“What kind of offering do you want?” Jeremy asked, mentally going through his inventory.
The giant being poked Jeremy again with its long, narrow arm, seeming to grow agitated. “GIFT OFFERING! GOOD OFFERING GOOD HEALING! BAD OFFERING, BAD HEALING!”
“Kind of like the world I left?” Jeremy mumbled.
“Perhaps the hydra heart?” Flint suggested. “Something of value, but of no use to us.”
“It doesn't want the hydra heart,” Jeremy mumbled. He wasn't sure how he knew this, but he did. He felt an unfamiliar, large, dungeon-star-like item. Just having it in his possession made the universe seem a brighter, friendlier place. With a sigh, he pulled it out. “This offering?”
“Not that offering!” Flint shouted. “We need that to get me out of this dungeon!”
“It's what it wants,” Jeremy mumbled. “And I'm pretty sure we don't want to upset this being.”
The being grabbed the dungeon star cluster. “GOOD OFFERING! GOOD OFFERING!”
“See,” Jeremy mumbled. “What it wants.”
“No!” Flint shouted. “You idiot! Do you realize what you just gave away?” Flint watched in horror as many narrow arms reached out and probed Jeremy. Jeremy faded in and out of consciousness.
***
When Jeremy awoke a second time, he was floating. No, something or someone was carrying him. He felt much better but was too exhausted to move.
He pulled up his stat sheet.
Name: Jeremy Wilkins
Race: Other
Sex: Boy
Age: 14
Character Class: Child-Rogue
Level: 40
Health: 18
Mana: 195 (Phoenix Heart)(Dragon Heart)
Attributes:
Strength: 14
Endurance: 10
Vitality: 12 (+1 rat pendant)
Dexterity: 44
Agility: 45
Perception: 51
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 7 (+1 ring of wisdom)
Will Power: 26
Charisma: 4 (+1 clown nose)
Extra points: 8
Active Skills:
Identify: 8 (Eyes of a Dragon)
Sneak: 8 (+2 magic shoes)(+1 camouflage ring)
Detect Danger: 2
Charmed Object Activation: 3
Lightning Attack: 4
Swarm Master:
Mental Attack:
Dispel Magic:
Passive Skills:
Enhanced Physical: 4
Poison Immunity: 2
Trauma Immunity: 6
Bite Resistance: 6 (Skin of a Dragon)
Physical Shock Resistance: 1
Parasite Resistance: 10
Curse Resistance: 4
Mental Resistance: ??? (Iron Sight) (Eyes of a Dragon)&*)__(*&
Water Breathing: 2
Insect Pacifier: 1
Elemental Resistance: 6
Skills:
Acting: 4
COMBAT WAY
Way of the Sand Monarch: (Journeyman)
Discipline:
Crafting: (Novice)
Spells:
Light Spell
Fire Ball (High-level)
Summon Familiar
Divine Rage
Dungeon Account:
92,786.45dc
0 Dungeon Stars
Titles:
Slayer of Kritchek the Mighty Rat King!
Big Slayer!
Slayer of the Mighty Uinguit!
Slayer of the Swarm Queen.
Slayer of Azzekis, the Sand Monarch.
Friend of the Community!
Marks:
Bank-robber!
Politician Hater!
Gifts and Blessings:
Blessing of the Spider Queen.
The god Arkys blesses your quest for vengeance.
Blessing of the Mighty Uinguit.
Blessing of the Swarm Queen.
Gift of the Pissernak.
Merged with the greater parasite, Nashul.
Essence of a Dragon.
$&%* (_)(& ^&*%$$# (*%(*% $#%^& @!$#%V &*)__(*&
&^%&* &^% &^$*& *&$#@ &(*&% &^(*% #^$% _&()___
Most of his stats were as expected. He was now level 40 and had gained over 50,000 dungeon coin. But where were his dungeon stars? Beneath his gifts and blessings was a large blank space. On closer inspection, it was covered with faint symbols he couldn't identify.
Next to his Mental Immunity passive skill were three question marks. What the heck?
He also had two additional active skills: Mental Attack and Dispel Magic.
Below his stat sheet, there was more.
IF YOU WISH, YOU MAY CHOOSE A SPECIALTY!
Note: At level 40, this is your last chance to choose a specialty. If you fail to choose, you will go without, or a specialty will be chosen for you based on your activities and predispositions.
Child Thief:
Your character specializes in taking what belongs to others.
Gain bonuses in Dexterity and Sneak.
Note. At your current level, this specialty will evolve into Child Master Thief.
Yes/No
Child Scout:
Search dangerous areas, report to others, and fight if necessary.
Gain bonuses in Sneak, movement, and weapons.
Yes/No
Child Swashbuckler:
Your character specializes in combat and leadership.
Gain bonuses in weapons and charisma.
Yes/No
Child Rogue Archer:
Your character specializes in archery. Gain bonuses in archery and archery-related spells.
Yes/No
Child Arcane Trickster:
Your character specializes in spellcasting and illusions. Gain bonuses in stealth and magic.
Yes/No
Child Elite Ranger.
Your character has the benefits of both Child Scout and Child Archer, along with superior spells and abilities.
Yes/No
Child Master Thief:
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Your character has surpassed the Thief class and has spells and abilities that normal thieves can only dream of.
Yes/No
Child Assassin:
Your character specializes in killing other adventurers—
He picked Child Assassin, not bothering to read anything more.
Congratulations. You are now a Child Rogue Assassin!
As a Child Rogue Assassin, you may choose a subclass. You may become an assassin who specializes in archery to take down your enemies. Or you may become an assassin who specializes in magic.
He chose the magic subclass.
Congratulations!
As a Child Rogue Assassin, with a magic subclass, your Sneak has been upgraded to Concealment. You have received the Active Skills: Shadow Walking. Life Drain. Death Touch, Disarm Trap. And a Special Skill. Stat Sheet Disguise.
Curious, he focused on Stat Sheet Disguise.
Special Skill: Stat Sheet Disguise. Create a fake stat sheet to conceal your true identity from anyone without high enough levels or sufficient Perception.
Jeremy created a fake stat sheet, changing his level to 14 and his class to Child Rogue Scout. He left his race of Other, alone. With all his modifications, passing as a human could be difficult, and posing as a member of an unknown race might explain things.
Jeremy was still floating through nothingness. Where am I?
“Jeremy. It hurts me to say this, but I owe you an apology. You were right, and I was wrong.”
“Flint?” Jeremy said. “I was right? I'm often right, but to have you acknowledge this... Are you okay?”
“Your instincts were correct, while my own carefully thought-out logical reasoning might have gotten you killed and me stuck in this dungeon.”
“Wow. That never happens.”
“My thought exactly.”
“You told me not to look at that thing. Why?”
“I don't know what it was, but I have a theory,” Flint said. “If you were to communicate with an intelligent amoeba, you couldn't talk to it; you'd have to create a fake amoeba puppet and manipulate it to speak in a way the amoeba could understand.”
“So you think that being was speaking to us with a giant puppet?”
“Yes. And I was afraid that if you looked at the puppet's master with your dragon sight, you would lose what little is left of your mind.”
“What was the puppet's master?”
“I'm afraid I have no idea. Do ancient eldritch horrors have parents? Or gods?”
“I thought Kritjik was a god,” Jeremy said. “Can a god have a god?”
“An interesting philosophical question.”
“I see,” Jeremy said. “What was I right about? And where are we?”
“You were right to give that being my—I mean, our priceless dungeon star cluster that must have comprised over one hundred dungeon stars.”
“One hundred dungeon stars? Really? Wow.” Jeremy had had no choice, but that hurt. “So it healed me and let us go?”
“It healed you, but more importantly, it made me much, much, much stronger. I'm presently carrying you out of that nameless boss's prison and into the safer part of the fifth floor, and you're not even heavy.”
Uh oh. Jeremy felt the urge to request Flint put him down, but he didn't have the energy. He passed out again.
He awoke. This time, a pleasant sun blazed down on him, and he was in what looked like a mountain valley. Sitting up in the safe room, three dwarves resting nearby noticed and quickly surrounded him.
“We found you unconscious in a nearby passageway. How in Borack's giant behind did you get there?” asked one dwarf fighter.
“I don't remember,” Jeremy said. “I must have gotten lost in the passageways.”
“Where's the rest of your party?”
“Just me,” he said. “My only companion died on the first floor.”
“Sorry to hear that. To have survived on your own this long, you must be the luckiest being in the dungeon. I'm Thorg. These are my sister Tassi and our companion Brosh.”
The dwarf speaker was
Thorg Stonefist
Race: Dwarven
Sex: Boy
Child Fighter: Level 28
His two companions were—
Tassi Stonefist
Race: Dwarven
Sex: Girl
Child Fighter: Level 23
Brosh Ironworker
Race: Dwarven
Sex: Boy
Child Fighter: Level 25
“I'm Jeremy.”
They were stereotypical dwarves, as tall as Jeremy, but much bigger, wearing heavy armor and carrying swords and axes. The girl dwarf's beard was lighter and smaller than the boys', but that was the only discernible difference between them.
Jeremy didn't feel Flint, but wasn't sure that meant anything. The noncorporeal being had been hard enough to deal with before. A strong Flint could be a problem. Flint helped Jeremy because he had no other choice. If that situation changed? One more thing to worry about.
“Is this your entire party? Three fighters?” Jeremy asked.
“Our party was larger when we started.” Thorg sounded bitter.
“Sorry,” Jeremy said.
“What world are you from?” Thorg asked.
“A world named Sirpa.” Sirpa was what The Children of Assp called their world before they'd been killed off. Best not to tell these dwarves about his true home.
“I'm not familiar with that world. Why is your race Other? Are you a shape-changer?”
Jeremy shook his head. “My people are humanoid. I thought I was a human, but this dungeon has strange ideas.”
“The dungeon is insane, alright,” Thorg said. “I'm not familiar with your world or people, but the universe is a big place. I'll need to confer with the others, but you should be fine to travel with our party as long as you don't steal from us.”
“Well,” Jeremy said, thinking it over. “I don't have anywhere else to be.”
“We killed that horrible boss, a lich creature, before we found you. The only thing left is the Nameless One, a boss strong enough to destroy worlds. We heard a loud rumble when we arrived. I suspect it's trying to break free again.”
“A good reason to leave for the sixth floor,” Jeremy said. “I was looking for more monsters and entered a passageway leading to the boss and got lost.”
“You are lucky to be alive,” Thorg said.
“He doesn't know the half of it,” grumbled Flint from behind him.
“The fourth floor was amazing,” Brosh said. “Full of cool monsters and good loot. Perfect floor for fighters.”
“Not so much for rogues,” Jeremy said, pretending to be gloomy. “I was lucky to survive. Any idea what's on the sixth floor?”
“Impossible to say for sure,” Thorg said, “but my source claims the sixth floor contains plant life. Extremely dangerous adventurer-eating plant life. That source is hundreds of years old, and dungeons change over time, but I think it's safe to say there will be killer plants.”
“I see,” Jeremy said. “What about the boss?”
“My source says stay away from it. It's supposed to be more dangerous than anything on the fifth floor. Some of these plants release poisonous spores, so we will wear masks. If you join us, I'll give you a mask, and I expect you to hang behind us and watch for traps.”
“I can do that,” Jeremy said. “What's on the seventh floor?”
“Scaled, dragon-like monsters,” Thorg said. “At least that's what I heard. It's a large floor, and there are a lot of them, and of course, the hydra. If only we had a counter for the hydra's cursed miasma, I think we could take it on. But the hydra's miasma eats through armor and seeps into the skin. We'd need a strong support team, or at least one hundred poison antidote potions, and we have neither.”
Tassi put her hand on his shoulder. “It'll be okay. Between the next two floors, we should advance another ten levels. You'll be over level thirty, and we're not even adults. As you say, fight smart, and don't get greedy.”
“Yes. Unlike a certain idiot adventurer I can think of,” Flint said from behind Jeremy.
“Shut up, Flint,” Jeremy said under his breath. Why couldn't his companion show himself? Flint's sneaking up behind him was getting tiresome.
“By the way, Jeremy, we need to talk, preferably without these dwarves around.”
Uh oh.
This short time with the dwarves made him realize how lonely he'd been with only Flint and Squeak for company. He studied the dwarves with his dragon sight. He didn't trust them completely, but they didn't seem to hold him any ill will. “If you guys will have me, I would like to join your party.”
