Chapter 27 – The Elder's Judgment
The elder leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled as he regarded Rikka with a calculating gaze. The room was silent, save for the soft crackling of the oil lamps.
Rikka stood tall, meeting his stare without flinching. She had faced worse than an old orc's scrutiny.
Agu, still leaning casually against the doorway, looked between them with amusement.
"You're asking a lot," the elder finally said. "Trusting a dungeon. Treating it as an ally. That goes against everything we know."
Rikka remained unfazed. "Then maybe it's time we start learning something new."
The elder exhaled sharply through his nose. "Enough of your clever words. I need facts." He drummed his fingers against the table. "This dungeon saved you—why?"
Rikka hesitated. She hadn't considered this angle. Why did the dungeon intervene at all? Why risk exposure?
"I don't know," she admitted. "But it didn't attack me. It gave me food. Shelter. And it let me leave."
The elder's brow furrowed. "And you're certain it wasn't trying to fatten you up for later?"
Agu chuckled. "That would be a slow hunt."
Rikka shot her a glare before turning back to the elder. "It had no reason to let me go. But it did." She leaned forward slightly. "I spoke to the dungeon's master."
The elder's fingers stopped drumming. The air in the room shifted.
"You spoke to it?"
Agu pushed herself off the doorway, suddenly paying close attention.
Rikka nodded. "Not in words exactly, but it understood me. It answered."
The elder narrowed his eyes. "Describe it."
She hesitated. How much should she say? Revealing too much could make the elder paranoid, but withholding information would only make her look suspicious.
"I didn't see its true form," she admitted. "It spoke through a crystal construct—humanoid, but clearly not flesh and blood."
"Powerful?"
"Yes," Rikka said without hesitation. "Stronger than a newly spawned dungeon has any right to be."
The elder stroked his beard, deep in thought. "And it let you walk away."
"That alone should tell you something."
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, the elder sighed. "We need to know more." His yellow eyes locked onto hers. "And that means we need to know what you're not telling us."
Rikka's stomach tensed. "I've told you everything that matters."
"Matters to you, maybe." He leaned forward. "You saw its defenses. You saw its creatures. And I'm willing to bet you know more than you're letting on."
She clenched her fists. "If I wanted to betray the village, I wouldn't have come back."
"I never said betrayal," the elder mused. "But you're invested in this dungeon. That means your judgment is clouded."
Agu smirked. "She does sound a little smitten."
Rikka shot her a glare. "I will gut you."
The goblin just grinned.
The elder ignored their exchange. "If we do this, we do it right." He turned to Agu. "You'll organize a scouting party. I want trained delvers—not glory seekers. Warriors who will test its strength, not rush to die in it."
Agu nodded, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "I'll handpick them. Small group, experienced fighters. If the dungeon is as special as Rikka claims, I want first dibs."
Rikka exhaled, knowing she had won—for now.
The elder met her gaze one last time. "You're not off the hook yet."
"I never expected to be."
The meeting was over. The decision had been made.
The first delvers were coming.
And the dungeon's true test was about to begin.
(Sorry for a short chapter I swear it felt longer than it was)