To Plan a Dungeon Run

The first part of the day passed uneventfully for John and he shuffled his way to the cafeteria for lunch.

‘How are you holding up?’ John asked Senka, the spirit having been quiet for some time.

‘I am beginning to see why your mind often wandered during class,’ she replied. ‘Most of it is rather bland.’

John grinned in amusement. ‘It’s worse now that my Intelligence has increased over ten points since last week. I definitely have an easier time remembering stuff now. I could probably just read the text books and ace most of the classes.’

‘Don’t get too big of a head,’ Senka cautioned lightly. ‘Do you really want to sequester yourself with a pile of books and self-study when someone’s getting paid to recite the information for you?’

‘I’m sitting either way,’ John retorted, chuckling slightly. ‘But you’re right. At least here I can think of other stuff while listening to them.’

As he neared the cafeteria door, a small hand clapped against his shoulder. Despite the light touch, when John twisted to see who it was, it felt like the appendage was firmly affixed to him. Which of course clued him into who it was.

“Hey Beth,” he said, finally twisting enough to see the short girl behind him.

“What kind of greeting is that for your co-worker?” she asked cheekily, releasing her hold on him.

“Still kind of getting used to having them,” John answered honestly, scratching the back of his head. “Would you like a redo?”

Beth’s expression dimmed ever so slightly and she shook her head. “Nah, it’s ok. Come on, lunchtime’s ticking by.”

“No homemade soups today?” John asked as they slipped into the lunch room and got on line.

“Nah,” she answered. “Got to shake things up, ya know? Plus, only got the mac and cheese ones left at home. Not really the sort to eat the same thing every day.”

“I guess it would get a little boring to have the same thing everyday,” John agreed, peering past the line to see what today’s fair was. “Looks like we got some subs, chicken sandwiches and pepperoni pizza.”

“The sandwich sounds good,” Beth said, licking her lips. “Can you see if they got fries?”

“Not really,” John replied, craning his neck in the vain attempt to see further. An idea came to him and he willed his wind spirit into action. The unmanifested spirit flew from his aura unseen and drifted over the line. John felt it round the corner and he directed it to float over the food he couldn’t see, drawing in the air above them like a vacuum. Then he recalled it, letting the collected air flow freely as he drew it back into his aura.

“Smells like there might be,” John said with a satisfied smile.

“What did you...” Beth trailed off, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to answer with so many mundanes around. The pair lapsed into a comfortable silence as they moved up the line, purchased their meals, sandwich and fries for Beth, pizza for John, and retreated to an unoccupied table.

Once settled, Beth resumed her interrogation, “So, what did you do back there? I could sense something flowing out of you.”

‘Seems like others can just perceive magic,’ Senka remarked.

‘Good to know,’ John shot back. ‘Though I suspected as much since Moira seemed to detect Observe yesterday.’

“I sent out my wind spirit to collect the air above the food,” John explained after making sure no one was close enough to overhear them.

“Oh, so that’s why my fries are cold,” Beth joked as she dipped one in a bit of mayo before eating it.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” John replied with a smile as he took a bite of his pizza.

The pair slipped back into a brief silence as they ate, then Beth asked, “So, what’s the plan for later?”

John chuckled. “Senka asked the same thing earlier and I think I’ve got something that can both help get our teamwork set and net us some good drops.”

“How’s miss plus one doing, anyway?” Beth asked as she nibbled on her sandwich.

‘Let her know I am doing well,’ Senka answered coolly. ‘And that I can hear her.’

John tapped one of his ears. “She’s okay. And she can hear you. I don’t think she likes being talked about like she isn’t present.”

Beth shrugged and looked a little chastised. “Sorry. It is a bit weird though. Talking to someone who is and isn’t here is a little odd, you know.”

“Yeah,” John remarked, fiddling with his can of soda. “I wonder if I can get a skill that can let her broadcast to others.”

‘I don’t think that will be necessary,’ Senka said. ‘The majority of the time, if I wanted to talk to anyone, you’d be free to summon me.’

‘Fair point,’ he conceded then relayed the brief conversation to Beth, who nodded in agreement.

“No need to make things too complicated,” she said. “So, what is this great plan of yours for later?”

“Well,” John began, “I can set my Barriers along three settings. Illusion Barrier is what we did yesterday, just monsters to fight. Protected Space makes non-hostile spaces like Vivian’s place. But what I want to try later is the ‘Dungeon’ setting. The description says it makes a quest sort of thing we have to complete to clear it, so I guess there’s going to be more to it than just taking out all the hostile monsters. And I hope it being quest based means we’ll be looking for some kind of loot, Indiana Jones style.”

“We’ll have to keep an eye out for giant boulders,” Beth joked.

John snorted as he took a sip of his drink, the fizzy concoction tickling his nose.

“Let’s hope that doesn’t happen,” John remarked, placing his beverage down. “But I can see there being traps we’ll need to evade. Maybe some puzzles we need to figure out.”

“Sounds fun,” Beth said.

“Well, we can take a closer look at the details,” John suggested. “Make sure I’m not misremembering anything.”

‘Unlikely, given your assertions about your memory,’ Senka thought.

John ignored the spirit’s comment and willed Instant Barrier’s info into view and tapped the ‘Dungeon’ option.

Dungeon: Create an area filled with traps, obstacles, monsters, and hidden rewards. Random quest generated upon entrance. Current options: Type Selector.

“Yeah, the full gambit of stuff,” John said after reciting the info. “I wonder if the type selector works the same way as the other one. Sets the environment and populations.”

Beth shrugged. “It’s your weirdness. We’re just exploiting it.”

“I think we’re far from exploiting what I can do.” John chuckled. “We haven’t found a way to get unlimited xp or farm up any gear. When we get to that point, then we have it made.”

A thoughtful look crossed Beth’s face. “Hey, speaking of gear, what’s the procedure for picking something up?”

John swallowed a bite and shrugged. “We really haven’t had a problem with that. Mostly because we haven’t gotten anything really worth arguing over who gets it. What are you hoping to pull?”

“I think, a new weapon,” Beth answered hesitantly. “I like my yo-yo, but after using it to actually fight, I don’t think it really has the kick I’ll need.”

“Anything you think you want to try?” John asked.

“I like having the range the yo-yo gives,” Beth replied, picking at her fries. “But I think something like a dagger or short sword would work.”

John tapped his chin. “I see. Well, I don’t need another weapon, and the others aren’t really swordy types, so I think there won’t be any issue with you snagging one if we find it. I do have one back at home you could use. It’s kind of short... And if we don’t find one and the one we have isn’t suited for you, I could make one. We’ve got some raw ore lying around and I should probably work on leveling Craftsmanship anyway.”

“With or without a spirit attached?” Beth jokingly asked.

“Without,” John answered, then frowned. “I don’t think anything I don’t tie into my powers can develop a spirit. At least not the way Senka has.”

‘That is likely true,’ Senka asserted. ‘It was the influx of experience saturated with your energy that let me develop.’

“Yeah, she agrees on that point,” John relayed. “I’m not even sure if a spirit like Senka can come from an object normally. Mason and Cammie didn’t seem too shocked that she was bound to the knife. And nothing from what Mason taught me prevents a spirit from being attached to something as opposed to just being linked to an area.”

“So what you’re saying is there’s a chance something could happen,” Beth pressed, her focus on the spirit topic piquing John’s curiosity.

“I suppose,” he answered. “Any reason you want a spirit possessed weapon?”

“I mean, besides it being kind of cool?” Beth said with a weak smile. “I don’t really have anything like your fireballs. Figure I could use some kind of real offensive power.”

John felt a pang of empathy for his companion and offered her a comforting smile.

“I think your sticking thing is cool,” John admitted. “And it’s not like you’re going to hit a level cap or something. Maybe you can develop your ability to work at range or something.”

Beth averted her eyes for a second, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

“Yeah I guess,” she muttered. “It’s just, my sister was doing some crazy stuff when she was eighteen and can mix her magic with alchemy. All I can do is make things stick together or super slippery.”

“And this time last week I was sitting alone, eating a sad lunch just waiting to go home and play some games,” John countered. “And that was with my birthday two days away. Now I can fight against monsters and have someone living in my head.”

‘You make that sound odd,’ Senka remarked, a dark amusement in her voice. ‘I’m not sure I like being compared to a mental illness.’

“You make that sound like you’ve got a screw loose,” Beth remarked.

John snorted. “You and Senka basically said the same thing.”

Beth’s lips twitched into a grin. “Should probably listen to us then. Bet Vivian and Aeolia would say the same.”

“Yeah, they probably would.” John laughed, a sad smile forming on his face. “Thanks, by the way.”

Beth cocked her head to one side. “Um, for what?”

“I guess for being my friend,” John answered. “I know it sounds corny, but it really feels good to have people to actually talk to.”

“Right back at ya,” Beth said after a moment of processing, several emotions flashing across her face too fast for John to read, though now a faint blush lingered. “But enough of this mushy stuff. We should finish eating. Got to charge up for later, right?”

“Right,” John agreed. “We’ve got a lot to do later.”

“Man, why do things drag when you want to do something else?” Beth complained as she exited her final class. Her steps quickly propelled her towards her locker, her mind drifting back to what John had said earlier and the minor development she made idly experimenting with her power. Caught up in her thoughts, she almost walked into a blockade of school spirit, spearheaded by the queen bee herself.

“Hold up,” Vanessa Hawthorne ordered, standing ahead of her entourage. Beth didn’t, not caring for whatever petty reason the cheerleader wanted her for. The haughty blonde twitched her head and her flunkies fanned out, forcing Beth to stop.

‘Did they choreograph that?’ she thought as the taller girl backed her into the lockers.

“What do ya want?” she asked. “I’ve got stuff to do.”

“Stuff with Newman, you mean,” Vanessa sneered.

“Maybe,” Beth shot back, her tone growing heated. “What’s it to you?”

The blonde’s face lit up with a harsh grin. “Oh, you don’t know? Guy’s a pathetic loser. You don’t want to associate with him. Might rub off on you. Don’t want to ruin what little reputation you have.”

Beth’s eye twitched, but she kept her irritation in check. Instead she pressed her fingers against the cold metal of the lockers and let her mana seep into them. Normally when she charged something, it would try to adhere to something right away, the mana either working to stick two things together or just fizzling out. That had been okay with her, as she never really was put into a situation where she couldn’t just lock two things together.

But now, having the desire to prove herself and someone’s belief that she could improve the application of her power, she actually tried to do so, spending most of the time since lunch working on that slyly. It was only in her final class that she made a breakthrough. It wasn’t anything earth shattering, but now she could have the charged surface remain in a sort of stasis for a short while. Which meant she could prime something and lure a target into a trap.

Beth pulled her hand away from the locker, the mana within thrumming with potential that left her with a small headache. She then pushed forward, deliberately forcing her would-be interrogator to pivot on the spot, her cheerleading skirt fluttering as she spun. Beth felt her stored mana ripple as the pleated fabric brushed against the metal and she released her hold.

Immediately, the skirt was affixed to the locker, though none of the cheerleaders noticed, their focus solely on Beth.

“Think I can decide who to chill with on my own, girls,” Beth said cheekily. “So, kindly, fuck off.”

She turned away from them, her focus split between monitoring her spell and what she hoped she would hear in a second.

“You little bitch,” Vanessa growled and began to stalk after Beth; the sharp sound of her skirt ripping froze her in her place. Beth quickly negated her ranged adhesion, letting the pinned fabric fall free as the blonde cheerleader twisted to inspect her ruined skirt, horror on her face. Her cohort folded in towards her, blocking her from view and giving Beth free reign to leave.

‘Kind of sucks this hallway’s kind of empty,’ she mused with a cruel smile. ‘Wonder how hard a hit her rep would have taken if someone was around to take a pic?’

“You’re in a good mood,” John noted as Beth joined him by the academy’s front entrance, bouncing a pebble in her palm.

“Decided to do something productive instead of just blankly staring into my text book or at a wall,” she explained. “Fiddled with my talent. Turns out I can tweak it a bit.”

“Really?” John asked excitedly.

“Yep,” Beth replied with a sly grin, before flicking the stone she was playing with at John. It hit him, but remained affixed to his shirt for a second before dropping. “Turns out I can pause my mana for a short bit, so it doesn’t auto grab things or just burn off. Gave the queen bee a little demonstration.”

“Wait,” John interrupted. “‘Queen bee’? You used your powers on Vanessa?”

“It was covertly, chill a bit,” Beth assured him. “She probably thinks her fancy cheerleading skirt got snagged by a locker. Canceled the hold right after she noticed the rip.”

“Rip?” John repeated. “You gave her a wardrobe malfunction?”

“Yep,” Beth said, her grin growing. “Though I doubt there’ll be any pics flying around. Hallway was pretty empty and her ‘yes girls’ crowded her right after.”

John let out a chuckle. “That’s a pity. She can afford to be taken down a few pegs.”

“Yeah,” Beth agreed. “She was trying to make me stop hanging with you. And I really hate when people I don’t care for try to tell me to not do something. What is the deal with her anyway?”

John looked at his shorter companion, and shook his head.

“Wish I knew,” he replied. “Me, her and Frank all went to the same middle and high school. And they never liked me. Guess I was just the easiest target for them to bully and they haven’t stopped. Honestly, with what I’ve got on my plate now, I’m just going to ignore them. They’re small potatoes compared to what we’re up against.”

“Not even worthy of being tater tots,” Beth quipped then looked out over the parking lot. “So, where’s our ride?”

“Vivian texted and said she’d be a bit late,” John supplied, summoning his phone to double check the message. “She said, ‘Something came up. Will explain when I get you and Beth. Probably going to be a few mins late.’”

Beth hummed. “Wonder what happened? Doesn’t sound like something bad.”

“Yeah,” John agreed.

“You got any ideas, Senka?” Beth asked, causing John to awkwardly rub the back of his neck.

“She’s actually back in her personal domain,” John said. “Got bored hearing the teachers talk. I’ve got to summon her again.”

‘Oh, school’s out?’ the spirit asked as John drew her back into his aura.

‘Yeah. Vivian’s running a bit late,’ John answered, looking at his phone to let Senka look. ‘Beth wanted your take on it.’

‘Ah, and I was unavailable,’ Senka said, an amused lilt to her voice. ‘Perhaps you need to have some visible tell to inform the others if I’m present.’

‘Like what, a hat?’ John joked. ‘I’m sure there’s some magic answer. Maybe Mason or Cammie can teach the others something that’ll let them sense you in this state. Teri could with her emotion magic.’

‘That sounds like a good idea,’ Senka murmured. ‘As for the pressing question: I don’t think this delay is anything of a dire situation. Vivian wouldn’t leave us in the dark like that.’

John relayed Senka’s observation to Beth and she nodded.

“Well, I hope it’s not going to be too long,” she said, dropping her bag to the ground and leaning against the wall. “We’ve got monsters to beat and loot to get.”

Thankfully, their wait was only a few minutes longer as Vivian’s car came into view. The pair of students and the unseen spirit moved to enter the vehicle.

“Sorry,” Vivian quickly said as they got in.

“What happened?” John quickly asked.

“Well, we got a call from Teri,” the redhead explained as they drove away. “And long story short, those elders of her clan are calling in that blood kin thing. They want our help with something.”

“So much for doing a dungeon,” Beth remarked.

“Does this have to do with how they got drafted as kitchen staff?” John asked.

“A bit,” Vivian answered. “They want some raw materials so they can start making due on their own. Teri’s ‘negotiating’ with Aeolia right now.”

“So the idea is to use my ability to grind out resources for them to use or sell so we can buy what they need?” John asked.

“Well, they don’t know that part,” Vivian replied. “Teri basically called us and said the elders requested our aid in making their home more self-sufficient.”

‘I wonder what their angle is?’ Senka pondered. ‘They weren’t all that keen on accepting our aid before.’

John relayed Senka’s thoughts then answered, “My guess is they want us to fail at this and use that to show we aren’t that great of an ally, so they can go back to just running away.”

“Then I say we show them up,” Beth exclaimed. “Dungeons usually have a good amount of loot, right? Sounds like your plan can still work.”

“Yes, it does,” John agreed. “And if Teri joins us, that might increase the amount of loot we can get. If nothing else, it might make things go faster. But we’ll have to lay everything out for Teri. It’s her people we need to help.”

The car lapsed into silence and John pondered how to concisely explain his ability so they could set out as quickly as possible.

He smirked and thought, ‘This almost sounds like I’m pitching my services. Guess this is kind of our first contract.’

Thanks again for reading this little story. If you liked the chapter, please hit that thumbs up, and if you want to support my writing, check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ScrapCrow. Get access to my chapters before they’re published here and join my private Discord.