“Whew! It’s nice to finally breathe in some fresh air again!” Kukis took in a deep breath as she stretched her body.
“Yeah. We were in that cave for an entire day weren’t we?” Fortis chuckled as he took in a breath of his own.
After hearing the shocking revelation that they had no idea how to get out of the cave, the players all struggled to find an exit. Luckily Brie was able to find a conveniently shaped stairway made out of rocks hidden behind a cracked wall. The players climbed up and found themselves back at the entrance of the cave. At first, everyone was going to leave the cave and head back to town when Verne reminded them of the double experience/loot chance they had at the moment.
At first they all debated amongst themselves on whether they should leave or not, but it was unanimously agreed that they needed to get food supplies. They all decided to have a rock paper scissors tournament for it, and in the end Melun lost. The depressed Melun was crouched in front of a tree with her back to the group, muttering things they couldn’t hear. The group was uneasy about sending her out to get supplies though, so Q volunteered to go with her. This instantly lifted up Melun’s spirits as she enthusiastically jumped up and said, “Let’s go!”
On the way back to the town Melun tried to hug Q multiple times, but Q was even faster at dodging with her increased stats now. In the end the two made their way to the town without incident, and happened to come across a group of people that Q recognized.
“Greetings, Sir Albert!” She waved her hand at the figure approaching. Currently Sir Albert was in shiny full metal armor, making his figure look quite impressive.
“Ah, we meet yet again Miss Q.” Albert bowed. “How has your journey been so far?”
“Pretty good. We managed to clear out a dungeon in a day, and I got some cool new equipment!” Q turned around to show it off. “And by the looks of it you also got some cool new equipment. Did you finish a quest or something?”
“Indeed, we had helped a pair of star-crossed lovers unite with one another. This armor was a present from the man we helped.”
“Nice. Oh right, is there anything different on the status of the war?” Q asked.
“The conflict between the houses you mean? Yes. Though I’m not sure how things fare for the Velories, the Breckden house has been gathering quite a lot of adventurers. The average level around there seems to be 15 or so.” Suddenly, a man dressed in a blue robe approached Albert and whispered in his ear.
“Hmm? ...Oh, no need to worry about that. Q is a fellow comrade! Isn’t that right Q?”
“Yeah.” Q nodded with a smile on her face.
The man in the robes gave her a suspicious look though, as he asked, “Are you really our comrade? Then recite the song of the Daring and Dangerous group!”
Daring and Dangerous…? Oh wait, isn’t that the group that Helen… Okay, let’s see if I remember the song. Interpreting Q’s silence as if she didn’t know the song, the man was starting to let out a sneer when all of a sudden Q began to sing.
“Beyond Kings and Queens~
Filled with hopes and dreams~
Nobody looks cooler~
As we fight for the future!”
Once Albert heard this song, he began to join in and the two of them sang in a duet.
“United as one~
Until the day, is done~
No task is beyond us~
For the Daring and Dangerous!”
As they finished, everyone clapped, save for Melun who had no idea what was going on right now. “See Magnus?” Sir Albert smiled. “I told you she was a comrade!”
The man in the blue robe smiled as he gave a respectful bow towards Q. “My apologies Miss Q, I had mistakenly assumed that you were not a member of our organization.”
“Haha, no problem.” Wait, did Albert think that I was part of the Daring and Dangerous group when I said I played D&D? Well, thank god I’m technically a part of the Daring and Dangerous group or else things might have gotten awkward. Q smiled as sweat dripped down her back. “Well anyway, we came up here for supplies so I wouldn’t want to keep our comrades waiting. I’ll be seeing you around everybody!”
“May your path be clear!” Sir Albert said.
“Uhh… oh. And your will be everlasting!” Q replied as she walked away with Melun. For a while, Melun was completely silent until she said, “What the heck was that?”
“That was the song of the Daring and Dangerous.” Q stated as a matter-of-fact.
“No, I mean… you’re a part of that weird group?”
“Hey, calling them weird is rude. They’re a gathering of people who happen to like the same stuff. But yeah, I’m a part of that group… kind of. Anyway, it seems we’ve reached the main square. I’ll go buy meat and you can grab the vegetables.”
“I don’t like vegetables.” Melun shivered, remembering all the random plants which were shoved in her mouth a while back.
“...okay, then we’ll switch.”
The two of them went around the main square, buying all sorts of ingredients. While Q was buying things, she didn’t forget to ask the shopkeepers about what was going on for the fight between the houses. The Breckden and Velorie houses had basically gathered up all the players and surprisingly the amount they grabbed was more or less equal. There were also 5 days left until the fight actually began, which meant that their group had plenty of time to clear out the dungeon a few more times before heading back into town.
Q also encountered one of the girls from the Prim Roses and asked her about what was going on there. She said that not much had changed, except for Lily being a lot more sociable, and that Sheila seemed to have fallen in love with somebody. The girls were all going crazy at that last piece of information, but unfortunately they still didn’t know who Sheila loved. Q had no doubt that with the incredible gossiping skill the girls had, that they would figure out who it was eventually.
After half an hour of gathering things, Q and Melun met up and headed back to the cave. On their way there Melun decided to hunt a few rabbits for extra meat, while Q watched in agony as the rabbits fell victim to her arrows. They reached the cave without any further detours and Q was surprised to find that Brie was (almost) talking to Fortis.
He would ask her a few questions, and though Brie didn’t say anything she still nodded or shook her head in response. Q found it particularly admirable that she didn’t move away from him, though looking at her slightly trembling body it was clear that she wanted more distance. Once Q got back, Brie was immediately relieved as she moved closer to her. Meanwhile Melun was handing things out to the Crios Blades.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Here you go, more mana potions for Fortis and Aeryn, and health potions for Verne and Neira. I also brought some extra bandages in case anyone gets the bleeding status.”
“Aww Melun, you’re so considerate! Thank you~!” Aeryn hugged her with a smile on her face.
“Thanks Melun.” Fortis placed the mana potions on his belt. “It’d be pretty scary to run out of mana in the cave.”
Verne and Neira also thanked her, and Melun had a melancholic look on her face. “You guys are only nice to me when I give you stuff…”
“Aww, that’s not true.” Aeryn poked her in the cheek. “We only tease you because we love you. Isn’t that right everyone?”
“““Right.”””
While Melun was feeling love(?), Q was also handing out things to her party members. “Here’s some torches just in case, and I also bought a rope.”
“A rope? What good is that going to do?” Brie asked curiously.
“Hey, don’t underestimate a rope.” Q said with a serious face. “A rope is an incredibly versatile tool which can be used in a variety of fashions.”
“Really? I know that there are uses for ropes, but is there any opportunity to use such an item?” Brie asked.
“Absolutely.” Q said with a grin. “Anyway, it seems everyone else is done preparing their things. Let’s go for round 2!” Q joined up with the Crios Blades and made her way into the cave.
*2 days later*
The group came out of the cave and they were dirty and tired. The fights were considerably easy for them now that they knew what was lying in wait for them, but they still couldn’t let their guards down. At one point Neira almost got eaten by one of the Lure Flowers because she was being careless, and Aeryn forgot about the Lure Gemlings and lost half her health to a surprise attack.
The only thing different about the dungeon was that the three paths held something a little different each time. They constantly changed between leading to a room filled with Lure creatures, a dead end, and a room which was either filled with plants or gemstones. They weren’t able to get back to the Lure Island since the hole which lead down into the lake never appeared, but the players were all able to get a few more pieces of equipment and level ups. In the end they re-challenged the dungeon 4 times and everyone’s level was over 20 by the end of it.
“I can’t believe we’ve actually passed level 20.” Verne said, checking his status. “Seriously, I think we might have the highest levels in the game right now.” But then, as if to mock him a window appeared in front of all the players.
[System Notice] - Clover is the first player to reach level 30
“... Ignore what I just said.” Verne hid his face from the others as they all laughed.
“Well well, seems someone is going through a grind fest.” Fortis grinned, reading the message.
“That reminds me, aren’t you planning on staying at the top of the pack Q?” Kukis asked.
“What do you mean?” Q tilted her head, not understanding the question.
“I mean, don’t you plan on being one of the top players in the game? You’re really strong you know? You took down a lure tree by yourself using a rope and [Tri-spark]. If that’s not impressive I don’t know what is.”
“Yes, I truly did not think that a rope could be used in the ways you used it.” Brie added. “It was indeed quite an impressive feat.”
“Want to hear about an impressive feat? How about almost getting eaten by a Lure Flower after tripping and falling on your butt?” Q grinned while looking at Kukis. Seeing her blush, Q laughed as she continued to speak. “Well, no I don’t have any plans on being one of the top players. I’m just playing this game to enjoy it. If I had any plans then it would be to touch the softest thing in existence I guess.” All of a sudden, Q was interrupted by a window appearing in front of her.
[Unique Quest!] - The Ultimate Softness (Part 1)
[Objective] - Touch the softest thing in existence.
Head to the Capital City Hales to find information on the softest thing in existence
[Rewards] - You get to touch the softest thing in existence.
[System Message] - You have unlocked a unique quest. Unique quests are personal goals for yourself. By completing these goals you will obtain great rewards. Note: This quest can only be completed by you.
After reading her new quest window, Q burst out in laughter and couldn't stop laughing for a full minute. The other players had no idea what caused her to laugh like this and could only watch in silence as Q rolled on the floor, laughing. Eventually when Q was able to breathe again, she told everyone about the quest she just got, and they all began laughing as well.
“No way… *pffft* There’s no way the game can put in a quest like that.” Melun was wiping a tear from her eye as she began to calm down.
“I don’t even know, but this quest is definitely at the top of my priority list.” Q said while smiling.
“Well, that sounds great and all, but we should probably go back to town now.” Fortis reminded everyone of where they should be. “We don’t want to miss out on the town fight after all.”
“That’s right. Let’s get going people!” Kukis exclaimed, and they all made their way back to the town.
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A/N: Greetings and salutations my fellow comrades. This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but I thought that ending it there would be fine. Anyway, there are a few rewards from going through the dungeon, but I didn't describe them because I thought it wasn't that important (Namely that Q didn't get any new equipment or skills, just more levels).
So Q now has a goal, to touch the softest thing in existence! Finally, we have a plot. Though, don't count on her touching the softest thing in existence any time soon (more like, after 200+ chapters maybe). Also, it seems that Helen is involved with the Daring and Dangerous group in some way. What do you think her relationship to them is? (Hahaha subtle foreshadowing and by subtle I mean smashing you over the head with foreshadows (can you hit people with shadows? It seems Zed can, so why can't I?)).
Thanks for reading everyone!
Fun-fact: Maple syrup can grow mold.