Zeke leaned against the wall, chewing on a piece of fish as he tried to distract himself from the agonizing pain of his healing body. The good news was that most of his wounds were largely superficial; the acid-like pus had done a number on his skin, but the combination of his high durability and incredible vitality, which had been further boosted by [Leech Strike], had prevented him from being melted alive. He wasn’t even sure if he’d end up with any scars, which was something of a miracle, considering he’d been drenched in the acidic pus.

Even better, he’d finally gained a level from killing the much higher-leveled Brood Mother, pushing him to level seven. As he ate his energy and vitality boosting meal, Zeke allocated his free points into strength and endurance, putting eight points into the former, with the remaining seven in the latter.

Originally, he’d intended to split the points evenly between strength, dexterity, and endurance, but he felt like his dexterity was in a pretty good place, not least because of his history of handling a baseball bat. Spending most of his teenage years trying to hit a three-inch wide ball that was speeding toward him at speeds in excess of ninety miles an hour had given him the sort of coordination that couldn’t be quantified with stats. Plainly put, he could usually hit whatever he was aiming for. And while he still intended to focus on the stat in the future so his coordination didn’t lag behind, he thought that strength and endurance were far more important for his current prospects of surviving the cave system.

On top of reaching level seven, he’d also acquired a new achievement, the sub-menu of which he quickly opened.

Above and Beyond – Complete an optional quest before leaving your starting dungeon. +5 to All Stats, +5% to All Stats

For a long moment, Zeke just stared at the line of information. It was an incredible, unexpected boost to his stats, and it made him wonder just how much more powerful than a typical person he might become. He didn’t think that many people would’ve attacked the Brood Mother at his level, much less survived to get an achievement. The monster had been more than three-times his level, and it had taken everything he had to come out on top. It seemed that The Framework rewarded taking such chances.

More than that, the description of the achievement gave him some hints about his current situation. While his first quest, which was to escape the cave system, had all but confirmed that there was an entire world above him, Zeke had begun to doubt that he’d ever see the light of day. After all, he’d spent over seven months underground, and he’d yet to see even a hint of humanity. So, it was reasonable to question his situation. But now, he'd received further confirmation that escape was more than possible; it was necessary and expected. In fact, the troll caves could be seen as something of a tutorial – a place designed to introduce him to his new reality. Driving that notion home was the fact that he’d completed an optional quest he didn’t even know was possible.

And with quests came rewards, which was biggest reason for Zeke’s excitement. With a flick of his eyes, Zeke navigated to the appropriate sub-menu and read the text associated with the quest he’d just completed.

Quest (optional): Destroy the Source

Objective: Slay the Brood Mother (complete)

Choose Reward: Weapon [G-Grade], Armor [G-Grade], Accessory [G-Grade]

Zeke read and re-read the quest text, looking for a hint on how he should make his choice. On the one hand, he certainly needed a new weapon, having shattered his club on the Brood Mother’s face. But he’d broken plenty of weapons before, and there was no shortage of clubs to go around. He just had to steal another from the next troll village he came across, and until then, he could use his spear. It wasn’t optimal, but he’d gotten decent with it. Then again, this weapon would be G-Grade, which was probably a good deal better than any of the clubs he’d used. Even the latest, which had been the strongest of the bunch, wasn’t even graded.

The armor would be nice, too. After all, he was wearing nothing but strips of cloth that had once been the linen shirt and pants with which he’d been reborn. Anything at all would definitely be an improvement on that, considering he was all but naked. However, Zeke wasn’t sure if it would just give him a single piece of armor, or if he’d get an entire set, but he suspected the former. And therein lay the issue. He’d be extremely upset if he forewent a new, upgraded weapon for a bracer. Or a single boot. A helmet wouldn’t be terrible, but he couldn’t help but feel that his ever-increasing endurance was good enough to see him through to the end of the cave system, at the very least – especially if he kept getting levels and powerful achievements.

As far as accessories went, Zeke had absolutely no idea what that even meant. Perhaps it would be some stat-boosting treasure? Or maybe it was something that would give him an ability? He simply had no clue what was even possible with an accessory, so he didn’t feel qualified to even consider it. It was possible he was throwing away a golden opportunity to grow immeasurably stronger, but he couldn’t in good conscience pick something without knowing the basic parameters of what it might entail. So, he eliminated that option without any further consideration, which left him with the two others.

Weapon or armor. Offense or defense. It truly wasn’t that difficult of a decision, based on his previous experiences. Nothing had killed him yet, so the armor seemed somewhat superfluous, especially considering that he would get progressively more durable with every level. But he’d already gone through a handful of clubs, and he suspected that his enemies would just get stronger the higher he climbed through the cave system. A more durable weapon might be just the thing he needed to not only survive, but thrive. Because if the quest had taught him one thing, it was that things weren’t as straightforward as they seemed. There were other hidden opportunities in the so-called dungeon, and he intended to pick it completely clean. A strong weapon would surely help him in that endeavor. So, without further hesitation, he mentally selected that option, and a white metal box trimmed in gold appeared in front of him.

For a long moment, Zeke just stared at the case. While he wasn’t sure what the white metal was, it didn’t seem to have been painted. Its color was a property of the material itself. That, in addition to the gold trim, meant that the box alone was probably worth more than anything he’d ever held in his own hands. And that was just the case. Surely, the weapon would be even more valuable. So, he ignored the pain of his healing body as he bent forward and opened the box to reveal…

A three-and-a-half foot bone.

No – it wasn’t just a bone, as evidenced by the rough leather wrapped around one end, creating a grip. What’s more, on the opposite side, amidst what might’ve been the ball of a joint, there were two-inch, metal studs whose material looked very similar to what had been used to construct the case. Finally, the entire haft was covered in runes that looked like nothing so much as scrimshaw carvings. After staring at the thing for a few seconds, Zeke remembered to cast [Inspection], and he was rewarded with a description of the weapon.

Voromir, The Dragonbone Mace [G] – An incredibly durable bludgeoning weapon created from the bone of a powerful crimson dragon. Special Functions: Adaptability – Adapts weight to suit strength.

Zeke’s mouth dropped open as he read the description. Despite his initial impression, the weapon was everything he’d hoped it would be. Not only would it grow with his increasing strength, but due to his lone combat skill being a function of his own damage, it would also enhance his [Leech Strike]. If it really functioned the way the description said, he couldn’t have been happier with his choice of quest reward. So, he reached down, wrapped his fingers around the leather grip, and without fanfare, hefted the weapon.

True to the weapon’s description, even when he held it in one hand, it felt like the perfect weight. The same could be said when he clasped it with his other hand and gave it a few exploratory swings. Even though he was still seated, he could feel the weight and balance adjusting as he swung the weapon around.

However, he couldn’t hide his disappointment when the box in which it had come dissipated into white motes a couple of minutes after he’d retrieved the mace. It probably shouldn’t have been a surprise, but he was still a little disappointed by the loss of obvious wealth.

As Zeke sat there recuperating, he couldn’t really contain his excitement. When he was younger, Zeke had often gotten baseball paraphernalia as Christmas presents. Mostly, it was because he didn’t really have any other interests, but it was also due to his father’s single-mindedness concerning the sport. To him, every occasion was an opportunity to get better at baseball – an attitude that had rubbed off on Zeke. So, when he’d gotten a new bat or glove for his birthday or Christmas, he’d carry it around for the rest of the day, all the while dreaming of all the things he would do with the item. The same thing happened with his new mace, Voromir. Even as he opened his status window, he cradled the mace in his arms like a newborn baby.

Name

Ezekiel Blackwood

Class

n/a

Level

7

Race

Human (G)

Alignment

Isphodel

Achievements

First Blood, Hasty Evolution, Above and Beyond

Strength

85

Agility

66

Dexterity

77

Endurance

77

Vitality

67

Intelligence

60

Wisdom

57

Unassigned Attribute Points

0

His gains from the battle with the Brood Mother were astronomical; getting a five-percent bonus to all of his stats made Above and Beyond his best achievement yet. And Zeke suspected that his new weapon was probably even more impactful than his stat gains. However, it hadn’t come without a significant cost, and one he was still in the process of paying.

In the end, it took him most of the rest of the day to recover before he felt well enough to move on. But before he did, he needed to inspect the scene of the battle. While he wasn’t exactly excited about revisiting the foul-smelling crater, Zeke knew that he’d be kicking himself for the foreseeable future if he didn’t make sure there wasn’t anything of value being left behind. So, without further hesitation, he strode down the tunnel where he’d been recuperating and quickly retraced his steps back to the cavern in which he’d most recently fought for his life.

And it was just as disgusting as he expected it to be. Everywhere he looked, there were still steaming puddles of goop that had once been troll larvae. Not a single one of the little monsters had survived intact, and even the Brood Mother had begun to dissolve from the inside out. Zeke suspected that if he were to push against her mottled skin with even a normal human’s strength, his hand would break right through the flimsy, revolting barrier. Not that he’d do such a thing, of course. He’d had his fill of the giant, obese troll matriarch.

Zeke crept along the outer edge of the cavern as he circled around the morass of melted trolls, his new mace in one hand while his other trailed along the outer wall. Thankfully, it didn’t take him long to cross to the other side, where he was confronted with a surprising sight: a door.

It wasn’t the flaps of leather that covered most of the troll huts’ entrances, but an actual wooden door constructed of planed wood. It even had a latch which appeared to have been made of cast iron, making it far and away the most technologically advanced thing he’d seen since his rebirth.

For a moment, Zeke was certain that he’d found the way out. After all, why else would there be an actual door? But then, he started to think it through, and he realized that his conclusion made no real sense. Killing the Brood Mother had been an optional quest, and he suspected that the primary path to the surface never would’ve come close to her. If it hadn’t been for the smell and his curiosity, Zeke would never have found the cavern in the first place. So, it didn’t make sense that the path to the surface would lead past her.

But if it wasn’t that, then what was it? A treasure trove, maybe? Would he find another optional quest inside? Perhaps an armory? The quest reward had awakened something inside of him, a newfound sense of greed that was nearly overwhelming as he imagined all sorts of power-ups behind that simple, wooden door.

After taking a deep breath, Zeke kicked the door in. In an explosion of splinters, it flew off its hinges to collide with a very surprised pair trolls seated within. Zeke was moving in an instant, swinging his new mace with a deftness he’d never felt with any of his previous weapons. With a mental command, the twin runes for [Leech Strike] sprang into being, immediately transferring to Voromir, integrating with the other runes craved into the mace’s haft.

The first troll had no chance to react, and in the space of a second, its head had been caved in. The second monster was a little luckier, but only just, because even though it managed to raise its spear to block Zeke’s next swing, the crude, wooden weapon proved no match for the dragonbone mace. The spear shattered, barely offering a token resistance before Zeke’s swing connected with its neck, breaking it just as easily as it had destroyed the spear.

The familiar vitality associated with [Leech Strike] flowed through his body, accompanied by the energy from the kills. Zeke couldn’t stop a small smile from spreading across his face as he considered how easily he’d taken the trolls out. Both of them had been level thirteen, but he’d dispatched them without breaking a sweat. Certainly, taking them by surprise had contributed to how easily he’d managed to kill them, but the real star had been Voromir and Zeke’s ever-increasing strength.

However, the short fight hadn’t gone unnoticed because, just across the room, there was another door, through which Zeke could see a third troll warrior staring at him. Behind that monster, a half-dozen others were gathered.

Zeke’s grin widened as he thought that there had to be something good waiting for him in the next room if it required so many guards.