QuestWright BK2 C34: The Values of Command Center (Patreon)

The red dots on the map had never shown themselves like that before. Even when first unlocking his Calling, the map had always shown people and properties with greater detail. But as he saw the dots moving, he recognized the only possible thing he could be seeing.

“Incoming monsters! Straight ahead!” Cass cried out, the effect on Team Deadweight being instantaneous. Pellin and Orla held up their weapons, nervously scanning the area, as Joran, Adya, and, just behind them, Gary prepared themselves. 

Their reactions were natural considering the bloody events of Liora. There was a time for jokes, and then, there was a time to fight. Anyone who’d ever taken a split lip and a black eye knew that.

Cass tracked the creatures, but they kept appearing and disappearing from the map. “I don’t know what kind they are, but there are at least a dozen, and they move funny.”

Joran braced himself and stood as tall as he could while lifting his too-long sword high, “This close to the entrance, it should be Slipfangs.”

Adya tactically went the opposite direction, crouching down, her spear held ready as she looked everywhere at once, “What can you tell us about them?”

“Well, they teleport and often go for the biggest living creatures they can first find. Don’t play too well with each other, either, unless there’s an Alpha. With this many, there’s a good chance one is with them outside the bounds of the Dungeon.”

“What are you doing?” Gary asked, tension deep in his throat.

“It’s Gary, right? I’m making myself a target.”

Cass folded the map and put it into his bag, then removed his hatchet and shield, “A dozen feet!”

From the back-center of Joran’s armor, the group noticed that a blue circle had appeared. Like water pooling, the hue spread out, covering every piece of it with a single fast ripple. In the blink of an eye, what had once been shiny, smooth steel was now a light-blue, rough metal with harsh edges.

In a blink, several small monsters half the size of a knee-high Scrounger covered the man. There was no pause or delay. One moment, Joran stood still in his colorful armor, and the next, five skeletal-looking creatures swarmed his body. Their figures were lean, designed to be fast-acting killing machines, even as there was a slight delay before they started attacking.

Cass heard the big man take a breath, then a small pulse of light erupted from him. All the monsters gnawing on his armor fell to the ground as if shoved harshly by someone’s hand. The coloring disappeared as Joran swung forward, bisecting the monster that fell from his helmet before anyone could move.

In a moment, Team Deadweight acted on pre-conceived and discussed roles.

Adya speared one in the ribs, pinning it to the ground as a mewling sound came from it. With brutal efficiency, she retracted the spear and thrust out, penetrating its skull before the Slipfang could move. 

Likewise, Gary and Cass attacked, quickly moving forward to cut and smash the creatures. Gary’s target splattered against the ground, white fluid leaking from its crushed and pulped figure as his enhanced strength brought the mace’s weight to bear. Meanwhile, Cass aimed for the neck with his hatchet, severing his target’s head from its body in an almost fluid movement.

As for the sole remaining Slipfang, Orla and Pellin both fired into it. The rapid, bright shots from Pellin’s stolen weapon were offset by the other weapon he held, Orla’s twin matching it. For every third shot fired from Noah’s gun, Pellin’s copies matched it. 

They burned several small holes into the monster’s hide before it could recover. It died with its mouth open, fangs chattering in its death throes.

Silence reigned as everyone took stock of the situation.

Joran’s voice broke in, “You all did better than I expected. It’s like I said, Slipfangs. They’ve got little rabbit teeth. Great for chewing, but they’ve gotta get the right angle on you. Means there’s always a slight pause between their teleport and when they start attacking. You feel something grab onto you, just shake it off, then get rid of it quickly. They’re only dangerous when there’s a lot of them. How many are still out there?”

Cass couldn’t get the paper out while holding his gear, so he projected the map on the roughly hewn floor. “There are at least two-dozen more. They’re…They’re…retreating?”

“Aye, that’s the Dungeon Life for you,” Joran unceremoniously kicked the pieces of the body in front of him. “That’s a test attack. Guardian pulled them back so they could attack on better, more advantageous ground. Come on then, let’s see what else they have in store for us.”

The Defender began walking as Team Deadweight filed in behind him.

“You said the Guardian pulled them back. Can you tell us anything about it?” Cass asked, a shiver of adrenaline rushing through his body.

“Guardians aren’t much like other monsters. They’re smarter. Think of them like generals, sending out their troops. Their whole life is dedicated to protecting the portal in the hope that they’ll upgrade and bring in a Spawner.”

Images of his thousand-monster chase through Liora caused Cass to shudder for a different reason as Adya quietly said, “I got an achievement.”

“I’d hope so. Us Combatants have such a simple way of moving through the levels. Kill a new monster-type, get the rewards. But I would suggest you keep your notification watching to a minimum. Only takes one mistake in here before you’re caught out. Come along.”

Every so often, the group would pause as Cass checked the map. The range of it was greatly minimized within the Dungeon, to a level that he could only see a few hundred feet around them. But that was enough to consistently find red dots on the periphery, backing up each time they pushed forward.

The monsters are keeping a close eye on us. By how they’re always at the edge of my sight. If I had to guess, this isn’t the first time they’ve run into a group with a map. The Guardian recognized that we were prepared. They’re smart, and that’s not a good thing.

It has tight control over these things.

Even though he couldn’t see far ahead, all of the distance they’d already covered in the narrow space was now filled out in Command Center. By request, Cass had them rest for a moment as he unskillfully drew in the tight space they’d traveled thus far, keeping it small so he would have room to expand.

It wasn’t long before the rough tunnel opened up. The monsters on the edge of his map retreated and disappeared entirely as the restrictive path gave way to a large, hollow cavern. Lights were set up at strategic points across the walls and ceiling, and that’s where they ran into a problem.

“What is that?” Orla asked, mouth open as she pointed at the ground on the left. She got closer and bent to look at one particular spot where a shiny nugget stood out, “Is that…gold?”

“Yep,” Joran nodded, “Good eye. We’re on the edge of the Speed Dungeon here. It’s a stupid name that Alan likes to use, but even I have to admit that most of the monsters within are pretty quick. The bait here is gold.”

“What do you mean when you say bait?” Cass asked.

Joran sighed and pulled his sheath off his shoulder. It took a moment for him to get the sword back in. “Keep an eye on your map so I can rest a moment, then I’ll explain. You can still use your ears.”

“Alright,” Cass put the map on the floor, toggling it for everyone to see as Joran took a seat on an extended piece of rock by the edge of the tunnel. 

“If you’d ever joined a monster-hunting organization, you’d know all this. Can’t be helped with your eclectic group, though. Not like many orgs bring a Baker, Merchant, and a few rare Callings into a dungeon.”

His metal-covered fingers drummed the rock he was sitting on, “Every Dungeon has a portal, a Guardian, and some kind of bait. When the portal first appears, it immediately brings a Guardian with it, then somehow scans the area. A variable amount of time passes, then the bait manifests. For the Speed Dungeon, it’s gold. That’s one of the more common ones. But I’ve seen some special metals, gems, hell, I once entered a dungeon in the desert that used water.”

“Have you traveled a lot?” Adya asked.

“More than most,” He replied, fiddling with the metal covering one of his knees. “I was just here visiting Alan when he asked me to help out. Can’t say no to him. Owe too many favors.”

“How many Dungeons have you conquered?” The ever-curious Pellin asked next.

“More than my fingers and toes. It’s how I’ve managed to upgrade my abilities…” His head snapped up, “Whatcha doing there, girl?”

Orla paused as everyone in the group looked at her at the same time. She hid something she’d picked up off the ground in a pocket. “It was just sitting there. Asking me to take it.”

Without hesitation, Joran stood and disappeared from sight. 

A heartbeat passed before everyone recognized what had happened. His five-foot blade was stabbed clean through an oblong-shaped skull, only inches away from the Merchant who’d fallen in shock to the ground. 

Pulling the blade out of the wall, the monster fell to the ground beside her, causing Orla to scamper back. “Didn’t see that on your map, did you, QuestWright?”

“No,” Cass replied, thoroughly shaken.

“That’s because the Guardian used a bit of juice to bring that Veilrunner to us. When you touch the bait within proximity of a Dungeon, it gives the Guardian a tracker to find you. And this,” He tapped the monster on the ground with his foot, “Is a trickier one than most. It’s a little quick, but Veilrunners mess with perception. Has a delaying effect on the senses. You think it’s further out, and the next thing you know, its claws are in your eyes. Sneaky fellows.”

Adya got close and rolled the thing over with the tip of her spear. It was almost the size of a Skreel, but the muscles were more defined, with smaller, sharper hands and a long, sloped skull. “How do you beat them?”

“Have a Scout with a high Observation skill.” 

“So don’t touch the treasure,” Orla said with a smile, then leaned over on the ground and vomited.

“I feel like don’t touch are words you should live by, Orla,” Gary declaratively said in a deadpan tone.

Orla was already reaching for her pocket when Joran said, “Leave it. Doesn’t matter at this point.”

“What about the Tracker?” A very interested Pellin asked, coming close to Orla, who put the nugget back in her pocket before he could look at it.

“Gone. Once the Guardian uses it for an attack, it becomes just a paperweight.”

“What’s a paperweight?” Gary asked, but Cass had stopped listening, because the Tracker talk had given him an idea. Switching to his Outline took a moment before he confirmed something within that he’d never tried before.

While the group spoke about the pre-shaping, he put away his gear and pulled the paper back out. Psyching himself up, he dashed towards the other end of the cavern, eyes on the map held in front of him. He had to travel for a few seconds to start seeing the edges again, but when he did, he wasn’t surprised by what he found.

It’s not dozens of creatures, it’s hundreds. But why aren’t they attacking?

The map continued to update as he saw the problem.

There’s a choke-point ahead. It looks almost like the murder alleys we built in Liora. So, we cross into the next tunnel, and they fall upon us before we can react in great numbers. As Joran said, it’s a trap.

This Guardian is definitely smart.

Before he realized it, Cass had stretched himself far away from the team. The moment understanding dawned, he stopped, the edge of the cavern and the trap beyond in clear sight. A small group of red dots noticed him and couldn’t help themselves. Eight broke away from the larger group and began to filter their way towards him as Cass sprinted back.

“Got a small amount of incoming!” He yelled once in range, legs pumping as fast as they’d go.

Joran disappeared and reappeared just past his running figure, arms already up in the air. A second went by before the blue dot on his back returned, then they repeated the same act they’d just performed only a dozen minutes ago. 

This time, Adya killed three as her keen eyes tracked the monsters and her graceful steps flowed from one movement into the next. She even took out the one closest to Cass, who was still a little breathless after his dash back. 

As the group recovered from the sudden violence, Joran glanced over at him. “I’m assuming you have a reason for going off on your own?”

Cass continued to catch his breath, “Yes. I have an idea.”

Ten minutes later, Cass looked at everyone in the group, “So, are we committed?”

“Let me get this straight,” Orla replied, flipping her loot in the air as she spoke. “You want to make a hybrid Quest, one that you admittedly don’t quite understand, and lure a shit ton of monsters on top of our heads.”

“Yep,” Cass nodded.

“And while this happens,” Pellin continued for her, “You’re going to use another Hybrid Quest you don’t understand to hurt them.”

“The specific wording from the System was weaken or harm. I’m not sure yet which it’ll be. Maybe both!” He said hopefully.

“What could go wrong?” Orla replied, then moved into a seated position and flopped to the ground.

“Who lies down in a dungeon?” Adya said, poking her with the butt of her spear. “Get up.”

“Psst, Cass,” Gary came over and put his arm around his shoulder, then leaned in quietly, “A maybe in here might get us killed. Why don’t we test it first?”

“Great idea.” Cass whispered back, “I’m going to get the Quest up and running, but I need you to do something for me.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Maybe?”

“I don’t like you very much right now.”

It was Cass’s turn to put a hand around his shoulder, “Don’t say things like that. You love me, Gary.”

Gary looked from Cass’s face to the edge of the cavern and back. “...Fine.”

He explained what he wanted to his best friend, who then snorted, shook his head, and put a little distance between himself and the rest of the group. At Gary’s nod, Cass reached his hand up and brought the Quill into the world.