Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The damp and cold dungeon seemed to stretch on endlessly, until at some point the darkness swallowed the end of the corridor completely. They had heard rumors of riches hidden within those walls, but to be honest, the place was already crawling with adventurers and explorers. They doubted there was anything of real value left. Yet stubborn as they were, they had already reached this point of the second level, and turning back was no longer an option—at least not with empty hands.

The creak of leather echoed through the passage as Galdra flipped open the notebook once more, reading the same lines over and over.

“It’s useless,” said Geo, the dwarf, taking a long swig from her flask filled with something suspicious. “No new words are going to appear, no matter how much you read it. That notebook’s too old. Whoever found it died years ago. This dungeon isn’t what it used to be. I say we turn back and go home.”

“Go back if you want,” Galdra replied without lifting her eyes from the page. “I’m not giving up so easily. I already paid you. Nothing forces you to stay. The deeper we go, the greater the risks will be—I admit that. But you can leave whenever you like.”

Geo sighed, frustrated, while the others busied themselves with their own tasks.

It was a small party: Geo Darfwin, the dwarf and mineral expert; Darful, an elf potion-maker with a touch of magical knowledge; two halfling brothers, Osco and Moondo Roggins, one skilled with beasts and the other with slaying them; and finally their leader, a human cartographer named Galdra Ferick.

Not an extraordinary group, but exactly what Miss Ferick needed. She had gone bankrupt, and after desperately searching for ways to earn money to cover her family’s debts, she stumbled across the notebook in a dusty library. It seemed to contain secrets of the dungeon—treasure maps, hidden paths, promises of fortune. With no other choice, she begged the island’s lord for a loan. When she finally gathered enough to hire a crew, they were met with the harsh truth: most treasures had already been looted. But Galdra Ferick was far too stubborn to turn back empty-handed.

“If we leave you alone and you die, it’ll be our fault,” Moondo said while stirring a pot of noodle soup with pork and vegetables. “You’ve never been in a dungeon by yourself.”

“I’m choosing to continue,” Galdra said firmly. “If I die, it’s on me. You were only accompanying me.”

She rose, notebook in hand, and wandered down the corridor, tracing her fingers along the walls until she stepped out of the tower into the bright, wooded forest.

“Idiot!” was the last thing she heard Osco shout before something seized her leg and yanked her into the air—straight into the gaping maw of a gigantic plant.

Everything turned dark and wet. The notebook was flung into the shadows, lost. Galdra came to her senses, realizing her dire situation. She had left her weapons at camp. She cursed herself for the mistake as the plant’s sticky substance began to cover her, smothering her, trying to digest her alive.

It didn’t last. Within a minute, the creature spit her back out, throwing her at the feet of strangers.

“Girl,” Darful’s voice scolded, holding the lost notebook in his hands. “What did I tell you about wandering off alone?”

“You said I should stay close, or I’d be a burden later,” Galdra muttered, embarrassed, taking the hand of a dwarf she didn’t know as he helped her up. “Thank you… for saving me.”

“It was Laios who freed you,” the dwarf said. “We encountered the same thing when we arrived. Fortunately, he knew how to release one of our companions. My name is Senshi. The blond man is Laios. The elf is Marcille, and the boy is Chilchuck. We came closer when we heard the noise.”

Galdra nodded, cheeks warm with shame. Darful quickly stepped in, inviting the new group to share a meal with them.

“For the record, I’m not a boy,” Chilchuck muttered as he took a seat beside Osco and Moondo, who happily welcomed him into their chatter.

Galdra, however, looked uneasy, her hands slick with sweat as she fought the urge to bury herself once again in the notebook’s pages.

“What brings you here?” Geo asked while watching Senshi cook alongside Darful. “You don’t seem like novices.”

“We’re looking for my sister,” Laios replied, eyes wide as he inhaled the smell rising from the pot. “She was swallowed by a red dragon.”

Galdra frowned. Darful nudged her sharply in the ribs—he knew her too well. She would have blurted out something like, She’s probably digested already. You should just go home.

“What a cruel fate,” Darful said gravely. “I hope you manage to reach her in time. As for us, we’re searching for treasure. This young woman here is our leader, Galdra Ferick.”

Chilchuck’s brows shot up.

“Your brother is Sylas Ferick, isn’t he? That bastard owes me money.”

Galdra froze. Her eyebrow twitched, then she stood abruptly and headed for the tower’s exit.

“I need air,” she muttered, leaving them behind.

“Did I say something wrong?” Chilchuck asked, glancing around as Geo shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“It’s not that,” Geo said, her voice heavy. “To be honest… Galdra’s buried in debt because of her idiot brother. Sylas owes money to half the world. One day he just ran off, left everything behind, and their parents had to sell everything they owned to cover half of what he owed. Galdra swore she’d kill him if she ever saw him again. Since then she’s been working herself ragged, taking on any job she can, just to pay back the debts and keep people off her parents’ backs. That’s why we haven’t left her. But honestly?” Geo took a swig from her flask. “She’s got a terrible personality. A lousy leader.”

“Geo!” Darful snapped.

“I’m not lying,” Geo shot back. “She’s unbearable. Always walking around with that miserable face, complaining like everyone owes her something. Funny thing is—she’s the one who owes—”

Moondo cut himself off as Darful gave him a warning glare.

“It’s not her fault,” Marcille said softly. “I’d be angry all the time too if my older brother did that to my family.”

Outside, the forest air cooled Galdra’s burning cheeks. The laughter and chatter inside felt distant, alien. She closed her eyes, trying to smother the rage boiling inside her at hearing her brother’s name yet again.

The forest had grown still. Too still.

Then—a branch snapped behind her.

Galdra turned, scowling, ready to curse whichever of her companions had followed her. But no one was there. Only shadows among the trees. A shadow that moved.

The air shifted—dense, heavy—as if something ancient had just awakened.

With a knot in her throat, she opened the notebook again. And there it was. On one of the damp, stained pages, something new had appeared. She had sensed it before—sentences forming from nothing, words rearranging themselves, entire passages vanishing. She had dismissed it as exhaustion.

But this was no trick of her imagination.

Her blue eyes locked on the warning scrawled across the page.

Her lips trembled as she read aloud:

“Do not trust them.”

And before she could process the words, a gutt

ural roar erupted from the depths of the forest, shaking the earth beneath her boots.

Chapter Text

She could not say when, exactly, everyone had chosen to follow Laios and his companions, only that they had — and that none of them could complain, for they had reached depths far beyond what they had expected.

When Laios began to recount his first encounter with the living armors, Galdra noticed how the twins and Darful listened with rapt attention. Not far off, Geo busied herself by studying the strange structures of the place.

—“In the books, they don’t say much about the armors, nor what they might taste like. Senshi, how would you prepare one?”—Laios asked, his tone entirely sincere.

Galdra turned toward him with a look of utter disgust.

—“Would you really eat an armor? What kind of stomach do you have?”— she shot back, openly skeptical.

—“The girl is right,” Senshi added in his calm, even voice, the sort of tone that smoothed the sharp edges of any quarrel.— “An armor is not edible, Laios.”

—“They’re controlled by magic. They aren’t alive,” —Marcille said gravely, glaring at Laios as though he were a fool.

—“I know that,” he protested, “but what about the straps? Couldn’t those be eaten?” — He fidgeted, impatient, clearly unsettled, but stubborn in his bizarre determination.

—“Tanned leather is difficult to digest. I would advise against it,” —Senshi interjected again.

—“Have you ever tasted leather, boy?” Moondo asked.— “Sometimes it carries a perfumed note — but not a pleasant perfume. More like an ancient scent, clinging to a rough surface. It tastes of age, unpleasant and hard to chew.”— His twin nodded gravely in agreement.

—“You’ve eaten leather?” —Geo asked, one brow raised, stepping in behind Senshi.

—“We have,”— Osco replied, matter-of-fact.— “We’ve eaten leather, stone soup, licked bricks, baked mud pies, feasted on amethyst cakes, even sampled mermaid roe. When you are an explorer, food is scarce. And when you grow up on the streets, you learn to keep yourself alive on whatever scraps you can find.” —He moved casually as he spoke, prying a stone off Chilchuck’s shoulder as though it were nothing.

—“With all that, it’s hardly surprising you were the first to agree to eating monsters when the suggestion was made,” —Darful muttered, gripping his staff nervously.

—“If you’re so set on it, Laios, boil your own armor,” —Chilchuck called over his shoulder, setting the pace as the group pressed on.

—“So that settles it… armor isn’t edible,” —Laios sighed, his hands moving to his stomach. His forlorn tone stirred something in Galdra — a flicker of pity perhaps — and she stepped closer.

—“Don’t lose heart, big man,” she said lightly.— “There are plenty of monsters waiting for you to try. You might not even like armor if you had the chance; too hard, too old — it would taste of mold and rust, more than anything.” —She gave his breastplate a playful tap before falling back into step beside Marcille.

They peered into the corridor beyond the heavy doors. Laios’s voice trembled slightly as he admitted he had no desire to face the armors again. Chilchuck suggested they could make a run for it; the suits moved slowly enough. The others, weighing their chances, agreed. They would sprint, but with caution, for no one could tell which armor might stir first.

“Onward!” Laios cried, and the group broke into a run.

But disaster struck almost at once. Galdra’s foot caught on the edge of the rug; she stumbled, sprawling before one of the armors. For a heartbeat, she was certain her life was over. The blade came down swift as lightning — and only the ends of her hair were severed. She was alive by sheer chance. Her gaze fixed on the weapon. Its hilt bore a winged ornament, so like Laios’s own sword… Laios, thanks to whom they had made it so far. She froze, unable to move, watching as the blade retracted into stillness. Could they see her? Why had it struck at all?

“Laios!” she cried, fear sharp in her voice. She clutched her notebook against her chest, still half-sprawled on her pack. Another suit stirred — but Senshi was already there, shield raised, buying her the moment she needed. She scrambled to her feet and fled, racing back toward the others. The exit, however, was barred. Marcille made it clear: they had no choice but to turn back. Together, they forced the great doors shut, their breaths ragged, their hearts pounding.

—“They seem angry,” Laios observed, still catching his breath.

“—They feel nothing,” Marcille answered coldly.—“We must destroy the one who commands them.”

—“They’re controlled by someone?” the three Halfling asked at once.

Laios frowned, thoughtful now. —“Ordinarily, they strike at anyone who draws near. But this time, they only barred our passage. The mage who controls them must be waiting beyond the next door.”The group fell into speculation, but Galdra hung back, silent and heavy-hearted. Senshi noticed her quiet, and approached with the same calm as ever.

— “What troubles you, child? Does your stomach ache?” His question drew

the others’ eyes. Galdra shook her head. — “I put you in danger because I am clumsy. I fell, and you were quick to help me — you could have been hurt,” the girl said, head bowed, the notebook still clasped to her chest. — “I put you in danger too when that thing attacked us in the woods.”

The beast from the forest — that creature that had roared with such ferocity. Laios had fought whatever it was: a monstrous fusion of bear and bull, crowned with jagged antlers and eyes boiled red with hatred. Not even the twins could say what kind of thing it had been. Senshi had left it wounded; later, when it lunged at them in the tower, he had shoved it into the void. Whether it still lived, no one could tell.Galdra’s shame would not be eased. She carried the weight of every misfortune as if it were her own doing, though there was no reason for blame and none was offered.

—“It’s a dungeon,” —Laios called from the back, his voice steady and firm. “There are all manner of creatures here; danger is always close. It isn’t your fault, Galdra. Come on — we need a better plan to get across.”

His enthusiasm lifted her more than she expected. Senshi took her hands and squeezed them gently, a quiet promise that everything would be all right. They must ready themselves for what came next; it would not be pleasant, but that was the nature of dungeons — riddled with peril, and with adventures waiting to be unraveled.

Galdra rejoined the group. Geo walked ahead, when a chill ran along her spine, the sensation of unseen eyes upon them. She turned — nothing met her gaze. She tried to dismiss it, but the feeling persisted, a small, insistent shadow at the edge of his thoughts.

¿Was the beast following them?

Chapter Text

It was strange to discover that the armour was rather like shellfish and could in fact be eaten. Laios didn’t seem quite as dim-witted as his face suggested.

Moondo and Osco stuffed themselves greedily, and though Geo and Darful appeared to turn their noses up at the idea of eating armour, they eventually gave it a try — and did not regret it. Laios glanced at Galdra, who was staring intently at her plate. He leaned over, spoon in hand, and made a little ‘aeroplane’ of food bound straight for Galdra’s mouth, earning himself a sharp glare from her.

—“Don’t you like seafood?” Laios asked innocently, the spoon still poised in the air.

—“I don’t like oysters, and this smells the same,” she replied, turning her head away from the spoon. “You can have my portion if you like.”

—“I don’t think we’re in any position to be picky with food, kiddo,” Senshi remarked, keeping the stew warm. “If you don’t eat, you’ll grow weak, and then it’ll be hard to defend yourself.”

She pulled a face. She remembered how clever Laios had been in realising the armour resembled shellfish, and how everyone else had fought valiantly against them while she cowered behind pillars. Even Chilchuck had done his bit.

—“It would be best if I just went back to the surface,” she muttered, looking down at the notebook still in her hands. Her words were met with gasps of surprise. Geo shot to her feet, stormed over to Laios, snatched the bowl of soup from his hands, and flung Galdra’s notebook far away. She was visibly livid.

—“STOP BLOODY SNIVELLING, BRAT!”— Geo roared, forcing Galdra’s mouth open. Senshi tried to stop her, but no power, human or dwarven, could keep Geo from tipping the broth into Galdra’s mouth. “YOU’VE BEEN CRYING THIS ENTIRE DAMNED JOURNEY! DIDN’T YOU WANT TO PAY OFF YOUR BROTHER’S DEBTS? DIDN’T YOU WANT A BETTER FUTURE FOR YOUR PARENTS? STOP BLEATING LIKE A WOUNDED LAMB! YOU’RE THE ONE WHO WANTED TO COME HERE, YOU PAID US IN ADVANCE, AND NOW WE’RE HERE, SACRIFICING OURSELVES FOR YOU! THE LEAST YOU COULD DO IS BE A PROPER LEADER AND GUIDE US! HOW DO YOU PLAN TO BECOME QUEEN OF THE DUNGEON IF YOU SPEND ALL YOUR TIME WEEPING AND THINKING SO LITTLE OF YOURSELF?” —Geo bellowed as she forced Galdra to chew and swallow. Galdra gagged on the bits of shell, struggling for air, and Laios finally managed to pull Geo away. Galdra collapsed against his breastplate, trembling as she tried to breathe again. —“You’re an adult, as far as I know you’re not allergic to shellfish, so unless it kills you, you’ll have to eat whatever’s put in front of you — even if it’s mud pies or rock soup. You brought us here, so you’ll endure it until the debts are paid, or until I put that damned dungeon crown on your head myself.”

Laios could feel Galdra shaking in his arms. Oddly, it reminded him of how Falin used to cling to him when frightened, in a strangely comforting way that made him feel needed — seen as someone capable of protecting. He stood, helping her back to her feet, brushing food and dust from her clothes.

—“It’s all right if she doesn’t eat shellfish — not everyone likes it. But if she’d choked, that would’ve been a problem. Geo, I’m glad you care about your leader, but don’t ever do that again.” — Laios was not the sort to seem intimidating, perhaps because of his height. Yet Geo felt a chill when his golden eyes fixed on hers. He looked as though he meant every word, as if he would take action should she treat Galdra that way again. The dwarf sighed and shrugged it off.

—“Whatever,” — Geo muttered, returning to the fire.

Laios rarely behaved like that. Marcille commented that he only did so with Falin — or whenever he saw someone vulnerable being attacked.

Vulnerable.

Galdra hated that word. She had always despised it. Worst of all, it was true. She was nothing but a cry-baby hiding behind the strongest person she could find. Curse it, they were in a dungeon! She should have been strong enough to defend herself. How could she call herself a cartographer if she feared her own shadow? Oh yes… cartography, maps…

—“The golems are still near, aren’t they?”— Galdra asked, shaking off Laios’ hand as she strode towards her discarded notebook. “If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to recover one of my maps. A golem took it… well, truth be told, I rather tossed it at them while we were fleeing.” She retrieved the notebook, dusted it off, and tucked it into her belt.

—“It’ll be difficult to get it back. Is the map that important?” Chilchuck asked, glaring disapprovingly as Moondo went for his fourth helping. A nostalgic look softened Galdra’s face. —“It’s a hypothetical map of a forest to the east. Not important for exploring the dungeon, but it was one of the first maps I made with Father. I had hoped that once we got out of here, I might travel east and see with my own eyes if it was accurate. It doesn’t matter if we don’t go — I’ll just draw another later.” — She tried to make it sound trivial, but Senshi noticed she always did this whenever something was precious to her yet too risky to ask for. She would change the subject, downplay it. He frowned.

—“I think we can manage it. The golems don’t destroy things that fall on them unless it’s a threat or poisonous. I’ll see if I can help you with that.”— At his words, Galdra’s eyes lit up with a shy glow. She gave a tiny noise of gratitude and began gathering her belongings. They had to press on.

Ah… such a hard life it was, in the dungeons.