Pocket Dungeon, page 39
A rapidly growing puddle.
Within seconds, a miniature version of the creature, which was still the size of a full-grown man, stood where the shapeless puddle had once been.
Oh, shit.
The larger of the two Beasts was still on the ground, but the smaller attacked with a ferocity I hadn’t been expecting. It slammed into me and knocked me flat onto my back with enough force to make my teeth ache in my jaw. It gnashed its sharp, massive teeth down at my face as I struggled to heft the creature up and away from my body with Golen’s Shield between us.
This really did feel like a scene from Alien now.
Meanwhile, the large beast had managed to get back up onto its feet and was now bearing down on Yasha as she tried to keep it away from where Iris was still frantically carving into the stone behind us to build us an escape.
We needed to get rid of the smaller creature, and fast.
I could feel the potion of strength fading from my veins, but I had enough energy to exert one last massive push to throw the creature up and off of my body. I managed to throw it with enough strength that it actually slammed up into the ceiling with a dull thud.
The ceiling shook in a threatening display, and a few small pebbles dropped down on me.
We really needed to stop fucking around with the ceiling, or we were going to be trapped in a situation we definitely couldn’t think our way out of.
The smaller Beast struggled up to its feet, and I took the split second advantage to see how Yasha was faring against the larger creature.
It seemed that forming the smaller copy of itself had sapped most of the creature’s energy, so despite the fact it was still fighting against Yasha and her rapid-fire blows from her katana, it wasn’t resisting the cuts like it had been before. Its health bar had trickled down to around thirty percent, and at the rate Yasha was going, it didn’t have long.
The smaller Beast was back up on its feet, and I threw myself into the fray before it could focus on Iris as well. I swung Doomslayer in a wide arc that collided with its torso. If it were any other type of creature, I was sure that cut would have gone cleanly through the monster’s body, but instead, the blade wedged itself halfway into the strange, hard exoskeleton that made up the creature’s flesh.
I yanked back on my sword, but Doomslayer was stuck. The fire from the blade continued to singe and burn the creature’s skin, but when paired with the monster’s strange secretions, it was forming some sort of glue that kept the blade firmly lodged in the creature’s side. The Beast and I seemed to realize this at the same time, because as I went to make another desperate pull, it leapt backward and yanked me down with it.
I slammed into the ground and skittered a few feet before bouncing back up to my feet with Golen’s Shield raised up in a protective stance. My sword was still lodged in the smaller Beast’s side, and its health was ticking down in retaliation, but I had the sudden fear that it wanted something like that to happen.
“Yasha!” I shouted. “Stop making the creatures bleed!”
“What?” Yasha screeched. Her katana stopped in midair as if she was about to take a swing at the larger beast. She leapt backward to avoid a swipe of its claws.
I stumbled backward myself and came to stand back to back with my fox companion.
“I think the more they bleed, the more of that black ooze they create, and then they can create another monster,” I explained. “Seems to happen when they get down to around fifty percent health. If we keep doing this, we’ll be surrounded. It’ll never end.”
“So what do we do, then?” she asked. Her voice rose with alarm, but she didn’t seem scared. If anything, she was more determined than ever now to take these creatures out and show them who’s boss.
“Iris, how is that tunnel coming?” I shouted over my shoulder as an idea came to me.
“I’ve managed to get through the wall!” Iris called back. “It should be wide enough for all three of us to get through.”
“What about the blockage?” I asked.
I didn’t pull my eyes away from both of the Beasts as they converged on me and Yasha. I kept Golen’s Shield raised to block us from any charges, but right now, it seemed like they were more interested in playing with their food than they were any sort of imminent attack. I could work with that.
“What do you mean?” Iris sounded confused.
“Is the wall stable?” I asked.
“Uh, I don’t think so?” Iris replied. “I’m actually a little worried about it.”
A grin split across my face again as I thought about the gnome dude from my first dungeon. “Perfect.”
“What are you talking about, Wes?” Yasha asked.
Before I could reply, she whipped out her hand, and the Braided Sphinx Hair Whip shot out toward the Beasts to keep them at bay. It was a smart move on her part. She was able to keep from drawing blood while also keeping them from attacking while we formed a plan.
“We can’t make them bleed,” I said. “But we can crush them. If we get them to charge at the wall at just the right time, we can make sure it falls down on them and smashes them like bugs. They sort of remind me of bugs, with their weird exoskeletons. I think it’ll work.”
“You are so smart, Wes,” Yasha said. “That will definitely work.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Iris asked. She sounded unsure and a little afraid. The skittishness I had noticed earlier had made another return, but this time, I really couldn’t blame her.
“When I give the signal, I want you to go into the tunnel you carved out. Yasha, you follow her,” I said.
“What about you?” Yasha asked, just as Iris asked, “What’s the signal?”
“I’m going to be bait,” I explained. “And the signal is ‘go.’”
The Beasts looked like they were done fucking around.
“Go?” Yasha repeated in confusion.
“Go!” I shouted as the Beasts charged.
I gave Yasha a small shove to get her going in the right direction, but she didn’t need to be told twice. Together, she and Iris darted toward the opening in the wall that shouldn’t have existed and disappeared inside without a trace.
Both of the Beasts barreled toward me at full speed as I ran straight toward the rocks that blocked the hallway. There was nowhere I could go, which meant it was the perfect place for them to try and attack.
Then I slipped to the side at the last second, and just like I had predicted, both of the Beasts slammed into the blockade with full force. There was a loud, shuddering sound as more rocks started to fall like the world’s most dangerous hailstorm.
I threw Golen’s Shield up over my head to protect myself and leapt out between the two monsters. The smaller of the two whipped around like it wanted to follow me, but it was too late. The stones landed on its tail with a disgusting crunch and kept it pinned in place.
It seemed like the entire hallway was about to collapse as more and more stones fell down from the rockslide. If it weren’t for Golen’s Shield suspended above my head, I was sure I would have been turned into a pancake seconds before. Even though the majority of the strength potion had already worn off, I still had some of the strength needed to make sure the falling stones didn’t immediately crush me, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold out.
I ran toward the opening in the wall as the entire dungeon shook around me. It was like I was in one of those funhouse tunnels that rocked and shook as you tried to go through it. It felt like the climactic scene in a movie as I managed to leap into the tunnel opening just in time for the ceiling in the hallway to collapse entirely and smash both of the Beasts.
The silence that followed the rockfall was almost deafening. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness of the tunnel in the walls, but to my surprise, it wasn’t actually as dark as I had expected. Iris had a torch hefted up over her head to illuminate the space, and it made her dark blue eyes seem that much more haunting in the low light.
The space was narrow, and I doubted I would have been able to extend both of my arms completely inside the tunnel, but it was surprisingly roomy given it wasn’t supposed to exist at all. It looked to be made out of the same stones as the hallway we’d just collapsed entirely, but even grimier. If the hallway in the dungeon hadn’t been cleaned in a decade, this secret tunnel hadn’t been cleaned in a century.
“Wes!” Yasha exclaimed. “I am so glad you are okay!”
I looked over my shoulder at the entrance I’d come through. It was almost entirely covered with rocks now. There was only a small, narrow area where anyone could have possibly slithered out through. I felt a pang of loss as I thought about Doomslayer. I really liked that sword, but I had a feeling I wasn’t going to be seeing it any time soon.
“Damn, I was really hoping we would be able to keep the loot from that fight,” I sighed. “But I’m okay.”
Yasha looked over my shoulder at the entrance and pursed her lips. “I think I can fit through to get it.”
Before I could tell her it wasn’t worth her risking her life, Yasha had already scurried up the rocks and through the narrow opening at the top. The last thing I saw was her fluffy tail disappearing.
A wave of worry washed over me, but there wasn’t much else I could do at that moment other than wait for her to come back.
“That was some quick thinking,” Iris said.
“I could say the same to you,” I told her. “The tunnel was a good idea. I would never have even known this was here, or an option.”
Iris shrugged her shoulders lightly, which caused the torch in her hand to bob and cast strange shadows all over the area.
“It’s not a big deal,” she said.
Before I could ask her how she came to find the tunnels, Yasha was crawling back through the narrow hole.
I quickly moved over to help her down so she didn’t fall and hurt herself on the dismount. Then I lowered her to her feet carefully and flashed her a grin.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I told her.
“But I wanted to,” she said with a grin of her own. “I could not find your sword, but I did try. There were two chests, I put them both in my inventory.”
“Good,” I said. “We’ve gotta get out of here now, and fast.”
The timer in the corner of my vision was now pulsing rapidly. We only had fifteen minutes left.
Fuck.
“Really fast,” I amended. “Iris, which way leads us to the exit?”
Iris gave a quick spin around as if she was trying to reorient herself in the narrow tunnel before she took off in a surprisingly quick sprint. I didn’t hesitate to follow behind her with Yasha between us. The last thing I wanted was to accidentally leave the fox-woman behind thanks to her injured foot. But thankfully she seemed like she was able to keep up alright on her own without my help.
The three of us sprinted through the narrow tunnel as fast as our feet could carry us. The entire time we ran, I couldn’t help but stare at the clock in horror. Each new second that ticked down was another fucking year off of my life as my anxiety swelled in my chest.
The tunnel didn’t seem to follow the same layout that the rest of the dungeon had at all, so I wasn’t even able to keep track of where we were going and how long it was going to be until we found a way out. I just had to trust that Iris knew where she was going, or else we were screwed.
We made another sharp turn that sent me skittering against the dingy floor. Iris had stopped dead in her tracks at what looked like a dead end, and had her hand pressed flat against the wall. She gave a firm press of her palm against the stone, and Yasha and I watched in surprise as the wall gave way.
It swung open as easily as a door and revealed a perfectly clear hallway.
We were down to six minutes left on the timer.
“Come on!” I shouted as I barreled past the two women and grabbed both of their hands to drag them along behind me. The three of us continued our sprint as I ran through the hallway like my life depended on it.
I mean, technically my life really did depend on it, and so did Yasha’s and even Iris’, if she came with us.
We skidded around another corner as another minute ticked down off our clock. I was worried for a moment that we were going to be face to face with some sort of puzzle or another trap, but instead, it was just a clear hallway that led to the familiar door of the equipment room.
But despite the impending doom of the timer ticking down, I stopped dead in my tracks.
Just ahead of us was the man who had blown up the hallway.
He disappeared into the equipment room in a flash.
I had no idea who he was, but I really hoped we weren’t about to come face to face with him inside the room.
“Should we follow him?” Yasha asked.
“I don’t think we have another choice!” I shouted. Our timer showed we only had two minutes left. “Hurry!”
I’d never run so fast in my life as the three of us sprinted toward the equipment room door. The timer ticked down to a minute remaining, and then to seconds. I could barely breathe as my hand clasped around the equipment room door handle, and I threw it open.
The three of us all practically fell into the room just as the timer ticked down to zero.
We had made it just in time.
I gave a quick search of the room to make sure we really were alone, and that the man I had seen run into the room just ahead of us was in his own equipment room. Nothing seemed out of place, and I finally, finally felt a sense of elation once I was sure we were safe.
The feeling or relief that washed over me was like nothing I had ever felt before. I was sitting on my ass in the middle of the equipment room, and all I could do was laugh. I felt like a weight I hadn’t even been aware of had just been lifted off of my shoulders.
Holy shit, we did it.
Within seconds, Yasha was laughing and giggling with me, and to my surprise, Iris even joined our celebration until the three of us were laughing like a group of lunatics in the equipment room.
The relief was palpable in the air as we celebrated our success, and most importantly, the fact we weren’t going to be stuck in the dungeon any longer.
“This is like Luke Skywalker defeating the Wampa,” Yasha giggled. “A very close call.”
Iris’ brow furrowed, and she stared at Yasha as if the fox-woman had grown another tail.
“What do you mean, Luke Skywalker and the Wampa? What’s a Wampa?” she asked.
Yasha cocked her head to the side. “A large snow creature, right, Wes? A snow creature?”
“Something like that,” I confirmed as I slowly pushed myself back up to my feet. “It’s the monster that nearly kills him on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back.”
The look of confusion didn’t fade from Iris’ face.
“Star Wars?” Yasha sounded almost distraught that Iris didn’t seem to know what she was talking about.
“Yeah, I know Star Wars,” Iris said slowly. “But I don’t know what that is. Empire Strikes Back? A Wampa? That’s not in Star Wars.”
The energy in the room shifted ever so slightly as Iris and Yasha both rose to their feet. The confusion was practically a fog that hung over the three of us, but I was quickly starting to piece some things together that I definitely hadn’t expected.
“Iris,” I said her name slowly. “What year is it?”
She blinked in surprise, as if she was taken aback by the question. “What?”
“What year is it?” I asked again. “What year did you come into the crystal?”
The blonde woman in front of me shifted from foot to foot and looked away. She didn’t seem to be shying away from the question. Instead, it looked like she was generally unsure of the answer at all.
“Nineteen seventy-seven,” she finally said. “Right? It’s still nineteen seventy-seven?”
Chapter 27
I felt as if the wind had been knocked out of me as I stared at Iris in shock. Suddenly, I remembered why her name had sounded so familiar. I knew I’d heard the name Iris Tucker before.
Carrie was obsessed with true crime for a year. She’d spent months texting me about random cold cases that she thought were interesting in her freaky, morbid little way.
I remembered distinctly now that she’d texted me about a cold case from the late nineteen seventies. A groupie on the Sunset Strip had disappeared in the middle of the night and was never seen again. No one on the scene in Los Angeles had thought she’d do something like that. Apparently she’d just gotten a manager and was going to try and kick off a music career of her own instead of hanging around other stars.
But one day, she had up and vanished. Her name, of course, had been Iris Tucker.
I was staring at a famous cold case in the flesh.
Holy shit.
“Wes,” Iris said my name with an edge of warning. Concern had flooded her features as she stared at me like she was searching for some sort of answer that I was more than a little afraid to give her.
“Iris,” I repeated her name softly. “It hasn’t been nineteen seventy-seven for forty-five years.”
Her dark blue eyes widened to the size of saucers, and she took a stumbling step back to rest against the island in the center of the room. It was obvious I had swept the rug out from under her. She gripped the edge of the island until her knuckles went white.
“What are you talking about?” she asked in a small voice, but there was something in her tone that made me think she already knew exactly what I was talking about.
“It’s twenty twenty-two,” I said. “Outside of the crystal, I mean. I think you’ve been in here for almost fifty years.”
Even as I said the words out loud, they felt more than a little insane, but there was no denying the truth of them. Iris looked like a woman out of time, because she was.
“Oh, god,” she whispered. “Oh god, you’re right. I didn’t… It feels like it’s only been a week, maybe a few months, but if I focus, I can tell that it’s been… it’s been a long time. I don’t… I never realized that it had been so long. It’s like when I tried to think about it, it was too disorienting to process the truth until someone laid it out for me like this.”
