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The paralysis released me. Rubber-legged, I hobbled over to the beast. I reached out to touch his powerful frame and sank to the ground in awe. The Soul Stone. I clenched it and peered at the properties:

A Soul Stone. Contains the soul of level 36 Red Bear. Use the Summoning the Undead spell to raise it.

Not yet realizing the full scope of my luck, I moved the rest of the loot into my bag. Besides the Stone, I also had Red Bear's Heart and two vials of Bear's Blood. I'd have to look into them later.

I sat down on the ground, dumbfounded, rolling the little rock in my hand admiring the play of light on its facets. Wonder if I could use it? Apparently, the mana level required for summoning depended on the player's level and not on that of the summoned creature's. I didn't see any problems in that respect.

I could only explain what happened next by the catatonic state I was still in. You wouldn't expect me to admit I acted like an idiot, right? Why, oh why did I try to cast that summoning spell?

The earth bulged. The enormous bulk of a zombie bear crawled out of the depth. Summon my aunt! How did you go about burying him back in the ground? Why on earth had I had to summon him?

I heard stifled cries behind me. A group of three minor Elves stood behind my back.

"What... what's that?" a level five female warrior pointed a trembling finger at the beast's bulk.

"That," I said bitterly, "is my pet. Model 
My Brain Hurts
, version 
I'll Rip Your Head Off
. Cute, isn't he? Just don't disturb him, he's easily excited. Aren't you, Hummungus?"

I
 
didn't need to ask myself what to do next. Teddy was my ticket to level 30 and beyond. Ideally, of course, I had first to get to level 10 and choose specialization. Then I had to spend some quality time rearranging my characteristics and choosing the right spells. Only then could I pack my lunch box and walk out one fine morning, prepared for a long and rugged marathon.

But what was done was done. Even though it complicated my task, it was no reason to regret it. Now I had to concentrate and brace myself before I screwed it up and lost the pet.

I reached for the flask and took a large swig of tea. I swished it around my mouth enjoying the taste. Then I packed the flask back and slapped the bear's side, cold and resonant like a drum.

"So, Hummungus? Ready? Off we go!"

And off we went. The bear wasted gnolls in two hits, three max. It took them about seven minutes to respawn—pointless waiting—so we kept on moving down an ever-narrowing spiral with the dungeon entrance as its center.

Very soon I realized I couldn't collect all the loot. Another fifteen minutes, and I'd start losing speed, what with my strength and all, and in another twenty, I'd shudder to a halt like a brick-loaded strongbox.

I emptied my bag onto the ground, putting aside the more valuable items. Soul Stones, bracelets, an odd piece of jewelry, the Bear's loot and the food. That was it. The rest I left lying on the ground: some shabby clothing, bits of ore, a few rusty weapons and other such trash loot. After that, I organized the looting process: down to pick up a few coppers, in they go, clinking, into the wallet, one second to rummage through the rest and leave the trash on the ground. Very soon I looked like a trawler pulling in netfuls of fish. Behind my back, youngsters were quarreling over my cast-offs like a flock of seagulls. About a dozen of them followed in my tracks picking up everything that lay in temptation's way. Soon they self-organized and formed a waiting line; they even agreed on their share of the drop before the gnolls were even killed, estimating their chances of a fat loot.

In a few more minutes, the bells finally jingled.

Congratulations! You've reached level 10!

Warning! This is the first key level. You aren't immune to other players' attacks any more. Proceed with caution!

When killed by an NPC, you'll lose 15% of the experience gained at the current level.

You will receive 1 Talent point per each level. See Wiki for more details.

Choosing specialization and distributing my points in the heat of the fight wasn't a good idea. Better not rush it. Once done, I couldn't undo it. In any case, it was Teddy who did all the fighting as I barely had time to cast an occasional spell.

Within ten more minutes, the bells jingled again. Level 11.

The spiral kept shrinking as we approached the fence blocking the entrance to the caves. We had to fight our way in, for two reasons. First, the surface mobs were limited to level 10 which prevented me from using Hummungus' full potential. Secondly, I was a bit concerned about the archer's reaction when he returned to pick up his stuff. He could be quite upset to see my pet—so upset in fact that he could pepper me with arrows simply to make himself feel better.

Two warriors guarded the gate, backed up by a shaman covered with dangling charms. This was getting interesting. I hadn't come across any gnoll warriors earlier. They had all been gatherers, messengers and other such small fry. Not that it made any difference to the zombie bear. The warriors lasted about ten seconds. The shaman managed to cast three freezing spells, very spectacular but utterly useless. Talking about a bear in a china shop. Ready or not, here I come, you can't hide.

I turned to my
 
remora
 
crowd. "Listen guys, I'm going down the caves now. I might be down there for quite a bit and I'll be way too busy to cover you or accompany you back. You'd better go back now before the gnolls respawn."

Most of them saw my point and hurried back along the by now footworn path. All but one small level-nine rogue. I didn't know him.

He answered my surprised stare with panache. "I don't think they'll notice me. I've got stealth all maxed out. If I croak, no hard feelings, man. But at least I'll get all the spare loot for myself."

He grinned as he activated stealth and turned into a translucent, blurred figure. At five paces, he'd be totally invisible. Okay, then. I'd have done the same. Freebies are sweet.

Then I noticed a long row of cages along the fence's far edge. Several dozen, by the looks of it. Locked inside were emaciated prisoners—mainly Dark Elves although I noticed a couple of other-race captives, too.

I walked towards the closest cage, curious. A haughty Drow glanced at me out of the corner of his eye before focusing again in front of him.

"Dear Sir," I spoke. "Is there anything I could help you with?"

The Elf barely deigned to turn his head. I opened the pet control interface and chose the
 
Speak!
 
command. The bear reared up and growled. It wasn't the Wild Roar ability, of course, as the zombie hadn't preserved it; but the sight of a fifteen-foot growling behemoth impressed the Elf enough. He nodded at the heavy lock of his cage door.

"My name is Inerion. My group was out farming in the nearby woods when gnolls lured us into a trap. Their shamans put some sleeping weed blossoms into the water upstream from where we filled our flasks. When we came to, we were here already. If you get hold of the key, I'll reward your service well. If you fail, then just kill me here and now. I don't want to be slaughtered like a sheep and sacrificed to their Beast God. I have a few gold pieces. You can have them for the trouble."

New quest available! Freedom Ain't Free.

Go down Gnolls' Dungeons and find the key from the cage.

Reward: experience and improved relationship with the Drow and Dark Alliance.

Alternative quest available! Coup de Grace.

Help the Dark One to end his own life, saving his soul from Beast God.

Reward: some gold.

The Elf looked past me with an expression of eternal sadness. Captured characters would undoubtedly undergo some changes, but their AI controller was bound to remember everything. I didn't think many players had ever bothered to look for the key. Most likely, they'd stormed the cages and killed off the prisoners for an armful of easy gold. Never mind. I had with me there a short-leashed wonder waffle to do just that. Together we could go through that cave with a fine-tooth comb and get him that key of theirs.

I actually walked from one cage to the next, getting the same quest everywhere. In the last one languished a slim, scarlet-haired Drow maiden, beautiful in a haughty and indifferent way. A thin carved collar flashed crimson on her neck. I offered my help to her, too.

Slowly, she shook her head. "I thank you, young warlock. I am not going anywhere without my warriors."

New quest available! Free the Drow Princess I!

The Cutthroats' leader can't leave her men imprisoned. Dead or alive, famous warriors always come back together. Or they don't come back at all. You must free all the captured Elves.

Reward: Access to the Quest Free the Drow Princess II.

A cutthroats' Princess? Apparently, I was into some serious people. I ran my eyes over the line of caged Drow. Inerion, level 94. Lauinel, level 101. Akhsan, level 98. Princess Ruata, level 161. What had I gotten myself into? How had my gnolls managed to put these aces behind bars? Was this cave really as low-level as I thought? Let's just hope I was dealing with nothing more serious than goblin magic or game developers' sick sense of humor.

I accepted the quest and nodded my agreement with the Drow maiden's conditions. An emaciated face, thin wrists, a blue vein pulsating on her neck. How long had they been here?

I dropped my bag and knelt, feeling inside for a sandwich. Then I turned to a silent rogue nearby.

"You think you could spare some food and drink?"

He nodded.

"You mind sharing it between the Drow, please? I'll make it up to you."

The kid nodded again and reached into his bag without saying a word. He seemed all right. I had to add him to my friend list. That would make him my second rogue friend.

The
 
Princess pressed a clenched fist to her chest (and a wonderful chest it was, I had to admit) and gave me a slight bow. "Thank you, my High brother. I shall never forget it."

Quest alert! Free the Drow Princess I quest is now unique!

Reward: Unknown.

I mirrored her gesture. For a second, I stared deep into her eyes, my gaze cementing my promise. Then I turned around and walked towards the cave's entrance without looking back.

The cave wasn't pitch black but rather semi-dark. Colonies of some fluffy moss clung to its walls and emitted a purple light, lending the place the likeness of an acid club.

Normally, the first few dozen feet are safe in any location. This is where teams meet before the raid and this is where they stack up the killed monsters in order to clear the way. There you could often see a player in his underpants about to start looking for his grave somewhere in the depths of the tunnels.

Right now the safe spot was deserted. Or so I thought. Then I heard a fearful
 
hick!
 
I turned my head, trying to locate the source of the sound, then slapped my bear's iron ass to push him aside. In a niche behind him sat Taali, crouched in a heap.

"Gotcha!" I offered her a hand but the girl got stuck so deep in the crack that it took me some brute force to drag her out. "How did you manage to get in there?"

"How do you think?" she glared at the bear. "You've got your hippo to thank for that. He's sort of bigger than you think."

Okay, okay. I glanced at her stats. She was 14 already, leveling slowly but surely. Actually, considering the time she spent online, she could've done better.

"How's farming? How're mobs?"

"Actually, I only pull them from the edge. I manage to do about a dozen before they respawn. Gnoll warriors mainly, levels 9 to 11. You can get a few casters here, like shamans, healers and summoners, but then it's more difficult."

The girl fell silent and circled the bear with mistrust, studying whichever parts of him she could peek into. My pet shifted from foot to foot, red-eyed, not detecting any aggression toward either him or his master, his non-retractable claws screeching on the stone.

"Is it all yours? Wow. Where from? Is it my imagination or it used to be a Red Bear in its past life?"

"I still can't believe it myself. Don't even ask me to do the same again. It was a bit like jumping into a glass of water—you can do this sort of thing but once."

Taali shook her head. "Holy cow."

"You could say that. Well, I'm off then."

I crossed my fingers, praying the girl wouldn't ask me to join their group. Not that I'm greedy or anything. Far from it. But this was a single ticket. True, Teddy could get us both beyond level 30. But it would take twice as long—no sleep, no logout. Could take a day or two. Tired, we'd most likely start making mistakes and flunk after ten hours or so. No amount of thanks and eyelash-fluttering could convince me to do it.

Taali proved quick on the uptake. "All right, sir. Off you go. By the way, from what I've heard, Gnoll King drops some crazy paladin gear," the girl glanced at me meaningfully.

I breathed a sigh of relief and saluted her. "Yes, ma'am. I got the message."

She laughed and poked me in the shoulder. "Go rattle your sword for a bit. Make sure you stay in one piece. There's only so much you can loot."

Who was it who said that women prefer men with potential?

I waved her good-bye and stepped inside the cave. Taali had already mopped up the first few rooms. I peeped into the next one. A couple of gnoll warriors guarded the entrance and the exit. A few patrols were cruising the room in chaotic and unpredictable trajectories. In the back, a master gnoll was fidgeting over some ancient-looking machine. Level 14, he was the highest of all present, surrounded by a handful of apprentices. In total, just a snack for my pet. Let the show begin!