Dungeon Walkers 3, page 20
“My spells were very helpful. Cammie’s traps were, too,” Nicole said. “Cyra’s healing helped us in combat, and she was always there with the antivenom. Trish was a perfect bulwark, and Zasha was our lead, stopping ambushes and taking all the monsters on at the front. Stern was a good shot and, without him, Zasha wouldn’t have been there.”
Everyone had to agree with her— they’d all helped in clearing the dungeon.
Stern put the collar on Zasha, giving the dog more love. “Thank you, buddy.”
Zasha sneezed, then flopped onto his side and waved a paw.
“Okay, go home. We’ll bring you back in a bit and give you a treat.”
Zasha melted into the floor, smiling as he went.
“That just leaves you with perks to choose,” Ria said. “Who wishes to go first?”
“Go ahead, Nicole,” Trish said. “We’re hoping for you.”
Nicole nodded and took a deep breath before she stepped up to the counter. “Show me, please, Ria.”
“Choose well, Walker,” Ria said as her hand passed over the counter, leaving three pages behind.
Nicole checked the first one, frowning as she set it down. The frown deepened when she looked at the second. The third got her lips to purse in thought.
“What’d you get?” Jon asked as he went to her side.
“I got the two I passed on last time: Mostly Harmless, which makes me less likely to be seen as a threat, and Poison Resistance, which is exceptionally odd.”
“We’ve seen a lot of repeated choices. That’s really against the norm,” Stern said. “Both of those perks kind of make sense, considering the dungeon. Lots of poison from the bugs, and the boss targeted you because of your spells.”
“Hmm... that’s true,” Jon said. “What was the third one?”
“‘Friendly Fire Isn’t; sorry, didn’t mean to hurt you. Allies caught in your area spells take less damage from them,’” Nicole said, reading them the page.
“That’s one of a two-part perk set,” Stern said. “The second one removes the damage to allies entirely.”
“I do my best to never hit any of you, as it is,” Nicole said, “which means it’s this one or Mostly Harmless as my best choice this time.” There was underlying sadness in her tone.
Jon rubbed her back. “Maybe the next dungeon will be what we need.”
“Either of them would be good choices,” Trish said, feeling bad for her new friend.
“Not having you targeted as often would be good for the group,” Cammie said, “but if you found the second part to the other perk, you could cast area spells more freely.”
“It really is a tough choice,” Cyra agreed with Nicole.
“I’m going to take the spell one,” Nicole said, trying to put on a brave face. “I’ll get the perk I want next time.” Her smile faltered as she picked up the third page, then took a seat on the floor. “I choose you.”
Jon knelt with her, holding her as the perk integrated into her body. Whispering softly to her, he tried to help soothe her sadness.
Cammie went up to the counter next. “Okay, Ria, show me what I get to pick from, please.”
Ria had collected Nicole’s unchosen perks, then put Cammie’s on the counter. She looked over all three before she spoke up. “I have Greater Poison Resistance as a choice. The Magical Trapper came up again, as well. It’s still a good one, especially if it upgrades. Lastly, I have ‘Spotter; I see you. Become adept at spotting ambushes.’”
“Hmm... the last two are good,” Cyra said. “I’d say the trap one has an edge, though.”
“Spotter is a well-known perk, and she would’ve been able to see at least half of the spiders if she’d had it,” Stern said. “A lot of overland hunters run dungeons just to get that perk. It would help with our travel between cities, too, especially as we go farther north.”
“If she’d had the trapper one, we can always keep it as a reserve,” Nicole said, having just finished with her change.
“True. A second ice trap in there might have hindered the scorpion a bit more,” Trish said.
“Tough call, Cammie,” Stern added in. “Either is useful. There’s no wrong pick there. The greater resistance likely would’ve made you immune to the boss scorpion’s sting.”
“I hope to never be in a position where it’s needed, and it might be helpful in later dungeons when the monsters set traps,” Cammie sighed. “I’ll take the trap one for now.”
Cammie picked up the perk, then went off to the side to lean against a wall. Trish went over to hold her as she accepted it, helping keep her stable as her body convulsed. Cyra looked at Stern, then moved to the counter.
“Cyra, here are your choices,” Ria said as she collected Cammie’s unchosen perks before laying down Cyra’s. “Pick well.”
Cyra looked over all of her choices like the others had before she said, “Improved Life Sense 3 is there again. ‘Greater Mirrored Ally; you and you, again and again. Mirrored Ally now usable three times a day.’ The last one is ‘Bulwark’s Ally; stand tall, I got you. Gives the target the ability to negate any one attack on them. Usable once per day. Ability only lasts one hour or until used.’”
“Damn,” Jon whistled. “You have a lot of good choices there.”
“Agreed,” Stern nodded. “All of them are useful.”
“The Life Sense upgrade would’ve let her find the ambushes if we’d been more cautious,” Nicole said. “More double healing would be good, too… wait... Could Mirrored Ally be used with Bulwark’s Ally?”
“I think so,” Cyra nodded. “Mirrored Ally copies an ability over to a second person.”
“Tough choice alright,” Trish said. “I think either of the last two outweigh Life Sense 3.”
“Bulwark,” Cammie said as she relaxed, her perk finished integrating with her. “You can always mirror it onto Trish and someone else that way. If we keep it for a boss fight, it could be huge.”
Cyra chewed her lip for a moment, then picked a page up. “Bulwark, it is. I hope the Greater Mirrored Ally comes back up again.”
Stern moved off to the side with her, holding her as she accepted her perk. He winced when he felt her jerk and shake in his arms— his parents had undersold how much worse the change would be.
“I’ll go next,” Jon said, stepping up to the counter.
“May the Goddess bless you,” Ria smiled as she set his perks out.
Taking a calming breath, Jon studied the pages. He looked them over, but one of them was the perk he’d hoped to see since he’d become a Walker. “There’s only one choice here for me,” he said, picking up the page. “‘Runic Crafter; add the edge Walkers want. You can add a single rune slot to your crafted items.’”
Trish whistled. “Every crafter wants that one. I don’t blame you for choosing it.”
“That’s one of the perks you’ve been waiting for,” Nicole said. She patted the ground next to where she was still sitting. “Come on. I’ll hold you this time.”
Stern was curious about what Jon’s other choices had been, but he knew how valuable that perk was for crafters; that single perk would mean that Jon could set up shop in almost any city and have business.
“I’ll go next,” Trish said, standing up. “Let’s see what the Goddess offers me.”
“Here you are, Trish,” Ria said, placing the perks before her. “Pick well.”
Trish picked up the first page. “Deforming Blow again. Still useful.” Setting it down, she pulled up the second page before snorting. “Runic Crafter for me, as well. Where was that perk when I was younger?”
“Still useful today,” Stern said. “Never know what life will bring us next.”
Trish gave him a smile, considering the fact that they were going to marry soon. Maybe that’ll mean we stop for a bit and have kids too? she mused before shaking her head. “Third page is...?” She picked it up, frowning at it. “‘Stand Your Ground; immovable object has nothing on me. Able to resist forced movement from any source. Usable three times per day.’”
“With the number of times things have shoved you around, that might be the best one from a fighting standpoint,” Cammie suggested as she stood up.
“The second and third, I think, beat the first one,” Cyra said softly. “Runic Crafter would go well with your crafting perks.”
Trish hesitated. She’d wanted Runic Crafter for years, and it was finally being offered to her. But she was the bulwark and needed to be able to stand strong for her crew, too. She glanced at Stern. “Pawly?”
Stern smiled as he summoned Pawly into the shop.
Pawly meowed at him questioningly.
“Trish needs help with her perk,” Stern said as he gave Pawly flying. “Help her out?”
Pawly floated over to Trish, purring as she rubbed against the armored bulwark.
“Thanks. It’s between these two,” Trish said as she pushed one back to Ria. “Take that one, please.”
Ria touched the page and it vanished. “A tough choice.”
Pawly floated over the counter, staring down at the pages. Rolling over, she looked at Trish intently for a moment. Trish shivered when her near-colorless eyes met hers. They were identical to Stern’s, and it was disconcerting to her at that moment. After a few heartbeats, Pawly sat down and pushed a page toward Trish.
Trish picked up the paper. “I’ve wanted this for years. Not every perk needs to be combat-related.”
“And you got a big one last time,” Stern added as he went to her side.
“Over here, Trish,” Cyra said, patting the ground. Cammie was kneeling beside the spot, as well.
Trish looked at the pair, then Stern. “Thanks.” She kissed his cheek before joining the other two.
As Trish accepted the page, Pawly moved so Ria could collect the last. Ria met Stern’s gaze as she spread his perks out. Stern started to reach for the first paper when Pawly flopped onto two of them, leaving just the third uncovered.
“Hey, fur-face,” Stern laughed. “I need to check those.”
Pawly chuffed, pushing the page toward him.
“Fine, I’ll look at this one… first…” He trailed off when he read the page. “This one’s kind of important, isn’t it?” He started petting Pawly on reflex, staring at it.
“What is it?” Nicole asked.
“‘Double Summons; why only have one friend beside you? Able to have two summons out at a time.’” He read it out, then looked back at the others.
“Take it,” Cyra said, meeting his eyes.
“It would make you feel better, and add more utility to the crew,” Cammie said.
“If Pawly had been there, too, the boss might have been easier,” Jon added. “Her electricity could’ve stunned it.”
“We can have them both out to pet,” Nicole said, then coughed when everyone looked at her. “I mean... to help us fight.”
Stern laughed at her obvious slip up. He looked at Trish, who was panting as she finished accepting her new perk. “Trish?”
“She told you to, and honestly, there would be few perks that could match that for you,” Trish said. “If you want it, do it, and then come over here so we can hold you.”
Stern looked back at Pawly. She’d wiggled onto her back, still obscuring the other perks. “Someone will be getting a fish all to herself tonight. Thank you.”
Pawly purred louder as she felt his love for her, and she returned it to him.
Taking the page, he joined his lovers. He lay down with his head on Cyra’s lap while Trish and Cammie took his hands, resting the paper on his chest. “I accept this perk.” The moment the words left his mouth, it burst into golden light and infused him. The sensation of having his entire being changed was worse, but he gritted his teeth, knowing that soon, he’d be able to have both of his furry friends beside him.
Chapter Twenty-eight
By the time Stern was cognizant of his surroundings again, Ria was gone. “Goddess, that really does suck... No idea how my parents manage it.”
“Higher-tiered Walkers?” Jon asked.
“Yeah, a bit higher,” Stern chuckled. “They’ll be coming down to visit us in the near future.”
“Will that be okay?” Nicole asked hesitantly.
“It’ll be fine. My parents are good people. They helped raise me, even with my troubles.”
“We trust you, Stern,” Jon said. “You good to go?”
Stern grunted as he got to his feet, his lovers standing with him. “Let me just check this,” Stern said. “Pawly, go home.”
Pawly meowed, then faded away.
“Why send her away?” Cammie asked.
“I’m going to try summoning both at once.”
“Oh, because each comes from a different hand,” Cyra said. “I’ve paid attention.”
“Exactly. I also want to see if I can apply buffs to both at once, and if I can buff just one if both are out.”
“Ah, testing it out,” Jon nodded. He and Nicole stepped to the side to give him more room.
Shaking his arms, Stern began to call his two friends to him. His fingers moved through the sequences perfectly and, a second later, both Pawly and Zasha were standing there. After another moment, both were much larger, and Stern nodded. His fingers flexed again and Pawly floated off the ground.
“Zasha, could you spit stone right now?” Stern asked.
Zasha shook himself, whining lightly.
“If we weren’t in the shop right now, could you?” Stern clarified.
Zasha’s head cocked to the side before he whined again.
“No, that’s good,” Stern smiled. “That means I can give you buffs together or individually.”
Zasha barked and stood upright, looking up at Pawly with a big doggy grin. Pawly floated down, laying on Zasha’s back.
Cyra snickered, causing Cammie to chuckle and Trish to snort.
Nicole giggled. “She’s asserting who’s on top.”
“Cat,” Stern chuckled, reverting the size increases for both the summons.
Pawly floated up when Stern did, but in their normal forms, they were equal in size— Pawly was a large cat and Zasha was a large puppy.
Taking a knee, Stern held out his hand. “Thank you, Zasha. You did a great job for us.”
Zasha moved forward to get petted, grinning happily.
Stern looked up, holding out his other hand. “Thank you for understanding, Pawly. I was worried you’d get upset with me.”
Pawly sneezed down at him, making Stern splutter and wipe at his face. Then, she brushed against his chest, purring.
“Yeah, okay... so I’m an idiot at times,” Stern sighed. “No need to sneeze on me for it.”
The others laughed when they understood.
“She’s a cat,” Jon snorted. “And, I hate to remind you, but we have to climb ladders up to get out of the dungeon.”
“Oh, right,” Stern nodded. “Zasha, go home, boy. We’ll call you back in a bit.”
Zasha sank into the floor, a happy grin on his face the whole time.
“Shards to turn in, and a rebirth to start,” Trish said. “If one of those idiots gets in our way, I’m going to hurt them.”
“As long as we don’t kill them, it should be fine,” Stern said grimly at the thought.
With that being the final word, they left the shop behind, stepping out of the portal.
The guard on duty at the bottom of the shaft gave them a nod. “It’s clear. Go ahead.”
Pawly floated ahead of them as they climbed out of the dungeon hole. The guards up top stepped aside for them, and the captain gave them an appraising look. “Your crew made it out before the other. If you encounter them again, please try to just walk away from them. We’d prefer not having two crews fight in the city.”
“Sir, we’ll do our best,” Stern said levelly, “but if they attack us, we will defend ourselves.”
“Wouldn’t ask you not to. Just asking you to walk away if possible.”
“We’ll do our best.”
“Thank you. Did you collect the shards you were after?”
“We did. We’re going to hand them off for a rebirth now.”
The captain bowed his head. “May they have a good life. Thank you for pulling a lost soul out.”
“It’s what we do. Please excuse us.”
