King of the Mountain

Chapter 47: Something Familiar

Now where did Phil go? I scanned the room and did not see him. As I search I make sure to throw a small ice spell at each demon my dragons are finishing off so we can get this done and find Phil together. Once I finished searching the rest of the room I approached the altar. I had the dragons watch the door for when Phil returned. He must have teleported out of the room to get reinforcements. Tied to the altar was a smaller being who seemed to be made of gold, maybe another metal? He or it looked like a small statue that came to life. Whatever, any person captured in a dungeon of demons probably is not a bad person. When I cut the bonds holding it to the altar I received a Great Game message.

You have released the Incan Wak’a of Machu Picchu. Will you accept its gratitude and take it as your familiar?

Hold up, aren’t familiars in all the stories either animals or cute fairy girls or something? Why do I get a walking statue? Oh well, this is probably better for me anyway since I work with the Earth element so much. I accept the little Wak’a as my familiar. As soon as I do I receive another Great Game message.

Forming a familiar contract with a spirit of the Earth and Air increases your affinities with each element to 100%. Due to the player already having affinities of 100% in both Earth and Air the reward will instead be chosen by the player from the following list.

1. Unique Skill

2. 1,000,000 gold pieces

3. Legendary Item from the Great Game Store

4. 5 levels of growth

5. Spirit Master Bloodline

Oooh, this is good, free stuff. Let’s see I do not need equipment or gold at the moment so cross of numbers 2 and 3. I am quite happy with my current bloodline, in fact I do not even know if I can switch to another one so cross of number 5. That leaves number 1, Unique Skill, or number 4, 5 levels of growth. Unique Skill it is. I can always level on my own even if it gets slower at higher levels. MUST REMEMBER TO SELECT SKILL AFTER DUNGEON. I choose Unique Skill from the list and inspect my new friend.

Machu Picchu Wak’a

Familiar of Mark Anderson

Level 100

Affinities: Earth 100% Air 100%

Well that won’t do. This little guy needs a name. Hmm, how about Walter? Yeah he kind of looks like a Walter. Ok, he is now Walter.

“I dub the Walter the Wak’a”

“Thank you master for the name.”

Holy moly did he just talk?

“Walter can you hear me?”

“Yes master I can.”

He does talk. I love my little dragonlings, but I finally have someone I can talk to without having to go back and interact with others. This is awesome!

“Walter, first welcome to the family, the dragons around you are my companions Elvira, Esmerelda, Bruce, and Azure, second what exactly is a Wak’a and what can you do as my familiar?”

“Well master I am what the locals call a guiding spirit. I was the spirit of Machu Picchu before it fell into ruin and I gradually faded away. Recently I was awoken again and was recently captured by the Supay demons while I was disoriented and weak from first reappearing. Normally they would never be able to capture me as I can fade into the earth and reappear anywhere within Machu Picchu. As for what I can do as your familiar I can help you with manipulating the earth and air surrounding you. I can also detect energy fluctuations and evil presences from quite far away. It seems that the distance is equal to my level and it is measured in a unit of measurement I do not know called a kilometer.”

Fantastic I had a living, breathing, well living anyway, helper that can take some of the load off me and is also a dungeon and evil sensor. This is so cool.

“Don’t worry Walter, the world has changed since you last were awake and I understand the unit of measurement. I am sure you can learn what you need as we travel together.”

“Thank you master, I look forward to working closely with you. Excuse me master but there is a large concentration of evil energy moving towards us at an alarming rate.”

“What, it must be the Head Supay demon priest that escaped. How long until they reach us?”

“It should be within the next 5 minutes master.”

“That means they are past the next cavern that we hid in. Hmmm, when he teleported he must have teleported near his reinforcements. We will have to deal with him and 20 others that is not good odds.”

Wait, I littered the tunnel behind me with my landmine traps which should whittle down the numbers and slow it down. Oh this is going to be good.

“Alright troops, we are going to go with the nuclear winter option and need to prepare quickly. Walter I want you to make a solid dome of stone 3 feet thick near the altar which can fit all of us inside. Its purpose is protection from projectiles and cold. My little dears clear up the battlefield and then hide in the dome while daddy prepares a surprise.”

I decide that I probably have 6-7 minutes left before whatever is left of the approaching demon group arrives. I am going to trap the entrance door with ice and explosion runes. I do not know how many I can make in that amount of time, but I do know that it will cause a LOT of damage and disorient any remaining demons. I close the entrance doors and write my runes to cover both sides of the door down the center. This way no matter which door they open they will break the rune which will release the mana and start the spells.

I draw the runes as big and as fast as I can and manage 6 before I hear explosions going off in the tunnel we came from. Ok time to wrap this up, three ice runes and three explosion runes should be enough. I start filling each one with 1,000 mana. I know that this is probably overkill again, but I do not know how many demons there will be so bigger is better. Besides this time I have had Walter prepare a shelter for me so I should be safe.

I quickly retreat and join my group inside our shelter. Now it is a waiting game. The wait was not very long. Not even a minute goes by when we hear the doors creak and then a giant explosion that deafens me. The shelter shakes but holds. I can see cracks in the 3 foot thick walls, I probably overdid it again. I yell the command to charge, but no one moves. They must have been deafened by the sound. I signal with my hands and lead the way. Once I get out of the shelter all I see is debris and carnage. Yep definitely went overboard again. Well at least this is a new record. Two plans in a row and I am still conscious. Admittedly I am deaf, but conscious. My healing factor and that of my dragons should kick in soon and clear this up. As for Walter I am not sure if he even has ears. Wait if he doesn’t have ears how does he hear and why did he not charge when I yelled?

I will figure it out later. I search through the debris for the Head Priest. I really need to make sure that it is dead this time. As we clear rubble and debris we deliver several Coup de Grace’s on some barely alive demons. About 15 meters from the door into the next cavern I find the demon I am looking for. Identify.

Head Priest Supay Demon

Level 155 Affinities: 100% Fire Abnormal Status: Unconsious

I knocked him out. This is hilarious. He must have been standing in the back to keep himself safe after running into the traps I set back in the tunnel. However, he was close enough without protection that he was knocked out. Priceless. Because I am me I have the group gather round and I use an image capturing crystal to take pictures with the knocked out demon like it was a big game animal. What can I say I am dumb this way. Once the pictures were taken I had Walter finish off the guy with a large stone spike to the noggin. I figured it would give Walter closure and also include him in the experience sharing.

When the head Priest finally died the Great Game put up the notice.

You have cleared Machu Picchu dungeon. Calculating Rewards. For being the first to defeat ten monsters over level 100 you have been granted the title The Bigger They Are +1. For clearing the entire dungeon with no survivors you have been granted the title Underworld Terror +1. For killing more than a thousand demons in one dungeon you have been granted the title of Demon Slayer +2. For clearing your first evil aligned dungeon you have been granted the title of Evils Bane +1. You have reached level 121.

Alright pull up the screen and place the points and the final result for me is, Status:

Name: Mark Anderson

Master Tamer +2, Dragon Tamer +3, Dragon Master +4, Elemental Dragon King Bloodline +10, Evolver +2, Monster Slayer +1, Titan Slayer +3, Destroyer +5, Level Maniac +2, Survivor +1, No Limits +5, Undying +5, Transcendent +5, Top 100 +1, Demon Slayer +2, Underworld Terror +1

Titles: Quadelementalist +4, Lucky One +1 Master Thief +1, World Traveler +1, Wealthy +1, Dungeon Explorer +3, Unstoppable +2, Army of One +1, Arsonist +1, Manifest Destiny +3, Not Nailed Down +1, Army of One +1, Scourge of the Undead +1, Think Outside the Box +1, Beast Tamer +1, Lost & Found +1, Spider Bane +3, Evils Bane +1, Bigger They Are +1

Level: 121 -14%

Unspent Attribute Points: 0

Str: 240

HP: 2,400

Int: 380 +190% MP

MP: 22,040

Wis: 380 +190% MP/Regen

HP/Regen: 528% per 15 min.

Agi: 240

MP/Regen: 722% per 15 min.

Con: 240 +120% HP/Regen

Luck: 240

Affinities: Earth - 100%

Water – 100%

Fire – 100%

Air – 100%”

I wonder what my little ones and Walter made it to after the fight? Status:

Name: Elvira Race: Elemental Air Dragon

Level: 65 - 33% Status: Companion/Pet of Mark Anderson

Name: Esmerelda Race: Elemental Earth Dragon

Level: 67 - 7% Status: Companion/Pet of Mark Anderson

Name: Azure Race: Elemental Water Dragon

Level: 66 - 61% Status: Companion/Pet of Mark Anderson

Name: Sir Bruce Shadow Flaming Ember of Doom Race: Elemental Fire Dragon

Level: 72 - 21% Status: Companion/Pet of Mark Anderson

Name: Walter Race: Incan Wak’a Spirit

Level 104 - 31% Status: Familiar of Mark Anderson

It seems like my plan of including Walter in the group with the kill on the Head Priest worked. He leveled up 4 times just from the death blow. I wish I knew how experience was determined. Does everybody share equally? Do the people who deliver the deathblows get more? This is something I could research in the future, but I am not sure it is worth the time. It is time to leave the dungeon, have a rest at the closest lair and then keep on leveling.

I place everyone in the group into my inventory, nice my little statue familiar goes in there as well, I use my unique skill blink to exit this dungeon as fast as I can. I need to remember that I have this skill. If I integrate it into my fighting style I am sure that I can up my level of damage and safety a bunch. Like anything else it is just going to take a lot of practice to make it work seamlessly into our fighting style. Once outside the dungeon I blink on over to Elvira’s new lair and pull everyone out. I let them know that tomorrow is a rest day and a planning day and then I contact Rudolph with an update of the dungeon we were in.

“Randolph are you there?”

“Yes Sire.”

“My team and I just finished up the Machu Picchu dungeon. It is filled with Supay demons and is definitely built for groups of 5 or more at level 125 or greater. The important thing to note is that the head boss of the dungeon has a relic that allows it to teleport away from danger and come back with reinforcements.”

“I see my king, are you and your team alright?”

“Yes Randolph, we are fine. I even picked up a new companion. A familiar I named Walter.”

“Of course you did sire, nothing you do is normal.”

“What do you mean, Randolph?”

“Normal people do not go into dungeons and come out with villagers, dragon eggs, and familiars sire. Normal people just struggle to accomplish the dungeon and grow stronger. You on the other hand defy common sense, which is probably why you have leveled so fast and become the Planetary Leader as well as my king.”

“Oh, I did not realize that I was that different.”

“Sire let me give you an example. Do you remember my level?”

“I think it was in the 50’s or 60’s right?”

“Correct sire, and this is what I was able to obtain after a lifetime of work and struggle. Unlike other people you were able to get into dungeons and survive that were several levels ahead of what you should have and then completed them alone or only with your personal companions and no team to share experience with. Also you can travel to dungeons whenever you like and continue to level when others must work on a daily basis to earn a living. This is another advantage.”

“I did not realize that I was that far off from a normal person.”

“Sire, just your bloodline alone makes you unique and above several planets worth of people. Add in all of the other quirks and abilities you have and you are rather special. This is a good thing as it will benefit our kingdom and yourself.”

“Alright, Randolph. Hey remember now that you are in charge and there are no wars you can take some time off too and increase your level.”

“Thank you sire, many of the councilors will be rotating through on a schedule to help them level up and stay relevant.”

“Ok, Randolph before I go has there been any reports of new high level dungeons?”

“The only high level dungeons reported are probably beneath your level sire. We have had reports of two new level 100 dungeons. One in what you used to call Florida and another on the island of Cuba.”

“Alright, thanks Randolph. If I do not find one myself soon I will just go and run through those dungeons just to check them out. Signing off.”

“Good bye, my lord.”

Once again I need to rethink my relationship to the real world. It is probably a good thing that I have removed myself from directly overseeing the kingdom as I obviously am more out of touch and not relatable to most people. Oh well, that’s fine. Randolph said it was a good thing so I just need to keep looking for high level dungeons and keep leveling myself as much as I can before I have to attend the Great Game competition.

I decide to make a list of areas to inspect for dungeons tomorrow. I was tired and I needed to decompress and get a good night’s sleep. My dragons should also have their customary growth spurt during tonight’s rest. I wonder if Walter grows bigger? I guess I will find out in the morning. OH MAN, I almost forgot to pick my Unique Skill again. Quickly I scan through the Great Game store. I try and make a new list different than the last one. There are so many options that I might find or notice something different each time I look through this thing. After 2 hours of searching I have narrowed it down to three choices.

(Unique Skill) Shared Attributes: Your HP and MP are now one. Magic and Health come out of the same combined pool. Requires 200 points in Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Constitution.

(Unique Skill) Lesser Teleportation: You may teleport an unlimited number of times anywhere within 1,000 miles of your current location. Cool Down 60 seconds.

(Unique Skill) Burning Bright: You can Triple all of your attributes for 120 seconds and then receive a 72 hour penalty of 25% of all your attributes when the timer is up.

Once again while Shared attributes is tempting, I think with my attributes it would be silly not to take one of the others. I Like Burning Bright, but the gain time for the penalty time does not seem like a great trade off. I think my choice is going to be Lesser teleportation. I honestly believe that this is an upgrade of Blink. I did not see it last time and I cannot find Greater Teleportation. This leads me to believe that the skill Blink was necessary to access this skill. Which means if I receive another Unique skill choice in the future I might be able to upgrade it to Greater Teleportation. I make my selection and then hit the hay.

Morning as usual seems to come earlier than I want. I have never been a morning person and even now when I have all of the stats that make me superhuman I still don’t like getting up. I glance over at my crew as I wake up. As expected my dragons have increased in size, but Walter is the same size. I guess he does not get larger. That’ ok, I already have four companions that are going to be gigantic when they finally get to their adult size.

Ok today is a relax and planning day. I need to think of several different places that could spawn dungeons. Help said that those areas of great cultural significance have a greater chance of forming into dungeons. So I need to brainstorm some of the most recognized cultural icons across the globe. Let’s see how about the Great Pyramids, Angkor Wat, Eiffel Tower, Mt. Everest, Amazon Rainforest, Big Ben, Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal, and the North Pole. I figure I can teleport into the general area based on photographs and for those areas that cover a large area just use my blink skill and blink around until I get the black dot on my map that says there is a dungeon that is a higher level than I am. I spend the rest of the day playing with my dragons and then make a quick stop back at the castle to look up pictures of each area and buy a few long distance teleportation scrolls. Luckily I do not need the shorter teleportation scrolls any more. I may have to take a 60 second break between each shorter jump, but that beats throwing away gold every time I need to teleport. I will only need to use Greater Teleportation scrolls to cross the oceans and to return for time sensitive emergencies.

I decided to explore each of my ideas completely before deciding on the order of dungeon diving. After two days of teleporting all over the world my new list looks like this.

Great Pyramids Lvl 200 Undead

Angkor Wat Lvl 125 Golems

Eiffel Tower Nothing, however the Paris catacombs were marked as a Lvl 100

Everest Lvl 150 Yeti’s???

Amazon Rainforest Lvl 200 Field Dungeon ???

Big Ben Lvl 100 Golems

Great Wall of China Nothing, Forbidden City Lvl. 175 Restless Dead???

Taj Mahal Lvl 100 Animals

North Pole Lvl 150 Ice Demon Krampus

Some of the dungeons were very explicit on their descriptions when entered. Others were more ambiguous and I guessed on the primary dungeon denizen. I even found two that were not on my original list as I was teleporting around. It looks like I have found two of the highest ranked dungeons on Earth in the Great Pyramids and the Amazon Rainforest. The Amazon Rainforest required me to check back in with Randolph to figure out what a field dungeon actually was. It seems that a field dungeon is just an area set aside over a very large area that traps “normal” monsters and animals inside of it and does not let them leave unless they are under a certain level.

This means that there are layers to this dungeon. The outside layer could be Lvl.50 and extend for 5 miles then it would become Lvl. 75 for the next five miles. Any monster under the level of 75 could freely wander between the two areas, but if they leveled up to 75 or beyond they would be stuck in the Lvl 75 layer and would not be able to move back down into the Lvl 50 layer. The more layers in the higher the levels get. Each layer could be taken over by specific monsters or it could be a mish mash. It read as a level 200 dungeon because the center of the dungeon will have at LEAST one Lvl 200 monster in it.

This sounds like the perfect kind of dungeon to level up elites in. After talking to Randolph and the council we decided that after I explore it we will set up an outpost about 10 miles outside of the edge and link it into the teleport network. Then anyone over the level of 50 will be able to enter as far as they want. As they level up they can explore farther and farther in. This means we have a repeatable ever changing dungeon and do not have to worry about sending people all over the place to find the right type of dungeon once they hit level 50. With the levels and training of my troops, this may only be occasionally used, but a large group of a lower level going through an open area where they can support each other will also work. They can practice their formations and strategies and receive real world experience for it.

I have decided that my group will conquer the dungeons in this order.

Taj Mahal – to level up the dragons

Big Ben – to level the dragons but also to get experience with golems.

Angkor Wat

Everest – I already did demons so I think I will skip the North Pole for now.

Amazon Rainforest – to explore and level up

Great Pyramids – only after I feel confident fighting against high level undead.

I expect to spend about a week conquering and recovering from each dungeon. If we finish one quickly we can repeat it or move on. However, I need to spend several weeks in the Rainforest in order to explore and map out areas so my elite guards can come in and level when ready. I have just over 5 months until the Summer Solstice and the final integration of the Great Game. I will take an extended break at that time and catch up with the kingdom and everything else I need to do.