Dungeon Noble - Squire

Jake stared blankly at Felix, trying to figure out why he would declare that they needed such privacy right in front of the innkeeper.

For his part, Felix took a moment to sip his coffee before focusing on them with a serious expression. “Let’s get right to it. Are you aware of the Seekers?”

“Yes,” Nepthys said grimly, making Jake give her a surprised look before shaking his head.

“Ah, I should have expected that they would be outside your experiences, Jake,” Felix said, pausing for a moment before continuing with a look of distaste. “The Seekers are one of the branches of the Triarchy church. They were created to hunt down the agents of other gods, to keep the lands of the Triarchy safe. Over time, that has turned into them capturing anyone who follows a god on their forbidden list.”

“So they’re the ones hunting for us?” Jake asked, a little surprised when Felix shook his head.

“No, until now, it has been less of a hunt and more of a note to be on the lookout. With the tiering up of the other Dungeon, however, a detachment of Seekers have been sent to investigate.”

“That comes dangerously close to admitting that all of this was deliberate,” Nepthys said in a voice filled with cold anger.

“Officially, they are coming because of the rise in Corrupter activity,” Felix said with a scoff of disbelief. “We shall see how long that lasts.”

“Wait, I don’t understand. Are they not after me?” Jake asked, wondering why something like the Triarchy would need an excuse.

“No, the Seekers are coming specifically for you; the talk of Corrupters is just to placate those beyond the borders. The Triarchy has always maintained that it is not responsible for the loss of the Dungeon Nobles and Inquisitors within Strovia.”

“And people believe them?” Jake asked incredulously.

“It becomes complicated when you know that Maddir, the home of the Triarchy, has not experienced a similar purge.”

“Wait, I don’t understand,” Jake said, blinking and shaking his head as he processed the new information. “It’s just Strovia that has had this happen?”

“That’s right,” Felix said, nodding slightly. “That thin layer of deniability is the only reason there hasn’t been a response.”

“I know that most of my family believe they are at fault, but some think there is something more to it,” Nepthys said, her tone making it clear what she thought of the alternative.

“So, doesn’t that mean they won’t chase me?”

“No, if they can, they’ll catch you and likely execute you. Afterwards, they’ll claim they didn’t realise which god you serve. It might work, or it might be the final straw.”

“So, they are hunting people like me but pretending not to, as it would cause them problems?” Jake summarised as best he could.

“That’s right. They can’t be seen as targeting you. That’s why there was no test for any of your Patron’s Pantheon when you Ascended.”

“Huh, I’d wondered about that,” Jake said, thinking back to the tables covered with religious items. “So, what I don’t get is why my Patron matters when the followers of so many other gods are just killed out of hand.”

“It is because our Patrons are older, much older,” Nepthys said, taking over from Felix. "They are collectively known as the First Pantheon: The Great Dungeon, The Woven Artificer, and The Watcher.”

“I remember Felix telling me that, but I don’t understand why that makes such a difference?”

Nepthys frowned in thought for a few moments before responding. “The First are incredibly powerful gods, but they are disinterested in the politics of the other gods, focusing instead on what keeps everything running. The Great Dungeon is the source of all Dungeons, The Weaver created the System, and The Watcher keeps things like the Shrouded from consuming us all. The wrath of beings like that is something that even gods fear.”

Jake stared at Nepthys in growing horror. He’d known that The Great Dungeon was powerful and that it was linked to Dungeons, that much was obvious. What she was saying took things a step further, though, and cast his experiences in a new light.

Just what did it mean to be a Dungeon Noble?

Felix coughed slightly to catch their attention. “We’re straying off topic now. The immediate problem is that Seekers are coming. If we flee, we will likely be spotted at some point, and that will bring them right onto our trail. If we wait, however, we can buy some time for you to all grow in strength.”

“Wait, do you mean they’re specifically coming here?” Jake asked, a chill running down his spine.

“Some of them may be, yes. A detachment has been sent, but they will likely split up to cover the most populous areas. As a popular Dungeon town, Casthorpe may well be included in that.”

“So, those guards you were concerned about, are they related to that?” Jake asked, thinking back to Felix’s reaction when he went to pay his tax.

“No, I believe they’re here for something else that isn’t related to you. Unfortunately, just because they aren’t here for you doesn’t mean they aren’t an additional risk.” Felix looked a little uncomfortable with his answer, but Jake decided not to push him on it.

He believed the older Classer when he said they were here for something else, which meant it wasn’t as important right now. Not when they needed to get ready for these Seekers.

“So, what do you want us to do?” Jake asked, leaning forward intently. “You said wait here, but what does that mean?”

“It means that you keep delving, keep growing in strength, and act as normal as you can. If the Seekers come, we’ll try to escape their notice. If that fails, we’ll run.”

“Is there nothing we can do to prepare?” Jake asked, his brow furrowing in frustration. He hated the idea of just waiting for the Seekers.

“There are precautions we can take, yes. I’m looking into those for us now, so all you need to do is act normal and not draw attention to yourself. The guards won’t be looking for younger classers like you lot, so that will work to our advantage in the short term.”

“I agree with acting as normal, but I also want to walk a patrol of the area,” Nepthys said, distracting Jake before he could ask more. “Whenever there is a breach and a portal, the chance of classers succumbing to temptation grows, after all.”

“Wait, what do you mean by that?” Jake asked, looking between the other two.

Felix motioned for Jake to wait before turning to Nepthys. “I agree, a patrol may reveal some hidden issues that we should be aware of. I’ll send Ari with you. He will be able to get you both away if you encounter any Seekers.”

“Thank you.”

“Not at all. I’m glad that you take your responsibility seriously,” Felix said, giving Nepthys a respectful nod before looking over to Jake. “Normally, this sort of information is restricted from anyone in the first tier, but given the situation, I think the risk is minimal. What do you know about Corrupters?”

“Well, only what Nepthys told me,” Jake said, blinking a little as he tried to remember everything she’d said. “They are servants of the Shrouded, which are apparently real. They use Skryx and try to open Rifts to bring in monsters.”

“While that is true, a key distinction is that what comes through those Rifts is not a ‘monster’ as we would understand it. They contain no Wyrd, no energy for us to use. They are creatures of darkness and the void outside of reality, and they feast on anything and everything that they can. Their abhorrent nature is why monsters and animals alike will attack them on sight.”

“Damn,” Jake said in a hushed tone, wondering what such a thing would look like. “But, what do you mean about temptation?”

“The Corrupters that we fought were just normal people. They hadn’t Ascended to be touched by the System as we have,” Nepthys said with a grim expression. “While they are dangerous, it takes them a long time to become a threat beyond what classers in the first tier can deal with.”

Jake nodded slowly, thinking back on the fight and the powers the Corrupters had shown. They had been dangerous, yes, but what Nepthys said made sense.

The look on their faces told Jake that there was more to all this, however, and he paled as he made the connection. “Is it worse when a classer becomes one?”

“Much worse,” Felix said, pausing to check they were still alone before continuing. “All the Skills and Traits they gained as part of their Class are removed, but the taint of the Shrouded grows into the space they occupied. The result is that they have similar abilities but use Skryx rather than Wyrd. They also gain new abilities as part of the ritual, making them much more powerful.”

“Which I can imagine is terrible, but how often do classers actually become Corrupters?” Jake asked with a frown.

“Often enough that measures were taken to restrict information,” Felix said, hesitating briefly before continuing. “Not everyone makes it out of the first tier, or the second tier for that matter. It takes dedication and stubbornness to keep going, as well as mental fortitude to cope. Those that fail to progress settle into the realm they were in, forming a permanent population.”

“Like the people living here and at the previous Dungeon,” Jake said, nodding along.

“Exactly. The reasons they settle vary, but though some will still eventually move forward, many will be stuck. Those stuck, especially in the first tier, become desperate and feel left behind. We do not know how the Shrouded contact them, but it is from this desperation that powerful new Corrupters are born.”

“My father explained it by saying that after the first tier, you have enough personal power to feel like you still have a way forward,” Nepthys said, a flicker of sadness crossing her features before she schooled her expression.

“An interesting way of putting it,” Felix said thoughtfully. “Regardless, that is why information is restricted to those in the first tier. We’ve strayed outside of what I wanted to discuss, though. Do you have any final questions?”

“No, I understand what we need to do,” Jake said, trying to internalise all the information Felix and Nepthys had just revealed. “What are we doing when the others get back?”

“I’d like to delve the undead Dungeon again. That one was interesting,” Nepthys said, tapping one finger on her jaw in thought.

“Works for me,” Jake said, starting to get to his feet before Felix motioned for him to wait.

“A last bit of a warning from me,” Felix said, looking over to Nepthys before continuing. “Have you ever finished a tier two Dungeon?”

“No, I’ve gotten no further than the eighth floor.”

“Then let me reinforce to both of you how much of a step up each new tier is, especially going from the first to the second. There’s a reason why classers struggle to make it past this realm, after all. Normally, I’d let you discover that the hard way, but right now, you can’t afford the time to recover.”

Jake considered the seemingly endless numbers of fire-blooded snakes they’d fought in the fire Dungeon with growing concern. That fight had been bad enough, but Felix was definitely making it sound like there was worse to come.

Clearly, they had a lot of work to do.