Rebirth

by Devin Auspland

  A lean four foot tall kobold stood and grabbed his walking stick. He took a few steps forward until he was within a few inches from the fire. Closing his eyes, he raised his staff above his head and started focusing. Nothing happened at first, but a moment or two later, his stick emitted a faint red glow.

  Fire spat up and formed a ball near the tip of his walking stick. Opening his eyes, the kobold moved his stick and manipulated the fireball with it. He spun it in figure eights and flew it around the room until eventually slamming it against a nearby wall. The fireball exploded in red and orange flames as it collided with the stone and sent chunks of rubble to the ground.

  The display enthralled Breck. That’s my answer! “Kezdet! Let’s talk about my second floor and what role the boneless kobolds will play. More importantly, let’s discuss my new floor boss!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Shanty Town

  “I think that finishes everything on the inside,” Breck commented to no one in particular.

  He moved himself and his tree to his new second floor, he refilled his first floor with its original monsters, Sting retook his boss room, the second floor was now full of kobolds and he had a boss for the second floor. The boss was one of the fire mage kobolds and two elite guards. He gave each of them the best equipment he could create. The guards had full chain-mail, spears, tower shields and swords while he gave the mage a staff and robe customized to their liking. He was ready to re-open and test his dungeon against some adventurers.

  “Everything looks perfect, Sir,” Jeeves praised.

  Now for the final exterior touches. Since the secret's out, let’s look more… inviting. The sculptor inside Breck awoke.

  Tearing down the poorly crafted ‘monster head’ entrance, he laid the groundwork for something new. A circle of mossy stone, roughly twenty-five feet in diameter, was placed with the top of his staircase at its center. Breck used essence to make grass grow in-between the stones to create a more natural appearance, but he didn’t stop there. Pulling up the pattern for stone, he created large rectangular boulders underground and dragged them upward until they stood fifteen feet tall. There were ten stones total, placed evenly around the outside of his new base.

  To help tie everything together, thinner stones were created and placed on top of the outer stone to form arched entrances. The last step was to create a doorway to enter his staircase. Since everyone who saw it mocked his previous entrance, Breck kept things simple with his current revision by creating what resembled an old mine entrance made of stone. Covering the stone in vines made it match the natural feel he was going for.

  “That definitely looks a lot better, Sir.”

  “Thanks, Jeeves. No ugly monster faces this time. I’m trying to make it look nice and have a more natural appearance. I want people to feel invited and safe, so they’re more likely to come inside.”

  Jeeves reviewed everything more closely. “It looks nice but if you’re trying to create a calming environment, why don’t you add some water. It should also make things appear more natural if that's one of your goals, Sir.”

  “Magnificent idea, Jeeves.”

  Breck created a channel to one of the nearby ponds and filled some areas of stone with water. When everything was done, it actually looked like a nice natural stone garden of sorts. It looked very inviting and a friendly place for a picnic.

  “May I suggest one more thing?”

  “Of course, Jeeves. What do you have in mind?”

  “You may wish to remove all the mist and fog. It doesn’t affect our sight of the dungeon, but it certainly makes it near impossible for people to see us. It might be best to remove it from all the surrounding areas that you have dominion over.”

  Breck looked at his area of influence. He had forgotten about the fog and mist. Since he didn’t use traditional methods to see, rather just feeling and knowing what was present, he was never hindered by it. Looking at it now, it was definitely a problem he needed to solve if he wanted more adventurers.

  He absorbed all the obscuring weather and added it to his essence banks. There were actually a few groups of people scattered around his area of influence looking for his entrance. They had all been lost in the fog that surrounded him.

  “There we go. Keep up the wonderful suggestions. Looks like we're going to have some visitors now.”

  With the area clear, it didn’t take long for everyone to converge on his location, but they didn’t immediately enter like the previous groups that discovered him. In fact, they weren’t all adventurers. There were certainly groups of adventurers present, based on their armored bodies and weapons, but there were also merchants, craftsmen and just regular people. One group of adventurers even brought their children with them.

  “Um… Jeeves. Can you check your database for what’s going on right now? I have kids running around my swamps, playing in the water. I thought only adventurers gathered at dungeons.”

  “My database doesn’t point to anything concrete, Sir. Perhaps they just want their family around? They appear to be setting up tents.”

  Jeeves was right. Many of the people present were setting up tents and appeared to be getting ready to stay for the long run. They all appeared to bring a lot of their possessions with them and enough rations to last weeks. Several of the merchants and craftsmen brought entire wagons full of items. Hired guards, or what Breck assumed to be hired guards, watched as the merchants set up large, thick leather tenting to act as store fronts. The process was taking some time, but Breck wasn’t giving it too much attention because a group of adventurers was heading inside his depths.

  “I heard no one's cleared this yet. We could be the first!” said a large burly man wearing nothing other than a loin cloth as he headed down the stairs. He had an enormous battle-axe strung across his back.

  “Nanoc, don’t let your guard down. If the dungeon hasn’t been cleared yet, there's probably a good reason. That woman in town said her entire group died in here, so pay attention,” a man in heavy armor advised.

  There were two more men in the group. One had a bow and arrow and was wearing leather armor. The other looked like a priest from back on earth. He wore long white robes and a carved piece of stone around his neck. Breck didn’t recognize the carving but assumed it represented a god from this world.

  “Jeeves! Get ready to watch some fun, the group just made it to the beetles. Let’s take a look at their rank… WHAT!? They’re all basic rank one! My first floor will be a joke to them.”

  “Hmm… they will probably make it to Sting without any issues. I do believe they won’t be able to handle the kobolds and it's likely they will fail against Sting.”

  Breck sent a mental question mark to Jeeves. “Sting is only beginner rank nine and they’re a full group of basic ranked adventurers. Why wouldn’t they be able to kill Sting? Look at what they’re doing to my beetles.”

  In the dungeon’s first floor, the group of adventurers were absolutely decimating the monsters inside. Without breaking a sweat, the larger axe-wielding man cut two of the beetles in half with a single overhead strike. As another beetle tried sneaking up behind him and leapt to attack, the archer pinned it to the wall with a pair of arrows shot in quick repetition. The last monster tried attacking the warrior but wasn’t a match for the man’s heavy armor. With a quick combo of sword strikes, the beetle was being reabsorbed.

  The group was picking up their loot and moving on as Jeeves chimed in again.

  “Well, Sir. Small brainless beetles are one thing, but Sting is a massive and deadly foe. He may only be beginner rank nine, but he’s fighting at a much higher rank given his abilities and physical characteristics. If you fear his loss, you always have the option to take control of him during the fight.”

  “That’s right! I could fight as Sting and put these adventurers in their place.”

  “Sir. You may want to look at your surface again. A lot of the people are going beyond setting up tents. It appears they are creating som
e form of town outside of you.”

  “What?”

  On his surface, people were indeed taking camping to the next level. Beyond setting up tents, the merchants were setting up a market square. Mages were using essence to burn all grass and fauna away from a sizable area. The sheer power of a dozen fire mages was enough to clear the space in seconds. Breck was happy to absorb the excess essence that was created and leaking into the atmosphere.

  All the mages collapsed when the task was done, completely drained of essence and in need of rest. Mercenaries grabbed the unconscious men and women and pulled them away to recover. A pair of new mages swiftly replaced them. They both sat cross-legged on opposing sides of the burnt patch of ground.

  Their bodies emitted a brown essence that the mages directed to the front of them. Some of it spilled out and was added to Breck’s storage, but most of it made it into the dirt. When the entire area was permeated in essence, the ground rippled.

  The entire patch quickly resembled the waves of an ocean. Up and down, the dirt was moving while the essence flowed. Both mages abruptly stood with palms out and pushed outward. As they pushed, they directed the essence to smooth out and flatten and it did just that. What was once a rough, hilly, swampy patch of grass with flowers and weeds was now a flat, even, open space of packed dirt.

  The mercenaries carried away the newly unconscious pair of mages before approaching a group of merchants. The merchants all added their gold to a large sack that they handed to one mercenary.

  “Thank you for your assistance. We really appreciate it and have added a little extra for your expedited services. If you're willing to stick around, we’re willing to pay for some added protection. If you're interested that is,” a short, fat man wearing a large wool coat with fancy trimmings said. He appeared to be speaking for all the merchants present.

  A tough man covered in scars with an eye-patch grabbed the sack of gold and handed it to one of his associates before turning to face the merchant again. “Hmm… in order to protect all of you outside of a dungeon, it will be costly. I’ll need to bring more men in from the head office and their travel costs would need to be covered. All in all, we’re looking at three hundred gold up front and another gold a day per head with a total of thirty or forty heads. I know dungeons are profitable but I don’t think you lot could afford us long term.”

  The merchant chuckled. “Yeah, I suppose your right. Well, we appreciate your help up to this point.” The group of merchants dispersed, but the head merchant grabbed the arm of the mercenary. “How much to protect just my property? I have the large grey tent over there and I will be putting up a stall in the marketplace. I would require at least two men at the tent and one at the stall.”

  It was the mercenary's turn to laugh. “Ha! You crafty bastard. Can’t protect everyone so you protect yourself?”

  “Well, if I’m the only one being protected, then I suppose any prospective thieves would flock to everyone other than me. Don’t you agree? Besides, I won’t be the only one to ask you this before you all leave, I’m just the one smart enough to ask first.”

  The mercenary looked the merchant up and down. “I only have enough men here to handle two, possibly three of you on a long-term basis. Since you’re only employing a few us, the bulk discount is gone of course. You understand, don’t you?”

  The merchant grinned through clenched teeth. “Of course. But if you're using men already here, there won’t be an upfront cost, right?”

  The mercenary responded through his own grin. “Five gold a day and we’ll cover your property and I want it paid a week at a time.”

  Breck pulled his focus away. Man… greed really is a universally ugly thing. I’m going to attack him with a group of beetles later.

  “Sir, did you hear me?”

  Breck shook his head. “Sorry, no. Did I miss something?”

  “The group is about to enter Sting’s room. If you're going to take control of him, now is the time.”

  Looking at his dungeon, the group cleared both spider rooms without losing a single member. Jeeves gave him a quick recap of the fights. It turns out the priest had some serious healing magic. At one point, the barbarian took several blows from the spiders and began convulsing from the poison, but the priest not only stabilized him but removed any ill effects caused by the poison. The man barely had a scar from the encounter. Overall, the group looked tired but overjoyed at the spoils they had accumulated.

  Think you’re invincible, huh? Time to make you earn that money.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Sting & Noelle

  Sting’s enormous oval eyes glowed a bright mint green as Breck’s consciousness took over control of his body. He had just enough time to test out his control as a puppet master before the adventurers arrived. Flying was a particularly odd sensation. Controlling limbs that weren’t his own and that he normally didn’t have, like wings or a massive stinger, would take a few attempts to master, but he had enough control to make himself formidable.

  Ok. Concentrate. Breck flew up to the ceiling and hid behind a stalactite. He dug his arms into a grip so he didn’t need to flap his wings and could remain silent.

  “Hahaha. This dungeon was a breeze.” The barbarian could be heard around the room's corner.

  “Ohh yeah? Remind me which one of us was rolling around the floor with foam spitting from their mouth. It wasn’t me who got bit by two massive spiders.” The priest jested, and all but the barbarian broke into laughter.

  “Keep your head in the game! We’re almost at the end of the dungeon so keep your wits about you,” the warrior called out after regaining his composure.

  The four of them came to the entryway of the boss room and slowly crossed its threshold. They looked around and didn’t spot an exit or any monsters.

  The barbarian slammed his heavy axe into the floor and scratched his head. “What gives? Did another group just come and clear the place?”

  “Hmm… I don’t think so. We didn’t pass anyone on the way in and this is the last room for us to explore,” responded the warrior.

  “Well… I see nothing. Do you think the spiders were the dungeon’s boss?”

  “It's possible, but I doubt it. Let’s spread out and look around. Maybe there's something in hiding or some secret treasure or way into another room?”

  The group all shrugged and began searching the room. This was the opportunity Breck needed. Cornering their healer, he attacked. He unwrapped himself from above and swooped in on the robe wearing priest, stinger at the ready.

  It took the man off guard. He tried raising his weapon in defense, but the sheer force of wind caused from the downdraft pushed him to the ground. He was face down but mustered all of his strength to roll onto his back. The first and only thing he saw was a three-foot long stinger pierce his abdomen.

  Blood mixed with venom as it dripped from the wound to the ground, creating a pool of death. A flood of essence crashed into Breck in waves. It was more essence than he had ever felt at one time, instantly ranking him up to basic nine.

  Absorbing and condensing the essence took all of his focus, distracting him long enough for the remaining party members to make their move.

  “BRENDAN!” The archer released a frantic barrage of arrows that all hit their mark.

  Breck felt a sharp pain in his side, followed by three more. The attack brought green insect blood dripping from the wounds, but his attention was now back to the task at hand, killing the adventurers.

  Stay focused, you idiot. Breck spun around and flew full speed at the nearest target, the barbarian.

  The massive hulk of a man didn’t hesitate, he charged back. The two collided with a massive thud. Breck thrust his arms to slice the man, but the barbarian caught them in his massive hands.

  Breck smiled internally. You may have caught those, but can you catch these? He thrust an additional two arms out in an attempt to finish the job.

  Out of nowhere a large metal shield swooshed into view,
blocking one of Sting’s arms. The other was sliced off by the knight’s blade.

  “You killed Brendan. You're going to die!” The knight swung his blade in a one, two combo, his speed being something Breck didn’t expect.

  Breck tried pulling his exposed arms away, but the barbarian’s grip was too much to break. For the first time, Breck noticed that the knight’s blade had a silver aura around it. He wasn’t sure what it was for until the blade sliced through him like butter.

  Is that a form of sharpening aura or an enchantment of some kind? I want it! Throwing caution to the wind, he performed a downward strike with his remaining two top arms.

  The knight raised his shield and sword to counter, but what he didn’t know was that Sting’s top arms contained venom. The shield successfully blocked one arm, and the sword lopped off the other.

  Venom sprayed out like a popping water balloon. It coated the knight from head to toe and, unfortunately for him, he had his eyes and mouth wide open.

  The venom was fast acting, quickly making its way into his bloodstream. Purple veins appeared and cascaded out from the knight’s face. He fell to his knees, screaming in agony but, more importantly, dropping his equipment.

  Breck acted quickly. Flapping his wings the best he could, he pushed the man’s weapon across the room and into a dark corner. When the blade was out of the party’s protective life auras, Breck wasted no time in absorbing it.

  The task was done but at a great cost. The barbarian's enormous battle axe cut Sting in half. Breck’s consciousness was forced back into his opal as Sting took his last breath. The fight was over.

  “You son of a bitch!” The barbarian dropped his axe and started punching Sting’s body with all his might. He slammed fist after fist into the creature until his hands were coated green.

  “NANOC! Rich needs you!” The archer called out to his companion.

  Nanoc turned to see the knight shaking in the arms of the archer. They both pulled out antidotes, but the venom had already reached the man’s heart, ending his life.