Biter

Treasure Chests.

“It has been theorized by various mages, dungeon scientists, and kingdom officials that the phenomenon of storage objects within dungeons has equipment or weapons that have not been placed by any human, demi, elf, dwarf, or other species is a process as to which the dungeon cannot take ambient mana from the surface or planet, forcing it to solidify into a solid mass.

It has been recorded that there is a proper time for treasure chests to manifest, usually spanning between one hundred and thirty to one hundred and fifty days for one to be hidden within. Guild officials give rewards to adventurers who choose to reveal their location of spawning, as locations tend to be repeat designated mana accumulation chambers (MACs).”

From “Dungeons” by Serril Zale

A massive tar-black coffer with a massive lock and no key is kicked by Sebas, who angrily exclaims, “FUCKING KEY? ARE YOU SERIOUS?” only to leap back into the small pond as the lockbox launches back inside with a ploop.

“Why? Am I not kind enough? Did I do something to someone? Is there the chance that I can’t escape some sort of karmic retribution?” Sebas rambled on while he sat at the edge of the lake sopping wet from his plunges within the water. He tugged the metal seal as his feet pushed in opposition, pathetic groans were only coming from Sebas, and the secure box only clanked after Sebas dropped it, giving up. He shakes his unkempt red locks in an unsuccessful attempt to get dry, only able to get water from his face by wiping it with his hands and vigorously shaking his palms.

Sebas thinks for a moment and pulls his new dagger out setting the box on its side, ready to ruin it he shoves his dagger directly into the seamless gap with the razor-like tip. A loud ringing is heard as Sebas’ dagger is flying out of his grasp.

[Notice: Failure to break Enchantment: ]

Sebas curls up, setting his head between his knees. “Fucking dungeon… fucking Eruka… fucking… fuck me,” he mumbled to himself, picking up the box, collecting his launched dagger. “I found this thing, and now I’m liable to get killed for who knows what.” Sebas continued, inspecting the coffer. What can only be described as a lizard’s skull was carved on the front, pointed directly at the viewer, and behind it a massive X.

Sebas looked around the lake, besides the smoldering residue from beast's blood no witnesses were here for his exploits. He shrugs at the theorizing, tossing the small box inside his bag, and walks back downstream, past a forest grove and around the east side of the guild’s fort.

Shaking his hair once again, Sebas encounters the prickly guild blond attendant whose name is hopefully Richard, and is stopped. “Hold copperplate. There is a tariff now for less than iron to enter in and out. Mainly one who enters so frequently, like yourself.”

“I’m not a cargo you stupid bastard.”

“Fun fact, you, in particular, are one of the top individuals of not only lesser mana stones but rabbit meat, so either buy a merchant’s guild tag or shove off.”

“No thanks Dick, you can absolutely have a great day,” Sebas said to the blonde man who is now called Richard.

“You going against the guild?” Dick asked with a massive grin.

“I am going against you pretty boy, you may be a guild worker but you are not my guild handler,” Sebas said with a scowl.

“Who is your handler?”

“Elimir, now blow it out of your ass goldie, go ask your family for more money.”

The guild’s checkpoint worker went red in the face and whistled, two copperplate thugs appeared coincidentally.

“Is this a shakedown?” Sebas asked.

“The guild has imposed tariffs, for those who exceed a certain amount of money.”

“Oh, so it's a targeted shakedown.” Sebas nodded solemnly.

“You may enter for 10 silver coins, or leave.”

Sebas thought for a moment, before he slammed his fist in his hand in an understanding gesture, only to reveal a middle finger for the three.

“Dumas, Cirris, you know what to do.” The blonde checkpoint attendant said, prompting a thin build man with black hair in a nearly bald length cut, while the second man had pink tipped hair with brown roots and a much stockier build, Dumas, who Sebas assumed was the small man, held a two-handed great axe, a single head curves like a waxing moon, while the stocky man holds a single kite shield, with a single red X along with a red-tipped dagger.

Sebas focuses on the thought of his

[Dexterity has increased 9 -> 10]

[Access. You have 10 points in Dexterity. External forces have boosted this by an additional 20 points.]

[Access. 9 Stat Points are available for Distribution.]

Sebas points before speaking, “Should we do this somewhere quiet?”

Uncaring, Dick shrugs and leaves the decision to the others, shooing them and busying himself with a newspaper.

Cirris nods and follows Sebas, the two hired thugs follow the boy, “No hard feelin’s about this, little mate, me and me friend here just doing what we get paid for.”

“How much did he pay you if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I’m sorry, not at the liberty to give such info, me pride won’t allow it,” Cirris said.

“That’s a shame,” Sebas said to Cirris, “Do you plan to kill me?” Sebas asked.

“Of course not, we wouldn’t dare do so to a fellow adventurer,” Cirrus said.

“I see,” Sebas said, before running up and across the fort’s brick wall, kicking the man square in the jaw, knocking him onto his ass, “so you just would’ve healed me with an antidote that you definitely have, right?”

[Ambush successful, enemy party member has been inflicted with ]

Sitting up and holding his lower jaw, Cirris nods at the expectant Dumas, who grins with evil in his eyes, a massive shield glows blue and rushes towards Sebas. Slamming him into the brick wall of the fort fracturing the wall. Pain resonates from his recently healed back, and Sebas launches himself from the cracked brickwork, vaulting over the shield of the psychopath, and Stabbing the man in the eye.

A shriek comes from Dumas as his left eye bleeds profusely, the adventurer who caused it jumping off of the shield.

[Access. 9 Stat Points are available for Distribution.]

[Strength has increased 10 -> 15]

[Access. You have 15 points in Strength. External forces have boosted this by an additional 5 points.]

[Access. 4 Stat Points are available for Distribution.]

[Constitution has increased 9 -> 13]

[Access. You have 13 points in Constituion. External forces offer no additional upgrades.]

Sebas latches his hand as his bound sends him toward the guild fort, a brick up 15 feet in the air is barely grabbed with his left hand’s fingernails, Sebas responds to their adventurer kinship with a dead bird he killed himself, letting it stay viewable as if he were a flagpole, and the finger’s wings were the flapping of cloth.

“Maybe Dumas should hide the red liquid on his fucking dagger if you want to kill a street rat, you fucking freak.”

“Cirris, he got me good,” Dumas responds, fishing a few things out of a magical bag, a crossbow, a potion that looks… yellow, and three arrows.

“Don’t worry, we have a nice little gift for those who we get paid to deal with, he says lifting the crossbow, and beginning to pull back the drawstring.

Suddenly, a dagger is embedded in Cirrus’ head coating his brown hair in red liquid, Sebas holds it while a purple strike launches itself through the top of the man’s skull shooting a massive hole from the bottom of his jaw.

[Notice: You have killed the red player “Cirris” Level 9]

[Shared Experience Points have been collected]

[Ambush successful.]

[Skill Experience has been gained.]

[Congratulations]

[Human Level 6 -> Level 7]

[You have killed a Human.]

[The God of Humanity Shuns You.]

[You have killed a Red Named Human.]

[The God of Humanity Rewards You.]

[+1 Free stat point.]

“Not the time.” Sebas thought.

The thug, Dumas, screamed as his counterpart’s body went pale, only to be silenced as a very accurate fortress brick pierced his lowered defense.

[Ambush successful, enemy party member has been inflicted with ]

“I thought you said I had to be hidden?”

[Target was unaware of User’s presence, allowing for unnoticed attack.]

“Hmm… metal.”

Sebas launched himself toward the now dazed thug, kicking his shield inward, knocking the man off balance and to the ground.

“GET AWAY FROM ME,” Dumas yells, panic taking place instead of sociopathic joy, a kick misses Sebas' head, and his hands begin to drag Dumas toward the wall of the guild fort. Dumas claws his hands into the ground, while Sebas rips the man off of the dirt, shoving him into the brick wall, Dumas pushes off and attempts to flee, only to be tripped by Sebas’ foot. Once in the dirt again, Dumas scrambles to flee, only for Sebas to be sitting on his back, pulling the man’s short hair, his feet pressing down on Dumas’ biceps, and a dagger pointing into his neck.

“Talk,” Sebas demands.

“Of c-course! He paid us 5 Silver each, which sounded like a nice deal when we thought someone great like you was a mere kid,” Dumas began sweating, making it hard to hold onto his hair, Sebas decided to just place the dagger so that he would have to keep his head upright, lest a relaxing of his neck would end in a death.

“And?”

“What do you mean sir?”

“What else, why did Dick want you two freaks to kill me?”

“Who?”

Sebas punched the man in the back of the head, making him scream as the dagger began to embed itself into his neck, making the man scream and cough.

“Dick, the blonde attendant.”

“Cough, ah! Of course Mr Sheygast. How silly of me.”

“Yeah, Dick Sheygast, of course, how silly of you.”

“Sir, may I just say, I am a humble… worker… if you let me go I'm sure there's plenty of things I could do!”

“For free?”

“Of cough course sir, it would be my honor.”

“Sure, you can go,” Sebas said while getting off of the man, staring at him from above. “Say, what was in that dagger of yours? You don't look so good pal.”

The man stuttered out an answer, “I don’t? What do you…” the man paled, and pulled his dagger out from the underside of his jaw, babbling when he viewed the snake-tooth-shaped dagger, “You… bastard,” Dumas said as he collapsed.

[Notice: You have killed the red player “Dumas” Level 7]

[Shared Experience Points have been collected]

[Skill Experience has been gained.]

[Skill: [Ambush] LV 1 -> LV 2]

[Notice: Party member, Level 5 Adam Rynard has Leveled Up, Level 5-> Level 6]

[Dexterity Up +1]

[Dexterity Up +1 Again!]

[Congratulations]

[Human Level 7 -> Level 8]

[You have killed a Human.]

[The God of Humanity Shuns You.]

[You have killed a Red Named Human.]

[The God of Humanity Rewards You.]

[+1 Free stat point.]

[Access. 12 Stat Points are available for Distribution.]

“Fuck off,” Sebas thought, and the mental notifications rapidly removed themselves from the forethought of his mind.

Both bodies began to burn with a blue flame after a short time, only their guild plates and a small purple bag were spared from the embers. Sebas collected an untouched bag from the axeman’s leftover equipment, while the rest of the items burned up, including the yellow potion, giving Sebas an attitude, as he could probably use all of that equipment for himself.

Turning the item upside down, Sebas saw several dozen human ears drop out, along with another yellow potion, and a red vial, which he hesitantly collected from the pile of fleshy bits placing them both back into the small stringbag.

[Magic Bag {Capacity 2%}: 1x , 1x]

“Sounds like some reading will need to be done, I have no clue why a rosary would be poisonous.”

Sebas made his way back towards the fort’s entrance, slamming his fist onto the desk, startling Dick, “May I enter this wonderful guild-owned association, Dick.”

The guild’s booth jockey sat upright and almost said “How are you alive” before admitting to the crime.

“Well… no.” The blonde man said.

“Thanks, Dick,” Sebas said.

“That's not my name…” the blonde man mumbled.

“What was that?” Sebas asked, his knife being used to clean his nails from gunk, staring directly into the man’s eyes with rage.

“Nothing sir, do you need a bath or any other guild services?”

“No. I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself while poisoning it.” He said, staring directly into the man's eyes, practically leaning over the table to enunciate his displeasure before he made his way back into the guild fort.

The blonde man balled up his fist while his face turned red.

“My name is David… Asshole.”