The AA local base was a far cry from the New York branch’s polished and well-funded facilities. Closer to a miner’s camp than a hub for Awakeners, it was distinctly pragmatic and work-focused.
Teams here were not draped in the latest gear or experimenting with newly developed magic. They were men and women, dust-covered and weary-eyed, focused intently on the extraction process, their energies attuned more to the minerals than to the pursuit of ranks and recognition.
Awakeners of G, F, and E-ranks, often overshadowed by their more illustrious counterparts, found their niche in a system that prioritized economic growth over rank ascension. The local teams, while perhaps lacking the glamorous missions and dynamic adventures of their New York peers, were a tight-knit community bound by a shared understanding of their tangible and immediate needs over abstract, distant threats.
The Saratoga branch was one of the few local AA offices allowed to ignore dungeons surrounding their territory. Their mandate was one: taking as much as possible from the Mineral Horses herds without upsetting the balance of the dungeon, and they were dedicated to it.
The operation was highly lucrative, producing much more than a comparable mine with a much smaller crew. The peculiar stability of the dungeon, which had never once attempted to grow beyond its rank, also allowed them to have a secure, regular income.
These Awakeners were entirely different from those James had met in New York, but that didn’t mean they were worse. No, if anything, James found them altogether pleasant.
If only the dungeon’s environment was as nice…
The smell of sulfur was thick in the air, so much so that they had been given masks to wear to prevent any possible problem from inhaling too much.
“Sure would have been nice to have this kind of equipment back in Montauk.” Lauren grumbled, adjusting the straps beneath her hair.
They were in a private room at the AA provincial center, which they had been gracefully granted by the local director, a thirty year old man with dyed white hair and star-shaped contacts.
Despite his peculiar appearance, Emmanuel Branch turned out to be a competent Awakener, standing at C-rank - more than enough to handle anything the local dungeons could throw at him, unless something requiring special attention from the HQ came up - and with an affinity for a unique branch of magic, that of crystal control, he had been given command over the extraction operations of the Saratoga Mineral Horse dungeon.
He hadn’t put up much of a fuss even after being basically thrown out of his workplace for an unknown amount of days and even helpfully pointed out where team 0 could get the equipment necessary to delve.
“I don’t think we should expect this kind of organization anywhere else.” Ezekiel responded, carefully regulating the tightness of his own mask, which muffled his voice. “This is more a commercial operation than a regular dungeon. It’s crazy that they are even allowing us to use it without a strict time limit.”
“That’s because the higher ups know we’ll end up killing ourselves if we don’t get a few more levels.” James chuckled, sounding completely unbothered. He had been the one to push Miss Walker the most, after all, directly stating that he would begin operations against the Radiant Guild anyway, and that if the AA wanted to prevent the waste of resources his death would cause, they’d better step up.
“You mean you’ll get us all killed.” Daniel grumbled, though James knew he wasn’t particularly mad. They had discussed his and Lauren’s findings the past couple of days and had ended up deciding together that asking for help from Miss Walker, at least in regards to the preparations needed to take on an entire guild, would be better than just pantsing the whole thing.
Their teacher had been initially reluctant to go along with their whims, but after a long conversation in which they impressed upon her their seriousness, she had come around and had promised she’d leverage her position with the Director to get some help from the AA.
She had ended up delivering more than expected, granting them unlimited access to one of the most valuable low-rank dungeons the Agency had.
James had been afraid they’d get a cold reception, having basically kicked out the local teams, but that wasn’t the case. Mr Branch had warmly welcomed them and explained that most of the Awakeners working under him were less interested in grinding and growing stronger and more dedicated to making money to support their families.
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Team 0’s arrival had made it so they couldn’t access the dungeon, as it would be reserved for their own efforts, but their pledge to let the locals keep the majority of the minerals they’d get had been enough to quell any protest.
Yeah, I bet they don’t mind having a few weeks of paid vacation. But at least this way we won’t have to dance around other teams, and this dungeon is expansive enough that it’s almost impossible to clear for just one team in the time we have.
Despite the Director basically giving them carte blanche, James was very aware that they had less than a month to move. Two weeks, if they wanted to be sure they’d have enough time to take the Radiant out.
“Alright, guys, here’s the deal.” He began once he was done dressing up. “This is quite different from our previous experiences, being in an entirely open field. We have all looked at the papers they gave us, but the important things to remember are to avoid the largest herds, aim to get our attacks done quickly and without too much noise, and get out of the battlefield when we have confirmed the kills. We can get the materials out later, since they won’t degrade with time.”
They all nodded, shoulders straightening. It was an unusual scenario, being in a dungeon where the objective wasn’t to strike down every creature in sight but to strategize, ensuring their actions did not disturb the delicate equilibrium maintained by the Mineral Horses.
The horses lived and roamed within vast crystalline fields where there had once been open farmland, their forms glistening with embedded gemstones and rare minerals.
The beasts themselves were magnificent, awe-inspiring creatures. They moved in herds, their coats glimmering under the sunlight, a mystical glow that seemed to defy natural explanation. Some had growths similar to horns, making them resemble unicorns from fairytales, while others had geometric patterns all over their bodies.
A soft haze hung throughout the dungeon, limiting sight at about two hundred feet, even with James’ enhanced SENSE.
In a way, that makes it easier not to be swarmed, as other herds will have difficulty locating us, but I’ll have to keep Awareness on at all times. I wouldn’t want us to have to fight our way out of here, attracting more and more horses until we get overwhelmed.
Before leaving the team to their task, Director Branch led them to a vantage point, providing a sweeping view of the mineral-rich fields below.
His eyes, accentuated by the starry contacts, twinkled with a mix of respect and pragmatism as he gazed upon the herds. “See." He began, his voice enthusiastic about their adventure.
"The Mineral Horses, they're smart. They don’t attack humans unless provoked, but once you disturb one, you disturb them all. A herd will move as one, and if they perceive you as a threat, they'll coordinate in a way that might surprise you. They manipulate the minerals in their bodies to create armor, spears and even temporary shelters. That’s why a thoughtful approach works best here.”
Lauren observed keenly, her eyes flicking between the Director and the serene, yet somehow unsettling sight below. “So, how do the local teams manage to extract enough minerals without causing a stampede?”
Emmanuel smiled. “Precision and patience. We have folks who can read the creatures, predict their paths. We isolate the herd we have chosen to take, ensuring they are far enough from others that interference is impossible, and take them down fast. We also never take too much at once, as they can feel the balance be upset and start roaming in much larger groups. It takes weeks for them to settle.”
“Seems like a risky operation. We’re here to powerlevel, basically… Won’t that necessarily lead to us upsetting the balance?” Daniel asked, narrowing his eyes at a particularly large stallion, its mane almost a cascade of rubies and obsidian, moving gracefully among its kin.
The Director turned to him, his expression somewhat inscrutable, before a soft sigh escaped his lips. “You all are the anomaly in a system that works, but your need outweighs the risk. If what you’re doing wasn’t deemed vital, do you think they'd let a team of rookies play in one of the AA's most profitable dungeons?”
He paused, letting the rhetorical question hang in the air. “We understand you’re not here for profit, but while you're in Saratoga, respect the balance we've built with these creatures, respect the land, and try not to wreak havoc on our livelihood.”
Emmanuel bid them farewell after a few more words of advice and cautionary tales about prior incidents, leaving Team 0 to gaze out at the vast, gleaming expanse.
The fog hanging over it gave the whole dungeon an otherworldly feeling, as the filtered sun shined down the crystalline growths, making them reflect the light in myriad colors.
James observed the closest herd, deciding they would be good enough for a first attempt. “The only monster I’m worried about here is the red stallion. If we can take it down immediately after having surrounded them, we can finish this quickly.”
Lauren nodded, taking her gleaming knives out of their sheaths. “With the fog useless thanks to our masks, I can probably do a lot of damage without being noticed. It should mesh very well with my skills, and I’m pretty curious about how much EXP they’ll give us, considering how smug Miss Walker was when she sent us here.”
Daniel snorted, picking up his shield and walking down the hill “If we want to make a dent in the absurd amount of experience we’ll need to get to G-rank, we should start soon. I don’t know about you guys, but I still would like to sleep in a bed rather than out here in the fields.”
Entering the fog for the first time, James was grateful for the generosity of the Saratoga branch. More than just protection from the harmful gas in the air, the faint smell that tickled his nose told him it would have been unbearable to be here without the mask.
The team split up, each taking a different cardinal direction, intending to box the small herd in, determined to end the fight before it could even truly begin. This time, Daniel had volunteered to play as bait. In a smaller environment, James could generally do it much better, being more mobile, but here, they needed the beasts’ attention to be squarely on the Tank, and his large figure would serve much better.
He placed himself squarely before the herd, making enough sound that all the horses turned to face him. The stallion snorted in warning, its muscles rippling, making the rubies shimmer.
The creature was close to seven feet in height, all corded power and fierceness. Its gaze settled on Daniel unerringly, understanding the unspoken challenge. It moved to the front of the herd without haste, leaving deep imprints in the soil.
Once it had taken an opposite position to the Tank, it neighed loudly, stamping its foot with enough strength to make the ground shake, and charged.