This is rather odd, no? I don’t wanna say level thirty-ish is mid game, probably just late early game… but, having a dungeon that segues from level eleven, to… level twenty seven? That’s, er, utter madness?
“They… want us to follow them?”
Jasper looks back at me as she crosses the threshold into the blue, and I’m sure she’d raise me an eyebrow if she had one to raise.
“Mhm.”
“...Right.”
Just gonna hover the proverbial cursor over [Recall], then. Have that one on speed dial just in case.
Underflow
Recommended LVL 27
Would you like to enter this dungeon?
Y/N
…Yes.
Stepping through the crevice in the wall, I do my best to tune out the high pitched “eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee” Screech is making, her eyes darting around the entire cavern around us as they practically shine in its natural light.
Speaking of the cavern! The place that we’ve stepped into is, unlike the Causeway before, actually lit up! To the point that I should probably-
“You can stop casting that spell now.”
“Kay-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
“Actually…”
[Recall] her real quick… if she isn’t needed for purposes of lighting the way, it’s not like she’s communicating with anybody, so we don’t really need her out right now. Tis just an unnecessary risk.
“Whaghauwg-put me back-PUT ME BACK!!”
“Chill-”
“PLEASE!”
Christ! You’d think I’m murdering her with an axe or something!
“Fine, fine, God calm down!”
[Summon] her back holy moly…
“There’s so much to see here you CANNOT put me away right now!”
…I dunno what she’s seeing, but all I’m getting from this place is natural water level vibes. Though, if anything it’s got more of an… underground ice level kinda feel to it?
Blue crystals adorn the ceiling, the walls, they poke out of bodies of water and glimmer from under the surface, each of them a beacon lighting the cave we currently find ourselves in in brilliant blue light. Speaking of the water, there’s actually… what do you call ponds in a cave? A spring, a lake? Hold on, is there any way to look something up without logging out?
I’d usually just log out to fact check myself and jump right back in, but now seems like an exceptionally poor time to do so. Ergo, not doing that… but, did I perhaps, maybe, just maybe, miss something in this game's UI? Can I open up the Homepage browser without logging out…?
…
Yeah as far as I’m aware, nope. Tough beans, I’m calling the water a lake then.
Now… from the top.
Blue crystals adorn every facet of the cave, providing a natural light that illuminates a fair few things that I spot just at the edge of my field of vision. Like a shadowy figure moving off in the distance, or carvings etched into the cave walls. Of what, I’m not quite certain, but they’re certainly man-made at the least.
At present, I find myself following Jasper, and by extension, the Huntsmen. Walking upon an elevated surface, a good bit above the lake covering the bottom of this part of the cave system. This walkway connects to another walkway, and that walkway to another, and so on and so forth. It’s an entire connected path above the gently flowing currents below.
I’d imagine you’d probably want to stay up here if you were challenging this area as a dungeon properly, since I’m pretty sure I’ve seen at least a few things splash in the water below us by now. Then, the monsters around would probably try to knock you into it. But given we seem to currently be getting the premium escort… suppose I don’t have to worry about getting munched by level thirty fish, yeah?
Overall, if we’re looking at this place from the objective standpoint of being a dungeon, then I guess I see the vision. I imagine those crystals are probably of some value if you farm them, and it’s got a pretty clearly defined set of “rules”, if you will. Stay up high and deal with enemies attempting to annoy you off the path, or brute force your way through the place via the water.
From my point of view… that’s about all I’m getting… maybe there might be more under the walkways? But I’m definitely not walking close enough to the edge to figure that out, no-ho-ho thank you! Standing on the straight and narrow, dead center for me, falling is a distant future that will never come. In fact, it’s not even distant, it’s non-existent.
Another shadow darts through the corner of my vision, and my hand flashes to my side purely off of instinct, but given the complete lack of a viable sword… All I can do is cringe. Either way, no monster came, so…
“Mm.”
“I’m not going to stop looking around.”
Even if Jasper thinks it’s safe, I don’t know that it’s safe. With both Jasper and Screech on the line, I can’t help but feel the nerves of the situation. With an estimated level of twenty seven, I have no faith that I can accurately react to any enemies here, and one hit on either of them is an instant failure with almost no chance of recovery.
Even now I want to just shove Screech back into the pocket realm, but I have no doubt she’ll straight up start rebelling if I do. Even though she’s no longer outright squealing, I doubly have no doubt she’d be grinning ear to ear if she had a mouth with which to do so. Whatever it is she’s seeing, she finds it absolutely marvelous. And look-I’m happy she’s happy, right? But you’ve gotta know when to… when…
I stop for a moment, taking another look at the bird on my shoulder, before shaking my head and keeping in stride.
Why am I so worried about it? I’m here to enjoy myself, that’s the whole reason I’m playing this game. If a fight breaks out, a fight breaks out. And even if I’m outgunned? I won’t go down without a fight, and I certainly won’t lose everything. And if I DO lose everything? I’ll at least have something for it. My pound of flesh, if you will.
Since when was I one to care so much about the threat of danger? I’ll stumble and fall, but it’s not like I’ll die from a failure or anything. Worst comes to worst, there’s always a rebound. A favorite platitude of mine; when you’re at rock bottom, there’s only up.
…Unless you choose to dig down, tis all about your mindset anyways.
Now, where was I? Right, right.
So you know what? You go girl, dazzle yourself with all the mana around us or whatever it is you’re doing. Have yourself a GREAT time, and I will do the same.
And in order to have a great time, I’m gonna keep doing what I’ve been doing and NOT go near the edges of this path! It’s a pretty sizable fall from here to the water, so… not interested.
…
“So, where exactly are we going?”
“Mm-mm-mm.”
“So you’re just following them with no plan?”
“Mhm.”
“...Jasper, are you alright?”
“Mhm?”
“Oh just, you know, since when did you trust anybody implicitly on anything to do with your class? Cough cough, you almost tore my throat out over it earlier today?”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Mmm…”
“So how is it different?”
“M-”
“Do you, or do you not know them?”
“...”
“Yes or no?”
“...Mhm.”
“So not personally, but you know their identity?”
“Mm.”
“Fine, I’ll take your word for it. But if you end up getting stabbed, I told you so.”
With a huff, Jasper’s tail once more whaps my leg with enough force to snap a twig, but I wisely take a step back before she can bring her full might to bare.
“Does it not hurt to hit things that hard with your tail?”
“Mmmmm… meh.”
“...Right.”
…
Man, I really excited this to all be a bit more exciting. I’m not exactly complaining to not have to do any fighting in a near level thirty dungeon, but wow… a grand total of one fight has broken out in the near entire last hour? That’s crazy, literally in a dungeon man.
Right turn, right turn, pull straight, left turn, right turn, bada bing bada boom, turn the corner and-HOLY MOLY!
At least thirty different creatures are immediately visible, all different animals of some kind, each and every one presumably a monster-or… hold on a minute, are those houses?
They’re all small to be fair, or at least most of them are. Each and every one of them maybe half the size of what you’d traditionally expect from a village home, but… given the inhabitants seem to be, well, smaller than usual… that seems about right.
Speaking of the… inhabitants… like I just said, all of them? They’re monsters. Some odd mix between a… I wanna say dog and fish? Just a dog, another dog, that’s a lot of dogs, a strange tentacle creature, a floating mass of… swirling energy, maybe? A surprisingly humanoid but still furry thing that’s probably a kobold now that I think about it, all just strolling around as they please.
The closest one to Me, Jasper, the two bats, Screech, the whole gang I’m sure you're aware, is a six legged lizard of some sort, and given I’m the clear oddity when compared to this whole crowd…
…
Not gonna lie I really expected it to jump at me, but instead, it merely croaks-yes, croaks, a question. Or, two actually, now that I think about it. Both explicitly directed at me. A request for an identity, and for a purpose.
Hark, chivalrous lizard! I hail from a land far above seeking glory and adventure-yeah no what do I even say? I’m just on an adventure, man.
Though, before I can babble incoherently or whatever, one of the bats squeaks once again, filling in the blank for the lizard. And without any input from me, it turns on its legs, walking the other direction as its tail sways gently, seemingly beckoning for us to follow?
Or, no, sorry, just the bat.
“...Do you have any idea what’s going on?”
Jasper merely shakes her head.
I’d ask Screech, but I’m pretty sure she’d be frothing at the beak right now if she had the physical capability to do so.
Off in the distance, I hear another croak-this time mildly alarmed, and whilst it’s REALLY unclear… I think it has something to do with us? I dunno, maybe.
I feel as if we’re the center of attention, or at least I am, because now I’ve got more than a single pair of eyes on me.
At least like, ten. And if we’re counting individual eyes? I think it’s something more along the lines of twenty four, because two of these monsters have four eyes instead of two, being some sort of, I dunno, first gut instinct says basilisk? I’d love to just confirm this information as factual, but UNFORTUNATELY, none of their classes show up when I look at them, and neither do their levels.
So… I suppose that makes all of them NPCs, rather than mobs? Because that anonymity has only been afforded to other humans so far if I’m not wrong. And if that’s just a general rule of thumb for NPCs, then… huh.
Hearing a curious chirp at my side, I turn my attention to the sound, coming face to face with… well, “face to face” isn’t very accurate, it’s a very small, eensy weensy little guy. Gut reaction says chameleon, but it’s also furry. Now… as for what they said?
I think it was something along the lines of… ah, I’m sick and damn tired of this-upgrade time!
[Communication] level two? WHAM!!! Is now, [Communication], LEVEL THREE! Was that a waste of a point? I dunno we’ll find out.
“Could you repeat that?”
“Hello… your name?”
“It’s Koth.”
“I see…”
The little thing nods to itself, as if satisfied. Good for you little dude. Now… just standing around here is a little awkward, especially with the prying eyes…
“So… anybody wanna show me around?”
…Yes, no, maybe so?
…Anybo-
“RANK AND FILE!”
HOLY SHIT!
Immediately every monster snaps to attention, scurrying away and to the side, forming together in practiced lines as footsteps echo through the cavern, one of the lines parting… to reveal that kobold I saw a little bit ago.
Even without having leveled up communication just now, I still think I would’ve been able to make those words out clearly. That was domineering, from a place deep down in a mans chest that very few can ever truly bring out.
“Is it true!?”
“...Is what true?”
Cutting me an icy glare, the kobold which is… actually only a head shorter than me, ouch, stares me down with as much malice as it can muster in that moment.
“Silence, you are not who I seek.”
Mleh mleh mlou mare mlot moo mi meek mleh mleh I’m a furry idiot.
“Step forth!”
With an even growl, Jasper does as is asked. Not even sure if this goober’s talking about her, but… well, they probably are to be honest. She seems to be the center of everything right about now so, whatevs I suppose. She’s got it, probably.
“Your name!”
Whereas her previous growl had merely been annoyance, this one is markedly an answer, and with my now upgraded [Communication], it’s one I somewhat make out. Whereas before I’d have only caught the intention, here I make out some proper words!
“Jasper Ar-$*()_%# @!# Division Regiment (%&^$@The Hunt.”
“You-”
Whatever they’re saying devolves somewhat, at least it does to me. The legibility of their conversation degrading in record time as a chorus of growls and yips erupt. Which is… unfortunate, for me, given now I’m just kind of standing here.
…At least Jasper seems happy. For once, her tails not thrashing about, and while I’m not a cat person, I’m pretty sure that’s better than it being ready to snap my shins.
“It’s good $! $*) you %^ well.”
It’s good you well indeed, Jasper. Good you well indeed.