I woke up with a bit of drool on my face and not feeling the hunger pains I had grown used to. I knew that they would return soon enough. I wiped the drool off my face and called Vaeda over. It was time to discuss where I should put my stat points.
“Boy, I think you should invest all of the stat points into physical stats since your class already buffs the other stats. I know you want to invest it into intelligence and control but we are now getting into fights where you’re going to have to participate and you can’t if one blow to the stomach knocks you to half health.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right Vaeda. So what were you thinking then?
“The way I see it you’ve got two options. The first one is you go the tank trifecta of endurance, strength, and vitality so that you can start hitting harder and taking hits better. The second option is you go perception, dexterity, and agility. You’ll be able to react, move and think faster and that means you might never even have to get hit. You’ll be in and out before they even know what hit them.”
Vaeda had come up with two really good options, but one seemed way more appealing to me. The one where I don’t have to take hits.
“I’ve decided to go with dexterity, agility, and perception. We got the big guy to tank hits, we don’t need me to do it as well. So I’m going to go for the get in hit em once where it hurts and get out before they even know what hit them.”
“Okay boy then do it.” Vaeda urged.
I put the points in and honestly didn’t feel too different. Then again I did only put in three points each. It would be a while before there were any noticeable differences. I got up and started to do some stretching. Vaeda said it would help me get more acclimated to my ever changing body and allow me finer muscle control. I look around the room and the first thing I see is despite the mess from all the fighting there are no actual signs of anything having died in here yesterday. Like there’s not a drop of blood anywhere. I take a look to see how the big guys looking and he looks great. His arm is back now and he’s not leaking juices everywhere. The Alpha is standing in the exact same place I left it in. I start to wander around the room looking to see if there is anything of interest in these crates or if they’re just filled with more blood and weathered weapons and armor.
The first couple crates I pry open are indeed filled with blood. Lots of blood. When I get to my fourth crate I hit the jackpot. It’s more armor and weapons but they're much better quality than the stuff we found at the entrance of this place. I even manage to find clothes. They’re a plain-looking brown color with black lines on it. It’s the same military uniform the zombies wear but less tattered. It’s got a couple of holes in it but at this point, my clothes have more holes in them. I take my backpack off and then peel my shirt off of me and drop it on the ground then I unbutton my pants and take those off as well. I look down at my body and its undergone a bit of a transformation after the past couple weeks. My stomach is a little swollen from malnourishment and I have a scar running down my chest from where the system healed me. I also have a bite mark on my left leg from when I first got attacked by the undead. Other than all that I think I look pretty good. HAH who the hell am I kidding I look like shit.
I put on the military outfit and it’s a little tight on me especially around the waist and leg areas but it’ll do for now. I guess even though I have eaten or drank anything besides blood in over a week and a half, I’m still pretty pudgy. I turn my attention to the weapons that are in the crate. There is a much bigger selection than last time. I find another short sword I can use to replace the one I have now since mine was getting cracked to all hell. I also put a couple throwing knives into my backpack. I then find a matching pair of daggers that catch my eye immediately. I play around with them in my hands a bit and I find handling them is far easier than I thought it would be. I may have found a new main weapon of choice. I put the short sword into its scabbard and equip it onto my side. I recall during the huge fight that big guy was swinging one of the zombie’s body around like a weapon. Maybe I could find a weapon he could use. I was filled with excitement at the thought of equipping my golem buddy with armor and a weapon. I found two sets of bigger armor made for Alpha Rushers, so I put one set on my Alpha and told big guy to try to put on the second set. The Alpha looked even deadlier while big guy, well he looked goofy as hell. His arms and legs were too thick to put on the grieves or bracers and the chest piece was trying to hold itself together while being stretched across his barrel-like chest.
I opened a couple more crates and finally found what I was looking for; a great ax. It was double sided and had a long metal shaft attached to the blade. I couldn’t even take the weapon out of the crate it was so heavy. I just had to call big guy over and have him just pick it up. Which he did with ease of course. I told him to practice with it and he gripped it with both hands and just started swinging. As he was practicing the leather straps holding his chest piece together snapped. I guess trying to make my tank tankier would have to wait. At least he has a weapon now though.
I kept exploring the room hoping to find something that would lead us deeper into the mausoleum and hopefully closer to finding the boss. Off to the right side of the room was a huge metal door. Wait when did that get there?
“Hey, Vaeda was that door here yesterday?” I asked nervously.
“No it wasn’t boy, in fact, it wasn’t there earlier when you woke up. You know what's probably waiting behind that door?” He asked.
“The boss?”
“Yep.”
“Well that’s good isn’t it, it means we're close to getting out of here Vaeda.”
I told big guy to open the door. He puts his great ax on the ground and tries to open the door, but as hard as he pulls it won’t open. I tell him to stand down and walk over to the door. I tell Vaeda to hold onto my daggers as I try to open the door. I get ready to have to use every drop of my strength to budge it but it swings back with my hands like the joints have just been greased. I order the squad into formation and catch my daggers as Vaeda drops them into my hands.
I peer inside of the room expecting to see a throne with a skeletal overlord sitting on it. Instead, I find the room is smaller than the previous one. In fact not only is this not a throne room it seems more like an office. And at the end of the office is a zombie sitting at a table reading some papers and sipping on a hot beverage. It’s got a full head of white hair shaved into a buzz cut and has a little bit of stubble on its face. It was wearing a military uniform that looked much nicer than the one I was wearing and had medals tacked to the front of it. Was it some kind of general? It puts the papers and looks up at me. This zombie was quite queer.
“Hello, young necro. How are you doing?” It said to me.
"What? Did you just speak?” I was flabbergasted, how w was this undead talking. I thought all undead were mindless creatures intent on snuffing out life.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Yes, I did talk. Oh, forgive my rudeness for not introducing myself. I am Commander Milo Dagobert. I’m the commander of the Lich’s undead army and the mini-boss of this region of the dungeon.” Milo answers.
“Name’s Greg and did you say mini-boss, as in not the final boss, mini-boss? Well if that’s the case I’ll be on my way I’m not particularly inclined to snuff out the life, or unlife in your case, of someone who is sentient. So I and my friends here will be taking our leave.” I said to him as I turned around to leave.
“Your goal is to leave the dungeon right? If that is the case you are going to need to fight me seeing as I have one of the four keys you need to open ‘The Crypt’ where the Lich resides. And before you ask I am unable to just give you the key. The necromancer I’m bound to has ordered me to protect my key with my life.” Milo responds.
“Sorry for my companion’s abysmal attitude, he is just very hungry and thirsty after not having eaten in over a week.” Vaeda chimes in.
I don’t know why Vaeda said that. He is right though that my patience might not be at an all-time high as of late but why is he trying to prevent a fight. This guy doesn’t seem awfully strong. I don’t feel a sense of danger from him at all. I’m pretty confident we could take him.
“Oh, that sounds terrible. As a higher leveled undead I don’t feel hunger or thirst but I still appreciate a nice cup of tea. Now have a seat would you like some?” Milo says to me as he motions for me to take a chair opposite him.
He rummages around his desk and pulls out a box, and two crystals; one red and the other blue. He gets up from his desk and walks over to a different metal table. On that table is a kettle, a strange metal apparatus with a hook attached to the top of it with a metal bowl below it and some tea bags. He squeezes the blue crystal holding it above the kettle and waters starts to slowly stream out of the crystal into the kettle. Then he squeezes the red crystal and aims it at the metal bowl filled with some brown powder. A small flame appears and ignites the powder creating a small fire. He hangs the kettle from the hook and then turns to me sliding the box from before across the table. I catch it and look inside and what I find is a box full of some sort of shortbread biscuits. I dive in without even thinking twice. Forcefully stuffing my face as fast as humanly possible. I’m eating fast but I’m making sure not to waste a crumb.
“Thank you so much. It has been a long time since my friend here has been able to eat, so ignore his table manners.” Vaeda says to Milo.
“It is no problem at all,” Milo replies as he finishes pouring the hot water into a mug and passes me the mug and the tea bag.
I dunked the tea bag in the water and leave it there.
Due to host finding nourishment, Debuff Starving has been lifted.
Finally. I blow on my tea and begin to sip on it while Vaeda and Milo conversed. I just sit there enjoying the warm feeling as the tea coats my dry throat.
“And then we fought our way to you” I hear Vaeda say as he finishes telling Milo about our journey to him.
“Wow, that sounds like an arduous adventure you two have been on.” Milo remarks as he leans back in his chair.
“So you said I needed to defeat you to get your key. Why don’t you just give me your key and we’ll both be on our ways.”
“Sorry can’t. I do like you but I am bound to listen to the Lich that raised me from the dead. And while he may not yet know you exist. He has commanded me to hold onto the key.”
Milo quickly shut down my idea. I guess we’re going to have to fight him. Vaeda doesn’t seem as confident as me when it comes to us fighting Milo. But with my new daggers, Vaeda’s talons, the Alpha’s speed and the big guy equipped with his new weapon I thought we had a pretty good chance.
After I had finished my meal Milo led us back out to the big room where we fought the zombies. He kept telling me to turn back and find some other way out of the dungeon.
“You’re clearly a Necromancer who has more than likely put all his points into intelligence and control. I’m also going to go ahead and say that those two skills you’re using: Turn Undead and Raise Undead Behemoth will not give you the edge you think it will.” Milo says in a somewhat condescending manner.
As soon as I heard him misjudge which skills I had access to, I began to smile. This fight is going to be even easier than I originally thought. A plan started forming in my head. It was time to show this undead commander what I was made of. I waved Vaeda over and told him my plan. For once he completely agreed that it was a good plan.
“Form up!’ I yelled.
The Alpha and big guy stood in front of me with Vaeda circling above us. Milo stood across from us holding a small shield and sword. He just stood there unmoving waiting for me to make the first move. I order my minions to attack at the same time. The Alpha burst forward at a breakneck speed while big guy picks up his weapon and lumbers over to Milo. His eyes raise as he sees big guy wielding the great ax. The Alpha reaches him first and he blocks with his shield. He tries to counterattack but as he is getting ready to the big guy has reached him and swung his great ax at him in a horizontal slash. He holds up his shield and goes flying due to the hit. Now’s my chance. I quietly activate Cloak of Shadows and begin making my way around the edge of the room. He coughs up some fluids and quickly gets back up. As he’s getting back up the Alpha is in his face tackling him back to the ground. He blocks most of the Alpha’s blows and manages to throw it off of him onto the ground.
Milo got up and looked around trying to spot the young necro and he is nowhere to be found. No matter where he looks the only creatures he can see are the talking owl and the Undead Behemoth who is somehow wielding a weapon. Where the hell is he. As Milo pondered that the owl swoops down and attacks him with his talons. Milo shielded his face and when he brought his shield down the Behemoth was once again right in front of him swinging his greataxe at him. He dodges backward and bumps into the wall. When did he get that close to the wall, Milo could’ve sworn he was another fifteen feet from the wall. Then he feels a stabbing sensation in both sides of his neck before his view became upside down as his head fell from his neck.
“Gotcha” I whispered into Milo’s ear.
I had done it. I sunk both daggers into Milo’s neck and pulled, beheading him instantly. His body falls to the ground and with that, the fight is over. A blue box springs up into my face.
Congratulations to host for defeating LVL 35 Mini-Boss: Milo Dagobert-The Commander
Experience awarded
LVL UP
LVL UP
LVL UP
LVL UP
LVL UP
For defeating an enemy at least 10 levels higher than host bonus experience awarded.
LVL UP
Sentient Soul detected
Minor Soul absorbed (x1)
Due to host absorbing first Sentient Soul host has unlocked new stat: Soul Energy
Soul Energy: A type of energy the host can use to activate soul related skills.
Due to host unlocking Soul Energy (SE) a new ability for skill Soul Chamber has been unlocked:
Bind Soul: Host binds a sentient soul to an object or corpse.
Cost: 5000 SE
18 Stat points available for allocation
“System what is Soul Energy and how do I get more?”
Soul Energy is the energy released when the host consumes a non-sentient soul. The host gets a soul whenever they kill something.
“Okay but whats the exchange rate look like?”
One Minor Soul translates to 50 SE.
“Okay.”
I looked around and saw that the Big guy was standing over the corpses consuming them to refill himself. The Alpha looked fine. Vaeda flew over to me.
“We did it. Holy hell that was awesome.” Vaeda said.
“Right dude? We were amazing as a team. I Leveled up six times from that battle and unlocked a new stat and skill. I think I’ll put the points into physical stats again because I am exhausted after that fight.”
“Yeah take a rest, Greg, you deserve it. Me and these two will watch over you.” Vaeda replied.