Trash Mountain Dungeon

First journal entry of Arthur Nightingale:

I, Arthur Nightingale have decided to keep a personal journal with me at most times to help occupy my mind during the coming journey when I am not attending to my duties as the leader.

So far, our preparations have been on schedule, and within a fortnight we will be ready to set out on our journey. So far, the only major concern was keeping the true goal of the expedition a secret, with only the caravan leader and one of the more loyal Nightingale knights knowing our true purpose. Aside from that, however, there is little to report on, after Eddy left on one of his infernal creatures for his assignment little else occurred that is worth mentioning.

Second Journal entry:

The expedition set out a week ago and I can already feel the monotony of this journey take its toll on my mind. Just last night we found that someone had been ransacking our long-term foodstuffs and ale supply, no doubt having decided that a midnight feast of dried venison and watered-down ale was worth the whippings they would be getting from the caravan master. Other than that, there is, again, not much to report, the sky is blue, the trees are green, and I'm fairly certain the men are just as bored as I am. Perhaps we will get lucky and find some action along the way.

Third Journal entry:

Perhaps I spoke too soon about wanting action, as we were passing a major trade outpost, we were assailed by some local frogin, a remarkably uncreatively named race of frog creatures that live and build villages around rivers and lakes. Normally they were kept under control by the local predators, but it seems that they had grown confident enough to assault the trade station, it didn't go well for them. The fight itself did not last very long but it wasn't the fight itself that was problematic, it was the situation we were in afterward that made things irritating. Frogin are notorious for their poison and the abandoned frogin children they leave around, you see, frogin use poisonous river weeds they cultivate to coat their weapons, they're not dangerous just very annoying, while on the other hand frogin also use their offspring as weapons. You see, frogin infants are protected by a hard and heavy shell that keeps them safe until they mature, combined with frogins generally not being very smart or compassionate and you have the odd sight of frog creatures the size of small to medium dogs waving clubs around with their rocky children tied to the end.

Safe to say we had little idea what to do with them afterwards.

Fourth Journal entry:

Another two weeks had passed, and we were almost a third of the way to the mountain and I may have made our journey all the more irritating. As the group leader, it fell to me to decide the fate of the frogin children, and both due to my good sense and overall discomfort with the situation I decided that we would keep the frogin, if for nothing else than as emergency rations. It was decided that one of our trained mages would take over their care and raising, herself being a talented water mage my father hired around the same time Ed graduated.

The rest of the expedition seemed confused with my decision, but they understood that my word was final, so they returned to their usual dailies.

PS. We found the jerky thief and I had the caravan master punish him appropriately.

Fifth Journal entry:

I swear someone is messing with me, I am finding shiny rocks and headless birds piled around my tent, and no one seems to know what's going on.

Sixth entry:

Another week, and more rocks and birds, I'm tempted to have one of our mages use scrying to find who has been leaving the rabble around my tent.

Seventh entry:

I have found the culprit, or as I should say, culprits. Our water mage thought it funny to teach the frogin that I saved them from their wicked and cruel parents, also, they can now understand common, great. The frogin we kept seemed to think that I was their savior and lord, which as individual statements were true, I guess, but adoration was hardly my desire, plus I had already been imagining ways of cooking them if it came down to it.

The mage, a rather attractive woman by the name of Helvina, is a water specialist who graduated alongside my brother Ed, having been recommended by him to our father for her exceptional talent in long-term terrain alterations and agriculture. From what I had seen and learned when I spoke with her, she was a good if blunt soul, having none of the fake adoration or pretending to follow my words while secretly thinking of how to get what they wanted. All she wanted was something fast and fun.

I admit, she has caught my eye, and from what the men gossip about, I caught hers as well.

Perhaps there is something there, aside from the one-off interest in one another?

Arthur lay on his back, naked as the day he was born, with his companion fast asleep beside him after their, passionate, business. Their rendezvous was not done with the usual flair and posturing that he had unfortunately grown accustomed to at the many balls and galas he was required to attend, but instead was a rushed and rough affair, more like two animals than the noble lord and enlightened scholar they were. That being said, of course, they both had an amazing time, something he was hoping could last, if only until the two of them worked out just what they were now.

And it started with a question.

"I'll be honest my lord, I had only considered my intentions as far as this, we could go back to our regular duties and be as strangers, but I enjoyed last night, both before and during our, nightly activities, so if nothing else, I'd like to give what we have a try."

She may have felt it, but I had used an artifact my father gave to me, it was capable of detecting lies and removing outside compulsions from my mind, both magical and mundane, and found that she was speaking the truth, she truly did feel like giving whatever we had at the moment a try. The idea was tempting, oh so very tempting, more nights like this and someone who could hold a decent conversation and whom I had a growing appreciation of was almost perfect. But it was doubtful we could stay together, while my father was lenient on me choosing a suitor when it came down to it, if he told me to marry someone then I would have little choice in the matter, and damned were any choices I made before then.

She sighs.

"I'm not expecting this story of ours to last forever, but for this journey, I wouldn't mind sharing it with you."

Perhaps I would regret taking that offer, perhaps I would rage against the moment we would split in the future, but for now I choose to simply lay down alongside her and enjoy the warmth of someone else.

Eighth entry:

I have been negligent in adding to my journal, but the expedition has been on edge since we reached the mountain base, despite few knowing the full story, we could all feel the ambient mana in the air, filling our lungs like a breath of the freshest air that clears the mind and sharpens the senses.

Helvina confronted me about our true goal, as far as she and most others knew our goal was to establish a mountain fort, as a security measure to keep the ogres and potential threats in line. While telling her was a small break in secrecy, she and the other mages we brought with us were quickly beginning to deduce what was going on, dungeons tended to announce their presence in a way only the magically trained knew how to pick up on.

While I wouldn't say we fought over our mission, we did argue, Helvina comes from a family of dungeon delvers, people who specialize in dungeon exploration and item recovery and are almost always at odds end with the nobility who often hoard dungeons, only letting their people make use of them so they can profit. Of course, when I pointed out that not only was this different, but if it was like those situations wouldn't that make her on the side she opposes, father did plan for the mages to study and learn about the dungeon after all. Saying that was the wrong choice obviously, she didn't talk to me for two days, simply plopping down in my cot when the day was over and falling asleep, grumbling about the nobility or something.

But as we grew closer to the dungeon with each day, I was able to convince her of my father's plan, yes, we would be using it to profit but ultimately it would have been for our land's benefit, more jobs, more money, more taxes, which meant that our family could begin investing into projects that my grandfather had envisioned so long ago. True it wouldn't be without pain and problems, you never planted crops thinking they would do all the work themselves, sometimes we would need to prune the hedges or rip out weeds that were growing in our garden, so it was with this understanding that Helvina and I started talking again.

Ninth Entry:

I write this as we climb the mountain steps, the mana-infused cold bit into our skin, as we-

(The page is smeared as the writer quickly abandons his writing in favor of the problems that lie ahead.)

"Milord, there is an emergency, we have located lord Edward along with two others and they require dire aid, a massive horde of monsters is attacking him!"

What!

"Knight Janus, I command you to protect the caravan, everyone else force march on the double, towards my brother!"

The infantry began a steady but quickening pace towards Ed, what mounted troops I had were following me as I broke through a line of trees to see a dip in the mountain, a sizable grass valley containing who cares how many creatures alongside my brother and two others, some mage and my brother's troublesome familiar. My soldiers pounded into the hordes of, whatever they were, cutting down both the beasts and infernals with little care about who they were killing, normally being able to identify allied summons was an important part of pre-battle plans, but it was easier for him to have his soldier think they were facing demon worshipping monsters, rather than a stupid decision by his brother.

I galloped beside Ed trying to assess if he was ok.

"Arthur, I need to you deal with the main horde, a splinter group with the prince broke off and is heading for the dungeon, if not already there, I don't know if it can handle it just yet so I'm going to head over now."

"Wait Ed, you're still-!"

But before I could finish, he blasted into the sky on a pair of bat-like wings, picking up the mage that accompanied him and flying towards the dungeon, I guess.

"Well, if I had known that the older sibling was going to be here, I would have been more prepared."

Gods damn it, now I had to deal with her.

SCREEEEEEEECH

And also, a horde of strange rat creatures, thanks, Ed.