This is a link for a discord if anyone wants to talk to me about anything, wanted to place it here in case anyone is interested. My DM's barely work.
https/discord.gg/KUmDtA8b
This is an obligatory short dungeon filler chapter, but I included a lot of things that'll help Ivy in the future. There's one item which will be vital to future plot, so I'll see if anyone can guess it. Hope you enjoy
[Ethereal Beauty Perk activated!]
[15 Affection with Catwoman.]
For the first time since being transported here, I'm speechless. What are the chances of a major character like Catwoman witnessing my first murders?
"How much did you see?"
She looks at her hand, inspecting her claws, "You really did a number on them, huh? Not that they didn't deserve it or anything, I would have done the same. Well, except the plant part. Not my thing."
Catwoman seems like a high level for... Well for a human. She doesn't seem hostile, for now at least, so I'll play along.
"What do you want? Or are you just going to waste my time?"
"Straight to the point? No foreplay? Your loss... What should I call you? Plant woman? Or maybe--"
I interject, "Just call me Ivy. I've had a rough night, so if you can just tell me what you want, we can both be on our way."
"Well Ivy, cute name by the way, I was just doing my rounds as usual, when I hear shouting. I'm perched on that roof up there, watching you do all sorts of flashy stuff. Taking over half a dozen guys by yourself is no easy feat."
Catwoman isn't against murder right? My memories are foggy on her backstory, but I'm sure she's killed a few people herself, though her close relationship with Batman makes me doubt that.
"I could use someone like you, someone not afraid to get their hands dirty. There's rumours of a freak wearing a bat suit going around beating up anyone who commits a crime. Having you help me with some jobs could be beneficial for both of us."
She likes to talk, doesn't she?
"You're probably wondering,' What kind of Jobs?' There's a group of people I'm working with, I'll save you the details, but we need an extra pair of hands."
Interesting. I do need money and lots of it. I need my own house, clothes and money for whatever schemes I'll be getting up to.
"I'm listening."
She starts inspecting me, "Before that though, you'll have to pass a test of sorts. You understand, don't you Ivy? We can't just let any random Joe off the street into our group."
She walks up to me, squeezing my arms, "My My, you're a lot stronger than you look. Mhm, you'll do nicely. Alright, here's your test. Rob Gotham National Bank, and bring the money to me. I'll take a small fee, but the rest is yours."
She circles me, seemingly observing every inch of my body, "Normally I wouldn't be the one recruiting, but you're a special case. I see potential in you."
"And what stops me from taking the money and leaving Gotham?"
She smiles, "Nothing. But then you'll be missing out on a big payday. Ten times more than you'd ever get at a Gotham bank."
Your First Act - Normal Quest
You have been given a test. Rob Gotham National Bank and you will be given access to Catwoman and her group.
Difficulty: Normal
Objective: Rob the bank, and return the money to Catwoman.
Bonus:?
Rewards: [Affection with the following: Catwoman,???,??? And ???, 4500XP, As much money as you can grab, Gacha token
Penalties: Affection loss with Catwoman, Jail, No access to Catwomans group
[Accept: Y/N?]
Oh, so I'm actually given the option to decline this time? But with this, I can start making allies and connections with Gotham's underworld. With all my CHA and perks, robbing a bank shouldn't be too hard. The difficulty is set at Normal too, so I should be fine. Declining would be a mistake.
I mentally select Yes, and I see the quest entering my interface.
"All right. I'm in. Where should I bring the money when I'm done?"
"When? I like your confidence. You don't need to worry about that. I'll find you. I have my ways. I'm very interested in working with you, Ivy."
She starts heading to the exit of the alleyway, giving me a weird glance.
"I'd give you a good luck kiss, but I saw what happened to the last guy. It's been a pleasure."
She disappears into the darkness, leaving me alone once again.
That was not how I imagined the interaction to play out. But I gained a job from it, affection with a notorious thief, and access to whatever group she was working with. I gained everything and lost nothing. Even if she did tell someone what she saw, there's no evidence linking me here.
Now, I want to be a bit more prepared for the robbery though. I don't want to be in there and realise that I don't have enough firepower to bust through the vault.
She didn't give me a time limit exactly, but I'm guessing they don't want to be waiting weeks for this to happen. I'll power level in the dungeon for a couple of days, go and do a little bit of scouting, for cameras and such. I'll have to rely on knocking them unconscious if it comes to that. As soon as I start killing people within the eyes of the public, Batman and his goonies will swoop in. If it's just a bank robbery with no casualties, he's less likely to appear.
I'll remove myself from this area before going back into the dungeon, just in case this blood does get investigated.
I leave the alleyway, the sun starting to rise. I could feel myself regaining my strength, and the tiredness that once plagued my body began to dissipate. I need to get out of this hospital gown too, it's bound to bring attention to me. It does nothing to cover my skin, which I'll need to correct.
Lucy, transport me back to the starter dungeon.
[Affirmative...]
I feel myself back in the dungeon, the air is a lot more crisper in here. Gotham's air pollution must be awful, but that's not a surprise to anyone.
My eyes land on the horde of zombies, and their numbers seem to have been replaced. Either the dungeon resets every time I leave, or something is replacing the ones I kill. Any hints Lucy?
[...]
Thought so. Very helpful. I open the quest interface, hovering over the dungeon quest. Taking a closer look, it says 'find the source of the zombie of the zombie threat.' That means there's an origin point of the virus or whatever variant of zombie it is. So how can I find it?
There are hundreds of buildings here, some of them even being skyscrapers, so it would take weeks to search everything. There has to be something, anything that could point to the location...
What about the horde? Is there a pattern to their movement, or do they go as they please?
I watch it for about an hour, but it doesn't do much. It seems to stay in the same locations, an old corner shop and an abandoned office building. They must be protecting something, whatever it is, in one of those buildings. I can't take them all at once, as much as I want to, so I'll have to time it right...
[Host. You still have unspent Stat points from your previous levelling. Assign them now?]
Let's do that. But first, let me check my updated stats.
Pamela Ivy - Lvl.14
HP:150
MP:100
SP: 140
STR:58
CHA:50
LUK:10
WIS:21
INT:42
DEX:45
CON:12
[You have 35 unassigned Stat points.]
I think I've done enough for my strength, at least for now. I was able to tear into regular humans pretty easily, and I have no plans to go against super-powered individuals anytime soon. I'm torn between INT and CHA. Charisma is one of the original Ivy's character points. She was able to go anywhere she liked, however she liked simply by talking her way in.
Admittedly, a higher level [Pheromone Influence] could do the same. But that doesn't come with the Affection boost levelling up CHA would do.
INT is obviously the smartest choice. It increases the amount of EXP I get, which is absolutely needed in the early stages. Lucy, I'll invest 30 into INT and 5 into CHA.
[Affirmative. Good choice Host. Underappreciating the INT stat would be unwise.]
Uh-huh. Back to the task at hand, sneaking into the two buildings shouldn't be a problem. I was able to sneak out of the hospital with [Ninja, so shambling corpses should be easy right?
I wait for the horde to pass, before sneaking into the corner shop. I don't know exactly what I'm looking for, though hopefully I find something related to the quest.
I look around, making sure no zombies sneak up on me. In The Walking Dead, zombies seemed to sneak up on the main characters without a sound. Whether that was stupid writing or hidden plot, I'm not taking my chances.
I'm hit with the overbearing smell of moss when I enter, the building seeming to be neglected for some time now. The shop is a mess, with expired food littering the ground and the lights hanging from the ceiling. I pick up some canned food from the floor, but I can't make sense of it. It reads, "noreH dennaC." Is this world a foreign one to my own, or just a language I don't know?
I move to the backroom, its state in no better shape than the previous room, though the smell is a little lighter. You would think that me being part plant would make me feel comfortable here, at home even, but it's the opposite. The whole atmosphere just feels strange.
I feel a crunch of leaves under my foot. I look down, noting that there seems to be some light coming from below where I stepped. A secret laboratory?
I toss the leaves away, a hatch now visible. Looks like I may have found the source. I open the hatch, which creaks loudly, jumping down into it.
I land in a corridor, the walls completely white, though some of it is drenched in blood. There's a body in front of me, a soldier it looks like. He's wearing a black uniform, with a unique looking insignia on his bullet-proof vest. It looks quite familiar. Maybe Observe can shine some light?
[Observe]
Umbrella Corps Operative
He is dead, so his stats and any other information cannot be seen.
[Loot has been found on body. 1x Grenade, and 30x ammo compatible with Ranger Sequoia.]
Umbrella Corps...
So this is a Resident Evil dungeon then? Resident Evil for my starter dungeon? This is bullshit. Fuck.
I'll have to be careful. Really careful. With my current arsenal, I don't want to be battling any strains of a Resident Evil virus. I equip [Ranger Sequoia] from my inventory, though I have no idea how to shoot, so it's more for an emergency than anything.
I briskly walk down the corridor, which leads to a door. I peer inside, and there are test tubes lining the sides of the room. Failed experiments it looks like. I can see a Tyrant with no legs, some frog zombie looking things and some other freaky Frankenstein subjects. I pity them, in a way. I was like them no more than a couple of days ago, an experiment and nothing more.
My eyes land on a terminal at the end of the room. Bingo. Evil scientists always leave information about their creations on their computers. I press the button to the side of the door, which slowly slides open.
I hesitate for a second, waiting for one of the creatures to spring alive, but none do. I head straight for the terminal, no need to give the creatures a reason to wake up. I reach it, luckily for me, it's already powered on.
'Password Needed'
Of course. So I need to go and tear the facility apart looking for a password now. I don't have time for that. I'll have to guess, it shouldn't be too hard...
How about, 'Future?'
'Denied.'
What about, 'Creations?'
'Denied. One attempt remaining. Self-destruct sequence will initiate if unsuccessful.'
Dammit. Okay, this office has got have some hints. I look around the desk for a photo or a letter but there's nothing. I open the first drawer, also nothing. But the second has something, a framed photo of what looks like to be the scientist and his family. I turn the frame over, hoping for something on the back, but unfortunately, there's not.
My best chance is family then. If it self-destructs, it'll probably kill whatever the source is anyways right?
Here goes nothing. I type 'Family' into the terminal.
[LUK stat check... Passed.]
'Access granted. Welcome back, Dr William Birkin.'
The terminal screen changed, displaying a variety of files before me. Interesting, some were named 'G-Virus' and 'Mansion Incident' which relates to the second and first games if my memory serves right.
There's a file titled, 'I'm sorry', in the top hand corner. I click it, a video of a man appears on the screen. He looks bloody, dishevelled and his eyes don't look sane. I click Play.
"Before I say anything, I must first get this off my chest.
Sherry, Annette. I love both of you so much. I never meant for this to happen. But those... Those vile excuses of human beings stole the virus, nearly killing me in the process. I was only saved by the G-Virus. It came at a cost. I can feel myself changing, even now as I write this. I'm becoming powerful, yet my mind is slipping away.
You need to run, leave this city before it's too late. The virus will ravage this city, leaving none alive.
If...if you ever get attacked by something infected with the virus, I left a weakness in the coding of it, just in case. Fire, explosives--anything like that will do severe damage to it.
Please girls, be safe. You might be angry or sad at losing me, but just know, my last, sane thoughts were of the both of you and how the time we spent together was the best of my life."
If I had any heartstrings left, they would have been pulled. Unfortunately, it seems even a message like that was unable to tug my heart.
So there's a zombie version of Birkin running around somewhere, and I'm willing to bet he has something to do with all the zombies. I check the remainder of the files, but there's nothing of interest. I shut it down.
On my way in here, there was another door opposite this one. That's where William most likely is.
I exit the room, heading towards the next room. Resident Evil bosses are tough, usually going through multiple phases to kill them. I'm hoping to avoid that and kill it instantly. Fire is its weakness, which I don't have access to right now, so I'll have to improvise.
I reach the door, though I'm unable to peek in. Blood is covering the door, so it's impossible to see inside.
I check [Ranger Sequoia] is loaded before heading in. The room has the familiar metallic smell, the smell of blood. There's a body to the right of the entrance, and he looks kinda familiar.
[Observe.]
Leon Kennedy
He is dead, so his stats and any other information cannot be seen.
Leon? That's a shame. He was one of my favourite characters, seeing him here dead is kinda depressing.
[Loot found been found on body. 1x Police Uniform, 1x bulletproof vest and 1x Combat Knife.]
He won't be needing it anymore, will he?
I loot the uniform and knife, inspecting its stats.
[Police Uniform]
A uniform worn by the R.P.D. It is slightly dirty and bloody.
Gives 5 STR, 2 CON and 1 DEX.
[Bulletproof vest]
A vest worn by the R.P.D. It gives protection against bullets.
Gives 1 STR, 5 CON and Passive protection against firearms.
I immediately equip my new clothing, my hospital gown disappearing into my inventory. The uniform isn't exactly comfortable, but the extra stats I get are more than worth it. Plus I look cool.
I deposit Leon's body into my inventory. Who knows, I might pick up a necromancy class later and I'll regret leaving him.
I move further into the room, heavy breathing becoming louder and louder. That's definitely William, but I can't see him. Maybe he's Above?
I look above, seeing a flesh monstrosity resting on the ceiling, saliva dripping from its maws. It doesn't immediately attack, so it must be sleeping. Perfect. I holster my gun, moving quietly due to [Ninja]. I'm so glad I got this perk, it's saved my ass several times now.
[Observe]
William Birkin [Humanoid Form] - Lvl. 20
HP:1050
MP:0
SP: 180
STR:79
CHA:1
LUK:5
WIS:1
INT:4
DEX:20
CON:50
He's got a ton of HP. Not much intelligence and a lot of STR. One strike from him will most likely be my death. A head-on fight with him is suicide.
I just need to find something that can cause a fire, a gas canister maybe? Even a lighter would do at this point...
In the corner of my eye, I spot a propane tank. No idea why it's down here, but I'll take it. I sneak over to it, grabbing and lifting it easily due to my high STR stat.
So how should I play this? Place it underneath and shoot it? But that won't damage him much. I'm thinking of throwing it up and shooting it mid-air, but I don't think I have the kind of skill with a gun needed for that.
Hmmm. I think I have an idea. If I can lift the propane up with a [Root Strike] and hold it, I should be able to get the shot off easily. But I only have one shot, after that, he'll be awake and much harder to deal with.
I summon a [Root Strike], willing it to be as quiet as possible. I have no idea if that's how it works, but it's worth a try.
It slowly comes from the ground, a contrast to its usual speed. So I can control the speed it appears from the ground, good to know.
I hook the propane tank onto the tip of the root. I take cover behind a desk, not too far or I'd miss the shot and not too close where'd I'd get burned.
It reaches William, so I mentally command it to stop growing, which it does. The tank is practically touching him, once this explodes he'll be dead or near death.
I line the shot up, taking a deep breath. They always say to hold your breath before shooting something so your aim is more accurate, and I'm hoping that's true.
My finger squeezes the trigger, and a loud bang erupts in the room. Shit, that was much louder than I thought it would be.
I see that William is waking up. A large eye on one of his arms appears, looking around the room erratically.
The bullet hits its mark, the room erupting into a fiery inferno. I duck under the desk I was next to. An unnatural scream fills the room, entering my ears and shattering my ear-drums.
- 10HP
Birkin lost -500HP
I was semi-deaf now, barely able to hear the world around me. I could hear sounds, but not what they were. I leave my hiding spot, the gun in my hand. There's fire all around me, but no sign of Birkin. It says he only lost 500HP, so he's still alive out there somewhere.
I feel something behind me, so I turn, my finger on the trigger. But it's too late. Birkin grabs my waist, then starts to squeeze. I can feel my bones starting to snap and pop. The eye on his arm is still there. I aim the revolver at it, letting off a shot.
Birkin lost -50HP
His grip loosens, but he still has me. I let off another shot, draining another 50HP from him. He roars in anger, throwing me with such force that I barrel through several walls, eventually landing in an arena-looking room.
You lost -70HP
I groan, lifting myself up. Every bone in my body aches and my brain feels like mush. I can hear loud footsteps, William growing closer.
Lucy, tactical retreat?
[Negative. You are in a boss fight, and must finish it before returning.]
Well shit. This is what I get for running in here with a half-assed plan, and in hindsight, it was very idiotic of me. Looks like I kill this thing here, or it kills me.
I check my inventory for anything that could help. Rusty sword, no. Leon's body... Maybe as bait? A grenade? This could be a game-changer...
Let's see if this works. I go to the entrance of the hole, removing the body of the thug I killed in the alleyway. It lands on the ground lifelessly. Seems like time doesn't affect anything in my inventory, he looks like a fresh body. That might be because I had murdered him a couple of hours ago though, so I'll have to do further testing on that.
I use [Ninja, slipping into a corner of the room. I need to be unseen for this, to see if it works.
William appears, the eye bulging on his arm. Got to be the weirdest shit I've ever seen. He reaches the body, leaning down to sniff it for a few seconds, before picking it up, devouring the body in seconds. He grunts, looking around for a few seconds before disappearing.
So it works. If I can time this right, I can kill him without getting close. I wait a few moments, I don't want him coming back that soon, before heading back to the wall. I open my inventory, dumping Leon's body on the ground.
Your sacrifice is appreciated, Leon. I grab the grenade from my inventory, stuffing it into his mouth. Next, I grab the combat knife. I hold it to my green palm, slicing it open, the blood dripping onto his body.
I wince slightly, though it hurt much less than I expected. It had to be done, I doubt William will smell anything other than fresh blood from wherever he is now.
For good measure, I scream.
"Birkiiiiinnnn!"
Nothing happens for a few seconds, but then I hear loud footsteps rumbling in my direction. Good. The timing for this has to be impeccable, or it won't work. I need to hide at the very last second, so William gets as close to the grenade as possible.
It's closer now, the ground shaking in anticipation.
Not yet...
I can hear his insidious groans and screams.
Not yet...
I see his head peaking from beyond the hole in the wall, his face red with fury.
Now.
I pull the pin from the grenade, immediately retreating into the corner, just as William arrives. He stops at the entrance, searching the room once again.
The giant eyeballs eye lands on me several times, but due to my perk, it doesn't see me.
He looks down at Kennedy's body, sniffing it.
Why hasn't the grenade gone off yet?
He scrutinises the body, sensing something is off.
Was it a dud? I'll have to think of something else...
William, tired of inspecting the body, gives up, starting to devour Leon.
I look on impassively, the sight doing nothing to deter me from looking. Strange.
What's left of Leon is his lower body, everything up from his stomach being eaten. It's a shame really, I was hoping to bring him back to life somehow later. Considering the plan--
A loud explosion rattles the room, blood and gore drenching the room in entrails and whatever else William was made of.
[William Birkin Slain. 10,000XP rewarded. You have gained 5 Levels.]
[Loot rewarded: Dr Birkins Lab coat, G-Virus Sample, Virologist Skill.]
[You have reached Level 15. Choose one Skill.]
[Enhanced Durability]
Your body has changed for the better. You become stronger, able to take more damage from others. Improved version of increased durability.
[Paralytic Touch]
Your touch causes a target to fall over, unable to move. This effect lasts 30 seconds and can be stacked. Costs SP.
Wow. This is a lot to take in. First of all, the grenade trick actually killed him? It did better than I expected, though I wasn't expecting for it to take that long to explode.
Also, I got a G-Virus sample? I am not touching that. If there's a chance I'll end up like Birkin, no thank you. Let's just leave that in my inventory.
For the skill, I'm undecided. Both are incredibly useful. Paralytic touch could be useful for the bank robbery if I'm caught, but Enhanced durability is more useful in the long run.
[Whatever skill you don't choose is added into the Perk and Skill market, for purchase at a later date.]
That changes things then. I'm assuming it'll cost a lot more than the basic perks I saw in there before, but I'm willing to take that. Lucy, I choose [Paralytic Touch].
[Paralytic Touch added to arsenal.]
Great. So now, I just need to finish this quest and I can finally leave this place. I stand, leaving the blood-covered room.
I'm guessing William was connected with the source, so now that he's gone, I just need to find whatever was causing...
Who am I kidding? Let's just self-destruct the place. I doubt there's any loot hanging around and being in this place is bringing my mood down.
I travel through the broken walls, which honestly I can't believe I survived, and back into Birkin's research lab. His failed experiments are still here, which is good for me, and I reach his terminal, logging him out. It said if I got the password wrong several times it'd self destruct, so let's do it.
I enter a bunch of random letters.
'Denied.'
Again.
'Denied.'
'Denied. One attempt remaining. Self-destruct sequence will initiate if unsuccessful.'
I type, 'Ivy killed Birkin'.
'Self-destruct sequence initiated. This facility will be wiped from the map in 60 seconds.'
60 seconds? That's a tight squeeze but I think I can make it. I immediately start running, climbing the ladder I entered through. Luckily the entrance was so close to his lab. I don't stop though, it said it was going to wipe the place of the map and I believe it. The horde of zombies are nearing the place, unaware of the impending doom about to befall them.
It explodes, sending out a shockwave that immediately topples me. I land on dirt, entering my nose and mouth. I turn to see the building, a mini-mushroom cloud appearing where the lab once was.
[x100 Zombie slain. 1000XP received.]
Phew. Looks like I got away.
Quest completed!
The Apocalypse - Dungeon Quest
Bonus: Don't take any damage - Failed
Rewards: 1000XP, [Mother Of Plants] Armor set, 200 credits, 2 Gacha tokens.
[Mother Of Plants] armour set sounds cool. Inspect stats...
[Mother Of Plants Breastplate]
Awarded to whom is the Mother Of Plants.
Gives 10 CHA, 5 INT. Gives 5 CON if the full set is equipped.
Reduced SP cost of using Plant-based abilities if the full set is equipped.
[Mother Of Plants Greaves]
Awarded to whom is the Mother Of Plants.
Gives 5 DEX.
Gives a full set bonus.
[Mother Of Plants Gauntlets]
Gives 10 STR
Gives a full set bonus
[Mother Of Plants Boots]
Gives 10 DEX, 2 WIS if full set equipped.
Gives a full set bonus.
Holy shit. This armour is amazing. I have to wear this during the Bank robbery, it's my official debut in this world after all. The gacha tokens are a nice bonus too. In fact, I'll use them both now. Roll them, Lucy.
[Rolling...]
[Character Token]
Use this in the store to summon a random character to this world.
[The Ghost's Katana]
The Ghost is a legend of Tsushima, striking fear into the hearts of Mongol Invaders. He single-handedly brought down the invasion with this Katana, which serves as a warning to those who seek to invade. Those who wield this Katana are worthy of the title of Ghost.
A character token! That's exciting. I'll open that later, but what I'm interested in is this Katana. I try to equip it, but I'm met with an error.
[Error. A swordsman class is required to equip this unique item.]
Dammit. Maybe choosing [Brawler] was a mistake, but in my defence, I chose it out of necessity. Never mind, I'll just have to max out [Krav Maga] asap. The Katana sounds amazing, though I've never heard of Tsushima or this 'Ghost.'
Anyways, now that I've finished up with this dungeon, it's time to go scouting. I'll need some camera's, a printer and a base of operations. Lucy, I'm ready to go back.
[Transporting...]
Time to rob a bank!
Like I said before, gacha items are random unless they're involved with the plot. So if you want an item placed, just suggest it to me. The Ghost Katana was between that, Hidden Blade, Lightsaber or Spartan Laser.
Thanks for reading, also this was an "experimental" dungeon, to see if people liked it. let me know if there should be more dungeons from other worlds or if you would prefer my own. I have a lot of ideas for both regardless (: