Chapter 12:

The dungeon had formed a third floor but right now my focus was on something else the challenge room. Not every dungeon has them but starting at the third floor they can be present. Turning to Fletcher I nodded my head. As one of the highest level in the town and the captain of the guard at that it was my duty to make sure these challenges aren’t unbeatable. While some dungeons have challenges that are practically lethal to everyone who enters most of them can be overcome with sheer strength.

Dungeon challenges come in three forms: knowledge, strength, and task completion. Knowledge tend to be the easiest and least deadly, a person has a chance to solve a puzzle or a riddle in exchange for a treasure. They can only be completed once a day though usually because the reward and challenge periodically change. Strength challenges come in to types the ones who are a set level and the ones whose level scales to the level of the entrants, in both types a person or party must kill a monster or small horde of monsters. The ones with a set strength are deadly to any low level adventurers who attempt them while anyone can succeed at a scaling level challenge. The last type is the most diverse, they require a person to complete a trial or be forever trapped. They can range from anything from surviving for a week to mining a dozen rubies in under an hour, it could be anything from taming a wild wolf to retrieving a key from a vat of acid. Trial challenges were often considered the worst type of challenge but it all depended on the trial.

“I’m going to enter the challenge room you can come with me if you wish or stand guard, if I don’t come back you’re in charge Fletcher.” He looked a little stunned at the last part but he was my best guard.

“Like a low level dungeon could take you down Captain. Besides I would never have the balls to break the news do your daughter if anything should happen. I’ll go with you we’ll both go down together if anything happens.” Sighing at his stubbornness I stepped forward and laid my hand on the pink gem that allowed me to start the trials. Surrounding the gem were four white stone doors each with a different carving. Starting left to right they were the carving of a man and women holding hands, a tree, then on the other side of the gem was the carving of a troll, and lastly a rose.

Trials of Love (Challenge Room)

This be a place where like souls merge. Seek that which completes you. Enter the door, find the missing half, join together, make another. Face this challenge alone or with another but know that you shall emerge forever changed. Exit a different person. There are four doorways accept the trial and one will open. This trial will make you more charming, healthier, hardier, and stronger.

(Within 9 days you shall witness the fruits of your labor)

♥♥♥♥♥

God, I hate this it doesn’t sound like a strength type trial so it must be either a knowledge type or a trial type. That name suggests trial but with the vague riddle like words to describe it, it could be some kind of knowledge trial. After accepting the trial, the door with the tree opened and I felt myself moving towards it compelled to enter the door I hate doing challenges. This compulsion to finish them once you start is horrible.

I walked into the door and glimpsed her. She was beautiful pale whitish skin with a faint blush to it, her hair was like a burning flame, and best of all she was naked. Shit, I have a feeling I know why this is called the trials of love. As the door closed behind me I could feel the air charge with sexual tension, my inhibitions started slipping away and I just gave in to the ever pressing urge.

Waking up I found myself on a bed of leaves the dryads body draped across mine. As I grew more alert I found myself shocked at what I’d done, what I’d done multiple times yesterday and last night. Every time we stopped she would feed me and apple and then it just started all over. I have to get out before I get trapped into a never ending cycle, do I have to really. This is heavenly, I never knew a creature like her could exist but still there’s Ashley. Oh shit, I’ve left her on her own for a whole day. I hope she didn’t burn the house down she’s got to be so worried.

As I slowly laid her to the side the dryad woke up. She looked at me leaving with a tinge of regret and for a second, I almost considered staying but it would never work. I had to many duties in the village. Still this trial had relieved a lot of the stress that had been building up in more ways than one.

Looking around I saw Fletcher sleeping on the ground though his face and arms were all scratched up. Did he fall in a rose bush or something? Nudging him with my foot I woke him up it was time to leave the dungeon. The rest of it could wait till I dealt with whatever trouble my daughter had gotten into.

As we left the dungeon I asked Fletcher how he got so scratched up. He blushed, I couldn’t believe it and said he’d entered the trial after me when I didn’t come out after an hour. Apparently, he went through the rose door which held some kind of rose plantkin, she was a little rough in the sack apparently. In more ways then one I think since Fletcher walked with an awkward gate as we headed to town. So that means each of the four doors holds a different creature or maybe not. The first door should be the couple’s door since to people can apparently enter at a time, I thanked the gods I hadn’t decided to enter with Fletcher. That was one experience I didn’t need. I had a feeling this challenge might become the town brothel though on second thought the last door had the depiction of a troll and with no way to choose which door that was a hell of a gamble.

When I checked my status, I noticed that like the dungeon said I had been changed, my night with the dungeon gave me 2 charisma. I found out Fletcher got a point in constitution and one in charisma from his trial with the plantkin.