Dominic read through the list, his heart beating fast. Having two dungeons spawn in the local area was very good. Considering how useful that one dungeon had been both to him when it was still G-Grade and to his party at F-Grade, he was looking forward to being able to send groups of his Pride into the two newly created ones.

  ‘Actually, would it be possible to take their Cores and add them to the Place of Power, levelling it up and spawning new ones?’ he wondered.

  ‘What if it just absorbs the Core and doesn’t give any benefits?’ Leo questioned.

  ‘Oh, welcome back,’ Dominic told him a little sarcastically – the lion had apparently skipped all of the boring waiting and had only tuned back in for the fun part. ‘And that is a concern,’ he admitted, redirecting his thoughts.

  ‘Perhaps we can ask Selessa,’ Leo suggested with badly-hidden eagerness.

  ‘You just want to have another opportunity to flirt with her, don’t you?’ accused Dominic. Leo apparently decided not to dignify that with an answer as he stayed silent. Dominic sighed as he considered how it actually might be a pretty good idea. If the strategy he’d just considered was a good one, it would benefit them both so Selessa should have no compunctions in telling him whether it should work or not.

  Resolving to do that the next time he got a chance, Dominic looked at the rest of the notification. It was annoying that it didn’t tell him what the special benefits were, but having four of them had to be great, right?

  Avoiding mentally consenting to the question at the end, Dominic focussed on the first special benefit – the one which affected all residents of the area. Asking for more information, he was pleased when a more detailed explanation replaced that line of text.

  [1 x Special benefit (all beings within the area of Influence of the Place of Power): Due to the nature of the dungeon Core, +10% to hydration and satiation from relevant sources while within the influence of the Place of Power.]

  ‘Interesting,’ Dominic commented.

  ‘Though not particularly useful,’ Leo pointed out. ‘Not considering we still have to kill creatures to gain Prey Points. We haven’t suffered from a lack of food since the beginning of the System.’

  ‘No,’ Dominic acknowledged. ‘But it reduces the need, at least. Prey Points are arguably optional – eating and drinking aren’t.’

  ‘Except that if we don’t keep up with the creatures around us in level and ability we’ll end up losing everything,’ Leo pointed out. ‘Isn’t that what you’ve been telling me all along?’

  ‘Yes, and I’m not denying it,’ Dominic refuted. ‘All I’m saying is that in the worst-case scenario, we’d be able to survive longer than those around us, maybe long enough to come up with a solution to whatever is causing the famine or drought.’

  Leo huffed.

  ‘Let us hope it doesn’t come to that,’ he said grimly, memories teasing at Dominic’s mind of stomach-eating hunger, and throat-drying thirst.

  ‘Agreed,’ was all Dominic said. It was odd to think that they’d been given a benefit which he had to hope they’d never need. Hoping the next benefit would be more immediately useful, he checked for more information about it.

  [1 x Special benefit (all recognised (affiliated) denizens and owner only): Due to the nature of the dungeon Core, all recognised (affiliated) denizens and the owner will receive a +10% to attack and defence when fighting in a savannah, a jungle, a dungeon, or a temple. When fighting inside a dungeon, these bonuses can stack. This benefit will apply permanently while within the influence of the Place of Power or for up to 40 hours after departure from the area of influence.]

  ‘Well, I got my wish, I suppose,’ Dominic commented. ‘Ten percent extra attack and defence could make a big difference, especially since it applies to the whole Pride. It even extends beyond the Place of Power, though the duration is limited. Understandable, I suppose.’

  ‘It only applies when fighting on certain types of terrain,’ Leo reminded him.

  Dominic sent him the feeling of a shrug.

  ‘Well, everything around us is either jungle or savannah, so I don’t think that it’s a problem.’

  ‘Isn’t it? Are we in a forest or a jungle?’ Leo asked pointedly. ‘From your memories there appears to be a difference between the two.’

  Dominic hesitated for a moment.

  ‘True,’ he admitted hesitantly. ‘I guess we’ll just have to test it – attack something and see what the damage dealt really is. But we’re surrounded by savannah, you can’t argue that.’

  ‘No,’ Leo agreed. ‘Though there aren’t many temples around here. Not unless we make one to Selessa. Actually,’ he continued thoughtfully, ‘she might like that. Do you think that might be enough to get her to join our Pride?’

  Dominic sent the lion a mental eyeroll.

  ‘I doubt it.’ Though he had to admit that the goddess might indeed like it, he was a little uneasy with the idea. ‘Moving on, at least there are going to be two dungeons around here.’

  ‘If we can find them, and you don’t feed their Cores to the Place of Power,’ Leo argued, seemingly determined to have the last word. Dominic decided to let him – he was much more interested in finding out about the next special benefit; the one only for them.

  [1 x Special benefit (owner only): Due to the particular residue left in the dungeon Core that was processed, each level-up performed in the area of influence of the Place of Power will have a healing and strengthening effect on the owner’s Mana Heart and Soul. A greater effect will be accomplished if the owner decides to enhance his Mana Heart or Soul during this level up.]

  ‘Yes!’ Dominic practically shouted, a pleased rumble sounding in his chest and making him vibrate. ‘Finally! Lightning Discharge and Flash Step, here I come!’

  It had felt like he’d had magic dangled in front of his nose only to have most of its capabilities snatched away before he could take advantage of them. And yes, he’d considered putting enhancements into his Mana Heart and Soul to build them up enough that they would be functional despite the damage, but it just hadn’t seemed worth it.

  Why pour level after level’s worth of enhancements into the two just to bring them up to baseline. Not when he could enhance something which was already strong like his speed, his natural weaponry, or his wonderful regeneration. Or, more recently, his beautiful wings. Things that would have an immediate benefit on his ability to fight and survive.

  Now, though…. With the hope that the two aspects would be healed, he was more willing to entertain the idea of dedicating some enhancements to them. Especially since it seemed to indicate that he would get them back to baseline faster if he actually chose to enhance them on level-up.

  ‘It only applies to level-ups in the area of influence of the Place of Power,’ Leo pointed out. ‘How likely is it that we’re going to be here for that?’

  ‘Don’t be such a pessimist, Leo,’ Dominic scolded him, too elated to want to hear any negativity. ‘Anyway, we can choose when we level up. So we can always delay it until we come back here.’

  ‘Unless we’re almost out of health,’ Leo argued.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  This time Dominic actually growled at him.

  ‘Well obviously. But come on Leo – this is a hope we didn’t have before. Don’t be such a grump for at least a short time. Please!’

  The lion grumbled wordlessly, but subsided. Dominic shook his head, his mane tickling his ears. He didn’t know why his companion was suddenly being so negative about it. Actually, he’d been negative about magic before too. Did he have something against it?

  Dominic waited to see if Leo would respond to that thought but when he replied with stony silence, Dominic decided to move on. They still had the benefit to pick and now that he knew what they’d already been given, he felt he was in a much better position to do so.

  ‘Show special benefit choice,’ Dominic told the notification in front of him. The words disappeared and then reformed.

  [Special benefit choice:

  - Spell Forge

  - Ability Forge

  - Aspect Forge]

  ‘Well, that’s informative,’ Dominic complained sarcastically. Fortunately, he was able to get more information on each of them.

  [Spell Forge: Add spells to the Forge and combine them to create different spells. More advanced versions of the Spell Forge offer features such as: testing combinations before committing to them; suggesting the likelihood of certain spells being compatible; choosing the aspects of each component desired in the final product; allowing other affiliated beings to add spells; allowing other affiliated beings to learn spells; and more. Warning: entering a spell into the Spell Forge removes it from your spellbook. Committing to a combination of spells may result in all components being damaged or lost.]

  [Ability Forge: Add Abilities to the Forge and combine them to create different Abilities. More advanced versions of the Ability Forge offer features such as: testing combinations before committing to them; suggesting the likelihood of certain Abilities being compatible; choosing the aspects of each component desired in the final product; allowing other affiliated beings to add Abilities; allowing other affiliated beings to imprint Abilities; and more. Warning: entering an Ability into the Ability Forge removes it from your Ability list. Committing to a combination of Abilities may result in all components being damaged or lost.]

  [Aspect Forge: Add Aspects to the Forge and combine them to create different Aspects. More advanced versions of the Aspect Forge offer features such as: testing combinations before committing to them; suggesting the likelihood of certain Aspects being compatible; choosing the aspects of each component desired in the final product; allowing other affiliated beings to add Aspects; allowing other affiliated beings to absorb Aspects; and more. Warning: entering an Aspect into the Aspect Forge removes it from your physical body which can have serious consequences. Committing to a combination of Aspects may result in all components being damaged or lost.]

  It was a lot of information, though much of it seemed to be the same within each ‘Forge’. It made sense considering they all seemed to be different variations of the same benefit.

  Overall, Dominic was cautiously excited. He’d already experienced the effect of combined Abilities – Majestic Sonic Roar, Venomous Acidic Bite and Sharp Bite Attack were all combinations of several Abilities. Those had been offered to him on level-ups because of the compatibility of the Abilities in question. All but Pride Attack had obviously been improved by the combination. Pride Attack had been changed in a way which was more beneficial for those around him at the cost of making it less beneficial for him personally, but that could be argued as bringing the Ability more in line with its name.

  Ability Forge appeared to essentially do the same thing, but manually and with more risk. It didn’t escape his notice that the warning indicated that the attempt at combination could be a net loss and that the Abilities themselves were at risk. On the other hand, it also implied some more customisation of Abilities when the Forge got upgraded and he could always go hunting to get lost Abilities back – the more common ones, anyway.

  Spell Forge was interesting in the sense that combining spells could be a powerful thing. Its main issue was that he simply didn’t have the spells to combine, and seemed unlikely to have enough to do so anytime soon. Besides, even if he did get more, there was no guarantee that they would combine nicely.

  As for Aspect Forge, Dominic struggled to see how that might work. So, what, if he put his Teeth and Claws into the Forge, could he end up with teeth and claws that both did as much damage as the sum of the two? Or would he lose his claws to only have his teeth which did the damage of both? What about if he combined his tail and teeth? He might end up with a tail that offered a bite attack…or a mouth full of fur. He made a face at that idea. And some things would be plain deadly. Putting his brain, bones or muscles in there would probably kill him instantly.

  Frankly, Ability Forge looked made for him. Even without the possible later features that were mentioned it could be very useful – he’d collected so many Abilities that combining them would be great. And now that he had Group Enhancement, he could offer the different members of the Pride the opportunity to learn his Abilities.

  Of course, some of those later features looked good, especially the ones that offered a prediction of whether a combination would be successful or not or allowed him to test combinations. Wondering whether he could get any more information about the features, Dominic concentrated on them and then asked for information.

  [Your Forge can be expanded and developed as your Place of Power increases in level.]

  Not hugely informative, but at least it gave Dominic the knowledge that the Forge’s progress was linked to the Place of Power and wasn’t something he had to work on independently. He hoped that the features would be a choice on level-ups rather than chosen for him, but he guessed he’d just have to wait and find out.

  ‘So, do you agree that Ability Forge is our best choice?’ Dominic asked Leo who had been quiet during the whole process.

  ‘I haven’t said anything against it, have I?’ the lion replied, still sounding a little testy.

  ‘Well, I didn’t know if you were listening in. What’s your deal, anyway?’ Dominic demanded. ‘Have you got something against magic?’

  The lion was silent for long enough that Dominic was giving up on him answering.

  ‘It’s just…you seem to have some sort of desire for it that supersedes any other desires,’ Leo said finally. ‘I don’t understand the appeal and I fear that you will do something stupid again with it.’

  ‘That was one time, Leo,’ Dominic said, exasperated. ‘Yes, I was impatient, I get it. But I didn’t understand the risks then. Now I know better. I’m not going to put us in danger for it again. Besides, I thought we agreed to stop talking about that incident!’

  ‘But what if your desire to store up level-ups so that we can use them here impacts our survival?’ the lion fretted. ‘Or the survival of our females.’

  Ah. Dominic thought that they might have got to the root of the issue.

  ‘I have no intention of endangering the Pride,’ he reassured the lion. ‘If we need to use the level-ups to get stronger to face whatever opponent we have, then we will do so. Actually, having a couple of level-ups in the bag which we can use as health potions in a pinch isn’t a bad idea anyway. And I’m not going to let our Pride get hurt because of it. But consider how the lionesses might react if we become a magic lion?’

  ‘You think they might like that?’ Leo asked, perking up a little.

  ‘Well, if we become able to call down lightning from the skies to smite our foes from a distance, why wouldn’t they?’ Dominic asked, going off what he’d learned about the lionesses apparently being turned on by strength.

  ‘That’s a surprisingly good point,’ Leo admitted thoughtfully. Dominic tried not to feel offended at his surprise. He failed. ‘Very well, as long as you do not endanger our females in your desire to gain magic, I will support you in this, but I will stop you if you get too focused on it,’ he decided. Dominic was just glad that he sounded a lot less grumpy than he did earlier.

  ‘Good. And so, Ability Forge?’

  ‘Yes, I agree that it’s the only useful option for us,’ Leo answered. ‘Now let’s get on with it so we can start earning more Prey Points for our next level up and give a present to Selessa.’

  Dominic considered with amusement how Leo had done a complete 180 in the last couple of minutes, just because he was now convinced that doing magic would make him more attractive. Then again, that had always been where his priorities lay. He decided not to remind the lion that they technically were earning Prey Points from the Place of Power every hour that went past. Though it was unfortunate that it appeared they only earned the Points when they were within the area of influence – there hadn’t been any retroactive Points awarded when they entered the forest area.

  Choosing the Ability Forge, Dominic watched as the writing in front of his face cleared and then reformed into the status of the Place of Power. Of course, it was greatly changed.

  [Place of Power ownership: Dominic Martin Cole / Leo

  Status: Active – Unlocked

  Level 2 (progress 83%)

  Benefits:

  All denizens: +10% to hydration and satiation from relevant sources while within the influence of the Place of Power.

  Recognised (affiliated) denizens: +10% to attack and defence when fighting in a savannah, a jungle, a dungeon, or a temple.

  Owner: +10% to attack and defence when fighting in a savannah, a jungle, a dungeon, or a temple; healing and strengthening effect to Mana Heart and Soul upon level-up within the area of influence of the Place of Power.

  Area: 42.8 km2 (0.2 km2/day, 5%)

  Owner: (10%)

  Recognised (affiliated) denizens: 37 (40%)

  Recognised (unaffiliated) denizens: 120 (5%)

  Unrecognised denizens: 1629 (35%)

  Deity ‘Selessa’: (5%)

  272 PP/hour

  Specialities: Ability Forge (level 1)]

  Not only had the benefits been added, but it was clear that the level up had made a noticeable difference to both the speed that the Place of Power could expand its influence and the number of Prey Points it offered the denizens every hour. The speed had doubled as had the number of Prey Points. Working it out, Dominic figured that he’d accrue over six hundred points in a day. He quickly summoned up his progress to the next level.

  Progress to Evolution: 362/991 PP

  Even though he’d only been in the forest for a few hours, he’d already earned over fifty Prey Points. Excitement went through him again at the thought that before he had to leave to meet the elves back at the original dungeon site, he should have been able to level up – and would be able to see the impact of the new benefit the Place of Power offered.

  But first, he was far too curious about what the Ability Forge offered. Focussing on that entry in the Place of Power information, the text in front of his eyes shifted and changed.

  here!