Man, writing this really made me wonder how this would have gone if I just skipped floors.
But that isn't me, unfortunately. Not sure when Loki/Ganesha/Freya familia will reach these floors, so at least want to have Ottar give some insight to them before he goes past them. Plus, I did tag this as Dungeon Crawler. Hope to eventually get to where there's more social stuff than currently for Ottar, but need to refine this aspect first since it isn't going away.
63rd Floor of the Dungeon – Arctic Tundra
The Arctic Tundra name might be a misnomer. If he wasn't incorrect, a tundra was meant to largely be frozen plains with little, larger vegetation. Not necessarily fitting the larger islands that made up this floor, as much hills and sharp mountains as fields. Although, no one – least of all himself – would claim Ottar was well-informed about such niche academic knowledge.
And he honestly cared even less about such minutiae.
Especially as the presence of trees very much made the frozen landscape more hospitable.
Of course, that was only in relative terms. It was still ultimately a frozen landscape ready to sap the warmth from one's bones. The snow was up to his knees, and the weather erratically shifted from a calm, heavy cold to an icy and snow wind that wished to strip flesh. The vegetation that was seemingly so much more prevalent than the Polar Seas, which was primarily small glacial islands with vegetation solely around pantries, was also wood and other plant materials that couldn't be eaten. The scarce berries and fruits were also still of the deadly sort that required one to be as robust as Ottar to easily subsist on.
However, trees allowed fire.
As Ottar felt the warmth, he had to admit it was better than a bed of dead monsters. The Dungeon down here followed the same day-night cycle as Riveria and elsewhere, so the falling darkness had made it a good time to do this. So, he found himself sitting on a downed trees while using a stick to tend the fire. Looking into it, feeling its warmth and feeling the ancient instinct rising that correlated the light and heat with safety from the cold darkness that surrounded.
…
Although, as Ottar's sharp ears picked up the subtle rustling in the darkness, he acknowledged that said instinct was a lie.
In the Dungeon, safety was an illusion.
Yet that wasn't a problem for him. Ottar had long internalized that truth. In fact, he had actually been counting on it. As comforting as the fire was, it also served as a beacon for all the nocturnal hunters. Bringing them to him as opposed to him needing to track the nocturnal hunters down in their own turf.
He could have done the latter, his senses were good enough, but even he could appreciate a small break of being able to enjoy a fire after days of forcing himself to endure the cold without surrendering to the impulse to don a single cloak or jacket to soften the biting cold.
He had endured the bitterest of cold from his earliest days.
He didn't have to like it.
Feeling eyes upon him, Ottar stood. The fire cast a blinding light in the darkness, but his eyes pierced through. He spotted the glowing eyes. Heard the shifting of dirt as they moved to surround him. Smelled the blood and drool dripping from their jaws.
Ottar twisted his shoulders, allowing a spit attack from connecting with his shoulders. Then he ducked for another to pass over his head. A leg was lifted. His back arched backwards. He spun on one foot to avoid an attempt at his hips before returning back to the same position.
Without moving from his starting position, the coordinated assault coming from all sides were all smoothly dodged without excess movement.
After said failure, an almost barking-cry rang out. The monsters then jumped to attack more directly. The multi-pronged assault was smooth and sudden, but Ottar's hands had already risen to his blades. The dual blades flashed outwards, forming flashes of light that met the approaching monsters. Heads and jaws were split in an instant.
More attacked, both directly and attempting to use the openings for their spit attacks to land. His patient approach had drawn quite a pack, so they had the numbers to use the strategy quite effectively. Would bring down quite a few foes far larger and stronger than them.
Not Ottar. His defense was unshakeable and precise. Every swing of his blades cut the monsters in range. His feet flowed to avoid every spit attack. Not a single attack got closer to him than he allowed.
Eventually, the leader of the pack moved. Its attempts to use the darkness for its attacks failed, heavier steps were apparent to Ottar's ears and greater potency of its pheromones stinging his nose. As it launched at him with a lunging bite, jaws opened wide enough to bite his entire torso, the hilt of one blade landed directly on its nose. A crunch rang out and it recoiled, but his other blade came around and cut it across its face. Ottar continued the assault without relenting, unbothered by the monster looming over him. Even as the rest of the pack swarmed in, they were cut down as the leader was brought down one cut at a time.
One, two, three cuts opened on its neck.
Another hilt blow snapped the crest on its head that it tried to use as a weapon.
A stab to the hamstring when he gained its rear made it fall.
And as the final pack member was killed with a simply flick of his wrist, a jump allowed Ottar to come down on the back of its neck as it unsteadily rose; both swords coming down together to finish it off.
The battle was over like that. The ten monsters brought low. Not a single wound suffered.
"Hmph," Ottar let out, rolling his shoulders before sheathing his blades. He then knelt down next to the corpses to examine them properly. In the flickering light, he saw enough to conclude, "Not white raptors."
They were the same rough shape as the monsters that had been in the Polar Seas, and he had assumed in the darkness. Now he could see the differences though. These were more solidly blue and with a yellowish underbelly, as opposed to the stripes of blue and white of the White Raptors. They also had smaller claws on their forelegs. The average White Raptor was also larger than these, although the leader of this pack was larger than the leader of the other.
Clearly a different species.
Ottar stood and moved over to where he had noted one of the spit attacks had landed. Unlike what he had expected before, they hadn't frozen upon landing as the White Raptor spit attacks did. Removing a glove, he lowered a hand to scoop some on his index finger. He focused on how it felt, and then raised to sniff at it. Then he licked at it too.
He spat and wiped his finger off in the snow, remarking, "Sedative."
Interesting. The ice magic had been prevalent so far, threatening to restrict movement, damage flesh, and leave one vulnerable to environmental danger. If an adventurer was hit with this though, the risk of falling unconscious was serious. Or at least losing ability to move.
These monsters weren't all one-note.
Preliminary Name: Sleep Raptor. Similar to White Raptors in both bodily structure and pack tactics, but utilizes tranquilizing spit attack instead. Likely endemic too. Average individuals smaller, leaders larger, and they seemingly opt for larger packs.
Ignoring the smaller ones, he moved to the leader. Pulling out a carving knife, he quickly pulled out the magic stone. As the body turned to dust, he was pleased to see a poison sac left behind. Just what he was hoping for. It quickly joined the few drops he'd chosen to carry around with him this early.
The monsters of the Glacier Territory had been leaving more drops than usual on other floors, but that was hardly a bad thing even if he was primarily searching for a proper challenge.
Ottar had been smelling it for a time, but he finally judged it close enough to look up.
It was a larger monster, drawn in by the gathering of potential prey. The darkness hid its face, but not the thick white fur of its body. Or the shining yellow of its eyes piercing the darkness. A monstrous bear-like monster.
Ottar drew his broadsword, and took a stance. Left side forward, and legs bent and wide. Hilt of the thick sword grasped in his right hand, and pointed forward with the flat side held up by the back of his other fist.
As Ottar met its eyes and waited in that stance, the monster seemingly sensed the challenge. It stood up from all fours to its hind legs, going from at least five meters to eight. The move revealed limbs bare of fur and instead covered in thick, scaley armor. It then slammed the freed up limbs into the ground, spitting on them with magic rising in the air. As it then straightened, blades of ice formed over both its forelimbs were revealed.
Ottar did not shift in the slightest.
So, with a roar, the monster charged. Massive built and momentum put behind one of the blades as it swung. Ottar parried it, feeling the heavy weight yet mustering his own power and throwing it off. The monster stumbled, but recovered and came back in with the other hand. He parried again, but this time it threw its body behind it in a shoulder check. Ottar angled his blade, catching it on the flat side and then throwing his body.
"Graaaaah!"
The cry was the only sign of his exertion as he outright deflected and threw off the massive form that sought to slam into him. The monster was unprepared too. Helpless as right afterwards, as it found itself thrown away, a swing of his broadsword also carved through its stomach.
The monster landed on its side, rolling onto its back and struggling to get back up.
Ottar did not make a noise this time as he came down with a single downward strike, cutting off its head and shoulder with one strike and making the ground quake from the leftover force. Snow was blasted away as if from an explosion, trees creaked, and the ground rippled. Cries of various monsters rang out as what could only be considered a localized earthquake hit.
For Ottar though, everything settled as he calmly wiped his blade before sheathing it again.
Preliminary Name: Snow Oni. Large monster capable of both quadrupedal and bipedal movement. Able to encase forelimbs in ice blades when bipedal. Likely able to use ice magic in other ways. Strength is at least of a strong Level 6. Yet…
"Disappointing," Ottar said simply.
Another show that despite being filled with unique monsters a clear step above what the Labyrinth Territory offered, he had already outgrown this region before even arriving.
He had to go deeper.
He didn't say more though, instead getting to work. Not having hit the magic stone of the monster, he quickly started carving into it. He quickly pulled out the magic stone, rendering the corpse ash. He tossed the stone a good fifty meters away.
This left a pile of the Sleep Raptors for meat and a valuable magic stone separated yet in close proximity to learn which was sought after more.
Ottar then jumped to latch a hand onto a branch. He effortlessly continued upwards, vaulting up and up till he reached the very top of the canopy. Alighting on a branch, he settled in to wait, observe, and strike.
Tomorrow he would search for the stairs to delve deeper.
Tonight, he would instead continue luring monsters. The fire had been doused by the fighting, but there were new lures. The previous attack impact had likely scared many off, but he had little doubt more would come. The dungeon's monsters were not so timid.
Disappointing or not, Ottar would hunt this night.
When 'day' arrived again, Ottar started moving across the frozen landscape to try and track down the stairs to the 65thfloor.
Now in daylight, it allowed him to see more. Not just nocturnal hunters seeking prey and a dark forest. The entirety of the region.
While he had entered this floor relatively close to the shore, it looked like the majority of the floor was a single large island. Large enough for small mountains to be in the center of the island, forests and frozen tundra's ringing it. Made a surprising array of landscapes that few in Orario would ever have the chance to see even in the surface world.
Naturally, Ottar was more concerned with the monsters.
Even the presence of less aggressive ones. Continuing the trend of the Polar Seas, there seemed to be an entire strata of monster species that were herbivores. Even more than the Polar Seas, since there was so much more vegetation. No longer did they primarily go from pantry to pantry.
More of the Crowned Elks. Yet now there were also other species. What were essentially deer with prominent horns. Yak-like monsters with bushy fur. He even found a singular example of a far larger monster that was built like the raptors in having strong hind legs but ill-developed forearms, but was furred, looked more like a goat, and a massive rack of horns.
He had little interest with them considering he had already decided to descend over meticulously clearing these floors as he once had, but they were still useful to note. Primarily as these…prey monsters served as lures for the carnivores. The far more plentiful prey species led to commensurate increase in their hunters.
Not that all of them were entirely helpless.
The solitary bipedal goat monster might have seemingly been an herbivore, but that didn't make it harmless. Its size alone was a weapon, as big as the larger monsters he'd yet encountered. Its charge also proved a terrible weapon that uprooted trees and tore up the ground. Ottar saw one send what looked to be an ice wyvern of some kind fleeing and wounded after a failed attack.
A pack of yak monsters also was revealed to have an unexpected protector. A positively massive furred elephant monster with massive tusks and able to boat its limbs in snow as protection. He saw it protect a herd, killing another type of wyvern why slapping it out of the air with its trunk and then stomping on it.
It was odd until he saw several snow-white, smaller elephant monsters mixed in with the horde.
He was tempted by the massive monster, but ultimately decided that he was better off moving on.
Plus, it wasn't like he didn't have other monsters that offered some – brief – challenge.
Ottar didn't even draw a weapon this time.
He instead raised both hands, feeling the thick tusks of the boar-monster crashing into his palms. His feet tore trenches through the ground s he was pushed back, but he didn't block. His arms shook, but held steady even as the charge of the monster slowed. Said slide also came to an abrupt end once his feet caught on a boulder large enough to endure the force. The stone cracked, but Ottar's body remained firm and the monster came to a halt.
He looked into the furious eyes of the boar monster that was roughly twice the height of himself, his hands now gripping onto its tusks.
"Graaaah!" Ottar roared back as he suddenly wrenched at its head. Its own strength failed, and it started to tip onto its side. As soon as it landed, Ottar pulled and spun, pulling it across the ground. He then lifted it over his shoulders and slammed it down. Its heavy form slammed into the ground with crushing force, crushing and destroying the ground.
A hand then drew a sword to stab right into its neck to end its continued struggles.
He then dodged the charge of the smaller boar-monster that tried to come from the side. His sword flashed out, carving deep into its side before another slice cut deep into one of its hindlegs that send it stumbling. He jumped forward to finish it off too.
The other smaller boar-monster cried and stamped its feet.
"Come," Ottar orders, putting the sword on his shoulder. He might have tried to avoid this group since it appeared a type of monster lower on the food chain, but they seemed territorial enough to attack him regardless. And Ottar… "I'm not generous enough to allow an enemy that attacked me to flee."
Preliminary Name: Power Boar. Boar monster with the expected pack structure of pack hunters so far, but otherwise extraordinary. Larger and stronger than the raptors monsters, but no poison or ranged attack. Lower end predator monster here.
64th floor of the Dungeon – Arctic Tundra
The positive flood of Sleep Raptors eventually led Ottar to divert to investigate. With how many he killed, he had no lack of tracks to follow. They eventually led him to a cave.
The smell of blood and decay from inside was poignant.
It was practically a lure of its own. It made him stop and take several deep breaths. Sorting through the smell to parse what lay underneath. Beyond the ice and blood.
"I see," he muttered as he strode inside.
The cave was expansive, and entirely covered in ice. It was hard to even say whether this was a natural cave so much as something a monster dug in a glacier. Especially as it wasn't just one hollow, but numerous wide caverns connected by smaller tunnels.
He wasn't here for such things though, and so he instead focused on the pile of Sleep Raptor corpses piled up. They looked to have only been slaughtered half a day ago at most, but they were already half frozen. He approached closer, but stopped several steps away. Just stared, calm.
Before he ducked to avoid the form that lunged from above, avoiding the leech-like mouth that had tried to swallow him up to the shoulders. His blade flashed out and carved a cut in the head, forcing it to retreat, but it was surprisingly shallow. He had to dodge to the side as the large form dropped after its failed ambush and his counterattack, the large form landing and buffeting him from the impact.
His sword was raised in a guard though, and he could see the monster.
It was like a wyvern. Or a peluda. Its forelimbs had obvious wing strictures, but clearly too truncated to fly properly. On all fours, it was still a large monster though. It didn't have eyes, but purple streaks glowed in the dark and made it look similar.
"You are intelligent," he commented stoically.
This had clearly been a Sleep Raptor cave where they hunted the nearby pantry. This monster had just arrived and forced them out. Killed plenty, and then used their corpses as lure for more monsters to come in to fall prey to it.
This thing wasn't as large as some of the predators he'd yet found, but it was clearly a cannier enemy.
As if in response to the failed ambush and his guard, it's leech-like mouth expanded and stretched to at least twice the size before it roared in a way that made Ottar's ears ache.
It was by his other senses that he detected the attack from the side. From the pile of corpses, smaller leech-monsters darted out at Ottar. He was ready though. They had stilled when he had approached, but their scent had warned him of their presence before the mother (?) attacked. His dual blades came out and sliced the three attacking monsters with three strokes.
Using uneaten food as sustenance for its young too; this monster had an efficient strategy.
The large monster was then on him, trying to bowl him over. He jumped over it and cut it as he passed, but it spun around with neck extending to do a sweeping attack that he had to block. An immediate counterstrike carved into its neck though, making it pay.
Which served as reason for it to leap straight up, spinning to land bottom down to the roof and sticking there. Its neck extended again, trying to come down and swallow Ottar's upper body again. It worked just as well this time, and it only earned another cut to the head.
That precipitated yet another attack shift from it. Crawling on the roof with utter ease, it's tail suddenly clung to the roof like a sucker and allowed it to hand from down. The long neck allowed it to keep focused as Ottar chose to start running in a circle, and balls of a malevolent dark red gas started shooting out. None got close, but the threat of ranged attacks made Ottar go on the offensive this time.
He jumped himself, landing feet foot on the ceiling. One hand grasping his sword, the other gripped a minuscule cleft that served as a handhold. His other arm lashed out, three cuts being carved onto the hide of the monster. It roared, and made distance as if it wasn't hanging upside down. Ottar followed right after it, three points of contact with the ceiling more than enough to hold himself up. It allowed him to pursue the monster, attacking it even from this place it obviously wasn't used to being on the defense.
The assault sent it from the roof and back to the floor, landing on its back and struggling to right itself.
More than enough time for Ottar to drop down too and attack its vulnerable red underbelly.
If nothing else, this monster was a tough one and he was restricted from a larger attack in fear of collapsing the cave from the aftershock. It meant the monster eventually managed to right itself. He had clearly damaged its body though, and he only continued to carve into it. The monster was surprisingly fast and its movements were wide and unorthodox, but that wasn't enough.
At least, till it suddenly expelled a cloud of gas from its body.
Ottar's instinctively held his breath, but he was too close for it not to touch his skin. He immediately felt it sticking to him, trying to burn and poison him. He ignored it, but still opted to make distance over purely trusted Abnormal Resistance.
It provided the monster a slight bit more room, which it admirably actually tried to use. It created a pulsing sac of something on the ground, which eventually spawned more of its young which tried to act as distractions. Another sac it created instead exploded into another cloud of poison when he kicked a rock at it, smell having warned him.
The result was obvious though once it tried to run.
Ottar pursued, switching to his war hammer. The purple streaks on its teal were targeted and broken. Then he did the same to the ones on its head, which left it flailing and helpless. Clearly they served some function in its senses.
Eventually he crushed its head underneath the hammer to send it twitching before it finally stilled.
Preliminary Name: Cave Venom Wyvern. Limited flight capabilities, but great maneuverability in caves. Seems to sense enemies by heat. Uses monster corpses as lure to more prey. Able to produce poison as projectile, area of effect, or placed mines, can extend neck in biting attack, can produce sac of young.
Satisfied with the unexpected and interesting foe, he did take a moment to survey his sword. As he thought, the edge had been blunted. While it was made of high-purity adamantite and built thick to withstand his strength, the edge was harder to protect. The monsters so far had also been shockingly tough, even those that didn't have scales or shells that needed to be broken to first.
It was not unusual for the Dungeon to favor increasing monster strength and durability over agility, it was its more common strategy, but these floors had very much exacerbated the problem.
If he wasn't careful, eventually he'd just be swinging around a blunt metal weapon over a sword.
Used to this though, Ottar merely took note and sheathed the weapon again. He then set to carve the monster, removing the magic stone and the drop. He then more comprehensively searched the cave, ensuring he didn't miss an obvious enemy worth finishing off.
The last point made him come across a little discovery.
"Ice…yet not," he muttered as he use his hand to break through the ice covering what he was examining. The ice fell to reveal more ice…but also a different kind of ice. It was almost an ore. Not quite metallic, but as much 'just ice' as the sacred trees of the elves was 'just wood'.
It rang some vague memories of years ago.
He immediately grasped and pulled. He frowned as it held study. Using both hands, he pulled once again. Yet again it remained study.
It proved irritatingly hard to harvest, but eventually he tore off a good piece of the ice ore. He quickly put it in his bag. He would only take this piece for now, instead collecting more once he started returning to the surface. He'd come across a few adamantite veins that he also ignored, but at least this he wanted to ensure he had a piece even if it would just weigh him down now.
Ottar had experienced being injured and needing to focus on returning alive too many times to not keep a small reserve of interesting finds.
The pantries of these floors were quite interesting. Elsewhere in the Dungeon, they were surprisingly calm. Monsters rarely attacked each other, so the hordes that gathered a pantry were surprisingly calm. Ready to turn into a massive horde at the sight of mortals.
In the Glacier Territory, they were far more dynamic. The most accessible place for nutrients. Not even the prevalence of vegetation could make up for it, and the predators even valued it since they didn't need to fight for a chance at a meal. Their seeming trained instinct to hunt each other however meant they were a place for conflict. Herds of herbivores would try to slip in to gain some before fleeing at the sight of predators. Any predator that set up too long soon found challengers arriving, and
The sheer number of monsters coming and going meant that even with these pantries smaller than on other floors, the strength it took for a monster to dominate a pantry was no small amount.
Enough that other monsters on the floor knew it better to just avoid.
An Alpha.
That was his thought as he looked down at the pantry. Here, it was almost like a hot spring. Vents emitted steam, and water bubbled up to form colorful ponds. In this small valley, the winter that covered this landscape was beaten. Plants grew freely, and even bugs seemed to fly around. Water flowed in numerous directions, slipping between boulders and cliffs to create numerous areas where monsters would ordinarily be able to sneak in or hide from.
And at the center of this ill-fitting landscape was an apex monster of the region. It vaguely resembled another monster that Ottar had seen stalking pantries, seemingly ill-fitted for the cold landscape and instead sticking to pantries for food. Quadrupeds with lupine features, but with a mix of turquoise scales, white fur, tan bony spikes in various spots on its body, two horns, and a thick, jagged tail. He hadn't yet found reason to attack one, but he had noted they seemed to have electric magic of some kind.
He was rather glad he hadn't investigated, looking at this one.
Facing this one fresh would make it all the better.
It was clearly an evolved specimen of some kind. Unlike the largely white and tan ones, this one was darker and had red prominent. Its smell alone felt dangerous, long instincts surfacing. Bugs seemed to gather around it.
It was also looking at him.
It had noted Ottar's arrival quickly. Obvious, as it clearly used the lure of the pantry to bring food to it. It hadn't moved right away though, no doubt it's own instincts flaring. As Ottar met its eyes for a minute though, it languidly stood before tensing as it faced him.
Sensing the challenge.
Ottar didn't smile, but he did feel the trace of what could only be excitement as he pulled out his broadsword.
If Ottar had to judge, he would have said the great monster he fought on the 62ndfloor was a proper alpha. A roaming one, enforcing its dominance on everything in its territory. Its size and toughness was appropriate, and its array of attacks deadly. Its tail had been a weapon, and its ability to shoot an ice beam magic attack added even more danger.
Ottar lacked the comprehensive understanding of these floors that he had built up in the previous ones, but he would have labeled it a Level 7 monster.
This beast was at least slightly stronger.
Ottar used a parry to help push his body out of the way as it lunged at him with a foreleg swinging out. It got him out of the way of the bulky form surging forth, but the monster seamlessly shifted into a spin that sent its large tail right at him. He dived over it though. Once again using the blade to guide him with a parry, he landed right as the monster's head came around. He tried to stab at its eyes, but a simple tilt of its head made the blade skid along the bony plates protecting its face and head.
Its forelimb came right back again, but this time Ottar darted into its guard to shoulder check its chest. He also landed a hilt blow right into less armored chest. The blows landed flush, and Ottar refused to relent either. As it tried to push back, he gathered his strength and kept pushing. Despite being twice as tall as him and five times longer, his strength proved superior as the monster was knocked onto its back.
Yet Ottar's attacks afterwards failed to seriously wound it. It instead managed to regain its feet, and another rapid spin had to be blocked. It sent Ottar sliding back, muscles tensed as the monster had also covered itself in an electric coating that went through his blade into his body. It tried to lunge with another swipe of its claws, but he forced his body to move regardless of the shock and jumped out of the way.
The monster followed. Unlike many of the other larger monsters which were more cumbersome, besides dashing or charging attacks, this one was outright agile. It expertly jumped from boulders and cliffs after Ottar, its weight almost not mattering as it pursued.
Ottar was still faster, and so he had time to chant.
"Sterling compassion, golden plains."
"It is my fate to serve as a brute of war."
"Run through, carrying divine will of the goddess."
Ottar couldn't concurrent chant, so he had to stop when chanting. It allowed the monster a chance to attack him despite his superior speed. Yet, he judged it still the right choice as its armor was quite strong. He'd destroy any weapon that he swung with enough force to cut through. His spell damaged his weapons, but less than what without it would mean.
The monster naturally took advantage, and attacked. Yet Ottar was ready, with feet planted. Every shot was deflected, a mere grunt let out as Ottar held his defense firm.
The monster sensed as golden energy started surrounding Ottar, and retreated. It then howled, and the red glowing bugs of the area suddenly started flying towards it. In but seconds, a cloud of lights were gathered right over the monster's back spikes and head. It seemed to breath in and the lights went into it, and then it spun.
Four red orbs of energy that headed straight towards Ottar.
Ottar cut each of them with his blade, trusting even the immature spell to protect him.
"Hildis Vi-"
Yet, Ottar tensed and stopped chanting as he felt the energy flow and stick to him. He also felt its affect. It wasn't like a poison, but he felt it affix and dampen the gathering magic power. Even Ignis Fatuus avoided as it stifled the magic.
"Anti-Magic?" Ottar asked as he jumped away to make some distance.
No, it wasn't that. Ottar had felt such before. This was less negation as…suppression. An opposing element that overpowers gathering magic or elements.
Ottar glared anew at the monster, which had not wasted the distance he had made. Over attacking, it was seemingly charging more of that power. It was glowing with red lightning, and it then glared at him.
Ottar raised the blade by instinct to block as a lightning bolt shot down on him, but it failed to prevent the conducting of the strike. Ottar's body locked up again as red lightning danced across his skin. His skin was scorched and seared even as it tried to paralyze him.
He forced himself to move regardless as more bolts came down. He was soon darting around, a mere step ahead of the red lightning shooting down on him. He avoided any more, but the fading of the first strike only made clear that this wasn't just lightning. He felt something else lingering in the aches and pains, burning.
The lightning had the same element infused in it, and this time it was quite painful.
Not even E-ranked Magic Resistance enhanced by Stortus Ottar completely blocked it.
Ottar could ignore pain though, as shown by his reacting as the monster darted back in. He jumped over the swipe that landed and collapsed the cliff he'd been on, but his hand clasped onto the spikes on its back. Pulling himself onto it, and hand dropped and pulled out one of the spikes he kept at his waist. Said spike was soon driven into its back, palm then driving it in further. He then drew the warhammer, intending to hammer it in.
The bugs that had previously absorbed into the monster suddenly emerged though, revealing the horns and bones of the monster were porous. They moved right at Ottar, and he couldn't dodge them in time. As soon as they landed, he was suddenly buffeted by small explosions that burned and stung even more from whatever energy they were using.
Seeing more pouring out, he jumped while spinning the hammer with all his strength.
His hammer smashed through and broke the bones on the monster's back even as the bugs ignited to unleash an explosion that sent him flying through the air.
Ottar still corrected midair and landed. He had newly burned and scuffed skin, but he was not so easily downed. Even the element burning was ignorable. Stortus Ottar was healing him faster than it inflicted more damage.
Chip damage was all but useless on Ottar unless the opponent had regeneration of its own.
He met the gaze of the monster at it turned towards him. Clearly enraged at the damage done to its protection on its back. Ottar raised the warhammer in response, calling it to come forward.
Preventing an easy victory by suppressing his magic.
Guess he would have to shatter this thing's armor the old fashioned way.
And that was what he just did. The monster was fierce, and had many different movements to utilize its varied body parts in attacks. It ultimately was just too slow through, and lacked anything that Ottar couldn't endure. Its armor also failed piece by piece.
One leg, and then the other was stripped bare.
The horns on its head were cracked and broken as hammer blow after hammer blow connected.
Its tail was partially cut, and Ottar than just tore it off entirely as he swung it around at some point.
The battle was ended when he finally managed to drive a spike right into its neck to pierce its spine.
Preliminary Name: Blood Lightning Wolf. Alpha. A powerful monster capable of utilizing red lightning infused with some other element that can suppress other elements and further enhance attacks. Heavily armored. Strongest monster yet encountered. Solid Level 7 monster. Symbiotic relationship with local bugs?
He then harvested the drop before moving on. Exploring the pantry that was currently empty, anything with sense driven away by their battle. The landscape was altered no small bit too.
Ottar was more interested in the bugs though. Bugs as small as these weren't exactly a thing elsewhere in the Dungeon. More important were the red ones that seemed filled with the element that monster had utilized. He had to keep a distance from the glowing red bugs since they exploded last time, but merely watching for several minutes guided him to something of interest.
Berries.
Ottar grabbed some of the berries, and held them up. They were a pulsing red. He squished one to feel its juices on his fingers, and then took a quick lip.
He quickly spat it out.
He did not know what this was, but it was not to be eaten. Almost like the fruit he'd been subsiding on, but even worse. At least that was just a matter of cold. Ice element was just a matter of temperature. This…it wasn't poison in the same way acid wasn't poison.
Still, he sighed and made sure to collect a good number. He then properly prepared them. Wrapped them up in cloth.
He was still more intent on seeing how deep he could dive before he truly started to explore what these floors offered, but this – like the ice ore – was interesting enough to ensure he got some.
The pantries might offer things beyond a great deal of monsters, if only certain things could grow there compared to the rest of the icy landscape.
65th Floor of the Dungeon
It was a whale.
A flying whale.
Although, even the concept of a flying whale was doing it a disservice. It was out at sea, beyond the shore of the island. Further than any attempt by Ottar to travel further resulted in him inexplicably being turned back around again. Yet, it was large enough that it was easy to see it. Multiple fins. Its mere presence even seemed to light the sky up with blue auroras.
Thankfully, no legs or arms.
Ottar could only stare from the shore.
The monster seemed to sense it. Dozens of eyes opened on the side of it closer to the island, and he could sense its gaze on him. It made his instincts rise, and his hand grip a weapon hard enough for his own bones to bend. If it attacked…it felt like it would be a foe beyond any he had faced.
Yet, the monster seemingly didn't find him of interest as the eyes closed and the whale let out a low call that echoed through the air.
It then descended from the air, slipping into the sea seamlessly.
In an instant, it was gone and it seemed half a dream.
Yet…that dream seemed to bring to mind an old memory.
"I don't even entertain any suggestions by the meathead to attack it. I remember that fella down there being around long before any of these babies were born. I suspect I'll continue seeing it long after everyone else is gone too. So, don't get any ideas, little pig-"
It was an unpleasant memory he shut down, but he still stayed there for a time in solemn silence.
Sometimes the Dungeon truly was mysterious.
More than even the battle with the Blood Lightning Wolf, this battle was one of sheer, unadulterated power.
It seemed Ottar's decision to not fight the furred-elephant before wouldn't deprive him of the chance. The 65thfloor had the largest mountain of the Tundra, and instinct had guided him right up it. He just knew the stairs to do gown further lay at the top, paradoxically. And at the top, very much near the stairs, he had found an even larger and more ferocious elephant monster. Not to mention a monster as large as any of the Monster Rex's.
One that was also territorial, no doubt claiming the peak of the mountain that overlooked the entire floor, and attacked him as soon as it detected him.
Hildis Vini already had engulfed his broadsword in golden energy, and he lashed out to defend himself from the assault coming at him. He cut a thick ball of ice thrown at him, and let off a shockwave that tore through the following snow storm it blew out its trunk at him. He followed it up with a dash that put him in the air right before it, swinging down.
The monster jerked its head, catching the blow with its battle-scarred tusk.
Ottar then had to use a hand to catch at it tried to skewer him, maneuvering his body around it before jumping back.
One of Ottar's dual blades had broken. He'd also already slammed three spikes into the monster's body. Yet, it kept going. Its thickly armored skill was impenetrable, and this specimen was able to coat its legs and sides in thick ice over just snow. Its trunk was covered in ice that turned it into a weapon, and sheer size allowed it to shrug off what damage it had yet received.
Yet, it was a great battle. The Blood Thunder Wolf had been faster and had more surprises, but this beast was just pure strength and force. A foe that was only second to the Balor in terms of a complete and utter refusal to fall.
It was also striking back. Even with Ottar's speed, he couldn't avoid the area of effect. He couldn't even count the number of times he'd been forced to shatter ice that had sought to swallow him in this blizzard. From its attacks. The accumulated damage was there, but he too refused to fall.
The monster lifted its trunk, and this time sucked inwards with such pressure that there was nothing he could do as his form was lifted and pulled towards it.
So he merely attacked as he went in, cutting deep into its trunk before its tusk caught him in the side and slammed him into rock-hard ice. As soon as the tuck pulled back though, he emerged by jumping at it. Another attack that landed on its armored head.
The mountain shook with each blow he unleashed, the clash of his blade echoing far and wide. The monster's own responses were just as momentous. Its activity had heralded a blizzard to start up, and its roars and steps trumpeted through the howling blizzard and shattered ice of the mountain. They had battled from one side of the battle to another, ice caves collapsing behind them and entire makeshift trails of monsters disappearing.
In the end, it wasn't too unexpected what eventually came.
The shaking of the mountain from neither of them, and a roar of inestimable amounts of mass falling. Ottar looked up to see the wave of ice and snow barreling down on them. An avalanche sparked by their battle.
Ottar jumped as the wave arrived, jumping over the first impact that caught the monster. It roared and trumpeted as even its great bulk was slowly pushed towards the steep slope of the mountain. A force that Ottar too felt when he landed, and was struggling to no be swept in it too. The sheer mass of snow alongside the softness of it prevented just about anything to jump off of.
Ottar lashed out with the remaining power of Hildis Vini to cut the avalanche before him, allowing him just enough time to jump again.
The monster finally failed its battle to resist, and went over the ledge and let out a furious cry as it started falling properly.
Ottar needed to worry about himself though. Himself, and the stairs. He quickly used his honed sense of direction to head towards where he remembered it being. He was proven correct, although as he watched the avalanche reached the opening to bury it in snow. He could only continue jumping and struggling in the direction, combating the force of the avalanche trying to swallow and bring him down the mountain.
Ottar dived right into the snow.
…
The avalanche finally settled.
…
An explosion of golden light rang out, blowing the settled snow away. He was obviously the culprit, arms sweeping out to throw snow off him. Behind him, the entryway to the stair.
Having prevented the stairs from sealing behind him, Ottar finally had a moment as it was clear the avalanche was over.
He heard the faint roar of the monster coming from deep below, and he looked down towards where it no doubt was. Unsurprisingly, a mere avalanche wasn't going to kill a foe like that. He was tempted to start downwards to finish the fight. He knew he would end up winning if the fight was pressed to its finish.
Yet…
Ottar looked at his blade and frowned. His broadsword was not in great condition, its edge notched and dulled. One of his dual blades was gone. Three of his six spikes were now lodged in that thing's body. Everything he was carrying was showing the signs of wear.
If he finished that battle, he wasn't even sure if he could continue with his equipment.
"…next time," he decided, looking down where the trumpeting call rang out. "Next time."
Preliminary Name: Ice-crowned Mammoth. An Alpha example of the Ice Mammoth. Present on the 65thfloor, dominating the upper reaches of the mountains with the stairs to the 66th. Largest monster yet encountered. Survived first encounter and still active.
Forced to accept the unsatisfactory finish, Ottar turned to the stairs that started downwards.
He had least wanted to reach the 66thfloor on this delve.
With that thought, he started descending. The stairs were disturbingly dark, but his senses could still pierce it. There was nothing he could do about how far down the stairs went though.
He was climbing down long enough that he ended up taking a quick two hours to nap before finishing it.
66th Floor of the Dungeon
There was a reason the 66thfloor was his minimum goal upon deciding to descend as deep as he could.
It was the final 'region' of the Glacier Territory. Beyond it, one could argue nothing remained. The 70thfloor was a Safe Floor. The 71st…the 71stFloor had been a secret that had stymied the Zeus and Hera familias for centuries.
He did not know what could do that, but he wouldn't underestimate it.
This, there was the 66thto 69thfloors that offered the lowest 'proper' floors.
The Arctic Mountains….and the name was self-explanatory.
The air was thin, and a blanket of clouds were visible below. More above too. The sheer mountains seemed to punch through both.
Ottar emerged to find himself at the edge of a cave that emerged on the face of a sheer cliff. There was literally nothing before him. No path or avenue remained. All that could be done was climb or jump.
It wasn't hard to see why this was the region that even Zeus and Hera had given up on bringing supporters and wagons. The terrain was too much for transport by anyone that wasn't a high leveled adventurer. Even a Level 4 would be nothing but a burden here, needing to be literally carried.
This was an area solely for their executives and elite warriors.
Ottar looked around…and then jumped.
The Arctic Mountains truly weaponized the terrain and cold.
The blizzard that had come in with the monster attack ruined any sense of sight. Even Ottar couldn't see more than several meters in front of him, and the wind howled in a way that drowned out the howls of the monsters. Then there was the fact that he was fighting on the side of a mountain that was as much cliff as not. In one hand his remaining dual blade was drawn, while the other grasped onto handholds to held prevent him from falling from the height he was falling.
But…he could handle it.
The monkey-like monster jumped at him from above, and Ottar effortlessly maneuvered into a new position while slicing it in half. He did the same to the next that tried to do the same, as well as the ice that was being thrown at him by the monsters. An experiment had already shown the ice exploded and frozen whatever it connected to. He had to jump as the far larger ones slammed into his previous position, shattering the rock. His hand caught a new handhold though, and he swung right back at the monster. His blade sunk into its chest, but it immediately tried to take a chunk of his neck.
Ottar's free hand came up, catching its jaw. His legs were squeezing together to hold himself up even as the monster tried to use the removal of the hand to send him plummeting. Sword in its chest, it still maneuvered and tried to throw him off the mountain cliff.
Ottar's strength prevailed though, and he twisted the sword in its chest. When it reared back in pain, his other hands drew his hatchet and lodged it in its eye with a swing. Three more such strikes followed in an instant, destroying its face utterly. Wrenching, it was the monster that was thrown off as Ottar hung down, only his feet gripping the cliff.
He barely had time before new monsters arrived. Flying wyverns. Small, but unhindered by the fierce winds or snow. They swooped down, launching attacks at him or trying to pull him off the cliff to drop him.
Such proved to be the usual case of the floor. It wasn't that the monsters were necessarily stronger, even if he was sure he heard some deep roars that indicated larger monsters and Alphas. No, it was just the terrain. It was about being attacked while climbing sheer mountains.
Honestly, even if it wasn't blizzarding, Level 6's without exceptional Agility basic abilities and precision of movement would be better off staying in the Arctic Tundra than trying to fight in this terrain and weather.
With the blizzard? Anyone not Level 7 wouldn't likely survive without finding the flattest spot they could and bunkering down till it passed. Probably still better to do so, unless one was seeking a challenge.
Ottar was seeking a challenge.
He started jumping, his strength and agility allowing him to traverse immense distances with each one. Mountain after mountain was moved. Flying monsters tried to pluck him out. Other harassed him when he landed. All expected, and all fell.
A gust of wind as he prepared to jump again made him halt though.
His eyes narrowed as he tried to see through the blizzard. He could see the vague shape of the mountain he had been aiming for. It was filled with rocks that were covered in snow from the blizzard.
He stayed watching for a minute.
Sensing his awareness, the mountain shifted. The rocks started moving. All separately.
A thousand man-sized forms started moving, their camouflage of a rocky mountain fading away.
Insectoid-versions of Flame Rocks? Entire colonies too that could cover large parts of the mountain. When settled, all one could see was the spiky rocks that covered their backs.
Grunting, Ottar jumped right at them.
The blizzard lasted a full day, and it was as harsh a day as Ottar had in years.
Yet, it did pass. The sky cleared to an almost shocking degree. Truly illustrating the heights of the mountains. The valleys that lay below.
Monsters were visible too. The numerous flying ones that skimmed mountains in the distance. Monkeys and larger monsters climbing and jumping. Even the valleys seemed to be havens for life, even if Ottar hadn't yet descended to explore them.
Even if this region's floors didn't increase in diameter compared to the Arctic Tundra, the addition of height as a dimension would no doubt make it feel larger. One could and would have to go up and down numerous sheer mountains if to traverse it. Crevices and valleys made so many extra little spots that could be explored or hide monsters.
Not to mention caves.
Such as the one he landed before after spotting it in the new visibility.
He smelled many scents from inside. It was clear that many monsters were inside. Yet, once again a niggle of a memory arose despite his attempt to stamp down on it.
"The caves there, even for me…ew."
Ottar frowned as he considered why he was remembering such things, although eventually justified it as old memories due to the new floors he hadn't heard anything about since fifteen years ago.
Still, at least this time it was a useful memory.
The Hera familia had avoided the caves of the Arctic Mountains. It didn't mean they feared them, but there had to be a reason. Something inside was enough for the entirety of that…troublesome familia to hand off such areas entirely to the Zeus familia members.
Rolling his shoulder, he walked in.
Reason or not, Ottar had to forge forward himself.
The cave wasn't so different from the ice caverns of the Arctic Tundra, although this one definitely had rock beneath the ice. It extended just as deep to make clear this wasn't a natural cave though. Either monsters did this, or the Dungeon had some reason to allow adventurers to go deep inside.
The attack came quite suddenly.
Ottar was still ready, scent having warned him. Not to mention the familiarity of the attack. The monster had crawled across the roof of the cavern with surprising stealth, using the darkness and making very little noise. The way it clung to the roof by its tail and neck extended to try and swallow his upper body in the opening strike was all but the same. The scent was too moist for the Cave Venom Wyvern, but the attack was the same.
Ducking and rolling away from the leech-like mouth, Ottar struck back. The war hammer struck its head, and discombobulated it enough for it to plummet from the floor. Ottar struck it again hard enough to throw it against the floor, but it still recovered.
It indeed wasn't the Cave Venom Wyvern. This one was white, and stood on its hind legs more. Its skin was also moist and slimy. Its head was also more round than flat.
Ottar quickly judged it wasn't more dangerous though. It wasn't smaller than some of the monster's he'd faced, and its skin lacked the armor to break first to kill. It made him put away the warhammer in favor of pulling out his remaining dual sword.
Of course, his judgement of its threat didn't prevent it from attacking. Its hind legs bunched and it jumped at him. Over rolling away, Ottar instead struck back. His blade carved into its chest, and he put is shoulder first to absorb the impact. The monster was the one to recoil from the impact, mass not overcoming Ottar's firmness. He had to duck as its head shot forward to try and bite into him again. His other hand rose up to grab it, latching on despite its slippery surface. It still allowed him to pull it in to stab his sword deeper into its chest. The monster struggled, but Ottar was the one winning the struggle for positioning.
Until Ottar heard a suctioning noise, and saw that the monster's tail ad latched onto the ground.
He then felt electricity start flowing as the monster released a burst of lightning from its body. Ottar's body locked up from the attack, teeth gritted. The pain was minimal though, his Magic Resistance showing itself.
The monster did not miss the opportunity though, and this time Ottar was too close to evade entirely. Sword buried in its chest, he could only raise his free arm to block as it tried to bite his head to engulf him. That round mouth latched onto the limb in an instant though, new lightning now flowing through its teeth into Ottar. In an instant, feeling started to fade in his arm.
Not entirely though, not with Stortus Ottar.
"Graaaaah!"
Instead, Ottar powered through. Regardless of the electricity locking his muscles, he moved. The mouth engulfing his arm to the shoulder became a handhold. He just spun, and tensed his arm as lifted and slammed down the monster. It let out a cry, but held on. Ottar lifted and slammed it again. Then again.
Finally the monster was wounded enough to let go, releasing a saliva covered arm as it flew to impact a wall.
It tried to run then, but Ottar had little intent on allowing that.
Inside a minute, he finished cutting off the things head with his blade.
"A mistake," he admitted aloud, looking at his arm.
It was positively covered in a slimy saliva that tried to burn, but failed against his skin. There were numerous smaller wounds, however, where its teeth had made small cuts. Minor.
Still the the result of underestimating an enemy he assumed to be too much like a previous monster. With the battle over an Stortus Ottar stopping its enhancement of his Abnormal Resistance DA, the poison that had clearly been in its saliva started setting in deeper. He was able to resist any systemic effects of the – now clear – paralyzing sedative, but his entire arm was turning numb.
Still, he would survive.
So, he continued moving deeper into the cave. The air flow provided enough scent to make clear more remained deeper in. Many more monsters.
Eventually he found what he was searching for.
It was an unexpected sight. Multiple plants glowing in the dark, finally allowing enough sight for those without Ottar's senses to see properly. The cave was also centered around an cave river. More phosphorescent plants within the water.
The colors in the water told Ottar the answer.
A Pantry.
It wasn't just on the surface of the mountains that monsters roamed. They spawned and lived inside the mountains too. Mountains partially hollowed out by tunnels and caved, this pantry ensuring some level of innate nutrition and sustainability.
Considering the harshness of the terrain and weather, such an area protected from that could be considered boon hunting grounds.
Although it was likely that traveling the surface was quicker if one new the location of and sought the stairs deeper.
Still, why avoid it-
Ottar's thoughts came to a halt when he felt his arm twitch. He looked down at it. The wounded arm, still numb. Even numb, however, he was glaring now.
It twitched again.
Ottar raised it even as his other hand pulled out is carving knife, and he stabbed it into his arm. The numbness was enough that he didn't even feel it. Not that it would have stopped him. He dug in till…
…till he saw a flash of white.
His hand shot into his own self-inflicted wound, grabbing and searching. He then pulled. The white leech-like thing came out, squirming and crying.
Ottar squished it in his hand.
That bite. It injected a larva of itself. The paralyzing poison then masked the feeling, with the young no doubt pulling out more. To something that succumbed to its poison entirely, they'd be helpless as the larvae ate them from the inside out and grew.
How…unpleasant.
As Ottar searched to ensure that another wasn't in his arm, he was attacked. Shooting out of the water, multiple tentacles latched onto the bloody limb. Ottar found himself wrenched towards the water as they then pulled, but he managed to find is footing first. His other hand reached out and grabbed one tentacle too, and now he pulled.
It felt like wrenching something suctioned to the riverbed – probably was – but he managed it. A large form was pulled from the water with a large wave resulting. Immediately, more tentacles shot out at Ottar. Latching into every part of him as it now tried to pull itself to him. Mouth opening wide with ovipositor extending.
Ottar's hands had found his remaining dual sword and hatchet though, and he was slashing. Even his wounded arm didn't move the slightest bit slower. Tentacles went flying and ovipositor cut off. Then its body started to be carved up. A flurry of cuts that eviscerated the many-limbed monster that had tried its underwater ambush.
The attack had only served as a signal. Ottar heard the sound of wings flapping, as bug-monsters started flying at him. Others arrived too.
Ottar started chanting.
"Sterling compassion, golden plains."
"It is my fate to serve as a brute of war."
"Run through, carrying divine will of the goddess."
"Hildis Vini."
By the time the monsters arrived, his weapons were coated in a coat of golden energy. Each blow started unleashing waves of the magic. Tearing through multiple monsters each time.
The wave of monsters crashed against Ottar's immovable defense.
…
And broke.
Ottar looked at the floor covered in monster parts, frown on his face. They weren't overly dangerous foes. Even in such numbers. Maybe to someone lesser, but not to him.
It was hard to hide his distaste though.
He had seemingly discovered by the Hera familia avoided the caves of these floors. It wasn't from the monsters being overly powerful. It was that they all apparent had some combination of being slimy, tentacles, ovipositors, paralyzing poison, tried to lay eggs or larvae in paralyzed foes, and other things of that nature.
It didn't take much to guess why an all-female familia had opted to not walk into caves filled with such.
Ottar set back towards where he smelled fresh air flowing from.
Ultimately, Ottar continued till he found the stairs down deeper…but then decided to turn back and start ascending again.
His hatchet had broken in the caves, and his remaining dual sword and broadsword were chipped and blunted. Only the warhammer was arguably still in acceptable state. Combined with finally taking wounds and his rations having run out even with supplanting them with the Dungeon fruits, it very much left him on the edge of his logistical capacity.
Next time.
This delve had been far from useless. Besides the few fights more than worthy of a delve, the information gained was priceless. He now knew what to expect from these floors. He had also learned of the location of the stairs. When he returned, he could cover the Glacier Territory to this point in half the time. With more weapons, better weapons, and less distractions on the floors.
"Next time," Ottar repeated aloud as he forced himself to turn over pushing further.
Next time to the 70th floor, and whatever mystery the 71st floor offered that had served as the wall for Zeus and Hera.
Lowest Floor of Dungeon yet reached: 66th floor
Ottar: Still thinks the things trying to lay eggs in him were better than the fish with legs and arms.
Man, I really wished Ottar had someone with him this chapter. Just reason to write a dialogue. Part of him being a solo adventurer though. Certainly thinking on how and who he could end up taking as a supporter though.
Otherwise. this is the 'end' of his first dive although he'll appear in Shakti's. Spoiler, next delve will have him reach and find what is in the 71st floor. Hope I made this vaguely interesting. Still open to hearing how much Dungeon stuff is too much. Shakti next update. Most of it written, so hopefully can achieve a mid-week update.