Return to Dungeon_A Monster MC LitRPG

by MJ Kaltenbrunner

  15

  So, had he done it? Had he charmed her?

  The look on the fairy’s face changed, and she blushed and turned her head away. “I have to tell you that I, I'm … I have a boyfriend.”

  "Okay? That's fine." Kek found her response odd, because the charm had worked. And he didn't entirely believe that she had a romantic partner. If she did, wouldn't he want to come with her, or perhaps go in her place? And why were the fairies allowing a young female to go by herself? He had a feeling there was more to this than met the eye, but he didn't know how to go about asking the right questions to get the answers he wanted. "Okay then, can you tell me which skill I should choose?" he asked, deciding to change the subject before it got even more awkward and embarrassing for them both.

  At that, Faye’s face lit up and it seemed she had just been invited to enter what her element: magic. "Oh yes, I would love to. It's an honor to be asked by someone who clearly needs guidance. I haven't been able to help anybody yet, being stuck in here. Fairies are known for helping and guiding special creatures, which you might be aware of. A muck fairy is really not that different from other fairies, we just like to live in different sorts of places, like in forests or sometimes caves, but not in dangerous dungeons, of course. Anyway, I'm sorry for talking so much, but I really am excited about this." She didn't need to say she was excited, because the fact that she was fluttering about left and right like she just had way too much strong tea was enough to tell Kek that. "So," she continued, "do you mind if I look at what your options are? I do have the ability to see your HUD, but only if you allow me the honor.

  “What’s that word mean? I'm sorry, but—"

  “Oh, of course. Sorry for assuming. I forget that not everyone is born into magic like us. HUD means heads up display. It might sound kind of complicated, but really, it's just the information that some magic users see that lets them kind of peek under the veil of reality, if you will. And it’s located right in front of your head in your field of vision." She giggled a little as though she just told a hilarious joke. It seems that fairies also found s dry things funny.

  “Okay, sure.” Kek didn't have a problem with it, and he didn't seem to have a lot of choice in the matter, anyway.

  “Great!” Faye furrowed her brow for a moment, and there was a warm rushing sensation going through Kek's mind, as though it was flowing from him. It must've been the magical energy transferring between them. He didn't mind sharing with such a cute fairy.

  “Okay then,” she said. “Oh, great! You must choose swimming. Swim, yes that's the only one you need right now, I promise. Although these other ones are pretty good, I think you should collect them later.”

  “Really?” Kek was instantly deflated. Although he was a bit unsure about the eclectic style of skills he'd been offered, swimming was not the first thing he would've chosen for a dungeon. “Are you sure I shouldn't choose something that will make me better at fighting? Even light would be very handy, don't you think?”

  “Oh, for sure, but I can cast light for you for now. And I guarantee you will need to know how to swim soon. If it's being offered as a skill, then you obviously don't already have it, which means—do you know how to swim already?”

  “No.”

  “That's fine, I'm not much of a swimmer either, but I guess I don't really have to be when I can just fly above the water right?” She smiled and let out a little laughing sound again. When she did so, she put her hands together and twisted her body slightly as though she was very nervous. Then, she continued, “Below the area of the dungeon we’re in now is a river that they call The Inky Death. They call it inky because it's so dark that most creatures become lost if they’re not super careful. And I think you can guess why it's called death. So, The Inky Death. If you don't know how to swim, there’s a good chance you won't get through.”

  She had a good point. “Okay then,” said Kek with distinct disappointment in his voice. It was hard to cover up how he felt. “I’m going to trust you on this.”

  “Great!” She started to flutter about again with excitement. “Trust me, trusting me is always a good idea. My people are known for their honesty and loyalty. And I happen to like you already, so the last thing I want is for something bad to happen to you, even if I didn't need you to help my people.” This fairy seemed to have a good sense of leadership to go with her natural wisdom. Those were two things that Kek wished he had. Having her along for his journey, however short he hoped it would be, seemed like a very good idea.

  “All right,” said Kek. He thought about swimming, and suddenly the skill of Swim began to flash. Another section of writing showed up that had been invisible before. It said Skills at the top. Beneath that were the following skills: Start Fire, Cat-like Reflexes, Infravision, Affinity with Canines, Iron Stomach, Gamer, Swim. These were all his noteworthy skills, and it made him feel like a baby to see them presented in such a tiny list.

  “Why is one of my skills called gamer?” he asked Faye.

  “Right, that's because that's what you are now. You know how to look at the mechanics of reality and use your knowledge to manipulate the system. If somebody is gaming the system, it means they’re manipulating it so the odds are in their favor. Also, they can get what they want, right? Well, you’re a gamer of reality. Cool, huh?”

  Kek nodded emphatically as he realized how much he liked the idea. It had never really made sense at first. "Alright—I am a gamer then."

  “And an especially dexterous one at that. Don't worry,” said Faye, “I can tell you're disappointed that you don't have any cool powers or skills yet. Those will come. Part of this gaming power means the you fully understand yourself as well. When other people gain life experience, it often just goes to waste because they don't how to use it. But when you get experience, from something like killing that slime, for example, you get to choose new skills. That's not something that anyone can do without having some very specific types of magic. You can realize your full potential, Kek. As a magical fairy, I can completely appreciate how amazing and cool that is!”

  “Cool? How does that make me cold? You sure do have a strange way of saying things, Faye. But that's okay. I'm kind of strange too, in case you hadn't noticed.”

  “Oh, I would've never thought a blue dog-man was strange.” Giggling again, Faye flew away and waved her hand after her to indicate that Kek should follow. "I think we should get going, don't you?" She was right.

  As they went back down toward where the fairies had been hanging out, Kek started to feel all those tiny eyes on him again. It wasn't that he was worried about fairies, but he didn't like the idea of anything watching him without him being able to watch it back. Without paying too much attention, Kek followed his quest arrow. And then he realized he hadn't actually read his quest. I was really something he should have done. “Do you think we could just stop for a moment, so I can take a look at this quest?” he asked after they'd been walking into the blackness for a few minutes. It seemed like these passages just went on and on.

  Faye seemed a little bit crestfallen. “Oh, don't you trust me? I was just going to take us where we need to go. I was going to help you first before we went to find the item that I need. It's in an out-of-the-way place, but it's not going to be nearly as dangerous as where you need to go.”

  “Really? Wouldn't you rather go and get this item of yours first?”

  “I wouldn't want to take my reward before giving you your payment, so to say.”

  That seemed very strange, and Kek just looked at her in the very dim light of the illuminated mushrooms around them. There were less of them here, and it was very hard to read what she might've been thinking.

  Apparently, the silence was all too much for her, because she suddenly burst out, “Okay! There really is a special item—it's a crystal shard my elders were carrying back to our homeland where it could be reformed with the other crystal shards of our people. We could spend hours here with me telling you all about the history of this,
but all you need to know is that we need the crystal shard back before we can leave. If we go back home without it, we are not going to be very welcome. The only creatures who can touch the crystal shard are muck fairies, so it’s not in danger. Truthfully, I want to go with you first. After what you did for us back there and how brave you were about it …”

  “Yes?” asked Kek, trying to stifle enthusiasm so he didn't scare her out of confessing whatever she was thinking.

  “Well, I thought you seemed really neat, and cool, and that's why I volunteered to go with you. It took a lot of convincing for the elders to let a young female like me go along with you. But I am still owed my right of passage, and this is quite suitable.

  “So, you wanted to come along with me so that you could have this rite of passage? To prove yourself to the other fairies?”

  “Yes,” she responded meekly.

  “And I really don't know what cool or neat means in this context. Cool means cold, right? And neat is when you tidy things up, like if you have a desk full of potions and you organize them. What does that have to do with me?”

  Faye burst out into laughter and continued doing so for what seemed like minutes. Every time she seemed like she was going to stop, her voice teetered off into her delicate little flutter, she took one look directly at Kek and his own very confused expression, took in a big breath, and then burst out into laughter all over again.

  Kek certainly wasn't mad, but he was starting to feel self-conscious, as though it was naïve

  Finally, Faye stop laughing long enough to say something to him. Trying to get her breath and wiping tiny tears away from her beautiful eyes, she said, "I guess you really don't use the same lingo as us, do you? Yes, that's what neat means, but it can also mean that you like someone or something, you think that it's good a fun, or you know, like, cool? Oh … and cool, that means that you think something’s, well — you think it's really neat. You think it's nice. Something that you really like. Oh, uh, hmm … that's not to say that I really like you or anything. Never mind!”

  It was Kek's turn to blush, and he was glad his face was covered with blue hair that could hide the redness of his cheeks. “You like me? Isn't that a little bit strange, given that we only just met? I'm getting nervous here.”

  “I guess when you're a magical creature, you kind of just have to go with your emotions. Don't worry. I know you probably just thinking that I'm a kid or something. I'm eighteen years old, I'll have you know. Eighteen in fairy years, anyway. That means I'm an adult, and that's why the elders agreed to let me have my right of passage. In human years, I'm much older. I'd rather not say how many years, if it's all the same to you.”

  “I still think I should just have a quick look at the quest. I need to learn how to read these mechanics and this HUD, or whatever it's called, right? After the fairy didn't disagree, Kek focused on the display.

  16

  The quest that the leader fairy had given him was short and concise:

  Your fellow kobolds have been moved from the dungeon entrance because they were needed for a new creation the dungeon lord has been working on for some time. You don't know what they're being used for, but you know that they are way down on a low level. Good luck! You'll need it.

  “Well, that wasn't exactly as informative as I thought it would be.”

  “I'm sorry they’ve been moved. We really don't know what is being done with them, or to them …” Faye suddenly seemed to shrink in on herself at the mention of the possibility of suffering.

  Kek made a mental note to remember that she might be more fragile than she let on. He might need to take care of her.

  She continued, “I do know how to get there … most of the way, anyway. The dungeon lord and his boss monsters are often changing around the layout of the dungeon and what different areas are used for. They're always trying to figure out how to be eviler, it would seem. I try not to think about what they are up to most of the time, and just thank my lucky stars that we’re up top and we don't have to venture down there. Plus, it's really easy to hide when you're a muck fairy, especially in a dark dungeon.”

  “So, what's the next level like?” asked Kek.

  “Well it certainly isn't much fun,” replied Faye. “Let's just say that you will be glad you chose that swimming skill, or you would be up the river without a paddle, so to say.” She barely even laughed at her own joke that time, which told him she meant business.

  After walking on a slight decline for what seemed like forever, they finally came to a dead stop. They had almost just about run out of mushrooms as well, and there were only a few tiny ones around. It was barely enough to light up that way.

  “There's something I’ve been wondering,” Kek said. “Can you see in the dark, are you just going the right way by memory?”

  Even though it was very dark, it was easy to tell that she was smiling from the sound of her voice. “Okay, you really do make me laugh sometimes. No, I can't see in the dark, but I do have infravision, just like you. At least, I assume you have it. I guess I just know that dogs have it. So do a lot of other creatures. Oh, not that I intended to say you’re a dog or anything. Never mind.”

  And with that, Faye cast her hands in the air, and a ball of light came from them. It moved into the air just behind her and stayed there, hovering by itself. As she continued forward, the little ball followed her on its own. “See,” she said, “I told you I could cast a light spell for both of us. Now then, shall we head into The Inky Death?” Her cheery disposition and delicately sweet voice didn't seem to do the name justice.

  Kek’s hidden doubt and worry did it more than enough justice, though. His imagination was starting to conjure up things that might crawl out from the water to make a meal out of him. He hated water. “You know, I've never actually swam anywhere before. I hope that this skill actually works.”

  “Just follow me, and we should be fine. Someone’s sure to have left a boat or something here, so don't worry about it. I don't expect you to actually swim through The Inky Death on your first foray into the world of aquatics. I'm not a meanie.”

  And then Kek smelled it. Water, and lots of it. It seemed they had reached the shores of The Inky Death, the river that had built up so greatly in his little kobold mind, and he'd only known about it for about half an hour. “Why do you expect to find any boats? Who leaves them, anyway?”

  Faye was fluttering about over the water. “Adventurers, minions, you name it. Wait here,” she said. “I'll be fine. Oh, and you'll be fine too! Just stay out of the water until I get back. Stay away from the water altogether actually, back way up from the shore.”

  As he watched her beautiful little form flitter away, Kek’s doubts were not exactly put to rest by the way she seemed so afraid of having him near the water without her guidance. As each minute went by, he was sure something was about to lunge out of the water to chase him down and drag him into its inky depths.

  But she soon came back, and she had a thin rope in her hands, which seemed quite bulky in comparison to her small frame. She was moving slowly and having trouble pulling it along, but there certainly was an abandoned raft behind her. “Okay,” she said. “Climb aboard, and let's hope this thing is seaworthy.”

  Kek was terrified, but he forced himself to walk up to the raft as it came across upon the shore. He stepped out with his eyes close and onto its large wooden frame. It didn't look like much more than a bunch of logs tied together with cross sections to bolster it. At the back there was an oar attached that could be used to both steer and propel the rickety craft. “Okay,” he said, “I'll take the oar at the back.”

  “And I'll keep a lookout.” They made their way down the water rather slowly, but it was also uneventful. After a full hour, Kek finally asked, “How long did you say this river was?”

  Laughing again, Faye responded. “Oh, I didn't actually tell you. Let's just say it's quite long. It's used as a deterrent for dungeon-diving parties and to stop unwanted creatures from coming down h
ere. While the dungeon lord is a big and power being, he still as his own worries, I guess. Even bad monsters are afraid of being killed by even worse monsters, when it comes down to it.”

  “You mean like humans?” Kek asked without giving it much thought.

  “You got it.”

  They traveled in silence for some time after that. Something started to rock the raft. “What's going on?” Kek asked Faye, who was now flying again.

  She had been sitting down on the raft and letting her wings have a rest but took to the air quickly. The ball of light followed her. “I don't know, but I can't get my wings wet, or I won't be able to fly until they properly dry out. Please don't let me get wet.”

  The raft moved again, and Kek stumbled and fell, causing the raft to tip behind him. The thing went up and landed on the wrong side. Since it was pretty much the same on both top and bottom, that didn't have much effect on its buoyancy.

  “Oh drat!” she cried out. “I can try to get it back.”

  “I don't think you'll be able to unless you go underwater and get that line. It was on the other side and is probably trailing under the water right now. If you get your wings wet and end up drowning because of me, I don't think I'll be able to forgive myself.”

  There was a strong current helping them move, and with the raft having such a larger surface area, the water moved it along more quickly than Kek. Faye had to fly along behind him to stay with him and keep a light above him.

  “Please stay up in the air where you’re safe.” Kek was surprised by his own ability to take charge and delegate orders, as well is being so selfless. He would've been proud of himself if he wasn't so afraid of whatever was lurking in that black river of death. Maybe the name was just there to scare people, but how many dungeon-diving adventurers knew that it was called The Inky Death? It couldn’t have been much of a deterrent if people didn’t know about it, right?