22. Root

22. Root

Further scouring of the boss room revealed a trapdoor hidden underneath a thick layer of dirt. After scraping the slab of wood clear with her boot, Vesper pulled on the iron handle with a grunt, lugging the trapdoor open. She peered into the darkness.

"Ladder leading down. Probably the next floor?"

"I thought you said it would be stairs?" Morgana said.

"Can be anything. They're just usually stairs. This could also be something else, another loot room or something. Worth looking into, either way."

Vesper climbed down, Flint following, and Morgana last. The flimsy ladder shook and rattled with each step, and Morgana feared the whole thing would collapse. Ten or fifteen rungs down, her boots met stone, and she departed from the rickety contraption with a sigh of relief.

They were in a hallway, a mineshaft supported by occasional wooden beams, like the rest of the first floor. Except Morgana could see their lantern light brushing against a patch of grass. The foliage grew thicker the deeper into darkness the tunnel went.Gét latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om

Curious, the three of them walked, and indeed, the mineshaft aesthetic pervading the first floor was replaced with something else altogether. The neat geometric rectangular hallway morphed into something more organic, a cave tunnel, and grass replaced the hard stone floors. Roots snaked through the walls and vines and foliage hung down from the ceiling—or even sprouted from the ground. Another few dozen steps deeper, and they spotted the first tree tickling the now-much-higher-up cavern ceiling.

A tree? Underground? How did it survive? Morgana supposed of all the fantastical things she'd seen in the past two days, that was hardly the strangest, but she still couldn't help but be bewildered.

"Definitely the second floor," Vesper said.

"More of a drastic change than I thought. Usually it's gradual. Look at all the plants." Flint grunted. "Look at all this cover. We're gonna have to pay a lot more attention to ambushes."

Morgana hadn't even thought about that. She had just been taking in the sight. All the lush foliage and the roots crawling through the walls. But Flint was right; the mineshafts on the first floor had given clear sight lines, with mine carts and occasional rocks about the only thing monsters could hide behind. With even thick trees sprouting up in these cavernous hallways, not to mention the tunnel being many times wider, and thus having far more space to scan or be flanked from? Morgana might not be a warmage, but she could recognize the tactical disadvantages of the new terrain.

The second floor was supposed to be more dangerous than the first—apparently not just because of how strong the monsters were but also because of the environment.

"I wonder what traps will look like here," Vesper commented. "It'd be kinda weird if there were pressure plates and trip wires just hidden on the forest floor. Bet they'll be something else."

"It'd be better if we waited till we had an idea what we're in for," Flint said. "What monsters we'll find."

"It's not like we have guildmates to ask."

"Might be time to do some networking. There's gotta be someone who'll take pity on the newcomers. Or at worst, someone to pay." He looked around, eyes lingering on a tree. "More than enchanted gear, having a basic idea of what we're about to find could be what saves our asses."

"We'll poke around next time we're on the surface, then."

Their conversation tapered off as they began progressing through the dungeon's second floor in earnest. Grass and earth squished beneath their boots as they walked. Morgana scanned their surroundings and strained her ears, her hand twitching, ready to raise and defend herself.

Of course, it didn't take long to find their first monster. The [Biolumiscent Sporefiend], level four—a squat, two-foot-tall mushroom-thing with legs—rushed toward them with a scream, emitting purple gas from its cap. Morgana nearly released a terrified screech of her own, it was so unexpected. She had thought the creature a part of the alien foliage: just some giant white-and-red mushroom sitting near a cavern wall.

Thankfully, her instincts didn't fail her. Her hand shot up, and a [Magic Missile] slammed into the beast before it reached them.

"A little bit!" Morgana's hands reached out toward Vesper, but hesitated, obviously having nothing to do. She retracted them. "That's more than a little bit!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. We got, like, something to cover this with?" Vesper asked. Flint was already handing her a bundle of cloth, pulled out from his backpack—one of the basic preparations they'd made. "Thanks."

Morgana kept kneeling next to Vesper, feeling useless. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Vesper spared an amused glance toward her. "I've taken worse than a bloody nose." She winced. "But jeez. My ribs hurt too. And my knee. Couldn't even react. It just happened. A root, you said?" Her words came out funny because of her clogged nose, and the cloth she was holding against it.

"I missed it too," Flint said. "I thought it was just part of the environment." He frowned at his sister, obviously concerned, however calmly he had reacted to the event—not rushing over like Morgana. "This is what I meant. We're vulnerable to all kinds of things. Traps, stealth attacks, swarms. Morgana's spells don't mean anything in the face of those. It's dangerous being here."

Vesper rolled her eyes. "It's a dungeon," she emphasized. "And I'll take my punches if it means a few silver each time." She muttered darkly, "Taken worse than a bloody nose for a whole lot less than some silver, you know. We both have. So why are you complaining?"

Flint frowned at her, crossed his arms, but ultimately didn't reply.

Morgana's stomach squirmed at the words.

Taken a lot worse, for a lot less. Like what?

They sat there for a bit, letting the bleeding slow.

"We need healing items," Flint eventually said. "Can't afford potions, obviously, but after today's run we can get something. Enchanted bandages. We should head back, so you're not dealing with that for the next few weeks. If we're fast enough, they'll still be effective."

Morgana tilted her head at Flint's wording. "Are they time sensitive?"

"Healing items are strongest when applied immediately. They get weaker as time passes. So yes."

Morgana nodded and stood. She held a hand out for Vesper. "We're doing that then."

"I can keep going," Vesper protested. "Seriously, I'm barely hurt."

"We're going back and getting you something," Morgana said firmly. "You don't have a choice in the matter. It's happening."

Vesper blinked at her, then looked away, as if flustered.

"You really are bossy," she said. "Fine."

She accepted the hand up, wincing as she stood, one hand going to her ribs with a soft gasp. Morgana's frown deepened; Vesper was more banged up than she was letting on. Not surprising. Again, the root had moved fast. Soft grass and dirt or not, that had to have hurt.

Flint gave one more concerned look to his sister, then turned and started leading them out.