Path of the Pioneers

The preparations we made on our final day were small. We made certain that our traveling supplies were all in order, including a few healing potions. It would have been nice to stay in the city for a while, while practicing [Alchemy], but we both agreed that idling around in Tirsollain would be a risk. It would be better for the two of us to go dungeon-delving to grow stronger, first.

After giving our farewells to Cairbre, we left through the city’s eastern gate. It was a week’s travel away, but there was a middling dungeon close to the roads that went in that direction. Even though it was sure to be higher in difficulty than the dungeon we first went through (in rank, at least,) I felt fairly confident in our chances of safely succeeding. We were far more prepared this time, and it seemed like I had a much firmer grasp over my skills.

I pulled my hat down more firmly onto my head, shoring up my conviction. We would be fine this time around.

So long as we didn’t get another “surprise challenge.”

The trip was relaxing and uneventful. The sights were pleasant, at least. Just outside of the city, there were far more farms than on the southern side. They seemed to be growing mushrooms and other subterranean crops, but they were also growing surface crops like barley. Though, those crops in particular seemed to have these glowing orange crystals placed in the middle of their fields.

The fields for surface crops were also walled off fairly well, with stone about a third of my height. I could only assume they were being protective over pests or would-be thieves.

Once or twice I saw some fairly large bats clinging to the darker crevices of the cave. Though, I couldn’t quite make out just how large they were. At the very least, I was not enthused by what my intuition told me. I was almost certain they were the size of a large dog. Fortunately for us, they didn’t stray from their nesting spots. Either we weren’t worth the risk, or these particular bats were not of the blood-sucking, meat-eating variety.

Even stranger than the bats, though, were these odd flickering flames that danced on the sides of the northern cave wall. I couldn’t help but feel like something was looking at me from that direction. I asked Adeline, and she seemed just as puzzled by the sight. Taking all due caution, however, we decided not to investigate. In fact, our pace quickened a fair bit for the rest of the day after mulling over what we had seen.

To my pleasant surprise, it took us a mere five days of walking before we reached our destination: yet another dungeon. A large opening was carved into the cavern wall, supported by wooden beams. Old, beaten-up tracks flowed out from the portal: which was an olive green, rippling as ever. It was clear the tracks hadn’t been used in decades, which made sense given the rift.

It was an old mineshaft. The last dungeon we entered seemed to be influenced by the structure it inhabited, so my mind wandered with the possibility that the very same may happen here.

Adeline stopped short of entering the portal, turning to face me beforehand. “Let’s see.. I should give you as good a rundown as I can before we go in. You know, just in case we get a nasty surprise.” She sighed, “Inside this dungeon are these sort of scaled imps. They’re mean creatures, and they won’t hesitate to stick a knife in your gut. They’re incredibly skilled at working together, and they’re fast.”

She put her hand on her chin, thinking for a second. “I should probably mention.. They’re probably half our height? Err.. Sorry, I haven’t been in this dungeon in a few years. So maybe less than half?”

I nodded. The prospect of fighting small opponents didn’t exactly fill me with glee. Them being speedy and vicious also seemed worrying. At the very least, I probably didn’t have to fear for my barrier shattering, like with the minotaur.

“The last time I was in this dungeon, the boss was this extra-large imp. Its horns were curled up like a ram’s, and they were far too long.” She grinned, “I leapt onto its back and held onto one horn while driving my blade into its neck.” She did a stabbing motion with her hand, and then stopped, looking away bashfully, “It.. Kinda sent me flying after that, though. So I think that strategy only kind of works.”

I laughed, “Will we encounter these imps again, then?”

She put a hand on her hip, head tilted to the side as she was lost in thought. Then, she spoke once more, “Dungeon monsters can change sometimes, but they usually stay consistent from my experience? At the very least, the color usually shifts if the population’s changed.” She glanced over at the portal, “But it’s still the same color, as far as I can tell. Not that I have a perfect memory.”  

I took a deep breath, giving the portal another look. “I think that I’m ready as I can be.. Should we enter?”

Adeline grinned, “Yup.” Then, she was gone, already through the portal and into the other side. I rushed through after her, hoping the lack of delay would make it less likely for any kind of ‘randomized entry.’

[You have entered ‘Old Adamant Mines (C)’]

After the light from being shifted through the portal faded, I opened my eyes to see the interior of a well-constructed mineshaft, and Adeline beside me, fortunately. Most that I knew of were cramped, and barely held together. This one was spacious. The tracks continued in front of us, leading into an open room, which had a few other tunnels leading in different directions.

Adeline strolled ahead, peering all around the room with a nonchalance that I simply could not get used to. “Looks about the same?” She kicked a rock lightly, “I mean.. The layout is different, but the look is the same.”

I looked back over at where we appeared. Behind us was what looked like what might be the exit, but the portal-stuff that filled the area was blacker than pitch, and it wasn’t rippling even a bit. Adeline must have seen me taking a look at it, because she made a comment, “I guess you haven’t seen an inert entrance, huh. Gods, you really did get unlucky on your first..”

She walked over to the mass of black, poking it. Her finger stopped, as if touching a solid, sturdy wall. “Typically when you enter a dungeon, the entrance is right behind you. Except, it doesn’t just let you leave. You usually have to clear out the dungeon proper before you do, and most people just use the exit portal. But, you could probably leave through this one if you felt like it..?”

She perked up, “Oh, right!” Reaching into one of our bags, she pulled out small stone tablets, etched with odd glyphs. “These are return tablets, you can get them sometimes as a dungeon reward. They let you leave a dungeon with no penalty whatsoever.” Adeline grinned, handing me a tablet, which I gratefully accepted. “Hopefully we don’t need these things, though. Still, it’s good to keep it in mind. Just shatter it against the ground if things are getting too dangerous.”

I nodded, glancing back into the room on a whim. It felt like I was being looked at again.

Dancing on the edge of my peripheral vision, I saw a few small, sparking fires, which quickly dissipated as soon as I got a proper look into the room. “..Adeline?” I activated [Aesthesia], concentrating as I tried to pick up anything.

“Mm?”

“I saw those fires again.. I- M-maybe? Whatever it was, it vanished before I could get a very good look at it.” I bit my lip, a little frustrated. The fires did seem to have disappeared completely from the room. Even with [Aesthesia], I couldn’t detect the presence any longer.

Adeline rubbed her brow, grumbling to herself, “Fires.. Fires.. Disembodied fires..” She paced around the room, “I know I’ve heard about something like this. But where..? It was something to do with the dwarves.. But, gods.. They adore fire, it could be anything!”

There was something about these mysterious fires that didn’t quite sit right with me. I saw them outside of the dungeon, so how in the world could they be in the dungeon..?

As if reading my thoughts, Adeline mumbled, “How in the hells did it enter the dungeon, then..?” Her hand shot away from her mouth, and her eyes went wide. She rushed to my side, both of her hands on either one of the Fangs in their scabbards. “I don’t mean to be paranoid, but the only thing that can enter a dungeon like this is another awakened.” Adeline’s eyelids lowered as she began to focus, “The last thing I want is to get a dagger in the back after defeating the dungeon boss.”

Adeline partially drew one of her blades, yelling out for the entirety of the dungeon to hear, “Come out, you damned Hunters! I can promise you that the price of desertion is hardly as bad as what you’ll get from me, even if you catch me off guard! I’ll-”

A small, squeaky voice came from around one of the tunnels, “W-wait, wait! Madame, I plead of you, wait for but a moment!”

A deeper, yet somehow still squeaky voice came from near the first, “I told you, Charlie! Even if the girl is marked, ‘tis clear she keeps brutish company.”

The first voice spoke up once more, “M-madame, with the hair green as the sea, would you.. K-kindly allow us to enter..?”

I looked at Adeline, and she shrugged, seemingly just as confused as I was. “..I.. S-suppose..?”

Five shadowy figures emerged from where the voices came. Rather short figures. About a third of my height, if I had to estimate. They appeared to be wreathed in a comforting fire, like that of a candle. I couldn’t exactly make out what they were supposed to be, though.

The figure in the middle clasped their hands together, speaking up with the same voice as before, “R-right-o, then! Erm.. F-first I suppose I should..” They turned to address the rest of them, “T-this is what we’ve been waiting for, my friends! ‘Tis obvious she is the one who will address the scourge dwelling within our home.”

A few of the figures shuffled over, peering at me curiously. It was odd to me, even then, that I could discern their curiosity even through those vague forms.

The middle figure turned back to me once more, “M-madame..! We will be just one moment.” They clapped their hands together, a hissing sound coming from it along with a plume of smoke. The smoke quickly rose to the ceiling of the mines, only to disappear immediately after.

No more were the figures shadows, instead, they were.. Mice-people? They all had varying colors of fur, and wore rather nice, flowy garments. Each of them had a lantern on their belt, along with a pickaxe fitting for their size. They had long whiskers, and thin tails that stuck out through their clothes. Not to mention big, round ears. I was trying my very hardest to not think of them as “cute.” It.. Wasn’t working. 

Adeline glanced over at me, and then back at them. She stepped back, putting her hands up almost defensively, a worried look on her face. “K-kobolds? They’re real?”