Bob stood up from the floor of the ritual room.

He'd regained his tenth level and with it Divine School of Elemental Air.

For his bonus Divine Spell, Bob had selected Elemental Fire: Fire Aura, and for his bonus Arcane Spell, he'd selected Abjuration: Eldritch Shield.

Finally, for his Threshold Bonus, he'd decided to apply the five level bonus to all spells in a school to Dimension.

He had a feeling that increasing the Arcane schools that the Path required him to have an Affinity for would be the smart play.

He'd considered stuffing Monroe full of Mana Crystals and increasing his level, but Bob was holding out for level sixteen.

Once Bob was able to pile up a few thousand crystals from the sixteenth floor of the Dungeon, he'd be able to have Gary and Nikki enchant a suit of armor for Monroe, which he'd be using for quite a while as Monroe would be stuck at sixteen until Bob tiered up to six.

Bob rolled his shoulders, feeling his armor fully engage.

'Status,' Bob thought firmly.

Name Bob Level 10 Tier 5 Size 5 Armor Hardness 60 Weapon hardness 50 Str 35 Armor Style 1.04 Weapon type 2 Cord 35 Dodge 63 Spell casting 2 End 35 Int 80 Wis 65 Beauty 15 Health 395 Mana 92.5 Armor 126.6 Mana Regen 14.5 Spell casting w/Familiar 296.4 Damage 270 Spell Casting 285 Arcane Familiar Bonus 1.04

He smiled as he looked over his status.

"Time for another bug hunt," Bob muttered as he strode out of the room.

~ ~ ~ ~

Bob was all but certain that Thidwell was evil.

The thirteenth floor of the Dungeon consisted of irregularly shaped tunnels that spread out from Gateway, in what Bob assumed was an intentional attempt at irony, in a spider web pattern.

The tunnels themselves were draped with webs, and huge spiders skittered about them, chittering hungrily.

Considering it was completely dark in the tunnels that might have been bad enough.

But no, Thidwell was evil.

Or maybe he was just an equal opportunity employer because there were also trapdoor spiders and spiders that roamed outside of the webs to hunt for prey.

Regardless, there was a veritable cornucopia of spiders, all of whom wanted nothing more than to devour Bob, or assuming he was closer, Jake.

Monroe wasn't happy with the situation either, as he viewed spiders as his natural prey, and seeing spiders the size of a Mini Cooper hadn't instilled Monroe with joy.

Bob had cast three persistent effects, a Fire Aura on Jake, a Flight spell on himself, and an Eldritch Shield on Monroe, just in case.

He had fed a mana crystal into his Light Orb, and was a mere twenty feet down one of the tunnels, watching his UtahRaptor tear apart spiders.

Although they were quite terrifying, Jake was wrecking them.

For Bob's part, he was collecting the cable thick strands of spider silk.

It had turned out that his UtahRaptor's new ability, disruptive strike, was excellent for snipping the strands without having them stick to him.

Bob didn't care if they stuck to him, as he could just take a coiled up strand and store it in his inventory.

Collecting the silk gave Bob something to do, and kept him from having to spend too much time staring at the spiders.

Long-legged hunters, with equally long and thin cephalothorax and abdomens, web weavers with bulbous, even huge abdomen and highly arched legs, and finally the trap door spiders, which were more evenly proportioned.

Bob shuddered as he continued winding up a strand of silk.

He hadn't been bothered by the occasional spider in his apartment, but this was...

Unpleasant.

He paused to watch what looked like a tarantula if there was a tarantula that was eight-foot-long and five-foot-tall, leap out of a burrow and attempt to drive its glistening fangs into Jake.

Bob was pretty sure that tarantulae weren't supposed to have four fangs.

His decision to persistent effect a Fire Aura on the UtahRaptor had been a solid one.

There were at least three types of spiders that shot webbing at Jake in an attempt to ensnare him.

Said webbing was rather flammable and apparently the System registered the attack as not being environmental...

"Trebor," Bob said, "am I right in my assumption that the silk is being burned off him because it's an attack, rather than an environmental effect?"

'You are,' Trebor replied pleasantly.

Bob considered that idea for a moment as he kept wrapping a coil of silk.

"Will a fire aura ignite a pocket of methane gas like the ones on level eight, and presumably level fifteen?" Bob asked.

'Yes,' Trebor said, 'those effects are actual attacks, and aren't considered environmental features,' he continued, 'although should you encounter such a thing outside of the Dungeon, there is a chance that they may be considered environmental.'

Bob grimaced, "I think I'll just not chance that," he muttered.

He heard chittering to his left and looked over to find a huntsman spider barrelling towards him, only to be intercepted a split second later by his UtahRaptor who bowled the spider over and started to rake its abdomen with his terrible scythe-like claws.

"I hate this level," Bob said quietly.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bob walked into the tavern the following morning and spotted Bailli sitting alone at a table.

Bob walked over and deposited Monroe in front of her before taking his seat.

"Good Morning Bailli," Bob said.

Bailli had immediately reached out to rub Monroe's chin which served to start the big kitty's purr motor.

"Morning Bob," Bailli said with a smile, "I haven't seen you for a while, spending a lot of time down below?"

Bob nodded and returned Bailli's smile as he replied, "I have, and let me tell you, plan to spend as little time on the thirteenth floor of the Dungeon as possible."

"That bad?" Bailli asked as Monroe grabbed her hand and nuzzled it, encouraging her to rub his cheeks.

"Spiders," Bob said shortly as he shuddered.

"So many spiders," he said.

Bailli grimaced and started rubbing Monroe's ruff.

"I'm not too fond of spiders," Bailli said, "but I'm not terrified of them or anything."

"Neither was I," Bob grumbled as he waved to Theo who shot him a thumbs up.

Bob shuddered and then shook his head to clear the mental images away.

He reached into his satchel and pulled out a piece of paper outlining the Arcanist's Familiar and slid it over to Bailli.

"Thidwell doesn't have any summoning crystals, but once one of us is able to find them again," Bob said, "I thought you might like to have a familiar of your own."

Bailli's eyes widened as she read the paper.

She looked up with a brilliant smile and reached across the table to clasp his shoulder, "This is fantastic, I could have a kitty without worrying about them being in combat and getting hurt."

Bob nodded and rubbed Monroe's ears as he said, "That was my concern with my buddy, that and I was worried that if I lived long enough, I might lose him to old age, but it turns out that by becoming a familiar I'll have Monroe for as long as I live," he finished happily.

Bailli nodded, "Not having to worry about losing him really lifted a burden, didn't it?" she asked.

"It did," Bob said quietly as Monroe's purrs rumbled across the table.

"Get to leveling," Bailli said with a grin, "I need a familiar."

Bob grunted and said, "Oh I'm leveling, there is no way I'm going back down the spider floor."

"Is your 'Raptor leveled all the way up?" Bailli asked.

Bob shook his head and said, "No, the jump from twenty-five to twenty-six required three hundred and twenty thousand experience, which I guess is something you'll face as well when you're lightning blast spell is that high."

Bailli winced and shook her head, "I just hit level nine, and my Lightning Blast is level twenty-three."

She grinned and said, "I'm looking forward to the tenth floor of the Dungeon."

"You've got a pavilion and a canteen?" Bob asked.

Bailli nodded and gestured to her face as she said, "I'd be blood red and peeling an hour in."

Bob looked at Bailli.

He hadn't really looked at her before. Not to tell what she looked like anyway, beyond having a genuine smile.

She had skin that was likely as pale if not a touch lighter than his own, and a sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose. She had ash blonde hair and blue-grey eyes, which would have hinted at a nordic ancestry if they were back on earth.

Bob nodded and said, "Yeah, you're about as pale as I am, and I was roasting on that floor."

Bailli gave him a commiserating smile and said, "When I went to Gary's to get my armor, we talked about the tenth floor of the Dungeon, and he said that when you came in for a pavilion you looked like a tomato that was somehow peeling itself."

Bob nodded sadly and said, "It was very uncomfortable, but the pavilion makes all the difference."

"I recommend you stay on the tenth level until you have enough crystals for a set of level ten equipment as well as a comfortable cushion in regards to living expenses," Bob said seriously, "I didn't really enjoy any of the floors below that thus far, although the packs of cockroaches on the twelfth floor of the Dungeon weren't too difficult and offered a decent coalescence rate for mana crystals."

The conversation paused as Theo arrived with breakfast, including Monroe's bowl and a quick ear scratch.

"So back to the Dungeon this morning?" Bailli asked.

"Apparently the fourteenth floor is an oasis, like the fourth," Bob answered between bites, "So I'll check that out before I head to the fifteenth floor, which Thidwell has informed me is another awful swamp."

Bob took a bite of bacon and chewed then swallowed before continuing in a low voice, "I'm still on the fence as to if Thidwell is evil or not," he grumbled.

"Are there mosquitoes in this swamp?" Bailli asked in mock trepidation.

"Giant snakes," Bob replied.

"Ah," Bailli said flatly.

"Exactly," Bob agreed, "also marsh gas, akin to the eighth floor, and some sort of giant mantis insect."

Bailli shook her head and said, "Truly, your concern for Thidwell's mental well being might be well placed."

Bob grinned.

It was nice talking to Bailli.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bob stepped through the Gateway and down to the fourteenth floor of the Dungeon.

He gasped out a breath which fogged in front of him as the chill struck him and he clutched his cloak closed.

Monroe's tail swished as he eyed the snow-covered ground.

The Gateway opened up into a gorge, where snow covered the ground and dusted the evergreens that lined the floor and clung to the steep walls.

At the far end was a frozen waterfall, a trickle of water still streaming down the center into a series of steaming pools.

Bob slid Monroe from the Makres, and the big Maine-coon sprung from his arms into the snow.

The snow was two feet deep, so it was deep enough to completely engulf Monroe.

Monroe started bounding through the snow, his poofy tail the only sign of him as he dashed about.

Bob started making his way towards what he was assuming were hot springs, a grin spreading across his face as he watched Monroe leaping through the snow.

"Alright Thidwell," he muttered as he stomped through the snow, "you might not be completely evil."

Bob reached the steaming pools of water and confirmed that they were indeed hot springs, although they more accurately might be called hot tubs, given the seats that were carved into them.

Bob stored his cloak, armor, and clothes before stepping down into the water, his skin pebbled from the cool breeze that danced down the gorge.

He let out a contented sigh as he sat down on the stone shelf under the water, feeling the heat seep into him.

Bob leaned back and was about to close his eyes when his face was suddenly covered by a spray of snow as Monroe bounded out of a snowbank and skidded to a halt just beside Bob's head.

Bob sputtered and dipped his head underwater to get rid of the snow which was rapidly turning to slush.

Monroe stared at the steaming water for a moment before dismissing it.

Having located his human-servant, the big cat bounded back into the snow.

Bob smiled and leaned back again, letting the warmth soak through to his bones.

"Maybe only a little evil," he muttered as he closed his eyes.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bob spent two hours intermittently napping and admiring the flora and fauna.

There were a number of different evergreens that varied in color subtly, some of them with bright red or in one case violet berries.

He'd seen half a dozen different birds, including one with brilliant sapphire feathers, as well as a few deer, rabbits, and what may have been a mink or a marten.

It was definitely gorgeous, and Monroe had spent almost an hour playing in the snow before he settled down near the pool, tuckered out from his playtime.

Bob stepped out of the water and gasped as the breeze started to cool him off.

"I'll bring a towel next time," he muttered as he equipped his clothing then armor from his inventory.

Bob picked up Monroe and slid him into place on the Makres with a series of clicks.

Equipping his cloak, Bob portaled back to the Gateway and braced himself as he delved down to the fifteenth floor.

~ ~ ~ ~

Bob grimaced as he stepped out of the gateway. Stagnant, brackish water formed small pools and rivulets trickled between them as spruce and tamarack trees stood tall amongst sedge, horsetail, and birch.

The temperature was tepid, although the humidity was high and a light mist of rain was falling.

He could smell the rich scent of decomposing biomass, and a few hints of the methane gas Thidwell had promised.

With a sigh, Bob placed his persistent effect spells, a Flight spell for himself, and an Eldritch Shield for both himself and Monroe. He would have liked to have used his Fire Aura if only to level up the Elemental Fire School, but he wasn't sure how much damage an exploding methane cloud would do.

He pushed his mana into the pattern for his Summon Mana-Infused Creature spell, and his UtahRaptor appeared, ready for combat.

Bob took half a dozen steps into the marsh before he stopped, Jake at his side, and Monroe on his shoulders.

Bob cocked his head, trying to listen for... something.

The soft patter of tiny droplets falling on the leaves and ground was all he heard.

Bob mentally commanded Jake to make a series of ever-expanding circles around him until he was attacked, and then to defend himself.

Jake was fifteen feet away and passing by a pool when a massive form lunged up out of the pool. Bob's jaw dropped.

The snake had to be three feet in diameter if it was an inch.

The UtahRaptor dodged away from the strike adroitly, but the snake seemed equally quick as it immediately tried to wrap around Jake, who was clearly having none of that, as with a quick swivel and a stomp, he had the snakes head pinned to the ground with a clawed foot just behind its head.

The snake writhed and struggled, but Jake put a quick end to it with a single vicious bite just behind the head.

Jake dragged the body over to Bob and then went hunting again.

Bob eyed the snake.

It was a good thirty feet long.

Bob considered the fact that while there were snakes that long back on earth, none of them were this grotesquely thick.

Bob jerked his head up as he heard Jakes warbling battle cry, and found the UtahRaptor rampaging through a group of four mantis-like insects, each a bit over four feet in height, but barely five in length, and clearly possessed of none of the imposing bulk that the water serpent showed.

Jake made quick work of them before bringing them back.

"At least it isn't dark," Bob muttered as another massive snake lunged towards his UtahRaptor.