Chapter 19 Part 2 of 3 (Patreon)

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“Call me crazy but I feel stronger after Momma R’s cooking.” Erik said. The team was spread out as they moved through the swamp’s trees. The ground seemed to be solid, but it was just dirt that had piled up on roots over the water below for centuries.

“Her skill level is high enough, everything she makes has an effect on it.” Rugrat said back. They were using sound transmission devices inside their helmets.[mc5]

It was dark and the air was wet and heavy under the thick canopy of the swamp’s trees. Erik wasn’t affected by the heat though others were covered in sweat from pushing through the mangrove swamp.

“I think I have something,” Jackie said to everyone on the team’s sound transmission channel. “Trees look different, stronger and bigger. They make a circle. Think that there might be an entrance at the center.”

“We’re moving to your position,” Gong Jin replied.

They converged on Jackie’s position.

“Yup, definitely a dungeon entrance. I can feel the change in mana,” Rugrat said.

“Dismount, Han Wu, secure the entrance.”

“Got it.” Han Wu took four people, they walked between the circle of mangrove trees. They were  twice as thick as a man. Veins of mana traced up the side of the gargantuan trees, bringing light to the surrounding area.

A low lying mist covered the ground.

“Got an entrance, moving in,” Han Wu reported.

Erik checked his repeater and waited.

A wave illuminated all living beings around the entrance to the dungeon and beyond.

“Doesn’t look like there’s anyone in the area.” Gong Jin looked at Erik and Rugrat.

“Dungeon core is close. It's to the north west just a hundred, maybe two hundred meters.” Rugrat pointed in the direction he sensed the dungeon core.

“Lets go conquer a dungeon.” Erik walked forward towards the circle of giant mangrove trees.

“Contact!” Han Wu yelled.

The ground shook as Erik picked up his pace, the second half of the team pushed ahead.

“Water elemental! Two of them! Focus your Metal and Earth attribute spells!”

Inside the ring of trees an entrance formed of roots lay in the middle. The special team ran through the entrance with their weapons at the ready, following the tunnel down.

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You have entered the dungeon: Black Spring of Souls

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Erik heard the sound of rushing water as the tunnel stopped descending and they reached their first room. The floor was a series of roots criss-crossing one another. Water descended from the ceiling, it created a large pond to the back left of the room, like rice paddies the water spilled over the edge of the roots into the space between other roots before it disappeared down among roots.

Among the pools were dozens of water elementals. Their amorphic shifting bodies formed weapons as they rose up and charged Han Wu’s special team.

They were cut down like wheat under a scythe by repeaters.

“Fucking big boys!” Rugrat raised his repeater, firing on the two giant water elementals whose heads almost touched the ceiling of the room twenty meters above. They had more humanoid bodies.

One turned his arm into an ice shard and threw it. The special team members ran away. The spear tore up the tree roots and broke through the floor, revealing the floor below.

“Spread out, create a firing line!” Gong Jin ordered.

Erik and Rugrat joined in on the line.

Erik pulled out a metal needle, one that he had used to temper his body, he activated the formation all the way.

“Iron enhance!” The needle was shaking in his hands, the formation was burning with power, starting to distort from all the power flowing through it.

Erik drew back and threw the metal needle. He hit the spear-thrower in the chest.

He shook as black tendrils spread through his chest causing him to stumble.

“Focus on the closest one!” Gong Jin yelled.

Arrows struck the elemental, Earth and Metal, the Water element’s weakness spread  through its body. It collapsed leaving a tombstone.

“Shift fire!” Gong Jin ordered.

“I have enemies coming in from the three other entrances!” Han Wu yelled. “Jin, take out the elemental. Simms, Jackie, cover the Western doors!”

The Second Water elemental stomped his foot, the room shook.

“Duck, barriers!” Rugrat yelled.

Water from the pools turned into spears that shot out in every direction, they smashed through the roots, leaving splintered wounds.

Erik dismissed his mana barrier.

“Go to rifles!” Gong Jin yelled.

“Thank you,” Rugrat pulled out his rifle, dropping his repeater. Erik formed mana in his ears.

Rugrat sat back and hooked his arm around, resting the rifle in the crook of his elbow.

Erik stored his repeater as Rugrat fired. The round impacted like a round through gel. The water elemental’s body distorted as a massive ripple cut through it. Spraying water on the wall behind him. He began to shrink as the second rounds landed.

It penetrated the metal elemental before it exploded, the metal shards killed it from the inside, creating another massive tombstone.

Rugrat held his rifle in one hand and took in his repeater with a storage ring on the other.

“We’re moving! Head for the North western door. Jackie, Simms hold your position and cover us!” Gong Jin yelled.

There were creatures and beasts boiling out of the three doors to the Western side of the room. Beasts from the floors below were tearing at the holes left behind in the fighting.

“Move it!” Gong Jin yelled.

Erik ran, jumping over the roots and obstacles. He reached Simms and Jackie.

A golem made of beast bodies crowded the middle doorway. Han Wu and his people were pushing for the closest doorway in the direction of where they’d sensed the dungeon core.

Erik fired on the golem with his railgun “Covering!”

Bits of flesh and bone came off of the golem.

Erik switched his point of aim to the water elementals that had survived their entrance. Erik cut them down, it only took a single round to turn them into tombstones.

“Change weapons,” Erik yelled at Simms and Jackie.

They stored their repeaters and pulled out railguns. Erik switched to the furthest door where fire elementals dimmed upon entering the room.

Erik sensed a lot of concentrated fire mana that was moving towards them through that corridor.

Shooting came from the closest door. “Covering!  Simms, Jackie, Erik, get moving!” Gong Jin had established a fire base, firing on the other two doors with Rugrat and Tyrone. The rest of the team were clearing the corridor and pushing ahead.

Erik turned and started running.

The beast golem started to stand up again, repairing itself. Around it furred beasts with yellow eyes, duck bills and powerful claws covered the ground. Their bodies were drawn to the golem as it grew in size and power.

What the fuck I thought I killed that thing. No way it should be standing up!.

Erik slowed and fired his rifle into the beast golem. It took the impacts and collapsed but there was no tombstone.

Erik rushed past the fire based elementals and pushed into the corridor, it was warm, burn marks covered the ground as did tombstones. Erik missed the roots that would have twisted his ankles. The corridor turned to the right. Erik came around the corner with his rifle raised.

Han Wu and his people had pushed into the room beyond.

“We’ve got fire elemetnals and something big is hitting the damn wall to the west!” Han Wu yelled.

Erik used his Dungeon sense.

“The core is in the room!”

“Find it!” Gong Jin yelled.

Erik ran into the fog filled room behind the extended line of Han Wu’s five man team.

They were focused on slowing the tide of fire elementals that were contained at the western doorway.

Erik saw a door in the southern wall, parallel with the corridor.

Erik looked in the middle of the room. Roots formed pools in the middle of the room as they had in the first room. The steaming water covered the room in fog.

Erik used his Earth mana, the roots shifted and turned creating platforms. He  jumped up, using the steps to climb up the pools. The eastern wall exploded, revealing four fire elementals. They pushed through the dirt and roots. Banging started to the south where the second door was located.

They were spreading across the roots that formed the room.

Erik gritted his teeth and reached the top of the pools. The water bubbled and frothed in the center.

“Grow!” The roots grew under his spells, creating a platform above the middle of the pool.

He took a knee and aimed at the large fire elementals. Two had fallen, the third was pushing. Under his feet smaller fire elementals were swarming. The fog shifted as Rugrat fired. Erik hadn’t noticed him.