Inside the well-filled Retreat, the sound of merry drinkers fills the air as a mage wrestles with her feelings. Anya has a mug of ale in hand and she's drinking merrily much like the rest of the customers. The idea of being able to drink such a delicious liquid after being dead for a significant period of time is not lost on her and she's appreciating every sip of the heavenly brew. The fact that she was dead, however, with said event happening by the hands of a person she trusted no less, is still troubling her.
"Hey. You're Master's friend, right?" One of the young women calls over from the table closest to her, distracting her from gloomy thoughts.
"Yes. That's correct. We were adventurers," she answers the women with a smile.
"That's awesome. I'm Tara and this is Lara. We run Cloak and Dagger, the general store on the high street. It's a pleasure to meet you." The Rogue shopkeeper smiles back at Anya from across the table as she enjoys her own drink.
"Thank you. My name is Anya. It's a pleasure to meet both of you. I've got to say, everyone here is so nice. It's really... Refreshing." The Rainbow Mage takes another drink from her mug after her introduction to steady her nerves.
She is still trying to get her head around her current state of being. She had died, but was no longer dead. She had also been a cleric, but now finds herself as an overpowered, Rainbow Mage. 'I've never even heard of this class before.'
"Did you and Master go on lots of adventures together?" A man in creased clothing from the table beside theirs asks, interrupting the ladies and joining the conversation. His long golden locks catch Anya attention.
"You're supposed to introduce yourself first, stupid! That's Jack, The Swindler, he's in charge of the gambling establishments in the city. The guy next to him is Koniva, his number two." Tara points to the two men next to them in turn. "Watch your purse strings around those two," Lara adds sarcastically.
"I knew a guy named Jack once. He was as shifty as they come." Anya smiles at the grinning man. She doesn't have a purse, or any coins to put in one if she did for that matter and even if she did, she wouldn't have to be wary of anyone related to Abi. Not that she has a pressing concern or need for money either. Tilly had told Anya that all dungeon residents are allowed to open a tab with Taskmaster Talia. Completion of any of her contracts goes towards the accued debt that has been built up.
"That's what Master said," Jack bursts out laughing. "So did you go on many adventures together?" Coral repeats Jack's question, joining the conversation from the bar. For the next few hours, Anya describes her adventures with Abi the Rogue to anyone that cares to listen. Which is quite a lot in this case.
She leaves any parts related to Kal, or replaces him in the story if needed. She explains how they went to quite a few different places and got into far too many unneeded altercations due to Abi's mouth, much to the delight of her listeners. Not only are three women and two con-men listening intently, but every other dungeon resident present in the above-ground establishment has moved closer and listens on with enthusiasm.
Even though her tales are not the best, or the most decorated, they hang on with baited breath everytime she mentions Abi fighting. 'They truly seem to love her,' she thinks, ending the story and finishing her fourth mug. 'Damn that's good ale.'
"So... What happened next?" Coral asks, wide-eyed and wanting more.
"Nothing. We got paid, rested up for a while and then took on another job. Coincidentally, that one took us near a certain dungeon." She winks at the conglomeration that's now gathered around her.
"Oh, oh. I know which one," Dum raises his hand. Only to be slapped around the back of his head by Talia. There are still human patrons in the establishment after all. Talking about adventuring is fine but revealing dungeon secrets is not.
"Ow, Talia. What gives?" He asks, rubbing the back of his head. "Shush. Be quiet and listen." She links her arm in his and Dum turns red instantly. He also doesn't say another word.
After a few more stories, some embellished for dramatic effect, everyone disperses as most have work in the morning. Anya sleeps like a baby in the house she now owns inside the beautiful city. With her dream wish fulfilled, what more could she possibly need.
The Assassins and specialised Rogues, also sleep well. Their dreams mainly involve their master in various swashbuckling situations. If Abi was able to peek into their dreams, surely she would be at a loss for words. But then again, when isn't she?
Dungeon Stories Volume 2
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Another day passes and another DePosit is cleared. It's almost enough to wash away the sour taste left behind after trying to upgrade the Hay Bale. I don't even know why I bother. It's just... One day it will surely turn into something else, right?
That's a problem I have to ignore. Otherwise, I'll keep flushing DP down the drain. Today is a dungeon day, so hopefully there won't be any problems like that. Well, maybe one. How do I deal with the people-turned-prisoners that I've decided to reform, instead of sending through the cycle of Reincarnation?
After some serious consideration, I decide to house the yellow souls in the Towers of Torture's prison. Hana and Mira can keep the lesser evils locked away down there until they go grey. The midground scum can attend the towers themselves and for the evilest of evils, two dozen cells created by yours truly are added to the fourth floor for Samantula to scare the living hell of them.
It's not like we have anyone to fill these cells yet, but in time I'm sure they prove useful. If not, then I haven't wasted much DP here so my losses aren't too bad. Not unlike a useless piece of Hay I know.
Shaking it off, I move on to my next task. Home improvements. Not for the citizens of Varona, as that would be far more than I can afford, but for my family instead. Starting from the bottom up, I alter Tina the Temptress' Boss Room and double the size of it. She now has a cliff overlooking an ocean and all the space she could want to fly around in.
I didn't really know what to do for the stone golems and their Iron leader, so I installed a magma bath for Ian the Iron Golem and left it at that. Hopefully, he can hack it and won't melt.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
I skip the fifth floor so I don't get stuck there and move straight onto the fourth. Seriously, I can't even talk about Floor Five without wanting to visit and if I do... Like I said. Let's not talk about the Black Death, right now.
Samantula, the terrifying tarantula-lady, wanted a house surprisingly. So that's what she got. I upgraded the Hospitable Home and placed the better version in a new room just off the Boss'.
Hospitable Home has been upgraded to Unburglable Bungalow:
The spacious bungalow features all the necessary amenities to live in style, safety and more
Home security is important so make sure you set your mana imprint to keep your valuables safe
These small fortresses won't open for anyone but you
Reward:
16 XP
I'm quite surprised there wasn't a comment on the end of that notification. She normally harps on whenever home improvement is on the table.
Maybe I've been giving her too much stick recently?
Even though the name makes it sound small, the quaint feature is four-times the size of its predecessor. It only has one floor, but it is not lacking for rooms or space and Samantula is extremely happy. I also summoned nine more Reaping Spiders, unlocking tier four, but left it at that after confirming them as Mini Bosses.
Trixie and her pack don't actually need anything, but after going through the other Bosses, I couldn't just leave the gorgeous, white wolf out. I gritted my teeth and summoned nine Alphas and ninety wolves. Ten per Alpha. The forest on the third floor is the large space in the dungeon and easily has enough room for 110 wolves. Their third-tier upgrade didn't sound as bad as I thought it would either and I summoned one to add to ranks of the forest.
Moon Wolf: 20DP
Under the Moon's blessing, inflict 50% more damage with every attack
Sometimes referred to as mirage wolves they are master's of illusion and trickery luring their opponents in with a false sense of security before finishing them off
The Moon Wolf looks like a ghost. Almost identical to Trixie, but with a translucent constitution like mine, she disappears the moment she's summoned. I didn't worry though, I could still feel her presence. Like Trixie, she has a strong will that promises to protect the dungeon at any cost. I named her Luna from afar, add her as a Mini-Boss even she she Trixie's junior/senior, and moved on to the next floor.
Trixie's been the Floor Boss since way back when. There's no way I'm going to trade her out for the newer model. Plus, with everyone taking turns in the Colliseum, they'll all be ready to advance a tier in no time. Which means my Alpha will be a Moon Wolf herself soon enough.
On the Second Floor, Violet wanted a tree for some bizarre reason. Not a normal tree either. A disfigured and dying one with no leaves that looks like... Amazingly, I actually found the feature in my list and agreed to her odd request. I was just happy that I had what she wanted.
Tree of Decay:
This tree is full of life but will forever rot due to its inherent nature
Who would want one of these?
Honestly, after Veris ended up with that paddle and the self-named Pleasure Palace, nothing they ask for can shock me these days.
The punishment-obsessed Assassin also gets a visit from me. I upgrade her furniture, begrudgingly summon a few more Assassins and Mages at her request, and even go as far as to upgrade her paddle. It now has golden rims and a velvet handle of all things. I leave shortly after Veris had finished praising me as the pleasure/punishment room is too much for me to handle.
I still don't know how to deal with her. She's like an eccentric aunt, one who always insists on kissing you on the lips. Even though you present your cheek she'll turn your head forcefully with her hands.
I purposely left the fifth floor for last. Every time I come here, it gets harder and harder to leave. Especially if Peaches is here. The entire floor is similar to the system-created room on my first floor except open plains run as far as the eye can see. On it, dozens of different coloured and sized Slimes mull around without a care in the world.
This place is heaven.
Peaches is actually here too. She's been spending more and more time down here recently and greets me as I arrive. "Hello, Master. Have you come to visit... Everyone too?"
"Yeah. I'm doing some improvements and making the rounds. No Sweets today?" Peaches is normally accompanied by at least two of the four Sweet sisters. "They have almost reached Level... 80 and are working hard to... Become Assassins," she replies quite well. She pauses less and less these days and it will be nice to have a proper conversation one day.
It will be nice to do a lot of things one day.
Everyone's almost tier-four now, huh? Even the dungeon priests go out on missions here and there with the scouting teams to test themselves. The Colliseum doing wonders for everyone's confidence. No one else has actually reached the fourth-tier yet, apart from the Assassins, but everyone's working hard.
When I made this room for Peaches, I wasn't expecting to be overwhelmed by how cute hundreds of Slimes would be. Back then it was just, "Ten Black Slimes here," and "Ten Large-Black Slimes there."
"A Black Death is fitting for a Floor Boss. Why not? Pow!"
I then did the same with both the red and green Slimes, taking all the Slimes to the third tier. Why did I do black first? They cost more.
Black Death:
Forged in the pits of hell the secretion emitted from this slime will destroy any matter it comes into contact with
The Black Death looked exactly the same as every other Black Slime I'd summoned so far. If anything, they've regressed in size and are now slightly smaller than the first-tier Slimes. Again, it's strange, but that wasn't even the shocking part.
When Peaches bent down, prodding the little mass of gelatin, I half expected her fingers to start disintegrating. I then remembered there's no friendly-fire damage between my monsters and sighed thankfully. It was about time a System enforced rule worked in my favour.
After the Black Death quivered at her touch, it rose up and transformed into a perfect copy of Peaches. Only black. That black, that if you stuck her on top of a spider and imagined she had grizzly hair instead of smooth-slime skin, the Black Death could easily pass herself off as Samantula. Life sure is strange.
"Oh. You're... Beautiful. Like me!" Jumping up and down, Peaches clapped happily. The Black Death mimicked its pink counterpart and before I knew it, the two women were jumping up and down on the spot clapping like little children and hugging. I couldn't help but smile as I watched what I would have considered monsters in my previous life, enjoy their own to fullest.
After naming the Black Death, Ditto, I left her with Peaches to have fun with the other Slimes.
Today, however, is even more shocking than back then. Not only is the Black Death in human form, but so too is the Magma Prince and the Tornado Princess. Because, why wouldn't the other tier-three Slimes be able to transform?
Peaches waves at me and against my better nature, I push off the urge to stay before quickly asking, "Is there anything you guys need here?"
"Master, please may we have a few more features to relax on as we converse?" Before Peaches can answer, the alluring tone of the Black Death's question beats her to the punch. I nod along dreamily whilst wondering how anyone could possibly beat a tier-three Slime.
They're gorgeous, even if they are made up of the element that signifies their name, and their tone alone will beckon most adventurers to willing walk into death's embrace.
Literally.
Sparing no expense for the ladies on Floor Five, I add a few parks, ponds, benches and paths, loads of flowers, and even a few houses for the tier threes. Everyone is super pleased and I'm taken on a nice stroll before I'm finally able to leave. Although that was just so the Black Death and her crew could point out the areas that needed touching up, altering slightly, or straight-up wanted moving completely.
Who knew Slimes were so picky?
Arriving at to my tower, I need a second to myself before doing anything else. Sitting on my futon, I pass my hand over the top of my dire wolf. It's almost as though I'm stroking the teddy and I wish deeply that one day I will be able to.
Little do I know that stupidity has struck once again.