Underworld - Through the Belly of the Beast: A LitRPG Series

by Apollos Thorne

  The dwarves seemed to work endlessly as they built the forge. Lydia, our alchemist, was always in her dugout crafting station that looked like a small high school science lab. She did very little fighting unless she had to, but it seemed her tireless work in alchemy gave her a fair amount of experience. She was undoubtedly the lowest level of all the human captives, but still, she had nearly reached level 120, which was pretty impressive for a crafter. Never mess with the lady that plays with poison if you ask me.

  I gave my Skeleton a mental command to head to Lydia’s lab. I always made a point to stop by and say hi to her, but she seemed to feel more comfortable with my minion than me, so I sent it to offer her the drops that might interest her.

  We stopped by Russ, who was gripping a small blade in his tongs that glowed bright orange as he pounded on it with his hammer. Everything was in place. He had a stand set up off to the side with three crafting books lying open atop one another. His furnace was alive with mature coals and each tool was hanging in its place on his tool rack if he wasn’t using it.

  Pooling mana around my eyes to view the magic around me had started to become an obsession. After feeling the connection with mana that came when using Force Learn on Lord Darius the moment before he died, I couldn’t get enough. After the battle, I had feared Blood Drain would cause me to lust for blood like a vampire, but that had proved to be untrue. The true danger was that I couldn’t get the feeling of energizing power out of my mind. The worst part was that magic seemed to be everywhere and in everything.

  I watched Russ as he worked. He wasn’t capable of casting magic, but as he practiced his craft I was able to see the subtle glow that exuded from his large form. I amped the mana I used to 200 mana per minute to use Mana Sight to further enhance my vision. Time seemed to slow as my senses became more aware of the magic around me. To use Force Learn as I had with Lord Darius, where I was sucked into his being in his state of weakness, it took thousands of MP that was necessary to release all at once. I had already tried it on Russ, but I suspected I wasn’t able to connect with the mana inside him because he wasn’t in a weakened state or dying. I could be wrong though. It could have also been that he hadn’t unlocked any school of magic.

  He had once been an overweight teenager that dreamed of little else but games and the fantasies they provided. This place had changed him seemingly overnight. He had shed his body fat and become a small titan of muscle. It wasn’t the shredded muscle that Skyler, our highest melee damage dealer, had, but it was firm and bulky. His genius was in his Constitution. Mixed with his talent for blacksmithing, I didn’t doubt he could wield his hammer non-stop for forty-eight hours straight without having to rest.

  I could see visibly currents of magic flowing through him, which made me suspect this was just how his body channeled the mana he possessed. Though I was barred from seeing everything, I could at least feel the magic as it worked with the muscles in his arm, shoulder and back to lift and direct his hammer. His connection with the hammer was the most interesting part. The magic inside of him didn’t so much as overtake the hammer but joined with it, providing it with fuel and purpose. This wasn’t one of the advanced hammers the dwarves had mentioned that could contain magic, but a simple tool of steel and wood.

  Drawing my eyes away from him, I looked up toward the ceiling. Magic floated about in clouds of dull, translucent color. I knew some of the magic was from the dozen or so light orbs that hung in the air overhead, but the blue and green currents between them and all around were something else entirely. I suspected that all matter possessed magic.

  Turning to Aeris, I saw she was looking at me with her hands on her hips, annoyed.

  Before letting the amount of mana I funneled into Mana Sight diminish, I took a few moments, that would only seem like a second to her, and examined the silvery energy all around her. She had allowed me to do an experiment and I confirmed there seemed to be a barely perceptible breeze coming off of her, but I didn’t know if this was really her magic or air itself. There was so much that we still didn’t know.

  With a sigh, I lowered my eyes to the magic chains of glistening shadow that were fastened around her neck. We each had them. I knew this to be the Mistress’s spell that siphoned our excess energy and transported it back to her. The chain was not perceptible without Mana Sight, but with it active I was able to see them around her neck and magically flowing off into the distance toward the Mistress’s chambers. The walls between us didn’t matter. It passed right through them like they weren’t even there.

  One positive was that since I could see the chains, I would always know where the Mistress was. I didn’t know what use I could make of it, but eventually it might come in handy. Not only could she use it to track us down, but I could use it to find her.

  “Sorry,” I said as I dropped most of the mana from my eyes. I kept 50 mana per minute funneled into the spell even if the mana around me was only barely visible while doing it. Time didn’t slow much with this small amount, so it was worth it. I could still see enough that if there were any strange changes to the magic around us, I should notice it.

  With a nod, Aeris lowered her hands from her hips and turned to Russ. “Hey, big guy!”

  He didn’t stop what he was doing immediately but pounded on the short blade two more times before lifting it from his anvil and examining it. With a nod to himself, he walked over to a thick wooden table, placed his blade in a vice and tightened it until he felt it was secure, then sat his hammer and tongs on the table.

  With a big grin, he looked to Aeris and said, “Hey Aeris! How was the haul?”

  My fist met his in a knuckle bump.

  “Better than the last one, I think,” she replied.

  “Oh?” he asked.

  There were five crates as high as my knee that stood open and that were already filled with different kinds of ore. We both took turns unloading the different kinds we had picked up from the Rock Lizards and putting them in the appropriate bins.

  “It looks like you will soon need more crates,” Aeris continued after unloading her inventory.

  “So it does. Thank you again for clearing the place out,” Russ replied as he looked from crate to crate like a toddler with new toys.

  After saying our farewells, we headed toward the mess hall.

  “You’re really quiet,” Aeris said, brushing up against me as we walked.

  “I’m brooding over what to do next,” I replied.

  She stopped and looked at me like I had lost my bacon. “You can’t say that you’re brooding.”

  Raising a brow, I asked, “Why?”

  “It just sounds weird. You can say that about someone else, but never about yourself. It makes you sound like a teen celebrity trying too hard to say something deep and failing terribly. Besides, the best brooding is done in silence.”

  “I get your point. So, your advice to me is to stop talking? That way my brooding will be more genuine…”

  Aeris crossed her arms across her chest and glared at me.

  Holding my hands up to beg for peace, I added, “I think I just need taquitos to go with my ranch dressing to cheer me up.”

  “I’m sure you do. We should hire an imp to follow us around just to carry all of your snacks,” she replied.

  “You think we could do that?”

  Her glare narrowed to a razor's edge.

  ***

  “Taquitos please!” I called as soon as we entered the mess hall.

  Little had changed here. The eight stone tables with their benches on each side had been pushed closer to the long benchless table at the back of the room that had once held our newbie loaves of bread and water bottles. It was near the counter where our imp friend waited on us. He had proved to be very helpful after my action of warning the Mistress had delivered a bag of coins into his possession. No one else was here except the three of us.

  “’ello, sir!” the flying creature called from behind the counter. “Taquitos it is, with a bowl of ranch
?”

  “Good call.”

  The imp made almost a choking sound as his chest vibrated in response to my compliment. Is he purring?

  We walked through the midst of the tables and up toward the counter. As we did, Aeris asked, “Do you have anything that could lighten a sour mood?”

  She looked at me like I was spoiled meat.

  “I do,” the imp replied as he flew off to the side to prepare my snack in the kitchen.

  “Really?” Aeris asked, looking at him in surprise. “I was teasing, but if you really got something…”

  “Ha!” I said sarcastically.

  “Well,” the imp said from the back as he worked, “I’m not sure you humans could stomach it. The Mistress said that humans are picky eaters.”

  “Oh. I guess that’s true,” Aeris replied. “But since you mentioned it, what is it?”

  “You have a few options. Dried Weat Mushrooms give good dreams but also cause drowsiness. Unprocessed Muck-cow Milk causes euphoria to the point of short-term insanity. Although, if you heat it to a high temperature for about ten seconds, it makes a happy concoction. You can also use Muck-cow Milk to cook with, something like cave-swine hind chops will give you a mild dose without the insanity. There are a few other things, but that is probably your best option.”

  “Did you say cave-swine?” I asked, suddenly more intrigued than grossed out.

  “Yes,” he said, coming around the corner and rejoining us at the counter. “Did you want me to add some to your order? It's more expensive than what you are used to because of the ingredient’s properties.”

  “What are cave-swine exactly?”

  “You are seriously considering this?” Aeris whispered in my ear.

  I gave her a wink.

  “They are similar to what you would think of as pigs, except their first form is about twice as large. They taste very similar, but it’s their ability to absorb the properties of other ingredients that is top of the line.”

  “Interesting,” I said, scratching at my chin. “Two things. What do you mean by their first form and can you make them into bacon?”

  “They have at least two other forms. Their first evolution is into a humanoid type creature that is much smaller than their first form, but they’re fast and vicious with their tusks. They don’t taste very good during their second form. In their third form, they stand about a head taller than you humans and gain intelligence, including the ability to speak. Though I use the term intelligence loosely. They do taste the best in their final form, but it’s hard to come by so they become really expensive. To answer your second question, yes. In their first form, they make excellent bacon.”

  “I’ll take some then.”

  “I think I’m going to be sick,” Aeris said, wiping her forehead with her hand.

  “That’s what I was afraid of,” the imp said. “I’ll give you the Muck-cow Milk in the form of a dressing so that it will have the mild effects I was talking about.”

  “Uh. Okay. How much will it cost?”

  “The taquitos will be 550 coins and the cave-swine bacon with Muck-cow Milk dressing will be 2,200.”

  “2,200?!” I said, taken aback.

  “Yes. I think you will find the effects worth the money,” he replied, making the same purring noise from before.

  “Can’t argue with that.”

  ***

  “You are really going to eat that?” Aeris asked from her side of the table.

  In front of her, she had a plate holding half of the taquitos and a small bowl of ranch. I had the same, but also a separate plate with three large strips of cave-swine bacon. It really smelled like it! The only thing that was obviously different was the size of the strips. Each strip was about the size of my arm in length and three times wider than a normal strip. They were still cut like a thick slice of bacon, so I wouldn’t need monster teeth to eat it.

  The Muck-cow Milk dressing smelled a lot like a creamy alfredo sauce. My interest in it was as piqued as it was by the bacon.

  “Nothing like having bacon for brunch,” I said with a grin.

  “I think it’s still too early for brunch,” Aeris said, sighing.

  I nudged her with my elbow.

  “Here goes nothing,” I announced.

  Picking up my first strip, I took a small bite from one end. The juices that could only be described as bacon filled the back of my throat as I swallowed greedily.

  Looking up at Aeris, I chewed, trying to hide my excitement. The corners of my mouth turned up almost against my will.

  “It’s so good!” I said.

  “Really?” she said, shifting back in her seat.

  “Seriously. I can’t tell the difference.”

  She looked at my plate in suspicion, but also with renewed interest.

  “Go ahead. I won’t tell anyone you ate cave-pig.”

  She didn’t answer but reached toward my plate slowly. Not only did she take a piece, but instead of breaking off a small bite she took an entire strip. She nibbled on one end, then a few seconds later took a larger bite.

  “This really is good,” she said with the food still in her mouth.

  “I’m curious,” I said, focusing my eyes on my plate. I increased the mana flow to my eyes. As the bacon’s mana became clearer, the food before me lit up like little strips of magic goodness. The taquitos also had a certain glow to them, but it was nothing compared to the cave-swine bacon. There really was no color to the mana, meaning it was probably just magical energy that was element neutral. Immediately, I speculated that because Underworld creatures were bred, born and raised around so much magic, their very existence possessed more magic than the creatures from the world above.

  The Muck-cow Milk dressing was just as bright but shone an amber color. Dipping my bacon in it, I took a bite while keeping the mana flowing to my eyes. In moments, the white energy that I saw coming from my own body started to turn the same color as the dressing. I realized in that moment that if we could digest magic and make use of it then this might become a source of power for all of us.

  In my excitement, I almost didn’t realize I had started to feel the effects of the magic of the dressing. I felt my ears and brow perk up and my spirit followed. I let the flow of magic to my eyes lessen as I looked up at Aeris.

  “If you want to feel as beautiful as you look, you need to try this stuff,” I said, genuinely wanting her to experience this.

  “Beautiful, huh?” She leaned forward and put her chin in her hand. “Elorion, are you high?”

  “I think so, but not in the way that you are thinking. My mind is clear,” I said, then looked around the room to test my senses. Nothing swayed or was out of the ordinary. “But my mood is, elevated. It’s more like the effects of caffeine than being drunk. Except it’s not just my energy level that’s peaked. It’s like the magic is flooding my system with a warm feeling.”

  “First you’re brooding and now you’re under a happy spell. Will this day get any stranger?”

  “Yes. I can confirm that there is actual magic in the bacon and dressing.”

  She couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Magic bacon! It’s just what you always wanted.”

  “I think it might be much more amazing than that. Not only does this food possess magic, but I think we might be able to manipulate it to make some kind of superfood. Aeris. What if I can add healing magic to this bacon? Everyone could use it to heal and recover from exhaustion whether I was here or not.”

  “You would really share so much bacon?” she teased.

  “Very funny.”

  I hadn’t been paying her enough attention to realize she had dipped her own bacon into the Muck-Cow Milk dressing. She took another bite and I saw her aura start to change color. Intensifying the magic to my eyes, I saw her silvery aura mix with amber.

  “How do you feel?” I asked.

  “If I really look as good as I feel right now, I think I’m probably too good for you,” she said with a snort.

>   Caught off guard, I found myself staring at her, my mouth agape.

  With a charming shrug, she dipped her bacon strip back into the dressing and took a much more generous bite.

  “This was a good idea, Elorion. I definitely don’t feel drunk, but I have a feeling I’m bound to do something... Like, watch this.”

  She dipped her bacon in the dish again and took another large bite.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she said, pointing her bacon at me matter-of-factly. “The only problem is that I have a sudden urge to dance. Don’t mind me.”

  She was suddenly standing on her bench and hopped from it to the tabletop.

  “There is a problem with wearing all this armor. It’s so cumbersome,” she said, and began to unfasten it.

  Her hands began to work faster than seemed natural. After her pauldron was removed, her vambraces, counters, and rerebraces were off in seconds. When her arms were free she was out of the rest of her armor in moments. It was scary how swiftly she moved, and I was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the bacon and dressing. Under her armor and gambeson, she still had a pink long-sleeved shirt and pants that resembled black sweatpants.

  “Welp, if you aren’t going to get up here and dance with me, I’ll just have to dance by myself,” she said, giving me a smirk.

  With that she was airborne. Flipping back, she moved as if she had spent her life as an acrobat. When she landed a table away, nothing but the ball of one foot met its surface. She cradled her weight with nothing but the strength of her calf muscle. I realized then that there wasn’t an acrobat alive that could land with so little effort. Remembering that her talent was in Dexterity as well as Wind Magic, I wondered if she had been hiding what she was really capable of.