It didn’t take them as long as they thought it would before they reached the surface again. Of course, climbing upwards for Aldrin was easy now that he could stick and walk on any surface. Evie used one of her runestones to make stairs for her and the rest of the team to trudge upwards.

  They all breathed a sigh of relief once they noticed the purple fields around them slowly blackened and withered away. The effects of the field were no longer present, so they had no worries of anymore ambushes or potentially killer plants.

  “I guess the antidote is useless now,” Pierre said as he looked around.

  “Hold on to them anyways. We might need them in the future for something else,” Evie said.

  “So what’s our next step then? Find the entrance to the Jade Monk?” Aldrin asked as they huddled together in a loose circle.

  “Unless we want to go back to the village and try our hand again with the Jade Carvers?” Jared added.

  A shudder ran through them all from their last experience with them. “You know what? Never mind. That was a terrible suggestion and I’m sorry,” Jared sheepishly said.

  “What if we have to though?” Pierre suggested.

  With furrowed brows the group waited for Pierre to elaborate. “I mean the miniature toad golem statue seems like it would be part of a locking mechanism. And the dungeon monster list had them go from active to inactive when we got it. So we can only assume that we have to get the rest of the statues or something of equivalent form to access the Jade Monk, right?” Pierre finished.

  Evie smiled proudly at Pierre, “For someone without any experience in dungeons you sure caught on quick, I’m proud of you. I was hoping someone would catch it before I had to explain it.”

  Pierre looked down, trying to not let a small grin cross his face at the praise, “It was nothing,” he tried to downplay it.

  Aldrin and Jared looked at one another, each with a grin of their own at Pierre’s reaction. “Regardless, it was quick thinking, but yes, that’s what we are going to have to do.” Evie said. “While the mini bosses are a great way to gain some extra experience and rewards, the main thing is completing the dungeon wherein the big rewards lay.”

  “So we start to hunt down the rest of the statues,” Aldrin said.

  “Yes,” Evie confirmed. “I suggest we start with the ambushers because of how annoying they are gonna be while we wander through the jungle trying to get to our next destination.”

  Nodding along with the plan, “Where do we start, then?” Jared asked.

  “Our best bet is probably at the area where we first encountered it and go from there?” Aldrin suggested, earning contemplative nods in return.

  They retraced their steps and paid careful attention to actively avoiding the Jade Carver village. Some were still prowling, screeching in detest at the lack of prey that made a shiver run down Jared’s back. Slowly after that, they came upon the first encounter with the Jade Fox, keeping an eye and ear out for any of the fast little furballs. At first they stayed on guard at the first sign of the bushes rustling, but Aldrin had told them that whatever it was had run off as soon as they got close to it.

  They continued in the opposite direction, always keeping the river they first came upon within eyesight as they walked through the thinning jungle. The only time they stopped was when they came upon a dilapidated outpost in a wide clearing. Moss had overgrown sections of the stones that had built it. Jungle vines twisted their way inside the cracked seams. The roof of the outpost looked like something had exploded through or upward, leaving a gaping hole at the top.

  Carefully approaching, since the Golems didn’t give off any source of life, they kept their heads on a swivel and their weapons ready. Pierre used his Stealth ability to scout the area around the building for any traps while the rest of them walked the perimeter, searching for any signs of life and clues. Figuring the place as safe as it could be, Pierre waved them over signaling the all clear, and the others rushed over to him, coming to a stop at the front entrance that was bashed in judging from the rotted wood splinters that littered the stone floor. Pierre was the first to go inside to look for any more traps as the group waited outside.

  “It’s too quiet, and it’s making me nervous,” Jared said, twiddling with the fletching of an arrow as he surveyed the surrounding openness.

  Aldrin was about to say something when Pierre stuck his head back out. He was paler than his usual as he stared directly at Aldrin. “You all gotta come see this,” he said, looking each of them square in the eye. He didn’t give them a chance to respond as he quickly ducked back inside the outpost.

  The three frowned at each other before following Pierre. Inside, a battle had clearly taken place. Someone broke the furniture, a table was split, chairs lay in pieces, and the walls showed chips, cracks, and scorch marks.

  “I’m getting ghost vibes. Anyone else?” Jared whispered to the group, his eyes darting to every dark corner.

  “Guys, up here,” Pierre called from above.

  Following Pierre’s voice up the set of creaky stairs that sat near the back wall, they found him standing in a ruined doorway. He looked at them, wide eyed and pale, before moving out of the doorframe so the rest of them could see.

  One at a time, they crowded the doorframe to peer into the room. Evie was the first to gasp in shock. Inside there were skeletal remains all grouped up into a shrine with one skull placed atop. The skull was still shining in its ivory glory, along with the rest of the bones that made up the pedestal it stood on. Carefully stepping forward, wary of any traps, Aldrin was the first to reach the pedestal to get a better look at the skull.

  “Guys, it’s a vampire skull,” Aldrin quietly said.

  Evie was by his side, studying the skull that held sharpened canines that resembled Aldrin’s whenever the vampire side of him revealed itself.

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  Jared looked at it in disbelief, “I thought you guys turned to ash whenever you were killed?”

  “I thought so too?” Aldrin replied, then looked at Evie, who shrugged her shoulders.

  “That still doesn’t answer why one was way out here to begin with or the history of this place or what killed it,” Pierre said, taking a quick glance at the skull, then around the room.

  The room was sparse save for the shrine, as everything looked to have been picked clean of any valuables. However, that didn't stop the group from searching the place. “Anyone got any clues?” Aldrin asked, finishing digging through rubble.

  “Nothing for me,” Jared replied.

  “Same here,” Pierre said.

  “Empty over here too,” Evie finally said after ransacking a ruined bookshelf. “We may not find out about it here. For all we know, the shrine could have been placed here as something else entirely.”

  “As in used for a ritual?” Aldrin hissed.

  Evie shrugged, then walked up to the skull to get a better look. “It’s possible, but I wouldn’t put it at the top of the list.”

  “Let’s keep looking then. There has to be a reason this is here,” Aldrin said.

  Pierre cleared his throat loud enough to garner everyone’s attention. “I will play devil’s advocate here and say what if there wasn’t any reason to place it here? It was just here as decoration? An intimidation tactic? Something along those lines?”

  The groups pondered over the thought as they each stared at the skull. “If we really want to find out, can we do what the movies do?” Jared asked.

  “Which is what?” Aldrin asked.

  Jared gave them all a sly grin, “We drop some blood on the skull to revive the vampire.”

  Aldrin looked at him like he had grown a second head. “Are you crazy? For all we know, this skull can be the skull of an Elder or Ancient! You know, something that would more than likely obliterate me and drain the rest of you.” He crossed his arms, “I’m saying no.”

  Jared sucked in through his teeth, “Okay, yeah, when you put it like that it doesn’t seem like the best idea.”

  “Well, we won’t find anything here, so let’s keep moving,” Pierre said.

  They searched the rest of the tower, finding nothing out of the ordinary minus the skull. Each time they passed through the doorway, the skull would feel like it was staring back at them, daring them to resurrect it, and each time Aldrin would get a faint feeling emanating from it. On the last time they passed by, Aldrin took one last look at the skull, the eeriness of it all coming back to the forefront of his mind.

  “Hang on guys,” Aldrin said while heading towards the skull. The closer he got, the more insidious whispers plagued his mind until he finally touched the skull, ceasing the whispering madness. He quickly pulled his hand back and stared at his palm then back at the skull.

  “What’s wrong?” Pierre asked, noticing the sudden jerk of Aldrin’s hand.

  Slowly turning to face them with a frown on his face, “It’s warm and I can hear jumbled whispers coming from it,” Aldrin said in surprise.

  “Touch it again!” Jared encouraged.

  “Jared!” Evie reprimanded.

  Jared held his hands up in defense, “I’m just saying it could be good for him!”

  Chuckling to himself and shaking his head, Aldrin turned back to the skull, the whispers flaring up again in his mind as he stared at the polished ivory skull of a vampire. With more confidence, he thrusted his hand forward, smacking the top of the skull with a palmy slap.

  “Hey Evie, are there any stories or legends about vampires absorbing each other?” Aldrin asked, turning his head to look at her.

  She scrunched her face and scratched the top of her head, “Not that I can think of right now. Why?”

  Aldrin heaved a sigh, “I was right. This is an Elder, and it’s asking if I want to revive or absorb it whatever that means.”

  “That is entirely up to you, but you did say it would be too dangerous to revive it so that leaves absorbing it,” Pierre jumped in before Evie could answer.

  Without a second thought, Aldrin chose to absorb it, turning the skull and the bone altar of it into ashes that pelted into him, burrowing their way inside.

  “Oh wow,” Aldrin whispered as he read.

  “What? What is it? What happened?” Jared impatiently asked.

  “The skull gave me a new ability,” Aldrin said. “I think the skulls of dead vampires are like Skill Stones.”

  “That opens up a whole new avenue to explore,” Pierre mused to himself. “What skill did you get though?” He asked.

  “Polymorph. It lets me take on the form of anyone I have consumed,” Aldrin informed.

  “Anyone or anything?” Jared asked.

  Aldrin was about to answer, then he reread it, “You know, I’m not entirely sure honestly. It just said to change into the form of those you have consumed,” He read to them.

  “Definitely anything,” Pierre said with a smug grin.

  “Oh definitely,” Evie added with a smirk.

  “Only one way to find out. It kinda sucks you haven’t eaten a dragon though,” Jared teased.

  “Hold on, let's not get ahead of ourselves,” Aldrin said, with a wry grin. “I can’t use it until my next rank.”

  Jared groaned, “Well, that’s just stupid. How are they gonna tease you with a good time but don’t actually give you a good time?”

  Aldrin shrugged and laughed, “Beats me honestly. Still doesn’t answer what this was or who that was that I technically just ate.”

  Jared walked up to him and slapped him on the shoulder, “Oh, who cares! You got a new ability and there was no trap here to kill us. I’d take that as a win.”

  “I feel like all the good stuff is literally right around the corner and I have only touched upon what I am really capable of,” Aldrin said.

  “You’re not wrong, Tier 3 and 4 are where you really stand out, or at least supposed to,” Evie smiled at them.

  “Let’s hurry then! I’m starting to get antsy to level up. Also, remind me to search around for the history of what this used to be when we get out of here. Maybe there will be something that could help us,” Aldrin stated.

  Pierre gave one of his rare chuckles, “You mean so you can find out who that vampire was?”

  “Are you guys not curious, either?” Aldrin turned to them with a raised eyebrow.

  “We are. It’s just nice to see you show more emotions,” Jared said, slinging an arm around Aldrin’s shoulders once they walked out of the dilapidated watchtower outpost.

  Grinning, “Time for a training montage then?” Aldrin asked the group that earned laughs and nods in return.