Pov Kylo Stromcrest:
As I was riding in the carriage on my way to the tutorial dungeon, I couldn't help but imagine a certain familiar sound....
*wee-oo-oo-wee-oo*.
Why was I hearing a police siren in my mind? Well, it was due to the person next to me.
"Je je, je je"
That's Elara, who was sticking close to me and even rubbing her face on my shoulder like a cat.
This situation is a bit difficult for me, since technically my mental age is that of a 20 years old, so having her so close and acting this way is a bit... difficult, especially if you know why she's behaving this way.
(Even with Adam she didn't do that...).
Yes, I know she has feelings for me, it was something I already "suspected", I say, "suspected" because after the day Luna tore me apart in combat, she became blatantly obvious.
(But this is... too obvious).
So, considering the circumstances, I've decided to opt for a completely passive behavior, but without rejecting her.
Why? Well, the main reason is my morality. Even though I have a body the same age as Elara, my psyche is not so degenerate as to make her do anything but put up with her behavior.
Reject it? It's a resounding no. She is going to grow up someday and become a very powerful ally for me, plus she will become a beauty very much to my taste.
To reject her now might hurt her and even offend her, something I don't want.
So I'll let her do what she wants. That way, she won't feel rejected and will just think I'm a very shy guy.
(Patience, patience)
*Hug tighter*
"...."
So what's the reason for your extreme discomfort? You ask. Well, it's something quite simple.
It's the person right in front of us.
Luna Lestia
o_o
(That look is killing me...)
For some unknown reason, we were separated into 3 carriages, the first one being occupied by the subcommander and her assistants.
The second carriage was this one, made up of only 3 people: Elara, me and Luna, something strange since there is plenty of room to spare for only 3 children.
And in the last one were Adelina, Akane, Frederick and Gareth.
Honestly, I would have liked Elara to behave at least in front of Luna, but it seems she doesn't care much about her looking at her.
O_O
(I think it's better to close my eyes and analyze the dungeon....).
O_O
(Yeah, it's not like Luna's gaze makes me nervous or guilty, right, it's obviously for the sake of today).
Closing my eyes, now I really started to ponder about the dungeon.
(Let's see...)
—30 floors, though of those we'll only enter 5.
— Goblins for the most part, Hobgoblins on floor 4 and maybe some rats.
— Shamans on the first section of floor 5 and the final boss… it's variable.
This dungeon is a bit peculiar, as it is mainly used by some noble academies and, at this time, it is used for members of the royal family to have their first experience in real combat.
It sounds a bit ugly to send children to a place where there are monsters, but you must understand that this world is very violent outside the plot of Aerial Chronicles, where at any moment a mutated rat can come out and eat your arm.
There are many reasons for sending members of the royal family before and after their mage training, some political and some more familiar.
But it is mainly so as not to breed "Hothouse Flowers" and thus waste the individual's talent just because they are afraid of blood.
(Ironically, this happens in the empire).
Just telling you that there is a boss that, if you are able to draw blood on any limb, he will faint from fear and even pee on himself.
And I'm not talking about a mini-boss, I'm talking about a "theoretically strong" character like a turn boss.
(Goblins and hobgoblins are low level, probably the strongest is level 7 or 8).
Back to the dungeon, I don't see much problem in the first 4 floors, since all party members are at least level 10 or 1 star knight.
(The problem is the boss...).
In Aerial Chronicles story mode, there are some differences according to the main character you choose (Adam or Adelina).
One of those differences is the boss of this dungeon.
If you choose Adam, the boss of this dungeon is a troll, but if you choose Adelina, the boss will be a goblin on steroids or a super goblin.
(Both are problematic, but I'd like it to be the troll).
The troll in Adam's story is basically a pure tank, a very big guy with a lot of life. He's not a threat at all, as even his attacks aren't very strong, though if you're careless he'll hurt.
In contrast, the Supergoblin in Adelina's story is a bit more problematic....
How should I put it? The very bastard is very slippery and giving him the coup de grace is fucking annoying, plus his attacks immobilize you for a while, but cause hardly any damage.
This Supergoblin is a boss planned to cause mental anguish, especially if you're female.
(The problem is that I haven't identified which main character this world is geared towards).
I still don't know which story I'm in, and honestly I'd like to think the two stories aren't mixed on that end.
Why? Because if that were the case, there would be two story mode final bosses in this world.
I have no difficulty with the final boss in Adam's route, as I've defeated it many times, but the Adelina one?
It's very scary.
--
"Fall in."
Hearing the subcomandante's voice, we all gathered in front of her.
We arrived only about 10 minutes ago, and were given some time to rest.
We were in a forest, presumably, since all the trees in a radius of about 2 kilometers were cut down.
And in front of us is the blissful entrance to the dungeon, in the form of a cave.
Honestly, I was expecting to see some members of the adventurer's guild, but I didn't see anyone else around, aside from a group of escorting knights and some royalty mages.
(I guess they take this very seriously by booking the dungeon completely).
"Check your belongings for the last time," said the sub-commander in a strict tone.
(I don't need this, but I can't say I have an inventory, right?).
I simply glanced lightly at the backpack provided for us, nothing out of the ordinary.
"Next, check the operation of your emergency bracelets," the deputy commander continued in a strict tone.
Hearing that, this time I carefully checked the condition of the bracelet the subcommander was referring to.
On my right hand, a small blue-colored bracelet was glowing softly.
(There are no cracks anywhere... it glows blue... It's fine).
This artifact is the reason they dare to send children to the dungeon.
Basically, it gets you out of the dungeon upon taking a certain amount of damage, so, if you have a few skilled priests or mages outside the dungeon at the time you get kicked out, this dungeon adventure won't be tragic at all.
Needless to say, this artifact costs a lot; in some places it could cost more than a plebeian's annual salary.
"Are all the artifacts okay?" asked the deputy commander.
"Yes," we all replied, without exception.
"Good, next, you will be going into an F-rated dungeon, so there shouldn't be much danger to you." After saying this, she took some time to look at our faces, especially for those of us whom she trained herself.
"There you will find a small demonstration of how cruel life can be, so draw as much blood as you have to draw, lend a hand to one who needs it and most importantly....
Never give up, got it?"
"Yes," we all answered with determination.
And so, with a few last recommendations, we entered the dungeon.