“Two heads are better than one?” the fairy said, and Ryan realized she was trying to make a joke.
Her puns really needed work.
“Perhaps,” Ryan said. “I wonder how many times we can do this.”
Ryan absorbed his mob and was surprised to find his two-headed snek now cost two points instead of one. That was strange, given that the combination of his wolf and deer had resulted in a mob that cost ten. Perhaps combining the two sneks had created an evolution and not a proper fusion?
Just how large and powerful can I make this new mob?
Before Ryan could ponder this new mystery, commotion outside his dungeon drew his attention. He glanced outside and saw a sight that both excited and confused him.
The part that excited him was that Emily was standing outside his dungeon. If Emily was outside, that had to mean Blake and the rest of his team would show up. What confused Ryan, and what was causing the commotion, was the little red creature sitting on top of Emily’s shoulder.
“Hey, Rin, what is that?”
The fairy turned her attention from the fusion room to the image Ryan had pulled up, focusing directly on the little creature, which was now blowing out small flames to the cheers of the crowd.
Before Erin could respond, a loud voice – Jack’s voice – called out from the crowd.
“Seriously, Em, a dragon?”
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Ryan was practically vibrating with excitement as Blake and his team presented their pendants to Sasha. It had taken a few minutes for the rest of the team to show up, and Ryan had been impatiently checking over his entire dungeon, making sure everything was ready for his favorite group.
By the time the last member, Blake, had arrived, Ryan had paused all of his fight club battles, and had all his attention focused on his dungeon’s entrance. He had been waiting for this.
“Here they come,” he announced.
“I’m really interested to see what classes everyone is.” Erin was just as excited and was zipping around Ryan’s core room.
She brought up a good point, as they had noticed the returning veteran adventurers had all come back as Silver, and with new classes.
“What do you think everyone’s affinities are?” Ryan asked. He eyed the group, silently urging them to step into his dungeon. They sure were taking their sweet time.
“Well, Emily has to be fire, based on her dragon,” Erin mused aloud.
That made sense, and also meant all the fire-related gear that had dropped for their team was now enhancing Emily even more.
Lucky her.
“What about Matt?” Ryan asked.
The archer had arrived with no telling hints, wearing his same old gear. Ryan had been hoping he would be wearing a gem or two, to give them a hint.
“Hmm. Fire as well, like Emily?” Erin replied.
“I’m guessing wind.” Ryan felt wind for an archer would be the most beneficial. “Why would he choose any other element?”
“Oh, living beings don’t choose their affinities like you did.” Erin slowed her flight, landing gently on Ryan’s diamond core. “Didn’t I tell you that?”
“Uh, nope.”
Really, not being able to choose your own affinity seemed a bit unfair. Then again, he had the chance to choose his, and he had messed it up. For a second, Ryan stared longingly at Emily’s dragon. He wanted one.
Erin’s voice broke into his thoughts.
“Well, races not created in dungeons awaken to affinities. They aren’t born or created with one, and they can’t choose their affinities like dungeons can. I’m not really sure how their affinity is decided. I just know it is outside of their control.”
“So, Emily got lucky with becoming a fire affinity?” Ryan had assumed she had chosen her affinity based off the gear she had been earning.
“Exactly. So it’s hard to tell what the others will get.”
“Well, I’m still guessing wind for Matt,” Ryan said. “And I will say earth for Blake.” After watching Frank turn himself to metal, Ryan figured earth affinity would be great for Blake’s class. Especially since Blake seemed to favor being the team’s tank.
“Hmm,” Erin said, biting her lip. “I would like to see Blake have a celestial affinity, just like Sean.”
Uh-oh. Erin’s eyes had that dreamy look in them again.
“Focus, hun,” Ryan said. “You can’t develop a crush on Blake.” Besides, Ryan secretly had become quite fond of Blake and his team already.
“You’re one to talk.” Erin hit his core, laughing. “You have a soft spot for him too.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Ryan said sheepishly, noting that Karan had finished presenting her crystal to Sasha. The disc the dark-clad woman was holding now showed five glowing lights. They were ready.
“Uh-huh. You are so team Blake,” Erin giggled as she drew closer to Ryan’s core.
The group of adventurers had all turned towards the entrance.
“Does Blake look nervous to you?” Ryan asked.
Most of the group were smiling. However, Blake seemed to hesitate as Jack stepped into the dungeon. Instead of being the first in, like he normally was, Blake was the last.
“I wonder why?” Ryan began scanning the members as they walked forward. He saw Jack was a Silver Seven thief, and Karan was a Gold Four cleric.
“Emily is now a Silver Nine summoner,” Erin said.
A summoner?
“That explains the baby dragon,” Erin went on. “Summoners create a pact with a God-tier dungeon dependent upon their affinity. Having done so, they gain the ability to summon a single familiar from that dungeon. I’m surprised she got a baby dragon. They’re supposed to be capable of turning into the strongest mobs a fire dungeon has at its disposal.”
Ok, Ryan was even more jealous now.
“Matt’s a Silver Nine marksman,” Ryan noted. Every archer so far that had become Silver was a marksman. Ryan wondered if there were other classes for them later on.
“He has a water affinity,” Erin said gleefully.
Well, Ryan lost that bet.
“How about Blake?”
Erin’s wings were starting to tremble with excitement, and Ryan turned his attention to his favorite adventurer. Uncharacteristically, Blake was still trailing slowly behind the group, his eyes shifting from his companions’ backs to the ground. Something was wrong.
“Hmmm, Silver Nine knight,” Ryan said.
That was the tank class he had noted Bronze fighters could become.
“And—“ Oh, something was definitely up. “—Celestial—“
“Yes…”
“—and darkness affinity?” Ryan trailed off, starring hard at Ryan’s information.
He had definitely read that right. Was that even possible?
Viktor
He leaned against his bone throne, letting out a sigh as he took a sip from his chalice. It was a hundred-year-old wine, one of the few treasures he had from his childhood. As the sweet liquor filled his mouth, he slowly opened his eyes, and turned towards the messenger before him.
“My lord.” The young man, a lowly Bronze mage, spoke with a trembling voice. “I have a new request for you.”
The mage kept his eyes turned down as he spoke, not daring to look Viktor in the eyes. It was probably for the best.
“The last request – to make a pact with the darkness dungeon and destroy the town – nearly resulted in my death.” Viktor’s voice was soft, devoid of emotion.
His side flared as it remembered the pain of that assassin’s dagger. The higher-ups had failed to mention those disgusting twins would be guarding the dungeon.
“I, uh, I—“ The man started trembling, stumbling over his words.
With a snap of his fingers, Viktor sent an arrow of bone into the man, killing him. With another snap, he reanimated the man’s body. A Bronze-level zombie was still helpful fodder, after all.
“I do wish you would stop shooting my mes
sengers.” A bored voice came through the pendant around Viktor’s neck. “I am running out of souls I dislike.”
Viktor shrugged.
“And if you kill every messenger,” the voice went on, “just because you don’t like their message, I may stop sending you gifts.”
The messenger had indeed come with gifts; more dungeon core fragments for Viktor. Very difficult objects to come by, but ones that Viktor needed dearly to grow stronger.
It seemed the Exalted One had sent the fragments as a way to appease Viktor over his run-in with the twins. The gift had done just that.
“He was wasting my time.” Viktor spoke into the pendant, but knowing who was on the other end, quickly changed his tone. “It is my understanding, Exalted One, that you have another task for me?”
“Yes, a simple matter for you.”
We’ll see about that, Victor thought, but he remained silent.
“There is a young boy who has returned to the dungeon town,” the voice said. “He wears a ring in the shape of a wolf’s head. I would ask that you kill him, preferably in the dungeon, and retrieve that ring.”
“And the reward?” Viktor asked.
He was confident he could complete the task. However, even with his overwhelming power, he would rather not risk simultaneously fighting the twins and the Platinum rogue the Adventurers’ Guild had sent to the town.
“The Adventurers’ Guild has guarded that dungeon with skilled necromancer slayers.” Viktor went on. For a task that posed at least a hint of danger to him, he expected a good reward.
“Your reward, Viktor, will be the Crown of Sorrows,” the voice said.
Viktor’s chalice dropped from his hand at the words. With that crown, he would be able to decimate both the dungeon and its town, a fitting revenge for the wound he had received.
“Consider it done,” he said.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
“Come on, Blake, aren’t you supposed to be our meat shield?” Jack walked backwards, staring at Blake as they headed towards Ryan’s second room on the first floor.
In the first room, much to Ryan’s entertainment, Emily’s dragon had hunted down his mobs like a puppy chasing butterflies.
“Cynder is sooo cute,” Erin cooed to Ryan, her eyes lovingly on the baby dragon that was riding on Emily’s shoulder. The little dragon, which Emily had named Cynder, was chewing contentedly on a skuirrel bone.
“Yeah, but what is going on with Blake?” Ryan asked.
During the entire fight in the first room, the knight had stood by Karan, not saying a single word. It wasn’t until they cleared the room, and started heading towards the second room, that Jack decided to break the odd silence.
“I—“ Blake started to speak, then turned away.
“Dragon got your tongue, man?” Jack flashed a smile at Emily. “What’s the matter, did you get a terrible affinity? Are you a wind knight?”
The thief pulled out his dagger and spun it, creating a small whirlwind on the blade.
“Wind isn’t bad, man,” he went on.
Ryan could tell Blake wanted to say something, but the knight just couldn’t bring himself to.
“Leave him alone, Jack,” Karan snapped. She said it so forcefully that Jack was startled, tripping and falling off the ledge and into one of the pits below. He caught himself with his wind, softening the blow, but the group burst out in laughter nonetheless.
“Sorry, Karan.” Jack’s voice dropped an octave. “I’m just curious why Blake’s not taking the lead. He was so excited about becoming Silver, but now he hasn’t said more than three words to us.”
Jack ran his fingers along the wall, seeking purchase, but it was smooth as polished marble. Shrugging, the thief ran up the wall, pulling himself back on the ledge, and somersaulted to land in front of Blake. Ryan had to admit that was cool.
“You know we’re here for you, right, man?” The thief put his hand on Blake’s shoulder and offered him a smile.
This was why Ryan loved this team.
Blake looked Jack in the eyes, and Ryan noticed the knight had tears starting to form. That was so outside of Blake’s character.
“Snap out of it,” Ryan whispered, straining to hear what the knight would say next. This situation was intense, and he really wanted to know what had Blake so messed up.
“Thanks, Jack.” Blake put a hand on Jack’s shoulder and smiled back at him.
“We are a team, Blake. A family,” Karan said, walking over and giving the boy a hug. “No matter what, you are one of us, and we are always here for you.”
The knight looked to Emily and Matt, both of whom gave him a smile. The scene would have been perfect had Cynder not accidentally dropped the bone she held in her mouth at that moment. The scorched bone clattered on to the floor, and the group laughed at the little creature.
“You guys promise not to hate me, no matter what?” Blake asked as he freed himself from Karan’s embrace and walked over to the fallen bone. He picked it up and offered it to the baby dragon, who quickly took it and returned to chewing on it. Emily offered him a grateful smile.
“Well, I won’t hate you, buddy. But I think Matt might, if you try anything with Em.” Jack’s comment earned him a hit from Karan.
“Worth it,” the thief wheezed. Karan’s punch had knocked the wind out of him.
“All right.” Blake walked past the group to the entrance of the second room. “I guess I’ll show you.”
Blake closed his eyes, furrowing his brow in concentration. A moment later, golden light flowed from his right hand, enveloping his sword.
“You’re ashamed that you got celestial?” Jack started forward, but stopped a moment later.
Dark energy flowed around Blake’s left arm, enshrouding his shield.
“What in the name of the Goddess?” Jack cried, alarmed. The thief stumbled back, his eyes wide with fear.
“So, he really does have two affinities,” Ryan gasped. His mind was racing as he looked on the young knight. Glowing sword in one hand, pitch-black shield in the other. What else could he do? What did his dual affinities mean?
“I’ve never heard of this,” Erin said.
Her emotions were filled with confusion and excitement. It was rare that something happened that she hadn’t even heard about. Apparently, the pages of the Dungeon Master’s Guide didn’t cover everything. If Erin had never heard of dual affinities, Blake must be something really rare.
“Well, Blake’s group just got even more exciting,” Ryan said.
With this new revelation, he was certain Blake’s group would reach Buttercup. And he silently prayed to the Goddess that they would beat Buttercup. If Blake’s group was this interesting at Silver, what would happen later on?
“This is so unfair,” Jack’s voice echoed.
The group of adventurers had entered the second room, with Blake and Matt taking out the mobs. The thief leaned against the wall, shifting his gaze from Blake to Emily.
“First, Emily gets fire affinity, meaning she is practically in full class gear now,” Jack said.
He gestured at Cynder.
“Then she gets a baby dragon, literally the rarest summon for a fire summoner.”
He picked up a rock and surrounded it with wind.
“And finally, Blake has not one, but two affinities!”
Jack threw the rock into the foliage. Propelled by the wind surrounding it, it cut through the plants and impacted into the skull of a champion skrat that had been sneaking up on Matt.
Darn it. Ryan had been cheering the little guy on.
“Anything special about you, Matt?” Jack grumbled, continuing his tirade. “Did you secretly get gifted, like, a legendary bow, or maybe a quiver of infinite arrows? Are you secretly a half-elf?”
Matt loosed an arrow into a skuirrel before he answered Jack’s comment.
“Nope, just me and my bow.” He nocked another arrow. “Though I suppose I’m special because unlike you, I can enjoy a nice alcoholic beverage
after this dive.”
The marksman let out a laugh that was joined by the others. Even Jack cracked a grin.
“Speaking of clearing the dungeon.” Karan stepped away from the wall, smiling at her team. “How about we go beat Steve and get to the second floor?” The cleric turned back to Jack and offered the thief a grin. “If you didn’t notice, there is quite the bounty on the head of the second-floor boss mob,” she said.
Karan turned and headed towards the exit that led to Steve’s room. The rest of the group followed her, leaving Jack standing, mouth agape, as he watched the cleric walk away.
“Darned cleric knows the way to a thief’s heart,” he whispered, quiet enough that Ryan was sure the group couldn’t hear, but not quiet enough that Ryan and Erin couldn’t.
“Bet they become a couple,” Ryan whispered to Erin, watching Jack hurry after his team.
“I’m hoping they do,” Erin giggled as she wrapped her silk cloth around herself, making herself comfortable.
Ryan took a moment to appreciate how cute she was before he turned his attention back to Blake’s team. As the group faced off against Steve, a fight they were sure to make quick work of, he grinned.
He really did look forward to watching their team continue to grow.
Chapter Sixty
Jack had a smile on his face as he looked around the first room. The group had defeated Steve in record time, and made their way easily towards the second floor. Honestly, Ryan wasn’t upset that Steve had gone down like a bag of bones, because now the real fun began.
“Are we sure this is the same dungeon?” Jack asked.
“Dungeons grow at an exceptional rate, Jack,” Karan said. “This second floor is likely going to be much harder and sophisticated than the first floor.”
Karan, ever the air of rationality, was looking around the room with an appreciative eye. One thing Ryan had noticed: adventurers really liked the style of his second floor.
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