Chapter Two Hundred and Eleven - The Prisoner's Dilemma

Chapter Two Hundred and Eleven - The Prisoner's Dilemma

Chapter Two Hundred and Eleven - The Prisoner's Dilemma

Squeezing into the first floor was surprisingly hard. The passage was just wide enough at the start to walk through, but quickly became so narrow that I had to move in sideways. It was much harder for Emmanuel and Bastion. The cervid because he was just plain wider than us, and because of his body shape, couldnt go in sideways, and Bastion because despite his size, his armour still clanged on the walls.

Still, with a bit of sweating and grumbling, all six of us made it through.

Always tricky that part, Howard said as he brushed off his trousers. Had to guide this young lad once. Well-fed fellow. He stayed stuck halfway through and for a moment I feared we would be done for.

That sounds awful, I said. I couldnt imagine being stuck in a cave like that.

There was a fair bit of light in the cavern we were now in. The ceiling above was quite a ways up, and while the cave was somewhat narrow and had some plateaus and rocky walls, there was a clear space to walk along down the centre.

A small rivulet ran across the floor, with faintly glowing moss on its edges. No stalagmites or stalactites though.

I worked my shoulders and eyed the room, then turned to Howard. So, what can we expect here? I asked.

The first floors an easy one, he said. "The worst monster here are the shrug-goths. Normally they wouldnt disturb you at all, not if you know what youre doing. Now... well, theyve been a little more aggressive, but weve noticed that if you give them room theyll go about doing their own things still.

How very interesting, Emmanuel said. He tore his sword out of its scabbard. I shall, of course, eliminate these monsters before they truly pose a threat to anyone.

I placed a hand on his wrist and lowered the sword. How about we dont hurt anyone we dont have to? I asked.

My ears twitched. I heard something, and it wasnt Amaryllis whining about getting her feathers wet. A strange croak-y noise from deeper in the cave.

What was that?

Thats the frogs, Howard said. Dungeon toad. Nothing to worry about.

Bastion, who had a hand on the pommel of his sword from the moment Emmanuel reached for his, looked towards Howard. Whats the test here?

Its a trust test, Howard said. One of the reasons wed rather send in only one or two folk down here. Makes it easier to trust each other. But as long as we all cooperate, there wont be any harm. Itll be easier to explain once were there.

We took a moment to make sure all our gear was readywe'd had to take off our backpacks to fit through the crevicethen followed after Howard once more.

The cave twisted around and opened up into a large room. It was maybe the size of a hockey rink, but misshapen, with darkened corners and piles of rock here and there. At the far end was a huge door, all old wood with metal bands across it, and a hefty chain above it. At a glance, I guessed that the door was meant to slide up into the wall.

To the side was a large pond. In the near-darkness of the room, I could dimly make out some shapes moving within the clear water. A faint fog hovered just over the still waters, obscuring part of the room, especially as it spilled past the banks.

What is that? Amaryllis asked as she snapped her talons to create a ball of light. She raised it, bathing the room in a whitish-blue glow.

There was a monster sitting atop a stack of rocks. Big, about the size of a car, with dozens of tentacles and droopy eyes, as if someone had found a couple of squids, stuck them together, then rolled them through a pile of googly eyes.

Thats a shrug-goth, Howard said, voice low and calm.

The monster was some ways away in the cavern, tentacles trailing into the pond behind it. It noticed us, but its placid eyes soon shifted away and stared at other things, as if we werent really interesting enough for it.

A Shrug-Goth of Insmouth, apathetic, level 9.

It doesnt look too mean, I said.

It shouldnt bother us, Howard replied. He pointed a webbed hand past the monster and towards that end of the room, drawing our attention to a little bridge crossing over the pond to a sort of pier on the far end. It was all wooden and looked a bit rickety, even from here.

Not worth the risk, Howard said.

I rubbed at the back of my neck, then shrugged. Alright. Do we want to draw straws?

That sounds troublesome, Amaryllis said.

Fine then. Bastion, youre with Emmanuel in the first room. Amaryllis, youre with Awen in the third. Howard and I will go to the middle room. That works for everyone?

I suppose so, Emmanuel said. Though Im worried that two ladies are without anyone to protect them.

Amaryllis pointedly walked off.

I skipped over to the middlemost room, Howard following after me a moment later. The room wasnt very big, but it wasnt too cozy even with two of us squished in. I turned towards the lever nearest the door, and noticed a little symbol scratched into the wall next to it. A sort of line with five branching bits. It was too careful to be an accident.

Thats the Elder Sign, Howard said before I could ask. Its good luck.

Huh, alright, I said. Clearing my throat, I called out to the others. Are you all ready?

We are, Amaryllis said.

As are we, Bastion replied.

I reached up and wrapped a hand around the lever nearest the door. This was us trusting Howard to do the right thing, or at least to guide us in the right direction. On the count of three, I said. One.

Two, said Amaryllis.

Three, Bastion said next.

I grit my teeth and pulled the lever down as hard as I could. It was a bit rusty, and I had to put all my weight on it to force it down. I even heard Amaryllis and Awen grunting as they no doubt worked together to lower theirs.

Three dull clunks sounded out as we finished, then the doors over our rooms came slamming down from above and closed us off from the main room. Metal doors, with bars spread wide enough that I might have been able to squeeze my head past them in a pinch.

A boom came from the door at the far end of the room, and I saw the shrug-goth raise its head a moment before it slumped into the water, its many-tentacled form wriggling into the pond and disappearing with barely a splash.

The floor door shuddered, then started to rise. It was slow, only moving up a centimetre or so a second. I soon lost sight of the edge as a rolling fog started to eek into the room. It carpeted the stony ground near the entrance, then coiled its way closer even as the tendrils of mist broke apart and filled with air with hazy white.

Just a few minutes, now, Howard said.

I nodded, eyes searching for something in the fog. There was... definitely something moving in it. Or maybe it was just the strange glow from the mossy walls playing tricks in the haze.

Fog washed over my feet, and I felt a chill race up my legs and through my spine before I poured some mana into my Cleaning aura. The fog almost hissed as it drew back.

Creepy, I said. It was almost a whisper. It felt wrong to speak too loud now that there was some very suspicious fog around.

We just need to wait a few minutes, Howard whispered back. Once the gates all the way up, the fog will start to clear.

Alright, I said. I can be patient.

Im no coward that will hide from some measly fog! Come! Lets scour this place for any worthy foes!

I closed my eyes and tried to pretend that I didnt see Emmanuel trot out of his room just after the gate over that rooms door clattered up and out of the way.

Maybe Amaryllis was right, I admitted.