Rin didn’t return to the Sonnigs’ shop until early the next day, stumbling through the front door half-asleep, swaying like he’d been hit by a carriage. He gave a tired wave to the tailors before heading to the back room and collapsing on the bed. Four hours later, he awoke to Mikka passing him a bowl of hot and spicy vegetable soup, a Strathburn favorite.

“I take it you didn’t get into the Windton dungeon then? Get turned away by the guard?”

“No, we made it alright. Did the full run-through and flew back last night—I mean this morning.”

“Gods above, boy, you’re acting possessed. I thought about letting you sleep, but the duel’s tomorrow night and you said you still have one more place to visit?”

“Yeah. Dead Man’s Barrow again.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “Whatever for? There’s nothing there.”

Rin boy opened his mouth, froze, then closed it again.

“Alright,” said Mikka, “We’ve all got our secrets. I know when to leave it be.” Her gaze turned fierce. “But you will tell me what happened to my old storage ring.”

Rin grimaced. “You’re not going to believe this, but Craven himself showed up and took it. He traded it out for something better.” He showed her the upgraded poison ring.

Her eyes flashed with fury. “I wasn’t born yesterday. You expect me to believe that?”

“No, I mean, yes, but—”

“Where’s. My. Ring? You sold it, didn’t you?”

The boy sighed. “Look, I’ll prove it.”

Essence flashed, and a hulking rhino stood beside them. It reared back in alarm, its eyes darting around in shock.

“It’s okay, girl, it’s okay.” Rin patted the rhino’s side to soothe her. As soon as the monster spotted Rin, it settled, as if everything became right again. “I told you it would be a bit of a shock, didn’t I?”

Mikka strode around the creature’s side, her gaze flustered but still amped with plenty of heat. “You have my attention.” She jerked her head at the beast. “What’s this?”

“Mikka, meet Rockie. Rockie, Mikka.”

The rhino snorted and bucked her head in Mikka’s direction as if she’d understood every word.

Mikka remained silent. Her left eyebrow rose.

“She’s the boss of the Windton dungeon,” said Rin, as if that explained everything. The seamstress folded her arms and increased the intensity of her glare, causing Rin to hastily elaborate. “I told you. Craven took your ring and upgraded mine to hold monsters. So, naturally, the first thing I did was … steal the dungeon boss.”

“You stole the—” Mikka’s jaw dropped open. She was so stunned it took several seconds for her to break free. “Well, she can’t stay here. She’ll crap all over the carpet.” She turned to the rhino who was backing away with evident fear.

I knew the rhino was smart.

“I suppose you’ll be wanting something to eat as well?” asked Mikka, her tone cold as ice.

Rockie hurriedly shook her head, but the tailor ignored her, stomping past Trixie to the kitchenette area with her hands thrown in the air. “First, a bonded ghost. Now a Thunder Rhino? ‘I stole the dungeon boss,’ he says, as if it’s perfectly normal!”

Rockie swung her enormous head around to see Rin giving her a weak smile. “She’s very nice once she warms up to you. Why, she hardly hates me at all, anymore. Right, Trix?”

“Sure, Rin. Sure.” The ghost tossed Rockie a wink.

Despite her complaining, Mikka whipped up a bucket of hot oats for Rockie. The rhino’s eyes almost busted out of her head when she tasted the first bite. She gobbled down the entire bucket as if her life depended on it.

“Bless her soul,” said Mikka, abandoning her grumpy facade. “It’s like she’s never tasted food before.”

“That might be true,” said Rin, fingering his chin. “Think about it. When monsters spawn in dungeons, they never have anything to eat. The ambient mana sustains them.” He pointed at the rhino who was only half-listening, its snout still buried in the bucket. “Outside the dungeon, she’ll need a lot of food to equal the same amount of energy.”

Mikka humphed. “Best get her back in your storage ring then. What goes in eventually comes out again.”

Rockie wolfed down the rest of her oats and Rin patted her side, making her vanish into his ring. “Thanks for the soup. If we hurry, we’ll be back before nightfall.”

Rin said his goodbyes, and Trixie turned invisible as they left the shop. He was halfway down the street when a man wearing a dapper velvet waistcoat waved him down, hurrying up to him.

“Master Cartwright—I found you!”

Bobby Corntassle

[CURSED] Level 5 Beggar

“Sorry, I didn’t recognize you!”

The beggar chuckled, his freshly trimmed beard gleaming with fresh oil. “To be fair, last time you saw me, I was wearing a tattered rag. What do you think of my new look?” He took a bow.

“Quite the improvement,” Rin beamed. “I love it.”

The man grabbed Rin’s hand and shook it eagerly. “And I have you to thank for it all. Thank you so much, Master Cartwright.” He lowered his voice. “And I found you some dungeon flowers.”

“What? Where?”

“I went around the Cursed refuge in the catacombs and asked every last soul if they’d seen any. I tracked down a few outside the city, here and there, and collected them for you.” The man unslung a bag from his shoulder and opened it wide. Inside were 12 glittering dungeon flowers.

That’ll bring my Charisma to 92. The Murder Chicken is level 94. It might just do it.

“Mister Corntassle, you’re a saint. How much do you want for these?”

The man shrank back, abashed. “You said that, but I honestly didn’t believe it. No one has any use for these. Everybody hates ‘em.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“The way I look at it, you spent your time and effort to collect them, so I should pay for that at the very least. Plus, only a Cursed such as yourself can handle these flowers without dying from the poison. It’s a specialized task few people can do without risking their life. That should bring the price up substantially, don’t you think?”

The man bobbed his mouth open and closed like a goldfish, unable to dispute Rin’s argument. “Yes, but I didn’t do it for the money. I just wanted to say thanks.”

“Ugh, an honorable motive, too? I’ll add that to the equation. This is going to cost a fortune. You drive a hard bargain, Mister Corntassle. I can offer a single gold for the lot.”

“Another g-gold?” asked the man in disbelief.

“Another gold? Alright, two gold then, but that’s my final offer.” Rin grabbed the bag, forced two coins into the hands of a near-catatonic Bobby Corntassle, then took off at a brisk stride. “And don’t spend it all on yourself this time!” he hollered over his shoulder.

That was fun.

After a quick stop at a farm merchant to buy chicken feed, Rin headed outside the city to transmute unobserved.

Look out, Cursed Temple. I’ve a hankering for chicken of the most deadly kind.

***

According to Horace, it took ten hours to reach Dead Man’s Barrow on foot. Rin made it in two, blazing along as a wind fairy with Trixie flying beside him. They traversed the entrance tunnel without fanfare to appraise the circular chamber of statues and penned monsters. It looked the same as he’d left it several weeks prior, the serene pool of water still fed by a burbling trickle from Craven’s palm.

With the unexpected bounty of flowers from the beggar, his Charisma had risen to the staggering height of 92, drawing the gaze of every creature in the room like a magnet. He decided he’d work on charming them all first, then head outside to do some last-minute training with their stats and abilities. First, he used Identify on them one by one to refresh his memory.

Level 32 Scout of the Undead (Death Type)

Level 49 Shadow Weaver (Steel Type)

Level 65 Banshee (Sound Type)

Level 79 Fireburst Palomino (Fire Type)

Level 88 Giant Southern Skink (Ash Type)

Level 94 Murder Chicken (Lightning Type)

Cracking his knuckles, he strode forward to do the rounds, hesitating in front of the Banshee. The fact it was a Sound type was surprising since its appearance was clearly more of a Death type. Put simply, the monster was terrifying, a ghoulish phantom of nightmares. He didn’t dare approach any closer unless he absolutely had to. Fortunately, his high Charisma made up for the distance even from a dozen feet away, and he received the notification he wanted.

You have charmed a Level 65 Banshee (Sound Type)

Duration: 5 minutes

Whew, that’s a relief. I bet the duration would be higher if I were closer, but I don’t care one bit!

The level 79 Palomino was next, and he was instantly drawn to stroke its luxurious mane, as he had done before. The majestic horse relished his ministrations, stomping proudly and bucking its head. Each clomp of its hooves summoned a flash of yellow fire and zephyrs of live embers that spiraled into the air. The effect cast mesmerizing shadows on the cavern walls: whirling black flecks on a backdrop of writhing orange.

The notification came swiftly.

You have charmed a Level 79 Fireburst Palomino (Fire Type)

Duration: 15 minutes

Fifteen minutes! I guess he likes me.

Charming the Giant Skink was more difficult. The radiant heat from its skin was scalding and he couldn’t get near enough to pet it. He tried tossing it some of the chicken feed he’d brought. It hissed when he accidentally bopped some against its head. The boy leaped back in alarm having flashbacks of his fight against the Dirt Stomper. In the end, he won it over by draping his Fire Sleeves across its body and gently pulsing mana into the effect.

You have charmed a Level 88 Giant Southern Skin (Ash Type)

Duration: 1 minute

Only one minute? I’m cutting it close.

With a trembling hand outstretched and overflowing with feed, Rin stepped into the pen and inched toward the Murder Chicken. He shouldn’t have felt so nervous with his Charisma only two points behind the monster’s level. But something about its penetrating beady eyes gave him the willies. There was no doubt in the boy’s mind: This thing would happily peck his eyes out if he made any undesirable moves. Rin reached a spot two feet from the bird and carefully tossed the feed to the floor.

The chicken pecked. It pecked some more. Nothing happened. Its dead-eyed stare taunted him as if asking, “Is that all you’ve got?”

Rin revealed a handful of mealworm and crickets next, a combination that the Strathburn farm merchant had assured him would be a guaranteed success. The chicken was delighted, pecking away eagerly at the floor.

It wasn’t enough.

The boy went in slowly with outstretched fingers, attempting to pet its back. It nipped him, removing a tiny chunk of flesh in the process, causing Rin to yelp and retreat. He sucked on his finger with a sour face.

Murderous little bastard.

Next, he tried extending a cloak conjured from the skin of a Shock Eel, a material known to complement lightning abilities. The chicken deigned the garment unworthy of attention, giving it a passing glance before resuming its inspection of a particularly fat mealworm. Rin tried a material called Feathers of the Ladyship next. It possessed no magical qualities whatsoever, only a luxurious softness, feathery to the touch, one that nobility often commissioned for their undergarments.

The chicken snubbed it with its beak upturned.

On a whim, Rin gestured over his storage ring, and Rockie appeared at his side. The rhino was once again slightly alarmed, its snout still buried in the bucket of oats. Rin pulled off the bucket and gave her head a good scratch while she stared around at the other occupants of the temple with undisguised curiosity.

When Rockie’s horn crackled with lightning, as it was apt to do occasionally, the Murder Chicken locked its beady gaze onto the thing, transfixed. It flew to the rhino’s back for a better look, strutting about and settling on Rockie’s head with its rear plopped down. The rhino endured the act with shocking grace, not appearing to mind the strange monster in the least. Perhaps oddest of all, this was the act that led to the notification.

You have charmed a Level 94 Murder Chicken (Lightning Type)

Duration: 1 minute

Finally! Now, to test their abilities outside.

He was half a step out of the room when he froze and turned slowly.

I’ve got the storage. Why don’t I use it?

One by one, he went around the monsters, storing them in his ring with a mere tap. When he came to the throbbing ashen skin of the skink, the tap was light indeed, and yet he was still burned. He took a cursory glance around each of the monster’s pens in case there were items they might require. Strangely, none of the pens contained anything of substance, other than a few rocks and plants that served purely decorative purposes. Satisfied he had everything he needed, Rin left the chamber behind, eager to get topside to test his new toys. His list of available creatures was becoming ridiculous. Every time he peeked at the list in its entirety, he knew he’d never have time to master them all.

Available Creatures:

Level 1 Swamp Mosquito (Stealth Type)

Level 4 Ratback (Stone Type)

Level 4 Lesser Cave Wriggler (Stone Type)

Level 5 Greater Cave Wriggler (Stone Type)

Level 5 Quad Bat (Stone Type)

Level 6 Turtletan (Stone Type)

Level 7 Lemur (Stone Type)

Level 11 Lesser Trundler (Water Type)

Level 15 Dirt Ball (Earth Type)

Level 16 Mud Monster (Earth Type)

Level 17 Fangfish (Earth Type)

Level 20 Wall Grub (Earth Type)

Level 22 Bog Squirrel (Earth Type)

Level 24 Whirling Stick Devil (Wood Type)

Level 25 Dungeon Digger (Earth Type)

Level 32 Scout of the Undead (Death Type)

Level 32 Wind Fairy (Wind Type)

Level 33 Vortex Warrior (Wind Type)

Level 34 Bladed Zephyr (Wind Type)

Level 35 Thunder Rhino (Wind-Lightning Combo Type)

Level 49 Shadow Weaver (Steel Type)

Level 65 Banshee (Sound Type)

Level 79 Fireburst Palomino (Fire Type)

Level 88 Giant Southern Skink (Ash Type)

Level 94 Murder Chicken (Lightning Type)