The Slime Dungeon: Book 1 (The Slime Dungeon Chronicles) (5 page)

The human leader laughed and clapped his hand onto the elf's back, “That just means easy money, don't worry so much.”

The elf frowned at him, “I don't take pleasure in killing newborns, especially for profit.”

The leader sighed, “Would you prefer we left all dungeons alone? You know the risk.”

              “True, but I still don't like it.” The elf sighed, twisting his sword.

The group made its way into the second tunnel. By pure luck, they missed the two pitfall traps and successfully entered the second room. As the last man entered, the ceiling slimes began their drop onto the men.

“Slimes!” The leader cried out, and the room broke into chaos. Slimes were easy to kill, but in a panic without any magic the men threw out any form of rational. One man had a slime land directly on his face, and was running around screaming as it fed on his hair. Another was forced to abandon his weapon as another slime chewed on it. One man even ran screaming back down the tunnel to the surface.

The elf and the leader remained calm as they fought the slimes.

“Calm down!” The leader shouted, “Aim for the cores you fools, the cores!”

The leader, wielding a long sword and a dagger, swung around and sliced the slime in half that was on the man's head. It dissolved quickly as the core fell to the floor. The elf swung with mesmerizing grace as he sliced the air itself with his weapon. Out of the nine men in the room, only five had been directly hit by the slimes. The little monsters moved slowly on the floor and were easy targets once everyone calmed down. They used their knives, swords, and axes to hit the cores and exterminate the slimes.

Fifteen slimes perished in the room. At that moment, all the men bent over to catch their breath. The leader remained standing, showing no indication of fatigue.

“I didn't expect slimes in this dungeon. An unfortunate mistake on our part.” The leader lamented as he straightened his back, “I've never encountered a slime dungeon before. Hell, it's not often we fight slimes in the first place.” He eyed the corridor beyond, “I'm not too keen on going any further without magical assistance,” he added.

The elf nodded, “Indeed, wise decision, Sir Kenneth. Your role was merely to observe and report, not to conquer.”

The leader named Sir Kenneth, gave the elf an angry glare, “I told you it’s Ken, not Kenneth. Who do you think you're talking to, elf?”

The elf held up placating hands, “My apologies,” and he added, “Are you not a man short?”

Ken eyed his men and barked out, “Where's Perkins?”

The men muttered among themselves before one of them pointed to the corridor that led to the surface. Deciding the dungeon was too much for them right now, the group turned and left the dungeon, but not before coming across the pitfall trap Perkins had fallen into. Ken shook his head as peered in, watching the last of Perkins' equipment being eaten by the slimes.

“Damned fool, running away from a fight in a dungeon. At least he was single, I hate delivering bad news to families.” He made a gesture toward the pit, and then they left the dungeon. Doc and Claire watched them remount their horses and leave before they released their breaths.

From the slime boss, Claire smiled up at Doc, "Congratulations! You have survived your first dungeon dive. You even claimed a life! Few dungeons can claim taking a life on their first experience."

Doc winced, "Is killing really something to be proud of? I kind of feel like I should have let him escape, or at least kept him alive somehow."

Claire shook her head, "You had to show them you meant business in order survive, Doc. Dungeon diving is a risk all adventurers experience in order to become rich. There is no risk without reward, you know? They claimed the fifteen cores from the slimes they killed, and you claimed their foolish friend. By the way, you should have gotten a boost of power from that death."

Doc nodded, "Yeah, I got some stuff in my astral bag and some mana. The loot I got from him seems different from what he had on before."

Claire nodded, "Items you take are changed by your mana, however, powerful things, such as heavily enchanted weapons, are not changed when you absorb them. Sometimes items with strong emotional feelings can also be unaffected, but for the most part, the loot gets transformed into a generic form. All in all, a good first experience if I do say so myself."

She yawned and stretched her arms back, "Now, it's time for us to rest, and then you'll be back to work to improve your dungeon."

"Yes, dear."

Claire blushed, "Stop it! That's embarrassing!"

Doc chuckled, then moved into his boss’ body for a good night sleep with his partner.

Chapter 5

While Doc and Claire rested from their first dungeon dive, the group of rangers, led by Sir Kenneth, third son of the ruler of Duran, returned to their city. About a day's ride away, the human city of Duran was one of the crowning jewels of the land. Duran sat in the western plain of the kingdom, next to a large forest where a small elves community was located. Leo was the elf who was part of Sir Kenneth’s ranger group. He was an Elvin elder guardian. He and Sir Kenneth had worked together before and had become good friends.

Doc's dungeon was located near these two places, and unlike other kingdoms in the world, they were made up of independent city states which competed against each other, but worked together when they felt threatened by invaders. The city of Duran and the elves village worked together and traded so much that racial issues were a rare problem, and when it occurred, it usually came from outsiders.

The ranger group rode through the gates of Duran and down the center street to the castle. Ken was in a hurry to report to his father and the elves representatives so his men could rest. They had returned from the scouting mission organized to investigate the noise they have heard coming from the plains and being a caring leader, he knew that his men were exhausted and needed to rest.

The rangers were veterans of many battles, however, they were all fatigued from their journey and especially from the dungeon battle where they lost one of their own. Even as they rode their horses down the street, Ken could see their weariness and depression.

Leo rode up beside him, "Ken, I am sorry about Perkins."

Ken sighed, shaking his head, "Don't bother, you tried to stop us from going in the first place. I just wanted to give my men a little reward for their troubles, but I guess that was too greedy."

Leo patted Ken's back, a human gesture he wasn't quite comfortable with which brought a smile to Ken's face. "Yeah, you're right. All that is left to do is report back to the king."

Leo sighed and shook his head, patting his horse, "You know, he wants you to call him ‘Father,’ right? You break his heart every time you call him ‘King.’

Ken laughed, "He's a sly one to fool you elves. True, it bothers him, but he just exaggerates it for the sake of appearance. I'll call him ‘Father’ when those petty nobles aren't around. You know that the third son has no chance to inherit, so why make a scene out of family right?"

Leo sighed, "I'll never understand you humans, but whatever makes you happy."

They rode on in silence up to the castle gates. Duran was a round-shaped city, a common shape in the plains. A large wall surrounded the city an inner wall protected the castle in the middle of the city. It served as a second siege wall in case of attacks, and was just as impressive. The castle itself was more of a large manor house than a fancy stone castle, mostly due to the lack of material in the area needed to build its walls.

The rangers dismounted inside the gate and gave their horses to the stable master, who nodded at them.

"Ye father awaits in his throne room with ye Elvin folk. They be knowin’ ye coming."

Thanking him, Ken and Leo led the rangers up the stairs to the large ornate oak doors. Nodding at the guards, Ken opened the door and walked in. The throne room was like the castle itself; practical and functional to relate to the common people. A large fireplace sat in the center of the room, used for cold nights and great feasts. Rooms and corridors ran out from every wall, and a simple wooden throne sat in the back with fancy chairs beside it.

King Duran sat in the throne with a smile on his face as the rangers approached. As king, he inherited the name of Duran on the day of his ascension to the throne, to show the connection of king to city. His beautiful wife Queen Nia sat in a smaller throne beside him, also smiling at the return of their son.

To their left, the elvish representatives sat in trees that they had grown in the shape of chairs. Ken recognized them as elders, but knew nothing of their names or their views. To the King's right sat the minister of the church and the head of the noble table: Father Tobias and Lord Mannis. Father Tobias, while not a leader in the church of light, was an honest man who represented the church in Duran. He was a kind faced man who had lived for many years and was well known for his teachings in the chapel. Lord Mannis was, to Ken, a perfect example of a typical noble: he was selfish, arrogant, cunning, wise, and loyal. The man was known to never let others do work for him, yet somehow always knew things he wasn't privy too. Ken always felt a strange mix of fear and admiration whenever he looked at the man.

While the other men kneeled, Ken and Leo bowed to the authority. King Duran arose.

"Welcome Ranger Commander Kenneth and Master Elf Leo. You are welcome in these halls."

At that, the two straightened up and relaxed. The king smiled and called for chairs for the two. Once the servants brought two simple chairs, the other men were dismissed and left the throne room.

King Duran stretched and nodded to the two of them, "Well, now that the boring items are done, why don't you report what you encountered, Sir Ken? I couldn't help but notice you were one man short."

Sir Ken nodded, "Reporting sire: After a day's ride, we came across a hill near the forest. From the surrounding stone and dirt, the explosion came from a cave entrance in the hill, and judging by the amount of refuse, the entrance had been much smaller when the explosion occurred."

He explained how they entered the suspected dungeon and the battle that had followed, finishing with the death of Perkins and their subsequent return. The king frowned and looked thoughtful at the news.

"I know losing one of your men was hard, so accept my condolences. Was he with family?"

Ken shook his head, "No, sir. He was alone and lived in the ranger house."

King Duran sighed, "Well, at least you won't have to deliver the news. Master Leo, do you agree with Sir Ken's report?"

Leo nodded, "Indeed, King Duran. What Ken reported was all true. If I may add, we were listened to at the entrance and I heard a quiet giggle."

Lord Mannis leaned forward with a small smile, "Would you say it was a dungeon fairy, perhaps?"

"Possibly sir, but my eyes saw nothing my ears could hear."

Lord Mannis nodded and leaned back, turning his head toward the king. "My king, if this is indeed a new dungeon, it could be a profitable venture for us; especially with these slime cores.” He gestured at the 15 slime cores Sir Ken had displayed while giving his report, "These cores can be made into healing potions that would create a new enterprise for our city. I see great wealth if we play this right."

King Duran nodded and turned to Father Tobias, "Father, what is the church's view on this new dungeon?"

Father Tobias leaned back into his chair; he looked thoughtful. "Well, the church is neutral on the matter of slimes unless they become too destructive. If the dungeon held undead or demons, I believe our gods of light would have sent us a sign to purify it. As it stands, the church could make use of healing potions to assist in our healing efforts. Clerics are hard pressed to cure all the problems and few are choosing a life in the church."

"How about your feelings Master Elves?" King Duran asked the representatives.

One of the elders stood and regarded the humans. "We live with nature, and as long as the dungeon does not harm the area, we are also neutral in regards to its existence. However, we should deliberate over the rights to it."

Lord Mannis raised an eyebrow and grinned, "My dear elder, I would be happy to accept the responsibilities of the dungeon.

The elder inclined his head toward Lord Mannis with a small smile of his own, “We wouldn’t want to trouble you with such a trivial matter, Lord Mannis.”

The king coughed and nodded to the two in front of him, "You two are dismissed, no need to listen to politics. Sir Kenneth, give your final report to the scribe when you get the chance and take the rest of the day off."

Grateful, Ken and Leo bowed and quickly exited the room while voices had begun to rise. Ken closed the door and sighed. "Well, looks like we'll have some work to do once they hash it out in there."

Leo was faintly amused, "I'm sure. If you need me, I'll be at the Elvin Embassy.” They bowed to each other, and Ken watched Leo's disappearing form. He was startled from his thoughts by a tackle that almost knocked him over. He turned to find his younger sister hugging him tightly.

"Welcome back Ken!"  Princess Diana cried out. The princess and her younger twin sister Hilda had recently come of age and were well regarded as the beautiful twins of the city. While Hilda preferred court matters and politics, Diana found her calling with the sword. She had trained with most branches of the army and guard, and would soon join Ken as a temporary ranger.

Ken sighed and rubbed her head affectionately, "Dear sister, what would mother say if she saw you jump random men?"

She stuck her tongue out at him, "Mother has long since given up on me and dotes on Hilda now. Her hope is that I'll meet a dashing general and settle down with him and bare his offspring. Load of rubbish in my opinion anyway.” She smiled up at him.

Ken chuckled and tickled her, "Good luck with that plan; any officer knows they'd have to fight through me for your hand."

Diana giggled and escaped his clutches. She was dressed in full ranger gear, with her black hair wrapped into a braid down the side of her head. A pair of daggers lined belt and a bow hung off her back. "When can I ride to the ranger house with you, brother?"

Ken waved her off, "Come off it girl, I've just returned from battle and need a warm bath and soft bed. Ask me later."

Diana stared up with wide, excited eyes, "Is it true what they say, that a new dungeon was come to being? Was it as cool and dangerous as they say?"

Ken shrugged, "I've never heard of a dungeon described as "cool" before, unless it's a northern dungeon. It was a simple dungeon with slimes, and it cost me the life of one of my men."

She drooped at the news, "I'm sorry Ken."

He smiled and hugged her, "The cost of command little one; someday you'll understand it for yourself. Now, off with you. I need my rest."

She nodded and ran off, pausing before a corner to ask, "Do you think we'll be assigned to look at it again?"

"Most likely father will send us to secure the area once the politics are completed. If you're good, I may consider bringing you along."

She winked and disappeared around the corner. Ken sighed and scratched his head. He really wanted that bath now for his sister had wrapped him in her own sweaty attire.