Chapter 13 – Endlessly Waiting for Death

I rebuilt the Tavern, adjusted the room structure, modified the layout of the dungeon, and did it all within points.

The first floor was now more of a labyrinth, with a few winding tunnels and fewer straight-aways, fewer large rooms, and more choke points.

The second floor was one enormous straight away, with Incineration wards along the walls the entire way, as well as a few Stasis runes I decided to add to the floor in various locations.

The downside was, in order to maintain the Runes, my maximum MP was reduced. The upside, though, was that when the Runes were activated, I was refunded that MP in spades.

So, if I chose to activate the Runes when enemies crept by, and flash them with fire, I would get that MP back before they arrived.

My Pawns I split between the floors, this time using the Rogues as a secondary offensive, instead of the Soldiers, and I left Arthas, the Frost Wizard, at the top floor, while keeping Beth, the Death Cleric, at the second floor with a pair of Rogues and a Soldier.

“I will be so pleased to acquaint the incoming Heroes with the God of Death.” Beth said, clapping her hands and jumping up and down.

She was short, pretty with long, wavy brown hair that flowed down to the top of her butt, and very elegant in her Cleric Robes.

“You’re awfully excited for this.” I tilted my head, staring at her.

“Well, it’s not every day I get to perform my duties to a T.” She explained happily, a broad smile on her face.

“So, being a Death Cleric, what does that provide you? Can you heal? Kill? Maim? Annihilate?” I put emphasis on the last one, since Healing wasn’t something I particularly cared about.

“I can do all of those things, though I prefer to absolutely decimate my foes to the bone, ushering them pleasantly into darkness.” Her smile grew wider, somehow, despite the incredibly dark statement she just made.

It was awesome.

“The Runes are holding well, I see.” Leese said from behind me.

She leaned over and inspected one of the Stasis Runes I had inscribed into the ground, which glowed blue to my eyes. Leese swore they would be hidden from Heroes, unless they had Runic Sight, which was a very rare, and incredibly expensive, trait to train.

The only reason I had the trait was because I was, in fact, a Runic Wizard. Even though I was a Dark Wizard, I was heavily trained in Runic Magics.

But for some reason, it never showed up on my Character Sheet. Something about Arcane Knowledge not showing up the way it should, due to the ancient artifacts that the Implants were.

I shrugged to myself, not really meaning to.

“What’s up, bossman?” Cutter, one of the Rogues, asked me.

“Just thinking about stuff.” I said, not really wanting to explain myself.

“What kind of stuff? Wizard stuff? Bear stuff? Daemon stuff?” Cutter pushed, with his slightly annoying accent that came off as quite cocky, but to some extent endearing.

“Does it actually matter to you, or are you just being an annoying prick?” I asked, irritated.

“Whoa, sorry mate.” He put his hands up and backed away.

“No, I’m sorry, I’m just nervous. I feel like we’re all just endlessly awaiting death in the Dungeon, and I thought life as a Dungeon Lord would be a lot different.” I explained.

“How so? I’ve got time, if you’ve got words.” Cutter flipped his hand over, displaying that he was willing to listen.

“I just thought it would be more glamorous, and less, I don’t know. Dying? I’ve died once already, and we’ve only had two raids.” I said, sighing.

“Death is part of the job. We Pawns, we die almost every Raid, but you don’t hear us bitching. Well, not much, anyway.” Cutter chuckled.

“That’s fair, I guess. How does death work for you, by the way?” I wondered if it was the same as it was for me, sitting in an empty space, waiting for a countdown to end.

“It’s like falling asleep, except painful, usually. And then we wake up and we’re back.” Cutter said with a shrug.

“That’s convenient.” I nodded at him while inspecting an Incineration Rune I had inscribed into the nearby wall.

It was slightly smudged, so I corrected it and it flared to life, turning bright red in my vision.

Another ten MP dropped off of my Maximum MP, displayed as a hatched portion of my MP bar.

“I wonder if any others are smudged.” I thought out loud and Cutter audibly sighed.

“I offer to listen, and you get caught up in something else entirely.” He said with a tired smile.

“Oh, sorry, yeah. I was just thinking how easy this life would be, but it kinda sucks.” I replied.

“Being a Dungeon Lord isn’t all shits and giggles, mate. It’s more work than a dogged FoxFen, and considerably more effort than a desk job. Trust me.” Cutter said.

“How would you know?” I really wanted to know.

“I was a Monster for another Dungeon Lord. They recycle us, you know?” Cutter started, then his gaze changed to a thousand-yard stare.

“They recycle you?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, we get recycled. When one Dungeon Lord is done with us, we get put back into the Monster Pool, sort of like a spawning point. Basically we all hang out in a tavern and drink and eat for free, pretty much forever until we’re summoned again. That’s why so many of us know one another.” Cutter waved to Lukas, who nodded back.

“That explains the friendly behavior.” I said.

“Yeah, my wife didn’t get summoned.” Cutter looked at the floor. “But that’s alright. When you get access to Huntresses, please consider her.”

“I’ll do my best.” I said, feeling closer to Cutter than I had previously.

>>>

Reputation Notice

Reputation with Cutter has increased by 15

Your Reputation with Cutter is: Notable

>>>

So, Pawns and Monsters had individual reputation as well? Interesting. I would have to work extra hard to increase my reputation with them over time.

I was curious to know what would happen if I were to max out Reputation with a given unit.

Curious about the information I was reading, I pulled up the Dungeon Menu, and noticed an option I hadn’t seen before. It was specifically for Unit Reputation. It must have been added when I had the Reputation increase with the Monsters as a whole last time.

I pulled it open, curious as to what it would say.

Unit Title

Name

Class

General Reputation with all Monsters

15/100 Notable

Soldier 1

Lukas

Fighter

Rep: 5/100

Notable

Soldier 2

Rufus

Warrior

Rep: 5/100

Notable

Soldier 3

Shauna

Fighter

Rep: 5/100

Notable

Rogue 1

Dima

Cutter

Rep: 5/100

Notable

Rogue 2

Cutter

Pickpocket

Rep: 20/100

Notable

Rogue 3

Lorenzo

Cutthroat

Rep: 5/100

Notable

Wizard 1

Arthas

Frost Wizard

Rep: 5/100

Notable

Cleric 1

Beth

Death Cleric

Rep: 5/100

Notable

Harbinger

Cinza

Fire Witch

Rep: 75/100

Notable

So the reputation system was per Monster, or in this case per Pawn, but also individualized for each Pawn? That was something I had not been expecting.

Granted, almost everything about the Dungeon Lord life was something I wasn’t expecting, so it’s not like being surprised by any of this was new, but man. What a rush this was becoming.

“You okay, mate?” Cutter asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“Yeah, sorry, just checking rep.” I answered, shrugging off his hand.

“Alright, figured you got lost in thought or something. Wizards, am I right?” He laughed at his joke and Beth joined in.

“Not funny.” I raised an eyebrow, annoyed, even though it was kind of funny.

Wizards did have a way of getting lost in their own heads. After all, there was a lot going on inside there, all the time. Basically forever.

>>>

SYSTEM WARNING

Raid Notice!

A large party of Heroes (4) is heading toward your Dungeon.

Please prepare yourself.

They will arrive in approximately 45 minutes.

>>>

Shit, that wasn’t very much time to prepare, but I was glad for the time I was able to spend to get my Dungeon back into shape.

I needed to spend my Ability Point in the Talent Tree before they arrived, and I had a feeling it would most benefit me to buff my Pawns.

I pulled open the Talent Tree, and put another point into Caretaker, bringing me to Rank II.

>>>

Dungeon Talent: Caretaker (Tier II)

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: Acolyte (Tier II)

Talent Type: Passive/Active

Unlocked Effect:

Tier I

5% EXP bonus for all Dungeon Monsters, Dungeon Lord, and Dungeon

2.5% Bonus to HP, MP, and SP of all Dungeon Monsters and Dungeon Lord

Unlocked: [Harbinger]

Tier II

2.5% Additional EXP bonus for all Dungeon Monsters, Dungeon Lord, and Dungeon

2.5% Additional Bonus to HP, MP, and SP of all Dungeon Monsters and Dungeon Lord

5 Additional Dungeon Monster Points

Unlocked: [Monster Class: Knight]

Unlocked: [Monster Class: Assassin]

Unlocked: [Monster Class: Fire/Dark/Water Wizard]

Unlocked: [Trap: Healing Haze]

Tier III (Locked)

2.5% Additional EXP bonus for all Dungeon Monsters, Dungeon Lord, and Dungeon

5% Additional Bonus to HP, MP, and SP of all Dungeon Monsters and Dungeon Lord

10 Additional Dungeon Monster Points

Unlock: [Monster Class: Dungeon General]

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

>>>

A highly effective and exciting development. I could now deploy an additional Pawn, if I so chose, and could make new Monster classes. What a great way to spend my points.

“I feel considerably stronger.” Cutter said, clenching his fists and opening them.

“Got you a buff. Keep this Raid out of my Boss Chamber, and I’ll provide another one later.” I smiled at him and clapped him on the shoulder, before returning to my Boss Chamber.

I sat on the throne and pulled open the decorations interface. I needed my chamber to be more, I don’t know, boss-like.

I threw some extra braziers throughout the room, lighting it up with flickering red flames.

More items went on the walls. Some skulls, some ancient runic symbols that looked incredibly similar to Daemon Summons, and a few hovels in the wall with tallow candles that gave off an eerie yellow glow.

I modified my throne to look like it was made of bone, though it thankfully didn’t change the comfort of it.

Finally, I found an option to add a hidden room to the Boss Chamber that didn’t add any Dungeon Points, allowing me to have a place where I could rest and sleep.

I decorated my bed chamber spartanly, with a small bed, a table, chair, and a kitchenette, though I had no idea how I would get food or drink in the Dungeon.

“You could always go shopping.” Leese said, reading my thoughts and appearing behind me.

“I suppose that’s an option, but what happens if we get raided while I’m gone?” I asked.

“You’ll get a notification, and the option to teleport to the Dungeon.” She answered, tilting her head and smiling.

“Can you go with me?” I asked, wanting her company.

“I shouldn’t. My power is extremely weak outside of the walls of this Dungeon.” She sighed.

“I see. Well, that was a wash.” It was my turn to sigh.

“But I can go as an avatar, if you’d like.” She snapped her digital fingers, and a life-like version of her appeared in front of me, moving like she moved.

The Avatar lighted on my shoulder and kissed my cheek, like she had before she left me the first time.

“What’s this?” I asked, gently rubbing the Avatar’s head.

The little doll-like creature leaned against it.

“Basic Avatar. I can see through it’s eyes, speak through it, but it’s little more than a remote-controlled dummy. It’s a doll, basically, that I have control over. Oh, and I can feel what it does and what is done to it.” She raised an eyebrow at me, and the doll did the same.

“I see.” I felt weird about the way she said that.

At least now I could have Leese with me when I went to the market at the Guild City.

“I wouldn’t recommend going to the Guild City.” Leese said, right after I had thought it.

“Could you stop reading my mind, please?” I rolled my eyes.

“Sorry, but it’s not a good idea. The Wizards Guild will likely be hostile, even though they’re asking for your support.” She reminded me.

“Ah, yeah, good call. So where would I even go?” I wondered if there were any neutral cities, but all that I knew about were the main Cities where the Guild was, and the City of Heroes, Vanarga.

“Not Vanarga.” She said.

“Obviously.” I sighed at her.

“Well, let’s consult a map.” She suggested, bringing up a screen that was visible to me as well.

>>>

***AUTHOR NOTE MAP COMING SOON***

>>>

From what I could tell, we were in the south eastern portion of the continent, where the main Guild City was to my South, and Vanarga was much further to the North.

“Leese, what’s with the little dots on the map?” The big circles were labeled as Vanarga and Guild City Adelor, while none of the smaller circles or dots were labeled at all.

“They’re villages, towns, and such that aren’t necessarily aligned to anyone.” Leese explained.

“Ah, so I should probably go to one of those?” There was a small dot near to the Dungeon that was, according to the map, only a few miles away.

“Got a name for this one here?” I asked, pointing to the nearest village.

“Looks like it’s called Nitor, a small market village of all things.” Leese said, winking at me.

“Oh, yeah, that’s not clearly intentional at all.” I sighed, hating the way that these things tended to ‘just work out.’

“I mean, it works, right?” Leese spun in the air and her little doll spun on my shoulder.

“Sure, yeah, it works.” I shook my head.

“Anyway, a couple miles, eh? I can’t go now, but after this Raid, we should absolutely consider it.” I said, looking at the map. “How are the Heroes getting here so fast?”

“There’s a magic that allows them to fast travel to certain places, much like your teleportation back to the Dungeon. Except it works outward instead of inward. Like portal magic.” Leese explained.

“Why do they get all of the cool magic?” I complained.

“You can literally harness the power of Gahenna, and you’re bitching about them having portal magic?” Leese looked annoyed, and her body language showed it.

“Yes.” I said, flatly.

“Funny.” She replied.

“I wonder if I could make a portal into Gahenna, and then use it to traverse the world?” I posited, looking at the ceiling, which was covered in a thin, hammered gold leaf in the shape of skulls. Neat little touch from the previous Dungeon Lord.

An alarm blared in my implants, informing me that the Raid had arrived, and they would begin their assault immediately.

I guess I would have to think about the portal through Gahenna another time, since I now had Heroes in my domain.

I sat in my throne and called up the first camera ward I had placed, watching the lightly armored Heroes sneak around in front, checking for traps and looking for weaknesses in my design.

So far, they hadn’t managed to pull the first group of Pawns, but they were getting close.

I had several places of blind corners where my Rogues and Soldiers awaited.

As we had planned, one of the Soldiers stepped out from a blind corner and shouted loudly, using an ability that drew the attention of all of the Heroes.

He took three arrows to the chest armor right away, which dented and punched through his chest plate, but he stayed standing and rushed the party.

His great sword flashed through the air and took an arm off one of the archer Heroes, who spun to the ground, blood spurting everywhere.

One of my Rogues popped out of stealth and stabbed the other archer Hero in the spine, running his dual blades down his back, opening his armor and spilling blood down the Rogue’s arms.

A long sword from behind caught my Rogue in the back and punched through his chest, causing his body to glitch out and disappear, dropping a small bag on the ground where he perised.

“Damnit, one down.” I said, annoyed.

But the fight was going well, we had crushed the enemy, dropping two of their units in a single attack. There was still the second group hiding behind the second corner.

Warning bells blared in my implants and the door to my Boss Chamber slammed open, causing me to jump. Something happened, something was way off.

An entire Raid Party of four Heroes stepped through the door, with a Sorcerer in the back, his hands up in the air and a sphere of light surrounding the Raid party.

“You’re shitting me.” I said, standing up and staring them down.

“No, we’re Rockz0rz, and we’re here to kick your ass, Dungeon Lord.” The head warrior said, pointing at me with a great axe.

“You’re dead.” I said, cancelling all of my Runic wards, and empowering my Mana to full.