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After resting to regenerate his Mana, doubling down with a potion, Rowan stepped into the third dungeon. It was a pirate city, with the sea nearby, houses linked between them with rope bridges, and ships. He advanced and released Cold Breeze to scan the area. Moments later, the bridge he was standing on was blown to pieces. Fortunately for Rowan, he detected the incoming missiles in time and entered the Space.
These are Cora’s pals, better avoid killing them… Shit, I should have asked those two zombies if there are Rezz facilities around.
There were a lot of Nekojin hiding in trees or up on masts, with some heavy caliber blasters. He flew up and released a second flying drone that released Cora’s alternative message as soon as it exited the Space.
“Papa, Mama, fellows, it’s me, Cora. I’m alive, and I built a base on Earth. Please don’t shoot, the guy you see is my husband.”
“Let’s talk it through,” Rowan yelled, amplifying his voice with a whiff of the Cold Breeze to get it out of the in-between. “No one has to die here.”
“You have to die, bastard. You stole my fiancée and want to live?” The Nekojin who had shouted, shaking his fist in the air, fell from the mast he was clinging to, spurting blood from his slit throat. After crashing on the ship’s deck, his body disappeared.
“Engagement dissolved. Surrender or die. Do you have Rezz pods or something?” Rowan landed behind the group on the deck, the tentacles of his weapon trashing the air, ready to strike.
“Y-yes,” a Nekojin male stuttered, throwing his weapon down, followed by his fellows. “The s-sentients inside the d-dungeon can be Rezzed.”
"Elementals too?"
"Y-yes…"
"Geez, hope those dumbfucks will be able to find their way out. Anyway…” Keeping his eyes on them, Rowan unleashed two conical Snowstorms. The sea froze, the ships broke, and half the town got obliterated, killing a lot of Cat Folks in the process. How many, he couldn't know because the combat notifications were turned OFF, to allow him more speed in combat.
“That’s for kicking out my undead pals!" Rowan shouted. "Whoever survived, get on the beach, hands up. If I don’t see the Clear notification immediately, I’ll kill everybody.” His command was met with an announcement:
You have cleared the third floor of the Cluster Dungeon, Pirate Nest, by killing 40/50 members of the Makeshift Pirate Crew and making the rest surrender. You can claim the core once you clear the Lair.
“Stay here until I come for you,” he ordered.
"Sir, what about—"
Ignoring their questions, he called back the drone and took flight. The next portal was in the air; a mast had been nearby, but he had sunk that ship. Expecting to be attacked as soon he went through, he summoned his Elemental Shield.
In seconds, a hail of bullets, laser beams, and blaster projectiles were thrown at him and he had to enter the Space. Behind a huge desk, now overturned on the floor as a barricade together with haphazardly thrown chairs, two Nekojins adults—a man and a woman—and three kids, armed to the teeth.
Going into the Space, Rowan pushed out the drone again. Cora’s message started to play in a loop while the Nekojins talked vividly among themselves. Reappearing at the same spot, hands up, he yelled out: “Don’t shoot!”
“Who are you?” the male Nekojin shouted.
“You've heard the message. I’m Rowan, Cora’s husband.”
“What husband?" the man yelled so forcefully that droplets of spit ejected out of his mouth, almost reaching Rowan. "My daughter’s bespoken to an Int boy since she was twelve,”
“Ew, that’s gross…” Rowan grimaced. “Yeah, I’ve met the guy… he’s Rezzing now. Can we talk? I’d rather do this peacefully.”
“Don’t make any sudden moves,” the man menaced, keeping his weapon in hand but lowering the barrel.
Rowan dismissed his armor. Beneath, he was dressed to impress, in an elegant two-piece tailored in Rome. “Hi. I’m Rowan Allinder.”
“He must be that powerful wizard the Necromancer warned us about,” the woman said. “I’m Lady Shefrowns, Captain of the Traipenent, and that’s my husband, Engineer Heroars, and our kids, Cora’s younger siblings. Pest one, pest two, and pest three.”
“Mom!” all the little Nekojin yelled together, balling their fists.
“Tom Hepurrs, Milly Shescowls, Billie Shesniffs. Now tell us everything,” the woman gestured toward the barricade, inviting him to sit down.
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Half an hour later, after the table and the chair had been rearranged to their proper position, the story had been told. What Rowan had feared happened. Mister Heroars was a typical father-in-law: stubborn and possessive.
“I want Cora to have a divorce. I won’t allow her to be the third wife of a monkey,” Heroars roared again.
“Honey, but he saved her life,” Shefrowns pleaded. “And the story is so romantic. And look at him, so handsome and elegant…”
“Yeah…” Cora’s two little sisters sighed, clenching their hands to the chest and looking upward.
“Just to make things clear, Sir,” Rowan said through his clenched teeth, “this monkey is Count of Cora County, Thane of The Swarthy Elves, Prince of Bourbon Borough, Suzerain of Rome, and Honorary Godfather of Calveor. Even Cora’s ex didn’t call me a monkey.”
“Yeah, because he’s a snowflake, like all your generation. Monkey.”
“For the Swarthy Elves, being called snowflake is a compliment. Never mind, we have bigger problems… You do realize the Necromancer lied to you, right?”
“He did tell us the Traipenent had vanished. We assumed it was reclaimed by the Insurance Company,” Lady Shefrowns said. “We thought Cora was safe, but we were left behind.”
“That's not it. He spied around for months. I named our County after Cora, and she’s a public person. He. Lied. To. You.”
“He lied? So what? Maybe to spare my old heart the disappointment. You’ll divorce Cora or I’ll mop the floors with you,” the Engineer persisted. He was hissing and spitting as he yelled, and Rowan groaned, wiping his face with a handkerchief.
Quest: Your father-in-law can’t be reasoned with. Clear the Lair by winning a non-lethal duel with Engineer Heroars. Secondary quest: Win or lose reputation level with your father-in-law by fighting with honor or dirty. Hidden rewards.
Rowan sighed and shrugged. He felt in his heart that kind of confrontation was inevitable anyway. “Very well, Roary, you want a piece of me, I’ll give you one. I’m on a tight schedule here. How do you want to do this… Gah!”
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
A jab to the chin had sent Rowan on the floor. The male Nekojin jumped over Rowan, starting to hit him in the head with his fists. Sensorial Filtering turned itself ON, taking out the pain. He could listen to the conversation like a radio, in the faraway, his ears still buzzing from the first hit.
“Stop this nonsense, for goodness sake,” Cora’s mother yelled.
“Go, Rowan! Hit him in the balls,” Cora’s brother shouted.
“Traitor!” Heroars roared, keeping at hitting Rowan.
“What? Cora’s always helping me with my homework. You two were throwing us in the learning dungeon for days. Go, Rowan!”
Enough was enough. Rowan grabbed the man’s head between his hands, headbutted the Nekojin, and rolled off, freeing himself. He decided to fight dirty. After all, he knew the man’s type, so it was better to draw his line in the sand. Kicking the dazed Nekojin’s balls, as suggested, was a first step, but when Heroars fell on his knees, he continued with a stomp on the tail, breaking it. Wailing, the man went down. “My tail…”
“Now, I’ll tell you a story. Are you listening?” Rowan pulled the Engineer up by his lapels, shaking him. “Look at me, or I so swear I'll cut your tail for good. I had a girlfriend when I was twenty. Wonderful girl. For a full year, we abstained from sex, because she was religious, and I really loved her. Took a lot of will… a lot… A month before our marriage, her father lied that I slapped him, while drunk. Total BS. But she believes him, and we’re history. Now, if you ever think you can pull some sort of shit on me, I’ll kill you, but only after I’ll break every bone in your body. Do we understand each other?” Rowan sent another headbutt to the limp man’s face when his voice rose on the question mark.
“I y-yield…”
“Do we understand each other?” Rowan raised his tone.
“Yes,” the Nekojin yelled.
“Yes, who?” Rowan accompanied his question with a knee in the testicles, to remind the Engineer who won the match.
“Y-yes… s-sir.”
“Yes, Count Allinder.”
“Y-yes, C-count A-Allinder.”
“Good, see? We can be best pals," Rowan patted the man's cheek. "But you’ll be polite, call before visiting, and don’t you dare tell us how to raise our kid, or else… well… you will slowly fill the dotted line when you’ll know me better.” Rowan released the man. “Know that I can freeze your brain just by staring at you. Don’t you faint on me! I need the cores.”
“C-cora’s pregnant?” Lady Shefrowns gasped.
“Yes. And I’m happy about it.”
“Son!” the woman rushed to hug him. “You made me the happiest cat-folk alive.”
“Yey! We’ll be uncles!” Cora’s brother and sisters cheered.
You have cleared the final dungeon from the Cluster Dungeon: The Mad Engineer’s Lair. + 1SkP You have completed the secret quest: Show him who’s the Boss. +1 SkP. The consequences of choosing the 'be tough' path will reveal themselves in time. The Dungeon can be exited through the previously cleared floors.
“I sent a… few people to the Rezz dimension, how long will it take?” Rowan inquired.
“An hour at the most,” the Engineer said, wobbling, trying to get back on his feet and finally succeeded with the help of his wife, while his kids pulled their tongues at him and cheered again about getting out of the dungeon and being uncles.
“Then start talking," Rowan commanded. "I need to know everything that is to be known about this Necromancer.”
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An hour and a half later, after sending the Rezzed Elementals on their way, checking on the two undead scouts, and arranging that the Nekojin group was also lodged at the hotel, Rowan bought a sandwich and a beer from the all-day bar and sat at a table, for a quick brunch. The view outside was spectacular.
"Do you mind if I join?" the Warlord appeared nearby, a beer in hand himself.
"Here comes the stalker again,” Rowan sighed. “OK, fine, sit. Now that you're here, tell me, you’re like tier S on this Mythical thing?”
“No, I’m a tier F Divine. On purpose. Any higher and I will have to go to that boring place where my friends are. Have you chosen a secondary class yet? I can’t Inspect you anymore, since you’re an evolved mythical. The default settings are good, keep them.”
“Since you asked, yes, I’ve chosen my secondary class," Rowan nodded.
"Tell me, tell me," the Warlord clapped his hands like a kid.
"Don't do that, you look like a psycho. I had several choices, and in the end, I spent two Skill Points and went for Bourbon Master Distiller… Hey, not cool!” Rowan exclaimed, protecting his face with his elbow. The Warlord had choked on his beer, spraying it all over. “What? Not everybody is obsessed with war, like you.”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… good luck following your dreams, and may you use more your secondary job than your main,” the Warlord raised the bottle.
“Amen,” Rowan clinked beer with the Warlord.
“Do you mind showing me your Perks?” the living Dungeon asked.
“Why not,” Rowan shrugged, waving his hand in the air to share his Character Menu. “So, did I choose wrong?” he asked after a minute.
“Just a few more lines to read… Wow… Even with a crafting class as secondary, you can punch a tier or two above your status… Basically, the Intelligence fourth Perk is giving you seven more Perks… If you synergize it with the Space Perk from Will, it can be quite useful.”
“It looks so,” Rowan nodded, nonplussed, raising his bottle for another clink.
The Warlord raised a finger in the air. “A piece of free advice: don’t think you’re invulnerable because of the Space. I can think of a couple of tyrants that… well, everybody has to sleep or eat, right? If everybody hates you…”
“I know. I’m not that kind of guy.”
“Indeed, you aren't," The Warlord nodded, adding a pat on Rowan's back. "Have you thought about what you want to buy with your skill points yet?”
“Geez… I don’t know," Rowan sighed, sagging his shoulders. "There are too many choices and so few Skill Points… I think I’ll wait. I was curious about that cold beam you used… Is it good?”
“Beams are powerful single-target perks. Single shots, if done right. I have all of them. Why don’t you go for a fire beam for starters? It's long-range and has a terrific DOT. Then spend Skill Points to choose your third Aspect, experiment with it, and decide later for the rest?”
“I’ll think about it. The one perk I wanted, and didn’t find, is the immunity to Necromancy.”
“Constitution fourth threshold inherent passive. It’ll have to wait. Use a priest for now.”
“If it's a must,” Rowan grimaced. "I'm not big on religion. Anyway. I've asked my parents-in-law about the Necromancer… they don't know much, and what they know might be a lie. He deceived them a lot.
"What is sure is that he can stay in the Space for longer than I and some of his skills work in there."
“Problematic…" The Warlord mirrored Rowan's grimace. "If his DOTs can work in the in-between, or he brings undead… Have you considered giving him what he wants? You could buy a perk giving your shuttles interstellar travel and give him one. I’ll tell you a secret: Sometimes, avoiding fights is a win.”
“It did cross my mind…” Rowan nodded, staring at the other. “You still owe me a favor, right? Because your previous offer was shit. No offense, that’s how it was.”
“Yes, because you beat me to the Nerk, I’ll grant you a reward of your choice, within reason.”
“Amazing. Then answer me this. How can I get you and the System out of my back? I mean… OK, your challenges did help, but were annoying as hell. And the System allowed three takeover attempts on us. I bet it allows the Necromancer to make his move too. Tell me this, and I’ll clear your debt.”
“Moment,” the Warlord asked, signaling the server for another craft beer. “Make it two," he changed his mind, before turning back his attention to Rowan. "You'll have to ask for another prize,” the man made a stopping gesture at Rowan, to be able to continue, “because what you ask is trivial knowledge. I'll be off your back when you beat me three times. For now, the count is at two. You did it once in the Gate Challenge because I was sloppy, and did it again by beating me to the Neek—"
"That was a challenge?" Rowan spoke over him.
"Indirectly, but yes, because I was looking for the Neek Supreme too. About the System challenges, it's similar. When your Town reaches level one hundred, it becomes a full-fledged Fortress. No more tests, you can't go through its Border using the Space, it detects and teleports out enemies and weapons, and so on.”
“Oh… Cora might have mentioned it...”
“Unfortunately, if the incursion is on the way, the System won’t allow your Town to level until it’s over. Have you received a quest about the incursion yet?”
“No,” Rowan shook his head.
“It means there are still things in play and the System doesn’t know all the details.”
“It’s not fair,” Rowan complained, slamming his empty bottle on the table while beckoning the water for another beer. “Why did I get so much attention?”
“You had the most challenges, but that doesn't mean the rest were breezing, it's just you’re not aware of the whole picture. Now, just between us," the Warlord leaned forward, speaking in a low voice. "I didn’t see you moving troops moving around… You don’t want to let the Necromancer know you know, right?”
“Why spoil the surprise?" Rowan shrugged. "You’ll hang around anyway, right?”
“Sure.”
“So, you still owe me a favor?” the younger man looked the Warlord in the eyes.
“It is correct.”
“Then, the favor I’m asking is to challenge your dungeon, at a time of my choosing, today.”
The Warlord spat out more beer, coughing. “You want to fight the Necromancer in a PvP duel?”
“Maybe. Swear on the System you’re allowing me to lodge a challenge today, and we’re good.”
“Fine," the living Dungeon rolled his eyes. "I swear I’ll allow you to lodge a challenge in my Dungeon today.”
The Warlord has made a System-enforced Oath to allow Rowan Allinder the use of his dungeon later today. Penalty to fulfill his obligations will lead to his removal from this Universe and forced ascension to Tier E Divinity status.
“I have to warn you that such duels have to be accepted by both parties. There's no guarantee the Necromancer will agree,” the Warlord continued.
“Let me worry about that," Rowan waved his hand, then finished his beer in one go. "Can you forward me all your Dungeon's rules? I want to have a word with Cora about that.”
“Very well, message sent. Reply with the terms of your challenge, and as long they’re within the rules, I’ll make it happen.”
“Toodaloo,” Rowan saluted with two fingers and activated his teleport.