^^ Aron's Vampiric Sword ^^

— Arcata, Muradin's Tower, Anitra —

The Boss Room of the Dungeon was built to look like a graveyard, irritatingly enough, so as soon as we stepped inside, my feet sunk into loose dirt up to the knees, and I had to levitate with my boots to get out of it, while the other two simply walked over the soft surface, completely unaffected. "Damn loose dirt... do you have a Skill for this or something?" I grumbled at Aron as I stomped forward, activating my Aura of Purity to kill off any weak undead in the graves as we passed them. Unfortunately, the Aura was mostly useful at detecting undead, being not powerful enough to actually kill them, so instead I just woke them all up and had them crawling through the loose dirt towards us. "Oh fuck!"

"Should I help out, boss?" Aron's Mother frowned, halfway drawing a sword off her hip and eying the surrounding creatures.

"No, I've got it. Both of you should jump really high, though. " I chuckled, then simply slammed my mace down, activating Wave of Force, -the Fusion spell of Quake and Shatter,- with about half of my mana reserve behind it all at once. The resulting shockwave resulted in all of the loose dirt being flung away in a two hundred meter circle around me, throwing the headstones as well to turn into impromptu shrapnel for me as they slammed into and in some cases through the Ghouls. The move costed 60 points of Charge, plus 300 Points of my Mana, so I couldn't cast it twice in a row, but damn if it wasn't good to be able to walk on now-packed dirt and stone, instead of wasting my attention levitating.

Aron and his Mother landed behind me after the shockwave passed, readying themselves for what was left of the Ghouls. Aron's Mother looked at what was left of them, numbering perhaps fifty, and frowned. "Can you do that again, or was that your Big Skill?"

"Big Skill." I muttered begrudgingly, then raised my mace, rushing forward with an attempt at a warcry. It may or may not have been a scream of annoyance, followed by more foul language, devolving into sarcastic muttering as the fight dragged on. "Stupid undead, don't know when to do as they're told and die again peacefully..." eventually, my patience flagged even more, as I was up to my knees in ghoul corpses, and so I finally raised a hand and cast one of the Cleric Spells I'd been given by Muradin as a Cleric. "Area Purify!"

A burst of silver mana exploded out of my body, emanating from my armor until every Ghoul within twenty meters of me, which was all of them currently, was glowing Silver. Then, in a cold, ruthless Snap, their bones fell apart, and the zombie-like creatures fell to the ground, the magical light leaving their eyes instantly. "Shit, boss, why didn't you do that sooner?"

I glared at the woman blade dancer, leaning against a broken tombstone to rest a moment. "Because it took 200 Mana to Cast."

"Why's that matter? Don't you have Infinite Mana?"

"Not in a Dungeon! My Infinite Mana Trick comes from my connection to the Cathedral and the Mythallar. Inside a Dungeon, I'm just a normal Tier One Cleric!" I shook my head at her, then looked around. "Now where's the Incubus?" A coffin some forty meters away began trembling, at my words, so I cast Mana Grip to hold the lid closed, then lifted the whole thing and placed it in front of me. "Ah, found him! Now for the mean part."

"How do you mean... mean?" Aron stepped back slowly, drawing his daggers for the second time in this dungeon.

"I mean I'm going to see if Enslaving him will mean Beating him." I grinned and cast Magic Circle around the coffin, then Calm Emotions, causing the rattling to stop. Next was Planar Binding, which didn't take nearly as much Mana as I thought it would, and Geas, which took almost nothing, because it wasn't activated yet. "Alright. I'm going to open the Coffin now, are you willing to talk?"

The coffin's lid slid off, revealing a tall, white-haired man with classic vampire noble clothing on, and a long sword on his hip, who slowly turned to look at me, then the magic circle and glowing silver contract, then back at me. "I am always willing... to trade words, instead of blows."

I clicked my tongue disappointedly when he didn't speak with any noticeable accent beyond a Noble Tone, but focused. "Oh man, I thought you'd do the Vampire Thing! Well, whatever; I'm offering you release from this Dungeon, in Exchange for your Servitude. If you Agree, you come with me. If you disagree, we fight and you die, yet again."

The Vampire Lord blinked slowly, then examined the Geas more carefully. "I see... you want to make me a mere servant?"

"I am a Duchess and you are a Feudal Lord, equal to a Baron; yes, I will have you as my Vassal."

His almond-shaped red eyes narrowed slowly, but a slow nod followed my words. "I see, you indeed hold higher rank within the Nobility... and to be a Vassal, instead of a Servant... this is agreeable."

"Good! I also plan on making you a lot stronger, because I have a Dark Guild to leave in your hands whilst I travel." The Geas activated with his permission, and barely visible black chains appeared around him and seemed to shatter into oblivion, being replaced by new ones made of holy silver. "Now you may enter my Grimoire, and rest until I call you." The book tapped his head gently, and one of the Pages suddenly appeared to have a portrait of him drawn upon it in exquisite detail. The back of that page showed his stats and Level, a mere Tier Two Level 50 with most of his Points in Int. Then, an explosion of notifications came from my Status Screen that I could no longer hold back.

——————————————————————————
Gained: XP 100% (x2) for Crafting Cathedral to Muradin and Luxos!
Gained: XP 50% (x2) for Creating the Order of the Tower, Faithful Disciples of Muradin!
Gained: XP 500% (x2) for Crafting (10) Magical Items!
Gained: XP 250% (x2) for Subjugating (5) Tier Six Enemies!
Gained: XP 50% (x2) for First Kill!
Gained: XP 50% (x2) for First Demon Slain!
Gained: XP 150% (x2) for Defeating (300) Tier Two Demons!
Gained: XP 10% (x2) for Subjugating (1) Tier Two Boss Monster!
Gained: XP 50% (x2) for Clearing a Tier Two Dungeon of Muradin!
Gained: XP 50% (x2) for Stealing a Tier Two Boss from the USS!!! (Go Forth and Conquer, You Little Kleptomaniac!!!)
Level Up x25! (->47!)
Spells Gained:—^
Enhanced Spells:—^
Stat Points: !!!100!!!
——————————————————————————

"Ah, whoops... gotta spend those points... Level 47, all in one go, huh? I guess building the Cathedral got me more levels than I'd expected!"

——————————————————————————
Name: Anitra Arcata
Age: 12
Tier: 1
Level: 47(20%)
Class: Champion of Muradin
—Titles—
Dungeon Master
—Stats—
Health: 1610/1610
Mana: 1610/1610
Strength: 61
Dexterity: 34
Constitution: 114
Intelligence: 114
Perception: 59
Charisma: 34
Stat Points: 100
—Skills—^
—Granted Spells—^
—Unique Skills—^
—Dungeon Management—^
—Familiars (New!)—^
——————————————————————————

"Sorry, Level 47?!?" Aron finally lost his cool for a moment, staring at me with an open mouth and generously twitching eyebrows. It was quite comical, really.

"Yes, give me a moment and we can talk while we clean, I've got to distribute stat points..."

——————————————————————————
Name: Anitra Arcata
Age: 12
Tier: 1
Level: 47(20%)
Class: Champion of Muradin
—Titles—
Dungeon Master
—Stats—
Health: 1670/1670
Mana: 1670/1670
Strength: 88
Dexterity: 50
Constitution: 120
Intelligence: 120
Perception: 88
Charisma: 50
Stat Points: 0
—Skills—^
—Granted Spells—^
—Unique Skills—^
—Dungeon Management—^
—Familiars (New!)—^
——————————————————————————

A burst of silver magic surrounded me and infiltrated my body yet again, the bulk of it going into my Mana Core and my Bones, as my body grew yet again, gaining a few inches in height and width almost instantly. At the same time, my eyes began itching a little, and by the time I'd blinked away the pain, I noticed the increase to my eyesight was glaringly obvious; I could see into the shadows around the gravestones, as if it was daylight, and I could see the smallest movements of Aron's face, which had before been only visible with magic. My Armor's Perception Stat added to my own after that, and my senses expanded to a full 360° sonar-type view around me for about forty meters, with my eyeline being the only part with colors. "Whoa... okay.. that takes some getting used to..."

"Increased your Perception Stat too high? Don't worry, it'll pass, so long as your Int is higher." Aron's mother grinned, patting my head gently. "Don't ever raise your Perception higher than your Int, though; trust me."

"Noted... vividly noted." I nodded, taking my helm off and shaking my head to clear it a little faster. "Now let's clean up... this is a lot of Ghouls, lots of cores." I sent the Coffin to the warehouse first, then began walking around and casting Magical Warehouse and Butcher on every corpse, until the whole ruined graveyard was barren once more.

"Tier Two Cores, but lots of them, very easily gained; this place is pure money, isn't it?" Aron's mother grinned happily, examining one of the cores she'd extracted while I was busy.

"Mm. The Dungeon Merchant is more important." I headed towards the new silver door, where our rewards would be as well as the Merchant's Shop, if my knowledge was correct. Inside, I found a silver chest in the center of a bazaar-type setting, where several merchants were milling about, hawking wares like it was a standard sunday afternoon. "Well... not what I expected, but interesting nonetheless. Let's see what my rewards are, eh?" Most of the merchants stopped hawking quite so loudly and watched as I approached the chest, and when it opened, revealing its contents to me, the rest of them followed suit. "Huh... some silver, some gold, and a dagger??? Kinda cheap, but I guess it is only a Tier Two Dungeon." I examined the long silver dagger, activating my Appraisal Spell.

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Appraisal: Vampiric Dagger (Enchanted: Vampiric Blade)
Description: this Dagger will cause a Bleeding and Exhaustion Curse effect in any living organism that it touches, and this can only be halted by a Purification or Restoration Spell. The damage dealt by this effect can cause a Healing Effect in its User, according to damage dealt. This effect cannot effect beings that are not living.
Charge: 100/100
Regen: 10/hour
——————————————————————————

"Mm... alright, that'll work as a material for Aron's Sword..." I sent all the contents of the Chest into the Warehouse, then walked over to one of the Merchants, a portly fellow wearing a simple blank white mask that seemed reminiscent of Muradin's face. "Hello! How would I acquire your enchanting services?"

The portly fellow bowed deeply, then spread their hands, summoning onto their stall counter a variety of enchantment materials and crystals, as well as a book full of enchantment options. "Simply ask! What kind of enchantment would you like?"

"Aron, come here and pick out a material. What type of sword enchantment would you prefer? I'm thinking a Vampiric Blade and a Ghost Blade to avoid armor, what do you think?"

The confused spy approached us, confused. "Wait, what? Why are you making me a sword? I can't pay for that!"

"You underestimate your salary, first of all, and second of all, this is an Employment Perk of the Dungeon Merchant's Guild. Your father got Armor and a new Dagger as well. You'll be getting enchanted Armor soon, I plan on giving you Armor enchanted to change its shape, so that when you use your skills to alter your face, you can also change your clothes and some of your build, increasing the efficiency of your Disguises. It'll also change your Status, so you won't have to worry about all that, I'll be handling that separately; for now, I'm working on your Sword and Daggers. So, choose an enchantment." I opened the book for him, moving to the Sword section, and pointed him to it.

"Uhm... so this is a part of my employment, you say?" He thumbed through the book's pages, reading quickly.

"Yes, it is. Choose quickly, we need to leave so other people can challenge the dungeon."

"Right, of course... I like your idea for a Ghost Blade, but with a Vampiric Blade as well, wouldn't a spell to make the blade steal the blood better?"

"If you're thinking of a Blood Drinker Enchantment, I can manage that for just two Tier Four Crystals!" The merchant commented, settling the materials in front of himself quickly.

"The Vampiric Blade already heals its user while bleeding it's opponent; more healing isn't necessary, unless you're concerned about your Health Points being too low? I suppose you are pretty skinny..." I frowned, poking his ribs slowly.

He flinched away from my poking fingers, clearing his throat softly. "No, I simply know that healing is something everyone misses when they do really need it. But if the Vampiric Blade already heals me, then a Ghost Blade is fine. Armor is always irritating for a Rogue."

I nodded and set Patria's sword and the dungeon reward dagger on the table, as well as Aron's own longsword, nicked off his hip easily, before looking at the merchant. "I'd like these fused, enhanced to Luxos Metal, and then enchanted with a Ghost Blade enchantment, without losing any strength. How many Crystals do I need for that?"

"Hmm... two enchanted blades, plus a third enchantment on a blank blade, enhanced to Luxos' Magical Metal, all without losing any strength? That'd be three Tier Six Crystals, if you want a Tier Six Blade?"

"I'd like something he can continue to use even if he reaches Demigodhood. I'll give you Four Tier Sevens, how about that?"

"That will do nicely, Lady Anitra." The merchant bowed deeply, while Aron's jaw dropped for the second time.

"Wait, I can't accept a Tier Seven Blade?!? That's-"

"-completely acceptable and not up to you to refuse, because I need my body guard to be properly equipped? You'll be getting Dragon-Hide Armor as well, get over it now." I fused the Tier Two crystals we'd gotten as well as the ones I had left over until I had four Tier Sevens, though it did nearly bankrupt me, then handed them over to the Merchant. "The only choice you have, Aron, is what the sword looks like. Do you prefer a standard arming sword, a broadsword, or a hand-and-a-half longsword? Your father said you preferred thinner blades, yes?"

He sighed slowly, rubbing his face, but nodded. "Because they slip between armor plates better... if the blade passes through armor, then a thicker blade is better for more damage and wider wounds. One like this one would be fine." He gestured at Patria's Sword, then tilted his head at the grip. "Though I prefer the Hand and a Half hilt, not the armored one-handed grip, and it needs to be duller in luster, so it doesn't shine too brightly in the shadows."

"Understood, young master; the blade will be ready soon." The blades and materials disappeared, leaving a ball of light that slowly formed into a grey wavy-designed blade with a black and gold hand and a half hilt. The whole process took maybe twenty seconds, and the merchant sheathed the blade and handed it over with a bow. "Usually I would charge Three Platinum for Three Tier Seven Enchantments, but you provided the materials and you are also Guild Members, so all debts are paid."

"Good, let's go. Thank you for your service, the Guild approves of your diligence." I bowed back, then tossed the blade at Aron, walking towards the exit. "Come along, Aron, no more whining; the sword is yours now."

He sighed, but hung the sword on his belt and began testing it as we walked, humming in appreciation at how smoothly it swung through the air. "Thank you, Lady Anitra... I'll treasure it."

"Good; Make it a family Heirloom, give it to your most talented child when you fail to reach Demigodhood." I snorted softly, stepping through the silver doors out of the boss room, towards the greater area of the dungeon.

"... that's a bit harsh, don't you think?"

"Your attitude towards leveling and powerful equipment lets me know you're not interested in reaching the Apex of our existence; either prove me wrong or do as I said and make lots of babies in the hopes that one of them has the talent and drive to reach that peak." I shrugged, unconcerned with trying to blunt that blow to his ego, and opened another door; the rooms in this dungeon were pretty wide, but with our stats, even lightly jogging like this was enough to cross them in a few minutes, if there wasn't anything to fight.

"... I understand, Lady Arcata; I will do better."

"I should hope so; your father talked a lot of game about how good of an assistant and adventuring companion you'd be; he even tried to tell me you'd be a good Partner to have once I grew up a bit more. Said your blade skills are inherited from your mother, and flawless, your spying skills are unparalleled, so on and so forth... So far I find myself unconvinced, beyond your Tea-making skill, which is flawless." I smirked, where he couldn't see it, and fibbed a little about what his father had told me, in order to give him a little of a kick in the ass.

"He... said that?" The boy asked, looking a bit starstruck.

"Would you like to ask him, or just prove him right?" The next door opened as well, and we continued on in silence until we exited the dungeon and found a message waiting for us; the Thieves' Guild had sent their reply.