“Common Dungeon huh? Guess that means this is an easy one?” Dupree said.
I closed the notification and raised a brow at Francis.
Did he really just say that? Does he not know gamer rules? Don’t call something easy before it’s actually done.
Of course, I didn’t say any of that out loud. I knew getting these people to like me was a pivotal task to staying within the team, and surviving the dungeon.
“Adam, Angela,” Barry called out. Huwett and I both looked at each other then stepped forward at Barry’s request. “You two will probably be our vanguard. Adam, you said you had a stealth skill. And Angela, you’re a ranger or whatever so you must have some cool ass tracking skill, right?”
We both nodded to him.
“If we want to find this Lord, we probably need to track it, hunt it down. You two are our best shot at that,” Barry gave a big smile.
“Actually not a bad idea,” I admitted.
In video games, specific classes would be designed for certain tasks and roles. Barry seemed to understand this as well, and decided to lean into the two of us who were most suited to scouting ahead. It was dangerous, being out in the lead, but it was our best choice.
“I can’t track, but I can stay hidden as we search, for sure,” I said.
Huwett sucked in a breath before deflating once more, “Fine,” she eventually said, “you’re right. We’ll go ahead. Let’s see what these skills can really do.”
Barry, Norton, Vasquez and Francis all lagged slowly behind as Huwett and I stalked ahead into the trees.
My stealth skill was a fun one. Lucilla had tested me in its use back at the facility quite a few times, and even its description was interesting.
[Shade Stealth - Lvl 1- Beginner
Effect: Dampens the user’s presence in other beings' perceptions. Greater effect in shadowy areas, at night, or busy and crowded surroundings. Effect increases with Dexterity and Skill level.]
I mentally activated the skill and my body seemed to attract the shadows around my body as we moved. Huwett used her own stealth skill, which seemed to work differently, giving her some kind of minor camouflage which changed the color of her clothes and body to match her surroundings.
At the same time, her eyes flashed as she began using some kind of tracking or hunting skill. I stayed close by, watching for movement, or any sign of danger as she worked. It wasn’t long at all before she came across something, tracks.
“Animal, large for sure. Probably a few hours old,” she whispered as we both crouched in the dirt in front of the tracks.
To me, they simply looked like large paw or claw prints.
I got no system notification of pop up when looking at them, even after attempting to use my [Inspect] skill. The skill also didn’t really give me any information when I tried using it on the others as well.
[Angela Huwett - ?]
I only got names from everyone, that was it. I thought that perhaps it would only show information I already knew, but I also couldn’t see Barry or Francis’ class, which I did already know. And if that’s really how it would, it would be a really shitty inspection skill.
I decided it was because my level was too low. Or perhaps some other factors were in play.
Regardless, whatever information Huwett was getting from the animal tracks, the System was only showing it to her.
“I think it’s a bear,” she said.
“Bear, like a black bear from Earth? Not a giant monster bear with laser eyes?”
“No, a normal bear as far as I can tell,” she said, brushing dirt from her clothes as she stood up. “System doesn’t tell me its skills or abilities. Just a question mark.”
“Maybe, your skill level is too low? Those are rookie numbers, you need to get those numbers up.” I said.
“Maybe, yeah,” she grinned softly and shook her head.
“Let’s go back and inform the others then,” I finally stood as well.
The idea that the main objective, the Lord of the Woods, was a simple bear felt off. But if we were really in an “easy” dungeon, it wasn’t totally far-fetched.
“We can get some experience from killing it in either case,” Barry said.
I smiled at the man and clapped him on the shoulder, “Now that’s the kind of thinking I like to hear.” I said.
“Lets go for a hunt then,” Barry beamed.
“Only when Vasquez casts,” Barry whispered beside me in the brush.
I nodded as I squatted next to him, sword in hand, even though I heard him say this twice before, not even counting the fact I was there when we made the plan.
It took us two hours to finally track the bear back to its resting place. A small cave in a rocky outcropping close to a clearing. It didn’t seem to be paying much attention to its surroundings, just laying inside with hardly a single care in the world. In the Dungeon? Hardly a single care in the Dungeon.
You know what I mean.
So, we backtracked and made a plan.
Vasquez’s spells took the longest to cast, so he would attack first. Then, once the bear began to engage, Huwett would sling arrows at it, while Barry and Francis went into melee. I would try getting a clean hit on the thing after sneaking during the fight.
My stealth skill worked best with shadows, and at night, but it wasn’t required, as it created a blurring effect that made my presence almost, missable. It was hard to describe, weird magic shit was at play somehow.
But I could use it to try closing in and attacking with my other skill active.
It was a basic plan.
“I know Barry, just be quie—”
At that exact moment, Vasquez seemed to have finished his casting as a bright streak of fire and light raced across the clearing and into the cave. It burst inside the area with a loud
woosh
and a snarling cry followed soon after.
The bear came storming out of its home, one side of its body singed and smoking. Its eyes darted about and it roared, the sound filling the clearing entirely.
“Now!” Barry yelled just as he also rushed from the underbrush.
I saw arrows whizzing from one side of the treeline just as Francis began running at the bear from the other side. Barry continued his advance as I activated my skill and stalked my way to the side trying to flank.
Huwett’s arrows seemed to hit true, sticking into limb and body alike. But they didn’t look to go very deep, and I wondered if they made it past the animal’s thick skin and fatty tissues at all. She seemed to only be pissing the thing off even more in her attempts to give the bear a rather shitty looking blue-hedghog cosplay.
The bear roared again before charging forward into the clearing where Francis met it. They collided in a sandwich of meat and flesh, claw and axe. The bear, something in size between a black bear and a grizzly bear, seemed rather strong, but it was almost evenly matched by Francis bulging frame.
The warrior swung his axe blade, earned a gash along the beast’s upper shoulder, before he jumped back to dodge a claw swipe.
He wasn’t fast enough and still caught a nasty slice on his thigh in the exchange.
Barry was there by then, bringing down his longsword in a furious overhead blow. The blade bit deep in its back next to the spine, but the bear spun faster than expected and slammed a large paw against his breastplate, staggering the Paladin backward.
I was in position by then, the bear now turned away from me, and I ran forward into the clearing. I didn’t move at my full speed, as I still had to seem like my stats were lower than they really were, but it was still far faster than I had been able to move before.
Once I was within range, I could see its information with my Inspect skill.
[Forest Bear - Lvl 5]
Definitely wasn’t the Lord of the Woods. But that was okay, the Dungeon would have been pretty boring if this was the boss fight already.
Once I knew I was close enough to see its info, I also activated my other skill.
[Marked to Die - Lvl 1 Beginner]
Effect: Mark a target for death. Targets find it more difficult to hide from your gaze. Target takes increased damage from your attacks, as well as slightly increased damage from ally attacks.]
In my vision, a skull appeared above the bear for a moment before fading away. But I knew the skill had activated, as I could see a faint silvery thread now connected the bear to myself. I closed in on it and brought my sword down in a fast slashing motion.
My runic blade flayed open its skin and tore through fat and muscle.
A large flap of flesh now sagged on the bear’s right side, and it roared in pain, lashing out at Francis who had attempted to engage with the beast.
Its paw struck the warrior high on the chest, sending him rolling into the grass in a spray of blood. Norton was already running toward him, the man’s large frame bobbing in the clearing conspicuously.
I brought my sword back into fighting stance as the bear rounded on me. It was just myself and it now, and it was pissed.
The beast rushed at me, claw swiping madly. I backpedaled, then dove left dodging its forepaws by inches. My speed meant I could stay ahead of its attacks, but it gave me little time to counter, if any at all between its attempts to gut me.
If I used my full speed, I might have been able to get a clean strike in without much worry. But I was holding back quite a bit to maintain my lies about my stats and my class.
I ducked another blow, and rolled once more to get on its injured side. It had turned by then already, a paw descending down on me just as I lunged forward with my blade. It was a race between the clawed maw rushing toward my face, and the blade I wielding rushing toward its heart.
And the winner?
Was Barry.
The Paladin’s shining armor entered my vision from the left just before I felt myself being pushed aside. I stumbled and looked back in time to see the bear’s paw slamming against Barry’s raised armored forearm. It sent the Paladin back a step, but he didn’t lose his balance.
“Huwett!” Barry yelled out.
Another arrow came flying in from the treeline, catching the bear in the side right in the open wound I had left with my attack. The arrow buried itself deep, now bypassing the thick hide and fat that stopped the projectiles before.
Three more arrows landed before the bear turned once more to protect from the ranger.
“Adam, now!” Barry shouted.
I realized then that the bear had turned in such a manner that it presented it’s heavily injured side towards me once again. I could see the opening that I had needed before, and understood what Barry had done.
Damn, maybe the guy really is smart.
Without further thought, I rushed forward and plunged my sword into the beast’s side, aiming to pierce the exposed flabby section and angled towards it’s front so my sword pressed further into its torso.
I felt the blade's tip scrape ribs as it moved and pierced the thing’s heart. Blood erupted as I withdrew my weapon, spraying my face and armor with hot liquid.
But that was enough, the bear groaned loudly, shuddering before it slumped forward at last.
[You Have Slain Forest Bear - Lvl 5]
And that’s when it happened.
I had so many questions left about my class, my skills and title. Many things that I had wanted to ask Death about back in the Pre-Entry room, but simply didn’t get the chance due to her abrupt exit and kicking me from the area.
Fucking rude, if you asked me.
But one of those questions was regarding something else my class gave me.
As the bear died in front of me, I saw silvery energy suddenly swirl out from its body and float a few inches from its corpse.
[Ability Activated: Soul Usher (F)...]
1.10 Big Smokey