Max sidestepped the sword and clenched his fist. The punch was thrown with the power of a hammer, but his training partner nimbly leapt to the side.
Straightening his hand, he chopped with the side of his palm. The satyr exploded into a flurry of butterflies that reformed a few feet away.
Max grabbed his knees while panting.
"Not bad, but you could be much better."
The dungeon master nodded to Sigmund, the Satyr who was helping him train.
"I still can't lay a hand on you." Max said while wiping the sweat from his brow.
Sigmund smirked as he lit up his wooden pipe and took a puff.
"I am hundreds of years old and have spent more days in battle than you have been alive. I still think you need to find a training partner that is more suited to you."
Max sighed in understanding. He knew that Styr was right, but at the moment, Sigmund was his only option.
"I can't help it." He spoke. "You are the only one who's level is high enough that I can't just brute force my way through their defense."
"That's true." Sigmund said before taking another drag on his pipe. "But it still doesn't mean I am a good teacher for you. I am fey, you are human. Our styles are also different. I can be your sparring partner, but I can't really help in other areas boss."
"I know, and I appreciate the help."
"Maybe you can hire someone else who has a fighting style similar to yours. Just make sure their level is high enough."
Max shrugged. "I still don't even know what my fighting style is."
Sigmund scratched his small goatee. "Perhaps you should figure that out then. Buy the skills you want, find out how they fit together and then find someone, or multiple someone's who can help train you."
The dungeon master nodded. "I have thought about it. I would prefer it if there was somebody to guide me in what to purchase and stay away form when it comes to skills but I don't think that is going to happen. I doubt there is someone else in my same situation. I think I will have to bite the bullet and pick out some skills and then change things around till it works."
"You may have to." Sigmund said. He then tapped out his pipe and put it away. "I should get back to the Fey Forest and make sure the others aren't causing trouble."
"Good luck with that." Max said, he knew how mischievous the Fey could become.
"It's those darn bosses, they are always trying to stir something up. I may have to put them in their place again."
Max held back his chuckle at the thought of the 4-foot-tall satyr teaching the 3 dungeon bosses a lesson.
"I still don't understand why you refused to become a boss when I summoned you."
"That's to bad." Sigmund replied with a smirk. "Because I am still not telling you." With that the Satyr grabbed his things and gave Max a wave before he headed to the first level of the dungeon.
Once he caught his breath, Max called out to DC.
"I am ready to purchase my next ability. Give me Earth Shape from the Druid of the Land class."
A bright light settled on Max. As he learned the magical ability, information appeared in his mind on how to properly use it.
Earth Shape did just that. It allowed Druids to shape earth. They could turn a pile of dirt or stones into animals like figures or anything really. As long as magic flowed through them, they would keep their shape.
Usually after turning stone and dirt into an animal, a druid would then call upon the soul of a woodland creature to embody the golem.
Max had different ideas. His Elemental Monk ability, Manipulate Earth would let him lift and move dirt and stone. With the ability to give it shape… He had a lot of ideas of ways to use both abilities at once.
///
"Listen up." Rod said while standing in front of the new recruits in the training square.
The teens settled down but Dirk kept his eyes sharp while he stood behind Rod and scanned the crowd. If any looked like they were going to be a problem, he wanted to know about it sooner than later.
"You have seen your rooms in the bunk house. You have experienced the terror of Fey Nights. You should all have already met with the basic class trainer and have unlocked the pathways to several skills."
He paused as the recruits nodded in confirmation.
"Good. I know Guard Captain Heath has already informed you of the rules you must follow if you want to join the Lords forces. But there are a few things that he hasn't told you. You will find out now."
"1. You are forbidden from advancing past level 10 without the approval of your class trainer and either Heath or myself."
"2. During training you must be working towards unlocking skills. It isn't cheap to keep you here and we don't want to waste our time with you."
"And 3. You must attempt the first level of the dungeon twice a day. The first run will be at 7 in the morning and the second after dinner. If you oversleep and miss the first run you will have your training doubled. Do it a second time and you are out. We don't need slackers."
Rod scanned the group again. He could tell some of the weaker recruits weren't thrilled about having to go into the dungeon twice a day, but they would get over it.
"Okay, Dirk and I will each take a group of 4 into the first level. Once we return we will take a second group. He and I will do two runs with you every morning. If you aren't selected to go with us, we will get to you in the coming days. Any questions?"
He waited but no one spoke up. "Good. Let's head to the dungeon entrance and get started for the day. Once you wake up in the hospital come back here and begin your training, I don't want to see anyone slacking."
///
Max sat at his desk in his study. He happened to look out his window towards the village center. He was pleased to see a large group moving towards the entrance of Fey Nights.
Several adventures were hanging out in the square as they made plans for the day. Ever since Lord Titters had shown up, more and more adventures were coming every day.
It was only a start, but Max felt like he could envision the future.
The small village would become a sizable city. People would meet in the square and shout out that they were looking for one more for their party.
People would come to go on adventures and have fun. There would be people who leased land and built their homes in the safety of his dungeon.
He smiled at the thought of busy streets selling all sorts of goods. Hawkers calling out their prices as adventures stocked up on what they might need.
Nodding to himself, he promised to do his best to give them something they would enjoy.
Turning back to the map before him, he continued to alter the layout. To his left, hundreds of drafts sat beside him. Some of them may one day be produced but most of them were just an outlet for his ideas. He had found that once they were on paper, he was able to find the flaws more easily. This helped him save DP instead of wasting it and needing to redo certain areas.
Max wondered how other Dungeon Masters set things up. Were they like architects who slaved over a drawing board or were they sculptors who received inspiration when their hands were in the dirt and creating new dungeons.
Shaking the thought from his head, he got back to work.