Chapter 32: The Deepstone Mines
SOPHIE
In retrospect it had been a rather productive week for Sophie. After the less than stellar month trying to find a party, she’d actually been able to help someone with a messenger quest of all things. Sophie had spotted the poor girl just outside The Agora, and helped her upon seeing that she was very clearly lost.
Nell had also been level 3, but she was brand new to Rockmoor and thus had been struggling to find any of the people she needed to deliver messages to. Sophie had been all too happy to step in and serve as a guide. Rokmoor still didn’t feel like home, but she'd already taken the time to learn every street and store with The Agora still being her favorite place, even when she wasn't hunting prospects.
Guiding Nell had even given her opportunities to use Sneakers to fly overhead and be her “eyes in the sky,” gaining her additional experience for using her astral on top of what merely completing the quest would have. When Nell’s final message had been delivered, both she and Sophie had gotten a level up.
Sophie had struggled to keep her enthusiasm at a normal level for someone only reaching level 4. It had just taken her so long. She’d nearly forgotten just how bright the glorious golden light that encompassed her grew to be. She’d even found that she didn’t hate the accompanying Ding! so much this time.
Congratulations! You have reached LEVEL 4!
Skill Earned:
[Cure Astral] An active ability allowing a user to remove all debuffs from an astral. Also restores health for each debuff removed. Healing scales with Will.
Sophie had researched summoning classes enough to know it was coming, but she was still overjoyed to gain another skill that would help her support her astrals and better keep them safe. While it was true they hadn’t fought anything that used debuffs yet, she knew for a fact that such skills were much more common on mid-tier monsters and above. Now she would be that much better prepared to handle them. It was another step closer to being able to finally level at a decent pace without outside help.
For the first time in gods-only-knew how long, Sophie walked into The Agora with a smile on her face. After checking who was working that afternoon, she sat herself in Daphne’s section. Daphne had been the most understanding and nicest to her by far. Usually that amounted to leaving her mostly alone instead of pestering her, which she actually appreciated a lot. It was also obviously helpful that she also pointed out any potential new opportunities that Sophie might not have seen yet.
On this particular day, Daphne actually congratulated Sophie on her recent level-up and even covered her first drink. To anyone else it might have seemed like such a small and seemingly insignificant gesture, but to Sophie it was the sort of rare kindness that she’d been so hungry for and wouldn’t soon forget.
Sophie had barely finished that drink when the last person she’d expected to see walked through the doors of The Agora again: Tristan, the swordsmith.
Sophie could tell from the very first glance that the boy had been through something that was still bothering him. His previous openness and optimism had been replaced with a nearly haunted look. She recognized that he had gained a level as well, though it seemed that he was much less happy about it than she was.
“Don’t look at him,” she whispered to Poof, who was sitting on her lap as usual. She was surprised the astral had not yet managed to remove the lilac bow. For once she seemed to actually follow Sophie’s directions to the letter, not that it mattered. Within moments, Sophie heard the distinctive sound of heavy boots thudding toward her. The chair across from her was pulled roughly out before Tristan collapsed with a loud and relieved sigh into it.
“Meep?” Poof asked politely, looking up at Sophie with her giant eyes going extra wide in the hope that she could look at him now.
“Yes, I suppose we can talk to him now,” she conceded, allowing herself to finally face the tall blonde boy. Now that she could fully focus on him, she almost wished she hadn’t. Somehow the boy had managed to get into even better shape over the course of the last month. Some of his bulk had been trimmed away into leaner muscle that no doubt helped with the giant sword he had previously worn on his back. He had also clearly learned enough in that regard to not strap it to his back in the first place. It was currently sheathed and resting on the floor with the crossguard sitting on his shoulder.
It seemed like one whole side of him had been recently splattered with blood and then hastily wiped clean. It didn’t look to be his own blood though, so that was good. He was staring in her direction but not in a way that felt like he was even seeing her. He was almost staring through her. The sunken look in his eyes spoke volumes.
Sophie decided that she might as well be the one to begin the conversation properly. “Are you okay, Tristan?”
“I need to clear my head. Do you still want help leveling?”
Sophie could hardly believe her ears. She tried to temper her outward excitement by slowly lifting the last of her drink to her lips. “I’m definitely interested,” she eventually replied. “What sort of help are you talking about? It looks like you’ve been busy.”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now," he began before sighing. “Sorry, it’s just been a shitty day.”
Sophie leaned back in her chair and nodded. Poof somehow used that tiny opening to squirm out of Sophie’s grasp and bounce her way across the floor to where the massive greatsword met the swordsmith’s leg. She began to nuzzle against it.
For only a moment Tristan looked down in obvious surprise. He gave Poof a tiny head pat before carefully lifting Poof with all the care one might give a baby and tried to hand her back.
“Meeeep,” Poof practically cooed in protest, nuzzling against his chest.
Sophie had to fight through her momentary loss for words. She’d never seen Poof behave like this with anyone else, and she wasn’t sure how to feel about it. “Sorry about Poof,” she said, but given that Tristan had already given in and begun petting the fluffy astral in earnest, the apology felt largely unnecessary. “So let’s get back to that offer of help.”
Tristan was actually smiling as he snuggled the fluffiest astral in the world. “I need to go fight monsters. Today. Now. And since our last chat I’ve managed to do a little research. There’s a dungeon just outside Rockmoor that we could handle just the two of us, especially now that you’re level 4.” His eyes locked with hers. “If you’re interested, that is. I’ve checked all the known variants, and while last time Dungeon Delver Dave was off by a lot, he says none of them have oozes.”
Sophie didn’t understand what he meant with the last part, but the offer was certainly enticing. “I’m very interested."
“Great. I can switch between taking or dealing damage in an instant now, though I don’t have a taunt. So probably best to let me get the enemies’ attention before you do anything too wild if you want me to tank.”
He slid his chair out from the table and took his greatsword in his left hand while his right still held Poof, the little traitor. “Alright, let's do this.”
You have been invited to a temporary party by Tristan Hammerson. Accept?
Sophie also stood up, accepting the invitation. “Which dungeon are you talking about, by the way?”
Sophie tried to ignore that Poof had nestled into the crook of Tristan’s arm and was purring as loudly as could be.
“The Deepstone Mines,” the dark-haired swordsmith replied calmly, and it took all of Sophie’s effort not to jump with joy because of all the dungeons in the region, the Deepstone Mines had by far the best possible known drop for an astralist.
- - - - -
It took them just over an hour to reach the dungeon’s entrance due to the fact that it was located in a former mine shaft under a mountain outside of Rockmoor. The portal was housed by the standard, massive black arch. To a casual glance it might have felt like it had been carved out of the mountain, but the stone managed to look foreign among its dull gray surroundings.
To his credit, Tristan at least stopped to check that she was ready once more before just striding right into what was easily one of the more challenging tier 1 dungeons in the area. That it was so challenging was also why it had such good rewards.
Tristan had eventually handed a very reluctant Poof back to Sophie. The hairy little fluffball’s mood shifted quickly though, and she gave the most excited “Meep meep meep!” of joy when she saw the swirling magical portal only a handful of steps away.
“I’ve been ready for this for months,” Sophie said with a grin she no longer bothered to restrain. “How do you want to do this? Would you rather tank or deal damage first?”
Tristan rolled his shoulders as he drew his greatsword. “I’m going to smash a few zombies before we do anything. After that, I’m good with whatever. That cool?”
Sophie nodded. “That works for me. Get that out of your system first.” Then she gave the clearly-disappointed Poof a squish before whispering, “Don’t worry, you’ll get to blow bad things up soon enough.”
Poof was dismissed with a darkening spiral that somehow sucked in multi-colored smoke that hadn’t been there before. As soon as the astral was completely obscured by the smoke, it disappeared, and the next part began.
Summoning Mister Biggs started with a denser smoke that coalesced into some sort of spiraled cocoon. A rainbow explosion of astral rays that seemed like light though they brightened nothing burst from it, revealing the familiar form of a large bear adorned with a mane. She immediately gave the big furry tank a hug.
All Sophie could think about was that it was finally happening. After months of scrambling, she was finally going into a dungeon! She held her head high and walked determinedly through the first of what she hoped would be many portals.
The other side greeted her with the rancid smell of what she could only assume was undeath... and a much more welcome notification to help alleviate it.
[Quest available: Baby’s First Dungeon]
Complete the dungeon in one attempt, without anyone leaving and returning.
Rewards: Achievement, Smart Loot
Mister Biggs lowered his soft furry cheek to hers and smiled before standing as tall as Sophie had ever seen. He looked toward where the narrow mineshaft widened.
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As she followed his gaze, she could see that Tristan had been busy. His greatsword was already coated in dark blood. Several groups of unmoving undead bodies were scattered around the entrance. He was clenching his hand around the greatsword almost as tightly as his jaw. “So it looks like because this dungeon is under my tier I won’t get any EXP.”
Sophie didn’t let herself look away though she definitely felt a bit guilty. She had already known that would be the case and assumed he had as well. “Well, if it’s any consolation, you can have all the gold that drops in here.”
Sophie noticed that instead of responding out loud, Tristan changed the loot rules in the party interface.
All loot privileges have been granted to you.
She was surprised at the sweet gesture but wasn’t going to argue. She turned and patted her tank’s furry flank. “Ready Mister Biggs? I know you’ve got all that thick armor, but try not to let them bite you.” She glanced at Tristan for a moment before quickly adding, “And keep as much attention off Tristan as you can, OK?”
Mister Biggs responded with a deep rumbling purr that bordered on a growl. His smile broadened enough to show the pointed teeth along his lower jaw.
“Good hunting,” she said as Mister Biggs charged toward the first group of zombies, with Tristan chasing after the moment the bear had aggro.
She thought it was a little funny how Tristan still didn’t seem to grasp the term and kept calling it “attention.” She shook her head at needing to teach a tier 2 the basic terms of dungeon grouping.
- - - - -
They’d only gotten a few rooms into the dungeon when they found their first set of traps. It was a series of pressure plates that blended well into the floor and triggered localized cave-ins. Tristan had warned her about the possibility of their presence in the opening halls, but she hadn’t believed that they could be so well hidden. Not until she overlooked one and the side tunnel they were about to explore collapsed. It was all the more frustrating because Mister Biggs had been really excited about pulling the pack of zombies on the other side of the entrance. They were much more bone than skin, and that either angered or appealed to the massive tank. She wasn’t sure which. She took consolation in the fact that their slightly longer route ended up providing a couple iron deposits for Tristan to mine and a small chest that held a decent set of cloth gloves that would provide her some bonus armor, which was rare for cloth gear.
She still made sure that neither she nor Mister Biggs ever stepped on another pressure plate without running it by Tristan first, and only once she’d convinced him that the collapses might be useful to take out enemies if they could be controlled. Tristan had thought the idea of needing that kind of help silly, but Sophie had argued that running a dungeon properly was important, especially since at higher levels the dungeons were built to require those sorts of built-in mechanics. She insisted they at least consider how best to use all those sorts of tricks while they didn’t need the advantage.
While Tristan hadn’t taken much convincing, he didn’t look particularly excited either. He’d finally gained some enthusiasm when they neared the halfway mini-boss. Apparently the guidebook he’d read had promised a towering, multi-limbed, patchwork abomination with meat cleavers the size of battleaxes.
Even though Tristan had already proven to be far stronger than everything else in the dungeon, Sophie still had a slight knot in her stomach when it came to the bosses. He might be high enough level not to be hurt by practically anything in this place, but she and her astrals were definitely not. Her anxieties only worsened when they rounded the corner into the “mad scientist’s lab” and she got her first look at the mini-boss (and tried not to think too hard about why there was such a room in a mine network in the first place).
Luckily Tristan had stayed by her side, and perhaps he was more intuitive than she’d given him credit for. “Want me to take the lead and tank this one?”
Sophie tried not to seem too eager, or to let her nervousness infiltrate her voice. “Only if you want. Poof will be happy to do some damage to a mini-boss.”
Tristan only smiled as he waited patiently for her to switch her astrals. Then he drew his greatsword and charged. He didn’t even bother to switch to his shield set.
Showoff, Sophie refrained from saying. She couldn’t wait for the day when she would be able to charge recklessly into battle with her astrals and mow down any threat, including bosses, that stood in their way. It might be several tiers away, but with every passing moment that distant dream felt a little bit closer.
- - - - -
Sophie had sent Sneakers, the emerald and gold parrot that served as her scout, out into a split in the tunnels while she and Tristan sat around their makeshift camp and ate some of the meal they’d brought with them. She had to admit that so far the dungeon had been going flawlessly, minus the pressure plate incident. All of her astrals had gotten a chance to shine in the dungeon with their dedicated roles, earning Sophie a wealth of experience.
She wasn’t surprised when she quickly hit level 5 and was already well on her way to 6. She’d gained the [Astrals: Main Stats Up] passive that gave a straight 10% boost to each of her astrals’ two most important stats. It was crazy to see just how much more damage Poof’s [Mana Bolt] did when it exploded. It was now capable of one-shotting entire packs of level 2 zombies. Sophie felt more than ever like she was holding and aiming a literal cannon, as every pack she pointed Poof at was basically vaporized before her.
She eventually resummoned Mister Biggs whose health had ballooned from the new passive, allowing him to rush claws-first into packs of zombies a full level above him and simply soak the damage. She had enjoyed watching her tank finally get to have some fun. And finally she had resummoned Sneakers again to give him additional chances to scout and stretch his wings. She briefly considered letting him do some fighting too, but his only real combat skill was his [Napnap Gas], and that wouldn’t help a lot unless he was trying to escape. It felt needlessly risky.
Tristan had gradually opened up to her over the course of those first hours. He wasn’t quite like the simple chests they found throughout the dungeon, because those just popped right open with hardly any effort. It seemed Tristan was more reserved until he’d worked through some of his anger. The chests also only contained minor consumables and a few coins, while Tristan was full of interesting stories. Apparently he’d been in a duel that his master had orchestrated but not warned him about. When he told her about how he’d survived being ambushed by a combat Class with a four level advantage, Sophie was genuinely impressed. It was no wonder the duel had earned him a level in both of his Classes. But apparently he was still struggling with his resulting skill selection.
“It’s got to be either [Faster Craft] or [Reinforce Craft],” he was telling her. He’d been back and forth on the choice for the last three tunnels.
“Why did you rule out [Swordcraft Efficiency] again?” Sophie asked in an attempt to at least get him unstuck from the loop he’d been caught in. “Reducing the material cost of all the swords you craft by twenty percent? That’s huge for a low-tier crafter, especially one without a wealthy backer.”
Tristan nodded noncommittally. “My Core already does something like that,” he admitted, “among other things.”
He didn’t elaborate further, so Sophie asked something else. “Have you considered that [Faster Craft] could also mean more EXP in the long run, since you could earn it more quickly?”
“Yeah.” He looked down at the greatsword resting by his side. “I’m not really interested in making things faster though. The process is too important to rush, and I enjoy it.”
Sophie led him a little further. “What about the fact that [Reinforce Craft] offers a bonus to whatever your specialization is? Isn’t that mostly what you want to craft?”
“The bonus only ends up being an extra 5% durability though. Yeah, it would be to bladed weapons, but I wasn’t sure if that was enough of a reason. It all adds up though, I suppose.”
A few seconds later, his eyes glazed over with the clear surge of information that came from a new skill. Apparently he’d made up his mind.
Sophie smiled at the recent memory of how good that rush had felt for her. “I’ve always found it quite useful to have a sounding board when faced with tough decisions,” she said. She had been careful not to overstep or outright sway his decision-making process, even if she had come to the same conclusion he had much more quickly. She was just glad that he’d come to a similar conclusion on his own.
“You’re good at all the studying and Class-theory stuff aren’t you?” he asked in between bites of bread. “Have you already plotted your whole Path?”
She could tell he was teasing a little, so she fired back a playful, “No!” with a smile, before continuing on a moment later: “but only because I am trying to get something no one has gotten before. I have the choices all plotted out if I get the normal class choices though.”
Tristan laughed. "I just can't bring myself to look that far ahead, I guess. I like focusing on the things in front of me. Forging metals, working with my hands, making something out of practically nothing."
"Isn't that what leveling is though?" Sophie countered. "Look how much you've grown from level 1. You're making something of yourself. And you can't tell me you don't plan ahead, or you wouldn’t have come to Rockmoor in the first place.” She tilted her head until Tristan nodded in acquiescence. “By planning out my own Path, I make sure that I make the greatest ‘something’ possible from my previously 'practically nothing' self."
Trisan seemed to mull that over a while. “I hadn’t thought of it that way before,” he admitted. “Probably because I don’t enjoy the thinking nearly as much as the doing.”
“And swinging a weapon,” Sophie noted with a chuckle. “It’s pretty clear that you already handle your swords well despite Swordsman being a relatively new secondary. Did you have any training before you came to Rockmoor?”
“Only practical stuff,” Tristan muttered.
Sophie could see his jaw clench a little again, so she wouldn’t push him too far. “In dungeons?”
“Among other things.”
Sophie pursed her lips. “You’ve gotten really good in quite a short time then.”
“Yeah, well, Jamal is supposed to be ‘the best.’”
Sophie sat back as both her hands fell to her knees. “You’re training with Jamal?” When Tristan didn’t say anything, Sophie prodded again. “The same Jamal that was the only student of Olson, who was himself a member of the party with Celeste and the Brightshield?!” She hadn’t realized her tone had grown so high until Tristan stared at her with a face as unreadable as stone.
“Yeah,” was all he said.
“Gods among us, Tristan! I didn’t realize that man even took students! Do you realize how big an honor--?”
She stopped herself when she saw his expression tighten again. Instead she asked, “What’s wrong?”
He took another bite of his bread. “I cut off a man’s freaking arm today. I’d rather not talk about it.”
When it became clear he wasn’t going to take the conversation in any other direction either, Sophie redirected things herself. “Well, we’ve been making pretty short work of this place. I expect we’ll be finished well before dinner.”
Tristan chuckled. “I’d be careful saying stuff like that. Trust me, karma has a funny sense of humor. Though I guess I do over-level this dungeon pretty severely.”
“All the more reason why I appreciate your willingness to take the time to help me through it.”
He nodded and seemed about to respond quickly before taking a few extra moments to consider something. “It’s uncommon for an astralist to have multiple astrals at your level, right?”
“It is,” Sophie confirmed in as blank a voice as she could manage. He deserved at least that much patience.
He’s here helping me after all. He won’t be like the rest... Will he?
“You’re really good with them. You switch them so fluidly, and it’s clear you know when to use one over another. I mean, Mister Biggs was even able to pull monsters off me a couple times when I got... a bit too excited.”
Sophie sighed in relief as she tried not to take his compliments too much to heart. “Thanks,” she managed. “Yeah, Mister Biggs is an awesome tank when there’s a damage dealer around to support him.”
“So how come you have to keep directing them out loud? Admittedly I don’t know all that much about astrals, so I hope it’s not rude to ask, but the one that pulled my carriage never needed commands like that. And obviously neither does Sneakers.”
Sophie sighed. “It’s something astralists usually don’t get until Tier 2. Sneakers is a scout-type astral and has a simpler version of the ability, but it’s more limited.” She didn’t begin to explain how much she was waiting for the day when she could share such a profound bond with all of her little family. “Besides, it’s not like there’s that much to communicate right now other than attack, defend, or run away.”
It was at that very moment a gust of wind and flapping wings zoomed through the tunnels as a gray streak of feathers sped straight to Sophie’s shoulder.
Sneakers had returned, and he quickly explained through their psychic bond that his speed was because he had gone a bit farther than Sophie had requested, and perhaps he hadn’t quite gone as unnoticed as usual.
“How far back are they?” Tristan asked while looking at the panicked bird, clearly much more perceptive than she’d given him credit for.
Sophie listened to Sneakers for a moment before relaying, “It’s not zombies but a... plant of some kind? And it’s apparently way faster than the zombies we’ve been fighting.”
Sneakers cooed in confirmation as it took to the air and began circling Sophie’s head, dipping and diving as he tried to explain the terror that was coming for them.
“A plant?” Tristan asked, immediately taking up his sword. “Did you go all the way to the boss room and pull the freaking Vine Hydra?!”
Almost on cue, Sophie could hear the sounds of hurried scratching, snapping, and slapping vines all the way down the tunnel Sneakers had just exited.
“Shit,” Tristan groaned.