The Infinite Bk. 01 Ch. 07

"You do make it awfully hard to sleep. I thought some wolves were tearing apart a goblin out there," said Trevor. Beth kicked him in retaliation while circling the campfire to reach her spot.

"Watch it!" he shot back.

Noah took his spot and stoked the fire. "Enough. Everyone, get some rest. We're going to need our strength for tomorrow." They were less than half a day's hike to the dungeon crab.

"None of us can sleep. We're too nervous about tomorrow," Oath said.

"It'll be fine. In twenty years, you'll ask your children 'did I ever tell you about the time I conquered a dungeon crab?' And they'll groan and say, 'yes, father, a hundred times. We're sick of hearing about it.'"

"Are you going to do anything with the territory?" Beth asked. "Change any laws?"

"No. Clive is perfect the way it is, and I don't want to change anything."

"You're letting a golden opportunity slip by," said Noah.

"What do you mean?"

"I assume that as long as the kingdom gets its taxes, it won't care about how things change, so you might as well try some things. Think of the town as the place to perform social experiments."

"What's a social experiment?" Trevor asked.

"It's when you put people in a certain location with certain conditions and see how they react. You can see how human nature plays out. Let's say that as a baron... you introduced a new holiday, just to see how that affects revenue."

"That sounds really wrong," Mira muttered.

"It's a way to learn about people. In the center of town, put up a statue with a sign saying not to touch, that the paint is wet. Then you can see how many people are actually going to touch it."

"What is that supposed to do?" Oath asked.

"How many people are in Clive, a hundred? If half of them touch the statue, you could argue that half of the human race is dumb enough to touch paint even when they know it's wet. Or perhaps it's simply that half the town can't read. If you repeat the experiment in another town, maybe a big city in another country, you'll probably find that different numbers of people will touch the statue. Then you can get down to figuring out why. Why do other areas have different results? Are the people simply dumber? Is it a literacy problem? Is there a culture of rebellion against authority?

Once, there was an ancient city named Rome, which had a massive stone battle arena called the Coliseum. It was so huge that the emperor put the minds of his best architects into figuring out how to design it so that the spectators could quickly get in and out. Otherwise, they'd start a riot. You get a bunch of people together in a cramped space, and one of two different things may happen, or even both.

The first is that people will want to withdraw into themselves. They'll want to create personal space, establish a perimeter, and draw that line in the sand that no one can cross. If someone crosses that line, they may get fearful and even violent. No matter how small it is, it produces an adverse reaction.

The other is to surrender to the will of the group. If everyone around you is saying something, you'll assume it's right and repeat it because you want to believe in the group; you want to believe you're right, that you're in the presence of people who know what they are doing. If you're in a mob where someone is shouting for the king's death and everyone cheers, part of you will naturally agree.

Someone losing their temper will start a fight. That fight will spread and trigger more fights, and suddenly the orderly masses that were simply trying to leave the Coliseum are sweeping through Rome, having abandoned all thought of civility and now destroying everything in their way."

"That could never happen," said Beth, as if Noah had just uttered a child's nonsense.

"I've seen it happen plenty of times. Once you establish the rule that escape is not available, that candle starts burning, and it burns quick."

"I don't know. I think people are good at heart," said Mira. "They don't just go crazy like that."

"Then you could prove it. Let's say you could create any kind of social experiment, completely free repercussions, like a dream. What would you do?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"The rest of you? Just think 'I wonder how many people would (blank) if I (blank)?' Or 'what would happen if I put (blank) and (blank) together?' Literally whatever you wanted to know, or simply just see." Everyone looked up into the distance, trying to process the challenge. "Think about it. It'll help you fall asleep."

-----------

A solid thump woke Oath up, a sword striking the ground just inches from his face. He instinctively shouted in terror and tried to scurry back, realizing it was Noah's sword and that he was standing over him. His friends, light sleepers in an area this dangerous, woke up in a flash and got to their feet with their weapons raised, confused and alarmed by the sight of Noah in the predawn light. Was this an assassination attempt? However, they looked down and spotted Noah's real target. It was a centipede the size of a squirrel, with a bulbous shell and frightening pincers.

"What is that thing?!" Mira exclaimed.

"It's one of the parasites from inside the dungeon crab. I did as much research as I could whenever I had the time."

Looking at Mira and Beth, he could see them shuddering in revulsion.

"You mean to tell me that there are more of those things in that crab?"

"Almost certainly, but they're flooding out into the woods, so just means that the more we find out here, the fewer we'll have to fight in the crab. Now let's eat some breakfast and get a move on."

----------

It didn't take long for the group to spot their destination. It was a literal mountain of upturned earth and shattered bedrock, resulting from the dungeon crab rising from the planet's crust and jutting out the tip of its shell. At the very summit was the entrance, but the mountain was no indication of just how large the actual crab was. Before they could go down, they'd have to climb up.

"Look up there, I think I see a tent."

Noah scanned where Beth was pointing and confirmed. "Someone must have set up camp there before heading in."

"There are camps all over the mountain. There must be a lot of people in there," said Mira.

"Most of them have probably been killed by now. Those camps are abandoned," said Trevor.

"Trevor!"

Despite Mira's anger, Noah agreed with Trevor. The closer he looked, the more tents he saw, and most of them probably belonged to the dead, but he didn't want Oath and the others chewing on that. "Relax. Everyone going in just packed light because they want to carry as much treasure as they can, and probably couldn't carry anything extra when they came out. We'll be in the same situation when we come back."

"Wait, I see people too," said Beth.

She was correct; there were plenty of adventurers roaming the mountain.

"They must be scavenging for gems and precious metals. When the crab appears, it probably pushes up more than just stone and dirt."

"If you can get gold from sifting through the dirt, then why bother going into the dungeon?" Mira asked.

"They're after whatever they can get their hands on, unlike us. We're after avenium, and it can only be found inside."

They put their fears aside and began climbing up the side of the mountain. There were no established paths, and the footing was tricky. The dirt had settled since the crab's arrival, but there were no plants to hold it all together, so it was like hiking up the side of a sand dune in many areas. They also had to be wary of the stone chunks mixed in. They were freshly broken and hadn't been weathered by the wind and the rain, so they could easily cut through the skin. While climbing, Noah grabbed a stone handhold, and the crystal-like sharpness skinned his palm.

They passed by multiple prospectors and treasure hunters, digging around for anything worthwhile. No one paid them any attention, and they offered none in return. However, that changed when they heard fighting. Nearby, they saw a bearded man fighting off one of the dungeon parasites that had wandered outside. It was a four-legged crustacean the size of a wolf. It swung its heavy forelimbs like clubs and tried to force the man onto his back.

"Noah, we need to help him," said Mira.

"Keeping him alive isn't my job. Besides, any strength you use against that one monster will be strength you can't use in the shell."

"Then consider this a field test!" Mira held out her staff. "Shatter Mace!"

Pieces of stone and packed dirt flowed to the end of her staff, forming a hardened sphere covered in sharp protrusions. She left the group and ran to where the man was fighting, with her weapon not hindering her movement. Rather than physical strength, she held the sphere together and lifted it with mana.

The beast had the man pinned on his back, and he was fending off its snapping pincers with his pickaxe. Sneaking up behind it, Mira raised her staff and brought it down onto the monster's back, unleashing the total weight of the stone and breaking through its shell. The beast hissed in pain and fell over, and she dispatched it with another swing, this one crushing its exposed head. A week ago, such a task would have been impossible for her, but under Noah's tutelage, both her skills in magic and physical combat had been multiplied several times over.

"Thanks," the man grumbled before dusting himself off and walking away.

She returned to the group, where Beth was clapping for her. "Well done!"

Noah, however, clasped his hand on her shoulder. "Don't do that again." There was very little anger in his voice, but still, she shrunk away. "The same goes for the rest of you. We're not here to play hero, we're not here to save lives. We're here to make money and conquer the dungeon. Our strength, our attention, our weapons, our potions, they are reserved only for our own use and our own benefit. If you save someone, it had better be to use them as a pack mule or a meat shield. Understood?" Everyone nodded. "Good, then let's move on."

They resumed hiking towards the summit, and Oath soon asked a question.

"Noah, you researched dungeon crabs, right? Did you recognize that monster?"

"Yes, it was one of the parasites mentioned in the books your father had."

"Do you know what else we'll find?"

"Unfortunately, no, there was actually very little written information about the dungeon crabs and what exists within their shells. Those who remain in the upper portions and survive share their information, but those who delve deep enough to reach the avenium either die or keep it a secret."

"Wait, why is it a secret?" Trevor asked.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it's because the nation's nobility doesn't want people knowing how to join their ranks. In this crab are the keys to the kingdom, after all. Too many young upstarts could break the balance of power between the rich and the poor, or they could form factions that get in the way of the higher-ranked nobles. Some information gets out, of course, from those who manage to escape with their lives but don't conquer the dungeon, or from other countries, but I imagine that the only adventurers who are really informed are those already working for high-level nobles."

A monstrous hiss ended the conversation as a new threat revealed itself ahead. It stood atop the high ground on a pair of muscular legs, like a predatory bird, but it had a small body and no neck, only a forward-faced skull that resembled an alligator. After emitting another hiss, several more appeared from both above and the sides.

"A pack-type parasite, interesting," Noah said as he drew his sword. "Get ready, everyone, the fighting starts early."

They took formation, with Oath in front and Noah and Trevor guarding the flanks, while Beth and Mira attacked from a distance. The monsters closed in, leaping through the air while flashing the talons on their feet and spreading their jaws.

"Trevor!" Noah shouted.

"Phalanx Spears!" he cast while swinging his halberd like a flag.

A trail of mana was left behind with each movement, solidifying into floating blades like mist condensing into ice. The blades pierced three of the beasts before they could land. Two more were wounded, and the rest had their concentration broken and failed to pounce properly. With that opening, Noah and Oath began hacking and slashing away at those who landed closest.

"Earth Bind!"

Mira stabbed the ground, and beneath the wounded beasts, pits opened up to swallow them whole, then were closed with earthen spikes like cage bars. It wouldn't hold them long, but it kept them out of the fight. So not only could Mira now manifest the spell multiple times from one casting, but the ground proved perfect for its use.

Those who had avoided Trevor's spell and Noah and Oath's swords tried circling, but Beth dispatched them with her bow, and Trevor cleaved any she missed. Once all of the mobile ones were slain, the wounded were put out of their misery.

"Good, well done," said Noah.

They usually would then harvest the monsters for valuable pieces, but the market for dungeon crab parasites was too niche to be worth the effort. Besides, they wanted to save as much room for treasure as possible.

They continued their climb, and after a couple more monster battles, they reached the summit at midday. The tip of the crab's shell was sticking out of the ground like a branchless tree. Noah could see the curl of the shell, and before them, a doorway large enough for an elephant to walk through. Noah reached out and touched the shell, made of a substance strong enough to withstand the heat and pressure of the earth's interior.

In the month since Noah's arrival to this world, he had seen plenty of things that shocked and baffled him, from magic to monsters, but the sight of the entrance blew him away. To think that such a creature like this could exist, that something so massive occupied this world. It blurred the common sense accumulated from more than a hundred lifetimes. Where did these things come from? Were they made by magic? Perhaps by some kind of god? How old was this one? Was it intelligent? What was its life cycle? What did it look like?

"I never thought I'd ever see something like this," said Oath, similarly amazed.

Everyone in the group stared at the white tower in awe and accomplishment. True, the real struggle had only just begun, but compared to what they were doing not too long ago, just reaching this place was a huge accomplishment. This was where they would become true adventurers.

"Look at this view," said Beth.

Without trees blocking their sight, the mountain summit let them see for miles in all directions.

"I think I can see the village," said Trevor.

"Let's break here for lunch, gather some of our strength, and then head inside."

They all sat down, and Noah pulled food and water skins out of his ring. He had enough supplies to keep them going for several days, and thanks to Beth's magic, they could refill their canteens whenever needed. Their lunch consisted of dried fish, fruits, and some bread, something light to keep them moving. There was a nice breeze atop the mountain, and the view was spectacular.

"Noah, remember what you were saying last night about social experiments?" Beth asked. "If I could try one, I'd want to see what happens when you put only women together and task them with building a society. What would Clive look like if it had only women?"

"A female-only society? Yeah, that would certainly be interesting. Ok, paint a picture for me. What do you expect would happen?"

"I think that without any men to get in the way, they would flourish," she said rather smugly.

"Until there is a spider that needs to be killed," said Trevor.

"Come on; I want details. For instance, there are roles in society typically considered manly and others considered womanly. If only women perform masculine tasks, then what will change? Will the nature of the task change, or will the women change? Will the women who spend all day hunting, blacksmithing, and all those other jobs start acting rough and crass like men?

You're an adventurer. You spend your days hunting, fighting, scavenging, and getting down and dirty. But you also consider yourself quite girlish, right? But how do you think a girl who spends her days weaving and caring for children sees you? Will a divide form? The Type A personalities arguing with the Type B?"

"Type A personalities?"

"Never mind. Oath, do you have an idea for an experiment?"

Oath took a deep breath. "Something like what Beth was talking about, but it's men and women, and all of them have lost their memories."

"Oh, that's the good one. The total erasure of culture and starting from scratch. If you completely remove nurture from the equation, then you can truly see how nature manifests. Will men and women follow paths considered normal by society? Will they adopt the same roles that their ancestors have? Or will they do everything new?"

Everyone watched as he started putting things away. He didn't need to say anything; they knew it was time to take the plunge.

Please comment! Tell me your thoughts!