Trans-Migration

Machines more advanced than anything Bria had ever seen outside of a movie moved throughout the facility unaware of their presence. Each moved with purpose, not that she had a clue as to what it might be. With the way they sparked with energy, it was clear that the automatons were far more dangerous than the rusted hunk of junk she last encountered.

“Bumble, best you hide in my hood,” Neth said, tucking the little bee away in her special pouch. “I’d cry if some errant zap took her out.”

Pulling Neth into a side hug, Bria squeezed her for a moment before she let go. “I’d suggest everyone stay behind us. We aren’t sure how strong they are, but I’d wager ordinary humans wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Listen to yourself,” Mister Ruiz said with a chuckle. “Already thinking that you’re better than your peers.”

Bria flipped him off, getting a choked snort from the Russians that they were quick to smother with placid and stoic indifference.

“If, and I stress that, we confirm that we can gain levels here, you three will be more than free to try and do so,” Bria said hotly. “You’re all normal, and until that changes, I am not risking your deaths just because you got pissy over phrasing.”

“On your heads then,” Mister Ruiz said with a shrug. “We shall wait here for your reconnaissance report then.”

With that resolved, Bria began the descent down the first ramp into the dungeon. A minute later they reached the ground floor and finally saw their first little bot skittering along. It had six legs and two feelers with grasping sections, giving it an almost arachnid appearance. It was the part that had it coming up to Bria’s knees that messed with the primal part of her mind that knew to fear insects.

[Magitech Automaton Lv. 3]

Bria stepped forward and brought her shield up. The machine took notice and charged in. It was so slow compared to some of the monsters she had fought, but still faster than anything on Earth had a right to be. It was surprising that they had levels in the first place, being machines obviously constructed in this space. Was it the mana that provided it? Were they technically alive?

Were the ghouls she had cut down?

Those were thoughts best left for later. Bria brought her sword down, shearing through the metal as if it were tissue. The automaton stumbled back on mismatched limbs, and Bria brought her sword to bear again, ending the machine. The ever familiar ding that rang out was accompanied by a familiar sight.

You have defeated a [Magitch Automaton] 12 EXP Granted.

That prompted a grin from Bria, knowing that it wouldn’t be a waste to tackle the dungeon, and that she could potentially get all of her friends on the path to growth if the machines repopulated over time like most dungeons would.

“They give experience!” Bria cheered.

That was when the fallen machine let out a shrill alarm. She winced, looking off sheepishly at a stone-faced Neth as several more of the small machines rushed into the space, one as low as level two, and another was level five.

“I’m almost tempted to go back and get the boys for this,” Neth said, eyeing the automatons. “What do you think?”

Mulling that over for a moment, Bria nodded firmly. “Let me clean these up while you bring them down, I’ll save the level two machine for them to fight.”

“Sounds good,” Neth said, blowing a kiss. “Be safe while I’m gone!”

Bria rolled her eyes, but understood. Even with levels, humans could still die from being struck in a vital point. She’d experienced that the hard way back in the catacombs. The memory was still fresh, and she wasn’t about to repeat it willingly.

“Alright,” Bria said, taking a breath. “Let’s do this.”

Heavy steps thundered despite the klaxon emanating from the machines, and Bria crashed into the level five monster shield first. Metal limbs crumbled under the force, and she brought her sword down a moment later, ending the automaton with a cry of rent metal and ding of a slain foe.

A claw scratched at her armor; Bria retaliated by backhanding it with her shield, decimating the level three machine. Bria danced around the lowest leveled automaton and was just finishing up the last at level four when the others arrived. She grinned, tossing her hair back as she held the claws off with her sword.

“Want to see if this works?”

Mister Ruiz blinked, looking between her and the machine. “I think I shall wait. Boris, Nikolai. Feel free to experiment with this walking artifact and confirm it is safe.”

The Russians shared a look, then grinned as both pulled their knives out. Apparently they had learned a lesson from when the pair faced the rusted machine in the prior structure. That automaton didn’t give experience, even with a level being displayed, but the air hadn’t been brimming with magic either.

Something was different here, and Bria wanted to get to the bottom of it.

She pushed away as the two men took her place, one stabbing at the machine only for it to deflect off the surface. Bria blinked at that, surprised to see such a difference between her and them despite her earlier sparring match. The display only reinforced how drastic levels could be when applied.

The pair worked well together, though each took injuries as they pinned the machine down and broke each leg in turn before finally finding someplace sensitive to shove their blades and disable the machine.

Your group has defeated a [Magitch Automaton] 2 EXP Granted.

Bria whistled, knowing they had taken a bit of a penalty for her assistance with the early portion of the fight, but it still did exactly what she expected. Both of them now showed as a [Human Lv. 1] which meant that she could finally satisfy Mister Ruiz and his desire to explore magic in more depth.

“Good news,” Bria said cheerfully. “It looks like you’re clear to help kill some of these things and get ready for the day you cross over to the other side with us!”

Mister Ruiz hummed, ruminating on the declaration. Then, the man smiled and shook his head. “No, I think I shall wait until my companions here are able to better fend these machines off themselves before I make the attempt. Once we know more about this place, I will be inclined to take the risk.”

Well, that was a shift in reasoning. He had seemed too enthused by magic back when she first returned from the other side, and now he was going to be patient? Well, it wasn’t as if people got ahead in life by taking dumb risks when there were smarter options available. Plus, he was used to relying on his men to keep him safe, and right now they weren’t actually any stronger yet, just integrated.

“How much experience did you both get?” Neth asked, stepping down to join them.

Mister Ruiz had remained atop the ramp overlooking the battleground, but his eyes were vigilant for dangers. It made sense, his men were distracted from their duty, and he must have felt particularly vulnerable for it.

“Two,” Nikolai said. “Eight more according to magic picture.”

That was similar enough to Bria’s own experience, which just meant finding a few more weaker machines for them to fight. Once they got up to level three they would be less likely to die to the stronger automatons. Stats multiplied quickly early on, but seemed to level off as one grew just by virtue of having more accumulated. She should probably have a longer talk with Gil-hana about her own growth compared to others, but for now she would assume that her friends would be similar enough.

“I’ll leave anything under level three for you both then,” Bria said. “Neth, let’s get to work and clear this dungeon. Something tells me we’re about to get some of those answers we’ve been after.”

“Yes,” Neth said, tapping her staff on the ground as a subtle glow wrapped around the five of them. [Pray] was one of her more potent support abilities, and Bria welcomed it. She hoped that she would eventually get a version of [Bulwark] that affected a group in much the same way, but was already dreading the amount of mana that might require to cast properly.

The next space contained more machines, and Bria worked with Neth to quickly dispatch the higher leveled ones before leaving those at level two for the others to clean up. Mister Ruiz continued to hang back and watch, and thus never gained that initial level one. Two more rooms passed and Boris let out a cheer.

[Human Lv. 2]

Nikolai had a matching grin and identification, which hopefully meant they got something worthwhile besides the increased stats.

“New skills or magic?” Bria asked.

“[Endure] Nikolai said. “Ensures no single hit can bring person down.”

Boris followed that up without prompting. “[Second Wind],” the man said. “Restores some health when below twenty percent.”

Those weren’t amazing, but each had clear advantages and synergized really well for keeping a person protected. Something told her that they were each going to continue getting abilities like that focused around defense and healing given their life experiences and profession.

“Keep an eye on your mana and don’t over extend,” Neth said, grinning wide. “Those are both incredibly useful for keeping one another alive.”

The men brightened at her words, but Ruiz only grumbled further.

Bria frowned, turning back towards the man. “You can get in on this at any point, you know.”

“I am aware,” he said with a huff. “I stand by my concerns.”

Whatever. He could grumble all he wanted about this and that, but she was going to press on while keeping to the letter of their agreement. Plus, she liked Boris and Nikolai, even if they did work for someone with a stick up his rear.

The next room held a passage leading down, along with a type of automaton she hadn’t seen in pristine condition yet. This one stood as tall as she was, and held its own weapons rather than using something built in. Bria eyed the sword and shield, wondering how they compared to her current gear. The sword’s blade appeared almost identical to her own, which was already promising.

[Magitech Soldier Lv. 8]

“Well, that might be a problem,” Bria said. “Keep your defenses up and hang back. I’ll handle this.”

Neth nodded as Bria pulled a [Bulwark] over herself, wincing as her mana ticked downward. It was recovering, but slower than she was used to. The soldier took note of her, and immediately adopted a stance as its many legs carried it smoothly into a circling strafe. She let it lead her for a moment, then charged before it got a clean angle to attack Neth or the Russians.

Just as she closed the distance, the machine’s arms blurred into motion, the sword coming at her impossibly quick. Bria just barely brought up her shield in time, but was pushed back. She stumbled, and the machine scurried towards her low to the ground. It swiped towards her legs, forcing Bria to dance backwards.

Light flashed and the machine lurched. Bria recovered her footing and flashed Neth a grateful smile for the timely intervention. Then, gritting her teeth, Bria crashed into the machine shield first, knocking it over. Her sword came down and tore deep into the armored leg. While it wasn’t severed, the limb did fall limp. The automaton righted itself, then took another swing, forcing Bria to block. Her shield dented from the force of it and she grit her teeth to push back against such an overwhelming strike.

She was level nine, but the machine hit far harder than she expected. Pattern recognition told her the machines would only grow stronger the deeper they reached. Whatever was guarding the core of the dungeon would likely be as strong as anything else she had fought before, Basilisk included. Those weren’t great odds, but Bria knew she was going to struggle and fight on regardless.

With the way open, there was no promise that these machines wouldn’t simply spill forth and assault the island above. She needed to ensure that the dungeon was contained and culled. Which meant fighting her way through with Neth at her side. The Russians would gain levels when they could, but she couldn’t see them being much help until they gained enough levels to not die in one or two hits.

Blows continued between them, with Bria taking out another leg, while she gained a new cut along her breastplate. That was another casting of [Mend] that would drain her mana, but it could wait until they took a break. Bria repaid that strike by tearing off the shield arm of the machine. It didn’t take that too well, and went all in on the offensive, which ironically made it easier to bring down.

She let [Bulwark] take the hit, trusting that between it, [Pray], [Endure], and [Second Wind] she would be able to shake off any injury the automaton might give her. Bulwark shimmered, shifting from pale blue to red, and Bria used that opening to take off the sword arm.

Boris and Nikolai chose that moment to rush the machine, trusting in their own skills to hold firm. Thrashing legs caught Nikolai, knocking him back as both skills flared, but it allowed Boris to get his knife up in there and sever something important. Bria’s own blade came down on the automaton’s glowing eyes, piercing one just as Nikolai made it back, helping sever leg connections one by one.

Your group has defeated a [Magitch Soldier] 77 EXP Granted.

Bria gasped. If Boris and Nikolai had gotten even a portion of that… Sure enough, they had jumped straight to level three. Both of them were panting heavily, grinning at one another. Bria just shook her head at their excitement. She had been there, and with any luck, would be there again when she reached level ten herself.

For a moment, Bria considered her shield, then discarded it. The machine had one that took punishment far better than her own did and she wanted the upgrade. It was shaped a bit differently, but would fulfill the same purpose. Plus, it saved her from needing [Mend] right away.

Then there was the sword. She couldn’t help but note how the blade was almost identical to her own, aside from the grip. The balance was better, and something about it just felt sturdier. Plus, she didn’t need to find a new sheathe given that the old one would work just fine.

“Well, that’s interesting,” Neth said, looking at the similarities between the blades. “It makes sense though, if the same ancients who built my Shrine built this place as well.”

“True,” Bria agreed, her eyes flicking over to where Ruiz was now talking with the bodyguards. Maybe after that display he would finally go through with getting some levels. “Think the men are ready to get in there and fight with us?”

Neth bit her lip and Bria had to resist the urge to point out how cute she looked.

“Perhaps, but I would like to keep it to lower level enemies until they are more accustomed to combat. I don’t want them to rush in and draw the ire of something that is too strong for them.”

“Hey!” Bria squawked in indignation. “How dare you bring up valid criticisms of my past actions to use against me!”

Neth stuck out her tongue, holding the pose for just a moment before she broke down into a giggling fit that Bria soon found herself mirroring. It was always good to take a moment following a difficult battle, and this was no exception. Even Bumble emerged from her hiding place, flitting around Neth and Bria both in a fun moment of levity.

They had barely made a dent in the dungeon, but they had time.

The path down into the depths laid ahead, and who knew what they might find further in?