Chapter 24 The Escort

With Elysia flanked by his subordinates, the middle-aged man led them down the hall, which turned out to be a regular hospital with occupied rooms on each side, some doors open, revealing injured soldiers asleep or groaning in pain. Through a window to a closed door, she spotted a young kid and mother watching over a man lying unconscious on the bed.

A rough yank of her right upper arm brought her attention back to her own situation. She sent a glare at the male soldier on her right, still grasping her arm before striding forward.

They reached an elevator a couple of minutes later. After the leader pressed the ground floor button, the doors closed, beginning its descent. She winced at the screechy elevator music, but unable to cover her ears with her bound wrists, she tried her best to ignore it.

Fortunately, less than a minute later, they stepped out of the elevator traveling through a lobby. Elysia’s eyes widened as she took in the hundreds of injured people packed into the lobby on makeshift bedding. People gathered around their friends and relatives. Some with injuries themselves. Her eyes landed on a woman missing both her legs laying on a cot crying with her partner kneeling next to her hands clasped around her bandaged but intact left hand.

“Now, do you understand the seriousness of our fight?” asked the leader as they reached the door leading outside.

Elysia remained quiet, knowing anything she said wouldn’t justify her desire for freedom to travel on her own over saving a city.

Unlike the view from her hospital room, the front entrance to the hospital appeared normal, with a large parking lot filled with cars and emergency vehicles. The roads and buildings in sight remained intact. Elysia stepped into a large black SUV sitting awkwardly with the backpack and her bound wrists sandwiched between the two subordinates. The leader sat on the front passenger seat just as the driver shifted into drive and pulled away from the curb.

The SUV took a left Port Alberni Highway, which morphed into Redford Street a minute later. Stuck between two people and awkwardly bent forward, Elysia struggled to look out the window only catching glimpses of dark houses and businesses with only a few cars on the road.

Her eyes widened as a left on 10th Ave brought the changes she saw from her hospital room into view. A half a kilometer down the road to the south, the rest of the city vanished under thick vegetation, with only a narrow road continuing on. As they left the intact city, she spotted a vine covered road sign denoting the intersection of 10th Ave. and Burde Street.

Elysia winced as the SUV rocked over the rough road before coming to a stop a quarter kilometer later when the road forward disappeared under the dense foliage. The man on her right opened the door before grasping her upper arm, forcing her out of the SUV.

Upon exiting the vehicle, the three soldiers unsheathed swords with tense bodies ready to strike out at anything that moved. The SUV shifted into reverse, leaving the trio and Elysia on their own. Sensing the tension in the air, Elysia offered, “if you remove the cuffs I could help.”

As usual, the trio ignored her as they marched forward. The leader took point with his subordinates still flanking Elysia.

Left with nothing else to do in her compromised state, Elysia strained her senses, listening for anything unusual. A buzzing came from her right, but before she could say a word, the soldier to her right slashed his sword, cleaving a raccoon sized fly in half.

Following the first buzzing, several more came from all directions. With practiced precision, each soldier cleaved through the flies before they could reach Elysia. The pattern continued for several minutes as they marched down a narrow path that was once a busy street.

They took a right onto another narrow trail. Elysia spotted a fallen sign obscured under tall grass reading Dry Creek Park. The flies thinned out only for massive mosquitoes to replace them. Unlike the flies, Elysia cringed, staring at the stinger as long as her forearm. Fortunately for her, each mosquito met a quick end like the flies.

Out of nowhere, a vine shot out, aiming for Elysia, but a lightning fast slash by the female soldier cleaved it. The group picked up the pace now, jogging with the leader, clearing the path with rapid slices of his sword.

A couple of minutes later, the group came to a stop at a cave opening. Upon arriving, the trio fanned out, turning their back to the cave to await the next wave of enemies. Flies and mosquitoes gathered, supported by vines lashing out from the trees above.

Elysia stood helpless as the insects fell one after another, cleanly sliced through with the vines suffering the same fate. She stared at the trio in awe, but soon found them breathing ragged with sweat pooling on their exposed skin.

The leader nodded to the male subordinate, prompting him to approach Elysia, fishing a key out of his vest pocket. Elysia turned her back, presenting her hands to the man, resulting in two clicks. While flexing her stiff wrists, she glanced between the cave and the trio hesitant to enter.

To buy some time, she walked to the right side of the cave, grabbing her new spear. When she turned back to the group, she found them engaged in another wave of insects. Her eyes gravitated toward the path beyond, tempted to make a run for it, but several vines waving nearby quelled her desire.

After returning her attention to the trio, she winced. Cuts littered their armor as they exhausted themselves fending off the never ending insects. No wonder most people I’ve met are so strong. They just killed more insects than everything I faced in all my dungeons combined. They could cut through the previous dungeons without breaking a sweat. Why do they think I would stand a chance? I can barely follow their strikes. I don’t think some lightning would make up the gap.

A mosquito flashed forward, spearing its stinger into the male subordinate’s thigh before getting cut down. The leader glared at Elysia, slamming his foot into her stomach, sending her stumbling backward into the cave.

Elysia stumbled a few more steps before falling on her ass. She sprang to her feet and dashed forward, only to face plant into an invisible barrier.

Welcome to Port Alberni’s inner sanctum.

Warning! Dungeon beyond participant’s capabilities.

She slammed her fist into the barrier, watching the trio finish the last of the horde before dashing down the path, slicing through vines. Within seconds, they disappeared from her sight, prompting her to turn back toward the interior.

Unlike the outside, the inside was a barren rock cave leading downward. She stood still for several seconds in hesitation before releasing a sigh and venturing forward. Her legs complained under the heavy load of the backpack, but she pushed through.

Five minutes passed, walking through the steadily declining cave before it opened up into a roomy cavern. She spotted the remains of a camp with a fire ring surrounded by four logs to sit on. Past the camp, another tunnel presented itself.

Before venturing further, Elysia unbuckled the backpack, dropping it next to a log with a thud. The sudden loss of weight caused her to stumble. Her legs gave out, forcing her to flop onto a log with an exhausted exhale. There is no way I can carry the backpack through the entire dungeon. It has to weigh over to fifty kilograms. Besides, I would be a sitting duck if I tried to fight with it. I think I’m better off leaving it here and checking out the rest of the dungeon. This dungeon doesn’t seem to follow the same layout as the others. Though the mausoleum had a long tunnel too.

While she rested her legs, she unzipped the front pocket of the backpack, finding a couple of meal bars, a lighter, and a compass. She grabbed a meal bar, quickly downing it before continuing to look through the backpack, finding two canteens in the next larger pocket.

After taking a few sips, she clipped it on to the belt of her combat suit before standing up. She checked her charge, frowning when she found it only at 46. I’ll need to find a power source or level up if I want to stand a chance down here.

She did a quick scan of her status before laying down, raising strength, endurance, and intelligence to 21 to spite the system. Once the side effects of each attribute dissipated, she hopped to her feet, half expecting another notification, but none came.

With a scowl, Elysia grasped her spear in her right hand, turning toward the next tunnel. After a glance back at the backpack, she strode through the tunnel. Less than a minute later, the tunnel opened into a temperate rain forest. Massive trees with thick vines and bushes surrounded the cave opening. Her eyes immediately landed on the vines, but as she approached, they remained still.

Still on guard, she kept her spear raised while spinning, waiting for something to jump out, but again, nothing did. She swung her spear at some brush blocking her way, cleaving through it like a knife through butter. After pausing to wait for anything to jump out, she ventured further, walking through ferns.

Movement on a redwood to her right caused her to freeze. Her eyes zeroed in on a basketball sized bark beetle camouflaged on the trunk. Before it could move, Elysia’s spear flashed out only to glance off the Beatle’s tough shell.

The beetle opened its outer shell before spreading its wings flying off the tree trunk, landing on the pine needle covered ground in front of Elysia. Its pincers clicked menacingly as it skittered toward her. She jumped to the right, avoiding the pincers only for it to turn on a dime, lunging toward her legs. Elysia leaped into the air, landing on top of the beetle, bringing her spear tip down as hard as she could. The spear tip bounced off, forcing her to jump off as it spread its wings.

Like a bull, the beetle charged forward once again, but this time, Elysia leveled the spear with its head puncturing through. Green blood splattered on her spear as she yanked it out of the twitching beetle.

Elysia frowned at the lack of kill notification from an obvious kill shot, so she sent another thrust into its head before swinging the spear overhead down on its head. The spear lodged itself deep into the joint between its body and head. With a kick of her foot, she freed her spear, then brought it down again, finally slicing through, sending the head flying with a spray of green blood.

After a several second pause, she stared down at the obviously dead beetle in confusion. Her confusion morphed into horror as the head reformed, returning life to the beetle. The beetle raised up and charged, catching her by surprise. Its pincers clamped down on her right shin denting the camouflage painted shin guards.

Broken from her shock, she brought her spear down on its head once again, piercing through its head into the ground below. Its pincers twitched, allowing her to pull her leg free before jumping on its back, yanking her spear out. She balanced on its back, spear aimed for its head as her thoughts raced. The insects outside the dungeon didn’t regenerate. It’s like the skeletons. They kept rebuilding themselves each time I shattered them. At least until I. Realization dawned. Elysia electrified her spear, thrusting downward, spearing through its head.

The beetle twitched before collapsing, followed by a kill notification.

Killed level 32 Bark Beetle.

Achievement! Punching Above One’s Weight.

“Are you suicidal? Why did you fight something 10 levels higher?”

Reward: Have two attribute points. You will need it.

Novice Spear proficiency level 7.

Level up! Level 23 Channeler.

Level up! Level 24 Channeler.

Stupid system. How was I supposed to know that stupid beetle was level 32?

After taking a moment to fume, she refocused, scanning her surroundings for any other enemies before venturing further.