The Chimera Summoner - Ch 19

Ch 19--

The weekend was upon us, and with it, our first Dungeon dive.

Friday found us tired but not exhausted. Our growing Mind attributes allowed us to work harder than a normal person one day and still be able to do it again the next. I was proud of myself for sticking to my self-imposed extra workout sessions. It helped that, as a Wayfinder, I was already feeling results.

I'd been keeping my familiars summoned almost continuously, only dismissing them when I got so tired from casting skills that I had no choice.

Thankfully, Brawly's was my only physically demanding class that day. And she had us painstakingly learning the technique for various physical exercises. The bedrock of a workout routine. She still managed to completely tire us out. Doing a proper pushup was a thousand times worse than what I had been doing at home.

Another two huge bowls of soup, and two more lecture classes in the afternoon.

In those, I thrived. I would've killed for the information that the professors showered us with. I could scarcely write fast enough. Lucy couldn't be bothered with them, falling fast asleep on my shoulder. But Lorna attended with fascination, hovering just over a chair, and listening intently, occasionally whispering a note for me to write down for her later consideration. These, I universally found interesting and insightful.

In-between classes she would remark to me about the differences between different world's understandings of the Dungeon, its monsters, and strategies to navigate it successfully. I found the contrasting insight she could offer, from her time in other worlds, to be fascinating. And she, like many knowledgeable people, was pleased to have an enthusiastic ear that valued what she could share.

Jennie was a constant presence. As we slowly became more comfortable navigating Bayloft's maze-like halls, she critiqued our lessons and joked with Lucy and Lorna. Her sharp barbs were a novelty to Lorna, who had evidently only experienced a rather formal kind of company in the past. Jennie and Lucy got on very well, which made sense given our collective intimate experience in the catacombs.

However, something was off between me and her. She wouldn't meet my eyes very long, and any time we talked about the dungeon, she got a distant look and changed the subject. I decided I needed to clear the air.

"Look." I said abruptly, cornering the smaller girl in the hall. "I like you. I think we work well together. All of us."

Jennie blinked in surprise at my sudden intensity so I went on, pressing the advantage.

"I want us to dive the Dungeon together." I said plainly. "But long term, I am seriously considering soloing, and I know that puts you in a complicated situation. And I'm sorry for taking that for granted. Taking you for granted. If you want to go find a team that might be long term for you, I totally understand. But if not, I want you to dive with us this weekend. You're an amazing ally and friend, and I think we can do well together."

Jennie paused looking at Lorna and Lucy. They both nodded. Lucy, quite eagerly. They'd felt my growing concern, and had felt me building up to start this conversation for minutes in advance. We'd been working all day to keep a finger on the pulse of our bond at all times. It was mentally taxing, but extremely useful.

Jennie considered. "I want to be on a team of five, long term." She said hesitantly. "But the teams we find at school are unlikely to last my whole career. The ones forming now are unlikely to last the month. So for now... yeah. I'll tag along with you weirdos. It'll be a good chance to get a bigger slice of the leveling pie, with just two Wayfinders. We'll basically be cheating."

I grinned. Lucy swept Jennie up in a huge hug, smooshing the rogues face between her boobs, today stuffed into a tee shirt sized for me. It was stretched and taut to Lucy's shape, like she'd been poured into it, emphasizing the lack of bra. I just couldn't get Lucy into clothing she deemed unnecessary.

Jennie emerged red faced from Lucy's cleavage.

"Great!" I said, rubbing my hands together. "First dive after classes, friday?"

Jennie looked taken back.

"Today is friday." She said incredulously.

"Yep!"

"You don't want to take a day off? Or even just this evening?" Jennie wheedled.

"Nahhh, costs five tokens to use the Bayloft dungeon entrance." I said. "But you can stay as long as you want. I wanna get the most for our tokens."

"Yes, but a rest day." Jennie said.

"Yes, but saving enough tokens to get a private room. Maybe even a suite." I argued. I was secretly happy either way, just relieved that things were once again feeling normal with Jennie now that our respective long term needs were clear.

"You're a FANATIC." groaned Jennie, "Fine. tonight."

"Sick. We'll give you first pick of all the loot." I grinned.

Jennie rolled her eyes. "Relax, pervert, I said I'd join your team for now, already."

"A viable composition." Lorna nodded approvingly. "Off tank, healer, support, and melee dps."

"More balanced than a lot of our classmates." Jennie snorted.

"Oh?" I asked, curious.

Jennie looked guilty. "I may have been... putting out some feelers for a group to join."

I shrugged. "Of course. I probably should have to, if only to have an idea of what teams are forming. Anyone good?"

Jennie nodded incredulously. "They're all good. Or they've had family assistance leveling. I thought I'd be ahead of the pack at five. Joanne and her goons are all level eight already. And of course, there's Hera."

"That's the hot blonde who wants to be class president?" I asked. "What about her?"

Jennie looked at me like I was an idiot. "Her dad is the Meteor Blade. Her mom is the Iron Valkyrie. She's literally Wayfinder royalty. And as far as I know, she's a prodigy."

"How far do you know?' I asked.

"She's been challenged to duels six times already. She won all of them without using a Skill." Jennie said, flatly.

I whistled.

"Sheesh." I muttered.

"And she's so pretty." Lucy sighed.

I swatted her long rabbit ears. She danced away, clutching her precious fluffy ears, indignantly.

"But her party's composition is crazy." Jennie continued. "Four DPS and a tank. No healer. Agnes could be an off-tank if she wanted...? But I'm pretty sure she won't."

"Why would they accept such teammates?" Asked Lorna, perplexed. "A handful of levels aren't as important as synergy."

Jennie and I shared a look. "Politics." We said together.

"Their families are aligned." Explained Jennie. "So they load their kids up with gear and pump them full of levels and stick them in a party. Makes their family look good if they're stronger than everyone else."

After our last class, Jennie glumly gave me the thumbs up and I dragged her to the dining hall to stuff down as much sustenance as possible before our first dive. She'd tried a couple times, rather half heartedly, to convince me to take a day off on Friday. But had conceded each time.

We stuffed ourselves. I'd noticed a distinct uptick in my appetite since we started classes. It wasn't surprising. We were all working hard every day. Even lecture classes burned a lot of energy, with the numerous vast topics we were trying to become versed in.

I let myself eat until I wasn't hungry anymore. Then took a few extra bites just in case. We'd bring supplies into the dungeon, since we were planning to stay all weekend if possible. But, as our professors kept repeating, the Dungeon was fundamentally unpredictable. Death by starvation happened. I took one last nervous bite.

The building around the Bayloft Dungeon gate was massive. It served as a market for all the students. Places to buy and sell various kinds of loot, items and materials, as well as facilities for the crafting students and staff to work.

We picked up a week worth of rations and some water canisters. Water was plentiful in most dungeon dives but being able to store a couple days was wise. The whole supply cost us four tokens a piece, of the fifteen our first week of classes had yielded.

Entrance to the dungeon cost another five. We paid it to Professor Valant, who was on duty at the time. She dropped the bronze tokens into the collection box and handed us two escape medallions. They were valuable magic trinkets that would allow us to teleport out of the Dungeon, in the event we became incapacitated.

"Smart Wayfinders know how to retreat. Don't get greedy." She said, sternly.

We nodded.

We'd heard it before. Our professors had berated us again and again on caution, knowing our first dives were likely going to happen this weekend. Only students who hadn't been able to find satisfactory teams yet would be left outside. They'd spend the time training, instead.

We walked up to the great bronze archway. Within, myriad colors swirled ominously, promising adventure. And threatening death.

I gulped. Lucy bumped her shoulder into mine in an easygoing way. I bumped her back.

"Let's do this!" I said.

Maybe a little too loud. My voice felt echoey in the large and crowded gate chamber.

People were in line behind us. We had to go.

Jennie gave me a sharp nod and we all linked hands and stepped into the portal.

I landed with a soft thump on what felt like mossy turf.

I spat out the pink fluffy stuff and looked around.

My companions were all at hand, getting to their feet. Lorna had been right that her disembodied hand would not be a problem. As long as Jennie and I held hands, we would show up together, and my Familiars would be with me automatically. Lucy had held my hand anyway because it felt right.

We were in a pink mossy cave system, lit by glowing blue crystals embedded in the walls and ceiling. The air was crisp and slightly damp.

"Candy caves." Jennie grunted, looking around.

It was the name our class had dubbed the common dungeon biome when it came up in class. In person I admitted that the moss did look a bit like cotton candy.

The whole place has a kind of eerie beauty to it.

"Let's get moving." I said. "Scout?"

Lucy saluted and dashed away down one of the three tunnels that lead away from our starting cave. She came back in less than a minute.

"Two big frog monsters this way!" She said brightly. "Want me to check another?"

"No, that'll do." I said. "Jennie?"

She shrugged.

It was well known that way finding was less about solving a maze and more about finding a path that you could traverse. If a way had monsters you could beat, that was the right way.

The big frog monsters were pink and green, poisonous, and the size of large dogs.

They croaked angrily the moment we came into view. We leapt into action. They literally leapt into action.

Lucy darted forward, trying to pull aggro, while Jennie started working around the edge of the rocky room. The Frogs leapt into the air and crashed down in front of Lorna, Lucy and I. Tongues lashed out, long and barbed. I dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. Spectral waltz would've been smarter. But I just didn't quite trust it yet.

Lucy crashed into the side of one with a boom, bowling it into the other. She got their attention and started kiting them back away from Lorna and I.

Her arm sizzled like bacon in a pan from where she'd touched the frog's flank. I sent her a [Paramore's mending] and felt a spike of gratitude down our bond.

Lorna drifted into the air, hair billowing in a breeze only she could feel. Icy blue runes wheeled around her hands and the frogs slowed, frost forming on their skin like they were out in an invisible blizzard. They croaked pitifully, their mobility greatly hampered.

Jennie appeared on cue, using her cross strike skill on a frog's back. Her daggers sliced through the frog, ice cracking and shattering under her blades for an even more savage wound. Her frog went down, splattering her with frozen toxic fluid. Thankfully, being frozen, it simply fell off, rather than stick and burn.

One on one, Lucy went on the offensive and threw a swift barrage of thunder punches, landing each with a bassy thud.

The second frog made a last ditch attempt to get her, leaping once again and deploying it's tongue midflight.

A barb clipped her cheek but she dodged the worst of it, and Jennie finished off the battered frog.

And all at once it was over.

We stood, panting, and scanning our surroundings for hidden dangers. But none appeared.

"Well done." Lorna praised us all.

I nodded. My heart was pounding in my chest. It hammered in my ear making everything seem far away. We'd fought dungeon monsters. Real dungeon monsters in the actual dungeon. It was unreal. I wanted to cheer and scream and flee and plant a flag of victory over the whole Dungeon. The world spun.

"Eir, I'm hurt." Came a pitiful voice.

Lucy sidled up to me with a pouting lip and a finger pointed at the shallow cut on her cheek. It was about the severity of a cat scratch, but looked red and angry.

"Can my big strong healer pleaaaaase patch me up?" She pleaded, pressing herself into me. I groaned as her breasts squished into mine. "I'll be sure to pay her back for it?"

I couldn't help it. I grinned. Lucy grinned back. I loved her playfulness. And just like that, my heart was back to normal, and the distant feeling like I was floating outside my body had disappeared.

I ruffled her long ears fondly. She hummed, cheeks dimpling happily. Then she winced.

I healed her cheek.

"Uuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" She squirmed and sighed.

She clutched me, shuddering.

I chuckled. She deserved it. She hurled herself at me, grabbing my face and shoving her tongue into my mouth as she ground against me enthusiastically. Then she pulled back with a loud pop.

"Thank you, daddy." She purred happily.

"Good girl." I praised her. She beamed. "You did really well. Everyone did really well. Good job team!"

Jennie gave me and Lucy a huge eyeroll but flashed a thumbs up and started examining the dissolving monsters. They were going up in iridescent smoke as their bodies returned to the dungeon. And they left behind...!

"Lesser Dungeon crystals." Jennie announced, tossing me one.

It was blue, and the size of my pinky nail. I marvelled at its glowing facets.

"A common crafting reagent. A worthy find." Said Lorna solemnly.

"Hell yeah, Lorna." I grinned. "That's the spirit. Everyone ready to do it again?"

Jennie took one more second to inspect her gear for damage then nodded.

We fell into a rhythm. Lucy would scout us up some frog monsters and we would either go attack them if there were few enough, or avoid them if there were too many or if Lucy found one of the larger golem monsters that we had started encountering.

These were taller than me, built like houses, and covered in blue spiky crystals. And we had no interest in testing ourselves against them yet.

Lorna repeatedly praised our discipline each time we backed away from a battle we deemed too dangerous. And I appreciated it. We all knew it was the right move. But it still irked me not to go take them down.

We probably could. But probably was not good enough for Bayloft Wayfinders.

We took sure fight after sure fight.

There were plenty of dangerous surprises in the dungeon. There was no need to add unnecessary risk.

Our caution was rewarded with a successful first day. We made it through six fights, killing over a dozen frogs and harvesting as many lesser mana crystals and one roll of toxic frog leather.

It dropped from a frog neatly rolled and packaged in sturdy brown paper and tied with string.

It was a decently valuable crafting reagent and we could trade it for a little pile of Loftys when we got back to school.

Our first dive had already turned a decent profit!

Like in the catacombs, we found a little cavern to make a camp. There was no such thing as safety in the dungeon but we found something close, with a good bit of our flank covered by a glowing mossy wall.

A convenient drip of water down the wall refilled our water supply with clean, cold water. It was delicious. Probably more pure than anything on the surface.

"Good work today, everyone." I praised. I was feeling giddy. "Jennie you're doing a lot of damage, and I've barely had to heal you all day!"

Jennie snorted. "I think Lucy is getting hit on purpose to get you to 'heal' her. These frogs are slow."

"Shhhhhhhh!" Lucy demanded hotly.

I glared at Lucy, who was in turn glaring at Jennie like a traitor.

Lorna sighed. "These monsters are ill suited to trouble our team. Our mobility and healing keep us from being whittled down by their poison effects between battles. Be aware that even enemies of this power level could prove dangerous, should their powers interact more poorly with ours."

I nodded, some of the wind coming out of my sails. I'd been feeling better and better about our run as the fights became more comfortable.

Lorna softened. "You are still performing well. I merely caution you against overconfidence."

I reached out and squeezed her hand gently in gratitude.

I realized after that I had just assumed she would become substantial for me, and blushed when I realized she had, without question. It had been natural.

Our constant attention to the bond during battle was translating well. Our connection was growing.

Lorna favored me with a small smile. It lit a warm place in my chest that her natural chill couldn't dampen.

Lucy was looking back and forth between us with delight and gave me an encouraging nod.

Jennie yawned loudly.

"Turn in early and get back to the grind tomorrow?" She asked. "Tomorrow, I bet we can double our frog count, or better, with the whole day to kill! And now we've seen all their tricks!"

"Never assume you know a monster's tricks." Lorna and I said, as one.

Lucy giggled. Jennie waved a dismissive hand.

"Yeah yeah." She grumbled. "Let's set watches. You want first or second?"

"I will watch over you through the night." Lorna proclaimed calmly.

"Wait... all night?" Asked Jennie. "That's not fair. I can--"

"Neither Lucy nor I require sleep." Lorna interrupted. "Like eating, it is merely a pleasure. One that I will happily forgo so that you and Eir may attain maximum recuperation."

Jennie blinked. "Oh." She didn't move.

"It's a role I quite enjoy." Lorna assured her. "I need my fill of solitude and quiet the same way Lucy requires a certain amount of physical affection to remain happy. Sleep assured that I will remain focused and vigilant."

I grabbed Lucy's hand and dragged her to the corner to find a soft bit of moss to curl up on.

"Thank you, Lorna." I said, gratefully. "I will feel safe knowing you're on lookout."

Jennie nodded reluctantly. "If you're sure... wake me if you start falling asleep. Seriously."

"If I lose a moment of focus, I shall awaken you to take my place." Lorna promised.

Jennie finally relaxed, satisfied.

We produced some blankets, and found the mossy rocks surprisingly plush and comfy. Lucy and I curled up together, squeezing our bodies together like we were trying to get stuck that way.

I passed out quickly to the sound of her contented breathing against my neck.