[Reality Check] was the first to officially finish the dungeon, but they had to clear four more mini-bosses before they could officially call it cleared, regardless of world system announcements. It was easy enough for the party, especially since they weren’t being chased. A decent amount of [Zero Affinity Ore] was mined, along with a plethora of different affinity essences.
Sky had let everyone know via guild chat that they didn’t have to bother with the chase at all and could just kill the boss as soon as they were able to attack it. That meant they might still have to take on the first camp to initiate the chase, and it certainly meant that they had to finish all of the spiders and their Queen, Elishna.
They were the first out of the dungeon, and Atticus set up a table that he had purchased while in Ostbury for a makeshift buffet line, which folded up nicely and fit in his inventory. He set out an early lunch and slapped any questing hands away until the rest of the guild was emerging from the dungeon.
First out was the [Sword Souls], Ren shaking his head as soon as he made eye contact with Sky.
“So?” Sky asked, a smile growing on her face.
Ren looked to Baron Vane and loudly sighed, “Yeah, we just killed the spider queen, and were about to engage the earth camp when we got the notification…”
“Oohhh, that's rough, a bit behind there, Ren,” Sky teased.
Ren scoffed, “Whatever.”
“To be fair, we are more optimized for this dungeon by far. There is a reason we chose this path when deciding how we were going to attempt the climb to 100,” Zedra said. “You don’t have nearly as much AoE as we do.”
“You still killed the big bad first,” Baron said.
“True, but honestly, we nearly died. We just had a bunch of time since we cleared the spider cave in like 18 minutes, leaving the rest of the time for the boss.”
“Well, and the Earth Camp, but honestly, between Kesa’s wave, Atticus’ lightning field, and Dark’s vortex thing, we tore through them in seconds, leaving the hogs completely stun-locked,” Sky said.
“And ignoring the rest of the camps since they didn’t matter for total completion,” Ren replied.
“That is ridiculous,” Gabriel said.
His opposite, Dabriel, also agreed, “It really is. How can you get total completion without killing everything?”
“Actually, that is pretty normal,” Zedra began. “Dungeons have objectives, and it's pretty uncommon to have anything that is ‘kill everything in the dungeon.’ Normally, it’s some mini-event, boss, or something that has to be completed. For instance, here we have to kill the camps before the Beast empowers itself, but then you add a touch of reality to it, and things get a little weird.”
As he started speaking, Zedra turned and saw the [Flamesouls] and [Pink Lotus] exit the dungeon, both groups immediately listening to what he was saying.
“You mean to say that this world becoming real has changed everything?” Ar’Gen asked. “About how it operates and whatnot?”
Zedra nodded, but was interrupted by Alisha, “This world has been real since I have been alive, and we are the proof of that. Just because we ended up changing to this ‘player system’ as you call it, doesn’t mean that we haven’t lived here for years. I…we grew up here. We live here. This is REAL.”
Ar’Gen cleared his throat and nodded, “Apologies, Lady Alisha, I meant no offense. I should have said, ‘from our perspective,’ this world is now real to us. And I do think Zedra is right, though I don’t think any of us understand to what degree.”
“What do you mean?” Zaria asked her brother.
‘“Ahem, well, tell me, Ren Tidecrest, before you entered your dungeon that you completed first, the uhh, what was it called?”
“The Ostbury Crypts. It is just outside the walls to the southeast of the city,” Ren supplied.
“Right, the Ostbury Crypts, well, were there any mobs from within the dungeon mucking about outside?” Ar’Gen asked. “Were they the same mobs you would find in the entrance?”
“Huh, actually yeah. Which is weird cause there usually wasn’t back in the game. They had a bunch of former guards that had been reanimated, just like the premise of the dungeon.”
“That’s right, and when [Reality Check] here, and our [Flamesouls] went to the Zaphid Caverns, there was a plethora of Zaphid Bugs pushing out and fighting all the creatures outside of the dungeon. They were actively creating a beach front, so to speak. A staging point for them in our world out here.”
“And when we got here, there were mobs of Blood Widows that were moving out, weren’t they?” Sky asked.
“That's right. We killed no less than three of those Blood Widow mobs. I didn’t even think about it either. The rest of the people here are swamp-type creatures, not friggin’ spiders!” Zedra said.
“So what, you mean to say that dungeons everywhere might be leaking?” Kesa asked.
“That is exactly what I am saying,” Ar’Gen said. "Not leaking so much as invading."
In the silence after Ar'Gen's words, Atticus spoke up, “Well, I made lunch, if anyone is hungry.”
Dark Hero burst out laughing, a few smiles spreading around at the non sequitur.
“Seriously, though, I think we need to warn the Association, don’t we?” Alisha asked.
“Definitely. I will have Aralen go to the Ostbury Adventuring Association ASAP. I’d imagine we will have mass dungeon breaks soon if this is true. I can only imagine some of the crazy dungeon mobs out there in higher-level places,” Sky replied.
“I can think of some particularly terrifying dungeons, and that doesn’t even count ones that we might not know about,” Zedra said.
“You think more than the original amount of dungeons spawned?” Dark asked curiously.
“I mean, thinking about Gates when we are max level…isn’t that just another type of dungeon that is random?”
“It is, but they won’t start spawning until the first expansion drops, right?” Ren asked.
“True, but the principal is what bothers me. Dungeons like this one are permanent locations that will constantly spew stuff. Gates will always spawn until they are taken down. I mean, if we miss them or if we miss a dungeon, we can expect serious consequences for the world. We need people out there right now, making sure that we push back on dungeons."
≪ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ≫
After lunch, the parties decided it was time to get back to farming, everyone now equipped with the ‘Solara Sky special-move-of-ignoring-everything-and-immediately-killing-the-boss’. It was a crude method, but the average time for dungeon completion had been steadily dropping for everyone. By the time the first day ended, everyone had hit level 27, with Sky, Zedra, Ren, Mia, Tia, and Baron Vane reaching level 28 on account of experience gained from the PvP tournament, with plenty more knocking on the door of 28.
“Before we go to bed, let’s roll for and distribute loot!” Sky announced. “Now, the way that this works is that if something you have isn’t fitting for your party, then we will offer it up to the guild. If no one wants it, then you can just sell it, or I will buy it for the enchantment if it’s worth it, alright?”
“Do we have to?” Baron Vane asked.
“Of course not, but it’s better to empower your allies than to make a quick buck on the TP. We will all make plenty of moolah soon enough,” Dread said, his voice echoing against the entrance of the Bloodfall Gulch Dungeon.
Baron shrugged, “Fair enough.”
“Exactly, like we got an upgrade for Zedra, so he will get that over sending it around. But we also got this cool staff: [Earth Spirit Summoning Staff]. This thing summons a spiritual mage that casts Earth magic, just like the mobs that spawn in the first camp."
The five camps within the Bloodfall Gulch always cycled enemies but not power, randomly choosing one of the groups for each of the five elements in the dungeon. It gave them different powers, and some mob types were stronger in different positions, keeping players on their toes.
“So, who would like to roll on this?”
Only one hand…or paw, went up. T’zerri, the Kaldien Shaman from [Afflicition], let her clawed paw-hand rise.
“Oh, just you? Well, it’s all yours.”
Unlike the brown and tan colors of Atticus, T’zserri was covered in grays and blacks, making her fur look like she would be at home in gray rocks or sneaking around at night. She had the incredible cat-like eyes of the Kaldiens in another shade of light gray.
Sky handed her the staff, “Grats, T’zerri!”
The guild clapped politely.
“Next up is a good one, found by [Nature Green]. This is the [Beast Blood Ring], a huge find and one that we will want to have in the guild for a while to come. You sure you don’t want this, Raze?”
“Yeah, it’s too ominous. I have an image I am trying to cultivate,” Raze Iver said.
Sherafane snorted lightly, just enough to give her boyfriend a hard time.
“Yeah, yeah, but seriously, it's a bit too much for me, and while I do a bunch of physical damage, I am definitely not attuning to blood.”
That perked up quite a few ears.
“Alright, I won’t keep you waiting. This is a melee damage ring, but it increases physical damage by adding the wearer’s blood affinity to all physical damage dealt with melee weapons. Yeah, it’s a good one. Dropped from the Beast itself…looks like a white bone ring with bloody red runes carved into it,” Sky said, examining the ring in her inventory.
“Oh, man! This is so me!” Dread said.
“No way! I am gonna need that!” Baron Vane said.
“Sorry, Baron, but I think I need to throw my name in too,” Crag Breaker, one of the [Sword Souls] quieter members and front-liner, said.
“Et tu Breaker?” Baron said.
“Heh, sorry, man. It’s literally perfect for me. Why don’t you let us buy you a nice new toothpick, and you let me have the ring?” (They had been calling Baron's rapier a toothpick.)
“Never!”
“Okay, okay! The three of you need to roll off right now! All the way to 100!”
“68/100,” Crag said.
“Hah, fate has chosen me. 91/100,” Baron Vane said.
“Sorry, boys, the King is here, 98/100,” Dread said.
“What!? You cheated!” Baron said.
Sky, ever one to stir the pot, made a noise that would be more appropriate in a middle school classroom, “Ooooohhhh.”
Kesa gave her a flat look, but she just laughed.
“How would I cheat? It’s right there in guild chat. Get over it, or... we can fight for it?”
“DEAL!”
“DEAL!”
Sky laughed, getting exactly what she wanted, “The rules of the duel are as follows: A one versus one match to the loss according to the system. Winner gets the [Beast Blood Ring] as well as bragging rights. Fighters, are you ready!?”
“Ready!” Baron yelled.
“Always,” Dread said.
“FIGHT!”
They sent each other the duel request and accepted. Dread sprinted forwards and allowed a [Leap Strike] to engage the Baron. As a duelist, the Baron wasted no time in trying to activate a [Parry], but Dread was ready for it, canceling his [Leap Strike] to allow a casual swipe to be parried. It was a trap, and both of them knew it.
Dread followed up with a [Thrown Axe], immediately hitting the Baron in melee range, which allowed Dread to pick up his weapon instantly. Stacks of [Bleeding] began to flow from the Baron as Dread’s true prowess came into play. He kept attacking, building up three stacks before completely disengaging and going on the defensive. Baron tried to capitalize on the change of momentum, but it was a calculated move on Dread's part.
Dread had way too much experience in PvP, completely controlling the tempo. He baited the Baron in as his health drained away, only sending an occasional [Thrown Axe] to apply more bleeding.
Baron Vane fell after nearly two and a half minutes.
“Dread is the winner! Someone, please heal our friendly Baron here. Great fight, guys!”
Baron shook hands with Dread, “Good fight, man.”
“You too, brother!”
Sky handed Dread the ring, and he immediately equipped it on his right middle finger, the ring sizing up to fight like a Ring of Power.
“Okay, that is fun stuff! I just want to make sure that we are all on the same page here. You do not have to accept a duel if challenged; if you win the roll for an item, that is as final as you wish it to be. This isn’t some gauntlet that is going to make the strongest stronger or anything like that. We are all a team and will work together to ensure that we all grow in strength together, alright?” Sky said.
The guild nodded and agreed.
“Great, the final item for roll off today is [Elishna, The Blood Widow Queen Mount Summoning Stone]!”
“Oh damn!” Mia said with enthusiasm.
“I know she’s a blood widow, but she is both Darkness and Blood attuned, so anyone with those can apply to get it. Do not try to roll for others, please.”
“Who got the drop?” Zaria asked.
“We did, but Dark and Zedra noped out pretty quickly,” Sky said.
“Yeah, hard pass. No giant spider mount for me,” Dark replied.
“Same,” Zedra shuddered.
“If you want in, go ahead and roll for it,” Sky said.
“Sorry, just to be clear, not that we want it, but how does one…roll for things?” Alisha asked.
“Oh, sorry, I can show you,” Kesa said, pulling [Pink Lotus] off to the side to teach them.
“65/100," Mia said defeatedly.
“Ehh, better than me, 28/100,” Dread said.
“This will surely be mine! 34/100..damn!” Baron Vane said.
“I might not be able to equip this until 50, but there is no way I'm not going for it, 73/100,” Selena Blackmore said.
Dagnar the Warlock from [Affliction] and Lithandor the Rogue from [The Traditionals] both rolled, but neither read their number out loud.
1/100 and 2/100 respectively.
“Going once, going twice…Sold to Selena Blackmore!”
“Uhh, isn’t it free?” Selena asked, being purposefully obtuse in the face of Sky’s incredible humor.
“For the low cost of…nothing!” Sky replied, undaunted.
The guild settled down for the night. Listening to the warbling sounds of the dungeon gate made for a fairly nice ambient white noise amongst the sounds of the night.
Despite being in a guild together, everyone was split up into tight groups of five, the parties all clinging together for comfort in the hostile night. Everyone was silent as some mentally typed away in Guild Chat, while others spoke in Party Chat. Party Chat was unique in that it was voice-based, but silent at the same time, as if everyone’s voice was stolen and placed into the chat, making for silent communication. It was great for coordination, and it worked the same for Raid Chat, but they hadn’t formed a Raid Group yet.
“What skills are we thinking for level 27?” Dark asked.
“Uhh, I empowered my [Bubble Shield] with the [Enhanced Shielding] upgrade. It can soak up more damage, and I can also cast it on up to three people at once now. Should help out a bit,” Kesa replied first.
“That sounds good! I went with [Massive Storm], the upgrade to [Wind Imbuement]. I can now cast the buff on up to 25 people,” Atticus said, a hint of pride in his tone.
“Ooh, that’s fun,” Kesa replied. "Especially while we are running around in huge groups like this."
“Mhm!”
“I went with [Dark Rend], an upgrade to my [Rending Strike]. Makes enemies take more damage from Dark Affinity sources…or adjacent.”
Zedra smiled, “Oh, that feels like a skill made just for us, Dark!”
“It should help with single-target damage a bit, for sure,” Dark laughed.
“What about you, Sky?” Zedra asked.
“YOU FIRST!”
Zedra laughed, “Fine, I went with [Void Imbuement], which lets me coat a dagger in the Void Affinity, dealing more damage, and hopefully I can start acquiring some Void Essence as well.”
“Wait, I thought you were going to attune with Ice next?” Sky asked.
“I was, originally. And if this were still a game, then I would be. But I think I want rarer and potentially more potent, if less meta, affinities. Darkness, Void, then Physical I am thinking.”
“I see,” Sky said. “That will be interesting. I’m for it!”
“Same. Void has always been nasty,” Dark said.
“As long as you get a solid build from it, and I am sure you will, so you have my vote!” Kesa said.
“Thanks! Now then, where are you spending your skill point, Sky.”
“[SUPER NOVA]!”