Chapter 61: VIP
Saturday, April 8th, 11:32 AM
Dungeon Ciara
Joe and Mike were briefly called away via helicopter to one of the US Marine Corps amphibious warfare ships, where they were issued spare dress blues and combat utility uniforms.
The Navy and Marine Corps had claimed one of the Elven houses as a temporary headquarters while Mike worked with Bruce alongside several naval officers to plan a larger structure to serve as a permanent solution.
Bruce’s initial plan for a structure large enough to house commands for both services was green-lit by Admiral Winberg, who ordered the construction of two such buildings on either side of the harbor.
Joe was tasked with leading a second team including marines and naval enlisted through the Dungeon, though the Adventurers Guild had become better organized and Joe had to lead them deeper. This time, they brought firearms.
“Can you mass-produce these hearthstones, Elliott?” asked Admiral Winberg. He and the other officers eyed the trio of hearthstones on their mounts that could be introduced to or retracted from the stout stone fireplace via a wrought-iron lever.
“Yes, sir,” Mike replied.
Captain Atkins thumbed his chin. “How long does it take you to fashion one?”
“Less than a minute per cubic centimeter, sir.”
“Are there any others who can produce them as well?”
“There are, sir. Anyone who acquires a smithing-based class can fashion these and a few other related things. Many folks are running tests, trying to figure out who can produce what.”
“Is it safe to observe this process?”
“Aye, sir—provided the crafter is experienced and careful.”
“In that case, let’s have a demonstration.”
Mike nodded. “If you will please follow me, sir”
After Mike produced a hearthstone of iron and a forgestone of tungsten, the officers stood with mouths agape.
Admiral Winberg covered his mouth with his hand and chuckled. “You realize these stones will change Naval warfare forever?”
Mike replied, “Aye, sir. Like nuclear reactors without radiation—and the fuel never runs out.”
Atkins nodded and mused, “No need for containment shielding.”
The admiral scratched his cheek. “Our engineers are fascinated by the possibilities, but nobody can work those metals.” He locked eyes with Mike over his implied question.
“To the best of my knowledge, it’s possible for anyone to acquire the ability to craft and work as I have, sir—through hard work and proper focus while near the Dungeon.”
Winberg steepled his hands. “Tell us about this Dungeon, Elliott.”
…
Mike explained, and there was a demonstration of physical strength, speed, and combat prowess by the first eighteen marines Joe had trained.
The admiral said, “I want all crew from our vessels rotated out in shifts to receive training in this place. Keep enough on board to maintain combat readiness.”
Admiral Winberg raised his eyebrows. “Hart. Atkins. You will assemble a team to investigate the most efficient means to make use of this Dungeon and its resources along with the local population. We’ll let the feds handle the draft proceedings when they arrive, but I want this place secured and operational.”
The pair replied in unison, “Aye, sir.”
The admiral’s eyes flicked to Mike. “Elliott, you’re in charge of training for engineering and maintenance teams under Colonel Hart. I want research done on whether it’s possible to safely reinforce or otherwise improve existing vessels and aircraft. I expect daily reports on your findings.”
“Aye, sir.”
Winberg’s gaze passed over the others. “Information and empowerment of military personnel are top priorities. You all have your orders. Dismissed.”
As Mike saluted and returned to his outdoor forge area, he spotted another wave of helicopters approaching, including more than a dozen sky cranes bearing heavy loads.
----------------------------------------
Something about the military’s sudden, massive presence made my instinct uneasy, inspiring a heavier focus on completing my fourth floor.
I had all ten of my Monterey falcons travel to the Sierra Nevada mountains to collect wildlife. But the 400-km round-trip took many hours, and they failed to bring any species that I lacked, so I sent them back to my second floor with orders to remain hidden in the treetops.
On the other hand, my krakens and Deep Horrors brought all manner of prey, including sea lions, a White shark, two Orcas, a Gray whale, and a Humpback. I felt bad for the mammals, but as usual, they were too injured to release—especially those caught by the Deep Horrors.
I gave orders for my minions to avoid hunting aquatic mammals in the future, except in cases where I lacked the species.
A group of four from the Adventurers Guild made it past the climbing wall after one was impaled through his chest and neck. He drank a minor healing brew and survived, though he was too weak to continue and opted to wait for his companions near the glowing skull I’d left as a warning. The other three managed to circumvent my climbing wall by using the spike holes to climb before leaping to the top.
Interesting.
I resolved to become more devious with my traps in the future.
Their spear user tested Midnight’s web with his ice-imbued weapon from inside the tunnel beside her lair. Her silk frosted over as he sawed through a single strand just before Midnight’s thin, jet-black legs lashed out with silk and glue from above the entrance. She yanked the spear from his grasp, and would have pulled the man into her web if one of his companions hadn’t caught him by the collar and yanked him backward.
The three screamed at the sight of Midnight’s huge body and her glowing hourglass as she climbed across the opening and loomed. They fled along the tunnel and scampered across the balancing beam above the water pit, then jumped at the spike holes opposite the climbing wall. Two managed to grab on, but the third man plummeted to the bottom with a horrified wail. I heard bones snap, and he bellowed in agony.
The group had no potions remaining, so the injured man was carried out by the other two who’d climbed down safely, as the mostly-healed man who’d been run through by the spike trap plodded wearily beside them. I instructed my minions to let them pass, since they’d been smart enough to flee.
My instinct to prevent anyone from reaching my core was strong, but each time people chose to retreat, it felt like a small victory. I knew instinctively that the allure of power and wealth would keep the humans returning for more.
They approached the new group of marines and navy enlisted who were headed deeper, and Joe stepped forward to heal both their injured.
“Thank God for Jesus the Hulk,” said the man whose legs had just mended.
Joe glared at him and he shrank away.
“How were you injured?”
The men replied simultaneously.
“Spike trap.”
“Fell down.”
“You ran into a trap? Was it the one with the glowing skull?” asked Joe.
All four nodded, then continued toward the exit.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Joe called after them, “Well, be careful. I won’t always be available.”
When Joe and his marines had slaughtered their way past the big cats, coyotes, snakes, and spiders, they searched the tunnels.
One of them noted the locations of mining deposits I’d made on her clipboard. When they came to the fourth tunnel from the right and finally headed down the correct path, the glowing red skull came into view.
Joe stepped up. “I’m not risking any of you for this. There’s a spike trap, and I’m going to find out where.
The lower spike trap triggered when his hand grabbed one of the triggers. It impacted him hard, with two spikes stabbing his head.
Siobhán cried out in pain, startling the others working on the housing project. “Joe!” she screamed, and took off at a dead run toward the castle.
“Schimpf!” several marines shouted in unison.
The trap failed to penetrate deep enough to kill Joe, and as the spikes retracted, he glowed with the golden light of healing.
“Damn. That stung.” Joe hopped down while the other marines backed away with wide eyes.
[Joe’s okay, Soybean. He healed himself.]
“What happened to him?” she shrieked.
[He triggered a spike trap.]
“ProfCon… I thought your Dungeon wasn’t hostile to residents?” Siobhán frowned.
[It’s not. But he pulled a lever that set the spikes off.]
“So that’s what it was,” mused Joe.
“Gunny Schimpf… are you—”
“I’m fine. The rest of you would be dead, since you’re F-Rank.”
The panic in Siobhán’s eyes had ebbed, but she kept running down into the basement from the castle.
Joe stared at the climbing wall, then at the opposite wall where the two offset traps were. “I knew I felt something give just before the spikes hit me.” He met the eyes of his marines. “There’s a switch or trigger in the climbing wall.”
The woman with the clipboard jotted the info down.
Joe spotted the second group of spike holes and his eyes narrowed. “Ciara, was that the only trap on this wall?”
[No. There’s another higher up.]
“What’s the purpose of this, aside from killing people?” Joe asked. He held up a hand to silence confused responses from his marines while Ciara answered.
[It’s part of being a Dungeon, and helping people get ready for whatever it is we’ll face. That’s what my instinct is telling me. If people become strong enough to bypass the trap, they’ll fare better against what’s coming for us.]
“I see. I’m glad you put that skull here as a marker, because this would murder a lot of people otherwise.” Joe motioned to his marines, and they followed him through the tunnel toward the forest.
[There will be more traps, and not all will be marked. I suggest confining your training to those two floors, for now. Deeper areas will be quite deadly until people are tougher.]
Joe said, “Thanks for the info. In that case, we’ll stick with what we’ve run so far. But with all the Adventurers, we often run out of things to fight.”
[You follow the main path to the bottom each time, but there are numerous side areas in my forest, Joe. Two-thirds of my minions on that floor are still alive. You should head off the beaten path if you want more things to fight. They’ll attack your marines on sight.]
“Can’t you just send them at us?”
[Are you sure you want me to do that? If enough attacked at once, it could overwhelm your marines and get some of them killed before you could intervene.]
“Right. I see what you’re saying—but you can control them.”
[I could, but I’m busy, Joe. I have preparations to make if I’m going to help us all get stronger. Most of that effort is confined to lower floors, and it will slow my work considerably to micromanage minions in the forest. By the way, Soybean is halfway through the second floor on her way to you. She was worried.]
“Yeah, I can tell. I figured she’d be headed our way.” Joe shrugged with a smile.
Siobhán’s voice reached Joe’s ears through the second floor as her short legs carried her down the path with inhuman speed.
“Gunny Schimpf, I know you talk with the Dungeon sometimes. Is that her voice?” one of the Marines asked.
“No. That’s a friendly civilian who’s inbound. She’s almost as fast as me, so don’t be alarmed.” Joe pointed across the lake at Siobhán, who was just visible and approaching rapidly.
[Soybean, do you really want to let all those marines know that you and Joe can feel everything together?]
“No, she doesn’t,” said Joe, his eyes hardening.
[Joe wants to keep it a secret.]
“Fine. But I have to see him.” Siobhán’s lips quivered as she caught sight of Joe’s marines through the bamboo and raced around the small lake.
The marines were shocked when Siobhán barely slowed her approach and Joe caught her, swinging her around to bleed off her momentum as she kissed him.
Numerous cat calls and whistles sounded before Joe set her down again.
“I’m fine.” Joe placed a hand against Siobhán’s cheek.
“You’d better stay that way,” she whispered.
The marines were silent.
Joe coughed and turned his head to face them. “As you can see, Siobhán is my—”
“Fiancée,” Siobhán finished for Joe, then embraced him as tears streamed down her cheeks. “Please, don’t scare me like that.”
“I’ll try not to. But I couldn’t let them go first.”
Siobhán blinked her tears away. “I know. Just… don’t you dare get killed. I know our country needs you, but so do I.”
Turning to face the marines, Siobhán said, “Don’t shoot the coyote that’s coming over. His name is Kumo. He’s coming to see if I’m okay.”
“You heard her, marines. There’s a coyote inbound like the others we’ve hunted, but hold your fire. Kumo might growl or threaten, but he’ll listen to Siobhán.”
“How’s that possible, Gunny Schimpf?” asked a marine.
Joe let Siobhán explain as Kumo came trotting over. He glared at the marines, but remained calm as Siobhán scratched behind his ears.
She sent Kumo away before they headed back up together.
Considering how snuggly Siobhán had always been since I’d known her, I was impressed that she managed to refrain from taking Joe’s hand, opting to walk beside him instead.
----------------------------------------
Rachel cried out in ecstasy alongside a young woman from the navy who’d been warned of her ability but took it as a challenge during her break. The young enlisted woman had a stupid grin. Their legs were interlocked and their crotches pressed firmly together. Rachel licked her lips and giggled at her latest conquest.
“Men have it pretty good… women feel awesome,” Rachel cooed.
The other girl, who hadn’t passed out, replied, “Holy shit, I wanna be able to do that. How’d you make yours so huge? It almost felt like a guy.”
“Just have a lot of sex. That’s what I did. If you get something similar, maybe we can do that at the same time,” Rachel bit her bottom lip.
“I’ve got time for another round.” The other woman waved her eyebrows and bucked her pelvis.
“Hold on tight,” Rachel whispered.
----------------------------------------
I became a little concerned when I saw inside the huge containers the sky cranes dropped off. Four held riot gear, while the other ten were loaded with large hand-held weapons and ammunition.
With my fourth floor completely hollowed out and stretching east under the mountains, I embedded the necessary rimestones and lightstones into its ceiling.
There were only two human deaths that day, both attributable to a Palomar tiger that caught one group in an ambush. The survivors managed to take the big cat down, though it nearly killed two more of their twelve-person group.
By the next morning, the temperature on my fourth floor was cold enough, and I was ready to decorate.
Just as I was about to begin, another wave of helicopters approached after the fog lifted. This time, there were hundreds, and they included more than just military transports.
Before they landed, a huge number of marines and naval enlisted gathered to surround one area of the beach near the Crow’s Nest, while others herded civilians away.
When the fourth occupant of the dark-green helicopter stepped onto the sand, I understood what all the fuss was about.
[Uh, everyone… The President is here.]
----------------------------------------
Floors: 4
Minions: 371/480
Residents: 12/18
Denizens: 458311
Traps: 10/20