What in the

I knew that woman was dangerous by the amount of mana she was leaving behind but come on. She tore up the entire room? I admit I didn’t pay too much attention to the plants. They tended to grow towards their preferred locations eventually anyways. But don’t you think that was a bit much? Still she’s certainly a powerful magic user. I don’t doubt that she’d be able to reach my core if she wanted to. No matter what sort of tricks I use, I guess a dungeon with only a few floors is no match for a master mage huh. Offensively, my choices are to overwhelm her magic or to trap her in a room with no breakable terrain I guess? Well, my guess is she either carries enough for her to use on her or can create things to use. Either way, best not to have her want to kill me.

I better redo the rest of the rooms so she doesn’t do that again. I swear some of my creatures will outright die of fright.

To think she's that much more powerful. No wonder the kitties are nowhere to be found today. Little fuzzballs. At least you think I’m doing a good job right Mr. Noodles?

I poke at the snake that’s laying across a sunny spot on the table.

…

No response. Great. Just you lot remember this when I’m summoning my next creature.

Phew.

The three of us let out a collective sigh of relief when we visit the next room and all Kanva did was grumble. It seemed like there were only a few things that needed fixing here and there. The same thing happened for the next few rooms. She would complain about new types of plants and creatures but for the most part things she already complained about were already fixed before we got there. I guess I should be grateful to the dungeon huh.

Despite being the first floor, there was still quite a bit of area. If we had to cover it all and reorganize everything, then we certainly would’ve been in trouble. Not that I’ve ever seen Kanva get truly tired.

[Saeri] Ahem. Now as you can see we have reached the entrance of the second floor. These cave like structures are the way down. They do each lead to a different section the sections are mostly the same. They are all mining areas, seeded with the metals and rock samples that you all have brought. It’s more or less safe in there. Although that safety does mean the more valuable stuff rarely if ever appears.

[Kesia] Hoh. It’s comfortable down here. It really smells of metals and ore too.

[Vance] Ok come on. Try not to get lost just because of shiny things.

[Kesia] Boo. I’m better at finding my way in rock tunnels than you are you know. Besides. It’s not about how shiny they are. It’s about how delicious they are.

[Vance] Hah. Yes yes. Let’s save that for later ok? We’ve still got lunch after all.

[Kesia] Fi~ne.

Luckily there were no big surprises waiting for us on the second floor. The second floor was made up of a series of rock tunnels. A good number of tree roots were distributed throughout the floor, seemingly having burst through the rocks. Although they may be obstacles for miners, we could also see rich greens and blues peeking through and on the exposed rocks. Someone more skilled would likely be able to spot more. Although Calchet doesn’t have anyone that experienced, considering the area is lacking in mines. The folks back in town would be happy if some experienced miners and blacksmiths came from the large cities though.

We had Kesia smash her tail into a wall. It didn’t do too much damage but from the shallow hole she made, we found more traces of metal. At the very least this is definitely suitable for mining, even if the rock seems a little harder than normal. Doesn’t seem to stop Kesia from sneaking a few metal streaked rock chips as a snack though. It was hard to pretend not to notice with how loud the crunching sound was.

In terms of danger? The floor is pretty weak. It was particularly quiet, with only the sound of some trickles and drops of water in unseen sections of the mine. It might even be safer than actual mines. It’s a pretty complicated series of tunnels. With the tunnels meandering and criss crossing and changing in height, it would be pretty easy to get lost in here. The tree roots provide some obstacle and it might be difficult to fight in here with a swinging weapon. They are difficult to chop down and some are actually quite sharp. Other than that… well there are some balls of poisonous insects around. With Kanva, we don’t have to worry about them dropping on our heads. That said, only a fool or the absurdly unlucky would die in here. If the dungeon doesn’t add more dangers that is.

[Vance] It’s pretty plain for something built by a sentient dungeon huh?

[Kesia] The people back in town will be happy enough with the new supply of stuff though. And it’s a lot less dangerous for us to collect medicinal herbs if we can come here instead of going so deep in the forest.

[Vance] Yeah I suppose. I guess the stories just gave me some unrealistic expectations for my first dungeon.

Giggle

[Saeri] Now now. You haven’t even seen the next floors yet.

I’m not sure I liked her tone. We had finally reached the end of the second floor. In front of us was a double door. Metal and heavy. Any doors we ran into before this was opened by Saeri or was already open but she was standing to the side this time. I glanced at Kesia. With how her tail has been twitching she was probably nervous too.

It seems like Kanva is the only one unaffected. I don’t know if the door smooth or if Kanva had more physical strength than we thought, but the heavy metal door opened smoothly.

The metal door must have been blocking the sound. What started as a trickle of water running through the first two floors sudden became much more. The change in volume was startling. The sound and misty, humid air crashed over us as if the sea had left the shackles of gravity.

Right in front of us was a rapid moving river plunging beneath our feet. There must be an entrance below us for the water to escape from. With the water running under us at such high speeds, it was creating tremors and vibrations that were impossible to not notice. In fact, it’s practically a miracle that you can’t feel or hear any of this through the door.

[Kesia] Uwah. I… I don’t like this. I think I’ll stay here until you guys come back.

She was probably speaking at a normal volume but with the rapids right by us, I could barely hear. I had to start shouting a little just to make sure she heard me.

[Vance] Come on. I know this is a lot stronger than we’re used to, but we live right next to the waterfall. How can you be afraid of this?

[Kesia] You’re only saying that because you can fly! If I fall in I’ll just sink!

[Vance] Well I guess you do have a point. We can hardly just walk across….

[Kanva] What? Did your eyes stop working when you can’t hear well boy?

I blink a few times in confusion but I slowly calm myself down and finally look around the room. The rapids might have ended just in front of us but there were various pillars and terrain on it’s way down. The chaotic flow made by these lead to many paths that branched off from it as it traveled from the far side of the room. The distance was… not close. The size is nothing compared to our lake of course, but it’s a sizeable room. The paths that branched off from the rapids led to calmer lakes. Areas that stretched from the rapids to the edges of the room. There’s definitely enough area to warrant the fishermen making some of the larger boats in here.

[Kesia] Ah! They prepared a boat for us!

My sight focused on where Kesia was pointing. Sure enough it was… a boat? It was hardly a good boat if that was the case. I was a bit worried about using it.

[Vance] Is… that a boat? It looks more like a large tub.

[Kanva] Ha. I swear. How is it possible you two have been training for so long and still fail to take any notice of your surroundings. There’s a rope tied to it. As long as it floats it should be good enough.

Ah. There is. I’m a little embarrassed we missed it. Kanva’s usually not so quick when she’s away from plants so I’m … Hm.

We’re on a slightly raised platform and it’s…. made of wood. No not just wood. Roots. I at least learned a little from these years of training under Kanva. These are definitely living. This entire platform is made of living roots. I try to ask if Kesia noticed it but -

[Kesia] Hey! Come on! Hurry up and get in! This is just like that ride that they have at the Almist Festival! Remember? It’s the one we went on together last year and they pulled us around!

[Vance] Haha. I remember I remember. Don’t worry we’re coming.

We all got into what was basically a wooden tub and was pulled along by this rope. There’s probably a mechanism hidden somewhere, likely hidden by the tumultuous water.

[Kesia] Look! There’s a bunch of pretty fishes over there.

As we got pulled along, we passed by the various run off areas. Most of the floor seems to be made of twisting tree roots that formed tight seals and allowed water to pool. All sorts of these pond areas were formed. Some had fast moving water while others were clearly stagnant. Some of the ponds were silty and murky, others were crystal clear. In the clear ones we could see they each had a variety of shapes and designs. Some were deep and we couldn’t see the bottom. Some of the ponds were rocky and others were shallow. One of the areas was even basically a beach, just sand covered in a few inches of water. Not only fish but there were signs of other life. All sorts of underwater weeds, shrimp, a few crabs.

[Vance] There certainly are all sorts of environments for different species.

[Kesia] Right? The edges are pretty calm and not all that noisy either.

[Saeri] Well, while each floor is meant to be a little more dangerous, these upper floors are still made with the normal villagers in mind. It doesn’t mean there’s no danger or future changes of course. That said, the fourth floor will start having some of the rarer plants and animals. It will also be the first level where things will actively attack.

[Kesia] Eh? We’re going to be attacked?

[Vance] This wasn’t all just a plan to lure us in was it?

[Saeri] Ha. Of course not. Nothing will attack us since I’m taking you on a tour. Besides. If Eita wanted you dead I wouldn’t have told you anything.

No. Hold on. She wouldn’t choose something like a dungeon over real people right?

…

Her smile doesn't feel like her earlier smiles.

Her smile feels a little scary.