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Chapter 217 - Dungeon Marsh
🕑 Added 2023-04-24 00:46:00 +0000 UTCIt was deceptively far to the mountain pass. From above, it seemed a day or two away at most. From where he was now in the valley, the mountain didnât appear any closer no matter how much they walked. There were so many mountains, all packed in together, their peaks like the edge of a serrated blade.
He preferred his time in the forest. At least there, he didnât feel so exposed. They moved cautiously now, surrounded by never-ending rocky hills and grassy slopes, no telling what might be over the next rise. For the most part, they were left undisturbed, but the occasional overzealous beast came too closer. It was nothing they couldnât handleâstrange insects blown up far beyond their usual size. Hump kept a Burning Wisp ready for just the moment, racing Celaine for the killing blow. Simple.
The riders Celaine had spotted, on the other hand, were a mystery. Surrounded by hills and mountains on all sides, there was no telling who might be watchingâthat lefty Hump to peer up at the cliffs nervously, jumping at every shadow. It only took one stray arrow for everything to be over. Didnât help that their speed had slowed. Through the forest, moving on foot had been necessary. Out here where the terrain was more even, Rehk and Tokdaar were beginning to slow them down. Time was not on their side.
âYou keep looking around like that and youâll break your neck,â Celaine said.
âA little caution never got anyone killed.â
âMaybe not, but you look ridiculous.â
Hump frowned at that. âLike I care. Better that then an arrow through the back.â
âSure. Like youâd spot it coming.â
âYou sleep on a thornbush or something?â Hump asked.
Ahead of them, Rehk let out something between a huff and a grunt that told Hump she was bored of their squabble already. She and Tok led the way along the winding hills, navigating a path that avoided the worst of the rocky slopes.
âNo, Iâm trying to help,â Celaine said. âA hunterâs actions require purpose. What youâre doing looks tacky.â
âThis is a strange way to go about helping.â It dawned on him what she meant. âAre you worried Iâll embarrass you in front of your people?â
She snorted. âThereâs no avoiding that. Not your fault, but my welcome will certainly be far from friendly. If we can get you to at least look the part, things might go a little better.â
âIâm no Hunter of Owalyn,â Hump said.
âYou will beâin a way you already are. My people will not like that. They will not like that I did not return with Vamir, nor that Nishari has already hatched, nor that she comes with you attached at the hip.â
âRightâŠâ
He ran a hand over Nishariâs back as she slept in his lap. Once more Hump found himself dreading his arrival in Drakalyn, though there was also some excitement. He didnât particularly care what some backwater village in the Fallen Lands thought of him. He was, however, interested in seeing where it was Celaine came from, and the Great Tree of Owalyn. And Celaine was right, if he could avoid looking like a fool from the start, heâd do better there.
They followed grassy routes upward, few trees growing at such heights. At times, the route dipped, and they passed through small tree groves that touched on the bases of sheer, grey mountains, peaked with snow. Sometimes the entire hills were thick with shrubbery, suddenly broken at the end by a rocky mass where nothing grew.
âTeach me then,â Hump said. âIâd like to know more about your home anyway, and your customs.â
She glanced at him from atop Thistle. âFirst lesson, stop looking around all frantic. It doesnât just look silly, itâs a warning to anyone following us that we know theyâre out there. Donât let your anxiety dictate your actions.â
âNoted. What will happen to you anyway? Will there be some sort of trial?â
âNo, but I will be questioned. Iâll need to explain why I stayed with you. The elders are wise, they would have seen through Vamirâs goal to buy time for the egg to hatch.â
âI take it they wonât buy you staying because of my rugged good looks?â
âYouâre more aggravating than a thorn bush.â She glowered at him. âSiding with outsiders is not something thatâs taken lightly. Everyone has their role to play, and mine was to join the hunters. Iâm a Chosen of Owalynâone of her dragon blooded. Itâs my duty to provide for and protect my people. But after Starfall died and my sister lost herself, I didnât see the point. I enjoyed my time out in the world. I enjoyed travelling, and meeting new people, trying new foods.â
âYou wonât tell them that, will you?â
âMother, no.â
Hump laughed. âWhat will you tell them then?â
âDonât worry about it.â
âOh come on. Maybe I can help.â
She sighed. âI intend to tell them I stayed because I saw a Dragon Keeper in you.â
âWhat will happen if they donât?â
âThat is not for them to decide. That is for Owalyn, and the trials.â
âAh of course. And what if I fail them? Owalyn wonât smite me, right?â
She frowned, her face full of uncertainty. âYou wonât fail.â
âThatâs hardly an answer.â
âThose that fail the Dragon Keeper Trials lose their right to claim an egg. You already have a hatchling, so I do not know. They wonât kill you.â
âBrilliant.â
âI donât think they can argue you lack potential. You may not be one of Owalynâs hunters, but youâve advanced to the equivalent of fourth circle faster than anyone in my tribe. My people respect strength, and they respect character. You show them your best, and I believe they will come to respect you eventually.â
âYouâre going to make me blush.â
Celaine grimaced. âAnd this is why I hate talking about you. Itâs really a shame theyâll poke you like a pig when they realise the size of your ego.â
âMaybe we can avoid the topic of poking me with pointy things.â
âStop worrying,â she said. âWhen Vamir left us, I thought him a fool for believing in you. Youâve more than proven yourself though, Hump. Youâll pass the trials.â
Hump smiled at that, but another thought occurred to him. âWhat will happen to you and Vamir if I fail?â
âWe will be cast out and told never to return.â From the look on her face, Hump realised how bad that was. As nervous as she was to return, these were still her people. âWorse than that, I will have forsaken Owalynâs blessing.â
Hump stared at her. âYouâll lose your blessing?â
âMaybe. That depends on how badly you screw up.â
***
Hump shuffled up to the edge of the cliffâbad idea. His stomach churned at the sight of the near-sheer drop into the valley. Far down below was a marshland, partially hidden in a thick green mist. A buzz of chirps and croaks and gods knew what else reached them. Twisted trees poked their crowns out of the top, leaves coloured like poison. The mist stirred as creature floated around within, their bodies glowing dimly with essence. On the far side of the valley was a shallow slope, where the mist was clearer. There, Hump could make out the many vine-like appendages coming off the trees.
âPass there,â Rehk said, pointing to the left of the mountain ahead of them. âReach tomorrow.â
âYou didnât mention weâd need to get through a dungeon first,â Hump said.
He could sense its corrupted essence clearly, like grease on his skin. It was reassuring that it did not call to him anymore. His soul was healed, and whatever part of him craved dungeon essence was beaten. Nisha climbed onto his head for a better look. Fear shot through their bond, and Hump pressed his hand against her side to reassure her. Even Tokdaar had the good sense to keep away from the ledge, clutching to his motherâs leg.
âYou not ask,â Rehk said, hefting her shoulders. âDungeon no matter. Many in mountains. Stay outside, be fine.â
âTheyâre all but unavoidable out here,â Celaine said. âItâs worse on the other side of the mountains.â
âWeâre barely four days outside of Alveron.â
Celaine smirked. âThis is nothing. Barely a taste of what the Dead Marshes have to offer. Luckily, those are to the east of us. The Charred Heights arenât as dangerous.â
âThe Dead MarshesâŠâ Hump murmured. He was walking through lands heâd only heard tales of. He knew it was coming, but he couldnât help but be awed by it.
âTheyâre not so bad,â Celaine said. âThis far away from people, the dungeons donât have the resources they need to grow much. So long as we move around the outskirts, thereâs no significant danger.â
Rehk grunted her approval. âFear not dungeon. Dead hunt through mountains here. Dead of Ironjaw Pack too.â
âYour pack members were turned into undead?â Hump asked.
âSome.â She nodded, not seeming bothered outside of the danger they now posed.
Great, Hump thought. Thereâs a bunch of undead gnolls roaming about to worry about too.
He imagined being dropped into that poisonous pit of sufferingâlost in a world of mist, surrounded by monsters and unable to escape. Doomed to be dungeon food. He swallowed, and cautiously shuffled back from the ledge, leaning against his staff for balance. The dungeon essence suddenly felt thicker, washing over his senses and sending a wave of sickness through him. Before heâd solved his soul issues, it would have called to him to wield it. Now it just made him feel ill.
Celaine and Hump spent their time walking discussing Drakalyn and its customs. If Rehkâs estimates were accurate, they had two weeks until they would arrive. In that time, Hump wanted to learn as much as he could about Celaineâs people.
They followed the cliffâs edge, winding their way through patches of corrupted trees. The stench of rot and hum of creatures down below followed them, occasionally broken by a shriek or roar that echoed through the mountains, leaving Hump to wonder what lurked in the mists. At least this far from the dungeon core, the worst they had to worry about were insects and snakes.
âLetâs make camp here,â Hump said.
Theyâd come to a rocky height with a good view of the surrounding area. While there were still a couple of hours of daylight left, Hump didnât want to risk scrambling to set up his runes in the dark. Not this close to a dungeon.
âItâs quite a view, isnât it?â Celaine said grimly, standing close enough to the edge to make Hump nervous.
âDo not like,â Rehk said.
âShraach,â Tokdaar snapped, shaking his head, then babbling off more snaps and growls.
âTok no like too,â she translated.
âBetter we set up camp here then risk getting caught closer to the dungeon,â Hump said. âMost monsters are more active at night. I feel a lot safer up here.â
âIâm going to take a look around,â Celaine said. âMake sure thereâs nothing lurking nearby.â
While Celaine was gone, Hump got to work on his runes. The stone was solid here, and it took him longer to work his magic. Tokdaar and Nishari watched in awe as he melted stone with the touch of his staff, though Hump was in no mood to entertain. Up until now, the Fallen Lands hadnât felt so dangerous. Theyâd been attacked, but it was not a place that felt impossible to survive in. Now, setting up camp on the edge of a dungeon, the danger was all too clear. Even the vegetation reeked of corruption.
Settled, Hump and Celaine continued their training. He kept up with his usual wizarding practicesârotating through his shaping exercises, meditating on the River and Waves, incorporating his newly discovered Spirit Well into the practice. After that, he finished preparing Magma Pit. There was no more time for experiments. He wanted it ready for the moment they needed it.
Celaineâs mastery of her Wave of the Shadow Archer blessing had come a long way, but more impressive still was her use of internal essence techniques. She was always strong, being one with dragon blood, but now she had the addition of essence to enhance her. It was a combination Hump couldnât help but be envious of.
As dark set in, they worked together with Nisha, training her to respond to verbal commands as well as ones through their bond. If not for the dungeon to their right, it would have almost been pleasant.
***
That night, sleep didnât come easy. It felt like no time at all had passed when Celaine woke him.
âMy shift already?â Hump asked groggily.
Celaine shook her head, holding a finger to her lips.
Hump snapped awake. He blinked back his tiredness, a mix of nerves, fear, and adrenaline making that easy. Slowly, he sat up and followed Celaineâs finger. The mist had risen most of the way up to them, and on the edge of it, Hump made out the shape of a giant green slug as it slowly slithered past. The creature was as large as a horse, a wide, rotten-red jaw gaped open where itâs stomach would be. A single eye was above it, wide open and black.
âThereâs more creatures too,â she whispered. âThe mist suddenly started rising, and them with it.â
Nearby, Prancer stamped his hoof, huffing anxiously. Rehk was already awake, a nervous Tok huddled up to her leg.
âWhat this?â she asked quietly.
âDonât know yet,â Hump said.
He stood, rushing over to his runes and double checking the circle was still intact. So long as they held, their presence should be hidden, and any noise they made muffled. That didnât make him any less nervous. He stared out into the mist as it crept closer. A strange fly almost as big as him buzzed passed, drooping from the weight of its bulging lower appendage.
Minute by minute, the mist crept closer. He felt it tugging on his soul, infused with some sort of magic.
âThat mist is making me nervous,â Celaine whispered at his side.â
âI sense magic in there,â Hump said. It was like a lake of rotted power was before him, swelling as it rose the valley. He caught glimpses of essence within, like the bugs heâd seen during the day. âSome power of the dungeon, perhaps? You ever seen anything like it?â
Celaine shook her head.
They both held their breath as one of the slugs slithered straight toward them, single eye staring ahead. Hump could make out its porous skin, faintly illuminated by a green light from within. Its body was slick with slime, its teeth a disgusting yellow. Even from a few paces away, the stench of it made Hump want to gag.
He stepped back.
âRehk, bring Tok and stay close to me,â Hump said. âThereâs something strange about this mist.â
He got no answer, and turned to find the gnoll staring numbly, her eyes glazed over, head swaying side to side. Tokdaar wasnât at her side. Hump searched for the small gnoll, eyes going wide as he couldnât see him.
Celaine darted ahead before Hump could react, dashing out from his formation and into the mist, where he small a small silhouette staggering away. She grabbed him, dragging him back.
A long, croaking roar pierced the air, and one of the slugs charged after her. She tossed Tokdaar back within the circle, the gnoll landing with a cry and snapping him out from his stupor. A silver light pierced the mist, obliterating the slugâs body, leaving a puddle of green flesh on the ground just beyond the boundary of Humpâs veils.
Celaine dropped back in from above a moment later, as a chorus of shrieks filled the air, a swarm of monsters mobbing the fallen body.
âRehk, are you awake?â
âYes. Head fuzzy for moment.â
âStay with the horses. We canât let them gather here.â
Hump levelled his staff toward the crowd of beasts, red light gathering in the focus. âFire Blast.â
