It was, anew, a red button, nothing less, nothing more. The alien pushed it, the door opened, and then she strode ahead, with a gracious gait, her feline aspect displaying in full. Of medium height, maybe an inch shorter than Grace, her waist was extremely waspy, the derriere full and firm, and round. The type that makes you wish to bite it. And that dancing furry tail was quite enticing in itself. But all that, Rowan reasoned with a strange detachment. There was nothing erotic there, just constating facts. He inspected her.

Name: Cora Shemeows. Age: 20. Species: Nekojin. Class: Engineer/Interfacer (Legendary), Level 100

Before she stepped into the cleared Wing one, he put a hand on his shoulder. “Moment.” She looked into his eyes, they had slits for pupils and the deepest blue color. “That thing… the Forcefield. If I take it down, will I level a lot or not?”

Cora shook her head. “No. It’s not a proper fight, the System will not award levels for that. But that damage reflection is a killer.”

“But with the Main Quest cleared, the Rezz is working, right?”

“True.”

“What’s the mechanic?”

“Multiplies the damage it receives by ten and throws it back, consuming its levels for that. It has to take energy from somewhere.”

“So now it’s level forty-five.”

“If you did five percent damage to its HP, yes.”

“Great. Would it help if we kill that forcefield before we leave the ship?”

She patted his cheek. Her fingernails were sharp, like claws, and shaped likewise too. “It will take too much time to get you back to health every time you hit it, Health Potions or not.”

“Just tell me, would be useful to kill it?”

“Yes, it would. The ship core is also a multidimensional storage unit. There are a lot of nice things inside.”

“Then let’s do it, and get two rabbits with the same stone.”

“How?”

“There are two more Wings intact, right? Twenty floors each, with residual monsters left behind?”

“Y-yeah.”

“I’ll open a few floors at a time, run back to the core, and dodge around until they hit it by accident. The monsters get destroyed, the floors get cleared, and we gain APs.”

“I gain Skill Points, APs don’t work for me anymore…”

She paused and began to laugh, her head leaned back. Her bosom was quite shapely. Somewhere at the higher C size. Again, those were plain facts. Rowan’s libido was detached from it.

“It’s the most crazy idea I’ve ever heard… but it could work… If we clear those two wings, we can also claim the ship for the County. The border will extend to include it and it will be transported into our Core’s storage.”

“Then let’s go for it. You go outside and wait for me.”

“I have a better solution. I’ll go back to the Bridge and open the Dungeons Lairs, on this side. It’s a shorter way. You stay in that hole, make some noises, and they’ll hear you and follow. Then you run and hide behind the core, and I project your image in front of the forcefield. That would do the trick.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Rowan pulled out his spear from the spatial inventory.

Cora Shemeows has invited you to form a party.

[Cora]: Party or team are words that mean the same thing.

[Rowan]: I just realized… Your voice… The one I heard in my head all this time… was your real voice.

[Cora]: Yes… Do you still like it?

[Rowan]: It’s… nice, yes.

[Cora]: OK, you go in the hole. I’ll open Wing 4 first. Boss Lair and a few more floors.

They both went on separate ways. When he reached his spot, he remembered something he wanted to ask.

[Rowan]: If there are six Wings, why are there only five dungeons?

[Cora]: The sixth wing was for the crew quarters and a Hotel.

[Rowan]: Makes sense.

[Cora]: Here we go. Be prepared.

[Rowan]: Whoa… they’re fast!

There was a loud noise of incoming rushing steps, so went inside the Engine room and ran toward the core. He barely had time to turn around the forcefield. A lot of creaking noises ensued, and an awful smell of burnt flesh.

Your party has slain: Werewolf, Boss, Level 40, and Two Packs of Dire Wolves, Lvl. 40. Wing 4 Floors 20-18 cleared. You have received 2 free APs. No XP gained.

[Cora]: Just stay there, they’ll still feel your mana scent. I’m opening five floors now.

He obliged, keeping his shotgun at the ready. Two minutes later, the creaking began again.

Your party has slain: Packs of Dire Wolves x5. Wing 4 Floors 17-13 are now clear. You have received 4 free APs. No XP gained.

[Cora]: You’re a genius.

[Rowan]: Nah, I learned from you. You’re the Queen of Exploits, after all.

[Cora]: I’ll take it as a compliment.

[Rowan]: It was a compliment.

[Cora]: I’ll open all the remaining floors. Why waste APs?

The incoming packs were so large that a few did feel the real Rowan, and he had to dodge, fight, run, and apply lots of cold and gravity, to survive. In the end, the Forcefield was down to thirty-five percent Health, but he was not much better, with forty, and his Mana all but depleted.

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Fuck, I forgot I don’t have my armor anymore, he looked at his scratched upper torso. Nor proper clothes, for that matter. At least I still have the pants.

[Cora]: Let’s take a break until you’re back to full health. Better to save the potions.

[Rowan]: Sure. I’ll come up.

[Cora]: Fine.

When he arrived at the Bridge, she was munching on a sort of ration bar and offered one to him too. “So, what’s the story, with the ship and all?” he asked, refusing the food with a gesture.

Cora’s face turned sad, and she tucked her head between her shoulders. “The Traipenent is… was one of a handful of spaceships able to deal with dungeons…”

“I know, you told me. I don’t get one thing, though. Why Entertainment? How does that go together with Penitentiary?”

“Not every criminal is violent. Imagine Dungeons like Casinos, or…” Cora blushed and paused.

“Brothels?”

“Awful, isn’t it? A couple of months ago, we were booked by a large group, for an Entertainment Corporate event. They specifically requested the highest-level brothel, run by one of the most notorious crooks in the Galaxy: Viscardi Blackswarm. It has a Vampire theme, and Vampire sexual workers are considered the best… because...” Cora’s face turned violet in color.

“Let me guess. Vampires like to suck.”

“Ew…” she squealed, covering her face. “Y-yes, and they have a natural Seduction perk. But it was a plot, the clients were mercenaries. Once in flight, they infiltrated the Engine Room and made a robot shot at the Core. They aimed so that the Protection Field replied with an energy beam toward the Brothel, to provoke a Dungeon Break. But the idiots breached the maximum security prison instead, releasing the Warlord, and also damaged the Ship's Core in the process.”

“Moment. Warlord? That sounds worrying. Who’s—”

“A very dangerous man. I don’t know much, there’s a lot of mystery surrounding him. His dungeon was so hazardous that only Special Forces used it, and they had to sign a discharge of obligation. People died for real in his dungeon, no matter the Ship’s Rezz Perk. Then, the mercenaries took another shot, and we had two dungeon breaks on our hands. Too much for the crew to handle…

“In the end, my parents pushed me into the Bridge, sealed the door, and activated the Emergency Protocol. That made the Ship exit Hyperspace near the closest inhabited planet detected, and teleported everything on Earth: Cores, monsters, and… everybody else… I … don’t think my folks survived, they would have come back for me. Then we crashed, and you know the rest. The System leaked on Earth, etcetera, etcetera.”

“Sorry for your loss,” Rowan said, then hesitated for a moment. “Can you use the Core to get back home? I mean… repair the ship, something? It would be only fair if you take it, you did so much to help us.”

“The ship was my only home, all my life,” she said deadpanned, looking into his eyes. “There nothing for me, up there, and the Ship Core is done. I’d rather stay and continue to help you… If you let me.”

“Of course. Consider yourself one of us,” Rowan patted her head, with a gesture now a reflex. “So, the most hardened criminals in the Galaxy roam freely on Earth as we speak?”

“Only a few: The Vampires, the Mercenaries, and the Warlord. The rest should be still imprisoned in the true dungeons’ cores.”

Rowan took his face into his hands, massaging it. “Never mind… that’s a trouble for another day. Let’s continue.”

“Are you sure? How high is your health?”

“Sixty percent. It will do.”

“OK… I’ll open the floors in a two, three, four, five, six sequence.”

“So fifteen APs, right?”

“Right. If I see you’re in trouble, I’ll jump into the fray.”

Returning to the break in the wall, Rowan activated the chat.

[Rowan]: Ready.

Moments later, something moved in the corridor. Closer than last time, because the Fifth Wing was nearer the passage. When he jumped back into the Engine Room, the Boss and two minions were already on him. It was a meaner version of the DireDeers, plus two similar but smaller minions. He ran around the Core. The ads got lured by the projection and were fried, but the boss was dead set on killing him.

“I don’t think so, big guy. This is personal.”

He turned toward the monster and thrust his spear at it, hitting an arm.

Elemental Forces: Cold and Gravity activated.

The Boss slowed down to a halt, frozen in place. Rowan retreated the spear, to aim for the heart next, but the monster exploded, torn into pieces. Behind him, Cora, with worry in his eyes, a cloud of buzzing debris floating around her.

You and Cora have slain DireDeer Boss, Level 50. You have leveled x4. +1 free AP gained. Cora has gained 1 Skill Point.

“Sorry I intervened, but I feared for you,” Cora said, letting the debris fall.

“It’s OK. I leveled. Is it bad?”

“It’s OK. We still have room to work on your build. Stay here, we go with the plan.”

Half an hour later, with the Wing cleared and the second Secondary objective completed, they stared together at the Forcefield. It was down to ten percent HP and ten levels but was still on.

“It’s because we killed the Boss ourselves,” Cora said. “I can’t hit it, I’ll be obliterated. Maybe you and Isla, tomorrow?”

“We’re close. Let’s hit it gently, and gob some healing potions.”

Cora scratched her head, grimacing. She continued scratching it for a while, making Rowan wonder if she had fleas. “I dunno… my tech skills are not on the gentle side… and if I hit it physically, my DPS is like none.”

“No problem, I’ll do it.”

“Take it easy, remember, it multiplies the damage by—”

“A factor of ten. I know.”

Rowan considered strategies for a while. Investing in CON? He decided against it. One Perk randomly chosen in the heat of battle was enough for a day. He took a boxing stance and tried to imbue his fists with Cold. The first hit rewarded him with a flare of fire.

You have inflicted 1% damage to Forcefield. Forcefield HP 9%, Lvl. 9. Your HP is at 43.5 percent.

He took another two swings then paused, and drank a Healing potion.

“H-how c-can you w-withstand that?” Cora stuttered. Rowan’s arms and torso were badly burnt.

“Ignoring pain is in my blood. I told you my mom died when I was a kid, and we landed on the streets because my biological father couldn’t cope with it. Drugs, stuff. Streets have lots of bad people. Bullies, thieves… At first, I learned to ignore pain just to get over the beatings, but then I realized that I could use my pain tolerance to hit back instead. I wasn’t the strongest, by far, but if you keep going and grab any weapon... One day, somebody tried to steal my food, and I picked a glass shard and almost gouged one of their eyes. I was six. At seven…”

“You killed someone?” Cora widened her eyes.

“No,” Rowan shook his head. “Papa Allinder, my mother’s uncle, adopted me. He paid for my dad’s rehab, but both decided I was better off with him. He had an antique shop and was quite well off. A year later, the Feds investigated him, suspecting he sold stolen art. Total bullshit, but that’s how the feds are. They interrogated me a few times, with a shrink present, of course. I managed to eavesdrop on their conversation. They were going to send me to some foster family for the duration of the investigation. So, one day, while the shrink was out for a pee, I slammed my head on the table and screamed. When the shrink came back, the fed was trying to restrain me, and there was blood all over. You see, the camera was broken, and I knew. Made the shrink believe the fed beat me for information, played well my role, then the charges against my father were dismissed… Hey, what do you know? How fast time passes… Let’s get it done.”

A few hits later, the notification came.

You have completed the Secondary Quest: Clear the Engine Room. You have gained 10 APs. Cora has gained 1 SP. Conditions met: The Ship and its storage can be claimed as loot by Randolph County.

For clearing the Quest Chain in one go, discovering a secret condition for gaining APs, and also a Secret Quest, you earned a special reward: Information.

You have displayed natural talent in applying Cold and Gravity damage and resisting Fire. Your Mana is now fully attuned to Cold, Gravity, and Fire. You have a high chance to develop combative Skills and Perks related to the first two, and defensive ones related to the latter.

You have displayed poor performance in resisting Poison and Venom and have applied them only through external weapons. You have a next to zero chance to be able to develop Venoms, Poisons, or Corruptions.

Your performance in applying Bleeds and Electricity was average. Use them as secondary damage but don’t build your build around them.

“Yes!” Cora jumped up, clapping her hands blissfully, making his mind land back into reality. “It’s still in one piece!”

“What is in one piece??”

“My armor. Behold.”

A metallic suit had appeared out of thin air, embracing Cora’s shapes. In no time, she looked like a robot.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” she bellowed through the costume’s speakers.