James didn't know how long he lay on the cold stone ground, but he could feel things crawling on him and trying to bite him. He saw three colossal ass rats-one gnawing on his leg, one on his arm and one trying to get through his stomach.

"Ahhhh, fuck," he yelled as he back-petalled, trying to put some distance between him and the rats. They had to be at least four feet long. Not something you want to wake up to. Without watching where he was going, he placed his hand down on a stone that shifted with his weight on it, "shit," he muttered as a gout of flame shot over his head. If he had been standing, it would have caught him full-body. The rats squealed at the blast of bright light, it only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to cause the rats to back off for a moment. James jumped to his feet and then pounced on the nearest rat. Compared to the skeletons, the rats went down pretty quickly, but James was also putting a bit of extra enthusiasm into these swings. As the last rat squealed his last, James used Inspect and tried to get some information about the rats.

**********

Name: ?

Race: Rat - Dungeon

Level: 6

**********

James heard some laughter behind him and turned to see Rocko rolling on the floor on his back, holding his gut while laughing his fool head off. Rocko tried to compose himself and got back on his feet. He struggled to breathe and was hunched over, trying to control himself. "Okay," he muttered, "you got this." before looking at James and laughing again.

James had to smile. This was the first time that Rocko had shown any real emotion, and it was nice to see, even if he was the butt of the joke. Thinking back on it, it was pretty funny except for the fire trap. That might have killed him if he got hit with it full-on. He didn't think he would be lucky enough to get hit with magic fire. That would have been too much to hope for. While he waited for Rocko to get himself back together, he checked his notifications, flashing one of them. Besides getting a new skill, he did not gain any attributes or skills from that encounter, but he did earn enough XP to get him to level 4.

He had to admit; that these higher-level creatures were great for increasing his attributes. Not wanting to lose out on any additional skills, he spent one of his free points on Intelligence again and then opened his status screen.

* Attributes Modified by the form shown as [ ]:

Name: James Gleason Race: Weretiger (Hybrid) Class: Specialization: Level: 4 XP to next level: 40.00% Armour Rating: 6 Age: 42 Health: 170 Unarmed Damage: 17 [16] Stamina: 55 Claw Damage: 20 Mana: 80 Bite Damage: 18 Attributes: Unspent Attribute Pts: 5 Strength 12 [11] Agility 16 [14] Dexterity 12 [10] Endurance 7 Willpower 4 [5] Intelligence 8 [9] Charm 4 [5] Luck 9 Skills: Unspent Skill Pts: 3 Analyze 3 Back Attack 3 Detect Traps 1 Dodge 5 Inspect 1 Melee- Unarmed 5 Stealth 5 Unspent Advantage Pts 0

"My damage hasn't increased in the past two levels,"

Rocko sat back and took a deep breath. He was still holding his side with one clawed hand, but he seemed to have got his expressions under control. "That is not too surprising. Your Attributes are above ten, and once that happens, things slow down."

"And my skill is still 5, even though I have increased my Intelligence to 8."

"It is similar to your Analyze skill. There is nothing to improve because you are fighting the same things, and you are fighting the same way."

"So I should find different undead to fight?" James asked.

Rocko just shrugged, "Or bigger rats."

James checked, but there was nothing to loot on the rats. Being mindful of traps, he continued down the hallway. While exploring a side passage, James noticed a body lying in a room. The stench of decay was almost overpowering, but the promised resources like food and water were too powerful. The body looked humanoid and had been wearing plate mail armour. There was a large sword on the floor next to the body and several bodies of ghouls. James could see a backpack in the corner and other pieces of gear scattered around the room. James was confident that this was a good find. It would allow him to increase his Analyze skill substantially if nothing else.

When James stepped into the room, he was surprised by a ghoul hiding in the corner. By the time he noticed the creature, it was already in the air and upon him. James tried to doge, but the skeleton was too close, hit him square in the chest, and bore him to the floor. James tried to move, but none of his muscles responded. The creature was above him, trying to eat his way through James' neck, but its teeth couldn't penetrate his skin. Even though James could not move, he could still smell the creature's stench.

Rocko moved into James' vision and sat down. The gargoyle was worried but gave a confident smile, "You got this." James didn't feel as secure.

James lay on the floor with the ghoul trying to eat under his skin. The creature was in a frenzy but couldn't get through. James thought it would have been funny if not because he felt like a chew toy. After what seemed like ten minutes, James was getting worried. He knew that the ghouls could paralyze, but should it not have expired by now? Looking at his battle logs, James realized what the issue was. The ghoul was renewing the Paralysis every second it was in contact with him. The Paralysis lasted for three seconds but was renewed every second. He did resist the effect one out of every twenty; at this rate, he would never be able to break the cycle.

After the first hour, James started to panic truly. Being gnawed on by an undead was not how he wanted to die. The creature did not appear to be letting up. He had undead stamina and would never run out of energy. It continued to dig into his body, but its teeth and claws were not magical. The worst part was when it started to gnaw on his face. The stench from its putrid saliva smeared over his face made it hard to breathe. This was a nightmare. He could still see Rocko sitting not far from him. Every time his head moved due to the ghoul's attacks, Rocko also moved to stay in James' line of sight. At first, James was thankful, but after that first hour, James cursed Rocko for sitting there, letting him die.

After the third hour, James noticed that he was resisting the Paralysis more often. Before, it was one in twenty, and now it was one in five. I even noticed once that he got two resists in a row. Something was happening. He wasn't sure what it was, but a glimmer of hope started to form.

He lost track of the number of hours that passed. All he knew was the creature was still trying to eat him and didn't seem to care that it was failing. The Paralysis lasted for three seconds. All he needed was four resists in a row for him to act. The one second would be enough for him to do something. Get up, maybe. Or push the creature away. Anything.

As the hours passed, he kept his eye on the battle log. The first time he had four resists a row, he didn't notice in time and missed his window of opportunity. The second time, he screamed. That got Rocko's attention, and the gargoyle smiled, "You got this, James."

As time crept forward, the opportunities to attack appeared more often and started to increase in duration. James lashed out at the ghoul during those moments of movement, raking the creature with the claws on his feet. Shredding it with the claws on his hands, he even bit it when he could. The taste was like rotting meat, but he was not about to give up and roll over. He would not dishonour the Trident in that way. Rocko kept ever vigilant and ensured that James could see him throughout it all.

The moment finally happened. James raked the ghoul and shoved with both hands once the current effects of the Paralysis faded. The creature staggered back, and James saw that the claws on his feet had shredded the creature's lower body. It had a hard time standing, but it was still in a frenzy of bloodlust. When the ghoul leaped at him, James rolled to the side. Breathing was an issue for him due to the stench on his face and caught in his throat. The ghoul landed a blow across his back, but he resisted the paralysis effect and was able to get on his feet. James leaped forward and slashed with both claws at the creature's face. He wanted to blind it, cause it pain. He wanted it dead. Dead. Dead.

Finally, the voice of Rocko came into focus, "It's dead, James. You got it. It's over. You're alive."

The words were on repeat, repeatedly said, trying to get through to him. James looked down at the creature's left and crawled into a corner. Once there, he curled up in a ball and hung his head. James had fought in two wars. He had been shot, stabbed, blown up, crashed in a helicopter, nearly drowned at sea, beaten, and even tortured. But this, this was a far worse-the sense of helplessness, of not being able to do anything or say anything. To be so powerless was overwhelming.

James woke with a start. He rolled to his feet and looked around. The body of the human and the five ghouls was still exactly where he remembered them. Nothing had changed; even Rocko was still there. James wiped his face, trying to clear some of the stench from his sensitive nose.

"James?" Rocko asked, his voice filled with concern.

"I'm good," James replied. He wasn't, but he would be.

"Do you need some more time?"

"I said I'm good!" He used more force than intended, but Rocko didn't flinch or look upset.

"Good. We still have a lot to do, and I need you to check your notifications for me."

James wanted to tell Rocko where he could shove his notifications, but a part of him knew that wasn't the solution. Deal with your 3x3, he thought. Focus on what is in front of you.

With a shuddering breath, he looked at the notification.

**********

Strength +1

Endurance +10

Willpower +12

Luck +1

Melee - Unarmed +1

**********

James could only stare at the notification. Plus ten to Endurance? Plus twelve to Willpower?

"Rocko, I think something broke."

"No. I had hoped that this might happen. The repeated use of your resistance skill improved your Willpower and Endurance. It was the only way you were going to survive that encounter. Although repetition doesn't always help increase your Attributes if you repeat every second for almost a day. There is bound to be improvements."

"A day?"

"Not quite, but close."

James shook his head and moved over to the water skin. With a bit of water on his hand, he tried to clean his face as much as possible. James rinsed out his mouth and spat it out, taking a small mouthful. He moved over to look at the items that the human had left behind with that done.

James emptied the backpack first into a clean corner of the room. He had a couple of clean sets of clothes, two torches, a coil of rope, a mess kit, a bedroll and four ration packs. Once James realized that they were ration packs, he cracked one open and sat down to eat. He used one of the clean shirts to clean his face more and decided that he wouldn't put the clothes on until he left the dungeon, considering how often he got hit.

With his meal and his face washed, James felt much better. He looked over to see Rocko watching him.

"Thank you. I know you couldn't help me, but I was glad I wasn't alone."

Rocko nodded, "If I could have done anything, I would have."

James nodded back, "I know. What you did was enough. Just the fact that you were there."

James checked the body over. He hoped to salvage the armour, but most of the buckles had been bitten through or damaged somehow. James was able to grab a large bag off the human's belt, plus the belt, a dagger, two rings, a necklace, two bracers and some nice leather boots. He put everything in the corner so he could Analyze everything at once. He was hoping to get high enough to Analyze magical items.

Checking out the bag, he found that he could not put his hand inside it. There was a barrier that would not allow his hand to enter. "What the hell?"

"I think you found a Dimensional Storage Bag. Due to your Immunity to Magic, you won't be able to interact with it," Rocko said.

"I wonder why he had a backpack if he had this bag of holding? I would have put everything into the bag."

"Bags have limited space," Rocko offered.

Using Analyze, James went through the items. Most of the items were standard, and he was not surprised by any. Some of the things stood out, however.

***********

Steel Bastard Sword

Quality: Very Good

Damage Range: ?

Accuracy: ?

Crit Chance: ?

Durability: ?

Damage Type: Slashing

Special: One or two-handed

***********

***********

Steel Dagger

Quality: Good

Damage Range: ?

Accuracy: ?

Crit Chance: ?

Durability: ?

Damage Type: Piercing

Special: One-handed

***********

***********

Cloth Bag

Quality: ?

Durability: ?

Special: Dimensional Storage, Container

***********

***********

Leather Belt

Quality: Good

Durability: 23/30

Special: Nothing

***********

***********

Gold Ring

Quality: ?

Durability: ?

Special: Enchanted ?

***********

***********

Silver Ring with Ruby stone

Quality: Very Good

Durability: ?

Special: Enchanted ?

***********

***********

Silver Necklace

Quality: Good

Durability: ?

Special: ?

***********

James was delighted to see that his Analyze skill had increased twice due to examining everything. He also used his Inspect, but that only went up once, as there were only ghouls to Inspect and the human.

**********

Name:?

Type: Human ?

Level:

**********

**********

Name: None

Type: Ghoul ?

Level: 8

Damage: ?

Armour Rating: ?

Special: Ghoul Touch (causes Paralysis), Ghoul Stench (Causes Nausea)

**********

"I am getting more information now with my Inspect," James shared with Rocko.

"Growth is important," Rocko responded.

"I think we should continue to look for a way out of here. I think I would like to see some sunlight for a change."

James gathered everything and put it in the backpack. He could not carry the sword or the armour but felt he could always come back for it later. Right now, James needed to clear a path to the exit. With Rocko following behind him, he headed out of the room.

The next couple of rooms and hallways were empty of both traps and creatures. James didn't realize how jumpy he was until he found the first room empty, and his heart had a hard time slowing down.

"I think I may want to find that safe room," James stated.

"Are you feeling alright?" Rocko asked. The concern in his voice irritated James for some reason.

"I am not some cake eater on his first tour outside the wire," James snapped.

Rocko stared at James, "I don't know what that means, but I can tell you are upset."

James ground his teeth, and he knew snapping at Rocko was wrong. "I am sorry. That last fight got to me. I am not used to being so ... helpless."

"As you said earlier, 'Physical immunity for the win, right?"

James shook his head, "I need to get my head screwed on straight. No distractions. Dying is not an option."

James made his way in the direction of the safe room but somehow got turned around. Instead, he found himself at the bottom of the stairs with three skeletons patrolling the room. Two of the skeletons had a sword and shield, and one had a staff. None had armour. The one with the staff was the one that gave him pause. It was an unknown. He had magic immunity, so the one with the staff shouldn't be a concern, but that could hurt if the staff were magical. Finally, he decided to try to lure one of the skeletons with a sword out of the room and kill it. That should be enough to get him to his level, and then he could try and find his way back to the safe room. Or, he could go up the stairs. It would either lead out of the dungeon or to another safe room at the top of the stairs.

"Rocko, if there is another dungeon level above us, what are the chances of another safe room being at the top of those stairs?" James asked.

"Poor. It would make more sense that the safe room we found was the half waypoint. There were only one or two safe rooms in a dungeon."

"Then let's hope is a way out.

James grabbed some loose stone from the floor and made his way to within throwing distance of the nearest skeleton. He wanted to be careful that he did not get more than one. He could handle two if he had to, but one at a time was his comfort zone at the moment. Patience had always been one of his most vital skills-the ability to sit and wait for the enemy to come to you. To wait until the enemy makes a mistake, you can exploit it. It was a skill drilled into every seal since they were a tadpole, no different. He didn't have to wait long before one of the skeletons moved close enough for him to tag and lure out of the room. As luck would have it, he only drew one skeleton towards him.

James didn't get a chance to use his Back Attack, but he could use his Dodge more often as this skeleton seemed to like its Shield Bash. The skeleton lay on the floor when it was finally over, and James checked his notifications.

**********

Dexterity +1

Dodge +1

Melee - Unarmed +1

Stealth +1

**********

Name: James Gleason Race: Weretiger (Hybrid) Class: Specialization: Level: 5 XP to next level: 60.00% Armour Rating: 6 Age: 42 Health: 285 Unarmed Damage: 20 [19] Stamina: 110 Claw Damage: 23 Mana: 210 Bite Damage: 21 Attributes: Unspent Attribute Pts: 8 Strength 13 [12] Agility 16 [14] Dexterity 13 [ 11] Endurance 17 Willpower 16 [17] Intelligence 8 [9] Charm 4 [5] Luck 10 Skills: Unspent Skill Pts: 4 Analyze 5 Back Attack 3 Detect Traps 1 Dodge 6 Inspect 1 Melee- Unarmed 7 Stealth 6 Unspent Advantage Pts 0

"Do I need to deal with getting the class right now, or can I wait until after I deal with that last two?" James asked.

"It can wait but must be done before reaching level 6," Rocko answered.

Without anything further, James moved forward and picked up some more loose stone from the floor. When he watched the skeletons in the room, he noticed that the skeleton with the staff had a much smaller area to patrol. It seemed to stick to one side of the room, near the bottom of the stairs. A big surprise for someone not expecting a caster. If that was what he was. The second skeleton was as easy to lure out of the room and defeat as the first. It did not use its shield as much, but it was a relatively easy fight. There would be no mercy, no reprieve from these creatures. And it was with that grim determination he looked at the two skeletons on the floor.

James collected their pouches and used Analyze on all their gear and Inspect on them. He hoped he got some skill levels but didn't want to open any more notifications at this time. Moving up to the edge of the room, James crouched and observed the last skeleton. If it used magic, he should be safe. James would have to fight it from range if the staff were magical. He had no ranged weapons, and he would have to engage in melee and hope that the staff was not magical. He made his plan, checked his route to escape the room, and planned to shift to his cat form and use Shift Healing if he had to. That should give him the best chance of running at the highest speed.

Moving into the room, James stayed on the edge of the room and tried to sneak up on the last skeleton. Fortunately, it seemed to focus more on the bottom of the stairs than the back of the room, and James was able to get the drop on it. James raked both claws down the back of the skeleton, but instead of hitting bone, he saw a flash of blue. A series of blue lines marked where his claws would have scratched the skeleton but instead hit some magical barrier. The skeleton turned around with more speed than the other skeletons seemed to possess and lashed out with the palm of its bony hand. James saw a ripple of air as if something was supposed to happen, but he didn't feel anything. James took advantage of the skeleton extending its arm and twisting it around and over. This move should have forced the skeleton to bend over and expose its back to James, but instead, the arm ripped right off the skeletal body. James wasn't sure who was more surprised, but the skeleton recovered first and smacked James with his staff. James was delighted to note that the staff was not magical. With that concern taken care of, James began to whale into a skeleton until defeated and crumpled to the floor.

"That felt good," James said, looking over at Rocko.

"Sometimes it is nice just to let go," Rocko agreed.

"Should we go back or go up?"

"You know I can't advise you, James." Rock frowned.

"Right," James looked at the skeleton and started Analyzing and Inspecting. The skeleton had a staff, some robes, a rope belt with a dagger and a large pouch. James went back to the area with the other three skeletons and picked up the backpack he left there when the fighting started. He decided only to take the rope belt, the pouch and the robe. As he was about to leave the room and head up the stairs, he went back and picked up the staff.

"For tripping traps," he said, looking at Rocko.

At the top of the stairs was a large blue energy wall.

"What's this?" he asked Rocko.

"This is the edge of the dungeon. That means that this is the way out. Should you decide to use it, you will exit the dungeon."

James looked over at the gargoyle sitting on the step to his right. "You think I shouldn't use it?"

Rocko smiled, "I am not able to advise you."

"The safe room is a better option. We know it is safe, and we can spend some time resting and taking care of this class business. We don't know what we will be walking into if we exit the dungeon. Or who."

James paused to look back down the stairs, "We could also explore the level below this one. How much time do I have to make up for it? I forgot to ask Ignatius how much of a delay he got for build points."

"Three months," Rocko answered.

"Seriously? He wasted three months for 250 points! I am sure I made more than that in skills and attribute gains in the past day."

"As I mentioned before, your gains are not normal."

"What is the average level that a Champion would have by this time?" James asked, heading back down the stairs.

"If they are not already dead, the low end of the Champions will be between levels 10 and levels 15. The top-end would already be level 20 to 23 by this time. Progress after level 20 is plodding." Rocko said as he hopped down the steps one at a time.

The trip to the safe room was without incident and without getting lost. James checked the last of his notifications to see if there were any improvements since his fight in the hallway against the two skeletons with swords.

**********

Inspect +1

**********

The blue glow flared with a touch of James' hand, and the wooden door opened. Inside the room was a stark contrast to the dungeon. For starters, the room was well lit, and there was a table, chairs, a bed, and even a tiny washbasin with water.

"Ah, how luxurious," James quipped, closing the door behind him.