Xander literally jumped for joy at the news that he would have time for himself. “VACATION?!?” he crowed, hopping up and down. Relief and joy washed through him as he danced around. He had only been conscious for all of a week or so, even if it felt much longer because those days had been filled with pain, embarrassment, and death. Getting two whole weeks to relax and come to terms with everything sounded absolutely amazing.

  He eventually noticed Mr. Sinclair giving him a disapproving look, and then promptly noticed that his feminine body was jiggling from all the excited movements. Xander stopped his celebration hastily and glared back, unable to prevent himself from covering up this time. “What? I thought dryads were supposed to be naked or whatever… and I thought that you wouldn’t care about such things” he said defensively.

  “I honestly don’t care that you have chosen to forgo clothes,” Mr. Sinclair said with a sniff, “But you should really comport yourself with at least some dignity. Hopping around like some frivolous rabbit and hollering is beneath your station. A Dungeon Lord should always have a certain gravitas to them; whether or not they are wearing clothes is completely besides the point. Though, I will add that you certainly look less threatening without your armor.”

  Xander’s tension faded away, and he grinned roguishly, letting his arms drop after only a brief hesitation. “I’m not going to apologize for my excitement,” he declared, “There’s no one else here and I’ve just been given the best news I’ve had since coming to this world. I’ll be all grim and foreboding if I get into another battle, but for now I need the break man.”

  “When you get into another battle you mean,” the treant said, though he let the rest of it slide and even had a twinkle in his eye. “Now, you have some notifications, levels, and choices to go through, though you didn’t level as much as if you had pulled out a victory.” That was a bit surprising, but then again he had killed two of the invaders who were much higher level than him. With his upcoming leisure time central to his thoughts, Xander actually didn’t care that much about the levels. “Can you just pick them for me? I don’t really feel like standing around and debating all day, I’ve got plans…”

  Mr. Sinclair raised one faux eyebrow. “Even though you have disagreed with my suggestions as often as you have agreed with them? These choices are rather permanent after all.” Xander thought about it, and had to admit the D.I.E. had a point. His assistant always prioritized the needs of the dungeon, which didn’t always mesh perfectly with Xander’s own desires. “Alright, let's go over it all then. I’ve got two weeks anyways, so I suppose I don’t have to rush things.” He brought up his own notification windows first, closing the ones related to his kills and his death. Thanks to his Eidetic Memory milestone, he could remember what they said with perfect clarity, even though his head hadn’t been attached to his shoulders at the time.

  

  You have reached level 12. Two stat points awarded, one advancement awarded.

  You have reached level 13. Two stat points awarded.

  Two levels was more than he hoped for, though he supposed each of the slain adventurers had been over twice his level. The next window was even more interesting however.

  

  New Achievement: It’s A Trap!

  You killed an enemy at a higher level than yourself with a well placed trap. Never underestimate the power of being underestimated.

  Reward: Enhanced Traps (Passive)

  Enhanced Traps (Passive): Hunters and rogues will both tell you how important a well laid trap is to survival. Your traps take less time to set up or cast, are harder to spot, and are more deadly.

  Xander whistled at the new passive. Since he had increased his number of passive slots available to four with the Insight milestone, he could use it immediately. If he had still been a normal adventurer the passive would have been decent, but as a Dungeon Lord it would be overwhelming. He winced as his accursedly perfect memory played back the rogue’s hideous demise, but shoved the memory away with some effort. he thought, but pressed on.

  

  Advancements available for Intimidating Aura (Passive):

  . Creatures up to 50 levels higher than you no longer gain a bonus to resist

  . Creatures who fail to resist will automatically flee for one minute

  . Triple the distance at which your aura of fear is effective

  Advancements available for Toxic Spore Colony:

  . Choose a new poison type

  . Enhanced poison

  . Spore colonies slowly spread up to triple original size

  Advancements available for Improvised Weapons (Passive):

  . Increase damage dealt with improvised weapons to moderate

  . You may wield living beings as weapons

  . Thrown objects now count as weapons

  He blinked for a moment, having never seen passives come up for advancement before. Now there were two of them. He supposed it made some sense, so maybe he had just gotten unlucky in his choices before? There were still exactly nine options though, and quite a few were interesting, if not all equally useful. “Hey, Mr. Sinclair,” Xander said, “Thinking about the fight against the adventurer party, it’s clear that I was lacking in the range department, and that the poison from Toxic Spore Colony wasn’t as effective as we had hoped.”

  “That’s not true actually, you have to remember that they were significantly higher level than you to start with and they also used recovery items to completely negate the effects part way through their run. Even then, by the time they got to you, they had been weakened again. If they had been at full strength you wouldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds.”

  Xandder nodded thoughtfully, then shrugged. “I’m debating between taking the thrown weapon upgrade or enhancing my poison. I don’t really care about the fear aura. Suggestions?”

  “Mmmm, a simple bow or crossbow would still count towards the Improvised Weapons passive, so the thrown items option is a bit too niche. Enhancing your poisons would certainly be effective for the dungeon overall, but I think you should consider adding a new type of poison.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “Because right now they only weaken your opponents Strength and Resilience. A new type could impact additional stats, such as the mental ones. Instead of improving the spores by a small percentage, you could add an entirely new type of attack.”

  Xander nodded slowly, then his eyes widened. “Ask and ye shall receive…” he said with sudden hope blooming, “If there is an option that weakens the mind, then maybe that could be my nonlethal form of attack!”

  “I would be cautious with that level of optimism,” Mr. Sinclair warned, “But it is possible.” Without any further hesitation, Xander selected the upgrade for Toxic Spore Colony.

  

  Choose a new poison type for your Spore Colonies:

  . Psychedelic Spore Colony

  . Numbing Spore Colony

  . Mana Drinker Spore Colony

  Grinning like a fool, it was terribly difficult not to immediately select Psychedelic Spore Colony. “Shroom shrooms!” Xander giggled like a maniac. The feminine sound of his giggles didn’t ruin his mood for a change, and he hoped that meant he was adjusting to his new life better at long last.

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  “Yes…” Mr. Sinclair said clearly holding back a sigh, “That one should affect Intellect and Insight. Numbing spores will reduce Agility and Regeneration, and Mana Drinker spores will attack Magic Resonance and Mana Pools.” Then the treant did sigh. “And I see you have already selected the Psychedelic Spore Colony upgrade. You do realize that you won’t be affected by the spores since you are a dryad, yes?” the assistant asked dryly.

  “Awwwwwwww,” Xander complained, though it wasn’t really legitimate. He had tried shrooms once back at college, but wasn’t a huge fan of substances in general. “But still,” he continued, “It may not seem like part of the dark and creepy vibe… until you remember that people’s moods often affect their trip. Or at least so I’ve heard. It will also provide a significant distraction and enhance the effectiveness of traps I’d bet.”

  “Mmmmm, you may have a point, and the selection is already made. Now for your ability points.”

  There were ten total ability points available, which wasn’t enough to get any of the stats he really cared about to a milestone, so he shrugged and stepped over to one of the floating disks by the central orange crystal column and cube. He dumped 3 points into Strength to bring it up from a pathetic 2 to 5, and then the other 7 into his Mana Pool. His desire for rounded numbers was profoundly satisfied as he looked at his updated base stats and spells.

  

  Race: Dryad (Level 13)

  Class: (Reclamation Mage)

  HP: 100/100 MP: 200/200

  Stats:

  Strength - 5

  Agility - 5

  Resilience - 10

  Regeneration - 25

  Intellect - 10

  Insight - 10

  Magic Resonance - 10

  Mana Pool - 20

  Spells:

  Nurture Vegetation: You can expend mana to cause a plant to grow or to heal a damaged plant. Creatures with nature affinity above 75 can be healed.

  Control Plants: You can establish control over certain species of trees, bushes, and vines. The link’s initial cost is based on the size of the plant, and requires a moderate amount of mana regeneration to maintain. Plants under your control can obey commands with improved complexity or be controlled directly.

  Toxic Spore Colony: Create a small patch of mushrooms that release a cloud of poisonous or psychedelic fungal spores when sufficiently disturbed.

  Sculpt Bone: Use mana to contour and form bone into new shapes. Total bone mass is preserved. You can set the changes to revert after a set time or on command.

  “Was that really the best choice?” his assistant asked “I would have thought that you would improve your resilience more after being killed in a single blow.” Xander snorted, “It was worth it for me. Mana always seems to be my sticking point, and I can recover from anything that doesn’t kill me in short order.”

  “I think it still would have been wise to spread your points a bit more. Milestones are good, but every bit helps, especially Resonance and Resilience. Those are both much lower than they should be for your current build and tactics.”

  Xander scratched the back of his head, then shrugged. “I’ll think about that in the future, though I can’t promise I won’t grab the Mana Pool Milestone next since it’s now exactly one level away.” He could practically taste the options that would be available. Mr. Sinclair just considered him opaquely for a moment, then said quietly “Alright, go enjoy yourself for a while. I’ll be around if you need me, optimizing the dungeon for our next guests.” Xander needed no further encouragement, and practically skipped out of the room, heading to grab a spare set of clothes and get down to some serious relaxation.

  —-------------------------------

  The double-hinged half-doors to the Adventurer’s guild banged open with a sharp report as a high level warrior slammed through them. Conversations all throughout the spacious room froze like startled deer as numerous eyes pointed at the possible threat, many hands going for steel or starting to glow with magic. The warrior’s arms were filled, though not with his weapon. He stomped towards the Quest Fulfillment Desk as most of the room relaxed, though many eyes lingered on his cargo.

  A middle aged man with a paunch barely covered by an ink stained shirt looked unimpressed as the warrior approached his desk. “Can I assume that’s in regards to an outstanding quest?” the attendant asked in a politely bored voice. The man nodded curtly, before gently setting the severed head on the well worn desk. Judd had been doing this job for far too long to be affected by such things, and simply waited. After a solid minute with no further information forthcoming, he asked, “Which quest, sir…?” in a clipped tone that didn’t hide his irritation.

  The warrior looked up from where he had been staring at the head, and his expression darkened, before he jabbed a finger at a specific high level bounty on the nearby board. Judd blinked, and then nodded slowly “Yeah? And what was the name of your party?” he asked, starting to leaf through a spindle that listed parties active on quests, but a palm slapping down on the table snapped his attention back up to the warrior, who shook his head slowly.

  This whole interaction was becoming more annoying by the minute, and was retaining a lot of curious attention from the other adventurers. Judd frowned, “Look, I get you’re trying to do the whole mysterious bit, but I need your name and your party’s name, especially if you are trying to turn in a quest you never officially accepted in the first place.” He didn’t have time for men who thought they could be all edgy and cool by making his job more difficult. In response, the warrior growled wordlessly, and opened his mouth. His tongue was almost entirely missing.

  —------------------------------

  Looked up from the message disk, Rheagan’s eyes were full of conflicted emotions. “Has this been verified?” he asked his father heavily. Patrician Heintfeld lifted a perfectly manicured eyebrow at his son’s tone. “It has. The level, class type, and race of the deceased matches perfectly with the information you provided. Even the name was listed as Dungeon Lord Xander.”

  Rheagan started pacing around the ostentatious study, his mind churning as his heart sank. He owed Xander for not only saving Sibil’s life, but also for helping the Firestarters defeat the insane boss which had earned them all several levels and some really amazing loot. Besides that, the strange dryad had seemed like a good person to him. The young noble shook his head at the report of that Kord fellow getting into a brawl over possession of his friend’s decapitated head when the guild had a very cut and dried policy about retaining evidence.

  No one quite knew what the lunatic had been thinking, but losing the rest of your party must have hit him pretty hard, so Guild Master Ravira had cut the man some slack and eventually allowed him to keep the grisly trophy according to the message. But that still meant that the eccentric dryad had really become a Dungeon Lord, and was then murdered. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t quite reconcile the image of the young woman clothed in little more than rags who had fought alongside them with the terrifying necromancer who had taken down multiple fighters with levels in the mid twenties.

  “Son, I just replaced that carpet. You’re going to wear a hole in it.” His father chided him with some amusement. Rheagan stopped his pacing and looked up. “I’m sorry Father, but I just don’t understand how any of this happened. None of it really makes sense to me.”

  The older Heintfeld just considered him quietly for a moment then said, “It certainly is an unusual series of events, but at least it is now clear that this new dungeon can be handled with fewer resources than we had hoped.”

  “What do you mean? Isn’t Xander… I mean… the ‘Dungeon Lord’ already dead?” he asked, with a hint of bitterness. “Shouldn’t it already be cleared?”

  Kurtis shook his head. “No, it is not. Even before this new information came to us, I began to look through our family’s archives for any information that might be of use. There are journals from the founders of our house, including Jarek “The Inferno” Heintfeld. That worthy ancestor once defeated a Dungeon Lord with his party, and left some notes.”

  When his father paused dramatically, Rheagan wanted to shake the information out of the man, but managed to contain himself. Somewhat. “And?!”

  “And,” Kurtis said with a devious twinkle that turned into a concerned look, “It didn’t stick the first time. His party was called back and had to slay the same dragon twice more, losing one of their members in the process.” Rheagan’s eyes widened, and his father let him chew over the information. “But the dragon was a dungeon beast, right? Xander was a regular person” he said after a few moments. he thought.

  “No one knows for sure, but we will have to scout the dungeon before we can reopen it to adventurer parties.” Kurtis said.

  “We’ll do it!” Rheagan blurted, and at his father’s questioning look, the younger noble flushed slightly. “I mean that The Firestarters will scout the dungeon. If it really is Xander, I want to know. Plus, there’s a chance that if it’s really him I can talk him out of… whatever he’s doing.”

  “Him?” Kurtis asked curiously, “It’s a dryad…”

  “You might not remember from my report, but Xander insisted on being referred to as a male for some reason.” Rheagan shrugged “Seemed quite important to him, and there was enough other strangeness that I just let it be.”

  “You seem to be quite attached to… them. That could be dangerous” his father said with a slight frown.

  “I suppose that I am to some degree,” Rheagan acknowledged, “But I will still do my duty as a Heintfeld, and as an adventurer if it comes to that. You know I will.” Kurtis remained quiet, staring with intensity, but after a minute nodded. “See that you do. I will inform the guild that your party will be scouting. You are dismissed.”

  Rheagan stood straighter before bowing to his father, “As you command, Father.” He turned and strode from the study with purpose. His steps were as swift and light as his heart was heavy. The Firestarters would need some specialized gear, and he wanted to contact a recent acquaintance for help in case the worst came to pass.