Gwyn tried to talk over their arguing.
"Hey, guys."
"Myria, you brighten up everyone's day. Can you give me some pointers?"
"Teddy, you are literally three feet tall. I will punt you across this forest."
"Like to see you try."
He floated far above her head and started poking her with his staff.
"Knock it off!" Myria shouted.
"Guys!"
Gwyn raised her voice far louder than she meant to.
Teddy stopped mid-poke, and Myria grabbed his staff from his grip and threw it into the forest.
"Myria!" Teddy shouted in despair as he floated after his catalyst.
"Yes, Chosen One?" Astrin inquired.
"I think I saw a door over there?" Her words were unsure.
Myria looked utterly perplexed.
"A door?"
Teddy retrieved his staff.
"A door can only mean one thing."
"Dungeon!" The twins said simultaneously.
"Fuck yeah!" Teddy nodded in agreement. "Show us where it's at."
Gwyn then pointed to where she had seen the oddly placed object.
Nob-like stumps protruded from the slightly marshy ground all around the towering tree. On its bark, it was like someone painstakingly carved a door into it; it even contained a doorknob.
"Holy shit, good eye, Chosen One," Myria said.
"These are pretty fucking rare."
Teddy traced his hand across the wood. The door was smooth and finely carved.
"So… What's a dungeon?" Gwyn asked.
"Oh, we forgot, you're new here," Astrin said, scratching her head.
"A dungeon is what happens when a God gets as bored as I do," Myria said.
"Keceo is a living planet, as in, it breathes and stores magic, just as we do," Astrin said.
Leo used magic to illustrate his talking points. It was insanely detailed. His performance depicted a large being sprouting a tree from the ground, and a door formed just as the one that appeared before them.
"When Keceo has magic to spare, sometimes Gods will use that magic to create trials for gifts of theirs. At least that's what's written. Darkbeyond was able to decipher lots of unknowable information."
Teddy waved his hands, mocking the Whisperer's name.
"Darkbeyond, Smark be gone. What matters is that dungeons appear as literally anything and anywhere. It's so cool."
"Yes, but they can be very dangerous," Leo reminded.
"We will be fineeeeeeee, stop worrying so much."
Teddy opened the door, which creaked with age, and he floated in.
"Teddy!" Myria clicked her tongue. "Gods, dammit."
She followed in behind him.
The twins looked at each other, then at the Chosen One.
"Would you like to come with us?"
"I guess so… I don't know if I'll be of any use," Gwyn admitted.
"Don't worry, we'll protect you," The twins said simultaneously with confidence.
Gwyn was getting tired of having to be protected.
"Alright..."
Gwyn hesitatingly reached out for the door and then pulled on the handle. She stepped inside, and it was extremely cramped. The twins squeezed in after. Teddy floated above them.
"It's fucking cramped as hell in here," Myria complained, standing shoulder to shoulder with everyone else.
"Don't look up, Myria, or you'll get a look at my massive package."
He raised his eyebrows, and Myria punched him in the nuts. He twirled and held his groin as he groaned in pain.
"Alright, I'll keep 'em covered," he said with faded breath.
"You'd better," Myria said sternly.
"What do we do now?" Gwyn asked.
They all looked for anything discernible. It was quite literally like they stepped into a large tree. The walls resembled bark, and it smelled strongly of the forest.
"Right here." The twins pointed out.
They placed their hand on the wall and infused it with some of their magic. Elvish words lit up.
"I am the God of Sorrow and Suffering," Teddy read aloud. "Cheerful bastard, isn't he?"
"Shut up, Teddy, and just read it," Myria commanded.
"Fine, fine." He continued. "My gift may seem minor, but even a minor trial can contain vast riches. Answer this one question and my gift shall be yours."
"Sounds easy," Astrin cooed. "We are going to find… treasure!"
"Yes, but minor to a god is relative," Leo said. "What's easy for them could be insurmountable for us."
Astrin was now second-guessing herself.
Teddy greedily rubbed his hands together.
"Oh, stop being such a buzzkill, Leo. A silly little trail won't stop me from getting that treasure!"
"Should we leave?" Gwyn asked.
"We could." Myria tapped her foot. "It's not every day when you get to do a dungeon, though."
Teddy nodded.
"Agreed."
Astrin looked towards Leo.
"I think I'll wait outside, just in case."
Astrin reached for the door.
"But what if your brother gets in trouble? Who will save him then? Do you guys want to be separated for that long?"
This was Teddy's not-so-secret tactic of getting Astrin and Leo to participate in whatever misadventure he wanted to get into.
The twins looked at each other as if they hadn't been separated since birth. The thought of them leaving one another's side seemed painful, and Astrin seemed to change her mind.
"I'll leave if you want, sister," Leo said.
"No, I'll stay. How bad could it be?" Astrin asked nervously.
"We are doing this, then? How about you, Chosen One?" Teddy asked before continuing.
An actual offer. Permission and confidence. Gwyn appreciated the lack of disdain or condemnation in their voices. It felt as though she had been babied since her first day, and her plans were not her own.
This was something different.
"There is nothing I want more," Gwyn said resolutely.
"Hell yes," Teddy said. "We agree to these terms."
He placed his hand above the words. Roots sprang from the bark and swallowed his hand.
Teddy tried to free himself.
"I'm stuck! Help! Police!"
"Wow, Teddy," Myria said. "You seem far less excited when you're the one at risk."
"Oh fuck off, Myria!"
A hum enveloped the tree. Soft and unnatural. A gust of wind blew upward. A new scent was apparent.
It reminded her of a home-cooked meal after a long and stressful day. The moment you open the door, you are immediately bulldozed by a scent of seasoning and charred skin. It is all that can be perceived in that moment, as a sense of discovery is conjured by what is being cooked on the stovetop.
The words that stood out with a faint blue glow now disappeared and reappeared as a question.
"What has caused you the most suffering?" Teddy, who had been reading aloud, was taken aback. He tugged at his hand within the bark. "This is a strange trial."
"The God did say it was a minor challenge," Astrin reminded. "But is that all? Is there more to it?"
Leo would've shrugged if there were room in this cramped tree.
"Who wants to go first?"
Teddy thought of ripping his arm from the socket and just having one of the Sylvians heal him, since Gwyn knew one of them quite personally, if the rumours were true.
"I will. Anything to get my freaking hand free. You all know what mine is. It's when my father died, it was a long time ago, but I still miss him every day." He looked more resolute. "And I won't rest until every damned devilfrog is dead!"
Some of the roots that entangled Teddy's hand began to let go.
"Quick, quick! Reveal your personal trauma!"
"Wow!" Myria said. "I think we should go back, right guys?"
Astrin wore a mischievous smile.
"Well, we could. I am getting hungry."
"Guysssssssssssssss."
would've been on his hands and knees if he weren't floating above them and trapped within the tree.
"I'm just kidding, Teddy." Astrin smiled. "I'll go next. When I was young, I nearly choked to death on a fish. I coughed and coughed, but my face started to turn colors. Our father tried to stop me from choking, but it wouldn't work. Then he cast a spell, and he was so nervous it rebounded and made my choking worse."
Astrin recoiled. The memory was quite painful.
More roots released the short elf.
"My greatest suffering was having to watch that happen," Leo said without hesitation—a long pause, as if the tree was thinking or waiting for him to continue. Eventually, more roots released Teddy. "I… thought she was going to die."
"I didn't know that happened to you guys," Teddy said, still trying to wrench his hand free.
"Yeah, it was when I was a kid. But I made it through." She looked up and down at herself. "Obviously."
"What about you, Myria?" Gwyn asked.
"Oh, every day I am alive is my greatest suffering."
There was another long pause. More roots released Teddy.
"Really?!" Astrin shouted.
Myria shrugged her shoulders and gave a slight smile.
"What? I'm dark and gloomy for a reason."
Everyone laughed, and there was only one person left. They all looked at Gwyn.
"Now think about what you are doing, Gwynevere." Myria looked desperate. "You don't have to free him. We can all go home and pretend this never happened."
Teddy waved his free hand at Myria, but she was just out of his reach.
Astrin looked to the young woman.
"What about you, Chosen One?"