"So this is him," Zorren whispers thoughtfully, his eyes gazing at a being which had just entered the dungeon, a place he both calls a home and prison.
"Yes, he had passed through the fog recently, carrying that girl on his shoulder." she points, and then turns to the huge skeleton next to him, "but the undead seems to be tamed, something I didn't think was possible."
Zorren merely grunts, acknowledging his [scout]'s analysis, ignoring the fact that the [Scout] had never seen an undead before.
Zorren's eyes, slitted and trained through bloody combat, analyze the man, attempting to get a feel for his capability.
"What are their classes, their levels?" he asks with a groan. His scales, old and damaged, pain him from his lying position over a large boulder.
His [Scout], a young female of his race, wiggles slightly, her own significantly smaller but numerous scales allow her body to rest on the boulder without discomfort.
"It's weird… the girl on his shoulder is a low level [Priestess], the undead is level 87… but he is an enigma." She shakes her head, her scales, soft and smooth, not even disturbing the dust around her.
"The man, I have no idea about him. It feels like he does not exist. My [Analyze] doesn't even feel like it is failing… I have no idea about him."
Zorren, wanting to do anything but continue laying down in such a uncomfortable position, suppresses such thoughts with his [Iron Will] skill.
"I need you to tell the others that this man, whatever he is, is extremely dangerous and that I need the best fighters from the city to join me."
Her long scaly tail swishes in displeasure, eyes, trained to detect monsters, gaze expertly at the robed man.
"But… Zorren, he doesn't look strong at all. I don't see any armor or weapons on him." she says with a scaly frown, her species' eyes and perception stat allowing her to see through the caves lack of light with ease.
Zorren's anger slowly rises, his tail, if it had not been cut off, would be swishing madly in displeasure and anger towards the low level [Scout] for questioning his decision.
But like before, his [Iron Will] skill allows him to suppress his violent urges.
"Do not question me Tessa, that man is extremely dangerous. You were right in telling me first about him. I fear the others would have picked a fight otherwise and died for it."
Perking up, Tessa turns her gaze away from the man, looking at Zorren, a level 173 [Berserker], her eyes gaze at the many scars donning his body, his missing tail, his unusable arm, "I… Why is he dangerous, I can't tell?" she asks, wanting to know the reasoning behind this before she raises the alarm at the city.
Biting back his anger, Zorren curses himself for being injured. Even though he can take on anyone at the city in a fight, they still disrespect him for not dying in battle and returning injured.
Idiots, all of them
"That man, though he seems weak, his posture is outright perfect. His eyes are roaming, constantly analysing his surroundings. His arm, the one not caressing the female's butt, is hidden within his robe, probably within reach of a hidden weapon. If you notice, his every step is silent, but each one is placed flat on the ground. This is a sign of great footwork and should allow him to react to any threat. That man is very experienced and someone even I would be wary of."
Staring at the highest level person of her species, she nods in understanding. With expert ease, she crawls back down the boulder.
Zorren, turning away from the man, watches her leave, her skill, [Silent Movement], allowing her to move at great speeds while making the least amount of sound possible.
As he watches her disappear around the corner, his gaze finally turns towards the man who has known about their location the entire time.
"Hellooooo giant lizard guy, I'm Quasi," he says from afar, smiling directly at Zorren from a considerable distance away while waving his arm in the air.
______
An hour after I had passed through the dungeon, I found myself entering a giant hole in the ground, which had resulted in me being noticed by a weird lizard woman with the [Scout] class.
She had gazed at me strangely, then immediately ran away, oblivious to the fact that my eyes seemingly allow me to see a mile away in darkness.
Considering her level of 37, I figured that it would be in my benefit to warn her people about myself instead of just waltzing into their territory. Regardless, if an altercation were to happen, I was quite confident in my ability to take on several dozen individuals of her level.
About ten minutes later, mindlessly wandering this dark underground chasm, she had returned with a supposed male member of her species.
A bit disappointed that it was only one person, I had activated my skill and had analyzed the man.
And then I shat bricks...
A fucking level 173 [Berserker]! Shit, shit, shit, this might end badly.
Mentally panicking, I continued to look at his class and overall stats, which are quite impressive compared to mine.
Zorren
Level 173 [Berserker]
Zorren, a veteran warrior of the Gejada, he has lost his tail, lost the people he was required to protect, and now lives in shame, his presence tolerated because of his sheer level.
Strength
93
Dexterity
28
Stamina
147
Perception
73
Endurance
54
Vitality
120
Mana
110
M/regen
0.5
Affinity
0
Intelligence
73
Willpower
321
Soul
260
Tail Loss: The tail of a Gejada is a note of pride for the people, but more so than pride, it helps in balance. -20 Dexterity
Unusable Arm: Having lost an arm, strength has been reduced. -20% Strength
He's a fucking tank. A massive goddam fucking tank that could chuck a car at me. I can't even tell if his species are just strong or if it's his goddam level. Ughhh, didn't Jessica say something about level 100 being a huge milestone in capability?
Sighing mentally, I decide that the moment Jessica wakes up, I'm going to grill her for information, something I should have done far far earlier.
At this moment, the female Gejada crawls off the boulder and walks away.
Probably to get support. I guess I should introduce myself before I get buttfucked by a swarm of overly high level lizard people.
"Hellooooo giant lizard guy, I'm Quasi," I yell out, momentarily taking my hand off Jessica's butt to wave at him.
The Gejada stands up, his height dwarfing my own by a foot, and lifts up a massive piece of carved bone hidden next to him.
Why of course he would have a weapon.
I take a good look at the massive club-like bone he is holding up.
And of course the weapon has to weigh more than me… nothing is ever fair.
The Gejada gazes down at me, then bends his knees and jumps off, falling ten stories and denting the ground upon landing.
I am detracting a point for not making a fist on that landing… but then again, he does only have one working arm...
Only wearing what looked to be leather pants, the Gejada, covered in scars and scales, gazes at me menacingly, his posture ready to react to any threat.
"What are you?" he says, eyes trained on me with impressive concentration. His eyes, slits like a lizard, move quickly, taking in my surroundings while a slender tongue quickly stretches out from his elongated mouth, tasting the air.
He's pretty good. He has good posture, good concentration, and unlike the [Pirate] I had fought, is doing a great job at hiding his fighting style.
Slowly lowering Jessica's body on the floor, I keep my eyes on the Gajeda, watching him, waiting for even the most minute muscle twitch.
But the Gajeda does nothing, just watches me as I lower her body on the ground, his eyes not leaving my own the entire time.
Well, kudos for not attacking me while I put down this dead weight.
"You know, it's common courtesy to introduce yourself first, but I guess i'll humor you."
I take a short bow, "I am Quasi Eludo, human, [Hero], and soon to be ruler of the world."
At the last bit, his eyes squint, watching me with a slight bit of anger.
Right, so he doesnt care that I have the [Hero] class, nor does he seem to like jokes… even though it technically wasn't one.
"How did you enter here?" he asks, voice slightly frosty.
Moaning internally, I reply back.
"Is this going to be one of those 'you ask questions, I answer back' situations? I mean really, that seems rather unfair. You should let me ask occasionally as well. Like… what your favorite color is. Or what you ate for breakfast. Or how yo-."
"Silence," he growls out, his posture changing to something far more aggressive and less apprehensive towards an engagement. "Answer my question or I will end your life!"
Rolling my eyes, enjoying his anger, I just smile cheekily at him, "Really now, and how are you going to do something like that?"
He takes a step forward.
I release an enormous amount of mana.
Several dozen bone shiv's sharpened by me blast out of Mule's pack. They immediately converge around me, floating in the air, fighting gravity, the sharp points ready to converge on one target.
The Gajeda immediately takes a couple steps back, his face taking on a grim expression. Anger replaced by something like fear and bewilderment.
With a mental command, my floating bones quickly spread out, covering every direction around him.
The Gajeda swerves his head quickly, his tongue tasting the air fervently, trying to keep the shards of bone in vision, but he quickly learns that all of his blind spots are covered.
Smiling confidently, I move up my arm, Mule grabbing my staff off his back and placing it in my hand.
Wish I had this before I just burned more than half my mana.
The Gajeda glares at me, his stance changing, teeth showing from his snout like face.
Really? A charging posture? Yeeaaaaaa, that's not going to work.
With another mental commanded, the bone shards start to spin, rotating at incredible speeds.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE!"
An obismally loud voice interrupts me, causing me to flinch, my focus wavering slightly.
What the hell!
Turning my head, I find several dozen Gajeda, both male and female, rise up from the ground. The leader, an older Gajan lady with a staff, glares angrily at me.
I dont have the mana for this shit.
Extending my hand, I point at the Gajeda I was fighting.
"He started it," I quickly yell out.
The woman, unamused, turns her head and looks at the Gajeda I was about to turn into a pincushion.
The others of her kind just watch, their weapons, though made of crude bone, are out and ready to react to threats, though fear and uncertainty can be seen clearly on their faces.
At least I think it's fear. I'm not the best at reading giant lizard people expressions… Yet.
The tall women with the staff turns to me, her eyes scanning me possibly with a skill.
I can do that too. [Advanced Analyse]
Advanced Analyse Partially Successful.
Anathema
Level 132 [Geomancer]
The current leader of the Gajeda, she is a woman both respected and feared for her ability to manipulate the earth, an extreme rarity considering the lack of magical capability of their species.
Partially successful? That's a thing? Fuck, at least I know her name.
"Why are you here?" she asks, watching me with every move.
"To get stronger and rule the world."
Blinking rapidly, a smile forms on her lips, "How did you enter this dungeon?" she asks with an amused smile.
I smile back, realizing what possible skill she may be using.
"I'm over nine thousand years old."
Silence quickly descends around me. The other Gajeda hold their breath at my statement, their eyes turning towards their leader.
But Anathema, the leader of her race, just chuckles and nods, "Last question then, do you have any ill will or plans to harm me or my people."
Understanding the question, I order my shards to stop spinning. Then I order them to fly back into Mule's pack… a pack I will need to fix later.
Once all of the shards are gone, I turn to Anathema, "I have no plans or reasons to harm your people. On the contrary, I could use your assistance."
Anathema nods, her smile unwavering. "Good," she says, turning to Zorren, "It seems he has no ill will towards us, so please put your weapon down."
Her head turns towards the others around her, "This man here." She points.
"Quasi!" I yell out, waving my hand with a smile.
She chuckles softly.
"Yes, Quasi here, is henceforth an honored guest. No harm shall come to him. Is that understood?" she says, adding that last sentence with a bit of force.
The other Gajeda quickly nod in unison, immediately sheathing their weapons, still apprehensive of me but more than willing to follow the female's orders.
Looking towards Zorren, I find the man giving me a death glare while lowering his massive club.
With a cheeky smile, I wave my hand at him.
"Quasi!" Anathema yells from a few feet from me, gaining my attention.
How the hell did she get so close without me hearing her? I'm pretty sure I have super hearing.
"Please behave yourself around Zorren, his [Berserker] class makes him very easy to anger."
Ohhhh yea, I noticed. A rather big weakness in the class if you ask me.
"Sorry Anathema, my personality has a tendency to anger others," I say, remembering her name.
Flicking her tail, she frowns, only to be replaced with a smile. "I see, you have the skill [Advanced Analyze]. I guess it should be expected of someone like yourself." Her gaze turns towards my undead, "And what is your class if you don't mind me saying. It seems to me that my own [Analyze] skill does not seem to affect you at all."
I really should ask Jessica if it's a good idea to disclose classes. Oh well.
"I'm both a [Necromancer] and [Hero]."
Her expression changes to a frown, eyes gazing at my undead, "interesting, I have never heard of either of those classes. I imagine the [Necromancer] class allows you to manipulate this undead and those bones… but what is the [Hero] class?" she asks curiously.
Smiling back at her, I bend down and pickup jessica's sleeping body. "That is the class which will allow me to rule the world." I say, shoving her over my shoulder, my hand clamping on her ass once more.
Anathema just nods slowly, her gaze only slightly lingering on Jessica, but then it changes as Zorren makes his way to us, giving a threatening silent glare towards me.
"Anathema, are you sure? He is not one of us. We do not know his motives." he says, making eye contact with her.
Swishing her tail in displeasure, she meets his glare. "Do not question me Zorren, I have decided to accept him into our city. And you will respect my decision!" she says icily.
Ooohhhh yea, they have history together.
Zorren tightens the hold of his weapon, staring at Anathema for a long moment.
*Sigh*
"Fine… but he will have someone to keep an eye on him. I understand you have your [Sense Lie] skill but I still don't trust him."
Anathema nods, turning towards me, "I don't suppose those restriction will be a problem for you?"
Nodding slowly, my mind is distracted by the general stats of the Gajeda compared to human ones, which I think are ten as an average.
"Perfect, now, let's head home." Anathema says, tapping the ground with her tail.
As one, the group heads towards a direction, me walking beside Anathema, Zorren walking on the other side of her, Mule following me with but a thought.
____
The trek towards the Gajeda city was actually quite a boring experience. Anathema, the leader of the Gajeda, had asked me to keep silent until we reach there city.
I had agreed… mostly because she had explained to me about blind predators which roam the dungeon's first level. These predators, though weak on their own, have a tendency to fight in large groups, which, though easy to defeat, can cause the death of some of the fighters she had brought with her.
Thus, I spent the several hours of the walk analysing all of the Gajeda, mentally noting their classes.
Overall, their stats are about double a human's, while certain stats, like Strength and Endurance, are actually triple.
The only big weakness, if it is one, is that they do not have an affinity whatsoever.
Unfortunately, I still have no idea what affinity is.
"We're here."
Breaking out of my thoughts, I finally realize that we had arrived to their city, and what a city it is.
A massive stalagmite is jutting down from the ceiling, touching the ground while glowing an iridescent white light. Around the stalagmite are homes, hundreds of them surrounding the light.
The homes, made entirely of stone, are cut slightly into the mountain, while a twenty meter spiked rock wall surrounds it.
At the base of the wall, the entrance stands open, several [Gajeda Guards] stand ready, waving at our group.
"Interesting city you have here. Are you using the light from that rock to deter monsters?"
From the corner of my eye, I watch Anathema smile gently, her own eyes enjoying the view of her people's home.
"That is correct, the light blinds them, but that is actually not why we had built our city around it. The reason we built that city was because that glowing light is actually the dungeon stone."
I turn my head away from the city, looking towards Anathema, noticing how polished her gray scales really are, "I don't suppose you could explain to me what a dungeon stone is… actually I have a lot of questions that need explaining."
Her head, still gazing at the light, nods slowly, "I will answer your other questions when we are at the city. As for the dungeon stone, well, it is the way we get classes."
Right, classes, I gained one from rapeball. Which probably wasn't the correct way to access the system… I have a lot of questions to ask Jessica when she wakes up.
Before I can attempt to squeeze any more information out of Anathema, we finally reach the entrance.
The two [Gajeda Guards], wearing nothing but leather shorts, move to the side, their eyes trained on me.
We enter the city, finding a majestic infrastructure of light.
The Gajeda do not use any forms or objects of external light, instead solely on the light of the massive dungeon stone.
Polished stone can be seen everywhere, constantly refracting light, making it enter homes or structures, creating a natural form of visibility.
The homes, made primarily of stone, are decorated lavishly with carved bones, creating interesting figures.
Looking around, I notice a great deal of young children hiding behind structures, watching me with curiosity.
As the minutes pass by, more and more of the Gajen start to show up, looking at me curiously, whispering to some of the [Fighters] as they pass by.
Only when we get to a set of stairs going upwards do we all stop. Anathema turns around, first looking at me and then the procession of men.
"In five cycles, I will have a declaration made. For now, go back to your homes." she exclaims.
Gajen which had come with her immediately disperse, only giving me and Mule one final glance before leaving.
Something is seriously wrong here. Why are they just leaving me alone with Anathema and the cripple. They know what I can do, don't they care about their leader's life?
Anathema turns towards Zorren, the scarred [Berserker] just looks at her and shakes his head.
Anathema's tail starts to swish in displeasure, "Zorren, I will be fine, just go home. I will find someone to watch him and then I will visit you."
Zorren just looks at her, worried for her life, the person who still respects him.
"Fine, but be careful, the Gajeda need you."
Anathema smiles, nodding towards Zorren.
The [Berserker] turns to me, his eyes threatening, "If anything happens to her, I will hunt you down and rip you limb from limb."
And with that final statement he walks away.
Rolling my eyes, I watch him leave, his fist still holding the massive club of bone.
"Zorren went through a lot. He wasn't usually so aggressive." she whispers from my side, "And I fear it may get worse."
Looking to her, I admire her curves, so reminiscent of a women in tight clothing.
Minus the chest, which is flat as a board.
She looks at me, her amber eyes questioning my thoughts.
Right, horny, I know. Can't seem to help it.
Shaking her head, she turns towards the stairs.
"My home is upstairs, I should have a room available for you."
Nodding, I follow her upwards, staring at how her leather clothing tightly wraps around her feminine body.
I fucking hate you Loki.
About a minute of climbing and several mental curses, we finally arrived at a large, extremely well decorated dwelling.
At the entrance of the dwelling is a certain [Scout].
"Tessa!" Anathema yells, her long tail swishing furiously behind her, "I am very upset with you right now."
The [Scout], Tessa, quickly lowers her head, her tail twirling around it.
"Mother, I'm… I'm sorry."
Widening my eyes, I take a better look at Tessa, noticing the similarity in the two.
Damn, I'd bone them both. I bet those tails would be pretty kinky.
Both women immediately turn to me, Anathema smiling cheekily, Tessa blushing furiously.
Fuck my hormones. Are they reading my thoughts?
"Ohhh, interesting," Anathema coos, turning towards her daughter.
"Tessa, I have told you time and time again to follow directions. When you find something that could be harmful to the city, you notify the [Guards], not Zoren," she explains, staring at her daughter who attempts to avoid her mother's gaze.
A gaze looking more devious than upset.
"Which is why you need to be punished. You will be guarding Quazi here for several cycles."
Anathema just looks to her daughter, a predatory smile on her face, "Well, because he needs a guide and you need to be punished."
Tessa, looking towards me, then towards her mother, her tail tightens around her leg.
"Yes mother."
"Good," Anathema says, turning to me, "Tessa will take you to one of my empty rooms. If there's anything you need, please ask her."
Did she just stress the word 'anything'?
I nod slowly, "I have many questions."
"I'm sure you do, but the cycle is ending soon." she says, her eyes moving towards the dungeon stone, "At cycle start, I will answer all of your questions. Will that be ok?"
Well, technically i'm not in a rush… and what the hell is a cycle?
"That will be fine," I answer back.
"Perfect, I must do some errands, please make yourself at home."
And then she turns, walking down the stairs once more.
As her form disappears, I turn to Tessa, who immediately freezes up at my gaze.