Chapter 39: Book 1: Chapter 16 (Part 2 of 3)

“What are you doing?” a lilting feminine voice cried dramatically as the grate came loose.

“Torin,” Shana warned. “The avatar of the dungeon is back.”

Quixbix was swift to reassure us. <Don’t worry, she can’t act unless we try to damage her core. As we aren’t going to harm the crystal, she has been effectively defanged. Of course, if she had realised what Torin was here for, she could have done something earlier with her mobs, too late now, they are all dead.>

I grunted at Quixbix’s advice, and hauled the grate out of the well, resting it on the outer edge of the well’s stonework.

The avatar was indeed back, and she skipped over to the well by me. We didn’t stop her. She fluttered her eyelashes, pouted, and thrust her chest out to give me a full eyeful of her tempting cleavage. I got my first good look at her up close.

She was very pretty with large expressive baby-blue eyes and pouty kissable lips. Everything about her was designed to enrapture heterosexual men. And if I didn’t already have a stunning beautiful companion it might have had a greater effect on me.

“You don’t have to do this adventurer,” she trilled whimsically. “You don’t want to hurt little old me,” she wheedled then with a girlish giggle.

Her accent was a little difficult to place, but I could have sworn it was Californian with a hint of Russian. Although if I were honest, my guess was likely heavily influenced by her name.

I vaulted over the lip of the well and landed inside.

“Please don’t, adventurer,” she begged. “If you destroy me you won’t get any experience for completing my dungeon and it’s doubled as you are my first,” she giggled and batted her eyelashes at the double-entendre. “And I can be very accommodating for a handsome and fit warrior such as yourself,” she offered sultrily with a wink. “You can bring the pretty elf too, and double-dip. I really don’t mind. I’m an equal opportunities lover and I’m sure a rugged hunk like you has more than enough in the tank for two.”

I looked back up at her. She had leaned over the edge and her cleavage was at my eye level. I inspected her chest thoroughly, licked my lips lasciviously and grinned. Briefly, her eyes lit up with the joy of victory, right up until I spoke.

“I’m not here to destroy your core Anastasia, but for something far more valuable,” I hinted.

She pulled back in shock and her brow furrowed in thought. “Wait, what did you say your class was again. Hang on, I remember what you yelled. A Dungeon Corsair Captain.”

Her eyes took on a far-away look, presumably as she searched through information her existence as a dungeon made her privy to. I knew she had found an entry on my class when her baby-blue eyes focused on me again and her sex-kitten smile morphed into a snarling grimace.

“You’re a dirty fucking slaver,” she screeched and tried to claw at my face, but her hand was prevented from connecting.

“I wouldn’t label myself like that,” I remarked.

“Well, I would, you fucking ass,” she hissed. “I’m a person too, or at least I was before all this Framework shit happened. Now, you’re going to steal my core and fucking own me.”

The revelation that Anastasia Ruslanovna had been a human being before the Darkwyrlds cataclysm overcame us a few days ago, did not surprise me. I never bought Quixbix’s suggestion that the dungeon had been named after someone or something nearby.

I’d known that, deep down, when I picked this dungeon and had judiciously avoided thinking about it until now.

There had been other options, and it hadn’t just been the increased difficulty of those other dungeons that were a higher level which had steered my choice to come for hers.

Anastasia’s dungeon had the greatest potential and if I wanted to stand a real chance of making it in this new world, a run of the mill Dungeon Ship simply wouldn’t do. Because the truth of it, even if I didn’t admit it out loud, I didn’t want to merely survive, I wanted to rule.

I continued to struggle with conflicting desires and emotions but shouldn’t have been surprised the domineering aspects of my personality were winning most of the moralistic battles and would outright win the war soon. Quixbix recent comments about me settling echoed through my mind.

I reached out and stroked her chin kindly, Anastasia didn’t try to stop me. Her eyes fluttered and tears welled at the edges, then slipped down her cheeks. I’ll admit to being impressed, her acting skills were top-notch, but she didn’t fool me.

“It’s either you or me, my pretty little pixie, and I pick me,” I crooned softly.

Her eyes widened and then narrowed with anger. She stared into my ice-blue orbs and saw only steely resolve. Her shoulders drooped with resignation and acceptance and I was convinced she wasn’t acting now.

I knelt and my hand clasped around her core gem.

As a Dungeon Corsair Captain, you may claim the core gem of the dungeon Anastasia Ruslanovna. Claiming a core is irrevocable, the only way to break the bond would be for the core to be destroyed. Do you wish to do so?

I didn’t hesitate and confirmed my claim. Anastasia’s avatar winked out of existence.

 <Quest ‘The Corsair’s Canon 1’ completed. 17,136 XP, Soul Collar, Helm of the Bound, Leggings of the Bound, and Gloves of the Bound awarded> Quixbix formally intoned.

Then he followed up a bit more jovially with <Congratulations, and now you’re ready for the next.>

The Corsair’s Canon 2 (K)

What is a Dungeon Corsair Captain without a ship? What is a Corsair’s ship without a dungeon core to power it? Worthless? Irrelevant? Perhaps these are questions you don’t want the answers to. Locate an existing vessel or wreck and install the core gem to awaken your Dungeon Ship.

Success: Install the core gem in a suitable vessel.

Rewards: 3,400 XP, a Dungeon Ship, and future The Corsair’s Canon quests.

Boots of the Bound.

You are reading story Corsairs & Cataclysms at novel35.com

Failure: If this quest goes incomplete the rest of this quest chain will remain locked and unavailable.

<However, now you’ve claimed the core you only have five minutes before this location for the dungeon collapses. If you’re still inside you won’t be harmed, but you will forfeit the rewards for completion. My advice is don’t do that. So, hurry up and pick your dilemma option.>

I wasn’t very happy that I was being rushed into a decision, again, but it had been me that claimed the core without first asking what would happen once I did.

“We aren’t picking option one, are we?” Shana whispered.

I shook my head and she noticeably relaxed. Option three didn’t appeal to me either, but I almost went for it anyway. I had just bound one thinking being to me against their will and was loathe to do so twice in as many minutes.

But practicality won out. If we were going to sacrifice XP and better gear drops, we needed to get something more from the deal than extra notoriety, as that hadn’t seemed to be all that difficult to acquire if we really needed more. Option two, was the best decision, for us at least.

<An excellent choice. As this quest has become repeatable, the rewards have been adjusted accordingly> Quixbix informed us.

The Corsair’s Canon 3 (K/5 repeatable)

You have your ship. But a ship is only useful if crewed. Find willing, or not, individuals and have them sign your Corsair’s Canon. A binding contract to serve as your crew for no less than ten years. The Corsair’s Canon has three levels, Officers, Crew, Conscripts. This quest can only be completed for those who sign on as Crew or Officers.

Success: A fresh signatory is made.

Rewards: XP reward is dependent on the potential/tier of the signatory. Moderate (the minimum for Crew) 340 XP to 1700 XP for an Exceptional signatory

Token(s) of the Bound. (1-5) dependent on potential/tier of the signatory.

I hauled myself out of the well swiftly and approached Jackson. The thin young man remained stunned and a little unsteady on his feet. A stiff breeze would bowl him over.

His expression was a mixture of confusion and panic, he had only been privy to half the conversation and resultant revelations. However, one of those revelations was that I had essentially enslaved an intelligent being’s dungeon. He tried to retain his composure, but an involuntary quiver of his lower lip revealed his underlying fright.

“Jackson,” I sighed his name. “Despite appearances, I’m not a bad guy.” I paused briefly as I considered how best to broach the subject and decided brevity would be best in the circumstances. “I’ve claimed the core of this dungeon because my class requires it and we only have a few minutes before this instance implodes. For obvious reasons I can’t let you walk out of here with what you know.”

“Please,” Jackson pleaded as he took a few wobbly steps backwards until he bumped into Shana who had moved up behind him. “You can, I won’t tell anyone. Nobody liked Carl anyway, he won’t be missed. You saw what he was like.”

“I’m sorry, Jackson. If you’ll pardon the pun, but that ship has already sailed. I don’t want to kill you, but I will, if you leave me no other choice,” I bluffed with cold menace.

Truth be told, I didn’t honestly know if I’d be able to kill Jackson if he refused to sign. Therefore, it was better for all involved that he did, and we didn’t have to find out.

“If I leave you no other choice?” Jackson asked querulously, a smidgen of hope kindling in his voice.

I snapped my fingers and Quixbix supplied a physical representation of the Corsair’s Canon with a flourish of sparkling lights. Once more, I instinctively knew how it worked. The canon appeared as a rolled vellum scroll and the terms of service were written upon it in florid calligraphy.

With the canon in hand, I was prompted for the service level and length of the contract. Jackson’s potential disqualified him from an officer position so I picked Crew rather than Conscript and selected lifetime as the dilemma required.

I unfurled the scroll and rested it upon the arm of the nearest throne.

“This is a binding contract to serve as a member of my crew,” I explained, though I omitted to mention the length of service. “Once signed you will be unable to commit any acts of betrayal against me, which includes talking to people you shouldn’t about what happened here today. Place your thumb in the box and we can all leave here hale and whole,” I finished and pointed to a square box at the base of the vellum scroll.

“You want me to sign something without reading it first?” Jackson objected.

<Torin, I know you are reluctant to kill the sorcerer. So, I thought now would be a good time to remind you that the contract doesn’t require Jackson’s consent. Only that his thumb, finger, or any appendage really, is pressed against the scroll while still attached to him> Quixbix interjected.

 I absorbed the imp’s words but decided to give Jackson one last chance. “Yes, Jackson. You commit or we resort to something entirely less pleasant.”

Jackson looked around at me and then Shana. He saw only firm resolve, his shoulders slumped, and he caved. He stepped towards me, hesitated, and then firmly pressed his thumb in the box.

I clapped him on the back. “Regardless of your obvious misgivings, I want to welcome you to the team.”

<Quest ‘The Corsair’s Canon 2’ completed. 428 XP and one Token of the Bound awarded> Quixbix formally intoned.

“Right, let’s get the hell out of here before we lose out on the booty,” I announced. “Wait, Quixbix can we loot Carl and his friends?” I asked as the idea occurred to me.

<I’m sorry, even though it was you who killed Carl and Kelly and not the dungeon, anyone who dies in a dungeon along with all their belongings are ceded to it> Quixbix answered.

“No, dungeons claim the fallen regardless of how they die,” Jackson said a beat behind him, having not heard the imp.

“Never mind, I doubt they had much of value. Alright, let’s move,” I ordered.

All three of us strode towards and through the shimmering exit portal. Before I stepped out back into the real world I was suspended for a moment and four messages flashed before me in sequence.

You can find story with these keywords: Corsairs & Cataclysms, Read Corsairs & Cataclysms, Corsairs & Cataclysms novel, Corsairs & Cataclysms book, Corsairs & Cataclysms story, Corsairs & Cataclysms full, Corsairs & Cataclysms Latest Chapter