New System, Who Dis?

Saturday, April 27th, 2069

“Now I think I know why the Goblins are scared of this place!” Smegma stated, when the group made it back to the greenhouse. “That thing was at least on a World Destroyer level if not Universal Power…”

“What does that mean?” Jarred asked, sounding irritated to be talking to the Demon. Still, the fact that he was even trying made me hopeful for him remaining with us and not trying to return to the higher caverns.

“Because of the Skills the System provides, it’s quite common to use the ranks of F, E, D, C, B, A and S. As you know, then you get into double and triple S, before the System rates Skills as Ex, which is technically undefined or what Demons referred to as Extraordinary.

“SSS classed Demons could destroy armies of other lower Skill users by themselves—as long as they didn’t have anything above S-ranks with them. So, the ranks above them had to be distinguished in other ways. Just calling them Ex wasn’t helpful for determining the threat of a given being. So instead, creature's with destructive powers above SSS were given new categories. National, Continental, World, and Universal Power. The fact—“

“Wait!” My dad cut in. “You switched from talking about Demons to ‘creatures’. What does that mean?” Smegma looked at my father for a long time, and then ran his gaze over everyone.

I stared at him with a dawning realization. He had said creatures because the Demons didn’t have any powerhouses that would rank above SSS. It turns out I was close.

“After thousands of years, the highest ranked Demon on Crendalar was a Continental ranked powerhouse, or at least we think…” Smegma scrunched up his face and bared a few fangs before admitting, “It was never proven. We know for sure we had multiple National Powers, but the single person who could have potentially been on the level of a Continental Power died in the Seven Deadly Realms along with his entire army before it could be confirmed.”

“Hold on,” my dad said, holding up two hands and staring sickly at the floor. “You’re telling me that humans will have to face creatures like that one day?”

“I don’t know. My guess is that creature is either on the verge of Ascension or already past it. The fact that it’s here, though, does suggest that the inhabitants of this world faced it at some point, but I’m assuming it wasn’t a World or Universal Powerhouse then. Regardless, it was strong enough when the locals found it that they couldn’t defeat it—that’s why they stocked this pool with Mirror Fish, and worshiped the thing. Most likely they couldn’t kill it so they kept it satiated, and ‘contained’.”

“So, how is somethin’ that strong here in an F-rank Dungeon?—shit—Portal.” Willa asked, her voice higher than usual.

Smegma shrugged but gestured up through the ceiling. “We’re probably as much as a Kilometer below the surface. I’m just guessing, but this Lake is likely both inside but outside the Portal’s time bubble. That or you stupid humans misread the rank of this Portal.”

“What did the Mirage Guild face on the surface again? Goblins?” Dave asked.

I shook my head. “Lizardkin, I think.”

“So, how come there are White Goblins down here too then? Is it normal for two types of Monsters to be in Portals?” Dave followed up.

“Extremely common. You’ll notice that the System creates or brings in creatures suited for the environment usually. So Lizardkin, which thrived in water, likely didn’t fit the ecology of this massive cavern. So, instead White Goblins that use Heat Vision or Sense are down here. We’re probably pretty lucky that they were likely occupied with the Hunters from Mirage when we went to refill our bottles originally.”

“I still don't understand,” Willa interjected, while making motions with her hands. She seemed to be trying to think of a way to ask a question but was stuck somewhere in the process. “Goblins and Lizardkin are F-rank, right?”

Smegma nodded.

“Okay. So, why would the System put F-ranks beside a World-Killer-thing?”

Smegma nodded. “The System didn’t put the snake here, that part I’m certain of. At least, it didn’t put it here as a part of the Portal. The two are likely completely unconnected. On Crendalar the creatures from inside the Deadly Realms didn’t exit them after we failed. So, I’m unsure if this thing was local wildlife, or something that came after failure. So, I wouldn’t worry about it being the Boss that needs to be killed to close the Portal or anything like that. Is that what you’re asking?”

Willa somewhat shook her head, but ended with a shrug. “Not really, but sort of. I don’t understand why the System wouldn’t remove somethin’ so powerful from a low ranked Portal, ya know? Like you’ve made this System out to be all-knowing, no?”

Smegma just slowly put his hands out in the ‘I don’t know’ gesture before saying, “If you or any other human discovers the ‘why’ behind System, let me know. Me and my research team spent a couple centuries trying to understand merely a minute portion of it and only came away with a singular breakthrough. However, I am sure that things beneath the surface are often overlooked by the Time Bubble. Remember the Sandworm?”

“So, what do we do now?” I asked, changing the subject away from the death of a B-ranked Hunter. I gestured toward the lake trying ineffectually to convey just how close we were to it, and the creature it contained.

“Knowing that the White Goblins see thermally makes this the only place we can stay,” Smegma said quietly. “I wouldn’t worry about the Snake for now. It’s been asleep for a long time, and even if it wakes up, it probably can’t fit into this facility. The cooking of Fish and Mining up above is the real problem with the information we now have…”

“Would it even need to fit down here?” I asked. “I’m guessing that the whole ‘World Destroyer’ classification isn’t for show.”

“Well,” Smegma shrugged awkwardly. “I was trying to be nice about it, but yeah. The truth is that if it wakes up, you guys won’t have to worry about it because your survival is no longer something you get to control. So… Best to just not worry about it and focus on what you can control. Which brings us back to Fishing, Mining, and Goblin’s sensory organs. We’re not going to be able to Mine or cook for some time.”

“How so?” Dave asked, from where he’d moved to lean against the lab table with his arms crossed. I tilted my head not understanding how he hadn’t put the simple calculation together.

The others also eyed Dave askance. The boy gave a smile I knew too well, telling me that I was thinking too narrowly. We couldn’t cook, surely—since that was what brought the Goblins here. So, was he thinking that the Mining was somehow still a safe option?

“Granted the Mining might have to be minimal,” Dave began, causing my line of thinking to stutter. “But the Fishing and cooking shouldn’t be a problem,” Dave continued, confusing me and everyone else greatly.

He pointed meaningfully back toward the Lake. “It’s pretty simple. This facility transfers heat into the walls and those courtyard smoke stacks, right?” I nodded, and even caught Smegma’s head bobbing along with the rest of the groups. “Then it’s simple. We don’t cook in the facility.”

Either I was dense or that wasn’t enough of an explanation—wait, the lake doesn’t sit in the same stone as the facility!

“Oh!” I said at the same time my father and Smegma exclaimed something similar. Jarred looked a little lost but seemed to be slowly putting the pieces together. Willa, on the other hand, was looking from face to face, lost and irritated by the looks of understanding she could discern.

“What?” She blurted, after no one volunteered the conclusion Dave had reached.

“We cook in the Lake Cave, and mine only the Crystals we need so we can cook,” Dave concluded with a broad grin.

“Wait, you want us to cook food near that huge husking World Snake?” I asked, feeling my mind whirl. Sure the noise and us Fishing hadn’t woken it up yet, but I had to assume there was a reason Mirror Fish were in the lake, and their skeletons were so abundant under the thing. They probably were like a bag of favorite chips to the husking thing!

“And how is that not goin’ ta bring the Goblins back?” Willa shouted.

“The stone is different in there making it less likely to conduct heat into the facility like the Smithy, since it’s the exhaust of the Smithy apparatus that was channeling the heat throughout the facility, and up the smoke stack,” Jarred answered, quietly. After a moment he looked at me, “Even if there’s a chance of waking up that Creature, what other choice do we have? We can’t cook here, right? So, instead we move as a group from now on? Mine what we need, before moving down here and surviving off Fish?”

After a moment to think, I agreed with the logic and smiled. I knew Jarred enough to know that he wouldn’t be admitting he was wrong, and that this was the best ‘apology’ or ‘acknowledgment’ I was going to get. In response to his question I nodded.

Jarred surprised me by scratching at the back of his neck and mumbling, “Speaking of fish…”

His stomach growled loudly.

Thankfully, I’d left a small mound of Crystals and ten Fish Steaks out of my Necklace of Holding when I went to get Jarred. The Crystals might last us a few days if we use them wisely. So, with an overly dramatic gesture I ‘ushered’ the group back toward the lake cavern. I figured it was likely late enough by this point that it was time for a meal and a catatonic Mirror-Fish sleep.

Jarred surprised everyone by venturing directly into the Lake even as I carried a lit Mana Crystal inside the Frying Pan, courtesy of the mechanical lighting apparatus on the Smithy. Jarred was certainly the most dusty of everyone, thanks to the second Cave-in that he was literally a part of—so his desire to rinse off wasn’t that surprising.

However, his desire to clean himself did make the rest of us acutely aware of our own rather untidy and dusty appearances. Everyone took a turn, except Willa—at least until the food was finished and the others took their fish steaks out of the chamber—then I assumed she stayed behind to also clean herself up.

The fish was just as tasty the second time, and had the same soporific effect. This time, since I consumed an entire piece I vaguely had time to think about my trial on Monday, before my heavy eyelids refused to open again, and I drifted off to sleep amongst the weeds.