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Rating:
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Fandoms:
Parahumans Series - Wildbowダンジョンに出会いを求めるのは間違っているだろうか | DanMachi | Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (Anime)
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Taylor Hebert | Skitter | WeaverQueen Administrator (Parahumans)Bell CranelHestia Familia (DanMachi)Tiona HiryuteLoki (DanMachi)Demeter
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English
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Published:2022-08-25Completed:2022-10-27Words:146,083Chapters:53/53Kudos:1,252Bookmarks:306Hits:60,446
Dungeon Warlord
bridielux
Chapter 4: Hatchling 1.3
Notes:
CW: CLIFF HANGER
Chapter Text
Hatchling 1.3
"...Tell me about yourself."
Echidna remained standing there, offering the crook of her right arm. I looked down at my left arm, my only whole arm, then back towards her. It was clear what she wanted. But could I trust her? I had to, at least a little, if I wanted this Trump effect. And I wanted that Trump effect. But there was a problem: So far I only knew what they had told me, which only tangentially confirmed the things I had seen so far.
How should I play this? I guess I had to go along with it.
I stood and hooked my arm through hers and she opened the door for us before leading us out of the Guild headquarters, past a desk of tellers, and out into the street. The entire town felt almost like an older European city, before the Golden Era of Parahumans. Almost Germanic.
"What did you want to know?" I asked her, as she was still waiting for me to answer. I figured that finding out what she wanted, or claimed that she wanted, would reveal more of her character. Also, I had never written an autobiography–just talking about myself came across as daunting.
"Let's start with the world you arrived from," Echidna said.
What she failed to imply was that I only claimed to be from another world. I supposed that the ability to discern truth could be useful. But also, so incredibly dangerous.
Oh the things I could have done differently with that ability. Or that Tattletale could have done–I shivered just a little.
"It was very different from this one… but there are also similarities. There were Parahumans, men and women with incredible powers, a man that could grow into a dragon, a woman that could always win, people that could cross the globe in seconds. But with these powers, there were also monsters. So many monsters…"
"You mentioned an Echidna," she said. "Tell me, am I similar?" She appeared amused.
"From what I have seen of you? No. Echidna, Noelle was her name, she had been a girl, just a little older than I am. Her power warped her body."
I shuddered, recalling the stench, the mouths closing in around me, the nightmares I experienced while within her–I gagged before shoving all these feelings into the swarm.
"And she birthed monsters?"
"In a way," I answered, keeping it vague. I wanted to ask this Echidna if she also birthed monsters, but could not force myself to ask.
And so, we continued walking, her asking questions, and me answering as vaguely as I could.
She led me down wide paved streets, not hurrying, and granting me the time to consider my words. I also could not help but look in the storefronts. This city must have been a wealthy one. Everywhere I looked, I saw either adventurers or well dressed persons. Little to no graffiti. Glass windows, no bars, valuables on display.
We passed shops selling weapons and potions and cutlery, haversacks and rugged tents, instant camp fires, antique books written in runic languages.
Echidna noticed my distraction from answering her latest question.
"This is the center of Orario," she commented. "Anything that can be bought or sold can be found here. All the Familia pass through these streets on their way to the dungeon. Does anything catch your eye?"
There had been a few knives that glowed; they reminded me of the Tinkertech Nanothorn blade I had received from Defiant, though nearly every blade had an aesthetic that stretched beyond the practical. I supposed that with so many artisans, that weaponsmiths and armorers had to diversify to attract interest.
Instead of answering and revealing more of myself, I diverted to a more relevant topic.
"How long do I have to repay Loki?" I asked.
"Not how much or how to assemble that wealth?" Echidna asked, amused once more. This showed how questions could be dangerous. She divined my lack of interest in actually repaying my debts. But then again, if she knew that I knew the world was ending, it did not require much imagination to arrive at a conclusion about debts. If worst came to worst, I could flee, or find alternative means to resolving the debt.
But I could not outright say that, so I shrugged again.
"We will need to wait for word from the Guild on the exactitudes. I would not feel overly concerned however–It is only Loki. A brief visit to the Red Light district would distract her well enough. Of greater concern to me though, are your motivations. What are they? And please, grant me an answer this time."
"Is shrugging not an answer?" I asked, this time my turn to smile, though barely a smile that it was.
"No," she said. "Serpents oft have difficulty shrugging."
What did that even mean?
"We lack the shoulders," she said, a small smile almost pursing her lips. "But please, your motivations."
"I need to prevent the end of all worlds," I said plainly.
"An amazing dichotomy of an answer: Both honest and empty. How would you achieve this goal? What would you sacrifice? To what lengths would you go?"
"...I would sacrifice everything."
Echidna winced, but only for the briefest second before she returned her face to a passive neutral.
By this time, we had left the center of the city, and had reached the suburbs, and not the best maintained homes either. Several showed signs of wear, chipped paint, missing shingles, cracked plaster, however, not anything near Brockton Bay levels of poverty.
"You will seek allies then?" she asked. She nodded towards a boisterous group of adventurers that passed. They leered at Echidna but winced when they saw my empty sleeve.
"Perhaps," I said. "But not among them. Am I wrong to assume that Gareth was near the best of these 'adventurers?'"
"Only perhaps one other in the city is above him."
"Then no, adventurers would not be suitable to defeat Scion–greater Brutes have fallen to him. What I need is either power overwhelming, or a trick he cannot expect."
"Only Divinities are above that, unless you would consider… monsters?" She once again smiled. There must have been an inside joke, privy only to her or to people who knew these Divinities.
"Would the Divinities aid me?" I asked.
She scoffed, "No. Not unless this Scion proved a direct threat here, to the Divinities and their games. But I believe that earlier we mentioned there may be another way, deeper in the dungeon."
"Do you have details?" I asked.
"Do you mean besides vague half answers and shrugs?" she clarified.
When I nodded, she continued, once again amused. "You heard Hestia: anything can be found, if you go deep enough."
"I find that difficult to believe," I said. I believed that there were wonders in the depths, that a great many things could be found. But anything and everything? I could think of several things that would be far too fantastical to appear down there.
"Tell me child," Echidna said, snapping me out of imagining a power armor factory. "Are there Divinities in your world?"
Now that was an interesting question.
There were capes. There were Endbringers. There were people that claimed to either be a god or to know one. But has there ever been evidence of divinities?
The answer was obvious. "No, not on Earth Bet. Not unless they are cruel and negligent."
"Many of us do come across as such," she said thoughtfully. "Though not all of us. You met Hestia. She has a good heart. She would have to, with her domain. Perhaps you would be suited to her Familia?"
"You don't want me in yours?" I asked. This line caused me concern. I wanted power now. Every moment I dallied was another that Scion had free reign. But running ahead would do me no good if I went head-first over a cliff.
We continued on in silence, heading closer to the large walls rimming the horizon, and into the parts of town that appeared nearly abandoned. It almost felt like home, although still no graffiti. All the while, Echidna kept her silence. I could tell she was carefully considering her words–I had the same tells.
"Hestia is held in high regard compared to me. Her hearth and home would serve you well on the path to healing; should you choose her, you will one day live a–" she grimaced "-human life as a person of Orario."
"Healing is not my concern," I said. Defeating Scion was.
"Please consider carefully," she insisted, stopping us in front of a burned down restaurant, a blackened husk of a building, perhaps a dive-bar. "Hestia is poor but kind, she is rich in love and understanding. Choosing her would be the easier path."
She was trying to convince me to join Hestia? Why? Out of concern? Did Echidna not want me? For some reason, that bothered me.
"You do not want me?" I asked, voicing my concerns. The hurt must have been apparent in my voice. She frowned.
"I very much do want you, but you must know this before you make your decision, before you accuse me of hiding pertinent facts. Should you choose me, I shall cherish and jealously guard you as I would any of my brood. Other Divinities grant their children the freedom to leave. My Familia is not so easy to escape."
"And why is that?" I asked.
She sighed and released my arm, turning to match my gaze with her bright green, supernaturally colored eyes.
"In this age, my children are loathed, hated and reviled. Should you join me, the stigma shall follow you to the end of this life."
She was concerned about discrimination and racism then. How could I expect anything to be different? No matter how far from home I was, people were always the same.
"Revulsion is nothing I have not experienced before."
"I know," she gave me a small smile. "The weak often fear the strong."
"Would joining your 'Familia' better aid me in reaching the depths of the Dungeon?"
"I am no soothsayer nor am I an oracle. But you would likely gain power more quickly than not," she said.
"Then I choose you and yours."
Afterall, I had joined a gang for worse reasons than saving the world, and despite Echidna's namesake, she seemed decent enough, at least compared to capes back home.
"Are you certain?" she asked. "This decision will not be undone."
She held my eye, staring intensely at me, looking for any hint of weakness. I would not fold. I would not fail. I would sacrifice anything to secure victory. I had allowed Panacea to unlock my Passenger afterall. How much of a stretch would it be to enter a strange covenant with a 'Goddess.'
For an eternity, she stared into my eyes, seeming to measure and weigh my soul.
"I am not a Redeemer of Monsters," she finally said. "I am a Mother to them."
She then gestured for me to follow her into the burnt-out husk of a dive bar. A part of the floor had collapsed into the basement, and someone had set an old wooden ladder against the floor. She climbed down, and called for me to follow her.
Dubious, but I was committed. Perhaps this was another test. I climbed down after, careful of my footing. The burnt wooden planks created perilous footing.
Once in the basement, she walked over to a curtain hanging over a wall, which she pulled aside, revealing a hole in the stone walls lining the basement.
She motioned for me to follow her.
I arched an eyebrow, while sending advanced scouts down the tunnel to verify it was not an ambush. I still did not know what Echidna's capabilities were, or her ambitions. However, she could have led me astray at any point, and I had no other point of contact besides Hestia.
Perhaps it was not too late to back out? I squashed the doubt and the fear. I had already committed myself. I would follow through. I would become the greatest monster of all if it meant saving humanity.
As I stepped after her, she allowed the curtain to fall back into place, plunging the hallway into darkness.
"Do you need a light?" she asked.
"No," I answered. I felt a tinge of pride at my ability.
My swarm had already mapped the floor and walls, and I had found that we were in a downward sloping hallway cut into a mixture of compact dirt, bedrock, and stone, with more stone than dirt as the hall descended.
She led the way downwards, until we reached a thick wooden door set into the stone of the hallway. The hallway continued onwards and downwards until what felt like a pile of rubble ended the path–perhaps a cave in.
"Did you carve this tunnel?" I asked.
She slid a hidden latch up and to the side and into the stone before pushing the door inward.
"No, I descended recently. This was prepared by one of my old friends, one of the few I count among them."
The door previously had been sealed tight, as my swarm only just then was able to enter. I felt out the interior, it was a modest sized room, perhaps the size of an apartment flat. Certainly larger than my lodgings with the Wards, but perhaps the size of the Undersider's loft.
A quarter of the room was recessed and filled with hot water, smelling only slightly of sulfur, likely a naturally occurring hot spring. In the far corner, there was a pile of rags and furs over straw, which I thought might have been a primitive bed. There was a standalone wardrobe near the door, and a large piece of glass hanging on the wall, what might have been a mirror. A chest rested beneath the glass. There was also a small dining table with four chairs around it, the chairs were padded but worn.
Notably, there was no light. Were it not for my swarm, I would have been blind.
"This is your home?" I asked as she shut the door.
"Do you have a change of heart now that you have seen my station?" She asked, I could hear a hesitance in her voice. Was she worried I would back out now? That worried her? Why did I feel an urge to comfort her?
"I have lived through worse," I said. "But I do wonder at sleeping arrangements, or if I am expected to find my own way."
"No!" she blurted, before quickling adding, "I mean no. No child of mine shall be left to fend for themselves unless they so desire. Besides, I have only just recovered you. No, you shall sleep here with me. There is plenty of space among the bedding."
In the dark, I hoped she was unable to see my blush. I had not shared a bed in… well, it had been a while. I schooled myself. I could not allow such feelings to affect me. I focused on my swarm. Insects could not blush.
If Echidna said that we would share a bed, then we would share a bed, and that was all there was to it. I just hoped she remained professional about it.
I continued standing, inspecting the room. A bath would be nice, although I had no changes of clothes, and I saw no towels present. Things like hygiene mattered far less when the world was ending. But if I would be here for a while then I would need to take care of myself. Presentation mattered.
"I'll need to go shopping," I said, thinking to myself.
"Yes we will," Echidna added. "But first, we will need vasils, and you need a Falna."
"What do I need to do to receive a Falna?"
"It is a simple thing, receiving the grace," she answered. "You bare your back, I apply my blood, and you receive a portion of divinity… It might sting a bit."
"How much blood?" I asked, suddenly concerned she might wound herself or injure herself on my account.
"Only a drop," I heard her smile. "Are you ready?" she asked, gesturing to the pile of furs.
It was easier to bare myself in the pitch black darkness of the cavern. While in the Wards, I had gotten over my hang ups about nudity. Well, not so much as accepted my body, as I found other priorities. Worrying about breast size seemed superficial when the very world was ending. Even then though, there would always be a certain awkward feeling associated with getting naked in front of a person. Especially a person I just met.
But awkwardness would never stop me.
I laid down on the furs. I felt the bristling hairs itch and scratch my bare skin.
Echidna knelt down on the bedding beside me and ran a warm finger over my back. "What a joy you will be," she said. "Are you ready to receive my gift?" she asked.
While I might have wanted to wait, to review other options, to learn more about this world before entering into a blood pact... I did not have the time. "I am," I said.
"Very well. But be warned, my blood reacts strangely as is my domain. And my blood reacts strongly in the face of a life so richly adorned by my ken."
I felt her jostle to the side. With my bugs, I felt her draw a short paring knife from another hidden pocket. She pricked her finger. I smelled a deliciously sweet scent and realized I had yet to eat since I awoke in the dungeon.
"What was your domain again?" I asked.
She raised her fingertip with the blood pooling in a drop over my back and placed it between my shoulderblades. Where the blood touched itched. A golden light filled the cavern, showing that the stone walls had been painted in crude reliefs of serpents and lions devouring fallen warriors.
"Monsters and Adversity."
The glow became blinding and a searing pain crackled long my spine. It felt as though each of my vertebrae had been split in two and crushed–the hurt rivaled Bakuda's pain bomb, the agony shot along my nerves like fire following a trail of gasoline. My face ached. My teeth clenched. I bit my tongue. I tasted blood. My swarm writhed and destroyed itself. Spiders torn limb from limb.
I screamed. And then blissfully, mercifully, and wonderfully, I lost awareness and dipped into nothing.
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Entire Work ← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → Chapter Index Comments Share Download
Work Header
Rating:
Not Rated
Archive Warning:
Major Character Death
Category:
F/F
Fandoms:
Parahumans Series - Wildbowダンジョンに出会いを求めるのは間違っているだろうか | DanMachi | Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (Anime)
Characters:
Taylor Hebert | Skitter | WeaverQueen Administrator (Parahumans)Bell CranelHestia Familia (DanMachi)Tiona HiryuteLoki (DanMachi)Demeter
Language:
English
Stats:
Published:2022-08-25Completed:2022-10-27Words:146,083Chapters:53/53Kudos:1,252Bookmarks:306Hits:60,446
Dungeon Warlord
bridielux
Chapter 5: Hatchling 1.4
Chapter Text
Hatchling 1.4
I awoke wrapped in warmth: comfortable, delightful, unexpected warmth. It took me a moment to remember where I was. If not for the warmth, I would have startled, for I awoke in pitch black.
Instinctively I called for my swarm.
New insects and arachnids came to existence surrounding me, flashing into my awareness. As I spread them out, I found I had fallen asleep on the pile of furs in Echidna's cave, and that the woman had changed both of us into nightgowns and pulled furs over both of us in an haphazard manner.
The furs were likely overkill, the steam and heat from the hot springs kept the entire chamber humid and warm.
Once I regained awareness, I promptly rolled away from the bed-pile and 'looked' around for my borrowed robe. I found it on the table along with a sheet of paper. Given that state of lighting in the room, I had trouble reading the paper, assuming there was anything written on it.
But the paper had been laying next to the robe on the table, and those had been the only two things there; I felt justified thinking that the paper held significance.
I traced my finger over the paper and I thought I might have felt ridges. They could have been the residue from whatever factory had crafted the paper, or it could have been any number of other things besides writing. Even if it was writing that I felt, it could have been a grocery list for all that I knew.
But I needed to know.
Several species of bugs could provide bio-luminescence, such as fireflies. I summoned several from my miasma and flicked the mental switch. Nothing. I felt the reaction that would have normally provided light. I knew they were doing something–I just could not see what.
I had another thought for possibly generating light, but I was not sure if Bombardier Beetles actually created flame, or if they just shot caustic chemicals. Either way, I decided not to try it.
But that did not mean I could not use insects to try reading whatever was on the paper. Insects had a fantastic sense of smell, and the smaller they were, the more exact that sense was. That combined with my proprioception might give me an idea as to what was written on the page.
I thought of the smallest insects I could possibly summon. I had never used bugbears, as they were beyond my capability back on Bet, but some of the larger mites had fallen within my range of control.
I converted my miasma into mites. My first batch ended up on the floor. I was still learning. Or my Passenger was. I focused on the table and tried creating mites there instead. It did not work. I put my hand on the table and repeated. That time, it worked, but it took a few seconds longer than it had at my feet. I wondered if my miasma had to travel up from the ground to the table? If that was a limitation of mine, it would be good to know now as opposed to a life or death situation.
Once I had the paper covered in mites, I began 'looking' for ink, or any other evidence of writing.
It took me a fair bit of time, but I did find an acerbic localized scent, reminiscent of the blood I had smelled before I had passed out. I arrayed my mites along the scent trails on the paper. While it was a little strange for a 'Goddess' to use her own blood to write with, I supposed it could have been an artifact of the Trump effect.
Still a bit strange though.
Several thousand mites later, I had mapped out the ink in a manner reminiscent of my proprioception, which is to say, I felt the positions of each stroke of ink.
But I had no means of translating the position to letters, or even a language I recognized existed. The writing was fine and complex; it appeared to overlap upon itself. I felt that reading by touch might have been a waste of time. Especially since all I needed was a little light.
So, with the paper in hand, and after making sure I was fully clothed, I headed out into the basement where I could read the paper.
It was night still, but the night sky was gorgeous. The light pollution was nowhere near as awful as back home. That or the air was cleaner. But the stars felt far more vibrant and bright than I had ever seen before.
I lost myself staring up at the heavens from the burnt out dive-bar's basement, before remembering the thousands of mites on the sheet of paper in hand.
I held the paper as flat as I could. While reading by starlight would always be difficult, that, combined with my proprioception, let me muscle through the writing.
One of the things that threw me off earlier was the backdrop under the writing. There was a faded image of a many tailed serpent with a woman's head. I guessed that was meant to be Echidna's sign. Superimposed on that image was writing–not English–but after trying to make sense of it the words just kind of clicked into place. I attributed this to Passenger, and tried sending it warm thoughts.
Name: [SOUL DUALITY] Monarch Administrator | Taylor Hebert
Race: [HIDDEN]
Age: [HIDDEN]
Level: 1
Stats:
STR: 0 I
END: 0 I
AGI: 0 I
DEX: 0 I
MAG: 0 I
Innate Magic: Abyssal Shadow: In the Abyss, shadows hurt… Magical abilities are only ever expressed as Abyssal Shadows, however this magic is intuitive to use without incantations.
Skill: Queen's Court: The shadows serve and swarm… The Abyssal Shadows can be formed into manifestations of your servants, assuming you have the souls to fill them.
Innate Trait: Blood and Stone: All but flesh and stone are ash… consuming cooked flesh or non-flesh tastes like ash upon the tongue and offers no nutrition. Consuming magical stones supplements the Abyss.
Innate Trait: Kali Yuga: The nine hells would overflow with the souls of your slain… The chorus cries out and weeps to those who may behold souls.
Curse: Magic of the Eldritch Abyss: The stamp of the abomination rests upon the flesh… your magic is forever locked outside of your body in an external representation of your might.
Curse: Cast of Conflict: Peace is impossible… you are driven towards conflict; failure to satiate this thirst results in weakness, irritability, anxiety, and compulsive mania.
I felt concerned.
For a lot of reasons.
My 'stats' were zero, I was cursed, and had Innate Traits that sounded more like curses. And while I wanted to run to the Dungeon that second and begin my growth, I also kind of wanted to talk with someone about this.
Why was I cursed–who fucked the dog?
What even was Kali Yuga? When had I killed that many people? It made no sense. What did these traits and characteristics mean? There was really only one person that I could trust, trust being too strong of a word.
I headed back into the cavern. Echidna was not in the bed when I came back. I missed her moving while I had been attempting to read my sheet, and now I did not 'see' her at all.
As I entered the pitch black room, using only my swarm's proprioception to avoid stumbling, I called out.
I heard water move. Several gnats found ripples trailing out in a wake in the hotspring. Echidna emerged, her hair swept back behind her and trapping my scouts in the wet strands of hair.
"You returned," she said, in a neutral voice. "Would you care to join me?"
"No," I said. I felt weird enough sleeping next to her, and horrified that she had undressed me while I slept. I would not bathe with her if I could help it. Besides, the water smelled like sulfur, and I was not sure that would be an improvement.
"Please explain this sheet," I said, keeping my words quick and plain. I knew that Echidna considered herself a 'Goddess,' but I had always been a bit of an Atheist. Still, it would not do to insult my sponsor.
Echidna hummed, laying back and swimming in place. "I expected you would have single-handedly charged into the dungeon by now…"
I thought about doing that. But the way that Echidna said that made it sound like that would have been a bad idea. I did not rise to the bait.
"Perhaps my daughter has learned patience already? A pity there is no statistic gifted by the Falna regarding wisdom."
"Daughter?" I repeated the words. I had already heard that Divinities referred to the 'mortals' as children. But daughter? It almost sounded familial. Then again, I had agreed to join Echidna's gang.
"Ask your question and I may strive to answer them."
She continued swimming in place, treading water. I idly wondered how deep the hot spring was while I formulated my questions. Well, as I prioritized my questions. I had a lot.
"Why are my stats zero?" I asked.
"The Falna only begins counting traits gained once the grace is given. A minotaur could be gifted a Falna and have a Strength of zero."
"Why am I cursed?" I started to ask, before realizing that 'why' did not nearly so much as matter. "Wait–"
"Oh?" she asked. I thought I could hear the smile on her voice, amusement at the very least.
"No, I mean to ask, how will these traits affect me?"
"Is the description insufficient?" she asked. "I personally found them quite artful. But tell me daughter, does your goal remain to grow strong enough to rival a god?"
"Scion," I said. "Not a god." Though the difference might have been more of a technicality than anything else.
She hummed again, a rich contralto. "And you plan to gain this strength by defeating the dungeon's creatures?"
I nodded. How she saw that nod, I did not know.
"Then these blessings shall only aid you then. Though I must confess, I was as surprised as you when I saw them."
"This is unusual then?"
"Quite. Most adventurers have next to nothing when they start. But then again, most adventurers are not you ."
That was true–I doubted many adventurers had been crime-lord first and then a state sponsored hero.
"What do I do now?" I asked, after Echidna closed her eyes while floating on her back.
"Most new adventurers register at the Guild, I suppose… though anyone can go to the dungeon."
"Register?" I asked.
"They offer advice, allow adventurers to trade stones for valis, and provide starting gear…" she waved a hand off, almost yawning. "I doubt it would interest you, but if so, take your sheet. I already obfuscated the more… sensitive parts."
She dove under the water after that. Several minutes later, she still had yet to surface. I supposed breathing was optional for Divinities.
With nothing left to do, I went to find the Guild. Dawn had already come by the time I left the basement, and it was mid-morning by the time I found the Guild.
The Guild itself was a three story building adjacent to the tower, its back placed right against the stone and likely offering an easy means of entrance for adventurers. Otherwise, the building retained the same old Germanic aesthetic, with wooden spars ribbing through the level splits, and the second story slightly overhanging the lower.
The doors swung inward as I stepped in. The floor had been done in slate and had been polished by decades of foot traffic. There were tellers, very much reminiscent of a bank.
When was the last time I had been in an actual bank–had it been…?
"Over here!" A cat person waved me over. "I'm open. You're up bright and early today! Hoping to get ahead of the Soma Familia?"
"...who? No, well yes. I'm here to register?" I said, still taken off guard. Why was everyone so enthusiastic in this city? Well, besides Echidna. But honestly, in contrast to everyone else I had met, I welcomed Echidna's calm demeanor.
"A new adventurer!" The cat girl jumped up and down. "Take that Eina! Ha! Alright, just this way and I'll get you signed up, ok?" Her eyes lingered on my missing arm and a brief frown hit her face before she smothered it with cheer.
I had begun mapping the building when I first came in, spending all my miasma on the way through the city on small flying bugs. I noticed that the miasma was not nearly so visible when it had been invested in a swarm. Otherwise I had clouds trailing behind after my feet.
"Wow, that's a really nice robe!" the cat girl said as I approached. "Must be from a wealthy Familia?" And then under her breath, she added, "that sends new adventurers with injuries by themselves out…?"
My insects had found their way back inside the tower, and I had found several storefronts that I had missed before. Some were selling armor and weapons in large wooden crates, reminding me of discount bins.
"...this is the part where you introduce yourself," the cat girl said in a smaller voice.
"Taylor." When the girl continued staring at me, I realized she probably expected more. "Of the Echidna Familia."
"Echidna? Mother of–" She slapped a hand over her mouth before she said more. "I'm just really surprised to see that she descended. Or that she founded a Familia. Or that someone… joined."
I narrowed my eyes.
I continued to inspect the gear in the discount bins. The metal parts that were there had been dented and tasted like rust. The leather felt damp, and I came across more than a few eggs in the hard to reach stitches. I could not be certain, but I suspected bed bugs.
This was the equipment offered to novice adventurers, likely at a steep discount. If I had any of the local currency, I might have tried buying some. But I did not. And I did not have time to try finding the least ill-fitting piece of armor I could find. Besides, I had my insects. I would not need to see combat at all personally, not in my first day at least.
"Right… So we just have some forms for you to fill out. And if you slide your sheet here, I can get you all set up."
"Why would you need my sheet?" I asked. A suspicious tone may have leaked into my voice. The Guild seemed to fill the role of the PRT on this world, one filled with politics, schemers, and undoubtedly enemies. The more that they knew about me, the larger chance my weaknesses could be leaked. Or that even the Guild itself could use against me.
I thought of the PRT asking the Undersiders for registration so that the PRT could better fight the supervillains. Not that I was a villain. But my interests would likely fail to align with the Guild's, especially if they failed to believe in the threat that Scion posed.
The cat person twisted her lips in confusion. "Most adventurers just register without asking that. It's really simple. Just a few forms, a signature from your Goddess, and your sheet."
"But why my sheet?"
"You've got nothing to worry about, arlight? The Guild maintains all confidence! We just ask to see it to help advise you, to keep you safe!" She waved the victory sign at me as she finished.
What was wrong with this place? I tried dispelling my irritation.
"Is it mandatory?" I asked. I would prefer to avoid alerting possible enemies to my curses or innate traits, let alone my stats.
"Well–you have to get registered to trade stones for valis! And also for the advice. The Guild's around for a reason, y'know?!"
"It'll be kept in confidence?" I asked.
"For sure. With the utmost secrecy."
Echidna had claimed to have obfuscated the more sensitive parts of my sheet, though I still needed to ask her why my age and race had been sensitive.
"Alright," I said. "But can I do it later? I'm in a bit of a rush."
"Ah sure? Just make sure you do it in the next few days. We wouldn't want anyone thinking your Goddess is running something shady, right?"
"Then thank you for your assistance," I said, exiting the Guild foyer.
With my bugs on the cat-girl, I heard her muttering about dumb adventurers and funerals.
But she did not realize that I had already been through the Dungeon. In fact, when I had made my failed escape attempt from the Loki Familia, I had slain several of the 'monsters' that spawned on the top floors. My projected insects would be sufficient for any of the threats I encountered. Additionally, there were other ways to exchange dungeon stones–worst case, I could pay a registered adventurer to exchange my stones for me.
I stepped into the tower proper and past the 'shops' selling beginner adventurer weapons and armor. I did not need to bring fleas or bedbugs home, especially since I could no longer control them directly.
I passed a few adventurers coming up. Two men and a tiny girl carrying a bag larger than I was. One of the men looked like a racoon. Other than their distinctive physical traits, and their worn gear, they had nothing that would have held my attention. Except that they treated the small girl like garbage, a girl that was carrying many times her body weight.
Although, while I cared nothing for these three, the racoon-ish man leered at me. Enough so that I almost had to check if I were still clothed–I was. My robe remained tied, showing little of my skin.
"Gonna go down by your lonesome?" the racoonish man said. He made an attempt at a roguish smile. I ignored them and kept walking, nearing the central chamber with the descending spiral staircase. "Hey! I was talkin' to you. Not gonna give ol' Canoe any time, huh?"
"No." Of course I kept going.
The raccoon man, Canoe, continued to talk at me while his companions kept walking. Though he did put a hand on the supporter carrying the bag to stop her.
Canoe reminded me of a Merchant. Considering where I was headed, I decided to take the precaution of tagging the man with several gnats, and I began ordering the bulk of my 'harmless' flying insects to terminate themselves, ordering them to twist off their own heads. Once the thousands of gnats died, their miasma began trickling towards me. I would have had to do this anyways before heading down into the dungeon. But a little bit earlier might be required.
"Without a staff? Weapon? Bags? Y'know, if you wanted, I could escort you down, give you the show around. Good deal to have an experienced adventurer show you around… So what do you say babe?"
The first trickles of my miasma began circling around my feet and ankles, a misty whirlpool of inky blackness.
"Master Canoe sir?" The girl said. "Lily thinks she is a mage."
Canoe scoffed and shook Lily's backpack. "Even more reason for her to need a frontliner. You know, it won't be that expensive if you–" he started waggling his eyebrows as he tried to keep up "-pay in alternative means."
Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.
"Do not follow," I said.
It took a while for all my miasma to trickle back towards me, but what I had was plentiful. I began forming my larger venomous insects, Giant Asian Hornets and Tarantula Hawks.
I shook their abdomens and had them form a sparse barrier in front of Canoe.
"How about that," Canoe muttered. "You think a few little bugs can stop me? I'm almost level two. That's a kiddie trick at best."
If Canoe could have seen my face, he would have seen rage briefly flash over it before I sent my anger into my swarm. If he would underestimate me, then all the easier to destroy him–if that became necessary, that was.
"Master Canoe, Lily thinks those wasps look dangerous and we need to turn in our stones…"
Canoe stopped following me, but he did keep watching my back as I began down the stairs.
"Watch yourself," he called after me. I paid him no more attention, besides the handful of midges I left on him.
I began descending down the large spiral staircase, into the first level of the dungeon.
I would not be too careless, however. Information was vital. I sent a handful of midges forward to scout the staircase and hallways at the bottom of it to check for monsters, adventurers, or signs of traps and ambush. I had already been through this part of the dungeon with the Loki Familia, so I knew a little of what to expect.
But still, better not to assume, especially when thugs like Canoe could be around.
When I got to the bottom of the staircase, I had several tunnels that I could choose from. The tunnels themselves were a mix of artificial and natural. The sides and ceiling showed stalagmites and erosion, whereas the floor was smooth and largely level, except for the occasional debris.
Then there were the green lights, almost like fireflies, lining the passages. I ignored the passageways that were dark. They not only seemed uninviting, but there were adventurers further along in them.
More of my miasma returned, and while I kept some in reserve, I began fielding more wasps and venomous spiders.
Back on Earth Bet, I would have had to breed these exotic insects and deploy them sparingly. But here? Here I had as many as I wanted, assuming I had the 'magic' to spend. It was now a question of economy of volume, and not rarity and breeding.
Which was why I used spiders as well–they were far smaller than the wasps, using less magic to buy more venom. I attached spiders to the undersides of the wasps and orbited them around me in a swarm.
Not nearly enough swarm for my tastes, but I had theories on how to grow my 'magic.'
I had been walking for several minutes down a lit hallway when I heard the stone crack. Two humanoids crawled from the stone, like animated statues, until they were out of the walls. The stone flaked off them, revealing warty green skin.
I guessed these were goblins.
Just to make sure they were dumb creatures, and not people, I tried talking to them. "If you don't want me to kill you, say–"
The goblins lunged at me, long fingernails outstretched, and jagged teeth ready to tear flesh.
Perfect.
My wasps hit both of the goblin's faces, eyes and nostrils. Black Widows deployed. Venom sacs emptied. I sidestepped the goblins as they fell to the ground thrashing and screaming.
The wasp venom was painful. Not as bad as a Bullet Ant, but still, crippling. And there was no real way to convey what it was like to have ten wasps land on sensitive skin while emptying all their venom. Especially not when joined by my Black Widows.
Ordinarily, Black Widows were harmless. They seldom bit; their venom was incredibly expensive for them to make. But these Widows were all mature females, and when they depleted their payloads and died, I could simply make more.
The goblins continued screaming and writhing and convulsing, foam spraying from their mouths as they went into analeptic shock. Meanwhile, I reformed my venomous insects and kept my eyes open for any other 'monsters.'
None were coming. And the goblins still had yet to die. It was a hard way to go, and I resolved to find a knife or dagger to put monsters out of their misery the next time I went home. Maybe Echidna would have one.
But in the meantime, I had creatures in pain, and I knew I would need to carve out their stones somehow. Fortunately I did have an idea.
Hide Beatles, also called Larder Beetles, were large beetles that have been known to chew through metal. Given enough of them, and I could easily make enough of them, they could tear through almost anything. Including Goblins, assuming the goblins stayed still. My other idea had been ants.
I ended up spending my reserve mana on the beetles, as I had always wanted to try this and had never really had a chance. The beetles were able to bite through the skin, and I directed them to where the carotid should be, to finally put the goblins to rest. From there, I had to make a few more beetles to start digging into the goblins' chest.
It… was messy.
By the time the beetles found the stones, several more minutes had already passed, and the walls began cracking once more. I had the beetles try pulling the dungeon stones out, while I prepped my wasps to attack the fresh wave of goblins.
As soon as the stone fell off, I stung them, using the exact same technique as before. The goblins fell just the same, failing to adapt at all to my tactics.
I heard a tinkle, and the goblins from the first batch disappeared in motes of black smoke, leaving nothing behind. The beetles fell to the ground from where they had been buried in their chest.
Where had the dungeon stones fallen?
Looking around, both with insects crawling over the floor, and with my own eyes, I failed to find them. Had I wrecked the stones without realizing?
The goblins from the second batch were still writhing in pain, so I sent my beetles over to them to start extracting the stones. Also to end their misery.
This time, I knew where to look. I sent a few ants in to surround the stone as my beetles pulled it out, so that I could get a better look at what was happening. When the mandibles latched onto the crystal, the tiny, fingernail sized dungeon stone, I felt it break, I heard that same tinkle. The stone dissipated into vapor and the goblins dissipated into black ash.
Even if the stone did break, there should have been fragments left over. But there were no crystal fragments. The entirety of the stone had disappeared. And it was small enough that I had no way of confirming if I had more miasma than I did before. But I remembered when I had been 'eating' away at the dungeon stone that held me prisoner, and I thought I might try a similar test.
I progressed further along until I heard the familiar cracking of goblins spawning. After I slew them, before my beetles so much as touched the dungeon stone, I used all of the miasma I had to create the largest swarm that I could. After generating wasps and spiders, I used the dregs to create gnats, then mites.
I then waited several moments to see if my miasma would rise on its own–such as if a far away insect had died and taken that long for the miasma to return.
When my miasma did not fluctuate, I set my beetles to harvesting. Soon, they bore a hole through the goblins' chest and grabbed the stones with their mandibles. This time, I was able to delicately remove one. The other was a lost cause, as the second the mandible scratched the small stone it fragmented.
I was left with one tiny stone, and enough extra miasma for about one Brown Recluse. That confirmed my theory. Just as with the stone that encased me. My insects could 'eat' dungeon stone which enhanced my 'magical' power.
But then another question I had–what would I do with the tiny stone in my hands?
My robes had no pockets.
I could have slipped them into my slippers, but that would be uncomfortable, and also a short term solution. I could try having my insects carry it for me, but they would likely end up eating it.
I wondered what would happen if I ate it?
I had that Monstrous Trait that mentioned stones, and I had yet to eat since I woke up trapped. I suspected that I–well, no use suspecting.
I put the stone between my teeth and bit down.
It took very little pressure at all, likely less than my beetles' mandibles could apply, and the stone burst into small effervescent glitter that landed on my tongue and lips. They bubbled, almost like rock candy.
I checked my miasma, and there was about two spiders' worth. Apparently, I got more out of physically eating the stones than from having my insects do it. Though, extracting the stones whole and then putting them in my mouth was far less convenient than simply having my insects do it. And it was not like there was a shortage of monsters.
I strode down the hallway, pausing only when goblins appeared. I sent my wasps in, the goblins fell. I sent my beetles in, the goblins died, and I grew just a little bit stronger.
Rinse. Repeat.
I reached the end of the hallway, and I could project around five more tarantula wasps than when I started. And while that might not seem like much compared to my hey-day back on Earth Bet, this, this was only the beginning.
How long did I have until Scion arrived?
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Rating:
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Major Character Death
Category:
F/F
Fandoms:
Parahumans Series - Wildbowダンジョンに出会いを求めるのは間違っているだろうか | DanMachi | Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (Anime)
Characters:
Taylor Hebert | Skitter | WeaverQueen Administrator (Parahumans)Bell CranelHestia Familia (DanMachi)Tiona HiryuteLoki (DanMachi)Demeter
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English
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Published:2022-08-25Completed:2022-10-27Words:146,083Chapters:53/53Kudos:1,252Bookmarks:306Hits:60,446
Dungeon Warlord
bridielux
Chapter 6: Hatchling 1.5
Chapter Text
Hatchling 1.5
I cleared multiple hallways and chambers on the first level and devoured a hundred and three dungeon stones before I encountered a problem. In hindsight, of course the problem was people.
"She doesn't have a bag or knife," an adventurer whispered to their companion.
They both wore tan backpacks and carried shortswords at their waist. They had just cleared a neighboring hallway and entered the chamber I had just entered. They peered down the hallway I had cleared. I peered down the hallway they had cleared.
There were only two hallways.
"What's she even doing down here?" The other adventurer asked his companion.
"Must be a mage–but dumb to come down here like that. Think she needs help?"
"Where are the stones though? Think she wrecked them all with her magic?"
"It'd be a waste if she did."
"Clearly something was wasted. Or someone…" The adventurer frowned at me. They at some point ended the pretense of whispering and were outright gossiping about me within earshot. It reminded me of Winslow. My wasps buzzed about me.
I fed my anger to my swarm and the buzzing grew in volume. My wasps shook their abdomens. I resisted the urge to lash out. If barely.
Instead I did my best to ignore them and I turned back the way I had come. The next branch I came to I turned further away. I managed to find a few more goblins, but eventually I ran into another set of adventurers.
Similarly, they talked. And similarly, I ignored them–or tried to. I traveled down several hallways, but the pickings grew sparser. Many of the hallways were dark, with the lights turning off once the monsters had spawned.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, I went back to where the stairway was and descended down to the second floor.
The hallways here were dim as well.
Was it the local equivalent of rush hour?
I felt like there were more monsters spawning when the Loki Familia had come up with me in tow.
I explored the floor, found a few monster spawns, and then stumbled upon the stairway down to the third level. Determined to find something, I headed down once more.
The third level had several hallways still lit up with green fairy lights. I sent gnats spinning around the bottom of the stairwell to let me know if any more adventurers followed me down, and then I got to grinding.
On this floor, the monsters changed. Instead of unarmed goblins, there were also the small wolf people–kobolds. They looked like miniature werewolves, about the same size as the goblins, though a bit more resilient to venom. Occasionally, they carried crude weapons like stone or wooden shanks.
However, the end result never changed.
My wasps dropped the monsters all the same, though the kobolds took just a little more work.
But now that I had the feel for the process, and now that I knew that adventurers would soon come and squeeze me out from my spot, I started jogging down the lit passageways, eager to claim all of the dungeon stones that I could, before the crowds ruined yet another hunting spot.
The monsters cracked from the wall behind me, then beside me, and then beside me again. Three monster spawns, two, three, then two again, for a total of seven of them. I stung their eyes and noses, taking advantage of the extra wasps I had gained from the previous levels. I saturated each of their faces with venomous swarming vespidae.
Somehow, one of the last monsters to spawn resisted just a little while longer than its brethren. It was one of the kobolds. It fur had tangled up several of my wasps enough that they struggled to reach its skin before it swatted them down.
The kobold reached me.
It was around four feet tall, with a wolf head and fingers tipped with claws. Brown spittle fell from its mouth and stained its gray fur. In one of its hands, it held a stone shank. A very crude piece of slate with a point.
It stabbed its shank at me in a forward grip, and swiped its claws at me with the other. Its jaws clacked as it tried intimidating me.
I only had one functional arm. But I still had a few reserve fliers. I buzzed them in front of its eyes, causing it to lose sight of me, if only for a second. I slipped to the side and stomped down with my foot, crushing its forward paw. As it went past, with its momentum carrying it forward while its leg fell behind, I pivoted and kneed its back, sending it stumbling to the floor.
I slammed down on its spine with my heel, and finally found flesh with my stingers. The kobold died just as its brethren did–it only took a few additional steps.
I continued my strategy, this time prompting the dungeon to spawn four groupings of monsters before I stopped. The wasps dropped most of them as they chased after me, with the final few finished with a well placed kick.
After that, I considered the proof of concept a success. I could likely continue jogging indefinitely, so long as I left enough beetles along the way to harvest the stones.
The next time I put the concept to work.
I kept running and killing until I finally had to stop and wait for my miasma to reach me. I had gotten fairly spread out during the run, with the beetles and wasps left behind. But soon, that miasma had filtered back, and I had enough to project more Tarantula Hawks and Larder Beetles.
Through several iterations, I could summon even more insects, causing me to grow ever more efficient and powerful. It felt great. I can not emphasize how amazing it was, to grow stronger. Back on Bet, for the most part, the power a person got was the power they died with. But here and now, I was growing. And it was growing from something that fell within my power to affect. I was in control.
Distracted, I continued jogging until I ran across a gold tinted dwarven woman who had just finished smashing a goblin's head in–with a wooden tankard–that still had beer sloshing around in it.
I slid to a stop, with the last few kobolds and goblins from the most recent spawn catching up to me.
"Oy!" the dwarven lady shouted. "No runnin' you git!"
A goblin fell to its knees behind me and made a valiant last ditch effort to bite my ankle. I stepped around it and kicked it with my heel, letting my beetles finish it off.
The lady bent to the side and peered around me, at the miasma leaking back from the dead insects, and at the goblins and kobolds evaporating into their own clouds of black dust.
"Stinkin' mages," she muttered. "Too good for a lil bit of–" she belched "-work?"
"Are you drunk?" I asked, incredulous. I know that I had thrown caution into the wind when I came down here under equipped, but I had my power. She was just a woman who looked to be drunk.
"Mehbee I am. Whatzzat to ya?" she said.
"In the dungeon?" I said.
She made an effort to look around. "Aw yeah, that explainss 'at."
"Unbelievable," I said. "Look, I don't have time for this. But do you need help?"
"Pffbt," she blew a raspberry. "Naahh–" she burped again "-just point to the ladiesss groom."
"Ladies Room?" I clarified. She nodded. "Wherever you want," I said, working my way past her. I had yet to come across restroom facilities in the dungeon.
But as I slipped past her, something bothered me about the encounter.
The dungeon was dangerous. There was no reason for a person to drink unto drunkenness, not when the exit was less than an hour's walk away. Either she was recklessly overconfident and an idiot, or, far more likely, she was part of a trap or ploy.
I made sure to leave several bugs on her, including a Silk Moth on the wall. I had found their senses to be the easiest to use.
After that, I ran out of monsters to hunt, so I headed over to the deeper section of the floor, furthest away from the stairway up.
It was then that I felt a party of adventurers stream down. At least five of them. By that time, the dwarf had leaned against a rough hewn pillar just beyond the first hallway I had cleared. It had yet to respawn.
"Oy!" She called out to the adventurers. "You wittat Soma git?!"
One of the adventurers, a male, called back. I only caught bits of his response, so I repositioned the moth to put it closer between them. As it flew past the dwarf, she flicked an arm out and smashed the moth.
I heard nothing after that. The bugs I had on the dwarf showed her rather animatedly flailing her flagon while I was sure she harassed them. No fight broke out, but I imagined it was close.
Not trusting her, or the newest party to come down, I found the next stairway down. I put additional space between us.
Down on the fourth floor, all the hallways were in the green. Plenty of monsters to harvest.
I licked my lips and gathered my swarm. The past few floors had been too easy. The kobolds and goblins and a single frog creature. Other than the frog creature, they had all fallen quickly.
While I did not know what monsters might come from this floor, I felt confident I could handle them as well. I anticipated it would be more of the giant frogs, plus maybe one other type of monster to add to the challenge.
The giant frogs themselves were irritating to fight. They had a rangred tongue attack where they shot their tongue several yards to ensnare legs or arms. I assumed the frogs had a mean bite–but I had yet to experience it.
For the first time I came down there, I wondered if I was behaving too recklessly. What would happen if I failed?
The dungeon was a dangerous place.
I had only just begun growing. Maybe I should turn around? If I died now, no one would help Earth Bet.
And… who would inform Echidna? Wait, why would that even matter to me? I suspected that the 'Falna' might have carried a bit more of a Master effect than I was led to believe. Especially if I found myself worried about the 'Goddess' I had just met.
But I did not have time to behave overly cautious. I needed to take risks.
I decided to scout out at least a single hallway to figure out what I was up against. If it was too much, then I would turn back. With my decision made and swarm prepped, I headed down the first hallway I saw.
The first spawning was a mix of the kobolds and goblins, four of them altogether. Internally I cheered. Plenty of prey here.
In went my wasps, down went the monsters.
In went my beetles, out came just a little more power for my Passenger and I.
I continued onward.
Another spawning.
This time two of the giant frogs. They shot their tongues at me. I dodged one but got stuck by the second.
I gave both of them plenty of angry wasps to chew on. By the time the tongue dragged me in, both of the frogs were well on their way to dying. I sent a handful of beetles onto the tongue holding me to bite through and free me a bit more quickly.
The stones from the frogs were just slightly bigger than the kobolds. More miasma, more power. This could become addictive.
I continued onward, slowly, tackling each spawning as they occurred. With the giant frogs, I was worried that I could get bogged down. But even so, I was making excellent progress. I lost track of time until I found a different type of monster that had already spawned and was waiting.
I almost missed it. I had not encountered this monster previously. It flew towards me. If not for my screen of wasps I would never have had a chance before it was upon me.
My wasps were brushed aside by a moving shadow with glowing red eyes. A humanoid shadow. Its arms outstretched, finger-like claws. I shifted to the side, but the shadow reacted. Angry red lines carved down my right shoulder.
I pushed it away with my free hand, but I never touched it. It flowed around my hand like it was made of water.
I siced all my swarm on it.
It tried flowing around the first few fliers, but I had over a hundred wasps attacking it, and my wasps were faster than it was agile. They landed on it, clawing in with their jaws and shooting venom.
But the thing did not bleed. Its skin was less biological and more fabric. My venom appeared to have no effect. It came back at me just as fast as before.
I might have been in trouble. I had been relying on my venom to kill the monsters. I had never thought I would find a monster resistant to venom on an upper floor of the dungeon.
Wait. It still had to have a stone in there somewhere!
It flew towards me again. It literally flew. I fell backwards in a roll and kicked up, sending it on its way passing over me. It clawed as it passed by, leaving deep cuts from my knees down past my shins.
Venom was pointless. I needed piercers and chewers. I needed to blind it to gain time. The fliers I still had converged on its face, on its eyes. The eyes were made of the same stuff as the rest of it, but the insects could at least block its vision.
It swiped around where I had been in broad strokes. I had already dash-rolled to the side, collecting enough miasma in my hands for plan B. If this failed, then plan C would be to flee and come back better armed.
I formed the same beetles I had been using to extract stones along with carpenter ants and a hercules beetle for good measure. The warshadow flailed next to me; I felt the breeze from its passing strike.
Somewhere in its chest there should be a stone.
I hoped.
I threw my handfuls of beetles at it.
It managed to flow around half of them, but enough Larder Beetles landed and stuck to it, digging in with their mandibles and pinching its cloth like skin. From the rips, ink like gas spewed out, not dissimilar to my miasma.
My beetles burrowed further in, then followed by my wasps. It made another pass at me, its claws hit my chest, tearing my robe and skin as its fingers dug into and between my ribs.
And then a beetle found the gem.
My beetle bit down.
The gem shattered.
The warshadow hissed before exploding into black dust, leaving me on the ground clutching my wounds.
I wanted to lay there catching my breath. But I knew that the only person I could rely on was myself. Nobody would apply first aid, I could bleed out from a preventable leak.
I needed to check my wounds.
If they were bleeding heavily, then I would need to bind them, or maybe see if I could find a healing potion. I would hate to rob someone, but if that was what it took to survive, then I would do it. Too much depended on me not to.
But no, I needed to check my wounds first. They might not have been that bad. And despite the blood staining my robe, I felt alright.
But that could have been the shock.
I peeled off the robe and checked my sides. The part of my chest that had scales was fine. The sides of my chest though? I had been cut there. And I was probably going to need stitches. Or that health potion I did not have.
I checked my shins next.
At the time, I could have sworn that the monster had carved into them, up to the bone. But the cuts looked mostly superficial. They might not even need bandaging.
Then there was my shoulder–which had blood on the surrounding skin and cloth. But otherwise, the wound itself? Just a few scratches.
That cut had definitely been deeper.
I went back to inspecting the cuts on my leg. Those wounds were getting smaller.
Regeneration? Regeneration. Regeneration!
I did not know if that was from the Falna or from my unlocked Passenger. But I was definitely regenerating.
I was a Brute!
I could not help but smile. I almost cheered. My life would have been so much easier if I had regeneration back on Bet.
But then I had a thought.
I had not eaten actual food since I first woke up. But I had consumed dungeon stones. Which Passenger converted into my miasma, or my 'magic,' as the locals called it.
Which somehow fulfilled bodily nourishment.
That same body that was now healing.
No… but I needed to know. How to test it though?
I took all of my miasma and invested it all into insects, down to the last mite. I continued inspecting the scratches on my shins. They continued to close. But were they closing more slowly? It was hard to tell.
I began to feel light-headed and dizzy. I had felt that way plenty of times before: hypoglycemic.
I killed a spider.
The miasma returned.
The dizziness went away.
I went to resummon that spider but I could not. I barely had enough for a midge, and then seconds later, I could not even afford that.
The light-headedness returned soon after.
Something told me that I would not be getting the miasma back that went into bodily upkeep.
Two steps forward, one step back.
But still, I had regeneration!
I made sure I had enough free miasma to continue healing, and then I got back to work. Getting injured had cut into my profit. I would definitely need armor. Even a spidersilk bodysuit would have stopped those claws.
I lost track of time once more, trying to recoup from my losses. Now that I knew the trick to the shadows, they were only of middling difficulty, so long as I saw them coming. And I made sure to always scout ahead for that odd fabric like skin of that shadow monster.
I continued grinding and improving, though I did keep closer to the stairs up, just in case I needed to retreat. That was probably how he found me.
A boy, possibly pre-teen, with white hair and red eyes, stood at the end of the hallway that emptied into the chamber with the stairway. He had likely heard me finishing up my last combat. He had a shortsword strapped to a belt, and starter armor, similar to what I had seen in the discount bins of the Guild store.
When he saw me, he called out. "Miss Taylor? Is that you? Were you injured? Why are you down this far? Miss Eina advised against new adventurers going below the second level!"
I had a few questions that I could ask. But there was another matter to deal with. A few of my scouts found that same fabric-flesh that the shadow monsters wore.
The shadow creature flew towards the boy from behind.
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