Early the next morning, Shannon stood, imposing and fully prepared, in front of the tavern with her hands on her hips. She was watching for Rowe, and as soon as she laid eyes on him, Rowe covered his face and sighed in exasperation.
“Goodness, girl, why are you here?”
“Huh? We talked yesterday about going into the dungeon together. Did you forget? Honestly, it’s not a good sign to be so forgetful at your age. Guess that means you’ll die soon.”
“But we’ll die in the dungeon!” Rowe yelled angrily. “We won’t come back! I was joking yesterday; don’t take it seriously!”
“Oh, but I am serious,” Shannon declared, smiling. “I’m a mage. Surely I’ll be useful!”
Rowe grimaced and groaned as he scratched his beard. “Having a mage around while tackling a dungeon is worth a hundred men. But you’re so young...” He was worrying over her as if she were his late son. He might have been ready to face his own death (for all that he feared it), but he showed concern for others. He seemed like a pretty nice man.
“Oh, whatever. It’s fine. You want to bring home your son’s personal effects at any cost, right? You should use the tools you’ve got, and that includes a mage with suicidal tendencies.”
“Well...you do have a point.”
“Besides, it’s a dungeon with a hundred percent death rate, so we’ve got the same goal.”
Rowe looked puzzled. “Huh? Then why did you act like you were just hearing about the dungeon for the first time yesterday? And how would you know that if you’re not an adventurer?”
“Whatever,” Shannon said vaguely. “I have my reasons. That’s why we’re going together. We’re comrades!”
“But...are you certain? I might abandon you to save my own life.”
“That’s fine! More than fine. Your goals come first! That’s what’s important.” She flashed him a peace sign.
Her easygoing attitude calmed him a bit, and his nervous expression became more peaceful. He let out a short sigh. “Jeez, what a bluff. Well, I guess you must have nerves of steel to be a traveling mage at your age. I won’t ask you what your intentions are. You do know that no matter what, you’re doing this at your own risk?”
“Yup! I’m looking forward to it. I think I’ll bring some snacks.”
“You’re acting like this is a field trip!” Rowe snapped. “You could really die in the dungeon, you know!”
“I know.”
“Jeez, just be prepared. You really are just as carefree as the girl I met when I was a child. You’re making me feel young again.” With that, Rowe made up his mind. They were going into the dungeon, together. “All right. Let’s go to King Sadra’s Tomb.”
✦ ✦ ✦
They left the village and headed west toward the Great Ransals Forest. Several decades ago, a large earthquake had caused the ground in the forest to crumble, and King Sadra’s Tomb had risen up out of the earth.
“There’s only one entrance,” Rowe explained. “Dungeons from this era usually have three levels, so the tomb is probably the same. If all goes well, we’ll be able to get back out in two days.”
“But you said no one’s ever managed to come back alive,” Shannon said.
Rowe nodded. “Now, I’ve brought a lot of supplies. Jerky, water, a knife, a change of clothes, bandages, rope, a simple first aid kit, a needle and thread...” He looked at Shannon, who was outfitted quite lightly. “Are you going to be okay like that? Your robe is flimsy, and those shorts don’t cover your legs. And what happened to the bag you had yesterday? You’re completely empty-handed.”
“Did you forget that I’m a mage?” Shannon retrieved her wand from the holder on her thigh and waved it without ceremony. The space in front of her distorted as a rift appeared. She reached her hand inside, fished around for a moment, and pulled out her bag.
Rowe blinked. “What? A sorcerous space?!” He stared fixedly at the spot from which she had pulled her bag. “That startled me.”
“Yup. I’ve got a lotta things in there, so we’ll be fine if there are any emergencies. And if you happen to die, the least I can do for you is put your body in there and get you out of the tomb. Living people die when they go inside a sorcerous space, though, so I do have to wait until you’re actually dead.”
He laughed. “That’s reassuring. If you do get my body outta here, bury me near the tomb.” He paused. “Well, I think we’re ready. Shall we?”
With that, they entered the dungeon.
✦ ✦ ✦
“It’s pitch-black in here,” Rowe noted as they went down a narrow staircase. There were no torches or lanterns on the walls, and the farther they descended, the smaller the light leaking in from the entrance became. “We won’t be able to keep going for much longer.”
“Oh, let me take care of that.” Shannon pulled out her wand and gently swished it through the air. The tip lit up faintly, illuminating their way. Its light was more powerful than it seemed; they were able to see pretty far ahead.
“Well, that’s a mage for you!” Rowe said. “Handy.”
“For sure. Now we’ll be fine.”
“Yeah— Whoa! Wait!” Rowe yelled, leaping backward.
“What is it?”
“Look down!”
Shannon peeked in the direction he was pointing and saw that the next step was missing from the staircase. A hole gaped below, and it went so deep that the light from her wand couldn’t even reach the bottom. A breeze whistled as it blew up at them through the gap.
“You’d die if you fell here,” Shannon noted.
“Yes. It’s a basic trap, but if your focus wanders and you miss it, that’s it for you. Looks like this place has dangers everywhere.”
“I’m getting kind of excited!”
“Don’t!” Rowe snapped. “Jeez, are all you younglings so terrible at self-preservation nowadays?”
Shannon laughed. “Nah, just me.”
They pressed on deeper into the dungeon. After a while, the stench of death began to pervade the air around them.
Then, suddenly, Rowe swore. “We stepped on a trap! Duck!” In the same second, they heard something whizzing through the air.
Shannon gasped. Rowe drew the sword at his waist and, with a shout, swung it powerfully. Something fell to the ground with a soft clatter. Shannon had to hand it to Rowe: For an old, retired soldier, his movements were sharp.
Shannon picked up what he had sliced out of the air—an arrow. There was a purple liquid spread across the tip. “A poisoned arrow?”
“Seems like it. One of the tiles here is raised a tiny bit above the rest. Putting weight on it activates the trap.” He paused. “Hey, girl, did that arrow—”
“Oh, I’m fine. See, it just passed through my robe, is all.” She showed him the hole.
He inspected it. “That’s sure what it looks like. Good. We’d be in a lot of trouble if one of us died this early on.”
“You can count on me!” Shannon declared, carelessly tossing the lightly bloodied arrow into the darkness. It had pierced her, of course, and spot-on too. The poison wasn’t about to take her life, however, and the wound had closed immediately. “Come on, dungeon! You must have more dangerous stuff than this! Give it your all!”