That was a lot to take in. While I knew that I wasn’t going to choose any of the lower tier options, they were likely a roadmap to further evolutions. I turned and surveyed the fairly crowded square, and mumbled a few expletives as I searched for a runner. Maybe I needed to look into one of those speaking stones Bribis had. It would sure make things a bit easier.

“Hey mister, you look like you need something.” A small voice chirped by my side. I looked down to see a nine or ten year old kid standing there smiling at me.

“It just so happens that I am. Do you want to run a message for me?” I asked.

“I can do that.” He nodded. “Five copper now, five on full delivery.”

“Good enough for me. Head down to the Red Rooster Inn and find a frost elf named Elendria. Let her know Sean’s on his way to the guild for a bit, and that she should join me. If you can’t find her, leave the message with Annette the innkeeper.”

“Got it, thanks mister!” He said, taking my coins and shooting off down the street. That done, I threaded my way through the crowd and headed to the guild. I stood in the rather long line, as this didn’t seem quite like the type of problem that the guildmaster would concern himself with. After about fifteen minutes of waiting, I found myself heading to a window with Hides-in-Reeds.

“Hello.” I said, walking up. “I have a bit of an odd request, and I’m not sure if the guild provides answers for it.”

“If we can’t help you directly, we should be able to at least give you a general idea of where to go.” She replied.

“Right. Well, I was wondering if you guys did counceling on evolutions?”

“We do, but it is fairly expensive. One gold for an hour consultation, though if you have evolution options we haven’t come across before we will offer to buy them from you. I warn you though, the chances of that happening unless it is a high level evolution is exceedingly rare.”

“That sounds good to me.” I said, though I wasn’t thrilled with the price. “Would it be possible to have Elendria sit in on it? She should be here soon.”

“If she is already evolved, then it is fine. If not, it will cost an additional gold.”

“She’s evolved already.”

“Excellent. Go ahead and have a seat, I’ll contact our loremaster and have them prepare for you. It shouldn’t be more than an hour.” She said, taking my coin. I smiled, then turned and found an empty able that was out of the way.

“Hey, how was the dive today?” Elendria startled me from the daze I had slipped into.

“Huh? Oh, hey. Wasn’t too bad. Made it to the next section of the dungeon, but I didn’t get much loot.”

“Oh?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah. Spells were a bit too destructive.”

“Ah.” She nodded, then let the conversation slip away into a somewhat uncomfortable silence. I could tell our previous issues were still weighing on her, and to be honest they were on me as well. Soon enough the guild secretary was waving us back, and we gladly followed her. Instead of heading upstairs, we followed her to a series of smaller offices in the back of the first floor. We walked in to find a young man sitting behind a desk, shuffling through a few final papers. He had sandy brown hair and was clean shaven, but he couldn’t have been older than 25 or 30.

“Loremaster Eric? Sean is here for his appointment, as well as Elendria to observe.”

“Come in, come in.” He said, waving us in and standing up to shake our hands. “I’m Eric, pleasure to meet you both. Before we begin, yes I do realize that most people don’t expect someone so young to be a loremaster.”

“You do appear to be a little on the young side.” I tried to be as diplomatic as possible as we took our seats. He waved off our concern, pulling out an odd book. It had two rings at the top and bottom that could pop open to add new pages but other than that seemed fairly normal.

“No worries, I knew it would be like that for a while. Mom was headmaster of the human magic academy growing up, and let me have free reign of the academy. As I couldn’t really master magic yet, I did what I could. That is, until I saw some of the magic gear being developed. It got me interested, and I started down a lifelong passion. Anyhow, I’m sure you guys aren’t paying for my life story, so let’s get down to business.” He ended his little speech with a bit of a chuckle, that we joined in on. “Before we really get into it, you must realize that the dungeon protects certain bits of information. I’ve been told you tend to specialize in magic, would you be willing to tell me the requirements to evolve to an elemental human?”

“Sure.” I nodded, unsurprised that he knew about that one. “You . . . .”

“What the? You . . .” Try as I might, I couldn’t move my jaw when I tried to speak.

“Damn, that’s alright. I have a bit of paper here, try and write it down.” He slid a bit of paper to me, and I reached for the pen. As soon as it hit the paper, my arm locked up. “I’m sure the dungeon has more protections, but these are the least of them.” Eric explained. “As such, there will be gaps in the knowledge I can impart. However, I can list some evolution paths and hope that you can meet the unknown requirements.”

“Thanks.” I nodded. “I can let you know that so far I have passed level 10 of the dungeon without any party members.”

“Oh, that is most impressive.” Eric nodded. “And it does help a bit. I take it you are going to press on to level 15?”

“That’s the plan.” I nodded. “Are you able to tell me anything about the evolution bonuses?”

“Sorry.” Eric shook his head. “That information is protected. I will say that any general patterns you have seen will continue, and all of the final tier evolutions will be superior to those offered from a level 10 option.”

“Alright. Well, I would assume that there is a progression for names, so let me tell you what I have unlocked at level 10, and you fill me in on the next tier?”

“I can do that.”

“Wait.” Elendria interjected. “First, what if there is an evolution that you haven’t heard of before?”

“Well, in that case I would be more than happy to buy the information. We believe we have mapped out all of the lowest tier options, but if you have one of those then you can get a week’s worth of contribution. Level 10 ones would get you a month’s worth, while beyond that you can get either a few year’s worth of contribution or we can commission you some gear. It will be guaranteed gold tier.”

“That, is a very generous contribution.” I said, shocked at the highest tier reward and promising myself I would try and get one. “How long do you think it would take to craft one of those?”

“Generally a week or two, depending on the materials at hand. Most people don’t mind, as the experience gained after evolution drops off considerably. Are you guys in agreement about the payments?”

We both nodded, so I started off. “Well, let’s start out low then. My low tier options were high human, elevated one, devout and disciple.”

“Interesting mix.” Eric said, checking through his list. “We already have those listed, but I thank you for the information anyway. Next tier?”

“Elemental human, mana touched, adherent, elemental knight, and acolyte.”

“I see, I see.” Eric muttered, flipping through several of his pages. “Some rather impressive evolutions, but we unfortunately have all of those as well.” As he spoke, he made several notations on a separate page. “Would you like to see the possible evolution options from the paths you have unlocked?”

“I would love to.” I replied, scooting forward.

“Excellent. Well, continuing the options you have, you should see elemental lord, mana blessed, apostle, and elemental king.”

“I see.” I said, thinking. “Are there any more options you think I could see? Or could unlock with a little work?”

“Hmm. Well, that depends on your skills. The spellblade series is rather powerful, though it lacks the ranged component most spellslingers enjoy. Elemental craftsman is another option, but that doesn’t have much combat utility. Any of those interest you?”

“Not particularly.” I shook my head. “I haven’t really learned anything aside from magic.”

“Well, in the good news department these are really some of the strongest magical evolutions out there. You just have to see what your limits are in the dungeon.”

“Alright, well how about this. What can you tell me about the evolution process itself?”

“Ah, everyone asks that. It’s another one that you can’t talk about. The only thing the dungeon lets us pass on is that it is a three to four-day process. During that time, your body is changed and your mind doesn’t remember the process. The gods say that it is a testing of your soul, but nobody can really confirm that. I do hope you invested some points in constitution, as that does seem to be necessary for some of the more powerful evolutions.”

“Damn, that’s not a lot.” I muttered, thinking. This hadn’t taken much, but he didn’t really seem to be able to pass on much knowledge. “Do you know how high your constitution has to be?”

“I’m not allowed to even speculate on that.” He shook his head. “I know it doesn’t seem like much, but at least you know you are in a good starting position. I will say that after evolving, most people head west to the more challenging regions of the jungle for some experience. It takes a while, but the few levels they can gain there really put them ahead of others stats wise.”

“Thanks.” I muttered. “I just. I dunno.”

“Thought someone like a loremaster would be able to tell you a lot more?” He chuckled. “I know, and I agree. But the dungeon limits us, and the system named our class. Feel free to stop by with any more questions, or leave them with the receptionist if I’m not in. That’s my way of giving back, as I feel the guild rate for information leaves most a bit lacking.”

“That does make it a bit better.” I said. “Well, thank you for your time Eric. I think that’s all my questions, do you have any Elendria?”

“None.” She shook her head. “Let’s head back to the inn and rest. Are you going to press on deeper into the dungeon tomorrow?”

“I think so.” I said as we headed out. “I want to see if I can get a bit of loot, I want to make sure that you and the twins are covered with enough for when I start my evolution.”

“You know we are capable of getting our own contribution points.” She said.

“I know, but I also know that at least one of you will be worried about me and I don’t want something bad to happen while you are distracted.” She didn’t say anything in response, but I did catch a bit of smile out of the corner of my eye.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next afternoon

*THUD*

“GODDAMNIT!” I screamed after yet another semi-cooled stone slammed into my back. Spinning on my heels, I saw the bastard that had launched the attack, the air in its mouth shimmering with heat as it prepared another attack. It never got the chance. “DIEEEEE!!!!” I shouted, blasting a bolt of electricity down the lava lizards throat. It couldn’t even scream, as the electricity paralyzed it as it cooked it from the inside.

“I really hate these fucking levels.” I muttered. I hadn’t even cleared the first level of the next portion, and it was already annoying the hell out of me. It didn’t seem too bad at first. I had opened the doors, and stood in awe of the scene. A wall of steam slowly dispersed, revealing a massive cave system. Puddles of bubbling mud were interspersed with miniature geysers, and the occasional open lava pool. I started walking through, and got to meet the local wildlife.

The easiest to deal with were the acid spitters. Oversized frogs that lived in and near the geysers and mud, they had adapted to the sulfuric acid in these vents and now shot it at their enemies. They relied on the mists to cloak themselves, but had no defense against my mana senses. Or the rock spikes that I launched to impale them. Acid glands and low quality acid magic stones were fairly common drops, with the occasional tongue or eye being a rare drop, probably for some alchemy. Sometimes the stones would be higher quality of lower elements, either dark or water.

No, the problem I was having was with these annoying lava lizards! They completely encased themselves in rock, then hid among the rocky formations. Without them moving, my mana sense only found the rock and didn’t warn me of the enemy. The rock wasn’t even either, so it broke up their outline enough that I couldn’t easily find them. Then they would wait for me to pass before firing a glob of semi-melted rock at me. That rock would immediately harden and smash into my back. If the armor I had didn’t provide me a shield, there is a good chance that I would have let my guard down and taken some nasty attacks.

That armor was hard enough that most of my attacks simply wouldn’t work without overcharging them or using something powerful enough that it could bring down the ceiling. Instead I was forced to use lightning, as it was the only thing fast enough to strike before they could vomit up another attack.

“God, this is going to be a slog.” I muttered as I walked up to the charred body. Even with my regeneration, blocking their attacks and countering with a higher element was tiring. I flopped down next to the body to recharge, absentmindedly looting it as I did. A high quality flame core and a chunk of obsidian ore. Not bad. I pocketed the drops, and wracked my brain yet again for a solution to finding these bastard assassins.

“Their armor blends in with the surroundings, and doesn’t leave any seams.” I muttered to myself. “It isn’t magical by itself, and seems to be completely separate from the animal itself. That means no mana is actively flowing through it. They can contort their bodies, and the rock doesn’t have a regular shape so no help there.” Frustrated and unable to come up with a solution, I got up and started wandering again. “Bastards can’t even find a similar spot to ambush.” I muttered complaints again. It was true though, they didn’t cluster around their elemental vents like the others did. Lava lizards could be found throughout the level, and the only warning of their attacks was a split second before it was launched.

“Oh you have got to be shitting me.” I growled out. An hour later and I had finally found the way down, only to find quite the different level. “I knew those acid beasts were too easy.” Sure enough, the next level was lit with the ominous glow of multiple lava pools, and there wasn’t a single geyser in sight. Straight across the way was the path leading down, and I wasn’t nearly stupid enough to fall into that trap. A straight path on level 12 of a dungeon? Yeah right. There were probably plenty of lava lizards waiting to make my life miserable and either a bunch of traps or some new type of enemy.

I started circling the room instead, and as I neared the first lava puddle I got to meet the new enemy. Well, enemies. The first to greet me was a three tailed scorpion with shiny obsidian armor plates. It partially uncurled from a stalactite, and was dancing with its claws snapping menacingly. Before it could do anything, a streak of lava shot from the surface and smashed into the creature, knocking it from its pedestal. It fell into the jaws of a crocodile that happily crunched through the armor. As it was chewing the scorpion, I noticed a small tube underneath the tongue, and likely the source of the lava stream.

“That’s it, staying away from the lava lakes in this level.” I muttered to myself, and used a bit of antigravity to let myself walk along the ceiling. It was disorienting for a while, but it did allow me to see the lavadiles in their pools. Creeping around wasn’t too bad, and I didn’t lose my concentration anymore even when I got blasted by a few more of the lizards along the way. In fact, the crocodiles were a bit of a boon, immediately attacking the lizards after they struck at me, something I wasn’t about to complain about.

“Got to be kidding me! Is this even doable?” I groaned. The roundabout way had only cost me an hour and a half, and a handful of dodges against lava shots from the crocodiles. No, what I was swearing about was the next level. I was looking at one massive cavern, nearly a hundred yards long. The ceiling was nearly forty feet high, and I could see several birds flying around up there, occasionally attacking something on the ceiling. The floor was lava. Literally. A massive pool of thick, frothy lava. Every ten or fifteen yards was a lava fountain. Different statues of different creatures, each shooting out a glob of lava in an arch every other second. The glob would cool, hit the lava, and stay for about six or so seconds before it melted enough to sink back down. The heads were constantly turning, creating a possible walkway through the lava if you jumped from stone to stone, and were only slightly suicidal.

“Right, someone has beaten this before, so there must be a way.” I reassured myself. “Let’s see if we can make our own rock. Ice spike!” I launched a spike several feet away from me, but the extreme heat had it melted and turned to steam before it could even land. “Blast. Well, maybe quantity over quality. Jet stream.” I changed to a constant stream of water, watching as it slowly inched ever closer to the lava.

“GAH SWEET JESUS!” I screamed as I scrambled backward. When the water managed to finally touch the lava, it exploded in a terrifying burst of steam and goopy rock chunks. “What the hell is in this stuff?” I asked as I broke open one of the rapidly cooling rocks. “Pumice. Of course.” The lava had a lot of gas dissolved in it, which is why it was able to float when it cooled. The water cooling it had allowed a bit of that gas to escape, causing an explosion. “I’ll need a bit to think before I conquer you.” I promised the lake. Instead of forcing my way through, I turned and headed back upstairs. Hopefully a good night’s sleep would help me come up with a plan to get through this hurdle.