Chương 79: [Palace of Darkness] 1 of 2

Several miles to the west of StoneCairne, as the road rose steadily in elevation, there was a large hill or small mountain jutting from the middle of Whispershade. But, unlike a normal hill or mountain stretching toward the sky, there was no cap to this protrusion. It was as if some godly finger had descended from the heavens and poked a hole in the middle of it, squishing the top down and leaving a depression, forming a natural, albeit volcano-free, caldera. Would that simply make it a valley? Perhaps.

Such thoughts were not on anyone's mind as [Sunrise] wove through the narrow passage cutting through the hill and granting access to the center. There, in the valley below them, were the ruins of a once-great civilization, the [Palace of Darkness]. The palace itself was striking, shrouded under the cover of perpetual night, yet illuminated by otherworldly flames. But it wasn't what drew everyone's attention.

What did was a small but thriving outpost cropping out of the shelter of the cliffs, directly attached to the valley's entrance.

"Is this… a bazaar?" Melia asked. In the game, there hadn't been a settlement connected to the dungeon. The closest place to find NPCs was StoneCairne to the east or HallowPointe to the west. And yet, in front of them was a collection of buildings and stalls packed tightly together inside an old, battered barricade. Melia didn't see any houses and she doubted anybody lived there permanently. Her best guess was that it was some sort of semi-permanent outpost dedicated exclusively to the dungeon.

What services it offered… she could not say. She was, however, very intrigued.

"If you don't know, I don't think we would," Alastair said.

"Was this not here back in your day?"

"Not as far as I remember," Brandy sighed. Her sighs had lessened recently, which made Melia happy to see her friend's smile return, but they still came out on occasion. Especially now that she was in what Melia suspected might be "work mode," where she was about to get down to business. Brandy always took healing seriously, and Melia always wondered if there was a world where streaming or being in a professional team could have been in Brandy's future. She thrived in competition and a team-based environment.

"It must be new, then," Ellesea said. The girl had warped back in this morning looking refreshed and invigorated. Melia caught her several times silently casting [Arcane Blast] on small targets on the road here earlier… though she always made sure the spell fizzled if the target was a harmless critter. Jessica had made the mistake of saying, "It's only a squirrel," which had enraged Brandy and set the high elf off on an hour-long tirade.

Amusingly, her rant was not about the sanctity of life, but preserving cute and cuddly animals. The group rode forward, passing through the recently repaired walls of the barricade to see what the outpost had to offer. They were immediately assaulted by a variety of smells and sights… not all of them pleasant.

"[Ghoul Repellent]! Get your [Ghoul Repellent]! Only 50 copper a bottle!"

"Silver! [Werewolf]-bane silver! Dip your arrows, coat your blades in our finest purity silver!"

"[Meat Skewers]! [Meat Skewers]!" Melia's mouth started watering, and she was about to steer Midna toward a stall selling food, but Brandy gently laid her hands on the reins and guided them away. Melia could certainly digest anything; everybody knew this, but Brandy didn't like the fact that the mysterious kabobs were sold by a shady man in a pulled-down cloak and didn't have any description other than "meat." As for the [Ghoul Repellent]…

Melia gave it even odds that the effectiveness was due to potent ingredients or simply the foul smell pungent enough to drive anything off, undead or alive. The outpost itself was relatively small, no larger than a corner shopping center, and with so many people crowded within, it was slightly overwhelming. Alastair led the group to a nearby guard, who was leaning against the wall with a small lantern attached to the top of his pike.

"Well met, travelers," he said as he noticed their approach.

"What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"We plan to try our hands at the [Palace of Darkness]," Alastair said, which earned him a nod of understanding from the guard.

"Members of the Adventurers Guild?" He asked, to which Alastair muttered in agreement.

"They've got a stall set up on the north exit. One of the permanent buildings; you'll see the seal when you get close."

"Why do they need a stall?" Jessica asked.

"We were just at the StoneCairne branch this morning. Seems weird if you ask me."

"It's more helpful than you might think," the guard chuckled.

"You'd be surprised how many people need last-minute supplies and directions, not to mention buying info packets. There's good money selling tips and tricks to people trying to go deeper."

"Deeper?" Y'cennia asked. The catgirl hadn't been sure if she was going to join them in the dungeon, but when it finally came to leaving this morning, she couldn't bear staying home alone.

"Is this your first time visiting [PoD]?" The man asked. He received a mixed murmur of yesses and nos. He shook his head and gave a small laugh.

"I'll leave it to you, then."

"Are all of these people here because of the dungeon?" Melia asked. The man blinked in surprise, probably having not noticed the small gnome when there were so many other colorful characters traveling with her.

"Of course," he said.

"It's like this at most famous dungeons. I'm guessing you don't delve many?"

"More than you might think," Melia laughed. They thanked the guard and moved on. On his recommendation, Alastair led them through the busy lane, ignoring the various goods for sale, to a small stone hut bearing the symbol of a sword and shield. The guild worker stationed in the outpost was a rugged [Ranger], clad head to toe in heavy, stained leather, leaning back in his chair with his feet up on the table.

Despite looking like he was taking a nap, he called out to them as they walked up, before anyone could open their mouth.

"Running the dungeon or hunting local monsters?" He asked. His tone was friendly enough, but he seemed like a man whose words came at a premium. Alastair, as ever, took the lead.

"Dungeon," he said simply, echoing the man's sentiment.

"You running a light party or a full party? [PoD]'s got two settings: 4-man or 8-man. You got 7. I recommend running a 4-3, rather than a 7. The way this dungeon works, if you aren't running at the party limit, it's best to have smaller groups due to the way it scales. Never go past floor 50 without a full group." The group reeled with the sudden dump of information, which the man seemed to expect. He sat patiently, continuing to snooze, as they digested. To Melia, everything he said made sense.

There were many, many different settings for all of the various dungeons. Most players agreed that the definitive dungeon was a 5-man experience, but that didn't mean there weren't exceptions. The [Palace of Darkness], for instance, was exactly as the man said. Players could enter in groups of 4 or 8; they could have fewer, but never more. Technically, somebody could enter it solo and do quite well. Melia herself had done so on countless occasions.

She'd even managed to clear the entire thing, all 255 floors, though she had only ever done it once. It had taken her months of constant grinding after years of familiarity with the dungeon, and she was quite proud of the achievement.

"We won't all be going," Alastair said. Though Layalee was with them, she was going to stay outside and watch over all their mounts and extra supplies. The man didn't bat an eye (not that they were open), nodding in understanding.

"Suit yourselves," he said amicably.

"You need to purchase any dossiers?" He pronounced the word "daaah see yays," and Melia wondered if he was really a [Cowboy] instead of a [Ranger]. Finally, he opened a single eye, pointed it straight at the [Retainer], and frowned.

"Only available to guild members. Sorry, rules are rules." Alastair looked to Melia and Brandy for guidance, and both shook their heads.

"No, thank you," he said.

"Some of our members have experience here."

"What works for you works," the man agreed…but finally got serious. He slid his feet off the table, adjusted the long brown hair under his hood so his face was completely unobstructed, and looked at Alastair with a grim frown.

"You need any inventory insurance?" He asked. Melia tilted her head, but Jessica, Ellesea, and Alastair all seemed to grow a shade paler. Even Y'cennia, whose energetic tail slowed to a standstill, seemed to understand what he meant.

"At the risk of sounding stupid…," Melia began tentatively, but the man shook his head.

"Only stupid thing is going into a dungeon without asking questions. I take it, since you asked, you've never died in a dungeon. Believe me, it ain't pleasant. Due to the nature of the [Palace], delvers die here more than anywhere else; that's why it isn't very popular, despite the benefit to experience. Well, that and crap loot," he added with a chuckle.

"But I digress. We sell protected inventory space, backed by a genuine [Banker]. It's one of the few services we offer to non-members, but it comes at a price. I ain't got no shame and saying it's expensive. But is it worth it? Depends on how much you value starting over from scratch, if you lose everything when you die." The group let out an audible gulp, but Layalee stepped forward.

"That won't be necessary," she said, her voice making the man raise a brow. But if he found it, or anything about the [Retainer] strange, he kept it to himself.

"Sounds like you know your business," he said, leaning back in his chair once again and plonking his feet on the table.

"Best of luck to you out there." The group thanked him and moved off. Back outside, mounted and moving, Melia contemplated his last offer. Inventory insurance. What a novel idea, unique to this world. Brilliant, even. She still held firm in the belief that people took death seriously, and the man's words only confirmed her suspicions. The fact that they built a business around it showed that, no matter how dangerous, people would always try to mitigate risk.

She was broken out of her thoughts as the group left the outpost and entered an ancient stone highway. Tall iron lampposts flanked either side, the purple flames within burning bright. Nearly hidden by the thin veil of fog, monsters started appearing at the edge of their vision. Hulking, rotting bodies, shambling corpses, and animated skeletons. The group tightened their formation, putting Brandy on Midna in the center.

But they didn't need to bother, possibly forgetting Melia was with them, but most likely because the undead seemed to be repelled by the purple light. They would not cross into an illuminated ring around a lantern, creating pockets of safety all along the path. Melia still leaped off and slaughtered anything venturing too close, just for good measure. The [Palace of Darkness] was a grand, ancient building, but most of it went unexplored, since the entrance to the dungeon was very clearly placed out in the open.

At the top of the steps leading to the main building, the [Summoning Stone] stood. A scant dozen feet behind it, in the arch of a derelict doorway, the portal hung in midair. The group pulled to the side of the road, across the way from the stone, and huddled under a torch. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Are we really sure about this?" Alastair asked. It was one thing to talk about going to a dungeon, but another to follow through and commit. He glanced at the rest of his team, making sure to make eye contact with each of them.

"Yes," they all said…or some variation thereof. They got off their mounts, tied their reins to the ruins of a small fence, and readied their gear.

"And are you sure?" Alastair asked Y'cennia.

"I'm surprised you wanted to come," Melia said.

"I think you'll do fine, but I don't know how much fun you'll have. I don't know what there is for an [Alchemist] to do."

"I want to come," Y'cennia said with a determined nod.

"I don't want to be left out."

"Well, there goes our chances of catching up in level," Jessica groaned, but she said it with a smile.

"That just leaves you," she said, turning toward the [Retainer].

"Ah, about what you said regarding Inventory Insurance…," Jessica began awkwardly as if reluctant to broach a sensitive subject. Layalee gave a confident smirk.

"I'm a [Retainer]," she said.

"I retain things."

"Is…that what that means?" Jessica asked tentatively, confused about the woman's class.

"No," Layalee instantly denied.

"But it sounded funny. However, I do have a few minor storage skills should you wish to deposit anything with me."

"Can you really hold all our crap?" Jessica asked. The huge woman quirked an eyebrow.

"Do you have more junk than a dragon?"

"No."

"Then yes."

"I see." Layalee produced 5 small trunks, which the group gathered around appreciatively. Several weeks ago, they would have seen the luggage and wondered what good it would have done compared to the inventories of multiple people at rank 3, but now they knew better. As [Sunrise] each chose a trunk and began deciding what to leave behind, Melia watched on with a conflicted smile. Even if there was a sixth trunk, Melia didn't know if she would use it.

Yes, she had valuable stuff inside her inventory, but the only stuff she would be devastated to lose was all [Soulbound]. Everything else was either random junk she couldn't be bothered to lose or was holding onto for sentimental reasons. Some of which she hadn't touched in years. In fact, though she didn't mean it seriously, as it was rather morbid, perhaps dying in a dungeon would be a helpful way to trim back the clutter.

In the same token, no matter how big a trunk Layalee brought out, unless it was the size of several rooms in her vault, there was no way she could fit everything inside. She would have to spend hours sorting what was valuable enough to keep versus what might be considered expendable. And then if her teammates saw what she considered worthless, they might have a cow, and she didn't want that either. Jessica noticed her hesitation and brought it up.

"Aren't you going to dump your junk? You've gotta have a fortune in there."

"You underestimate my mistress' resolve," Layalee said proudly, puffing out her chest.

"She has soloed this entire dungeon. Her exploits are legendary." Brandy turned to give Melia an appreciative raise of the brow, while the others simply gawked. Melia, for her part, blushed slightly and hoped she could meet her [Retainer]'s lofty expectations.

Moving through a dungeon portal was something Alastair wasn't sure he could ever get used to. He no longer felt like throwing up the moment he stepped through, but that vague sense of vertigo remained. On top of that, his limbs felt heavy, and his whole body felt…weak. Neither of the other two dungeons seemed to sap his strength like this, and as soon as he glanced at his status, he understood why.

Name: Alastair Trevain Title: Diamond in the Rough (Hidden) Race: Human Class: Paladin Level: 1 {S} HP: 275 Mana: 98 Constitution: 2 Strength: 2 Dexterity: 1 Agility: 1 Intelligence: 1 Wisdom: 1 Spirit: 2 Melia had told them this dungeon had mandatory synchronization down to level 1. That had to be what the funny S symbol next to his level stood for… especially since it should have been 359. Strangely, contrary to how he thought it might feel, Alastair didn't feel overwhelmingly vulnerable.

He felt weak, his armor was uncomfortable and his hammer was heavy in his hand, but he didn't feel frail.

If he had to guess, if he got into a fight right now with somebody of a similar level, he didn't think their bones would shatter or that they'd die to a single punch, but it would be rather like a slap fight with no real strength behind the blows. Glancing at his actual stats was worrying. What could he do with 2 Strength? And only having a mana pool of 98 points was catastrophic if he wanted to try to cast any spells.

[Lesser Heal] was out of the question at 480 mana, and even his basic [Cleanse] cost an even 100 flat. For the moment, all he had was his shield and his wits. He didn't even think he could do much by swinging his hammer around, unassisted as it usually was by buffs or his stats.

"Everyone okay?" He asked, turning around. As he expected, most of the team were in various states of shock and acceptance, just as he had been. None of them had been so low leveled for such a long time; he doubted any of them remembered what it felt like. Except Eluna Brandywine. It was hard for Alastair to picture the tall, graceful healer, the very image of heroic standards, as somebody weaker than he was.

And yet, before they had welcomed her into their party, she had been resurrected or returned to exactly where the group was now. Level 1. And she seemed to be blazing back up the ranks. But searching her face for discomfort revealed very little, aside from her milky eyes and a playful smile. She bounced rhythmically on her toes, as she always did, and spun a little magic along her finger as she waved it through the air. At least she seemed comfortable.

"Holy freaking crap, how am I supposed to do anything?" Of course, Jessica was the first to complain. Alastair expected no less, and everything was still right with the world. He glanced at the [Hunter], whose thin arms were struggling to pull back the string of her bow.

"I can't do anything. Literally anything. If something comes along that I can punch, fantastic, otherwise I'm boned."

"It's almost the same for me," Ellesea frowned.

"I can cast a single [Arcane Blast] or a [Frostbolt], but then my mana's out."

"At least both of you can do something," Y'cennia sighed.

"None of my potions are good. I can't even try them to see if they'd have any effect; the system is labeling them as 'incorporeal' and 'unavailable in this dungeon'."

"Really?" Jessica asked.

"Not even if you chug one down?"

"Here," Y'cennia decided it would be quicker to show her than try to explain. She had Jessica hold out her hands, put her own above them, and summoned a [Lesser Healing Potion]. However, the second it started forming, it instantly slipped through Y'cennia's fingers, phased completely out of existence, and passed through Jessica's scrabbling hands as she tried to catch it, eventually landing on the floor with a thunk.

Alastair found it curious that the glass bottle didn't shatter, but he supposed if nothing could touch it, maybe the ground couldn't either. Even if the bottle bounced off it. Okay, he was going to stop thinking about it now and consider any potions useless.

"No wonder we've never heard of this place," Jessica grumped.

"I can see why it's not popular if everybody feels like shit the moment they step foot in here and they can't do a damn thing. This blows."

"Don't knock it until you've tried it," Melia said. A whooshing sound made Alastair look down, where the gnome was somehow still swinging her giant swords. But that was all she seemed to be able to do, and when Alastair glanced at her name on the party screen, he saw that not even the mighty dragon had been spared from synchronization.

"How are you holding those?" Jessica asked what everybody was thinking.

"They're like, two of you."

"Eh, I've got a strength stat of 10," Melia shrugged.

"It's barely enough." Alastair blinked. 10, at level 1? Ridiculous.

"Right, so, I think an explanation is in order," Eluna said, rubbing her hands together. She'd taken on her "serious voice," as Alastair had taken to calling it when she got down to business as a healer.

"This is the [Palace of Darkness], or [PoD] for short. Forget everything you know about normal dungeons, because this place throws it all out the window anyway. Some ground rules. Al's the tank. What he says goes. I don't want to see anybody rushing out and doing their own thing. That's a great way to get everybody killed. You might think that's obvious right now, but the first several floors of [PoD] are incredibly easy.

Jessica, you laugh about punching mobs, but no joke, the first few monsters we meet will legitimately die to a punch. It's easy to get that rush of adrenaline thinking you're invincible, killing everything in a single blow with your bare hands, but you're still only level 1. Don't let it get to your head." She paused, and thankfully, everyone listened. Al supposed being a legendary healer, known for defeating some of the strongest enemies of Man, tended to command some respect.

She nodded and pointed to herself, continuing.

"I'm the healer. After Al, what I say goes. If I don't think I can heal you, I won't. I've got a priority, which if I follow it will keep us all alive, so don't pull a Leeroy and we all walk away just fine."

"Leeroy?" Y'cennia asked. Melia giggled.

"A legendary idiot who got an entire raid eaten by dragon whelps."

"I see," she gulped. Alastair agreed. Not a pleasant way to go.

"Third," Eluna continued.

"Sometimes things get hectic. Do you all know teamspeak shorthand?"

"Uhh," Y'cennia mumbled doubtfully. Ellesea laid a hand on her shoulder." Oom, stands for 'out of mana,' bio, means you need to pee. You'll get the hang of it."

"Chances are, in the middle of a fight, you won't have time to talk," Eluna continued.

"But if you do need to say something, short, clear, concise instructions are best. Since you won't be doing much on the first few floors, just hang back with me and pay attention to the others."

"Shouldn't I find a good place against the walls and stay out of your way?" Y'cennia asked. Alastair agreed; that sounded like a fine suggestion, but he figured the [Saint] had her reasons.

"No," she denied.

"That brings me to my next point. [PoD] is made up of rooms on floors. For every floor you go deeper, monsters get a little bit stronger. Their growth starts off slow but ramps up quickly, before eventually slowing down again. Part of [PoD]'s challenge is knowing when to kill something for experience and when to cut your losses and go down to the next floor."

"And we just gotta find a staircase for that?" Jessica asked.

"I'm getting there," Eluna said.

"Each floor has rooms. Rooms have gimmicks, but any given room can only have 1. That means you'll never find an exit next to a healing fountain, just as you won't find a monster house inside a treasure room. Now, before you ask, I'll explain those later, but for the moment, let me be clear: you can still find individual treasure chests in any room, and you will find monsters everywhere. With the sole exception of where we are standing, no room is safe until you reach an exit chamber every 5 floors.

That leads me to what Cennie said." Eluna took a deep breath and pressed on.

"There are 2 types of monsters. Static and roaming. Static means that, unless you actively aggro a monster and are engaged in combat, it will not leave its room. No matter how much it wanders around inside the room, it won't leave it. That does not mean the walls or hallways are safe. Roaming monsters pass through freely, and there are a few of them on every floor. They are the number one reason people fail this dungeon, because people lack awareness and get complacent. Monsters in this dungeon respawn rapidly.

Just because you killed something and cleared a room does not mean everything behind you is safe." She turned and gave Y'cennia a comforting smile, since the catkin was starting to shake in the knees.

"Relax. You'll be fine, that's why I want you next to me. Ellesea, Jessica…I trust you to follow Al's lead and not step out of line." She glanced at Melia, who had sheathed her swords somehow across her back and was stretching her short legs.

"Mel," Eluna sighed with clear fondness in her voice, "I love you, girl, but if you try anything stupid, I'm gonna let you die."

"No worries!" The gnome chirped, tossing her a thumbs-up.

"I can take care of myself."

"Didn't your retainer say you soloed this place?" Jessica asked. Melia actually paused, finished what she was doing, and stood up straight.

"Yes," she said seriously.

"But only once. It was probably the hardest thing I've ever done." The mood turned somber, but not downtrodden. In fact, Alastair could feel the excitement building. Like a jolt of mana traveling through his veins, or a boost of adrenaline after taking a [Stamina Potion]. And it seemed like he wasn't the only one, as smiles started blooming all around him. He spared a glance for each and every one of his teammates. Jessica, as she punched the air in front of her like a [Boxer].

Ellesea, as she began muttering spells under her breath. Y'cennia, as she gulped, nodded, and pulled the straps of her small backpack tighter across her chest. Melia, as she retrieved her massive swords and clanked their tips together. And finally, Eluna, as she nodded at him and cast a rank 1 [Renew], which he was both surprised and pleased to see.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Let's get to work."