James used Knock Back to push the skeleton away. Sliding off the flaming blade, he fell to the floor. The sword had run right through him, and the pain slammed into him like a truck. James had been shot a few times before, even blown up a couple of times, but the pain from being stabbed with a flaming sword was not one he had experienced before. Gritting his teeth, James shifted into tiger form as quickly as possible. The skeleton had recovered and stabbed James through the back. Fortunately, it didn't have Back Attack, nor was it a critical hit, but the pain was still intense. James was happy to see that his guts were not falling out when he sprang away from the skeleton and out of the room with the shift complete. Using all his speed to sprint to the room at the bottom of the stairs, James then hid in a corner; he used his feline ears to listen for pursuit as carefully as possible. After several long minutes, he concluded that the skeleton had lost him in the twists and turns of the hallway and had returned to its room.

James growled. Looking himself over, he noted that the cut this back was still bleeding a little, but the stab to his stomach mainly was healed. Laying down, James wanted to Meditate to recover this lost Health and his Stamina, but doing so here was dangerous. Not too much later, James heard something plod into the room. Staying in Stealth, he was relieved to note that it was only Rocko. Rocko moved over to where James was hiding and sat down in front of him. All James could do was roar out his frustration and anger. The roar echoed off the walls and down the hallway. If anything didn't know he was here, they did now. He had been foolish to think that he could go toe to toe with a creature at least 5 levels higher than he was and wielded an Enchanted weapon. It was one thing to fight skeletons that couldn't hurt him and a very different thing to fight sometimes that was both stronger than he was and capable of killing him. James reached around his back and began licking the wound. It seemed to ease the pain a little, and he was not bothered by the taste of the blood. Being in the form of the Tiger was interesting. James checked his notifications to see if there was anything new.

**********

Agility +1

Back Attack +1

Dodge +1

Melee - Unarmed +1

Resistance - Pain +1

Stealth +1

**********

At least the fight had not been a total waste.

"I know you can't respond to me with words," Rocko stated, "But you can still nod or shake your head."

Rocko was smaller than James' head. He had an hour to kill, and not being able to talk to Rocko would be annoying.

"Are you all right?" Rocko asked. James nodded.

James decided to risk Meditating for a while and getting his Health back up to full. It should take very long as his Health was only down about 130 points. Meditating for an hour seemed to do the trick, and before long, James was ready to go. James had decided during the meditation that he would try out the Tiger form in battle. Not against the skeleton with the flaming sword, but he was sure that there would be a couple of more skeletons on this level he could practice on. There were two other hallways that James had yet to explore, and now was a good time. His bow was back in the hallway near the skeleton with the flaming sword. He had left his backpack in this room, along with his bag of holding. His quiver was attached to him somehow but wasn't. Did it shift with him? He didn't remember leaving the belt, dagger and quiver behind. Checking his Armor Rating, he was sure that the bracer was not giving him the +3 protection.

"Wondering about the gear you were wearing?" Rocko asked. James just nodded.

"When you shift form, you use a little bit of mana to shift your gear. It is stored in a Dimensional Pocket until you shift back," Rocko explained.

James shrugged and stood up. There was nothing he needed right now, and he may as well see what it was like to fight in this form. The first unexplored hallway had two traps that he found. The first by triggering it, the second by seeing it before stepping on it. The first trap was poison darts. All three darts flew over the back. He wasn't sure what the second trap was but decided not to tempt fate and avoid it for now. The room had three skeletons; a mage, a soldier and an archer. They did not look like a threat, but he remembered the archer with the Enchanted bow. He wanted to lure them out one at a time but couldn't figure out how to do that like a tiger. Waiting for the right moment, James leaped into the room and onto the back of the soldier. His weight bore the skeleton to the floor, and James was able to get his jaws around its skull. James pulled the head from the rest of the skeleton with a terrific tug. Leaping towards the archer, he tried to do the same thing, but it avoided his jaws. The skeleton fell to the floor, and James could bear down on it, but the skeleton had its bow across James' throat and held him back.

Deciding to switch targets, James leaped at the mage. The mage had not been idle and had hit James with several spells, which didn't do anything James was aware of. James was pushed back by a magic barrier that flared to life as he tried to land on the mage. Frustrated, James leaped again and raked both claws across the barrier. The barrier flared again, but it was dimmer than before this time. An arrow bounced off of James' ribs as he renewed his attack on the mage again. When the barrier finally collapsed, there was a faint sound of breaking glass. James remembers attacking the first mage, but this barrier was much more robust. Either that or the damage he was doing was less. Once through the barrier, the mage didn't hold up well to being mauled by a tiger. The next to fall was the archer. It seemed to fare much better as the bow made for an excellent defensive weapon. In the end, it too was destroyed. James left the gear and pouches where they lay since he had no way of picking them up. He did take a moment to Analyze the equipment and was not surprised to see that there was nothing Enchanted.

James decided to continue in his Tiger form, moving on to the next hallway. Moving along the hallway, James heard a soft click from below him and then a sense of weightlessness. James fell about ten feet into a pit with spikes evenly spaced out along the bottom. Although the wooden spikes didn't penetrate his skin, they did gab some places that were more tender than others. Rolling over, James was able to see the trap was the entire width of the hallway and about ten feet long. The trap doors were on either end and opened from the middle. James could hear a clicking sound as the counterweight moved the trap doors back into their closed position. James scrabbled to try and leap out of the pit before the trap doors were closed, but it was hard to find purchase on three-foot spikes. Trying to stand on the points was even more difficult. Although they didn't penetrate the skin, they still put pressure on the pads of his paws, which hurt more than he thought possible. When the door closed shut above him, he paused and looked around. James was glad that there were no bodies in the pit with him, but he also worried about figuring out a way out of the trap.

Rocko claws were attached firmly to the wall, both wings were unfurled, and they looked around the pit along with James. James could see how the bone on Rocko's left wing was bent between the shoulder and the first joint. Deciding that he wasn't going to be able to do anything in Tiger form, James switched to Hybrid form.

"How the hell do I get out of here?" James asked, laying flat on the bed of spikes.

"I hope that was a rhetorical question," Rocko answered.

"Not really. Is there any common knowledge about traps?"

"Traps are bad," Rocko replied.

"That was surprisingly unhelpful." Rolling over onto his back, James stared up at the trap doors, "I wonder if I can open the trap doors to climb out?" James tried standing on a couple of spikes and using their height to reach the trap doors. The points of the spikes were painful in this form as well. Although they didn't puncture his skin, the pain was unbearable. Frustrated, James dropped down to the floor. The spikes were staggered along the floor, and there was enough space to stand between them if you were careful. Looking around the pit base, James tried to search for anything that might be helpful.

Finding nothing, James shook his head, "Do I seriously have to wait until someone else trips this trap before getting out of here?"

"I suppose this trap was designed that if the fall didn't kill you, being trapped down here would," Rocko speculated.

"I don't believe that someone would create a trap like this without a way out," James said.

"Why? Having a way out defeats its purpose as a trap," Rocko countered.

"There has to be a way to disable the trap for trap maintenance and repair. Also, if the trap goes off, the one who set the trap may want to have access to the bodies or gear that is now in the trap."

"Then they could have a way to disarm the trap, but that would most likely be there," Rocko said, pointing up with his clawed finger.

"And what happens if they get stuck down here. It would be foolish to get stuck in your trap."

"Yes, it would. Maybe they work in pairs. May I remind you that this is an undead dungeon? Everything is reset once a day, including the traps. Anything killed here would be removed, the same as the human killed by the ghouls."

James continued to look up at the trap doors above him when inspiration struck. Climbing back onto the spikes, he withdrew an arrow from his quiver. James used the head of the arrow to dig into the seam between the doors. James gritted his teeth against the painful points digging into the soles of his feet. He tried shifting his stance a few times, but it didn't matter. It required a lot of effort, but using the arrow to pry one of the doors down seemed to cause it to move enough that James could get his fingers between the doors. Once he had a secure grip on the door, he could easily open the door. Jumping up, James grabbed the top of the door and pulled himself out of the pit. Rocko climbed the wall out of the hole and made his way to the floor next to James.

"Let's not do that again," James stated.

"You may wish to check your notifications. James closed his eyes and lay on his back a few moments before opening the notifications. None of them were blinking. The experience wasn't a total loss."

**********

Endurance +1

Detect Traps +1

Resistance - Pain +1

**********

James found another room with two skeleton soldiers at the end of the hall. James tried to avoid being hit and destroy the skeletons with attacks to their joints using his learned skills. He was pleased with a couple of strikes that shattered bone. One skeleton lost the use of its sword arm, and the other skeleton had its leg broken. The results of two critical hits, James was sure. Not bothering with the notifications, James collected the pouches and headed back to the last group of skeletons he fought. Remembering to jump over the pit trap, he dumped all the money into the bag of holding and was pleased to find two small gems.

"Anyway, to appraise gems? Or do I need the Appraisal Skill?" James asked.

"Sounds like you are beginning to figure out the system," Rocko offered.

"Figured. Are they used just for money?" James inquired.

"You can use them for crafting, but most people just sell them to crafters and use the money to buy what they need."

James nodded. The gems were lovely, but they were just another form of currency. "Time to kill that last skeleton," James said to Rocko.

"Seriously? It sent you running last time."

"The damage I did to it already, would it have already healed?"

Rocko pondered the question, "That depends. Some creatures have regeneration. Others can heal themselves with magic. The truth is, creatures outside of combat regenerate their Stamina, Health and Mana much quicker than you do. Even with Meditation."

"Well, lock and load," James said, moving down the hallway to the last skeleton.

James tried to maintain Stealth while knocking an arrow moving around the corner. Using Piercing Shot, James released the arrow and then turned and ran down the hallway, not waiting for the result of his bow shot. Moving to the next intersection, he waited until the skeleton appeared before firing the next arrow. Before sprinting away, James was shocked when the skeleton Charged towards him. The skeleton's speed made it blur towards James. James had to activate Dodge to avoid a thrust from the flaming sword. Sprinting down the hallway again, James turned down the last hallway he had explored. He cleared the pit trap with a leap and skidded to a stop on the other side.

Knocking another arrow, he waited until the skeleton came around the corner. He could see the light from the flaming sword and knew it would be soon. James released the arrow as soon as it appeared, but the shot went wide and skipped off the wall corner before missing the skeleton entirely. As James drew his next arrow, the skeleton Charged him again. Running over the pit trap did not set it off, and now James had to deal with the skeleton on his side of the pit trap. Using Dodge two times in a row, James avoided the Shield Bash and a thrust from the skeleton. Using the Knock Back, James kicked out at the skeleton to try and force it back into the trap. The skeleton used its shield to block the kick. James then used Dodge again to avoid the swipe with the sword and tried the Knock Back again. Expecting the skeleton to Block the attack again, James leaped at the skeleton and used all of his weight to force the skeleton back a few steps. The skeleton stepped back, and James heard a click, the trap door opened, and the skeleton and James fell to the wooden spikes below.

The skeleton didn't fall horizontal but more at an angle. One of its legs was pierced by a spike and the other between two spikes. The skeleton was arched backwards as James partly landed on it and the spikes. Fortunately, his feet missed the spikes, but his ass cheek was different. The sword's flame suddenly went out as it fell from the skeleton grip. The skeleton was trying to turn around and reach for the sword, but James couldn't allow it to do that. Using his weight, he forced the skeleton between two spikes and it down on its side. James reached over to remove the skeleton's helm. James began pummeling the skull with his claws once it was exposed. The skeleton finally reached the sword but was on its side and could not get into a position to swing the sword effectively. James tried to retreat out of its reach with the blade no flaming. Moving behind the skeleton, James used his feet to continue the assault on the skeleton's skull and while the skeleton flailed around with the sword was able to destroy it finally.

James used the shield to stand on and reopen the trap door without much difficulty. Once at the top, he used an arrow and jammed the trap door open. Going back to the room at the bottom of the stairs, James grabbed his backpack and headed back to the pit. Using the rope, he hauled up the skeleton and all its gear. Once he was back up top, he began Analyzing everything.

**********

Rusted Steel Scalemail Shirt

Quality: Poor

Armour Rating: 19

Durability: 12/36

Special: Worn - Torso

**********

***********

(Steel) Sword of Flames

Quality: Very Good

Rarity: Uncommon

Damage Range: 12-20

Accuracy: +10

Crit Chance: 10%

Durability: 40/45

Damage Type: Slashing

Special: One or two-handed, Enchanted - Flaming

***********

***********

Iron Kite Shield

Quality: Poor

Armour Rating: 10

Damage Range: 4-8

Accuracy: +7

Crit Chance: 2%

Durability: 14/32

Damage Type: Bludgeoning

Special: One-handed

***********

***********

Iron Winged Helm

Quality: Poor

Armour Rating: 5

Durability: 8/19

Special: Worn - Head

***********

The belt, pouch and dagger were the same as the other Analyzed items. The contents of the pouch held a couple of surprises. The money was more than ten times that of the other skeletons, and it also contained a silver skeleton key. James had to laugh at that. A skeleton was carrying a skeleton key.

"Are you okay," Rocko asked.

"No," James replied, "I think this place is getting to me."

Rocko nodded, "I am sure it is very different than what you are used to, where you're from. Did you have to do a lot of fighting?"

James looked over at Rocko. He knew that Rocko was not from his world, so he let the comment go. He kept the key in one hand and the flaming sword in the other, and he started searching for a door.

Arriving at the room where the skeleton had stood guard, James was surprised to see a wooden door on the far wall.

"Was this here before?" he asked.

"No," Rocko replied.

"Why did it appear now?"

Rocko could only shrug, "Dungeons have their own rules, and I would be lying if I said I understood most of them."

James frowned and moved carefully over to the door. Crouching down to inspect the lock, James tried to see if there were any traps. His Skill didn't indicate that there were any to be found. James inserted the skeleton key and stood off to the side. Using his off-hand, he gave the key a turn. The lock was stiff, and the sound of metal on metal was loud in the silence of the dungeon. Finally, the bolt slid back, and James could open the door. Looking into the room, James was able to see a small room with a glowing blue force field on the other side. Besides the exit, there was a chest in the center of the room. Moving into the room, he continued to check for traps and see if anything would jump out at him. But everything appeared calm.

"That is the exit," Rocko offered.

"Just like the one we saw at the top of the stairs?" James asked.

"Yes, but this one leads to the exit instead of the entrance."

"Is there any way to tell if something will be waiting for us on the other side?" James asked.

"Only by going through the doorway. It is not uncommon for Champions to ambush other Champions as they exit a dungeon so you can gain the gear they found as well as the massive experience bump from killing them. Of course, that only applies if you succeed in ambushing them.

"So cheerful." James joked.

"Cheerful doesn't keep you alive," Rocko said.

"Copy that"

The chest in the center of the room was made of plain wood with metal bindings. There was no latch or lock but a simple handle. James wretched Iron sword and used that to lift the chest's lid. But the cover opened with a squeak of rusty hinges and revealed several items that lay inside. James Analyzed each item as he pulled them out of the chest and lay them on the floor. Make sure to stay out of reach of any traps that may fire with the opening of the top.

***********

Potion of Strength

Quality: Good

Rarity: Common

Durability: None

Special: Enchanted - Strength +3 for 10 minutes

***********

***********

Potion of Magic Armour

Quality: Good

Rarity: Common

Durability: None

Special: Enchanted - Magic Barrier (50 HP)

***********

***********

Wand of Flame Bolt

Quality: ?

Rarity: Uncommon

Durability: ?

Special: Enchanted - Flame Bolt

***********

***********

Belt of the Dwarves

Quality: ?

Rarity: Rare

Durability: ?

Special: Enchanted ?

***********

James looked at the items and put them in his backpack. The only thing he was able to use was the Wand of Flame Bolt, and even then, he wasn't sure how it worked. The Belt had promise but would require additional investment that he hoped to spend on Disarm. There were too many decisions to make, and none of them mattered now. James headed for the blue force screen, ensuring he had everything he wanted to take with him.

"Too bad you are not upgradeable as well, Rocko," James mused as he stepped through the barrier and disappeared.

"Oh, but I am," Rocko commented as he followed.