Untitled Dungeon Story. Chapter1 - The task 1.1 & 1.2 (Patreon)

Author note: I was reading the excellent 'There is no epic loot here, only puns' for the second time recently (I highly recommend it), and then saw 'Dungeon Pearl' pop up on royal roads trending list. Dungeon stories are an odd genre but strangely enjoyable and I started to wonder how I'd go about setting my own Dungeon story up. After thinking about it for awhile, this is what I came up with. It's quite rough, but I'll share it since I wasn't able to write Chrysalis today, Mother's day and all that. Hope you all have a great day!

1.1

Waking up after a long sleep can be disorienting. Without waking, he tried to shift and felt an uncomfortable ache in the places his body had curled up subconsciously. His instincts demanded that he stretch and unwind but he found that he couldn't. He felt rigid and immobile. His consciousness sluggishly unfurled as the niggling pain in his body protested until he tried to open a bleary eye and take a look around. Except that his eyes were already open. Except that he didn't have any eyes.

What the …

He tried to lift his hands to rub his eyes (which he didn't have) and found that he was also severely lacking in the arm department. At this point he noticed that the panic which he'd expected to be rising to near hysterical levels, was quite muted. Surprising. In fact, he didn't feel much of anything, something which in and of itself, he should have found disturbing, but found he couldn't muster much emotion about that either. What is happening here? He tried to orient himself and make sense of his surroundings, but every sense felt … fuzzed. As if everything around him were obscured by fog.

[Awake are you?]

Ah… Yes?

[You need to talk to me. I can't read your mind.]

"He… Hello?" He croaked.

He wasn't sure how he made that sound. He was beginning to get a sneaking suspicion his stock of mouths was as depleted as the arms. Nevertheless, sound was made and he just enjoyed that fact and worry about how he did it later.

[Yes, good. Now, I'm sure this is all very confusing to you. Not to worry, I can explain a few things and get you going on the right track. Alright?]

There is something vaguely feminine about the voice, something motherly and caring. He was inclined to trust it though he didn't really know why.

"Sure… Sure. Please explain," he managed.

[I am the Conduit, the connection between you and the source of your power.]

What power?

[At the moment, my access is limited. There isn't much I can do to help you until you are able to grow. To learn more about that, I'm going to ask you to perform an exercise.]

Wh- What sort of exercise? Like sit ups?

[Right now I'm sure that everything looks confusing. What I need you to do is try and focus inwards. Turn your mind inside.]

… Yyyyyeah? Inside what? Exactly?

[This is always difficult… Not to worry, this is the third time I'm stepped someone through this process. We always get there in the end. Think of it this way, what you should be sensing now is like a mist, correct?]

"Ah, yes. It feels like a thick fog."

[Great. That is the outside. It feels like that because the spatial connection is still being forged. Ignore all that and try to push your perspective inside. What you should see is a defined space with a few symbols in it.]

It takes quite a few attempts and some further patient coaching from… the conduit, but eventually he succeeded and found himself facing a strange, multifaceted space. Light seemed to refract from a thousand different angles in a thousand different shades around the edges of this strange place. Almost as if he were standing inside a diamond.. It's quite beautiful. More beautiful still are the elaborate, shining patterns that hang within the space, motionless and bright. They gleam with power. 

"I've never seen anything like this before…" 

[Yes, we do good work, if I have to say so myself. Not that it's helped much so far. Now the next thing I need you to do is focus on that large pattern over there. Try to imagine it lighting up, as if you had filled it the energy it required to work.]

"What now?"

[Just trust me.]

This takes considerably longer but thankfully the conduit is quite patient. After what feels like the hundredth attempt, he provided something to the pattern and it ignited. An explosion of light blazed brighter and brighter until all he could see is white, and his senses were overwhelmed. He hung in a vast expanse of endless white, thoroughly confused. What happens next?

A voice rushed across the distance and resounded against his ears.

"Welcome, traveller. 

The voice felt powerful and deafening yet intimate and soft the same time. His whole being vibrated with every syllable.

"I am sorry for what we have done to you, and that you must be forced to this task against your will, but please understand that we had no choice."

Task? Against my will?

"There is so much I have to say, but there is precious little time. If you survive and grow, I will be able to tell you more. For now, please listen, and see."

If I survive?! He tried to speak, to protest, but his voice, whatever it was, felt sealed within this place. Here, he could only experience, not interact.

"Our world is ruined."

In a flash, the blank canvas before me is replaced with the image of an endless, burning plain. Dark, sickly flame licks against everything that isn't already a ruin, overgrown with mould and pulsating mounds of what appears to be flesh. The scene flickered before his eyes and he could feel hopelessness and despair clinging to every rock.

"The living have become twisted and defiled. No longer able to function as people."

The image flashes again and now he saw a repulsive creature. Black, twisted metal erupts from its flesh and growls with mindless hunger as it stalks through the shattered wasteland. It's skin is mixed patches of pallid, almost translucent clumps and charred, encrusted growths. With rising horror he began to realise that this creature was once human, or something very like it. What could have possibly happened to turn a person into… this?

"You, and others like you, are our last chance to redeem this world. The defiled must be destroyed, and you will grow stronger by consuming their corruption. I wish you good luck, traveller. And again, I'm sorry."

And WHAM. Back into the multifaceted hall of glitter. The ornate pattern that he had enervated is once again lifeless and dull. He felt tempted to try and charge it again, perhaps he'd get more answers? But before he could act, it began to break apart! Before his disbelieving eyes, the incredible tapestry of hanging light crumbled to dust, the fragments being absorbed into the shell of the space in which he existed.

[You're back? Great! Everything clear now?]

"What? No! Not even a little bit!"

[Haaa. I thought as much. With only one floor, there just isn't enough power to talk for long, and not a lot of incentive to invest resources in you. At least you got something.]

"What are you talking about?"

[Let's get to work and then we'll be able to discuss other things as we go. How does that sound?]

"I'm still confused. What task? What work? That voice said something about cleansing corruption? A damaged world? What does that all mean?! And the things I saw? Terrible…"

[I'd love to fill you in on that, I really would. And I will. Later. Right now we need to start getting you set up, since the connection will stabilise in five minutes and you might want some protection when that happens. Wouldn't want you getting consumed on the first day.]

"Hold on, consumed? You need to slow down just a little here. I'm completely lost!"

[I'm not being difficult because I want to. Honestly. But it five minutes, you're going to be cut off from me and I won't be able to help you nearly as much. I know it's not ideal, but those are the rules. So it is critical to your survival that you listen to what I have to say right now.]

The conduit's voice has become much more intent and it shocked him enough that he fell silent, ready to listen.

[Okay. Now this may sound strange, but I need you to not question and just accept. You are going to be placed on the world and will be your job to lure and destroy the defiled. It won't be hard to lure them, they'll come for you once they find you, and if they manage to get their hands on you… it won't be pretty.]

"So I'm supposed to fight and destroy these… defiled?"

[Not in the way you are thinking. You aren't exactly a person anymore, so the way you fight is not going to be in the way you expect. It all boils down to the rules agreed on when the contest reached this phase. In the end, it's your job to create a space that will draw in and destroy the defiled. The more you can bring in and kill, the stronger and larger a space you will become. When you expand down to create a second floor, my connection to you will be strengthened and you'll be able to learn more. For now, we need to make some basic selections to get you started.]

Floors? That's not the first time they said that…

[Right then. Not much time left. We don't have much to choose from this time around. What do you want for your first floor monsters? Gribblins, Shaakin, or Beastlings?]

He blinked. Sort of. He didn't have eyes anymore, it was taking some getting used to.

First floor? Monsters?

"Why do I need monsters?"

He could almost feel the eye roll. 

[In order to defend yourself. Just pick one. Gribblins are little imp-like critters, Shaakin are a type of lizard or Beastlings which are small, bipedal beasts.]

"Uh.. Beastlings? I suppose?"

[Great. I'll get that sigil engraved.]

Where the previous pattern had once rested, now another began to take shape. Ribbons of something appeared from thin air to twist together to create a symbol that evoked a savage face.

[Now you've only got room for a basic trap package. That's all you get at the first floor, I'm afraid. Piercing, blunt or ambush?]

"Traps?"

[Yes. Traps. Only two minutes left, by the way.]

He should be panicking but he just couldn't muster that sort of strong emotion.

"Ambush?"

Piercing and blunt sounded a bit too… direct. 

[Great.]

Another sigil began to take shape next to the first. It looked like a wooden wall covered in leaves, but surrounded with strange, arcane patterns.

[You're all set to go. Good luck and I hope you make it to the second floor! Again, I wish I could do more, but rules are rules.]

"I just don't understand what's going on. Rules? What rules? Who made the rules?"

[The Gods,] the conduit said as if he was daft. [This is the latest phase in the battle between the gods.]

"Gods? Was that the voice of a god that I heard?"

[Goddess. Yes. Congratulations, you've been conscripted by the Pantheon of Light to battle against the Dark. The rules were agreed on by both sides after the last contest ended.]

"So why do the rules make things so hard for me?"

A rumble shook the space and he felt his mind being drawn back out from the internal, crystalline view to the see the fog clearing from around him.

[Because we are losing.]

1.2

He was a cave. He also needed a name. He felt very confident that he'd had one before, but whatever it was, he couldn't remember. A name was important, it would help him focus. But at the same time, he was a cave, and that demanded attention. Once the conduit had finished speaking, the fog that obstructed his vision burned away over a few seconds to reveal his location. Soft earth walls, a narrow cave mouth, ten metres of narrow tunnel that connect the entrance to a small, three metre by three metre chamber in which sits a strange crystal.

The crystal was him, just like the cave was. He could feel the cave. Not in a tactile sense, as in, with hands, but he could feel nonetheless. It was as if the entire cave was a part of his body, but the crystal that sat unceremoniously on the floor of his chamber was the most part of him. It was weird. The sudden changes were overwhelming to him and he was struggling to take it all in at once. He decided to settle himself and focus on one thing at a time. A name. He needed a name. It would help focus his mind on his sense of self, which was struggling a touch since he was now a cave/crystal hybrid.

Cavin? As in Gavin, but with cave? No, too literal. Gemington? Jemmy? Same issue. Dirt guy? He knew he was a guy… Omega? No, the Greek thing felt a little… occupied. Bah! The name wasn't important, he just needed to pick one! Wallis. He was surrounded by walls, so Wallis. Literal for the win.

Wallis had settled one issue and he felt a surge of triumph at this achievement. One goal down! Onto the next one. Wallis supposed the next thing he needed to do was work out exactly what he was able to do. His new… body, was a cave with an oddly square room containing a crystal. What did the conduit say? He was supposed to… lure in defiled people and 'cleanse' them. That sounded uncomfortably close to murdering them. Was he supposed to be some sort of murder hole? He had access to traps and monsters, if what had taken place before still held true. 

And apparently he needed to defend himself from intruders, because if others managed to get hold of that crystal thing, the 'core', then he'd be in for a bad day. Wallis didn't particularly feel inclined to have a bad day, so he decided his next task would be to try and defend himself. An ambush trap on his own wasn't much use, so a monster would have to be the way to go.

The only question being… how was he supposed to summon one? He poked around in the cave but didn't find anything interesting. No shiny buttons or signs that screamed 'press me for monster!'

They really didn't tell him much, did they? He was supposed to take part in some grand conflict and this is all the help he got? Rough. After puzzling for a few more minutes he remembered that the conduit did in fact teach him something. He learned how to look inside the crystal and activate the sigils held there! Also, when he picked his monster and trap type, new sigils were made in that space! Now he was getting somewhere.

Reusing the method he'd been taught, he shifted his attention inside the crystal and looked at the sigils he had available. There were actually four. The beastling and ambush trap sigils remained, but alongside were two others that he hadn't noticed before. One seemed to represent a path, and the other, a room. Is this how he made new tunnels and rooms? Would make sense.

Not willing to get distracted, he focused on feeding the beastling sigil. It took a few goes, he still didn't have the hang of it yet, but eventually he managed to power it. The sigil glowed with mystic power as it activated and a familiar voice rang within Wallis' mind.

[Summon Beastling. Basic Beastling Minion available. 10 Mana.]

"Conduit?! Is that you?"

Wallis waited for a long moment but no reply came. Is this like, and automated function? The sigil remained powered as he floated within the core and pondered. The conduit had said that he would get a stronger connection to her once he grew another floor. It seemed that until he was able to extend his domain that he was going to be on his own.

The words of the conduit still rang in his mind and the sigil remained illuminated, as if waiting for a sign of some sort.

"Uh. Yes?"

It was enough. There was a rush of power draining from the core and Wallis returned his awareness to outside just in time to see a small creature taking shape in his core room. Glittering fog poured out of the core and in a matter of seconds moulded itself into the shape of a small, fuzzy creature that looked like a bipedal badger that would be waist high on a human.

"Master, I serve!" The creature growled as it seemed to stare straight at him.

"Ah! You talk?" Wallis spluttered.

"Yes. What do I kill?" It snarled.

The aggressive little bugger seemed to have only two modes of speech: growling or snarling. With its lips pulled back to reveal pretty nasty looking teeth and saliva dripping from its snout, it looked pretty fierce, even if it was quite small.

"Nothing… for the moment. I suppose? Just defend the core… uh, me. The core."

"I will protect!" the little badger-man roared before he started marching backwards and forwards in the core room, flexing his claws and staring at the entrance.

Thinking of the entrance gave Wallis an idea.

"Are you able to leave the tunnel?" He asked his new… monster.

He was disappointed when the creature shook its head. 

"Cannot," it growled, "am not Dirkesh. Not native."

So saying, the badger resumed marching.

Dirkesh? Wallis was a bit confused, but still, another challenge overcome! Now he had a little badger person to protect him and he'd learned how to operate the sigils! Great progress. But, what to do now? He could make a trap… or a tunnel. Perhaps he should summon another beastling? It felt like it consumed energy to do that the first time, did he have enough remaining?

[Mana remaining: 10/20.]

The conduit comes through once more! Fantastic! So he was able to summon another, but then he'd be out. Honestly though, what was he going to spend it on? A tunnel on its own wouldn't help him, and neither would traps without monsters. He'd rather have more monsters before he started to introduce the ambush traps. Set on his path, Wallis once again shifted his mind within the core and powered the beastling sigil. When he was prompted, he once again confirmed that he would like to summon the creature.

"Master! I serve! Who do I kill?!" It growled.

The beastlings had a strangely angry way of talking. They sounded as if they chewing on something that severely pissed them off whenever they spoke. 

"Nobody to kill, at the moment," Wallis waved at the beastling, in a good mood. "Help your friend out and protect the core, okay?"

In response, the beast just snarled and began pacing the core room alongside its fellow badger, claws out and staring at the entrance. With no mana to spend and nothing to do, Wallis lapses into watching his two wild, savage, diminutive badger monsters spit and hiss as they wander about the core room. After some time, he realises that he can concentrate his attention to a particular point in the dungeon, almost as if he were standing in a particular place. Whenever he does so, the beastlings appear to watch him, as if checking to see what he's doing. It's clear they are aware of his 'presence' to some extent.

When he tried to send his awareness to the entrance, he was given a rude shock. The outside of his cave may as well not exist! It wasn't so much that he slammed into a brick wall, but rather the world itself simply ceased to exist. He existed everywhere inside his cave, but everything outside of it may as well have been in a different universe. At least he was learning. He had some defenders. What good they'd do against the twisted monstrosity he saw in the vision, he didn't want to imagine, but it had to be better than nothing! 

Now he just to wait for his mana to replenish!

How long was that likely to take?

With nothing else to do, he sunk himself within the core and continually prompted to check his current mana so that he might know the instant it ticked it over to one. Unfortunately, without a way to track the time, he was stuck guessing at how long he'd been waiting. When he finally was notified that his mana was now 1/20 he guessed that an hour had passed.

Fortunately, he was saved from having to wait another hour for his second mana point. Before another half hour had elapsed, he felt a slithering cold feeling wash over him as something crept through the entrance to his tunnel. It felt as if a cold snail were sliming its way down his back, appalling! 

"Somethings here!" He croaked to his two defenders as he leapt out of the core.

The two beastlings immediately dropped into a crouch and snarled furiously, their fangs bared and claws extended as they stalked toward the entrance. Wallis crept along behind them, nervous but wanting to see what exactly was giving him this ghastly feeling.

It was a rat.

Or at least, something very much rat adjacent. Originally at least. It was clear to him that it had been deformed and corrupted by the same forces that acted upon the figure in the vision he'd seen. As large as a dog and hideously malformed, the rodent snuffed about the entrance as it oozed fetid black gunk onto the tunnel floor. Seeing it was bad enough, but feeling was worse. Every drop of the stuff tainted him.

His two defenders were similarly as outraged as he was. The moment they lay eyes on the rat, they charged and threw themselves onto the creature, stabbing and biting furiously. The rat hissed and responded in kind and before long the three creatures had devolved into a tangled mass of fur and claws. Outnumbered and outsized as it was, the rat put up a heck of a fight before succumbing to the nauseating violence of the beastlings. When it was done, the two badger-people stood bleeding and panting over the ruined remains of the corrupted creature. After catching their breath for a few moments, they turned back to the core room, and resumed their pacing.

Wallis was concerned for them.

"Well done you two, but don't you need to rest and heal or something?"

"No room," growled the first of his monsters.

"There's heaps of room in here," Wallis protested.

The monster shook it's head.

"No beastling room," it clarified. "This core room."

He wasn't sure what was going on, but this stank of rules. The beastlings needed a room in which to rest and recover? A room of their own? It was the least he could do for them after they'd protected him so vigorously! But he needed mana. Also, wasn't that rat corrupted? Hadn't he 'cleansed' it? Where was the reward?

He hesitantly returned his awareness to the entrance where the rat lay, still oozing and dripping on the ground. He didn’t even want to look at it, but he forced himself to. It truly was a wretched creature, but beyond its appearance, he began to notice something about it. The wrongness he felt began to seem as though he could reach out and grasp it. In fact, the more time passed, the more he felt that this was so. Tentatively, he tried it, pulling at that twistedness and trying to remove it from the remains of the defeated creature.

To his immense surprise, he succeeded! The rat glowed with soft light as the foulness was drawn away and when it was all gone, the rat itself dissolved into fog that dissipated into the tunnel walls.

[Mana gained: 10. Taint gained: 5]

Aha! Victory!