I gazed emptily at the door before muttering.

"It is 2 A.M, dude."

"I know! So you should let me in."

I groggily dragged myself out of bed and opened the door.

Isiah gazed proudly at me before handing me an ice-cold bottle.

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Name: Grave Touched Vodka

Affinity: The Ancient

Condition: Perfect?

Description

A bottle of Vodka infused with Healing energies and deathly magic, has taken on a grayish-black color.

Bound Effects:

Death-Touched: Infused with necrotic energies this Vodka remains unnaturally chilled at all times and steals your breath when drunk. Swift consumption results in a feeling of moribundity.

Invigorating Brew: This drink has healing properties, while unable to heal physical injuries very well it destroys and cures poisons relatively well.

Affinity Effect:

Grave Call: Each sip weakens the veil between worlds, allowing you to hear the whispers of the dead.

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"Did it work?"

"Kind of, it's safe to drink. Might not be the most pleasant experience though."

"It's cause of the mana right?"

"Mhmm."

"So I just need a different mage for it then? Assuming it's not as unpleasant as you say it is of course."

"Mhmmm, you can go now."

"Will do!"

And he skipped merrily away into the night.

I dragged myself back inside and tried to go to sleep. But that wasn't working out.

So instead I started thinking. I could send my skeletons into the dungeon by their lonesome. They're just as good if not better than me and come with the bonus of not risking my life.

There wasn't any real reason I needed to go other than every party member must be present to enter a boss's room. But it would easily clear the rest of the dungeon. The idea made sense, but I wanted to be there, maybe I'm an idiot but the adrenaline of combat made me feel alive for the first time in years.

But that doesn't mean I can't send them off on their own to clear and loot sections of the dungeons. No matter what I'll need to join a party later to find higher lv creatures. Our compatibility is certainly an issue though, ranged classes would have tons of trouble with all my minions. And with all my ability to deal with large groups, they might not want to delve with me since I'll probably end up hogging most of the xp.

The people I'll be working with are bearable and it'd be a shame if the reason they delve with me is because they have too

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

I could get to lv 11 at most by doing solo delves, technically 12 since both Carl and the Boss are lv 6 but that would take an unreasonable amount of time to do that and the mayor might get pissy if I take 37 years before delving with a party. A solo treasury can on average take care of 1,100 people for 1/2 a week, delving with 1 party member would give you a great treasury that will support 2,300, and 2 party members will get you a grand treasury that supports 3,500. Delving with people rather than all solo is better for the health of any settlement.

I've not helped once yet because I've never beaten the boss and therefore never spawned a treasury. So once I get to the point where I can I'll sort of be locked here if the Mayor doesn't let me leave to delve other dungeons. Should I leave now?

Isiah, maybe I could convince him to come with me? I don't know what to do anymore, maybe other people are used to being chained and are motivated by the desire to live. Death has never scared me, it's worth avoiding because, at the end of the day you'll always die, but you won't always be alive.

But a new fear was dwelling in my stomach, the people here hit the point where they couldn't lv in the dungeon anymore. They've gotten used to the enemies and adapted to fighting them. once I learn how to defeat them perfectly, what if I can't ever feel that same adrenaline again? Death may not scare me but that thought is what I imagine it must feel like to those who are.

It's horrible like a deep dark chill on the back of my neck, creeping up my skull and stealing my breath. I got out of bed and went outside. Like most fear it was predicated on a possibility and not fact, while I've never seen them leave that doesn't mean they can't.

As I walked down the alley to the open road I started trying to come to a decision. I don't want that stagnant life people seem the bear here, I think I can have get Isiah to come with me by promising him a new workplace. So I can have him, and I can have my freedom. I'll lose Olga, she raised me all my life for as long as I can remember, I think she's the one thing I truly stand to lose.

The free skeleton every delve is another but I'm sure they're plenty of dungeons with dead bodies.

I sat on the curb and stared into the abyssal sky above him. Let's think about something else. What skill should I pick next, if the new one it gives me doesn't attract my attention then I'm not sure what to pick. Weapons are abundant, and my skeletons have yet to prove they need armor. So Scrim wouldn't be useful for making those, it might let me increase bone density and strengthen my skeletons, but there's the fact nothing states that I can't use it on myself; which is both an amazing and terrifying prospect

Flesh Pit doesn't seem to have much use because trying to extend the lifetime of Zombies when they are so blatantly meant to be disposable seems counterproductive. Dread Blades has the obvious problem where the only melee weapon I've had any use or success with is a mace, and that's just because it's pretty much a metal stick you beat things to death with.

While I can't simply use guns for all my skeletons because I can only buy and stumble upon so much ammo. I'll have to learn some form of melee combat and that'll take much longer than makes it realistic to grab the skill at lv 10.

Last is Flesh Grafting, which I've yet to find a use for due to my lack of raisable humanoid corpses. Just like Scrim, it doesn't state whether or not I can use it on myself, and I can see much more use in that regard if It does let me than Scrim. In the end, if that's an option I'm willing to try, I'll need both and Scrim can benefit my minions instead of just myself so I'll go with that one.

With my mind made up I headed back inside and lay on my bed. There was one temptation that made me want Flesh Grafting right now, if I could use it on myself I could get rid of my mutations, and the thought of not having to deal with them anymore was incredibly alluring.

At the same time, they have their uses, the thought of relearning how to live again is unpleasant. Maybe the middle ground, where I tone down the problematic bits and keep the useful parts. If Scrim can be used on me I think I'll give it a shot, if not it doesn't seem like too much of a loss anyway.

I'd be lying if the thought of going all in and using it to spread the mutations to exacerbate the positives and rid the negatives hasn't crossed my mind either.

So much potential, unless it can't be used that way and I'm sitting here debating over something that doesn't even exist, that's possible too.

With rest still eluding me I retrieved the gift Isiah left. It smelled just as bad as vodka always does but that color made it look very unappealing, more unappealing than vodka is in the first place.

I took a swig and nearly choked as I forced it down. Once it was down my throat I gasped as I tried to pull air into my lungs which felt devoid of air.

"God."

After some harsh breathing, I got myself under control and felt it spread. I've heard that when uninjured the healing effect of a Crimson Vial feels good but I've only now experienced it, while this certainly isn't as strong as the Vial would be it still feels pretty damn good.

I let it settle for a few minutes before taking another swig, emptying my lungs beforehand to avoid the breathlessness, it was good.

This could be a hit for him. I put the cap back on the bottle and put it under my bed, I'll save the rest of it for later.

I think I'll go for another delve soon, I've been avoiding them for 2 weeks since I wanted to just chill for a bit. And concoct an actual plan so I don't end up dying like an idiot. No need to throw my life away if I don't have to

Either way, I felt the tendrils of dreams start to drag me away, and I let them take me back to smooth slumber.