Seven people walked cautiously through the cave, travelling deeper and deeper beneath the surface of the world. However, Micro was pleased by the amount of light shed on the rocky walls around him by the strange and powerful men and women he now accompanied.
“How do you turn your headlights on?” Micro asked the woman called Tae, who now walked alongside him.
“Head lights?” Oh, light is a simple product of aura.” She replied with a nervous smile.
“It takes practice to control, but almost any experienced cultivator with a jade core can do this much.”
“Cultivating…” Micro nodded.
“I need to learn about that.”
“You seem to know a fair amount already, Micro.” Kel mentioned over his shoulder as he led the group.
“I can make fire out of rain.” Micro replied.
“But it’s still hard for me to repair my fuel ta- my core.”
With his hands no longer bound, he rubbed the part of his chest where his unstable core made him feel uneasy.
“Even for a summoned ‘hero’ of the magicians, your talent for meditation was clear, but fire from rain…?” Kel laughed wearily.
“That’s not a normal skill, regardless of a cultivator’s core level.”
Kel shook his head and cleared his throat.
“Forgive me, Micro. I’ll restrain my curiosity for the time being.” His voice returned to normal.
“What do you know of dungeons?”
“I heard they’re dangerous, but that’s all…” Micro replied.
“I see.” Kel smiled.
“Tae, please recount the tale your father often told us as children.”
“Of course, young master.” She bowed, and faced Micro as she walked.
“Long before our time, cultivators were limited in their knowledge of the universe beyond our world. Many reached the limits of what humanity could achieve, but none ever went farther. However, a wandering immortal of unfathomable power happened to descend upon our humble world, and met the first cultivators. They were terrified of his power, but he took pity on them. He created dungeons where we could train, so that we might one day reach a level where we no longer fear him. ‘Become my rivals and meet me in eternity’ was his final message, and so we continue to advance our arts, so that one day we really will reach the level of the wandering gods.”
Tae’s face had become cheerful as she recalled the story. The others also relaxed while listening to her nostalgic tale.
“That’s why we seek out dungeons where we can strengthen our sects.” Tae explained.
“Some dungeons are transient, disappearing one day and reappearing somewhere else the next day.”
“The dungeon we seek today has been known to my sect for four generations, but has only recently appeared in this region.” Kel interjected.
“It is tradition that the heir challenges it to claim its highest prize.”
“The Jade Turtle Art card of the fire element is part of the origin of our sect’s name.” Tae continued.
“The Mountain Art card is in a dungeon only challenged by the current sect leader, and it’s much more dangerous.”
Tae ceased her explanation when she noticed an absent look on Micro’s face. Though he was still looking directly at her eyes, it was obvious that he was struggling to follow the explanation.
“Basically, we’re here to get the Turtle Art card from the dungeon.” She spoke slowly.
“Then, we’ll return to our home.”
“Ah, I see.” Micro affirmed.
“But wha-”
CRASH
Their conversation was suddenly ended by the deafening impact of a boulder against the cave wall.
Bits of stone and dust showered Micro while the others jumped in front of Kel to shield him from the unexpected threat. He fumbled to wipe the dust from his watery eyes, coughing until he felt like he was about to pass out. When the dust finally began to settle, he saw Kel and his attendants lined up in front of him, facing a large, hairy beast emerging from behind a pile of rubble.
“That’s not a small cave bear, Tae.” One of the men laughed.
“We may be closer to the dungeon than we thought, given the size of it.” She replied.
It looked similar to bears Micro had seen crossing the road on the mountain roads near home, but it was taller than a garage, had a green tinge to its fur, and stood on two legs. More surprising was that it grasped a large boulder in one hand, and it was winding back to throw it as if it were no heavier than a snowball.
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“Thank you for your vigilance, comrades.” Kel stated casually while walking past the others.
“Allow me to take this opportunity to warm up properly before we arrive.
The five attendants didn’t question his decision despite the displeasure on their faces, but Tae was quick to step forward and speak.
“Its natural attribute is Earth, young master.” She quickly explained.
“Its power and strength are exceptional, but its senses are dull, so your sword would-”
“Thank you, Tae.”
“Yes, young master.”
Tae stepped back and watched Kel approach the beast.
“Sword…?” Micro squinted his eyes and reexamined Kel, taking note of the long object at his waist.
“So those were swords… that’s dangerous…”
The cave bear sniffed the air aggressively, making a hideous, wheezing sound, and when it caught the scent of Kel, it snarled viciously. Before it had even finished its hoarse cry, it had sent the boulder hurtling toward Kel.
Micro wondered for a brief moment how Kel would stop it. From what he’d heard of swords during conversations between the old man and various passengers, they were made of metal, but such a thin piece of steel wouldn’t present a challenge to the large piece of rock flying toward Kel.
He watched intently, wanting to see for himself why Kel seemed so confident. Before he could even guess at how Kel would use the metal blade, however, the boulder had crashed against a much larger object made of wood and metal. Kel lowered the shield in his hand and brushed some of the dust off of it.
“Oh, a shield is a good idea.” Micro said in amusement.
“Not even my bumper could have handled that.”
The cave bear didn’t hesitate to pick up another boulder and fling it at Kel, but this time Kel didn’t simply wait for the rock to impact his shield. He wound back, drew a short breath, and then thrust the bottom of the shield into the rock like a spear, shattering the dense clump of earth and sending sparks flying in every direction. The monster seemed confident that its foe was defeated, and it soon jumped toward the scene of the impact with its arms out and its fangs exposed.
CRUNCH
The next sound Micro heard from the safety of the cave wall was familiar. He’d only ever collided with insects and the occasional pebble in his years of life on the road, but he’d witnessed the results of animals coming between large trucks and their destinations several times in the past. Back then, the sound had bothered him, and he pitied both the trucks and the animals, but this time the sound only amazed him.
He strained his eyes and saw Kel, his breathing rough and his legs weak, standing over the crumpled and twitching body of the cave bear. Without pause, he then drew his sword and pierced the chest of the creature, ending its miserable growls.
“That doesn’t make sense…” Micro thought aloud in dismay.
“The bigger truck always wins in a head on collision…”
Ignoring Micro’s question, the five members of Kel’s party quickly ran to him. One of the men placed his hands on Kel, and his hands began to glow.
“Thank you, everyone.” Kel panted.
“But save your healing skills for an actual injury, Den. I only need to rest.”
The man called Den obeyed, and withdrew his hands. Kel walked past them to Micro, who was staring intently at the man’s shield.
“What is it made of?” Micro asked excitedly, reaching out to grab it.
Den extended his own arm to block Micro, but Kel waved him away and allowed Micro to touch the shield freely. Kel handed the shield to Micro, who examined it thoroughly, searching for the secret to its power. However, all he could confirm was that the iron was of poor quality, and the wood was starting to rot in some areas. The leather on the back wasn’t even comparable to the safety and comfort of a seatbelt. He looked over at the cave bear, and doubted a monster capable of throwing large boulders was simply frail enough to be defeated by such a weakly constructed item.
“What do you think of my shield?” Kel asked curiously, his face showing a hint of pride.
“It’s a fine shield, is it not?”
“Why didn’t this piece of junk break?” Micro asked in return.
“You insult the craftsmanship of our-” Den blurted out, his face red with anger, but Kel waved him away once again.
“You’ve seen finer craftsmanship?” Kel looked suspicious of Micro’s comment, but his faith in Tae’s determination of Micro’s honesty remained.
“It’s more the case that I’ve never seen something as poorly made…” Micro realized half way through his remark that a human may find him rude.
“I’m sorry, but I just don’t understand.”
The people standing behind Kel all looked shocked and insulted at the words Micro had uttered, but Kel’s eyes were shining with curiosity.
“Fascinating!” Kel exclaimed to his comrades' surprise.
“So you come from a world with unparalleled craftsmanship, but you have never seen a cultivator use a skill in battle?”
Micro wondered if his world’s craftsmanship could truly be called unparalleled, but he was certainly proud of his own capabilities as an efficient and reliable vehicle.
“I think that’s true.” He humbly replied.
“What do you mean by that word?”
“Skill?” Kel asked, to which Micro nodded.
“It shouldn’t be hard to explain, since you have a knack for sensing the immaterial.”
Kel lowered his shield to his waist, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. In front of his chest, glowing faintly, was the image of a core card.
“Oh, you have a green one!” Micro stated.
“He can see it, so easily?” Tae mumbled.
“He’s so young…”
“It’s not magic, but his own ability…” Another man whispered.
“But he said his world has no cultivators!” Den added.
“Indeed.” Kel concluded his moment of meditation, and the image of the card disappeared.
“I have mastered the Jade Spirit Shield of the fire element, a common skill in our sect.”
“Oh, jade.” Micro corrected himself.
“You seem familiar with this card.” Kel continued.
“Even the Jade level Spirit Shield card is very rare and difficult to obtain. Where could you have come across it in the past?”
Micro reached into his pocket and pulled out a card.
“See? I have the yellow one!” He shouted happily.
The cave became deathly silent.