Drip, drip, drop. That’s the sole ambience allowed to this place apparently. Or, well, besides the quietly crackling flame that Screech is maintaining.
It’s gradually been getting a little bit wetter the longer we’ve been walking, and while I’ve certainly noticed a difference in the way Jasper walks, her entire form bouncing about as she avoids patches of moisture, Screech doesn’t even blink when a droplet plops down on her cranium.
She’s practically infatuated with our surroundings, and well, good for her to be honest. Despite her silence, her eyes flit about as she scans the cave walls, remaining stock still as she does whatever it is she’s doing.
Well, either way, it doesn’t matter to me as long as she keeps the fire burning, so I’ll just keep on keeping on, hm?
On the other hand, Jasper seems to be having not as great of a time. As previously mentioned, she’s very purposefully avoiding puddles, bouncing around me to an almost comical degree as she avoids any and all of it to the best of her ability. I’m pretty sure she’s not just making a game of it, both because her tail is snapping back and forth, and also because she’s not the kind of person to make a game of it.
“Would you rather just be insubstantial right now?”
“Mm-mm.”
“But why though?”
“MMh.”
“Whaddya mean you shouldn’t? I’m not going to explode if you disappear for a bit.”
“Mm-mm. Mmm.”
“Okay, then what is it about?”
“Mm, mmm?”
Of course I remember [Blessing Of The Hunt], silly little skill that it was.
“What about it?”
Pausing for a moment, Jasper’s entire body sags before she whaps my leg with her tail.
1!
With enough force to deal damage apparently, crazy.
And immediately after, tilts her head around our entire vicinity. Completing a full circle with the movement before staring at me once again.
“I’m… not sure I follow.”
I’m pretty sure I see her left eye twitch in response, but she takes a moment to do anything else, just walking with me down this long, long tunnel.
“Everything alright?”
Without a word of response, Jasper lifts a paw to the air, and whilst I don’t feel anything, Screech’s head snaps in her direction so fast I have to wonder how she didn’t just break her neck. If I blinked, I wouldn’t have even caught sight of the movement.
“Mm, mm.”
“Wow what in the name of the world is that!?”
“M-”
“The mana all around us just changed-changed principles I think? It’s something entirely different that I haven’t seen before what did you do-Jasper-Jasper was it?”
“Mm-”
Fluttering down from my shoulder, Screech lands on the ground right in front of Jasper, looking her up and down as she hops from side to side.
“No you didn’t change the property at all! It’s still the same kind of mana. It’s just denser and more concentrated than it was before! But that makes it feel so different that I mistook it at first glance! How did you do that how did you do that how did you do-”
“MM!”
“Eep!”
Jasper’s paw comes crashing down, smacking against the stone floor with an audible thwap. It wasn’t even aimed at Screech, but she leapt back either way, anxiety ripping its way through the connection that’s shared between us in the same moment. Though, it’s quickly forgotten as her vision darts back and forth once again.
“Wait-no no no what did you do? It’s gone now! Entirely gone-even the less concentrated mana from before! What did you do with-”
[Recall].
“Alright, Screech? Chill for a second.”
“But WHY?”
“Because you’re clearly getting on Jasper’s nerves?”
“M. H. M.”
Yoinking her with a [Recall] sounded like a better idea than either literally grabbing her or walking in between her and Jasper, that’s the only reason I did it. I don’t think the ability to communicate with each other is disabled even if one is material and the other isn’t, but switching her focus to me instead of Jasper for a moment probably can’t hurt.
“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind answering some questions-” I shoot her a glare as I say that, swear to GUOWAD if she argues right now- “But you need to ask them slowly no matter how excited you are. I don’t think Jasper is nearly as patient as I am when it comes to this, and you two aren’t exactly friends. In fact, isn’t this literally the first time you’ve gone out of your way to talk to her?”
“Well yeah! But she’s always so boring she barely does or says anything!”
“...”
And to that; she has nothing to say. I’ll just step in on her part…
“Well, that’s kind of rude.”
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
“Rude or not it’s true!”
“...”
Well, damn.
“Mm, mm-mm.”
“What do you mean you’re not going to answer anything?!”
Yeah, me personally, I wouldn’t take that either.
“You can’t just decide that on a whim! We’ve barely even talked yet that’s-”
As Screech’s complaints fade in my mind, my gaze being drawn elsewhere as somebody else finally becomes the target of her… expeditious ranting, I find myself just gazing down the tunnel. And then it clicks, no Screech means no fire.
“I’ll bring you back out, just don’t get in Jasper’s face alright?”
“Wha-oh okay! Now Jasper come on please you can’t just-”
[Summon].
Even preoccupied as she is, the fire Screech created is still managing, but it’s definitely flickering a bit as opposed to before. Or well, it’s a little bit more variable, if you will? At times it looks like it’s about to wink out, and at others it bursts, well… aflame.
Even preoccupied as the other she is, Jasper continues to match my pace, walking alongside me. At last her apprehension with the moisture of the cave seems to have been placed to the side given she’s not bothering to avoid puddles anymore, even kicking up the occasional splash of water, which I have very purposefully not been doing to avoid splashing her! Thanks, Jasper, the “consideration” is appreciated!
Alright, whilst they’re bickering or whatever… I’m just gonna take stock of the situation. We’ve been walking for about fifteen minutes now, and I’m kind of astonished nothing’s been happening. I’m not sure what Jasper was on about earlier, but if she could manipulate the mana around here, then very clearly it has something to do with Wild Hunt, yeah?
She does have [Trappings Of Magic], but that’s only capable of yoinking attack skills, or at least that’s what the skill says it does. I also don’t think she used any skills? Or at least not one that I can see. [Blessing Of The Hunt], as I recall, allows the manipulation of “Wild Hunt energy” or whatever it was called. So if that’s just a variant of mana, like Screech seems to think it is…
Then what the heck is it doing in this place? And why is there so much of it according to her? Wasn’t it supposed to be a finite resource?
Hmmm… something about this doesn’t sit right, are we sure this is a level eleven dungeon…?
Tap…
And what’s with the water theme? I looked up the word “causeway” as well, and blah blah blah, a causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water".
So… given the slight incline down this place has, we’re clearly on top of or around some body of water right? Heading towards it? It could explain the long travel time this dungeon seems to support… or maybe, we’re heading into a more open area…?
Hm…
Tap…
Tap…
Either way, water’s falling more frequently the further we move in, so clearly…
Tap…
Tap…
Tap…
Oh, wait a minute, that doesn’t sound like wate-
Almost immediately after the thought occurs, a figure shrouded in darkness comes flying into view, appearing just as Screech’s flame flickered out for a moment, the disturbance providing it with just the right amount of coverage to get close. And instead of going for Jasper, it goes straight for me.
21!
But it’s slow, much too slow to hit me anyways. Leaning back, I simply avoid the appendages aimed at my throat by limboing under them, and proceed to punch the thing in the throat.
Without so much as a grunt or yelp, it goes flying back as Jasper’s attention finally snaps back from the ongoing argument towards the assailant at the edges of the light of our “torch”. Without a moment’s delay after the fact, Jasper took off sprinting toward the downed enemy, and given it already wasn’t fast enough to get the drop on me…
Well, Jasper makes quick work of it.
[Wild Hunt’s Mark]
122!
Or, at least, that’s what I would say if it actually died to that attack. Instead of doing so, it actually attacks back. Soldiering through the jaws in its side, one of the shadowy creature’s appendages lash out upwards, striking clean through Jasper’s side in return.
54!
The exchange has a clear winner, but the shock of actually getting hit back after landing such a devastating blow seems to throw Jasper off for a moment, her jaws coming loose, allowing the creature to slip back into the shadows. I can’t exactly blame her, given she doesn’t get hit like that all that often. But it is unfortunate.
“Screech! We need a bigger light, whatever your concerns earlier were can wait for a moment, Jasper will give you proper answers in a moment.”
“M-”
“NON-NEGOTIABLE!”
“Really?”
“Really!”
“Really???”
“JUST SHOOT THE DAMN FIREBALL-”