TtOW! - Chapter 17: The Valuable Allies' First Dungeon Termination (Patreon)

Ateia screamed and cheered and laughed as they rose into the air, flying over the forest.

“Repeated Request: This unit requests friendly Ateia cease screaming to avoid drawing attention from potential hostiles.”

“Ah, sorry sorry!  It’s just, this is really fun!”

Taog had his eyes shut, muttering and praying to himself.

“...for some people.”

***

The group landed in front of another dungeon, this time a rocky cave they couldn’t see into.  After Taog managed to get his stomach back under control, the three huddled up.

“Ok, let’s go over it one more time.”

Ateia crossed her arms.

“Oh come on, Taog!  We already discussed this.”

He just stared at her.  She started to fidget.

“Ok, fine!  So, here’s the plan.  We want to make sure we get enough contributions this time.  So, to do that, we’ll try to do everything ourselves.  Enslice Seero Seero Pee…um, actually, Miss Enslice Seero Seero Pee?”

Ateia glanced over, fidgeting slightly.

“Acknowledgement: Yes, does friend Ateia have a query?”

“What is your first name?  Or, like, do you have a nickname?  I’m sorry, it’s just…a bit of a mouthful, you know?  And…I haven’t heard of a name like yours, so I’m not sure how it works…”

“Ateia…”

“What?!  Don’t look at me like that, Taog!  How am I supposed to know if I don’t ask?  And, like, if we’re in a fight, we need to be quick!”

“Acknowledgement: Friendly Ateia’s assessment is valid, efficient call outs are necessary under combat conditions.  Answer: NSLICE-00P is a full designation, this unit lacks a colloquial designation.  However, NSLICE is the model name, 00P is the unique identifier, so friendly Ateia may consider that as equivalent to a given name.”

“Um…then…how about Seero?”

“Acknowledgement: This unit will record ‘Seero’ as a valid colloquial designation.”

“Ok, thanks.  So, again we’ll try to do everything ourselves, and Seero will intervene if she thinks we’re in trouble?”

“Affirmative.  This unit will refrain from intervention unless friendlies are at risk of termination, or this unit is specifically targeted.”

Taog nodded.

“Which means we need to treat this as if she’s not there, and take every measure we would if we were alone.  Got that?”

Ateia nodded.

“You know I do, Taog.  Look, I know I’m a bit impulsive, but this is a dungeon.  I know how to be careful when I need to.  I’m the one who’s been out hunting, you know?”

Taog just raised an eyebrow.

“And I’m the one who keeps patching you up when you get home?”

Ateia just averted her gaze.  Taog heaved a sigh.

“Well, whatever, that’s why I’m here after all.”

The two went over their equipment setups once again, then discussed their formation.  Eventually, they had double and triple checked everything they could, and fell silent, looking at one another.

They slowly nodded and turned towards the dungeon.  Ateia’s eyes narrowed.

“Let’s do this.”

The two made their way inside.  NSLICE-00P engaged her helmet and followed shortly behind them.

“Quick, like, now’s our chance.”

“Move out the way, wretched-evil spider-thing!”

Oh, and the moment the two humanoid’s backs were turned the monsters scrambled out of NSLICE-00P’s spared compartment, rushing into her monster hanger.  They both let out deep sighs as they returned to the safety and comfort of their rooms.

Lilussees poked her head out of the hanger.

“So I’m, like, overdue for, like, five naps, or something.  So, like, don’t wait for me, boss.”

“Acknowledged.”

***

The first thing Ateia did was pull out a Dungeon Map.  This was an enchanted scroll that could be drawn on with mana rather than ink, allowing its user to easily write without carrying supplies, as well as to erase what they had written.  An invaluable tool when mapping out a new dungeon…and an expensive one.  But Ateia’s father was an Exploratores, and Exploratores never skimp on things that could save their lives.

Well, the ones that actually lived, that is.

And a Dungeon Map was one of them.  Far too many divers with dreams of profit and glory rush into a dungeon…only to find they don’t know the way back.  And leaving breadcrumbs is too unreliable; a stray monster or another adventure might remove whatever was left behind.  And dungeons had a way of making things disappear, especially things left unattended.  So ultimately, there was no good replacement for drawing a good map.

…highly accurate scans by ground-penetrating radar and mana-tracking sensors aside.

The pair walked slowly through the first hallway.  Ateia’s eyes darted every which way, taking in the floors, the walls, and the roof, looking for even a single rock out of place.  Taog’s nose and ears twitched every now and then.

Suddenly he stopped.

“Ateia, get ready.  There’s something up ahead.  Smells like an animal of some kind.”

Ateia nodded and grabbed an arrow from her quiver, nocking it onto her bow.  Taog lifted his shield and gripped his sword.

The two waited in silence, clenching their teeth.

And then…they heard it.

A low growl.

A wolf stepped towards them, saliva dripping from between its yellow fangs.

[Mangy Wolf (level 3): A basic wolf monster.  Not that different from a regular wolf in appearance or capability, but significantly more aggressive]

Taog glanced back.  NSLICE-00P didn’t respond to the threat.  He glanced at Ateia and she nodded back, lifting her bow.  Taog turned back towards the wolf, eyes narrowed.

Ateia’s bow glowed slightly as she drew it.

“Power shot.”

She let her arrow fly.

The arrow struck the wolf right between the eyes.

The wolf let out a yelp and fell over.

And then it faded away, leaving a small magic core.

Ateia and Taog just stared at it for a bit before turning to each other.

“I guess…we won?”

“Yeah…um, nice shot?”

Ateia started to grin.

“Thanks…looks like we can do this after all.”

Taog exhaled his breath.

“Recommendation: This unit has observed that initial encounters in dungeons are not representative of overall dungeon strength.  This unit recommends continued vigilance.”

Ateia dropped her grin, making a serious look at that.  She and Taog nodded.

And so Ateia and Taog’s dungeon conquest began.

***

Ateia and Taog walked forward with a stride in their step.  This wasn’t exactly their first combat encounter with a monster, their parents had made sure of that, but this was their first battle in a dungeon, which means an unknown situation with potentially lethal consequences.  As such, they were quite relieved and more than a little proud to have overcome it so easily.

Taog motioned for Ateia to stop.  He sniffed the air a few times and nodded at her.

“Looks like there's something up ahead.”

Ateia nocked another arrow and then grinned at him.

“Well, let’s get hunting then!”

Taog smiled wryly at her, and then hoisted his shield up and took a step forward…

And fell right into a pit trap.

“Taog!”

Ateia rushed over to the edge of the pit, her eyes wide open.

And then she heaved a sigh of relief.

Taog was floating in mid-air, caught in a Mana Barrier.  Behind them, NSLICE-00P had drawn a magic circle in the air just as the pair started walking towards the trap.  The Mana Barrier rose into the air, dropping Taog off back on the floor.  He fell to the ground, sweat dripping from his brow.  Ateia knelt down beside him.

“A-Are you all right?”

“I-I think so…just give me a moment…”

He took several deep breaths, then looked up at NSLICE-00P and nodded.

“Thank you, you saved my life.”

“Acknowledged.  Recommendation: This unit has observed a universal deployment of pit traps among dungeons.  Friendlies should pay close attention to the ground.”

The pair quietly nodded at that.

***

Ateia and Taog were slowly walking through the next hallway, glancing every which way.  Suddenly Ateia reached out and grabbed Taog’s shoulder.

“Wait!  Look over there!”

Taog nodded and narrowed his eyes, focusing on the spot Ateia pointed.

And then, he saw it.

A circular area on the floor that was a slightly different color from the surrounding area.

“Nice catch, Ateia.”

She nodded at him.  He took a deep breath as he walked to the edge of the trap.

He crouched down.

Then he leapt over the pit…

Only for a panel to open up on the wall at the end of the hall, launching an arrow at him.

“Taog!”

Taog’s eyes widened.  He quickly thrust his arm forward, putting his shield between the arrow and his face, barely in the knick of time.  The arrow deflected off the edge of his shield.

Of course, the sudden motion of raising his shield while landing had thrown off his balance.

Such that the force of the arrow knocking his shield away caused him to stumble back.

And of course, taking a step back put his foot on the trap.

Taog screamed as he fell into the pit trap once again.  NSLICE-00P caught him in a barrier once more.

“Revelation: Should this unit have warned friendlies about multi-layered traps?  This unit thought that would be a logically assumed next step.”

***

Taog grunted as he held his shield up, a snarling wolf crashing into it.  His feet slid back from the force of the collision.

A second wolf ran to his exposed side, about to pounce on him.

“Power shot!”

Another glowing arrow shot into the second wolf, taking it down.  Taog then pushed back with his shield, knocking the first wolf away from him.  The wolf quickly recovered and leapt towards him once more, now that his shield was out of the way.

But Taog used the momentum to twist his body and thrust his other arm forward, sword in hand.  The blade caught the monster right in the jaw.

Taog then reset his position and scanned the area.  He exhaled his breath as he confirmed there were no more wolves in the area.

“Taog, look!”

Ateia’s shout drew his attention.  He gasped as well.

To the side of the hallway was a small door, leading to a circular chamber.  And dead center in the chamber was a wooden chest.

Ateia grinned at him.

“Are we lucky or what?  A treasure chest on our first run!”

NSLICE-00P observed the room.

“Requesting Elaboration: Why is the discovery of a storage a cause for celebration?”

Ateia and Taog froze and glanced at each other.  Ateia turned to the cyborg and tilted her head.

“Wait, you don’t know about treasure chests?”

“Negative.”

“But, haven’t you conquered dungeons already?”

“Affirmative.”

“And, you haven’t encountered any treasure chests while doing so?”

“Answer: This unit has encountered storage containers but ignored them as non-mission relevant.”

“Wait, then why were you going into dungeons in the first place?”

“Answer: To terminate them.”

Ateia’s eyes widened and then she nodded.

“Ah, I guess that would make sense then.  Um, well, you see sometimes dungeons have treasure chests in them, and store valuable objects in them.”

“Requesting Elaboration: Why would they do that?”

Taog frowned.

“Supposedly it’s bait, a way for the demon lords to lure in more victims.  But if you do find one and manage to escape, you can make a large profit.”

“Acknowledged.”

Suddenly Ateia’s smile dropped.

“Um, I guess we should have asked this before but…how should we, um, split the loot?”

The pair both nervously turned to NSLICE-00P.

“Requesting Clarification: Friendly Ateia is addressing this unit?”

Ateia fidgeted a bit.

“Yes, um, you’re our benefactor after all, so…”

“Acknowledged.  Answer: This unit is not currently experiencing any supply shortfalls.  As this unit is refraining from excess intervention in friendlies Ateia and Taog’s dungeon termination mission, this unit has no particular claim to this ‘treasure chest’.”

Both the teens’ eyes widened at that.

“Are…are you sure?!  Normally…claims are split, you know?  Since we hired you without specifying, you could even claim the first share?”

“Affirmative.  Explanation: This unit was not aware of material profits from dungeon exploration and made no contribution to the discovery of this storage container and has no particular material needs at present.”

Ateia and Taog looked at each other.  Ateia started to grin.  Taog frowned but he shook his head.  Maybe their benefactor had ulterior motives…but given what he had seen so far it was just as likely that she didn’t need any loot from a low-level dungeon like this.

Such were his thoughts that he didn’t particularly pay attention to the room, nor say anything when Ateia rushed towards the chest.

And fell straight into a pit trap, forcing NSLICE-00P to catch her this time.

As Taog helped Ateia catch her breath, NSLICE-00P sent a signal to her subordinates.  Lilussees and Rattingtale popped their heads out of the hanger.

“W-What is it, yes yes?”

“Hah, do you, like, need something?”

“Requesting Verification: Friendlies have claimed dungeons use storage containers filled with valuable materials as bait.”

“Oh.  Yeah, like, that’s normal, or something?”

“Yes yes, man-things are known to be greedy.”

“Revelation: Additional data logged.  This unit will request additional elaboration on exact method and rationale at a later time.”

“I see-understand.  This Great-High King will advise-instruct you, yes yes?”

“Okay…but, like, after my nap, ok?”

With that, the pair ducked back into the hangar.

***

Ateia and Taog stood at a cross-roads, with three separate hallways in front of them.  Ateia held the map she had been drawing in her hand.

She glanced at the map.

Then up at the hallways.

Then back at the map.

Then back at the hallways.

Taog raised an eyebrow.

“Ateia…”

“W-wait, just give me a second.  It’s like…it should be…”

“...we’re lost, aren’t we?”

“W-We’re not lost, I just…need a moment to think.”

“You shouldn’t need a moment, Ateia.  You’ve been keeping track of where we’ve been going, right?”

“O-Of course….”

Taog just stared at her.  She looked away.

“I-It’s not my fault!  I-I got disoriented from that trap, you know!”

“You didn’t seem disoriented when we were splitting the potions from the chest?”

She puffed her cheeks.

“W-Well what were you doing?!  W-Why didn’t you say anything until now?!”

“Because I’m not the one with the map!”

“Every Exploratores should be ready to take on any duty at any time!”

“And shouldn’t fail at doing what was their duty to begin with!”

As the pair shouted at each other, NSLICE-00P stepped into a side room.  A whole pack of wolves was waiting inside.

She promptly incapacitated them with her stun ray, and then signalled her subordinates.

“Yay, you’re, like, the best, boss!”

“Ugh, you expect this Great-High King of all the land to do the butchery-slaying, once again?”

“If you, like, don’t want them, then give them here, or something.”

“K-Keep your wretched fangs-teeth to yourself, you wicked spider-thing!  T-These are the property-belongings of the Great-High King, yes yes!”

As the two got to their work, Lilussees tilted her head.

“Boss, I’m, like, wondering something.”

“Acknowledged.”

“I thought you were, like, not supposed to be, like, contributing to the conquest, or something?  So, like, why are we hunting on our own?  Not that I’m, like, complaining or anything.”

“Explanation: Friendlies Ateia and Taog have moved to an area of the dungeon that does not lead to the core chamber.  This unit has calculated that all efforts in the past hour do not contribute to dungeon termination progress.  So this unit has determined that hostiles in the area can be terminated without violating non-intervention mission parameters.”

“So, like, they’re super lost, or something?”

“Affirmative.”

…and so Ateia and Taog’s dungeon conquest ‘carried on’.

Author’s Note:

Just FYI, feeling a bit under the weather, so probably just one chapter today.  

Carrying the noobs, err ‘valuable allies’ part two, where we try to let the valuable allies be valuable!

…they are valuable, right?

…well…they did…fail…the normal test…

…

L-Look on the bright side, NSLICE-00P!  You’re gaining all sorts of new intel and a chance to level your subordinates!  And, like, you don’t have to do all the work this time!  And it will only take several more hours than it would have as a result!

…we might need to redo the cost-benefit analysis of that contract, huh.

Anyways!

Can Ateia and Taog ever find their way through the dungeon?  Will they make a non-zero contribution or will NSLICE-00P have to do all the work again?  Was NSLICE-00P’s cost-benefit analysis of helping these two accurate?  Tune in next time, to find out!