Inadvertent Raiders (1/2)

* Fatna and Sumiré *

The pair ran inside the cave without a second thought. Almost immediately however they were welcomed by a forest of white strands hanging from the cave's ceiling! They could not stop their advance and yet.. they were not tangled in the strange things! The silky threads contracted and moved out of their way as their Sunstone bathed them in golden daylight and after taking a second to look around, they both continued running deeper through the cavernous interior.

After that first small cave, the cavern became increasingly more rich in sea blue glowing mushrooms and crystals, giving them ample light and a better view of their surroundings. They followed the only path available to them, heading deeper into the earth. This path led them to a huge cave, well lit with crystal formations that radiated luminosity in dizzying waves. It was almost like watching the reflection of light bouncing off the rippling sea. In the center of the room lay a large pond of still water. Small insects and fish that produced their own bioluminescence scurried above and under its surface respectively. It was like a beautiful alien world. A hidden cove where life had blossomed despite the desert's harsh environment.

"Mother there is no where to hide! The waters are too clear and those bushes too small! What should we do?"

"Hush Sumiré, all will be well!" answered Fatna with a forced smile, attempting to reassure her frightened child. "The cave has another opening, I see light coming from it. Maybe if we head even deeper we can... can.." stuttered the tired woman as fear took over and numbed her mind and thoughts. From within the opening, that she planned on braving, emerged three coyotes. Although she had dealt with these beasts recently, she now had nowhere to run. Besides that, the Alpha leading the other two was almost double in size than any desert wolf she had ever seen! The beast had bones protruding from its spine and seemed to be much more powerfully built!

As the coyote snarled at their direction, Sumiré let out a scream before being hugged tightly by her mother. The beasts inched closer with every second while Bérzan and his men could be heard at the entrance of the cave. She kissed her daughter's face again and again, feeling her hot tears soaking her lips. Maybe if they were lucky, the coyotes would reach them first, Fatna thought as she cursed the heavens.

* * *

I opened my eyes with an audible gasp, as multiple System messages shocked me out of meditation! Intruders had entered my Dungeon again! It couldn't have been a coincidence. Either those men had comrades that had now come looking for them or those men I killed were scouts, checking the area ahead before the main force arrived. It didn't really matter though, as I perceived multiple entities entering in small groups with each passing moment. This was it.. If I couldn't survive tonight's raid, it would all be over.

I immediately checked my status and then began donning clothes and armor. It had barely been three hours since my rest started and I wasn't at 100%.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Race: Superior Dungeon Core Lv.4

Avatar: Arsani (Hermaphrodite)

Age: 29

HP: 78/85

MP: 11/25

XP: 33/120

Aether: 0

Gold: 21

Physical - 9 (Near Peak)

Mental - 3 (Average)

Social - 5 (Above Average)

Magic - 5 (Above Average)

Skills

1) Monster Summoning (Rank 1)

2) Dungeon Manipulation (Rank 1)

3) Aether Cultivation (Rank 2)

Passive Skills

1) Fire Resistance (Rank 1)

2) Natural Allure (Rank 1)

Boons

1) Blessed Body (+1 to Physical)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I cursed aloud and focused on my monsters to check what was happening. My Cave Fishers first detected a pair of females that managed to circumvent their sticky thread trap via use of a sunstone! I knew their silk had a unique vulnerability to sunlight but I never imagined random people would have access to items of that value! Sunstones were magical rocks that stored sunlight and could reproduce it for a limited time each day, the duration and intensity of its light depending of course on the stone's quality.

The women were non hostiles but seemed chased just like those two men were the previous day, so I wasn't ready to trust them just yet. The men who followed them however earned my hatred the moment I laid eyes on them! They wore the same garments and armor as the two warriors that attacked me after I saved them from the coyotes. The first four men that ran in the cave, did so in a blinded rush to catch up with their query! They had no light source and fell right into the silky threads, as they sprang back into place after the sunlight's effect on them had ended. The warriors of course panicked after being restrained by something they couldn't see and started flailing about, making their situation even worse.

My three Dire Cave Fishers climbed down their threads and started stabbing at the mens's heads and necks! My Lv.5 Fisher could now inflict significant damage with each strike, killing its target after 5 successful attacks, while its younger siblings still struggled. I ordered it to hide and wait for another target. At that moment their reinforcements arrived but this time, bearing torches. I winced as I saw a huge man barking commands to his men and I knew what came next.. Three more men entered the Reception Room and started lighting the strands ablaze. The Cave Fisher's silk was sadly highly flammable. One of the Lv.1 Cave Fishers jumped towards a man that was burning away at the silk, striking him in the arm and successfully knocking the torch out of his hand. The man clutched at his bleeding arm before stabbing my monster with his scimitar, pinning it to the ground and killing it with a heavy stomp.

The other Fisher tried to escape but caught fire as its strand was ignited. It fell to the ground screeching in pain before being completely taken by the flames. I clutched my hands in fists of rage and came up with a plan on the spot. My remaining Fisher spewed forth a few strands of silk, aimed at strategic locations, from the safety of its burrow. The strands landed on the men that still struggled to escape as well as those who came bearing torches. Then I ordered my small defender to send a final strand on top of the rest but with its edge touching the downed torch! With a sudden flash of ignition, all five remaining warriors were caught in an inferno of burning Fisher silk! All the remaining strands in the cave followed as well and the men died from either suffocating or bleeding to death from their massive burn wounds. My Fisher crawled away into the main cave room, as the warriors wailed in anguish, the flame's bright red reflecting off its carapace.

With six warriors down, my Dire Cave Fisher reached and surpassed Lv.10 but we couldn't focus on that for now. It remained hidden as per my instructions, as the rest of the intruders entered my now unguarded Reception Room. My traps were disabled and nothing was stopping them from continuing further in. The big fellow, who I suppose was their leader, entered first, checking on the men he had just lost. He was visibly infuriated by their deaths. There was more anger than sadness in his words and motion. After a pause he led his men in a charge through my caverns and into my central Cave. There, the two women awaited their fate. I saw them struggling and crying. Praying to anyone who would listen to her plead.. to save her daughter, her Sumire.. even if that ment sacrificing herself.

There was no way of knowing why these women were being chased. For all I knew they could be heinous criminals on the run. On the other hand, sending thirteen warriors to catch two unarmed women seemed excessive, even if they were fugitives. I realized that there was no winning here.. I would have to choose a side and no matter what I did, there would be consequences for my actions. I decided to help the mother and her daughter. That woman was ready to face death in order to help her child. I refused to believe that such a person could be evil. My coyotes entered the main cave, visibly scaring the women but they did not advance. Once all the intruders entered the main cave there was no reason to hold back anything.

"You think you'd escape just by runnin through a cave you bitch?!" the burly man yelled but paused when he saw the coyotes. "Ok now.. walk towards us! Nice and easy now.. We'll protect you from the mutts and get you back to..".

"I'd rather die!" the mother interrupted him, almost crying through her words. "I'd rather the beasts have me than that filth of a man!"

"That's mighty brave of you whore but what about her.." he pointed at the younger woman. "You prefer your daughter get eaten by the wolves than let the fatman fuck her? That's a bit much don't you think?"

The mother clutched her child even closer, visibly torn apart by the situation. I couldn't let this go on anymore. I stepped into the main cave myself. It was time to introduce a little chaos to this situation. Once I made my appearance all eyes were on me. I stood next to my coyotes as I heard many of them whisper the word "witch" to each other. The leader was taken aback not so much by my form but by my armor and weapon, clearly understanding that I got them from his dead men. I stood taller than any of them at 1.9 meters tall and I could see them checking out my rippling muscles, assessing me as a threat. "Trespassers.." I finally said addressing the room attempting to sound regal. "You have violated the sanctity of my domain. Your comrades attacked this place and met their doom, leave now or join them. And as for those two.." I said and pointed to the pair with my scimitar. "Those two have come seeking protection.. As long as we have not come to an agreement they are to remain here, unharmed! Or else..".