S14, New Experiences

“It’s going to attack soon,” I informed everyone. “Bolton, you take my right, we are going to attract its attention. Do everything you can to keep it at bay with your spear. Terence, leave the main lantern in the passage we came from. I need you to flank it from the right, you have to strike it on its neck’s vein. Varans have trouble turning in place, attack from its side and be mindful of its head and tail. Falnid, distract it from the left, if it focuses on you come back for cover.”

“Yup, no problem.”

“Understood.”

“Uh, alright. I will do my best.”

Falnid was smiling, eager to begin, while Terence was looking at the varan with a serious expression. Bolton nervously raised his spear and lowered his stance without taking his eyes out of the brown reptile. As the vanguard he would be the one to endure the brunt of the monster’s attacks.

“Be ready, once it advances we want to keep it in the middle of the cave so we can attack from all sides.” I told everyone, also readying my spear.

Terence left his lamp resting against the wall and took my right, while Falnid stood at Bolton’s left side.

“Its teeth can tear your leather armor with ease,” Instructor Remme’s calm voice came from behind. “Whatever you do stay away from its mouth. Also, be careful with your footing, the terrain here is uneven and full of small obstacles.”

In the other side of the cave the varan was now fully awake and started showing a threatening attitude. It put out its forked tongue and hissed loudly, then straightened its body to its maximum height while moving its head from left to right. It was a warning, and also a way to stall for time while deciding its next move. I had witnessed it several times in the mountains, a prey that felt threatened would try to avoid a confrontation unless it was cornered. This monster was a lot more cautious than most we had faced in the corridors.

‘It’s survival instincts are stronger.’ I thought, maybe this was the reason it had been able to promote from a dungeon lizard into a dungeon varan.

Seeing our formation getting closer and without any escape route nearby the monster resolved to face us directly. It flexed the legs that supported its body from the sides and cautiously walked towards us in a slightly awkwardly manner.

Once the reptile reached the center of the cave Bolton and I rushed ahead and kept it at bay with our spears, meanwhile Terence and Falnid circled the beast.

“Hey, big guy, I’m here!” Falnid shouted, prickling the monster’s body with his weapon.

All of a sudden the varan’s tail lashed out and struck Falnid on the left side of his body. He stumbled back a few steps but managed to keep standing.

“Ugh, that hurt! Damn lizard!” Falnid cursed while holding his chest.

The reptile turned its head to look at the Vesturke child and we took the opportunity to pierce the distracted creature with our spears. Terence and I hit its neck, while Bolton’s strike reached its head. His blade slid over the scales on the left side of the varan, leaving behind a superficial cut.

The monster was enraged by the pain and its movements became abrupt and erratic. It started pursuing Falnid, who had been separated from us. Our small companion panicked a bit and ran towards the side of the cave. From the corner of my eye I could see instructor Remme getting ready to intervene. But Falnid skillfully led the pursuing beast to a boulder and managed to slip away from it by circling in between the big rock and the cave’s wall. With nothing on his path he rushed back to us and took a position slightly behind Bolton.

“Huff, it still hurts. I need a moment to recover,” Falnid said rubbing the side of his chest with a pained expression.

The rabid monster got even more mad after having failed to catch the small boy and it turned to face us. The left side of its head was full of blood thanks to Bolton’s earlier strike. It probably had problems seeing from its left eye.

“Terence, let’s change places,” I spoke as the varan came closer. The wound on its neck wasn’t bleeding as much as I would want, I needed to strike a decisive blow.

Terence and Bolton harassed the monster with their spears, but it was still intent on catching Falnid. While the rest slowly fell back towards the passage I waited for the right moment to strike the creature’s neck from behind. The monster was being hit repeatedly, but most of the weak strikes bounced on its hard scales.

After a few moments the varan decided it had had enough and charged at Bolton disregarding any caution. The reptile might have problems turning, but its charge was fast and carried a lot of momentum. Terence, Bolton and Fanid’s spears slid on its scales only leaving shallow bloody trails behind. Having broken their line of defense the monster opened its mouth and was about to bite Bolton when Terence’s shield came in the way. Terence had moved extremely quickly, one moment he was standing besides Bolton and next his buckler was being torn apart by the varan’s powerful jaws.

I took the chance to land the decisive strike, pointing the tip of my spear slightly downwards I thrust it with all my might. All the metal tip sank inside the varan’s neck and the monster hissed loudly and thrashed around. I almost lost my balance in the fray that followed and was about to let go of my weapon when Bolton hold me from behind. With his help I pulled out my spear and a lot of blood gushed out from the wound painting its scales red.

Having lost all interest in the fight the monster tried to flee leaving a trail of blood behind. “Don’t pursue it now, wait until it loses its strength.” I told everyone. In its current state the reptile would just charge blindly at anything in its path.

We followed the monster from a distance, it didn’t take long for it to fell at the entrance of another cave.

“That wasn’t as bad as the dogs,” Falnid commented and Bolton shoot him an astounded look.

“It was alone, if there were more of them we wouldn’t have a chance,” Terence said eyeing the fallen creature. “Even then, there was a couple troublesome moments, I’m gonna need a new shield.” He raised his buckler for everyone to see, the lower side planks had been crushed and the metal rim was bent.

I grimaced at the broken shield, if it had been his arm instead he would be lucky to mend it with a few blood potions and a lengthy treatment. Then I looked at the monster’s body. “Varans don’t hunt in groups, at most they may gather if they find an injured prey.”

“You shouldn’t be chatting now,” Instructor Remme interjected. “You need to scout and secure the area first. Vesturke, let me take a look at your chest.”

While the instructor took care of Falnid the three of us scouted the cave, but only found a couple rats, nothing troublesome.

“I will use a bit of repellent, I guess you want to skin the monster here,” Bolton said, and I felt a tinge of uneasiness in his voice. He still hadn’t calmed down after the fight.

“Yes, it doesn’t look like there is anything dangerous nearby, and the varan just fell in a good spot. We don’t even need to move it,” I answered excitedly reaching for my tools, I was already pondering about the more efficient way to dismantle the beast.

“Are you done?,” Instructor Remme asked after we had secured the entrances of the cave with the dark powder.

“Yes, Instructor Remme, we are done securing the area,” Terence formally informed him. “We will now proceed to dismantle the monster.”

“Good, I suppose you will do it, Black Hair. The rest of you should keep watch, you never know what may appear down here.”

“Yes, I will.” I exclaimed delighted.

“I will help you!” Falnid suddenly volunteered, apparently his injury wasn’t serious.

With great effort I rocked the varan to expose its belly. “Alright, grab this part, I need to cut here.”

“You won’t need the meat, it’s hard and doesn’t sell well, focus on taking the hide,” Instructor Remme advised overlooking us. “You can take the fangs, but leave the teeth, they need a lot of effort to extract and don’t sell for much. In the dungeon you should prioritize getting the valuable materials quickly to leave before something dangerous appears.”

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…

It was the morning after our varan hunt. After breakfast I was called to Uncle Ather’s office by a guild employee.

“Uncle Ather, it’s me, Simon,” I said knocking on the door.

“Come in,” Uncle’s voice promptly came from inside.

I entered the room, it looked the same as last time. Two expensive looking chairs preceded an impressively thick desk, behind it Uncle Ather was writing some documents under the light of the oil lamp.

“Good morning, Simon, take a seat while I finish this paper.” Uncle sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, he looked a little tired. “How have you been these days?” He continued after I sat, still focused on the document.

“I have been well, yesterday our group went to the caves guided by Instructor Remme.” I answered cheerfully.

“It looks like you enjoyed it, how was your first visit to the actual dungeon?”

It wasn’t like the corridors weren’t actually part of the dungeon, but they were considered some kind of training zone for the newbies. Real adventurers wouldn’t be able to make much profit there and the only dangerous monsters were the dungeon dogs that lurked inside the most remote passageways.

“Nice, they are more interesting than the corridors.” I told him excitedly. “The monsters are more varied and we actually need to track them. I am finally using most of the abilities Father and Mother taught me!”

“Good, you certainly are looking better than last time,” Uncle Ather said, gazing at me intently after having finished writing.

Putting aside the sheet he opened one of the drawers of his desk and took out four glass vials that contained a clear liquid.

“I got the palemoss potions.” He said, holding one of them in front of his face. “It took me a bit more than I thought. Did I already explain how to use them last time?”

I shook my head, he had told me a lot of things, but I didn’t remember much of it. Back then I wasn’t really in the mood to listen.

“These potions will help you grasp the sensation of mana, everyone has this substance inside themselves, but people fail to realize. These vials have a bit of mana inside them, just enough to sense it.” He shook the vial in his hand.

“Find a quiet place and drink one, once you do it you will feel the mana in the potion mixing inside your body,” He continued. “Take some time to remember the sensation and try to feel it on your own, do it once a day or every two days. When you need more potions don’t hesitate to ask me for them.” He handed me the four vials with a smile.

“Thank you, Uncle Ather, I will make good use of them, I will train hard!” I exclaimed as I took the vials from his hand.

“Keep them safe. These potions are only useful for feeling mana, but many adventurers are interested in them.” He advised with his deep voice. Then his expression got serious. “Now, tell me. How are you doing regarding the dungeon dogs incident?”

I had hoped he wouldn’t bring out this topic “I’m doing fine. I have decided to do my best during training and I won’t slack off when it comes to gather knowledge about monsters. That way I will be prepared to face anything.” I spoke passionately to reassure him.

“That’s not a bad attitude, but don’t overexert yourself.” For a moment Uncle Ather observed me without saying a word. “I will tell you once again, because I’m sure you need to hear it. What happened wasn’t your fault nor your responsibility. If someone is responsible they are the ones in charge of this town who failed their duties. Me included.”

“I don’t think it was your fault!” I got up and palmed the desk loudly. “I would never blame you! You weren’t even in the dungeon!”

Uncle Ather sighted and gestured me to sit down. “Let me tell you a story. More than fifty years ago this area was called the Unclaimed Hills. People from Suidberg didn't want to settle here because of the frequent dungeon ruptures. On the other hand the Vesturke also didn't have much interest on the land as they barely farm.”

“But things changed when the mages decided to create a new dungeon entrance in this area,” he continued. “They were interested in the uniqueness of the corridors, man-made structures aren’t very common in the Outer Dungeon, specially ones so big and labyrinthine. Some influential scholars apparently had a remarkable interest in it, but the closest dungeon entrances were in Mesdale and Undglas and that greatly hindered the research efforts. So they sent expert mages, adept in some secret arts and had them make preparations. They had to stay here for quite some time, since an entrance can only be made once a dungeon rupture happens. The magic practitioners have to stabilize it and build the pillars to keep the rupture from completely closing back.”

I had known new dungeon entrances could be made, but this was my first time hearing more about it. It wasn’t something that happened everyday, most entrances had been around for a very long time. Some were even older than the current kingdoms, they were called the ancient gates.

“The mages succeeded in setting a small entrance here, but there were consequences, Suidberg and the Vesturke clans both wanted control of it.”

“The dispute escalated and a war broke out. Suidberg may have more people and resources, but most Vesturke are warriors. The conflict lasted for a few months until the council of mages intervened. They declared they would destroy the entrance if the war wasn’t stopped.”

“Suidberg and the clans had to sit down and open negotiations again, but they were unable to reach a common ground for the rights to the door. In the end, pressured by the council, they decided that a third party would control the entrance.”

“Thus Perendin’s border was extended north until it reached the new entrance and the Unclaimed Hills were declared a free area officially. Their name was changed to the Uncontested Hills and all parties declared that no one would establish settlements nor fortress in there.”

“And then the town of Algus was founded. It was meant to be the beginning of a more prosperous Perendin. With an entrance here dungeon ruptures are less common and the settlement was supposed to develop into a city where adventurers and warriors of every country could come and access the dungeon freely.” Uncle Ather made a dramatic pause, he had knack for telling stories.

“But as you can see reality ended up being different. Suidberg pressed Perendin, they have a tight control over our royal family. They suppressed the development of Algus and it became what it is today. A small town with only two adventurer guilds that are almost testimonial. The Calpavaros’ Bears is the national guild of Perendin but we only take in and train the children of slightly wealthy families, no more than a few dozen every year. Most people wanting to be adventurers in Perendin have to head for Suidberg.” Uncle Ather’s voice had a sad tone.

“If not for their interference we could have made this town one of the richest cities in the country, our entrance is small, but if we had good results we could petition the mages to enlarge it. With a steady supply of materials from the dungeon Perendin's wealth would soar!” I could feel his passion at the end.

“Of course this won’t happen unless things change a lot. I have been petitioning the royal family to expand our budget for years, and to let us hire more adventurers to establish routes to the most profitable areas inside the dungeon, but my efforts have been all for naught until now.”

Uncle Ather finished his story and fell silent. Then he looked intently at me before concluding. “As you can see there are a lot of people who are at fault, all of them with a lot more power and resources than some young boys who barely began their training as wood plate adventurers. I hope that going forward you can concentrate in what’s ahead rather than one incident that already happened.”

“I see, things sound rather complicated.” I said a bit overwhelmed. I didn’t know the history of Algus had something to do with so many people and even other countries. I felt insignificant all of a sudden. “You must have it difficult, Uncle Ather.”

He laughed jovially. “You don’t need to worry about me, Simon. I have been in charge of this town’s adventurers for years. You just have to focus on your training, I hope you can at least feel mana before you win your iron plate.” He reassured me before changing the subject.

“Alright, I will.” I said determined. “By the way, did the magicians find anything about the corridors?” I asked curiously.

“No, they found nothing, it’s just a messy net of passageways and rooms. They said that it probably wasn’t built by humans and they concluded that it was impossible to discover it’s original purpose.”

“I see.” It was a bit disappointing.

Uncle Ather chuckled. “I also felt upset when I heard the story. Now, do you have something else you want to talk about?”

“No, I don’t think so, I have already been asking the instructors about the dungeon and how they deal with some monsters. But if I have something to ask I will tell you.”

“Good,” Uncle Ather nodded. “Then we will have to stop our little talk here, I still need to revise a few documents this morning. Have a nice day.”

“Thanks! You too, have a nice day, Uncle Ather,” I said as I got up and reached for the office’s door. I could feel the potions burning in my pockets.

…

After leaving Uncle’s office I went directly to our room, the place was quiet with everyone training. I couldn’t wait any more and took out one of the vials. The liquid inside was as clear as water, it didn’t seem like anything special. I sat on my bed and opened it, the potion didn’t smell at all either.

‘If I had brought it from a merchant this would be the moment when I begin to wonder if I have been scammed.’ I thought after examining the mundane looking potion. But this had been given to me by Uncle Ather. He would never do something like that.

I drank the potion in one gulp and waited to feel its effects. A moment passed, I concentrated but was unable to sense anything. Just as I was wondering if I had failed or the potion didn't work a strange sensation spread from my stomach. It felt like cold water was stirring inside me, the sensation expanded to my chest and limbs before disappearing.

I stayed quiet and kept my eyes closed while trying to remember what just happened. Then I attempted to replicate the same feeling on my own, but after multiple attempts I was unable to do it. I was frustrated and felt the urge to consume another vial despite Uncle Ather’s instructions to only use one a day.

I resisted the temptation and store the other potions inside my trunk. Then I stretched my body a bit and was about to head to the training grounds when someone opened the door from outside. It was Terence, he was carrying some parts of his leather armor in his hands.

“Oh, Terence.” I greeted him. “I was about to head to the training grounds, where are Falnid and Bolton?”

“They already set for the dinning hall, I just came to store my leather armor.”

“Uh? Is it already so late?” I was under the impression that it was barely past the middle of the morning.

“Yes, they should have begun to serve lunch. Did you get the potions from your uncle?”

“Yes, I got them, they give you a strange sensation. Do you want some?” I excitedly showed him the empty vial.

“No need, I’m fine.” Terence disregarded my offer. He didn’t show the smallest bit of interest on it. “Everyone should be able to afford some soon. By the way, how do you see Bolton? He has been more quiet than usual since the incident.”

Bolton had been in a dark mood since the dungeon dogs' incident, and today I had felt that he was more nervous than normal while we faced the varan. “He only needs some time to recover, I was also a bit affected, but I’m well already.” I assured him.

“Hmm, if you say so. I guess I will let him alone for now.” Terence said unconvinced.