“Screeeee!” Screeched a large Cave Rat as it leapt through the air in an attempt to sink it’s nasty yellow fangs into my pristine white bones. Fortunately, rats were stupid creatures that only attacked straight on. With my hand clenched into a tight fist, I sent my signature right hook directly towards the monster’s face. A brief shock of pain ran up my arm as the sound of crackling bone reached my ear-sockets. Thankfully, it wasn’t my bones that broke. A flash of yellow flew off to the side as the front fangs of the rambunctious rodent were torn from it’s mouth. The rat itself sailed backwards into the cavern wall with an audible thump. Yet again, another pair of floating pop-ups materialized into view before fading just as quickly.
“Forty damage…” I mumbled, “If it weren’t for my Novice Unarmed trait, that attack would have only done thirty-five damage. I wonder how much of a damage increase I’ll get when the rank increases…” Slowly, the rat climbed to it’s feet in haggard motions. I felt bad for the beast, but it was kill or be killed with these things. That means that there was only one plausible outcome. “Gotta give credit where it’s due, rat. Compared to your cousins from before, you’re plenty tougher. I guess the ‘level 2 Cave Rat’ hovering over your head should have clued me in on that fact.”
Increased level aside, it was still a simple rat, and therefore not a threat to my superior intellect. Not that one had to think really hard to beat a rat, but I digress. Before the beast could turn and face me, I rushed up and kicked it firmly in the side. Once more, the rat was sent flying into the hard stone wall. A burst of light surged forth the moment the Cave Rat smashed into the wall, leaving behind it’s pelt and a slightly more colorful crystal shard.
“Marvelously done, minion.” My benevolent master, Cythia, praised me as she walked over to the rat droppings. I sighed audibly as she made the pelt disappear with a quick motion. When I had previously asked where exactly the pelts went, she grinned and patted the pouch hanging from the belt at her waist. What quickly followed was a mind-numbingly boring explanation on the values of multi-dimensional storage pouches and how they had changed the life of adventurers for the better. I’ll be honest, I stopped listening the moment she started explaining multiple universes. Wrapping my head around one is more than enough for me thank you.
[You gained 20 experience]
“Huh. Thats more experience than usual.”
“Of course it is.” Cythia rolled her eyes as she stood up and stared at me, “The higher a monster’s level, the more experience their Essence Shard gives when destroyed.”
“Right. Sorry. I’m still kinda new here.” I shrugged helplessly. “So how many pelts is that?”
“Ummm…” She quickly checked her pouch. “That makes eight so two more to go. And we’re almost level four!” She hummed happily as she opened up her status screen beside me. Curious, I glanced over to take a quick look.
Name: Cythia Du Etrisn Race: Human
Class: Necromancer Level: 3
Experience: 60/80
Health: 40/40 Mana: 70/70
Focus: 40/40 Unspent Points: 0
Strength: 3 Stamina: 4
Agility: 4 Dexterity: 3
Intelligence: 7 Wisdom: 7
Perception: 3 Luck: 2
[Spells] [1 of 1]
[Summon Skeleton(Rank I of V)]
[Summon Limit: 1]
[Cost: 30 Mana]
[Beckons a lost spirit to inhabit the body of a conjured Skeleton.]
[Skills]
[Traits]
[Novice Dark Magic (Rank I of V)]
[Mastery over the Plane of Death. Abilities that deal Dark Damage now deal an additional 3% damage]
“I could kill you in a single hit.” I mumbled to myself thinking of the damage I had done to the rat I had just slain. All sound of her humming stopped in an instant. I looked over at my mistress only to see her staring at me with wide, fearful eyes. Shit, I must have been too loud.
“Y-y-you wouldn’t! A m-m-minion cannot h-harm their m-master!” She stammered in some sort of false bravado. “B-besides I-I’ve been rectifying that! I had 3 Stamina before…” She swallowed hard as she glanced at my hands. “N-next level up I’m going to put more into Stamina! Then I won’t be so fragile!” I shrugged,
“Just because I said I could doesn’t mean I would. Besides, it doesn’t matter to me what you do with your stats, toots. I’m just saying you’re paper compared to me. I mean really, what good is all that Mana if you have no spells to use it on?” I clacked my finger bones against my lower jaw in thought. “If I were you, I’d put every point you get into Stamina for the next few levels. Survivability should always be first and foremost in your mind. You can’t use any of your Mana if you’re dead after all.”
Granted, in the games that I played a Necromancer I was always behind a wall of minions. Survivability wasn’t really their main concern when you’ve got meat-shields to cover your ass. Unfortunately, my mistress wasn’t your typical Necromancer. I mean, what kind of Necromancer only has one minion? Shitty doesn’t even begin to describe that situation. Though, judging by her Summon Skeleton spell, it looked like that one minion limit could be upped if she increased it’s rank.
Not that I was going to tell her that. If my theory held true that ranks increased the more you used a skill then she’d be dismissing and summoning me constantly until she reached the final rank. That was one idea I refused to put in her head. I liked the sunlight too much for that! Well, torchlight at the moment. But who cares about that? I’ll take a cold, poorly-lit cavern any day over that infinite void of nothingness.
Silence filled the cavern hall which made me uneasy. Curious at her silence, I glanced over to Cythia who stared at me as if I had grown a second head. “What?”
“I-I was going to keep my other stats balanced but…” She sighed, “You’re right. I don’t get my second Spell Slot until level five…I never thought of all this Mana as worthless before…” The resulting pout on her face was so perfect I couldn’t help but stare. Just the right amount of frown mixed with those downcast eyes! Had I a heart, it would have raced at such a sight. Regardless of my lack of organs, this was a golden opportunity to score some brownie points with the mistress.
“Shouldn’t take too long to get there then!” I laughed in a jovial manner with my hands on my hip bones in an attempt to perk her up. A happy mistress means a happy home! Besides, the both of us were practically at level four already. “Just need one more level two Cave Rat and we’ll be well on our way to that new Spell Slot of yours!” Her face quickly brightened at my words.
“You’re right!” She looked up at me with excited eyes. “We could even reach level five by the end of the day if we kept at it!” Before I could say another word, she began to head deeper into the cave. “Come minion! We have Pelts to collect and Experience to gain!”
I couldn’t help but grin at my mistress’ regained vigor. Girls always looked best when they were happy. Sometimes angry was cute too. Sad had it’s own appeal as well…and Cythia had the perfect pout. A pout that I wanted to see over and over again. Pushing my inner sadist to the wayside, I jogged after Cythia who returned to humming happily as we made our way through the cave. As we traversed further into the dungeon, the passage shifted sharply.
“Screee!” Came the battle-cry of a level four Cave Rat who immediately leapt towards us with gleaming fangs the very instant the two of us turned the corner. Instinct took hold as I pushed Cythia off to the side and away from the pouncing predator. Sharp pain tore through my bones as the beast latched onto one of my ribs, knocking me to the ground.
[You take 30 physical damage]
Growling in fury, I wailed on the beast with repeated punches even as it bit at my ribs and arms. Damage taken and received pop-ups flared constantly as the two of us engaged in mortal combat. I could feel my movements become weaker as my health plummeted with every bite I took. Being pinned like I was had to have been the worst position I could find myself in a situation like this. Big ass rat-dog held the high ground, and I desperately needed to turn the tide of our struggle. Grimacing, I shifted my weight upon the ground as the monster drew back with it’s fangs gleaming for another strong bite.
“Fuck outta here!” I roared and launched the rabid animal with my legs. The screeching of furry fury filled my ears as I rolled backwards from my throw. Shaking my head, I surged back to my feet just in time to see the rat leap at me with gleaming fangs. With no time to wind up my signature punch, I jumped to the side. The feeling of air rushing through my ribs made me shiver at the thought of how much power an animal like this had at it’s disposal. Once the rat landed upon solid ground, I sent a heavy kick to it’s side, sending it flying into the cavern wall. Pained squeaks poured from the mammal’s mouth.
Were I fluent in rat-speak, I was sure it’d be cursing at me.
The monster slowly moved from side to side, inching towards me little by little. “Cautious little fuck, ain’tchya?” I grinned and held my fists at the ready. If it charge, my kick would send it flying. If it leapt, it’d get a taste of my right hook. No matter what the bastard did, it would pay for ambushing us like that. This is what we in the chess club called ‘Checkmate’. My grin only widened as the beast did the worst possible thing it could.
It leapt at me.
“You fucked up!” I yelled as my fist soared through the air and slammed into the rat’s face as it’s fang’s clamped down upon my hand.
[You deal 40 physical damage]
[You take 25 physical damage]
Bright light filled the moment my fist and the rat’s fangs met in our epic clash. And then there was darkness.
[You have died]
“Well…shit.” What else could I say? I mean, it wasn’t a bad death. I’m sure somewhere in rat heaven was Level Four Cave Rat, probably squeaking happily as it was fed endless cheese by scantily clad women. As for me, I got to sit around in an all-too-familiar god-forsaken void. Despite my hatred of this place, I couldn’t help but feel energized from the battle I just had. I’d be wrong if I said it got my blood pumping and my adrenaline surging. I didn’t have blood or cells anymore, so that was impossible. Perhaps I was just the kind of guy that enjoyed fighting and I never knew it until now? I had been in a few fights back in my day, but none of them ever made me feel like this. I felt like I could run a marathon!
“Come on! I’m ready for round two!” I yelled into the void as I shadowboxed an imaginary rat. Needless to say, I was winning my imaginary contest. It would be embarrassing to lose to my own imagination.
“Heed my call, thou forsaken soul…” Came the familiar chant of summoning as I ceased my exertions. Scaring my mistress the moment I sprung back to unlife would be a surefire way to get dismissed to this place for sure.
“Gotta admit though, I dig the rhymes that spell lays down. Not like my own spell involves a…oh.” I slammed my head into my hands in a ghastly wail as realization of my utter incompetence crashed down upon me. All of my hype and energy gone in a single moment. “I’m an idiot!” I exclaimed as light surged forth the moment Cythia finished her incantation. Keeping my mouth shut, I slowly climbed to my feet. If I was lucky, she wouldn’t have noticed that I hadn’t used my Banshee’s Wail during that fight.
Violet eyes locked onto my empty sockets as she stared up at me with a wide grin on her face.
“That was excellent, minion! To slay a level four monster while keeping your mistress safe…I must find some way to reward you for your excellent service.” She praised me before kneeling down to collect the fallen loot from my tied encounter. Needless to say, I kept my big mouth shut. If she wasn’t going to mention my oversight, then I certainly wasn’t!
“Well…you know…I only did what came natural.” I rubbed my hands together wondering what sort of reward I could get out of this unexpected gratitude. Its not everyday a girl thanks you for pushing her to the ground! Though the poor situation would never have happened had I been the one in front as I should have been. What kind of minion lets their mistress lead the way through a dungeon? “By the way Cythia…”
“Yes?” She looked at me curiously while pocketing the rat pelt in her pouch.
“Let me lead the way from now on. That way I can deal with any surprise attacks like we just had.” A beaming smile crossed her face as she stood up.
“Yes, a good suggestion minion. From now on, it shall be as you say! Now then…” She clenched her fist, crushing the crystal within. A surge of blue surrounded Cythia in a brief glow before rapidly dissipating.
[You have gained 40 experience]
[Cythia Du Etrisn has leveled up]
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[You have leveled up]
[You now have two free stat points]
“Oh.” I muttered as I looked at the last pop-up. I’m a double idiot. “Crap.”
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing! Nothings wrong!” I laughed in an attempt to disguise my embarrassment. “You should put your new stats in Stamina remember.” My voice shook as Cythia stared at me with glee.
“Indeed! I shall do so this instant.” In an instant she summoned her stat screen, but I paid her no mind as I summoned my own.
Name: Richard Stensen Race: Undead
Class: Basic Skeleton Level: 4
Experience: 20/160
Health: 80/80 Mana: 25/25
Focus: 60/60 Unspent Points: 6
Strength: 6 Stamina: 8
Agility: 4 Dexterity: 3
Intelligence: 3 Wisdom: 2
Perception: 5 Luck: 1
Fuck me, I’m such an idiot. A royal dumbass. How could I have forgotten to spend my stat points? I was still at the same power as I was at level one! Dammit, dammit, dammit! I could have won that last fight easily! Alright, alright. Time to play it cool. I’ll just quickly slip my points around aaaannnndddd…
Name: Richard Stensen Race: Undead
Class: Basic Skeleton Level: 4
Experience: 20/160
Health: 100/100 Mana: 25/25
Focus: 70/70 Unspent Points: 2
Strength: 8 Stamina: 10
Agility: 4 Dexterity: 3
Intelligence: 3 Wisdom: 2
Perception: 5 Luck: 1
As I placed two points in Strength I could feel…something…within my arms and legs increase ever so slightly. I wouldn’t say it felt like muscles growing, as that was more of an aching pain than anything. But still, that feeling of power within me increased. It was a weird, pleasant feeling that someone could find addicting. Grinning, I figured I could kill rats faster than ever with this boost of mine. I then placed two points into Stamina. Instead of my arms and legs feeling a change, my entire body underwent a feeling of hardening. It was as if every bone in my body suddenly became more solid…more real! Oh and my health increased by twenty points. Nice! My focus also increased when I invested in Stamina as well, though I had no abilities that used Focus yet. So that increase wasn’t very important to me yet. Now…where to put my last two points? Decisions decisions…
“You should put those points into Dexterity.”
“Argh!” I leapt forward as Cythia stared at me curiously. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!” I clattered angrily, but she merely shrugged.
“Well you were looking at your screen so intently I decided to see what had you so stumped.” She answered simply. “Have you decided on a Class Upgrade yet? You should before you assign your points after all.” What the hell was she talking about? Class Upgrade?
“What.”
“A Class Upgrade!” She scoffed. “Minions, such as yourself, evolve once they reach a certain level depending upon their Class. We call this Class Upgrading due to the fact that your Class section in your Status Screen changes based on your choice. The fact that I need to tell you this reflects well on your Intelligence and Wisdom scores.” Ouch. That hurts. Just because I wasn’t the smartest kid in class doesn’t mean that gives her the right to pick on me…
“So how do I find out about this…Class Upgrade thing?” I asked carefully, trying not to sound too much like an idiot.
“First you must query your current class. For example, if I were to say ‘Display Information: Basic Skeleton’-” A large screen appeared beside her, “You will get a pop-up, such as this, outlining the information on your current class as well as classes you can upgrade to.” With a wave of her hand, the pop-up disappeared. I looked at her square in the eyes.
“Forgive this minion for being so ignorant, mistress.” My voice was flat and completely lacking emotion. The smug look of superiority on Cythias face made me realize just how socially stunted she was. How could she not understand that my tone was dripping with sarcasm? Idiot. And how the hell was I supposed to know any of this? I’ve never played a game where classes can just upgrade! At least, not without some sort of special item. I had just assumed I’d be stuck as a skeleton forever.
Wait…if I could evolve…
Could I…
“Display Information: Basic Skeleton.” Inquiring minds needed to know some very important information. Information more important than any question that had come before. Could I get my boys back? If there was even a chance, no matter how slight, I had to take it. My manhood depended on this vital information!
[Basic Skeleton]
[A skeletal humanoid summoned via Dark Magic. Often the mainstay of novice Necromancers and newly-spawned Dungeons, the Basic Skeleton is a versatile minion capable of many different avenues of evolution. Once a Basic Skeleton reaches their 10th level, they may undergo a Class Upgrade into one of three potential evolutionary paths. For enhanced durability and physical combat skills, the Skeletal Soldier is the main path taken by many upgrading Skeletons. For Stealth and Ranged capabilities, the Skeletal Rogue is the prime choice for dealing repeated death from afar. For magical expertise, the path of the Skeletal Mage opens to them, granting them the capability of unleashing great magical mayhem.]
Each evolution, or ‘Class Upgrade’ as it were, had a nice little picture beside each selection as well as an underlined name. In fact, it make me think of hyperlinks. Curiosity took hold as I tapped the screen for Skeletal Mage. Instantly, my screen on Basic Skeletons was replaced by one on Skeletal Mages, full of details and granting me pictures of further evolutions. Excitement swelled within me as I clicked through Upgrade after Upgrade, searching for one that would return my most prized possession. Mage was a no go, everything that I could become stayed bony.
“Enough searching minion, we have things to be ab-”
“Silence!” I yelled at my mistress with my eyes were glued to my screen. Like a demon possessed, I began looking at the rogue evolutions. “Never interrupt a man on his quest for knowledge when so much is at stake!” I didn’t even bother to look at my mistress as I flicked through Upgrade after Upgrade of the rogues. Once more, no dice. Nothing but bones in the rogue’s future.
An unfriendly growl from my mistress reached my ears, but I paid it no mind. Cythia could wait. My future was at stake here!
“I dismiss thee!” Her angry voice shouted as the light faded from my eyes and I fell into darkness once again.
“Nooooooooooo!” I screamed as everything turned black. Gone were my screens, replaced by the damned void. “I’ll never forgive you Cythia! Dammit!” I sighed, how could she do such a heartless thing to me? Her soul was as black as those robes of hers. Now what was I going to do? Could I even summon my information panel within this void? Well, here goes nothing.
“Display Information: Basic Skeleton.” A burst of light filled the void as my screen popped up in front of me. Relief flooded through my very bones as I laughed. The idiot had dismissed me for nothing! “Hah! She’s going to have to waste Mana and time to resummon me soon!” My cackle echoed in the darkness as I flicked into the Skeleton Soldier’s information window. “Blah blah blah, melee combat. Lets see…I could go Ghoul or Skeletal Knight after Soldier…” I tapped on Ghoul and I felt my breath catch in my throat.
Well…I mean…whatever. I saw flesh and I couldn’t breathe. Though the flesh was rather…ratty to say the least.
Ghoul-boy was missing quite a bit of skin in a few places, but it wasn’t bones! “And after Ghoul comes…Wight?” I clicked the link and saw an even more impressive fleshy body. “This is it! This is it!” I yelled out in the darkness, whooping in joy. Blood! Skin! An almost normal-looking body! I mean, the eyes glowed white, but still, hallelujah! Excitement surged as my eyes settled upon another link to yet another upgrade. “Bring on the Wight King!”
If there was a floor, my jaw would have hit it. While the Wight looked like an average joe with glowing white eyes, the Wight King was the man with the well-chiseled face that worked out at the gym that all the women swooned at. Blue eyes burned into my sockets as I stared at the picture and drooled. This was every inkling of the perfect man! That amazing physique! This…this is what I had been looking for!
“Watch out world!” I shouted in joy, “Little Richard is coming back baby!” But first, I had to upgrade to a Skeleton Soldier, six long levels away.
With my goal firmly in mind, I closed the information panel and reopened my Status. Cythia had said that Dexterity would help me. Despite her glaring lack of foresight, she did understand this world far better than I did. If she thought Dexterity was important then I had best take a look to see why she thought so.
“I wonder…” If it worked for my class, it should work for stats too, right? “Display Information: Dexterity.”
[Agility & Dexterity]
[Reflections of one’s physical prowess. Agility refers to the ability to run, jump, and dodge with increased ability. Dexterity however, refers to one’s ability to parry and deflect physical attacks, throw objects, and confers a general increase to one’s own haste of attacks. Both Agility and Dexterity are considered highly important stats for users that engage in any sort of physical combat.]
“Cool, cool.” So Dexterity would not only affect my ability to defend myself, but also my attack speed. “What about Luck? Mines super fucking low. Hell, Cythia’s is higher than mine…” Shit, that thought made me depressed. With a quick command, I changed my information prompt.
[Luck]
[Information not available]
“Every fucking time!” My enraged yell echoed through the dark. Why was this stat always the best and worst thing about every game ever? Fuck you game designers, give us some hard numbers dammit! Stop leaving us plebeians in the dark! Nobody wants to dig into game files to understand what your vague words mean!
“Whatever.” I sighed, “Fuck luck.” I plopped both of my free points into Dexterity, bringing me up to an odd five. Once more, my bones filled with a strange sensation of becoming more powerful, as if they would cut through the air more effectively. Not that that made any sense whatsoever. Then again most of this world didn’t make sense.
“Heed my call, thou forsaken soul…” Oh boy, here we go. Cythia must have found another rat for me to pummel. But this time, things would be different. This time, I had upgraded stats! I felt like I could take on the world!
The moment the light entered my eyes, I glanced around, finding myself in a expansive, circular room. That was new, previously we had been wandering nothing but a single passageway. Before I could rise to my feet, sharp pain erupted upon my foot, arm, and spine all at once.
[You take 10 physical damage]
[You take 15 physical damage]
[You take 10 physical damage]
Malicious squeaking filled my ear-gaps as three massive rodents chewed upon my beautiful bones with reckless abandon.
“Ahhhhhh! Fuck you!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, unleashing my Banshee’s Wail and stunning the one closest to my neck as I kicked and punched my way to freedom. Enraged squeaks filled my surroundings as the two rats that weren’t stunned leapt at me. Jumping to the side, I dodged their attack. Three rats at once! And each was level three! She was going to get me killed!
“Cythia, I swear to God I’m going to hit you after this!” I yelled and rushed towards the stunned rat.
“No you aren’t!” Came her distant reply the moment I slammed my foot into the rat just recovering from it’s stun, sending it sailing far away.
[You deal 25 physical damage]
Damn, just from a regular kick? Normally, my kicks dealt around twenty damage. I could feel the rush of excitement wash over me. It was go time.
“Ahhhh!” I screamed at a leaping rodent, stunning it and dodging to the side as it sailed harmlessly off to the side. I couldn’t use another Wail for a bit, as my Mana was pretty shit. The other rat sailed towards me, but I was ready for it. “Die!” I roared, sending my fist into the beast’s maw and sending it flying away.
[You deal 50 physical damage]
“Wooo! Fuck yeah!” I grinned, “You’re gonna die, rats!” my mad cackle echoed through the room as I rushed into a frenzy of fur and fury. Teeth met hard bone as a rat latched onto my leg. I ripped the thing from my ankle and tossed it at it’s fellow that was about to leap at me. Both of which squeaked in fury and bit at one another in their rage. Stupid animals. The third rodent that I had right-hooked limped towards me in a pained effort. One kick later, it was nothing more than loot upon the floor. Sharp pain engulfed my shoulder as wicked snarling echoed into my skull. With all my strength, I grasped the furry fiend and flung it towards the cavern wall. Once more, a bright light flashed, leaving behind another pelt and crystal.
And then there was one.
Grinning like a fiend, I spun around and locked eyes with the final rodent who leapt towards my face with hatred burning in it’s eyes. “Hah!” I laughed as I punched the beast square in the jaw, causing it to explode in a burst of light. “Hahaha!” my bones rattled as I cackled like a madman and fell to the ground, laughing for all I was worth.
“Ummm…are you…okay?” Came Cythia’s concerned voice. Stifling my laughter, I turned my head to face my mistress. I met her eyes with my sockets and gave her a feral grin.
“Never better!” I chuckled, “Never better indeed.” Three rats at once. Three level three rats at that! I was a beast!
“I…uhm…I apologize.” Cythia bowed her head towards me. “I summoned you in the middle of that pack hoping to…well…never mind.” She cleared her throat before staring seriously at me. Though judging by her shaking hands, she was still rather frightened. “On your feet minion!” Her voice took a commanding tone that only shook a little. “We shall have to celebrate your victory!” Rushing about the room, she quickly collected all the rat pelts and crystals laying upon the ground, all the while glancing nervously at me. Did I do something wrong? Oh, right, I did say I was gonna hit her. Not that I actually would, but…oh well. A little fear never killed nobody.
“With this, we have more than enough Pelts to turn in my quest.” She sighed happily before quietly mumbling something to herself. One by one, she crushed the three Essence Shards that the rats had dropped as I rose to my feet and wiped the dirt from my bones.
[You have gained 30 experience]
[You have gained 30 experience]
[You have gained 30 experience]
It had only taken a few minutes, but our experience leapt ahead in a massive amount. Banshee’s Wail had really turned the tide of that fight quite handily. I’d have to put a few points into whatever stat gave me more Mana so I could utilize it more. And I didn’t even have to worry about ruining my vocal chords like your typical metal singer. I could scream all I wanted!
“So, do we continue further into the dungeon?” Cythia asked in an unsure tone. “Or should we turn back and turn in my quest?” I looked about the circular room where my rodent rampage had taken place. Four separate exits led out of the room in different directions. I personally wanted to continue till we hit level five.
“Will we get experience for turning in your quest?”
“Not for this one. Normal villagers can’t obtain Essence Crystals themselves.” Cythia explained factually. “If it was a quest sponsored by the Adventurer’s Guild, then we would be given an amount of crystals in addition to payment. I obtained this quest from the request board which is an unofficial way of asking adventurers for assistance.”
“I see.” So no experience then. “What kind of reward are we expecting for turning this in?”
“Well a normal quality fur pelt usually sells for about five silver pieces at market value, but that would be in a big city where pelts aren’t often come by. Unless traders bring them in from the countryside, of course. Being as how this town is along the frontier with plenty of wild game, and not to mention a dungeon providing a consistent stream of pelts from slain monsters, we can expect around fifty copper per pelt. However, all the pelts we’ve acquired, with the exception of the one, are high quality. Typically, these would go for nearly ten silver at market. Though here…hmmm…” She tipped her head in thought. “Two silver per pelt in town I guess?”
“Cythia…are you sure you’re a Necromancer?” She turned her attention to me with a questioning glance.
“Hmmm? What do you mean? Of course I’m a Necromancer.”
“I’m just saying I think you missed your calling in life.” Who the hell is this girl and what did she do with Cythia?
“Hrmph. My mother always taught me that it was important to know information such as this.” Yeah, important if you were going to wring every penny out of everyone you met for sure. Ah well, I’ll leave the money stuff for her to deal with.
“Well…we’re only fifty experience away from level five. What say we keep going till we hit that and then head back?” Rather have her be able to do something in combat sooner rather than later. Though I could take on rats, how long until she wanted me to kill other things?
“Very well. Now we just need to decide on which passage to take.”
“That one.” I pointed towards the one on the rightmost side of the circular room. When in doubt, always go right.
“Very well. Lead the way minion.”
Nodding, I paced towards the passage with my fists at the ready. Despite being this girl’s slave, I’d have to say things were looking up for me. Hold on buddy! I’ll get you back before long!