บท 271: Human advice
Hera and Blue were walking through the tunnel that led them to the dungeon. It was funny to think how worried they were before finding out what was on the other side of the passage. They were ready to fight for their lives and instead just had a day to plan an event. Silah's muffled voice could be heard from beyond the doors as they got close to the exit.
"They are much more… outgoing. Romance is not simply something they crave, but they put it on display. Hera showed me some books on her tablet, the glowing rock with words. Even when the story is about adventure or war or whatever, romance is always a part of it, and they talk about…" Silah leaned in to whisper, "Kissing. Like it's nothing. Apparently, there are even books that describe… more things."
"More? Like what?" Rutigan asked, but Silah's reaction instantly made him understand what she meant, "Oh, I see."
"They are talking about books?" Blue asked Hera before they pushed the door open.
"I guess. I'm angrier about the fact that she's here and not home or somewhere else. I told her that these things can take time," Hera sighed.
Silah, King Rutigan, and Fethy were waiting for Hera and Blue's return outside the dungeon. They were sitting iaround a small table with a plate of food on top. Silah even had a box of equipment from the guard by her side, probably to occupy her mind with something instead of just waiting around.
"Hera!" Silah rushed over and gave her girlfriend a big hug.
"I'm mad at you, but hey," Hera hugged her back.
"Can you two please wait to do that when I'm not around," Blue sighed.
"See, you were worried for nothing. Humans are not comfortable with these types of displays either," Fethy turned to Rutigan.
"What? You mean the hug?" Blue asked.
"Exactly. I can see how that bothers you. You must feel that those displays must be kept in private like us," Fethy nodded while she talked.
"Oh no. I really don't. I mean, I've done much worse in much more public situations. It just bothers me because I'm kind of seeing someone, and I can't be with them right now. I mean, she's not in this city," Blue explained.
"See, I was right to be worried, but that is a problem we can take care of later," Rutigan turned to the humans, "What was it like inside there?"
"Before we explain. Can one of you test one thing?" Hera asked.
"What?" Silah looked up from the still ongoing hug.
"Try to open the dungeon door. I want to know if you guys are free to enter now that we got the first-time completion rewards."
"Of course!" Rutigan jumped up from the chair and approached the door. His eyes shifted to a notification that appeared in front of him, and the King smiled, "The Voice of the Mountain is asking me if I wish to enter or not. However, it says 9 attempts remaining. Is that normal?"
"9?" Hera turned around and put her hand on the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would you like to enter the Weeding Disaster Dungeon?
[Yes] [No]
9 Attempts remaining
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Crap, does that mean weekly?" Hera asked the air.
Blue put her hand on the door to check for herself, "This is a problem. If it is, we can what, run this once per day?"
"What is wrong?" Rutigan asked.
"Some dungeons have limits on how many times we can complete them in a set period of time. You know how once per week the guard can get a better reward in the Wooly Plains? It's like that, but it also adds that limit, but 9 times per week would be awful," Hera explained.
"Why is that? You two spent so long inside that place that it should be impossible to go there twice in the same day," Fethy picked a strawberry from the plate.
"The problem is that the number is the same for Rutigan and for us," Blue said in a solemn voice, "That means that the number of attempts is shared. So we have 9 attempts per week, and we have to find how to trigger the hard mode during one of those, or we will have to wait another week to try again."
"So? That is annoying at best. Why the long faces?" Fethy asked.
"Because they want to go home!" Silah cried, "Imagine if you were stuck away from here, away from anyone you knew and anyone you cared about. This is like dangling food in front of someone who's starving."
Fethy looked away. She might not be able to understand what that was like, but she could imagine how hard it was to be away from her loved ones for such a long time.
"It's fine, Silah. And I have at least two people that I care about in here," Hera hugged her girlfriend, "I know you didn't mean anything bad by it, Fethy, and you are not wrong. Worst-case scenario, we just will take longer to get back home. But can we go back to the castle? We should call Naka to discuss the dungeon, but just her for now."
"Of course, but why just her? We should call the guards and the rest of the council as well. This will be… what did you call it? A dungeon strategy meeting, correct?" Rutigan asked.
"Not yet. We have to talk with you about some things first. Some parts of your possible past and some things that might affect you all," Blue said.
She and Hera had discussed the possibilities of what the dungeon could be at length. One of them was that the dungeon could have people inside. This could be a big culture shock to the dwarves, especially after learning about the MAZE as a whole. Both Hera and Blue had seen some articles about people who were born inside the MAZE, who doubted they were even real. If the system could create a copy of someone so perfect to the point where you couldn't distinguish them from a real person, who was to say that the entire MAZE wasn't just a dungeon waiting to be reset. That was a fun philosophical idea, but if the concept was placed in a society like Boothudurn, things could escalate quickly.
Hera and Blue gathered the council and Silah, who refused to leave Hera's side, and explained what happened inside the dungeon. They didn't filter anything and talked about the people, the obnoxious nobles, how the dwarven society there seemed to function, and the arranged marriage. At every turn, they reminded the council that the dungeon could have some differences from the actual event and that so far, there wasn't a single thread of connection between them and the people inside the dungeon, aside from what the notification said.
The dwarves listened intently. Naka and Fethy seemed to be more interested in the actual mechanics of the dungeon and the possible risks that it presented. Laurel and Telanz were also curious about the people inside, but more so about the food and magic they had seen be used. Only two people among the entire council were disturbed by the presence of other dwarves in the dungeon. Unfortunately, they were the two people that most would turn to when looking for advice. King Rutigan and his adviser Ogryn didn't say much during the entire explanation.
After a couple of hours, it was decided that Hera and Blue would lead a team to the dungeon. That team would include Naka, Fethy, Telanz, and Silah. That way, they could gauge how dangerous the place was before sending in more groups. Hera also took advantage of the discussion to make a guide for the dungeon on her tablet. After leaving Boothudurn, she could sell it to the guild and make some money out of it. Not that she would actually need it. After the months working with the guard, Hera and Blue had acquired a large sum of gold that would easily keep her set for the next decade. Even so, she would always need more money. As she went deeper into the MAZE, the prices would skyrocket, but so would her earnings.
When the meeting was over, King Rutigan asked Hera and Blue to stay behind. Even Silah was asked to leave the room so he could talk with the humans in private. The only person allowed to be there was Ogryn.
"Hera, Blue. I am going to ask you a question, and I hope you can give me a truthful answer," Rutigan took a deep breath, "Is this a dungeon?"
"This? You mean this room or the entire city?" Blue asked.
"The city. Are me and my people just… creations of a dungeon?"
Hera was taken aback. She never expected the King to come up with that question by himself. Sure, it was something that she and Blue were worried about, but very few people could arrive at a question about the reality of their own existence on their own.
"No, you're not. You and everyone here are real," Blue replied.
"How can you be certain?" the King pressed.
"Because there wasn't anything telling us that this was a dungeon. No notification, no dungeon quest, nothing," Hera said.
"But can't that be because you have yet to discover that information? You said it yourself. In some dungeons, you don't receive the quest right away. And if I recall a previous conversation, dungeons can have dungeons inside them. So the fact that you two came from a dungeon doesn't affect anything," Ogryn had a worried expression.
"All that is true, but there is one sure way to confirm that this is not a dungeon," Hera could feel the gaze of the dwarves burning a hole through her skull, "The bodies. More specifically, the dead bodies. Inside a dungeon, bodies will dissolve and leave loot behind. There are a few exceptions, such as the hard mode in the Wooly Plains, but that is temporary. You all saw the Sky Ruler corpse, and we had to butcher it and bring it down, and I'm assuming you have seen other corpses too. Unless one of the people who died in the city dissolved and dropped loot, you have nothing to worry about."
"I see," Rutigan slumped back on his chair. His expression showed that he had just let go of a heavy weight on his shoulders.
"If that will be all, we should head back home. The dungeon might not be dangerous, but it is a lot of work. Oh, but before that, let me say one thing. It might not be a good idea to share that concept with everyone. Thinking that everything is fake could lead some people to a dark path," Hera said, before going towards the door.
"Yes, of course. If it's ok with both of you, may we have meetings in the evening every day from now on? I believe we have much to discuss if our people are to live in harmony in the near future," Rutigan asked and received a confirmation from the humans. They might not be experts in foreign affairs, but they could at least keep teaching the dwarven King some of the basics of human society.
Silah had taken the chance to stop by the guard and drop off the equipment box, and she would meet Hera and Blue later at their place.
When the humans arrived home, Blue prepared two glasses of wine and turned to Hera, "To a successful first run, and another level up."
"Cheers," Hera chuckled before drinking.
"Do you mind if I ask you a question before Silah arrives?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"Why didn't you say anything about the levels to the King? As the reason why this place is not a dungeon. I mean, if it was, no one would be above level 10."Blue asked.
"Oh, I just thought that it wouldn't be that… palpable? Like, if I say it's because of the level, it feels more subjective. They might have that level because they are not killable here, or the dungeon itself might have different rules. By saying it's about the bodies, they can go back and confirm at any moment. All they have to do is dig up a grave or open a mausoleum, and the body should be there. In the end, it was just how I felt it was the best way to make them relax," Hera explained.
"I see… Honestly, I didn't even consider that possibility, but I see why it could be better," Blue sighed, "I'm definitively not a good ambassador."
"Same, I think the guild has someone responsible for that. I just hope they don't try to trick them."
"Yeah, but everything will be ok," Blue poured another glass of wine for her, "And until then. Let's party since we couldn't join the wedding dinner."
"Oh, tell me about it. I was dreaming about that cake. Next time I'm eating my fill during the tasting."
They laughed and kept talking. Silah arrived sometime later and joined in the small party they were having. Things were looking great for Hera and Blue. They had finally opened the dungeon. All that was left was to find and beat the hard mode.
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