Helloooooooooo!
I hope everyone's enjoying the story so far! To answer a quick question from a review: the language they're speaking isn't real. I quite literally threw together syllables like a maniac and called it a language. Don't think too hard about it :P
Have fun!
What is that?...
I found my legs already moving toward the flames despite the rain pelting me like hail. The wind whipped and lashed at my face. I don't really have an obligation to these people and I'm not qualified to help in any kind of emergency. Unless that emergency involved Balloons or Usapils, anyway, but some part of me wanted to help regardless.
There aren't firefighters in this world, as far as I know. Who is supposed to help in these kinds of situations? What if everyone just stands on the sidelines expecting someone else to do it?
The screams of townsfolk could barely be heard over the raging storm as I got closer to the commotion. Bright flashes of lightning bathed the village in light every so often. The closer I got, the more people stood in open doors to see what the commotion was. But almost none of them took more than a step outside into the rain. Nobody moved to help.
Just as I'd feared.
I'm freezing, I'm tired as hell, and I'm ready to go to sleep. But that fire is getting bigger by the minute. The rain doesn't feel like it's doing anything to slow it down, and the wind is making it worse! Can't a guy have one uneventful day in this place!?
A few people sprinted past me in the opposite direction toward safety. Once I made it to the other end of the village, the damage was clear as day. An entire set of buildings were completely engulfed in flames, the wind whipping the embers side to side. More than likely, one of them had been struck and the wind had spread the fire to the other houses.
I looked down at my soaked clothes and took stock of the few things I'd kept in my bag. There's nothing in there capable of putting out a fire of this size, nor anything to treat any burns. Still, I definitely didn't see enough people pass by to live in this many houses. That means the inhabitants are either dead, trapped, or they've already escaped. I prayed for the latter, but my hopes aren't high.
Shit...I'm not equipped to be a firefighter.
But I can't just sit here and do nothing! Ahhhhhh, dammit!
There are bits of flame coming out from under the doorway, so that entrance won't work. I'll be incinerated if I try to force my way inside from there. I have to find another way in.
A quick survey of the buildings showed a window on the second floor that seemed unaffected. I took a look around for anything I could use as a stepstool, and eventually found a large barrel a few houses down. It was heavy, far too heavy to move on my own. Damn, that won't work either!
I returned to the building, biting my thumb as I tried to find any possible way to get to the second floor. If this kept up, the first building would probably start to collapse on itself. If anyone was still inside, they would be goners!
"Yo! Vu traliez akana?" a voice caught my attention from behind. It was a young man who was probably younger than me, but not by much. He was dressed like an adventurer, with a small blade on his hip. The flickering light from the fire only showed glimpses of his face, but I could see the worried look on his face.
Maybe he'll help!
"Yo! I'm trying to get up there. Can you help me?" I asked, pointing to the second floor window. After a moment of confusion from my unknown words, the man thought for a moment with a hand on his chin. Once I jumped and pointed at the window for emphasis, he nodded.
"Ah! Iken! Vu tua ca!" he exclaimed, waving me over. I couldn't understand a word he said, but he cupped his hands and knelt down. I'd seen this before in old military games but I wasn't expecting him to know about it.
I gently placed a foot on his hands and stepped upward. His strength was appalling, and I was easily boosted to the second floor window where I latched on. Seeing no way to open it from this side, I used the hilt of my sword to shatter the window. The sound was drowned out by the deafening rain and thunder but I still flinched. I quickly hopped through the window and into what appeared to be a child's room. A little girl was huddled in the corner of the room, sobbing into her knees. Her teary eyes shot toward me in panic.
"It's okay! We're gonna get you out of here!" I said, slowly walking over to her. She screamed as I got closer, causing me to recoil in shock. Maybe it's better for that other guy to do this job; at least he speaks this kid's language!
We don't have time for this! We have to hurry!
I held out a hand. "Come on! We need to get out of here, and quickly! It's not safe here!"
She merely responded by crying some more and throwing a stuffed toy at me. This isn't good. This girl isn't going anywhere with me even though she knows she's in danger. I looked between her, the embers that licked at us from beneath the bedroom door, and the broken window behind me. There's only one thing I can do, and it sure as hell isn't going to look good.
I leaned my head out the window, taking care not to cut myself on the shards of glass sticking out. "HEY! I have a kid up here!" I yelled to the man below me. He couldn't understand what I said.
"Eh?" he said with a look of confusion.
I huffed and tried again using my hands. "I. Have. A kid. Up here!" I pantomimed as best I could, but my meaning was lost. He obviously has no idea what I'm trying to tell him. With a frustrated curse under my breath, I walked over to the little girl and ignored her screams. "We're gonna get you out of here, okay? It's going to be okay. I promise. Please, just trust me," I spoke quieter this time. The child must have sensed my desire to help, and calmed down enough to look at me without screaming her head off.
Finally, some progress. Now for the hard part.
"I'm going to help you get down, but it's going to be scary. Please...just trust me!" I said, gently grabbing her and moving her toward the window. She kicked and screamed, obviously not comfortable with a stranger touching her. I couldn't blame the kid; I'd be pretty skeptical of anyone I didn't know in this situation too.
As I avoided an elbow to the nose, I reached the window and waved down to the man below. He asked me something in his language, but it was almost impossible to hear, let alone understand. In response, I dangled the little girl out the window, careful not to let her anywhere near the shards of glass.
"Eh!? N-nou vu!?" he asked in panic. Isn't it obvious, man!? I'm gonna drop the kid out the window!
...I'm glad he can't understand me. That sounds awful even in my head.
The man quickly ran beneath me and held his hands up to catch her. "Trie, Sia, Fie!" I said in their language, counting down before I let the kid drop from my grasp. She squealed in terror until she was caught by the man down below. He whispered some words that seemed to calm her down, and then he waved up at me with a smile.
Even if we couldn't fully understand each other, we worked well together under pressure.
Now the only issue is finding her family. A child of her age wouldn't live alone, so her family must still be inside. They wouldn't - or at least I hope beyond hope that they wouldn't - leave their daughter in a burning building and run...right?
Turning back toward the door, I could see the flames spreading into the bedroom. Seeing no other way through, I grabbed a small nightstand from beside the girl's bed and slammed it into the door. The wooden door swung open, and a massive puff of smoke forced me to crouch for safety. I coughed as the smoke filled my lungs regardless, and pulled the collar of my hoodie up to cover my mouth and nose.
The roof kept me safe from the rain and wind for now, but instead I felt the pure heat that came from the small inferno around me. I looked over the railing to see the bottom floor almost entirely covered in flames. There was one other room on the second floor, but the door was already open and fire poured from within. Nothing could be seen inside other than orange and red from the blaze.
My eyes stung from the heat and smoke. I need to find a way to make one quick pass through this place and get the hell out before I suffocate. I'm no help to anyone if I'm dead too. Stats don't seem to have much of an effect when it comes to things like this, which is a little strange. Is there some way to exploit this to beat super high level opponents?
Thoughts for later. I have a job to do.
Mustering up my courage, I leapt over the railing and landed on the first floor. I could feel the flames wafting around me as I looked around for any survivors. No sign of them anywhere. Where is that kid's family if they aren't in the house with her? It's far too late at night for them to be out...
"-an..! Tian..!"
My ears caught the weak sound of a voice that was undoubtedly calling for help. My instincts told me to run, to get out of this building before anything got worse, but that same something inside me forbade it. Ignoring the flames that licked at my legs, I ran into what seemed to be a kitchen. An older woman was trapped underneath a broken table. Her cane was across the room, possibly knocked out of her hand when the lightning struck.
"Hold on! I'm gonna get you out of here!" I yelled, running over to grab the wooden table and gently moving it off of her body. The table was hot from all the fire around us, but luckily my leather gloves kept my hands safe. After lifting her and retrieving her cane, the woman tried to ask me a question. I wiped the sweat that was pouring down my forehead. My brain was too focused on finding a way to get her to safety to answer her question, but I was coming up short. The front door is covered in fire and every other room is probably a lost cause.
I definitely can't drop this granny out of a window like I did with the kid. What do I do!?
It was hard to focus with the fire raging around me and an old woman yelling in my ear. If we weren't in danger, I'd half expect her to be bonking me on the head with her cane. Seeing no other alternative, I walked back into the main room and prepared myself for a lot of pain.
With a running start, I leapt toward the door and slammed my shoulder into it. The flames surged for a moment as the door and my body fell to the ground. I panicked a little as flames caught my cloak, but the rain managed to douse it within a few seconds. With a relatively safe path now open, I went back inside and gently walked the old woman into the pouring rain. The man from before noticed my new path, and quickly helped her get to safety.
That's only two. There has to be more.
Running back inside, I couldn't find another soul. There wasn't anyone left in the building at all. How could they leave an elderly woman and a child alone in a burning house together!? Putting that horrifying thought aside for now, I moved on to the next house that looked to be in equally bad condition.
Thankfully, the man from before returned. "Il buel tenna! Fuloi!" he shouted and pointed toward the front door. I walked over and tried to open it, but the door was locked. Taking a few steps back, I nodded and the two of us braced ourselves before charging through it together.
Without any words spoken between us, we split up to find any survivors. I found a middle-aged couple that was trapped in a room blocked by a massive wooden support beam, and he found a set of triplets in another room. Nobody had any major injuries, though I imagine the smoke didn't do them any favors.
We ushered them to freedom and reunited the two groups before moving to house number three. It didn't have any structural damage as far as I could see, but the roof was on fire. I wanted to double check just to be sure. Thankfully, we discovered that the occupants had already vacated the premises before we arrived. The same was the case with the fourth house.
With all four houses checked for survivors, dousing the flames became our priority. I had no idea what we could possibly do about it, personally. We'd done all we could to save the people inside, but their houses were in varying states of disrepair. If only the rain would stop the fire on its own. This storm is no joke.
Thankfully, help arrived very shortly afterward.
Men and women alike shouted things to each other, carrying buckets of water either from the nearby river or using the rain water. There were dozens of them who began dousing whatever parts of the fire they could from outside. Once that was done, they moved to the interiors. I was surprised at how quickly and efficiently they took care of all the houses. Whoever this group of people is, they're good at this.
With the threat to the village finally taken care of, I breathed a deep sigh of relief. It felt good to know these people were safe now, even if my lungs burned a little from the smoke. The exhaustion in my limbs made itself known as I nearly crumpled to the ground. The man who'd helped me earlier kept me upright, saying something I couldn't understand.
I brushed the dark locks of hair out of my face using my hand, but they stuck to my skin from the rain. I really need a haircut one of these days. Shoulder-length hair might have been somewhat fashionable back home, but it's not exactly practical in combat.
Eh, that's what a hair tie is for. Who knows, maybe if I find a pair of scissors I could try to cut it myself.
...or not. I still remember the time I accidentally trimmed half of my eyebrow off.
Maybe I should leave that to the professionals.
The man shook my hand. "Welt," he said, pointing to himself.
"Flynn. It's nice to meet you," I responded, forcing a smile to my face. I knew it looked fake because I was too mentally and physically exhausted to hold it together. Still, the man smiled and kept talking. I had no idea what he said, but he talked animatedly with his hands. The inflection of his voice fluctuated wildly as if he was telling some grand story.
"That's great and all, but I'd really like to get out of this storm if you don't mind," I said, cutting him off and looking up toward the sky. Lightning rippled through the clouds every few moments, and I was forced to squint as the raindrops resumed their assault on my face. With a sigh, I waved goodbye and began walking away.
"Eh!? Uh...Flynn!" Welt stopped me by grabbing my arm. Whatever he said next was far too long of a sentence for me to even begin to comprehend. Still, he tugged my arm and pointed down the street. I took a deep breath.
At this point, ignoring him isn't worth the effort. I'm too damn tired for this.
He led me to a nondescript house a few blocks down the street. The man fished through his pockets until he found a key, sticking it into the lock and opening the door before ushering me inside.
"Vu tame luey sufa," he said, walking into an adjoining room that appeared to be a restroom. He rummaged through some cabinets and pulled out two towels, one for each of us. I took the outstretched fabric and winced at the coarse texture. It was far from the soft material I'm used to, but it would help me dry off a little. My hoodie, cloak, and pants were all completely soaked, but luckily my undershirt was still dry.
"So, uh...nice place you've got here," I remarked, looking around. It wasn't overly fancy, but it wasn't drab or messy either. Just the bare necessities for living with a few minor extras. Welt probably didn't spend too much time here, so he didn't need a bunch of luxuries. Elhart's house was bigger, but that's because the shop was connected to it.
"Eh? Vu...mmm..." he considered his words carefully, though I wasn't sure why. I couldn't understand them in the first place, so it was pointless. "Vu tjon ga?"
"What?"
Welt seemed a little frustrated at my lack of understanding. He scratched his head with a thinking expression. "Vu...eehhh...Vu yona?" he asked, pointing to some kind of couch against the wall. I raised a questioning eyebrow at him.
Is he offering to let me spend the night at his home? I'm just some stranger who helped him save a few people. That might be worthy of a bit of praise, but it doesn't necessarily mean he could trust me in his house.
We exchanged gestures coupled with questions that we couldn't answer properly.
"Are you letting me sleep here?" I asked, folding my hands together and resting my head upon them. He nodded emphatically.
"Yes, yes! Sleep here!" he replied and patted the couch then pointed to me. I was a little blown away by how excited he was to have a guest stay the night. He's like a kid having a sleepover for the first time.
He'd better not keep me up all night, though. I'm ready to sleep like the dead.
I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" was my unspoken question.
Welt nodded repeatedly. "Yes, I'm sure!"
With a huff and a smile, I shook his hand. "Thank you. Seriously, I mean it," I said, looking back at the couch. It wasn't much, but it would be better than braving the elements once again to find a proper bed.
Since we couldn't exactly stay up and chat, Welt retired to another room and turned off the lantern. Now in complete darkness, I felt myself relax a little. The man seems genuine, and not like the type who would steal from me in my sleep. Good thing I'm a light sleeper. Even if he tried, I would more than likely notice before he even got close to me. I took deep breaths until I finally surrendered myself to sleep.
I awoke with a groan and a shiver. Welt's home was a bit drafty with a small gust of wind finding its way underneath the front door. I didn't want to be a burden on him, so I started gathering my bag to leave. Before I could get out the door, though, the man appeared from his bedroom with a yawn.
"Nasfadanya..." he mumbled, presumably saying "good morning" or something similar. He rubbed his eyes.
"Morning. I'm heading out. Thanks for letting me crash here," I said, waving goodbye and turning to leave.
"Eh? Muso muso, Flynn!" he pleaded for me to stop. I'd already cracked the door open, letting in a cold draft of air that made him shiver. Whatever he said next was probably an extension of that, as he held his hand up for me to stop what I was doing. "Muso..." he said, keeping one finger in the air and backing away while still looking at me.
What am I, a dog? He's acting like I'll run away if he lets his eyes off me for an instant.
What followed was probably the most disorganized, frantic morning routine I'd ever witnessed. Welt stumbled between rooms, changing clothes and gathering supplies. Occasionally he would trip over another article of clothing or object that he'd previously retrieved, falling face first onto the floor. He continued getting ready undeterred. Within a few minutes, he was outfitted in leather armor and had two daggers hooked around his belt.
Huh. He really looks the part of an adventurer now. Maybe a little more like a thief, but who the hell am I to judge? He hadn't tried to rob me overnight, so he was okay in my book. Plus, my own outfit didn't look anywhere near as official as his to begin with.
"Nala vu," Welt held open the door for me on the way out, closing it after I'd exited as well. I wasn't exactly sure why he felt the need to walk me out the door, or why he needed to get himself ready. I was just leaving so I didn't overstay my welcome.
The man tried to make idle conversation as we walked through the village. Does he not realize by now that I can't understand him? Ugh...Maybe he's the type who likes to constantly hear himself talk. I nodded along as he spoke and hoped he would notice my lack of response eventually.
He didn't.
My hands sat lazily in my pockets as I walked toward the gate. For whatever reason, Welt wouldn't leave me alone the entire time. Does he feel obligated to walk me to the gate on my way out? That's...noble? Creepy? One of the two. He really doesn't need to.
And if I'm being honest, I didn't want him to.
I stopped in my tracks, much to Welt's confusion. What should I do from here? Should I go back to that big city now, or do something here first? On one hand, it makes sense to go back through the forest and return to the city. I'm a little more comfortable there and I have a daily routine built up already. On the other hand, I'm already this far away from the city without a clear path through the forest to return. In a way, this is a prime opportunity to expand my comfort zone.
Eh. I'll just wing it. With any luck, Welt could lead me to a shop where I could buy some food for the road.
It took some effort and a lot of exhaustive gestures, but I eventually managed to get the man to understand what I wanted. He took me to a few different shops that had already opened for the morning, and I began the tedious task of haggling. With an assistant who spoke the language, it was far easier to convince them to lower the prices for me. By the time my shopping spree was finished, I had food, water, and two healing potions.
I wasn't sure whether to be shocked or not when I saw the small red vials on the front desk. Just like a video game, they supposedly heal one's wounds when you drink them. How they work is completely beyond me, but if they keep me alive I'm not about to complain.
I could still complain about the smell, though. Ugh. Talk about nasty.
As we left the village through the gate, I said my goodbyes yet again and began walking away. But for whatever reason, Welt stayed right beside me the whole time. He said something unintelligible yet again, much to my annoyance. I almost considered ignoring him completely, but the carefree smile and thumbs up told me he wanted to come along.
Why? I have no idea. But I guess he's already proven himself to have a decent head on his shoulders, and I am in a completely unknown place with no clue where to go. It couldn't hurt to have someone to watch my back.
Or be my personal meat shield.
Nah, I'm not that heartless. He's a little annoying, but I'm sure he's a great person at heart.
I navigated through my menu and sent him a party request which he accepted, formally cementing our partnership. According to what I'd been told by Lina and Braden, we couldn't share EXP from kills made by the other person unless we were in a party together. If we're going to travel together, it's only natural to share the rewards.
Hopefully I can pull my own weight. I don't want to be a burden the moment we get into some trouble.
I took a deep breath. Relax, Flynn. You've improved a lot in a short period of time. You're smart enough not to get yourself into anything you can't run from.
It feels like so long ago that I last saw Lina and Braden alive, even though it's only been about a week. I guess life has to go on. They would have wanted me to keep living, but the guilt is still there. If I hadn't been summoned, both of them would probably still be alive. Or maybe they wouldn't, who knows. Either way, I can't afford to waste time pondering what-ifs. I have to stay focused on the here and now.
The two of us kept walking, occasionally sharing a few empty words that the other couldn't understand. We tried using gestures to communicate, but beyond the very basic things our conversation was basically gibberish. Some of the words he used were so unusual that it sounded like an alien had said them. I'm sure English sounds the same to him, but I digress.
Welt would occasionally go on a short rant about something or the other. Even after we got into a fight with monsters along the way to...wherever we were headed, he barely seemed phased. He just wiped the blood off his daggers and continued babbling at me as if nothing had happened.
He must be very comfortable with fighting. Maybe one day I'll be able to fight and kill without any hesitation at all like he does. His quick feet and solid knowledge of an enemy's weak points were a big plus, too, but those likely came from confidence born of experience. Still, it wouldn't hurt him to act like the fight meant anything to him at all.
The guy really is too carefree for this world.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have him with me. He's an excellent fighter and generally seems like a nice guy. The only question that keeps nagging at me is why he's with me. Welt has absolutely no reason to follow me around or help me out. He had no reason to let me sleep in his home, either. People naturally aren't this nice, and it puts me on edge.
Being paranoid about it won't magically tell me his reasons, though.
The two of us kept wandering for the next few days doing this and that along the way. At one point, we returned to the forest where I'd faced down the bear from before. Welt had used a few strange calls and bait to throw it off our trail so we didn't have to face it in battle. It was interesting to watch the man showcase his expertise.
I don't think he's way too much stronger than I am in terms of levels or stats, but his experience out in the field puts mine to shame. I could learn a lot from him, depending on how long we stick together.
Every night, we'd return to the village and I would sleep on his sofa. The man had no qualms about splitting food bills or getting drinks in the evenings, though after a particularly difficult battle one night we both decided that we were too tired to drink. It wasn't until three days had passed that the two of us came upon a strange cave in the middle of nowhere.
"Muso, Flynn! Muso!" Welt halted me before I could enter. His nervous expression was new to me. By this point, we'd both learned that the best way to talk was to use our hands. His vague hand motions told me that...something big...with large...shoulders...was inside? Something...flying sideways very quickly...like an arrow?
Is he trying to tell me there are big monsters and traps inside?
A part of me wanted to smile. I'm well versed in spotting and avoiding traps in video games, so these ones shouldn't be way too different. They always have some kind of sign before you set them off, like a protruding brick or small holes in the floor. As long as we're extremely careful about where we walk, we should be able to make it through without setting off any traps. Or if we do, we'll know what kind of trap it is at the very least.
This is a huge opportunity! Dungeons always have something valuable inside, especially if it's guarded by traps and monsters. Most people don't set up so many defenses for something unless it's worth...ahem...finding.
Most people don't build dungeons in the first place, so what do I know?
"I'm going in. Feel free to stay here, or come with me," I said, pointing from the ground to inside the dungeon. Welt groaned, weighing his options. I wouldn't blame him for going home, but he wound up agreeing to come with me into the dungeon despite his hesitation.
It started out like any other cave, with rocky walls and stalactites hanging from the ceiling. No traps so far, so that was good. The torch that Welt had brought only gave us so much light, though, so we stuck very close together with weapons in hand. A clicking noise made us duck for cover, just in case some kind of trap had been set off by accident.
It was just a rat. Little bugger scared me half to death.
Within a few minutes of walking, the walls changed. Where at first they were brown, naturally formed and uneven, now they were flat and gray. This dungeon was definitely man-made, though to what extent I wasn't sure. That meant we'd need to be extra careful going forward, as this was where the traps probably started to show up.
Welt hummed to himself as he led the way, torch in one hand and a dagger in the other. I'm not sure if he was doing it out of nervousness or just to fill the deafening silence of the cave, but I want him to stop. It's hard for me to keep an eye out for monsters when he's making so much noise.
The hallway widened until we found ourselves in a room. It wasn't massive, but it was big enough that Welt's torch barely lit the entire area. Thankfully there were statues along the walls that held torches, illuminating the area and revealing the strange designs that covered the walls. I had to hold myself back from getting closer to look at them. No matter how intriguing this place was, there could always be a trap waiting to kill me in an instant.
Welt had other ideas. He simply walked forward.
I nearly screamed at him to stop, even as a metallic grinding of gears came from the walls. All of a sudden, a loud click followed by a volley of arrows came from within the statues. However, the man kept walking as if nothing bothered him. Welt deftly sidestepped the spears that jutted out of the ground and kept on going without a care in the world.
By the time he made it to the other end of the room, torch in hand, he yelled for me to come over. "Iken, Flynn! Su drien lon veu!"
"Are you fucking crazy!? I'm not going anywhere near that shit!" I yelled, knowing that he could understand my denial by the tone of my voice. Now I'm the one reluctant to move forward. With one hand, and saying something in his language, he gestured for me to come anyway. To emphasize, he walked back through the room toward me. None of the traps triggered this time.
Ah...so the traps can only be triggered once. Smart. Reckless, but smart. Not only does he think ahead, he thinks quickly. I have to admit that he's something of a godsend. I'm almost certain I would have died if he wasn't here.
He needs to stop scaring the hell out of me, though. I might die of a heart attack instead.
I pried a torch from one of the statues and followed him through the next doorway. The path winded and twisted, and after a while I couldn't tell whether we were moving forward or back toward where we came. It was pitch black aside from the light of our torches, so we treaded carefully. It wasn't long before we encountered our first group of monsters.
"Salamanders, eh? Not exactly what I'd expect to see in a dungeon," I muttered silently to myself as I readied for battle. The hallway had gotten a little wider, large enough for me to swing my weapon around without fear of hitting the walls.
The reptiles slithered their way along the walls, floor, and ceiling toward us at a shockingly quick pace. However, the fire of our torches made them hiss and hesitate to come closer. Welt waved his torch in front of him threateningly, and the salamanders seemed to be momentarily stunned. The two of us took the opportunity to stab at them with our weapons. It took a few hits for me to kill one, but we succeeded without much trouble.
I plopped one of their corpses into my bag for...reasons. A guy has to make money somehow, right?
Hopefully it won't smell too bad.
The dungeon was quiet, a little too quiet now without Welt's signature whistling. I kept my eyes glued to the floor and walls just in case he missed something while leading the way. But my worrying was for nothing; the one time there actually was a trap lying in wait, he stopped me with an outstretched arm before I could trigger it.
The next room we entered was huge, and I mean huge. The entrance to the dungeon was built into the side of a small mountain, so I expected it to be relatively compact. We've definitely gone further below the surface since we'd arrived, though, so it could go much further than that.
Is this place really man-made? Who could possibly build this much underground, and why? What purpose could this gigantic place possibly serve?
And if all the traps could only activate once, why hasn't anyone found this place before?
The sound of water dripping from the ceiling echoed throughout the chamber. That's new. Hopefully the structural integrity of this room isn't compromised; I don't exactly feel like being crushed under a mountain. Also, what's that strange hissing sound? More salamanders?
"Hak!" Welt yelled, leaping and tackling me to the ground. I heard a *PLOP* as I shrugged the man off of me. Where I'd been standing was a glob of greenish goo, and the floor underneath it sizzled. My dropped torch shined light through its surface, reflecting a green light onto the nearby floor and walls.
Is it some kind of living acid? I guess in a video game it would be a type of slime, but aren't they supposed to be super low level monsters found near the beginning of the game?
I shook my head. This world may seem like one, but I have to remember that it's not a game. If that thing is melting through stone, I don't want to imagine what would happen if it touches me.
As we stood up, I raised my sword and prepared to strike. But Welt held me back, shaking his head. Instead, he took his torch and chucked it at the slime's body. It instantly - and I mean instantly - engulfed the entire monster in flames. Whatever chemicals it was made of turned the fire itself green, but it screeched and flailed until it eventually lost its form and became motionless sludge on the ground.
Okay I'll admit it. That was pretty fucking awesome. Terrifying, but awesome.
Now left with only one torch between us, Welt and I stuck very closely together. I could still hear the signature dripping of slime goo from the ceiling, but it was easier to avoid now that I knew what to listen for. No more fully formed blobs fell from the ceiling like before, though. Near the end of the room was a series of panels placed inside the floor like tiles.
They seemed like a jumbled mess of artwork at first glance, but I found that they slid around like a puzzle. Interesting...I know video games like to use these types of puzzles from time to time, but I never thought I'd find one here. For every game-like thing this world has, there are usually ten that are completely different.
For example, having to go to the bathroom. Video games usually don't make you deal with that problem.
"I see...so we need to arrange these to make some kind of picture then," I mumbled out loud, grabbing Welt's attention. He didn't understand what I said, but seemed to accept that I knew what I was doing. Is this sort of thing considered uncommon in this world? It's a little suspicious that it's identical to what I would have expected out of a dungeon.
Regardless, I got to work sliding the panels around. I managed to find one or two pieces that looked like they fit together, but only a few minutes later I found a different way that those pieces fit together with other ones. It was getting annoying because the panels were made of stone and thus, they were pretty damn heavy.
I eventually managed to get five panels together and the picture slowly started to make sense.
"It's a person inside a mountain," I said, grabbing Welt's attention once more. With the end result now in sight, I quickly rearranged the remaining panels until the picture was complete. As soon as I slid the final piece into its spot, I nearly lost my balance as the floor underneath our feet dropped down a whole foot with the grinding of stone against stone.
The air was filled with dust as the back wall slowly grinded its way open. This is seriously like a cliche video game dungeon in every possible way. Is there some kind of universal standard for underground dungeons that requires them to be built this way? At this rate, we'll probably find some kind of "lost treasure" or "magical artifact" hidden in the very end of this place. I can only hope that we don't run into anything too dangerous along the way.
Corrosive Slimes and well-hidden traps are bad enough.
The wall fully opened to reveal a dark corridor and my adventurer senses started to tingle. Welt and I exchanged a quick glance and a smirk. Whatever lies beyond this wall probably hasn't been discovered by anyone before, meaning there's a solid chance for something truly amazing to be found. A magical sword jammed into a stone, perhaps?
The further we delved into the darkness, the less refined the stone became until it eventually became rough like a common cave. This area probably wasn't finished. Either that, or the creator never expected anyone to make it past their puzzle and didn't bother to put effort into it. Regardless, the lack of man-made structure both put me at ease and made me nervous.
It meant the chances of encountering more traps were much lower, but the chances of encountering something even more dangerous shot through the roof. Why build such a fancy dungeon to keep people out if there isn't anything worth stealing?
Unless it was never designed to keep people out, and was instead meant to keep something in.
Still, we've come too far to back out now.
I squinted to see with only the light of our torch to guide us. I could just barely see the outline of the walls now that my eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Every so often, the path would split off into two or more directions. We found ourselves at a dead end and had to retrace our steps on multiple occasions.
Welt had the bright idea of marking each intersection we'd visited by carving a symbol into the ground. That way, we knew which direction we'd originally come from and which way we'd gone.
It doubled as a means of getting us out of here later.
After nearly an hour of spelunking through the caverns, the two of us stood in awe at what we found. The cave opened up into a massive, naturally formed chamber lit by a single ray of light that shined through the ceiling. I instinctively covered my eyes because it reflected off of something incredibly shiny resting near the back wall of the room.
Illuminated by that light was a massive treasure chest, lined with gold.
"Woah..." I muttered out loud. The sight was like something out of a movie or a video game, not because of the situation but simply because of how awe-inspiring it was. If I had my phone to take a picture, I sure as hell would have.
Maybe I'd finally have an excuse to send a Christmas card if I did.
Welt made a similar noise of amazement. I suppose even a well-traveled guy like him can be impressed from time to time. Me? I barely had a reason to leave my own house before, but now I get to see things like this. I had to brave a bunch of deadly monsters and traps to see it, but in retrospect it wasn't way too bad.
Having not seen a single trap since we left the man-made portion of the dungeon, Welt and I approached the treasure chest with little concern. Maybe the puzzle and the path to get here were the only challenges, but the thought only reminded me of my earlier observation. If something valuable really was hidden back here, why didn't they finish the dungeon to include all of this? Or if leaving the chest back here was intentional, why?
It's not like we saw anything dangerous along the way. Just a few tiny lizards that barely posed a threat to us. As Welt fumbled with the lock using his daggers, I started getting goosebumps. Something about this situation feels wrong.
"Aha!" Welt exclaimed as the lock opened, falling to the ground with a metallic clang that echoed off the walls. My eyes darted back and forth, looking for some kind of movement other than our own. I found nothing, but that didn't stop me from waving the torch back and forth to search for anything amiss. "Namu da, Flynn! Yst magnaera!" I heard Welt say. I moved the torch closer as he pulled something out of the chest and held it up for me to see-
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me."
In Welt's hands was a green tracksuit. Our "valuable treasure" is a tracksuit. No magical swords, no stack of gold, nothing. Just a shitty looking tracksuit that was covered in dust and stains the likes of which I'd rather not think about.
Now that I look a bit closer at it, the pattern looks just like the kind that almost every isekai protagonist wears. You know, the kind with the one stripe down the center? What's up with that, anyway? It's like a friggin' trademark of isekai to have the main character wear a tracksuit! Is some kind of god fucking with me right now!?
I decided to burn it. Before I could touch the clothing with my torch for more than an instant, he protectively hugged the tracksuit to himself and stared at me with widened eyes. He babbled something incoherent and backed away from me.
Fine. If he wants it so badly, he can keep the damn thing. It looks ugly as hell anyway. Maybe we can find some poor sod who would buy it off us for a bit of cash.
I groaned in frustration, deciding to take a look around as my companion admired his great discovery. The light of my torch reflected off of something off on the far wall near where we'd entered this chamber. Upon further inspection, I found a small crystal jutting out from the wall of rock. I hummed in thought. Without any tools for mining, I can't exactly get it out in one piece. Still, it would be a waste to just leave it here.
It could actually be worth something, unlike the other reward for all of our efforts.
Using the tip of my sword, I gently tapped and poked around the gemstone. The nearby rock was surprisingly soft, and each strike chipped small fragments of stone and dirt away. Little by little I could see the rest of the gemstone break free. This thing is easily the size of a baseball! It could be worth a small fortune! Just imagine the money!
I'll need to buy bigger pockets!
"Welt! Come over here, quickly!" I exclaimed, waving him over. He was still clutching the tracksuit in his arms as if it were a priceless treasure as he hesitantly came closer. The moment he noticed the gemstone in the wall, I swear I could see dollar signs in his eyes. Without even waiting for my signal, he dropped the tracksuit and began chipping away with his dagger.
BA-DUM
An errant tap struck the gem itself, and we both flinched as the gem pulsed. Last I checked, rocks don't do that.
We looked at each other in horror. What the hell just happened?
BA-DUM...BA-DUM...
Another pulse, just like the first. Welt and I backed away, torch pointed forward to illuminate the gem as much as possible. It kept pulsing, and as it became more frequent it started to sound strange...
...like a heartbeat.
"Welt, get back!" I yelled, grabbing his arm and putting as much distance between us and the gem as I could. A gentle rumble followed by a low groan came from the wall, and when I looked back, the wall moved.
What started as a relatively unassuming wall quickly broke apart in different places. The ground began to rumble and bits of rock fell all around us. The sound of shattering rock filled the air as a rocky arm broke free of the wall, then another arm, and then a pair of legs. Within a few seconds, a Stone Golem stared down at us.
"Mai Runa..." Welt mumbled from beside me in shock. I couldn't really blame him. I'd been prepared for a lizard or a giant slime or something relatively normal, but a golem!?
This thing is so far out of our league! We need to get out of here or we might actually die!
"RUUUUN!" I yelled and broke out into a sprint across the chamber. The only problem was that my torch only gave off so much light, so I could barely see where we were going. We ended up running straight into a wall and had to turn around to face the golem once again.
It was huge, easily the size of ten men and probably twice as strong as that many. Stone and dirt meshed together to create a humanoid form without a head. Even without a mouth we could see, it groaned and creaked as if a crumbling rock had a voice. And then it charged.
Welt and I were forced to separate, jumping in opposite directions as the golem bounded forward with a sudden, unexpected burst of speed. With thundering footsteps it charged and slammed a massive arm into the ground between us. My heart pounded in my chest.
I'd dropped my torch in the chaos. It was gone now, crushed underneath the golem's might. That left us all in almost complete darkness; the miniscule amount of light from the crack in the ceiling was our only saving grace. My grip tightened around my sword, but my body trembled in a way that it never had before.
A bear is one thing to be afraid of. It's fast, terrifying, and deadly, but above all else, it bleeds. I know if I cut it enough times, it would eventually die. A golem on the other hand? I'm not so sure.
Am I even able to hurt this thing?
"Flynn! Nenia ikou!" Welt yelled, brandishing his daggers and circling around it. The true meaning of his call was lost on me, but as the golem turned in his direction I decided to go for an attack on its blind spot.
"HAAAAH!" I roared, slashing at its exposed backside with little effect. My sword merely bounced off with a TWANG! I grit my teeth as my sword arm shook from the failed attack and leapt backward to avoid the fist that came my way. With the golem's attention on me now, Welt thrust his daggers into its body. The stone monstrosity rumbled and swiped backward once more, seemingly irritated by the attacks from behind. Raising both arms up, it slammed them into the ground with enough force to shake the floor.
I nearly lost my balance, stabbing my blade into the ground to stay upright. In that short moment, the golem raised a fist back and sent it rocketing toward me.
I gasped as air refilled my lungs. Where...where am I?...
The last thing I remember is the golem...and it was attacking...
My nerves suddenly turned back on, sending agonizing pain through my body as they realized what had happened. The golem's attack had struck me straight in the gut, sending me flying into the wall of the chamber.
I can't move...! Everything hurts...! Welt...where is he? I can't see anything...
"HAAAAAAH!" The tiny flicker of life left in me burned brighter as I heard his roars of battle. Come on, body! Move, damn you! Move!
MOVE!
The spots in my vision slowly cleared until I could see properly once more. Welt was still battling the golem, yelling constantly. Is he keeping the golem's attention on him on purpose? He could have taken his treasure and ran, leaving me for dead. Nobody would have known. But he didn't; he not only stuck around but he continued to fight it one on one. This guy...
...Welt had earned not only my respect, but my admiration. He isn't one of the Seven Star Heroes or the Holy Heroes, but he's a goddamn hero in my book.
My torn muscles screamed in protest as I forced myself to my feet. Every tiny movement felt like running a mile, but I was slowly getting my bearings. My backpack was still attached to me, and only then did the gears in my head start turning.
I still have healing potions in there! I swear to God if those things broke-
Thank goodness. The red vials were intact even though the bag was slammed against a stone wall. I ripped out the cork and gagged, ignoring the smell as best I could as I forced it down my throat. I coughed and nearly spat it out on reflex. Once it was empty, I wanted to puke..
I was right. It tastes just as bad as it smells, if not worse. It's like drinking cough syrup mixed with charcoal, but it works. I could feel the unnatural sensation of my wounds closing and whatever internal bleeding I had fixing itself as if by magic. As much as I want to figure out how the hell it works, Welt needs my help!
"UGH!" Welt was thrown to the ground by a slap from a rocky arm. His own arm looked horribly bent, and he was holding it with his other hand. There was a good chance it was either broken or fractured.
"OVER HERE YOU BIG FUCKER!" I yelled before I could even think. My only focus was to get its attention off of Welt long enough for him to check my bag. He knew I had two healing potions, so surely he'd think to grab one. I dropped the backpack on the ground.
As it turned in my direction, I strafed to the side. The golem's body turned toward me, allowing Welt to scamper over toward the bag. "That's right, keep your eyes on me. Over here, yeah. Right here," I taunted, waving my sword around.
The beast must have gotten tired of it. It charged me with its full body, shaking the ground with each and every step. I jumped away at the last moment and it crashed into the wall of the chamber along with the sound of shattering rock. My heart leapt into my throat at the sheer amount of damage it was capable of just by running. I picked myself up and prepared for another attack as it turned.
Wait...is it just me, or was that gemstone a lot smaller before?
Our deadly game of Chicken continued. Over and over I was forced to dodge at the last second before I got clobbered into dust. That is, until I lost my footing. Time slowed down as I prepared myself for a lot of pain. However, the golem tripped and fell front-first - it doesn't have a face to fall on, remember - into the ground.
Now's my chance!
"TAKE THIS! HAAAAAAAAAAH!" I screamed, plunging my sword deep into its back. The golem let out a deep bellow, stony hands scratching at the ground in an attempt to stand back up. It succeeded, albeit slowly, but my blade is still stuck in its back! I can't pull it out!
"Shit!" I was forced to abandon my sword as it found its footing. Now unarmed, I was in a very precarious position. Unless I get my sword back, any chance of hurting this thing is gone! Hurry up, Welt! I need you here, man!
Once again, the golem charged at me. If anything, this was perfect practice for dodging. I was getting really good at it, if I say so myself. As the stone giant rammed shoulder-first into the wall again, I sprinted forward and leapt onto its back, grabbing the hilt of my sword and pulling with all of my level 10 might.
It took a few pulls and a lot of swearing, but I finally managed to rip the blade free from its prison. Just in time too, since the golem spun around as soon as I'd landed back on the ground.
"Flynn!" Welt yelled, daggers at the ready beside me. He looked healthy, which was a good sign. Those potions were probably the best investment I'd ever made, and I'm glad they were put to good use. The cost was definitely worth it if it kept us alive here.
"Let's do this, Welt!" I called out and took my stance with my sword in front of me. The two of us took turns being the target. One of us would grab its attention and avoid its attacks, while the other would do whatever damage they could in that timeframe. Progress was slow, but that was to be expected against a foe like this. The next few minutes were some of the longest minutes of my life, but our resilience eventually paid off.
I'd noticed earlier that the gemstone in the golem's chest seemed bigger, but now that I had a bit more time to think, I realized that I'd been wrong. The gemstone wasn't getting physically bigger; the rock and dirt that surrounded it was being broken apart by the golem smashing into things!
It's just a theory, but maybe the gemstone acts like some kind of core? If we somehow remove the core entirely, would it fall apart?
It's worth a shot.
The next time the monster charged, I prepared myself for the moment it turned around. As soon as it did, I plunged my sword right beside the gem and used it like a crowbar to pry the gem away. My senses screamed as the golem grumbled loudly and pulled my sword free before it could grab me in its hand.
"Welt! The shiny gem is acting like a core! If we can get it out of there, maybe we'll be able to beat this big thing!" I yelled. He didn't understand my words at all, as evidenced by the shrugged shoulders and confused look on his face. Still, he followed my example. The monster charged again, and my companion shoved a dagger on each side of the core and yanked hard. The golem fell to one knee as the core shifted.
Seemingly invigorated by his small success, Welt pulled harder. But this time, the gem didn't budge.
"Welt, move!"
Before he could react, a stony hand wrapped its fingers around him and squeezed. His pained cries made me wince.
"WEEEEEEELT!" I screamed, shoving my sword below the gem and using both arms to wedge it out. With a roar and one final push, the gem broke free of its stony prison and fell to the ground. Welt's cries of pain subsided and the golem began to slowly fall apart. At first it was small bits of rubble, then larger chunks started to break off from its body and join the rocks on the ground.
Within a few seconds, the golem was nothing more than a pile of stone on the ground.
Welt clutched at his chest, kneeling on the ground on top of our fallen foe. I rushed over to check on him in case he was injured, but he waved me off. When I looked closer, he was smiling.
"Ne darien, Flynn! Ne darien! Hahahaha!" he said, bursting with joy. He sat down atop the corpse of our foe, laughing to himself hysterically. I was tempted to do the same.
"I know...I know..! We did it!" I couldn't help but share in his excitement. For two people at our levels, survival against a creature like this is probably pretty rare. We didn't have magic weapons or special abilities to make this fight easy. All we had was our wits and our skills. If magic exists, it might have been weak to that too.
The fact that we both lived through this without any permanent injuries is nothing short of a miracle.
We hugged each other for a moment, thankful to still be alive. With the pain in my muscles came an overwhelming sense of relief. I knelt down and rummaged through the remains of the golem to find the large gemstone that had been its core. The gem's pulsing had stopped, but it still retained the bright shine that it had earlier. I heaved it into my arms and dropped it into my backpack. The salamander's body was nowhere near as valuable and was taking up much-needed space, so I chucked it to the side and replaced it with the massive gemstone.
Welt had retrieved the tracksuit from where he'd left it earlier, putting it in his own small backpack. I rolled my eyes at him but didn't give him any flak about it. Together, the two of us retraced our steps and left the cave behind with treasures in hand.
We returned to the village with exhausted smiles and even more exhausted bodies. Even the biting chill of the night couldn't bring down our mood as we pounded down drinks at the pub, thankful to be alive. Thankfully, I drank enough water throughout the night to save myself the suffering of a hangover.
Welt wasn't so lucky. The following morning began with Welt emptying the contents of his stomach for nearly an hour before he managed to pass out again. After the first trip to the restroom to help, I gave up and chose to admire our hard-earned treasure on the sofa. The bluish-green gemstone reflected light in such an unusual way that I almost felt bad about wanting to sell it. It would make one hell of a decoration.
Still, I don't have a house to decorate and the money is worth a lot more than something pretty to look at..
I tried my best to explain to Welt that we should head into the big city to sell the gems rather than staying in this little village. The chances of finding a buyer were much higher and we would hopefully get a better profit from it. He didn't seem to understand anything more than "big city, get money".
Good enough for what I'm aiming for, I guess. He's getting a lot better at reading my body language.
According to him, the forest I'd traveled through last week was the fastest route to the big city. After picking up some last minute supplies, we trekked through the plains and into the wooded expanse. We couldn't really talk with enough depth to say what we were going to do after our little trip was over, so I sort of assumed that he would go back to his village after we were done with our little adventure.
I walked a bit slower on purpose, reluctant to see our journey end. I'm sure Welt noticed at some point, but he didn't pressure me to hurry.
We arrived in the big city by the middle of the afternoon. I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful to be back in familiar territory. Even so, Welt's home is...well...homey. Traveling with a companion and traveling alone are completely different experiences, and a part of me loathed the thought of going out on my own again after all we'd been through together. Still, he has his own life to live and so do I. I can't let myself get too attached or I won't be able to move forward.
Just like with Lina and Braden. It's fine to team up once in a while, but I shouldn't rely on others too much.
Our first order of business was to sell the gemstone we'd found. Since he'd done so much for me in the past, I brought it to Elhart first.
"Niyo, vu salier dis?" the blacksmith exclaimed in shock as I showed him our treasure. Its luster really shined in the sunlight compared to the darkness of the cave we'd found it in.
Welt and Elhart began talking back and forth in their own language, my companion probably regaling him with the tale of our conquest. Elhart smiled and laughed, clapping a hand on my shoulder and saying something with a congratulatory tone. I couldn't help but smile as well, even though I didn't know the specifics of their exchange.
I pulled out a silver coin and pointed at it. "Salgan?" I asked, hoping he understood my query about the gem's value. The blacksmith belted out into laughter, surprising me.
"Dio, dio Niyo. Salgan dio; GALDO!" he exclaimed, plucking a piece of gold out of his pouch and holding it up with a broad smile. My eyes widened like saucers.
This thing is worth GOLD!?