Ilthaman the Prazene, better known as Baby Head the Horror, skittered across the ruins. The four legs protruding from the top of its head were long and thin with needle-like points, yet they somehow managed to cling onto the stone ruins. It ran to the corner of the ruins, hissing loudly.

“That thing is horrific.” The Shade looked back and forth, staring at each of them in turn with its empty eyes. “Get it?”

“What happens if Suta drinks Baby Head’s blood?” Owin asked. He could only think about the horrible pain he had felt when he had accidentally drank some.

“Familiars are resistant to poisons, and even if one does take hold, unsummoning Suta should cause the poisoning to vanish. They cannot take damage when they aren’t in our world.”

“That’s not entirely true,” the Withered Shade said. “Depending on the poison, it could linger. He might not die while unsummoned, but the poison could reactivate.”

Suta, who obviously hadn’t been listening, slowly approached the edge of the ruins. Baby Head hissed louder, skittering along the edge of the wall without slipping or floating away.

“I’ve never heard of such a poison,” Myrsvai said.

“As much as I love lying, uh . . . I’m not?” The skeleton scratched its head, which made a horrible noise as bone scratched bone.

“Even if it’s true, I don’t believe Horror blood would fall into that category.”

The skeleton shrugged and wandered a few steps away. Owin waited, seeing what the Withered Shade would do before turning back to Suta, who now stared back at them.

“Would you like assistance?” Myrsvai asked.

Suta shook his head. He wiggled his fingers before clenching them back into fists.

“I don’t like watching other people fight,” Owin said.

“And why not? Is Suta not capable?”

“We both know he is.” Owin bounced on his feet a little like he had seen Suta do in the past. He hopped back and forth, hovering a tiny bit as the water didn’t let him drop quickly.

“Do you enjoy fighting?”

“A lot.”

“Do you feel like you’re missing out?”

Owin stopped hopping. “I don’t know. Last time I fought Baby Head I almost died.”

“Perhaps you are worried for Suta instead?”

“I don’t know. Is abyssal even strong against Horrors?”

“No,” the Withered Shade said. “Horrors are resistant to abyssal and luminous damage.”

Suta looked back. His mandibles twitched.

“He doesn’t need his demon side. Do you know why?” Myrsvai asked.

Owin didn’t know why. An abyssal familiar took its power from the Abyss. What other side was there?

Suta lifted his wrapped hands and jabbed.

“As much as I wish Suta would use spells, I cannot deny that he has more than excelled in his training to become a martial artist. The Horror might be resistant to abyssal damage, but it is not resistant to blunt force trauma. Suta?”

The familiar nodded and leapt onto the ruins. Baby Head immediately charged, followed closely by all the snakes. Suta landed gently on his clawed feet with his hands still raised.

“This is the most interesting thing I’ve seen in fifty years.” The Shade walked back over with his hands on his hips.

“Isn’t this the first thing you’ve seen in fifty years?”

“Yes, it is.”

Baby Head launched itself at Suta, stabbing wildly with its long legs. Suta ducked and maneuvered around each attack, gently redirecting any close calls with the back of his fist. As a snake lunged, Suta caught it a few inches from his face and whipped it to the side. He misstepped, allowing Baby Head to graze his thigh with its foot.

Owin stepped, but was immediately stopped by Myrsvai’s staff.

“Do not underestimate him.”

“Horrific damage—”

“I’m aware of its effects. So is he.”

Suta let another leg graze him, taking the opportunity to catch the leg. He pulled Baby Head closer and slammed his other fist right between its dead eyes. The horror managed to live, but was launched back toward the boundary.

Suta still held Baby Head’s dismembered leg. He took one look at it and tossed it aside. The rest of the snakes lunged, forcing Suta into a series of twists and attacks. Two snakes landed bites on the familiar’s arm while he killed two others. A quick bash of his fist on both snakes that clung to his arm easily killed the mobs.

Baby Head limped across the broken bridge. Blood drifted from its mouth and leg, leaving a dark cloud of toxic blood behind it. Suta shook out his arm, which was releasing its own small stream of blood from the snake bites.

He pointed at Baby Head, who hissed in return.

“What’s he doing?” Owin asked.

“Having fun.”

Suta approached slowly, letting his arms hang at his sides. As soon as he was within range, Baby Head stabbed with its remaining front leg, which caused it to lose balance and wobble in the water.

Suta slipped in close and hit Baby Head in the exact same place as before. The Horror’s legs fully slipped out, causing it to crash onto the stone. Suta kicked it and sent the mob flying through the water until it smashed into the boundary wall.

“Well done,” Myrsvai said.

Suta jumped back down and poked at the holes in his arm.

“Painful?”

Suta shook his head. He poked at the holes again. “Next floor.”

“We need to loot first,” Owin said. He took Suta’s arm. “Do you need a potion?”

“No.” He covered the wounds with his hand. “Bleeding will stop.”

Owin looked to Myrsvai, who nodded toward the ruins.

“Go see if you can find more armor.”

Owin jumped onto the ruins and was surprised as the Withered Shade landed right beside him.

“Are you following me?”

“How do you know I wasn’t going to jump up here first?”

Owin stared blankly at the skeleton.

“You are my summoner. I have to follow you.”

“Oh. You have to?”

“Did I misspeak? Would you like me to phrase it in the rough language of goblins?”

“Do you mean swearing?” Owin walked past the skeleton, quickly checking each of the snake bodies for any loot. He gathered a few pieces of gold and slipped them into his bag. Baby Head’s corpse had drifted back down and landed near the stairs. While Owin wanted to check the boss’s body, he would leave it for Suta. Getting near a bleeding corpse was just asking for problems. And without Ernie, Owin couldn’t imagine making it out alive.

“Obviously I mean swearing. What else do goblins do? Break furniture? Eat a pound or two of human flesh? How many people have you eaten?”

“None. Well, not people.”

“You certainly need to explain that one.”

Owin reached the chest and peeked backward. The Withered Shade stood directly behind him, just waiting. The skeleton even reached out to poke the boundary wall.

“Can you give me some space?”

“Is that a command?”

“Yes.”

The Withered Shade took a step back. “Do I need to sit here and wither away waiting to hear an explanation about your feasting or were you hoping to tell me something soon?”

“Is that a joke?”

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

“Which part?”

“You said ‘wither away.’”

The Withered Shade crouched. “Perhaps it is best to leave the jokes up to me. Are we looting or talking about your eating habits?”

“I just eat cathkabel, demons, and ocular.”

The Withered Shade looked backward by turning its head all the way around. “Do your abyssal friends know of your diet?”

“Yes. But it’s not a diet. I just eat them to get attributes.”

“Now I need more of an explanation.”

“Can you go wait with Myrsvai and Suta? It would be great if you could ask Suta to check Baby Head’s body.”

The Withered Shade stood and bowed. “Whatever you wish.” The skeleton walked across the ruins, kicked a dead snake, and jumped off.

Owin waited a few seconds, fully expecting to see the skeleton reappear. Finally, Owin opened the chest and found a small pile of gold. He sighed and scooped it into his bag. By the time he walked back to the edge of the ruins, the Shade stood beside Myrsvai, who continued studying the odd skeleton.

“It only had coins.”

“Most people wouldn’t complain about wealth. Or, at least, the generation of wealth. Or, uh. . .” The Shade lazily waved his hand at Owin. “I’ve lost my thought.”

“I have some friends that used to ask if I had a brain.” Owin hopped off the ruins and landed easily in front of them. “I’m pretty sure you don’t.”

“Are you sure?” The Withered Shade shoved his finger through his eye socket and waved it around. “It could be hidden in here somewhere.”

“How do you even see?”

“With my eyes?” The skeleton poked fingers through his other eye socket. “Obviously.”

“I have never heard of an undead acting like this,” Myrsvai said.

“Because, if you remember, I’m not technically an undead.” The Shade put his hand on Myrsvai’s shoulder, but the magus immediately knocked it away with his staff.

“Potion,” Suta said, running back over. He held a rose pink potion and waved it right in front of Owin’s face. “Dex.”

Owin took it from the familiar. “Thanks, Suta.”

“Drink it.”

“Okay. Hold on.”

“Why drink a buff before a void nexus? I know you’re only an oddly articulate child, but you should certainly know better if you’ve made it to the . . .” He looked around. “The seventh floor?”

“This is the second floor,” Owin said.

“Oh. Good to know. You can't blame me for not knowing. I have no eyes to see with. It all looks the same to me.”

“You can obviously see.”

“Can I? I wouldn’t know. I can’t see what I can see.”

Owin took a step toward Myrsvai. “How do I unsummon?”

“Cast the same spell again. It is as simple as that.”

“Okay, I understand. I can catch onto hints. I will be quiet, Master. I will be as silent as the water surrounding us. I will be as quiet as—”

Summon the Withered Shade

The skeleton turned to dust and washed away with the water. Owin quickly checked his bag, confirming all three gray bones were gone. He opened his index, flipped to spells, and still found the summon spell in the same place.

“Silence can be so comforting,” Myrsvai said quietly.

Journeyman Dexterity Buff

+20 Dexterity

Dexterity: 275*

“Thanks for the buff, Suta.”

The familiar nodded enthusiastically. His bleeding had already stopped, though he still had visible holes in his arm. When he noticed Owin looking, he took a step closer and put the injured arm around Owin’s shoulder. “Friends.”

“Yeah.” Owin imagined blood leaking from the wound and soaking into his hair, but Suta was too happy for Owin to shake him off.

“Do you have a preference for how to approach the third floor? I have read about multiple strategies, all of which seem to have their own share of danger.” Myrsvai approached the stairs and descended immediately until he stood right before the black doorway.

“I went right through last time, which was a bad idea because the mobs knew about the whole interaction with Graliel.” Owin guided Suta over to the stairs. “Maybe since we didn’t kill Graliel they’ll be more friendly.”

“I have a feeling he will pass his ill will downward to them. Just because he is alive doesn’t mean he isn’t harboring some strong feelings toward us. Particularly you.”

Suta let go of Owin and hopped down the stairs. Myrsvai chuckled softly as the familiar landed.

“Suta thinks we should improvise.”

“I think that’s what I normally do,” Owin said.

“I would believe that. We will see you on the next floor.” Myrsvai stepped through with Suta matching his step into the doorway.

Owin walked down the stairs with his index open. Was the Withered Shade his familiar? Did he want the Withered Shade to be his familiar? It had taken no mana to summon or unsummon the skeleton. But what were his abilities? Could he even fight? Did he ever shut up?

Owin sighed and stepped through.

Ocean Dungeon

Third Floor

The centanthro inside the first building was dead by the time Owin arrived. Suta checked the fish’s pockets and shook the corpse a few times before he decided there was nothing of value.

“The chest guardian inside the city is a huge fish. I fought it last time, but I didn’t get to check its treasure. I’d like to do that, but I think checking the top of the ship would also be good. That was the way Ernie kept asking me to go, and we really should have gone that way.”

Myrsvai pressed his lips together.

“What?”

“I didn’t even know you had arrived. You talk a lot more than I expected.”

Owin furrowed his brows.

A soft smile curled Myrsvai’s lips. “I meant no harm. You were shy in Atrevaar, but here, you talk all the time.”

“Oh.” Owin tried to think of times he had talked to Myrsvai back in Atrevaar, but they had only interacted a few times. The magus was often away in his room studying while Owin was busy with Miya, Chorsay, or Sanem.

“I am happy to attempt a climb, though—”

“We don’t have to,” Owin said.

“My condition isn’t a hurdle to overcome, but simply who I am.”

Suta watched quietly from the side. The familiar fidgeted with the door handle, looking eager to leave the confines of the room.

Myrsvai swung the staff over his shoulder and hooked it onto something along his back, holding it in place. It pinned down his cape, which had moved weirdly in the water anyway. Myrsvai held out his arm. “I am capable, Owin. I can’t keep telling you this.”

“I just want to make things easy.”

Myrsvai gently placed his hand atop Owin’s head, messing up his hair. “Shall we climb?”

Owin let out a deep breath. “Okay. Can I go first? This will be new for me too, and I want to fight some cetanthro.”

“And that is a good reason to lead. Suta?”

Suta nodded. “Following.” He opened the door and eagerly jumped out.

Owin had forgotten just how massive the shipwreck was that sat over the cetanthro city. The ferry leading to the Ocean Dungeon was barely bigger than a building or two in the cetanthro city. The shipwreck was more than twice the size of the city. If the ship had ever actually sailed, Owin couldn’t imagine it sitting on top of the water. Even if it had, where would it go? It was so massive that it would be useless as a ferry back and forth to the dungeon.

“Do you know where we should climb?” Myrsvai asked.

That thought had not occurred before that moment, and looking out at the wreck did little to get Owin’s thoughts moving.

“Up.”

“Insightful.” Myrsvai chuckled softly. “It’s okay not to know, Owin.”

“What was the question? I don’t know what my brain was doing right there. I think I have it this time.”

“Do you know where we should climb? Is there a best place to go up?”

Owin stared out at the massive wreck.

“You don’t know.”

Summon the Withered Shade

“Dammit, Owin,” Myrsvai said.

“Oh, it really is cramped in there. Wow. Oof. Tight and uncomfortable. Those aren’t exclusive, of course, but in this case each has its own—”

Myrsvai smacked the Withered Shade across the head with his staff. “Will you shut the fuck up?”

The skeleton lifted his hands. “Got it. Understood. I—”

Suta lifted his hands.

The Withered Shade nodded and took a step backward. His hands stayed raised.

“I thought he might know,” Owin said quietly. “Do you know?”

The Withered Shade pointed at his mouth and somehow raised his eyebrows, which he didn’t have. The brow of his skull shifted up and down.

“What is he?” Myrsvai asked nobody in particular.

“You can talk if you stop saying so much. Less,” Owin said. “Learn from Suta.”

“Less,” Suta repeated.

“I don’t intend to talk like a halfwit familia—”

Before he could even finish talking, Suta had tackled the skeleton and pummeled his face into the sand.

“That is satisfying,” Myrsvai said.

Suta nodded vigorously as he stepped back, letting the skeleton stand again.

“I am being bullied for existing,” the Withered Shade said. “What did I do to deserve such a thing?”

“Talk,” Owin said. “You talk too much.”

“Ah. Yes. You know, that may be somewhat related to how I ended up in this penis . . . less state.” The Withered Shade gestured toward his waist.

“We know where a penis goes,” Myrsvai said.

The Withered Shade cocked his head and placed his hands back on his hips. “Do you? From Experience?”

“Okay, I’ll send him away,” Owin said as his index opened in front of his eyes.

“No, no, no, and once again, no.” The Withered Shade sat in the sand and put his hands up again. “I will submit to your requests. Speak when spoken to. Answer questions when queried.”

Owin closed his index. “Can you actually do this?”

“Is that a question?”

Owin’s index opened.

The Withered Shade pointed and wagged his finger. “You got me.”

“Before you send him away,” Myrsvai said. “Do you know anything about this floor?”

“Other than that there’s a giant shipwreck in front of us?”

“Not friend,” Suta said.

“I couldn’t agree more, Suta.” Myrsvai crouched in front of the skeleton. “If we all agree you’re more harmful than helpful, Owin never needs to summon you again. Even outside the dungeon.”

The Withered Shade poked Myrsvai in the nose. “Now, that would just be foolish. How many Cursed are there in the world?”

Myrsvai swatted the skeleton’s hand away. “I don’t know. How many?”

“Oh, I certainly don’t know. We aren’t all well acquainted, are we? Only the famous ones get around.” The skeleton laughed. “Even in death, I suppose that’s true. Wait, am I dead? Do I get around? How many masters have I had?”

Owin stood back a few steps, unsure of what to do. The skeleton was beyond annoying. Vondaire had quickly grated on Owin’s nerves, but even Vondaire wasn’t nearly as annoying as the Withered Shade. And Vondaire was strong, while the skeleton was . . . something? It still wasn’t clear. Why had Owin collected the bones?

Was collecting the bones even worth it? Artivan had died to help get the first bone. Owin balled his hands into fists.

“Stop. Talking.” Something in his voice must have been different than he expected as everyone went silent and looked straight at him. Owin took a deep breath, but didn’t let his hands relax. “My best friend died right after I found the first bone.”

The Withered Shade let his head droop.

“We barely had a chance to talk about the quest it gave me. He would be so curious to know what happened after getting more bones.”

Myrsvai frowned and averted his eyes while Suta stared directly at Owin.

“I was never well liked,” the Withered Shade said.

“I can’t imagine why.” Owin walked up to the skeleton and waited until its face turned to him. “If you’re not here to help me, you’re nowhere, right?”

“Not exactly nowhere, but it’s kind of—” The Withered Shade sighed. “As close to nowhere as somewhere can be.”

“Then help us and talk to us. You still think I’m a child. You have a lot to learn.”

Myrsvai’s face stretched into a broad smile. “And who better to learn it from than Owin.”