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  [Dungeon]

  When the group of adventurers entered my first ice level, I felt immense anticipation, how would they react to the slides, would they die. I was looking forward to my next death, the points bonus and mana rush I had felt was incredible. Intoxicating almost. Hopefully there would be new species to kill again as that first kill provided a ridiculous number of points.

  I wasted the next few moments thinking back to that moment and missed some of the group’s conversation. I phased back in as I watched Kael turn around and slide down the slope, seemingly without thought.

  He slid forwards standing on his two feet with such balance you could have mistaken it for solid ground navigating the turns and twists with supernatural ease, I was annoyed. When he stopped at the platform and then hopped over two channels and glid down the next set of tubes, I was supremely irritated. How the fuck did the man miss all of the traps? Of all the Goddamn lucky son… I ranted to myself.

  In the end though, my ranting was cut off as I felt another sharp pounding cut through my mind.

  Someone new had come to visit.

  Racing up through the floors, my mental presence caught them as they fell down the stairs, in a clattering jumble of limbs until they landed on top of each other. I cackled to myself. Yes, the stairs were the best. Hahahahaha.

  Once they sorted themselves out, they looked around in wonder at my first floor. I felt extremely proud of it, and I couldn’t wait to see their wonder slowly turn into horror, this group was not good enough to delve me, I would be killing one or two of them at least, I licked my metaphysical lips at the thought.

  As they pushed through the thick grasses, I could see them wincing a lot, presumably catching on the thorns. They were a group of five young boys, and clearly very inexperienced in a dungeon as they had no awareness at all of what was around them as they pushed forwards, except for perhaps one, who stayed at the back.

  He was a tall lad, taller than the others by at least half a head, though skinny as a bean pole. He had dark brown hair and a freckled pattern around his eyes that made him seem slightly like a racoon. He seemed more timid than the others, like an old mouse who knows the cheese is good, but who had been caught in a trap before.

  The others had none of his worry as they laughed jolly as could be and pushed through my grasses.

  When they reached the end of the first set of walls, they paused a moment before one of them shouted “loot” and ran off. A shorter fellow, apparently called ‘Mik’, or at least I assumed so, the others shouted that after him as he ran off.

  As he ran towards said loot, I looked over the tree, hoping it was the killer sort.

  Continuing my run of bad luck, it wasn’t, and it wasn’t long before the group had taken their first ‘loot’ splitting it evenly…ish. Their de facto leader nicking the leather bracer that I had put inside. Though the others didn’t seem so happy about it, they said nothing, and the group went on their way.

  I looked over the leader of the group, tall, not as tall as the mousy one, but tall enough and well built, he was strong and his personality matched, making the others follow with ease. He had smoky blond hair that was cut short, with a few misbegotten strands, sticking out at random. A nice leather bracer now adorned his spear arm, protecting him.

  As they forged on, in pursuit of more of my loot I sank back through the floors to check on the other group.

  “Argghhhhhhhhhh!!!!” a scream of pain, resounded, echoing out through the floors. It was a scream of anger and pain, melded into a furious battle chant.

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  Sigurd was busy hacking into a flailing yeti with two daggers whilst Jenna was focusing on healing his split open back, Jackson was unconscious on the floor, next to a big ice spike wall with a large dent in his chest piece and blood leaking out from the joints in the plate armour.

  Seemed like my platform battle had worked out well.

  Kael meanwhile, was trying to climb up the icy ramp to get back to the floor, but it was hopeless as he kept sliding back down again. Preternatural agility he may have, but he was stuck with the same non-grippy shoes as the rest of them. I laughed as he once more slid back down, throwing the little pickaxe away in anger. With a plop it slid through the archway and into the ocean of the next floor.

  With a final roar, the yeti ceased its breathing, the dark blood spitting out of its mouth as its choking last breath rattled out. A good fight. A very good fight. I watched over them for a moment before deciding to check in on the other group.

  They had found another chest and one of their number had disappeared. It confused me for a moment because he had not died, until I realised that he had been injured somehow and taken to rest outside of the entrance.

  The others pushed on, seemingly unwary still, despite the injury their friend had taken. I was guessing he had stood on a hedgehog based on how the group moved through the floor.

  I didn’t think they knew about the trees yet, so, I settled back to wait for a while.

  It was a surprise to me that what got them first wasn’t stumbling into the killer trees in search of loot, but it was my mad magpie. Swooping down, graceful and silent, it lunged, talons outstretched. Just skimming past the tall one, it clawed at the one they called Mik, taking a chunk of his head with it as the magpie swooped by. I laughed as they freaked out. The blood raining on the floor energising me. As the man lay dying, I could feel the slightest trickle of life energy feeding me. Excellent

  The others panicked and I laughed to myself even more as they decided what to do.

  They picked him up, by his feet and arms, and waddled like penguins over to the nearest tree. The grass and brambles pulled and tore at the dying man’s clothes and flesh and made their work in moving him all that much harder.

  As they reached the boundary of the tree the tall one – John I realised – slipped, his feet sliding forward as he tipped over backwards. Dropping Mik as he fell on his bum, it was perhaps good fortune for him as he fell out of the attacking radius of the tree, which quick as a whip took off the leader’s head, slashing through his neck with ease. My luck it seemed had turned. I felt joy as the head fell to the floor with a wet slapping sound before rolling away a few feet. Perhaps the branches were a bit too sharp… I thought for a few moments while it killed the other one, looping around the boy’s chest and slamming him back into the tree’s trunk breaking his spine.

  Nah, it’s just about right I decided as the rush of mana blossomed within me. As the death of the three individuals arrived their lifeforce bleeding into me, I felt the bliss creep through my core, bathing me in the energies.

  I smiled, relaxing as the mana suffused me, I loved killing, it felt so good.

  ~~Congratulations: you have killed your fourth sapient being. For doing so you have been awarded 2,000 dungeon points. Well done. In addition you have been awarded 3x mana gain from this death. ~~

  ~~Congratulations: you have killed your fifth sapient being. For doing so you have been awarded 1,000 dungeon points. Well done. In addition you have been awarded 3x mana gain from this death. ~~

  ~~Congratulations: you have reached 2x mana concentration including reserve, as such you have been forced to level up: Level 46 ~~

  ~~Congratulations: you have reached 2x mana concentration including reserve, as such you have been forced to level up: Level 47 ~~

  John ran from the floor, tears streaming down his face as he wept on the entrance steps.

  “Five entered, two get to leave. Three stuck down in the realm beneath, their essence sucked up with a joyous smile, killing feels good, I do it with guile” I sang to myself, revelling in the new points and levels. Soon I would reach level 50 and I was expecting at the very least a perk but hopefully something better.

  After enjoying their deaths for a bit, I got a bit bored and thought to check on the other group. They were all up again and healed up, although Jackson’s chest plate had had to be removed because of the dent. When the yeti had hit him, it had dented the metal into the man’s ribs so that it could no longer be worn after he was healed.

  They carried it with them, even though it slowed them down. And I wondered how they were going to tackle the next room whilst lugging it around.

  Gathered at the archway leading to the next floor, they waited for some unknown signal.

  “Alright, go!”

  Looking over my status I was pleased with it, noting that the death of the third boy, although not specifically triggering a notification, had still given me 210 dungeon points, significantly less than the awarded 1000 points I got from killing my fifth sentient being, but still nice to get. I figured I would get bonuses for meaningful numbers of deaths now, so probably ten deaths total would give me a reward, and perhaps also by species, I decided I would try and keep track of it.

  So far, I had killed six sentient beings, two goblins and four humans. Hopefully with more to come.