"The eerie silence beckoned us from afar, a feast already waiting to be served."
– Words Whispered From The Trees
After waiting for almost an hour, we were finally on our way. I had wanted to ask about the dungeon, but the car seats were so comfortable and the treats so exquisite that the only complaint I had was their small size. I heard laughter from the front of the car, but ignored it, content to enjoy my snacks.
"Do please go easy on them, Alez. They are not running away," Miranda said with amusement.
I gave her no verbal reply, simply eating more—even a bit more ravenously.
The wine was quite a delight too—smooth on the tongue—though, sadly, it did not pair well with the sugary treats, in my opinion.
The car moved silently alongside an entourage of others. I saw people staring at the convoy in confusion, while some paid us no mind at all.
We hit traffic almost twenty minutes into the journey. Vendors wove between the cars, selling everything from food to paintings. On the side of the road, makeshift shops had sprung up, many offering snacks, and they seemed quite popular.
"This highway is famously known for heavy traffic," Miranda explained. "Because of that, vendors come here to do business."
"The government did try to get rid of them, citing road integrity, but when you have hundreds of angry drivers spam-calling your office while stuck in traffic without food or water for the past hour or so, you tend to rethink your strategy." She sighed. "Though I have done so myself. I pity the poor boy on the other line. I had just gotten quite the fresh catch and was looking forward to cooking it for my family, but due to the afternoon traffic and blistering sun, my entire car ended up smelling like fish."
"So has the government thought of a way to reduce this traffic?" I asked, eating a small cake.
"They have tried, but it really did not change anything. In fact, this road is rumoured to be cursed, causing all the congestion." She honked loudly at the person who had just cut in front of her.
I was not sure, but I thought I heard her mutter that she would flip the car over. It must have been my imagination. No, she said it again, with visible anger in her voice.
Deciding it was best to change the subject, I asked about dungeons.
"As you have been told, dungeons are created by the God of Games due to his fascination with human games that share the same concept. Each dungeon has its own rules and ways to clear it, though some are technically similar. There are two types: normal and silent. The normal dungeons, also known as loud dungeons, are those from which we can get residue readings, alerting us to their existence and difficulty. Silent dungeons, however, give off no residue readings, so we do not know if one exists or what its difficulty level is until it is found." She vigorously honked again.
"…So why is the silent dungeon called such, and what is the purpose of dungeons? " I asked.
"Silent dungeons are personal creations of the God of Games—either given to his followers or made on a whim. As for the purpose of dungeons… one could embark on a philosophical journey to understand deeper meanings, but the truth is, they were made on a whim. As is usual behaviour for the God of Games," she said.
I had not heard of this God of Games before, but if this was his usual behaviour, I pitied his followers. Who knew what eccentric commands he gave them? I could already imagine the stress.
"If you enter this dungeon, what do you get in return?" I asked.
"Depending on the dungeon, actually. I know one that pits twenty contestants against each other in a muscle showcase. The winner receives an enhanced protein formula as well as enchanted gym equipment. That one did not involve any fighting whatsoever. Another was simply a food-eating competition; the winner got rare cooking recipes or ingredients. Some dungeons also award the top five prizes, but I know of only one such case. There are others where you actually have to fight to claim the prize," she said as we inched forward.
"We will not know what to expect before entering newly discovered dungeons. That is why many come quite prepared. Though the God of Games is supposedly trying to make it easier for us to know what a dungeon holds."
"And so, which type of dungeon are we entering?" I asked, taking a sip of wine.
"Sadly, a fluctuating dungeon," she said gravely.
"And that is?"
"For loud dungeons, there are two types: stagnant and fluctuating. Stagnant means the residue levels do not change. Fluctuating means the residue levels shift between a baseline and a maximum. This prevents us from properly categorising the dungeon. As for categories, there are five types: D, C, B, A, and S, with D being the lowest and S the highest and most difficult. If a dungeon is close to one of these categories but not quite within the residue range, it receives a plus. As for this dungeon we are heading to, it is rated C-A+," she said grimly, yet I could hear a hint of excitement in her voice.
"And so, it is entirely possible we may die there?"
"No. The World Arcana Alliance has created a crystal that teleports you out of the dungeon when you die, but I am not sure of its drawbacks or exactly how it works."
"But you said you have been in dungeons before? Have you not used this crystal?"
"No, I have not. All the dungeons I have entered did not require it. So, this is my first time exploring a newly discovered dungeon as well as using the crystal."
Well, isn't this sounding even more fun?
"And where is this dungeon located?" I asked.
"It is found outside Paris, in a small gated community that worships a mysterious god."
"A mysterious god?"
"Yes. We have reports that they refuse to talk about their god, and if you are a worshiper of another deity, they may treat you poorly. It is advised to interact with them only when necessary."
"Understood. And how long will it take us to get there?"
"Not long, actually. Once we get out of this traffic, we will enter a highway tunnel and use a government-enchanted road that will lead us to a route heading outside Paris."
"So, it all comes down to this traffic?"
"Yes."
Sighing, I said, "Wake me up either when we leave this noisy crowd or when we are there. Also, do please turn up the air conditioning."
"Most certainly."
I lay back as quiet lullabies were sung to me.