Garami's PoV:
"What is THIS place?!" - Garami
After a good amount of walking, luckily without any more head-busting barriers blocking our way, Percel led me and Bloom to what I think is the center of the inner park area. And if I'm allowed to say my peace of mind, nothing here has anything to do with amusement parks!!
First, the room itself. It is like a giant, hollowed cylinder in the ground, probably what you'd call a "shaft". Rather, it's a mining shaft. Attached to the platform we're standing on are massive headframes, constructs used for traditional shaft mining, that constantly bring up gems and other valuables from the depths, then place the digged-up loot on conveyor belts that transport them into the wall, probably for processing.
"Nobody's going to be bothered if we take some souvenirs with us~," I said after having confirmed the conveyor belts were free from traps and alarms using my skills.
"There are some people, but they are all affiliated with the Chaos Church, so go on," replied Percel as he gave me his blessings. As a demon, getting the blessings from a holy knight (or so he appears to be) would be bad, but this time, I can make an exception.
"Are they excavating the gems from underneath the desert?" - Bloom
"Probably. The park has a sewer-now-turned-prison underneath this factory facility, but underneath that again is a network of mining tunnels where Automatas working for the Chaos Church are unearthing aether-charged gems. Mostly diamonds." - Percel
"A girl's best friend. I can see why now," I said while holding one up to take a better look at it. What glitter...?
"Hey, there are some claw marks up on the...roof?" - Garami
"Is there? I cannot see that well in the dark." - Percel
No, there are marks there. They lead to the top of the shaft, blocked by a giant lid...!?
"The meteor?!" - Garami
That's no ordinary lid! It's that giant stone from space that Mira and Alf saw before! The one that those flashy Skeletons wanted to beat up!
"Correct. It seems the meteorite had landed in quite a difficult spot for this mining facility. If it comes loose, it will fall and block the path between the mining tunnels and the factory facility." - Percel
"Yikes! Then why does the skellies want to crush it?" - Garami
"If they try, they will only knock it down into the shaft anyway." - Bloom
Right? I'd guess both the skellies and the bots down here are spawned from the same, Dungeon-like rules that govern this secret mining operation. In that case, ain't it wrong for the Valuable Skeletons to try and sabotage the Automatas' mining operation?
"The answer to that is simple. The Skeletons above us have no way of communicating with the Automatas below." - Percel
"Ah, I see. In their eyes, the meteor is a hostile that needs to be removed, clueless that it would mess up everything down below." - Garami
I better take note of this. A reliable communication method is a must for Dungeons. Heck, it's a must even for common adventurers. Just look at the mess we're in thanks to losing contact with Alf, and then having my communicator break down on me.
"Speaking of which, what has this place to do with Alf?" - Garami
"'Speaking of'...? *Cough*, this shaft seems to be the connecting point for all the sectors of this underground factory. You have to travel here if you want to explore a different sector first." - Percel
That explains all the different doors. Man, what a ****ing bad design option of whoever built this place. I'd fire them if I were their boss.
"Also, if Alf is still alright, he would eventually come to this area. Our party messed up the entrances to the Western sectors, thus making it impossible to reach the surface from there..." - Percel
"I noticed. Maaany thanks for that." - ???
Oho? The mysterious presence I noticed had finally decided to come out from the shadows, and it was about time. My rude theft of the gems wasn't only because I wanted some extra bling to bring with me home. I was also trying to lure out the two beeps my detection-based skills were telling me about. Not that it seems to have worked, and I can see why now.
"Alf! Old buddy, old chump! How long has it been? A few minutes?" - Garami
"Three and a half hours, give or take a few years off my lifespan." - Alf
Our favorite vampire came out of the shadows, looking no worse for wear. Compared to when he was beaten half to death by the sun when we were above ground, his complexion looks much better now. For as much as how healthy a vampire's face can look like.
"Why did you not come out and say hello before now?" asked Bloom, sharing my curiosity about Alf's anti-social behavior.
"I couldn't. The Princess looked like she was having too much fun for me to find a chance to introduce myself. ...*Ouch*! And this guy too, I mean! You don't have to bite me..." - Alf
Oho? It seems Alf's new pal's got an attitude. But what is it? A polar bear with ice-like crystals here and there on its body. The crystals look like they're growing out from him, not that I thought Alf would be heartless enough to torture a little cub like this guy... It is fine to call him "little", right? Despite looking like a child, this guy's as big as an adult St. Bernard dog. Its paws are bandaged for some reason.
"Now this is a surprise. Why is a polar bear here? Not to mention that we are in the middle of the desert." - Percel
"Believe it or not, but I think this child used to live in the meteorite above our heads," said Alf, pointing at the rock in question...HUH!?
"Hold it! This guy, in that rock, lived?!" - Garami
"Why are you talking like a space hermit, Boss?" - Bloom
"How do you even know that reference?! And don't forget about my question!" - Garami
"Th-this is indeed surprising. My party and I have passed by this rock multiple times already, but we never encountered this bear." - Percel
Ah, now I get it.
"It''s just my guess, but I think this little bugger's been crashing inside the meteor this whole time." - Garami
"Inside the meteor?!" - Percel & Alf
"Oh, Master is right. This child is a Polaursa Kumacub, a species that can be found in the Outer Space areas of Terra Sol, such as on one of its seven moons." - Bloom
You're telling me even outer space's available for adventurers on this planet-, er-, off this planet?
"Then even meteors are good to go for these guys?" - Garami
"Yes, they are. In fact, some of the meteors that descend onto Terra Sol are hunks of rocks and metals that form from the moons' high aether resources and break off due to outside forces." - Bloom
"...Could we please stop this conversation? I am going to have nightmares if I am to know there exist somethings out there that can crack up moon pieces like we do with crackers." - Alf
Yeah, that's right. This guy is a complete pushover when it comes to horror stories, not to mention cosmic horrors. Even when he's so damn good at keeping his calm even in the middle of a zombie-infested city.
"In any case, those scratch marks I saw earlier must come from him. I bet he got down to this floor to look for food or something." - Garami
"Since you're on the topic of food, he did appear in front of me when I sat down to have my lunch. And he wasn't shy about getting his part." - Alf
"*Growl*..." said the bear while rubbing his stomach. He's either sad for some reason, or he wants dessert. Sorry pal, but Bloom's been a relatively good navi today. You can't have her.
Also, now I understand those bandages on his paws. Getting down from the meteor must have taken its toll on his claws, so Alf must have shared more than just his food with this overgrown furball.
"So you won him over through his stomach. Wanna keep him?" - Garami
"...Can I?" - Alf
Now I understand the feeling of parents when their child comes home with a small animal and wants to keep him. Well, today's example is far from "little".
"Sure, knock yourself out. You started training the Hunter class recently, didn't you? Having a hunting bear's probably not that different from keeping a hunting dog." - Garami
"*Growl*~!" said the bear in a happy voice before forcing Alf to the ground in one hell of a bear hug. Is this guy capable of understanding human speech? Maybe he will be more useful than just being a huge fluffy fluff.
"In that case, should you people perhaps take with you parts of the meteor? So to help stave off some homesickness for this new furry friend of yours?" asked Percel while pointing that nasty spear of his toward the shaft's cosmic cork.
"Guh..., Princess, you're up," stammered Alf as he managed to push his fluffy friend off his back and breathe new air into his empty lungs.
"Nu-uh. I didn't bring TNT that can blow a chunk of a meteor. Plus, even if I can climb up these walls, who can't say if any surviving guard Automatas decide to make their rounds and shoot me down before anyone can react? Alf, you go. You can go all misty, you vegetarian vampire." - Garami
He got two vampire-related skills, one copycat to the [Battle Continuation] skills, just much stronger and vampire-ish, plus one [Mist Form (Vampire)] skill. You don't need to be a vampire hunter to understand what the latter does. However...
"Princess, please don't bully me on that topic again. If I could, I'd gladly donate this useless skill to your fashion upgrades," said Alf in a low voice to make sure Percel, who was currently busy with some of his equipment, wouldn't overhear us.
Tee-hee~. Alf found it furiously irritating that his aptitude for Mist skill sucks. We had him check with the skill shop and even the cheapest Mist attribute skill costs 10X the normal amount for him. Though, I shouldn't make fun of him. During my "youth" in the Water-Knot, I sometimes found myself browsing through the many skills available in the skill shop. One of the worst prices I came across was skills from the Magma attribute. 20X the normal price! What a rip-off!!
"Thanks, but no thanks. If those things got mixed in, I bet my equipment would start turning me from a demon into a vampire." - Garami
"Hmm? When did the conversation move to cursed equipment?" - Percel
"Nothing, nothing. We're just making some small talk," I said, trying to steer away from the top-secret topic known as my Unique Items. "...? Hey, where did the 'cursed item' lingo come from? We weren't talking about de-equipping stuff." - Garami
"Excuse me. Cursed items that cannot be taken off after you don them are indeed the more common variant. I, however, was talking about the breed of tools that sometimes causes Mutations to the user when equipped for long enough time." - Percel
"What the ****?" - Alf
"Took the dirty word out of my mouth," I said to second Alf's statement. This talk must have hit home for him. He was turned into a vampire thanks to something similar.
"Did you not know about them? Magic tomes that gradually turn you into an undead until the only path left is to find a Soul Jar and become a Lich? Wicked tridents that corrupt you into becoming a denizen of the depths? Royal crowns that could allow you to ascend to the divine?" - Percel
"Never heard about any of them and I'm not even sure which one is the worst!" - Garami
"I think he is talking about items with the side effects of causing Mutations," said my floating dictionary fairy who had taken cover inside my hood ever since our ursine recruit started staring at her while drooling.
"Mutations? As in those weird ways to nab some extra Traits?" - Garami
I've only heard rumors about those. The procedure is supposedly damn difficult, as you'd need the flesh, blood, and something called a "Monster Stone" from a strong bestie. As in C-rank class strong, as they're the only ones strong enough to potentially start developing one of those "Monster Stones" inside their bodies. Worst of all, those stones only appear once in a blue moon, not to mention all that work is enough for only 1 Mutation. Plus you'd need a goddamn good doctor, surgeon, mad scientist, or whatever to even do the honor of turning you into a monstrosity with 1 extra Trait under your belt.
"Honestly, if those items exist, they sound too cheap compared to the 'official' method. AKA, there's a catch to them, right?" - Garami
"Well, I wouldn't know. I have never seen or used one myself," replied Percel while shrugging his shoulders. "But there is supposed to be a species out there capable of doing that same thing without any help or items."
"Seriously?" - Garami
"Bloom, is that true?" - Alf
"Ehm... I don't know. Even if you ask me to look for a 'monster that Mutates on its own'..." - Bloom
Yeah, the Kigal-Note is never gonna be that user-friendly to give us an answer to such a vague request.
"Hahaha! With your luck, you might encounter one of these 'mutants' one day." - Percel
"Luuuuuck? I'm starting to feel like Lady Luck hates my guts lately." - Garami (<- the girl who had equipment blow up in her face and floors collapse underneath her feet)
"You are not alone." - Alf (<- the guy who almost fell into a giant tentacle monster's pit)
"Oh? I just received word from my colleagues that they had found your friend." - Percel
"They found Mira?!" - Garami
"Without any trouble? Wow, our luck is starting to turn," said Alf in a voice so monotone that it was obvious he had no belief in the nonsense that came out of his mouth.
"They also said that they will meet us back at where your ship is hidden." - Percel
Greaaat. Now we have to go the long way through the tunnels again. I hate not being able to pass through the barrier. And even without that, I doubt we'll get back home that easily...
---
Alf's Status Page:
Name: Alfred Loxloy | [Fish Slayer] Race: Vampire Gender: Male Level: 14/65 Traits: 2 Karma Value: 74 Main Class: Polearm Master Lv.7 Sub Class: Angler Lv.50 Sub Class: Ice Protector Lv.45 Sub Class: Hunter Lv.37 Skills: 77 Titles: 17 Blessings: 1 Aether Points: 5.6 HP: 560/560 MP: 365/365 SP: 828/828 STR: 762 VIT: 634 MAG: 253 RES: 440 SPD: 398 DEX: 729 INT: 112 LUC: 105 LP: 15
Skill List:
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Skill List: Ability Skills:
[Health Lv.50 (Max)] [Health Greater-Recovery Lv.4] EVOLVED/UP3 [Massive Mana Lv.8] NEW/UP7 [Reduced Mana Consumption Lv.14] NEW/UP13 [Mana Auto-Recovery Lv.5] NEW/UP4 [Increased Stamina Lv.11] NEW/UP10 [Reduced Stamina Consumption Lv.25] NEW/UP24 [Strength Lv.50 (Max)] UP12 [Tougher Vitality Lv.12] NEW/UP11 [Resistance Lv.19] NEW/UP18 [Swift Speed Lv.9] NEW/UP8 [Nimble Dexterity Lv.6] NEW/UP5
Attack Skills:
[Polearm Lord Arts Lv.6] NEW/UP5 [Defense Arts (Ice) Lv.36] UP14 [Guard Lv.42] UP12 [Parry Lv.34] UP11 [Ice Ball Lv.37] UP6 [Ice Wall Lv.50 (Max)] UP9 [Ice Spikes Lv.18] NEW/UP17 [Shadow Spear Lv.39] UP13 [Break Blow Lv.33] NEW/UP32 [Damage Area Lv.28] NEW/UP27 [Bat Swing Lv.17] NEW/UP16
Crafting Skills:
[Create Bait Lv.50 (Max)] UP6
Active Skills:
[Frost Coat (Ice) Lv.31] UP5 [Shadow Snare Lv.39] UP6 [Moonlight Therapy Lv.28] NEW/UP27 [Moon Veil Lv.33] NEW/UP32 [Moon Jump Lv.12] NEW/UP11 [Element Spear Lv.45] UP8 [Spear Stance Lv.8] NEW/UP7 [Hammer Stance Lv.5] NEW/UP4 [Cover Lv.29] UP7 [Cover Move Lv.27] UP4 [Heavy Body Lv.15] NEW/UP14 [Taunting Lv.19] UP5 [Quick Step Lv.26] UP8 [Sky Jump Lv.3] NEW/UP2 [Pursuit Lv.19] NEW/UP18 [Energy Warfare Lv.16] UP12 [Hate Lure Lv.36] UP18 [Fish Storage Lv.40] UP17
Passive Skills:
[Spear Proficiency Lv.50 (Max)] [Hammer Proficiency Lv.38] UP14 [Close Quarters Combat Lv.33] UP7 [Evasion Lv.39] UP12 [Battle Survivor Lv.3] NEW/UP2 [Stalwart Lv.7] NEW/UP6 [Covert Movement Lv.22] NEW/UP21 [Extreme Fishing Lv.9] EVOLVED/UP8 [Gutting Lv.49] UP16 [Helmsmanship Lv.15] UP12 [Naval Combat Lv.8] NEW/UP7 [Slumber Lv.10] NEW/UP9 [Pierce Reinforcement Lv.24] UP18 [Impact Reinforcement Lv.16] NEW/UP15 [Weapon Reinforcement Lv.41] UP17 [Destruction Reinforcement Lv.12] UP11 [Knowledge of Nature Lv.5] NEW/UP4
Perception Skills:
[Danger Sense Lv.10] NEW/UP9 [Presence Perception Lv.25] NEW/UP24
Leadership Skills:
[Cooperation Lv.15] UP12 [Hunter's Partner Lv.2] NEW/UP1 [Party Lv.22] UP18
Resistance Skills:
[Ice Resistance Lv.21] UP9 [Shadow Resistance Lv.11] UP5 [Moon Resistance Lv.4] NEW/UP3 [Pain Resistance Lv.50 (Max)]
Elements:
[Ice Element Lv.14] NEW/UP11 [Shadow Element Lv.8] EVOLVED/UP7 [Lesser Moon Element Lv.20] NEW/UP19
Monster Skills:
[Vampire's Strong Muscle Lv.4] NEW/UP3 [Vampire's Spiritual Force Lv.2] NEW/UP1 [Vampire's Swift Fingers Lv.3] NEW/UP2 [Vampiric Body Lv.6] NEW/UP5 [Mist Form (Vampire) Lv.1] NEW [Shadow Kin (Vampire) Lv.9] EVOLVED/UP9
Title List:
Title List: Achievement Titles:
[Daredevil] [Pinch Breaker] [Ice Technique User] [Shadow Technique User] [Destroyer] NEW [Moon Technique User] NEW
Hunting Titles:
[Fish Slaughterer] ADVANCED [Monster Slayer] [Beast Slayer] [Lizard Slayer] NEW [Undead Slaughterer] NEW/ADVANCED [Skeleton Slaughterer] NEW/ADVANCED [Zombie Slaughterer] NEW/ADVANCED [Arachnid Slayer] NEW/ADVANCED [Feral Slaughterer] NEW/ADVANCED
Status Titles:
[Liberator of Tir na Nog] NEW [True Ancestor] NEW