BlueWildRye's Book: The Dungeon King

[BlueWildRye he/him]

Hi! I've written a couple of short stories, and this is the first full-length book I actually finished. It's pretty short for a novel, only about 31,600 words (which is still a short story by Brandon Sanderson ways). Anyways, here is the first chapter. The book is called The Dungeon King, by the way.

*Warning: Quite a bit of blood and violence.

 

Chapter One

The Bloodmoon

 

Carcer stood among a crowd of people atop the castle wall, watching intently as the king addressed them. He stood in front of a massive pit that had only a stone parapet, a foot tall, separating the crowd from eternity. The king himself had a long, unkempt, dark beard, and wild, shoulder-length hair. His eyes were feral, as if he were mad. And he is, according to the townsfolk, thought Carcer. The king gripped a bastard sword in his right hand so tightly that his knuckles were white.

"I am so pleased to be with you on this wonderful night, my peasants!" the king shouted, raising his arms in the air. Behind him, the full moon rose, but it was not white. It was red, blood red, fitting for the events that would go down tonight. Two armored soldiers walked up behind the king. They were no normal men, however. They were tall, tall beyond the limit of any natural human. Carcer had heard that some reached the height of a horse rearing on its hind legs. They wore armor that was the same color as the moon: red, blood red.

Each one carried not a sword, but a long scythe. Their faces were masked by crimson sallets. Carcer wondered if they even had faces, after all, they had never taken off their helmets in front of anyone. They clutched their scythes eagerly, but the king put his hand in front of them. 

"As you know," he began, "Every full moon we hold an event, a tradition that has been passed down for centuries!" Carcer nodded grimly at that phrase, for he knew that no other king before this one had ever held these events. He had heard that the king was known to rewrite history in his favor, and persecute any who dared speak the truth.

"Tonight, we will hold… the EXECUTIONS! LET THE KILLING BEGIN!"

Immediately the king grabbed the nearest peasant, a thin, elderly, balding man, and tossed him into the air just above the pit. The man screamed as the king held out his sword. The man was sliced in half by the sword, and both halves fell into the pit. Blood fell onto the parapet. The king did not wipe the man’s own from his blade. Surprisingly, the guards stayed back, letting the king do the slaughter. They usually did the executions. 

Carcer looked away sick as another man was decapitated. He slowly backed away, bumping into the peasants who were forced to watch. He tripped and nearly fell, almost drawing the king’s attention, but a hand caught and steadied him. Carcer spun around to see a tall, lean young man with dirty blond hair. 

"First time?" he asked. 

"I never thought that it was this terrible…" Carcer stammered. 

"Where did you come from? My name is Aiden." Aiden grimaced as the king laughed maniacally, grabbing another person by the throat.

"Mine is Carcer, and I came from a republic across the sea. My village was raided by pirates, and I was enslaved and taken to a cove near this kingdom, where I managed to escape. Hoping not to get captured again, I fled until I made it to this kingdom," Carcer explained. Aiden nodded, shaking his hand. 

"Well, Carcer, welcome to hell." He pulled out a small bag from his belt and handed it to Carcer. "Here, take this. Maybe it can help you get around." 

Carcer opened the bag, wondering what was inside. It was filled to the brim with gold, silver, and copper coins. Carcer frowned when he noticed the symbols minted onto them. The gold coins showed an image of the king, the silver had an arm holding a scythe. The copper had a rough depiction of what it looked like when someone was executed by a particularly insane executioner. Aiden noticed the reason for Carcer’s expression and shook his head sadly, then said, "Use them well. Don’t tell anyone, but I pickpocketed them off one of the Mad King’s guards."

As Carcer turned to watch the king throw another corpse into the pit, he accidentally dropped the pouch onto the floor. Sirens in his head started going off as the coins spilled everywhere, loudly clanking against the dusty stone floor. The king turned his head to face Carcer, a menacing smile that showed crooked teeth on his face. 

He grabbed Carcer by the arm, who yelped in desperation, trying with as much effort as he could to escape his grip. 

"Prepare to meet the cold blade of my sword, and the warm blood of my prior victims!" the king screamed, tossing Carcer into the air. The king held out his sword, and Carcer waited for the agonizing pain of being sliced in half. However, at that moment, someone slammed into him, and he and the other person fell, having narrowly missed the sword. Even if I avoided the king’s blade, the bottom of this pit still awaits me! I’m going to be pulverized on impact! Carcer thought, panicked. He tried to look down, but he began to spin wildly in the air. He saw the ground growing closer and closer…

Then, he hit, and everything went black.

[Edema Rue she/her]

5 minutes ago, BlueWildRye said:

Hi! I've written a couple of short stories, and this is the first full-length book I actually finished. It's pretty short for a novel, only about 31,600 words (which is still a short story by Brandon Sanderson ways). Anyways, here is the first chapter. The book is called The Dungeon King, by the way.

*Warning: Quite a bit of blood and violence.

 

Chapter One

The Bloodmoon

 

Carcer stood among a crowd of people atop the castle wall, watching intently as the king addressed them. He stood in front of a massive pit that had only a stone parapet, a foot tall, separating the crowd from eternity. The king himself had a long, unkempt, dark beard, and wild, shoulder-length hair. His eyes were feral, as if he were mad. And he is, according to the townsfolk, thought Carcer. The king gripped a bastard sword in his right hand so tightly that his knuckles were white.

"I am so pleased to be with you on this wonderful night, my peasants!" the king shouted, raising his arms in the air. Behind him, the full moon rose, but it was not white. It was red, blood red, fitting for the events that would go down tonight. Two armored soldiers walked up behind the king. They were no normal men, however. They were tall, tall beyond the limit of any natural human. Carcer had heard that some reached the height of a horse rearing on its hind legs. They wore armor that was the same color as the moon: red, blood red.

Each one carried not a sword, but a long scythe. Their faces were masked by crimson sallets. Carcer wondered if they even had faces, after all, they had never taken off their helmets in front of anyone. They clutched their scythes eagerly, but the king put his hand in front of them. 

"As you know," he began, "Every full moon we hold an event, a tradition that has been passed down for centuries!" Carcer nodded grimly at that phrase, for he knew that no other king before this one had ever held these events. He had heard that the king was known to rewrite history in his favor, and persecute any who dared speak the truth.

"Tonight, we will hold… the EXECUTIONS! LET THE KILLING BEGIN!"

Immediately the king grabbed the nearest peasant, a thin, elderly, balding man, and tossed him into the air just above the pit. The man screamed as the king held out his sword. The man was sliced in half by the sword, and both halves fell into the pit. Blood fell onto the parapet. The king did not wipe the man’s own from his blade. Surprisingly, the guards stayed back, letting the king do the slaughter. They usually did the executions. 

Carcer looked away sick as another man was decapitated. He slowly backed away, bumping into the peasants who were forced to watch. He tripped and nearly fell, almost drawing the king’s attention, but a hand caught and steadied him. Carcer spun around to see a tall, lean young man with dirty blond hair. 

"First time?" he asked. 

"I never thought that it was this terrible…" Carcer stammered. 

"Where did you come from? My name is Aiden." Aiden grimaced as the king laughed maniacally, grabbing another person by the throat.

"Mine is Carcer, and I came from a republic across the sea. My village was raided by pirates, and I was enslaved and taken to a cove near this kingdom, where I managed to escape. Hoping not to get captured again, I fled until I made it to this kingdom," Carcer explained. Aiden nodded, shaking his hand. 

"Well, Carcer, welcome to hell." He pulled out a small bag from his belt and handed it to Carcer. "Here, take this. Maybe it can help you get around." 

Carcer opened the bag, wondering what was inside. It was filled to the brim with gold, silver, and copper coins. Carcer frowned when he noticed the symbols minted onto them. The gold coins showed an image of the king, the silver had an arm holding a scythe. The copper had a rough depiction of what it looked like when someone was executed by a particularly insane executioner. Aiden noticed the reason for Carcer’s expression and shook his head sadly, then said, "Use them well. Don’t tell anyone, but I pickpocketed them off one of the Mad King’s guards."

As Carcer turned to watch the king throw another corpse into the pit, he accidentally dropped the pouch onto the floor. Sirens in his head started going off as the coins spilled everywhere, loudly clanking against the dusty stone floor. The king turned his head to face Carcer, a menacing smile that showed crooked teeth on his face. 

He grabbed Carcer by the arm, who yelped in desperation, trying with as much effort as he could to escape his grip. 

"Prepare to meet the cold blade of my sword, and the warm blood of my prior victims!" the king screamed, tossing Carcer into the air. The king held out his sword, and Carcer waited for the agonizing pain of being sliced in half. However, at that moment, someone slammed into him, and he and the other person fell, having narrowly missed the sword. Even if I avoided the king’s blade, the bottom of this pit still awaits me! I’m going to be pulverized on impact! Carcer thought, panicked. He tried to look down, but he began to spin wildly in the air. He saw the ground growing closer and closer…

Then, he hit, and everything went black.

Ooh, nice! And way to actually finish a book, that takes a lot of work!!

[WhyEverNot_8 he/him]

12 minutes ago, BlueWildRye said:

Hi! I've written a couple of short stories, and this is the first full-length book I actually finished. It's pretty short for a novel, only about 31,600 words (which is still a short story by Brandon Sanderson ways). Anyways, here is the first chapter. The book is called The Dungeon King, by the way.

*Warning: Quite a bit of blood and violence.

 

Chapter One

The Bloodmoon

 

Carcer stood among a crowd of people atop the castle wall, watching intently as the king addressed them. He stood in front of a massive pit that had only a stone parapet, a foot tall, separating the crowd from eternity. The king himself had a long, unkempt, dark beard, and wild, shoulder-length hair. His eyes were feral, as if he were mad. And he is, according to the townsfolk, thought Carcer. The king gripped a bastard sword in his right hand so tightly that his knuckles were white.

"I am so pleased to be with you on this wonderful night, my peasants!" the king shouted, raising his arms in the air. Behind him, the full moon rose, but it was not white. It was red, blood red, fitting for the events that would go down tonight. Two armored soldiers walked up behind the king. They were no normal men, however. They were tall, tall beyond the limit of any natural human. Carcer had heard that some reached the height of a horse rearing on its hind legs. They wore armor that was the same color as the moon: red, blood red.

Each one carried not a sword, but a long scythe. Their faces were masked by crimson sallets. Carcer wondered if they even had faces, after all, they had never taken off their helmets in front of anyone. They clutched their scythes eagerly, but the king put his hand in front of them. 

"As you know," he began, "Every full moon we hold an event, a tradition that has been passed down for centuries!" Carcer nodded grimly at that phrase, for he knew that no other king before this one had ever held these events. He had heard that the king was known to rewrite history in his favor, and persecute any who dared speak the truth.

"Tonight, we will hold… the EXECUTIONS! LET THE KILLING BEGIN!"

Immediately the king grabbed the nearest peasant, a thin, elderly, balding man, and tossed him into the air just above the pit. The man screamed as the king held out his sword. The man was sliced in half by the sword, and both halves fell into the pit. Blood fell onto the parapet. The king did not wipe the man’s own from his blade. Surprisingly, the guards stayed back, letting the king do the slaughter. They usually did the executions. 

Carcer looked away sick as another man was decapitated. He slowly backed away, bumping into the peasants who were forced to watch. He tripped and nearly fell, almost drawing the king’s attention, but a hand caught and steadied him. Carcer spun around to see a tall, lean young man with dirty blond hair. 

"First time?" he asked. 

"I never thought that it was this terrible…" Carcer stammered. 

"Where did you come from? My name is Aiden." Aiden grimaced as the king laughed maniacally, grabbing another person by the throat.

"Mine is Carcer, and I came from a republic across the sea. My village was raided by pirates, and I was enslaved and taken to a cove near this kingdom, where I managed to escape. Hoping not to get captured again, I fled until I made it to this kingdom," Carcer explained. Aiden nodded, shaking his hand. 

"Well, Carcer, welcome to hell." He pulled out a small bag from his belt and handed it to Carcer. "Here, take this. Maybe it can help you get around." 

Carcer opened the bag, wondering what was inside. It was filled to the brim with gold, silver, and copper coins. Carcer frowned when he noticed the symbols minted onto them. The gold coins showed an image of the king, the silver had an arm holding a scythe. The copper had a rough depiction of what it looked like when someone was executed by a particularly insane executioner. Aiden noticed the reason for Carcer’s expression and shook his head sadly, then said, "Use them well. Don’t tell anyone, but I pickpocketed them off one of the Mad King’s guards."

As Carcer turned to watch the king throw another corpse into the pit, he accidentally dropped the pouch onto the floor. Sirens in his head started going off as the coins spilled everywhere, loudly clanking against the dusty stone floor. The king turned his head to face Carcer, a menacing smile that showed crooked teeth on his face. 

He grabbed Carcer by the arm, who yelped in desperation, trying with as much effort as he could to escape his grip. 

"Prepare to meet the cold blade of my sword, and the warm blood of my prior victims!" the king screamed, tossing Carcer into the air. The king held out his sword, and Carcer waited for the agonizing pain of being sliced in half. However, at that moment, someone slammed into him, and he and the other person fell, having narrowly missed the sword. Even if I avoided the king’s blade, the bottom of this pit still awaits me! I’m going to be pulverized on impact! Carcer thought, panicked. He tried to look down, but he began to spin wildly in the air. He saw the ground growing closer and closer…

Then, he hit, and everything went black.

Woah, that’s really good! Keep up the great work!

[BlueWildRye he/him]

Thank you!!!

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

Very well written indeed!

[BlueWildRye he/him]

Hi, since I skipped a day yesterday, today I'm going to post both chapters 2 and 3 here. Hope you guys enjoy them! Also I'm going to start using the reveal contents thingie so that it doesn't make the thread too long.

CHAPTER 2

Spoiler

Chapter Two

The Scraper

 

Carcer opened his eyes slowly. Where was he? His vision was blurry, but he could see the blue sky above him. Memories of the night before flooded back into him, and he groaned. He had been thrown into the pit, and, judging from the color of the sky, he had been lying there all night. He looked around, grimacing with pain. All around him, the floor was littered with bodies. He jumped and tried to sit up, gasping as he mustered his remaining energy. The only reason he hadn’t died was because the corpses had broken his fall. 

He stood up, grimacing again as he felt his feet stepping on a headless body, then saw Aiden lying close by. A flash of worry swept through his head, but he noticed that Aiden was breathing. He realized that Aiden had been the one to slam into him as he fell, just barely allowing him to avoid being skewered.

Aiden stirred and groaned softly. 

"It’s just me, isn’t it…" he murmured. "Just me and the bodies." 

"You’re not alone," Carcer whispered. Aiden shot awake and sat up, observing his surroundings. Carcer did too and saw that there were two tunnels leading from the pit. The one to the right was open, and oddly, had two torches on either side. However, none of them were lit. A spiderweb hung in front of it, the little creator in question spinning threads around a fly. The one to the left was barricaded off by a wall of wooden boards. 

Suddenly, a large silhouette appeared in the doorway of the right tunnel. Carcer picked up a disembodied arm and held it defensively. Aiden forced himself to his feet and balled his hands into fists. "Phantoms," he muttered.

A burly man trodded into the pit, bearing a large battle axe on his back. He was holding a broom in one hand, and in the other, he was hauling a large net filled with barrels. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw them and stared. 

"Er, are we not supposed to be here?" asked Carcer. The man dropped his broom and pulled out his battleaxe, threateningly pointing the axe blade towards them. 

"Who are you, Cavernfolk or Dungeonfolk?" he asked in a deep voice. "I don’t know who any of those are," Carcer replied.

"You didn’t… come from the outside world, did you?" the man inquired. 

"We did," Carcer responded. He told the man how he and Aiden had narrowly missed the king’s sword and survived by landing on the pile of bodies. "Well, nothing to fear then!" the man bellowed. He slid his axe back onto his back, then picked up the broom again. "The name’s Bryant-what’s yours?" "I’m Carcer, and this is Aiden," Carcer said, gesturing to himself and Aiden. Bryant nodded, then said, "Well, I welcome you… to the Underworld!"

"The Underworld?" Aiden asked. Bryant laughed, saying, "There are two parts of the Underworld. The right tunnel leads to a place called the Dungeon. The left leads to the Cavern. The people from these parts are called the Dungeonfolk and Cavernfolk, respectively." 

"And which one are you?" Carcer asked. Bryant looked offended. 

"Why, I’m a Dungeonfolk, of course! What do you think I am, a cannibal?" he exclaimed. "Cannibal? Please, explain more. How do you get your water-your food?" Carcer requested. "The Dungeon is ruled by our noble king, Nathaniel. We collect mushrooms, as well as catch fish in the stream. A few centuries ago, this place was above ground, and the dungeon was, well, a dungeon! But a landslide buried it under, and also formed the Cavern, where those barbarian Cavernfolk live. They’re maneaters, I tell you. There’s a reason we boarded it off. They were once people just like you, but they’ve lost almost all humanity. The only honor they have anymore is their one law, which tells them not to eat their own kind unless they are already dead," Bryant explained. "The people who live in the Underworld are either those that survived falling down the pit, like you two, or the descendants of the original prisoners, who were trapped down here after the landslide." 

"And what is your job? Why are you here?" Carcer asked. 

"I am called a Scraper. In simpler terms, I’m the one that cleans up after the slaughter has been through," Bryant replied, nodding to his broom. 

"You don’t actually need to…" Aiden began. 

"What? Scrape people off the floor?" Bryant asked. He laughed deeply. "Not always."

CHAPTER 3

Spoiler

Chapter Three

The Second Styx

 

After helping Bryant scoop (and occasionally scrape) up the corpses into the barrels, Carcer gestured down the tunnel that led to the Dungeon. 

"Can we go to your home? The Dungeon?" he asked. Bryant smiled. 

"Of course! Do you think I’d leave you in the pit to starve, or worse, get eaten by Cavernfolk? Come on!" He rolled the barrels back into the net, threw it over his shoulder without breaking a sweat, and strolled down the Dungeon tunnel, humming a tune softly. Carcer and Aiden quickly followed as a loud shriek coming from the Cavern tunnel sounded. "Hah! You’ll need a stronger axe than that to break through that barrier, maneaters!" Bryant shouted behind him. 

Carcer suddenly developed a question in his head, and asked Bryant, "How did you get down here?" 

Bryant stopped and turned around, face grim. "It’s not a story I like to tell, but I’ll tell you…

"At the beginning of the Mad King, (for that is his moniker)’s reign, when he was not quite as mad as he is now, I was one of his favorite servants. No, more, I was his steward. I was the one that fetched him his meals, prepared his baths, and shined his shoes, as well as all the regular steward duties! The pit was not yet used for the horrible public executions that he does now.

"One day, however, something inside the Mad King snapped. He went completely insane, ordering a public execution that everyone in the kingdom was forced to attend every full moon. He cast his own nephew into this pit, do you hear me? He became a monster! 

"It was then that I started plotting against him. I had my most trusted scribe write my plans in a journal that I kept locked in a hidden chest that only he and I knew about. The next thing I knew, he betrayed me! The Mad King "accidentally" dropped his crown into the pit one day, and ordered me to climb down a rope and fetch it. However, when I made it to the bottom, the Mad King pulled the rope up, leaving me here for good. He instructed his archers to shoot a volley of arrows down here, hoping that I, with nowhere to run, would turn into a human porcupine. But he didn’t know about the tunnels!

"And so, I ran down one of the tunnels. Back then the Cavern wasn’t walled off. Luckily for me, I chose the right one and found myself in the Dungeon halls of King Nathaniel, or else I might not be here today. The very crown that was dropped into the pit is the same crown that His Majesty King Nathaniel wears today!" Bryant finished. At this point, the natural rock walls had become mostly stone brick. Then, the trio stopped by a split in the tunnel. The main tunnel kept going, but a crag in the wall, about a couple of meters tall, hinted at another section of the Dungeon.

"Come, this is my next stop," Bryant said, stepping through the crag. "I wonder what’s in here," Carcer thought aloud as he and Aiden followed suit.

Inside, there was a large cave, filled with stalagmites and stalactites alike. The ground was moist, and scattered about were various mushrooms. "We send out foragers to collect the edible mushrooms," Bryant explained. 

But the most notable feature of the cave was the stream that ran through the middle, reflecting shimmering water onto the rocks around it. It flowed downstream, the opposite direction from which the three were traveling in. 

"Whoa…" Carcer said. 

"This stream-it's the Thathon River that runs by our city!" Aiden exclaimed, "It goes underground for some time until it reaches the sea-this must be it!" 

"It is!" Bryant replied, "But we do not call it the Thathon here. In the Underworld, this is the Second Styx."

"What do you do here?" asked Carcer. The scraper shook his head, and sighed, taking out a barrel from his net. 

"This is where I dispose of the bodies," he explained. He paused for a moment, then opened the lid of the barrel and dumped the contents into the stream. "Usually, the maneaters get to them. You know, this stream passes through the Cavern, which is downstream of us." He took another barrel and emptied it. "Do you want to help?" Bryant asked. 

"Sure, I guess," Carcer replied. 

"Yeah, alright," Aiden agreed.

 

After dumping out all the barrels, Bryant sighed again and wiped the sweat from his brow. He walked slightly upstream from where they had unloaded the corpses and cupped his hands. He drank the water and ushered in the other two to do the same. Carcer suddenly realized that he was very thirsty, and eagerly went to drink the clear water. They drank as much as they could, then the scraper put the barrels in the sack once more, and they left the cave chamber, entering the Dungeon tunnel again. 

"Just ahead and we’ll make it to the Dungeon," Bryant promised, "There you will meet King Nathaniel."

 

[BlueWildRye he/him]

CHAPTER 4:

Spoiler

Chapter Four

The Dungeon

 

Just then, the group entered a large, stone brick chamber. On the ceiling, there hung a lit chandelier, the only light source in the room. On the left side of the room, there was a row of empty prison cells. Dungeon indeed, thought Carcer. Here he saw the first human beings, besides Bryant and Aiden, in the Underworld. They were all lean, some were frail, some were muscular. Their skin was unusually pale, though not white, likely from living underground. Two stood guard at a door at the other end of the room. The only difference that they had from the other Dungeonfolk was the fact that they wore chainmail coifs, and held a shortsword in one hand, a wooden buckler in the other.

"Welcome back, Bryant," one of the guards said. He noticed Carcer and Aiden, and asked, "Are they disguised Cavernfolk or new arrivals?" 

"New arrivals, I hope!" Bryant joked, elbowing Aiden. 

"Well then, shall we show them around?" asked the guard. 

"Sure, I suppose," Carcer said. 

"Very well. I am Marsyas, and the other guard is my brother, James," said the guard. He sheathed his shortsword and pointed to a hall on the opposite side of the cells. "That hall leads to the living quarters. They used to be cells, too, although far larger than these!" Marsyas exclaimed. 

James nodded, saying, "We replaced the iron bars with brick walls quite a while ago, so they have been fully converted to Dungeonfolk houses. There are also many trading posts, eateries, and workstations down there."

"Yes, I in particular recommend Ephram’s bar!" Marsyas replied.

The scraper and the two guards led Carcer and Aiden down the center hall, the one that they had been originally guarding. The Dungeonfolk stared at the two newcomers with curious eyes. They didn’t look desperate, or depressed, instead they seemed… determined. As if, no matter what happened to them, they would keep going. They would survive.

Eventually, the five came to another room, this one far larger than the first. The ceiling was natural, so Carcer guessed that this room was once outside. 

"This room used to be mostly caved-in, but we mined it out to its original proportions," Bryant explained. 

"It was once a courtyard," Marsyas said, "Now it’s our kitchen." Indeed, in the middle of the room, there was a firepit, with a long spit over it. Hanging from the spit was a large cast iron cauldron. 

"How come you guys don't-" Carcer began, but Marsyas cut him off. 

"Inhale and suffocate from the smoke? Look at the ceiling," the guard said, pointing. Above the firepit, in the ceiling, the Dungeonfolk had carved out a rock chimney.

"How far up does it go?" asked Aiden. 

"There’s another cave tunnel up there; we think that it's connected to the Cavern," James explained. 

"Better to let those filthy maneaters choke on smoke than us!" Bryant laughed. Carcer laughed too, but in his head, he thought, How come the Cavernfolk haven’t used the chimney to get into the dungeon? From what he had heard, the Cavern must have been massive, so perhaps they simply hadn’t discovered that particular tunnel yet.

Marsyas pointed down another passageway to the left of them. "That leads to the Second Styx. It's where we go fishing." 

"We knew that already," Carcer replied. 

"Ah, scraper business, eh?" Marsyas asked. Bryant nodded.

Carcer noticed that there was music playing, and he turned to the corner of the room, where a Dungeonfolk man was beating an oxhide drum. 

"Where’d you get that?" Carcer asked, pointing. 

"Many things come down the Second Styx," Marsyas answered simply.

"I’m told that my brother and I were sent down the Thathon in a wooden basket when we were only infants. We were rescued by the Dungeonfolk, luckily, because if we hadn’t, we would have floated into the Cavern, where we would have surely been devoured," James noted. 

The man beating the drum stood up and regarded them.

"New arrivals?" he asked. Marsyas nodded. 

"Carcer, Aiden, this is Rojan." Carcer nodded. Rojan smiled and continued his drumming.

"The passageway to the right leads to our mine, where we’ve been getting stone," Marsyas continued, gesturing to a dark tunnel opposite the Second Styx.

"We have also been cultivating mushrooms down there," James added.

"Have you guys found any metal?" asked Aiden. 

"We’ve found little iron deposits, but unfortunately not much, just enough to make a few new weapons, like my shortsword," James said. 

"Occasionally," noted Marsyas, "We find tunnels leading to the Cavern. There have been some devastating skirmishes down there, and we’ve been forced to block off the largest iron deposit we’ve found to avoid getting overrun with Cavernfolk!" 

"A shame, too," Bryant said in his gruff voice. "With that much metal, you two guards could be equipped with more than just a mail coif!" Marsyas laughed, and they continued down the center hall.

The next room they came to must have been an inside area at one point because the ceiling was flat stone brick again. This room, however, was different from the others. It was very long vertically, in the shape of a rectangle. On the walls were lit torches, as with most of the rooms that they had passed by thus far.

In the center of the room was a long, stone table that appeared to have been carved from the rock itself. Going down the sides of the table were various carved rock seats. In the middle of the table was a candelabra. 

"This is-" Marsyas began, but was interrupted by Carcer. 

"The dining hall, I presume?" 

"Why, you’re getting the hang of this, Carce!" Bryant laughed. “Do you mind if I call you that?”

“Not at all!” replied Carcer.

As with the other rooms, the dining hall had tunnels as well, two on each side. Marsyas led them down the first hall on the right side. 

"This is the forge, where we work our metal," he said. Indeed, they had entered a room with an anvil, furnaces, a closet with various tools for forging, and so forth. Working at the forge was a robust man who was taller than Bryant, though not quite as muscular. His legs were bent as if he had been crippled. 

"Macgowan, Dungeon blacksmith," the man said, then continued forging a new shortsword.

"He is very skilled, and it's quite lucky that he survived falling into the pit. However, he is permanently crippled from the fall," James explained. Macgowan limped over to the closet and grabbed some tongs. 

"We’ll leave you to your smithy, Mac," Bryant said, and he and the rest of the group left the forge, entering the dining hall once more.

"The next room over is the armory," Marsyas noted, and the other four followed him into the room. It was relatively small, maybe four meters across, and inside there were several wooden stands. Five of them held chainmail coifs, the rest were empty. "Usually we keep a few extra coifs in here, just in case," James explained. "The rest of them, well," he pointed at his own coif, "We guards are wearing them right now!"

Along with the chainmail, there was also a rack that held various weapons. Most were shortswords, like the ones Marsyas and James had, but there were also daggers, handaxes, and even a battleaxe that strongly resembled Bryant’s. "Take a weapon," Bryant said, nodding for Carcer and Aiden to grab one of the many weapons off the rack. Carcer took a shortsword, and Aiden grabbed a dagger. 

"I used to practice throwing knives," he explained. Marsyas laughed. 

"Not the best weapon for fighting! Still, your choice." 

Aiden flushed deeply, but still put the dagger in his pocket. Marsyas handed Carcer a wooden scabbard for his shortsword, which he put on, before sheathing the sword into it.

After they left the armory, Marsyas quickly pointed out the other two rooms on the left side. "The first one is the carpentry shop, where we carve wood into items like Carcer’s scabbard," he said, pointing to a doorway where, inside, Carcer thought he could see a man sawing a wooden plank. 

"Where do you get your wood?" he asked. 

"It’s all driftwood from the Second Styx, Carce," Bryant exclaimed, "We set up nets in the stream to catch it!" 

"The carpenter’s name is Macintire, not to be confused with Macgowan the smith," Marsyas said.

"The second room," James continued, "Is our cellar, where we store most of our food. It’s mostly things like mushrooms and roots, more preservable than fish. If you ever find anything whilst foraging, the best place to take it is there." 

"So, what’s next down the center hall?" asked Carcer. Bryant smiled, and said, "Well, prepare to meet our noble king, Nathaniel himself!" Carcer and Aiden took a breath, then stepped into the throne room.

 

Edited May 29 by BlueWildRye

[BlueWildRye he/him]

CHAPTER 5

Spoiler

Chapter Five
The Dungeon King 

 

The throne room was massive, even bigger than the dining hall before it. Lining the side walls were several guards like James and Marsyas, all wearing the same chainmail coifs and holding shortswords. At the end of the chamber sat an impressive throne, carved out of the very living rock itself. But sitting atop the throne was the noblest sight of all.

Sitting on the throne was a man, no older than 30, with dark, close-cropped hair. His eyes were a deep brown, kingly yet mystic, determined yet wise. On his head, he wore a golden circlet, the one that Bryant claimed to have given him. He bore a striking resemblance to the Mad King, but instead of being wild and terrifying, he was calm and assertive. It was then that Carcer realized that the Mad King’s nephew… was King Nathaniel himself!

On the Dungeon King’s lap sat a steel longsword, a unique weapon, as metals were scarce, and so swords had to be short. He raised a hand in acknowledgment when he saw them. Carcer and Aiden immediately bowed, but Nathaniel said, "Please, do not bow. In the Dungeon, we are all equals." 

"Carcer, Aiden, I bid thee welcome to King Nathaniel, the Dungeon King of the Underworld," Bryant said, smiling. Nathaniel grinned as well, then stood up, setting his longsword down on the throne behind him. 

"It is a pleasure to meet you, newcomers. Please, if you might, tell me of your stories," Nathaniel said. 

Aiden spoke for both Carcer and himself, saying, "I am Aiden, and I was the son of a lowly village miller. I met Carcer (he gestured to Carcer) at the public execution last night. He is from a republic overseas, was captured by pirates and brought to a cove near here, and escaped and went to this kingdom. We were unfortunately thrown into the Pit, but narrowly avoided the king’s blade and broke our fall on the pile of corpses at the bottom. There we met Bryant, and now we are here."

"Well, what an interesting story!" Nathaniel exclaimed. "It has been a long time since any newcomers have arrived. Shall we throw a feast in your honor?" Carcer perked up. 

"The last thing I ate was hardtack at the pirates’ cove, three days ago," he noted, "Anything would be appreciated."

"I agree," Aiden added, "We are starving."

"Well then," said the Dungeon King, "I will call the Dungeonfolk to the dining hall for a feast! Trust me, there may not be much, but we are honest men and women who pour all our love, strength, and determination into our meals. Come, to the dining hall!" And with that, Nathaniel strode out the door, into the dining hall. 

Marsyas smiled, then took out a ram horn and blew it as loud as he could. The valiant sound echoed across the entire Dungeon, and soon Dungeonfolk, young and old, men and women, entered the dining hall, sitting down on the many stone seats. The Dungeon King took his place at the end of the table, and Carcer and Aiden sat next to Bryant.

As cooks went to the firepit room to prepare the feast, the Dungeon King spoke. 

"I think you should know our motivations, newcomers," he observed. 

"And what are they?" Carcer replied. 

"Our ultimate goal is to defeat the Cavernfolk, build a resistance, and eventually overthrow the Mad King, my uncle," Nathaniel explained, "Then, we will turn the kingdom of Renovar from a land of tyranny to a land of peace and prosperity under my rulership."

Carcer nodded softly. "That is an excellent idea, and I will help you with all the strength in my bones to see that goal fulfilled," he vowed. 

"And I will, too," Aiden agreed. Bryant grinned and patted the two on their shoulders. 

"You two really are true Dungeonfolk, eh?" he said. One man, Rojan, shouted, "Cheers to the newcomers!" All the Dungeonfolk followed, shouting, "Cheers to the newcomers and cheers to the Dungeon King! May they live in peace forever, and may the Dungeon King rule valiantly for the rest of his years!" 

A kindly woman (Carcer thought her name was Ida) handed out mugs to all the guests, filled with a savory broth. "What drink is this?" asked Carcer. "Dungeon Ale," said Bryant, taking a long drink of his, "It's made from brewing cave roots and mushrooms. Take a sip, it's delicious!" Carcer eyed the drink cautiously but held it up to his mouth and took a drink. It had a thick texture, and Carcer could taste the mushroom part of it. There was also a hint of spice, likely from the roots. 

"How do you like it?" asked Bryant. 

"It’s good!" Carcer replied. Just then, a few Dungeonfolk set down wooden platters on the table. On the platters were diced mushrooms and cave roots, as well as fried fish and what the Dungeonfolk called "moss jelly". One dish even had an octopus; a man named Trent explained that while he was in the mine he came across a deep pool where, after supposedly having a long and challenging grapple with the octopus, slew it and hauled it back up to be eaten. The food was delicious, and Carcer, Aiden, and the Dungeonfolk eagerly wolfed down their meals. 

When they were done, Nathaniel stood up and gestured for Carcer and Aiden to follow. They went back to the throne room, where Nathaniel picked up his longsword. 

"Kneel," he said. They did, and Nathaniel tapped Carcer’s shoulder with the flat of his blade. "I hereby name thee a citizen of the Dungeon!" he declared. The Dungeonfolk cheered, and Nathaniel repeated the process with Aiden.

Just then, they heard shouting coming from the other room. Carcer rushed down into the dining hall, sword raised. Bryant stood up from his seat and took out his battleaxe. Aiden held his knife defensively. They went to the firepit room, where Marsyas, James, and the other guards were surrounding the cauldron. "Something’s off," Marsyas said, staring up the chimney. Just then, a horrible figure leaped down from the chimney and fell into the boiling cauldron, shrieking. "Cavernfolk," muttered Bryant, "ATTACK!"

 

[BlueWildRye he/him]

CHAPTER 6 (blood and kinda spooky imagery warning):

Spoiler

Chapter Six

The Maneaters

 

Carcer had never seen one of the Cavernfolk, but he expected them to be like the huge, tusked, hairy monsters that one might find in a fairy tale. Instead, they were far more terrifying. A second maneater jumped down, landing on the spit and growling. 

The Cavernfolk were completely white, as white as a sheet of paper. They barely had any fat or muscles on them, their skin hanging off their bones like rags. They wore only loincloths, but there was no way to distinguish between male and female. There was no need to. 

Their nails were talons, their teeth knives, and their ears were like that of a bat, unnaturally long and pointy. But worst of all were their eyes, which were a glassy white, as if they had been covered in mist. Their haunted pupils were only a shade darker than the rest of their eyes.

The first one, the one that had fallen into the cauldron, stuck its white, bony hand out from the boiling water, giving one last shriek of desperation before going limp. The other maneater immediately snatched the hand and pulled the corpse of its companion out from the cauldron, then tossed it up the chimney, where Carcer heard eager shrieks coming from above. 

"An ambush! Get ready for battle!" shouted Marsyas, preparing to stab at the maneater as soon as it got into range. It growled, then leaped off the spit and landed on top of one of the guards, biting his face. He screamed, and blood pooled around his body. He went still, and the maneater looked up, gore all over its face. 

Without thought, James stabbed the Cavernfolk in the throat with his shortsword, and the creature gurgled, then fell dead beside its victim.

A line of chains fell from the chimney, slapping Bryant in the face. He winced, but immediately grabbed the chain and yanked it downwards. Four Cavernfolk fell screaming, one into the cauldron, but the rest landed right next to the firepit. 

"Charge, for Doron!" the other soldiers yelled, pointing their swords at the Cavernfolk. Carcer guessed that Doron was the name of the dead soldier. He ran up to help the soldiers, swinging his sword at one of the maneaters. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to fight, he thought as the sword sliced through the maneater’s neck. Good thing my sparring practice back home came in handy. The rest of the Cavernfolk were quickly killed as well.

Just then, a man ran in from the direction of the pit, panting, "The Cavernfolk, they’ve broken through the barrier! They’re coming!" "They’ve already come through the chimney, Lucan!" Marsyas replied. Lucan saw Doron’s corpse, and ran over, clutching it in his arms. The Dungeonfolk must have very strong relationships with everyone. Perhaps Doron was that man’s friend, brother, cousin… 

Just then, King Nathaniel marched in, longsword ready for any Cavernfolk. Bryant repeated the messenger’s warning, and the Dungeon King nodded, then ordered, "Marsyas, take these men and head to the pit to defend it from the Cavernfolk. The rest of you go with James and guard the chimney! Go!"

Half of the soldiers went to follow Marsyas, who ran down the center hallway. Carcer and Bryant were among them, but Aiden stayed behind. 

"Doron was a very good friend of mine," Bryant said sadly as he ran. They entered the first room in the Dungeon, the one with the tunnel that led to the living quarters. Immediately they were met with a horde of Cavernfolk, who bared their teeth and screeched. While most had no weapons (their teeth and talons were enough), a few at the front held spiked bone clubs. Laying on the floor around them were the bodies of a couple of Dungeonfolk who succumbed to death by the vile maneaters.

Marsyas raised his shortsword and attacked, beheading one easily with the stroke of his sword. The Dungeonfolk had the advantage in skill, but the Cavernfolk were more in numbers—and they were far hungrier. 

Bryant shouted, embedding his axe deep into the spine of a maneater who had been devouring a fallen Dungeonfolk arm. A Cavernfolk ripped his claws through the chest of one soldier, who fell screaming as it jumped to feast on its prize, but Marsyas, filled with rage at the deaths of the Dungeonfolk and now the soldier, leaped on top of the maneater and stabbed it in the chest over and over again until it died.

Carcer swung his sword at a Cavernfolk that was steadily approaching him. The maneater caught the blade with its hands and then used its long, slimy tongue to lap up its own blood. Carcer retched, then with all the strength he could muster, severed one hand from the Cavernfolk’s arm. It shrieked, then charged at him. Carcer moved out of the way and stabbed the maneater in the back as it went by, killing it. 

Were these monsters really humans once? he thought, moving to the next maneater. Bryant, who had blood running down his face from a claw mark above his forehead, hacked at a fallen maneater, angrily shouting with each blow. "How many more are there?" Carcer asked, panting. 

"They’re starting to retreat, I think we can hold them off," the scraper replied, wiping the strange black blood of the Cavernfolk from his axe. 

Then, from the doorway, King Nathaniel himself charged in, longsword raised. He blocked one Cavernfolk’s bone club, then with one stroke of his sword, a white, batlike head fell to the stone floor. The Dungeon King easily cut through two more, and Carcer nearly forgot that he was in the middle of a battle, he was in so much awe. The other monsters stopped and fled in the other direction. Marsyas whooped and ran after them, the rest of the Dungeonfolk unit followed. They caught up to a few, slaying as many Cavernfolk as they could, until they made it to the pit, where the remaining maneaters disappeared into the Cavern. Carcer saw that the wooden barrier had been hacked into with a gaping hole in the middle of it.

"We’ll have to repair that, and reinforce it with metal, too," Marsyas noted. 

"And don’t come back, you filthy cannibals!" Bryant shouted, raising his arms in a victorious stance. The Dungeonfolk cheered. Just then, a shout came from a few rooms down. "Marsyas! Come to the firepit, for thy brother is dying!"

 

[BlueWildRye he/him]

CHAPTER 7

Spoiler

Chapter Seven

The Funeral

 

Marsyas knelt before his brother, who lay against the wall near the firepit. All around them were the fallen remains of many Cavernfolk, and a few slain Dungeonfolk as well. James inhaled sharply and smiled sadly at Marsyas. 

"Brother, we have been together since the very beginning. We’ve spent all our years in this Dungeon, ever since we were found floating down the river. All those years we raised swords and chalices together, and now, that era has come to an end. A new era begins, brother. We will rise, and conquer the Cavernfolk. We will rise, and stand against the Mad King! Just as the spider spins its web, no matter how many times it fails, it continues. The Dungeon King will reign as king forever, and every land on earth, above or below ground, will hear the cheer of the Dungeonfolk!" With that, James exhaled one last time, closed his eyes, and was still.

Tears of sorrow ran down Marsyas’ cheeks, and he took his brother’s sword and laid it upon his unbreathing chest. 

"Rest in peace, James, the bravest soldier in the Dungeon," Nathaniel said, bowing his crowned head. 

Bryant sighed, then began gathering the maneater corpses to dump them in the Second Styx. Nathaniel stood up straight and addressed the Dungeonfolk, who had gathered around to mourn the fallen.

"Today we have fought another battle against our greatest foes, the Cavernfolk. In this battle, we slew many maneaters, but we had our casualties as well. Five of our number lay dead. There was Doron, the tinkerer, descended from the very first Dungeonfolk of old, slain in battle. Another casualty was Alban, the husband of Evelyn. Among those ambushed by the maneaters was Evangelica, wife of Brogan the cobbler, who was among those killed by the Cavernfolk in the main chamber. There was Bara the breadmaker, who before becoming a Dungeonfolk owned a farm on the river Thathon, and so every season she would collect grain that flowed down the Second Styx after the annual flooding. Mabuz the Old, who hid in the Cavern for many years before being rescued by us Dungeonfolk was slain, too. Lastly, James, brother of Marsyas, who bravely fought until the very end, and succumbed to his wounds when the battle ended.

"These are the slain. We shall mourn their deaths and praise their lives, and may they shine eternally in the light of God," Nathaniel finished, and then the Dungeon King knelt and prayed. The other Dungeonfolk did, too, but even in the silence Carcer could still hear the quiet weeping of Marsyas, and the others who had lost their loved ones.

 "Will you give them a funeral?" he asked Bryant, who had just returned from dumping the Cavernfolk corpses into the Second Styx. 

"Yes, we will. We are not cannibals, remember?" the scraper replied. Carcer noted that he was far more formal than he usually was with him. 

"You won’t just… dump them in the river, right?" Aiden inquired. Bryant smiled softly, saying, "No, no. Their funeral will be far better."

An old, hag-like woman named Hecate gathered the fallen Dungeonfolk and took them into her room, which was one of the only rooms above the main floor. As she left, Bryant said, "I’m going to the pit to check, but I believe that it is now nightfall." 

"Where shall we sleep?" asked Carcer. Bryant pointed down the hall that Marsyas had mentioned as being the living quarters. 

"There are plenty of empty rooms in the living quarters. There have been many cave-ins, and we are constantly discovering more cells. Marsyas will guide you." With that, the scraper trotted off to check the time. 

Carcer and Aiden turned to Marsyas, who stood silently, no emotion on his face. "Marsyas? Can you… lead us to some rooms?" asked Aiden quietly. The soldier looked at them, quiet. Then, he replied, "Of course. Follow me…" He walked down the hall, and the two followed. They saw many brick rooms with open doorways blocked off only with curtains, most with people inside. Eventually, Marsyas led them to two empty rooms. 

"These can be yours," he said, "I will get Marian the Furnisher to prepare them." Without any other words, the soldier stumbled down the hall, muttering, "If only there was a way to numb the pain…"

Soon enough, a young, ebony-haired woman who Carcer guessed was Marian, came carrying various items. She smiled at both of them but lingered on Aiden, who blushed. 

"I’ll set up your rooms, boys. For now, get yourself some Dungeon Ale. We’ve won this battle."

As the two newcomers left to find the brewery, Aiden exclaimed, "Perhaps my eyes aren’t working, but goodness… She's beautiful!" Carcer laughed. "Perhaps you can ask her to go for a boat ride down the stream-just don’t get eaten by maneaters!"

Aiden snorted, and they stepped into a room where a few Dungeonfolk were ordering various drinks. 

"Wow, I didn’t know that there were different types of Dungeon Ale!" Carcer exclaimed, looking behind the barkeeper at a shelf that had various labels. 

"Caveroot Spice? Bloodbrew? Honey swirl? Where do they even get honey?" Aiden questioned. 

"Would you like to try some? We get it from Cavewasps," asked the cheerful barkeeper, Ephram. 

"Ah, thank you! Do we have to pay?" replied Aiden, frowning. 

"Usually we barter, but as you two seem new, I’ll give it to you for free!" Ephram handed him a mug.

Aiden took a sip of the Dungeon Ale, then a gulp, then chugged the rest down. 

"Well, it seems pretty good, huh?" Carcer asked. "It's…delicious…" Aiden said, and Ephram laughed, then refilled the young man’s cup.

 

When the two got back to the living quarters, Marian stood outside their rooms. "Look inside!" she told them. The three went inside Carcer’s first. There was a wooden bedframe with a few cloth blankets-Marian said that the bed frame was from Macintire the carpenter, and the cloth was produced by silkworms. Beside the bed was a table with an oil lamp and a small washbasin. 

"You can store your things under the bed and table," Marian explained. Carcer nodded with appreciation, and they went to Aiden’s room. The rooms were identical, except that there was a note under his pillow. Aiden looked at it in confusion. 

"What is this for-'' Marian stopped him, putting her finger to her lips. "I should go now, but thank you for allowing Marian the Furnisher to decorate your rooms!" she said. As she left, she smiled again at Aiden.

"Well, I’m going to sleep now, Aiden," Carcer said. "Goodnight!" Aiden replied. He sat down on his bed and opened the note, smiling. Carcer shook his head and left.

As he lay in his bed, thoughts of the day filled his mind. So much had happened over such a short time. He had a new home, new friends, new enemies… He drifted off to sleep.

 

The next morning, all of the Dungeonfolk were summoned to the mine. Carcer and Aiden shuffled through the crowd of silent people, trying to see what was in front of them. 

"Need a better look?" a voice asked from behind them. 

"Bryant!" Carcer exclaimed, turning to see the burly scraper. "Yes, please, what is going on?"

Bryant gestured to a ladder at one of the cave walls that led up to a wooden platform. "Let’s go up there. Don’t fall though, or else you’ll be the one getting scraped off the floor!" he laughed, easily scaling the ladder. He sat on the platform, and the other two followed. Now they could see what the event was-the funeral.

On a stone pedestal stood the Dungeon King, Hecate, Marsyas, and another woman wearing all black. On each side of them were 5 stone coffins without covers. From the platform, Carcer could see the bodies. However, they weren’t mutilated as they were when the Cavernfolk got to them. Missing body parts were replaced with wooden replicas, likely carved by Macintire the carpenter. Even Doron’s face was realistically carved out of wood.

King Nathaniel cleared his throat, then began, "Today is a very sorrowful day, for many of our kin have been slain by the Cavernfolk. And so today we will honor them with a grand funeral." A few men, including Macgowan the blacksmith, who was using crutches, Macintire the carpenter, and Brogan the cobbler went and lifted the first coffin. Carcer noticed that behind the Dungeon King were many slots in the wall, long enough to perfectly fit a coffin. 

"Alban, husband of Evelynn," Nathaniel said as the men slid the coffin into the first opening. The woman in black choked back a sob, and Carcer assumed that she was Evelynn. The other Dungeonfolk saluted, and Macgowan lit two torches by the slot.

Bryant sighed as the funeral continued, bowing his head. Everyone smiled as King Nathaniel recounted Mabuz the Old’s tale of surviving in the Cavern for four years, a story that Mabuz himself used to tell. Aiden’s eyes drifted away from the funeral and spotted Marian, who was frowning in the back row, wearing a black dress. Carcer simply closed his eyes and listened to the Dungeon King’s speeches.

Eventually, the Dungeon King made it to James, who did not need any wooden replacements, only a bandage around his chest. 

"James, brother of Marsyas," he noted, and Marsyas sighed. The coffin was slid into place, the torches were lit, and then the guard left quietly, disappearing down a dark tunnel.

"Where does that tunnel lead?" asked Carcer. 

"It’s the Hall of Solace," Bryant replied, "Where people go to mourn the dead. You can place gifts in the hall for them, and pray for support." Carcer nodded, just as Nathaniel announced, "It is now the end of the funeral. Tomorrow there will be a council of war in the dining hall that anyone can attend. For now, we will pay our respects to our dead."

I would like to apologize to anyone thinking that whole romance thing introduced here will go anywhere. Well, it does, but it isn't focused on as much as it might. I just can't write romance, so... Also, I consider the viewpoint character, Carcer, to not be as interested in focusing on that detail as, for example, Marsyas and Nathaniel's characters, which will be explored further. So yeah, my apologies for that, and, if I ever try to write a romantic subplot again, I will try to put more attention on it.

[BlueWildRye he/him]

CHAPTER 8

Spoiler

Chapter Eight

The War Council

 

For the rest of the day, Carcer continued exploring the Dungeon. He went into the shops near the living quarters and grabbed another mug of Dungeon Ale. He then visited the potter and traded a few fish that he caught earlier that morning for a clay urn to put in his room. 

He ran into Aiden, who was walking with Marian, while he was exploring the parts of the mine that weren’t blocked off. "What are you guys doing?" he asked. 

"Same as you. Looking around," Aiden replied. 

"Alright. Have you seen Marsyas? I haven’t seen him since he entered the Hall of Solace." 

"No, I think that he has been in there all day," Marian said. Carcer scratched his chin as the two walked away.

Finally, night fell, and before Carcer went to sleep he walked to the pit and looked at the dark sky. "Somewhere up there, the Mad King is slaughtering dozens of innocent people," he murmured to himself. At this point, the barrier that blocked off the cavern had been replaced with two layers of wood, reinforced with iron bars. 

"Someday, the Dungeon King will put an end to his reign, and the bloodmoon will finally give way to the light of the sun."

The next morning, Carcer immediately trotted to the dining hall, where the Dungeon King and several other Dungeonfolk including Bryant were already seated. Carcer noted that Marsyas was still absent. 

Nathaniel spoke up, saying, "For many years we have spoken of conquering the Cavernfolk, but now, I realize that we have waited too long. The maneaters thirst for our blood, and I am sure that this will not be the last attack. The time to act is now. We will send an army through the Cavern on a mission to wipe out every Cavernfolk. They have no humanity left, only their one law, which they have as of late been bypassing. Tell me, of all of you who fought yesterday, how many of you saw a maneater push his companion into one of your swords? Trent, you once scouted through the Cavern unnoticed, much like your uncle Mabuz, but just a year ago. How many maneaters did you see "accidentally'' get crushed by a rock, or "accidentally" drowned in the Second Styx? The Cavernfolk have lost their last shred of honor." 

Carcer asked, "Wouldn’t it be genocide to kill all of the Cavernfolk?" 

"We will discuss the morality of this at a later date," the Dungeon King replied.

"We have 40 soldiers ready for battle," said a new voice. It belonged to Agnar, who was elevated to the rank of captain after Marsyas—fiercely shaken by the death of his brother—had chosen to step down.

"Unfortunately not enough," the Dungeon King murmured. Agnar nodded, saying, "Along with those who fell in battle, there are those who are too injured to fight right now. If you didn’t notice, Macgowan broke his legs, again! Hecate had at least a dozen patients over the last two days, and Rojan had SIX FINGERS AMPUTATED!"

"Well, we will take what we can get. Forty men might just be enough, barely," Nathaniel stated. 

Just then, Aiden rushed in, panting. "Sorry I’m late," he stammered, sitting down next to Carcer. 

"What were you doing?" Carcer asked him quietly. 

"Uh…Refining my knife-throwing skills," he replied, scratching his head. Carcer chuckled. 

King Nathaniel exclaimed, "Oh, yes! Carcer, Aiden, put on some coifs. We will have all of our available men help. How much would that put us at now?" 

Agnar took out a scroll of parchment and scratched some equations into it, then said, "Our forces would be more than doubled… but we’d have to subtract all the men refusing to fight." 

The Dungeon King turned to look down the table, where most of the Dungeonfolk men were sitting. "How many of you will stay?" he asked. There was silence, then one man, Owain, shouted, "Not me! I’ll fight side by side with the Dungeon King until the day I die!" The others responded similarly. Only a few decided not to fight but still volunteered as couriers and medics. 

"Well, it's settled then. Eighty men will fight against the Cavernfolk."

 

[BlueWildRye he/him]

OK GUYS, SO CHAPTER 9 IS SUPER LONG. LIKE, SUPER LONG. So I'm going to split it into two parts. It's also probably my favorite along with Chapter 10. Oh yeah, and it has one of the few parts where the POV character shifts.

CHAPTER 9 (part 1):

Spoiler

Chapter Nine

The Cavern

 

Marsyas finally returned from the Hall of Solace, after two days. He had a faint stubble, and his eyes were downcast, dark circles around them. Bryant smiled and patted him on the shoulder, but the guard did not say anything. Marsyas stepped over to a dark corner of the armory and watched silently as the other guards prepared for war.

Carcer slid the chainmail coif over his padded skullcap and slid some metal bracers over his wrists. He nodded as Macgowan, who couldn’t go into battle because of his legs, handed him his sword, which now had veins of gold mixed in with the iron. The Dungeonfolk had discovered a gold deposit the other day and were quick to get as much as possible back to the Dungeon. Altogether, it was just enough to add some adornments to the weapons of the Dungeonfolk. 

"Hopefully the gold in your sword will bring you good luck," Macgowan said as he gave the next soldier his sword. 

Once the Dungeonfolk had armored up, they went to the mine, which held a large chamber that was perfect for practicing. Numerous wooden posts were set up in rows throughout the room. Carcer began practicing, and he saw Aiden nearby, attempting to throw his knives at a target. 

"Are you sure you don’t want a sword?" he asked, amused as Aiden once again tried, and failed, to hit the bullseye. 

"I’m… fine…" Aiden panted, wiping the sweat from his brow. 

"Imagine if Marian were to walk in just now," Carcer murmured. Aiden went red, and the next time he threw his dagger, it hit the mark.

Bryant trotted in, laughing and slapping their backs, saying, "It’s good to know that those filthy maneaters will soon be history!" 

"We’ll probably be in the history books as well, but not for being defeated," Carcer began. "It’ll speak of how we Dungeonfolk rose from the Underworld, defeated the Cavernfolk, and brought an end to the Mad King’s reign of terror!" 

Bryant grinned, then took out his axe and, with one mighty blow, chopped a post in two. Aiden’s jaw dropped, and the scraper laughed again. "Those Cavernfolk scum stand no chance against the Dungeon King and his people!" 

 

Later, the soldiers gathered around the cauldron room, with Nathaniel sitting on a chair near the firepit. The Dungeon King began speaking. 

"Today, we will begin our invasion of the Cavern. Today, we will be one step nearer to our ultimate goal, of defeating the Mad King!" The soldiers cheered, raising their swords. 

"At first, I thought that we would do a direct invasion, but a good friend of mine had another idea, which he shared with me. Let us hear it for… Aiden!"

Carcer was surprised as Aiden walked up to the Dungeon King and addressed the crowd. 

"My idea," the young man began, "Is that while most of the army goes through the main entrance to the Cavern, a small force can sneak into the Cavern through the chimney, and hopefully they can meet up." 

A few soldiers nodded, and Agnar stroked his chin, saying, "A brilliant plan, Aiden, but how do we know whether the tunnel leads straight to the Cavern? Judging from the Cavernfolk attack, it eventually connects to the main Cavern, but how long before then?" 

Aiden closed his eyes in thought for some time, then said, "I think I have a plan for that, too."

Carcer and several other Dungeonfolk gathered in the pit as Bryant unhinged the barrier. The scraper tossed it to the side and stuck his head in the Cavern. The other Dungeonfolk waited hesitantly. Then, they heard it. A faint echo, metal against metal. 

"Aiden was right," Bryant exclaimed, "The tunnel leads straight to the Cavern!" Somewhere in the tunnel, Aiden had climbed up the chimney and was banging two swords together. If they could hear it from the Cavern, then it meant that the two locations were close by. 

They heard a shriek, then a yelp, and a few moments later, silence. 

"Oh no, Aiden isn’t…" Carcer began. He ran to the Dungeon, to the firepit room, and climbed up the rope that they had placed. He looked around a narrow rock tunnel, then sighed in relief when he saw his friend standing over the body of a maneater. Aiden ran over to him, and quickly said, "Let’s get out of here before more maneaters come!"

Back at the cauldron room, Nathaniel began dividing the Dungeonfolk into groups. "I will lead the main attack, along with Agnar," he stated. "Bryant, you will lead the tunnel squad. Macintire, main group. Brogan, main group. Milo, tunnel squad. Evander, your bow skills will be of best use in the tunnel. Hagan, tunnel squad. Owain, main group. Trent, you have been in the Cavern before and perhaps can guide the tunnel squad. Kane the Grizzled, you belong with the main group. Morado, you belong in the tunnel." The Dungeon King went on, listing the names of all of the Dungeonfolk in the room. "Aiden, you will go to the tunnel." Aiden nodded, and moved towards the group of 12 other Dungeonfolk, with Bryant at the front. "Carcer, you belong in the main attack," Nathaniel continued.

Carcer walked over to his group, slightly bothered that he wouldn’t be in the same group as Aiden and Bryant. He pulled his sword from its sheath and looked at it one more time. The gold veins shimmered in the torchlight. "Are we ready?" asked Nathaniel. "Aye!" responded the army.

A few Dungeonfolk set up a ladder against the cauldron, leading up the dark and ominous chimney. Bryant saluted to the main attack force as he disappeared up the ladder, and the rest of the tunnel squad followed. "I’ll see you after the battle, Carcer!" Aiden shouted when it was his turn. Carcer waved, then moved to follow the main attack, which was already heading towards the pit.

****

 

Aiden glanced around the dark tunnel warily, watching as Trent lit a torch and surveyed it as well. Bryant clutched his axe, sniffing. "Smells like rotting meat," he muttered, stepping forward. They passed the dead Cavernfolk, whose glazed white eyes still stared upwards. Aiden shuddered, and he allowed his mind to wander away from the uncanny darkness. He thought about Marian the Furnisher, who was waiting back in the Dungeon. How long would he be in this tunnel? He snapped back to reality as he bumped into a figure ahead of him. He held his dagger out frantically, but it was just Evander, the young archer, who also seemed visibly perturbed. 

"Sure is dark up here, isn’t it?" Evander asked. "Definitely," replied Aiden, grimacing as they came across a pair of white, bony arms, sticking out from underneath a boulder. Nearby was a sturdy stick, probably driftwood from the Second Styx. Bryant stopped for a moment, and with his muscular arms, lifted the boulder to look at what was underneath. The corpse appeared to have been eaten. The ribs of the unfortunate Cavernfolk were showing, black blood stained all over its torso. "This maneater is probably a victim of one of those "accidents"," Trent observed, nodding at the gruesome sight, "Some maneater must have used this stick to prod up the boulder, eaten as much as he could, then left." 

As the tunnel squad continued, Aiden’s eyes darted around cautiously, looking for any Cavernfolk hiding in the shadows. 

****

A few soldiers shuffled nervously as they entered the black crag in the wall. Carcer held out his shortsword as he stepped into the Cavern. The Dungeon King was already standing in front of the darkness defiantly, blazing torch in one hand, longsword in the other. The loyal captain Agnar was at his side. "Look above you," Nathaniel said, gesturing to the cavern ceiling high above them. Carcer squinted and looked up, barely noticing a faint shimmer of light. "Cavernfolk," Agnar cursed. Nathaniel pointed his torch at the ceiling, and the light revealed a large number of Cavernfolk, somehow attached to the ceiling. However, they were not like the maneaters that Carcer had seen in the Dungeon. These Cavernfolk were smaller, with larger eyes, and there were grey, leathery flaps beneath their arms. They were called Clingers, according to Bryant, and they were particularly nasty. 

The Clingers screeched at the light, and one let go of the ceiling, falling towards them. It held out its odd wings and slowed, gliding down to them. The others followed, and the attack force prepared for battle.

****

 

It was not until they had been going for some time that the tunnel squad encountered their first live Cavernfolk. There were about five of them, holding rocks and bone clubs. The creatures growled and immediately charged, the tunnel squad pulling out their weapons. Iron met bone, and soon five Cavernfolk lay dead on the floor. There were no casualties in the tunnel squad, but Rojan Four-Fingers shuddered in pain as he felt at one of his four remaining fingers, which had a deep cut from a stray maneater claw. "Soon I’ll be Rojan Fingerless, and I won’t even be able to hold a sword!" he complained as Trent handed him a bandage. The skilled scout peered down a turn in the tunnel, and stood there, awed.

"What are you so amazed about?" asked Milo, a grouchy man with a scratchy brown beard. He too went around the corner, and like his predecessor, stopped in his tracks. Aiden curiously poked his head around the bend to see what they were looking at. There was a chamber, the first one that they had found, but the contents were more amazing. All over the walls were a variety of bioluminescent fungi, glowing in brilliant blues, greens, and purples. Bryant rounded the corner and exhaled in marvel. "Surely, we have stumbled across nature’s treasure chest!" he exclaimed. 

Aiden slid his palm over some of the fungi, and when he put up his hand, it was covered in the glowing substance. "Hah, your hand looks as if you… well… There’s simply nothing like this!" Bryant said, picking one of the fungi and carefully putting it in a satchel. Trent walked around the room and pointed to something hidden within a copious growth of mushrooms. Aiden gasped as he saw the corpse of another Cavernfolk, fungi, not colorful but grey, wrapping and growing in and around its body. Its jaw was open, one of the dull grey mushrooms sticking out of its throat.

"How did this maneater die, another accident?" asked Trent. "No, no, this was no accident," said Bryant grimly, examining the corpse. Suddenly, the corpse blinked at them.

****

 

Carcer hacked a diving Clinger and side-stepped,  narrowly avoiding another as it screeched and glided past. Time seemed to slow as his eyes tracked the beast’s flight path, which ended abruptly as Nathaniel’s blade severed its head. 

He felt cold talons grab his arms, and he turned to see a grinning Cavernfolk, preparing to feast on his flesh. Carcer grunted and drove his sword into the creature’s stomach. Screaming in rage, it wrenched itself away, ripping long claw marks down his arm. Blood began to stain his tunic and he gritted his teeth as he clutched the wound. Forcing himself to remain calm, he trudged towards the edge of the battle, seeking out a medic.

He noticed a silhouette in the shadows near one of the cave walls, but it wasn't a Cavernfolk. Instead, he found Hecate, watching the battle unfold. "How did you get here?" he breathed. "I walked here, idiot!" the old healer replied. She handed him a few crushed herbs. "Put those under your bandage, and it will take away any pain that you had," she instructed. Carcer did as told, and immediately felt all the pain in his arm go away. 

A Clinger sailed towards them, and Hecate scowled, grabbing a leather flask. She popped off the lid, and a strange green cloud erupted, just as the Clinger went right through it. The monster inhaled, then suddenly crashed to the floor, twitching. "Poison gas, works every time!" the healer exclaimed as Carcer left to rejoin the fight.

Eventually, the remaining Clingers fled, some taking the corpses of their brethren for a later meal. Only one of the Dungeonfolk had died in the initial attack, although quite a few more, including Carcer himself, had been wounded. Agnar wiped the blood off his sword, and the party advanced further into the Cavern.

 

[BlueWildRye he/him]

CHAPTER 9 (part 2):

Spoiler

The corpse snarled, twisting its head unnaturally to look at the tunnel squad. It lifted its withered hand, which was covered in fungi. "Somehow the fungi have reanimated this corpse!" Evander shouted. In one swift motion, he nocked an arrow, drew and loosed it.

The corpse looked down at the arrow sticking out of its chest and pulled it out. Bryant hacked at it viciously, and it gurgled, then fell loose of the fungi, and the faint glow in its eyes faded. Aiden shuddered. "Whatever that was, may we never come across its kind again," Trent said, hastily hurrying to the passageway on the other side of the chamber. 

Just then, one of the Dungeonfolk soldiers—Morado— cried out as he was grabbed by some of the mushrooms, and pulled into the wall. Bryant immediately leaped at the fungi, attempting to cut it open with his axe, but the strange fungus wrapped around his axe blade and began to pull it into the wall, too. It took all of Bryant’s energy to yank it back out. Trent tried to diligently slice the stems of the mushrooms, but they kept coming back, glowing no longer in hospitality, but in hostility. Trent’s sword began to glow a vibrant green from the odd slime that covered the fungi. "Set it on fire, maybe that will help!" yelled Evander, and Bryant thrust his torch into the fungi.

Immediately the entire wall burst into flames, not orange and red flames, but blue, green, purple, and cyan, and they danced around the cavern chamber. "Run!" screamed a soldier, Theud, and he dashed to the other side of the chamber, where he ran through the passageway. The other soldiers followed, and just as Aiden leapt through the passageway, there was a brilliant explosion of color, and Aiden’s ears began to ring. He lay on the stone floor, coughing. Bryant helped him to his feet, and they peered back into the chamber, which was filled with smoke. "We should leave this accursed place," he muttered. "How many did we lose?" asked Evander. "Two, one was Morado, who was grabbed by the fungi, and Hagan, who perished in the fire," replied Bryant grimly. 

"Then we only number ten now," said Trent, with a tone of sadness in his voice. "Come, we must meet up with the main attack force," Bryant commanded, and he and the tunnel squad continued through the cave.

 

Eventually, when the soldiers were feeling weary and tired, they came across another cave chamber. This room was much larger than the fungi-filled chamber, and was filled with the sound of rushing water. Running up to the edge of the subterranean river, Evander called out, “This must be the Second Styx!” The men all thanked the Lord and knelt to drink. "Wouldn’t the water be contaminated from all the corpses flowing down it?" asked Aiden. "No, no, because this is a river, and so there is new water every moment," replied Bryant. Aiden nodded, then took a long drink, for he had started to thirst in the deep, claustrophobic tunnels.

"It must be night on the surface," Trent noted, "We should set up camp here." The rest of the tunnel squad agreed unanimously, and they got to work setting up a camp. Before the attack, King Nathaniel had ordered that any nets in the Second Styx be taken out, so luckily they could still get supplies if any happened to flow down the river. Fortunately for them, their luck was incredibly high today, and so within the first hour, they had gotten a few pieces of pine driftwood, which they used to make a makeshift gate blocking off the exits. Then they unpacked their sleeping rolls and set them on the ground. As there were ten of them, six went to sleep, and the other six stood guard in case any Cavernfolk were lurking about. Once again, fortune favors the bold, and so they did not have any encounters with Cavernfolk, except for when a Clinger (Aiden had never seen one before, but Bryant had told him all about them) glided over the barricade but was promptly shot in the chest by Evander, who was standing watch, and it fell to the ground dead. Then they noticed that the Clinger already had an arrow wound in its foot, and rejoiced, because that meant they were close to the main attack force. Finally, it was Aiden’s turn to sleep, and he slept as long as he could.

****

 

The main assault had secured the pit entrance to the Cavern, and the Dungeonfolk were setting up a fort. There had been only 5 more casualties since. Carcer watched as a dozen long wooden stakes were pulled up to form new walls, and torches were placed on the old natural ones. He walked over to a corner of the cave, where Nathaniel, Agnar, and another shadowy figure were discussing the battle. They nodded to three other men, who then left the fort, exiting through the main gate and into the uncharted Cavern beyond. The Dungeon King noticed Carcer and gestured for him to come over, which he did. When he stood still, the shadowy man stepped forward into the light. He was Marsyas.

"Marsyas? You’ve come?" asked Carcer with amazement. The gloomy man nodded, shaking his long, golden hair. He did not wear a coif. "I have decided that moping around can do no good in avenging my brother, and so I seek vengeance against the Cavernfolk," he explained. "We have just sent scouts out to explore the Cavern," added Agnar, "We have heard… something odd. There is a supposed leader of the Cavernfolk, known only to us as the Carnivore. We are not sure whether to put our trust in this knowledge or not. Neither do we know what the Carnivore looks like, he could be as small as a mouse for all we know, or perhaps it’s a behemoth. We hope to find more information on it." Carcer nodded, shivering at the hint that the Cavernfolk, these scourges of mankind, might have a ruler.

 

While the scouting party was supposed to return after only an hour or two, the Dungeonfolk waited most of the day with no sign of them returning. Finally, King Nathaniel made up his mind and addressed the army, which had regained about 5 of the 10 people that had originally left. Also, since the fort was mostly safe, women and children were going in to check on the soldiers. Marian had asked Carcer if Aiden was safe, and Carcer was forced to say, "I don’t know." He hated the feeling of not knowing whether his friend was dead or alive, and prayed to God that it was the latter.

"My people, earlier this morning I sent out three scouts, Cliff, Dwade, and Stig the Uncertain. As of now, they have not returned. Hence I will go out into the Cavern myself to find them, and any who wish to go with me may without any confirmation," the Dungeon King said. He sheathed his steel longsword and patted his leather breastplate. Then he began walking toward the gate. Carcer, Agnar, Marsyas, and a few other men decided to follow him, and together they entered the darkness once more.

Almost immediately they were beset upon by ten Cavernfolk, but their attackers were swiftly slain. Nathaniel pulled his sword from the gut of a maneater. As he did so, Carcer noticed something on the ground beside the slain creature. "What’s that?" he asked. Agnar picked it up and examined it. "A badge, the badge that Cliff always wears. They must be nearby," he observed. Marsyas pointed down a long, dark tunnel that appeared to have a faint light some ways down. "That way seems plausible," he noted.

 

The eerie darkness was beginning to get to Carcer, the only light being the flickering torch that Agnar bore. Well, besides the strange, faint light that was just ahead of them. "What is it?" asked Carcer. Nathaniel drew his sword as they approached. In the shadows, there were three clumps on the floor. "Is that them?" asked Carcer. "It appears so," replied Marsyas, "Prepare yourselves, the Cavernfolk are known for…brutality."

As they feared, the scouts had been massacred. One was missing both its arms and a leg, one’s head was twisted backward, and it appeared like its brain had been ripped from its skull. Strangely, some pieces of flesh appeared to have melted. The third one was still recognizable, and he was Cliff. The scout coughed blood, staring at them with wide eyes. "The…the seer!" he gasped in between chokes. "What do you mean?" asked Nathaniel, kneeling to inspect the wounded man. "It’s…It’s… behind you…" Cliff’s eyes froze, and he went stiff. "He’s paralyzed," the Dungeon King observed. Just then, one of their companions screamed, and Carcer whipped around to see him pointing down the tunnel. The light was getting closer. "Get ready for a fight!" Agnar bellowed, holding his buckler over his eyes. He shone the torch on the strange being.

It looked like a Cavernfolk, but it appeared to be another subspecies, like the Clingers. It was hunched over, crawling on all fours. The most unsettling part, however, was the fact that it had but one, giant eye, in the middle of its head. Immediately, one of the soldiers froze, and Carcer felt a strange, paralyzing feeling creep up his body. He instantly looked away. The creature could paralyze with its eye!

The "Seer", as Cliff had called it, attempted to leap onto the paralyzed soldier, but the Dungeon King decided that no further casualties from the Dungeonfolk would come that day. He jumped in front of the Seer, slashing his longsword at the beast while avoiding eye contact. It shrieked and jumped back, and the blow didn’t land. "I’ll go behind it!" yelled Agnar, slowly moving around the Seer. Marsyas looked at the captain, then at the Seer (avoiding its eye, of course), then down at his belt. The soldiers began to surround the beast, shielding their eyes. Nathaniel dodged as the monster rushed at him, and the soldier behind him, Owain, became temporarily paralyzed. Acting quickly, Carcer picked up a stone and threw it across Owain’s field of view, breaking the spell for a split second and allowing the guard to move out of the way. "Good thinking, Carcer," noted the Dungeon King, who steadily reached for his bow.

Just then, Agnar tried to stab the Seer from behind, but something very strange happened. The monster jerked around, grabbed Agnar’s sword, and gripped it tightly. The blade melted. The captain shouted in surprise, and pulled his blade-less hilt away, staring at it in shock. The Seer opened its palms, revealing sharp, metallic spikes, black blood crusted around the edges. "Well, that explains the melted flesh," Carcer said. The beast turned and swiped its hands across Agnar’s chest. He screamed and fell to the ground, gasping. Marsyas, who had so far done nothing in the fight, finally stood up straight, and pulled out the oddest thing yet…a mirror?

The soldier held the mirror in front of the Seer, as the beast charged once more. Then, something spectacular happened. The monster froze. "It petrified itself!" exclaimed Agnar as Marsyas, still holding the mirror, drew his sword. In one stroke, black blood sprayed across the floor, and a moment later, Marsyas held a horrific, one-eyed head. "This could come in handy," he noted, slipping it into his satchel. "Hopefully we do not need to use that terrible creature," replied another soldier. Nathaniel prodded at the fallen monster’s hands with a stick, which had somehow melted Agnar’s blade. The stick suddenly ignited, and the Dungeon King stared at the torch in awe. "The Seer’s head might not be the only useful item," he observed. They ran over to Cliff, who was still gasping for breath. "He doesn’t have any fatal wounds. He’ll live," Marsyas said. A few of the soldiers lifted the poor scout, who was murmuring, "Is it gone? Is it gone?"

Just then, the silhouette of a figure appeared in the hallway ahead of them, where the Seer had come from. The soldiers prepared for a fight. "Who are you, Cavernfolk or Dungeonfolk?" a familiar deep voice asked. "Bryant!" Carcer exclaimed, running up to the ragged Scraper and embracing him. Behind Bryant, the other members of the tunnel squad appeared, Trent, Evander, Milo, and all the others. Then, the most joyous sight of all appeared, for Aiden stepped into the light. He blinked, then hugged Carcer, Nathaniel, and Marsyas, the last one just stood there awkwardly. "I was right, the tunnel leads to the Cavern!" Aiden exclaimed. "Also… Is Marian alright?" "Of course she is, she’s been very anxious for your safety since you disappeared up that chimney," replied Carcer.

After a few more minutes of greetings, the two groups began walking back to the Dungeonfolk fort. "Where are Morado and Hagan?" asked Nathaniel. Bryant sighed, saying, "We lost them in the tunnel." The Dungeon King bowed his head. "What happened to them? Did the Cavernfolk get them?" he inquired. "These strange mushroom things were growing in a cave, and somehow, they reanimated a maneater corpse," Aiden explained, "We defeated it easily, but the fungi went crazy, and in the chaos that ensued, we triggered an explosion. We barely survived, but Hagan and Morado were lost." "Fungi with the powers of reanimation…" murmured Marsyas, who was standing right behind them. He frowned, stopping for a moment, then his eyes widened. However, he didn’t say anything.

 

By the time they had gotten back to the fort, Carcer and Aiden had exchanged their stories. The Dungeonfolk greeted the tunnel squad with excitement and cheerfulness. When Marian saw Aiden, she ran up and embraced him. "Bleh," Carcer said, "Nice reunion and all, now let’s get some Dungeon Ale."