P-System Log

Damn. We're here already. Jerome and Aster checked into an inn--Aster spent some gold coins that appeared out of nowhere with a sudden burst of mana. It showed up in my not-vision as [Currency], so I assume it's even more System bullshit that I don't have access to yet.

...maybe I should try feeding [W%M;G,P] some more W Inertia and see if that gets me anywhere. I need to learn how to get better at doing this System stuff, and that skill seems to be the only thing helping me accomplish that.

Maybe later, though. I don't want to risk experimenting with shit that affects me directly. Experimenting with Jerome's skills? Hell yeah, I'll do that mid-fight anytime, but for me? I think I'll wait until we get somewhere safer.

We're on our way to the next dungeon now. Aster's promises of loot and XP got to him, and he insisted on going as soon as we got here. He hasn't even regenerated his HP yet!

Not that Aster seems to care. She said something about being able to protect him if necessary, and now we're off already.

S'ker is way livelier than Maplecrest was. This place looks like a proper city. If it's not quite NYC, it can at least compete with San Jose or Denver or something. Maybe not the former, actually, since this place actually looks to have a nightlife. Lots of bars and taverns around these parts, looks like, and there's a proper flood of people traveling through the streets even after nightfall. It's well-lit by lamps containing spells I recognize as [Simple Light] skills. Interesting stuff.

Slightly more interesting, though, are the strong sources of mana and W Inertia that I can sense even though it lies beyond my perception dome.

Dungeons.

Party Chat

[Aster K'lon]: I am switching to party chat because the noise of the halls is far too disruptive. Follow me.

[Jerome Smith]: Got it. What dungeon are we going to?

[Aster K'lon]: The northern one. There are eight dungeon systems surrounding S'ker, arranged at the cardinal and subcardinal directions of the city. Compliant Dungeon Cores from across the region were assembled by high-level adventurers to be safely cleared by any delvers that are willing to pay a fee a few decades ago. The northernmost set contains relatively low-level [Common] dungeons, and they increase in difficulty in the clockwise direction, going all the way up to a midrange [Legendary] Dungeon Core to the northwest.

[Jerome Smith]: Can we not clear anything harder yet?

[Aster K'lon]: I would advise against it. We may attempt it later, when we are more rested. Furthermore, I do not wish to take the corrupted Dungeon Core into a more difficult dungeon that we cannot ensure victory in.

[Jerome Smith]: You still have that thing on you?

[Aster K'lon]: Indeed. I have trusted associates in this Edge City that may be able to hold it for us while we delve a dungeon, but they are not currently available. As such, combined with the factor of your temporary weakness, we will be entering an easier dungeon.

[Jerome Smith]: Works for me.

P-System Log

Oh, Jerome just ran into someone. Two someones. They don't appear the same to me as Aster and Jerome do. Shorter and taller, respectively, and their body structures appear to have some different geometry on their insides.

Did we run into another race just now?

[Assess] activating! [Assess] activating! Integrated identified: Elf [Fire Mage lv. 11] Arcs S'tar Integrated identified: Dwarf [Raging Berserker lv. 7] Thron of the Fallen Skies P-System Log

Holy shit, it's real fantasy races. I think we saw other races earlier when we saw the R Beasts, an[d to be fair the Race box in the stat sheets always implied the existence of other races, but holy shit.

...is it just me, or do they look a little generic? The dwarf and elf both look like they came straight off the set of Lord of the Rings. One male--the dwarf--and one female--the elf.

Here's a brief replay of their neat little interaction with Jerome just now:

Elf Lady: What the fuck, man?

Dwarf Man: Watch where you're going!

Jerome: Shit, my bad.

Which I personally think is a pretty good improvement over his earlier social interactions, at least.

Elf Lady: Are you a reincarnator or something? Did your parents ever tell you it's rude to [Assess] strangers?

Jerome: Sorry, sorry. My bad.

C'mon, be like this with me, man...

Whatever. It's really neat seeing new cultures and new people, especially when it's literally fantasy people!

They moved on pretty fast, though. We're making our way north, fast.

P-System Log [dungeon time] Here we go! No other issues encountered on our way in, so we're here now. The S'ker dungeon seems actually solid, especially when compared to the ramshackle excuse of a dungeon that the Maplecrest and wilderness dungeons had. This place actually has an entrance, done up nicely with a marble building and all that. There's even a receptionist! [Superior Assess] cast! [Superior Assess] cast! P-System Log

Receptionist just looked over us with mana, probably to make sure we're sentient enough to pass the dungeon tonight.

Looks like we're good. He said some nice words and is giving us a few gestures that I don't quite recognize but assume mean good things.

Party Chat

[Jerome Smith]: We're good to go, right?

[Aster K'lon]: Indeed we are. The receptionist has indicated that our average levels, class rarities, and experience are high enough to attempt this dungeon without immediate failure.

[Jerome Smith]: So we're going to be safe?

[Aster K'lon]: I never said that.

S'ker North Dungeon System Intruders detected. Initiating Core defense. P-System Log

Welp. Here we go. A lot faster paced than we've been doing stuff before, but Aster seems to be worried about something and she's pushing Jerome along fast.

Not that I have any complaints about it. As long as we're picking up more W Inertia, I'm happy for Jerome to do whatever.

The S'ker North Dungeon is a lot higher tier of a dungeon than those that we were running before, though I don't mean that in a power level sense. We just passed the boundary that makes my perception all fuzzy, and the entrance room of the place is genuinely impressive. It's marble just like the building that housed its entrance, and it actually looks like it was designed with its purpose as a building in mind. There's even a sign or two here!

One of them says S'ker Dungeon, Recommended Party Level: 5-10 WPA. I'm not sure what WPA means, but that seems a little... odd? After all, Jerome at level three has access to options that are as powerful as--if not stronger than--the skills that Aster has at a level over 20 above him, and though I definitely played a part in that, I'm pretty sure that his [Legendary] class versus Aster's [Rare] one did too. Maybe this level WPA takes that into account, though.

Anyway, while that's interesting to think about, it's also not my problem right now. Looks like the area we're in is the "safe room" that all the dungeons are supposed to have. Jerome and Aster are taking a moment--to do what, I'm not sure--but now that moment is done, and we're moving again.

Into the dungeon we go!

Party Chat

[Jerome Smith]: Do you have a map of this dungeon?

[Aster K'lon]: Yes, but I know not what lays ahead.

[Jerome Smith]: The fuck does that mean? How can you have a map and not know what's ahead of us?

[Aster K'lon]: Oh, you poor reincarnated soul. Dungeon Cores are able to manipulate their internal geometry as well as the monsters and challenges that spawn within them. While their layout almost always remains constant--with the exception of certain anomalies like the Unknown Dungeons by the borders or the moving Cores--what populates the rooms will near always be different.

[Jerome Smith]: Huh. Noted. By the way, are we going to run into other adventurers while we're in here?

[Aster K'lon]: Possible, but unlikely. Dungeon Cores tend to seal off the entrance if there is a group attempting to clear it. Thus, dungeons in civilized areas generally require reservations in order to use. S'ker's dungeon system means that there are a significant number of [Common] dungeons that can be run at one time, but they still require reservations here.

[Jerome Smith]: But we didn't reserve.

[Aster K'lon]: I have colleagues here. I called ahead.

P-System Log Into the first room of the dungeon! For all the talk about dungeon variability, this room one seems pretty bog-standard. A summoning circle kind of aesthetic, and a few monsters piled around it. Not ones that I recognize, though. [H?? WA???F?? ?Y?] And so the King proclaimed: the weak shalt know fear.