A Devil In The Dungeon: Small Mercies

[Small Mercies]

Mary Tanis was a simple woman with simple tastes.  She liked money, a good drink paired with a better meal, nice clothes, normal things like that. She was normal, at least compared to some of the other whack-jobs who decided the Dungeon as the best way to make a bit of coin.

​So how the hell did she end up like this?

​Mary stared at the knife being held only inches from her face with clear fear. She wanted to lean away, but the ropes that had been wrapped around her body were so tight that she could only manage a few centimeters. Soon enough, the knife was right back to where it started. Maybe even closer.

​Those eyes… Mary thought, fear gripping her body as she stared at this little devil crouched before her. Her face was innocent, a child’s face, but her eyes seemed to pin Mary in place with pure disdain alone. How could someone so young have eyes like that?

​The gag was pulled from her mouth, and Mary gasped, sucking in air through her teeth. Her jaw hurt, popping as moved back into its usual place after hours of being stuck open.

​“Now then,” the little girl began. “I have some questions for you, and you’re going to answer them as honestly as you possibly can. I don’t think I need to tell you what might happen if you don’t, do I?”

​The blade flashed and Mary shook her head frantically, not trusting herself to speak. She’d faced down all sorts of monsters, but this slip of a girl was probably the most terrifying thing she’d ever encountered.

​Her heart hammered as Tanya smiled. “Good. Let’s start with something simple, then. What is your name?”

​“M-Mary Tanis.”

​For some reason, Tanya’s face seemed to sour at the name. Mary’s heart beat a touch faster as the edge of Tanya’s blade began glowing a light shade of green. Magic? “And who put you up to the task of attacking my party, Mary Tanis?”

​“Azalea did!” Mary gasped, arching her neck painfully away from the blade.

​Tanya smiled like she had expected that.

​“Yes, I gathered as much,” the girl said. “What I want to know is whether there was any other motive behind this little escapade of yours beyond petty revenge.”

​Mary’s ears pressed so flat against her skull that they nearly disappeared into her silver hair. “I-I don’t know! I don’t know anything about revenge or any of that and I didn’t ask! That’s how a Familia works, right? You listen to your captain!”

​Tanya’s face twisted in disdain and Mary found herself desperately missing the gag. At least when she was gagged she didn’t have to talk and risk saying something that would make this girl keep looking at her like that!

​“Ah a worthless drone,” Tanya said, her voice flat and cold, “How dare I expect anything more. Perhaps you should have been born a sheep instead.”

​Mary flinched but the worst part was that couldn’t even argue. One day Azalea had come back from a meeting with their God and suddenly she was giving orders and she didn’t question it. Nobody did.

​“I’ll not have someone else succeed where Apollo failed,” Tanya continued, confusing Mary. “Tell me the name of your god and why he would have set Azalea on this path toward me.”

​Something about the question made Mary think that Tanya already had someone in mind. Unfortunately, Mary did not.

​“I… I don’t know his name.”

​Tanya’s expression blanked, a note of incredulity entering her voice. “You don’t know his name?”

​She sounded like it was the stupidest thing she’d ever heard, and Mary shook her head, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment despite her fear.

​“I-I just wanted to be an adventurer, okay? No other familia would take me and he didn’t treat me badly so I didn’t care.”

​Tanya stared at the woman for a long, silent moment. The Chienthrope’s ears twitched under the weight of that gaze, her amber eyes darting between Tanya’s face and the blade.

​“So you simply stumbled into the first open door you found,” Tanya chuckled incredulously. “No forethought, no discretion. Just blind, credulous obedience to the first deity who didn’t turn you away.”

​Mary opened her mouth to protest, but Tanya held up a hand and the words died in her throat. The girl closed her eyes, seemingly trying to get ahold of her faculties. When she opened the again, she didn’t seem much calmer.

​“Tell me what you do know, then. Surely your god has a face you can remember? Or were you too busy kowtowing to the magnanimous deity who decided not to throw you out onto your ass?”

​Mary swallowed hard, trying to piece together what she could remember through the haze of terror clouding her mind.

​“He’s… he’s kind of tall? And pale..” She scrunched her eyes shut, trying to picture him. “Black hair, black eyes—usually. Sometimes they’re gold?” She licked her lips nervously. “He talks real proper, too, and he’s always wearing a suit, at least every time I’ve seen him. He’s super handsome, like most gods.”

​Tanya scoffed and the Mary flinched at the reaction. She’d told the truth! Why was she being scoffed at!

​“Descriptive. At the very least, you’re good for something,” Tanya said. She leaned forward, her blade shifting in her hand. “Now where is your base of operations? Do you all live together”

​“Yeah, m-most of us. In a little two-story place just outside the Temple District.” Mary said. “I can show you where it is!”

​Tanya just stared at her and Mary’s heartbeat thudded in her ears.

​“I-I can! I swear! I can take you right to it!”

​“That would require me to let you go,” Tanya noted, “and I am not entirely up to that just yet.”

​Mary’s ears drooped at the response, and Tanya rolled her eyes

​“However,” the girl continued, and Mary’s ears perked despite themselves, “you have been at least moderately helpful.”

​Mary clung to that thought. Helpful was good, right? She wasn’t going to get her throat slit and left to bleed out in the woods, right!?

​“What are you going to do with me?” Mary’s voice cracked, staring at the knife.

​“I have no intention of executing you or anything quite as barbaric,” Tanya assured, and the  relief that flooded through Mary was so intense she nearly sagged against the ropes.

​“But make no mistake.” Tanya’s voice cut through that feeling. “You will see justice for what you have done today. You can be certain of that. You may just have to shelf that dream of being an adventurer for the foreseeable future. I can’t imagine the Guild looks favorably upon those who do what you tried to do.”

​Just as Tanya opened her mouth to say something else, a sound drifted through the trees from the direction of the main trail. Voices..

​Mary’s ears swiveled toward the noise before she could stop them, and her heart lurched with sudden hope. Someone was nearby.

​“HELP!” Mary’s scream tore through the clearing before Tanya could so much as blink. “HELP! SOMEONE HEL—”

​The gag was yanked back into place so fast that Mary bit her own tongue. She tasted copper, tears springing to her eyes as Tanya’s small fingers secured the knot behind her head like she’d done it a million times.

​“And there goes any good will you might have gained,” Tanya muttered, her voice flat. She wiped her hands on her coat and straightened up, turning toward the source of the noise as the bushes at the edge of the clearing began to rustle.

​A figure stepped into the greenery, golden hair and eyes slipping through the greenery. Ais Wallenstein stood at the edge of the underbrush, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword and her expression utterly unreadable as she took in the scene before her.

​Mary tried her best to impart her distress, staring at the Sword Princess with tearful eyes, but her stomach dropped as Ais’ gaze slid to Tanya and her face shifted in recognition. They knew each other.

​“Ais?” A second voice came from behind her. “What’s going on?”

​An Amazon’s head poked through the foliage a moment later, her violet eyes sweeping the clearing and before freezing on Tanya as well.

​“Well well,” the woman said, a slow grin spreading across her face despite the obvious oddness of the situation. “If it isn’t the Little Devil herself.”

​Tione stepped fully into the clearing, crossing her arms beneath her chest as she looked between Tanya and her prisoner. “I’ve gotta say, this isn't what I expected to find when we heard someone screaming. What’s going on here?"

​Tanya sheathed her knife, turning to face them with a small smile. “I’m glad to see a familiar face, Tione. Ais. I was wondering how I was going to explain this.”

​“Oh, I’d still like an explanation,” Tione said cheerfully. “You’re a little young to be tying people up for fun, you know?”

​“Quite,” Tanya said dryly. She gestured towards Mary, who had slumped against the tree again, any fight leaving her fully  “This woman assisted in an ambush on my party just a little while ago. Her party managed to gravely injure one of my companions. A member of your own familia, as it happens.”

​Tione’s expression sharpened and the amusement drained from her face just as the color drained from Mary’s. That kid was a member of the Loki Familia? Oh no…

​“Who was it?” Ais asked.

​“Artus Greer.”

​Tione bit her lip, shaking her head. “I don’t recognize the name but I know you wouldn’t lie about this. Where’s he at? Is he alive?”

​Tanya nodded in the direction of the town. “In a clinic on the main road. As far as I’m aware, he’s still alive, but he’s not liable to remain that way for long. He was poisoned, and they don’t have the cure in Rivira.”

​Tione turned. “Ais.”

​Ais nodded, stepping back into the foliage towards the town. Tione watched her disappear, then turned back to Tanya with a serious expression

​“Alright,” she said. “Tell me everything.”

​Mary’s ears drooped as Tanya retold the tale. She tried to make herself as small as possible against the trunk, which was difficult given the ropes. The Amazon’s eyes flicked to her once or twice during the story, and Mary could see in her gaze that her fate wasn’t going to be a good one.

​Mary closed her eyes and prayed to whatever god was listening that this nightmare would end soon.

Too bad she didn’t have many gods to choose from.

​It was astounding how sickness could transform someone. Artus somehow seemed even smaller than Tanya herself, shivering underneath the dim yellow light of the lantern swinging overhead.

​He lay on his back, a thin blanket pulled up to his chest. His breathing was labored, and his lips had taken on a purple hue didn’t speak well of his circulation. The tent was rather cool, yet his wheat-colored hair was plastered to his skin in sweat-soaked streaks.

​Licia sat on a low stool beside the cot, one hand wrapped around Artus’s fingers. Tears streaked her skin, but none flowed at the moment. Rann stood against the far wall of the tent with his arms crossed, staring. His expression was blank, but there was a turmoil behind his eyes that said it would be a bad idea trying to approach.

​Their eyes met briefly, and he looked away. Tanya knew that he believed this was her fault, and she couldn’t blame him because it was true. She let the moment pass with a sigh,before turning as Tione ducked through the tent flap behind her.

​“My sister and I checked the stores, we’re out of remedy for Pauper’s Kiss,” she said. Licia and Rann stiffened at the bad news. “I know, I’m sorry. Our expedition wasn’t easy; we stopped on this floor to rest and resupply. We’ve sent a runner up to the surface, but they won't be back today.”

​“When…?” Licia asked, her voice barley a whisper.

​“Tomorrow morning, at the earliest,” Tione said just as softly. “I’m sorry. know it’s not what you want to hear.”

​Licia’s head dipped forward, her hair falling around her face. She didn’t cry again, but the stillness that settled over her was worse. It was a numbness that had no place in someone so young.

​Tanya looked at Artus. His chest rose and fell in shallow, uneven rhythms, and the purple tinge to his lips seemed darker now than when she’d first arrived. The boy was dying slowly in front of them, and all they could do was wait.

​She hated waiting.

​“What about the Chienthrope? Where is she now?”

​“She’s being watched. She’s scared half to death, but she’s unharmed, even if a few of us gave a problem with that.” Tione eyed her. “She’s saying you killed a dozen of them. Is that true?”

​“I can’t say I bothered to count. At least that many.”

​Tione didn’t have any outward reaction to that other than a nod. “You’ll need to submit the full story to the Guild when you get the chance. They’re sticklers about that sort of thing. Don’t worry about being punished, you’ve got enough witnesses and your hostage isn’t really in the mood to lie right now.”

​“Small mercies.” Tanya ran a hand through her hair, staring down at Artus. She despised slow deaths. That it was a friend dying certainly didn’t help things. “I need some air.”

​Tanya left the tent behind and stepped into the bustling camp. Adventurers hurried around her as she trailed past tents and wagons. A few noticed her, but none of them approached. She was thankful for that.

​She needed to get her mind off of this situation. Sitting around and waiting was a waste of time and would accomplish nothing. She might as well get down to what she originally came down here to do.

​The walk back to Rivira was short, but tense. Try as she might to move past it, Artus’s position weighed heavily on Tanya’s mind, leaving her a bit more on edge than normal as she stepped through the flimsy gates.

​Krov said her supplier was an elf, Tanya thought, fighting a frown as the noise of the town threatened to blow her down.

​She stopped a passing dwarf with an axe strapped to his back. “Excuse me. I’m looking for an Elf named Ciril. He deals in refined Dungeon materials.”

​The man looked her up and down, eyes lingering on her childish frame. “You’re a little small to be all the way down here, aren’t you, kid?”

​Tanya’s eye twitched. “I’m looking for Ciril,” she repeated..

​The man grunted, jerking his thumb down a dusty side road. “There’s an elf who lives down that way. Don’t know his name but he’s the only one ’round here. Just don’t let him sweet talk ya. They’re good at that.”

​“Thank you.” Tanya turned on her heel and walked away before the man could say anything else.

​Tanya trailed through the ramshackle town, honing in on her destination by talking to passerbys to glean information on where she was supposed to be going. Not many people lived in Rivira, at least not as Krov’s supplier apparently did, so it wasn’t exactly hard to pin him down.

​She found him deep into the city, far away from the entrance and the bulk of the crowds.

​He had a modest shop setup, far more modest than Tanya had expected for someone Krov had recommended so highly. A simple wooden counter stood beneath a canvas awning dyed a deep forest green, with neatly organized crates stacked behind it. There was no flashy signage or indeed, any indications at all that this was a business. Just a clean workspace and an Elf sitting on a stool behind the counter, sorting through a tray of small, glittering fragments with a pair of tweezers.

​Ciril looked up as Tanya approached, and she had to admit, he was not what she expected. His features still held the customary androgynous beauty of his race, but there were fine lines around his eyes and a dusting of silver at his temples that spoke of genuine age. His hair was a deep chestnut, pulled back in a simple tail, and his clothes were practical rather than ornamental. A leather apron hung over a plain shirt, and his hands were stained with residue that seemed caked in rather than on.

​He looked up as Tanya approached, green eyes scanning her. They lingered on her computation orb for a moment, before returning to her face, much more interested than before.

​“Can I help you, young lady?” he asked..

​“Ciril, I presume?”

​“I am.”

​“Krov Bentric sent me,” Tanya said, and understanding immediately flooded his face.

​“Ah, I see. You’re here for the materials, I take it?” He set his tools down, turning to regard her fully. “It’s a shame what happened to that shipment, but I suppose that’s the risk one runs when doing business in the dungeon. Danger lurks around very corner.”

​Tanya smiled thinly. “That it does. Do you have the shipment ready?”

​“That I do. Give me just a moment.”

​Ciril disappeared behind a canvas partition at the rear of his stall, and Tanya heard the sound of crates being shifted. She waited patiently, taking the opportunity to study the his workspace more closely.

​The fragments he’d been sorting through were still sitting on the counter. Tanya peered at them and recognized the telltale shimmer of magic stone shards. They were sorted by size and color down to the shade, each one nestled into its own small depression in the velvet-lined tray.

​Methodical, Tanya noted. She could appreciate that quality in a business partner, though she wondered after the reason for such a practice.

​A minute later, Ciril returned, hauling a compact wooden cart behind him. It was no larger than a wheelbarrow, but the way the elf’s shoulders strained as he pulled it over the uneven ground told Tanya everything she needed to know about its contents. The cart’s bed was packed with crates of varying sizes, each one sealed with wax and stamped with a seal and Ciril’s own name.

​“Here we are,” Ciril said, setting the cart down in front of the counter with a heavy thunk. “Fifty pounds of refined mithril ore, twenty-two spools of mana-conductive wire, a handful of mana-reflecting crystals, and some other bits and bobs. The full manifest is on the cart, if you’d like.”

​Tanya crouched down, inspecting the list thoroughly. Though she was no smith, she had an idea of what was supposed to be there, and it was.

​“How much do I owe you?”

​“The agreed-upon sum was two-hundred and six thousand Valis,” Ciril said, producing a small ledger from behind his counter. Tanya’s eye twitched at the sum but she pulled the prepared pouch regardless.

​“It was a pleasure doing business with you ,” Ciril said warmly. “I’ll mark the shipment in my books. If Krov needs anything else, she knows where to find me.”

​“I’ll let her know.” Tanya took the cart’s handle and tested its weight. Heavy, but manageable. The wheels were solid which bode well for the long journey ahead. “Thank you for having it ready on such short notice.”

​“Of course. I’ve known Krov for years now. She’s a good woman.” Ciril said, a small smile on his face. “Be careful out there. I heard there’s been some commotion around recently.”

​“I’m aware,” Tanya said, already turning the cart around. “Have a good day, Ciril.”

​“And you.”

​The cart rattled over the uneven ground as Tanya made her way back through Rivira, weaving between adventurers and supply wagons with a little difficulty. The weight of the cart dragged at her arms, but it was a welcome distraction. Something to keep her mind occupied with navigating the crowded streets.

​She’d gotten what she came for. The materials were secured, and her burgeoning business would soon be on track. That matter, at least, was on route to be settled.

​The path back toward the camp was quiet which was just as well. She didn’t feel much like making conversation.

​As dirt gave way to grass and brush, Artus’s face surfaced in her mind unbidden, alongside Tione’s voice.

​”Tomorrow morning, at the earliest.”

​That was a long time. Especially for someone in his condition. It was entirely possible that he wouldn’t last a few hours, much less the full day.

​Tanya tightened her grip on the cart and pulled a bit faster, cursing the one she knew was responsible for this.

Just when I find my footing, you show up to try and knock me off my feet again, Tanya cursed into the void of her mind. I won't let you regain control, Being X. I've had enough of you and your games.

She'd see him dead before she played by his rules again.