With myself one short training montage away from levelling up I figured I might give the crystal a boost too. I took a hard look at it, seeing the inner core had begun to change, taking on some shape in its inner facets. The inner core of it had turned purple, with the colour bleeding out into the clear outer edges.

“Purple is a good colour,” I said to myself.

I felt a sense of reassurance and looked at the crystal's stats, mentally wondering if it was wise to invest in levelling it up right now. We were making fantastic progress, but the crummy door reminded me the minions needed a boost. If they could make better products we could secure a greater cash flow and it would enable us in the future to enjoy a better quality of life here in addition to purchasing gear to fight.

Keeper crystal, tiny size, Level 2 crystal

200/900 XP

0/2 Minor magical items

Skill bonuses…

None

Traits

Crystal of the Magi I

Current Mana Power Generation : 20

Current Mana Power Consumption : 20

Current Mana Point casting pool : 5/5

With us so close to the power capacity it was time I levelled it up for that fact alone. I also hadn’t had the chance to play around with drawing mana from the crystal. I pinched a gold coin between my fingers in curiosity and tossed it towards the crystal. A tendril came out of the silver pedestal and caught it, transforming the gold coin into experience.

+10 XP gained to keeper crystal.

210/900 XP to level 3.

At that rate it would be sixty nine more gold pieces, a small weighty fortune. That could be used to purchase magical gear, or buy more necessities like food. A little voice at the back of my head told me it was worth it, after all I kept from going to the minion limit to have some flex room. I didn’t want to find out what would happen if I were to go over the power limit. It could turn off some lights or make the heating crystals explode. I took from my own personal stash and tossed it at the crystal, maxing out its experience.

For the two minor magical items I tried two of the damaged heating crystals Rolada already had to replace. As it turned out my magical crafting handiwork was about the same quality as my carpentry skills. After the first day of everyone taking a bath they had started to spark and crack while in use. Thankfully my keeper crystal didn’t care as magical items were magical items.

Would you like to levelled up your keeper crystal?

Yes/No?

“Level this guy up,” I said, tapping the yes.

I was pleased to see the power generation jumped up significantly, giving us a total of fifty power to work with. Which meant there was plenty of room to expand now, and so I turned my attention to choosing its new traits.

Unallocated skill points : 3

Currently available to you.

Minion enhancement I

Require 3 skill points

Change minions so that their skills instead scale relative to the level of the keeper crystal instead of the keeper. Minion’s gain skills based on their type and at higher ranks of this talent gain additional talents.

Crystal of the Magi II

Require 3 skill points

Improve mana power generation and give the crystal an expanded mana casting pool. The keeper is able to draw on mana held by the crystal while in their territory. As a desperate action the keeper can draw from the mana pool while outside their territory, but the crystal loses the ability to regain mana points for 7 days.

Boon granted from Ishaka

Gateway of the Keeper

Requires 3 skills points and 10 gold

Augment the crystal with golden power allowing it to serve as a connection point to the keeper. When above ground the keeper is able to open a portal for a fee based on distance. This allows passage for up to ten creatures and the fee must be paid for each creature entering the portal. After opening a portal this talent cannot be used again for 7 days.

I had money to swing around making the gateway appealing, but I put that aside for now. I had wanted to grab the minion enhancement, but now the magi upgrade looked incredible. I thought back to each battle we had fought and most of the time I only went through around half my mana points before running into mana blight. Having more mana would only lead to me incurring the debuff faster, so I choose the minion enhancement.

My keeper skills jumped off my character sheet and onto the crystals, taking out some of the crowded space. Underneath the new talent was a new box that called my attention.

Please choose one of the following specializations…

Minion Independence

Minions can gain the commoner class and completing personal challenges allows them to unlock class progression. All current minions gain this trait, but new ones will require resources to turn into commoner class.

Minion Horde

Minions become weaker but the capacity for minions becomes doubled. Prices for minions also get reduced.

Minion Workers Movement

Minions gain a +1 bonus to one skill based on their type. Further improvements to this talent path increases the bonus, or allows them to gain a +1 bonus to other skills they have.

So it seemed there were diverging paths for how I could handle my minions. Whenever I played games I always found myself a quality over quantity kind of guy so I dismissed the minion horde. I rather liked having them as backup which left me two options. Improve their skills or let them become their own characters.

I didn’t have to think it over much, I already gave them a lot of independence on their own, so it seemed like fate.”more” a silent voice whispered As I hovered to choose the first one I felt a force hold onto my arm. “more” I looked down to see a root from the crystal wound its way around my arm and thorns stuck into my skin.

“More!” My vision became blurry and I felt a force trying to move my decision, but in an act of defiance I closed the window before any choice could be locked in. “MORE!” The voice in the back of my head screamed, becoming furious and I felt like something rammed into my skull.

Willpower check : Failure!

“Hey boss, mind if I show you today's product?” Burn asked me from the doorway.

The root let me go and the thorn’s mark healed up. I turned around against my own will and smiled at Burn. It wasn’t a friendly smile, more like someone that had been told what a smile was and was trying it for the first time in their life.

“Of course, please tell me more,” I said to Burn in a flat tone. I tried to shout, blink rapidly or anything to tell him something was wrong. “I hope you found your workshop adequate.”

Burn shrugged and continued. “Hey I’ve had the worst before, so this is great so far. I’ve made some rapid laundry soap so we can clean our clothes, because I don’t know about you, but I’m not about to ask Rolada to use magic to clean my boxers. So this stuff will be just for the boys for now.”

Burn held up a glass jar with a sealed lid. Inside was clear bluish liquid that sloshed around the jar. I took the jar from him and cracked the seal. It smelled of spearmint and fresh air, a rather fine blend. I turned on the spot and carefully dumped it over the crystal, watching as the liquid flowed down the mesmerizing shapes and edges, a gleam from within. “More” the alluring voice excitedly murmured.

Alchemical mixture absorbed.

+5 XP to the keeper crystal.

“Okay, I guess it can be crystal cleaner too-”

“Get more,” I said, getting uncomfortably close to the goblin. “I require more Burn, the crystal must be clean.”

Burn stared at me long and hard, scratching at his chin. The inner gears of his mind were working as he was trying to determine what was up with me. I prayed with all my might that he would go tell Rolada, with her special insight ability she could probably tell I was in trouble.

“You got it boss man. Glad to see someone likes my product, maybe we can even talk about giving me a raise,” Burn said, snapping his fingers at me and giving me fingers guns.

I felt the presence in my mind hold me, and I stared at Burn with a fierce, burning gaze. My eyes started to dry out as I couldn’t even blink and the awkward silence extended far too long. Burn started to sweat as he looked between the empty jar and my crazed look.

“I’ll get back to work,” Burn said, winking and pointing his fingers at me as he walked backward out of the room.

I needed more, the crystal needed more. I could sacrifice items to it, but that was only a temporary solution. If I had a steady stream of magical substances I could gain ground faster, get more power and be able to defend the dungeon. My memory swirled as I thought back and something I found a long time ago came up. I methodically fished through my bag until I found what I searched for, nestled between my spellbook and some supplies was the strange book from the wizard’s tower.

I flipped through the pages of magical theory, looking for the sketches I knew were in there. I reached the page of the nude women and shifted throughout the text. It was a method about using demon blood to instigate temporary transformation with mortals. It would net a bonus to stats for several days with limited drawbacks during a recovery phrase.

I flipped to the next page to find a formula for a strength boosting potion. There were side effects involved, but my head and eyes locked on a different part, denying me the crucial information. ‘...yields a huge amount of experience…’ My head then snapped to the ingredient list. Besides mundane items, one struck out. Demon blood, I needed demon blood, and Yara’s would do.

I grabbed the empty jar, my sword and marched straight back to Yara’s room. I heard Lin and Rolada exit the bathing room behind me and heard Lin make a comment about me already looking to use Yara’s services. I wanted to scream, to beg for help, but the force on my mind wouldn’t let me. All that mattered was the crystal, and that the dungeon would grow.

I didn’t even knock, a rather rude gesture from the will retching control of my body. At some point Yara or a minion must have fixed and oiled the hinge because I didn’t even make a sound.

Stealth check : Success!

+1 XP gained.

No, no, no! This was not the time to succeed. I almost regretted having levelled the skill now as I crept towards Yara’s dozing form. She had fallen asleep in a chair by her fire, a dairy resting beside her on the nightstand. She was half out of her armour, and in her hands clutched a stuffed animal of a unicorn. A rather absurd sight seeing the bright white and pink plushie in the hands of a red demoness able to tear apart monstrosity at her leisure.

This was suicide, surely. But a tale from Lin resurfaced, even the most powerful foes could be felled by a single strike. One perfect hit and I could have all the demon blood I needed to make hundreds of potions, enough to level my crystal to absurd heights. Then I could use the others to make me items to sacrifice too until they outlived their usefulness.

It was time to strike, and the force willed it. Yara was the only one strong enough to threaten the crystal directly, and it would see to it that the breach in our defences was dealt with.

Wait. Why was Yara the only danger to it right now? Lin was plenty strong, Rolada could cast spells, Sten could hit like a truck and I’d be damned if Bent Plate couldn’t pummel the thing to dust. Burn of all people should be the most dangerous, he could probably whip up some acid and turn the crystal into juice to add to the laundry detergent.

The will got angry with me, and I felt a migraine assault my senses. This was wasting time, I needed to remove Yara because she was a threat, and as the newest member I could probably convince the others she had tried to attack me.

Except I couldn’t lie to Rolada, I was still under her level and her talent would let her read me like a book. I even bet attacking an ally was against some weird rules in this place, so I bet I wouldn’t get any experience from attacking a sleeping friend.

The force seethed in fury, I was too smart for my own good and it tried to force my hand. I snapped back at it, calling its plan idiotic in the first place. I was levelling up the damn crystal at a fairly good rate along with myself, I didn’t need someone telling me what to do.

Defend Dungeon! Grow Dungeon! Keeper slow. Beastkin weak, allies bad. Only minions needed.

Hey! I shouted back to it. Lin and Rolada were my friends. I wasn’t going to let them get talked down to by anyone. That included dumb rocks that were supposed to be at my command. Maybe a word to Rolada would have her mother show up to put it in its place.

Keeper weak. Defend Dungeon! Grow Dungeon!

I was flung into the wall, feeling a crack run down my side as half my ribs shattered. The toughness talent might as well have been a suggestion because the force of a speeding semi truck had just impacted me going at mach one.

The strange force holding my mind down was disrupted as my body's more primal thoughts won out. Pain was bad, very bad and we needed to run away. The fight or flight instinct however didn’t account for the demoness that covered the length for her room in under a second, so no running was to be had.

“Trick me into letting down my defences, huh?” Yara sneered, picking me up and ramming me against the wall. A rather nice painting on a strip of old cloth by Scout 1 clattered to the ground from the force of the impact. “Well I guess I can add a keeper to my kill list. Josh…wait, there’s something off here.”

In a flash of movement I felt my face burn as she slapped me across the face.

Willpower check : Partial Success!

The presence retreated from me, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Which was a shame because I wanted to give it a piece of my mind.

Yara looked at me with a keen eye and placed a hand onto my wheezing neck. A flood of burning nerves racked my body as flesh reknit itself in the blink of an eye. Yara gazed into my eyes deeply, as if attempting to determine the problems plaguing my mind.

“Your eyes aren't purple now, and I don’t think you came here to show me a magic trick,” Yara said.

I felt my ribs and found the damage had been repaired. Yara placed a hand over my heart and hummed, channelling her power into me. It wasn’t harmful or helpful, more like a visiter walking around to inspect the place.

I felt Yara’s hand slide down my chest and saw her eyes were closed.

“It's gone, you can stop with your hand now,” I said nervously.

Yara’s hand continued to slide down and I felt some pressure as her sharp nails started to dig into my stomach. She blew out a cloud of blood red smoke into my face and nipped me on the neck.

“Are you sure? I might have to use an old priestess special and work your body to the point of exhaustion first,” she said, grinning to show off her sharp fangs. “It’s a traditional exorcism, I swear.”

I hacked around the cloud and shook my head. “It’s gone for now, but I have no idea for how long.”

Yara dropped the act and set me down, holding onto my shoulders to stabilize me. I felt the world spin around me and my stomach flopped around like I was trying to balance on stormy seas.

“What was it Josh?” Yara asked firmly.

“I was choosing the new talents for my crystal, and this force just attacked me until I lost a willpower save… or check, or whatever its called,” I said, holding my head with my hands.

“So you're saying it's a level above you now?” Yara asked.

I nodded and saw Yara’s expression get grim. “It’s not well known and only been a rumour so far, but apparently keeper crystals can influence their owners if they are more powerful. I’ve never heard of outright possession from one, but I wouldn’t doubt it for a moment either,” Yara said.

“What do we do?” I asked. I fell onto my backside, and leaned my head against the wall. “I really fucked up here.”

“No, no you did not. Possession is an incredibly powerful effect, the fact we are talking right now means you are stronger than you realize. Another upside is you tried to attack the most powerful person here who also just happens to know a spell to buff your willpower saves if it starts happening again,” Yara said. She lifted my chin and checked over me. “Purple eyes are gone. Now you said you were about to level up yourself, so let's run into the woods, find something to kill, and fix the problem.”

“There could be undead crawling out there, gnomes and-”

“Do you really think those are a problem for me?” Yara asked bluntly.

“Good point,” I said.

Yara tossed me back my gear and threw on her armour. As I stood there awkwardly while she was getting dressed, I ran through my own spells and tried to remember some tips Lin gave me when we sparred. It was uncanny to have my body’s will ripped away from me, and it was taking all the effort I had not to break down.

“Let’s go,” Yara said, picking me up and carrying me under one arm. “If you get possessed again just nibble on my armour and meow like a cat.”

“I rather not do that,” I huffed.

“Then we take the speed option,” Yara said, flicking her tail ahead of her and ripping a tear in reality.

The world twisted around me as we walked through the small portal and I was dumped onto the ground. I slammed my hands into the frozen ground and felt the cold shock rattle my senses. The portal closed behind us and I felt the connection between me and the dungeon stop.

“What-”

“I’m not powerful enough for good teleportation magic. Just a few hundred paces at best, this was as far as I could manage,” Yara said, leaning against a tree.

Between the rapid use of her magic back to back I had to assume she was suffering mana blight at that moment. She was probably too proud to tell me and I wished I could help. As if on cue the smoke ring appeared on my finger and a wave of nausea rolled over me. It wasn’t bad, more so like I had just casted three of my weaker spells and needed to take a break.

“Hey!” Yara shouted. “I’m supposed to help you with that, not the other way around.”

“Well, we are bound right?” I said, wiggling my ring finger. “Help goes two ways.”

Yara looked away and slammed on her helmet to cover her face. She plunged the end of her halberd into the frozen ground, kicking up snow and steadied herself. I did the same and stood beside her, looking at the distance to see the wall of our home.

“Impressive,” I said.

“First outing and already trying to flirt. You humans and your need to bed everything never ceases to amaze me,” Yara huffed.

“I…what? Is this a date?” I asked.

Yara cackled madly and marched away from the dungeon. “You bring home a warrior priestess, of course a monster hunt is my idea of a date. Now get your cute butt in gear before I start throwing you around for something other than pleasure.”

I followed behind her in confusion, with many questions coming to the forefront of my mind. “Wait, you mean you threw me for fun, and not because you could tell I was possessed?”

Yara didn’t answer, instead focusing her attention to the moonlit forest around us. I swore I heard her silently laugh, but it could be the wind playing tricks on my ears. The winter weather was here in full force and my comfortable clothes, while adequate for the moment, probably wouldn’t keep me warm for the entire night. We needed to find a creature, and soon.

The sound of thrashing and snorting got our attention and we moved towards its source. We reached a forest clearing where the trees gave way to marshy ground, and inside it was a fawn struggling out of the muck. The wet ground had frosted over, enough to look solid but not enough to hold up the young deer’s weight. The animal was frothing at the mouth from exhaustion, its hooves struggling to find purchase. It had torn apart its side, spilling blood onto the snow around it.

“This is just sad, the poor beast is dead and doesn’t know it. Do Heinekia a favour and send this thing back to her,” Yara said, she reached into a side satchel and took out an entire crossbow out of the thing. “These special bolts will kill it in one hit. Just aim, squeeze and both your and his problems are solved.”

“I gotta get me one of those magic bags,” I mumbled as I took the weapon from her.

Yara gave me a comforting slap on the back and helped guide my aim towards the fawn. The deer stopped struggling for a moment, looking at me and almost inviting me to end its torment. I sighed, knowing this was the right thing to do, and squeezed the trigger.

The bolt passed through the fawn harmlessly, and both Yara and I gasped. The image of the fawn wavered, and in a flash of blue light it disappeared. Yara took the crossbow back, loaded it and spun around. I drew my sword and flexed my cold hand, speaking the familiar words to summon a ball of fire into my hands.

“Illusion,” we said in unison.

The firm knowledge a spell caster was at hand both put us at high alert. The rustle of bushes all around us gave way as our retreat to the dungeon was cut off by skeletons and swifter moving foes. I paled as I saw the salivating maws of dead corpses, and my mind filled in the blank, zombies. To the side of the river stumbled out gnomes, but these ones were not the same twitching mad men I came to expect. The hollow gaze of their eyes and shambling movements told me these two were undead.

A crash from the other side of the clearing made my blood run cold. An aura of danger permeated the air and even Yara cussed in concern. I slowly twisted around to see a cloaked knight riding on top of an undead elk, which had a control collar around its neck. The knight removed its helmet, grinning at me with a row of yellowing teeth.

On one hand, he wasn’t the flaming sword wielding giant in armour, on the other he was still probably able to kill me. As if on instinct I tried to find out his level and of all the absurd things to happen tonight, the undead knight granted it.

Sir Harrsal, Undead Human, Moderate Size, Level 5 Wight Captain

“Hey Yara,” I said.

“Yeah?”

“Think I’ll level up if I kill that?”