To Dungeons Deep (2/2)

“You're welcome,” Threadbare said. “What's your name?”

“Plumbarista,” she said, offering a smile. “On account of me mam liked plums so much.”

Past her, a pair of crew got a fire going, sending tendrils of smoke up into the sky. They got to a certain height then sheared off, meeting the currents of wind that meandered through the mountains. The fire formed the center of the small campsite, tents set to block off the wind and maximize the warmth of the fire. Another crewbunny reached into a sack that was far too small and pulled out a pot full of water, pouring in bags of what looked like pre-mixed rations.

They'd done this all before, he thought.

“What exactly are we doing here at this dungeon?” Threadbare asked.

Plumbarista opened her mouth, then looked up above him and froze, skin paling under her short fur.

“That be a fine question, and now that we're situated all cozy-like, 'tis time to answer it,” Anne spoke from behind him. “Come wi' me, lady Celia. I'll fill ye in on the plan.”

Inside, Anne's tent was dark and close. The only light in the place spilled in through a few bullet holes that had been neatly shot through the rough canvas. Anne settled down on a simple cot, the only furniture in the place, and indicated the unrolled pack that had been spread out upon the floor.

The bits of the engine that Threadbare had disassembled glittered, and Threadbare saw no signs of Renny. Hopefully the fox golem had gotten to someplace reasonably secure.

“Ye may be wondering why ye put in all that hard work a fixin', only to haul everything down here,” Anne said, staring down at the hundreds of parts on the cloth. “But don't be frettin' that. It all had a purpose.” Anne's eyes snapped to Threadbare's. “I hear tell you know a thing or two about dungeons, aye?”

“Aye,” Threadbare said, then corrected with “yes, sorry,” when Anne narrowed her eyes.

“D'you know that they get some a' their loot from the precious things that people brings in? Ye can bring a magical dagger, drop it in the dungeon and walk out, then from that point on every now and then you'll find exact copies o' that dagger a turnin' up again. And the weaker the magic, the more often they drop. D'ya get me drift there, Celia me lady?”

“That would make sense with what... we... know...” Threadbare stopped, and looked at the engine parts.

The many, many enchanted engine parts. Each one very minor, in the grand scheme of things.

“You're going to put them in there, and then you're going to go and run the dungeon and gather up all the copies of them that come out. Like some sort of...”

“Farm,” Anne confirmed. “Tis an old technique handed down by me ancestor, Stormanorm. First we seed the dungeon, then we farm it. Ye reap what ye sows!”

“This is a good idea!” Threadbare said, catching her enthusiasm. “When do we start?”

“Oh, ye won't be going anywhere near the dungeon, me lass. Yer place is out here. Ye took notes as ye broke it down like I asked, aye?”

“Ayyyyy—yyyyeeesss,” Threadbare caught himself in time. Barely.

“Then ye'll be our tallyman. Sit here while we seed then run the dungeon, an' tally the parts. And once we've got enough for four full engines, we'll be done.”

Threadbare sat back, considering the possibilities. They had put dungeons to great use in Cylvania, creating the Rumpus Room, and a few other private spaces that were only moderately dangerous. But this was a use no one had ever considered. It was so simple, too!

But there were a few flaws that he could see.

“What if the dungeon's too dangerous?”

“It happens a'times,” Anne shrugged. “If this were a big one, a named one from ancient lore, then aye, might be too dangerous. But this looks to be a small, nameless one out in the middle o' nowhere that nobody's been to in a while. Those we can handle. Course, there's one problem with that kind a' dungeon.”

“What's that—” Threadbare started to ask.

Something roared outside. Something old, and burbly, and big. Something that you just KNEW had entirely too many teeth and tentacles, just by the ambient noise that was its reverberation.

“Sometimes if it's been too long between adventurers, the dungeon sends monsters out to greet ye! Hahahahhahhaa!” Anne said, cackling as she drew pistols and burst out of tent.