20 – Consequences.

I dismounted Sonya and gave her back a pat. “Go to them.”

The Ratnak jogged to the group, Pochi stood behind the tank.

After my mount joined them, Alyssa waved her staff and a silver dome expanded from her position outwards, enveloping everybody around her. The little flying things that had come close enough were pushed away by the barrier and fell to the ground.

That looks cool. I nodded.

I looked back at the approaching bug. It was green, as big as a humming bird, and had compound eyes like a fly. I stepped back and swatted it away with a hand. A disturbing sound came as it burst against my gauntlet.

“FU!” the feeling made my voice come out louder than I intended. “Ugh!”

“HAHA!” Yolin’s laughter resounded in the clearing. “They’re really nasty.”

I turned back and saw her walking out of the dome as if it wasn’t there. She had her two extra pair of arms connected to her body, swatting the bugs around.

“The sound… it’s… there’s no word in Common.” I shook my head and swatted another one. “Disgusting falls short.”

“I get you.” she nodded as she swatted six bugs. “Common doesn’t have much variety.”

More bugs were gathering around us and throwing their bodies against ours. I kept swatting at them and the sounds kept coming.

“I can’t…” I winced and lifted my pike. “This is too much.”

The blade of my weapon cut them in half when they neared, green liquid splashing the ground below. Hundreds flied off from the trees around us, blocking the light coming from the stalactites above.

A cloud of bugs replaced the few we killed. My heart fell down to my feet.

“Think of them as bags of E’er.” the Oni’s soothing voice calmed me down a little. “The others will benefit a lot from this. Get over here. I’ll cover one side of the barrier.”

I twirled my pike around me as I quickly made my way to the dome. Looking down at my hands, I gagged as the green liquid had covered both gauntlets.

“Can they hear us?” I coughed as a little bile crept up my throat.

“Yes, but we can’t hear them.” Yolin’s voice came from the other side of the barrier. “I tried talking to you while inside.”

“Lapia, use your fire!” I hissed as more bugs died by my blade. “I don’t give a fuck about the jungle!”

The cloud of bugs grew thicker, more and more joined them as time went by. The loud buzz of the swarm made my skin crawl. I kept moving my arms as fast as Halvenly possible to keep the spawns of hell from getting closer.

Not even Hell had this shit! I whined in my head. I hope…

As the cosmic beings ruling the universe saw fit, my weapon was long and my aim was true. Keeping the nightmarish beings away was easy, but incredibly taxing on my sanity. The little ground that wasn’t grass was colored green by the swarm’s innards.

“Relax, Natasha.” the Oni sounded amused for some reason. “By the way, why aren’t they rushing towards us like the Walas?”

“I deactivated the skill before we entered this floor.” I managed to get out as more bugs died by my holy and righteous actions. “We need the ores, so I figured rampaging Golems wouldn’t be too useful. How many are there in a swarm? This is taking too long!”

“Good call.” she let out a chuckle. “Barely a minute has passed. Chill and kill.”

I wanted to laugh. I really did. Reality was different, though. I was fighting for my life.

“I can’t stand the noises.”

Loud clapping came from her position. “Right. You don’t like spiders either.”

My body went cold. “Please. Don’t tell me there’s s… spiders in this dungeon.”

A small cloud approached me, and I swiped my pike a few times to kill them all. Divine relief was graced upon me as my weapon created a vacuum with it’s speed, gathering them and making the herculean task a little easier.

“Don’t worry. There are none.”

The red Goddess enlightened me with her answer.

I sighed and firmly planted my feet on the ground. Grabbing the butt of my pike with my right hand and the pole with my left, I activated Endless Rain. The blade of the weapon whistled through the air as I stabbed everything in my vision as fast as possible. My right hand came up to my left armpit with each thrust, killing dozens of bugs in an instant. Before their bodies separated completely, I was already thrusting again and again, repeating the action each time my right hand returned to my hip.

Sneaking a glance back to the dome, I noticed no bugs were on it. They were gathering in front of me, and I assumed around Yolin as well.

I could maybe kill them all with a warcry, but that’ll attract every Golem in… I checked my strength stat. A wide area. Better not do that.

“Do they have a Queen?” I asked after a few minutes of nonstop pest elimination. “I’m not a fan of being covered in green goo.”

“They do. It’s more beneficial to kill the Vanguard for a while, more E’er to absorb.” she laughed.

My eyes widened. I had forgotten about that.

I focused on the clean smell. A large wave of it entered my core through my lungs along with the stench of the Morthar Vanguard’s innards as they died. I realized it happened passively, rather than something that had to be done consciously.

“So if I kill the Queen, they’d all die?” I asked while killing.

Focusing on my rhythmic breathing helped calm my disgust and focus on the bugs. I felt the clean presence of E’er flow through the Bond towards the others.

Cool. I smiled.

“They’d explode, so no E’er for us.” she chuckled. “The Queen should show up in a while, along with the Soldiers.”

“Are they bigger?” I asked, my pike blurring with the speed. “I’m just going to one-shot them when they show up.”

“A little bigger, yes.” a particularly loud clap was followed by a scoff. “They almost latched onto me.”

“Come on, these are level two fifty. How can they come close to you with all those extra arms?” I teased her a little.

“Oh? Wanna bet who kills more?” she asked back.

“You’re on.” I chuckled. “No attracting them with skills.”

“Tch! Fine.”

Although she clicked her tongue, she sounded entertained.

1, 2, 3, 4… I counted as more bugs fell to the ground.

For some cosmic reason their corpses dissolved after a few minutes, keeping the ground relatively clear. The green goo stayed, however.

As I counted, I wondered why Lapia wasn’t using her fire. True, we were surrounded by a jungle, but she could control the flames and avoid a wildfire from forming.

When the swarm thinned a good amount, a loud rhythmic clapping came from between the trees and bushes. I looked in the direction of the sound and saw a big one lazily flying in our direction. It was similarly green, the size of a seagull, a stinger on its butt, and big mandibles on its head.

I shivered.

[Floor Guardian – Morthar Soldier Lvl 280]

“Yolin?” I called.

“Yeeah?”

“A soldier is coming. It has mandibles and a stinger.” I continued stabbing nonstop.

“Let it approach a little, then kill it.” she continued to clap. “That’ll attract the Queen.”

Why can’t it be a single monster? I complained.

I killed, counted, and focused on the approaching Soldier. When it was four meters away from me, it pointed its butt in my direction. The chubby abdomen wiggled a little and I saw the stinger tremble slightly.

I deactivated Endless Rain and took two steps forward, cutting it in half with a vertical swipe. Then, I kicked the corpse to where I was standing as I kept stabbing those around me.

“Got one here too!” Yolin cheered. The sound of a watermelon falling on the ground reached me after her words. “Ueee! It’s all over me…”

I laughed and kept stabbing. A couple more Soldiers showed up and ended up being cut by me and squashed by the Oni.

When the swarm was nothing more than a few bugs, the Queen showed up. Equal in size to the Soldiers and similarly green, it had a small coronet on top of its head. It approached through the bushes towards me.

[Floor Guardian – Morthar Queen Lvl 300]

“Got eyes on the Queen. I repeat. Got eyes on the Queen.” I killed the last of the Vanguard just in time. “Six hundred and forty two, by the way.”

The Oni walked around the dome and I saw her body covered with green goo from top to bottom.

“Five hundred and eighty one.” she clicked her tongue. “Your win. Kill it, then.”

I tilted my head. “Does it drop items? Like the coronet or something?”

She shook her head. “The green goo is really good for the skin even if it’s repulsive, but it’s almost impossible to collect. The coronet is… pretty useless.”

I shrugged. “Alright.”

I unceremoniously threw my pike to the bug. It pierced it through the head and got stuck on the ground.

“Prey slaughtered. Victory achieved ~” I sang as I approached the mutilated corpse that resulted from the shock wave.

I picked the coronet and it shrunk to ring size.

[Morthar Queen Coronet (Low)]

-Attracts a Morthar Swarm when worn.

“…” I turned to Yolin.

She crossed her six arms. “Told you.”

“But what if I wear it outside the dungeon?” I contemplated. “Would that create a Morthar Swarm?”

“No…” she chuckled. “Only if there’s one nearby. That’s been tested ever since the first dropped.”

I nodded. “Yeah, makes sense.”

The dome vanished and I saw the four wiping tears away. Lapia was chuckling and Alyssa was flushed deep purple.

“All good?” I asked, taking a step towards them.

They all took a step back.

“Yes, all good.” Bromisnar eyed me with a little disgust.

I looked down and winced at the green goo covering me from head to toe. I stored the armor and sighed in relief at seeing my leather garments unblemished.

“What were you laughing at?” I asked while double checking.

Alyssa giggled. “You’re such a wuss with bugs.”

“Oh?” I produced my chest plate, green goo dripping from it. “Want a piece?”

The Luzo scowled and shook her head.

“You two need to clean up.” Lapia covered her nose. “Is there a stream or something nearby?”

Bonte shrugged. “Never been this deep.”

“There is.” Yolin once again blessed all life on Galeia with her words. “A few streams cross the entire floor.”

I clenched both fists in celebration.

“We should eat first.” the healer eyed the ground around us. “Not here, naturally.”

We all nodded at that and moved out of the crime scene. We looked for another clearing. I led at the front, stabbing Golems before they could rise. Lapia moved the ores with space spells and Yolin threw them at me, who stored them.

We reached a small clearing and Bonte checked for any unwanted guest or trap. When he gave the okay, we had lunch.

I produced the refrigerator and Lapia cooked a light meal with her fire.

Magic is way better than technology. I smiled while enjoying a rich soup.

Moving on, we reached the stream. The goo on the Oni’s body had dried and we both took a quick dip to clean ourselves. I joined her mostly because I felt dirty and wanted to clean the armor.

Continuing the systematical extinction of Golems for a few hours, the stalactites dimmed and we had to find another clearing to rest. We made camp in a spacious area free of Golems and bugs.

I uprooted a tree for sitting purposes, then carved a seat on the trunk with my spear.

The women sat next to me and the men retreated into their own tent.

“So…” Yolin began with a smile. “What do you think of your first dungeon dive.”

“Exciting.” Lapia answered. “I fought monsters while traveling, but those were mostly ambushes. It’s nice to be coordinated.”

“Pretty relaxed.” I shrugged. “I don’t have much to do, so it’s a little boring.”

“That’s why we left you with the task of killing the beasts on the fifteenth floor.” Alyssa giggled.

I nodded at her words.

“What’s the time?” Yolin asked while yawning.

I checked my pocket watch.

“It’s almost ten, you should go to sleep.” I stood up and turned around. “I’ll keep watch as previously discussed. I’ll wear my armor so my glow doesn’t attract monsters.”

“Here.” Lapia produced a book and gave it to me. “So you don’t get bored.”

I read the title. ‘Way of the Warrior, an Analysis of Skill Advancement’ was written on it.

“Cool. Thanks.” I gave her a kiss. “I’ll give it a read after I finish Kingdom Fall.”

Alyssa nodded with a satisfied expression. “It is a good book.”

Yolin laughed and pulled us into a four-way kiss. She groped my butt, then separated.

“Let’s go sleep.” she turned around and walked towards the tent Lapia bought.

“Good night.” the wizard gave me a wink and walked off.

The healer’s tail wrapped around my waist and she pulled me into an aggressive kiss. “Can I join you for a while?”

I nodded while licking my lips. “You can.”

She smiled and we sat on the trunk. Placing her hands on my shoulders, she closed in and kissed me softly. Her full lips felt really good, and butterflies fluttered in my stomach. We separated and she gave me a beautiful smile.

“I like you a lot, Alyssa.” I smiled back. “You’re cute, beautiful, your personality is amazing, and you’re really hot.”

She blushed and wrapped her fingers around my biceps on top of the leather.

“You’re an amazing woman, Natasha.” her eyes were dreamy. “I’m really lucky to have met you.”

I grabbed her by the waist and sat her on my lap. I stuck a hand under her dress and gently scratched her scales. Closing my eyes, I kissed her. Our tongues wrestled for a while and we groped each other a few times.

“Natasha.” she breathed out as I cupped a big breast. “We shouldn’t go further.”

“Hmm?” I tilted my head. “I wasn’t planning to. It’d be embarrassing if the other two heard us.”

“Oh.” she blushed. “I thought you’d want to have sex here.”

“And have them hear your moans?” I whispered next to her ear. “Those are reserved for me, Lapia, and Yolin.”

“Yes.” She let out a sultry sigh. “Can I ask you a favor?” she whispered back.

“Whatever you want.” I nodded.

“When we have sex with Yolin, could you sandwich me between your bodies?” her deep voice was thick with embarrassment and excitement.

“You like muscles that much?” I licked her neck.

“Nn! I do.” she breathed on my ear, then yawned.

I giggled and released her. “You should go to sleep.”

With a wide smile, she gave me a peck and turner to the tent. I stared at her hips until she disappeared into it.

My armor materialized around my body and I slowly walked around the tents. Giving Kingdom Fall a light read, I busied myself as nothing particularly interesting happened. No bugs or Golems approached.

I could pick a thing or two from this book to improve my writing. I thought while patrolling.

It is as you say, madame of scales. I pictured Alyssa in front of me. How your red eyes stare into mine, like… I don’t know. Red eyes like ruby! Oh, so beautiful! A chorus of angels! A proclamation by the Gods! You truly are a woman of beauty!! Oh, Elvish maiden with lockets of sunshine. Oh, fine lady of red with hairs of snow. Save this damsel from her troubles of the heart!

I continued walking and thinking about love. While romance on Earth was known to me, the culture of this world was on it’s own league. I looked around, nothing out of order.

I’m not scared of love, honestly speaking. I’ve had more trouble being overly loving than the other way around. Thing is, Yolin just joined us. I like her, but I know I don’t love her yet. I care a lot about Lapia and Alyssa, that’s for sure.

I bit my lips as I completed another lap around the camp. I looked around, using my pike as a walking stick. The trees looked cleared, no bugs sticking to them. The ground was flat, no boulders to be seen. Lapia’s gentle snoring reached me and I quietly giggled.

I sighed and properly focused on the surroundings for the rest of the night.

When the stalactites brightened, I checked the time. Six. How does it work?

The group left their tents and we had breakfast.

More Golems were killed, but no bugs showed up. When we couldn’t find more, we moved down to the next floor. We killed them all going down to the fifteenth floor. It took us two days. I was going senile.

When we reached the final destination, the same jungle I had come to despise greeted us. There, however, roamed animals. What looked like bears walking on two feet, as I was previously told.

I dismounted Sonya and quietly sprinted towards a tree. A beast was sitting some twenty meters ahead. Desperation for anything that could stop the routine of doing nothing forced me to seek any form of entertainment.

I looked at the group standing at the door and sent the signal for them to start.

Alyssa giggled, looking at a piece of paper. “Look at Novak sneaking behind the Beast. What is she planning on doing?”

“I don’t know, Pruvik, but I can tell you one thing, and one thing only.” Lapia continued, reading from her own sheet. “That Beast won’t see it coming.”

“You’re absolutely right, Pofeta.” Yolin covered her mouth with her script. “If one thing has been made clear, is that Novak has impressive sneaking prowess.”

I leaned forward a little. Turning back to the beast, I signaled once more.

“Look! What is she doing?!” Bonte exclaimed in an attempt to sound surprised.

I moved towards the beast.

“Watch out! Watch out! Watch out!” Bromisnar chanted as I advanced.

The beast turned to me and I jumped. Turning in the air, I hugged its neck and came down to the ground with a loud impact. The animal didn’t survive the neck dislocation and died immediately.

“An NKO outta nowhere!” Alyssa cheered. “What a development right at the start!”

I stood up and raised both arms. “Yeeeahhh!!”

“Her name is Natasha Novak! A heavyweight coming straight from the Cradle of Life! Eleven days old and making waves already!” Lapia struggled to contain laughter.

“But look!” Bromisnar interrupted my character introduction. “A new contender rises!”

I looked around, a few beasts had surrounded me.

“Tch!” I wiped invisible sweat off my helmet.

[Uger, Lvl 295]

It was a brown bear standing on its hind legs. They all looked the same: furry, tall, thick, clawed hands, and snouts.

“Grrrr…” the closest to me approached while growling.

I took a step forward and forced its head between my legs. It struggled a little, but a few slaps kept it still.

“Oh! Look!” Bonte exclaimed. “Is that what I think it is?!”

“Novak is as bold as ever! What an approach!” Alyssa was getting into it.

“Look closer, everybody!” Yolin’s voice trembled. “It’s not just that!”

“What are you talking about, Makav?” Bromisnar sounded shocked.

“It’s obvious, Bahadh! It’s the Tsar Bomba!” Lapia sighed with amazement. “What luck we have to see such a legendary technique from the eleven days old fighter!”

I grabbed the bear by its chunky waist and lifted its body to sit on my shoulders. It weighed nothing to me. I jumped a little and performed the finisher. The bear’s spine shattered, and the back of its skull bounced off the ground. I stood up and posed.

“What a finisher!” Bonte clapped. “This truly is a legendary eleven days old technique!”

I felt a soft impact on the back of my head and took messy steps forward, as if the strike had dazed me.

“OH?!” they all gasped.

A bear grabbed me from behind and bit me on the shoulder. I was wearing my armor, so nothing happened.

“Aahh!” I let out a weak yelp of fake pain.

“Is this the end of Young Novak, the eleven days old heavyweight with two legendary techniques?” Alyssa sounded distraught.

Nice acting! I smiled widely.

“Two?!” Lapia snorted. “You’d be naive to think such a young fighter only has two legendary techniques!”

“You mean?!?!?!” Bonte made a weird sound.

“Yes, Slirmy!” Bromisnar took out his lute and started playing a tune. “Can you smell what the Halve is cooking?!”

“I don’t smell anything, but let me tell you something.” Alyssa interjected. “I have tried her cooking and I must admit, it’s plain. Her technique, however, is top tier. On both battlefield and bed!”

Hey! That wasn’t on the script! Don’t add sex jokes to the skit!

I freed myself of the hold and turned around, hugging the bear. Swiping my right leg under the bear’s, I pushed it down to the ground. The fall shattered its thorax and it died instantly.

“The cracking of bones is loud and clear!” Lapia cheered. “This might turn into the best fight of the century, ladies and gentlemen!”

I heard footsteps and turned around, a beast was running towards me.

“What will she do?!” Bromisnar asked an invisible crowd.

Jumping over it, I grabbed its head with my legs and pushed my upper body forward. The inertia made us spin and it landed on its face with my knees on its back. The loud crack of its neck reached the rest.

“That Uger is not standing up after that.” Bonte sounded impressed.

“Hahahaha!” Yolin bent over and dropped her script. “I can’t!”

The rest joined in the laughter.

“We’re not done…” I walked over to them, removing my helmet. “I wrote a few more lines.”

“What is this?” Lapia wiped tears of joy as she read the paper. “‘Bam! Wham! The Big Slam’?”

“I wanted to include everyone on the fun.” I shrugged, a little embarrassed. “Was it lame?”

“Not at all.” Alyssa giggled. “It was really fun.”

“A very colorful script.” Bromisnar chuckled. “It’s been a while since I’ve performed a character.”

Yolin gave me a toothy smile. “That was pretty funny. You came up with really interesting names for the moves, too.”

“I may tell you more one day.” I gave her a wink.

Lapia nodded with a mysterious smile. “And we’ll wait.”

Smiling, I turned around to face the jungle. “Let’s keep going, then.”

We advanced through the jungle killing the beasts. Since my method was too flashy, it was decided that it’d be better if I just kill them quickly and move on to the next. I stored the bodies for Bonte to butcher later and the stalactites dimmed again at around eight.

We set camp and the Tigea worked on the corpses: skinning and butchering.

That night, Alyssa, Lapia, and Yolin kept watch in turns. I had a comfortable rest and visited my boys, the demons.

A few days of thinning the Uger population went by and we stopped when we found the nests. They were caves on the walls of the dungeon floor. Stronger beasts patrolled around them, and we retreated to let them repopulate. Extinction wasn’t necessary since the hides were useful for a lot of craftsmen, and we’d be fined if the Watchers found out. Not worth it.

We made camp and I took watch. Since the dungeon floor was mostly empty after our bloodthirsty quest, I sat down and read for a while. My eyes glowed and illuminated the pages. I thought back on the first nights I spent on this world and chuckled at the need to use a lamp.

I finished Kingdom Fall, the ending was pretty dark. The lovers of the Queen grew jealous of her giving too much attention to a man long dead. Turns out, it was the harem that killed Rinal at the beginning of the story because he had gotten the Queen pregnant ‘too many times’. In her despair, she sentenced them all to death. They didn’t like that, so they killed the Queen. Truly a tragic tale.

Surprisingly, their species were never mentioned. Only eye color, voice, and height were described.

I shrugged it off and opened the book Lapia gave me.

After a few minutes of reading, a few things became clear. All skills could be improved to Rank 3. I only had three such skills. To do that, I would need to add something to the skill according to the book.

That was a little problematic. Some of my skills were useless. Shielded Thrust was similar to Coiling Attacks, they both gave me ‘knowledge’ of parrying, blocking, and stuff.

The book said a warrior could improve a skill from rank 1 to rank 2 at level 15 of the skill. Then, from rank 2 to rank 3 at level 30 of the skill. A few examples were given, and Prevention was among them. It didn’t specify how to improve it, only that it was possible to affect enemies.

Pretty good book. Gives me something to work on before I get a fourth class.

Thankfully, no formulas were on the book, only exercises and simple stuff. I followed its instructions. Activating Prevention, I consciously tried ‘reversing’ the effect of the skill.

Nothing happened.

How do I reverse a buff that grants resistance to slow? I rubbed my chin.

It should affect enemies, so it obviously doesn't travel through the Bond. I closed my eyes and tried focusing on my warcries.

A pattern surrounded the knowledge of the skill. It was a little triangle with spikes. My figurative fingers went along the shape. I turned to the Auras. The pattern was a square and had semi-circles on the edges like a flower’s petals.

Is this the Rak’Math View? I remembered the thing Lapia taught me. Good thing it’s visual instead of numbers.

I fumbled around a little with the shapes.

Well, I should somehow make spikes on the square so it affects enemies as well. Hmm… The basis of a warcry is a field surrounding me that activates after shouting. So if I make the skill have a similar field through aura activation, it should work.

Carefully pinching every other half circle, I turned them into spikes while thinking of the field a warcry creates. I was left with a mix of the two after a while. I let go and it kept the shape. Then, I checked my skills and let out a satisfied hum.

Rank 3.

-Prevention, Lvl 50. [Aura] You are highly aware of the dangers of battle. You become increasingly resistant to slow, arrest, immobility, and effects that impede movement. While mounted, this effect is shared with your allies in (STR/2)m around you. You slow enemies (STR/5)m around you, and arrest those greatly below you in power. Spends E’er in accordance to the duration you intend to use.

The range increased… now it’s over two kilometers. Arrest? Like freeze? Cool.

I opened my eyes.

The women were standing in front of me, the men sat on a patch of grass working on the skins. The stalactites were bright.

“Back to the mortal realm?” Lapia raised an eyebrow.

I tilted my head. “Did I just jump forward through time?”

Alyssa giggled. “No, you were in deep meditation. It’s four in the afternoon.”

Fuck.

“My bad. Shouldn’t have done that in the dungeon.” I apologized.

Yolin nodded. “It’s okay. We cleared the beasts anyway.”

Lapia sat next to me. “What did you advance?”

“Prevention.” I stretched, nothing felt off. “Now I arrest enemies.”

“Pretty useful.” Yolin nodded. “And you did it in a single sitting.”

I shrugged. “It was surprisingly easy.”

“Tell me the details when we get back to the city.” Lapia stood up. “I’d like to know how you went over it.”

“Sure. You’re gonna laugh, though.” I giggled.

“I bet.” she grinned.

“Should we keep going?” Yolin asked. “We have a good amount of hides and ores.”

“We did what we came here to do.” Alyssa smiled.

“True.” the Oni walked to me and caressed my cheek. “We should go, then.”

She looked me with her sky blue eyes and I felt a little warmth spread inside me.

“If we move fast, we can leave the dungeon by nightfall.” Alyssa walked to the tent.

The Satyr stood up. “Is Natasha alright?”

“All good.” I gave him a thumbs up. “Was meditating for a while and lost track of time.”

“Happened to me the first time.” the scout chuckled. “Are we leaving?”

The tank nodded. “We have completed the bounties.”

They stored the skins and walked to their tent.

We packed and left the clearing. Bonte and Bromisnar joined me on top of Sonya. Alyssa and Lapia sat with Yolin on Pochi. Quickly moving through the jungle, we left the fifteenth floor.

When we reached the tenth foor, I was surprised to see a few boulders between trees and bushes. Too few to get their ores, however.

The labyrinth levels were empty, no Walas to be seen. Yolin opened the doors every time, and we made quick progress on our mounts.

I looked back to the dungeon. Dunno what I expected. My level is stupidly high. Had a lot of fun, though. A smile formed on my face.

We reached the dungeon entrance and the doors opened on their own. A Watcher was waiting for us.

“Tax, please.” he produced a linen bag and approached us.

Coins were tossed, and he nodded when he saw my golden piece.

“Thank you very much, you may leave.” he gave us a tiny bow.

We crossed the gate into the city. Poles kept the road from plunging into darkness.

“Let’s go to Henga’s.” Yolin guided the formation. “We’ll celebrate at Horace’s.”

I patted Sonya’s neck and she followed the big dog.

A few minutes later we stopped at a smithy. It had ‘Henga’s Hammer & Buru’s Threads’ on a plaque above the front door.

I followed Bromisnar inside as he took out the bounty document. I had all the ores, hides, and meat in my storage, after all.

The space was a comfy store, a lot of weapons and leather armor were displayed on the walls.

“Good evening.” he respectfully called. “We’ve finished the bounty for ores and hides.”

A few pans clattered as someone approached.

“So fast!” a booming female voice said back.

A Dwarf showed up. She was wearing an apron and her hair was pitch black.

[Ferk Dwarf, Lvl 203 Blacksmith]

Why am I not surprised?

She looked at me and smiled. “Lady Natasha, welcome. My name is Henga, please come in.”

So news spread already? I sighed.

We followed her into the building and stopped in a room with a scale in the middle of it. It wasn’t big enough for the amount of ores we had collected.

“Well?” she urged me towards the scale. “Drop them in.”

I nodded and walked to it. An ore materialized in my hand and I let it fall into the scale’s bowl.

My eyes widened when the ore shrunk to the size of a pebble when it entered the plate.

“This is amazing!” I blurted out.

The two chuckled and I put all the ores inside.

A total of five tonnes of ores sat on the bowl. The mechanism’s workings escaped me, and I stared at it in wonder.

“That’d be five hundred gold coins…” the Dwarf chuckled. “This will last me a few years.”

“We went at it pretty efficiently.” Bromisnar chuckled.

“With a Halve, I’m sure.” the short woman gave me a smile. “And the hides?”

I nodded. “I have them with me. We’d need another one of those.” I pointed at the scale.

“Follow me.” she nodded.

We did and stopped at yet another room with a scale. I repeated the process and the hides shrunk on the bowl.

“I’ll send a letter tonight letting you know of the final reward.” she nodded. “My hubby will be happy with this.”

I smiled.

“That would be acceptable.” the Satyr chuckled. “I’m staying at Urdis’.”

“I know her.” she nodded again. “Thank you very much for your service.”

“Have a good night.” I turned and left the smithy.

The performer followed, and we relayed the information to the rest of the party. Bonte was especially happy with the amount of gold.

We made our way to the tavern and had a relaxed celebration. The Tigea got drunk and Bromisnar had to take him home early.

We said our goodbyes and us women went to our love nest.

When we reached the inn, the clerk, Dasiso, greeted us with a complicated expression.

“You received mail, Natasha.” he offered me three envelopes.

“Huh?” I tilted my head. “I don’t know anybody, though.”

“You’ll see.” he had a serious face.

Okay?

I took them and we went up to our room.

Once inside, Lapia turned the lights on and I sat down on the living room.

I looked at the first one and scowled. It had a royal stamp, a red ship and pickax.

Shit. I cursed. Kingdom, of course.

I opened it and cringed further.

Your Excellency Natasha, it is of my utmost honor to extend this missive. I must apologize for reaching Your Excellency with a request, instead of an invitation. My Royal Father, Gordon Igne Lumin IV is plagued by a dark spell. I beseech Your Excellency to please aid us in our time of need. If you would be so kind, please come to Paarjo. I beg Your Excellency to make haste, my Royal Father does not have much time left.

Ronald Igne Lumin II

I let out a long sigh, then looked at the next letter. It had a very beautiful H stamped on it. The character was half silver, and half gold. I gulped and opened it.

Sup’, little sister. I heard of your birth through the newspaper. Lady Dabark did a number on you to spread the interview through all countries of Leks. It was easy to find you, however, which is good.

I write this letter to ask you if you could please solve the little problem they have over at Lumin Kingdom if you’re still in Mountroad. I’m too far away, and Yulianna is the one who specializes in that kind of shit. Surprise surprise, she’s nowhere to be found. I’ll be sure to reward you as a big sister should. WINK WINK.

Hoping we properly meet in the future,

Nilenna Atarka.

I took a deep breath. I knew I shouldn’t have done that interview! I sighed.

Looking at the next envelope, a deeper sigh escaped me. It had a skull on it.

Be warned, Halve scum, we do not need you in the world anymore. The hunt has begun.

And that was it.