The increase in dexterity had been a blessing. Thankfully, Peluna was very light and easy to carry or the first leg of the journey would have been far more difficult. The main passage that let up towards the surface had been filled with Great Worms, the massive beasts that Albus had fought a while back. Cyrus had little confidence that he would be able to fight them yet, dodging them was not outside of his expertise though.
Many of the higher leveled beasts seemed content with letting them pass, perhaps they weren’t deemed enough of a threat to be taken seriously, or more likely they just didn’t want to give chase. Regardless, it was another blessing as it meant they didn’t need to fight monsters that they were no match for.
The dungeon they found themselves climbing out of was quite beautiful; it truly was another world below the surface. The area that Albus had settled down in was volcanic territory. All the monsters had some affinity for or fire resistance, as magma was littered across much of the open space and some of the shafts had been erupting with flaming spires. On the bright side, with all the magma in the cavern there was bountiful light for the pair to find their way out. On the more negative side, neither of them were exactly fire proof and it became just another obstacle.
Peluna was also very useful even though she was riding piggyback while he ran; her barriers were able to delay any monsters that decided to attempt to make an easy meal out of them. It was honestly unfair to Cyrus, while he did all the real legwork and couldn’t fight in order to gain levels, she was able to rest and just throw up barriers which gave her experience. Being a support sure is an advantage, though he knew it would never be his forte.
Every couple of hours they decided to take a small break when the area allowed them. While dangerous, occasionally there would be small breakaway caves that allowed for protection for any would be attackers. Despite getting stronger, this did not make anyone exempt from the need for water and sustenance. That and the breaks gave Peluna a chance to make fun of him for having to run so far. He did joke that he would leave her down here, but her puppy dog eyes clearly shut down whatever comeback he had ready.
There had been some good progress over the course of their journey, the monsters were beginning to decrease in level and the scenery took a major change. After climbing up a cliff face, they were met with a vast forest. It was a jungle that flourished with plant life and creatures alike. The dungeon proved to be more of an enigma with each passing day, there were entire ecosystems able to sustain themselves below the surface. What was even stranger was the brightness of the area; there was no way for the sun to reach underground and there were no signs of moss that emitted light as well. Despite this, the jungle was clear as a morning day and never darkened.
Perhaps this was the work of the rumored dungeon core? While it had been said the core was the reason for the appearance of monsters in the dungeon, could it not also provide light for its home as well? Surely an artifact like that would have multiple uses but no one had any such information to prove that theory. This kind of debate took up much of the free time between Cyrus and Peluna as they had little more to do than talk and run. The jungle had also been home to many valuable herbs as well, whenever Peluna was able to spot something worth grabbing she would point it out while he focused on running.
The journey took several days until the jungle finally passed them by. It could have been much faster, but there were no directions or clear indications on how to get back to the surface. If they were ever going to descend back down the dungeon, Cyrus felt far more confident he would be able to get at least some of the way through memorization. The increase in intelligence was doing wonders for his mental ability; the strain was far less when he took in vast amounts of information. The average level of the monsters in the forest seemed be about 80.
He was far more at ease with the monsters in the forest; many of them didn’t even feel like as much of a threat in comparison to where he had been living for several weeks. It also didn’t help that Albus was the most dangerous predator around, making anything else pale in comparison. In truth, Cyrus was beginning to get bored of just running, he desperately wanted to test his newfound strength against the denizens of the forest but was shut down by Peluna’s common sense. They needed to get to the surface first and foremost so they could establish themselves and have a starting point.
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
The forest began to thin out after a few more hours of roaming, eventually morphing back into a sand filled cave. They were now moving back into ant territory, the last time they had been here Serence was keen on killing them. This time, Cyrus and Peluna were much stronger and able to properly defend themselves. Things would be… no, things are much different then there were before.
Cyrus felt far more confident in his skills, the technique that Albus had taught him allowed for his rapier to move in a more fluid and skill motion. Now he was no longer just having a stick around like a madman, more of a proper swordsman with the minimal training required to get by. Stats however, more than filled any gap left that skill would create. The gap that still remained lied in experience and combat. His thoughts were interrupted as Peluna caught his attention for the first time since their last break.
“Remember how you talked about earlier that this trip was boring?” She prodded his cheek, as if criticizing his behavior.
“Yea, we haven’t done any fighting since we left. The trip back up wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be.”
“You should’ve kept your mouth shut, because I think you’re going to get your wish this time. Idiot.”
Just as he was about to retort at being called an idiot, his gaze followed hers towards the anthill mounds. They could no longer be considered just anthill mounds anymore. Anthill Mountains would be a much better term; they towered to the roof of the cave, leaving no gaps. While normally one would think to just go around them, this was no longer possible, and they connected with each other and reached the width of the path towards the surface. The only path lied through the anthills; large tunnels were carved out in the center of several of them, likely leading deeper into their nesting territory.
While it was true he wanted a fight, Cyrus imagined that fighting through an entire anthill would be a whole different story. Monsters were an evolving species, as such, even if the outer ants were relatively weak there was no doubt that the ones lying inside could be much stronger. After killing basic worker ants, he had been met with higher leveled warriors when he first encountered any territory. At the same time, it was exciting to think about rooting out a nest and discovering more species inside.
“Isn’t this an alright outcome? I was thinking this would be a good way to test ourselves before we make the surface. Don’t be such a sour sport Peluna, or are you telling me the great priest is scared?” Cyrus teased, setting her down off his back.
She huffed looking at him. “Not scared, practical you twit! We’re running out of food, at this rate we’ll barely make the surface even without going through the anthill, let alone dealing with it.”
Food hadn’t really been on the forefront of his mind, but she did make a more then reasonable point. At the same time, this was a challenge to see if they could tear through their numbers before they ran out of food.
“I see your point; we’ll just have to be quick about it. I honestly don’t see another way around and we’ve been running for days. I think our best bet is to work our way back through territory that we’re familiar with. Unless you’ve got a better idea?”
“Fine, but if anything goes wrong you owe me a full set of armor and a meal.”
Cyrus nearly tripped over himself at the demand. “That much? I can’t even control if anything goes wrong in a dungeon, what the hell do you expect me to do?”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Besides, you should know how to treat a lady.” Peluna preened, readying her staff and equipment for their venture.
Cyrus rolls his eyes, there are plenty of good responses and ways for him not to mess this up. Unfortunately, he chooses one of the least amicable responses. “Hardly a lady with that attitude.” Cyrus grumbles.
The response is almost immediately followed with a staff hitting the top of his head, NOT lightly either. He decides to drop the argument after seeing her triumphant grin, that and he didn’t want to get hit with her staff again. He had little doubt she took any issue with hitting him for whatever reason.
Regardless of his meaningless quarrels with his tempered companion, now was the time to get serious. They were about to enter enemy territory on their own terms. While this may not be the best idea, strictly speaking, there were no more options left to consider. The anthill was just another obstacle anyways, if he and Peluna were unable to overcome this task than they may as well be dead anyways. This encounter would be no different than when they had fought Albus, kill the enemy or face the same consequence. Brandishing his sword, Peluna her staff, they walked into the entrance of the anthill, the darkness enveloping around them.