Chapter 86: Chapter 86: The dungeon isn’t really that exciting. You should never leave the owl-god’s side. Ever.

Hineni stands outside on the city plaza with his hands in his pockets, as he stares up towards the gargantuan construction before the three of them.

 

- The dungeon-gate.

 

It is an ornate, towering, stonework creation that seems to have been impossibly hewn out of a single rock of incredible scale. Depictions of monsters and people of varying origins and creeds can be seen all over its surface, all of them clawing and tearing at each other in an image of a desperate struggle. All of the carvings look like they’re trying to climb to the very top of the thing.

 

Inside of the gate is a dense, glowing, blue fog.

 

People wander into it, coming down the street in groups that range from three to six members, generally. They’re carrying empty bags and weapons of all manner, discussing plans and looking at maps as they wander. At the same time, others exit the dungeon, simply walking out of the blue mist, which is a portal of sorts. Their bags are generally fuller, laden to the brim with items that they have plundered and segments of monsters that they have harvested. Most of the city’s materials for just about everything are extracted from the dungeon.

 

“You’ve really never been?” asks Sockel.

 

Hineni shakes his head, watching the stream of adventurers walk past them as they stand in the middle of the vibrant market plaza surrounding the dungeon. “No,” he replies. “Never saw the need.”

 

“That’s why you were poor,” replies Sockel. “Taking those shitty jobs from the guild when you could have been making bank here with your magic.”

 

“My magic isn’t that impressive,” says Hineni. “I guess I could get a few floors down? But I’ve never really fought monsters before.”

 

She rolls her eyes. “If Rhine can blast his way down to floor ten, you won’t have a problem getting to thirty at least with your magic,” she explains. “That’s easily a few hundred Obols a day, if you don’t burn all of the loot. Up to a thousand with some lucky drops.”

 

Hineni whistles.

 

That money really would have been useful back in those days, when he was taking shitty jobs making shoes for animals that he can’t remember the name of and obscure farming tools - Plus the odd sword here and there.

 

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“Come on. Let’s go,” she says, strolling into the dungeon. Rhine nods, running after her and then Hineni, feeling a little left behind, walks in after them.

 

The blue fog is cold and feels damp on his skin. It is almost… froggy.

 

---

 

Hineni finds himself inside of the dungeon. He looks around the area.

 

— Despite the fact that easily twenty people had walked past him to enter the dungeon in that last minute, none of them are here now. Only Sockel, Rhine and himself stand at the entrance of the dungeon. It’s an effect of the magical fog. Larger, older dungeons in the world separate people into whatever groups they have formed when they enter and give them their own, unique instance of the dungeon to fight their way through.

 

This is a convenient power, as it allows every group to fight and harvest their own version of the dungeon, which leads to an abundance of resources. However, the magical scholars of the world argue that this isn’t done by the dungeon-core, the entity that runs the dungeon as its head, out of benevolence. It’s because it makes it easier for it to target, manage and fight off intruders inside of itself, if they are in smaller units.

 

“It’s always so refreshing when we come in here,” sighs Rhine in relief, pulling his long hair back into a tail and tying it off, to keep it out of the way.

 

“Being underground is always great,” says Sockel. “Especially when it’s hot outside. Come on,” she says, walking down the staircase. Rhine runs after her, clutching his staff. Hineni looks around the space.

 

The start of the dungeon is an odd mixture of what looks to be a hand-crafted, large, ornate tunnel and simple compacted loose dirt and rock of a cave-system. Roots press through some of it, growing out of the odd spaces available to them, despite the fact that the plaza above their heads is nothing but brickwork and stone.

 

Dungeons are magical places, so a few oddities are to be expected.

 

---

 

Hineni snaps his fingers a second time.

 

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