60 consequences
-This place is definitively weird.- Say Cs, witnessing the sight of the lingering cores and arrows, after the dungeon swallowed the corpses.
'True, but it did help us gain some time.' Responded Alex, before lightly sniffing. 'It even had cleared the air and ground. If it weren't from my clothes state, I would say that nothing happen here.' Said him, while gathering all his spoil. 'How much?' sked him then, too worn out to loss time over counting the cores.
- 94 goblins cores, and 17 variants, and you had yet to collect those in the corridors.- Said, CS.
Nodding, Alex did precisely so, adding further 27 and 9 cores respectively.
'True dungeon isn't to be underestimated. It had been only six days since the assault and already 121 goblins and 26 variant that nearly as much as the pack I dispatched at the time.'
-True, but there shouldn't be much left, from the commotion they made, I think all the surrounding goblins had gathered here.-
Left with a way to pick, Alex chosen the one with the strongest sent, hoping that the room it leads was empty, or at least nearly.
When he saw that the path stayed more or less as wide as it was at the entrance, Alex hoped that the room was clear of monsters. While the way remains the same, the height didn't and soon forced him to bend slightly to progress. The good news with this was that hobgoblin was too tall to move unrestrained, taking a little of the burden and tension off Alex's shoulders.
~~~
-If those fucker were working with metals, I would swear we're back to Gringotts.- Cursed CS, when they exited the pathway, entering the room.
Alex was left speechless at sight, thick veins of iron ores were running the length of the exposed walls. The various yellow, rusty red, dark and brown colours added a unique vibe to the room. But more than those colours, the blue threads underlining them added a surreal touch at the place. The room was unlike the previous one and seems more like a giant crack in the rock. The large rift was opened on at least twenty meters, wide of few centimetres at the top and a little more than five metres on the ground.
'Once again, it doesn't make sense.' Said Alex exasperate. 'With a rift that high, it should have pierced the surface on few metres.'
-The only explanation is that the dungeon core and Monster gems must influence the phenomenon. Those same gems could add space in your storage; it isn't far-fetched to think the same happen here. It seems to form some pocket space, directly in the ground, or the magic blurs the border. It is a little like your expended space, wider in the interior than the container's exterior size.-
'True, but I worry about what would happen when the core is retrieved. Will the pocket space crumble, or would another thing happen?' Asked Alex, worried of being buried alive if he retrieves he core, and able to take it, that it.
-I don't think it would remember that the morons' squad was aiming from the core. If they know they can sell it, this must be a long since practised work. Words would have spread if it was impossible, and Orario should have caved-in since long if it was the case.- Enlighted CS, calming down Alex worries.
'True.'
-Hey! I think of it, but do you think you can create something similar if you had a core? We could have our own expended house in a rock you could take anywhere!- CS said in a child-like excited state.
Alex took a second to think on it, rather dismiss the idea. 'I could, but the material need to support the pocket space would need to be as extraordinary. Other than my Mythril, I don't know any magic-conductive material able to do it. Perhaps when we dive further in Orario, but for now, forget about it.' Chasitiate Alex', but was unable to erase the idea out of his mind. 'Let start with an expended item. Speaking of it, I'm sure I would need a lot of Monster gem, perhaps even Dungeon core, to be able to do it, and not goblins one.'
-I get it later!- Petulantly said, CS.
~~~
Taking his gaze off the walls, Alex looked around. There, at the feet of those walls, small cavities were dung in the rock. Knowing the rock's denseness, he had little doubt that the dungeon and not the goblins made them. Approaching some, he wasn't surprised to found cowering pregnant females in.
-It seems that the entire remaining force had swarmed the place, to protect this one.-
Grunting back at CS, Alex took his bow, firing a single arrow to the female, before moving to the other nest. He was about to return to the last chamber, leaving the dungeon deal with the corpses.
Looking around, he could see some rumbles lingering around. Taking some, he was surprised to know that it was iron ore.
'It must have fallen from the walls when the Dungeon dug the nest in them.'
The ores were of nominal size, barely larger than a baby fist, and the amount of blue thread within nearly inexistent, but Alex pocketed them all happily, giddy of what he would discover when melting them. He gathered barely half of the space his storage had before expanded. The rest was simply iron ore, but he gathers them too, unwilling to let free ores go to waste.
~~~
After collecting all ores on the ground, Alex exited the room, returning to the large chamber, before taking the pathway on its side. This time he didn't witness another rift nor large deposit of iron ores, only a rocky cavern housing similar alcoves on two-level.
Knowing what he had to do, Alex stared his second round of extermination before examining the nest. As he tough, there wasn't a single trace of ores, but another essential resource was stored here. It was only after cleaning the place of a goblin, and the dungeon absorbed the leftover corpses, that Alex was able to detect the faint odour of coals exuding from the cracks of the walls.
-This seems awfully convenient. If were a sentient race, this would be a goldmine for them to thrive and wreak havoc.-
'It could be the contrary; the DUngeon may have popped here because the condition was optimum. Look at Orario, Eruger had shared that they extract most of their resources from the underground floors. Up to a point, the high concentration of magic could also create specific materials.' Shared Alex, making CS hums in agreement.
~~~
The third room was empty, without ores, nest or coals, making Alex turn heels and enter the last room. The moment he did so, his body was harshly launched against the nearest wall.
His head was ringing after striking against the hard rocks; he dizzily looked at the incoming form without understanding.
-Move!-
Only the harsh shout of CS woken him. Instinctively rolling on the ground, he stood back a two-meter behind his attacker.
'I've lowered my guard.' Shamefully realised Alex.
-No? No shit, sherlock!- Snarked CS, fuming that Alex inattention nearly coasts them their life. -Now take your head out of your arse, and kill that motherfucker!- angrily spat CS.
Nodding to himself, Alex evaded the third blow of the mace-wearing hobgoblin, sinking his knives in the elbow as the strike barely missed him.
Howling at its system, was invaded by the sudden pain, the hob-goblin momently froze. That was all Alex needed. Throwing the first knife to its eyes, blinding it of one, he attacked the knees, bringing it on them. Only the fact that the monster held his face with both hands spared it for having its throat slit, but it did nothing to protect its neck' jugular.
Bitting deeply in the skin and flesh, Alex promptly move on the side, avoiding the geyser of blood, but not without stumbling, still dizzy of the blow.
~~~
-You better not let yourself fall in this type of situation again or I swear I would pollute your though so much you're will turn in a disabled person for the rest of your life, you heard me!- Bellowed CS, adding to the blinding headache Alex still felt after the hobgoblin clobbered his head.
'Sorry.'
-You better!- Say CS, before shutting their link, leaving Alex alone and miserable. Looking on the ground, he couldn't help but gulps difficultly. There, his bow lay, entirely smashed by the missed second strike of the hobgoblin.
The already tricky exploration of the dungeon just turned even more mortal to him, now deprived of his best weapon.
'I truly screwed this time.' Mumbled him, looking at the spread wooden shards. 'There no way I can fix it, its nothing more than kindle now.' Sighing another time, he took his knife, before killing the only three female here.
It was the first time he crossed the path with a female variant, but he wasn't in the mood for any information gathering. Half-heartedly taking out the cores, he looked around, fleetingly noting the Dungeon core embedded in the far-away wall, shining in a soft blue glow, and releasing visible particles waves, shortly dispersing.
Rather than risk it vanishing, Alex stared to carefully skin the hobgoblin, happy to have a task to take its mind of the last mistake.
It was the first time something like this happened to him, and he didn't like one bit the bitter taste this lesson had. Swearing to keep a better 'constant vigilance' for now on, he carefully worked. Leaving the head as it would be more effort than it was worth, he silently folded the skin, before returning to the other two room, collecting the cores, before exiting the dungeon, his heart heavy even after his victory.
~~~
Once outside, Alex stayed more than necessary soaking in the water, letting the cold water smooth his headache and bruised ego. Throwing the now shredded clothes in the backpack with the rest of his used clothes, he wore another set.
'I really need to wash and repair them; I don't have much change left.'
Backpack anchored on his shoulder, he started his way back to the settlement, taking extra care of avoiding the outpost, knowing that he would stay another day, before needing to go back.
'I should take out the Dungeon core, just in case those of the Freya Familia send someone for it.'
When he didn't hear any comment, he sighed, considering how much he felt alone without CS presence in his head.
'I need to stop spoking to myself like that.'
As he wasn't in any hurry, he took his time to gather some food from the forest and stream, eating before continuing his way.
By the time he arrived near the settlement night had already fallen. Knowing that he didn't have any place to stay, he climbed in a tree. Using the backpack as pillow and wrapping in a simple blanket, Alex has rapidly fallen asleep.
