Dungeon Sniper

Announcement: It Has Been Fun, Guys! (+ Chapter Seventy-One)

Hello, dear readers! David Koon here.

I feel sad to inform you that this will be my last post on this platform.

It has been roughly six months since I started writing Dungeon Sniper. At first, I had high hopes for the series. 50 Levels, numerous allies and enemies, full-scale wars between races, nations, and the upcoming 'space heist' plot... but, regrettably, I am taking a break at this point. I have other projects and stuff to do, and instead of half-assing my way through the story, I figured this is for the best.

Just some heads up: Dungeon Sniper series will be finished in Volume Six at about twenty more chapters in. Beta's journey will be shortened, but I promise it will end in the most satisfying way. I also promise everything, from background story to apparent plot holes, will be explained and filled accordingly.

Even if I fail to finish the story in perfection, there is also a future series planned, titled Dungeon Sniper: Z(eta).

I will not be frequenting here anymore, but if you have any questions or messages, feel free to contact me via Twitter. I also have a blog (koonovels.blogspot.com) under maintenance that may or may not see a reopening.

That's it, folks. Please look forward to the future releases of Dungeon Sniper: Volume Five & Six and other series from me as well.

Oh, and don't forget to read Chapter Seventy-One below :)

I had so much fun writing for you, and the experience has been nothing but p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e. Thank you, dear readers.

Happy readings, always.

*

*

*

Chapter Seventy-One: Focus and Ruckus

"The good news is that Rafaqa was sent back to Level One before things got really out of control."

Romula prudently took away my coffee and replaced it with some soothing, relaxing tea. I would have asked her for some alcohol if I were not feeling so brazen already. After all, I was the one responsible for setting Level One on fire, and the two stunning Elfinas' consoling words how I also provided them with a fire extinguisher in the form of one-armed, most physically strong Orc hero did not make me feel any better. 

But they were right. Rafaqa was unstoppable, and he rarely killed the opposing Dwarves. He suppressed and stop the Dwarves effectively by breaking off their large-scale weapons and supply lines. 

The more I watched, the more I felt relieved, little by little. Even Lapines, hurt badly from a battle, was alive and recovering well thanks to Dumont's gallant save. 

"Trust Rafaqa. He'll set everything straight at his own home," said Romula reassuringly. 

"... You could have led with that before I felt like a total screw-up, you know."

"But you needed to learn your lesson. That your actions have consequences, and how grave your position and responsibility is."

"Consequences. You sound just like my teacher from seventh-grade. The old hag gave out detentions, like a lot."

"So that makes me an old hag too? For punishing you?"

"No, you're too prett—"

I closed my mouth instantly and glanced at Elysia, who was eyeing me patiently.

"Go on, you were saying?" said Elysia with a dangerous smile.

"—Depends on how old you are. How old are you anyway, Romula?" 

I asked casually. Romula, beautiful and lively, did not look so old. Maybe around Worra's age—

"I'm two-hundred years old... Give or take a couple years. It gets harder to keep track as you grow older, you know?"

I suddenly remembered how hurt Worra had looked when I naively, stupidly, told her she looked about two-hundred years old. And how Lapines had told me that two-hundred years old was the threshold of being young and old in the Elf—Elfina—society. I conveniently figured two-hundred Elf age was the equivalent of being forty in Human standard.

Romula was staring at me expectantly, coyly, to say something. She looked nothing like a forty year-old. Perhaps I could tell her that. That she looked so much younger and prettier than her actual age. That she could be the hottest forty-year old in the entire universe—

Then I saw Elysia's silent mouthing of 'no' and the slow shaking of the head. 

"... I see."

'Don't, say, anything,' Elysia's eyes warned me urgently. 

"... Good tea," I smiled awkwardly as I diligently sipped at the tea. 

Really dodged a bullet there. 

.

.

.

I did not know whether Elfinas were insecure about things as trivial as their ages, but I did know that they did not fool around when they were in charge. 

After the turbulent tea time, Romula led us out of her office to give us a tour of the spaceship, named Liberty.

The ship was huge, about a hundred times bigger than the last ship Elysia and I had been on, Doby Mick II. There were a total of seventy-six crews, with varying ranks, positions, and races.

A Dwarf and a Goblin were playing cards together. An Orc and a Reptil were arm-wrestling each other. An Elf was talking animatedly in front of a mixed crowd of races, all looking congenial and friendly, peaceful, and pleasant. 

Was I looking at true peace? Was this what every Level of the Dungeon should strive to become?

On the other hand, perhaps because of the unnatural naturalness of the scenes before me, I felt uneasy. 

Something was off, but I could not pinpoint what. 

Half an hour into the casual tour, we were passing by the cafeteria, where a group of lower-rank crew greeted Romula amicably. 

"Are those the new recruits, General?"

"No, these are guests."

"Sure. We'll wait until you charm them over to our cause."

"So you're a general, and all of these admirers are your loyal soldiers."

"Admirers? No. Loyal? Yes. Soldiers? Also yes, sadly," Romula answered my accusatory comment with a sigh. 

"... What are you planning? What cause? What you just did at your office, were you charming us over? What's with the wolf sign? Or is it something else, like a hyena? Terrible stitching, worse drawing. Are you an army or pirates?"

"One at a time, Beta," laughed Romula. 

"Are you a navy because this is a ship, or are you an air force because we're practically flying in space?"

"... You're not serious about the last questions, are you?"

"I'm curious now."

"I want to hear about Velonis," said Elysia abruptly. 

Romula stopped in the middle of a corridor to the arsenal storage and turned to Elysia. 

"I've been trying to be patient, but if we're going to waste our time asking stupid questions and parading us to show us how popular you are with your fans, I might as well ask the relevant question."

Did I talk about Elfinas not fooling around with a goal in their minds? Case in point. 

"... I will answer everything. The arsenal was the last spot to stop by, so let's finish the tour there and talk business. The real business."

Romula then led us to the large storage filled with high-end, high-tech weapons ranging from laser rifles to vacuum grenades. 

While I was salivating over the array of military arts, the two Elfinas sat by a table next to a shooting range. 

"Care to join us, Beta?"

"... Give me a minute. This thing, won't, come off," I grunted, struggling to take my hand off the power gauntlet that seemingly would create an electric pulse at will. 

"Let me help you."

Romula came over and delicately twisted my wrist to free myself from the mechanical, monstrous grip of the esoteric weapon. The angst dissipated, however, at having Romula's soft hand touching over my skin and smelled her fruity scent so close by. 

"If you have a metal handkerchief lying next to your metal gloves, hand one to Beta so he can wipe off his drool," said Elysia sharply from the table. 

"I wasn't drooling," I said, but I had to check to be sure.

When I was finally seated, Romula sighed heavily before opening her perfectly sweet lips. 

"So you saw everything. We are an army. An army of liberators." 

Right then, I snapped my finger inadvertently. 

"And the name of the ship is Liberty. Which make me wonder, what came first? Your identity or the name of the ship?"

Romula turned to Elysia for help.

"Beta, shut up," said Elysia without even looking in my direction. 

"That was a dumb question, wasn't it?"

"Shut up."

And I did.

"... Would you like me to talk about Velonis first?" asked Romula, eyeing Elysia considerately. 

"Let's get over with whatever you need to talk to this idiot first. We can talk, just the two of us, after that."

"But I want to hear about Velonis too."

Elysia shot me a deadly glare. Only then I realized that this was not about my inappropriately dumb questions. It was about my behavior next to Romula. Ellie was jealous, and even though she was always beautiful and lovely, my Elfina girlfriend tended to be quite scary when she was jealous. 

I had been in this situation before. And my experience taught me that there was absolutely nothing I could do to make Elysia feel better.

So I stayed still and did, said, looked at nothing. A total blank, a void. 

"I might as well get Velonis out of the picture, as she's not as important to the matter at hand. What we're facing here at Level Five."

Romula kept the story short even though it was clear that she had a deeper relationship with the Elf heroine who had Transcended to the farthest Level, and probably ongoing even as we spoke. 

"She was determined to go on. To find someone. Someone special."

We all knew who that someone was but kept silent as Romula continued her story. 

"She did not want to believe that she was abandoned. You know what, I don't really know anymore. Part of me thinks that she knew but went on, in spite of. Another part of me thinks that she went on because she knew."

That she was abandoned. 

"... Back then, I had neither this ship nor the Spyglass system you saw at my office."

"That's the name? Spyglass? That's cheesy."

I scoffed, but Romula looked sad and troubled as she smiled back. 

"More on that cursed technology later. Anyway, I can't comment on Velonis's intent. Or her plan. Or her whereabouts."

"Why not? You have the Spyglass."

To my question, Romula shook her head lightly.

"There are limits. For instance, it cannot track certain beings, either objects or persons. Velonis is one, due to her unconventional method to travel through Levels."

"You mean she doesn't use the Gates?"

As I asked relevant questions between Romula's narrative, Elysia had been silent, taking in all of the details. 

"Velonis, she... she told me she acquired the Three Manipulative Spells from the ancient Orc mages. The Manipulation of Memory, of Time, and of Soul."

Soul Manipulation. A lesser Goblin hero once had that ability, and he used it to save his lover from total corruption and degradation—through death.

"I don't know much about the archaic spells, but from what I could gather, each spell took tolls after usage. The Memory Manipulation left a serious side-effect upon the manipulated, a deficiency of vital cognitive ability. Or something like that. It's been a long time since Velonis told me this."

"And Time?" I asked eagerly. 

"Time Manipulation ch.i.p.s away at the user's lifespan. It literally kills you as you use them. Velonis told me she never used the spell. She wanted to, but she realized that the specific time she wanted to bring back would deplete her of her entire life ahead... Can you believe it? The entire three hundred years or so ahead."

"... I don't know the whole story, but wouldn't Velonis want to bring back the time just a few years back, before, you know, he left?"

"That's the thing about the dark magic of no more. It knows that not every time is equal. The more the user cherishes a certain time, the more price it asks for."

I shuddered involuntarily. The talk of magic was rather far-fetched and perhaps too fantastic, but I could relate about the last part about the rule of Time Manipulation. 

I turned and stared at Elysia, who looked away deliberately, still sullen and jealous

What I would give to make my time with Elyisa never come to an end, continue timelessly. 

"—So in the end, Velonis chose the final method to chase through different Levels."

I turned back to Romula, who looked more fatigued talking about Velonis than when she had explained to me about my role as the 'game-changer.'

"Soul Manipulation is probably the most elastic and erratic practice of forbidden Orc magic. I can't really describe what it is, and Velonis couldn't either."

"I saw one at work right before my eyes... I even felt it, the pain, the sorrow... and I still don't know either," I said, nodding in sad agreement.

Romula realized what I was talking about but prudently refrained from making any comment regarding the tragic endings at Level Two. 

"Basically, Velonis manipulated her soul to pass through different Levels. Don't ask me how. Again, Velonis didn't really explain either. But..."

Romula faltered a little before continuing weakly. 

"But one thing was clear. The spell was taking its toll dutifully. Velonis, by the time I met her, looked 'spectral.' Ethereal, transparent."

Romula closed her mouth tight.

From what I had experienced, Soul Manipulation was not a kind magic. It was evil, destructive, and greedy.

In order to travel between the Levels without the Gates, Velonis split her soul and passed through—while paying the dark magic the torn soul pieces as fees. 

Romula looked grim, unable to finish the story even if there was more for her to tell us.

"That's all I wanted to know. Thank you."

Elysia said just in time before Romula took another deep breath to go on. Romula blinked, smiled gratefully, and shook her head. 

"No. I wanted to talk about Velonis too. The ones who knew her, if not personally then at least remembered her. So thank you."

Romula sighed heavily and straightened her back, trying her best to regain her cheerful self back. 

"Where were we? I told you that we're an army of liberators, right? And we're exactly that. We're trying to liberate people from oppression and slavery."

"Well, I'm not trying to brag, but just so you know that we have experience liberating people from oppression and slavery."

"I know. I saw what you did, and it was commendable. The things here... they're slightly different."

"Yeah. We're fighting in the outer space. Slightly is an understatement, Mu-Mu."

"... I would prefer to be addressed by my real name, thank you, Beta."

Romula shook her head as if trying to shake off the consternation at being called a nickname and spoke with a straight face.

"You're right. I may have been subconsciously downplaying the gravity of the situation by calling it a slight problem, a small adjustment on your part... but forgive me, Beta, here's the truth. It's not a small problem, and it may be a major adjustment on your part."

"Mu—Romula, ma'am, if you've seen me from day one, you know my life here at Dungeon has been just one long continuous adjustments and improvisations. You saved me by showing that things in Level One are being handled well in spite of ongoing war... You killed me first by showing me the images in the first place, but I'm not going to hold that against you—"

"Beta, your point," snapped Elysia timely. 

"Right. What I'm saying is, if you need my help, I'm here."

"You couldn't say that from the get-go?"

"Try to be as nasty as all you want, you'll never fail to look lovely in my eyes, girl."

"... Shut up," said Elysia with a hint... well, full of disgust at the moment. 

Romula eyed between Elysia and me nervously, not because she feared that we were fighting a lover's quarrel right in front of her, but because of the weight of what she was going to say next. 

And, sure enough, the words that followed made my eyes quaver like hell as well. 

"The oppressors, the ones we're trying to rescue our people from... are the Humans."

That was it. The uneasiness I had felt when watching the friendly interactions among the different races on this ship.

Humans had no part in those dynamics. 

Humans had no place in this microcosmic peace. 

"... But the Humans are the weakest race. I'm not going to say that we're the kindest, because we're not, far from it, but from what I've seen, what I'm saying is that the Humans lack the means to oppress and torment the other races." 

"Your—"

Romula bit her lips just in time, but I heard it anyway. 

She was going to say 'your people.' 

I waited stoically as Romula chose her next words carefully. 

"The Humans are adapters. They are the defiers, the underdogs by nature. Their strongest weapon in history has been their will to overcome, to survive, to persevere against all the odds and challenges."

Romula looked around the arsenal with sad—no, hateful—eyes.

"Who do you think came up with all of the technology you see around here?"

"... No way."

"The computers, the weapons, the aircraft, and, of course, the Spyglass. Everything was built by the Humans, and used to rule over us, oppress us... and enslave us."

I could say nothing. Romula tried her best not to let her emotion take over and vent out her contempt on me. It showed, but she tried. 

Even Elysia forgot about her jealousy treatment and eyed me worriedly. 

"... You want me to go against the Humans. My own race."

"No, Beta. I want you to restore peace in this Level and end this lopsided war. Help not just us, but the Humans as well. Guide them away from the delusional ambition that makes them believe they can rule over other races. Help them see us their equals, not tools and animals to be used and abused."

"How? I need to know how this all happened. This isn't right. This isn't natural."

"Natural? Beta, are you saying that where you come from, there was no war?"

That shut me up, but Romula was not going to let go.

"War is inevitable. War is everywhere. Sure, be it so. Then all I ask for is a momentary peace."

Romula stood up, her face earnest and fervent. She no longer looked the timid Elfina hostess I had met at her office. Instead, she was back to being the charismatic general at the center of the command room, the one that had ordered the obliteration of a hundred fighter crafts in one laser blitz cannon. 

Maybe the latter was her true self. The successor heroine of this Level. 

"And I need your hand, Beta, if I want to achieve just that. I'm sorry I couldn't be more smooth and considerate breaking this out to you. I'm sorry that I'm putting you in a tight corner like this... I'm sorry for being so selfish. I really am."

The Elfina who was trying to save the five races against the tyranny of one was apologizing for being 'selfish.' Who did her best to break the news softly and carefully, who, if I were standing in a tight corner, was standing on the tip of a precarious, multiracial society, managing and embracing everyone while promising them the better future, the peace that they deserved and worked for...

'I'm just of a mess as you are, Beta,' Romula had said.

And she was right. A beautiful, righteous mess she was. 

"... What do you want me to do?" I sighed, letting my self be won over my Romula's soft charisma. 

Romula literally squealed and held my hands in hers. Elysia lifter her eyebrows but said nothing. 

"Thank you. Thank you for joining our cause and help fight alongside us."

"That's enough," I said, but not withdrawing my hands from Romula's soft grasp.

"First, you'll need a title. I know your strengths, Beta. And I have the perfect job for you at the artillery."

Romula ran some words in her mouth. Meanwhile, Elysia slapped my forearm away from Romula's hands. 

"How about the Missile General of the Coalition of All Races?"

"I really don't care."

I chuckled awkwardly as I rubbed the reddened part on the forearm. 

"The Coalition of All Races, is that what you guys call yourselves?" I asked, still awkwardly. 

"The initial rebellion name stuck, not that a cause needs a fancy name, wouldn't you agree?" asked Romula, back to being the perfectly timid and thoughtful Elfina lady. 

"Sure. What about the... other side?"

It still hurt me to call them the 'Humans,' and Romula prudently pretended not to have heard the hiccup there.

"What do they call themselves?" I asked, no longer awkward, and genuinely curious now. 

Romula did not answer my question right away. She was not being considerate this time, however. She seemed visibly displeased just to say the name out aloud. 

But when she told me the name, I realized it was not just the name that bothered her.

It was more implicit than that.

"The opposing side calls themselves the Anti-Liberation Pan-Human Alliance," said Romula warily. 

And I was nodding absentmindedly... until it hit me. Romula, seeing the expression on my face, nodded gravely back. 

"Yes. The acronym, it spells 'ALPHA.'"

Romula inhaled sharply before adding the last words.

"And it's not a coincidence, Beta."

I knew it was not.