Rupegia
/ Rupegia 103 Dragon - Part 1
The windowsills look warped and tilted; the doorways are convex, as if they were made for very fat people; the walls are bowed, making the houses all look spherical; and everything is covered with rough bark. These houses have more of the "Rabanara charm" than Goloria's to them.
The atmosphere also makes for a cozy view: dark areas contrasted by the few rays of light that pierce through the canopies and a few crystal lights; dark brown bark enlivened by the vibrant green leaves; the wildness of nature confronted by the symbols of civilization with the houses, vegetable gardens, the walkway, and the occasional "artwork" grown out of the trees. It's no surprise to me that so many people decided to make their home here.
The wild air of the hunter's guild is also present with everyone being armed and armored to the teeth. Even if you're just going outside for a second, it's better to do it while ready for combat than risk a sneak attack by a stealthy monster.
The adventurers eye each other cautiously, but cordially. People nod and greet each other, but they always stay at a greatsword's length away, or sometimes even more.
Just because of our party's size, others make way for us. Adventurers of all people would be the last to underestimate another fellowship before knowing their real power. You never know if you are going up against a troupe of clowns, a veteran band of brothers, or a Lord's son undergoing training with his harem.
There are a few other houses which are instead carved from the wood or tents that are erected in open spots on the walkway, but these are few in comparison to the Nature mages' houses.
The walkway comes to an end, and at the same time, we, unfortunately, start to hear the faint whispers of crying coming from the Weepers.
In my still rather delicate mental state, their cries bring with them images of the families for the victims of the attack on the Innocent Nymph and guilt starts to encroach in my heart. This guilt is not one that will simply go away with a slap, though.
With a sigh, I summon an almost-naked Ciel to brighten my mind. Without even giving it any orders, the light elemental immediately comes up to me and buries my head in the softest breasts that ever breasted.
"Should I feel offended that my husband is burying his face in the bosom of a summon that looks just like me?" Ciel asks.
"I… don't think so. Maybe you should feel flattered, instead?" Alissa suggests tentatively with a wry smile.
"She's just envious because she has to wear armor and can't hug him like the elemental can," Lina says.
The light elemental lays her head against mine and hugs me tighter, as if taunting Ciel to come over and stop her.
"You should start having sex with your elementals, too," Hana comments.
"Not sure if that's something morally right to do," I say. Even with my face covered by breasts, they are still only made of "light," which allows for air to pass through, and therefore, I can breathe and talk normally.
"As moral as having sex with your golems and slaves," Lina says.
I blush in embarrassment. There's such a power imbalance between me, Alissa, Hana, and Lina that it's hard to say that I'm a good and 'moral' person in comparison to my former fellow Earthlings. Especially with how easy it was to corrupt me and push me to buy Alissa.
Hardly anybody sees themselves as being "bad" people, so I always thought I was "good" or at least "justified," but hell is full of good intentions and heaven is full of good works. Justifying my transgressions doesn't absolve me of them. I'm still very much a "bad" person who does a wrong thing and justifies it by then doing a "right" thing.
"Wolfy…?" Alissa asks with a dangerous tone.
I cringe at what's coming. "Yes…?"
"Are you thinking stupid thoughts again…?"
"Yes…?"
"Do you want me to slap you?" I can hear a malicious grin coming from her voice.
"No."
"Then stop thinking stupid thoughts."
"Okay."
I hug the elemental back and she pats my head lovingly. My heart is filled with a calming anesthetic that makes it easier to wash away these stupid thoughts and clear my mind of the Weepers' encroachment.
Fuck Earth morals. I'm in Rupegia now and I'm going to adapt to life here no matter what!
I grab hold of the softest ass that ever assed and sink my fingers into them cheeks.
"I really feel like fucking this elemental," I say.
"That sounds interesting. I'll make sure that Ciel watches it very closely," Alissa says with a sadistic smirk and glances at Ciel, making the curvy priestess shudder with fear and just a hint of depraved excitement.
The elemental lowers her hand from my head, tracing her fingers along my body, and stops right on top of my crotch. She grabs my growing shaft and gives it a loving squeeze, then reaches slightly farther down to cup my balls.
I grab her hand and pull it away, then I kiss the soft non-material. "That's enough, for now," I say and we continue walking.
The few adventurers nearby give me odd looks, but one man smirks and nods in approval. I don't really care about what they think of me, only that the light elemental managed to clear my mind of all my guilty thoughts.
--
As we walk, the number of crystal lights increases significantly. Even the few people walking about are carrying crystal lights to ward off the Weepers' influence. Then we finally reach the end of the walkway and a ramp takes us back down to the mushy and mossy dirt.
The number of tents explodes, then a small society of adventurers starts to take shape and merchants appear. Elven "woodsmiths," herbalists, rustic restaurants, alchemists, and butchers are the most common businesses present.
Eating new monsters isn't safe for inexperienced people, so people with high [Dismantling] and [Cooking] can make small fortunes discovering the more valuable and delicious bits of these monsters.
The glowing plants suddenly start to turn purple and the Weepers' cries intensify. The adventurers quickly retire to their tents and what was once a bustling, informal town now looks depressingly desolate. The girls huddle up around the light elemental and I grab her hand to keep my heart calm.
We look up and through the small openings in the canopies, I can still see sunlight. It's currently night outside the dungeon, but the sun on this level is always stuck in the same position at 9 o'clock. So the plants must have some form of an internal clock, then.
Now that I think about it, if they are magical plants, then they are likely more influenced by the moon than the sun.
--
Alissa suddenly shoots two quick arrows and they hit two small Miasmatic Gambos emerging from their burrows to scavenge. These are actually no more valuable than an average goblin, so I only store them to not litter the area with their bodies.
Then we slowly start to make out the mountain range a ways away among the trees. Its twinkling lights catch our eyes and stand out from the (currently) purple landscape of the forest.
In the distance, we see a commotion of people surrounding a dimensional door. That's our target to reach the next level.
Close to that door, there's also a white one, the exit of the dungeon, but everyone seems to be ignoring it.
We hurry up to see what's going on and jog for a few minutes until we reach the unruly mob.
The mountain range slowly becomes more visible as we get closer. It's like a black blade of rock suddenly jutting up out of the earth. Its countless number of sparkling white gems make it seem like the night sky and give it a strong "emellanat" vibe.
The blade is surrounded by a small clearing, allowing it to bask and gleam in the eternal sunlight. With this, the atmosphere gradually lights up and the purple of the glowing plants reduces in intensity.
I feel very odd looking at this mountain range. My body is starting to tire out and become lethargic, yet the increase in sunlight makes me feel like the day is just starting. Couple that uncomfortable feeling with the constant threat of Weeper encroachment, and my discomfort with this level of the dungeon can only increase.
--
We reach the crowd and see a group of soldiers wearing wooden armor surrounding the door to the next level. They're maintaining a shield wall and pushing away any adventurer that tries to pass through. Inside the encirclement, there's an elven official wearing some very refined, traditional clothing. He's holding a piece of high-quality paper and is impatiently glancing at the pocket watch in his hand.
Nearby, there's a small detachment of men arranged in a battle formation. There are even Gatun riders, mounted and ready to battle. These men are watching the adventurers very sternly, discouraging anyone from doing anything more than trying to push their way through the encirclement.
We stop at the outer edge of the crowd, along with the more patient adventurers who are merely watching the commotion.
"What's going on?" Alissa asks a nearby tall female mage.
The woman grunts, then eyes our odd group a little strangely, but doesn't comment about it as she says, "Some piss-drinkers have been blocking the way to the next level for the last hour or so. I heard that on the other side of the mountain range, the door to the next level is open, but it'll take a day or two to get there, so the people are getting angry."
"Which pisser is pissing about?" Hana asks.
The woman shrugs. "No idea. Supposedly that weak little piss-drinker in the middle is going to make the announcement soon." She points towards the official in the middle. If not for the Hollys, only Hana would be able to see him from above the heads of the crowd.
With [Earth Wall], I make a raised dais for us, then I pull out some comfy chairs for us to sit on.
For some reason, it takes a day-cycle for the dungeon to revert any alterations done to it, so it's possible for Nature mages to quite easily maintain their houses and small veggie patches if they don't leave them unattended for too long.
We wait a few minutes and Alissa pulls out some cookies and tea for us to snack on while we relax. We get a few amused looks since the hardy men and women aren't used to seeing such comfort in the middle of a Godsdamned dungeon.
Then the elven official stores his watch away and unfurls his piece of paper. He clears his throat so loudly that it's obvious that he's using voice-enhancing magic.
Once the crowd quiets down, he starts reading, "By the order of Crown Lord Mavel Este, Ruler of the western High Forest, True Noble, The Silent Sword, and Protector of the Last Crow, progression through the dungeon named Legado has been heavily advised against."
Murmurs of protest start to quickly spread through the onlookers.
"The capabilities of the previously named dungeon are being greatly underestimated due to its irregular construction, and consequently, too many adventurers have died to the challenges of the dungeon."
Some adventurers scoff while others act offended that the official could be implying that they are underestimating a dungeon's dangers.
"With this fact made clear, the Lordship who maintains control over this dungeon has decided to turn away unprepared adventurers. This measure is needed lest too many adventurers die, which would cause significant distress for the Western High Forest and a shortage of monster materials which are essential for the daily lives of the commoners."
The murmurs grow into protests and questions about what is considered "unprepared." The men blockading the dimensional door push back the adventurers that are starting to get rowdy.
"Lord Este is blocking progression through the dungeon just to stop people from taking all the riches," Ciel comments, slowly starting to get angry.
Hana's blood starts to boil over and we all stop to stare at her rising fury.
"Hana…" I start and gently hold her shoulder to try to calm her down. She breathes in deeply and her boiling blood cools down to merely "hot," then she hops down from our dais and forces her way through the crowd.
"Fuck you, bitch," a rugged old man swears as Hana shoves him out of her way.
Feeling very annoyed at both him and Hana, I feed mana to the light elemental, greatly increasing its brilliance and nearly blinding the people nearby while also calming them a little, then I order the elemental to follow Hana. Their combined presence is so overwhelming that the crowd feels compelled to clear a path for them.
She stops in front of an elven soldier and glares at him, her face merely centimeters from his. Her [Intimidate] makes him weak in the legs, but his training is good enough that he holds the line. If he didn't, he would've likely been thrown back into training for failing in his single duty: holding the damn line.
"Who THE FUCK defines what 'unprepared' is?!" Hana yells a question, making spit fly in the soldier's face.
If he were a pervert, he might've enjoyed this situation, but apparently, he isn't, because the soldier lowers his head behind his shield so that Hana can instead glare at the official standing a few meters behind him looking slightly nervous.
The murmuring quiets down as people start to notice the elemental and Hana's imposing frame, which becomes even grander with the elemental glowing behind her, making her figure shine.
"I do," the elven official says. Even though his voice is magically enhanced, it doesn't boom through the crowd since he lacks Hana's "Charisma."
"A pencil pusher is the one who's deciding who's strong enough to pass? BAH!" She barks at him, making him redden slightly under her fearsome glare.
Though he's getting embarrassed, he's still composed enough to not reveal it in his voice. "I do not need 'Strength' to know who has enough power to survive in the dungeon."
"So how do you define who's 'unprepared'?"
The official smiles as he says with pride, "We've set a number of criteria that a fellowship must fulfill to be considered 'prepared.'"
Before he can even list them, Hana interrupts with her voice overpowering his own. "Just the fact that you think you can define everything that makes someone 'prepared' or 'powerful' enough makes me laugh! Even a veteran hunter would eventually misjudge others because his experience is incomplete."
The official frowns and looks at Hana with distaste. "We've compiled this list of criteria after very careful deliberation while consulting with a wide variety of veteran hunters. This list isn't perfect, but it's certainly good enough to stop the large number of deaths that have been happening in this dungeon."
"It is not your job to stop people from taking risks!"
"It is our job to protect civilization and ensure the stability of the High Forest!"
Ciel appears beside Hana and her figure looks even more imposing than my fiery dragon's. My Brown Angel was truly born to shine in the spotlight!
Ciel's voice washes through us like a wave of purity, clearing our minds of the billowing clouds of rage. "Will you block the common people from acquiring power?! Will you steal our right to delve into this blessing from the God of Change?! Will you deny us our Fate?!"
The official starts to lose his composure and his voice cracks. "I am here to guide you towards a safer path! For the stability of the High Forest!"
Ciel's face looks triumphant, but she doesn't let overconfidence take hold over her stern expression. "Exactly! You are here to guide us, not force us! Appraise our fellowships if you must, but tell your men to stand down and clear the way!"
The Light has shined upon us, guiding us towards the true path. The soldiers blockading the dimensional door cower and shiver behind their shields while the official pales under my girls' ferocity.
"Clear the way! Clear the way! Clear the way! Clear the way!" The adventurers chant in unison and stomp their feet.
The detachment of men nearby is getting restless and is now holding their weapons a bit tighter, but they don't act since nobody has turned violent yet. However, they all saw how the crowd went from energetic to outraged very fast, which also means that they will become enraged soon and nobody wants to have to put down a crowd of enraged veteran hunters.
"Clear the way! Clear the way!" I chant along with them and the [Spirit Lights] of everyone in the crowd start to shine brighter, clearing the purple of the night away. The little balls of light dotting the landscape become spotlights aimed at the two angelic women leading the crowd.
I see the official's mouth move, but his voice is drowned out by the chanting.
"STO~P!" Hana bellows and the intensity of her voice makes our bones tremble.
"W-we ccannot allow m-m-more deaths," the official's words stumble their way out of his mouth.
"LET THEM THROUGH!" Suddenly booms another voice. We turn our head towards the source and see an elven man in dark glossy wooden armor. His helmet has two golden lines, distinguishing him from the rest, who have none.
The official remains frozen, staring at the detachment commander in disbelief, then an officer near the dimensional door shouts orders for the men to move. The soldiers break the line to allow corridors for people to pass through while some of them reform the encirclement around the official to protect him.
We all cheer and some fall down to their knees while praying to their two new goddesses.
"MAKE A LINE! ONE FOR EACH SIDE OF THE DOOR!" Hana bellows before the adventurers start trampling over each other to be the first to cross the dimensional door. They all freeze for a second, then obey her and shuffle around while murmuring.
The pushing and shoving stops as the way clears and fellowships line up one after another to cross the door in an orderly fashion.
Ciel sighs and relaxes, then they both start to lose their imposing figures as I turn down the brilliance of the light elemental.
The official retreats towards the detachment and sends a glare at our group, but that only makes Hana laugh out loud as the delicate man holds no hint of real danger in his eyes.
They return to us and sit back down on our thrones.
"I'm actually really proud of what you two did," I say.
"Praise me more," Hana says.
"You two were amazing, stunning, and inspiring!" Roxanne praises.
"More."
"I felt like I was being stepped on by you," Alissa says.
"More!"
"I wanted the kneel in front of you. You're my master!" Aoi excitedly exclaims.
Hana smiles fearsomely. "HM~MORE!"
"You two looked heavenly," Lina calmly says.
Ciel looks at us from the corner of her eyes and mutters, "More…"
"You are my Goddesses. You shined like the stars and brightened my heart," I say and give each of their hands a kiss.
"Hm… a little corny," Ciel says and narrows her eyes, giving her an air of superiority.
"I like it," Hana says with a shrug. She grabs my hand and returns the kisses I gave to hers. "We are all Gods in the making. Slowly growing in power and fame until our eventual ascension to Godhood."
Ciel frowns a little. "I'd rather not assume that we'll ever ascend. Calling yourself a God before it actually happens goes against the teachings of the God of the Sun."
"Then you are my angels. Not the demon race, but the myth of angels," I say.
Ciel seems pleased with that and smiles shyly. "Much better."
"Nice. Now, all that I need are feathery wings and a glowing sword, then I'm a battle angel," Hana says.
"Learn Wolfy's [Soul Manipulation] and you'll be able to grow your own feathers," Alissa says.
Hana smiles wryly. "Well, I have the soul potential for that since I leveled today, but other things have priority, like [Mana Control]."
"I want Wolfy's skill. These claws suck!" Aoi complains and raises her cute little claws.
"Don't hate your body like that. Your claws are perfect if you live in the wild," Hana consoles her and pats her head.
"But I'm not wild anymore. I'm civilized!" Aoi stands on her hindlegs and puffs her chest as smoke escapes her nostrils.
"Chimeras are known to dislike certain parts of their bodies that cause inconveniences, like very long horns," Ciel says in a warm tone.
"A few types of demon race also dislike some of their parts. It's a common problem," Roxanne says with a shrug.
Hana scratches her emerald scales awkwardly. "Hm… there isn't a single part of us that we, the dragonkin, dislike about ourselves, but our 'special parts' are quite simple and minor in comparison to other races. So, yeah… I think I get what you mean…"
A few fellowships leave the line and walk towards the elven official. After controlling his emotions, the man keeps a neutral look, then immediately puts on a business smile as he notices the fellowships coming over to talk to him.
After the first few, a good 30% of the fellowships also leave the line to talk with the official, then a good number of those do seem to get convinced about the dangers of the gauntlet and choose to leave the dungeon instead of continuing on.
"All's well that ends well," I say and shrug.
--
As the line becomes small, we decide to enter it. It doesn't take long for our turn to come since we only have to wait for each fellowship to cross and the door to close before the next group is allowed to cross through.
Then we finally enter the familiar wooden room. The floor lights up again and my vision goes dark.
--
We wake up on a stone platform floating in the middle of space. There's another dimensional door at the edge of the platform, but this one is composed of unremarkable stone.
In contrast, the view of the environment around us is breathtaking. The pure black background is painted spectacularly with countless stars, constellations, galaxies, and nebulas. I feel like I'm in Space Engine VR again, causing me to smile nostalgically.
Hopefully, there are no black holes around here because we certainly don't need the existential dread of something as mind-fucking as a black hole.
I sigh and stretch, then I start to remove my armor since I know that this place is perfectly safe.
"Let's make camp here," I say and the girls nod.
--
--
Hall of Fame of Patrons
The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:
Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince PreownedFIN.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Cidant.
Lord Ashadun.
Lord Michale Erwin.
Lord Joxsan Herrera.
Lord Enrique Peña Gomez.
Lord Vampmire.
Lord Braidborn.
Lord Bakerdea.
Lord Kalsted.
Lord Yeeteris Dedmeem.
Lord D4rk Sheep.
Lord Nevarec.
Lord Nathan Vanbrunt.
Noble Salty Panda.
Noble Evil.
Noble Yamibomb112.
Noble Maurice.
Chapter end
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