I woke up with a start and let out a strangled scream. I had died, or did I? I was sore, tired and felt like my bones were barely in place. I hesitantly looked down to see my right arm and I flexed my fingers seeing it still worked.

A big red bushy tail impacted my face and instinctively I grabbed it into a hug. I breathed deeply in the sweet scents of chocolate and roses, feeling my stress ease out of my shoulder blades. A sweet humming graced my ears and fingernails scratched at the back of my head. I leaned into it and let off a deep moan to release all my tension.

I kissed at the hand and heard the owner giggle. I leaned towards them and rested my tired head on their thighs.

“Rolada, I’m so glad to see you,” I mumbled. “I could sleep here forever.”

“Oh? Am I not good enough for you Josh?” an older, more sultry voice said.

I opened my eyes and looked up to see a large bosom block most of the owners face from view. On top of their head was two fuzzy red triangles and luscious long red hair. I held up the tail in my hands and my tired mind processed the situation.

I blushed and stumbled over my words.“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry Sliva-”

“Shh,” Sliva said, leaning down to smother me in her chest and planted a kiss on my forehead. She sat back up and snapped the book in her hand shut. “Now before you continue to get me in bed with you, can you look at your important notifications?”

I looked to see bright red flashing exclamation points that demanded my attention. I selected them and read the information carefully.

Resurrection cost : -1000 XP (500 XP paid by keeper crystal)

Rejuvenation cost : -500 XP (250 XP paid by keeper crystal)

“Holy shit, that’s expensive,” I said shocked.

“And it would have been much more were you a higher level. One of the few times I’ve had to dig that deeply into Ishaka’s powers. Last time was when I was an adventurer,” Sliva said, still stroking my hair. “Now Josh don’t tell the others, and don’t tell them what you had to do. It has been a rather tough week.”

“Did you find me…as that thing?” I asked cautiously.

“As I said, I was an adventurer before. It’s not the first time I’ve seen a keeper desperately grab for power to survive. When I found your body you were in a sorry state. Half mummified, missing an arm and made of void dust and crystal.” Sliva said quietly, looking towards the door. Then she cracked a big warm motherly smile and tapped my nose. “But now you are fine and mama fox is here on vacation for a little while.”

“Vacation?” I asked.

“It would have looked bad on the Overseer’s part if her guardian she gave you failed in under a month.” Sliva said.

“Must have been a surprise when Rolada popped in out of the blue,” I said, holding a hand to my head. “For being a skeleton in heavy armour Lord Gastov was quick, and could teleport.”

“Rolada appeared in a puff of gold smoke and crashed onto my bed waking me up from a nap. She barely got out of my blankets before she was begging me to open another portal to come get you. I refused as it would have been too dangerous for her, however not long after, her ears perked right up and she came running out of the bath. I couldn’t barely make heads or tails of what she was saying except the siege was over and she got a load of experience,” Sliva said, running her nails along my cheek and laughing.

I smirked thinking about how energetic Rolada could get. I closed my eyes and let myself relax into Sliva’s lap and enjoyed the sensation of getting touched. My body was still sore and the distractaction was lovely.

“I knew she wasn’t lying and went by myself first to assure her safety, that’s when I found you,” Sliva said tensely. After a brief pause she continued. “I hid you in here for the time being and claimed this room for myself. It would have been a shock for everyone else to see you in such a sorry state. After that I brought Rolada, my supplies and got to work to patch you up.”

“Thank you for bringing me back,” I said sincerely. I felt moisture on my cheek and I realized I was beginning to tear up. “Sorry, I…”

“Hush,” Sliva said putting a finger to my lips. “Mama fox is here to help. Now, want to get dressed and see the others?”

I nodded and looked around us. We were in Yara’s bedroom and it looked like Sliva had made herself at home here. I did immediately see some damage to the fireplace with cracked bricks and mortar surrounding it. Her desk was covered in pits and a corner was broken off, and sadly her mirror had a crack running down its length.

Silva got up and I blushed at seeing she was wearing tight fitting shorts and a tank top that was a size too small. Her bust was barely contained and she sauntered towards the dresser shaking her rear and tail in my direction. I tried to look away before she noticed me staring, but in the mirror I could see her grinning ear to ear, she had to know.

Sliva tossed me a pair of pants and a soft shirt, and I stiffly crawled out of bed in only my underwear. I was as red as Sliva’s hair and tried to get dressed on my own, but had to wait for Sliva to help me twist into the shirt. Finally I was able to wrap myself up in my magic cloak, happy it was intact.

Sliva on her part was now wearing a long sleeve sweater, some kind of snuggly fitting sweatpants and a white furred rabbit cloak. She posed in front of the mirror for a moment and looked at me expectantly.

“You look fantastic, Sliva,” I said breathlessly.

“And that right there is why you are my favourite follower of Ishaka, well besides my adorable little fox,” Sliva mused. She took me by the arm and walked me to the door. “Now, you will notice you will be very stiff for the next few days, and not in a fun way. Side effects of bringing someone from the dead, beyond the experience cost.”

I checked my character sheet and sure enough there was a debuff listed.

Resurrection penalty : -2 to all physical stats

3 days, 5 hours remaining

“Why is the cost so high?” I asked, scratching at my head. “That was basically the cost of winning the siege and slaying the big bad evil guy.”

“Because it needs to rebuild your body before your death. Even things like replacing a limb, curing blindness and deafness costs a lot. Either the caster or the recipient needs to pay the cost, and typically only the most powerful can afford it. Just don’t make a habit of it, because I might not be able to bring you back.” Seeing my glum expression Sliva laughed and gave me a hug. “Now enough of stuffy topics.”

We stepped out of the room and I saw somebody had swept all the shattered tiles into piles which covered the hallway. I could also see the lower level had escaped the worst of the damage on account of Mason’s improved design. Yet the damage I saw was still extensive, and I prayed the rest of the dungeon was in better condition. Down the hall I saw the door to the bathing rooms was askew and deep lines of baritone came from it, filling the hall with its tune.

“Sten seems to be enjoying the hot water,” I snickered, and immediately regretted it, clutching my abused ribs. “Ow.”

Sliva rubbed my back and walked me to the stairs, and I immediately knew there would be a problem getting up. I could barely lift my white curly shoes up a step, and Sliva didn’t seem strong enough to just shoulder me, nor would I let myself. I had that much pride left.

“Wa-it!” Dan cried, sprinting down the stairs.

Mason and Carter followed him with a chair held over their heads. I could see pitted iron gears and grease below it, and a lack of legs. They ran to the bottom and then slotted the chair into a carved out tube that ran the length of the stairs. I could see powering the gears was a pink enchanted crystal.

“Is that…Rolada’s magic?” I asked.

Knowledge Arcane : Success!

When mages enchant items, a drop of their magic can remain. This magical fingerprint can help identify creators.

+1 XP gained.

“Ah, you are starting to recognize another mage's work. I see you are getting your wits about you already,” Sliva smiled. “I had to help repair the water heating system and I can see Rolada has taught you well.”

I sheepishly grinned and mumbled a thanks. I eased myself into the chair and found a lever. I pulled it to go up and hear the chair let out an ear piercing cry as the gears gnashed their teeth together. The chair shot up three feet in the track and abruptly stopped, throwing me onto the stairs before catching fire and exploding.

“Ahh!” Dan screamed and panicked, shoving my side to check if I was alive.

“Ow,” I groaned.

“For the love... Sliva, what is this?” an annoyed Yara asked. “I leave my charge with you for five minutes and someone is already assassinating him.”

Sliva laughed merrily and I found myself getting picked up. I looked up to see Yara was in her gym clothes and her face was filled with concern for me. After seeing I was relatively fine she shrugged and moved me from the princess carry to slinging me over her shoulder.

I would have protested but I was rewarded with watching Sliva bound up the stairs behind me, with her chest bouncing with each step. Even better I could watch Yara’s rear and tail, but sadly my nice view ended swiftly with me being tossed back onto my feet.

The upstairs was in better repair, with the walls being retiled and the floors being smoothed out. All around us were new additions and repairs, ahead I could see the minions had reworked the main room into a more defensible gatehouse, with slits in the wall towards the stairs to fire arrows through. If I really had been out for a week I could see they used their time well.

I could smell leftovers in the mess hall and let my nose lead me, taking time to check into my suite. My first room in the office was a disaster, with little surviving. The curtain to the bedroom was open and I saw Rolada and Lin sitting in bed, with Lin brushing Rolada’s hair.

On seeing them I raised a hand and saw both girl’s stare back at me. Wordlessly the both leapt from the bed and rushed me. Before I could back peddle into Yara they tackled me and squeezed me from either side.

“Oh my gosh Josh are you okay?” Rolada asked, between peppering my neck with kisses.

“You idiot, why did you fight on your own?” Lin asked, rubbing her face into my neck and purring heavily.

“When I felt you were in danger I turned us around and headed straight to you, yet by the time we arrived Sliva was already patching you up again” Yara said behind me, scratching at my head. “Moron.”

I looked down at my hand and the ring of binding flashed into existence for a brief moment. I squeezed my hand and it vanished again. I scratched between the two beast kin girl’s ears and felt my ribs pop back into place.

“Joshie is okay!” rumbled a deep voice behind me and I was kidnapped from the others, and hoisted into the air like a puppy.

Bent smiled and swung me around in a tight embrace that threatened to crush me. Just as the last drops of air were squeezed out of me he plopped me back onto the ground and patted my head. “It’s a good thing you trained to be tough like an ogre.”

“Excuse me, it's my sparing that let him win,” Lin said, crossing her arms and stepping towards the ogre.

“It was my magic training!” Rolada said, popping up between the two of them.

“Actually it was all of you,” I laughed, holding my sides. “A little bit of dwarven stubbornness, magic, and martial might, with a side of luck. But let's not get bogged down by it, we all won.”

I looked around at my smiling friends and a thought came to me. “Did anyone see the signet ring?”

“Merp!” Dan said, tugging on my cloak. In his small fuzzy clutches was the ring and he held it out in offering.

I picked up the ring and slotted it onto my left ring finger.

Quest Complete!

+100XP to the keeper

+1 Skill point

Lordship title granted

“Oh my, Lord Hale now I see,” Sliva purred.

A wave of congratulations sounded around me and I was clapped in the back roughly one to many times. I moved our group to the mess hall and devoured some leftover porridge and fruit. As time went on Sten and Burn entered the room and I was shocked. They still had several injuries and Sten’s arm was in a sling. Yet despite the broken arm Sten didn’t stop trying to arm wrestle Burn and filled the room with his boisterous laugh. Soon, the whole mess hall was awash with warm conversation. People discussed new options for them to pick and what to do with the mountain of equipment we had now. I even checked my own gains.

Current experience : 1858/2700

I was a bit glum seeing I was still about a thousand off on another level up. However I wasn’t about to complain since Sliva literally had just brought me back from the dead, even with its harsh cost. I could continue to train, learn and build gaining experience. By the winter's end I could probably get close and learn new and valuable skills.

The other thing I noticed was the new arrays of scars some of us had. My right arm was unblemished, looking brand new, which it technically was, while my left had a long scar running from my elbow to my wrist. Burn and Sten were worse off, having scratches on their faces, and a few nasty ones on their forearms. Yet they were in good spirits and even sported new outfits, courtesy of Rolada I assumed.

“Josh?” Lin asked me, touching the back of my right hand. “You seem pale.”

“Just tired from everything. I think I want to take a look at what's left above, and get some air,” I said. I looked down where her hand touched mine and felt a more sensitive touch from where our hands met.

“I’ll give you a hand,” Lin said, closing up her jacket.

She took my hand in hers, lacing our fingers together as she led the way to the world above. I saw the tunnel after the gatehouse had new tunnels splitting off in all directions and I wondered if it was a hold over from the minions making a maze earlier. We reached a new ramp that led up top instead of a trap door and when we reached the top Lin opened a door to the outside world. The entrance to the dungeon was now a small shed and the town around us was in the midst of being repaired.

Dozens of new houses were dotted around the dungeon, half built into the ground and when I narrowed my eyes I could see they led to the tunnels connected to the entrance to the dungeon. New water lines also crisscrossed everywhere I could see, all converging at a large house with metal roof tiles. Inside were many tendrils from the crystals and two minions were busy cleaning up around it.

“The minions made that boiler building to heat up water with the sunshine and heating crystals. We have floor heating now!” Lin giggled. “Just think, the place getting flattened gave them a new blank slate to build.”

I had to admit the silver lining to the situation was a decent reason to smile and I gave Lin a kiss on the cheek. The happy cat girl held onto me and purred, stealing away my warmth. I looked out over the cold, snow covered horizon and saw we were rebuilding fast.

On top of the shed behind us was a crow that let his presence be known. When I spun around to stare at the nosy bird I froze in place seeing it wore a control collar. The orange gem on the blue collar gleamed in the winter light. Around the bird's leg was a letter, and it hopped down onto ground level to present its leg.

“Is this a trap?” I asked.

“Could be…” Lin hissed at the bird and when it didn’t budge she crouched down to take the letter.

“Caw!” The bird took off like a black feathered rocket, flying straight into the woods and out of sight.

Lin handed me the letter and I cautiously opened it. A blue wisp of smoke came out of it and formed into a blue ghostly crow that hovered in the air in front of us. It opened its beak but instead of more bird calls it spoke in a man’s voice.

“Congrats Keeper Josh for surviving my first test. My late ally did wonders for me to learn that you are indeed worthy of holding the title of keeper. In respect to that I shall use this chance to formally declare war, keeper against keeper. However I shall grace you with a period of rest, so our war will begin in the spring. Rest well, and build your forces, for I shall tear your crystal away from you. I look forward to meeting you on the battlefield,” the man said, with a snarky upbeat tone.

The letter dissolved away as did the image of the crow. I tightened my fist around the remains in my hand and looked out over the town.

“Lin, could you please go and assemble everyone up here?” I asked.

She swiftly took off in a flash of white, and ran into the shed while I gazed out over the remnants of the town and beyond. The winter landscape was a blank canvas, with only the few new buildings dotting its bleak body.

These were my lands now, and I didn’t fancy handing them over to some jackass that couldn’t be bothered to challenge me in person. I would build up my strength and I wouldn’t be letting anyone take my crystal. Most of all I wouldn’t let more harm come to the people around me needlessly, perhaps it was time for more minions.

“Josh?” Lin asked, shaking me from my thoughts. “Tell us your plans.”

As Lin stood beside me more people started to appear out of the shed, surrounding me in a half circle.

“Everyone,” I took a pause for the sake of drama. “Today we have had war declared on us.”

A murmur went through the assembled group.

I seized the moment to hammer it home. “We just managed to defeat a great threat and we did so by the skin of our teeth. We have lost a lot during this process, however nothing we lost was of great value,-”

“I lost my shop!” Burn squeaked, and was promptly ignored.

“As we still have ourselves,” I continued. “The coming threat will not be easy, and from this first wave we know what they have the power to do. We are not yet ready, but we will be.”

Lin was the first to speak up, she balled her fists and frowned, with her fangs poking out from her lips. “Whats the plan then? Take the fight to them?”

“No,” I said firmly. “For now we have to train harder. Burn and Sten, I’d like you two to help the minions build and design more defensive structures to add to town. And no Burn, no more bombs.”

“Aye, a few dwarven ballista, a tower or two, and we can have the skies covered,” Sten said, sweeping his free hand across his vision. “I’ll turn this place into a proper dwarven hill fort.”

“Lin, Yara I need you two to spar with everyone who’s going to be in the melee. We held our own, but when the enemy grouped up we had trouble cracking into them. I assume you know a few battlefield tactics, Yara,” I said.

Yara tugged her scarf tightly around her neck and bit at one of her white sticks. She blew out a plume of bloody red vapour that collected onto the snow ahead of her, staining it like a wound. “I’ll have to do so rereading of old war manuals, but sure. Can’t promise a miracle though.”

“Bent Plate, I need you to help everyone hit the gym at least three times a week. I want to see everyone’s strength a point higher by the end of winter, maybe even their constitution,” I said brightly, and saw the ogre’s face light up. I didn’t know if that was even a reasonable request.

Bent pumped his fists into the air and look down at me. “I’ll make you the strongest wizard, you will bench pressing bears and throwing boars into the sky by the time I’m done.”

“Rolada,” I said catching the fox girl off guard. “I need your help to learn magic as quickly as possible. Like crunch time before an exam.”

Rolada’s broke out into a mischievous grin and I could hear her laugh into her coat. “I have a few ways to sweep you off your feet.”

With the tasks delegated and a bright future planned for us I took a moment to face the other way. When the murmurs began behind me again I spun around and clapped to get their attention.

“We will win this war, and if it the last thing we do, we will protect our home!” I said, raising my right arm to the sky.

A cheer went through the crowd and everyone followed in raising their arms to the sky. The minions stopped what they were doing and ran over to join in, raising all four of their limbs and dancing around us. I saw behind Rolada was Sliva, standing patently, and when she noticed me she gave me a nod of approval.

“But all that can wait for tomorrow. I really need a hot bath,” I said.

“Then why didn’t we do this inside!” Why did we have to come up to you?” Burn questioned. He was shivering, and pulling his ears down flat beside his head. “I’m freezing my ass off here boss.”

The sweet ring of laughter filled the clearing in the town, and everyone made their way back down one at a time. I too felt the chill as wind swept along the surface and drove the cold into my bones. Adventure could wait for now, because all I wanted was a nice hot meal, some time to relax with my friends and a nice long bath.

End of book 1.