Chapter 80: The Dungeon of van Zorika

Alcar’s eyes opened, and he pulled himself up this elbows. “Ugh! What the fuck happened?” he said. “I was tiny... and then I remember a swamp gremlin... no... a cave gremlin...”

He stopped and then stuck his tongue out and made a face, realizing that his mouth was extremely dry.

It was hard to speak.

“You fell,” said Olynka, coming close and then smiling broadly. “Man, that was a blast. I can’t believe you managed it.”

“And this girl,” said Etienne, coming over and slapping a hand down on Olynka’s shoulder, “saved your damn life. That cave gremlin would have taken your head off if not for her archery.”

“Well, you provided the arrows, Alcar,” said Olynka with a shrug. “I was only doing what comrades do.”

With a grateful nod, Alcar dragged himself to his feet, groaned, and then took a long drink from his water. Brutus was right beside him; the dog, too, rose up, shook himself, and then licked at Alcar’s hands, and the sorcerer poured more water into his cupped hands for the dog to drink.

“So, we’re down in the depths,” said Alcar, looking around properly at last. They were in a long, rectangular room with four openings, one in each side, lit by the two lanterns which had been set down on the floor. The ceiling was smooth and carved with runes, and he could see the debris of something wooden around the edges – long since decayed furniture, perhaps.

“Yep,” said Leppie. “We’ve reached the Dungeon of van Zorika. Ubund is away exploring.”

“I thought he already knew his way around?”

She shook her head. “He has been into this cave system before, but he doesn’t know where the codex is. It’s a maze down here, and dangerous.”

“Dangerous... how?” asked Alcar.

“We already had to fight off some goblins,” said Etienne. “And there’s definitely worse things down here than them. But it has been quiet for a few hours.”

“I slept that long?”

Olynka nodded. “It’s probably been nine or ten since you passed out.”

“Wow. No wonder I’m so thirsty.”

“We’re not planning to make this a long term residence,” said Etienne with a wink. “So if you’ve got any food left, feel free to eat it.”

“And the rope is secure, and intact?”

Leppie nodded, and pointed at the entrance at the far end. “Back that way. The rope is tied, and we think we can use it to get back up. It won’t be easy, but we have to do it if we’re gonna get ourselves out of here.”

“Right on.”

Alcar now began to rifle through the inner pockets of his robes. He first passed Brutus some meaty strips, followed by the last of the bones. He then pulled out his remaining food. “I still have a few fish fillets.”

“Those stink,” replied Leppie, making a face, and the others nodded.

“Fine. I’ll keep them for myself. I got four trail bars, too. “You guys got any of these left?”

Olynka’s eyes lit up. “No! I love those.”

“One each then,” Alcar replied.

“But what about Ubund...” began Leppie, looking towards the door to her right.

“Two for Olynka then,” corrected Alcar, “if Leppie doesn’t want hers.”

“Hey!” said Leppie.

Alcar snickered, and then gave one of the bars to each one of them. It was up to Leppie to decide what to do with hers, he reasoned – and soon enough, she had begun to eat it.

Once they had finished, Alcar moved across the room and began to examine the collapsed debris. Sure enough, he could make out the remnants of long-rotted tables, chests, and barrels. “Looks like this has been well looted already,” he said.

“Yeah, man,” said Etienne, coming to his side. “But I found this when I looked around earlier. Is it of any use to you?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out an amulet with a large, clear crystal upon a golden chain.

“Nice find,” said Alcar, nodding. “Looks like it should be worth a fair bit.”

“Yeah.” Etienne nodded. “I think so. But it strikes me as something a sorcerer might wear. If you discover a use for it, let me know. Otherwise I’ll sell it down at the Black Mackerel. It will make a change from trading in stolen goods.”

Alcar raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. Taking the amulet from his friend, he carefully placed it around his neck.

And immediately, it did make him feel more like a real sorcerer.

“So – are we ready to move on?” asked Olynka.

Alcar turned, and noticed that his archer friend was wearing different armor. It was still leather, but darker, and patterned with four intersecting rings – the ancient symbol of the Kingdom of Dathmir during its independence. Runes like those of the cavern’s ceiling written underneath. Its shoulder guards were golden, and despite the apparent age of the armor, these gleamed brightly and looked entirely spotless.

“Nice! But what happened to your old armor?” he asked, pointing.

Olynka shrugged. “It was damaged by the cave gremlin, and soaked with blood, too.” She patted her side cautiously.

“And your wound?”

“Healing. I can move, and I can fight.”

Alcar nodded. “Good. You look like a proper warrior, you know? Like the stories of old.”

She smiled. “Thanks! I’m not really, though. Damn, I wish we still had Kora with us. She was a hell of a swordswoman, and also a fine piece of...”

“I know, I know,” Alcar replied. “You miss her.”

“I do. But that’s all the more reason to find this codex, and get back home. Back to Kora, back to my master archer Lox’aar, and, well... home.”

“I know,” said Alcar, thinking about how long it had now been since he had seen his father, his friend Sprigg, or any of the familiar faces of Katresburg. “We need to get back to our home city. And hopefully when we get back, Kora and the others will be leading the revolution.”

“Yes!” cried Leppie.

Stepping closer, Etienne nodded. “Then let’s move.”