Jasper flew slowly through the chambers of her dungeon’s second level. The walls were uneven and partially coated with dimly glowing grey moss. The floors were muddy and thanks to the addition of giant snail slime smelled unpleasantly. Gone were her straight walls with faux crypts, there wasn’t one dusty cobweb to be seen. All the glorious atmosphere she had created was gone. And Vlad was adamant that he wasn’t going to change things back.

She was sulking. Jasper kept trying to think of some way of convincing Vlad to revert to what she just knew was the winning formula. Undead were the solution for a winning dungeon, she just knew it. And that duck champion proved it, why else would the little scary nuisance be so insistent that she had to give up on the undead theme.

Jasper entered yet another muddy chamber and searched for the mob. ‘Damn, they get everywhere,’ she though disgustedly as she finally spotted it clinging to the cavern wall above the opening to the entrance tunnel. With a sniff of disgust Jasper flew on.

Flying up the stairs Jasper emerged on the first floor and scrambled to hide when she heard the sounds of conflict. She watched as a bloody band of adventurers limped into the final room of her first floor. They bore blood-covered weapons and three of them bore bloodstained bandages. They spread out warily before advancing confidently on Red.

Jasper watched glumly as Red telegraphed his intentions every time he intended to use his special fire breath attack by the flames that flickered around his skull. The adventurers switched to the defence every time this happened before reverting to the attack. Jasper watched as they looted Red’s remains and picked over the room. They glanced at the stairs leading to the second level shrugged and headed out of the dungeon.

Jasper’s already thin lips thinned further as she fumed. This disrespect for her champion was unacceptable. ‘I have to force Vlad to place some more skeletons here. Red is too vulnerable on his own. Vlad has to see that. If the duck accepts Red then a few more skeletons can’t hurt.’

She blinked as a wave of mana spread out across the first level as Vlad recalled his guardians. Jasper watched as Red was reassembled. He looked so despondent somehow. Jasper became even more determined to find a way to help her undead minion.

Jasper really didn’t like the inhabitants of the first floor. She thought they were messy and untidy, and they smelled rank. She decided she didn’t like goats. They were uncouth, they talked to one another, they disobeyed orders. They weren’t undead!

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She reached the entrance just in time to see another group enter warily. She fell back in front of the adventurers. Much against her will she had to admit that the goat people put up a good fight. Several of the adventurers were wounded and at least one would have died if it weren’t for healing magic. To her surprise they turned back before reaching the end of the first level.

Jasper watched the adventurer’s withdraw. ‘Huh, they are sending in weaker parties. They never used to turn round before completing the dungeon before. I wonder if Vlad’s noticed that?’

She turned round and headed deeper into the dungeon. She spent some time commiserating with Red before heading down to the second level. As she went she kept plotting. She had to persuade Vlad to revert to undead, otherwise how was she going to get liches and vampires. She really wanted vampires, they were the princes of the undead after all.

Distracted by her plotting Jasper was caught by surprise by Lassie. Lassie slithered up enthusiastically and covered Jasper with slobber as she licked Jasper with both her wet slimy tongues.

“EWW! Stop it!” squealed a horrified Jasper as she broke for the ceiling and dove into her private cave. Once there she sulked even as she jumped into her own private lava pool.

« You hurt Lassie’s feelings Jasper. She’s only being friendly. »

“Well what would you do if she slobbered all over you?” screamed Jasper.

« She does, it’s cute. I get her to give me a flame bath after to clean me up. I’ve gained fire resistance. »

Jasper ignored Vlad and refused to emerge from her cave.

* * *

Much later when Jasper calmed down and finally emerged, cautiously, keeping an eye out for Lassie. Jasper flew down to perch next to Vlad.

“Look Vlad, Red needs help. He’s getting depressed. You have to reconsider. We have to call up several skeletons to help him. It’s only one room after all.”

« No! Or at least not until the death duck’s left and gone to bother some other poor dungeon. »

“But— Vlad how are we going to get cool things like vampires unless we resume using undead?”

« Jasper, I DON’T WANT TO DIE! If Tarwind, Sword of Armalor does not scare you fine, but he terrifies ME! As for Red I’m planning to replace him with a plain dragonsnail. I believe we can get away with a powerful guardian if it is used in place of a floor boss. »

“NO! Absolutely not! Red is the last. I don’t want him replaced. Put another six skeletons in the room with him.”

« No I won’t. Sorry, but no! »

“What about if the duck sword leaves?”

Vlad resisted the puppy eyes, quite easily, he just had to bring to mind Tarwind’s face and those taps to his core. « Maybe, » he prevaricated hoping for some peace.

« Do you think we could divert him into looking into that Marty you keep cursing about? »

“Marty? That idle useless bookworm? No chance, he was babbling about flowers and bugs when I decided to leave the useless creep.”

« Nature aligned is he? Like the dungeon the elves discovered and had the Raptors all concerned? »

“No of course not. Marty couldn’t be...” Jasper trailed off even as her face flushed with rage.