Zone 1 (2nd Try) 8 - Captain~! Shae's Oath
"Captain~! Knock knock-"
"Shae!"
"Yes! Captain! It's Shae!"
Shae's return took less than a day.
After hearing the true meaning of her actions from Kaya, I'd braced myself with a heavy heart for a long wait—but she'd come back so quickly it almost felt embarrassing. If you ignored that whole ordeal, it was like she'd just gone out for a day of fun and returned. No big deal.
Of course, with our dwindling funds getting shredded by daily inn fees, this was far from a bad thing.
For now, I handed the necklace back to the beaming Shae.
But she shook her head.
"Why?"
"Put it on me yourself!"
"What?"
"Captain, seriously—you're gonna make me say it out loud? Come on!"
What the—? Without waiting for my reply, Shae spun 180 degrees, gathered her hair into a ponytail, and pulled it forward. Her pale, slender neck was now fully exposed.
Fu-fuck.
Just baring her neck to ask me to clasp the necklace, and already saliva was pooling, some dark urge stirring awake. No. Snap out of it. How could I even think that about someone showing this level of trust, offering up her vulnerability without hesitation?
Nod.
I glanced sideways, and Kaya nodded approvingly. Good. I'd been terrified she'd read my filthy mind and look at me with contempt.
—It's fine, right? Probably not...
Get out of my head—no, out of my dick!
I tried to play it cool, stretching the necklace chain out long and extending my arm as far as possible to clasp it without touching her. Her exposed neck, her radiant blonde hair, and that intoxicating body scent—different from Kaya's, but even more tempting. No matter how much I showered, my own body never smelled this good. Amazing.
Ahem. Anyway, I'd been trying not to make her uncomfortable or overthink it, but that just made me hyper-aware.
"There. Done."
"Thank you."
Her joining our hero party was 99% locked in, but to avoid any slip-ups, I'd been planning to stay cautious to the end.
Then suddenly, Shae spun back 180 degrees and dropped to one knee!
"Sh-Shae?"
Caught off guard again by her abrupt move, as I reached for her shoulders, she pulled the pendant from her cleavage and murmured something. Her face and vibe were dead serious now. The atmosphere screamed don't interrupt.
"May the light of your countenance and just judgment be upon us. Lady Justitia, your daughter who has followed the light you shine and the justice you uphold hereby swears, in this place, to enter that dungeon beyond the reach of your will—where horror and darkness reign—and to carry out your divine purpose in person. I humbly beseech you: grant my sword the light to cleave the shadows, and my armor the justice that defies all terror. Bless also the heroes Hendrick and Kaya, who enabled this vow, and grant our hero party the courage to overcome any trials of setback, suffering, or fear that may assail our path ahead. No matter the mighty foe, I shall shield my comrades at the forefront. No matter the agony, I shall endure without yielding. Once more I pray: shine your light upon our path."
Shae's oath rang with utter sincerity and solemnity, and the small pendant emitted a silver glow. The light faded quickly, but Shae smiled brightly, satisfied.
I didn't need the relationship readout to feel a chill from Shae's raw sincerity the moment she spoke her vow. And it wasn't because she was kneeling at my feet. Really.
I'd never been much of a believer—figured gods were bullshit that didn't exist. But right after her oath ended, I swear I felt something linger on me for a split second.
No spec boosts or positive traits popped up, but... that alien sensation left me frozen, staring down at her.
Still, I couldn't just stand there forever.
"Your knee must hurt."
"I was waiting for you to say that. Hehe."
Like her solemn vow had never happened, Shae grinned broadly, officially becoming the third hero of HAT.
**
"With Shae on board, our hero party—previously just two without a tank—is now a rock-solid three-man team."
It was late anyway, so taking one more day to rest wasn't a big deal. With Shae officially joined, I decided to lay out our long-delayed dungeon plans.
We huddled on the beds in casual clothes, Kaya and Shae poring over the notes I'd jotted with info.
"Shae, you've never been in a dungeon before, right?"
"Yes, Captain."
"It won't be much different from the place we hit last time."
Traps, passages, rooms, rewards, monsters, shops, secret rooms. Instances or main dungeon—it was all some combo of those. Difficulty came down to how viciously, how bullshit-ly they were arranged.
"Kaya and I only made it to 1-3—the third room. We could've gone farther, but some unknown force kicked us back to Seilroom."
I glossed over spinning the roulette myself and hitting an unexperienced gimmick. No way I'd convince them if they asked what that even meant. Skipped the game terms.
"Still, dungeons gnaw at your mind just by existing there, and traps could spring anywhere, anytime—that's the shitty difference. There'll be monsters stronger than that one we fought, too."
"Gnaw at your... mind?"
"That feeling like you can't just stand still. You get fidgety without knowing why, then rushed, then irritated, angry. Like you gotta escape the dungeon ASAP, like something's chasing you—driving you insane bit by bit."
This was common knowledge in Seilroom from dungeon vets, so easy to explain without bullshit.
"No random rest spots means rest and recovery are tough. And if luck's really shit, we could face three of those guys in a row—or just once if we're lucky."
"Oh, I'm pretty lucky, so fewer for me!"
"Shae... sorry. I'm kinda... unlucky."
"Aw, don't get down about that, sis? What about you, Captain?"
"Me? Hmm."
Calling The Long Terror a luck-based shitfest pretty much sealed it. But...
"You two becoming my comrades? That's gotta mean I'm insanely lucky."
"... "
"... "
Fuck. Knew it—lip service that doesn't suit me is worse than none. Ruined the mood. Yeah, totally cringey and try-hard.
"Ahem, my luck is just..."
"Captain, that's how you seduced Kaya-sis, right? Caught it when you reeled me in too!"
"What?"
"Sis! Kaya-sis! Snap out of it! You're drooling!"
"Huh?"
Luckily, Kaya was dazed by my awkward charm, and Shae joked to lighten things up. Phew.
Ahem, nearly damaged the captain's authority. One hug with Kaya and I'd get cocky. Maybe words like "greenhorn" exist because of guys like me. Gotta rein it in.
"Ahem! Key point: break through nine small rooms, and you face the boss."
"Any info on the boss?"
"Yeah, but no clue which one. Gotta see it ourselves. Some parties who've cleared Zone 1 first boss shared info, but it varies."
Zone 1 boss was one of seven in The Long Terror. Useful patterns if it matched here, but no need to spill now. We're 1-3 wipeouts at level 1—better tailor fights on the fly later.
Sadly, I was accepting it: my game knowledge might prove useless.
"Anyway, we're clearing to the first boss. That's goal one."
"Ooh!"
"Captain. Not opposing your plan, but I hear almost no parties take down the first boss on their second dungeon run. Isn't it that tough...?"
Of course it's tough, Kaya. But no choice. Sorry...
Our party can't retreat.
In the game The Long Terror, you could dip back to Seilroom mid-run with pricey return stones (price scaled with uses), but only if farming heavy. Snowball effect killed you otherwise—upgrading heroes ate gold, and mid-death retreats wrecked economy. Plus, couldn't use in real fights (random party wipe risk).
Here, other parties popped in and out freely. Normal for them.
They had no "no retreat" limit. That was my curse alone.
Me, Kaya, Shae—we push to 1-10 unless ultra-rare luck like last time.
"Dungeons aren't something you 'get used to' by dipping in and out. The darkness and fear pouring out? Not adaptable. Plus, bailing midway means crap rewards for time invested. We'd end up quest-hopping for cash like last time—no growth, just time wasted."
Final rewards, exp settlement, trait unlocks—all forfeited on retreat. Irrelevant for us anyway.
"Hmm..."
"To see the end, we gotta hit the next zone—and for that, kill the boss. Bail midway, and next time? Start from scratch."
"From the beginning?"
"Yeah. Probably fight the first room monster again."
No respawn luck like the instance—main dungeon reshuffles everything on re-entry: layout, traps, mobs.
Three level 1s clearing Zone 1 to boss? Tough even on high-difficulty The Long Terror runs. But success? Explosive growth.
"Tomorrow, we pack max supplies right at wake-up—like it's our last shot. No more challenges after. So tonight? Sleep hard. Got it?"
"Yes, Captain!"
Nod.
I skipped mentioning failure. To honor their trust in me and my plan.
And to survive.