The first major choice in the Dungeon of Delta was not to be good or bad, to kill or to play along, or to even decide to see if the rumours were really true about the oddness of this place.
The first major choice all people ended up facing, providing they got past the Spider room, was simple in idea, but devastating in outcome.
The choice was left or right.
"Mushroom forest or singing nightmare?" Grim weighed up their options.
"How about the pond? We can plan," Amenster offered, to which Deo rushed on with a fishing pole he extended from a tiny handle.
"I SHALL FEED US WHILE YOU PLAN! BRAINS NEED SMART FISH FOOD!" He said, basically deciding for the group. It wasn't like anyone could say no now that he was looking away.
"Is... the duck inside?" Grim grimaced. Kemy frowned.
"Mr. Duck? He's very nice, but I don't think he's home," Kemy said sadly. Poppy looked around.
"Looks a bit different than last time I was here..." she mused, pulling her hood tight. The talking book was still making small sobbing noises.
"Spider guts! Spider guts all over the famous incantation for the Moonlight Stag summon spell... at this rate, one is more likely to summon a moonlighting stag do party!" he whimpered.
"It'll come out once we leave the Dungeon... Poppy, where did you get a talking book? Is it... magical?" Grim asked, voice interested. Poppy gave him a withering glare.
"You aren't allowed to hold Tom. I remember you eating my Manty the Manticore picture book... nyeh, Poppy never forgets..." she said.
"We were five! Besides... I thought it was going to let me turn into a manticore," Grim said with a sigh.
"Eat me and I will use your blood to form a new spell called 'Banish Blithering Buffoon under the light of the red moon'. You know it's deadly if it rhymes," Tom the book warned darkly.
"How about we sit and plan? Deo is already working," Amenster offered. Vas hummed and he went to sit next to Deo to watch him at work as a flash of silver rippled near the surface of the pond. A large golden fish taunted Deo from the far side as it breached the surface.
Deo gave a yank and a large rock flew out of the pond, landing behind him. Deo just cast his line again cheerfully.
"I'LL GET YOU!" He laughed at the teasing fish who seemed to be as excited as Deo at the prospect of fishing.
Kemy waited until Grim pulled out his map.
"Very good detail, you have a hand for cartography," she said, impressed at the detail and notes made by Grim. The boy just blinked, looking confused.
"It's just a basic map with ideas and potential areas for change. Most maps are good for Dungeons but Delta's Dungeon changes in ways I'm not sure anyone can predict. The spiders have... five to eight gimmicks alone. For a first room, that's insane," Grim shrugged.
"You haven't met most Dungeon Map makers. Fairplay enchant their maps to auto feed information back to their 'key map,' and so if people discover new areas, it's freely, forcefully, given to the company. By the time people have enough confidence to make their own, any lucky hidden room found by greenhorns is taken away. Unofficial Makers sell portions or single floor maps that have expiry seals. Some are downright basic unless you pay a premium for a map that shows traps and secret passages. This is all even if the makers put enough effort in for more than squiggles. If people come here, don't be afraid to market your skills. Even I can see that your drawings are really good and these notes are very easy to understand," Kemy smiled. Grim still looked baffled.
"Why would I force people to pay to look at my maps? Sure, for Delta it's fine but any other dungeon is dangerous. I could be sending people to die because I tried to make a few coins by haggling on showing them where the traps are. Dungeons are stupidly dangerous!" Grim protested, outraged. He huffed once.
"It's... not what adventuring is about. It's about rare items and glory. I can't do that if my maps are soaked in blood," he said with a mutter.
He shot Deo a look, the boy still having his back turned to them.
"That's not what we promised and I don't betray promises. Now, do we want to try the secret passage, facing the demon mouse, or do you want to go into the Forest via the Mudroom?" He said, his tone making sure the subject was changed.
There was a pause before they all began to plot.
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YOU ARE READING
There is No Epic Loot Here, Only Puns
FantasyBy stewart92 I DO NOT own this book. I am reposting the free chapters with permission from the author. She became a dungeon core. Everything pointed Delta to murdering her way to success. People were just mana farms, right? No, that was wrong. Delt...
