The Slime Dungeon: Book 1 (The Slime Dungeon Chronicles) (7 page)

Chapter 8

Guild vice-leader Mary sighed as she gazed at the growing settlement in front of her. She heard second hand the report on the new dungeon from her leader, Guild Master Vance. This new turn of events intrigued her; she was very curious about this place so she decided to volunteer and lead the Adventurer Guild Outpost at the new dungeon outpost. She did not realize that the task would be a rather boring one at the start.

"Whew" she sighed out, "I guess I should have expected this, but I guess I was overly eager." She was currently sitting on a chair behind a small table in one of the bigger tents. This was the branch office for the guild until a more permanent structure was set up. She leaned over and let her head out of the tent to check out the dungeon’s entrance, which was facing her direction. She was waiting for the return of the scout team that had set out earlier to inspect the dungeon.

She had nothing to do and no one to talk to until the team’s arrival. The workers were too busy to speak to her, the elves would not be coming this season, and the other adventurers were back at Duran getting ready. Until they heard back from the scouting team, the dungeon's level was unknown, and therefore, off limits to all who would want to enter.

This wasn't Mary's first solo assignment, but it was her first time dealing with a dungeon. Dungeons were not common in the plains, as they preferred to form in areas with large amounts of stone. This dungeon seemed to be growing out of a small hill, an uncommon enough thing to find in the plain, and had its entrance lead deep under the ground. Mary was curious how the dungeon hive mind would adapt to the handicap of the plains. The fact that it was a slime dungeon only added to the mystery, as no slime dungeon had ever been recorded before.

Her thoughts were interrupted by cries and cheers from the camp. From her vantage point, she could see the five men returning from their trip in triumph, waving to the cheers of their fellow men. Mary rolled her eyes at the sight; she knew the men too well and felt happy to see them.

The B-ranked adventurer group was led by a battle mage named Koran Stakes, an ass of a man when it came to women; believing himself to be a gift unto them. To add to his arrogance, he also possessed noble blood. His father was an important figure in the city's Merchant Guild. The only reason she tolerated him was that he had the skill and strength to back up his boosts, and was very thorough in completing assignments. His men, who were sons of other minor nobility, always backed up his claims.

The men strolled over to her tent and closed the flap behind them for some privacy. Koran walked up to her wearing his trademark arrogant grin. "How about a date with the dungeon conqueror, Miss Mary?"  He swaggered, winking at her face.

Mary rolled her eyes and sat up, "I already told you Koran, you're not my type. I have a few hundred years on you and no patience for younglings."

Koran's smile faltered a moment, then came back as smooth as ever, "Whatever you say my dearest Mary, I know I can't compete with the lines of men desiring your attention."

She narrowed her eyes at him, noting the slight jab at her. Many men shied away from her when they learned of her half elf blood, and many looked to her in disgust for her advanced age. Men had their pride, and none desired to be old and dying while she was youthful still. Unlike a true elf, however, she had aged some over the years to resemble a woman in her thirties, but still young. Koran relished in the challenge of bedding her, but had no desire to keep her afterwards. Rumors in the darker parts of the city whispered of the girls who went with him and never returned.

"Be that as it may, I'm sure you are here for something beyond wooing me?"  She asked.

Koran winked and dumped a bag filled with slime cores onto the table. "Behold the spoils of victory!"  He boasted.

Mary inspected the cores with a keen eye and magic glasses. The cores were from simple slimes, and were not distinguishable from each other. The magic element interested her a little, being that it was a very rare affinity to have. A dungeon this close to the forest or plain should have had an earth or wind affinity, yet this one was completely neutral. In terms of value, they were worth a little more than a regular core and would be useful in potion crafting.

"Eighty slime cores of equal value with sixty copper per core will earn you… forty eight silver pieces. Now, report you experience," she barked at him after setting her glasses down.

He nodded. "The dungeon is young, consisting of two floors with three rooms on top and five on the second level, including the boss room. Standard slimes traps are present including pitfalls, puddles, and skyfalls. The first room is devoid of traps, but holds copper veins suitable for mining in safety. The rooms alternate from ceiling drops to pitfall paths and the same applies to the corridors between them. The boss room held an overslime that came up to my waist and displayed greater battle prowess than a normal overslime; it even managed to capture one of my men."

Mary raised an eyebrow, "Yet, I see all four of your men here. Did you manage to free him before he was killed?"

Koran frowned. "That's the strange thing; the monster had him up to his waist, but didn't eat him at all except for his sword. I can only assume that the sword gave it so much trouble it couldn't eat anymore."

Mary doubted that. During the mercenary period of her life, she had witnessed a certain type of slime devour two men and their horses at the same time with no trouble at all; the slime even ate all of their magic equipment! She nodded at Koran for him to continue.

"Due to his situation, my man was able to warn us about it when it leaped, and we surrounded the monster and slayed it after. It is my belief that it was easier to defeat due to the lack of experience the dungeon possessed when it came to adventurers. I would rate it somewhere from a C to a lower B in terms of scale of difficulty. The boss room was filled with basic healing herbs, uncommon in the nearby forest, and covered the walls and ceiling effectively. The dungeon core itself was hidden; either in a hidden room or deep under the plants themselves.”

He took out the copper and plant samples they had taken and gave them to her along with the overslime core. She put on her classes and observed them each. The copper and plants held no magic, but would be useful in the crafting guilds. The slime core itself was just a larger and purer form of the basic slime cores from earlier.

"I will inform the crafting guilds of the copper and herb deposits, and I will send your report to the Adventurer Guild in Duran," she said. “You are dismissed Koran.” She waved him off as she took out pen and paper.

Koran frowned at her, but bowed and left the tent without a word. Mary eyed the entrance flap and resumed her writing. “That man will be a problem eventually,” she thought to herself. “I shudder to think what would happen if he gained more power.” She feared he had hidden secrets that no one knew about. At the same time, she couldn't help but chuckle to herself, "Well, at least things will be interesting around here."

***

Diana grinned to herself as she rode her horse into the camp. “This is so exciting! I get to come here all by myself and it’s all thanks to Hilda!” She thought to herself. The day before, she had been talking with her sister and mentioned the new dungeon to her as well as her desire to look into its possible secrets; this made her sister smile at her.

"Don't worry sis, I'll help you out with that," Hilda said before leaving the room. Later that day, Diana had received orders from the head ranger himself to carry messages to the budding camp in front of the dungeon. Excited and joyful, Diana had grabbed her fastest horse and rode out as soon as she read her orders.

"Silly Ken, he still thinks I'm a little girl in need of protection.” She grinned as she entered the camp. She knew Ken had agreed to take her to the ranger base in order to keep her out of trouble. He'd leave her there in the hands of the ranger masters, and have all sorts of fun in the dungeon without her. "Not on my watch, no sir. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I'm not going to miss it," she thought to herself.

She got off her horse and marched over to one of the larger tents and poked her head in. "Message for the adventurer Koran!"  She announced brightly.

Inside, a group of men were taking off their armor as they turned to look at her. The handsome one in the back walked to her with a cute smile. "That would be me darling. Thank you for the letter.” She blushed as she handed him her delivery and waited patiently as he read the letter. His grin grew when he finished and looked back up at her. "Care to join us on a dungeon raid tomorrow? We have to explore some in order to get a good idea of what we're dealing with."

Diana jumped up in excitement, "That would be great! When can we meet?"

"Meet us just before the sunrise at the entrance. Have a good night." He waved her off with a smile as she skipped away to find a tent.

"Hey boss, didn't we already explore the dungeon? Why are we going back?" Asked one of his friends. Koran turned and winked at him.

"We have a little job to do gents, one that will let us have a little fun as well." Instead of his normal smile, Koran had an evil grin that was soon shared by the four of his friends.

Chapter 9

Doc was happily making new slimes in his dungeon when he sensed something. It was still dark outside, but he felt the approach of some people to his entrance.

"Claire, wake up!"  He sent to her sleeping form, "Someone is coming our way."

Claire mumbled and rolled around on her bed, a new addition to her room made from plants and slime.

"Claire!"  Claire woke up with a yelp and flew into the ceiling, startled by his yell. She groaned and rubbed her nose in annoyance.

"What is it, Doc?"

"Someone's coming our way, and it's still dark out," Doc informed her. Claire raised an eyebrow and began flying to the entrance.

"I didn't think they'd show up so soon," she muttered to herself as she flew down her tunnel.

"They? Do you know who is coming?"  Doc asked curiously.

"Not who specifically, but I can guess the reasons for the visit," she said honestly. Taking her spot at the peephole she asked him, "Have you remade your dungeon boss yet?"

"No, I was just making more slimes. Should I go ahead?"

"No, save it for now, you may need it for later," Claire advised while eyeing the approaching humans.

Confused, Doc obeyed and moved curiously to the entrance to watch. There were four men in leather armor at his entrance, waiting for something. He didn't recognize them, but their presence seemed familiar.

“…Protect her…” Doc thought he heard a voice in his head, but he couldn’t hear it anymore. His attention returned to Claire as she began speaking.

"Those are the men who came with the mage yesterday," Claire clarified, "However, they are not wearing their magic armor and wield plain swords. They did not come here to conquer you again."

The two were alerted to a new presence running up to join the men. Doc recognized the human aspects, but this human was not like the others. "Claire, this human has lumpy things on her, like you," he exclaimed.

For some reason, Doc sensed he had somehow offended Claire. "Doc, those are breasts. They are found on females of most species and used to feed their young. They are not lumps."

"So does that mean you have children? How'd you make them?"

Doc felt a mental back slap from a blushing Claire, who cried out, "No, you idiot! I don't have kids! They are there for when we have children, and used to attract a mate."

"Weird thing to use to attract mates," Doc muttered under his breath. He went on to say to her, "So does that mean bigger is better? I think you have bigger ones even though she is larger than you."

Claire was feeling rather smug when she said, "Yes it does, and yes I am, thank you very much. Now, be quiet so I can listen in."

The two focused on the conversation that started when the girl arrived.

“Am I late? Did Sir Koran go without me?” The female asked.

“Don't worry ranger, Master Koran had other matters to tend to and you're on time. We won't be going far in today, but you came prepared for battle correct?”  One of the men asked.

The girl nodded and showed off her weapons, “I'm all set! Thank you for bringing me with you on your dungeon excursion.” She bowed to them.

The men waved it off, “Think nothing of it young one, we are happy to help our junior to gain experience. It's important to learn what's expected of you sooner rather than later. Follow us.”

They entered the dungeon, leading the girl into its dark depths. Doc watched them closely, somehow not feeling as excited as he had the day before.

"Claire, somehow I don't feel comfortable," he told her.

She nodded, "I guess being an old soul makes you more aware of situations like these. Most dungeons wouldn't care at all."

"What do you mean?" asked Doc.

Claire sighed, "Not everyone is a good person in the world. Mommy showed me that when I was younger. Some evil people like to use dungeons to do things and get away from punishment. Don't interfere and watch them."

“…Save…” The soft voice disappeared as fast as he heard it, sending a shiver through Doc. Doc was unsure now, but relented and watched the men lead the girl deeper into the dungeon.

“Is this your first time in a dungeon Mrs. Ranger?”  Asked one of the men.

She nodded, “That's right, I haven't seen a dungeon before. Is it supposed to be this easy?”

“Don't worry; it'll get worse the further we go in,” he reassured her. “The way to the first room is clear of traps for now and the room has a nice copper vein to mine.”

“Wow! They didn't teach me at the castle about copper veins in dungeons.” The girl was so excited she must have said something interesting. Doc wasn't the only one to notice because the man began eyeing her differently and coughing.

“Are you alright, sir?” She asked concerned.

The man nodded, “Don't worry, it's an old injury. Why don't you go ahead to the first room while I rest a moment? Take Jack with you while the others watch me.”

“Are you sure?” She asked while hearing splitting up sounds.

“Don't worry; it's safe till the second tunnel. Go, don't let me hold you back,” said the man.

The girl still looked unsure, but her eagerness overcame her reservations. So she and one of the men went on ahead to the room. The girl inspected the walls in fascination and asked the man about mines in dungeons. Meanwhile, Doc noticed that the other three men were huddled together and were arguing.

“She's from the castle! No way am I following the plan now, that's too much attention.” One of the men was saying in hushed whispers.

“You idiot! You knew she was important, what difference does it make now? We have our orders from Koran, and failure to him would get us killed.” Another argued.

“Screw that! I hear traitors to the crown are given over to those bastard elves, and they say they know ways to keep a man alive in pain for decades,” the other man said.

The first man snorted, “And you don't think Koran can't? Besides, no one knows that she's here with us. To everyone, the girl was overeager and entered the dungeon without help and died of a terrible death. Those slimes are real useful for stuff like that, you know, and we can even have some fun before getting rid of her.”

“The dungeon, what if it attacks us while we're still inside it? We had to leave our stuff behind so no one would recognize us while Koran's men wore the armor and swords today. We could die in here!”

“Listen, we aren't traveling farther than the first room. We’ll have some fun in there; then we’ll toss her body down the corridor and let the slimes finish her off. No one will be the wiser.”

The man grumbled, but nodded. “Fine, but I get first dips on her chastity. I like my women pure when they scream.”

The other two men laughed and clapped the man on the back as they headed toward the first room. Doc was horrified.

"They are going to kill that girl, Claire! Why would they hurt each other?"

Claire sent him her sad feelings, "I told you there are bad people in the world. Those men are going to use her, then dump her and leave her to die. I've seen it before, and it will happen again."

"I… I don’t like that!" Doc muttered, "I… I don’t want to see her… hurt. She’s going to be hurt… going to die…"  Doc's mumbling began to fall into gibberish, which began to concern Claire.

“Protect her…” Another shiver shook Doc as he began to lose control over his emotions.

"Doc, are you okay? Speak to me!" Claire called out, but Doc couldn't hear her anymore. He was completely focused on the scene in the first room.

***

“Jack was telling me all about the copper veins! Thank you for guiding me!” The girl was happy and bowing her thanks to the men.

The lead man smiled, “Always happy to help. Now, we need to discuss payment.”

The girl tilted her head, confused. “Payment? How much do you want?”

The man nodded to Jack, who was slowly walking up behind the girl with his sword out. “Oh, don't worry about it. Like I said, juniors need to be taught what to expect by their seniors.” In a flash, Jack cut the leather binding the girl’s weapons to her and broke her bow as they clattered to the ground. The girl jumped back in fright as she stared wide eyed at her weapons.

“What, what is going on?”  She asked, fear creeping into her voice.

The men chuckled, “Oh, why we're just going to have some fun. Now be a good girl and come to us.” Two of the men were blocking the exit tunnel as the other two closed in on her, her back to the tunnel leading further in.

“You can't do this! I'm a princess! My father will kill you for this!”  She cried out, fear overcoming her training as the men closed in on her with weapons drawn.

“Silly girl, no one knows you're here. No one knows your name. No one will care that you're gone.” Said the leader with an evil grin. “That letter told us exactly what to do with you. Now, since that letter came from the palace, I think you should realize exactly who ordered this.”

The girl backed up slowly as her eyes darted back in forth, “N…no…no one wants me dead! Everyone likes me, and I haven't done anything wrong.”

“Silly girl, it's your existence that's the problem. No one is going to save you, and when they realize you’re gone, they will all forget about you. All you ever were was a burden, an eyesore, and an embarrassment to your name. Why, your own family wants you gone.”

The girl's knees buckled, “No, that can't be. You're lying!”

The man removed something and showed it to her, “See here, this is the royal seal of your family, isn't it? It may not be signed, but only your family has access to the seal.”

The girl's face fell into despair as she looked at the document, tears falling down her face as she understood her folly. “I, I won't be killed by this!”

With a quick motion, she drew a dagger out of her sleeve and sliced the flimsy thing in half as the man jumped back. He laughed and waved his sword in the air.

“Come on then girl, bring your fight! I like my girls feisty and defeated.” He swung his sword at her, barely missing as she leaped backwards. Her face was in complete panic as she tried to get a hold of herself, but the trauma and fear were not leaving her. The two men swung their massive swords, and all she could do to dodge them was to leap back and lean sideways. The men didn't even give her a chance, one man's swing ending as the other's began. Her little dagger was worthless against their reach.

Seeing no way to run, she reared back and threw the dagger into the arm of the lead man, shouting “I'd rather die than give you bastards what you want!” She turned and ran down the tunnel, leaving the man cursing in pain as he took the dagger out.

“Dammit! Get her Jack!” He shouted, prompting his partner to run after her into the tunnel.

Doc watched her run through his dungeon. He watched her sobbing and terrified while running toward his pitfall trap. He watched her fall, fall, and fall into his trap. The slimes came up to meet her. He could hear her anguished screams as she felt their gooey grip. He saw all of it, and could only watch in silence, a specter in the wind.

“Save her.” He heard the voice a final time. And then, he just stopped thinking.

***

Hank growled as Lucas wrapped his arm with a piece of cloth. "Damn bitch, I'll treat her when Jack drags her back.” He yanked his arm away from Lucas and looked at it. Blood was starting to seep through, but it was holding together. "Lucas, Mark, I get her pretty face first!"  he barked at them. They nodded, unwilling to argue against him while he was furious.

They were interrupted by a loud scream, echoing down the tunnel.

"That that was Jack!" Lucas said, wide eyed.

Hank growled and got up, walking to the tunnel. "Jack, Jack, answer me!"  He yelled down the tunnel. He heard no answer from the darkness. "Mark, go find him!"

Mark picked up a torch and lit it, heading down into the tunnel. He didn't get far before he ran back in fear. "It got him Hank, the slimes got 'em!" 

Hank spat onto the floor and shook his head, "Damn idiot. I told him to be careful with the pitfalls."

"He ain't in no pitfall Hank, they be on top of him!" Mark cried out.

Before Hank could ask, they heard a rustling from the darkness. They turned to see a swarm of slimes slithering toward them from all surfaces.

"Run!" Hank cried, and the three of them bolted for the exit. They found the way blocked by another swarm of slimes, and found themselves trapped in the room.

"It wasn't like this before Hank; it wasn't like this at all!" Lucas wailed as they were surrounded.

"Shut up and light the torches, we can still get out!" Hank ordered. Quickly, each man held two torches and waved them at the slimes, creating a free space around them.

Hank laughed, "Ha! Stupid slimes are scared of fire! Let's go boys, slow and steady now." They never looked up to see a lone slime crawl right above them. They didn't see it begin to grow to a much larger size.

They did, however, feel it when it fell on them and smothered their fire.

And the slimes descended on their screams.

Chapter 10