“Of course, Boggan,” Ssteta said, eyes filled with hate. “This dispute will be resolved in a civilized manner. You have my word.”

  Uh oh. Jeremy thought.

  “Very good.” Boggan vanished.

  “Like all humans, we are honorable beings,” Ssteta said, once Boggan had left. “A filthy nonhuman, like this creature in front of me, couldn't possibly understand. Because we are honorable beings who believe in the concepts of justice and decency, we will execute this vermin in a civilized manner. Tossi! Bring forth the collar!”

  “This is not good,” Flint said. “Let me remind you, once again, that you could be at home right now drinking hot chocolate with your mother. But, no, you had to stay in the dungeon. Not only will you be horribly executed, but you may have caused the extinction of your entire race. An impressive feat, even by your standards.”

  Tossi brought out a narrow box the length of Jeremy's arm. Noises came from the box as if something was moving inside.

  “If you have any ideas, Flint, now would be an excellent time,” Jeremy hissed.

  “I believe we're out of luck, thanks to you,” Flint said.

  Jeremy's bindings cut into his skin as he fought to break free; if he could escape, he might be able to use electric attack to get away.

  Tossi opened one end of the box and placed it against Jeremy's neck. Jeremy shuddered as a many-legged creature crawled out.

  “Tossi, tell it about the collar,” Ssteta said.

  “The Sriss, or dream parasite, is a greater parasite,” Tossi said as the creature proceeded to wrap itself around Jeremy's neck. “Once you have one, it's impossible to get rid of short of death. In the past, tribes used them for--”

  “Get to the point,” Ssteta snapped.

  “Of course, my lord. This particular parasite is named Nashul. Nashul is a simple creature. If it's happy, it releases chemical compounds that keep its host in a state of bliss, but if the parasite is in pain, it stimulates the host's nervous system to force them to alleviate its suffering. The longer the host is unwilling or unable to relieve Nashul's suffering, the more pain Nashul inflicts. If the host cannot stop the parasite's suffering, the host will die. But only after days of extreme agony where they never stop screaming.”

  Ssteta's wide smile was a cross between a lizard and a cat. “As I was saying,” he hissed. “A civilized execution.”

  Jeremy felt the parasite burrowing under the skin of his neck, somehow overcoming his body's toughened skin and anti-parasite defenses. Why? Why did it have to be parasites?

  “This vermin is no doubt thinking, but I have hardened skin that will resist this parasite. Nashul is a greater parasite; it laughs at stone skin and any other pathetic defense you might have.”

  Jeremy felt Nashul wrap itself around his neck, forming a makeshift collar. There was almost no pain, but this was of little comfort. As a last resort, he unleashed his electrical attack to kill it. The parasite seemed to absorb his electricity along with all his mana. His mana dropped to zero. “Please, I didn't do anything!”

  “I must say,” Flint said, “these guys are getting the hang of being human.”

  The princess, Ssrethadis, raised a ringed finger. “If I may have a word, dear brother, I would request a delay in this vermin's execution.”

  “Why would we do that?” the prince asked.

  “We did not see it during our stay on the third floor, and I know we would have found it if it hadn't been hiding in some secret location.”

  “And I care about this, why?”

  “Because it means this particular vermin has a talent for finding things,” the princess said.

  “Really?” the prince's head tilted back. He seemed to think. “We were told there would be a key hidden in one of the third-floor passages, but our rogue was unable to find it.”

  “Every passageway had a piece of the key in the form of a small pebble,” Jeremy said. He told them how he'd found all the pieces and put them together to form a statue that revealed the entrance to the secret section. “There wasn't much there,” Jeremy lied. “Mostly insects. It took a long time to get through the section, and I didn't find anything good.”

  “Soppett and Tossi!” The prince shouted. “How is it you did not notice this?”

  Tossi, the servant, knelt in front of the prince, lowering his head to the floor while the rogue next to him cringed.

  Tossi spoke with his face pressed against the tent floor. “We observed the statue this vermin created, but didn't realize it opened a secret entrance. This entrance would have been inaccessible to us until this creature emerged. If we'd suspected, we'd have recommended remaining on the third floor until it did so. There were surprisingly few insects on this floor, but we thought our inability to find a key was due to faulty information, rather than this vermin using it.”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “Idiots!” The prince turned to his sister. “Do you think this creature can help you find the Dragon Queen's gift?”

  “I do.”

  “Consider it yours until you find this treasure,” the prince snarled. “In the meantime, I do not wish to be near it. Its pathetic lack of humanity disgusts me!”

  “As you wish.”

  ***

  The next thing Jeremy knew, they'd removed his restraints and dragged him away. The parasitic collar named Nashul twitched and throbbed under his skin. He could feel it extending feelers, and his body tingled and twitched as its feelers entered his spine.

  The two saurians dragged him out of the tent and hurled him to the ground. “Go ahead. Run away, Vermin,” Soppett said with a cruel smirk. “I will do nothing to stop you.”

  Jeremy looked up at them, waiting to hear the catch.

  “You see, I don't have to.” Soppett held up his left wrist, showing off his thick, dark brown bracelet. “If you move too far away from this bracelet, if this bracelet leaves my body, or if I do this.” He pinched the bracelet, and Jeremy collapsed on the sand, twitching, losing control of his bodily functions, vomiting what little he'd eaten the last day while feeling as if every part of his body was on fire. With his levels of mental fortitude and pain resistance, the pain shouldn't be this bad, but somehow it was. His previous hand tremor, which had vanished on the third floor, came back with a vengeance. His right hand and arm shook uncontrollably.

  ***

  The dungeon sent Jeremy a message.

  Because Boggan made a mistake in your race, this dungeon will offer you the choice of one of three possible gifts as an apology.

  The cannibalistic ocean-dwelling mer people of Ahrieties are renowned throughout the universe for eating their children, and for their high vitality and ability to regenerate limbs. Could your race be related?

  Accepting the Gift of Ahrieties will give you a 100% increase in your Vitality, and a 200% increase in your body's healing ability, allowing you to regenerate limbs or organs, and health bonuses for eating your own kind.

  The noble Poopindof Beetal are renowned throughout the universe for subsisting on the waste products of other beings, and for their immense strength, which allows them to fly while carrying several times their weight. Could your race be related to the Poopindof Beetal?

  Accepting the Gift of the Poopindof will give you a 200% increase in Strength, a 100% increase in both Endurance and Vitality, as well as the ability to subsist on substances inedible to most beings.

  The Swamp Toads of Pissernak are renowned throughout the universe for their laziness, stupidity, and foul odor, but also for their remarkable strength of will, which enables them to see through illusions and resist all forms of mental control.

  Accepting the Gift of Pissernak will give you a 200% increase in Will and the passive skill Iron Sight that will combine with your passive skill Mental Resist, to aid you in seeing through illusions and resisting mental attacks, as well as the ability to survive on a diet of grubs and insects.

  Jeremy instantly chose The Gift of Pissernak. The max next to his Trauma Resist vanished, and it increased by 1 point. His hand tremor slowly subsided.

  The two saurians walked away from him. Sure enough, the farther away they got, the more agitated the parasite became and the more pain he was in. His legs twitched, responding to the will of Nashul, compelling him to stand up and follow the saurians through the desert, tripping over stones and sand, staggering and falling while fighting the oppressive heat. Jeremy suspected he could resist this, at least for a time, but it was vital that they not know it; if they did, they would no doubt do something even worse to him.

  His Parasitic Resistance skill should provide some protection, but at the moment, he wasn't feeling it. Had he fought his way through the hell of the previous floor's parasites only to get something even worse on this one? It wasn't fair!

  He pulled up his stat sheet.

  Name: Jeremy Wilkins

  Race: Other

  Sex: Boy

  Age: 12

  Character Class: Child-Rogue

  Level: 22

  Health: 15

  Mana: 0 (+0 rapid recovery) (Phoenix Heart)(Nashul)

  Attributes:

  Strength: 14

  Endurance: 7

  Vitality: 9

  Dexterity: 26

  Agility: 27

  Perception: 33

  Intelligence: 9

  Wisdom: 6

  Will Power: 21

  Charisma: 4

  Extra point:

  Active Skills:

  Identify: 5

  Sneak: 8

  Detect Danger: 1

  Charmed Object Activation: 3

  Electric Attack: 5

  Swarm Master:

  Passive Skills:

  Enhanced Physical: 3

  Poison Immunity: 2

  Trauma Resist: 7

  Acid Resistance: 3

  Electric Resistance: 6

  Bite Resistance: 4

  Physical Shock Resistance: 1

  Parasite Resistance: 6 (max)

  Curse Resistance: 4

  Mental Resistance: 4

  Iron Sight:

  Water Breathing: 2

  Insect Pacifier: 1

  Skills:

  Melee Weapons: 5

  Archery: 4

  Knife Throwing: 3

  Craftsman: 1

  Spells:

  Crude Heat Spell

  Crude Light Spell

  Summon Familiar

  Divine Rage

  Dungeon Account:

  20,742dc

  6 Dungeon Stars

  Titles:

  Slayer of Kritchek the Mighty Rat King!

  Big Slayer!

  Slayer of the Mighty Uinguit!

  Slayer of the Swarm Queen.

  Friend of the Community!

  Marks:

  Bank-robber!

  Politician Hater!

  Gifts and Blessings:

  Blessing of the Spider Queen.

  The god Arkys blesses your quest for vengeance.

  Blessing of the Mighty Uinguit.

  Blessing of the Swarm Queen.

  Gift of the Pissernak: 200% increase in Will, and the passive skill Iron Sight.

  With a 200% increase, his Will Power was 21. A major improvement.

  Jeremy's Trauma Resist increased by 1 point. His mana, of course, remained at 0, thanks to Nashul absorbing it.

  ***

  Jeremy followed the saurians to the top of a rock outcropping with a view of what appeared to be the desert part of the 4th floor. When they stopped, he pretended to collapse from exhaustion. The multiple suns were blistering hot, but the saurians didn't seem to mind.

  “Now, Vermin,” Soppett said. “You need to understand our princess is honorable. If you find this treasure for us, she will be pleased, and your death will be relatively painless. If you fail and we are forced to leave this floor without the treasure, Tossi and I will be whipped for our failure, and you can only imagine what awaits you. You may think things are bad now, but your life can get so much worse. Where is this treasure?”