Dace.”

My brows drew together. “Are you saying we have to finish the dungeon before we can exit?”

“Correct, Dace.”

I gulped. That was a bit more than I bargained for. I had not expected our retreat to be cut-off. I saw Bayan eyeing the empty stone wall at my back, too. 

While his expression remained impassive, I suspected he was as much surprised—and troubled—as I was by the lack of an accessible exit.

“The chamber looks clear,” Gavin said. Lauren and Beth nodded in agreement. 

“Alright people,” Bayan said. “It looks like the only way we are going to get out of this place alive is by completing the dungeon. We do this slow and careful. No mistakes.” He glanced at me. “When you’re ready, open the door.”

I drew up alongside the door. Calling on my mana, I cast lesser bless on myself.

You have increased your constitution Essence by 10%. Your max health has increased to 297 HP. Duration: 5 minutes.

After I finished reciting the spell, I looked up to see Bayan nodding approvingly. The others had spread out behind me and the tips of their staffs were glowing. 

They were ready.

Facing forward again, I shot out the door’s wooden bar and kicked it open.