novelzi [332] 4.53 Ancient Lake II
[332] 4.53 Ancient Lake II
“That was well thought, both of you,” Hank says, approaching once the arena’s shimmering haze fades from view. “Not the most efficient or elegant way to have taken down the monster, but it was effective and neither of you took too much damage from the fight.”“How would you have defeated the monster more efficiently?” Chloe asks.
“Sera, you have some Skill that allows you to move without remaining tangible, is that correct? I didn’t sense the shadows distorting the way they would have if that disappearing act was like my [Shadow Slip]. I’m guessing you can fully disappear into another layer of reality?”
“A Skill that operates on similar lines to what you describe,” I say. Sorry, Hank, but you’re not Chloe and I’m not going to assume I’m not being tracked. Who knows what treachery Renault might’ve pulled during that brief encounter.
“I can tell that your weapon is quite strong. Let us suggest, for the sake of argument, that you can teleport anywhere within a local radius. Then, you could have just done what you had done near the end of the fight, stabbed the beast’s weaker underbelly, retreated into that other space where your teleportation connects, and slowly whittled down the creature from the defense of intangibility.”
“It might have worked,” I say. “But there are limits to how long I can stay intangible.”
“What about me?” Chloe asks.
“Your [Light] techniques can be used to blind the creature. Barring that, I believe your [Scouring Light], as I believe you called it, would have been far more effective had you aimed for the inside of the tortoise’s mouth rather than attacking its leathery skin.”
“So, I need sharper reflexes.”
“Not necessarily, although you will need them to be fast enough. [Light] is the fastest attacking element by a long shot; assuming you can identify the opening fast enough, you should be able to get a good hit in.’
“Hmm…” Chloe says. “I should probably be investing more into [Speed] now.”
“To be frank, yes, you should. You’ve gone from a pure healer into effectively a Mage Knight build. And a damn powerful one; a being that can constantly heal itself while fighting on the front lines is one of the scariest threats to go up against.”
“I’ve seen what the end result of such a combination of classes can be,” I add. “Truly amazing.”
Chloe nods. “I still have a long way to go before I reach that apex.”
“We both do,” I say. “That’s why we’re here. A little at a time.” I turn to Hank. “You said this dungeon was called [Ancient Lake], correct?”
“I did.”
“The location on the outside world aside, I haven’t exactly seen an environment that looks like a lake. The closest I’ve seen to any sort of water was the acid vapors our deceased friend was spraying all over the place. So, uh, where’s the lake?”
“I did say this was just the first level of the dungeon, did I not? Shall we move down to the second?”
“Incredible,” Chloe says. “System or not, it’s hard to believe that a lake this large can exist so far underground. And with such a surreal landscape to boot.”
It is certainly verdant, with so many trees that seem adapted to chemosynthesis rather than the traditional photosynthesis. Instead of high branches with myriad leaves dyed in chlorophyll, these trees have massive root networks stretching for hundreds of feet in every direction. Occasionally, the roots pop out of the ground, with bioluminescent sacs the color of fireflies lighting the massive cavern in a neon-yellow light.
Out in the distance, about half a mile, is a bubbling lake emitting a warm and sticky haze. Though I remain wary after our recent battle with the tortoise Pallair, this haze seems neither toxic nor caustic, instead just the warm vapor of a massive underground hot spring.
“Is this a volcano?” I ask.
“I don’t think so,” Hank says. “It hasn’t erupted on me yet, in any case. Though there’s likely some sort of seismic activity powering these.”
“Likely?” Chloe asks. “What would the other alternatives be?”
“The main alternative being some sort of radioactive decay, in terms of conventional physics. With the arrival of the System, though, it could just be some glyph arrangement set up on the floor to generate all this heat.”
“In other words, we can’t be certain of anything,” Chloe says.
“We are in a dungeon,” I chime in. “Expect the unexpected. There usually is some sort of rhyme and reason behind everything, though the intelligence that guides it is alien and rarely straightforward or intuitive.”
“Well said, Sera.”
“So, Hank, do we search for materials here, or head to the third floor posthaste?”
“Let’s head toward the floor boss, but not rush our way there. Should we be attacked, we can see about accruing more materials.”
“Actually, Dad,” Chloe says. “There’s something that I’m a little confused about.”
“What’s that, dear?”
“I know I maybe should have asked yesterday, but it didn’t hit me until now. But when Sera and I were doing some research into Project Seraphina on our own, the local major we’d been working with on and off was able to identify that you were a government employee and stationed in Vegas. But now you’re here not far from Denver. And so I’m just wondering how did you end up out here, and why here specifically as opposed to anywhere else fairly remote?”
“To answer the first unasked question, we weren’t actually stationed in Vegas. We were actually at Area 51. And yes, all the documentaries and supposedly ‘leaked’ information about aliens and whatnot? For the most part, true. Apparently, they leak true but outlandish information, then brand the people as ‘conspiracy theorists’ and similar, all to discount their credibility and maintain confidentiality. Does it work? Not my assignment.
“As for Denver? It’s just the nearest major city that still exists after the kaiju horde rampaged much of the globe. Salt Lake City is leveled. Vegas was seriously damaged, although they did claim a narrow and pyrrhic victory. I could have gone to the San Francisco Bay Area, or maybe Los Angeles, but I wanted somewhere closer to home; I knew I’d be coming back sooner rather than later.”
“Oh,” I say. “I guess that explains everything. Daryl and Renault must’ve moved their families to Vegas as well, where they died in the City Slayer attack. That loss spurred them into abandoning all pretenses of continuing to work with the government and using their work on the Seraphina Project to seize power for themselves, under the guise of needing to preserve order and all the other bullshit they said on the news.”
“It was a bit more complicated than that, but you have the gist of it,” Hank says. “I moved personally for work, but, since I was also keeping an eye on the Mortensen family, we–” He points to himself and Chloe. “–never did. As for whether I would have joined them in a fit of rage had I lost you two?” Hank sighs. “I’d like to say I wouldn’t, but, with my hopes for a brighter future completely lost, I’m sure I would have turned to despair and rage against the world.”
“Just like what Theo did when he thought he’d lost Mom— Lily— and I.”
Hank lowers his head. “I’m sorry, Sera. I wish I had been there. If I had, maybe I could have–” He sighs. “No, it’s for the best not to get bogged down in the hypotheticals.”
“I’m guessing, then,” Chloe says, “regarding why that particular mountain, you were just looking for a place where you could set up shop that wasn’t going to be too bogged down by locals or any particularly hostile or territorial beasts?”
“Correct. I was also looking for a place with some geographical features that would make it easy for me to find while flying, at night, and without relying on sending an outgoing signal or using some sort of beacon that could be tracked. The proximity to this dungeon and its materials were just a benefit of this particular location.”
“And I’m guessing your class gives you additional Skills that help you evade detection?” I ask.
“It does,” Hank says. “Though it was still tense, slipping out of the lab in the dead of night with the body of the original Seraphina, her transport pod, and other critical data I would need. Sometimes I wonder if I really escaped, or if Renault took pity on me and let me leave.”
“He doesn’t seem as straightforwardly evil as Daryl was,” Chloe says. “Maybe I’m naive in even asking this, but I still have to know. Do you think there’s a path to reconciliation that doesn’t involve fighting to the death?”
“I don’t know, Chloe. Honestly, I’m… not the one to talk to regarding emotions and trying to read the hearts and minds of others. But, I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you.”
“I see. Well, how much further do we have to–”
“Look out, Chloe!” I rush in to intercept the invisible attack, my swordstaff meeting a cloaked fist just inches away from Chloe’s throat.
“What in the?” Chloe leaps back out of instinct. Once she sees the faint glimmer of worked metal grinding against itself and the characteristic sparks of impact, her features narrow. Her hands coalesce massive amounts of [Ether] for an overcharged [Scouring Light] that pierces right through where the monster once was.
“Indeed,” Chloe. I turn to Hank. “What was that?”
“Shadowstalkers,” he says. “Creatures that hide in the darkness, using additional stealth techniques to disguise themselves before striking unseen. Not particularly powerful individually, but even a strong individual is vulnerable in their vital areas when caught off-guard.”
“Individually, you say,” Chloe says. “Does that mean that these creatures hunt in numbers?”
“Yes, and no. No, in the sense that they are not like ants or bees, nor are they creatures that horde together and try to stampede their prey. Yes, in the sense that they have enough communication and pack tactics to work in groups.”
“I’m guessing territorial as well?” I say.
“I’m hardly a zoologist, so I can’t say for sure. Though, just from the name, I wouldn’t assume that these creatures will leave us alone just because we take a different path.”
“So we stay on our guard and keep all our senses and wits about us,” I say.
“That would be wise.”
After the first Shadowstalker incident, we proceed through the next portion of the dungeon in relative peace, tracing the shoreline of the bubbling lake toward a large cave-within-a-cave on the far shores. It’s unnaturally quiet, a sure sign that we’re still being watched from the shadows. Much like Hank claimed earlier, these creatures have some sort of stealth Skill that mutes their presence in my [Valkyrion’s Perception]. Now that I know what to look for, I can vaguely make their silhouettes out. Even still, their appearance is blurred and distorted, in contrast to the clarity I perceive when gazing upon Chloe
Despite their numbers, they make no move against us, content just to watch. Part of me wants to believe that they realize they are outmatched, that they’ve realized that they’re outmatched and are avoiding us. But my gut screams otherwise; based on what Hank said, they are cunning and crafty. I’m expecting a trap, and preparing countermeasures.
“I’ll take the lead,” I say. “Hank, can you serve as the rearguard?”
“What are you planning, Sera? And don’t say the answer is ‘nothing’; I know that look in your eyes.”
“Let’s just say that I have a feeling there’s a trap in the vicinity. I’d rather that I be caught in it than one of you two. That damn selfless gene from the Seraphina data, I guess.”
“But–”
“Just trust her, Dad,” Chloe says.
It’s more than just a feeling, but I don’t need any Shadowstalkers who might understand English to get the idea that I’m planning a counter-trap. There’s a treasure chest a hundred and ten feet in front of me, practically blazing in my vision, along with four of these lurkers waiting near by. Definitely armed, definitely going to try to ensnare me the moment I try to get that sweet, sweet loot. But I don’t like being watched like this; I’d rather not have them cause any problems when we get to the floor boss.
Time to finally bring this damn farce to an end.