The Daughter Of Rage And Love (4)

[Why am I getting so worked up?]

"You're right; give me a second." I sit on the ground, close my eyes, and focus on my breathing.

"Nick, are you okay?" Shinobu comes up to me with concern in her voice.

"I'm fine; just give me a minute."

"I'm surprised you don't know anything about dungeons. Haven't you learned anything about them?" I hear the strong stench of contempt and disappointment in Inari's question.

"Of course I–" I'm interrupted by a sharp pain in my head. I drop my head into my hands as my skull throbs.

[I seem to remember reading a book about dungeons, or was that the kid?]

'Thump'

The throbbing pain in my skull only gets worse as I dig through my memories. I know one of us has read up on this topic, but I can't seem to remember.

'Thump'

I can feel my hand shaking and sweat dripping down my face, but I keep digging. I need to know what I'm missing.

'Thump'

As the pain reaches its peak, I stumble upon a series of images that play out a story.

'Dad? What's a Sandtrap Tiger?'

'What are you doing, asking me something like that? Huh? Those are only found deep inside dungeons. You don't need to be concerning yourself with monsters like that.'

'But I want to be an adventurer!'

'How are you going to be an adventurer? Your arms are so skinny they might break from a stiff breeze.'

'Give him a break, Vincent. Let him dream.' Carroll scolds the kid's father with an exasperated tone.

'He can dream about something more realistic, like learning how to organize all the books in the library.'

'Nick, why don't you come with me, and we can read all about dungeons and monsters.' Carroll smiles as she grabs our hand.

'Really?'

'Carroll, don't get his hopes up. He has no shot at being an adventurer.'

The world comes back into focus, and some of the memories I'd forgotten fall into place. I don't understand why it was so difficult to access those memories. I keep my eyes closed and sift through the new information when suddenly a thought occurs.

[Boy? Are you ashamed? Are you embarrassed by who you used to be, who we used to be? Don't make me laugh.]

The migraine begins to fade, and I open my eyes. As the memories of the books I've read about dungeons begin to surface, I quickly formulate a plan.

"Alright, our biggest concern should be on the goblins that likely inhabit this dungeon. They are drawn in by the higher-density mana that flows from the dungeon core. We can be relatively confident that they're living in this dungeon as the lights along the walls appear to be well maintained. We'll have to proceed slowly to avoid any traps they may have set up. A wide variety of monsters can exist in dungeons, so I'm not going to waste my breath explaining them all, but be ready to adjust the formation at any moment. Does anyone have any questions?" Inari raises her small arm, and I point at her to speak.

"What kind of headache imbues an individual with previously unknown knowledge?"

"Any other questions?" I ignore Inari and pass my gaze across the children. Shinobu sheepishly puts her hand in the air.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm feeling much better, thanks for asking. If there aren't any other questions, then let's proceed."

We quickly get into our predetermined formation and slowly make our way into the dungeon. We're all on edge except for Inari, who appears to be struggling to keep her eyes open. I don't want her to get hurt while we're fighting, so I offer a suggestion.

"Inari, do you want somewhere to take a nap? You seem pretty tired."

"What? Am I supposed to sleep on your fat head?" I shake off the thought of trying to remain still while she lays on my head and continues.

"Actually, Shinobu has a hood on her robe that you could lay down in. She's in the middle of the formation and won't be moving as much as the rest of us, so it should be comfortable. What do you think, Shinobu?"

"What? I'm, I don't mind, I guess." She looks reluctant but agrees. I can see Inari weighing her options and slowly floating over to Shinobu and plopping down in her hood.

"Try not to move too much."

"Okay." Shinobu walks stiffly with an awkward expression on her face. I stifle a giggle and turn back to the front. The walls are mostly made of dirt, with several stone arches for support. As we descend, the ceiling rises about ten feet in the air, and the walls stretch to about twenty feet apart. I start searching through the images in my mind.

"Apparently, the walls are slowly reinforced by the dungeon goblins over time. It can take decades for them to develop the walls to this degree, so it's safe to assume this dungeon is pretty old." As I finish speaking, I hear the slow patter of hooves growing louder. "Form up. Something's coming."

We hold our stances for several long moments until a four-legged beast comes into view.

"Watch out. It's an Acriporcos!" A stout-looking hog trots into view. It has the signature tusks of a warthog but is covered with short spines like a hedgehog. Its rear legs are taut with muscle, with two sharp horns protruding from its head.

[It's a little busy looking, isn't it?]

A second Acriporcos appears a few feet behind the first, and they both charge at us. I ready my spear, and Josh raises his sword over his head.

"Shinobu, Sakura, you take the one in the back. We'll take the one in front."

"Current Wave!" Without responding to me, Shinobu launches a spell at the rear monster, and the whistle of an arrow originates from behind me. I focus my full attention on the beast charging at Josh and move to his side. It looks like our target has developed tunnel vision, as it doesn't even notice me. I stab into its front leg and collapse its posture. The Acriporcos tumbles forward directly in front of Josh, where it is swiftly bisected with one use of his Slash skill. I turn to check on the girls, only to see the fried remains of a monster lying several meters away.