I send in the Holly, and it suddenly comes out into a wholly different world. The sun shines warmly, pretty white clouds cover half of the vibrant, blue sky, and a carpet of floating islands flanks on both sides of a corridor that continues off into the distance.
We've finally reached the "habitation" level.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I fly closer to the islands. They seem to have a similar architecture to the Sky Lander fantasy-sci-fi mix of apartment buildings and multiple levels of roads, but with the overly-decorated Gothic style of the Titans, and their designs are so perfectly logical that it's like we're looking at a work of geometric art. It seems that they're better at urban planning than the Sky Landers in every way.
But the islands are all empty. There's absolutely no sign of life on them except for the procession along the corridor. Ghost towns creep me out, but even the girls are curious, wanting to take a look, so I slow down enough that I can release a bird summon to explore one of the islands.
The first thing I notice is a billboard ad about magical perfume, and it gives me strong Earth deja vu vibes. Then I take in the colors of everything else. The city feels vibrant, partially because of the ads, and partially because it really is just pretty. The edgy architecture is still there, but now it's all about celebrating their culture instead of intimidating invaders, which makes the death cult we met before feel so jarring.
This is a happy place, so I wonder how they brainwashed themselves so thoroughly, but then I find the answer in the leaflets scattered across the streets.
--
"THE GATE TO OBLIVION HAS OPENED! THE END HAS BEGUN! MAY YOUR LAST JOURNEY BE FILLED WITH BLISS!"
And there's a drawing of a happy woman praising the sun under the bold letters.
They turned death into happiness, though this might've also had the side-effect of making them love pain. If death is good, then dying is great!
But I don't care enough about the Titans to think more deeply about it.
The bird spends only a moment staring at the drawing, then moves on.
There doesn't seem to be any trash or dirt staining the perfectly colorful concrete jungle except for these leaflets; the green areas are plentiful and look immaculately cared for; and the brown asphalt roads look used, but the traffic signs are all bright and recently repainted. It doesn't seem like a utopia, but rather, it's the apex of Earthling culture, just repeated infinitely as every island city is similar, which is better than what we Earthlings ever did since there were extremely few places like this.
Then I notice something curious: energy lines. They've never been a thing anywhere else in Rupegia, so it's a new development, but that only means that the Titans have gone even further than humanoids or Earthlings ever did.
It feels… embarrassing to have been surpassed by a race that was born to be a copy of us. They only ever managed to create inferior copies of our culture, so to learn that they are capable of evolving is vexing.
"They have an advantage, though," Ciel retorts through [Bind] as she rests for a moment. "Everything humanoids possess has been earned through hard work and brilliance, while monsters simply received everything we did through no effort of their own."
True. They're upstarts who have "power lines" as their sole achievement.
Then the scouting bird comes across a school, and I realize I've never seen a Titan child before, but that gives me a dreadful feeling, so I unsummon the bird before it can go inside.
--
Our melee group, which is composed only of the royals and our elite, is fighting outside the fortress, and that attracts a large group of Titans, which are easy targets for our guns. Unfortunately, the group is gradually pushed back as there are just too many enemies around.
This frees up a few bridges for the Titans to cross, who now attempt to climb onto the fortress and pressure it, but then the new soldiers who were (hastily) trained with SMGs arrive, and this helps keep things under control. Still, Sandoro has the men on alert to begin retreat at any moment.
As for the Super-Raki, we pass by four "habitation" levels, then reach a "farm" level, which is multiple layers of endless fields, each with its own little sun for maximum sunlight absorption.
But just as we enter it, we see portals scoop out parts of the procession. Then more bridges suddenly connect to our fortress, and an even larger wave of tin cans appears to immediately make use of the further widened choke point.
Wait, is the dungeon's escalation based on our progress?
The timing is too perfect for us to think otherwise.
"I feel desperation," Aoi cryptically remarks, but it's also rather insightful. The T-posers in the towers showed that they can track my position, so they should know how close we are to the core.
And now our fortress is at risk again. With the Titans slowly covering it in bodies, mages will eventually also reach it, and then they'll be able to covertly open holes.
Just as we think that, a siren followed by a beep resounds throughout the fortress, the sign for everyone to get ready to retreat. Sandoro is taking our directive very seriously.
"Your Highnesses, let's retreat!" a bodyguard for the Hau-Hou pleads to his Prince.
"Not yet!" Hekeman bravely declines as he crushes a Titan with his own edgy sledgehammer.
On our side, things are still stable, and Ciel's [Light Spirit] immediately deals with any wounds, so the only danger is if an elite like the needle-freeze bastards appears.
"The last one to retreat is king!" Urmeie gleefully shouts. That's actually an offensive statement since the Hau-Hous and our family do already have kings, but it quickly gets lost and forgotten in the chaos of battle.
And I also have something more important to worry about.
"We need to go faster," I grimly blurt out.
"I can improve the enchantment!" Lina shouts in my soul space as she's too busy crushing knees to speak normally.
But I decline, for now, "Not yet. We can reduce our weight by taking off our armor… and removing one person from the plane."
Then I reflexively brace for impact, expecting Alissa to complain, but she's very understanding and makes only a single request, "Get one of the doll golems here. You need an extra pair of eyes."
"Sure," I immediately agree.
--
Chesa creates a donut-shaped… wait, no, it's 4D, so… well, whatever. It's a storm that surrounds the fortress to make it harder for the Titans to approach, so it gives everyone a breather, but we're starting to spend too much effort on maintaining this position, so we still might abandon it today.
There are already a few breaches, though the maze-like interior has prevented it from becoming a true invasion. We're just waiting for the next escalation from the Dungeon Master.
Suddenly, the Dust of Appearance lifts from the ground and sticks to the invisible forms of the approaching not-ninjas.
"Assassins!" a Companion immediately announces, and the others echo her, alerting everyone in our melee group.
"Hah! I love killing assassins!" Urmeie immediately shouts and launches herself at them.
"Be careful!" Ciel tries to warn the adrenaline junkie.
But Urmeie doesn't listen and sends reckless attacks, which are perfectly dodged by using the fourth dimension, as predicted. These assassins have been trained so well in 4D that even we have trouble with them.
Then the Princess hesitates for a second, confused and surprised by the level of skill of her opponents, but then she resumes her attacks, this time with even more savagery. Though they still do miss, the assassins have to jump back and create distance.
Then her bodyguards catch up to her, and the assassins immediately turn to them and pounce, as if they were just waiting for this opportunity.
The two stoic men are forced to desperately defend themselves as their opponents are ridiculously skilled. Then an assassin lunges and stabs one in the throat, the thin sword going right through the very small slit of his helmet.
"NOOO!" Urmeie howls and leaps to defend him, but in her haste, she also gets a sword to the face, shattering her 4D glasses.
Shit, tits, fuck!
"SWITCH!" I shout to Ted as I release the controls and [Gate] myself back.
Both Urmeie and the bodyguard step back, still alive, and Roxanne casts [Explosion] to keep the assassins away. Then Hana follows up with a slash, but she only manages to lightly scratch the chest of one of them.
"I'LL FUCK YOUR MOTHERS!" Hana hastily [Taunt]s them to keep them from finishing off the wounded pair, and even though they don't understand her language, it seems to work as they shift their focus to her.
While Ciel does her thing, I fall on the assassins like a blender, and even though I don't hit any of them, the tin cans aren't so lucky. But still, I'm fucking angry now.
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" I roar in my soul space, and then the girls and I go nuclear.
Alissa synchronizes her shot with my stab to the heart, and though I miss, she doesn't; a sword worms its way towards Hana's face, and she decides to open her mouth and then bite it while using [Draconic Body] on her jaw; Lina just opens a big hole with [Earth Wall] under a couple of ninjas, wide and deep enough that they can't just jump away, then closes the top; Aoi just conjures enough water to cover all four dimensions, which pushes a group away through a hole, and the golems decide to do the same; Yunia easily stabs one (with both her physical weapon and [Soul Blade]) who seems to have forgotten how to dodge in the extra dimension, but then she senses Samkelo's pervy gaze on her back, and she immediately understands.
Then Roxanne releases the widest [Water Wall] she's ever made, preventing the Assassins from stepping back, so their balls are now between an anvil and a quickly approaching sledgehammer.
--
"I'M FINE!" Urmeie roars as she attempts to flee the medical area, almost winning against the two Celestial Horns that are dragging her away. But then her bodyguards also help the Horns, so she gives up and starts to pout like a child.
Her left eye got fucked up, so she needed a [Regrow Limb], but it's best to wait a bit before going back into combat again to not strain the new organ.
And I've had enough of this fucking annoying fourth dimension.
Now that things are under control again, I finally give the fucking order, "Fuck this place, and fuck those assassins! I'm not losing any men here! SANDORO!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" he immediately replies. Then a long siren resounds throughout the fortress, and the men immediately start to retreat.
I use most of my MP to summon a bunch of goblins, then give them pistols. They'll make the Titans pay for every centimetri they take. And then we'll blow everything up.
--
I meditate to boost my MP recovery while I rest and wait for my goblins to die, but I keep a close eye on the plane, which is now being piloted by both Ted and Suzy. They don't have my Thread's guidance anymore, but the procession of Titans makes for a very obvious path to follow.
Still, I'll return soon just in case the dungeon starts being cheeky again and attempts to misdirect them.
And while we have this brief respite, Sai argues with Avtande about Lily's curse while the other Spirit mages run tests on the angry loli. Since nobody but me has [Sense Soul], [Spirit Magic] evolved by trial and error, which means that medical knowledge progressed along with the magical school.
Ciel thinks that Avtande is the real deal, but Roxanne knows that medical knowledge doesn't translate into practical uses of magic.
"So prejudiced," Alissa pokes the demon.
"I'll make fun of your aim with a rifle," Roxanne threatens back, and even though my foxy markswoman is very proud of her skill, she knows not to dare the crazy bitch who can hear her thoughts.
Then Ciel goes to Tamaiti-ra to receive her prototype wings.
--
"They look very pretty," she quietly praises, but her tone is tense.
And the eagle man with bags under his eyes smiles gently. "I've had my wife do the embroidering, but have no fear, for we spent none of our specialized man-hours on decorations as functionality has been our utmost priority," he very proudly declares.
The crystal wing skeleton has been covered in very fine-looking white silk and decorated with gentle patterns in gold, making it fit for a dignified angel, though it's still not exactly at the level of a queen.
But just this much is making Ciel feel extremely guilty about this small indulgence. "I'm glad to hear that. I assume you haven't been recruited by the Hau-Hou due to your work being too valuable."
"Once I finish this commission, I'll join the national effort, but I assume this crisis will be over by then," he answers with a calm, hopeful air.
The Hau-Hou have basically ordered every able-bodied craftsman to join the bullet and rifle production lines, but organizing all of the Sky Lands in a day is impossible, so people like Tamaiti will be spared… for now.
And his words remind her that this is to improve our strength, so she nods solemnly as she replies, "Hopefully, but we'll definitely benefit from having these wings."
"May we begin, then?" he eagerly suggests.
"Yes," she stiffly agrees, and we internally give her headpats as encouragement.
--
The process of adding a limb requires the soul to be extended to it, so she's put to sleep to allow an Alteration mage to do their job.
And then they begin connecting the wings to her back.
This part is actually pretty interesting as they seem to use a sort of gel or maybe fake cartilage that glues to her bones, which Roxanne believes is made specifically so that the body doesn't reject it. It's also solid enough that it can be used as support for the wings, allowing them to remain folded in a natural position.
The slime is also colored so that it looks the same as her skin, then the Alteration mage easily extends her soul to cover the wings, and it's done.
That was surprisingly fast. Perhaps it's because the Alteration mage is favored by the Hau-Hou, or perhaps it's because the wings are relatively simple compared to an actual biological limb or organ. But the result is that Ciel wakes up ten minutes later, just in time to witness through [Bind] the spectacle of our fortress exploding.
"How do you feel?" Lina gently asks as a healer casts [Purify Body] on the newborn angel.
"Dizzy… and itchy," Ciel whispers and squeezes Lina's hands, and then the beautiful pair of wings twitch.
Lucky for her, there's a specialist in extra appendages and limbs inside her mind that can guide her towards quickly adapting to things. The "weird" feeling of a new limb won't go away so quickly, but at least she learns almost instantly how to move them and activate the [Shrink] enchantment to make them more manageable.
"Impressive. Even the most talented winged soldier takes a day to learn how to control them," Tamaiti-ra hums in awe as he watches Ciel flex them.
"We have… an 'advantage' that's helping me learn," she replies with a wry smile.
--
While Ciel adapts, the horde continues to make progress, but we've left a number of little "speed bumps" along the way that delay them, especially since they're of the explosive kind. Thanks to Samkelo's C4, the fortress has been successfully demolished upon the horde, and this forces the dungeon to recreate the floating corridors for the Titans to continue their advance.
It's actually so effective that we have the Horns repeatedly plant explosives along the large corridors, and though it doesn't actually kill a significant number of Titans, the pile-ups and halts of progress give us a more important benefit: time.
Time that I use to continue flying at supersonic speeds towards the core, and I even manage to get to the next "type" of levels before they reach our super-fortress.
The levels of endless, multiple layers of farms finally end, and the next level only has one building in it: a huge, city-sized cathedral that seems to be made of half black stone and half colorful stained glass. But its overall shape is basically one huge ball of spikes.
I decide to pilot the Super-Raki myself, even though there's still a corridor occupied by the Titan procession that the golems can follow. I've already rested enough and have eaten a quick lunch, so I'm ready to fly again. And so, I just get Samkelo to help me pull out my Thread again, and then I take over the plane.
The inside of the cathedral isn't much different from the outside, so it seems more like a work of art than any sort of practical building, and not even five minutes later, I find the portal, so there's no more point in trying to guess what the fuck this level is for.
The next level also feels like an art gallery. It's a bunch of huge, naked statues doing JoJo poses. In the following level, there's a collection of huge 3D paintings made with colored clouds, and they even move very slowly, but the problem is that Titans have a thing for suffering and being edgy, so I don't pay much attention to them.
And so, I quickly fly past a few dozen more art levels, but then I reach a level that only has one large floating city, which still has citizens. It's just that they aren't Titans. It's a city of orcs.
Then the corridors that the Titans are using in their procession suddenly widen to four times their initial size and become so thick that our C4 isn't enough to demolish them.
The dungeon has escalated things again.
A long, wide bridge grows out of the Gothic pillar fortress and towards our super-fortress. The horde is right at its edge, screaming and roaring as they madly rush towards us, their numbers so great now that we even start to hear the rumble of their footsteps.
Then we detonate the pillar fortress, and the bridge collapses along with it, taking the crazed Titans down into the black, endless void. We know that the bottom loops into the sky, so they'll eventually fall onto the dungeon's bridge once it grows again, but until then, they'll just fall endlessly.
That was our last trick, though. Even though we're now finally in 3D again, we know that the Dungeon Master will abuse its powers to drown us in canned Titans, but we can't retreat so easily this time.
As for the city of orcs, I just have another bird briefly scout it, but it seems to be a cheaper copy of the Titan cities, so I put it out of my mind and fly into the next portal. And now it's a floating city of… not-orcs?
They seem thinner and smaller, but not really hobgoblins, and not truly orcs either. Their city is also visibly less vibrant.
I'm tired of watching these weird-ass levels with their experiments and art projects. It's like the Dungeon Master is using the levels to stall.
And to counter that, I need to go even faster.
--
--
Hall of Fame of Patrons
The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:
Prince PreownedFIN.
Prince Owldente.
Prince S. R.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Bakerdea.
Lord Maurice.
Lord Mattirro Draca.
Lord Tenebris Lupus.
Lord Paul Daval.
Lord Paul Daval.
Lord CopeyDunt.
Lord BlindTactic.
Lord Philip.
Lord d3235.
Lord SubJef.
Lord School work.
Lord patrick__starz.
Lord Peter Kraushuber
Lord David England.
Lord Marwin33.
Lord modislaszlo.
Lord Tenebris Lupus.
Noble Aclys.
Noble Carl Baxter.
Noble DND.
Noble Anon A Moose.
Noble GalacticTNT.
Leave a rating or a review to help me rise to the top or fix my shameful understanding of prose.
Take a look over my blog where all information about the world of Rupegia will be posted: manasongwriting.wordpress.com
Join the Discord and discuss, or rant, or meme, or try and fight me so your waifu gets more screentime: discord.com/invite/3GqMxQc
Become a Patron at patr**n.com/manasong and read chapters in advance, or read the side-stories, or leave your mark on the story, or help choose the next artwork or the next side-story.