by Tony Corden
“Thanks, thank you, Jimmy. I’ll fill you in when there are no electronics.”
“Ok! Just one thing, I need a name. I need something to know who the opposition is.”
“I haven’t heard of them before, but they have a family name. I won’t say it online. But I’ll hint. Ok, that big Malawian guy who runs the shop across the street from you, he has this phrase he yells at kids that steal from him. He says, ‘they’ll be as dead as a’. Now instead of the first letter, use the first letter of the lady who runs the bakery. That’s half the name, the rest you work out.”
“Already done that! Girl, you sure know how to pick your enemies. There aren’t many bigger than them, at least not around here. I want you to call me before you leave there and give me at least an hour. We have your back and from what I hear that ‘we’ is lots and lots of people. I’ll put extra people on your parents and brother. Take care!”
“I will! Thanks, Jimmy, Bye!”
Leah spent the next two hours finishing the three college subjects she hadn’t yet done. She did an extra hour of Chemistry tutorial as Leah felt it was her weakest subject; for her, this meant she didn’t always have the answer the instant she wanted it. She spent the last forty minutes wondering what she could do about the Kodomans if they came after her in real life.
Precisely at 11.30, Leah logged in to the Basement of the castle. Everyone except James logged in within ten seconds of Leah. James finally logged in at 11.37. He immediately apologised and said he had got caught up in a talk with his brother and it wouldn’t happen again. Leah checked everyone was ready and they stepped through the portal.
On the other side, they appeared on a rocky path with two cliffs on either side that seemed to meet maybe thirty or forty metres above their heads. It was a cave system but not with tunnels. It looked like naturally occurring caves with twists and turns.
Atherleah, you and your companions have entered the Special Instance Dungeon of Sumuk the Slime Queen at Gumus.
The starting level for the MOBs in this dungeon has been set at 51 as this is your group’s mean level on entry. There are five levels to the dungeon, and the final boss level has been increased from +10 to +15. Queen Sumuk is currently at Level 66. Remember, there are several additional challenges beyond the normal. Enjoy!
There was a low ambient light, and everyone except for Leah and Zack either cast a spell or had one cast on them so they could see better in the dark. Leah equipped Merdiven and nodded to Amy to begin scouting. Before Amy had taken more than a few steps Leah started to practice Echolocation, to see if she could sense the slimes or goblins which were supposed to infest the cave system. Thad and Zack were operating their mining skills just in case there was anything to mine.
Leah cast the spell and could see a shadow form of what was up ahead. It was superimposed on her sight and went further than she could see. The effect only lasted for a few seconds, but the spell was simple to cast and used only a small percentage of Leah’s Mana. Amy was ten metres ahead and being careful. Leah cast Echolocation and saw the shadow of something on the wall maybe ten metres in front of Amy and five metres above her head. Leah knew slime didn’t like electricity, so she pointed the hand that was holding Merdiven and cast Chain Lightning. Instead of the small bolt of lightning that she'd intended, a bar of lightning the diameter of her wrist shot out of Merdiven and struck the slime, it changed direction and arced down the path zigzagging from slime to slime until it was out of sight. The bar of light was superimposed on Leah’s eyes, and she couldn’t see anything for several minutes. If the swearing by Thad and Zack were anything to go by, no one else could see either.
She checked her log, and sure enough, there was a message, Merdiven had given another helping hand:
Merdiven casts Thunderbolt Chain
Cost: 13700MP, 14980KP, (13000MP and 14000)KP from Merdiven
You have killed 15 Malachite Slime (15 x 4900) and 9 Cave Goblins (9 x 5100)
Experience Points Received 30284 (+24%) (64753/76000)
[Group - Proportional Share of Base Figure]
After explaining what happened, she checked Merdiven and saw that he still had several thousand MP and KP left. When they moved forward and harvested what little was left of the slimes, she collected scrolls for the Thunderbolt Chain spell, but she wasn't at a high enough level to use them. Each Slime gave the following when harvested:
You have harvested:
2 Vials of Cave Slime Poison*
1 Thunderbolt Chain Spell
1 Cave Slime Crystal (Malachite)**
* Note: These are often used by Healers, Alchemists and Assassins
** Note: These are used by Mages, Alchemists and Enchanters
Altogether Merdiven had cleared about 500 metres of the pathway for that was how long they kept finding the remains of goblins and slimes. After they had found twenty-four, then they once more became careful. Leah had used a ‘restore KP’ potion, and a ‘restore MP’ potion and so was ready to continue practising Echolocation. Amy suggested that the group be a little closer to her and that next time they gently call out that there was a MOB. The next time Leah saw a shadow she gently called Amy.
MALACHITE SLIME (Level 53) 5500HP 4900EP
It was about the size of a hippopotamus and a vibrant green colour when they shone a light on it. Slimes were known to be hard to kill; cutting and bashing did little damage. They all had an inner crystal which was the equivalent of their heart or nerve centre; if this was removed or destroyed the Slime died. Often, swordsmen would hack bits off until the crystal was isolated. Electricity also worked as it seemed to daze the slimes and allow for people to evade them and bring a more focused attack. Slimes reacted to the other elements in a variety of ways. Sometimes fire destroyed them, and sometimes it energised them. Most slimes had a form of ranged attack which included spitting poison or acid. It was the mages who would most likely shine against the slimes.
After identifying the Malachite Slime, both Thad and Zack resumed looking for something to mine. James and Wisp stood at a distance and played Paper-Scissor-Rock to see who would start tossing various elements at the slime to discover what worked. They knew electricity did, but that might have been the sheer magnitude of Merdiven’s spell. James won and got to go first; he tried his small plasma dart. The Slime sizzled and dropped from the wall and then began moving toward James. Wisp tried a water spell, but the slime grew in size. James blasted it with light which reflected off it. It suddenly spat at them and hit James on the leg. Wisp used an Electric Bolt which seemed to daze it. Leah intoned “Let the earth tighten its bonds!” and the slime shrunk in size and began to harden so that it was hardly moving, she cast Changing Attraction again, this time it shrunk and solidified.
Thad looked at it and said, “I can mine that!”
Taking his pick, he swung several times and with each swing, some of the hardened slime flaked away. Finally, it broke open, and inside was a Malachite Gem. Leah checked, they had also received the EP for killing it, but nothing else could be harvested.
James said, “Well it looks like electricity and earth magic. Next time make it less dense and see if we can blow it up.” He had healed himself but was a little dismayed that he hadn’t fazed the slime.
Leah said, “We still have some nature spells to try. Wisp has the spell Ensnare, and I have something called Wait Awhile. But if it makes you happy we will also try and blow one up.”
They kept moving and with Leah’s Echolocation and Amy now knowing what to look for they easily dealt with the occasional slime and goblin. The nature spells didn’t work but reducing the density did. When the slime’s density was reduced, it lost cohesion, morphed into a poisonous cloud and moved toward them. James’ plasma dart worked on the cloud, and it exploded, sending them all tumbling. They decided not to try it again. Finally, they came to an area where the rift in the rock opened into a wide open canyon almost 100 metres across. In the middle and blocking the path was an enormous slime, at least three
metres in every dimension:
MALACHITE SLIME MOTHER (Level 62) 8000HP 5500EP
Surrounding the slime were cave goblins, and they were feeding the slime and taking small sections that dripped off the slime and releasing them on the canyon walls. There were hundreds if not thousands of the tiny slime. Leah checked one, and it read:
MALACHITE SLIME (Level 1) 100HP 25 EP
Other goblins were harvesting small amounts of slime and dripping it into vats. The vats were taken away and used as a food source by the Goblins. This was their farm and here was the first Boss. Altogether there were thirty Goblins, and as with many dungeons, there was a conceivable pattern to their movements, as their attack was based more on distance than sight. This was helpful as the team could attack smaller groups one at a time. And this is what happened.
Thad moved forward and attracted six goblins which they killed easily, and he went to get another six. This was much easier than the mine, and all of them finished with full health.
Leah intoned Let the earth tighten its bonds, and the mother slime shrunk in size and hardened, a bar appeared above the slime, and it had dropped to 80%. Leah cast the spell again, and as the bar passed the 75% mark the Mother Slime vibrated, and ten slimes appeared out of cracks in the wall and moved toward the group. Leah and Wisp used electricity, and then as a group, they avoided the slimes until Leah had reduced them all to rocks. While this had been happening, the Mother Slime had begun eating the floor beneath her and grown in size, her health had increased from 60% to 70%. Leah again cast Changing Attraction, and the Malachite Slime's health dropped to 50%, and as it did it spat poison out, in every direction. Every member of the group was hit, and it took a healing potion and some hard work by James and Wisp before everyone was stable.
While this happened, the Slime had eaten more of the floor and was even larger than its original size, and far more solid. Its health was at 65%. Leah cast again, and this time they all ran away as it passed 50% and avoided the poison. Two casts later and the Mother Slime’s health passed 25% and this time when it vibrated all the thousands of slime on the wall dropped down and began inching toward the group. They were surrounded. Leah cast the spell in front of them, and a whole swathe of the baby slime disappeared, and the floor was covered in pebbles. She continued to do this as she watched the Mother Slime. When the Mother Slime hit 20%, she cast again, and this time the entire slime hardened into a solid. Leah finished off the baby slime, while Thad and Zack hacked away at the huge boulder that the Mother Slime had become; then she joined them. The other three worked at sweeping up the tiny pebbles and collecting them all. Leah took a break from dealing with the Mother Slime and went and mined the Malachite from all ten larger slime that appeared at 75%. After finishing them, she returned to the Mother Slime. Finally, after almost forty-five minutes of constant work they reduced the boulder to dust and at the centre of the pile was a spherical piece of Malachite about the size of a basketball.
Under the rubble they also found a small hollow which contained a chest:
You have opened the Malachite Slime Mother’s Treasure Chest:
60 Copper Coins minted with an image of the Queen Sumuk the Slime Queen at Gumus
6 Vials of Malachite Essence*
* Note: This is highly prized by Dwarven Master Craftsmen (Leather, Wood and Metal)
The next four levels were defeated the same way. If they had not had Leah’s spell, none of them was convinced they would have succeeded, and they understood why the dungeon was considered hard. Each of them tried to finish a slime with an arrow or sword, but it was tiring and dangerous. The only other method they found was to freeze the slime. Then they could smash it and remove the Cave Slime Crystal, but these crystals weren’t as precious as the actual gems.
The other three mini-bosses had given up basketball sized gems of Topaz, Tourmaline, and White Opal. The final boss, the Queen, had started as a 100 cubic metre swirling mix of colours, green, blue, violet and white. The crystal she left behind was a beach ball sized gem with streaks of all the colours swirled together like an amazing marble. It had taken the three miners two-and-a-half hours to break her apart. They had to roll the various gems into the mining bags Leah had asked for. These were enormous infinity bags for miners. Leah had planned to empty whole carts of ore, but the Goblin Silver mine had not had any carts that needed the special bags.
As well as all the EP they gained, they had the Platinum, Gold, Silver and Copper Coins from the mine and an astounding number of gems and micro-gems, and vials of various essence. Before opening the Queens treasure chest, Leah took a luck potion, and as well as the various coins and vials there was a weapon suitable for each of them. Thad got a huge two-handed sword with six empty slots in which to add characteristic crystals. Zack received a dwarven chain mail shirt which added twenty to his strength. Amy received a recurve bow which shot silver tipped arrows for use when facing the undead or vampires. James got a staff which amplified spells when charged. Wisp received a pair of gloves which could hold a pre-cast spell in each of the four fingers. Leah’s gift was a pair of silver knives which were not only useful against the unholy but transferred half the HP damage they did to Leah.
When they defeated the queen a door appeared and after they harvested everything Leah placed her hand on the palm print, and they were returned to the Octagonal room. Tired but ecstatic they agreed to meet at 7.30 am Dunyanin time, which was in just four hours from then.
Diary - 24 November 2073
It's been a strange experience working in a team. I remember working with Jimmy and his boys when I was younger but that was more individuals acting together, either that or I was too young to appreciate the others. Even with this one day of working together, I see how having people around you with a common goal, people you trust, improves the outcome significantly. What would have been possible if I had had others at school, all of us working toward the future? Maybe I wouldn’t have been lonely, or tired the whole time. And how much of that is my fault and how much is it the fault of a system which aims to isolate people rather than bring them together.
I imagine this is why so many people join the gangs. The find themselves a part of something bigger, more stable. Something that counters their weaknesses and makes use of their strengths. Like when Zack and Thad step forward to protect the group knowing that James and Wisp have their backs. I need to let them find their place in the group. I must remember not to do something that stops the others from reaching their potential. How do I do that at the same time as reaching mine? Must I give up my growth for them, or is it more a matter of seeing how to grow together; Seeing that, when ‘we’ grow and improve, then ‘I’ grow and improve as well.
The same thing with Jimmy. He needs me, and I need him. Separately we would survive, but together we can actually do more than just survive. I wonder what my dad’s group is. Mum has the church, her faith gives her meaning, and she really loves those people. But what about dad? Does he have friends that he can lean on or is he like me, does he try and do it all alone? Now, Conner, he has loads of friends. I’m actually worried his friends aren’t good for him but is that my fault. He’s family and I worry now that I haven’t been there to help him when he needs someone to come alongside and help him when he needs it.
Mum’s always been there for me, and so has dad. Have I been there for them? When am I old enough to have to be there for my parents?
CHAPTER TWO
November 25, 2073 A
With almost four real-time hours before she needed to get back to Dunyanin, Leah asked Gèng about deep-sleep and if she had had enough. She was feeling tired, and her muscles were sore again. He suggested she have an hour of deep-sleep before doing anything else. She woke feeling better but still had some aches, especially in her shoulders and thighs.
She was concerned about the Kodomans and checked if Gèng had heard from the security AIs. No new information was available, so finally, she let it go. After a late snack, she sat and worked with
Gèng on the layout of the tower. She also read through the various spells, guides and forums associated with the Odyssey. Gèng had constructed a dojo for her in which to practice her sword forms, and she spent an hour Pod-time moving through the six forms in various orders. Gèng asked if there was any way to help and she suggested it throw different sized balls at various heights and speeds toward her; she practised cutting them with the sword. Afterwards, she used the dojo to practice her Tai Chi.
After another meal and a long warm shower, Leah was focussed and ready to complete the ‘Journey'. As she logged in she also realised she was looking forward to being in the group again; she was glad to have some friends. James was already there; he said he was so worried from the previous experience that he'd logged in early. Everyone else was on time. They checked their supplies and reorganised their bags. Leah had left the four massive gems and most of the loot in the Tower.
When everyone was ready, they turned to the third door, and Leah placed her hand on it. They materialised on a rocky mountain ledge from which they could see a large town in the distance; they assumed it was Altin. There was no way that they could see to get off the ledge and it would have been an amazing feat to climb here, but as Leah could attest, there were unfound quests and dungeons all over the place. Looking around carefully, they finally saw a hole in the floor of the ledge. Carefully, one by one, they lowered themselves into the opening; arriving in a dark hollow with a portal visible. Leah stepped forward into the portal, followed by the rest.
They found themselves at the top of a massive mine hollowed out of the mountain. It was cylindrical and covered in wooden scaffolding. In front of them was a wooden pathway which circled the mine in a clockwise direction slanting downwards. With each circuit, it fell ten metres. They couldn’t see the bottom of the deep shaft, but they could see over twenty circuits as the pathway wound towards the bottom. There were elevators with pulleys and ropes jutting out and connected to the scaffolding. They could see goblins working and moving in and out of tunnels drilled in the side of the shaft. The mine was huge.