“Goblins make weapons,” Orbon asserted, evidently not caring for banter. “The Labyrinth use weapons.”
“Yes, thank you,” he said, patting the sword that was belted on his hip. “You’ve done well. Let’s… keep that up. Whatever the drones find, see if it’ll smelt into something we can use for stronger weapons and armor.”
“That just issue, Lord Keaton. Goblins not blacksmiths. They make bad weapons, break not long after use.”
Well that’s good to know ahead of time…
“Need minions who can make weapons, armors. Hissers know how. Can teach or make themselves.”
“Hissers…?”
“The snakekin that live in the arid valleys beyond the swamp,” Adriana clarified. “He’s right. They’re well known for their smithing techniques. They would be a valuable asset to the dungeon.”
“That ties nicely into what I wanted to discuss with all of you,” Keaton said. “We’ve got a good foundation here. I think it’s time to expand the dungeon. Recruit new minions, find more Anima shards, gather what we can and take it back here.”
“I was hoping we would set out to conquer soon,” Cassia mused. “My girls are already growing restless. We are not builders, we are warriors.”
Keaton frowned. “That’s just it, I don’t want to conquer. We’ll fight whoever we need to fight, but I’d rather get what we need through other means.”
The Emvola snorted at him incredulously before realizing he was serious. “What do you have if you do not conquer? It is your calling as a dungeon lord.”
“Lord Keaton is different!” Adriana’s normally quiet voice was raised, anger in her eyes. The others turned their attention to her, which immediately made her self-conscious. “Um… Orbon can attest to that. He was not forced to work here.”
“This true,” the hobgoblin said with a nod. “Lord Keaton give choice. We work for food and glory of sucking marrow from enemy’s bones.”
“Uh… not sure I remember agreeing to that last one—”
“Then what is your intention, if not to conquer?” Cassia’s tone had changed, her entire demeanor speaking of a desire to challenge him.
And not in a fun way. More in a “I could end your life with one headbutt” way.
“We go in and convert any minions we can by offering them an equal exchange,” Keaton said. “We kill anyone who attacks us, and then we scavenge what we can from the dungeon itself.”
“So you want us — proud, noble warriors — to act as thieves?” Cassia asked, her nostrils flaring.
“No, I want you to do what you offered to do and protect me and The Labyrinth. If this style of leadership is going to be a problem, then you’re free to go.”
Her eyes widened, her face growing deathly pale. It was more than just the assessment of a threat. There was something to it that Keaton was ignorant to. One glance at Adriana — who’d curled in on herself — made that clear.
“I’m sorry,” he said immediately, “I—”
“Let’s discuss the mission.” She lifted her head in a proud gesture, looking at the crystal rather than him. “There are two dungeons in the Valley of Bones. One is well beyond our capabilities, run by Lord Ephraim.”
“Oh, yes,” Adriana agreed, looking as if she was about to be sick. “Let’s stay far away from him.”
“The other, however… Do you have a map?”
Keaton interfaced with the crystal and pulled up a map that displayed across the nearby table. His advisors joined him around it, with Cassia leaning across the table to point to the aforementioned valley. Keaton watched as her finger glided across the smooth wood, stopping on what just looked like an outcropping of rocks to him.
“Here. This dungeon is built beneath an ancient ruin. It’s not the most impressive, but it was on our list if you proved unworthy,” the Emvola said casually. Keaton wondered if he was still being evaluated on that front. “It is not much larger than The Labyrinth but has access to resources we will never find in these swamps.”
“And these snakekin?” he asked.
Cassia nodded. “They are primary minions. I doubt they’ll leave their dungeon without a fight, but I will try it your way first.”
He met her gaze, giving a solemn nod in return. “That’s all I’m asking for. If plan A doesn’t work, I’ll leave plan B in your hands.”
“I would prefer to see plan A work,” Adriana admitted, one of her long ears twitching. “Oh, I just remembered. There’s an upgrade I wanted to talk to you about. It improves your gauntlet, allowing you to draw the essence from inorganic materials.”
“Like the way the drones do it?” he asked, instantly curious.
“Yes, though more powerful. If you were to touch something, provided it is not too complex, you would understand exactly how it’s made and gain the Anima source needed to have it crafted at your dungeon. Imagine this table was more ornate, made of perhaps metal and wood both, with a very particular design.” He nodded, following along. “Touching it, focusing on it would give you an understanding of how to make it, and give the Anima sources for wood and metal if you did not have access to them.”
It was easy to imagine the use for such a thing. Keaton could sneak into a dungeon and essentially steal the blueprints for the best designs. That almost did make him feel like a thief. Almost. It was still much better than the alternative.
“That’ll come in handy for this mission. I’ll get the upgrade, and we can plan out the rest of how this is going to go.”
20
The trip to the Valley of Bones wasn’t what Keaton would call pleasant. It took a day and a half just to trudge through the swamps, and while he hated every moment of that, he was begging to go back once the peat bogs dried up and gave way to cracked earth and shifting sands.
True to its name, the Valley of Bones was so unbelievably dry that Keaton felt all the moisture being sucked out of his body not an hour into it. He drank ceaselessly from a waterskin, his minions refilling it from the large jugs they’d brought atop a cart that was being pulled by goblins. Despite the fact that they’d over-prepared for the journey, Keaton was liable to singlehandedly finish off the water supply if he wasn’t careful.
“You will make yourself sick if you drink too much, my lord.”
Adriana had agreed to accompany them, much to Keaton’s surprise. Now he wondered if it wasn’t just to look out for him. He wouldn’t have doubted that in the slightest, and now he was beginning to see why it was necessary.
His clothes were soaked through, and the only reason he hadn’t removed the leather armor the Emvolas had made for him was because Cassia insisted he keep it on.
“Worse for our view, considering your clothing is plastered to your body,” she said with a smirk, “but better for the goal of you not being gutted where you stand.”
He didn’t know if she’d forgiven him yet for his insensitive comment. He didn’t even know quite what was wrong with it, and he wasn’t in the right mind to ask. Keaton could only hope to make up for his words with his actions.
So long as he didn’t keel over and die first.
“Feels like I’m just constantly being wrung out,” he said. “Or like I’m that lakebed over there, except I’m in the middle of watching all the water get sucked away.”
It wasn’t the best metaphor he’d ever made, but to give another one: It currently felt like his brain was slowly being fried like an egg. Clever metaphors were beyond him.
“It will be better once we get inside the cave,” Adriana said. “We cannot be far now.”
And they weren’t. Keaton saw the ruins first, their outline hazy in the relentless heat. The structures looked almost like they were made of clay, their surface a striking orange and smooth. Everything was built high atop a mesa, the structures tall and thin, stacked close together. The buildings themselves had retained most of their structural integrity, though he could see some erosion where they were exposed to the gritty blasts of sand that kicked up on the occasional gust.