What the doors disappearance revealed made Alan recognize he knew far too little about the layout of this Dungeon. Instead of the expected sand-strewn hallway, beyond the doorway was a massive, brightly illuminated cavern. From wall to wall, as far as he could see around the vast expanse of a room, the ceiling was buried under a jumbled up mess of three to four-foot long, needle-like stalactites.
It was almost as if someone had strung up a sea of dimly-lit, hanging lights. Each one released a yellowish glow from somewhere deep within the stone, illuminating the beads of water clinging precariously to their porous stone surfaces.
The distracting sound of droplets striking the floor could be heard echoing softly off of the walls at random intervals.
As he inspected the sea of shining stone icicles, Alan quickly understood that once within the cave, if he were to jump too high, he would very likely end up impaling his skull. He also worried that even the most minor of vibrations could potentially send them all plummeting down upon his head.
This...is less than optimal, Alan thought glumly. Having been stuck in cramped hallways for the majority of his forced vacation in the Sandstone Palace, he'd yet to be able to fully test the capabilities of his System-enhanced body. And it seemed the wait would have to continue.
Glancing around the room, he saw that the floor had been littered with the remains of previously fallen stalactites. Over time, they had formed a thin layer of stone debris and dust strewn about the cave floor. Because the pieces of stone lying on the floor no longer emitted any light, nor contained any visible light source, Alan was forced to assume he was dealing with some kind of magical phenomenon. He took a shot in the dark and activated [Examine].
Regrettably, as he stared up at the surreal sight above him, the description he was provided with gave him no further understanding of where the light actually came from. However, judging by the increased level of detail in the description itself, the Skill Levels we're finally starting to prove beneficial.
Limestone Stalactite- Naturally occurring stone formation. Formed when water containing dissolved calcium bicarbonate from the limestone rock drips from the ceiling of a cave.
To make matters worse, his vision into the depths of the room was impaired by a veritable forest of tree-trunk-sized stalagmites. And though they didn't release any light of their own, they were impressive in their own right. Each one nearly reached the ceiling. They jutted up out of the floor like the misshapen fangs of some goliath monstrosity. The stone forest sat upon a misshapen mound of extremely worn-down flowstone. Countless years of water erosion had left the flowstone looking more like an extensive aboveground root System rather than the floor of some cave.
Alan anxiously shook out his wrist and activated [Stealth].
Remarkable! Your Skill (B)[Stealth] has grown to Level 2!
"It's about time," Alan complained. Having used [Stealth] almost constantly since gaining it, the notification was a disappointing reminder the Skill hadn't leveled even once before now. He took one last look over his shoulder and realized he was simply stalling for time. He bared his teeth and growled ominously at the mass of seething emotions he could feel nearly filling the reservoir of his Emotional Stockpile.
Alan accepted that like it or not, his salvation would not be found behind him, but somewhere beyond this weird cave. He felt a nudge from behind and turned to face Su'ong. "What's the hold up?" she whispered impatiently.
"I'm going, I'm going!" Alan snapped. "You take the left wall, and I'll take the right. We'll meet up at the back of the cave. Party chat is open, so if you see anything worth sharing, just give me a holler." With his piece said, Alan stepped through the door and off to the side, allowing Su'ong's thick frame enough room to slide by.
As Su'ong entered the dimly lit Boss room, Alan noticed her entire body shimmer and almost immediately become nearly transparent. Within a few seconds she'd faded out to the point that if he hadn't known she was standing there, he wouldn't have been able to locate her.
Some kind of stealth Skill of her own huh? Alan thought. I wonder what it's called...while we're at it, why is the Dungeon Master keeping that information private? Is there a way I can get around the restrictions?
He tried to look up the Skills information in his Party tab, but besides her Statistics, everything else on her Status was still listed as 'Maintained by Dungeon Master'. Because he still had no idea what that meant, and didn't feel like right now was the best time to poke at Su'ong for further clues, he filed it away for a later conversation. With a wary eye on everything, he began to creep forward one quiet step at a time.
The footing within the cavern was treacherous at best. By the time he'd made it within the field of towering stalagmites, Alan was struggling to remain upright. Try as he might to stay silent, it was a losing battle from the outset. The wet slap of his heavy boots treading on the slippery stone floor soon added itself to the cacophony of sound bouncing around between the walls. The floor was not just slick with wet stone dust and grime, but the majority of the flowstone he was forced to walk on was covered in a thin layer of white slime.
Alan followed the right wall all the way around the cave. For a moment, he made the mistake of dragging his hand along the wall as he walked. That way he could keep his eyes peeled for danger, and also be sure he hadn't accidentally skipped by any passageways. Within the span of a second, he regretted his decision. A tar-like sludge coated his fingertips, and it was suddenly difficult to keep his fingers from sticking together. He peered at the wall in disgust only to notice a thin layer of sticky goo coated the entire surface.
"Aww come on man! How did I miss that?!" Alan complained. He pulled a piece of his charred leather armor from inventory and tried to rub the annoying substance off his hand. He was somewhat successful, but try as he might, an oily residue remained.
Without thinking of the possible consequences, Alan held his hand under his nose and sniffed the strange substance.
He retched violently as the very unsubtle stench of ammonia and death assaulted his nostrils. Good thing my armor is self-cleaning, Alan thought as he wiped his hand up and down the front of his breastplate. By the time his fingers were nearly free of residual gunk, his armor was already hard at work, removing the putrid smears. For nearly another minute, he had to deal with the stomach turning stench wafting off of his chest.
Just beyond halfway around the room, Alan came upon a rock ledge. The top was only at eye level, so to save himself the effort of stumbling around on the slick floor, he placed his hand on the overhanging edge and pulled himself up. It was only after reaching the top that he noticed the stone surface he stood upon seemed to be free of any sign of slime or residue. While it was plenty wide enough to walk on, the ledge was rounded off at the top. It almost looked like a giant stalagmite had fallen over onto its side while pressed right up against the wall.
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By the time Alan reached the end of the overhang and hopped back down to the floor, he was able to peer through to the other side of the stalagmite forest. He found that he was just barely able make out the distant wall that marked the far end of the cave. Once he'd crossed the last hill of flowstone and noticed Su'ong already waiting for him, aside from the residue-free ledge, he had yet to find anything out of the ordinary. That is, if one were to consider a roof full of pointy glowing rocks with no obvious power source as ordinary.
"Isn't this supposed to be a boss room?" Alan asked as he approached the Naga, gesturing over his shoulder towards where he'd just come from. "Because I didn't find jack shit back there, and I wasn't exactly quiet...hopefully the Boss got old and died...could that happen? Alan asked, only half-joking.
******
Su'ong looked down at her foolish human...acquaintance, and rolled her eyes. Her hesitancy to place an official name or term to their relationship, even when alone within her own thoughts had her averting her gaze to the floor in confusion. This uncertainty resulted in her mind beginning to spin so fast it soon outpaced the frenzied beating of her heart.
What in all the Nine Hells is going on with me? Su'ong pondered, honestly uncertain of what to make of her recent actions. Well, I mean that's what he is right? A new acquaintance. Or maybe an associate..I couldn't really say that we're friends or companions right? What would grandmother have to say about this? One strange little Human comes along and I decide to turn my back on the pact I made with the Dungeon Master? I even squashed Mr.Gregory into dust when he tried to attack Alan...and all poor Mr. Gregory ever did was try to protect me. Am I making a mistake?!
She couldn't help but peek over at Alan from the corner of her eye. But she saw that like always, he was still gazing up at her. His calm blue eyes practically oozed with barely restrained questions. Su'ong hastily returned her gaze to the floor, though this time it was in irritation.
What's his angle? She wondered. She gnawed on her lip in consternation, as there weren't many possibilities. It was always possible Alan was simply using her for information, though she really doubted it. It was obvious that he really didn't understand its worth, but just the Mana Crystal Alan had provided her by itself was worth far more than answering a few questions, so where was the harm?
Once we're out of the dungeon we'll just end up going our separate ways, so I'm probably being petty...but that [Daemonfire of the Impure Realm] is concerning. Not to mention, I swear I've heard the word Human before. Su'ong sighed dramatically. She decided to try and keep from making any definitive judgements of his character until they'd had more time to talk. Su'ong felt it would be best if she just continued to be herself, and kept a close watch over the young Human. She'd learned at a very young age that it was always best to be wary of anyone and everyone. And if Alan somehow turned out to be an enemy, it wouldn't be the first time she'd come face to face with betrayal.
It was my own cousin who orchestrated the plot to abandon me in the desert after all...If I hadn't foolishly followed her request to go out there...Su'ong gritted her teeth in frustration. This was not the time to stress out over the past. She spat on the floor in disgust. The events of that day still left a bad taste in her mouth.
True, she had been trapped within this cursed sand-pit for far, far too long. But it wasn't as if there hadn't been any benefits involved. In just a few short years she had not only managed to gain multiple Levels, but she had even improved the quality of her Beast Core multiple times. To the point it was now Early-(E-Stage), an entire Level above her Evolutionary Stage. And even without any instruction from her grandmother, she had risen her Evolutionary Stage from just under Mid-(F-Stage), to Peak-(F-Stage). The Dungeon Master itself had taken notice, and made her an enticing offer through one of it's many minions.
One that at the time she felt was her best chance at survival. Most likely it had been her only choice at all. In return for agreeing to become a 'Wandering Mini-boss' and managing the population of the Dungeon Born on the first floor, her Beast Core had been remade. She'd lost most of her influence over her Water attunement, and gained the Earth attunement in exchange. If Su'ong were nearly anywhere else, she would've scoffed at any imbecile who would willingly trade their Water element for that of Earth.
Yet it was mainly due to this unfortunate downgrade that she was still among the living. The only water to be found on the first floor were jets of searing hot steam, and she had quickly learned that there was no easy way to collect it. So the simple ability to sustain herself on the dense Earth attuned Mana within the underground Dungeon had been a life saver. Both literally and figuratively.
Normally members of her race, the Beast-Folk, would have to wait until reaching their first evolution at Level 10 to awaken a Beast Core. And it was only then that they'd finally gain an attunement and earn the right to choose a Class. Su'ong however, was one of the rare members of her species born with her Beast Core already awakened.
Normally such a rarity would be celebrated for three days and four nights, but the oddity of her birth had come bearing another, most unwelcome surprise in store for her family. When her grandmother inspected the newborn infant Snake-kin that would soon be named Su'ong, it was immediately obvious to the wise old woman that this child possessed an innate attunement, as well as the Title Blessed Child of the Water. A month-long festival was immediately announced to the populace.
Unbeknownst to the majority of the Beast-Folk enjoying the festivities, behind the closed doors of the Zhú family manor, a full-on scandal had taken root. In an act that defied all expectations, the much celebrated mother and father had slipped away under the cover of midnight stars. Abandoning their newborn child without a backwards glance.
It hadn't been just any element their newborn daughter possessed. She was born with a natural affinity to Water. The fact that Su'ong was the progeny of a long and distinguished line of Poison users had made this oddity all the more mind boggling. Water users were statistically prone to receive Classes and Skill-sets that leaned more towards healing. That or Mage-type and defense-based Classes. Unfortunately, not a one of these were of any use to her parents. Theirs was the path of poison and death. Of blood and suffering. Theirs was the way of the assassin.
For as far back as records were kept, even before the arrival of the System on their home world, the Zhú family had been the hidden blade of the Beast-King. The sole exception to this among the recent generations had been Su'ong's grandmother, the Lady Kaoru. In her youth, upon hitting level 10, she, as well, had awakened a Water attuned Beast Core. Which she fully embraced, even when it made her peers wary, and sometimes even outright hostile towards her.
Knowing that their daughter would be ostracized at best, the young parents named their daughter Su'ong, and left her with the only member of the family who could possibly guide her safely through the coming tribulations. Of being a healer growing up among dealers of eternal darkness. It had surely been a tumultuous upbringing, but it had instilled Su'ong with both self-assurance, and a deep-rooted love for, and appreciation of, her grandmother. Not only had she always been an excellent role model, but she was now the clan Matriarch.
"Is everything okay?" Alan asked with genuine concern. Su'ong was pulled out of her thoughts and back to reality.
In the end, his words probably hadn't intended a response, though she wasn't able to keep from cracking a smile. His friendly demeanor went a long way towards easing her suspicions.
She had already been waiting at the designated meeting place for several minutes by the time she was joined by the little Daemonling. Although she wasn't necessarily impatient, a deep seated anxiety had begun to build. The fact that she had found nothing in her search, and likewise received news from Alan that echoed her findings, had left her with a sense of foreboding.
Was the Dungeon Master perhaps giving her the opportunity to change her mind? To realize the folly of her actions and turn back? Or was it using her to glean information about Alan?
I wish I could tell him everything, but my mind is made up. Su'ong flexed her fists, I'm leaving this place whether the Master likes it or not. Our bargain was always meant to be one of temporary mutual benefit, yet you've refused to let me leave. But no more. I'm going home.
That, or I'm dying in the process.