The Pursuit of Power, page 8
Jax continued. “If you can’t buy what you need, then you can’t keep making what you’re best at.”
Jax turned around, staring off with Jessica at the shelves, though Jax held a faint smile, as if he could see something else, as if he could see the same vision of glory that Jessica saw when thinking of her grandfather.
“All it takes is one blade, and then the next garrison chief could walk in and contract a thousand orders for their next raid.”
A light flickered behind Jessica’s eyes. She wrapped her fingers tightly around the hilt of her sword. “Fine.” she said.
Jessica grabbed the sack of coins and put them behind the counter. “I can’t believe I’ve come to this. A broker.” She bent down and grabbed a wooden box along with a large brown cloth that was rolled up tight. She plopped them on the counter between them.
“Take these.” she said.
Vincent and Jax looked inside the box and saw two sets of armor. They both reached in and pulled them out.
They were made of hard black leather covered in thin plates of blue tinted steel. A pentagon against their chest, and two rectangles of metal for each section of limb.
Jax put his mouth close to the piece he was holding in his hands, then blew, sending more dust into the air.
“Pretty old, huh?” he said.
“They’re some of the few pieces still here from my grandfather’s day. He made them when he was younger, but they’ll fit and get you by. Beggars can’t be choosers.”
“And these,” Jessica grabbed the cloth and unwrapped it, “are your weapons.”
Vincent and Jax almost dropped the armor. In front of them lay two steel long swords, each hinted with the light blue of a morning sky. Their tapered blades ran smoothly to cross hilts of wrapped black leather.
“They're both level six. They’ll get you by. If you want better, come back with more money.”
Vincent went to pick up his blade from the counter. He gripped the hilt, but he was met with weight. It was much heavier than his shortsword. Vincent tried again, grabbing it with both hands, putting his own strength into his forearms. The blade lifted from the counter.
Jax picked his up as well and they both stood there holding them long against their chests. They split their visions in two.
“And don’t go thinking this is even. I still expect more, from both of you.” Jessica said, eyeing them with daggers.
“Look at me, Jessica.” Jax beamed his golden teeth, sharp crimson hair, and earthen eyes. “Do I look like a crook?”
Jessica laughed and waved them out.
Chapter 8
Vincent and Jax stood beside each other at the back of the crowd that had gathered. They both wore their new armor, with their swords strapped to their waists. A sea of turned heads bobbed up and down in front of them.
Elisa was the only face looking back from the other side. She stood at the front, scanning the crowd and checking off names on her clipboard.
Though Vincent and Jax stood the furthest away, they had actually been the first two to arrive. Both had woken up especially early, left the city gates and made their way along the outer walls until they came to a road of smooth cobblestone that led them here. Neither wanted to miss this chance.
They were at the back of the gathering because as the other participants arrived, they walked past them and assumed a closer position to the front. Vincent and Jax paid it no mind. Their attention was elsewhere.
Vincent’s head was tilted up and staring into the sky, but still, his whole vision was taken over by the massive structure. Black bricks the size of houses, stacked atop one another, interlocked and swirling into a spiral that pierced the clouds and had no end.
This was the dungeon.
It was one of few things Vincent knew a little about. It was mentioned in almost every book he had opened in the library. A tower of magic, broken into different floors filled with monsters. Each author talked with such familiarity. Names and numbers Vincent couldn’t understand from never growing up around them. But Vincent knew this was the place to go.
Something inside him drew him here. Excitement? Fascination? Whatever it was, it glued his eyes on the black stone of the dungeon sitting there before his eyes. He had never been this close before. They were always far off pillars holding up the clouds, but now, he saw the small cracks between each stone and the wide visage that made him turn his head to take it all in.
“Can’t believe they’re sending us into Yazheim.” Jax said beside him.
“Why is that?” Vincent replied, keeping his gaze upward.
“Out of all three dungeons in the city, Yazheim is the only rank two. Odd they’re sending new recruits into the most dangerous one.”
Vincent scrunched his brow. “Rank?”
Vincent couldn’t see the judging look of Jax, but it was there. “Yeah, we have two rank one dungeons, and this is our only rank two.”
“They look the same on the outside. What’s so different.” said Vincent.
“Magic, actually” he said, talking now as if this was information it was okay not to know. “I heard they take the best mages in the land with the skill [Quantify] and try to get a number to how much mana is stored inside it. But I guess that could be a rumor. I did hear it from the insane man who lives in the alley behind the pub.”
Vincent sighed. “So no one really knows how dangerous it is?”
“Everyone knows it's dangerous. That’s pretty good enough for most people.”
Vincent laughed.
“But” Jax said, “They know it's a rank two because of the number of floors they’ve reached.”
Vincent looked down from the dungeon’s tower at Jax.
“How many floors does Yazheim have?” he said eagerly.
Jax looked back at him perplexed. “They can only know the ones they’ve already made it to. Nobody knows how many floors it actually has.”
“Wait, they don’t know how many floors there are?”
Jax shook his head at him. “No, you’d have to clear a dungeon to know that. And nobody’s ever cleared a dungeon before.”
Vincent almost felt his skull crack. He looked back at the tower that was taking up the skyline. Nobody had even reached the top before. Even on a cloudless day with the bluest of skies, the tower seemed to never end.
All the books Vincent had read talked about them, but they were all talking from a point of fascination, of study. Vincent realized that research must still be going on. There was still so much mystery waiting inside.
Jax stuck up his hand and counted on his fingers, starting at his index. “38, 44, and Yazheim at 23 floors reached. That's a rank two for you.”
Vincent was still shocked, staring at the tower. Thinking about how no one had made it past floor twenty three was just too much.
“Picking the most dangerous one probably has something to do with publicity for the trial.” Jax said. “You know, ‘the young nobles were able to step into Yazheim on their first days.’ That sort of garbage.” Jax looked over the crowd, judging all the backs of heads.
At the same time, Elisa was checking off the bottom of the list, looking back at Jax. She then lowered the clipboard. The gathering had a continual buzz of excitement, but as Elisa finished, the crowed hushed itself in preparation.
“Today we enter a dungeon.” she said, casting her voice over all of them. “We will only venture into the first floor of Yazheim today. And once we enter I will give further instructions.” She stared out with hard eyes, meeting many faces, including Vincent in the far back. “This is not a suggestion. You will do as I say.”
She waited a moment.
“Do you understand!” She beamed.
“Yes!” The group cheered back, many of the younger tenors ringing with excitement. But Vincent could also hear the faintest voices quickly groan approval.
Elisa shouted from the head of the group to move out. Vincent and Jax followed the crowd. They made their way up a set of black stone steps. At the top was a large wooden gate, binded by streams of metal, that looked to be made for gods, not men.
Elisa headed the charge at the closed gate. All of the participants seemed confused as she walked straight towards it. How was she going to open something so huge? But Elisa walked with calm and as she met the gate, her body passed through the wood and metal, sending a ripple of energy as if it was made of water. And then Elisa was gone.
The first few participants were cautious, but the group pushed them forward and in they went as well, passing through the gate. Their tension eased and on they all went.
Vincent and Jax were the last to touch the gate.
Vincent reached out his hand and held it before the surface.
“Are you ready?” he asked Jax.
“Never been more ready?” Jax said, showing his teeth.
They both plunged forward and passed through the gate.
It was only a split second of darkness, sending a moment of panic through Vincent, but then there was light. It poured around him and the world came into focus.
In front of him stood the same group as before, but all around him was the bright light of the sun. Tall grass waved at his feet. And a soft breeze brushed against his chest. Vincent looked out and saw trees, tall and wide, covered in green. A forest, spanning as far as his eyes could see.
He was in disbelief. And even Jax beside him had his mouth hung open.
Vincent expected darkness and evil, for whatever that entailed. But this, this was not his image of a dungeon. If he listened closely, he could hear life, the chirping of birds and cricketing of insects. How was any of this possible?
“Listen up!” beamed Elisa from ahead.
Everyone’s attention slowly filtered back to her and away from the vibrant scenery around them.
“I always wait to tell you this until we are inside because of the faces you are making right now.” Elisa said with a little anger in her voice. She pointed at the forest behind her. “Don’t get it twisted. This is a place of death.”
The sprouting joy across many of the faces in the crowd left.
“The sky, the light, it is all fake. You are in a dungeon. Inside here, everything wants to kill you. It wants to drink your blood and suck you dry. If you forget that, then you will die.”
Elisa let the words sink in. Many participants regained their composure and stared straight ahead. Vincent and Jax grinned and rested one hand on the hilt of their blades.
“For the first day’s trial. You will be broken up into small groups and asked to venture into the first floor. You will survive until nightfall and meet at our signal point.”
“Alone?” A small voice said from the front of the group.
“Yes.” Elisa nodded. “I am not here to walk you through. This is your chance to show off. You will be judged on how you make it till the end of day. But don’t worry too much. This is the first floor. You won’t find anything above level ten here.”
The faces of many participants relaxed. But Vincent and Jax started to grow tense.
“I will be taking time to evaluate each group individually.” Elisa said, raising her clipboard again. “When your name is called, gather before me next to your team members.”
Vincent listened for his name and watched as the names were called. The first two groups had four members each. They all wore expensive looking suits of armor, even more impressive and decorative than the set they had just bought, so it was hard to tell who they were. Only a single figure seemed to stand out.
In the second group was an androgynous looking fellow. Silky white hair down to their shoulders, and a set of silver armor that made them gleam. Everyone around seemed to make way for them, but stayed just close enough that they didn’t look imposing or unkind.
The next two groups were formed with six members each. They were mostly male groups. All of them were quite rowdy, laughing and bumping each other around. Although there were a few larger participants that drew the eye, it was still the young man with deep orange hair and flame like armor that ran rampant, calling the shots and making the flow of all their movement.
To Vincent’s surprise, there were more participants than he expected. Even after the first four groups were lined up in front of the forest, a wall of people still stood in front of Vincent. Elisa kept moving and calling out new names.
An additional three groups were made with four members each. None of them caught Vincent’s eye. None of them even looked like they wanted to be there. Their names were called, then they walked sheepishly forward. They huddled together, but each group looked like strangers plucked out of thin air.
Finally, standing as the last few remaining, he heard, “Vincent.”
Hearing his name called, he walked up to Elisa standing at the front. She stared back at him for a moment, but there was little recognition in her eyes. She quickly went back to the group and said, “You too Jax, actually, the rest come as well.”
Vincent turned to find out that there was only Jax and one other person left. He was a young man, a foot shorter than either of them. He had short brown hair and a small build. But the armor around his body was form fit, light weight, and carved from a green metal.
Vincent looked up and down the line of teams. Four, six, four. They were the only team with three members.
Before Vincent could say anything, Elisa said, “You’ll have to make due.” Then she walked away.
Then from a few feet away, a distance where she could look out at each group and stare into their eyes, she scanned them all and nodded to herself.
“Look to the person to your left and then your right.” she said.
Vincent glanced at Jax, meeting his eyes with a chuckle, then turned and looked down at the young boy beside them. Vincent noticed the spear strapped to his back and the clean cut of his hair. Vincent knew his hair didn’t look as clean anymore. It had grown out and hung smoothly around his ears.
Looking down at their new team member, Vincent felt uneasy. He didn’t mind working with Jax, he even preferred it, but he felt hesitant with someone else around.
“If you know them already, good,” Elisa said, drawing back their attention. “If you are meeting them for the first time, even better. You are here to become dungeoneers. All of you must be prepared to enter a guild, join a team, and venture into dangerous situations with others, some of which you know little about.” The other participants looked around again at their teams, evaluating them for the first time. “You will need to rely on each other and make the best decisions not only for your safety, but for those around you. If you cannot, then you’ll learn quickly.”
Elisa let her words sink in, then ended on, “It is time. Find the signal by nightfall. I hope to see you all there.”
The teams looked out into the forest. Vincent peered into the brush, seeing rows of trees, a floor of dirt and stone, all cast in a shadow from the canopy from above. Light broke through the leaves, leaving patterns of yellow light scattered in every direction.
All the teams had a moment of stillness. Hesitation cut a line on the forest’s boundary.
Vincent and Jax looked at one another, finding each other smiling. They drew their blades from their hips. The long steel sounded off the leather as they held the heavy blades in two hands.
A growing pressure crept all the teams forward. And once a single step was across the imaginary line, they pushed onward, their backs disappearing into the darkness.
Chapter 9
There was little difference between the forest of Warg outside the dungeon and the one they now found themselves in. The sun was just as bright, the trees just as thick, and the dirt just as firm under their boots.
Vincent stood only a half step behind Jax. He kept more attention on their right while Jax took on the left. They both had high enough senses to cover all directions, but they had naturally learned to split the focus while working together.
They had only been walking for a minute, but nothing had appeared. There was life all around them, though none of it was special to a dungeon. A small blue bird, a butterfly, an anthill. No monsters were in sight.
Behind them scrambled another set of feet. Vincent looked back and saw the young boy lagging behind them. Vincent and Jax were not walking especially fast. It was that the boy was spinning his head this way and that. He stopped every few seconds to snap his neck in another direction.
Jax’s brow kept scrunching closer together as they went on. Vincent could tell he was flustered by the addition to their team, but Jax was letting the anger build up. Vincent chose to stop in his track and speak up before it was too late.
Jax stopped when Vincent did and looked back at him, but Vincent was waiting for someone else.
The young boy stumbled forward, looking off to his left. He finally looked ahead again just as he was about to bump into Vincent.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” he said in a soft voice.
Vincent sighed. “What’s your name?”
“Um, Aeris Kareakian.” He shifted his footing and tried to stand a little taller as his last name got out.
Vincent reached out his hand. “I’m sorry for not introducing myself sooner. I’m Vincent and this is my partner Jax.” He pointed over his shoulder.
“Yes, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Aeris said, reaching out his hand.
It was a little smaller than Vincent expected, but Aeris gave a firm handshake and a pleasant smile. Though it didn’t seem to match. It felt a little too well rehearsed.
“Just so that we can work together properly, can I ask about your skill level?” said Vincent.
“Of course.” Aeris said. He raised his hand and said, “[Show]”
Vincent’s eyes went wide. What was he doing?
“Th-thank you.” Vincent said awkwardly, “but you should really keep that information to yourself. Telling us verbally is just fine.”
“I have no need to lie.” Aeris said honestly.
“No need to be so kind.” Vincent said, trying to convey the seriousness through his eyes.
