Jasper was sulking in the first level final room. Red was doing his inscrutable skeleton act and ignoring her. Not that Jasper noticed.

Jasper heard another group of adventurers approaching, so she withdrew to her old cave. She watched Red’s demise. These adventurers ventured down the stairs. Jasper sat back on her old stone couch and started plotting.

She studied the dungeon creation interface. She selected the functions that existed to enable a companion to create a mini realm for him or herself. Jasper noted that the dungeon had veto power.

‘If I guilt Vlad out he’ll let me use enough energy to create a mini setup. Then when he’s busy setting up his next level... Yes that should work. So first...’

* * *

Vlad hadn’t realized that his brain could hurt. He watched Jasper fly out of his heart room with relief. He had finally agreed to let her have an absurdly large slice of their energy for her projected home. Well it could only be a palace with that much energy. He had even agreed, albeit reluctantly, to allow her to summon some skeletal mice.

However that huge tantrum his companion had thrown settled it. Red had to go.

And so it was, after the next time Red was defeated Vlad summoned a Dragonsnail to take his place. Vlad didn’t even bother to check its abilities, nor did he name it. He just withdrew back to his core and focused his attention in expanding the series of caves that would come to constitute his third floor.

* * *

Jasper tightened her lips when the snail replaced Red. ‘Never mind Red, you’ll soon be back. And better than ever.’

Starting at the back of her cave she started by creating a crypt, right out of on of her favourite movies. Two biers with cracked stone coffins. She added three skeletal mice and – with a distinct shudder – several web spinning spiders.

Somehow she was feeling better. She checked her reserves, and after noting that Vlad was busy and concentrating on something, she siphoned off some more energy. Grinning gleefully she bounced on her toes.

Next she created a short corridor lined with shelves, which she crammed with aged looking skulls. She scattered several more spiders around. After another check of her reserves, she created a repeat of her first crypt. Feeling tired she curled up in one of the coffins and went to sleep.

* * *

Vlad was surprised at how fast he was running out of energy and mana. He only had four caverns in their third level. But they were huge and jagged with lots of hiding places and high walls. Just as well considering the Toads. He had summoned five. He placed two of them in the final cavern of the series; and a solitary toad in each of the other caverns. To help them he added a Dragonsnail to each cavern.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

After a bit of thought he filled the floors of his caves with an eclectic collection of mushrooms and toadstools. He encouraged these to grow to the height of a man.

Seeing as he had to wait to refill his reserves he inspected his toads. He was surprised to see that they had been designated Cliff Toads by the System. Either they weren’t unique to him, more than probable considering how easily the system had enabled him to evolve his toads, or there was something he didn’t know. Something he was sure was the case regardless.

The Cliff toads were potentially gigantic. He noted they would keep growing all their lives. They had a gray and pebbled-looking hide that looked like it would blend well with the cavern walls. Their sucker-tipped feet would enable to hang onto the walls with ease and their long muscular tongues would allow them to grab up any adventurer that came into range.

Then they could easily jump thirty meters. Vlad realized he might have to enlarge his caverns further. And somehow it looked like they could swallow prey nearly as large as they themselves were.

« (Randy) »

Randy bristled as he placed himself between his sister Sleektail and the two grey furred Tree Runners. They didn’t seem impressed as they circled around smoothly manipulating their flexible clubs. Behind the two was a third that looked – older. That one was loosely holding what looked like a boomerang with two beady little eyes.

Sleektail was panting with pain. Randy didn’t think she was badly hurt, it had been a glancing hit that had earned the runner that inflicted it mockery from his companions.

Randy was getting desperate. He couldn’t defend against all three. He could see that they wanted him to attempt to spray one so the other could kill him. So far he had been able to bluff both into keeping their distance. Worryingly the elder one was grinning in appreciation and mocking the younger ones.

Randy could guess that would not end well. He had experience of Jocks; he had been one after all. All that mockery would do was spur them on.

Finally, out of desperation, Randy used his small knowledge of elven. He had been cautiously spying on the elves in their tree town for a couple of months now.

“Please hurt not us. We go. Hurt you not we.”

The tree runners froze momentarily and darted back. They inspected him carefully for a moment before fading back into the trees.

Randy almost couldn’t believe it. He nuzzled Sleektail and licked her wound while she whimpered. It was a struggle but he managed to help Sleektail back to their den where their frantic mother took over the nursing. Randy went out and returned with a bundled burdock leaf full of ripe berries for his sister.

Later, when he was lying curled up ready to sleep he wondered what was happening to him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had helped his brother and now here he was helping a skunk. ‘Funny, I guess I did grow up with her. Skunk me did anyway and she is my sister. Why didn’t I feel like that with Marty... Oh gosh! I did when I was a kid, before I took up with Jasper. Then Marty seemed like such a little kid... Just annoying. And yet...’

Randy’s thoughts trailed off as he fell asleep.

* * *

High in the trees the three Runners had noted the young skunks doings and marked the location of the small family’s den. Quietly they faded back into the trees and went to report.

It was not everyday that a creature blessed by the beastlord was found. And they knew from experience that such blessings tended to run in families. There were always many looking for a suitable familiar.