The Gift of Loot Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Mantis Cave Dungeon

Read chapter 11 of The Gift of Loot by Jack_Golightly on NovelPedia.

The Mantis Cave was located out toward Myers, which was a little town in the forest. Unfortunately, Thomas still had a bit of a hike to reach the spot. He wouldn't have been able to find it so easily if not for the handy map in the printed guide. The cave itself was on the side of a rocky bluff, and there was only one National Guardsman in front of the entrance. He was young, looked bored to tears, and visibly perked up as Thomas approached. "Hey there, are you looking to dive this dungeon?" he asked, as enthusiastic as if he were selling tickets. "Yeah, that would be me." Thomas looked around. "It doesn't seem to be very popular." "Yeah, and I don't get why more people don't come," the guardsman, who had a name tag that read Jacobson, said eagerly. "I think it's because word got out that one of the traps sprung and wiped out half of a party, but I'd say the dungeons like the Octopus's Garden and the Man-Eating Unicorns are a lot more dangerous, and they have lines for days. Well, not for days , but at least for a couple of hours at a time. I'm sure this one will pick up again. Just wait." This guy was definitely a talker. "Have you dived the dungeon?" Thomas asked. Jacobson nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Well, just once, and I was in a squad of five, and it was kind of gnarly, especially since we can't use our guns. Our squad leader gave us swords, but they just don't feel right, you know? I'd rather shoot. Hope they figure something out about that." Great. The guy was practically working for tips and risking his life in the process. "You know," Thomas said, "you can dive it yourself and do a lot better than fifty bucks worth of crystals." Jacobson broke into a high-pitched, slightly stressed-out laugh. "No, no, no. I don't want to do that without my crew behind me. That's how people die." He seemed to realize what he was implying because he quickly added, "Though I'm sure you'll do fine without a party of your own." Come to think of it, Thomas hadn't seen many people dungeon dive on their lonesome. He also knew and appreciated the fact that this man had a distinct lack of spine, or at least an enhanced sense of caution. Despite his single-party status, Thomas could relate. "Well, if you ever want to up your game, have you ever heard of the Crystal Flea Market?" He proceeded to give the interested National Guard soldier quick directions and a primer of what to expect. The internet might be locked down, but word of mouth was alive and well. "Thanks for that," Jacobson said. "I think I will check it out." By the gleam in his eyes, Thomas suspected that he was telling the truth. "There's a vendor that sells guidebooks." He held up his. "It's better than what you get on the internet. At least... I'm hoping so." He turned his attention to the dungeon entrance. "Well, I'm on shift for another five hours," Jacobson said. "You can tell me how it is when you come out." "Fair." He had procrastinated long enough, and since there was no line, he didn't have to worry about barging in on someone else's dungeon run. Time to get this show on the road. Thomas stepped forward into the Mantis's Cave Dungeon. In the safe room, he paused for a minute and glanced over the guide yet again. He'd already read it twice and thought he had a good handle on what to expect, but the amount of traps concerned him. His forewarning skill wouldn't help him out with those. Nothing to do but give it a try. He could always back out once he got the eyes. Thomas spent a few seconds equipping himself with his dagger and penknife along with his trusty maul. Then he entered the dungeon proper. It was darker than he had hoped. False gems glowed on the cave walls and provided the only light, but it was a sort of half-lit illumination that did not give much detail and created lots of deep shadows for ambush predators. A couple of steps in, he heard clicking from the darkness above, which gave away the location of the first mantis. Why bother announcing an ambush from above? Bec