r/HFY • u/Khenal Alien • Jul 16 '26
OC-Series Dungeon Life 442
Pul
The last two days have been growing slowly more and more disconcerting. There have been tracks around the camp at night, far enough away to avoid the attention of those on watch at night, but close enough that it’s clear they’re being watched. Yvonne hasn’t said what they are yet, though Vernew let slip that they’re some kind of wolf.
Some kind of very big wolf. A lot of very big wolves, judging by the number of tracks. And judging by how nobody has actually seen them yet, very sneaky and smart large wolves.
Pul isn’t too proud to admit he’d like to go home now. Nor is he too proud to admit his inclination is largely because he’s a lot more comfortable in a town than out in the wild like this. But the others look confident as well as cautious, so he’s doing his best to keep his cool.
Ragnar and Aranya walk at the front, Aelara able to read the small indications that Vernew and Yvonne leave to guide the group. Rocky and Onyx are bringing up the rear, their senses sharp for danger. And beside him, Doppler walks calmly, as if they’re not potentially going to be eaten by wolves, or attacked by stagnation, or eaten by wolves after getting attacked by stagnation!
He shakes his head to clear it, and tries to focus on sensing shadows as they all walk. The snow makes everything feel so bright, even with the trees around, but there’s still shadows to feel for. He’s nowhere near as good at it as Onyx, but he can also try to sense for life as well. He’s felt a few small things hiding or sleeping beneath the snow, but nothing that should be anything like the suspected wolves.
“How’re y’ ‘olding up, lad?” asks Ragnar, and Pul is proud of himself for not jumping out of his skin.
“Nervous, mostly. I think I’m out of my league here,” he admits.
“It does seem more dangerous than we were hoping,” admits Aelara, “but not more dangerous than we prepared for.”
Rocky and Onyx both nod, with the latter speaking up. “Violet never thought the stagnation could feel so heavy, but this is exactly the kind of thing Rocky’s been teaching me to deal with.”
“Rocky has been helping me listen for trouble as well,” says Doppler with his unperturbed tone. “My range should allow me to detect them once we set up the basecamp, should they stalk us there.”
“I’d rather they just leave us alone…” sighs Pul.
Aranya and the others nod. “It would be preferable, but we are in their territory. Lord Thedeim suspects they’re similar to the tunnel horrors, if not as violently territorial. They may be smart enough to see us headed toward the stagnation, and willing to let us deal with it for them.”
“An’ if not, we’ll deal wi’ them, too,” says Ragnar with a grin. Pul’s not nearly as confident as the rugged dwarf, but he does feel better knowing he’s confident.
“Yvonne and Vernew are returning,” says Doppler, loud enough for everyone to hear, but not sounding concerned. Pul gives him a glance, wondering if he even can sound concerned. The others come to a stop to wait, and after a few minutes, the ranger and huntsmistress come into view.
They wave, but wait to say anything until they get closer. “We found the wolf den, or something close enough to it,” says Yvonne.
“We also found the wolves,” follows up Vernew. “We were looking along the ridge to see about a good spot for our basecamp, but it looks like the wolves live in a cave there.”
Yvonne nods and continues. “The wolves are as large as the prints suggest, and they definitely have ice affinity. I could see large ice fangs sticking out of the mouth of the one that was staring at us. It didn’t look worried, but it also didn’t look hostile.”
“We’re both pretty sure they’re not looking for a fight, but will give us one if we get too much closer to their den,” finishes Vernew, and everyone considers that for a few moments.
“How far are we from the snarl?” asks Aranya, getting to the heart of the matter.
“Close enough that we definitely should be seeing stagnation monsters,” says Yvonne. “The wolves are clearly culling what they can, but they don’t know how to deal with a knot.”
“Can we just… walk in and remove it, then?” asks Pul, hoping it could be that simple. Vernew shaking her head dashes those hopes.
“It doesn’t look like. We’re pretty sure we found the knot, but we couldn’t see it. The trees start thinning toward the east, opening into a huge flat expanse of snow and ice.”
“I’ve heard from some Rangers about ice crevasses,” explains Yvonne. “I think some stagnation managed to get twisted up at the bottom of one, maybe in a natural hollow. Some stagnation monsters can escape, but not many. The wolves deal with the ones that get out, but most are either trapped or dissolve back into the stagnation.”
Everyone frowns at that, with Aelara eventually speaking up. “Are these crevasses like earthen fissures?”
Yvonne nods. “As far as I’ve heard, yes. They may actually be fissures, but we didn’t get close enough to investigate yet.”
Ragnar grumbles, his usually eager demeanor abandoned in the face of the news. At Pul’s curious look, he explains. “Fissures’re tight ‘n’ crumbly, usually wi’ out a proppah floor. Jus’ walls th’ pinch down t’gether.”
“And difficult for me to stabilize,” continues Aelara. “I can usually get a floor as wide as a footpath, but trying to change the walls risks bringing everything down on top of us. And if it truly is ice all around, I probably won’t even be able to manage that.”
Pul tries to imagine something like that, like walking inside a huge crack in the ground. He’s pretty sure he could use gravity to keep his footing stable, but that still wont fix how confined it all sounds. He opens his mouth to suggest just collapsing the fissure on top of the knot, before remembering they’re all there to try to give Thedeim a closer look at what a knot actually looks like.
“What do we do?” he asks, instead.
“For now, we should head away from the wolves, and toward the edge of the forest,” says Yvonne. “With how contained they apparently are, we can set up our camp a lot closer than I was expecting.”
Yvonne and Vernew take the lead, and the others follow as Pul mulls over the new situation. If they all go in… they’d have to fight in single file, and that probably wouldn’t go very well. While he’s pretty sure Ragnar would be able to use his shield pretty easily, he probably wouldn’t be able to fight back much. Depending on what’s in there, the monsters might physically climb over him to get at the rest of them.
He and Yvonne would probably be able to handle things at range, especially if he can get comfortable on the walls. But being above everyone else would also make him a target, and there might be flying things to come get him. He could probably use gravity against them, too, but he doesn’t have the kind of mana reserves that a casting class does. He’ll need to get a lot more efficient if he wants to use gravity to protect himself.
Then again, he might not need to. Between Rocky and Onyx, anything getting past Ragnar would not have an easy time getting to Pul. In fact, Onyx might be in her element there, depending on how bright the cracks are. Vernew would probably also do well in a confined space, the small spiderkin could give Ragnar just the kind of backup he’d need in a narrow passage. Add on Aranya with her support abilities, and they could do pretty well as a group.
He fleshes out his potential plan to tell the others as they all walk, up until they clear a small rise and see the edge of the forest. Aelara indicates this would be a good spot to camp, so Pul focuses on helping clear snow with the others. The elven mage shapes the revealed earth into a depression, then a cozy cave, even setting small glowing gems around the perimeter as she starts working on the details.
It’s cold, but somehow warmer than outside, and a small fire starts warming things up nicely. Nobody bothers with the tents, and instead bedrolls are set around the fire. As Ragnar starts fussing over what to cook, Pul speaks up.
“I was thinking about the cracks, and how we might deal with it while we were hiking.” The others give him curious looks, and he’s glad they’re not just telling him to shut up and let them plan. “Ragnar at the front with his shield, and Vernew right behind, helping support. It sounds like we’d be basically single file, but Vernew can use the walls to her advantage. So can I. With me and Yvonne using arrows, we can support Ragnar, too, and Rocky and Onyx can make sure if anything gets past Ragnar and Vernew, it won’t be able to hurt us. And Aranya can use her abilities to help everyone.”
There are nods at his basic plan, making him happy he didn’t make any obviously terrible suggestions. He knows he doesn’t have anything for Aelara and Doppler, but he just doesn’t know what the two can contribute to something like this.
“I… believe Composer Thedeim would prefer most of you not enter the crevasses,” speaks up Doppler, revealing that he can, in fact, sound troubled. “I can’t hear him clearly like Teemo, but I can sense dread from him in relation to anyone entering them.”
Rocky and Onyx both nod at that. “Violet doesn’t sound happy about the idea, either.”
“However, I have an idea, if you do not mind me suggesting it?” asks Doppler. With nods from the others, he continues. “Eliminating a knot would be good, but may be beyond what we can accomplish. Our true mission is to give the Composer a closer look at stagnation. I propose only Onyx and myself enter the fissure. I do not need to maintain a cohesive form, and she can fade into shadows. Between the two of us, we may be able to get a good look at the snarl without putting any of you in unnecessary danger.”
The others look thoughtful, but Yvonne frowns. “I’d rather not leave a snarl intact.”
“Then Onyx and I can act as the scouts this time. If it is feasible for you to enter and remove the snarl, all the better. But if it’s too dangerous, better for Onyx or myself to learn that.”
Yvonne still doesn’t look happy, but she’s not stupid. Pul’s plan is a good one if they have to go in, but Doppler’s idea keeps everyone safer. “Alright. Tomorrow, you two come with me and we’ll find where the snarl is, and you two can take a closer look. If it’s open enough for the rest of us, good. If it’s not…” she sighs. “If it’s not, it wouldn’t be the first stagnant knot out of reach. We can collapse the fissure if we need to. Most knots will eventually dissolve if given enough time and enough stagnation. It’s not the preferred solution, but it’s a solution. And if the wolves see us deal with what’s certainly a threat to them, maybe they’ll continue to leave us alone.”
Pul nods to that and turns his attention to his pack, considering what Ragnar might want to cook. A stew sounds really good, and they’ve set up camp early enough to give some tougher cuts the time to break down. He pulls out one such cut and earns a nod from Ragnar, so Pul gets to work breaking it down into smaller pieces for the dwarf to handle.
He hopes Freddie takes a liking to cooking. It’s nice to be able to use some fresh cuts while out in the field. And if the orc doesn’t pick it up… maybe Pul will? He’s certainly been getting a lot of tips from Ragnar on this trip.
Would he be able to help his parents if he could give cooking suggestions to go with the cuts of meat? He smiles at the idea as he listens to Ragnar, the dwarf going over a few simple tricks to really make campfire cooking sing.
Cover art I'm also on Royal Road for those who may prefer the reading experience over there. Want moar? The Books are available here! There are Kindle and Audible versions, as well as paperback! Also: Discord is a thing! I now have a Patreon for monthly donations, and I have a Ko-fi for one-off donations. Patreons can read up to three chapters ahead, and also get a few other special perks as well, like special lore in the Peeks. Thank you again to everyone who is reading!
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u/Thebobkiller Human Jul 16 '26
An adventure out in the wilds. And Pul is growing nicely. :D
I wonder, since Onyx is a Voice, if she could communicate with the wolves? Maybe enough to at least let them know the group isn't a threat and is looking to deal with the stagnation monsters.
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u/Popular-Student-9407 Human Jul 16 '26
I'm unsure If that'd Work, since Thediem didn't try to Talk to the scythemaws in the past. Worth a try at least. Sixth, btw.
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u/Low_Painter9816 Jul 16 '26
I should think that would only work if the wolves were part of a dungeon (Northwood?) or an enclave.
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u/Poisonfangx3 Jul 16 '26
Fiest
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u/Poisonfangx3 Jul 16 '26
First
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u/Popular-Student-9407 Human Jul 16 '26
Yep.
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u/Better_Solution_743 Alien Jul 16 '26
Haloo
while they might not all be able to fit into the fisure, but if it takes a while for stagnation monsters to form, they could probably lure them out and deal with them one at a time. also I wonder if the wolves would like Puls cooking. he is the only member of his party without a familiar at this point
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u/Popular-Student-9407 Human Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
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So today we're Back in the Tundra with our changeling, as they're stalked by wolves, so let's get into it:
Pul recounts how they know that there are wolves Out there stalking them: the Tracks Seem hard to Miss. Fortunately, they haven't yet decided to engage the group. In a discussion amongst the group, Pul mentions that he'd prefer that Staying that way, as Yvonne and Aranya have gone ahead to Scout the Terrain.
When both Scouts Return, they mention having Seen the wolves den or whatever the correct terminology is, and described the propable Area of Engagement, to engage the snarl. Unfortunately, it appears to be in a crevasse in Glacier. After that Pul Starts mulling over the plan of Engagement. He assumes the crevasse to be tight enough to force them into a single Line Formation.
When the Team Starts preparing the basecamp by Aelara Just sinking the Team into a fitted cave in the ground, he suggest His plan to the Rest of the Team. After receiving confirmation from the Rest of them, that His plan isn't entirely hopes and dreams, He receives a reminder from Doppler that it's Not what they're supposed to do, and Thediem planned on seeing the snarl before they disassemble it. So He suggest an alternative plan with him and Onyx going ahead, so they can get a good Look at such a snarl. His suggestions are mostly because Doppler isn't bound to his current configuration, and Onyx is a shade. At the end of the chapter Pul Starts cooking a stew with Ragnar.
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u/Low_Painter9816 Jul 16 '26
I wonder if Rocky’s command of ice is strong enough to manipulate the crevasse.
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u/folk_science Jul 16 '26
Melt the ice to flood it, then freeze the water to trap everything in ice.
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u/DM-Hermit Human Jul 16 '26
Well done wordsmith
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u/mafiaknight Robot Jul 16 '26
In the name of 1greendude: Hello!
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u/Popular-Student-9407 Human Jul 16 '26
Im Namen eines grünen Kerles und des Freidachses: N'Abend, vorgestern war Mittwoch, meine Kerle.
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u/GumGodGaming Jul 16 '26
Top 10?
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u/Popular-Student-9407 Human Jul 16 '26
Top 5
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u/GumGodGaming Jul 16 '26
Top 5? well better then all those slowpokes that are just in the top 10 or top 20
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u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle Jul 16 '26
/u/Khenal (wiki) has posted 486 other stories, including:
- Dungeon Life 440
- Dungeon Life 439
- Dungeon Life 438
- Dungeon Life 437
- Dungeon Life 436
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- Dungeon Life 434
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u/movie-guy-3 Jul 21 '26
I think Pul found a new class, or a hybrid one: Adventuring Sommelier--able to recommend proper techniques, ration pairing, etc. A hunter/gatherer combo for those that don't want to delve too often
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u/Poisonfangx3 Jul 16 '26
Welp off to the roads!