Chapter 13
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Notes: There are several.
Subtitle for this chapter: In which Kaelay gets nostalgic and rattles off a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo.
Listen, Bullfrog is a really cool bunch of people, and I'm sure they don't mind the extra advertising that I'm giving them in the writing of this fic. ::looks hopeful:: They own Dungeon Keeper and I, sadly, do not.
I'm a weird monkey who really likes the idea of two guys together in a relationship. It's my story, and I can put slash in it if I want to. So there. ::sticks out tongue:: Consider yourself warned and stuff.
If you haven't yet, read the first chapter now.
For a glossary of terms and concepts, as well as a map of this Realm, go to this address: http://dragonnest.freeservers.com/fics/dungeonviewshelp.html
Even though the game is not mine, the story (including many original concepts in it) is, and I would appreciate it if you did not use it without my permission. Ask and ye shall probably be allowed to archive.
As always, I'd like to thank my wonderful beta reader, Vagabond.
Pronunciation Key:
Kaelay: [KAY-lay]
Seiat: [SAY-aht]
Tarkasas: [Tar-KAH-sas]
Ramasha: [Ra-MAH-sha]
Mortagui: [Mor-tah-GUY]
Evain: [Eh-VAIN]
Jensor: [ZHEN-soar] (Note: "zh" is pronounced like the "si" in lesion)
I think that's all, so on with the fic!
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Kaelay
For all my talk about not underestimating my enemy, it seems that I have done just that. He has moved faster than I anticipated, taking over almost all of what was formerly the yellow dungeon. It would be pointless to get into a battle over the claiming of them. They are a weak point for me to control anyway, as they are directly attached to his dungeon, making it easier for him to summon reinforcements. Still, this is a bad sign.
What I must do now is take over the surrounding area to prevent him expanding.
The enemy is destroying your rooms, the Darkness accuses from the back of my mind. I know, I know. It is not something I'm happy with, but it can't be helped.
For now I content myself with taking over a path that creates a wall adjacent to his dungeon. This should lock him in place, unless he really wants to breach my dungeon and have a few dozen armed creatures dropped in his lap.
As I finish that duty, I go to check on the progress of the trap field. The outermost layer is fear traps, to insure that they won't be able to get very far very quickly, because the average creature won't even be able to approach the traps to destroy them. After that is a row of lightning traps so that if a Skeleton (or some other creature that gets up the nerve) is attacking the fear traps, they will be under a constant barrage of electricity. After that are several rows of varying traps, to insure that the enemy never knows what to expect. The second-to-last row before it contacts my actual Dungeon (a guard room) is alarm traps, so that if my opponent somehow gets that far, at least I'll know about it.
I am about to go check on the progress of my manufacturers, when a better idea seizes me. I change direction to check on Evain.
He is doing as I asked, and approaching on the West side of Mortagui's dungeon. He is doing it stealthily, perhaps more cautiously than I would have done. He hugs the border of this realm, his path taking on the contours of the impenetrable rock that he follows.
I don't know if he senses me, because in truth I am not actually diverting that much attention to oversee his progress, but it seems to me that he suddenly quickens the pace of diggers as I watch them.
Our only variable is whether Evain can get behind Mortagui in time to stop him expanding to the impenetrable rock. Beyond that rock is the Realm Border. It's an energy field that separates one land from another. The type of magical energy that the Borders contain has the strange side effect of causing this incredibly hard rock to form on the inside of it. It's hard for creatures to pass through the magical field even if they can find a way around the rock, but there are ways of getting them through. It's an odd feeling to pass through a barrier. Slightly disorienting. But one does what one must when one is campaigning. It's stressful however, if one does not have the power, so minor Keepers often do not bother, contenting themselves with the single realm into which they first emerge from the Shadowlands.
I remember my birth in the Shadowlands. If two Keepers wish to have a child, then they must return to the Shadowlands. This is not necessary for the creation of a Keeper, but it is not right for a child of the Darknesses to be born into light. Once in the Shadowlands there is a sharing of energy, and when it is over some of that energy is left behind. That is a new Keeper.
When a Keeper is born in the Shadowlands, it is black and powerless. When one is simply black, one does not have a heartbeat. For all the rest of the world can tell, you are dead. But you are not dead. Your mind is alive and growing. Thirsting, not yet coherent. All that exists for you is a primal, animalistic need for something. There is something missing, but you know not what it is, so you can't anticipate it.
And then the Darknesses come. They are always living in the Shadowlands. In fact, they make up the Darkness that is all that exists on that plane. It is only through the Hearts of their chosen Keepers that they seep through into the Underrealm. But that's beside the point. The Darknesses...
While they always exist in the Shadowrealms, they are not truly conscious there. This is why they hunger for the light in the same way that we hunger for their Darkness. Our two species are symbiotic, able to exist only together. So once in a long while, a Darkness will come back to the Shadowrealm.
This is a hard concept to explain. A Darkness can always return to the Shadowrealm. In fact, when one is defeated, it automatically does this. But if it doesn't have the connection with the Hearts in the Underrealm then its own heart does not beat, and so it weakens rapidly. But this is not the case when a Darkness comes searching for new Keepers.
When the Darkness wishes to make the journey, it must come back with its own chosen Keeper. I have made this trek with the Red Darkness before.
The Darkness must condense a great deal of its consciousness into my mind. Then I use a Heart to return to the Shadowrealm. Once there, the Darknesses' consciousness begins to continually leak back out into the dreamlike state of its own matter that surrounds it. For this reason, among others, the Darknesses do not make this journey often.
When we are down there, any untouched Keepers in the area are immediately drawn to us. They latch onto the conscious energy of the Darkness, unable to do anything else.
That is one of the most vivid memories I have. Seeing, for just a moment, a bright red flash in the surrounding Darkness. There was no thought at that point, only feeling. I howled, some strange, primal scream that I never knew was in me, and I... the only way I can think to describe it, is that I attacked it. Not the way that one attacks an enemy Heart, to destroy, but an attack to possess.
Kaimea held me off from completely devouring the Darknesses' conscious. I was angry, furious with her. I needed it, needed to feel immersed in it, not just touch it. To consume it.
This feeling lasts in the black Keepers for as long as they remain in the Shadowrealm. When the new Keepers attack the Darkness, it is all one can do to hold them off. If one lets them devour the Darkness, then you perish, and the new Keeper becomes the holder of the Darkness. But if this happens, then the Darkness will perish also. In this state, before they leave the Shadowrealm, the Keepers do not know what it means to have a Darkness. All they know is the want, and if they get it they will destroy the Darkness trying to control it, like a pack of angry Demon Spawn on a kill.
So when one has all the Keepers that one can handle, you retreat. Coming back up through the Heart, the Keepers are instilled with the Heartbeat of their new Darkness, and bestowed with that color. Their minds newly awakened, they flee from the Darkness ready to make their own Hearts and build their own Dungeons.
I could not leave my Darkness right away. I was too addicted to the feel of power, the velvet in my mind. The Darkness was pleased, and took an extra moment to caress my newly formed sentience.
Of course, Kaimea would have none of it. Creating an astral projection of herself, she clawed at my energy until I was doing the Keeper equivalent of bleeding. I ran from her, but somehow I knew that I must feel the Darkness again. I must find it.
And so it happened that the Darkness found me, when Kaimea proved unworthy to hold it. It was dying, weakening in the Shadow Realm, and it called out. Its cry was wordless, but so pain-filled. I think on some subconscious level I was listening for it, trying to connect with the Darkness.
In a flash I dived into the Heart, coming into the Shadowrealm with almost now preparation, not ready for the shock of being surrounded by all the Heartbeats of the Darknesses.
It was tricky to find the one that I needed, but in the end I recognized it as the frail echo of my own. Reaching out to that beating, I felt it latch onto me as I had once latched onto it. Cradling it in my mind, I forced my way back out through the Heart.
It was not until I had reached the Underrealm once more that I realized that I had done what it was once my only craving to do. I had taken the Darkness completely in my mind. But I had not destroyed it. On the contrary, it was growing now, inside of me.
And so it came to be that I was the new Keeper of the Darkness. And from that point, we have only prospered.
I really must stop being nostalgic. The middle of a war is no time to go on memory trips.
Satisfied that Evain is doing what he was told in an efficient manner, I go back to check on the progress of the manufacturers.
Seiat
I have been away from my work for too long.
I hurry down the latest corridor. I can sense that there is another dungeon to my left, not far away. The green. Why are we building so close? If Keeper wanted to break through his walls, she could have easily done that without tunnelling halfway around the dungeon.
Reaching the end, I see why this is taking so long. Part of the path is a gold seam, so it must be handled more carefully.
I strike blow after blow into the gold-laden earth, dislodging some of the precious metal for my brothers and sisters to pick up and carry back to the Treasury.
Such monotonous movement makes thinking come readily, and my thoughts are disturbingly circular. I can't stop thinking about that Angel, and Tarkasas, and Keeper. What happened?
Well, slow down here for a second. What do I know?
I know that Tarkasas is in love with Ramasha, because that's what he said. I know Ramasha doesn't love him back, because he practically told me so at the Temple. I know that Ramasha is a red creature now, because I saw him. I know that Mistress Kaelay is a wonderful kind Keeper who would never take on such a bad creature as Ramasha without a good reason. I know that keeper Mortagui didn't seem to like Ramasha very much, 'cause he got really angry when he found out what that Angel did. So... what does this all mean?
I guess Mortagui must have kicked Ramasha out of his dungeon when he heard how awful the Angel was. Ramasha, knowing how weak Tarkasas is when it comes to him, asked if Keeper could take him in. Keeper needs Tarkasas because he is a good fighter and one of her most loyal creatures, and besides, Keeper is kind and generous, so she let him stay because it would make Tarkasas angry with her if she killed him.
But if all that is true, then the only reason Ramasha is still here is because Keeper doesn't want Tarkasas to be angry with her.
So that means that if Ramasha were to desert, or get killed in battle, or have an... accident, then Kaelay couldn't be held responsible.
Then I suppose it is up to me. Still, maybe I should try to get Tarkasas to see how horrible Ramasha is first. Then he won't be so sad when the Angel dies.
Yes. Yes. This is good. I will do that. But first I have to work.
I stop digging as another Imp approaches and pick up some of the gold. I can take this back to the Treasury, and maybe I'll see Tarkasas on the way, since I have to pass through the Dungeon. I can tell him that I need to talk to him.
Tarkasas
When I wake up, Ramasha is already gone. My first impulse is to find him and make sure he's okay, but then I think better of it. If he thinks he is well enough to go walking around, he won't want me checking up on him like a nursemaid.
Tarkasas.
I jump, startled. "Y-yes, Mistress?"
Tarkasas, I have a new mission for you.
A new mission? Dealing with the upcoming war? "A new mission, Mistress Kaelay?"
Yes. She sounds almost preoccupied, like she should be doing other things, and yet her tone is not hurried. I would like you to act as an... informant. Make an ally in Evain's Dungeon and check up on his progress now and then. I want to know as much about his movements as possible. Understood?
"Yes Mi'lady. I will do my best."
And just like that, she is gone again. I wonder what this new assignment will mean. The last time I got an assignment... well. The last time I got an assignment, I ended up with Ramasha.
So maybe this won't be all bad.
But seeing as I have nothing else to do at the moment, why don't I go check it out now? I might as well try to find a contact.
I wander out of our Dungeon by way of the work being done on the gem seam. It is fortunate that we have this now, as our funds will most likely be tested in the upcoming war.
It takes me a while to notice that there is no entrance. This dungeon has expanded since I last visited it, and the opening I went through before is now somewhere in the interior.
Not quite sure what to do, I knock hesitantly on the wall. There is a moment of silence, and I knock again, feeling rather foolish.
All of a sudden, there is a startled presence hovering over me. Evain?
Knight? What are you doing?
He does not sound angry, merely confused and curious. "With respect Keeper, I would like to enter your dungeon, but there is no doorway."
There isn't? He sounds surprised. Hmm... well then... go up to the area where the wall turns a corner, just ahead. There will be an entrance in a moment.
I do as I'm told, and sure enough, I hear the clinking noise of pickaxes from the far side of the wall.
In less than a minute, the Imps begin to break through. I see the metal point of one of their tools for a moment. Suddenly there is a rapid-fire burst of clinking and the wall collapses in a cloud of dust and a heap of rubble.
As a few Imps clear away the debris, another comes forward to claim this spot of land. Almost immediately after he does so, the space is marked for a door.
Door marks are not large, but not hard to recognize. They are merely a sort of groove in the surrounding walls that will hold the doorjamb when it is built. A small plaque at about Imp eye level proclaims that this will be a Secret Door. I nod in satisfaction at the good thinking implied in that choice.
So I enter the room, a Guard Room, taking the first step on my new mission.
Ramasha
When I reach the Temple, I kneel down to begin prayer. Normally this would only take a moment, but I have some explaining to do to the Dark Gods.
Please, I think to them, this choice has been made at an expense, but I believe that it was the right one. I have not betrayed you, my Gods, never that. I am here. I am your devoted priest. Perhaps you will approve of Kaelay more than you did of Mortagui. She is devoted to you, dearly, as am I.
I am prepared to say more, but a hand on my shoulder stops me. I look up to see a battle-worn but friendly-looking Dark Angel looking down at me. Slowly, he kneels next to me.
He looks at me as though he knows exactly who I am, yet I don't seem to recognize him. Who...?
"Ramasha?" he asks softly.
Do I know him? "Yes? Who are you?"
He smiles. "My name is Jensor. I cared for you when you were ill."
Oh yes. The Dark Angel that Tarkasas mentioned. I bow my head. "Thank you. I am in your debt."
He waves his hand. "Think nothing of it, dear child. I wanted to tell you that the Gods will not need your apology."
He chuckles at the startled look that I know I'm wearing.
"That is what you were doing, wasn't it?" he asks. "My dear, the Gods do not disapprove of making a simple decision to improve your life. You didn't murder anyone to achieve something, although the Gods don't even look down on that as much as they used to. Don't waste your prayers in apologies. Instead, thank them for giving you the opportunity you've gained."
I am moved by his speech. Is this true? Have I been worried for nothing?
"Thank you Jensor," I say quietly. I turn back to the pool of water. It is really the same. The pale blue light emanating from the water casts its beautiful patterns onto the walls and ceiling, dancing gaily among the otherwise harsh stones.
Gods, I think, beginning a new prayer, thank you for what you have given me. Thank you for Kaelay, for her acceptance of me. Thank you for this newfound comfort of a Dungeon to be proud of. Most of all, thank you for Tarkasas...
Oh God, that was hideous. Take me back.
or
Oh God, that was hideous. Let me complain to the author.