The Trash Tier Dungeon

by Kaye Fairburn

  “Just tell me if I passed or not.” Arden couldn’t take it anymore.

  “Please!” Minette begged.

  “Where’s the artistry in that? There’s no finesse in rushing to the end.”

  “Who cares about finesse if I’m dead?” Arden asked.

  “Would I go through all of this trouble for a dead person? I would’ve found you and smote you immediately.”

  “So, I passed?”

  The Demon Lord Oiseau beak magically curled into a grin. “Indeed. You do need to work on some things, but you’ve passed. Congratulations. I won’t smite you, not this time, anyway. For your good work on living and surviving, I’d like to extend an invitation to take part in an experimental program of sorts. You’ll have to rank up your dungeon to get to it, but I’m sure that won’t be too much of a problem.”

  Arden dropped to the ground and squeezed the dirt beneath her hands. She made it. She survived against all odds.

  No, they survived. None of this would’ve been possible if it hadn’t been for Minette’s willingness to work with her and look past her flaws.

  It took Arden a moment to realize that the Demon Lord Oiseau was still talking about whatever the experimental program was. She caught the tail end of him saying something about a breeding program, something that would let them develop unique creatures once they were ready to do so.

  “…Now, this is an experimental program for a reason,” the Demon Lord Oiseau said. “I don’t have the full details myself, but I’ll send someone to fully explain it once you’ve developed yourselves to your second level. Mind you, the results of the experimental program could be disastrous, but, like I said, I think you’d be worthy members of its beta program.”

  “Thank you,” Arden said.

  Minette changed into a brilliant pink shade, still not verbally reacting to the good news.

  “That is assuming, of course, that you’d like to stay as the Trash Tier Dungeon’s pixie. You’ve proven that you’re not as volatile as you used to be,” the Demon Lord Oiseau said. “This was originally only meant as a teaching lesson for you. Its permanence is your choice. What do you think?”

  Arden answered without hesitation. “I’m sticking with Minette.”

  “Great. You didn’t even know you needed each other until you met.” The Demon Lord Oiseau stretched his arms over his head. “Well, I will leave you two alone to celebrate. Since I’ll no longer be eating Arden, I’m going to need to find something to have for lunch. Have a good rest of the day.”

  He disappeared with a flourish, leaving a handful of feathers behind.

  Arden rose off of the ground, her wings carrying her above Minette.

  “Are you feeling okay? I thought you’d react to his offer, at least. I don’t know, I would’ve set off an earthquake hearing that. You’re not pissed off that I’m still alive, are you?” Arden asked tentatively.

  “Of course not.” Minette’s voice was quiet. “I’m so happy that I could scream. I didn’t want to do it in front of the Demon Lord Oiseau, though. That would’ve been a little too embarrassing. And then you chose me on top of everything else? I’m dying.”

  “Hey, you saw me hit the floor and play around in the dirt. How could screaming be any more embarrassing than that?” Arden shrugged. “Thanks for stepping up for me, by the way. You’ve given me so many chances. I’m touched, really. I’d pick you every time.”

  “Thanks for living up to your potential. I knew we’d make a great team!”

  A notification cut their moment short.

  [WARNING!

  Two gnarlixes have entered the dungeon. Prepare yourselves.]

  “Ready for the next battle?” Minette asked.

  “With you by my side? Always.”

  They switched into their shared Overview mode and got back to work, united as dungeon and pixie—the way they should be.

  Epilogue

  Bram, bartender extraordinaire, took a hard look at the tavern’s current patrons. “Been a while since we’ve seen those Wonder Guild guys.”

  “Hope they enjoyed the Kazzipurrian Special,” Penelope said, fixing the collar of her waitressing uniform.

  “I bet the dungeon ate them.”

  “Good riddance. I’m glad that trash dump’s worth something now.” She blew a lock of hair out of her face. “Can I take down their awful posters?”

  “Yeah, go ahead. Table 2 already grabbed one. That’s one less for you to deal with. They’re all over that poster.” He buffed a rag into the countertop. “I think they’re the ones Gertie told us about. They’ve been here since yesterday. She mentioned something about a busted-up carriage.”

  “If they don’t tip me, I’ll throw them into the dungeon myself.”

  “Our dungeon isn’t a dumping ground,” Smokey said from his bar stool. He’d become a fixture in the tavern by that point, using it as an informational hub. The tavern was his ear to what was going on in Kazzipur. “And, correction, she didn’t eat the Wonder Guild. She defeated the Wonder Guild.”

  “Eated, defeated. It’s the same thing,” Bram said.

  “Ate.”

  “Eight? Eight what? You want eight drinks?”

  “No. Never mind.” Smokey swiveled his stool to check out the adventurers. They were a young pair, a boy and girl who looked to be in the thick of their teen years. Spears lay beneath their table, their feet resting on them in case anyone dared to steal them.

  “What good is a dungeon if it isn’t for tossing in annoying people?” Penelope asked.

  “It’ll go hungry if we don’t feed it,” Bram said. “That’s probably why it was asleep for so long. It didn’t have any yummy people food.”

  Smokey tightened his hold on his glass. “That’s not how dungeons work. You’d know that if you attended one of our meetings.”

  “Something keeps coming up.” Bram shrugged.

  “That’s what everyone says. Neil’s been busy, too.”

  “Maybe you should talk to Mayor Blackletter about putting some signs up around town,” Penelope suggested. “Gertie should be okay with you putting one up here.”

  “I tried Mayor Blackletter. The response…wasn’t the best,” Smokey said.

  “Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt,” said one of the adventurers, approaching the bar. He pointed at the poster in his hand, the one depicting Arden’s Disguise. They’d spilled sauce on her face. “Who do I have to see about this quest? I promise you that we can find this girl.”

  “It’s canceled,” Penelope answered. “The people in charge of that quest never came back from the dungeon. They must’ve had some bad luck from not tipping their waitress. Silly them.”

  The boy frowned. “Man, I was looking forward to it. We could use the money to get our carriage fixed.”

  “You could still get that money.” Smokey set down his drink, a smile spreading across his bearded face. “Could you spare a moment to learn about the Dungeon Goddess Minette Ashes Max Felixia? Some know her as the Trash Tier Dungeon. I know her as our savior.”

  The Trash Tier Dungeon

  Book 1

  Fin.

  Afterword

  The story continues in the second book!

  Thank you for reading the first book of the Trash Tier Dungeon series. If you enjoyed this book, I strongly encourage you to leave a review. Your reviews will determine the fate of this series, in much the same way the Demon Lord Oiseau determined Arden’s fate.

  The more positive reviews this book receives, the more likely this series is to continue! Every review is appreciated.

  Visit www.kayefairburn.com and follow Kaye Fairburn on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kayefairburn for more news about upcoming releases.

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  Also by the Author

  Wyvernette: Hatchling

  “As a Non-Psionic Contributor (NPC), Margot Hyland is fated
to die on a weekly basis to greenskin raids on her hometown. Her life revolves around shoemaking, dying, respawning, and more shoemaking.

  When Margot discovers a secret hidden in her family's basement, she realizes she has a chance to break that cycle. Now, with newfound abilities she'll have to learn to control, Margot must brave a harrowing journey ahead of her to defeat the Stronghold targeting her town.

  Hatchling is the first book of Wyvernette, a fantasy LitRPG series.”

  Click here to learn more!

  Also by the Author

  Stalwart Souls Online: The Player Killer’s Mark

  “When a mysterious Player Killer with the ability to cause his victims to die in real life appears in the fully immersive massive multi-player online roleplaying game (MMORPG) Stalwart Souls Online, administrators shut down the game servers to find the criminal.

  What they didn't count on was the system being hijacked. Stalwart Souls Online is rebooted, a new patch applied. All players online at that time revert back to Trainee level, their hard work erased. They soon discover that the log out function has been disabled, and that that isn't the only thing that has changed in the game...

  In the midst of this is someone who must cope and survive in this updated RPG world while avoiding becoming the Player Killer's next target. Roy will face dark dungeons, go on adventures, compete in player versus player battles, navigate the difficulties of guild politics, and learn a more realistic definition of good and evil.

  The Player Killer’s Mark is the first book of the Stalwart Souls Online fantasy LitRPG series.”

  Click here to learn more!

  And Finally…

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  Thanks for reading!

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