by Tao Wong
Richard comes back, looks at the Dwarves, and I have to repeat the explanation.
He nods before gesturing out of the city. “Jason says he’ll be happy for us to hunt around Carcross. We’re, of course, welcome to stay. However, he and Gadsby won’t be leaving the town. In fact, Gadsby is taking a page out of our book and is busy training up more people.”
I frown. “So who do we have?”
“Rachel, Aiden, Amelia, and the three of us,” Richard answers immediately. “We really need the Yerick.”
I find myself nodding with Mikito. I almost consider going over to see if I can wheedle Jason a bit to come with, but that’s probably a bad idea. He’s stepping up, trying to fill in the gap left by his mother’s death. Asking him to join us on a dungeon delve when he’s turned us down already is just selfish.
“Okay. Let’s hunt,” Mikito says before suiting actions to words and climbing into the truck.
I blink, startling at the abrupt transition before I sigh and roll Sabre around. Lady’s right. We might as well do what hunting we can.
After a brief discussion, we decide against hunting for meat and go for the kill—looting for System-generated items without picking up the corpses, outside a few bodies that I dump into my Altered Space because they’re too good to leave aside. Instead, we focus on clearing as large an area as we can.
Funny thing—Lightning Squirrels are really easy to deal with when they aren’t backed up by a Boss and you’ve got a trio of fast-moving, savage dogs. We even manage to track down a pair of other Bosses. The first Orel kills, dropping from the sky to latch his claws around the Boss’s hairy, ape-like body and lifting it into the sky. The ape-creatures the Boss was directing become a lot easier to deal with without its leadership. We’re in the midst of mopping them up when Orel drops their leader’s body into the group, splattering them and us with its innards. I have a feeling we’re not getting a Christmas card from Jane Goodall this year.
The second Boss fight is probably one Mikito never wants to be reminded of. Snow Geese are evil, nasty, vicious creatures and that was before they were evolved by the System. We end up standing back to back as they literally try to shit us to death, their waste being not only toxic to the touch but to the smell. I was fine in my Sabre, completely sealed away from the smell. Richard had a resistance he gained from his class—I guess when your puppies are the size of a pony, their excretions are spectacular too. Mikito spent the entire fight puking her guts out with Bella curled up next to her though.
Luckily, I could throw Sabre’s shield over her body to ensure none of the waste landed on her directly while she was incapacitated. Richard and I spent the rest of the fight using our respective firearms to cripple the birds, bringing them down low enough for the puppies to finish them off.
Orel and Ali took care of the Boss in the air while we dealt with the minions. The aerial dogfight was rather amazing to watch, since we really couldn’t do much to help. The Boss might be tough, poisonous, and fast, but it didn’t stand a chance against Orel once its minions were whittled down.
All in all, it took us over a day and a half to get everything sorted and roll back into Whitehorse. When we get back, I find Capstan a bit grumpy with me. I guess leaving a note asking him to speak with me and not being in town for a few days could be considered bad manners, but he gets over it pretty fast when I tell him about the dungeon. When I explain how I found it and why, he gets grumpy again until I point out that Mikito and Richard were my original party. Yeesh! You’d think a guy who’s nearly ten feet tall and can bench press a tank would be less sensitive.
At the end of the day though, he agrees to come along. I can understand that entirely—the experience bonus from completing a dungeon the first time, along with the first completion bonus, is significant. I understand that motivation; after all, I’m so close to hitting level 30.
After that, it’s all about coordinating our schedules.
Chapter 14
“All right, listen up, people. I know you’ve all heard this before, but try to pay attention and hold your questions till the end.” I find myself standing in front of the group, giving the last-minute briefing before we head into the dungeon a couple of days later. I’m fully armed and armored, including being in Sabre in full mecha mode. “We don’t know how big this dungeon is. We don’t know how many floors there are. We don’t know what kind of monsters there are beyond the Frakin. We do know that the Frakin are mid-50s to low-60s and swarm.”
When I stop, Ali takes over, waving. A small image appears in front of everyone with the Shop-purchased data on the Frakin, though he summarizes for the slow readers. “The Frakin are highly resistant to poison, extreme cold, and high temperatures, and yes, carbon dioxide poisoning. Fire and Ice spells will be less useful than normal, and their chitin requires significant force to pierce, so crushing attacks are best.” He nods to the Yerick, who have switched out their usual axes for giant hammers. “Beam weapons work but are, again, resisted.”
I wave at Capstan. “Capstan is leading this group. He’s got the most experience at hitting dungeons, so he’ll be in overall command. Nelia’s second, then it’s me, Tahar, Richard, Mikito, and Aron in that order. If you aren’t out yet by the time Aron is dead, I’d recommend running like hell.”
There are a few grim laughs at that. Rachel and Aiden look a bit green, while Amelia seems unperturbed to be left out of the list.
I wait for everyone to calm down before I look around the group, my voice hardening. “This is the toughest dungeon we’ve run across, and it’s quite possible we might not be able to clear it yet. There’s no shame about backing out, and if anyone feels like it’s time to pull out, we’ll do so. This isn’t a game—we get no respawns.”
The humans, of course, nod at that. The Yerick mostly look confused but nod along to the sentiment. I nod to Capstan, and he takes over.
“The Redeemer shall be on point with Tahar and Mikito behind him. The dogs and I shall be the second line while Nelia and the mages and Richard are behind. Lastly, Amelia and Aron are our rearguard. Listen to our orders. Keep your spells and weapons to individual targets unless we tell you otherwise. Questions?”
Amelia raises a hand. “Who’s the Redeemer?”
“That’d be boy-o.” Ali points at me, sniggering.
I sigh and add, “It’s a Title.”
“Oh.” Amelia nods and falls silent.
Seeing no other questions, Capstan nods to me, and I turn and walk into the dungeon entrance. Walk into one limestone cave, you’ve walked into them all. This wasn’t even that large a limestone cavern, about twenty feet by thirty. Stalagmites and stalactites abound, though most are pretty small, leaving the cave relatively barren-looking. At the end of the cave is an exit, which we’d explored and were run off from such a short time ago. On our right, halfway down the cave, is an as-yet-unexplored passageway.
Once I’m inside the first cavern, I open up with luminescent bullets to ensure everyone can see without a problem. We’d debated trying to sneak in, but with such a large group, there really wasn’t a point. While the amount of light some of the bioluminescent moss in the caves provides is enough for the Frakin, it definitely isn’t for us.
Capstan snaps an order to Aron, who moves immediately to the unexplored entrance and drops a small device in front of it. It’s a mini-drone that acts as a combination alarm, weapon platform, and shield generator and will let us know if something tries to flank us. At least, that’s the theory. Our rear secure, he waves me forward and I get moving.
I’m watchful but relaxed, Ali having headed deeper in Spirit mode to keep an eye out for potential trouble. I see the vast glow of red dots in the cave down the passageway, but there’s no movement yet. I raise my hand, reporting in, and Capstan gives me a short nod as we set the first part of the plan into motion. We wait, since it takes time for the drones to get in position.
“John?”
I turn, looking down at the hand that rests light
ly on my armor unnoticed.
Having gotten my attention, Rachel drops it. “Thank you. For trying.”
I flinch slightly, glad she can’t see my face beneath the helmet. I consider Rachel quietly for a moment, her eyes are still sunken and haunted. There’s none of that self-assurance I saw in her when we first met months ago.
I have to ask, “You up for this?”
“I think so,” she replies, her expression firming. “I have to be, don’t I?”
I don’t have time to reply. The drones are finally in place, waiting. Capstan gives a nod, and Aiden pulls an Earthen Wall into place around the entrance. It’s enough to alert the Frakin, and the swarm begins to converge on us. Last time, we managed to make it about three quarters of the way down the first passageway before they swarmed us. If they’d waited till we were actually in the cave, we’d have been dead.
I watch the dots stream toward us on the minimap, wondering when Ali will talk and getting more and more nervous.
The first Frakin are already in the tunnel entrance, all of them clustering around and trying to get to us when he finally sends word. “Now.”
I trigger the drones with a savage grin. These are modified firefighting drones, and instead of water or fire-retardant foam, they’re carrying acid. Nasty stuff that sprays out behind the drones and onto the horde of clustered monsters as they rush us. I almost believe I can hear them scream as the acid eats into their armor and skin. No real time for celebration though, because it’s a short corridor and the first of the Frakin reach us quickly.
The Frakin can only fit three in a line, and that means their greater numbers aren’t as useful. As the monsters rush us, I focus and swing my sword, using Blade Strike to send a screaming blue wave of destruction into my enemies. The Blade Strike shatters carapaces, forcing the monsters to pause long enough for the second Strike to injure and cripple. Their friends don’t wait, clambering over the injured monsters and continuing their headlong rush.
Tahar lets loose a moment later with his beam rifle on full auto. Blueish-white energy plays across the fronts of the monsters, cutting apart shells and cooking exposed flesh. The monsters rushing us don’t care, charging through the beams and my next Blade Strike as if they are nothing, intent on killing us.
“Wall!” roars Capstan.
The mages finally act. Rachel is faster, the ice wall she’s held ready to cast slamming into existence ten meters ahead of us. Aiden backs her wall up with one of made of earth, suddenly cutting the vanguard from the rest of the swarm.
“Charge!” Capstan barks, and Mikito moves.
One second she’s next to us, the next she’s ahead of Tahar, whose rifle has finally run out of charge, and stabbing her polearm into the first monster. The puppies flow without hesitation into the gap that she creates in the line, Max flickering ahead to join Mikito in her attack. Another monster attempts to flank her, and Max bites down, hard, and rips off a leg before flickering back and away from the stinger counterattack. Bella charges in, grabbing the stinger in her System-enhanced teeth and shattering the appendage before retreating backward. Shadow can’t fit in behind the pair, but that’s okay, since its shadow can. When a claw swings at Bella, it gets caught and held by the shadow as the puppy flexes its power.
Tahar rushes down his side, literally running up the side of the wall for a moment to get around the puppies and get to his own target. Capstan takes a much more direct route, launching himself over the frontline, his hammer held between both hands. Blocked, I have no target, so I step backward, letting others get a view while I check on my drones.
All three drones are undamaged, but their payload is empty now. They’ve taken to their secondary orders, which involve sticking as far up on the ceiling as possible at different locations through the cavern. This gives me a wide view of the cavern while drawing the angry Frakin to different spots. Sadly, none of the Frakin are dead from the acid alone, but many of those caught in the overlap of the acid sprays look much the worse for wear. Damn it! We were hoping to reduce their numbers significantly before we had to finish this.
Turning my attention back to the fight in front of me, I see Mikito caught in a claw and smashed into a wall. The monster is crushing her while Bella is kept back by the other claw. The only good news is that Mikito managed to lop off its stinger before it caught her. As I raise the Inlin’s barrel on my arm, an earth spike shoves upward and spears the monster, forcing it to open its claw spasmodically. The distraction is all Bella needs to get in close and rip the offending claw away from its body, ending the monster as a threat.
As the earth spear retracts to give us room to fight, I rush forward, jumping to close the distance. There’s not much clearance, so I’ve got only a moment to judge what is going on before I land. Capstan is fighting two of the monsters, easily holding his own, while Tahar is smashing apart another monster. The other puppies have taken a series of wounds, including a yellowish, deep gash down Max’s side that I don’t like the look of.
I land and open fire with the Inlin, switching to full auto for a moment to spray the monsters and those behind, projectiles drilling through armored carapaces and leaving gaping wounds. Unfortunately, it’s only seconds before I run dry and have to get medieval.
After a sharp whistle, the huskies pull back, letting the mages land a series of fast, targeted spells at the remaining monsters. Their attacks give the melee fighters a moment’s respite, enough for most of us to kill our remaining opponents. A healed Mikito flashes forward to back up Capstan, sliding underneath his swings with ease. We have a few seconds to savor our victory over the vanguard before a claw punches through the earth wall.
Here we go again.
A good thirty minutes later, we’ve had to retreat all the way into the original cavern. Not because we can’t beat the damn Frakin but because the bodies keep piling up such that it gets difficult to fight. We got into a rhythm halfway in, getting comfortable trading people in and out so that no one ran out of Stamina. A lot less of a problem for me and Capstan, but the others had started to slow down as the monsters kept coming and coming.
I even had to light up the entire room once with a Lightning Strike, dumping nearly the entirety of my Mana into the monsters to give us a break. Beautiful thing about electricity—most creatures really can’t move much when you’re frying them.
In the end, no one died and we finally get back into the first cavern. We take the time to rest and loot while Ali and our drones are sent to scout out the exits we’ve found. He can’t go far, not in a dungeon, but between him and the drones, we begin to build a map of the dungeon and the threats we face.
“Capstan?” I wave and send the slowly growing map out to him. I couldn’t get the drones too far from Sabre—the high level of Mana in the dungeon meant that the signal broke down too fast. Technically, the drones all have on-board software that could map the entire dungeon for me, but that’s assuming they don’t run into anything particularly tricky.
The big Yerick stares at the map before he flicks his hand, sending it to Nelia and Richard, while I call the drones back. They’re close to their limit, and if we’re going to make a decision about what to do next, I want them here.
“We doing door number one, two, or three!” Ali intones, pointing at each dark passageway in turn. As he speaks, he lights them up with different colors, though I’m pretty sure that’s only for me.
The large cavern that we rest in has been set up with additional lights by the Yerick and mages, giving us a base we can fall back on if necessary. Following my example from our previous escape, Richard has even taken the time to mine the exit with Claymores and an anti-gravity mine so that if we need to run, we’ve got a bloody distraction.
Capstan shoots the Spirit an annoyed look before he points at door number two. The moment he does so, Aron runs over to the passageway to pull the guard drone back into his inventory. I grunt, mentally making a note to pick some of those up when I can afford it.
As I
walk over to the indicated passageway, I pass by where Amelia and Mikito quietly chat.
“Did Una get mad at you?” Mikito says.
“Yeah, she really hated me leaving. Says that policing is safer than Adventuring any day,” Amelia says huffily. “She doesn’t want to understand that I have to Level to stay ahead of the idiots.”
“I know,” Mikito replies.
Then I’m past the pair, staring into the darkness. I fire a single luminescent orb, watching it light up the passageway. I know why Capstan chose this one—for one thing, there’s actually enough clearance for the Yerick to stand straight. Not much chance of that in Option 3, and Option 1 has a tendency to get tight across the shoulders. Still, I have a bad feeling about this.
“Why aren’t they coming?” Aiden mutters nervously.
Aron hisses at the mage and he shuts up, but I don’t blame Aiden at all. He’s just saying what we’re all thinking.
Where we stand a hundred meters from the next cavern, the Frakin should have heard us by now. They should know we’re here and they should be charging us. Instead, they’re doing nothing, just sitting there. I can’t tell for sure, with the low-light vision of the drones, but there’s something wrong with the way they look, something I can’t exactly put my finger on.
“Redeemer, send Ali to roust them,” Capstan growls finally and I nod, sending the mental request to Ali.
“You know, boy-o, I can get hurt. Goblins, other Spirits, spells, elementals… all those things can injure me,” Ali grumbles, beginning to do his light trick.