Return to Colter
The trip back to Colter was in silence, while Laytalya didn't drag her feet she wasn't exactly in the high spirits she had been in when they had set out. When they had emerged from the fort Alexander had called all the zombies then let them wander, unlike most zombies that just hungered these ones could create more of their ilk, every kill increased their numbers and undead were notoriously hard to kill. Watching Alexander's back she bit her lip wondering just who he was.
Leaving the fort and the throng of goblin and human zombies, she was quite on edge while Alexander lead their way back with a grin. In truth, he was not really paying her much mind. With the transference of energy he was busy looking at his dungeon overlay. While he found the builder and shop screens locked while outside his dungeon, he could at least review the general information screen...
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Dungeon One
Owner: Alexander Caven, Deaths Chosen
Guide: Jansea, Tier 6 Demon (Greater Succubus)
Levels: Two
Terrain: Level one: Extended Cavern Labrynth
Level two: Large Cavern
Sub Level: Demonic Core, Royal Bedchamber
Population: 95 + 16
Special Features: Starter Copper Mine, Hero Core
Available Dungeon Merits: 60,000
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Alexander pulled up short, Laytalya bumping into his back as she looked at him curiously, "Why the sudden stop Alex?"
Alexander smiled turning to grab the woman, his hands framing her dark cheeks as he leaned in and kissed her forcefully. The kiss lasted several moments, Laytalya a little limp in Alexander's grip and blinked slowly as his face withdrew. Happy as he was he didn't even let the sour aftertaste of the pipeweed on her tongue spoil his mood. Blinking lightly she staggered back touching her lips, "Not that I really mind Alex but what the hell?"
Alexander smiled, "My dungeon has leveled up, I've been fighting to get a large enough set of merits to expand but it would seem conquering other dungeons is by far the way to go. Not only did I seem to absorb your layout forcing my levels to two, I've also gained a rather insane amount of merits, tripling my original stockpile, and I don't have to waste the majority of it on the upgrade!"
Laytalya stared blankly at him for a moment, her head tilted as she understood what he said but less than ten percent had meaning to her. Alexander noted her blank look and chuckled, "Shank didn't get to the point of building up your dungeon?"
Laytalya shook her head, "Shankie was better at getting compatible minions, he said his innate ability is minion management."
Alexander took his own turn tilting his head, guardians had innate abilities? Then what was Jansea's? Shaking his head he turned to start walking again, "Should we stop and train you up some?"
Laytalya looked down cast, she came to Colter from a smaller town to try her luck as an adventurer, she hadn't even gotten to really hunt anything before she got swept up into the dealings with Shank and Lestatt. "I'm not real sure where my strengths lay in that regard. I borrowed dad's sword and headed to Colter but to be honest I find it hard to swing, it's a touch too big and heavy for me."
Alexander nodded, reaching down he pulled the sword off his belt and tossed it to Laytalya, considering he was going the mage route it really didn't fit his image to have a blade on his hip. Catching it barely she looked at the strange make of the sword and pulled it from the sheath a bit, "This one feels lighter, thanks Alex."
He smiled over a shoulder, "Better you than me I guess, I've had some training but it seems my lot in life is to be a finger wiggler as you call them."
Laytalya's cheeks darkened further, her head dipping down, "Sorry."
Alexander laughed letting her catch up and draping an arm over her shoulders, "Don't worry about it, I originally thought of being a knight, just wasn't meant to be. Have gotten use to fate kicking me in the proverbial balls."
Chuckling he gave her shoulders a squeeze, "Though while we're talking about classes, what's the ceiling on classes? Where I'm from they're called paths and it's just a straight road until you advance to a higher path."
Laytalya thought a moment and then answered, "Classes are much the same, it's a straight road but the levels generally go from one to one hundred, or one to fifty if you have an advanced class. My grand dad told me tales of epic classes that only level from one to ten, but I've never heard of anyone having one of those."
Alexander nodded, it reminded him of a game from his old world, there were the basic classes, then there were prestige classes that supposedly turned base classes into true badasses. As for epic classes? He wasn't too sure how those would work, were they like specializations, unique sub classes within prestige ones? Alexander let those thoughts go, regardless of what each level of class was, there was no denying he was way too early to even look at an advanced class much less an epic.
Instead he focused on the road back to Colter, he did ultimately choose a longer route, swinging by one of the more populated monster fields. Being support for Laytalya he used [Feign Death] to immobilize targets while she would use his sword to slay them. This was a double boon for him, getting his companion stronger was the main goal but watching [Feign Death] evolve after an hour of hunting into [Death Knell] was satisfying.
The former spell was a single target, low range spell. [Death Knell] however was an area of effect spell that had decent range, it greatly sped up their hunting. While he was only stunning creatures and thus not raising his Necromancer class he could see Laytalya doing her best to become stronger. She was moving easier and striking harder, she even started using some special skills, though most of them to Alexander just seemed like standard swordsmanship.
Eventually he stopped casting [Death Knell], though he kept it ready, for Laytalya had to learn how to fight normally as well as killing the prey he caught for her. With packs bursting at the seams they hurried to the gate, night was fast approaching and Laytalya reminded him they usually shut the gates after supper hour, anyone still outside would have to find accommodations outside the city. While small villages would often house these people, you had to reach them in the dark while monsters appeared more frequently. It was not an enviable situation.
Passing the guard, this one less greedy than Lastatt had been, it was a brisk walk to the adventurers guild. Handing in the ears and selling off the various pelts they had collected while power leveling Laytalya, provided them with a decent sum. The goblin raid only netted about twenty silver, though they got an extra five for the extra ears. The pelts got them about ten silver whorls, while they were in good condition they were off the smaller and easiest monsters so it was more a transaction of quantity over quality.
Sadly for the zombie information the guild tightened its purse, for two hundred copper marks Alexander traded away the survivability of the some thirty odd zombies around the ruins. All in all they each had about fifteen silver and a hundred copper in their coin purses. Laytalya had tried to return the coin to Alexander until he pointed out that while she was his 'slave' her own daily needs were her own responsibility, thus she'd need money. Also, considering he had emptied the gangs vault, he wasn't hurting for this region's currency.
Selecting a decent inn Alexander collapsed back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, focusing his gaze another window appeared before his eyes...
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Name: Alexander Caven ; Alex Maybell
Title: Dungeon Lord Alexander, The Demon Caven
Path: Death
Physical: 6 Charm: 4
Mental: 8 Luck: 6
Mystical: 8 Talent: 5
Level: 5 Advancement: 0%
Path Abilities: Deaths Gaze (Basic), Reaper Tenacity (Basic), Death Magic (Beginner)
Spells: [Rot] - 80%, [Create Slime] - 5%, [Create Skeletal Horror] - 0%, [Eyes of Translation] - 0%, [Death Bolt] - 30%, [Blood Lance] - 70%, [Bone Cage] - 10%, [Create Infectious Undead] - 50%, [Create Skeletal Warriors] - 80%, [Death Knell] - 20%
Dungeon Abilities: Rallying Call (Basic), Leadership (Novice), Dungeon Recall (Basic)
Equipment: Fine Adventurer Gear, Light Leather Glove, 500 gold rulers, 190 silver knights, patent of nobility (House Caven), Genealogy of House Caven, 28 silver whorls, 310 copper marks.
Allies: Jansea (Greater Succubus) - 60
Shank (Imperical Hell Pig) - 50
Thersea (Novice Hero) - Dead*
Laytalya (Slave Warrior) - 35
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Looking through his status page he was pleased to see Laytalya's ally status improving, but more important was his spell selection. The number was growing and he was becoming more versatile, though in some sections he was still lacking. For undead summoning he had four spells, for attack he had four or five spells. Utility was only one or two. The avenue he lacked was defense, as a mage this meant he'd need to keep his summons or his companion between enemy attacks and himself for the highest survivability, but would be better if he had spells to defend his person if he were alone.
Tilting his hand back he flexed his skeletal hand, the phantom feeling of flesh still itched around the pure bone white fingers. Looking at it he shook his hand, perhaps necromancy, while the obvious route, would eventually see him turn undead, he rather hoped not. The tingle in his inhuman appendage was annoying, still even if it was just the hand it could be argued as a distinctive trait. Like a rhinestone glove for that singer. Laughing at himself he dismissed the status window and sighed.
The builder and minion windows were still refusing to appear, likely due to the simple fact he wasn't IN his dungeon at the moment so he let them go. The trick would be what to do next? From taking Laytalya's dungeon it seemed obvious why Death had placed a doorway to War or Conquests world, he was being given an obscenely profitable way to raise his dungeon rank... as long as he had the ability to convert a captured dungeon to his needs.
Alexander held no belief that all dungeons would be like Shank's. He had been extremely lucky to stumble upon a relatively new dungeon with little to no development. Were he to find a dungeon comparable to his own, things would have been a hundred times more difficult. Not only would he have been against more powerful monsters but converting a developed dungeon would be far more risky. Resting an arm across his eyes he'd have to raise his adventurer rank. Much like his home world, if he could be chosen to help raid a dungeon under the banner of a local power that would make it easier to get the core.
Frowning to himself Alexander opened the more localized status window.
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Name: Alexander Caven
Race: Human
Age: 16
Sex: Male
Classes: Level 3 Necromancer (15%)
Level 1 Blood Mage (50%)
Titles: Metamorph
Warrants: None
Affiliations: Colter Adventuring Guild Green Rank
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Sighing he looked over the meager information, while his little trip with Laytalya had raised his Necromancer level slightly it was the completion of the job with so many additional trophies that saw their rank go from scrub yellows to novice greens. Tomorrow he'd have to find another profitable mission with Laytalya and push their rank higher, it would only be the upper power house ranks where he surmised he could get dungeon locations, if at all. It might even require becoming renown to get specific powers to enlist him for such tasks much as his old kingdom had done to assault his early dungeon.
Only in his own case he'd have to be sure that, unlike them, he came out ahead and alive. As his thoughts drifted over future plans his concentration was broken by a knock upon his door. Sitting up he watched as the door swung inwards revealing Laytalya, unlike when they ate supper, no longer was she wearing her armor and weapons, rather she padded bare foot into his room wearing naught but a thin tunic that hugged her body curves in the flickering candle light.
Smiling, Alexander put thoughts of the future to one side as he beckoned the woman to him, slowly she closed the door as the tunic slipped from her body...