The Four Adventurers and the Clockwork Beanstalk (3)
1657 Words
Well, not climb in the literal sense of the word.
We all stand in awe of the clockwork beanstalk's interiors.
In the base floors we are in, there's a wide-open area composed of both plant stalks and electrical wires that are thankfully shielded.
This area is the starting point for a long flight of spiral stairs.
And I mean... long.
Not even the tallest building in the kingdom, which pales at just 15 floors, can match the vertical expanse of this bio-organic structure.
This is the first phase of the stalk, folks.
We start climbing the stairs, always on the lookout for monsters that are on the prowl.
And by our hunches, we do indeed encounter random monsters.
Spiders and bats, to be exact.
But we need to be cautious, as those varieties of spiders and bats are unlike the ones we've all seen before and can be more dangerous than they look.
With our weapon attacks and magic...
...they all just go down in just a hit each.
And these enemies are not that aggressive, either; as their behavior suggests that they don't gang up on unlucky enemy targets whenever one of them is attacked.
We four easily defeat these suckers as we continue our march upward.
Twenty-eight floors later...
The enemies we encounter this time are mostly humanoid creatures, acting like they're in a trance, brainwashed by an evil entity.
These humanoids consist of martial artists, masked whip crackers, cloaked mages, and plain tough caped people.
There are also blue- and red-colored will-o'-the-wisps that cast fire spells.
All these enemies are kinda tougher because some of them can cast area-of-effect spells, but we all manage to slay them easily all the same.
And the things they drop when they croak? Chicken sausage.
Lots of them.
We might be feasting on them if ever the day turns into night and we all have to camp inside, so...
Fifty floors' worth of stairs later...
Aloysius complains of fatigue with the following:
“Crap! Haaah... haah... I'm so bushed! Haaah... haah... Please let me rest! Even for a few minutes!”
While the rest of us is doing fine and not showing any obvious signs of tiredness.
Luningning responds...
“Stop acting like a retard and climb!”
“Come on, you don't have any consideration for a mage like me?! There's a reason why we mages are called 'squishy wizards', swordswoman... We may be adept in magic; but in exchange, our bodies become pale and shifty.”
That's actually true. Adventurers have particular kinds of specialties, and those specialties have their own built-in shortcomings. They need one another to complement their own strengths and weaknesses, especially when they band together in certain quests.
That's balance at work.
“Alright, Aloysius... I'll let you off the hook. And it seems our leader here isn't objecting. Look, he's just snacking. And yes, I'm sorry for raising my voice like that.”
“T-Thanks.”
Yup, I'm indeed snacking on something.
Pineapple pie, to be exact.
It's sweet, it's filling, and it's worth the three guintos per piece asking price.
I then ask Sergei...
“If you have lots of advanced gadgets with you, why'd you still choose to become a cleric? A healing spell-caster?”
He readily answers, dropping his taciturn facade for this very moment.
“I'm simply a collector and a fan of these. And I want to show off to fellow adventurers that I'm more than just an ordinary healer.”
“I see.”
“And why did you become an adventurer in the first place?”
“Me? Because... how can I say it... the voice within is calling me to do it.”
“True callings are noble, indeed. As long as everything is done for the glory of the Most High, it's all fair and square.”
“Good.”
We've now rested enough, so I remind my fellows...
“Everyone, especially Aloysius. Since we're not running against the clock, we can take our time climbing to the top of this beanstalk. If we all feel tired, a quick break is necessary. We can even spend the night here, as long as there are no fiends to bother us. As long as we're all in one piece and still in tip-top shape once we reach the top, we'll be fine.”
The three nod, signifying that we're ready to continue.
After a hundred floors and more slain enemies (plus mandatory rest breaks and even a good night's sleep in our portable tents)...
The spiral staircase is at its end.
There's a solid floor, and there's also a pair of escalators that lead to another solid floor, that then lead to another set of escalators that lead to yet another floor.
The pattern goes on and on.
This is the second phase of the clockwork beanstalk.
The fact that there are escalators here brings Aloysius relief.
“Whew... good thing that whoever is behind this beanstalk is considerate enough.”
We then push on, and...
Random encounters again.
There are humanoid demons that try to knock us off the escalators by doing leaping attacks; but once we all duck, they fall off the escalators to their deaths.
Heh. They're suicidal.
This phase should be easy-peasy, right?
After ten floors, however...
We're met with explosions.
And huge ones at that.
Now this is more dangerous.
This scenario clashes with the tone of this entire dungeon, because explosions like these aren't and shouldn't be needed in the first place.
But the enemies we face are defying our expectations.
And what are these enemies?
They are demons that lob improvised explosives made out of empty bottles... and rockets.
Yes, rockets.
Just when we thought this dungeon couldn't get any weirder than this.
The monsters here are a bit stronger, if I may say so myself, but they are nothing compared to Luningning's swordsmanship.
While I'm smashing the explosion-happy demons with my summoned mace, Aloysius is blowing them away with his wind spells, and Sergei is always on standby to heal any damage we may have incurred from those explosions...
...the sword maiden gets her business up close and personal, with her agile moves that decapitate the demons right before they unleash their detonation attacks.
But now...
I see something I (and the other guys) shouldn't see.
A glimpse of her... ugh... I'm stepping outside the bounds of decency... n*****s slipping up past her breastplate.
What's even worse... she doesn't wear any straps that support the under-armor for the plate.
There are magical skirts that prevent peeping, but there are no such things for breastplates.
What are the armorers thinking?!
Belle... I'm sorry since I'm seeing the breasts of another girl before I see yours!
Five minutes later, and the demons are all finished off, paving the way for smooth, worry-free trudging through the rest of the escalator cluster.
But what's not finished off...
...is the heavy blushes on our faces.
“Hey... why are your faces like that?”
We guys don't want to answer directly, lest that will incur her wrath.
Good thing she fixed the wardrobe malfunction issue once the enemies were eliminated.
Phase three of the clockwork beanstalk.
The long flights of escalators end here.
In the escalators' place is a metal platform big enough to accommodate even a hundred people.
The platform is decorated by a huge magic circle.
I react...
“Finally, an orbital elevator.”
Luningning asks...
“Why'd you come to such a conclusion?”
“I've been in one before. We all just have to step into the very center of the magic circle, and away we go.”
Sergei agrees.
“Yes. I've also encountered an orbital elevator before, in one of my usual visits to the annual science fair in Lebenswasserheim Burghal. Though the one I saw there was a prototype.”
A man with a penchant for gadgets naturally should have a predilection with science.
We all step into the center of the magic circle, and it glows crimson red.
The platform begins to move upwards at accelerated speeds.
It seems that the further we get into this clockwork beanstalk, the ways of navigation get more convenient.
Well... not too convenient.
Because we are met with lots of robotic enemies.
These beings made of metal and brought to life with magical energy all come to get us.
The first wave of enemies consists of bipedal humanoids.
Man, their armor's tough that even summoned weapons don't scratch them.
“Well folks, it's my time to shine!”
The red-masked mage declares as he prepares his thunder spell.
“Anger of the gods, shock my enemies with this bolt! Kidlatning!”
The bolt hits all enemies with careful manipulation of his magical rod.
And they're now all scrap metal.
Good.
The second wave consists of big-eyed flying drones.
They may be eyes in the sky, looking at us and reading our minds.
But with another serving of Kidlatning, they're permanently blind and grounded.
The third wave is nothing but hulking metal golems that are thrice our average heights.
We all try to dodge their meaty metal fists while Aloysius prepares his Kidlatning spell once more.
But...
Nothing happens.
That can only mean one thing: He's out of mana.
I take the initiative and let him drink three Mana Potions from my satchel, which are a part of his huge stash.
With his mana restored, it's time for him to zap these golems for good.
And they're down and out.
For the next five minutes, the orbital elevator is enemy-free.
And finally, it stops.
We're finally at a huge open room with ample artificial lighting, and a huge wooden door facing us.
The door is around the same height as the metal golems.
I sigh a breath of relief as we all face the door.
The door that leads to the very top of this beanstalk.
The goal.
- Writer
