“Why are you with the hero?” the skeletal warrior asked.

He was a lot more impressive than Cmyk could ever be. Standing seven feet tall, covered by large slabs of metal armor, he could easily stand up to any of the gnomework suits of Lord Mandrake. If Theo was to guess, this would pass as a “boss minion”—powerful creatures aimed to put an end to any intruding heroes or adventurers. Creating one cost a tremendous amount of core points.

“Are you an assistant?” The skeleton stepped closer as roots reconstructed the floor. “A servant?”

“A servant?” the avatar grunted. “Did you ever consider that the hero might be the one assisting me?”

Deep laughter echoed through the room. The minion clearly doubted it.

“You’re weak, far too weak!” the skeleton said. “Not that the hero was much stronger. All of them are weak. Weak and stupid. That’s why she will pay the price and join the rest in my master’s collection.”

“Collection?”

“My master likes to collect heroes. One day, his collection will become the greatest the world has known. You, however, are not fit to be part of that collection!”

As fast as lightning, the minion swung its massive sword at Theo’s avatar. The blade split the air, but before it could reach its target, the avatar had summoned his own sword from the dimensional ring and blocked. Having legendary swashbuckling skills was quite a good ability to have in a situation such as this, although when it came down to it, Theo preferred to have something slightly more combat oriented. While anything legendary helped, handling a sword was quite different from handling a rapier.

The skeleton warrior froze still. The flames in its eye sockets grew brighter as it looked at the sword that wasn’t supposed to be there. Changing its stance, the minion then went into a frenzy of attacks. The avatar, still floating in the air, parried.

Initially, Theo was afraid that the skeleton’s skills might match or outshine his own. For half a minute, he played it cautiously, only blocking blows and analyzing the pattern. Soon enough, he found that despite the otherwise impressive speed—at least to the eyes of an observer—the attacks were painfully slow. Once he got used to it, watching the attacks was almost like looking at slow motion. Even with the avatar’s awkward handling of the sword, blocking became easy to the point that every now and again then let out a counterattack of his own.

The heroic blade struck the massive metal chest plate of the minion, leaving a deep mark. After building up enough confidence, Theo deflected a strike, and went all out. Defender became attacker, pushing the passive skeletal minion back, and chopping off chunks of armor in the process. Twice the avatar slashed through a humerus, yet the magic of the minion instantly restored the bone to its former state. Despite the dungeon’s advantage, victory wasn’t going to be so easy… or wasn’t it?

“You have a legendary sword,” the skeleton said, as it was pushed back. “Where did you get it?”

“Oh, this old thing?” the avatar asked casually. “It was given to me by an old acquaintance.

Strictly speaking, every single word in the sentence was true, although it painted a completely different picture of what had happened. Yes, the hero that had stumbled to his death was old, and the dungeon was acquainted to him through the congratulatory message that had appeared after. However, the two had never been in good relations. If anything, during the brief moments they had known each other, the old hero had attempted to kill the dungeon for no good reason whatsoever.

“Do you like it?”

“My master would want to add it to his collection.”

“Well, you can tell your master…” the avatar did a diagonal attack aiming at the second quadrant. The blow was deflected, by the minion, though in doing so, created an unprotected opening. Theo then took advantage, spinning in the air and chopping off the upper half of the skull. “That I’ll give it to him personally,” he said.

The massive minion remained still, like a puppet that had its strings cut off. The flames in the skill faded away, after which the rest of the skeleton collapsed to the ground in pieces.

 

CORE CONSUMPTION

1 Skeletal Warrior Minion core fragment converted into 500 Avatar Core Points

 

AVATAR LEVEL INCREASE

Your Avatar has become Level 10

+1 Strength, SWORD CHOP skill obtained

930 Core Points required for next Avatar Level

 

Five hundred core points? That was quite a significant amount, although the dungeon felt that he was cheated. Knowing how much it cost to create a minion of such nature, he was hoping to receive at least four times that.

 

SWORD CHOP - 1

Allows your avatar to slice through solid objects by infusing it with 10 energy. Only efficient against physical objects.

Using the ability will increase its rank, increasing the effects of the chop strike.

 

That was at least something nice. The name could definitely use some work, but the effects were perfectly suited. Also, Theo’s avatar had finally increased his strength a bit. Broadly speaking, magic kills increased mind, while physical kills boosted strength. The only question remained: how would one increase speed? That was a question for another time, preferably when Spok was less grumpy. Having to deal with several dozen panicked merchants and laborers had managed to stretch the patience of the spirit guide to the extreme. It didn’t help that several nobles had approached her, requesting that she support them—in the name of Baron d’Argent, of course—during the council meeting. With Earl Rosewind still gone, the intrigue in his castle had reached ludicrous levels.

 

HEROIC SPECIALIZATION

(Level 10 requirements met)

Based on the life you have led so far, the deities have granted you the opportunity to select a secondary specialization complementing your heroic trait. Further specializations are also possible based on your future development.

The choices provided to you are as follow: MASON, MERCHANT, MAGE, and MISSIONARY.

 

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Theo grumbled.

Annoying alliteration aside, none of the specializations were remotely appealing. Back from his previous life, he remembered specialization classes being a lot more useful. True, being a mage had some appeal, but even that seemed so bland.

“Do I get to know which is which?” he asked.

 

MASON

(Offered due to abundant building and room construction)

Constructing buildings of any type and nature would require less stamina. If magic structures are built, less mana would be used in their construction as well.

 

That one was outright useless. Theo could construct rooms with the snap of his finger, and even if there was some minuscule amount of energy saved, it wasn’t like he’d gain a huge advantage from it.

 

MERCHANT

(Offered due to massive accumulation of wealth)

Negotiating prices is heavily in your favor, allowing you to increase profit margins by a substantial amount.

 

That was a hero specialization? If so, Theo’s definition of heroes was quite outdated. Try as he might, he couldn’t imagine heroes going about like a door-to-door salesman, offering discounts for heroic deeds. Part of him wanted to pick this option just for the fun of it. However, that would mean he’d have to interact with people on a daily basis, which was something he wanted to avoid.

 

MAGE

(Offered due to abundant use of magic spells)

Increases your mana pool by 1000. This is a significant step towards performing high-intensity spells.

 

The dungeon felt outright insulted. A measly thousand mana? He spent more on common spells. Were humans that weak? Apparently so. This too was a hard pass.

 

MISSIONARY

(Offered for killing a demon with a messed item)

Increases the chances of receiving a blessing from the deities.

 

“Can I get something else?” Theo asked as his avatar crossed his arms. Not that the last was terrible, but he was already in pretty good relations with the goddess Peris. If anything, she had to be thankful to him. Thanks to Cmyk’s involvement, the temple was always in pristine condition, and with a significant number of followers. Some had even suggested expanding the temple, not that was possible given the lack of town space surrounding the structure.

The description of the last specialization disappeared, replaced by something unexpected.

 

RANDOM

(Offered because requested)

Chooses a random specialization. The choice cannot be changed.

 

Clearly, the deities were just as confused by Theo’s situation as he was. This was probably the most elegant way for everyone to get what they wanted. Not that there was any guarantee that the dungeon would get anything useful. On the other hand, at least it couldn’t be worse than some of the options it had done though.

“Just give me the random,” Theo said.

 

ANIMAL HANDLER

Allows a better understanding of animals, allowing you to treat and handle them better.

 

Not great, though not terrible. If nothing else, it was going to allow the dungeon to take better care of Maximilian. The rabbit had gained significant weight after being bought, and neither Cmyk nor Spok were doing a terribly good job tending to it. Starting tomorrow, Theo planned to set a strict schedule of feeding, rest, and exercises to ensure that it got back into shape.

Now that was all over with, Theo could finally get back to the matter at hand. According to the skeletal warrior, the entity that had created it was in collecting heroes for some reason. Hopefully, that meant that Liandra was alive, but also that the entity would redirect its attention towards Theo’s avatar.

Theo floated to the part of the room where Liandra had vanished. A thick layer of roots had completely patched the hole as if it had never been there. This was a perfect opportunity for Theo to test out his new chop ability. Dedicated a bit of energy to the legendary weapon, he struck the floor. Roots splintered at the force of the blow, along with half of the room’s floor. Theo made a mental note to limit the amount of energy he used for the ability, then cast an aether bubble around him and slowly floated down. He expected to find a dozen skeletal warriors expecting him. Instead, he found a vast chamber of columns awaiting him. In many ways, it was as if he had entered some old abandoned temple, or worse—it was almost as if he had entered another dungeon.

“Spok,” he said back into his main body. “Are there cases of forgotten dungeons?”

“Just a moment, please,” the woman said, as she went through the new scroll of expenses handed to her by the waggoneer. With the latest disturbance, most of the locals were rushing to get back to their homes. That made transport of goods difficult and extremely expensive.

Nodding a few times, Spok handed the man two gold coins, then closed the door.

“You were saying, sir?” Spok rolled the scroll away.

“Forgotten dungeons. Do you know anything about them?”

“There are a few cases of dungeons that have retired after a long and productive existence. Not too many. As you should know from personal experience, it’s difficult for even an inactive dungeon to remain inactive for long.”

“Know of any that collect heroes, by chance?”

“Sir, I’m not a dungeon encyclopedia. Spirit guides have a general understanding of events. We do not keep in touch with every dungeon in existence. But, to answer your question, yes, there have been instances of dungeons acquiring more exotic taste. Some have been known to collect travelers or even adventurers, but very few target heroes. As the saying goes, those who play with fire inevitably get burned.”

That wasn’t a definitive answer, but enough for Theo to suspect that he was right. There was every indication that the “core of the Vinewood” had never belonged to a forest, but a dungeon that had existed there long ago. Just looking at the hall, the dungeon must have become immense. This room alone was larger than Earl Rosewind’s palace. The architecture was imposing: massive stone columns, gothic style arcs across the ceiling—an adventurer’s dream. The heroic part of Theo felt overjoyed he had found such a forgotten treasure. The dungeon part of him, though, was annoyed at himself for disturbing the slumber of someone else. There was no denying he was in the wrong, or the Silvarian elves, for that matter. All the ancient dungeon wanted was probably to have a nice long hap, and a pesky tribe of elves had suddenly appeared above and started sending expeditions down to steal its core.

The avatar floated to the floor, then looked around. Roots were everywhere, although not dirt. From what he could see, there wasn’t a single speck anywhere.

You really kept it in good shape, Theo thought. Maybe an arrangement could be reached. Given a chance, he preferred to avoid fighting a dungeon, although that wasn’t always possible. While dungeons didn’t often run into one another due to their nature, they were highly territorial, and having one invade the domain of another was likely to trigger a response.

“Hello?” the avatar said loudly. “I know you can hear me. I’m not here to cause trouble.”

That was a lie if there ever was one. The whole reason Theo and Liandra had come here was to steal a core—the core, to be precise.

“This is all a massive misunderstanding. I’m sure that if we discuss things, we can come to a mutually agreeable solution.”

“You’re the one who destroyed my minion,” a dry voice echoed throughout the hall. “And now you’re here to rescue your companion? Touching…”

“This doesn’t need to escalate.”

“Let’s play a game. I have your hero. All you need to do to get her is find her.”

There was a flash of green light in the far end of the chamber, then another and another. Dozens of light flashes were everywhere, each giving birth to a skeleton minion.

“That is, before I find you.” Laughter echoed as the horde of minions descended upon the avatar.

As a dungeon, Theo didn’t particularly like his odds. As a hero, though, all he could see were bags of core points running his way.

“I tried to be reasonable, but if this is how you want it.” The avatar lifted his left hand, then cast a massive fireball.

The flame hit the approaching group of skeletal warriors, filling the chamber with a heavy smell of charred wood. Just to be on the safe side, Theo doubled the amount of energy he normally used for the spell. After several moments, he stopped. Unfortunately for him, the skeletons were still there, bright red runes glowing on their skulls and pieces of armor.

“You’re not the only one who can have protective talismans,” the voice whispered. “Good luck saving your friend.”

So much for an easy fight. Gripping his sword, Theo energized it using the full amount, then struck at the first of the approaching skeletons.

The blade cut through it like butter, slicing through shield, armor, and all.

 

CORE CONSUMPTION

1 Skeletal Soldier Minion core fragment converted into 100 Avatar Core Points

 

That was remarkably easy. Just as Theo was about to charge at the rest of the skeletons, a series of arrows struck his head and torso. There was no pain, just a few spikes in his energy consumption. Turning around, the avatar saw half a dozen skeletons with crossbows shooting at him from the side a short distance away.  

This is what you’re going for? Theo grumbled to himself.

The arrows clearly had magic in them, for they had shattered his aether shield without any issue. That made them exceedingly annoying. When the avatar took a step in their direction, a new skeleton blocked his way. This one was twice the normal size, holding a massive tower shield.

Just as before, the avatar slashed at the minion, only this time the sword didn’t slice through the slab of metal, but bounced back instead. That unexpected result merited a quick arcane identify. The results weren’t good. In addition to an anti-flame and anti-ice enchantment, the shield had an anti-shatter one as well, making it act like a real shield. That didn’t stop Theo from attacking again for good measure. Same as before, his sword bounced off as if it were made of rubber.

A massive ax swung down at the avatar from the side. Thankfully, Theo’s legendary swashbuckling skills allowed him to elegantly evade the attack, even if the floor wasn’t that lucky. Several of the stone tiles cracked up at the ax’s impact. If this had hit, it was going to leave more than a mark. Theo was going to have to deal with the ax skeleton as well, though later. For the moment, he had a plan and planned to stick to it.

Using his telekinetic ability, he lifted the shield skeleton into the air then dashed straight at the skeleton archers. Three more arrows pierced his chest, though they didn’t stop him from reaching his target and slashing them all to bits with a single cleave attack.

 

CORE CONSUMPTION

6 Skeletal Archer Minion core fragments converted into 300 Avatar Core Points

 

No sooner was he done than the avatar turned around and threw his blade at the shield skeleton still in the air. With his back exposed, there was nothing to protect the minion, so the blade easily severed the base of the minion’s spine, decapitating the entity.

 

CORE CONSUMPTION

1 Skeletal Shield Minion core fragment converted into 200 Avatar Core Points

 

I could get used to this, Theo fought. It was almost as if he were fighting his own creations. Of course, these ones had the explicit intent of killing him. All of a sudden, the waves of enemies didn’t seem so terrifying anymore.

It had to be admitted that the dungeon against him had done well in organizing the minions. They were varied, working together as one large unit. Archers, spearmen, shielders, and heavy attackers worked together to create the most effective offensive. Unfortunately for them, they only made the avatar stronger.

Focusing on the weaker ones first, Theo acquired enough core points to gain another level—and the corresponding skill, which turned out rather useless. Somehow, Tracking wasn’t what he could use right now, especially since it was specified that it was meant mostly for outdoors. Then again, the skill he obtained for the following level was perfect: Zap. While it wasn’t exactly chain lightning, given enough enemies, it could get pretty close. Also, it was one thing the skeletal minions weren’t protracted against. Theo’s only regret was that there were so few to test it on. The results, though, were impressive… possibly a bit too impressive.

“So, you’re really set on rescuing her?” the voice said. “I underestimated you.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” the avatar said, as it tried to determine where the voice was coming from. Despite the flawless victory, he wasn’t any closer to figuring out where Liandra or the forest core were.

There were eight corridors leaving the chamber, without any indication of which could be the right one.

“Maybe I’ll add you to my collection, after all.”

“You’ve failed so far.”

“You seem to have an interesting spell protecting you. Most would have lost conscience by now, but I do like a challenge. And to make things more interesting, I’ll give you the first hint.”

“You know that I’ll find your core,” the avatar said, but there was no answer. Instead, one of the corridors lit up in green light. There was every chance that was a trap, but Theo didn’t care. Walking in was as good a choice as any, and it could well speed up things. Casting another aether shield bubble, the avatar floated into the corridor.

The condition of the ceiling and walls was terrible. There were more roots than stone, all continuing further in. At least that suggested there was a good chance that Liandra and the core were close to one another. There was a certain twisted logic that a dungeon would want its prized possessions close to where its core was. Theo didn’t particularly care. As far as he was concerned, his core was a major inconvenience. Possibly, that was why Spok was constantly creating traps to protect it.

After a while, the corridor split into two. The choice was an easy one. All that the avatar had to do was follow the roots. Soon after, the process repeated again. This time, when making the choice that seemed right, the avatar got to a dead end. A large mosaic seemed to block the path, although judging by the roots, the force that was driving them continued on.

This had to be the next obstacle. However, it didn’t seem at all what a dungeon would have done. The skeleton minions Theo could understand: they were cheap and efficient. This, though. It wasn’t a trap. Rather, it was a riddle. What was more, there were elf words carved all over it.

“Is this some sort of puzzle?” the avatar asked. Yet again, there was no answer.

Of course, Theo had no intention of wasting time with something as stupid. Charging forward, he struck the stone with his heroic blade. Alas, nothing happened. Whoever had protected the wall had made sure to make it invulnerable.

All this for a forest core, Theo said to himself.

“Walk the path of the chosen,” he read what was written.

That didn’t provide many hints, at least not any that he could make out.

“Spok, are you good with riddles?” he asked back in Rosewind.

“No, sir, I’m not,” the spirit guide replied without hesitation.

“Good. What do you think ‘Walk the path of the chosen’ means? It might be related to the elves, or some forgotten dungeon, or maybe Vinewood itself.”

The woman sighed. She knew full well that she had been volunteered into something she had no knowledge or desire to do. And yet, she had to assist her dungeon in any way possible. Teleporting to the main building, Spok went into the living room and looked into the crystal orb. There was nothing but darkness there.

“You’re in a place that’s preventing spying,” she said. “It’s just a simple spell this time, although powerful enough to interfere.”

“Yeah. About that… I think I might have entered a dungeon.”

“What?” Spok almost jumped in place. If there was anything that could make her feel that she was about to faint, this was it. A dungeon ransacking a dungeon was unnatural. The proper way was for dungeons to build a defensive structure and send hordes of minions to one another until one group managed to reclaim the other’s core. “What have you gotten yourself into, sir?”

“I did say that the forest core probably belonged to a dungeon.”

“That is extremely unlikely, sir.” Spok was careful not to say the word possible. Normally, she would have, but after being attacked by a dungeon who was human in its previous life, anything was possible. “It would take a tremendously large dungeon to have a forest within it. And, if that were the case, the heroine with you would have sensed something.”

“Well, she got kidnapped,” Theo said. “And without much of a fight, either. A bunch of roots just burst up from the ground and snatched her away. Now, she seems to be near to where the core’s at.”

“Oh.”

“So, what does the riddle mean?”

“Given so little context, it could be anything. Are there any visual clues?”

“Hold a moment.” The avatar stepped back. “There’s a mosaic of a dragon breathing fire on a forest in the middle of a sea, I think.”

That was a good start.

“Are there any colors?” Spok asked.

“Shades of green and blue,” Theo replied. “The message is carved on chunks of stone around it.”

“In what language?”

“Elvish, I think?” Theo hesitated.

“Hmm…”

“Look, I know all languages. How am I supposed to tell what language it’s in?”

“How about you try pressing the tile with the word ‘path’ on it?”

“Are you sure?”

“No, sir, I’m not. But at this point, it’s as good a choice as any.”

“Alright.” The avatar went to the wall and pressed the tile that the spirit guide suggested. A bolt of lunging came from the word, throwing him back over twenty feet.

“Did it work?” Spok asked, oblivious to what had happened.

Great, Theo thought. It was going to be a long day.