Diary Entry 32

The following day, I decided to go get a better look I that dungeon I encountered from my... lovely...trek around the island from chasing that damn pet. Retracing my steps, which is actually quite easy when it is done before it rains and you can turn into something with a great sense of smell, I was able to find the cove fairly quick. The entrance to the dungeon was a hole in a sea cliff, so I guess it would be considered a sea cave type of dungeon or something. Thankfully it was low tide, so after bringing up a will-o'-the-wisp with a spell, I carefully entered the cave... I mean dungeon.

I looked around for any monsters I might have missed last time, but all I found were three tunnels and a couple of shallow pools of water. Taking the middle tunnel, I followed it, unopposed, as it dipped and ended in a deep, deep pool of water where it seemed to continue. I turned around and tried the other two tunnels but one ended in a dead end while the other also continued through a deep pool of water. At this point I was wondering what had happened to all the monsters I had battled yesterday, did I scare them off? Anyway, it looked like I was going to have to get wet if I wanted to continue exploring this place so I picked one the two deep pools of water and carved a little marker in case I needed to find it again.

Taking off my Dimensional Carpet Bag (I sprang for the shoulder strap for those who wouldn't stop asking how I carry it around), I opened it up to start preparing for my underwater excursion. I removed my Sir Benthos Limited Edition Water-Repelling Boots and my Sir Scorch's Limited Edition Firewall Cloak, both of which would be of little help underwater, and placed them inside the bag. I also switched any of my clothes made of absorbent material for ones that were at least significantly less. I also pulled out some special seaweed that lets you breathe underwater for 24 hours. I forget what it is called though, and the label on the container is mostly worn away, so all I could make out was a "G". After all my preparations were finished, I closed up my Dimensional Carpet Bag and put it back on, and ate the seaweed.

Naturally, it wasn't until I had entered the water, that I started seeing monsters again. I was only underwater for a minute or two before I was being attacked by copepods. Normally, I would just ignore the little one-eyed crustaceans, but these ones are monsters and were armed with all sorts of gadgets, gizmos, and weaponry. As I dodged metal fists, projectile boots, and pieces of sea urchin, I tried to run through my repertoire of spells that I could safely use underwater. Of the schools of magic I am proficient in, all I can use safely underwater, or can actually be used underwater for that matter, my only option is Earth Magic, which means I am probably going have to be careful not to cause a cave-in. Using a Sandstorm Spell, which has an interesting effect underwater, by the way, I dispersed the swarm of pests.

(Note to self: learn to shapeshift into a marine creature already!)

As I continued down the tunnel, I eventually came across a small room with another tunnel on the other side. I had just entered the space when a swarm of Aggro Remipedes rose from the silty bottom. At this point, I realize that some of my readers may be wondering how I am able to identify all these monsters. There is a pretty simple explanation for this, I looked them up later when I was writing this. Anyway, I kept using up my Mana to use the silt and sand to make a barrier to keep the venomous crustaceans away as I made my way to the other tunnel. I was starting think that I shouldn't have come without some sort of backup. When I got to the mouth of the next tunnel, the Aggro Remipedes fled, which was not very reassuring.

In this new tunnel I found Cowardly Porcelain Crabs in the crevasses and Furry Stone Crabs that ignored me. It wasn't until I had swum further in that I was attacked by a phalanx of Soldier Crabs, a monster relative of the hermit crab. Using stone spikes I created from the walls and floor using my magic, I managed to hold them off. During a lull in being attacked, I started putting the bodies of the ones I defeated in my bag, the shells of crustacean monsters can be used to make cuirasses, helms, shields, staves, and clubs, while the meat, depending on the species, is very delicious. Eventually I finally managed to defeat the last of them, at which point I started putting the stone spikes back into the walls and floor. Once the structural integrity of the tunnel was restored, which opened up into another chamber. In the center of the chamber was a barnacle encrusted treasure chest and there was another tunnel to my right.

The moment I swam into the chamber however, I was almost blindsided by a spikey pincer. I turned around to see a Ruby King Crab perched above the mouth of the tunnel I just came through. As I backed away, the the Ruby King Crab descended down. I barely had time to notice that the other pincer was fused together to form a blade before it was swung at me. I quickly raised a stone pillar to block it while I swam out of the way. The crab's blade shattered the stone pillar and rock fragments flew everywhere. Holding Tear-jerker in front of myself horizontally, I channeled my Mana into the wall behind me. As the crab approached, I shot a barrage of stone needles and spikes from the wall behind me. By the time the crab got to me, it was looking even more like a pincushion than before, if that is even possible, before collapsing. I removed all the spikes and needles before putting the corpse in my bag. After restoring the wall and the floor (seriously I really need to learn some magic for underwater combat), I then went to open the treasure chest. To my confusion, it was full of cans containing Sailor's Spinach, which I added to my bag.

This new tunnel turned out to be full of Violinist Crabs and Boxer Shrimp. Both types of monsters turned out to be working together, as the Violinist Crabs would power up the Boxer Shrimp with their music. I had to keep dodging the shrimp's punches as I gathered my Mana into the rock. Firing stone needles at them, I slowly made my way through the tunnel. As I went further down the tunnel, I started hearing explosions which led me to swimming even more carefully. The further I swam, the louder the explosions were, until I finally saw an entrance to another room. Ducking behind a corner, I slowly peered around to look inside.

The second boss room (as I decided to call it) contained two monsters this time, a Pugilist Shrimp and an Assassin Shrimp. These two monsters resemble a type of crustacean fishermen call mantis shrimp but they were about the size of a dwarf. Either one of these monsters is deadly by itself, but the idea of facing both of them by myself was the last straw, especially after I saw the Pugilist Shrimp destroy part of the wall with an explosive punch. I turned around and left the the dungeon. I wasn't going to tackle these guys without backup.

Once I was out of the dungeon, I dried off and changed my gear. Placing my Rune Bracelet back on my wrist, I quickly activated it to contact my party members that should be currently in the Archipelago, which should be almost all of them now that I think about it. After I finished sending a Rune Message to each of my party members asking for them to come and give me a hand, I received a Rune Message from Zilla asking me to meet her at Laguna Island, a popular tourist destination in the Sea of Triangles. Checking my schedule, I was more than excited to see that I had the time to go see her. Got to go Diary, my lady is calling.