Dungeon Champions

Skullie [Familiar] Sheet

Note: Skullie’s hit points and mana are scaled for a familiar. This follows similar progression to individuals with non-adventuring Tablets, such as diplomats and their Inner Circle.

Name: Skullie

Age: 394

Level: 6

Class: Necromancer

Current Experience: N/A

Experience to Level 7: N/A

Species: Lesser Lich Spawn [Evolving]

Hit Points (Endurance + Level): 9

Mana (Magic + Level): 24

Attributes

Strength: 4

Endurance: 3

Agility: 1

Cunning: 20 (You are immune to most illusions and all mind-influencing effects)

Discipline: 18 (You cannot be charmed or influenced by creatures with charisma effects)

Magic: 18

Regeneration Notice: As a familiar with a phylactery, Skullie can only be destroyed if both his phylactery and his bonded master, [Jordan], are killed. If his body and phylactery are destroyed, the familiar’s master must use another phylactery to regenerate his body. If his body is destroyed but his phylactery is intact, it will regenerate him at a rate of 1 hit point per day. Attaching the phylactery to a corpse can dramatically enhance and expedite this process, in addition to giving him a new body.

Familiar Limitations: Skullie cannot own a Tablet, nor can he level up. He grows in power as you, [Jordan], level, by evolving. As your familiar, this entity is bound to you. He cannot disobey a direct order, although it may still act with cunning and deception.

Core Skills:

Legends and Lore: 6. This skill grants Skullie historical information that may be of great use in the future.

Arcane Insights: 6. Skullie can recognize most spells, including rituals, spell-traps, and magical implements, at a glance.

Linguistics: 6. Skullie knows a lot of languages.

Spells

Starting at level 12, each time you gain a new level, Skullie will regain access to up to 3 spells he possessed prior to becoming your familiar. These will be necromantic in nature and adapted to his new [familiar] status. Unless otherwise noted, his spells are [Verbal] only - meaning he can cast them even without hands.

Necromantic Propulsion (Familiar Spell)

Mana Cost: 4

Range: Self

Duration: 10 minutes

Details/Effect: Skullie gains a flight effect for the duration. This flight has a speed equal to [Jordan’s] movement rate.

Life Leech (Familiar Spell)

Mana Cost: 8

Range: Self

Duration: 1 hour

Details/Effect: Skullie gains a bite attack that deals 1-4 damage and is enhanced by [Jordan’s] Strength attribute. [Jordan] is healed by an equal amount.

Share Senses (Familiar Spell)

Mana Cost: 2

Range: Self

Duration: 1 minute

Details/Effect: Skullie may share one of its undead perceptions with [Jordan]. This will allow [Jordan] to See Undead, Interact with Undead, or see in the dark. The perception must be selected each time this spell is cast. This spell has no range limitation.

Chapter 16: What About a Team Name?

I rested in the grotto for a few minutes. Not nearly long enough to fully recover, but it was long enough to feel at least remotely human.

Even with my rest, and the Belt of Rejuvenation working overtime, evidence of my fight with the golems remained. I felt like I’d just duked it out with an 18-wheeler made of magma, and he’d had a brother.

Before heading back, I grabbed everything I could. My pack and other various odds and ends were first, including putting the diamonds away and making sure I’d secured the massive amounts of meat and other parts for Zuri. I put Skulie in his honorary place, tucked into my armor.

Then I went to check on that treasure chest the half-gorgon had mentioned.

Bits of gold and precious ore glinted along the interior wall of the grotto. Had I been a more enterprising murderhobo, I might have taken the time to chip some of it out of the walls. But I was tired, and my eighteen diamonds were more than enough to make this trip worth it. Everything else was going to be icing on the cake.

I looked at the mushroom monsters as I walked past. Evidence of Zuri’s venom was present, both from the fact that the monsters hadn’t despawned yet, and because their mushroom-cap heads were coated in tiny fang bites that oozed green venom.

But the mushroom monsters were way less humanoid than I was expecting at first glance. They were bipedal but were more lizard-like, as everything had been around here. The monsters had wide mouths that nearly bisected their heads and were filled with tons of tiny, pointed teeth.

I was honestly pretty glad I didn’t have to fight any of them.

Some of the mushroom monsters were turned to stone, and I surmised that they had to be the men.

It didn’t take me long to get to the treasure chest. It was a decent size—about as wide as my torso was long—and made of solid wood trimmed with gold, and there were aggressively angular magical symbols on it.

There was no way in hell I was carrying that.

“That chest is heavily trapped,” Skullie said, unhelpfully.

“What? Really? I had no idea.” My sarcasm amusing myself while I tried to add it to my extradimensional space. Nothing happened.

“Of course not,” I muttered, moving to look for my rope.

But it was missing.

Right.

I’d sliced it to pieces to free Skullie and then tied what I could of it together and looped it around my waist. The rope was sad looking, frayed and riddled with knots and even burnt in some places. But yanking on it proved it was still in good enough condition to be useful for one last job.

I looped the rope around the treasure chest, secured it with some fresh knots, and then gave the rope a light tug.

The chest resisted my pull, and so I tried harder. It skipped across the stone floor, making a ruckus, but it did move a bit.

“You’re a fascinating person,” Skullie said, his jaw making that chittering sound I associated with him laughing.

“Why’s that?” I grunted, pulling on the chest.

“Your solutions are straight forward. No ambiguity or pretense. Just problem, solution, make it work.” He paused. “You’d have made a particularly useful lich, one day.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him I wasn’t interested in his undead multi-level marketing scheme, so I just kept yanking on the rope.

It was slow going. Navigating through traps and around corners was a pain.

Stairs became the bane of my existence.

But my prolific Strength and Endurance meant I was able to get the chest up and out of the dungeon eventually.

It was fully night by the time I made it outside. I arrived at the sight of a large, cheerful fire and the sounds of voices raised in conversation. An aroma of pungent but pleasant food drifted through the air and reached me, reminding me of how long it had been since I’d last eaten.

Wait, when was that? Before I came to this world, certainly. No wonder I’m so hungry.

A handful of goblin statues stood at the edges of the flickering firelight. More lined the camp, with the women using the surprised-looking creatures as stools.

“Jordan?” Nym looked over, bounding to her feet, and rushing to greet me. “Are you okay?”

I looked around at the other women. Everyone was relaxed. Merielle had her feet propped up on a small statue of a terrified goblin. Britney and Zuri were sitting on two other statues that had been knocked over, and Nym had obviously been sitting on the ground beside them. Sadie was curled up in a little ball beside the fire, resting in an outstretched goblin hand.

“Fine,” I said, even though my throat was still raw. “Just a little bruised.” I smiled. “Did you run into any trouble?”

“Nothing we couldn’t handle,” Merielle said. “And by ‘we,’ I absolutely mean Zuri.”

The half-gorgan only smiled. “You did something dangerous on your way out, didn’t you?” Zuri asked.

There was no accusation in her tone. If anything, the crinkle around her eyes hinted at amusement.

I shrugged in response and grinned at her. The magic of her snakes rolled over my body as we made eye contact, and I realized her hair was unbound.

She waved a hand toward the crude pot in the center of the fire. “I made a stew. Join us, will you? We’d like to speak with you.”

Approaching the fire, I untied the frayed rope from my waist and dropped it. “I could definitely go for a bit of rest, some food, and the company of four lovely ladies.”

“Wait a moment. Were you really dragging that chest behind you the whole way?” Zuri said, blinking as she saw the treasure chest in the darkness.

I shrugged. “Easier than carrying it on my shoulder. One moment.”

Leaving the treasure chest where it lay, I made my way into the forest, seeking a tree of a certain size. My Axe of Felling made short work of it, and I returned a few minutes later with a six-foot length of log over my shoulder. I let it slam into the ground, then settled on it.

Zuri gave me a questioning look, to which I simply shrugged.

“I don’t care for sitting on rocks,” I said with a grin.

The log was long enough for multiple people, and both Zuri and Merielle came over and sat next to me.

“The ground isn’t bad either,” Nym said cheerfully, moving to sit near us.

Britney just glared at me over the fire. I wasn’t sure what I did to make her so openly hostile, but it had obviously been something. I did notice a flash of pale flesh, only to realize she’d taken her glass heels off.

Once I’d settled into place with a bowl of stew, I recounted a bit of my adventures. I glossed over just how dangerous the magma fight had been, however.

Why make them worry? It wasn’t like I nearly died.

When I came to the end, however, Skullie piped up. “You should have seen it! He nearly died at least four times that I counted!”

I rolled my eyes. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“Sure, boss. Whatever you say.”

That prompted me to explain the fact that Skullie was now my familiar, which put everyone more at ease with the lich.

“I suppose I should offer to heal you,” Britney said. “Since Zuri handled the goblins, I prioritized my mana recovery.”

“The hit point damage is healed. It’ll just take a bit for the aftereffects to wear off, I suppose. Thanks for offering.”

She brightened, then cut her eyes to Zuri and Nym and her expression dimmed.

“We’re going to take you up on your offer,” Merielle said once she’d finished her stew. “All of us. We’d like your feedback on which classes to choose though. Some of us still had a few questions. We also want to have a conversation with you after the party business is done.”

She tipped her head to Zuri, who picked up the thread.

“Your class is glue,” Zuri said, obviously choosing her words carefully. “You said you don’t want to coerce us, and we all get that. But any good group needs a leader. I know what class I’m going to choose, but I think it would be good to hear your thoughts anyway.”

“Good point.”

I wasn’t about to argue or remind the women about their autonomy. If they’d decided to form a party with me, I wasn’t going to try talking them out of it anymore.

Rolling my hand, I summoned my Tablet. I found a copy of the offered class selections under the Command Authority tab.

“Why don’t you each take turns telling me what you’re gravitating toward and why?”

Each woman went through their thoughts. I’d finished two bowls of stew by the time they were done. With a full belly, I felt much better prepared to handle anything that came up.

“Zuri, that was delicious,” I said, impulsively reaching over to squeeze her forearm. At this point, I’d been nearly turned to stone so frequently that I almost didn’t even register the tingle of magic as half her snakes looked over at me.

Her eyes widened and shot down at the touch, then went to my face.

She looked aghast.

A moment later, she burst out laughing.

“What?” Merielle asked, looking from Zuri to me.

Zuri laughed a bit longer, then answered. “I keep forgetting Jordan is immune. The last time a man touched me, I was at a tavern. It was during my trip from my mother’s lands to the Sisterhood. I don’t think he meant anything by it. One of my serpents thought he meant danger though, and slipped out of my hair covering...” She let the implication trail off.

“Oh, Zuri,” Nym said with compassion in her voice. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Zuri gestured with her spoon. “Do you want more stew, Jordan?”

“No, thanks.”

Putting the crude bowl beside me on the log, I scrolled through the text again. As I considered the various classes and their intersections along with each of their inclinations, I reread each ability carefully. They then shared their insights, and each of them had pretty firm decisions about what they should or shouldn’t choose.

Before I made any suggestions about their options, I went back to my character sheet. I hadn’t spent any of my level-up points, and wanted to sort that out while I was thinking about it.

Out loud, I said, “Based on this makeup, I think we’re going to need two front-line fighters. Merielle is inclined in that direction, and so am I. I’m going to put more points in my Endurance, Agility, and Cunning.”

“Why those?” Merielle asked.

“My class limits your rewards if I do things for you. That means I’m going to need to outthink our enemies and deal as little damage as possible while the rest of you handle yourselves. In real fights, my value will be in tactical, hard-hitting, strikes.”

“That makes sense.”

I put two points into Adventure Historian, recognizing that mentoring a team would rely on that skill more than any other. One went into Dungeoneering. With the looming promise of more Cores on the horizon, we’d need to be prepared for that, too.

Plus, the two skills had great synergies.

Finally, I increased my attributes.

Once every point was allocated, my golden Tablet throbbed in my hand, sending waves of magic into my body. New insights, and even memories, wove through my mind, enhancing me with years of lived experience in a matter of seconds.

Three more years of skills in a second. I’m learning that the benefits of being a Tablet Wielder are unbeatable.

With my leveling up out of the way, I turned all my attention and strategizing to my companions.

“Okay, let’s start with the known factors.” I pointed at Zuri. “You’re right. The Chef class makes a lot of sense. Not only does it give you incredible versatility, but the fact that you have an innate ability to defend yourself is huge. I don’t see any reason to push you toward Mad Alchemist, when it feels like the two have similar potential. Either we’re hunting powerful monsters or magic herbs or mining in the dangerous depths. One way or the other, the quests to get your ingredients are basically the same. And you’ve already said you’re not as interested in leaning into your medusa heritage, so Medusa, Advanced wouldn’t make sense.”

“I’m glad you agree.” Zuri settled back on her seat, arms folding beneath her breasts in a manner that pushed them up to the point where they threatened to fall out of her top. She didn’t seem to notice. “With me out of the way, who is next?”

“Nym.”

The catgirl squirmed, practically preening as the attention of the group shifted to her. Sadie padded over, brushing across my leg.

“You’ve already said you don’t think Nature’s Hand will work for you, since befriending and sending animals into combat doesn’t suit you.”

“Mhm.” She nodded excitedly, making the bell at her throat jingle.

“Honestly, Scouring Tyrant and Spawn Boomer both sound really good to me. The only problem with Boomer is that it reads like it’s aimed at destroying as much of an area as possible. We’d have to go through efforts to reduce any friendly fire incidents.”

“Same with enclosed or flammable locations,” Zuri added. “With Scouring Tyrant, you also get access to transformation magic, which could add a lot of versatility.”

“I just don’t like the name. Boomer sounds like more fun than Tyrant.” Nym’s ears wilted as she considered our opinions. “I only learned cleaning magic to take care of my family, remember. Although, I suppose a different type of cleaning for you all wouldn’t be so bad.” She shrugged. “At least I’m already familiar with it.”

Sadie meowed several times and left my legs, then leaped onto her owner’s lap. She circled once, then laid down.

“That’s true,” Nym said, stroking Sadie’s back. “Sadie just reminded me that fire and fur doesn’t always get along well together.”

The cat made several other, more emphatic sounds, which Nym did not translate. “Okay, okay. Good points. All of you. I’ll go with Scouring Tyrant.”

“Good deal.” I consulted my Tablet. “Merielle or Britney next?”

“Me!” Leaping to her feet, Britney hurried around the fire until she stood right in front of me. “I have to go next. I refuse to go last or be left out.”

I blinked at the celestial’s abrupt change of demeanor.

Ignoring her demands, I leaned over and looked at Merielle. “I guess it makes sense for you to go last, since your class choice could make a big swing in how you perform. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine,” Merielle said with a thankful look.

Once the elf gestured her approval, I returned my attention to Britney. I took a deep breath before talking with her. “Okay, you’ve already said Nag Witch is out for a whole list of reasons. That leaves Savior and Thorned Angel. What’s your preference?”

“You tell me.”

“What?” I asked in a flat tone.

“You. Tell. Me.” She held up two hands. “My father raised me to be the healer in the family. I can do that if you want. Or I can be the Thorned Angel. You tell me what you need.”

She spoke with such blunt intensity that it nearly took me aback.

Just what is going on with her? I searched her face, trying to understand. Leaning forward, she returned my attention. For a moment, it seemed she wanted to block out my view of the other women, although I dismissed the idea. Why would she?

“I’m not going to act like I’m your father,” I said in carefully measured tones. “None of us are, for that matter. Now, from your reaction, I’d say that just being a healer isn’t precisely what you want. Thorned Angel has a lot of potential, especially if we’ve got enough healing to help the entire team.”

Shifting back to give me some space from Britney, I leaned over and spoke to Merielle. “You know what I’m going to say right?”

She flashed a brief glare at Britney, who was fortunately too focused on me to notice. “You’re going to suggest I go with Ballistic Knight, aren’t you? For mobility and extra hit points.”

I read obvious reluctance on her face, and went on anyway. “Yeah. If we can spread out the damage, you and I will need to be the lynch pins to hold our enemies at bay. Our weakness is going to come when the bad guys go for our back line. Especially Britney and Nym. Mobility might be the key to saving their lives.”

She seemed about to speak, when Zuri said, “Merielle, I remember when you said how much being out in front can make you feel a little isolated.”

The elf hesitated, looking away from Britney to Zuri. “It’s true. I enjoy fighting, but being the main fighter in the group always felt kind of…out there, I guess? Like, my job was to run ahead and get hurt and trust that our healer would get to me in time.”

Again, her attention returned to Britney.

I don’t think she trusts the party healer to do her job. The thought set my nerves on edge. According to everything I knew from my new skills, or remembered from team tactics back on Earth, such a thing was worse than counterproductive. If the team didn’t trust their healer, it could undermine everything that I was there to accomplish.

“I was always there,” Britney said defensively, stubbornly refusing to turn around and face the other woman. She just kept looking at me, as if willing me to give her all my attention.

“Except for when your shoes drained your mana,” Nym said with more than a hint of ire.

“That happened once! And only during training!” Britney’s cheeks colored faintly, though I didn’t know if it was from embarrassment or anger.

I reached out, putting my hands on Britney’s hips.

Her eyes widened and she met my eyes, hints of expectation in her gaze. It was amazing how her demeanor changed in an instant and she breathed deeply, causing her breasts to rise and fall. The arrogance in her expression melted into soft beauty, magnetic in how it should have drawn me in.

With my grip on her hips, I hefted the slender woman in the air and set her two feet to the side.

She huffed in surprise, too shocked to say anything for a moment.

“This stops now.” I said firmly. “If we’re going to be part of an elite team, it means we need to put the past behind us. Listen, Britney. I don’t care how much you want to be the center of attention. You can be the team’s Thorned Angel. That feels right to me. But your entire job is to keep us alive, not make things about you.”

I pointed across the clearing at her shoes. “Those need to go. If you want to wear them in cities, that’s fine, but never again in a dungeon or anywhere else you’re expected to perform. We coordinate classes, skills, and equipment from now on. Do I make myself clear?”

Britney’s cheeks colored again, although this time it didn’t look like anger. Biting her bottom lip, she nodded, looking down.

I fetched the new boots from my inventory. “You can wear these, if you want. They aren’t very good, or fashionable, but they can offer you some extra protection until we get something else.”

She said nothing, but stared mutely at the offered boots. I put them on the ground in front of her and turned to Merielle.

“Ultimately, I think Ballistic Knight makes sense with me in the party. If you were on your own, overwhelming any enemy with sheer damage might be the move. I’m here to help with that. You have the more important role of moving from place to place, adapting to problems, and saving lives. Does that make sense?”

She smiled. “It does.”

“I agree with this,” Zuri said. “We can’t always plan for an opponent to go down in the first few seconds. Versatility is important.”

I looked over at Zuri and gave her a slow smile. She was proving to have a solid grasp on tactics, which would come in handy.

The obvious reluctance on Merielle’s face softened. “I do like the idea of being useful as more than just a punching bag. A lot, actually.” What had begun as distrust of Britney’s intentions gradually shifted as she worked through the implications of a class she’d nearly dismissed. “Plus, I’ve never had a second fighter to work with. That could be a lot of fun.”

Merielle smiled, returning my gaze with a gentle intensity that seemed every bit as strong, if not as frantic, as the celestial’s.

Using my Tablet, I triggered the command to make an offer to each of the women. Their Tablets manifested in front of them, purple auras wavering. Each one got the same message, altered slightly for their choices.

***

Notice: Group leader [Jordan] has authorized you access to this Tablet for class [class name]. If you accept this Tablet, any previous Tablet class benefits will be removed. You will retain your preexisting proficiencies, skills, and attributes, but any spells you’d previously unlocked will be replaced with the ones provided by this Tablet. If you manage to gain [10] levels while wielding this Tablet, you may claim it as yours permanently. Until then, [Jordan] will retain Command Authority. This means he will select your attribute points, skill points, and most other variables for you. As a benefit, these Tablets will grant you access to an advanced party interface.

Do you wish to accept this offer? [Yes/No]

***

They’d had the discussions.

Each of them had her own reasons to agree, and with my promise to help with the Sisterhood and, eventually, Britney’s stepmother, none of them hesitated.

They all agreed.

My Tablet warmed, and a Party tab appeared. When I touched the button, a prompt popped up.

Notice: Congratulations on forming a party! What will you call yourselves?

With a laugh, I said, “It’s asking for a group name. What are we going to be called?”

“It can’t be Sisterhood of anything, obviously,” Britney said, flatly.

Her delivery earned a loud giggle from Nym, and a snort from Merielle. Zuri smiled, saying, “I’ve always liked the idea of being part of a ‘society.’ We might be too few for such an audacious name. But why not be ambitious?”

“Calling it a ‘society’ implies some pretty grand designs for the future,” I pointed out.

“Your class power lets you manufacture epic Tablets, Jordan. The potential to create something truly ambitious is there.”

“Fair. But if we call ourselves a society, it has to be of something. What are we a society of?”

Merielle said, “The Sisterhood wanted us to be food for a Dungeon Core. We didn’t let them. Next, we’re going to do our best to tear them down. I think that should be in the name.”

“Defiance, perhaps?” I offered.

Sadie purred and meowed loudly. She leaped onto my lap, then butted her head against my chest.

The girls, other than Nym, laughed at the cat’s antics. For some reason, she pouted a little, before announcing, “We are!”

And with that our group was formed and given the name The Society of the Defiant.