A Dungeon's Soul_Book 3 of the Adventures on Brad

by Tao Wong

  “I believe I have regained most of my former skill. Let us seek glory!” Omrak replied, his voice a roar. Asin, next to him, winced, edging away.

  “Don’t go too far, Asin, we’ll need to cover each other,” Daniel said as they started to walk forwards. Asin just left in a huff, though she slowed down to let the pair close in. Hefting the extra quiver of crossbow bolts over his shoulder, Daniel followed along.

  “You wear only part of your armor today, Hero Daniel,” Omrak mentioned as he walked alongside.

  “Figured it’d be easier to move without the leg armor,” said Daniel.

  “Truth. I find great freedom in not having armor,” said Omrak.

  “I thought you couldn’t afford it.”

  “That too,” Omrak replied cheerfully.

  A few minutes later, as the group followed the path, Daniel spotted the first sign of trouble. A trio of the birds had started winging their way towards them. He hefted his crossbow, waiting. He knew he was a poor shot, so he had no intention of firing early.

  Ahead of him, Asin had stopped and drawn a single throwing knife. She sniffed, tasting the air as she waited for Daniel to shoot first. Omrak absently flipped his own throwing axe in his hand, being relegated to the last attacker. After all, he only had two hatchets, so losing or breaking them was a serious concern.

  The trio watched the birds wing their way to them, getting closer and closer. Wide wingspans, a long-hooked beak, and sharp talons that glinted kept the three watching. Just as Daniel raised his crossbow to aim at them, they turned and flew away, circling the group as they climbed high above the trio.

  “Weird,” muttered Daniel. He could not think of a monster that actually refused to attack.

  “Go?” Asin asked after they watched the birds circle for a few minutes with no sign of coming down.

  “I guess,” Daniel said. He could possibly hit one of them, but he really did not trust his aim. He could still remember missing stationary tree trunks a short few months ago. For that matter, he’d never tried to shoot directly into the sky before.

  The group started walking again, occasionally looking upwards at the circling birds. Not long later, a pair of birds winged over as well. Again, the group set themselves, and again, the birds winged away before the trio could attack them. Joining the initial three, the new pair continued to circle the Adventurers.

  For another uneventful hour, the party continued to trudge the Dungeon level, unmolested. Twice more, birds winged towards them before finally joining the group above, circling the trio. In time, the group found themselves craning their neck upwards constantly, trying to discern what was happening and wary of attack by the large number above them.

  “Horses,” rumbled Omark.

  “Uhh …” Daniel frowned, tilting his head to the side. He heard nothing in the wind.

  “I feel the trembling in the earth. Many horses,” Omrak said.

  “Not horses,” Asin said, exhaling with a huff. “Something ground.”

  “Ground …” Eyes wide, Daniel squatted and placed a hand on the ground. He hissed, looking around desperately. “That’s a Tremqua Worm!”

  “I know not this monster,” Omrak said, staring at the ground intently as if, by sheer force of will alone, he could see through it. “How do we fight it?”

  “You don’t,” snapped Daniel. Nothing, no rocky outcroppings, no solid earth. He cast his mind back, eyeing his minimap and then snapped, “This way!”

  Daniel took off at a run, leading the group to his new destination. His friends rushed along behind him, Asin quickly catching up and loping alongside. Instead of speaking, she kept her breath for the sprint. As they ran, the trembling grew in strength such that even Daniel could feel it through his reinforced, solid boots.

  The group burst into the clearing of gravel that Daniel recalled seeing, only stopping when they were a good ten feet in. Breath heaving, Daniel eyed the ground as he spoke between breaths, hands still flexing around his crossbow. “The Worms travel deep underground until they are ready to attack. Then they surface. That’s when they are most dangerous. If we survive that, they’ll travel just below the surface until we kill them.”

  “Why are we here?” Omrak asked, staring warily at his feet as the rumbling increased.

  Asin’s ears perked up, her hand to the ground as she attempted to sense where the monster would erupt from. Daniel swayed lightly on the balls of his feet as he answered, “They’re so large that it takes a while for what they eat to expel. If they eat the rock, it slows them down. A bit.”

  Daniel was sweating, his breathing slightly faster than normal. Asin, having seen the unusual distress her friend was in, called out, “How know?”

  “What?”

  “Worm. Know?”

  “I fought them as a Miner,” Daniel said. “My … we …” Memories of his father, of waiting and waiting for a man who never came back. And the story that came out later of a Tremqua Worm attack. It had been the worse attack the Mine had experienced in ages, one that killed a half-dozen Miners.

  Daniel shivered, his mind wandering as he was caught up in old memories. He did not notice the change in vibrational speed that indicated the monster was close. Asin realized her error with a start and dashed over, tackling Daniel a moment before the monster burst from the ground. The Tremqua Worm looked much like a normal earthworm, segmented body and a wide mouth that swallowed the earth as it lunged upwards. Unlike an earthworm, though, its body was as thick around as Omrak’s waist.

  The smaller Catkin was unable to move Daniel aside in sufficient time completely, the Tremqua Worm gripping and ripping part of his leg off. Daniel screamed in pain even as the monster twisted in the air, arching its body to fall towards the pair of tangled Adventurers. It slammed into Asin’s back, only a last-minute activation of her Shield rune stopping the monster from ripping a hole through her back. The Catkin whimpered as the force of the blow compressed her chest even under the protection of the rune. Unable to pierce her defense, the Worm began to dig along the ground to escape.

  Omrak roared, charging towards the pair and swinging his sword at the exposed segment. It took the giant of a man a single swing, muscles flexing as the blade parted the monster’s body in half. Omrak howled in glee, using the momentum of his blade to slice again at the portion of body left behind as it still squirmed. The top half fled into the ground, squirming away before Asin could twist around to attack it.

  Daniel was curled up on the ground, hands clamped down on his injured calf to slow the flow of blood as he cast Minor Healing. The first spell scabbed the wound over, after which he cast Healer’s Mark before he pushed himself to his feet. The crossbow banged on his thigh as he stood up, ignored by Daniel in favor of his mace.

  “Where is it?” he snarled, realizing he had not even taken off his shield. Now, he had not the time to do so.

  “There.” Asin pointed with one hand, holding the other above her head ready to throw her knife. Omrak continued to slice and kick the half of the Worm that still squirmed, intent on killing it.

  Daniel watched as the monster twisted, coming around to where he stood. Struck by a sudden thought, he waited patiently till the monster was nearly on him before he jumped and swung his mace into the ground while activating his Skill Proficiency Perin’s Blow.

  The attack doubled the strength of his strike, passing through the earth to the monster. It injured the Worm, making the monster swirl away. Daniel snarled, taking a step forwards and triggering another Perin’s Blow immediately, but only managing to catch the end of the monster, making it change direction again.

  Daniel was distracted from his obsession with the Worm by a pained yowl. Asin had a deep cut along one shoulder, her other hand waving a knife against the birds that were dive-bombing her. Before Daniel could take this in fully, he realized that a bird was coming at him. He threw himself to the side too late, claws screeching against his breastplate from the failed attack. Omrak fared the best of all as he ignored the
attacks, preferring to return hurt for hurt. When bird met blade, bird lost spectacularly.

  Asin rolled and came up with a pair of blades in her hands before she threw them at the birds, engaging Fan of Blades. Each blade exploded into multiples, spinning through the air. Most missed, unaimed as they were, but some hit and offered Asin more time to continue her attacks.

  Daniel, relieved that his armor was sufficient to ward him for the moment, refocused on locating the Worm.

  “Omrak. Move!” Daniel roared as he charged forwards, desperate to save his friend. Omrak danced aside, moving his feet as he swung his sword above him. Already, red mist filled the air around Omrak as he took more and more damage. With another roar, Omrak buried his sword in the ground a moment too soon to decapitate the Worm. Unable to stop, the Worm smashed into the buried metal and squirmed to get around it.

  Daniel, finally caught up, swung his mace again, triggering Perin’s Blow one last time. The attack left a deep depression in the ground as the monster was crushed, earth churning as it died. Crouched low, Daniel looked up to see that Omrak was guarding him from further attacks from the birds as he swung his blade around to his own detriment. Blood flowed from open wounds, deep cuts along his torso including a few inches of flesh that hung loose from his shoulder.

  Eyes narrowed, Daniel reached out and cast Healer’s Mark on Omrak. Already, Daniel could see the blood flow slowing. Turning his head to the side, he spotted Asin continuing to attack the quintuplet of birds that targeted her, her movements as graceful as always as she danced away from them. Still, the Catkin was bleeding from a dozen minor wounds including a scrape along one cheek.

  No longer distracted, the group focused on dealing with the attacking birds. Daniel even found time to recock his crossbow and fire it. Once. And miss. Both Omrak and Asin dealt with the flying monsters quickly, injuring wings and sending the birds crashing to the ground.

  Panting, Asin gripped her shoulder where she had wrenched it accidentally. Behind the Catkin, her tail swung lazily, belying her ragged state. “Bad shot.”

  “Keep laughing and I won’t heal you,” Daniel threatened as he walked over, his own wound finally healed.

  Asin stuck her tongue out as Daniel placed his hand on her shoulder, casting Healer’s Mark. Turning around, Daniel spotted Omrak, who was busy digging into the earth for the Mana Stone.

  “Tough,” Asin said, her moment of humor gone.

  “The monsters? Alone … maybe not. But together …” Daniel shook his head. He definitely felt he had made a mistake not wearing his full suit of armor.

  “A glorious fight,” Omrak said, grinning. “Blood and feathers. All around.”

  Asin snorted before she pointed to the way they came and tilted her head to the side. Daniel blinked, glancing backwards and then at Omrak. Either choice they made, it was unlikely they would finish the level this day.

  Chapter 6

  “Temqua Worms and Grish Raptors,” Liev said as he wrote down the information the group provided. “Working together too. Very interesting.”

  After their first fight, the trio decided to retreat the entrance before wandering in an elaborate circle to draw additional Temqua Worms. Interestingly enough, unlike other levels, the fourth level had few attacks and the group only had a chance to test their Skills out twice more before they called it a day.

  “Good-sized stones, though,” Liev said, tapping the trio of large Mana Stones that he had set apart. “C-grade eights and nines are very good for the level. Of course, the Raptors are only D-grade tens, so it balances out.”

  “No drops,” Asin added, shaking her head.

  “True. The second level seems to be the best level for the Farmers for now,” Liev mused before he let his eyes wander over the stones again. “Anything else?”

  “No, that’s about it,” Daniel said.

  “Well, you’re still in the lead,” Liev reassured the group as he finished totaling up their earnings. “I’m sure you’ll work out a plan to get through the floor soon.”

  “I think, well, it shouldn’t be a problem tomorrow,” Daniel replied, glancing to his friends, who offered nods in exchange. It seemed strange to be progressing through floors so quickly, but really, the first few floors had mostly been a matter of searching for the exits at their levels.

  “Well, I guess we’ll see you tomorrow,” Daniel said, waving goodbye.

  “Yes, tomorrow,” Liev said as he worked to hide his yawn.

  Outside, the group glanced at one another before Daniel spoke up, “Drinks at the Top?”

  Quick nods of confirmation lead to the group taking a stroll down to the nearby inn. The Spinning Top was not the only inn in town, but it had three things that made it a popular watering hole. Firstly, the cooking was above average to superb. Secondly, Elise kept a clean and well-mannered location. And thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, it was close to the town center. For weary Adventurers, finding a place to sit and eat after a long day’s delve ensured that the Top was constantly busy when the Dungeon was open.

  Inside, Daniel quickly spotted and snagged the very last open table. It was in the far corner of the inn, a decent distance from the fireplace but also the farthest away from the Top’s most recent star attraction—the Crimson Elms. Seated on their chairs, the group regaled the rapt audience with tales of an Advanced Dungeon.

  Any other day, any other group, Daniel would have been right there with the rest of the Adventurers, drinking in the stories like the lifeblood they were. Stories, no matter how exaggerated, often held hints for Beginner Adventurers of what to expect in future Dungeons. A survivor, no matter the reason why, had something to teach. And in a profession where so many died, any crumb of knowledge was important.

  “They cleared the third floor today,” Elise said as she deposited the tankards of ale and a cup of sabu for Asin. The Catkin immediately grabbed her drink, sticking her nose in the rim and inhaling the sweet smell of fermented fruits.

  “Oh?” Daniel tried to feign unconcern, which made Elise smile.

  “Yes. They were telling that story earlier,” Elise said. “Three of today’s special?”

  “Four!” roared Omrak as he lowered the tankard of ale and wiped at his mouth. “And another drink!”

  “Right away.” Elise smiled, heading back to the bar to pass on the order.

  “I had to kill the Griffon Champion all alone while Rickard and Will were holding the rest off. Harald was out of Mana after calling his Gravity Well spell and grounding the Griffons. Now, I …”

  “Ouch!” Daniel snapped as he pulled his arm back and rubbed at the spot where Asin’s claw had drawn blood. He turned away from listening to the Crimson Elm’s leader to focus on his own party.

  “Talking,” Asin said. “Tomorrow, we run?”

  Daniel blinked and nodded, rubbing his chin. It was the continuation of the discussion while they waited.

  “I say not. They are small monsters. Unworthy of running from,” rumbled Omrak. “We should walk forward with confidence. We know how to defeat those Worms now.”

  “You know,” Daniel grumbled. Unlike the rest of them, Omrak had the ability to stab his sword straight down into the ground due to his combined Skill Proficiencies. He could spear the monster as it rose, injuring and driving it away. It made him entirely safe from the attacks. “The rest of us are working it out.”

  “Bah. Your Skill injures them,” Omrak said.

  “If I hit at the right time. Too early and it does nothing.”

  “Is same for me,” Omrak shrugged. “All fights are a risk.”

  “Run,” Asin said. “Down. More monsters. Coin.”

  Daniel nodded to that. It was a definite point. The level seemed to be straightforward—all they had to do was run in a straight line along the path to find the exit. If they did that, they should find it. They might skip the Champion this round, but if they could complete the level, they might earn more on the next level. Pride or not, their goal was to earn coin afte
r all. Today’s earnings were even lower than yesterday’s. In the end, it was his shrinking coin purse that made up Daniel’s mind. “We’ll run.”

  Omrak hmphed and crossed his arms. His sulk lasted until the plates of sliced lamb appeared, at which point it disappeared as quickly as the food into his mouth. Asin inhaled the strong scent of lamb mixed with herbs, doused in a gravy of fermented bean and meat juice. She grinned, slicing apart the potatoes first and dragging the tuber along the gravy before popping the meal into her mouth. She sighed slightly, the mixture of rich thick gravy and steamed potatoes settling her hunger.

  Plans made, the group fell silent. Tomorrow would be interesting.

  Jogging in full plate sucked, Daniel decided. It was hot, it was heavy, and it was exhausting. Ahead of him, he could see Asin crouched with a hand to the ground, feeling for the tremors that indicated a Worm. Daniel had left his crossbow behind, having decided against the extra weight today, so it would be up to Asin and Omrak to protect them against the birds. Not that Daniel himself had been of any real use before anyway.

  Omrak, beside him, jogged along easily, chuckling at Daniel. Without armor, the giant barbarian had a much easier time of it. “There are more birds now than ever.”

  “Yes,” Daniel panted.

  “I believe they come because we have not stopped,” Omrak rumbled, gesturing above. “I fear we run into danger.”

  Daniel nodded, waving to Asin to stay where she was. She frowned, raising an eyebrow in enquiry when they closed.

  “We must fight soon. Or if we are forced tolater, we will be at a disadvantage,” said Omrak.

  Asin growled and then looked up before curling her claws on the ground. “One closing. Maybe outrun. If Daniel faster.”

  “Not happening,” Daniel gasped as he sucked in lungfuls of air. He forced himself not to bend over, to stay standing. He did, however, pull his helmet off to cool down and allow himself to drink from his waterskin easier.

  “Fight.”

  “Good,” rumbled Omrak as he stepped aside and unsheathed his sword before burying it in the ground and stripping off his shirt. Undressed, Omrak lifted his sword again and began to tap it on the ground, just lightly as he waited in an attempt to draw the monster to him. Daniel moved aside quickly to give Omrak space as he scanned the horizon.