Page 15 of Wizards & Weavers (Cozy Questing #1)

Chapter

Eleven

The air grew colder as they plunged onward, descending in earnest. Perhaps they would find bigger, stronger creatures down here. Despite his small victory, Braiden still wasn’t very confident about his chances against a full-sized elemental.

But he would happily sift through their remains for loot either way. The first elemental had yielded nothing of value. Even the pale blue sliver in the center of the creature’s forehead was only a piece of ice, fully melting away upon the creature’s demise.

The next two elementals they encountered were of similar stature. Their heads were shaped differently — the second with a craggier cranium, the third with a head that resembled a crude pyramid — but both followed the same attack pattern as the first, unleashing icicles from their strange mouths.

“Whatever happened to throwing stones?” Braiden muttered, nudging the remnants of the third elemental with his foot. “This is so much worse.”

“This is better than the alternative,” Augustin said. “These are lesser elementals, the least of their kind. They only get bigger, and they’ll continue to grow stronger as we descend.”

Elyssandra picked through the rubble, tossing bits of rock over her shoulder.

“Nothing here, either,” she said, shrugging in Braiden’s direction.

He raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure what you mean, exactly.”

She gave him a knowing smile. “I saw you examining the debris from the other two, like a scavenger picking at a carcass. I don’t know what you’re looking for, but it’s not here.”

Augustin chuckled. “Precious gemstones, perhaps? It’s good to be vigilant. These things were formed in the bowels of the earth. Some might be carrying jewels or valuable chunks of ore, among other things. I’m surprised we haven’t found even fossils or bones embedded in their bodies.”

Braiden kicked at the rubble. “Fossils and bones would at least be interesting. Knowing my luck, I’ll find a handful of wriggling earthworms.”

“But we have been very lucky so far,” Augustin said, raising a finger like he was about to deliver a lecture. “Don’t you see? The nature of these creatures tells us more about the dungeon itself. So far, all three have been combinations of ice and stone — earth and water.”

“So you mean to say that encountering a creature made of both fire and rock would be worse, somehow?” Braiden blinked at the wizard, trying to connect the dots. “That it implies even more danger in a dungeon?”

“Oh, most definitely. That would mean we’ve plumbed deep enough to find the molten veins of the earth.

Worse still is when you run into one of the pure elementals.

We appreciate the shields you’ve woven so far, but imagine how much good fabric would be against a greater elemental made entirely of flame. ”

Braiden narrowed his eyes at the far wall as he considered the challenge. “I suppose I’d just have to conjure a blanket big enough to smother it.”

A wry smile — and two dimples — appeared on Augustin’s face. “See what I mean about our weaver friend, Elyssandra? He’s far smarter than he lets on.”

“Listen here,” Braiden said, bristling. “I resent the assumption that I’m some unlettered bumpkin who only knows about fleece and yarn and goats.”

Augustin spread his hands in an appeasing gesture, smiling, but that only raised Braiden’s hackles more. “It was meant as a compliment, Braiden. I never mentioned anything about goats.”

With a huff, Braiden continued down the corridor. Augustin could plead innocence all he liked. There was always something teasing about the way he spoke.

Boots scuffed across the stone floor as Elyssandra rushed to catch up, walking abreast of Braiden with a knowing smirk. She said nothing, only smiling as she stared ahead. Braiden bit his tongue.

They followed Elyssandra’s blueberry hairpin as it led deeper into the dungeon. They’d only been walking for a few hours, but Braiden was already wondering about the time of day. They should have brought a timepiece.

At last, they came to the mouth of a cavern that emanated a strange warmth.

Augustin rushed to the front, raising his hand and clenching it into a fist. Braiden’s belly stirred with anticipation.

For once, it wasn’t fear. Maybe it was the slow, comforting heat wafting from the cavern.

Where was that warm air coming from? It was so tantalizing.

The wizard looked over his shoulder and nodded at Elyssandra. She nodded back, then pointed through the cavern mouth, sending her blueberry hairpin into the depths. They stepped through the passage, only to discover that they didn’t need the blueberry’s light at all.

The cavern was filled with all manner of plant life — flowers, grass, bushes — and most curious of all, enormous mushrooms that glowed with bioluminescence.

They radiated heat, too, each giving off the warmth of a lantern.

Close to the cavern’s center was a bubbling body of water — an underground spring.

“This is incredible,” Braiden said, his voice echoing through the cavern. “How does this even happen?”

“Depending on the balance of the elements, dungeons can give rise to different biomes,” Augustin said. “We’ve already determined that this place is rich in elemental earth and water. That must be why this level exists.”

Elyssandra glanced over her shoulder, out through the cavern’s entrance. “Have we really gone that far down? Is this the second level?”

“Correct,” Augustin confirmed. “Depending on how deep we go, we might discover even more unusual environments. But I’d caution you both to be on your guard. With new surroundings come new threats.”

This was why adventurers found dungeoneering so profitable, coming to Weathervale from far and wide. Braiden recognized some of the plants from books and from their descriptions on the questing board.

Many of them could be harvested as reagents for potions. An alchemist might pay a decent sum for a large enough haul of medicinal herbs, but Braiden knew in his gut that there was more to be discovered in the dungeon’s depths.

“Over here,” Elyssandra said, kneeling by a cluster of heart-shaped leaves. She plucked gingerly, taking care to remove only what she needed. “Crushing these and applying them to your wound should help you heal faster.”

“Well spotted,” Augustin said. “See? You’re helping already. No need to be so down on yourself about fighting elementals.”

A little redness blossomed on Elyssandra’s cheeks as she tucked the leaves into a pouch on her belt. “Maybe next time I’ll get to stab something very hard and show the two of you what I can really do.”

Braiden and Augustin exchanged bemused glances and shrugged.

“There’s one thing that bothers me,” Braiden said. “We haven’t run into a single adventurer this whole time.”

“It’s entirely possible they took different paths,” Augustin said. “Remember how much the caverns branched on our way down?”

“And we aren’t the first to come through here,” Elyssandra added, pointing to a patch of greenery and vegetation that, to Braiden, looked exactly like any other. “See there? Trodden grass, well worn enough to know that others have explored this cavern. I suggest we do the same.”

With the mushrooms there to light their way, Elyssandra could finally recall her blueberry hairpin. She chattered excitedly about the qualities of this plant or the surprising scent of that flower. Braiden nodded along and smiled as he listened.

It was part of what had drawn him to her in the first place, how enthusiastic she could be about the things she liked. Many of these plants must have been familiar to her growing up in the elf lands, what with her people’s fondness for and proximity to nature.

He hadn’t seen her light up like this since she showed him her scrapbook of heroes.

He was glad to have her as a friend, in spite of — or perhaps because of — her eccentricities.

Braiden was the same himself. Get him started on specialty yarns and their eclectic origins and he might never stop talking.

“And those berries,” Elyssandra said, pointing at a bush. “If you crush enough of them and thin the pulp out with water, you can make quite a refreshing beverage.”

“Good thing we have such a healthy supply of water,” Augustin said, peering at the nearby pool.

There was something delightful about the way its water bubbled. It reminded Braiden of the fizziness of beer, how a tankard of Dudley’s finest ale at the Dragon’s Flagon tickled and prickled the inside of his throat. Braiden had heard of spring water before, but he’d never actually tasted it.

“Do you think it’s potable?” Braiden asked Elyssandra. “I mean, does it seem safe enough to drink?”

Elyssandra placed a hand against her forehead, scanning the cavern. “I don’t see why not. It’s not like the pool is surrounded by the bodies of dead adventurers, right? Sorry, sorry, that’s a bad joke. But let me see.”

Braiden thought she was about to extract another hairpin, using some form of enchantment to determine the spring water’s toxicity. All she did was bend over the edge of the pool, staring very hard at its bubbling surface.

“Yes,” she said. “Very good. It’s not boiling, just bubbling. This is fine.”

Braiden cocked an eyebrow. “Is it, though? You don’t sound entirely confident.”

He almost jumped out of his skin when Augustin cupped a handful of water and brought it to his lips.

“No,” Braiden said, thrusting his arm out. “Don’t drink that!”

Too late. Water dribbled down the side of Augustin’s mouth, disappearing into his beard as he sipped from his cupped hands. Braiden watched in quiet anticipation as the lump in the wizard’s throat bobbed. Augustin licked his lips, smacked his mouth, then shrugged.

“A bit tart for my taste. All the minerals, perhaps? Seems perfectly safe to drink, though. If we had spare bottles, we could collect some to mix with Elyssandra’s berry juice.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Fizzy berry juice? Sounds like something that’s gone off.”

Augustin chuckled. “Not much affection for fermented foods in the elf lands, then? You know, I once left a jar of vegetables in an ice box. I must have been planning to use it for a spell. Anyway, I forgot about it for several weeks — adventurer’s business, you know the rest — and when I came back, wouldn’t you know it?

It had gone all fizzy and strange. Had a sour smell to it. ”

Elyssandra wrinkled her nose. “Please don’t tell me you ate it.”

The wizard wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and winked as he rose to his feet. “We should keep going.”

Braiden and Elyssandra exchanged looks of horror.

For someone so clever and supposedly so heroic, this Wizard of Weathervale took one risk too many.

A bright blue tent that stuck out like a sore thumb, drinking strange dungeon water, eating dubious vegetables?

The man had a death wish. Maybe he was a hero precisely because of his willingness to take so many risks.

They pressed on, navigating the cavern via the trodden path. Elyssandra hung back, yelping softly in delight when she recognized another plant, taking a moment to fill her apparently bottomless pouches with a few samples. Braiden took the opportunity to sidle up to Augustin.

“It’s beautiful down here, isn’t it?” Braiden asked. “Look at how all these mushrooms glow. How does that even happen? It would be a shame if no one could access this level to study them.”

Augustin wagged his finger. “Very clever, Braiden. I can see what you’re doing here. The question of whether to seal the dungeon’s entrance — well, that remains to be seen.”

“Depending on?” Braiden asked, stepping over fallen branches and piles of leaves, eager to pursue the matter.

“Depending on what we find going deeper. Weathervale should consider itself lucky. This dungeon only arose out of elemental convergence, and from two of the more benign elements, at that. I’ve told you before. There could have been many more unpleasant possibilities.”

Braiden sighed, knowing he was in for another wizardly lecture.

“What if a portal from the infernal planes had simply manifested deep beneath the surface, issuing a torrent of demons? What if an ancient undead sorcerer awakened from a slumber of centuries, commanding armies of the risen dead to claw up from the earth? Again: it all depends on what we find.”

“And again,” Braiden grumbled, “I’m telling you, we’re just as likely to find a colony of soft, fluffy bunny rabbits.”

“Preposterous,” Augustin said, laughing. Then he stumbled and grimaced, clutching his thigh.

“Don’t you think it’s time we stopped to rest? We’ve been walking for hours. Your wound must be killing you.”

Augustin gave a dismissive wave of his hand, nose in the air. “Please. I’ve suffered far more grievous injuries than this. I’ll tell you when I’m ready to — ”

Something whipped through the undergrowth. Braiden’s heart lurched when he saw it — a colossal snake darting in and out of the grass.

But it wasn’t a snake. It was a length of vine, meant to serve as a rope. He followed it to a nearby tree, his eyes going huge when he saw where the other end was attached: a cluster of wicked, sharp protrusions, a bundle of thorns and spikes.

And it was swinging right for Augustin’s head.

No time for any of Granny Bethilda’s card tricks. Braiden threw himself at Augustin, knocking them both into the grass. Augustin grunted with a muffled, “Oof.” Elyssandra ran up to them, stopping short with a yelp as the gigantic ball of brambles swung menacingly over their heads.

“All right,” Augustin mumbled in defeat. “Maybe it’s time for a little break.”