Sam reached her soul after traveling through the ‘creepy tunnel,’ which is how she now referred to the corridor leading from her physical soul core to her actual soul. As always, she shivered a little after arriving from the feeling of being watched by faceless, infinitely powerful beings.
Recovering from her discomfort, Sam marched out of her bedroom, through her living room, and into the room with the figurines. She now considered this room her art room since calling it a bedroom wouldn’t be accurate. The bed with the purple rune under it was replaced with an altar. Sam had no idea when the bed had transformed. All she knew was that a bed was in the room on one visit, and an altar replaced it on her next visit.
Admiring the beautiful violet and black altar, Sam approached it and ran her hand over the smooth, glassy surface. She had no idea what material composed the two-and-a-half-meter-long altar, but the smoothness and transparency of the material led her to assume it was a form of hardened glass. The exit rune was no longer on the floor; instead, it was on the side of the altar, and purple flames without heat sprouted from the four corners of the altar.
As surprised as Sam was when she first saw the imposing altar in her soul, she was even more surprised when she instinctively knew what it was; it would allow her to assume one of her avatars and exit her soul without damaging herself. There was a Sam-shaped impression for her to lay in on the altar, and at the head of the impression was a pedestal identical to the ones the figurines rested on. All she had to do was place her chosen figure on the pedestal and lay in the deep impression on top of the altar. It would merge them and send her from her soul with a new body and new powers.
“At least that’s the hope,” Sam thought, moving away from the giant glass slab to start working on the Technogog Arcana figurine. Knowing how to do something and actually doing it were two completely different things. Sam wasn't sure exactly how the transition would affect her when she finally assumed her avatar correctly. She still felt great trepidation since she had nearly destroyed her soul the last time she took her avatars for a spin.
“It won’t happen like that next time, though,” Sam told the figure as she continued repairing its body and clothing. As she worked, Sam was aware of the watchful gaze originating from the obscuring fog that made up one side of the room. She tried many times to coax the final figurine out of the mist without success, so she assumed it would present itself when it was ready.
***
Sam roused Lupie and Nul about an hour before daybreak; neither complained since sleep was more of a habit than a necessity for them. When breakfast was complete and their campsite cleared, the trio headed to the Secret Grove, excited to explore a new place.
The grove was still invisible. "That must be one powerful spell to conceal all those enormous trees," Sam mused as they drew closer to the grove's location on her map.
Once they were close, Sam picked up a rock and threw it toward the Secret Grove. The fist-sized projectile disappeared as soon as it entered the grove's concealment, leaving a noticeable ripple in the air, dissipating quickly.
“You should ride me in case we need to run,” Lupie said after they watched the stone vanish.
Sam mounted Lupie with Nul at that suggestion, and they walked into the Secret Grove.
When they crossed into the grove's concealment spell, there was no tingle or resistance. One second, there was only a grassy hill, and the next, they were among a stand of giant trees. A notification informed them they had entered the grove.
‘Bing’ You have entered the Secret Grove and gained experience in discovering this ancient landmark. This grove has existed for over a thousand cycles, and its secrets have been lost to time. Due to the grove's concealment, you cannot communicate with anyone outside its influence range.
They did not receive any level-ups from the experience, not that Sam really expected it. She still thought it was cool they received any EXP at all.
Stopping to orient themselves and check for threats, Sam got her first good look at the trees. Once she examined them, she murmured, " We won’t be climbing those.” The trees were at least forty meters tall, with no branches below thirty meters. Their bark was as smooth as polished bronze. With Mana Sight on, Sam could see channels of magical energy flowing up the trunks to the thick canopy above. Then she realized that the trees were responsible for the concealment spell.
“Do you smell anything girl?” Sam asked Lupie.
“There are scents I cannot identify coming from that way," Lupie said, pointing in a direction with her nose.
“Okay, then, let’s go,” Sam said, and Lupie started walking in the direction her nose was leading her.
Sam couldn't help but reach out and knock on one of the tree trunks as they passed. It made a hollow sound, but nothing else happened. Sam did note the smooth bark felt hot to the touch but not overly so.
Within a few more minutes, they found what Lupie was smelling. It was a large metallic object that stood out from the rest of the lush landscape like a sore thumb.
“What is that?” Lupie asked as Sam dismounted to examine the grey and white metal protruding from the ground.
Sam knew exactly what it was. She had not expected to find it while wandering out in the wild. Placing her hand on the metal to confirm it was indeed real, Sam exclaimed to Lupie, “It’s a freaking spaceship!”
***
Sam had to correct her earlier exclamation upon closer inspection, especially when a notification popped up.
You have discovered Hyperlite Escape Pod [Level Unknown].
Classification: Space Transport
Quality: Destroyed
Magical: No
Functions: Short-distance emergency escape transport.
Max Occupants: 50
Before the company was dissolved, the Hyperlite Manufacturing Consortium was the exclusive seller of this mass-produced ship. Capable of interstellar transport with speeds reaching up to 221,000 kilometers per second, these escape pods were once considered the standard in emergency vacuum to atmospheric entry devices. These pods support a maximum capacity of 50 bipedal life forms; they come standard with an AI-supported navigation system for stellar body detection and atmospheric entry and landing. They also have enough organic supplies to support their crew for one standard System cycle. In their heyday, no self-respecting space captain would travel without Hyperlite Escape Pods.
Sam stood transfixed, her hand on the nose cone of an actual spacefaring vessel. Sure, it was destroyed, but that didn’t daunt her. She was trying hard not to hyperventilate as her mind raced with possibilities, “What if I can find usable parts to help me repair another ship? The fact that the same company made this escape pod as the core I got from the raid event can’t be a coincidence…but then the System did say it wasn’t curating my life any longer…so what are the actual chances of me finding this ship and winning the core in the event? Maybe everyone gets help from the System based on some invisible luck stat? That would make sense…wouldn’t it?” Sam wasn’t sure and doubted she would find out any time soon.
Focusing back on the meter or so of nose cone protruding from the loamy soil and grass of the grove like a grave marker, Sam started to circle it, trying to decide how she would go about unearthing it. “If only it weren’t in the ground but submerged in a dank swamp near the home of a cranky enigmatic space wizard,” she thought, then giggled to herself at the movie reference. Her giggle turned into a shout when Lupie walked close to sniff the escape pod, and the ground they were standing on suddenly collapsed.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
They fell for nearly fifty meters and barely managed to form parachutes before striking the cavern floor beneath the grove. Even with her arcane parachute, Sam still slammed into the ground hard. Lupie transformed mid-fall, which helped her slow significantly more than Sam. Still, Sam heard her friend's breath get knocked out when she smacked the hard-packed ground. Nul, the little traitor, teleported to a nearby stalagmite as they fell.
Sam was about to say something to the little slime when movement from above caught her attention. “Shit! Look out!” she shouted, grabbing the still-dazed Lupie with her mana threads and dragging them both out from under the bus-sized escape pod a moment before it slammed down where they were lying. As the large pod was dashed against the floor, so was Sam's hope of salvaging parts from the vessel.
After the dust settled, the pod looked more like a pile of twisted metal she would see in a scrap heap than an actual spacefaring vessel. Even the nose cone caved in, leaving almost nothing usable behind.
Before she could extricate herself from where she pulled Lupie on top of her, a forced System message with its usual annoying chime popped up in Sam’s vision.
‘Bing’ You have entered the Hyperlite Dungeon of the Secret Grove [Level 73].
Maximum Party Size: 10.
Recommended Party Size: 10.
Maximum Level of Party: 99 [No minimum level].
Recommended Level: 70+.
Current Number of Party: 3.
Standard Enemy Level(s): 63 to 83.
Elite Enemy Level(s): 70 to 90.
Boss Enemy Level(s): Unknown.
This dungeon is considered “ancient” as it is over a millennium-old crash site. The last surviving member of the original crew has perished, leaving this dungeon unclaimed. Would you like to enter this dungeon? Yes/No
The' Yes' selection was highlighted before Sam could think of a response, and the message faded. “I guess I’m technically already in the dungeon,” She thought, looking more closely at her surroundings.
What she first thought was a large cavern was now obviously the hanger bay of an ancient spaceship. The light from the hole in the ceiling left by the escape pod illuminated barely recognizable structural beams through the dirt and decay of over a thousand cycles. It looked like the crash survivors had stripped away most of the usable parts, leaving behind a leaky skeleton of what was once likely a massive spaceship.
“So, someone crashed here long ago, set up a cloaking field, and then stripped the ship of all its parts,” Sam thought. Then another thought struck her, “Was Banta the last surviving crew member? Holy crap, I bet she was! Does this mean I can claim this dungeon if I…I don’t know…defeat the boss?”
Sam had no idea what claiming a dungeon would get her or even how to go about it. All she could remember from her D&D days was there was supposed to be a ‘dungeon core’ that controlled the place and to access the core, she would have to first clear the dungeon or, at the very least, locate and defeat a guardian of sorts leaving the core undefended. At least, that was how it worked in fantasy books and games from Earth. She had hope because this new reality was eerily similar to some Earth fantasies.
While Sam was lost in thought, Lupie rolled off her with a whispered "Thanks" and helped Sam to her feet.
As soon as she stood up, Nul teleported to Sam’s head and settled in, melting over her head and the back of her neck. The little slime was getting significantly denser as it leveled. Sam was unsure how long she could keep her position as a human transport device.
The three wandered around the enormous cavern, or hanger bay, as Sam now considered it. Continuing to wander until they reached the far wall of the ancient ship, Sam was starting to make out the individual bays that made up the hanger. She tried to imagine what the ship may have looked like when it traveled the stars. She could almost see pilots and deck crew scrambling around starfighters as they prepared to engage a hostile force or during maneuvers.
Sam was so involved in her imagination that she failed to notice the five figures strolling into the hanger from the darkened entrance of a corridor leading out.
“Mistress?" Lupie's urgent question came through their party chat.
Realizing something was wrong, Sam looked at her companion to see what made her tense. Following Lupie’s gaze, Sam quickly saw the shadowy figures making their way around the three-meter-high stalagmites that dotted the ancient hanger in strange, jerky motions. They hadn’t noticed them yet, so she used Identify on the closest one: a black-plated humanoid figure with the hilt of a sword protruding above its back and a rifle cradled in its arms.
Multifunction Hyperlite Attack Droid [Level 67]; Hostile; Affinity: None; Loadout: Standard.
Checking the small group of droids, Sam noticed four were identical and leveled sixty-five to seventy-two. But the one in front of the formation was different than the others; it was nearly a half meter taller than its brethren, making it roughly tall enough to see over the stalagmites dotting the room. It contained the same black plating covering its frame, except for one of its arms, which was painted dark red. Like the others, its head was narrow, with two lights stacked vertically in the front of the head. Sam assumed those were its eyes. It had two antennae protruding from the back of its narrow head that constantly swiveled around as if trying to detect sounds or motion around it. Instead of the small rifle the others carried, this one had a massive hammer on its back and was carrying a full-body shield as thick as Sam's forearm. Overall, it was an imposing figure, and when she identified the lead droid, she knew why.
Elite Hyperlite Sentry Droid [Level 77]; Hostile; Affinity: None; Loadout: Heavy.
“Something tells me that one is going to be a problem,” Sam thought as she watched the robots make their way slowly around the room. The patrol hadn’t noticed them yet, which gave Sam time to think of a plan. As it turned out, Lupie was the first to have a plan of attack.
“Do you want to drop one of the roof spears on them?” Lupie’s voice sounded in Sam’s mind.
Sam grinned after taking a second to figure out what the Bloodmorph was talking about. Yes, she did want to drop a stalactite or ‘roof spear’ on the slow patrol.
***
Sam hid them and watched the patrolling droids for a while. The droids didn’t notice the three companions; instead, they followed what looked to Sam like a fixed path around the hanger bay.
Sam was almost certain the droids followed a preset patrol path because they would stop for a few seconds, looking confused each time a stalagmite was in their path. After some jerky movements, the lead droid would choose a direction, and the group would walk around the obstruction and continue.
After watching the patrol a little longer, Sam had a good idea of where their path would take them and saw it would bring the droids close to the wreckage of the escape pod. Not knowing how the enemies would react to the new obstruction, Sam decided to act before the patrol reached the escape pod remains. After a quick planning session, the three of them staged their ambush.
The first thing Sam did was confirm that Nul and Lupie could access her map. They would be splitting up, and she wanted to ensure they wouldn't have to rely on sight to know each other's whereabouts.
Once she confirmed her companions could track each other on her map, Sam laid out a simple plan through their voice chat function, “Okay, I think the lead droid is going to be tough to take down, so I am going to focus on him…uh…it—yeah, we'll call them ‘its’ for now. Anyway, I want you two to focus on the other four smaller droids while I take down the leader. Judging from their levels, this will be a tough fight but nothing worse than what we have already faced."
“Um, Mistress,” Lupie’s voice timidly rang in Sam’s mind. When Sam looked at her, the Bloodmorph continued, “I do not wish to contradict you, but do you think it may be better if I take on the leader in my original form? I can take a lot more damage than you and—”
Lupie cut off and shut her mouth when Sam held up a hand. “You are right, Lupie. Thank you for pointing that out. Nul and I will take on the group of normal opponents and then move to assist you." Sam smiled, and Lupie practically vibrated with pride at Sam's acceptance of her suggestion.
Still smiling, Sam laid out the rest of the plan. "Now that we have established our targets let’s talk about how we are going to drop one of those ‘roof spears,’ which, by the way, are called stalactites, Lupie.” Taking the slime off her head, Sam looked at Nul and asked, “Do you think you could portal me to that stalactite without alerting the droids?” The stalactite she pointed at was, she hoped, far enough away from the patrol to keep them from noticing the low thrum and light whoosh sounds Nul’s portals made. She did note that as Nul leveled the Void Tunnel spell, the portals made less noise.
“Yes. You want now?” Nul responded.
“One second,” Sam said, “just to be clear, I want the two of you to attack as soon as the stalactite hits the group. Lupie, don't bother with the weaker droids; go straight to the big one. Once it is down, we will team up on the rest. Got it?"
Lupie and Nul confirmed they understood, so Sam said, “Okay, Nul portal me.” Instantly, a hole in reality opened in front of her. She could see the giant spike of hardened sediment through the event horizon.
Sam leaped through without hesitation, wrapping her mana threads around the stalactite to hold herself in place. Hearing the portal close with a whoosh behind her, Sam held her breath, craning her neck to see if the sound alerted the droid patrol. When she saw the patrol, she noticed they stopped moving. The lights on their heads turned from white to yellow, and their antennae were swiveling around erratically.
Sam waited ten minutes clinging to the ceiling of the hanger bay before the patrol resumed their slow trek in her direction. While waiting, Sam managed to get a couple of her threads around a metal girt above her, lessening the strain of holding onto the stalactite. As soon as the droids started moving again, Sam went to work.
With her free mana threads, Sam used her Magismith skill to tunnel small holes into the base of the enormous rock formation, which was nearly five meters across. She deposited an arcane mana crystal in each of the finished holes. Attaching a permanent thread to every crystal, she wove them all together and hung them over one of the roof girders.
When Sam finished her work, fifteen holes were drilled into the base of the stalactite, each with a thin thread leading out. It looked like demolition projects Sam had seen on TV; all she needed was a detonator with one of those cool 'T' handles she could push down. “I guess I’m the detonator in this situation,” Sam thought, admiring her handiwork. She would have drilled more holes and planted more crystals, but the patrolling droids were nearly below her, so she would have to make do with what she completed.
As soon as the droids were beneath her, Sam, with the manic grin she reserved for hair-brained ideas, thought, “Fire in the hole!” and sent a pulse of void energy into each of the crystals.