EG Monster Island Chapter 23

*** AUTHOR'S NOTE ***

Sorry this is late. I hope y'all had a great Independence Day for my American readers, Ungrateful Colonials Day for my British readers, and normal weekend for everyone else! Hope you enjoy!

*** AUTHOR'S NOTE ***

Twelve hours later, we were running away from a level seven Temperamental Honey Badger. I sprinted through the growth, barely avoiding stumbling. “Where did that thing come from!” I screamed out, then rolled forward as a massive blast of fire scorched a tree above my head.

“The Day Lily,” Vaya yelled back, gesturing to make another vine wall behind us.

“We got greedy,” Jon yelled, focusing on his running while carrying Zim in his arms. “Should have left that level six herb alone.”

“But it was so pretty!” Bridget responded with a grin.

“Well, hopefully it breaks off soon,” I called out. Another burst of fire caused another tree to explode when its sap superheated inside its bark. The splinters glanced off my toughened skin, unable to pierce through. “Go away!” I roared at the annoying creature, thankful that it wasn’t very fast for how strong it was.

We were slowly pulling farther away. After another ten minutes, a final blast destroyed a swath of jungle behind us without getting close. The Beast bellowed at us, then turned and trundled back the way it had come. We slowed down but kept running for another ten minutes, not trusting that it had really stopped.

Finally, I stopped running, finding a small cluster of trees that seeme to make a tiny open space just big enough for the six of us. That it was a massive Aether confluence worried me, but it was the only space we could actually hide. There were no Beasts around that I could sense, and I only found the entrance due to the Aether flows.

There was nothing in the glade except unremarkable grass. The trees seemed to bend outward, though, and it ended up being much larger than it appeared from the outside. We settled in, ready for the sun to start its trek beyond the sky. Sia refused to relax, “Something about this place is putting me on edge. Do not fret, I can go a week without sleeping even with my limitation. Take your rest. Tomorrow we will harvest while returning to the transport platform.”

“No idea what is causing the bad feeling?” I asked him mentally. “Do the other Bonds share it?”

He was quiet for a minute, then butted his head against mine. “The others do share it. Zim believes something has made this its den, but Kami and Lampart do not. Lampart believes that there is something below us, while Kami thinks it is in the trees. I cannot tell which is right, and my senses say none of them are true. I will be vigilant.”

“Thanks Sia,” I sent to him.

I looked over to see Bridget getting out the cooking set from Jon’s bag. She handed it to him and said, “Cook up some of the rice and beans, then throw in the bunny meat we got. Its only level three.”

“And what will you be doing?” Jon asked sarcastically while he dug out the food.

Bridget rolled her eyes at him, “I made a dozen alarm Inscriptions, so I am going to set out two to make sure that we know when something comes into the little grotto here.”

“Thanks Bridget,” I said, walking over to where Vaya was collapsed. “How’re you holding up?”

“I am okay, just tired,” she said. “Too many of us needed healing before that wild chase. What did you say, I am tapped out?”

“Yup,” I chuckled. Lampart laid down on top of her, putting her dinner plate-sized head onto Vaya’s stomach. “Cuddle your buddy, rest, and we’ll take care of camp.” My only answer was a light snore. “Keep her comfy,” I pat Lammy on her head. I looked at Vaya for another few seconds, then stood and activated Aether Sight with the Five Senses of the Divine technique, pushing a large percentage of my remaining Aether into it. I slowly walked around the inside of the trees, looking for another way in.

There wasn’t one. It was like we were in a small fort with wooden walls. There were no gaps large enough for Fluffy to get through, much less Jon or Kami. That was good in that we only had one place to watch, but bad in that we didn’t have an emergency way out if there were problems.

I tried to find out where the Aether was going, but all I could figure out was down. It swirled around the outside of the clearing, absorbing into the trees slightly, before forming a layer on the ground and soaking into it. “Huh,” I said, explaining what I saw.

“So gathering while sitting will be better than standing?” Jon asked.

“Yeah, probably,” I shrugged, confused.

“Well, dinner is ready,” he said.

“And we should be alerted to anything coming through the opening,” Bridget said while sitting down.

Vaya was asleep, at least until Lampart nudged her awake, giving pitiful kitty eyes at her. “Fine,” she yawned, then scooted over to her bag and pulled out a package of level three Jackalope meat wrapped in its hide. The stupid thing sliced open my leg because I was too stunned at the antlered rabbit’s existance to do anything but stare at it. Lampart nuzzled open the wrapping and gulped down the three kilos of meat in seconds flat before making more begging eyes at Vaya. “Ugh,” she rolled her eyes and pulled out another one. The rabbit had been almost forty kilos, standing as large as a dog.

“Do you need anything?” I asked Sia.

“No, I was able to grab dinner during your slow flight,” he replied smugly.

“Yeah, well, not everyone can fly,” I grumbled at him.

“Yet,” he said. “Plus, have you even tried to air walk since you advanced?”

“Not more than once,” I thought back at him.

“Lost in thought there?” Vaya asked, sitting next to me.

“Talking with Sia,” I said with a smile. “He told me to try to walk on air with my technique after berating me for being slow.”

“That should be fun,” she said. “My movement technique would have been useful if I was not running on empty. Soon I might be able to ride a wave of Earth, or even sink into the ground and pop out at another location.”

“That’d be awesome,” I said, excited. We chatted while eating, quietly, just in case something outside heard us. After the meal, I got up and ran at the edge of the little glade, then leapt and stepped on the air with the Dancing Northern Wind Technique. I felt a small strain, but the Aether in my meridians was barely diminished by the step. I cycled the technique some more, taking a long stride and then stepping on the air again. I made it six steps before I felt significant strain build up, so I dropped to the ground.

“That was twice as many steps than the last time I saw you use that technique,” Bridget grumbled. “What was it again?”

“Dancing Northern Wind,” I said.

“Yeah, it sounds weak, but I cannot deny that it is effective,” she said. “It lets you fly, does it not?”

“Yup,” I said with a huge smile. “I can’t wait.”

“I might have to upgrade my movement technique,” she said. “It does not let me fly at all.”

“Let’s talk to Librarian Narwan and see if he has access or we can purchase access to some more techniques,” I said. “A good movement technique will be important.” She nodded.

“I will take the first watch,” Jon said. “Aiden, can you take a second, then Bridget can get the last watch.”

“What about me?” Vaya asked.

“You should rest,” I said. “We’ll be relying on you tomorrow to keep us alive, so having you at peak capacity is beneficial.”

“Fine,” she said, then we spent the next couple of minutes setting up the bed rolls. The sky was clear, so we didn’t bother setting up the tents.

The night passed quietly. I heard a number of Beasts rampaging through the jungle, but nothing came into the little grotto we’d found, or even got close enough to be sensed. Sia and Zim slept on branches over the entrance, ready to wake and dive on an enemy if needed, while Kami slept right in front of it, blocking the rest of us with her bulk. I completely lost track of Lampart, her stealth skills had increased immensely when she ranked up.

The next morning we ate the rations given to us, then gave the Bonds some of the harvests before we packed everything up to leave. “Everyone ready?” I asked. Everyone gave me the affirmative, so I led the group towards the exit.

A tree grew over it within seconds, blocking our exit. I looked up to see branches growing over the opening above us. “Welcome to the Jungle Arena Dungeon!” A voice boomed over the glade, loud enough to rattle branches.

“What did that say?” Vaya asked quietly.

I repeated it, then thought for a second. “That was a language from Earth.” I turned to the entrance, “Why did you prevent us from leaving?”

“Because, dude, you all have to fight first. I can’t change the rules,” it said in a quieter tone.

“Why wait?”

“That wouldn’t be fair, dude,” it answered. “You were all tired and out of mana. It wasn’t against the rules to delay starting the fights until you went to leave. So dude, you gotta beat the first wave at least. Each wave will give better rewards, and you can’t leave in the middle of a wave.”

“Has anything else came into your dungeon,” I asked.

“Some cat people entered a month ago, but they didn’t understand the rules, so they kept fighting until they died,” the voice sounded sad. “I developed this type of dungeon to not have to kill anyone. Had to start all over from my last design, but this pretty goddess helped me change when the connection to the crazy one was broken.”

“Connection?” I asked.

“Nope! Time to fight, you have five minutes to prepare,” it said hurriedly. “I can’t speak anymore until you win, dude.”

“Uh, apparently we’re fighting, and we’re in a dungeon,” I said. “Five minutes before we have to fight.”

“Where are they coming from?” Bridget asked.

“Probably all around us,” I said. “It didn’t explain.” I paused for a second, thinking, then said, “I think it wanted to, but couldn’t. It ended the discussion rather abruptly, and I don’t know.” I sighed. I crouched down and tried to bring up a small mound of Earth, but the ground refused to acknowledge my actions.

“No manipulating the environment before the wave starts,” the voice boomed, the tone different than when we were talking.

“Well, no walls,” I said with a shrug, then repeated what it said exactly.

“I have three barrier Inscriptions,” Bridget said. “I can at least block off two sides of a square behind us.”

“How long do they last?” Jon asked, pulling some vials out of his bag.

“Up to half an hour,” she said. “It depends on how much they get attacked.”

“That’s awesome,” I said. “Can you be ready to drop them once enemies show up? I don’t want to run afoul of the rule it espoused and get penalized or something.” I dug out four healing powders, two gathering pills, and two recharge pills into the shielded quick-draw compartments on my belt. After collecting everything I thought we could use, we dragged the bags to a corner and I draped the skin of a level five Armored Sloth over them for protection.

Jon was holding two large vials, his sword still in its sheath, and his shield was resting on his forearm. Vaya stood with her two weapons, both of them glowing with the massive amount of Aether she’d charged into a technique. Bridget was doing something with two pieces of paper. I focused on building up a four layer Iron Bones, Granite Skin technique, finally feeling able to use the next level of the technique. “We’re ready,” I shouted, focusing on speaking in English rather than Craesti.

“Stay alive, dude, I don’t want to be completely alone again,” it said. “BEGIN!” The echoes seemed to shake my mind, but the effect died off quickly. Aether flows, massive enough that everyone could feel them, drifted down to impact two dozen points on the edges of the grotto. After a second, they flared to life, bright enough to make me squint.

When the light faded, twenty four level three Soldier Ants, standing almost a meter tall, swarmed forward. Bridget threw the papers in her hand down, and shimmering walls of Aether formed a pointed arch in front of half of them. Thankfully, the blocked Ants obliged us and ignored the wall, heading for the points where Jon and I were standing.

Jon threw the two vials forward, spreading his ice field over the entire length of the grotto in front of us. The first two Ants stumbled and slid, letting me blast them to oblivion without difficulty, but all the rest started to stomp harder, breaking through the Ice with legs tipped in Metal. The third Ant snapped its pincers towards us, sending an arc of Metal Aether at us.

I stepped into it, and the attack shattered on my chest. It tried to bite me as a follow up, but I punched it in the top of its face and crushed through its exoskeleton into the goop inside. As it collapsed, I stepped past it, the Ice at my feet deforming under the massive weight I’d gained from the no longer ethereal stone that covered my skin. The next Ant died in a similar fashion, and then the world dissolved into chaos as a dozen jumped at me at the same time.

I flailed, blocking bits and stabbing limbs with my trisula, my forearms, or shins, then flaring my strengthening technique with a focus on Earth and Wood, gaining durability and flexibility. Blades of Air and Ice flickered around me, and spears of Wood shot out to pierce through the Beasts.

Some indeterminate but most likely fairly short time later, I stood panting over the last Ant to fall. “Everyone okay?” I asked, before checking myself. I had a couple of lacerations, but nothing major.

“Eh, that was not bad,” Jon said. I looked over at him and saw that he was covered in the purple ichor, though a couple of splotches of red were visible.

“All the Bonds are fine,” Sia sent me. “They ignored Zim and I, even when we attacked them. Lampart attacked the creatures at the rear, and they were focused on you enough that they did not notice. Kami and Bridget fight well together, and kept each other safe. What is happening?”

The last question had me look out over the small battlefield to see the first Ant casualties burst into colorless flames and then vanish. “Everyone, back off from the Ants!” I yelled. We scrambled to find a clear area. The Ant directly next to me erupted, but the flames gave off no heat. In fact, they were entirely pure Aether. Left behind was a tiny sphere that was vaguely reminiscent of a Beast Core.

I picked one up, then jumped when the Dungeon spoke again. “Congratulations on defeating the first round of the first wave!” It boomed. The tone changed, “Yo, dudes, you can rest or whatever for ten minutes. The next round is similar, just more baddies.”

“How many rounds?” I asked.

“I can’t tell you,” it said after a choking sound. Which was odd, considering the last Dungeon was a hunk of crystal. Then five flashes of light came from a pillar that had just risen from the center of the grotto. A whirlpool of Aether flowed out, and it seemed like the grotto itself got bigger.

“Thank you,” I said. “Anything else we should know?”

“You get some cool swag if you can beat the wave,” it said. “Those Mana Pearls from the Ants can be used to refill your Mana, not that you dudes used much. You are much stronger than the cat people that entered. Especially that cool phoenix. He’s swole. Dude, next round use more Mana.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I absorb a portion of what you use and cultivate. So if you use it I get benes. It helps me block the crazy dude in my head the other crazy dude put in there. I was bonkers until the pretty lady broke the wires connecting me to crazy dude, but I’m still not wholly there. Ya dig?”

“Got it,” I said, then turned to my friends. “We have a,” I paused, then decided to not say it out loud, “a number of rounds to finish the Dungeon, so it’s not just one fight.” I held up my hand with my fingers splayed, pretending to stretch. “The Dungeon did ask that we use more Aether in the next fight, and we have ten minutes between rounds. Using more Aether keeps it saner.”

“At the start of the next fight, I want to try, with Kami, to raise a wall of stone behind us,” Vaya said. “The warning you were given specified between rounds only.”

“That is a great plan,” I said, smiling self-deprecatingly, I should have thought of that.  I picked up one of the Mana Pearls, and then tried to draw Aether from it. It dissolved into the same colorless flames that then shot into my center and entered my Pool. They swirled around my Core, changed into a gas and then condensed into a liquid and fell like rain. The effect was just about the same as the recharge pills I’d pulled out, but without the impurities that pills can bring.

“These are great. Pull Aether from them,” I said. Sia flew down and crunched one down, then pulled another two into his mouth before leaping back into the air. We spent the next ten minutes either using the Pearls or gathering. With twenty four enemies, there were three for each of us. I kept the other two, putting them into my bag rather than use them up, since my Pool and meridians were just about full anyway.

“Are you ready to rumble!” The Dungeon shouted, mimicking an announcer from something. Columns of Aether descended, and thirty two Ants sprang from the ground.