~~~Stanley~~~
Stanley's smooth hunting trip ended when a dozen souls abruptly appeared inside the lair he was attacking. Human souls. He had a moment to wonder how he knew they were human before the reality of their abrupt arrival caught up.
Teleportation!
It was better than them appearing next to him... but he still almost hit one with his spear while his heart rate spiked. Not intentionally. They appeared almost on top of the monsters he was attacking!
Then the monster souls started blinking away one after the other—not dead, just further away. What the...
The human souls vanished.
Stanley spun in place, pulling his spear back and waiting for the ambush even as he felt Caffeine coming his way at speed. There!
They were in the next lair over. The one he'd already cleared.
Stanley hovered in place, mind tense as he waited... and kept waiting... They weren't doing anything. Just sitting there... though a few looked to be moving slightly...
Caffeine slid to a stop outside the occupied building, then charged inside. "No!"
He flew inside, cursing the loss of his charge skill once again even as his mind reached out... and felt... children?
They vanished from his soul sight and mental touch a moment before he reached the now empty room. Caffeine whined at him, then sprinted back outside even faster than Stanley had flown in. Barking all the way.
Stanley wasn't sure what was happening anymore, but he spotted the souls in another building once he was back outside. He couldn't actually see Caffeine's soul in there with them, but he could feel the pug well enough to know he was.
The barking drew the others from their lair. Cautiously. It seemed they'd learned their lesson after the centipede... Stanley stayed outside but pointed them in Caffeine's direction. The kids hadn't fled from the pug yet. Assuming they were actually kids... though Caffeine's friendliness was a good sign on that front.
He waited outside until Edward popped back out the door. "Serenity says to turn off your eyes; you're scaring them!"
Stanley sighed and deactivated Soul Sight. Then he went inside the upstairs floor and picked a corner to meditate in. Might as well make the most of the time. He could keep track of them through Caffeine.
The pug came upstairs some time later, and Stanley dropped meditation for some pets before Caffeine sprinted back down. He peeked out the window and saw a crowd of children walking down the street with his team. That was a terrible idea...
He flew outside and approached behind Caffeine, who stopped at each child for licks and the occasional pet. "Are we going to walk all the way back? Or can I carry them?"
"Would that be okay?" Serenity asked the small boy next to her and then touched his shoulder.
He said nothing, but vanished and reappeared on the other side of the group.
"Ren!" Edward exclaimed. "How hard is it to understand? No touchy!" He did a weird little karate move when he said that, and a few kids giggled. "Now, who wants to fly with the doggy?"
There was a small chorus of agreement, and Stanley obliged by lifting Caffeine into the air.
"Okay, everyone, say... Fly!" Edward flapped his arms and got a few kids to mirror him while a bunch yelled the magic word.
Stanley picked them all up, and the teleporting kid vanished.
He reappeared beside Caffeine in midair… and didn't fall. He sat down beside the pug, and Caffeine was only too happy to climb into his lap with a wagging tail and licking tongue. Then Caffeine rolled over and got a belly rub, too.
Stanley smiled to see the pug enjoying himself so much, and he didn't even mind the delay as he flew relatively slowly with what felt like ungraded children... Caffeine made the rounds to all of them on the trip, and the teleporting boy followed without apparent effort or help from Stanley.
He was the only one Stanley suspected to be at least F-grade. The kid had some weight to him, and he obviously had a class. Exactly what class was what occupied Stanley's mind on the way back to Nate's.
It seemed he could fly... and also teleport. Not just himself, either. He'd been taking all the kids with him on each jaunt... that had to be expensive, mana wise... Of course, the real question was, how were they all alive? The miasma was stronger than ever, but none of the kids looked starving... had they come from another base?
Everyone flinched when the notification appeared.
Mana Saturation of Dungeon World (Earth) has reached the E-grade Threshold.
Dungeon World (Earth) has ranked up to E-grade.
As your dungeon grows, you will face new challenges. Gather your allies. Grow stronger. Prepare to defend your dungeon. Fight!
Stanley felt a mix of emotions at the sight of that notification. On the one hand, it was good because it would be easier to find E-grades. On the other hand, it would be easier to find E-grades.
He kept carrying the kids toward their new home despite the message. Which paid off when Nate came out to greet them and then pulled him aside. "I found another one."
Stanley kept offering cores to Caffeine mixed in with the meat. "Where?"
"South west, almost next to the wall. It's small, like the last one. The researchers think it is because those monsters are focusing on power over growth. That, plus they don't have a lot of competition out here. Not like in the city."
It wasn't dark yet, so Stanley headed out. But not alone. James was waiting right outside the door with his entire team. Should have kept my soul sight on...
"Nate told us," James said immediately. "Let us come with you. We've all grown since that first lair and we can help, even if only as emergency backup."
"Fine..." Stanley didn't argue. If nothing else, they could help Caffeine... maybe. Or maybe he could handle the fight better... though Stanley fully intended to use his rain of death again. If possible. If it wasn't feasible, well, then they might be useful after all.
Stanley flew by the mantis lair on his way and stopped when he saw a few souls shining through the roof. "How about a little practice run?"
They set up outside, and Stanley sent his spear in to pick a fight.
None of the monsters charged outside this time, and he also killed none of them. They felt weird, and he couldn't figure out what was happening until he flew inside and laid eyes on them directly. What the fuck?
The mantis fighting his spear didn't have the twin scythes from before. Now it had one blade and a shield-like appendage on the other arm—a shield it used to great effect, expertly intercepting the spear every time.
It was weird... and disturbing. Had the queen changed things up since his last attack? Could they do that? How smart was she... or was this just some instinct type thing?
Whatever it was, he didn't like it.
So Stanley forced the monster into immobility and put the spear through its head.
The two others still didn't attack... they stayed beside the queen.
The queen has surrendered. Lair Defeated.
Stanley killed both of the guards with the same tactic, then killed the queen. She didn't drop a core, aside from the one that appeared in the doorway. Stanley was fine with that. He was not fine with smart monsters learning better ways to fight him.
The queen is dead, but the eggs remain. A new queen will arise if they are not destroyed.
He left the eggs alone. Partly because they didn't drop cores, but also to see if they came out the same. Or if they would still evolve without the queen.
"Never mind this one," he said to his team on the way out. He could have let them fight... but fuck the bugs!
It turned out slightly harder to find the lair Nate had directed him to without a guide. Sure, he could see the lairs from a distance, but there were plenty of them out here. Not to mention the random wandering monsters outside.
Olivia spotted the fragment of a sign on the storefront, one Stanley hadn't seen before. A quick mental probe confirmed the monsters inside were E-grade, and everyone set up outside.
Stanley didn't mention the pair of identical souls coming closer through the woods at their backs... He wouldn't let them kill his team, but he wanted to see what happened. See just how good they were after days of hunting...
Everyone was focused intently on the dark doorway ahead when Caffeine spoiled the surprise by growling and trying to scramble out of Stanley's lap.
James spun with a shout, hands outstretched... and nailed both charging monsters with twin slowing spells. The others reacted smoothly and piled on, focusing their attacks all on the nearest creature.
They looked like snakes. Giant snakes with two huge arms ending in human hands... It was creepy as all hell.
Stanley didn't involve himself in the fight, only drifted further away so he could keep them and the lair in his line of sight. He wanted to see any reinforcements coming. Plus, one soul in the lair looked... weird. Different.
The first snake died almost instantly under the barrage they unleashed. Laser-like beams of light carved trenches in the monster's flesh, and the crystal spikes came in a storm behind the light. Most of them ricocheted off the scales, but there were enough of the things that a number landed in the scorched flesh and punched deep.
James didn't contribute beyond his slowing magic, but it was more than enough, at least for the first few seconds. "Switch! They're breaking free!"
Edward was sprinting in as both snakes shone brighter and brighter with a silvery glow that finally shattered the orange tendrils holding them in place. He splattered the wounded snake's head across the ground before it could do anything with its newfound freedom.
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The second shot toward the group with all the speed of a striking snake...
Silas thrust his hands toward it, and crystals appeared in a cloud around him, then all zipped away at once. Instead of impaling the snake, the crystals abruptly halted before reaching it and formed up instantly into a curved shell in midair.
The snake slammed into and rebounded off the shield, which didn't budge an inch. Olivia's lasers lashed out, scouring scales and burning the flesh beneath while it recovered. Then Silas snapped his fingers, and the shield exploded into a cloud of crystalline shrapnel that blasted the snake further away.
Serenity's fire whip smacked it in the face, then James caught it again with the slow, and Edward bashed in its head. Like that, it was over. Two dead snakes and no injured humans.
Not bad. Stanley took the cores while finally letting Caffeine go inspect the new monsters. He watched him, though. Those human looking arms were creepy, and he didn't want the pug to eat them...
Core Chip[E-grade]
+10 Willpower
Core Chip[E-grade]
+10 Strength
Stanley hesitated while looking at the strength core. Technically, they had killed these, which meant they earned half... He could give it to Edward. The guy would probably push that attribute up to the cap by fighting anyway. The world being E-grade now likely meant the lairs would advance quickly to match. At least, that was the theory.
He didn't know if it was all the meditation or seeing them fight just now, but Stanley was feeling surprisingly less paranoid about the concept of them reaching E-grade ahead of him. He'd prefer they didn't... but it didn't feel like as much of a death sentence for him anymore.
Edward didn't have any crazy skills like Nate, and Silas was likely the only one whose magic Stanley might not resist.
"No can do, my man," Edward said after catching the core. "Big boss Nate said you get all the E's." Then he threw it back.
Stanley shrugged and did his best to hide the relief he felt while adding both cores to his stash. It was tempting to absorb the willpower now, but he could push higher before using it... He wanted to collect enough cores to jump straight to E-grade, and every day he got closer.
They waited for everyone to regenerate full mana, and Edward used the time to carve holes into his left arm for Serenity to heal. Not a lot, but enough to let her train her healing skill, since she'd done barely anything in the fight. A downside of them all getting better. Though her one damage spell was leveling decently...
His spear went first, and Stanley missed the snake when it dodged. It still chased the spear outside, so that was fine. He let his group kill the lone snake and went in for another while they did so.
It didn't go nearly as well the second time.
Stanley killed it by embracing enough anger to make his spear really fly... but the weird soul noticed, and it came charging out with all the rest of them.
Caffeine was among the group on the ground, and the sight of all those monsters coming his way was more than enough to feed Stanley's rage. Everything slowed down as his willpower climbed, feeding not only into Mind Over Matter but also Accelerated Thought.
His spear struck like a lightning bolt as he sent it through the mob... and the leader retreated before the last one fell...
Stanley killed the still charging snakes but left the weird one alone. It wasn't the queen, or at least he didn't think it was. There was another soul in there that felt much more similar to the snakes, though sans arms. Also, the weird one had a human upper body atop a snake's... tail?
The better part was that he'd killed them so easily... he was strong again. He didn't need to fear E-grades. Not these...
"Everything okay?" James asked, looking up at him.
"Fine." Stanley let his anger drain away. Mostly.
The confusing nature of what he was feeling inside the lair helped, plus Caffeine jumped into his lap for cuddles. Stanley told them what was in there, and Edward immediately wanted to run inside. "I gotta see this! Is she a hot naga lady!?"
Stanley said nothing as he followed Edward inside. None of the others shared his enthusiasm for 'hot snake ladies', but they still came along.
"Aww man... It's a dude naga." Stanley hid his smile while collecting cores and then rejoined the others, where they were staring at one of the strangest things any of them had ever seen.
Edward was right. It was a dude. Or half of one. His lower body was a massive snake. Also, he was talking... or rather, screaming.
"You monsters! Coming in here! Slaughtering my children! Monsters!"
"Dude, we didn't know!" Edward spoke up, apparently the only one not stunned speechless. "I'm so... Wait... does that mean you banged the snake?"
The naga slithered endlessly around another giant, but otherwise normal looking snake that watched them warily. "You wouldn't understand. You're just humans..."
"Nah, dude. I get it... I just prefer some tits and ass on my..." Serenity slapped the back of his head. "I mean, I could get down with it if she's got a pretty face... and tits..."
Olivia and Serenity both smacked him in the back of the head simultaneously.
James sighed and shook his head before asking, "Are you... were you human? What's your name?"
"You should put up a sign outside," Edward suggested. "Hot snake on snake action! Do Not Enter!"
"Humans... you're all murderers... you slaughter with nothing but a greed for power..."
Stanley nodded. That sounded mostly on target. Though he also killed a lot for food as well.
"Look," James said. "We can tell people to stay away, but..."
"No. No one leaves. You will bring more humans here. You want to hunt us... I won't let you hurt my love!" He shot towards them as light bloomed in his human hands.
James hit him with his slowing spell... or tried to.
One of the naga's hands flashed, and streaks of white light shredded the orange magic before it could form. His other hand unleashed a shockwave that threw Edward across the lair. Then his tail whipped around and flew at Serenity.
The crystal shield stopped it cold before shattering into dust.
Stanley kept Caffeine in his lap, but sent his spear to play instead. He really wasn't sure about this whole thing... the guy seemed a little off... and his 'children' were creepy as hell. Was he really a former human? Stanley hadn't forgotten his own option to evolve into a beast kin... presumably this guy had done something similar?
Only then he found or created a snake lair and started making babies with a snake... That seemed like a step too far. Really going full native... Also a good way to get hunted down by other humans.
He forced the naga to change course away from Olivia with the spinning spear forming a deadly barrier in front of her. It still threw out another spell that slipped past the spear and wrapped the woman in vines bursting up from the ground.
Caffeine scrambled free and appeared beside her before going to town on the vines. Stanley could feel it when the pug really got into the tugging game... he wasn't upset about the snake man. Not yet.
The naga wasn't so magnanimous when he saw Caffeine chewing on his spell. "Deformed creature," he said, while breaking James' spell again and throwing up a shield against the flying crystals. "Another sign of humanity's hubris destroying what nature made pure!"
Honestly, it was uncalled for. Caffeine was a pug, sure. Not the healthiest breed, but that no longer mattered. There were no such things as breathing problems when one was the beast lord... It was also hypocritical. The guy was a damn snake monster, and he was still talking about natural order?
"Humans are the disease," he said, then swatted Edward into another flight across the lair. "Enslaving innocent creatures to fight for you!"
Stanley bristled at that comment, and his spear sped up...
"Better death than slave...!"
Stanley nailed him to the lair wall with a spear through his chest.
You have attacked a lair structure. All lair residents notified.
Debuff: [Cerebral Fatigue]
The queen has surrendered. Lair Defeated.
The snake man wasn't dead, but he was on his way. Stanley left him dangling from the wall, arms and tail waving feebly, and held Caffeine close.
Caffeine licked his nose.
Stanley knew Caffeine wasn't here by force... he hadn't forced the pug to stick with him... but the guilt of everything Caffeine had suffered from following him... that hurt. Especially when a monster accused him of enslaving the little guy...
It echoed too close to the thoughts he'd had himself. Even though he knew it wasn't true. Caffeine had shown him that. If anything, Stanley was enslaved to Caffeine. Which he was fine with. More than fine. It was the best life he could imagine. A warm lap for his beast lord. Hands with which to rub his beast lord's belly. A mind to acquire the snacks the beast lord desired.
Almost perfect.
The only thing that could make it better was if Lee was here as well. Two laps to choose from. Four hands that could protect and care for their lord. That would be perfect.
Skill Shard[E-grade]
Spell Shield(Rare)
Your magic shall not touch me.
User generates a shield of mana that will repel incoming magic.
Strength of shield dependent on intelligence and skill level.
Skill Level Effects (Novice)
+1% Effective Intelligence
Requirements:
Mana Core/Channels [Requirement Not Met][N/A](Adaptable)
Adapting to this Skill will require 50% Adaptation and may alter your Class.
Adapting this Skill to your Class will require 1% Adaptation but may drastically alter the Skill.
Adapt Yourself and Learn Skill: Y/N?
Learn Adapted Skill: Y/N?
Stanley stared at the skill taken from a dead snake-man. A shield against magic... Sure, it would change if he learned it, but maybe not too much. Teleport hadn't turned out so badly, other than when it vanished into Mind Over Matter. Of course, that meant he could learn new non-class skills.
His debuff was a couple of hours long... No big deal. Some meditation would drop that down to less than an hour.
The team was strong enough by now that carrying them would add to the debuff, but they'd passed a few lairs on the way here, and Stanley directed the team to the nearest one. Some running wouldn't hurt.
Caffeine agreed. He and Edward ran laps around the others on the way.
Stanley only waited long enough to ensure the new lair wasn't another E-grade, then sat in a corner and meditated. He spent the time thinking about skills and the potential value of adaptation percentages.
~~~James~~~
James felt no sympathy for the snakeman. It had already made some bad choices, and attacking them only sealed its fate.
Humanity would survive this nightmare dungeon. Nate would lead them through, and James would do what was necessary to support the man. Including killing half-human monsters.
Then the snakeman ruined any hope of survival by threatening Stanley’s dog. Bad idea.
He knew what was coming but still flinched at the burst of rage coming from Stanley… and like that, the fight was over.
James was willing to do anything Nate asked of him, which was how he’d ended up here. With Stanley. Babysitting an unstable monster who, at any moment, might kill all of them. Something none of them would be able to stop if it came down to it.
Nate claimed that wouldn’t happen, and James trusted him… but it wasn’t easy.
The silver lining to it all was Caffeine. The power hidden inside that little dog… If anyone could match Stanley’s insane power, it was his dog. That would have been even more worrying if Caffeine wasn’t also the most easy going dog James had ever met. The little guy tried to play with every monster he could…
It was a miracle. Because if Caffeine was more like Barbie… well, they might all be dead already.
He watched Stanley as they walked after him to another lair. The guy’s face was a blank mask with… maybe a hint of pain? Had he pushed too hard? He wasn’t carrying them. That probably meant he had debuffed himself yet again. Not that he would say anything to them about it…
Caffeine split his time between running to sniff every interesting thing, chasing Edward around, and sitting in Stanley’s lap. The pug knew he was hurting. He could probably smell it.
James would have told his little group to protect the dog at all costs… but that was unrealistic. The dog had already saved all of their lives at least once. It was… upsetting every time Caffeine saved them. Because it reminded him that a damn pug was stronger than he was. Stronger than all of them combined.
But he couldn’t stay upset. Because the damn dog would notice and try to comfort him…
Never change, Caffeine. James half-suspected Nate had made a mistake in naming Stanley their savior instead of the dog.
They reached the first lair. Stanley followed them inside before sitting in a corner and staying there. James was all for it. Whatever the new skill was that had him sitting around and not moving, it was a good thing. The guy always seemed a little more stable afterward.
That was something they all needed now that the world was E-grade. Not that he knew exactly what that meant… but it wasn’t hard to make a guess. Stronger monsters. More danger. More dead humans.
Nate wanted nothing more than to search the entire dungeon and gather the remaining humanity together. A monumental task given the total size of the place. But it would get easier as they got stronger. While the monsters also got stronger. It was a race.