The Abyss (2)

"Humans normally attack without any warning, so even having a month is significant." I can see the gears turning in her head as she finishes her thought. Even the best-laid plans can go awry, but that's only for mice and men. It will be interesting to see what Inari has in store. "I've also gathered four fairies here to help you in the dungeon."

As if on command, four fairies fly up next to her.

"This is Hai, Foof, Rom, and Lala" She introduces the fairies, although some of them look familiar.

"Hai, didn't we work with you before?" I ask.

"Yes! And I'm so excited to go to the dungeon with all of you. I'm sure it will be a great time." She flies over to Sakura, and they start chatting as they walk outside. Foof then situates himself on Josh's head as if it's the most natural thing in the world. Now that he's sitting in this position, it's easy to recognize him from the banquet. He was the one who sat on Josh's head back then.

"I'm Lala!" I pull back from the sudden exclamation coming from my right. A fairy with poofy orange hair is smiling at me.

"Hi, nice to meet you," I respond hesitantly.

"Woohee talks about you all the time."

"Oh, you know Woohee?"

"Yes, she sleeps close to me, and we talk a lot before bed." Lala giggles. I look over at Shinobu, who's introducing herself to Rom. He seems calm for a fairy. I notice his distant gaze, and it's as if he's seeing something other than the world around him.

"Let's gather up outside; I'd like to talk strategy with everyone." I wasn't expecting the fairies to each pick a partner, but this works out just fine. The only other option would be to have them act as their own group, which would create another set of problems. I ask each fairy what magic they can use to better utilize them in combat. Rom and Hai are best with wind magic but can use healing spells when necessary. Lala mostly uses earth magic, and Foof uses fire. Humans would categorize the magics differently, but it doesn't really matter. Inari goes on to explain that the fairy's magic is born from centuries of trial and error; it tends to rely on more complex magic circles and intuitive concepts. On the other hand, human magic is simple but relies on fundamental forces and physics. From the sounds of it, wind magic is pressure kinesis, healing magic comes from monism, and earth magic is momentum kinesis. The only one I'm confused about is Foof's fire magic. Thermodynamic magic can create fire but not manipulate it. Foof demonstrates where he produces a blaze and makes it move about like it's dancing. I assume it's a combination of thermodynamic and kinesis magic, but I'm not sure.

[I'll have to ask someone at the guild about it later.]

"So, here's the strategy." I gather everyone around at the mouth of the dungeon. I had plenty of time to figure it out on the way here. "For the most part, I think we should stick with our standard strategy. We'll have Josh, and I hold the front with the help of Foof and Lala. Rom and Hai will save their magic to protect us from surprise attacks. Shinobu and Sakura will act as support."

I give everyone time to digest the formation before asking if anyone has any questions. I look at Sakura and prompt her to speak her mind, but she ends up agreeing. Everyone checks over their gear one last time before we walk inside. I'm still wearing the same leather armor I got when we first started. My spear is getting worn out, so I'll probably have to buy some new equipment here eventually. I don't maintain my equipment as well as I should, and it shows. Next, I check to make sure I have everything on my belt; two healing potions, two stamina potions, one speed potion, one strengthening potion, one ghost walk potion, and the fireball rod on the back completes my load out. I feel good after checking over my gear and lead the way inside. We have Lala and Foof light up the narrow space to better our view and save on torches. They explain that they have bio-luminescence from eating the glowing fungus, so it doesn't use very much magic. The worst-case scenario is that they don't have enough energy to fight later, so this is good to know. We walk in and quickly find ourselves at the sight of our last battle. I notice that the blood stains are gone, which can only mean something was here after us. My mind shoots out a picture of a pale octopus. I jump back and observe the ceiling.

"What is it?" Shinobu asks.

"The blood stains are gone. I think a Polyporta is in the area. They can camouflage, so we need to tread carefully.

"I think I know what to do." Hai rises from Shinobu's shoulder and releases a gust of wind. Two rocks sticking out of the walls jiggle as if they're made of some soft material.

"Sakura!"

"I see them." Sakura shoots the first one with an arrow, and it sticks part way into the creature's flesh. The Polyporta leaps at us. These monsters have the ability to use electric attacks at close range, so I arm myself with the Ironflesh skill and move in for the kill. I stab deep into the body of the first Polyportas, which collapses before it has the chance to shock me. In the meantime, Sakura pins the second one to the ceiling and finishes it with two more arrows. The octopus monsters are very small, standing around a foot tall and weighing only twelve pounds. I stow them in the magic bag, and we keep moving.

Eventually, we stumble upon a fork in the road and stop to discuss which way to go.

"I don't like the idea of scouting ahead or splitting up because it leaves us vulnerable."

"I agree." Lala pipes up to support my thinking.

"Then let's just pick a direction and proceed cautiously." One of the paths could be a trap, or it may be the nest for some strong monsters. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and we settle on the right path, which seems to have had more foot traffic. As we're walking, we come upon a large stone that seems to be blocking a passage of some sort. Josh and I give it a push, and it rolls out of the way. Behind the rock is a crevice that only holds a small box. The container is shoddily made and looks like it may fall apart at the slightest touch. The wooden exterior is drily rotted, so this may have been here for a very long time.

"What's a box doing here?" Sakura asks.

"The goblins are passable craftsmen and often make chests to store equipment. They also like to put traps on them, so I'll poke it first." As the tip of my spear comes into contact with the chest, the whole thing falls apart, leaving a couple of items on the ground.

"What are those?" I reach down and pick up one of the strange-looking necklaces as I ask.

"It's a talistone," Josh replies. "They boost one's stat."

"Oh, wow. Can I put on more than one at a time?" I ask excitedly. Josh shakes his head. "Well, what do these ones do?"

"I don't know," he says with a serious look on his face.

"I'll throw them in the bag for now. We can always see what they do when we get back to the guild."

"Ahh!" A short cry comes from behind us. Josh and I leap forward to block whatever is attacking.

"What the hell is that?" Sakura screams. She manages to stay composed enough to fire a couple of arrows, but they do little to the scaled monster. They look like moles but have a long, whip-like tail waving around above their heads, waiting to strike.

"Watch out for that tail. It's venomous." I warn my party as we encircle the monster. The mole-like creature is called a Talpavore and is known for being extremely dangerous if not handled carefully. Their tails have stingers like jellyfish tentacles, so even the slightest contact could be dangerous. The venom paralyzes the target, so it's not fatal but can put the party in a very difficult situation.