(Book 1 Complete!) Side Quest [Isekai / LitRPG]

Mishki tentatively descended the near-vertical stone rampart. The pathway was the nearest exit from the castle into the open cavern below the Fold's crust. Hewn directly into the subterranean slopes of the massive mountain the ruined castle butted against, it dropped off steeply to his right into the darkness.

His nimble hands found grips in the rock in places too steep to tread normally. His pace was measured, but not out of hesitation. He was a goble, after all, and navigating treacherous terrain in the dark was second nature to him. Instead, he took his time for two reasons. First, he relished the return to natural stone beneath his fingers and the crisp subterranean air filling his lungs. The second reason, however, was far more practical: this land had been warped.

Burning black-purple ribbons of vile energy radiated in fragmented lines, cutting through stone and occasionally forcing Mishki to step off the side of the rampart and climb horizontally to round the flaring obstacles.

That wasn't all. Strange beasts lurked here. Creatures touched by the furnace's corrupting energy. He had encountered the weaker versions of them beyond the Boundary, when he and so many other gobles had been sent to fetch blocks of stone or bottled dirt taken from sites of power to fuel the furnace. There had been nut-hurling squirrels, flaming torch slugs, and dreadmaw beetles larger than him.

But here, on this side of the divide, things were different. The dreadmaws he had noticed before were present here, too, but were thrice their usual size, making them altogether behemoths to a goble like him. A colony grazed close to him now on some of the sparse gray cave moss clinging to the rough wall. Their hardened carapaces gleamed in the dim light, their powerful mandibles knocking chunks of stone off with each clacking munch on the gray cave moss. Even their eyes glowed with an eerie, bioluminescent sheen.

Still, he pressed on, his path winding through a narrow ledge. He paused once to admire the faint glinting light of the furnace's residual energy, descending like a beacon from the base of the castle and vanishing into the deepest fathoms of oblivion. It had dimmed considerably, but traces of its brilliance still clung to the air, like dying embers refusing to be snuffed out. Mishki clenched his jaw. That light had been fueled by the suffering of the aerudine. But at least, for now, the furnace was unpowered and his… friend was not currently being tormented.

He pulled out the tattered scrawled note the warlock's attendant had handed him earlier, double-checking the directions. The sketch paired with the directions showed various-shaped chambers Mishki would have to follow to reach the egg's supposed location. He tucked the paper into his corded belt and scanned the route ahead.

He leaned against the wall and rested with a heavy breath. Between a bulging streamer of repulsive purple energy and a sheer drop off, his only available path would take him through beetle territory.

Mishki rapped his head against the stone wall with a few light taps before checking how much longer until his Night's Favor and Shadow Slink abilities activated. They were unavailable for hours yet.

He needed a different strategy.

A tunnel network veined the area, providing a possible detour that would let him bypass the bulk of the dreadmaws and drop him on the other side. The only problem was the massive stag beetle that dominated the central cavern. There was no way past it without drawing attention.

Mishki exhaled and mapped out a plan.

Patches of the stone had been loosened by the jaws of passing dreadmaws, and others were covered in clusters of brittle roots that could collapse if he put his weight on it. Instead, he decided to climb higher, over the treacherous holds, and then lower himself into a wall tunnel.

He ascended past the questionable terrain, but when he hopped onto the ledge into the tunnel, misfortune struck as the slip of paper with his directions to the egg slipped free of his belt.

"No, no!"

He stretched his fingers to catch the flitting piece of paper, but it danced out of reach where it nestled into a clump of moss. Before he could even trace a safe path to it, a loud clack echoed off the stone wall as a dreadmaw snapped at the moss patch, devouring vegetation and note alike.

Mishki shook his fist at the dreadmaw beetle, but it was himself he was mad at. What point was having a high Intelligence if he didn't bother to use it! He had pockets! Why not stick the note in his pockets!

He wrung his hands, but ultimately pressed on. He would have to rely on memory.

Inside, the tunnel was cramped but passable, his smaller frame allowing him to slip through crevices and his progress was steady.

The tunnel spat him out onto the opposite side of the main herd of beetles, just as intended. A cluster of smaller beetles scuttled around, seemingly uninterested in him. He was careful to avoid them, stepping lightly, but as he reached the far end, a low clicking sound made him freeze. He turned slowly.

A much larger beetle loomed nearby, its enormous pincers twitching. It was a female, and her horns were smaller than the males.

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She stamped a chitinous hoof. These insects could build momentum and charge fast, and Mishki did not want to provoke her. He tread lightly away, closer to the smaller beetles.

That seemed to anger her further and she swung her snout at Mishki.

Mishki tensed and tried to back away, but the beetle shifted, blocking his exit. He was cornered.

With no other options, he raised both hands, palms out, and took a wild chance as he activated Critter Taming.

"I don't mean you any harm."

The beetle hesitated, then bucked at Mishki once, then at the smaller beetles. She nuzzled one with her armored cheek and then bucked at Mishki again. Of course! She is a mother protecting her young!

"Yes, my friend, I will just walk this way. Very slowly, like this. Yes. That's it…"

He reassured the beetle with gentle movements of his outward-facing palms until he passed her.

Critter Taming is level 24!

The tension in Mishki's shoulders eased slightly. Encouraged, he took a careful step away from them. Between the scaling, lost note and now that fright, his stomach growled at him. He reached into his pouch, pulling out a bit of dried gray cave moss he had gathered earlier. It worked for people as much as it did beetles, even if it wasn't exactly his idea of tasty.

Clacking sounded from the young beetles as one approached Mishki. He hesitated and watched the mother, who looked on with those uncanny eyes.

Slowly, he lowered a wad of moss and dropped it for the young beetle.

Critter Taming is level 25!

Dream Affinity Detected!
Critter Taming is level 25, with Intelligence at 100 points or higher.
Unlocking threshold perk…

Threshold perk unlocked!
Psyche Bonding
Creepy crawlies see much in the shadow. You can learn a thing or two from them! Go on, give it a try.

A sudden rush of information flooded Mishki's mind. It was unlike anything he had felt before, more a flurry of images and feelings than words. The beetle gnawing at the dropped moss wasn't just reacting to his feeding it; it was communicating.

Images flickered in his mind. With the mana-infused air thinning in the absence of the furnace's activity, there was some sort of food source missing from their diets, which forced them into eating the moss. The smaller beetles were suffering from the lack of nourishment, and the larger herd had abandoned them, forcing them to survive on the outskirts.

Mishki shrank in on himself. "I'm sorry," he said. But he had to press on.

The mother beetle clicked her mandibles and stepped aside.

The mother beetle clicked at him again. Was she… imploring him?

Mishki swallowed hard and shook his head, and she lowered her eyes to her little ones. He whispered another apology before continuing toward his destination.

To his surprise, the beetles followed.

He tried to shake them off, but they remained at his heels, their incandescent eyes watching him expectantly. "I can't give you any more food," he said, both to them and the mother beetle. She just stared at him and when he took another step, she nudged her children along.

He sighed and gave up. If they wanted to follow, he couldn't stop them.

Without his map, navigation proved challenging. He hesitated at several junctions, uncertain of the right path. When he had to double back through a narrow cranny, he got a whiff of unwashed carapace as he shimmied past shell.

"I suppose they spend most of their time scavenging for food rather than bathing."

The mother beetle nipped at his leg, but dealt no damage.

"Ah, yes, I meant that in a good way."

She seemed dubious, and her mandibles parted sideways again, but Mishki lifted his hands to pause her.

"No, it's a compliment! You…"

A thought started forming.

"You must…"

Come on, Intelligence!

"You must be quite familiar with the terrain here. You probably know the area from scouting out feeding spots."

The mother beetle clacked in agreement, and the younglings chirped at the mention of food.

Mishki took his chance and crouched low to the floor, scratching his finger through loose dirt. "Would you happen to know a place that looks like this?"

As the beetles collectively gathered around his sketch of the chamber that should be holding the dragon egg, the mother stamped her feet with joy. Images of torn carapaces and glistening innards flooded Mishki's mind.

The scene initially startled him, but he then realized the slain beetles were from a rival clan; from her viewpoint, it was a fond memory of past victories, celebrated by the satisfying crunch of broken bodies and the remains of her defeated foes' last supper.

He grimaced, wishing he could unsee the writhing mass of legs twitching in triumph.

Critter Taming is level 26!

"Do you know how to get there from here?"

She clacked twice and nudged his shoulder, directing his attention to the nearest Void energy wall.

"It's straight that way?"

All the beetles clicked in confirmation, but Mishki sagged.

Not only would he have to go out of the way to round the edge of this tear in the ground, but beyond it, three more barriers stretched across the landscape, staggered at irregular intervals like fallen branches obstructing a path. Each one forced a winding detour, requiring him to navigate around one obstacle, only to double back and weave through the next, like switchbacks on a treacherous mountain trail.

"That will take forever to reach." He didn't know how long he had left to secure the egg, but he doubted it would be long.

The mother beetle lowered herself beside him, mandibles clicking. Images of cavern walls blurring as she charged past them ran through his head.

Mishki blinked. "You want me to—"

The beetle clicked again. He hesitated, but there was no other way. With a steadying breath, he climbed onto her back.

The beetles charged. Their powerful legs carried them at dizzying speeds, skimming dangerously close to the edge of the shearing void. Mishki gritted his teeth and held on to the mother's two short horns, but his body kept rising and thumping against her spine. He would be sore after this, doubtless.

They encountered collapsed rock formations, but Mishki prodded her with the best route over them, and their unison leveled his Critter Taming skill all the way to 31.

At last, they arrived.

The egg rested in the center of the clearing, a polished black with swirling blues and reds just beneath the surface, and bathed in a soft golden glow. The air shimmered with floating motes of ambient mana, the very sustenance the beetles craved. Children and mother alike, they chirruped excitedly and began feasting.

Mishki stared at the egg, then at his quest screen. Two quests. One to hand it over. One to protect it.

His gaze hardened.

"I might need your help with something else," he told the beetles. "This could get dangerous, but I need to protect this egg from any possible danger. If you're willing to help, I'll come up with a plan."

Their unified clacks made him smile.

With a resolute nod, he accepted the quest to save the egg.