Dungeon Champions

Notice: You have entered the territory of Queen Esmer of the Cryseth Faeries. As you are a high-level Tablet Wielder, your presence has been shared with her. Be aware, she has issued [Delegate Authority] to Mayor Regan who will speak with her voice on most issues.

Notice: Quest Completion - Visit the Town of Boulibar Bay.

Rewards: Each member of the team has earned [5] experience points. All other than [Jordan] needs [5] more to reach level [2]. [Jordan] needs [155] to reach level [12].

The notification appeared on my Tablet the moment we came within a few hundred feet of the town’s fortified wooden walls.

“That’s good to know,” I said, adjusting the weight of the sleeping catgirl in my arms. She’d been too exhausted to walk, so I’d decided to just carry her. Rather than throwing her over my shoulder like I did with Britney, I looped an arm under her back and her knees. She was surprisingly light, which I attributed to how damn thin she was.

The poor girl is all boobs, ears, and tail, I thought, vaguely amused.

Sadie draped herself across my shoulders like an expensive fur stole. Zuri took over holding Skullie—I really had to make getting him a body the top of my to-do list—and Britney and Merielle cleaned up our impromptu camp before catching up to us.

We passed the gates without anyone stopping to question us. There was a small gate house next to it, with room for two or three guards, but it was empty.

Idyllic and peaceful weren’t words I would use to describe a port town—especially not one as loud as Boulibar Bay—but there was an air of laissez-faire confidence emanating from the town.

The land around the town sloped gently down toward the water. Gentle azure waves lapped at sturdy docks that I could see clearly from my higher vantage point on the main road that bisected the town. To either side of the road were homes and businesses, all made from stone buildings that stood shoulder-to-shoulder with little space between them. Occasionally the mold was broken by more whimsical structures—made of wood or plaster or even one that seemed to be made of polished obsidian.

All of the buildings seemed to follow the same bowl-like build; those to the outskirts of the town were higher up than those going toward the docks. It created almost an amphitheater aesthetic.

We drew attention as we moved into the town, but it was nothing more than curious looks. I just put on my best smile and walked with confidence, even as my party members clustered around me a bit more.

Our first stop was an inn. While it was still early afternoon, I’d worn everyone out with the walk and I wanted to give them a chance to get refreshed while I did a little reconnaissance. The price for two of the best rooms at Moonlight Home was steep—nearly 100 gold—but I was able to haggle down to 50 a night if we paid for two weeks in advance.

While the expense hurt, it also motivated me. Within two weeks we had to have either constant income or the ability to purchase our own homestead within the town. And all of that would start with talking to a single gate guard.

Because we weren’t sleeping for the night, I let the ladies divide up the rooms between themselves and rest up. Skullie and I went for a look around.

Without my party, I didn’t garner so much as a second look from anyone. Folks went about their day as if I were just another cog in the wheel that made Boulibar Bay turn. Interestingly, we passed a few groups of people I thought might be in parties, or maybe even harems.

There was a buzzing fairy with dark lipstick and eyes, wearing all black leather, accompanied by a group of hairy dwarves, and a troupe of livery-wearing all-female elves that stood out in particular.

“Where are we headed, boss?” Skullie asked, his jaw creaking as he tried to look around. “Gonna go pick up some quests without the ladies?”

I ignored a woman who looked our way and gasped, a hand clutched to her chest. “That’s the plan. I can always just share them with them after.”

“Think we might be able to stop by a temple? Preferably a necromancy-aligned one.”

Combing through my memory didn’t spark anything so I asked, “Why?”

Skullie wiggled back and forth on his still-forming spine. “I’d like a body, if we could. There should be a medical facility and a crypt. If we talk to the right people, I might be able to get one for pretty cheap.”

I looked around the town as best I could. There weren’t really any ominous looking buildings that screamed ‘necromancer temple;’ even that obsidian building was more quaint than scary. “You think we’ll be able to find a temple with necromancers in a town like this?”

Skullie chuckled, although the sound was nothing more than bones rattling. “Every town has a temple dedicated to the undead. You just need to know where to look.”

I held my familiar up over my head, letting him get a good look at the town. “Tell me where to go and we’ll go.”

“Hm…give me a moment.”

A man nearby shouted in wordless surprise before holding his hand up in a ward against evil. “Monster!”

“I think he means you,” I said to Skullie with a chuckle.

The lich didn’t answer, but his jaw worked as he swung his skull back and forth to look over the buildings.

After a moment I pulled him back close to me. “Any luck?”

“Why are there so many buildings? Since when did mortals start propagating enough to need this many buildings!” He gave an exasperated sigh, although without any lungs to push the air, or shoulders to heave, it was quite a pitiful attempt.

“I wouldn’t know,” I said with a casual grin. “Why don’t we work on making a name for ourselves in town, and then we’ll ask around? I don’t want to start any rumors or anything by just diving right into asking for a necromancer lurkery, or whatever it’s called.”

“Temple,” he corrected, waggling his jaw at me. “It’s a legitimate place of worship.”

“Aligned with undead.”

“And necromantic monsters!”

“Right. So maybe we play at being the good guys before we start aligning ourselves with undead and monsters?”

My familiar’s jaw clicked as he worked it in anger. “Fine.”

“It might actually be best if I tuck you away for now, too.”

Skullie made a disgusted sound. “Why, because a few townsfolk are getting distracted?”

“Exactly. In mixed company, it’s probably best not to advertise that I’ve got a lich for a familiar.”

“I’m harmless.”

“And armless.”

Skullie shook his jaw at me in disapproval. “You really know how to kick a lich when he’s down.”

I started to tuck Skullie away in my pack and then paused. Instead, I stepped into a tiny darkened alleyway so we weren’t exactly visible to those who passed by. “Will giving you a body make you more…humanoid?”

“What do you mean? I started as a humanoid before you massacred my perfect creation.”

“I mean…mortal. Will you have skin and muscles and things?”

Skullie’s jaw worked in silence. “For a time? I am a lich. Things would start decaying at an inhuman rate until I was zombie-like once more.”

“That might not be great for adventuring. Folks tend to get mad about their ancestor’s bones walking around.”

“Am I actually related to them in this scenario?”

I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Something about liches being walking undead weirds out mortals, and we need to adjust for that.”

Skullie tilted his head to the side. “We could try glamor.”

“Is that what I think it is?”

“Magic. Not inexpensive, but reusable. Needs to be recharged. It would allow me to look mortal at first glance, and whatever flavor of it you want. But I draw the line at catgirl; you already have one of those and I don’t want a tail and feline ears.”

“What if I promised to give you scritches?”

“Your hand would pass through, and the glamor would be damaged for some time.” Skullie tried to give me a stern look. It was a rather feeble attempt. “It’s nothing more than appearances, but it could solve the problem you’re facing, if you are willing to pay the cost.”

“Good to know, and I’ll think about it,” I said, as I returned to tucking him in my bag. I left the top of his skull sticking out, just enough so that he could see over my shoulder if he wanted. “Let’s get moving. I want to get as many quests as I can before we head back to the ladies.”

***

Finding a gate guard wasn’t difficult. Despite the name, they weren’t actually stationed at the front gates, but seemed to just be…everywhere. We walked through the upper part of town, getting familiar with the layout. There wasn’t a lot in the way of landmarks or points of interest that I could use to help me find my way back to the inn, so I mostly walked in a straight line from the main road to one of the side entrances.

Skullie helpfully pointed out the first guard he saw. The man was broad shouldered, with the straight back and bored-yet-alert expression you’d expect to see from someone on patrol. He had the perfect smattering of stubble across his chin and stern eyes that marked him as a hardened part of the guard. Yet the pooch to his belly and the way he held his arms told a different story, one that made him immediately approachable. He had a pair of antennae jutting out of his forehead.

The casual smile that crossed his face as I walked up helped.

“Yours isn’t a face I recognize.”

“A thing I think I should be happy about,” I said, smiling back at the guard. “I’m Jordan Cash. My party and I are new to town, and we were hoping you’d be able to help us get acquainted.”

“Ah. Well, welcome to Boulibar Bay. I’m Gate Guard Sirun. You’re currently in the Upper Half, and down by the docks is the Lower Half. Most of the buildings up here are residences, although you’ll find some neighborhood shopping districts scattered about. If you’re looking for—”

I held up a hand to interrupt him. “Thank you, but I wouldn’t dare interrupt you just to get an abbreviated tour. One of my party members mentioned you might be able to help us obtain quests to introduce ourselves to the town?”

Something dark crossed his face and his antennae drooped. “Might be I could.”

“We’re adventurers, just met and formed a party. I am trying to help them level up and get caught up to me, and it would be good to start with safe quests rather than shoving them into a dungeon and praying they make it out alive.”

That darkness vanished instantly. “Smart thinking. ”

“We don’t need any sort of favor. Just if you happen to know folks looking for a helping hand, we’re more than willing to help.”

“Do you have a Tablet?”

I suppressed a grimace. Not that I thought it was dangerous to share, but I hadn’t asked about common courtesies when it came to being a Tablet Wielder. Was it flaunting to show him? My memories seemed to indicate that it was all right, but I worried they were tainted by the bold confidence of their previous owner.

Still, I called my Tablet into existence so he could see it. The Veil spell made it seem like an epic-level Tablet, so he didn’t comment other than look at me appreciatively.

“Great. Makes it a heck of a lot easier than just rambling out a bunch of names.”

He frowned and concentrated for a moment, and then my Tablet buzzed.

***

Quest: Stranger No More.

Assigned to: Jordan Cash.

Estimated Time to Completion: 3-5 hours.

Estimated Risk: Low.

Potential Rewards: 10 gold, plus up to 25 experience points per party member if 10 or more are completed. Additional rewards possible.

Details: Gate Guard Sirun of Boulibar Bay has assigned you a handful of tasks to prove your good intentions and earn the town’s trust. Your tasks are as follows:

Help [Annabelle] with her yard work.

Retrieve the forgotten book from the [Miller’s Daughter].

Investigate the whereabouts of [Professor Ryd’s glasses].

Clear the debris on the southern road outside of town.

Mend [Old Man Dalton’s] fishing nets before the tide comes in.

Aggressive seagulls are attacking folks on the docks—find a way to get rid of them.

Deliver a message from [Miss Grayson] at the [Dragon’s Hoard Inn], to her [sister] on the outskirts of town.

Unload [thirty crates] on the docks onto carts.

[Farmer Mason] needs help tending to his livestock, particularly feeding the animals and cleaning out the stables.

Gather firewood for the town stockpile.

Deliver [Baker Knightly’s] bread to the sailors at the docks.

Collect ship manifests and bring them to the harbormaster’s office.

Find a missing hammer [long press for additional details].

Not all of these tasks need to be finished to complete this quest, but the number of tasks completed will increase your potential rewards.

***

I grinned. “This is perfect.”

“Are you new to quests, or do you need some help figuring out how to go about starting this one?”

I shook my head. Even if it weren’t for my borrowed memories, I had all the information I could need in my Tablet. And my companions would be able to fill in any specific blanks. “Thanks for your help, Gate Guard Sirun.”

“Just Sirun is fine,” he said. “Your Tablet will notify our officials as you complete the quests automatically, but you should come back and see me anyway. If I’m not here, I should be at the guard barracks at the east entrance.”

My quest text was updated to include that information, and Sirun sent me on my way with a wave.

As soon as we were out of earshot, Skullie started to wiggle around in my pack. “Really surprised you stayed quiet for that long.”

“I didn’t want you getting in trouble with the law for rescuing me.” He sounded a bit grumpy, even though he finally settled down. “Sitting still for that long was starting to hurt though.”

“Hurt what? You’re a skull and half a spine.”

“And that’s the part that hurt! Just because I don’t have ligaments or muscles doesn’t mean I don’t feel cramps.”

“How. You don’t have a nervous system.”

“Well you see, my body might seem like it’s comprised of—”

I instantly regretted asking.

And continued regretting for the entire fifteen minute walk back to the inn.