Side Story - Candrial 3: An Overdue Delve

Candrial let out a content sigh as she stretched herself. It had been too long since she and Ziek had had the opportunity to team up and go fight monsters. Ferio had told her that she had looked into the dungeon herself, but Candrial would not pass up the chance to finally fight something a little more challenging than disgruntled citizens who thought her Goddess was some evil deity.

They were wrong of course, but Ferio was the daughter of the All-Mother, who had just killed most of the pantheon that had existed for millennia. It was understandable that people were disgruntled with the current state of affairs, but that meant little to Candrial when they wanted to let their anger out on the people that sought solace in the Ebenlowe temple. Ferio had made her its priestess and, therefore, also its protector.

"How will you end the monsters today?" Eziekiel asked as a lance materialized in his hand. The golden inlays and runes that ran along its shaft made the weapon appear more suited to be a decoration than something used in combat, but Candrial knew just how deadly it could be. "With magic, or with the blade?"

"Why not both?" Candrial asked, the featureless sword in her hand lighting itself on fire. "It has been a while since we fought something proper, and I do want to make use of the blessings we have received."

"While mine has made me a more capable mage, it is not made for combat like yours." Eziekiel offered a small shrug. "You know that Edisicio is not that fond of fighting."

"I know," Candrial replied as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "And you know that Ferio has a love for it."

The Elven woman pulled on the mana that rested in her Soul, commanding more of it to come forth and fill her body. Ferio had blessed her with great strength but Candrial had chosen to lock most of it away when she did not require it, both because coming into the full power of her blessing made her look a little scarier than she liked to be and because having an ace up your sleeve was always a good thing.

A fire spread throughout her body, and it was as though molten rock was now flowing through her veins, spreading into her muscles. She did not need to open her eyes to see the intricate network of runes and words coming into being on her skin, glowing with an orange light. The flames spreading through her were exactly that; a fraction of her Goddess’ power gifted to her for her service. It would burn away the impurities of her flesh and her mortality if she so wished, but that was something she would only do once Eziekiel had finally made up his mind on the matter. A life without her love was not one worth living, after all.

"Still as scary as the first time," Ziek commented. "But at least there is no bed here for you to set on fire. Also, no burns for me."

Candrial opened her eyes, the face of her husband filling her vision before her view of the world expanded. She could see each blade of grass swaying in the wind, insects beating their wings to hover over the flowers, and even a school of fish hurrying along the river that would lead them over the edge of the floating island and into a certain abyss.

She let out the breath she had taken, her perception returning to a more manageable level.

"I wasn't quite used to it then," Candrial said with a smile. "But it was certainly a sign that you did well, and I was very much taken by you."

Eziekiel did not offer words in reply, simply putting one leg in front of the other and bowing deeply while supporting himself on his lance. Candrial could not help but smile at her husband's antics, lifting his head with a hand and placing a kiss on his lips. "I will never understand why I love you."

"You do, and that's all that matters," he replied, offering his hand. "Are you ready for some good old fashioned delving?"

"I am," Candrial replied as her fingers slid easily into his, their fingers intertwining and a bit of the inner fire she had called forth spreading to him.

A circle of blue light sprang to life beneath their feet, countless runes drawing themselves inside to form their own pattern that slowly began to spin around itself. Once the network of runes and lines had filled the entire circle Ziek had made, the section of the island they stood on shot downwards, taking the two Elves with it.

"And here I thought you would teleport us," Candrial said as the wind whipped her hair around.

Eziekiel gave his signature smile, suffering the same fate with a grace that should not be possible. "If I could do that I would be a God myself, and I am still not sure if I ever want to make that leap."

"Eternity with you sounds quite good to me."

"It does," he replied. "But we both know that more power means more responsibility, and I am not sure how ready I am for that. Unlike you, I am not fit to rule nor do I wish to be."

Candrial could only shake her head. Eziekiel knew how she felt on the matter and repeating herself would not change it. He could very much lead; in fact, he was doing it right now. The responsibilities he had now were much the same ones he would have as a Demigod or even a God. Just as she would continue to serve Ferio even after a potential ascension, so too would Eziekiel continue to serve Ediscio.

To many, their chosen deity was little more than a far-removed entity that offered them something with which to ground themselves, or perhaps a silent recipient of their worries, but to both Candrial and her husband their respective patron deities were very real beings indeed. In fact, they might be more akin to friends at this point, but she would not be caught dead admitting that to anyone other than Ezekiel. Her silence, however, did not change the truth of the matter.

"And you know what I think of the situation," Candrial said as she stepped off her husband's runic platform and onto the wet stones that made up much of the dungeon.

Eziekiel heaved a quiet sigh and waved his hand, causing a thin barrier to come to life just above his skin. "I do," he finally said, joining his wife on the path that led towards the dungeon. "Shall we go before the adventurers come out in force?"

"Most definitely," Candrial agreed as she began heading towards the door that barred the dungeon’s entrance. She gripped her sword tighter, letting the torrent of mana her blessing had bestowed upon her fill the weapon.

Her fingers reseated themselves on the grip, and she marveled again at the way it truly felt hers. Ezekiel had outdone himself with the sword. He had not only set aside some of the metal Ediscio had given for his spear, but he had also somehow talked Mayeia into drafting a special enchantment for it. One that he could actually bring into being, and that Candrial could make use of. It had been a most surprising and welcome birthday gift, and even now, almost a decade later, the weapon still served her as dutifully as the day she had gotten it. No matter how much strength she gained from her blessing, the weapon always held up: always did exactly what she needed it to.

The door opened itself as the two stepped close, the notification at the corner of their vision confirming that they had entered the Ardynshaide Dungeon. Having met Aperio, Candrial was quite surprised the System was not a little more snarky. The Goddess, while somehow appearing reserved, was still eccentric in a way. Certainly not what one would expect from the literal creator of the universe.

"Just like any other so far," Eziekiel commented as he stepped past the threshold of the dungeon, joining Candrial inside. "Except for the damp smell."

"The normal state of this dungeon is to be flooded." Candrial took a breath, feeling almost as though a spoon might be a better instrument with which to ferry the damp air to her lungs. "Probably one of the reasons why this dungeon is harder than others. That, and the generally higher level."

"Now we just have to find a monster."

///

The search for something to fight had taken longer than either Candrial or Eziekiel had wanted, but they had finally stumbled upon what Candrial could only describe as bloated goblin. Looks like it drowned.

That was, in all likelihood, exactly what had happened, but it was still not necessarily something she enjoyed looking at. The real question now was if it had some resistance to her flames. It was doubtful, but this dungeon was supposedly full of surprises no matter how strong you were. Even some of the heroes who had served the Gods in decades past had come back with stories of having had trouble delving here.

Candrial lowered her stance slightly and tightened the grip on her sword. Her mana flowed into the weapon, causing the fire that had lingered close to the blade to not only turn a deeper shade of orange but also flare out slightly.

She kicked off from the ground and began her advance, the fire coursing through her body burning away the layer of algae that clung to the surfaces beneath her feet and adding extra stability to her steps. Her sword she thrust forward, aiming her strike at the monster's throat, but the drowned Goblin - if, indeed, that was all it was - twisted itself to the side in a way no living thing could match. A light touch of her magic corrected the course of her blade; another served to further accelerate her approach.

The sound of sizzling flesh announced to the world the fact that her sword had made contact with the enemy, and the loud thud that followed proclaimed that the drowned Goblin had been no match.

"A little faster than expected for something on the first floor," Candrial said as she lowered herself next to the monster to drive a small knife that had appeared in her hand into its chest. "But not what I would consider a challenge by any stretch."

"I didn't even have to do anything," Ziek said as he watched his wife extract the crystallised essence of the monster from its chest. "Quite decent essence for such a weak monster, though."

"Indeed," Candrial agreed, letting the crystal disappear into her storage skill. "On to the next one."

Finding monsters that proved to be more challenging was easier said than done, as the first floor seemed to be entirely comprised of drowned Goblins. Even the one that had guarded the stairs downwards was simply a slightly bigger version of the same monster, and had required no additional effort on Candrial's part.

That wasn’t to say that it was empty, however. The first floor also featured what could only be described as ruins. Row upon row of what used to be wooden huts lined streets made from damp, algae-ridden stone. The monotony of it all was only broken by a few crude statues depicting Goblins performing various feats, including one that made Candrial think someone had wanted to turn the All-Mother into a green-skin.

The second floor offered a change neither of the two Elves had expected. Gone were the wet stones and damp smell. Instead, they were greeted by a city built from bright white stone and polished marble. Statues made of gold lined the streets and a giant statue of what Candrial guessed was the All-Mother loomed above them, holding up the ceiling with one hand and a building with the other.

"I'd hazard a guess that the way down is in that building," Ziek said as he pointed towards the statue in question. "As counter-intuitive as that is."

Candriel felt her mouth twitching in the beginnings of an eager smile. "So, what you're saying is that they have a gate somewhere here. And that would mean that we should encounter enemies with magic."

While it was only the beginnings of a theory, Candrial was increasingly convinced that this dungeon was one that would feature a different past civilization of Verenier on each floor. The first had clearly been the tale of a Goblin society that had fallen to a calamity of water; and not, as she had first thought, merely a sign of a flooded dungeon. Here, they were seeing a civilization that seemed to be in its prime. Appearances were likely deceiving, as Candrial knew that that would make things far too easy.

Dungeons were many things, but a home for advanced civilisations was usually not one of them. In fact, the only one she knew about was the one in Ebenlowe, and that was only because the guild had brute forced it and placed settlements within, not because the dungeon itself thought it was prudent to have intelligent people. In fact, most dungeons disliked the presence of anything that could think for themselves inside them, which is why they attacked on sight.

"Perhaps I will have to do something now," Eziekiel said as he poked one of the nearby statues with his spear. For a moment, both Elves did nothing, simply staring at the golden depiction of a Human before Ziek spoke again. "Not alive as far as I can tell. Also, no magic in it."

"So no golden statues that will hunt us?" Candrial asked, faking a sigh. "I had so looked forward to it. Even better if they would try to turn us into gold."

"Perhaps they will do that later," her husband replied as he started walking down the only path available to them.

While Candrial could not see it with her eyes, she was well aware of the spell that floated in front of her husband and the beast that sat on his shoulder. Being a [Summoner] had some things going for it when it came to scouting and protecting, but it was also a Class that was hard to master. Not that he will have trouble with that. Eziekiel had been a great one before the Classes had returned, and he had only gotten better since.

The [High Priestess] of Ferio adjusted the grip on her sword slightly, falling into step behind her husband. Perhaps she would have to get her second blade out for this floor due to the challenge of her next fight. Certainly feels like something might happen…

AN: Next Side Story will be something slightly different, in that it'll mainly feature combat which I haven't really done before. Aperio's fights usually end pretty fast, so figuring out the logistics of combat for mortals — albeit strong ones —  should be fun.