The First Dungeon Diving Healer 2: A Dungeon Diving Litrpg Gamelit Fantasy, page 2
“I feed those who feed the masters,” the orc growled with a sneer. “In short…I season their blood. Too bad there aren’t enough spices in the world to make yours appetizing.”
“You won’t get a drop from me.”
“One drop?” Boris chuckled with a raised brow over a beady eye. “I’ll take it all, filth.”
Boris rushed forward with a surprising amount of speed that no one his size should possess. Kal could only watch as Dorian tried to parry one of the cleavers, only to have his sword batted aside by the orc’s superior strength. Dorian’s hip slammed into the counter. His hand struck the unforgiving surface next. Sadly, it was the sword hand, and the weapon bounced harmlessly to the floor on the other side.
“Dorian!”
Matesia wasted no time coming to her partner’s aid. The halfling dashed in and slashed across the orc’s back several times, snarling and hissing with each attack. Boris didn’t even notice. He swung down with one of the cleavers, narrowly missing Dorian’s arm thanks to the quick reflexes of the swordsman.
Boris is barely affected by her attacks, Kal thought to himself as he watched the battle unfold. Why did they think they could take him if this is all they can muster? Wait! If Boris kills him…
Kal found the loophole he needed to get out of his predicament. Wishing for it left him sick to his stomach, but it was the first escape plan to present itself. If Dorian died, he wouldn’t be able to blackmail Kal, who would become free to get back to his life. It wasn’t just a matter of whether he could stomach letting Dorian die, though. He had to do something about Matesia and the mystery person in the silver mask.
I’m not saying that I’ll allow them to die, he thought as Dorian darted left and right to avoid the chef’s heavy swings, but it’d be smarter to wait until I have all three of them in a dungeon.
Today wasn’t the day, so he pulled his shield off his back and waited for an opening. Dorian dove to his right to avoid both cleavers as they swung downward. It was a close call, but it left the orc’s shoulder exposed to Kal, who swallowed hard and charged in to perform a shield slam. Kal assumed that he wasn’t strong enough to hurt the orc at his current level, but the evidence left him dumbfounded. Not only did the shield slam disrupt the chef’s attack, but it sent him hip-first into the counter, crushing a rib with a sickening snap. It also left one of the cleavers on the counter. The orc groaned as he reached for it, but Matesia never gave him the opportunity. She jumped onto the counter and slid toward the weapon on her knees, all while raising one of her daggers above her head. With a cry, she slammed the dagger down on the orc’s hand, pinning the palm against the wood while preventing him from reclaiming the weapon.
Dorian retrieved his sword while the orc was stunned. Seconds later, the swordsman and the rogue converged on the brute, hacking and slashing away while Boris flailed his other cleaver about helplessly. Kal almost felt bad for the orc, but his emotions didn’t stop him from getting a few licks in with the morning star. Seconds later, the orc slumped to his knees with his pinned hand preventing him from going face-first onto the floor.
“Well, that could have gone better,” Dorian groaned and picked up one of the cleavers, only to watch it turn to dust once it was in his hand. “Damn. I was counting on selling that. Try the other one.”
“I don’t know if I can bend over,” Matesia grumbled, clutching her stomach. “In fact, I think I’m going to get sick.”
Dorian looked over at Kal, snapped his fingers, and pointed at his partner. Kal felt like a servant, but he swallowed his discontent and walked over to put a hand on Matesia’s stomach. She flinched when she saw his hand reaching for her, but the nod Dorian gave her led to her pulling her hand away to allow Dorian to proceed. His hand lit up with healing magic that soothed her injuries. She glared at him with confusion in her yellow eyes, even though she’d witnessed him heal Addison when Dorian stabbed her.
Kal was about to pull away when he felt something strange. His left hip vibrated. Kal started to reach for it, fearing that something was attacking him, but wisdom stilled his hand. Whatever it was, it didn’t hurt, and he didn’t want them to see him react to it. It came from his holding sack, so he made a mental note to check its contents once he had some privacy.
“Any more excuses?” Dorian sighed and raised a brow.
Matesia was still stunned by the healing magic, but she snapped herself back into the moment and bent down to pick up the other cleaver. It too turned into dust in her hand, making Kal wonder why he was able to loot both cleavers the last time he was in Ranthir.
“Well, that’s a bit disappointing,” Dorian groaned before emptying Boris’s pockets. He returned with two gold coins, five silvers, and a handful of coppers. The jerk pocketed them all, but he held out his hand toward Kal with two copper coins pinched between his fingers. “I know that I’m blackmailing you, but you still need to eat.”
“Great, I will be able to afford some salt for the dirt pie,” Kal breathed and held out his hand to accept the offer.
Dorian didn’t drop the coins, though. The comment didn’t sit well with the swordsman, and he proved it by flinging the coins over his shoulder while staring at Kal. “Fetch.”
The stand-off began. Kal and Dorian stared at one another, each waiting for the other to break. Kal refused to budge, not for two coppers. He was at Dorian’s mercy, but he still had his pride.
“You should think this through, Dorian,” Matesia growled and jerked his arm. “He just saved your life. In fact, he probably saved us both.”
“Is that what you think?” Dorian laughed and pulled his arm out of her grasp. “Did his little shield slam impress you that much? I’d tell you to bend over the counter if you’re that thankful, but we’re on a schedule. Let’s go see if the guardian is at the stairs today.”
Dorian glared at Kal for another second, then he shouldered his sword and returned to the dining room. Kal watched him leave, knowing that Matesia was staring at him the entire time. When the swordsman was gone, he let out a breath, hefted the morning star, and started toward the door. Matesia blocked his path. When he turned his eyes, he found her holding two silver coins between her fingers, which she discreetly deposited in his coin sack.
“Thank you. One for saving us, and the second for healing me.”
That was it. The halfling didn’t smile or say another word. They were square, so she headed through the door, leaving him alone with his problems.
The trio backtracked to the main door, then took the other hallway, a choice that forced them to fight one cluster of familiars after another to reach the aforementioned stairwell. Despite the numbers, the battles were far easier than the one with Boris, and the years of experience between Matesia and Dorian were on full display as they hacked and slashed their way through the groups.
The pair leaned heavily on Kal’s presence. They fought recklessly, pausing just long enough for Kal to heal their wounds before they charged headlong into the next battle. They even broke down the locked doors to engage more familiars instead of skipping them, leaving the hallway littered with bodies in their wake.
The constant use of his spell left him lightheaded and exhausted, but the battles offered a clue toward solving the mystery of his vibrating holding bag. The odd event occurred whenever he healed one of his party members. He knew what caused it, but he still had to figure out what it meant.
Kal fought back his frustrations as he watched handfuls of silver and copper coins disappear into Dorian’s coin sack. The pair may have done most of the fighting, but they would have quit an hour ago if it weren’t for his healing ability.
“Woah, that might be a problem.”
Kal was watching Matesia slip a black book with silver on its cover into her sack, so he didn’t see what made Dorian call out right away. His stomach sank into his knees when he glanced at the foot of the stairs to find two foes who didn’t resemble the mass of familiars they’d fought. One of them was a pale woman with jet black hair that matched the knitted dress that clung to her frame. The other was a tall, fit man in leather armor who had a long sword with a black hilt halfway unsheathed before Kal saw him.
“The soldier is the guardian,” Matesia informed him as though she’d read his mind. “I don’t know who the bitch is, though.”
“Shella Vas,” Dorian whispered for unknown reasons. “She’s a rare spawn. Her loot will be valuable, but we’ll have to face them both at the same time. Kal, I hope your mana has filled up, because we’re going to need every last drop of it.”
“Dorian, we’ll need his help in the fight.”
“I believe I just said…”
“Not just as a healer!” she snapped and jerked his arm since he hadn’t looked away from the pair of vampires. “Our party isn’t big enough to take them down.”
“You want help from someone who couldn’t handle a familiar without your help?” he challenged with a lifted brow.
“That’s just it,” she groaned and moved in front of him to block his line of vision. “I didn’t help him. I just stood there and watched. The familiar got the upper hand, but he recovered and dealt with it himself.”
“Just a familiar.”
“Yeah, a familiar that was what? Eighteen levels above him?”
Kal didn’t need to look to know that Dorian’s eyes shifted from his partner to his healer. He didn’t know if the swordsman was contemplating following Matesia’s advice or question her sanity, but whatever thoughts danced about the man’s mind couldn’t be good.
“Matesia, keep her busy,” Dorian ordered with a wicked smirk. “Kal? You’re going to help me with the guardian.”
Dorian didn’t wait around for his words to settle in. The swordsman rushed at the pair recklessly, jumped, spun, and attempted to land a killing blow on the guardian. The tall vampire must have seen the entire display in slow motion because he made a simple side-step at the last second, sighed, and drew his weapon in one smooth motion. Not only did Dorian’s efforts come up empty, but he lost his balance, and he stumbled forward until his shoulder connected with the banister.
“Well, I guess this is as good a day as any to die,” Matesia groaned, readied her daggers, and raced in to slash at the woman in the tight dress. Kal thought the rogue had gotten the best of the woman since the blade was mere inches from her neck, all while her eyes faced the guardian and Dorian. His eyes deceived him. Matesia’s slash caught nothing but the wind, leaving her confused and spinning in every direction to locate her target.
Kal’s position allowed him to locate the woman first. She stood on the landing with one arm wrapped around her stomach and the opposite elbow on the other arm so she could prop her chin on her hand. She wore a wicked smile that exposed her long, sharp fangs, and he swore he could hear her chuckling at their pathetic efforts.
“Having fun, you vampiric bitch?” Dorian growled, clutching his shoulder while walking backward toward Kal. Kal knew the swordsman didn’t need his emotional support; he needed to be healed, so he put his hand on the swordsman's shoulder to mend it. Something hummed in his holding sack, but Kal ignored it while keeping his focus on the two vampires.
“Oh, I wish I were having fun,” the woman groaned from the landing. “I can’t recall the last time a group of adventurers proved challenging. So disappointing. I’m afraid that none of you are even worthy of becoming one of our familiars.”
The guardian didn’t add on with words, but he did take a moment to aim his sword at Kal.
“Yes, I noticed as well. I can’t recall the last time we felt the divine presence in these halls. A hundred years? Two hundred?”
“Ranthir has only been in Harth for seventy-five, dumbass,” Dorian chuckled. “Stop the monologuing and fight you stupid…”
Kal sprang into action. He mistakenly believed that her previous display was a teleportation spell. It wasn’t. She was fast. Impossibly fast, and he barely got the shield in front of Dorian’s face in time to prevent his good looks from being ruined. Her claws scraped against the metal with a sickening sound. Dorian jumped back, but the woman merely turned her head and glared at Kal.
“A bold move for someone of your level, adventurer,” the woman spoke with a hint of curiosity in her smooth voice. “You lack the reflexes necessary to thwart my attacks, so you must have anticipated it. Impressive. I would be worried if you were but a few levels higher. You will become a force to be reckoned with once you’ve earned your subclass. My curiosity begs me to spare you so you may return to challenge me properly. On the other hand, why should I let you live to kill me tomorrow? That would be…”
Matesia made two fatal mistakes. First, she tried to attack the woman, despite the fact that she was far too fast. Second, she growled before she lunged, which gave her away. The woman caught her by the wrist, bent it, and used her other hand to grab at the halfling’s throat before Kal could even blink. Dorian hurried around Kal’s shield to lunge at her back with his sword, but the guardian, who everyone forgot about, snatched his blade before it could land.
“You keep aggressive company,” the woman breathed with a deep sigh. “These two are beneath you, yet you protect them as though their lives have meaning. Explain this to me, and I may let you walk out of here alive.”
“He’s here for money, experience, and loot,” Dorian growled as he tried to rip his sword free from the guardian’s grip. “Just like the rest of us.”
“No,” she uttered, shaking her head as her eyes locked in on Kal. “He is noble. He didn’t come here for riches. Now then, young man, why do you fight to save them when they wouldn’t do the same for you?”
Kal swallowed hard. He wanted to look to Dorian for guidance, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the vampire’s hypnotic gaze. “I serve him. That is why I came. As for why I fight to save them? Well, I suppose I would have to blame that on the value I place on every life.”
“Gods, we’re dead,” Matesia groaned.
“No,” the vampire countered, her eyes never leaving Kal. “He spoke the truth, even though it pained him to say it. You are free to leave.”
The woman released Matesia’s throat, then pushed the guardian’s chest until he took the hint to release Dorian’s sword and back away. Kal didn’t trust them, so he stood firm until both of his party members were behind him.
“That man will get you killed,” the vampire stated coldly. “You should pay whatever you owe him and part ways. In the meantime, take this.”
The vampire slid a bracelet from her wrist, turned to Dorian, and tossed it at him. Dorian dropped the sword the catch it, proving which of the two he valued more.
3
Exhaustion kicked in before Kal left the dungeon hall. Dorian made him pay his portion of the royalty fee, even though the swordsman had pocketed the majority of the earnings. He headed home with only seventy coppers to his name, which included the fifty he earned from working at the clinic. Nothing was said about the bracelet, which made Kal question if Dorian had a ‘special’ holding bag like the one Keona used.
The vampire’s words clung to him as he headed back. Dorian would be the death of him. Kal suspected as much from the start, but hearing a dungeon occupant suggest it made the concern hit harder.
It was almost seven when he arrived. Too late for dinner, he figured, so he headed to his cottage with a growling stomach. He could see someone with red hair in front of his door. He wasn’t in the mood to speak to someone, which must have alerted fate since the backdoor to the main house opened when he passed.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re trying to avoid me.”
It took every ounce of restraint he had not to groan. With a heavy heart, he turned and faked a smile at Mrs. Dobbs, reminding himself to keep her in the dark when it came to his new relationship with her husband.
“Mrs. Dobbs,” he managed with a polite tone. “Do you need something?”
“I want you to take this,” she replied and held out a plate wrapped in foil. “Also, and I hate that I have to bring it up, but there is something I need from you.”
Kal’s imagination took a dark turn for a moment, and he pictured her leading him to her bedroom to fulfill her needs. That wasn’t what she meant, and he knew it, so he opened his coin sack and pulled out a handful of coppers.
“Thank you,” she whimpered and collected the coins. “I hate asking since you’ve done so much for me, but I need the money.”
Especially since your husband took out a loan that you have to pay for now.
“I understand. Thank you for saving me a plate. I ran a bit late today.”
“At the clinic?” she questioned with a lifted brow. “I thought Alvert was strict on shutting down on time.”
He didn’t want to tell her that he was at the dungeon hall, even though he could have expressed the fact without mentioning her husband. It felt like stepping too close to a slippery slope, so he made up a lie that would end the conversation.
“Someone came in with a stomach bug. Let’s just say that the examination room required a long, thorough cleaning, and leave it at that.”
“Oh, you poor thing,” she whined and took a step forward to put her hands around his arm. “Addy was always a sick kid, so I get it. You probably want to clean up. Do you need the shower?”
Only if you join me.
Her hands tightened around his arm, leaving him fearful that he’d spoken the enticing phrase instead of thinking it. He knew better, though, so he let out a breath and forced a weak smile.
“I think I just want to eat and get to bed. If one person is sick, then others will follow.”
“A bit soon for flu season, but…” She must have caught on that he was trying to end the conversation, because she gave his arm a squeeze and backed away. Kal watched her leave, straining not to look down at her full bottom as she walked, or the curve of her bosom when she turned to wave goodbye. He waved back with a natural smile, likely the first he’d given on that day.
And now you just have to deal with the other redhead.
