Assault, page 15
[Hold non-critical alerts please.]
When it is one foot away, I move my right hand and quickly slam it into its neck. At the same time, the eighteen-inch blade that comes with my armor ejects from my wrist in less than a second and pierces the dog’s earthen hide. The knife goes in one side, through its neck, and out the other.
The dog makes a slight yelping sound and is still.
Target terminated . . .
I told you, you smell . . .
I [Inventory] its body just as I hear a howl and scrambling clawed paws approaching. Shit, they heard the yelp. I put my back to the boulder and prepare a few windblades. One dingo scrambles around a boulder, and I launch a blade. It contacts the dingo’s shoulder, and the canine falls with a loud yelp. But it immediately gets back to its feet, the fur where it hit is a little torn but not oozing blood.
Air blades don’t damage earth armor. Didn’t you learn from the bear? . . .
She’s referring to a diseased earth affinity bear that I barely managed to survive way back when I first met Aria and her family.
[Fuck, I forgot. I’m trying not to use fire.]
I dismiss the windblades and put a darkness bubble around the dingo. It stumbles and falls and gives the impression of howling inside the bubble. I release it, press my hands to the ground and send ice mana into it. I press and spread the desire to stop all movement. A layer of ice fans out from me, and I hear the cracking and crunching sounds of the ice as it freezes the grass and stones. The dog tries to get back to its feet, yelps, and attempts to scrabble away as the ice climbs up its body until it is fully encased in a layer of frost, totally still.
Eight more, including one big one, lope towards me but start slipping on the ice. I keep sending the ice mana and specifically push it towards the dogs. The fallen bodies start turning white and blue. Only the largest is able to get up. It makes a strange leap into the air, and when it lands, a wave of earth explodes out from it and breaks up the ice around it, freeing a few of its pack.
Target terminated . . .
That must be the first one I froze; so it takes a while like death magica.
Warning! Host has 10% remaining mana . . .
Well, shit. I release the ice mana and start to glow green as I send nature mana into the grass around me and sing to it. The largest dingo barks at the others, and they charge at me. I mentally press the grass, and it flares green, raises from the ground, and starts tripping or wrapping itself around the ankles and legs of the pack. All of the running dogs fall over and start to get wrapped up. I press harder, and the grass glows stronger. I start hearing cracking sounds followed by yelping and whining.
Target terminated . . .
Target terminated . . .
Target terminated . . .
The big dingo once again leaps straight into the air, and when it lands, the earth wave happens again. Suddenly, my mana flowing to the grass is disrupted, and all the glowing ends. I feel a sharp pain in my head as some of the mana snaps back into me.
[Ouch. What the fuck was that?]
A backlash of unused but directed mana returning back to you. Quite a clever attack by that canine. You took some damage from it but are fine now . . .
The big one growls and shows me its massive teeth and makes snapping sounds as it bites at the air. The dingos without broken bones get up and do the same. All growling and barking, the remainder of the pack arrives from the other side, and I’m surrounded with only the boulder to my back.
Fuck.
[Max audio and visual filtering.]
Closing my eyes, I release a huge blast of light mana right above my head and the entire pack yelps. I open my eyes, seeing every member of the pack, including the big one, on the ground pawing at their eyes. And an alert.
Warning! Host has 5% remaining mana . . .
I spread all ten of my fingers wide, aim one hand at the big group to the right and the other to the smaller group on the left, and split one half of my remaining mana between each hand. Then I release it and a huge stream of blindingly bright purple lightning explodes from my hands and engulfs all the dogs on each side.
It happens in just a second, but I feel like I’ve run for miles. I’m panting looking at the dogs. There is still lightning running along and jumping between each canine. I lean my back against the stone and catch my breath. The dogs are still twitching and whining when my mana reaches ten percent.
I walk to the larger group and then kneel in front of the big dog. I repeat the process of slamming my armor’s retracting blade into its neck.
Target terminated . . .
The greatest threat dealt with, I sit and take a few breaths. Thinking of what I have that doesn’t use a ton of mana, I focus, and a black oozing cloud slowly seeps from me in all directions. The smoke exudes from me, slowly enveloping every canine in the pile. And I start snuffing the light of their lives, first one at a time, then more. Then I envelope all the light so I can suck it dry. It almost feels like I can absorb that light for myself.
Thinking about that feeling, I stand up, still surrounded by the blackness, and point at the other pile of twitching dogs. Lines of black smoke ooze their way across the ground like living serpents. Each canine is wrapped around the chest, and the black lines get thicker as I suck the foul stench of living energy. The last of the light fades, and I feel very slightly strengthened from what I drained through these serpents. Taking a breath, I release all the mana, wobble, and collapse onto my butt, taking gasping breaths.
[Well, that was fun.]
Yes. Fun . . .
I put my back to the big boulder that started all this to recover my mana. I feel a tingle.
You might want to move away from the stone . . .
I roll away and turn towards it. It starts to glow brown, and cracks appear all over its surface. Pieces begin falling off into small then larger chunks. And then it seems to just collapse down into the ground in fragments where a ten-foot black hole into nothingness is all that is left.
Oh. I wasn’t expecting that. I slowly walk towards the hole and look down. What I see is a path, almost a ramp, moving farther into the darkness below ground.
[Jo, what the fuck is that doing here?]
Umm. Vic. If that is what I think it is . . . well, step inside, but don’t go too far . . .
[You know I trust you, but can you give me more?]
I will if you like, but I’d rather not. Just step inside. I’ll tell you shortly either way . . .
[Okay. If you say so.]
I step on the slope and start my way down. About ten feet in, the dirt changes to stone and I get an alert.
Warning! Host has entered an area of high-density earth mana . . .
Shitballs, Vic, I was right! . . .
[I’m happy for you. But what does that mean? Is there some risk?]
Well, yes and no. You lucky little shit. You found a dungeon! . . .
Chapter 28
I’m silent for a few seconds, still standing stock still.
[Jo, dungeons aren’t supposed to be real.]
What? Who told you that? Of course they’re real. Every nanomachine consciousness would know that . . .
[Maybe it is something kept from non-Specials then. It’s not like I had a normal activation and any training or lessons.]
Could be. Any non-Special human who enters will die from mana poisoning, so it’s likely to keep the population safe . . .
[All I know about dungeons is that they are supposedly fictional pockets of death with lots of monsters and beasts.]
That’s all just a bunch of nonsense. Dungeons are the consequence of a stable dimensional tear resulting in a localized phenomenon of highly concentrated mana. Depending on the location of both the source and end of the tear, the mana could be a single or variety of affinities. This one is clearly earth and is heavily focused on stone. If there were a tear with opposing mana on each side, the tear would explode and cause a mana flood like with your mines . . .
[Wow. So I got both lucky and not, I suppose.]
Yes. Because of the high density, many things can occur in a dungeon. A variety of creatures will usually be attracted, assuming the affinity is something they are interested in. Ores and lodes tend to form if the mana matches the surrounding molecular structure. The beasts that do stay in a dungeon feed off the excessive mana and are generally stronger and more dangerous. The other side of that copper is the creatures offer better materials. Stronger hides, harder bones, et cetera. Additionally, the ores and lodes are so overwhelmed with mana they tend to be very full and also replenish quickly. The trick of it is, the size, depth, and whatnot of each dungeon are random and completely depend on the size of the tear, the amount of mana leaking through, and its compatibility with the environment. Naturally, the closer the creature or resource is to the tear, the stronger it is. Of course, not all creatures get along well, so there are often battles, usually quite violent ones, that result in individual beasts being stronger than others in particular areas. The gnomes coined the term “dungeon”—we don’t know why—and use a term that translates to “boss” in Common for these extra-strong creatures. It’s ridiculous, I know, but gnomes figured this stuff out and declared they get to name things. Nobody cared enough to argue, and you know how hierarchical they are in both business and family . . .
[Okay then. Sounds like a chat with Mr. Whyatt is in order. It also seems to me we know what the other marked location is. It’s on the coast, so water affinity seems likely. We should go in with swimming and breathing gear.]
I will search for the appropriate armaments to conduct a deep water search . . .
[So do we claim this like a lode or buy the land or what?]
I would recommend an exploration to discover the value. If it is a tiny one with little value, don’t waste the coin. If it has value, then buy the land and claim it. It could even be big enough for a dungeon town, though that is unlikely . . .
[I’m not equipped for this yet. Let’s wait until I’m stronger and fully armed. Maybe Aria will be strong enough to join by then.]
I return to the transport and fly home.
[Erase any record of our trip.]
Done . . .
A few minutes into the journey, I ask Jo to take control.
[While you’re flying, let’s see the alerts.]
Skill updated. Passive skill [Ice Mana Manipulation] has leveled from 3 to 6 . . .
Skill updated. Passive skill [Nature Mana Manipulation] has leveled from 7 to 9 . . .
Skill updated. Passive skill [Death Mana Manipulation] is now level 10 . . .
No further progress is available for [Death Mana Manipulation] until an advanced version of this skill is activated. All mana used to advance nanomachines for skill [Death Mana Manipulation] is now directed to overall nanomachine advancement . . .
[Death Mana Manipulation] has evolved . . .
New skill activated. Passive skill [Absorptive Death Mana Manipulation] now available for use . . .
Host has absorbed 13 health and mana from Earth Mana-Infused Wild Dog . . .
Host has absorbed 7 health and mana from Earth Mana-Infused Wild Dog . . .
Host has absorbed 11 health and mana from Earth Mana-Infused Wild Dog . . .
Host has absorbed 10 health and mana from Earth Mana-Infused Wild Dog . . .
Skill updated. Passive skill [Absorptive Death Mana Manipulation] has leveled from 0 to 3 . . .
[What an interesting skill. The absorption is far too low to actually be useful, though.]
It will likely increase in potency as you increase its level. I’ll give you a kill summary rather than the individual breakout . . .
16 Earth Mana-Infused Wild Dogs—25,633.71 mana essence
1 Earth Mana-Infused Wild Dog Alpha—6,101.48 mana essence
New Achievement activated. For destroying an entire pack of canines by yourself, the Achievement Dog Destroyer is now available. This Achievement grants you +5% damage against any pack of canines. This increases by 5% for each pack destroyed. Do you wish to show or hide your Achievement?
There you go. Nice job, puppy killer! . . .
[Hey! It’s not like I went looking for them. What? You like dogs that much?]
You just had to poke the big rock . . .
[Well. Yeah.]
I’m not flying anymore . . .
I jerk my hands onto the control pads. Wow.
Chapter 29
When I get home, I take a long bath. I can’t wait to tell Aria. I happen to be still in the bath when she comes home and joins me, clearly exhausted.
She sits in her usual spot on my lap. I rub her hair and hold her for a few minutes before I can’t keep it in anymore. I say, “Hey, love. You’ll never guess what I did today.”
Her head pressed to my chest, she mumbles quietly, “Hmm?”
“I found a dungeon.”
And there is silence. Nothing. More time passes. Was my news so momentous she is speechless? I look down and she is asleep.
I sigh. Yep. I’m such a lady killer.
I carry her out of the tub, let the crystal dry us, and climb into bed still holding her. I fall asleep with a smile shortly after having an interesting thought about the dungeon’s future.
***
The next morning I try again. Over pre-workout fruit, I say, “Hey, love. You’ll never guess what I did yesterday.”
“What’s that?”
“You know about the mysterious map coordinates I got from the blue slaver guy?” She nods. “I went to track down the one to the east. I found an area flattened by rocks and . . .”
I tell the story of the canines up to the stone breaking.
“Are you planning on dressing all those yourself?”
I nod. “Yes, I want to up my skills and saturation. But that isn’t the big news. I have big news. It’s huge news. Or at least I think it.”
She giggles at me. “Okay. So share.”
I sit up straight in my chair and give a huge proud smile. “I found a dungeon!”
Aria nearly chokes on a red berry. She recovers with some water and asks, “Are you serious?”
I nod. “Totally. It’s an earth affinity one.”
She looks off in the distance for a few seconds. She’s thinking of something. What?
“You need to explore it, Vic. I’m not ready, but you should fully arm up and explore it. You need to know how big or small it is. If it’s big, then maybe we build something there. And the other map marker is probably the same, right?” I nod. “Then you need to prioritize that. Not a full exploration, just go as far as you easily can and see how much it’s worth. You could probably sell it to Mr. Whyatt for half the value of this building.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think I want to sell it to Whyatt. I think, if it is big enough, I’ll set up a village or town or whatever. Most importantly, I want to put a Hunters Guild there.”
She blinks at that and then gives me one of her glowing smiles that makes me stop functioning properly. “You know when Jo says you are a clever little shit? She’s right. Jo, order him a full dungeon diving kit.”
***
Four days later, I bring my fully equipped prospecting team and drop them off one by one around the mountain range. They all look very excited. I don’t blame them; it was kind of fun when I did that. The climbing around, risk of falling to my doom, finding a vein or lode. It is all very dramatic.
After dropping off the final prospector, I fly around looking for something specific. I need a mountain, not too huge, but big enough to have a substantial amount of snow on top. It takes me a while, but to the east of my prospective home base/mountain, there is a smaller one that Jo tells me used to be called “Little Tahoma Peak” according to Franklin. It doesn’t look too little to me, but it just keeps proving I haven’t a clue what those old weirdos from pre-Invasion were thinking.
I fly the transport to an area that is vertically flat. The transport is right up to it, so I am only six inches away.
[Okay, Jo. This is going to suck like getting sat on by a sick dragon. I expect to fall unconscious from either the stress or pain. Or I might burst. Whatever. It isn’t going to be good. So I am going to stay in the transport and give this a shot. If anything goes wrong, I’m letting Aria blame you.]
Wait a sec—
I reach out, touch the stone, focus hard, and say in my mind Send to [Living Inventory].
I remember a pull, pain, a loud sound like a thunderclap, and nothing else.
***
I wake in so much pain. All I can do is feel pain. Then I black out again. That cycle repeats itself I don’t know how many times.
Then I finally wake without pain. I’m lying on the floor of the passenger/holding deck of my transport. “I really need to name this vehicle.”
Vic, how do you feel? . . .
I move around and find no issues.
[I feel great now. That went about as badly as I expected. Where are we?]
About halfway to Sea Saddle City from your suicide attempt . . .
[It wasn’t that bad.]
Vic, your health dropped by half and then kept dropping. Your enhanced regeneration is the only reason you’re not dead . . .
[Right. Then it worked. Go back. I want to see the mountain.]
It worked! . . .
I wince at the yell in my head.
You just forced your nanomachines to move, literally, half a mountain’s worth of material! . . .
I frown. [I only got half the mountain?]
AAAAHHHHH! . . .
I wince again as she screams in my head even louder.
[Can we go back? I need to see what happened.]
NO! I’m taking you home, telling Aria what you did, and then I’m going watch and laugh hysterically as she kicks your stupid suicidal ass across the floor and off the balcony . . .
[That’s so mean, Jo. I’m fine.]
No, Vic, you are not fine. You are clearly mentally deficient . . .
I move to a seat in the front and lie back in the seat.
