Chapter 346: History Lesson

We stood far below the icy slopes, and the warm, humid air felt welcoming. What were we going to tell Navek? Were we going to reveal the entrance to him? If the golden figs could serve as a base for aether potions, this dungeon could make his people extremely wealthy. But then again, all the goliaths I had met were like Maveith and did not place much value on gold.

“We show him the entrance and explain that it’s been a few days, yet we haven’t found the dungeon core or a way to destroy it,” Konstantin said. I looked at the others for agreement, and everyone nodded. “Then we also tell the Eternis Council and let them decide what to do about it. Take the decision out of Navek’s hands. This dungeon is not that difficult, except for the last room. The goliath people could benefit greatly from it,” he pointed at Maveith’s great goat helm.

“Maybe the dungeon will no longer release the manticores now, too,” Maveith said hopefully.

“Are hydras any more desirable?” Konstantin retorted, amused.

Maveith was thinking about the question, so I added my thoughts. “I don’t think a hydra could reach the surface, not by the path we took. Its body was too large, and climbing the steps would be treacherous. Hopefully, the dungeon will stop creating manticores. Ultimately, I think the dungeon was sending us a message.”

“What message was that?” Raelia asked, smirking.

“Don’t talk to the prisoners,” I said seriously. We had had enough discussions for everyone to understand what I meant. “Are we ready for Navek?” When no one objected, I had the goliath hunter appear.

Navek crouched and blinked in the sun’s bright light, his spear held defensively. “We are out of the dungeon,” Konstantin said in a deep, calm voice.

Navek spun, taking in us and his surroundings. “Out? Is the dungeon dead slain?”

I spoke. “We never found the core. It has been a few days since you volunteered to reduce our numbers. We explored the four rooms repeatedly and didn’t find any clues to the location of the core.” I produced a pouch of essences. “Your share from the delve.” It was not an equal share, just three major coordination essences, one major power essence, and three minor endurance essences. Still a fortune for not contributing anything.

“Volunteered? Is that what I did?” he said snarkily. He took the bag a little forcibly. I think his anger was due to the fact that we had not succeeded in destroying or finding the dungeon core.

I indicated the cave entrance behind us. “We excavated to the surface. The dungeon entrance is just fifty feet into that tunnel. Do you know where we are?”

Navek had calmed, turned, and studied the entrance intently. He was not stupid enough to go in by himself. Navek’s eyes turned back to us. He paused on Maveith’s new helm, belt, and shield. Maveith also had a massive bundle tied to his back, but Navek didn’t ask any questions.

He pointed. “That small bay is most likely Sapphire Reef. There is a small fishing village there. We are on the southern face of Nashota Mountain.” From that, I could orient myself. Eternis should be about ten miles through the jungle to our left.

Navek turned and started to walk into the dungeon. Okay, maybe he was that stupid. Maveith called out to him, “Navek. We should all return to Eternis and rest.”

“My work is not finished,” he said without turning around. Maveith looked to me pleadingly.

“The manticore room has a hydra now. The dungeon may not spawn manticores again,” I said loudly.

Navek paused at the entrance. “It doesn’t matter. This dungeon killed my family.” He disappeared into the tunnel.

I shook my head. We could do nothing for him with his vision blinded by vengeance. We waited twenty minutes in case he changed his mind before we descended the slope. On entering the jungle, Baldo joined our number at Raelia’s insistence. She didn’t want him flying with manticores in the area, but he could walk with us. I think she just missed him as she spoiled him with raw pieces of meat I provided.

When the walls of Eternis came into sight, Konstantin muttered, “I will make sure Gilda hasn’t gotten herself killed or imprisoned.” The poisoner would likely be unhappy that we had not harvested any manticore poison sacks again.

“Maveith and Raelia, you two can go report to the Council about the dungeon,” I ordered. Maveith looked uncomfortable because he didn’t like being the focus of attention. “Show them your black armor and tell them about the other rewards in the dungeon. Let them decide what to do.” I handed him a bundle of golden figs and a bag of tea leaves from my dimensional space to help.

“Where are you going?” Raelia asked matter-of-factly. “Heading to the baths?” she said accusingly. Baldo had the same indignant posture, mimicking her.

“No. I am going to collect my reward from the Seer,” I replied. I didn’t wait for them as I headed toward the coast. I knew Raelia wouldn’t follow because Maveith needed her. I had lots of questions for the seer and artifacts I wanted read by her. I was soon walking on the sandy beach, sidestepping around some massive turtles laying eggs. I found the two-mile path to the fishing village, and it didn’t take long to reach it.

It was late evening, and the fishing boats had all returned with today’s catch. It seemed like the entire village was processing the fish, shellfish, and seaweed together in a practiced concert of actions. I was reasonably sure I could never live in a fishing village because of the smell.

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The large, familiar, muscled goliath approached me. I greeted him by name. “Mokin, I have returned to collect my payment from the Seer.” He arched his brow in amusement like he knew something I did not.

“She is where you met her last, traveler.” He turned his back on me to continue instructing a young goliath on how to clean the fish for salting.

I walked up the hill into the village and knocked on the seer’s hut. Namao was just sitting at the table, two cups of steaming tea in front of her. “I have been expecting you. Sit,” she said neutrally.

After so long without using furniture, sitting in the welcoming bamboo chair felt slightly odd. I reached for what I assumed was my tea. I sipped it, then remembered I didn’t like the taste and put it down. “I have come to collect.”

“Have you now? The dungeon is destroyed, then?” She had an annoying smile on her face.

“I know the agreement was for the dungeon to be destroyed, but we have located it…” I stopped talking and studied the beaming seer. I tried to remain calm as I sensed she had deceived me. “Did you know we wouldn’t destroy the dungeon?” I said tersely.

Namao chuckled, her shoulders bouncing. “It was a strong possibility.” Her joviality ended, and with more ominous words, she added, “Your failure to do so has resulted in Navek’s death.”

I kept calm. I had to remind myself it was Navek’s choice. “Navek is dead?” As long as she read my artifacts, I could control myself and not get angry.

“Probably. I cannot see inside a dungeon, but as far as I can tell, he never comes out. His loss is your failure—and mine.” She sipped her tea, a note of regret in her voice.

“How is it my fault? You knew where the dungeon entrance was the entire time. You could have told me, and Navek wouldn’t have needed to come,” I said accusingly.

“Careful, otherworlder,” she said flatly but clearly as a warning. “This is one of the more desirable outcomes for my people. Navek deserved better, but there were very few paths where he lived. One of those paths was with you, but alas, it was a path not taken.” She sighed. “I will still examine your artifacts, and you got what you needed from the dungeon.”

“Why?” was all I could manage to ask.

The old seer exhaled and drank her tea before answering. “When I use my gift, the past is like stone—immovable, permanent. The present is fluid like water, but it is predictable in which way it will flow. The future is like smoke in air, constantly being altered by even the smallest disturbance.”

“So, what is your goal with the dungeon then?” I asked after digesting her analogy.

Namao paused to drink her tea, but her eyes told me she would be giving me answers. Maybe I didn’t want the answers, as it could be another way she would manipulate me. Maybe she was testing scenarios for what she needed to tell me to get me to do her bidding. “I did not know where the dungeon entrance was. Yes, if I had tried and searched hard enough, I could have located its precise location, but I knew nothing good would have come of its discovery—until now—until you were the one searching for it.”

I clenched my jaw. She continued, “I see you don’t believe me. Perhaps if I share the history of this dungeon, it will clarify my motives. You’re familiar with the Titans and the World Gates…”

I stopped her. “Tell me as if I do not know anything.”

She pursed her lips. “Very well, but I will keep it short. The Titans once ruled all of Desia, but it was not enough for them. They wanted more—they wanted to rule every world among the stars. They dug down to the ley lines and built powerful aether engines over hundreds of years to harness aether from the ley lines to power their bridges to other worlds.”

“Are the dungeons self-aware?” I interjected.

She had a slightly annoyed look at being interrupted. “Yes. From what I have seen in the past, the aether engines were built by the Titans but required an intelligence to manage their complex workings. Ancient titans, close to death, submitted themselves to become the dungeons, a chance at immortality—or so they thought.” So the dungeons were controlled by a titan's spirit. I had more questions, but continued to listen.

“The Titans succeeded and began to conquer world after world in the cosmos. Aphora, Luatera, Earth, Ionus, Traxephus, Evithea, to name a few. Then they encountered the demons. The hubris of the Titans, though, didn’t allow them to see their folly before it was too late. Millions of titans and countless demons fell in the struggle for supremacy. Then the demons started to appear on Desia, a world much richer in aether than their own, allowing them to accumulate power more quickly. Khrusos knew if they established a foothold here, it would be the end of the titans.”

“Finally, Khrusos decided to close all the World Gates permanently to prevent the demons from spreading. The World Gates were destroyed, but the dungeon aether engines were left intact. A civil war broke out among the Titans, as many of their number wanted the aether engines destroyed as well and never to use the World Gates again.” She took time to pour herself some more tea. I absent-mindedly sipped my own, ignoring the taste.

“Now the aether engines didn’t want to be destroyed, but they had no way to defend themselves. They hatched a plan together—don’t ask me how they communicated. They decided to equip and strengthen all the people on Desia that the Titans had enslaved from all the worlds they had conquered. That was how the dungeon delving started, a pact between the lesser races and the aether engines, to fight the titans who were involved in their civil war. Do you follow?”

“Yes. But you have not explained yourself,” I said.

She sighed. “Ah, yes—patience is not a virtue you possess. The dungeon you discovered has always been here—it is one of the first. It also signed the pact with the lesser races to fight the Titans five thousand years ago, but my people refused to participate. Instead, they collapsed the entrance and erased its existence from our history,” she revealed.

I was confused. “If it is that old, why is it not as big as the Simmering Labyrinth?”

“I don’t have all the answers, and I can’t see into the dungeons or guess their motivations,” Namao said curtly. “You should be impressed that I was able to piece together everything I have just told you.”

I took the rebuke and gave her a nod of appreciation for the knowledge. “So, you want your people to use the dungeon and become stronger?”

Namao nodded. “It is my hope. We cannot remain so blissfully ignorant and isolated forever…” She trailed off, growing tired, like she knew something—or a possibility of something in the future. I waited for her to elaborate, but she never did. She finished her discourse. “I have planted the seeds, and I just hope those who make the decisions make the correct ones. My time and influence are limited.”

“Now, present the artifacts you want me to examine for you. I will go until I have exhausted myself.” I hesitated, a number of questions on my mind, but I started to lay out the collection of artifacts I wanted insight into their workings.

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