Pocket Dungeon 3, page 7
Elaene looked down at her feet and the bloody smudges they’d left streaked across the table and nodded.
“I will leave the dungeon with you,” she said.
“I’m glad,” I told her. “Just give us a little bit of time to sort out the loot we got from our monster fight, and then we can actually get out of here.”
She nodded, and instead of getting off of the table, she scooted to the side. Her feet left bloody smudges on the wood, and she gave a soft wince as she moved. It seemed like her surge of adrenaline was wearing off finally, and now the pain of what had happened was finally starting to sink in.
We’d definitely have to get her some painkillers when we got out of here.
Thankfully, the loot dump wouldn’t take too long.
I pulled the single chest we’d earned out of my pocket and deposited it on the table. I didn’t waste any time before popping the lid open to see what was inside.
The first thing I saw was all of the gold coins stacked up to the brim of the chest and practically overflowing. It might have happened time and time again by now, but it never ceased to make my heart leap up into my throat.
It felt impossible to be seeing so much gold just ripe for the taking, but there it was.
“Do you want to start loading the gold up into the bag?” I asked Yasha as I grabbed the magical bag Mimic had given me from where it sat on the table. It had the capabilities to hold anything, or at the very least, that’s certainly what it seemed like. It was far more useful than letting my pockets burst from loading up on gold each time I came out of the dungeon.
“I wish to change first,” Yasha announced. “And then I will do it.”
“Oh, right,” I said. I’d momentarily forgotten Yasha was still in her armor, because I hadn’t exactly wanted to add to Elaene’s initial distress by letting the fox-woman strip.
“I am going to undress now,” Yasha announced for Elaene’s benefit, and the other woman’s eyes widened. She turned her gaze down to stare at her hands a little awkwardly as Yasha quickly stripped off her armor and pulled on the leggings and sweater she’d been wearing when we entered the dungeon.
Elaene might not have watched, but I certainly did. I couldn’t help it. There was a sexy fox-woman getting naked a few yards to my right, it would have been impossible not to watch as far as I was concerned.
Once she had her beanie securely on her head, Yasha came back over and took the bag from where I’d placed it on the table. She began to load up fistfuls of gold coins, which left me with one thing to do.
It was time to see what else the chest had to offer.
The first item to catch my eye was a gigantic battle axe. The head of the weapon was the size of a baking sheet, and it looked like it had already been used in battle and bore the rust-colored bloodstains to boot.
The handle of the weapon was wrapped in aged-looking leather cord, and while overall the axe was unembellished, it still seemed to radiate some pretty impressive energy. Or maybe it was just the fact that both sides of the axe’s head were clearly sharp as shit.
I picked up the weapon and gave it a little heft in my hands to feel how the weight was distributed. I definitely still preferred my sword, but it did feel kind of badass to hold a battle axe.
The text floating above the item marked it as the Giant Slayer’s Battle Axe in blue. Damn, so it was a pretty high quality weapon, too. I studied the item’s stats next.
Giant Slayer’s Battle Axe
Damage- High
Speed- Average
Skill Required- High
Any damage done to giants or beasts of inordinate size will increase by twofold.
Oh, nice, but I wondered what constituted as a beast of inordinate size. I guess I’d actually have to give the axe a try to figure it out.
As Yasha continued to pile gold into the bag, I unearthed the next item in the chest.
The cloak was made of a dark velvet I only realized was blue upon further inspection. It was woven through with faint, silvery threads all the way from the hood to the bottom hem, which gave the item a nearly imperceptible glowing quality.
I picked it up out of the chest and watched the material unfurl until the cloak was at its full length. It looked a little short for me, but it would probably fit Yasha or Iris perfectly.
The text above the item marked it in green as the Cloak of Protection.
Cloak of Protection
Strength: +3
Dexterity: -1
Take 10% less damage from all attacks while wearing the Cloak of Protection.
That was a pretty good buff, and I could already tell the item would be pretty damn useful. I set it aside next to the axe to grab the last item remaining in the chest as Yasha grabbed the last handful of gold.
I picked up the small glass vial and watched the shimmering red liquid inside the vial shift with gelatinous fluidity. The item text was written and green and marked it as a Potion of Healing.
It seemed pretty self-explanatory, but I checked the stats anyway.
Potion of Healing
When drunk, the Potion of Healing can rewind the clock of damage by ten minutes and bring your health anew. May only be used once.
While it was useful, I’d sort of been hoping I could give it to Elaene now, but I guess we’d have to stick to good, old-fashioned Tylenol and Neosporin once we got out of here.
I quickly gathered up the three items from the chest and carried them over to one of the lockers along the wall to put them away.
Never had I missed Mimic more. The little guy was sort of a menace, but still, it was nice to have someone more than willing to organize all of our loot.
“Alright,” I announced and turned back to look at Yasha and Elaene. “Let’s get out of here. Elaene, do you think you’ll be able to climb the ladder on your own?”
I glanced down at her feet and then over to the ladder mounted securely to the wall. It was definitely more stable than the rope ladder we’d used before, but I still wasn’t sure if the Atlantean would be able to handle climbing the rungs with the state of her injured feet.
She pursed her lips before giving me a slow nod.
“I will be alright,” she said.
“I’ll follow you up,” I told her. “Just in case you end up needing some help on the way. Yasha, lead the way.”
“Thank you,” Elaene said with a small nod of her head.
I moved over to help the dark-haired woman off of the table so she could keep as much weight off of her feet for the time being as possible.
She sucked in a sharp breath as soon as one of the pads of her feet even touched the ground, but that was the only reaction she gave. She was clearly going to power through the pain with as little fanfare as possible, and while on one hand, it showed just how tough this woman was, on the other, it made my heart ache to know she’d clearly been through some shit that required her to keep her pain to herself.
Yasha headed toward the ladder on the wall, and after giving me one last glance to make sure I was behind her, the fox-woman quickly scampered up the ladder and disappeared through the hatch in the ceiling that would transport us back to the world above.
“It’s your turn,” I told Elaene and gently helped ease her out from under my arm.
The Atlantean gripped the rungs of the ladder for support, and then, to my surprise, she didn’t put her feet on the lower rungs at all. Instead, the climbed up the ladder using only the strength from her upper body, and it was pretty damn fucking impressive.
I watched her move through the open hatch and disappear into the ether.
Well, I’ll be damned.
I gave the equipment room one last look to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything, and then I followed after the two women.
As I passed through the hatch, I felt the familiarly unnerving pulling, tugging sensation in my gut as the world spun around me into never-ending darkness. A second later, I felt myself land on solid ground.
A gasp pushed out from my lungs as I opened my eyes and pushed myself up to a seated position to see Elaene and Yasha doing the same thing.
The blinding light of the mid-afternoon sun was enough to make me shield my eyes as they readjusted to the outside world. I always forgot how damn dark it was in the dungeons until I was outside of them. It was a miracle I could see anything in there.
We’d driven outside of Chicago proper this time to use the crystal. We’d been trying to space out where we went to enter the dungeons even further than before, just to make sure we weren’t picking up any sort of patterns as to where or when we entered.
Sure, Harper was dead, but someone had driven by my apartment after we’d killed him, and they hadn’t looked friendly. Plus, with the ominous warnings Harper had given about his connections before Iris killed him, the last thing we wanted to do was leave a trail of breadcrumbs back to where we lived.
That would be a great way to get killed, and frankly, I didn’t want to die. I still had some living left to do.
“Wait,” Elaene said. “I… recognize this place.”
My brow furrowed, and I glanced around. We weren’t anywhere spectacular, just off an exit leading to one of the city’s surrounding suburbs. There really wasn’t much here other than a less than impressive gas station and an equally rundown McDonald’s.
“Like, the gas station?” I asked and pushed myself up to my feet.
“No,” Elaene said. When she shook her head, her wet hair sent water droplets flying. “There.”
She pointed over my shoulder, and when I turned, I saw she was indicating the Chicago skyline.
“Chicago,” I said. “You were in Chicago before? This is where you were taken when you were kidnapped?”
Uneasiness started to rise in my chest. I didn’t like the fact that whoever had done this to Elaene was apparently nearby. It wasn’t even just that they were in the same state, but the same city. It made my stomach churn.
It also, once again, brought everything that Harper had said back to the forefront of my mind.
“Chicago,” she repeated, and her musical voice gave the word a mesmerizing quality, like she wanted to savor each of the syllables. “Yes, that sounds right. I was here. In Chicago.”
“Well, shit,” I said pleasantly. “That’s not exactly great for us, but it does mean we’ll have an easier time actually taking these bastards down.”
“I cannot wait to kill them,” Yasha said as she stood up. She gave a cursory glance around to make sure no one was looking in our direction, which was unlikely considering we were behind a dumpster, before she shook a bit of dirt and dust from her tail. Then the fox-woman tucked it back up under the hem of her sweater and adjusted her beanie.
“Let’s go,” I said. I made my way over to Elaene and held my hands out so she’d know I wasn’t going to do anything she didn’t want. “I’m going to pick you up now, alright? I don’t want you walking on the dirty ground with your injured feet. That would be a great way to make the cuts even worse.”
She hesitated for a moment, but she gave a resolute nod.
I took that as my sign to go ahead and bent down to scoop the Atlantean up into my arms. She had dried off some since her time in the tank, but I knew I was still probably going to be a little damp by the time we got back to the apartment.
“Yash, get the door,” I said and nodded toward the car.
Yeah. You heard that right. The car.
Because Wes Rhodes: Rich Dude and Only Getting Richer got himself a lil sumthin’ sumthin’.
And what a fucking car it was. A 2023 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 SUV. It was a lot of words and numbers that all meant one thing-- the SUV was nicer than my apartment, and I’d been able to pay for it in cash.
Honestly, I got a little hard just thinking about it.
I knew, logically, that buying a new car fresh off the lot wasn’t the smartest move financially, but I’d also decided that I should get to experience it for once in my life. I could be fiscally responsible after I got to drive off the Mercedes-Benz lot in my brand-new, luxury vehicle.
We’d gotten the SUV less than a week ago, and it still had that new car smell and everything. Hell, I didn’t even think I’d had time to figure out all of the bells and whistles yet.
It was definitely far more features than we needed, but also, fuck yeah for the heating and cooling cupholders and honest-to-god, built-in holders for champagne flutes.
Like I was the sort of guy who would ever drink champagne in my SUV. But, maybe I was now.
Wes Rhodes: That Guy.
Yasha opened the back door of the SUV so I could gingerly place Elaene on the backseat, and I was immediately grateful I’d purchased extra Weathertech mats for the floors, like every Midwesterner damn well did. Sure, I hadn’t anticipated using them to prevent bloodstains, but I was already pleased with their versatility in this case.
The Atlantean’s eyes widened as she looked around to take in the cream-colored interior of the vehicle and chocolate-brown leather seats, and her hands drifted over the center console between the two backseats and ghosted over the tablet mounted there.
I shut the door gently, so as not to spook her, before Yasha and I made our way to the front seats. I didn’t even have to put a key in the ignition for the car to start.
That was class, man.
It was hard not to feel as giddy as a little kid as the engine revved to life, and I curled my hands around the leather steering wheel. The seat formed perfectly to the contours of my body, and it even had a massage function. An honest-to-god massage function, plus like twelve different seat warming and cooling settings.
Soft classic rock emanated from the speakers as I guided us out of the parking lot and back toward my apartment. My mind was caught between being excited about getting to drive my new SUV while also ruminating on everything Elaene had revealed to me in the dungeon.
It was definitely a weird combination, that was for sure. The fact she’d been taken to Chicago was a red flag, and I didn’t want to brush it aside too quickly as a coincidence.
Harper hadn’t revealed why he’d opened a new studio in Chicago, but there had to be a bigger reason, I was sure of it. You couldn’t get to where he was in the world without having a reason for doing things, especially not when you were an evil son of a bitch. It was practically part of the schtick.
Did the network of other assholes he’d alluded to operate in Chicago as well? Was that why he’d come here? And was it part of the group that had taken Elaene from her dungeon?
As I tried to make sense of everything, Yasha shifted in her seat so she could look back at Elaene as the Atlantean watched the city passing her by out the window.
“What did you do?” Yasha asked without any preamble.
“What?” Elaene said, and she sounded a little startled, like the fox-woman had broken her out of some sort of reverie.
“What did you do,” Yasha repeated. “To get put back in the dungeon. You did not say.”
“Yash,” I scolded her quietly. “She probably doesn’t want to talk about that. You can’t just ask people things like that.”
“Why not?” Yasha said, as if she wasn’t absolutely asking invasive and deeply personal, probably traumatic questions.
Thankfully, Elaene didn’t seem bothered by the brusqueness.
For a few seconds, there was nothing but the sound of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours pumping through the speakers as Christine McVie sang about being with someone everywhere.
Iris had spent the last month devouring music from the artists she’d loved and never had the chance to experience, and the past few days had been dedicated to Fleetwood Mac and then the band members’ subsequent solo work.
I had never known so much drama about seventy-year-olds in my entire life.
But then the Atlantean spoke.
“It was not the first time I had disobeyed him,” she finally said with a soft sigh following her words. “Or the second. Or the third. Or even the fourth. But it was the last straw.”
“What was it you did?” Yasha leaned even further over her seat as she studied Elaene.
“I was not the only woman in his possession,” Elaene said. “I was simply the newest addition to his unwilling harem. The others took me into their care and taught me the way things operated, but I saw the way they’d been beaten down into submission, and I couldn’t stand for it any longer.”
“What did you do?” Yasha asked eagerly. I could see the movement of her tail flicking beneath her sweater, and it was clear she was agitated, not with Elaene, but the things she’d been through and what had been done to her.
“I tried to help them escape,” she said with a sigh. “It did not work.”
“And so they put you into the dungeon,” Yasha finished.
“Yes,” Elaene said. “In summary, that is what happened.”
It felt like there very well might have been more to that story, but it was obvious she wasn’t in the mood to talk more, and thankfully, Yasha didn’t seem inclined to push.
When she situated herself properly in the passenger seat again, she seemed pleased with what she’d learned, at the very least, which was good enough for me.
I turned the music up a little so Elaene didn’t feel pressured to keep talking if she didn’t want to, and we drove the rest of the way back to the apartment in silence as Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham aired their personal grievances out for the entire world to hear.
Weirdly enough, I felt a little smug that my girlfriend from another time had filled me in on the juicy details.
We pulled into the parking garage and sidled into the spot next to my scrambler bike. Even though we’d just bought a car, I wasn’t about to get rid of the bike.
It was still my pride and joy, and considering I’d built it from the ground up by myself, I wasn’t about to toss it out. Instead, we’d just purchased a second parking spot, so now we had two vehicles instead of one.
As I turned off the SUV, I glanced around the parking lot to make sure no one else was around. While Elaene still looked mostly human, she was also barely dressed and bleeding, so I was really hoping to eliminate anyone else seeing us as we hurried inside the building.
