22: Crystalfang Dungeon
Thanks to his recent training, Aidan was easily able to clean up the bits of blood that splattered on the ground from his latest Red Riot handling. All Aidan had to do was acclimate to the material within the blood, something that he wasn’t quite used to.
He did try to ‘control’ the blood, as it were, but found it unnaturally difficult compared to handling other materials. He figured since it left the human body, it would be the same, but the blood still contained some bits of the former soul it belonged to, thus having a sort of will that would resist his control.
Though he realized that with some extra stat points in Intellect, he could put aside the resistance some more and actively use the blood. He figured that with this, using his most powerful spell Rend would be a lot easier to use on higher level monsters. Though the idea of controlling blood felt a little iffy to him, it was a good learning experience.
So he manipulated the blood around the store and gathered it all up for himself to wipe off. There weren’t even stains left behind thanks to this, thus making the job of cleaning up a lot easier without worrying about how it affected the store’s appearance.
Though they were starting to get quite a reputation by the people that live around here. From all the trouble the Red Riot caused them, they’d earned a terrifying reputation such as anyone who came to bother the store or its customers would receive a fate worse than death. It wasn’t even an overexaggeration either, considering that Aidan would never wish for anyone else to go through what he put the Red Riot members through.
Once that was all cleaned up, Haley returned to the front of the store only to find it completely spotless, leaving her in a daze.
“Wow, you really did clean it all up,” she commented, even rubbing a corner of the shelf where the blood once was and rubbing it between her fingers. “Man, your magic is so convenient.”
“It’s a gift,” Aidan stated simply, not wishing to add anything more.
No matter how close they had gotten through the days, it would still have been a bad idea to reveal everything about his powers. Not even Nina knew the extent of his powers, and he wanted to make sure that nobody else would know either.
“Hey, you think any more of those guys are gonna come in?”
“I’m hoping they’ll learn their lesson, but it’s possible that they might come back,” Aidan answered.
“Man, what is Nina doing that’s causing all this to happen?”
“Unfortunately that’s hard to say.”
A new voice interrupted when the door opened up, revealing none other than Nina herself as she came in as usual. The moment she arrived, Haley covered her mouth and stepped back, her eyes wide and filled with terror unlike anything she’d shown when the Red Riot came in.
“M-M-Miss Nina…”
“Oh, just Nina is fine,” Nina simply said, waving Haley off casually. “Can you go and make me some tea? I’m rather thirsty.”
Without hesitation, Haley scampered off to the kitchen to do as Nina asked. Aidan thought perhaps it was the contract binding her that was forcing her body to instantly follow her demand, but it was also possible that Haley didn’t want to upset her new overlord.
However, Aidan wasn’t pleased to follow the same way.
“Do you know how much trouble we’re having because of them?” Aidan asked, pointing at the door and gesturing to the world outside. “What did you do that’s getting them to come up here and trouble us?”
Nina took off the coat, revealing her leather armor that was scuffed in some places, smidges of dirt covering parts of her upper torso and lower back. After dusting herself off, she sat down in a chair near a table and lay there for a while. She rested her chin in her palm.
“I suppose I should explain a few things. A few days ago there was an issue when I went to retrieve my supplies for the store. A cargo trader sold me out and the Red Riot gang tried to rob me. I may have taught them a thing or two and forced the trader to sign away most of her assets to me, but it looks like the gang got their egos smashed to the point of wanting to get back at me by going to the closest thing possible.”
Aidan didn’t know what to say about that. He only stared at Nina, who looked like she went through some trouble herself that may or may not have been under her control. He didn’t like that he had to be the one dealing with the tail-end of her consequences, but there wasn’t much else to do.
“Okay, I guess that makes sense,” Aidan continued. He noticed Haley coming in with a tray filled with three cups of hot tea, the heating vapors wafting up to the air before settling the tray down and handing one of the cups to Nina.
“Thank you,” Nina replied, smiling. “I needed this.”
“N-No problem,” Haley said, stepping away from the table and staying in the corner.
“So what’s up?” Aidan asked. “I’m guessing you’re here to ask for something?”
“Perceptive as usual,” Nina drawled, blowing on her cup before taking a sip. “But this time, it’s going to take some effort.”
“What do you mean?”
“After some investigating, I found out where most of the Red Riot’s main focus resides. The quartz you found for me made itself useful, and it led me to an interesting place. Have you heard of the Crystalfang Dungeon?”
Aidan raised a brow at that, not hearing that name at all from his gallivanting through the library. Then again, he never focused on the dungeons of this world, though he knew they existed like they did in video games.
Dungeons are natural places that are actually under the system’s purview, designed to test incoming challengers with equal parts danger and benefits. Like in a video game, they mostly consist of powerful monsters that match the theme of the dungeon, following the level range of the dungeon itself. Unlike natural monsters one can find in the wild, dungeon monsters are stronger and tougher even if they were at the same level.
Some dungeons are natural and left mostly alone, but there are some cities that take some dungeons under their wing and use them as part of their economic flow, where adventurers would come in to challenge them for their rewards, then return to the city to relax or, in worst cases, recover from their losses.
Aidan thought about entering into a dungeon, but he hadn’t found a clue on where to find one that’s close to here. He also didn’t plan on scouring the place every night in search of one. So hearing about a dungeon from Nina surprised him.
“The Crystalfang Dungeon…” Haley muttered. “Isn’t that dungeon far into the west of here? I heard that place is out of bounds and the guards refuse anyone entering inside, only accepting high-rank adventurers.”
“That’s normally the case, but it’s actually under the Red Riot’s control,” Nina said, surprising Haley. “And that’s actually what I came here for. I want you to go in there and find out what this quartz is all about.”
She pulled up the gem in question, the same shimmering gemstone with a magical array inscribed within. Aidan took it, taking a gander at the gem before responding.
“You want me to investigate the dungeon?”
“I want you to find out exactly what it is they’re searching for in there. And if possible, take anything that’s interesting. The Red Riot believed it’s good enough for them to gather up most of their goons to raid in it. With your abilities, it should be an easy fit for you, wouldn’t it?”
Aidan had a lot to say about that, but in truth, he was genuinely curious as to how a dungeon would run. Not to mention if he found the location, he could visit there whenever he wanted with Soul Meditation and get some good training there.
But Nina meant for him to go there physically. He raised his stats according to his little made-up guide, but would it be enough?
“You’re not just sending me there immediately, right?” He asked, prompting Nina to look at him as though he grew a second head.
“Of course not. I plan to send you some supplies and even a pack for you to carry. Who knows what kind of hidden treasures the Red Riot is hoarding over there, so I want you to gather them all up for me. Obviously I also plan on making you bring Haley with you too.”
“What? Me?!”
Haley nearly shouted, then promptly closed her mouth with her hands from her outburst. Nina only smiled at the girl, taking another sip of her tea.
“Did you forget why I signed you into a contract? Your unique talent would be a godsend for Aidan in the dungeon. It’s perfect as it would cut costs and time while finding treasures to keep.”
“W-Wait, wait, hold on a second there, I can’t go to a dungeon!” Haley exclaimed, her hands placed on the table for emphasis. “I never fought against a monster before, and I don’t have a single skill for exploring dungeons! I’m only good for foraging through forests and harvesting herbs and plants!”
“Unfortunately,” Nina said, now frowning at the girl. “That’s not up for you to decide. This is important for my business, and I’m gonna need your talent for this. I believe you should find a way to acclimate quickly, or you’re just gonna be a burden for Aidan.”
Aidan pursed his lips. He wasn’t even sure if he could handle being in a dungeon himself either. Haley immediately deflated, her head sinking low as the news dropped onto her. Nina finished off her cup and stood up from the table.
“You can close the store for a few days when you start, just make sure to close it up real good,” Nina said to Aidan, turning around and putting her cloak back onto her shoulders. “You can even invite some other adventurers if you want some extra protection, but no more than one or two. I don’t want any more eyes on this as far as I can take it.”
Before Aidan could say anything more, Nina had left the building, leaving a bewildered Aidan and a distraught Haley behind. As usual, whenever Nina comes in, it’s usually never a good sign.
“Oh no… what is this? This is such bullshit…” Haley muttered under her breath, her hands covering her head as she shook it. “I’m so gonna die…”
“Not as long as I’m here,” Aidan said, trying to appease the poor girl. “Like she said, we have some time, so let’s wait for her supplies while we prepare for ourselves.”
And the only thing on Aidan’s mind was to create some protection for himself and for Haley. Luckily for them, his Craft skill would come in and save the day.