Chapter 27 – Into the Dungeon

After bidding farewell to their new friend, Ast and Miria headed out of the guild to find a place they could stay in. The duo strolled through the lively town and looked around. It was refreshing for Ast to walk the streets that weren’t utterly crowded with people and there were no countless beasts rushing towards the academy.

They stopped for a moment on the main square to grab a snack while they sat down and observed merchants doing their craft. Asterios caught Miria glancing down at her new collar, stroking it with her finger a bit and showing a faint smile afterwards. It also made him smile seeing her happy about such a little thing. He couldn’t disagree that the new accessory only added to her charms. He felt like it just fit her perfectly.

Finishing up, they resumed the search and visited three inns on their path. Out of all of them, the last one seemed the cosiest so they chose it for their base in this village. The owner was an older woman, a very kind and joyful one. Her husband ran the kitchen in their establishment. She kept sending Miria grins and winks after they told her that only one room would be enough, which of course resulted in the timid girl getting all red and embarrassed.

Asterios patted her head and led Miria to their room by hand. It was a small but stylish chamber with almost everything made out of wood. The bed was quite narrow but should fit two people without any issues. After Miria brought the backpack with his necessities from her realm, Ast approached her.

“You should spend the rest of the day and the night back at home,” he spoke.

Miria’s eyes slightly widened and her ears dropped down a bit alongside her head. Ast placed a hand on her cheek and brought her face back up while brushing over her skin with his thumb. She pushed the side of her face into it.

“By no means, I got tired or bored of your company. You’ve been by my side almost all the time for the past two weeks, and I’m really glad to have you with me, but you do have life on the other side too. You shouldn’t neglect your parents and friends for me. I will not run away from you and even if I tried, you would always know where I am.”

He kept grazing her cheek as he spoke. Miria smiled faintly. She knew that Asterios was right and she was barely leaving his side since the incident in the cave. She understood that he truly didn’t mind her being this clingy but truly cared for her and her family. Miria sighed softly while staring at his kind face.

“I know. It’s just that… I’m really happy here, and it’s easy to forget about my original world. Even easier now after you… accepted my feelings. But you are right. I haven’t interacted much with people on the other side.” Miria recalled her last, short encounter with her parents and blushed.

Asterios smiled. “Take your time there. I’ll head to the dungeon site by myself and call you there. I’m not that hopeless alone. And don’t worry. I will definitely let you know instantly if anything happens while you are gone.” 

Sensing a blush rising on her cheeks, Miria quickly closed the distance between them to leave a soft peck on Ast’s lips. 

“I’ll be going then. See you later, Master.” 

She hastily skipped through the portal before Asterios could say anything more. He chuckled to himself. She was just too cute. But he started enjoying that. It was something new in his life.

Miria appeared in her own room back at home and instantly fidgeted. She kissed him openly again! Barely, but she was able to! They were an actual couple now and she really wanted to act more on it, but her shy nature usually stopped her. She exhaled heavily and fell onto the bed with her back. She would start being assertive one day too. Definitely. If her friends were able to get lovey-dovey with their mates in the open, she could too.

After one more deep breath, she finally calmed herself. Asterios was completely right. She shouldn’t ignore everything and everyone else just because of him and she was beginning to notice how lucky she was to fall in love with someone who was this understanding, being able to confidently point out her behaviour instead of monopolizing her. He really cared not only for her but also for her life.

She squirmed on her bed once more and sat up. The sky outside the window in her room told Miria that it was quite a late evening. The times of the day pretty much covered each other in their realms, with hers being a little bit faster as it was still bright back at Ast’s place. Her mother usually prepared dinner at this time so she decided to walk to the kitchen.

And as expected, the woman was there, preparing a light snack. Her ear on top of long, black hair which reached almost to the floor, twitched in response to Miria’s steps and she glanced to the side.

“Hi, mom,” Miria waved.

*CLAAANK*

The plate her mother was holding fell out of her hands and landed on the counter, fortunately, not shattering. The woman’s eyes were wide from surprise. A moment later, rushed steps could be heard from the living room and Miria’s father appeared in the doorstep.

“Everything okay?” He looked at his wife which pointed further into the room to his side.

Following the gesture, the man’s eyes stopped at Miria, standing in the center of the kitchen. She was swaying shyly while averting her gaze from them. Her ears were timidly down and her tail was slowly waving from side to side. Just a common sight for him. His daughter often acted embarrassed and shy. And then, he noticed the black band over her neck.

A wide grin instantly appeared on his lips and he shot his eyes towards his wife who was crossing her arms over her chest with a smug ‘told you’ look written all over her face. He ran up to her and they started spinning while hugging each other. 

Miria just stood there unable to say anything, knowing very well why her parents reacted this way. One thing she didn’t mention to Asterios was the fact that in her region, chokers and collars were sometimes gifted to each other by couples. With a specific meaning. In Miria’s world, they were equivalent to rings. Yeah, proposal ones. 

That’s what Miria partially meant by saying that the collar was to show that she was his. While she also liked the thought of Asterios being her master via the collar, she much more preferred the meaning given to them by her people. While Miria’s parents celebrated her finally finding a mate and a husband, she swore to herself to tell Asterios about this small detail someday later. She then spent a pleasant evening with her family during the dinner, talking all about her lover, including the part that he wasn’t aware of his gift’s hidden meaning.

Morning came and Asterios woke up alone in his room, which was rare in recent days. Having Miria by his side was nice, but he lived almost his whole life alone and slightly missed that independent feeling. He shook his head at the thought that he could possibly end up with more girls like her around him from the summoning. It was hard to imagine with his past lifestyle.

Without further ado, he finished all preparations and left the inn. He could rent a horse to get to the dungeon faster, but he decided to take a walk there. It would take around sixteen hours as he estimated with the map. He wanted to give Miria more time in her own world. He knew she would come to let him ride her at a moment’s notice.

There was a group of adventurers heading towards the place so he joined them and they left together. During their journey, he learned a lot about his destination since the party was a regular visitor there. There was a medium-sized camp around the site with many merchants selling various useful stuff, a Guild counter and some places to spend a night. According to their words, it was like a small village built around the dungeon. He grew really curious about it.

Their pace was slower than he could assume by himself so they stopped for the night before reaching their goal the next day around noon. It was exactly as the party described. From afar, it looked like a military encampment with the number of high and wide tents placed all around. Countless people flowed between them in various directions and it was louder than at Rosewind’s main market.

Asterios strolled towards the Guild tent which was the only one in an emerald-green colour and with many flags. He passed by small stands and shops with trinkets, potions, materials, ingredients, equipment and anything he could think of that could sell well in a place like this. The tent with the Guild’s employees was as crowded as he expected, but he managed to get in line to one of the receptionists.

Surprisingly, it was manned mostly by men and only a few girls could be spotted in the Guild’s uniforms. He assumed that might be due to them being pretty much on the frontlines here, clashing against adventurers going in and out, which could require a bit more forceful approach at times instead of the usual kind style from the girls. Not that they couldn’t be tough themselves.

After waiting for over an hour, he finally reached the beginning of the line and paid the necessary fee to gain access. This part was actually good to do alone as they might have requested Miria to pay too and arguing that she was his familiar in this big-ass crowd wouldn’t be pleasant.

He delved further into the bustling encampment and passed the gate leading to the area with the dungeon. There were much fewer adventurers here and it was a tone quieter. People still walked both ways in groups. Asterios walked to the side and let Miria know about his position. The panthegirl appeared by him almost instantly.

“Good afternoon, Master.” She showed a beaming smile.

“Hello. How was your little break?” he asked.

Miria blushed a little recalling her conversations with parents and some friends about Ast. “Great. As weird as it may sound, thank you for pushing me away, ehehe~. I promise I will spend more time with others by myself now.”

He patted her head with a smile, making Miria rub it into his hand with a barely audible purr. “Wasn’t so bad, was it? Come on, let’s see the dungeon. I can feel how eager you are.”

They arrived in a clearing without any tents in the vicinity and stared amazedly at the ‘gate’ in front of them. It looked like an entrance to a cave but carved inside wood instead of stone. There were two trunk-like pillars on the sides with beautiful vines enveloping them. A wooden stairway descended into the ground just after the initial step. It was obvious that the dungeon was connected to Nature or Earth element. Asterios already knew that from the guide and his talks with the other party.

“Woah, it’s so big and… ominous. I’ve never been this close to one.” Miria marvelled over the entrance.

“Neither did I. Ready for our first take?” Ast asked.

“More than ever!”

The stairs down took them around ten minutes of walking before they reached flat ground and a wide chamber. Walls and the ceiling were covered in wood or earth and dirt in turns. The hall was spacious and there were tens of different paths leading out of it. Some people camped around, part of them looking toughed up and ragged. The duo concluded that this must be the starting point of this floor.

There weren’t any specific ‘safe areas’ in the dungeon, but just by the entrance or stairs to a different floor, there usually was a big chamber where monsters rarely appeared or strolled into it from the pathways, so it was used as kind of a resting hub. Three-person party walked past Ast and Miria, two of them practically dragging someone looking like their frontliner. Dungeons were no joke.

“So, what are our plans, Master?” Miria asked after they arrived in the middle of the room.

“We’ll roam around this floor a bit. Maybe try to find the stairs down on our own. The main path usually stays the same so we could follow a map, but all side areas change every four or five days. We should get familiar with this place first,” he explained.

“Understood.”

“As far as I know, the first floor is mostly about insect and arachnid-type monsters and weaker Nature affinity ones. Don’t drop your guard though. There are many venomous ones. Here, drink this.”

Ast brought up two small bottles of some yellow liquid and handed one to Miria while gulping the other one down himself. He squinted his eyes and shook his head afterwards. Warned about the not-so-pleasant taste of it Miria was prepared enough when she downed hers and the sour liquid travelled through her throat. She still tensed her body and put her tongue out.

“Hahaha, that’s the price of life. This extract gives partial resistance to some poisons and venoms. The taste doesn’t last long.”

Miria tried to smile with her hanging tongue which only resulted in Asterios laughing even more from the funny expression she made. He joyfully brushed through her hair. A moment later, they prepared to leave into one of the tunnels. 

Asterios connected to his fiery reserves, turning his hair white and eyes red and placed a Protection From Acid sigil on them both, attaching both spells to his left glove, taking two slots out of twelve. Miria brought out her shortswords and inspected them while casting her Mana Coating. They both opened their minds to each other and smiled. Ast received lots of affection towards him through the link and Miria was met with a great amount of care. She loved the feeling of being so deeply connected with Asterios. And they weren't even on any considerable level with it yet.

They didn’t need words as their thoughts travelled to each other at a much faster speed and they nodded at each other before heading towards one of the tunnels. Even though she really didn't want to, Miria wasn’t efficient enough to not leak some of her inner thoughts through the link and Asterios sometimes received a flash of her wanting to get all snuggly with him, for him to scratch her ears or hug her. It was partially amusing. 

She of course was aware of that fact, but they weren’t in a place where she could let herself get embarrassed easily. It was nothing that Ast didn’t know already. They walked through a corridor of wood and earth, something around five meters wide and ten high. Miria slightly in the front with all her senses heightened to her utmost abilities.

“Do you think we will find some treasure here, Master?” she asked as they took another empty turn.

“It’s possible but unlikely. Valuables usually appear deeper in the dungeon. The core wouldn’t want to get rid of its tools to incentivize people that easily. It’s still an expenditure of its precious essence and materials. First floors are explored mostly for materials from monsters,” Asterios shared some knowledge with her.

Miria’s ear suddenly twitched and she stopped Ast by raising one of her hands with the blade. A moment later, she made a wide vertical swing above their heads, just in time to cut a white net coming at them from above in half. It was big enough to restrain one person.

They looked up and noticed movement. The enemy, seeing that the ambush failed, started descending along the walls. Soon, they recognized five spider-like shapes, three of them quickly tapping their legs over the wood and earth.

~Jungle Spiders. Watch out for their webs. Your blades can easily cut them but you might not be able to break free with just force when entangled,~ Ast quickly notified his partner through their link.

Three of them landed on the ground. The spiders were of the size of a full-grown dog. Naturally, their strength lied in working together. Miria reacted instantly by running towards the nearest wall and jumping upwards. She pushed herself off it and fueled her blades with much more mana drawn from Asterios.

She spun horizontally while upside-down and cut the two monsters that still hung above their heads in half with her now way more extended blades than before, leaving deep cuts in the wooden walls, which were five meters to the sides.

Meanwhile, Asterios kicked one of the spiders away with a strong spin. Drips of monster blood fell onto him from above and he heard a faint sizzling sound. The liquid was evaporating from his clothes due to his protection rune. Their blood was slightly acidic. He smiled at how fast it became useful.

One of the spiders behind his back prepared to shoot another web, but Miria saw everything from above as she descended and shared information with her master, allowing him to gracefully sidestep just enough for the net to pass him and land on another monster.

Asterios started waving his dagger at the two unrestrained enemies, watching out to not get stung by their sharp legs. He achieved his goal of pushing them back just enough for Miria to come crashing onto one of his opponents, splattering it into bits. More sizzling followed from her legs. 

He left the remaining one to Miria while he turned around just in time to see the webbed spider free itself from its friend’s net with its sharp legs. Asterios brought out a blackish stone from one of his belt’s pouches and lobbed it over the monster after filling it with a bit of his mana.

As the spider was getting back onto its legs, a small, audible explosion occurred behind its back. Or more like a loud pop. It was enough to send tremors through the air and make Ast’s opponent check its source. In that given chance, Asterios plunged his dagger into its abdomen and sliced through its whole body's length. He stomped on the head of the hissing monster and drove the weapon into its head this time, killing it for sure.

The fight was concluded. Miria had no issues with just a single mob. It went pretty well. He didn’t have to use any stronger sigils. Well, those were kinda weak monsters, but you never knew. Miria got rid of the green blood from her blades and sheathed them back.

“I’m getting more and more used to our shared senses. It’s really amazing, Master,” Miria spoke.

“I can see that. Good work.”

“You too, Master!”

She looked around and noticed Asterios walking towards the bug she squashed. He started poking his dagger into its insides and soon reached for something. Miria walked closer and crouched by his side. He showed her a stone, or rather a crystal, looking like a small, emerald pearl on the tips of his fingers.

“This is a magical core. Every monster in here has one, smaller or bigger. It’s full of the essence the core expanded to create its guardians and thus valuable to us and the main source of income for adventurers besides the materials.”

Miria nodded as she stared at the pretty orb.

“We should try to get them from our kills whenever we can. Also, the dungeon will start assimilating the corpses after around fifteen or twenty minutes. That’s the time we have to gather the materials if there are any valuable ones. Now, try finding the core in the other spiders. It’s located in their abdomen, around the center.”

“Wow. You know so much, Master.” She looked at him with an elated smile.

Asterios chuckled. “I told you that I studied lots. And the location of the cores was actually in the guide we received from Ven. I can honestly confess that I didn’t know it. Only about how the whole thing works. I’ll let you read through it later.”

Miria went to handle her new task while Asterios took out an empty vial and began collecting venom from the spiders’ fangs. It wasn’t really strong but could be useful for something. After finishing, they watched as the corpses began crumbling and decaying into the floor, leaving nothing behind. They took a sip of water and resumed their adventure.