And (N)one Shall Remain

“Okay, so do you all feel you’re good to go now? Back to the forest once more?” Esperanza asked one last time just for confirmation. In her heart she knew that she was just being naggy at the progenies, who had already affirmed to her that they were ready many times before that, but knowing their actual ages, she couldn’t help but do it anyway.

 

She felt that had Ani not been a devout worshiper of the Deities of Yore and thus had placed the progenies above herself, she might have acted much the same as Esperanza herself did. The mixed-blood woman was by far the fussiest when it came to making sure that the progenies were well equipped and prepared for their training, much less now that they aimed to head further into the forest for longer.

 

“Yes, Exalted One,” replied Tiesya politely with a nod. “Like we last reported, the weapons and armor is a bit heavier than what we would consider ideal at the moment, but it would not hinder our fighting capabilities. At worst, we won’t be able to press as hard as we could for too long while using them, but otherwise they were of excellent make and quality.”

 

That the weapons and armor were slightly overweight were by design. The crafters entrusted with the materials had reinforced the structure of the items with some of their own material, resulting in sturdier, more durable weapons and armor that were also somewhat heavier. The intention was to make them usable and effective even after the progenies reached their third tier.

 

After all, the group had nobody skilled in crafting amongst them, someone who would be able to adjust their equipment to suit them better on the fly. Had they kept using their makeshift weapons in their third tier, then chances were that the weapon’s construction would fail at some point, as it was too weak to withstand the force a third tier would be able to bring to bear.

 

It was what the reworked items were designed for, and the reason why they were slightly too heavy for a late second tier to use. They were intended for usage by a third tier, and to hopefully last the progenies until they reached the mid or late end of their third tiers and remain perfectly serviceable. It was a rather difficult balance to achieve, but was the best compromise available since there was no crafter that could follow them for adjustment purposes.

 

At a glance, the planned expedition to clear the arachnoid dungeon in the depth of the forest should be a relatively safe one. At least for the earlier parts, as the presence of Belug-ur’ani and the other ten warriors who volunteered to follow her meant that there was no chance of the progenies being badly outnumbered and swarmed by monsters.

 

Ani had made it clear that while she would definitely support the progenies in their effort to grow stronger, she and her warriors would lend a hand when it grew too risky. It was a point of view Esperanza also agreed on, as after all there was no point of risking themselves overmuch. Some risk was needed due to how the system worked, but even then, she planned to be around to help the progenies in such fights, as she herself also needed to hit the third tier sooner rather than later anyway.

 

Since Ani was a fourth tier and the warriors with her were third tiers that had experience behind their belts, chances were that they would not likely face much threat on the way to the dungeon, or even in the outer perimeter of the dungeon itself. After all, the progenies had already fought through that area, even while carrying and protecting the younger children, so now that they were without burden, they would likely be able to carve a bloody path through the area without any difficulty whatsoever. 

 

On the other hand, it might be difficult for them to properly set foot deeper into the dungeon until they reached their third tier. Ani had relayed her experience with said dungeon, which the guards of Agur-Bas sometimes used to hone their skills, especially those of higher levels. Beasts in the deeper regions of the dungeon were known to have reached the late third tier in power, with fourth tier beasts not unheard of.

 

As for the deepest parts of the dungeon, Ani admitted that she had never gone so deep herself, as that region primarily had monsters in the fourth tier, which would have posed a great threat for any team from Agur-Bas, even for herself. While the [Progenies of Yore] were quite capable of punching above their level, they would need to be some way into the third tier to have any hope of tackling a fourth tier.

 

Because of that, Esperanza had made them promise that they would first check the situation deeper in the dungeon with caution before proceeding. She understood that they wanted some form of payback for those they lost in the dungeon back then, but if that payback were to cost more of them their lives, then she felt it was not worth it.

 

Unlike the last time when they had to rely on whatever animals and even monsters they killed for sustenance – Esperanza and the Progenies had even noticed how the arachnoids they killed tasted somewhat like crabs when cooked because they had little other option for food source by that time – Ani made sure that the group carried plenty of food and water supplies, enough to support their group of twenty-one for a good couple of months at the least.

 

It surprised Esperanza somewhat that the volunteers that followed Ani mostly had families in Agur-Bas that they left behind in order to be able to follow after her and the Progenies. Much like the half-breed warrior woman, they were also devout followers of the Deities of Yore. The chance to finally contribute to the plans of the Deities they worshiped was a chance that none of them were willing to miss out on.

 

Even so, it was still surprising to see their spouses and children sending them off proudly on the day the group departed from Agus-Bas for the expedition. The expedition towards the arachnoid dungeon was one they planned to use to hone the [Progenies of Yore] – and Esperanza herself for that matter – until they were powerful enough to travel further, so they still planned to return to Agur-Bas after it was done.

 

They would rest for a bit more, and ideally reforge the weapons and armor that the progenies were using to better suit them at a later stage, before they would depart for real and attempt to do what they can to follow the behest of the Deities of Yore. Esperanza herself was still somewhat conflicted about the idea of destroying the world, but decided that she would have a good talk with everyone before they head out to pursue that mission later.

 

At the moment, their focus was set on the depths of the forest as the group retraced the path that Esperanza had taken, heading back towards where they encountered the monstrous dinosaur-like beast from a distance and the arachnoid dungeon they struggled to pass through back then. Fortunately, Legisvula and one of Ani’s warriors had skills that allowed them to retrace their path more easily, with some help from Dali and Gordy.

 

While they took two weeks of time to travel from the dungeon’s perimeter to the vicinity of Agur-Bas, they made the trip back in only one and a half weeks. Since the group was not worried about people they had to keep safe, they were able to proceed much faster, the only delay being the long distance to cover combined with the slight difficulty in retracing the route they took over a month ago.

 

When the group were accosted by wildlife – be it just wild animals or some loose monsters – most of them fighting were left to the progenies and Iryl, as they made an attempt to give more experience to those who were slightly lagging behind like Mel-Ivas, who due to her role as the group’s healer naturally had not killed as many monsters as the others.

 

Healing did provide her with experience as well, but it was still slower compared to the others who killed so many beasts along the way, so the others took special care to help her catch up while they were dealing with easier foes of lower levels on the way back. They all knew that it would be harder for them to help Mel-Ivas kill things like that later on in the dungeon proper. 

 

When they reached the arachnoid dungeon’s perimeter once more, the palpable silence greeted them like the previous time. What creatures survived within the arachnoid dungeon had long adapted and learned to keep their presence hidden and move about quietly, lest they be preyed upon by the masters of the region itself.

 

Over time, the ecosystem had developed into one where the sole predators in the region were the arachnoids themselves, while everything else that lived in the region served as their prey, but regardless chose to hide there to avoid other predators who were even more unscrupulous when it comes to consumption. 

 

Apparently the arachnoids were odd creatures who would hibernate for long periods, often as long as months, after every meal, so they hunted relatively fewer prey compared to most predators. To the prey animals that lived in their territory, it was a relationship akin to them offering members of their herd for protection against other predators, in a way.

 

Of course, neither Esperanza nor the progenies cared about that, other than the implied information that there were a lot more of the arachnoids than what they had seen in their previous passage. The majority of the creatures were hidden away in hibernation and would not awaken unless they detected intruders in their territory.

 

It was perhaps the only reason they made it out alive from the dungeon back then. They only attracted the few beasts in the outer perimeter who were forced to live there because they could not compete in the deeper reaches of the dungeon, and as a direct result never ran into anything they couldn’t handle during their passage. 

 

The group as a whole was less careful on their way back. If anything, they were itching for a fight and purposely engaged any of the arachnoids they ran into. Even on their way into the dungeon’s outer perimeter, the group fought at least several groups of arachnoids every day, with the progenies taking on the bulk of the fighting.

 

Despite her relative lack of power, Iryl fought alongside them and tried her best to do what she could, a determination that everyone else in the group came to respect, especially the [Progenies of Yore], who shared an unwillingness to ever be powerless before the circumstances ever again. Together they slaughtered their way through the inhabitants of the dungeon with a coordinated effort.

 

Esperanza herself only joined in when some particularly troublesome or high-leveled creatures appeared, ones that would have threatened the progenies without any extra help. Depending on the situation, she would have Dali and Gordy join in the fighting as well, something both dogs took to with gusto as they almost cheerfully charged alongside her. 

 

Ani and her warriors mostly kept watch. They were not there to coddle the progenies after all, and the monsters that inhabit the perimeter of the dungeon were not particularly dangerous to the progenies. A challenge, yes, but nothing that would put them in grievous risk of mortal danger. While danger was always present in a fight for life and death, the progenies worked together well and outclassed their arachnoid foes, minimizing the risks to themselves in the process.

 

Roughly two weeks after they left Agur-Bas and retraced their route, Esperanza and the progenies finally reached a clearing in the perimeter of the arachnoid dungeon, where a stone slate bearing several names was erected as a gravestone. A marker and remembrance for the people they lost along their way through the dungeon.

 

They had finally reached the spot once more.