Saga of the Soul Dungeon

Rule #37 - Every dungeon is unique. They may even be beautiful. This does not make them any less dangerous. See Rule #1.

-50 Rules for Dungeon Divers

==Sevso==

That was all a week ago now. Since then I had pursued knowledge about dungeons. And I had learned at least one thing. No casual violence of any kind was allowed.

I had tried to kick a beggar out of my way and my head almost exploded from the pain. I barely managed to stay on my feet as my eyes watered. It had taken an hour before the pain faded away.

It was unthinking habit for me to shove or kick street urchins out of the way. I was quickly unlearning all the casual violence that had served me in the slums before, though. The pain was an excellent teacher.

My persona was as a veteran adventurer, and I used that as my first avenue of exploration. The various adventurers had been more than happy to regale me with stories of their dungeon exploits, especially when I bought them drinks. None had known anything about what dungeons actually were though, other than that they had black crystal cores. Any suggestion of good dungeons had been met with laughter.

Meeting failure there, I went to a priest, and even a library. I had been sent to various scholars, but none could really answer my questions. I had even talked with a pale grey Adar with shimmering grassy hair, but when I asked him if he thought dungeons could think and do something out of kindness he had simply laughed and told me to leave.

Eventually I was told about a mage named Gnaeus who specialized in obscure dungeon lore. It had taken quite a bit of arranging, apparently Gnaeus was not fond of visitors, but I eventually arranged an appointment.

I was waiting in the mages’ guild for that appointment now.

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==POV: Exsan==

I existed. I was very good at it. It was all that I had done for a very long time. Now I felt thoughts creeping in like shadows. No matter what I did they came back. It was no wonder my counterpart lost himself in meditation to lose them.

Some of my thoughts were comfortable. They matched the instincts of my long existence. Thoughts of my domain came to me. Thoughts of the tunnels I was making to let in prey. Thoughts of the monsters breeding with abandon. Thoughts of the dark sheltering earth that held me comfortably.

However, many of my thoughts turned toward Caden. Caden was… strange.

But Caden was mine.

I would possess his strangeness. I would possess his knowledge. Everything he was was mine to have.

His actions did puzzle me.

His “language lessons” seemed pointless. However, it was easy enough to do them every other day.

Caden performed many pointless actions. He decorated. He made new strange rooms in the Starlight Grotto.

I could at least appreciate the new room he added that was bright like the sky. It was obviously meant for prey to walk through.

It had many plants and animals that were uselessly locked into harmless forms, but the waste was minor. Hidden dangers had been added in the innocent foliage, as well as treasures.

Obviously Caden has understood my lesson about luring in more prey. Caden was lucky that I was here to teach him.

The first few would come through this easy environment and then more would follow. Even now Caden was adding more.

I could feel how close I was to one of the presences that was waiting for me. I had always felt hunger, but now I knew what it was called. And I felt it endlessly, deep in my obsidian heart.

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==POV: Gnaeus==

I was reviewing my research notes when someone knocked on my door.

“By the maw, what is it?” I snapped. A messenger came in a spoke to me briefly.

Apparently, an interview had been scheduled without my knowledge, and most certainly without my permission.

I looked him firmly in the eyes.

“Tell the guildmaster,” I said, “that if this is not worth my time I am not going to be happy.”

The messenger gulped.

“Sir, I swear, this meeting will be worth it.”

He started to give me a rundown of everything that had already happened.

I stopped and thought. If what the guildmaster believed was true, then I indeed needed to see this person. If, however, what I suspected was true… I wanted to meet this Sevso even more.

“Fine, go fetch him,” I said.

A few minutes later Sevso was lead down the spiraling steps into my apartments. I led him to a small meeting room that the guildmaster had added in when he made my rooms. For all my hope to never use them, I had added precautionary emblems anyways. I activated them and smiled at the results. Everyone distrusted their eyes and skills when they said different things.

I had been watching how this Sevso walked, however. He was not used to his fine armor. Everyone forgot that the simplest explanation was usually the correct one.

The messenger had already been dismissed, so I immediately asked the question I wanted to know most.

“Why is a level five street tough meeting with me about dungeons?”

My guest looked surprised, and answered me.

“Everyone assumed I must be something more, I saw no benefit to telling them otherwise.”

I laughed.

“You are probably not aware of this,” I said, “but a number of skills were used on you to try and verify who you are. The results… contradicted each other, so everyone assumed that you must have an incredibly powerful obfuscation skill or artifact. Everyone’s basic character analysis skills showed you as level five. More advanced skills showed your class to be street tough. However… a number of things didn’t make sense. Your clothes are of very good quality, though that is something that is easy enough to fix with money, though the effort would be odd.”

“What convinced everyone were three things: first, merchant skills said that you had money. Quite a bit of it. And their skills detect personal wealth, it won’t be fooled with borrowing from someone else. Secondly, all the various mental intimidation and persuasion skills simply failed on you. Thirdly, skills showed you had a powerful patron of some kind.”

“Also, when people were implying that a bribe might make things go more quickly you just stared at them.” I laughed. “Honestly, that might have been the part they found most unnerving. Someone who is so powerful that they can turn up and ignore the customary bribes to meet someone high up is not someone to be trifled with. I think you probably saved a good week or two by ignoring the process completely.”

“Did you know the guildmaster did not even bother telling me I had this appointment with you until you already arrived?”

Sevso’s eyes opened wide with surprise.

He stuttered, “Nnnoo, I was very upfront about what I wanted.”

“Yes, yes,” I said, and waved a hand in dismissal, “no doubt you were. It is true, however. He knows far too well how much I detest these type of meetings. He is probably expecting a very unpleasant conversation with me afterwards, but he thought you were too powerful not to schedule a meeting with me. The irony is that you are a large enough puzzle that I am perfectly happy to meet you. Though if you don’t satisfy my curiosity you will likely be in very big trouble. Well, you might have enough money to bribe your way out of it.”

Sevso regarded me with a nervous look. Then he started to talk.

As he continued I found myself pleasantly stunned. Perhaps creating that dungeon had not been a mistake. If nothing else, now I had a way to track the dungeon down.