Dungeon Champions

Chapter 12: Reunited

I felt a wave of magic slide across my skin, almost like the warmth of a summer sun. Compared to the basilisk’s gaze, this was practically a caress.

Whatever she did, it stopped the rapid disintegration of the dead basilisk. I remembered that corpses would stop disintegrating if a person had the right skills, or interacted with them quickly after death.

The woman tucked her hair back under the silk wrap, trying to be inconspicuous.

She was stunning, and not just because of the snakes in her hair. Her skin was enchanting. The hues seemed to lighten and darken from moment to moment, flowing from creamy caramel to black depending on the lighting, or maybe the environment. Her hair—which was now tucked up under the amber scarf—was a purple so dark as to appear almost black.

Interestingly, she was scantily clad, wearing a rough approximation of a belly dancer’s outfit, with bronze half-moons holding each of her large breasts in place. Her stomach was fit and toned and curved into a set of wide hips.

“This is going to be delicious,” she said, smiling at me.

Instead of trying to decipher what she meant, my eyes went back to her wrapped hair. “So, you’re a medusa?” I asked. “Like, uh, a gorgon?”

She gave me a warm smile. “Medusa-kin, actually. Half-gorgon. I’m what happens when a medusa has a child with one of the mundane races. I’m Zuri.”

“Good to meet you, Zuri.” I paused. “Do you have authority over your coils, or is it always on?”

My Adventure Historian skill was coming in useful here. It told me that most Medusas could not actually control their serpents. They were, in effect, loyal pets attached to the tops of their owner’s heads.

“A mixture, actually. It’s always on against men, but I have a degree of control the rest of the time.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, they need to be free for me to use my gorgon venom to affect the dead basilisk. Stops it from vanishing while I work.” Zuri gave me a warm, appreciative smile. “I’m glad you seem immune to their gaze. You know gorgon lore?”

I shrugged. “Some, yeah.”

That seemed to please her. “Well, good. Do you mind helping me remove some meat and organs from this basilisk? I’d like to study their properties.”

I thought for a moment. “Sure. We probably shouldn’t take long, though. The rest of the ladies are waiting for us.”

“Oh. In that case, just some of the meat should do.” Frowning, she considered the carcass. “A shame to leave so much behind. The heart and liver would be ideal.”

I wanted to leave, but I understood the draw of the magical corpse. I thought for a moment. “This area isn’t that far from the waterfall. I can always get you there, then come back and harvest them, if it matters so much?”

“That would be wonderful,” she said with another one of those warm smiles. She pointed at the grotto. “There’s a treasure chest there as well. Perhaps that could be considered pay for your efforts?”

I followed her finger. If there was loot in that room, it would certainly be worth the effort to retrieve. I needed to get her out of here first, though. This place was simply too dangerous.

“Sure,” I said. “Let’s get you to the others first.

“That would be so wonderful.”

I watched as Zuri climbed through the debris. She moved with a captivating, boneless grace. Unlike the other girls I’d rescued, the medusa-kin was composed and capable, radiating a calm confidence that took me out of fight-or-flight mode. Instead, I found myself admiring a dazzlingly gorgeous woman.

She climbed across the outstretched arm of the basilisk casually, showing no squeamishness at being so close to the giant carcass. As she moved, the long, wavy strands of her piecemeal skirt flowed over her skin.

“May I ask a question?” she asked as she crossed the final distance between us. She heaved a sigh of relief and looked back at the pile of stones for a moment, then turned back to me. Her eyes were like emeralds as she studied me.

“You just did,” I said with a grin.

She rolled her eyes but laughed. “Why is there a skull propped up by the door?”

“Oh. Right. Skullie.”

I fetched the lich and tucked him back into my armor. He’d been so quiet that I almost forgot him.

Skullie was unamused.. “I am a lich, and Jordan’s friend and trusted companion.”

With a laugh, I started to explain what had happened again, hopefully for the last time. Zuri stopped me frequently, asking probing questions to tease details out of me.

Shortly into my story, she gasped, and her eyes widened. “You got to the center of the Dungeon Core, didn’t you? Are you the old man we saw earlier? Is that what happened? Did you make some sort of wish to become younger? Tell me what it was like!”

I held up my hands. “No, I come from another world that is much different from yours. When the Core interfered with some sort of summoning ability the other guy had, it brought me here. I was so thirsty that I drank from the fountain before I even realized where I was. There was a side effect to drinking that water. It took my history away. I don’t remember any of the details about who I was before arriving here.”

She pursed her full lips. “You worded that very specifically. When you say, ‘my history’ do you mean—”

“I remember everything about being on Earth, just everything personal is…vague impressions.” I shrugged, showing no signs of discomfort at having forgotten who I was

“What kind of impressions?”

I shrugged. “Eh, I think I was alone for a long time. And maybe I was a good person, or at least I hope so.” What else would explain my urgent need to do good in this new world?

She reached out, lightly touching my arm to draw my attention. The contact wasn’t presumptuous or overly intimate, but casual.

Turning, I looked down at her. She was the tallest of her group, probably close to six feet in height, yet still notably shorter than me.

“It doesn’t matter what you were,” she said in a soft voice, meeting my eyes. “I was born among people who often choose to become monsters. Even my mother advised me that I should find the right Dungeon Core and become one of its defenders. I chose a different path. Whatever you think, or don’t think, you were, when we move on from our past lives, we can determine who we are from that moment onward.”

My Dungeoneering and Adventure Historian skills suggested the life Zuri had given up.

She likely could have lived in safety and comfort for many years had she chosen to stay in a dungeon, with only the occasional fight against explorers to shake up her serenity. With her ability to turn people to stone, it would have been an easy life. But instead, she had chosen a different path.

A harder one.

“Thanks.” I smiled down at her. “I appreciate you saying so.”

“And I appreciate you rescuing me,” Zuri said, looking over at the carcass. “He was persistent, if nothing else. And I think he’ll make a fantastic dinner.”

I considered the monster. Cutting it up would be an issue. Regular steel would dull and break against that tough hide, but my magical weapons would get it done. Eventually. “I’ve never had basilisk.”

“Me either. It should be an interesting meal,” she said, walking past me. “I suppose we should leave now, eh?”

I watched her walk away. Her hips swayed with every step.

After five paces, she stopped and turned to regard me.

“Coming?” she asked with one hand on her hip.

“Yeah,” I said, tearing my eyes away from her physique.

Why is she so damn distracting? I thought, not upset in the least.

***

We made it out of the dungeon uneventfully. Passing through the double doors, Zuri and I joined Merielle, Nym, Sadie, and Britney at our temporary camp. Sunset had finally begun to fall, saturating the world in hues of orange and warm yellow. Several of the waterfalls sparkled with captured light, reflecting it in a dazzling display.

Merielle and Nym both shouted with joy at Zuri’s return and rushed over to embrace her. Britney, still wearing her heels, scowled and hobbled over. The sharp spikes at the back of her shoes did not navigate well on the soil, and she cursed with every other step.

As the group celebrated being united, I cleared my throat. “One quick question?”

They looked up at me.

“Yes?” Merielle asked.

“Why the hell did none of you tell me Zuri might turn me to stone?”

Britney, still not caught up to the rest of the group, said, “What are you talking about? Zuri’s the cook, not a spellcaster.”

The half-gorgon woman flushed as she pulled aside her silk wrap once more. One of her serpent coils slid down to frame her high cheekbones. Black eyes at the end of the coil blinked as its tongue shot out to taste the air.

Merielle and Nym jerked back, and Sadie hissed in surprise.

“Don’t blame them,” Zuri said. “I always keep my hair concealed. And, as I told you, I can somewhat control my pets anywhere other than around men. They didn’t know.”

“Zuri’s a medusa?” Nym asked, backing away. “Snakes…”

Sadie hissed again and took a step back, her fur standing on end.

“Hold on, please!” Zuri raised both hands and spoke in a calm voice. “I’m only half-medusa. My father was not. I’ve chosen the path of my mortality, not the monster.” She started to put her hair away again. “Nothing has changed. I’m still your friend, and still the party cook.”

Nym and Britney calmed at hearing that, but Merielle still seemed taken aback. “What do you mean by ‘path of your mortality,’ does that have some significance? You know, one that negates the whole turn-everyone-around-her-to-stone part?”

It was Britney who answered. “Half-bloods get to choose when they reach physical maturity. If Zuri had chosen the path of the medusa, no one would be safe around her. Monsters are like goblins; they are ruled by a bestial nature. She basically just told us she’d turned down all the power she could have gotten from her magical bloodline.”

“But medusae are powerful,” Merielle protested. “Who would give up so much power? The only thing better might be getting a Tablet, and no one does that.”

“I do,” Zuri said, pointing at her chest. “My passions lay in other directions. I don’t want to spend my days surrounded by statues in a stone prison. My mother knew unlikely love. Seeing my father through her eyes taught me the value of a different path.”

“This is also where I point out that we’ve known her for months with no issues,” Britney said, finally catching up to everyone. She huffed and leaned against the wall. “If we’re willing to accept that Betsy and the entire Sisterhood could be corrupt, I’m willing to accept that someone I’ve spent time training and adventuring with isn’t a monster just because of her parents.”

“That is…startlingly mature of you, Britnayel,” Zuri commented, looking at the celestial with just a hint of suspicion on her face.

The celestial gave her a tight smile. “Please, Britney is enough. I just found out some pretty awful things about my family, so maybe I’m willing to have an open mind about you, too.”

That ‘maybe’ spoke volumes, although I didn’t have time to mediate.

I held my hands up. “Ladies, I’m sure you have a lot to talk about. I’m going to go back into the dungeon and get some things Zuri and I left behind. Do you think the four”—I paused, smiling at Sadie, who’d wound between my legs—“ah, five of you, will be safe for a couple of hours?”

“I should think so,” Zuri said. “I can make a fire and prepare a meal.”

Merielle looked from me to the rest of the group, her expression contemplative. “You mentioned not wanting to be coercive about the Tablets. Well, we’re all out now. We can all choose to go our own way if we’d like. Before you go, do you want to discuss your class with all of us here?”

“Oh, finally!” Britney’s face brightened, but it lasted only a second as one of her heels sank into the ground, nearly sending her backward. “But wait, what does your class have to do with anything secret? You’re a legendary Acrobat, right? A ‘Heroic Vaulter’ or something, right?”

I burst out laughing. “I’m something called a Battle Scholar. It’s a hybrid fighter-team management class. It lets me create and manage several Tablets.”

Britney nodded as if she understood me perfectly. “That’s like being royalty. Rulers get to make Vassal and Inner Circle Tablets.”

“This is a little different, I think.” Rolling my hand, I summoned my golden Tablet. I read them the relevant text.

“A Battle Scholar can generate up to [1] [Epic Class Tablet] per 3 of their levels +1 (at level 10, this is 4). They have Command Authority over these Tablets. The Scholar may assign these Tablets to willing recipients. Note: The assignment process wipes away any current levels granted by other Tablets. The assignee retains all other preexisting capabilities and knowledge. Once the recipient reaches level [10] the Battle Scholar may give the person ownership of their Tablet. If this happens, the Scholar may manifest a new Tablet. This process takes 1 day.”

“Did you just say Epic Tablet?” Britney’s pitch was so high with disbelief it could have broken glass. “That’s not possible! That’s… It’s incredible!”

Between what the women had told me and my new memories, I thought I understood most of her sentiment.

There was nothing on Earth that could compare to a Tablet. Just possessing one was like having years of life experience, on top of the attribute enhancements and reduced experience costs. From what I understood, folks without Tablets could go up levels in this magical world, they just wouldn’t be able to realize the same benefits of doing so.

Basically, they made mundane folk into superheroes.

I would have been hard-pressed to imagine a more tantalizing, or influential force.

“I made an agreement with this Dungeon Core, in exchange for its help,” I said, holding a hand up to forestall further eager questions. “I’ve got three years to defeat another Dungeon Core. My gut tells me it’ll be a far more difficult one, and that I should use the time to help train a group of elites. That’s where my class excels.”

“I volunteer!” Britney shouted, shoving eagerly closer to me and the Tablet. Thanks to her heels, she almost fell again.

Zuri chided her. “Let him finish. Don’t rush to indenture yourself without knowing the consequences.”

To my surprise, the celestial listened.

“It’s possible,” I said, continuing, “that this theoretical team could include any of you, or none. I’m happy to deal with this Sisterhood first, since that sounds like a mission we could cut our teeth on. But…”

Tilting my head, I dropped the Tablet. It vanished as soon as it left my hand.

“I would love for all of you to join me, but I don’t want anyone to feel forced into it. Even if you turn the offer down, I’ll give you some of the loot I get from this dungeon and help with the Sisterhood. That’s a promise.”

Eyeing Zuri, Britney shook her head. “I need more help than that. If my stepmother is involved, it could mean my father has been influenced. I can’t do anything without a Tablet. Regardless of what the others say, I want in.”

“Going after a kingdom of celestials is probably a mission on the far side of taking out a Dungeon Core,” I said.

“I know,” Britney said. “Your class said once I reach level ten, I’ll have earned my own copy of the Tablet. If all I have to do is stick with you until then, I’m in.”

Merielle and Nym exchanged looks, and the elf spoke up first. “Britney has a good point. If all we have to do is reach level ten, that’s hardly coercive.”

“Let me point out that he’ll have Command Authority over the Tablets.” Zuri pointed a finger at Skullie. “That means he’ll be the one who gets to decide about your classes, your Attributes, and everything else. It may not mean he can choose your spells for you, but if he’s coordinating things, even that should be made with him in mind. He’ll functionally be your ruler for all ten of those levels.”

“Why are you pointing at me?” Skullie asked worriedly.

“Because Jordan has shown kindness to a lich.”

Nym’s ears twitched. “And?”

“And, it means that Jordan has a kind heart, but kindness can be a double-edged sword. We must all be careful who we put our trust in.”

“Like the Sisterhood?” Merielle asked.

Zuri winced. “Good point.” She turned to me and smiled. “I’m not trying to talk anyone out of anything, by the way. It’s about pointing out possible flaws in the logic. I want to make sure my Sisters—companions—are safe.”

I noticed the way she winced when she said ‘Sisters,’ even if she was quick to recover.

Some things would take time, and one of those would be unlearning whatever the Sisterhood had drilled into them.

I shrugged. “Yeah, that’s fine. You should. Like I’ve said, I’m not going to force anyone into anything.” Summoning the Tablet again, I rapidly moved my fingers across the surface, triggering several commands. Four purple Tablets appeared, each hovering in the air above me.

I pointed at each of the girls, and the Tablets flew over. “You each get three options. I don’t get to influence that part. Why don’t you all talk about this and consider it a bit? We can discuss further when I return.”

With that, I turned and walked away. With any luck, I hoped to return to the group before it got too late. On the way, I checked an unread notification.

Notice: You have been awarded combat experience proportional to your level.

Experience Gained: 250

Experience to Level 11: 200