Dustin was growing weary of this new human opponent that had appeared. They popped up every few waves, winning most of their battles without lifting a finger, and then disappearing for a couple of rounds.
There was hope that Dustin wouldn't have to face him, but his wish shattered when the man's grinning visage showed up behind one of a line of bandits.
The villagers beside him paid no heed to the human leader, awaiting their commands from Dustin. The bandits were already beginning to move forward, pushing towards the gate with curved swords and wicked daggers.
"Avoid the leader, fire at will at the rest."
Dustin placed ice petals on the floor to halt the bandit's advances, giving him time to watch what the other pioneer did. Their face contorted in anger, and they threw commands out for the Killen to push around the frozen ground. Dustin's forces continued to fire upon them, peppering the line with arrows and bolts.
As Dustin watched the bandits advancing around the sides, he felt an impact hit his side. A weak magic spell had slammed into his shoulder. Looking down, he noticed some oil dripping off his clothes, unable to touch them as part of his mana shield still protected him.
Looking over, the human leading the bandits was preparing to cast another spell. Tendrils of red energy swirled in his palm, and a small fire was lit, growing into a small ball. Dustin watched as they threw the ball of fire towards him. He made no move to dodge it as it exploded on contact, catching the oil on fire, draining the rest of his mana shield.
Dustin could feel the flames licking at his skin, and the burning oil rolling off his clothes. He smirked at the heat, feeling almost natural in his state of burning. The man leading the bandits quietly giggled and cast another spell.
Dustin ignored his presence and disappeared, leaving only a single set of footprints in the dirt. His staff met bone as he sent a bandit flying, followed by the next one in line. The man looked to his side as Dustin crushed his forces, giving them no room to fight back, despite Dustin being on fire.
The villagers kept to his orders, firing only on the Killen.
"Protect me!" The man shouted, his voice breaking. The remaining bandits formed a wall around him as he attempted to book it back to camp. Dustin halted the rain of arrows and moved forward again, picking off the bandits as they ran. Each swing sent one of the Killen tumbling down, breaking bones and tenderizing flesh.
The man soon found himself alone as Dustin forced him into a corner. As expected, he could not move outside the designated area and ran on the spot.
He could hear the flickering of flames approaching, and soon the heat that Dustin gave off, looking back at the cloaked man approaching him.
"Please, don't kill me!"
Dustin sent a splatter of blood to the ground as he swung the staff around, resting it on the man's shoulder.
"Name?"
"J-Jonathan Foster,"
Dustin couldn't pinpoint where in his memories the name came from, but he could hazard a guess why it might have been familiar.
Without Dustin's intervention, Jonathan would have been the only survivor of the dungeon.
"Why did you join the bandits?"
Jonathan shook under the warm touch of the staff, feeling sudden jolts striking his nerves.
"It was a b-better chance at winning. I saw the others go out first… how they died. I didn't want to do that, so I fought on the other side instead."
The villagers had caught up to Dustin as the man was explaining himself. They stood in silence behind their leader and glared.
"Have you killed anyone?"
The man's eyes flickered to the Killen standing behind Dustin.
"Not the Killen. Humans."
His mouth opened and closed, able to mutter a pathetic squeak.
"No."
Dustin snorted and turned towards his platoon.
"Kill him."
Dustin walked away to the chorus of screaming 'No!' and 'Please!' as the villagers ran forward, digging their spears and scimitars into the man's flesh. A dagger or Storm Bolt could have given the man a quick death, but Dustin doubted he had done the same for any of the previous victims.
[Congratulations for clearing Killen Raid. The portal to return is now open, rewards will be distributed shortly. Thank you, and happy spending!]
The notification popped up in front of Dustin's eyes as the screams came to a halt, leaving behind a bloody gurgle. He sat down on the grass to calm himself. His crossed his legs and laid the metal staff across his lap.
The villagers, no longer under his command, celebrated the victory and ran towards the sea of tents. Others joined them from beyond the gate, including the village chief. In the distance, bandits fled from the camps, leaving behind the patchwork fabric and crude barricades.
Dustin had experienced the same thing in the past, having killed many humans. There was bound to be some bad eggs, even among the remaining few who survived the Torian invasion. The troublemakers had to be put down without question, lest they cause any more trouble.
His stomach was churning from the screams of terror that echoed throughout his head. It was his first time ordering the death of a human in this young body, giving him a nauseous feeling. He thought it might be easier having memories of facing the feeling before, but he was wrong.
Whilst it would get better, he would remember the names of those he was forced to kill. When his mind calmed down, Dustin patted out the flames that continued to burn, ignoring the searing pain that spread up his hands. He took out some refreshments, mana tea, and healing salve, to replenish his depleted resources.
The villagers returned after burning down the bandit camp, whooping and cheering, pitchforks in the air. Dustin's returned to being farmers, hefting their bloodied tools overhead as if the formation and use of weapons he had taught them was nothing but an illusion.
The chief came out ahead of the crowd and bowed before him.
"I thank you, Pioneer, for saving our village. Please, take these as a reward, I fear it is all our small village can spare."
A wide collection of items appeared before Dustin as the villagers deposited several things onto the dirt. A set of chain mail laid on the left, a fair bit finer than the set he had seen in the armoury earlier. Unsurprisingly, the man who had been running it was the one to place it down.
Next to it was a sturdy shield made from bark, several dying leaves stuck out from it, but it maintained its form resting on the ground. The next few items were similar weapons Dustin had been using, though at the end were some peculiar pieces.
They gave a small book to him, detailing some agricultural processes the Killen followed. Dustin dismissed it when he read the title, but the description drew his interest.
[Rare Killen Agriculture]
When completed, gain +4 intelligence. Attacks using the elements of wood and earth cost 10% less mana to use.
Dustin had to give it to them, the ordinary looking book had been the most useful out of all the rewards.
The Dos system reward was still awaiting him as a small vibrating bell icon, but Dustin let the chief give his thanks first.
Aside from the book, they also gifted him some seeds, which produced different grains, fruits, or vegetables not seen on earth.
The chief finished thanking Dustin, followed by a round of applause from the Killen, which sounded muffled, because of the fur covered hands they possessed.
When he was alone, he collected the rewards into his inventory, and he went for a stroll over to the desolate bandit camp whilst checking out the rewards.
[Killen Raid completed, please choose a reward].
- Rare Ensnaring Trident
- Uncommon Light Crossbow of Weakening
- Uncommon Replenishing Mana Tea x 2
- Uncommon Replenishing Regenerative Salve x 2
- Scroll: Dusty's Platoon: 3-F
The two weapons provided as a reward were the least enticing of the lot. Neither tridents nor crossbows were Dustin's weapon of choice, even if the trident was rare. The two consumable options were once again quite underwhelming, which left the scroll.
[Scroll: Dusty's Platoon: 3-F]
When torn, Dusty's Platoon: 3-F will come to your aid for one hour.
45 Killen.
Dustin chuckled and chose the option. He could have taken the trident and sold it, but having some kind of reinforcement on demand was likely going to help.
Dustin had a look around the village now that the bandit's threat was gone. The villagers greeted him with a smile, though seemed to ignore his presence otherwise. He talked to a few, trying to pry information about the secret from them.
From what he could gather, the village was a popular supplier of silkworms. Only, the worms had been undergoing some dangerous changes. Several of the male silkworms were growing aggressive during mating, killing and eating their mates during the breeding season. If he couldn't bring the horny silkworms into submission, they would ruin the future harvests of the village.
Dustin visited the farms, bringing him into a large dirt pen filled with wriggling white worms. Several concerned looking villagers stood around the outskirts, resting their arms on the wooden fence.
As Dustin approached, they bowed to him, praising him for his defence of the village.
"How can I help?"
The farmers looked at each other in bewilderment and turned to face Dustin.
"To put it simply. The male silkworms are mating too aggressively, killing the females. If you can find a reason, please let us know."
[Quest Issued: Horny Silkworms]
Male Silkworms have been aggressively mating with their female partners due to an unknown intervention, find out the reason.
Dustin looked at the quest with disinterest. It was the most boring part of the dungeon so far, or of any dungeon, he had done since his 'rewind'. The worms were busy digging through the turned soil, revealing specks of white every so often. Dustin questioned the farmers for any information pertaining to their routines.
The Silkworms ate throughout the day and mated after emerging from the cocoons. The larvae moult about four times before entering a cocoon stage, where the Killen take them to special incubators to preserve the silk.
Dustin waited around for thirty minutes until some raunchy action took place in the pen. One of the male silk moths made a buzzing sound with its wings and scurried over to the female. Rather than a show of love or affection, Dustin witnessed what he could only describe as the brutal murder of the female silk moth.
The male rammed into it at full speed, pushing the two off balance. It then pushed the female's head into the ground, crushing it. The female's wings fluttered as it tried to escape, but could not free itself from the male.
After a minute of fighting the female moth fell silent, its wings remained still, and the body lay on the floor as the male continued to harass it. The farmers stood next to Dustin sighed in frustration and took the male away.
Silkworm moths only had about 1 to 2 weeks after hatching from the cocoon to mate, and the time for these moths was fast approaching. Dustin did a little more in-depth investigation to their behaviours, including the life the larvae lived.
The silkworms ate a lot of mulberry leaves, which was also the case for those on Earth. The Killen had a limited supply of these leaves and used a substitute plant that grew in the nearby forest when times were rough. Since the bandits had been pillaging nearby, their attempts to gather Mulberry leaves failed, leading them to rely on the other plant, Sarafel leaves.
Although serving a similar purpose, Dustin went into the forest himself to gather some leaves.
Whatever planet the Killen lived on, it seemed similar to Earth, just smaller. The tallest trees of the forest were only about twice Dustin's height, standing at about 12 feet. The Sarafel plants grew around the base of the trees, pale green with purple dots splattered on like paint.
Dustin picked up a few and smelt them, recoiling from the strong stench they gave off. He could detect a hint of cardamom from the unknown plant, mixed in with several other strong flavours.
His curiosity got the better of him, and with a purchased anti-toxin in hand, he took a nibble. A viscous liquid spurt from the leaf he bit into, sitting in the centre of his tongue. It tasted of lemon and basil.
There was no hallucinatory effects or anything dangerous to eating the plant, though Dustin could feel an unusual warmth. It began in his stomach, lowering towards his abdomen before resting in his crotch.
"Ah," Dustin exclaimed, feeling uncomfortable at the sudden realization of what purpose the plant served.
He took a sample of the plant back to the villagers and explained its purpose. The farmers looked at him with confused faces, unable to understand what an 'aphrodisiac' meant.
Frustrated with failed communication, Dustin had a few of them try it for themselves. The Killen as a race had quite a low libido, so the plant unlocked something in the Killen that offered to try it. They went into their small huts with their wives and he could hear the sounds of rigorous thumping.
Dustin expected some kind of loud squeaking, like one would find in the centre of a teddy bear, but the reality was much more uncomfortable.
When they emerged, eager Killen surrounded him smiles adorning their faces. The village chief himself turned up, demanding to know what the commotion was. Two villagers hurried over and explained the plant to him, much to his surprise.
Dustin waited for a verdict as the quest completed, surprised as it revealed an additional secret, both completing at the same time.
[Horny Silkworms Completed!]
[Rare Silk Robe of Vitality Acquired!]
[Quest Issued: Killen my Libido.]
[Killen my Libido Completed!]
- Charm Grenade x 1
- Silkworm starter kit x 1
- Spool of fine silk x 1
- Perception: Mana
The quest completions amused Dustin, and he minimized the rewards tab to view later. The chief was giddy with excitement and chatted to the nearby villagers as the alert warning Dustin that the dungeon was closing filled his screen.
[Congratulations, you have fully cleared the Killen Raid. You will be teleported out in 10:00 minutes. Thank you, and happy spending!]
While he hadn't killed all the Killen within the dungeon boundaries, the villagers were classified as allies, and all the bandits had left the dungeon parameters.
Dustin accepted the teleportation as he heard the chief whisper something, turning away as the world faded to black.
"We could sell this!"
Dustin was growing weary of this new human opponent that had appeared. They popped up every few waves, winning most of their battles without lifting a finger, and then disappearing for a couple of rounds.
There was hope that Dustin wouldn't have to face him, but his wish shattered when the man's grinning visage showed up behind one of a line of bandits.
The villagers beside him paid no heed to the human leader, awaiting their commands from Dustin. The bandits were already beginning to move forward, pushing towards the gate with curved swords and wicked daggers.
"Avoid the leader, fire at will at the rest."
Dustin placed ice petals on the floor to halt the bandit's advances, giving him time to watch what the other pioneer did. Their face contorted in anger, and they threw commands out for the Killen to push around the frozen ground. Dustin's forces continued to fire upon them, peppering the line with arrows and bolts.
As Dustin watched the bandits advancing around the sides, he felt an impact hit his side. A weak magic spell had slammed into his shoulder. Looking down, he noticed some oil dripping off his clothes, unable to touch them as part of his mana shield still protected him.
Looking over, the human leading the bandits was preparing to cast another spell. Tendrils of red energy swirled in his palm, and a small fire was lit, growing into a small ball. Dustin watched as they threw the ball of fire towards him. He made no move to dodge it as it exploded on contact, catching the oil on fire, draining the rest of his mana shield.
Dustin could feel the flames licking at his skin, and the burning oil rolling off his clothes. He smirked at the heat, feeling almost natural in his state of burning. The man leading the bandits quietly giggled and cast another spell.
Dustin ignored his presence and disappeared, leaving only a single set of footprints in the dirt. His staff met bone as he sent a bandit flying, followed by the next one in line. The man looked to his side as Dustin crushed his forces, giving them no room to fight back, despite Dustin being on fire.
The villagers kept to his orders, firing only on the Killen.
"Protect me!" The man shouted, his voice breaking. The remaining bandits formed a wall around him as he attempted to book it back to camp. Dustin halted the rain of arrows and moved forward again, picking off the bandits as they ran. Each swing sent one of the Killen tumbling down, breaking bones and tenderizing flesh.
The man soon found himself alone as Dustin forced him into a corner. As expected, he could not move outside the designated area and ran on the spot.
He could hear the flickering of flames approaching, and soon the heat that Dustin gave off, looking back at the cloaked man approaching him.
"Please, don't kill me!"
Dustin sent a splatter of blood to the ground as he swung the staff around, resting it on the man's shoulder.
"Name?"
"J-Jonathan Foster,"
Dustin couldn't pinpoint where in his memories the name came from, but he could hazard a guess why it might have been familiar.
Without Dustin's intervention, Jonathan would have been the only survivor of the dungeon.
"Why did you join the bandits?"
Jonathan shook under the warm touch of the staff, feeling sudden jolts striking his nerves.
"It was a b-better chance at winning. I saw the others go out first… how they died. I didn't want to do that, so I fought on the other side instead."
The villagers had caught up to Dustin as the man was explaining himself. They stood in silence behind their leader and glared.
"Have you killed anyone?"
The man's eyes flickered to the Killen standing behind Dustin.
"Not the Killen. Humans."
His mouth opened and closed, able to mutter a pathetic squeak.
"No."
Dustin snorted and turned towards his platoon.
"Kill him."
Dustin walked away to the chorus of screaming 'No!' and 'Please!' as the villagers ran forward, digging their spears and scimitars into the man's flesh. A dagger or Storm Bolt could have given the man a quick death, but Dustin doubted he had done the same for any of the previous victims.
[Congratulations for clearing Killen Raid. The portal to return is now open, rewards will be distributed shortly. Thank you, and happy spending!]
The notification popped up in front of Dustin's eyes as the screams came to a halt, leaving behind a bloody gurgle. He sat down on the grass to calm himself. His crossed his legs and laid the metal staff across his lap.
The villagers, no longer under his command, celebrated the victory and ran towards the sea of tents. Others joined them from beyond the gate, including the village chief. In the distance, bandits fled from the camps, leaving behind the patchwork fabric and crude barricades.
Dustin had experienced the same thing in the past, having killed many humans. There was bound to be some bad eggs, even among the remaining few who survived the Torian invasion. The troublemakers had to be put down without question, lest they cause any more trouble.
His stomach was churning from the screams of terror that echoed throughout his head. It was his first time ordering the death of a human in this young body, giving him a nauseous feeling. He thought it might be easier having memories of facing the feeling before, but he was wrong.
Whilst it would get better, he would remember the names of those he was forced to kill. When his mind calmed down, Dustin patted out the flames that continued to burn, ignoring the searing pain that spread up his hands. He took out some refreshments, mana tea, and healing salve, to replenish his depleted resources.
The villagers returned after burning down the bandit camp, whooping and cheering, pitchforks in the air. Dustin's returned to being farmers, hefting their bloodied tools overhead as if the formation and use of weapons he had taught them was nothing but an illusion.
The chief came out ahead of the crowd and bowed before him.
"I thank you, Pioneer, for saving our village. Please, take these as a reward, I fear it is all our small village can spare."
A wide collection of items appeared before Dustin as the villagers deposited several things onto the dirt. A set of chain mail laid on the left, a fair bit finer than the set he had seen in the armoury earlier. Unsurprisingly, the man who had been running it was the one to place it down.
Next to it was a sturdy shield made from bark, several dying leaves stuck out from it, but it maintained its form resting on the ground. The next few items were similar weapons Dustin had been using, though at the end were some peculiar pieces.
They gave a small book to him, detailing some agricultural processes the Killen followed. Dustin dismissed it when he read the title, but the description drew his interest.
[Rare Killen Agriculture]
When completed, gain +4 intelligence. Attacks using the elements of wood and earth cost 10% less mana to use.
Dustin had to give it to them, the ordinary looking book had been the most useful out of all the rewards.
The Dos system reward was still awaiting him as a small vibrating bell icon, but Dustin let the chief give his thanks first.
Aside from the book, they also gifted him some seeds, which produced different grains, fruits, or vegetables not seen on earth.
The chief finished thanking Dustin, followed by a round of applause from the Killen, which sounded muffled, because of the fur covered hands they possessed.
When he was alone, he collected the rewards into his inventory, and he went for a stroll over to the desolate bandit camp whilst checking out the rewards.
[Killen Raid completed, please choose a reward].
- Rare Ensnaring Trident
- Uncommon Light Crossbow of Weakening
- Uncommon Replenishing Mana Tea x 2
- Uncommon Replenishing Regenerative Salve x 2
- Scroll: Dusty's Platoon: 3-F
The two weapons provided as a reward were the least enticing of the lot. Neither tridents nor crossbows were Dustin's weapon of choice, even if the trident was rare. The two consumable options were once again quite underwhelming, which left the scroll.
[Scroll: Dusty's Platoon: 3-F]
When torn, Dusty's Platoon: 3-F will come to your aid for one hour.
45 Killen.
Dustin chuckled and chose the option. He could have taken the trident and sold it, but having some kind of reinforcement on demand was likely going to help.
Dustin had a look around the village now that the bandit's threat was gone. The villagers greeted him with a smile, though seemed to ignore his presence otherwise. He talked to a few, trying to pry information about the secret from them.
From what he could gather, the village was a popular supplier of silkworms. Only, the worms had been undergoing some dangerous changes. Several of the male silkworms were growing aggressive during mating, killing and eating their mates during the breeding season. If he couldn't bring the horny silkworms into submission, they would ruin the future harvests of the village.
Dustin visited the farms, bringing him into a large dirt pen filled with wriggling white worms. Several concerned looking villagers stood around the outskirts, resting their arms on the wooden fence.
As Dustin approached, they bowed to him, praising him for his defence of the village.
"How can I help?"
The farmers looked at each other in bewilderment and turned to face Dustin.
"To put it simply. The male silkworms are mating too aggressively, killing the females. If you can find a reason, please let us know."
[Quest Issued: Horny Silkworms]
Male Silkworms have been aggressively mating with their female partners due to an unknown intervention, find out the reason.
Dustin looked at the quest with disinterest. It was the most boring part of the dungeon so far, or of any dungeon, he had done since his 'rewind'. The worms were busy digging through the turned soil, revealing specks of white every so often. Dustin questioned the farmers for any information pertaining to their routines.
The Silkworms ate throughout the day and mated after emerging from the cocoons. The larvae moult about four times before entering a cocoon stage, where the Killen take them to special incubators to preserve the silk.
Dustin waited around for thirty minutes until some raunchy action took place in the pen. One of the male silk moths made a buzzing sound with its wings and scurried over to the female. Rather than a show of love or affection, Dustin witnessed what he could only describe as the brutal murder of the female silk moth.
The male rammed into it at full speed, pushing the two off balance. It then pushed the female's head into the ground, crushing it. The female's wings fluttered as it tried to escape, but could not free itself from the male.
After a minute of fighting the female moth fell silent, its wings remained still, and the body lay on the floor as the male continued to harass it. The farmers stood next to Dustin sighed in frustration and took the male away.
Silkworm moths only had about 1 to 2 weeks after hatching from the cocoon to mate, and the time for these moths was fast approaching. Dustin did a little more in-depth investigation to their behaviours, including the life the larvae lived.
The silkworms ate a lot of mulberry leaves, which was also the case for those on Earth. The Killen had a limited supply of these leaves and used a substitute plant that grew in the nearby forest when times were rough. Since the bandits had been pillaging nearby, their attempts to gather Mulberry leaves failed, leading them to rely on the other plant, Sarafel leaves.
Although serving a similar purpose, Dustin went into the forest himself to gather some leaves.
Whatever planet the Killen lived on, it seemed similar to Earth, just smaller. The tallest trees of the forest were only about twice Dustin's height, standing at about 12 feet. The Sarafel plants grew around the base of the trees, pale green with purple dots splattered on like paint.
Dustin picked up a few and smelt them, recoiling from the strong stench they gave off. He could detect a hint of cardamom from the unknown plant, mixed in with several other strong flavours.
His curiosity got the better of him, and with a purchased anti-toxin in hand, he took a nibble. A viscous liquid spurt from the leaf he bit into, sitting in the centre of his tongue. It tasted of lemon and basil.
There was no hallucinatory effects or anything dangerous to eating the plant, though Dustin could feel an unusual warmth. It began in his stomach, lowering towards his abdomen before resting in his crotch.
"Ah," Dustin exclaimed, feeling uncomfortable at the sudden realization of what purpose the plant served.
He took a sample of the plant back to the villagers and explained its purpose. The farmers looked at him with confused faces, unable to understand what an 'aphrodisiac' meant.
Frustrated with failed communication, Dustin had a few of them try it for themselves. The Killen as a race had quite a low libido, so the plant unlocked something in the Killen that offered to try it. They went into their small huts with their wives and he could hear the sounds of rigorous thumping.
Dustin expected some kind of loud squeaking, like one would find in the centre of a teddy bear, but the reality was much more uncomfortable.
When they emerged, eager Killen surrounded him smiles adorning their faces. The village chief himself turned up, demanding to know what the commotion was. Two villagers hurried over and explained the plant to him, much to his surprise.
Dustin waited for a verdict as the quest completed, surprised as it revealed an additional secret, both completing at the same time.
[Horny Silkworms Completed!]
[Rare Silk Robe of Vitality Acquired!]
[Quest Issued: Killen my Libido.]
[Killen my Libido Completed!]
- Charm Grenade x 1
- Silkworm starter kit x 1
- Spool of fine silk x 1
- Perception: Mana
The quest completions amused Dustin, and he minimized the rewards tab to view later. The chief was giddy with excitement and chatted to the nearby villagers as the alert warning Dustin that the dungeon was closing filled his screen.
[Congratulations, you have fully cleared the Killen Raid. You will be teleported out in 10:00 minutes. Thank you, and happy spending!]
While he hadn't killed all the Killen within the dungeon boundaries, the villagers were classified as allies, and all the bandits had left the dungeon parameters.
Dustin accepted the teleportation as he heard the chief whisper something, turning away as the world faded to black.
"We could sell this!"
