Chapter 431: Grounding (1/2)
They quickly moved down again, the Fae already using its shield against the heat.
Nothing had shown up on either layer.
“Hmm… did you specifically mean the roar?”
The Fae nodded after a moment.
Why, she sent.
The Fae looked at her in a contemplative way.
Dragons
The answer was simple and comprehensive.
Ilea laughed.
Confused
She calmed down and shook her head.
“Just… of course it’s because of Dragons. Everyone here pisses their pants at their mention. I bet it’s going to be a massive let down once I actually meet one. You fear them too?”
No
“Of course you don’t. So why should I?”
Human
It pointed at itself.
Fae
“So what?” she asked and summoned a meal. Hungry after nearly dying to some floating energy.
“You said I’m special.”
The Fae shruggedand looked away at the same time.
Special
Stupid
“Hey, you’re free of corruption because of this special stupid human.”
True
Nice
Special
Stupid
“Oh? Four words! You’re slipping up, my guy.”
The Fae giggled and twirled.
“Do you like it here? Where the mana feels fucking choking?”
Yes
“Do you have a home? Somewhere you would go after this?”
It nodded.
“Is it like here?”
The Fae seemed to hesitate.
Rules
“I see, I see. You’re not allowed to talk about it. Outsiders and all. I get it. I don’t approve but I get it. I’d say you should be an independent Fae that needs no rules but I don’t understand your species at all.”
Considerate
“I know. I’m the beacon of tolerance and inter-species understanding.”
It giggled.
I mean considering most humans would probably try to eat you or something I’m actually alright. Same with Elves. Might be one of the only humans with friends of various species.
“Elf, Fae, Spirit, Dwarf, Firefox, Mind Weaver, Maro, Dagger turned Machine… I’m pretty good. Think I can befriend those arcane bolts?”
Try
“I will, you know I’m not kidding. Oh I forgot the Trakorov. Also a good friend.”
No
“Dude loves me. Did I mention the Lightning Elemental?”
Stop
“You start to sound like my notifications. Are you the system in my head?”
Yes
Ilea squinted her eyes and grabbed the Fae, moving it close to her head.
It giggled.
Would certainly fit with Fae supposedly being tricksters and all. I told it my name, right? Well I didn’t give it. Just said it. I’m perfectly safe. Not like a certain demon warned me from saying my name.
“Do names have power?” she asked, actually interested now that the thought crossed her mind again.
Names?
“Yes, like my given name. If someone else knows it, can they use magic against me?”
The Fae shrugged.
Unknown
“I see. Or it would just be something related to Mind Magic or another school.”
It nodded in response.
Boring
Friend, it sent and pointed at one of the moving bolts of pure arcane energy.
“Ah yes. I’ll have to introduce myself,” Ilea said and stored the empty dish.
The mana surged through her, partially wrecking her body. Nothing much to worry about. A bunch of fried organs and a couple thousand points of health gone in mere moments.
Another surge formed and rushed through the dark cavern.
Ilea blinked twice to catch it, gritting her teeth as the energy flowed through her. She stayed upright, her wings moving behind her as she took a deep breath, healing the damage to her body.
“I don’t think it likes me!” she shouted to the Fae that was floating near the entrance where so far no arcane lightning had reached.
It waved back and twirled in joy, clearly visible to her Eyes of Ash.
‘ding’ ‘Arcane Magic Resistance reaches 3rd lvl 2’
Nice
She continued chasing the arcane beams for a while, their insane power enough to push her Resistance even higher.
Ilea spent another couple hours in the layer until it became boring.
The damage was certainly there but not having an actual enemy to face made the whole thing much less exciting.
“We’re leaving!” she shouted to the Fae and blinked towards the exit she had found some time earlier.
The Fae appeared on her shoulder while she checked her progress.
‘ding’ ‘Sentinel Reconstruction reaches 3rd lvl 27’
‘ding’ ‘Azarinth Perception reaches 3rd lvl 9’
‘ding’ ‘Ashen Wings reaches 3rd lvl 11’
‘ding’ ‘Eyes of Ash reaches 3rd lvl 5’
‘ding’ ‘Arcane Magic Resistance reaches 3rd lvl 3’
‘ding’ ‘Arcane Magic Resistance reaches 3rd lvl 4’
She jumped down into the stone shaft.
Boring? she asked.
The Fae shook its head.
Impressive
“I guess… been a while since I tested but are these arcs more or less powerful than the lightning up and above the dungeon?”
Similar
“Hmm.”
The mana density mostly remained as they descended farther down but was joined by frost forming on the walls and her armor.
“Lava to mana to ice. I’m sure a large part of this dungeon was made by whoever built all those steel structures but can something like this form naturally as well?”
Possible
“Really? I mean these are some fucking extremes.”
Mana
Powerful
“The more density, the more volatile it all becomes?” she asked.
The Fae nodded while sitting on her shoulder, grabbing some ash to tuck itself in against the cold.
Ilea helped out, leaving only its eyes uncovered under the makeshift skiing gear.
She kept a look on its vitals as they came out into the next layer. Only three remaining, she thought, barely able to see ten meters far in the mist of snow and wind.
Ilea used Monster Hunter again, her roar echoing through the unknown areas, moving far.
Nothing responded to her call.
I doubt this experience will allow me to get Ice Resistance any higher, she thought and slowly made her way through the terrible weather.
Chunks of ice formed on her ash but her second tier bonus to Ice Resistance made it not dig much further.
The Fae certainly didn’t enjoy the experience but neither did it complain behind its shield and ash.
Twenty minutes of searching and a trail of ice later, the two found the way into the next layer. No creatures had shown themselves here either and she suspected that nothing else would come up.
Maybe the extreme conditions didn’t allow anything to stay down here or nothing had found this place yet. She had too little of an understanding about how dungeons worked to make a reasonable assumption.
The good part was that there were no signs of corrupted creatures. The Trakorov would take care of most anyway but if she could help out before, that was preferable. For her own levels and growth as well as a help for the creature.
A corrupted Trakorov was not something she would want to face.
“What’s with these layers?” she asked as they once again descended farther down.
Barrier?
“Natural barriers you mean? But the Trakorov is much more of a barrier than any of this,” Ilea said.
Creature
Hide
“You’re right. The expedition reached level twenty without much trouble and they’d be swatted by even layer six or seven monsters. Just weird you know… Maro talked about going deeper than layer twenty but everything is different since he shut himself into his machine.”
“I guess these layers would stop scavengers dead in their tracks. Or force them to face the creatures first,” she noted.
The Fae nodded.
Ilea and the creature came into a small room made of steel. The mana here felt even more restricting, more dense and powerful.
“Still just nothing to you?”
Nice
“I bet it is,” she said and looked around. A corridor led away from the small room, no traps, enchantments or runes visible to any of her skills.
Ilea walked to the closed door and touched it, seeing into an open space beyond. Her sphere wasn’t obstructed but muddled instead, even more than before. More than in the hallway itself where the mana density reached levels close to the twenty second level.
“Teleport in or open the door?”
She decided on the door, to make sure she had a way out in case it locked her into the area of high density. Her ashen limbs smashed into the steel, cutting through with difficulties but considerably easier than when she went to rescue the Fae.
Granted, the door wasn’t exactly ten meters of pure steel. More like ten centimeters.
As soon as she pierced through, the mana leaked in and made her step back. “Holy fuck…,” she grumbled, feeling the power. She could see the change with her Sphere but more than anything she felt it in her bones.
Ilea coughed and spat out blood as she healed herself. Without the third tier, she would have probably collapsed immediately.
Interesting, the Fae sent as it floated right in front of the hole, looking into the open space beyond.
Unnatural
“No shit,” Ilea said and breathed in deeply.
‘ding’ ‘Arcane Magic Resistance reaches 3rd lvl 5’
She propped herself on her knees before righting herself up again. “I’m fine.”
Blood
“Ah, I’m fine,” she repeated. “You’ve literally seen me ripped apart, a little blood isn’t a concern.”
Okay
“Don’t give me that look. Come on, let’s check it out,” she said and smiled at the creature.