Living Elder Goliath Toads did not smell good. Improbably, the recently dead specimen now blocking the hall somehow smelled much worse within seconds of its demise. Were it not for his reassuringly quiet Sense Danger, Dan would have been a bit concerned the fumes were toxic. The corpse had bloated and swelled immediately after death. If it was some sort of rapid gaseous build up, perhaps it could be popped like a hideously rank balloon. While all this was a concern, it was a minor one. Dying of stink was not a real thing, and getting past the obstacle just didn't seem like it was meant to be one of the dungeon's real challenges. Though, to revisit the framework of mythology, one of Hercules' labors of legend was to clean out a particularly disgusting stable. He rather wished he hadn't remembered that, and could keep telling himself this wasn't going to be a real issue he actually had to think about.

In the meantime, master and familiar had an enforced ten minute break while they waited for their aether pools to fill. How best to use the time?

"Dan, you should review your status. You have unused Perks and Aether Abilities. It may be best to leave them in case stronger options open up, but it would be wise to decide your top choices for Perks now. If you have not, you should also allocate your two free attribute points."

Dan, wisely to his way of thinking, did as told.

Name: Daniel Martin

Age: 29

Species: Human

Class: Esper

Level: 7

Health: 296/296

Aether Pool: 52.92/289

Health Regeneration: .138/minute

Aether Regeneration: .35/second

Attributes

Strength: 24

Constitution: 28

Agility: 32

Perception: 112

Aether Attunement: 27

Available: 2

Skills

Sling Marksmanship, Level 5

Perks

Brain Cage

Enhanced Evasion 1

Universal Translator

Aether Contractor

Familiar Mind Link

(3 available)

Aether Abilities

Unerring Aim [self] (R5, Esper): Level 1

Sensory Locus (R5, Esper): Level 1

Peer Through Past [recent, item focus] (R3, Esper): Level 1

Minor Restore Health (R2, Restoration): Level 1

Minor Aether Bolt (R1, Evocation): Level 1

Detect Monster (R3, Esper): Level 1

Sense Deceit (R6, Esper): Level 1

Eagle Eye (R3, Esper): Level 1

Universal Compass (R9, Esper): Level 1

Penetrating Sight (R4, Esper): Level 1

Cleanse (R1, Alteration): Level 1

Contract Familiar (R5, Esper/Conjuration): Level N/A

Dark Bolt (R5, Evocation - Familiar Link): Level N/A

(4 available)

There were lots of numbers. They kept going up. That was nice to see. Dan could tell without the numbers that he had grown stronger and more capable. After leaving his earth, that was almost entirely thanks to Ray. But those numbers were arbitrary things, and only had immediate meaning when measured against the threats he faced now, in this dungeon. Those were a dangerous unknown. Dan telepathically read off his Status to Ray.

"Any suggestions on what do do with the free Attributes, Perks, and Aether Abilities?"

"Your kind, like mine, has little natural armor. It is better to not get hurt than to get hurt less badly. I believe you should continue to put your free attribute points into Agility, and on your next level up you should take the Enhanced Evasion 2 perk. Chosen Esper is an unfair blessing and has already given you Esper school Aether Abilities far stronger than those you are likely to have as options to pick. In combat, generally your best use of Aether will be those abilities and Dark Bolt. You are not a trained or experienced warrior, and extra, situational abilities may endanger you in a fight. Dan, my friend, you are easily tempted by thinking on your options, but battle rarely grants time for contemplation."

"You're saying I'd think myself to death if I had more choices when fighting?"

"Yes. For now."

Dan thought on this. Then he realized that probably just indicated Ray was right.

"OK, so I'll hold off on more Aether Abilities for now. I assume that when we have more time to train I can pick one and practice how and when to use it?"

"Yes."

"What about Perks then?"

"Perks generally offer passive benefits, and do not ask for your concentration to help you. They are safer. Ideally you would have a trainer of your kind to help you choose. However, Combat Instinct, which you should have available now at level 7, may be a wise selection. It is commonly chosen by Espers, and works well with Tactical Precognition, Sense Danger, and high levels of Perception in general."

"That sounds great. What does it actually do? Specifically?"

"It improves your subconscious, reactive decisions in combat. The effect is subtle. You will not take this perk and be transformed into a masterful fighter. But it can be a difficult thing for an Esper to learn to react rather than think when so much knowledge is unveiled to them. The perk helps. It's power grows with one's Perception, and so would help you more than most."

Dan put his free attribute points into Agility and took the perk.

"Any other perks I should take now?"

"I advise saving your remaining free perk points. Your needs may become more clear in the future, and then they may be spent more wisely. There are none I know of that would aid greatly now."

"Sounds good."

As they telepathically conversed, Dan unlocked the cell and untied the improvised cell door barricade. The dead toad monster deflated little by little as the minutes passed, and Dan was able to squirm over the top of its corpse, squished uncomfortably against the ceiling. It took two trips to drag his backpack, tire iron, and one of the naga's spears with him. It took three applications of Cleanse to remove the viscous slime from his body and belongings. Ray somehow cheated. There was probably a logical explanation involving their smaller size and short range teleportation, but it was dastardly unfair how clean and unfazed the raven was at the end of the stink gauntlet. Dan had been too distracted by trying to get clean to pay attention to how the bird did it. Which was instructive. Even with sensory super powers, he could miss stuff if he wasn't paying attention.

The Dan disrupting door was open, and no longer seemed to actively mess with him. If it was some manner of Aether Enchanted item similar to his Firestone Amulet, then perhaps it was engineered to only function while closed. It lead into a large, dim, oval room with a floor of mud. There were windows at two ends of the oval, high on the walls and barred. A trickle of water ran out of a small pipe directly onto the floor and kept it wet. The environment seemed better suited to a frog than a toad, based on the little Dan knew of amphibian biology and habitats, but whatever. Best not to get hung up on such things. Knowledge from his earth could give him a starting point, a handle to grab on to these worlds disturbingly similar to his own, but when confronted with differences he'd decided to note them, accept them, and think about it all later.

The room had clearly had one function. It was the living quarters for a giant murder toad. Dan and Ray searched for any hidden treasure or anything else of interest, but found nothing. Finally, Dan stood in front of another Perception blocking door. It was directly across the room from the first, it was closed, and again he had no idea what lay beyond it.

"So, what's the plan this time?"

"You can not repeat your barrier in the hall idea because the toad blocks off the path. However, this room is large, and should give more space for both of us to dodge if needed. What does Sense Danger tell you about opening the door?"

"It's dangerous, but less than the door to the murder toad. Just open it after you use Sphere of Darkness and be ready to Dark Bolt and/or dodge?"

"My use of that ability is limited. I employed it last time because of the great danger you felt behind the door. If this is less dangerous, then we should conserve it for a time of greater need."

"OK, open the door and blast the monsters it is then."

Dan opened the heavy door into another hall. The floor was hard packed dirt, the walls and ceiling were cut stone, and it was lit by torchlight. Of more immediate concern were what looked like seven giant robber flies that accelerated rapidly toward the invading duo. The monstrous insects were nearly three feet long and very fast, and Dan's danger sense helpfully informed him that it was in no way safe to get punctured by the wicked proboscis each sported (venomous?). Dan and Ray reacted instantly, and met the attack with a hail of Dark Bolts. The last of the bugs died within a foot and a half of its human target, knocked safely to the side by the kinetic component of Dark Bolt's impact. They were fast and aggressive, but comparatively frail. Not much was left after they got bolted.

Monster Defeated, Deep Swamp Assassin Fly (Altered), lvl 6. Aether Gained.

Monster Defeated, Deep Swamp Assassin Fly (Altered), lvl 5. Aether Gained.

Monster Defeated, Deep Swamp Assassin Fly (Altered), lvl 6. Aether Gained.

Monster Defeated, Deep Swamp Assassin Fly (Altered), lvl 7. Aether Gained.

Monster Defeated, Deep Swamp Assassin Fly (Altered), lvl 3. Aether Gained.

Monster Defeated, Deep Swamp Assassin Fly (Altered), lvl 5. Aether Gained.

Monster Defeated, Deep Swamp Assassin Fly (Altered), lvl 4. Aether Gained.

Two things jumped out at Dan as his heart rate slowed back down. The first, which he should have noticed before now, was that he apparently got full credit for Ray's kills. The second was that these bugs were described as "altered". That sounded purposeful. Altered by who?

"Ray, have you seen monsters like this before?"

"The Lifeweaver has spun some of crawling kind into fearsome living weapons, but to my knowledge my world has not known monsters akin to these, no."

"Great. Hold up, something's coming."

Something came, in the form of a quartet of giant scorpions that rushed around the corner where the hall turned to the right. They were pale yellow, with thick chitin armor and wicked looking claws and a stinger to match, they were the size of rottweilers, and they were faster than they had any right to be. For all that the bugs had going for them, they were melee attackers charging potent ranged defenders from almost forty feet away. It took a couple of Dark Bolts to drop each scorpion, but they went down.

Monster Defeated, Five Pace Scorpion (Altered), lvl 8. Aether Gained.

Monster Defeated, Five Pace Scorpion (Altered), lvl 8. Aether Gained.

Monster Defeated, Five Pace Scorpion (Altered), lvl 8. Aether Gained.

Monster Defeated, Five Pace Scorpion (Altered), lvl 8. Aether Gained.

"Ray, I've got kind of a bad feeling about this. Someone or something is controlling these. Those we've dealt with so far I think are the hunter killers, on my world I'd call them the guard dogs. As long as we don't run too low on Aether Pool, we can handle them in small numbers. But Five Pace Scorpion sounds like that's how many steps you take before you die after one stings you. What do we do if the bug master sends a swarm of small stinging insects that venomous?"

"You have your Firestone Amulet to handle one such swarm. If there is another, or one that is too large, there is only one choice. We flee, and shut the door behind us."