“Sir…” Jeeves breath caught. “Is that what I think it is?”
Breck was panting when he responded. “I hope so. I didn’t use a lot of essence so I still need to power it, but I wanted to get your thoughts first. I would prefer not to suffer another explosion.”
Jeeves nodded enthusiastically. “Power it! I have a good feeling about this.”
Breck smiled. “Here we go!” He dumped several ranks worth of essence into his creation. It drank it like a sponge with no end in sight. Breck was feeling faint and a piercing pain was shooting through him, but he didn’t stop. Something felt different this time. Something felt right.
“Sir, your rank. It's decreasing!” Jeeves was shouting, but Breck could barely hear him.
Breck’s rank continued to fall. Beginner seven, six, five. Whatever was going on was draining him of everything he had. The ambient energy in the room was also being sucked into his experiment. The sheer speed of it flying through the chamber was creating a gust of wind. Sting, Breck’s boss, was flapping frantically to get away from the epicenter of whatever was going on.
“SIR! MAYBE YOU SHOULD STOP!” Jeeves screamed as loudly as he could, but Breck ignored him. He couldn’t stop now, he felt in his core that this was just right.
BOOM! A shock wave rang through his dungeon. Chunks of stone fell from the ceiling as cracks littered the floor. Whatever was going on was now done.
“Sir? Sir… SIR!” Jeeves called out but received no answer. The explosion of energy had knocked Breck unconscious. Unsure what to do, Jeeves simply waited. It was almost two full days before Breck woke up.
“Jeeves… are… are you there?” Breck called out faintly as his senses slowly returned to him.
“Sir, you're alive! I feared the worst.”
“What happened?” questioned Breck. Jeeves sent two words in response, ‘basic zero.’ “I ranked up?”
“You broke through to the basic ranks! Congratulations, Sir.” Jeeves was beaming with admiration of his master.
Breck slowly nodded, his head still fuzzy. “Thank you. Did you try out your gift?” Jeeves projected a large question mark. “Yeah, your gift. I made that for you.” Breck gestured at his new creation. He gestured at his mini-golem. “Sorry I couldn’t make it more flashy or detailed. This is the first time using my new essence type. I don’t know how, but I know everything about living earth essence now. That’s what they call my new essence type. I’m not even sure how I know that.”
“Living earth? That sounds impressive.” Breck could tell something distracted Jeeves as he spoke, but he knew what it was.
“You can stop staring at it now and take it for a spin.”
Jeeves smiled and moved his consciousness from Breck’s core and into the foot tall mini-golem. Nothing happened at first, but within a few moments, burning white flame ignited in each of its sunken eye sockets. Breck could hear the cracking and rumbling of rock against rock as it stirred to life.
“This is incredible, Sir!” Jeeves screamed inside his head.
Breck sighed in relief. “Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to hear you in that form. I didn’t exactly give it a mouth or vocal cords.”
“We’re still connected. You can hear me the same way any of your dungeon’s creatures can hear you when you instruct them,” Jeeves explained as he took a hesitant step forward, promptly falling. Ignoring Breck’s laughter, he got up and took another, more successful, step. “Sir, I can’t thank you enough. I have… a body… of my own.” Then Jeeves did something that surprised Breck. He cried.
“Jeeves? Is everything alright?”
“I have a body. You gave me a body. I’ve never had one before. Look! I have hands and feet. Words can not describe what I’m feeling right now.” Tears made of essence rolled down the golem’s face.
“Woah, woah. You need to stop that. Those tears are using up the essence I gave that new body of yours. If you keep crying, you could fall apart or something.” Jeeves stopped, but his voice was still horse when he responded.
“Thank you, Sir.” Breck smiled and would blush if he could. “Speaking of bodies, Sir. Yours has increased in size.”
Breck looked at himself and was shocked by the understatement. He went from being only a few millimeters in diameter to a full inch. That wasn’t the only change either. His once cracked surface was now mostly smooth and polished. It still had some imperfections, but they were now the exception rather than the rule.
“What’s next?” asked Jeeves.
“Next? Next we expand. I recovered most of the essence I used to create your body during my breakthrough, but with my increased size, I can fit ten or fifteen times the amount of essence in me than I once could. Jeeves, I have two words for you. I’m hungry.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Arrival
“On your left >>click<<.” Droknal swung down hard with his staff. The blow crushed the skull of a kobold warrior.
Zach was mid-attack but pivoted on his heels at his friend’s advice. This caused his strike to go wide left and his blade tore through the neck of a kobold who was sneaking up on him. The attack was strong enough to send its head rolling to the ground. “Thanks.”
Zach and Droknal were finishing off their tenth or eleventh group of kobolds. They had followed their original assailants into a nearby cave system and have been traversing it ever since. What was supposed to have been a quick trip turned into weeks of not seeing the sun. On the bright side, Droknal was teaching Zach how to fight. With a small black burst of flames, they eliminated the remaining three kobolds.
“Is that it?” Zach questioned, his hand still firmly on his new weapon.
“Yes. I believe we have >>click<< eliminated most of them,” Droknal responded.
“Good. Does that mean we can finally leave this place?” Zach sheathed his sword and drank from his waterskin.
Droknal walked over and took some jerky from their provisions. He frowned at the quarter-full bag. “It’s best to finish as many of them off as we can before >>click<< they regroup and attack us with overwhelming numbers. I believe we have killed enough of them to send a message, though >>click<<.”
“What message would that be?”
Droknal pointed at the dead bodies. “They’re dead and we’re alive. We’ve left enough of their dead that they should stop pursuing us >>click<<.”
Zach smiled. “I’ll ask again. Can we get out of this place then?” He passed a small bit of essence into his ring. A familiar arrow appeared, but it was now much larger than before and blinking slowly. “I think we're close to the quest destination. Let’s look for a way out of here in that direction if possible.” Zach pointed in the direction that the arrow was showing.
“No need to look.” Droknal walked to the cave wall and placed all of his arms and forehead against it. Zach could hear him digging his fingers into the dirt and inhaling deeply through his nose. “There should be an exit >>click<< if we continue down this path following the right wall.”
Zach raised an eyebrow. “Care to share what you just did?”
“I am Anthronoid. We have the ability to sense motion in the dirt >>click<<. I scratched it to feel the vibration’s echo and map out the nearby caves. That in combination with the pheromones I left throughout the hallways we traveled through >>click<<, points to one conclusion. The nearest opening is this way.” Droknal nodded and walked down the path, bearing right.
That was neat. Zach threw his pack back on and ran to catch-up. The pair traveled for another few hours before they saw the first beams of sunlight piercing the darkness. Droknal had been lighting their way with his magic while they were inside, but he used his essence sparingly. He wanted Zach to develop the basics of night vision, a skill Droknal said was essential to survival.
A few weeks in darkness, fighting kobolds, proved fruitful for Zach. Not only did he gain a form of weak night vision, he also ranked up to beginner six and Droknal taught him some basic combos with a sword. They weren�
�t the most stylish moves, but they improved his swordsmanship significantly. One area he didn’t improve on was his chakra and essence control. Droknal forbade him from using his ice essence until he learned how to flow his energy through his chakra points, a process Droknal said they would have to wait to learn. Sitting in a dark cave full of enemies with their eyes shut was not the ideal condition when trying to meditate.
The sun was beating down on them as they exited. Both men just stood there and enjoyed the warmth.
Blinking rapidly to adjust to the change in light, Zach looked around for any landmarks. They had entered the cave system at ground level but had exited mid-mountain. “There.” He pointed to a small village far in the distance.
Given their distance, he couldn’t get a good look at it but could still make out some of its key characteristics. It was clearly a farming town, given the amount of fields surrounding it. It had no obvious defenses, like a wall or palisade, and it only had a handful of buildings. It couldn’t have housed more than a few hundred citizens, if Zach had to guess.
Powering his ring again, his guiding arrow appeared. He was hoping the village was their destination, but instead of pointing there, it pointed slightly closer to them at an area of swampland.
“According to my ring, the quest should be in those swamplands.” Zach gestured toward the swampy area near the base of the mountain. The glowing arrow was blinking rapidly now. We must be close.
“I would normally suggest we visit that village first >>click<< but it appears we have to travel through the swamplands to get there. How do you humans say it? Oh, yes >>click<<. Why don’t we kill two birds with one stone?” Droknal paused before facing Zach. “Why would you want to kill two birds? And wouldn’t an arrow be more efficient >>click<<?”
Zach just shook his head before starting his descent toward his destination. It had been a long month or so but he had finally made it.
When they finished descending, they stepped hesitantly into the murky swampland. There was a layer of thick fog slowing their progression, making it virtually impossible to see where they were going. They would have been hopelessly lost if it hadn’t been for Zach’s ring guiding their way. After a few hours, the ring guided them to an opening that led them to a staircase.
“I think this is it.” Zach reviewed his ring. The arrow had turned into a large blinking green ‘X’. “Whatever we're here for appears to be down those stairs.”
Droknal walked over and reviewed the dungeon entrance. He gently rubbed his hand against the stone. When Zach went to mimic him, Droknal gripped his forearm firmly and pulled it away. “There is some type of venom running through these rocks. Best not to touch >>click<<.” Zach pulled his hand away and nodded his understanding. “Hmm… There seems to be essence flowing through this stone >>click<<. And that staircase is too perfect to be naturally formed.”
“What does that mean?” Zach questioned.
Stepping away and taking a final glancing review, Droknal faced Zach. “It must be a dungeon >>click<<.”
“A Dungeon? I’ve heard about those but have never been to one before. Should we go down?”
Droknal shook his head. “It is ill advised to venture into a dungeon with only two people >>click<<. It would be best if we recruited some mercenaries from the local >>click<< village.”
Zach was eager to explore, so he did his best to plead his case. “We don’t have any money to recruit mercenaries. Besides, we need to find out what's down there so we can complete the adventurer's guild quest.” Droknal still looked uneasy. “I’ll stay behind you and follow your lead. I doubt there's anything down there that could hurt you.”
“Hmm…” Droknal looked at the surrounding area. “It does appear to be a new dungeon.”
Zach looked around in confusion. “How do you know that? There’s nothing around us.”
“Precisely >>click<<. Wherever a dungeon is discovered, one of the guilds takes ownership and turns it into a town of sorts. Since there is no one nearby >>click<<, that tells me this dungeon has only recently been discovered, if discovered at all >>click<<.”
“Does that mean we're going in?” Zach perked up.
Droknal nodded. “The dungeon should be a lower rank than me >>click<<. It should be safe for us to go inside, but we run at the first signs of danger. Understood >>click<<?”
Shaking his head, Zach gestured toward the dungeon entrance. Droknal sighed and proceeded down the stone steps.
“Whatever we find, stay behind me >>click<<.” Droknal entered the first room.
The chattering of bugs scurrying in the darkness rang throughout the room as Breck’s beetles looked for any opportunity to attack their new foes. Seeing only two adventurers, the bugs made their move. They surrounded Droknal and Zach, slowly stalking out of the darkness, ready to pounce.
“Do you see them?” Droknal questioned as he raised his staff, ready to counterattack.
“I count four. Did I miss any?” Zach unsheathed his sword.
“There are six surrounding us but your night vision is getting better >>click<<. I will teach you the essence version of the skill later.” Droknal’s lower set of hands were engulfed in black flames. “You handle the two near you and I’ll handle the rest.”
He stretched his hands out and shot miniature fireballs at two of the six beetles. The monsters tried to dodge, but they were mid-pounce. The fireballs exploded as they made contact and flames engulfed the bugs as they fell to the ground lifeless. Spinning around, he knocked away the remaining two. Before they even hit the ground, Droknal was charging toward them.
Zach, for his part, wasn’t idle either. He dodged one beetle while thrusting his sword toward the other. Where his previous weapon may have failed, his new, sharper, and well-crafted blade slid through carapace with ease. Before he knew it, he had a beetle kabob.
Dislodging the dead beetle from his sword, he leapt toward the one he dodged. The creature got to its feet and pouched at him. Zach performed a two-strike combo that Droknal had taught him. Two deep gouges appeared on the underside of the creature before it ran in to attack again. With a powerful overhead strike, the beetle stopped moving. Zach turned to help Droknal, but it wasn’t necessary. Four dead beetles were sprawled out around him.
“Good work >>click<<. Do you want to collect the rewards?” Droknal pointed to one of the dead beetles. Its body was disappearing, slowly being replaced with a copper coin.
“Woah! We get money for killing these?” Zach blurted as he ran around collecting the six copper that dropped from the bodies.
Droknal smiled and took a few minutes to explain how dungeons work. He explained the loot system, and the symbiotic relationship between dungeon cores and adventurers. It was all new information to Zach, and he was excitingly listening as they continued deeper in. When they reached the hallway, Droknal stopped them.
“There are traps ahead.” Droknal pointed at part of the floor down the hallway. “That is a fake floor >>click<<. Follow me and place your feet where I do.” He moved flat against one wall, sliding safely across the hallway.
Zach followed him closely. He placed his feet as close to the same spots that Droknal did as he could. After avoiding the potential pitfall trap, Droknal stopped them again to point out a hidden trap in the ceiling. He took the time to show Zach the triggering mechanics attached to one of the cobwebs. Taking a few steps back, he threw a rock at it and watched as acid rained down on the area. The acid was effective in clearing their path to the next room.
The next chamber was filled with cobwebs. After a careful review, Droknal instructed Zach to cut them down. They were preventing them from seeing what was inside. When several cobwebs fell to the ground, Droknal caught a glimpse of their next opponents.
“There >>click<<.” He pointed to a shadow moving through the webs toward the ceiling. “There was a large spider there. We’re leaving the dungeon >>click<<.”
“What? We can’t leave now, we just got here,” Zach protested.
Little did they know, they were being watched by not only Breck and Jeeves but by a whole clan of kobolds. The kobold clan leader led a large war party outside the mountain and into the swamplands in pursuit of the pair. After Zach and Droknal left the dungeon, they laid in wait. Upon seeing them leave, one of the kobold generals began his pursuit before the clan leader barked at him to stop.
The general looked back and grunted something unintelligible. The clan leader shook his head and pointed to the dungeon entrance. He nodded a few times before descending into Breck’s depths, his war party behind him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Contract
A pair of adventurers were heading straight for Breck’s dungeon, which got him excited. “Jeeves! There are a couple people headed straight for us. The eerie fog I made is probably eating at their nerves. I bet they’re a wreck when they come in and I will get some easy essence.”
“Brilliant, Sir. Have you finished my side project?” Jeeves questioned.
Breck thought for a moment and reviewed his dungeon. “Yeah, hurry up and get into position.”
Over the past few days, Breck had been digging a small set of tunnels under his dungeon’s floor. It was just enough space for Jeeves’s new body to fit into comfortably. He also created a few hidden openings that Jeeves could peek out of in order to watch what was going on inside. Thanks to Breck’s night vision ability, Jeeves could see into the pitch-dark rooms from his new small hideaway.
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