Honestly, things like leadership were a bit hard to imagine when it came to Aiden's position.
It was part of the reason Aiden was so happy he was not stuck in the role himself.
However, he could absolutely sympathize with what Jax had to deal with.
They had been sent down here with the understanding that the dungeon had been responsible for ten deaths. Some were people who had been inside the church, but six were fellow adventurers.
And yet, the first undead they came across had run away crying.
Which was something that could only happen if a soul was kept in the body.
To make it worse, the necromancer surrendered and was guided to the surface.
So as Aiden reformed from sparks in the dungeon, he made his way back over to the others.
He kept his eyes on Jax as he tried to imagine what must be going through his mind.
"Can't wait to see what happens if one of the necromancers does a fake surrender," Will said unhelpfully.
A strange crunching noise came from Aiden's thoughts.
Almost like he was remembering a sound.
But different.
Are… are you eating popcorn? Aiden thought.
Jax began leading them down a hall.
Jax led the way, followed by Selene.
Liora and Thalia walked on either side of Beatris, which was what the system had named Little Fox for some reason.
Aiden held up the rear, just in case something came from behind them.
"Yeah," Will said. "When I ranked up, I gained the ability to manifest memories as objects, but their detail is based on how much you remember them."
Another crunch.
"We should really eat popcorn again soon. Your memory of the taste is kind of bland."
More chewing followed.
Then came what sounded like someone gulping from a mug.
Jax led them past a room that seemed to hold a cot and several small sentimental items.
It looked like where the kobold necromancer had been staying.
Aiden thought, We are walking through a dungeon with a known mortality rate for people higher level than us, and the flavor of popcorn is your biggest concern?
"Hey, you try not being able to experience the sensation of eating for a month and see where your priorities are when you can try it again."
Will sounded genuinely annoyed.
Aiden wanted to give a retort, but Jax ordered a stop.
Aiden glanced around Selene.
There was a short path straight ahead that, in the glow of Thalia's strings, seemed to contain crates and other things.
To the left was another hallway that led both left and right.
Another hallway led right, illuminated by the glow of a fire.
"Let's make the room with the boxes our fallback point," Jax said, "and check out the dining room."
Everyone nodded.
They shuffled into the room.
It was rather bare-bones.
Boxes sat here and there, many broken or destroyed.
Dried blood marked spots on the floor.
The walls and splintered wood showed that some kind of fight had happened in the room.
As they all fanned out, Aiden did a mental check, trying to remember if anyone had used any of their healing potions.
Jax and the others took a moment to sit and let out small sighs.
They were not fully off guard, but they were using the brief pause to stop holding their breath against the possibility of being attacked.
Aiden walked over to Jax.
"Want me to see if I can scout into the dining room area?" Aiden asked. "I can take Liora to watch my back."
Jax took a moment to think.
Then he nodded.
Liora groaned.
"What? I just sat down, damn it."
She followed after Aiden with a scowl on her face, laying her staff over her shoulders and draping her arms over it so her forearms and hands hung limp.
As they walked around the corner, Liora stopped for a moment.
She bent down and pointed at a small wire stretched across the walkway.
Aiden silently nodded.
Hey, Will, can you remind me about the wire when we're coming back through the door?
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure."
Crunching noises marked that Will had apparently moved on to chips.
Aiden moved into the room with Liora.
The tables showed signs of a dinner having been eaten.
The smell of cooked food lingered in the air. Several plates still sat on the tables, half-eaten portions resting on them.
As they walked around the table, they saw several side passages that seemed ornamental in nature.
Still, their potential to be hiding a patient skeleton had Aiden a bit on edge.
They continued past the fireplace and a pitcher of what seemed to be alcohol that had been spilled.
Then Liora held up a hand and turned to him.
"Hide," she hissed.
Both of them dove under the nearby table as if they were kids playing hide-and-seek.
They waited for a few moments.
Then a skeleton clad in dusty, tattered tan robes made its way into the room, grabbed two plates, and began walking out.
The skeleton held a curved sword at its side like a cutlass and was dressed as if it were a desert traveler.
Liora and Aiden shifted in their hiding spot as they watched the skeleton leave.
Then they crawled out and looked down the hallway after it.
They exchanged a look.
Liora used her ability to walk in the air and began moving upward.
Then she crawled along the ceiling, shifting her head as she tried to move forward without rubbing it against the stonework above her.
She began to shimmy down the hallway.
The plan might not have worked against a person with a torch, but the skeleton seemed to have a goal of gathering plates.
The ceiling was ten feet up, out of sight unless it happened to look more directly upward.
So as the skeleton made two more return trips, Liora continued crawling over its head undetected.
Aiden watched her progress as she made her way down the hall toward a room that glowed from the right side.
Liora shifted forward and began to round the corner.
Then she suddenly froze.
The skeleton, halfway back with the plates, dropped them.
It looked up at Liora and began reaching for its weapon.
Crap.
She got caught!
Aiden pulled the ripcord.
The Revolution Core hummed to life in Idling.
Power surged through him.
He rocketed out from under the table as he swung his spear around.
Aiden rushed past the skeleton, brought the shaft of his spear around, and slammed it into the back of the skeleton's legs.
The knees shattered.
The torso lurched backward.
A look of surprise was impossible on an unchanging skull face.
And yet, somehow, Aiden saw it.
He jumped.
Inside the room stood a woman wearing desert traveler's robes and a zombie by her side.
The zombie wielded a large tower shield and held a spear.
The woman had been pointing to Liora, who was midway through dropping.
Then her attention shifted to Aiden.
Aiden grabbed the back of Liora's shirt and yanked her backward.
She flew back, stabilized herself, and landed on her feet with her staff at the ready.
Aiden turned to follow.
His spear was already moving to smash the skull of the skeleton that had only just bounced against the ground.
Then he paused.
Memories of the zombie kobold from before flashed through his mind.
Aiden spun his spear and dashed after Liora instead.
The Revolution Core V2 is online.
You have shifted the Revolution Core V2 into Idling.
Your Strength and Constitution are increased by 30.
You have used item Spear of the Seven Hunts (D).
Skeleton "Najim Rimhesa" has taken 28 damage.
Your skill Combo Star (E) has activated and granted a surge of speed.
You have given up your attack.
Your enhancement from Combo Star (E) has ended.
Aiden glanced back toward the necromancer.
Her zombie took point, shield raised, but did not follow.
She leaned over the skeleton as if beginning to tend to its wounds.
Liora started running back through the dining room, but a feeling stopped Aiden.
He turned and spoke loud enough to be heard, but not loud enough for it to echo.
"We are here on reports of aggressive necromancers who have killed ten people," Aiden said. "We have already escorted a gray kobold necromancer and his undead to the dungeon entrance after he said he was not hostile."
He kept his hands visible.
"Are you hostile?"
There was a moment of silence.
Then, from behind the towering shield of the zombie, came a voice.
Despite the necromancer appearing to be a woman, the voice was deep and slightly raspy, almost like someone who had gone too long without water.
"A small courtesy," she said. "Sparing me your steel."
The zombie's shield did not lower.
"But striking my brother while bargaining for answers? That is poor business, don't you think?"
Aiden took a moment.
Then he made a show of placing his spear inside his cloak's subspace before holding his hands out to show he was otherwise unarmed.
"We are in here because of reports of ten fatalities from necromancers," Aiden said. "If you are willing to work with us and leave peacefully, then I am happy to apologize and do what I can to help with whatever I broke."
He glanced toward the skeleton.
"But you have to understand our situation here."
Liora came walking back from the dining room.
"Aiden," she hissed sharply, "what are you doing?"
Aiden did not turn back.
He kept his eyes ahead.
After a moment, the zombie stepped aside.
The woman stepped forward.
She was beautiful, with tanned skin, long flowing hair, and vivid green eyes. A gray-tan robe rested on her head, its design suited for the desert.
Around her neck rested a golden pendant glowing faintly with black and green energy.
Not enough to cause worry.
Enough to be noticeable.
Her expression was calm yet determined.
"Then we understand one another," she said. "I have no interest in needless bloodshed. Death is bad for business, and worse for reputation."
Her gaze sharpened.
"But I did not come here to leave empty-handed. If we are to withdraw peacefully, then I require compensation."
She lifted her chin.
"A merchant without profit is no merchant at all, and this dungeon must yield some return."
Aiden looked back to Liora.
"What?" Liora asked. "Like money, or?"
She crossed her arms.
"Because I don't know what money you're hoping to find by taking over a dungeon and killing people."
The woman crossed her arms as well, her cloak falling around her as she stuck her nose up at Liora a bit.
"Foolish girl," she said. "A merchant's word is their life. Without trust, there can be no trade. Without trade, no profit."
Liora's eye twitched.
"Do not mistake me for some mindless butcher," the woman continued. "I came for profit, yes, but not in coin. I seek magic. Artifacts, relics, the treasures buried in places like this."
She gestured lightly to the dungeon around them.
"Killing innocents only poisons a name, and reputation is worth far more than gold. But a dungeon without spoils is no business worth pursuing."
Liora stared blankly.
"And yet ten people are dead."
Aiden shook his head.
"Okay," he said. "I'm going to tell the rest of my group what's going on. Do you know your way back to the entrance?"
He paused.
"I'm assuming so, but I just want to be sure."
The woman took a moment, turning first to Liora.
"And ten thousand more die every day beyond these walls," she said. "The wise cannot weep for every drop of blood spilled in the world. We use the tools we have, and we profit where we can."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Crying over spilled milk has never brought the cup back full."
Then she turned back to Aiden.
"The girl's tongue was foolish and sharp, but yours is measured. For that, you have my gratitude."
She gave him a small nod.
"I will find my own way back. Merchants learn their paths well. And know this: you have earned a debt."
Her hand settled over the pendant at her throat.
"A merchant always pays what is owed."
Aiden nodded and turned to Liora.
"Go with her," he said. "For our peace of mind. I'll tell the others."
Liora did not look thrilled.
Still, she stayed in the hallway, not approaching to help the woman with the skeleton, but putting her weapon away all the same.
Aiden turned and began making his way through the dining room.
Man, I knew necromancers would probably be casual about death, he thought, but wow.
He headed toward the entrance and turned his Revolution Core off.
The hum in his chest faded.
"Oh yeah," Will said. "That was kind of crazy."
Aiden began rounding the corner.
Then he felt something against the top of his foot.
He stopped.
Slowly, he looked down.
The wire in the doorway from before had shifted from his step.
A faint rattle of gears began to move.
Aiden turned around just in time to hear the rush of air.
The benches and tables that had once been on the ground were now airborne and flying straight at him.
"Oh," Will said with a truly terrible sense of timing. "Don't forget about that wire."