A bronze-plated valiant paladin, a humble elf with colored robes, and a... block of steel were sitting in the cargo hold of a wagon. Quinn looked up at the strange construct in front of him. The Dwellers of Oplera had been rather adamant about allowing the construct to come with them on the expedition. It was once mobile, the brilliant white light of magic peeking through the seams of its armor and visor. Now it was motionless, its body slightly thrown about in the cargo hold of the wagon by the rough dirt road that led to the entrance of the dungeons.
Quinn smirked to himself. Glory and gold awaited him soon enough; it was all within the dungeons of Oplera. An ever-changing network of endless tunnels beneath the surface of Oplera. Whether it was the flat ice of Isveldir or the scorching deserts of Deskuntar. Entrances existed all over the world of Oplera, each one filled with magic items, powerful weapons, and dangerous creatures. At least, that's what the stories of heroes told him.
His family, the House of Ardanthe, was a small one. Barely recognized within the Kingdom of Vireth as more than a name within the ruff. That would change; Quinn would make sure his family would be cemented within the history of the world, the name Quinn Ardanthe, the Bronze Paladin, recognized across the world. It was also why he had accepted the request to bring the strange construct on the journey with them. It was apparently a request by the Vireth Kingdom itself. A test of sorts, as their assigner had put it.
The whole business of the Dwellers of Oplera was strange; the group was broken into two different elements. Dungeon Diving and Logistics. Logistics was run by Assigners, whether it be selling goods found in the dungeons, leading divers to the entrances, making deals and negotiations with the Six Kingdoms. They were the true backbone of the Dwellers. Quinn had made sure to do some research beforehand so as not to embarrass himself when first meeting his assigner. The Divers were people like him, those sent into the midst of the dungeons to map it out, explore the unexplored, get the goods, and get out before the Shift occurs. What exactly happens during the Shift is unknown.
It is known that the entrances shut, the ground rumbles, and any attempts to use magic to see into the dungeon during the Shift are useless and nullified the moment the dungeon spots it. Which is almost instantaneous. After the Shift, the dungeon layout changes, new treasures lie in wait, and monsters fill the crevices once again.
Quinn was partied up with two... well, only one member, if you don't count the construct as a member. The humble elf was very quiet; elves were well known for talking about anything and everything they discovered. They were full of curiosity, hence why they made up nearly half of the dungeon divers. She had a distant look in her golden eyes. Everything else about her was expected of an elf; she still had a noble and elegant stature that complemented her tall and slender figure.
Her robes were a mix of green, white, and brown. Like the colors of forests, which made sense. Most elves resided within the Kingdom of Liran. A dense land of trees and plants of all varieties. Animals flourished, and most cities and states were built to accommodate nature rather than destroy it.
The wagon halted to a stop, the horses pulling it snorting. The metal construct sitting across from Quinn suddenly returned to life, the white mana once again peeking through the seams and visor. The construct moved unnaturally; it didn't hold any personality in its walk. It was an empty vessel...
Quinn shook off his nerves. Grabbing his shield, he stepped off the wagon as well. Walking to the front, a wide opening in the ground was in front of the wagon. A stairway illuminated by torches led further and further down. Quinn adjusted the leather straps of his vambraces.
The elf tailed behind him. She stared at the stairway with a hint of recognition and caution in her gaze. Quinn looked at her, then back at the stairway.
"I don't think I was introduced to you yet," Quinn stated, turning to the elf, his hand was extended. "I'm Quinn of House Ardanthe. I hail from the Kingdom of Vireth."
The elf eyed his hand, then a soft smile found its way to her face. She gently took his hand. "I'm Rhosyn Mireth. I do not come from a noble house." Quinn's eyebrow raised beneath his helmet
'A low elf?... No matter, Ardanthe is not so petty as to care about rank.'
"I hail from the Kingdom of Liran."
Quinn softly shook her hand; they were very delicate, and yet Quinn had the feeling she had been through more than he ever had.
A sudden shing rung through the air. Quinn whipped around. The metal construct now looked like a pit of spikes. All sorts of sharp bits of metal stuck out from the joints of his body. The forearms now sported two long and sharpened blades that reached beyond the construct's fist. The once basic helmet was now adorned with a large spike directly in the middle. Quinn would not put it out of the question that the construct could rip his bronze armor asunder.
Their assigner, Palis, approached them, carrying two tiny discs with a small ball in the middle. He handed them to Quinn and Rhosyn.
"These will warn you of when the Shift begins. The moment it begins to ring, head back for the entrance, do not linger, I do not want two casualties on my record."
Quinn chuckled, "I can assure you, I do not die easily." Rhosyn merely nodded. The construct had not received one.
Soon, Palis was on his way. The wagon disappeared into the distance. Quinn looked at the entrance of the dungeon.
"Let's get started, shall we?"
The party walked down the stairway. Quinn had holstered his shield; he would've brought his sword as well. But it was requested that he leave it behind in turn for the construct. Quinn could see why, the entire thing's body was now made to kill.
Soon, they reached the base of the stairway. In front of them, a simple option: left or right.
Quinn looked back at the elf. "Which do you think we should choose?"
The elf pondered for a moment; her long, pointy ears twitched slightly.
"Let's go left."
Quinn nodded and turned left. The only sound was the soft platter of the parties' footsteps. The path was long and winding. The construct marked the path that led back to the entrance. It was in the middle of the group, and the elf was behind it. It made the most sense. Quinn had the shield, Rhosyn was the support, and the construct was likely going to be their main offense.
Soon, a high-pitched screech stopped the party in their tracks. Directly ahead in a large opening was a sizeable chest; blocking their path were five large, dirty, and rabid-looking rats. Quinn grabbed his shield. It was a kite shield, with a sharp point at the bottom, and a spike in the front for some offensive capability.
Quinn raised his gauntlet, striking it against the side of the shield. The rats turned to him, their feverish red eyes gleaming with hunger. They rushed forward. Rhoysn prepared a spell, muttering prayers under her breath. The construct stepped to the side of Quinn, putting a hand on his shoulder.
'Since when did it know to do that?'
The construct walked forward. Quinn recognized his steps as having gained some semibalance of personality, one of confidence. The walk of Quinn...
'It's mimicking me?'
Two rats jumped at the construct, and the construct swung forward. The blade on its vambrace pierced through the one rat; the other had jumped at his leg. Only for its knee to drive through, splitting the rat in half.
One slipped past the construct and jumped at Quinn. Quinn rammed it with his shield, the rat became disoriented, and he pierced through its head with the sharp bottom of his shield.
The last rat didn't even have a chance to move; two bolts of green whipped past the construct and Quinn. They bore two large, smoking holes through the body of the rat.
Quinn shoved the rats' bodies out of the way for Rhosyn. She didn't seem to notice or care. The two made their way to the loot while the construct merely stood by. Quinn opened the chest. Sparkling gems, glass vials of a variety of colors, and two untied pouches of gold lay ripe for the picking. Quinn inspected the vials and then handed them to Rhosyn.
"This seems to be more your expertise."
Rhosyn nodded, grabbing the vials and storing them in a handbag she had brought. Quinn stored the gems in the gold pouches. He handed one to Rhosyn and tied the other to his own belt.
The moment they finished gathering the loot, the small disks that Palis had given them began to ring. The ringing stopped soon after.
Rhosyn spoke up, a slight caution in her voice. "Let us head back."
Quinn nodded, and the party walked out of the corridor. With the help of the construct's markings, they were making progress. Then they heard it, the wet shlick of flesh being chopped apart just around the corner.
Quinn slowed, his steps as silent as possible. His head peeked around the corner.
A terrible statue that resembled a valkyrie was chopping up bits of flesh. The stone floor was stained with blood; it cut through the armor of the bodies very easily. It grabbed a torso and tossed it towards the pathway in front of the party. Quinn paled
The same disks that he and Rhosyn were carrying were on the steel chestplate of the torso.
RING
Quinn muttered silent curses as the disks had started ringing just then, the ringing was more frantic this time, warning of the incoming Shift. The sound of flesh being cut stopped...
Quinn peeked around the corner again.
The statue was staring right at them, its angelic face covered in the blood of fellow divers. Quinn quickly yanked his head back.
'That damn thing... it smiled!'
There was no sound for a moment.
'One more time...'
Quinn peeked his head. His visor was blocked by the color of the stone; he looked up.
The statue's grin turned wider, and its hand reached out for Quinn's head.