by Naosu N R
She really was following a logical process actually. I can see why she'd get to that point.
But it was still distracting.
Mandy was still very pretty, even though Melanie and Simone kind of had her beat in looks and bust by a bit.
But then she started taking off her shirt.
"What are you...?" she then shushed me.
"The ranger girl is outside the door. We need to keep up appearances. Besides, I'd have to sleep in the same room with you anyway with them here. They are as much a danger as those monsters. And if I'm on the floor they'll figure out something is off," she whispered.
"S-sorry. I didn't know I'd be staying overnight," Mandy added while taking off the rest of her shirt.
Technically she does have a bra on. But its entirely see through by...a lot.
"W-what are you doing? Come on? Get in bed! They'll notice if you are a cold fish," she told me, pulling me into bed with her.
Still, she's not unprofessional. I noticed she'd kept her weapons underneath her pillow and within easy reach. She'd also used a board to brace the door, under the door knob. It wasn't enough to keep the door totally secure, but enough for us to have a few seconds of warning.
"Oh wow, you're warm," she said while holding onto me and hugging me.
This is going to be difficult.
Mandy is hugging me like a lover, even if its just a ruse.
But I worry if Melanie and Simone will think this is cheating.
...
So distracting...
I woke up during the late part of the night. Its quiet out.
But that's good. If there were trouble it wouldn't be quiet.
Mandy is still plastered against me hugging me in the sheets. Its a bit hard to ignore the temptation.
Err...when did she take off her bra?
With both of us shirtless its hard to ignore this.
I'm trying so hard to not react. But I'm a bit stiff in a certain place.
Eh... wait a sec...did I level up?
Holy shit I did. I guess we'd had too much to worry about and I'd not seen the notification flag on my status screen.
I'd been so worried about it that I hadn't noticed.
But technically we did kill a lot of zombies today. Maybe a bit less than a hundred?
I pulled up my status screen.
Name; Jay Williams
Race; Type 349F human hybrid
Magic job; Mind/Enchanter Mage
Level; 7
Health; 103/103 → 108/108
Mana; 355/355 → 362/362
Mana Regen; 23 (per hour)
Health regen; 3 (per day)
Element affinities; mind, enchantment
Str; 31Agi; 34Con; 41
Int; 104 Wis; 93App; 103
Skills; athletics (+1 con), jogging (+2 agi), math (+2 int), physics (+1 int), mana affinity (enabled), defend+1, block+1, parry, (weak) Stun (3 seconds), First aid
Magic skills; Seduce +1, Charm +1, Mesmerize, Enchant, Enhance
Passive skills; demon lord clan heritage (bonus starting mana +50), demon lord heritage (bonus mana; +2 mana points per level), +1 to mind control. Team leader skill (+1% to group offense), party team window management magic, enchant; enhancement, enchant+1, weapon enhancement+1;
Gear list;
Crowbar +3 (Knock back effect)
Health regeneration necklace (+1 per 6 hours, maxed)
Baseball cap
Jacket +2
Jeans (+2 defense)
1 long crowbar +2
Hoodie +3 defense
Flashlight (energy efficient enchant, blind 3/day)
Flashlight #2 (nothing yet)
Remote Control (slow 1/day)
Baseball Bat
Buckler
(+5)+3
Belt +2
Ring; mana regen+1
Ring; Charm skill+1
Umbrella (Damage absorption shield enchant on activation)
Supply bag; 1 red health potion, 2 med gels, 3 pain creams (borrowed from the house)
Bank account; $2,561
Unused stat points; 3
I put everything into Int, Wis, and App. Then I I watched as the new stats allocated themselves accordingly.
Name; Jay Williams
Race; Type 349F human hybrid
Magic job; Mind/Enchanter Mage
Level; 7
Health; 108/108
Mana; 366/366
Mana Regen; 24 (per hour)
Health regen; 3 (per day)
Element affinities; mind, enchantment
Str; 31Agi; 35Con; 41
Int; 105 Wis; 94App; 104
Skills; athletics (+1 con), jogging (+2 agi), math (+2 int), physics (+1 int), mana affinity (enabled), defend+1, block+1, parry, (weak) Stun (3 seconds), First aid
Magic skills; Seduce +1 → +3, Charm +1 → +3, Mesmerize → +1, Enchant, Enhance, Hypnotism(new!)(Temporary Charm), Dungeon Map detection(new!)
Passive skills; demon lord clan heritage (bonus starting mana +50), demon lord heritage (bonus mana; +2 mana points per level), +1 to mind control. Team leader skill (+1% to group offense), party team window management magic, enchant; enhancement, enchant+1, weapon enhancement+1; Mind Control Efficiency(new!)(+10% to efficiency)
Gear list;
Crowbar +3 (Knock back effect)
Health regeneration necklace (+1 per 6 hours, maxed)
Baseball cap
Jacket +2
Jeans (+2 defense)
1 long crowbar +2
Hoodie +3 defense
Flashlight (energy efficient enchant, blind 3/day)
Flashlight #2 (nothing yet)
Remote Control (slow 1/day)
Baseball Bat
Buckler
(+5)+3
Belt +2
Ring; mana regen+1
Ring; Charm skill+1
Umbrella (Damage absorption shield enchant on activation)
Supply bag; 1 red health potion, 2 med gels, 3 pain creams (borrowed from the house)
Bank account; $2,561
Unused stat points; 0
Nice.
My gear is starting to look like someone's gear of a much higher level, due to my enchant class abilities!
...
What was even better...
Before going to bed Mandy gave me a spell scroll she'd farmed out of the dungeon recently. As a non-mage, she can't use them.
Dungeon Detection enchant skill acquired!
Huh?
What does that do?
Before going to bed, I also enhanced the crowbar Mandy was using up to +2.
Thank goodness I'm an enchanter. Without these cool skills, we'd be stuck practically gear-less and weak out here.
I can change all that, if I can manage the mana load over time!
Chapter 24
It was early morning. I couldn't resist. I wanted to peek out the windows.
"What the heck are you doing? Get away from the windows!" Mandy stopped me when I'd gone to peek through them, around 6 AM.
Its just light enough for the sun to be up enough to barely see.
She hadn't even bothered to get dressed, in her rush to protect me.
"Don't you know zombies have depth perception in their vision? They can spot figures in windows and go after them!" she asked, standing there topless with her arms folded.
"They do?"
"Yes. That means some of them can follow you up here. Not all but even a few is too many," she said.
"Sorry."
"If you want to look, let me show you how to do it," she coached.
Having a bodyguard is useful...
"How are you feeling? Are you all right?" she asked.
"Good."
"OK, let's stay that way," she said, going over to put on her clothes.
Last night, we didn't have sex. And that's OK, if that's not on the table, because I'm not really sure yet what our relationship is going to be like yet.
She just pretended to be
my girlfriend. And we aren't even supposed to be romantically involved. But Mandy is definitely acting like she's close to me. Although its a ruse for the others I'm sort of not sure where the boundaries are because of it.
And the possibilities seem interesting, as we get closer.
We'd carefully organized the room before going to bed last night.
And a bodyguard like her would be useful in my team.
But on her end, some would be tempted by my family's wealth and status also. But it was dangerously hard to avoid it. And I can see it on her face also.
If I 'recruit' her would I be able to fully trust her? Chances are she's loyal to my parents firstly, since they are paying her paycheck.
But if I introduced one of my mind control skills on her, perhaps I could change that to make it 'genuine', when she's already trying to be close to me.
Should I?
But if she resists that would be bad.
Will my skills work on her at her level?
"The others will be up soon also. We'd better get up," she said, sitting on the bed to put on her pants and shirt.
But just then we got a cell phone call.
Except the odd part is that cell phone's shouldn't work in the dungeon. I was a bit surprised by it.
Unless the other side is carrying the signal all the way?
"You better get that. Its probably important," Mandy encouraged. By now she's got her shirt on, but still hasn't done up the buttons. She stopped to put on her shoes and socks before going further.
Her breasts have a nice shape on that athletic frame. Its hard to not look.
Is she teasing me?
"Hello?" I answered.
"Jay, where the hell are you?" mom's stern don't bull shit me voice was on the phone.
"Um...we sort of got warped into a dungeon by a rival mage last night," I admitted.
"You idiot! Do you know we were worried you'd disappoint the family name? And you have the nerve to let yourself get kidnapped! And things are happening in the family business at a critical time! We don't have time for this!" she chided.
OK, I'd expected her reaction to be odd.
Mandy doesn't say much, but the look on her face says she's a bit surprised but still careful and guarded.
"So when can you come get me? We're stuck here," I said.
"I don't think that's a good idea. I think you should learn your lesson. I want you to stay there at least until level 10, or until you can find your way out. Also after this call you won't be able to call me or talk, this is a one shot deal where I've used a special skill to temporarily let my call through by enhancing my mage message spell and linking it with the phone," she said.
No! Level 10?!
Its not that easy to level up. That could mean weeks, or several days in here!
"What does learn my lesson mean?"
"Learn to level up more. If you aren't leveled up its your fault," she said acting like I'd committed a crime.
Weird...
She sounded like she was going to hang up, so I stopped her real quick. "Wait, let me ask you a few questions first! Please!" I begged.
"Fine..." mom relented.
"If I'm here I can't make sure Simone and Melanie don't act out and stay under my control! I need them to meet me in here but without getting injured or hurt on the way here. At least help me with that," I said.
"All right. It wouldn't be fair if I deprived you of tools to level up on your own. I'd be a bad mother if I didn't let you have weapons to kill with. So, I can send them there if you like. But they aren't combat material. It could go bad. You have to decide if you are willing to risk them dying in there. And its your responsibility if you break your toys," mom said.
Shit. She's right.
But only a demon lord clan 'mom' would answer it the way she did.
"OK, at least tell me where I am, and about the guy who sent us here. Why did he do that?" I asked.
"You are in 'The Tower' system, just like you were leveling up in before. You're just in a different floor, compared to before. The level 6 floor of it, to be exact. All the dungeons in the world connect to the 'Tower of Babel' dungeon. You just need to find your way out while building strength. I will give you another hint also that each floor is huge. Plus, while navigating the floors, each floor can offer different materials and resources to build off of. Knowing that will help you. Also, there's a town on level 5 and level 10, if you can make it there. But level 9 is extremely big and hard to get through without getting killed," mom added.
"But what about food?" I pleaded.
"You are an adventurer and mage. Do what adventurers and hunters do...hunt your food. Hunting and fishing won't be a problem in the dungeon, wildlife is a bit too plentiful there. But processing it and killing it might be. Also this is fairly reasonable. I'm only asking you to do what I and your father also went through," she said.
"But we had no warning or time to prepare for this," I said.
"Too bad. This is a good test to see if you can live up to the clan name," she said.
"So did you cause this? You had me kidnapped by that mage?" I asked.
Mom sounded exasperated. "Really? You have the nerve to ask that?! No. I didn't. But you showed weakness in front of the family. So I'm letting you fix your own mess. The mage who kidnapped you also didn't create that dungeon by the way. He only used it as a cage to finish you off. He was only a teleport specialist and took you against your will into the tower on a level he didn't think you capable of doing on your own. He's done that to many people, and usually it kills them for him. I suspect he just goes around doing that and then picks up the loot and sells it as a farming scheme. I'd stay away from him if you can."
"Why did he do that?" I asked.
"Simple. He was trying to divert our guards and resources away from our warehouses and mansions for the raid this morning against your aunt's house. Basically, he was also doing mercenary work on the side. Its a good plan, except I've done the same thing myself, and so I expect this sort of thing. And that mage, he's a mercenary working for the highest bidder. This morning your aunt's house was raided, but it didn't work because we didn't fall for it. This is what being in the demon lord family and clan means Jay. You have to take care of yourself, be strong enough to take care of others, and your team. And you aren't. That's why, I'm letting you get back up on your own. But I'm not unsympathetic. I will send Simone and Melanie to join you at the entrance to level 6. That much would be fair. But if they live or die is on you also," she added.
"Because this was unfair to you also, I will send you a download package through your status screen's mage message system also. But it will be extremely limited. You are on your own," she said.
Then she hung up.
Wow.
Sometimes my family is ridiculous.
And I'm worried.
Melanie isn't even a combat build. Simone could become one but is just starting out also.
But if I don't eventually at some point the mind control could wear off. And I have no idea how Simone would react then.
...
It took me a minute to process this.
I was on my own...
Abandoned...
In very hostile territory. Nothing is more hostile than an undead dungeon map.
And more demon lord clan family drama, like always.
This isn't the first time, they've been fighting some other organization also. But the other times they hid most of it from me.
"Hey. Are you all right?" Mandy asked.
"Y-yeah I'm fine. Don't worry they aren't exing me out of the family or anything. This is just the kind of stuff they do. They think this is a good 'growth test'," I said.
Her expression seemed puzzled, but somehow better than before. "I can't offer any good advise on that. Plus, its not my position to do so," she said.
"Yeah I get it," I replied.
"I guess that's odd. So am I to understand I'll still be getting paid and taken care of, as long a
s you are alive?" she asked me.
