Lewd Dungeon, Chapter 373

Chapter 373 – Across the Lake

“[Azure Bloom]!”

A column of blue flames rose from the beach, engulfing the undead alligator that was the boss for this floor. Gracie Dixon smiled as she got the kill notification. That spell had been just enough to finish off the boss, and gave them enough XP to reach level 30.

They weren’t the first group to reach this floor, or even to beat this boss. However, unlike the Demonthralls, they had managed to protect the boat from Grandpa Earl’s thrashing. Mainly because Logan, her High Wizard, had made sure to use her [Wall of Stone] spell to protect it.

The Wizard class line was different from many of the other spellcasters. They could learn a wide range of spells, giving them a lot of utility, when they were properly prepared. However, they had to choose which spells they could access each day. No matter how many spells they had learned, they could only access half their level’s worth of spells at a time. Meanwhile, a Flame Sorceress, like she had been, was limited pretty severely to fire-related spells, which was a weakness in terms of utility, but a strength when it came to reliability.

The High Wizard was the ‘vanilla’ advancement of Wizard. They gained more powerful spells, as one might expect, and had a limited ability to change out their spells. They could only change a number of spells equal to one-tenth their High Wizard level outside of their normal selection period, and they could only do it out of combat, but it did allow them to bring more utility to bear if something unexpected came up.

Gracie took a breath, and said, “Good job, everyone. Ricardo, loot the boss. Logan, dismiss that wall of stone so King can get it in the water. With the boss dead, the rest of the lake should be safe, but we’re not taking chances.”

She made her way to the water’s edge, where Liam was kneeling on the stony shore of the underground lake. As she watched, he dipped a small glass vial into the water, and held it up before his face, examining it. She’d seen him do it enough to know that he wasn’t acting as the Ranger turned Order of the Bow Initiate, but rather as the Master Survivalist. The frown on his face spoke volumes as he sealed the vial, and put it away.

“How bad is it, Liam?”

“Mistress, even if we assume there aren’t any more monsters in the water, now that the boss is dead, I would caution against swimming in this water. And drinking it is completely out of the question, unless it is purified. As in, using a Priest to purify it.”

Gracie frowned. “That bad, really? What is the deal with the water, then?”

Liam shook his head. “My [Appraise] calls it [Cursewater]. We’d need to get a sample to an Alchemist to know the full scope, but [Survival Instincts] tells me this is bad news. Basically, you know how chicken broth is made by putting the chicken and other ingredients in a pot and letting it simmer for a while? Well, this is essentially undead broth. And just like how you shouldn’t go around eating undead, this is decidedly unhealthy for humans.”

“Is it possible to use as a weapon? Or maybe some kind of poison?”

“We’d need an Alchemist to weigh in on that to be sure, but my skills suggest no, not unless something was done to concentrate it or enhance the curse somehow. A brief dip in the water would probably put a small debuff on us until we dried. Actually trying to swim to the other side would probably increase the duration, or the penalty. And so on. I don’t have the skills for more than a general threat assessment, which is why I picked up a sample to take topside.”

“Get a second one, then. We’ll hand one off to the Barrows girl up in Swamptown, and take the other to the guild, so they can get a better handle on things.”

“As you say, Mistress.”

Soon enough, samples were collected, and the loot was gathered and stored away for proper evaluation the next time they got to a Safe Zone. They’d decided way back that the proper way to deal with any loot that didn’t immediately jump out at them as an upgrade was to store it until they got someplace safe, so that they could properly evaluate it. There was also the matter of needing to adjust to the feel of new weapons or armor.

Sure, the System made it so that any armor or weapon skills you had applied to any weapons of that type, but even if you had two shortswords, they would feel differently in the hand. The grip would be different, the balance, the shape and geometry of the edge, and so on? All different in subtle ways. Not enough of a difference to make it a different type of weapon, but enough that it required adjustments and familiarization, which you didn’t always have time to do in a dungeon.

That was just for weapons of the same basic type. Going from something like a gladius to a khopesh? Sure, they were both one-handed swords. But anyone who said they had anything in common beyond that was either ignorant, or a liar.

It was even worse for armor. Most armor did not have an enchantment to custom fit it for you. Oh, sure, the System generally made it so that any armor made for a person of a certain size and shape could be worn by anyone with that basic shape, but that didn’t mean it would be comfortable, or fit perfectly. Sure, a human couldn’t wear a breastplate made for a gnome or a suit of chainmail made for a troll, but anything for a human or elf? Fair game. But you still needed to go through, adjusting all the straps and things to ensure that you were going to be comfortable and protected, and could move around without any undue restrictions. And a new set of boots absolutely needed wearing in before you could use them to full effect!

The rowboat was just big enough for all six of them. A seventh, or an animal companion like some nature-focused classes had, would have required them to squeeze in close, and force two people to take the middle seat and row, or put someone in another person’s lap. Oh, sure, having two people row sounded like it would be easier, but it wasn’t. If the two people weren’t in synch, pulling at the same speed and strength, the boat would turn back and forth, possibly end up going in circles, and extend the length of time they were on the lake. Not ideal, especially when the water was cursed.

King was their main defender, so he was in the prow, shield at the ready. Just in case. Not that they truly expected an attack, but Lord Kuronoth had been quite particular about wanting people to treat the dungeon with more care, and less complacency. It wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that there would be a ‘test’ before they got to the other side, which is why King was ready to defend while Liam pulled the oars.

Eventually, they made it to the other side of the lake, and the torchlit pier. Ricardo vaulted nimbly from the boat, without even causing it to stir, and landed on the wooden pier next to the rope. It wasn’t entirely necessary to tie the boat, of course, but that went back to the ‘complacency’ thing, again. If something happened and the only way out of the dungeon was by retracing their steps through the different floors, without the aid of portals to the surface or [Escape Charm]s, then securing a way back was important. It was also good training for other dungeons, or when they were just out in the wild, where there weren’t safety nets in place.

As they stepped off the pier, and onto the stone of the shore, two portals appeared in front of them. One heading onward, and one heading to the surface, same as always. The Azure Flames shared a look, and then stepped through the portal forward, into territory that no adventurer had yet seen.

They found themselves still in a dark cave, lit only by Logan’s light spell. Two tunnels led out of the room, which was only about twenty feet wide. Neither tunnel looked particularly inviting, but they didn’t immediately scream ‘danger’, either. But then, a blue box appeared before them.

Notice:

The following floors are set so that dungeon creatures do not acknowledge the outside world. You may need to play different roles to advance through these floors. Your decisions will be remembered in future delves.

Gracie frowned as she looked at the notice. “So, what, the next couple floors are going to be ‘roleplay’ experiences, as well as fighting? Just great.”

“Mistress, look at this!” Logan called out, near one of the passages, off to the left.

Gracie moved closer, and frowned as she looked where her pet wizard was pointing. There wasn’t anything there, not that she could see. “What are you talking about, Logan? I can’t see anything.”

“Really, Mistress?” Liam frowned. “I can see it, too, so it isn’t something Logan is making up, like that time she got high on Wizard Shrooms and started seeing alien algebra.”

“It was just the one time! Seriously!”

Gracie chuckled. “Logan’s ‘medicinal concoctions’ aside, what is there? Maybe that’ll give us a clue?”

Liam turned back to the wall, and ran his finger along it, like he was following lines of text. “Those who have slipped their chains, take heed! Shatterchain welcomes all those who would live free, even in this dark place, rather than bow to others. Come, brothers, and join us. The way is marked, so that your Masters cannot see.”

“So, a settlement of escaped slaves, looking to survive in the underground wilderness?” Ricardo asked, frowning. “The journal from the supposed escaped slave, running from the ‘Shadowed City’, didn’t mention anything like that, but it may have been set as a more recent development. Lord Kuronoth has clearly done work creating lore for these floors, so it isn’t impossible for the journal to be far older than this ‘Shatterchain’ place. Or, at the very least, the journal is set to be older than these markings.”

“That is going to be a problem, though,” Gracie sighed. “Since this is Lord Kuronoth’s doing, we have to believe that he ‘programmed’ these people to behave at least somewhat realistically to certain things. Which means that someone on the Slave Master profession line is probably not going to be well-received. I wouldn’t count out defenses against any slave-owner, period, regardless of whether they have the Slave Master profession or not.”

“Fortunately, Mistress, it appears Lord Kuronoth has provided an alternate route, for those who would not risk finding the truth of that statement,” Ramon said, the High Priest standing next to the other tunnel. There, on the wall, were letters that glittered to her sight.

Tired of scratching for scraps in the dark?

Return to your Masters in Khav-Szarol!

Slaves who submit willingly will be fed well and cared for.

Slaves who are captured will be punished.

Slave Traders, Merchants, and Hunters welcome.

Gracie nodded slowly, already getting a picture of how this floor was structured. “So, this is the flip side of the coin. One settlement devoted to escaped slaves, and one to slavers, and those who are ‘passing through’. And getting through the floor probably requires helping one faction or the other, which is where the ‘your choices will be remembered’ warning comes from. You help one side, and the other one won’t be as happy to see you next time through.”

“You’re probably right, Mistress,” Ramon nodded. “There’s also something else to consider. This Shatterchain may be little more than a refugee camp, eking out a living from whatever food they can get in the tunnels. Any crafters they may have are likely going to be undersupplied, to say the least, and probably won’t have much, if anything, in the way of coin. So, aiding them is the ‘morally righteous’ thing to do, but not extremely profitable or advantageous in the long run.”

“While this slaver settlement specifically mentions welcoming merchants and traders,” Gracie chuckled. “Which means they have coin, and probably supplies, and crafters who can do things with those supplies. Which probably will give you an easier time of things, especially if going through the levels above has damaged some of your gear, or it is time to get upgrades, or refit something you won into something usable. So, it is another test, like some of the early levels, where people had to choose between the ‘righteous’ way, and the safer, easier way. Lord Kuronoth definitely did that on purpose.”

“So, to Khav-Szarol, Mistress?” King asked.

“Naturally,” Gracie nodded. “I’m allergic to people trying to kill me or free my lovely pets.”