After being left behind by Kana with far too many questions still spinning around my head but no answers forthcoming I eventually just shrug and follow after deciding that I can slowly get things cleared up as we go.
After catching up, thankfully Kana didn’t actually walk too far. Lilly proposed a question that seed fairly prudent given their current objective. "So how exactly are we supposed to find this dungeon? Is there supposed to be a glowing sign pointing us in the right direction or sothing?" This does cause Kana to pause while thinking about it.
Eventually she shrugs and says. "Well we have two options really, one we thodically search the surrounding till we find sothing, with the alternative which I personally would much prefer is following your quest." She finally answers.
I pause at this. "Umm how are we supposed to follow my quest? It doesn’t exactly have any indicator as to where I should go to find the dungeon. At least I don’t think it does?" Before giving Kana ti to reply I reopen the quest screen to double check if there isn’t a guild or directional indicator hidden sowhere.
[New Quest Available
You are passing by a newly ford dungeon, dare you risk its depths for the chance of its riches?
Reward - 1 magical item of copper rank or higher with the chance of an addition boon from your patron depending on outco]
Trying to investigate the quest so more I try ntally prodding different parts of the screen to see if anything happens. When nothing does and I’m about to close it down Kana finally speaks up. "Well have you accepted the quest yet or is it still saying quest available?" I could almost slap myself for not thinking of that earlier and quickly think of accepting the quest. Thankfully sothing new does happen. Whilst the only change on the quest scree is the line of new quest available has now changed to just Quest. However that’s not the thing that has excited. No i can now feel a tug for lack of a better word in a particular direction.
Feeling this tub I turn right back around and call over my shoulder. "Well you just took us in the wrong direction for a while there so back we go!" I laugh as I hear Kana mumble under her breath about stupid elves and their stupid systems.
With now leading the way we make decent enough ti navigating through the Forrest. Whilst doing so I am sure to keep my head on a swivel, but I also notice that I have yet to et any dangerous wildlife so long as you don’t count the goblins. Thinking on that I question Kana on it wondering if it’s common to go so long without any incidents. It seems my question has sowhat stumped her as she takes a mont to answer. "Now that you ntion it we really haven’t been attacked by anything, I haven’t even had any insects try to bite when I’m near you." After a mont she adds. "But when I went hunting yesterday I did have so critters try to take a nibble out of . Might be because of your nature magic affinity? I can’t think of any other reason as to why thing are avoiding you." Her logic does make sense, ever since I unlocked my affinity I have felt a certain, connection? With the Forrest around . It’s to the point that I can feel a sense of reassurance seeming coming from the mana all around .
Deciding to leave that thought for now I instead decide to bring up a much more pressing issue. "So what exactly is a dungeon and what can we expect to encounter within it?" I ask my ever helpful companion.
"Well dungeons are basically zones of condensed mana, this increase is mana density attracts a variety of monsters to settle in the area around it. Eventually if the mana density reaches a critical level a Dungeon Core can be ford. They are basically super condensed forms of magic that is attuned to the monsters that surround it. Due to this attainnt the nearby monsters will grow stronger over ti and will work to defend the core which in turn slowly growing in strength and further strengthening its defenders."
Hmm so it’s basically a symbiotic relationship where the higher the mana density the more monsters gather which strengthens the core which in turn strengthen the monsters. "Ok that makes sense, so are they underground or will it just have taken over a valley or sothing similar?" I ask.
"Well dungeon cores tend to condense underground as that is where the mana density is higher, the monsters will naturally want to dig their way closer and the core itself has so minor terraforming capability’s so they do tend to be underground yes. Not to say they cannt be found on the surface but it is quite rare." She finishes.
"Alright so we can expect to have to fight through a bunch of monsters then?" I ask with so hesitancy.
She hums before answering. "Well your quest doesn’t specify that we have to destroy the dungeon just that we have to investigate right?"
Now it’s my turn to consider, because whilst it’s true that it doesn’t say I have to destroy the dungeon the bit about varied rewards does indicate to that if I ’go the extra mile’ the reward i receive will in turn be greater. "Well I think I will likely get a better reward if we manage to kill the dungeon insead of just looking at it from a distance."
Kana only nods at this before comnting as if it’s a common saying. "The greater the risk the greater the reward." And honestly I cannt argue with that based off my only other quest which had the potential of combat I unlocked my healing skill when I managed to fully wipe out the Goblin nest.
"Ok so how about size and number of monsters?" I ask. "You ntioned it’s likely not last a copper rank so what can we assu that their won’t be all too many monsters?"
Nodding at this Kana elaborates. "As its newly spawned chances are that either one or two reasonably strong monsters have gathered or a greater number of relatively weak ones. Personally I think we would be better against fewer but stronger opponents then many but weaker." I can only nod in agreent at this as my only real attack spell is quite limited by my mana supply.
Thinking about it the spell will also likely be quite weak against larger creatures. I scratch my chin as I try to co up with another option for attack other than slapping it with a vine. As I’m contemplating this my foot catches on an exposed root and I crash face first into the floor, grunting in pain. Annoyed at myself for getting so distracted I look at what tripped only to land on the sturdy root that took down, an idea slowly comming together.
Ignoring Kana’s giggles at my misfortune I focus my mind on my mana and work to incision what I want to happen, I picture my mana traveling down into the ground through the souls of my feet and traveling into the ground. From there I picture the mana forming a root and piercing up at my target. It takes a few minutes and almost half my mana before I can quite get a grasp of the correct ntal image only to feel it snap into place and on my next attempt I watch in joy as about 15m ahead of a root about my wrist in thickness rapidly bursts from the ground and stabs into my ’target’ with an audiable crack! My target in this case being a nearby tree.
The loud noise causes Kana to yelp in supprise and to do a little happy dance at my success! "What was that noise?" Kana hisses at . "And why are you bouncing around like a child?" I stop and pout at her for that comnt only getting an eye roll in return.
"That my adorably tall friend is a new spell I managed to create!" I proudly announce. And with those words it would seem that the system agrees.
[New spell unlocked - Root Strike]
The look of incredulity on Kana’s face fills with a joy I find hard to describe at that mont. With a shit eating grim I proudly announce. "Behold my new spell root strike!" And at my words another root similar to the one before shoots out of the ground in front of her stabbing into the space between us stopping at eye height for her. When the root burst out of the ground she managed to react fairly quickly jumping away but her look of slight fear and respect for my craft is apparent.
"Wow that is really impressive that you managed to co up with a spell all on your own! Is this your first original spell?" She asks of .
After giving it so thought I answer in the negative stating that I have managed to co up with 4 spells on my own although granted my elental flower spell was kind of accidental. After explaining what spells I created she quirks her head at the elental flower asking what it does. To which I demonstrate by summoning a flower but this ti I decide to try for a flower of cold instead of fire.
Slowly a glacier blue flower is ford above my palm looking so much like a lifelike ice sculpture of a flower instead of the real thing. "Oh wow it’s beautiful!" Kana exclaims! "Does it do anything else?" She asks as I too inspect the flower being careful not to touch it.
"Well I’m not exactly sure to be honest, the first ti I tried this I was trying to create a fla and summoned a fire flower which caught fire when I threw it onto the fire pit, that’s how I managed to get the fire going last night." I sheepishly explain. "This ti I tried to focus on cold and ice, so I’m assuming that it will release a burst of cold although I’m really not sure about now powerful it will be." Saying so I gestured with my hand and the flower gently floated over to a nearby bush before gently alighting on it before bursting into a wave of cold that froze the surroundings in about a foot of the flower.
"Well I cannt deny that it is beautiful but I don’t quite think it is a combat spell either." Kana summarises. And I can’t help but agree.
Regardless of that delight little interruption we continued on our journey with the feeling I was receiving getting stronger and stronger. After so more ti I eventually stop as we crested a hill and I could see down into a clearing that abutted a cliff face maybe 100-150m away, and on that cliff face there is a reasonable my large cave entrance. However, it wasn’t the cave entrance that caught my eye or Kana’s when she caught up to , it was instead focused on the large green bear that much have been two and a half tres tall and at least 4 tres in length that was laid out in the sun having a nap.
Turning to Kana I saw her face pale as I asked. "Umm Kana, I don’t want to just to conclusions. But that wouldn’t happen to be a moss bear now would it?" The half succubus’s only respond was a single jerky nod. "Well that’s not fair now is it." I huffed.
———-
A rematch for Kana? Or an early demis for them both? Find out next ti! or don’t up to you!
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