That Hurt More Than Just Pride – Chapter 123

Ace claps his hands, “All that aside, we should probably go and check on whatever the first monsters will be on the floor. If it seems troublesome, we are out of here. No questions asked.”

Jack rolls his eyes but stays quiet. No one else wanting to speak up the group goes down the stairs. The portal to the next floor is right where they expected it, so they all head on through. 

After they familiarize themselves with the entrance room Ruby frowns. “I don’t see any dirt or plants in the next room. While there have been areas with stone rooms, the dungeon has been quite diligent with spreading around plants. Something must be different on the floor.”

Jack laughs, “Of course something is different. Every floor has been. Almost oddly so. I’m not exactly an authority on them, but most dungeons keep to a theme. Here? Cave, forest, random 3d maze, and now whatever this is.”

Ruby shakes her head, “Yes, some of the details have changed, but the dungeon has stayed on theme on the details. The floor has been dirt and clovers except for a bit on the third floor. Though even when that wasn’t around there was still fungi and such to cover the ground.”

Ace nods, “It is strange and even if all the enemies are the same will make the floor more dangerous. At the very least, getting knocked around will hurt a lot more. Still, we need to figure out what we will be facing on the floor. Though just to be careful, Susan. I want you to sneak ahead and check on what we will be facing.”

Susan smiles and saunters out of the room. Ace was tempted to tell her off for being so careless, but the way she started to blend into the walls stopped him. Though it doesn’t take long for her to return and report. “So yeah, this floor’s theme is wolves. Not the special wolves that got into the dungeon mind you. It seems that somehow the dungeon got a hold of regular wolves or was able to develop them from the specialized forms.”

Ace sighs in relief, “I was getting worried that we hadn’t seen any wolves yet. While dungeons don’t tend to change themselves all that much, wolves just seem to fit in with what is already here. Honestly? I had expected to find them much earlier. Even if that was only a temporary thing as the dungeon tested them out or something. How many did you see?”

Susan shrugs, “There were three just around the corner. I tried to get closer and check for more in the next room, but I’m not prepared to sneak up on them. Wasn’t exactly planning on having to evade canine snozzes.”

Ace smiles, “I can’t ask for more. Anyone else would have been spotted right away. Not that I have any illusions of sneaking up on them. They should already know we are here. It just seems that at some point the dungeon decided the first room on a floor is safe. At least for now, can’t forget that it had goats in the first room for a hot second. Now let’s go show those wolves why they don’t have any natural born brothers in the dungeon!”

The group gathers up and Ace leads them in a quick advance around the corner. The wolves respond right away and charge towards the group, letting out howls to announce that the hunt is on.

Ace stops in place and stomps the ground, bringing up multiple vines under the wolves. While it catches one of the wolves the other two escape. Without more casting time, Ace just isn’t capable of summoning enough vines to lock them all down. As Jack and Sammy clash into the two free wolves, they can hear howls from deeper in the dungeon.

Ruby summons a longer fire ribbon and whips it out, severing the captured wolf’s spine. Seeing how easy it was she laughs and pulls the ribbon back, though it has clearly shrunk in length. Before she has time to use it, the other two wolves slip past the front line and pounce on her.

She brings up the ribbon in time to block one of the wolves. But that isn’t enough, and the only thing that saves her from being messed up by the other wolf is Susan who had been hanging back.

Then three more wolves come running around the corner to join the fight. Jack and Sammy retreat to the group to face the new additions and provide support if the others need it. Not that they get much chance to worry about that second one, as the three wolves are more than able to take their full attention.

Susan with an assist from Og can hold her own against a single wolf, allowing Ace to assist Ruby take down the other. Once freed up the two turn to help Susan and Og, but once again the other wolves don’t take highly to their plan.

While Jack and Sammy are more careful to restrain the wolves, they just can’t handle three.at once. Jack suffers a deep cut across his shoulder as the two of them hold back two of the wolves. The third however gives them the slip and this time Ruby doesn’t have anyone in place to save her.

With a snarl the wolf tackles her and only through an emergency cast of sparks does she keep it from ripping her throat out. Ace jumps on the wolf to assist, calling in some vines to muzzle the beast as he tries to pull it off of her.

On the front line, Jack fights through the pain and brings his sledgehammer up and over his head. While doing so he does suffer another wound, the wolf misses its chance to dodge and is smacked into a fine paste. Keeping up the momentum he follows through with his swing and with a golf swing, punts the wolf attacking Sammy into the wall creating some modern art.

Freed up the two turn to the rest of the group but through his struggles with the wolf on Ruby yells at them. “Keep your attention to the front! We’ve already had one group of adds. I don’t want the two of you ganked by some sneaky wolves.”

Over with Susan and Og, the wolf they are fighting is having a hard time. While the others aren’t on the same level as the wolves despite their higher stats, Susan clearly has had some training against wolves at some point. With Og as backup, they push the wolf up against the wall. Susan isn’t quite able to land a killing blow, but Og can. When he notices the wolf turn its attention away from him for a moment, he pulls out a decent sized metal needle. With a flick of the wrist, this needle spears through the wolf’s neck, killing it.

Susan doesn’t waste time and turns toward the scrum between Ruby, Ace, and the last wolf. Seeing as Ace has it held down with his vines, it is for her to reach in between the beast and Ruby to slit its throat. Blood pours out and onto the ground right next to Ruby who flinches away in surprise.

Without the wolf fighting back, Ace is able to pry it off of her. He stands up and looks around for the next enemy only to find the fight is over. Of course even if the monsters are dead the team isn’t out of danger. Jack’s legs are torn up and bleeding something fierce. With his constitution, things are clouting up, but not quick enough.

Ace goes to pull out some medicine, but Jack waves him off. “We are right at the portal out. Let’s just get out of here.”

Ace frowns, “Not with bleeding like that. At least let me patch it up some with vines. Not as good as a bandaid, but it will stop the bleeding.” Then before Jack can respond Ace summons vines directly around wounds. With a thought, the vines clamp down, cutting the blood flow down to a trickle.

At this point, though, Jack’s constitution kicks in. While not at the point of regeneration, he hasn’t been skimping on it and the wounds clot up. They aren’t healed or even sealed, but as long as they don’t have to fight anything else he can make it out without a problem.

Ace sighs, “Well, I think we can all agree that we aren’t up for this yet. Once the corpses have despawned, we collect the goods and skedaddle.”

Og coughs, “They’re already gone.”

Ace frowns and looks around. Og hadn’t lied. The bodies had already faded away. The only problem is there wasn’t anything left behind. “Well either we got extremely unlucky or this floor is going to the worst. I guess we can head out then.”

With Jack at the center of the group they turn back and after a short walk are back in the entrance room. Of course, waiting for them is a cheery little chest of wood with leather hinges. 

Seeing this, Susan laughs, “Maybe the floor won’t be worthless after all! Let me check it for traps of course, but it looks like one of the new twists to the floor is you don’t need to wait for the bodies to fade.”

She carefully approaches the chest, while unlikely it would be embarrassing if she got caught by a pressure plate trap. In the end, there are no traps to be found. The chest doesn’t even have a lock on it. After motioning for everyone else to go back around the corner, she flips the lid open with the tip of her dagger.

With no traps going off, she calls the rest back in and they all gather around the chest to find out what they had gained. Inside is a potion, three copper coins, a sprig of sage, and two sprigs of rosemary.

Susan picks up the potion and takes a sniff. “Not a healing potion of any sort I can recognize.”

Ace raises an eyebrow at this declaration. “How would you know what all the healing potions smell like?”

Susan shrugs, “Even with vastly different ingredients they are based on those ingredients having the same properties. Its like being able to tell something is spicy even though they used a pepper you’ve never had before. I’m going to probably end up wasting this potion to figure out what it is. Good thing is that the next time we find one like this I will be able to tell what it is.”

Ace rolls his eyes, “Don’t worry, I’m getting used to you and your husband destroying the new drops. Anyway, Og, what is up with that metal needle you threw? It looks like a sewing needle, or maybe one of those throwing needles.” Ace pauses after he says that last bit, “Okay, yeah. Definitely the throwing needle thing as that would make the most sense. Anyway, they look rough. Did you figure out how to make metal weapons? I remember you telling me you planned to attempt it.”

Og sighs, “Yes and no. Yes, I made the needle. No, I didn’t figure out how to make metal weapons. Instead, I got what I am sure will be a convenient skill later on. Basically, it lets me create personal weapons in a makeshift fashion. For instance, this needle was made from the spoke off a bike wheel that I hammered into shape.”

“While others can use it, the needle won’t be of all that much use. The skill seems to let me improvise more long term weapons for myself and just myself. I’ve had the others who helped me get it figured out try it and it was no good. Apparently the thing is attuned to my soul or some such. A good thing as it lets my power flow through it making it no longer count as a pre-system item. On the other hand, because others can’t flow their power through it I would say it is worse than a real pre-system throwing needle. It is just a bike spoke I put a point on after all.”

Ace nods, “Fair enough, though if anything I would say that skill will be most useful right now when there isn’t a large supply of post-system materials. Anyway, we’ve got the goods so out we go. Jack still needs medical attention, even if the bleeding did stop.”

Akhier

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