Once again, the group of adventuring coursers had ventured into an area of the dungeon that seemed to be mostly worn masonry, in this case corridors broad enough for the coursers to walk two abreast. The walls lacked the decoration that could be found in some other areas, proclaiming utility, strength, and a focus on staying up as long as possible. The intentions of the designer and builder had probably been fulfilled beyond their most optimistic estimates at this point, their creation still standing strong below the ground, centuries after their names had been forgotten and their kingdom vanished from the surface world.

“Do you ever wonder if the things we run into down here are what these corridors and rooms were all about, or if they were just brought here afterwards?” Vashti asked, looking back over their shoulder at the rest of the group. It had certainly always puzzled them, some rooms had clearly been intended to hold things, others you found things in that were just… there. Precious items that had no traps or clever puzzle locks guarding them, nothing more than the rusted lock on an old chest.

“I do.” Gordon looked up from his place beside and slightly behind the black courser and started talking excitedly. “Were some of these bits and bobs of magic so common to the people of the old kingdom that they didn’t think much of them and just put them down somewhere? Did vaults and repositories fall and things were hurriedly moved away, only to be lost as calamity struck somewhere else? Were people simply hiding their private things where they’d be able to go back later, only to fall on the battlefield?” Gordons golden tail flicked back and forth and his steps took on a prance as he chattered, it was clear he had another idea for a song, or more likely, several songs.

Walking side by side in the rear Nyx and Rigel exchanged glances. Nyx flicked an ear, Rigel tossed its head, that said all that needed to be said for now. The dungeon born courser and the eldritch being often conveyed what they thought with such wordless gestures.

The talk and hoofbeats abruptly stopped as Vashti stepped forward and the walls seemed to fall away into a vast chamber. Odd that it hadn’t echoed their voices ahead of them, and that no one had really been aware that there was some vast space there. It seemed as if the corridor had just been replaced by this chamber, thick with the dust of ages. Except one part, a path directly from the door to a raised pedestal in the center.

Nyx and Rigel craned their necks to look over the shorter pair of coursers in front. “What do you think? Trap?” Nyx asked sardonically, expecting the nods she got in reply.

“It’s only a trap if you’re not aware of it.” Rigel pointed out, its orange eyes sweeping the bare room so hard there should have been trails in the dust.

“Well, we spoke of it, so if the trapper is here and sapient they’re aware that were aware.” Vashti pointed out, backing up from the door.

“That’s just another layer of challenge.” Rigel bared its teeth as if stepped aside to let Vashti and Gordon back into the corridor. “So let’s prepare.”

A few minutes of the group shuffling around, checking armour straps, and preparing weapons later they formed up, Nyx in her restored ancient leather plates and Vashti wearing steel at their shoulder and neck stood at the front. Gordon, in minimal leather and Rigel, in nothing but its own hide, stood behind, ready to peel off, or turn and defend the rear if they had to.

“Let’s go.” Nyx’s voice was low and she moved out at a trot, but an implacable kind of gait that said it wasn’t stopping for anyone. The rest of the party took up the same pace. Halfway across the room, when everyone could feel their skin crawling, the trap was sprung. Hands burst up from under the dust and reached for legs, tails, loose barding, anything they could get hold of. All the while, thick dust fountained up into the air.

Nyx snorted and stamped on something that tried to wrap around her foreleg. Rigel’s eldritch tentacles appeared and grabbed the hands right back, attempting to pull them out of the ground, and seeing this, Nyx tried the same with her lifting speel. Vashti and Gordon fought by slamming their steel shod hooves down on each emerging hand they could see, lashing them with stinging slaps from their tails, and when the hands reached high enough for the blades strapped on Vashti’s forelegs to come into play, stabbing and slashing at them too. All the while eyes watered and the coursers hand to shake their head and fight sneezes at the flying dust.