Disclaimer: I don't own Moonlighter or The Last Story, nor do I own Will or Therius, who are starring characters in this fic.
I think both Moonlighter and The Last Story really need a lot more attention and fame. Heck, I was shocked to find out that Moonlighter has even less overall fanfics than The Last Story did (at least, on Archive Of Our Own)! I wanted to at least contribute to the Moonlighter fandom a bit, and this fic was created from that ambition. It was a bit challenging to write, since our main hero from Moonlighter has a lot to explain to Therius about the dungeon system. Also, the sheer hilarity of Will being able to fight with a broom in battle and defeat enemies was something I really wanted to write in. I hope all of you enjoy reading this fic!
Warning: Spoilers for both games, takes place post-game for The Last Story, and during the main game for Moonlighter (specifically clearing the Forest Dungeon section).
Deeper Into The Dungeons We Go
Summary: Therius gets lost in one of the Dungeons. Will happens to be passing through the same one. The two team up, and chaos ensues.
This was unlike any place Therius had ever seen before.
He hadn't meant to touch the slimy entrance of the area, but he was curious to see whether it was an open doorway or a barrier.
Apparently, it was the former – and a big mistake for the white knight to touch it. Therius cursed himself for doing something so foolish out of curiosity. There were other doorways – some sealed, one other one that had the same slimy-looking entrance – and to think, this area was just at the outskirts of the village he was passing through? How odd.
After the doorway sucked him into this new area, it promptly closed behind him. Surely there had to be a way out, Therius guessed. How else could anyone leave this place alive?
He'd faced countless monsters – some shot leaves at him, and others were strange slime-like beings, both big and small. During his journey so far, surrounded by neverending foliage and pitfall traps, he noticed that there were other things.
A lone encampment, long abandoned for starters. Had someone tried living here? Or perhaps they set it up while adventuring through the area, only to die later on. Therius did see a few skeletons on the way through so far, after all, so clearly some people died here earlier.
And then, as he stepped into the next room, he noticed a young man – he had to be a few years younger than Therius himself, wearing some well-plated armor. It wasn't in the best quality, considering all the scratches across it, but at least he could move well in it. The man wielded a shield and sword combination, and he dodged a slime monster before swiping at it several times. The monster burst into a puff of smoke, dropping a few bits of goo, and Therius watched the man pick it up and try to shove it into his pack.
"That's nine, now…" Therius heard the other mumble. "I might need to use the pendant soon…"
And then Therius looked ahead and saw a monster wielding a leaf running at him. Therius let out a warning shout – no way he could move fast enough to take out the monster from the distance the white knight had from it, and the other man was too close.
"Monster to your left!"
"Wha!?" The man perked up, taking out his sword, and quickly sliced the beast in two. The beast fell, disappearing into a puff of smoke and a few other new items, and the man exhaled sharply, looking toward Therius with wide eyes. "How did you…you know what, first – thanks. That was a close call."
"I'm glad it was helpful." Therius managed, approaching the other man. He noticed him grabbing the other dropped items, putting them in his bag. Why was the man grabbing items from dead monsters? "This place is dangerous, and it seems that other people have died here before."
"I appreciate you not wanting me to be another casualty." The man offered him a light grin, straightening himself as he stood and picked up his bag, making sure it was secured to his back before offering Therius a free hand. "Is it your first time in this Dungeon? I don't think I've seen you here before. I'm Will."
"Therius." Therius politely shook his hand, looking him in the eye. Based on the other's casual attitude about this area, it sounded like he'd been here in the past. "It's good to meet you, Will. It is my first time in this – Dungeon, you say?"
"Yeah." Will nodded, before his eyes widened. "Wait – you really are new, aren't you?" He looked Therius up and down, raising a brow. "Are you an adventurer? I know a couple of them pass through the Dungeons sometimes…"
"Not quite. I am a knight, but I was passing through the town of Rynoka. I heard word about these Dungeons and came to investigate – but I accidentally went through the entrance to one of them."
A sheepish chuckle left Will at that as he scratched the back of his head. "That explains it, then. I'm surprised you made it this far without downing potions, but I'm guessing that's thanks to your armor being in top grade right now."
"Potions?"
"There's a witch named Eris in Rynoka. She brews potions to keep you standing, and enchantments to upgrade armor and weapons. Maybe I can introduce you to her when we get back." A low hum left Will, tilting his head to the side, before asking, "Do you have a pendant? To get out of here? Or a cube?"
"I…don't." Therius hadn't thought that far. "I presumed there would be an exit somewhere, since many often left the Dungeons alive, as far as I heard." Sure, they might've been spit out of the place after losing consciousness in the Dungeon, but at least they were alive – mostly.
"Oof." The other's lips twisted into a frown. "That's not good. Since this is your first time through the Dungeon, you probably don't know this, but – the only ways out of this Dungeon are by using an escape pendant, a cube to open a door in space, or going all the way down to the last floor."
"Do you have either of these first two items?"
"the pendant, yes – but I don't know if I can use it to teleport two people out of here." Will frowned a bit, shaking his head. "And as for the cube – both that and the pendant need money to fuel their abilities, and I don't have enough money to use the cube."
"They run on money?"
"Yeah. They take your money. If I had it my way, they'd work by themselves without taking anything, but…" Will could only shrug. "I can't really fight that, can I? But," He glanced down at the pendant he took out of his pocket, and then up at Therius, "Since I'm guessing this won't take both of us back, I think the next-best option is going all the way down to the dungeon's last floor. There's an exit that opens up after you defeat the boss there."
"A boss of the dungeon? Do they run it?"
"I think it's more like a guardian?" Will scratched the side of his head briefly, putting his pendant away. "I'm not quite sure. Either way, they're the hardest guys to beat in the dungeon. But, if they're defeated, there's a doorway that appears. We can make it out that way if we don't get knocked out first."
"What happens if you get knocked out, die?" Therius tried not to sound too snarky as he asked, but he knew that he'd rather not fall to a random beast, guardian of the dungeon or not.
Thankfully, Will looked rather amused at hearing his statement, eyes lighting up. "Well, you get spit out of the Dungeon. It's happened to me loads of times, so if we both get knocked out, at least we'll be outside, safe and sound – assuming we're not dead."
"I think I'd like to avoid getting knocked out or killed." Therius managed, "And the same goes for you, I presume?"
"Yes." A sigh left Will at that, before pointing to his backpack. "Here's the thing – if I get knocked out, I'll end up losing most of my items. And I've already got a lot on me, so…"
"Then defeating the boss it is, then." Failure wasn't an option. "We should get going. Do you know where the door to the next floor is?"
"Yeah. I drank a potion to help guide me around, so I've got a good ide about what rooms are part of this floor -and good thing, too, since I still have two more bottles left with me."
"Potions can guide you through the dungeon?" This was getting even weirder. Therius knew he was asking lots of questions, more than he wished he had to, but he had no choice but to seek answers if he and Will wanted to make their way out of here. "If only I had something like that to investigate new areas – those substances sound useful. Did Eris make those, too?"
"Yeah! But I don't know if they work anywhere else outside of the dungeons. Anyway," Will looked to his left, then right, before pointing right, "There are other bosses for each floor of the dungeon, but they're not as bad as the final one. We'll probably be battling another mutant tree in that next room."
"I appreciate the warning." Therius took out his sword, taking a deep breath. "Let's press forward."
Taking care of the mutant tree wasn't easy, with it flinging fruit and blue slime everywhere, but Will and Therius managed to cut it down after a little while. Therius hadn't sustained too much damage, and he noticed Will downing a health potion inbetween to stay standing, so both of them were ready to get to the third floor (after Will grabbed all the dropped loot, that is).
"How much room do you have in your bag?" Therius asked, just after both men entered the next floor. "I cannot imagine you can take everything up to the surface that you find."
"Depends." Will shrugged, before looking around, a relieved sigh leaving him shortly after. "Good, coast is clear. I can show you now, if you want."
"If now's a good time, I'd be interested in knowing more." Therius watched Will put down his bag, before opening it up. There were several pieces of little slime bits from fallen slimes, and he watched Will take out what appeared to be a magnifying glass. He then held up the glass, picking up the slimes and shoving them through the glass – and they never appeared again, on the other side. "Is that magic?"
"Kind-of." Will smiled up at him a bit. "Remember how I mentioned that the pendant and cube require money to be used? By using this Merchant's glass, I can sacrifice items I find directly in the dungeon and get a small amount of money on my person in return."
"Is that how you make money, then? Using the glass, and then selling whatever else you bring back with you?"
"Yep!" Will finished putting a couple more items through the glass (including what appeared to be a bunch of strange documents, written in a language Therius didn't understand), before putting the glass away in his bag and moving to pick up his things again. "Okay, I should have enough room to grab more loot in the next several rooms. If we're lucky enough, there should be a treasure chest hidden in a pit somewhere- one that can instantly transport items home so I can sell them later."
"Those exist as well?" Therius quickly went through the various ways Will mentioned making money in this place – teleporting treasure chests, the merchant's glass… "It seems like these Dungeons were made for merchants."
"No one knows why they exist in the first place." Will shrugged. "Based on what my grandfather told me before he passed, and other local lore, a lot of us either run into the dungeons to grab loot and run, like me, or they try to actually be an adventurer and find out its secrets."
"What do you consider yourself to be?"
"At this point? Both. And speaking of identities," Will looked Therius in the eye, "You said you were a knight and passing through, right? Where were you headed?"
"To Lazulis Island. It's far from here." Therius took a breath before explaining further, pushing a few stray locks of white hair out of his own face. "I missed Lady Calista and Zael's wedding, but they invited me to come attend their first anniversary party if they could."
"So, you're going to meet up with them? That's very sweet of you." Will smiled lightly at that. "Guess we better keep going then, right?"
"Right." Therius breathed back, before looking around. "Do you have one of those dungeon-navigating potions on you?"
"Yeah, I think – " Will opened his bag, only for a low groan to leave him. "Shoot. Shoot! I think I accidentally sold those in the Merchant mirror just now!"
"What?" So much for their chance of getting through this area faster. "Does that mean…?"
"Yep. We're navigating blind." Will visibly grimaced, looking up at Therius with a sheepish grin. "Sorry?"
"Can you still figure out which way the final boss would be?"
"Yeah." Will nodded quickly, closing up his bag. "Their doorway should have more elaborate décor around it. And usually before then, there's a pool of healing water we can dip into if needed, so we'll have some visible signs of getting close to them."
"That's good to know." Therius looked around – no elaborately-decorated doorways to be seen in this room, at least. "Sounds like we'll have to investigate this area thoroughly. Do you have enough potions with you? For health?"
"Yeah, I've got…" Will checked his bag one more time, "Six more, I think? Want one?"
"I think you need them more than I do, but I appreciate the offer." Therius quickly shook his head. Though he and Will had no idea where the final boss in this dungeon was, he had a feeling they'd find it soon. "We should continue."
It didn't take long to find the elaborate door, much to Therius' surprise and relief. It was decorated with flowers and roots emerging from the earth, and he guessed it might be a sign that the boss was a plant creature, similar to the ones that they fought earlier.
"I guess this is it." He heard Will mumble, and he looked toward the merchant adventurer downing a potion. "Kinda wish there was a pool room nearby, though."
They hadn't found any healing pools throughout this level, and Therius guessed this was deliberate on the Dungeon's end. Since the Dungeon's rooms on every floor were randomized, according to what Will explained to him, there was always the risk of there being no access to healing waters.
"Are you ready to head in?" Therius asked.
"Yeah. Let's go."
Both men walked in. At first, they were greeted by a garden-esque area, but Therius noticed large roots at the other end of the room, and right behind them, a chest glittered.
"A chest…?" He heard Will murmur. "That's gotta contain the key to the next dungeon. There was one of those when I fought in the last one."
"The last one?"
"Yeah, the Golem Dungeon. That was the first one available to me." Will glanced around, frowning. "Though, uh, I was kind-of expecting the boss to show up sooner…"
Therius almost stumbled as he felt the ground shift underneath him, and grabbed Will by the wrist as he noticed cracks starting to form in the dirt, before throwing himself and the other aside.
"Wha!?" Will hit the ground, both men rolling along it, and Therius was glad he made the save – roots emerged from the earth where they once stood, and a guttural growl echoed throughout the cavernous area. A large, wide plant being rose from the ground shortly after, climbing out from underground. The large, hulking plant beast roared at the two of them, and Therius scrambled to his feet, helping Will up.
"What the hell is that?" Will breathed.
"I don't know, other than it being the 'final boss' you spoke of earlier." Therius already had his sword ready, just in case the beast tried striking, and he noticed Will take out his sword. "Do you think it'll try lashing us with vines?"
"Wouldn't be surprised if it tries poisoning us." Will visibly shuddered, shaking his head. "Want me to distract it while you find a weak spot?"
Therius knew that it was risky, and he and Will did not have healing magic. But, Will still had potions left. If Therius was quick enough, then maybe…
"I'll try to find one as fast as I can -or at least an opportunity to strike when it's distracted," He managed. "Give me a shout if you need help, and make sure you use those potions of yours!"
"Got it!"
Both men split in separate directions, and Therius noticed the plant creature roar before it began shooting little seeds into the air. As the seeds landed in the ground, they quickly embedded themselves underground. Small flowers emerged, their bulbous heads shooting spores.
"Damn…" Not only could the plant creature harm him and Will, but it could also create its own minions. "Will! Cut down the saplings quickly!" As he called to the other, he moved toward the nearest sapling, cutting it apart before moving to the next. He noticed Will cut down a few, just before the plant beast started shooting its own rows of spores, spreading them all over the area. Therius ducked and rolled under a row of spores coming his way, and he noticed Will hold up his shield , pushed back by the spores but not taking any damage thankfully.
Therius noticed the plant creature jump in the air – something he hadn't realized was possible – before coming down in his direction. The white knight barely rolled out of the way of being hit, and used the opportunity to slice at the beast several times. He noticed his rapier's blade cutting into the plantlike body, but he had a feeling it would take more than that to make it go down.
"Therius, to your right!" He heard Will yell, and Therius found himself dodging more spores, before trying to cut at the plant. He also noticed Will taking out what appeared to be –
"Will? Is that a broom you're holding!?"
Will blinked once, then twice, before nodding, holding his broom with pride as he dodged several spores flying in his direction. "Yeah! Why do you ask?"
"That is not a weapon! You shouldn't be bringing that into the battlefield!"
"That's what Zenon told me back at Rynoka, and I still use it anyway!"
For crying out…ugh. Therius repressed a groan as he shifted his attention back to the battle. He was more than sure that if Will hadn't been smart enough with everything else regarding navigating these dungeons, he'd probably be dead by now for bringing a broom for combat purposes. At least it's not the worst weapon to exist…
"To your left!" Will yelled, and Therius turned, barely dodging the plant beast from jumping on him, before he stabbed at the beast again, several times. He noticed Will run up to the plant with a yell, whacking it hard with his broom –
And, surprisingly, it worked? The plant creature let out a loud piercing screech, filling the cavern with dying echoes as it glowed white once, then twice. Therius had to cover his eyes as he heard the sounds of thudding, collapsing, and he did his best to back up in case the plant beast fell in his direction.
A loud, final thud echoed through the cavern, and the light faded. Unlike the other monsters in this Dungeon, the plant beast didn't automatically turn into a puff of smoke upon defeat. However, Therius noticed some strange, dark magenta seeds on the ground, scattered around.
"Huh.' Will blinked, looking at his broom, and then Therius, approaching him quickly and offering him a hand. "That was quick. Are you okay?"
"I have a few bruises, but I'm fine other than that." Therius took his hand, letting the other help him up, and he did his best to dust some dirt off himself. "What about you?"
"Down to my last potion." Will admitted, before offering Therius a spare bottle. "Here, take this."
Therius thanked him, before downing the red liquid in a few gulps. Seconds after he drank it all, a strange, refreshed feeling ran through his veins. It was akin to what healing magic from his allies felt like, from the mages he'd worked with in the past. "The potion works well. Eris is good at what she does."
"I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that." A soft chuckle left Will, before he turned around, eyes widening. "Ooh! Chests! I completely forgot about those!"
"What?" Somehow, three chests had appeared in the middle of the room. Additionally, the roots blocking the bigger chest at the back of the room were now gone, giving Will and Therius free access to that one as well. "Does this happen after defeating every final boss?"
"So far, it seems so." Will chuckled lightly, before moving to open the first chest, humming lightly as he started figuring out which ones to keep and which ones to straight-up sacrifice to the Merchant mirror. "You get some really useful items. Valuable ones, too. I think Moonlighter will do well for a while…"
"Moonlighter?"
"My shop." Will explained quickly, not looking up at Therius. "Do you mind checking the chest at the far back? I'll be with you shortly."
"Okay." Therius took a deep breath, glancing toward the chest at the back, before moving toward it. It was a longer and larger chest than the other three, secured only by one easy-to-open latch. After undoing the latch, he opened it up…
And revealed a glowing key inside. Something about it didn't feel ordinary, for sure, and Therius grasped it carefully, picking it up. It was made of sturdy metal, but the design reminded him of the strange symbols and images posted at the entrance of each Dungeon, before he entered this one.
"What did you find?" He turned to see Will approach, before his eyes widened. "Oh! That's the next key!"
"The next key?" Therius glanced at the key, and then offered it to Will – after all, the other was the one who wanted to explore these Dungeons. "For what?"
"Um," Will swallowed lightly, "You know that there are these Dungeons, right? There's also a Fifth Dungeon – one that no one's ever opened before. There was a guy in the past called 'Crazy Pete' here in town who wanted to unlock its secrets…and I just have a feeling that this Fifth Dungeon is real. But it needs four keys to open it first, one from each Dungeon."
"So that's why you've been down here? To look for each key, as well as supplying your livelihood?"
"I was skeptical at first," The other admitted, offering Therius a sheepish smile as he took the key from him, "But at this rate…I think Pete was definitely up to something. This has to be real, and I want to know more."
"Does no one else believe you?" Therius frowned lightly. "Not even this Zenon you spoke of, earlier?"
"Zenon was a friend of my grandfather." Will shrugged lightly, putting the key away in his bag. "I know that he means well, worrying about me…but it would be way too dangerous for him to go into the Dungeons. Same goes for most of the townspeople. So…"
"You're on your own." That explained why Will had all those potions. "You don't even have any magic?"
"No – I just stock up as best as I can with supplies. It's worked out so far." Will's gaze grew distant. "And even if I wasn't looking the keys, I'd be dungeon diving anyway. Might as well make the best the opportunity – even if no one else believes me."
Will was following a path he believed in – Therius could see that now. Even if no one else believed in the Fifth Dungeon truly existing, even if there was proof otherwise so far, Will kept moving forward while also balancing his own livelihood.
"You have a strong perspective. I admire that." Therius managed after a moment, looking toward Will. "But if you do continue this path alone, I hope you continue to take good care of yourself as well. Your fighting skills are good, but I do hope you bring weapons other than a broom next time."
"I'll keep that in mind for the future." A soft chuckle left Will at that, and Therius realized he found himself smiling a little, too. Will looked around, before glancing behind – and Therius turned to see a new doorway opening in the middle of the room. "Ah! There's the exit. That should take us back. Uh…want to stay at my place for the night? I don't know if you have any arrangements in place if you were just passing through, but it's probably late by now."
"I wasn't expecting to be stuck in here for so long, so I don't." Therius admitted. Considering that both of them just helped each other out in battle and with navigating this dungeon, he appreciated the other's offer. "I would be happy to stay the night. Perhaps I can repay you in some way…"
"Honestly? You helping me get to the end of this dungeon and defeating the boss was a huge help." Will scratched the back of his head, before offering the other a grin. "Ready to go?"
Therius glanced around, and then toward the doorway. Surely there were more mysteries around these Dungeons that had to be uncovered. And even though he knew he couldn't stay to explore more of them with Will, there was the creeping suspicion that this might not be the last time he did any dungeon diving of the sort.
But, at the very least, he'd met someone who knew more about it and also wanted to know more. And he was a valuable ally - Therius was sure of it. He offered Wil a nod, a light smile in return.
"I'm ready."
