I looked at her in great surprise, <Dani! Those made the Cat go insane! They are horrible parasites!>
“Right, right, right. But, they made the Cats insane because the Cats were moderately intelligent. On the Banes, they should just be an appendage. Then the Bane will have a long, medium, and short range attack! They might actually be useful! Think about it, revamping an old Boss that never got a kill…” She trailed off tantalizingly, watching for my reaction.
I was almost salivating at the thought of amending what I saw as a failed experiment. <Not fair. You know all of my weaknesses! I will try, but it is a moot point unless the patterns will mesh.>
“Just promise to give it your best shot, okay?” She muttered with concern. She knew how much I hated the mind-altering effects those tentacles used.
<Offensive! I always do my best for you!> I focused on the patterns in my mind, pulling them together and hoping that they wouldn’t… I sighed. I tried the tentacle pattern with a different creature, then another…
“Well?” Dani demanded.
<Oh yes. They work with the Bane. Actually, the tentacles work with almost everything. Every different type of living creature I have ever made. I tried rocks and swords, but no luck there.> This garnered me a strange look. <What?>
“You tried on rocks…? You know what, never mind. Can you tie them to the room so that they spawn when plants are killed off?” She exasperatedly pushed the conversation forward.
<Yes… There we go! So, I redirected the Essence in that room into spawn ‘seeds’. When about twenty-five percent of the plants are cut, or destroyed, their Essence will spawn a new-style Bane. Basically, up to four can spawn in the room at a time. Now we just need to increase their rank and give them a new name.> I informed her, much to her delight.
I had kept my hidden ‘failure room’ on the second floor, and was excited that I would get to play — erm — experiment again so soon after a large upgrade to my dungeon. I had made some upgrades to the room, basically what amounted to an acid waterfall that I could pour onto whatever was in the room. Then I could light it on fire. A very beneficial upgrade which allowed me to absorb my new creations right away.
I grew the small ‘Bane plus tentacle’ in the room, and studied the G-rank nine creature. I was looking for signs of insanity or incompatibility, and heaved a small sigh when there were no apparent negative effects.
<If this is what you were thinking, do you want me to use pure Essence or add in some combination of corruption?> I prodded Dani, who was enraptured by the small Bane with a waving, probing tentacle.
“Oh! Um. If I have been correctly understanding what you’ve been doing recently, a combination would be best. Now, this has earth and water Essence, a bit more earth than water, creating a ‘plant’ Essence combination. With the tentacle, it has a large portion of infernal as well, so how about you try adding a mix of those three, keeping the ratios roughly the same?” I looked at her in amazement, I had not realized she was paying that much attention when I babbled on about what I was doing! I needed to return the favor more frequently.
<On it. What Rank do you want it to be?>
She dithered a bit, “Well… the typical Mob on the first floor is an F-rank two or three, but this is a Boss… though there might be four of them…”
<Let’s set them to be about the same rank as the first-floor Boss squad. Most likely, they won’t have all four show up at the same time, right? I say F-rank five or six, really punish them for damaging your herbs and flowers!> I got thoroughly enthusiastic about this idea.
“You just want more Essence.” She grumbled with a chuckle in her voice.
<Well, yeah! If someone dies, I get all their refined Essence in one go! Otherwise I need to cultivate just like the unwashed masses.> I started directing Essence and corruption into the Bane, and it rapidly began to grow. At F-rank zero, a second tentacle sprouted; at F-rank four, a third appeared! I stopped it at F-rank six as promised, and watched as it probed the air with the newly grown tentacles.
Remembering how the Distortion Cat attacked, I released a rabbit into the room. The tentacles went still, then the maws on the ends opened and tried to release a howl that would stun the small creature. They did roar, but there was no Essence in this howl. The wiggling weapons hissed in frustration. The rabbit tried to run away, but didn’t get far as the main body of the Bane released a thorn that killed the terrified creature from a dozen paces away.
<I’ve seen enough, I think it will work out just fine on the first floor.> I poured my favorite acid — etching solution — onto the Bane. It roared, coated in burning fluid, and slapped the tentacles onto the ground, uprooting the plant and throwing it out of the acid.
<Wow!> Luckily the damage was done. After allowing a few moments for the acid to do its job, a new pattern flowed into my mind. Over the next few minutes, Dani and I worked out a plan to set up the Mini-Boss in the garden. Night was fast receding by this point, so there were no auras in the area to interfere with my work. Even the majority of the miners had left by this point, but there was one in full armor still banging away at the walls.
<All set Dani. That’ll be a nasty surprise for people tomorrow.>
Dale woke up and stretched, still amazed by his new body. He had only been asleep for three hours or so, but was so well-rested that he had no choice but to get up and do something! He walked around until he grew bored, then he peered around the darkness and called out softly, “Any Elves nearby?”
“Right here, Your Grace.” A form stepped out of the shadows. Dale hadn’t met this one.
“Oh. Wonderful. I was wondering if you had… well first, what is the guard group here called?” Dale matched his tone and position to match the stance of a noble talking to a respected elder. He assumed that almost any Elf was going to be older and wiser than him, so it should be a politically savvy move.
The Elf seemed to smile at him somehow, without his mouth moving. “We liked the title of your appointed judge, so we are currently going by ‘The Protectorate’ so human mouths can form the syllables of our position correctly.”
Dale nodded. Though it seemed a bit derogatory, that was just how Elves acted. “Thank you for thinking about the people you are protecting. I need to speak with Princess Brianna, do you by chance know if she is available?”
“She is, we require even less sleep than your people, so we have extended working hours. If you make your way to the Grove, I will go ahead of you to inform her of your impending meeting.”
“That would be fine. Dismissed.” Dale gave a ritualistic order, and the Elf vanished. “That wasn’t too bad.” He started walking toward the Elvish embassy, or ‘Grove’ as they called it, when a distinctly non-Elvish form stepped from the lee of a large tent in front of him.
“Really, you shouldn’t be out and about at this time of night Your Grace.” A rusty voice sneered condescendingly as Dale drew his oversized Morningstar. “Haven’t you heard that night air is bad for your health?”
Dale opened his mouth to demand answers — specifically why he was being stopped by this man — when a club hit him in the side of the face, knocking out teeth and breaking his jaw.
A dark chuckle came from the man in front of him, “Can’t have you ordering us to leave, now can we?”
Delirious with pain, Dale still held to his training and began fighting the men that had appeared from behind buildings. He whipped his Morningstar around him in tight arcs, blocking weapons and breaking bones. In moments, two attackers were dead, but the remaining men attacked without hesitation, beating Dale until his limbs were broken and he lay on the ground unable to fight back.
“Whew! Had a bit of fight in you, huh?” The first man laughed, grabbing Dale by his ankle and dragging him toward the entrance to the dungeon while the few other surviving men gathered the dead.
“Whhhhuuuu?” Dale moaned, face bouncing against a few rocks.
“What’s that dead man? Why? Well, it just so
happens that you pissed off the wrong person. She’s gonna wave the “tax” you put in place, and we get a bit of revenge. Ya see,” he stopped and kicked Dale in the side, grinding broken ribs against each other, “fifteen percent tax means we haveta go in the dungeon almost ten times more than we should if we want. To. Retire.” He finished the sentence calmly, kicking Dale at each pause. “You die, we get a bit on the side, and no taxes! Win-win-win for us, not so much for you.”
The dragging continued, and Dale had a spark of hope as they approached the clerk checkpoint. The spark turned cold as the clerk that had gotten yelled at earlier stepped forward, grinning. She looked up at the men, “Any trouble? Anyone see you?”
“Nope, all set here. Lost a few, but that was expected. More money for us if we don’t have to split it, right?” The man grinned lecherously back at her. “I’ll be back to take the other reward you offered later. Don’t worry about the Guild, we will be able to honestly say that we didn’t kill ‘im.” They started down the ramp — luckily for Dale’s face it was no longer a staircase — and quickly entered the dungeon.
They were just getting to the far side of the room when a miner stepped out from behind a corner, freezing as he saw what was happening. “What the abyss is going on here?”
“Don’t you worry about it, half-breed. This don’t concern your type.”
The miner lifted the visor on his helm, revealing Evan the Dwork. “This be murder most foul, and I’ll go to the abyss before I stand aside.” He raised his pick, and prepared to fight. It didn’t go well for him. The other men were better armed and outnumbered the Dwork. They quickly rendered him unconscious and took his inscribed pick.
Laughing, the men went all the way to the first Boss room, stripping Dale’s armor before tossing him in alone. They debated a moment on whether or not to keep his weapon, but ultimately decided that it was too easily recognizable. They threw his Morningstar across the room, where it swiftly vanished into the floor. When the Boss Squad appeared, they chuckled and left, retracing their steps out of the dungeon.
Dale considered the unpitying eyes of the Bashers, desperately screaming through his swollen mouth.
<It isn’t personal, but I’m also not going to turn down a free snack. It’s been a pleasure matching wits with you, Dale.>
“Wait! Wait, please hear me out!” Dale thought desperately.
The Bashers paused a moment, then settled on their haunches. <What, Dale? I already told you that rescuing you was a one-time deal. I refuse to get a reputation as a soft dungeon. Or as one who plays favorites.>
“Please! I’ll owe you a favor. Almost anything I can do; I promise to do. As long as I don’t have to betray my friends.” Dale sent, hoping he was being heard.
<Not worth it.> The Bashers moved in closer, preparing to pounce.
“Isn’t there anything you want or need that you can’t do yourself?” Dale thought piteously, closing his blackened eyes as the Bashers rushed in. There wasn’t any additional pain, so after a moment he opened his eyes as best he was able. The Bashers were sitting again.
<So… you want to make a deal?> Dale heard. <Interesting. There is something I want. Many somethings.>
“Name it!”
<How about this. Once every two weeks, you bring me something new. I don’t particularly care what it is, but the first thing is going to be one of those dimensional folding bags I see people use occasionally. I want new items, enchantments, Runes…. Whatever. If you fail to do so, the next time I see you or one of your friends, you will see every Boss in this place attacking you at the same time. Deal?>
“Only me.” Dale sent resolutely, “Don’t end my friends. If it comes to that I will go alone. Otherwise, I accept your terms.”
<Oh how noble. It is all the same to me, Dale. All life ends, righteous or vindictive. Everything eventually ends. But for now, try to cultivate.>
“Wha…?”
<Open yourself to me fully, Dale. Let your aura be a two-way path.>
Dale tried to do as instructed, and felt a sudden spike in pain as his bones were forced back together and began fusing into their proper place. Some teeth were regrown, and the others were twisted as Cal took the opportunity to straighten them all, giving Dale a perfect smile. The small accumulated scars and acne pocks vanished as well. In minutes Dale was able to stand on his own again.
<I suppose you want me to give you back your Morningstar?> The dry tone made Dale flush, then his features hardened.
“No.” Dale relished the feeling of properly moving facial muscles, “I want to tear them apart with my hands.” He uttered darkly.
<…In that case, there is something I have been wanting to test.> I chuckled, Dani seemed hesitant.
“Cal…” Dani whispered to me, even though Dale was nowhere near us, “Should you do this? You never let anyone go before…”
<I know, but I think that I am getting the better end of the deal here. For one thing, he hasn’t increased in rank, so I will have a net gain of a negative amount of Essence if he dies right now. For another, getting new stuff from him means that it will be gear or items beyond your capability to reach, since you need to stay near me. Also, I want to see if my experimental weapon works how I think it should.> I assured her my intentions were good. Well. Beneficial. To us at least. <Oh! Also, Dale, if you would be so kind, kill them in the dungeon. Otherwise it is just a big ol’ waste all around.>
“Okay… Who are you talking to?” Dale looked around nervously at the sitting Bashers.
<Don’t worry about it.> I turned to Dani, who was trying to get my attention, <Yes?>
Turns out she was just curious, “What is the weapon you are going to make?”
<Well… I know about a dozen Runes, twice that with their inverse. I need to expand my capabilities, and see if I can weaponize some of the Runes that seem to be more… utility? Non-weapon?> She stared at me patiently as my tangent came to an end. <Right. Well, I have been thinking that the ‘fluid repulsion’ Rune that I have could be useful as a weapon, but it doesn’t seem to affect living tissue. It is my belief that this is because of the aura that surrounds living things.>
She sighed, “Get to the point Cal.”
<Well,> I paused dramatically, <I think that if the Rune were to bypass the aura it would affect them!>
She stared at me, nonplussed.
<Trust me, if it works, it will be an amazing weapon. So, I’m going to make a cloth wrapping for his hand, it has high-steel threading in it like chainmail. At the knuckles are small, spiked metal plates. The plate has a force enhancement Rune on it so he can hit a lot harder, and the spikes have the fluid repulsion Rune.> I thought a moment. <You think it needs anything else?>
“He does keep losing his gear, is there a way to make it harder to lose?” Dani chuckled quietly, laughing at her joke.
I gave it serious thought though. <Maybe… oh… this is a delicious idea.> I gave a wicked ‘grin’.
She stopped laughing abruptly, “Oh no. What?”
<Wow! How about a little faith in my abilities?> I pretended to be hurt. She didn’t buy it.
“Yeah, sure. What?” Dani demanded, tapping her non-existent toe.
<Fine, ruin the surprise. Humans have no use for corruption, right? What if it drew their corruption out of them and fed it to the weapon? It would make it harder to break, and if my door was any indication no one could move or replicate it! Then when they die, I don’t need to clean up all their taint!> I was raring to go, the schematics in my head swirling into a cohesive whole. This… would be fun. <Let’s experiment.>
~Dale~
Nearly a half hour later, Dale climbed the stairs from the Boss room, ascending into the predawn light. He clenched his fist, feeling the cloth tighten around his hand. He was wearing the new weapon — which doubled as the only piece of armor he had on — but Dale didn’t trust it one bit. The dungeon, Cal, had called it an ‘experiment’, and looking at it made Dale a bit queasy. The armor was wrapped cloth, and h
ad an almost slimy, oily texture.
Dale had been assured that activating the weapon would give him greater protection than plate armor, but there may be what the dungeon-creature — Cal — called ‘side effects’. Dale shivered, whether from the chill morning air against his almost-nude body, or the dark thoughts, he was unsure.
The weapon that Dale had been given worried him. Would he really use this on another human? He thought for a moment. Yes. Not alone, and certainly not without any other armor on. Dale started walking toward the Elven embassy, his original destination of the morning. He had not yet been here, and the amount of construction surprised him. Dale had thought that Elves would grow buildings or something — there were a lot of trees in this area now — but instead it looked like workmen were constructing around the clock.
The buildings were masterfully created, and were obviously built with defense in mind. Dale stopped in front of the only completed building, the sight forcing him to draw in a breath. The entire building was covered in Runes! He carefully looked at each individual Rune, trying to determine its purpose, but was stymied as he had never seen them before. He looked at more, and realized in puzzlement that all the Runes were exactly the same. He thought about what this could mean as he was ushered in the door by the dangerous looking guard.
“Well! I didn’t realize this was that kind of visit.” Brianna stepped into the center of the room, looking at him oddly.
“What?” Dale was thinking about the Runes on the building, maybe Cal would take a sample as payment?
“You are… um. In a state of undress, Dale.” Brianna chuckled as Dale made the connection and flushed a bright red color. “Well, that blush goes deep! Did you need something?”
“Yes… I have forgotten why I was originally coming here, but I need a contingent of guards to come with me. A group of non-Guild affiliated adventurers and a clerk tried to kill me. That is why it took so long to get here. I need to round them up.” Dale flatly informed her, ignoring his embarrassment.