Kai looked off to his side where Alicia stood; she looked eighteen despite her age of forty, he had mistakenly assumed it was some elven, or should he say El’viairen, trait.
He was wrong, her youthfulness was purely a consequence of growing up with a developed mana core.
Being thirty-seven, he was glad he looked about the same age and not any younger than her.
He didn’t think much of looking the same Alicia until Syl pointed out he actually looked mature for his age.
That confused him.
It was then explained to him that Alea had adopted a base twelve system calendar that matched up with the length of the planet's days.
Using this new calendar most everything he knew was the same, with sixty seconds to a minute, sixty minutes to an hour, and twenty-four hours in a day.
So far so good.
Then thing started to shift with six days in a week and six weeks in a month… making a month a consistent thirty-six days…
The fact that back on earth everyone agreed a month was four weeks, when only one month out of all twelve kept to that, was ridiculous and highlighted just one of the many problems with the calendar that he had grown up with.
Like Earths Gregorian calendar, Alea had twelve months a year. But at thirty-six days in each month, that meant there was a total of four hundred and thirty-two days in a year. This system calendar totally ignoring the actual three hundred and eighty-two days it took for the planet to complete its orbit.
All the numbers had his head spinning, fortunatly Syl took pity on him and revealed he was just over thirty-one years old on the new calendar. Which apparently meant he should actually look closer to sixteen. A concept that much to Syl's amusement terrified him.
Suddenly everyone calling him boy or child made sense to him.
And it raised a whole new potential issue that he added to the many things he planned to talk to Thanric about.
The wore part was that Alicia was not three short years older than him; she was, in reality, nine long years older than him, which for some might be an issue.
He really hoped Thanric would give him some unbiased sage advice when they finally got out of this dungeon.
Kai looked to Syl on his other side.
He never really thought about it, but now that it was on his mind, she had always looked ageless to him, but now he wondered “Alicia, How old do you think Syl looks?"
Without looking away from the archway, Alicia said, “Not a day over thirty?”
Syl chuckled, “You’re too kind. I was aiming for somewhere around Kai’s age, but I think I might have hit the mark a little lower than that.”
Maybe asking a forty-year-old teenager how old her friend looked wasn’t the best idea.
“I can’t believe you let me go around for over a month without seeing what this new me actually looked like.” He grumbled.
Syl sighed, “You were still adjusting to the new you, and honestly, nothing about you changed; sure, your broken nose was fixed and you look younger, that’s all. Still the same beautiful man I waited for each time the loop spat you back out.”
“I’m about six times more intense looking.”
“You’re fit and healthy now, that’s all. Now focus up; we had a lazy evening working out what we should ask for and what we might expect from the dungeon master. We're just wasting time out here.“
Kai stepped through the arch to find himself staring down a massive blue dragon.
“Don’t mind him; he had a crick in his neck.” The dungeon master said from where he sat on the dragons muzzle.
A giant eyelid lifted to reveal a big amber eye, the big round pupil shrinking down to a thin vertical slit as it focused on the three of them.
Seemingly unimpressed, the beast closed its eye lazily, and it huffed out a breath through its nostrils that were large enough for Kai to crawl down, if he was feeling idiotically adventurous.
A blast of hot, spicy air washed over them as the dungeon master appeared right in front of them. “Why do you three insist on taking your time?”
Kai was about to apologise but the dungeon master sighed and held up a hand, forestalling any replies. “I guess this technically helps the real me… more time ponder his situation.”
Kai didn’t know what that was about, but the three of them agreed they would avoid anything that could reduce their assessment points, and that meant asking questions.
Apparently the dungeon master picked up on the silence and he seemed quite amused at their unwillingness to say anything unnecessary.
“So, shall we begin?” the dungeon master asked with a raised eye brow.
They just nodded.
“Well then. You not only survived the undead horde, but you also fought it off, then located and destroyed the lich lord that was its source. The only issue I have is you also looted an entire village of anything you thought valuable…”
Kai tried not to let any of his dismay show outwardly. The dungeon master seemed intent to use any excuses to take away points.
“However, I have chosen not to hold that against the three of you. You made it more than clear you understand the difference between taking advantage of a dungeon scenario and the ramifications of those same actions outside these fabricated halls.”
That surprised Kai; it seemed out of character for the blue dragon man.
The dungeon master chuckled, ”You know, I thought I had outsmarted you and your seemingly unlimited storage capacity by choosing a scenario where you could not loot every single kill only to return them back to me in trade.”
The dungeon master let out a dramatic sigh. “I guess I should just be glad Syl did not think to loot all the furnishings and anything else not nailed down. As Kai pointed out, it was an option; all of that extra mass might have boosted your points considerably. It is a shame you did not discover what was hidden away within the graveyard. The first thing you missed was a clue as to where to find the source. Though you did not need that in the end, the second, third and fourth being the unique items you missed in your first maze run.”
Kai groaned out loud as the dungeon master gave them a wicked grin.
‘Kai, remember what we discussed.’ Syl communicated.
The dungeon master gave Kai a moment to say something, but seeing him tighten his jaw in response to Syl's silent rebuttal, the blue-scaled man went on.
“Twenty thousand points each for the first test. Which brings us to your individual assessments and guidance.”
The dungeon master looked off to the side, his eyebrows twitching in annoyance just below where his horns crested out from his forehead before sweeping back over his hair.
“Again, I cannot argue that any of you failed. Though I would like it to be known amongst my lesser associates that they were supposed to test your determination and drive to improve, not just mentor the three of you… that said, ten thousand points each.”
That surprised all three of them; only Syl had gotten ten thousand the last time, and she had been put through the ringer by Kain. It didn’t seem right.
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“The three of you need to work on your poker faces. Those points seem high but keep in mind that the points you gain are doubled this time round; you should know that none of you exceeded expectations like Syl did the first time around. Though expectations were still high for all of you.”
Syl was beaming at the confirmation she had exceeded expectations in the first round.
The dungeon master's head whipped round, his eyes going wide as he locked them on Syl.
“Really?” the dungeon master asked her.
Syl nodded.
“Right now? Why, you're so close to leaving this place?”
Syl nodded again.
The dungeon master sighed and pulled a cue card from the breast pocket of his robe.
“Syl, for becoming, after much deliberation, a knowing yet informal apprentice to the shadow of the archmage and grand master of mana and all its workings, a now confirmed god. Ten thousand points”
That was interesting. Ten thousand points, that was eight thousand points higher than he had received… surely it wasn’t also doubled. That couldn't be right; his best guess was her long deliberation was what gave Syl the extra points. That, or an apprenticeship with Kain, was just worth a whole lot more than one with Inego.
The dungeon master pulled another cue card.
“A further one thousand points for accepting Eunice’s limited agreement.”
The dungeon master gave Kai a pointed look. “That Kai is how one makes agreements with their superiors: defined terms and much deliberation.”
Kai wanted to shrink; he didn’t know the system would hit him with that achievement just for calling someone master. It really wasn't fair; it was like signing a contract while underage.
“Moving on,” the dungeon master said, “you completed the maze in a timely manner, only opening one mimic and wisely avoiding the Taurus threat. That honestly surprised me; I thought the three of you would at least try to kill Tim, lure him into a trap, and then finish him off.” The dungeon master sighed, “That aside, you correctly judged the risk and did not foolishly look for the unique items I alluded to in your last assessment... Your search would have been fruitless as they were not in this version of the maze.”
The dungeon master paused in deliberation. “Six, no… seven thousand each.”
To Kai that seemed a little low, they had completed the maze in record time, he had to wonder how they lost points. As per their plan he wasn’t going to ask.
“The village… The village usually catches people out, as there is no correct solution. It is a test of character, your ability to deduce the truth, and ultimately where your morals lie. In some ways you had an overwhelming advantage as you can all speak the common goblin tongue. Which I still find curious. You should know the mayor was just about to push the adventures you faced into a confrontation with you. But you quite handily locked him down and used that time to make them see reason whilst warning them they were in the same situation as you. Meaning that you did not have the misfortune of killing adventurers that were technically just doing their job at the end of the day.”
The dungeon master was pacing again.
“You see, no matter how you face this trial, you are supposed to lose. In killing the goblins, you are then confronted by the reality of your actions, where you can either demand answers from the mayor or face the adventurers who are sent to investigate the conflicting requests. In protecting the goblins, you are then faced with a team of adventurers answering the village's request. Of course the scenario is robust and can accommodate any number of variables to twist things so that you find yourself in the wrong. For example, had you chosen to fight Inego and his team, you would have killed them easily, only to find the guild leader coming down on you in turn for killing her people.”
The dungeon master blew out a frustrated breath through his teeth. “Had it not been for that damn challenge stone, I would have made the adventurers more aggressive. But that would not have been fair; you at least needed a chance to talk your way out of the situation.”
“Was there any scenario where the mayor was redeemable?” Alicia asked, breaking from the plan to ask a reasonable question.
The dungeon master scoffed, “I’m a dungeon master, not a miracle worker. Do you three have any idea how hard it is to work fat turd into a name?” he smiled, “In your language. Not very. Believe me, I was so very happy when you at least picked up on the turd. Though it does make it painfully obvious he’s a bad seed to anyone with an imagination… Fifteen thousand points each.”
The dungeon master moved to stand before all three of them, not giving anyone individual his focus. “Again, Syl, you set a record… though it hardly matters as there is no actual reward for such things, sixty-three thousand points. Kai and Alicia fifty-two thousand.”
The dungeon master clapped and rubbed his hands together, “Now, would you like to trade anything in before we start, or do you plan to drag this out?”
Kai cleared his throat. “We would like to make our requests first.”
There was a rumble from the resting dragon just behind the dungeon master. Kai heard nothing; the sound was so low in frequency he could only feel it as the air around him vibrated, the stone beneath his feet sending shock waves up through his legs and into his spine. Chilled, Kai realised the dragon may not have gone back to sleep.
The dungeon master paid the dragon behind him no mind and said, “That is your right. Again, I will allow for ten requests each and three purchases,” the dungeon master's eyes flashed, “and if it wasn’t obvious from before, I am open to one particular trade; should you require a recommendation, more points or even more purchases, I am sure we can come to an agreement. Now who would like to go first?”
For some reason in their preparation, both Syl and Alicia had decided he would be the first; the only problem with that was he had already decided to go off script.
“I request the unique item that was in the first maze and then in village graveyard that is tailored just for me.”
The dungeon master presented an item called Kai’s attire.
“If you would recall, the last time you were here, I said these three items were uniquely tailored for you and your party. It pleases me that you made this request; I could only drop so many hints.”
Kai grinned.
Then he examined the weird metallic bracelet and was a little disappointed.
At first thought from the name it was some kind of magical armour. But upon reading the description he knew what the dungeon master meant by tailored.
Kai’s Raiment.
Adaptable Raiment, these bracelets, dress the bearer with clothing tailored to fit Kai perfectly.
Providing the bracelets with new materials and designs will expand the range of available garb the raiment can produce on demand.
When armour is worn over the garb, it will adapt to produce the appropriate under armour.
This item has the self-repair, cleaning and hidden enchantments.
Should any of the set be destroyed, so long as one bracelet remains, the others will be restored.
A little confused and very disappointed, Kai asked, “It’s clothing?”
“No… it is adaptable, self-repairing, self-tailoring, and self-cleaning clothing that, should you feed it other garments will have you the best dressed individual in any given situation."
“But does it provide any protection?” Kai asked trying to find a reason to take the item.
“No, it’s not armour, but I guess if you find the right high tier fabric, you might benefit from some extra protection. Though I wouldn’t expect any materials with magical properties to work the same when reproduced. Only a fool would dismiss the value of such a practical everyday item. “
The dungeon master stepped back, spreading his arms wide as his robes rippled and changed into a similar shirt and pants Kai was currently wearing before changing back again.
“Believe me, I still use it, and I’m what, a god compared to you children? For you, Kai, such an item is a steal at just… five thousand points.”
Kai fidgeted with his Soul ring, he kind of wanted it, if he understood the enchantments it meant he would never run out of clean underwear. but he would wait, best to save his three purchases and check what else the dungeon offered, besides for what they had planned they might need the points.
“Excuse me,” Syl stepped forward, “would this item accept clothing produced within a soul realm or domain?”
The dungeon master snapped his fingers as he grinned, “Good question. The design, yes, but the material, that could be problematic. The material might manifest depending on the quality of the conjuration, or it might be somewhat vaporous; as the raiment is adaptable, you will be able to substitute any real-world material that is suitable.”
Syl nodded, and with perhaps the most serious expression he had ever seen on her, she said, “I request the unique item that was in the first maze and then in village graveyard that is tailored just for me.”
The dungeon master produced another set of four bracelets, the design finer and more refined, the fit just right for Syl's smaller frame.
“For you the price is… twenty thousand points.” The dungeon master said as he practically keened.
That seemed outrageous; the same item for himself was a quarter of the points.
The dungeon master detected his surprise and raised a hand to forestall him, “While none of you technically need this item, remember that certain factors affect the price. You would not believe how much she wants it. It would be more expensive had she figured out her physical form and been capable of actually using it.”
Syl didn’t seem to care about the inflated price, and after giving Alicia a quick look to receive a nod in return, said, “Deal.”
While Kai was still slack-jawed, Alicia spoke up, “I request the unique item that was in the first maze and then in village graveyard that is tailored just for me..”
The dungeon master chuckled and produced another set of bracelets. “Ten thousand points.”
“Deal!”
The dungeon master turned back to Kai and reproduced his set from before.
This was not at all what they had planned.
Kai had just been curious, but now that he had opened his big mouth, both Syl and Alicia had used a purchase each and burned a total of thirty thousand points.
He looked over to Syl and Alicia; they were both staring at him he didn’t need his omniglot skill to know what they were telling him to do.
“Fine, I will take them.”
“Wise choice.”
Seeing his two party members beaming at him, he decided to put their plan back on track.
“I request any items related to Trengor’s scaled gauntlets.” Kai said, hoping for another piece of dragon-scaled armour or possibly another growth item.
The dungeon master took a step back. “Are you sure?”
Kai nodded.
With a vicious grin, the dungeon master held out another set of four bracelets.
Trengor’s Raiment.
Adaptable Raiment: These bracelets and dresses the bearer with clothing tailored to fit Trengor perfectly.
Providing the bracelets with new materials and designs will expand the range of available garb the raiment can produce on demand.
When armour is worn over the garb, it will adapt to produce the appropriate under armour.
This item has the self-repair, cleaning and hidden enchantments.
Should any of the set be destroyed, so long as one bracelet remains, the others will be restored.
Kai groaned again as he realised his mistake, “Who the fuck is Trengor!?”
The dungeon master just laughed.
