Chapter 38.1

Narrow walk ways of packed earth and loose stone defined the trails around the mountainous dungeon. We moved slowly to keep our footing, climbing higher to try to find a direction that would lead us to the dungeon’s monsters.

The icy dungeon was mostly flat and the enemies within it glowed, making them practically beacons at night. Here, the dungeons environment was obscured by the uneven terrain.

“I hope we’re not going to have to climb a different mountain.” Sandy said, staring out towards different mountain peaks reaching out of the forests.

“Let’s just get up high and look around first.” I replied.

We ended up having to scramble over rocks to reach the top of the local mountain.

When we crested the top of the rock we were climbing, I was glad we had scouted the area first. Pillars of smoke rose in the distance.

“Well, looks like we found what we’re hunting.”

We climbed back down the rock, chasing the direction of the smoke in the dungeon’s dawn light. I hoped we hadn’t found something intelligent.

Even though the smoke wasn’t farther than a few hundred feet away, it took minutes to scramble over the rocks and rough paths on the mountain. We finally saw the monsters when we walked passed a final copse of trees. I stopped, staring in disbelief.

There must have been almost twenty of them.

They were tiny little golems made of translucent crystal in a dozen colors. The smoke was from the furnaces they were burning. They were the exact same monsters we had encountered on the south end of town.

But what did that mean? This dungeon gate hate been closed for years. No one could have let them out. So those monsters either escaped a dungeon somehow or someone freed them. Unless they reproduced in the overworld. Were there more colonies of the things scattered somewhere?

“Gwen.” Sandy said. I had gotten distracted with my thoughts. One of the tiny golems was marching toward us.

It stopped suddenly, staring at us, and I could feel the tension in its tiny, glowing eyes at it stared up at us. Then it started to make an alarm noise like bird song. The rest of the monsters charged at it, holding rudimentary wooden tools. They all screamed as they charged, a mix of tinkling noises and bird song.

“Oh shit,” Sandy said, turning to run back.

There were at least a dozen of them. Using my ability to attack them would just open me up for the others to stab me. So I turned and ran with Sandy.

“Do you think you can [Parry] them?” I asked as we followed our path back. Rock slid under our feet.

“The rest will just stab me!” Sandy said.

“Same problem as me then.” We slowed to a stop at a rock face we had scrambled down. The monsters were small, their stubby legs unable to keep up with us, which left them farther behind, but only barely. We didn’t have time to scramble up the wall.

Sandy pulled out her new knife and swung it right as the monsters closed in us. There was a cracking noise as a burst of wind cut a thin gouge in the stone.

The closest of the monsters exploded.

The rest stumbled backwards.

“Okay,” I said, stepping forward and holding the needle.

“I can’t swing this if you walk up.” Sandy said.

The monsters were spreading out around us, pinning us back to the wall.

“I have a new skill. [Projection.] Same one the bear had I think. Light cloak skill. I’m gonna — ”

The monsters started walking up to us, holding their tiny spears out. I didn’t waste time on any more words.

A perfect copy of me appeared in front of me, my mana dipping by a point. Then… it stood there. The monsters paused at that.

Sandy swung again. Three more of them exploded. It was like their bodies were under pressure; they shattered like glass when damaged, even more so than the crystal golems we had found in the mines outside of town. I activated [Running Stitch,] destroying one of the monsters myself using the longer reach of my arms to stab forward before leaning back. Sandy swung again and another group of them exploded. The rest charged us.

I activated [Projection] again, this time mentally willing the illusion to charge at them as I summoned it. The monsters ducked out of the way as the second copy of me ran at them, giving Sandy enough time to swing again.

I finished the last one with a [Running Stitch.] The dungeon shuttered.

Sandy and I were quiet for a moment. I only had one mana left. The dungeon shuttered with mana as the last of them died.

No more monsters came.

“Well.” I said, stepping forward and digging into their bodies — the chunks of them that remained. Just like the Ice Elementals of the frost dungeon, these had tiny cores that glowed a bit brighter than the rest of them. I wondered if I could use them in embellishments.

“Didn’t expect a swarm of them.” Sandy said, leaning down next to me after sheathing her knife and picking apart the monsters with me.

I looked between her and the distant columns of smoke.

“Better than rats or something.” I replied.

Once we peeled free the last of the tiny, ugly crystals, we stepped towards their camp. This gave me some hint at what the crystal golems were; some kind of earth elemental. I bet we would find a copper mole if we reached the next level of the dungeon. Maybe a few of them.

A copper mole was much stronger than a spider. But the strength of each dungeon and its type wasn’t linear. These tiny elementals were an example; they were theoretically less dangerous than the wolves to an ordinary noble.

To us, who didn’t really have combat skills for dealing with hordes of monsters. They were more dangerous instead of less.

A floor of six copper moles, though? Definitely more dangerous than the floor of spiders.

The camp of the monsters was much like the mine we visited for Gerald. Tiny, hand made furnaces burned, the behavior baked right into the monsters. There were no metal tools, though. Instead they were stone and wood. And unlike the earth elementals that ran and used tactics, these ones had charged us in a more direct fashion.

Their camp was more rudimentary too. Maybe the ones we met outside were higher level. Or maybe they adapted.

Whatever the case, we found nothing of value in the camp.

“This dungeon is awful.” I said as we scrambled back over rocks toward the exit.

“You should make us climbing outfits.” Sandy replied after climbing the wall behind me.

Uneven footholds became ladders to push us up and over the terrain.

“This is my new least favorite dungeon. At least we don’t have to constantly clear it.”

I slid down to the rocky path through the exit and stepped out into the night.

It was still windy even after the sun had set.

We passed through the forest and back to Sandy’s house, knocking on the front door this time. Henri opened it for us.

“Girls.” He said, stepping aside to allow us through.

We ducked into the hallway and chased the smell of food.

“You look…” Henri stopped himself mid sentence as he trailed behind us.

“Hungry?” Sandy offered, shouting over her shoulder as she dodged into the kitchen. There was food out. Solid food. I pulled up a chair and sat down and started scarfing.

There were also flasks already ready for us.

“No. Like you’ve been rolling around in dirt.” Henri said, pausing at the entrance to the kitchen.”

“We climbed a mountain.” I said, talking between bites of a giant, soft steak. The meat fell apart in my mouth. “What is this?”

“Spider.” Henri said.

I spat it onto the table.

“What?” I asked.

He leaned against the door way out of the kitchen.

“Nah. It’s lizard.”

“Spider’s good too.” Sandy said with a shrug. She was eating at a much slower pace.

“It’s early.” Henri said.

“We’re not done yet.” Sandy said.

He raised  his eyebrows.

“Out of mana?”

Sandy nodded, not bothering to talk while eating. Instead, she pulled out Gerald’s knife and set it on the table.

Henri squinted and stepped forward, reaching for it. Sandy slapped a hand on it.

“Uses mana. Don’t touch it.” She said.

The meal was all meat and vegetables. No bread.

“Does your class affect things you bake?” I asked.

“No. Only cooking.” Henri replied. “So… the dungeon had a mountain?”

I nodded with a mouth full of food. Henri’s expression was pensive.

“The lizards… the mountain.” Henri said, listing off some of the dungeons we had previous cleared.

“The snow.” Sandy said. She stopped eating. She was tapping the table. “There’s one more.”

Henri nodded at that. Then he turned around and left us to eat.

I stared at Sandy, trying to figure out what that was about. She shrugged.

We ate.

Then we headed to explore the contents of the last dungeon.