Rising World by Schnee Kris

Author:Schnee, Kris
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2021-10-01T00:00:00+00:00

13. The Hollow Refilled

They got woken up at dawn. A farmer woman walked into the barn with a steaming tray, saying, "Time for breakfast and dungeon delving."

Vonn had hay stuck in his fur. Groggily he sniffed at the sweet berry porridge. "Thanks, ma'am. We'll do our best today." The others had all signed on. Tazo made no mention of stories; she was busy checking the knife and potion-bottles she carried.

After scarfing down food they met at the hillock with the dungeon entrance. The two commanders for this expedition were the trapper Kobold named Zett -- a Craftsman by class, second class carefully unspecified -- and the Human wizard. The village's master, Baron Gunther, was absent. Vonn made a note to seek him out later.

The mage said, "Thank you all. The dungeon is respiring now, so it's not in panic mode. On the other hand the place has probably reset its traps and monsters. The target is our trapped townsfolk, who if we're lucky, are holed up in the tavern or a similar room. Follow at a safe distance behind our gloriously scaled spotter, and be ready to fight."

Including Vonn's group of four, fifteen people had come. Humans and Kobolds, mainly. Several of the locals were Fighters or similar from the war, but they were mainly Farmers or in one case a Craftsman. That meant they were relying on what Health and Stamina they had from field work and not on the System-enhanced reflexes and other powers of an adventurer. Vonn at least had the Dodge skill and his Agility.

They went cautiously down. The former village district had been more fully reclaimed overnight by the dungeon's strange intelligence. There were still banners and barrels, but now as props that the core could spawn at will. The layout was also slightly different. They hadn't gone ten steps before the Kobold discovered a trap, almost the hard way.

Blades rushed out from the walls. Zett shivered and redoubled his careful creeping, marking where not to step. Little piles of sand or a gentle touch of chalk showed the way. He remarked, "At least it uses familiar triggers."

He peered around a corner and darted back. "Phantom spearmen! Four or so."

Everyone took up position, spears and swords raised. A second later they came: ghostly, mindlessly angry Kobolds with an echoing battle cry. Vonn, balanced on a barrel to see over people, fired a bolt into one of them. The shot sent frost tearing across its barely-tangible body. Tazo staggered another foe with a pulse of air and Kotta joined in at the battle line to whack a ghost that slipped past the spears.

Vonn fired again and missed. The clash was over before he reloaded again. The spirits were completely gone. He said, "I hesitate to ask, but are these just dungeon constructs?"

The trapper looked down at the floor. "Core-spawned phantoms based on beings that died defending the dungeon. The true souls of the fallen have moved on. Everyone, don't fear them and don't hesitate to destroy them.

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