Octavia
I entered the Dungeon without much in the way of expectations. If given a few months to grow, the Dungeon might deserve my respect, but without anything above level one and without a single life being claimed by it, it was unlikely to even keep me awake. To illustrate that point, I yawned loudly.
“Shouldn't have spent all night drinking, eh,” our tank threw a jab at me.
I rolled my eyes as I called back, “You can hardly blame me. We got dragged away for this so quickly that I didn't even have time to pack booze. I've spent more time sober on our trek here than I have in the past year.”
“Oct, you went two days without a drink. That ain't gonna kill ya.”
“I'd like to see you go two days without gambling all your money away.”
“You got me there.”
Our other two party members laughed a bit too loudly for my liking, but as the first monster came into sight, silence fell over us.
“Now, that is one ugly mug,” Boulder, the axe wielding mountain of a man that served as our group's tank exclaimed as he got a good look at the goblinoid in front of us.
I didn't grace the half-giant's words with a response before I cast Flame Shot at the monster. As my attack landed, the creature was set ablaze. A few strikes from Boulder's axe later, it collapsed.
[Trenti (Level 1) slain! You have gained 10 experience.]
Better than I'd expect for a level one, but it's still not worth my time.
“At least let the rest of us get an attack in,” Chris, our rogue, complained.
“You snooze, you lose!” Boulder called back as he continued to lead the way.
I rolled my eyes as I followed after him, our healer and rogue at my sides. I didn't know how he could get so excited over such a boring fight, but it wasn't anything outside of what I'd come to expect.
As I was thinking that, another monster, identical to the last, ran out from deeper in the cave, and I prepared another spell. I was about to cast it, but before I could, I felt something hard impact the back of my head. The mana I had been feeding the spell dispersed as my face planted into the stone floor.
“Octavia!” our healer shouted as I hit the ground, the back of my head feeling concerningly wet.
“Watch out!” Chris called.
I tried to look up to see what he was yelling about, but as I raised my head, my vision became clouded with what appeared to be a red mist. It burned as it made contact with me, and I felt a surge of pain in my arm as something pierced it a moment later. I let out a scream as I began to flail around. A few seconds later, I was able to compose myself enough to look at the injury, and I saw a dagger sticking from my limb.
“What do you think you're doing? Are you trying to kill me?” I shouted at our rogue in rage.
“There was a snake going for you. I got hit by that attack and missed, sorry.”
“Both of ya, get it together. Else, I don't want to hear any whining about me hogging the experience,” Boulder called back.
“Don't tell me to get it together after I've been sneak attacked, hit while I'm down, and had a dagger thrown at me by someone who's supposed to be watching my back!”
“Stop moving and drink this,” Izzy, our gnome healer demanded as she threw herself on top of me and practically stuffed a health potion down my throat.
I choked on it a little, but the potion did soothe the pain, and she began casting a healing spell to further help me. Then, a shadow struck her, and she began writhing on the ground in a similar manner as I just had.
A moment later, Chris ripped the snake off of her neck and cut its head off with another knife.
“It's dead,” Boulder called back to us.
Seething, I stumbled to my feet, ripped the dagger from my arm, and placed a hand to the back of my head. It pulled away coated in a sticky, red fluid. Panic overtook me.
What even hit me? I questioned as I looked around frantically.
By my feet, I noticed shattered glass and the remains of a vial filled with a red liquid. I looked from that vial, to my hand, and back.
What?
Hesitantly, I licked my finger expecting the taste of iron, but the flavor was bitter and unfamiliar. I had no clue what to make of it. Looking for some kind of answer, I opened my status, quickly finding something unusual.
[Condition: Strengthened]
My confusion increased twofold.
“No one brought any strength enhancers, right?”
“As if we could afford them,” Chris laughed off my question.
I stomped on his foot as I shook my head and turned around.
“Whatever, let's finish searching this place and get out of here. My head is spinning.”
“You sure that ain't from all the drinking?” Boulder asked, and I glared at him.
There was nothing else to be found except for a small passage that probably led to the core. Since we had some self-preservation instincts, we didn't investigate it. Feeling even more annoyed at the lack of loot, I was the first to start the march back to the entrance.
“Ooh, a coin,” Chris said as he pushed his way in front of me and reached down to pick something up at base of the stairs.
“I'll take that as an apology for you throwing a knife at me,” I snapped as I ripped the copper from his hands.
“I said I was sorry.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Rolling my eyes, I went to put the coin away in my coin pouch.
Huh?
My lantern was still strapped to my belt, but my coin pouch that had previously been beside it was nowhere to be seen. Panicked, I screamed, “My money!” as I ran back to where I had fallen. It wasn't there. It was gone.
I fell to my knees as I wailed in despair.
How am I supposed to afford to get drunk now? Could this day get any worse?
* * *
Cameron
As the group left my Dungeon I had to ask, Are adventurers usually that eccentric?
“There are all kinds, but generally, no. More importantly, how did it go? What did you get?”
I took a single glance at my long list of notifications and was filled with immense joy. It was like Christmas for me. Slowly I began examining my rewards. I started with the first four that I had gotten simultaneously.
[Achievement: Catch This
Description: One of your monsters has struck an individual with a thrown projectile.
Reward: The monster has gained the Throwing skill!]
[Achievement: Elite
Description: You have earned 5 single-monster upgrades for the same monster.
Reward: The monster has gained +1 to every stat!]
[Achievement: Prime Specimen
Description: One of your monsters has achieved double the stat points a normal member of its species would have at its level.
Reward: The quality of the monster's evolution choices will be improved!]
[Achievement: Achievement Chain
Description: You have gained an achievement with a reward that has caused you to gain another achievement which did the same.
Reward: You have gained 12,000 experience!]
I froze, barely able to contain my excitement.
Fabe, you're a genius!
“Well, uh, thanks.”
He had worked out the math to make sure the achievements would chain together perfectly. Not only had my favorite two-headed snake gained some breathtakingly good bonuses, but I had gained an achievement that rewarded nearly an entire level's worth of experience on its own. Even as I spoke to him, he was still strategizing, trying to figure out the best way for me to complete my goal. Considering that he had put most of that plan together, I was excited to see what else he would come up with. The plan had been brilliant, after all.
Back when I had been doing all of the digging and stone carving, I had dug small tunnels throughout the walls and ceiling. The plan had utilized them. I had ordered Vie and Pee to wait in them until the perfect moment. Then, I had Vie drop an Elixir of Minor Strength on the mage's head. The best part was, I hadn't even looked through all the achievements for that single action yet.
[Achievement: No You Don't
Description: One of your monsters has interrupted an individual's spell casting.
Reward: You have gained 600 experience!]
[Achievement: Put up a Fight
Description: You have buffed an individual in your Dungeon.
Reward: You have gained 2,400 experience!]
With that alone, I could already level up. I almost couldn't help myself, the desire to do it on the spot nearly unbearable, but I managed to hold off. I knew I should read through the rest of the achievements first.
[Achievement: A Nudge in the Right Direction
Description: One of your monsters has thrown off an individual's aim, causing them to attack one of their own allies.
Reward: The monster has gained +1 to MIND!]
[Achievement: Thief
Description: One of your monsters has stolen something from an individual and escaped with its prize.
Reward: The monster species and its evolutions have gained +1 to AGI!]
[Achievement: Sowing Discord
Description: A group has turned against itself in your Dungeon in response to your actions.
Reward: You have gained 600 experience!]
[Achievement: Stay Down
Description: One of your monsters has interrupted an individual from healing another.
Reward: You have gained 600 experience!]
They were all good achievements. It was a shame that the bonus from A Nudge in the Right Direction was immediately lost, but I hadn't even been trying to get that one. That and the Sowing Discord achievement just so happened to come from the group bumbling about. I only had that Trenti use Spore Wave to provide cover for the Shadow Viper to steal the woman's coin pouch. That succeeding was already reward enough for me since it allowed me get the last few achievements that I did. The other two were just a bonus.
[Achievement: Spoils
Description: An individual has claimed an item or piece of equipment that you summoned.
Reward: You have gained 240 experience!]
[Achievement: Miser
Description: An individual has claimed an item or piece of equipment that you summoned with a far lower value than the challenge they faced to get it.
Reward: You have gained 240 experience!]
[Achievement: Giving Back
Description: An individual has reclaimed an item or piece of equipment that they lost in your Dungeon.
Reward: You have gained 240 experience!]
I was content with those achievements, but there was still one more to gain from that interaction. I focused my attention on the stuff I still had stashed away in the hidden wall tunnels. Then, I willed them to be absorbed.
[You have absorbed 20 Abustine Copper Coins! Abustine Copper Coins have been unlocked as an item for you.]
[Achievement gained: Investments!]
[Achievement: Investments
Description: You have unlocked the ability to summon currency.
Reward: The mana cost of summoning mundane items is halved!]
The reward was good, but one part of the alert caught my attention.
Abustine?
“That's where we are, the Abustine Kingdom. Did I not mention that?”
No, you didn't.
Fabian had filled me in on many things, but the name of the kingdom had never come up. I dismissed it as unimportant and turned my attention back to the reward the achievement granted. It really was perfect for what I planned to do once I had the time, but I also saw the perfect opportunity for a joke in it.
With that, those fancy rugs are sounding more enticing than ever.
My fairy let out a snort and said, “Forget the rugs. You should be able to level up. Hurry up, so you can awaken Vie and Pee.”
I pushed everything else out of my mind and went to do as he said before remembering that I had to set my focus. With a groan, I thought about all that I had accomplished so far and made my decision. I set it to Items, despite my fairy's protests. Then, I brought up a menu.
[Experience to next level: 21,372 / 16,000
Level up?
Yes / No]
Without any hesitation, I thought, Yes.