Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 4: Never a Dull Moment

As a mundane person not in the town militia, my role was clear during the infrequent monster attacks. Evacuate to one of the preidentified fortified buildings scattered throughout the town. Then bunker down and wait out the attack. The fortified buildings also had weapons handy for distribution. We’d never had an attack in my lifetime such that we needed those weapons, but I’d heard stories.

All [Adventurers], local or passing through, were expected to join the town's defense. Between them and the militia, most attacks were handled relatively quickly. The boarding house where I lived was not a fortified building. It was so old that a stiff wind could blow it over.

“Do you think the attack is because of us?” Tandy’s voice was panicked.

“Doubtful,” I said, with more confidence than I felt. I started shoving supplies in my bag. What did an adventurer need? I grabbed a few pairs of clothes from the pile on my bed and raided my meager snack drawer.

I grabbed my blacksmith hammer, belting it into a leather holster. I hadn’t worn it since I’d left the forge, but it was the only thing resembling a weapon I had. The weight of the hammer pulled at my hip like an old friend.

I eyed the rest of my room. The quilt my mother had sewn, the projects I'd started, my books, it was impossible to decide.

"Cole, we've got to go. You can come back for your stuff later."

As soon as Tandy said it, I knew she was wrong. We weren't coming back. Not to this life.

I grabbed my mom's quilt. It was thin through years of use. Examining my workbench, I plucked the tools I'd built over the years, the tiny screw drivers, tweezers, the sharp knife, my fine filers, and the most expensive item in my kit, a small magnetic strip. Finally, I grabbed the mechanical drill set and my lucky nail. Then I reached up, my brain telling me only to grab one book, but my hand snagged two. I shoved them both in the bag.

I left Dad’s farmer's almanac. He meant well when he gave it to me, but I’d never felt the calling to the fields.

The city bells hadn't stopped clanking. Tandy had one foot in the hallway, watching for movement. My building was hit or miss this time of day. Many residents were having dinner with their families or swapping stories over a mug of ale. They were likely sheltering in place.

I grabbed the cloak Tandy had given me years ago. The dark blue and forest green pattern had twigs and leaf debris stuck in it from our last camping trip with Leo. I put down my pack, whipped my apron over my head, and replaced it with the cloak. I couldn't delay any longer.

"I'm ready," I whispered. The words weren't true, but as Tandy's white face swiveled towards me, I realized we’d run out of time.

“Someone’s in the foyer,” Tandy whispered. We stood silently, ears straining to hear.

You forgot something.

Richard’s silent voice made me jump. Tandy gave me a dark look before trying to peek down the hallway.

I scooped Richard up, placing him on my left shoulder.

Tandy beckoned me to the edge of the door. Peeking around the corner, I saw what had her on edge. Multiple shadows moved in the gathering space of the house. My hand instinctively jerked to my hammer.

I ducked back into the room.

"This can't be because of us. Can it?" I voiced my fear in a low whisper.

Monsters could spawn and were attracted to [Adventurers], but this seemed too coincidental. The city hadn't had an actual monster raid in decades. Our quest warned us of consequences if we avoided the [Trial Dungeon], but it’d only been a day.

"Unlikely," the dry look she gave me brokered no room for doubt. Not only was my anxiety stupid, but we didn't have time for it. "Is there a back exit?"

Pushing me out of the way, careful not to brush her cloak against my skin, Tandy took another peek at our foes.

I like this girl. I may have picked the wrong companion.

I ignored Richard's jabs, answering Tandy's question, "Not exactly."

She glanced back at the unease in my voice. Seconds later, we were coated in a shower of splinters as a throwing axe embedded in the doorframe. The invaders had noticed us.

Tandy only missed getting hit by a hair. Eyes wide in shock, she looked at me as the side of her face began to bleed from embedded splinters of wood. We'd run out of time.

If we stayed in my room, we were dead meat. Our only chance was the ancient escape tunnel in the rear stairwell. I pushed past Tandy, getting stung, and pulled at her to follow. She resisted at first, grabbing the axe embedded in the door frame. With a tug, it came loose. I ran, pulling an off-balance Tandy behind.

The founding of Woodsten had been rough, and all the original buildings had escape tunnels dug for emergencies. I just didn't know if this one was intact.

Hurry, they’ve begun to chase us.

As though I needed more fuel for my sprint. The door to the stairwell swung open easily. I jammed a wooden stay against the base of the door. It wouldn't stop a monster for more than a few seconds, but we needed every moment. To the right, narrow stairs led up to the second story, but to the left was a wooden hatch with a metal padlock.

I pulled at the lock futilely for a second, until I remembered my tools. Dropping my pack, I started rummaging through it. Tandy took a quicker route to our goal by swinging the throwing axe down hard on the lock. It shattered, the old brittle mechanism giving up before our desperation.

Like a badass, Tandy lifted the hatch with a bloody hand and didn't hesitate as she stepped down the dark stairs of the tunnel. I grabbed a clump of the glowing moss they'd put in the stairwell. We needed some illumination.

The wooden stairs groaned under our weight. The sound didn't help my sudden fear of being buried alive. Little puffs of dust billowed up with each step.

I turned to face the stairwell, hatch cracked mere inches. I wanted to get a glimpse of our pursuit. My hands sweated as I held the inner locking mechanism. The stairwell door swung open, and two pairs of black scuffed boots entered.

"Where'd the initiates go?" The man's voice was rough, and his accent hard to place. Who were these people? They certainly weren’t monsters.

I was unsure what Richard could pick up from my mind, but he must have thought it was a question for him.

Not monsters - worse. They're [Raiders], Cole. Hostile flagged.

Of all the tick-infested sheep in the realm.

The [Raiders] would discover the smashed lock in moments, so I quietly lowered the hatch and slid the locking bolts into place. My mind raced at the implication. They weren't simply raiding the village. They were looking for us. Who else would be considered initiates? My night vision shot, I turned back to Tandy, hardly able to see.

Tandy was at the edge of my light, a specter beckoning me on. I shivered. There were reasons Leo and I had never explored the tunnel. Many of the early settlers had lost their lives, holed up in collapsed tunnels. The stories of kidnappings, and worse, haunted these tunnels.

It felt like entering a tomb. The temperature started dropping, and the further we went, the darker it seemed. Roots dangled from the ceiling, brushing our faces like thick cobwebs. I held the clump of moss out like a beacon of hope, trying to banish my fears.

The escape tunnel felt like a sheep that’d gone missing years ago. It was overgrown, forgotten, and felt more than a bit feral.

The air was stale and earthy. Old wooden, rough-hewn supports sat like silent sentinels. Our pursuers had begun banging on the hatch, trying to break in.

Tandy was suddenly in my face, the blood stood in stark contrast to her white skin, "Do you know where this tunnel leads? Has the exit collapsed?"

I shook my head, "I have no idea. I..." The tremor in my voice stopped further words. Tight, confined, dark spaces weren't good. I took a deep breath, missing my meditation skill for the second time today, "The monster had boots."

Richard’s voice echoed in my head. They’re [Raiders]. Another thump echoed in the tunnel. They were going to break through.

Tandy pulled the moss close to our faces, "Boots? Are you sure?" It felt like she looked into my soul for a moment.

I nodded, “Richard thinks they’re [Raiders], tagged as monsters. And I think they’re looking for us.” If a group of sentient [Raiders] was after us, it had to be our [Adventurer] status. The best way to keep Woodsten safe was to leave.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter if there's an exit." She sounded resigned. Tandy had reached the same conclusion. We were screwed.

She walked back to the last set of supports. The light from my glow moss only gave me a dim impression of her actions. Tandy ran her hands along the supports, as though searching for something.

I scrambled back as I realized what she was doing. We'd been taught that the fifth support had wedges with a long rope built into the frame. Tandy found the wedges, and her fingers clawed at the safety mechanisms. I could hear a ping as the metal safety plugs bounced off the rock floor. She backed away, lightly holding two ends of an old rope.

The tunnel was suddenly lit as our foe broke through the hatch. My heel caught on some debris, causing me to stumble to the ground. Undiscernible, very human voices could be heard. We'd run out of time.

I kept my eyes on Tandy while still backing away on all fours. This wasn't going to end well. Tandy remembered what I hadn’t: that the tunnels had an emergency mechanism to collapse the structure behind the escapees. It was a last-ditch effort because it could collapse the building above, and half the time, the entire tunnel.

Is she going to collapse the tunnel on us? I take it all back. She’s a lunatic! Richard tightly coiled against my neck. Cole, I chose you! You're the reasonable one.

"Tandy, I don't..."

She looked back at me, teeth white with a maniacal grin, "They're coming, Cole. The raiders are coming for us."

Knuckles white, holding the ropes, Tandy pulled. She yanked hard, and with the safety pins missing, the wedges sprang loose. Time seemed to slow as the two support pillars near us ponderously leaned forward. The left column snapped, and everything sped up as the ceiling came down.

A cascade of rubble crushed our pursuit, just as a gust of dust enveloped us. I lay on the dirt floor, inhaling dust, and wondered if this was it. I prayed to the nameless gods that we would survive as the floor bucked. Eventually, the collapse stopped.

I’d lost the moss. The only sound breaking our tomb’s silence was my raspy breath.

A system message flashed in front of my face before I dismissed it.

[Raiding Party defeated. You have earned experience. Further details and rewards will be aggregated and awarded upon [Trial Dungeon] completion.]

“Tandy?” The word came out in a sharp gasp. Every breath took in more grime that cut my lungs like razor blades.

Did I search for my friend, possibly buried under the rubble? Or should I retreat to find breathable air? My mind didn’t see a choice.

Coughing, I reached for Tandy. She had to be alive.

[Base Skill Assessment: Complete

Quest Update: [Trial Dungeon]

Notice - You have not prioritized the [Trial Dungeon] in the first 24 hours. By consequence, the time allotted to complete the quest was reduced. Countdown transparency protocol enabled. You have [48] hours to complete this quest.

Congratulations - For better or worse, you’ve chosen your friends over survival. [Party] capabilities granted for [Trial Dungeon].

Congratulations - You have survived [2] expeditionary forces. Mundane Skills are granted for the [Trial Dungeon] attempt.

Adventure Onward.]

I've barely survived escaping the Raiders without skills. Now the oh-so-generous system returned my mundane cooking skills, just in time to die?

Two days isn’t a lot of time. We’re going to need some luck.

Screw luck, we needed a miracle.