To the next Fight
Invest Your way to Wealth - Thobelani Maphumulo
This is it. The 10th floof or the [Mesop Golem Tower] and the last reported sighting of the [Android Golem] as Jin Embler named the 'humanoid golem'. We're back in the dungeon to complete the subjugation quest that will change evrything for the Embler party, and me as well.
The 10th floor is a hillside floor level or as Jin Embler calls it, the 'even numbered floor', and we'll be using the same [Corrosive Fog] magic to kill off the golems while we create a defensive structure called [Pillbox]. Coming up this dungeon, we've only ever used one of two strategies - on the hillside we use [Corrosive Fog] x [Pillbox] and one the flatlands, 'odd numbered floors', we make [Defensive Barrier] x [Elevated Assault].
All of these worked well against monsters with lacking intellects and a forward charge as their only attack method with zero teamwork. It was like taking down a mob with the most elegant plan. But today, I do worry if we can still play the same hand against an existence that is smarter than those mobs and with little knowledge of what this existence can do - we only know that its hunting grounds have reached the 9th floor and this is three floors down from its birth floor. We wanted to attack it on the 9th floor but there was no sign of it, so we now have to go deeper into its territory and we still don't know what to expect.
"Are we really going after something when we don't what it is? How do we know that we haven't passed it by?"
"If so, that plays best for us because behind us is our own playground. We just have to circle back to last [Defense Barrier]."
"Won't be so easy to do that, right?"
"Well~, an attack from behind means that something got passed both Hana-tan and Halter's detection and struck Celia, our longest range. We might be in a state of panick but we do have the comfort of knowing that we just need to reach the 9th floor barrier and fight back from there. And..."
"And?"
"We do know what to expect."
"! Really!?"
"Somewhat, only somewhat. I believe that the [Android Golem] has Ox-like traits, so we can plan around that even if it has human-like traits now."
"Ox?"
"Thanks to Halter, we know what monster to expect on each floor. And because of that, I made the guess that the Tower is designed with the Chinese Zodiac as its outline."
"... Explain in a way we can understand."
Terese and Hana-san are making the Pillbox as we speak.
"So I've already told you that Hana-chan and I come from an islan country. The neighbouring nation to that Island is China and they had many tradition texts - one of those a calendar for the years, different from calendars made for the months. That calendar was popularly used to group people by the years they were born and celebrate the new years."
"And how can you be sure that a calendar made by humans can tell how a monster dungeon is designed?"
"Because this entire region has a chinese-like atmosphere."
"That doesn't mean anything."
"It does for me. I left my homeland to travel the world and learnt to indentify how one culture differs from its neighbour. I also read upon the origins of those cultures, their tools, art, trade, knowledge and myths."
"... So because you know that no two tribes are exactly the same, it's weird how this 'China' is so similar to Mesop - and they aren't neighbours?"
"Right. I have a theory for why that's the case but I can tell you that this tower mimics the Chinese zodiac."
"In what why?"
"The order of the monsters matches the order of animals that represent each year, this was an order of the animals to arrive first to the house of a god who was holding a tea party. First the Rat, then Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and finally Pig."
"...! Isn't that--"
"Yes, the first floor had [Entelodont Golem] the pig-like monsters. Then the seconf floor had dog-like //find the name// monsters. With each floor we climbed, we moved further up the line of the animals and also closer to the God that they were aiming for."
"And this [Android Golem] is also working its way down the floors, and further away from the God? That doesn't make sense."
"It does if a monster doesn't want to be near God and is in search of food."
"But that monster eats in order to raise its level of existence. Wouldn't a higher existence be closer to God?"
"... That's right. I'm still not sure what a monster is and why does it need to strengthen its existence or why the nations of Laconia and Mesop are so similar to place I've seen before. For now, we can only look into it and find the answers to those questions..."
For a tense reply, he has quite the shine in his eyes. But that's not enough. Why does a golem with an animal shape evolve into a human shape? Why did it stay on the 10th floor when it already hunts on the 9th? The guild feared that it would rampage straight down the floors but it stayed on the 10th floor and not the 11th floor where it was born. Is it really on the 10th floor and not the 11th? What is it doing?"
"The [Pillbox] is finished."
"Thanks for the hard work~."
The pillbox was positioned just a step into the 10th floor and we were still on the 9th. The reason for this has been the same since the 1st floor - to secure a position with the least openings. Even though it's easy to deal with a attack coming straight at you, it's harder to deal with with each extra opponent especially when the all attack at the same time. The entrance to a floor only allows the enemy to attack from the front, left and right on the flat floors and for the hillsid, the can attack from above and worse you still have to turn around first, which means that your back, left and right are open.
Using a defensive building cuts off the monster's advantage and gives us time to deal with them. The most challenging floors were the Monkeys, Goat, Snake and Dragon, as Jin Embler calls them. Monkeys mimicked human behaviour, Goats could scale walls, same for Snakes, and the Dragons were large and sturdy. If not for the defenses, a head on fight would be suicide. I only ran straight through the floors before I joined Embler party and even that [Bullish party] could only run through the floor - in fact nobody thought of have a head on fight with a mob of monsters.
Another grace about this dungeon is that the floors get smaller as you go higher. The outside shape of the Tower has a circle bottom and top but the top circle is about a five parts smaller than the bottom. Hana-san called it a 'rhombic cylinder' which I don't know what that is - I think Jin Embler is toying with this girl's teaching. The fact that the shape of the dungeon choked out the Dragons on the 8th floor was the real godsend of this dungeon because only a few could appear. That and the strength of the Golems hardly changed with the floor but that also meant that some floors were randomly stronger than the one near it - like how the Rabbit came after the Dragon was just dissapointing.
"! It's here!"
"Get inside!"
We get inside quickly and shut the doors, on facing the 9th floor and the other to the 10th. The Pillbox is a square on all sides and the wall facing the 9th has no window but there is a windows on the 10th's side that stretch onto the next wall on both sides. This blocks the monsters on the hillside of the 10th floor can't attack from above us and have to move to the door and they'd have to move into our window of attack on the left and right of the door.
We have a Sage, a Magic Archer and a Sage Apprentice - all have the range that I and the Princess Knight don't have but we can guard the doors. I'm on the less likely to be active, 9th floor and the floor with //rabbit monster golem// that were already cleared. Our heavy hitter is watching the 10th floor and is using spears to stab through the eyeholes all over the door. Like this, we can--
"Alert! enemies have increased!"
"Enemies!?"
"One large android with horns, presumed [Ox-droid] and another large one with claws are approaching."
"The claws may be from the Rat or Tiger golems. We haven't seen the Rat yet but the Tiger golems //name here// we were supposed to find on this floor. I suspect that this is a [Tiger-droid]."
"! Increase the [Corrosive Fog]! Hana-tan focus on the attack, Jin give her support!"
A tiger's roar shakes the air and just as soon, thee feeling of many feet running down the hill can be felt.
"Now what!"
"Regular //tiger monster// are being born and running down the hill. Diverting the [Corrosive Fog] into their trajectories!"
"Keep some on our Pillbox and have Jin seal all the gaps. We'll use the Fog as our only attack!"
We just gave up all other means of attack and forcing Hana-san to keep up the attack and be our eyes. I can't let this situation continue. I put my ears to the ground.
"Focusing on detection!"
"Do that!"
......!
"Alert! Movement on the 9th floor!"
"What!?"
"Many signs of four-legged...! One sign one of two-legged! Another android suspected!"
"Fuck!"
This is bad, we can't attack without Hana-san and we can't retreat because the war situation has just gotten worse - far worse than we could imagine. We all know that running away from this means allowing another Android to be born. What was just one [Ox-droid] has increased by one [Tiger-droid] and one [Rabbit-droid].
It appears that they have some form of cooperation and new powers too. The Tiger roared and that summoned the monsters from its birth floor but it seems it was also a signal for the Rabbit-droid on the 9th floor. I'm not sure if it was the Rabbit-droid that called the //rabbit monsters// or the Tiger-droid alone but we do know why the first android, [Ox-droid], did not come out now - it wass gathering an army.
"Halter-san!!"
"Kyaah!!"
A booming voice yells at me when I'm focusing all my energy on strengthening my ears! Damn you, Terese. You better remember this!
"How much do you want to rule Mesop?"
"What are you asking--"
She grabs me by the shoulders aand pulls me in, we looking each other from our noses. A stern look in her eyes.
"Are you one of us? If your going betray those closed-off Pandas, are you going to take us down when it suits you?"
Her grip strengthens and there's thumps on all sides of the [Pillbox]. It seems that monsters are attacking something they can't see and through the dangerous fog. No doubt the Androids have ordered this while I'm pinned down by the entire party, not just Terese. I'm guessing that Terese has a way out of this but doesn't want to show her hand to outsiders. I take a breath and stare right back.
"I'm the one who made the Ox-droid. I fed it the corpses of three moronic black bear-eared adventurers that want to rape and murder me on the 11th floor. I had no other choice."
"!... What does hearing that do for us?"
"I'm trading here - My secret for Yours. So whatever your going to do, do it now. The walls cracking and it's hard to keep a straight face with dust falling on your face."
"... Hana! You're not allowed to hold back! Eliminate the mobs and suppress the Tiger and Rabbit androids!"
Hana-san looks back at Terese, a small fright in her eyes but follows the order of her battle commander. Jin Embler isn't the best for changes in situation, Celia's the leader because she can. But the one who can make the best command in battle is tthe battle-hardened warrior-princess of the Laconia Empire. Her calls are never wrong.
Hana-san closes her eyes. And turns pink. No, she's pink all over. Her hair and clothes, even her shoes are turning pink but I can see through her too. What's this? She becomes a ball on the floor that jiggles a bit - a slime. What the hell is this!?
"Terese--"
"Reduce the fog so that we can fight too. Jin and I will take on the Ox and Tiger, Celia the Rabbit. We'll cut these bastards down, here and now!"
The slime, Hana-san splits of into more slime and the move to the cracks and slip through them. How are they doing that? And how did one slime become several and still keep the same shape and size? It makes sense for them to be smaller versions of each other right? And why do a think that that idea is actually cute?
"Halter, get ready."
"? Ready for?"
"My guess is that the Ox will retreat to the 11th floor, no, to the 12th floor."
"! Can monsters dive into deeper floors if they evolve?... Did Hana-san do that?"
"Indeed. And she become a [Slime Demon King] by doing that."
"!!"
"This [Ox-droid] may have encountered other subjugation teams on the 9th floor and come to the idea that a Solo rush for the outside was a bad idea. It must have feasted upon lower-level monsters and strengthened its existence and also captured any human adventurers that it came across and fed them to the now Tiger, Rabbit and possibly, Rat androids."
"! Another android? Are you sure?"
"Because there are other type androids instead of just two more Ox-droids, I'm sure. I'm sure he wanted to command the other //ox monsters// but they can't leave their floor without [Levelling up] so the Ox opted to create leaders on the other floors and established itself as the supreme leader. With someone to take charge of these mobs, they're no longer mobs, they are each //platoons// and that raises their threat levels."
"... They won't just attack in simple, straight attacks anymore."
"Coordinated attacks with signals like just now are possible. And if a roar brings forth more enemies, a battle of attrition in the monsters favour plays out until we're easy enough to carry to the //dragon// and //snake// floors and increase the commanders. We can't let this continue."
"What should I do?"
"Be ready to assasinate the Rat android."
"!!"
"I'm not sure of its appearance but I'm more worried about a rat with intellect than an Ox. Such commanders aren't easy t deal with... The doors are open. Attack!"
On her command, Celia blows up the Rabbit-droid thaat was pinned down in front of the door of the 9th floor and Jin Embler leaps to the open door of the 10th, stabbing the large-body Tiger-droid captured their too. It seams that Hana-san gave us an easy hand. The reason she didn't finish off the droids herself was to divide the labour and search for the Ox-droid who may have left for his 11th floor.
"Halter, with Me!"
"Yes!"
I follow the back of our dashing battle commander, up the hillside to the next fight.
"Thank you all for you patience and support! Please leave a comment, smash the like button, make a bookmark and report any typos."
