บท 159: Underground Forest
The three dungeons in the Carpon Caves were all close to the city. The Flood was located thirty minutes to the left when leaving the city by the end of the room. The Secret Tunnel was to the right. It would take about 1 hour to reach the entrance since it required to go through a small tunnel that headed down.
To reach the Underground Forest, which was the group's destination, they had to circle the city's entrance and walk up a path on the side of a large wall. At the top, a tunnel with mossy ground around it would signal the dungeon's entrance. It took around one hour to arrive but just 30 to 40 minutes to go back. The climb was very long and steep, making most groups stop by the entrance before heading in.
There was a small procession of people climbing the path. In the platform above, several benches were carved from the stone walls where people were resting before entering the dungeon. Even though most people in this room worked in the mines or the forges, there was still a considerable amount going for the dungeons.
According to Tom, the Flood was the most popular dungeon. Since it was very straightforward and with a few strong earth spells, it was easy to complete the quest with minimal effort by just blocking out the area they had to protect. Then it was the Underground Forest. People didn't run it that much because of the difficulty of hitting the small spirits.
The secret tunnel was the less populated dungeon, despite being the one with the best rewards. Since people would appear randomly inside the labyrinth, anyone who challenged it would need to be prepared to sleep inside the dungeon and to face something unpredictable right from the start. At the same time, it was the favorite place for people who liked to gamble. If they got lucky, they could appear right by the entrance, allowing them to finish the quest in minutes. The unlucky ones could be stuck inside the labyrinth for days.
"Is there anything else we need to know before going inside?" Hera asked.
"I do not believe so. The monsters we are about to face are not much of a threat. Just watch out for the tendrils. In the moments where other information becomes relevant, we shall stop and discuss strategy," Tom explained. They nodded and headed inside the moss-covered tunnel.
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Underground Forest Entrance
Area type: Dungeon
A tunnel leading to the underground mushroom forest.
The extreme elemental forces inside the forest destroyed all the flora inside, which allowed the fungi to grow with the elements.
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Before stepping inside, Tom turned around, "I need to confirm one thing. Is there someone prone to seizures among us?"
They all shook their heads and entered the dungeon. They walked for about five minutes before reaching a loose curve. The first thing Hera noticed about it was a shifting light going slowly from neon pink to neon green.
As they stepped outside the tunnel, Hera saw an enormous expanse filled with mushrooms. Their sizes varied wildly, from small ones that could fit in her hand to massive ones going up five meters and only stopping at the ceiling. The most strange thing about them was that all the mushrooms glowed in different colors. Some had a static hue, while others would shift slowly.
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You have discovered a mutation triggered by elemental forces.
Dungeon Quest:
The Fungi around the forest have mutated and acquired bioluminescence proprieties. This effect has disturbed ancient elemental spirits that were resting in the forest.
Appease the spirits and return them to their slumber.
First completion rewards:
Rewards: 7 000 gold, Elemental Accessory
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"Tom, what kind of accessory we get here?" Hera asked after seeing the rewards. It was the first time the system was giving an actual piece of equipment.
"The system allows us to choose the type of adornment we want, but the element is restricted to those we see inside the dungeon," Tom explained.
"Ok, but what it does?"
"It allows your spells or attacks to be imbued with damage that matches the element."
"So. What element did you get?" Runir asked.
"I chose the light element, for a shining knight is a beacon of hope. Alas, it was but a foolish endeavor. While chasing the icon of a knight blessed by the light, I overlooked the basics of knighthood and became too reliant on its power. To correct my misgivings, I sold the amulet and trained my fundamentals," Tom looked away while he spoke.
"Hold up. Why did you sell that? Couldn't you keep it around until you trained enough?" Blue asked.
Thomas gave Blue a sad smile, "An addict will always relapse while its stash is around."
Hera and Alex looked at each other, Runir seemed not to be bothered by the comment, but it was clearly a sore spot for Thomas.
"Ok, so what type of monster can we expect here? And these mushrooms, are they edible? Do we need to be careful with spores or something?" Alex tried to change the subject.
"The denizens of the forest are the small elemental spirits, called sprites. They are small light globes with wings. Not all are aggressive. However, they are easily disturbed. A change in the color of a mushroom or a loud noise can send them into a frenzy. I suggest that we first conclude our mission and, on a subsequent attempt, we chase your quests," Tom gestured to both Hera and Alex. It was a good idea. Not only would they be able to understand how the dungeon worked but also they would have the accessory after completing the quest.
"The fungi present in this forest are not proper for consumption. Spores are not an existing issue, but I recommend a check-up when we return, just as a way to calm our minds," Tom concluded before the group headed deeper into the forest.
Entering the mushroom forest was a bizarre experience. It was easy to see why people called this the rave dungeon. All the colors had a neon hue, while the only difference was their intensity. Hera felt lucky her gear didn't have any bright colors. At least she wouldn't be a beacon in the middle of this area. Alex's cloak was having trouble adjusting to the surroundings. Instead of triggering a chameleon's camouflage effect, the colors started to mix, creating a kaleidoscope on her back.
Blue triggered her shoulder guards, creating the white smoke around her arms. The lights made it look like her arms were clouds from an alien planet. Even Tom was having fun with the lights, moving his new rapier around, making it shine in different hues. Walking around, they went deeper into the forest, still not seeing anything aside from glowing mushrooms until the forest started to open more, now showing three different tunnels for them to go through.
"Where to now?" Runir asked.
"The quickest path would be to the right. But the one where we face the least trials is the one through the middle. However, the route will be longer," Tom said.
"Should we go to the middle then? Since it's about seeing how this works." Alex suggested.
"If we want to see how this works, wouldn't it be better to go to the left then? So we can explore everything," Blue walked towards the left tunnel.
"It's better if we make sure we can finish the entire dungeon before exploring other branches. That way, even if we can't beat everything, we can at least complete the quest," Hera replied.
"Why worry? The monsters in the room are easy. We can beat them without even getting hurt," Blue scoffed.
"Yeah, it's not like a frog could headbutt you and make you fall to the ground. Right?" Alex replied, rolling her eyes.
"That was during the rampage! I'm much better now," Blue protested.
"I admire your bravery, Blue. But do not allow your hubris to be your downfall. Monsters are dangerous creatures. It doesn't matter if you are strong or used to fighting them. We must always stay vigilant," Tom said.
The entire group was staring at Blue with a serious expression. Even with the improvement, they all understood the dangers of fighting these creatures.
"I think you guys are overreacting, but fine. We can do it the safe way."
Hera sighed as they walked towards the middle tunnel. Blue was already showing some signals of being careless since the rampage, but Hera didn't have a chance to talk to her about it. Hopefully, it won't be long before Hera could speak to her friend about that.
According to Thomas, the right path would take around 25 to 40 minutes, but there would be many monsters and twisting paths. It had been some time since he attempted this dungeon, and he didn't remember the correct route to arrive at the boss. The middle path would take about one hour to cross, but the walk would have fewer creatures, and they would be less clumped together, allowing the group to fight with more ease.
They walked for five minutes in the middle tunnel when the lights coming from the mushrooms started to blink faster. As if they were dancing with the beat, ten small globules of shifting lights, about the size of a tennis ball, circled one of the smaller fungi in the middle of the tunnel. Hera triggered her [Observe] as well as the elemental sight spell while watching the monsters.
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Elemental Sprite (Fire affinity)
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Elemental Sprite (Water affinity)
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Elemental Sprite (Wind affinity)
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Elemental Sprite (Earth affinity)
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Elemental Sprite (Grass affinity)
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Elemental Sprite (Light affinity)
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Elemental Sprite (Lightning affinity)
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Elemental Sprite (Psychic affinity)
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Elemental Sprite (Ground affinity)
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Elemental Sprite (Ice affinity)
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Even though all monsters had the exact same appearance, their affinities varied. Among all 10, not a single one shared an affinity. Hera warned everyone about the elements present among the monsters before they started to approach.
"It is best to dispose of these creatures before we arrive at the boss. They can, at times, follow us and help their leader when we are in combat," Tom explained.
The group nodded and approached the monsters. Hera felt bad for attacking creatures that seemed to be harmless. However, as they got close, the small balls of light started to spread tendrils around their bodies, starting to look like glowing jellyfishes. As Thomas moved closer, the tendrils lashed out towards his armor, sparks of fire and lightning flying with the impact.
As the monsters attacked, all of Hera's worries vanished. When she was little, she got stung by a jellyfish, and the pain was still vivid in her memory. Tom took charge of holding a couple of the Sprites back. Blue taunted a couple of the other ones while Alex and Hera attacked the remaining Sprites.
The monsters moved around like flies, and using their weapons to hit the creatures was very difficult. Spells also missed the target frequently. Hera considered using the Grease Fire spell, but since she was in a forest, even one made out of mushrooms, it seemed like a bad idea. The tendrils kept moving, lashing out at anyone who got close, even the other sprites. Hera and Alex worked together, pushing the monsters close to each other while trying to attack them.
Tom had a much easier time to hit the creatures. He had spent a fair amount of time here, practicing his aim here, and had the skills to prove it. When the two monsters that Hera and Alex were pushing together finally died. The explorer turned her attention to one chasing Runir.
Using her chakram to attack, Hera activated the mana reinforcement and used the makeshift propulsion system to correct the direction of the strike. Tossing the weapon while holding the thread allowed the bursts to be used only to change directions instead of spending all that mana to move it around. When the monster moved to the side, her chakram went above it, pushing the elemental to dodge down. Hera followed up with a strong burst of mana that made the chakram crash down on the sprite. Alex overwhelmed her opponent with her speed, slashing around it so quickly that the monster couldn't dodge.
A couple of minutes later, all ten sprites were dead. In total, that small group gave 150 gold and two small white mushrooms. Blue grabbed the drops and started laughing after reading the description.
"What is going on?" Hera asked.
Blue cracked one of the mushrooms and shook it in her hand, making the fungus start to glow in a bright neon green light.
"They drop glowsticks!"
Alex started laughing, "Sure you can call them that. But they look like something very different for me."
Hera joined in in the laughter "Yeah. Boys, if yours ever start glowing like that, please go see a doctor."
Blue gasped and dropped the mushroom, turning instantly red as she got the joke.
Thomas turned to Runir, "You have found quite an entourage, my friend. I can see no day will be dull."
"I just want to meet some normal people," Runir sighed.
When the laughter died down, they started walking towards the boss once more.
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