Chapter 29: To Delve or Not to Delve (2/2)
As the group reached the bottom of the stairs, she led them through another hallway. ”These same monsters are a large part of what drives the local economy, and dungeon delving adventurers play a major role in that. Now, how many of you are familiar with how dungeons work?”
Tal was the only one to raise her hand. Philomena nodded before continuing.
”Dungeons are essentially multilayered pocket dimensions that form in areas of concentrated mana. While each one is unique, they all follow a few basic rules.”
She held up three fingers and started counting them off.
”First and foremost, each party or solo adventurer that enters through the dungeon portal will encounter a fresh, unexplored dungeon the first time they delve. Secondly, the progress you make exploring the dungeon is somehow tracked by the dungeon itself. Every time you clear a floor another portal appears, allowing delvers to jump right back into their exploration after leaving and returning. Thirdly, the creatures found in the dungeon are all magically created, lack basic intelligence, and leave concentrated mana cores behind. These mana cores are a valuable commodity used in the creation of magic items, so the guild is willing to purchase them for a reasonable price.”
The group arrived a large, locked door. Philomena opened it with an ornate-looking key without pausing her lecture.
”There are a few other things to keep in mind. Monsters get stronger the deeper you go. Treasure chests with valuable items and materials appear seemingly at random. Every floor has some type of elite monster that delvers are required to defeat before they can advance to the next. In the event a delver is successful in clearing all floors of the dungeon, they are awarded a special item or unique skill. This probably all sounds a little too good to be true.”
She stopped and looked seriously at the group.
”Well, it is. Some will tell you that dungeons are a blessing of the system, designed to help delvers become stronger.”
She paused, letting her gaze linger for a moment on Mike. ”I'm here to tell you that dungeons are not your ally, and if you let your guard down while delving, it could mean the death of you or your party members.”
She made sure to look each student in the eye before continuing, directing them into a large chamber. A shimmering doorway of energy could be seen along one wall. Dozens of adventurers were entering and exiting this doorway seeming to travel to and from a large tunnel, which Mike figured was the main entrance.
”Before we enter the dungeon, we will need to register as a party to avoid being split up. Thankfully dungeons recognize parties formed through the guild, so this is a relatively easy process. Simply form a circle and place your guild marked hands in the center.”
Mike rested his hand on top of Philomena's and the rest of the group followed suit.
The instructor announced, ”Register party: Philomena's Students.” The guild marks on each of their hands flashed.
”Now we are all considered part of the same party, so we will all arrive at the first floor of the dungeon together. As a veteran delver, I would ordinarily be starting much deeper, but, since the majority of the party is new to this dungeon, we will start at the beginning. When you are ready, follow me.”
She walked up to the glowing doorway and stepped through. Mike noticed that the rest of the group was feeling hesitant, so he decided to make the first move and followed the instructor. Passing though the portal felt like being enveloped in cold, silken sheets for a brief moment before he was on the other side.
He found himself in a stone cavern. For some reason the walls themselves seemed to be emitting a faint light. It wasn't quite enough light for him to be comfortable with it, but it was more than enough to see by. While he walked over to Philomena to wait for the rest of the group, he couldn't help but marvel at a world in which such a convenient thing as dungeons occurred naturally.
After a few minutes the rest of the group joined them. Mike noticed that the humans all looked nervous, while Tal remained aloof, and Brenden looked excited.
”Welcome to the first layer of the Wyrport Dungeon. The goal of today's exercise is to give you all some practical experience in fighting dungeon monsters, identify some common mistakes made by new delvers, and defeat the first floor boss. Are there any questions?”
A panicked looking Lloyd raised his hand, ”Are we really fighting the boss? Aren't they a lot stronger than the rest of the monsters on the floor?”
”That's true, but don't be concerned. I have defeated the first floor boss on numerous occasions, and I have every confidence that today will be no different.”
She motioned for the group to follow her. ”The most common monsters on the first layer are kobolds. They look like a cross between a dog and a humanoid lizard, and are a little shorter than me. Most are skinny, and relatively weak. Typically, on this floor, they appear as single individuals, or at most, a pair. So, I want to see each of you take down a kobold before we move on to the boss. Devin, you're up first.”
The dark haired boy nodded, and as Mike watched, he seemed to blur into the shadows becoming almost unnoticeable. Devin slid into the corridor ahead of them, and as soon as Philomena gave the go ahead the group followed.