Chapter 13 – A Knight’s Respite

Shwooosh.

With a diagonal combination slash and stab, [Knight] pierced the arachnid monster’s exoskeleton with its rusty longsword, then delivered a left hook punch with its dented gauntlets that blasted the spider’s head backwards.

Although the [Knight]’s fighting ability and technique were heaven tier, Daniel couldn’t help but notice that its equipment was severely lacking. Dented rust bucket platemail, a rusty chipped longsword… the fact that [Knight] could fight so well with so little to work with was a miracle.

And then there was that little status bar denoting level above [Knight]’s head.

[Knight] [Level 1]

Fighting so well at merely level 1, with garbage equipment… the [Knight] was truly fearsome and worthy of its divine summon status. Daniel already saw the potential of such a summon, if he could level it up a bit more and give it some better equipment…

Perhaps his choice of the merchant class for his starting class could lend itself to be helpful in procuring high quality armor and weapons for the knight to use. A merchant with a strong familiar. That had a good ring to it.

Daniel hobbled on his shaky knees as he held on, sustaining the summon channel as best as he could.

Shhhk.

The knight spun its rusty longsword and delivered a fatal jab into the spider, piercing its exoskeleton body right in the middle with the chipped longsword, the entire blade sinking into the spider’s body. Red goo poured from the stab wound, as the knight put a leg on the spider’s body to yank its chipped sword back out.

As the spider toppled over, its meters long legs curling up in death, the small baby spiders underneath began to scurry away.

[Knight has slain an Elder Arachnid.]

[Knight has gained experience.]

[Knight has leveled up to level 2.]

[Knight has leveled up to level 3.]

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief now that the immediate ordeal with the hairy man eating spider was over.

“Good work, knight. You can go back now.”

He broke the tether sustaining his knight familiar’s summon, and the loyal guardian bowed to Daniel as it disappeared back into rest. Daniel’s mana bar was now at three quarters, and his health bar was just a little damaged by sustaining the summon. Overall, he could probably maintain the summon for roughly twenty minutes more if he chose to do so.

He also noticed that when [Knight] killed something, he did not receive experience. While that was good in some ways because it allowed the knight to get stronger more quickly, it also meant that he couldn’t just freeload exp off of his familiar either.

Floating down, the small busty faerie landed on Daniel’s cheek and hugged him with a full body hug. “Thank you for saving me again, Daniel… waaaaaaa…”

She was crying again, grateful to Daniel for saving her from the jaws of the arachnid. Although Daniel thought of himself as somewhat stoic, he couldn’t help but feel bad for the little faerie. The sight of a stew boiling with all her family members and friends was without a doubt one of the most horrible things she ever saw and scarring for life, so he just let her lean onto his cheek for a while and cry herself out.

While he comforted the faerie, Daniel opened up his status screen and moved to the communications tab. He wanted to message his friends and warn them about the Anndr.

[You can not access communications inside this dungeon.]

…

What the hell?

A few moments passed, and the pretty and pint sized wind faerie’s sobs quelled into small sniffles. “Okay,” the wind faerie said while taking deep breaths, still twitching her small body involuntarily. “It’s time to get out of here. There is a portal behind the emperor’s tomb that leads to the outskirts of the capital city. You’ll be able to find your tribe there.”

“What about you?” Daniel asked, worried for the faerie. He wasn’t going to just let her die alone in this dark, wretched place crawling with monsters.

“There is nothing for me to live for anymore,” said the faerie in a small voice. “My family, my friends, everyone is dead because of that Anndr. I will join my tribe in eternal rest.”

She shook her head in a frail movement. “I didn’t tell you this before, but back in the village, when I looked over… I saw my big sister in that pot, with her head limp to the side. I-It was so horrible...”

Daniel picked the faerie up gently in his palm. “What’s your name?”

The faerie blinked her pretty green eyes, looking up and Daniel. “Aerie.”

Daniel nodded. “Listen, Aerie. I’m taking you with me, whether you like it or not. We’ll take revenge together on that Anndr when I am strong enough. Okay?”

“Okay,” Aerie nodded, her mouth clamped shut as she bit back the urge to cry again.

“Alright,” Daniel replied, resolute in his tone. “Let’s go find that portal.”