“Does this mean you're letting him join?”
“Didn’t you just hear me? That’s not my decision. That,” Dustin pointed to the black guild insignia, “is a temporary guild badge. Your Anthronoid friend is now a probationary member. You’ll both have to plead your case in front of a guild officer for him to gain full membership but who am I to stop him from joining.”
Zach grinned from ear to ear. “Thank you! You won’t regret this.”
“No, I won’t. He's temporary, based on your silver member standing. If he’s denied or does something against the guild, it will reflect on you, not me. So I would think carefully about giving that to him. You know how the guild, hell, how most people feel about his kind.”
Zach stared at the insignia in his palm. He was never more confident of a decision in his life. Nodding, he left the room and headed downstairs. Thao and Droknal were waiting for him in the main room.
“Did you accomplish your goal? >>click<<” Droknal asked as Zach came into view down the stairs.
Smiling, Zach tossed the black guild insignia at him. Droknal looked at it with confusion.
“Welcome to the adventurer’s guild buddy. Told you I would get you in. Now before you get too excited though,” Zach held up his hands, “this is only a probationary insignia. I still have to get you accepted by a guild officer, but this is the first step. If you help me with my new position, I’m sure it would go a long way in convincing them to let you in.”
Droknal looked between the insignia and Zach several times. “I do not understand. >>click<< Membership should not be possible for my kind.”
“I’ll explain everything on the way back to town, but basically I got a promotion that allows me to invite people to the guild on a… trial basis. Now, we have a lot of work to do and little daylight left to do it in.” He turned to face Thao. “Thank you for bringing us here. Dustin used up most of his essence and is resting but he's going to meet up with me tomorrow at the dungeon.”
Thao looked toward the stairs but quickly returned her gaze to Zach. “Ok. What’s our next move?”
Both Droknal and Zach looked somewhat confused. It was Zach who spoke first.
“What do you mean ‘our’ next move?” he questioned.
“I’ve been looking for someone to teach me essence control my entire life. I’m not letting my first teacher slip away.”
“As much as I have enjoyed teaching you >>click<<, we have important matters to attend too, including, I presume, more exploration of the dungeon.”
“You presume correctly, Droknal.” Zach faced Thao. “We’re going to be training in the dungeon and delving its depths regularly. Is that something you really want?”
Thao’s expression got serious. “Listen. I won’t lie. The thought of returning to the dungeon scares me. I mean, it downright terrifies me but… One session learning from Droknal has provided me more progression with my essence than I’ve had my entire life. If continued learning from him means I need to face my fears, then…” she took a deep breath, “I’m ready to at least try.”
Zach scratched his chin. She reminds me a lot of me just a few weeks ago. Droknal was like a gift from the heavens and has become an exceptional friend. Who am I to deny someone else his friendship? “Droknal? What do you think?”
“One of our primary goals was to recruit people to join us in the dungeon >>click<<. If she’s willing to accompany us, I don’t see the harm in trying her out. Besides, an excellent supporter is hard to come by. I’m all right with her joining us if you are >>click<<.”
“Welcome to the group, I suppose.” He extended his hand, and Thao gripped it with a smile. Before releasing, Zach added, “this means you're going to be a team player. There is hard work ahead and we all need to pull our weight.” He let her hand go. “On the way back to the village, perhaps you could tell me where I can find a few things we’re going to need.”
Zach and Thao chatted as the group left the outpost. At the first break in conversation, Droknal pulled Luke aside to speak with him privately.
“What’s up, Droknal?”
“There are two things I wanted to speak with you about >>click<<. The first is… is my appreciation for the guild invite. You are a man of your word and I can’t describe what this means to me. I know it couldn’t have been easy to explain my… situation >>click<< and you probably put your own membership in jeopardy to get me even this far into the adventurer’s guild. I just wanted to let you know how much that meant to me >>click<<.”
Zach smiled. “You’ve done so much for me I didn’t hesitate, buddy. What’s the worst case scenario? I get kicked from the guild? All that means is that you and I get to adventure together but without guild support. Trust me. It will work out and by this time next month, you’ll be a full member.” He punched Droknal in the shoulder gently. “What was the other thing you wanted to talk about?”
“Oh, that's right.” Droknal was briefly taken back by the display of kindness and friendship that he momentarily lost his train of thought. “We are being followed by the woman you described as your assailant >>click<<. The one with the lightning based essence. She’s been slowly closing in on us and I don’t think she’s alone.”
“WHAT!?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Expansion
“Ok, Jeeves. I hate to admit it, but we have a lot of kobolds and not a lot of dungeon space to put them in.” Breck reviewed the massive living space for his new boneless clan.
Over the past couple of days, the kobolds had been settling into their new home with little fuss. They all seemed overjoyed at the conditions Breck provided for them. Most of the boneless tribe muttered about Breck as if he was a god. There were even small collectives making plans on building him a church.
“Thats an astute observation, Sir, but what did you have in mind?” Jeeves responded.
“I’m thinking about making another floor. I know we were planning on setting the kobolds up on the first floor but their evolution, if you want to call it that, has raised their base rank a bit. I think they might be too powerful for the first floor. I’m thinking about clearing out a space adjacent to their living space to act as the dungeon’s second floor. It would also make it easier for them to slip in and out when needed.”
“That sounds like a solid plan. A more involved dungeon could lead to more adventurers and more essence. My database states that the best dungeons are generally large with several floors, each with a variety of challenges.”
Breck mentally nodded. “That makes sense. I only see one issue.”
“What’s that?”
A rumbling stomach could be heard in their shared mental connection.
“I’m soooo hungry. I have almost no essence at the moment. I don’t even have enough to move this giant tree out of my boss room. Poor Sting is still stuck in the hallway.”
Jeeves pondered that for a moment. “What if you absorbed some essence on the surface?”
“What essence? It's pretty bare up there.”
“There are several trees, ponds and wildlife still occupying the surface.” Jeeves sent mental images of monstrous gators, enormous birds, murky swamp water and dead trees.
“Hmm… The trees and water would give me some essence but not nearly enough to accomplish what we want. The issue is with killing all those creatures. They look tough and I don’t think dropping a rock on them will work this time.”
“But, Sir. You invited the kobolds in for this very reason, didn’t you? They’re supposed to bring you fresh things from the surface to absorb and study. Why not take advantage of this now?”
“Jeeves, I could kiss you.”
“I’d rather you didn’t, Sir.”
Breck laughed before switching his mental focus to Kezdet. “Hey, Kezdet.”
“Yesss massster. How can we ssserve you?” Kezdet got to one knee and bowed his head as he spoke.
“I need you to slay some mon… creatures outside.” Breck thought it best not to call them
monsters. It seemed to be a touchy subject with the kobolds. “I don’t have a lot of essence at the moment and I need to expand the dungeon. Think you could help me out?”
“We live to ssserve you.” Kezdet stood and began rounding up warriors.
“That’s great Kezdet. I’m going to make a tunnel for you guys to reach the surface. I can’t have you all entering and exiting the main entrance when adventurers start coming.”
Breck reviewed how much essence he had. It truly was next to nothing. Rather than risk killing himself, he absorbed some local fauna inside his area of influence before boring a tunnel for the kobolds. The tunnel ran from a wall near their homes and led to the trunk of a dead tree. To better hide the entrance, Breck built up the nearby grass and created a thick layer of fog all around it. The last thing he did was place a trapdoor in the tree with a hidden lever to open it. He contemplated not having a lever and instead opening and closing it on his own, but the thought of always having to open and close a door for people just irritated him.
“There you go. Just pull that lever and head up the tunnel that’s attached to it. There’s another lever at the exit. Make sure to shut the door when you leave so nothing gets in here.”
“Yesss, massster. I’m sssending three sssquadsss of five to dissspatch the local creaturesss. Get ready to absssorb esssssence.”
Breck sent a mental smiling emoji to Kezdet, which caused him to cock his head. Breck just ignored his confusion and watched the kobolds hunt. While observing one squad fight a massive fifteen- foot long alligator, his decision to move them into a second floor was more than justified.
Even with the boneless tribe kobolds being unfamiliar with their new bodies, they tore into the creature with ferocity and ease. Kobolds had always been pack hunters, according to Kezdet, but with their enhanced bodies and physical attributes, the alligator didn’t stand a chance.
The first kobold drew its attention by waving its arms in the air and screaming at it. That was just a ruse, used to distract it. The other four were lying in wait behind rocks and thick grass. The alligator, thinking it had an easy meal, greedily charged forward and into their trap.
The four kobolds jumped from their hiding spots and sank both claws and teeth deep into the creature’s flesh. Their newly enhanced natural weapons tore through its scales as if it were tissue paper. The alligator thrashed and attempted to toss the kobolds from its body, but their newfound strength enabled them to hold on. In a matter of just a few minutes, the creature was dead, and Breck absorbed its essence.
That creature was basic rank four, and they defeated it without even getting hurt. A massive surge of essence flooded him. I’m glad they’re on my side.
To reward the kobolds for their successful hunt, he created new short swords for them. He based the design off the patterns he gained from their discarded equipment. The only things he changed were the weapon’s size and quality. Unlike the broken, rusted, patched together weapons they had before, their new blades were made from solid iron and without a single imperfection.
The kobold squad shouted in surprise as five short swords fell from the sky and clanged against the floor near each of them.
“Don’t worry. I’m just giving you some better weapons.” Not like you need them. “Here are some clothes too.” He created some linen pants and shirts for each of them. The clothing had a small linen rope to hold them closed.
Remembering that the rest of the tribe was naked, Breck quickly created stacks of shirts and pants for everyone present. He rather enjoyed watching the entire kobold tribe jump in terror when their new home began raining clothing. Last, but not least, he created weapons for the remaining two squads that were out hunting.
That should be enough to get them started, he thought as he returned his focus to his dungeon. Now that I have some essence, I really need to do something about this tree.
Surrounding himself in essence, he created a shell around his core. He attached his newly formed shell to a band of essence and tied it to a nearby root. With all of his mental fortitude, he pulled to free himself. Not only did he not budge from the roots wrapping around him, the tree starting absorbing the essence comprising his band and shell. Soon, they had both vanished as the tree shimmered momentarily.
Ok… that’s not going to work. He then went to rapid fire, trying every idea that came to mind. He tried burning it with fire essence, cutting it with blades he created and dropped, he even got Kezdet to try biting and ripping at it but all their attempts were in vain. Not only did they not free Breck’s core, every attempt was met with the tree wrapping tighter around him. They eventually called it quits when the pressure on his core got too much to handle.
“FINE! YOU STUPID TREE! Stay attached to me for all I give a shit.”
“Is everything all right, Sir?”
“Don’t get me started, Jeeves, not right now.”
Breck checked his essence reserves. He tried removing the tree for several hours, which permitted the kobolds to hunt a couple dozen creatures and refill him to nearly full. After hunting, the squads returned to their living quarters where Breck created a small feast for them. Pushing up some stone from the ground, he made a massive table long enough to fit a few hundred around it. At the suggestion of Kezdet, Breck created large plates full of alligator meat for them. Apparently it tasted relatively good after their cooks were done with it.
Time to expand. Breck cleared a sizable portion of stone beside the kobold’s living quarters. He made sure to leave a thick enough wall between the two in order to block any potential noises or intruders from breaking through. When everything was hollowed out, he started crafting his rooms.
I should make it larger than the first floor… I also need a boss… Breck crafted some walls to create rooms, hallways and a large empty boss room. Now to add some complexity. Instead of a linear floor like his first, he added extra hallways that lead to dead ends and trapped rooms. When he had finished, he asked Jeeves to review his work.
“It looks… good, Sir.” Jeeves hesitated.
“What’s wrong.” Breck sighed.
“There’s just a few things I don’t understand. I see where you intend to put your second-floor boss and how you connected the entrance to the new floor to Sting’s room but what about… this room, for example.” Jeeves mentally highlighted a room at the end of a few turns. It appeared to be a dead end, but there was a crude chest at its center.
“Oh, that room. That’s a new cool idea I had for a trap room. I put some spider string inside the chest and if someone opens it without cutting the string it shoots venom at them. Better yet, acid shoots at the coins inside, destroying them. If they manage to disarm it, I’m going to have kobolds attack them from behind out of a hidden door near the room's entrance. I can’t wait to see someone fall for it!”
“That actually sounds quite interesting. But what about this item, here?” Jeeves pointed to a large birdbath that was crafted out of stone and filled with a red liquid.
“That’s full of venom. I played with the pattern a little to change it to a red color instead of purple. Now it kinda looks like a healing potion. Since I placed it right after some rooms full of monsters, I’m hoping someone's dumb enough to drink out of it.”
“Very devious, Sir. What about an exit?”
“What do you mean ‘an exit’?” Questioned Breck.
“For the adventurers, Sir. How do they leave your dungeon after completing the second floor? Do you expect them to walk back through the dungeon in its entirety?”
“Well… kind of. Every group so far has just walked out of my entrance when they were done.”
“That would have been fine if you still only had one floor but now that you have two, it's significant backtracking for them to get out. What if they bump into another group?”
“Well… give me a minute…” Breck looked at his second-floor boss room. How can I have this lead outside… It will have to be a staircase or something… Breck created a long spiral
staircase leading to the surface and placed a thick stone trap door sealing it off. He placed a lever on the back wall of the room and set up a rudimentary timer system. Anyone inside who pulled the lever would have a couple of minutes to leave the dungeon before both doors shut again and Breck recreated the boss monster. If they don’t make it back out in time, then they can try to defeat my new boss again… My new boss…
“Hey Jeeves. I think I figured out a suitable solution for an exit, but I ran into another problem.”
Jeeves sent a mental question mark.
“I need a new boss to fill the boss room. Any ideas?”
“Give me a few minutes to think, Sir. I’m not sure what would be suitable.”
While waiting for a reply, Breck tried moving his core down to his new floor, if his tree would allow. To his delight, instead of resistance, the tree helped him move. It was as if it too wanted to protect itself by being farther from the surface. The movement of a giant banyan tree caused most of the dungeon to shake and the kobolds all screamed in terror.
“Massster. What’sss happening? Are we under attack?” Kezdet called out to the open air.
“No, Kezdet. I’m just moving down to my new second floor.”
“Sssecond floor?”
“Yeah. When you all became part of the boneless tribe, you ranked up too much for me to use you on floor one. I’m creating a new kobold floor to the dungeon. It should mean less of you end up dying since no one's even cleared my first floor, but you will face tougher opponents.”
Kezdet grinned. “I welcome the challenge. With our new bodiesss we are invincible. We even have magesss now.”
“Mages?”
“Yesss. Ssseveral of our tribe have developed control over their esssence.”
“Show me.”
Kezdet walked over to a group of twenty or so kobolds sitting around a campfire. They all had crude walking sticks by their sides, which made Breck curious how they even got them, but that was a question for another day. Kezdet greeted them and asked one of them to show off his abilities.
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