From Real to Realm

Val ended up struggling to sleep through the night. Apparently she wasn’t the only one though.

“You guys ready to go?” Amarisse asked.

“I’m as good as I can be,” Elza said, tightening the harness that held her tome.

Mina twirled her kukri. “Am I the only one who’s excited, but also worried?”

Lucia shook her head. “I think we’re all feeling that.”

Elza gave Val a firm spank. “Hey, you good? You keep spacing out.”

Val rolled her eyes, swatting Elza’s hand away. “I’m good, just didn’t sleep all that well.”

The guildhall was already getting busy early this morning. There were multiple groups all discussing their planned delves for the day. One group stood out.

Around twenty people were standing around a circular table discussing their plan. The gear they had on was leagues above what Val and her group had. Val also noticed multiple different patches throughout the group.

“I heard they’re going into the deeper floors today,” Amarisse said, stepping up next to Val.

Val raised an eyebrow. “How long will it take them to get there?”

“Not long, they just need to use a floorgate,” Amarisse said, motioning toward a doorway with heavy security.

Val shook her head. “A floorgate?”

Amarisse nodded. “I don’t know the particulars, but adventurers who are capable of hitting the deeper floors can use them. Lets you skip the headache of the higher floors.”

Val hadn’t heard of these “floorgates” before today. Any kind of magic that let you skip floors would be beyond valuable.

Lucia walked up. “Not everyone can use the floorgates. Only specific groups or chapters have access.”

Val felt her breastplate tighten slightly after Lucia stepped behind her.

“Your straps were a little loose. Don’t want it to fall off, right?”

Val nodded. “Thanks.”

With everyone ready—or as ready as they could be, they started walking outside.

“Remember, no throwing weapons this time,” Amarisse reminded Val, grinning.

“Why would you throw your weapon?” Elza asked.

Val waved her hand at both of them. “It’s not important, let’s just get in the dungeon.”

For only the second time in a few days they approached the large market square outside of the dungeon entrance. It was still early in the morning, but that didn’t stop the stalls from already being open for the day. As a group, they made their way through the crowded paths between the stalls.

Val’s heart was racing and her stomach was churning. After their first delve, it was hard not to feel this way. Who knew what was waiting for them when they got inside.

The guards glanced at them as they approached. “Heading inside?”

It was a dumb question, but likely one they were required to ask.

“Yes,” Val said, already fetching her badge.

One by one, each of their badges were checked for authenticity.

“Alright, there’s currently a warning for floors one through three,” the guard said, handing back Elza’s badge. “A Soul Echo was seen on floor one a few days ago, so be on guard.”

Elza shifted uncomfortably. “A Soul Echo on floor one?”

The other guard nodded, his expression pensive. “Unfortunately yes. We didn’t hear of any sightings yesterday, but that doesn’t mean it’s clear. Be careful down there.”

With the warning given, both guards turned to open the large doors for them.

It was time for their second delve.

The same dark depths were staring at them as the doors slammed closed behind them. Dust, damp stone, and mustiness choked the air around them. Dim magical sconces still dotted the walls.

“Why does this feel even scarier than before?” Mina asked, clinging to Val.

Elza was looking between the girls, confused. “How many delves have you been on?”

No one answered at first.

“One…” Val finally said.

Elza scrunched her face. “Explains why you girls are so hesitant with the first floor. Do you want me to take the lead?”

Amarisse finally snapped out of her haze. “Absolutely not. I’m the tank. Being at the front is my job, you stick behind us and next to Lucia.”

Val gave Mina a gentle pat on the head. “We’ll be okay, just cover the left flank, yeah?”

Mina nodded, her eyes still flitting around. “Right… cover the left flank.”

With Mina in position, Val stepped up on the right. Amarisse checked both sides, sharing a cursory glance with her front line.

“Let’s go,” she said.

Once more, as a group, they made their way down the rocky stairs into the dark depths of the dungeon. Elza already had her tome out, eyes scanning ahead. Amarisse, Mina, and Val were gripping their weapons so tight their knuckles were white. Lucia was scanning ahead as well, but occasionally checking behind. Lucia made sure to grab one of the magical sconces near the bottom of the stairs.

Plip. Plip. Plip.

The sound of water dripping filled the thick silence around them. Solid footfalls, the creak of gear, the soft breathing. The atmosphere was crushing.

“Alright, we took the second tunnel last time,” Lucia said, gulping. “Which one this time?”

No one spoke up at first.

“Why don’t you choose, Elza?” Val asked.

Elza shrugged. “Sure, let’s take the far right. I haven’t been down that one yet.”

The mage was much more composed compared to the rest of her party.

Like their first delve, progress was slow. Only this time, they were more methodical as they moved forward.

“Are you guys usually this slow when exploring?” Elza finally asked.

Everyone turned to her, confused.

“Isn’t it better to take your time?” Lucia asked. “Especially after the warning they gave us?”

Elza shrugged. “Sure, I mean, being safe is always a good idea. But you don’t have to go this slow. You can keep a decent pace while still being careful.”

Val almost forgot Elza was Level Two. It made sense she would be more comfortable being in the dungeon.

“You still need to stay behind me,” Amarisse said. “But we can try and pick up the pace some.”

Elza smiled. “A lot of the things down here aren’t quiet. The only ones you have to worry about are Root Stalkers. Those little fucks are always shifty and hard to avoid, but they’re easy to kill.”

She placed a hand on Amarisse’s and Lucia’s shoulders. “Trust me, you guys don’t have much to worry about. I can already tell you’ve got good chemistry down here.”

It was encouraging hearing her say that. It didn’t erase their worries about the dungeon, but she was a higher level. That kind of praise was enough to at least bolster their resolve.

“Plus, with both Lucia and myself keeping an eye out? It’ll be hard for anything to sneak up on us,” she said, patting Lucia’s back.

Amarisse straightened, taking a deep breath. “She’s right. We handled our first delve well enough, there’s no reason to be freaked out.”

Mina wasn’t as vocal, but Val could see it in her eyes. She was feeling more confident already as well.

“Alright then, let’s try setting a better pace,” Val said, smiling.

After the much needed encouragement from Elza, the group got moving. It was still slow, but smoother.

Minutes dragged by as they pushed deeper into the dungeon. The soft echo of their footfalls and breathing were the only sounds around them.

Suddenly, Amarisse stopped, raising her shield.

“What’s wrong?” Val whispered. “I don’t see anything?”

Amarisse pointed her sword toward the right side of the tunnel.

Val’s heart lurched.

Lying there was a body. It wasn’t a dungeon creature either.

Mina gasped, covering her mouth.

“Everyone be on guard,” Elza whispered from behind. “Keep this spot in mind, we can either try and lug them back to the surface or they can send a retrieval party after we get back to the surface.”

Death. It was Val’s first time seeing a dead person.

Lucia suddenly vomiting broke Val out of her stupor.

“I—I’m fine,” Lucia said, slapping away Elza’s hand.

She wiped her mouth, standing up from the ground.

No one here was prepared to see a dead body so soon.

“Do we need to do anything?” Val asked, looking directly at Elza.

“We can check them for weapons, see if they have something we can use. I tend to leave them be, though.”

Val exchanged glances with everyone. “We leave them be, then.”

Once more they started moving forward. As they got closer, Val could smell the decay in the air.

“Gods…”

Whoever they were, they had been through hell. Their armor was shredded, facial expressions unrecognizable, missing one arm. Whatever had gotten them, truly had butchered them.

“Keep moving, the smell could attract dungeon monsters,” Elza reminded them. “Move.”

A sobering reminder that the monsters down here didn’t just leave the dead bodies alone.

“Hold on,” Val said.

Quickly she knelt down and reached forward. Within a few seconds she had a badge in her hand.

“We can give this to the guards. It’s linked to them, maybe the guild can see who it was since…”

It didn’t need to be said. Everyone could tell what Val was thinking.

After such a harrowing sight, the group continued moving deeper into the tunnels. However, Val’s mind kept drifting back to the poor soul left behind.

What could have killed them? Did they come alone? Or did their group abandon them?

So many questions were unanswered right now, likely to never be answered.

Tch-tch-tch.

Everyone froze.

Tik-tik-tik.

The sound of small tiks continued to echo ahead.

“What is that?” Val whispered.

“There’s only one thing that sounds like that,” Elza whispered back, leaning in. “Corpse Beetles.”

Lucia covered her mouth and nose. “Is that what that smell is?”

Elza nodded. “They love decay. Any decay, people, monsters, plants.”

Amarisse grimaced. “Do we need to back off? Or should we take them?”

“We can take them, just don’t let them swarm you,” Elza said, flipping her tome open.

Well, it’s time to fight.

Amarisse started moving forward once more. Val and Mina stuck close to her flanks as Lucia and Elza watched their surroundings.

Skreee!

The beetles must’ve heard them already, because a handful came swarming from the darkness.

“Don’t let them cling to you! Their pincers can cut limbs!” Elza yelled, an Ice Spike already coalescing in the air.

The beetles were massive, the size of a small dog at least. Their chitin was dark black, almost imperceptible in the darkness of the cave. However, what stood out the most was the white skulls on their back. Small white dots made up the image of a distorted human skull.

Thunk!

An Ice Spike punched clean through the forward most Corpse Beetle.

“They are weak as hell! Just don’t get swarmed!” Elza reminded them.

Val adjusted her stance and swung in a wide arc bisecting two immediately. There was minimal resistance as her halberd easily cut through them.

Amarisse had one clinging to her shield, trying its best to climb over it.

A sudden burst of frost enveloped the area in front of their group. Numerous Corpse Beetles suddenly had frost sticking to their bodies, their flight speed and movements drastically slowed.

“Get off my fucking shield!” Amarisse yelled, slicing the head off the beetle as it crested the top of her shield.

Even though they were caught off guard, this fight was looking well in hand already.

Mina was the only one who struggled with the beetles. She lacked any real way to defend against them and her weapons lacked reach. That didn’t stop her from getting her fair share of kills within the first moments of battle.

Val kicked a beetle away from her feet as she sliced through her seventh one in the air.

“How many of these fuckers are there?!” she asked.

Elza punched through another one with an Ice Spike. “We must’ve found a nest!”

The girls were killing them as fast as they were rushing them. However, none of them saw the bulkier one land and begin leaking a greenish gas.

Klok—fssss—phwoof.

Suddenly a large cloud of green gas erupted from the bulky beetle on the ground.

“Back off!” Elza yelled. “That’s a poison!”

Val didn’t know what poison could do in this world, but she wasn’t eager to find out. In quick succession the entire front line backed off as Elza covered with Ice Spikes from the rear.

Thankfully the cloud of poison didn’t follow them. Instead, it persisted in the area around the one that released it.

Mina jabbed both kukri into a beetle causing it to screech. Then she tore it apart, tossing each half on the ground.

“I’m sick of these things already!” she yelled.

From the bottom of the poison cloud, the bulky beetle crawled forward—only to be impaled by an Ice Spike.

“Good shot!” Amarisse yelled. “Not many left!”

And she was right. There were only a handful of them left at this point. Val, Amarisse, and Mina were covered in bug guts and blood at this point. The smell alone was bad enough they were having a hard time not gagging.

“Watch out!”

A Corpse Beetle had somehow snuck by on the ceiling and was falling toward Lucia. However, a shimmering shield of ice caused it to bounce away from her. Then a duo of Ice Spikes punched into it in rapid succession.

“T—thanks…” Lucia said, looking at Elza.

“Don’t mention it.”

The rest of the battle fizzled out as the girls cut down the remaining beetles. When there weren’t any more left, they all deflated.

“How many were there?” Val asked, panting.

There were too many beetle carapaces scattered along the floor to tell.

“I’d say at least a couple dozen…” Elza said.

The smell was beginning to get overwhelming.

“Should we push through? This smell is getting awful. I’m not sure I can take it much longer,” Lucia said.

Elza nodded. “There isn’t anything worthwhile from these things anyways. Let’s push through and take a break.”

With everyone in agreement, the group pushed through that section of the tunnel. When they finally were beyond the smell they stopped to catch their breath.

“Can we use some water to rinse off?” Mina asked, holding her nose. “Their insides stink too.”

Val was already pulling one of her waterskins out. “I was going to use one of mine to do the same, I’m surprised I haven’t vomited yet.”

With no objections, Mina, Amarisse, and Val spent the better part of ten minutes trying to rinse off their gear.

After getting as cleaned up as they could, they gathered to discuss next steps.

“How long do you think we’ve been down here?” Val asked.

Lucia brought the magical sconce closer to the group. “I’d say… maybe an hour?”

Elza nodded. “That sounds about right, give or take.”

That meant they had plenty of time to keep going.

“Where to next?” Amarisse asked.

“Well, we should keep pushing forward. If we backtrack, the only thing we’re going to find is the beetles and dead body,” Elza said. “If we keep pushing forward, then we might run into something—“

Elza stopped talking, her eyes widening.

“What’s wrong?” Amarisse asked.

The girls whipped their heads around.

“Nothing, I uh… I actually hit Level Three.”

Everyone paused, unsure of what to say.

“Lucky,” Mina said, pouting.

That elicited some laughs from everyone else.

“Well, take some time to figure out your class interface,” Val said. “We’ll take a moment to go over ideas.”

Elza nodded, taking a seat on the cool stone floor.

“Alright, so we push forward. So far it’s been quiet compared to our first delve,” Val said.

Amarisse smacked her arm, hard. “Idiot, are you trying to tempt the dungeon?”

Val rubbed her arm. “I’m just saying, we haven’t run into much. It worries me, because what’s waiting for us ahead?”

“Is the layout always the same?” Mina asked. “Like, does everything appear in the same spots every time? The monsters I mean.”

Lucia shook her head. “From what I’ve read and heard, monsters can be in different spots every time. The layout stays the same though.”

“That’s right,” Elza said, stepping up. “There might be similarities, but that’s where it ends. I’ve never seen the Corpse Beetles back there. They’re usually a bit deeper in the floor.”

“Good to know,” Val said. “Everyone ready to keep moving?”

With a handful of nods, they got back into formation. Amarisse in the front, Val on right flank, Mina on left flank, with Lucia and Elza in the rear.

Val rotated her halberd. “Let’s see what else this place has in store for us.”

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