Only patches of glowing moss on the walls lit up the dark, wet cave. Rick was ready with his sword and shield. His Basic Combat Awareness skill told him how the cave was laid out and where it might be dangerous.
About fifty feet into the cave, they saw their first slime. It was a big, clear green blob with a glowing center.
It was about the same size as a big dog, and the slime shot a ball of acid at Natasha as soon as it saw them. She didn't even budge.
A quick flick of her staff made a wall of ice appear in front of her, completely blocking the acid. When it hit, the ice broke, and before the slime could attack again, Natasha shot a lance of ice that went right through its core.
The slime broke apart and became a puddle of goo that didn't move. Natasha told Rick, "Get the core."
Rick carefully walked up to the dead slime and took the small crystal ball out of the body. It was warm to the touch and had a faint light that pulsed. He put it in the bag Miraya had given him and ran back to Natasha's side.
As they went deeper in the cave, they saw more and more slime. Natasha lived up to her reputation and killed them quickly and without mercy. Ice lances, frozen walls, and even a spell that made the temperature drop so much that three slimes froze solid and then broke like glass.
Rick's job was straightforward. Stay alive, gather cores, and don't be a bother.
He did a fantastic job with the first two. Then they went into a bigger room where at least a dozen slimes were waiting.
"This is the nest," Natasha said, and her face didn't change. "Don't go too far away from me. They'll come together when I start to fight."
She raised her staff and started to cast. The temperature dropped quickly, and ice spread across the cave floor in patterns that looked like crystals. A few slimes shot acid projectiles at the same time, but Natasha made a dome of ice around both of them that stopped the attacks.
"When the barrier goes down, they'll come after us," she said calmly. "Use your sword to break any projectiles that get too close and your shield to block them."
"Shoot for the core, and don't wait for it."
The ice dome broke, and everything went crazy. Slimes came rushing in from every direction.
Natasha shot ice lances with machine-like accuracy, hitting every target, but there were too many for her to handle on her own. Three slimes broke through her attack and went straight for Rick.
As acid projectiles flew toward him, his Combat Awareness skill yelled at him to be careful. Rick raised his shield and felt the acid sizzle against the wood as it hit his arm.
Another slime lunged at him, and he acted on instinct. The blade of his sword hit the creature's core as he swung it in a wide arc.
When the blade hit the core, it broke, causing the slime to fall apart.
[+10 EXP for First Combat Kill]
Rick didn't have time to think about the notification. Another slime came at him, but he blocked it with his shield and then stabbed it in the middle of its lunge. Two are down, and another one is coming from his left.
He turned, his movements awkward but effective, and brought his sword down in an overhead strike. The blade hit the core, and the third slime died.
"Not bad," Natasha said, and Rick realized that she had been watching him while also taking care of the other nine slimes.
She shot one last ice lance that killed the last enemy and then put down her staff. "You didn't freak out."
"Most new adventurers get scared and don't know what to do when they have their first real fight."
Rick said, "I was definitely panicking on the inside," and he was breathing hard.
"But you still fought. That's what counts." She looked at him with a look that might have shown a little bit of respect. "Get the cores. We're finished here."
Rick collected all twelve slime cores while Natasha kept an eye on him. His hands were shaking from the adrenaline, but he was able to pick them all up without dropping any.
[QUEST COMPLETE: CLEAR HOLLOWSHADE CAVE]
[REWARD: 20 SILVER, +100 EXP]
[EXTRA: 50 EXP FOR CLEARING THE FIRST DUNGEON]
[NATASHA RAVENSCAR'S LOVE: 0 → 3]
[REASON: YOU SHOWED YOU'RE NOT TOTALLY USELESS]
[NOTE: SHE MIGHT BE OKAY WITH YOU BEING THERE NOW]
They left the cave without saying a word. Rick thought Natasha would leave right away, but instead she stopped and turned to face him. Her face was still mostly blank, but her eyes were different.
She said, "You're braver than you look."
"Thank you—"
"Brave, but dumb. Most people with your level of experience would have run away as soon as they saw the nest."
Rick said simply, "I made a promise. And I knew you wouldn't let me die anyway."
Something shifted in Natasha's expression. Perhaps it was surprise. "What makes you think that?"
"Miraya told me that you have never let a party member die because you have professional pride, right?"
Natasha's frown softened a little for the first time since Rick met her. It wasn't a smile, but it was more like her face forgot to be furious for a second.
[NATASHA RAVENSCAR'S LOVE: 3 → 4]
[REASON: YOU BELIEVED IN HER SKILL AND PROFESSIONALISM]
[MAJOR AFFECTION GAIN DETECTED]
[EXPERIENCE MULTIPLIER TURNED ON: X5]
[+250 EXP]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL 2 TO LEVEL 3 FOR RICK ROLLAND]
[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: EXPERIENCE ABSORB LV.1]
[DESCRIPTION: GET MORE EXPERIENCE BY WATCHING SKILLED FIGHTERS. The effect changes based on the level of the target and how much you care about them.]
Rick looked at the flood of alerts. A single increase in affection gives him 250 experience points. Sebastian was right about the multiplier.
"Are you having another one of those professional moments?" Natasha asked because she saw how far away he looked.
Rick said, "Something like that. Thanks for taking me on this journey. I learned a lot from you."
Natasha shrugged her shoulders. "You got what you deserved. Don't die before we can do another dungeon together."
She left before Rick could figure out that she had just hinted that she wanted to hang out with him again. He stood there, trying to figure out what had just happened as he watched her walk down the path to Thornwick.
"Well," Sebastian said, appearing with clear pleasure. "That went a lot better than I thought it would."
"You've made a strong friend, learned an important skill, and made it through your first real battle. Not going to lie, I'm almost impressed."
"Just almost?" Rick asked.
"Don't get carried away, you dick. You still have a long way to go." Sebastian pointed to the town. "Come on. Let's take you back to the guild."
"You have experience to cash in and gear to give back. And I bet Miraya will be shocked that you made it."
"Alright, alright, jeez..."
Rick began to walk, his body sore from the fight but his mind racing with ideas. He had been in real danger and lived.
He had earned the respect of one of the town's hardest people. And most importantly, he had shown that he could really become an adventurer, even though he was a terrible cheater.
This world was scary, confusing, and totally crazy. Rick thought he might really have a chance to make it work for the first time since he got there.