Dungeons and Dalliances Ch. 060-069

Which, uh, she supposed would make sense with this outlandish theory. Not that she believed it. It was a little far fetched.

Only finding shrugs and sympathetic looks from her teammates, Liz turned back to Ana. "You really shouldn't say things like that."

Ana waved her hand. "It's what the mural depicts. We need to talk about it."

"I meant the, 'the Harvest is as possible as anything else, including our religion'. That's ridiculous."

It made sense Liz had more traditional values than Natalie and her friends. She was a member of the Beaumon family. The literal royal family, even if their titles were antiquated. Tradition and royalty went hand in hand.

"Back it up a few steps," Natalie said, focusing on the meaningful part of the discussion, and also trying to defuse the situation. "Details, please? The Architect harvested our gods to make the System? What does that mean, exactly?"

Ana turned to Natalie, still confused from her interactions with Liz, and why Liz had become uncharacteristically insistent that Ana sanitize what she was saying. The girl was a bit clueless. Even she should be able to recognize why questioning someone's religion would have them on edge. The only reason Natalie, Sofia, and Jordan didn't also care was because, frankly, they weren't religious.

"There's not much to it," Ana said. "I've already succinctly summarized. And though ancient records are unreliable, there is an interesting amount of evidence that suggests the withdrawal of the gods occurred near the same time the system was put into place."

"This is thousands of years ago," Natalie said. "There's records of that?" Never mind the other claims—that the system was 'put into place' and hadn't always existed. She did, as most people, notice how it fit incongruently with other natural laws, and so she adhered to the belief of an 'Architect' who designed it, separate to the 'Maker' of the natural world, but the timeline and how was questionable to say the least. Even Valhaurian teachings didn't agree with each other.

"Inconsistent translations, yes," Ana said, "and partial, but records nonetheless."

"Emphasis on inconsistent," Liz said, "and partial."

"Indeed," Ana said. "In the same way many Valhaurian holy texts are doubtful in accuracy and translation."

She gave the retort in a totally impassive manner, as if this were an academic debate and not something Liz clearly held as a personal belief. Natalie grimaced the the continued lack of empathy.

"Regardless," Ana continued, "the mural depicts it. Thus this topic needs to discussed."

Natalie edged in before Ana's frankness caused further problems. "And those seven?" she asked. "The gods above the rest. The Upper Pantheon is made up of ten. So why're there seven?"

"Those aren't the Valhaurian Upper Pantheon," Ana said. "Those are the Passions."

"The Passions?"

"The Theliosian equivalent of our Upper Pantheon," Jordan said. Natalie was surprised that she'd only now entered the fray. Usually this sort of thing would be right up Jordan's alley. She didn't 'have an interest in religions' as Ana claimed, but she was generally well informed. "Theliosians worship the gods of emotions above all others, unlike us."

"Much of the world does," Ana said. "The Theliosians are far from the only."

"And the Passions are what?" Natalie asked. "Or who, I guess."

"In Valhaurian terms?" Ana pursed her lips. "Not all have direct equivalents. Groupings of aspects, names, lineage—after so much time, I'm certain no religion has an accurate accounting."—Liz made a distressed noise, which Ana continued to ignore—"And more to the point, I'm intrigued by these three, who seem to be waking. Why?"

A sudden suspicion hit Natalie. Her stomach sank. "Those three?"

"Rage, Greed, and," Ana peered at the last of the figures. "Lust."

Ah.

The dungeon had chosen to depict a mural of the Harvest. A mural in which the goddess of lust was 'stirring to consciousness' after a long, supposed-to-be-permanent sleep, which the Architect had organized.

Was it a coincidence? Natalie suddenly remembered the strange circumstances of how she'd been given her class. The Bestower's words, the nature of her class in general. Combined with this?

Natalie felt vaguely nauseous. Then again, maybe it wasn't warranted. Who said this meant anything? It was a puzzle fabricated by the dungeon; it had zero guarantees of accuracy. Even Ana, who apparently 'had an interest in religions', talked about the Reverie in removed terms, not convinced at the theory's accuracy.

Still, she shared a look with Jordan, whose eyebrows were raised. She'd patched together the implications. How Natalie's class might relate to this.

"I wonder why it's showing us this," Natalie said. "And why three are waking."

"The dungeon presents puzzles aligned to its delvers," Ana said, making Natalie's heart jump. The follow-up calmed her. "Thus, I have to assume, this one was given to me, because of my interest in the subject."

Probably not presented to her alone. Both of them. Ana, for her theological knowledge, and Natalie for ... another potential reason. Though she had no guarantees.

She itched to question Ana, but she didn't want to draw suspicion. She'd talk with Jordan about it later. Look more into this 'Reverie-Siphon Hypothesis' on her own time. The details of her class might get out, eventually, and Natalie showing too much interest in this mural could be suspicious.

Because she didn't trust Ana. Not that she distrusted her, but certainly not trust. The same to Liz, for all she was easy to get along with. Natalie didn't think of herself as suspicious by nature, but she didn't go blindly trusting people she'd known for only a week. Especially politicians, as most Tenet students were.

They stood in silence, Ana, and the rest of them, inspecting the mural. The seven pillars, buttons on top of each, were clearly how the puzzle was meant to be solved. But what was it asking? Did they get one chance, one button press?

If so, though she didn't know the full logic of the puzzle, Natalie suspected which they should start with. Even if none of this was guaranteed to be built on a factual basis, it couldn't be coincidence this had been shown to her, and that 'Lust' was one of the figures waking.

So. The first button press seemed obvious.

3.05 - Loot Chest I

"Perhaps I'm overthinking it," Ana eventually said. "Because I don't see a deeper meaning."

"It's just asking which are waking first?" Natalie said.

"All of the Passions are elevated, but only three are stirring," Ana said. "Perhaps it's seeking the ordering? From most to least? Even so, I would have figured the solution to be more difficult."

"We are pretty close to the entry," Jordan said. "And only on the first floor. Not likely to get anything crazy."

"I suppose it was more of a hope," Ana said. "Such an intriguing piece of artwork inspired something grander, don't you think?"

"Er," Jordan said. "Yeah. I guess so."

"The ordering, then. Or perhaps it's a single answer." Ana looked around, seeking input.

Natalie surveyed the mural one more time. When it came to solving puzzle rooms, she knew she was one of the least valuable resources here, but that didn't mean she'd turn off her brain and refuse to try.

"Think there's a reason those three are waking faster than the rest?" Maybe they could work backward.

"Not that I can think of," Ana said.

Ana would know better than her. Natalie herself certainly didn't have any clues. "Well, if it comes down to a vote, I say we press Lust first."

"Lust?"

"Seems she's the most awake. Though it's pretty close." Three of the figures were in roughly the same states. The other four were in a markedly deeper sleep than the three Passions, and beneath them, the rest of the gods didn't stir at all.

The reasoning she gave Ana was somewhat honest, if not entirely. Lust didn't seem especially more of a candidate than the other two figures, but they didn't know if the puzzle only wanted them to press one button, or a sequence. If the former—one choice only—then Natalie had a strong suspicion it should be Lust, considering her class. Though maybe the dungeon was trying to trick her, there?

But it was a first-floor puzzle. Like Jordan had pointed out, it shouldn't be that difficult. In fact, the solution really might be as simple as studying the figures and organizing them from 'most sleepy to least'.

Maybe, even, the puzzle wasn't there to challenge them, but to subtly provide information. That thought creeped her out. She pushed it away.

"Mm," Ana said. "Is that what we agree?"

"Seems our best guess," Jordan said. "I'll throw my vote in with Nat."

Whether Jordan truly believed it, or was simply supporting her, Natalie didn't know.

"At worst," Sofia added, "it's a one-in-three. And we should get going. We've lingered longer than I'd prefer, even if there's rewards for getting it right. I'd rather be fighting and earning experience, not crowded around a mural."

Natalie agreed. She would've pointed it out herself if she hadn't been distracted by the puzzle's possible relation to her class.

Ana looked around, waiting for any further opinions, but the group seemed to be in accord. She didn't seem entirely pleased at not having deduced a greater meaning behind the mural, but didn't continue to state her annoyance. Without ceremony, she stepped up to the pillar aligned with the Passion of Lust, then pressed the button down.

The group held their breath.

A grinding mechanism sounded somewhere beneath them, but otherwise, nothing happened.

"A sequence, then," Ana said. "That noise meant 'correct', possibly?"

"Something's definitely happening," Sofia said. "Feel free to take the lead. Sounds like you're the most suited. Make your best guesses, and let's be on."

Nobody disagreed, so Ana took over. With as little fanfare as the first button press, Ana walked between pillars, pressing buttons without even waiting to see the result. She'd already organized her full answer, apparently, however unsatisfied she'd been.

Beneath them, mechanisms ground loudly, overlapping as Ana rapidly progressed through the puzzle.

The last button hit, and with a few more scraping noises, the room fell silent.

A moment after, something rose from the center of the room.

A squat wooden chest revealed itself.

"You got it right?" Liz asked, surprised.

"Possibly," Ana said. "Or perhaps 'right enough'. Maybe a close sequence would have sufficed. Maybe there were tiers of rewards, and this is what we got for a partial answer." A hint of a frown. "I would have preferred feedback."

Jordan and Sofia inspected the chest for traps, then, satisfied, cracked it open. The five of them crowded around. This level of loot chest wouldn't have much to write home about, but still, it was their first loot ever. A landmark, however mundane and irrelevant their rewards would likely be.

The wooden top opened up, revealing ...

A single silver ring. It sat in the center of the chest's bottom, seeming smaller than it was because of its spacious container.

Sofia leaned forward and plucked the piece of jewelry between thumb and forefinger. She held it out, presenting it for the rest of the group to [Inspect].

***

Ring of Vulnerability

Common

Lv. 1

Effects

- Moderate increase to physical Furor.

- Moderate increase to physical Prowess.

- Moderate decrease to Tenacity.

Description

For the risk-taking physical class-bearer who seeks to maximize offense at the cost of defense.

***

"Seems ... fine," Liz said.

It was, apparent to all of them, an item with a severe downside. Granting moderate increases to both the user's physical Furor and Prowess stats was nothing to sneeze at, and even much better than the typical level-one common-rarity loot, but the kind of class who'd want to use it—Sofia or Jordan—couldn't afford to drop their defenses so much. The two damage dealers were already unfortunately easy to take down, should they take a stray hit or if a monster focused on them, and amplifying that weakness could easily outweigh the benefits.

At the same time, there was an argument to be made for extreme specialization. Pumping up role-specific stats and disregarding others.

Natalie, of course, wouldn't want it. As the team's tank, dropping her Tenacity by even a minor amount would be idiotic, even for the moderate boosts to maneuverability and damage output. The ring only affected the physical portion of their stats, so Ana and Liz likewise wouldn't need it, being mages. Natalie looked at Jordan and Sofia, who were each considering the item.

"Let's see what the rest is," Natalie suggested. They'd figure out who'd use the item—if anyone—afterward.

Sofia nodded, then tucked the ring away in a pouch. She returned to the chest, closing the lid. Waiting a few seconds, she popped it back open, and the five of them leaned in to see what, if anything, the dungeon had presented as their next reward.

A pair of white gloves sat at the bottom, materialized into the previously emptied space. Sofia lifted them for the team to [Inspect].

3.06 - Loot Chest II

***

Gloves of Quick-Thinking

Common

Lv. 1

Effects

- Minor increase to magical Prowess.

Description

A well-timed spell can be the difference between life and death.

***

The item was, of course, more unequivocally useful than the previous. Though it granted a weaker effect—noticeably so, since the differences between 'minor' and 'moderate' were fairly large—it also didn't come with downsides. A direct upgrade, no detriments.

Seeing how none of them had full sets of gear, yet, with Tenet's ten monster-core starting stipend only buying a weapon and one or two pieces of equipment each, equipping the spell-casting gloves would be an immediate boost in power to whoever claimed them.

Natalie didn't intend to make a claim on them. Clearly, Liz or Ana would make much better use of the gloves. Item distribution could be a tricky, nuanced thing, but earning a reputation as greedy was a good way to kill prospects with future teams. There was an expectation that a team would come out of a dungeon with a balanced distribution of earnings, but not always, such as when a particularly amazing item suited to someone's class dropped.

Natalie, and her friends she assumed, didn't want to make a big deal out of 'getting perfectly even' when it came to loot, and especially not today, where the team was testing their footing with each other. She liked this layout—even Ana, for all her oddness. Liz had other teams she would be trialing for, and possibly Ana too, so setting a good impression was important.

"You or Ana," Natalie said to Liz. "Obviously. Though I'm not sure which of you it'd be better on?"

"You could probably use them, too," Liz said brightly—though obviously being polite. "Hm. Who, though?" She looked to Ana for her input.

Ana seemed confused. "Why would Natalie get them? She's by far the worst caster. And only half a caster."

Liz's eyes widened at Ana's bluntness, a recurring trend, and she shot a concerned glance toward Natalie. But Natalie only found herself amused. She had mixed feelings on Ana's cluelessness, but it was also endearing, in a way.

"She's right," Natalie said. "Obvious choice is between you two. Go ahead."

"I assume Elizabeth," Ana said, frowning and looking between the two of them, as if noticing she had said something wrong but unable to place what. "We don't need more damage, which I would provide. Better healing is more important."

Liz clearly thought so too, and, Natalie thought, not simply because she wanted the item. "If you think so ..." Liz said.

Sofia handed off the gloves to Liz, who took them.

Liz donned the gloves, tucking her staff into her shoulder as she did so. Sofia turned back to the chest.

Unfortunately, there was no third item. Cracking the lid open one last time, an empty wooden panel met them. It was impossible to know how many items a chest would spit out. Just had to keep opening and closing.

Two, though, was an expected yield. Items were valuable, even commons, and in the nascent stages of their career, with all of them needing to fill out their equipment slots, even more so. Such a simple puzzle as the one they'd been provided—even if difficult to fight to—wouldn't dump armories into their laps.

Jordan and Sofia held a brief discussion on whether they wanted to equip the ring, but the downside was too troubling, at least for this initial run, where they were adjusting to the dungeon. Maybe when they had better confidence in avoiding attacks, they'd accept the moderate decrease in defense. Until then, the ring would stay stored in Sofia's pouch. Likely, it would be sold and the funds distributed among the five of them—the typical way to handle unwanted items.

So, puzzle room solved—two items richer, and some big-picture revelations nagging at Natalie—the group continued forward, back into the winding, damp cave tunnels of the dungeon, and away from the intricately carved mural.

They made steady progress. The first few intense fights having been handled, Natalie felt comfortable enough to start working in more illusions, rather than relying on her tried-and-true combat style. She'd improved during her week of training, and so, while not seamless, she didn't fumble while casting.

They were effective, too. Monsters seemed more vulnerable to the distractions than human opponents. While intelligent in a primitive, cunning way, most monsters, even the humanoid ones, were dumb beasts. Obviously illusions were more distracting to them, with the creatures not knowing to expect it, like Natalie's sparring partners did.

Though, not all monsters were dumb beasts. Some could even talk. Those were rare, and even the intelligent ones still wanted to, well, murder you. They didn't stand around and chat.

Today was a quick, after-class delve. With them needing to be back by ten, they couldn't be too ambitious. An intentional design by Tenet. Short delves, where you couldn't progress too far from the entrance portal, were less likely to turn dangerous. Harder to find bosses in such a short time frame, which was where the majority of deaths occurred.

Or, trained delver deaths. Regular monsters chewed through untrained, desperate ones at much higher rates. Most impromptu teams wouldn't ever make it to a boss.

The weekend would be the first 'long delve', where they'd bring rations and traveling supplies, and not be remotely as pressed for time. As it stood today, the clock burned away. Time flew when you were ... risking your life.

And having fun, which Natalie was, for all she probably shouldn't be. She'd always enjoyed getting her adrenaline pumping, and the dungeon managed that handily.

Eventually, fighting through tight cave tunnels, and a few smaller rooms, they found an entrance to an enormous cavern. The largest they'd ventured into so far, it would be the last before they would need to head back to make curfew.

"Have to work fast," Jordan commented, peering around the cavern. Several monsters—a giant white lizard, a fluffy brown bat hanging from the ceiling, a small group-encounter of goblins—littered the room. Six encounters total. None looked too bad, and they could draw them one at a time. Dungeon monsters could be dumb in odd ways, like not being alerted by combat just across the room. Though, not all of them. Again, when it came to the dungeon, 'usually' meant exactly that.

They'd definitely want to complete the room. The cavern was covered in resources: lush with vegetation, trees, and Natalie was pretty sure those streaks of brown on the walls were iron veins, or some other ore. She'd spent a few afternoons at the mining guild, and so ought to be able to clumsily extract it with the supplies she'd brought. It'd be a decent boost to the run's earnings. Likewise, Jordan would want to pick through the various plants, looking for poisonous ingredients—or simply materials to sell. The same for the rest of the team.