Growing Power

He awoke slowly. There were no bad dreams. No distractions from eager bed mates. The orc stretched his aching muscles. He didn’t know what time it was but after the long day and night, he felt like he could sleep for hours more. However, he had things to do. First and foremost was making sure that the goblins hadn’t completely destroyed his dungeon.

As he rolled out of bed he realized he wasn’t completely alone. The small slime peeked out from under his bed and joined him.

“Suo” The slime greeted its master.

Baal felt rather sticky from his last encounter. He left his gear unequipped and left from his room nude. The only signs of the others in his suite were the lingering smells of sex. The altar room was likewise empty.

He proceeded down to the entrance level. Other than the one nook he had carved out near the entrance, the central room remained empty. The door leading outside was closed but there was a goblin sitting against a wall in the entry way. A spear leaned against the wall next to it. He ignored the goblin and moved down to the workshop level.

The new hallway had opened up and the goblin builders were working on the hallway extension beyond. Though he did see they both now used stone hammers to pound the progress bar. The dust golems were gone. The archway were they had been working now opened into a large well lit round room. He could see a sand floor and wooden constructs through the archway. But he passed by it for now as well. He could hear more pounding coming from the workshops but he wasn’t interested in that either. He moved down to the lowest level.

Two of the archways were now open, the light from the central room revealed several feet of raw cave like terrain before it plunged into darkness. The rapid pounding of the golems echoed from the inky black depths of the holes. Still nude he eased himself into the warm pool. He took several large cupped handfuls of water, drinking as he bathed. He felt reinvigorated both inside and out.

“Suo” The slime exclaimed as he pulled himself out of the pool.

“Not today,” he stopped the slime.

As interesting and useful as it was to allow the slime to dry him by absorbing the water still clinging to his skin, the slime tended to focus on certain areas, and it was rather... distracting.

With no other pressing matters, he allowed himself to air dry leisurely before re-equipping his clothing. He wasn’t sure how long he slept, and it was impossible to tell time within the mountain in any case. He could always ask a goblin if it really mattered. Not that he knew where the rest of the tribe had gotten off to. Finally he decided he might as well settle some of his curiosity and investigate the new training grounds.

The room was a large circle roughly the size of the spire floors. The middle of the room was inset into the floor and filled with a cushion of sand. This sand was ringed by a set of stone steps or seats similar to the altar room. The outer ring of the room was level with the arched entrance and paved in more stone tiles. The surrounding wall only had about half as many filled arches as the spire floor but it held more and brighter of the lighting sconces. Like the spire room this one was also two stories tall. More blank archways lined the room at the second floor level. And a shallow sloped roof held a large wrought iron chandelier cradling a magical flame that lit the room almost as well as daylight. There were also different objects littering the room. Tables and benches sat on the periphery ring. There were crude dummies made of straw, wood, and stone in the approximate form of a man scattered around the arena. Circular targets were also pinned around the walls or to some of the dummies. On the wall next to the door there was also what appeared to be a keystone of sorts. He tapped the stone.

Training options
Combat training:
N/A
Current experience bonus:
20%

That was unexpected. Twenty percent experience boost was certainly nice. Honestly any experience boost would be welcomed. But what good was a training grounds with no training options? He tapped the blank combat training and was surprised when the pop up shifted to his fame menu. A whole subset of skills had been unlocked and waiting for him to purchase. He tapped the first one on the list.

Bare handed fighting - Combat Art. Increases damage dealt and decreases stamina used when fighting without a weapon.
Bonus increases with mastery.
Current mastery rank: locked
{-note- Requires 10 Fame to unlock mastery rank F}

Baal stroked his beard as he considered the screens. If he read them correctly, he needed to pay fame to unlock a skill. Then train until he learned a rank of the skill. Then pay to unlock the next rank. On its face that wasn’t a terrible problem, but there were pages upon pages of skills waiting for him. Literally thousands of them. Every manner of weapon, and even some support skills. Even more were still locked out. This was much more than the combat arena he had assumed it would be.

Something in the back of his mind pulled a mostly forgotten bit of wisdom: skill could overcome stats. Even if adventurers were born with many gifts, including overwhelming status, they weren’t invincible. He currently had three hundred and forty two points of fame. It was time to start spending them.

Bare handed fighting
Dagger fighting
Short sword fighting
Spear fighting
Hand Ax fighting
Staff fighting
Throwing weapon marksmanship
Short bow marksmanship
Small Shield mastery

For each new training regimen he unlocked, a nearby weapon rack began to fill in with dull wooden imitations of the various battle implements. There were even quivers of sticks for wooden arrows and a shelf of carved wooden blocks for throwing.

He also realized he was going to need help keeping track of his new workforce. He had eyed this option before but had chosen against it. Now however seemed a good opportunity. He spent fifty of his remaining fame for the new wind elemental. Where the dust golems had born out of the dungeon’s stone floor, for just a moment the air in front of him seemed to turn itself inside out and suddenly, with a pop, the small creature was hovering at eye level.

Bubble Bee - ???

The thing was about five inches long. Its body was a chain of translucent bubbles, the central one being by far the largest, a small bubble on top formed a sort of head with two long thin antennae, a progressively smaller chain of bubbles trailed behind forming a tail. It also seemed to have a pair of wings on its back but they were little more than a blur in their rapid beating. There was a soft humming noise that accompanied the tiny creature.

“Find Bunny if she is in the dungeon and lead me to her,” he ordered the newborn elemental.

The tiny thing zipped away. He had expected an air elemental to be swift, the perfect quality for a scout or messenger, but between its small body, transparency, and speed; it was hard to even follow with his eyes. In less than a minute it was back, hovering and quietly buzzing at the door.

Baal followed the floating elemental out into the spire, around the hole, and towards the workshops. The noise of the smith goblin hammering could be heard from the next room but the elemental lead him to a corner of the magical workshop.

Bunny sat propped against an unused chest. Her rabbit fur vest was open revealing both of her glorious green mounds. The two goblin infants were latched onto her breasts feeding. His daughter to her left and the pure goblin male child to her right. He was slightly miffed to see the pure blood child had already grown nearly twice its original size while his own spawn remained the same. Their meal appeared to be about over as Bunny balanced them in her arms.

“Master!” Her happy smile beamed at the orc. “Babies hungry. Means they strong!”

He had his doubts. Certainly his daughter Ash was a halfbreed, but if anything shouldn’t being half orc make her larger than a normal goblin? Though he had to admit, he had rarely encountered any infants before so he really didn’t know what was normal. If the ex-chiefess was happy about it, then he’d try and take that as a good sign for now.

“Hold?” She asked.

For a moment he thought she was talking to him but just as he was about to decline, the slime rolled forward.

The chiefess laid Ash face down across the slime then pulled the other child up over own shoulder and began to pat his back. The goblin infant let out a loud burp. Meanwhile the slime formed a tendril and began patting the smaller infant in a similar fashion. The thought of a slime being the nurse and caretaker of his child didn’t exactly fill him with confidence, but then again goblins probably weren’t high on the list of good motherly figures either.

He decided to just ignore it.

“The others are hunting?” He asked.

“Yes. They take tool and go after Master sleep.” Even though she was done with the feeding the female goblin made no effort to cover her plentiful breasts in front of him.

He wondered if the group had gone down to the forest or up to the mountains. As long as Feathers was with then they should be ok against any normal monster, but they were still very under equipped and under powered.

Moving on from his thoughts, he asked another question, “How long did I sleep?”

“Not long. Why? Still tired? Want me make happy?” She was already scrambling to her feet.

“It’s fine,” he dismissed her eager effort. “Just come with me.”

He lead her back to the new training grounds. Bunny still carried the goblin infant, while Suo rolled and bobbled while keeping Ash perched on top. Baal kept enough attention to make sure the slime didn’t accidentally dump the baby down the hole to the waters below, but otherwise kept his misgivings to himself.

“Fight?” The goblin asked as scanned the new arena.

“No,” he corrected her. “This is for training. Learning how to fight.”

He decided to experiment. Taking one of the simple wooden poles he approached one of the dummies. He gave the dummy an exploratory whack and was rewarded by a new progress bar. A few more attacks with the staff and the bar moved slightly into the green. He sat the training staff to the side and took his own crafted staff out of inventory. The bejeweled piece of wood didn’t look particularly sturdy or fearsome but it was a much more powerful weapon. He gave the dummy a few more test attacks and was pleased to see the progress bar filling faster, though it still a long way to go. The dungeon would provide for the basic needs, but clearly superior weapons yielded superior results.

He also noted another unexpected development. Not only had the attacks earned him progress in training for Staff Fighting, but he had also earned a meager handful of experience points.

Actual experience points.

For free.

This required more testing.

He hit the dummy again. The progress bar didn’t seem to budge but again he was rewarded with one experience point. Was it due to weapon training? Was it due to attacking? He aimed his staff at another dummy a bit further away and fired a small blast of Dark Energy. The staff training bar didn’t move. In fact the bar was beginning to fade from non use. However he did receive three additional experience points. He aimed again, this time he charged nearly a quarter of his MP into his attack. Again the training bar failed to register but his experience reward this time was an impressive twenty seven points. That was the equivalent of a life or **** battle against a strong monster, but he received the reward for practically no work. It was also clear the experience reward was proportional to the damage done.

He could earn more experience in a few hours in this room than... ever. More experience points than he had dreamt of. It was possible there was some sort of level cap or hidden detriment he wasn’t seeing. But this was incredible. Especially since better weapons meant more damage, faster training, and more experience; which could then be used to procure better resources to produce better items. It was a self improving economy.

Not only that, but while he had been contemplating, the dummies he had attacked had already been repaired by the dungeon and awaited further beatings.

Suo had already begun to imitate him, slashing the dummies with tentacles. So he quickly put the gobliness to work, showing her how to train with her custom dagger. As she started her own training regimen, he did quick calculations in his head. A high damage spell would net him the most experience, he could then either refill his mana with water from the mana waterfall or train the staff or barehanded fighting styles while his MP naturally regenerated. He had just about decided the proper ratio of magic to attacks when a new thought occurred to him. Experience responded to damage, but while he only had the one offensive capable spell, Dark Energy wasn’t _technically _his only damage dealing spell. With a sly smirk he kneeled to the sandy floor and pressed his palm into the fine grains. The summoning circle filled around him, slightly larger than he remembered. He expected a boney hand to emerge first, as he had seen countless times. However, he had forgotten he was no longer a novice. The first thing to emerge from the portal was a twisted and rusted piece of metal. A skeletal hand gripped the handle of the ancient long sword and slammed it into the sand as the skeleton hauled itself out of its summoning circle. Unlike the bleached bare naked skeleton he had expected, this one not only carried a weapon but also had the tattered remains of leather armor wrapped around its bones. As it stood in front of its master awaiting orders, he also saw a hint of dark flames flicker in the holes that were before only empty eye sockets. The skeleton itself was also a bit larger, matching more of a fighter than a random villager.

In times before he had used his summon for menial labor, to gather resources, and even to help build the dungeon. Was there any rule to prevent him from exploiting its undead endurance this way as well?

“Attack!” Baal ordered the new and improved skeleton as he pointed at a training dummy.

The skeleton’s speed hadn’t improved much. It still slowly lumbered it’s way to its target. However, once it reached the wooden analogue he could immediately tell a change in its attack. Rather than the wild slow clawing it had used before, the skeleton was clearly aiming. Its strikes were those of a swordsman, practiced and sure. Best of all, even though the skeleton itself didn’t appear to gain any benefits, each time the decrepit sword connected Baal received two more experience points.

Maintaining the summon still took half his available MP, and with his earlier magical testing that left him down to a quarter. Baal had the water skins of mana spring water but he decided to take his time and walk down to the pool and drink to refill his missing MP. Even after he left the training room experience continued to trickle in every few seconds. The smirk didn’t leave his face as he walked downstairs.

It was nearly dusk by the time Feathers and the rest of the goblins returned. Just as he had ordered they had spent the day hunting and harvesting in the woods. Thanks to their improved weapons and smattering of armor not a single goblin had been lost; however, neither had they gained enough experience for new levels.

Meanwhile Baal, Suo, Bunny, and the goblin builders and smith who had nothing better to do once they ran out of materials had each made good gains. He had even taken the time to check both Bunny and his new elemental at the appraisal table.

Baal, Level 7 Orc Initiate
Monster, Microboss, Orc, Explicit
Experience to level up – 63
Attributes:
Strength 22
Dexterity 13
Stamina 37
Charisma 13
Intelligence 19 (+3)
Wisdom 24
Luck 26
Skills:
Bare Handed Fighting Rank F
Staff Fighting Rank F
Woodworking Rank F
Stoneworking Rank F
Create Magical Items Rank F
Feats:
Liegelord Rank 2 - Rumors have started to sway the local monster population to your banner. Each day, there is a small chance that local creatures will spontaneously convert to your side and ask to join you. Increases the odds of positive Diplomatic checks with other monster tribes. You may also receive gifts from monsters seeking to stave off your wrath or gain your favor
Hardy Endurance - Racial trait. Increases stamina gained during level up. Stamina refills faster during rest. Stamina decreases slower during exertion.
Silver Tongue - increases the chances of positive conversation checks due to persuasion or intimidation based on Charisma
Blessings of the Dark Ones - Blessing (Curse?) from the Ancient creatures of the Dark Abyss who have recognized an abnormal magical aptitude in the caster. Caster’s Dark attribute spells deal x2 more damage. Immunity to all Dark attribute damage. Take x2 more damage from any source of Light attribute attack. Studying any Arcane Knowledge is gained more quickly. {-note- a Blessed Feat from any source unlocks the normally hidden Luck attribute.}
Wisdom of the Ages – gain a constant, passive buff to your intelligence based on the time since your last ****.
Spells:
Dark Energy - a simple Dark Attribute projectile orb of magical energy. Variable damage based off caster’s intelligence and amount of MP used to charge. Dissipates after 10 meters.
Summon skeleton - creates a humanoid skeleton the same level as the caster. Unarmed and capable of following only simple commands. Durability is based off caster’s intelligence. Costs a set amount of MP from caster to maintain
Miasma - a cloud of Dark Attribute fog surrounds the caster at a radius of (intelligence/2) ft. This cloud saps the strength of any hostile living creature or magical construct resulting in reducing all stats by [(caster’s intelligence/8) not to exceed 50%] unless they pass a magic defense check. Constantly drains MP while active

Suo, Level 5 Slime
Monster, Slime, Explicit
Experience to level up - 270
Attributes:
Strength 7 (+3)
Dexterity 24 (+3)
Stamina 10 (+3)
Charisma 2 (+3)
Intelligence 5 (+3)
Wisdom 7 (+3)
Feats:
Physical Damage Reduction - Racial trait. A slime's fluid body negates 50% physical damage.
Absorption - restore HP by consuming objects.
Liege Empowered (Combat) – Gain one time experience as if you had defeated your liege in combat. Gain a passive buff to your Attributes equal to half your Liege's Level (rounded down). Gain a Skill, Feat, or Spell based on your Liege's abilities.
Spells:
??? - Liegelord spell {Error: Missing Requirements}

Bunny, Level 4 Enchantress
Monster, Goblin, Explicit
Experience to Level Up: 307
Attributes:
Strength 13
Dexterity 15
Endurance 11
Charisma 18
Intelligence 10
Wisdom 15
Skills:
Dagger Fighting Rank F
Feats:
Goblin Cunning - Racial Trait. Goblins are opportunistic scavengers and crafty, if simplistic, builders. Increased chance to find additional items while looting corpses or containers. Decreases time for trap crafting or placement. Decreases time for item crafting.
Spells:
Tranquility - Causes target(s) to become more agreeable to the caster. Can be cast on number of targets (Charisma/2). Costs MP to maintain. (Intelligence + Charisma) x .75 must be greater than target’s Charisma or target will be alerted to spell failure. Invalid on hostile creatures.
Lesser Charm - Target will follow caster’s basic commands as long as they do not result in harm or violate target’s ethics. Costs MP to maintain. (Intelligence + Charisma) / 2 must be greater than target’s Willpower or target will be alerted to spell failure. Invalid on hostile creatures.

Bubble Bee
A Lesser Wind Elemental, the weakest form of an elemental. It is tied to the magical energy of the place it was born and cannot leave. It is minimally intelligent and very playful.
Level N/A Bubble Bee
Elemental , Non Explicit
Experience to Level Up - N/A - An elemental’s level is tied to its form and strength of place of birth.
Attributes:
Strength 4
Dexterity 20
Stamina 10
Charisma 1
Intelligence 10
Wisdom 8
Feats:
Child of the Air - A bonus for the whimsical and impulsive who epitomize “work hard and play harder”. Increases speed of any action that requires a progress bar for all members of the same faction. All attacks are Wind attribute and cannot learn other attributes.
Unending Endurance - Stamina refills faster during rest. Stamina decreases slower during exertion. As long as the connection remains to its source of power, stamina never decreases.
Spells:
Lesser Haste - Minor boost to target’s Attack and movement speed