The Pinnacle Warrior [LitRPG Dungeon Diving]

You hate to hear it, but this is a beefy chapter today. Sorry, an extra 600 words. Please forgive me.

"Everybody's got enough supplies for three days?" Astrid verified as she met her party members' gazes. There were nods of agreement from each with no apparent worries, at least, about their supply situation. In just the past couple of days, the ordered equipment had all been prepared, and the party had made a couple more short term delves in the meantime. There were no reasons to delay any longer, and Astrid didn't want to anyways, remembering Felix and Benedict's excitement at getting equipment that granted attribute bonuses. Beyond that, the three more "senior" party members were doing what they could to give Felix and Benedict extra opportunities to gain experience, but there was only so much they could do for them. Both were most of the way to level 9, with Astrid expecting them to get the requisite experience for that level soon, in this expedition they had planned, specifically.

With no expressions of worry or unreadiness, Astrid nodded and gestured for her party to follow her as she strode out of the inn. Given how far they had to travel to get to their destination, it was no surprise that there was no real tension as they strode through the snow towards the Dungeon's entrance. The day after they returned, Klara had given a short address to the delvers in Kznietch. It'd been unremarkable and dry, but something she'd said and been more impassioned about was a short apology.

"I need to be better. I'm sorry for having failed both those who died, and those have been in danger. I trusted too much in my own investigations and didn't extend trust to others who I knew would have helped me. I'm sorry about that, but there's nothing I can do to make it better right now. If I can, I'll prove myself moving forward."

While she didn't know what was going on behind the scenes, Astrid felt that the apology was necessary. The Guild representative had been alone while being tied to the person who she rightly suspected was making the problems himself. How could she have sent any communications that wouldn't be intercepted by a Scribe that could create monsters out of paper? How could she have known that he would violate every written and unwritten rule about poaching delvers? Sure, it was her job to keep people safe, but wasn't it the Guild's job as a whole and as an entity to make sure that they hired and retained people who were talented and trustworthy? Yes, as the person assigned to Anders, Klara bore some culpability, but Astrid felt like the guilt should fall to the guilty party, like the people who decided to murder innocents.

Regardless, that wasn't what she was doing right now. It was time for her to go down into the Dungeon, and there were monsters to kill, especially a Boss. That thought especially kept her blood up and pumping as she strode among the drifts of snow. The Dungeon proper was still experiencing the localized surge where it connected to Kznietch, so they were plenty of irregulars, but to Astrid's limited understanding, the mana from the surge found it significantly more difficult to push down a floor than up, so the possibility of irregulars on the fifth floor was greatly reduced compared to the fourth and third floors. Despite everything, they'd promised not to go into a fight if there was any hint that there were irregulars in there.

Astrid rolled her shoulders and refocused on the present, blowing her way through the first, second, and third floors, only on the fourth coming to blows with the gnolls. The monsters had generally kept to themselves when avoided on the higher floors, and Astrid and the party didn't really want to have to deal with any more fighting than they needed to as they went to their first fight against the Boss.

The fourth floor was too densely populated with gnolls that were much too active to be entirely avoided. Fortunately, with Muti's enhanced ability to sense the monsters, there was no problem avoiding those they could, and being prepared for those they couldn't. Skandr used only his weaker, regular version of the lightning curtain through the few fights they had on the fourth floor, something that Astrid had requested specifically that he do. Instead of blowing through all of his mana and being left unable to do much once they got to the Boss floor where they would desperately need him, he did only enough to ensure the party wasn't hurt.

While Astrid ripped her hammer through tendons and joints of the gnolls, preparing them to be dispatched by Felix when he had the opportunity, she found herself musing on the elevation in their combat ability that would occur once Benedict and Felix reached level 11. Both were already quite capable, and with another three levels, their attributes and skills would sublimate. The fact that Astrid was thinking of three levels being something quick and easy was crazy to her, and a part of her almost wanted to stick around in Kznietch longer than was strictly necessary for her party to pass the second Bronze watershed, but the knowledge that doing so would cripple her in the longer term was more than enough to keep her from sticking with the easy experience. Instead, she needed to find out what Dungeon branch options might be best available to her party moving forward. After all, there weren't limitless options, but there certainly were enough for her to consider which would be the best for the party.

Before long, Astrid gestured over to Benedict while holding the haft of her hammer out to him. He grimaced, but didn't argue as he reached out and settled the grip in his hand. There were seven gnolls that she and Muti had managed to incapacitate without killing, and it was time for the two lower-leveled men to do what they needed to in order to bridge the gap between themselves and the higher level party members once they withdrew themselves from the party. Technically, Benedict didn't need to do the killing himself, as he'd insisted several times, but the party had swiftly shut down that reticence.

"You're a delver. You've gotta kill things. If you're not willing to do it right now when it's being handed to you on a silver platter, then you're not gonna be able to do it when you need to keep one of us safe. Kill the damn gnoll and quit your complaining." Astrid's command was echoed by the other four, even Skandr who disliked killing things physically showed no mercy on his friend. As such, Benedict had been forced to be the dealer of death.

Initially, he tried to use one of Muti's swords, but it was pretty quickly apparent that he lacked the fine control to kill the monsters quickly and cleanly that way. The delvers weren't particularly concerned with the potential suffering of the monsters, but it was simply too ineffective for the man to take four or five swings ineffectually trying to dismember a monster. With that being the case, Astrid handed over her hammer, and he could reliably enough, left up a big heavy thing and smash it down onto a mostly immobile monster's skull.

Once the monsters were all dispatched, they finally reached the stairway down into the fifth floor. Days ago, the party'd found it during their days spent here on the fourth, though they'd never done anything more than mentally note its location. Now, though, it was at last the time to make the descent to fight and kill the Boss.

As she had with the Dungeon branch filled with wargs, Astrid had conducted no small amount of research to ensure she knew what she was getting herself into long before she entered the fifth floor. The Boss for the Dungeon was not a type of monster that existed anywhere else in the branch, being something else that differed from Astrid's initial experience in the warg Dungeon. There, she'd only fought against a monster of the next watershed. Now, the gnoll was going to be level 11 while also being a Boss and a chieftain supported by other gnolls that'd passed the benchmark at level 11 as well.

In Astrid's limited understanding, the chieftain was somewhat of a mix of a shaman and a brawler. Then, the rest of the floor was populated by other gnolls at level 11, with at least one shaman besides. The system through which the Dungeon decided how many gnolls there were was something that Astrid didn't exactly understand, but the way it had been explained to her was effectively that there was a certain pool of "points" that could generate theoretical numbers of gnolls. The total number was 50, with a brawler costing 2, a Ranger costing 3, and a shaman costing 7. Beyond that, there could never be more than three shamans, and the gnolls would always wander in two different packs until first contact was made, and the chieftain would always be with the pack that was larger. There were other points beyond that, but those specifics were more to do with understanding reasons of why the Dungeon did what it did, and that didn't matter for Astrid's purposes. Instead, she focused on ensuring that she and her party could fully dispatch one of the packs before the chieftain's pack could approach.

Various different strategies that had been recommended and explained to her flashed through her mind, though the one that her party had settled on was pretty simple. Focus on killing one pack very quickly, recover as much as they could, and get ready to kill the Boss. As long as it was killed, the rest of the fight would be just like any fight on the fourth floor, but for as long as the chieftain continued living, the fight and the party's survival would grow more and more complicated. The Boss monster had three Skills, and the party had prepared to deal with each one.

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Muti raised a fist to slow the party as she was the first to stride on the fifth floor, pulling Astrid from her considerations. The Rogue inhaled deeply through her nose, and after turning her head this way and that, she nodded slowly.

"No scents of irregulars. This floor should currently only be inhabited by regular gnolls."

As she said it, every member of the party breathed out a sigh of relief. Astrid was confident that, with a little bit of practice, they could deal with irregulars, but their inaugural fight shouldn't be against the stronger, more dangerous versions when they haven't yet tested their strategies against the basic ones.

"We will follow you." Astrid nodded as she spoke quietly. Muti didn't do anything except nod to acknowledge the assignment as she looked between two general areas. After thinking about it for maybe 30 seconds, she pointed in one direction, saying, "This one carries an unfamiliar smell. It should be the chieftain's pack."

"Then we're going in the opposite direction." Skandr smiled. "Right?"

Nobody answered the question, instead just following Muti as she led the way towards the smaller pack. Now that they were here, Astrid felt the nerves crawling up from her stomach and making her hands shake. Here on the fifth floor, the fields were so red that she was sure blood wouldn't stand out, no matter how much was spilled.

"But it won't be mine." Astrid whispered to herself, ignoring Felix's confused look that he gave her at her muttered promise. Instead, she continued her way through the fields, only having to crouch a little to keep her head below the reaching grains at the top of the stalks. After just a couple minutes of walking through the fields, Muti gestured for the rest of the party to stop. As she stood, listening, Astrid heard the faint snuffling from gnolls. As Muti gestured, Astrid and the rest of the party learned that there were, to her understanding, a total of nine gnolls in this pack. Despite it being a very easily manageable number, Astrid realized they were on a time crunch and the gnolls they were about to fight were much more dangerous than the rest she'd ever come in contact with. The other pack under the chieftain's command was not far off. It would be a question of hard work and a little luck to ensure that they took care of the first pack quickly enough to prepare themselves for the arrival of the second.

Muti nodded, her face serious. The party had researched that the changes for the level 11 gnolls now that they'd reached that watershed, were just those of potency. The brawlers were stronger, with a three hit combo Skill they could use once per day, the archers were deadlier, with a piercing arrow Skill that they could each use twice each, and the shamans could heal their allies in an aura, much like Benedict could. As always, Muti looked to Astrid, who nodded her approval to allow the Rogue to make her way to the side and ambush the rangers. Less than 30 seconds after their ally had slipped to the side, the sounds of gnolls changed from idle to curious. They still weren't sending up the alarm, but they were aware of a presence, even if they hadn't marked it as an enemy yet.

Astrid rolled her shoulders, looking at her party members. The other major change from their usual approach was this moment: they were going to take the fight to the gnolls first. They wanted to have as much opportunity to kill their enemies before the chieftain could come to support his pack, so they needed to start the fight and end it impeccably. They'd given Muti the time they promised, and it was time. Astrid rolled her shoulders, nodding at Skandr, who gave Lightning Reflexes to her and Felix. Then, as the Bodyguard raised the mana-blessed iron bracers, he was ready to fight as well. The party had spent the rest of their money made from selling the drake and the spoils from their extended delve to get the bracers, and Felix was looking forward to using them now.

Astrid ran forward, making sure to stay beside Felix with his lower Alacrity. Even with the level difference, he wasn't much slower than her, and she didn't need to slow herself too much. As the gnolls howled to the sky, warning their chieftain of the approach of their enemies, Astrid shouted a challenge of her own while the timer began. She stepped into the tamped-down path that the gnolls had been creating and raised her hammer as she took note of the pack that threatened them.

Six brawlers, one shaman, and two rangers made for a pretty balanced and dangerous pack, but if Muti was able to take one of the Rangers out of the fight before they realized she was there, then—

Muti threw herself from the fields directly next to the rangers, her swords flashing as she cut the string of the nearest ranger's bow and bore the monster to the ground. Meanwhile, Felix shouted his Draw Anger Skill, and the three brawlers that'd been about to close in on Astrid turned towards him instead. One resisted the Skill, throwing itself at the Warrior while the other two closed in on the Bodyguard.

"That was a bad choice!" Astrid shouted not at the gnolls, but at her companion. She'd been more than willing to take the brunt of the three monsters' attacks while her companions got into position. As Benedict's Quickened Step floated over her, Astrid roared and smashed her shield against the brawler as it unleashed a flurry of blows at her. A flashing in her eyes let her know that Muti had killed one of the rangers, but she didn't pay the kill notification any attention as the battle grew bloodier on the front line. The first several hits from the brawler were nearly as strong as the strongest irregular brawlers she'd ever experienced, but Astrid still assumed that, given the speed of the blows, it was the brawler's skill. When she pulled back with her hammer to take it out of the fight, she learned that she was mistaken.

The brawler's arms, from its elbows to its fingers, glowed with a thick orange light as it drove its right elbow and left fist into the edge of her shield and wrenched it away from her guard, opening her body up for the final strike. Astrid aborted her hammer strike to instead attempt to parry the last hit from striking her in the sternum, and did so only to limited effect. Instead, the fist crushed into her left breast, and she involuntarily grunted in pain. She took two steps back, and the brawler looked to continue its attack, but Astrid knew that if multiple gnolls used that on Felix at the same time, he was about to be crippled if not killed. Skandr's lightning suddenly fell from the sky and smashed into every one of the brawlers as well as the shaman that stood 5 meters behind, giving Astrid the opening to raise her shield against the brawler's slowed attacks that sought to knock aside her defenses again.

As the edge of her shield crushed the brawler's wrist, it yelped. That didn't matter to Astrid, who swung her hammer into its left hip and obliterated bone. It started to fall to the side, and Astrid, as soon as its shoulder hit the ground, smashed the edge of her shield into the base of its neck. The kill notification flashed in her eyes.

Gnoll Brawler slain. 30 Experience gained, split among party.

With her own attacker out of commission, Astrid could focus on the exposed back of one of the gnolls that had been turned away from her. Felix's arms flashed in every direction as he tried to keep from taking deadly blows, but blood ran from the corners of his mouth, proof of how he'd taken on more responsibility than he could deal with. Astrid smashed her hammer into the base of one gnoll's spine, the monster falling backward when its legs went limp from the blow. The remaining four brawlers tried to turn their attention towards her, but Felix's Skill continued to hold their ire. They could try to dodge, but Astrid's hammer and shield quickly put two more out of commission, still living, but unable to rise.

"You three take care of these two, I'm killing the shaman!"

Astrid didn't wait for a response, knowing that she could trust her party as she threw herself at the monster that stood in the middle of the small clearing of tamped down grass. It continued to use its bloodlust aura for a moment, before then shifting to a different, unfamiliar, thrumming noise. Astrid knew it was the healing Skill, and she couldn't let it continue to channel it for long enough to allow the crippled gnolls to rise again. She screamed in challenge while she leapt at the shaman. It drew a longer bone knife, over 40 centimeters long and more finely crafted than those of the higher floors, bearing a hilt and guard. It brandished its token and knife, the token even larger than the irregulars of higher floors, nearly the size of a buckler. As Astrid swung her hammer towards the monster, she realized that the totem actually did double as a buckler, when the monster punched the sweeping hammer blow wide of its target.

Her initial thought was to grapple the monster, to force it to the ground and then beat it to death, but it held a knife, a much better weapon for dirty brawling on the ground than her hammer. With a growl, Astrid cocked the shield on her left arm back, ready to abandon part of her ability to protect herself in order to ensure the shaman was quickly slain. To her own disappointment, the monster was more than willing to keep from engaging as it danced back from her immediate reach, looking instead to heal its fellows that hadn't been killed yet. When Astrid got the kill notification for the remaining ranger, she grinned, no longer worried about having to rush the shaman. Instead, she upped the pressure, just making sure the shaman couldn't react when the tide was turned. It didn't take long for that to happen.

Muti's sword buried itself in the shaman's flank, drawing its attention away from Astrid. The Rogue danced back, a ribbon of blood flowing after her blade as she settled into a crouch with a fierce smile under her helmet. Even though the tide of the battle was turned, Astrid didn't wait, recognizing that it wasn't long until the battle was brought back to a greater crescendo once more. With a scream, she stepped forward, feinted on the right with her hammer, causing the monster to step in a way that exposed its wound, and Astrid sent a devastating kick into the deep wound. The monster crumpled to the ground, where Astrid dispatched it with one more swing of her hammer.

Gnoll Shaman slain. 30 Experience gained, split among party.

Astrid turned around, just in time to see the rest of her party killing the other brawlers. Felix laughed as he rolled his shoulders, saying, "That's level 9. Let's see what we can do to the rest of these monsters."

"Yeah, I got the level too, but I'm not inviting disaster by talking like that." Benedict grumbled as he changed to Song of Healing."

There is no more time for banter as a deeper, throatier roar filled the air when the chieftain and his pack closed in on the delvers.