Dungeon Bound Read online

  Copyright © 2019 Bastian Knight

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Characters, events, names, and places are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Dungeon Bound

  By Bastian Knight

  CHAPTER ONE

  Goblins have far too much blood stashed away in such small bodies. The thought occurred to Gabriel as he spat out a mouthful of gore and raised a hand to wipe goblin guts from his face.

  “All right there, Lad?” Torrik asked, his thick brown beard splitting to reveal an enormous white smile as the dwarf wiped his ax clean.

  “Phth, yes, thanks for the save.” Though, maybe you could do it cleaner next time.

  “Nae to worry, ya will get the hang of it soon enough.” The dwarf patted him on the back with an armored gauntlet hard enough to stagger him. “Ya done well so far, just need to remember not to get too focused on killing one to notice any others trying to sneak up on ya.”

  Gabriel smiled back as best he could through the viscera. Despite the horrible mess, he was grateful the dwarf had saved him.

  “Hold still a moment,” a melodic female voice called out.

  He turned to face Estrial, the group’s leader, and swallowed his response as the graceful elven sorceress stepped over and began chanting a spell.

  Her spellwork was flawless, like every other casting she’d made in the past few hours of delving. As soon as the intricate glyphs solidified, she released the spell, and a wave of arcane energy, intentioned mana, washed over him. Her spell instantly purged all the grime and filth from his body, depositing it in a sickly ring of goo on the rough stone floor of the cavern.

  She even makes cleaning spells look elegant.

  “Thank you,” Gabriel said without tripping over his tongue this time, though it didn’t prevent snickering from the final two members of the group.

  Dresk and Derek were supposedly skilled swordsmen. So far, all the human twins had done was hurl petty insults and hateful glares his way whenever the elf paid Gabriel any attention. They were taller and broader than he was, and their equipment was shiny and well-fitted, unlike his hand-me-down sword and goblin grass gambeson.

  Gabriel figured they must be reasonably competent to be part of the sorceress’ party. Still, he’d seen no proof beyond one of them pointing out the trigger plates of various traps.

  Even I spotted most of them. And none of the traps appeared lethal anyway.

  Estrial and Torrik had both amply demonstrated their skill, more than proving why they were ranked Gold and Silver. The dwarf was a textbook example of a fighter with the supernatural strength that comes from high Soul Essence growth.

  He’s been carrying that massive shield one-handed the entire trip. Not to mention how thick that plate armor of his is. I know it’s enchanted, but he has to be lugging around a good two hundred pounds of gear.

  “Come along now, if the goblin’s we’ve slain so far are any indication, there’s no reason to waste our time looting these vermin. We are very close to our prize,” Estrial said, drawing everyone’s attention back to the beautiful, blond woman.

  Gabriel tried not to stare too hard at her and her exotic features. He’d noticed her the moment she entered the tavern last night. When she made a beeline for his table and introduced herself, he’d had trouble believing his good luck. Twenty years of intense study at the Academy of Magic in Lostbarrow left him with little time to pursue love, and her elven charm had immediately bewitched him.

  He stood about average height for a human, just shy of six feet. In her stiletto-heeled boots, her large blue eyes were level with his own. Every time he met her gaze, he found himself drowning in them.

  “Right you are, Lass,” Torrik said, then turned to glance at the twins. “You two need to be ready, the crystal’s guardians will be a lot more challenging than these wretched creatures. Do nae be thinking it’s gonna stay this easy.”

  Mirrored smirks emerged on their faces, but the two darkly handsome men nodded and headed to the far door.

  It was another oddity to Gabriel. He hadn’t expected to see so many actual rooms on the fourth floor after the ones above had been little more than a warren of caves and tunnels. While this was his first dungeon delve, he’d heard plenty of stories over the years. None of which mentioned there being anything stronger than an orc. Or legendary treasures like this “Domain Crystal” guarded by stone golems.

  Sure, there was a time when terrifying monsters filled the dungeon. But that was centuries ago.

  Mistaking the youngest member’s look for fear, Torrik clapped him on the shoulder and smiled again. “Don’t worry, and don’t mind them two. Estrial checked ya out before she invited ya to delve with us. That dandy, Kelith, might have recommended ya, but she would nae have agreed if she weren’t sure ya would be up to the task.

  “Just keep yourself safe and help where possible. Your part will be helping her take down the barrier so we can get the crystal.”

  The dwarf’s encouraging words had the opposite effect when he dropped the all too familiar name. Kelith was the baron’s son and the second-best student at the Academy. Until last week when he got Gabriel ejected on trumped-up charges.

  Why would that arrogant asshat suggest me to someone as famous as Estrial? If he wanted to help me out, he could have just let me stay in school for another six months and finish the twenty-year course. Everyone knew I intended to join the Guild as a bureaucratic mage. I’d have been out of his hair for good.

  Shaking away the distressing thought, Gabriel focused on the task at hand. It didn’t matter how he’d gotten this chance. All that mattered was proving his worth to Estrial and ensuring his future.

  While he had never wanted to be an adventurer like his mother, Gabriel liked the idea of making his living supporting them. Unfortunately, his dismissal from school ruined any chance of that. With his plans in shambles, he’d set up in the cheapest inn he could find and joined the Guild.

  Then, less than a week later, his luck improved. After a short chat with Estrial, he’d received an invitation to join one of the most prestigious adventurers in the city.

  He still had a few concerns regarding how confident they were about this “Domain Crystal” they were seeking. But even if the treasure didn’t pan out, the reputation boost alone would be enough to make sure he’d be welcome to join other parties.

  Gabriel followed close behind the Terror Twins as he’d come to think of the other two humans. He kept his eyes darting around the shadows as they continued to travel deeper into the foreboding depths of the Dungeon of Lostbarrow.

  The Guild was uncertain how many floors the dungeon had. They knew it had once descended to at least twenty-five, though it had been decades since anyone delved beyond the tenth.

  The party was on the fourth floor now and had only fought goblins for the past two hours. It struck Gabriel as strange that the monsters seemed weaker on this floor than the one above. But the experienced adventurers showed no concern, so he kept silent.

  Estrial’s head jerked, her pointed ears twitching as she hissed, pausing the party. She appeared to be listening intently, but Gabriel detected nothing beyond the soft breathing of his companions.

  Then he heard it. What started as quiet as a muffled whisper, quickly escalated into the stone on stone cacophony of an avalanche. Only they were four floors underground, and the walls and ceiling betrayed no hint of instability. He glanced around, his eyes darting to each of his companions. To his surprise, the others all looked excited rather than frightened.

  “Relax, lad. That just be the stone golems guarding the crystal. If ya
think they’re loud now, wait until we’re in the same room.” Torrik flashed him a wide smile full of broad teeth, and Gabriel felt his heart calm.

  He pulled out his waterskin and took a quick drink to ease his dry mouth as the others debated the best tactic for tackling the powerful monsters. Golems were a major focus back at the Academy, and Gabriel recalled enough about them that he found it hard to relax like the others.

  “Don’t worry about the golems, Gabriel,” Estrial said. “Torrik and the twins will hold them back. And I have extensive experience with slaying such creatures. Focus on keeping yourself safe and preserve your mana for the ritual afterward. Though please continue providing the shield and buff spells.”

  He nodded. The Gold-ranked sorceress always seemed to know just what to say to help him calm down. His nerves would slowly build up as they encountered more monsters and traveled farther into the dungeon. Then Estrial would grace him with a few words in her charming voice, and he’d settle down again.

  If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she was using charm magic on him. But she had no reason to, not given how risky it is to try secretly casting spells onto other casters. At least not for prolonged periods like this delve.

  He shook away the crazy thoughts and sank into one of the quick focusing meditations he’d learned early in his studies. As his mind centered on his tranquil mana pool, Gabriel paused for a moment to luxuriate in the warm glow of his arcane might. So far, he hadn’t spent more than half of his total pool, and he was feeling pleased with his performance.

  Sure the Terror Twins had been quick to mock his desired profession and his minor magics. But the basic buff spells he’d been applying had impressed the veteran elf.

  Along with Torrik, she was the only one whose opinion mattered to him. He’d have no trouble getting in with other experienced adventurers if he had a good recommendation from either of them.

  When he finished his meditation, he let out a slow breath and turned to face the breathtaking blond woman.

  “Good, you look prepared. Don’t worry; we have this under control. Once we finish this fight, it will be a matter of minutes to finish the ritual and loot the crystal.”

  “Is there anything I need to do to prepare for the ritual?” Gabriel asked.

  Estrial’s bright smile froze for a moment, but Torrik stepped up and responded in her place.

  “Nay, Lad. Ya be here mostly to provide the extra energy and additional caster needed for her to complete the spell. She’ll be able to guide ya through it in no time.”

  Gabriel nodded. “Well, guess I’m ready then.”

  They continued through the long hallway of worked stone toward the growing noise. Around the corner to the left, another hall branched off. The sound coming from within was so loud he could feel it. He glanced around worriedly at the others before noticing that they were pulling out gobs of soft wax and stuffing it in their ears.

  “Here ya go. Ain’t no point in damaging your hearing if ya don’t have too. Getting that healed is expensive.”

  Gabriel took the proffered wax and plugged his ears. “Thanks.”

  ***

  A moment later, the heavily armored dwarf drew a large hammer and charged the source of the aural assault. The two human swordsmen moved to follow, and Gabriel had to rush to keep up as Estrial glided in their wake, her diaphanous gown floating about her slender body.

  He took a moment to appreciate the way her high-heeled boots enhanced her long legs as they teased between the silken fabric. Her smooth strut was a pleasant distraction while he headed into the first serious fight of his new life.

  Delving isn’t as rough as I’d expected. Perhaps I inherited more from Mother than anyone thought?

  It took less than thirty seconds to reach the large room at the end of the hall. The stone here was better worked, with an elegant frieze of glyphs carved along the upper portions of the bright gray stone. Near the far side of the room was a massive, black stone altar that seemed to radiate danger.

  Gabriel ignored the dark platform, far more concerned with the trio of eight-foot-tall stone golems plodding toward the party. The sight of the remorseless magical constructs caused his breath to catch. For a long moment, he stared at the approaching death dealers, eyes wide.

  He remembered to breathe again when Torrik charged the center golem and slammed his massive steel shield into the creature so hard it staggered back. While that one struggled to stay upright, the other two lumbered into striking range and raised enormous fists to smash the lone adventurer.

  Faster than Gabriel expected, the stout dwarf whipped his shield back and blocked both strikes. The crash of stone slamming metal tortured his ears, despite the improvised earplugs.

  Seeing that the dwarf didn’t react in the slightest, he decided to cast his usual buffs without rushing the cast and risk burning his pool.

  Over the two decades he’d spent studying magic, his teachers had harped on the importance of visualizing the glyphs before you empowered them. The stronger the vision of their form, the more efficient the final spell would be. Since he didn’t have any mana batteries to draw on, Gabriel wanted to stay as efficient as possible.

  Splitting his focus between drawing mana from his pool and recalling the best combination of glyphs, he began weaving a basic haste spell. The power flowed through him and down into his arcane conduit, a battered-looking oak wand. From there, it surged into the spell circle forming in front of him.

  Gabriel combined proper intonation of the harsh syllables with precise gestures. Careful not to get sloppy and weaken the spell, or worse cause a backlash, he formed the desired glyphs.

  Once set in his mind, Gabriel bound each glyph into the disk of raw mana beginning to coalesce around him. As soon as it took shape, he reached out through the Weave of Creation to anchor the spell on the dwarf warrior.

  With his senses so focused in the coordinate system of reality, he could feel the maelstrom of power building up to his left. Estrial’s spell dwarfed his in scale so much that he couldn’t resist the urge to glance over. Gabriel marveled at the double rings of glyphs spinning near the talented elf. He couldn’t decipher the spellwork in that brief peek, but he assumed it was an attack spell.

  Estrial had focused her casting on attack spells ever since he admitted to only knowing a handful of offensive glyphs. Unlike the twins, she hadn’t mocked him, instead suggesting he handle the buffs.

  They might not respect me, but Estrial trusts me to handle the defensive magic.

  He smiled at that thought and focused on finishing his current spell. The moment he concentrated on the connection with his target, he sensed the spell complete and immediately released his hold on it.

  The tightly woven enhancement caused the dwarf to glow for a second as stray bits of mana came unbound while the spell infused eldritch speed into his body.

  Torrik’s sturdy strikes and blocks became lightning fast as the dwarf blurred into motion, the spell making him swifter than a striking snake. He swung his heavy-headed war hammer with incredible ease, the massive metal weapon spraying shards of stone with every blow.

  Despite his dislike for them, Gabriel had to admit the Terror Twins were skilled swordsmen. The pair circled, now sluggish compared to Torrik, but still quicker than the ponderous golems. While the armored dwarf drew the monsters’ attention, they kept up a never-ending torrent of slashes. Their runic swords scattered sparks as they steadily carved furrows in the stone constructs.

  Gabriel repeated his haste buff twice more, speeding up the pair of human warriors to where he could hardly track their movements. That he completed all three spells before Estrial launched her attack surprised him.

  He threw another glance at her, revealing a third spell circle forming in front of the elf. And even with her tight, clean casting, there was an unusual amount of mana visibly leaking around her. He activated Magesight by feeding a thread of mana into his eyes, forcing them to view arcane energy. As soon as his vision shifted, he r
ecoiled from the glow caused by the staggering amount of power bound to her spell.

  Releasing his Magesight with a thought, he shifted his focus back to the melee. He turned just in time to watch Torrik shatter the leftmost golem’s leg, causing the towering monster to collapse in a localized earthquake.

  The twins were quick to capitalize, both darting over to attack like a pair of hungry wolves taking down a wounded elk. Screeching agony clawed at Gabriel’s ears as steel swords dug deep into the prone golem.

  Like they shared a single mind, the duo flipped their blades and reversed their cuts, each of them severing a stone arm. Their tandem assault left the one-legged construct with little more mobility than a boulder.

  Power washed over them all then as Estrial finally unleashed her complex spell.

  Gabriel winced from the overwhelming mana backwash as the elf’s spell circles shifted into a crackling storm of gleaming white icicles.

  Ice Lance was one of the most basic Elemental spells and taught early on at the Academy. But he’d never seen anyone create more than a dozen of the foot-long frozen spears.

  Once again, Estrial proved that her rank wasn’t just for show as over fifty magic javelins ripped through the air and slammed into her three targets.

  Mundane ice stood no chance of damaging the magically strengthened stone. She had infused so much mana into the spell that most of her spears buried themselves deep inside the golems. Almost more impressive than the raw power of her attack was the fact that all but five of the lances struck true. The few that missed, sinking themselves fully into the far stone wall.

  Eyes glued to the devastating sight, Gabriel watched as the dwarf stepped forward and two-handed his hammer to drive several of the frozen spikes deeper into the center monster. It reeled back as cracks began to spread across its body, while its partner swung both of its clenched fists toward the unshielded dwarf.

  Gabriel’s breath caught in his lungs when he realized the dwarf had no means to defend himself from the powerful attack. To his surprise, Dresk dashed in and got his sword up in the nick of time to deflect the heavy blow away from the unsuspecting dwarf.