NSLICE-00P glanced around the town. Ferreis Colles had been built where a river cut through the hills. There were large, long structures with waterwheels on the side, and she could hear rhythmic pounding indicating waterwheel-powered hammers at work.

“Observation: Technology in this town seems to lack mana power sources, compared to the port facility in location Aquilo Perfugium.”

Ateia shrugged.

“The innkeeper in Grex Magna told me this place is a pretty small operation that forges more for the surrounding countryside than the Legion, so they probably couldn’t afford enchantments.”

A bit later, NSLICE-00P excused herself to an unoccupied side alley, causing Taog’s eyes to lose focus once more. She deployed the covert monsters with orders to search the town for the persons of interest, while taking out the registered monsters to join the dungeon termination. The entire street froze as she emerged from the alley with monsters in tow…but the people got back to work as they saw the collars around their necks, albeit with a great deal of hushed and excited whispering.

Taog just heaved a sigh, and then the group continued onward.

The group made their way towards the side of a hill where one of the town’s mines awaited. As they approached, they found a ring of fortifications surrounding the entrance. Stone walls with parapets and towers stood in a half circle, lined with guards and small, one-man ballistae with lightly glowing bolts. Trenches and simple palisades crossed the area between the walls and the mine. Trebuchets sat next to piles of stone behind the walls as well. A Legion officer approached them, her red cloak held in place with a hammer insignia indicating a Praefectus Architecti, specialized in building (and breaking) fortifications. She was short and stocky, with her beard braided and adorned with simple stone jewelry. In other words, she was a dwarf. She raised an eyebrow at the group in front of her.

“Praefectus Architecti Blandia Frontalis, and I’m in charge of this defense. You lot Exploratores?”

Ateia saluted and then nodded.

“Yes. I’m Exploratore Ateia Niraemia, this is Exploratore Taog Sutharlan, and our two companions. We’ve been requested to explore and, if possible, destroy the dungeon here.”

Praefectus Frontalis glanced over them and frowned, crossing her arms.

“I don’t think so. Forgive me but you lot seem woefully unprepared for this place.”

Ateia just smirked.

“Well, I know we don’t look that impressive at first, but we might surprise you. This isn’t the first dungeon we’ve dealt with.”

Praefectus Frontalis shook her head.

“That’s not what I mean. I know the lass at the Exploratores HQ here, she wouldn’t send you here if she thought you couldn’t handle yourself. What I mean is you aren’t prepared for THIS dungeon. See this here is a Metal attribute dungeon, one of the more annoying kinds to deal with. Living armors, huge golems, slimes made of liquid metal, the works. And that means each and every monster in there is armored from head to toe. Better equipped than half the troops I have here, if I’m honest.”

She looked over the group again, glancing at their weapons.

“So that means normal weapons don’t work here. Arrows just bounce off, and there’s no vital points for spears or swords to target. Physical damage doesn't work unless you can destroy metal armor outright. Even your little monster pets aren’t going to cut it, your wee bear isn’t big enough to just smash the bloody things.”

B cried in protest but the dwarf ignored him. She waved around at the siege weapons.

“Thus why they called me in. And that only works for containment. If you want to actually push into the dungeon, you’re going to need battlemages. Maybe the shiny lass knows some magic, since I don’t see a weapon, but one battlemage isn’t enough. You can’t just have one mage on support, they’re going to need to do the heavy lifting this time. One mage’s mana pool isn’t enough, you’ll need a group to cycle spells if you’re going to make it even halfway through.”Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Just then a bell started ringing from within the mine. Praefectus Frontalis swore.

“We’ll finish this talk later, the dungeon’s sending another wave. Make yourself useful and get ready to fight. GET READY TROOPS, WE HAVE INCOMING!”

She made her way up to the battlements as soldiers rushed out of the nearby barracks, grabbing wands tipped with glowing gems and loading up the siege weapons. Ateia turned to NSLICE-00P.

“What do you say, Seero? Want to show her what you can do?”

“Statement: Spreading intel on this unit’s capabilities is not a particularly desirable course of action. However, if there are hostiles between this location and the target, they will need to be terminated to proceed with the current mission, assuming said hostiles are unaffiliated, and not subject to non-intervention protocols.”

Ateia took out her bow and nodded.

“That shouldn’t be a problem, I’m guessing these are monsters from the dungeon. Let’s go!”

The group made their way to the battlement, taking up a position near Praefectus Frontalis. Soon, they heard the thudding of heavy metal boots on the ground. And then, it began. Suits of armor made of bronze, iron, and steel marched out of the tunnel, carrying shining metal weapons. NSLICE-00P focused in, but detected no heat signatures, nor any signs of organic life within the armor suits. By all accounts, it appeared the suits were moving on their own power, save for the powerful mana signatures they were giving off. Still, they did appear humanoid, so NSLICE-00P held off on the first volley, waiting to confirm she was not firing at a new unaffiliated faction.

Praefectus Frontalis waited until the armors shuffled out of the entrance, approaching the first of the palisades.

“Attack!”

The trebuchets and ballistas opened fire. Huge pieces of stone crushed the armors outright. Heavy bolts pierced through them, pinning them to the ground. The soldiers on the wall aimed their wands, firing simple magic missiles down the field. The mass produced wands didn’t do much, but the armors still stumbled back when struck, a few even falling as several bolts struck them at once.

And as this occurred, NSLICE-00P’s robotic eye spun as she zoomed in on an armor struck by a ballista bolt, analyzing the wound. She could see inside the armor…and found nothing there. No blood, no body, nothing but metal and mana. And as she zoomed in on it, the foreign system popped up as well.

Species

Description

Living Armor (Level 30)

A suit of armor animated by a mana core. A tough monster to take down, but vulnerable to magic.