Primer for the Apocalypse

I watched from within the intertwined strands that made up the trunk of the tree. It wasn’t completely hollow, but the root-like ribbons left large gaps that were sufficient for me to hide within. My biggest concern was that my white robes would draw attention against the brownish-gray of the tree – a problem I could easily fix with an [Invisibility] talisman.

I frowned as I considered my situation.

Hiding in a tree was arguably worse than using a talisman and openly watching my stalkers. As long as I didn’t attack others while invisible, there shouldn’t be any issue with dishonor or anything. Since all of my stealth-related enchantments included a touch of Void mana, I wouldn’t even have to worry about being seen with Mana Sight unless someone had an advanced form of the sensory skill.

After activating my [Invisibility] talisman, I made my way out of the vine trunk and settled onto the large, nearly horizontal branch. It was nearly two feet wide, which provided plenty of room for me to sit comfortably.

I watched as the group of four searched for me. They were all between level twenty-three and twenty-four and were wearing similar leather armor. None of them had a second profession yet, which wasn’t available until level twenty-five.

It was one of the big milestones in Alliance life.

“Where the hell did she go?” one of the men fumed. Assess indicated his name was Antone, and he was a Butcher with Water and Acid affinities.

I found his choice of profession interesting, but considering the people sent here from Earth would have had to figure out how to survive at first, it made a weird sort of sense, especially if he’d been involved in butchering the mobs they killed for food.

“How should I know? She has a Space affinity, so she probably teleported somewhere,” Kai, a Bowyer carrying a crossbow, said. Given his affinity for Light and the fact that he’d been scouting while invisible, he probably served as the party’s rogue.

“She probably ran back to the village once she realized we were following her,” another man named Gregory said. According to Assess, Gregory was a level twenty-three Leatherworker with dual Metal/Earth affinities. His profession explained the group’s matching leather armor.

The fourth man, Pierre, remained silent. He was a Trader by profession and had an Air affinity. I wondered if he had done like Blaze and taken the profession to gain experience by dealing with the party’s trade.

“I don’t know why. It’s not like we can do anything fun with her anyway. Those fucking dungeoneers are quick to murder anyone who gets marked as an offender,” Antone said in clear annoyance.

I shivered internally at the implication and wondered if I would find myself needing the extra training I’d received sooner rather than later.

I really disliked the idea of taking a life, especially if it was avoidable. That was why I’d teleported the people who attacked me on Earth to an island. But there was no island in the dungeon, nor were the people here scared weaklings lashing out in fear.

“It’s too bad they’re all too strong for us to take out,” Gregory said before muttering, “Fucking aliens.”

I rolled my eyes. We weren’t even on Earth, so calling other people aliens – especially humans – was simply idiotic. If anything, WE were the aliens.

But the idiot had brought up an interesting fact. Aside from Jackle, I hadn’t met anyone else who was obviously not from Earth. I wondered if the rest of the dungeoneers stayed outside the village to avoid interaction with the people of Earth.

“Come on. I don’t feel like wasting any more time hunting for the bitch. I’ll just tell Angie to make friends with her and find out what there is to know,” Antone said. “Nobody can say no to AJ.”

“You’re really gonna let her take your kid around some alien lover?” Gregory asked, aghast.

Antone scoffed. “It’s not like she can hurt him, now can she? The dungeon won’t let anyone hurt an unawakened baby. Hell, he’s safer than any of us. You remember how the dungeon made that barrier around him when the wolves attacked?” The burly man shook his head. “Ain’t nothing gonna hurt that kid.”

“Still,” the Leatherworker said. “I wouldn’t want my woman or my kid around someone who cozies up to aliens. Nobody who joins with alien invaders is going to be trustworthy, dungeon protections or not.”

The group had already started heading back to the village. The rogue trailed behind the others, looking back at the trees in curiosity as he walked. The man refused to turn his back to the forest, which was probably smart, considering he was in a dungeon.

Once my stalkers left, I headed further into the zone, exploring everything under the safety of stealth. Knowing no enchantment was truly flawless, I was careful as I scouted the area.

About an hour into my exploration, I sensed an individual fighting several beasts alone. To the side, another person observed the fight. I couldn’t tell whether the observer was someone who was looking out for the fighter or potentially had ill-intentions, so I cautiously made my way toward them.

As I moved closer, the sounds of combat became clearer. Spatial Sense allowed me to keep track of the fight easily enough, and I soon realized the individual observing was serving as a guide or trainer for the other individual.

“Don’t let yourself get surrounded,” a masculine voice said in an unknown language. Thankfully, Universal Translation worked well enough for me to understand them.

I stayed out of sight until the fight concluded, not wanting to distract the person fighting during what might be a critical moment.

That didn’t mean I couldn’t observe. With [Invisibility] active, I was easily able to watch the young fighter defend herself against the forest beasts.

When the last creature fell, the blue-haired girl spun around in search of her next target, only to collapse upon finding herself without a new target. A young elven male with dark silver hair and shimmering skin dropped from a nearby tree and immediately began scolding the fighter.

The elf looked several years younger than the blue-haired girl, but knowing how elves aged, that meant little.

“You nearly died,” the elf said as he spread a poultice on the human’s injuries. “What would I tell your family had that happened?” he pressed. “You’re lucky I followed you.”

The blue-haired girl winced in pain. “Thank you for your assistance,” she said after a moment. “I didn’t mean to draw that many beasts at once.”

“That’s why we fight in groups,” the silver-haired elf replied. “Where is the rest of your team? They should be with you.”

The girl looked away, refusing to meet the elf’s eyes.

I didn’t want to intrude, but I also felt more than a little uncomfortable eavesdropping on their private conversation. I was also quite intrigued by the elf’s presence in the dungeon. Figuring it couldn’t hurt to offer my assistance, I let my presence be known.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” I began. “Do you need help?”

The elf jumped to his feet and spun in a circle, drawing his bow as he formed an arrow of metal from nothing. He looked around nervously. “Show yourself!” he yelled.

I deactivated my [Invisibility] talisman and raised my hands in a common Alliance gesture, indicating a peaceful intent. It was a common form of greeting for adventurers. Seeing it immediately caused the elf to relax minutely, and the arrow dematerialized.

“Are you a new sect elite?”

I nodded. “Technically, yes. Though I am also from Earth.”

After taking a moment to examine me closer, the elf said, “Your robes are unfamiliar to me. I haven’t seen any like them before. What sect do you belong to?”

I noted he’d placed himself between me and his wounded companion, protecting her from the newest potential threat.

“Epikairos. We’re known for Time and Fate magic.”

“Can you heal?” the blue-haired human asked hopefully from behind the elf. Her injuries didn’t look too serious, but I didn’t mind offering what assistance I could.

I nodded. “I can. I even have a Life [Healing] wand to fill in where Time magic falls short.”

“What will it cost?” the boy asked skeptically. He still held his bow, though it was no longer pointing in my direction.

“Nothing,” I said with a melancholy smile. Paying for healing had always been a sore topic for me. I understood the point of paying for healing services, but too many people withheld potentially life-saving magic out of greed. The idea bothered me.

“I have the mana. It doesn’t cost me anything,” I answered honestly.

“But aren’t healing devices expensive?” the human asked.

I shrugged. “Maybe for someone who isn’t an Enchanter. It only cost me time and material.” I took a step forward before pausing. “May I?”

With a hesitant nod, the elf stepped back. I examined the wounds the girl had taken and quickly went to work. Most of the wounds were largely superficial, but there were a few deep gouges in her legs that would probably cause issues without proper healing.

“You said you’re from Earth?” the blue-haired girl asked while I worked. “I have a friend from Earth. She’s one of the few new additions living in Trinity.”

“I am, but I’ve been working with the Alliance for a few years. I was the first person to naturally awaken on my planet during the reintegration, so I have experienced a lot of things the rest of them haven’t,” I replied before focusing on my spell. “Is Trinity another village?”

“Yes. It’s near the border of the forest and the storm zone, where the low-tier transitions to mid-tier,” the girl replied with a slight hiss of pain. The silver-haired elf looked displeased with the girl’s openness, but he remained silent.

“How long have you been here?” the human asked when the wave of healing pain passed.

“I just arrived a few hours ago,” I responded before realizing that I still didn’t know either of their names, nor had I introduced myself. “I’m Emie deEpikairos, by the way.” I could have just used Assess, but asking seemed much more polite.

“I’m Greta Ano,” the human said with a smile before looking at her friend and nodding.

“Yarrin’Ano,” the elf said stiffly after releasing an annoyed sigh.

I was curious about the surname both individuals had used. Either they were part of the same family, or the surname had dungeoneer implications I was unaware of. Since I wouldn’t know unless I asked, I did.

“Are the two of you related somehow?”

They looked at me in confusion. “No. Why would you think that?”

“Because you have the same surname?”

The elf and the human glanced at each other and smiled as if sharing an inside joke. Yarrin shook his head.

“It’s the city we’re from. There are probably a lot of challengers with that surname since it’s the only city on the seventh floor and nobody really wants to stay there,” the elf explained. “We know things are different in the outside worlds, but for those of us born in the dungeon, we don’t earn a new name unless we leave.”

“How often does that happen?” I asked.

The two companions shrugged and didn’t answer. They probably didn’t know.

“Well, Emie deEpikairos, thank you for the healing,” Greta said as she unconsciously covered the gap in her armor where she’d sustained the worst injury. “Would you like to exchange contacts?”

I immediately agreed and shared my interface contact information with the girl. I extended the connection invitation to the elf as well, but he did not reciprocate. I didn’t pay it any mind.

“Did you want to accompany us back to Trinity?” Greta asked. “There is a Merchant who handles all the trades with the central village. He is a human with dark hair, so it’s easier for him to blend in with the humans of Earth than most of us.” She flicked a hand through her blue hair meaningfully.

“Really? I’m surprised he didn’t trade with Jackle.”

Yarrin smiled wryly. It was the first time I’d seen him make such an expression. “Jackle has been there for many decades. He can handle himself within the safety of the city. It’s better for him to be there anyway.”

He didn’t explain what he meant, nor did I ask.

Since Yarrin didn’t express any protests to me coming along, I decided to follow them back to their village. I didn’t really have anything waiting for me back at the central village anyway, aside from a room that had been paid for. Even if I hadn’t been able to teleport back on demand, I wouldn’t have had any issues abandoning the room for the chance to meet a few more friendly faces.