EPISODE 68: LABYRINTH OF NIGHTMARES

Ripples of purple and white light shone from the faceted surface of the Dungeon Heart. The light flared brighter in time with the rhythm of the Heart's beating. As a result, Vash was half-blinded by the flashing lights and the sudden plunges into shadows. He pushed off the ground, slowly getting to his feet. Strength was returning to his limbs, but he could feel that he had spent much of his mana before entering the Thought Cage and in escaping.

Still a relief to feel my Core again, though, and not that astral essence stuff. Vash thought, grabbing his sword from where he dropped it before the Thought Cage.

"Vash!" Corwin called, spotting him getting off the ground. "You're all right!"

"That's a matter of opinion." Vash groaned. "Also, before I left, there wasn't a Dungeon Heart, so I'm not sure how 'all right' I am with the current situation."

"When we get out of here, both of you are going to have to fill me in on this whole situation," Jabez said, struggling to stand up. "Where's my hammer?"

"Back at Amical Falls." Corwin said, helping Jabez to his feet.

"That explains why I'm looking at Edda's sour mug, then." Jabez said.

"You're welcome…ass." Edda said, taking Jabez from Corwin. Though the old halfling looked frail, she had enough strength to keep Jabez upright with no visible effort.

The thrumming of the Dungeon Heart grew louder and Vash felt a sudden surge of mana. Startled, he looked around, trying to figure out what had happened. The last of the living Scalebacks shuddered and went still. All around him, the bodies of the Scalebacks and Nightscales were changing. Flesh and blood turned into the same oily black stone as made up the temple. Within moments, the creatures had petrified. Another thrum of mana and they crumbled to dust, sudden winds swirling the black dust toward the Dungeon Heart.

"What's it doing?" Vash asked, fascinated and horrified.

Drawing strength for the next phase of its transformation. Cass said, sounding weary and frightened at the same time.

"The Heart is about to build the Dungeon." Galia said. "It's converting the souls and bodies of the Scalebacks into Therium. Once it has enough, it will start construction."

"Then we need to get out of here." Sera said, unable to take her eyes off the Dungeon Heart.

Charity shook her head emphatically. "I will not let such a wound fester when I have the power to stop it before it starts."

"Noble, but it's too late." Edda said, giving her apprentice a sympathetic look.

"Combating a Dungeon Heart is beyond any of you. The rest of us are in no shape to fight one. Sera's right, we need to get out of here."

The Heart thrummed while Therium dust swirled around it, layer upon layer building up on the Heart's surface. As it did, the pillars all around them groaned with the noise of stone grating on stone. Vash turned to look, seeing gray-black tendrils of stone criss-crossing the space between pillars, filling in the spaces in-between. Out on the empty plain beyond the temple, Vash could see more pillars rising from the ground.

"It's already started. We need to move." Vash said, reaching down to help Galia up. "Everyone, let's go!"

The able-bodied Wayfarers moved quickly to help those either still recovering or too wounded to move on their own. As a group, they hurried towards the exit of the shadow temple. But Vash could see that they were already too late.

Webs of stone formed between pillars, solidifying into dungeon walls. Corridors and tunnels took shape as he watched. Before they reached the exit of the temple proper, a maze of hallways sprung up before them.

"Dammit!" Vash hissed, cursing his bad luck.

It's not over yet. Remember your Dungeon Sense. Cass reminded him.

In the excitement, he had almost forgotten. Vash called up Dungeon Sense and fed mana into it. A map of the nearby area formed in his mind. Areas further out seemed covered in a murky fog.

Why can't I see past a few corridors ahead? Vash asked silently.

The Dungeon is likely blocking you. Cass said, sounding like she was studying the map as well. Or the area may be in such flux that your Talent is having a hard time processing all the changes.

"Come on, everyone." Vash said, leading the group to the first of four tunnels that lead off from the chamber they were currently in. "Stay close."

"Do you know where you're going?" Topknot asked. He moved sluggishly, but he didn't have to lean on another person like some of the other captives.

"It's a Talent I'm working on." Vash said, looking at Jabez.

The dwarf frowned back at Vash, but he said nothing. From Jabez's expression, Vash felt that although now was not the time, they would talk about this sooner rather than later.

"Lead on then." Topknot said, looking warily over one shoulder.

The Dungeon Heart had encased itself in a blue crystalline shell. Now about the height of a man, the heart had dark veins running all over its surface. Thick tubes of stone ran from the altar into the rapidly forming dungeon walls.

Vash tore his eyes away from the Heart, consulted his mental map, and lead the Wayfarers into the warren of passages that lay beyond.

"GODS DAMMIT!" Vash swore as another wall rose halfway down the corridor he had just chosen. The journey of a few hundred yards had become a multiple hours-long slog soon after leaving the Dungeon Heart. Walls rose, joined, and reformed passages seemingly at random. Vash's mental map was having difficulty keeping up.

Every time I choose a direction, the map changes again. Vash thought, trying to calm down and focus, but the frustration was getting to him.

You're stealing the Heart's banquet. Cass explained. It started work using the Scalebacks, but monster souls aren't especially powerful. To form a connection back to Draenos, through the mountains, the Heart will need stronger souls, preferably ones with Talents.

Why is it trying to connect to Draenos? Vash thought, turning bitterly back to where his companions waited at the intersection of four corridors. I thought Dungeons weren't inherently part of the shadow.

This one is. Cass said with grim finality. It's growing off an ancient shadow temple, and it had help from Zakarias. Servants of the shadow love to use Dungeons to form a bridge back to the lands of the Shadow Pact. Since Dungeon Hearts require mortal souls to form, it's common practice for a servant of the shadow to smuggle a soulstone containing a Drae into the east, then bulk it up to a Dungeon Heart. Then the demon can use the ley line network to form a link to its brethren in the Pact Lands. After that things get really bad.

Vash wanted to ask more, but Corwin and Galia joined him. "No luck that way. The Dungeon shuffled the walls again."

Corwin visibly sagged. Not only did they have to backtrack each time the Dungeon changed, there was also the possibility that it would send a group of Scalebacks their way. Corwin and Charity took the brunt of those attacks, holding off multiple attackers while Vash found them an alternative route. Charity took each battle with a kind of stoic calm Vash guessed was part of being a paladin, but Corwin was skirting the edge of exhaustion and he looked like it.

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"The good news is I think we're close to the edge of the Dungeon's reach." Vash said, frowning as he consulted his internal map. "I'm seeing bare rock rather than the fog that this place is throwing up to keep me on my toes."

"Any idea where we'll come out?" Galia asked.

"I think we're close to the rock formations right by the river. So we shouldn't be too far from the falls, if that's correct." Vash said as they joined the others.

Jabez was walking unassisted, mostly, and scowling every step of the way. Edda and Clea still weren't able to connect with their Cores, but were making do helping and advising Sera. The young cleric looked frazzled. Dark circles formed beneath her eyes and her skin had taken on a pallid complexion. A few Scalebacks had broken through the defenses that Corwin and Charity put up, and Sera had used protection rites from Ellana to keep their little group from being massacred. There had been casualties, though. An older ranger that Morwen knew had fallen when he tried to pull a Scaleback off of Sister Clea. The lizard-man had torn through his stomach with one swipe of its claw. Morwen put a shaft through its eye, but by then there was nothing they could do.

To make matters worse, the Dungeon was closing in the tops of the hallways, cutting off the meager light from the glowmoss outside. Vash's low-light vision was straining to keep up. The others relied on Sera and Galia for light spells, though they both were cautious with those, as everyone's mana was running low.

"Be careful, trusting the map in your head." Jabez grumbled, leaning against one wall. "If it's anything like the Mindmap Talent, then it's easy to lose perspective of where things are in the real world. I've known folks who went in circles for days because they didn't pay attention to landmarks around them and just followed their Mindmap."

Vash wanted to snap a retort that he was more careful than that, but bit back the comment. It was good advice, and if he was being honest, he'd spent more time focused on his Dungeon Sense than on the actual Dungeon. "I'll keep that in mind."

A sudden thud-Thud-THUD of mana surges flowed through Vash's awareness. The Dungeon was making changes quickly, and they were about to get caught up in it.

"MOVE!" Vash shouted, looking around wildly, trying to see what was coming for them. When the others milled about, trying to decide which corridor to take, Vash stifled another curse and pointed towards a hallway that headed in a northwest direction. "That way! It's clear for a bit as far as I can see."

Morwen gave him a curt nod and trotted some distance down the corridor to scout ahead. She moved silent as a shadow and her eyes were almost as good as his Dungeon Sense in the dark. Naeleshi darkvision was as famous as it was rare.

Corwin followed her, sword held at the ready, while Charity fell back to watch their rear. Scalebacks came from either direction, so it was best to be prepared. Sera took a position behind Corwin, since he had more wounds than Charity and would need healing sooner. Vash and Galia stayed in the middle.

I hate hiding among the invalids. Vash thought. The Dungeon knows you're a prime target, so it is best to keep you away from the line of fire. Cass said. How long do you think this group would survive without you guiding them?

Vash didn't think he added that much to the situation, but accepted her logic. The group shuffled down the corridor. Behind them came the scraping sound of walls shifting and growing to the Dungeon Heart's design.

Suddenly, a wall section to the east slid into the floor, opening a corridor beyond. Just behind the wall was a seven-foot tall Nightscale. Soundlessly, the creature lunged at Galia, spear abandoned, using claws and teeth. Vash reacted without thinking, shoving Galia to one side and summoning Shadowblade and slashing at the Nightscale's outstretched arm.

The blade bit deep into the Nightscale's flesh, wringing a roar of pain and fury. It slashed at Vash with its other claw, but he ducked below the attack, feeling the wind of the powerful strike passing over him. From a crouch, Vash threw himself forward and up into the Nightscale's abdomen. The sword bit deep. A well of black blood flowed down over Vash's hands and soaked the cuffs of his tunic. He felt the creature's Core flicker for a moment, then fade. The Nightscale fell and Vash stepped back. A flash of relief passed over him as the lizard-man fell dead at his feet, then he felt a warning tug on his Core.

Dancing back, Vash narrowly avoided the head-sized protrusion that slammed into the opposite wall of the hallway. Stone shattered, sprinkling the area with dust and chips of rock. The jet-black Hammerworm withdrew its bony 'head' and flowed out into the hallway.

"Worms!" Vash shouted, pushing his companions further back down the corridor.

A second Hammerworm slithered out of the newly opened corridor and moved in the other direction. Both creatures moved with terrifying speed, taking up most of the hallway while lashing out with their melon-sized hammers. A thin mage, that Vash had barely noticed, was not quick enough as he backpedaled down the hallway. The gray-white hammer took him in the chest with a sickening liquid crunch. A gout of crimson erupted from the man's mouth, and his chest collapsed in a sloppy red mess. When the worm retracted its head, the man stuck to the wall, body embedded in the cracked stone.

"Fotya!" Galia called from somewhere behind Vash. A fist-sized ball of flame streaked past his ear, so close he felt the heat of its passage, the sudden light almost blinding as it went past.

The bolt struck the worm beneath the retracting hammer, where the creature's rubbery flesh was thin and flexible, allowing the hammer to be thrown and retracted. Flame burrowed deep into the worm before exploding in a sudden rush of energy. Foul, sticky goo splattered across Vash's face and chest, accompanied by an acrid chemical smell.

A huge chunk of the worm was gone. The heavy head wobbled at the top of the creature's body, thin strands of flesh holding it in place. Vash took advantage of the creature's momentary daze to dart in and run his short sword down the length of the worm, starting at the missing flesh and sliding quickly to the floor.

The worm fell apart like a split bag of grain. Thick ooze and ropey internal organs splashed over the stone floor. A wriggling mass of worms the length of Vash's forearm writhed out of the bigger worm. They moved through the slime and muck with alarming speed. Two climbed Vash's leg and clamped on hard once they had passed the top of his leather boot. Vash yelped at the sudden, sharp pain, followed by the slow burn of whatever the young worms were injecting into his flesh.

He reached down and tore the worms off, taking a patch of cloth and a divot of flesh with each one. Vash hurled the worms down the hallway where they hit the wall and splattered in a mix of slime and red blood.

More of the young worms came slithering down the hallway. Vash stamped down on them with disgust, feeling the small bodies burst like rotten fruit beneath his heel.

Sister Clea was screaming on the other side of the big worm's body. Vash looked up to see her covered in nearly a dozen of the small worms. One was climbing her chest towards her face and she desperately pawed at it, trying to get a grip.

Vash froze in horror, unsure of what, if anything, he could do.

Sera suddenly appeared at Clea's side, an aura of white flames wreathing her body. "Lord Athair, king of all that is mortal and immortal, your servant calls you to cleanse this abomination from your sister's chosen disciple!"

Her voice rang like a bell. This time the sound was deep and sonorous as the bells on an old temple, meant for ringing in important events. The aura around Sera flared. When the light touched the worms, they shriveled and writhed, skin sizzling like they had just been flung into a pan of oil. Black, greasy smoke rose from the worms as they withered and died.

Clea coughed from the acrid stench of the burning worms. Sera, the white aura fading and plunging the corridor back into darkness, gently plucked the charred worms from Clea's body. Even in the dim light, Vash could make out the glistening tracks of tears on the young woman's cheeks.

She's never faced something like this before. Cass commented, like she was watching a character in a play. Either she will gain strength from this ordeal, or it will break her. Vash frowned, hating that those were the only two options. I hope it's the first. I don't know many people able to call down the power of the gods like that.

Cass did not answer, but Vash felt a twinge of annoyance through their bond. For a moment, Vash wondered if she was jealous, but brushed the thought aside.

Charity came up from behind him, black splatters on her gambeson, sweaty and breathing hard. "A group of Scalebacks came from behind as well. I could not return to you until the corridor was clear."

"I understand." Vash said, glancing behind Charity. Some distance down the corridor, he could barely make out a pile of about a half-dozen Scalebacks. "I'm only sorry we couldn't help you as well."

Charity blinked in confusion. Vash realized that the thought of one of them helping her never occurred to her. The paladin then shrugged, a gesture that both said 'that's all right' and 'that would have been unnecessary' at the same time.

Vash turned, looking up the corridor for Corwin. He squinted, trying to make out any shapes in the darkness ahead. All he could see was a faint gray shape leaning against one wall. Bodies of Scalebacks, Nightscales, and Hammerworms littered the hall. Vash's heart sank when he saw two new openings, like the one that suddenly appeared and began this whole fight.

Dodging awkwardly down the hall, Vash ran as fast as he could to where he had last seen Corwin. Jabez kneeled next to Morwen, who sat leaning against the wall. Black blood of Scalebacks and the sticky ooze of the Hammerworms soaked her tunic to the elbows and splattered her leather jerkin. There were a dozen small, bloody cuts on her body and a rapidly darkening bruise on one side of her face.

Jabez was gently giving her a drink from a canteen of water while she wrapped her left forearm in a bandage. Vash looked around, not seeing what he feared but also not seeing what he wanted.

"Where's Corwin?" Vash asked. "Is he all right?"

"Corwin's gone, son," Jabez said, roughly.

"Gone?" Vash asked, feeling his blood go cold. "What the hell does that mean?"

"They took him, Vash." Morwen said, her accented voice strangely calm. "They took him back to the Heart."

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