Chương 187: Limitless Path Chapter Two Hundred Eleven

It didn't take very long at all for them to figure out there had been massive changes throughout the entire underground. The area they were moving down used to be essentially one very long hallway with a few side branches that dead-ended before the tunnel spilled out into a large room that had five other hallways branching out from it.

Instead, the tunnel stretched for a few hundred feet with a handful of side areas that were already fairly large, consisting of at least half-a-dozen rooms, before the tunnel split into multiple directions. It quickly became clear that it was maze time, with the tunnel system rapidly turning into a sprawling labyrinth that the girls were forced to navigate mostly in the dark. Beth fished a lightstone out of her backpack, making the whole pack appear in her hand before having it disappear back into her necklace.

Blood forwent the use of the lightstone, not really needing it and preferring to not announce her presence to any kobolds waiting in the dark. Blood moved through the tunnels with ease and efficiency, following a classic strategy of continuously moving one direction until a dead end or way out was reached. Both of their memories were good enough that they didn't need any kind of mapping tools, though Beth was happy to note that the mapping functions in her communicator were able to keep track of the tunnel system.

Though Jaq hadn't said anything about it, she was pretty sure that kind of functionality wasn't something just any old communicator would do, once again showing how everything involved was a large cut above for those who took the Trial of Celestial Awakening. The beasts were climbing in level as they progressed, through the eighties and into the nineties, though it was fairly slow.

The two of them were moving quite quickly, a speed that would have been an all-out sprint for Beth before the changes but now was barely a jog, slaughtering their way through this area. It took about four or five hours before they started seeing the kobolds that were in the low nineties in level, and another two hours before they were seeing level ninety-four and ninety-five beasts.

They had explored a very large area by that point and Beth was starting to get a pretty good idea of the layout of this part of the underground area. It was essentially a huge rectangle with tons of interconnected passages linking everything together, which made it a total mess in the middle, but the borders were quite well-defined.

The whole thing was also all spread out on the same level, another fortunate thing, as adding even one more level would have massively increased the complexity and headache brought with it. Beth had indicated to Blood that she wanted to fully scout the area before moving on to anywhere else, not that they had to do it all right that moment, but she wanted to take it one thing at a time with the kobolds and not run a hundred ways at once.

They did find a bit of loot in their exploration as well, mainly in the form of loose coins and potion bottles. None of the handful of potions that Beth threw in her necklace looked particularly interesting, all of them showing as what Beth believed to be low-level to her eyes, and she was sure Jaq would have plenty derisive to say about them, but they had to be worth something, at least.

Most of the rest of what they encountered was junk, with the theme of finding random bits and chunks of low-grade ore laying around still the same as from the last time they had explored the area. They retraced their steps after a little while, having spent almost the entire day in the 'living area' section of the kobold underground and still not having fully explored it. The biggest thing Beth was concerned about was if there was some kind of passage to a new area or new dungeon leading out from the living area.

Or even, there could possibly be some strange portal or something somewhere in the living area leading to a dungeon or trial or something similar, and if they missed something big because they were sloppy they'd never hear the end of it. Plus, they still had the whole area leading down to where the labyrinth dungeon used to be to explore, and who knew what had happened to that.

It looked like just this was going to be a multi-day operation, and then they had the task for Jaq, which was a list of many places he wanted them to go. Then, they would either have to take the diplomacy job or go to another Hall to get more missions. Beth thought about whether she really wanted to try a diplomatic mission as they climbed back to the surface and headed back home. Home, in this case, being the CRA Hall, where they could cook up a huge amount of food and have a hot shower.

They used the path Baelvyr had carved through the surroundings when he came to Beth's rescue, now quite a few months ago. It was the end of March now, and the temperature was starting to recover from winter, but plants hadn't really started their growth that much and the path was still pretty clear and open. It allowed them to make good time back, arriving not long after sundown and using one of the side doors to enter the arena section before making their way down to their suite in the underworks.

They found Sabs already in the suite, having already eaten dinner herself before they returned. She insisted the two shower off while she made some food for them, letting them get out of the shower and dig right in to a steaming hot meal. It wasn't food on the level of the Golden Platter or anything like that, but it was hot and filling and had been prepared with care by Beth's girlfriend. What more could they ask for?

They spent a little time watching the wallscreen and just relaxing, Sabs reveling in Beth's return while Beth was enjoying the slower pace for a time. Blood just seemed happy whenever she had time to slack off, watching what they had up while slightly dozing. Beth and Sabs eventually retired to the bedroom, Beth paying plenty attention to Sabs before they fell asleep for the night.

The next morning they were up fairly early, and with chores to do to boot. Beth and Blood needed to do some laundry for a change, and Beth also took the bedding which, particularly after the last two nights, now needed washed. The washing machines and dryers the CRA used were as efficient as ever, getting everything done in not even half-an-hour. They had their breakfast and took care of their morning routine in the meantime, Beth having to kick Blood's butt to get her to dress before they headed out for the day.

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"Where are you going today?" Sabs asked as they walked down the hall.

"Your house," Beth replied, laughing at Sabs startlement.

"What?! My house?" Sabs asked.

"Your mom is still there, right?" Beth asked with a small smile.

"Oh, yeah. Why?" Sabs still seemed to be reeling a little.

"I was hoping to get a little makeover," Beth replied with a chuckle, indicating her extra long hair.

"Oh, no problem. She'll be happy to help."

"I'll pay her something for it," Beth said.

"Good luck," Sabs replied with a lazy shrug, causing Beth to frown slightly. The three of them made their way up and out, not bothering with the lounge that morning before heading to the neighborhood. Beth's sisters had their own business to take care of and didn't need their hands held all the time. Kim would likely train and practice that day while Soph would hide away all day in the library, studying who knows what.

It didn't take long to make their way to the neighborhood, getting there a little after the sun had risen and having to wait for the gate to be opened. The three of them were easily capable of leaping the wall, and the enchantments they had to stop hostiles from doing such wouldn't interfere with them, but they still went through the routine. Sabs insisted. Sabs took the lead, seemingly eager to get back home and see her parents, which Beth found a little amusing considering she hadn't gone anywhere.

They were at the door and barging in behind Sabs in a moment, the older girl calling out that she was home. Sabs's father didn't appear, but her mother stuck her head out of the kitchen at the back at the noise, smiling at the group while indicating for them to come back to where she was.

"Mom!" said Sabs excitedly, hugging her mom from behind as she worked on cooking breakfast.

"Look who's back!"

"I see, dear," Sabs's mother said with a smile.

"Maybe now we can hear a little less of that yearning for 'Beth, my love…' sigh."

"MOM! It wasn't like that," Sabs hurriedly protested, looking back and forth between her mother and Beth.

"Aw, you're sweet," Beth said in a too-syrupy voice, grabbing Sabs and randomly kissing parts of her face as she struggled.

"Beth! Stop!" she squawked as her mother laughed.

"You two are cute," she said, plating up what she was working on.

"I'm sorry, I only made enough for myself this morning. Your father is already out and working and I didn't expect the…three of you. Who is this, by the way?"

"It's Blood," said Beth, getting a puzzled look in response.

"The wolf, mom. You remember the big red wolf?" Sabs asked.

"The child's story?" her mother said, but Beth saw the small smirk, which Sabs missed.

"Mom! Not the kid's story, the wolf that was following Beth around," Sabs protested.

"She's pulling your leg, honey," Beth said, leaning down and giving Sabs a quick shoulder hug.

"It's good to meet you…officially?" Sabs's mother said with a slightly lopsided smile.

"Nice to meet you," Blood said, giving Sabs's mother a hug.

"Oh, yes, that's nice, dear," Sabs's mother said. Beth rescued Sabs's mother after a moment with a laugh, pulling Blood off and saying, "She's a real cuddler. If I don't stop her, you'd be here all day."

"Thank you, dear," said Sabs's mother with a warm smile before sitting at the table to eat. The others joined her and spoke of inconsequential things for a few minutes until she was done. Sabs's mother then asked, "So, as much as I appreciate seeing you all, is there anything in particular that brought you here today?"

"I was wondering if I could get a touch-up, or more than a touch-up?" Beth asked, pointing at her hair that had grown quite a bit in the time since her last cut.

"Of course, give me a moment," Sabs's mother responded, but was pre-empted by Sabs cleaning up the dishes for her.

"Well, let me get my equipment." Sabs's mother got her equipment and an apron for Beth to wear before having her sit at a chair in the kitchen. She gave Beth a cut and a slight style with it just under shoulder-length, the four of them talking the whole while. Though, mainly it was Sabs and her mother talking, with Beth adding in occasionally, while Blood watched on.

"Thanks, again, for your help," Beth said after she had brushed her hair out.

"What do I owe you?"

"I couldn't charge Sabs's sweetheart for a haircut," she denied staunchly.

"You sure?"

"Absolutely, dear," Sabs's mother affirmed, giving all three of them hugs before ushering them out the door.

"Well, now what?" asked Sabs.

"Now, we've got work to do," Beth said.

"And by 'we,' I assume you mean you and Blood?" Sabs asked.

"Sorry, yeah, we're investigating the kobold area," Beth replied.

"And how's that going?"

"Well, after one day we've found that the area has changed and mapped some of it, but it's going to be a multi-day thing," Beth explained.

"Wish I could help," Sabs said with a sigh as they walked for the main gate of the neighborhood.

"It's just way too far above your level," Beth said with a shrug.

"You shouldn't try to rush it, just go at your own pace."

"I know somewhere I can go at my own pace," she replied, giving Beth a look.

"Sometimes, you're really dirty," Beth said with a chuckle.

"But, I like it." They bantered a little more as they left the neighborhood and made their way back to the CRA Hall, where Sabs would spend some time training that day. After dropping her off, Beth and Blood continued on south, heading back to what they had been working on the day before. They found several more kobolds in the field compared to the day before, though they hadn't killed all of them the previous day. Still, it was obvious that more and more kobolds were emerging from the underground.

Based on what they had seen before going to the Trial, and what they were now seeing, it really seemed like a problem that was getting even worse over time. Blood led the way again as they fought their way down to the labyrinth and continued their explorations from the previous day. Beth wasn't sure how much they had mapped so far, but she guessed they hadn't even quite gotten half of it.

It turned out to be a pretty accurate estimate, as they spent the whole day exploring without mapping the entire thing, returning to the CRA Hall in the late evening. They ate and took care of their evening routine before catching some sleep, with Beth spending some intimate time with Sabs before they actually fell asleep. The next morning, they were all up bright and early, with Sabs needing to take care of some things in relation to the neighborhood and the dungeons.

Beth didn't really get everything that she was involved in, but she wished her luck before they split for the day. Beth and Blood headed back to the underground yet again, working on continuing to purge the kobold threat or, at least, get a handle on what was happening. They continued through the labyrinth the housing section had become, Blood leading the way as Beth followed along and kept her eyes peeled for loot, as well as anything strange.

It was mostly coins and a few random, small items that likely had very little value, though Beth did grab most things and throw them in her necklace. She was already thinking, despite the massive space she had available, that her necklace would become a huge mess if she wasn't careful about managing it strictly. The good news, or perhaps bad news, depending on one's perspective on the matter, was that the enemies continued to increase in level the deeper into the labyrinth they moved.

They had basically made a full circuit of the area, according to Beth's map, and they were now exploring the deepest parts of the maze. The enemies here had now breached the level one hundred line, though only slightly, with Blood ripping apart plenty of level one hundred one and level one hundred two enemies as she led the way through the central area.