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Authors Disclaimer.
All characters are 18+ years old.
If you have made it this far, you probably already know largely what to expect, and if you are a first time reader jumping into the middle of a story like this, clearly you must like surprises, so am I to spoil that for you.
You have seen the category and the tags, or you have chosen not to.
Either way, I hope you enjoy.
More is on the way, so if you like this chapter, stay tuned for more.
Chapter 8
“Are you sure it is a trap, I can’t see anything?” Amber asked, peering around, searching for any threats I might have missed.
“This much gold, not even as a loot drop, but where someone might have theoretically snuck in and stolen it without a fight, surely means something is wrong. I just know it!” I replied, even as I too could not see any threats.
“So what, we just leave it?” Amber asked, incredulously.
“What? NO! Of course not! Compared to what we got last time, this is an absolute fortune, there is no way I am leaving it behind.”
“Yeah, I want it too. But what about the trap?”
“I think I might have an idea, but it will involve you get naked…” I said, winking at her, before proceeding to explain.
-X-X-X-
“Are you sure this is necessary?” Amber asked, doubt painted on her face, looking almost shy for once.
She was glorious in her near nakedness, and as far as I was concerned, she had nothing to be shy about.
Her perfectly fit 5’4″ body, delicious B-cup breasts with pink nipples that were hardening against the chill air, and not a wisp of hair on her body below her eyebrows.
Her hair golden and thick, her sapphire eyes and her skin so very lightly tanned.
Perfect in every way.
She was not quite naked, wearing her badger cloak, choker, bracers and ring, but those just made her look even more like a sexy barbarian, and I could feel my cock stirring from its slumber, the greedy beast that it was.
Later, little buddy, later, I thought, as I tried to focus on the task at hand.
“Yeah, I have to carry your stuff, since you can’t transform with it, and if things go as I expect, you are very much going to be our get-away vehicle. With your Sprint skill, you are our fastest option, even carrying me. If that is not enough, I can hop off, and try running through a few walls to break contact.”
Or at least to pull whatever was following us away from Amber, but I chose to leave out that part.
“Now quit stalling, and get ready! Leave the bag next to you, so I can grab it when I hop on.” I said, handing her the backpack full of her stuff, with her armor strapped haphazardly to it.
I was not entirely certain it would stay attached, but replacing it would be simple enough.
When she took the backpack, I stepped in for a quick embrace, and before I stepped away I couldn’t help myself.
With a swift motion, I slid my fingers between her thighs and along her still glistening slit, then transferred the finger to my mouth, enjoying the rush the taste of her always gave me.
“Keeping the engine warm, I see. That’s a dedicated get-away driver, if ever I met one!” I said, giving her a wink.
“Smart ass, you are going to pay for that later, with interest.” she stated ominously, but couldn’t quite contain her smirk.
With the dark mood broken, she visibly steeled her nerves, and hefted the backpack over her shoulders.
“I still don’t see why I couldn’t wait to undress until I was down on the street…” Amber grumbled, but turned to climb through the window.
Oops. I guess there really was no reason she couldn’t have.
“Well, in case it is a terrible trap, I needed to get one last taste of your sexy body before I die horribly.” I suggested in jest.
“If I get rope burns on my pussy, I am going to hold you responsible, mister!” Amber told me, as she shot me a final dirty look, but I could tell she was worried.
I was worried too. But the way I saw it, the risk of NOT claiming every advantage we could find, in the name of safety, would have us lag behind more and more, until the monsters grew too strong, and all we could do was hide until we were found and killed.
With Amber on her way, I took a few moments to steady my breath, before going to loot our kills.
While it would probably have been safe enough to do so with Amber present, I figured there was no reason to risk it. If looting the undead secretary and the dentist did set up the trap, I would have felt really stupid. So, I had decided to wait until she was safely out of sight.
Besides, the dead spirits did light up the place quite a bit with their leaked ectoplasm, and I knew that would vanish when I looted them.
So, steeling my nerves I went about the plan.
First I did my best to cover our point of entry, not only closing the window back up, but also piling up boxes in the window sill.
Next I listened by the steel door by the stairwell for a minute or two, before daring to crack it open. It was dented in places, where the zombies had been beating on it, fındıkzade escort but thankfully they seemed to have lost interest and wandered off.
Without any direct leadership from the specter, I figured they were likely wandering around mindlessly, possibly even spilling into the streets, if they accidentally managed to open a door to the outside, somehow.
A piece of wood that had been part of some of the furniture that got destroyed in the fight, got turned into a makeshift wedge to hold the door open for me, once I was sure there were no zombies about.
With my route prepared, there was no more point procrastinating.
First I looted the secretary, figuring odds were low that would trigger anything.
As I touched her, willing the System to give me the loot, she turned into motes of light, and I found myself holding a surprisingly nice amount of coin, a bottle of glowing ectoplasm, like the dentist had dropped last time. More importantly, I was holding a small ring, gold and a silvery metal like two parallel bands, seven small black gems set where the bands met in front.
Calling up the System data, I found it was called ‘Spectral Band of the Cold Heart’, and offered a nice +2 to wisdom, and gave unarmed attacks a cold effect that could add a debuff that slowed and did a bit of cold damage. Ten seconds of a five percent slow. Not amazing by itself, and limited due to the need for it being unarmed attacks. Also, the ring was listed as having a level requirement of level 9, so sadly not all that useful right now.
The bottle of ectoplasm on the other hand, seemed more immediately useful, as the glow it provided was almost on par with what the chemical break-lights would have provided, had the System not turned them into dangerous garbage.
While not exactly a blinding lightsource, it would probably be enough of a difference between me having to stumble around in the darkness, or actually going where I wanted.
Still a bit disappointed that the specter had not provided me with something that could give me an edge right now, I proceeded to loot the glowing remains of the dentist next, causing her glowing ectoplasmic remains to fade into nothing, leaving me with only the light from my bottled ectoplasm, and what little light the few tea-lights I had set out could provide.
Again, I was awarded with a surprisingly nice chunk of coins, several of which were golden, enough to make me suspect that with how our loot had been all day, that perhaps there was some System shenanigans going on. Was the System tweaking loot upwards to lure more people out of their hiding places, or was today something special?
With no way to know, I checked out the rest of the loot.
Another vial of ectoplasm, a handful of odd crystals, one of which seemed to have flecks of pale moonlight trapped inside.
Finally, a pop-up like before, offering me a choice of items.
[Epic Loot awarded! You have killed a mob at least three times your own level, earning you extra loot. Choose between the options below!]
The options were something called the Shroud of the Immaterial and another Poltergeist Ring.
I glanced briefly at the stats of both, and the shroud was definitely tempting.
It would allow me blend into shadows, increasing my stealth greatly, and gave a small chance to go spontaneously immaterial when attacked with a non-magical attack. It came with a warning that it would be less effective in direct sunlight.
The ring was as I recalled it, but when I glanced at it, there was a bit added.
[Wearing an additional Poltergeist Ring will double the time the powers of the rings can be used, and doubles the telekinetic strength of the wearer.]
Keeping an eye out for anything sneaking up on me, I took a moment to consider my options.
The Shroud would definitely come in handy, letting me better keep up with Amber while sneaking, and the ability to perhaps ignore a potentially mortal wound was almost too good.
But thinking about it, it felt like a trap.
Stealth I could level up by using it, and coming to rely on a small chance to ignore an attack could lure me into taking chances I shouldn’t have. Besides, I figured more and more things would have magic as the System progressed in this new world. So, in that way the shroud might give a nice benefit right now, but would grow irrelevant over time.
The ring, on the other hand, might seem like the boring option, just giving me more of the same.
But I sensed there was a seam there, an advantage that could be exploited in the future, possibly leading to some really broken options in the future.
Even in the shorter term, being able to abuse my new Fling power twice as often and with twice the power, was already a nice boost of my power, and being able to go intangible had been a great boon already, so having twice as much of that was going to be invaluable.
My mind made up, I picked the ring, and watched the option of the shroud fade away. I would have aksaray escort looked silly anyway, walking around with an actual shroud over my head.
I shoved the ring on my left index finger, and felt it adjust to a comfortable fit, then the odd sensation of my mind speeding up slightly caused me to brace myself against the wall for a moment, until the slight vertigo settled.
Wearing both rings, my intelligence was now up to an effective total of 24, up by ten from when the System had come online, well beyond the theoretical pre-System maximum of 18. Sadly it did not mean I got any better ideas, or that I suddenly knew quantum mechanics, but the extra mana was useful, and the advantage it gave me in combat, letting me experience the actions of less intelligent foes as if in slow motion, was huge. As far as I knew, getting it up just one more measly point would give me a nice reduction in mana cost on my spells, so that was definitely something I was going to prioritize.
Wisdom was up to a respectable, if still human 14, meaning I would now regenerate 42 mana per hour, before meditation. I had not prioritized wisdom before, figuring I would either do enough burst damage to finish a fight fast, or run away, but lately I was beginning to appreciate it more.
There was simply too much to do every day, for me to have to spend hours and hours recovering my mana, so even without the benefit of added magic resistance, it was definitely nice to have more. I would like to say I wanted to prioritize that stat too, but making everything your first priority just meant that nothing was.
I felt my mind stabilize once more, having fully adjusted to the boost, and with a deep breath I brought myself back on task.
With my main source of light now being the two vials of ectoplasm, I took a moment to fix them to my jacket with a bit of duct tape. Not the most elegant solution, but it would do for now, and would leave my hands free.
I stood just outside the threshold of the door to the little workshop, admiring the gleam of the gold and silver piled up on the counter in the far corner.
I could almost feel the treasure tugging on me, longing for a new owner to claim it. The sensation made me think that perhaps there was some sort of enchantment to lure in the unwary, but the simpler explanation was that it was probably just my own greed talking. The thought of all the good Amber and I could do with that kind of money, almost made me salivate.
Exercising a bit of restraint and self control, I pulled my eyes away from the tempting treasure, reminding myself it was most likely bait in a trap.
Taking several minutes to carefully look at everything, I could see no obvious triggers to any physical trap, nor did I notice any hiding place for something to wait in ambush.
I didn’t really expect the latter, as any remaining monster on this floor would likely be weaker than the dentist, so putting it in charge of guarding the treasure would not make a lot of sense.
Unable to locate any physical traps or triggers, I resorted to the tried and true method of poking around.
Using the goblin staff like an oversized cane, I prodded the floor, the ceiling, the shelves and machines, anything I could reach without actually entering the room, but nothing happened.
“Fine. Be that way!” I muttered, as i put the magic staff on my back once more.
Drawing a deep breath, then holding it as if I was about to dive into a pool, I took a step inside the room.
Nothing.
I almost WANTED there to be something. A sensation of malicious magic, a hidden trap being sprung, anything, but I was starting to think that perhaps there was no trap to spring.
The room was certainly too small for an Indiana Jones inspired boulder trap to come rolling at me, once I grabbed my prize.
Maybe if it was a very very tiny boulder hidden inside the air vent, but then it would only really be a threat to smurfs or pixies. The vents, unlike those in movies, were definitely too small for a person, let alone anything else that might be a serious threat.
Just in case, I made sure not to stand in the direct line of fire from the nearby vent, but almost chuckled to myself at the thought of a tiny smurf marksman lying in ambush with an equally tiny rifle.
Sparing a smile for the thought, I put my open backpack right up against the edge of the table where the loot awaited.
As if checking for static electricity, I touched the edge of the table for the briefest instant, but nothing zapped me, nothing at all happened, and at this point I was starting to suspect I had been entirely too paranoid.
Perhaps today was just some sort of ‘Get Fat Loot Day’, secretly implemented by the System. We had certainly been lucky with the drops all day, so perhaps, just perhaps, there was nothing to worry about after all.
Even telling me that, my pulse was pounding in my ears, as I finally steeled my nerves, and holding the backpack against the table, I swept the pile of bullion eyüp escort and coins into the bag.
It was heavier than you would think, and I was a bit worried the bag might actually not be able to hold the weight, but I was still too afraid of lurking dangers to spend any time being careful or move less valuable stuff to the side.
When even more nothing happened as I swept everything into the bag, I took a moment to close the zipper properly, but even as I did, I started to hear something.
A rattling sound, like a handful of ball bearings being tossed down a drainpipe. Don’t ask how I know that sound, it was for a science project.
Clutching the backpack to my chest, I looked around in panic.
I wanted to just bolt, but the trick about giving in to panic, is first make sure which way the danger is, so you run away from it, instead of right into its arms.
The air duct!
It was rattling and shaking, dust starting to pour from it.
No. Not dust. Mist.
I held my breath, ducked low, and started to run out the way I had come.
Even as I started to move, I saw tiny shapes appearing, no, starting to form inside the mist.
Bats.
There was no way they could have fit through the grill on the vent.
They shrieked and fluttered around angrily, but did not seem focused on me yet.
Rather than wait for them to change their mind, I bolted. Having something specific to run away from, there was no reason to stand around and wait to find out in what way this was going to turn bad.
I did have an inkling, of course. Mist turning into bats. I would have expected just a single bat, but it was still right on track for one thing.
Mist bats!
Nah, just kidding, with the undead theme, this could only be a vampire.
I was a little bit relieved, having feared the final boss might be a lich, but even with it being JUST a vampire, I already knew it would be a lot stronger than the dentist.
As I ran out, I spared a glance over my shoulder.
The small room was rapidly filling up with mists and bats, but the mist seemed to be thinning, even as the number of bats seemed to climb. Whatever process was going on, it seemed like it was almost over.
Activating my Appraise Enemies skill before turning the corner, I was rewarded by a bit of information.
‘Michael Goldstein, Senior Dentist and Clinic Owner. Vampire level 20.’
Yeah, I was not going to fight that anytime soon!
I ran awkwardly down the hall, clutching my backpack while trying not to block the dim light from my vials, doing my best to stay on course, while also glancing over my shoulder to keep an eye on my new enemy.
The mass of bats exploded from the open door, and started to rush towards me. Right now, I would have traded it for that Indiana Jones boulder in a heartbeat, but sadly that was not up to me.
As the bats bore down on me, I could tell that I would not be able to outrun them. They were much faster, and came down on me like the proverbial bats out of hell. Except a bit more literal in this case.
Fortunately I had not been relying on being able to straight up outrun whatever trap I set off.
As I passed through the heavy steel door that lead to the stairs, I kicked the broom aside that had been wedging it open for me, whirling around to pull it shut behind me. Slamming it shut, almost dropping my grip on the backpack in the process.
Sparing a second to put the backpack on properly, I kicked the wedge I had prepared into place under the door, making it almost impossible to budge.
As I did, I could hear numerous impacts, almost like rocks being thrown at the door, but what was probably bats colliding with it at speed.
Then an odd rumbling noise that shook the door, before it was suddenly silent.
Suddenly the door was rocked in its frame, as something tried to burst it open, but the wedge held, even if it did shift slightly.
“OPEN THE DOOR THIEF, OR I WILL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!” a voice roared. Intimidating for sure, but frankly I was slightly disappointed there was not even the slightest hint of a Transsylvanian accent.
Having already lingered longer than I needed to, I took a moment to make sure the wedge was back into place, before turning towards the wall next to me.
Focusing my will on the ring, and for a second feeling my focus split between the two identical rings, I was delayed for a second in my transformation, causing me to almost collide with the wall.
“Open the door, child, obey!” The voice spoke, softer, almost gently.
Even as the transformation took hold, I found myself starting to turn to do as the voice had so reasonably suggested.
Realizing I was falling for some sort of mind whammy, I managed to lean back enough that I passed through the slight resistance of the wall, and gravity started to call me into its embrace.
As soon as I passed through the wall, and it was no longer possible for me to obey the voice, I felt the grip on my mind fade, even as the ground was coming up to greet me.
Thanks to my System enhanced intelligence, I managed to do several things at once. I turned back into my tangible flesh and bone form, rather than risk falling into the ground and ending up stuck somehow. Then, flailing my arms, I managed to turn around mid-air like a cat, landing mostly on my feet as I impacted the concrete below.
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