Duelling Dungeons

“Can you stop pacing for a minute?” Bella begged after passing her for the twelfth time, “You’re making me dizzy.”

I paused and turned towards the middle of the orchestral stage where she was sitting. George, who had been following me rather closely, walked into the back of my legs before scrambling backwards in a panic, grumbling the entire time.

“Sorry… I’m trying to work off my nervous energy,” I explained.

“Nervous energy? What’s there to be nervous about? You’ve spent the last week preparing for this match, creating plans within plans and strategies for each of our matchups. Whatcould you possibly be nervous about?” she asked.

“Even the best plans can go off the rails,” I said as I slowly wandered over to her. “Honestly, though, I just want to get to the match. I don’t understand why there has to be all this spectacle around everything.”

“That’s something you’ll just have to get used to. We work in a professional-level dungeon, and when the fans tune in, they expect more than just a fight; they expect a show,” Bella explained.

“I don’t mind making the fights dramatic,” I grumbled. “I just don’t like sitting around, waiting for the match to start, while a bunch of entertainers and commentators prattle around in a ‘pre-game show’. I’d rather just get started.”

“Just sit down and relax,” Bella exclaimed, patting the edge of the stage next to her. “There’s no point in getting all wound up now, the match will start soon enough.”

“Fine…” I muttered before hopping up next to her. I sat next to the stack of tablets I’d placed there earlier, while Bella floated nearby, watching the pre-match broadcast intently.

“Are they actually saying anything useful, or are they just hyping up the crowd?” I asked, kicking my feet off the side of the stage.

“What do you mean? Of course, they’re providing the audience with useful information!” Bella exclaimed, lowering her tablet. “La Marche isn’t just a pretty face, he’s one of the best match commentators in the world.”

“La who?” I said blankly.

“Lawrence La Marche, he’s one of the top commentators for the professional-level dungeons. He’s extremely knowledgeable about the different layouts, strengths and weaknesses of the staff. You’d be surprised at how often he can predict how a matchup is going to go long before the engagement happens,” Bella explained.

“That’s not that impressive,” I replied. “I do that all the time.”

“That’s true… but you don’t have to memorize all that information and bring it up when it’s relevant, all the while entertaining the thousands of real-time viewers,” Bella said.

“Why would anyone want to do that?” I asked, aghast. “I can barely handle the small number of people that show up for our autograph sessions.”

“It might not be for you, but someone has to do it,” Bella replied. “Do you honestly think the average viewer could follow one of your plans, or figure out why some of the matchups are so one-sided? Most of them require a little bit of help keeping track of what’s going on.”

“Sounds like I could use a personal commentator,” I chuckled, “To make sure I don’t miss any of the matchups.”

Bella rolled her eyes. “Please, you’d never miss any of our matchups, you’re far too obsessed with analyzing the fights as they happen so that you can adjust your precious plans.”

“It’s less so I can adjust my plans, and more so I can give everyone advice so we have the best chance of coming out of this match on top,” I told her.

“Same difference,” Bella grumbled. “Look, you can’t really do anything until the match starts anyway, so why don’t you just relax and enjoy the pre-match banter?”

“But I don’t really enjoy regular banter,” I mutter.

“You do if it’s about strategy and tactics,” Bella said, as she floated closer and shoved the squawking tablet towards me.

When it became apparent that she wasn’t going to take no for an answer, I finally reached up and took the tablet from her. I really didn’t feel like watching, but since Bella had cranked the device's volume up high enough to be disruptive, I had no choice but to flip it over and take a look, if only to access the volume settings.

I was immediately surprised to find the commentator was an ogre in a three-piece suit, sitting in front of two massive displays showing the layouts of both dungeons.

“Both The Wailing Manor and The Black Sanctum had exceptionally strong showings during their previous matches, so today’s match should be a doozy. These dungeons have completely different setups and strategies, so it’ll be interesting to see who comes out on top.”

The big ogre stepped over to the displays and tapped the lowest level of the Sanctum.

“This battle is going to all come down to who can get the best matchups and whether the Manor can progress fast enough. I predict the Manor will start with a heavy push against several of the Sanctum’s entrance floors. They’ll want to take full advantage of their staff’s resistances and immunities, early on, before they get bogged down,” La Marche explained, before stepping over and tapping his meaty hands on the diagram of the manor.

“Meanwhile, the Sanctum is going to be focusing on punching through the forest, so they can spread out and work on the Manor’s middle layer. Expect them to focus on the less populous floors, the ones with dedicated offensive squads. They’re not above taking advantage of their superior numbers.”

I shook my head and finally flicked the volume slider lower, so the tablet wasn’t blaring in my ears.

“Pretty insightful, right?” Bella gushed.

“I guess… his analysis is pretty close to what I have planned, and what we expect the Sanctum to try, but it’s easy to predict the early moments of a match. Both teams have all their members available, and there are only a few good opening moves. The real challenge happens in the mid and late game, once both sides have taken losses, and have to adapt to the situation,” I said.

“Well, check back in on the broadcast later, then, I’m sure you’ll be suitably impressed by La Marche’s analysis,” Bella insisted.

“We’ll see,” I muttered.

My eyes were drawn back to the tablet as the image shifted, from the commentator to what appeared to be the entrance to a titanic cavern. On it was a small, hunched figure, completely obscured by an oversized robe.

They raised a staff towards the small metal portcullis built into the side of the cavern, and as they did, a surge of magic passed through the ballroom. As the power built, I could feel the floors begin to shake and hear the windows rattle. On the screen, the portcullis glowed brighter and brighter until a burst of light and a glowing green portal opened behind it.

The shaking around us abated, but the feeling of power remained.

A voice echoed out from the tablet I was still holding loosely at my side. “The connection between dungeon entrances has now been established; that means we’re only moments away from the start of the match! Who will come out on top? Who is the superior dungeon?”

“It’s not about being superior, it’s about who can maneuver better,” I muttered, flicking the tablet off in irritation. “And I’m going to prove that.”

I handed it back to Bella before grabbing a stack of tablets, each connected to a different feed.

“Time to get to work.”