[Short Story] D'sP Side Story: Catching Up With Kyle's Team

A team of six walk down the main street of a dungeon town. The road is dirt, though maintained, and there are many smiths set up. An endless flow of bronze scraps come from the dungeon, feeding their forges.

Antonio smiles, “I’m so glad this dungeon focused on metal. My heavy armor skill wasn’t doing me much good before, but look at me now! Full bronze plate!”

Cas sighs, “Though it sucks for me. Animated armor doesn’t really care about my arrows.” Fern squeezes her hand.

Kyle looks away, “Yeah. Well, this was mostly a run to upgrade all our metal gear. While my morningstar does a fine job bashing in the monsters, the other dungeon has more variety.”

Jeremy sighs, “I really with one of them had a dependable source of f–”, He flinches, “–ine food. I could go for some of that horned rabbit meat we got from the dungeon in the tutorial right about now.”

Kyle, “As if you need to worry about getting meat. Not only have you gotten really good at scouting out food, you’re the one with the super rare skill that actually tells you stuff about stuff.”

Jeremy smirks, “Who knew that a simple analysis skill that actually tells you the name and description of stuff would be so valuable!”

Jess rolls her eyes at her brother, “Not everyone grows up helping their father run a pawn shop. Even less get so into identifying stuff. I swear you were responsible for Pa being able to retire early.”

Fern lets go of Cas’s hand to rub her temples with both hands, “Blarg, I want to get a skill like that so bad! Alchemy would be so much easier if I could identify even the most basic of things about the various ingredients.”

Cas laughs, “Honey, the fact you’re able to do actual alchemy at all is a miracle. Most people stick to a single element and you went all classical four. Then you managed to complete a quest to get an actual alchemy pot! More of an eastern pot as it helps make pills instead of potions.”

Antonio shrugs, “Don’t know about styles of alchemy. I just know that it is easier to pop a pill in the middle of a fight than it is to down a potion.”

Kyle laughs, “You’re just still salty about how you spilled that first potion all down your front! No one else has a problem with them. Besides form factor, the two are about the same, especially with those alchemy deities providing free vials.”

Fern, “Not like there is much liquid in a proper potion. Each one has about as much liquid as a dose of one of those something hour energy drinks.”

Antonio, “That feels like a bit much? Pretty sure those energy shots had more liquid.”

Fern shakes her head, “Not the entire bottle. Technically, a dose is just half of a bottle. Nevermind I don’t think I ever saw someone take just half.”

Kyle, “Either way, they can both do the same thing. It is just that they specialize in different things. Pills are good at gradual effects, long shelf life, and making use of ingredients that don’t liquify as easily. While potions are great for quick effects, more permanent changes, and sigh poison and antidotes.”

Fern shrugs, “Not like potions and pills are the only output of alchemy. I’ve heard of oils which are best for spreading on the skin or objects. Plus a few other oddities, I’m sure.”

Jeremy smirks, “Like homunculi and chimeras! Edward~~~.”

Jess smacks him on the head with her shillelagh. “Don’t remind me of that! You showed me that single episode without any context or follow up!”

Cas smacks him as well, “Yeah, why bring the mood down like that? Besides, Fern could never do something like that!”

Fern kicks him in the back of the leg, “I don’t even know what you’re referencing, but I can tell from the context I wouldn’t like it!”

Kyle sighs, “Anyway, I’ve been thinking about our next move. We’ve beaten both dungeons in our local ‘community’, at least by how the system defines such things. Sure, it hasn’t quite been a year since everything went down, but I feel like the other dungeon has stalled out at 30 floors.

“The goblins that the dungeon has seem to have set it up for quick growth, but now it seems stuck. All while this dungeon only has five floors! I kind of wish we still had that welcome bag we gave to the tutorial dungeon we delved. I think this place is stuck from a lack of some precious metal or another. Doesn’t even drop coins despite having copper.”

Jeremy, “I don’t think it actually has copper. All we see is bronze and not a single ore vein. Sure, bronze is partly copper, but I’m betting it simply got some bronze and never managed to separate the alloy apart. Still, if anything, this dungeon with only five floors is tougher than the goblin dungeon.”

Kyle, “Fair enough. Anyway, as I was saying, the dungeons aren’t growing to keep up with us. On top of that, I doubt there will be another world quest soon, certainly not before the new year. Though without snow, it is kind of hard to tell how winter is going.

“I think we should head out to try and find other communities. With your ID skill, Jeremy, we can find edible food easily enough and avoid certain dangers.”

Jeremy looks around to make sure no one is paying attention, “And I’m sure our paths related to delving as many dungeons as possible isn’t affecting your judgement?”

Kyle, “I’m not saying it isn’t! Still, for being the first to complete a dungeon in our group and the first to complete that specific dungeon? Our reward definitely pushes us to try and delve into as many dungeons as we can find. It isn’t boosting our power all that much, but the extra benefits are astounding!”

Jess shrugs, “I’m for it. None of us have found our family in this community, and we Looked. Besides, the local area seems to be stabilizing into some sort of elder council rules dictatorship nonsense. It isn’t too bad, as at least the people in the center realize we need strong people to hold back the wilds. Too bad they want to have more of a say in how people develop their ‘builds’ than I think is healthy.”

Jeremy nods, “My sister is right.” And smirks, “A rarity, I know! But there was a reason the guides all heavily pushed people to keep their status secret. Good thing we listened to them or else we wouldn’t be as strong as we are now. To think! Those idiots want to standardize people. Keeping our skills and paths secret allowed us to slip under the radar by under-reporting our growth.

“Though it sucks that we kept having to ditch the loot from the last five floors of the goblin dungeon. Sure, the levels of the monsters weren’t even going up a level every floor at the end, but you get better stuff the deeper you go.”

Cas, “If anything, we need to leave before they catch on. We are strong, but I wouldn’t say we’re the strongest. Plus, they have numbers on us.”

Antonio nods, “I can only block so much. I support slipping away into the wilds. Even if we just end up back here in the end, we should end up stronger for it.”

Jess sighs, “I guess that just leaves deciding which way to head.”

Kyle, “Well, I had an idea. A simple compass isn’t that hard to craft and Jeremy will be able to figure out which side is North, maybe? Whatever, knowing North and South isn’t important to my plan.

“We seem to be at a good place in relation to those directions. Winters are cold enough to freeze, but not so bad as to blizzard. So I figure we just pick East or West and then go straight in one direction till we hit the ocean. Sure, stop in any communities that aren’t hostile and delve their dungeons, but keep up the nomadic lifestyle for a while.”

Fern grimaces, “That’s going to be a rough lifestyle.”

Jess sighs, “But it would at least be a lifestyle of our choosing. I’m in.”

Kyle, “So yeah, anyone got a piece of iron we can magnetize?”

Fern is about to speak up, but Jeremy interrupts. “I think we’d be better off figuring it out and then going by the sun and stars. Oh, and look! The sun rises in that direction! I wonder if that means something?”

Kyle shakes his head, “We can’t depend on that without double checking. Even before the system, the magnetic poles weren’t always where they were.”

Jeremy, “Who cares about North or South? We aren’t looking for that! You want to follow this seasonal band around the planet. North and South poles are only like that because of how they line up with the sun and our rotation. To keep that, we just follow the sun.”

Kyle pauses, “Huh, you’re right about that! Though I’d still like to know the cardinal directions.”

Fern, “So uh, as I was trying to say, I already have a compass? My style of alchemy benefits from knowing that kind of stuff. All kinds of symbolism around the four cardinal directions and their connection with the four elements I use. Oh, and the poles haven’t shifted as far as I can tell.

“In fact, I think the system might have ‘fixed’ the fact that true North and magnetic North weren’t the same thing? Kind of hard to tell. I don’t exactly have the knowledge beyond some old maps pointing towards that. I could be wrong.”

Kyle, “Well, that makes things easy. We’re about to leave the town gate and after taking care of the trouble following us, I guess we can just head out! Convenient that our location is the farthest East. We can just walk right out into the plains and keep going!”

Jeremy squints at him, “Was this why you had us prepare for a long haul trip?”

Kyle shrugs, “Given what’s coming if we had prepared more we might not have made it. Fern, Cass I want warning shots. Everyone else, ready.”

The group of six exit through the gate, the guards on duty moving out of the way instead of asking how long they’ll be gone. Behind, two parties are suddenly alone in the street, the crowds melting away as tension suddenly manifests. The two groups were almost exactly the same, their gear matching one another.

Fern begins to gesture and chant, “Earth of my blood, home to us all, guardian and steadfast mother! Walls like the mountains themselves, guard us!”

Across the gate, a miniature mountain range rises out of the ground. Though before it can fully form, an arrow streaks through the gate and lands directly in front of the group. That arrow explodes leaving a nasty crater.

Kyle shouts back, “We’re leaving and you won’t, you can’t stop us. I don’t know if other communities will be better, but I didn’t let my mother decide what I’d go to college for and I’m not letting you all decide what my build is. None of us are!”

The two groups, with a resigned look, approach the stone wall. Their two mages step forward and try to dispel the mage wrought blockade. Except neither have the ability. One turns to the two guards still outside, “Apprehend them! They are breaking the uniformity and equality provision!”

The two guards shrug and point at their feet. It is hard to see from inside the town, but the wall wasn’t the only thing that happened. Somehow, along with the mountain wall, their feet had also been trapped by stone. The older guard shrugs, “We’ll do what we can once someone gets us free.”

Fern laughs as the group vanishes into the three meter tall grass. “Looks like we won’t need to actually fight.”