Dice of Doom and the Gatekeeper
Doal's ability was refreshingly straightforward. He rolled dice. Low numbers meant misfortune, high numbers meant fortune. Being able to peek at the good or bad luck awaiting you in a deadly labyrinth like this? It was basically future sight, wasn't it? I was seriously impressed. He wasn't a professional guide, but his bold claim that he'd still be useful for exploration made perfect sense now. This was convenient. Like, revolutionary-level convenient.
Being able to predict and prepare for upcoming misfortune or luck to some degree was a cheat key beyond any price in life-or-death maze delving. Which made me even more puzzled. With such a broken ability, why had Heinrich been so reluctant to hire him? Doal was remarkably gentlemanly for an Image Magic user, too. Sure, he had a flaw in his excessive love of gambling, but his other strengths more than covered it. A talent like this should've had guilds lining up to recruit him ages ago.
Lost in those thoughts as we walked, the next three-way fork appeared. Doal, at the front, rattled the dice in his hand.
"Come on! Roll those dice, Doal! Deliver some luck to this body of mine at once!"
"You got this!"
"Whisper whisper."
"The lady says she's cheering you on too!"
Siegurd clapped Doal on the shoulder, urging him on, while the rest of the party watched his fingertips with eager eyes.
"Let's go, Doal! Prove you're the best guide out there!"
I was just as hooked. Before we knew it, the whole party was addicted to this thrilling tension.
"Heh heh heh…!"
Amid the fervent cheers, Doal tossed the dice into the air with grim resolve. They rolled—clatter, clack—and came to a stop. We all snapped our gazes to the floor in unison.
The numbers: 1 and 3. Total of 4.
"……."
"……."
The party's feverish energy plummeted like a stock chart plunging with a massive red candle.
"Hm. 4, eh… Regrettable, but it's this way."
Doal pointed to the left passage with a bitter expression. Right then, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.
"Hold on."
"Hm?"
"Let's try the right path this time."
Low dice meant a fateful misfortune—traps or monsters lurking ahead. So why walk right into it? The party perked up at my suggestion for a moment. But Doal chuckled and replied immediately.
"Heh heh heh… Sorry, but that won't change a thing… Though seeing it for yourself is probably faster. As Iris says, let's take the right path this time…."
We followed Doal into the right passage. And exactly three minutes later, our expectations shattered.
Shhhk, kyaaak—!
A swarm of monsters burst from the shadows ahead, blocking our path. The fight itself was a breeze, of course. Siegurd smashed their heads with his fists, and I breathed fire to turn the stragglers to ash. But that's when it hit me. Doal's ability—his Image Magic—wasn't divining fortune or misfortune.
It was summoning it.
The moment the dice rolled, our party's fate locked in to match those numbers. That explained why his guidance always seemed so half-assed. He wasn't reading the future or fate to pick a direction—he was just rolling the dice first and pointing somewhere at random.
'…No wonder people avoid him.'
Here on the 1st floor, we could handle the misfortune that came. But deeper in, a low roll could wipe the party in an instant.
"…Hm."
Whatever. It didn't concern us. Why? We just wouldn't roll low!
And if we did? Overcome it, then roll again and get double back. As we trudged through the dim-lit passage, I eyed Doal's skinny back.
A magic that summons fortune or misfortune, huh. Doal's Image Magic was absurd. Siegurd summoning his scales, Cassandra's Word Spirit—none of it felt like normal magic. Was this what Image mages were like? Evel and Heinrich leaned toward elemental magic, so not all of them defied common sense like this….
What about me?
The magic I used now was all Dusty's or borrowed from Zepeto. What was my true Image Magic like, beyond those? The thought suddenly intrigued me.
"Another fork ahead."
The passage ended at a new three-way split. I shook off my musings and called to Doal.
"We need to make up for that last one. Roll 10 or higher this time, no exceptions."
"Heh heh heh… Of course…."
Clink, clink. Doal toyed with the dice, then hurled them into the air with force. They rolled—clatter.
This time, a massive jackpot surpassing even the Silver Glow Grass. We all held our breath, staring at the stopped dice.
And—clack.
1 and 1. Total of 2.
"………."
"………."
"………."
The absolute lowest possible roll. Worse than a red candle—it was like a delisting announcement.
"H-Hm! 2, eh… Heh heh heh. Even the goddess of fate enjoys a cruel joke now and then…."
Doal sweated bullets, making excuses. …No helping it. Bad luck. We'd just double it back next time. I turned to Evel, who was munching cookies like a squirrel beside me.
"…Evel, wanna pick this time?"
"Huh? For real? I can!?"
She brushed crumbs from her mouth, eyes sparkling. Oblivious to the situation, she was just thrilled to choose the party's path.
"Yeah. Pick one."
"Middle! Let's go middle!"
Quick choice. We dragged our heavy steps into the passage. The dice had rolled—fate was sealed.
"Everyone, stay alert this time."
I warned the party. The spike trap from the 3-roll had been dicey enough; who knew what a 2 would bring? After about ten minutes, the narrow passage widened into a vast chamber.
"This is…?"
Thick darkness blocked our view. I drew up mana and snapped my fingers.
Snap—!
A fireball shot from my fingertip, soaring into the air and bursting to illuminate every corner. Whoosh—!
And in the flickering red glow, a massive monster of twisted rock and bone revealed itself. Hostile eyes gleamed, reflecting the light.
"Oh? That looks like…."
"The 1st floor's Gatekeeper, I'd say…."
"Huh. No one's found it yet?"
"Whisper whisper."
"The lady says she didn't expect it to still be alive."
What? The 1st floor Gatekeeper? I stared blankly at the room's center. We'd started late, so I figured other parties had already cleared it. Apparently not.
'…Hang on.'
Wasn't this actually great? Our goal was the 2nd floor anyway. Kill it, grab the loot, and head down. A 2-roll leading to this? 'Lowest number summons the floor's strongest monster?'
If that was the mechanic, it made sense.
"Perfect."
For us, this wasn't misfortune—it was luck falling into our laps. A 1st-floor Gatekeeper, no matter its size, paled compared to the Minotaur we'd barely beaten last time. With five 3rd Circle mages—even without useless-in-combat Doal—it'd be a cakewalk. And with a proper opponent, it was ideal for testing our practiced party formation.
"Everyone to positions! Battle ready!"
Weak foes had ended fights before we could form up properly. This was our chance to sync.
"Siegurd up front! Doal and Evel, fall back!"
"Excellent—! Out of the way, you lot! You're in my way!"
"Eek!"
"Kyaa!"
"Hey, what the—! Why'd you throw us!"
The second I spoke, Siegurd grabbed Doal and Evel's hoods and yeeted them to the rear.
Thud crash! Roll roll!
The two tumbled across the floor, Evel's cookies spilling everywhere.
"My cookies!"
"Lady! Stay behind me!"
"Whisper whisper."
Heinrich swiftly shielded Cassandra, who whispered something at Siegurd while helping the pair up. Ten seconds in, and I was still adjusting positions.
"Siegurd front, Heinrich next, me behind him, then Cassandra, Evel, Doal—keep some distance."
"Understood. Like this?"
"Whisper whisper…."
"Here?"
"Heh heh… I'll be around here… No, maybe further back…."
So damn chatty when I'm rushing. By the time we roughly settled—thirty seconds gone—the sight ahead was:
Kwaaa—!
The Gatekeeper ripping up the floor and hurling a boulder right at our faces.
"Wha—it's already here! Defend!"
"I'll handle it here!"
"I'll shatter it with ice!"
Heinrich and Evel's voices overlapped as their spells activated. A smooth combo followed—like flowing sludge. Evel's ice spears pierced through Heinrich's light barrier.
Kwa-dud, crash—!
The barrier shattered, ice shards flying everywhere. Before the enemy hit, our own ice wrecked our barrier. I stared dumbfounded.
"Ah!"
"Danger!"
Kwaa—fwoosh—!
The boulder and ice fragments rained down mercilessly.
"……What are we gonna do with this party."
Sighing deeply, I extended my right hand and deployed a barrier formula.