Chapter 7 – Drown the Light

“Good morning.” Leese’s voice, though Digitized, came through the implants in my skull.

“What?” I looked around, trying to find the source of her voice, but the darkness was absolute.

“Oh, right, let me get the lights.” The lights that previously had shut off came back on, slowly. “Sorry for the darkness, but you’re probably used to it.”

“Where are you?” I had watched her get consumed by the Kiosk sitting in front of me, but now her voice came through my skull.

“I’m the Dungeon.” Leese had a way of speaking where you could read her emotions by her tone, and I had a feeling she was smiling.

“The Dungeon? As in, you are actually the Dungeon?” The words almost came out as a laugh, it was so unbelievable.

“Yes, that’s correct.” Leese appeared in front of me, a holographic visualization of her old body, but bigger. In many ways. “Are you going to finish the mission and take over the Dungeon, Lord Grimm?”

A smirk crossed my face as she tilted her head and leaned over, but I shook my head and cleared my mind. There was time for other things later. I needed to finish the mission, claim the Dungeon, and get started on the formatting of this place. I hated fighting my way through this place. Maybe it wasn’t so bad as it stood, but a nice layout, or a floor plan, would be good to see.

“Alright, let’s take the Dungeon.” I pulled up the Mission Interface and accepted the completion of the Mission.

>>>

Mission: Assault on the Eldritch Temple COMPLETE

Payout: 26,500 Glimmer

EXP Payout: 4,750 EXP

Bonus: Dungeon Ownership

>>>

A fanfare played in my implants, pulling up another notification.

>>>

Congratulations! You have Leveled up!

Level Up x2!

You have gained (8) Attribute Points!

You have (12) Unspent Attribute Points!

You have gained (8) Skill Points!

You have (12) Unspent Skill Points!

You have gained (2) Ability Point!

You have (3) Unspent Ability Points!

You are now level 7!

EXP to Level 8: 14,500

>>>

“What’s Glimmer?” I was expecting a Gold payout, not Glimmer. What in the Underneath was that?

“Glimmer is a substance used to upgrade your Dungeon, Grimm.” Leese’s digitized body stepped over and sat on the arm of my throne, crossing her legs. “It’ll help upgrade me, too.”

“Your dress is kinda short for that.” I looked away from her, despite my desire to look as hard as I could.

Leese was still a Fae, despite being the dungeon core, and also a friend. I wanted to at least try to respect her.

“Yes.” She replied with a nonchalance that I didn’t expect.

“Okay, well, just so you know.” I raised an eyebrow.

“Do you want to get started, or are you just going to sit here and blush?” Leese hopped off the arm of the throne, disappearing from sight in a digital cloud of data.

I wanted to spend my points, now that I owned the Dungeon, and could use the Kiosk, but I didn’t even know if it was a broad-use Kiosk, or if it was limited to just Dungeon control. Only one way to find out.

I pulled the cord from the side of my AMHUD and plugged it into the Dungeon Kiosk console. The annoying loading disc appeared on my AMHUD and appeared in front of my face, like a holographic projection.

The amber glow from it reminded me of something from my past, but I couldn’t quite place it. Something digital from years and years ago, but that didn’t come to mind cleanly now.

A moment later, the loading disc disappeared, and a new screen popped up.

>>>

Good morning, Dungeon Lord.

Would you like to Level Up?

You have (12) Unspent Attribute Points

You have (12) Unspent Skill Points

You have (3) Unspent Ability Points

>>>

Those points were staring at me, burning a hole in my proverbial pocket. I needed to spend them to try to get my stats up. I had a feeling this wasn’t the end of my difficult challenges, especially since Heroes were often hired to clear out Dungeons and bring back the heads of Dungeon Lords.

Speaking of Dungeon Lords, Armenius didn’t have an AMHUD, but I still had mine. I looked down at it, checking just to make sure.

It was still firmly strapped to my arm, with the wiring running into my skin through the ports and entry-lines. The device worked by harvesting human BTU’s to power an internal thermal conversion generator. It sustained the battery and provided power for a constant neuronal connection to the Guild.

“Nari, where’s my clone set?” I wondered if owning a Dungeon was tantamount to abandoning your slot at the Guild.

Your current spawn location is here, Grimm. Nari chirped in my ear.

So, my spawn at the Guild had been changed to the Dungeon. Interesting.

“Nari, what’s my current balance at the Guild? How much is my debt?” Before I had left the Guild for the Dungeon, I had a debt of well over two-hundred-fifty thousand Gold, which they daily added on to, for training, Clone storage, apartments rent, and etc.

It was almost impossible to get out of debt with the Guild, unless you overtook a Dungeon, or were very rich. Before this morning, I was neither.

Your debt has been cleared by the Guild, considering your employment lost, as a Dungeon Lord. The Guild requests that you send one tenth of all resources to the Guild as a donation for all of your future endeavours. Nari replied, her electronic voice in my head not entirely unwanted.

Excellent, my debt was clear, and I was able to live freely. Well, as freely as a Dungeon Lord could live.

“Leese, do you have any suggestions for leveling?” I didn’t know where to spend my points, aside from putting some points into Endurance to increase my total HP and generalized Defenses.

Based on my current level, the stat cap was thirty, so I couldn’t put any points into anything to increase it beyond that.

“Your spells are pretty strong, but if you’re going to keep this Dungeon, you’re going to need to be more well-rounded.” Leese’s voice called from everywhere.

“Sure, I get that. But, should I bother with Strength?” I looked down at my hands and clenched my fists.

I was never physically strong, but I had always been a powerful caster. It never hurt to branch out into weapons and armor. Most armor, especially the heavier stuff, like what Jiamandi was wearing, had a set requirement for strength. Weapons tended to scale based on Strength and Dexterity, though some scaled on Intelligence and Wisdom. My daggers scaled on both Dexterity and Intelligence, since I had the enchantments inscribed on them.

Especially rare weapons scaled on Luck, though it was rumored that there was only one weapon of its kind in the world anymore, and my chances to get that particular sword were one in a million, at best.

I tossed the ideas back and forth for a while before I decided to split my Attribute Points as evenly as I could across Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Intelligence and Wisdom, setting my character sheet up in a way that allowed me to have a good mix of stats.

I also used my Skill Points to level up my Fire, Death, Water, Underneath, Short Blades, and Light Armor skills by two each, on top of the levels they had gained while I was in the dungeon.

Once I was finished, I looked over my skill sheet and felt quite good about my decisions.

Name: Grimm Darkfyre

Job Class: Dark Wizard

Exp 365/14,500

Title: Dungeon Lord

Level: 7

Health: 425/425

Mana: 950/950

Stamina: 270/270

Strength: 12

Job Skills:

Endurance: 15

Water Magic: 11

Dexterity: 12

Death Magic: 13

Intelligence: 20

Dark Magic: 14

Wisdom: 18

Fire Magic: 10

Charisma: 14

Underneath Summonings: 5

Luck: 4

Short Blades: 7

Long Blades: 3

Physical Armor: 18

Light Armor: 16

Magical Resistance: 70

Medium Armor: 3

Mysticism: 12

The base armor I had improved considerably, which was great. As did several of my skill levels, and my Health and Mana increased significantly.

Though I didn’t get as much of an increase in my Short Blades, or Light Armor as I had wanted to. But, on the other hand, my Medium Armor skill had increased to three, which was a bonus.

“Though I’ll need a higher strength to wear heavier armor, I think.” I scratched at the side of my face while I stared at my character sheet. “Where do I spend my Ability Points?”

There were no abilities on my Character Sheet that I could see, and no way to shift tabs or adjust my view on it. Previous to this, the only way I was aware of buying new Abilities was through the Guild, and at a considerable cost.

“There’s a new sheet for you to peruse, Lord Grimm.” Leese said softly.

“Oh?” I closed the Character Sheet and waited for Leese to explain how to find it.

“It’s a new tab, specifically for your Title as Dungeon Lord.” Leese appeared in front of me as her standard, smaller size, flitting her wings and floating in front of my face.

She waved a hand and the screen came up, occluding my vision.

Dungeon Lord (M)

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Dungeon Talents

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Caretaker

Tactician

Annihilator

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Constructor

Orerry

Slayer

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Smith

Alchemist

Enchanter

Butcher

Trapper

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LOCKED

LOCKED

LOCKED

“This is where I spend my Ability Points?” I stared at the menu, confused as to what, exactly, each talent meant.

“You can focus on a given talent, and I will educate you. What do you want to know about, Grimm?” Leese spun in the air as she spoke.

“Caretaker doesn’t seem like my cup of tea, what about Annihilator?” I didn’t much feel like being a nanny to a bunch of monsters. I’d rather slaughter Heroes and invading Wizards by the hundreds.

“You do realize that Caretaker doesn’t automatically mean you’re a wet nurse?” Leese asked.

“I figured it was something ridiculous like that.” I replied with a dismissive handwave.

“It’s not. It just means you take better care of the Dungeon, but please, by all means, continue to dismiss plausible opportunities for improving yourself.” Leese rolled her eyes, hard.

“Alright, fine, tell me about Caretaker.” I gave in.

“Sure, make it a big deal now.” Leese was in a mood, but it was my own fault.

“Come on, please?” Of all the things I needed to do less of, it was be a jerk to Leese first and foremost.

She sacrificed herself, at my behest, to become the Dungeon AI. It was the least I could do.

“Alright, fine.” Leese waved her hand in the air and an interface appeared in front of me.

>>>

Dungeon Talent: Caretaker

Performing your duties as a Dungeon Lord requires a wide variety of abilities, talents, and skills. One of them should be understanding how your monsters interact with the Dungeon, and vice versa. Every level of Caretaker increases the amount of EXP the Dungeon gains with every kill, as well as the overall HP, MP, and SP of the monsters that dwell within. In addition to this passive increase, you, as a Dungeon Lord, will receive a new unlocked skill at specified levels.

Talent Class: Dungeon Lord

Talent Level: Initiate (Tier I)

Talent Type: Passive/Active

Unlocked Effect: None

Talent Level 1: 5% EXP bonus for all Dungeon Monsters, Dungeon Lord, and Dungeon

Talent Level 1: 2.5% Bonus to HP, MP, and SP of all Dungeon Monsters and Dungeon Lord.

Talent Level 1: Unlock [Monster – Harbinger (Cinza)]

It’s not a party until your party is full…Of Monsters. Or, you know, Humans, which are inherently worse than Monsters. ~Cathedral Healer, Emily Angel

>>>

It wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for, but it definitely seemed to be useful. Especially with the bonus in EXP. And did it mention Dungeon EXP?

“Hey Leese, what’s the story with the Dungeon EXP?” I needed to sate my curiosity.

“So…” Leese started, her eye unfocusing as a series of blue and amber screens appeared before her, flipping and spinning away as she moved her hands like she was typing in the air.

“So?” I stared at her as she continued typing.

“I’m new to this, chill.” She snapped, typing faster. “Dungeon EXP is basically the same as your EXP, except you use it to directly level up the Dungeon itself…and me, apparently?”

“So, you’re saying I can upgrade you directly?” I tilted my head.

“That is, in fact, what I just said.” Leese closed all of the screens at once, then put her hands on her hips and gave me an angry look.

“Alright, alright, I know, stupid question. Listen, can you tell me about Annihilator, now?” I put a hand in the air and Leese landed on it.

She didn’t weigh anything at all, which I would need to get used to. I wondered if she could give herself virtual weight, but that was a question that could wait for another day.

“Always trying for murder.” Leese said before gesturing in front of me again, bringing up the information for Annihilator.

>>>

Dungeon Talent: Annihilator

Performing your duties as a Dungeon Lord requires a wide variety of abilities, talents, and skills. One of these should be understanding how to destroy those who come into your Dungeon, and do so in a way that is befitting a Dungeon Lord. Each level of Annihilator will increase the overall Damage Output of your Dungeon Monsters, your traps, and your own abilities. In addition to this passive increase, you, as a Dungeon Lord, will receive a new unlocked skill at specified levels.

Talent Class: Dungeon Lord

Talent Level: Initiate (Tier I)

Talent Type: Passive/Active

Unlocked Effect: None

Talent Level 1: 5% Damage bonus for all Dungeon Monsters, Dungeon Lord, Traps

Talent Level 1: Unlock [Trap – Flame Explosion]

Talent Level 1: Unlock [Room Type – Torture Chamber]

You can’t know pain until you destroy something someone loves. Then, when that pain is realized, you can finally rend flesh from soul. ~Cathedral Warlock, Natalie Angel

>>>

“Wow, that flavor text is brutal.” I said with a smile, knowing that some day I would have to meet this Cathedral Warlock in combat, even if that meant storming the Grand Cathedral itself.

“You’ve asked about those two, why not learn about Tactician?” Leese flipped her hand in the air and another interface showed up.

>>>

Dungeon Talent: Tactician

Performing your duties as a Dungeon Lord requires a wide variety of abilities, talents, and skills. One of these should be understanding how to appropriately deploy, maintain, and manipulate traps, various room types, monsters, and tactics. Each level of Tactician will reduce the overall cost of Dungeon Traps, Monster Deployment, Rooms, Items, and Decor. In addition to this passive increase, you, as a Dungeon Lord, will receive a new unlocked skill at specified levels.

Talent Class: Dungeon Lord

Talent Level: Initiate (Tier I)

Talent Type: Passive/Active

Unlocked Effect: None

Talent Level 1: 5% Cost Reduction in Trap, Monster, and Room Deployment

Talent Level 1: Unlock [Trap – Crystal Shatter]

Talent Level 1: Unlock [Room Type – Monster Den]

Talent Level 1: Unlock [Room Type – Vault]

Everything has a price. Loyalty, Humanity, Joy, Pain, Peace, can all be bought and sold with the right combination of money and pressure. If that’s the case, then I have wont for nothing. ~Cathedral Inquisitor, Jamirus Angel

>>>

Every single member of the Cathedral seemed intense, and exciting. I would need to meet them all, and kill them, eventually. If not just to say I did it.

“Those are the three options you have to start with.” Leese spun in the air and the three different screens appeared side-by-side in front of me, in their respective places in the Talent Tree.

“Can I only pick one?” I looked them over, beckoning Annihilator closer to me and rereading the description.

“In order to fully unlock the talent tree, you need to go with all of them eventually. And you can’t unlock the bottom tier until you master the primary tree branch above it.” Leese floated over and leaned through the screen I was reading, staring into my face. “Are you listening?”

“Yeah, yeah. I only have three points right now. What do I even begin with?” I flipped the screens, checking through them all.

“You need ten points to master a single branch, and then you have to master each subsequent path in order to maximize your potential.” Leese sat in the air with her legs crossed.

“Of course I do. Well, to be fair, I think spreading my points evenly will just end up pissing me off. I’m going to go hard into Annihilator, and then a sub into Tactician.” I said, looking at the subtext inside Caretaker one more time. Did that say Cinza?

“If you’re sure.” Leese said, rolling her eyes.

“No, wait. What’s this?” I looked at Caretaker more closely. Cinza was a Dungeon Monster now?

“Oh, the Harbinger? Lemme see what I can find.” Leese stood up in the air again and typed into empty space, pulling up more screens.

I waited, and waited, and waited some more. Finally, she chuckled, smiled, then closed her screens.

“Are you ready for this?” Leese asked, barely holding back a laugh.

“Any time now.” I said, irritated.

“A Harbinger is a powerful, direct-command unit. Think of them like a General. The upside? You have complete control over them. The downside? They have a long respawn time if they’re killed.” Leese couldn’t hold back a huge smile.

“And Cinza is a Harbinger for this Dungeon?” I smirked.

“I know how much you hated her in life, now you can have virtually complete control over her. Oh, Harbingers level with the Dungeon, so she could become insanely powerful.” Leese continued.

“Okay, Leese. Let’s do this. I’m putting a point in each tree, and we’ll see how Cinza handles the first battle. Oh man, I bet she’s going to be pissed.” I couldn’t keep the wicked smile from my face.