Chapter 29

And we're back with Jason!

In positive news, I've almost finished rewriting and editing (mostly rewriting) up to chapter 40 or so (these chapters are rather long, each averaging 3000-4000 words). I'm optimistic we'll be content complete or nearly so by the end of August or early September. I also lined up David for the audio!

Thanks for sticking with me through the great hand reckoning and some AI stuff. On the flip side, I've got a pretty awesome setup now.

I can do complex multi-stage queries now (like analyzing character relationship across multiple books with citations/quotes), and visualize my data. For example, this handy network graph (based on an auto-populated relationship matrix). It's weighted by connections and chapter co-appearances. This helps a LOT for getting back up to speed on previous books.

I've actually caught a few continuity errors in the process, including one in Timeless. Cady was pitching to Evelyn's father at the beginning of book 7 (but I spelled his last name Sinclair instead of St. Clair; /facepalm). Now that I have the data, this stuff also doesn't take any time now -- just set and forget with a CLI like Claude Code.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter and I'm going to get my ass back to work!

Chapter 29 - Product Testing

Dungeon – Former Nephilim Village

Jason 

Jason had always used the in-game time compression to his advantage. Studying military history and tactics, psychology, and programming. However, lately, he’d switched things up—focusing instead on start-ups and business planning.

That might seem extraordinary given how busy he'd been. How did he do it?  Keep up with the relentless murder while also balancing his studies?

The answer: was he was built for this—or, at least, his class was. It was all about resource management. Minions, mana, bones, gems, materials, and rudimentary cooking tools all stowed away in the bags tucked within his body.

So, why not extend that to time?

There were often long stretches of inactivity, like waiting for his minions to dig him his own grave.  Or running for his life for hours. That was just wasteful. So, he'd started experimenting with his own time compression skills and spells—and definitely not because Cady's abilities were overpowered nonsense.  There were obvious choices like Custom Skeleton.  Sure, he couldn't move or cast… but he could read. Yet the real gold mine was Dodge.

Did he really understand how that skill worked?  Sure, he’d trained it beneath the dark keep in the Twilight Throne to access his mana well. However, the tooltip was vague – exceptionally so. Dodge what, exactly?  Swords and spells, surely.  But did that apply to all attacks?

If so, then… what about emotional attacks?

Or was it even more attenuated than that?

For example, Cady’s nagging always felt like it lasted forever. He’d assumed she’d used her magic. But what if—what if he’d just been trying to Dodge?

So, of course, he tested it on Alexion—and it worked! His Dodge let him appreciate every aggravating, horrible second of his lecturing. Words Jason had assumed they’d long moved past after the Mile High Club. Like “you’re crazy” and “why should I take orders from you.”

Even more fascinating? When Jason pointed that out, Alex got strangely flustered. Which worked out well, since that made it easy to convince him to help with product testing.

First things, first, though. Obviously, he needed to automate this Dodge mechanic. So, of course, Jason hacked Cady's account. After all, she wasn't using it right now and it was an excuse to practice programming. Now his feed was just a constant stream of perfectly mimicked micromanagement and his Dodge skill triggered in an endless loop, slowing time.

And this cost him nothing! Well, except—you know, the nagging.

The upside was that he’d finished another book. This one had been insightful. “Good Bones: The Guide to Angel Investing.” What could he say? The title had called to him. Even better, if he split his consciousness using Body Surfing, he could have another, smaller part of his mind focus on the chat to keep triggering Dodge.  That was the power of pure efficiency.

x1 Skill Level Up: Body Surfing

Skill Level:  Beginner Level 2

Effect 1:  Infuse one of the urns holding your Najima into a separate form, splitting your consciousness between a primary and secondary body.  Current control limited two vessels.

Cost: Your primary body’s mana is reduced by 1/6 for each urn transferred.

“You are wandering away from the point,” Alfred observed dryly, as Jason swept aside the notice. The AI didn't think Jason's idea was so clever.

He kept calling it an “exploit” and talking about an “imminent patch.”

“It’s nearly ready to deploy,” the cat confirmed sourly.  “Yet, perhaps you should focus on this so-called master plan. Alex should be returning soon.”

Jason could have sworn Alfred almost sounded concerned.

Almost like he felt bad for Alex?

Nah, Jason had to be imagining it.

But, as usual, the AI was right. He was supposed to be concentrating on their current product testing and every book emphasized that this was a critical part of any process.  Jason also still had many, many questions about their dungeon. Especially since they likely only had a short runway before another scouting party of Nephilim showed up for their "grand opening."

First off, they needed to confirm how the dungeon gained mana and leveled.

That was relatively easy to test. While the Reckoning had brought the former game world forward in time, along with an accompanying increase in the levels and threat level of the monsters and residents, the Nephilim had also had centuries to develop a system to police the wildlife. 

Exhibit A?  The patrol that had hunted Jason.

Even this smaller town was capable of thinning out the local monsters.  Yet there were still a few creatures roaming the rolling hills and valleys surrounding the Crystal Reach, those monsters adapting to the encroachment of Nephilim civilization. They had just learned to avoid the Nephilim patrols and settlements, evolving to become more cunning and elusive over the centuries. That was a precarious balance – they needed to be strong enough to survive but weak enough that the Nephilim didn’t have incentive to hunt them to extinction.

And, so, much like Jason's undead, the light had become their enemy.

Because once the sun set, those hills around Asphodel came alive.

The ambient light mana that saturated the area formed natural globes of sparkling light that drifted across the grass-covered slopes, flickering and flashing like fireflies and pushing back at the encroaching darkness. Will-O'-the-wisps that helped offer safe passage to the Nephilim and other residents… but also occasionally lured in the foolhardy.

Jason and Alex had also quickly discovered that some of those glimmering globes were attached to creatures that burrowed into the soft earth. Long, centipede-like bodies that would emerge from their dens, their pincers lashing out with incredible speed. Jason had lost a minion or two that way. The other creatures weren't so easily discovered. They’d become adept at blending in, using the natural terrain and foliage as camouflage.

However, the duo had an advantage of their own: Jason's undead drones. Animated by dark magic and absent the harmful rays of the sun, he could now send them flying far and wide. He quickly broke down his remaining minions and infused a light mana crystal in each hand-sized, skeletal drone. They soon fluttered off into the darkness, flapping bony wings draped with pitch black mana, the crystals tucked inside their bodies occasionally flashing as they scanned the area.

Another convenient use of his Disguise skill.

They just looked like more "Will-o'-the-wisps" drifting across the hills.

Jason meticulously mapped as much as he could of the area around the dungeon – although, true coverage might take weeks – the light mana crystals identifying concentrations of other energy. Light, fire, air, water, earth, and even darkness. The locations of the many monsters that had made their homes in the more secluded parts of the Crystal Reach.

With this information in hand and Jason's own movements limited, it was up to Alex to lure the monsters back to the dungeon for testing.

A first dry run of his marketing abilities, technically.

The task required precision and coordination. Jason located the monsters and then they employed an elegant, sophisticated solution to lure them back to the dungeon while minimizing the danger to themselves and any chance of being detected. After all, while Jason's respawn point might now be bound to the dungeon, Alex had no such advantage.

Speaking of the avatar of light, he was just returning now—

“This isn't marketing, you son-of-a-bitch!” the Nephilim roared as he raced toward the dungeon entrance, his form a blazing pillar of light that pierced the darkness. He ran hard, sweat and blood streaking his armor, his stamina dropping rapidly.

Jason could tell, since he had a marvelous view from atop the mausoleum.

Including of what was chasing him…

The light radiating from Alexion's armor illuminated a nightmarish parade of creatures in pursuit. First came the centipede-like beasts, their glittering bodies coiling and uncoiling with uncanny grace. Their many legs scuttled across the ground, pincers snapping at the air, eyes reflecting the unnatural light like tiny, malevolent stars. Above them, bat-like creatures flicked and fluttered through the night, occasionally forming an impenetrable dome of darkness that swallowed both Alex's light and his screams—

Only for the Nephilim to punch back out of the fog, battered and beaten and often kicking at a centipede, but alive.  This was exactly why Jason had picked this perch, well out of harm’s way. Safety was also important to any business—mostly Jason's.

Because while those beasts might be a mere nuisance to the Nephilim, to the travelers, each creature was a death sentence. All of them were well over level 400.

Alex’s breathing grew labored, his mana and stamina both dropping rapidly as he sprinted toward the crypt entrance, boots sending up tufts of dust with each pounding step. The horde behind him shrieked and howled, the sounds swallowed by those strange dark clouds.

Regardless of the outcome, Jason made a mental note to collect a few of those bats as minions. Assuming the undead version retained that ability, they could be invaluable…

The monsters swarmed over the uneven ground like a tidal wave of claws and gnashing teeth, closing the distance with terrifying speed. The dungeon's dark maw loomed ahead—invitation and trap combined. Alex didn’t bother with the stairs. He dove forward, wings snapping open as he sailed through the glimmering green threshold that marked the dungeon's entrance, a centipede's pincers just grazing his heels.

Jason lost sight of them after that, but that wasn't a problem—just an opportunity to test another feature. He tapped at a tab in the dungeon UI, and a detailed map of the crypt sprang open beside him. Unlike the regular game-world map, this one wasn’t static, nor was its information fed by Jason’s drones. Instead, it provided a detailed, real-time, three-dimensional view of the dungeon. Almost like having streaming cameras positioned throughout the crypt. A tap let him zoom in on any location. A swipe split the view.

Which was how he saw Alex’s feet touch down on worn and weathered stone, stumbling slightly before catching himself against the cold wall. Behind him, the monsters howled in frustration, their charge barely slowing as they tumbled down the stairs in a gnashing wave.

This was the tricky part. The dungeon wasn't well illuminated—only Alex's glowing armor provided enough light to see. Thankfully, the path was linear, leaving little room for deviation.

The first floor had once been a simple, square chamber—functional but uninspired. Just barren stone and darkness broken by the occasional sarcophagus.

Empty sarcophagi. Jason had checked.

A shame. He'd been hoping for free materials. He could never have enough.

Thankfully, the dungeon didn’t require bones to build. Fun fact: the “Dungeon Design” tab on his interface provided an accessible system for remodeling the dungeon. When Jason activated it, the entire floor lit up in glowing blue relief, overlaid with a simple wireframe texture—each block approximately three feet tall and wide. For now, he was limited to forming simple stone walls and archways, though many other options remained greyed out in the UI.

He could only assume they would unlock as the dungeon leveled.

With a tap of his skeletal fingers, he could place a new wall, the stone seemingly melting up from the floor and stretching skyward before hardening. It reminded him of Kyyle's earth magic, which only raised more questions…

Did the dungeon UI give him limited use of other types of magic?

After all, it also had its own instance field—one that covered the entire dungeon floor in his UI, visible even at the entrance. And Cady had established that the instances were earth magic based. Maybe it absorbed ambient mana from the surrounding soil and rock? If he’d formed an aerial dungeon, would it have given him air mana by default?

He couldn't help but wonder if there were ways to enhance those features…

Questions aside, with the dungeon interface's assistance, Jason's handiwork had transformed plain stone hallways and drab rooms into something far more sinister. Now a maze of narrow corridors twisted and branched in seemingly random directions, walls pressed close enough to limit movement, channeling anything that entered into tight, controlled lanes. The walls were slick with condensation—natural moisture seeping through stone and earth.

It was a perfect funnel, designed not just to confuse, but to control.

Speaking of which, Alex was almost there. He watched as the Nephilim bolted down those claustrophobic corridors, low growls echoing behind him, followed by the unmistakable scrape of claws against stone. This might not seem wise—Alex leading creatures into a dead-end maze without an obvious exit. However, that was all part of the plan.

A flick of Jason’s wrist and the view shifted to the horde of creatures skittering down those narrow lanes. Without warning, long, jagged spears shot out from the walls, thrusting into the corridors from hidden alcoves. The first spear struck a bat-like horror, but its tip caught in the creature's leathered skin and the bone weapon snapped in half like a toothpick.

He grimaced. He'd feared this might happen—the creatures' level advantage meant their natural defenses far exceeded what simple bone spears could penetrate. That’s why he’d given the undead Nephilim weapons. Their claws were effective but there were only twenty of them facing off against nearly a hundred monsters. That wasn’t a fight they could win.

Which was becoming painfully obvious.

More spears lashed out, but the results were similarly… disappointing. The centipedes’ chitinous shells deflected the attacks with ease, their pincers snapping the weapon shafts like twigs. The bat creatures’ leathery hides proved equally resistant, each blow leaving only shallow scratches and the occasional drip of blood.

“Damn,” Jason muttered, watching his carefully planned slaughter devolve into ineffective prodding.

The world slowed as his Dodge kicked in again

—ahh, a chat notification.

Alex: What's happening? Why are there still so many enemies on the mini-map?

A few seconds and then…

Alex: It didn't work, did it? Those stupid spears?

Jason grimaced. Alex HAD told him, but—

Alex: Those giants insects are going to fucking eat me while you watch from your stupid little emo perch!

Oh, lighthouse of little faith.

Although, it was impressive that Alex could both run for his life and type at the same time.

Yet this was precisely why Jason had been hoarding his precious resources. With a wave of his skeletal hand, he sent commands to his hidden Nephilim. The broken spear tips retracted, and moments later, new weapons emerged from the wall openings.

These were different. The spear tips now glowed with inner fire, explosive crystals embedded in their bone cores. Behind them came a second wave of weapons, their points gleaming with a sickly green sheen—poison and concentrated into liquid death.

Okay, technically he'd watered down Eliza's poison to conserve it…

“Let's try this again,” Jason murmured

The fire-crystal spears struck first, their impact followed by brilliant explosions that flared bright, whiting out the cameras momentarily. As the image resolved, Jason could see that they’d cracked through the hardened chitin. The centipedes shrieked as their armor split apart, molten fragments spraying across the corridor walls. The explosions opened wounds that the poisoned spears eagerly exploited, driving deep into exposed flesh and pumping their deadly cargo into the creatures.

Now the narrow passageways truly became a slaughterhouse. The monsters writhed and convulsed as the poison coursed through their systems, their movements growing sluggish even as more explosive spears punched through their compromised defenses. The bat creatures tried to take flight, but the combination of the concussive blasts echoing off the walls disoriented them and the low ceiling kept them trapped. They careened into walls and ceiling with a crunch, more than a few taken out by the centipedes as they lashed out randomly.

Jason watched with satisfaction as the “fight” devolved into a chaotic frenzy of blood, claws, and death. The creatures that had seemed so indomitable moments before soon lay twitching in pools of their own entrails, their natural armor reduced to smoking ruins.

Though his smile faltered slightly as he calculated the resources expended. Those fire crystals and the poison had cost him dearly—materials he'd been saving for more dire circumstances; that he couldn’t replace easily. Still, the test provided valuable data.

Speaking of which, a sharp chime sounded in Jason's interface. His attention shifted to the dungeon status screen as fresh updates populated the table.

Dungeon Update

Creatures Slain: +87

Mana Accumulated: +47,500

Current Mana Reserve: 47,500

Interesting. The mana wasn't much—not considering those mobs had all been well over level 400. Did the mana collected depend on how much they had left? Or perhaps a fraction of their total pool? Perhaps humanoid monsters would be more effective then.

Even more interesting, as Jason watched, the corpses… dissolved. Bone, flesh, muscle—all absorbed by the dungeon as though withered by time and corruption. Even the blood.

Jason's gaze flicked across the dungeon's interface, watching as Alex reached the end of the labyrinthine corridors, facing a dead-end and panting softly. His glowing eyes watched the darkness behind him warily, right hand on his sword's hilt. Alone. Alive.

And totally not being eaten.

Jason: You were saying? I’m surprised you still doubt team Midnight Sparkle!

He noticed something interesting then—something he would have missed without the time slowing effects of Dodge. His Perception picked out Alex’s reaction with perfect clarity on screen.

The Nephilim’s brow furrowed in confusion—or possibly anger—what could Jason say? Alex’s face only had the one mode. His dad likely hadn’t splurged for the deluxe nepo baby model.

“What is he talking about?” Alex muttered, shaking his head.

Almost—almost like he didn’t remember?

He could be faking; could be pretending. Seriously, how could he possibly forget how they had fought their way through the Mile High Club? Or how Bard had taunted them with that name? Jason didn’t buy it—and Alex didn’t seem to be joking. That was… alarming.

His eyes skimmed down to Alfred, the AI looking unusually serious.

He had seemed awfully concerned about Alex, hadn’t he?

Except, what did that mean—

His thought were interrupted as Alex responded again.

Alex: Don’t be weird. What now? You want me to kill off the stragglers?

Jason shrugged off his questions – not forgotten, just put on pause for now. It seemed he might need to run a few more tests in the future. Maybe get to know his business partner a bit better. But, for now, he needed to focus.

Jason: Yes, go ahead. I want to test something else.

Alex grumbled under his breath as Jason watched him read the message. Jason's Listening skill picked up choice phrases like “stupid Asshole and “sadist.” Also, extensive cursing.

Jason: You know I can hear you, right?

Alex shot him the bird. He wasn't aiming in the direction of the camera, but Jason took his meaning. Then, with a sigh, the avatar of light trudged back down those narrow corridors.

Another tap at the dungeon map shifted the view as Alex approached the killing grounds. The first injured creature—a bat-like horror missing its wings—collapsed as Alex's blade severed its head. Another, a limping, three-armed beast, let out a strangled cry as it fell under his assault. One by one, the survivors were cut down.

Jason's brow furrowed. Odd. The dungeon's interface remained static. No new mana. The kills weren't registering. That was unusual.

His fingers tapped absently against his throne of bone. His best guess? Only kills by the dungeon’s own denizens contributed to its growth. Which meant Alex couldn't help—not without sacrificing the dungeon's development.

As Jason saw Alex approaching the last remaining monster, he had another idea.

Jason: Wait, don't kill that one!

Alex: Really? But you literally just said—

Jason: There's one last thing I want to test. Just cut off its limbs and drag it outside.

Alex stood there a moment, staring at the insect, covered in blood and sweat—clearly reaching the end of his patience. Probably because Jason had used him as living bait. To be fair, his own skeletal frame wouldn't have worked as well—not for creatures hungering for flesh and blood. At least, that was the argument he’d used.

The Avatar of Light heaved a sigh. He must have decided it wasn’t worth fighting. The remaining monster, a centipede-like abomination, shrieked as Alex's blade flashed, severing its pincers and front legs in a spray of blackened ichor. It writhed, but was too crippled to flee. With a grunt, Alex grabbed the creature and dragged its thrashing form toward the dungeon entrance.

Jason watched as Alex hauled the creature beyond the dungeon's shimmering green boundary, no longer needing his screens. He swiped them aside and rose, leaping from the top of the mausoleum and landing softly. Using an extra bone spears, Jason impaled the centipede before it could attempt to burrow back into the soft earth, pinning it in place.

“What are we testing now?” Alex grunted.

Jason hummed in thought. “It’s clear that we can alter the dungeon's default layout and design, and that kills made by the dungeon mobs gain mana—but not those killed by your hand, even if the dungeon’s monsters contributed to the kill.”

His dark gaze turned back to the entrance where one of those skeletal Nephilim lingered, drawn by Jason’s command. It was also clear that the Nephilim could leave the dungeon, if only briefly and at the cost of its own health. However, there was one last question…

Jason ripped the spear free, the centipede trying vainly to escape. It crawled and wriggled its way on mangled legs to the border of Jason’s domain—desperately trying to survive.

It was futile. Jason issued a simple command: Exit and kill.

The Nephilim stirred. Its long, clawed fingers curled around the haft of its bone spear. With slow, deliberate steps, it strode toward the edge of the dungeon’s Overworld domain… then past it. A sickening hiss filled the air as the Nephilim's skeletal body began to sizzle, dark smoke rising from its frame as it glowed a faint purple. Jason's eyes narrowed.

The angelic skeleton stalked toward the wounded creature. Without hesitation, it raised its spear and drove the sharpened bone straight through the beast’s skull.

The instant the monster died, Jason's interface chimed.

His smile widened as he glanced at the updated dungeon status.

Dungeon Update

Creatures Slain: +1

Mana Accumulated: +500

Current Mana Reserve: 51,000

Congratulations, the Dungeon has reached Level 2!

+2 Dungeon Points Available

+5 Monster Capacity

+5% Dungeon Radius

New Monster Species Available

Jason let out a cackling laugh, the sound dry as bone. Even Alex understood the possibility this presented, his anger and frustration fading in the face of reluctant excitement.

The dungeon’s monsters could go hunting.

At least, someday—once they were ready.

Which was perfect. Just perfect.