Chapter 62

The weather was fine, but it was now past midday. Daniela and I chewed on some food we had bought on the way, as we walked to our destination.

The scenery that greeted you once you were out of the eastern gate was, well, the plains. There was a path for travelers to walk through, but the grass that was on both sides was tall enough to reach your knees. You could see them blow in the wind like ocean waves. It was a scene that reminded me of the times I visited my grandmother in the countryside. Though, those were fields of rice.

One step out of this great city and you might as well be in the countryside. There were no houses, and certainly no convenient stores out here. Still, it was all very beautiful.

Once we were out of the plains, a small grove spread out before us. There was a small trodden path that split it right down the middle. It brought back memories of being chased by forest wolves. I walked through with a little trepidation, but the only thing you could hear was the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves. It was peace itself. There was something that Presence Detection was picking up, but Daniela said it was only a few goblins playing nearby. I almost wanted to go and see, but we were in a hurry, and so we moved on.

It took about an hour after leaving Spiris for us to arrive at the crags. There was no grass or trees here, only rocks. Apparently, there had been a mine here a long time ago, but it did not go very deep, as its resources were thin. It was abandoned quickly. And now what was left of it had become the home of kobolds and all sorts of monsters. In other words, we were going in.

I wouldn’t mind having a helmet now. Those ones with the lights.

“Here we go, Asagi. We should be fine in there if we use this lantern.”

“Finally. But I do wonder…”

“What is it?”

This is a mine. Narrow, with walls on both sides and a low ceiling.

“Is this really the best way to check the capabilities of my armor?”

“You could test the mobility and defensive ability at least?”

“Well, I guess so…”

I would have much preferred to go to an open area, and freely beat monsters into a pulp at lightning speed… But it was a bit late for that. It was also important to experience combat against kobolds. I would just have to bear going into this dark, dark hole.

□ □ □ □

“It’s dark even with the lantern…I can barely see ahead of me.”

“It cannot be helped. This place was abandoned long ago.”

There was no point in complaining. I knew that very well, and yet, it was so dark and cramped. There were sudden corners and those seemed to take you to even dark areas. And who knew what would spring out?

“If you care so much, why do you not use Presence Detection?”

“Oh, right.”

I frantically activated it. Woah, there was quite a lot. Ah…but they weren’t that close either. We had to go a little further.

“You see? There are no monsters near us, so you can move away now. It is quite difficult to walk.”

“Oh, sorry…”

I had hardly been conscious of the fact that I was leaning against her and clutching her sleeve. I was the scared girlfriend in a haunted mansion for a moment there.

“Though, you can do it all you want while we are walking through the city.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure about that.”

I had not realized how bad this could be without a map until now. And I had no mapping skills. We walked through the winding tunnels for over an hour. Sometimes Presence Detection would show that a kobold was so close that we might encounter it at any moment, and then it would suddenly become far away. It was no longer reliable. The tunnels here were too complex.

“Asagi, it looks like we made it. They are up ahead.”

“Huh?”

Daniela hid the light of the lantern under her coat. And then the corner lit up ahead of us. It should have been completely dark, but there was light leaking from somewhere further ahead. Someone else was here with a light. And Presence Detection told me it was a monster.

Daniela and I slowly approached the corner. Judging by the brightness, the light shouldn’t be too close yet. Perhaps at least ten meters. And so I took a look. Ahead of us, there were four monsters who were about as tall as children, and their heads were those of dogs. They were eating something on the ground. So, those must be the kobolds. They at least aligned with my mostly useless knowledge from games.

“What do you think? They are a little far…”

“We should rely on your speed then. Make a mad dash and kill them instantly. I will deal with any who might manage to escape you.”

Master Daniela decided that I would charge into them. But she also promised to clean up any mess I might make of it, so I wasn’t about to complain. I unsheath my sword. Today I would be using a familiar weapon, my original iron sword. The steel one had broken, and the ancient elven sword was too advance for me. I did stop by a weapons shops, but they were out of stock at the moment. It would take a whole week for the materials to arrive, and then another to craft the sword. In other words, I would have to wait two weeks to get another steel sword. So I didn’t order one. Surely kobolds didn’t require anything better, and I could always just buy a new one if it breaks… In any case, I would be fighting with this iron sword for a while. However, if this sword broke on me now, I would be forced to become a cheat swordsman, so I had to be careful.

“Are you ready then?”

“Yeah, whenever you are.”

“Good…go get them!”

I felt the slap on my butt as I dug my heels into the dirt and rushed forward as fast as I could. The enchantments on my armor all activated, and I ran at a speed that far surpassed what I had been capable of in the leather armor set. Within a blink, I had closed in on them. I clutched the pommel in a reverse grip and swung backward while taking off a kobolds head.

“Call it the Asagi Strash!”

This was a special move that was popular when I was a kid. I had been waiting for a moment to unleash it for years. And now was the time. However, there was no time to bask in the glory of the moment. Another kobold looks up in surprise, just in time for me to change my grip and hack it down. Now the others know of the ambush. One screams and picks up its club to strike me with, but I take a quick backstep and avoid the hit. In the next instant, a soundless arrow glides through the air. It enters the left side of the other kobolds head and comes out the other side. Impressive, Daniela.

The last kobold comes at me as it waves its club. I block it several times with my sword, checking my own movements. The armor was made mostly of ice dragon leather, but it also had scales and darksteel. It was the first time I was fighting in armor that included metal. And I wanted to see how the extra weight affected me. The kobold’s club seemed to have been made of carved stone. I block each blow carefully, and occasionally try catching it with my gauntlets. There is a deep vibration from the impact, but no pain. And no injury at all. I could really feel now, that I had made a good purchase.

I would test the durability of the leg guards next. I swung high to push the club over the kobold’s head, as it stood staggered for a second, I quickly slammed my shin into its dog head. Judging by the results, I had no issues with the leg guards. The kobold might have had an issue though, as he went flying backward. I was almost repulsed by how effective it was.

“My, my. Those really are something…”

Daniela says as she approaches me. She had her bow leaning on her shoulder and she immediately offered her fist for our ritual bumping.

“Good work, Daniela.”

“You too. Now then, we should take the proof of our efforts.”

Daniela pulled out her short sword and hacked off a kobold’s left hand. I see. This rather distinct four-fingered hand was the proof. And so I started to cut off another hand and we stuffed them in a leather bag.

“Eh…guess that’s it then.”

“They were not much, were they?”

“To be honest, they were nothing. Though, perhaps part of that was due to this armor. I need to fight in this a little more.”

“Hehe. Were you always so studious, Asagi?”

“I’m immune to flattery.”

We talked lightheartedly as we prepared to leave again. Presence Detection was informing me that there were more kobolds a little ways ahead. Daniela walked in front, as she was holding the lantern, and I followed her. I gazed absentmindedly at Daniela’s butt as it swayed in the backlight. We were now walking even deeper into the tunnels.