ABH - CH 42 - To Fight In A Cave of Starlight

A/N: It's late, I'm sorry, but!!! It's good. And isn't that the best I can offer?

Chapter Forty-Two

To Fight In A Cave of Starlight

Rise of Winter, Week 5, Day 5

Between what had once been two barrels of water, there was a crack-like opening in the stone wall. The passage the opening created was narrow, so small it was as if it wasn’t meant to be found. Freddie’s shoulders touched the edges of the opening, and her head was mere inches from the ceiling. 

It’s a passage meant for goblins, she surmised, surveying the walls. It was dark—not magically dark, or anything. There were just no lights. Either way, Freddie used the same Skill. 

[Sparkler]

As the dual suns formed in her palm, she slunk into the crevice. Freddie was half crouched, her eyes peeled for any traps or pits or other dungeon-trick-like things. Her Perception sharpened her senses, increased her processing speed, allowed her to perceive more. That didn’t mean much when there was just a simple, jagged stone wall, and a dirt floor.

That was odd, actually. The rest of the dungeon—save for the pits—were cobbled flooring. Tiles and bricks and other more put-together items. 

Why is this the only area with dirt floors? Freddie scrunched her nose. Actually, why would a dungeon waste resources on paving the floors at all?

“Ogon,” Freddie whispered, “stay close.”

Ogon, to his credit, did not choose that moment to comment on the fact that he was large enough now to give off a flickering light. 

“Aye, aye, Captain Lady.” 

Ogon slipped between the two lights of [Sparkler] and hovered there, circling them slowly as if he were a third star. 

Freddie took slow breaths as she walked, keeping the sound of her existence to a minimum. She rolled her feet and gently placed them into the dirt, muffling the echoing thump of her steps. Finally, she used her free hand to silence the gentle clinking of the potions on her hip.

Quiet, Fred, you can do quiet, she affirmed herself. Then, she glanced down at the slowly rotating spirit. And so can Ogon. He’s actually remarkably good at it. But, just in case—

“It’s time for silence. If we see another monster, hold back until we know what it is.” Freddie’s voice was soft, her vocal cords barely shaking with the effort of the words, but Ogon stilled. Then he bopped up and down in understanding. 

Nodding her own acknowledgement, Freddie continued her slow walk down the hall. Whatever she found, whether it be another room or the boss of this floor, she needed to be prepared. 

Her breath was light, soft, barely able to be heard over the pressure of the silent dungeon. 

That was how she proceeded, slowly but with purpose. She took care to soften her footsteps, to keep her breathing slow and steady. Freddie knew that the light was a dead giveaway that she existed, that there was no hiding her presence entirely, but maybe if she stretched her 28 Perception, she would hear the muffled sounds of monsters before they saw her.

As she walked through the dark, Ogon circled in her palm and Freddie felt a buzzing fill her stomach—anticipation filling her. What would she find at the end of this winding tunnel? More rooms to dominate? Or would it be the end? Would she only have a single more fight to push her over the edge to Level 13? Would it be enough? Why hadn’t the past several goblins done it?

Freddie scoured the [System] lessons in her memory, but they were foggy. They had happened during her Slumber, before her mind whirled a mile a minute, before her memory was forcibly enhanced. Before, before, before. Before Freddie and Kalina had merged, a life stretching between one moment and the next. 

Still, Freddie had glimpses of lessons. 

It is Level 5, 10, and 20 that have bottlenecks, each one fiercer than the last. Marasha’s voice filled her mind. There are more, but those are the ones that most experience in their lives. 

Freddie tried to remember the follow-ups, the questions and answers, the rest of the lesson, but all she remembered was sneaking off to play with the trips. Hue, Les, and Gene had been so little then, so defenseless and adorable. They still were. 

An ache resounded through Freddie’s chest as she thought of her brothers, at the knowledge that she wasn’t there to protect them. She wasn’t there to shower them in love. 

What if they forget me? A voice whispered in Freddie’s mind, and she grit her teeth. I’ll just have to make them remember when I get home. 

It was then that Freddie wished she could open the locket the boys had given her. The one with a picture of the four of them. But it was tucked into the deepest crevices of her bag, safe from any accidental unpacking. She wanted to see her brothers. Freddie wanted it so deeply that her hands shook with emotion. 

There was only so much she could allow herself to wallow in, though, and so Freddie gave herself seven steps. 

One step.  Freddie thought of Lester and the way he was already so angry, so filled with fire. It brought a ghost of a smile to her face. 

Two steps. She thought of Eugene, who was so full of wit. He’d be fine, too. Her smile fell away as fast as it had come.

Three steps. It was Huebert who she worried about most. Huebert would be distraught if Freddie died in this Gods forsaken dungeon. He would be inconsolable. 

Four steps. Well, it wasn’t that Gods forsaken, was it? It was a God who locked Freddie in the thing. 

Five steps. Nevertheless, Hue would have his brothers. Freddie had to trust in that bond. Had to trust they would take care of each other, even when she wasn’t there.

Six steps. The trips were stronger together, stronger for the tragedy that so often struck the Nemo’s during a travesty, stronger for their Slumber that was soon to Awaken. 

Seven steps. It didn’t matter, in the end. Because Freddie would be getting out of this dungeon in one piece, no matter how long it took her. She didn’t need to worry about the triplets. 

They wouldn’t be alone for long—they weren’t really alone at all, but Freddie couldn’t think about who they had with them. She had only been in the dungeon for two days, and she already felt the ache of missing her family. 

Freddie saw the light in front of her hit and a curve, the narrow passage turning sharply to the left. She took a deep breath and followed along. 

She had to empty her mind of her brothers, of her parents, of her aunts and uncles and her myriad of cousins. There was no place in this dungeon for distraction. 

Working her way through the passage, Freddie came to another curve—this one turned to the right. And another, to the left. She didn’t feel the need to keep track. The passage never broke off, never split. There was no fork in the road to keep track of, no choices to make. All there was to do was go forward. 

Eventually, Freddie saw a flickering light in the darkness ahead, and, without missing a beat, she ended [Sparkler]. 

Ogon still glittered in the dark, but his light was dim, barely enough to see a foot around him. He drifted low to the ground and fell a few feet behind Freddie. She smiled at his strategy. If anything caught sight of the light, they would think her behind it rather than before it. It wasn’t the biggest advantage, and if whatever was up ahead had [Dark Vision] it was useless, but it gave Freddie a sense of pride in Ogon. 

She slowed her steps again, barely moving, muffling every bit of sound she could. For a moment, Freddie wished she had the [Stealth] Skill, and she even put her intent into her movements to gain it, but as she reached the end of the passage, no notifications appeared, and Freddie bit back a sigh. 

How do I have the aptitude for [Meditation] but not [Stealth]? They’re obnoxiously similar. Freddie grumbled mentally. Both Skills, to her, were linked to intent of movement, of control, of knowing what to do and not to maintain a certain state. It only made sense that the Skills were linked. 

But, of course, Freddie was reminded of her lack of [System] classes. Of the way she ignored Marasha and went to play. Perhaps, when she got back home, she’d pay more attention to the poor Governess. 

Freddie hung back in the edge of the darkness, looking out into the light. Before her was a large cavern, with stalactites lining the top of the opening. They were overly large, and they hung low to the ground. Freddie was sure that there was barely enough room for her to stand in the cavern. Around the edges of the cave were stalagmites growing up toward the stalactites, creating the visual of a great maw around the cavern. In the gaps between the two formations were wires holding hanging forms that looked suspiciously like sausages.  

The center of the chamber was hollowed out, and that was where the real interest laid. Because at the center of the cavern was a low-burning bonfire surrounded by three figures. 

Two were familiar to Freddie; they were sickly yellow goblins with black tribal markings lining their skin and tattered leather armor. In each of their hands was a wand, just as in the other areas of the dungeon. It was the third figure that intrigued Freddie the most. It was clearly another goblin, but this time its skin was the color of obsidian, a pitch so dark Freddie would have had trouble making out its form if not for the shining silver markings lining its body.

Unlike the other goblins in the dungeon, this one held no weapon. It was no larger than the others, no taller or better built, but the marking on its skin sparkled in the dim light. 

Freddie sent off two [Inspects] to the yellow goblins as they roasted one of the sausages over the dim flame between them. 

[Yellow Goblin, Tier 1, Level 9]

[Yellow Goblin, Tier 1, Level 9]

Their description was the same as always. 

[An uncommonly found goblin of a new breed created by Dungeom M283. Novice understanding of mana. Adept with simple weapons. Adept with simple strategy.]

Freddie knew that the Yellow Goblins had more attributes than the Red Goblins and Stone Goblins, though they were similar to the Purple Goblins when it came to resilience. 

Taking a slow breath, Freddie fired off a final [Inspect]

[Starlight Goblin, Tier 1, Level 10]

[A rarely found goblin of a new breed created by Dungeom M283. Adept understanding of mana. Adept with unarmed combat. Adept with strategy.]

Freddie read the notice, her brow furrowing at the information. A rarely found goblin.

She could read between the lines. 

The Starlight Goblin had a [Rare] Class—just like Freddie herself. 

Dismissing the notice with a grimace, Freddie looked back to the Starlight Goblin. 

Even in the dim light, Freddie could make out the monster’s silver irises staring right back at her, and, if Freddie didn’t think that it was a delusional thought, the Starlight Goblin had a wide, feral grin as it slowly stood. 

But she wasn’t afraid. No, Freddie was sure, between her and Ogon, that she could overcome the Starlight Goblin. 

So, she stepped into the light. 

Beside the Starlight Goblin, the two Yellows jumped up, brandishing their wands. 

It didn’t matter. 

Freddie had already imbued her arms with fire resistance and coated her fists in flames as hot as she could muster. A whisper on her lips, “[Fist of the Flame Monk].”