Chapter 59: A Return to the Desert
“So, uh, two days, then I’m out of here. So try not to die, I don’t need Mel up in my ass about that for the next century,” Timon said as we exited the bus. He had stopped near the Cactomen settlement and planned to spend the next two days drinking. I wasn’t exactly confident he was only going to give us two days, not that I planned to test him.
As much as I was looking forward to testing out some of the changes in my abilities, I was getting tired of the nonstop dungeons. I had much preferred this new life when I was spending my days in the archives. Even as the allure of home grew stronger, it didn’t do much to temper exhaustion. Was this how normal dungeon raiders spent their lives? Just going from dungeon to dungeon until they were too beaten down to continue? I at least had the benefit of the simulator to strengthen me between the raids, but that just added to the fatigue of it.
The upside to this situation was that this, in theory, would be the last dungeon for a while, and we were doing real, tangible good for the planet. Although, I wasn’t sure if we’d be leaving the archives better than when we arrived or not. Likely, they were worse off without Elody, but there was nothing I could do to help that situation. All I could do was plow ahead on my mission.
“You leave us, and I’m telling Mel why we had to walk all the way back to Smithtown,” Cecile said, gently punching the mantis on the shoulder. I wasn’t remotely surprised they had become fast friends. Their attitudes meshed well. Whether Timon was the best influence for Cecile, I wasn’t so sure about.
“I’m still a little worried about those birds. Are we sure we’re going to be able to handle them this time?” I asked, not eager to repeat a mad dash from the desert. At least if it did happen, my legs were a lot better than they had been the first time around.
“The shadow vultures? I think we can handle them now. Well, maybe not all of them at once, but we should be able to handle a few. We’ve got the tent now, anyway. That should keep us camouflaged,” Elicec explained. I had forgotten about the tent. I didn’t particularly enjoy thinking about the creepy diredeer dungeon core statue. What caused a dungeon core to start thinking it was a god anyway?
“If you say so. Come on Corey, we’ve got an oasis at the center of the desert to find,” I said as I started the long trek into the sands. My new enchanted mallet floated next to me while the brothers followed close behind as we all felt the familiar feeling of a dungeon slide over us.
“So Dave, with it getting so close anyway, after we beat the orcs, what’s the first thing you’re going to do back home?” Cecile asked. That was certainly a top question to start our long walk with.
“Assuming we can beat the orcs, I’d like to think I can sit down with my kids for a nice breakfast, but the more I’ve thought about it, that probably isn’t going to be the end is it?” I answered with my own question. The silence hung loudly in the air. We all knew something was coming afterward. An Earth in some serious state of major worldwide disaster recovery suddenly thrust into the eyes of the powerful as they come in search of Sanquar. Realistically, there was nothing we could do to stop it either. Could we even stop the next faction that came to take the planet? I had no idea, and that line of thoughts only brought anxiety back in force.
“Yeah, probably a bad topic. Dave, have we ever told you about our brothers?” Elicec asked a few minutes later, breaking the silence.
“Not that I can remember no,” I answered, and that was how we spent the rest of the day, much happier conversations about their family. Stories of Twinoge near-year celebrations and their annual mushroom stew cook-offs kept my mind distracted.
A chat window highlighted itself in my mind. Luckily for us Corey, hadn’t been lost in the reminiscences.
| Corey: Dave, we are being stalked. Dave: By what, and are you sure? Corey: Very sure. I waited until I was sure to inform you, but they are now close enough that I can feel their shards. Dave: You can do that? Corey: Yes, I was not sure it would continue outside of my own dungeon, but so far, it appears to. Dave: Okay, what are they? Corey: There are five sand sharks circling around us. I believe they are waiting until we get further ahead to attack, as there is something up there that I am unable to determine the exact nature of. Dave: Got it, so it’s best to lure them into an attack now. How do we do that? Love this novel? Read it on NovelFire to ensure the author gets credit. Corey: Switch to your aether mana orb. I will attempt to guide the attack.
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