Reborn in a Dating Sim: Life as a Mob is hard in an Equestria Girl’s Dating Game!

Reborn in a Dating Sim:

Life as a Mob is hard in an Equestria Girl’s Dating Game!

Chapter Eleven

“Welcome to Labyrinth Raiding’s first real test. Today we will be going into the Crystal Labyrinth. It is a perfect place to experience dealing with some basic monsters. This labyrinth is famous for the crystal insects that reside inside of it,” Professor Honeypott said as she walked in front of them, “Most impressively is the crystal scorpions. Those are incredibly difficult to fight, and even more difficult to defend against. They attack in groups of no less than five, and one of them is dangerous enough to give seasoned adventurers a problem. Luckily, for us, they mostly reside on the eighth level down. We will be focusing on the first through third floors.”

Copper listened to Professor Honeywell, and instantly he wondered about the crystal scorpions. If they were dangerous enough to give people serious problems then why even use this labyrinth? Of course he’d actually been down to that level in the game, and he did run across the crystal scorpions then. What she was saying wasn’t wrong. In the game they were powerful enough to take a character out with a single strike, but they were slow, and honestly they were weak against traditional weapons. Magic was almost useless on them, but normal concussive weapons could shatter them like glass.

Which, it was one of the reasons he brought the magi-gun his dad had given him. Its ability to switch between normal ammunition and magic ammunition was invaluable. It would allow him to deal with one of the crystal scorpions easily enough, if they ran into one. Of course there were the ants, the worms, and of course the wasps that lived down here. All of them tended to be more trouble than the scorpions. The scorpions attacks could be dodged, but the small insects could swarm far easier.

“I’m going to separate the classes up into three groups. Those groups will be going to the first, second, and third floors. Those going to the third floor do your best to stay away from the teleporting room. There is a very real chance that it will send you to the middle of the labyrinth, and quite honestly there’s only a handful of the professors here that can get there in any kind of time to save you,” she said as she studied them, “Of those I am one of them, and honestly I can think of better things to do than to save your sorry butts because you wanted to go exploring.”

She moved toward them, “I will be tapping your shoulders, and I will be saying a number. Go stand with the others that have the same number. She began and he watched as she neared him, “Three,” she said before moving past him and taping on another student’s shoulder. He could see Artemis’ excitement about going to the third floor. For her it would be a chance to study naturally occurring magic, and of course to see how well it could be altered or defused. One thing he could say honestly about her was that she took the chance to learn seriously.

Slowly the numbers ticked by, and then finally she tapped the final student. He walked toward the others, and saw that Applebloom was standing near a small group, “Ugh, the scholarship student is in our group?” one of them said, “How repulsive.”

He glared at the girl that had said it. He moved toward her, “Hey, glad to see you with us,” he said causing the others to look at him in disdain, “So, your ability with potions might come in handy. Especially any that can be used as sonic attacks. After all, I’m sure that everyone here remembers that most of the crystal creatures are weak against sonic attacks that sound at the same frequency as their internal harmonics.”

There was quiet for a moment, “Of course we did you new money idiot,” the girl said, “I mean honestly, it’s such a simple thing.”

He watched as she flipped her hair, turned away from him, and headed with the others, “Sorry about that,” he said as he looked at Applebloom, “Honestly, people like that are annoying. So, I’m actually glad to see a friendly face in this. Have you been in a dungeon before?”

She shook her head and looked around, “Thanks,” she said, “Ah cain’t say much though. Ah’m here ‘cause Ah happened to be good at makin’ potions and apparently Ah got a pretty deep well of mana. Not that Ah ever really tested it. Ah gotta figure that thar’s more folks out there that’s better suited fer the scholarship than Ah was.”

He shook his head, “Look, being modest is nice, but accept that you’re here because people believed in you. Besides, it’s a chance to make friends.”

She smiled at him, “Right now, the only one that’s been friendly is ya. Which, are ya mah friend?”

He shrugged, “I don’t mind to be,” he admitted, “And I’m sure that Artemis feels the same.”

He looked at Artemis who seemed to be studying her, “I do not mind,” she replied, “Although, I would like to know what your intentions are toward my Captain.”

Applebloom smiled, “Well, jest bein’ friends right now, which, that’s fine, right?”

“It is acceptable,” Artemis replied, “Captain, how do we want to explore the third floor?”

He thought back to the game, “We stay mostly on the southernside,” he said as he considered it, “From what I’ve seen that keeps us away from the teleportation room. The last thing we need is to be sent down to a level where there are enemies that could hurt any of our group. I mean we can’t be everywhere at once.”

He looked to see Prince Apollo who was milling around with the threes. Having him in the same floor would be interesting. Especially since it meant that there would be guards stationed at the edge of the floors. No one wanted to allow anything to happen to the crown prince. Sure the prince himself was pretty clueless about things. That had been one of the problems with trying to get him as a love interest in the game. It took expert charisma to even get to the point of being considered. Whoever Satin was she had the kind of charisma that was needed. It certainly made it feel like she was saying all of the right things to him.

He stopped thinking about it, and instead led everyone toward the tunnel that led down to the third floor. The problem was he hadn’t realized that Professor Honeypot hadn’t said anything yet. For a moment everyone watched, and then Professor Honeypot cleared her throat, “Mr. Plum, a moment if you don’t mind,” she said causing him to freeze. He tried to think if she’d told them the directions on the labyrinth yet, and he realized that even if she had, he hadn’t been listening to her. She walked closer to him, “So, I’m going to guess that you’ve already been in this labyrinth, correct?”

He looked at her, and then he nodded. Sure, he’d been in it in the game, but he’d been in it all the same, “I see,” she replied, “Then of course you know the route you’re taking is the direct tunnel to Level three. It bypasses both level one and level two. I’m honestly impressed that you want to go directly there. However, this is a learning experience for everyone, and everyone needs to know the traditional layout of the labyrinth. So, for now we’ll be going the normal tunnels, and we’ll leave the shortcuts created by some of our honored ancestors alone.”

“Yes ma’am,” he replied, “I’ll go the normal routes.”

She nodded, “However, once you’ve gotten to your level, and you’ve spent the required three hours there, then please feel free to take the tunnel back up. I will not a problem with it then.”

He studied her for a moment, “Professor Honeypot, ma’am, you do understand that it’s going to take at least an hour per level to go down to the level. That means that the students on the third level are going to be in the labyrinth for no less than five hours.”

She smiled, “Ah, and good at math too,” she replied, “Yes, I know that, and I’m perfectly fine with it. This class has permission to run the entire course of the day. I want everyone to get experience here, and I see no better chance than to have those of you going to the level below going through the first and second levels first.”

He nodded, but he wanted to voice his distaste with it. After all it meant that he could end up carrying part of the class themselves. He could see Satin near Price Apollo, and she was telling him that she was going to see if one of the other students would trade with her so that she could go with him. Beside her was another of the love interests, and that was Platinum Reserve. The silver haired boy was skilled at being a swordsman, but he had confidence issues when it came to magic.

His entire thing in the game was to build his confidence, and show him that even if he couldn’t master expansive magic he could master one or two disciplines and that would be enough to help him as a budding adventurer. He was indeed powerful in his own right, but Copper had always thought he was a little distant in the game.

“Your highness,” he said, his voice smooth as silk, “I shall ensure the safety of Ms. Satin. At no point will she hurt for a single thing. I will personally ensure that she not only survives, but that she is able to thrive down on level two,” he stated before giving his hand to Prince Apollo, “I ask only that you take care of yourself as well.”

“Of course Platinum,” the prince replied, “I shall watch over myself, and Satin, please stay close to Platinum Reserve. His skill with the blade are second to none.”

He wanted to make a throwing up motion, but decided not to. It wasn’t worth it, and he really didn’t want to cause more issues than they needed at the Moment, “My Prince,” Diamond Tiara said as she walked close to him, “I shall personally ensure that you do well on this test.”

“Diamond,” he replied, his voice sounding apologetic, but firm, “Please, I am not interested. I no longer want you as a consort. I’ve expressed this to my mother, and my father. I have told them my reasons, and they are willing to dissolve the engagement as long as your father agrees. Please, we are going to be nothing to one another soon. I would rather you simply stay away from me.”

Even Copper could tell how much that had to hurt, “Your highness, please, I only ever wanted to make you happy. I have spent my entire life up to this point dedicating myself to becoming your bride. I want to be perfect for you. Is that so wrong?”

He shook his head, “You see my station, my position, and not me. You don’t know me, not truly, and I don’t want to deal with you anymore. Can you not understand? Does that not ring true in your mind? Do you not see how fruitless it is to pursue something that will never be?” he asked as he studied her, “There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that will ever make me want to rekindle what we have never truly had. Surely you can understand something as direct as that.”

She looked hurt, but backed up, “I will wait,” she confessed, “ I will allow you to experience things, although it will hurt greatly, but please, understand that I do love you. I want to be your bride. It is my one true desire.”

He finally turned toward her, “Then it is a desire that will never happen. I swear, I want nothing to do with you. How can you not understand something so simple as that?!”

Copper could see the expression on Diamond Tiara’s face. The pain and anguish was something he’d seen and experienced a hundred times before. That being rejected, and being told how rejected they were in front of everyone else. It was a look that told him exactly how hurt she was. He watched, and he hated it for her, but at the same time he didn’t want to get mixed up in it. She was a main character. She was the main antagonist for the story, but with Applebloom not in the position of the protagonist he wasn’t sure where that meant she fit now.

He shook his head. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t a game anymore. It was his life. Sure, things still fit and followed the game’s logic. He’d found Artemis because of the game, and he made his way through the labyrinth where One Eye Mash’s treasure was because of the game. He made everything work because of how the game had worked. So, it wasn’t the game, but the logic of the game worked here. Which that still irked him. The game was a certifiable dumpster fire. It was horrible. How it was as popular as it was blew his mind. It shouldn’t have been so popular, but then again maybe it was because it was a trash game.

“Ain’t right,” Applebloom said, her voice sounding irritated, “Ah mean, she cares fer him, and he ain’t givin’ her a chance.”

He looked at her, “Sometimes people’s views and thoughts change. Sure, I don’t think that it’s right, but at the same time it’s not my monkeys, not my zoo,” he said which caused her to study him, “What I mean is that it’s not my problem. Sure, it sucks, but I’m not part of the problem, and I don’t really plan on getting in the middle of it. I don’t see a reason to do so.”

She shook her head, “Ah guess,” she admitted, “Kinda hate that there ain’t nobody gonna do nothin’ ‘bout it though.”

He heard Artemis move slightly, “Yes, I understand,” she said, “It is refusing the act, but does that make us guilty?”

He felt that lesson coming back to bite him in the ass again. He began to say something when he looked at the situation, “This isn’t war,” he said, his voice simple, “What’s happening is a relationship is ending. It’s between the two of them, and if there is anyone guilty there it is the one who caused the rift. Honestly, I believe that she would be better off without the Prince. She’s intelligent, and she is capable.”

Artemis nodded, “But, isn’t the phrase, all is fair in love and war?”

He shook his head, “That is grasping, and you know it,” he said before he looked at them. He saw Diamond Tiara move away from the Prince, and he saw the heart sick look on her face. It was something that she didn’t deserve. Sure, she’d been the antagonist in the game, but right now she was just a girl that was hurting. He breathed out, “Hey, everything okay?”

She stopped, and he saw her focus land on him, “What concern is it of yours?” she asked, her voice sounding a bit haughty, “I am fine.”

He watched as she mustered up the mask she must have been used to wearing, and she moved forward. He had to admit that she was strong in a way that was respectable. He could see her grace and power. It was something that he had no doubt she’d grown into. He didn’t know too much about her parents, but that again was mostly because he didn’t focus on the lore as much as he really should have. He knew that there was quite a bit about them, and he knew that her father was a fair and just Duke, but other than that he wasn’t really sure.

“She is not fine,” Artemis remarked, “She is admirable at hiding the fact, but I can sense the slight change in pitch when it comes to her voice, additionally I can sense the slight hesitation she has in her actions. These are signs of distress and uncertainty. Still, she has done an impressive job of appearing confident and strong.”

He watched as Applebloom nodded, “Eeeyup, she’s upset and that’s the gospel truth,” she said as she looked toward where she was walking, “Wouldn’t be right ta let her go without a friend ta lean on.”

He nodded, “Okay, I get it,” he said as he followed them, “Let’s see if we can get her to let us in a little. Not saying that she’s going to, but hey, maybe she will, and if she does then maybe she’ll be able to handle being rejected. I mean, it’s a possibility.”

He walked toward the direction both Artemis and Applebloom were walking toward. The entrance to the first level of the labyrinth was pretty much what he remembered. The crystal walls had small holes in them, looking almost like grid work. He knew that these holes had been homes of the crystal ants. For the most part, they weren’t overly difficult, but they did have the problem of swarming. When they swarmed it was when they were the major problem.

Alone each ant could be beaten by a single wind spell. It would basically pick it up, and toss it against a wall destroying it. For all rights and purposes pretty much anyone at any level could handle a single crystal ant. It was handling two or three hundred of them at once. Which was pretty much how they swarmed. He looked ahead to see Diamond Tiara standing at the first few steps of the labyrinth.

He was going to say something when he heard the heart breaking sobs coming from her. She sight of her shoulders moving with each sob, and the realization that they had unfortunately gotten far too close to what was going on. His first impulse was to back away, but it wasn’t Appleblooms. He watched as the girl moved toward her, “Hey, Ah know we dun’t really know one another, but do ya need someone ta talk ta?”

She shook her head, “No,” she replied, “I shouldn’t be breaking down like this. Please, forget that it happened.”

With that she moved forward, and he watched as someone with a broken heart walked ahead of them.