Chương 76: On the Road to StoneCairne

Ellesea was feeling anxious, and it wasn't all due to the fact that a mere 20 feet in front of her, at the end of the bridge leading over the river bordering the Sienna Mountains and Whispershade, the sunlight stopped abruptly. As a [Mage], she was more sensitive than others to the ebbs and flows of mana, and she could tell Whispershade was different. While her instinct was to label different as bad, she knew that wasn't always true. In Whispershade's case? It probably was.

Ellesea also knew her anxiety was partially due to her reluctance to return to Horizon for her classes. The group talked it out; they had plenty of time to travel to StoneCairne together and get settled in before she'd need to take the Aetherstone back to Horizon. That way, the group would be ready to investigate the dungeon and she wouldn't miss anything. Anxious did not mean she wasn't also excited. Ellesea was so close to level 400 she could almost taste it.

Then, she could start taking classes for teleportation, and she wouldn't need to rely on others for their generosity so she could splurge on fast travel. She glanced at the gnome and the high elf sitting on the Nightsaber several feet away. Technically, it wasn't Melia who'd given her the money. One of the [Retainers] had, Lethia, the normal-elf. Insomuch as a giant maid could be normal. Lethia had pulled her aside before they left Abbyton and handed her a small sack jingling with coins.

Ellesea recognized the sound, but when she peeked inside, her face paled; the sack was filled with gold, not copper. She tried to refuse it, but Lethia refused, saying that it was an advance allowance from Meliastraza, who'd already made it known that their time was more valuable than money. The gnome also had the sale of some goods waiting for her back at Asdufa's Auction House, which was only mildly terrifying because of the way she casually mentioned it would work nicely as a travel fund.

Ellesea didn't know how to feel about receiving an allowance the size of some people's annual income. She wasn't going to say no to it since she already had the sack of coins, but it left her conflicted. Conflicted and anxious was a combination she found she didn't much care for. The whole reason [Sunrise] camped at Parker's station was to avoid the unease of traveling through Whispershade at night, but trying to peer into the gloom in the morning wasn't filling Ellesea with confidence.

"So what sort of loot are we talking here, then?" Jessica asked. The [Hunter] was sitting on her ram, seemingly completely impervious to the impending darkness. Ellesea wondered what the secret to her confidence was.

"Gotta make that bank," Jessica mumbled in a sing-song way.

"Get that cheddar. Bake that bread. Roll that dough." Ah, Ellesea nodded sagely, she's just an idiot. The power of greed.

"The [Palace of Darkness] doesn't really work like other dungeons," Melia said, shaking her head.

"I won't say there's no loot, but loot isn't the primary reason to run it."

"Wait," Jessica paused mid-bounce on top of her ram, which she'd named "Stumpy McGee," for reasons Ellesea could not comprehend.

"There's no loot? Why are we heading into the spooky-ass forest, then?"

"Experience," Eluna said. For some reason, when the high elf talked, people were more inclined to listen. Ellesea wasn't sure if that was because she was a living legend and a [Saint] from the party that drove evil from the world… or because people had to look up to see her face. Some people might think that was a joke, but those people were probably tall. For instance, Ellesea found it difficult to get people to take her seriously, and most people instantly dismissed Melia just because she was a gnome.

Not that Melia helped in that regard, always laughing and making jokes, thinking of bizarre pranks to pull on unsuspecting abbey workers.

"You run [Palace of Darkness] to gain experience."

"There's no loot?" Jessica looked absolutely affronted. Normally, she wasn't so obviously greedy, but the last few days, she'd been riding the high of ranking her skill up, and she'd had an entirely one-track mind. Ellesea understood. Mastering an ability to the point where the system recognized it was exhilarating.

"I didn't say no loot," Melia sighed, "But to be honest, there might as well not be."

"Levels are cool, I guess," Jessica grumbled.

"So what's it all about, this dungeon?"

"It's what I'd call a 'mystery dungeon'," Melia said.

"Aren't all dungeons a mystery if you haven't run them?" Y'cennia asked.

"True," Melia chuckled.

"But this is different. No matter how many times somebody enters the [Palace of Darkness], it's impossible to get familiar with the layout. It changes every time."

"How does that work?" Alastair asked.

"Do the locations of the monsters change?"

"Yes," Melia said, "But not only that, the entire layout of the dungeon changes. Every time you enter, it's different."

"Think of it as a building with floors," Eluna said.

"Each floor has a set number of rooms. On the upper floors, there are fewer, maybe 5 or 6, but some of the deeper floors can have upwards of 10, maybe 15. The layout of the rooms is random on every floor, every time. How they connect together, what monsters spawn in each room, what traps they might have…and the staircase down to the next level. All of it changes."

"How does that work if you go back up the stairs?" Jessica asked.

"Is it set once you've entered the dungeon? Or does it change again, too?"

"You can't go back up the stairs," Eluna said with a grimace.

"Once you're in, there are only two ways out. Find an exit portal every 10th floor…or die trying."

"Yeesh," Jessica frowned.

"Sounds rough."

"It gets worse," Melia laughed.

"You know how dungeons give you the option to sync when entering them? [PoD] doesn't. It's mandatory, and everybody gets set to level 1 on entrance." The group, which was still idling on the bridge, froze and turned to stare at Melia.

"Level…1?" Ellesea asked. That was absurd. No matter how challenging a dungeon was supposed to be, trying to clear one at level 1 was impossible. No exceptions.

"Again," Melia said.

"It's a bit hard to explain without experiencing it, but the palace isn't like any other dungeon. It's unique. Monsters also start at level 1 and they scale up the deeper you go…but experience gain in the dungeon is incredibly high. We'll be back to a reasonable level after a dozen floors or so."

"So, wait, I don't get it," Jessica frowned. Neither did Ellesea, who nodded along.

"If my level gets reset to 1 and I'm just getting those levels back, am I actually gaining any experience at all? How does the system know how much to give me?"

"Actually, you won't be getting any real experience at all unless we make it out of the exits," Eluna sighed.

"But if we do…the payoff is huge."

"What." Jessica looked like she swallowed a lemon.

"No loot and no experience unless you manage to make it out alive? This place sounds bogus."

"It might be!" Melia laughed.

"But try to save your judgment until after we run it."

"We aren't going to be running any dungeons just standing on this bridge," Alastair said.

"I think we've put off entering the forest long enough."

It would be disingenuous to say that [Sunrise] set off immediately down the path to StoneCairne, the largest city in Whispershade. They got sidetracked instantly. No sooner than they had set a single foot into the woods, they stopped.

"Hey, check it out, this is so weird!" Jessica exclaimed. She actually got off her ram and stood on the border of the two zones, hopping back and forth between Sienna and Whispershade.

"I'm in the sun, I'm in the shade. I'm in the sun, I'm in the shade!" Ellesea rolled her eyes, but she had to admit, observing the Whispershade phenomenon was fascinating. Most regional borders were fairly ambiguous. Visible, yes, like the transition from Serenity Forest's treeline to the plains of Gold Coast, but nobody could point out the exact moment it stopped being one area and became the other. Here, in Whispershade? Jessica was standing on it.

Despite being completely in the open under the sun, not obstructed by any overhang or covering, half of Jessica's body appeared shrouded in shade. As if she were standing in the cover of darkness under a canopy of trees. Ellesea nudged her horse forward, who chuffed in reluctance to cross the unseen border, and held out her arm. The moment her fingertips crossed the threshold, she shivered. Despite being in the middle of the summer, Whispershade was cold. At least a fifteen to twenty degree difference.

Thankfully, this sudden onset of cold wasn't due to a rogue frost elemental. Ellesea paused, flipped her hand over, and waited to see if any snowflakes might fall into her cupped palm. None did. The [Mage] quickly got lost in her own thoughts as Jessica had her fill of fooling around. Having listened to Melia's story about how Whispershade got its infamous nickname, Ellesea had some extra insight into the strange magic she felt flowing all around her.

Though she was most familiar with the [Arcane] energies of magehood, she wasn't blind to the others. She had no better word for it, so she could only call what she felt "night" aspected mana. A deal with a goddess gone wrong could definitely alter the fate of an entire region. Eventually, Alastair dragged Jessica back to her ram and the group started off in earnest.

The road to StoneCairne felt like something out of a horror story. Ellesea could barely see two dozen paces in front of her, even when the path continued running straight. Combined with the unnatural chill in the air and the many unfamiliar sounds of strange wildlife, she half expected a "headless horseman" to come charging down the lane to accost them at any moment. He was supposed to be a fairytale, but right now, Ellesea was having doubts.

She subtly moved her horse closer to one of the [Retainers], feeling much safer by the giant woman's side. It did not stop her from almost jumping out of her skin when they rounded a corner and came face to face with a hooded figure holding up a torch. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Halt!" A mercifully Human voice called out.

"State your business, travelers on the road!"

"We're on our way to StoneCairne," Alastair called back.

"We're heading for the inn." The group pulled closer, where Ellesea could finally see that the figure was simply a man wearing a heavy cloak to protect himself from the creeping fog. He was standing at a crossroads with a small tent to the side, but the road leading away from his crude camp looked run-down and in a state of disrepair. Whatever lay down that path was not often used, and Ellesea wondered why it needed to be guarded.

Hearing Alastair's words, the man lowered his hood, giving everyone a clear glimpse of his face. Ellesea nearly recoiled; she had never seen a man so pale before. His cheeks were covered with week-old stubble and he had heavy bags under his eyes, suggesting that he hadn't had a good night's rest in weeks. Sleeping on the dirt and guarding an abandoned path might do that to a man, Ellesea mused.

"Travelers?" The man asked, sounding relieved.

"Thank the gods. Though I'm not sure they've done much to deserve it, if you're coming to this god-forsaken place."

"As I said," Alastair repeated in an even tone, "We're headed for StoneCairne."

"Well, you're headed the right way," the man said.

"Follow the road and you'll be there in several hours. Just stay on the road, mind you. Though by your gear, you seem to be adventurers. You might fare better than most, but I wouldn't push my luck if I were you."

"What sort of monsters lurk in the shadows?" Alastair asked. Ellesea had a feeling he already knew, if he listened to Melia's tale, but it was always good to hear the words of a local. And who knew? Things could have changed in a hundred years.

"Undead, mostly," the man said with a grim frown.

"Though [Black Wargs] populate the northern central corridor and [Pale Spinners] infest the west. If you start to see webs, head back. Unless you want to become a giant spider's snack." Ellesea shuddered. The [Tarantulas] in Sienna were bad enough. The thought of even more gigantic spiders made her want to retch.

"That's good to know," Alastair said, pulling out a silver coin and flipping it to the man in thanks.

"We'll make sure to keep an eye out."

"Much obliged, friend," the man said, catching the coin.

"I apologize if we've gotten off on the wrong foot. I'm Watcher Harris. Can't say I enjoy suspecting travelers on the road, but some undead are more clever than others. Be mindful of any others on the road, trying to pass themselves off as… ordinary." The man cast another glance at their group, and Ellesea could understand where he was coming from. She might do a double-take if she saw their group. A beastkin riding a Strider, a human on a ram, a gnome and a high elf on a Nightsaber, and three large maids.

Suspicious? Yes. But should they be mistaken for monsters? Probably not.

"Watcher?" Melia asked, cutting through Ellesea's thoughts.

"Are you part of the [Nightwatch]?"

"Indeed, I am," Mr. Harris said, his eyes narrowing.

"Are you familiar with us?"

"Not intimately, no," Melia said.

"I knew some members, but that was long ago. I'm glad to see you're still around."

"It's a good thing we are," the man snorted, "Because if we weren't, none of the towns in the Wailing Woods would be, either."

The group left Watcher Harris to his somber thoughts and silent vigil, but as soon as he dissolved into the fog, Melia pulled one of her [Retainers] aside.

"Lethia," she said, and Ellesea was close enough to the others that she could listen in.

"Undead usually aren't very good at pretending to be normal people. Not unless they've got somebody controlling them. Once upon a time, there was a bitter old [Necromancer] who lived out in the woods by himself. Called himself a hermit, lured unsuspecting travelers to their doom, and got unwitting adventurers to do his work for him. I want to make sure something similar isn't going on, but…."

"Say no more, my lady," Lethia replied solemnly.

"We shall investigate."

"Leave it to me," L'menia said, shocking Ellesea. For the first time, the huge tigerkin did not sound silly and playful. Suddenly, Ellesea was reminded that [Retainers], as a class, were generally split evenly between domestic duties and combat. Layalee was the exception, as she often seemed to use her giant axe for comedic effect, but Ellesea's eyes widened as she watched L'menia pull out two wicked daggers and twirl them between her fingers.

With a single nod and nothing else, she turned her horse, trotted several feet down the road, and left the beaten path. Within moments, she was swallowed by the darkness, out of sight.

Just as Watcher Harris had said, the road to StoneCairne was long and straight. It traveled on and on for miles, and despite the absence of any bends and turns, [Sunrise] didn't encounter any other travelers on the road. Ellesea was grateful that they didn't encounter any undead either, but Monsters usually tended to avoid the roads. If a settlement had lasted long enough to become established in a zone, Chaos seemed to acknowledge it by steering her creations away from the main thoroughfare.

The group stopped for lunch around midday, not that anybody could tell what time it was by the position of the sun, since it was entirely absent from the sky. It was a bizarre, cheerless meal of cold meats and little warmth, but let it never be said that any food in Melia's circle of influence was not tasty. For a time, everybody almost forgot they were traveling through a nightmare incarnate. Around the time people started grumbling about being hungry again, the first signs of civilization began to come into view.

It started, as it often did, with a farm. When Melia was spinning her tale about withered farms that grew roots and gourds in the darkness, Ellesea didn't know what to think. If she had been listening to anybody else, she would have dismissed the story outright as exaggerated make-believe. But Ellesea knew the gnome well enough now to know that she didn't know what to believe. So as they passed the farm, surrounded by a low wall of piled-up stones, she felt her jaw drop.

The field itself was fairly standard, so far as Ellesea could tell for its size, but in the middle of the field was a single, giant pumpkin. Easily the size of a carriage. It was vibrant orange and had many twisting vines creeping all around it, some thicker than her waist. Scattered throughout the field were a dozen or so "lesser" pumpkins, maybe half the big one's size, but still giant in their own right. Because she could not stop herself, she [Inspected] it.

[Giant Pumpkin] Level: 0 Rarity: Common Quality: 4 stars.

she didn't know why she expected anything else. Though if that was only a 4-star [Giant Pumpkin], what in the world would a 5-star look like? Ellesea glanced at Melia and decided it was probably best not to find out. The first farm was not the only farm. Coming into the outskirts of StoneCairne, it was obvious the town couldn't rely on daily shipments of food from around the kingdom, and if the undead were the majority of the monsters in the area, they would need a viable source of meat, too.

With giant spiders also featuring prominently in the area… Ellesea made a mental note to be extremely suspicious of any dishes trying to pass themselves off as "crab meat." [Sunrise] passed maybe a dozen farms before they finally came to a huge, stone wall, stretching nearly 30 feet in the air, with impressive iron gates set within.

"StoneCairne," Y'cennia said as they led their mounts toward the guard station.

"I wonder, are these walls how they got their name?"

"If you think about it," Jessica muttered under her breath, loud enough for them to hear but hopefully out of earshot of any guards, "StoneCairne is a pretty dumb name. I mean, a 'cairn' is already a heap of stones set up as a landmark. That's like calling it 'StoneStone' or 'MonumentRock'."

"Pft," she heard Alastair laugh, covering his mouth and fake coughing as he approached the guards.

"Well met, travelers," one of the guards said, either oblivious to the slight upon their good name or generously ignoring it. Against Ellesea's expectations, the guards didn't stop them or question the group at all. In fact, it seemed like they were all too glad to see the group speedily enter the town and get off the road. In hindsight, Ellesea could understand the reasoning if the region's general thought process was "town is safe, road is not."

A safe traveler was a happy traveler, and a happy traveler spent more coin on goods and services. Having been born and raised in Horizon, Ellesea was something of a closet-snob when it came to things like the size of rural towns and the amenities they offered. She was used to Hammerfall, which was… charming, and Sickledrop left much to be desired. She had visited Alastair and Jessica's hometown, and as the saying went, "If you have nothing nice to say, it's better to say nothing at all."

Good words to live by, in Ellesea's opinion. And so, in line with that thought, Ellesea did have several words to say. Ellesea had never given much thought to the term "magitech" before, but StoneCairne was seriously making her consider changing her mind. First, the town was a proper city. It sprawled out in all directions, housing thousands of people, filled with tall, sturdy buildings stretching up into the night sky. Unlike Lakeridge, which was built up by necessity, StoneCairne did so because it could.

As such, the buildings held a certain architectural flair that she had never seen… and though she was not well-traveled, Ellesea had seen many portraits of faraway places and spent a good time in many noble galleries and estates. Second was the magitech. Street lamps lit every corner on every avenue, no matter how big or small. In Horizon, those would have been filled with mana gems, but here, they seemed to glow with a white, slightly bluish hue.

They clearly weren't torch or gas, but for the life of her, Ellesea couldn't tell how they worked.

"Cerulean," was all that Melia said, and once again, Ellesea was reminded of last night's story. Magical mines. Something she never dreamed existed, but found herself wishing she could study. The mysterious ore was not only found inside the lamps but was also prevalent throughout the city. Several buildings also seemed to feature gigantic, slowly revolving cogs, half-buried in the street, whirring and cranking relentlessly as they powered great machines.

Though Melia's story had not featured any gnomes, Ellesea wondered if the cogs and gears were from gnomish influence. What little she knew of gnomish culture said they were brilliant [Engineers]. Eventually, the group made their way to the city center, and the first thing they did was attune themselves to the city crystal.

"Perfect," Alastair said, watching intently as every member of the team, even Melia, Eluna, and the [Retainers], touched the crystal. He turned to Ellesea and nodded.

"Now that that's taken care of, you can leave for Horizon whenever you want. Will you do so now, or do you want to stay with us for the night? We're going to find an inn."

"I'll leave in the morning," Ellesea said. While she could very easily "crash" at her parents' place, as Jessica would put it, Ellesea found she enjoyed the freedom of being on her own.

"Shall we reserve four rooms, then?" Lethia asked, spooking the group. Any time the [Retainers] spoke up, it startled them. Ellesea was beginning to wonder if the maids took some small enjoyment out of startling them, but she didn't understand how they did it. Ellesea knew all three of them had the ability to [Stealth], but this was something else. It was likely a different service skill that sapped an individual's presence, making them almost invisible to every sense.

Even if they were standing right next to somebody in a room, nobody would ever know they were there unless they wished for it. Except Melia. The gnome probably knew. She always knew.

"Four?" Alastair asked.

"Normally we might get two, but now that we have so many, we might have to upgrade to three…."

"With respect, my lord, three rooms will simply not do," Lethia shook her head.

"My mistress shall, of course, have a room, and she will share it with Lady Brandywine. Layalee, L'menia, and I will share a room so we may best serve, and that leaves the rest of you. One for the ladies, and one for our gentleman. After all, money is not an issue."

"No funny business," Layalee chirped in her high, bubbly voice. Understanding dawned on Alastair as he buried his head in his hands.

"You're not beating the allegations, Al," Jessica cackled as she slapped the [Paladin] on the shoulder." Four rooms," Alastair said decisively with a groan. Lethia chuckled with a wide smile and led them to a large, beautiful inn. Like many of the surrounding buildings, it heavily featured gears, cogs, and that bluish-white glow of cerulean. Ellesea would freely admit that the building was striking, even to her capital senses.

Lethia approached the desk like some foreign dignitary charged with ensuring the comfort of visiting royalty, while Layalee led them to the commons to get a meal. Melia couldn't cook for them every night… no, she probably could, but half the fun of traveling was discovering new things, local delicacies and delights. A sentiment Ellesea was starting to regret, once her "stew" was delivered to her. To nobody's surprise, it featured hearty chunks of simmered pumpkin… and an unidentifiable, mysterious meat.

["White Meat"] That was all the system was willing to give her, quotations and everything. Sure as the gods resided in their realms above, that meat wasn't chicken. Ellesea pushed the bowl away and debated traveling to her parents' house that night.