Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Prairie (I)

"Wow! It's more incredible than in the game!" Goldmi exclaimed.

"They didn't really make it up. It doesn't look like the other dungeons at all," Eldi looked in all directions, impressed.

"It's spectacular. I came just to see it. Although then this and that happened," Gjaki recalled.

They had entered the dungeon of the City of Light, while hiding their true identity. The three of them appeared to be from a race of silver wolfish demihumans, and were supposed to be siblings. The lynx was uncomfortable in her wolf disguise, while the goshawk barely complained about her eagle form.

They were in a vast prairie with scattered trees, and the light was radiant. If it weren't for the fact that there was no sun, and because it never got dark, it would be difficult to distinguish from the outside world. Although there were some differences.

One of the most obvious to vampires was that the light didn't harm them. Therefore, there were some safe areas that were used as recreational, heavily fortified and guarded. The mana beings in the dungeon were unable to break through the defenses, and even children could be seen playing in the supposedly dangerous dungeon. After crossing the walls of the fortification built at the entrance, the challenge began.

Another difference was more subtle. Only beings like Goldmi with a strong affinity with nature could perceive it. Except for the ones that had been planted inside the fortification, the plants weren't real.

The most curious thing was that she could use most of her skills with those plants, although the connection was strange, artificial. The upside was that she didn't have to worry about damaging them. They would regenerate like the rest of the dungeon.

There were some exceptions that didn't work, like Outcast, but in general she could make use of all of them. At least, on that first floor, Goldmi wasn't at the same disadvantage as she was in other dungeons or the corrupted area.

As they gazed at the surroundings in astonishment, some of the adventurers looked at them with some condescension.

"Noobs..." a totally white-haired vampiress shook her head.

"Ha, ha. We were like that the first time too. I remember how you even pointed everywhere," her brother mocked. He was also a vampire with white hair.

"You had to remind me!?" she reproached him between embarrassed and angry.

"There they go again..." one of their companions sighed. He ignored them, and left them behind.

The rest sighed or smiled as they continued on their way to the second floor. The first one was no longer a challenge for them.

There were other groups that looked at them similarly. The prairie was vast, so they would part soon. However, the exit from the fortification was usually quite crowded.

Although, there were also other groups that watched them with more interest.

"There're only three and their pets. Look at their armor! They must be spoiled rich children!" a lamia pointed out to them surreptitiously.

"Don't they have guardians? They have no idea how the world is like. Someone could attack them to take their possessions. They should be careful," an arachne with suggested a menacing tone.

"Should we kill them or ask a ransom?" another lamia asked, much more direct.

"The safest way is to kill them, unless they are very very rich. We won't be able to come back here if we let them go alive," a strange being added. He had the upper body similar to a red human with horns, and the lower body to that of a centipede.

"First, let's follow them without them noticing. We have to find a place without people," another of the same race added.

Therefore, they showed that they were going the other way, and then followed them in the distance. The centipede-man had summoned some small centipedes to track their victims, so they didn't need to follow them closely.

"Those three with the pets are new, I don't recognize them. You, follow them. Let me know if you discover anything," a female voice ordered.

She was a cloaked and hooded figure, like all of her companions. They belonged to the assassins' guild, and she was one of the ones who knew the adventurers who entered the dungeon best.

Unfortunately for them, new groups appeared every day, and this was the fifth they had followed. However, they had enough staff to keep an eye on all of them.

Their mission was to discover a high human, who they knew had black hair and golden eyes. Also, he used spear, axe and hammer, and they had the description of some of his skills and spells. If he was in disguise, the latter might help expose him. Maybe, he wasn't even there, but the reward was well worth a try.

Those in charge of surveillance and tracking had been selected for their skills in that area. They weren't the best when it came to offensive potential, though most were adept at setting up ambushes, and many used different poisons as well.

However, they were ordered not to act on their own. Although most often they worked alone, the assassins knew how to follow orders. Just by watching them, they would receive part of the reward, even if they didn't attack in person. It was a more than good deal.

"How will we find her? This's huge! Also, it's full of vampires. If she is in disguise, it will be impossible to tell her apart. We don't even know if she's really here!" one of the vampires gave up before even trying.

"Father has given us these artifacts. We'll divide into groups, each one to a floor. If an ancestral vampire unleashes their power, they can trace their bloodline. Let me know if you detect anything. Don't even think about approaching alone, she's dangerous," the leader warned.

"This's going to be terribly boring. Waiting for something to happen, which probably won't," another of the vampires sighed, as he accepted one of the artifacts.

It was the group that would stay on that floor, waiting. The rest headed for the next one, prepared to spread out across all of them.

"At least, you'll be in a decent floor... If you want, you can exchange it for ours," another complained.

"No, no, keep it. Within the bad, it's the best," another of those who had to stay there refused.

"Damn dice... Couldn't a higher number have come up?" another one cursed.

They had raffled the floors by rolling the dice. Those who got the higher chose first. The winners had chosen the first floor. It had the lowest level, and the environment was nice. There were much worse.