[306] 4.27 Tri-State Dungeon IV
Chloe’s magic is truly incredible. Even the most grievous wounds, ones that were too severe to even hope to patch up before inevitable death, are patched up in seconds, and she does it all with a smile on her face and the pinnacle of compassion, even as she marches with me into the bowels of hell. Neither of us can speak a word to each other, but her quiet smiles and the compassionate way her fingers trace upon my former injuries say everything. Relief and gratitude fill her mind, even though I can already foresee a conversation about being reckless and nearly getting myself killed.
Again, Chloe, I do apologize for worrying you so. I was confident it would work, even if the victory was neither flawless nor particularly pretty. Yeah, that monster was about as far from pretty as possible by the time it finally slumped down and dissolved into teal Ether. It certainly doesn’t have the guts to do that again, for sure.
Just like one of our earlier trips into a dungeon back in March, the two of us again find ourselves nestled up against a wall of stone, eating our dinner in silence and isolation. More of those invisible shrews have been crawling around, but none have gotten too close.
Maybe they’re pleased in those tiny rodent minds because we took care of one of the dungeon’s largest predators. Maybe they realize we’re the new apex predators on the block and know better than to antagonize us. Either way, we have a respite to enjoy some leftover fettucini and chicken scampi from three nights ago.
Poor Alicia. I’m certainly not going to bring her up now, while she’s goddesses-only-know where and Chloe’s restlessness is being restrained only by sheer willpower. Still, I hoped she was okay. Maxine Fredeross— and everyone else linked to her— should be praying that Alicia is okay as well. Otherwise, when, not if, Chloe and I find out? Well, if Chloe was five minutes from painting the streets red with blood before… Not even I wanted to be in that room if she finally snapped.
Instead we just hold hands and watch our [Ether] slowly regenerate. Not even that slowly anymore. A few months back and my [Mind] stat was so ass that I needed an eternity and a half just to tick up a single point of [Ether], thank you dreadful [Mind] x 10 Regeneration rates. Now, my base rate is still garbage, but with my [Mind] stat boosted to nearly 500 with Chloe’s [Saintess’s Blessing] upon me, I’m actually gaining close to a point of [Ether] a second even after the reduced accrual rate in a dungeon is taken into consideration.
Chloe tugs my arm, prompting me to look down. “Go on or turn back?”
I circle ‘Go on’, then scribble out, “Every level we gain makes us that much more likely to succeed. Besides, I’m sure the other Seraphina is out there, gaining more levels too. I’m sure we’ll come face to face eventually.”
“Do you really think it’ll come down to fighting? And, be honest, do you want it to?”
“Probably, and not really. But you know me well enough to know that I’m as stubborn as a mule. I’m sure any version of me would be exactly the same.”
“Stubborn as a mule, and three times as pretty.”
“Only three times?”
She kisses me.
Some time later, maybe a few hours, the two of us stand up and stretch our legs. It’s probably close to eight in the evening, we’ve been pretty much go-go-go for the past twelve hours, all the lingering adrenaline is long gone, and yet, neither one of us is tired. Maybe what Madison had said went deeper than I realized this morning. As we gain in levels, we grow more and more magical, and less and less physical. I’m once again reminded that that applies to sleep as well as food, water, and the ability to survive the harshness of the void.
Now that I think about it, I don’t think I have a single blemish or zit, and haven’t in… quite a while, despite all the sweating and physical activity. I take a whiff of my underarms. Doesn’t stink as bad as I’d imagined. Not exactly rainbows and roses, but nothing that’s going to emit toxic fumes. I don’t even bother asking or sniffing Chloe; she’s always smelled amazing, even before the System first arrived.
Plus, that would be a little weird, even between girlfriends.
We pass into the next chamber. I’m not really sure what I’m expecting when I get there, other than another shift in the flow of Ether, and then another rule imposed upon us. How long will this go on? How many more floors will this take? Hopefully not too many; I don’t know how many more of these brutal fights we’ll be able to overcome.
Chloe looks at me with a shrug of her shoulders. Her [Mirage Swords] come out to light the way, then disappear just as quickly. Maybe there wasn’t actually a shift? Except I know there was; I could feel it, even if Chloe seemingly couldn’t. I pull out my sketchbook to ask her, only for my [Inventory] to remain stubbornly closed.
In a panic, I try again and again, and all to no avail. And then it hits me, exactly what the new rule of the dungeon is; trying and failing to enter subspace proves it. I put my hand on Chloe’s shoulder to get her attention, and then, with a [Ether]-tipped finger, I trace the rule out on the floor.
“The Dimensional Boundary is sealed. My [Inventory] and Dimensional magic are both blocked.”
“Shit,” Chloe writes below. “My [Inventory] is sealed too. Does your other magic still work as it should?”
“Seems to be. This dungeon is definitely adapting to our tactics and adjusting its rules accordingly. Banning flight, then talking, and then dimensional magic? These don’t seem like just random rules. They were specifically put here to challenge us.”
Chloe just nods, her eyes full of unwavering determination. “Agreed. Still, we move forward.”
Time to see what the dungeon has in store for us for round three. And I’m both terrified and disappointed, in equal measure. A giant ant. Quaint perhaps, more than a little disgusting, but definitely not something to be trifled with. I can sense tremendous power emanating off that otherwise placid exoskeleton, not to mention whatever Skills are at its disposal.
It raises a single claw; for a moment, I question if it will be able to converse in English. It wouldn’t be the first or last dungeon boss out there who could do so. To my disappointment and relief in equal measure, it instead buzzes with the two pairs of wings at its back, pointing the right two of its four arms at the two of us. I wouldn’t dare assume that its gestures carry the same meaning as those of a human, but if they did, ‘indignant’ would be the single word that best captures the beast’s expression.
It’s on us in a blink. I raise my swordstaff to block, narrowly avoiding the first punch and deflecting the second punch harmlessly past my face. Flurries of punches and airborne kicks are on me in a terrifying assault, and it’s all I can do just to fight defensively and minimize the damage I take.
Chloe leaps into the fray, just her twinned [Swords of Repose] leading the attack. Her weapons shine with the glint of holy energy, but even as she lands strike after brutal strike, she fails even to dent the monster’s tough chitinous exoskeleton.
The creature maintains its strikes upon me, pushing me back at an accelerated pace. I try going on the offense for a brief moment, slashing toward its stomach. My weapon proves to be strong enough to cut a small hole through its armor, but far from enough to slow the monstrosity down. Worse, I take several fists to the face and torso, and even my thick skull proves insufficient to keep my vision from starting to spin. [Potent Cure] proves sufficient to keep my [Health] topped off, but not to stop me from seeing stars at the overwhelming assault.
Part of me wants to call for a retreat; if our best attacks are doing all of jack and shit, how can we hope to win? But I’m not sure if we can run, either. Even if we can, what are the chances there won’t be another creature or ten waiting in ambush? And if these monsters can leave the dungeon, and they do thanks to being lured out by ours truly? Then we’re going to have a whole lot more than just eight more deaths on our consciences.
Chloe again channels her [Mirage Swords]— just two this time— and goes fully on the offense. Her attacks fail to break the exoskeleton, but since they are partially and selectively intangible, a small portion of the attacking damage is actually able to phase through the armor and hit the softer flesh within. This, predictably, doesn’t do a whole lot; insects naturally have hemolymph coating their insides, and like the Ursine Titan earlier, this creature’s vital fluids seem to have healing properties.
Fortunately for us, my attacks are just strong enough to break the creature’s outer shell, and it appears that whatever healing properties the creature has don’t extend to that carapace. It’s not all good news; the insides of the overgrown ant smell like utter hell, and, if my shit luck is to be believed, it’s also toxic. Acidic, even, I revise, after a few droplets sizzle on the ground with an evil hiss.
Chloe’s [Scouring Light] hits the monster dead on, and… it works? The beast is thrown back by the luminous waves, giving me another opening to deliver a puncturing wound into its abdomen. Then another, then another, in quick succession. Chloe contains the beast with more magical strikes, stunning it in place and allowing me to continue to pierce through its armor.
It flails about, flying up toward me again in a blur, even getting quite the hit on my stomach and knocking the wind out of me for the briefest of moments. But Chloe’s magic is relentless. None of her strikes seem to do all that much damage, but they do keep the beast stunned and off-balance and give me more openings for attack.
But something seems off. This fight seems too easy all of a sudden. This is the final fight of the dungeon, and yet, the ant is going down so much easier than the bear. Even easier than those crude half-vampires from the first portion of the dungeon. It’s not right, but at least this creature has finally given out.
[You have slain a Guardian Antoid (Level 62). You have gained a boosted 9,500 Experience.]
[Level: 70; Experience: 7,129,544; To Next: 237,851]
Oh shit. Oh shit shit shit and unholy fuck. It’s so obvious in retrospect; how in the unholiest bowels of hell did I not realize it at the very beginning? Ants are eusocial species. There’s no such thing as a solitary ant. Good heavens, I remember that antoid horde back in April. I remember fighting against not one or two, but an army of thousands. And if this is a dungeon, then there’s not going to be just one. No…
My breath catches in my throat. Buzzing echoes through the chamber. I stand with my back to Chloe, dreading what’s about to happen next. Cold, beady compound eyes glisten in the dark, refracting and reflecting the light of Chloe’s swords a hundredfold not unlike so many disco balls. The chattering of chitinous mandibles follows, followed by the pitter-patter of hundreds of legs marching in unison. The swarm has just arrived, and Chloe and I are going to need every ounce of strength we have left, and then some, if we don’t want to end up as the colony’s next meal.