I grunted at the axe, broke my nose, and split my eyebrow open. My head was ringing from the impact of the blade, and my vision was burled. My debuffs were telling me that I was dazed, concussed, and had several breaks. I smiled slightly and tasted blood.

Blink ran over to me, yelling, “Daddy! Daddy! Ares, yous okay?”

I groaned. “I’ll live but I’m not alright.”

I checked my health and saw that it was down to 25. The axe had almost killed me. If I took off any of my armor, I would be dead right now. My mana was empty as well, which meant that I couldn’t cast the minor healing spell. I had already used my healing potions and my other magical items.

Blink cast the minor healing spell that she had while lizard girl. It flashed over me, and I felt my nose set, and the flow of blood slowed down. Then she cast it again and again until she was almost out of mana.

My health was now halfway back up, but I wasn’t losing blood anymore. The main debuffs were still there, but the bleeding and broken bones were gone. I slowly pushed my way to my feet.

My body was sore and protested my movements, “Well that was more than I thought we were doing. I had thought that they weren’t going to be nearly this strong.”

Blink looked around and then at me, “Daddy I thinks the ones we hads been fighting were their young. The ones we jusst went up against seemeds like they had grown up. We might want to see if Dave or the nice lady knows more.”

I chuckled and then coughed, which ended up with me doubled over and spitting out blood. “Yeah, let’s talk to Dave about blooded orcs. I want to know what level they would show up on and if there were other surprises that I need to know about.”

“Cans we loots?”

“Always!”

Soon we had looted the orcs. Blink went through the vines and looted the orc mage from the other side, and brought back some nicer equipment. The main problem with most things from the orcs was they were too big. Even the staff mage was bigger than I wanted to carry, and it wasn’t much of anything to look at.

I looked at the pile of equipment, “Okay. Let’s get this down to the safe room and sell it to Dave. It should get me some good store credit.”

“Daddys, what’s are yous buying?”

“Planning on buying more of the growth stakes for the stone cube trees and a few of the thickets. I am going get out there and put a few thickets to anchor the lines and finish the perimeter. I had been hoping to kind of hide from the orcs. But since they know we are here I need to ramp up the defenses a bit before heading out.”

I was sore and tired as I started to drag everything down to the safe room. So sore and tired that I had forgotten a very key thing that had recently shown up in my life.

Kasidy’s voice split out from the stairs, “What happened to you? Are you alright? Let me help!”

The next thing I knew, she was trying to take the chest piece that I had in my arms out of my hands. Which since the debuffs still hadn’t finished meant that my balance was shot, and I fell onto her.

Kasidy squealed, slapped me, and yelled, “Get off my you oaf!”

Then as I rolled off of her, she saw Blink laughing behind me. Which set Kasidy scrambling back, shrieking. Then she got this look of determination and hummed a few bars. I felt the ring on my pinkie constrict as Kasidy once again tried to compel me to do something.

Kasidy’s voice rang out clearly as she sang, “Go to sleep! Go to sleep!”

I stood and shouted, “Stop it!”

Kasidy staggered back, “Monster!”

Then I laughed a dry humorless laugh. Kasidy hadn’t known about Blink, and I had hoped that she wouldn’t find out. But that ship had sailed, and now we were here.

Blink spoke before I got a chance, “Monsters? Where?”

I sighed. This was going to be fun, in the not-fun sort of way. “Kasidy, that’s Blink. She is both this little lizard girl and the ropola that you saw earlier.”

Kasidy started to shake her head back and forth. “What is she?”

“A ropola.”

“Ropolas don’t change into kobolds.”

I raised my eyebrow. “Kobolds?”

“Yes kobolds short lizard people who like to dig underground.”

“She looks like one?”

“Well I have never seen one before but I know they are short lizards. So what else could she be.”

“Well no matter what she is. She is my bonded companion and my friend. So chill with the mind magic!”

Kasidy started to giggle and then dropped down to her knees and opened up her arms like she was asking for a hug. I turned to see that Blink had been staring right at Kasidy with big hug puppy eyes. I just rolled my eyes and sighed as Blink went forward and hugged Kasidy.

Kasidy whispered just loud enough for me to hear, “I’m so sorry Blink. You are so nice to me I didn’t know it was you.”

I grunted. “Blink are you going to help me get the rest of this stuff down below or am I going to have to do it myself.”

“Daddys you are big ands strong. I am going to sits with Kasidy fors a little.”

I sighed. “Blink, help me get this stuff down there. You know that I am dragging and getting in and out is going to take several trips.”

Blink spun and put her hands on her hip, and stomped her foot. “Daddys I wants to talks with Kasidy!”

I eyed Blink. “Look you call me Daddy all the time. I need you to grab the stuff and come with me just this first trip.”

Blink drooped her shoulders down and then picked up the spear and helmet. Then we went into the dungeon and closed the door behind us. I entered through the side door that took me into the dungeon master’s quarters and then limped through into the safe room. Once we were both in I, fell to the ground again.

“Blink the concussion added 4 hours just by getting knocked over. I need you to stay in here and heal me.”

Blink dropped what she had been carrying and hugged me. “Sorrys Daddy. I forgots that you were hurt!”

Dave called out from below, “You okay up there?”

“No Dave! I’m not okay!”

I heard Dave come running up the stairs and then saw him at the end of the balcony hall. I reached my arm up and waved a little wave at him. Then Blink hit me with another heal which took some of the time off the daze, but the concussion was still there.

Dave put his hands on his hips and looked down at me. “Well I can’t say I have ever seen a dungeon master in a more sorry state. Dazed and Concussed. Those will take time to wear off nothing healing will do. Let’s get you someplace that we can get you comfortable.”

Dave scooped me up and carried me into one of the bedrooms, and placed me on the bed. Then Blink came in and hit me with another heal. Dave was right, and I remembered through my headache that there wasn’t a thing I could do to cut the time on the concussion.

I moaned, “Blink, sell the stuff we brought in and then get me to the Yurt. I can be up and going in half the time.”

“Daddy. Times faster heres.” Blink said.

“Ugg right but I have to do the whole day of pain here and only 6 there.”

Dave laughed as he walked out of the room. “But do you want to waste the 5 hours just to feel better sooner?” He called from the door.

I rolled over in my bloody armor. I couldn’t even take the stuff off and get cleaned up until my health was restored. The debuffs were keeping the top 25 off. So if I unstrapped my boosts, I would pass out.

I held my head a bit and tried to think, “Blink, don’t tell Kasidy about anything. Don’t tell her that I’m a dungeon master or about the necklace. The most important thing not to tell her is that I’m level 0. She could kill me pretty quick and take over everything.”

Blink jumped onto the edge of the bed, rocking the whole thing. “Daddys! She would nevers do thats she was sents to you tos help! Chaos tolds mes that she could be great help!!!”

“Ugg, Blink don’t yell my head hurts too much for all of that. Just don’t do it until we have a chance to find out more about her. She might be trust worthy she might not.”

“Fines! I’ll goes and get the rests of the stuff and sell it. You lays here! Sorry Daddy! Sorry…”

I sighed when Blink left. She was right. The lady could be helpful, but I needed to play this as close to the vest as I could. I had forgotten about her when we were looting. Which was why we didn’t sneak Blink past Kasidy. I had wanted all of my cards hidden, and that Blink could shapeshift was a big card to lose now.

I remembered back to Lannah. She had told me that I needed to keep from others what I was and the shape I was in. She warned me that people could take advantage of me, and being level zero, I could see that. Also, I was worried at how much of Kasidy’s magic seemed to be mind magic. She had a spell that sent people home and another one that put people to sleep.

I had enough problems of my own to not want to deal with someone trying to mess with my brain. I already had Sam screwing up my dreams and the memories that were seeping into me about that Ash guy. I didn’t need someone making me do things that I didn’t want to do.

* * *