Rose awakened early, sleep fading quickly from her eyes. Her slime soon joined her, curled up on her torso like a cat. She wasted no time on breakfast, connection to the dungeon entity lingering. It had been the source of many things- the slime, the promise of bound weapon, and if she could expand her deal to the rest of her town; a better source of power than the moles ever provided. She started into a run, but seeing the slime's slow speed she sighed. Having more energy than patience, Rose bent down and slid her shield under the slime. Leaning back to keep balance, Rose started into a quick walk, one wobbly step after another. The slime seemed to happily bounce up and down, though Rose didn't stop to question why that registered as happiness.
The last of the nightguards had few questions. She remembered her brother's rank, and gambled on it insulating her from any difficult questions. At least, until she left the gate.
"Care to explain what that is?" asked one of the main hunters, eyebrow raised
"A peaceful slime. It followed me home, I'm returning it to it's home" Rose half-lied. The hunter rolled his eyes, not wanting to interfere with the 'quirky schemes' of the Terryn.
Rose adjusted her arms, breath starting to intensify in her early-morning haul. She smelled the freshness of the hour, where monsters would retreat or burn up under the sun's rise. The Dark Deal lingered in her mind, drawing her closer to our protagonist of a dungeon. When rose arrived at the dungeon's mouth, she almost dropped her darkslime. The whole structure looked fortified and intimidating, stone bricks walling off the side entrances like a winemaker's funnel.
Rose drew her sword and shield, adjusting her slime downward. It bounced and squished beside her, ready to tackle any foe.
And a foe she found, in the form of an ambushing purple cousin of her ally. It hissed in the air like a snake, bouncing up and down in a display of power. Rose brought her shield up, jet of toxic purple spraying the solid wooden front before Rose ran it through with a stab of her short sword. It was too busy posturing to dodge, and that mistake cost the slime it's life. The dark slime wasted no time, stretching out. subsuming it's much-younger sibling and compressing down, venting noxious purple gas into the air. She noticed it was a bit larger in every dimension, powered up by it's foe and now meal
"Someone needs to learn some table manners" Rose joked, kneeling down and hugging the slime. She rounded the corner, and kept her shield high as a massive earth slime slid from the entryway into a side path. Rose was about to make the dangerous sprint forward, when she heard a squishing sound from above. Four dark slimes jumped from the ceiling infront of her, blocking her path. Already invested, Rose knew she had to act fast. Before they could coordinate, She slashed downward into one, cleaving the front of it's membrane apart. Another jumped right into her shield with a satisfying thunk, but another luckier one landed on her sword-arm and began to consume, dissolving the outer layer of her clothing before working on the outer layer of her skin. Meanwhile, the last slime was too busy tangling with hers, making a dark orb of swirling conflict as the two slimes tried to eat eachother. Rose threw her shield at the stunned slime, switched swordarms, and stabbed at the slime on her own arm. it made no effort to dodge or block, seeming to press closer to her as it died- Too close rose realized, as she felt her own sword cut into her raw flesh. The swordswoman howeled in pain, taking her anger out by stomping on her shield. It squished the slime underneath, pressure on the metal studs rupturing the slime's membrane and spilling it's liquid.
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Blood seeming to dissolve from her wound rather than drip, rose looked to her side. Her own slime seemed victorious, happily bouncing towards her and letting them continue. Rose felt weaker as the wound on her arm persisted, robotic walk drawing her closer to a familiar core. Familiar intelligence. Guided by dark magic, Rose knelt before the steps up to the dungeon core, placing her sword and shield just before the metal basin.
The two of them lifted off the ground as if by ropes, hanging in the air with tautness. Magic flowed from the core into each, strengthening every aspect. Where there was once chipped iron, instead remained dark shiny material, glimmering like her slime in the eight glowstone lights.
Dungeon: Scarlet Btimstone has offered her role as your patron Accept?
"I accept" Rose breathed out, picking up her new sword and shield. Within her mind's eye, she saw something new.
Rose Terryn, human [Basic]
Ubiquitous creature of the material realm
Skills Stats 3/5 HP
Attack: C+
Defense: C
Sword proficiency 4 3/3 MP 7/100 EXP
Speed: B-
Mind: D
Shield proficiency 3
Equipment
Bound shortsword, Bound shield
Spells: None
Endurance 2
Effects
None
Special: None
Patron
Scarlet Brimstone
Rose gasped. The numbers and letters within bared her soul, quantifying everything this world deemed important. The utter smallness of the numbers brought a sense of inadequacy, until a message from all around spoke to comfort her
"Yeah, being low level sucks. I can help train you if you're willing to keep strong humans away."
Rose looked around, but already knew the source of the noise
"Scarlet?"
"The very one!" The dungeon responded with a flex of her verbal arms.
Rose slowly stood up, weapons in hand.
"You already gave it a good testrun, but the real enemies are outside. That dark slime's one of mine, and he can help you fight and get stronger. Kill'em with that sword I gave you, and both of us get stronger."
Rose nodded her head. "I will. For you, mistress Scarlet." She promised.
"Oh yeah, and tell me what you get for raising those skill levels." Scarlet added with little fanfare, but Rose was already off to serve.