A/n) I originally delelted all of Durvekka's chapters as I am doing a redo but was asked to put them back up, so I am putting every chapter that was posted into this one and keep it in the auxilirary for those who wish to read it. Keep in mind that there is a high chance that I wont continue it so don't get your hopes up. I'll post these in the auxiliary chapters and will be spread in three parts as there are too many words for one full chapter.
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Character Creation, Attempt #1
[Attempting to summon Hero...]
....
[Error, request denied]
...
[Attempting to build vessel...]
[Request granted]
[Building vessel... Error]
[Access to the building feature was denied do to an error]
[Randomizing the vessel...]
[Success...]
{Vessel #1}
Gender: Female
Race: Duergar(grey dwarf)
[error, detected two versions of Duergar... SCA Duergar has been chosen.(+2 to con and +1 to str]
Class: Druid
[Stat list...]
Strength: 15 Dexterity: 14 Constitution: 17 Intelligence: 13 Wisdom: 14 Charisma: 9
[Extra racial features...]
Superior Darkvision: See in dim light within 120 feet as if bright, and in darkness as if dim. Can't discern color in darkness.
Dwarven Resilience: Advantage on saving throws against poison; resistance to poison damage.
Duergar Resilience: Advantage on saving throws against illusions and being charmed or paralyzed.
Dwarven Combat Training: Proficiency with battleaxe, handaxe, light hammer, and warhammer.
Tool Proficiency: Proficiency with smith's tools, brewer's supplies, or mason's tools.
[Brewer's supplies has been chosen]
Stonecunning: Double proficiency bonus on History checks related to stonework.
Duergar Magic: [level requirement of vessel has not been met]
Sunlight Sensitivity: Disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks relying on sight in direct sunlight.
Languages: Speak, read, and write Common and Dwarvish.
Background: Hermit [New langauge added... Celestial]
Starting Equipment:
A wooden staff, leather armor, an explorer's pack, and a druidic focus.
Herbalism kit [from background].
A small collection of rare fungi and plants from the Underdark.
[Acquiring soul... Success]
New Name: Durvekka Stonebloom
Skill proficiency: Medicine, Religion, Nature and Survival.
[Generating full view of stats...]
Character Information
Name: Durvekka Stonebloom
Race: SCA Duergar (Grey Dwarf)
Class: Druid
Level: 1
Background: Hermit
Gender: Female
Alignment: Neutral
Languages: Common, Dwarvish, Celestial
Ability Scores:
Strength: 15 Dexterity: 14 Constitution: 17 Intelligence: 13 Wisdom: 14 Charisma: 9
Racial Features:
Superior Darkvision: Can see in dim light within 120 feet as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. Cannot discern color in darkness.
Dwarven Resilience: Advantage on saving throws against poison; resistance to poison damage.
Duergar Resilience: Advantage on saving throws against illusions and being charmed or paralyzed.
Dwarven Combat Training: Proficiency with battleaxe, handaxe, light hammer, and warhammer.
Tool Proficiency: Proficiency with brewer's supplies.
Stonecunning: Double proficiency bonus on Intelligence (History) checks related to stonework.
Duergar Magic: Not yet accessible.
Sunlight Sensitivity: Disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks relying on sight when the target is in direct sunlight.
Class Features:
Druidic: Can speak Druidic, a secret language of druids.
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Clubs, daggers, darts, javelins, maces, quarterstaffs, scimitars, sickles, slings, spears
Tools: Herbalism kit, brewer's supplies
Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
Skills: Medicine, Religion, Nature, Survival
Background Features:
Hermit:
Skill Proficiencies: Medicine, Religion
Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism kit
Discovery: [Unable to decern]
Starting Equipment:
Weapons and Armor: Wooden staff, Leather armor
Pack: Explorer's pack, Bedroll, Mess kit, Rations (10 days), Tinderbox, Torch (10), Waterskin, 50 feet of hempen rope
Druidic Focus: A small pendant in the shape of a totem.
Other: Herbalism kit, a small collection of rare fungi and plants from the Underdark
[Finalization... Successful...]
[Sending vessel #1 to new world... Successful]
=======================================================================
Chapter 1: Waking up.
"Hmm?" A sound reverberated across the walls of a cavern, seemingly lit by bioluminescent plants.
The origin of this voice began to stir, as roots and moss slowly fell off the creature's figure. The figure, who seemed to be a female dwarf with a healthy and thin form standing at about 4 feet tall, gradually emerged.
She had pale, ashen gray skin, with shoulder-length white hair and some bioluminescent vines still in her hair. As she opened her eyes slowly, silver in color, she started to look around.
"Where am I?" She thought to herself as she slowly stood up, looked at herself, and opened some of the small pockets she had sewn onto her leather armor.
'...All my plants are still here, my necklace is still around my neck... Where's my staff?' She thought as she looked around the place and found it lying against a wall. [Rolling Con save... 13 success]
As she made her way to the staff, a few bone cracks could be heard as her face turned into one of comfort. The stiffness of her legs almost made her trip, but she pressed onward.
Picking up the staff, she nodded to herself. It's a normal dark wooden staff with glowing vine-like markings that go around the staff from the bottom part all the way to the top.
'It's still the same staff.' She smiled slightly with a yawn. As she looked around the cave again, [Perception check- 7]
She squinted her eyes, but her sudden tiredness made it hard to see the surroundings. After rubbing her eyes for a few seconds, she walked along the cave to where it seemed to be leading her.
The strain in her legs slowly left her as she got used to walking again and took in the surrounding plant life, even taking a few samples that she placed in her pockets.
After a few hours of walking and taking a few breaks along the way, the plant life started fading away as the area slowly stopped looking like a cavern and more like a labyrinth. The walls of the supposed cavern started looking less rough and natural as she walked further. More branches in her path started appearing as she guessed which way to go.
A few more hours passed, and now there was no sign of any plant life, yet the place was strangely lit with rows of light at the top two corners of the "cavern."
'...This is quite strange,' she thought as she continued her walk.
[Rolling Perception... 18]
A sudden sound brought her out of her thoughts as she looked to her left.
'It's quiet, so probably far away, but it almost sounds like people talking.' She thought, but her expression was conflicted.
'...I shouldn't go there,' she thought to herself as she went in the opposite direction.
'This place might still be the Underdark, and even if it isn't, surface dwellers might be worse.' A chill ran down her spine at the thought. [Rolling Perception check... 9]
Unknown to her, one of the walls behind her started glowing as a small green humanoid slowly emerged from the wall.
Its red glowing eyes locked onto Durvekka as it rushed towards her with its mouth wide open, revealing a row of sharp teeth. [Rolling to hit... Unnatural 20] [Rolling damage... 3]
The sudden noise startled her, but she was too late as she felt sharp teeth trying to rip into her shoulder. Luckily, her armor was able to slightly mitigate the damage.
[HP: 11 -> 8]
Her eyes narrowed as she mumbled words while making a few hand gestures in quick succession. Before the goblin could react, weeds and vines started sprouting from the surroundings, some grasping onto the creature and pulling it away from Durvekka and restraining it.
The goblin tried to escape from the restraints but failed as Durvekka's totem started glowing and a vine-like whip with thorns sprouted from her left arm and slammed into the goblin, leaving it a bloody mess.
[Goblin: 7 -> 1]
As the whip faded away, she gripped her staff and tried to whack the goblin with it. [Rolling advantage to hit with no bonuses... Natural 20]
She gripped the staff and smashed it against the goblin's face, causing it to almost get ripped off its body.
[Goblin: 1 -> -11]
Her expression showed no emotion as she looked at the mutilated goblin.
'I guess this one escaped one of its slave owners...' she sighed as the weeds and vines of the surrounding slowly retracted, causing the corpse to be slowly laid onto the floor.
She shook her head and moved on, walking along the walls of this strange cave, making sure to steer clear of any sounds related to fighting and people.
[Rolling Stealth... Unnatural 20]
[Rolling Perception... 5]
Peeking around a corner, she saw a group of creatures fighting each other. One group seemed to be well-equipped with armor and weapons while the other group seemed to have none.
'All I can see is that the other group seems to be goblins and bipedal wolves. I assume the well-geared ones are either the slavers or assumed to be slavers like the other goblin that fought me. I can't hear anything they say, sadly.' She thought to herself as she slowly walked away.
When all the fighting stopped, she sat down to rest.
'...As much as I try to figure it out, this place doesn't look anything like the Underdark—the goblins and bipedal wolves don't seem to be intelligent at all either...' She sighed before she laid her head back against the wall, and something caught her eye.
One of the walls was glowing as a furred paw(?) started to emerge from it. Durvekka instantly stood up and attacked the creature with her vine whip. [Rolling attack at disadvantage (Only hand is visible)... 13]
The whip hit the furred creature's arm as it broke from the impact, the thorns ripping parts off of it as the rest of the kobold came out of the wall. But before it had a chance to attack, another whip hit it along its side.
[Kobold: 10 -> 5 -> 1]
It fell to the ground as a growl left its mouth. Its red eyes glowing brighter as it lunged at Durvekka with its only usable arm.
[Critical failure]
The kobold was too slow because of the injury on its side, allowing Durvekka to move out of the way of the swipe and counterattack with a downward slam of her staff, killing the kobold instantly.
[Kobold: 1 -> -2]
'...So the ones with red glowing eyes are the ones birthed from these walls,' she thought with a sigh of relief.
'I might not be in the Underdark after all.' A small smile formed on her face as she walked further, this time towards the sound of fighting.
[Stealth... 8]
[Perception... 15]
She tried to be as quiet as possible and peeked around the corner, only to see a group of three well-equipped creatures being overrun by five goblins.
'...I haven't seen those races before; they must be surface dwellers... Should I help them out?' She thought to herself.
'It would make a better first impression if I help them and they survive...' She nodded to herself and rushed into the fight. On closer look, the three adventurers were humans, two male and one female.
'They're pretty injured.' She thought as she cast the same spell she used on the first goblin.
'I'm out of mana after this one, but it should be fine,' she thought as the spell took effect, weeds and vines coming out of the surroundings and restraining the goblins. (All of them failed their saves)
The adventurers were surprised by what happened as they turned around to see Durvekka. Some of them were shocked at her appearance but shook their heads as they nodded and attacked the restrained goblins.
One of the males with blond hair, who seemed to be the leader, quickly took advantage of the opportunity and cut one of the goblins with his sword, killing it.
The other male with black hair took out his bow and shot at the one next to him, hitting it in the shoulder, followed by the female as she killed it with her daggers.
Durvekka nodded her head at the sight and manifested her vine whip, hitting one of the less injured goblins and instantly killing it. [Nat 20]
After that, she ran closer to the more injured goblin and tried to hit it with her staff, killing it.
The last goblin tried to escape its bindings but failed as it died from the attacks of the three adventurers.
They all smiled as the blond-haired male laughed.
"Thanks for helping us," he said, smiling at Durvekka as he walked closer to her.
"No problem. I saw the fight and wanted to help out after seeing all of your injuries," she said, although the adventurers' faces turned to confusion.
She narrowed her eyes as she rubbed her throat.
'I haven't talked out loud in a while, so I guess I still need to get used to speaking.' She thought, as she waved her hand as if to say, 'No worries.'
"Are you alright?" asked the female, who smiled when she saw Durvekka nod.
"That's good to hear, and thanks for helping us. My name is Elene, that's Rodrick (black hair), and that's Liam (blond hair)," she said as Durvekka nodded.
"...M...My... name is Durvekka," she said while frowning but still glad to see that they understood.
"We are going to the surface and going back to our familia. Do you want to come along with us?" Liam asked with a smile as Durvekka nodded before asking—
"W...what is a familia?"
=======================================================================
Chapter 2: Too the surface.
All three of them strained their ears to make out what Durvekka said, and when they finally did, they thought they had heard wrong.
"I'm sorry, what was your question again?" Elene asked, an apologetic smile on her face.
Durvekka shook her head lightly and cleared her throat. "I-it's fine. We need to go to the surface before we can fully talk." They nodded in understanding as Liam took the lead.
"Elene, please scout the area ahead. Rodric, stay next to... Durvekka. I'll be at the back in case of any surprise attacks." They all nodded. As Liam walked to the back of the party, he said, "Sorry for mispronouncing your name."
"It's fine," she said as she watched him take his spot in the party lineup.
'...My escape routes are being blocked, it seems,' she thought absentmindedly.
'Elene seems to be a rogue type, Rodric an archer, but he has a sword too, so he might be a mid- to close-range combatant. Liam is a fighter at close range. I wonder how they got into that situation before,' she thought to herself.
"We almost forgot to get the stones from those goblins. I'll extract them real quick, then we can leave," Liam said as he took out his dagger and dug out the miniature purple stone from each goblin's chest, while their corpses turned to ash.
'...That's interesting,' she thought to herself as the group moved onward.
They came across a few adventurers, but Durvekka kept her talking to a minimum as she watched all of them intently.
'A white drow (Dark elf)? I didn't know such creatures existed. They don't seem to be as bad as dark elves either,' she thought.
After the adventurer encounters, they managed to keep fights to a minimum to conserve stamina as they finally made it back to the surface.
"We're finally outside," Liam let out a relieved sigh.
"Yea—" As the group started talking to each other, Durvekka stopped paying them any attention and looked around, her face showing discomfort.
'There are too many people,' she thought as she looked around. It was a large chamber with a wide, circular hole in the floor where they had climbed out. She felt something strange pressing against her body. It felt cool, yet she couldn't see it.
'Is this wind? Is someone casting magic?' she thought as she looked around but saw no one that seemed to be the cause of it. Then she looked up... Her face turned to one of shock.
The ceiling above them was adorned with an expansive mural of a serene sky, its hues of blue and white so vivid that it almost felt like standing under a real open sky.
Something Durvekka had never seen before. Right at that moment, she was caught up in its beauty. [Rolling wisdom save... 13]
'Is that... the surface? I... made it outside?' Her face filled with shock at the sight of the false sky.
"Hey, Durvekka. Are you okay?" A voice drifted into her ear, breaking her stupor.
"...Yes, sorry... Are we outside now?" She asked, a hint of confusion in her voice as she looked at the origin of the voice—Rodric.
"No... Not yet, we still have to exit Babel. Are you sure you are alright?" His face was ridden with concern as he pointed toward the exit.
"I... am not sure," she said, taking in a few breaths and exhaling. After taking another glance at the false sky, she shook her head.
"We can go now," she said as she walked forward, toward the place that Rodric pointed. The group looked concerned but followed her nonetheless.
[Rolling perception... Unnatural 20]
Durvekka felt claustrophobic, having spent her entire life underground, trying to steer clear of any creatures to survive. Now, being surrounded by so many people and knowing that an entire world awaited her outside felt wrong, strange, and oddly claustrophobic.
"I wonder what's bothering her so much?" she heard someone talking behind her; it was Elene.
"I'm not sure. She was staring at the ceiling and thought we were outside... That question she asked before, about what a Familia was... did all of you hear her say that too?" Rodric asked, seeing them nod.
[Rolling group Intelligence check... Unironically low]
"...She might have amnesia," Elene voiced, pity in her voice. Liam nodded.
"You might be right."
"... She doesn't look like any of the races either. We can help her out at the guild and ask for their assistance. She should be popular if she was able to use magic so quickly," Rodric said.
A soft smile appeared on Durvekka's face as she heard them talk. She took a deep breath and let it out.
'The air feels different up here.' As those words left her, she walked outside for the very first time in her life.
A soft breeze brushed against her face, the light shining down on her, causing her to squint her sensitive eyes, but the smile never left her face.
She stopped in place for a few seconds as the group caught up to her.
"We're going to the guild. Do you want to come with us?" Liam asked. Durvekka nodded, her hand covering the bright orb in the sky.
[Rolling Deception... 15]
The rest felt slightly relieved as it looked like she knew about the guild.
'I wonder what that orb is... It hurts to look at and impedes my vision,' she thought to herself.
'What was their question again?' she thought as she saw them with smiles on their faces as they walked forward.
She shrugged and started following them toward the guild.
[Perception check, disadvantage... 6]
She tried to look around at her surroundings to take in the new view but was unable to see anything with her sensitive eyes.
'I didn't think being on the surface would be this troublesome,' she thought to herself, trying to ignore the slowly rising stress levels from being surrounded by so many people.
'I can hear them, but I can't see them... Calm down, Durvekka,' she took a deep breath.
"Is everything fine?" She felt someone pat her shoulder and identified the voice as Elene's.
"I have sensitive eyes, so I can't see that well outside."
"Is that why you're covering your eyes? You should have said so sooner. I'll stay by your side to make sure you don't get lost." Durvekka nodded with an uncomfortable expression.
'I can't see her facial expression at all like this... Should I really put my trust in them? It's been so long since I used that word that even thinking about it feels strange,' she thought before taking another deep breath and releasing it.
'It's going to be okay, it's going to be alright.' She gripped her staff tightly, its glow slowly fading.
"We're here." Liam's voice rang out from the front. Durvekka's expression turned neutral as she slowly followed the voice, Elene's hand still on her shoulder. The glaring sun faded away as she entered the building, greeted by a wide space filled with many people and lines.
'...Is the surface always this crowded? Isn't anyone afraid of being killed? How do they all seem so casual with each other?'
"Let's move on; our adviser is waiting for us over there," he pointed at a white drow male. They walked toward him as Durvekka made sure there was ample distance between her and the people around her.
[Rolling perception... 11]
Carefully clutching her totem, she tried to ignore all the stares from the people around her, only hearing soft whispers without knowing their contents.
The only thought in her mind was, 'Please don't tell me I was caught by mind flayers.' on repeat.
"Durvekka," a hand landed on her shoulder, nudging her awake.
"Y-yes?" she asked in distress.
"We're talking to our adviser about how you saved us and everything. They don't have any records about you on paper. If it's alright with you, can you go with him to one of the private rooms and talk about your memory loss?" Elene asked with a soft smile on her face.
[Rolling insight... 11]
'I... can't tell if she is being deceitful...' Her hand clutched her totem tighter as she nodded.
'It's not like I have a choice... I'm outnumbered,' she thought, her face void of emotion.
'I miss my plants...' she thought as she followed the white drow, the group giving her a wave she took as a sign of misfortune.
---
'What are these?' she thought as the white drow opened the door, revealing a clean room with two chairs and a table between them.
The white drow said, "Please take a seat," after sitting on the right chair.
Durvekka nodded and took a seat. 'These are soft...' she thought, relishing the softness, if not for the person in front of her.
"Are you alright? You seemed on edge ever since Liam and his friends brought you here," he asked, concern on his face.
[Rolling insight... Unnatural 20]
'...He seems genuine,' she thought, still ready to summon her whip if necessary.
"...I'm not used to so many people," she said, her eyes locked onto the white drow's.
"...I see..." He nodded as he slowly took out a few pieces of paper, making sure to show her where his hands were so as not to trigger her.
[Rolling deception... 0 (Crit fail)]
"You don't have to worry; all I want to do is ask a few questions. Liam told me that you might have amnesia. Is that true?" he asked, looking at Durvekka
, who looked to the side and gave a half nod before stopping herself, then continued nodding.
The white drow's lips twitched as he asked, "Can you tell me how you entered the dungeon?"
She tilted her head slightly at the question. "...I woke up in a cave and walked around... What's a dungeon?"
[Rolling insight... Unnatural 20]
'...She's being truthful this time... Did she forget that she lost her memories?' he thought before he spoke. "...Do you know about Gods and Familias?"
[Rolling wisdom save... 12]
The moment the white drow said the word 'god,' Durvekka had a visible change in her expression—one of fear.
"A-are you a worshiper of Lolth?" she asked, as a whip slowly formed in her arm. She jumped behind the chair, ready to defend herself.
The guild advisor was caught off guard by her sudden actions and quickly tried to calm her down.
[Rolling persuasion... Nat 20]
"Not at all. I have no affiliation with Lolth nor do I know of such a deity's existence." As she stared into his eyes, she slowly nodded and asked,
"Are you a drow?" He looked confused before saying, "I am an elf," pointing at his ears.
She nodded and sat back down, her vine whip still materialized but visibly calmed down.
"Are you alright? I apologize if my words bothered you," he said, a wry smile on his face.
"...What does 'sorry' mean?" she asked, extremely confused as she looked at the elf, who's smile started twitching.
'The surface has so many new words I have to learn... and I need to get used to the open space and people...' she thought to herself.
[Rolling insight... Nat 20]
'...She's serious, isn't she?'
'...She really forgot that she lost her memories.' The elf thought with a sigh of pity.
============================================
Chapter 3: It's soft.
"'Sorry' is a word people use when they want to tell someone that they feel bad about something they did."
"I see... And what is a familia?"
"...A familia is a group formed by a deity by gathering mortals and giving them their blessing, also known as a Falna. This Falna, in turn, allows the mortals to become stronger. A Falna usually appears on their back as a strange symbol. Do you have something like this?" The elf asked and was slightly shocked when she shook her head.
"...Are you able to cast magic without a Falna? And as quickly as you did before?" She nodded her head, much to his surprise.
'She has memory loss, so there might be a chance that she forgot about the familia she is in. The way she asked about 'Lolth' might mean she was in a bad familia in the past... I'll ask one of the female guild members to see if she has a Falna or not,' he thought to himself.
"I forgot to introduce myself; my name is Arlen." She nodded her head and said,
"My name is Durvekka."
"Is it alright with you if I ask one of our female advisors to see if you have a Falna or not?" he asked slowly and calmly, trying not to provoke her again by accident.
"Mm," she nodded her head and watched Arlen walk out of the room. She then dematerialized her whip as she waited on the soft chair, trailing her arm on the soft armrest as she curled up and rested her head on it.
'...So soft...' she thought to herself as she slowly closed her eyes.
'...These people don't seem to be dangerous either,' she thought as her breathing slowly calmed down.
[Rolling Perception... Unnatural 20]
After a few minutes passed, the door was opened again, which instantly woke Durvekka up. She sat back up and looked at the location of the sound, whip in hand.
She saw a female elf with short brown hair, wearing a strange transparent object over her green eyes.
Durvekka saw that the elf was startled and de-materialized the whip.
"...I forgot where I was. So, sorry," she said, struggling to pronounce the new word.
"...I-it's alright... I didn't mean to startle you," the new elf said, still slightly shocked at almost being attacked. Her expression quickly changed to one of sadness as a soft, kind smile grew on her face.
'To act like this at the first sight of danger...'
"My name is Eina Tulle; it's nice to meet you, Durvekka," she said, while Durvekka only nodded her head.
"If it's alright with you, can I see your back? I want to check if there is any sign of a Falna or not before we help you further." Durvekka nodded her head again and slowly unbuckled her leather armor, taking it off with the rest of her top clothing.
What Eina saw left her mortified—so many gashes and bruises riddled her body. As she turned around to show her back, there were even more gashes than before.
"...What happened to you?" Eina asked, unsure what to do in this situation.
"Drow," she replied.
"They are also known as Dark Elves or Deep Elves." Her tone of voice didn't fluctuate in the slightest while explaining this.
"Dark Elves?"
"Mh, you don't know about them?" Durvekka tilted her head slightly as she looked back at Eina.
[Rolling Insight... 14]
"I don't..." She shook her head.
'...It makes sense; their eyesight should also be sensitive to light,' she thought to herself.
"Do I have a Falna?" Durvekka asked, bringing Eina back to her senses.
'...It doesn't look like she has any,' Eina let out a sigh, unsure if she should be thankful or not.
"You don't have one. You can put your clothes back on." Durvekka nodded her head as she put on all her clothes and armor, making sure to carefully reattach all the extra pouches she had.
"The people that brought you here also dropped off this." Eina handed her a small pouch. "They said it was a gift of gratitude for saving them," she smiled kindly.
"Valis?"
"...You don't know about the currency either?" Her smile froze.
--------------
After a while...
--------------
[Rolling Wisdom Save... 15]
"...Do you understand now?" Eina sat on one of the chairs across from Durvekka, some notes on the table.
"Mm," Durvekka nodded, playing around with the feather pen.
Eina's curiosity finally cave in as she asked, "...I am sorry if this might sound rude, but are you a dwarf?"
"...I am a Duergar, also known as a Grey Dwarf." She replied while still twirling the feather pen.
[Rolling Insight... 21]
"...Do you have any hobbies?" Eina noticed that Durvekka was feeling uncomfortable, so she changed the subject.
"Hobbies?" She tilted her head.
"Things you enjoy doing." She nodded her head at Eina's explanation and said, "I like plants and using them to make things." She pointed at the pouches and pockets on her clothing. She unhooked one of the pouches and showed Eina a few bio-luminescent mushrooms.
"Are you able to make potions?" Eina asked but explained when she saw Durvekka tilting her head.
"A type of liquid made by combining different properties or aspects of plants or other materials. Potions are used to help people recover quicker."
"...I usually make the opposite of potions, but I have made some healing paste for my wounds." Eina nodded her head, before freezing up.
"...Poison?" she asked to confirm her suspicion and saw Durvekka nod her head.
"To stop the Drow and other Duergars from hunting me."
"...Why were they hunting you?"
With each question that Durvekka answered, made Eina's expression drop more and more...
"...Because I liked plants, so they deemed me a heretic in need of cleansing." The image of her wounds appeared in Eina's mind as she stood up and gave Durvekka a hug, the feather pen still in Durvekka's hand.
[Rolling Wisdom Save... 14]
Eina's sudden hug set off alarms in Durvekka's mind as she was about to attack, but she stopped herself and thought, 'Why do I feel water on my neck?' as she heard sniffles from Eina.
"You went through a lot, haven't you?" She muttered through her tears.
'Why does it matter?' Durvekka thought to herself. 'Why do you care?' She was confused and didn't understand why Eina was having such a strange reaction, but she enjoyed the feeling.
"What is this called?"
"A hug."
"...Hug is a new hobby."
-------------------
A few minutes later
-------------------
"I am sorry about that," Eina said, wiping her tears away before putting her glasses back on.
"Isn't 'sorry' meant to be used when you feel bad about something you did? Is hugging a bad thing?"
"...No, hugging isn't a bad thing. I said sorry because I hugged you out of nowhere, which was inappropriate."
"Mh, I think I understand." She nodded her head and started fidgeting with the feather pen again.
'...' All Eina could do was give her a warm smile.
"The reason I asked you about your hobby previously was to try and figure out what familia might suit you, and I think the Miach familia would be perfect. Their god is very kind-hearted, and they make and sell all kinds of potions, so you can learn a lot from them. The other option is the Demeter familia, as they farm fruits and vegetables, and their goddess is also kind-hearted. We can visit them tomorrow, and if you like one of them, you can join them. Otherwise, you can stay with me while we try to find a suitable familia," her voice is calm as she explains the options with a smile on her face.
"Stay with you?"
"Yes, if you don't have a place to stay, then you can come with me to my apartment and live with me for the time being. Are you fine with that?"
"Mh, thank you."
"I'll teach you a few things too, so that you understand the basics at least." Durvekka simply nodded her head, but Eina noticed a small smile on her face.
[Con Save... 18]
Eina picked up the notes on the table and handed one to Durvekka. "Are you able to read and write?"
"I can." Eina nodded her head. "Please fill in this form. This is called an identification paper that is important to have. If there are any problems, then tell me. If it asks something that you don't know or don't have, such as not being part of a familia, then leave it empty."
"Mh, can you show me how this feather works? I usually use a dagger to carve messages." Eina's lips twitched a bit.
'This poor girl...'
After she filled in the identification paper, Eina read through it and asked, "You are 20?"
"Mh."
"...What is considered an adult for your race?"
"50. We can live up to 350 years."
"...What?"
"Aren't elves and dwarves the same?"
"Elves are, but dwarves don't have such a high life expectancy..."
"I see. Is that a problem?"
"Not at all! I was just surprised." Eina coughed lightly to regain composure as she continued.
"We finished the identification papers, so I'll hand them over to one of my friends, and then I can show you around Orario. That is the name of the city."
"Mh. My eyes are sensitive to the light in the sky, so I can't see that well."
"Light in the sky?"
"Mh, the fireball in the sky."
"The sun?"
"Yes."
------------
A while later
------------
"Are you alright?" Eina asked Durvekka, who tried to cover her hand over the sun.
"Mh, trying to get used to the sun," she answered with a nod.
"Do you want to take a look around the city now or tomorrow after we visit the familias? It has been a long day for you."
"...We can explore the area for a little bit today," she said, but it was clear to Eina that she was forcing herself.
"...Alright, I will make sure that I am close by."
[Rolling Perception... 12]
Eina showed Durvekka around the area, or at least tried to, while Durvekka was trying her best to get used to the brightness and stress of all the strangers around them, but she held it together.
As the sun slowly set, it became easier for Durvekka to see her surroundings, and then she looked up.
"Are you alright, Durvekka?"
"...Mh... It's just... I have always dreamed of looking up at the sky..."
=====================================================
Chapter 4: You.
"...Can you show me where your apartment is?" Durvekka asked softly as Eina nodded as they started walking toward their destination.
Eina did most of the talking as they walked and also bought some of the food from the stalls for both of them. Durvekka's fears and stress slowly dwindled as her eyesight improved with the sun setting. The bio-luminescent vines' blue light started to glow.
'Eina called this place a city... I wonder if every camp settlement is like this,' she thought to herself as she looked at the citizens walking around, most of them adventurers leaving the dungeon.
"...Why are there so many people going into that cave?" she asked, pointing at the dungeon.
"It's called the dungeon. Those people who explore it are known as adventurers who hunt and kill the monsters inside of it."
"Why?"
"If adventurers don't exist, then the monsters would spill out of the dungeon and hurt the people. That is the reason why the Gods descended and blessed us with their falna's so that we can become stronger by fighting them,"
"...I see," Durvekka nodded as she stared at the Tower of Babel.
"How dangerous is it?"
"...The first few floors aren't that dangerous if you are careful, but most adventurers are too careless and overestimate their abilities."
"Mmm, I understand," Durvekka's questions concerned Eina, so she asked, "...Are you going to become an adventurer?"
"I need to be stronger for if the drow find me." Eina placed her hand on Durvekka's head as she stopped moving and crouched in front of her.
"...You don't have to worry about them anymore. They won't be able to get you here while you are inside this city," Eina said truthfully while looking into Durvekka's eyes. But her eyes slightly turned dull, her thoughts unknown as she said unemotionally, "There was a time that I thought the same... I don't want to make the same mistake again." Eina looked concerned but ultimately decided to respect her choice as she stood up with a smile.
"Just remember that this time, you are not alone. Make friends and form a team to tackle the dungeon."
"...Friends?" She looked up at Eina curiously.
"'Friends' are people who like to be around each other. They enjoy doing things together, help each other when needed, and care about each other's feelings. They would always be there for each other and wouldn't hesitate to help if needed."
"I see. Thank you." Eina smiled at the absentminded Durvekka and said, "If you don't understand a word, don't hesitate to ask me about it, alright?"
"Mh, I will."
....
"We are here. This place is my apartment. You can sleep on the bed, and I'll use the couch." Eina smiled as she let Durvekka walk inside first.
"Couch? Bed?" Eina knew she should, but she still muttered out her question, "...Where have you been sleeping?"
"In tunnels. I usually get some plants, vines, or leaves as cover to blend in with the surroundings," Durvekka explained as she sat on the oddly wide chair.
"...I'll get the bed ready for you; you can sleep there." Eina was about to walk to her room but saw Durvekka shake her head.
"You don't need to do that; I'll sleep on this wide chair." Durvekka said as she curled up on it with her head on the soft armrest.
"That's the couch. The bed would be more comfortable to sleep on..." Eina tried to explain but was untimely denied by a very decisive, "No."
"...Alright..." She sighed as she walked towards her room.
-----
Durvekka lay down on the couch where she would be sleeping, pressed her hands on its cushions to feel more of its softness.
'...This is nice...' She thought as she saw Eina in the corner of her eye bringing her some blankets and pillows.
"Are these enough?" she asked and handed them to Durvekka.
"It is, thank you," Durvekka said as she took the blankets and pillows, placed them on the couch, and stood up, stretching slightly.
"I'll be walking around for a bit to look at the sky. Is that alright?" She asked as she took her staff that was still lying on the couch.
"...It is; just don't stray too far." Eina sighed but smiled when Durvekka nodded.
'I feel like an older sister,' she thought as she saw Durvekka walk out with her staff in hand.
-----
Durvekka found a random bench outside and lay down on it as she looked up at the sky. It was slowly getting dark as small white shimmering specks became visible.
'...Another sun... Did its flame run out?' She thought as she saw a big rock slowly floating up into the sky amidst the white dots.
A cold breeze fell on her face as a smile appeared.
'I am unsure if I am safer up here than when I was in the Underdark... But I can say for certain.' She slowly stretched her hand up at the sky, almost touching the big rock.
"...That it was worth it."
"The sky's beauty made it worth it." Her smile became wider as she lowered her arm.
-----
After an hour passed, she stood up and walked back to Eina's apartment.
[Rolling Stealth... 16]
[Rolling Perception... 17]
She carefully opened the door and walked inside, seeing that Eina was sitting at a table, engrossed in some paperwork. Not wanting to disturb her, Durvekka walked towards the couch, carefully removed her armor to avoid damaging the plants, and curled up with the blanket wrapped around her and her staff.
It didn't take long for her to fall asleep as her mental exhaustion took over.
The totem around her neck gained a soft blue glow as she slept soundly, dimming again after a few minutes...
[Druid level: 1 ->2]
[Hp: 11 -> 22]
-----
[Rolling Perception... 21]
Durvekka's ears slightly twitched as she heard the sound of someone approaching. She quickly rolled off the couch to unwrap herself from the blanket and stood up, staff in hand.
After opening and closing her eyes a few times, she noticed Eina in front of her with a wry smile on her face as yesterday's memories resurfaced.
"...Sorry," she muttered softly as she lowered her staff and looked down.
"It's fine; you don't have to worry about it," Eina said quickly after seeing Durvekka so down.
"Mh, are we going to visit the Familias now?" she asked, and Eina nodded her head as she readjusted her glasses.
"Yes, we are first going to eat something, and then I'll deliver some of my files to the guild." Durvekka nodded her head and asked, "Are we going to eat more of those Jagamarukun from the stalls?"
"...No, we can't eat those every day as that would be unhealthy," Eina said as she walked toward the kitchen.
"Mh," Durvekka nodded her head as she followed after her, stopping in her tracks and putting her armor back on, making sure all the plants and fungi were still fine in their pouches.
When she was done, she walked toward the place she saw Eina go.
"Is there anything you are unable or unwilling to eat?"
"...Anything inedible."
"Alright." Eina spent a few minutes making them breakfast and a few minutes teaching Durvekka how to use her utensils. They ate in peace.
Although Eina was unsure how to feel when Durvekka ate the vegan meal without an ounce of complaint.
'...I wonder what she has been eating until now...' she thought briefly before suppressing those thoughts.
"Do you like the food?" she asked as she looked at Durvekka eating her meal calmly.
"I like it a lot," she nodded.
-----
They finished eating and started walking toward the guild to drop off Eina's notes. Durvekka started using her staff as a walking stick too so she wouldn't trip and fall.
[Rolling Perception(dis)... 6]
'I can't see anything...' she said, her stress slowly increasing, but she tried to hold herself together so as not to draw more attention to herself.
"Before we visit the Familias, I first want to tell you about some key details that you need to think over. First, Miach-sama is extremely kind, which has put their familia into severe debt. This means they are currently poor and might not be able to buy all the supplies you might need." Durvekka nodded her head and said, "Having less money is no issue; I can always find some plants outside. The main problem I have is sunlight. Does any of those two Familias' work rely on working in the sun?"
"...Yes, the Demeter Familia works mostly on a farm on some land outside of Orario. Most of the work is done in the daytime, which is when the sun is out."
"Mh, I don't think I will join that Familia. I want to gradually get used to the sunlight, but that will impact the amount of use I will have for the Demeter Familia."
"They won't cast you out if you can't help them instantly; there are other tasks you can help with that don't involve being in the sun."
"I know... but I think the Miach Familia would be better. They work with potions, so they won't be in the sun most of the time, and I can still see most of their work in the daytime since they still have an apartment. With the Demeter Familia, I would have to wait until the sun falls to go outside and work... I can also
learn more about the properties of plants from them."
"...Alright... and there is a difference between an apartment and a house..." A soft yet tired smile appeared on Eina's face.
'At least she seems excited,'
-----
After Eina dropped off her files, they walked toward the Miach Familia.
'I wonder if Miach would allow me to make poison too... Eina's reaction didn't seem good when I spoke about it,' Durvekka thought as Eina opened the store's door.
A small bell rang out as a female Chienthrope came into view. Eina walked inside, followed by Durvekka, who was looking at the Chienthrope's ears. She had brown hair and purple eyes, her shirt having one long sleeve covering her right arm with a glove on the same arm.
"Miss Tulle, is there anything I can do for you?" the Chienthrope asked in a sleepy tone.
"I am currently here because Durvekka has an interest in joining your familia. She likes working with plants and has an interest in potion crafting." Her words shocked the Chienthrope.
"Are you sure? Haven't you heard about the amount of debt we are in?" Her face had no sign of the previous sleepiness.
"Mh." All she got in return was a nod from the ashen-grey-skinned dwarf.
"And you still want to join?"
"I want to talk with Miach first," The Chienthrope rubbed her forehead slightly.
"...Shouldn't your tone be more respectful towards Miach-sama?"
"...I don't know," she shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head slightly.
"..." Eina and the Chienthrope looked at Durvekka speechlessly as she, in turn, looked confused.
"...I'll go get Miach-sama, and you two can talk to him about joining the familia. My name is Naaza. Nice meeting you, D-Durvekka," she said, struggling a bit with the pronunciation but succeeding in the end.
"Mh, nice to meet you too."
-----
They were currently in another room as they waited a minute when Miach entered.
"I am sorry for making you wait. I heard from Naaza that you wish to join my familia," Miach said with a smile on his face as he entered the room and took a seat.
"Mh, first I want to know about the limits of potions I am allowed to craft," Durvekka said unusually seriously.
"...Um, Durvekka, can you be a little bit more respectful? He is a god," she said when Durvekka tilted her head.
"Is that by adding -sama after his name? I prefer not to do that; it might waste time in a fight that could lead to someone's death," Miach and Eina's faces slightly dropped as Durvekka explained her reasoning.
"That's..." Eina tried to say something, but Miach stopped her.
"It's fine. She can talk to me in the way that she feels more comfortable. As for your question, there aren't any limits," This made Durvekka smile a little as she asked, "Can I make poison too?" Those four words made Eina and Miach freeze slightly as her smile dropped again.
"Is that bad?"
"T-that... would depend on the kind of poison," Miach said, a bit shocked.
"I mainly make inhalation or ingestion-type poisons that paralyze the targets. I only use deadly poison when it is necessary," she said while pointing at some of the pouches on her person.
"...Do you have anything poisonous on you?"
"Mh," Miach sighed slightly at her nod and asked, "Why do you want to make poison here and why do you have them?"
"For protection."
"From whom?"
"You."
===================================================
Chapter 5: Falna.
Miach was shocked and confused by Durvekka's words; Eina was the same. Everything that Miach heard was true.
[Rolling Insight... nat 20]
"...The reason I have all my scars is that a goddess ordered her followers to hunt me down. I know that it is wrong of me to blame an entire group for one person's actions, but throughout my entire life, I hadn't seen a single sign of any deity's help... So, even if a vial of the poison seems insignificant against a deity," she said as she looked into Miach's eyes.
"But it makes me feel calm and safe if I keep them on me and work on my skills." Miach smiled as he stared back into Durvekka's eyes.
"The reason us gods can walk between mortals is because we sealed away our divinity in these vessels. So right now, I am as strong and as durable as any Falnaless mortal. Once we die, we get sent back to Tenkai with no way of descending again."
"If some of your airborne poisons were to go free, then I would most likely die from it,"
"Hm, I will be careful."
"...I'll allow you to work on your poison, but only if you use your deadly ones on monsters and not on other people," he smiled as Durvekka nodded her head.
"Mh, I understand."
"...Miss Eina, is this fine with you? You do work for the guild."
"...There are no rules against the use of poison in the dungeon, so it will be alright. Just be careful while making them, Durvekka." She sighed as she looked at Durvekka, trying to hide her concern.
"mh, I will."
"Is there anything else you would like to know about my familia?"
"No, thank you for allowing me to join."
"You don't have to worry about that, I listened to your reasoning and I accept it." Miach waved his hand lightly and stood up from his seat, walking to the drawers.
"Mh, so how do I join?"
"I have to drop a bit of my blood on your back so that I can give you my falna," he said calmly as he took out a piece of paper and a needle.
"Okay," she nodded her head and started taking off her armor, before Eina stopped her.
"...You don't have to take everything off, you can just lift the back of your shirt for Miach-sama to give his Falna. Also, you should never tell anyone you don't trust about what's on your Falna as that is something only you and your god should know." She said hastily.
"Only those I can fully trust?" Durvekka tilted her head as she looked at Eina.
"Yes," Eina nodded.
"...Can you wait outside please," Durvekka said softly to Eina, who slowly nodded her head as she walked outside.
"..." Miach shook his head slightly as he walked closer to Durvekka.
"Please lie down on your stomach while lifting up the back of your shirt," Durvekka nodded and did just that.
Miach saw all the injuries on her back and let out a small sigh, a look of sadness on his face.
'No wonder she struggles to trust others.'
"Do you trust Miss Tulle?" Miach asked as he prepared the needle.
"...I am trying to," she said softly as she closed her eyes.
"..." A soft smile appeared on Miach's face as he nodded his head and let a droplet of his blood fall on her back, a light soon flashed as a tattoo appeared on Durvekka's back. Miach read the text and was shocked at what he saw.
"...This..."
"Is there a problem?"
"...No," Miach shook his head as he copied the status and handed it to Durvekka. She sat upright and fixed her shirt and read her status.
Lv. 1
Strength: I0 Endurance: I0 Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0 Magic: I0
[Druidic Magic]:
Description: Druidic Magic is a form of magic that druids wield, deeply connected to the natural world. Druids can cast a variety of spells that manipulate nature, heal allies, and control the elements.
-Cantrips: Uses no mind; Guidance, Thorn whip, Chill Touch.
-Spells:
[Wild Shape]
Description: As a mystical druid, you gain the ability to change your form into a beast you have seen before. Current limitations: It can't be a creature of the sky or sea, and it is limited to two uses before needing rest.
[Druid, Circle of Spores]: H
-Druidic Spellcasting: Spells can be changed.
-Halo of Spores: Toxic spores surround you and can be slightly controlled to latch onto others.
'It summarized all of my previous abilities, but I don't understand the druid circle of spores part...' She tilted her head as her eyes narrowed.
"I know about my magic, but what does the druid, circle of the spores part mean?" Miach raised his eyebrow and asked, "You had those abilities before you got your falna?"
"Hm, but [chill touch], [Wild shape] and [Halo of Spores] are new." She nodded. Miach held his chin as he started thinking.
"Hmm, were you always able to change the spells you were able to use?"
"Yes, but it takes a lot of time to change them. I usually do it before I sleep."
"I see, how many of these spells can you cast?"
"I usually had a limit of being able to use three different spells and I only had enough mana to cast two... I think I now have enough to cast three and use four spells."
"Is that because the third spell costs too much mind?"
"No, I have the ability to cast any one of them, but my mana limits me to only cast three spells."
"...I see..." Miach nodded his head and patted her head.
"Well then, you are now an official member of my familia. I am glad to have you." He smiled as Durvekka looked closer at her status sheet.
"Hm, thank you for accepting me." She handed him her status sheet as she stood up and reattached her armor.
"Do you always wear your armor?"
"Hm, for protection." Miach smiled and said, "You won't need to wear your armor while inside of our store. Try to relax a bit,"
"...Hm," She nodded her head as her leather armor was back on. She picked up her staff and walked back towards the door and opened it.
"Sorry, Eina. We are done with the Falna." Eina smiled softly and ruffled her hair slightly.
"It's alright, Durvekka. You have been through a lot so I understand." Maich looked at their interaction with a kind smile, "Miss Tulle, is it alright for you to be Durvekka's guild advisor? You already know a few things about her, so it lessens her stress with interacting and giving away information to new people."
"Sure, I don't mind," she nodded her head reassuringly as she looked down to Durvekka.
"Is that fine with you, Durvekka?"
"Hm,"
Eina readjusted her glasses as she said sternly, "Remember to come visit me at the guild before you enter the dungeon and after you leave. You can go to the first and second floor, but don't go further before you are extremely sure that you would be fine."
"mh,"
"Good, I am going back to the guild and report on you joining the Miach familia. You can come visit me at any time if there are any problems."
"mh, I will. Thank you for helping me,"
"Of course,"
-----
[Rolling Perception... 18]
Durvekka walked back towards the storefront and saw Naaza standing at the counter lazily. A few potions are missing from the counter.
"So you joined the familia?" Naaza asked lazily, but a small smile could be seen on her face.
"mh,"
"Why?" She asked curiously, still not understanding this girl.
"Potion crafting,"
"...What have you made before?" She asked with a sigh.
"Healing paste to stop bleeding and help close my wounds. Some antidotes too,"
"Have you brewed any potions?"
"Not yet, Miach said that he is getting everything ready for me to learn," her eyes twitched slightly at the way Durvekka addressed Miach's name.
"It's Miach-sama... Or at least have some respect in your tone when addressing him," she sighed.
Durvekka thought for a bit as she heard Naaza's words, "...I will try,"
-----
"I have all our supplies ready, we don't have a lot of supplies, so try to listen well as I explain," Miach said sternly as he placed all the ingredients neatly to the side.
"mh," Her ears twitched slightly as she stood on a chair to look over the table.
"Alright, first, we are going to prepare the ingredients for a basic healing potion. The ingredients we are going to use are dandelion, echinacea, willow bark, and yarrow. First, remove two petals from the dandelion, echinacea, and yarrow, and place them inside the mortar. Be careful not to damage the pappus and stem as those can be reused for other medicines." He carefully plucked the petals from the flowers and neatly placed the leftovers in a separate box.
"Now, we break a small piece of the willow bark, approximately half an inch. We then drop it into a cup of hot water and let it soak for 2-3 minutes." He broke the small piece of the willow bark and carefully dropped it into a cup of hot water.
"Next, we crush up these petals with the pestle until they turn into a paste-like substance. When this is done, we place the paste in a separate container where we pour in 1/5th of room temperature water." He picked up a thin device and showed it, dipped it into the cup first as it showed some numbers. Then he took it out and poured 1/5th of the water into the container with the paste.
"You can use this device to check if the temperature is correct; it should read between 20-22°C (68–72 °F)."
"Now, we place a mesh over the container with the willow bark and pour that water into the container with the paste, then mix the substances." He said as he carefully covered the container with the mesh, stopping the small pieces of bark from falling out. As he mixed the combination, it slowly gained a reddish hue.
"As you can see, it slowly
turns into a reddish tint, which means that the potion was a success. Now it needs to set for a minute and it will be ready," Durvekka nodded her head and asked, "Can the willow bark pieces be reused for more potions?"
"Yes, we can make 3 potions with one piece before it becomes diluted,"
"Mh, I understand. Should we clean the mortar after each use?"
"It is only necessary to clean the mortar if we make a different kind of potion or if we are done crafting," Maich explained calmly as he placed the containers closer for Durvekka and said, "You can also reuse the same containers, but remember to not get them mixed up. As the paste container's residue would ruin the process of the willow bark."
[Rolling Herbalism... 19]
"Mh," She nodded her head and picked up the three flowers, carefully picking two petals off of each and placing the flowers back inside their box. She then placed the petals inside the mortar, and after that she followed Miach's words to the letter, creating her first potion with ease.
"Well done." Miach said proudly as he looked at the potion she made.
"Thank you," she smiled, looking proud in her own words.
"I only have the necessary supplies for basic health potions for now, you can make a few more if you want to, I'll see if I can get more ingredients to help your studies."
"Aren't we in debt?" Miach shook his head slightly.
"You don't need to worry about that," Durvekka waved her hand slightly, similar to what Miach did before.
"It's fine, I will go visit Eina and then go to the dungeon. When I get enough money, then I can purchase some supplies that you can use to teach me." Miach slumped down slightly as he said, "...You can still rely on us too, you are in my familia,"
"Hm, I am relying on your teaching."
========================================================
Chapter 6: Floor 1.
Durvekka made a few more potions before leaving for the guild.
[Rolling Perception (Dis)... 9]
The moment she stepped outside of the store, she was hit by the immediate blindness of the sun in her eyes.
She stood there in front of the store for a few seconds before turning back around into the store and looking for Miach. She found him in his room writing in a book.
"Is there a problem, Durvekka?" he asked as he turned around to look at her, concerned.
"My eyes are sensitive to sunlight, so I can't see. Can you please take me to the guild and then to the dungeon?" she asked quietly with her head slightly down.
"That's alright, I'll go with you." He closed his book and stood up from his chair.
"Thank you."
They walked to the storefront as Miach said, "Durvekka's eyes are sensitive to sunlight, so I'll be taking her to the guild and dungeon for the time being."
"Alright, Miach-sama." Naaza nodded as she waved them goodbye.
"We are at the guild," he said to Durvekka as he opened the door and helped her inside.
"Hm." She blinked a few times when she walked inside.
"Are you alright?" Miach asked, concerned, as he stood next to her.
"Hm, my eyes got a little blurry." She frowned slightly as it got better.
"Alright, I saw Eina at one of the counters. We can meet her there."
"Hm, thank you." She nodded as she looked around and saw where Miach pointed. They both walked toward the counter as Eina turned towards them, a concerned expression on her face.
"I didn't expect you two to come here so soon. Did something go wrong?" she asked, a little too loudly.
"No, I wanted to check out the dungeon for today. I asked Miach to come with me because of the sun." Eina let out a sigh of relief as she calmed down.
"Alright, just remember to stay on the top two floors for now. It gets worse the further you go down. Also, the monsters have monster stones inside them, so make sure to take them out. Kobolds' and goblins' stones are in their chests."
"Do you have anything to extract the stones?"
"...I have my thorn whip..." Eina shook her head at that and stood up from her chair, picking up one of the starter daggers the guild issues.
"Here, you can use this to extract the stones."
"Mh, thank you."
"You can thank me by returning safely. Please come back to the guild after you return from the dungeon." Eina's concern is evident on her facial expression.
"Mh, I will."
"She is kind, don't you think so?" Miach asked Durvekka, who stayed close to him to block the sun out of her eyes.
[Rolling History... 19]
"...Mh. She has helped me out a lot..." She nodded as she suddenly remembered the adventurers she saved.
'I wonder how they are doing,' she thought absentmindedly.
"We are here," Miach said as he stood before the entrance of the dungeon.
"I am not allowed to go further, but I wish you good luck on your adventure. Please stay safe." He patted her head lightly and waved at her as she entered the dungeon.
As Durvekka walked down the stairs to enter the dungeon, she saw a lot of other adventurers glancing at her too but ignored it.
She finally made it down to the first floor of the dungeon and walked forward.
'They are weaker on the top few floors according to Eina, but I shouldn't let my guard down,' she thought as she explored the dungeon in search of a few goblins.
[Rolling Perception... 19]
[Rolling Stealth... 5]
It didn't take long for her to hear a few goblins close to her. She tried to sneak up on them, but she failed as she came too close to the wall and hit her staff against it, making a loud enough thud for the goblins to hear.
'...There seem to be three of them,' she thought as she moved away from the wall to avoid alerting more that might be close by. She cast her new cantrip, Chill Touch.
She struggled a little bit to cast it, but it worked as a spectral skeleton hand materialized at the first goblin's space and gripped its face, sucking the life out of it as the goblin dropped to the floor.
[Goblin #1: 5 -> -1]
She then readied her staff as the other two ran towards her. The moment one of the goblins got close, she activated [Halo of Spores].
[Con save... 12]
The spores were inhaled by one of the goblins but failed to harm it. It tried to scratch Durvekka with its sharp nails, scraping her arm with its left claw and missing the second swipe. The third goblin tried to bite her arm but barely missed as Durvekka moved out of the way. It tried to follow up by scratching her chest, but it couldn't pierce her armor as she summoned her whip and slammed it into the goblin that missed, striking its head as it fell to the ground.
[Durvekka: 22 -> 19]
[Goblin #3: 4 -> 0]
She then lifted her right hand that held her staff and struck the second goblin in the head, causing it to take a few steps back.
[Goblin #2: 6 -> 2]
[Con save: 14]
The goblin shook its head, ignoring the spores as it launched itself forward, opening its mouth wide, and biting her arm. Then it lifted its left arm and tried to scratch her face. Durvekka gritted her teeth as she moved her face out of the way, then wrapped her whip around its throat and pulled it to the side, causing the thorns to dig into its throat and killing it.
[Durvekka: 19 -> 14]
[Goblin #2: 2 -> -2]
"..." She looked silently at their bodies as she used her whip to bring the first goblin's corpse closer.
She then took out her dagger and started extracting the stones.
[Rolling Survival... 14]
It took her a minute to find the exact location of the stone, but she found it with the use of her knife and extracted the other two goblins' stones too. She stored the miniature purple stones inside one of her pockets and took out a small leaf ball from one of her bags and opened it slightly.
[Rolling Medicine... Nat 20]
[Rolling Perception... Nat 1]
{Healing paste - requires a medicine check of 10. On success, heals 1d4 + 2 and stops bleeding. A crit success is max healing + an extra d4. (Can't be used in a fight). A ball has five 'uses' but uses one per wound.}
After placing her finger in the small hole, she scooped out some of the paste and carefully rubbed it on her wounds.
[Durvekka: 14 -> 21/22]
Durvekka was so focused on healing her wounds that she didn't notice a goblin coming out of the wall behind her.
[Rolling Hit (adv)... 15]
As it climbed out of the wall, it instantly used its sharp nails to scrape them along the back of her neck and tried again but failed as some spores entered its mouth. Durvekka was shocked at the sudden attack as she turned around and saw the goblin wobbling around.
[Con save... 6]
[Durvekka: 21 -> 17/22]
[Goblin: 7 -> 3/7]
The goblin's nose started bleeding as Durvekka raised her staff, held it with both hands, and smashed it downwards against the goblin's head.
[Goblin: 3 -> -5]
'I need to focus more on my surroundings,' she thought as she extracted this one's stone, and like the rest of them, its corpse turned into ash.
'After spending a day in safety, I've lost my focus,' she frowned as she looked at her surroundings carefully.
[Rolling Perception... Nat 20 (Wtf)]
She saw no monsters and decided to move on, deeper into the dungeon.
'I have one full leaf ball, while the other one has enough for three more wounds,' she thought as she nodded to herself.
'I also have [Cure Wounds] as one of my spells if things get risky.' She nodded to herself and walked forward, focusing on her senses for any monsters around her.
It didn't take long for her to find another group, but this time it was two goblins and one kobold.
[Rolling Stealth... 5]
She looked at them as all three of the monsters turned around and charged at her, but the first goblin tripped as it fell over its own legs, hitting its head on the ground. The other goblin and kobold ran past it as they came closer to her.
(It took 1d4 bludgeoning damage and got 4 lol)
[Goblin #1: 5 -> 1/5]
They were still a decent distance away as a skeletal hand gripped the closest one's shoulder, stealing its life force. She then walked closer with her staff in her right hand and thrust it into its stomach as the goblin fell to the floor.
[Goblin #2: 8 -> 2/8]
[Goblin #2: 2 -> -1/8]
The kobold at her side tried to bite her, but she dodged to the side as the kobold slashed its claws against her left arm. The goblin that fell at the start slowly stood up and tried to attack Durvekka too, but blood slowly pooled in its mouth as it fell to the floor again.
[Durvekka: 17 -> 16/22]
[Con save... Crit fail]
[Goblin #1: 1 -> -1/5]
She summoned her whip and swiped it towards the kobold as it tried to move out of the way, only to be slightly scraped by a few thorns against its skin. Durvekka then gripped her staff and tried to slam it against its side, but it dodged out of the way.
[Kobold: 7 -> 5/7]
[Kobold Claw: Crit fail]
The kobold, as it dodged, tried to use its claw to scratch the hand that was holding the staff, only to trip and lose its balance. Durvekka noticed this and took advantage of it by gripping her staff with both hands and slamming it upwards against the kobold's face as it fell backward.
[Kobold: 5 -> -2/7]
[Rolling Perception... 15]
After seeing that no other monsters were nearby, she nodded to herself and began extracting their stones. This time she stayed vigilant.
====================================================
Chapter 7: floor 2.
[Rolling Survival... 15]
She carefully extracted all of their stones but noticed that as the kobold and one of the Goblins disappeared, they left behind extra items. The kobold left behind a nail while the Goblin left behind a fang.
'So they can leave behind extra materials too.' She thought as she picked them up and stood in the middle of the room so that she wouldn't be caught by surprise from a monster coming out of the walls.
[Rolling Medicine... 15]
She took out the already opened leaf ball and used the last bit of paste on the more concerning wounds, but this time she still paid attention to her surroundings.
[Durvekka: 14->19/22]
She looked around one last time before walking deeper inside the dungeon. It only took a little while before she found the stares that takes her further downward into the dungeon.
[Wisdom save... 14]
'...I'll scout the closest areas around the stairs so that I can run back if things get bad.' She thought as she slowly walked downwards.
[Rolling Perception check... 16]
As she entered the second floor, it looked exactly the same as the first floor. She gripped her staff and slowly walked further into the second floor.
'Eina didn't mention any new monsters on this floor, but I have to stay vigilant.' She thought as she she looked around.
[Rolling Survival... 23]
She walked into one of the dungeon 'rooms' when something felt extremely off, she felt an extreme sense of danger inside this room as she slowly stepped back and cast [Fearie fire] inside the room.
[Rolling three dex saves... 8, 18, nat 20]
She saw a dim light shine at the corner of he eye as she saw a brown quadrupedal lizard with sucker discs on its feet. slowly making climbing the wall while looking at her.
She squinted her eyes, as she still felt that sense of danger, so she slowly backed away from the lizard.
'...I want to smack Eina with my staff,' She thought as she barely noticed two shadows pouncing at her in the corner at her eye.
[Rolling dex save... 12, 16]
She dodge the first one as she stepped to the side, but barely had enough time to dodge the second one.
[Rolling dex save... 15]
The lizard she saw before took this opportunity to pounce on her too, but she used her previous momentum to jump out of the way.
'...This is going to be trouble...' She thought to herself as she looked at the three lizards. Two on her front and one at her back.
She instantly cast {Entangle} as vines and grasp vines burst out of the floor, but all of the lizards managed to break from their grasps as they struggled to get close to her as she ran to the left side of the room by using the randomly sprouted vines to her advantage. (A/N}She uses this spell a lot, so I would think that she would be used to the difficulty terrain so not suffer from it)
While being at the side, she used her last bit of mana to cast {Ice knife} as a shard of ice forms in her left hand that she threw at the middle lizard that struck it and exploded.
[Rolling three dex saves(Dis)... nat 1, 11, 10]
The middle lizard took the full brunt of the damage as the knife exploded right in it's face, while the other two were cut by the sharp shards of ice.
[Lizard #2: 24 ->2/24]
[Lizard #1: 23->15/23]
[Lizard #3: [26->18/26]
[Con save... 8]
The face of the middle lizard was extremely bloody by all the small ice shards as it rushed the last bit of distance to get to Durvekka while struggling to step over all the vines and grasping weeds as the other two followed suit. When they got to her, the first and third lizard each bit Durvekka's arms while the middle Lizard tried to bite her shoulder, but fell in front of her as a few spores flew around it.
[Lizard #2: 2->0/24]
[Durvekka: 16->12->8/22]
[Rolling two con saves...Nat 20, 22]
She gritted her teeth as she tried to maintain the concentration of her {Entangle} spell and succeeded as she grinned slightly.
With two lizards latched onto her, blood running down her arms. She didn't have any more mana left and had no guarantee to finish them off here with her whips, so she decided to go with her backup plan.
Ripping her left arm free, she quickly shoved it into one of her pockets to grab one of the wooden vials and opened it in front of the two lizards.
[Rolling two con saves...11, 10]
[Rolling con save(Adv)... 22]
The poison was quickly inhaled by the two lizards as the paralysis took hold of them and they fell to the floor, unable to move. Durvekka inhaled some of the poison, but was managed to stay clear of its effect as she gripped her staff with both arms and quickly slammed it into the first lizard.
[Lizard #1: 15->-5]
She then walked deeper into the difficult terrain her spell caused, walking for about 25 feet away from the lizard that is still paralyzed.
[Con save... 10]
She sighed slightly in relief as she saw that it stayed down, she then cast {Chill Touch} and then walked closer and finished it off with her staff.
[Lizard #3: [18->13-> -1/26]
She quickly used the last bit of her healing paste in order to stop the bleeding as she sat on top of one of the corpses.
[Rolling Medicine... Nat 20]
She carefully rubbed her wounds with the medicine, using most of them on the wounds on her arms.
[Durvekka: 8-> 20/22]
[Rolling survival... 17]
She quickly looked for their stones and extracted them as their corpses dispersed into ash. She placed them in her pockets and quickly ran back towards the stairs to leave the second floor.
'Either Eina lied when she said that the second floor is fine or I got unlucky,' She thought to herself as she walked up the stairs and made her way through the first floor. Blood still dripping down her arms, but the bleeding stopped.
[Rolling stealth... 18]
She carefully walked along the corridors not to be noticed by the monsters that spawn. It took her a while but she finally made it back to the staircase and walked all the way to the top in order to exit the dungeon. A few adventurers were shocked at the amount of blood on her arms but ignored it as she walked past them towards the guild.
'Luckily the sun has already started to set.' She thought as she walked along the shade in order to block the sun from her eyes.
-----
She walked inside the guild and slowly walked towards the counter where Eina was, who took a while to notice her, and her face instantly went to shock and concern.
"Durvekka! What happened, are you alright?" Eina asked loudly as Durvekka walked closer.
[Rolling Insight... 9]
'I can't tell if her concern is legitimate or not...' She thought as she said, "I already closed the worst wounds. I went to the second floor and got ambushed by three lizards," She said motionlessly as she stared, dead eyed at Eina.
"That... shouldn't be possible. They only spawn in a group of one per room." She said as she went through her notes. And apologized profusely.
"I am so sorry Durvekka, I haven't given you enough information on the second floor that might have cost you your life. It is a miracle that you survived." She bowed her head as Durvekka slightly nodded her head.
"...I will forgive you this time as you have done a lot for me, but if you fail to give me information like this again, then I'll stop talking to you completely." She said as Eina nodded seriously.
"I promise that I won't make such a mistake ever again," Durvekka smiled slightly as she nodded in her return.
"Where do I sell their stones? A kobold and goblin dropped extra items too," Eina pointed towards the exchange area.
"You can drop the items at one of those booths and then they will give you the money in return." Durvekka nodded and was about to walk towards that area before Eina interrupted her.
"Are you sure you are alright?" The concern was evident in his voice as she glanced at Durvekka's blood ridden arms.
"I am,"
Durvekka walked towards the exchanged area and dropped off the six goblin, one kobold and three lizard stones with the two drop items. She got 2650 valis in return and pocketed the amount as she walked back towards the store.
'I'll need to make more healing paste... and bring some potions with me too,' She thought as she walked inside the store.
"Wel- Durvekka?! What happened to you!?" Naaza yelled in surprise.
"Got ambushed by three lizards at floor two. Barely killed them." She said absentmindedly, deep in thought as she walked towards Miach's room.
"Are you alright? Let me get some potions for-," Durvekka interrupted her," I Already stopped the bleeding. Using potions now would be a waste," She said as she went to the back of the shop.
She opened Miach's door and walked inside,"I'm back," She said as Miach jumped slightly by Durvekka's sudden visit.
"Welc- Take this healing potion," He said as he held the one from his desk in front of her.
"I already stopped the bleeding,"
"That doesn't matter to me, you still have other wounds, right?"
"...Mh, thank you," She thanked him softly as she took the potion and drank it. She felt the smaller wounds close up instantly.
[Durvekka: 20->22/22]
"Do you want me to update your status?"
"Hm," She un clipped her armor which was riddled with bite marks and scratches. After carefully placing it on the floor.
"You can sit on this chair and show me your back,"
"Mh," She nodded and sat at the side of the chair, with her back visible to Miach. He picked up a needle and dropped a bit of blood on her falna. Fragments of her achievements floated into Miach's memories as he slightly frowned.
"...What exactly happened?" He asked as he copied her status on an extra piece of paper.
"I got ambushed by three lizards. According to Eina, there shouldn't have been three." She said as she took the extra piece of paper from Miach's hands.
Lv. 1+
Strength: G259 Endurance: G233 Dexterity: H188
Agility: I94 Magic: C658
"The requirements for a level up is to have one stat at least D ranking and to complete a significant feat. By surviving that and killing three Dungeon lizards at level one was a significant feat. Do you want to level up now or hold it off? All stats go down to I0 after the level up," Miach said, proud of Durvekka's achievements, but a slight sternness was heard in his voice.
"...I think I'll stay as a level one for now." Miach nodded with a kind smile on his face.
"What do you think about your new skill?"
=================================================
Chapter 8: Trying again.
[Heightened Instincts]: Increases your survival instincts in sensing danger and slightly enhances your reaction time to respond to those dangers. (+2 to Dex saves and survival checks related to instincts)
Active Effect: When surrounded by multiple enemies, you can boost your overall reaction time to increase your likelihood of dodging their attacks. After using this skill, your instincts and reaction time will be dulled. (Enemies are on dis until her next turn,Survival instinct checks temp loses all bonuses, dex saves loses the +2)
"...I like it," she smiled softly as she fixed her shirt and stood up.
"Where can I wash off all of this blood and my clothes?" Miach opened the door of his room for her and said, "I'll take you to our washroom at the back; it is pretty basic to save some money."
"Hm," she nodded as she walked out of his room and then followed him to the back. There were two barrels with some water inside of them.
"You can climb inside the barrels and clean yourself there, and wash your clothes in the same one, then hang them up on those ropes. Do you have extra clothes?" Durvekka shook her head.
"...I'll go get you one of my shirts for now and buy you some casual wear," Miach said as he walked away.
"Mh, thank you," she said softly and unclipped her armor and then took off her clothes as she climbed inside the barrel.
"...This is nice," she muttered as she felt the warm water on her skin. She started scrubbing the blood off her body and grabbed her clothes to do the same.
Miach dropped by a minute later and placed his shirt at the side as he quietly left the room.
The water started taking on a more reddish tint as she rubbed off the blood from her armor too, after unclipping all the pouches that held her plants and poisons. After she was done, she climbed out of the barrel and dried herself off with a washcloth and put on her undergarments and Miach's shirt.
She then hung up all of her clothes and used the washcloth to dry off her armor.
When everything was finished, she walked towards the shop entrance and asked Naaza, "Where will I be sleeping?"
"The second room on your left down the hall... Why are you wearing Miach-sama's shirt?" She squinted her eyes.
[Rolling Insight... unnatural 20]
"My clothes needed to be washed," Durvekka said as she tilted her head to the side.
"Is that a problem?" she asked, confused.
"...No, I was just curious," Naaza shook her head slightly as she glanced at Durvekka's face.
'She isn't lying,' Naaza thought as she let out a sigh of relief.
'...She's strange,' Durvekka thought as she went to her new room and placed her armor and pouches carefully on her bed.
The room wasn't too big, just enough space for one bed, a small desk with a wooden chair, and a cabinet in one of the corners of the room.
Durvekka took one of the pouches with her empty leaf balls and walked towards the potion creation room.
[Rolling Herbalism... unnatural 20]
'Let's see if I can use these plants to make my healing paste too,' she thought as she took one petal of each flower and broke off a much smaller piece of the bark than last time. She then soaked that small piece into 1/4th of a cup of water as she crushed the petals with the mortar and pestle until they turned into a mush-like substance.
After a few minutes, she poured a bit of that water onto the mush and then started crushing it again with the pestle until it took on the same paste-like consistency. She rubbed a small amount on her palm and waited for a few minutes.
'No bad reaction, and it seems to have some healing effect too.' She nodded to herself as she cleaned her previous leaf balls and then placed the paste inside of them, making a few extra supplies to avoid wasting the willow bark.
In total, she refilled the two she used up and then filled up an empty leaf ball she had. After yawning, she stored the three balls inside her pouch and walked into her room. She moved the armor and pouches to her desk as she wrapped the blanket around herself and her staff, soon drifting off to sleep.
-----
After waking up, she unwrapped herself from her blanket bindings and sat upright, her staff lying next to her. She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times as she looked around groggily. Seeing a neatly folded pile of clothes, she picked them up and looked at them.
'So these are my new clothes...' She smiled softly as she took off Miach's shirt and put on the new clothes. It was just a normal long-sleeve shirt and some well-fitted trousers.
'It's comfortable.' She smiled softly as she did some light stretches. She then clipped on her armor and reattached her pouches again as she walked out of her room.
[Rolling Perception... 17]
Her nose twitched slightly as a nice aroma started drifting into her nose.
'...Smells delicious,' she thought as she followed the scent towards the store's kitchen.
"Good morning, Durvekka, did you sleep well?" Miach asked with a smile on his face. His brown robe was hung on one of the chairs and was replaced by an apron as he was busy making breakfast.
"...Good morning, Miach, Naaza. It was the best I have ever slept," she greeted them both and sat down in the chair next to Naaza. Miach kept smiling, but his lip slightly twitched as a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes that the two didn't notice.
'She found a cheap bed that comfortable?' Miach thought as he glanced at Durvekka. She was telling the truth after sleeping on one of the cheapest beds he could have bought.
"Is there anything you can't eat?" he said as he made some simple bacon with toast.
"Anything inedible," she repeated the same words she said to Eina as she played around with some spores.
Naaza was simply staring at Durvekka sleepily and asked, "Are you going back to the dungeon today?"
"Mh, after I visit Eina, then I will go back to the dungeon." Naaza slightly frowned. "You nearly died yesterday; why are you going back so quickly?"
"If I don't get stronger, then I'll have to continue running for my life. I'd rather die trying to get stronger than run for my life," she said calmly as Miach placed the food on the table.
"Fro-" Before Naaza could ask another question, Miach stopped her.
"There is no need for that. Durvekka is in my familia, so no matter who is after her, I will look after her." Naaza's ears lowered slightly.
"The same goes for you, Naaza." Her ears perked up instantly.
'They are strange,' Durvekka thought as she quietly nibbled on her piece of toast.
-----
"Thank you for walking me to the guild again," Durvekka said as she entered the guild.
"There is no need to thank me for that," he smiled at her and followed her towards Eina.
"Good morning, Miss Tulle," Miach greeted her as Eina smiled at the two.
"Good morning, Miach-sama, Durvekka. I have all the notes on the monsters and their floors ready." She said, a bit of guilt still on her face as she looked at Durvekka.
"Mh, thank you. Can you tell me about the monsters up to floor seven?" Eina squinted her eyes at the question.
"Are you going to go to floor seven today?"
"It depends on how well it goes. When I go down the floors, I stay close to the stairs and scout out the rooms nearby first. It will also depend on the monsters that you say are down there," Eina nodded her head slightly, still a bit unsure.
"First, the dungeon lizard you fought uses its suction cups on its feet to climb the walls and ambush adventurers. They appear on floors 2-5. Then there are the frog shooters; they are one-eyed frogs that use their tongues to attack at range. They appear on floors 5-6..." Eina continued to explain in detail about the monsters up to floor 7.
"...I might go to floor 4 and stop there then, if it goes well then I will try out floor 5. I feel stronger after I updated my stats, but I don't want that feeling to cause my death," Eina nodded her head seriously.
"You still have to be careful. Even if it isn't always noticeable, monsters do get stronger with each floor. Added to the fact that they start to spawn more frequently on floor 5 onward. The dungeon lizards and frog shooters themselves are bad together, as the frog shooters would take the adventurers' attention away, causing the dungeon lizards to ambush them," Durvekka nodded her head seriously.
"Thank you for your help," Durvekka bowed slightly as she walked away from Eina, leaving Miach and Eina behind.
"...I need to teach her how to say goodbye," Eina sighed as Miach chuckled slightly.
"I'll make sure she doesn't get lost. See you next time, Miss Tulle." Miach smiled as he bid her farewell.
-----
"Before you go, take this," Miach said has he handed her a small satchel.
"Mh?" She looked at it, confused, but took it from him.
"It has three healing potions inside of it and some extra space for magic stones," She nodded her head as she slung it around her shoulder after placing the healing potions into one of her other pouches.
"Hm, thank you." She said as she walked towards the dungeon entrance, but this time with more information on the monsters below.
============================================================