I yawned, opening the door. Across the hall, Nana did the same thing.
“Morning, Nana.”
“It’s Shadowoooah.” She yawned again and smacked her lips. “I’m too tired to argue.”
“Then why don’t you go back to sleep?”
“Becau—” She was interrupted by the rumbling of her stomach. “That.”
I cracked a smile. “Hungry for anything in particular?”
“Poached eggs.”
“Sunny side up and scrambled not good enough for you?”
There were those downcast eyes again.
“No. Dad used to make them for me before he died.”
Oh no. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. You didn’t know.”
Her hollow tone broke my heart. “Shadowcloak—” Wait, why was she smiling?
“I can’t believe you actually fell for that,” she laughed. “I literally talked about my dad yesterday. He’s still alive you bird brain.”
“You little brat! That’s not okay to joke about!”
Nana stuck her tongue out and dashed down the hall. “Bird brain. Bird brain. Robin’s a bird brain,” she laughed.
She was far too fast and nimble for me to hope of catching her. But she couldn’t escape the breakfast table. That’s where I’d have my revenge.
“Morning, bird brain.” Bradley stepped into the hallway wearing pink robes and a matching nightcap.
“Oh, hey,” I said with a wave. “You guys are still here?”
Bradley nodded slowly. “Yeah. Jeremiah might be reliable, but he’s a late riser. We won’t be heading out for a few hours.”
“So why don’t you get some more sleep? You looked tired.”
“I’m a morning person, even if I don’t look it right now. I take afternoon classes, so my work gets done in the mornings.”
“What do you study?”
“Chemical engineering.”
“Wha—really?”
He smiled at me. “No, I’m joking. Pre-med. I was supposed to graduate in December.” His face soured. “Hopefully we can finish in time for my finals.”
The sooner the better. “How long have you wanted to be a doctor?”
“Oh, I’m not interested in being a doctor. Pharmacology is my thing.” He cocked his head toward the stairs. “The breakfast isn’t too bad if you’re hungry.”
“I am a bit rumbly in the tumbly.” I said, gently patting my tummy. “See ya around.”
We high-fived and went our separate ways. I found Nana sitting alone and joined her. She eyed me warily and pulled her food closer. Smart move. Too bad for her I already took the pepper flakes from my inventory. Just wait till you lower your guard, kiddo…
I ordered a breakfast burrito loaded with bacon, egg, cheese, mushrooms, and spinach. “You excited?”
Nana nodded. “Sure am. This is gonna be a blast!” She scooped a forkful of egg, spinach, and ham. “Sorry for what I said about my dad. You’re right; I shouldn’t joke about that.” She practically inhaled what was on her fork. “I’m not that great with people—”
“I can tell,” I said, returning the pepper flakes to my inventory.
“Hey!” She dropped her fork and glared at me. “I’m trying to make a moment here.”
“That’s the problem, kiddo. Don’t make a moment.” I took a big bite of my burrito. Hmm. Not great but not too bad. The mushrooms were a bit much. Not that I’d tell Michaela. “You apologized, and I assume you learned not to pull that stunt again. I don’t need your whole life story.”
That came out meaner than I intended. “Besides, you’re supposed to think of me as your big brother. We’re supposed to annoy each other.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You’re doing a really good job of that.”
I bowed. “Pleasure to be of service.”
She made a face and returned to her food. “Hrgh, burd bruhn.”
“I’m not going to answer if you talk with your mouth full.”
She rolled her eyes. “Hey, bird brain,” she said. “I asked Lady Charlotte why she likes you. So I guess I should ask why you like her.”
“Easy. My wife is hot.”
Nana looked genuinely surprised. “That’s it?”
“What, you need more?” I took another big bite out of my burrito. Yeah, the mushrooms were really bringing it down.
“Is there anything more, Robin?” My wife sat beside me.
“No, not particularly. You’re just a fine specimen.” I finished my breakfast and licked the juice from my fingers. “But if I had to come up with something, I’d say the smile you make when you’re genuinely happy is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I always love talking to you—even when we’re fighting. Because the fact that someone as amazing as you even knows my name, let alone is willing to talk to me, makes me beyond happy.”
Speaking of Charlotte’s smile. “Aww. Sweetie,” she said a bit too honey sweet. “You really should’ve stuck with ‘fine specimen.’”
***
Our trek to Colve took another few hours. We passed an NPC operated mine loaded with diamonds so bright I could see my reflection from about fifty yards away. After that we cut through a desert littered with bones and empty husks. Less pleasant but definitely atmospheric.
It was dark by the time we reached our destination. Not because the sun went down. Colve's entrance waited within the heart of a forest. The trees were so tall and lush they blocked out the light. Leaves rustled. Twigs snapped. Echoes of a hooting owl—or maybe an owlbear reverberated through the foliage. The ambush I expected never came, which somehow didn’t help my anxiety.
Char hugged her shoulders. “It looks so icky in there.”
“Really?” Nana tilted her head. “I can’t see a thing.”
“That’s what makes it so icky.” Char cocked her head toward the entrance. “Why don’t you go first, Robin? Be a man and all that.”
Wasn't often she had me take point. I cast Firestarter without selecting a target. Rather than shooting out, the sparks remained on my fingertips as a makeshift torch. 5 MP down, 195 to go.
Musty, dank, air welcomed me inside the tight corridor. Each step landed in something wet or sticky. Sometimes both. Rattling maracas mimicked the scuttling of hundreds of tiny bugs. I almost felt them crawling on me. Eugh. If I hated this already, Char might not last long.
“Your hand, love,” I said, reaching back. Charlotte’s fingers entwined with my non-sparky hand. “Take Nana’s.”
“It’s Shadowclo—”
“Got it!” Char snapped.
“Okay. We’ll run through this part on the count of three. Ready? One—”
“Three!”
Char rammed her shoulder into me. I stumbled forward but kept moving to gain momentum. The three of us burst through the tight corridor into a large shrine. Char collapsed onto her knees, letting out deep breaths. Nana grinned from ear to ear. I was somewhere in-between. A bit wary but admittedly a touch excited.
Aside from the scuttling maracas, the music was lowkey. Woodwinds kicked in, though I doubted any of them were made from mushrooms, alongside a pleasant harp and light drumbeat. Altogether it sounded like a gentle breeze swishing by on a rainy afternoon.
A trio of doors stood at the end of a pronged path. Autumn leaves, with some purple ones thrown in for good measure, made up the first path. Lush ivy coated in spider silk and dewdrops glistened from the second path. The third path did away with looking pretty and was just made of skulls.
Nana wasted no time hopping across the skulls.
“Hold on, kiddo, we haven’t made a plan yet,” I said.
“Maybe not we but me certainly did.” She jiggled the handle to the skull door. “Dang it.”
Char smirked. "What color is the keyhole?"
"Uh, yellow."
"We'll need a gold key for that door." Char skittered across the ivy. "Silver key for this door. Robin?"
I walked on crepuscular sunshine across the leaves. This door didn’t have a knob or handle. I lightly tapped it with my knuckles, and it toppled over. On the other side was another musty, dank, corridor.
“Am I still taking point?”
“No,” Char said. “It should be me. I’ll take care of the bugs, while you and Nana stay in the back.”
“What? But I wanna fight bugs!”
“And I want to get out of here quickly and safely. Let me handle things.”
Nana pouted but nodded.
The three of us walked for about half a minute until we reached a bright golden light.
Char turned her head. “What’s the plan, Nana?”
Nana sighed. “Shut up. Stay in the back. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Good girl.” Char patted Nana’s head. “Stick by her at all times, Robin. Don’t let her out of your sight.”
I gave her a thumbs up.
“Come on, Lady Charlotte. I get wanting to be quick, but do I really need a babysitter?”
“Babysitter?” I scoffed. “Please. I’m more like a bodyguard. Only cool people have bodyguards, right?”
She gasped. “You think I’m cool?”
“No, but I still like you. And that’s good enough for me.”
Since she didn’t talk back or mumble, I’d say that was good enough for Nana too.
Char took in a deep breath and dashed toward the light. She rolled out of the passageway, landing in a kneel with her bow at the ready. Nana and I shared a look and did the Charlotte-roll. Nana’s attempt was more graceful, and her knife was admittedly cooler than my wooden spoon.
Honeycombs comprised the floor and walls. Most of them were colored mustard or gold, which explained the light from the tunnel, with the other autumn colors occasionally present.
Bees slightly bigger than the dog Nana fought climbed the walls. Their infernal buzzing filled the room.
Worker Bee: Hard workers hoping their queen will one day notice them. Their stingers pack quite the wallop! Level 7.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
None of them seemed to notice us yet. Instead, they focused on the elevated platform on the far end of the room. A silver sofa with velvet cushions stood upon an elevated platform. The ass adorning those velvety cushions belonged to a large bee.
Queen Bee: A bee endowed by the Fell Witch’s experiments. She rules her hive with an iron antenna and her workers will gladly follow her orders. Level 10. HP: 250/250. MP: 40/40 Weakness: Fire. Resistances: Wind, Air.
Queen’s swollen thorax was thrice the size of her drones. It pulsated, and the eggs visibly sloshed around. I appreciated the obvious weak point but eugh!
One serving of Kimchi will be prepared in ten seconds.
One serving of Sujeonggwa will be prepared in ten seconds.
One serving of Tteokbokki will be prepared in ten seconds.
I prepared servings of Kimchi, Tteokbokki and Sujeonggwa for my inventory. Altogether, that cost 30 MP and two uses of garlic and ginger. Every recipe used at least one with Kimchi and Buldak needing both. MP wasn’t the only resource I had to track. 165 MP left, and ten uses of garlic and ginger.
White light encased Char’s bow. She fired an arrow toward the ceiling that burst into a flurry of sparks. Worker Bees flew toward the sparks as if entranced.
Nana raised her hand. “When do the fireworks do damage or make the bees explode?”
“They don’t, kiddo,” I said. “It’s for aggro.”
“Ohhh.” Nana slowly nodded her head and raised her other hand. “Lady Charlotte, what’s aggro mean?”
“Ask Robin. A little busy at the moment.” Char shot one bee through its thorax and another in its eye.
“They didn’t tell you at the Auro-ientation?” I cracked a smirk when Char grimaced.
Nana looked at the ground. “I, uh, forgot.”
“Short version, aggro means attention,” I said. “If you aggro something, it’ll pursue you until someone else grabs its attention through damage or abilities. These fireworks draw aggro at a safe distance so Char can pick off enemies.”
She did just that until the lights dissipated, killing another three drones in the process. “Light Show’s cooldown doesn’t start till after the aggro wears off. Much as I hate to do it, I suggest we wait till I can use it again.”
“How long is the cooldown?” Nana asked.
“Fifteen seconds.”
“Fifteen whole seconds! That’s a long time.”
Char shrugged. “A fair trade off for the utility.” She glanced at the bees and squirmed. “It feels a lot longer with those things buzzing around.”
Nana nonchalantly twirled the knife around her fingertip. Two full rotations, catching it, and spinning again. “Gonna use any cool tricks to kill the big one?”
“Just my darling husband.”
“Bleh.” Nana stuck her tongue out. “That sounds so mushy.”
Char laughed. “One day, you’ll get mushy for someone too.”
Nana looked like she’d been told all dogs were actually alien cyborgs hellbent on world domination, and then had just been shown proof. In other words, sheer disbelief and horror.
“No way! I’d never be like that.” She rolled her eyes. “What’s bird brain gonna do? Bonk ‘em with a spoon?”
I tried twirling the spoon the way she did her knife and nearly hit myself. “Hurts more than ya think.”
She rolled her eyes a second time.
“Scoff all you want, but his support is invaluable,” Char said. “If there’s one lesson I hope to teach you, Nana, it’s this. You can’t do this alone. Supports and tanks are just as important as damage, so always be good to your party. You need them as much as they need you.”
“Probably even more so,” I added.
Char shook her head. “Don’t push it, sweetie.”
Fifteen seconds elapsed, and Char fired another Light Show. She wasted no time clearing the remaining worker bees, though her last arrow missed badly. No Deadeye on that one.
“Shit,” she muttered.
“Language, dear. We have to set a good example for Shadowcroak.”
“Croak?” Nana narrowed her eyes. “You did that on purpose.”
“Of course I did, Nana.”
“Kids,” Char groaned. Her next arrow decapitated the drone.
The buzzing sound didn’t disappear with the last worker bee. It grew louder.
Several honeycombs slid from the walls. Housed inside each makeshift incubation chamber was a wasp. Ten autumn-colored wasps crawled out of their chambers.
Wasp: Flying insects that just want to hurt people. These easily aggroed irritants can inflict multiple layers of poison with one sting. Level: 6. HP: 150/150. MP: 30/30. Weakness: Fire. Resistance: Air, Earth.
Char’s fear of bugs stemmed from a nasty wasp sting in her childhood. Other creepy crawlies made her squirm. Wasps petrified her. That was so much worse.
“Charlotte!”
She remained still, eyes fixed on the pulsating purple stingers. Liquid leaked from their tips, which my HUD marked with a purple skull and crossbones.
Poison: A nasty status that drains the life of anyone afflicted. Anyone stricken with poison will lose one percent of their HP every second. Multiple layers of poison can be stacked. Poison will run its course after two minutes but can be cured with an item or skill.\
I had no curative recipes and three antidotes. One each, and we needed to make them count.
The first wasp made a beeline for my wife. Fire zipped from my fingertips and struck its wing. It combusted and divebombed into the ground. The wasp lost about a third of its health, and I lost another 5 MP.
Without Light Show taking the aggro, I was now the most popular girl at the ball.
Nine wasps zoomed toward me. Char was my only chance, so I raced to her side with an onion at the ready.
“Charlotte!”
Char snapped to her senses. She yanked me to the ground just in time to avoid an incoming wasp. Her ensuing arrow clipped its wing. It still flew but slowed down considerably.
Char snatched the onion, and it disappeared into her inventory. “Buffs now, thanks later.”
“Deal.”
I applied the previously prepped servings of Tteokbokki and Sujeonggwa and prepped another serving of each.
One serving of Sujeonggwa provided to MoonHuntress.
One serving of Tteokbokki provided to MoonHuntress.
One serving of Sujeonggwa will be prepared in ten seconds.
One serving of Tteokbokki will be prepared in ten seconds.
135 MP, 9 uses of garlic and ginger.
Charlotte went to work, quickly accumulating damage and aggro. She spun around and fired two arrows into an oncoming wasp. The first arrow severed a leg; the other speared its eye. It shrieked as liquid oozed from the ocular pulp.
How was Nana doing? I turned to find a trio of Shadowcloaks literally running circles around a blazing wasp.
“I thought you could only make one copy.”
“I leveled up when Lady Charlotte killed the bees and upgraded my skill.” They all said in unison. “Now I can make two!”
The three snickered and formed a triangle around the wasp. The wasp’s stinger lashed out at the closest Nana. She tried to block it with her knife but got stung in the wrist. Her health didn’t go down nor did she disperse into mist. Another Nana attacked the wasp’s wings, but her knife phased through. The stinger caught in her throat; she disappeared instantly.
Okay, so a single hit wasn’t enough to dispel a clone. They had their own invisible health. That made the clones more useful than I gave them credit for, especially if she weaponized misdirection.
The final Nana slid behind the wasp’s exposed back with her knife at the ready. “Red Clover!” Nana delivered three quick strikes to the back, hesitated, and delivered a fourth.
The last of its health depleted, and it crumpled and twitched onto the ground. Good job, kiddo. I flashed her a thumbs up. She returned the gesture, but her eyes widened. I glanced behind–Charlotte!
Several dead wasps surrounded her. She was pale, panting, and clutching an injured arm. She had about sixty percent of her health left. Stable but for the poison. I used the first antidote, and color returned to her cheeks.
“Thanks–Robin!” She pointed to something behind me.
A wasp stung me before I had a chance to turn around. It reminded me of the last time I’d cut myself with a kitchen knife. I’d been washing dishes with scalding water to clean the mashed potatoes caked to the sides and bottom of the pot the night before. I rinsed steak juice off a knife and got distracted for a brief moment and accidentally cut my hand. The cut was bad enough, but the hot water burning my hand hurt so bad I couldn’t use it the rest of the afternoon.
That was a light papercut compared to the sting.
The stinger pierced through my collarbone like a hot knife coated in electricity. My body seized from searing pain–like an electric shock applied to my neck over and over. It nearly brought me to my knees, but the wasp kept me upright.
Guttural wrath and agony escaped my throat. Both hands blazed from Firestarter. One grabbed the wasp's face, the other took hold of the stinger. It squirmed, but the stinger was too deep for the wasp to escape.
Twin Firestarter took another ten MP, leaving me at 125.
Arrows phased through me and pelted the burning bug. Its melted face rocked sideways before toppling to the floor. My hand turned the stinger to embers that I blew away with a deep breath.
“Okay,” Nana said. “That was pretty cool.”
I shrugged, hoping the nonchalance would add some points. Unfortunately, moving my shoulder summoned another couple waves of electric shocks. If one sting could affect me like this, I didn't want to imagine how dying felt.
I slapped a bandage from my inventory over the wound, and the hole in my clavicle disappeared after a few seconds. Didn’t fix the damage though, to say nothing of the lingering pain. The sting and poison did a number on my squishy body. The wonders of a low Somatics score. I used the second antidote on myself, praying we didn’t need the third.
Char tossed me a potion and drank one herself, leaving us with four. It wasn’t enough to top either of us off, but our health was comfortably at three quarters each. As a bonus, it tasted good. Couldn’t go wrong with cherry.
“Are we gonna fight the queen now?” Nana asked.
Char looked around the room with her trigger finger twitching. “Assuming we don’t get ambushed again, yes. I have a bad feeling she has something sneaky planned for us. I’ll start with her wings, so she can’t fly.”
Nana punched her fists together. “Then she’ll be easy pickings.”
Char clicked her tongue. “Thatta girl.”
“Ooh!” Nana raised her hand. “I have an idea. I can Flashstep behind the Queen and Red Clover her.”
“That’s what you used to kill the wasp, right?” I asked.
“Mh-hmm.” Nana nodded. “It’s really cool. I get to sha-shing a few times, and it does more damage when I get ‘em in the back.”
Char seemed to consider it. “That’s not a bad idea once we get her majesty low enough.”
“You mean I have to wait?” Nana huffed.
“Yes,” Char and I said together.
“But I killed the wasp.”
“After I’d already damaged it,” I said. “Finishing a weakened enemy doesn’t mean you can kill one at full health—even with damage buffs. And if you don’t kill it, guess who becomes the queen’s new favorite target?”
Nana gulped. “That’s, uh, a good point, bird brain. Okay, so Queen gets to low health. Then Red Clover?”
Char nodded. “Then Red Clover.”
Her arrow tore through the queen’s wing and part of the velvet sofa.
“Way to go, Char. Now we can’t sell the couch for max value.”
Her retort was to flip me off. An oldie but a goodie. Not that I would’ve heard any words. Queen’s pained buzzing echoed throughout the chamber. She wrapped one antennae around the arrow and ripped it from her wing. Queen hovered off the ground but the damage kept her from truly flying.
Char ripped through the remaining wing like wet paper. Queen slammed to the ground, and the chamber rumbled. I quickly checked to make sure nothing crawled from the walls or floor. No, but now Queen crawled across the floor.
I couldn’t help but feel pity. We were able to feel pain in here, so maybe NPCs did too. Char would likely say something about being ones and zeroes or that all bugs deserved to burn anyway, but being shredded by a slew of arrows had to hurt like hell.
That being said, watching a giant pulsating bee crawl toward me was the stuff of nightmares.
“Can I Flash-Clover yet?”
“What?”
Nana bounced on the balls of her feet. “My Flashstep, Red Cover combo. Can I use it yet?”
“Not yet.” Char said through clenched teeth.
Her next arrow pierced the queen’s thorax, which did notably more damage than the hits to the wings. Two more arrows, and the thorax split open.
Black liquid seeped onto the mustard ground. My HUD identified it as venom, but it looked more akin to blood. Mixed with the blood-venom were large green ovals.
Bee Egg: The queen’s most prized possessions are not a part of this complete breakfast! These can be used to give an earthy flavor to a recipe!
I didn’t need my HUD to recognize an egg. They weren’t classified as enemies; they were just ingredients. Not even acknowledging the life inside them had a certain degree of cruelty to it. I couldn’t blame this one on the Admin. Someone on Charlotte’s team did this.
Queen was running, or crawling, on fumes. She was either within Nana’s kill range or very close to it. I nodded to Charlotte. She returned the nod and tapped her bow. I got the message. She’d let Nana have her fun but wouldn’t hesitate to finish off the queen if it tried anything.
“She’s all yours, Nana,” Char said. She didn’t sound happy, frustrated more than anything. Maybe even she felt some sympathy for the queen, despite her bug-o-phobia. She could be cold sometimes, but she wasn’t heartless.
If Nana felt any twinge of sympathy, she sure didn’t show it. She sauntered forward with a chuckle, grin, and punched her open hand. “Flash—” Nana teleported to a spot just behind Queen’s thorax. “Clover!” She slashed thrice at the thorax, hesitated, and slashed once more.
Queen seized. Her body dissolved into a pool of black goop, but her eggs remained. Hated to see them go to waste.
I carefully avoided the liquid poison to collect the eggs and other goodies.
Honey: Just a smackerel will make your tastebuds sing.
Pleasantly surprised I wasn’t looting eyeballs but a little surprised I wasn’t getting the stingers. Not that I had much use for them. Heaven only knew what Char would do to me if I served her bugs.
Nana rummaged through the remnants of the queen’s thorax and held up something shiny. “I found the key! Ha, ha!” She tossed the key in the air, spun around, and struck a pose. Her left hand made a V, and the key dropped into her open right hand. “Victory.”
“Are you going to do that every time we finish a room?”
Nana snickered a high-pitched snicker. “You’re just jealous that you didn’t get to finish off the big bug.”
“Nah, just think it’s too early for showboating. We’ve still got a couple rooms to go. Celebrating too early invites bad juju.”
“Can I still celebrate when we finish the dungeon?”
“I’d be upset if you didn’t. We’re still having that lemonade, remember?”
She grinned from ear to ear. “You want the key, Lady Charlotte?”
Char shook her head. “You finished it off, Nana. You keep the spoils. ‘Sides.” She put an arm around Nana’s shoulders and gestured to the room. “You’ve shown me you can take care of yourself. The next room is all yours.”
“Really?”
“Well, only if bird brain agrees to it.” Char winked at me.
No way she was giving Nana free reign. More like a longer leash. So long as we were safe about it, I didn’t have a problem.
“Have fun, kiddo.”
“Yeah!” She jumped and punched the air. “Let’s go kill some bugs!”
Project Ayla up to this point. I hope you’ve enjoyed it thus far. If you have enjoyed it, I have some good news and bad news.
- Release a chapter every two weeks. There may be delays if life gets in the way, or if writer’s block is particularly heavy, but I’m hoping this is a schedule I can maintain outside of planned vacations or holidays.
- Take a break from posting after this first arc to get the next chunk of the story ready and release a new chapter every few days. For reference, I estimate about 4-5 chapters left in this arc. Unfortunately, all of them will likely need a week or so to revise.