Cat Core 2, Chapter 14.

Chapter 14.

“Matron, I believe the dungeon must be near, look,” Larah said, stating the obvious. They had been traveling through low hills and rocky scrub for the last few days and from the tracks, they were heading in the right direction. People didn’t venture out in the Crag Steppes unless they had a purpose.

Once they made it around the bend of yet another large hill, they saw signs of civilization, or at least the beginnings of one. A dozen campfires burned in the small valley at the base of another nearby hill. Two large buildings were under construction, workers just now finishing up their day as the afternoon turned into evening. Around each of the campfires, clusters of tents were placed, likely these were different adventuring parties, queuing up for their chance at a delve. Matron had hoped to beat the rush, but at least there were only a dozen at most, not the hundreds of adventure parties that flooded the more established locations.

“Larah, you know what to look for, find a place for our camp. I’m going to go and find out if there’s an adventurers guild representative on-site and get us into the queue. Tipp, you’re with me, and I assume I don’t have to warn you to keep your hands off any merchandise that might be laying about,” Matron ordered. The rogue, Tipp, wasn’t criminally minded, but he sometimes forgot the rules of ownership when a particular item caught his eye. The young halfling would have to temper his spontaneous nature if he wanted to survive and thrive as an adventurer.

They skirted around the encampments, and Matron noted that most of the other groups had that poorly equipped look that identified new adventurers. One of the pair of buildings being constructed was an inn, but they didn’t have the funds to live in such comfortable accommodations. Her charges would have to prove themselves and gather treasure from the dungeon if they wanted to sleep on a soft bed each night. Matron turned toward the other building, a roughly hewn wooden sign proclaiming the place to be Juniors Adventuring Outfitters. The symbol of the adventuring guild was etched above the door, letting her know this was where she needed to go.

“Welcome to Junior’s, how can I help you today?” A middle-aged man asked. A genuine smile was plastered on his bearded face, he looked the part of the shopkeeper but there was also something familiar about his features.

“I’m here to register a group for the dungeon. I assume you’re the guild representative?” Matron asked.

“Yes ma’am, my family have been accredited delve administrators for two generations. Step right up and sign, if you’d like I can see about outfitting you with some better gear. Normally, I’d have a dungeon guide for you to purchase, but this place is a bit odd,” Junior replied.

“Odd how?” Matron asked. Signing her party up on the roster, the magical document tracked the delves and organized them into an appropriate flow that wouldn’t overtax the dungeon.

The dungeon challenge rating listed at the top was encouraging. An A-plus dungeon with a beast subtype would be just what her charges needed to gain experience without too much risk. Of course, there was always risk in a dungeon, but she would be accompanying them, at least for the first run, in order to conduct her own evaluation of the place. Matron’s presence would reduce the experience her charges would gain, given her much higher level, but it would only be for one delve if things went as planned.

“Odd, in the, well, take a look at the delve tab in the back,” Junior said, sounding like he was reluctant for her to see it.

A dungeon log was a magical construct entrusted to those that had been approved by the guild. The queue was its main feature, but more data was listed in the back, showing the number of delves and the mortality rate of those entering the dungeon. So far, only two delves had been made and neither of those parties had returned and were assumed dead. The kill to delve ratio stood at one hundred percent, an unheard-of number and one that would see this dungeon core destroyed if it continued.

“Were these new adventurers that were lost, and is that why all the others are sitting in their camp and not delving?” Matron asked. There were plenty of people in the queue, but nobody was shown to have actually entered the dungeon in over a week.

“One party were fools, underequipped and with a poor party composition. The others were better equipped and should have had no trouble with a dungeon of this ranking. Shortly after the last group entered, the place sealed itself up and that was that.

A dungeon typically could only seal itself off when expanding, or when adventurers were inside. Having been sealed this long indicated the dungeon was expanding rapidly, killing off two full parties would do that for a new dungeon. With her power supporting them, Matron’s party shouldn’t meet the same fate as the others, but she would need to be cautious. She finished signing up her group, noting that a dozen groups were scheduled ahead of hers.

“My charges are looking for a healer, have you had any solo adventurers inquire about joining a party?” Matron asked. The light would guide the correct person to her fledgling party, but sometimes the light would use the obvious to achieve its purpose. Many people were constantly looking for deep meaning in the light’s purpose, ignoring the solution that might be staring them in the face.

“No, sorry, there were a few pairs that inquired, but those have all found a group. If I hear of anyone, I’ll be sure to send them your way,” Junior said.

“Thank you, we’ll be camping nearby and I’ll check in on occasion,” Matron said.

“Will you be accompanying your charges on their delve? I don’t mean to pry, but there could be an opportunity for your group if that is the case,” Junior asked. She was obviously a seasoned adventurer, despite her age, and Junior would have been pretty poor at his job if he didn’t recognize that.

“Until they find a healer of their own, I intend to accompany them, at least on the first delve,” Matron replied.

“Very good, I can see you’re experienced, and, well, the others gathered here aren’t. If you were guiding the party, I might be able to get you promoted to the top of the list. You see, having the kill ratio that it does, I’m afraid this dungeon won’t be tolerated by the guild for long. With an experienced adventurer among the party, you’ll no doubt survive and be able to assuage the nerves of the other groups. My whole future is tied up in this place. If the dungeon were to prove a bust, I would be bankrupt,” Junior pleaded.

“Get us the first slot, and I’ll be glad to give you a rundown of the dungeon and its threats. Of course, if you intend to sell that information, I will expect a fair percentage of the profit,” Matron advised. It wasn’t uncommon for the merchant overseeing the dungeon log to sell information about the dungeon, its threats, and its rewards. Typically, it was offered for a nominal charge, but her party needed funds if they were to improve their gear.

“You have a deal, though I may have to insist on store credit initially for any income we receive from the guide. I’m a little light of coin, and without adventurers bringing it out of the dungeon, I’m afraid everything of value I possess is locked up in inventory,” Junior advised.

“Fair enough, at least until things start improving here, then I would expect a shift to hard currency. I also insist you trade with my party at a fair price, no gouging just because they are using store credit,” Matron demanded.

“Fair, and I agree. Junior Bingman’s word is his bond,” Junior announced.

“Bingman eh, I thought you looked familiar, I’ve shopped at your father’s establishment a time or two,” Matron replied. The Bingman family was well known for adventuring supplies as well as other, less common ventures. They had a good reputation, and she could take this man at his word. Besides, lying to a paladin of the light was a difficult thing to do.

“Excellent, I’ll send someone to find your camp once the dungeon reopens,” Junior advised.

Matron gave Tipp a hard stare, making sure he hadn’t gotten sticky fingers while she was talking with Junior. They left the shop and searched around the other encampments for Larah and the others. Their camp was set back a bit from the other line of tents, her students had chosen a proper location as well, near a stream that fed fresh water to the place, but far enough away for any flooding to miss their tents.

Being away from the other adventurers also had the added bonus of a quieter environment. New adventurers were loud and boisterous, especially if they had just completed a profitable delve. The subdued nature of the other adventurers showed their apprehension about entering the potentially deadly dungeon. Matron didn’t have much fear, the guild would have never missed a challenge estimate by much, and it would take a dungeon several orders of magnitude more challenging than an A-plus ranked one to have a chance at harming her.

“Where are the others?” Matron asked as she walked the campsite.

“Frex and Chamm are out gathering firewood,” Larah replied.

“Good, if you’re leaving camp for any reason, always travel in at least a pair. Monsters and dangerous animals can sometimes be drawn to a dungeon’s power,” Matron advised.

She didn’t really have to mention it, the theory was part of their education. A dungeon attracted some animals and nearly every dangerous monster in range of its influence. Normally, these creatures are killed off by either the dungeon or the adventurers gathering to delve into the place. After a few months, most of the nearby threats would be eliminated and a dungeon town became, strangely enough, one of the safest places you could live.

The twin mages returned not too much later, and the party soon had a cheerful fire going. Matron explained to them the potential danger of this new dungeon, but it did little to damper the group’s spirits. Young people were so convinced of their invincibility. A foolish notion, that Matron had been forced to abandon long ago, much earlier than she would have liked.

“Matron, did you meet anyone that might become a good healer for our party?” Larah asked.

“No, the light will reveal its choice when it is time,” Matron replied. Their attention turned to a pair of laborers that approached their campfire.

“Uh, ma’am, Junior wanted me to tell you that the dungeon entrance has been a rumbling something fierce and should be ready for y’all to delve in the morning,” the man advised.

“Thank you, we shall go at first light. Let me know if you hear anything else that might be of interest,” Matron replied, tossing a copper coin to each of the men. Information was valuable and a copper given here and there to the simple folk just might assure that she found out something important before anyone else.

“So, we’re going in at first light? What information do we have on the dungeon?” Larah asked. The girl was very analytical for a berserker, her logical and deliberate way of thinking was strange given her chosen class.

“Only that it’s an A-Plus ranked beast dungeon,” Matron answered.

“Sorry, ma’am, you forgot the part where it’s gone all murdery and killed everyone that’s entered,” Tipp added.

“Don’t pay that too much heed, these dungeons test new adventurers to their limits and only two parties have attempted so far,” Matron replied. She wanted her charges wary, not terrified when they went on their first delve tomorrow.

“Exactly, it was only what, eight or ten people that have gone it, none of which lived to tell the tale,” Tipp continued.

“Do you wish to recant your membership in the organization? The light has chosen you, but you are not forced to live this life if you deem it to be too dangerous for your liking,” Matron said, staring hard at Tipp.

“Oh, no, not at all. I just wanted everyone to be ready, you know, on their toes and all that,” Tipp said. She knew the halfling was just running his mouth, but it was good for him to realize that words could have dire consequences at times.

“Good, and since you’re just trying to be helpful, you can prepare the evening meal and do the dishes,” Matron ordered.

The others began to finish setting up the camp, Tipp started on the meal while the tents were being set up. Matron merely pulled a small canvas swatch from a pouch at her belt and placed it on the ground where it unfolded into a small but well-equipped tent. Inside she had a comfortable cot, a small writing table, and a secure chest to store things in. The magical tent had been another expensive purchase years ago, but the magic was just as strong today as it had been the day that she bought it.

Her charges looked on in envy as they continued to do things the old-fashioned way. Age and experience had their privileges and Matron was getting too old to rough it if she didn’t have to. It was also good for them to see the potential rewards of their chosen profession. They needed something to aspire to, and the dungeon delve tomorrow would be their first true steps on that path. The time for training and theory was over, now the danger, and the rewards, were real.