by Hugo Huesca
“Klek, you useless rat, come here!”
Ed walked to the trembling figure. “You can join me, Klek, but I have to warn you…I’m new at this, and I’m kinda winging it. I do promise no harm will come to you from me, or my people.” He shot a warning glance at Lavy while he said that last part.
“But, he’s useless,” the young Witch complained.
“I accept,” said Klek immediately, like he expected Ed to change his mind at any time. The batblin made no conditions. “I accept…My Lord.”
Ed nodded while the tendrils of mist did their shtick. Klek’s expanded statline was identical to the short version Ed had already seen. No secret talents for the batblin.
“Now, stand up,” Ed said. “And stop trembling, please.”
The batblin stood, but he still shook sporadically. There was a happy, almost maniacal glint in his eyes, like he couldn’t believe he was still alive. “Klek promises he’ll be useful. You won’t regret this.”
“I already regret it,” whispered Lavy in Ed’s ear. “If I knew you planned to open a charity, instead of a proper dungeon, I may have thought better about my own pact.” Ed noticed this time she took care not to let the batblin hear her.
“So, saving him is charity, but saving you wasn’t?”
“Saving a fair lady is never charity,” she said, but there was a glint of anger in her eyes. “Less when you do a half-hearted job and need her to help you save herself. You remember that, or you’ll spend many nights in a cold bed…my Lord.”
“And you are not talking to a nervous tween desperate for a lay,” Ed snapped, feeling his blood boil. “You remember that, next time you try to make my decisions for me. If you don’t like it, you can fuck right off.”
He walked away from her, still fuming, ignoring Lavy’s indignation. He heard her say something like, “—don’t know what a ‘tween’ is—” before leaving her behind.
With Klek jogging next to his legs, not unlike a lapdog, Ed reached Alder the Bard, who was already halfway up his climb to the tunnel’s entrance. As he did so, Ed made an effort of will to turn off his Evil Eye, because his flaring temper, the green tint, and the heat flowing out from his eyes were giving him a slight headache.
“So, you’ve met Lavy,” Alder said when he saw Ed’s approach. “Let me say, after two night’s camping with her alone in the woods, I would’ve been eager to join anyone who approached. Hell, a batblin Dungeon Lord would’ve done it for me.”
“I bet,” said Ed.
The two men and Klek reached the tunnel’s entrance, while Lavy strutted toward them angrily, still at the rocks’ skirt.
“Since we’re already immersed in the age-old Bardic tradition of talking about women,” Alder went on as they backtracked through Ed’s approach into the tunnels. “Let me take the liberty of sharing some advice with you, my Lord—”
“Please, call me Edward. Or Ed.” In his current mood, if people kept referring to him as “my Lord,” it would get to his head fast.
“Lord Edward,” nodded Alder. “You say you’re from another world, right? I reckon that you may be unfamiliar with our customs. Perhaps you’re as naïve as Numerios the Pure was when he first adventured out of Chourmondeley Keep at age fifteen—”
“I don’t know who Numerios is—”
“Klek—I mean—I don’t, either—”
“As I was saying, my warning is this. Your position as Dungeon Lord comes with many advantages that almost make up for the fact you’ll suffer an early, painful death at the hands of some Heiligian adventurers. One of such advantages is, you’ll attract the attentions of a certain kind of lady—or gentleman. While this may sound like a perfect situation to the inexperienced, naïve young man—”
“I’m not nai—”
“—you should be aware that they are not attracted to the person, but the title. We call them dungeon-diggers where I come from. Lotia calls them something far nastier, but don’t ask me to say what, since I’m a Bard and all Bards are sworn to never foul their mouth with such romance-sullying words—”
“You talk a lot,” Klek pointed out. They were almost upon the altar cave by now.
“Ahem. Well, anyway, Lavy is a dungeon-digger. She became the apprentice of Warlock Chasan with the obvious—obvious to the entire dungeon, I mean, though she probably didn’t realize it—intention of seducing our Lord Kael and charming him into placing her in a position of authority otherwise undeserved.”
“Did it work?” asked Ed. He wished he hadn’t broken Alder’s stick during the fight with the batblins; it would’ve come in handy with all the rocks lying around.
“Not even one bit. Kael was well into his fifties, a widower, with his children dead by different circumstances. He saw Lavy as the pampered, probably psychotic apprentice of his Warlock and barely gave her a second glance. This didn’t sit well with her, but you didn’t go around second-guessing Kael’s decisions if you wanted to keep your hide.”
“Charming,” said Ed.
“Ah, Kael was one of a kind,” said Alder with a nostalgic shrug. “In any case, you’ve been warned, Lord Edward. Whatever you do next is up to you.”
“Please keep rock-lady away from me,” pleaded Klek.
Ed decided to let the matter rest. “Thanks, Alder.”
They had arrived at the altar’s cave. Now that he had more context, Ed realized the two sleeping bags at opposite ends belonged to Alder and Lavy. The tin symbol in the middle of the altar must’ve been Lavy’s trinket.
“We’ll have to return to town soon, for more provisions,” Alder said when he caught Ed’s gaze. “But this place should do as a temporary base of operations. It used to be one of Kael’s advanced outposts, a long time ago, before Lavy or I joined his service. He lost it to adventurers, as it happens. Starevos is far away from both Lotia and Heiliges, so he retreated here after his defeat inside the Arpadel Fortress. He was meaning to reconnect with this dungeon when the Heroes invaded his base and killed him.”
“What happened to his last dungeon?” asked Ed.
Alder shook his head. “It collapsed shortly after his death. You see, dungeons are built to outlast even their Lord’s demise. But something about these Heroes…they cause the dungeons they conquer to lose integrity shortly after their rampage. It’s very strange—a kind of magic I’d never heard of before.”
Alder’s expression made Ed feel a pang of guilt.
Remember, these people are not the good guys, he told himself. He may have read very little on Ivalis Online lore, but it was clear the Dungeon Lords had earned their bad reputation. They raided, blackmailed, stole, raped, and murdered to their black hearts’ desire. The villagers or soldiers that gave his Wizard character the quests were always eager to get rid of the dungeons’ infestation. Dungeon Lords drained the life out of human and non-human holdings by stealing their crops and killing the farmers and soldiers, leaving the hold undefended against the monsters of the land.
Ed may be a Dungeon Lord, but he had little intention of acting like one. Alder and Lavy were…peculiar, but they didn’t strike him as evil. He would give them the benefit of the doubt. But in the fight between Light and Dark he held little doubt as to his loyalties.
But he would have to distance himself a bit. Gain more information. Alder mentioned a town, he thought. That would be a good place to start fixing this mess.
8
Chapter Eight
Dungeon building 101
The Witch joined them shortly afterward. “If you have finished whispering among yourselves, perhaps we should get the dungeon started? Daylight won’t last forever, and we’re running out of oil.”
“That’s because you spent it all on your ritual.” Alder nodded in the direction of the road of tin lamps toward the altar. “But you’re right. Lord Edward…well, how new are you to the Lordship? I’d love to explain the dungeon-building process to you, but I don’t know much about it. As you can guess, Lord Kael kept his secrets close to heart.”
&n
bsp; “That he did,” said Lavy.
Ed shook his head. “Kharon left me no indications about…anything, really. But wait. Let me see what I can do.”
Now that he was away from combat and not drugged-up with adrenaline, his mind found it easier to think. He felt more like himself. He wasn’t a fighter like Kael had been; he was a strategist.
“How do people become Dungeon Lords, usually?” he asked after a while.
“By performing a dark, complicated ritual,” said Lavy. “If they make a single mistake, their soul gets snatched by some abomination from the Wetlands.”
“Or they are approached by a dark entity at the service of the Hungry One at a time of great personal need,” added Alder. “There’s no ritual required in that case.”
Ed nodded. So there were at least two ways of becoming a Dungeon Lord, and there might have been even more. “Have you ever known of a Dungeon Lord who didn’t know how to create a dungeon?”
“Now that you mention it, no,” said Alder.
“I see where you’re going, but it isn’t useful,” said Lavy. “Perhaps there can be Lords who lack the knowledge to make a dungeon. We wouldn’t know it, if they die before becoming famous.”
“Let’s hope that isn’t the case,” said Ed, “or we are in trouble.”
Since having secret, specialized knowledge didn’t appear to be a prerequisite to becoming a Dungeon Lord, he decided to assume the process was somewhat instinctive.
He directed his attention inward, to his new heart, trying to goad it into unleashing, like Lavy had called it, eldritch might…or something like it.
Nothing happened. As far as he was concerned, his new heart functioned exactly like the old one had.
Instead of feeling frustrated, Ed focused more and more at the problem at hand. He thrived when he had a clear problem to solve. If necessary, he was prepared to spend an entire day and night figuring it out.
Since his heart wasn’t providing him with an answer, he tried the only power he was aware he had. With a push of will, he activated the Evil Eye. The sensation of heat flowing out of his eyes resumed, and the world gained a greenish tint. He was vaguely aware that Lavy was blushing, and that Klek had jumped away at the sudden outburst of eldritch light.
“Sorry, should have told you I was going to do that,” he muttered. His attention was elsewhere. He looked at his hands and summoned his stats.
There was something new.
You have gained 21 experience (3x7 batblin, non-lethal encounter). Your unused experience is 21 and your total experience is 121.
There are new talent advancement options for you:
Resist sickness (15 experience) - Allows its owner to resist disease and sickness.
-Basic status allows the owner to resist non-magical sickness as if they had Endurance of 15 and were in optimal conditions (clean, well-fed, rested)
Energy Drain: Constant. Negligible.
Resist poison (25 experience) - Allows its owner to resist poison. Higher levels include a resistance to venom.
-Basic status allows the owner to resist non-magical poison as if they had Endurance of 15 and were in optimal conditions (clean, well-fed, rested)
Energy Drain: Constant. Very low.
Resist environment (20 experience) - Allows its owner to perform and survive in threatening environments for prolonged periods of time.
-Basic status allows the owner to survive in extreme environments such as a tundra or a desert, even if they lack proper protections.
-The owner will last 1 extra day in a moderate environment, 1 extra hour in a dangerous environment, and 1 extra minute in a lethal environment such as freezing waters.
Energy Drain: Constant. Very low.
Spellcasting (40 experience) - Represents the owner’s magical ability.
-Basic status allows the caster to use and learn all basic related spells of their domain. Extra ranks improve each individual spell’s characteristics, such as range or damage.
-Allowed spells: 1 basic per day + 1 basic spell due to Dungeon Lordship.
Energy Drain: Activated. Varies per Spell.
Improved reflexes (50 experience) - Allows the owner to experience increased reaction time for a small burst of time.
-Basic status elevates his reaction speed to a degree dictated by the owner’s Agility, for a duration of 3 seconds per use.
Energy Drain: Activated. High.
Perception (20 experience) - Allows the owner to experience an improvement to their attention to detail and memory. They can see things that would normally pass undetected.
-Basic status lets them see as if they had a Mind of 15 and a Spirit of 13, as if they were focused, clear of mind, and well rested and fed.
Energy Drain: Activated. Moderate.
“Interesting,” Ed said. “I gained a bunch of experience for the batblin encounter. Almost enough to buy my first spellcasting talent.”
The prospect to gain tangible, honest-to-God magical powers excited him. He almost skipped reading the other talents’ notes, but he would’ve made for a lousy gamer if he missed details like that.
Advanced reflexes promised to make him into Neo…for three seconds. It was the most expensive talent, though, and it was activated, with an elevated energy cost per each use.
He still salivated at the thought of going around dodging bullets—arrows, he guessed—like a stone-cold badass.
Besides perception, the others weren’t as interesting, but they promised to keep him alive longer. To be able to resist poison would be very useful if someone tried to spike his drink. A resistance to the elements and to disease would make him live longer than the average medieval peasant.
But none of those talents were as attractive as magic. The choice was clear. First, he would hold on to the unused experience, then he would figure how earning experience worked, and then he would work for his magic. He would probably go for the reflexes after that.
We can figure my progression later, he told himself. Don’t get sidetracked. You have to prove to your minions that you are a Dungeon Lord.
“Gee, you already can buy spellcasting,” Lavy said bitterly. “Must be nice not to have to study for years just to earn the chance to buy the first rank, along with the opportunity to cast one meager spell per day.”
“That’s why people are still entering the Lordship even with the high risk of painful, slow, agonizing death,” Alder told Ed, as if to explain Lavy’s bitterness. “Dungeon Lords can learn magic without the years of studying it usually takes, among other things. I can see that you have mostly common talent options, besides reflexes and magic. That should improve once you earn more skills and raise your attributes.”
“And how do I do that?” asked Ed. Ivalis Online had a point system. You gained a couple skill points every time you leveled, along with increased health. It seemed the real Ivalis worked in an entirely different way. There were no levels anywhere on his character sheet. He would have to learn to measure power the hard way.
“You have to work for them, of course,” said Lavy. “You can’t expect to get everything for free.”
“To be honest,” Ed flashed her a grin, “I prefer it this way. It wouldn’t be the same to gain a power that I haven’t earned. It wouldn’t feel like it’s mine that way.”
He had given his own heart in exchange for his Dungeon Lord title. No, not only that. He had given up his own world along with everyone he knew in there. He’d never see Mark and Lisa again, nor what little remaining family he had left.
Ed would fight anyone who said he hadn’t earned his mantle.
Lavy didn’t debate the point.
In any case, he was still lacking a clear way to use his powers. He returned to the task at hand.
Ed had one dungeon-related talent in his character screen. The Dungeon Lord mantle said he could access a Dungeon Screen.
He directed his Evil Eye toward the cave’s surface, hoping to activate said Screen. Instead, he found something different. When
he focused, the rock gained a certain ethereal quality. Faint lines of energy formed at his feet and extended under the altar, behind the wall of rock, then disappeared in every direction almost like a spider-web.
Ed focused on the lines and, as if responding to his will, they became more clear, easier to follow. A tingling sensation similar to the one caused by the mist that had recruited his minions began to spread all across his body, itching to come out.
Klek ran to one corner of the cave as Ed extended his arm and pushed two tendrils of mist into existence. Acting by their own accord, the tendrils slithered to the floor and coalesced into two small figures, gained solidity, and transformed into living, breathing creatures.
His mist-creations looked at Ed with big, insect-like eyes that occupied almost half their heads. They were ugly beings, clearly magical. A gigantic mouth occupied the lower half of their head, while their eyes seemed to fill all the remaining upper space. Their jaws were muscled, like one of those abyssal fishes that were more teeth and mouth than anything else. Their hide was rough and leathery, of a muddy-brown that made them difficult to distinguish from the cave. In fact, their skin had rocky protrusions imitating the stones of the cave, as a sort of natural camouflage.
They were about half of Klek’s height, so they barely passed Ed’s knees. Both of them were dressed only in a purple-and-pink sash that looked vaguely familiar to Ed, with an even more familiar insignia stamped in the middle. They had no visible genitalia or any other distinguishing features. They were identical to one another, but moved independently.
The first thing they did was smile maliciously at Ed—he saw three rows of shark-like teeth—and give him a deep, deferential bow.
“Huh,” Ed said. “I didn’t expect that to happen.”
“Those are your drones,” said Alder with a smile. “You must be making progress—drones are an integral part of any dungeon. They are like tiny construction workers. Kael had a veritable fleet of them running around his holdings at any time.”