Framework of the Frontier, Sain Artwell [read me a book .TXT] 📗

Over the course of hours they progressed mapping out which of the many porticos, magic coral clogged alcoves, and structures of seemingly meaningless design were natural traps in need of cleansing and which led deeper into the Maze, possibly to treasure. The rest of them enjoyed some mystery plant tea boiled over a rusty rune covered ring — essentially a magic hotplate.

Half-way through the second pot, Ember alerted them of an approaching golem. Apart from its eye, the thing was covered in long dreds of kelp; likely a guardian of an undersea entrance. Destroying them had become a routine for William and Rulu. She disabled it and his hammer cracked off the core.

But, something was missing.

William tossed her the cleaned core. “Are you alright Rulu?”

“Why? Did I not fulfill my role?” She slipped it in the chest, giving him a sharp defensive glare.

He tried to maintain a playful tone. “No, you did good, but you’re awfully quiet. Where’s the smug gloating and demand for praise?”

“Hmph.” Rulu thrust her modest bust out against the sheen fabric of her hastily stitched dress. Slowly, her frown flipped into a tiniest smile. “I forget you are impressed by such trifle feats of might. Very well, you may express wonderment and adoration.”

“Haha.” Patting her head, William noticed that Rulu’s eyes never joined her smile. “Honestly though, if there’s something on your mind—-”

“Shall we discuss the future? Where will you go, William, when your task is complete and the shores of Nastall quiet of trouble?” Rulu tilted her head with the question. “Humor me, and let my worries be lulled by your daydreams.”

“If that helps you relax.”

“It does.”

“Hmm…” He had to think about it. Future hadn’t crossed William’s mind in more than a fleeting fantasy of living large with Ember, and now maybe Rulu. Licking his teeth, William shook his head. “After I check up with my old gang? Let’s see, guess I’d wanna learn more about magic, see a dragon for sure, and visit these ‘other realms’ a bit before settling down somewhere nice, with the two of you, if you’d want. I mean, maybe it’s a bit early to say that. Haha! Definitely early to be suggesting stuff like that. You know, it’s not that strange to feel unusually attached to people you risk your life with? I think it has something to do with an instinct to make more babies in a crisis and… it’s not that I’m suggesting we make some if… Um, I will stop there. God, end me please.”

“Remember, you aren’t his paladin after all.”

“I do…” William groaned.

His suffering loosened a hearty giggle of schadenfreude from Rulu. “Thank you William, for being adorable.”

“Uh… Hehe, you’re welcome I guess.”

They rejoined the camp and continued playing the oh so exciting waiting games. Luckily, the company was good.

Hours rolled.

Another golem — one with a puff toupee of dry hay atop its head — waltzed into the same trap and died like its brother. They made another pot of tea and began to prepare the dinner, while Rulu, Ember, and Raneign sniped off the occasional slug that attempted to sneak up on their camp.

At dinner, the faun brothers described the layout in detail.

The room was essentially an enormous cube, with a single main entryway on each facet. Vast majority of the decorative arches and structures seemed to be architectural gibberish, but a great number of them were surprisingly spacious. Many of the side rooms, they reported, housed nests of a great number of the local life forms, many of which sounded bigger and nastier than anything William’s group had encountered on their previous delve.

“You think we could gas them or something?” William asked.

Eren tilted his head in thought. “The rooms branch out like alleys of a city and some of them have huuuge nests.”

“So, not feasible?”

“Not unless you flood the place.”

William scratched his head. There goes the plan for Rulu to wait out the leviathan in here, although maybe it’d work if they cleared out a portion of the dungeon? “Let’s check out the main entryways. When we were last trapped here, a golem came out of the opposite side, so the item I’m searching for is most likely there.”

“In that case I suggest we take this route between the nests.” Orien drew her finger across a hastily sketched map. “We check the bottom facet’s main door to see where it leads on the way. And this here can work as a temporary camp.” She tapped a spire before moving her finger down a set of narrow stairs. “From here we have comfortable access to further explore both the bottom facet and opposite facet’s door. Our biggest worry will be the webbed crevasse on the way.” She paused at a wide h-shaped alley that cut the room from one facet to the next.

***

William leaned over a parapet sculpted out of faceless humanoids joining hands. Thirty-something feet below, the beetle green shades of the arabesque hewed stone veneers became clouded in webs, which stretched across the whole bus-width of the ancient street. The countless layers of mesh gave the glow of vapors beneath them a hue of icy blue and turned the air rising from below crispy cold.

William spotted movement right beneath him, where the webs draped against the hips of a humanoid sphinx statue. He leaned further over the ledge, squinting, but could not spot what it had been. “Hey, Ember, can you come check over there? I might’ve spotted something.”

“Will move back!” Ember pulled his arm.

From the corner of his eye, William spotted movement. Too late.

Sticky membrane smacked him on the face, hitting his skin with a burning pain of frost. The strings tightened to yank him down. Before they pulled him over, William gripped tight on the railing and dug his feet between the statues.