Duelling Dungeons

I groaned, both in pain from watching two of my friends go down in the fight happening in the Gardens and at Chelsea’s parting jab. 

I had really hoped that with Bella’s help Chelsea would be able to hold against the Sanctum’s assault. What I hadn’t expected was that Rogu’s second in command was so competent that she’d be able to take out Bella, the smaller tree-bound Pekeketua, and several of the Alarunes without being detected. 

I’d completely underestimated her, and Chelsea and her team paid a heavy price because of it.

Thanks to the heroic efforts of Chelsea and her team, the battle wasn’t a complete write-off. Now it was closer to a pyrrhic victory for the Sanctum, instead of the complete and utter stomping that it looked like they were going to deliver.

As I contemplated how best to adjust our strategies to compensate for this loss, one of the tablets at my side began flashing and vibrating. It was a good thing it did because I’d been so distracted with my thoughts I hadn’t noticed the long hairy leg slowly reaching over the edge of the stage, trying to steal one of my tablets, again.

I reached down and lightly tapped the offending limb, causing George to quickly retract the leg and scramble away before finally picking up the flashing tablet. I quickly swept a finger across the screen to accept the incoming communication call.

“How can I help you today, boss?” I asked, straightening up as Lanivia popped up on the screen.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure you already know why I’m calling; you watch the progress of these matches even closer than Bella does,” Lanivia replied. The image on the tablet flickered, and just for a moment, I thought I caught a view of the heavily engraved skull that lay beneath the layers of powerful illusions that Lanivia used to hide her appearance from the general public. But that couldn’t be true… she was too careful for that.

“Kassandra and her team have managed to conquer the Rituals floor, so I need to inform the referees which staff we intend to resurrect. Since you are our strategist, I thought I’d check with you before answering,” Laniva continued, apparently unaware of the momentary slip. “So? Who will it be?”

I paused, just for a moment, as I went over the options in my head. Although the Manor had done a decent job holding back the Sanctum’s attacks, the conflict had unfortunately left many of our squads depleted, but not completely knocked out. That meant although our team had been severely weakened, we didn’t have that many decent targets for resurrection right now.

“Voss,” I finally declared. 

“Really? I would have put my money on Calliope,” Lanivia replied, raising an illusory eyebrow. “You usually like to conserve our forces whenever possible.”

“I do, and Calliope would definitely be my second choice…” I started.

“But…” Lanivia prompted.

“But a slow and steady strategy won’t work against the Sanctum. We can’t afford to take our time, or we risk letting them trigger their dungeon mechanic and wiping our remaining forces, as they did against the Elder Woods. What we need right now is to push as hard as we can and try to break through their defences faster than they can break through ours,” I said. “And since the Sanctum will almost certainly bring back Jyssa, we need a hard counter. And that’s Voss and his team.”

“Isn’t part of his team defending the parlour right now? Preventing the Sanctum from reaching you?” Lanivia asked lightly. I could tell by the slight smile gracing her lips that she already had some idea what I was about to say. 

“They aren’t necessary anymore. Luther’s forces took a beating during his assault, so I’ve asked him to return to his floor, while Voss and I push against the lowest levels,” I said. 

“And Kassandra?” 

“I’ve asked her to step back and take a break for a couple of rounds, so her team will be ready to make the final push,” I explained.

“And when you told her that, did she believe you?” Lanivia asked.

“She told me that her team was still in top shape and that trying to use myself as bait to lure Nor’Goth into a fight wasn’t a good idea,” I grumbled.

“You know she’s correct,” Lanivia said. “Although there is a chance that you may lure Nor’Goth into an ambush and take him out of the fight, it's an extremely risky maneuver. Kassandra’s team includes some of our strongest warriors and is backed by Silvia, who can keep the team healthy. If you push out, Nor’Goth will just sit back, let you wear yourself down, and strike when your team is weak. He’s no fool.”

“I know,” I muttered. “But his ability to gather intelligence dwarfs mine at this point. I’m pretty sure he helped Kitra hunt down Bella in the others during the last fight, which could have resulted in a blowout if our team hadn’t fought their hearts out.”

“And yet, they managed to pull things back, at least a little, did they not?” Lanivia asked. “I know you feel frustrated by the situation, but instead of rushing off to challenge Nor’Goth, what you should be doing is trying to outmaneuver him.”

“I’m trying,” I grumbled. “It’s very difficult to outmaneuver someone who can read the minds of his opponents and immediately instruct his team on the best way to counter our strategies.”

“He is powerful, but he does have his limitations. When he is using his ability to remote view a battle, using one of his little spies, he can only browse the surface thoughts of his opponents, and he cannot reach into floors that the Sanctum hasn’t penetrated yet,” Lanivia explained. 

“Wait, what? Can’t he? I’ve done extensive research on the Sanctum, and that never came up once!” I exclaimed. “If that’s true…”

“I can see your brain is whirring with new strategies,” Lanivia chuckled. “That’s good. I’m sure if you think carefully enough, you’ll find a way for us to come out on top. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to call the judges and let them know our decision. They’re probably still waiting to hear from me.”

“Wait! I have just one question before you go,” I shouted quickly, pulling the tablet closer to my face. 

“As long as it’s quick, go ahead,” Lanivia said.

“How did you learn that Nor’Goth couldn’t deep scan the minds of people on other floors? I’ve never seen that information anywhere,” I asked. 

“Experieance. Although psychics can extend their reach over a long range, they’re not almighty. They have weaknesses just like everyone else,” Lanivia explained. “The reason you probably didn’t know is you relied upon the match history to put your strategies together. However, some races and powers can be used cleanly in a traditional dungeon match. Psychics are a good example of that, but there are plenty of others.” 

Lanivia tilted her head to the side, even through the tablet, I could feel her intense gaze. “Studying the enemy's previous matches will tell you a lot about them, but it won’t tell you everything. Sometimes you need to go beyond the official record and dig much deeper if you want to find your opponent’s weakness. Do you understand?”

A cold shiver ran down my spine. Even though I knew she was giving me advice to prepare for the next match, it really felt like she was passing down some profound knowledge or warning me of something to come.

I swallowed. “I understand,” I replied quietly.

“Excellent! Then I’ll leave the defence of the dungeon to you. I need to talk to the judges. Keep up the good work!” Lanivia announced before cutting the connection.

The sudden change in tone, from extremely serious to almost carefree, snapped me out of my daze. “I don’t know what that was about, but I need to call Kass and let her know there's a change in plans. Maybe things aren’t as bad as I thought,” I said. 

However, as I navigated through my contacts, looking for Kass’ name, I remembered Lanivia’s gaze and shuddered. “At least, I hope,” I muttered.