It was a bonding mont for the two n, as they each drank from their respective cup of tea and glass of liquor, and watched a relatively attractive elf woman wash herself in the shower.
Sylver was
He didnt have a strong opinion regarding the glass and mirror houses. Or more accurately, it ended up being neutral.
On the one hand, he had a constant feeling of being watched, and Springs inability to find shadows to move through limited what he could see and do. There was also the fact that Sylvers eye jumped to whatever moved around him, which ended up hurting him after just a few hours of being inside his house.
On the other hand, this was the fourth woman in the last hour who had no reservations about getting undressed or bathing while Sylver and Grant stared right at her. He normally respected peoples privacy and wasnt a child that would get a nosebleed from seeing breasts, but there was sothing different about this whole thing.
The best way Sylver could describe it is that the glass and mirrors gave the whole place an oddly sexually charged vibe. It certainly didnt help that most of the people here were won, and the few n that Sylver could see from his kitchen were all either fast asleep or lived in houses made out of frosted glass.
Sylver had been in a similar culture before, unmarried won walked around with so sort of sign or signal that they were actively looking for a mate, but this felt uncomfortably direct, even for Sylver. A necklace with a wooden phallus was one thing, but living in a house where anyone at any ti can watch you sleep, eat or use the bathroom just seed like too much.
Not that Sylver was complaining, it certainly made waiting around for the dungeon dive much more interesting than it could have been.
The bullet crafting device was mostly finished, Sylver had done his part and now all that was left to do was for Grant to finish calibrating it.
It ran on electricity and pure sugar.
Sylver wasnt the worlds greatest flesh crafter, but he was certainly in the top 10 at the very least. He would be number 1, if not for the technicality that undead creations and living ones were considered completely different. His flesh crafting fell under the school of necromancy, according to the alleged authorities on the matter.
In Sylvers personal and professional opinion who fucking cares if its got a heartbeat or not, my monster will rip your monster to shreds!
Nyx shared Sylvers opinion, while Aether went against him and compared his giant self-replicating goat-like creature, the peak of flesh crafting, to a fucking golem of all things.
And sure, Aether, and that son of a bitch flesh crafter Pecklis, did make irrefutable points, but Sylver was more than willing to die on the hill that after a certain point of modification, it didnt matter if one of the pieces was dead at so point in ti. If anything, making sothing alive out of dead shit is harder than just turning 4 living creatures into 1.
Sylver considered anything with a soul alive and anything without a soul dead. It got ssy regarding undead, given that they had a soul that was dead, but the gist of it was that it doesnt matter that the thing Sylver created to eat raw at and spit out enchanted bullets had a heartbeat and sothing close to a brain and nervous system, it wasnt alive in his eyes.
Then again, dead and alive were subjective.
Sylver had a philosophical discussion with a giant talking tree that explained that in its equivalent of eyes, Sylver was the one that was dead. The tree couldnt even comprehend the idea that sothing could be undead, let alone the fact that Sylver was both dead and alive at the sa ti.
What were we talking about? Grant asked, still as stuck on the bathing woman as Sylver was.
He wasnt even turned on by her at this point, shed simply grabbed his attention and wouldnt let go of it. Like watching a giant fire burn, but with more soap, clear and see-through bathtubs, and a mirror right behind her that gave the two n a view of everything from all angles.
I genuinely cant rember, Sylver said, as he took another sip from his tea that should be stone-cold but had been ward up again and again and again.
The woman very slowly stood up from her foamy bathtub, and just stood there for a while, as all the foam slid off her and returned to the water. She was quite pale, despite spending almost every hour she was awake under the sun and in relatively skimpy clothing. Everyone in the Trunk was pale, not as pale as Sylver, but they made Grants rosy-colored face look almost red in comparison.
The woman said sothing that Sylver couldnt hear before the glass that made up her bathrooms walls and ceiling suddenly beca frosty. Sylver could have sworn he heard several voices groan in the distance, but it might have been his imagination.
He and Grant were about to turn towards the next woman, who Sylver was sure was looking at the one before and waiting, but so semblance of reason managed to return and Sylver broke the spell that had entrapped them.
While Im gone, you rember how the thing works, right? Sylver asked, although there was little point in asking.
Grant had a shade in his shadow, that was going to be handling the Deadn, and making sure none of them stepped out of line while Sylver was gone. But since it was just a shade, it couldnt make any decisions on its own, so Sylver had made it follow Grants orders.
Point with the left hand and number of fingers on the right for severity. Closed fist with the left for full paralysis, and if one of them touches , full paralysis for everyone within 50 ters, Grant answered.
Yes, and when things go tits up and youre hurt-
Nothing is going to happen, Grant interrupted.
Sure But when youre too soft on them and they check to see how far they can push the limits and ultimately try to kill you-
Theyre not going to do that, Grant interrupted dismissively. Sylver gave him a couple of monts in case he wanted to add sothing.
Alright... Anyway, if for so reason Chen or one of the others tries talking to you, tell them to wait until I co back. Or actually, tell them that if they dont surrender and bend the knee Im going to spend a few days tracking down everyone under their command, and ripping their eyes out, Sylver said, as Grant started doing the thing he always did, and reached up towards the piece of tech on his wrist and caressed it with his fingers.
Is this really the key to success? Overconfident aggression? Grant asked with a weary tone. Sylver respected him enough to think his question over.
Yes But actually, no. Im not overconfident, Im the exact level of confidence I should be at my current level of abilities. Going back to the topic of band-gangsters being friendly people and skull-bashing hooligans at the sa ti, most people in charge are people too. And most people dont want trouble. The only downside to this strategy is that it can beco a pissing contest if the other side is equally confident and prideful, but I am yet to be outpisssed, Sylver explained.
So confidence, aggression, and the ability to win if it devolves into a fight? Grant summarized.
More or less, yes. It also helps to have powerful friends backing you up If theres sothing I can-
No, no, no, everything is fine, Im fine. Its just none of this feels real if Im being honest. Ive spent years working my ass off, and in just a few days of being with you Im already in the Trunk and making more money in a day than I did in a month, Grant said with a tired voice, not quite upset, but not quite happy either.
Its what I do. I make my friends rich, and myself richer. Youll get used to it, Sylver said, while Grant ever so slowly turned his head towards the next nude woman and Sylver had to force himself from turning to watch with him.
The Iris embedded into the table turned opaque and inford Sylver that the expedition team was ready and would be departing in an hour. Sylver got himself dressed and ready, and missed Spring like never before as he had to consciously control the [Coat Of Carrion] soaked bags with his own mind to make them float and follow after him.
He was literally closing the door behind him, when he saw a large black package appear out of nowhere and move through the floor, towards Sylvers house. Normally he would just ignore it, these things moved everywhere all the ti, Sylver was almost used to it.
Except this one had a logo that he recognized.
Sylver was beaming with a childlike joy as Grant handed him the package and he skipped down the shiny mirror road towards the dungeon.
*
*
*
Is that everyone? the guard asked.
Or more accurately, the woman speaking through the guard asked.
All of the guards were purebloods. Grant didnt know the particulars, but pure-blooded Leafs and Branches all at one point or another worked as either Thorns or Barks.
The interior guards tended to be won, while the exterior were almost universally n.
They also didnt speak the sa language as the elves that lived in the Roots or Trunk, and more importantly, they didnt speak at all. Sylver guessed the reason was more cultural than practical, but guards themselves never said a word to anyone that wasnt another guard. They communicated with each other through a headset inside of their helt.
They had a speaker near their mouth area that other people spoke through.
Youre that necromancer The Silver sothing, one of Sylvers expedition mbers said.
He was about as tall as Sylver was and had dark blue eyes that didnt look right on his face.
Just call Silver, itll make life easier for everyone, Sylver offered with a hand extended out to shake the other mans.
He looked Sylver up and down and smirked, ever so slightly, before he turned away without another word.
Theres no need to be rude, Sylver offered, with a quick glance at the mans status.
[Elf (Soldier White Knight Black Knight Warrior) 131][HP-47,391][MP-1,740]
The man must have felt the skill being used because he puffed his chest up a little right after Sylver was done reading through it.
Only level 131? At your age? Kind of pathetic, dont you think? Sylver asked.
Before the warrior had even started to move to grab him by the collar, and before Sylver had even finished getting a grip on the dagger in his sleeve, one of the two guards escorting them appeared between them.
There will be no fighting, a womans voice said through the guard.
Sylver leaned to the side to see the warriors face and didnt bother suppressing his grin as he saw the warrior just barely managing to hold himself back. He looked Sylver in the eye and held his gaze. The guards head moved to the side and he blocked their line of sight.
If you are unable to cooperate, you will both be asked to leave, the womans voice said.
WHAT! HES THE- the warrior had an enlarged blood vessel on his forehead that looked about ready to burst, as he stopped shouting and took a very long and very deep breath. One of those anti-magic drones floated ominously above the guard and made the sound Sylver now understood to an an energy-based weapon was being charged to fire.
Sylver just continued to quietly smile at the man, while he very slowly forced himself to relax.
Im cool. Im cool. Stay away from , kid, the warrior said with a tone of voice that made the last word sound like an insult.
Kid, ouch. If I were in your shoes I would go out of my way to avoid using age as an insult. Youre not even 30 levels above , and youre as old as-
This is your final warning. Please enter the Lyon, the guard still standing between the two of them said, with his head facing Sylver.
Sylver continued to smile at the warrior, even as he jumped up into the flying carriage and began to try to buckle himself into his designated seat. One of the guards walked over to him and did it for him, and then double-checked that he was fully strapped in. Sylvers bag was underneath his seat, along with his still unopened package.
Sylver couldnt tell the two guards apart by their appearance, and there was too much lead in their armor for him to feel their souls.
Thank you, Sylver said to the guard he felt might be a man. He ignored him entirely and moved onto the next seat to check they were properly strapped in.
Youre wasting your breath. Whoever is underneath that mask cant hear or even properly see you. Facial blocking technology, to them were all numbers 1 through 5, the operators tell them anything else they need to know, a man on Sylvers left said.
He turned to see an oddly rectangular-shaped man, with a square chin and with a pitch-black helt pulled back to the top of his head. He had a bright red tree symbol on his front, and a box attached directly to his chest, that the seat straps went over.
[Elf (Warrior Mage dic Healer) 126][HP-29,471][MP-3,591]
Why? Sylver asked. The tallic Lyon began to gently hum and started to slowly move upwards into the air.
Beats . I annoyed an operator into telling once, theyve been careful about what they tell ever since. My best guess is so that the guards themselves dont hesitate to put us down if its required, the dic explained.
Im Silver, Sylver offered.
Esteas Falakas. But everyone calls Estus. Want to have a look at your eye when we land? Estus offered.
Esteas He wasnt on the list, what the fuck? And why are there only 4 of them?
Healing magic doesnt work on , its part of one of my perks, Sylver explained, while Estus nodded.
They both looked around the small cramped tallic interior and saw that one guard was standing up against the wall that led into the piloting room, while 5 n sat with 1 seat between them on either side.
Sylver was in the bottom left, while Estus was in the middle right. The warrior Sylver had pissed off or tried to was in the top right.
Ganry usually always cos along when Mods is going, but his last fight fucked him up from using too many healing potions. Poor bastard is probably sitting on the toilet and hurling his guts out right now, Estus explained.
Well, that certainly answers one question So Genry isnt here, Moderus is here, whos left?
Is one of you Runnel? Sylver asked while looking around the room and making sure not to look at anyone in particular as he asked.
Going clockwise, Runnel, , Bigs, you, and Mods, Estus said, pointing at each silent person in turn.
[Elf (Mage Mage Warlock Ice Burner) 122][HP-16,550][MP-9,950]
Runnel was bald like Sylver, but with odd patches on the top of his head, that looked like a mixture of frost burn, and regular burn. The patches ca down to his face and marred his left side, but he didnt look like he was particularly handso before the burns. Unlike the others, he didnt wear any armor and instead had a suit that looked similar to the silvery one Sylver wore in the Tower, except it wasnt shiny and was dark blue with swirls of red.
[Elf (Warrior Rogue Mystic Bleeder) 130][HP-N/A][MP-N/A]
Bigs was apparently an ironic na, given how small he was. If not for the scowl on his partially covered face, Sylver would have thought he was a human child. He wore a black wrap over his eyes that went down to his nose, with only his mouth being visible. All over his body, he had various daggers stashed away, alongside very small and very flat guns, that Sylver hadnt seen before.
[Elf (Soldier White Knight Black Knight Warrior) 131][HP-47,391][MP-1,740]
The man Sylver nearly goaded into a fight, Mods, was dressed warmly, in a lavish-looking fur, with gem-studded earrings, a diamond sticking out of his lower lip, and with one eye missing and replaced by the exact sa tallic sphere as the one Sylver had right now. If looks could kill, Sylver would be thrice dead, going by the daggers the man was glaring at him.
3 out of 5 isnt so bad
I only really need 1, I asked for 5 to fill up the seats
Sylver clutched at his straps as the whole vehicle jolted, and moved Mods up from being 2nd to die, to 1st place. The poor soon-to-be-dead man sohow managed to force himself into a laughing frenzy and made himself run out of breath as a result.
Sylver wouldnt exactly say he felt humiliated by the experience, but Spring very certainly was. If anything, Sylver found it a little sad, more than humiliating.
Not that it really mattered, everyone but Estus was going to die down in the dungeon. Sylver had learned a long ti ago not to take things personally.
Whats in the package? Estus asked, with a gesture towards the tight black wrap attached to Sylvers large bag.
This? Oh, I found out theres a crafter who specialized in anti-ballistic fabrics. I had him make a robe out of them, Sylver explained. Estus gave him an odd look.
You know there arent a lot of monsters down there that use guns, right? Estus asked.
I know, Sylver answered.
*
*
*
Estus talked.
A lot.
Wouldnt shut up is the way Sylver thought best to describe the never-ending cascade of sounds streaming out of his mouth and bouncing around the enclosed tallic space, before arriving at Sylvers earless ears.
The worst part was, Sylver actually liked the guy.
He learned a lot of information regarding the Garden, but Estus had an annoying habit of jumping from one topic to another, and Sylver couldnt figure out if sothing was universal common knowledge or not, and had to just wait until he heard enough to figure it out from context.
The dark year was coming up.
Or more accurately it was predicted to be coming up soon. From the fact that Estus complained about it fucking over a very lucrative job opportunity by ending too quickly 4 years ago, the dark year was akin to a weather phenonon.
The Tides allegedly hadnt occurred this year, which was a very bad sign for the dark year to co.
And this was Sylvers guess, but going by the way Estus talked, the elves here gained a resistance to healing magic and potions much faster than people in Eira. Down to the point, it was impossible to go through a dungeon without a healer and potions available. The rest could only be treated the way soone would do it without using magic.
Mostly bandages and stitches, and the non magical kind of prayer.
With no warning, the Lyon started to freefall, and Sylver could only imagine how much paler his skin turned as he clutched for dear life and was already ntally halfway out of this tallic coffin, via the giant hole he was going to create in the ceiling.
Its just the antigravity field kicking in, relax, Estus said, as Sylver got a faint look of pity from the square-shaped man and unfriendly chuckles from the other 3 occupants.
The door opened with a whoosh and Sylver heard a series of clacks and tal grinding on tal, before the latches keeping him glued to his seat unbuckled themselves and disappeared off him.
This dungeon has received a rating of 6.7 out of 10. This Lyon will depart in 120 hours. Good hunting, the womans voice said through the guards loudspeaker.
Sylver grabbed his bag from underneath his seat and placed his sealed robe under his armpit, as he followed behind Mods and Bigs with Estus and Runnel behind him.
Sylver had expected to see a cave or faintly glowing stone bricks.
Instead, when he walked out of the tallic tube that had extended from the Lyon, he saw a rusted to shit tal corridor. It was dark brown and dark green with rust, but very clearly not naturally made.
Sylver mutely followed the group down the corridor, and no one said a word for a long ti. Spring inford Sylver that the guards had pulled the tal tube away and they were now sealed back inside the flying Lyon.
Sylver released a breath he hadnt realized he had been holding as he felt relaxed in a way he hadnt been in a long while.
There was no lead anywhere. And in the pitch-black darkness, with the little flashlights everyone but Sylver had, Sylver felt at ho in a way he couldnt put into words. Despite appearances, this place was indeed a dungeon, Sylver could feel it in the way the tal beneath his feet was enchanted to near unbreakable levels.
Quick question. Do our Iriss work down here? Or anything? Sylver asked. His voice caused all 4 n to flinch so hard that Sylver got into a battle-ready stance. Mods seed more amused than pissed off, going by his body language.
Whats wrong? Worried about what might happen to you? Away from the guards and all alone? Mods asked, with an unmistakable grin in his voice. His back was turned to Sylver, and he hadnt given him the honor of turning around to speak to him.
Were already one man short Mods, Runnel added quietly. It wasnt exactly a dont kill him but more of an its a bad idea to kill him, but we wont stop you.
So? Hes barely level 100, what good will he do? Mods argued, while Sylver ran his finger down his enclosed package and pulled the surprisingly soft and light fabric out of it.
I saw his fight with Bellor. You might win, but youll be too damaged to do anything. He used a curse to permanently cripple Bellor, it isnt worth it. Silver Sliver was it? If you dont attack us, we wont attack you. I just want to get through this dungeon and go ho, thats all, Bigs said.
His voice was far deeper than it had any right to be. Sylver felt by Mods and Estus reaction they were scared, or at the very least cautious of Bigs.
Sorry, Im just nervous, its my first dungeon. But sure, I always love cooperating when its an option, Sylver explained.
He was curious to see how well 3 n that were the very definition of scum would wait until strangling him in his sleep or stabbing him in the back.
Kass called Sylver a sick fuck for asking for 5 n that no one would miss and were the most likely to try to kill Sylver.
Anyone got a mapping skill or sothing? Est, mark the ceiling whenever we get to an intersection, Bigs ordered, as they started to walk again.
What are we looking for exactly? Sylver asked, while he turned his robe inside out and rubbed the silk smooth fabric against his cheek.
It was even better than his robe in Eira.
Monsters and lairs, obviously, Mods said.
I see There are a bunch of humanoid figures in that direction, Sylver said and pointed. All 4 flashlights turned on him and focused on his outstretched finger.
How do you know that? Mods asked.
Sylver moved and pointed his finger at his ear, which was missing entirely.
Echolocation. I can sense my surroundings by the vibrations in the floor and air, Sylver lied.
Spring was in the middle of exploring, and seed to be getting happier with every found monster. This tallic dungeon didnt appear to have an end and was filled to the brim with monsters in so places.
See? And you wanted to kill him, Estes said while gesturing at Sylver.
I did, Mods said as he turned around and started to walk forwards again.
Sylver followed after them and felt a stone drop in his stomach when they passed a rusted shut door. No one even batted an eye at it, but Sylver had had far too many bad experiences with the language to not instantly recognize it.
Why the fuck is the English word for Food Hall in this realm?
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