Of Magic and Dungeons [IC/PG-16/Accepting]

[LordCowCow 841]

As Sergei choked the life out of the spear-bearing kobold things grew quieter. So quiet that the group would be able to hear chanting up ahead. Just beyond the reach of the light. It would be clear to those who knew magic that it was some sort of spell. The sort of spell in specific became even more clear once they saw a moderately large ball of fire hurtling out of the darkness. Moving quickly towards where Estellise and Lana were standing in front of the pit.

As if the fireball was some sort of sign, or more likely the magic gave them more confidence, the kobolds that they had left behind in the first tunnel came out of the tunnel. They had gotten over the shock and fear that the sudden light attack had caused and were now gripping their weapons and jabbering aggressively.

The two with daggers began to shake back and forth as though winding themselves up to attack while the third, with a sling, carefully put a rock into the weapon.

Deeper inside the other tunnel, where Lana had chased one lone kobold...the kobold was still cowering by itself. Holding its dagger to its chest like a talisman. In its reptilian mind it saw Lana as a giant beast that would eat him if he stepped foot out of the tunnel.

Spoiler

Map

The fireball is coming from a place a bit further along the tunnel than the map shows. Mostly just didn't want to map it out. And if case it wasn't obvious enough the spell incoming is Fireball.

 

[Skaia 578]

As the group was getting ready to leave the area, the kobolds up ahead also being dispatched of, Lana's ears perked up. Hearing a strange chanting, the girl took a moment to realize where it was coming from, only to see that it was doing so from further down the hallway. Seeing a bright ball of light headed towards them, Lana didn't really know what it was at first. Balls of light like that normally didn't move on their own after all...Though, the more Lana thought about it, the more she realized the only actual ball of light she had seen were the ones that Estelliese had conjured. In which case they only ever moved on their own. Which meant it had to be magic! 

Lana was proud in her deductions, but this pride was very short lived as the bead of light struck the ground. The bead of light exploded into a ball of fire, pushing against Lana with great force and heat and knocking her into the nearby wall. Letting out a low groan, feeling a burning sensation against her back, Lana pressed her hands against the ground to pick herself up. "Owwwwwww!" The girl let out, as her stabbed hand still was very much bleeding and injured and did not appreciate being used at the moment. Gritting through the pain and frustration of being thrown around by theses kobolds, Lana still managed to get back to her feet, only to see that they were now charging her and Estelliese. The girl looked at the lizard creatures, eye twitching as she drew out an axe looking ready to charge into them. Her hair was a mess, with some of it being singed, her face was covered in dirt, her hand was still bleeding and the girl's face was very thoroughly angry. Gritting her teeth in frustration, the girl looked over to the others, shouting, "Estelle, are you alright!?" If the noble mage was in need of help Lana would go to pick her up and then - regardless of the noble's status - move further down the tunnel with the others.

[radio414 909]

Things had been looking up for the most part. Sure, people on the team were really hurt, but most of the kobolds had been cleared out, and the ones that hadn’t seemed to be too scared to do anything. But everything changed when the fireball appeared. It whizzed past Chris and Sergei, right towards Lana and Estellise, who were still by the pit. Chris barely had time to yell a “Look out!” and even that was too late. Worse still, the kobolds from the first tunnel had managed to work up the nerve to attack.

So they were flanked again, with some vague fire-spitting magic on one side and three more kobolds on the other. But between those two options, forward was still the only good way to go. Maybe it was only one thing. Maybe it was just another-

It was another kobold. Of course it was. But this one had a necklace and a headdress and a staff with a skull on it, so clearly it was important. Important enough that, when Chris approached, it babbled some nonsense and suddenly even more flames spewed out from the staff, right at Chris.

Instinct took over, and Chris found himself lying face-down in the dirt and with a back significantly warmer than he’d prefer it. And now the kobold was laughing, too, safely, what, ten feet away? Probably more. He found himself torn between two needs, the need to keep moving -- at least to keep from being an easy target -- and the need to stop and think. Because he wasn’t going to be able to close that distance without dealing with at least one more blast of fire, but he also needed to get at that kobold.

Moving started to hurt, too. All the fighting was starting to catch up to him, and what he really wanted, more than anything else, was a nice bath and an even nicer meal. But he still staggered to his feet and took out a dagger. “Alright,” he said. “Alright. I’m ready.”

[Ren✧ 18]

Sergei was wrenched from his moment of remorse as the explosion of the fireball erupted further down the hallway. His head whipped around, trying to peer through the smoke to see if Lana and Estellise were okay. For a moment, he couldn't see them but then he heard Lana's voice. She sounded like she was in pain, but at least she was alive. Sergei's attention was drawn by the sound of more fire roaring down the hallway. 

The shamanic kobold had shot a jet of flames at Chris, who had just barely managed to avoid it. Sergei grit his teeth. He could do more good for his group if the threat was neutralized. They could lick their wounds afterward. He took off down the tunnel, following Chris's lead. He let his durability spell fade and cast his speed spell once again. Exhaustion pulled at his limbs, but he ignored it. He ran past Chris, his magic propelling him forward.

The kobold was quick to react to his approach, he fired another jet of flames. Sergei roared in pain as the fire scorched his right shoulder, the flames licked at his flesh. He pressed forward, moving through the fire to get to the fleeing kobold. Finally, he reached the small lizard and ripped the magical staff from his hands, the flames ceasing. He gave the staff a quick spin and swung it at its original owner.

[Doggo 218]

Running was far from one of Estelle's strong suits but with enough focus she was confident she could keep a decent enough pace to not lag dangerously behind the group. Chris and Sergei had moved deepr in with Lana slightly closer to her position. Tired as she was, the mage's awareness of things going on around her was less than peak. When the fireball sailed through the air toward them the woman gasped in distress to see Lana take the spell head on. Instinctively, Estellise grabbed onto the cape that ever fluttered behind her as she moved. She could have protected her friend, but her reactions had been far too slow. Her companion was as yet still moving and looked ready to fight the remaining kobold's behind them. No doubt the others had moved ahead to find the caster of the fireball spell. The Fereis turned about to see three of the Kobolds she had scared back with the last of her spears now charging them. Lana was ready to fight but Estelle wanted to spare her companion a prolonged scrap given her condition.

"I am alright, please worry about yourself!" the mage called in worried response to Lana's concern. "Steady now..." Estellise muttered to herself as she raised her hands to fire light arrows as she had been prone to so far. Her hand shook slightly and the magic itself seemed prone to fly off the mark as she channeled it. She needed some proper resting time to make this precise. But she could hardly call herself a Fereis were this to prove to be her limit. With some more rigorous focus the girl was able to fire two quick shots off into the middle of the charging group which found their mark in the middle of the three Kobolds which quickly fell to the cave floor below upon the impacts. The other two kobolds though scattered from their initial charge to move to the sides insomuch as they had room to do so. Yet the fear from before did not resurface and the two continued moving forward after insuring they had evaded the attack.

Edited June 9, 2022 by Doggo

[LordCowCow 841]

The lady of light had easily killed one of the last remaining kobolds. However they still outnumbered her and the kobolds knew all about how squishy magic types usually were. So they advanced at her at a run once they had gotten over the surprising attack. The one with a dagger holding back a moment as the other, with a sling, sent a rock at Estellise. Once it was let loose the dagger wielding kobold pulled ahead and ran full sprint, as fast as its small legs could carry it, at the girl and thrust the dagger forward as if they intended to simply run into her with it.

The shaman cried out some gibberish as it dove under Sergei's swing. The man would feel that the weapon felt rather hot to hold and notice that skull was partially cracked. While the shaman now didn't have its rod anymore it seemed that didn't mean it couldn't cast magic. It spoke a few bark-like words and their eyes lit up. Looking as though there was a flame coming from each of them. This flame illuminated the area but more importantly as it turned to look at Sergei he'd feel warmer than before. And after a couple seconds his clothes started to catch fire. The kobold then attempted to scramble backwards to put some distance between it and the two humans.

Spoiler

As ever, short. And yes flame eyes. Same would happen to Chris if the kobold looked at him for several seconds.

Obviously there's not much left so I wouldn't mind if you tried to finish this off this round (and let me know if you want to move right to next floor after) but of course still gotta deal with this.

Map Shaman just off screen.

 

[Skaia 578]

As Lana began to move away from the kobolds, she looked back to see that despite Estelliese's words she didn't look all that steady on her feet. As the girl had managed to kill another of the kobolds, Lana had seen yet another begin to make its way towards her. Seeing the fatigued mage and the charging monster, Lana shouted, "Estelle!" Running forward with an axe in hand, the girl ran to put herself between the two of them. Lana had passed the noble mage, ready to strike the kobold down. Of course, she wasn't holding her great axe and worst yet the kobold hadn't slowed down any. As a result, the two of them just ended running into each other, Lana backing off a bit with an, "ow ow ow," as her leg had collided with the large majority of the kobold's body. Both of them recovering their posture, the two had gone for a strike at each other. 

With an axe in hand, Lana went to swing at the creature only to see that the Kobold was going to stab at her. When one could see an attack coming, there were generally two courses of actions to take; dodge or block. Lana was very close to the creature and she wasn't really the nimble type to begin with so dodging was out of the question. So she just had to block it. And so Lana did just that. "Eh?" The girl paused for a moment, stunned as she realized what she had blocked the knife with. Seeing the sharp object sticking into her already injured arm, the girl blinked before suddenly letting out yet another cry of pain. Frustrated with the creature, she swung her axe at its side. Though it managed to hit, it wasn't enough to kill it and so with adrenaline and rage pumping the girl grabbed the creature's head with her injured hand. Wincing in pain yet again, the girl pushed her axe and her hand to the side, shoving the small creature into the rocky pit she had narrowly avoided falling in and dying in before. Because she didn't fall to her death before. That could only happen once. 

Panting and bleeding, Lana was ready to move on when she was hit yet again. Her shoulder being struck by a rock, the girl furiously looked towards kobold that had tossed it at her. Just standing there, eye twitching, Lana simply let out a frustrated shout at the creature. 

[Ren✧ 18]

The kobold ducked beneath Sergei's swing with the staff. He mumbled in frustration, he swung again at the kobold but it had scrambled outside of his reach. It turned to face him, its eyes burning with fiery magic. Sergei took a step to advance on the creature, but before he could cover the distance, he felt his clothes catch ablaze. 

Sergei dropped the staff in his hands, the cracked skull clacking against the earthen ground. He began to desperately pat at the flames, wanting to squelch them. The flames burned his hands and his body grew painfully. He screamed in pain, throwing any sense of grace to the wind. He tore at the clothes, ripping them from his body. He threw his leather cuirass to the ground and ripped at his shirt. His burned, raw flesh laid bare to the cool, underground air. 

Still, fire chewed at his garments and burrowed into his body. Regaining his senses, the giant of a man dropped to the ground and began to roll about.

"CHRIS!" He roared, "Kill it!"

[radio414 909]

The kobold’s eyes lit on fire, and, soon after, so did Sergei. Chris assumed one caused the other, but what did he know about magic anyway? Estellise used it, and her speaking in normal-person poems was confusing enough sometimes, let alone kobold babble. He sighed, though whether it came from a place of physical exhaustion or just not wanting to deal with things anymore, he couldn’t tell.

“Chris! Kill it!” Sergei said.

He didn’t need to be told twice. There were two immediate problems, though, with dealing with the kobold shaman. The first was distance; Chris had been ten or so feet away before the kobold started scrambling back. The second was the noise. The kobold just kept babbling away. “Just shut up,” Chris said, and he let a dagger fly, which landed right in the kobold’s chest with a satisfying thunk.

He threw his other one, too, which landed right next to the first one, and now there was a kobold shaman with two daggers sticking out of it. It was still alive, unfortunately, but at least it wasn’t babbling anymore. And if it wasn’t babbling, Chris assumed it wasn’t casting any more spells. So now all he had to do was finish the job.

Fortunately, a kobold who wasn’t casting spells was just like all the other kobolds on the floor, and Chris already knew how to deal with those. It was harder, like, it wasn’t like he hadn’t spent a bunch of energy charging the ones that had come before, but he kept his eyes on his target and lunged forward, dealing one final strike before sliding to a halt.

[Doggo 218]

With two kobolds remaining, Estelle was struggling to channel another arrow to fire immediately. Thankfully, Lana was on the scene and had tangled with one of the creatures. The tussle had ended in the lizard falling into the pit that had almost taken Lana herself. Perhaps it was a cathartic act to let something finally fall into it as intended. Regardless, the Fereis' mind was eased seeing her companion still moving well enough to pull something like that off. And the easing of her mental burden helped her in the channeling of her magic. At this point there was one kobold left which had thrown a rock at Lana. Estellise was impressed to see the anger this elicited and the kobold too seemed to realize the danger it was in as fear took hold. With its defense down, Estelle manged to fire off another two quick shots, one of which found a mark in the creature's face, downing it quickly like the one before.

"Is that it..." Estelle started through panting as she scanned the area. She could see no additional Kobolds behind or ahead of them though the lighting wasn't helpful to that effort. If Sergei and Chris had taken down the magic caster from earlier, then everything seemed to be in the clear. With a sigh of relief the mage nearly fell backwards before catching herself. Too close a call given the proximity of the pit. She went to Lana's side and offered an arm of support to her friend's back. This held a second purpose in the form of a simple healing spell to help her walk with less pain while they regrouped with the others. Soon the group reunited, and all but Estellise had sustained injuries through the course of this floor's proceedings. But, on the plus side, the stairs to the next floor were not much further ahead from this position deeper into the tunnel where the magical kobold had been.

"Goodness, that was more trouble than I had anticipated." she remarked as she took stock of the injuries among her friends. "Here, everyone stand together somewhat. I shall have everyone in proper shape before you know it." Estelle stated, trying to add some of her usual pep despite her fatigue. As they moved together she took a moment to compose herself. She needed a fair bit of magical power to see to this. But soon enough once again, a great light began shining from the whole of the woman's body as she raised her hands in the praying position from earlier. So too did her voice magically reverberate as she spoke the words of the spell.

"Seven sisters rest in heaven.
Fountain of life. Spring's renewal.
Let flow streams of light and embrace the broken.
Grant me mercy, for I am Estellise!

First Nurturing Star, Maya!"

At the woman's words a heptagonal glyph about six feet in diameter formed around the three injured members of the party appeared on the floor with Chris at its center. Once it had finished drawing itself, light sprung forth, a pure column of it engulfing the group. This light however was gentle on the eyes, and more importantly was a powerful healing spell. All injuries would begin slowly mending as Estelle sustained the spell. Were Sergei, Lana or Chris not mentally occupied, the light from the spell might remind them of a mother's embrace and would even bring to mind memories of those who had loved them. But, these thoughts were but a nudge in the mind. If not desired no one would have to have entertain the thoughts and feelings the magic influenced. It would take some minutes to fully heal the three of them, but one Estellise was satisfied they were as good as new she released the spell and the light both from the glyph and her own body faded away. Almost at once she stumbled to the ground as exhaustion from the overuse of her magic took hold.

"T-there... all better!" she smiled through heavier breath.

[LordCowCow 841]

Unbeknownst to the victorious group, as they took a moment to recover from the fighting thus far, they were being watched. Small, beady, eyes followed their movements with an twinkle of hate in its eyes.

The small kobold watched them as they moved about with the bodies of its fallen tribe scattered about. It held onto its weapon and took one small step out of the tunnel that it had slowly made its way across from its previous position on the floor covering its head.

Then it saw the girl who had chased it off earlier. Did she see him? Her eyes had gone in his general direction and, as soon as that happened, he dropped the weapon with a slight clatter and ran back down the tunnel to return to its curled up position at the end of it.

The others would have time to rest for a while as the floor was now, essentially, cleared. Though the longer they spent there the more they'd notice that the walls, floor, and ceiling seemed to twist ever so slightly. As if the magic of the dungeon was actively trying to keep its form now that the enemies had, one way or another, been dispatched.

Spoiler

To be clear nothing to worry about mostly just some silly flavor and a small hint as to what the dungeon is and how it works.

 

[radio414 909]

The light from Estellise’s spell reminded Chris of a moment when he was really young. He had been roaming the halls of Ellwood Manor, as he had been wont to do, without a care in the world, zipping from point to point as he pleased when, in a moment of lost concentration, he tripped and fell head-over-heels all the way down the main staircase. It was his mother who found him lying in a heap at the bottom, and it was she who wiped the snot and tears from his face using cloth from her own dress, and who picked him up and carried him off to the kitchen to get something to lift his spirits.

But it was just a feeling, and it faded quickly.

There was a paradoxical stillness to the dungeon, now that the kobolds had been dealt with. Sure, the ceiling was twisting and the walls were bending, but the feeling overall was one of rest. The stairs were right there, but now was the time to catch a breath, collect the weaponry that had been thrown around -- daggers, axes, whatever -- and reconvene.

“Okay, one more floor and then I think someone said there is a portal on the fifth?” Chris said. “How are we feeling? I’m okay after this break, maybe, uh, probably, but I’m a little worried about getting in another fight like that one. Not like we can go up, there are a dozen or so goblins waiting for us that way.”

His canteen had mercifully survived the brawl. Chris took a swig and passed it on. “Water?”

[Skaia 578]

Lana continued to glare at the kobold for the remainder of its life, only letting out a deep sigh of relief and calming down once Estelliese had managed to fell it. With all said and done, as the noble went to aid Lana and heal her arm, the girl simply muttered, "I hate kobolds." As they all gathered together, the young noble woman then went to begin an even more powerful healing spell. The rage that the girl had felt towards the kobolds lessened as the healing took affect over them. The girl felt a certain familiar warmth over take her, thinking back to her home, her family, and each of their smiling faces. This was fleeting and the girl didn't think much more on it, though, as the healing ended. Looking at her arm, the girl was in awe once again saying, "man Estelle this magic of yours really is something else." The girl's awe seemed to break way for concern, however, as she looked towards the noble lady and saw her exhausted. Making sure she was fine, the girl then turned towards Chris as he made his point. 

Lana frowned, finding neither option to be particularly desirable. If the kobolds were anything to go by, then fight a readied band of goblins would certainly not end well. But, this floor alone had proven dishearteningly harder then what she had been expecting so far. Grabbing the canteen from Chris, the girl took a swig from it as well before holding it out to the other two. "Well, it'll be hard but we really don't have much of a choice then. Who knows, maybe it'll be a breeze like the first two and then we can all rest this whole day off." She looked towards Estelliese saying, "I'll uh, try not to get stabbed as much." 

[Ren✧ 18]

With the flames dispatched, Sergei laid on the ground of the cavern, staring up at the ceiling. Burns covered the length of his right arm and most of his chest. They laid angry and red on his skin, painful even in the fairly still air of the cavern. With the rest of their enemies either dead or fleeing into the unknowns of the dungeon, Sergei allowed himself a moment to breathe.

"Goodness, that was more trouble than I had anticipated." A shaky laugh that was more breath than anything else rattled out of Sergei's mouth. He couldn't have agreed more. Gritting his teeth in preparation for the pain, Sergei rose from the ground. His burns shrieked in protest and he couldn't help but let out a grunt of pain. He looked around for his clothes. The breezy tunic he wore beneath his leather cuirass was damaged beyond repair. Nearly half it had burned away entirely and the rest had been torn apart by his frantic attempt to put out the fire. Fortunately, his leather cuirass was salvageable. Blackened in some parts, but had managed stay in one piece.

Sergei awkwardly shuffled over to the armor, groaning as he picked it up. It would be too painful to don it now, so he was content to just hold it.

"Here, everyone stand together somewhat. I shall have everyone in proper shape before you know it."

Sergei looked at the spellcaster with some skepticism and concern. She had expanded a great deal of energy in that fight. Sergei himself was feeling drained just shifting between two simple transmutation spells. He wondered how Estellise could possibly keep up going at this pace. This, he thought, must be the strength of being a true member of such a powerful family.

Estellise said her prayer, the magic washing over the group. At first, the warmth was uncomfortable, causing his burns to itch as they slowly began to repair themselves. They were quickly replaced with a nurturing warmth that caused Sergei to gasp. The warm embrace of his mother's arms, a rare moment where he had successfully tore her attention away from his other siblings. Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. Appropriate, Sergei thought. 

"Thank you, Estellise." Sergei looked like he was preparing to say something more, but then closed his mouth. 

He joined his comrades in a moment's respite, grateful to not be in a fight even if it was just for a short while. 

"I'll uh, try not to get stabbed as much." 

"And maybe fall into less pit traps, huh?" Sergei poked fun, swiping the canteen from Lana's hands as she finished a sip. He took a small sip and then offered it to Estellise before grabbing at the flask on his hip.

"And maybe something a little stronger?" He took a hearty shot from the flask, letting the whiskey coat his tongue before letting it slowly warm his throat and stomach. He tossed it Chris' way.  "Good shot. Thanks." He said, gesturing towards the daggers. 

[Doggo 218]

Estellise was happy to have some of the group's water after Sergei, as well as Lana's support to sit in a more comfortable position after her near fall from ending the spell. The mage focused on steadying her breathing. That was always the most important thing. She had to remind her body that physically speaking, it was under no threat. While linked to her physical energy, magic was something different. And so long as she could calm her body she would be able to tap into her magical energy again. But with it focused on its own recovery there would be little she could do to help. And so she continued her controlled and concentrated breathing, until her body began to relax and release the mounting fatigue and strain. So focused had she been that the Fereis had only smiled back at the several thanks she received for the healing spell. It was just good to see all of them in good shape again after the rough spot they'd been in. Though some of Sergei's belongings seemed burned which was unfortunate. There wasn't much she could do in the way of repairing things when part of the initial material no longer existed.

"I should be fine to continue supporting you all in a little bit. Though it may be wise to conclude this initial foray at the first checkpoint like the guard mentioned. I fear I was not particular wise in my conservation of magic to this point and would hate to fail all of you when you most need me." The mage spoke, her breathing noticeably relaxed by this point. Something caught the woman's eye as she continued speaking but she couldn't immediately put her finger on what. Something seemed off with the Dungeon itself. The space around them almost beckoned them onward. It was certainly something to note as she had not ever stayed on a floor for a prolonged time upon clearing its dangers. But for now she kept these musings to herself. She would discuss them more with her family in the context of other mages who would more readily understand the complicated theories she was drawing upon to form a hypothesis as to the cause of the phenomenon. And while intellectually stimulating, the thought process wasn't helping her recovery so the woman turned to social matters.

"I suppose I have been meaning to ask..." Estellise started, her usual smile not yet present on her face. "What convinced you all to agree to accompany me like this?" she asked with an innocent curiosity. The woman hadn't taken much in about her comrades past superficial observations from their early interactions. But the simple question was loaded with all sorts of emotional baggage for the mage. It had to seem ridiculous what they were doing. Why would a mage even want to associate with them? Never mind use her magic so liberally on their behalf. And she hadn't made any elaborate promises in her attempts at recruiting them all. The only selling point she had was that a rogue group could move faster than the calculated mage expeditions. Still, she wanted to know more of her new friends. What drove them to do the things they did, and treat her with any respect given how little her family and the others were inclined to show to people like them.

[radio414 909]

Chris caught Sergei’s flask, cradling it in his palm and feeling its weight. It was certainly heavier than he’d expected, and when he shook it, it seemed like there was more liquid in there than there should have been after Sergei’s hearty swig. But the material was good -- it was almost worth palming if he wasn’t also afraid of losing Sergei’s respect (not that he thought Sergei wouldn’t notice anyway) -- and what did Chris know about how fluid worked anyway?

“Good shot. Thanks,” Sergei said. 

It took Chris a second to parse what he meant, but Sergei helpfully gestured towards his daggers and that was all it took. “Welcome,” Chris said. “It’s not actually that hard once you get used to it. I mean, you need some well-balanced daggers, too, but after that…”

He didn’t have anywhere to go with that sentence, so he compensated by bringing the flask to his lips for a drink, completely forgetting that Sergei had said it was “something stronger.” Chris had been expecting water, and it definitely wasn’t that. He managed to swallow but erupted in a coughing fit soon after. “Um, not for me, sorry. Maybe later. Estellise, could I have my waterskin back?”

Chris didn’t wait for an answer, quickly swapping the two containers before Estellise even could. The water only helped wash out the aftertaste, but the memory was still there. Maybe if he tried it again, he thought, and if he was more prepared for it, but that was definitely something for later, not in the middle of the dungeon.

“I suppose I have been meaning to ask, what convinced you all to agree to accompany me like this?”

Estellise’s question caught Chris a little off-guard. Maybe it was because its phrasing was a little her-centric? The world wasn’t all about her, despite what the main families of Froura thought, and the reward the dungeon promised would entice anybody with a weapon and a reckless disregard for life, but he didn’t say anything like that out loud. It was probably better to answer the actual question anyway and worry about the weird implications of how she said it for later. “Short answer? I was already looking to get a group together when you asked. I dunno, I was already taking care of myself but I want something more, you know?

“As for why I wanted to get myself involved in the first place...” Chris paused and tried to think of exactly what he meant to say. His thoughts drifted back to Ellwood manor again, especially of Myrtle, and Chris wondered how he was supposed to phrase “I nearly killed a woman, got disgraced from my noble house, and this is the only way home” in a way that was any close to palatable. He still barely knew these people, after all. He wasn’t even sure they knew what he did when he wasn’t dungeoneering.

This was a question he couldn’t take a drink of water to get out of, though, so he defaulted to the vaguest possible answer. “I dunno, why does anyone come in here? Whatever’s at the bottom is something I want. The Spark, it’s called? Yeah, that.

“Follow-up question, though:” Chris asked the question both as a way to keep the focus off of him and because he was a little curious, “why us?”

[Skaia 578]

Lana still couldn't help but feel a bit guilty as Estelliese went on about her current magical situation. She didn't quite understand how it all worked nor how it felt to overuse magic, but from the way she had talked about it Lana could figure it was something like sprinting to town from home without worrying about having to carry things and make the return trip. Exhausting. The girl was then caught off guard by the next question, not really having thought about the why behind her journey since they made their way into the dungeon. Putting a hand to her chin, she heard Chris's generally "Chris-like" response and pondered a bit more on it. As he asked his own question, the girl turned towards Estelliese answering the initial question with a simple word. "Money." 

The girl's tone was matter of fact and there was a moment of pause as she digested her own answer. Blinking, and thinking about how that sounded the girl back pedaled saying, "oh, well, it's not like I was expecting you to pay me. And I'm not after your family's money either," the girl paused again as she briefly thought about the prospect though. She was with a noble and as far as Lana was concerned that meant the girl had an infinite amount of money at her disposal. And working with one would probably be a pretty get rich quick scheme. And though that was an attractive thought, she couldn't help but feel like settling for a paying position under a noble was underwhelming in comparison to a thing that could theoretically give her anything she wanted. It could even give her double infinite money. 

Right, she was talking and explaining. Bluntly, the girl followed up saying, "I just thought the Spark was a good way to get rich quick." Though it was certainly starting to seem less "quick" to her. Looking at the noble girl, she couldn't help but feel curiosity well up again as she asked, "come to think of it, why do you want to get the Spark?" Estelliese was already a noble, so it seemed odd that she would be risking her life for something when she already had it all. Maybe she also wanted double infinite money? 

[Doggo 218]

Estellise had to smile at the answers Chris and Lana offered her prior to asking their own questions. That Chris was already planning a similar venture seemed just like him. He wouldn't have been able to stay still with or without a mage to accompany him. Lana being after money then having to double back and explain she wasn't after the Fereis' wealth was amusingly straightforward and honest. Estelle couldn't fault the simple desire for material abundance. That the Spark of all things would be used so simply was almost relieving compared to what some of the other mage families no doubt had in mind for it. Perhaps that was too generous. Her own family likely had all forms of less than tasteful ideas for the Spark if they were to obtain it.

"Why you indeed. Perhaps it is a bit selfish of me to say. I have always held a place in my heart for the co-..." Estelle interrupted herself, clearly in thought of what to say. She realized the default expression of these people she had befriended would be commoner. She would have casually called them as much with others of her family. But the phrase was full to the brim with the arrogance of the mages and she didn't wish to hurt them with speaking so loosely. "Those not of the mage families I should say." she ultimately settled on. Hopefully that was respectful enough. "There is something refreshing to, insomuch as it is possible, interacting with others without the formalities expected of a Fereis." Estellise continued. To this point she had maintained her usual happy outlook and demeanor but it shifted as her mind did to Lana's question.

"As for the spark... there are things in this world that nothing can buy. No amount of wealth nor depth of magical study can coax them from their hiding place in the realm of impossibility. This dream of the impossible taunts me at night as it comes into focus. Yet as I reach my hand it moves beyond my grasp, ever eluding me. A fleeting vision; a vain hope. Yet one I pray the Spark would make a reality." Estelle spoke in an unusually somber tone while remaining rather vague in her response proper.

[Ren✧ 18]

Sergei chuckled a bit as Chris choked on the liquor in the flask. He deftly caught it as Chris switched it back for his own waterskin. "Sorry, I guess I should've given you more warning. My family owns a bar, so it slips the mind, sometimes." As soon as he said it, Sergei regretted his statement. He was growing comfortable with these people, which made it harder to hide his relation to the Allagi family. He fell silent, hoping that no one would pay his innocuous comment much mind.

Sergei listened to his comrades muse and ponder about their motivations to venture into the Dungeon. He understood and empathized with what each of them said. His own motivations were a mix of everything they said. His life had quickly become one that revolved around the Dungeon, and any other curiosity that piqued the interest of the rich and powerful. He sought adventure and without a family fortune to bankroll such desires, Sergei had to rely on the coin purses of others.

"There are things in this world that nothing can buy." Estellise carried on, explaining her own desires. Sergei nodded along, but couldn't help but think that money sure did make it easier to attain all those things were supposedly impossible to buy. Still, she was right and if there were something that Sergei could empathize with, it was the desire to make something of oneself, to achieve something beyond what they were born into.

"Respect," Sergei concurred at Estellise's sentiment, "Respect and self-fulfillment." He looked to the Fereis, finding that he understood her a bit better now. Perhaps, liked her even better now. "Plus, the requests for my mercenary services will no doubt skyrocket after we are the first group to ever secure the Spark." He joked, hoping to lighten the mood. 

[LordCowCow 841]

The next floor they entered was more lit than before. Like previously they couldn't see the source of the lighting so they could only assume that some sort of magic determined which floors were lit and which weren't.

The cavern was circular in shape and at the end exactly opposite of the stairs they had came down was another set of stairs. Between that and them was a pool of water which was surrounded by grass. Right in the exact center of the room. Above them the ceiling was covered in stalactites, many of them dripping water, and the walls looked much more rough than the walls of the staircases.

There were even more mushrooms than in previous floors all across the ground. Including some man-sized mushrooms closer to the center of the room.

It seemed there wasn't much else in the room. Until they left the staircase and entered the room entirely. The mushrooms near the pool, ten of them, started to quiver. Then they rose up and the group could see what looked like a mass of roots underneath them. They mushrooms started to turn and move towards the group. Which would reveal slits in the stalks that made it seem they had a face as well as a pair of thin, arm-like protrusions made of the same thing that they were "walking" on that were clutching spears.

They barely made a noise but started to spread out and advance on the group.

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Time for WALKING MUSHROOMS! Not the fastest foe but they're sure to have some tricks up their....sleeves?

 

[radio414 909]

Everyone else’s answers were in the same vein as his, Chris thought, but they seemed honest enough. Again, it was kind of a sensitive question, so if there was more to their answer than they were letting on he wasn’t about to pry. Besides, once they found the Spark, he’d find out anyway, right? Well, unless only one of them could get it, in which case he was sure it’d be him, so it didn’t matter. To the next floor!

The fourth floor of the dungeon was a dank one. The moisture wasn’t just confined to the pool in the center, the air was practically cold, breathable water. At least it was lit, so they could see what was coming.

What was coming was a bunch of mushrooms, carrying what looked spears and somehow also looked like they were itching to use them. “Este-” Chris instinctively called out to their mage, recalling the same plan they’d used to get past the goblins of two floors prior, but caught himself when he remembered one: that plan only worked because the goblins hadn’t been aware of them, and two: Estellise had mentioned she needed to recharge. So that was out.

They probably weren’t taking on guys as fun as them in a ten-to-four fight without that advantage. So that left the final option: making a break for the staircase. It didn’t seem like the mushroom men were very fast, so as long as they avoided them…

Chris looked back at his teammates. “Uh, left-hand rule?” he said, gesturing at the semicircle route he wanted to take. “Just like the other ones?”

Edited May 14, 2020 by radio414

[Skaia 578]

Lana was a bit confused at the answer that Estelliese gave, not really understanding what it was that the noble was talking about. Both from its ambiguity as well as getting lost halfway through her explanation. All the same, it was something that money couldn't buy which meant the impossible likely wasn't double infinite money. Though that also sounded impossible in its own way. As Sergei gave his response, Lana thought about it for a moment. It would be true that having the spark would definitely make her more famous, though she couldn't exactly understand why someone would want to work more in this business after they had already achieved more money then anyone could hope to deal with. Unless the respect and self fulfillment that Sergei was looking for was something in the "impossible" category like Estelliese's goal. In which case Sergei was actually forward thinking, and planning for the future after he got that. 

Lana pondered for a moment what kind of "impossible" she could wish for if she found the Spark as they began to make their way to the next floor, though most of the ideas she had were fairly mundane. Her pondering was brought to a halt, though, as they met up with the next trial. As the strange giant mushrooms began to walk towards them, Lana's face wretched in a horror and mild disgust. "Oh, ew, creepy." She drew her greataxe, but seemed rather hesitant to charge forward. She was not keen on simply trying to barrel through ten of those weird mushroom things and get swarmed all at once, both for tactical concerns and because she felt like it would only get grosser and creepier the closer she got. Oh and she had just told Estelliese that she'd  try to not charge in recklessly this time too. That had just happened, after all. 

As Chris made his suggestion, Lana nodded saying, "y-yeah. Left hand and run, sounds like a plan." The girl looked towards the others, waiting for their signal to start sprinting around the room and the creatures. 

[Doggo 218]

Sergei's answer of respect, self-fulfillment and a joke about how often he'd be hired after obtaining the spark settled the group's discussion on their motivations. Estelle was content to know something more of each of her companions though felt somewhat unhappy she had not been more straightforward with them in her own answer regarding her desires for the spark. It was held so close to her heart, it was difficult to discuss. And at least in their current situation, she felt it better not to get emotional. With the time taken to rest and relax, Estellise could feel her control over her magical power returning. With her friends recovered and her magic back online to an extent she could still help them, it felt like time to move on.

The next floor greeted them with something of a familiar sight. A circular room like the goblins had occupied with a pool of water. And quite like the large gathering of goblins, here there were large mushroom creatures. But these seemed much more quick to take notice of the explorers. In fact they were already on the move toward them. Thankfully they weren't very fast, but still it seemed less than wise to linger. Estelle agreed quickly to Chris' proposed circumventing the enemies altogether by hugging the walls of the room. For now she readied no magic as the room had more light to offer on its own.

"Let us do our best not to attack them unless we have no other way forward." she warned as she moved to the sides of the room with the others. "There is no telling what sort of spores they might have."

[Ren✧ 18]

As the group entered the next floor of the Dungeon, Sergei prepared to rush into battle ahead of his teammates. He had just watched Lana almost plummet to her death and Estellise was running low on energy. If he distracted whatever threat was there then maybe they would be able to escape the floor relatively unscathed. For the tenth time that day he wondered if maybe the group was too inexperienced to be attempting what no one had ever achieved.

Sergei took a deep breath, exhale as he activated his speed spell. His tattoos flashed green. This time when he activated the magic, a sharp pain stabbed into his abdomen. He was running low too, it seemed. The number of times he had switched between his two staple strategies had used more energy than he was used to. Sergei's form of magic had very real physical consequences if he overexerted himself. Not that Estellise's didn't, but it almost seemed as if her magic was channeled from an external source. Sergei knew that if he pushed his body too hard, changed its composition too often, it would take its revenge on him. He would just have to grin and bear it though. They had another floor to get through. 

The next floor was humid. The air clung to Sergei's newly restored skin, sinking gently into the exposed flesh that only an hour ago had withered by the touch of the kobold's fire magic. He, at first, could see no immediate danger on the floor. It all seemed very peaceful, if not a little too quaint. However, as the large mushrooms began to shake and quiver, Sergei realized that everything was not as it seemed. He took a deep breath, preparing to draw this new enemy's attention, but was stopped by Chris' words.

“Uh, left-hand rule?” he said, gesturing at the semicircle route he wanted to take. “Just like the other ones?”

"Let us do our best not to attack them unless we have no other way forward." she warned as she moved to the sides of the room with the others. "There is no telling what sort of spores they might have."

Sergei was almost embarrassed by his own train of thought. However, he nodded, seeing the value of their plan. "Come on, let's be quick about it then." He stuck to the left side, moving out in front of the group in case the mushrooms were quicker than they thought.

[LordCowCow 841]

The mushmen's rudimentary "faces" didn't show any sort of emotion. No surprise or anger at the group trying to run along the edge of the cavern. They didn't even look rushed to chase after them. However they all, at the same time, turned and started to follow the group.

They were slower than each of them but was able to move in a more direct path. Those farther to the right would have difficulty catching up to them but the ones that were closer to the left side already were starting to gain on them.

This is the point where the group would have to try and use whatever math knowledge they had and bring it to play. They had reached around the quarter length of the cavern but several of the mushrooms were only a dozen or so feet away. They were slowly approaching but it looked as though they were able to change direction without much of a hesitation. Almost silently some of the mushrooms approached and readied their spears. Advancing with the sole intent of attacking the group the moment they got within reach.

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