Dungeon Diving
With a small whiff of fire controlled by the arcane will of Tinge’s fingers, the wick quickly began to glow as the magic flame ignited a mundane one at the center of the lantern. With a twist of the knob on the side she adjusted the light to illuminate the walls of the underground tunnel. The young tiefling’s eyes saw well enough in the darkness, but only revealed shades of colorless grey. To locate the treasure she was after, natural light would be needed.
Tinge slowly made her way deeper into the silent tunnel. She knew well enough to remain cautious, even if this dungeon had been cleared out by other adventurers. While mostly empty, the degree to which the previous inhabitants explored the area still left the dangers of un-tripped traps and other gathered dangers waiting to spill out. More than once Tinge has had to deal with treasure hunters and bandits seeking an easy fortune left behind. There was often a few missed skeletons walking around ready to fight, but the chance of something truly dangerous hiding behind a closed door was too risky to allow for much exploring. Worst still would be finding a dead party deeper within, and knowing that whatever large evil that lurked in this place still remained. Tinge was smart enough to flee in that case.
Along the walls a mossy buildup had formed and the floor was slicked by small rivulets of ground water snaking deeper into the dungeon. The path split into three directions, but straight ahead a large stone door sat open. Carved into the door were three slots which now each contained a stone marked with the symbol of an animal. Undoubtedly this door required finding the stones and arranging them in a specific order to proceed. For Tinge the door was left open. A small blush of nervousness crept up her back as she passed through; a part of her embarrassed for what felt like cheating.
Further in the air took on a more putrid quality as some kind of rot drifted toward Tinge’s nose. Ahead she saw an small yet indistinguishable pile of flesh in the path ahead. A few bones stuck out, but it was hard to tell if this had once been humanoid. She approached it cautiously until she saw movement. Stopping dead in her tracks she watched as a green viscous liquid seemed to envelop the pile of meat and bone. Tinge immediately knew what was consuming it. She had encountered them before, and it always made her uneasy. This was another danger of coming into a long cleared dungeon, jellies and slimes seeking any kind of food left to eat. This slime was joined by another smaller one, slowly pushing it’s way from a crevice in the stone wall.
It never failed how Tinge was reminded of her mother when she saw one of those things. She remembered the day well, many years before, when she still lived at the Darrington Estate...
What began as a quiet afternoon reading stories in the estate gardens, quickly turned into a play fight with small sticks standing in for brilliant knight swords. Tinge had fought her brother Warran valiantly, but had ended up tripping into a mud puddle. After she was helped to her feet she ran off into the large mansion. Sneaking along the hallways and into her room, Tinge closed the door and carefully removed her soiled dress. Still in just her small clothes she placed the dress on a chair in front of her and began searching for a replacement in her wardrobe. She heard the door open behind her and thought one of the maid’s had come in to check on her.
“It’s alright Sarra, just give me a---,” as Tinge turned she froze still.
Standing in the doorway was the Duchess Emmelina, staring at Tinge with eyes like cold blue mountain stones.
“Mother!” Tinge gasped. Rarely did she ever visit Tinge, least of all in her own room. While Tinge stood straight with her eyes lowered to the floor, the Duchess’ eyes slowly went to the mud stained dress on the chair next to her. Her demeanor barely shifted.
“So this is how you would treat the nice things we buy for you Celestine?”
“No mother.” Tinge meekly spoke.
“Do you think this is how the ladies act in those stories of yours? or perhaps you’d rather be one of the little monsters?” The Duchess spoke with slow venom dripping in her voice.
Tinge instantly thought of several examples in her books of ladies behaving in a similar manner, but she couldn’t bring herself to name them, only managing to speak, “no mother.”
“Living in filth will just attract slimes to devour you in your sleep. Then they’d prey on the rest of us. I bet you’d like that wouldn’t you?”
Tinge shook her head and spoke slightly louder, “No! Mother.” The young Tinge had heard about slimes in her books but had never though about them coming for her in her sleep. That thought combined with her mother’s cold questions caused her to start trembling.
“Sarra!” The Duchess called followed by a kind but unassuming woman dressed in servant’s garb entering the room.
The Duchess picked up Tinge’s dress with the tips of her fingers as if handling a dead animal. “See to it that this is destroyed. Then have a bath drawn and make sure the Lady Celestine is bathed and dressed properly for dinner.”
For a moment Tinge forgot herself. “I can do that myself!” She growled under her breath but just loud enough for her mother and Sarra to hear.
The air stood still in the room as Saara looked between the Duchess and Tinge, who now looked frozen and terrified. After a long uncomfortable pause the Duchess tossed the dress at the feet of her daughter.
“Sarra, forget the bath. See that Lady Celestine is dressed.” she spoke motioning to the garment on the floor. “We’ve never had to entertain slimes at dinner before. Hopefully they will have their fill.”
As the Duchess left, Tinge stood trembling with a strange mix of embarrassment, fear, and anger. That night, and many nights after Tinge would dream of finding her brothers and sisters bodies half-devoured, trapped in slick ugly slime, and somehow she knew it was her fault.
As Tinge watched the small slimes inch along the dungeon floor she gathered herself and leapt past them, giving them plenty of berth. Confident she was getting close to her goal, she marched onward, deeper into the dark tunnels. After a short distance the walls seemed much different. The mossy buildup was gone. The rotten smell had dissipated, and Tinge looked around marveling at just how clean the deeper dungeon area seemed.
After a slightly more narrow passageway she came into a large cavern room. The bones of some mighty creature Tinge couldn’t identify laid in the center of the room. Towards the back she found the remains of another creature, a inert blob of flesh next to an open wooden chest. No doubt this was a mimic that surprised whatever weary adventurers that cleared this place. The chest was empty, but that wasn’t the treasure Tinge was after. holding her lantern to the cavern walls Tinge finally spotted what she was after. Thin lines of red and orange laced the cavern rock. Dyonisia, her mentor, had been right and this area was rich with the pigment they needed to make a truly dazzling shade of red. After a noisy time of swinging her pick-axe, Tinge gathered a healthy supply in a large, thick glass jar which she sealed with a cork.
Her treasure in hand, Tinge began to exit the large cavern room but paused as she came to the narrow corridor. A small pile of bones rustled back and forth on the other end of the corridor that wasn’t there before. Scoffing at another half-formed animated skeleton she’d have to slay Tinge confidently walked forward. For a moment it seemed the air came alive and pulled her into the corridor and she floated above the floor.
Panic filled her mind. The air felt cold and wet, like she was covered in damp clay. With horror she felt the room move, carrying her with it as her skin began to feel as if pressed to a flame. She tried to struggle but incredible pressure kept her in place. She tried to scream, but the same cloying air began to force its way into her throat and nose. She couldn’t breath. Another sudden lurch forward and she realized she was now trapped in this giant gelatinous cube set to consume her.
She started to feel dizzy and her struggles became more frantic. She could feel her skin begin to burn but knew she would suffocate long before the acid ate her. She was alone down here, and the only one who knew where she was, was an old woman who could barely traverse the steps in front of her shop. Her vision started to fade. It was already hard to see with the pressure on her eyes. She could feel the fight draining out of her.
Suddenly she felt a shift in the cube at her side. Whatever made up this creature’s body was having a reaction to something at her side. Forcing her neck to crane down she spotted the jar of pigment. Straining her arms to reach her side she fumbled with the cork, on the verge of losing consciousness. With one final snap of determination she cracked open the seal on the jar.
She felt her face was cold and leaning against something hard. In a daze she blinked her eyes and found herself lying on the dungeon floor. She lay there a moment catching her breath when a searing pain gripped her ankle. Looking behind her she saw the same slime feasting earlier, but this time they had congealed into a true jelly. She tried to free her foot, but the jelly held tight. Drawing her sword she sliced at it wildly, and her strike cut true. With a sickening plop next to her, the swath of jelly she cut off rose from the ground and started to shuffle towards her. She stared in horror as the unfeeling, soulless, blob came to try and consume her. Deep within her veins a fire erupted. It was a primal, elemental fire boiling in her blood. The flames illuminated the dark tunnels.
Dyonisia gasped as the door to her shop was flung open. Tinge practically collapsed in the doorway, her simple leather armor burnt and in tatters, deep red marks across her light purple skin.
“By the gods, child!” Dyonisa shouted, using what strength she had to carry the fortuitously petite teifling to a bed at the back of the shop. Dyonisa still had some skill as a healer, but her brow knitted with doubt as she worked. After a few hours Tinge opened her eyes, smiling to see Dyonisia’s face. As Dyonisia prepared some tea and a bite for Tinge to eat, Tinge sat up in the bed, slightly trembling as she thought about her escape. Dyonisia came back and laid a reassuring hand on Tinge’s shoulder, and Tinge finally stopped trembling.
A week afterward the new paint was made, a brilliant red hue that the local artists were going crazy over. After their work day was done, Tinge cleaned the shop and big Dyonisia a good night, then settled into her loft bed. Something rustling below woke her with a start. Descending into the shop tinge saw movement in the corner. Her breathing became more frantic as a small slime inched along the floor from her adventuring equipment. A piece of the jelly must have come back with her. She quickly leapt down to the floor and attempted to crush it as it scurried away.
“T----Ti---nge” a small voice called from the back of the shop.
As Tinge turned she saw the old woman half consumed by a monstrous jelly, her arm outstretched in desperation.
“Dyna!” Tinge called out as she was jolted from her nightmare. Her sheets were covered in sweat and the confusion of the dream still lingered. She peeked down into the shop and saw nothing but stillness, then crept quietly to Dyonisia’s room. She slept peacefully in the bed.
Tinge sighed with relief, then all of her held back emotions started to pour into her as the adrenaline faded. She sat quietly on the floor of the shop, and stared at the ceiling.
Her thoughts went to her mother...
