Prologue ( Core relations [ Pay to play ]

  One week later...

  Trope, taking the lead, stepped up to the alcove next to the slot in the wall of the dry walkway that ran alongside the rapidly running, and surprisingly clean, open sewer.

  The trip down and through the drainage tunnels for the city, all the way down to the entrance of Fell’s Dungeon, or rather the Living Core’s Domain, hadn’t been as quick as the Hero’s last trip down the drainage tunnels.

  But, despite the bits of raw filth flowing along beside Trope’s party, the route they had taken this time had been a lot quicker thanks to the directions they had gotten from the Cloacineers, whose job it was to patrol the underworld of the city below.

  As the Hero dug into the double knotted pouch by his side, a somewhat shrill voice questioned him from behind. “Are you sure this is going to be worth it?”

  With a sigh, Trope clenched his eyes shut before turning around to stare down at the pale haired Elven woman standing behind him. Her hands were balled into fists, set firmly at her narrow hips as the Channeler glared up at him.

  Pierce had been a constant annoyance to the Hero on their first mission to what had turned out to be the Living Core Fell’s Domain, and he had promised himself to never work with her again. But…

  Only the four of them, him, Pierce, Gorb, and Lariss, knew about the Dungeon… Well, other than the mysterious person who had hired them in the first place.

  And that person only knew that the man, Nictob, who had stolen a book from them, was holed up somewhere in the area.

  Of course, there was also the Cloacineers, who also knew about Fell. But they liked the idea of having a Domain with an Aura of Purity around. Since Purity, the very same Aspect to which their patron god, the Immaculate One, had gifted them with the power to use through their blessed lanterns.

  So those guys weren't going to say anything about the Dungeon that might place it in danger.

  But then there was the sister of another Adventurer who had gone looking for Nictob and had never come back.

  The Hero pursed his lips. His so called team had also taken the job to go looking for the missing man, or to at least bring his body back. And Trope had realized at some point that the lost adventurer might have gone up against the Summoning core just like his group had.

  But if he had, then Renardo Hawking may not have survived the encounter.

  Which, as Trope faced off with the increasingly annoyed looking Elven Channeler, reminded the Hero that even with the deal he had worked out with the Living core. This was dangerous work.

  Taking a deep breath, Trove once again went over the reasoning that had brought them here.

  “Buying a Core was expensive. But the first time we came in here, it got me to the Second level in my Tier, and advanced all of you more than any of you normally advance in a month.”

  Looking past the Elven woman who was once again rolling her eyes, Trope looked to the other two members of his group.

  Gord, the short Jermalin, a race which, other than the tiny thick soled boots on the short man’s feet, looked in every way like a classical fantasy Halfing, simply gave the Hero a brief nod before turning back to stare at the filthy water running steadily along in the channel beside them.

  The stories of gators and far worse things were not simply urban legends in this world.

  Behind the tiny Explorer, stood a fairly tall gray skinned woman with visible fangs, and eyeballs that bulged out from her face enough for her pupils had white visible all around them.

  Lariss gave Trope a cheerful smile that showed off both her lower and upper fangs, and nervously adjusted her grip on the actual battle ax, which she had spent her share of their recent windfall on after confirming the death of Nictob. Previously, she had been wielding an old, battered wood ax in order to use her Class abilities as a Chopper.

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  As the Hero smiled back at the young Hobgoblin woman that he had begun to find increasingly attractive, despite her inhuman looks, the better he got to know her, a sudden poke with a stiffened finger in the side of his leather jack armor, where the leather wasn’t boiled to a hard shell, brought his attention back to the annoyed Elf.

  Rubbing at his side, Trope glared at the Channeler. “Dammit, Pierce, yes, this is going to be worth it.”

  As the Hero finally worked the knot free on his pouch, he once again listed off his reasoning. The reasoning the Elven woman had already agreed with in earlier discussions.

  Only to change her mind and bring up the argument over and over again.

  “The faster we level, the better paying jobs we can take. Fell’s Domain is the most accessible place we can level by fighting his summoned monsters, which we get merit points for killing, unlike normal creatures from normal Summoners.”

  Working the pouch open, Trope slipped free a pool ball sized green sphere of a Beast core.

  “And while we have to pay to get in, we have the money to spare right now.’

  Reaching upward, the Hero pushed the Core over the lip of the bottom of the alcove set high up in the wall next to the ladder going up. Trope could hear the ball, like a gem of crystallized magic, clicking against stone as it rolled around in the depression inside the alcove for a moment.

  “Level up. Make money. Spend money. Level up. You have to spend money to make money.”

  Looking down at the blond Elf as she frowned up at him, Trope shook his head at her.

  “And don’t try to tell me that isn’t just as true in this world as my old one. Some things are Multi Universal.”

  Pierce sighed and looked away from Trope with her arms crossed. “Fine. But I’m going to blame you when this all goes wrong.”

  The Hero gave the Elven woman a grim smile. “Of course you are.”

  Then Trope looked up the shaft lined with the slots meant to be used as a ladder. “I know you’re listening Fell. So take your Core, and clear the way up as we agreed.”

  A tiny figure bent over to look down the shaft at the Hero. A gossamer set of transparent wings fluttered at the Fairy’s back for a moment as she raised her tiny hand towards the side of her head before Trope heard her voice coming down the shaft at him in a shrill tone that the Hero felt in his mind as much as he heard it with his ears.

  “Fell is whining… Yes, you are whining Fell. Don’t interrupt. Anywho, the little whiner is complaining about you giving him an unaspected Core from a Dread Deer.”

  The Fairy looked away for a moment, then looked back at Trope with one of her hands held up as if shielding her face as she whispered loudly. “I mean, I like it. Deer are awesome. But Fell is wondering what the Pit you were thinking of giving him a large hooved animal with a huge set of horns for a Summoner that lives in a complex of narrow tunnels.”

  Then the tiny woman gave the Hero a broad wink. “But a deal’s a deal Stick Boy, and guys aren't supposed to get upset about someone having a big rack. So give us a minute to clear the outer traps. Then come on up for your ‘Dungeon’ adventure.”

  As the Fairy’s wings appeared again on her back, the tiny woman fluttered away.

  Then the spider appeared.

  The creature was nearly the size of a decent sized hound, and as it scuttled up and down the tunnel, its most forward set of legs quickly began to pull free strands of barely visible crystalline webbing, which, until it had touched them, had been invisible to the Trope’s eyes.

  At the same time, a snake which had been wrapped, unseen, around the rim of the top of the tunnel stirred into motion and visibility as it began to stick its head into the top ladder slot in the tunnel and did… something to the stone.

  When the two Summoned creatures finished their work, the snake slithered away, and the spider waved at them with one of its fore limbs before abruptly vanishing from sight.

  Trope swallowed.

  Fell’s summoned creatures had been much smaller the last time they had been here.

  Pierce once again poked the Hero in the side.

  “Still think this is a great idea, ‘Stick Boy’?”