Lewd Dungeon, Chapter 374

Chapter 374 – To Khav-Szarol

Finding their way to this ‘Khav-Szarol’ wasn’t terribly difficult. There were signs glittering under the light. Along the way, they transitioned from Logan’s [Liight] spell to [Everburning Torches]. The basic enchanted items were far cheaper than a [Magelight], and were always ‘on’, rather than having a recharge time, but had to be carried in the hand or secured to one’s gear in some way.

That didn’t sound like too big a thing, but there were reasons why groups who could afford a supply of [Magelight]s made sure to get them. The first, and most obvious, was that if you were holding a torch in one hand, you couldn’t use that hand for a weapon, shield, or spells. Tied the torch to your armor somewhere? Now it could get knocked off in combat, or it moved back and forth, rather than being a steady light source, or your own body cast strange shadows that might make you miss things. Not ideal.

The second big problem with them was the ‘always on’ component. The need to see was often balanced against the need to remain unseen in dungeons. Torchlight carried far further than it could be used to see by. That meant that mindless creatures might begin moving towards the light, while creatures with at least animal intellect would be able to set up an ambush. And foes that could actually think, like goblins, might set up traps.

Still, for groups that couldn’t afford to spend thousands of gold on supplies, the [Everburning Torch] was an essential piece of kit. Sure, spells, skills, and racial abilities existed to allow people to see in the dark, to say nothing of enchanted eyeware that did the same. However, most of those abilities functioned along the lines of either infrared or nightvision goggles, and had the same weaknesses.

Infrared was the more common ability, but had the most weaknesses. Since the ability ‘saw’ by reading the difference in heat, it was mostly useless in hot conditions, like trying to see through heavy fog with normal vision. For someone with infravision, a hot enough heat source was basically like someone with normal sight looking into a high-powered spotlight, or staring at the sun.

The nightvision abilities were… all right. They had some limitations, however. For instance, you could get outlines easily, but fine detail was out of the question. Oh, it was detailed enough that you could recognize someone’s face, but unless there was something to highlight it, you could easily miss a tripwire, or not see that the ground was slick, and angled slightly towards a ledge. Worse, it didn’t penetrate, meaning a glass window was the same as a brick wall for how easily you could see through it with nightvision. And reading anything, unless it was specially treated to show up under that kind of sight was flatly impossible, which was a problem for following a map, or for wizards reading their spellbooks, and all those other things that really needed light.

There were no perfect solutions. Go with lightless methods of seeing your way, and you could miss important things. Bring light with you, and you hamper your stealth and may miss things designed to be seen without light. Being an adventurer was full of balancing acts like that, looking for the best solution in the moment. The most successful adventurers were not the strongest, or the smartest, but the most adaptable, who could quickly read a situation and change their approach accordingly.

That was also why having a good team was so important. With only two skill points per level, there was only so much that someone could do on their own. No one could get all the skills needed to be a well-rounded adventurer and still be effective with their class and profession. You needed a team, so their strengths could cover your weaknesses, and so on.

Of course, overspecialization was a problem, as well. A mage that didn’t know at least the basics of self-defense was a liability if anything got in close, and more than one group had been wiped out because the healer went down, and they didn’t have anyone who could get them back up. And there were times where traps or circumstances split a group up, which was a big problem for specialists. The Guild broadly sorted adventurers into several groups: Tank, Attacker, Stealth, Magic, Healer, and Support. In a standard party of six, you wanted to have one person for each role, but ensure that everyone had the ability to at least dabble in another role.

Gracie and her party followed that wisdom, of course. She was Magic, but her profession and skills let her dabble in Support. King was the Tank, but could be a backup Healer. Liam was an Attacker, but could do Stealth, as well. Ricardo was Stealth, but also an Attacker. Ricardo was a Healer, but also had enough beefiness to be a backup Tank. And Logan’s incredible utility made her Support, though she also had Magic covered.

It wasn’t quite as spread out as would be ideal, of course. But you worked with what you had, and this is how things worked out. Their successes to this point spoke for themselves.

Along the way, they faced several plant and animal monsters, which gave ingredients for cooking. There were a few Tier 2 slimes wandering about, but nothing they couldn’t handle. If it wasn’t for the oppressive darkness and the close quarters of the tunnels, it would have been far too easy.

Even so, Gracie found herself growing concerned. Lord Kuronoth had said outright that these levels were going to challenge them. But, so far, this floor hadn’t proven to be much of a challenge. They were stuck waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Mistress, we have lights ahead,” Liam whispered. The High Elf was taking point in these caves, rather than Ricardo, because the former Ranger/Survivalist had better wilderness skills than the former Rogue/Assassin. Another point in favor of the practice of having a group with diverse skills and abilities. While Ricardo would have been perfectly capable of guiding them, there was something to be said for letting a wilderness type take the lead in the wilderness.

“The signs point that way, as well, Mistress,” Logan said, softly. “This may be the settlement we’re looking for.”

“All right,” Gracie said, shutting down her thoughts about party dynamics. “Defensive posture, but don’t attack unless we’re attacked first. Have a [Barrier] spell ready to go, Logan, just in case. We don’t know what manner of creature inhabits this part of the dungeon, but I doubt they’ll be human.”

“Why’s that, Mistress?” King asked.

It was Ramon who answered for her. “Because Lord Kuronoth wishes to test the Adventurers, and prepare them for experiences elsewhere in the galaxy. Given the terrain, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is another version of Goblin Town, but set to be initially nonhostile.”

“I don’t think it will be goblins,” Logan said, softly. “The journal didn’t go into detail on the ‘Shadowed City’, but it made several references to escaping the slavers’ webs. I think we’re looking at some type of spider creature. Perhaps like the Dogik ambassador.”

Ricardo shuddered. “Ugh, the freaky spider people? I hate spiders! Too many legs and igh!”

Gracie sighed, and said, “Ricardo, I order you to not say anything about your arachnophobia while we’re here. I also order you not to attack unless myself or someone else in the party is attacked while we’re here.”

The Shadowblade stiffened slightly, and answered with a mechanical, “Yes, Mistress.” She recognized the tone, of course. The Slave title was overriding Ricardo’s will with those specific commands. It wasn’t something that happened all the time, just when an order strongly opposed their natural tendencies. A good Master avoided such blatant acts, if they could, because crushing someone’s will too much, or too often, either made them useless, or they looked for chances to rebel, like the former slave from the Crimson Claws did.

The tunnel ahead widened into a larger chamber, with several web structures barely visible at the edges of the torchlight. Two [Everburning Torches] were set over a large double door, as large as a two-lane road. A pair of spiders the size of a panel van crawled down the wall, out of the shadows and into the torchlight.

Trelzol

Dogik Male

Level 35 Warrior of the Dark Tunnels / Gate Guardian

Titles: Tough

The first was clad in armor, strapped over the chitin that covered their body. The spider creature lacked arms, in the human sense, which made the use of weapons a bit more problematic for him. Which is not to say he was unarmed of course, All eight of his legs had nasty blades coming out of the armor, and there was some kind of gun mounted to a small turret on his back, that tracked them as they approached.

Mavi

Dogik Female

Level 35 Black Lightning Sorceress / Gate Guardian

Titles: Genius

The second had armor of a different type. Lighter, and instead of blades, it sported several gems at the end of each foot. Some form of amulet or collar hung around her neck, likely magical. On her back, there was a turret similar to her partner’s but the gun was different. Probably had a completely different ability than her partner’s weapon.

Besides their armor, the two spiders looked the same to her, even though they were supposed to be male and female. Mavi, the female Dogik, spoke first, in a chittering voice, speaking some language Gracie couldn’t identify. A moment after she spoke, however, the collar she wore began projecting a voice in English. Some kind of auto-translator?

“Halt! Who comes to Khav-Szarol?”

Gracie took a breath and stepped forward. “Gracie Dixon and my pets. We’re an adventuring group called the Azure Flames. We saw the messages in the dark, and came here looking for trade, and whatever opportunities we might be able to find. May we enter?”

The Black Lightning Sorceress bobbed her head in an approximation of a nod, before one of the gems on her foreleg glowed, and a crystal orb appeared, floating above them. It looked like the camera things that the alien reality show host had used when he came through the dungeon. Probably getting what was about to happen on record.

“Before you may enter, you must agree to the rules of Khav-Szarol. Theft, rape, and murder outside of the designated areas are punishable by enslavement. The actions of slaves are the responsibility of their owner, so keep a tight leash on your pets unless you wish to join them in chains. And finally, all deals are final, all contracts cannot be renegotiated. If you do not like the results, you may take it up with the System. Do you agree to these terms?”

Gracie nodded. “I agree to these terms.”

“Excellent,” Mavi said, before recalling the crystal orb to the gem it had apparently been stored in. The male, Trelzol, reached out with one bladed limb, and pressed a spot on the wall, causing the double doors to slowly open inwards, with the sound of stone moving across stone. Beyond was a wide, open cavern, and the lights did not reach far enough to illuminate it all. “Welcome to Khav-Szarol. I hope your dealings are profitable.”

As they stepped through the door, Gracie was surprised to see what looked to be a good-sized town here, in. The buildings looked well-made, even if they had some kind ziggurat-like appearance. They also appeared to be made from a mix of stone, crystal, and chitin. And everything was sized for Dogik.

Looking up, she saw platforms connecting different buildings. More often, though, there were simple doorways into midair, with no stairs or platform to stand upon. Of course, the buildings were designed with the Dogik in mind, and they could climb walls like, well, spiders. Without magic, skills, or items to compensate, visitors would be effectively limited to ‘public’ areas.

Turning her focus ahead, she saw something that brought a grin to her face. If she knew anything, she knew what a marketplace looked like, and the different stalls lining the street, along with signs on the buildings nearby (all next to doors conveniently on the ground floor) quickly told her that this was what passed for a market district here in Khav-Szarol.

“Come on, boys. Let’s see if there is anything worth buying in the shops.”