"That's the third group of dead heads we've run into in the last day. Plus the only things we could send back to the dungeon were those living skulls and that weird psychic monkey we stumbled upon. Is it usually like this around this area?" The beast tamer Tommy asks curiously while petting Poppa's jaw as the massive render coo's happily.
" Depends on what you view as normal. The monkey was a rare find, used to be tons of them when I first came to this region but once the bosses started roaming they disappeared. Same with the death orc clans and a few nomad tribes that were eking out a living. We're still a few days from the dungeons location but this was once a decent sized battleground. Tons of undead and honestly surprised there's still more stumbling around." Tyr says quietly as she arcs her arm back and throws her lance with a grunt before a squelch and thump are heard in the distance.
As the group move to find the source of the sound a light groan can be heard before the body of a rotted ogre, its heavy chin nothing but a beard of stringy flesh, pulling itself across the ground with the lance severing its spine at the waist. Everyone in the party stares at the struggling creature in disgust before Shanks approaches and sacrifices the large undead, its body sinking into a puddle of darkness as they finally step foot within the forested area before the location of the dungeon.
"I not be liking dis. Da tree's be screamin' and de spirits, dey beg for release." Whispers Slax as the gargantuan Banshee chitters and nudges the small geckonian in an attempt to reassure him. Continuing forward for several hours the group comes upon sporadic groups of zombified creatures until reaching a clearing filled with broken bones and rusted weaponry, a war banner torn down the center sticking from the skull of a skeletal being in the middle of the battle zone.
"Huh, guess we found out what happened to the death orcs. Notice the tooth marks on the bones, that's insectile but the placement reveals they were held at certain angles meaning the creature had hands. Best bet is these guys came here to try to end the dungeon but the Jades ambushed them. Probably took the front half down quick with poison and then toyed with the chieftain. Sad because even though these guys were vicious warriors that didn't fear death. A whole warband like this shouldn't have gone down easy." Tyr says as she grabs her lance and motions for everybody else to prepare for a fight. As the group look around uncomfortably a sigh is heard from the treeline before a woman strolls out with her hands held up in surrender.
"I wish to parlay dungeon beings and prey creatures. My name is Tevu and I am a servant of the mad dungeon. We will be forced to cross blades but for the moment I am not under orders so may speak freely and act within my own wishes and rights." The woman says calmly as everyone tenses at her mention of the dungeon.
"Parlay accepted. Explain yourself and why you've taken this human form. What happened to these orcs and why we have yet to run into anything threatening." Tyr asks bluntly as the woman smiles coyly and nods her head in acceptance, her silver tresses shadowing her face as she sits cross legged and motions for Tyr to do the same.
"This is the form I unlocked once I hit rank B years back, I use it to try and warn away victims when possible but that's become harder lately with the dungeons insane rambling. I was one of the first bosses of the dungeon but after time something changed, it became infected by some form of darkness and it started warping the things within it. When it learned that certain bosses were immune to the effects it sent us out to bring back prey after it corrupted the living within the kingdom. Once the king and champion fell it was a bloodbath. I was ordered out of the dungeon and then randomly to kill. If the dungeon makes it an order we cannot resist its compulsion. Hence the champion and lich not showing sentience, it took that away because they refused to be pawns." Tevu explains sadly as the adventurers look upon her in horror. As she's spoken several sets of eyes have appeared on her face and an extra set of thin, elegant arms have sprouted from her sides. her body rises gently as eight spectral legs burst from her thighs as her groin bends behind her and expands until the abdomen of a ghostly widow is connected to her monstrous appearance.
"You used the magic of a parlay to speak to us, I assume after we're done talking you've been ordered to kill us?" Tyr asks as the Jade nods her head sadly.
"Yes but there is a way forward. These orcs came to defeat the insane dungeon and drink its power but fell to my brood. They have been called back to defend against you but I am expendable and will respawn in my boss room after death. That is unless I am not allowed to die. As for the threats of the area the dungeon felt when you laid the noble king to rest and slew that piece of filth troll. Thank you for both as each deserved that reward, but losing those bosses made the core howl with anger and he's preparing for a full invasion. He called back everything from the smallest rat to the largest ogre leaving just the few of us immune to the madness to hide or set traps." Tevu answer honestly as I notice one of her arms struggling to touch a black spot on her carapace and I nod in understanding.
"Understood Tevu of the Jade. Hopefully your warning will be of help and we will free this place of that taint. I adjourn the parlay." Tyr says calmly as the Jade releases a bone chilling hiss and lunges forward with her arms out, each hand morphed into a serrated blade dripping with toxic liquid that sizzles as it drips upon the ground. With barely a seconds hesitation Tyr weaves her body underneath the jade's arms and slams her lance through the black spot on the carapace, Tevu releasing a his of release and frustration as her body collapses to the ground, paralyzed and helpless.
"Despot, send her to Kyle with a message to put her in the prison. He should have it built by now, and as long as she's there we don't have to fight her in her actual boss room. If we play this right we may be able to convert her after killing the core." Tyr says as a massive cage surrounds Tevu before a Spectral scritcher with bulging muscles and broken armor appears and hoists the boss creature up, slowly treading towards the dungeon as the jade within cries tears of hope.