Chapter 43. Cursed

  As Delilah stowed her medical gear in preparation to leave the screw floor room, Allison motioned to Jeremiah. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”

  There wasn’t far to go, but Allison guided Jeremiah to the edge of the room where they could speak away from the others.

  Jeremiah eyed the deadly spikes as though they were eavesdroppers. “What’s up?” It seemed an exceedingly strange time and place for a private talk.

  Allison spoke in a whisper. “I realize there’s a chance I might not survive this place, but there’s something I want you to have, so I best give it to you now.” She handed Jeremiah a tiny parcel, a bit of burlap tied off with string.

  Jeremiah accepted the offering. It fit easily into the palm of his hand. Untying the string, he found a stringy wad of plant matter. It was thick and greasy, like a clump of roots dipped in oil. “Uh, thanks. Is this tobacco?”

  “Listen,” said Allison. “When you get out of here and you meet this cult, or whatever it is, they’re not going to shake your hand and welcome you aboard. They’re going to make you do something to prove your commitment. It won’t be something you want to do. Probably it won’t be something you even want to remember doing. This stuff will make it easier.”

  “Make it easier? What do you mean? And how do you know that?”

  “Just easier,” said Allison, "It'll help make you go away for a little while, the part of you that matters. Chew it it a few minutes before you have to do whatever it is. It’ll taste rancid, but it’s supposed to.”

  “I feel like I should talk to—

  “No. Don’t tell anyone else about this. I mean it. I hope you won’t need it at all, but keep it in your pocket. Just in case.”

  “I will,” said Jeremiah, because Allison clearly needed him to. He tucked the plant away, wondering what she wasn’t telling him.

  Bruno was still inspecting the double doors when they returned to the group. He wiped sweat off his forehead, stood up, and began another sweep.

  “Bruno, you can’t keep this up,” said Delilah. “We’re never going to get anywhere, and besides, you’re already exhausted.”

  “What, are you going to take a turn?” Bruno popped a crick in his neck. “No offense, but I’d rather not die immediately. If we learn enough about how Cassidy thinks, maybe I won’t need to be so meticulous at every moment, but until then—”

  “I have an alternative suggestion,” said Allison. “You said ‘we don’t give the trapmaker what he wants’, correct? What if, instead of dissecting the psychology of some long dead psychopath, we don’t worry about that? What if screw that guy?”

  She drew her ax and pointing it at the wall. “Have magic ax, make magic hole.”

  Bruno gripped the doorknob with a cloth in his hand. There was a hiss, and a puff of green smoke leaked from the cloth.

  “Bruno?” Allison asked.

  “I’m thinking,” said Bruno.

  “I approve,” said Jeremiah. “Cassidy is long dead, I can’t see any reason to indulge him just because we need the loot.”

  “Exactly,” said Allison, “I’ve got no stake in this. Let’s just get to the end.”

  “I have a bad feeling about this,” said Bruno. “But you might be right. Ducking the test feels like cheating the point of the dungeon but…I don’t know, maybe that’s better than beating it.”

  “That’s the spirit!” said Allison. With that, she raise her ax and swung on the wall.

  The walls in the circular room had wood paneling top to bottom, save for the rows of spikes. But as Allison’s ax tore through it, a layer of metal was revealed beneath.

  “Hang on,” said Jeremiah.

  Decay And Decay And Decay

  “Why not just put it on a shatter loop?” asked Delilah.

  “A what?” asked Jeremiah, placing his hands on the diagram.

  “That thing where you make it so strong it breaks. I think shatter loop sounds like good shorthand,” said Delilah. She was struggling to her feet with all the steadiness of a baby fawn.

  “Oh. Because I don’t know how metal this thick will react, it might blow up. I want a little more control over what’s about to happen,” said Jeremiah. He could imagine metal this thick shattering into a bunch of high speed mace heads, or causing some sort of crazy chain reaction.

  “Fair enough,” said Delilah, wobbling on her feet.

  Jeremiah charged the diagram, and stepped aside for Allison to continue her work.

  The ax bit through the metal, tearing great chunks from it. Delilah picked up one of the chunks, “So wait, it goes back to being hard after it comes off the wall?”

  Jeremiah nodded, resisting the urge to cover his ears from the screeching hacks, “Yeah, it’s no longer being affected by the enchantment. Allison, don’t-Al! Don’t hit the diagram or I’ll have to redraw it please!”

  “Noted,” grunted Allison.

  “I called her Al and she didn’t say anything…neat,” thought Jeremiah. He had never called her Al before.

  Bruno paced back and forth behind her, flinching at every swing. Finally, she cut through the metal barrier, and a whoosh of air rushed into the room.

  “What, no gout of flame? No poison smog?” said Allison. “I’m disappointed.”

  Bruno inspected the hole. “There’s a lot of mechanisms. Probably controlling traps all over the building.”

  “Safe to continue?” asked Allison, rolling her shoulders and hefting the ax again.

  “I don’t see any reason why not,” said Bruno, as though he wished he did.

  “Trap this, you lockpicking thug!” Allison yelled and swung her ax again. The entire house rumbled as she cleaved through its innards, each swing of her ax pulling out piles of springs, chains, levers and tie bars with steady, efficient swings.

  “I think she’s enjoying this,” said Jeremiah.

  “Allison doesn’t like traps,” said Delilah.

  “Jay! Put an inscription on the other side and I’ll hack us an exit,” panted Allison.

  Jeremiah poked his head into the hole. All around, he saw an endless network of delicate metal components, the nearest ones smashed to smithereens, of course. He felt a continuous flow of warm air, like the breath of the dungeon. Quickly, he wrote the same inscription on the backside of the same metallic wall.

  Decay And Decay And Decay. “All you,” he said, and Allison began hacking an exit. Even with the enchantment, the work took time, and Allison was winded by the time she waved them through.

  “That’s how you do a dungeon,” she huffed. Bruno led them into through.

  They emerged in the middle of another hallway. Compared to upstairs, the ground floor was a dilapidated mess. The floor was splintery old wood, and the walls were a rough plaster. Sloppily made torches lit the space unevenly.

  “The hell is this?” asked Allison.

  “An aesthetic choice?” guessed Bruno. “Maybe testing your ability to handle traps in various settings.”

  “Oh I’m gonna handle it,” said Allison. She hefted the ax again, though she was still catching her breath.

  Once again, they hacked their way through the layered wood and metal wall. By the time they exited the opposite side, Allison was sweating.

  “Haven’t been running enough,” she chuckled, removing her helmet.

  They were now in a serene grotto. A central fountain of marble depicted an unknown goddess with hands outstretched. Water tricked down her arms, feeding two tiny rivers that snaked through a floor of polished lapis. Lush vines with broad leaves hung from baskets affixed to the ceiling. It was like discovering a hidden oasis in a forgotten jungle.

  “This annoys me,” said Delilah.

  “The room is definitely trying to impress us,” said Bruno, scowling at the goddess. “Obviously don't drink the water.”

  “I think it's pretty,” said Jeremiah. If he weren't convinced the statue were going to spray poison at him, he would enjoy being here.

  Allison huffed, but gave a thumbs up, agreeing with Jeremiah. She plopped against a wall and yawned deeply.

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  Bruno inspected the room for further nasty surprises, and seemed irritated to report there were none to be found.

  “Like hell the cute little peace and quiet room isn't trapped,” said Delilah.

  “I know,” said Bruno, “but I've been over it twice, I cant find anything. Might just be a room to rest in?”

  “Unexpected but appreciated,” said Jeremiah. “Onto the next?”

  Allison spit and rubbed her eyes, losing the other eyebrow. “Yeah, let’s keep digging.”

  She aligned herself with the wall she wanted gone and swung. The blue lapis tile work split, and suddenly the room was alight with violet arcs of lightning.

  “You did it wrong,” said Delilah.

  They leapt together in a defensive formation. “Jay, what’s going on?” said Bruno. “This isnt a trap.”

  The lights had triggered when Allison started attacking the wall. “I think the dungeon core is angry we’re cheating,” said Jeremiah.

  “Cheating? Oh, excuse me, I didn't know there was a rulebook. I demand a copy of the rules immediately!” Delilah shouted at the ceiling.

  “What’s happening?” Allison asked over the hissing and crackling of the magical energy.

  “It’s a summoning,” said Jeremiah. “Get ready!”

  The arcing strands of violet light slammed together into a tiny sphere in the center of the room. The sphere flashed, growing at incredible speeds, and took on a great bestial shape.

  Like cooling metal from the forge, a monstrous bear covered in bony plates emerged from the light. The bear was rippling muscle far beyond the bulk and height of even the largest normal bears. It roared in fury.

  “Dire bear. Keep its focus on me and stay out of its mouth,” said Allison. She swapped the axe for her short spear and banged it against her shield.

  “Wisdom for the ages,” said Bruno.

  They scattered as Allison thrust her spear up at the bear’s nose to keep its attention. The magic spear pierced the bear’s nostril, and it roared so loud the air shook. It lunged toward Allison, mouth agape, baring teeth as long as Jeremiah’s hand.

  Allison dodged to the side and stabbed the spear into the bear’s neck, its bony plates cracking at the impact. At the same time, Delilah thrust her spear into the bear’s side, pushing hard to penetrate the thick hide and muscle. Bruno slashed at the backs of the bear’s feet.

  Jeremiah thrust at a flank with his own spear, but lacking the magic enchantment of his friends, it was like stabbing a raw steak with a dull knife.

  The bear swung a monstrous claw at Allison and knocked her flying across the room. She collided with the goddess statue, letting it catch her in the open arms.

  “You alright, Al?” called Bruno

  “F-Fine,” Allison wheezed. She stood, but something was wrong. With effort, she raised her weapons and staggered toward the bear again. Banging her shield once to draw its attention, the thrust her spear into its neck.

  Blood gushed from the wound, but the bear was unperturbed. It batted Allison to the side again, then turned towards Delilah.

  “C'mere big guy, time to slow you down,” said Bruno. In a flurry of blades, he tore through the tough sinews of the bear’s back leg,

  The bear toppled onto its side and they lay into it, swinging and stabbing at whatever spots they cold reach.

  Jeremiah realized Allison was not among them. She was a few feet away, hunched over and panting.

  “Al, toss me the spear!” called Bruno. Allison dropped the spear toward Bruno rather than throw it, and dropped her shield as well in the process.

  The bear clambered back to its feet. “Jay, get this thing over!” Bruno yelled. He was dancing just beyond the bear's reach, Allison’s spear at the ready.

  Jeremiah cast a ball of acid at the bear's feet. It pooled under the bear's paws, burning through the sensitive pads. The bear growled and retreated from the pool, roaring in pain as its injured legs gave way again.

  Bruno rushed in with a ferocious scream, ramming the spear into the bear's underside. He shoved hard, spinning away from the bear’s raking claws, only to return and shove the spear deeper.

  With one last hard push, the spear reached the bear’s heart. The animal shuddered and spasmed, its limbs a flurry of claws, then lay still.

  “Health check!” Delilah called.

  “Good!” said Jeremiah.

  “Good,” said Bruno.

  “G-g-good,” wheezed Allison.

  “Textbook work, everyone,” said Bruno.

  Delilah was rushing to Allison’s side. “Hon, what's going on?”

  “F-fine,” said Allison. She was sweating profusely, her face growing pale.

  “I've seen her work harder than that,” said Jeremiah. “Somethings wrong, she shouldn't be breathing this hard.”

  “Respiratory,” mumbled Delilah. “Anyone else feeling anything?” Everyone was normal levels of exhausted.

  Delilah started touching Allison's face and asking if she could feel it. Then shaking her left arm around.

  “She get hurt fighting the bear?” asked Bruno. He was slowly backing away from Allison, not quite looking at her.

  “Maybe. Could be a heart attack?” said Delilah. She gave Allison an injection, to no immediate effect.

  “It started earlier than that,” said Jeremiah, “she was out of breath after the first wall she hacked through.”

  Delilah shook her head, “Can't be a gas, we would have smelt it, or seen it, or my detectors would have…oh no.”

  “What?” asked Jeremiah.

  Delilah dashed to the hole in the wall they’d entered through. She pulled a metal ring from the Giant’s Bag with dozens of small slips of white paper threaded on to it. She flipped through them until she found one tiny page that was pitch black.

  “Oh no. Oh no no no.…” Delilah drew a small tin box from the bag. She broke the wax seal around the lip of the box and revealed a second ring of paper slips. She waved them at the hole, and one of the slips turned from white to black in seconds.

  “Get her in the bag!” Delilah screamed.

  “What? What’s going on?” asked Bruno. He and Jeremiah were already helping Allison to her feet. Her legs wobbled beneath her.

  “It’s Furnace Curse. Jay, I need your help inside, Bruno stay out here and guard us.”

  “Delilah, I’m fine, I’m not cursed.” Allison tried to shake off Bruno and Jeremiah with a weak shrug.

  “I did not go to medical school for eight years for you to tell me you’re fine! You are suffocating, and we need to improvise a solution.”

  The three of them manhandled Allison into the bag. Jeremiah leapt down after, floating down to a chaotic scene as Delilah cast aside piles of lab equipment to make room to lay Allison down.

  “Here to help,” said Jeremiah. “What’s Furnace Curse and how do we stop it?”

  Delilah spoke quickly, snatching chemicals and lighting burners. “It’s not a curse, it’s a gas, odorless and invisible. It makes you suffocate. This place was built on top of a coal deposit, and there’s probably small fires burning underground all the time. That’s why the walls were pressurized. It’s like a natural trap.”

  “I can breathe just fine,” said Allison.

  “I swear to all that is holy, stop arguing with me,” said Delilah. “You are dying. You are dying and I have very little in the way of options to save you. Jay, grab those bottles there and the bag of—the other bottles, are you trying to get us killed?!”

  Jeremiah jumped when she shouted and grabbed what he hoped were the correct bottles. “We can try to get out, find a potion,” he said. “I’m sure we can get one on credit, or steal it, or something.”

  “Potions won’t work, she’s not injured. I have to pump her full of breathable air, put her in a coma, and pressurize the inside of the bag.”

  “Woah, what? Put me in a coma?” Allison turned to Jeremiah with a face full of confusion.

  “Ahh I have no time to explain, just trust me!” said Delilah “Jay, inside that box you’ll find a bunch of syringes. Give me the one labeled ‘Allison.’”

  Jeremiah opened the box she’d indicated. It was full of syringes, and each was labeled with a name—Bruno, Allison, Delilah, Jeremiah, and several he didn’t recognize. He grabbed the requested needle and handed it to Delilah.

  “Say goodnight, Allison,” said Delilah, plunging the needle into Allison’s neck before she could react.

  “I never-” Allison slumped over.

  Delilah continued setting various chemicals to heating and separating, her hands a blur over the equipment.

  “Is she going to be okay? Are we?” asked Jeremiah. He was desperate for reassurance that everything was going to be perfectly fine.

  “Doubtful, but I’m going to try. She was the only one wheezing. If you start feeling sleepy…well, we can cross that bridge when we come to it.” Delilah affixed a tight leather mask around Allison’s mouth and nose, and connected a thin tube between the mask and a glass pipette.

  “Head up,” said Delilah. “I need you to seal the bag and not open it again. I’ll open it from my side when it’s safe.”

  “Okay, I’ll have Bruno get us out of here,” said Jeremiah.

  “Makes no difference, she’ll fare no better outside the dungeon than she will inside of it. If you can get out, do it. If you can get what we came for, do that.”

  Jeremiah could see beneath the frantic energy a twisted anxiety. He could see it in her gritted teeth, the way she dug her nails into everything, and the barely perceptible shine in her eyes.

  “Hey, Delilah, it's going to be okay. It's not your fau-”

  “Then whose fault is it Jay?!” Delilah screamed. Proper screamed, louder than he'd ever heard her before. Most disturbing was how she didn't falter in her preparations for even a moment. “Who was in charge of the gas detectors?! Who forgot them in the bag? Who made the mistake?! Who lost our house?!”

  She grabbed at anything on the table, a rack of glass tubes, and threw it against a shelf. She balled up her hands in her hair and screamed, eyes tightly shut and tears finally running down her cheeks.

  Leaving with more questions than answers, Jeremiah hurried out of the bag.