With how excited Rumi had been about the Incursions starting, Izuku was surprised that the first day had actually been… pretty boring, so far.
It was almost sunset, and he'd fought exactly 3 monsters the whole time, which were two of the [Sea Newts] and a [Poison Dart Frog]. They weren't even that difficult, just annoying.
The [Sea Newt]s were capable of regenerating lost limbs, and the [Poison Dart Frog] literally spat small darts covered in poison at him, forcing him to stay moving the whole time.
Izuku sat on the front stairs of the Dungeon Hall with [Steelbringer] sheathed over his legs, waiting for Rumi to call out to him that something else had shown up. Sir Ratsudon darted around the perimeter of the square as well and would tell him if Rumi missed anything.
He had also seen the summon seemingly… practising? It would dart back and forth and bite the air like it was fighting something, but there was never anything around when it did, almost like it was shadow-boxing.
The good thing was though, that with how weak the monsters that had shown up had been, it had been Sir Ratsudon that had actually fought the [Poison Dart Frog] one on one while Izuku dealt with the [Sea Newts].
"Sir Ratsudon" [1]
[A large, semi-corporeal rat, about the size of a house cat]
[Can be used for scouting, and collecting small items]
Actions: [Bite: 2 Mana] [?] [?]
Summon Cost: [20] Mana
Duration: N/A (Until dismissed)
HP: 25 | Mana: 15 | Stamina: 25 | XP: 200
Nothing had changed in Sir Ratsudon's stat block yet other than the expended Mana and the 200 XP he had gotten from the kill, but it was still impressive that the summon was able to kill a monster on its own, even a weak one.
Izuku looked up at the roof to see Rumi sitting with her elbows on her knees, holding her head up, looking just as bored as he felt. Pulling the [Message Bead] out of the pouch he had shoved it in, he focused on her.
Hey, you see anything else?
He saw her ears twitch, and she looked down at him. She shook her head, reaching into a pouch of her own. A second later, Izuku felt a tingle in the back of his head.
Nope. Man, this is boring. 13 fucking hours and I haven't needed to step in once. Couldn't the guys at the wall at least let a few through for me?
Shaking his head, he chuckled to himself softly.
No, I don't think they can. I imagine none of them are wanting to discredit themselves in front of Sir Shield or risk the lives of the people in the Dungeon Hall.
He saw Rumi's upper body fall backwards, only her white-furred pads hanging over the roof of the Dungeon Hall. Izuku glanced around the square again, keeping track of Sir Ratsudon, and sighed.
I could let you take the next few if you wanted? Even I'm having an easy time with these common monsters. The first [Sea Newt] was like, Level 2, and the second one, along with that [Poison Dart Frog] was like, Level 6.
He didn't see her move, but the tingle in the back of his head returned.
No fucking point in that. Think about it, if they're easy for you, they'd just be nothing but a tease for me.
Izuku nodded slowly, sighing again. That did make sense. He would never wish for anything dangerous to get past the guards and attack the Dungeon Hall, but he did wish he has something to do in between fights.
Well, by the time we get to tomorrow, the monsters will probably have started spawning at levels higher than 10, and then I will definitely need your help more.
Rumi's head peeked back over the roof, a sarcastic grin on her face.
You promise?
Izuku laughed, hearing her own laughter as well, even from all the wap up on the roof. He gave her a thumbs-up, before standing up and patting down the front of his pants.
I'm going to go grab some dinner from inside the Dungeon Hall for the both of us. Sir Ratsudon will stay out here and keep patrolling.
On top of the giant wooden doors that the Dungeon Hall had, mainly to help merchants and adventurers bring larger corpses or items in and out, there was a smaller door to the right of it, meant for times like this, when the big doors were securely shut.
Sounds good. See if they got any stew. The more carrots the better.
He knocked on the door and the small sliding bit around eye level opened, a pair of eyes peeking through. "What do ya want?"
Izuku smiled, waving awkwardly. "Uh, I was wondering if I could come inside and get some dinner for me and my party member? We're part of the inner guard but I don't think the Meal Runners are coming all the way back here."
The eyes gave him a once over before the sliding bit shut. Izuku was worried about not being allowed inside for a moment, but then he heard metal chains and bars being moved about. A second later, the thick wooden door swung open.
The man nodded once, waving him through. "Cmon then, kid. I don't want this door to be unlocked for longer than it has to be."
Grinning, Izuku ran inside, hearing it shut behind him.
There… wasn't as many people in here as Izuku was expecting there to be.
The Dungeon Hall itself only really had around 55-60 people that Izuku could see, all non-combatants. From [Woodworker]s to [Blacksmith]s, craftsmen and women were huddled in various groups throughout the hall.
"Izuku?"
Izuku smiled as he heard Mei's voice, turning to see Mei and Melissa waving at him as they sat next to each other, across from Otto, who was reading. Jogging over, he squatted down and smiled.
"Good evening! How are you guys doing?"
Melissa smiled, glancing over at Mei, who had her legs tucked into her chest, rocking back and forth, a grin etched onto her face as she stared at him. "We're doing… fine. Some of us more than others…"
Otto nodded. "We're all good in here. This isn't the first Incursions we've had to wait through before. Mei is just gonna get a little antsy."
Mei's rocking back and forth made her hair sway, and she nodded quickly. "My babies will have to be without me for so long! Why couldn't I have at least brought one or two?!"
Izuku laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Well, I don't think you'd have a forge area that you'd be able to use? Wouldn't it be even worse to taunt yourself like that? Having your… baby there in front of you but being unable to work on it?"
Her eyes immediately locked onto his, and she grabbed onto his shoulders. She started to nod slowly, speeding up with each nod. "Yes, I can imagine that being the worst kind of torture…. truly, Shrubbery-Head-friend, you are wise beyond your years…"
Izuku raised an eyebrow, turning to Otto and Melissa, but they both just gave him sympathetic looks instead of actually helping. It turned out he didn't need help though, as her hands dropped from his shoulders a second later.
Izuku turned to see her completely passed out, snoring loudly. "W-what?"
Otto frowned. "Don't worry about her. She knew that she wouldn't be able to work on anything here so she, uh, hasn't actually slept since the Incursion was announced a day or two ago. She gets pretty loopy when she's actually sleep-deprived."
Izuku looked over to Melissa for confirmation, and she nodded, smiling. "Yea, she'll be fine after she's slept for a bit. When she reaches her limit like that she's usually back on her feet in 9-10 hours."
Izuku nodded slowly, still a little confused, but accepting the explanation. Melissa reached down beside herself and pulled out two blankets from one of the nearby bags, throwing one over Mei, and stuffing the other one under her head.
When she finished that, she smiled. "Anyway, what are you doing in here, Izuku? I thought you were helping out the Inner Guard or something like that."
He noticed Otto perk up at that but didn't call attention to it as the man slumped back down almost immediately. Refocusing on Melissa, he grinned. "I'm actually just in here to grab some dinner for Rumi and I. Commander Abraham and Rumi don't really like each other so I think he just… didn't send the food runner our way."
Melissa pursed her lips with displeasure, but nodded and reached into her bags, rummaging around for a bit. "Well, there's a food station set up near the entrance to the Dungeon. Here, I have some bowls and spoons you can use. My father made me pack all the essentials."
It was then that Izuku realised that her arm was in her bag up to her bicep. He almost did a double-take as she reached in even further, before pulling out two metal bowls, and some spoons. Leaning in, he whisper-yelled. "I-is that a [Magic Bag]?! Aren't people below level 25 not supposed to have them?"
Melissa immediately glanced side to side, putting her finger to her mouth, shushing him. "Yes, it is, but be quiet! It's not like a bought it illegally or something! I made this one myself a while back! It's not even as big as a proper one, so don't go dobbing me in for it, ok? It's just so damn helpful for my work."
Izuku nodded, glancing around as well. Luckily, the Dungeon Hall was full of people and far too loud for anyone to have heard him over the various conversations and games being played.
Taking the bowls and spoons from her, he stood up, looking over at the entrance to the Dungeon and seeing the grouping of tables and cooking pots next to it. "Ok, I promise not to say anything about it. Ah, I gotta get back out to Rumi. Have a good night, guys. I probably won't be coming back inside until the end of the [Incursion]s."
Melissa hummed, frowning. "That's a shame, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right? Give my best wishes to Miss Usagiyama as well."
Izuku grinned as he stood up. "Will do! Oh, bye Otto, I hope Mei doesn't drive you crazy over the next week."
Otto sniffed at him, looking over at the sleeping girl. "I'm sure she will, but when doesn't she? Good luck out there or whatever. Don't die."
Izuku nodded sharply, leaving the trio and filling the bowls up at the station near the entrance to the Dungeon. He noticed that most of the Adventuring Parties he usually passed in the morning was around, including Bakugo's [Party].
The man who served his food seemed to notice him looking around. "You looking for the other adventurers?"
Looking up at his voice, Izuku nodded. "Yea, I expected everyone who wasn't helping with the Incursion to be in here, but well, they… aren't?"
As the man spooned some nice-looking soup into the bowls, he nodded. "You must be new here. During Incursions, the elderly and the children, as well as the adventurers that are too low to be part of the Inner Guard all form the biggest parties they can, and enter the first floor of the Dungeon."
There was a flash of realisation in Izuku's head. "The Dungeon's innate protection against physical break-ins would form a pseudo-safe haven once the first floor has been cleared!"
The man clicked his tongue, giving him a thumbs up. "Exactly. You catch on quick, kid. Anyway, I'll let you go. Enjoy the soup!"
Izuku couldn't wave as he walked away due to holding two bowls of soup, but he grinned heading back towards the entrance. He nodded to Melissa and Otto as he passed them, Mei still out of it, and was let out of the Dungeon Hall by the same guy who let him in.
Rumi? I've got some soup for you. I don't think it has carrots in it, unfortunately, but it's not very transparent so who knows.
He waited for a moment, not getting any response, so he glanced around the square. He was expecting to see Sir Ratsudon still patrolling, so he almost did a double-take when he saw it sitting on top of a dead [Snapping Turtle] that was definitely not there before.
Checking the Spirit Rats stats, Izuku let out a surprised huff.
HP: 25 | Mana: 15 | Stamina: 25 | XP: 350
He heard a thud next to him and saw Rumi crouched down to absorb the impact for a moment before she stood back up. He passed over one of the bowls, looking around for something to sit on.
Unfortunately, the ground was still wet and muddy from the [Water Incursion]s magic, and the only bit above the mud was the stone of the fountain, which was already wet as well. Rumi grunted. "Guess we're standing and eating. You got a spoon?"
Izuku nodded, pulling one of the spoons out of his pocket and handing it over before a thought crossed his mind. He didn't know why, but he was suddenly remembering the 'ding' he had gotten while inspecting the [Earthspike] he had made.
He heard a slurping noise from behind him and saw Rumi drinking some of the soup's liquid straight from the bowl. Smacking her lips, she nodded. "Good soup."
Shaking his head, he tried to focus on why he was suddenly remembering the [Earthspike] and why the Dungeon seemingly had tried to tell him something when he was thinking about it.
"You gotta get better with [Earthspike], though. Right now they form slowly and aren't even sharp. If you want them to be effective you have to practise making them fast and sharp"
'Ding!'
It was as if a candle had flickered to life in his head. Looking down at the ground in front of him, a grin grew on his face as he activated [Earthspike]. Only instead of trying to get it to come out fast and sharp, he did the opposite.
Slowly, the ground in front of him raised up, drying as it did, creating a circle of dry stone about waist height. His grin grew even wider as he saw his idea work, he created two smaller ones on either side of the larger circle, only about half as tall.
Sitting down on one of the smaller ones, he put his bowl on the makeshift table, seeing Rumi looking at him like he was crazy. He waved at the other makeshift chair, smiling. "Have a seat!"
Rumi looked at the chair, and then back to him, before blinking. "How did you… [Earthspike] is a combat-only ability."
Izuku nodded, eating a spoonful of his soup. "Huh, that is good soup. But, uh, yea, what you said yesterday, in the Dungeon, kinda stuck with me. It's only 'combat-only' because most people would assume that it's all it can do, right?"
Rumi sat down slowly, looking at him as if he had just sprouted a second head and started talking in [Infernal]. "Well, I mean, it's one of the base abilities for a [Fighter]."
Izuku grinned, creating a small pillar out of the table with [Earthspike]. "The fact that it wasn't already quick and sharp made me think of why that is. If I had to put effort and practise into making it quicker and sharper then that meant that I should be able to make them slow and blunt by choice as well! And I was!"
Rumi shook her head as she chewed on a piece of meat from the soup. Swallowing, she sighed. "That's weird, to be honest. You're weird, Izuku."
Izuku winced slightly at that, but even though he had heard the words plenty of times before, he could tell that she didn't mean it like all the kids from his village had. Chuckling awkwardly, he shrugged. "I've just always liked to read and theorise about abilities. It's just awesome that I actually get to use some now. I was stuck at level 6 for a really long time."
Rumi clicked her tongue, downing the last of the liquid in her bowl. "Are you sure you didn't want to pick [Mage] when you were little? Sounds like you'd fit right in with those nerds."
Izuku actually laughed at that, shaking his head. "It did cross my mind, but I've always wanted to be like Emperor Yagi, someone who can save everyone and defeat anything with a sword and a smile!"
Rumi stuck her tongue out, standing up. "Bleugh. Nerd alert. I'm going back to the roof to have a nap. Your ghost-rat-thing seems to have things covered for now at least. Wake me with the [Message Stone] if you need me. I'll be awake at around midnight and then you can get some sleep."
Izuku nodded, glancing over at Sir Ratsudon, who was still sitting on the [Snapping Turtle]s corpse, overlooking the entire square. Rumi hopped away, before leaping to the top of the Dungeon Hall.
He stood up himself, and using [Earthspike], got rid of the 'spikes' that made the makeshift table and chairs. He used it again to make another one next to the turtle Sir Ratsudeon was sitting on and reached out to pat the Spirit Rat. "Good job, buddy."
The rest of the night was, thankfully, pretty quiet, other than the distant noises of spellcasting and melee fighting that echoed from the front gate.