Chapter 3

139th Dungeon World

"Ummm," mused Grey, curiously. "What are you doing here? And why did those people want to beat you up?"

"I'm a monster," said the girl simply.

"Huh?"

Monsters were large beasts that roamed the forest wreaking destruction and eating people in a single bite. Grey had a hard time taking the girl's claim seriously.

Seeing the confusion on Grey's face she pulls back her dusty hood and parts her hair. On her forehead is a row of gray scales that grew into her hairline. Grey took a step back.

"I was born with this mark on my head. My mother says I was born from a lizard and that I have no father. I'm a monster, so it's normal for people to hate me."

Grey frowned. "You're not a monster."

"Really?" the girl looked at him, confused. If she wasn't a monster then why did everyone treat her so badly?

"You were just born with a weird thing on your head. I have a weird mark on my butt from when my mom made me but you wouldn't call me a monster."

"But that's different!" protested the little girl "No one can see your butt, and a mark isn't as scary as this." The girl drew back the rest of her hair, revealing more of the scales that seemed to cover most of her scalp.

She rubbed her forehead with her hands. The scales made a strange crackling noise as she brushed them.

"I'm hideous!"

Grey shook his head adamantly. "So what if you look a bit strange. Do you hurt people?"

The girl shook her head.

"Do you make growling noises?"

The girl shook her head.

"Then how are you a monster? You haven't hurt anyone, and you don't act like a monster. That must mean you aren't a monster. Besides, I haven't heard of any monsters that can talk human speech. You're just a normal person with something on their head. If it bothers you a lot then wear a hat."

"But-" the girl injected, unconvinced.

"Girl."

"What?"

"That's what you are, a girl."

"Hmph," pouted the girl. Her shoulders relaxed, her eyes softened. She would not admit it, but it was nice being able to talk like this, to be treated like a normal person.

Grey looked up at the sky and saw the sun beginning to dip into the horizon.

"I have to head home soon. You should get home too. My father says dangerous beasts roam the mountain at night."

"Okay," said the girl reluctantly. Her eyes looked longingly at Grey. Although she barely knew this boy, it felt nice being in his company, being told that she wasn't a monster. In the five years of her life, not one person had spoken to her without a look of disgust or pity. The few moments she shared with him were the best moments she could remember.

"Will I see you again?"

Grey looked at her thoughtfully. "Are you afraid those bullies will come back for revenge? Don't worry, I'll send them running again. If you need help, I, Grey, will come to your rescue." Grey gave her a deep bow. "I am always at this spot in the morning. If you call out, I'll come find you."

The girl nodded. "Okay, Grey. I will see you tomorrow, okay?"

Grey nodded and walked towards his village.

~~~

"Good Heavens. Where have you been?"

A man leaned over his desk with a quill in hand. His thin arms made it easy for him to reach through the stacks and piles of paper. He anxiously eyes the tallest stack on the left side. Clearly still caught up in his work, whatever he was doing involved writing a few sentences at the bottom of the page, and then stamping a red insignia before putting it on the right stack and taking down the next one from the left.

Grey was sitting on a stool, bouncing around playfully.

"I was training! I said I was going to be a great wizard remember?"

"Of course I remember. Did you tell your mother you were going out?"

"Yes, Dad."

His father stamped another document and then turned to face Grey, revealing a large smile.

"Something incredible has happened today, but before I tell you, you must promise me that you'll listen to everything I say. I know you like to go out, but this is serious."

Grey looked blankly at his father. "I promise."

"There is a new dungeon! They discovered a new dungeon, right here on the Yamato Mountain! Now there are 139 Dungeon Worlds on the Endless Continent. The king himself sent his regards to our little village! There will be battalion of knights here within a week!"

"What!?" exclaimed Grey. His heart leapt from his chest. Everyone knew how important dungeons where to each nation. A dungeon contained untold riches, minerals, reservoirs of magical artifacts, and ore. The largest dungeon, the Ancient Dungeon of Wischeria, held enough gold ore to build an entire city. For there to be an untouched dungeon on their mountain, obviously the king would be interested in securing it for his kingdom!

The most exciting thing though was as word will spread of the new dungeon, adventurers will be coming to the village in hopes of being one of the first to explore it! Grey might even be able to ask a passing mage to take him on as an apprentice. This was the chance he'd been waiting for.

"You must stay indoors, at least until the knights arrive."

"What?!"

"No buts. It's dangerous."

"But Papa!"

"No buts! You promised."

This was a once in a lifetime event. How could Grey stay indoors? Grey wanted to at least take a look at the entrance of the dungeon. It wasn't like he was going to go in. It was so close by!

"Grey, I know you like to adventure and want become a Hero, but the world is not a kind place. Not all adventurers are good. With them mucking about I'm afraid monsters may be drawn out of the dungeon onto the mountain. This will likely be the case so you absolutely cannot go outside until the knights arrive to maintain order."

His father looked at Grey seriously.

Grey sighed. If there was one person he did not want to upset it was his kind father. His father who taught him to read and played with him whenever he felt lonely. Grey did not have many friends since he would always prefer to read instead of playing with the other children. His father knew when Grey had a problem. His father taught him how to be clever and smart.

"Okay, I said I would listen and a man keeps his word." mumbled Grey unhappily.

"Good," said his father, winking at Grey. "However, I also expect that we'll be receiving some adventurers here in the library. If we do I want you to be on your best behavior and to help them out as best you can."

"Dad!"

Grey leapt into his father's arm and buried his face in his father's chest.

Grey's father knew how much Grey loved heroes. Despite the danger, Grey's father kept a soft spot for his son who wished for a life of adventure. He too had once dreamed of becoming a hero, traveling the world, but his chance for that had past. He met Grey's mother, he'd made his home in this village. His wandering days were long past. Now, simply seeing the joy on his son's face was all he looked forward to. When one ages, priorities change like the seasons. Travelling the world starts to pale in comparison to living a simple and joyful life with your family.

~~~

Off in the distant woods north of the village there lay a strange gaping hole in the mountain. This hole was not a natural formation but a living breathing entity. A Dungeon World. The forest encroached the hole in darkness as two shadows made their way carefully to the entrance. The first shadow held up a strange device in one hand as he ran the other across the ground. He brushed away the dirt and brought up chunks of soil to his nose.

"Wet. Warm. This is definitely the dungeon entrance."

"Make it quick. We can't sit here all night. We need to scout this dungeon so the rest of the group knows what we're up against. Remember not to go in too deep or you won't be able to get out."

The first shadow snapped back angrily. "I know what I'm doing. Just shut up and keep watch."

The man took out a small dagger and moved to the edge of the hole. Unlike normal dungeons, the entrance was a vertical shaft that seemed to go on without end. The man went down feet first, a length of rope around his waist tied to an anchor at the edge of the hole. He slid into the darkness, marking the earthen wall with his dagger every ten feet, until he disappeared from sight.

The other man leaned over to look into the hole. All he could see or hear was darkness, emptiness. He walked back a few paces and sat on the moist grass, taking out a piece of wood and a carving knife. Flick. Flick. He carved notches into the wood for every minute that went by. After the sixth notch there came a deep rumbling beneath his feet. The rope anchored at the entrance snapped and was pulled into the hole.

"I told him not to go in too deep," the man said coldly, standing up. He shook his head and left for the forest. A dungeon powerful enough to trap a veteran rogue? What kind of treasures would lay waiting in such a place? He could only smile at the thought.