Sara’s explanation made Kaden want to pull his hair out. They were near level twenty five, which would be the second tier of skills and abilities. And it would require second tier weapons, armor. The Gear Grind was back.
Except that in Kaden’s opinion, it wasn’t. “What did we get for the spear, manacles, pollen, all that?”
“Some was a trade. Eve gets continual training in Lunar spells, you can train with Rangers or Tamers, I’ll continue to take archery. It’s good business even if it’s not coins,” Sara said.
“Relationships. If you reach level 100, relationships are currency when you live hundreds of years.” Eve mused as she cut into the cake and handed everyone but Ashi a slice. “Sorry, Kaden said you don’t each chocolate in Vichor.”
“We do not have chocolate. I eat it. I will eat mine. I will eat yours. I will eat Kaden’s.” Ashi helped herself to a piece. “I do not have this ‘grind.’ I am a Poly Mage, I am my equipment. Kaden, too, is better armed than a Centurion.”
“I’m not.” Sara spoke it plainly. “As Party Leader, I have a responsibility to support you, not drag you down—”
“Would you please cut that shit out?” Eve said, then covered her mouth. “Apologies. What I mean is that your expectation of ‘Party Leader’ knows everything about unknown mobs before they’re even identified or ‘Party Leader sees every ambush before it happens.” Eve waved her hands. “It’s frustrating. I miss a pull and bring half a dozen monsters down on the group, you say it’s ok. Trellla chooses to hunt a Demon even when I’m [Demon Chow], that’s fine. Kaden exists and you get along with it. All of this is fine, but you have to be perfect?”
“That’s not what I meant,” Sara said. “Melee equipment is very expensive. We could have fixed the Holding fifty times over for what proper swords and armor for the second tier will cost.”
“What did we get gold-wise?” Kaden asked, noting the question hadn’t been answered.
“Five thousand gold for Asmodius’s spear. A thousand for the manacles. You’re not listening,” Sara said, trying to get his attention. “At some point you’ll replace Remembrance.”
“Not likely. It was a [Legendary] weapon, and I have a [Mythic] weapon, the Levicon Blade. And the bow and quiver Viktor gave me. I’m set. Eve?”
“I can’t wear armor, but I can use wands and crystals. They’re expensive. Probably more expensive that Sara’s.”
“How much?” Kaden looked to Sara and Eve.
“Three thousand gold. We can buy the armor piecemeal, that’s what most Adventurers do—” Sara cut off as Kaden put his arm around her.
“You know, I really think for a super smart person, you’re acting dumb. There’s always more XP If you live another day. There’s always more gold, if you live another day.”
“Mine are two thousand,” Eve said. “Two years ago you couldn’t afford fifty gold to fix this house. You really think it’s being dumb to conserve coins now?”
Ashi answered before he could. “Yes. It is ‘dumb’ to value gold over life, gold over experience. All of this is as you said, ‘dumb.’ Your Tier Two equipment will go with you for years if not decades. Sometimes centuries.”
“Buy it. You said the decision was mine. I decided. Done.”
Sara sat there, blank faced. “Why do you do things like this?”
“Eventually you’ll stop asking that,” Eve said. “I know I got a lot happier when I ditched that question. I’ll take it. I’ve got some gold but I’m buying a [Blood Moon Staff]. It’ll make [Moon Strike] that much more powerful and work with my heals. We’ll all be that much more deadly if I can keep your insides inside.”
The purchase could be arranged by Messenger Bird, though pickup would be in person. “Get it done. Sara, you too. Tonight we rest. Tomorrow, we hunt.”
He looked down to find Ashi had stolen his cake.
###
Trinity came back at dawn, missing her tail and the serpentine head. The armored head dragged on the ground, not moving, and gashes covered her from head to toe. And with her, she brought an unconscious [Bearzerker] which she dragged through the front door and into the living room.
On the positive side, the day could not get worse, and after an hour of struggle, his dungeon digested the [Bearzerker]. It counted as a normal [Entity Seed], which Kaden, Sara, and Ashi agreed was simply wrong. There were loopholes in the System that should not be exploited.
“If you gave in to desire, how many could you spawn?” Ashi asked.
“Fifteen,” Kaden said. “Plus four if I cancel the TriTerror. Even four would wipe every team out there. If I hid it until after the door locked—”
“Do. Not.” Ashi put a hand on each side of his face and pulled it down to look at her. “Even if it is legal, it is not right. I will tell Mother immediately. She is closer to Ascension. She will petition ADMINISTRATORS.”
It was such a cool glitch. What he wouldn’t give to see a team of six adventurers step inside and…He wasn’t sure where the feeling came from, the sheer glee at the thought of unleashing an army of [Bearzerkers.] “I think I need to eat. I feel like I’m going to kill someone if I don’t.”
Ashi muttered in Vichorean.
“That’s not what’s wrong. Ask Sara.” Kaden left the Dungeon and pulled Trinity into his Soul. How the hell had the TriTerror outlasted a beast with no upper bounds? Or had she moved in after a battle? Regardless, she was brilliant.
Eve wasn’t up, and Kaden set to cooking.
“Mom says the first team will start momentarily. Level fifteen only today, we don’t want a total wipe on the first run.” Sara waited at the door.
The back door opened and Ashi stepped through. “Listen to me. The first run will be hard. There is it and there is you. You are the Dungeon Master, it is only a Core. No matter what you feel—”
Kaden didn’t know what else she said, as lightning shot down his spine and pure unadulterated rage took over. [Moment of Speed] triggered without him even thinking, and [Split Second] followed as Sara lunged for him.
Hurting Sara or Ashi would be like cutting his own hand off, but the desire to reach the Dungeon, to clear it out, to destroy—He formed a portal without thinking. No more one spell at a time, and he knew the island in Echo lake like he knew his own body.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“No!” Ashi shouted. His portal ripped apart as she formed one over it. “You will not let it take control. Sara!”
He activated [Moment of Speed].
Never before had Kaden dodged lightning.
He didn’t today, either.
It struck him from behind, throwing him across the kitchen and down the stairs into the basement. Eclipse yowled in terror as he crashed to the ground. Flashes of light hit him as Adventurers used spells and skills. And his monsters—the Dungeon’s monsters began to die, falling to the onslaught.
Every cut.
Every blow.
Every burn might as well have been his own skin.
A thousand pounds sat on his back, or maybe one of the scorpions had been [Shield Bashed].
“Breathe,” Sara whispered. “Just breathe.”
The minutes crawled by, then ran backwards, each longer and longer than the one before. Every death took longer. And the TriTerror attacked! She caught an unlucky [Thief] who was in Stealth when the monkey spawn stumbled into him.
He was dead before his party could even attack, and the son of a bitch deserved it. They all deserved it. Was the TriTerror screaming, or was it him? [Moment of Speed], [Split Second] didn’t help. They activated and left him still in the dark, still immobile. Ashi spoke, or maybe he imagined they did. Maybe her mother did, words that echoed in his soul.
You have received a rank-up bonus.
You have gained experience.
You have gained a level.
SECOND TIER MODIFICATIONS COMMENCING…
Analysis of choices yields conclusions. Class Strategy - MELEE.
HP MULTIPLIER SELECTED: 4x
MANA MULITPLIER DEFAULTED: 2x
CONSTITUTION STAT IS NOT DEFAULT - 4x MULTIPLIER
LUCK STAT IS NOT DEFAULT - 2x MULTIPLIER
Tier Two Skill Selection Commencing.
Valid Paths ([Beast Soul],[Beast Form])
Unavailable Paths: ([Beast Leader])
You have gained a skill.
[Beast Empathy], [Beast Speech], [Beast Heart] have combined to form [Beast Soul]
[Beast Soul]
Your soul resonates with that of Beasts. Their feelings and thoughts are yours, as are their skills and talents. You may choose which skills and talents you acquire. The number of skills and talents will increase as your skill level does.
SKILL UPGRADE TO TIER TWO IN PROGRESS…
SKILLS ARE NOW TIER 2.
TALENTS ARE UNAFFECTED
You have completed a hidden quest: (Sole Survivor).
You have recieved a [Boon]
Soul Survivor - Make it to level twenty five as the only one of your class and somehow acquire a tier two skill. Reward: Epic Title
[Sole Survivor]
You’re the only one of your kind, and it just got a lot harder to make your class extinct. When you are alone, your damage resistances increase.
BOON REPLACES TALENT. YOU DO NOT RECEIVE A TALENT.
FOLLOW YOUR DESTINY.
Kaden gasped for air. His ears were filled with a high pitched whine, and a soft purple glow lit the darkness. Ashi felt of his cheeks. “Get off him. It is done. It will not be so bad next time.”
The change was overwhelming.
And every skill had reset to level one of the second tier. Instinctively, he realized that even level one of a second tier was more powerful than level ten of the same tier one skill. Any new skills would be more powerful too. And his health had expanded so far he couldn’t help laughing.
[Kaden Birch]
Class: Beast Master
Profession: Dungeon Master
Level: 25
HP: (1600/1600)
Mana: (300/300)
Skills: BackSlash (2:1), BackSmash (2:1), Blunt Weapons (2:1), Brutal Blows (2:1), Building (2:1), Cooking (2:1), Crippling Strikes (2:1), Edged Weapons(2:1), Field Harvest (2:1), Identify (2:1), Lumberjack (2:1), Mana Dart (2:1), Mana Drain (2:1), Mana Spike (2:1), Mana Well (2:1), Multispeak (*), Reap Materials (2:1), Resist Amnesia (2:1), Resist Blindness (2:1), Resist Cold (2:1), Resist Fear (2:1), Resist Fire (2:1), Resist Hallucination (2:1), Resist Mental Attacks (2:1), Resist Status Effects (2:1), Resist Stun (2:1), Resist Paralytics (2:1), Resist Poison (2:1), Resist Suffocation (2:1), Shieldwork (2:1), Shield Smash (2:1), Split Second (2:1), Stealth (2:1), Thrown Weapons(2:1), Traps (2:1), War Hammer (2:1), Wood Carving (2:1)
Hidden Skills: Beast-Soul (Legendary, 1), Beast Knowledge (Epic, 4), Beast Taming (Epic, 1)
Talents: Hard to Kill, Last Man Standing, Vigorous
Quests: The Weight of Memories.
Titles: Leader of the Pack, Master of the House, Guardian of Life, Planes Wielder, Planes Guardian, Haunted by Demons, Planes Hunter, Planes Breaker, Sole Survivor
Inventory Slots: 60
Taming Slots: [0/3]
As he rose, he felt taller. Heavier. The point of Constitution he’d put in had been multiplied by four, and now if he were cut, it wouldn’t cut as deep. Sara had always been shorter than him by a few inches. Now her forhead touched his chin. His custom armor had adapted to fit as well.
Kaden felt the bond to Trinity and instinctively swapped [Acidic Drool] for [MultiTasker]. Rocky had several abilities but without a bone tail or multiple stomachs he couldn’t select them. And Vip’s skills were almost useless because Kaden wasn’t a dog, but he accepted [Acrobatic]. When he drew [Remembrance of Battle], it felt heavier in his hands.
Not like he’d grown weaker, but more like the hammer was free to unleash more of itself. And his first thought was so pleasing. “If she does track me down, Naski is in so much trouble.”
“Let us see the wound,” Ashi said.
“Is he dead?” Eve called from upstairs. “If so, I call the master bedroom. Vip and I need space.”
Kaden couldn’t leave.
The preservation chamber was right there. Trella wasn’t. This was only her body, without her soul inhabiting it. “We’ll get you here, I promise,” Kaden said. Then he headed up the stairs. “Not dead, the bedroom is still mine, and I finally understand why Dad’s bed was so large.”
Eve stared. “What’s it like?”
Kaden couldn’t explain. “It’s like I’m more of what I was.” When Sara and Ashi joined him, he shared the system logs. “All my skills are now second tier, level one, except my Beast ones. And I can choose what skills I get from tamed or bonded creatures. Which reminds me.”
He activated the [FalCrow] as a Messenger Bird, and focused on it. Most of its skills weren’t available, but [Mana Channel] was, so Kaden selected it.
[Mana Channel]
Act as a conduit for spell casting. Any spells cast by the Mage will be centered on your location.
Kaden looked to Ashi and shared the log. “Does this mean what I think it means?”
“We will test. But yes, it does. The [FalCrow] was meant to be a weapon for Jagi. Now it is our weapon, and tonight, we will use it. Now, show me the Demon Wound.” Ashi helped him remove his armor.
The metal ribs, which had been clamped on top of his skin, were now buried in it half an inch of scar tissue. The wound edges had turned a pale, scarred white, and the skin was leathery. Ashi ran her fingers along the edges. “Can you feel this?”
“I can feel when you touch it. That tickles.” He couldn’t help wriggling.
Ashi poked with a fingernail. “What of the mana socket?”
“No idea.”
Eve crossed her arms, studying Kaden. “You have me looking forward to twenty five. Except I sincerely hope I don’t gain a hundred pounds and grow four inches.”
“Same.” Sara’s Horror extended a pseudopod, which gently nipped at his arm. The gouges barely bled, his health only dropped by a hundred, and almost immediately began to tick upward. “That’s amazing.”
So much made sense now. “Remember when Mara’s party said they’d take us out and drag in some Night Spawns? How it felt impossible? I get it now. I could go hunting by myself if I was careful. Which of you is closest to twenty five?”
Eve raised her hand. “Killing those adventurers was a powerful boost. Why all Assassins aren’t Centurions is beyond me.”
“I understand it,” Kaden said. “Early gains are probably very quick. But eventually you get here. Or fifty. Or seventy five. And the only valid prey is other people like me. I’m not a [Shield] and I’m more durable. Eventually, even the best get unlucky.”
“I’m surprised any make it to Centurion if they don’t have a Party,” Sara said.
Ashi’s grin was contagious. “You were told, no? That second tier was no accomplishment for any Dungeon Master? Now you will be able to handle Erratic Dungeons we could not have before.”
Jagi hadn’t been that much stronger, but Ashi had warned him Jagi didn’t have levels, more abilities that scaled. Now there was no question, it would be a difficult fight but one he could win.
And he knew what his next goal would be. “Tonight, I want to go back to the Grove. I want to go back to Hell. I want to find Naski and end her. She’s only two levels higher now.”
Once it was near unthinkable. Now he regarded her as good hunting. Soon, good riddance.