The Skaven Under-Empire Version 0.1

“Huh.” John wondered as he lowered his arm, “I expected something to happen.” He was still in the same forest as before. Yes, he was inside a Protected Space but there were neither enemies nor some unusual anomaly. He didn’t see one. Turned out he was just looking in the wrong direction though.

“Master, I feel obligated to inform you about…” John turned to her and saw it, a sloped catacomb entrance with an opened iron-gate. “Thanks, Aclysia.” “…The giant entrance behind you.” Aclysia finished her sentence anyway, like usual, “I am happy to be of use.” She said with a bow. He told her to take the lead and they entered the catacombs.

The air inside the catacombs was cold and dank. Moss and small mushrooms covered the ancient looking stone and the withered wood respectively. Illuminated by lines of crystal, pulsating in an infrequent beat, laid into the walls as the trio made their way inside on the dirt covered stone floor.

Turning a corner, they faced their first group of enemies. They were around a metre tall, rat-people that walked on their back feet while their frontal claws had changed to something resembling a four-fingered hand. They were rough brown cloaks and stared at the intruders of their realm with hatred.

Society? Gaia even simulated those? Wow, if things continued in this fashion he would eventually ask himself if it was ethical to create these Dungeons only to close them afterwards.

The Skaven ran at them and John decided he could ask questions later. The dirt on the ground pulled together into the form of a little girl as John summoned Gnome to aid them. Rave stumbled over the elemental. “Watch where ya put her!” She complained as she saved herself by turning the fall into a somersault followed by a hammering striker of her heel on one of the Skaven’s heads. The Rat-Man was pressed to the ground and ended by the of the ripple that followed each of Rave’s kicks.

“Sorry!” John apologized as he became aware of a severe limitation down here. The passages where only wide enough for two people to stand next to each other and so far they hadn’t found a single room. Rave was fine fighting against the much weaker opponent on her own but the Skaven were in the theoretical advantage as they could field more of the clawed hand at the front lines than they could.

Especially Aclysia seemed to have problems. The Sword of Glory was simply too long to be effectively swung in this situation and she didn’t seem to realize that. It seemed like her ability to analyse situations was still pretty minimal, just another reason to raise her Intellect to 25.

‘Gnome cover our rear, Aclysia give me the sword and just punch them to with Dragonscale fists instead.’ John sent out his commands over the mental connection he had with them. The new combat formation was quickly taken. Aclysia did little more than covering Rave’s flank as she butchered the Minor Skaven’s with quick attacks. Bursts of Sunlight from her hands and Ripples of Disruptions from her kicks made easy work of the enemies.

One of the Skaven turned around and tried to run but John used Possession on his cloak and used it to trip him before using Mana Ray at the immobilized target. Aclysia crushed the last Skaven’s head with a series of straight punches.

John scanned the loot while thanking whatever power was listening that they had gotten their first combat experience in this environment against such easy enemies. Tripping over Gnome could have been a fatal mistake for Rave against foes that could have taken advantage of it. Similarly, in a real fight Aclysia would have hardly have time to just give him the Sword of Glory in the heat of battle. She would have had to just toss it away, leaving it open to be stolen.

He noticed a window popping up once he picked up the meagre bit of Loot.

That was nice. Well, if Gaia stayed course he would gain a third possible possession at level 100. Made John wonder if 100 was the maximum level. From what it currently looked like Artificial Spirits, a.k.a. Aclysia, would reach that goal first. However, he still had no idea what levels in that actually did, he should use Enchant on Aclysia soon and find out.

They continued their march through the first floor relatively easily. The enemies of the Floor were of the fourth Tier and therefore ranged from level 21 to 25. Only the higher levels gave experience even worth a thought but the Skaven were numerous, while the drop chances seemed to be really bad they gave little experience in mass.

The went through passage after passage of the labyrinth and finally came across a room. The walls were the same blank stone as the rest of the dungeon and the only thing inside there was a chest. “This stinks.” Rave said. “Yep.” John agreed. Big rooms with treasure inside usually where a trap in dungeon based games. Either this was a lucky find or enemies would spawn once they either set foot into the room or opened the chest.

As it stood though, they were way over levelled for this Dungeon so testing the waters was not as dangerous as it seemed. Especially as they had the perfect bait. “Aclysia, I want you to go into the room and look for enemies, if they aren’t any open the chest. If enemies spawn try to get back here. “Understood, Master.” Aclysia said and went after John gave her the sword back. The room was big enough to justify using it.

Aclysia set foot into the room. Nothing happened. She slowly crossed over to the two-metres long wooden chest with the rusty metal bindings. Still nothing happened. She opened the curved lid. Suddenly: Rats. Not Skaven but the Big Rats they had fought in the Tier 3 Dungeon fell from the ceiling and jumped at Aclysia. Not only that but something roared in the passage behind them.

John whirled around to see an unholy mixture of rat and wolf sprinting towards them. Its black fur was patchy and wildly unkempt, the whiskers pulled back as the yellow, sick teeth in its mouth stuck out like broken shards of bone.

John was happy to see that thing for a simple reason: It would give him a Level-Up. “Jane, you help Aclysia. Gnome and I will take care of this!” John instructed and already sent Gnome mana to erect an obstacle for the Rat-Wolf. “Got it!” Rave exclaimed and jumped into the fray behind him.

There was not much earth around to be moved but the thin wall he created still slowed down the Rat-Wolf long enough to allow John to finish the charge time of Mana Ray. The attack hit the creature in the head, searing a large part of the left part of its skull. Now partially blind the creature growled in anger and pain as it continued its charge. John had hoped for it to at the very least slow down enough for a second Mana Ray to go off but the creature wouldn’t let him. It snapped at his arm and John lowered his hand quickly to get away from the fearsome teeth.

The Rat-Wolf wanted to follow it up but as it jumped forward it found itself rooted to the ground as Gnome packed its left hind-leg. John started to charge up a third Mana-Ray as the Rat-Wolf snapped its teeth just out of reach of his hand again and again, unaware of the danger it was in and only wanting to eat the delicious human flesh in front of him. Mana Ray triggered in a moment where its mouth was wide open and the destructive laser of mana seared the monster’s insides. John was about to prepare a fourth attack when the Rat-Wolf died from the internal injuries that last strike must have caused and exploded into cloud of dissipating ash.

Perfect, he was running low on Mana. He turned around to see Rave and Aclysia taking easy care of the remaining enemies. The Big Rats had been literally no challenge in their own Protected Space and the new environment hadn’t changed that.

On the way to the chest he spent his new five points on Endurance. When he looked back up from his window he found both Rave and Aclysia starring into the chest. That was especially weird behaviour for Aclysia. He took his place between them and peaked inside.

Inside the chest laid a woman. Her skin was of slightly brownish tone and her long, wild hair of such fiery orange that it shone like magma even in the dim light of the catacombs. As a matter of fact John was pretty sure that it actually shone itself as the remaining features of the woman made it clear that she was no human.

Although her figure was definitely human and her face looked like a very sexy thirtyish woman her naked body was partly covered in obsidian scales, running up her sides and arms, forming curved spikes that grew out of her shoulders. Her big breasts were only half-covered, hiding her nipples but revealing the cleavage as well as a huge ember-coloured stone that glowed at her collarbone. The scales also covered the right half of her face up to her long and pointy elf like ears. Three horns grew from her head, two long ones curving at the back (although one had broken off) and a small one on the middle of her forehead.

Her eyebrows, unnaturally long (to the point where they grew of her skin and just continued on) and of the same glowing fiery orange as her hair, furrowed as she made an unpleased sound. A moment later she opened them and pressed her lips together disapprovingly, John couldn’t help but notice that the lower lip was bigger than the upper one.

Her eyes were orbs of lava, three layers of heating orange, the core being a glowing gold, and framed by obsidian black like deadly eyeliner.