Cat Core, Chapter 11.

Chapter 11.

“That place is just weird. I’ve never heard of a dungeon like that before,” Vanderman said.

“Uh, you think that’s strange, look over there,” Roland said, pointing toward the tree line. Shara could see a group of wagons offloading supplies as several men and women hacked away at the trees with axes, gathering lumber.

“Looks like someone else got a heads up on the new dungeon. Might as well say hello,” Shara replied to Vanderman. They made their way to the wagons and a pair of humans who were gathered nearby. One had on a dirty apron and was busy stirring a pot of something that was starting to bubble over the open fire. The other was a young woman in leather armor that had her hand on a rapier that she looked ready to use if things went south.

“Greetings adventurers. I take it you’ve finished the first delve into the new dungeon?” The man in the apron asked.

“That we did, how exactly did you get here so fast, and what exactly are you doing here?” Vanderman asked as the de facto party leader.

“Why, I’m Bargain Ben and I suspect we found our way here, the same as you good folks. Let’s just say I have feelers out all over the place to find exciting things like a new dungeon. I’m a merchant and innkeep by trade, and what better place to start a business than outside a new dungeon. I’ll have the market cornered in no time, once we get things built that is,” Ben answered.

“Good to meet you Ben, having an inn and some merchants would be a big help once the dungeon gets rolling. Hey, that smells pretty good, how much for a bowl of that stew?” Vanderman asked. Shara agreed, the stew did smell good, but they didn’t exactly have funds to burn on dining. Their trail rations would have to do until the dungeon started giving out real rewards.

“Ah, for the first group of intrepid adventurers, a bowl of my best for you is complementary,” the jovial Ben offered. Ladling up some for each of them and digging into the back of wagon, he handed each a small, hard loaf of bread. Stirring her stew, Shara saw it was composed of various vegetables and unidentifiable meat floating in a thick broth. It tasted heavenly after subsisting the last couple days on hardtack and dried meat.

“Sorry there’s no fresh bread, those loaves may be a bit stale, but they’ll taste just fine if you sop up the broth with them. How did the first delve go? Any treasure you’d like to exchange for coin?” Ben asked, a greedy gleam in his eye.

“Yes, we’re loaded down with dungeon loot, here, take a look at everything we’ve gotten out of that place,” Roland said sarcastically as he pulled the pair of doilies and chipped teacup out of his pack.

“Hmm, disappointing. Do not fear, this dungeon is new, and the loot will ramp up as it develops. Sorry, but I can’t offer you anything for these treasures, but rest assured, I’ll buy any more exciting loot if you come across it,” Ben offered.

“Who’s she, who’s they,” Ox asked, gesturing to the silent girl in leather armor standing next to Ben and the workers hacking away at the forest.

“This is Nala, she hitched a ride with us hoping to join an adventuring group. She’s a bit shy, but I’m sure she would make an excellent addition to your party. As for the others, they’re hirelings that will help me construct the inn and storefront. My permanent employees are on their way and should arrive shortly with the bulk of my supplies,” Ben offered.

“Oh, hi,” Ox offered to Nala, who give him a small smile, causing Ox to blush at the attention.

“Well, I suppose we could use another blade, not that the dungeon was particularly difficult,” Vanderman offered.

“Thank you, I’ll do my best. I’m pretty good in a fight and can open a lock or two if you need it,” Nala offered, holding out her hand to shake. It was then that Shara noticed a bandage on Nala’s forearm, a few spots of blood showing through it.

“What happened? Let me heal that for you,” Shara said, chanting and placing her hands over wound as she funneled healing magic into Nala, the wound resisted her efforts, and only slowly responded to the magical healing.

“Thanks, that’s a lot better. I got it yesterday on the road, a big tailless rat the size of a dog latched onto me when I stepped away from the fire to relieve myself. Thankfully, Ben and the others heard my scream and helped chase the thing off. Not the most impressive display of my battle skills, I know,” Nala told them, looking a little worried that she wouldn’t be added to the party after failing to see the giant rat.

“Don’t feel too bad, at least you didn’t get hit in the head with a dungeon cane,” Roland said, rubbing the top of his head where the blow had landed on him.

“We’ve set up camp just outside the woods, let us know if we’re in your way Ben,” Shara offered, pointing to where they had planned to sleep.

“That should be fine, some of my crew will be working through the night, so I hope you don’t mind being lulled to sleep by the soothing sounds of axes hitting wood. Do you intend to make another run tomorrow?” Ben asked.

“Aye, we’re not going to give up after only receiving a few doilies and teacups. Hopefully, the better loot will appear before too many other adventurers arrive,” Vanderman said.

“Good call, get as many runs in as you can. Eventually, an adventurer’s guild representative will show up and start a queue for the dungeon, but for a little while at least, you’ll have free reign. A piece of advice for you as well,” Ben leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner. “Take notes of what you find in there, this dungeon will attract mostly inexperienced adventurers for a while, adventurers who will pay good coin for idea of what they might have to face. In fact, if you want to give me a rundown after each run, I’ll have guides printed up once my supplies get here. I’ll sell the guides in my shop and give you a cut of the action, deal?” Ben offered.

“We’re here to make a living, so I don’t see a problem with working together to help each other profit. How about a small discount in your store since we’ll be partners?” Vanderman asked. Despite his challenges with Ox’s father and the shop in town, Shara knew he was a skilled negotiator. It was part of the training his father had provided before they lost their fortune.

“Hmm, I can agree to that, providing you give me sole rights to purchase the loot you find in the dungeon. Other merchants will filter in as word spreads and I would hope my business partners would continue to patronize my shop alone. I may not always offer the most for your loot or have the lowest price on goods you want to buy, but you will have my word that I’ll treat you fairly with every transaction. Do we have an agreement?” Ben replied. The group looked at each other, and Shara nodded in agreement. As long as Ben kept his part of the bargain and didn’t try to fleece them, she would prefer not having to run around and check prices with each merchant.

“I think we have an agreement, Ben, we look forward to doing business with you,” Vanderman said, shaking the merchant’s hand. With full bellies and loot disposal settled, the party settled in for the night. Each had brought a small tent, but Nala was a bit short on camping gear, even if her weapons and armor were better than what the rest of the party wore. It was a tight fit for two, but Shara didn’t mind sharing her tent with the new party member. She wanted to get to know their new addition better, but both were fast asleep after their busy day.

In the morning, they were shocked to see the impressive pile of logs that Ben’s people had gathered. Shara counted over thirty workers and it seemed they worked in shifts on different projects. A dozen were clearing land for the shop and inn that Ben would build while others continued to chop lumber and saw what they already had into workable planks. Others that had worked through the night slept in, resting before their shift began.

After a breakfast of porridge made from dried oats and honey, the group geared up for the next delve. The smell of frying bacon wafted over from Ben’s encampment, but they didn’t have the coin to purchase any and they didn’t feel it was appropriate to push for another free meal.

“So, we’ll take it like we did yesterday, with a few tweaks,” Vanderman started as they approached the entrance. “I’ll draw the threats to me and the rest of you kill them off. Shara’s done a great job healing, just don’t get tied up in combat and forget your primary role. Roland and Nala will work together to check for traps. Nala, you’re probably our best bet for any lockpicking, but we didn’t need any of that yesterday. Like Ben said, the dungeon will change and evolve, so be on your toes,” Vanderman finished. Everyone agreed, walking nervously up the stone path that led to the deceptively cheerful dungeon.

She hadn’t noticed it yesterday, but this time, once their party was through the entrance, Shara looked back to see the entrance had sealed itself off. Dungeons could do that, most used their power to limit the number of adventurers that could enter at one time, but it was a bit ominous. Should a dungeon trap adventurers inside, the adventurer’s guild would lead a raid on the place, killing the core. There was an unspoken balance to their existence, and if the dungeon held up its part of the bargain, Shara was happy to leave its core alone.

“This place is a bit unusual, isn’t it?” Nala stated, taking in the lawn and front porch of the dungeon.

“Yes, but trust me, it gets weirder as we go,” Shara replied.

“Heads up, that mailbox had a trap last time, let me see if I can disarm it without it going off,” Roland said, slowly making his way toward the box while watching for any kind of tripwire or trigger that caused the trap to activate. The others held back near the entrance, not wanting to crowd Roland as he worked.

Without warning, Nala drew her rapier and charged forward, thrusting it into the grass. A horrible yowling noise was heard as a cat appeared on the lawn. It had hidden itself somehow and was stalking Roland. The rest of the party moved up to help, when the crossbow popped out of the mailbox and loosed a bolt at Roland. The man dropped to the ground without a sound, the bolt imbedded deeply in his chest. Shara charged forward even as the string on the crossbow began to pull itself back, another bolt forming from nothing as it did.

“Ox got the crossbow, help Roland,” Ox shouted to her. Shara didn’t need any urging, she could tell her friend was in dire straits and need help right away. A ball of magical light flew from Ox and slammed into the mailbox, shattering the crossbow before it could fire again. At Roland’s side, Shara could see he was still alive, barely, gurgling as blood filled his lungs. Not wasting any time, Shara began to pour healing magic into her friend. She needed to stabilize some of the injury before she could even think of pulling out the crossbow bolt.

She vaguely noticed the others had taken care of the cat ambush and were forming a protective perimeter around her and the patient. Her mana dropped below a quarter before Roland was out of danger. The damage couldn’t be fully repaired until the bolt was out. When she achieved higher levels, her healing would be able to force out any foreign matter and disease, for now, she was limited. Waiting for her mana to refresh wasn’t an option, Roland had stabilized, but his health was now declining as his wounds reopened around the bolt.

With a hard pull, Shara ripped the bolt from Roland, silently thankful it was a normal tip and not barbed or hooked. Her friend arched his back, moaning in pain as Shara tried to stem the tide of blood that poured from the hole the crossbow bolt had made. The flow of blood slowed down to a trickle, then stopped just as her mana ran out. Pain shot into her head as Shara tried to push past her small mana pool. The feedback on expending all her mana was horrible, but she didn’t want her friend to die.

“He’s breathing, settle down, Shara, let your mana recharge and then you can finish healing him,” Ox said, patting her on the shoulder. The normally simple giant was right, she wasn’t going to do Quimby any good by pushing herself into unconsciousness. They didn’t have any healing or mana potions, Haxley was too small a town to support an alchemist to craft healing potions. Craxus didn’t have any shipped in to stock in his shop, but even if he did, they couldn’t have afforded any.

Over the next fifteen minutes, Shara would recharge some mana, then push more healing, repeating the process as soon she had enough to cast the spell. Eventually, Roland came to and sat up on his own. The rest of the party visibly relieved at his recovery.

“The stupid magic crossbow tracked me; I couldn’t dodge the thing. Next time we need someone with a shield to approach and absorb the first shot,” Roland said.

“First we have to get enough coin together to buy a shield. I’m sure Ben will have some in stock once his supplies arrive, but for now, the closest thing we have is Shara’s buckler,” Vanderman replied, gesturing toward the worn-out buckler that she carried.

“Well, I think you should have it, Vanderman, you’re going to be in front and if I have to fight in melee, a simple buckler that I’m not trained to use won’t make much of a difference,” Shara said, handing the buckler over to Vanderman.

“But you paid for this on your own, it’s yours,” Vanderman said.

“Yes, but you having it helps the entire party, so I want you to have it. When we can afford to get you a real shield you can give it back,” Shara said.

“Fine, Shara, I’ll take it on loan until we get some more loot,” Vanderman relented.

“Speaking of loot, what did we get from the cat and the trap?” Roland asked.

“Oh, we got this from the trap, the others said you were starting a collection,” Nala said, handing Roland a pink doily.

“Don’t tell me, the loot still stinks,” the injured man said dejectedly.

“The trap was garbage loot, but the cat dropped this,” Vanderman smiled, showing a handful of coins. It was all copper, but perhaps it would buy them a round of cheap ale once the tavern was set up. The slightly improved loot also indicated the dungeon had increased the challenge they would face.

“Now that’s what I call a reward. This cat wasn’t here last time, shall we see what else has changed?” Roland asked.

Nala took the lead, checking thoroughly for traps while Roland kept back with Ox. His wounds weren’t fully healed, but Shara wanted to reserve some mana for the next room. It was known if adventurers dawdled too long, the dungeon would often retaliate with several of its creatures, a situation they didn’t want to deal with while one of their number was wounded.

“Door seems clear, but the smaller door is secured by some magical means, no way for me to open it,” Nala said, kicking at the small hatch, the same type that they had found was installed at the bottom of every door in the dungeon.

“I think it’s some means for the defenders to move from room to room, cats can’t open doors and so far, that’s all we’ve seen defending this place,” Shara offered. It didn’t really matter since the door itself was unlocked. Holding his buckler in front of him, Vanderman opened the door and moved into the strangely decorated room.

The cat reclining on the sofa wasn’t there this time. Remembering their last visit, Vanderman spun around just as the two cats on the ledge above the door leaped to attack. His sword impaled the grey and white feline leaping down on him, the cat letting out an ear-piercing shriek as the steel penetrated deep into its body. The other cat was met, once again, with Ox’s axe, slicing it in half. Shara turned as the final cat crept around the side of the sofa, hissing, and swiping its claws at the party.

“It’s just so cute, I hate to fight you kitty, but we need to get past,” Shara said. She really did like cats and even though these were dungeon creatures, it seemed wrong to kill them. Roland had no compunctions, firing off a pair of arrows that slowed it down enough for Nala to thrust forward with her thin blade, finishing off the adorable black cat.

“No petting the dangerous dungeon creatures, Shara, let’s do a quick sweep for traps and then we can see what loot we got,” Roland said as he recovered his arrows and began to poke around the room. As he and Nala approached the fireplace a whooshing sound was heard and flames leaped out of the empty fireplace, slamming into the pair.

“Quit setting off all the traps, Roland, you’re supposed to disarm them, not let them all hit you,” Ox said, shaking his head as Shara rushed to their aid. The burns were bad, but not life threatening. Nala’s leather armor protected her some, but Quimby’s clothes were scorched through and the skin on his chest was blistered and blackened. Using the last of her mana, she fixed Nala and did what she could for Quimby. When she was done, the skin showing through his burnt shirt was red with a few heat blisters, but it wasn’t crispy anymore. Her friend was going to be in pain, but he was on his feet.

“It looks like it was a single activation trap, its safe now,” Ox said, inspecting the fireplace as a magic glowed around his eyes, the telltale sign of scrying magic. He was low level like the rest of them, but his innate mage abilities were enough to discern the danger of the simple magical trap.

“Did we get any loot this time,” Roland said as he stood, still wincing from his injuries.

“Hang on, oh, another doily in the fireplace,” Ox said recovering a powder blue doily and handing it to and grumbling Roland.

“Not too bad from the cats,” Vanderman said, holding up a steel bracer and another handful of low value coins.

“Nice, you keep that bracer, Vanderman. Perhaps we should set a rule that any useful loot goes to the person best suited for it, providing they give up some of their share of the coin,” Shara offered.

“That’s sounds good, we can work out the details tonight so that it’s fair to everyone, agreed,” Vanderman said. The rest of the party nodded in agreement.

“Now, do we go on or do we head back?” Vanderman started. “We’ve gotten a better bit of loot from yesterday, but we’re also more banged up. Shara, how is your healing holding up?”

“I’m starting to bottom out. The way my power works, the more I use it, the slower my mana recharges until we rest. As much as I would like to see what else we might get, I recommend going back,” Shara admitted.

“Ox hates to leave too, but if the healer recommends that we leave, we should follow her advice,” Ox said. Shara was still trying to figure out the big guy, he talked about himself in the third person, and his voice made him sound like a dolt, but at other times, he showed a surprising intelligence.

“I’ve had enough as well,” Roland added, pointing to his burned off clothing.

“I’ll go with whatever everyone decides,” Nala said. Shara was still trying to figure her out, but so far, she had done everything they asked of her and she hadn’t caused any problems.

“Alright, let’s head out and try again tomorrow,” Vanderman decided, and after a final search for any missed loot, they left the dungeon for the day.