Dungeons Are Bad Business

Vee led Seidon into the office and pointed to the chairs next to the table in the center of the room. “Go ahead and sit wherever you’d like,” he said. “I’m sorry that I can’t offer you any coffee or tea; I don’t generally entertain visitors up here.”

The councilman shrugged as he walked over and took a seat. Vee noted with a small measure of satisfaction that Seidon sat as from the window as he could.

“It’s fine, Mister Vales. I wouldn’t expect you to offer such hospitality, though most of your peers in the city would have both rapidly available for a council member’s visit.”

“Most of my peers probably like you more than I do,” Vee said frostily. “Though given the state of the city, I don’t exactly understand why.”

Seidon smiled. “You’re as abrasive as ever, Mister Vales. Other than a bit of misguided credit-taking, what has the council ever done to you?”

Vee shrugged, unsure of where to start. “It’s not that I’ve been injured or inconvenienced by the council myself. It’s more that I see nothing but signs of your incompetence and disdain for the city every time I walk down its streets.”

Heat rose through his throat and settled in his cheeks. “Windows are broken on a daily basis, garbage is left to fester until it rots away. Organized crime operates in plain view of everyone, and frequent robberies and assaults are largely ignored and accepted as a fact of life. Meanwhile, [City Guards] are stationed all around the wall day and night to protect against a ridiculous fear of ghosts and spirits. People pay their taxes, only to watch their fleurs get spent on worthless vanity projects that don’t help them at all, while the services they rightfully expect from the council are constantly cut back if not stopped outright.”

He stopped, trying to hold back the flood of anger that’d suddenly filled his senses. Where had such a strong feeling come from? Certainly he wasn’t a fan of the council, but he didn’t loathe them either. It was like the words hadn't even been his own.

The Expectation on Vee's shoulders shifted, and the [Dungeon Master] looked down at the snake dragon. Had that line of thought come from the Expectation?

Before Vee could ponder the matter further, Seidon frowned and said, “Interesting. I didn’t realize you had such a heart for the common citizen, given your upbringing. Regardless of your opinion on the matter, Mister Vales, I can assure you that the council is doing everything we can to make Oar’s Crest a better citizen for everyone who lives here. We’ve taken steps to promote growth, like establishing the program that helped you start your dungeon here. However, we face constraints that you as a member of the general public are unaware of.”

“Such as?”

The councilman shook his head. “I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to discuss them here. Now, with those, let’s call them pleasantries, out of the way, I’ll go ahead and get to the reason for my visit here today. It’s come to the council’s attention that you’re intending to expand the scope of business activity here in Westown. As such, we have some safety and revenue concerns that we’d like you to address.”

Seidon reached into his pocket and drew out an envelope. “You’ll find our questions on this letter, as well as an invitation for you to attend an upcoming council meeting in order to answer them.”

Vee took the letter, a sense of dread settling in his stomach. The paper felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, and he set it on the table before turning his attention back to Seidon.

“My plans aren’t quite settled yet. There are still many things that I have yet to figure out. Am I obligated to attend this meeting?”

“It would be in your best interest,” Seidon said.

“Let me rephrase, then. Will there be any consequences to me or my business if I choose not to come and talk to the council?”

“Not at this time,” the councilman answered. “Though of course we’d remember your absence and add it to the list of things to be considered should any of your other ventures or activities require our approval. I’ll remind you, Mister Vales, that while the council has allowed you a fair amount of freedom in how you choose to run your dungeon, we’re not interested in another entity trying to subvert our authority.”

“I’m not trying to do anything of the sort,” Vee insisted. “I’m simply trying to improve my business. Everything that I’ve done so far has been in pursuit of that goal.”

“So you deny the claim that you’re looking to expand Westown’s business offerings?”

Vee shook his head. “No, I don’t. With the coming spring, I am indeed looking to increase the amount of non-dungeon activities near Crestheart, though I haven’t made any formal plans or pitches yet. There are currently three other businesses operating out here besides my dungeon, but they – as well as any other business owners who decide to set up shop here come springtime – would still be paying tax revenue and be subject to all the laws and rules they currently follow.”

Seidon leaned forward, bringing his hands together to rest on the table. “That’s reassuring to hear, Mister Vales. However, taxation and regulation aren’t the only questions we have for you. We’re also concerned about the safety of our citizens. Your dungeon was originally permitted to operate here beyond the wall because the only people expected to be visiting it are adventurers who can protect themselves if the need arises. The refreshment center across the street falls under a similar category. However, the [Florist] and the [Gold Smith] operating here as well don’t have any such protections, and might be the victims of violence. Now, I’m afraid that I must be going, there are other matters I must attend to this morning. You’ll find the details of our requests in that letter.”

He stood up and bowed his head politely. “Thank you for your time, Mister Vales. I Iook forward to hearing from you soon, and I’m sure the rest of the council does too. Our goal is to cooperate with you as much as possible for the betterment of our city.”

“I’m sure it is,” Reginald muttered. He glared at Seidon and looked like he had more to say, but Vee shook his head and the hat fell silent.

The [Dungeon Master] and councilman shook hands, and Seidon left soon after. Once the councilman was gone and his footsteps no longer audible, Vee’s [Majordomo] made his opinion known.

“I don’t trust that guy, boss. Michael Seidon has been on the council for almost two decades, and in that time not much has changed around here for the better. He’s got ties to all sorts of shady stuff too.”

Vee sighed. “I don’t trust him either, but I can’t exactly refuse to work with the council.”

“Why not?”

“Because that’s nonsense,” Vee said. “We can discuss it in more detail later. Right now, there’s work to be done here in Crestheart. Once Alforde brings the money up for the day, we’ll go ahead and read the letter. After that we’ll decide what we’re going to do, okay?”

Reginald scowled, but didn’t press the matter any further.

Before long, Vee had no choice but to push the meeting with Seidon out of his mind. There was simply too much to do in the dungeon. Forty adventurers had signed up to challenge Crestheart, and while he wasn’t entirely sure if that was the record for single day runs, it was certainly in the top two or three.

That meant everything needed to be faster than normal, so Vee promised several bonus servings of refined ectoplasm to his [Dungeon Maintainers] to encourage them to be quicker about resetting the dungeon between runs.

“We’re still going to be here way too late, boss,” Reginald said as the day’s sixth run ended. “These adventurers aren’t giving up quick enough. Is there anything else you can do?”

Vee rubbed his chin. He still didn’t have access to as many traps and platforms as he’d like, but he could try shuffling the monster packs around a bit more. It might also be worth trying to use [Ectoplasmic Surge] here and there, if he thought the ghosts would be able to quickly overwhelm the challenger while under its effects.

However, even with his almost comical supply of spare refined ectoplasm – his passive refinement rate had continued improving, thanks in part to his additional levels of [Ghost Maestro] – he doubted he could keep the skill running for long. He’d have to pick his spots carefully, and try to make the most of each use.

The next adventurer was a level 35 [Beast Tamer] who walked through the door with his giant blackfire tortoise companion. They both looked eager for battle. Remembering the man’s last two runs, when he’d fully cleared each floor, Vee hurried to activate [Boost Drops].

Once the skill was active and a chunk of the minion packs were marked and ready to attack, Vee focused on the way the man moved. No weaknesses were immediately apparent; the [Beast Tamer] was confident in his strength, but not arrogant. He moved quickly, but wasn’t in a rush, and he was respectful in regards to the potential threats he’d soon face.

Vee drummed his fingers on the desk. This wasn’t exactly the best candidate for an [Ectoplasmic Surge], but he wanted to go ahead and try using it all the same.

He waited until the [Beast Tamer] walked into one of the newly shrunken rooms and the first packs of ghosts emerged from the walls to attack, then activated the skill. Keenly aware that each ghost affected would use up an entire cube of refined ectoplasm immediately and another one every few seconds after that, he was almost relieved when the [Beast Tamer] dispatched his minions with a few quick palm strikes.

“Looks like one or two scored a lucky blow,” Reginald said, and Vee looked closer to try and get a better idea of what his [Majordomo] was talking about.

Sure enough, he saw a tiny little scratch mark on the man’s shoulder. He hadn’t seen the ghost land the blow in the melee, but seeing as the [Beast Tamer] hadn’t ever suffered an injury in the dungeon before outside of his bouts with Alforde, Vee decided that the [Ectoplasmic Surge] had been a success.

However, he wasn’t silly enough to try using it again against the [Beast Tamer]. Instead, he’d let the man work his way through the dungeon at his own pace. Even full clearing, the adventurer would be done in no more than fifteen minutes or so.

Vee ended up using three more charges of [Ectoplasmic Surge] throughout the day, and was extremely pleased with the results each time. Two of his later attempts had ended the adventurer’s run immediately ,and the third had injured its target enough that the elkin woman hadn’t been able to deal with Mister Chills. He’d burned a good bit of refined ectoplasm though – nearly four hundred cubes, according to Dheart’s summary – so it was definitely still something to be used sparingly.

His other efforts were less successful, as he struggled to find a consistent way to end runs early. However, he continued to feel more and more confident that his skill at manipulating the dungeon was improving.

If only he could get Crestheart to where he wanted it!

Main Character Sheets:

Main Character Sheets

Vee Vales (Unchanged from last chapter)

Primary Class: Ghost Maestro (Locksmagister University), Level 31

Secondary Class: Dungeon Master (Oar’s Crest), Level 23

Tertiary Class: Guy-Who-Takes-Things-WAY-Too-Far (Self), Level 6

Might: 15

Wit: 36

Faith: 26

Adventurousness: 7

Ambition: 15

Plotting: 19

Charisma: 15

Devious Mind: 24

Leadership: 20

Guts: 14

Intimidating Presence: 10

Citizenship: 23

Public Relations: 8

Determination: 4

Persuasiveness: 5

Bargaining: 3

Patience: 1

Competitive Spirit: 1

<3<3 Infatuation <3<3

Alforde Armorsoul (Unchanged from last chapter):

Primary Class: Hammer Specialist (Self), Level 5

Secondary Class: Right-hand man (Vee Vales), Level 17

Tertiary Class: Dungeon Champion (Oar’s Crest), Level 18

Additional Class: Glaciernaut (Sacha Silverblade), Level 10

Might: 56

Wit: 14

Faith: 28

Adventurousness (Bound – Vee Vales): 9

Endurance: 29

Intimidating Presence: 13

Heart of a Champion: 14 (+1)

Citizenship (Bound – Vee Vales): 9

Vigilance: 9

Vanity: 2

Reginald:

Primary Class: Core Spirit (Unknown), Level ?? (+1)

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Secondary Class: Loudmouth (Self), Level 41

Tertiary Class: Majordomo (Vee Vales), Level 19

Additional Class: Announcer (Vee Vales), Level 11

Additional Class: Hyperthymesiac (Self), Level 5

Might: 1

Wit: 37

Faith: 17

Ambition: 28

Greed: 24

Deceptiveness: 27

Manipulativeness: 41

$#&*!@!!: !!!

Loyalty: 47

Patience: 10

Irritability: 22

Remorsefulness: 17

Expository Prowess: 23

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Hop@#!! @#$@!@#

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Citizenship (Bound – Vee Vales): 9