When he finished his examination and stood up, Juliette asked, "Where should we go next?"
The mage closed his eyes and extended his Spatial Sense. His range reached a thousand feet in all directions but failed to discover anything unusual. Finally, he opened his eyes and said, "Let me fly up and look around."
Luka used Void Step to ascend the sky. He pushed through the covering of foliage and quickly teleported across vast distances with Touch the Horizon. Suddenly, he discovered something weird ten miles away.
Luka returned to Juliette's location and gave a report. "We need to go in that direction," he pointed toward the southwest, "but it's ten miles away. May I teleport you over there?"
In response, the mother grabbed his right shoulder gently and said, "Go!"
The mage obeyed and brought her there instantly.
Juliette began to experience allergy symptoms of teary eyes and scratchy throat. She quickly pulled back her hand and took several deep breathes of fresh air.
The son felt awful because his touch caused her misery. Luka stoically waited while burning her suffering into his mind.
"I'm fine now," she huffed. "Now, show me what you saw."
"Yes, mother." Luka led the way. But he stopped periodically to dispatch additional clusters of man-eating plants from a safe distance using Alraune's power. Due to the mage's need to recover his magic after each Divine Summoning, the trip took several hours. Finally, he stopped and pointed straight ahead.
Juliette's jaw dropped at what she saw: a giant man-eating plant quadruple the size of an adult human -- guarding an opening within the trunk of an enormous tree! "Is that a dungeon entrance?" she gasped.
"Yes," Luka confirmed with a grimace.
Chapter 44
Dungeon Delving with Mother (Part 1)
"Should we go back for reinforcements?" the son asked while staring at the boss monster.
"Do you think it'll make a difference?" the mother retorted. "I'm the best fighter in our estate, while you're the most powerful mage available. We won't get better quality members to join our party unless we solicit through the adventurers guild."
"But I don't want to let outsiders learn that a dungeon appeared in our backyard because rival noble houses would spread malicious rumors about the Heavensfell family. Also, I believe that this dungeon is relatively young, or else we would encounter more variety of monsters outside its entrance," Juliette argued.
Luka tilted his head and considered her words. Frankly, he felt that her aristocratic pride was foolish and dangerous. But he also agreed that having a dungeon appear near one's house would inevitably lead to gossip about the owners. Furthermore, this incident would provide an opening for the church to intrude further into his life. Thus, Luka reluctantly agreed with his mother to avoid soliciting outsiders to explore the dungeon.
The mage considered summoning Bel and Gripper to join the party but ultimately declined. Luka could use his familiar link with Bel to teleport to the demon's location. Thus, this served as a lifeline if he couldn't use spatial magic for whatever reason while exploring the dungeon.
Moreover, the son couldn't resist the allure of spending additional time alone with his mother and get to know her better. He could also summon minions via shadow magic to serve as cannon fodder while the humans escape dangerous encounters. Hence, Luka agreed to explore the dungeon as a two-person party.
Juliette waited patiently for his decision because she realized Luka needed time to consider her suggestion's pros and cons. In the past, Juliette also adventured with Tsunka as a two-member party and gained invaluable experience in dealing with different kinds of real-life situations. She desired to seize this opportunity to pass on this knowledge to her son before enrolling in the Royal Academy.
Luka finally nodded his head and said, "Let's delve into the dungeon with just the two of us."
She casually waved her hand at the guardian of the dungeon entrance. "All yours," Juliette smiled faintly.
He studied the boss monster for a moment with his Spatial Sense. Suddenly, the mage felt an inspiration to try using Displacement instead of Divine Summoning. The spatial magic spell transposed matter of equal volume between two different locations. And it so happened that the man-eater and the tree behind it were plants of similar sizes. What would result if Luka tried to transpose half of each plant into the other?
Luka grinned as he gathered spatial essence and cast Displacement. Chuk!
The separated halves of the boss monster shuddered as it went into shock. Then it slumped and began to shrivel up and die painfully. In its death throes, the enemy unleashed its tendrils and flailed wildly. Thwack-thwack-thwack!
Tree branches and leaves in the vicinity began to fly in all directions, and they threatened to hit the adventurers!
Luka grabbed his mother's arm and teleported a far distance from the dying boss. He immediately released his grip, and Juliette landed on her ass. "I'm sorry, mother," he apologized while looking down at her on the ground. The son remembered her allergic reaction and resisted offering his hand to pull her back up.
"No, you saved us," Juliette replied as she patted the dirt off her exercise pants.
The two waited patiently for the man-eater to die. When it stopped moving, the party slowly drew closer.
Juliette examined the entrance; she worried that the carcass blocked the opening. She pulled out her sword from her magic storage ring. The woman began to cut off the monster's remains and widen the gap until her body could squeeze through. Once Juliette completed this task, she wiped her blade with a cloth. "Let's go in!
Luka cast Light Ball and sent the magic sphere five feet ahead of his mother as she walked through the narrow, descending passageway. The walls comprised of dirt, rocks, and tree roots. The mage used Spatial Sense to check his surroundings periodically.
About twenty feet into the tunnel, the Light Ball struck a barrier: cobwebs.
"Should I use fire magic to burn off the web?" he suggested.
"I'll try cutting it first," she responded. "You should save your magic unless you need to use it," Juliette advised.
"Let me take care of it with my staff. I didn't sense any monsters behind the web, but there may be traps nearby. My weapon has a longer reach than your sword, and I would stand a better chance to avoid a trap," Luka pointed out.
"Okay," Juliette agreed and allowed her son to squeeze past her to stand in front. The passage was only three feet wide. Fortunately, neither person wore metal armor. Thus, the two could exchange positions despite the tight space.
The teenager carefully wiped off the webbing while listening carefully for any strange noise.
Juliette stood behind him and held her rapier parallel to her head. She prepared to stab whatever creature approached her son in a surprise attack.
To their relief, nothing popped out as he cleared the blockage in the tunnel.
"I'll return to the vanguard position," she said and squeezed past his body again.
The mage wordlessly sent his magical light sphere forward and maintained a five-foot distance in front of his mother.
Suddenly, they heard squeaking in the distance and saw multiple pairs of red eyes. The monsters ran forward. As they drew closer, the party finally discovered what was coming their way: a horde of giant rats!
"I'll use magic to get rid of them," Luka offered.
"No! I'll take care of them!" Juliette rejected vehemently.
The son felt shocked by her sudden change in demeanor. His mother was visibly upset, and her skin turned pink; her breathing became heavier as she huffed.
The fighter took out a giant mallet. "I shall crush all these rats!" Her eyes turned crazed as she yelled a warcry and ran forward! "Yayayayayah!" The berserk warrior swung her weapon with all her strength and smashed the rodents into meaty bits. She ignored the splash of blood and gore drenching her body and continued to wade deeper into the horde.
The alarmed Luka started using light spells to support her. He
cast Protection from Evil, Light Barrier, and Bless. He felt relieved when his magic took effect, and her movements became more vigorous and faster than before.
Although Luka maintained a respectful distance from her, the mage used Spatial Sense to keep track of the monsters facing his mother. If he saw that she was in danger of losing due to overwhelming numbers of enemies, Luka wouldn't hesitate to intervene.
"Die, die, die, die, die!"
The son watched in horror as his deranged mother crushed the monsters with each swing of her thin-looking mallet. It resembled more like a golf club than a deadly weapon in his eyes. This weapon provided the combatant with a longer reach and allowed Juliette to crush her enemies' skulls like soft tissue.
"Give back my Bessie!" she wailed as tears ran down her cheeks. Blood splattered on her face as she tore the giant rats apart, mixed with her tears and sweat, and dripped on the ground like raindrops.
Luka felt shocked as he observed her sudden mood swings. Was this her real personality? If so, then the calm exterior she exhibited usually was an act.
So far, Juliette had made steady progress in mowing down the giant rats. Each was the size of a large dog. As their dead bodies piled up, the fighter waded forward for more space to swing her mallet. After she conquered a few dozen of them, the remaining rodents gave into their fear and fled. The crazed warrior tried to chase them, but the son cast Slow on her body to make Juliette fall behind. Thus, the rats overran her and escaped.
Luka cast a beacon inside the tunnel. Then he used his Shadow Keystone and pulled her to the shadow realm. The mage backed away and finally released his magic.
Juliette rushed forward and collided with a wall. Her body bounced back, and the woman fell on her butt. She involuntarily dropped her mallet and slowly lost her frenzied expression.
"Are you okay, mother?" he called out from behind.
The woman waved her hand in the air without turning around. "I'm fine," she huffed between breaths of air. "Where did you take me?" Juliette inquired in a frosty tone of voice as she looked around the courtyard.
"We're inside my private shadow plane," he answered. "I took you here for a brief time-out because you turned berserk," Luka noted in a calm voice. "Are you frightened of rats?" he inquired tentatively.
Juliette sighed aloud. While on the floor, she maneuvered her body around and leaned her back against the wall. "I showed you disgraceful behavior and disappointed you," she lamented.
The son shook his head vehemently. "Not at all! I didn't realize you have musophobia," he replied.
"I do not!" she denied. "I had a painful experience with a rat horde during my childhood. They invaded my village, chewed up the walls, and ate all the food we had stored in winter preparation. A rat bit my best friend, and she died from a disease. That's why I hate rats with a passion, and I lose my calm whenever I encounter them," Juliette explained.
"You took down a hundred giant rats solo. You avenged your friend," he pointed out.
Juliette smiled faintly. "Yes, I did," she agreed.
"Mother, please allow me to clean you with magic."
"Go ahead."
The mage cast Cleanse to remove the stains on her clothing and the blood from her body. Luka added Cure Disease for good measure because he feared that the giant rats might transmit disease when they bit her arms and legs. "How are you feeling now?" he asked.
Juliette checked her body and flexed her bicep. "Your mommy is still young and healthy," she grinned. Juliette peered at the castle and asked, "Have you checked that building?"
"Yes, I went inside with Bel. The former owner was a dark mage who performed sacrificial rituals in the basement. And he engaged in torture as well," he noted with a grimace at the horrible memory.
Juliette wanted to hug her son but held back. When she saw the pain on his face, she felt a stab in her heart. For the umpteenth time, the mother wondered if she made the right decision in pushing him at arm's length and forcing Luka to become independent from her. "Can you take us back to the dungeon? We need to clear it out and return home ASAP. The staff at the mansion must be worried sick because we went missing," she noted.
"Yes, mother. Please excuse me." He touched her shoulder and used the magic key to leave the shadow plane. The spatial mage locked onto his beacon and returned to the dungeon under Grandlan Forest.
When he cast Light Ball again, Luka saw the bloody mess of dead rodents filling up the tunnel. He gingerly watched his steps to avoid stepping on the bodies. Luka noticed a large puddle of blood accumulating on the ground and used Void Step to walk in the air.
Luka turned around and witnessed his mother callously stomp on the dead rats as if taking pleasure in this cruel act. However, he thought this desecration of the deceased was therapeutic for her. Thus, Luka ignored the crunching sounds behind him as he advanced further inside the tunnel.
Chapter 45
Dungeon Delving with Mother (Part 2)
Juliette fearlessly strolled along the tunnel while holding her mallet. It was previously blood-soaked, but Luka cast Cleanse to remove the body fluids and tissue; thus, the weapon returned to its pristine and shiny condition. He also cast Mend on her clothes to repair them.
"Normally, we would cut out the magic crystals embedded above the hearts of monsters. But the ones inside these giant rats are useless and not worth the hassle. You could exchange each stone for five copper pieces at the Magicians Guild. If you're willing to spend several hours cutting them out, you could earn maybe three silvers and change," the veteran adventurer estimated. "For those of us in the high-ranking nobility, our time is much more valuable. And the sooner we clear this dungeon, the sooner we return home and do important things like study for your entrance examination," Juliette reminded her son with a grin.
"Yes, mother."
The party walked about a mile through the small tunnel before they reached a four-way intersection.
The mage used Spatial Sense to map a thousand feet within his vicinity. Luka shared his findings with his mother. "The left side leads to the giant rats' nest while the middle one goes to an underground garden. The right side leads to a mineral vein," the scout reported.
Juliette gently tapped her mallet against the wall, causing some dirt to break loose and fall to the ground. "That garden in the middle is probably the food source for the rats, or else there wouldn't be so many!" she complained. "Maybe we should burn it and leave no food for the rats."
"The rat droppings would act as fertilizer and help the plants grow faster," Luka added.
"Let's exterminate the rat nest," she said and stepped into the left tunnel. Without warning, Juliette let out a warcry and charged!
The son facepalmed and ran after her while sending his Light Ball further ahead.
The giant rats quickly approached the invaders and attacked fearlessly to defend their home.
The mage quickly cast protective spells on his mother; soon, her body glowed with magic auras.
Juliette incited her berserker rage again as she mercilessly crushed the rodents. "Die, die, die, die, die!"
The nest was a large cave with expansive space for strategic movement. The giant rats tried to take advantage of their superior number to surround Juliette and attack her blind spot.
Luka thwarted their tactic by using Spatial Blade to cut up their bodies. When the rats noticed and started running toward him, the mage quickly summoned a dozen shadow hounds to meet their charge.
His minions were similar in size to the defenders but possessed two advantages: resistance against regular attacks and greater agility. The black mutts shrugged off bites on their bodies and clamped their jaws on the necks of the giant rats. The addition of these shadow beasts quickly turned the tide of battle and eliminated the rodents' numerical advantage.
"Last one!" Juliette screeched and slammed her mallet into the skull of the boss monster, a giant rat double the size of the others. Her enemy's head exploded and splattered Juliette's body with gore and brain mat
ter.
"Cleanse!" Luka cast his light magic right after her victory.
"Thank you," she said appreciatively between intakes of air. The exhausted fighter walked to a corner and sat down to rest. "What were those black beasts?" Juliette asked out of curiosity.
"Shadowhounds," he answered while hiding his surprise at her sudden personality change.
"Why did you summon them?"
Luka suddenly realized the direction of her interrogation. She felt unhappy that he interfered with her extermination of those hated rats! "This place is too big. The giant rats moved around you to attack me. I had to summon minions to defend myself," he explained. The mage hid the fact that he also cast Spatial Blade to kill the monsters targeting her blind spot.
The mother stared into her son's eyes for several moments. "Fine," she huffed and chose to stop pursuing this matter further. "Can you cut out the boss rat's crystal? That stone should be worth five silvers," she noted.
"Yes, mother." Luka obediently approached the carcass and took out a sword from his dimensional storage. The son carefully cut the rat monster's flesh and pulled out a purple-hued crystal the size of his palm. Then he cleansed his body and the stone with magic and returned to her side. "Here it is," Luka said and presented the item to her.
Juliette shook her head. "You should keep it and turn it in at the Magicians Guild. The Adventurers Guild is an umbrella organization composed of individual class guilds. So you will receive simultaneous credit with the Adventurers Guild when you work for the Magicians Guild," she explained. "The boss crystal is a lot more valuable than one belonging to a normal monster. Turning it in will give you a headstart over other newbies to reach the next rank."
"Thank you, mother." The son put away the crystal and began to search the cave for valuables. Luka didn't worry about traps because he assumed that the giant rats would trigger them already. However, he was concerned that the sound of battle would carry through the tunnels and bring more monsters over. Thus, the mage checked his surroundings with Spatial Sense every few minutes while searching through the cave. Fortunately, nothing approached the former nest.
The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima Page 37