Deeper Down: A Monster MC LitRPG (Kobold's Quest Book 2)

by MJ Kaltenbrunner

  "Correct. We still have the mountains, and then we will get to the guardian. From there, there’s the desert, and then we have the entrance to the dungeon once more,” she said.

  "Hopefully we’ll make it soon, though,” he said.

  They continued on with their trek, going through the land, and trapping a couple of the animals that were there for food. They had a lot, and each night, the party made a small camp in the woods. Despite Alina acting like she was better than everyone, she humbled herself at the camp. Kek knew this ragtag party was only going to get more insane.

  Kek had a dream that night, of him freeing all of the kobolds and bringing them back home. It was a great dream, and he had a place that was beautiful to reside in, and in his dream, all of the party members were there. There were also girls he didn’t even know there as well, and Selina was even alive!

  Was this a premonition? Kek wanted to think on it more, but his train of thought was interrupted by a scream in the middle of the night.

  5

  Kek immediately sprang up, his dexterity allowing him to move fast. Rita got up as well, and both of them looked at one another. Somehow, Faye and Alina had slept through all of that. They rushed outside, looking for the source of the noise.

  "Where was it?” Rita asked.

  "I don’t know. But you heard it too, right? It wasn't just me,” he said.

  "Yeah, no, I heard it,” she said.

  They raced around, and soon, the two of them found an animal that was nearby. It looked like some kind of wolf, but it wasn’t related to a kobold. Kek braced himself, getting his sword ready. Rita came forward too, seeing the creature in front of them.

  "It’s a dwarf!” she said.

  There was a young dwarf girl on the ground, fearing for her life as she saw the creature come forward.

  "No please! don’t hurt me,” she said.

  Rita stepped forward, using her ability to hit a creature from the side. The wolf fell to the ground, yelping in pain. Kek ran in, grasping the young girl's hand, bringing her out of there.

  It was soon Rita versus the wolf. Kek tried to step in, but she put a hand up.

  "I’ve got this,” she said.

  "But--”

  "You always play the hero, right? I'll do it this time,” she said.

  She then extended her claws, her body getting into the position of a cat. The wolf lunged at her, pushing her to the ground. Rita summoned all of her strength, desperate to ensure her own safety, and the safety of the party. She clawed the wolf, hitting him where it hurt.

  He whined, falling back and then running away. Kek looked at her, and she blushed.

  "You did amazing,” he told her.

  "You’re telling me. Look who’s talking,” she said with a smirk.

  He flushed. She reached in, giving him a kiss on the lips. He hadn’t expected this kind of affection from Rita.

  It was over and done with quickly, and when he saw the young girl there, he sighed.

  "We need to do something about this,” he said.

  "Yeah, but what?” she asked.

  The girl woke up, seeing both Kek and Rita standing there.

  "Ahh! Monsters!”

  "We’re not monsters. We just saved your life,” Rita said, rolling her eyes at the words.

  "I’m Kek, and this is Rita,” he said.

  But before they could say anything more, the young girl ran off, leaving them alone.

  "Something seems off,” he said.

  "Yeah. Why was she out here?” Rita asked.

  They walked back to the group. Kek looked at Rita, seeing how pretty she was.

  They were two different races, but there was something so charming about her, something that he enjoyed. While Alina had the sexual prowess, Rita had something different; something more. She seemed to showcase her attractiveness through her attitude more than anything, and it was all Kek could do not to ogle that.

  "You’re staring again,” she said.

  "I know. I’m just...happy that you’re here. That you haven’t left,” he said.

  "Course I wouldn't. I mean, I told you I’d be here for the long run. And plus, you’re fun to tag along with,” she said.

  Kek blushed, but then he felt his animalistic instincts come forward. He pressed his lips to hers. She kissed him back, both of them staying like that for a long time. It was quite nice, and Kek didn't want the feeling to go away. That is, until he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.

  "Am I interrupting something?”

  He whipped his head around, looking at Alina.

  "I thought you were--”

  Before he could say anything else, she sauntered away. Rita grimaced.

  "I don't know what’s up with her, but she always give me a bad vibe,” she muttered.

  "Sorry,” he replied.

  "No, she’s really good at what she does, which is what pisses me off,” Rita admitted.

  "So you’re mad because of that?” Kek asked.

  "Well yeah. I just...don't want to lose you, you know,” she said.

  "Listen Rita, I have no intention of choosing one over the other,” he told her.

  Rita smiled. "Good. Because we’re all here together, right?” she said.

  "That’s right,” he replied.

  "Anyways, let’s go back to sleep.”

  Kek headed back with her to where they’d made camp, sleeping peacefully. Everything would be okay, and he would save his group. He didn’t want to get into relationships or feelings. Those were messy, and not what he wanted currently.

  6

  When they woke up the next morning, the first thing Kek noticed was an annoyed Faye.

  "You were totally with those girls last night,” she said.

  "And? You're not my mother,” he muttered.

  "Well you should be focused on the mission. Besides, it’s not right for you to be so distracted,” she said.

  "Lots of talk coming from a fairy who has a boyfriend,” Kek teased.

  Faye blushed, but she fluttered off. The group got themselves together, heading out in the direction that Alina told them to go. The trek led them through a denser forest, until they got to a small mountain. When Kek got there, he stopped, looking at the trail as it led up.

  "This is the way to go, right?”

  "Correct. We have to traverse this mountain, and then we’ll be near the gates,” Alina said.

  Kek took her word for it. She stepped in through the small cave, moving through it with speed. It wasn’t long, but it certainly did send shivers down his spine. Kek didn’t know where they would end up, and how far this went. When they got through there, they were near a pathway up the mountains.

  "Whoa,” Rita said, gazing at the grass all about, the sprawling cliffs, and the land that was already growing tiny down below.

  "This is amazing!” Faye said as she looked out.

  "It is. But we need to move quickly. Who knows what is out here,” Kek said.

  They continued to walk, seeing the land below grow smaller and smaller. Kek knew they’d have to go over the mountain, but how long would it take? It was then that he turned to Alina.

  "Do you think we'll make it in good time?”

  "I believe so. I’ve looked forward, and I see nothing. But...I fear there might be some creatures along the way that will stop us.”

  Kek nodded, knowing what that meant. The group soon made it to yet another clearing, stopping for the night. Kek looked around, managing to find a very small brook that led downwards. He heard a small rustle, his body turning and his hackles up. He saw it was just Rita, though, relaxing momentarily.

  ”Everything okay?” she asked.

  "Yeah. Just thought I heard things,” he admitted.

  "It’s okay. I thought too--”

  Then, the noise was heard once more. It was a scream, and when Kek looked at Rita, she nodded.

  "Let’s go find it,” she muttered.

  The two walked out to where the source of the noi
se was, both of them ready to fight. When they got there, there was a bear, threatening a familiar face.

  "It’s the dwarf girl from before,” Kek said.

  "We should save her,” Rita said.

  Kek thought about leaving her for a moment, though. She had run away when they’d tried to help. But he knew it would only be right if they kept themselves together, and they saved her.

  "Let’s go,” he said.

  They got to them, the bear looking at her and swiping at her small body. It clawed her chest, though the wound wasn’t deep. Kek readied his body.

  "What should I use?” he asked himself.

  He looked at the bear, seeing on his HUD what the stats were.

  Race: Bear

  Level: 4

  STR: 20 DEX: 15 CON: 12 WIS: 9 INT: 9 CHA: 7 LCK: 6

  This was yet another familiar one, which had a lot of strength, but wasn’t the smartest.

  "When are we going to fight something that’s actually smart?” he asked Rita.

  "Beats me, but let’s take care of this asshole first!”

  The duo readied themselves, with Rita attacking first with her claws, using her fury swipes attack to hit the guy. However, the dexterity of the bear was too much for Rita, and it moved out of the way. Kek attacked it, punching the bear and then rolling down onto the ground with the creature. He looked at it, and the bear fought back, both of them trying their hardest to best one another. However, before Kek knew it, a bolt of fairy magic came from the distance. He managed to move out of the way just in time as the light struck the bear, causing the creature to fall to the ground.

  Kek looked at it, seeing that it wasn’t moving. They had done it! The experience points moved forward, and Kek saw he was close to a level up, which would be nice. But he looked at Faye, who seemed supersized.

  "Wow, I did it,” she said.

  "You did,” Kek replied. He was happy she hadn’t completely run off.

  She raced over, looking at them, and then she looked at the girl.

  "Who’s this chick?” she asked.

  "I don’t know, but I feel like she needs our help,” Kek said.

  They went over, and soon Rita pulled the dwarf out of the small trap she had fallen into. By this point, Alina was with them, and she extended her hands.

  "I know basic curative magic,” she said.

  Alina seemed to know more than she let on. But Kek didn’t say anything as she healed the young girl up. When she stepped back, the girl looked at the group, panicking slightly.

  "Who are you people?” she asked.

  "We’re travelers. And you know, it would be nice if you actually stood still when people tried to help you,” Rita said.

  The dwarf girl shivered, and Kek put his hand up, stopping Rita.

  "Take it easy. We have to be gentle with her,” he explained.

  "Why, though? She can’t handle it? Too busy running away?” she asked.

  "Rita!”

  "Stop it, both of you,” Alina said.

  Faye fluttered over to the young girl, touching her shoulders with her small body.

  "You don’t have to worry, Kek is always like that. What's your name?”

  The young girl started to cry, but then she spoke.

  “Valeria,” she said.

  "Well, I'm going to call you Val, but we’re travelers. We can help you. What are you trying to do?” Faye asked.

  "G-go back to my family. They're at the village near the top,” she said.

  "Well, good thing that’s on our way. Tag along with us,” Faye said.

  The dwarf nodded, looking at Rita with a glare.

  "And I’m not a kid, I'm 120 years old. I just...don't like fighting,” she said.

  "Right, right,” Rita said.

  Kek wasn’t getting involved with that, but instead, he walked off with Alina. Faye stayed with Valeria, and Rita walked alone. This wasn’t the most perfect party, but hopefully everyone would stop fighting, at least until they got to the village.

  7

  Kek and the group made their way up the mountain, everyone working together, or as well as they could. Rita still didn’t like Valeria, and the whole group minus Kek still didn’t trust Alina. He hoped they could at least come together to work things out.

  When they got to the next bridge, they realized that it was rickety. Kek looked at it, but instead of Alina stepping forward, it was Valeria this time. She looked at the bridge, studying it.

  "This is my village’s handiwork, but it looks like an animal broke it. Maybe it was the bear,” she said.

  "Can you fix this?” he asked.

  "Yes. I’m a dwarf. One of the dwarves’ attributes is the ability to create structures. We’re known for both our smithing and woodworking. But I’m still a low level, so I just know how to work with wood,” she explained.

  "I see.”

  "Let me take a stab here. Excuse me,” she said to Rita, who stepped out of the way. She looked at the bridge, and then motioned to Rita.

  "You can hit trees right? Can you knock down that one?”

  Rita was slightly taken aback by the charisma this dwarf had. Despite her rude behavior initially and general fear, she seemed to have some decent leadership skills. Rita went to the tree, knocking it down. When it finally hit the ground, Valeria turned to Kek.

  "Did you see an ax near me? It’s my village’s. My father made it for me,” she asked.

  Kek did remember seeing one. They hadn’t traveled far. He raced back down with his speed, and he soon made his way over. Sure enough, there was a small iron ax there. It was heavy, which surprised him because the woman was so small. He brought it over, giving it to her.

  "Are you sure you don’t need my help?”

  "I’m sure. I’ve used this plenty of times. Just a wee bit heavy.”

  She grasped the ax, and soon, she swung it up in the air. Despite her poor dexterity, her strength was the highest of the group at 25. She did have a dexterity of about 6, so she was bad at getting away, and the entire party moved as she swung it, and she almost hit Kek a couple times. But soon she chopped up the tree, and when she finished, she looked at them.

  "There we go. That was quite fun,” she said.

  Kek looked taken aback by the contents. It seemed like she knew immediately what to do. She gathered the pieces, holding them in her hands, and he saw her make some wooden nails out of the wood she had and a branch.

  "You’ll be needing these too,” she explained.

  "Thanks.”

  He put the nails down and then the wood. It was makeshift, but it fixed the bridge. When he finished, he looked at her, seeing the ax.

  "Do you want me to hold onto that?”

  "Yes please,” she said. She gave him the ax, and he put it on his back. She could feel his body starting to grow heavier as he touched it, but he wanted to help the dwarf. She seemed to struggle otherwise. When they finally got themselves together, they crossed the bridge.

  Of course, her dexterity certainly put her at a disadvantage. She kept stumbling about, and as she walked, Rita had to grab her.

  "Come on, we don't need you falling off the damn bridge again, do we?” she said.

  "Sorry,” she cried out, clearly feeling a bit embarrassed. The trek to the other side was interesting to say the least, and soon, they made their way over. When they got done, Valeria looked in the distance.

  "Oy, I see my village there,” she said.

  She began to walk with them, and the group followed. Rita seemed to be conflicted in the young dwarf.

  "I don’t get her, she’s a little wuss, but she’s so strong.”

  "Dwarves are quite interesting. I’ve never actually seen one act like this. I’ve never met one till now,” he said. Kek did find her cute in a strange way. Plus, she was quite old, despite her youthful appearance and her immaturity.

  "Anyways, I'd suggest not getting involved with her just yet. She seems to be interesting. But if she stays around, she could be a valuable party member,�
�� Rita said.

  "You’ve certainly turned over a new leaf regarding her,” Kek teased.

  "That’s because I’d rather survive. If she’s a part of our team, I’ll try to work with her,” Rita said.

  "How mature of you,” Kek said.

  "Hey, I said I'm willing to share. Just as long as you don’t forget me.”

  Kek enjoyed the attention, but soon the group headed toward a small village. When they got there, Valeria ran off.

  "Where is she going?” Kek asked.

  “Probably to see her dad,” Alina said.

  "You know of this place?” Rita asked.

  "Somewhat. I’ve been a witch for a long time. I don’t particularly get along with dwarves all that well, but, I think this village, if it’s the one I'm thinking about, is okay,” Alina explained.

  "I see,” Rita said.

  When Valeria came back, a hulking man with a large beard, brawny shoulders, and long hair came forward. He looked at Kek, and Kek knew immediately that this was the chief, and sure enough, Valeria was his daughter.

  8

  The silence shared at this point felt awkward to say the least. But then, Kek spoke.

  "Hello there,” he said.

  "You’re Kek, right? My daughter told me your group saved her,” he said.

  "We did. She got attacked by a bear. Faye here was the one who dealt the final blow to get the bear off Valeria,” Kek explained.

  "Thank you very much. My daughter is an adventurous one, and I do let her explore the land, but sometimes she gets herself into trouble,” the chief explained.

  "I figured.”

  "I’m Godwain. You’re more than welcome to stay the night here,” he said.

  Kek felt honored. The group walked into the village, and it was the first time Kek had ever seen a place like this. It was huge, with many different dwarves nearby. There was a small hole, with a group of dwarves coming out of there with gems in their hands, along with a wagon full of coal. They rushed over to the chief, holding it in their hands.

  "Godwain, we have gems!”

  “Very good! We can use this to forge weapons,” he said.