James stepped into a room that resembled a tavern. A large man in an off-white shirt was behind the bar wiping the inside of a glass. He had short hair and a handlebar mustache. When he saw James looking at him, he gave a quick nod towards the one occupied table in the place and went back to his cleaning.

All the tables were dark mahogany with short-backed chairs around them. The room was very much styled after a medieval tavern or inn. James saw the single occupant sitting at a table watching a large flat-screen TV. The table in front of his was crowded with empty tankards. James was mildly shocked to see a flat-screen tv and walked toward the young man, mostly to get a better angle on the screen. The image on the screen showed him fighting the Spider Queen. When the young man noticed James approach, he stood up and held his hand.

"Bravo, sir, bravo!"

"Let me guess," James said, shaking the man's hand. "You're the Dungeon's Avatar."

The young man nodded, "The one and only: Xander. Please have a seat. I was just going to watch your fight with the last Gar. That was a hell of a ride, wasn't it." Xander sat back down and waved to the bar for two more drinks.

"Not what I was expecting for a setting," James stated, looking around.

'I am meeting with the Dungeon Avatar.' He sent Rocko.

'Of course, you are,' Rocko sent back sarcastically.

Xander leaned out of the way when the bartender dropped off two tankards and picked up two mitts full of empties to take back to the bar.

"I like to surprise," Xander said with a smile.

James smiled back and nodded, "Good, I guess. I am a bit surprised to be here."

Xander took a long draught of ale before setting the tankard down on the table. Wiping the foamy mustache away, he smiled, "You surprised me. The first one to complete most of the Dungeon. That's impressive."

"Only most? I thought I did better than that?" James asked.

Xander shrugged, "I can't reveal the details, but you did much better than the rest. You are the only one to make it out of the Dungeon. The other groups of adventures or Champions all died." The last part was said with a bit more enthusiasm than James liked.

James took a sip of his ale. It was better than expected. "I see."

Xander leaned forward and lowered his voice, "I wanted to talk to you about your visit with Glezda and your reward for completing the Dungeon."

James caught the image on the TV showing him being blown up by the trap and shifted himself so that his back was to the screen. "How do you even know about TVs?"

"What's a TeeVee?" Xander asked.

James pointed over his shoulder at the flat screen tv.

Xander smiled, "That's a viewing screen, used for scrying mostly so that large groups can see the same image without standing over a stagnant pool of water. I saw it on the list of Enchanted items and thought it would be great for me to use. It also can store images to view later. I have some great images of a Champion who arrived before you getting his head bit off by the Spider Queen. Do you want to watch it?"

James shook his head, "No thanks."

Xander frowned, "Another time, perhaps."

"Perhaps. You mentioned wanting to talk about Glezda?" James asked.

Xander perked up, "Yes, I spoke with her a little while ago, and she mentioned that she gave you the Award of Dungeon Friend because you helped her improve her Dungeon. She gave you a rave review, I might add. I thought you might offer some comments about my Dungeon?"

"And in return?"

"I am not going to give you a title, but I can offer you an item which I think you would find helpful." Xander laid a ring on the table and slid it over to James.

Picking up the ring, James Analyzed it.

Name: Platinum Ring of PSI Regeneration Quality: Very Good Rarity: Rare Durability: 21/21 Special: Enchanted - +4 to PSI Regeneration

James put the ring back on the table, "That is a very nice ring." He wanted to ensure he didn't overplay his hand because that was a damn fine ring. "I would be interested."

Xander waved his hand dismissively, "It will be found in your Reward Chest when you leave."

James raised an eyebrow, "Reward Chest?"

Xander nodded, "Yes before you leave a Dungeon, you are given a Reward Chest. Inside are your rewards. When you leave here, you will appear in the Reward Room and be given a Reward Chest. After collecting your reward, you will exit the Dungeon through the portal."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

James gave a half-smile and nodded to Xander. That certainly made sense.

"So," Xander said expectantly.

James looked around the room again, "Any place to clean up? I spent far too much time in the water, and I don't think it was all water. I still have shit in my hair that I don't want to think about."

Xander nodded, "I can't smell anything, but I bet you smell offal." James had to laugh at the pun.

James shrugged, "At least that way. I won't feel so uncomfortable in wet clothes."

Xander nodded and pointed to an archway that appeared on a wall. "Go through here and find a wash tub with hot water. Real water. Put whatever clothes on the floor you want, and I will absorb them and replace them with new ones; fresh, clean and scent-free."

James fished on the rest of his tankard, "Thank you."

----------------------------------------

When James returned to the table an hour later, he felt refreshed, relaxed and clean. He had to have Xander replace the water twice: the first time because it got too dirty and the second time it got too cold. The Dungeon Core had just laughed at him, and the task was done with a wave of his hand.

Sitting back down, James noticed that Xander was eating a large sandwich. A second sandwich sat on the table for James, so James wasted no time in the BMT: Bacon, Mystery Meat and Tomato. The tankard of ale was cold, and the conversation was about a time before James arrived in this world.

When the meal and conversation was finished, James leaned back in the chair and wiped his mouth. "Well, I can't say that I enjoyed your Dungeon, but in truth, that is a good thing. It was hard, it kept me off-balanced, and enough was going on that I wasn't always sure what to expect next. That being said, there are some areas for improvement, but I do want to highlight the excellent work you have already done."

James paused as the bartender came over to clear away the dishes and deliver two more tankards of ale. James waited to let the man finish before continuing. "I liked the rats and the traps. But the spiders have to go."

Xander looked shocked, "What? Why? Spiders are awesome."

James agreed, "Maybe, but your spiders died way too easily. Once they were knocked into the water, they were dead. You need something more robust."

Xander thought about it for a moment, "Like roaches?"

James snapped his fingers and shouted, "Cockroaches." Glass shattered behind the bar as the bartender dropped the glass he was working on. James looked over at him, but all he got in return was the stink-eye.

Xander wasn't convinced, "Maybe..."

James turned back to Xander and continued his pitch, "Add some flotsam to the sewer, and the roaches can walk on that. They will land on that if they fall instead of going into the water."

"I like that idea," Xander nodded.

"Speaking of water," James grimaced, "You need to cut back on that foulness. Maybe make the sewer a couple of feet deep or more muddy or sludgy."

Xander seemed to perk up at that idea, "Shit sludge."

James wasn't sure what the young man was planning.

"What about the Gar? If I remove the water, how will they get around?" Xander asked.

"What is the deal with them anyway. How can they survive in that environment?" James countered.

"Gar don't need to breathe water to survive. They can breathe air." Xander explained.

James shuddered, "But would they want to?"

Xander thought about that, "Probably not. What would you suggest?"

"Good monster in the sewer trope is an alligator."

Xander pondered for a moment, "I can afford to change one or the other, but I don't think I can afford both. The cost for the Hidden Quest was a lot."

"Sorry?" James offered.

Xander dismissed the apology, "I had three other Champions and three groups of adventures fail to make it through to a portal. Excellent source of Experience, as I am sure you know."

James kept a straight face, but it was hard to do. Xander was taking pleasure in killing people. And here James was helping him.

"Any other pointers?" Xander asked him.

"If you remove the water and lower it to sludge or even a foot deep, then you can get rid of the lower walkways. Keep the raised walkways and the steps. The control rooms are great because they can give someone a place to rest if needed," James added.

"So I trap the rooms then?" Xander asked, sipping on his ale.

James shook his head, "I wouldn't. You already have trapped areas, and you don't want to over-trap the place. Also, traps are expensive as well." James remembered that fact from his time dealing with Glezda's Dungeon. The explosive traps were very expensive. "You may also consider using different types of traps to both mix it up and reduce cost."

Xander grimaced, "I like watching people blow up."

James sighed. He had dealt with many nasty people in his time, but this Dungeon Core was seriously messed up. "Try poison or a trap that locks someone in place while releasing a monster they can't get away from."

Xander perked up at that, "I can see the merit in that. Thanks. Anything else?"

"Not really. I like the Action Quest and the Hidden Quest. That was very well done. Mind you. I have not had a lot of experience with them. My biggest suggestion is still to replace the Spiders."

Xander nodded in agreement, "I can see how that might work better. If I lower the water and remove the walkways, I can keep the spiders and just replace the Gar."

James thought about that for a moment and had to agree. "That would solve the problem with the spiders. So, ya, that would work."

James and Xander clinked tankards. James continued when the toast was made, "You mentioned something about the Dungeon reward?"

Xander nodded enthusiastically, "Yes. Yes. You see, there was no treasure dropped during the Dungeon run."

"I may have noticed," James said with a sarcastic smile.

"Exactly, normally, I was planning on giving the rewards at the end, which would mostly be crafting materials, about a hundred gold and usually an enchanted item, such as a Rat Armour or Spider Blade or Gar boots. Anyway, I heard you talking to yourself and figured you may prefer something else."

Xander took a dramatic pause as he took a sip from his tankard. Instead of saying anything, Xander placed a small back stone on the table.

Using Analyze, James examined the Blue Screen. The stone was black and flat with smooth-rounded edges. It was in the shape of a dog looking off to the side.

Name: Token of Power - Onyx Dog Quality: Good Rarity: Rare Durability: 100/100 Special: Enchanted - Summons an Onyx Dog

James turned the stone over in his hands and looked at the back, "I don't understand."

Xander put down his tankard and looked at James with eyes far older than his body appeared. "I know what it is like to be alone. To spend untold hours staring at a spot on the wall, waiting for time to march on. As Dungeons, we can communicate, but we are very competitive, and rarely is there a chance to form a connection. As a Champion, I am sure you feel the same way. We are disconnected from the rest of the world. Hunted by those who would kill you. And distrusted by other Champions for merely existing." Xander leaned forward and wrapped his hand around James' that held the stone. "Sometimes, all we want is someone who will accept us for who we are."

James looked at Xander and felt very uncomfortable, "I am ... not really into Dungeons."

Xander leaned back and laughed, "Don't worry, you're not my type. Too fleshy."

"If that is your type," James said with a grin, "I know a Gargoyle you may like."