That’s the thing about it, isn’t it? Everybody’s got something. Bosses were no exception, of course.

  For Snu, a Silver Grade Dungeon Boss who also happened to be a Succubi, one might think it was pleasure, horrifying murder, killing by pleasure, or some terrifying variation. Each independent mind of a Boss, some mad and many surprisingly sane despite their nature, had their wants and desires, hopes and fears, fetishes and dependencies. Yet there was something more that every Boss needed, unique onto them and demanded by the chaotic design of the System.

  They called it the Taking. There was no System specific name for it.

  While her sister ravaged her body with hedonistic pleasure, and no judgment there, Snu attempted, or…was attempting, a different approach. The unrelenting hunger within demanded something of each Boss. Being Succubi, and with the ability to dole out and control lust and pleasure themselves, the answer should have been obvious. Fat chance at that, as no matter how many murders, pleasure murders, raves, sleepless drug fueled nights, fornications, or indulgences they participated within, their hunger had always come back quickly. And without a feeding to the System tax, there were consequences.

  Power dwindled, sanity sizzled, the self was replaced with madness. Without feeding, a Boss might lose themselves purely to their basal Boss instincts. Hollow-shelled beings with an insatiable appetite for murder done right.

  That was the thing about it, wasn’t it? Each Boss could stave off the hunger and even grow from a good old-fashioned Dungeon-basher murder spree.

  Spoken only in the tightest of Biscord Boss Servers, all the Bosses ceaselessly searched for the thing that the System demanded of specifically them that would feed the Taking. Some had found it, lauding at satisfaction of fullness. Most searches were yet unsuccessful. Snu had had plenty of indulgences, just as she had right now, in fact. Hedonism staved off the hunger, but she knew right down to her being it wasn’t exactly what was needed.

  So, Giat’s way wasn’t right. Lust, desire, and pleasure may satisfy their leveling and hunger temporarily, but never for long enough. Not in the way that those who had found it spoke about it. What was it then? That was what she searched for.

  “Five?” Alex asked as she kneaded his wet shoulders. “Really? Damn, congratulations. Moved in and everything?”

  Snu subconsciously unknotted a particularly deep knot, lost in thought.

  He turned, floating in perfectly warm water a foot off the floor of his messy room, the sloshing dissipating before it sogged the carpet to recycle back into Snu’s Christmas gift, and looked at her mischievously. To be fair, it had been her idea. No clothes allowed.

  “That’s good news, no? How did you even find them?” He asked, coming up to her now and grinning in that way she liked so much. “You’re taking them into the Safety Spires, giving them a place to…you know. Not get chased down and uh…You’re taking in Monsters to give—”

  “They’re not just Monsters, Alex,” Snu interrupted, gritting her teeth. “They’re beings. The whole naming thing really pisses me off. Yes, some of them have done bad things. But I’m a Dungeon Boss,” Her face grew red as she felt anger come on. “Is that what you think of me when we talk? That’s the word that comes into your head? Monster. Boss. Monstros—”

  “In my head?” Alex wedged his face right up to her own, smiling in the face of a Silver Grade Boss. “Nah. Honestly, in my head I call you Snoobee,” he chucked, “get it? Like Snu and baby…and…,”

  He trailed off as he realized the ridiculous of the pet name, and the fact that he subconsciously thought of her as…

  She pushed off the crystal wall and attacked him. Her razored [Talons], usually hidden in her human form, extended as she clawed at his back. Kissing him deeply, they sloshed and tossed around, floating and giggling, enjoying Snu’s Christmas gift together.

  “No-drowning-me--” Alex gasped, since she had climbed on top of him to kiss him deeper.

  “Oh,” she giggled, easing up. It was only nine thirty AM on Sunday. They’d already adult tussled upon waking, and now they were supposed to be relaxing together in her gift. “Sorry…”

  “Nah, I’m kidding. Just drown me a little bit though.”

  She’d hemmed and hawed and annoyed everyone in her life, and Alex’s life, regarding what to get him for Christmas. Her first gift, painstakingly crafted in secret by hand and without a lick of magic used, lay buried in her underwear drawer. It was much too embarrassing to give him. Not that she didn’t want to give it to him. After the relentless teasing from Giat and Vrshkeuc, she’d taken the easy out. Shower the poor boy in riches, Snu. Play it safe, Snu. He’s a good one, Snu, don’t scare him off. One almost disastrous outing to the most expensive street of shopping pre and post System later, on the aptly named Silk Mile in Toronto, she’d selected something the boy should like. Which young twenties-something wouldn’t appreciate it for their pad? Their bachelor pad, that is.

  [Crysal Tub]

  Carved from a single piece of iridescent crystal, Enchanted by “the best Enchanter in Fallen Rome!”, at least according to the smarmy salesman that had kept looking down her shirt, it didn’t appear much on first glance besides an opulent, pumpkin-sized crystal tub. Maybe apt for a fancy hotel side table. Injected with a touch of Essence, though, that’s what sent the cost to high prices and rear apertures to clenching. Or so the uncouth salesman expected when he’d told Snu the price smarmily. She paid easily from her Dungeon coffers, which was a much better name for the shared Credit account she and Giat shared. Weird trick of the System, and there were so many Credits in there it hardly mattered. It was worth it to see the salesman practically choke in surprise.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  A little sliver of Essence into a faucet shaped Rune would cause the [Crysal Tub] to expand to the size of a tub for two or three if one was feeling frisky. It would float off its surface and fill appropriate space, sucking moisture from the air and heating it perfectly. Another jolt in the Rune would reverse the process, and you best be out before then, lest you wanted to shrink proportionally. Apparently, it also helped with Cultivation, but even Snu didn’t believe that. The price wasn’t that high.

  Of course, Alex had loved it, lofting it high and bragging to all at Christmas about how awesome his girlfriend was, how ‘cool’ it would look next to Terry, how ‘awesome’ it would be to have a hot tub in his bedroom. What a pad! Once inside his room, Alex had decided Terry looked much better inside the miniature tub than hanging out beside it.

  System…I think I really do l--

  “Leave ‘em alone!” He giggled as she pinched his nipples again. “They’re still sensitive from this morning!”

  She pulled back from their kiss, and the two settled on either side of the tub to grin at each other. After last night, it was nice to kick back, relax, and hang out with each other with nothing special planned.

  “For real though,” Alex continued their previous conversation, “where did you even find them? Is there like forums for Monsters looking for therapy and a free place to stay?”

  “Kinda, yeah,” Snu answered. “Think about how big the world is and think about how big the internet is. Monsters, god I hate that word, Bosses, even ghosts have their little communities online. Long as humans aren’t the kill all others on site type, which is most of them if the monsters aren’t dangerous kill every human on sight and aren’t too ugly, and with Portals you can pay for,” she shrugged. “Yeah, I put out a little post in one of those forums.”

  She trailed off and looked away.

  “And? How many responses did you get for ‘Free Housing and Therapy for the Hurting Non-Human’?”

  “Thousands,” Snu answered with a sigh. “Took Vrshkeuc days to sort through them all.”

  “Bet she loved that.”

  “She’s like that,” Snu smiled. “Loves to complain but a heart of gold. Heck, she even started reading books about therapy that Britanii recommended.”

  “Britanii? Britanii is giving psychology adv—”

  “She’s enrolled in school for it, actually,” She snickered at Alex’s gaping face. “Don’t be so surprised. Safety Spires seems to have done her a lot of good. She’s still with us, helping the new…tenants? Patients? Whatever. We haven’t decided on a name yet. Just figuring it out as we go along. Seems to be doing something good.”

  “Huh,” He huh-ed appreciatively, shaking his head and then smiling sweetly. “You’re doing great, you know that? I know that you’ve been putting in a ton of work, and with the Dungeon to manage…Look, you kinda impress me every day,” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Like a super woman. A very thoughtful, smart, hard-working, cute, sexy, incredibly rich domina—"

  Snu splashed him from across the tub, giggling and glowing inside.

  “For real. Thank you for everything you did for me last night, and good job on the Safety Spires. I want to come see it. You have any problem going today?”

  “Mmmm,” Snu tapped her normal finger on her lips, feeling not a spot of hunger at all, “Can we just hang out today? I don’t really feel like playing Boss lady. Giat’s on Dungeon duty, Vrshkeuc is settling everyone in. I kind of just want to relax.”

  Alex threw his arms back to lounge deeper into the tub. “Yeah, hold me hostage why don’t you? Yes, we can stay in my floating hot tub with my naked girlfriend all day. Maybe order some food later? Twist my arm.”

  Snu laughed and threw her own arms back around the tub. With [Audio Player], Alex sorted through his albums, and mentally selected Dolivia Bean, who he was pretty sure was just becoming popular when Snu was in university twenty-ish years ago. From what he read online, the singer had a harem of the most handsome lovers somewhere in a secure palace in London and was quietly enjoying retirement. Her sultry, bright voice squawked out of the cheap radio.

  “I haven’t heard this song in forever!” Snu wiggled, singing along, and when the song reached its end, he turned it down to background noise.

  “You’re forgetting something, though.” She added.

  “Titles?”

  “Titles.”

  “Cultivating that Hawk Core?”

  “Cultivating that Hawk Core, Mr. You know Emilio got that special for you.”

  “Ooooh, Mr., eh?” Alex raised an eyebrow. “Don’t mind the sound of that.” He sighed. Alex loved all the upgrades, but something about the way these ones felt made his stomach tumble. It wasn’t fear exactly, and he was excited undoubtedly. They just felt important, somehow, in his subconscious mind. As if he was about to hit some critical point in his life, and hanging out with Snu filled him with so much…contentment.

  Upgrades. Naked girlfriend in tub. Upgrades. Naked girlfriend in tub…Upgrades in tub with naked girlfriend in tub…Yeah…

  “Top to bottom for System notifications? Or bottom to top?” He asked her.

  “I think bottom to top?” Snu shrugged. “You got the last one after the Essence from the Enchantment, yeah? Once we were standing?”

  “Hmm. Yeah, yeah, I did.” Alex scratched his chin for a moment.

  He spun around to face his back towards Snu and placed his hands on the smooth sides. Pushing himself out of the tub, water sloshed but quickly got sucked back into the collected liquid. Snu unashamedly admired Alex’s derriere as butterflies wiggled around in her stomach. He snatched his green plastic bong in the shape of a fat dragon and hoisted it in the air.

  “Terry, this is Snu,” he stared seriously at the bong. “Now you be nice to her, OK? And you be nice to me today. I got a funny feeling about this Monster Core Emilio got me. Yeah? We’re not going to have any problems, right Terry? Terry? Now take this seriously, Terry.”

  He grilled Terry seriously before nodding and snatching up the [Heroic Hawk Core].

  “Glad we’re on the same page.” He said, turning back to Snu. Fiddling briefly, he made sure to first open the bottom notification from the System.

  Stark naked in his messy room, two things happened at once.

  Snu, distracted by the naked Alex, didn’t realize that she didn’t feel any hunger from the Taking at all.

  And Alex opened his Title.

  [Title: Chosen One]

  [Four Links Given. Chosen by a Demigod, selected by a Lich, marked by a Boss, and rooted to Another. Not special, yet it is you that sits at the center of the weaving paths. Perhaps, with the right decisions and unrelenting will, the System may choose you too.]

  [Three lives sacrificed. Rewards unlocked only with Cultivation of the Core selected and granted by Demigod who chose you. Cultivate, and perhaps be chosen.]