Monster Mansion 2 by Dante King (best way to read ebooks .txt) 📗

Whelp’s Bloom spell has increased in effectiveness and can now be used to create better plants for crafting.

Flora Whelp has learned the Twisting Vine spell.

Twisting Vine

Conjure a mass of vines that can entangle enemy limbs.

“Hey, so it turns out the Flora Whelp’s plant-based abilities are good for more than just gardening,” I said, pointing at the new Twisting Vine ability.

Kyrine laughed, and I dismissed the Primary Cultivation System’s display readout as I joined her at the table.

“You’ll find that a lot of the unlockable abilities on your monsters are like that,” Kyrine said, as Astrid clattered plates and began to serve up stacks of crisp bacon. “They will have abilities that may seem minor, but when developed can turn into powerful combat abilities.”

I picked up a rasher of bacon and began to eat, as Astrid came back with a stack of pancakes on a warm plate. She’d prepared scrambled eggs, too, and brought them over in a big brown pottery bowl for us to serve ourselves. There was orange juice, and a pot of hot coffee, and a rack of toast with a pot of butter and a jar of blackberry jam.

We were all settling in to eat when Belinda appeared in the doorway.

“Just in time,” Astrid said, gesturing at the table.

Belinda glanced at the food but shook her head. “I’m afraid I can’t stop,” she said. “I promised Amanda Fallon that I’d drive down to the city and meet her. I’m already late.”

Amanda Fallon was Belinda, Astrid, and Selena’s boss at the EDI. I hadn’t met her yet, but she sounded like a taskmaster. Belinda poured a cup of coffee and grabbed a piece of toast but didn’t sit down. She looked like she hadn’t slept all that well.

“Everything OK with your boss, Belinda?” I asked through a mouthful of eggs. “I’d have thought she’d be pretty pleased with the way everything was going. You found a Keeper, after all, and destroyed a Putrefied Cobra as well. This Agent Fallon should think about giving you guys a break!”

“I’ll tell her you said so!” Belinda chuckled. “I think she wants to meet you, Jeremy, and to see the mansion for herself. She’s never been here. Kyrine, would that be ok?”

The dungeon avatar looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to me. “I think this is your decision, Jeremy. You are the Keeper now, and you have final say over who is and is not allowed in the mansion.”

I shrugged. “Guess it can’t do any harm. Tell her she’s welcome to come visit if she wants.”

Belinda looked relieved. “Thanks, Jeremy. I wasn’t sure if… well, anyway, I better get going.”

She knocked back the last of her coffee and waved to us as she headed out. A minute later, we heard the rumble of her Harley Davidson chopper as she drove down the drive and out of the mansion.

“No sign of Selena yet, I’m guessing,” I said.

Astrid chuckled. “Not much chance of seeing that one before lunchtime.”

I nodded. Selena had always been a late riser when we’d lived together, back when I’d known her just as Selena, my hot cat-girl housemate, before the crazy, excellent turn my life had taken.

We finished our enormous breakfast in silence, and I began to gather up the dishes out of habit.

“What are you doing?” Kyrine inquired.

I gestured at the greasy plates. “Just going to wash up.”

Kyrine smiled knowingly, and Astrid grinned. Kyrine stood, held out her hands, and absorbed the dirty plates and crockery with a sweep of her hands. There was a shimmering light over on the countertops, and a fresh set of plates and pans appeared, sparkling clean, neatly stacked, and ready for use.

I grinned. “No washing up? Ever?”

Kyrine leaned over and kissed me lightly on the mouth. “No washing up ever,” she confirmed.

I laughed and sat, pouring myself a third cup of coffee. “This just gets better and better.”

* * *

After breakfast, Astrid and I walked out to the car, which was still parked where we’d left it, on the gravel drive outside the main door. Kyrine, whose magic did not allow her to leave the mansion, stood in the doorway looking out.

When our fight with the Putrefied Cobra had been over, we had explored its den. There, we’d found a minion of the Technomancer. Before we could question him, he’d been assassinated, shot between the eyes by a drone-mounted gun that had flown in from the surrounding woods. I’d managed to bring the drone down and capture it, and now that we’d had some breakfast and some rest, I wanted to give Kyrine the chance to examine the drone more closely.

“I think Kyrine might be able to get some information out of this,” I said as I retrieved the wrecked drone from the footwell of the car where I had dumped it.

“I’m still troubled about the Technomancer,” Astrid admitted. “He’s an evil dude, and our intelligence on him is limited. All we know is that he’s created an army of high-tech minions to do his bidding. What exactly they can do is still a mystery to us. If the Technomancer has his eye on the mansion, we’ll have to keep our guard up and our skills sharp. I can’t wait to see this Cobra you’ve learned to summon. I’m sure it’ll be really helpful in any future fight.”

“Me too,” I said as we headed back up the stairs. “I guess we could try it out now, if you fancy a bit of exercise after breakfast?”

Astrid smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

When we stepped through the mansion’s main doors, Kyrine was nowhere to be seen.

“Kyrine?” I called.

“She was right here,” Astrid said. “Where can she have gone?”

I reached for the powerful psychic connection that joined me to the dungeon.

“Kyrine?” I said silently,