{The next day, in a lower dungeon level. Half in a pool and half on a patch of ground covered with crystal fragments}
Jono woke, but he didn’t feel better. If anything, he felt worse. He felt pain in areas of his body that he didn’t think he could feel pain. He also had a throbbing headache.
He reflected, Right, so I’m in another universe, where some cranky god wannabe wants me to figure out what’s happening to heroes. I’ve ended up deep in a dungeon. It sounds like there are monsters around. I think I can hear nearby pixies telepathy. If I’m not reborn, then I’m definitely insane.
Jono lay where he was for a little longer.
“Um System, please confirm health status,” Jono asked tentatively.
[Health 40/60] Eckvalonge support notifications
I guess I should be able to move around now, Jono thought. He rolled carefully onto his side, resting in the cool water. Then he pulled his arm and leg off the jagged shrapnel, carefully holding the rest of his body in place.
He moved onto all fours. Carefully, Jono crawled around the edge of the water. It seemed to be a very small pond.
“Excuse me Eckvalonge Support, could you please summon Loon with the light?” Jono asked.
[Error: You do not have a direct summoning contract with Guardian Loon]
[Error: Guardian Loon is not currently equipped with the light ability]
[Would you like to equip the light ability?] Eckvalonge support notifications
“Um, yes please,” Jono said.
A light immediately appeared. It shone over his shoulders in the direction he was looking. He quickly shut his eyes as the light reflected off the water.
He moved from all fours and knelt in the water. Opening his eyes, he found himself facing a concave wall of amber crystal. The crystal shards were only scattered where he had fallen through the ceiling. It had been repaired remarkably quickly.
As Jono turned, he could see the area around the pond was covered with rocks and moss. There was also a large-leaf creeping weed and occasionally patches of a dark clover cover. With the light adding to his confidence, Jono carefully got up.
He completed a second sweep of his surroundings. The small pond in the middle was filled with clear sparkling water. It was closer to water from Earth than the sparkling equivalent in Adelia’s mansion.
He was surprised by the area’s shape. Jono was in a roughly igloo-shaped formation of amber that opened into a gouge in an arete. He carefully stepped out of the water towards the opening.
[Light skill, level 1, has one minute of energy remaining.] ESN
He spotted a less sludgy pile of moss and took some in his cupped hands. The moss resembled shredded kale. Jono carefully sniffed it. It actually smelled nice, with a herby aroma.
Jono ate a little, barely chewing before swallowing, huh, it’s not half bad.
He finished the handful and then carefully squeezed through the gouge in the rock.
Once through the gouge in the wall, Jono stared around at the space before him. It was a cavern with various tunnels weaving deeper into the darkness. Seeing a tunnel heading straight down, Jono recalled Pixie Judas’ words.
He hitched up his strange robe, unfastened his odd new underwear and squatted to relieve himself. Luckily, that went smoothly and the creeping weed leaves made functional toilet paper. Unfortunately, before he had refastened his clothes, a giant insectoid head popped out of a nearby tunnel.
Jono was frightened by the sharp pincers protruding from the insectoid’s mouth and refractory eyes staring emotionlessly at him. He hopped away with his life depending on his sack-racing-like retreat. Then his light ability ran out.
Making out the light let in by the gouge in the rock that he had shimmied through, Jono leapt forward and twisted. He made it through the gouge and wriggled away from the crack as fast as he could, adding to his growing collection of scrapes.
The ant didn’t immediately follow, so Jono hoped he was safe. He at least had time to refasten his garments. Then he froze again. The ant cautiously poked its head through the gouge.
It looked to both sides, cautiously evaluating the area. Then the ant sent a spiked leg high through the gouge, allowing it to squeeze through sideways. Jono panicked and started throwing crystal fragments at the ant.
Most of the fragments that Jono threw at the ant had no effect and it cautiously continued to work its way into the amber formation. Occasionally, one would contact green ooze from an opening ripped in the ant’s shell and it would burst into flame, hurting the ant.
When hurt, the ant shrieked in pain. Jono panicked and his crystal-throwing became even more feeble.
[Kaire has awakened] ESN
The ant was through and scrambled towards Jono.
Jono had picked up the last two big crystal fragments near the pond and backed to the far wall.
[Kaire has initiated level one air-walk and is engaging active support functions through the thought-clutch] ESN
Jono had now backed against the amber wall and stood there terrified.
[Excuse me a sec’ Jono] Kaire
Just as the ant was about to slam into him and slice his legs off with it’s razor pincers, Jono’s body leapt to the side gracefully then tucked the trailing leg into a balanced lotus position mid-leap.
The ant turned its head, surprised. One of its pincers hit the amber first. Its body crunched together with the impact of its crash. Cracks split open over its carapace and they were filled by the fine amber dust that fell amongst fragments. It gave a piercing shriek.
[Runt Ant has become enraged] ESN
The cry was enough to freeze Jono with terror again, but his body moved as Kaire directed from the thought-clutch. His foot extended and he spun two hundred and seventy degrees, calmly making a snapshot assessment of the situation as he landed. Then Kaire turned and ran him straight across the surface of the pond.
[Be a dear and throw the crystals fragments from the ant’s impact will you?] Kaire
The ant shrieked again. It had grooves of burning amber in its carapace, like lava breaking through volcanic rock. It now gave off a very pissed vibe. It tried to run across the water as well. But it was more like a six-legged hound ploughing through the water. Contact with the water was adding to its pain.
Jono threw the last shards he had.
[Kaire has re-activated air-walk and active support] ESN
The ant leapt out of the water at Jono. Once again, Jono’s body leapt smoothly out of the way and moved to where the ant had impacted into the amber with a few easy strides.
[Gook luck, that’s about all I can manage] Kaire
The ant was quickly walking around the little pond, steaming as the water seemed to sizzle on it. Amber still burned in the cracks of the ant’s carapace as well. Bubbling blisters seared on its legs and underbelly. It shrieked again.
Jono threw a chunk of amber at the ant and it let out another shriek. Then he gathered as many crystals as he could in his arms.
“Um Support, can I use air-walk?”Jono asked with a slight squeak in his voice.
[Air-walk has been manually engaged in freeform mode] ESN
Jono prepared to leap, as his body had previously.
The ant closed in quickly, watching intently.
Jono leapt.
The ant anticipated Jono’s leap from his previous elegant movements.
But Jono’s leap was not elegant and the ant’s pincers found nothing.
Instead, Jono tumbled through the air and crashed straight on top of the ant. Shards escaped his grip and some fell into the widening cracks in the ant’s carapace, causing the ant to shriek in pain again.
In between spasms of pain, the ant bucked to try and fling Jono off its back. This only flicked Jono upright.
Do I actually have a chance? Jono stabbed a long crystal into the largest crack in front of him. In between the shrieks, Jono could hear the crystal hiss as it burned into the ant.
The ant focused purely on bucking to shake Jono off. Jono held onto the crystal and he was swung around for three violent throws. Then he was sent flying before he messily tumbled across the ground.
Jono was in pain and he forced himself to get up and see where he could run, maybe back through the arete? But he was surprised to see the ant was barely moving. It lay on the ground, spasming and twitching.
Then, half a minute later, it stopped moving.
[Congratulations, level eight runt ant has been defeated. You have gained 30 exp, Kaire has gained 240 exp] ESN
Jono collapsed onto the ground. Slowly, his heart rate and breathing steadied.
[Hi Jono, well done. That was better than I expected. Take a nice deep breath and I’ll patch us through to Adelia] Kaire
“Uh okay,” Jono replied.
[Right here goes, I’ll patch us through now…
Um Lady Adelia, can you hear us?] Kaire
[Oh, team special, you’re alive. Have you figured out how to solve our problem?] Adelia
[Not quite, you see it’s a teleport intercept, net system and ejector spell that works on high-level heroes] Kaire
[Oh so it didn’t work on Jono and you just need to send us the details to disarm it?] Adelia
[Yes and no. It was manually activated, but using our location should allow you to solve the problem] Kaire
[Ah no, that’s not my problem, you have to disarm the device and level up]
[Also, in case you hadn’t noticed, your hero is about to be affected by poisoning too] Adelia
[What, but, wait…] Kaire
The connection to Adelia was cut.
[Congratulations, Disappearing Hero Mystery, mission stage 2 of 4 has been cleared.
Stage 2 – ‘Contact Adelia’ completion gives 30 Exp and 6 AP]
[Kaire has been exhausted] Eckvalonge Support Notifications.
[Jono, please proceed immediately to the pond and assume a position that is safe to pass out in] Guardian Analysis
“… okay, I’m will do,” Jono said, already worn out.
This time he lay down with his lower legs in the pond his body on the large-leaved weed as if it were a very thin bedding.
[That will work, thank you] Analysis
“… oka, I gue,” Jono said with weariness settling heavily on him and breathing becoming more difficult.
Jono lay there for a while as if paralysed. He was unsure of how much time passed
[Light level one has recharged and will be unequipped for resting]
Eventually, his body relaxed and his breathing became less laboured. Jono drifted to sleep.
Dezhanite Drafts 