DRIFA
After walking for a bit over two days I can see something on the horizon other than more snow.
Maybe it’s the dungeon! Wait, what do those even look like? And that means monsters right? I don’t think I want to deal with monsters.
“What do Dungeons look like?”
“Anything with an entrance.”
“But like, could you give me anything more than that? Beca-”
“No.” Ismund says, cutting me off.
After a few minutes the blur resolves itself into an image, that being an igloo.
I squint at it and look back and forth between Ismund and the Igloo, but he doesn’t seem surprised at all.
“Are you sure that’s a dungeon?”
He just keeps walking towards it without saying anything.
I guess that’s a yes?
Hoping for the best, I just keep following him.
Maybe it’s like a tiny hotel on the way over to a dungeon?
Stuck without any other ideas I just shrug.
Once we arrive at the Igloo Ismund crawls inside without a word, and I follow shortly after.
Shuffling down underneath the entrance I hold onto my sleeves to avoid getting snow on my hands as much as possible.
Wait. Why would I even care about getting snow on myself? I’ve got [Snow Affinity] or whatever it was right?
Smiling and shaking my head, I release my grip on my sleeves and just crawl forward.
That is actually quite nice. Very convenient. No more buying overpriced mitts!
Smiling to myself I continue crawling forward. After just a few seconds the tunnel goes upwards so that we are now inside what I previously thought was a tiny igloo. As I look around I see a massive hallway stretching in front of us filled with little frozen bushes. The area was lit, but it didn’t seem to have a light source.
Odd.
Before I walk very far Ismund stops me.
“What?”
“It’s not the smart idea to walk straight into a dungeon unprepared.”
“Well it can’t be too bad right? Is fighting optional?”
Turning towards me Ismund just looks me straight in the eye, “There are monsters. We will fight them. I will leave you behind if you can’t keep up..”
Looking down I start wringing my clammy hands, biting my lip nervously.
System, am I able to leave the dungeon?
> [Negative. Users Ismund and Drifa will remain in the dungeon until they or the monsters are dead.]
Panic starts to seize me.
Can you tell me a bit about dungeons so I’m not running into it blind then!?
> [There is the safe zone in the entrance (which is the size of all dungeon runners' wingspans added together), hallways, fighting rooms, trial rooms, traps, and a boss room.]
Are they like tripwire kind of traps?
> [Unconfirmed. Traps have a condition that must be met (trigger) and an effect that is usually harmful to the user that triggers them.]
Gathering myself I look back towards Ismund with wide eyes.
“H-have you been in a dungeon before Ismund?”
“…”
Of course he didn’t. At least he’s had some training or something judging by how he handled those rabbits at the gate.
Trying to find some solace in my butter knife I grip it tightly.
I hadn’t really thought of what it meant to fight monsters did I?
“WhatdoIdo?WhatdoIdo?WhatdoIdo?” I mumble quickly under my breath, mind going blank. Eye twitching around frantically, I catch Ismund creeping into the dungeon nonchalantly.
Ismund’s going and I’ll either have to follow him or stay here. It’d be good to stay in the safe zone right? But, I don’t have any food or anything. He’s carrying it all. I’d just starve here. If I follow him then I’ll at least have a chance at living.
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Clutching my knife close to my chest I run up behind him and stick close.
As soon As I go past the start area I notice that all of the moisture on me seems to freeze making it extremely dry. Everything feels stiffing.
As I follow closely behind him, Ismund suddenly stops making me bump into him.
“Stop walking so closely,” He hisses, “It’ll make it harder to react to something happening. It’s not like you’re going to be attacked by monsters in a hallway unless some special condition is met.”
Speeding up, he continues walking forward.
Breathing out a thick mist of steam quickly I nod, forgetting that he can’t see me. Hunching in on myself I lurch back into motion with spiraling thoughts.
The monsters can’t be too bad right? But I couldn’t even kill one earlier, never mind avoid getting bitten. The fight rooms are going to be full of them and I won’t be able to do anything. I’ll probably just get chased and mauled.
I follow Ismund silently, letting tears drip down my face where they just immediately freeze to me.
After walking for a few more painstaking minutes Ismund announces, “I think we’re at the fight room.”
Clenching and unclenching my jaw with nerves I follow up behind him and nod.
“Wha-what should I do.” I ask him quietly, feeling a lump in my throat.
“Just don’t get chased pathetically by rabbits like last time and don’t get in my way.”
Before I can muster up a response he just rushes forward through the doorway with his sword materializing. I try to step forward but just freeze.
I can’t do it, it’s useless for me to try anyways, it’s not like I can do anything. I need to and should go in but I just can’t, can't, can't.
Nerves getting a firm hold on me I sit down hugging my knees sobbing, with overwhelming stress.
* * *
ISMUND
Charging into the room with steamy breath trailing me, I take a look around the area. It’s flat with nothing in sight except for some woods in the distance, a bonfire and the icy ground. ,
Is this a frozen lake?
Before I can think much longer I see a crazed rabbit with spiky crystallized hair and skates rush up towards me. Once it’s about six feet away a large mass of ice deforms into a jump. Taking advantage of it the salivating rabbit launches itself
into the air straight towards my head.
Quick reaction time saving me, I crush its head with a single of my swords pommel.
Crack!
Falling on the frozen ground uselessly, its broken neck twists unnaturally.
“Huh. Anyways.”, I state, raising my eyebrows.
Figuring that this was going to be more based on dexterity than strength I split my sword again.
I wonder where mum got this from. Whatever the answer is, it’s incredible.
Looking around for more enemies I’m just greeted by the barren landscape and bonfire.
Weird.
After a while, just as I’m about to go looking more actively, The ground drops out from under me.
As soon as I’m past the opening all the way the light from above disappears and I feel a sudden shift.
Teleportation, I’ve heard that dungeons like to use that.
Half a second later I find myself in a room filled to the brim with crazy, wild-eyed rabbits. Turning around to take stock of the situation I can see that I’m surrounded and that there’s even more rabbits on stone ledges above.
One who’s frothing at the mouth tries to leap and land directly on my head.
Dodging backwards, I bring one of my swords through its body, slicing it in half.
The other little beasts seem to have had the shock of a random guy teleporting here wear off and charge.
“ScReEEe!!!”
Punch worked earlier and there isn’t too much room here for my swords. I’ll just bare hand it.
Swords flashing back into my box, I bring my fists up and hit the other beasts out of the air, elbowing one leaping up from behind me.
The rabbits pace only seems to pick up, really making me push myself for the first time in a while.
The monsters just seem to keep on coming. No end in sight.
Another one pops up, and I quickly grab its ears and slam it into the ground.
Thwack!
At some point I find that it’s effective to just throw them, seeing how fragile they are.
Another scampers over to my legs to attack me, I stomp on it lickity-split. Moving onto the next creature I repeat. Notice, kill, next. Until there’s nothing left except for me, scratches, bruises, and corpses.
As soon as I relax I’m teleported back into the entrance of the fight room. Looking around, I spot the same bonfire as before in the same spot. The only difference was that the ramp was gone.
Curious.
Walking up to the same spot I was before, I see a slobbering rabbit that looks identical to the last one. Without so much as a pause, I punch it out of the air with a backhanded fist sending it sprawling.
Once again, nothing comes.
That’s Odd, again no more monsters to be found afterwards. Maybe they’re hiding?
Using my enhanced sight from the bandana, I peer into the woods and see a small amount of plants. And…
Is that another rabbit?
Surging forward towards the tree line I think back to traps in dungeons.
System, what’s the trap of this dungeon?
> [Query under normal circumstances would not be answered. However, the trap has already been sprung once and User Ismund has [Systems Favor]. Are you sure you would like to have this question answered? You may only be given the answer to the trigger of the trap or the side effects. However both may not be answered in the same dungeon.]
I already know the effect! Tell me the trigger.
> [Trigger is not attacking a monster for more two minuets in a designated fight room.]
My eyes widen from the news.
So I have to get all the way over to the forest within two minutes? Gosh.
> [Trap has been sprung]
Give me a twenty second warning before it activates.
> [Affirmative.]
>
>
>
> [Warning 20 seconds remaining until trap activation.]
>
>
Bracing myself, I fall again. But this time I’m ready.
Quickly locking onto the first foaming rabbit I give it an uppercut sending it into the wall it came from. Once again, I take out a few in the front. Preparing for the one that came up behind me last time I swing my elbow a bit to early, only hitting the rabbit enough to make it go off course
Dang it!
I continue smashing rabbits, all in the same place as last time, keeping an eye out for the outlier. Eventually it seems to work itself back into the crowd and unexpectedly leaps onto my shoulder biting down hard.
Grunting, I slam it into a nearby wall. Its teeth just got pushed in more from that, even if it's dead. Grabbing Its head I rip it out, leaving what feels like a waterfall of blood coming out.
After that, I only use my left arm when necessary. Which, of course, leaves me more open to attack on that side. Trying to fix the predicament, I get closer to a wall so the beasts have a harder time getting me there.
Because of my limp arm I end up accumulating more injuries than I would’ve preferred, not that I’d want any at all. Once again all the monsters are dead and I’m sent up to the surface again.
I’ve got to make sure I kill all of the monsters up here this time, I don’t think I have the energy for another one of those traps.
Watching for that first troublesome rabbit I grab it out of the air by its ears with my good arm. As soon as I’ve done that I immediately run towards the tree line awkwardly holding my left arm by my side.
> [20 seconds remaining.]
Also tell me when the timer restarts.
> [Affirmative.]
There’s still a while to go.
Stopping my sprint I pin the rabbit to the ground with my boot and cut it lightly with my knife.
> [Timer reset.]
Great.
Putting the knife away again I grab the beast again and continue my sprint.
After a bit the tree line comes in reach
> [20 seconds remaining.]
This time I just snap its neck and seek more in the trees and shrubs. I quickly spot a different rabbit and kill it on sight, along with another and yet another until I’ve killed a total of 9 of them.
There has to be one more. Wouldn’t it be a round number?
Out of the corner of my eye I spot the last one trying to escape the bush and skate away.
Aha!
Building traction I run after it.
> [20 seconds remaining.]
Thing is the rabbit is just a bit faster.
> [10 seconds remaining.]
Pulling out my knife I throw it at the beast.
> [5 seconds remaining.]
Squelch!
> [Timer reset.]
I miss its head and don’t instantly kill it, but it reset the timer and that’s all that matters. I take the knife out of it and kill it properly.
> [All entities defeated. Fight Room cleared. The Monsters were easy but user Ismund did have to fight a lot of them.]
>
>
>
> [Tier
>
> Body:D+ (385/500)->(390/500)
>
> Mind:D ( 250/500)->(251/500)
>
> Soul:D (290/500)]
I need to push harder if I’m going to beat The Five.
Pulling out some of my bandages, I wrap it around my arm to staunch the major bleeding. As soon As I’m done I sit down breathless, injured, yet victorious.