Kaden clung tight to the Drake as it plummeted downward, bursting through the cloud floor. BirchHome stood out in Verona, the Griffin’s tree a brilliant beacon of light. The enchantment made it impossible to see in, but shapes moved in the light, and below a dozen buildings twinkled with lamplight.
At his mental urge, the Drake landed in the wide open pathway beside Queen BrownBeak’s tree, which also served as administration for BirchHome. Kaden slid down from it, still shakey, and let [Beast Soul] send the adrenaline, the pure excitement to the Drake.
Which huffed. *Flying. Best.*
It was a combination of “Flying is the best and also I am the best at flying,” in the Drake’s mind. Kaden wouldn’t argue. He tossed a handfull of silver to the attendants. “Feed him, don’t cage him, he’s probably going to roost on the dome.”
“Do you have reservations?” One of them asked. His tone said he knew the answer.
“Don’t need them.” Kaden headed inside to leave a note for Mr. Keela, appologizing for the lack of warning. He left a second note for Mistress Scylla, and walked the short distance to the Councilor’s quarters.
Halfway there, Eve’s voice drew his attention, and Kaden pivoted—almost surprised as a Shadow took form and Trella stepped out. She threw back her hood and put her arms around him. “There’s ice in your hair. Where have you been?”
“Got a Drake, took a flight, also I can breath fire.” Kaden looked to the room. “What’s going on?”
“Mr. Birch!” A city couselor had spotted him. “Did you ignore your notice from the Council?”
The words he wanted to use were ‘What’ and ‘Summons’ but the panicked look on Eve’s face accompanied [Mind Speech] from Sara.
*Say yes. Tell them you were underground, dealing with invasive fire monsters. This is typical council garbage.*
Kaden swallowed his pride. “I was underground, starting a new invasive species of fire monster. Then I bought a [Drake] and got the ability to breath fire. Last time I did that, I killed six hundred gnomes. Do you need a problem?”
The councilor kept quiet a moment. “Evelyn Black is alligned with your party and since accepting her position as a minor councilor she’s done nothing. Not a single trade deal for Verona. The Council’s reason for existence is to improve the lives of the citizens who live here. At least S&K Holdings has made Verona known for the quality of their poisonous snakes.”
Sara had stealthily moved to the side and began gesturing, pleading for Eve to speak.
“Which is why I’ve don’t look at Kaden—I mean, which is why I’ve issued a Quest to S&K Holdings to negotiate a new…agreement? With the Xiao Empire? To sell something here in Verona.” Eve’s level of doubt rose with every line. Then she focused. “Of course, if they’re successful, we would expect the City to allow them to operate tax free.”
“Xiao goods,” The old man said. “That would bring caravans here to buy them to take places where people have more money! Well, in that case, we’ll be patient just a while longer.”
Ashi hadn’t spoke at all during the exchange. She sat with a bubble of water in her lap, petting the minuature octopus Levi-ling, but the moment the councilor left, she turned on Eve. “Why did you not speak of this?”
Eve blushed. “I’ve been traveling once a week, working with different cities. I’ve almost had agreements on four occasions. I ran out of time.”
“Ask for more,” Ashi said.
“I already did! Four times!” Eve pulled at her braid in frustration. “I am a competent healer, a skilled diplomat, and the idea that I can’t get a simple trade agreement—a minor trade agreement is so frustrating. And being on the City Council is important work.”
Ashi’s scoff wasn’t quiet. Or subtle.
“It is!” Eve said. “I was on the sewer committe. We put anti-ratman (or woman) grates on all the sewer entrances! Without an Adventurer to advise, the grates would have been standard. The sewers, infested.”
Sara stepped in before the sewage conversation could get heated, because nothing smelled worse than boiling sewage. “We were planning a trip back to Xiao anyway, in a few years. This will be faster. How long would it take to cut a tree to bring by wagon?”
Kaden shrugged. “A few days, but I need to know how long or how thick it needs to be. We should just cut down the trees and take them whole. We can saw them up on site.”
“We moved both ships west for the winter, after paying for patch jobs,” Sara said. “We’ll have to make a land-trip to make sure the lumber arrives but this was always on the plans. It’s just a different schedule.”
“Xiao is closer to the Iron Gear Empire,” Ashi said. “I must go there anyway for my spells.”
Kaden didn’t really care. “I’ll make sure my Dungeon is set up for a while. Skully and Trinity can pull the wagon better than any horses. Is the weather clear for us to sail?”
“Voyages started again last month, once the ice flow broke down. I don’t dare go ahead on my own. Krebat is dangerous in its own way for solo travelers,” Sara’s discomfort manifested as her Horror’s pseudopods rubbing themselves together like hands. “I’d like to be in port and hire other captains to make the journey with us a few days early. An armada, of sorts.”
Kaden considered different options. The Drake wasn’t trustworthy, yet. “Why don’t you take a FarPortal and bring Skully along as backup?”
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“And I as well,” Ashi said. “Let them threaten us. A bonfire of enemies sets the standard for negotiation.”
“I’d appreciate it—on one condition.” Sara drew a white summoning token. “Go to Beast Control and soul-bind Levi-ling before it gets killed by something. Anything. At this point, Kaden’s [Match Lizard] could kill it.”
“Burny is strong! The strongest [Match Lizard] in existence!” Kaden protested. It wasn’t really a feat of strength, since [Burn] produced one point of damage most times.
“It will be done.” Ashi took the token and headed out.
Trella stood beside Kaden. *Going to your Dungeon?*
Kaden nodded. “See you there?”
Her Deception was all that remained, but it blew him a kiss before fading away.
###
Kaden sat in the antechamber to his dungeon, listening to TriTerrors fight and checking the status of his core. It had grown so far.
Your Core requires Directed Mana x100,000 (97,821 acquired)
1000x Adventurer Party (899 acquired)
100x [Entity Seeds] (100x aquired)
1x Lieutenant Seed (1 acquired)
10x Loot Seed (10 acquired)
Optional, Required for next Rank: 1x [Secondary Boss] (acquired).
Banked for next rank:
218x [Entity Seeds]
2x (Lieutenant Seeds).
That was solid. Ashi had been correct, the growth of the dungeon had slowed. The next rank would allow level twenty monsters and double the rooms. Kaden couldn’t wait. He’d built a bog offshoot for the [Bog Walkers] and the [Bog Spider Nest] and seeded it with loot scattered all over. The nest was mostly inaccessible, so this room was an endurance test and entirely optional.
Kaden checked on the secret room at the bottom of the well. No one had found it yet, so he directed the core to form a sign. ‘Wishing Well’ - ‘Wish for Loot’. The copper coin on the edge of the well ensured there was something to wish with, though level fifteen Adventurers would have coppers to spare.
He found Trinity laying on her side, letting Vip pull at her skin with short nips and playful barks. The [Lightning Chevalier] had zero concept that Trinity was sixty times her size, and Trinity seemed to enjoy the attention. “Why aren’you fighting with the others?”
Alongside, with, very little difference to Trinity.
Trinity raised her blind head and looked right at him, then gave a long, deep groan he couldn’t interpret. She had been surly for the last week, worse than usual, and he wasn’t sure if it was the winter or the lack of blood and battle.
“We’re going east to deliver some wood. There’s almost certainly bandits.” That might cheer her up, as bandits rarely if ever surrendered willingly. The Kingdom’s ‘hang them from the nearest tree’ edict probably had something to do with that, but Kaden was sure it was a waste of perfectly good skeletons, and probably bad for the trees.
The Dungeon would be fine without him.
Trinity reluctantly rose as Kaden reset the Dungeon. The next rank-up bonus would push him to thirty, for sure. Kaden left the dungeon and checked on his [Prismatic Frog Colony], which wanted Kalarak hooves as a just-woken-from-hibernation snack.
It would be waiting a while, but Kaden accepted the life frog and death frog from the colony, letting two more begin their transformation into adults. Both went into Inventory.
Trinity chose to stay out in the dark when Kaden went inside and found Trella handing out alchemical potions. “Ooh. Yellow is what?”
“Not for you. Yellow is a speed boost and Ashi says it might conflict with [Moment of Speed] and [Split Second]. Speeding Wind doesn’t because it’s external.” Trella handed him vials the size of his thumb, each blood red. “Bleed doses for Remembrance.”
“You can make new ones. Give them to Sara.”
“Sara has her own.” Trella hooked three others to her belt. “I have short term agility and soul boosts. Soul will act a lot like mana regen, but spells hit harder. Already gave them to Ashi and Eve. Eclipse is coming along. She likes ships.”
Sara cleared her throat. “One other matter. To keep in good standing with the Guild, I was forced to accept some of the Quests. Kaden and Trella, there’s a possibly rank seven erratic dungeon. Eve will be with me and Ashi, so I’d suggest being cautious and stocking up on health potions. Kaden can scout it and hand off the map to another team of Adventurers.”
“Hello? Alchemist? Shadow Blade? I don’t have to fight anything to map a dungeon. You remember that, right?” Trella asked.
“Eve will handle the second Quest on her own.” Sara looked to Eve. “I’m sorry, but it does play to your strengths. The Guilds in Osgil and Rigil are this close to a civil war over some dungeon loot, they want a mediator they can intimidate to make a ‘final decision.’”
“And they asked for us?”
“He suggested Kaden bring Trinity, wipe them out and take the loot, ending the war. I was thinking you…” Sara gestured.
“Could make them all hate negotiations so much they decide no amount of loot is worth engaging for? That I can do.” Eve accepted the scroll from Sara.
“The Faction Quests have gotten ten times more numerous. When we’re done shipping, we have to dedicate some time to Factions. Trella, that’ll help you level. And that’s everything. I’m not waiting for sunrise,” Sara said. “Ashi, did you bind Levi-ling?”
Ashi held out her hand as a bubble of water grew. Inside of it, a blue-green [Tenta-claw] hovered, three stubby tentacles drifting in the bubble as it bobbed. “It is the most beautiful of summons. And it desires to show its might. So very cute.”
“Vip is with me,” Kaden said. He wasn’t going to subject her to negotiation. “Sara, Skully will follow your commands.”
“Tomorrow, tie a tree to a wagon and head east along the Shalish road. Keep going east. The Erratic is along the roadway,” Sara said.
You have received a new Quest: Not Again! The stupid dungeon on the stupid road did something stupid. Again. Now you have a quest to smash it. Also, there could be Adventurers, but really, who cares when there’s that stupid core? Reward: Mana Core (Indeterminate).
Kaden looked to Trella. “You get that Quest?”
“I like it. I like it a lot.” Trella still felt joy when receiving Faction Quests, where Kaden often felt weary.
“See you in Krebat. I’ll take good care of your bruiser skeleton.” Sara gave each of them a hug and headed out the door.
“This erratic. Do not be merciful. Do not touch it or some of its madness will leak into you,” Ashi said. “And do not accept a pitiful title.”
“Best guidance ever.” Kaden looked to Trella. “I promise you I won’t touch the erratic dungeon core just to see what it’s like. And you promise me, you won’t enter the erratic dungeon.”
She shook her head. “No promises from me on that. If you can handle it alone, we can handle it together that much better.”
Ashi , Eve, and Sara headed out to the FarPortal, and for once, Kaden was mostly alone, if one ignored the small gray dog (she wouldn’t allow herself to be ignored), the ever-larger TriTerror slumped by the fire, the Falcrow perched on a ceiling beam, preening itself—ok, they were never alone. But they were alone-er than usual.
He turned to look at Trella, and she wasn’t there.
Probably in her lab.
Possibly, based on the warm fingers on his shoulder, behind him. “You know what I’d like you to do?” she asked playfully.
“No, but I’d love to hear.” [Moment of Speed] left him almost catching her, and instead, grasping for an instant, her Dark Deception, which dramatically fainted in his arms.
Trella stood in the dining room.
This time, he poured a hundred points of mana into [Moment of Speed], catching—and moving on to lunge at the place where she popped up, only to find a second Deception blocking him.
Kaden leaped through a Portal and actually caught her waist, only for Trella to twist from his grip and plumet through her own shadow—and into his arms. “Gotcha. Now. What can I do for, or to you?”
“Can you teach my Deception to [Cook]?” Trella asked.
It was by no means the strangest thing she’d ever asked.