RM Wrath Farmer CH6 (Patreon)

I paused the how-to video of a man throwing a spear. The name of the tanned-skinned man wasn’t important. It was the way he positioned his feet, shifted his hips, turned his shoulders, and timing that had all my focus. The West Coast was dominated by men who turned throwing a spear into an art form. Kato, Mai’s father, had a spear that he could throw and call back to his hand. I admired the weapon, so I practiced on the off chance I got my hands on a good spear or was inspired to make my own. The spear, after all, was a metaphor for domination.

What if the spear thrower stood on a rocking boat or unstable ground? Well, his throw would be more difficult or impossible. That thought led back to my own weakness.

The key to my future dominance, the axis from which my cultivation balanced, was a fragile machine, a crack in my foundation. It was a feat of engineering and enchantment that I couldn’t match and normally wouldn’t bother with. If the machine wasn’t the key to my power, I would barely give it a thought except what it did for society by pacifying a certain breed of monster. Even though it allowed the best music in the world to be born, its inner workings wouldn’t interest me. The fact that it worked was enough.

Before, it could have worked with nanites, artificial womb technology, or flash cloning. None of that mattered to me until it did. So, I investigated the technology and a Blackbox. Most technologies important enough to make an entire monster species symbiotic would be tested and peer-reviewed. Aspiring engineers would attempt to replicate the design through different means to further their understanding of the technology. There was very little of that or the excitement such important technology should have introduced to the enchanter community. Message boards were silent compared to the introduction of other technologies.

I activated the device and drained the blood produced. The blood was fuel, no different from mana for mages. It was a source of life that my cultivation turned into pure chi. By the time the refinement process finished what entered my core was hardly related to blood anymore.

Understanding the technology of my source of power was far more important to me than an engineer studying new technology. I memorized what enchantments were left for the public to see as a design choice and felt confused. Some of the scripts belonged to a life support unit instead of something made for cloning. Something within the machine’s black box turned the material placed within into blood, but I was less certain of where the blood came from. Time and space enchantments were dangerous.

The object was a bag of holding a safe which meant it didn’t have an expanded space within it, or Hyperion managed to figure it out. Either was impressive, but the lack of information on the subject was disturbing.

This meant that at any time, the owner of the technology could turn it off. How this technology was allowed to spread was beyond me. Entire industries were changed by adding vampires to the Weston Economy. A long-lived species that fed on blood remained attached to certain trends long after others moved on and changed the market.

Teams of vampire adventurers traveled into the wild lands within territories and brought back resources contributing to the economy. Enchanters, engineers, and smiths have specialized in creating equipment for them exclusively.

The blood synthesizer would eventually shut off and be used as leverage.

I was stuck relying on it because I was a cultivator in Weston.

When one door closed, another one opened. There were stories of Easton Cultivators who fell onto a dark path that could refine Youki into Chi. We technically disposed of hundreds of pounds of Youki crystals Oni produced. It was a resource we threw away in a place called Hastur Valley, where the King in Yellow once ruled. In other words, Dis City dumped Oni feces on the lands of our old enemy.

That made it the strongest source of Youki in the world. If I could learn how to turn Youki into Chi, then that would flip waste into a resource. The problem was Oni naturally absorbed chi as a part of their nutrition, mixed it with mana, and dumped waste as Youki. If I just built a machine that turned Youki matter into chi Mai would just absorb it. This would require more planning.

Under the light of the noonday sun, I drew up the beginning of plans for a machine that would replace my need for my amulet. Hyperion’s base was here in Bavilim city. There were many government grants sent to this day to take care of the vampire problem. Despite the blood synthesizer, many vampires fed on humans exclusively.

This vacation was becoming work.

While I was all for having fun and there was still so much to be done, I had to take steps to safeguard my power source. Tonight, I would store it in my bag of holding and take a bath with Raven and her sister Kahlua, the chocolate-skinned beauty.

This little rank 2 floor was nice. Some people lost themselves in dungeons without any regrets. Those people lived happy simple lives, and their descendants became NPCs falling into stories. History was rewritten by the dungeon a little at a time until even the people who lived through events didn’t know the truth.

Gabriel opened the door to show off disheveled hair, bandaged bite marks, and lipstick kisses up and down his neck.

“Someone had a good time,” Theodore said as he barged in. “I can’t believe either of you would sleep with the corpses,” Theodore said.

“Don’t say that about them,” Gabriel said.

I smiled. “It's his first time with MILFs.” I said.

Despite myself, I was a little jealous. Gabriel was so lucky.

“Ah, horny and bored make for generous lovers. Do they let you suck on their fat tits?” Gabriel moved a hand to his sword. Theodore smiled at that. “You think they care about you,” Theodore said.

“Keep silent on the matter, or I will show you why knight classes are feared,” Gabriel said.

“High endurance must make for great stamina,” Theodore said.

I grabbed Gabriel’s shoulder and held him in place. His eyes widened when he couldn’t pull away from me.

“Don’t do anything you’ll regret. We’re all friends here.” I sighed and shook my head. “They won’t remember you in the next scenario. While the scenarios are connected, they follow a scripted timeline. We should have been imprisoned and drained slowly for our blood. Instead, we appeared with many bodies for the nobles to feed upon. Then came John Wayne and his family. The Count has never had such a full larder.” I said.

“Good to see you haven’t lost track of reality,” Theodore said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Gabriel asked.

“You are a commodity to them, and when you're used up, they won’t shed a tear,” I said.

“What about you?” Gabriel asked.

“I heard that goth bitch brag. You’re a renewable resource like a cow she plans to milk daily.” Theodore said.

“More like a bull,” I said.

“I didn’t need that image.” Theodore shook his head. “What is our end goal. Will we flee the castle to end the event or try to fight Count Lee. I don’t recommend the last part.

“We will leave on day 30, I want every advantage we can get. There is a resource called Nectar guarded by some kind of serpent in the mountain.”

“We can only use one kind of attribute efficiency item per rank, and this is an acting rank 2 dungeon. Do either of you know what that means?” Gabriel and I shook our heads. “Multiply the effectiveness by 2 easily. If you get enough to baptize yourself in the Nectar, increase the gains further. These are some of the consumables that disappear outside a dungeon.”

“What are we waiting for? Let's kill the snake and take Nectar,” Gabriel said.

I shook my head. “It's the kind of task we need a full party to handle. The Count said serpent, so it could be a dragon, a hydra, or even a basilisk. Attacking it in its lair is a bad idea.”

Seeing it so I can simulate it until I can win was a much better plan. “So we let this opportunity pass us by,” Gabriel said.

“No, but we aren’t jumping in head first like idiots. We have time, so dawn tomorrow, one of us will scout the place out and come back. Then, the next day, someone else will until we get an idea of the mountain and a few monster sightings. Rank 2 monsters are too powerful to take lightly.

The odds were good. I could punch it into minced meat, but I needed some information to go on.

We separated for what promised to be interesting nights for all of us.

…

Kahlua tripped on her hem, fell on her rear, and flashed me the moment she walked into the bathroom. I leaned down to help her up, only for the dark-skinned beauty to lick her pink lips and stare suggestively at my neck. Her hair was a waterfall of black. Kahlua’s face was delicate in all the right places, with high cheekbones and cool green eyes. I wanted to fall into them and never leave.

“Hey,” Raven snapped her fingers.   

“Don’t glamour him. We have a good thing going.” Raven said.

“But I’m so thirsty, and the tub is empty. How can we take a bath with no water? I didn’t see any servants moving, so it will be forever before it's ready?”

“I’ll take care of it,” I said

I tossed 30 fruits into the massive tub, filling it up to the rim. Then I raised my hand and pointed it at the pile of fruit. This was something I had little experience with, but cutting couldn’t be that hard. I made a small blade with my chi and pushed it out slowly. The flesh of many fruits parted as I began cutting more and more, searching for the sweet spot. It wasn’t that making a blade out of chi was easy, but I did so much with chi already that another tool wasn’t a big deal. Juices pooled at the bottom as I diced the fruit before adding more blades.

Soon, the fruit had blended, and then I sliced more.

“It's transforming before our eyes. But it's still going to be cold.” Kahlua said.

“You’re the only one who would complain about temperature when you got to bathe in a bath of ambrosia.”

“You did not tell me what the fruit was,” Kahlua said.

“This is going to be messier than I thought,” I said.

I placed a finger in the bath of fruit slurry and heated it slowly. “It seems like a waste,” Kahlua said.

“How you use the fruit is important. Consuming it will give us each a 5% increase in effectiveness that would only require three fruits. A potion made with other ingredients through alchemic means could increase that to 20% if we had a master alchemist on hand. If we were really feeling frisky, I could take a blood transfusion bag, and I could hook it up to your butt and pour it in that way.” Kahlua sighed, walked up to me, and slapped me across the face. I continued speaking as if she hadn’t hit me, even as my cheek swelled while regeneration took care of it. “That would give an 8% increase in effectiveness. But there is another way.” I said.

The bath bubbled close to my fire chi. I passed my hand through the juice as it bubbled. By adding heat to the process, our bodies will absorb the ambrosia more fully. The end result is a 30 to 50 percent increase in effectiveness. That is only possible because of the number of fruit.” I said.

“I see, but why would I disrobe in front of you?” Kahlua asked.

Raven smacked her sister’s rear, making her jump. “Sister, why are you thirsty? We have so many in the castle.”

Kahlua looked away. “On behalf of my cranky sister, I apologize she will undress and give you a show before enjoying the bath with us.”

“Oh, you’re willing to share with me why not share him with the rest of our family. I’m sure Richard would love to have a drink from your prized stallion.” Kahlua looked between us and raised the him of her dress while glaring. “I don’t see why none of you have to try. Am I not beautiful?” Kahlua said.

I added the rest of the fruit, chopped them, and let the juice level rise. The juice was cooling already. “You appear unapproachable,” I said.

“How I wonder the hall where I can be seen, I don’t crawl down from walls into an adolescent boy’s room,” Kahlua said.

Raven whispered too low for normal people to hear. It was loud enough for my chi sense. “Atom asked for you. He likes dark skin, especially the way it contrasts with mine. I’ve caught him staring at you when he thinks I’m not paying attention.” Raven said.

“We have a feast, a relaxing bath, and fun waiting for us. Take off your stuffy dress, put on a show to remember, and take a bath with us.” Raven said.

“Alright, I would hate to ruin the night,” Kahlua said.

Kahlua stood to her full height at 4’9” and danced a slow strut while sliding out of her dress. I watched her raise her dress up over her rear as she shook her hips from side to side, showing off her chocolate rear.

Raven pulled down her dress, revealing her large pink-capped breasts. Vampires must have a power that defies gravity because there wasn’t a bit of sag on Raven’s massive boobs. Soft, smooth skin white as snow practically glimmered under the soft torchlight. She contrasted perfectly with Kahlua’s swaying hips. The girl’s glowing green eyes met mine as she watched me admire her.

Vampire harems were incomplete without one of these girls. While they weren’t always crown jewels, they were important, like bones or muscle tissue. Everything a vampire out to be in the rank 2 daughters of Count Lee. To have a harem of just them was considered cliché. To have a vampire theme harem without one of them was considered incomplete. Of course, I wasn’t a billionaire and couldn’t afford so many girls.

Kahlua freed herself of her dress and tossed it to a ghoul who quickly hung it on a walking mannequin. She spun around slowly, flashing her dark skin and exposing her dark, pointy nipples. Her hairless mound hid her inner lips well, only poking out in her thigh gap. She wiggled her toes when my gaze fell upon them before placing her hands on her ankles and moving them upward. They ran up her firm calves, luscious thighs, wide hips, and her tiny waist. Her chest was smaller than Raven’s by a fair bit, and she used movement to keep my eyes on the parts of her body she liked the most. Kahlua placed a hand over her mound, hiding the bare hint of what I had seen before. She snapped her fingers near her face, where she smiled, exposing her white teeth and long fangs.

Raven’s voice whispered in my ear. “Do you know how to tell how hungry a vampire is?” I shook my head and squeezed my hands. My bones cracked under the strain. “Our fangs and nails grow longer when we are hungry. A desperate vampire will have talons and fangs that can’t be concealed.”

She stepped in front of me and smiled. Her fangs were barely longer than normal.

“Don’t be scared. She only needs a drink.” Raven said.

“I’m sure you will, too,” I said.

“Still full. I feel like a tick. I’m so bloated.” She pointed at her flat stomach. “If I’m not careful, Father will put me on a diet. Then I won’t be able to enjoy your blood after you glut on bluebear.” Raven said.

It was good to know where her priorities were. I turned my attention to the tub. The juice was a golden amber color, still bubbling with hundreds of seeds. Bubbles rose continuously as the fruit slurry broke down further under my fire chi. The heat was the key to this.

Ambrosia came in numerous forms, and that was all I knew about them. This technique came from Master Yang Da. I’m sure there were better ways to use the fruit, but I didn’t know them. Sometimes, it was better to use something I had that worked instead of something that I didn’t have. The hotter the bath, the better. I upped the heat until the fruit juice was boiling.

I stripped off my shirt and let my amulet slap against my chest. To use this bath successfully, I was going to spend over half my reserves on regeneration and chi endurance.

“You know we have to bathe for 12 hours for the best effect.” I stared at the boiling bath of fruit juice and knew this was going to hurt. “So, did either of you invest in endurance?” I asked.

“I did,” Kahlua said.

“Stamina freak,” Raven said.

“Regenerator cliché,” Kahlua said.

“Girls, you're both pretty,” I said.

“I heard you’re taking a bath with,” Claudia entered the room and stared at us all before locking eyes with the bath. “Can we keep him?”

“Who invited you here, dear sister?” Kahlua asked.

“Oh, I seduced her while no one was paying attention,” I said.

“When was that?” Claudia asked.

“When no one was paying attention so she could stay,” I said.

“Yes, I remember our date was under the moonlight, with singing frogs and a rowboat over corpse dump lake. The water that night was wonderfully brackish.” Claudia nodded, smiling a massive grin exposing fangs that nearly touched her bottom lip. “Only I don’t recall you being there because none of us paid attention. I demand a second date so that I can pay attention, we can see my favorite spots, and you can read me poetry under the moonlight.” Claudia said.

I had a problem.

The blond vampire pouted before licking her lips. “Are we really bathing in ambrosia juice? The room smells heavenly, like how Father describes some of the old battlefields. The sweet aroma of blood spilled in tens of thousands must smell as sweet as this bath.” I changed my mind; my reserves might drop to 10% after this.”

Chi Endurance helped keep my body together, sustained my chi longer, and maintained my focus longer. Chi regeneration was not something I had. It was something that existed, most likely, but I had no use for it. Chi Vitality was also something that might exist as a means to give my cells a longer lifespan through chi and assist their replication.

From what I could tell, Claudia and Kahlua were going to drain me like a bucket with the bottom ripped out.

All thoughts of a fun, safe bath with two girls that might try to drain my life away ended. This became a fight for survival that was also a bath with three girls that will try their best to drain my life away while I’m struggling to regenerate from rank 2 ambrosia.

I smiled, and my face twitched.

The bath was nearly 8ft in diameter, circular, and had a cool gargoyle theme. Little stone figures in various acts of bathing surrounded the tub with lewd imagery. They were as gothic as they were fit for a succubus’s décor. I might swipe the tub. Maybe if I had a system connection to see if the tub offered some benefit. All I could sense from it was a small aura of mana owned by the purpose of its creator. The purpose was a mystery to me.

While I wasn’t heating the bath anymore, it retained its maximum heat with little sign of declining anytime soon.

I climbed up the steps as Claudia undressed. Her white panties slipped down, revealing a yellow mound and the pinkest of pink hidden beneath. She shimmied out of her dress, and her boobs defied gravity just as Raven’s had. They were as firm as A cups but still soft, like their C cup size insinuated. Raven’s chest seemed to sag a little compared to Claudia and Kahlua.

“What are you thinking about?” Raven asked.

I stared into her glowing blue eyes. “Vampire boobs,” I said.

Raven nodded like my answer was the most interesting thing in the world.

“What do you think?” Kahlua smiled. “Don’t worry, there are no right answers.”

“Gravity has no power over them,” I said.

“Ok, Claudia, you know that moment when their heart goes pitter-patter in that way that draws us in and makes us wet,” Kahlua said.

“Only in all my wettest dreams,” Claudia said.

“Don’t give into it,” Kahlua said.

Raven covered her mouth. “Kahlua, are you falling in love with a human?”

I took a step into the pool, and it burned as I struggled to put all the Chi Endurance I could into it. Slowly, the feeling leveled off as I put my other foot into it. I went all out and then slowly dialed it back.

When it only tingled, I sighed and held it there. A portion of my attention for the next 12 hours had to be on keeping my Chi Endurance up. That wasn’t something I expected. Raven climbed up, looked me in the eyes, and jumped.

I raised up and caught her, slipped, and plunged completely. My eyes opened, and I screamed, sucked in a lungful of juice and started spluttering. Kahlua’s strong hands grabbed me before hauling me up for air.

“Humans need to breathe,” Kahlua said.

“I wasn’t trying to drown him, and maybe this one doesn’t. Maybe he’s like us and lungs are just accessories.” Raven said.

I coughed out boiling juice as my Chi Endurance dropped and Claudia’s soft breasts pressed against my back. The pain spiked, and I slowly fought with my chi.

“I think Raven has more endurance than you do,” Claudia said.

“It stings so good,” Raven said.

Claudia sighed. “Not for a lack of trying.” Her soft hands wrapped around me and pulled me in close. She sat down on the bench inside the bath and held me in her lap. Half of my mind was completely focused on Chi Endurance. Enhancement might have helped, but it would have been a waste of resources.

“Wait, Raven has less endurance because she likes pain,” I said.

I had a hint from her enjoyment of hair-pulling and choking, but this was a little extreme.

“I’m a high endurance type, so I barely feel it. Raven has a unique skill that scales really well with Vitality. We all put some into Vitality because our effectiveness with that attribute is already high. Two points for us are worth 100 for a human. Father has three unstoppable vitality skills. You’ve probably heard of them.” Claudia said.  

His boss skills were Blood Shield, Elder Blood, and Blood Burn. They were a terrifying combination. Count Lee was a rank 2 who invested exclusively in Vitality to the point of lopsidedness and made it work. It was, to this day a reliable strategy for vampires. Most of them become revenge burn types. They soak up damage like a sponge, targeting everything that damages them, taking damage and regenerating. Then, when they are ready, they unleash an attack that deals the same damage to all their enemies or a multiplier in a beam, explosion, or elemental attack.

Count Lee was where the burn strategies came into existence. Back in the day, before sacrifice artifacts were crafted, the burn strategy was an army killer. In a true war, Easton cultivators have 7 or more death survival artifacts and plenty of escape treasures. Dao seedlings, especially, were hard to take out. Despite Easten's counters, there was always a new Burn strategy.

 I sighed at that. High Endurance meant this Kahlua did not inherit any of Count Lee’s skills. That wasn’t a bad thing. Vampires with high Endurance were interesting. They had about half as much Endurance as a human, but if they managed to put 100 points in Endurance, and it was their main physical attribute, they gained a skill that changed that. Crystal body gave them a gem-like body, removing their weakness to sunlight and cutting their Vitality effectiveness in half. There were enclaves of crystal-body vampires and plenty on Fanger, the ultimate vampire dating app.

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

“I can guess. You want to know if I’m trying to become a crystal vampire.”

“Not only am I overlooked for my lighter-skinned sisters, but everyone thinks I’m trying to become one of the stone demons of my grandmother’s homeland. I thought we had something special.” Kahlua said.

Claudia hugged me from behind and ground herself against my thigh. “Don’t be mean.”

“Are you sure we can’t stay here longer than 12 hours?” Raven asked.

“Well, it looks like Raven is in bliss? Maybe we should order that daughter of John Wayne here for a little snack. You did glamour the tart.” Kahlua said.

“Of course, I got them all on the first night. Can you believe that a man has so many daughters with only one wife? Our brothers nearly went crazy.” Claudia said.

“I’m uncomfortable with this conversation,” I said.

“Atom, we drink people and leave their corpses behind for our ghoul servants to eat. If this relationship is going to work, you have to find a way to make peace with that.” Claudia said.

“We don’t have to talk about it in front of him. That’s like butchering wild horses for meat in front of your prized stallion.” Raven said.

“Not helping,” I said.

“Really, I thought, ok, I’ll just enjoy this feeling. Oh, Atom can regenerate his blood so do with that what you will.” Raven said.

Did she just reveal the fact I was a strategic resource in front of two very hungry vampires?

Claudia’s grip tightened, and Kahlua’s head flashed in my direction. “I didn’t hear you brag about that. That is interesting. How fast would you say his regeneration is?”

“I drained like five humans’ worth with no sign of stopping,” Raven said.  

“Have you heard of the loophole?” Claudia asked.

“What loophole?” I asked.

Her words drew me in, and I couldn’t think straight. My muscles twitched as Claudia’s hand reached around and grabbed my meat stick.

“Yes, the loophole is a valuable tool for anyone without Raven’s regeneration,” Kahlua said.

“I’m going for the Eternal Virgin perk when I reach lvl100 in my vampire class,” Raven said.

I blinked and thought of the only Eternal virgins I knew of. Hestia, Artemis, and Athena. They were all goddesses known for their eternal virginity. If it was something to do with a goddess then it had to be overpowered.

“I didn’t know monsters could get perks,” I said.

“Dungeons grant perks, not the human system,” Raven said.

That was an interesting piece of information I hadn’t considered or even thought about. Raven was easy to get along with. I understood her.

I glanced over at my jacket that had the Companion Stamp in its pocket. So long as these girls like me to a certain point, I could stamp them and make them companions.

Claudia leaned in and kissed my ear, making me shiver. Her cool breath pressed on me as her hand moved up and down.

Kahlua grabbed my member just above Claudia’s grip. “Sister, I’m going to give him a kiss. Please move your hand.”

“Why should I give him up? He’s in my arms and sitting in my lap. I could snap his neck, and you wouldn’t get a drop.” Claudia said.

I may have miscalculated somewhere.

Raven hissed. “That’s my blood supply your threatening.”

The two older vampires looked down on their sister before sighing. I reached out and grabbed Kahlua’s face, and pulled her forward.

I stared into her green eyes and kissed her, feeling the fangs behind her lips. “So firm,” I turned to Claudia, leaned in, and kissed her, meeting the other girl’s green eyes. “So soft,” I kissed Kahlua again.

Thankfully, kissing them both seemed to calm them down. Twelve hours of girls arguing didn’t sound like a fun time to me.

Kahlua moved in close and kissed me. Claudia moved to my neck and kissed me before scraping her fangs slowly against my skin. Her wet, scratchy tongue pressed against my skin and licked slowly, leaving a trail of saliva.

The ebony girl stared down at my hard meat stick and lowered herself into the juice. Her mouth opened a little wider than a normal human's and slowly accommodated me. Claudia’s fangs pinched my neck, and I felt blood well up before she pulled back and kissed the wound. She spat on it and kissed around the wound, forming a seal.

Kahlua kissed the head of my member, scraping her fangs against it before sliding me to the back of her throat. She wasted no time and let me slide in inch after inch until her fangs pressed into my groin. She punctured me and drew my blood slowly. All the while, I felt her throat tighten and glug at me. She barely reacted to the intrusion; this clearly wasn’t about sex for her. Kahlua had a thirst, and with her fangs in my body, she tapped me.

I released her face and moved a hand behind my back and between Claudia’s soft thighs. She shivered when my hands dipped between her precious place. Her noble virginity thrummed from my touch as I slipped my fingers along her virgin slit between her closed lips.

My body fell into the agony of pleasure and pain. Regeneration kept me going, and when I slipped in my control, it took several minutes to get it back. Slowly, Kahlua pulled away and then Claudia did the same.

I felt myself twitch as Claudia pushed me off her lap and onto a bench as they leaned back and enjoyed the bath. Raven was on the bottom, blowing bubbles to match the boiling juice. I submerged myself and felt the full force of the ambrosia push against me. Chi Endurance was all that I had to use against it.

When I shot out of the water, gasping for breath, the pain assaulted me.

“So, who taught you how to use effectiveness items like this?” Claudia asked.

“My teacher, in his homeland, this is how they empower themselves,” I said.

“Is he an alchemist?” I shook my head. “A pity I would like to discuss my craft with someone,”  Claudia said.

Kahlua sighed like she had dodged a bullet. Raven came up and sat beside me. Her naked body felt good against my own.

“I know a little about alchemy. Well, enough to get myself in trouble. I tried to use a homunculus creation experiment to generate energy for an enchantment.” I said.

“Which one, there are many?”

“The one involving horses,” I said.

“Be more specific,” Claudia said.

“Statements are prompts, not questions,” Raven said.

Claudia glared at Raven’s smirking face, sighed, and turned back to me.

“May I have the details of your thesis,” Claudia asked.

I thought about it. There wasn’t much of a thesis. I was only hijacking a known method for creating homunculi and hit a snag. Horses were terrible tools to incubate homunculi. They stepped out of place, crapped on the circles, and resisted implantation. Working with horses took what should have been a simple ritual and turned it into a nightmare.

“It involved horses. Enough said.” I said.

“So you don’t believe you made any mistakes in your process, it was the animals themselves that were the problem. There are absolutely no mistakes you could have made that could have been the problem, and you choose to blame innocent creatures instead.” Claudia said.

I turned to Raven. “She has a thing for horses,” Raven said.

“So what is your answer was it the animal’s fault or the human unaware of alchemic procedures,” Claudia said.

“Claudia, don’t be mean. You know the best training method is positive reinforcement. This is why Raven hated it when you tried to teach her alchemy.” Kahlua said.

“Yeah,” Raven agreed.

“She dropped an entire shelf of glassware it took months to get replacements. I missed so many of my experiments because of that.” Claudia said.

“You’re an alchemist, so why do you specialize in charisma?” I asked.

“To convince nobles to purchase my products,” Claudia said.

Raven giggled at that. Kahlua sighed.

“Could you sell something for me?” I asked.

“I’m sure she could,” Raven said.

“Will you,”

“Yes,” Claudia rubbed her legs together.

“Do you want to know when the best time to ask us for sex is,” Raven asked.

…

With the sunup and our 12 hours of ambrosia bath done, I set out to explore the mountains. My horse carried me through the grassy valley and to the base of the mountain in record time. In an old cave abandoned by bears I found a boulder Kahlua told me about. White stone filled my surroundings, along with some damp cave moss. Chipmunks bickered, and a presence concealed itself.

Up in the mountain above the clouds beyond the ice was a stream of Nectar guarded by a powerful monster, a secret boss. Gabriel scouted the day before. While he hadn’t found the monster, he did find patches of shed skin larger than a human body and a massive blue metallic feather stabbed into the side of the mountain.

“I don’t think it's only a serpent,” Gabriel said.

Clint gazed at the porous rock around the feather and spat on the ground. “Feathered Serpent, the vampire wants us to fight a god for nectar.”

“Clint, there are no gods but the Olympians and their families. This is merely a powerful rank 2 monster.” Theodore said.

“I don’t want to fight something that flies with a sword,” Gabriel said.

“How are your silver slashes?” I asked.

“They have a range of 15 yards, and I can’t manage to extend the range yet,” Gabriel said.

I gazed at the feather and couldn’t help but feel my blood run cold. A new addition to my simulation, something that flies, could help me spread my foundation further. I had two items of inspiration and a die I hadn’t cast yet.

“We have time. I’ll scout the mountain next. Theodore, you should check out the library and see if you can find anything. Gabriel, I need you to get that MILF Jacinta talking.” I said.

Clint nodded his head at my decision and stared at Theodore. “This is how the dungeon expects us to win. Find information on our target, study its habits, and ambush it when it is least prepared. Let us begin our information gathering.” Theodore said.

That’s how I ended up mounted and riding out to a cave. The twisted sword was my answer to the feathered serpent. I needed to create a counter to heat and flames. Who better to learn that from than the knights who battle dragons.

I withdrew the twisted half-slag blade from my bag of holding and gripped the handle. This was going to be worse than VR or my simulations. I expected that the roll was low.

Bats screeched above my head, bringing my attention to the only place in the cave free of droppings. There, in the center, surrounded by bioluminescent monster jellyfish, was a small blue stone. All around it, the ground cracked, and chunks of blue crystal expanded from below.

This was the most magically charged place in the dungeon’s first floor. It was a crack in the lay line like a pinhole in a pipe. Mana flowed up due to pressure and hardened at the surface. These bioluminescent cave jellyfish fed on the mana all throughout the cave. Among the bats on the cave ceiling, there were massive great bats cousins to their smaller, more common brethren. Their massive black wings, unusually large heads, and striped fur stood out even in the bioluminescence.

Using several sensory techniques gave me a headache while I dealt with the cave. Using inspiration wasn’t going to cut it, so I put the sword away.

In this dungeon, there were endless scenarios. The floor was an entire world with tons of content to explore. Rumor had it that to the south, there was a warband of barbarians raping a pillaging their way north. Far to the East, creatures existed that could grant wishes within the dungeon called Djinn. Four great demons supposedly managed the dungeon under the dungeon mind itself. Only rank 3 and up divers could make a difference, yet only rank 1 divers could encounter all of the content. Yet, there was a god on this mountain, Nectar to claim, and a pinhole in the ley lines here.

I tapped my scouter.

Monster: Giant Bat

Rank: 2

EAP 10/10

It was the first Giant Bat I scanned, so it was the baseline.

I scanned others, and that baseline slowly dropped until I found a huge one that became the new 10.

After I gave the cave a look over and saw the rope bridge leading deeper into the cave system, I picked up a small diary left on the mana stone.

Blue dust covered its surface, and I flipped it open.

Challenge: In the Pursuit of Madness

Find and read the 4 lost diary fragments.

Rewards

200pts

Rank 2 Meridian Expanding Pill x 3

The dungeon was well aware I was a cultivator, and it offered me rewards that fit. I lifted my fist and let it glow with a white aura. Spirit Art: Wrath remained the same stage no matter how much I used it in the simulation. That was ok, I would figure it out. My foundation was still expanding.

I felt like it wasn’t getting what it needed from simulations. There was a secret ingredient that simulated combat couldn’t provide. But did I want to try my hand at fighting bats, rats, jellyfish, and who knew what else in a cave? I sighed and opened the book.

I scanned the mostly empty book with only half a page with my tablet and set it for audio. “If you are reading this, then I have died the richest person in the world. My name is Alex Mercer and I found a way to turn all metal into gold. I was born outside this world, and I chose to stay behind because of love. Jacinta, my sweet, forgive this young fool for having more balls than brains as you liked to say. For you, I will use my skills to turn the lead ore within this mountain into gold, jewels, and life itself to fund our great nation.” Alex said.

 “Our war with the Gol’s and their vast numbers had been going poorly for a long time. Their druids called upon their foul deities of wind, stone, and water and ripped apart our armies of men. We had no choice but to seek help from entities we didn’t truly understand. As alchemists, we believed in the philosophy of Edward Kelly, the great transmuter. It is true lead can become gold with the right element to divide it. We knew that wealth was our only solution. If the strength of the arm couldn’t defeat the Gol magic, then the strength of the purse would do. It is this alchemist’s belief that with our success here, we can pay the enemies of the Gols to fight them for us.”

 I turned the page.

“They discovered us and our plan. An army of 100,000 has laid siege and plan to take everything.” was written on all the pages after.

“So we have a madman turning lead into gold and an army that laid siege to his workshop.” My inner demon said.

I took a single step into the darkness and threw myself to the side. A spear made of gold wobbled where my head had been. After rolling to my feet, I saw a man covered in glowing blue cracks charging out of the darkness. His teeth, hair, and nails were blue, and his skin was a dark yellow, almost gold. It waved its hand, and the wind came alive and rushed at me in the form of near-invisible blades.

My body lurched as I activated my spirit art. I crossed the distance and threw a punch. Lightning crackled between the monster’s nails as he thrust them forward.

I felt a lance of pain as I turned my body, barely avoiding instant death. My fist flew, impacting the man’s head as my mind screamed and adrenaline powered through my veins. I felt my fist connect, bones shattered, and meat ripped away from my bones. Half of the man’s head vanished in an explosion of gore, leaving behind a shattered sinus cavity and a brain with lines of gold running through it. Soft, bent, and heavy gold fell on the floor. They were a mix of blue and gold like the rest of the creatures. Golden blood spurted from the monster’s broken face as its tongue wiggled and flapped with no lower jaw to rest upon.

Something happened. Small traces of something entered my body and settled into my spirit art. While it wasn’t a lot, I felt like I had made progress. The sensation was insane and so powerful. I lifted my hand and felt my spirit art activate a little easier and glow brighter.

“Well, that answers that.” My inner demon said.

“Spirit art, I guess the name makes sense,” I said.

“To get stronger, you need to wade through a river of blood. Speaking of, you should drain every drop you can from these guys. Golden blood is valuable to your cultivation, and it comes from monsters. No sin has been committed.” My inner demon said.

“You aren’t just saying that to make me slip up,” I said.

“I’m here to punish you for killing innocents. These creatures are so full of sin that you should gain more karmic weight from killing them. Trust me, if you want blood chi that is good for you, this is the perfect place for it.” My inner demon said.

The cave wasn’t supposed to be a farming location. It was just a place to use an inspiration tool. Still this seemed like something that wouldn’t take long if I was careful. Besides, if I could cultivate my spirit art and gather more blood chi then it was paying myself twice.

Something glinted in the darkness. Light reflected, and my hands shot up. I gripped the shaft of an arrow just as it stopped on my skull. My body flew back as more of the monsters crept out from the darkness. Blood poured down, only for the wound to heal moments later.

This was going to be so much fun. I clicked my scouter on the enemy as the blood surrounding the corpse vanished.

Monster: Cursed Gol

Rank: 2

EAP: 8/10

My hand flashed, and I drew my eagle. The monster raised its spear and charged, so I shot him in the kneecap. He fell, and the one charging behind him stumbled. Another arrow fired, and I dodged to the side as I heard the bowstring thrum.

The arrow whizzed by my head, and I felt unbelievably close to death. I threw a kick and caved in the nearest monster’s skull with a brief flash of my wrath. Then I picked up the spear and felt a small amount of wrath travel down it. I stabbed forward and felt it puncture the tripped monster’s skull. Another glint of light and thrum of a bowstring was enough for me to hit the dirt. The arrow whizzed to the left, where I would have dodged if I had repeated my last performance. It meant that not only were these enemies intelligent they could adapt to my moves.

I didn’t dare use flames here. With all the bat droppings, possibly natural gas, and gaseous mana, the mountain could explode. Instead, I stepped into the darkness, funneling chi into my eyes. This, too, would force me to expand my foundation.

My eyes slowly adapted to low light, and I saw the archer and other spearmen. My eagle flashed, and I put a bullet through the archer’s head. When he fell, I shot off my ledge into the gathering of enemies. White aura gathered with small black dots appearing within like static.

…

I called the pile of drained corpses in the center of the underground city Mt. Gol D. By the amount of lye in the military town, it was safe to say who they were. Under bioluminescent light I read the second diary where I learned that fact. Golic people had a few cultural rituals, one of which was running lye through their hair to lighten the shade. It’s why their hair was light blue, and their nails were dark blue. My amulet glowed even beneath my chest with golden light.

My inner demon was right. This source of blood chi was good. I was also hungrier than ever. My spirit art was on its way to stage 2 I could feel it.

I stared at the cave full of jellyfish tentacles and knew my luck had run out. Somehow, I was supposed to make my way through them to the next place. I assumed it was the boss room or the mid-boss room. I found some old war drums that Alex recorded hearing. He planned to go through with his ritual and use a captured Gol princess as the catalyst.

Alex abandoned the gods and put his faith in a creature called Mammon. To prevent spoilers, no one below rank 3 has the privilege needed to assess the lore of this dungeon. I hadn’t expected walking into an isolated cave would lead to discovering the remnants of an old ritual.

I stared at the problem and thought about trying to use chi armor. Inside my simulation, it was easy, but outside, I hadn’t practiced it. My chi knew what to do, but my body wasn’t at that level. Sometimes, it felt like my body held me back. My channels were both spiritual and physical and I have exercised them mostly in the physical realm.

That led me to a decision. I ripped apart the surrounding tents and found a few shields. With a little maneuvering, I held one shield in front of myself and one atop with tent leather covering the stop. Then, I approached the jellyfish forest. Green writing was left on the wall, glowing brighter the closer I approached.

“Gather your riches, take from the weak, and invest in a chance to win greater wealth.”

“A chance to win greater wealth. Is this demon suggesting we invest our wealth into something?” My inner demon asked.

“No one likes lazy money,” I said.

“We are a little far from the Westons needed to buy Mai.” My inner demon said.

I stared back at Mt. Gol D to see the golden flesh and bones dissolving into mana. “Wealth isn’t fleeting. Sects can ensure wealth carries on from one generation to the next.” My inner demon said.

“My family’s trust is similar. The king still stuck his fat fingers into it, and the people cheered. Generations of wealth were lost before my grandfather began his education. I believe it was spent on food to feed the king’s army and arm the tax collectors. Nothing like having your wealth stolen to fund the thieves. That man’s worst crime was taking his own life. The revolution had such sights and experiences to show him.” I said.

“This bitter resentment will only lead you down the wrong path.” My inner demon said.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I bent low and crawled through a stretch of stinging tentacles. One sting, and I would be poisoned out of my mind. My boots walked over spooled tentacles as I walked until I was on empty ground again.

Slowly I shifted the shield in front to peak from behind it and saw my way was clear. I looked around and saw statues of salt and gold in various states on the through a long mine shaft. Golden statues of demons in various disgusting forms made a column leading deeper into the mine. On the walls cut gems shown like a jeweler had polished them and then placed them back in the stone. I kept my hands off everything as I walked deeper into the depths of the mine. A long column of stairs stretched down into the darkness with green and gold writing covering the walls lighting the steps.

“What do you think we’ll find?” I asked.

“I would advise you to cut your losses and find another cave.” My inner demon said.

“Where’s the fun in that this dungeon is rank 2,” I said.

“You’re rank 1.”

“What’s your point?” I asked.

“You can be a force for good in this world, but only if you survive.” My inner demon said.

I smiled as I made my way down. Even if it was just a creature made to punish me if I committed a taboo, it felt like we were friends.

“Does this mean you’ll stop altering the monsters I simulate to be more aggressive?” I asked.

“I’ll make them more aggressive from now on.” The demon said.

I smirked. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

A creature crawled out of the darkness blind with milky white eyes, pale skin, and large grasping hands. It screeched before more screeches filled the staircase. I tossed my spear, and its screech was cut short. My eyes saw movement, and I moved out of the way of a grasping dive. I ran down the stairs in the darkness, using only chi enhancement and repetition to keep from losing my footing.

Monsters burst from cracks in the walls, swiping for my arms and legs to pull me into their homes. All the creatures looked more pitiful than the last as I traveled deeper. Some were missing limbs, while others were even worse off. A creature blocked my path, and when it looked at me, I saw countless pupils in its eyes.

The creature’s words filled my head. “I take,” I closed my eyes, drew my eagle, and fired where I thought it stood. In the enclosed tunnel, my ears exploded in pain. A blow hit my chest. “I will have my treasure, my jewels.”

I swung with a fully charged wrath and hit nothing but air. My ears were ringing, and I didn’t dare open my eyes. That thing with so many irises, greens, and blues stacked upon each other wanted mine. A face stealer in a rank two dungeon was unheard of.

A punch from a massive hand rocked my head to the side, smashing against a step. I felt my hair move before another blow came. Blood poured from my nose as I felt it break.

“Open your eyes and give me my jewels.” The creature screeched.

I sucked in a breath and let it out as blood seeped from my freshly healed eardrums. My gun was still firmly in my hand. I heard the creature step heavily on the broken stone of a step, and I swung. I felt my hit connect as the creature stepped back. Then I grabbed its ankle and shot off my elbow to stand on the uneven steps.

“No, I can pay, I have jewels.” The creature said.  

Chi Endurance protected my eardrums. I pointed my eagle, knowing this would destroy my eardrums, and fired repeatedly. The creature shrieked, and I squeezed the trigger. Each impact nearly took the monster from my hand as I unloaded round after round into the wretched thing. Then I tossed it off the edge and opened my eyes.

The stairwell led ever onward.

…

At the bottom of the stairwell were blind, armless hunks of meat skinned and partially eaten. They crawled like worms, feeding on anything they could find. I stood still, watching a pair devour the body of a larger human worm. Their heads were sunken where their eyes used to be, and massive scars covered their bodies from poorly healed bite wounds. Parts of their bodies still resembled humans. A few had no signs of arms or legs and slithered on the ground like serpents. Even their necks are elongated. None of them neared me as I followed the long hallway out of the stairwell into the mountain depths. The further I traveled, the more mutated and wormlike humans became. One had a gem embedded in its flesh, and others attacked it. With no eyes to see, they followed the gem-like they had a sense for it. Before they could take it, the gem ruptured, and spider-like-like made of crystal blue emerged and stabbed into the other worm humans.

In emerald green I saw another line written among others on a stone tower. “Wealth is power, wealth is comfort, and wealth is freedom.” Blue lines of something invaded the worm human’s skin as it flipped over and began walking on its spider legs deeper into the darkness.

As I traveled further, I saw the light emerge as the human worms began to resemble spiders. They all had various gems embedded in their bodies. Some were masses of spider legs covering their bodies, while others were streamlined creatures. They turned numerous eyes on me and then ignored me.  

I traveled deeper until I came upon a throne made of human skin, bones, and muscle. Sitting atop it was a woman with three bright green eyes, a ghostly pallor, and a humungous green spider body beneath her torso. Lines of green replaced the veins in her body, glowing beneath her human flesh. More eyes lined her spider carapace, and golden pins pierced her nipples. Surrounding her throne was a court mage, a spider with a human face, and a single human arm clutching a staff with a crystal human skull on its end. A line of powerful-looking blue gem spiders prepared themselves for the confrontation.

A malformed mix of spider and man spoke. “You are in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Darci Mercer, Emerald Maiden of Lord Mammon. Behold her wealth and feel despair, for none in the under are richer than she.”

“I’m passing through. Do you have the third diary of Alex Mercer or not?” The court gasped.

“You dare speak the name of that traitor.” The mage said.

I was sensing some bad blood. The queen hadn’t moved a muscle. Her eyes only stared forward, and none of them seemed focused.

“I’m only trying to piece together this land’s history. If you don’t have it, I’ll be on my way.” I said.

Her eyes still weren’t focused and it was bothering me. Was she dead?

“Maybe she’s going through a hibernation period. Some monsters do that according to your studies that you only half remember.” My inner demon said.

“We will give you nothing for free.” The court mage said.

“I sense a ruby around your neck. Give it to me, and I will tell you what I remember from the diary.” I scratched my side and felt the scabs flake away from a little while ago. This wasn’t the end. There was still quite a bit of road ahead of me.

I pulled an emerald out of my bag of holding and held it up. The eyes of the queen moved to it. “Kill your court mage, and you can have it,” I said.

“Your mage,” A massive emerald spider leg pierced the court mage’s head before chucking him into a nearby pillar. I tossed the queen the emerald, and she opened her mouth, and a stream of webbing shot out and snatched it out of the air. She swallowed the gem, and the veins pulsed along her body, spreading further.

I pulled another emerald from my bag. “Give me the diary fragment of Alex Mercer, and you can have this one.”

“Your majesty, please, we need sapphires and rubies. He must have more and a way to hide them from us. Let's take them.”

“Enough of you.”  

I raised my gun and fired. The adviser’s face exploded, and it slumped to the ground dead. The sapphires covering its body quickly overtook its flesh until it was fully consumed. The soldiers moved in and began dividing it among themselves. Each of them glared at me with naked want. The queen tossed me a book and took the gem from my hand.

“Jacinta, my love, refused to leave for the cave with me. It is better this way with her gone. I no longer need to hold back. I collapsed tunnels, poisoned water, and left bags of gold on the ground, leading the Gols deeper. There are not many of us left, and their Kahn Lee offered my men gold if they betrayed me. None of them know they think all I am is an alchemist. None of them realize it’s all a trick. I know far more than they think.”

I whistled lowly. Alchemy and warlockry were a combination made in Tartarus. I recalled some band of warlocks here in Cainite territory. They were supporters of the vampires before Bavilim’s mayor took over the movement. The riffraff was thrown out on their democracy-loving tails to hear my grandfather recall events. It was an interesting coincidence that warlockry was prevalent in this dungeon’s lore.

Hidden Challenge

Mystery of the Arch Demons

Explore The 4 Summoning Locations 1/4

Collect Totems 0/4

Defeat 4 Secret Bosses 0/4

 Find 4 Hidden Skill Shards 0/4

Reward

2000pts

Summoning Ritual: Devil Sheath

4 Core Enhancement Pills

4 Pathway Enhancement Pills

4 Chi Concentration Pills

4 Dao Inspiration Objects

What triggered the hidden challenge. Was it discovering the second diary fragment, reaching this deep, or something to do with the warlocks on the outside? Were there more? Dungeons were weird places, theories to be created by the gods to test mortals. What was this place testing? In some dungeons, greed was important collecting the most treasure ensured the best rewards. Anyone seeking the blessings of Hades needed to have a sizable bank account. In this dungeon, it seemed like the opposite. Wealth was evil here, or was it what the wealth was for.

All of these sacrifices and calling upon a foreign power was to buy mercenaries to take on a threat long gone. Was it a lesson against looking for allies or buying mercenaries by sacrificing people?

I gazed up at the spider woman sitting on a throne of human body parts. Her massive spider body was a thing of beauty and horror. Sleek green crystal made up her entire spider form, and only emeralds swayed her into action. Darci Mercer was a monster fit for a dragon’s hoard even her hair looked to be made from emeralds. Even to my eyes, she was something to be wanted.

I didn’t want to call myself an enchanter, but she could become a masterwork. I could pack innumerable skills into her body at no cost to either of our mental states. There was so much I could do for her. As for what I could do for her, I had no options.

She was not my responsibility; this was a vacation and a dungeon floor. Where would I even begin to help her? I shook my head. This was an impossible situation that I wasn’t equipped to deal with. People with mental disorders weren’t made more stable by magic or curses. I wasn’t trying to convince myself not to do anything.

This monster had been human according to the diary supposedly written by her father. I sucked in a breath and let it out. There was no prompt for a dungeon challenge at my thoughts. Even attempting to save her would require the use of skills I hadn’t studied. I could rig something together, but it was plugging a dam with my finger. Would killing her be kinder?

Did this creature have no more good days and need to be put out of her misery? If that was the case for her, the queen of this underground monster hive, then I would have to kill every wretch I’ve seen. Even the worse-off cripples want to live and see at least one more good day.

I opened my bag for holding, pulled the rest of the emeralds I had from the last dungeon out, and gave them to her.

“Maybe this won’t help, but think of it as an apology for causing trouble,” I said.

The massive drider rose from her throne and approached me. She raised a massive hand and patted my head like I was a dog before devouring the emeralds.

“To go deeper, leave all behind,” Darci said.

Extreme Challenge

Penniless Gambler

Continue with only the clothes on your back.

Boss Slain 0/1

Reward:

10,000

Rank 2 Inspiration Rolls x 5

Rank 2 Core Expansion Pills x 5

Rank 2 Spirit Art Rolls x 5

I took my bag of holding off my belt and placed it on the ground. She shook her massive head. “All,” I clutched at my amulet. It was the source of my power where I stored my blood to be converted into chi. Without it, I was nothing.

My eyes widened at that thought. Chi erupted in my coils. I ripped the amulet away and tossed it on the ground.

“Wait, stop. You need that. What will you do without it?” My inner demon asked.

“I’ll figure something out.”

“No clever plan. You will figure it out. Do you think your capacity is something special?” My inner demon asked.

“No, it’s still stage 6 where I left it,” I said.

Darci opened her mouth and sprayed the web around my bag and amulet. Sealing them away in emerald webbing.

I left my source of power and bag of holding behind to enter the hardest part of the mini-dungeon. “You can’t win.” My inner demon said.

My injuries wouldn’t regenerate. I had a finite pool of chi and an unknown enemy to look forward to. So why would I go deeper into the darkness? Only glittering jewels showed with color, while here the rest of the world was limited to black and white shades.

Darci gave me a big hint, and I wanted to handle this without a crutch. Maybe it was my amulet still whispering in my ear that I was invincible and could heal from anything.

I stepped behind the throne and approached a stone doorway covered in runic symbols. With all my enchanting and skill learning, I couldn’t understand the runes in the doorway. I was driven by something greater than greed I wanted to know what I would find at the end. Was it Alex Mercer the warlock, or would I find Mammon itself in the flesh? There were still two more diaries to go, and in the last, I only managed to put a paragraph or two together.