«I'm back!»
Dowmy senses Jimbo's presence as he descends from the stone ceiling; she looks up and sees him.
"But you never left," says the imp as she lifts a foot and scratches behind her ear.
Jimbo raises an intangible fist to his ethereal throat and coughs to clear his throat.
«I was just trying to be dramatic. I want to tell you everything I learned during my last expedition!»
—Jimbo the Dungeon Core LV 2
-Ether: 144/200
-Age: Stone.
—Active connections:
--Dowmy the imp LV 8
--Hilda the Fourth Captain LV 31
—Floors: 1/2
--Base Floor (Prison Cells – Laboratory – Dungeon Entrance – The Three Paths of Pain – Tropical Garden – Primitive Hot Springs – Dungeon Core – Secret Passage)
—Special Summons:
--Centipedead: An elongated undead creature with thoracic segments; it uses its speed and agility to wrap around its prey, tear them apart between its ribs, or drag them beneath the sand.
Now that Jimbo is able to go one floor above the current one, he's picked up a new hobby: going up to the castle's ground floor to learn about this new fantasy world. In theory, it's a matter of study and survival…
«Kleit broke up with Eris this morning; he didn't have the courage to do it in person, so he sent her a letter—can you believe it? Leelaa comforted Eris; she's her best friend, but—drumroll—Leela secretly makes out with Kleit! She's the reason the couple broke up.»
Dowmy doesn't answer; she just listens and nods, though the longer the gossip drags on, the heavier her eyelids grow. The imp was worried that her master was getting too distracted by the maids' lives. Fortunately, Jim didn't just spend his time spying on the romances.
«The forks here only have one prong. They should be called skewers.»
The spoons are normal, like those in his old world, and are kept very clean. The maids keep a variety of perfumes distilled from wildflowers in vases covered with cloths—some used to clean cutlery, others to scrub the floors, and still others to poison any vermin that managed to sneak in from outside. Dowmy learned the hard way that the cheese on the kitchen floor wasn't meant to be eaten, and Jim had to use ether to cure her.
Dowmy would sometimes get lost on the castle's ground floor, while Jimbo was lucky enough to always know which way to go back. The architecture of the Stoic Fortress struck Jimbo as strange; the rooms were too spacious, the hallways too long, and the stone too thick, with walls whose dimensions didn't quite fit with the rest. Rather than a castle designed from scratch by a skilled architect, it gave the impression that they built the fortress in parts, joined the pieces together as best they could, and then paid decorators and masons to beautify the result. It didn't help that each king sought to impose his own style: One corridor had walls covered with landscape paintings featuring blurry shapes and garish colors; The next hallway had a black-and-white checkered floor and statues of horses standing on two legs; another hallway was flanked by a hundred iron-tipped spears, and featured swan-shaped windows that looked out onto the fortress's central garden. The most unassuming feature of the fortress was its overall shape, resembling a shield, but that could only be appreciated by looking at it from high above, or by obtaining a map that captured its form.
Jimbo learned from Hilda that so far, King Marc was the only one who hadn't altered any part of the castle to his liking.
«Maybe it's because he has no sense of style,» Jimbo theorized to himself. «On my first day, I'd be reshaping the place to suit my whims—after all, I'd be king—and I'd only have a century to get everything sorted out»
Jimbo also learned that, based on the color of each soldier's uniform, you could tell which squad they belonged to: gold for Claus's soldiers; red for Axiel's soldiers; green for Lynel's soldiers; and black for Hilda's soldiers.
«Hilda's boys are very serious and diligent. Lynel's men might be a bit too loud, but they're highly motivated. Axiel's soldiers only hang out among themselves and act like bloodhounds, scouring every nook and cranny of my dungeon for secrets»
Jimbo tries to be self-critical; he understands that his distrust of the red soldiers is likely due to his dislike of Axiel.
«I can't say much about the gold ones; they hardly ever come around here.»
The ones he does know very well are the two soldiers from Lynel whom the System identified as potential Great Persons.
First is…
Marcus the soldier LV 19
-Health: Full.
-Ki: 38/38
-Strength: Athletic.
-Agility: Mediocre.
-Resistance: Athletic.
-Status: Excited. Hyper. Devout.
And then there's…
Harris the soldier LV 18
-Health: Full.
-Ki: 20/20
-Ether: 14/14
-Strength: Mediocre.
-Agility: Athletic.
Resistance: Mediocre.
-Status: Focused. Stressed. Frustrated.
Looking at their stats screens, one might assume there's a clear superior. But looking beyond the numbers, Jimbo isn't sure who's the best.
Once again in the Red Path Colosseum, the Centipedead towers over its rivals, swaying like the tail of a rattlesnake. Marcus and Harris face it, the first with a long sword and the second with an axe. They've already reached the halfway point of the Red Path multiple times, and now they have the confidence to take on the sub-boss two-on-one.
Marcus and Harris run in opposite directions, splitting the undead's attention. The skull follows Marcus's movements for a few seconds, but eventually decides to go after Harris. The undead arches backward to gain momentum, then, like a whip, propels his entire body toward the slender young man with light brown hair. The ribs kick up a dust cloud upon impact.
«He hit the target!» Jimbo trembles, believing his dungeon has scored first blood.
The sand settles. A blurry shadow appears behind the undead.
Skill: Shadow Feint.
Requirement: Level 14.
Cost: 14 Ether.
Description: Uses shadows to appear behind the opponent.
The silhouette takes on color and light, revealing itself as Harris. The boy swings the axe with both hands and strikes the spine. The bone creaks, the undead splits in two, the lower half loses its strength, and the upper half drifts away and vanishes beneath the sand. Marcus and Harris hurry to regroup and position themselves back-to-back. Both of their eyes scan the arena, searching for the slightest movement.
"Wow, where did you learn that technique?" Marcus asks with a half-smile, though his watchful eyes never stop scanning the ground.
«I'd like to know that too» says Jimbo, aware that neither of them can hear him. It's the first time he's seen a soldier use a trick like that.
"My grandfather taught it to me. It's a secret family technique" Harris replies, emphasizing the word "secret" to avoid further questions.
Ridges of sand rise and converge; the undead pokes its head out. Marcus immediately positions himself in the skeleton's path and readies his sword.
"[Double Sacred Slash]!" Marcus exclaims.
Skill: Double Sacred Slash.
Requirement: Level 15.
Cost: 35 Ki.
Description: Infuses a bladed weapon with vital energy to increase damage and perform a double attack.
The undead emerges and opens its ribs as if they were a long, twisted mouth. Marcus's sword glows, and he immediately delivers a horizontal strike that sweeps across the fangs/ribs; the young man's arms rise in the blink of an eye and come down in a second slash that pierces the undead's forehead. With a flash that sends sand flying, the skeleton explodes into bone fragments that evaporate upon hitting the ground.
Victory for the invaders. Junior claps with his ethereal hands; he would have liked Hilda to watch the show with him, but the captain said she had important matters to attend to.
Marcus wipes the sweat from his forehead with the back of his leather glove, then gazes thoughtfully at his sword.
"I'm still putting too much force into the cuts when I don't need to," Marcus says, huffing. "Captain Hilda says I should let my inner vitality flow through the blade and do most of the work, not my muscles. Any advice, Harris?"
"I'm not sure," the brown-haired boy says, letting himself sink down onto the sand; his light chainmail rustles. "It's not like you need my opinion, though—you're still a better warrior than I am."
Marcus gives Harris a light pat on the back.
"You're exaggerating. The biggest difference between you and me is that I hit harder and get tired faster," Marcus concludes with a laugh.
Harris smiles back at Marcus. Both of them stand up and brush the sand off their uniforms. Harris decides to mention a detail he'd noticed on the chest of Marcus's soldier jacket, near the heart: a blue diamond, four fingers long and three fingers wide.
"Better than wearing a scarf that can get snatched by the wind, don't you think?" Harris says. "Since my little sister was saved during the great miracle, everyone thinks she was blessed by the core, and she turned it into a little business."
Marcus wasn't the only one with the Jimbo imitation on the uniform. The blue diamond became a trend among the third squadron's soldiers, whom Lynel gave permission to embroider the crystal as long as it wasn't too big. They believed it brought them luck.
«Even in this world, I managed to get some subs. Cool»
Hilda flatly refused to let the men and women under her command alter their uniforms.
«And she's supposed to be the captain closest to me. What an inflexible woman»
Marcus and Harris back away toward the dungeon entrance; just like every time before, they decide not to attempt the final challenge of the red route, though next time—when they're in a party with Balto and Pit—they'll surely have the confidence to risk their lives.
«I hope you like the rewards I've prepared… If you manage to survive my puzzle.»
A system alert startles Jimbo.
Alert: Dowmy is under attack.
The urgency transports Jim to Dowmy's location in the lab, where a scream rises. The scream isn't Dowmy's; her mouth is covered by the hooded wizard's hand. A dusty tome strikes Dowmy's head repeatedly, but instead of releasing the flesh, she pushes the head away and plunges another centimeter of hand into her mouth, sinks her sharp teeth in, and pulls. Jimbo turns his face away as blood spurts out; the sound of tearing flesh is drowned out by the wizard's scream as he pulls away. The hooded figure drops the encyclopedia and grabs his left hand—only half a palm remains, the pinky and ring finger; the rest is gone.
The other wizards in the laboratory watch, speechless and paralyzed.
"Worm! Nuisance! Hellish trash!" the wizard exclaims, and his remaining hand is covered in sparks from a nascent bolt of lightning.
Dowmy holds the wizard's gaze, chews, swallows, and lets out a burp, utterly defiant.
Jimbo was about to intervene, but Marnie, who took charge of the lab after Arrax's death, steps into the conflict and demands that the wizard stop, clarifying that the imp is protected by the Dungeon Core, and the Dungeon Core is protected by the king. The fire in the wizard's eyes slowly dies down, giving way to uncertainty, until he finally relents.
Marnie uses her healing spells to heal the hooded figure.
"I can't stay in this castle another minute. Marnie, if you're as smart as I think you are, you'll follow my example," says the wizard, opening and closing the hand that just a moment ago was a bloody stump. He leaves the laboratory, joining the wizards who, having no Arrax to learn from, have deserted.
Marnie and two other sorcerers were the only ones left of the old group. Marnie believes she is capable of learning from Arrax's books, including eventually deciphering his encrypted manuscripts. Also, being a girl of more humble origins than the other mages, she doesn't have a grand house to return to and sulk in while complaining about her bad experiences. She is comfortable in the king's service, with food and a roof assured. Furthermore, Marnie was wary of the idea of simply leaving, especially after Hilda warned her that palace affairs are slow and dangerous, and sometimes they don't let you go easily.
Marnie and the other two magic users unwittingly saved their own lives. All the mages who deserted suffered accidents along the way, or vanished while heading back to their home towns—sinister and mysterious coincidences orchestrated by Laikara, the head of the king's oracles.
«Tell me what the hell happened,» Jimbo asks Dowmy as they return to the core room.
Dowmy licks the blood from her mouth and looks at Jim.
"That man was someone who enjoyed hurting me. I wanted revenge, made him suffer. I did wrong?"
Jimba looks up at the sky, asking for patience. He understands what it's like to want revenge on a bully, but he's not sure that ripping off fingers is the right answer to every slight.
«If you want to hurt someone, ask me first, okay? We're a team, and I don't want you to get hurt because of something reckless you did. Remember the cheese.»
The cheese.
Dowmy clutches her stomach and turns green just remembering it.
«Go and thank Marnie for sticking up for you. It's a good idea to have friends.»
For Dowmy, it's easy to follow that order; she doesn't dislike Marnie as much as the other mages.
The afternoon sun bathes the kingdom in gold. Hilda comes from the temple district and enters the castle; the soldiers greet her with great respect. Hilda-s expression is as cold as stone; she shows neither joy nor displeasure, simply making her way through the secret passage in the dungeon. The woman wears a green linen nightgown with a belt under the chest, tight white leggings, and thick leather boots. Jimbo still isn't used to seeing her without armor; in his mind, the sword and the woman are two sides of the same coin.
Hilda reaches the core room, sits on her bed, and bends down to begin taking off the boots.
«How was your day?»
Hilda looks at Jimbo with her one eye, frowns, lets out a grunt of annoyance, and resumes untying her boots.
«Okay, you don't want to talk, I get it.»
Jimbo steps back and leaves her alone.
«She must be on her period,» he assumes.
Twilight gives way to night. Lights come on in the windows of the neighborhoods and districts within the walls. The sky's darkness is the signal for thieves, partygoers, and prostitutes to come out and do their thing. In the distance marked by the Great Rift, the slaves light lanterns and candles to keep working.
Jimbo lets out a yawn as he watches the Ether bar rise.
--Jimbo the Dungeon Core LV 2
-Ether: 171/200
«Soon I'll be level 3 and be able to organize the dungeon better. I think I have too many things on the first floor.
Another issue bothered him on that part of the floor, he could feel the oracles' quarters too close—a sector blocked off and isolated by strange magic. Once he tried to snoop around, but an invisible force shoved him as if trying to knock out the teeth he didn't have, and an hour later the oracles appeared in their brown robes and with somber faces, silently investigating the dungeon's entrance and taking measurements with their peculiar bronze instruments.
The soldiers, who by that point already viewed the dungeon like a sanctuary, didn't complain out loud, but they did cast sullen glances at the oracles and were as unfriendly as possible. Jim thinks that helped the oracles get out quickly.
«Okay, I can't just stand here watching the ether bar rise all night»
He decides to wander upstairs, and in a hallway he sees a smiling maid fleeing as slowly as possible from a soldier chasing her with his arms outstretched. Jimbo rubs his ethereal hands together and follows them, until through a swan-shaped window, he sees two silhouettes in the shadows of the hedges inside the garden.
They are just silhouettes, but Jimbo smiles as he notices how they rest their hands on each other. Something is happening, and he decides to watch. He approaches, though the better he can see the figures, the more Jimbo's expression contorts, and regretting his voyeurism.
Captain Axiel and Queen Gineber are sharing a kiss.