《Clare Hatt is a Dungeon》 1. Clare was dead. There was little question of that. She¡¯d felt the wooden splinter pierce her heart, the white-hot pain as it ripped into her, forcing her body into unmistakable silence. It was the silence that got to her. No heart beats. No air whispering in her lungs. Her body was just, still. And then it was gone altogether. That part wasn¡¯t so bad. She¡¯d been pulled into the light, soothed by its warmth. The background noise of other souls as they all flowed to a mutual destination. Something yanked her into the darkness. It was like being killed all over again, the sharp pain, the unstoppable force¡ªonly wrong. There was no other way to describe it but wrong. She¡¯d been yanked off the proper path, squeezed through places that did not fit an unclothed soul. Without a body, she could not parse the exact sensations; something like being very cold, or like being suffocated, or like someone crushing you from the inside out. She was almost relieved when the journey ended, even as she felt manacles snapping into place around her. A caged soul. A long time passed. Or, perhaps, a short time. Maybe it was no time at all, she wasn¡¯t sure time existed there. Then, a sudden, sharp pain. Someone Something was injected into her. Seeping into her like new blood in her imaginary veins. [Good evening, Miss Hatt.] It spoke, yet, it wasn¡¯t something she heard. More like something she saw. Good evening. Clare replied, What are you? [I am a `&*))~ERROR**#_-! ]] Mind-pain. She went to grasp her head, but she didn¡¯t have one. [My apologies. I am young.] Why? If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. [¡®Why¡¯ what?] Clare tried to calm herself. Why what indeed, she had so many whys at that moment. Why had she died like that¡ªthere had been no forewarning, just a sudden earthquake, a structural failure in the building¡ªit seemed so meaningless, so¡­ empty. And why was she there, wherever she was? It was not where she was supposed to be. She was supposed to have stayed in the light. What had snatched her so roughly from the path, had stolen her next destination? She nearly spiraled out of control, caught in a whirlwind of questions. It was too much altogether. Small. Stick to the small things. Consider the big things later. Why did it hurt? [That was my fault. ¡®What I am¡¯ is not a concept that translates easily. As an analogy, let¡¯s say I am a spaceship. For your soul. Also, a parasite¡ªno, a symbiote. I am very helpful! Your survival is my prime directive.] This message came with a¡­ some kind of mental warmth. The equivalent of a cheerful puppy wagging its tail. Clare tried to swallow nervously, only to be jarred by emptiness when she couldn¡¯t. That¡ªI¡­ Why do I need a soul-spaceship? [Because we¡¯ll be entering the rift.] A chill went through her. What kind of rift? The mental tail-wagging stopped. [That is not a translatable concept. It is big. It is in the fabric of existence. It is between the sub-minds. It is full of energy. So much energy.] I don¡¯t like the sound of that. If she¡¯d had a body, she would have been in a cold sweat. [Oh, good.] The tail wagging returned, with a sense of relief this time, [I would have been concerned for your survival instincts otherwise. Our chance of survival is less than 0.00021%.] Clare quietly swore. She was no good with statistics, but even she knew what a number that small meant: We¡¯re screwed. [What an interesting analogy!] She squirmed mentally. Her symbiote¡¯s light-hearted attitude was in no way comforting. [I do apologize.] It seemed to pick up on her discomfort somehow, [I would attempt to keep us from entering the rift altogether, but our chances of survival would be even lower. My creator is very smart. I do not know any of his weaknesses.] Yeah¡­ She drifted off, unnerved by her imminent demise. Wait¡ªdemise? Aren¡¯t I already dead? Can I die again? [Dead? Ah, are you referring to your lack of body?] Yes. [Oh. I assumed you were simply made that way. But if you are referring to our destruction, yes, it is very much possible. In fact, according to my creator¡¯s logs, every other test subject has been completely destroyed, reduced to nothing more than soul matter floating in the rift¡¯s powerful tides.] Soul matter? As in, crushed up soul-dust? [Yes.] We¡¯re going to be soul-dust. [If I fail, then certainly.] Even swear words failed to capture her panic, but she let out a string of them anyways. Ignored her symbiote¡¯s interest in the new vocabulary. She was¡ªthey were¡ª It was worse than death. They were going to cease existing. Everything that made up her self shattered, melted down for parts. [It¡¯s going to be exciting, right? I can¡¯t wait!] 2. [Entering in¡­ 10 9 8 7 6¡ª] Will you stop counting?! Time didn¡¯t exist in the workshop. But the symbiote, which she had named Kepler, was excited by the idea of it. She had named him Kepler after Johannes Kepler, the scientist who discovered that celestial bodies orbit in ellipses, partially in the hopes that he would guide their own ¡®orbit¡¯ perfectly, but mostly because she named all her dogs after scientists. [But we¡¯re about to enter the rift!] If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I know! He pouted (sort of). She felt a bit bad, he had only been warning her--- [LETSSSGOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!] It hurt. Worse than dying. Worse than getting yanked from her path to the afterlife. As bad as watching Emma die, but longer. Time reasserted itself now that they were out of those soul-manacles. Time and space and thou!(#*&%@(&$[Please keep your adventurous thoughts to a minimum, Miss Hatt, we need to reduce the strain on your soul.] She drew her gaze inwards. Her very self was being torn at the seams, held coherent only by Kepler¡¯s utmost efforts. Grabbing the corners of herself, she pulled in, compacting everything to keep it from being whipped away by the rift¡¯s power. He moved his own focus outwards, as she took over some of his job. Reached out and--- Something clicked. They swung into a web of something. Something alive and fascinated. Kepler raised his hackles, eyeing the thing cautiously. They were sheltered in it, for now¡ªno, they had become part of it, tied in like a computer in a network. It wormed further into the new bond before Kepler snarled at it. [Mine.] The web hemmed and hawed to itself for a moment, sipping from the rift thoughtfully. Different parts of it weighed in, but she couldn¡¯t quite catch what they were saying. More chatter, but all internal. Then, darkness. Sleep. 3. [Miss Hatt, are you still sapient?] Kepler nosed her, worried. [Miss Hatt? Is it the new form? All your diagnostics come up correct¡­] He whined. She rolled over, moaning. Wait¡ªrolled over? Did she have a body¡ª No. Yes. She certainly hadn¡¯t rolled over, that was an illusion of the mind. [You are still sapient!] More tail wagging. No, not real tail wagging, it was just her putting an image to the emotion. He was still bodiless, but she¡­. What am I? Stone. Cold stone¡ªwarm stone? Air, no, power. She was stone and power and water¡ª [We have connected to the system!] What? That¡¯s not an answer, Kepler. She shuddered¡ªreally shuddered! Stretched her warm net of power/will/existence. [Patience is a virtue, Miss Hatt. The system is a--] He paused, trying to parse the concept in a way that wouldn¡¯t hurt her. The web they¡¯d connected to whispered something to him, and he growled irritably. [I could have figured that out.] The system is that web, right? The one feeding off the rift. [Yes! That¡¯s what it is! But it¡¯s also like me.] He huffed softly to himself, [But a slut.] This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. She paused. What? [It¡¯s connected to a lot of people. All the people on this side of the rift. Slut.] The last part was directed at the system, who ignored him. Its attention had moved away from them. Clare collapsed into laughter, the chortles vibrating down her power-net, no, she¡¯d call it her aura. It spasmed like her lungs would have, twitching as she giggled. [I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so funny.] She laughed harder. Kepler¡¯s ears drooped, and effectively blushed (stretching the dog analogy, unfortunately). That slut saved our lives, you know? And it¡¯s¡ªshe laughed harder¡ªIt¡¯s so frickin big and powerful, and you just¡ªIf she¡¯d had her human body, there would have been tears in her eyes. As it was, she laughed for a good five minutes. Ah, that was another good thing. Time was both present and normal. Thank god. We really survived. [Well, that is good.] Kepler made a small, satisfied noise. It really is. Relieved, Clare stretched her aura out in a comfortable slump, reveling in the feeling of having a body again (no matter how weird). Her aura was the most reactive part of her, but it wasn¡¯t the only piece. In the center of it, there was a large gem, about the size of a human fist. She knew instinctively that her soul rested there, much like her brain in her old body, and it didn¡¯t look all that durable. Kepler? [Yes?] You never answered my question. [Oh, right.] He hesitated for a moment. [The system says to compare it to the litRPG genre, back in your old world.] Oh? Then the system is¡ª [That kind of system, yes. It feeds off the rift and funnels some of it into small sapients, much like the species you were. The sapients can¡¯t take very much, though, or they break.] Clare hummed in her aura thoughtfully. Which is why there are levels? [Yes. Creatures like you exist to help the sapients level.] Oh? She would have blinked but made do with flicking the frayed edges of her aura. Kepler, am I¡ª [A dungeon, yes.] Huh. Clare was¡­ Strangely okay with that. 4. Clare had been confused, at first, about what was her body and what was, as she¡¯d named it, her territory. Her body was her core and aura, plain and simple. Well, if a tangle of roots/net/feathers made of power/will/existence growing from a magical rock could be simple. But a simple enough concept. Her territory was the stone and water. A few bugs and smaller lifeforms as well. It wasn¡¯t her body, exactly, but it belonged to her in an intimate way she couldn¡¯t describe. And she had power, too, filtering in from the system still connected to Kepler. Kepler himself was strangely silent, which she was glad of. Experimenting with the power¡ªMP was a better name, actually, if they were sticking with the litRPG theme¡ªshe found she could manipulate anything within her territory. Shape was the most intuitive. She made a few of the water caverns into hearts and stars and curlicues, but soon found herself limited: she could shape matter, but not remove it. The amount of matter in her territory was fixed. Normally it wouldn''t have bothered her, but the ratio of water to stone limited¡ª That was it. She was a dungeon, wasn¡¯t she? With a flick of her aura, she changed a chunk of stone to water, then back. The aura near her core dimpled happily. Her MP was running low, but she was beginning to figure this dungeon thing out. [Your status sheet is finished.] My status sheet? Like the system? Kepler harrumphed. [Better, obviously. I individualized it because I am, objectively and morally speaking, entirely superior.] Clare hid her laughter as a sudden cough, before remembering she didn¡¯t have lungs. [You¡¯re only laughing because you¡¯re ignorant. Primitive being.] He ignored her cracking up, instead displaying the status sheet: -- Status- Name: Clare Hatt Species: Sapient Dungeon Age: 11 hours, 15 minutes Modifiers: The Kepler Effect, Mythic Connection Level: 1 This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Health: 115% MP (Magic Points): 42/200 MP Ration: 30/1 day XP (Experience Points): 0/10 SP (Sycophant Points): 0 Skills: 2 Designs: 7 Servants: 0 Quests: 1 -- Clare studied the status sheet in silence, feeling a phantom furrow in her non-existent eyebrows. Eventually, she pulled back from it, humming thoughtfully. What¡¯s the ¡®Principle of Conflict¡¯? [A system rule for dungeons. ¡®A dungeon cannot directly affect a delver through matter manipulation.¡¯] Clare thought for a moment. Because if we could just smoosh the delvers with our walls, they¡¯d have no chance of surviving? [Or take away their air. Or set them on fire. Any number of things we could do, really, if we control all matter surrounding them.] Hm. Right, if it¡¯s that one-sided, there¡¯s no ¡®conflict.¡¯ [And with no conflict of wills, no growth of souls either.] Which means no leveling, no greater investment of power¡ªthe whole point of dungeons. [A good rule.] His tail wagging was back, [It¡¯s more fun this way, anyway.] Clare dimpled her aura in a smile. Agreed. She turned back to the status sheet, giving it another once over. Hey, Kepler¡­ [Yes?] Her aura quivered, as she tried to keep a straight face. Are you sure you¡¯re not a servant? You sound an awful lot¡ª He yelped in outrage. [I¡¯m not!] Are you sure¡ª [I¡¯m positive!] I dunno, Kepler, you¡¯re always calling me ¡®Miss Hatt¡¯ and¡ª [Clare!] Kepler howled, [Don¡¯t tease me!] 5. Clare and Kepler decided to split the new quest into two: Kepler would focus on how to ask for and sculpt formless soul matter, and Clare would find a way to make a ¡®living body.¡¯ [Actually, Clare,] Kepler said about a half an hour in, [I think it would be best if we used ¡®Mythic Connection¡¯ for our first servant. Do you have anything in mind from our current materials?] Welll¡­ Clare had managed to acquire some designs for ¡®living matter.¡¯ However, All we have is ¡®Troglobitic Dipluran,¡¯ ¡®Red Worms,¡¯ and ¡®Cave Snot.¡¯ I think I could get more microbes if can isolate them from the water, but it¡¯s hard to kill things that small. Kepler figuratively rested his head on his paws, tongue lolling. [I don¡¯t know any stories from your world. Are there any famous giant worms or cave bugs?] Not that I recall. Clare peered more closely at the designs, parsing out the different tissues and¡­ some kind of iron-rich chitin? [Oh! You acquired a new skill: Differentiate Materials.] What? I have to pay MP just to look more closely? Clare whipped the edges of her aura, grumbling in an unhappy hum. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Kepler snorted. [Don¡¯t be stingy. Didn¡¯t you hear the part about creating new designs? We can still use mythic connection!] Ah¡­. Yeah, that does give me an idea. But still¡ª4 MP for studying a design? I only have 26 left! [It¡¯s only 12 hours and 13 minutes until we get our next ration, quit whining.] I¡¯m not whining-- [What idea? Did you think of a suitable myth?] Rude. There was sudden silence, broken only by the soft sound of water trickling through her territory. Clare flexed her aura in, well, some variety of emotions. She never been very good at identifying them, and it was worse without physical tics to clue her in. She missed her face¡ªan aura could only be so expressive, and even though¡ª [Clare? What¡¯s your idea? Is it good?] Patience is a virtue, Mr. Kepler. Kepler paused thoughtfully. [My apologies, Miss Clare. It was rude of me to be so dismissive.] She sighed. You''re forgiven. [Would you care to share the no-doubt-brilliant idea you¡¯ve come up with? I am ever fascinated by your enlightened wisdom.] He followed up with big, puppy dog eyes¡ªearning a reluctant giggle from Clare. Kepler, I¡¯m beginning to suspect your dog-like expressions are something of a guise. [Is there anything wrong with that?] No. Here¡¯s my idea¡ªhave you ever heard the story of Beowulf? [I will if you tell me.] 6. Clare may have gone into more detail then strictly necessary¡ªas stories go, Beowulf¡¯s was an excellent one, and Kepler was very appreciative. He also had a lot of questions, even after the tale was finished. [But, why did they keep partying every night? Didn¡¯t Grendel bursting in and murdering people stop them? It would have stopped me¡ªat least until we¡¯d stopped Grendel in turn.] They were Norse. [So?] Nothing comes between a Norse man and his drunken parties. It¡¯s a lifestyle thing. [That¡­] Kepler mumbled to himself for a bit, trying to sort through the idea. [Is extremely illogical.] She shrugged. I mean, they killed Grendel eventually. [In the most impractical way they could think of! Who decides to wrestle an enormous, murderous giant, when you have a perfectly good sword?] It was pretty badass, though? Kepler huffed, grumbling to himself unhappily for another five minutes or so. Clare waited quietly. There was no need to rush. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. [Then,] he finally got over it, returning to their original subject, [Do you wish to create Grendel¡¯s mother?] Well, she does live in an underwater cave. And the story never goes into detail about their species, other than that they were big and roughly human-shaped. Gives us a lot of leeway, in terms of design, at least. [Is it wise though? She¡¯s a formidable villain.] Isn¡¯t that a matter of perspective? Burial rites were a big deal in Nordic¡ªhell, in all cultures of the era¡ªso recovering his arm would have been important to her. Clare dimpled her aura in a smile. Damn, she loved moral complexity in a story. There was a reason Beowulf¡¯s was a classic. Besides, no matter the context, Grendel was her son. Is it so bad to exact a little vengeance? [Hm. Not a villain, but a dutiful mother? Interesting. I think I could craft a soul based on that. But what about the physical design?] It was a good question. While Clare now had individual tissues to (probably) build with, using materials from a worm, beetle, and microbe-goo to create something humanoid was¡­ challenging, to say the least. I¡¯ll give it a shot. [Good. I think I can figure my side out before long. I can¡¯t experiment much beforehand, anyway.] Okay. Clare wrinkled her aura anxiously. Heavens, she missed her body, missed human expression. Kepler wagged his tail, [I¡¯ll come help you once I¡¯m done.] What a good boy. She reached mentally to give him a mocking head pat, Who¡¯s a good boy? You are¡ª [Clare. Do you want my help or not?] She chuckled. Thanks for being here, Kepler. I think I¡¯d go mad on my own. [Well,] he mumbled to himself, ears at an uncertain angle, [Obviously¡­] Her aura wobbled with more laughter, driving an embarrassed Kepler back to his work. After a moment, she followed suit. Cave monsters don¡¯t design themselves. 7. Frustration. Clare wanted to grind her teeth but was denied that as well. Not even human¡ªtrapped on a strange world¡ªand this design! It simply refused to work! She paused, calming herself. After a bit of tinkering with ¡®Differentiate Materials¡¯ for a bit, it had evolved to ¡®Construct Design.¡¯ She was now 4 hours and 39 tests in, with little progress. Well, some progress; she¡¯d finished the digestive system, and designed a solid foundation for the brain before handing it off to Kepler. He had some ideas about how to fit the soul to the brain, and was chipping away at it quite happily. They¡¯d decided to ditch any reproductive system, as it was unnecessary, and the respiratory system could be borrowed whole cloth from the Red Worms, although further testing was needed. No, the problem was the musculoskeletal system. Grendel¡¯s mother was supposed to be humanoid, which meant vertebrate, but the designs they had were for invertebrates. Invertebrate muscle could be, with enough time and effort, be altered to work for a vertebrate system, much like Kepler was altering the base neuron design of insects to suit a thinking soul. But they had no samples of bone. Zip. Zero. The closest thing they had was the Dipluran chitin, which was far too flexible. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Clare moaned, aura writhing. I¡¯m not smart enough for this. She¡¯d only gotten this far with the system and Kepler¡¯s generous help. Her new body too, probably. It would have been impossible to do even this much with a human brain. But it wasn¡¯t enough. Oh, she¡¯d tried with the chitin. Increased the excess iron to absurd levels, only for it to become brittle and snap during the tests. Tried weaving chitin threads into tight, conflicting patterns, hoping the internal tension would be enough to give it strength. That one was promising, but she had been working the idea for three straight hours, with marginal progress. Whyisitsoharddd¡­. Clare wanted cup ramen. [Um, Clare?] Kepler turned from his work, [Are you¡­ ] he searched for the right word, [Healthy?] No. [Your health is still at 115%, though.] Clare watched the chitin designs circle her like cartoon birds. They were mocking her; she was sure of it. Kepler let out a whimper/growl. Set aside his work to run diagnostics. Hey, Kepler. [Yes?] Where do you think they were going? He paused, [Whom do you speak of?] All the other dead humans. We were on some sort of path before I got yoinked. Silence. Kepler huffed unhappily, then turned to the system. [What the hell is wrong with my Clare?] The system glanced over at them, then said something to Kepler. [What is that?] A murmur in response. [Oh.] He sighed. [Clare, take a nap.] A nap? Could she still sleep? It seemed so. [Yes.] What about the creative state? We can¡¯t just waste 24 MP. [I can hold it open. I will wake you in ? an hour. That leaves us 1 & ? hours to finish.] Cost: half an hour. Return: clarity of mind. Acceptable. Closing figurative eyes, Clare slipped into the dark. 8. Clare was, in a dim fashion, aware it was a dream. She stood on the sunbaked streets outside her childhood home. Everything was bright and hot, and she wandered towards the sea feverishly. Emma was waiting on the dock. She cut a strange silhouette against the water-bounced light, scrawny, with dark, overflowing hair. Her posture was too old for her age of twelve. The last age Clare had seen her at. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Hey.¡± It felt odd to speak aloud. Clare crouched beside her diminutive sister, marveling at the warm voice-buzz in her throat. Emma looked up at her, eyes the same blue of her beloved ocean. ¡°You¡¯re too tall. You were younger than me.¡± Clare shrugged unapologetically. ¡°Sounds like a you problem.¡± Her sister turned back to the waves, snorting. They watched the water, the sky bleeding into it willy-nilly. Birds hopped rhythmically, their chirrs mixing with the ocean-thrum. ¡°I miss it.¡± Emma said, gesturing to the scene. Clare closed her eyes, focusing on the salt-sharp sea air. ¡°And I miss you.¡± 9. Wakefulness came back slowly. Clare stretched her aura, trying to shake off her dream. She had quietly hoped rebirth would¡­ soften things. But the only thing she had left was herself, even the parts she didn¡¯t like. [Miss Clare?] Kepler¡¯s ears were pressed down guiltily. [Are you awake?] Clare went to rub the sleep from her eyes, then made do with an aura-shudder. [I didn¡¯t know pseudo-human souls required so much rest.] Yeah, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d still need sleep¡ª she paused. Kepler was snuffling her anxiously. What he was not doing, was keeping ¡®Construct Design¡¯ open. You didn¡¯t wake me up! He looked away, looking sheepish, yet completely unrepentant. [You needed the sleep. It was necessary.] Clare huffed. You said you would! That¡¯s a lie. No response. She took the moment to feel her territory. The young Diplurans had hatched, making new homes in the crannies of the hearts and stars and curlicues she¡¯d made yesterday. Her symbiote shifted anxiously, making small, grumble noises. There, in all likelihood, was no point in giving Kepler the cold shoulder. He believed he was firmly in the right, no doubt, so there would be no polite ¡®my apologies¡¯ forthcoming. How long was I out? [6 hours, 16 minutes. It appears you require a 2:1 ratio of awake: asleep time. Roughly speaking. The length of wakeful periods seems determined by an unknown soft-limit modified by the amount of will-assertion performed, probably moderated by relative soul strength--] Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Clare waved him down. Enough. [Understood. I don¡¯t have a lot of data, but I¡¯ve created a tentative conscious-unconscious schedule--] Kepler. Are you¡­ Clare did the equivalent of cocking her head, Worried? [¡­Yes.] She pinned down a curly-aura smile. Needing to sleep is perfectly normal, you know. At least, it was when I was human. [Normal?] He huffed, [You¡¯ll be spending 1/3 of your life completely defenseless!] She laughed. Goofball. [I¡¯m not.] Sure, you aren¡¯t. After a moment, her laughter died. Kepler? [Yes?] Don¡¯t lie anymore. [Okay. I will¡­] He paused, a very human feeling thrumming across their bond. [From now on, there will be no promises I cannot accomplish.] Clare tried to send him mental warmth, but found, for the moment, she had none to share. Her death, that dream, Kepler¡¯s broken word¡­ it had all wrung the warmth out of her. She knew it would return. It always did. That¡¯s a good rule. I¡¯ll follow it too. [Our next MP ration is only 42 minutes away.] Kepler wagged his tail slowly. [Would you like to reopen ¡®Construct Design¡¯ then? I saved our drafts.] Yes, let¡¯s do that. Thinking about it while fresh, Clare was beginning to understand why her drafts had failed in testing. For one, she had been too attached to the idea of an inner skeleton, when an exoskeleton was possible. The execution was challenging, but with her strengthened chitin design and some of the Red Worm¡¯s stronger muscle tissue, workable. For another, Kepler and she had been working on different parts separately¡ªrather than the whole design together. While smaller tests were useful, they had reached the point where they had to consider the bigger picture. She threshed through her ideas with Kepler, passing the time with simple, and increasingly complex, brainstorming. [59:55, 59:56, 59:57,] Kepler began counting down when they reached ten seconds. [59:58, 59¡ª 24 hours!] There was a subtle nudge from the system, and Clare felt their MP reserves go up. [MP: 32] [Engaging skill ¡®Construct Design.¡¯] Clare¡¯s aura dimpled with excitement. The skill came online, and they bit into their work with fierce enthusiasm. 10. They were 4 hours, 45 minutes in. [Test #47: Commencing.] Clare watched anxiously as the modeling engine began to run. They had fixed the flaws in their last test (Joints: enough said), but that was no guarantee this one would be a success. She went to chew her fingernails, but realized she had none. Their draft came together in lines of blue and white, defining itself against the negative backdrop of the skill. All its essential organs came online¡ªeverything functioning perfectly. There was a slight malfunction in one of the brain cores scattered throughout its body, which she noted on a system-provided interface. Kepler kept his own notes beside her. The model rose to its strange, uncanny-valley feet. It was designed, as required, to be humanoid, so all the right limbs were in place; two arms, two legs, a large head, and even the ability to stand upright. They¡¯d put a lot of effort into her hands, too, with an invisible layer of sensitive hairs escaping from the woven chitin and complex musculation and¡ªdamn it, the joints weren¡¯t quite right, the model couldn¡¯t flex her hands properly. Clare noted it, slumping her aura in a dungeon-sigh. Still, their design was beautiful, in an unsettling way. Her chitin skin¡ªseveral layers of different chitins, actually, interwoven with nerves and muscle and respiratory tissue¡ªgleamed hypnotically under the skill¡¯s omni-present light, a slightly translucent rust-red with hints of silver. Her movements were inhumanely smooth; like a grasshopper stalking its prey. In fact, everything about her screamed ¡®predator,¡¯ from her clawed/webbed feet to the long, delicate antennae sprouting from her faux scalp. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. [Moving to underwater simulation.] Slight visual distortions marked the skills new environment, and their design floated off the abstract ground. In-water movements were functional, but Clare made a few notes about how to improve them. The claws were just a hair too long for unhindered swimming. They glittered with a razor-sharp edge from the ends of her webbed toes and fingers. Gorgeously frightening. In the end, though, her head was the most frightening part. Trailing antennae¡ªcovered in tiny sensory hairs¡ªwere thin enough to imitate coarse, movable hair, and where the eyes ought to be, a thick band of white olfactory sensors wrapped around her face like a visor. Her face had no chitin; they¡¯d left it sans armor to allow for more of the almost-invisible hairs that heightened her sense of touch. It was, perhaps, a mistake, as it made for micro-expressions close enough to human that they threw the whole design deep into the uncanny valley. Her mouth, at least, was unremarkable looking. They¡¯d just made a bigger version of the Diplurans¡¯ pouched pinchers, making it seem nothing more than a thin line and an odd pattern in the half-hidden musculature. Those pinchers were sharp, though, and the muscles behind them persistent. The head was frightening, really, because it wasn¡¯t trying to be. A head, a face, so close to human that it sent chills down your aura just looking at it. Haunting because you couldn¡¯t name the danger, only the similarities. Clare loved her, this design that spooked you just by existing. The eerie beauty of her skin and movements, her unsettling way of holding completely still for long moments, every awe-inspiring chill awakened by her¡­ [Clare.] Kepler nosed her excitedly. Hmm? Clare made another note about the neural system, deep in thought. He whined impatiently, his tail wagging. [Clare, the test is finished.] What do you mean¡ªShe glanced up into the empty skill space, finding nothing but schematics, But the design hasn¡¯t failed yet¡ª Clare paused, aura dimpling. Wait, does that mean--? [She passed, Clare! Our design is functional!] 11. Sylvia. [Grendela.] What? No! That¡¯s ugly. [Her defining feature is being Grendel¡¯s mother. Therefore, her name should be a female form of Grendel.] Clare huffed. You can¡¯t possibly, as the designer of her soul, think she is nothing but a non-existent creature¡¯s mother. [Well, first off, I only designed the frame, a lot will be shaped by--] And if you really do, I want a look at that soul-frame! That¡¯s no way for a co-creator to¡ª [Wait up now,] Kepler lashed his tail aggressively, coming off as more cat-like for once, [I don¡¯t think her personality is defined purely by the myth and her side role in it.] Clare calmed. [But from a practical perspective, it is best to link her to the myth as strongly as possible. This will grant her more opportunities through ¡®Mythic Connection.¡¯] That, Clare shuffled her aura with regret, Does make sense. I¡¯m sorry I assumed the worst of you. [Then we should name her Grendela.] Absolutely not! We should name her Sylvia! They had finally worked out the last kinks in their first servant¡¯s design. In the last test before ¡®Construct Design¡¯ closed, she had been capable of anything they could think of, and they were now ready to create her. Well, almost. [Why Sylvia? There is no logical reason to name her Sylvia.] She has silver flecks in her chitin, which sounds similar to Sylvia. Clare curled the edges of her aura with a sullen kind of stubbornness. The dipluran larvae squirmed, feeling the emotion imbibe the water and stone of her territory. Kepler huffed, [Illogical. Her name should be useful, not based on some minor aspect of her looks.] But she¡¯s so pretty! She should have a pretty name to match. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Their argument began to affect the other insects, who nervously played dead, but neither noticed. [Nonsense.] Kepler sat back onto his metaphorical heels, as if digging in for a long fight, [Beauty is both irrelevant and subjective. Grendela should be strong.] Clare grumbled. If she had a proper face, she would be scowling. She can be both. We¡¯re not naming her something ugly. [Well! I guess we just won¡¯t name her anything.] I guess we won¡¯t, then! There was tense silence. Water moved gently through Clare¡¯s territory. If they weren¡¯t low on MP, she would have made a proper path for it. The current was soothing. She tensed her aura, then slumped, a dungeon¡¯s equivalent of a sigh. If we don¡¯t name her, we won¡¯t be able to make her, not properly. [That¡¯s¡­] He grumbled softly, [That is true. And without completing the quest, we won¡¯t level up.] And, leveling aside, they were both too committed to the project to give up now. I suppose she doesn¡¯t have to be Sylvia. Just a pretty name, that¡¯s all. Kepler thumped his tail, doglike once more. [Well, if it¡¯s a Nordic name, she should still have a fairly strong connection to the legend.] They relaxed, much to their denizens¡¯ relief, and began bouncing ideas off each other. Clare tried to remember any Nordic names she could, but they weren¡¯t sure what counted as ¡®Nordic¡¯ until Kepler tried something interesting. ¡®Mythic Connection¡¯ was not part of the system. Much like Kepler himself, it was something unique to Clare; something she¡¯d brought with her from the other side of the rift. It was regulated by both the System and, to an extent, Kepler so that it didn¡¯t hurt her, but it was essentially an unconscious connection to her home world. What about Eileen? [Uhh¡­] Kepler leaned into ¡®Mythic Connection.¡¯ It was possible, they¡¯d discovered, for him to find a word or idea¡¯s place in the Mythos. [Hazelnut?] Hazelnut? Is that what the name means? [Maybe? I think it¡¯s Norse¡­] The strategy had mixed results. Well, let¡¯s pass on that for now, I guess. Kathleen? [Vaguely Irish. Is Irish Norse? These terms/ideas are all so confusing.] It also gave Kepler the soul equivalent of a headache. I don¡¯t remember. Clare was discovering a lot of gaps in her memory. She had only ever been an amateur historian, interested in the philosophy and stories and nothing much else. Let¡¯s pass on Kathleen, too. She racked her mind quietly. Kepler was mumbling irritably about it all being ¡®mushed together¡¯ and ¡®too interconnected¡¯ and ¡®human complicated.¡¯ Astrid? He grunted, pinging the connection. [Ah. That¡¯s definitely Norse.] Oh? What does it mean? [Beautiful,] Clare widened eyes she no longer had. [And beloved.] Kepler¡­ She tried to give him big, adorable puppy-dog eyes, the way he so often did, through their soul-bond. We can name her that, right? Right? He hid his face in his hands. [Why not?] Thank you! Her aura dimpled a smile. [You don¡¯t need to thank me.] He rested his head on his paws (back to his more doglike expressions). I know, I¡¯m just happy. The whole territory buzzed with her excitement, at how right the name felt. [Then, should we make our first servant?] Yes. She beamed, I can''t wait to meet Astrid. 12. Status- Name: Clare Hatt Species: Sapient Dungeon Age: 2 days, 4 hours, 45 minutes Modifiers: The Kepler Effect, Mythic Connection Level: 1 Health: 115% MP: 30/200 MP Ration: 30/1 day XP: 2.1/10 SP: 0 Skills: 4 Designs: 11 Servants: 0 This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Quests: 1 There was tense, excited silence. Water poured through Clare¡¯s territory, twirling through a long, twisting path she¡¯d made. It was big enough for Astrid to swim in, and Clare had included enough bends and inlets that the current wasn¡¯t too fast. The native cave life had hated the renovating, but settled in alright once it was finished. A group of Red Worms had even begun reproducing, which was strangely poetic. Her whole territory was primed to create life. [Ready?] Clare twisted the lines of her aura anxiously. Yes. Together, they activated the skill. MP left her at an astonishing rate, draining into one of the inlets. A ball of light the size of a human fist appeared. It thrummed with silver energy. Clare tasted cotton candy, sticky with the heat of summer. Smelled hot pavement. Felt Emma¡¯s hand in hers, tugging her forward, towards the ocean. Always the ocean. The ball pulsed once, twice, before exploding into a humanoid the length of Clare¡¯s arm¡ªno, the length her arm had been, when she¡¯d had one. It was¡ªshe was curled in a fetal position, beautiful red and silver chitin gleaming in Clare¡¯s awareness. [Astrid.] The young one twisted upwards, searching for him. She reached out her delicate hands, hair spreading in a beautiful sprawl of orange and silver. Clare laughed shakily. Astrid, you won¡¯t be able to find us. My core is hidden in the stone. She paused, emanating confusion. Clare felt Astrid trying to form words, but only received a faint inquiry. You are safe. [You are ours.] 13. [Quest completed!] [Level up!] Power burrowed into her, invasive and cold. It pushed into her aura, as if someone had slid a smooth tentacle under her skin. Painless, at least¡ªeven pleasurable, in its own horrifying way. She shivered deeply. Kepler snarled at the system, [HOW.] He launched himself at it, all teeth and fury, [DARE YOU.] This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. There was an energetic scuffle, ending when the power retracted. Clare slumped, dizzy and mentally fuzzy. Kepler listened to the system explaining, hackles raised. [No.] He growled. [I¡¯ll do it.] Hemming and hawing from the system. She was unable to pick up its exact meaning unless Kepler translated. [Explain it, then.] Annoyance. [I don¡¯t care.] A condescending suggestion. [SHE IS MINE.] Kepler seemed ready to attack again. The system paused. Chatted within itself. Responded to him firmly. Kepler glared suspiciously before lowering his hackles. [I may have overreacted some. My apologies, that was rude.] Clare could tell he wasn¡¯t sincere, but the system seemed fine with it. They started a longer exchange, with the system lecturing as Kepler took notes and asked the occasional question. Disoriented and exhausted, Clare fell into a dreamless slumber. In the midst of it, comforting power wrapped itself around her. Slipped in through the cracks, warm and expansive. It filled her, and her world expanded. 14. Clare awoke to the chipper ¡®sound¡¯ of Astrid¡¯s happiness. She was hunting Red Worms, catching them in her tiny, flexible hands, before releasing them in the absence of any hunger. Although much smaller than they¡¯d intended her to be, she was a giant to the insects surrounding her, dancing through the watery halls of Clare¡¯s territory. [Clare?] Kepler nosed her, [How are you feeling?] Um¡­ She went to rub the sleep from her eyes, but they were gone. Instead, she gave her aura a good shake. I feel¡ª She paused. Bigger. Kepler wagged his tail in response, curling around her. He always returned to a puppy-like state when he was worried. [That¡¯s because you are bigger.] He did the equivalent of resting his chin on her shoulder. [Would you like to see your notifications?] Clare curled her aura around her new territory. It felt¡­ right. Belonged to her, in the same way her arms had when she was human. Yes, I would. [Access to the SP store granted!] [Territory expanded.] [New Designs absorbed!] [New Quest!] Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Clare mentally blinked. We¡¯ve reached the surface? She could feel it now that it¡¯d been pointed out to her. It wasn¡¯t above them, either¡ªrather, even with them, about 10 yards from her core. The outside tasted old; like the dust they¡¯d gained as a design. They only had a sliver of it, less than an inch deep and about 6 ft x 4 ft tall and wide, but it was enough. We can have an entrance! Excitement swept through her, stirring the insects and catching Astrid¡¯s attention. You hear that, Astrid? We¡¯re going to have delvers! The young humanoid cocked her head in confusion, then went back to hunting the insects. They were easier to grab, now, as they squirmed with Clare¡¯s energy. I can¡¯t believe it, Kepler! Clare turned to her symbiote, who wagged his tail happily. [We¡¯re going to be the best dungeon.] He declared. [We¡¯ll strike fear into the hearts of our enemies. They will beg us for mercy and bring us tribute for our favor. Our power will be unimaginable.] Yeah, sure, Clare said, And we¡¯re going to help people level up, and have super smart servants, and really challenging bosses, and super cool puzzles! Astrid moved on to the diplurans, who proved to be a bit faster on their feet. [They will grovel under our metaphorical feet.] Do you think we could give out unique classes? [Almost certainly.] Kepler replied confidently, [People will be begging us to train them. And then, they will beg us to let them leave.] The diplurans weren¡¯t quite fast enough, though, and Astrid mastered their patterns quickly. She was the superior hunter and beloved for it. Clare dimpled her aura happily. We¡¯ll definitely give them a challenge! [We¡¯ll rake in the XP.] Kepler rubbed his hands together, leaning into a more human style of expression. For sure! Everybody will. Astrid bored of the insects, instead grabbing handfuls of the microbic mats growing on the cave walls. She shoved them in her mouth. Clare calmed a little, Um¡­ She curled her aura sheepishly, Where should we start? [Well, we just got access to the Sycophant Points Store.] She giggled at Kepler¡¯s name for it. Okay, let¡¯s start there, then. 15. [Opening SP store.] Welcome to the SP Store. Skills: No further skills available, return when more are unlocked. Designs: No further designs available, return when more are unlocked. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Clare and Kepler looked through the options in contemplative silence. Water poured through Clare steadily, Astrid pushing off the walls to play in the current. She had stopped hunting, for now. The aptly named ¡®Cave Snot¡¯ microbe mats were still in danger, though. Oof. Clare winced as their delusions of grandeur crashed down all around them. All of these options kind of suck. Kepler let out a snobbish snort. [What an inelegant way of expressing disappointment.] He paused to give her a faux-disappointed look. [Greatness starts small, Miss Clare.] Forgive me, oh great butler-y one. My etiquette is obviously lacking. [I¡¯m not a butler¡­] Kepler¡¯s ears went down in full pathetic-puppy mode, which made Clare giggle. I know, I know. She placated. And your right, these options don¡¯t totally suck. ¡®Upgrade Design¡¯ actually looks really interesting. Clare thought back to designing Astrid, We definitely need more design options, and I¡¯d like to see what a ¡®random¡¯ upgrade could bring. [Well¡­] Kepler was still pouting, but let it go after a moment, [Such upgrades could be useless, which is risky.] He cheered up at the thought. So we¡¯re grabbing that one, right? [Definitely.] Clare purchased it. New Skill Acquired! Hum. Kind of pricey with the MP. Kepler flopped down beside her, managing System related things with quiet flicks of his consciousness. [Aren¡¯t they all? We¡¯ll have enough MP to do whatever we want, soon. Just have to keep leveling!] He snuggled up to her, which was freaking adorable in his currently dog-like form. [By the way, we only have 5 SP left.] Oh, right¡­. Clare had, admittedly, never been very good with budgeting. Wanna do the design roulette 5 times? Kepler clicked his tongue. He tried very hard, Clare noticed, to be a good influence sometimes. But his heart wasn¡¯t in it. Clare gave him puppy-dog eyes, and he folded quickly. [Definitely! That sounds thrilling!] 16. Upgrade Design! Skill ¡®Upgrade Design¡¯ used: New design acquired! OhmygoshKepler we have danger noodles!! Clare shrieked excitedly, drawing a curious look from Astrid. Super ferocious pack-hunting danger noodles! This is so amazing! It was their first use of ¡®Upgrade Design,¡¯ and already it was proving fruitful. [They are certainly impressive.] Kepler hummed quietly to himself. [I do hope they get along with Astrid, though.] Astrid focused on them further, querying Kepler in a muddled fashion. [You are not speaking clearly.] He replied seriously. [I cannot respond if I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re asking.] Astrid huffed, turning to Clare with the same question. Are you asking what we were saying about you? Clare cooed. Her infant ¡®servant¡¯ mentally nodded, although her body stayed quite still. [We¡¯re getting more servants.] Kepler said, [If they perform better than you, we may replace you permanently.] Kepler! Clare turned back to Astrid, Don¡¯t worry about that, Astrid, we¡¯d never replace you. We were just wondering if you all would get along. Astrid shook a fist at Kepler, then bounced off through the watery tunnels to hunt. She pointedly ignored their conversation, although not convincingly. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Clare turned to Kepler, glaring. [What? It¡¯s best for her to improve herself¡ªshe can¡¯t get too comfortable.] She¡¯s just a baby. [I don¡¯t see how that¡¯s relevant. I was capable of doing my duties as soon as I was created. And we never planned on her being otherwise.] Clare sighed, glancing over at Astrid who didn¡¯t seem to be affected, just peeved. Not everyone is the same, Kepler. Children need time to grow. Kepler turned away from her pointedly, but she could see over his shoulder. He was examining Astrid¡¯s status. Status- Name: Astrid Hatt Species: Water Giant Age: 6 hours, 30 minutes Status Effects: Infancy, Dungeon Child Level: 1 Health: 100% Class: None. MP Unavailable due to Infancy XP: 0/10 SP: 0 Strength: 7 Agility: 10 Dexterity: 10 Intelligence: 2 Mana Affinity: 3 Charisma: 0 Skills Unavailable due to Infancy Spells Unavailable due to Infancy Quests: 0 Kepler huffed softly, putting the stat sheet away. [What kind of joke is this,] he mumbled to himself, [This wasn¡¯t in the designs.] Kepler. Clare mentally poked him. Let¡¯s just let it go. You¡¯ll be nicer to her now, right? [I am not required to be nice.] He responded firmly, [As the protector of your soul I am, at times, required to be incredibly mean.] Kepler¡­ She sighed. Astrid started hunting the diplurans again, but failed to catch them, mostly. Distracted. [A child is not a threat.] Kepler finally said, flopping back onto Clare¡¯s metaphorical lap. It made her miss her real lap, but they had maintained a kind of mental space between them. He was even creating a more stable form of expressing himself, something between a cat/dog and a human/water giant, which would have been disturbing if seen in reality. [I will be gentler.] Astrid perked up, vindicated, and began hunting the water bugs in earnest. 17. Clare and Kepler had spent all but 12 of their MP. Their SP, the rarer currency, was drained completely. It was all worth it. New Designs: If Clare had a face, she would have been grinning from ear to ear. As it was, her aura was dimpled so much it looked like a bad perm. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. [Well, aren¡¯t you happy?] Kepler cocked his ears at her, smiling himself. She laughed in response. Aren¡¯t you? [Yes.] He purred, looking over the list, [I very much am.] Astrid glanced up at their happiness, the red worms she¡¯d been pursuing crinkling themselves. Giggling, Clare looked back at the list. We can do so much with this. [Well,] Kepler admitted, [Not until tomorrow. We don¡¯t have enough MP right now for anything.] Clare stretched her aura in a yawn. That¡¯s not true. We can do ¡®Reshape Matter,¡¯ at least. Kepler paused. Astrid pushed off the wall, summersaulting down into one of the little pools Clare had made to reduce the current. She held her hands out in front of her, feeling them with her antennae-hair. [Nonsense. It¡¯d be better to save up for tomorrow.] Don¡¯t act like you didn¡¯t like our little spending spree. Clare snickered, poking him teasingly. Kepler snorted, turning aside. He really couldn¡¯t win on that front-- but he wasn¡¯t going to admit defeat, either. In Clare¡¯s watery tunnels, Astrid turned to the smooth walls, holding her olfactory eye-band close to it. Fascinated. Clare focused on her symbiote, who was being far too silent. Kepler? What¡¯s the matter? [You¡¯ve been up for 13 hours.] So? [So go to sleep.] Clare sighed. She was tired, but it was too early to go to bed. Kepler¡ª His mental gaze flicked back at her, worried. Worried. You know I¡¯m not exactly fragile, right? [I¡¯m not going to answer that.] He cuddled up to her, trying to hide his anxiety. Had her sleep deprivation traumatized him? Well¡­ He was quite literally built to protect her. You¡¯re ridiculous. [And you¡¯ll humor me?] Yeah. She was sleepy, anyway. They would have time later. Time to spawn servants, create puzzles, traps, and challenges for their delvers. Tomorrow, and the days after. Rome wasn¡¯t built in a day; and they would be the Rome of all dungeons. 18.— 1 Month Later -- Nova¡¯s Perspective ¨C Nova escaped into the Old Palace. It was decrepit, now. Crumbling cloth hung on the walls¡ªthe remains of bright banners and tapestries, slowly rotting into dust. Dust everywhere, really, thick layers upon layers of it. Her footsteps stirred up silty clouds in the deepest parts, she was familiar with them. Familiar with the age, the quiet, the decay. ¡®A callous disrespect of our past¡¯ was what Priest Jove liked to call it, his dry, wiry hands pulling up weeds as he lectured. He would always garden as they talked, kids from both the Homes helping him. Nova wasn¡¯t sure it was disrespect. More like they¡¯d all just forgotten about it. All the royals, the new church, the busy people in the city just across the river¡ªthey were all so quick about everything, not like old Priest Jove, or even the younger adults who ran the Home Nova lived in. People outside the Scoop just didn¡¯t bother remembering, didn¡¯t have the time to. Moving quietly through the Old Palace, Nova tried to put those thoughts from her mind. The world may have forgotten the Old Palace, neglected the old gods Nox and Lux, and ignored every orphan in the two homes; but that didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t there. And it meant the quiet Old Palace belonged to the Scoop, and the Scoop alone. She was exploring deep, that evening. The dust lined the edges of her vision like snowflakes or mist, and she had a bandanna around her mouth and nose to keep it breathable. Glow stone¡ªstill bright after nearly 100 years¡ªlit her path in long strips ensconced in corners, giving the place an eerie, ever-present light. Exploring the Old Palace was commonplace, among the orphans, but none of the others loved it the way Nova did. She loved the silence. Entering what appeared to be a bedroom, she picked through the remains of a vanity table, spotting a vivid red gem. It was the biggest piece of a golden bracelet, the gem a bit bigger than her thumbnail. She tipped it this way and that in the glow-light, watching it sparkle hypnotically. There was no way they could sell it; doing so would invite scavengers into their peaceful Scoop. People remember gems and gold, and not in a good way. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Still, Nova pocketed it. She had a small collection of jewelries back at her Home. Beautiful, useless trinkets. That, too, wasn¡¯t uncommon among the more adventurous kids. Nova¡¯s stash was the biggest, though. Ira, their sole paladin, called her ¡®little magpie¡¯ because of it. The nickname stuck, almost like a last name, now. Leaving the room, she took to the hallway again. Let her need for silence drive her on. She went deeper, deeper than she¡¯d ever been before. Many of her nights had been spent this way, but she wasn¡¯t stopping as often. Her feet only came to rest when the corridors ended. Surprised, she stopped. Her path had ended at a wide doorway. It was half-blocked by the rotting remains of double doors, expensive filigree glinting in the wreckage. She pushed through it, entering a massive room. Bas reliefs shone from the walls in Glow Stone, depicting stern-faced men holding scepters and bearing the weight of heavy crowns on their heads. Each had an individual face, carved to look like real people. ¡°Past kings.¡± Nova whispered, enchanted. She ran her fingers across the portraits. None of them were familiar. It had been far too long for common knowledge to bother with them. At the far end of the room, a massive dais rose in stone and elaborate craftsmanship. Gems the size of Nova¡¯s fist gleamed from stone dimples, swirls of white marble and pale Dove-metal making abstract shapes like ocean currents. ¡°How could they just leave all this stuff here?¡± What had they called the king who¡¯d built the New Palace? Right, ¡®Adrian the Extravagant.¡¯ Nova clicked her tongue. ¡°Well deserved.¡± Even as a poorly educated 13 year old, she knew that throne had to cost millions upon millions of top coins. Just the Dove-metal alone¡­ It¡¯s a good thing we haven¡¯t sold any jewelry. She gulped. People would kill for this. She walked towards the dais. A black throne was perched atop it, deceptively simple in design. She didn¡¯t recognize the stone it was made of¡ªprobably some kind of magic material. More expensive than Dove-metal, maybe? Shivering, she gave the whole thing a wide berth. Who knew what kind of lingering enchantments remained. To either side of it, there were more bas-reliefs of old kings. Nova spent another moment studying them, but soon found herself strangely bored. Once you got past the sheer expense of the place¡­ ¡°It¡¯s empty.¡± She mumbled to herself. While the craftsmanship was undeniably perfect, the art itself felt hollow. Soulless. She was about to leave, spooked by the massive display of dead power, when she spotted another doorway behind the dais. Huh? The doorway didn¡¯t match the rest of the room, or even the rest of the palace. Most of the building preferred straight lines and sharp corners, but this entrance was an arch. There was no rotting door, either, the inside obscured instead by a pervasive dimness¡­ and, was that mist? Blue mist wavered just inside the arch, glittering and soft. Nova gravitated towards it, skirting around the throne-area carefully. The sound of rushing water beckoned her in, a deep thrum; a heartbeat that matched her own. Without a second thought, she stepped through the mist. Cool air wrapped itself around her. Her eyes widened. ¡°Beautiful.¡± 19. -- Nova¡¯s Perspective ¨C A grotto. It was the only way to describe it. Nova had heard the word in old stories: a mystical cave, laden with obscure meanings. A place deep in the wilderness, the first type of temple. Pillars of water seemed to support a cream-colored disc of a ceiling. Their constant thrum filled the grotto with white noise, muffling any other sounds. Its walls were some kind of mixed color¡ªa more translucent smoky rock paneled on dark, sparkling granite. The effect made it difficult to discern how large the room was, although it couldn¡¯t have been smaller than 50 ft. across. No corners appeared to lessen the ambiguity, the room a perfect circle. She took a deep breath of damp air. It smelled of water, stone, and salt. Taking a few steps forward, she peered through the dim light and blue mist. Deep pools replaced the floor at random. Shallower streams ran in and out of them, leaving few dry spots. The floor was an unusual, glassy material. A deep black, its reflective nature imitated the still pools easily. I¡¯ll have to watch my footing. Nova didn¡¯t know how to swim and didn¡¯t want an involuntary crash course. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Still, she continued forward. Her eyes began to adjust to the dim, and she began to pick out the details of the grotto. A forest of metal trees unfolded, lit by a small, blue moon¡ªa crystal orb embedded in the pale ceiling. Each tree had perfect metal leaves, down to the veins, and pale pink fruit. The fruits were slightly translucent, and faintly glowed. Reaching up, she brushed her fingers against one¡ªonly to draw back abruptly. ¡°Ow!¡± The fruit had shocked her, a sting of magic that lingered painfully. She whimpered, rubbing her fingers, as the light of the ¡®moon¡¯ pulsed erratically. It shone brighter, illuminating the grotto. Nova gasped, stinging hand forgotten. In the center of the cavern, directly below the light, was an enormous statue. A beautiful maiden, with pure white skin and chestnut brown hair, stared apathetically from the strangle-tight grasp of a monster. Her eyes were a liquid silver, swirling in a soft current around sharp pupils. She stared down at Nova with an empty expression, as if all emotion had been forcibly drained from her. The monster hugged her from behind, clasping her waist and shoulder in massive, clawed hands. He rested his chin on the top of her head; his long, razor-sharp teeth were mere inches from her scalp, stark white against his black body. It was the same material as the floor, sharp and glassy, with long mounds of oddly flexible spikes hanging off him. Hints of semi-translucent red bled out from under and between them, as if showing skinless muscle. Nova took a reflexive step backwards, looking up to meet the monstrous statue¡¯s eyes. Silvery, like the maiden¡¯s, but narrowed, guarded. Dangerous. Her heart rate skyrocketed. She took another step backwards, eyes darting away from his gaze. Caught briefly on his oddly adorable ears before movement blurred at the edge of her vision. Nova screamed at the red apparition that greeted her. Earless, noseless, skinless¡ªa creature slightly shorter than her, moving with a predatory grace that set Nova¡¯s survival instincts on fire. She didn¡¯t stop running until she was outside the Old Palace. 20. Astrid leaned back on her heels, mouth hanging open. [Huh?] The Water Giant had, during the month of ¡®cave renovations,¡¯ moved past both her infancy and toddler stages in quick succession. Her childhood stage seemed slower, and she¡¯d stabilized at a height of 4¡¯7¡±. [What was that?] She¡¯d also learned to speak much more clearly, although her current flabbergasted state muddled her speech a little. Kepler and Clare looked down at her, at first confused. The two had spent a lot of time, in the past month, making a ¡®proper¡¯ dungeon, which included all sorts of new servants. Many of them had bonded with Astrid, but even those who didn¡¯t were ambivalent to or exasperated with her at worst. The little girl had, in all her short life, never encountered someone afraid of her. Clare froze. Oh no. She said to Kepler privately. We forgot to tell her. [I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a problem.] He replied, also privately. Astrid caught wind they were talking without her, and strained to listen in, to no effect. Kepler snuffled at Clare¡¯s shoulder thoughtfully. He¡¯d chosen a more stable form, in their mind-space, ever since Clare had started the statue project. It was now common for his semi-humanoid self to be flopped halfway on top of her when he was resting, as he was currently. [Anyway, we¡¯re ready to level up.] Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Kepler, we need to address this! [Fine.] He turned to Astrid, [The delver ran away like that because she¡¯s afraid of you. Most delvers will be.] Astrid looked down at her feet, at that. Shuffled unhappily. [Like¡­ how Duchess doesn¡¯t like getting dirty?] Duchess was one of their three eccentric faeries, and Astrid¡¯s nemesis. They were constantly pranking each other, sometimes with Puck¡¯s (one of the other faeries) help. [No, like they¡¯re afraid of dying.] Astrid tilted her head, puzzled. [Do they¡­ I guess dying hurts, but¡­] Not like that, Clare cut in, Astrid, if delvers die, they don¡¯t respawn. There was a pause in the conversation. In the moat, the snake-worms wrestled playfully underwater as Puck skimmed over the surface, stinging them with small shocks here and there. The dipluran choir chimed softly in the background, restarting their ever-present music now that the delver was gone. The young Water Giant flinched suddenly. [What! Why?] [They don¡¯t have a dungeon.] Kepler pulled himself off Clare, yawning lazily. He¡¯d become much more lethargic, lately, likely settling in as he realized there were no active threats to any of them. [That makes them weak.] Astrid shifted from one foot to the other. [But that¡¯s¡ªthey must be frightened of everything!] Her two guardians felt a wave of sympathy from her. [Poor delvers!] Ah¡­ well¡­ The little girl, satisfied with their explanation, ran off to play again; quickly getting herself in trouble with Van Goh, their third and final faerie. Wait¡­ Clare said weakly. She didn¡¯t have the heart to explain how Astrid was less frightening and more utterly terrifying, though, and so didn¡¯t call her back. The slimes were converging by the jungle gym with a cult-like seriousness again. Dipluran songs echoed the sentiment by taking on a monastic tone. Kepler blew in her ear mischievously¡ªor really, the mental equivalent. Their mind-space had become more concrete, in the last month, much to their delight. Clare had been overjoyed to have some semblance of a face again. She jolted back. Kepler! The symbiote snickered. [Wake up, Clare. It¡¯s time to level!] 21. [Quest Completed!] [New Status Effect!] [Level up!] [System interference banned, leveling will be done by Kepler.] There was an awkward silence. At the jungle gym, Chubbles the slime led a charge into the mess of iron bars. The dipluran choir reached a monastic climax as the gelatinous group climbed. Clare snickered. Lustful demon¡ª [Shut up.] Kepler hid his face in his hands. [This never happened. I¡¯m hiding it on the status sheet.] Only hiding it, huh? She grabbed him by his fuzzy ears, So you really are a demon! He pawed at her hands unhappily. [Clare!] He howled, [Not my ears!] This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Outside, their servants heard the scuffle, glancing at the statue where the core was ensconced. Serves you right! Who told you to blow in my ears? Kepler got rid of his ears entirely, squishing into an inky black glob. [At least I didn¡¯t grab them! You¡¯re so mean!] She tackled him in response, aura dimpling with laughter. He huffed, turning back to his normal form and pinning her to the ground. [I am not a demon!] Giggling, Clare went for his ears again, but settled for hugging him when he drew back his head. He looked down at her with utter confusion. [Miss Clare, is there something I¡¯m missing here? I don¡¯t see how this is amusing.] How is it not? She let go of him, flopping onto her back with a content sigh. A line formed between his brows. [People think I¡¯m a demon. That¡¯s just hurtful.] Huh? Clare blinked. Aren¡¯t you the one always going on about how they will grovel before our power? [That is a completely separate matter.] He sat up. [People should fear my greatness and majesty, not see me as a monster to put down!] Clare sat up as well, reaching over to pat his head. He caught her by the wrist. [Do not touch my ears, you irresponsible savage.] I¡¯m sorry. [Ah.] Kepler paused, uncertain, then let go of her wrist. [Yes, alright.] Had Clare apologized to him before? She certainly hoped so, but he seemed so thrown off guard by it¡­ You aren¡¯t a demon. She put her hands in her lap. I¡¯ve never thought of you that way, that¡¯s why I thought it was silly. [Well, I¡­] He dropped into a cat like form, shifting uncomfortably. [I shouldn¡¯t have called you a savage, either.] Clare snorted. You call me a savage all the time. He huffed in response, flopping into her lap. The slimes continued their race to the top of the jungle gym, Omnom in the lead. Rhythmic chase-scene music had replaced the Diplurans¡¯ previous song, sounding oddly exotic in their small, chirpy throats. Clare began to pet the top of Kepler¡¯s head, which he ignored but didn¡¯t put a stop to. Astrid jumped into the Snake-Worms¡¯ moat and was immediately jumped by Mr. Wriggles and Chomp-chomp. She managed to take Chomp-chomp with her when she had to respawn. [Right.] Kepler sat up suddenly, brushing off his inefficient emotions. [Let¡¯s move forward.] Clare smiled at him. Okay. 22. Leveling up still left Clare wobbly and overwhelmed. Kepler had sunk into her *(@-- Mind-pain. [Clare, please avoid incomprehensible thoughts.] Shut up and let me process. Her mouth was dry and sticky, aura trembling and sensitive. Her new territory huddled inside her, sending jitters through her at movements as small as changes in air pressure. [Are you alright? Perhaps I should have leveled you while you were asleep again...] Clare looked at his face¡ªhis form returned to his usual monster-human-pet hybrid. As they had leveled, she had felt his emotions against her bare soul¡­ acute worry, that he would level her the way the system had tried to, that he would harm her; a serious dedication to her happiness; raw, unfiltered acceptance of her emotions, of her very self¡­ Rubbing her imaginary eyes, she shook it off. Nah, it¡¯s cool. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. [Are you sure? Your human soul seems unaccustomed to such immaterial experiences--] Clare chuckled. He hadn¡¯t worried this much since he¡¯d realized she needed sleep. His ears drooped. Thanks. She patted his head. I¡¯m really fine, though. And she really was. Had it been any other being, under less voluntary circumstances, she would have felt deeply violated. But Kepler was so sincere, so very¡­ Well, she¡¯d honestly enjoyed it. Not that she would ever say so. What notifications did we get? Kepler perked up, although he still smelled a bit worried (it wasn¡¯t really a scent, but certain things didn¡¯t translate well into a physically-styled mind-space). [Ah, well, we picked up quite a few new designs! It seems we¡¯ve absorbed a chunk of, well, a palace.] Oh? Clare felt her new territory, finding an impressive throne room. Dayumm¡­ Gemstones the size of her previous fists, swirls of magic-dense metal, intricate carvings, a throne made of a material so thick in magic and enchantments it nearly burned in Clare¡¯s vision. The diplurans, sensing her mood, began playing ¡®We¡¯re in the Money.¡¯ Van Gogh hummed along, harmonizing unconsciously. His little blue body sparked happily as he carved glowing stars into Clare¡¯s ceiling. Kepler laughed ominously. [I told you delvers would be begging us.] Yesssss! 23. --Ira¡¯s Perspective¡ª ¡°And you gained a level?¡± Ira confirmed, looking down at the orphan. Nova nodded. She was a good kid, about 13 or so, with dark, glossy hair and a boundless imagination. A born storyteller, really, but a bit flighty because of it. Her big, green eyes looked up at Ira with perfect sincerity. Ira shifted her feet anxiously. ¡°You¡¯re certain.¡± They were in the orchard, the other orphans running about, washing away the boredom of the recent winter. Green buds had formed on the branches of the apple trees, and the cherry trees already had the beginning of blossoms. Nova nodded again, looking her dead in the eyes. Believed her own words, at least. Nova always looked at her hands when she was lying. ¡°Right.¡± Ira said. ¡°Don¡¯t go back, but don¡¯t worry, either. This¡­¡± She paused, considering the implications. Based on her description, and the way she¡¯d leveled up so quickly (although how quickly was up for debate, the girl hadn¡¯t even checked her status till the morning after), it could only be a dungeon. They were the only place that had both monsters and bonuses to leveling, although Nova¡¯s fanciful descriptions muddled the account somewhat. ¡°This could be a good thing, little magpie. But don¡¯t go spreading it around.¡± Nova looked at her hands. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± A lie. But about what? Someone started a game of tag, which dashed through the orchard, bringing more and more children into its lighthearted scramble. Nova gulped. ¡°Oh what?¡± ¡°What are you lying about, Nova?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The girl looked up, surprise quickly morphing into a scowl. ¡°How do you always know?¡± Ira smirked. ¡°You turn bright orange all over when you lie. From the tips of your toes to the last hair on your head.¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Liar.¡± Nova squinted at her. ¡°I don¡¯t turn orange.¡± ¡°How do you know you don¡¯t? Have you ever seen yourself lie?¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Nova paused, ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I turn orange.¡± Ira shook her head in mock seriousness. ¡°You really should see it. It¡¯s like someone¡¯s covered you in orange peels.¡± She poked her, trying to look thoughtful. ¡°Makes me wonder what else changes, hm? Maybe instead of oranges for Christmas, we can have you tell a lie and feast¡ª¡± ¡°Ira!¡± Nova huffed, ¡°Quit messing with me!¡± The paladin laughed. ¡°I really had you for a minute there.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t.¡± Nova flopped down on a boulder, attempting to look sullen. Ira sat beside her. ¡°Nova. What are you lying about?¡± A robin was nesting in their biggest cherry tree, unaware that the children would soon be bothering it out. The tree was a favorite for climbing. It was for the best, as they¡¯d have to drive the birds away from their fruit during harvest and the growing season, anyhow. ¡°I might have told the other kids already.¡± Nova finally admits. Ira winced. ¡°Who, exactly?¡± ¡°So, I told Felix first¡ª¡± ¡°You told Felix?¡± Ira swore under her breath. Of all the orphans she could have told¡­ Felix, Nova¡¯s best friend, was incredibly smart and, unlike Nova, quite practical. Unfortunately, he was also a massive troublemaker, throwing himself into danger just for the thrill of it. Ira thought he¡¯d make a good paladin someday, but only if she could keep him alive until then. ¡°Well,¡± Nova tugged at her sleeves anxiously. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a really cool grotto, you know? And then Felix told Septimius¡ªwho said I should tell you.¡± Ira sighed. ¡°Thank Nox you did.¡± ¡°I was going to tell you eventually! I just didn¡¯t want you to know that I, that I ran away.¡± She blushed, embarrassed. ¡°Nova, if you hadn¡¯t run away, you¡¯d likely be dead. And if you had survived, I would have grounded you for months.¡± The kid scuffed her foot in the grass unhappily. Her clothes were getting a bit ragged, now¡ªall the orphan¡¯s clothes were. And she was skinny, all of them were too skinny, just by a hair¡­ If only their sect had more power, their gods more respect¡ª Ira clenched her fist. A dungeon had practically fallen into their laps; one of the very sources of the new sect¡¯s power. They would have respect. She would make sure of it. ¡°Ira?¡± Nova bit her lip. ¡°I know it was dangerous¡ªI¡¯ll always run, when I need to.¡± Ira sighed, shaking off her stray thoughts. ¡°I know, little magpie. And I¡¯ll talk with Felix, too.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nova got up, eyes straying towards the game of tag, which had devolved a bit; now resembling something like a group wrestling match. Felix was in the thick of it, and likely the origin, too. Ira put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Nova. Promise me you won¡¯t go back to that place, alright? Monsters aren¡¯t to be trifled with.¡± ¡°I know, I know,¡± Nova brushed her hand off her shoulder, eyes sparkling with some idea. Ira watched her run towards the tangle of children, anxiety brewing in her stomach. Finally, she turned and trotted towards Nox¡¯s temple. The high priest would have to be informed, then a meeting called between the two temples. Change was coming, not just to their sect, but to the whole Scoop. 24. --Felix¡¯s Perspective¡ª Felix was ready for adventure. He had his knife (a 8-inch-long monstrosity Ira had gotten him for his thirteenth birthday), a good pair of boots (waterproof, of course), his leather training armor (made to keep him from bruising too bad while Ira taught him to fight), and a water skin. Also, some candy he¡¯d stolen from high priest. Old man only ever gave those out when kids were good, and Felix was good all the time, people just didn¡¯t tend to realize it. So, he had to help himself to the candies, but they were truly just rewards. ¡°You ready Nova?¡± He turned to her, grinning. She and Septimius had joined him, Nova because she wanted to see the grotto again, and Septimius because he was worried they¡¯d die on their own. Psh. Felix was too smart to die. Also, lucky. Very, very lucky (even he knew some of the things he¡¯d done should have killed him, even if they didn¡¯t). Nova nodded excitedly, and Felix stepped through the remains of the double doors, ignoring Septimius¡¯ anxious groan. They stopped about halfway through, astonished by the changes the throne room had gone through. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. For one, the carvings on the dais had changed. Instead of abstract swirls, there were snakes¡ªnot in Dove-metal, but in crystalline curves of mixed pink and deep red. Even abstract, though, the three orphans could tell the snakes were not ordinary. Their heads were blunt, gleaming teeth peeking out from closed mouths. They lacked eyes, as well, but had white noses at the end of their squarish snouts. Amongst the snakes was a person of the same materials and style, only humanoid, and stars had been fancifully carved in between the figures, glow stone on a glassy black background. The bas reliefs of the kings had been left standing but had been obscured by golden moss and surrounded by more black stone and ¡®stars.¡¯ In fact, both the ceiling and all the walls had, up to a point, had been switched to glassy darkness and night-themed decorations, and the floor to speckled black-and-white granite. But it had happened to only a quarter of the throne room. The most important part, no doubt, but still only a quarter¡ªthe divide marked by a deep, narrow stream which churbled quietly to itself as it ran on, disappearing into the opposite wall. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Nova mumbled. ¡°It grew.¡± Felix glanced at her shocked face. ¡°Guess so.¡± ¡°Do you think this means the Demon¡¯s getting stronger?¡± Nova said anxiously. Septimius and Felix hemmed and hawed for a bit. Both the boys had been told of Nova¡¯s theory, and thought it a reasonable explanation as any. ¡°It¡¯s too soon to say.¡± Septimius said, getting caught up in the adventure despite himself. ¡°In a way, isn¡¯t this more a widening of the Maiden¡¯s prison? It¡¯s good if she has more space.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Nova replied. Felix grinned at them both. ¡°Only one way to find out.¡± He stepped over the stream-lined border. 25. [We have a delver.] Clare froze, then slowly felt her entrance. Kepler was right, they had one¡ªno, more were coming, three, they had three delvers. Great! She beamed. But also¡­ The delvers were short. Not dwarf short, either. Why are they kids again? The servants, feeling Clare¡¯s excitement, began to stir. Hey, hold up, guys, let¡¯s go easy on them. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The snake pack grumbled silently. She¡¯d built them water tunnels specifically so they could sneak up on delvers, but were now being told not to use them? [I won¡¯t scare them.] Astrid also chimed in, sending the thought in her most innocent tone. The slimes, as well, did not like this order. Pudding and Jello were having something like a slime debate (which involved a lot of jiggling) about the ethics of going easy on children, while Chubbles was simply trying to slip closer to the entrance without Clare noticing. Duchess weighed in on the side of Pudding, who insisted that going easy on children would only infantilize them, robbing them of potential growth. The dipluran choir had gone anxiously silent, and Clare realized¡ªwith a sudden bolt of her own anxiety¡ªthat she had no idea where Puck and Van Gogh were. [Clare.] Kepler said tersely. [They¡¯re trying to touch the throne.] Ack! The Roatt Crystal throne had been so heavily enchanted¡ªand with some very nasty effects¡ªthat they still hadn¡¯t managed to replace with their own. Chubbles, stop them! 26. --Chubbles¡ª Chubbles was a simple slime. Unlike Pudding or Jello, he cared little for ethics, and despite his devotion to the jungle gym, had few thoughts about morality. And yet, it was he¡ªnot Luna the good hearted, Surprisibus the crafty, or even Omnom the swift¡ªno, it was he, Chubbles the slime of action, who had been sent on this important mission. Save the mentally deficient delvers from themselves. He raced along the slick, glassy floor of his home, skidding around a deep pool and tumbling through the doorway into the dungeon¡¯s new room. The slimes had been calling it The New Room, under the principle of Occam¡¯s razor. Van Gogh violently disagreed with this name, but they continued with it anyways. The room was new, that made it The New Room. It was only half a room, really, but that was just getting into semantics. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Inside it, three towering delvers were making mouth sounds. Their strange appendages¡ªwhich had an uncanny resemblance to Astrid¡¯s, but all wrong in the way they moved¡ªwere waggling about in an ungainly manner. Delvers, it seemed, did not glide, the way proper folk did, but flailed. One of the delvers had clambered onto the dais, reaching for the Do Not Touch Chair. Their beloved Queen Clare had given that chair its name, and the slimes loved her for it. Do Not Touch Chair. Simple, straightforward. Ethically and aesthetically unambiguous. A perfect name. Chubbles raced forward, leaving a slippery trail behind him. The delver was tipping closer to the chair, starting to lose balance. His fingery arm-ends were inches from the death sentence¡ªand Chubbles was too far away to stop him. Light. A bright flash of it. The slime skidded to a halt, bumping up against a delver¡¯s leg. Laughter pealed from above, as the delver on the dais fell backwards onto his friends, and all three of them tumbled into a heavy heap. Chubbles was squished right in the center. [Gotcha!] Puck rolled in the air, giggling. The delvers stared up at him in amazement, still using Chubbles as a doormat. [Serves you right, too! Who said you could touch that?] Chubbles sighed with relief as he realized all three of the delvers were alright. Their weight was too much for him, though. A delver jabbed him with a sharp elbow, and he popped¡ªsplattering slime-goop everywhere like smashed mango. Ah, well. Time to respawn. 27. [I never thought I¡¯d say this, but¡­] Thank God Puck was in the mood for mischief. The two dungeon masters sat in shocked silence for a moment. Chubbles had been killed, seemingly on accident, by the pile-up Puck had caused. And the kids¡­ had yet to notice? [Surely, they¡¯d see the notification¡­] Kepler mumbled. The kids leapt to their feet, completely focused on Puck. [¡­ or not?] Puck was laughing non-stop, darting through their delvers like a small hurricane, delighted by their ignorance. He tugged the girl¡¯s hair¡ªthe same girl who had delved them earlier, Clare realized¡ªmaking her squeal unhappily. Pinched the cheeks of the two boys and blew in all of their ears and eyes. Clare couldn¡¯t help laughing herself. What a farce! One of the boys, the blond who had tried to touch the throne earlier, drew a knife and crouched to fighting position. The other two just ducked and covered, resigned to Puck¡¯s harassment. Puck backed away for the moment, assessing his only fighting opponent. The blond sat back on his heels for a moment, too. There was a tense standoff. The Diplurans'' began to sing ¡®The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly¡¯s main theme. Blondie startled at the sudden noise, and Puck attacked. Thankfully, Puck had no weapon but his admittedly sharp nails and his fae sparks of pain magic. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Blondie recovered with just a few scratches, swiping out with his knife. Puck dodged around it, but the boy kept up his assault¡ªmanaging to keep Puck from getting in any more hits. Unsatisfied, Puck hit him with his magic, causing the boy to flinch. Blondie, however, didn¡¯t let it stop him. He threw himself recklessly forward, catching Puck by surprise and nicking one fragile wing. Faeries weren¡¯t actually supported by their wings, but they did use them to direct their flight. And mobility was Puck¡¯s one advantage. Blondie struck out again, sensing weakness. Puck managed to dodge, but just barely, and the boy continued striking relentlessly. He had pretty good aim. The diplurans had moved onto something from ¡®Inception,¡¯ giving the fight an epic feeling. A feeling that was probably undeserved, but still entertaining. Deserving or not, the fight was coming to a close. The boy had gotten Puck¡¯s leg and other wing¡ªnearly slicing it off. Puck wobbled in the air, blue blood dripping. The blood wasn¡¯t much, quantity wise, but faeries didn¡¯t have a lot to start with. The blond drew back, mouth ajar in surprise. Then he grinned and finished his opponent off. If Clare hadn¡¯t seen Puck die at every other dungeon servant¡¯s hand, she might have been worried. As it was, only his pride had really been hurt. Wow! She said, not taking her eyes from the delvers, That kid¡¯s really good! Kepler sniffed dismissively. [He¡¯s still more useless than Astrid.] Are you really comparing our Astrid to some rando? Clare huffed. Obviously, she¡¯ll be better! He proudly let a corner of his mouth quirk upwards. [Well, true.] He turned back to their territory. [Speaking of Astrid, she¡¯s approaching the delvers.] Wait¡ªwhat? It was true. Astrid had taken the water tunnels up into the stream at the border. She was now directly behind the delvers, blocking their exit. Astrid, what are you doing? They would hurt her baby¡¯s feelings again! The water giant tilted her chin up proudly. [Don¡¯t worry. I got this.] No, but¡ªThe delvers hadn¡¯t noticed Astrid yet. Maybe she could go back through the tunnels¡ª Kepler blew in her ear, startling her. He chuckled. [She¡¯ll be fine. You think a couple of kids can hurt her?] Well¡­ Clare chewed her non-existent lower lip. Astrid crept forwards, giggling internally at the kids¡¯ obliviousness. What if Astrid started to think she was ugly? Or¡ª Kepler tugged Clare into his dusky embrace. [Don¡¯t worry so much. Let¡¯s just wait and see.] She sighed, relaxing into him. It¡¯s not like they could keep Astrid safe from everything. And, as a dungeon, ¡®wait and see¡¯ was all Clare could do. 28. --Astrid¡ª Although she could feel mum worrying, Astrid crept forward regardless. The delvers were only a few feet away, now, and they still hadn¡¯t noticed her. The delver who had fought Puck was focused on his friends, grinning and talking through their weird mouth-sounds. He was bragging, wasn¡¯t he? The delver stuck his nose in the air, radiating smugness. Definitely bragging. All smugness fell from his face, however, when he finally saw Astrid standing less than two feet from them. He froze. The blond delver was only a little taller than Astrid. He was surprisingly frail looking, too¡ªslight framed and skinny. His human mouth was longer than how mum imagined herself, his eyes bigger, too. It gave him an over-expressive look, a bit like the faeries. He gulped loudly. His friends looked up, still sitting on the floor. The girl made an inquiring noise, and the blond pointed. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The diplurans started singing something vaguely horror-sounding. Rude. Screaming again. Astrid winced at how loud it was. That girl¡ªthe same one as before¡ªmust have massive lungs. [Oh, come on.] Astrid said¡ªnot that they understood. [Isn¡¯t this too much?] She knew delvers couldn¡¯t respawn, but she hadn¡¯t even attacked them yet! Of the three, the blond was definitely reacting best. The third, a small brown-haired boy, wasn¡¯t screaming at least¡ªbut she was pretty sure that was because he was completely frozen. Astrid tilted her chin at the blond. [Come on. Let¡¯s play!] His eyes widened. Had she gotten her point across? Apparently so, as he took a hesitant step forward. Astrid bounced on her toes excitedly, shifting from foot to foot. He picked up on her excitement, swinging his weapon at her in a downward arc. Astrid side-stepped it but didn¡¯t counterattack. The girl stopped screaming (thankfully). Astrid tipped her head challengingly. The boy came at her in earnest, jabbing and slashing in quick, practiced movements. He didn¡¯t score a single hit. Unnerved, he went faster, even throwing in feints. He was good. But not good enough. In one, smooth motion, Astrid knocked the knife from his hand. He stumbled backwards and she used the movement to trip him. The delvers were all on their butts, faces pale with shock. Astrid loomed over the blond. She reached out one clawed fist and¡­ Gently bonked him on the head. His face was priceless. --Felix¡ª Felix squinted suspiciously at the terrifyingly humanoid creature in front of him. It was huffing air sporadically, clicking its pincer-teeth in quick staccatos. The idea seemed impossible, but. Was it laughing at him? 29. -- Septimus¡ª The skinless monster¡ªno, Septimus realized, it wasn¡¯t skinless just red in color¡ªdove back into the the stream that divided the grotto from the rest of the world. It disappeared into the tunnel the stream ran into, revealing how it had gotten behind them so easily. Septimus shuddered. Anything could spring from that stream. They would have to be careful of any body of water, should Felix insist they continue. That wouldn¡¯t surprise him either, their friend was dangerously reckless¡ª ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go home now.¡± Felix said, standing. He had a sheepish look on his face. The stream chortled merrily, breaking up the brief silence. Septimus blinked. ¡°What?¡± Felix picked up his knife from where it had fallen. ¡°That thing obviously let us off easy. I¡¯m pretty sure we could have died.¡± Both Septimus and Nova stared, astonished at Felix¡¯s rare common sense. Felix flushed. ¡°It¡ªit just makes sense¡­¡± ¡°Um, yeah.¡± Nova said. Color was returning to her face, but Septimus didn¡¯t relax yet. If the grotto had taught him anything, it was that he should stay on his toes. The corpse of the Faerie had somehow disappeared, but Septimus still felt grimy somehow. Sticky. Septimus stood as well. ¡°Agreed.¡± He felt a sudden shame at how cowardly he¡¯d been, but, as the High Priest always said, every failure is just a learning experience. I¡¯ll do better next time. He told himself, before freezing. Wait, next time? What am I, crazy¡ª ¡°But we haven¡¯t seen the main room yet.¡± Nova said, surprising them all. She hadn¡¯t moved from her seat on the floor. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Felix shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll see it next time. I wasn¡¯t ready for this. And you guys were completely useless.¡± ¡°That¡ª¡± Septimus flushed a bright red. ¡°Not everyone has combat training, you know.¡± ¡°Yeah, you should train with me and Ira.¡± Felix said, as if it were obvious. ¡°You really sucked.¡± Septimus looked away, scanning their surroundings. Someone has to do it. There was no movement around the throne and dais, although there could still be something hiding in its intricate carvings, or even behind it. The decorations reflected the glowstone light in almost hypnotic patterns. It¡¯s not because I¡¯m embarrassed and can¡¯t meet Felix¡¯s eyes. He checked both the arched doorway, everything beyond it obscured by dim lighting and sparkling mist, and the stream behind them. Nothing he could see or hear. Definitely not because I¡¯m ashamed. Felix looked distinctly unimpressed, but Nova spoke before he could continue the thought. ¡°Next time?¡± Septimus startled. ¡°Right, there shouldn¡¯t be a next time,¡± He turned to Felix, ¡°This was completely crazy and shouldn¡¯t be repeated.¡± ¡°There¡¯s going to be a next time. As long as we aren¡¯t caught by Ira or anybody.¡± Septimus nodded amicably. ¡°Alright.¡± Nova¡¯s brows furrowed, puzzled, before she let out an obligatory huff. ¡°This is crazy, and this wasn¡¯t my idea.¡± She crossed her arms, still sitting, before grinning cheekily. ¡°And don¡¯t you dare leave me behind.¡± The two boys chuckled (quietly), and after a moment, Nova giggled as well. Leaning back on his heels, Septimus glanced again at the doorway opposite them. A spark of excitement was starting to warm next to his heart, not that he would admit it. ¡°But,¡± Felix frowned at Nova, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to stand up?¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± Nova blushed, ¡°I may, well.¡± Septimus frowned at her. Her legs were splayed awkwardly on the granite floor, completely unstrung of any tension. ¡°Your legs gave out, right? Because of the fear?¡± Nova nodded, embarrassed. It was a feeling he related to. ¡°Oh.¡± Felix said, surprised, before scooping her up in his arms. Nova¡¯s face turned even more red. ¡°Don¡¯t carry me bridal style!¡± Looking unimpressed, Felix tossed Nova at Septimus, who managed to catch her. ¡°Felix! Don¡¯t throw me!¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Septimus said, glancing about cautiously. This half-room entrance still seemed quiet, but there was no telling what lurked just outside their view. Nova groaned, hiding her face in Septimus¡¯ shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m never gonna live this down.¡± The boys just shrugged. It¡¯s a good excuse to hug her, anyways. Septimus thought, before pretending he hadn¡¯t. Felix checked that he had everything he brought with him. Septimus pretended he wasn''t enjoying how Nova smelled like peaches, and Nova prayed fervently for her legs to start working again soon. Then, with one final glance behind them, they left the Grotto of The Captive Maiden. Septimus knew, bone-deep, that they would return. 30. Omigosh, Astrid! Clare cheered, You did so well! Astrid was back in the snake-worm moat, preening quietly. Chunky was curled around her neck like a fleshy, carnivorous scarf. [It was acceptable.] Kepler admitted, voice smug with pride in their young water giant. [What?] Astrid huffed, [I was amazing! And,] she click-giggled, [Did you hear his face?] Chunky gave a watery gurgle in praise. [Right?] She really could be just as smug as Kepler, sometimes, [I¡¯m the absolute best!] Mr. Wriggles and Snappy, growing bored of her bragging, lunged from the depths to wrestle her and Chunky. Astrid beamed, going down in a wreath of blood-colored monsters. She emerged a few moments later, victorious. [And I even gained a level!] Astrid crowed. Wow! Clare cheered again, That¡¯s grea-- Wait, Astrid hadn¡¯t seemed to be leveling. No consuming intimacy, no overwhelming warmth of power¡ª Astrid tilted her head, surprised at the sudden pause. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Ah, yes. Clare fumbled. [It is great.] Kepler finished for her. [Very well done.] Privately, he turned to Clare. [Your leveling is different, Clare. Your soul doesn¡¯t match this body.] Oh¡­ Clare kept her, well, what emotion was she feeling, anyways? Either way, she kept it from Astrid. This had definitely been a win for their adorable monster-baby. Luckily, Astrid was too stunned at Kepler praising her to notice Clare¡¯s discomfort. [Well¡­] If she had been human, she would have been blushing. As it was, her hair pulled in to cover her face shyly. [I already knew it was great. That I¡¯m great.] [Yes, yes, you¡¯re very smart.] Kepler responded, [Now shut up.] Astrid huffed happily, [You¡¯re the meanest ever. I¡¯m gonna go hunt Duchess.] The said faerie overheard them, narrowing her eyes. [Take Puck with you.] Kepler told her. Puck, who had just respawned, glimmered to Astrid¡¯s side. [Yeah, yeah.] She replied, as the two trouble makers started their prowl. [That should keep the two of them from preening too much.] Kepler said to Clare, [If there¡¯s anything Duchess is good at, it¡¯s putting people in their place.] Clare chuckled. You really are mean. [I detest a lack of humility.] Clare bit down on her imaginary lip, trying to stifle the laughter quivering in her aura. Kepler gave her a suspicious stare. He¡¯d been playing with his eye-colors lately, and they were currently light violet. [What?] Ahahhaha! [Clare, I don¡¯t get it. What¡¯s so funny?] She succumbed fully to her laughter, causing their servants to glance up curiously. Even Chubbles, who had been regaling his fellow slimes with the tale of his adventure, paused. [Clare¡­] Kepler pouted, so she just hugged him, giggling helplessly at his lack of self-awareness. 31. Eventually Clare stopped laughing long enough to explain herself. [I am not smug.] Clare, somehow, stifled another bout of laughter. Kepler¡­ Kepler cleared his throat. [Well, I¡­] He looked at his fuzzy feet, somewhere between ashamed and confuzzled. [Either way, it¡¯s unimportant. Probably. I¡¯ll think about it later. Privately.] Ah, that was right. Kepler was alone whenever Clare slept. She felt a pang of envy but squashed it down. Smiling, Clare crawled out of his arms in their mind-space. Sitting cross-legged, she was able to face him properly. So, um, Kepler¡­ [What?] He tilted his ears at her. Did I gain a level? What about quests, did I get any new ones? Oh, I must have gotten an MP bonus, right? I felt a bit of warmth¡ª Kepler smiled, one corner of his fanged mouth reaching higher than the other. What? He rarely smiled so¡­ fondly. The smile remained for a strange moment, before he dropped it for an excited one. [XP gained!] [New Quests!] A brief silence hung between Kepler and Clare. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. In their territory, the snake-worms Sulky, Croc¡¯ Jaw, and Kooky were teaming up to hunt slimes. The slimes had already noticed them, and Luna was lecturing them about the dangers of inauthenticity. Well¡­ Clare didn¡¯t really want to mention the second quest, not with how unhappy Kepler was with their Myth. Croc¡¯ Jaw ate Luna, her glowy insides gleaming on his teeth. Chubbles led a return charge. [This is good.] Kepler said, still fairly happy, if thoughtful. [Actually, I was hoping to get such a quest.] Really? [Yeah,] Kepler began. Rockslide, one of their two stone slimes, was proving surprisingly effective against the snake worms. Teaming up with Omnom, their metal slime, he strangled Kooky while Sulky snapped at his tough hide uselessly. [In fact, I¡¯ve been learning to issue quests for this¡ªit should make it easer to change our myth.] Clare gave him a puzzled look. [When you¡¯re given a quest, the system actually tilts the odds a tiny bit in your favor.] Kepler explained, [I¡¯ve been talking to it while you¡¯re asleep. With how I¡¯m integrated into both your soul, and the system, I might to be able to leverage it even more¡­] He trailed off, musing silently. Oh. Clare said, taking a moment to process that herself. Omnom took a fatal blow from Croc¡¯ Jaw. Chubbles, Pudding, and Surprisibus had already succumbed, leaving Jello and Rockslide as the only standing, er, jiggling, slimes. Clare had never thought about what Kepler did while she was asleep. The envy from earlier returned. She never got any alone time! Trying not to succumb to the feeling, she sighed, catching Kepler¡¯s attention. [Ah, well!] Kepler wagged his tail at her, [You might not have gained any levels, but we¡¯re up to 28 SP.] Clare laughed. Are you suggesting we go on a spending spree? He flicked his ear cheekily. [Why not?] Clare watched Croc¡¯ Jaw finish off the last of the slimes. Sulky and Kooky had been knocked off in the battle, leaving Croc¡¯ Jaw to benefit in XP the most. All around their territory, magic was glimmering as the servants respawned. Kepler scooched closer to her, tugging gently at her hand. Oh. She laughed at her own ridiculous gloom. Yeah, why not? Update Hey guys, sorry I''ve been so inconsistent lately, school was really hitting me over the head with a metal baseball bat. I think I''ve found a better way to manage things now, so I should be back to posting two chapters a week this weekend. However, instead of Saturdays and Sundays, I''ll now be posting on Sundays and Mondays, as that seems to work better with my schedule. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Thanks for sticking with me, and we will be back on the choo-choo train of dungeon building soon! Also, I started this drawing for my Patreon banner a while back: If you can''t tell, it''s Kepler and Clare. Still haven''t got their faces quite right, or the background, or really blended Kepler''s shading/textures right, but you guys deserved something for being such great readers! 32. Humm, Clare said, you know, I think we should be a little more organized about it this time. Kepler blinked at her, shocked. What? [I didn¡¯t know you were capable of planning ahead.] Clare scowled. Excuse me? [Ah, well¡ª] Kepler fumbled his words, [You see, it was human, and¡ª] Five minutes later, Clare finished tickling Kepler ruthlessly and turned back to the matter at hand. Show me the status sheet. Kepler whimpered. [You¡¯re so mean¡­] What was that? Clare lifted an eyebrow at him. He was out of breath from the tickling assault, something Clare couldn¡¯t quite wrap her head around. These were just mental approximations of bodies¡ªsomething Kepler seemed to have forgotten. He grumbled. [Whatever.] Status- Name: Clare Hatt Species: Sapient Dungeon Age: 1 month, 6 days, 2 hours, 4 minutes Modifiers: The Kepler Effect, Mythic Connection, ¡®Grotto of the Captive Maiden¡¯ Level: 3 Health: 115% XP: 36.98/90 SP: 28 MP: 242/400 MP ration: 144/1 day Skills: 14 Designs: A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Servants: Quests: 2 Clare studied their status with a frown. Hey Kepler, don¡¯t you think we could be doing more with what we already have? He roused himself from his sulk. [What do you mean?] Um, Clare hesitated, but Kepler seemed to have gotten over his hatred of their myth now that they were changing it, I think we could be using Mythic Connection more. Doesn¡¯t it seem like it could be OP? [Overpowered?] Kepler confirmed. Yeah. Her strangely adorable symbiote hemmed and hawed for a minute. [You¡¯re right.] Clare smirked, Aren¡¯t I always. [You¡¯re unbearable.] Hmph. She had to admit, to herself at least, that her bad attitude had less to do with Kepler¡¯s faux pas and more with her jealousy. Clare had never gone so long without any time to herself. It was starting to bug her. Still, that was no reason to take it out on Kepler. Sorry. [Ah¡­] Kepler always seemed a bit unsure how to respond to her apologies. She supposed it was because he wasn¡¯t built to be viewed as a person. [I forgive you. Do you¡­] I forgive you. Clare chuckled at his hesitation. Sometimes she forgot how young he was, although in no way a child (well, so was she in her own way). [Well.] He turned back to the status sheet. [It¡¯s not like I needed to be forgiven. I was only telling the truth.] Clare smirked, Uh huh. [Anyway! Since we¡¯re planning, do you want to re-organize our dungeon? The new room still feels a little slap-dash, and I think we could use it to change our image.] Right. The myth was based on how the delvers perceived them. Hm. That gave her some ideas. Yeah, let¡¯s do it. 33. It took Kepler and Clare a few days to sketch out a plan for the dungeon. While they still had a few disagreements (Clare flat out refused some of Kepler¡¯s suggestions for new statues), it was far enough along that they could return to the SP store. Hopefully they would have some newer options since the last time. Welcome to the SP Store. Skills: No further skills available, return when more are unlocked. Designs: This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. No further skills available, return when more are unlocked. Clare could immediately see the value of the ¡®Bless¡¯ Skill for their plans; if Kepler really could get them a discount, she wasn¡¯t going to stop him. [I don¡¯t see the problem.] He had immediately started after looking more closely at the store, offering MP in the place of SP. The System gave some kind of nuanced response. [So?] He tilted his head challengingly, [Are you saying that giving up MP isn¡¯t a sacrifice? We won¡¯t be able to do anything without it.] Still, ¡®Bless¡¯ wasn¡¯t the only useful thing they could purchase. Jadeite and Alabaster would be helpful for their decorating, which was a surprisingly important to their plan. ¡®Create Magic Spring¡¯ was also fascinating¡ªClare hoped they would have enough to afford it. The System was still standing firm, so Kepler changed tactics. [Look, we both know SP doesn¡¯t have any real intrinsic value¡ªit¡¯s a currency. It¡¯s your favor. Isn¡¯t there any other way to gain your favor?] Hemming and hawing, the System chewed on that idea for a moment. Clare looked at the designs section longingly, a possible servant having caught her eye. Musical Crayfish. Percussion specialized. They didn¡¯t fit with Kepler¡¯s and her plans, and they didn¡¯t have any spare SP. She sighed deeply, imagining drums to her dipluran choir. They¡¯d sang ¡®Don¡¯t Start Now¡¯ last week, and it just hadn¡¯t felt right without the bass. The System finally came to a decision, offering a deal. [Absolu--] Kepler paused, turning to Clare, [Are you good with letting the System look through our Mythic Connection? I think it can already sense bits and pieces, but it¡¯s offering 10 SP a week for full, querying access.] Clare¡¯s mental jaw dropped. If they had a steady stream of SP income¡­ Make it 15. The System responded quickly, with Kepler translating. Deal! Both Kepler and she felt the deal take. He whooped, picking her up and spinning around. Laughing, Clare cheered. We got it, Kepler! We¡¯re rich! [Hell yeah! Letsgooooo!] 34. [New Skill!] Clare grinned at the purchase. Since the cost of ¡®Bless¡¯ hadn¡¯t actually been lowered, they¡¯d decided to save up for it slowly. After they spent all their current SP, of course. Let¡¯s do the Design Roulette next! Kepler sniffed disapprovingly. Or he tried to since his own manic grin ruined the effect. [You know gambling is risky and inefficient, don¡¯t you?] It¡¯s not gambling, it¡¯s fun! [Well,] Kepler acquiesced, [Since that makes perfect sense, I¡¯ll bend to your logic.] He input their remaining SP. [New Designs!] The two stared at their new designs. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. In the dungeon proper, Puck was harassing Van Goh gleefully. The artistic faerie glared up at him, pausing in the silver star he was painting (Sort of. Clare wasn¡¯t sure exactly how Van Goh decorated things since it often manifested as bas reliefs or outright figurines. But it was done with a paintbrush, so she called it painting) into the red beryl dress the statue of Clare now wore. We have to make the pet rabbits a reward. [Can they be put in chests?] Why not? They can preserve anything degradable. [That¡¯s¡­] Kepler stroked his chin thoughtfully, [Morally dubious.] I don¡¯t wanna hear it, Sparky. [Rude.] Clare froze. She had been getting rude lately. Was she becoming a bad person? Her mind chilled. Van Goh launched himself at Puck, painting over him. Which, of course, trapped Puck in a jewel-studded cage since Van Goh¡¯s powers made no sense. Puck rattled at the bars of his cage, cussing in Fae. Van Goh smirked, turning back to his work. [Clare?] She swallowed a needless apology along with her anxiety. Not having any alone time was really starting to get to her. It hadn¡¯t been this bad a few days ago¡­ Pulling herself back to the present, she grinned at Kepler. Whatever. We¡¯re definitely using pet rabbits as rewards. They sound adorable. [Yes, alright.] Kepler glomped her into his arms. [Pity about the Dodos, though, they sound useless.] I still want one. He gave her a skeptical look. She squirmed until they were face-to-face, frowning defensively. Hey, it¡¯s not every day you get to see an extinct species! Astrid, passing near Puck¡¯s cage, stopped at his call. She wandered over. [Are they extinct?] Yeah, they were hunted to extinction in the 1700s or something. He scoffed. [¡®Does not possess any magic or fighting capability.¡¯ Indeed.] We¡¯re still making one. [Fine.] He sighed. [I suppose it will make decent target practice for our servants. They need to develop some long-range skills.] Puck bargained with Astrid desperately, trying to convince her to risk Van Goh¡¯s wrath by letting her out. He didn¡¯t succeed. Great. We should make some extremely magical hats, too. [Those sound worse than useless.] Exactly! She smiled up at him cheekily, what better way to defeat delvers than to trick them with the rewards? His eyes widened, then he grinned, showing off vicious fangs. [Ha!] Clare chuckled. Leaned into his indistinct chest. In his cage below, Puck began crying. Clare knew he was, no doubt, just trying to gain sympathy. She unlatched his cage with a strand of aura anyway. Kepler watched her, noticing her eyelids drifting downwards. [Are you tired? It¡¯s nearly your rest period.] Is it? She had difficulty tracking time without the sun. Too human, she supposed, to feel the system¡¯s time intuitively. [Sleep.] He darkened their mind-space. Drifting. Heavy mind. Rest. 35. The porch creaked as she stepped out onto it. Everything felt strange, as if her small body didn¡¯t fit. Crickets chirped from the shadows of their lawn. Her lungs shuddered as the dim evening washed over her. Two months had passed since Emma¡¯s death. It was Clare¡¯s tenth birthday. She left the porch, wading through thick grass across their lawn. The late august air was humid and salty and cool. Like the ocean had crept up onto land, submerging everything. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Beyond their lawn, her bare feet skiffed quietly on the sidewalks¡¯ naked cement. She gravitated towards the ocean. Always the ocean. It thrummed like a heartbeat, like a memory tied into her taunt pulse. Sand filled the spaces between her toes. She weaved a path between sharp rocks and rotting seaweed. Stepped into the waves. No one would notice she was missing; not till morning at least. Her stale, beer-scented home didn¡¯t need her. Only Emma had. Emma, whose body had been swallowed up by the very ocean she adored. At the funeral, Clare had been the only one not to cry. People had called her cold for it. Said she should be like her father, who sobbed buckets. The hypocrisy of it left her numb. Now, the waves pushed at her feet, tripped her until she splashed down onto her knees. For the first time since she was a toddler, Clare began to cry. Not a Chapter Hey! I posted a not-very-good picture of Kepler and Clare a little while ago, and it''s been bugging me. It just didn''t quite capture how they look in my head, so I did another one. Here ya go: The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. If you hadn''t noticed, Kepler now has CUTE LITTLE HORNS <3 ! I''ll make mention of those in the story later, I just haven''t yet because his look is always changing. 36. --Kepler¡ª He was never sure what to do with himself when Clare was asleep. It wasn¡¯t that he had nothing to do. There was the system to learn from, the dungeon to maintain, he even worked on designs sometimes. Just¡­ Nothing was all that important without Clare. She was his prime directive, his core instinct. And he wasn¡¯t sure who he was without that. For now, Kepler cradled her sleeping mind in his arms. The system had been contacting him more, lately. Things like it didn¡¯t get lonely, but it did have a kind of melancholy curiosity. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Kepler bared his teeth. [It is none of your business.] [I don¡¯t see your point, degenerate thing.] The system ignored the jab. Kepler turned back to Clare, who had started to whimper. He stroked her hair. Stared at his misty-black hand. It wasn¡¯t a real body. [I know.] He clutched Clare in his arms, making soothing noises. Her hand dug into his fur, fingers blurring in the black. In their territory, Astrid was sitting at the base of the silvery tree Duchess lived in. While the two were usually antagonistic, Kepler could hear them conversing softly now. There was no offense in its tone. [Yes.] Clare whimpered more loudly. Began shivering. Kepler knew sleep was important for her soul, but¡­ Kepler clenched his teeth against a retort, and shook Clare awake. 37. Clare was pretending that she had not, in fact, been crying in her sleep. Unfortunately, Kepler didn¡¯t get the memo. [Are you sure you¡¯re alright?] He nuzzled behind her ear. She squirmed, ticklish. I don¡¯t know why I wouldn¡¯t be. Kepler looked at her soulfully, purple eyes shifting to a shade darker. They had become more humanoid lately. [Crying is a sign of being hurt.] I wasn¡¯t. Clare turned away. He flopped his face down onto her shoulder. [You weren¡¯t hurt?] It was lucky he could speak mentally, moving his mouth would have created unintentional nibbling. Clare shrugged him off. That¡¯s right. And I wasn¡¯t crying either. [Liar.] The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. She ignored him. In their territory, Astrid started hunting members of the dipluran choir. They scattered, and the cave went silent. Well, almost. The Snake-worms still snapped at each other in passing, and the slimes conversed softly in their squishy language. Still, the place felt strangely empty. Kepler¡­ She finally admitted, People don¡¯t always want to talk about things. [Why.] It was too hard-edged to be a question. She pushed him away. Pulled her legs up to rest her chin on her knees. He hung back a minute, anxious. [I¡­] More silence. Duchess left her tree to bombard Astrid, letting the diplurans escape. [I apologize.] He admitted. [That was wrong of me.] She startled, turning to him. What was wrong of you? [Don¡¯t you already know?] Of course not, have you done something? She was genuinely bewildered. It had filled her with guilt, to shut him out, but the thought of telling him was worse. [Ah.] He looked thoughtful. [It¡¯s fine if you didn¡¯t notice, I suppose.] Okay? The diplurans regrouped behind the jungle gym, singing ¡®We are the Champions.¡¯ Clare chuckled. Brushed aside the remains of her memories. Let¡¯s work on our dungeon, then! Kepler nodded but didn¡¯t crowd her with affection. Instead, he pulled up the plans they¡¯d made. [Where should we start?] 38. -- The Goddess Lux-- ¡°Did you notice?¡± Lux and Nox lived in eternal twilight. ¡°Notice what?¡± Her husband looked up at her. He was carving out a new place between the stars, bent over the darkness like a human carpenter. Lux ran a hand through his black hair. ¡°There¡¯s an unclaimed dungeon.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± She brought up her sight, showing him. ¡°It¡¯s right by our temples.¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Hm.¡± He set aside his project for a moment. ¡°That could be good for our followers.¡± Their home was made of too many dimensions to describe. At the edge of a not-corner, Lux had placed a sound, which released the quiet chatter of the orphanages their sects ran. She took the still moment to place a kiss on Nox¡¯s forehead. ¡°I never grow tired of your face.¡± It was not a face one could easily grow tired of. Eyes so dark they absorbed every inch of her being, skin dusted by the stars like freckles, wavy hair she couldn¡¯t keep her fingers from caressing¡­ ¡°Mm.¡± He sat back, still thoughtful. She planted another kiss, on his cheek this time. ¡°I¡¯ll cast a veil over it. It will keep Laurus from noticing for a time.¡± Lux sat back, suddenly annoyed. ¡°That boy! No respect for his elders. No love for the humans, either.¡± He kissed her and she forgot her ire. ¡°He¡¯ll grow up. Give it time.¡± Humming happily, she melted into light, wrapping around him. 39. -- High Priest Silas-- The old man crunched down on a maple candy. He kept a jar of them around for the kids, but that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t sneak a few himself, sometimes. Now if only Felix would stop stealing them! That was irrelevant, though. He had to focus, had difficulty focusing, as he got older. When he was younger, he was as sharp as anyone. He could recite all sixty tenants of Nox in less than three minutes! Now, that was sharp. Indisputably¡ª The young woman in front of him cleared her throat, bringing him back to the present. ¡°Ah, our sweet Ira.¡± He smiled at her. The girl had been raised in this very orphanage and was one of the few to return (albeit with a bit of a bad attitude). ¡°What¡¯s brought you here?¡± It wasn¡¯t Felix, was it? It could have been Aurelia, too, the poor girl had been awfully insecure lately, which had led to her lashing out a bit. ¡°Your holiness¡ª¡± ¡°Just Father Silas, Ira. There¡¯s no point in formality.¡± He¡¯d only become the sect¡¯s leader because he was the oldest left, and that deserved little respect. Ira sighed in exasperation. ¡°Father.¡± The title brought warmth to his heart. Ira had called him ¡®Papa Silas¡¯ when she was still small and inquisitive, but ¡®Father¡¯ was nice too. ¡°Yes, my dear?¡± She shook her head slightly, likely thinking him senile. ¡°Nova discovered a dungeon, in the old palace.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Maybe he was senile. Or at least hard of hearing. ¡°Pardon? I think I misheard you, little tabby.¡± Ira chuckled at the old nickname. ¡°Father, you didn¡¯t mishear me. Nova discovered a dungeon¡ªin the throne room of the old palace. We must lay claim to it, before the sect of Laurus¡ª¡± ¡°Now hold on, Ira.¡± Silas held up one hand, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so hasty.¡± ¡°But Father¡ª¡± He frowned, ¡°What the new sect has done is quite unnecessary. Dungeons do not fall under the discretion of religious authority. They ought to be free for anyone¡¯s use.¡± ¡°I know, Father!¡± Ira raised her voice, frustrated. She had gotten so much angrier since she¡¯d gone away from the Scoop. Even if she¡¯d returned, he couldn¡¯t help feeling they¡¯d lost a part of her forever. ¡°But that sect doesn¡¯t care! The dungeon will become like the others¡ªused only by followers of Laurus¡ªif we do nothing! We need to act now, before we lose our chance.¡± Silas sat back, considering her with melancholy eyes. ¡°It has,¡± he admitted, ¡°Been a long time since I¡¯ve left the Scoop.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Ira clenched her fists, ¡°The outside world has changed, Father. So must we.¡± He sighed. Swallowed the remains of his candy. ¡°You¡¯re a good girl, Ira. I¡¯ll trust you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Father.¡± She smiled at him. It was the same smile she¡¯d given him throughout her childhood, but there was tension in her eyes now that didn¡¯t belong. Reaching into his candy jar, he found an extra-large lump of sugary goodness. ¡°There you are, little tabby.¡± He grabbed her hand and placed it in her palm. ¡°Father.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m 25 years old.¡± He looked at her, confuzzled. ¡°Ira, I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re getting at. You¡¯ll have to explain it to me, I¡¯m getting very old.¡± Laughing suddenly, she popped the maple candy in her mouth. ¡°Never mind.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯ll contact Priestess Aurora, then?¡± Aurora. The beautiful leader of the Lux sect. His heart skipped a beat. It may have been palpitations. ¡°I¡¯ll contact her.¡± Ira blinked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t she hate you, though?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He smiled goofily. ¡°This old man can handle it.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll pray to Nox for you.¡± Silas ignored her trepidation, fumbling around for his walking stick. It was difficult for him to walk as far as Lux¡¯s temple, anymore. Still, he knew it would be just as pleasant as when he was young. Hiatus Announcement Hi, you guys may have noticed, but I''ve been pretty unpredictable with my updates lately. While I keep telling myself I''ll do better, the truth is that school is getting too much for me to balance with writing. It''s the end of the semester which means finals, preparing to move, and so on. On the upside, I know when I''ll have time again, so I can plan ahead; my Hiatus will end on Wednesday, July 26th. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I''m really glad to call you guys followers. Thanks for your patience! 40. -- Jovan ¨C It was hot in the New Capital. Jovan never called it the New Capital aloud, it was a Scoop thing and he¡¯d never get his job done if people looked down on him as a backwater hick, but that was its name in his head. The New Capital wouldn¡¯t have been so hot if not for the industrial district. Waste mana leaked from the factories, thickening the clouds into oppressive, steaming things that trapped heat inside the coastal city. Jovan wiped his brow, wishing his stiff-collared uniform was more breathable. He wished that every day since he¡¯d put it on, but it never got any easier. The pen in his hand was slick with sweat. He fiddled with the window, hoping for a breeze, but eventually gave up and turned back to his work. ¡°Hey, scribe.¡± Scorpio, the highest leveled magician in their department, had never bothered to learn Jovan¡¯s name. ¡°Send a report to the captain. Tell him I sensed a magical stirring in the Scoop.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Jovan felt a chill down his spine, forgetting the oppressive heat. ¡°A stirring? As in a dungeon?¡± ¡°Probably?¡± Scorpio gave him a derisive look, ¡°Just send the report, I want permission to investigate. It could be important, so mark it urgent.¡± ¡°The captain is extremely busy right now.¡± Jovan said numbly. A dungeon? In the Scoop? That could change everything¡ª Scorpio rapped his fist on Jovan¡¯s desk. ¡°I just said it¡¯s important. What¡¯s in your head, air?¡± ¡°Right.¡± If the palace caught wind of a dungeon in the Scoop, they¡¯d wrap their dirty little fingers all over it. And they wouldn¡¯t be kind to the people who lived nearby. ¡°I¡¯ll send it right away.¡± Scorpio rolled his eyes, ¡°Scoop-head.¡± He mumbled as he walked away. The heat slammed back down onto Jovan. He clenched his fist, sweating. When he¡¯d gotten a job as a scribe for the royal corps, he¡¯d been overjoyed. Now, though¡­ Now he knew just how callous their rulers could be. And he would be damned before he let them anywhere near his home. Jovan ¡®forgot¡¯ to write the report. If they wanted a dumb, orphaned ¡®Scoop-head,¡¯ that¡¯s exactly what they¡¯d get. Patreon Announcement Hey all, I''m proud to announce I now have a Patreon account up and running! There is only one tier, Pet the Stray, at 4$; it comes with 5 chapters ahead, my goodwill, and whatever other benefits you guys want (I have a poll set up). Thank you all for following me, I love reading your comments. Here''s the link: If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. https://patreon.com/SnuggleCat And I''ll have you all know I finally did get a decent (ish) banner, but you''ll have to check it out yourselves because inserting images is hard. Also, I''m changing my publishing schedule to Sunday and Wednesday because that''s what Sleyca does and I''m a fangirl. Ciao! 41. Oh! They¡¯re here! If their mind-space had been framed by glass, Clare would have been pressing her nose up against it. Kepler looked up from where he¡¯d been stressing about the last details of their redesign. [Clare, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re ready for delvers--] Clare gaped at their visitors. And they¡¯re adults! [Huh?] Astrid, overhearing them, dove into the stream that would lead to the entrance room. Kooky and Jumper the snake-worms followed, sensing her excitement. Kepler half-tripped over himself as he whipped around to stare at their entrance. There were two adults standing in their first room, staring at their decorations. One was a ginger woman, about 5¡¯10¡±, with big green eyes that looked about with the gaze of a big cat on the hunt. The other was a gangly, sweet-faced man who towered over her. His hair was loam brown, and his eyes were bark brown, and his skin was toasted-almond brown. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. It was like seeing a stork roosting with a barnyard cat; the two looked almost entirely incongruous. [Finally!] Kepler grinned, displaying a long row of razor-sharp pearly whites. [Delvers we can truly fight!] --Ira ¨C This was¡­ not exactly what she had expected. Nova had, of course, described the artistic endeavors of the dungeon with great fervor. But Nova also described how beautiful apples were, and the sky after a rainstorm, and snails on a mossy log¡ªall of which are beautiful things, but not all that unusual. This dungeon was very much unusual. Most noticeable was the altar. It was only a few feet from the entrance and made of pure Dove metal. The design was simple, but it was strange, almost heavy-- Celio leaned over her, ¡°That¡¯s enchanted.¡± She looked up at the follower of Lux, frowning. Celio was an electric mage, so his mana sense shouldn¡¯t have been very strong, ¡°You can sense it?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you?¡± She looked back at it. The simple shelf protruded from the base of a statue, but, despite the statue¡¯s elaborate design, her eyes had been drawn to it first and most. ¡°Yeah.¡± Their eyes turned to the statue above¡­ ¡°What the hell?" 42. --Ira¡ª Was the statue of a kidnapping? Ira couldn¡¯t tell. The woman (kidnappee?) didn¡¯t look frightened. In fact, she looked almost smug. Her grey-blue eyes glinted hypnotically in the low light, tranquil as the ponds on either side of them. She had one hand buried in the monster¡¯s fur(?) almost possessively, and while its disturbingly large teeth were resting on her shoulder... they weren¡¯t digging into it. In fact, the position would have been romantic if not for a key factor: The sheer monstrosity of what was holding her. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A massive, fanged mouth lying half-open, clinging at the base of her neck like a threat. Hands the size of small children wrapped around her waist in an inescapable vise. It was bent over her, dark and semi-translucent, trapping her in its lap. There were even devilish horns peeking out from behind its deceptively cute ears. If it had been a kidnapping, Ira would have understood. But the longer she looked at it, the more she was convinced the woman wasn¡¯t distressed. ¡°Is she¡­ are they¡­¡± She tried to put her confusion into words. Celio wrinkled his nose. ¡°Degenerate.¡± *** I wonder what they¡¯re talking about? Clare asked excitedly. [That¡¯s right,] Kepler frowned, [I¡¯d forgotten the language barrier.] She laughed in response, flomping into his indistinct form. Whatever! We¡¯re gonna get levels! He chuckled. Hugged her close to him. [As long as you¡¯re happy.] 43. --Duchess¡ª The Queen was elated. Duchess felt her happiness through their bond, a ticklish feeling that sparkled like Van Gogh¡¯s star-carvings on the palace walls. Duchess approved of Van Gogh. That itself was a rarity, but he was polite and skilled, and that was just as rare among the courtiers. Not that Duchess had the right to scoff at her Queen¡¯s court. Still. Puck was insufferable. That same faerie, Puck, was headed towards the outer court at that very moment. Loathe to follow his lead, but curious nonetheless, Duchess flew there herself. The outer court was a masterful creation on the Royal¡¯s part. At the front was, of course, a lovely statue of the Queen and King consort, but that was not what Duchess loved the most. Previously, the outer court had been a terribly ugly room; it had been not only gaudy, but squashed into a disgusting rectangle! Duchess did not usually spend time with their scholarly slimes or engage in philosophy, but everyone in the palace knew circles were the best shape. She herself had been anxious about the matter, wondering if she should bring it up with the Queen (the King consort was a bit rough around the edges for ethical aesthetics, and Princess Astrid too young to understand its importance), but hadn¡¯t wanted to be impertinent. It had been such a relief when they had come to their senses and remodeled; now it was a loop of circle around the inner court. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The door to the inner court had changed as well, now being on the opposite side of the circle from the entrance. That made it a bit longer of a flight for Duchess, but she didn¡¯t mind. The scenery was beautiful: fast-paced waterfalls curved in and out of the corridor, creating glittering webs and prisms of water (they made fantastic paths for the amphibious members of the court), and shining needles of obsidian and diamond brought variety to the picture. It was one of Duchess¡¯ favorite flight paths so, despite her hurry, she still enjoyed it. Reaching the entrance hall, she paused behind the archway that separated it from the rest of the court. This entrance hall was decorative (but still circular) and had all the pomp and dignity fitting for their rulers. Duchess was very proud of it. A massive, bejeweled arch let the delvers in, with carvings made by Van Gogh of course, and similar massive arches led either direction to the rest of the inner court. The statue of their Queen and King had a place to give tribute to them, and two very generous magic springs. It was all so benevolent Duchess could scarcely believe it, even now. And, seeing the delvers that entered, Duchess could scarcely believe them either. They were gigantic! Puck was already swooping down at them and, for once, Duchess was impressed. He didn¡¯t hesitate once, even faced with such intimidating foes. Gritting her teeth, Duchess flung herself into the fight as well. She wouldn¡¯t let him outdo her. 44. The new delvers were Good. Capital G. Despite Puck and Duchess¡¯ valiant efforts (and wasn¡¯t it a surprise to see them working together), it only took a flick of the man¡¯s fingers and a mana-bright spell to finish them off. It was flashy, too, a crackling bolt of lightning turning them charred and ready to respawn. He must be a mage! Clare pounded Kepler¡¯s arm, still clasped around her waist, excitedly. [Mm,] he replied, and she frowned, noticing the side conversation he was carrying on with the system. The delvers were talking again. It seemed like the woman was upset at the mage for using lightning near so much water. They dropped the argument in a minute as Astrid sent Kooky and Jumper up through the leftmost blessed spring. The snake worms snapped upwards, nearly catching the woman¡¯s arm before she slashed them both in a single sword stroke. And that one¡¯s a swordswoman¡­ Clare felt worry trickle down her metaphysical spine. She¡¯d thought Kepler and her had been really prepared, but¡­ They¡¯re really high level, aren¡¯t they? Or maybe they¡¯re the standard for this world. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. If these two decided to smash their core, Clare wasn¡¯t sure their monsters could stop them. Kepler frowned down at her. [What is it?] Nothing. Obsessed with their safety as he was, he¡¯d freak if he realized the potential for danger. He rubbed her jaw with his thumb, where she tended to tense when she was stressed. For a moment, she thought he¡¯d push for an answer, but he instead displayed a system window. In their territory, the woman spoke up. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this later¡ª¡± She was cut off again. Astrid had gathered the rest of the snake-worm pack, and Sulky, Snappy, Chunky and Mr. Wriggles were too eager to sit still¡ªsnapping out through the other blessed spring only to be slapped to the ground and crushed by the mage. Clare swallowed, as she realized that even a mage-build could slap their monsters around with just physical stats. We¡¯re so outclassed¡­ She mumbled. ¡°Damn, these things are nasty for such a young dungeon.¡± The mage wrinkled his nose. ¡°Are you sure we even want it here, Ira?¡± Kepler and Clare froze. 45. The swordswoman, Ira, scowled. ¡°------ you, Celio. The Scoop needs this place. If it¡¯s on the nasty side, we¡¯ll just train it up to be better.¡± Clare slumped into Kepler, who was still staring at ¡®Celio¡¯ with homicidal rage. Thank God¡­ [Clare.] Yeah? [We¡¯re going to have to get a lot more nasty as soon as we can. I wanna pummel this guy.] You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Uh¡­ It would probably be better to keep a low-ish profile, but it wasn¡¯t like they could get much more lethal at their level. Sounds like a plan. Kepler grunted, not taking his eyes off Celio. The man in question sighed, running a hand through his hair. ¡°Yeah, I get it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk later. I want to get a look at its core room.¡± Kepler growled, and a subtle change went through the dungeon in response. Sliding off his lap, Clare sighed. There was no stopping him now. Instead, she found the farthest corner of their mind space and had a private talk with Van Gogh and the Slime Corps. We¡¯re going to need some people in reserve, she mumbled to herself. In the caverns of their territory, a bloodthirsty frenzy began. 46. -Ira- This was, surprisingly, a lot of fun. Ira could see why Nova had been so caught up in this place, although she hoped the little magpie wouldn¡¯t be back here again. The decorations were beautiful; glowing stars dusted every dark corner, and intricate statues of flowers and abstract patterns spewed forth water in web-like fountains. Dim lighting and constant mist gave it all a relaxing feel. Ira felt herself unwind as she twisted through the little spaces left between water and sharp, obsidian outcroppings. It had been too long since she¡¯d had a proper stretch. And, despite Celio claiming the opposite, the monsters weren¡¯t too bad either. The toothy little water-worms had learned their lesson earlier and became a lot more tactical about their approaches. They snapped at Celio and her from within the water, letting the magical current whisk them away from return blows. Celio already had several cuts on his arms and legs. His lightning magic was too dangerous to use here, since they were both soaked, so he was left with brute force. ¡°Gah!¡± He flinched as they scored another sneak attack, this time on his shoulder. ¡°I swear, it¡¯s like they have a grudge against me!¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Ira snickered. ¡°Oh no, poor Celio. Now that he can¡¯t use his magic, he¡¯s getting whipped by a few low-level monsters.¡± She dodged around a nip from her own opponent, a chunky little guy who¡¯d taken a liking to her. Celio lashed out at one of the bigger worms, finally getting a hit in, but it slipped into one of the fountains still moving. Probably a higher leveled one¡ªIra had heard that dungeons could level their monsters a bit just from having them fight each other. He¡¯d still gained a bit of space, though, and took the moment to grumble quietly to himself. The taller man wasn¡¯t suited to these narrow tunnels, especially since his system build wasn¡¯t all that physical. ¡°I hate this. I hate this so much.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll probably gain a lot of levels, you know.¡± Dodging another flurry of fanged attacks, Celio glared at her in frustration. ¡°Ira, I¡¯m a painter, a priest, and then a mage¡ªnot even a combat one! This is very outside my comfort zone!¡± She was starting to pity him. Blood was tainting the water around their feet, and none of it was hers. ¡°Do you want to call it quits for now? We got a pretty good taste of it.¡± The little chunker came after her again, and Ira bopped it on the nose. Celio scoffed. ¡°No way.¡± He slapped a worm away from his face, getting it good enough to kill it. ¡°This damned thing isn¡¯t getting the best of me. I¡¯m gonna get all the way to its core, stare it straight in its stony little face, and rub my superiority in its nose.¡± Ira finally killed her chunky pursuer, bringing their opponents down to three, with one injured. Lacing her fingers together, she stretched out her hands with a happy groan. ¡°Aw, it¡¯s been too long since I¡¯ve had a good fight. Let¡¯s go, then.¡± Celio scowled. ¡°You are way too cheerful.¡± A worm took a bite of his butt. ¡°Ow!¡± 47. -Celio- They stopped to rest when the monsters quit coming. Soaked through, Celio slumped on the ground by one of the bizarre fountains. His cuts stung bitterly. Today had been no good. No good when he woke up at dawn to find that little Lucy had decided to try baking last night and made a floury, eggy mess of both the kitchen and herself. No good when Clementine pushed Magnus off his chair at lunch time, rolling him right into Celio¡¯s easel. Both children were fine, and had apologized profusely, but nothing could save the mostly-finished painting he¡¯d been hoping to bolster their funds with. And most certainly no good when the High Priestess told him to accompany Ira to their new dungeon. Much as he liked Ira, and was glad for the Scoop, he had never enjoyed fighting the way she did. Worse still, it was wet and dark, and he was in such a bad mood he couldn¡¯t even appreciate the artwork... This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Sighing, he rubbed his various injuries. ¡°Celio!¡± Ira came back to him from¡­ wherever. He really was an awful delving partner. ¡°I found a lootbox!¡± ¡°Huh.¡± He stood, met with Ira¡¯s cheerful face. ¡°What¡¯s in it.¡± She grabbed him by the elbow, ¡°Not sure yet!¡± And dragged him over to a chest not much farther down the corridor. It was made of gleaming, white marble¡ªmeant to be noticed, no doubt, in the dank tunnels. There was no lock, only a handle in the shape of a grape vine. Celio could appreciate the craftsmanship; paper-thin grape leaves of gold foil hung down from creeping brass stems, while purple gem-grapes peered from the foliage here and there. There were individual veins carved into each leaf, and rough bark textured the thicker vines as they curled down to grasp the base of the simple box. Ira nudged him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Open it.¡± Snorting, Celio grasped the looping handle and easily revealed the loot. Which was a bird. A bird so big it barely fit in the box, with a bald face and tiny, useless looking wings. ¡°Uh¡­ that¡¯s a bird.¡± Ira said. Celio sat back on his heels. ¡°I know.¡± It cooed gently. Looked up at him with big, brown eyes ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a trick?¡± Ira sighed, looking around as if this bizzarity of a dungeon would offer an explanation. The bird shifted on its massive, adorably awkward feet. Cooed again in a strange, two-note way. Around them, water dripped and drizzled soothingly. Ira scratched her neck. ¡°Right. Guess we¡¯ll just leave it, then?¡± Celio stared at the bird. The bird stared back. ¡°I¡¯m keeping it.¡± 48. - Kepler ¨C He was starting to cool off. For a moment there, he had been blinded by rage; hot currents of it, pulsing, straining at the walls of their core. It still simmered there, sharp and seething, like liquid glass. Gnawing at his lack of physical form like a frustrated sewer rat¡ªhe wanted to crush the threat in his own hands, slice it into pieces so small¡ª But he was better now. He was in control. That¡¯s what he had decided, so that¡¯s what was true. In the Mindspace¡ªa place that was beginning to feel like a prison¡ªhe clicked his imaginary claws against the floor. They were almost out of defenders. Only Sneaky remained of the Worm-Snake pack, and Astrid remained as a last defense in their Boss Room. Van Gogh and the Slime Corps were technically an option, but Clare had absconded with them, and they weren¡¯t that strong¡ª Where was Clare? A bolt of panic ran through him. They were tied together, inescapably¡ªshared the same physical container¡ªbut he couldn¡¯t feel her conscious mind next to his¡ª There she was. She¡¯d isolated herself in a corner of their Mindspace, fiddling with the system interface. Pain. He was still too emotional. Her absence hurt. Raw emptiness where she usually stood by his side. He could feel her subconscious, with his, in the walls of the Mind-space. Could see her conscious manifestation just a few arm-lengths away. But the distance hurt like a rail-spike in his heart. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. [Clare.] She glanced up at him coolly. Was she mad at him? She¡¯d never been mad at him¡ªwhat should he do¡ªwhat was the right thing to do¡ª You done? [What?] Being mad. Are you finished? [I¡­] Worry jittered his smoky form, [I have cooled off, yes.] That was true. He had decided it was true, and they were his emotions, so it was. Okay. She stretched. It was just a mental tic¡ªhe was so aware of their lack of physicality, now, his powerlessness to do anything himself¡ª Cool, so I think we should spawn more servants. We have about a quarter tank left. She glanced at the system window again. Maybe a Spector or two? It¡¯s 20 MP per servant, so about 5 for 100¡ª [Six servants. We can spawn six servants.] Clare nodded. She still hadn¡¯t crossed the distance between them, staying leaned against the wall of their Mindspace. You know, I think we¡¯re not using Eccentric Faeries to their full effect. We could always make one, or several, named after warriors. [That could work.] Kepler found himself truly calming. Mythic Connection was a powerful edge, especially if combined with the eccentricity of their Fae. [Beowulf or Tokyo might be good, since they were both notable for their prowess under water.] Kepler had been exploring human mythos in his off time; mostly to avoid the System¡¯s increasing commentary on his life. Beowulf¡¯s a bad idea. Remember Astrid¡¯s founding myth? [Ah. Right.] He inched closer to Clare, trying to use his amorphous form to be subtle. [What if we lean into the warrior angle?] Clare hummed thoughtfully. Like Sun Wukong or Achilles? The Monkey King was certainly powerful, as was Achilles. Their personalities, though¡­ [Maybe we should channel someone milder? Quetzalcoatl seems benevolent.] ¡®Seems¡¯ was the sticking point, though. Quetzalcoatl was a big myth. Clare seemed to be thinking the same. Let¡¯s leave Quetzalcoatl for another day. He deserves a custom design. And are there any warrior myths that are mild? He winced. [Fair point.] The delvers were moving again. They¡¯d reached the half-way point loot box and, after a brief argument, taken the Dodo with them. Kepler grinned. He¡¯d been right to trap the loot box with something useless but arguably adorable. Now the pair were weighed down with a vulnerable burden. ¡°I still don¡¯t get it. Why are you keeping that thing?¡± Ira asked Celio, as the two walked through their territory. Celio shook his head, exasperated. ¡°Never underestimate the power of cute.¡± Inching closer to Clare, Kepler had to agree. 49. Clare folded her arms, scowling up at her symbiote. I still think Sun Wukong is a good option. They had decided on 5 out of the 6 new servants, which was good, because the delvers were already near Astrid¡¯s Boss Room. Kepler frowned back. He was wrapped around her again, like a magnetic mist. [Sun Wukong is unstable. Mwindo is less likely to turn on us.] Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Unnoticed by them, Celio and Ira came in sight of the Boss Room. Mwindo swears not to kill anyone at the end of his myth, right? Clare pulled at their mythic connection, showing him. Plus, he¡¯s too powerful to put in the standard Fae. [The same could be said of Sun Wukong.] Clare bit her lip thoughfull¡ª ¡°Is this a boss room?¡± Celio said, petting his Dodo. Clare and Kepler froze. Ira took a look around the circular cavern. They¡¯d kept it simple, with a deep pond instead of a floor and small, slippery steppingstones. ¡°Seems so. It¡¯s bigger, at least.¡± In the water below, Astrid quivered in anticipation. Clare and Kepler looked at each other. Start with what we have. [I¡¯ll queue up the skill.] In the back of their core room, by the jungle gym, the air began to buzz with magic. 50. - Arachne ¨C she was born flying The air was damp and chilly. It embraced her with the thick scent of water and magic. Her existence embraced it back. She was real. Beside her, two other faeries popped into existence. They looked around, confused. Arachne was confused, too. That was her name. Arachne. But how did she know that? Everything about her was so sudden-- Just look at them. A voice pulsed from the room, from the walls, from the water itself. I still can¡¯t believe we can do this. And they¡¯re so perfect! [We don¡¯t have time for you to adore them.] A second voice, more masculine this time. Across the room, there was splashing from the entrance. Or perhaps right outside the entrance. [It¡¯s a fight.] One of her fellows said. He¡¯d been born in full armor, and his eyes burned with battle-fervor. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Her other fellow, a huntress with bow and arrow, grinned. [Is that so?] She had a kind of natural confidence to her, a wildness that hid in the lines of her stance, the flow of her musculature. Arachne frowned. [Are we being attacked?] The feminine voice had fallen silent. Arachne could feel her¡­ listening. Did she have trouble hearing them? A sigh. They¡¯re always so soft-spoken at first. [Not Astrid.] Well, that¡¯s Astrid. Astrid. Was that another faerie? What kind? For that matter, what kind of faerie was Arachne? A question faerie. Yes. She would be a faerie willing to put her nose where it ought not be. That settled, she raised her own voice. [WHAT!] She took a deep breath of mana in. [IS GOING!] The other two faeries covered their ears. [ON?!] Oh my! She¡¯s speaking up! Oh, to answer your question Arachne, there are delvers here. They¡¯re¡ª [I¡¯m making the specters now. You brief them.] Got it. So, delvers are here to fight with you guys, but you all will respawn, only it takes a while, and a lot of the other servants are still respawning at the moment. Anyway! Most importantly, don¡¯t let them dive into the water under the big statue in the middle. The core¡¯s in the statue¡¯s base¡ª Arachne could feel it, now that the woman mentioned it, this ¡®core¡¯ was the source of both voices and a great deal of mana as well. The heart of this room and beyond. --And if that dies, we all die. I don¡¯t think the delvers are going to try and kill us, but better safe than sorry. The faerie¡¯s nodded at the information. It fit, made sense at a gut-deep level. This woman¡­ she was their creator, their Queen. And the man her partner, her King Consort. Arachne took a deep breath, feeling her creators, the web of them suffusing her whole world. They were beautiful, a thousand threads of living power. The ultimate tapestry. The huntress faerie nudged Arachne with a foot. [I¡¯m Atalanta.] [Arachne.] She replied, pulling herself from her awe. [And I,] the third faerie smiled at them, [Am Achilles.] Behind them, two massive Specters burst into existence. One was a beautiful woman in watery colors and shapes, and the other a flame-covered skeleton on a motorcycle. Achilles ignored the two new servants, darting forward towards the fight. Catching his excitement, Atalanta and Arachne followed. [FOR GLORY!] Achilles shouted, [FOR LOOT! AND FOR VICTORY!!] Oh. Kepler, they¡¯re quite enthusiastic. [Make sure they don¡¯t die all at once.] 51. -Astrid- This was Serious Business. Astrid could tell because Dad was livid. Astrid had been alive more than a month, but Dad had only ever gotten mad once, when the System had tried to level Mum. She still wasn¡¯t sure what that was about, actually, but she knew it had been Serious Business. And Serious Business meant gloves-off, no-bars-held, anything-goes fighting. Vicious, bloodthirsty. Straight for the throat. So, these delvers? They were getting wrecked. Astrid heard them enter her Boss Room. Mum and Dad had made it for her when they remodeled. It was bigger than the entrance hall and had a lake instead of a floor. When they¡¯d made it, Astrid had thought the boulders placed as stepping-stones were too big to really challenge delvers, but hearing the delvers had changed her mind. They were twice the size of the previous delvers, and three times as tough. Astrid swallowed anxiously, remembering her view of the last few minutes. The Fae were still respawning, and out of the whole Snake-Worm Pack, only Sneaky remained. There was the Slime Corps, but Mum wanted to keep them in reserve. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The shorter one, who used a sword, walked up to the water¡¯s edge, followed by the tall magical one with the Dodo. Astrid swam under the ledge they were standing under. Mouth sounds¡ªwait. Astrid leaned into her connection with Mum, worming her way into the Universal Translation skill. ¡°I¡¯ll go @(*%8¡ª¡± Astrid squinted as the first one spoke, the skill slippery in her mind. She¡¯d tried this a couple of times with Organize Servants but the categorizations hadn¡¯t lasted. The tall delver responded with more mouth sounds. A headache smacked at Astrid, so she gave up trying to listen in. [Sneaky, hide under the Inner Court entrance. Jump them if they get too close.] He twitched his tongue in recognition, doing as she asked. Above her, the delvers finished talking. Not-tall delver started, hopping easily from the ledge to the first boulder. Astrid hesitated. Should she try to separate the two? While she hesitated, the second followed the first. They now occupied a boulder each and neither showed difficulty keeping their feet. Her heart pounded in her throat. She¡¯d let them make the first move. That wasn¡¯t the plan. It was her Boss Room. What if she failed again? What even was her plan-- [Astrid.] She jolted as Dad spoke to her privately. [Yeah?] [You can do this.] He believed in her. She could feel it through their bond. It calmed her. [Okay.] Gritting her mandibles, she pushed her doubts aside. It didn¡¯t matter who made the first move. What did matter? Who made the finishing one. 52. -Celio- He was naming her Gloria. His adorable pet bird, Gloria the Flightless. She cooed at him happily as he stroked her feathers. The Boss Room had been uneventful so far, to the point where he was wondering if it was a boss room at all. They¡¯d jumped from boulder to boulder with little difficulty and taken care to stay out of the water. It would have been a difficult task for anyone low leveled, but he and Ira were in their twenties and leveled at above forty. ¡°So far,¡± He mumbled, ¡°This dungeon seems like it¡¯s aimed at gloomily-minded children. Children with grotesque tastes. We don¡¯t know anyone like that.¡± He scratched Gloria under the chin. ¡°I guess it¡¯s not that bad, though.¡± Jumping to the next rock, Ira snorted. ¡°Pretty sure Nova loves this place.¡± ¡°Nova¡¯s been here?¡± Celio said, alarmed. ¡°Not since she discovered it. Oh hey, there¡¯s a loot box.¡± Ira pointed at the other side of the room, far from the entrance to the next one. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The water around them made for nice background noise. Not too far away, Celio could hear something like crickets chirping. Ira took the detour offered by the loot box. ¡°Do you think it ran out of monsters?¡± ¡°What?¡± Celio followed her. Gloria dug her claws into him and he winced. One jump from the loot box, Ira paused and turned to him. ¡°The dungeon. We haven¡¯t seen any mon¡ª¡± Something leapt from the water. It was the same gleaming red skin as the snake-things, only eerily humanoid. About the size of a child, its movements were somehow wrong¡ªeven one leap showed that¡ªwrong in a way that set Celio¡¯s instincts on edge. That screamed predator. Most importantly, it had taken Ira by surprise. She flailed, trying to regain her balance. Celio had fallen slightly behind. He called a long-range spell¡ªlightning starting to warm his palms. The creature swiped at Ira¡¯s calf, put all its slender weight into tipping Ira off the slick stone. ¡°Gah!¡± Her cry was more startled than pained. Celio aimed at the monster. Then Ira slipped. Was pulled down with a splash. ¡°Ira!¡± He let his spell die. Electricity would kill anyone in the water. She grasped at the stone desperately. Celio jumped to the next stone. If only he had stayed closer to her! A sudden jerk of force pulled her off the rock. Even the water was sucking at her, the current strong. He reached the rock. Ira¡¯s ginger hair was still above the surface. He reached for it. But in mere seconds, Ira had been dragged under. Dragged into deep water. 53. -Ira- Cold. No air. It had her by the leg. She¡¯d managed to hold her breath when she went down. Her lungs pressed at her chest. Which way was up? It was hard to tell in the dim of the cavern. The monster harried her with its claws, so she drew her sword. She could taste blood in the water. Everything was blurry. Her chest burned. Air. She hadn¡¯t taken a deep enough breath. Despite its bright coloring, she was having trouble tracking the Boss. It came at her from behind. A long, shallow cut opened on her back. Ira pivoted, slamming the monster with her blade. It thrumped backwards, silvery blood spinning out in a threadlike pattern. She tried to follow up. The monster was too quick in the water¡ªor she was too slow¡ªout of her element. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. She activated Sword Speed. Air. Which way was up? The mixed blood stung in her eyes. Currents tugged at her hair. She couldn¡¯t see the Boss. It sliced at her again, claws gleaming. She sliced it back, opening a massive wound. Which way was up? AIR. She followed the sideways tug in her filled lungs. Gasped as she breached the surface. The monster grabbed at her legs, and she kicked at it, hard. Felt a crunch. There were no more attacks. Ira dragged herself up onto a stepping-stone. Her legs and arms stung from countless cuts. Her calf throbbed especially. She coughed up blood-tinted cave water. Bright lights flashed in the air. Squinting, Ira saw that it was Celio fighting three airborne faeries. He¡¯d dropped his Dodo, leaving it to crawl up onto a steppingstone. Crouch there uselessly, wailing like a clarinet on the edge of death. There was music pulsing in the air, sung by insect voices. Tense, discordant harmonies that set her on edge. Ira stood and shook herself like a wet dog. ¡°Should have brought someone with a healing skill.¡± She mumbled to herself. Then she jumped back into the fight. 54. Clare burrowed into Kepler¡¯s chest, shock eating at her. Didn¡¯t she kill Astrid too easily? He growled. She could feel the deep noise thrumming next to her cheek. Well, she bought some time, at least. The other servants should respawn soon. It was scaring her, she realized. That was why she was cuddling up to her symbiote like an anxious child. Clare cleared her throat and sat back up. It was ridiculous to succumb to fear. Kepler pulled her back into his embrace. Well, she thought, sometimes it isn¡¯t bad to be comforted. She leaned on him, keenly aware of how rare such trust would have been in her previous life. -Celio- Ira had escaped, thank Lux. Actually, Nox was more likely to have helped, but that was irrelevant. Ira was battered but alive. He sat her down on the ledge next to the far door. The entrance to the core room, based on how the dungeon had been fighting to keep them away from it. Celio tore a long strip from his shirt and sterilized it with a low current of electricity. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± She frowned at him. ¡°Less beat up than you.¡± He clicked his tongue and wrapped the impromptu bandage around her calf. They would have Priestess Aurora take a closer look at it when they got out. The cricket-monsters had moved on to a catchy, upbeat melody that Celio found himself humming along to. Likely the music was to make them lower their guard, but it was nice all the same. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to bandage your own wounds?¡± Celio chuckled. She was only self-conscious about him taking care of her, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t have mentioned it. He didn¡¯t mind; it was a dynamic they¡¯d had since they were young. ¡°Hm.¡± He responded, ¡°I don¡¯t have a health-debuff modifier.¡± Ira scowled. ¡°You¡¯re going to get one, at this rate.¡± The cut on her leg was all jagged, twisting around her persistent scars. Red flashed to their right, from the water, and Celio lashed out with electricity. A dead snake-worm twitched on the stone before dissipating. ¡°I told you this dungeon was nasty.¡± He said, clicking his tongue again. Still, his bad mood from earlier had faded. Replaced with simple gratitude for Ira being alright. The Dodo snuggled up to his side, which had somehow swam over on its own, also helped. He finished bandaging her and sat back on his heels. ¡°Why are you humming?¡± ¡°Am I?¡± Celio scratched Gloria under wings, earning an appreciative coo. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go then. This dungeon isn¡¯t going to claim itself.¡± Ira stretched, groaning. He smirked. ¡°What? You¡¯re not having fun anymore?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be smug.¡± The constant water-sounds mixed with the cheerful, chirpy tune of the monsters. Beyond the archway, a room full of blue mist and metallic glinting awaited. Ira stood up, still grumbling quietly. He tucked Gloria under one arm. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Meh.¡± Something moved and glowed a flickering orange in the indistinct space before them. The color mixed with the blueish tones to create a light violet. ¡°I¡¯d just forgotten you can get hurt fighting,¡± Ira admitted. ¡°I¡¯m over it now.¡± Celio shook his head, and they stepped into the core room. 55. Their three specters, Undine, Johnny Blaze, and¡ªKepler¡¯s last minute decision¡ªSlenderman moved in silent formation around the delvers. Blaze, the most obvious of the trio, took the center route. They were hoping to draw the delvers attention with his bright, spectral flames. On the delver¡¯s right, Undine glided into the pools of water that had been placed whimsically across the obsidian floor. Slenderman took the long path around. He moved with a calm certainty that didn¡¯t suit the situation, featureless face sending chills down Clare¡¯s spine. His long legs pushed him forward with spider-like precision. As he walked around the edge of the room to flank the delvers, he put out one ghostly hand and let his fingers glide through the stonework. [Good.] Kepler told the specters. Clare had ran the last operation, so he was directing this one. [Remember, this is about distracting them long enough for the rest of the servants to respawn¡ªwe don¡¯t expect you to beat them.] Johnny Blaze grit his teeth, taking offense, and burned more brightly. The diplurans fell silent in anticipation. The delvers were three feet from the door now. Now four feet. Five feet. [Now.] Spectral fire shot at Ira¡¯s face and she dodged low. Celio threw lightning in response, but Blaze ducked. Slenderman was almost there. Undine nervously indecisive. Get Celio. Clare told her. If you get him wet, he can¡¯t use electricity. Girl¡¯s Just Wanna Have Fun began inexplicably playing from the Choir moat. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Blaze threw another glob of flame, and Ira flared with mana¡ªcutting it in half. Celio stepped behind her, glancing around for other threats, but didn¡¯t see Undine or Slenderman. His foot landed half an inch from Undine¡¯s puddle, and Clare didn¡¯t have to tell her twice. With an anxious shriek, their water specter flung herself at the mage¡ªsoaking him through. Celio cursed and threw an ineffectual punch. It went straight through her incorporeal build. ¡°Ira, can you do close up? I¡¯m going to need a minute to dry off.¡± In response, Ira slashed her skill at Undine. The clumsy servant died instantly. ¡°I¡¯m never delving here with you again, this is a terrible matc¡ª¡± A white-gloved hand burst from her chest. It inflicted no wounds, phasing through her cleanly, but ghostly red blood stained it all the same. The hand was holding a beating human heart. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ira said. She swayed, eyes becoming unfocused. ¡°So cold¡­¡± Celio lunged. ¡°Put it back!¡± Lightning sparked on his wet skin, giving him purchase on the specter. He squashed the hand, and heart, back into her chest¡ªshe gasped, suddenly becoming alert¡ªthen reached over her shoulder with a gangly arm. Slenderman hissed, filling the room with anguished shadows, but Celio just moved faster. Slapped his electric hands where the face should be and unleashed a current. A terrible odor filled the grotto. Slenderman flickered. Ira swung Celio around, almost do-see-do, and parried another fireball. He crashed into the long-limbed specter and embraced him with lightning. Ira took a shadowy step and appeared in front of Johnny Blaze There was a loud snap, and Celio found himself without an opponent. Moments later, Ira disposed of her own with a single slash. Finally alone, the two friends panted heavily, leaning on one another. Mist trembled in the air, mixing with the up-beat notes of the dipluran choir, with the scent of Celio¡¯s self-burnt flesh. Clare stared at the delvers, chewing her lip. They were nicked and battered from head to toe, with some of the injuries being quite deep. Celio looked the worst, burnt by his own powers, shivering, and far paler than when he¡¯d entered. Just go home. She mumbled. Just call it a day¡ªyou don¡¯t have to see our core. Celio sighed. Checked his system interface. ¡°How long until the monsters respawn?¡± Clare¡¯s heart sank. She looked at Kepler. Her symbiote stroked her hair, soft-eyed. ¡°We can¡¯t have more than two minutes of peace.¡± Ira replied, ¡°Then we¡¯ll be swamped on our way out.¡± [Closer to one minute.] Clare despondently nodded in response. ¡°Right.¡± Celio scowled, squaring his shoulders. ¡°Let¡¯s claim this dungeon already.¡± Kepler watched the delvers continue, his low growl thrumming against Clare¡¯s shoulder. The diplurans began singing Pizza Time. 56. -Celio- Celio had learned [Claim] out of sheer spite. He¡¯d been younger, then, and hadn¡¯t given up on adventuring yet. Ira had never truly given up on it¡ªhad gone to fight monsters in the mountains, actually¡ªbut Celio loved art more than fighting. Had only been set on adventuring at all because the Laurus Sect insisted he wasn¡¯t allowed to. So, it was out of spite that he¡¯d learned any adventuring skills, and [Claim] was the pinnacle of that. The skill was originally meant for artifacts, or any semi-sentient object, and simply established ownership. No one unauthorized by the owner could use what was Claimed, and the owner could enforce simple commands on it when necessary. Traditionally, it had been applied to magical weapons, who tended to get a little bloodthirsty. But then someone thought of using it on dungeons. Celio took a deep breath, [Sensing] the mana around him. It tasted salty-sweet, like fresh taffy. Quivered in a webbed cloud, permeated every inch of the grotto. Moving fast, he pushed through a metallic grove, into the thickest mana. Another statue loomed above them, surrounded by a moat. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Ira was on his heels. Checked out the area while he focused on his magic. ¡°Can you electrocute the water?¡± Without questioning why, Celio lobbed lightning into the moat, still focused on the delicate mana. This dungeon was young¡ªweak enough that it was hard for him to read it. Still, this was its center. Following the currents, where they snagged in a decoy, where they wound about in a whirl-- ¡°There.¡± He smiled. ¡°I found the core.¡± Ira nodded. ¡°Hurry.¡± The crickets reached a fevered crescendo in the insane tune they were playing. Moved to a frantic cacophony as melody fell apart. Celio took a few steps back. ¡°It¡¯s in the statue base.¡± He leapt over the moat, high-leveled stats carrying him. Crouched on the polished marble. Sans chisel, he grabbed his knife, pulling on his artisan skills. ¡°[Carve].¡± There was sudden resistance. A last-ditch enchantment? Some kind of dungeon trap? He pushed mana into the skill, chipping into the stone by his feet. Whatever it was, it wasn¡¯t powerful enough to be a problem. A faerie¡ªlike those from earlier¡ªdarted out from the statue. The source of the resistance. It sent a wave of Iron and Dove-metal at him (some variant of [Paint]?), clinging towards his bleeding-burnt limbs in manacles. Almost had him, too, but Ira threw a dagger. Faerie blood, mixing with his own. Celio took a deep breath. On the other side of the moat, Gloria had caught up and was sitting on Ira¡¯s foot. She cooed at him. Any remaining music died, as the dungeon¡¯s chirpy choir fell silent. ¡°[Carve].¡± It was not pretty work. The artist in him cringed, but the long-slumbering adventurer stirred in hesitant excitement. He blew stone fragments from the hole in the statue base. A pale crystal, strobing with light. It was silky under his touch, and he tasted taffy and sunlight and sharp ocean-tang. ¡°[Clai¡ª [HOW DARE YOU.] 57. -Kepler- Finally, Kepler had the threat in his grasp. The idiot had entered the mind-space¡ªof his own will¡ªas part of some kind of skill. A skill Kepler gladly dismantled. [HOW DARE YOU.] He ripped into the man¡¯s mind. Mana and system-reinforcements whirled around Kepler in tattered strips. [TOUCH MY CLARE.] The skill he¡¯d dismantled had been possessive. He¡¯d tried to put chains on them¡ªon Clare. Rage burned inside him, rage and satisfaction. The man was putty under his claws. He¡¯d reached Celio¡¯s soul, now. Bit deep into his memories¡ª Stop!! Clare was grasping at his arms, unable to hold him back. Stop! You¡¯re going to kill him! [So?] Kepler snarled but did as she asked. She hugged his torso, tried to leverage her weight into pulling him away. [Clare, he¡¯s a threat.] What, because of an idiotic comment and a bad attitude? You could have ended his soul! He didn¡¯t look at his¡ªwhat was Clare to him, anyway? He didn¡¯t look at her. His expression would frighten her. The dungeon quivered with his rage and victory. His enemy was helpless on the ground, barely cognizant. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. [He was trying to enslave us.] What? She glanced down at the delver. He looked up at her with soft brown eyes. Memories spilled out from gaping wounds on his chest and neck. A childhood surrounded by gentle priests and troublemaking peers. Spring in the New Capital, pale buds struggling to bloom on a cherry tree. Grimy fights in a back-alley. The smell of paint. Kepler flexed his claws uneasily. Just kick him out. [No.] Clare gave him a stern look, but it wasn¡¯t all that authoritative. Her blue eyes were too melancholy for that. Big fragile pools of empathy. Kepler¡­ we can protect ourselves without becoming cruel. [It¡¯s not cruel. It¡¯s necessary.] She turned her gaze to the intruder thoughtfully. Watched his mind settling, trying to pull itself together. He watched her back. I don¡¯t think he meant to. [That doesn¡¯t mean he won¡¯t try again¡ªor just destroy us. We don¡¯t have enough physical defense.] Clare turned back to Kepler. Her eyes consumed him, full of memories she¡¯d never let him see, memories he¡¯d only glimpsed while they were leveling. And how will his friend react? [What?] If you destroy his mind? How will she react? Kepler froze. Shame clawed at his gut, as he realized the obvious answer. Clare pushed him, gently, a few steps back from the delver. Crouched beside his prone form. The man stared at her with an intensity that made Kepler bristle. I don¡¯t know how to put you back together. She told Celio. I wish you hadn¡¯t been injured like this, that you¡¯d been polite. Clare rubbed a soft hand against the delver¡¯s head. Kepler swayed, his world spinning at the action. But there¡¯s nothing I can do but send you back. We are people. I don¡¯t know about other dungeons, but Kepler and I¡­ She removed her hand. Kepler crossed the distance to her, cold clutching at his heart. Fingers numb. We¡¯re people. Clare said, and scooped Celio into her arms. Into her arms. Kepler¡¯s form blurred. Mist. He was mist, like the blue mist in their territory. An unanchored puff of cloud. She deposited Celio outside their core, pressing him carefully back into his body through what remained of the skill. Why hadn¡¯t he shredded the skill properly? There would have been no putting him back, then. Kepler could have destroyed him¡­ could smashed Celio into a powder, a mist--- instead of feeling like mist himself. Clare pulled back from the edge of their mind-space. Hugged herself. She wasn¡¯t looking at him. She wasn¡¯t looking at him. Wasn¡¯t looking at him. Kepler dropped his mind-space form. Dove into their joint subconscious. Every iota of his being hurt. 58. -Lux- ¡°Oh my!¡± She spun down-outward-through, focusing on her young follower. ¡°Poor Celio!¡± Her husband followed her gaze. Scowled. Their two followers, paladin Ira and priest Celio, were retreating fast from an irate dungeon. Ira had Celio under his gangly arms, dragging him with all her strength as she pushed [Dark Step IV] to its limits. The poor boy had wounds all over his mind¡ªhis system fortifications nearly entirely shredded. Lux reached through-long and ran a soothing hand over him, but it would take time. Even with the help of a goddess, Celio would never be truly the same. Nox had pulled up the record. Seemed to know the details, now, and was still scowling. ¡°That was entirely uncalled for.¡± He said. ¡°Hm?¡± Lux was still focused on her priest. She¡¯d started with his mind, pulling in any lost memories and carefully returning them. Her husband shook his head. ¡°Just focus, love. I¡¯ll speak with the child who caused this.¡± Normally, she would have pressed for details, but Celio¡¯s wounds were too urgent. Doing one last sweep around the dungeon, she grasped the last of the spilled memories and slotted them into place. His mind was throbbing¡ªeven his body on edge, now. Lux took a moment to stabilize his brain. Ira had him back at the church, now. Lux breathed a sigh of relief and let Aurora take care of the boy¡¯s body. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Turning back to his mind, she took a long moment to settle the memories. They weren¡¯t in the same order as before, that was impossible, but she made sure they were comfortable ordered. That they wouldn¡¯t do damage to his personality, at least. The deep cuts that had allowed the memory-bleed were trying to heal themselves. Lux cooled them with a hand. A rushed job would heal wrong. Slowly, slowly, she began to stitch back together the fabric of Celio¡¯s self. It would take time. Lux had time. -Nox- Entirely unstable. There was nothing else to describe the child. Nox sat back and watched him writhe in the corner of the core. In agony simply because his girl had touched another person, had decided their safety was more important than him. Nox clicked his tongue. The boy froze. ¡°Kepler.¡± Nox said, keeping his tone even. Patience was something he asked of his followers, and it would have been hypocritical to not be patient himself. Shivering, the child stared at him, overwhelmed with unstable emotions. Nox felt a spike of anger at whoever had created Kepler. They clearly did not have the child¡¯s interests at heart. He kept the emotion away from his avatar, though. It wasn¡¯t Kepler¡¯s fault. The core was a limited place, all tangled up in the girl, too. Nox took a step back and opened a door. It went to a favorite Space of his, dark and comfortable. ¡°You can make a kind of avatar, no?¡± Nox said. Kepler stared. ¡°The¡­ mind-space self.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Leave your roots here. We need to talk.¡± The child shuddered, dark limbs stretching frantically. ¡°No, Clare¡ª¡± ¡°She will be fine.¡± Kepler snarled; fangs forming in his half-dissolved conscious mind. ¡°She won¡¯t!¡± Nox exerted his Will. Perhaps a bit too much, as the boy passed out. Frowning, the god balled up the symbiote¡¯s conscious form and carried him into the Space. Set him down in a quiet not-corner. The property of darkness poured over both of them, like the sound of water, like the taste of honey. It would take time for Kepler to awake. Nox had time. 59. Clare knew she was a terrible person. It was something she tried to not think too much about. Still, it made her wince that, when her only friend was so deeply hurt that he was hiding from her, her first reaction was relief. Not that she disliked Kepler. In fact, she liked him more than anyone since Emma. She hadn¡¯t liked anyone much since Emma¡¯s death (because she was a terrible person). But it had been months since she¡¯d been alone. The constant presence of another person¡ªany person-- had gnawed at her. Worn parts of fa?ade thin. Now, Clare lay in the center of the mind-space. The floor was soft like a bed, cradling her. Outside the core, their respawned monsters were all afuss. Astrid was cuddling with Duchess, of all people, clearly upset. The snake-worms were snapping at each other and the slimes with unusual brutality. Van Gogh was sitting on the floor with Puck, talking to the newest faeries quietly. The jungle gym was being introduced to the specters by Omnom and Luna. It was quiet, but not in a peaceful way. The floor was soft. The diplurans began playing ¡®By the Beautiful Blue Danube.¡¯ Clare was alone. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. That meant Clare was safe. Safe. She drifted off to sleep. -- Pink petals were flying in the wind. Their soft scent floated above the body odor and indistinct grime of Clare¡¯s high school. Her backpack clung to her shoulders, rooting her to the concrete with the weight of far too much paper. The petals, bright against a half-clouded sky, tumbled over the rooftops and, in a burst of playful air, up over the wall and out of sight. ¡°Clare.¡± Devon, her first and last boyfriend, stood beside her. ¡°Earth to Clare. Hello?¡± He waved a hand in front of her face. ¡°Anybody hoooome?¡± Clare shook herself out of it, giving Devon an exasperated smile. ¡°Very mature.¡± ¡°Hey, we can¡¯t all be old souls.¡± He took her hand, the braided bracelet she¡¯d made him grazing her skin. ¡°Come on, the bell rang ages ago. Let¡¯s get outta here.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± She let him tow her along, out into the parking lot where his beat-up Corolla waited. ¡°I love this car.¡± He rambled, ¡°Just look at it.¡± ¡°Yes, the peeling paint is very inspiring.¡± ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure if he was ignoring her, or just didn¡¯t care about her sarcasm. He was the happy-go-lucky type. ¡°The silver sheen¡ª¡± It was really a concrete grey. ¡°¡ªThe artistic shape, and it¡¯s a stick shift!¡± He grinned at her. She smiled back. It wasn¡¯t fair to him, that she didn¡¯t (in her heart of hearts) love him. He deserved to be loved. They piled into the car, and he had to let go of her hand to drive. ¡°I love you.¡± He said randomly. That was his personality¡ªjust like his hair that never lay down flat, or his T-shirts with logos and band names he¡¯d never heard of. Just a bit random, in a charming way. She leaned against the car door, feigning sleepiness. Well, not entirely feigning. ¡°Mm.¡± Devon glanced over at her. He knew she didn¡¯t love him. It glinted in his pale blue eyes. Eyes like the sky just after dawn. ¡°I love you.¡± Grinning carelessly, he drove them away from the school. Clare stared out the window. A storm was gathering. Clouds crowded next to the sun. And there were pink petals dancing in the wind. 60. -Kepler- He woke up. That was odd. As a symbiote he wasn¡¯t capable of sleep¡ª He was not in the core. Panic jolted through him. He jumped to his feet, forming claws and teeth and¡ª ¡°Calm yourself.¡± The Being said. Kepler froze. That¡¯s right. Clare had¡ªshe had spared the invader. And he couldn¡¯t deal with it. And there had been a Being, was a Being. Had it kidnapped him? The system informed him casually. He¡­ wasn¡¯t sure what to make of that. The god before him was deep black¡ªdarker than Kepler¡ªbut mostly humanoid. It¡ªhe, he looked young, Kepler supposed. For a god, at least. Nox stretched, turning his attention to Kepler. ¡°Child.¡± Perhaps older than he looked, then. Most wouldn¡¯t see Kepler as a child. [I¡¯m not a child]. He hadn¡¯t meant to be petulant. It had just come out of his mouth. Kepler turned his gaze away, embarrassed. They were in a not-room. It was one of those places which would have given Clare mind-pain. A pang went through him at the thought of her, of how far he was from her¡­ The not-room soothed him. It smelled vaguely of sunlit clover and rainstorms. -Ask him about quarks. Kepler blinked. [What?] [What are quarks?] Nox rolled his eyes. ¡°We¡¯re here to talk about Kepler, System. You can bother me later.¡± ¡°Shoo.¡± Nox waved a hand¡ªand something more¡ªat the System and it pulled away. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Kepler swallowed nervously. Nox gestured to a chair. Kepler sat. [Am I¡­] He recalled his actions towards Celio. [Are you here to punish me?] The god leaned back. Considered Kepler thoughtfully. ¡°No.¡± That¡­ that did not compute. He was almost more anxious, now. [Then, why am I here? I--] Clare was alone in her core. A core that could be enslaved by [Claim]. [I need to go back!] ¡°Because you¡¯re worried?¡± Kepler glared. [Is that so wrong?] There was thoughtful silence. Kepler shifted in his chair. Nox shrugged. Kepler worked his jaw, but couldn¡¯t find a way to respond. Neither spoke. The room was dark, but somehow Kepler could still see. Nox was the darkest thing there, standing out by contrast. It was all dark, though, in a way that wrapped itself around Kepler. Soothed him. [Why am I here, then?] Nox looked at him pointedly. ¡°Because you¡¯re obsessed. It¡¯s not healthy.¡± [That--] Kepler knew his feelings towards Clare were obsessive, but, [That¡¯s none of your business.] ¡°It is when that leads to you attacking one of my wife¡¯s priests.¡± The symbiote blinked at him. [Wife?] ¡°Yes, Lux, my wife. She¡¯s Celio¡¯s patron.¡± [Oh. Yeah, well¡­] Kepler examined the honey flavored pattern wavering in the air. [He was trying to enslave us, so¡­] ¡°Don¡¯t give me that BS. You could have explained the situation, like Clare did. Your reaction was insane, and you know it.¡± Kepler¡¯s shoulders hunched. The god was right. He didn¡¯t want to admit it, though. Tried to come up with some kind of dignified response¡ª ¡°Kepler.¡± Nox brought his attention back to the present. ¡°You need a life.¡± He blinked. [A life?] Kepler was alive. A symbiote, sure, but still a living person. ¡°I mean away from Clare. Hobbies. Goals. Things you do just for yourself.¡± Oh. [I don¡¯t need one.] ¡°Yes, you do. And you¡¯re not going back to the core until you have a step-by-step plan for having one.¡± [What.] Nox folded his hands in front of him calmly. ¡°Before you can leave, you will choose one goal¡ªone that has nothing to do with Clare¡ªand you will tell me exactly how you¡¯re going to accomplish it. Step by step.¡± Kepler¡¯s mind spun. The thought had never occurred to him. He opened his mouth to protest, but Nox continued. ¡°Furthermore, you are choosing one hobby that you like for a non-Clare reason, and you will engage in that hobby every day. And if I catch you skipping a day, there will be consequences.¡± [No way!] Nox raised an eyebrow. [That¡¯s ridiculous! I¡¯m not some sort of moody teenager in need of supervi--] The darkness cracked, pressing in on Kepler¡¯s existence. He tried to push against it¡ªthe way he had weathered the Rift. It was too focused, orderly. Unstoppable. It crushed him. The world flickered, he couldn¡¯t think¡ª Nox released the pressure. Panting. Kepler was curled up on the floor. ¡°Child?¡± Kepler whimpered. [Yes?] ¡°Are you ready to cooperate now?¡± The symbiote sighed. He missed Clare. So much more than usual. [Yes.] 61. -Nova- The Scoop was holding its breath. That¡¯s how Nova imagined it, at least; the whole mountain sucking in air through the vertical crater of the Scoop, holding it there in its cavernous belly. Everything, everyone, was tense and suffocating. ¡°Do they know when he¡¯s going to wake up?¡± Septimus was sitting on the ground next to her. He, Felix and Nova had gathered outside when they¡¯d heard about Celio. Nova scraped her foot against the bark of a nearby tree. ¡°Dunno.¡± The grove they were in was wrinkly and stunted, the result of being deep in the shadows of the Scoop. Nova had always felt it was relatable, but especially now. ¡°I can¡¯t believe the dungeon did that.¡± Felix said, but not in an outraged way. He was the only one standing and was tilting back and forth on his heels like human rocking chair. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Nova didn¡¯t respond. She agreed, of course, but that didn¡¯t change the facts. ¡°I think¡­¡± Septimus trailed off. She scraped her foot again, peeling off some lush green moss. The grove was so poetic¡ªall shadowy and chilled. It even got mist, sometimes. ¡°What?¡± Felix prompted. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Oh.¡± Septimus flushed, embarrassed. ¡°I just don¡¯t think we have the full picture. Not that dungeons are nice, but this one had plenty of chances to hurt us, ya know? And it never did.¡± Felix nodded. ¡°It¡¯s forbidden now.¡± Nova said, seeing where this was going. The boys looked at her, nonplussed. ¡°It was forbidden before, though?¡± Septimus said. ¡°Well yeah, but¡­¡± she scraped more moss. It fell onto the leaf-strewn ground, a picture of green life and inevitable decay. ¡°Now it¡¯s seriously forbidden. Celio is hurt bad. Ira looked so scared, and Clementine says the High Priestess had never seen injuries like that¡­¡± Felix quit rocking. Started shifting side to side instead. Septimus sat back, leaning against the tree behind him. ¡°So now it¡¯s actually forbidden. We¡¯d get in real trouble.¡± Behind them, a crow squawked loudly. Squirrels chittered in reply. Septimus was nodding, so Nova figured she¡¯d made her point. They wouldn¡¯t be going to the Grotto anymore. The thought made her stomach twist. ¡°But,¡± she made herself change topics, ¡°Celio is going to be okay, right?¡± Celio could be a little grouchy, but she didn¡¯t want him hurt. Septimus stood. ¡°I think so.¡± Nova squinted at him suspiciously. ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± He brushed the mulch from his pants. ¡°Come on, Felix.¡± Septimus started walking towards the back of the Scoop, with Felix following unquestioningly. Nova blinked. The boys were moving fast¡ªand towards the Old Palace. ¡°Wait!¡± She hurried after them. ¡°Where are you going?¡± They didn¡¯t stop, but she managed to catch up. ¡°Septimus?¡± He looked at her. There was a set to his shoulders, a confidence, that wasn¡¯t usually there. ¡°Where else?¡± ¡°The Grotto.¡± Felix finished the thought. Nova stopped, shocked. Hadn¡¯t they decided against it? The boys continued, and she had to run to catch up with them before they entered the Old Palace. Cool air washed over the three children as they entered its stone halls. ¡°But why?¡± She asked. ¡°Because,¡± Septimus didn¡¯t look back, ¡°We need to talk with the Captive Maiden.¡± 62. Clare opened her eyes. Listened. Astrid was fishing Diplurans, so there wasn¡¯t any music. Puck was harassing Duchess, with Achilles of all people, but she was giving as good as she got so Clare wasn¡¯t worried. There was someone missing. The slimes¡ªand specters, she noted¡ªwere at the jungle gym, discussing philosophy. Arachne and Atalanta were hanging out with Van Gogh as he fixed the statue-base. Snake-worms snapped at the trio lazily but weren¡¯t hard to avoid. Clare swallowed, anxiety building. There was no clicking of claws within the mind-space. No thoughtful humming or irritated muttering at the System. Kepler hadn¡¯t returned. She sat up. Checked the System-proved clock. It had been 10 hours since the incident. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Astrid noticed her stirring, and let the diplurans be for the moment. They began singing ¡®The Lion Sleeps Tonight.¡¯ [Mum?] Their adorable water-giant looked towards the core. [Are you awake?] Yeah. Astrid shifted from foot to foot. [Where¡¯s dad?] I¡­ Clare tried to gather her thoughts. She couldn¡¯t feel Kepler¡¯s conscious self anywhere in the core, not even formless in their joint subconscious. He went out for a bit. He¡¯ll be back. [What do you mean ¡®out¡¯?] Astrid frowned. [Dad can leave the core?] Clare forced down a swear word¡ªshe hadn¡¯t counted on Astrid being able to feel Kepler¡¯s conscious presence. Had meant to suggest Kepler was in the subconscious by omission. His conscious self is out, that¡¯s all. He¡¯s still here in the core, so he¡¯ll be back. Astrid scowled at the floor, mouth pincers showing. [Yeah, okay.] Her creator tried to find something to say. [That stupid old man better come back.] Astrid said, before Clare could respond, and dove into the moat. Snake-worms attacked her, but she beat them down with unusual enthusiasm before disappearing into the water tunnels. Clare put her head in her hands. Crap¡­ She wanted to use stronger language but didn¡¯t want to teach anyone new vocabulary on accident. Then she froze. Dropped a word she shouldn¡¯t have. At the entrance of her territory, there was a trio of footsteps. They had delvers. 63. -Nova- They stepped over the border stream hesitantly. Well, Nova was hesitant. Septimus and Felix seemed to have left all ability to hesitate back at the grove. It really surprised her, the way Septimus was acting. He was usually so cautious¡ª Her breath caught as got a good look at the Grotto. She was used to it changing, by now. It was probably a good thing for the Maiden to keep herself occupied. But the new entry room caught her imagination in a way only rivaled by her first glance at the main one. Delicate carvings covered every inch of the room, starting from the arched entrance, to the exits on either side leading further into the Grotto, to the back wall where a high-relief depiction of the Maiden and the Demon themselves peered down imperiously. The detail was indescribable. Stars glowed in thick swirls from the arches, flowing out into smaller constellations on the walls and ceiling. Veins of glimmering stone seemed to snap at each other playfully; reddish worms and the humanoid monster they¡¯d seen before mixed in with bright faeries and jiggling orbs. And the Maiden and Demon¡¯s eyes! They now stared down at Nova with a glistening, lifelike focus. It thrilled Nova to her bones. Septimus took everything in more quickly. He paused in front of the¡­ shelf? Altar? Well, it was at the foot of the high-relief statue. It seemed to draw his attention, and he frowned thoughtfully. To either side of the statue/altar combo were two pools of softly glowing water. Felix crouched beside the one on their left curiously. Nova sighed, pulling her eyes from the beauty of the room. ¡°What do you make of it?¡± She asked Septimus, who was still frowning at the altar. He didn¡¯t respond, instead searching his pockets until he found a knotted old piece of string. Nova frowned. ¡°You¡¯re not gonna offer that¡ª¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Septimus put it on the altar, and it disappeared. She groaned. ¡°The Maiden¡¯s gonna think we¡¯re such cheapskates.¡± ¡°So?¡± Felix dug through his pockets as well, coming up with one of the High Priest¡¯s candies. ¡°It¡¯s not like we have money.¡± He offered it up, too, and it was accepted. Nova huffed, realizing she also didn¡¯t have anything good to offer. After a moment of thought, she offered up the spare ribbon tied to her wrist. A happy sigh breezed through the dungeon as they finished paying toll. Septimus looked around warily. ¡°I think we might start seeing monsters, now.¡± ¡°Do you think that¡¯s what happened?¡± Nova speculated, ¡°That they forgot to offer something?¡± He snorted in reply. ¡°More like didn¡¯t think of it in the first place. Adults don¡¯t tend to think to do this kind of stuff.¡± Felix, crouching beside one of the pools again, shook his head at their exchange. ¡°There¡¯s no way Celio got mauled for not paying an entrance fee. I mean¡­¡± He trailed a finger in the water thoughtfully, ¡°Maybe a little, but not that bad.¡± Nova nodded gravely. High Priestess Aurelia was an amazing healer, but even she¡¯d seemed so panicked¡­ Felix scooped up a handful of water and gulped it down. ¡°Felix!¡± Septimus scolded, astonished. At the same time, Nova said, ¡°Spit it out!¡± Their reckless friend sat back on his heels looking smug. ¡°Yum.¡± ¡°What are you nuts?¡± Nova shouted, pounding him on the back, ¡°Throw it up!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Felix laughed, ¡°It¡¯s ¡®boon water.¡¯¡± Septimus frowned at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what my status says.¡± Felix replied, grinning, ¡°I now have resistance to ¡®current-based attacks¡¯ for three hours.¡± His best friend¡¯s frown didn¡¯t let up. ¡°I have no idea what that means.¡± ¡°Neither do I.¡± Felix shrugged, ¡°But it¡¯s not bad.¡± Nova let out a sigh of relief, although Septimus still seemed skeptical. ¡°You¡¯re a moron.¡± Septimus told Felix. ¡°A fart-eating, pin-headed moron. How do you remember to put your pants on in the morning with such limited intellect? Hmm?¡± Felix laughed as Septimus tried to put him in a head lock and failed to get a proper grip. They devolved into boyish horse-wrestling, with Nova keeping watch, giggling. There was the gleam of red not-skin in the darkness just past the entry room. Nova paused, taking a step back, as the humanoid monster who had trashed Felix in a fight tromped into the entrance room. ¡°H-hey guys¡ª¡± Nova squeaked. ¡°Guys!¡± Felix and Septimus quit wrestling, eyes landing on the eerie creature. There was a moment of silence, then Felix bounded to his feet. ¡°Thank goodness!¡± He said to the monster, ¡°Hey, do you think you can explain what¡¯s going on? Cuz I have no idea.¡± This confirmed it. Felix was an idiot, through and through. 64. -Felix- Thank goodness! They¡¯d finally found a monster to talk to. It was even the humanoid one¡ªwho had laughed at him before and so probably had a human mindset. The way it moved was still incredibly creepy but, oddly enough, starting to grow on him. Its oddly silent, insectile body sent a prickle down his spine, but was beginning to seem catlike¡ªwhat with all the predatory grace¡ªand Felix couldn¡¯t help thinking it was a little cute. The creature tilted its head at him. Probably confused, or at least that was Felix¡¯s take from his last experience with it. ¡°I mean, Celio got really hurt, but you guys don¡¯t seem the type to shred someone that way¡­ We were basically helpless last time, since you trashed me, ya know? But we got out fine.¡± It took a minute, but the creature eventually nodded. Boy, was this thing scary! Felix bounced on his toes happily. The creature was also shifting from foot to foot but seemed more uneasy than excited. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right.¡± Felix said sheepishly. ¡°You can¡¯t talk, can you?¡± It nodded. They both thought for a minute, trying to find a solution. Septimus was slowly moving to stand flank the monster, but he was smart enough to not attack. It straightened, then turned towards the arch leading further into the Grotto purposefully. Felix frowned. Was it leaving? Then it paused and gestured for them to follow. ¡°Oh! Okay.¡± There must have been a way to talk further in. Felix began to follow, but Septimus grabbed his arm. ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like a good idea.¡± His friend said. ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot.¡± Felix replied. ¡°How are we supposed to know what happened if we don¡¯t ask?¡± Nova guffawed, grabbing his other arm. ¡°Look who¡¯s talking! You just drank Grotto-water!¡± Felix shrugged off his overly cautious friends and followed the waiting monster. ¡°Felix!¡± Nova wailed. He could hear Septimus murmuring something comforting to her before the sound of running water covered it. ¡°So!¡± Felix said, ¡°Where are we going?¡± The monster ducked around a razor-sharp spike, clearly pointing it out to him so he didn¡¯t get shredded. Considerate! Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. They navigated a maze of water jets (which likely would have taken his head off), spikes, and slippery, uneven footing. Felix soon forgot he¡¯d asked a question at all, instead absorbed by the acrobatic feats required to get through. The water made a constant, thrumming sound that faded into his subconscious like a heartbeat. The monster paused by an elaborate chest (with engravings Nova would drool over), opening it to pull out a red, news-boy style hat. ¡°I claim dibs!¡± Felix always looked good in hats. But it pulled the hat out of his reach. He grumbled and snatched at it again, but the creature put the hat on its own head and promptly disappeared. ¡°Whoa.¡± A hat of invisibility. That was so rare¡ªFelix wished he¡¯d grabbed faster. A moment later, the humanoid popped back into focus. Felix could have been wrong, but the way its pouchy mouth was tilted, it seemed to be smiling. Well, credit to the victor. No need to be unsportsmanlike. ¡°Congrats! That¡¯s awesome!¡± He pounded it on the back. It let out a click-huff laugh. Then it handed the hat to him. ¡°Wait¡ªreally?¡± It nodded. He snatched it out of its hands, not waiting a second. ¡°Yes!¡± It laughed again. The strange sound echoed in the narrow hall, watery and soft. Felix put the hat on, then took it off, then tucked it in his pocket. It¡¯d come in handy later. Yes, he had plans for this hat. They continued. He was starting to get tired. Nicked his shin on a translucent spike, much to the monster¡¯s concern. Felix waved it off. Not long after, they arrived at the main room. The room was¡­ Felix was not the kind of person to go into poetics. That was Nova¡¯s area, and she was very good at it. All the same, he wished he could memorize the sparkling mist shrouding a ceiling of night-sky. The tall, silvery trees and burbling streams. It was like someone had taken the orchard outside his home and filled it with magic, with stories of the ocean like the ones Celio told when he was in a good mood. Ah, right, Celio! ¡°Can you tell me what happened, now?¡± Felix said, but realized he was alone. The creature had left when his back was turned. Fear crept up his spine. He fingered the knife at his belt but knew it would do him no good if the Grotto chose to attack. Ghostly lights colored the pale mist. Felix startled as what he¡¯d thought was a rock began to roll away, slipping into the water¡ªwhere hungry maws devoured it. When the humanoid popped out of the water beside him, he screamed. The humanoid stood stock still. Then it began to laugh, pointing at him and clutching its side. ¡°It¡¯s not funny!¡± Felix whacked it with an open palm, to no effect. ¡°You know I¡¯m at a disadvantage here!¡± Still laughing, the creature pointed at a sparkling light emerging from the mist. ¡°What?¡± Felix asked peevishly. ¡°You trying to scare me again?¡± It shook its head and, looking at the light, Felix realized it was a faerie. Unlike the one Felix had faced previously, this faerie glowed in soft silver shades. It¡ªno, he¡ªheld a paintbrush in his hand and considered Felix with a melancholy expression. Captivated, Felix reached out a hand. Tried to brush the faerie¡¯s bright wings, only to be avoided. Instead, he reached out and grasped the boy¡¯s finger. Like a handshake. The greeting sent a warm buzz through Felix. He grinned. Introductions finished, the faerie turned with a sharp nod and led the way. The humanoid stayed at Felix¡¯s side this time. He could see other monsters, too, watching just beyond the mist. A half-translucent slime, glowing like contained moonlight. Flickers of an ominous, semi-human figure that nearly paralyzed Felix with instinctive fear. The humanoid grabbed him by the hand, after that, pulling him along so he didn¡¯t have time to take in the sights. They reached a dusky-tan wall¡ªthe edge of the room¡ªand the humanoid sat on the ground cross-legged. Felix joined it. His butt got damp. The silver-tinted faerie swiped the wall with his paintbrush, clearing it of decorations. ¡°Oh.¡± Felix said, ¡°Are you teaching a lesson? Like you do with a chalkboard?¡± His new instructor paused. Nodded. Then, with a broad sweep of his paintbrush, began. 65. -Astrid- She had only asked Van Gogh to translate for her. Mum and dad spent a lot of time communicating with statues and the like, so Astrid had figured she might as well try to do the same. But Van Gogh was taking creative liberties. [Just tell them it was the delver¡¯s fault.] Astrid said, [What are you even drawing?] The wall he was using now had a small picture of mum, followed by a picture of her taking care of human children. Astrid scoffed quietly, then not so quietly. [Van Goooggghh!] [Shut up.] He told her with his usual brevity. The delver watched Van Gogh¡¯s pictures with rapt attention. Duchess drifted over, too, and sat on Astrid¡¯s head. Then Van Gogh drew her mum dying. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. She had been feeding some of the kids¡ªhad mum had kids before Astrid? No way, not human ones¡ªwhen the building suddenly began to collapse. The kids clung to her. She shoved them under a table. A sharp slab of wood fell point-first into her back. He drew ruby droplets of blood leaving her body, falling down, down-- Astrid choked. [What the hell, Van Gogh? That never happened!] He ignored her. So did the delver and Duchess. Picture-mum began to respawn, much to Astrid¡¯s muted relief. She reformed from the blood in half-translucent form¡ªa form more accurate, now that Astrid thought about it. [Mum would never die from a piece of wood.] She mumbled. The woman in question cleared her throat. Astrid, just let Van Gogh tell the story. Her voice was oddly fragile. [Hmph.] Astrid watched on as picture-mum floated down a sunshine river with other translucent people. Maybe they were other dungeons? But how did they all get out of their cores? And where were their symbiotes? Arachne settled down next to Duchess on Astrid¡¯s head, with Achilles not far behind. (Most everyone knew by now that Achilles had a massive crush on Arachne. There were two camps on the matter, and Astrid had bet on him winning her heart, so she hoped he did.) Sighing, the young water giant clicked her claws together, watching a stone tapestry unfold. It was beautiful. The other dwellers agreed on that. Still. It was filled with things Astrid didn¡¯t understand. 66. Clare had not forgotten her death. That was impossible. But she hadn¡¯t thought about it in a while. It had been in Guatemala. Her Spanish was, to be honest, barely functional. The year she¡¯d been there had been filled with more pantomiming than palatable grammar. The locals hadn¡¯t seemed to mind though. Just appreciated the extra help running the orphanage. Clare was lucky she¡¯d gotten a sponsor for the trip¡ªthe place couldn¡¯t have afforded to pay her, and she couldn¡¯t have paid for it herself. Well, maybe if she¡¯d saved up for it. She¡¯d never been very good with money, though. Her mind wandered while Van Gogh made a gorgeous depiction of the dungeon¡¯s origin. Checking his status, she found he was drawing the information from his [Storyteller of the Dungeon] modifier, although she couldn¡¯t guess how he¡¯d gotten it. She turned to ask Kepler¡ª The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. He wasn¡¯t there. A knot of anxiety lodged itself firmly in her sternum. Van Gogh was attempting to paint(?) the Rift now, pulling ooohs and aaahs from his audience but failing to communicate the true scale of the thing. Astrid looked thoroughly confused. Most of them did, in an entertained way. Except for Arachne. Clare wasn¡¯t sure what the faerie had understood, but it had lit a fire in her eyes. Van Gogh reached the part where Clare met Kepler. The symbiote was painted in obsidian, mercury, and purple musgravite. His flowing form pooled around the crystalline depiction of herself. Golden links tangled around them both, before Van Gogh moved to the next panel. The two figures were tangled together; hands clasped, foreheads touching, eyes focused nowhere else but on each other. Her chest hurt. Clare paced their mind space. Anxiety had dyed it a lurid red. The system nudged at her with a notification. Does it have information about Kepler? She asked. It would take time and a headache to decipher the prompt on her own. Negative. Clare scowled. Put her hand on the wall of their mind space, connected with his warm unconscious, reached for him. Wherever he was, it was too far to reach. Dissatisfied, she tried again. Again. Again. Again... 67. -Felix- Well, that explained it. The Maiden was, as Nova had guessed, a captive ghost. They¡¯d been a little unfair to the Demon¡ªwell, maybe not a demon? Felix wasn¡¯t good with words, so he¡¯d leave the poetic stuff to Nova. She¡¯d come up with some name for the Maiden¡¯s spooky companion. Felix whistled happily as he followed the humanoid back. His [Current Resistance] still hadn¡¯t worn off, so the whole thing had taken less than three hours. Hopefully Septimus hadn¡¯t freaked out and gone to get the adults. The humanoid seemed¡­ far less happy than Felix. He wasn¡¯t sure how he could tell, but he was the kind of person who trusted his gut, and his gut said the creature was stewing about something. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Felix asked. It gave him a look. Right, that was how he¡¯d ended up so deep in the dungeon¡ªit couldn¡¯t talk. ¡°Haha, sorry.¡± Felix twisted around an obsidian spike. He was starting to get the hang of navigating this place. ¡°But, you¡¯re upset, right?¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. It nodded. ¡°Why?¡± After a moment, it pointed to the wall. They twisted around a few jets of water. There was no way Celio and Ira had escaped this place without being soaked. Adults were too big to get through properly. ¡°Oh!¡± Felix said, ¡°Did you not like the story? About the dungeon?¡± It nodded quickly. ¡°Why?¡± He laughed at another sulky expression. It had stopped their journey between two diamond spikes. Felix spent the magic without a second thought. Then he jumped in surprise as her state of mind snapped into a sharp clarity for him. The stiffness of her shoulders was a sign of being hurt and worried about something. Her mouth was in her version of a pout. She was unnaturally still because she was thinking hard. ¡°Cooool.¡± She ignored him. Wait¡ªshe? ¡°You¡¯re a girl??¡± Her brow twitched. ¡°Haha, sorry, sorry. I¡¯ll shut up!¡± Felix tried to sit still but ended up shifting from foot to foot. He only had 9 minutes and 30 seconds left on his skill. After another minute and 15 seconds, she turned to the wall and focused. Brought her sharp claws to bear. 45 seconds, and she had carved three words in the stone. Mum and dad. Felix opened his mouth. Closed it. Around them, water rushed in its steady thrum. ¡°What.¡± 68. -Kepler- He hated Nox. So much. ¡°Sculpting statues of Clare does not count as a non-Clare hobby.¡± [I¡¯m suggesting sculpting the history of the dungeon, not Clare.] ¡°Clare is the dungeon. Choose something else.¡± Kepler scowled. [You¡¯re being impossible.] Nox waited. The god had the patience of a thousand-year-old oak. It was infuriating. There was very little Kepler wanted to do without Clare. He hadn¡¯t thought it was a problem¡ªit wasn¡¯t a problem, but it was troublesome in this context. Damn Nox. He growled softly. Curled in on himself thoughtfully. It didn¡¯t help that he was going crazy with worry. What if the delvers returned, tried to [Claim] her again? Scraping his claws in the night-taste of the darkness, he tried to forget how Clare had pitied the delver. Had held him. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. He felt ill. Nox sighed. ¡°Kepler?¡± [I¡¯m thinking.] He was thinking. The god wouldn¡¯t let him go until Kepler satisfied him, and the symbiote had no idea had to do that, so of course he was thinking. He had to. Had to forget that Clare had ignored him. ¡°If it makes you feel better¡ª¡± Kepler almost snapped at him that he felt fine but stopped at the next words. ¡°¡ªshe misses you. In fact, she¡¯s been trying to reach you through your bond. Persistently.¡± He sat up. [She¡­] His eyes widened. [¡­she wants me back?] Nox nodded. Kepler sat back on his heels. He felt warm. The honey-clover-gunpowder scent of the darkness tingled in his veins. [Can you let me go? I need to see her!] ¡°Hobby.¡± Nox demanded. [I already chose a goal!] He used his best puppy eyes. [That¡¯s good enough, right? I promise to work on it!] ¡°Creating an Avatar is an excellent goal. But you also need a hobby.¡± Kepler groaned. It had been 23 hours and 20 minutes since he¡¯d been kidnapped by the deity. [Gardening.] ¡°Gardening?¡± Nox blinked at him. It was a random choice. He¡¯d say breakdancing if he had to, or anything else. ¡°Good.¡± Nox said. ¡°How will you do that in the dungeon?¡± [We have moss and other plant matter in our designs. When I get my Avatar up and running, I¡¯ll explore the outdoors and garden there.] There was silence as the deity observed him thoughtfully. [Nox?] Darkness swirled around them like a soft breeze. ¡°Very well.¡± It was Kepler¡¯s turn to blink. That had worked? Hours of soul-searching for a non-Clare hobby and Nox had accepted the only one he hadn¡¯t thought about. He normally would have been miffed, but¡­ [Great! Send me back!] Nox chuckled. Waved a hand. ¡°Do well, child.¡± And suddenly, Kepler was home. Not a Chapter Again Hey guys, today I''m engaging in shameless self-promotion. Don''t forget to like review and subscribe follow! Actually, a review or rating would be really great. I love the feedback, and climbing higher in the royal road ranks gives me dopamine. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Also my Patreon is currently 6 chapters ahead. Not a lot, but at 2 dollars a pop it might make a nice gift for yourself. I was going to put Clare''s status sheet here, but that has spoilers, so here''s a picture of a cat: 69. Clare¡¯s eyelids drifted downwards, but she fought them off. One hand buried in the joint subconscious. Reaching. System, is Kepler hearing me? Negative. It wasn¡¯t the first time she had asked, nor the first time she¡¯d received that answer. She just shifted on her feet and twisted her perceptions of the out-through to reach for her symbiote once more. Her head ached. Not just her head, really, but that was how she perceived it. Like an icepick behind her eyes. Leaning against the wall, she startled as a profound Darkness grasped her perceptions and gently folded them back into her core. The bond with Kepler wasn¡¯t broken¡ªbut she had been blocked from following it. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. The headache didn¡¯t lessen but stopped getting worse. Sighing, she sank her hand back into their subconscious. Tried to find a gap in the darkness. s n a p Clare tumbled to the ground. The mind-space trembled. And an entirely different kind of darkness swirled in, forming the body of Kepler. He blinked down at her with those vivid purple eyes that he preferred, that she¡¯d found herself often savoring. Then she was in his arms. He smelled faintly of cinnamon and chili peppers, tasted of insecurity and sunlight-sweet affection. Their embrace dissolved the mind-space, as they had no attention to spare for anything else. The core sizzled in its casing below their statue, turning condensation to steam that whistled through stony pores. Above them, the decoy core shattered. Clare could find no reason to let him go. So, she didn¡¯t. It was odd; like suddenly finding a 3D object in a flat, papery world. But it was also warm. Like she¡¯d just stepped into a hot bath or drank a full mug of that peppermint tea her mother had made her once. It was an undeniable warmth. They held one another for a long time. 70. Rubbing sleep from her eyes, Clare finally sat up. The system intruded and displayed its prompts. She blinked. Her territory now included the entirety of the throne room, and another yard of marble palace beyond. Kepler, did you set up an automatic translation for the System? Her symbiote, stretched out beside her, nodded. He seemed almost sleepy, which was a cute affectation. [You were left blind without me. Didn¡¯t like it.] She rubbed her fingers through his hair, paying special attention to the tips of his ears. The System continued updating her. Their residents seemed to notice Clare awaking. [Mum, are you feeling better, now?] Astrid asked as she surfaced from the Core room¡¯s outer moat with a mouthful of diplurans. Hm? Yeah, I¡¯m fine, sweetie. She winced. Had the kid noticed Clare was upset before? Well, it had only made sense with how Kepler had been gone. Still¡­ [Okay!] Awwww¡­ Kepler, did you see our new, improved myth? [Ah. Not yet, no.] They don¡¯t think you¡¯re a demon anymore! Kepler sat up, peering over her shoulder. [Ah¡­] He flushed. [Hey mum, why did you and dad shatter the decoy core?] Why did we¡­ what? Clare checked where the decoy core had been. What the¡ª She stopped before she could widen Astrid¡¯s vocabulary. Duchess, perched with Van Gogh in a swirl of bas relief stars on the wall beside Astrid, clicked her tongue. [Princess, it was clearly an Aesthetical adjustment. That decoy was so very old¡ªand it didn¡¯t even do its job!] Yeah. That¡¯s it. An intentional adjustment. Clare mumbled, still puzzled and strangely embarrassed. Kepler had hidden their myth away once more and was sorting through System notifications. [Clare, I¡¯ll just put up your new Status sheet in a moment. This minutia is boring.] Mm, thanks! The diplurans started singing ¡®Rocky Racoon¡¯ by the Beatles. Clare hummed along. A profound sense of relief was spreading through the dungeon. Slenderman seemed to have joined the slimes Jungle Gym Cult (she still didn¡¯t understand what they all saw in the simple playground equipment). He was chucking Omnom through an opening in the metal tangle before teleporting to the other side and catching the slime. The new territory Clare had gained was interesting. It seemed they¡¯d absorbed most of an antique bedroom, the corner of a similarly aged office, and more stone from the mountainside. Achilles was searching for Arachne who had¡­ hidden herself in Clare¡¯s aura? It didn¡¯t seem possible, but the Fae had a firm grasp on the webby extensions¡ªusing them to bend the dungeon around her. The mechanics of it made sense to her burgeoning mind-pain resistant senses, but she could in no way explain it. Ghost Rider was smacking the Snake-Worm pack with a flaming chain of mysterious origin, and Puck was nestled sleepily in Undine¡¯s hair (when had they become friends?). She really didn¡¯t know how her servants did what they did. Or why. Kepler, have you ever thought that our dungeon is kind of odd? [That¡¯s just your low self-esteem talking.] Kepler scooped her into his lap, still focused on the System data. [This is the best dungeon in existence, hands down, no question.] Clare giggled. You didn¡¯t even think before answering me! [Didn¡¯t have to.] Hrm. She reached up to tickle his cat-like whiskers but didn¡¯t get a response. Despite her continued efforts to tease him, he still finished her Status within minutes. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. -Status- Name: Clare Hatt Species: Sapient Dungeon Age: 1 month, 3 weeks, 3 days, 8 hours, 2 minutes Modifiers: The Kepler Effect, Mythic Connection, ¡®Grotto of the Fallen Lovers,'' System Deal Level: 4 Health: 115% XP: 59/120 SP: 54 MP: 600/600 MP ration: 158/1 day Skills: 15 Designs: Servants: Quests: 2 Clare hummed to herself as she scanned the new Status. What do you think? She leaned back to watch Kepler¡¯s thinking face. He always scrunched up his nose when he was serious, and he did so then. [I think¡­ we have options.] Yes, they had options. Clare smile-sighed, and they got to work. 71. - Giovanni Perwicax- Vanni geared up for a delve. His daggers were always snugly in his boots, but he added a machete to his belt and a minuscule knife disguised as a hairpin. Throwing on his cloak on top of all that, he slid out his window and into the palace gardens. His cloak used Charisma. Since most people didn¡¯t invest in that stat, it gave him an advantage when it came to discovery Skills. Unless it was one of his half-brothers, but Laurus help him if he ran into them, cloak or no cloak. For most, though, the cloak made him look unordinary¡ªsomething helped by the fact that machetes were used for cutting plants, and his rough clothes were unequivocally practical. Practical was not something you saw on most princes, not even illegitimate ones. Vanni took a deep breath as he took the servants gate out of the palace complex. He¡¯d never been comfortable within those walls, never would be either. When he became king, he would burn the whole place to the ground. It would make a good funeral pyre for his father and brothers. Blending into the crowded streets, Vanni quickly made his way to the local dungeon. The walk wasn¡¯t long. Its entrance was on the South side of the river and difficult to reach for those of the lower classes, since they were expected to stay north in ¡®Grimeville,¡¯ as high society called it. But once you reached it there were no gates or guards¡ªnone needed. If you were part of the Laurus Sect, they told the dungeon you were allowed in. Otherwise, you were out of luck. Vanni, or rather Prince Giovanni, was for once in his life in luck. He was nearby, and no guards meant that none of his brothers¡¯ men knew he was there, and Dungeons didn¡¯t care about politics. Once inside he cast [Candleflame III], lighting a path through the darkness. The Capital¡¯s dungeon was grown in the sandy, limestone supported ground under the river and northwards into the commercial district. It had kept to the theme, and Vanni was soon jumping around pools of quicksand with practiced ease. He¡¯d run the beginner levels at least one hundred times. Casting [Hypnotize I] on a Rock Golem, he used it to wipe out any other monsters in his path. ¡°I¡¯ll call you Carl.¡± He told it affectionately. ¡°You stick with me, pal.¡± Rock Golems weren¡¯t very smart. It continued following his orders after the skill¡¯s duration was up, and ended up dead when they met a Giant Alligator on the third floor. ¡°Noooo.¡± Vanni put a hand on his heart, sniffing dramatically. He didn¡¯t care enough to cry, but Carl deserved some sort of mourning (even if it was fake). ¡°Carl, I¡¯ll never forget you.¡± Carl crumbled away, dissolving into a respawn from inside the Alligator¡¯s jaws. Dropping the theatrics, Vanni jumped onto the monster¡¯s snout before it could lunge at him. It shook its head vigorously to get him off, but Vanni flopped onto his stomach, hugging the Alligator¡¯s nose for all he was worth. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. It was times like these that he wished he¡¯d invested a little more into his strength stat. But, on the other hand, Vanni¡¯s hair still looked amazing after 2 hours in a dungeon. It was all about priorities. Army crawling up the reptilian snout, Vanni inched his way up towards the neck. He was crawling between its eyes when the Alligator suddenly stopped wagging its head. The dungeon, with its marshy theme, had begun to put pools of dirty water in around the third floor; coinciding with the appearance of Alligators. Vanni¡¯s current steed was now diving towards one of these pools. Letting out a string of curses, he grabbed the blade from his hair and unleashed [Eviscerate I], dropping his MP to 19. The skill nearly split the Alligator¡¯s skull in two, sending blood and brains flying everywhere as Vanni fell into the gaping hole it had created in the now-corpse. ¡°Oh Laurus,¡± Vanni swore, in a way only the barely religious can. He tumbled out of the dissolving monster, swearing up a storm. ¡°I¡¯m a mess!¡± A System notification made things¡­ somewhat better. He doubted it was a level up but invited it to show itself anyway. The notification pressed at his mind for an answer, but Vanni sat back on his heels for a moment. ¡®Beta Skills¡¯ were a widely controversial topic, and for good reason. While Skills usually weren¡¯t harmful, Beta Skills were often useless. This could mess up your build, and the common wisdom was to reject Beta Testing and stay on the beaten path. But Vanni had access to the royal library and read a lot of history. The kind of history the Laurus sect didn¡¯t want most people reading. There were a few cases where Beta Testing Groups became insanely powerful. ¡°If I accept a Beta Skill, will I be able to get rid of it?¡± Vanni asked just in case, but he knew the answer. As he thought, it still followed the normal rules of skill selection, even if Beta Skills were chosen by the System. Still. ¡°I accept.¡± ¡°Mythic Type?¡± There was no response. After a minute or so of silence, Vanni moved over to one of the sandy pools to wash off the worst of the mess. He smelled like stomach bile. He froze. That was, of course, what Vanni wanted, but not what he¡¯d expected. His class was ¡®Incipient Tyrant,¡¯ after all. It didn¡¯t make sense for anything in his status to be so¡­ heroic sounding. Vanni recovered himself in the following pause. Put his hair up with his false hairpin. An icepick of pain blossomed behind Vanni¡¯s eyes. He yelped, falling to his knees. ¡°By Laurus¡­¡± He whispered. A stone sky-- sun shining on an orchard. Jewels and ornate carvings¡ªwealth¡ªwater¡ª A carnivorous worm the length of his arm. The shadow, stretching from a glowing core. Children playing¡ªsparkling dew on fruit¡ªwealth¡­ Vanni was moaning on the floor when the pain faded. ¡°Gods and monsters¡­¡± He stayed on the floor, listening for any dungeon creatures. Luck was with him, or perhaps the System itself. ¡°That hurt.¡± It still hurt, an aching throb that squeezed his skull like a nutcracker. Nevertheless, as the images in his mind became coherent knowledge, he began to grin. There was a new, unclaimed dungeon. One with gold and gems and precious materials of every kind¡­ Standing up and striding away, Vanni had to keep himself from bursting into maniacal laughter. He was going to be King. 72. -Celio- His mouth was as dry as sun-beaten sand. ¡°Celio?¡± He reached for the glass of water on his bedstand. The sloshing water jolted him. It was like the ocean. In fact, he could see it very clearly in his mind; the hot sand, the furious surf, the mournful cries of seagulls whirling in a blue sky the size of eternity. ¡°Celio, how¡ª¡± A sky that echoed the ocean. Where had he seen that ocean? It wasn¡¯t covered in smog and magical waste like the beach by the New Capital. Nor was it bright and harsh like the one by those vicious mountains-- peaks so sharp they seemed to puncture the sky. But the ocean he saw in the glass was mellow and deep and melancholy. ¡°¡ªare you feeling?¡± It wasn¡¯t his ocean. He¡¯d stolen a glimpse of it, stolen from the fragile woman, no, dungeon¡ª Ira grabbed his hand. He startled, spilling the water. ¡°Ira?¡± It was obviously Ira because of the callouses there, a pattern more familiar than his own hands. And he didn¡¯t even hold her hands anymore. That was in the past, but it felt like now, and he pulled away to rub his eyes ineffectually. ¡°You okay?¡± Ira asked him. Her petite brows were furrowed¡ªbut not with anger. He blinked. ¡°Are you worried?¡± Irritation flashed in her eyes. ¡°Yes.¡± Her tone was level. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± Celio put a hand over his mouth, trying to hide a grin. ¡°But, you¡¯re really worried? About me?¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. She folded her arms. ¡°That¡¯s what I said. Now answer the question. How are you feeling?¡± Celio¡¯s grin grew, splitting into laughter. Ira narrowed her eyes. Those big green eyes that always spat and hissed at everything like a wildcat, ever since they were young. ¡°Is it that funny?¡± He laughed harder, until she grew worried again, then he quickly nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ira. I feel¡­¡± Celio paused, trying to describe the feeling. The colored light, falling in from a stained-glass window above Lux¡¯s altar, pulled at his eyes. It lit up the room-- a place of both worship and medicine¡ªand gave it a bright liveliness he hadn¡¯t noticed before. Lighting mattered quite a bit, didn¡¯t it? He thought he¡¯d understood that with his art, but now he saw how much he¡¯d neglected that. His next painting would have to be¡ª ¡°Celio?¡± ¡°I feel different.¡± He said the first thing that came to mind, and it fit. She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Different how?¡± Stretching, Celio slid out of bed. ¡°Celio, you¡¯ve been unconscious for three days¡ª¡± Ira followed him to the altar, where Celio bent in a quick prayer of gratitude. She fell silent out of respect, but continued the moment he unbent his head. ¡°¡ªI don¡¯t think you should be up and around yet.¡± He began his morning Movements of Light routine, ignoring her persistent nagging. ¡°High Priestess Aurelia wasn¡¯t sure you¡¯d survive¡ªLux herself helped, and Aurelia still wasn¡¯t sure. So, you need to sit down, alright? I¡¯ll go get her when you do¡­¡± She grabbed his hand, nearly throwing him off balance. ¡°Celio!¡± He paused. Looked at her. Ira looked frightened. He could tell because her eyebrows were thrown back like wind-pressed weeds, and her lower lip was trembling. That was how she¡¯d looked when they¡¯d faced their first monster, a shadow wolf they¡¯d come across by sheer accident. He scowled at the memory. She startled as he wrapped her up in a hug. After they¡¯d killed the wolf, he¡¯d made fun of her for being frightened. Ira had cried and ran away. They¡¯d made up later, and he¡¯d kissed her; not because he¡¯d loved her, but because she¡¯d truly forgive him if he did, and she was pretty. She was still pretty. After a moment in his arms, she began to sob. He patted her on the back. ¡°Good kitty.¡± He crooned, voice somewhere between soothing and mocking, ¡°Nice kitty. Who¡¯s the best little tabby? Ira is¡ª¡± She socked him in the ribs. ¡°Oof.¡± It hurt a lot more than it should have. Ira froze. ¡°I¡ªI¡¯ll go get Aurelia!¡± As the paladin ran from the room, Celio sat down on the bed once more, rubbing his ribs. His mind was starting to settle a bit: the waves within him going out like a tide. Then he frowned. ¡°Wait.¡± The blow to his ribs had hurt more than usual. But he didn¡¯t have any specific rib injuries already present¡­ ¡°What happened to my stats?!¡± 73. Kepler was gardening. With moss. Clare pretended not to watch, as she had the last several days. He was trying to affect the ¡®Evolutionary¡¯ part of the Evolutionary Moss. Yesterday, he had taken a few minutes to immerse a cubby full of moss in Caffeinated Soda and Crow Feathers. Now, he examined the results with a scowl. Clare smiled at that. His careful treatment of the plants was always contrasted by an expression of pure grumpiness. It was cute. The moss had survived his experiment and was now electric green. It was also growing quickly, sprawling out from Kepler¡¯s gardening cubby in feathery swirls. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. After careful consideration, Kepler poured more soda on it. Then he added a sprinkle of tiny Blue Diamonds. Clare sighed happily, startling when he turned around suddenly. She turned back to designing their new hallway; they¡¯d decided to just add another circular one past the water-needle gauntlet. He frowned, confused. [Clare¡­] Yes? [Do you like gardening?] Nope! Which was perfectly true. What Clare liked was watching Kepler garden. He stared at her for a moment, but let it go. The diplurans played ¡®I Won¡¯t Dance¡¯ in their best big-band style. Undine harmonized with soft, melodic gurgling. We know that music leads the way to romance, Clare sang along softly. She didn¡¯t have a jazz voice, but no one would care. So, if I hold you in my arms¡ª Kepler leaned against her, evaluating her designs with indecipherable mumbles. --I won''t dance! 74. -Ira- The Council of the Two Sects had gathered. In other words, the adults who ran the orphanages were having a meeting-- including Ira. They were all in the barn, a decent halfway point with enough space, and drinking apple juice. Jove, the groundskeeping priest of the Nox sect, was sitting in the corner with his brother, Nettuno of the Lux sect. They were twins but couldn¡¯t stand living in the same building. Father Silas was sitting next to High Priestess, or Mother, Aurelia. She was chewing him out about eating too much candy, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind. Not too far from them were Clara and Acacius, who weren¡¯t really adults but very responsible. Nocula, the beloved mascot Ira had grown up with, was wrapped around Acacius¡¯ shoulders like a lazy reptilian scarf. The snake was almost three feet long and had been around as long as Ira could remember; apparently some previous member of the sect had dropped her off as a gift. She was impressively even-tempered and the black scales on her back made a gorgeous contrast to her bright red underbelly. They had no idea if she was poisonous or not since she¡¯d never bitten anyone. Acacius insisted that Nocula was an evolved member of her species with her long lifespan, and no one really argued that she wasn¡¯t. Looking around, Ira didn¡¯t see Celio. A bubble of worry grew in her stomach, only to be popped when she heard him sneaking up behind her. ¡°Did you really think you could scare me?¡± She asked. Celio changed course, instead standing next to her. ¡°Not really.¡± Ever since the incident, he seemed much more youthful. He played with the children instead of scolding them-- sometimes to the point of irresponsibility-- and his paintings had regained a vividness they hadn¡¯t had since he was a teenager. And yet, he also carried a sense of melancholy. Ira wasn¡¯t sure she liked it. It frightened her. At that moment, Father Silas and Mother Aurelia stood and shuffled to the front of the room. Father Silas held up a hand to signal the meetings start, lowering it when only the chewing and stomping of the cows could be heard. ¡°I apologize for delaying this meeting so long.¡± Silas began. ¡°I was seeking our god in prayer¡ª¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t apologize.¡± Aurelia interrupted fussily. ¡°It¡¯s our job to seek the counsel of our gods. And boy was Lux busy putting Celio back together, and then she was off doing the things she¡¯d set aside. It¡¯s not either of our faults for the delay, least of all you, Silas.¡± ¡°It never hurts to be polite.¡± The old priest responded mildly. Acacius raised a hand. ¡°Yes, Acacius?¡± Silas prompted. The boy didn¡¯t need to raise his hand, but he was only fifteen and there was no need to embarrass him. ¡°We¡¯re here about the dungeon, right? What we¡¯re going to do with it?¡± Silas sighed. ¡°At this point, it¡¯s more what we¡¯re going to do about it. We can hardly control it, and we¡¯d all face System backlash if we killed it. Not that I think that¡¯s the right course of action.¡± There was a grave moment, before Aurelia cut in. ¡°Well, I think we should, System be damned! That thing could have destroyed Celio, and it nearly did!¡± Silas drank his apple juice thoughtfully. ¡°But it didn¡¯t.¡± Celio said. Ira frowned. ¡°Celio¡ª¡± ¡°And believe me, it could have. That [Claim] skill put me at its mercy like nothing else. I looked it up, and that skill only works for items with a weaker mind than the wielder. And that dungeon didn¡¯t only have a sapient mind¡ªit had two.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ira grabbed him by the shoulder. ¡°What does that mean?¡± He hadn¡¯t told her anything about the experience, so she¡¯d assumed he didn¡¯t remember. He winced and she let go. It was hard to break the habit of treating him like her physical equal. Guilt burned in her throat; he¡¯d lost all his hard work on a delve she¡¯d insisted on. He hadn¡¯t wanted to go¡­ Celio must have seen it on her face since he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Then, he let go. He always let go, in the end. ¡°I wanted to save my story for when we were all gathered. When I tried [Claim], I was trying to enslave a person¡ªtwo people. And one of them reacted to the attempt very poorly¡ªprotectively, really. But the other one stepped in, since I didn¡¯t know any better.¡± He shifted uncomfortably. Jove frowned. ¡°Are you saying it was just an accident?¡± Clara followed the conversation with anxious eyes. Acacius stroked Nocula, who was curling into the collar of his shirt sleepily. ¡°Not exactly.¡± Celio scratched his neck. ¡°More of a misunderstanding, really. And I got a pet bird out of it, so that¡¯s good?¡± ¡°It is a cute bird.¡± Acacius said. Ira scowled, and he went quiet again. Silas cleared his throat. ¡°Bird aside, I do have a revelation from Nox on this matter.¡± ¡°I have Lux¡¯s input as well.¡± Aurelia added. Ira took a calming breath. Across the room, Nettuno plucked a straw from the bale and chewed it, letting it hang from the corner of his mouth. Silas went first. ¡°Nox encouraged patience; this dungeon is both young and unusual. There is no set path for this kind of being. Perhaps we can set a good example.¡± Aurelia clicked her tongue. ¡°Do you have something to add, Priestess?¡± Silas¡¯ eyes crinkled at the edges. He was obviously fond of the sharp-tongued woman. ¡°Lux said to talk to Felix, Septimus and Nova.¡± Ira froze. Those three¡­ they hadn¡¯t, had they? Not when Ira had specifically told them to stay out of the dungeon¡ª ¡°Apparently,¡± Aurelia continued, ¡°They delve that place regularly. So, they¡¯re the local experts.¡± Dropping her apple juice, Ira swore. Vigorously. 75. -Septimus- They were doomed. Nova, Felix, and Septimus had been called to the barn where the adults had their big meetings. Everyone was staring at them, except for Ira who was glaring. ¡°So, why are we here?¡± Felix asked. He had a guise of innocence, or maybe he really thought they were innocent. Septimus wasn¡¯t always sure what his friend was thinking. If eyes could kill, Ira would have already murdered the three kids. Celio had a more mild expression, which was an odd reversal for the pair, and Father Silas looked¡­ sad? No, that wasn¡¯t sadness. It was disappointment. Septimus felt nauseous. Mother Aurelia steepled her fingers. ¡°You three have been delving the new dungeon.¡± That wasn¡¯t a question. Nova looked at the ground miserably. Felix shifted from foot to foot. ¡°I specifically told you not to!¡± Ira finally snapped. ¡°Do you know how dangerous that place is? You could have been killed!¡± ¡°But it¡¯s¡­¡± Septimus swallowed dryly, ¡°It¡¯s not. Dangerous.¡± Celio raised an eyebrow. ¡°No, I mean¡ªthat¡¯s why we went recently¡ª¡± Father Silas held up a hand. ¡°Did you go to the dungeon after Celio and Ira¡ªwho are both far above you in level-- were injured delving it?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± If Septimus said yes, they¡¯d be more in trouble. But he also couldn¡¯t explain why Celio had been savaged unless he admitted to it. ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Felix said unrepentantly. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what we did. Because that dungeon is really nice, and we wanted to know what happened.¡± Acacius raised a hand before speaking. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®really nice¡¯? It¡¯s a dungeon¡ª¡± ¡°I mean it could¡¯ve killed me the first time we went, but it didn¡¯t.¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. There was silence. ¡°What.¡± Ira said threateningly. Father Silas raised a hand. ¡°Calm down, little tabby.¡± The paladin sucked air in through her bared teeth, turning her face away. Felix¡¯s bravery¡ªor idiocy¡ªlet him continue while Septimus shivered in his boots. ¡°I lost a fight with Astrid. She¡¯s a humanoid monster, she¡¯s cool, but really good at fighting¡ª¡± ¡°What kind of humanoid monster?¡± Celio interrupted. ¡°Uh, a red one. It kinda makes her look skinless and naked? Not that she¡¯s wearing clothes, but that doesn¡¯t matter with monsters¡ª¡± Ira whipped back around in shock. ¡°Did it swim in the water? Was it the same color as the giant worms?¡± Clara shuddered at the word ¡®giant worms.¡¯ ¡°Yep!¡± Felix continued. ¡°She¡¯s a little shorter than me, and can¡¯t talk aloud, but I got a skill and she can write¡ª¡± ¡°And you lost?!¡± Ira looked panicked now. There was silence at her outburst. Celio took long strides, almost running, over to Felix, before crouching and looking him over. Felix looked nonplussed. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I said. But Astrid just bopped me on the head and laughed at me.¡± Septimus nodded. Celio poked at Felix with a finger, ignoring the boy¡¯s scowl. ¡°Were you injured?¡± ¡°No.¡± Felix crossed his arms, annoyed. Septimus stepped out in front of them. ¡°That¡¯s why we had to find out. It wasn¡¯t like the dungeon to hurt anyone¡ªand we did find out. It¡¯s because Celio tried to put chains on them¡ªor, they thought he was.¡± The adults in the room all glanced at each other. Nova grasped Septimus¡¯ hand like a dying woman but managed to speak up as well. ¡°It¡¯s because the dungeon is a pair of ghosts. They couldn¡¯t bear to be separated, even in the afterlife, so they became a dungeon instead.¡± ¡°Ghosts?¡± Mother Aurelia frowned at them. Septimus nodded encouragingly at Nova. ¡°Yes.¡± Nova¡¯s voice strengthened. ¡°Celio brought chains for the dungeon¡ª because he tried to [Claim] it¡ªbut he didn¡¯t realize there were people inside. So, the husband fought back, but his wife had held onto her humanity better than he had. She tried for diplomacy and sent Celio away; they even got into a fight about it!¡± Celio blinked. ¡°They got into a fight?¡± Nova nodded. ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡± Felix said, ¡°Astrid was really upset, anyways, cuz her dad had gone off somewhere after that.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Celio rocked back on his heels. Snickered. ¡°I actually buy that.¡± Ira frowned at him. ¡°Is it funny?¡± ¡°He was the monster in the statue.¡± The priest explained to her, still smirking, ¡°I think he was really mad at me?¡± He chuckled. Old priest Jove cleared his throat. ¡°Then, is the dungeon a danger to us? If it didn¡¯t harm the children¡­¡± Felix scowled at Celio, who was now quietly laughing. Pushed the crouching priest, who just sat down on the hay-strewn dirt, still in good humor. Nettuno nodded at his brother. ¡°Seems fine.¡± ¡°Well, not fine,¡± Jove replied argumentatively, ¡°But maybe¡ª¡± Aurelia clapped her hands loudly. The room fell silent. ¡°I will go check it out.¡± She said, ¡°You,¡± she pointed at Felix, ¡°Will guide me.¡± Nocula hissed at a cow who was chewing on the door to her stall. Ira shifted from foot to foot, hand on her chin thoughtfully. ¡°That¡¯s a dumb idea.¡± Celio commented cheerfully from the floor, ¡°I¡¯m coming, too.¡± 76. -Giovanni- Leo¡¯s office was messy as always. Papers, clipped together loosely by subject, were piled on the desk with pens and other accoutrements. A dagger was lodged in the wall just left of the door, and Vanni pulled it out¡ªwrinkling his nose at the black residue still on the blade. ¡°Leo!¡± He shouted, ¡°Are you in?¡± There was a loud clatter followed by swearing. ¡°By Laurus, my liege!¡± Vanni¡¯s closest lieutenant responded. ¡°Would it kill you to use the door?¡± The man stumbled into the room; arms full of reports. Leo had messy blonde hair that should have been tamed into curls but was instead left to go frizzy. His lanky, skinny frame had a perpetual awkwardness to it that made you think of a baby deer, and it made most people think he was harmless. He wasn¡¯t harmless. ¡°If you don¡¯t like me using the window, put an enchantment on it.¡± Vanni responded. ¡°This is the third floor!¡± Vanni picked at the residue on the dagger unhappily. ¡°You should clean your weapons, Leo. This is unsanitary.¡± Leo piled his work onto his desk¡ªturning the various stacks of paper into one big pile. ¡°And when are you going to organize this place?¡± The prince continued, ¡°It¡¯s astonishing you get anything done.¡± Huffing, Leo turned the pile into several, smaller piles. He had to rescue a few reports after they fell on the ground. ¡°My liege, I know how to find everything, alright? Just consider it a way to discourage thievery.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Well, consider me discouraged.¡± His underling continued, unphased by the comment, ¡°But you know what would really up my productivity? More help! I¡¯m swamped, Vanni!¡± Vanni snickered at his friend¡¯s wide-eyed emphasis. ¡°I¡¯m not joking!¡± Leo cleared a seat across from the desk and collapsed into it. ¡°I need an assistant.¡± Sitting in the chair behind the desk, Vanni frowned. ¡°You have a lot of help, Leo. Hell, Remi joined us just last week. He¡¯s going to be tremendous when it comes to the fighting-- ¡± ¡°Yes, I have great faith in the gang leader you scrounged up.¡± ¡°--And scouting¡ªand he agreed to have our schools on his turf, so that¡¯s a hundred potential bureaucrats like that.¡± He snapped his fingers to emphasize the last word. Leo groaned. ¡°But I¡¯m tired now my liege!¡± Honestly, there wasn¡¯t much Vanni could say to that. Any proper assistant would be educated by the nobility¡ªand therefore a security risk. ¡°Well¡­¡± He leaned back, resting his feet on the everlasting pile of papers. ¡°I don¡¯t have an assistant for you, but what would you say to more funds?¡± Leo glared at him suspiciously. ¡°From where?¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that look for?¡± The prince pulled a handkerchief out and polished the now residue-free dagger. ¡°It¡¯s from a legitimate source!¡± A breeze rattled the window. They paused their conversation so Vanni could stand and make sure there were no eavesdroppers. ¡°It¡¯s a new dungeon.¡± He admitted to Leo, ¡°So we¡¯ll still have to sell things on the black market if we want to keep things on the down low.¡± Leo stared at him with narrowed eyes. ¡°What?¡± The prince said, feigning hurt at the suspicion. ¡°If it¡¯s new, how did you hear of it?¡± At this, Vanni perked up. ¡°I got a new skill. It¡¯s the first tier of an information gathering passive.¡± He grinned smugly. Leo looked impressed. Ran a hand through his frizzy hair. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s really good.¡± Vanni handed Leo his dagger, which was now gleaming in the dusk light. His vassal examined it thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯ll go check it out.¡± The prince said, ¡°And I¡¯ll come back with actual funding¡ªno more begging our allies.¡± Leo nodded. Put his blade in his coat pocket. The window bucked in a sudden wind as Vanni opened it. ¡°And we¡¯ll get an enchantment for your window, alright?¡± Chuckling, Leo stood and bowed to his liege¡ªwho was now hopping onto the windowsill like a madman. ¡°As you will it, Your Majesty.¡± The [Incipient Tyrant] grinned and made his exit. 77. -Lux- She didn¡¯t really need sleep, in the biological sense of the word. Light bounced off every corner of the world. Lux couldn¡¯t control it all; her influence was eternal among the stars, but she needed acknowledgment to affect the planet. But it was essentially a part of her. The timeless, quick-dying strands of energy¡ªbuilt from violence against and for every element¡ªwas the basis of her Being. So, as she fell asleep, everything the light touched came to her. Dwelt within her. Among many fragments, she saw¡­ Junior bureaucrats and scribes, embittered with resentment and secrets. Children playing kick-the-rat in grimy streets. The same children, catching sight of the local official, scattering back to their homes in fear. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Royals and nobles pulling young women into places beyond Lux¡¯s sight. The girls left with those blank, empty faces worn by people who had been used and abandoned. Priests with grease running down their chins, tearing into rich meat and fruits from far-off lands. Their employees walked carefully around many of them. Tension, like that of a tightrope walker, had engraved itself in every bone of the attendants¡¯ bodies. A group of magicians, light from their magic barely illuminating them as they experimented on dungeon monsters. Prostitutes who shared their food with the homeless. Rich heirs who gave everything they had to charity. Other heirs, using their power to extort widows and the newly orphaned. A gang member carried a sick child home to his mother. A farmer refused to employ a desperate father of four, knowing the father had angered the local official. Not wanting trouble from those in power. Mothers slowly died, coughing up blood with polluted lungs. It was an open secret that the magical run-off at their work was causing it; but many worked there anyway. They would not have their children go hungry. Other mothers sold their children into slavery. The decrepit king was apathetic on this throne. Any reports or complaints were left to his officials, who knew they would not be held accountable¡­ Lux woke with tears in her eyes. As a goddess, she didn¡¯t need to sleep. But it was important to do so. 78. -- Vanni ¨C The king was a rotting, old bastard of a figurehead. Despite his lineage, or perhaps because of it, Vanni liked calling people bastards. There was something deeply satisfying about pasting the label, used with such vitriol against himself, on people who actually deserved it. In any case, he had to keep himself from wrinkling his nose as he entered the throne room. There was no literal scent of decaying flesh, but the king metaphorically matched the description so well that it provoked a visceral reaction for the [Incipient Tyrant]. The king looked down on his son with all the apathy of housewife before an anthill; still in debate as to whether the infestation is close enough to her house to destroy. His robes hung heavily on his wiry, stooped frame¡ªit was not long ago that he¡¯d been the absolute specimen that had seduced Vanni¡¯s mother, but age had taken its toll. Even a [King]¡¯s allotment of Charisma wasn¡¯t enough. Vanni¡¯s progenitor had never levelled very high in that class, anyways (take from that observation what you will, but don¡¯t mention it in the palace). Courtiers and advisors surrounded the throne. They were a mix of yes-men and competent liars. The room smelled of overbearing wealth: metallic hints of gold and platinum and anything else shiny, the smell of polish on a tiled floor that was elaborate enough to be a mosaic, perfume hanging heavy like rotting fruit, nose-itching dust stored in the tiny grooves and pockets inevitable with such intricate decorations, even their makeup gave off a hot-clay scent in the heat. Servants in grey, loose clothing looked cool in comparison as they beat the air with massive fans. Vanni would burn this room, and the people in it, to the ground someday. Melt it into slag if possible. He¡¯d loot the place first, though. No need to waste resources. The king gestured to his son to come forward. ¡°You have helped in the financial department.¡± Vanni¡¯s progenitor noted, ¡°So I will listen to your request.¡± ¡®Helped¡¯ was an understatement, the place had been in absolute chaos and leaking money like sieve, but Vanni didn¡¯t comment on it. He¡¯d known it was a thankless job when signing on¡ªthat was part of the point. Palace-dwellers overlooked the power in wrangling budgets, and that made it a massive, exploitable weakness for the illegitimate prince to latch on to. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Vanni bowed deeply. ¡°I ask for the Scoop.¡± A murmur ran through the court. ¡®The Scoop¡¯ was generally referred to as ¡®our late stronghold,¡¯ ¡®the place of our ancestors¡¯ or other polite euphemisms in the palace. Nevertheless, nearly everyone dismissed it when it came to power; it was a non-entity politically, and too shadowed by the mountain to produce enough crops to make the land profitable. It belonged to the king, technically, but there was no governor and was generally left to the old sects. But it had a certain cultural relevance. The Old Palace had once been looked at with scorn for being ¡®old fashioned,¡¯ but had lately been viewed more charitably as part of their ¡®honored history.¡¯ There were even some nobles forming expeditionary teams for the sake of ¡®intellectual discovery¡¯ and their own reputation. The old sects, as well, were viewed as ¡®retro¡¯ and ¡®charming¡¯ among the elite (although none of them followed the old gods religiously). Even the Scoop itself¡ªa geographical phenomenon, wherein a massive scoop of rock had been displaced somehow from the rest of the mountain, leaving a sizable indent¡ªwas considered an excellent ¡®fallback position¡¯ strategically; many of the warhawks had been using that to justify more confident aggression. To hand over control of it felt significant, no matter the actual consequences. The king snorted. ¡°What nonsense. I¡¯ll give you one more chance, request something else.¡± Vanni bowed lower. He carefully relaxed his jaw so that he wouldn¡¯t grind his teeth. ¡°My liege¡ª¡± And didn¡¯t those words burn in his mouth, lies or not, ¡°¡ªI am the only one among my brothers who does not have a territory. Would you have me ask for another land?¡± The court fell silent. It was traditional for every prince to have some title to fall back on¡ªit reduced struggles for power when it came to succession. If every ¡®heir¡¯ had a chance to live well without being [King], it reduced the desperation of the struggle. And currently, every royal-owned lands other than the Scoop would grant Giovanni, the royal bastard, some kind of power. ¡°Are you accusing me of negligence?¡± The king huffed. Vanni shook his head, staying bowed low. ¡°I would never accuse, my liege,¡± By Laurus, that title was sour, a loyalty he hated to even pretend. ¡°This is but a humble request.¡± A request that, if rejected, would make the king look negligent¡ªor worse, intentionally disrespectful of tradition. ¡°Hm.¡± The king narrowed his eyes at his son. Silence tingled in the tiny hairs on the back of Vanni¡¯s neck. Then the old bastard laughed. ¡°I jest.¡± He chuckled, ¡°Of course you should have the Scoop¡ªwhat better gift than one rooted in emotion for the son of my beloved lover?¡± Ice ran in Vanni¡¯s veins. That ¡®beloved lover¡¯ had been killed by the king¡¯s orders. He lost track of the murderer¡¯s speech. Only gathered that his request for the Scoop had been granted. Made it outside the court, outside the scent of rotting minds and rotting wealth and rotting morals. Took deep breaths. In. Out. His mask of a na?ve prince would have covered any blank-faced response to the ¡®gift.¡¯ It was alright. He was safe. And, with his new source of endless wealth¡ªthat was what people forgot about dungeons, the money¡ªhe would exact bloody revenge. 79. Kepler! [Hm?] He was working on a ¡®personal project.¡¯ The symbiote had been a bit secretive, lately, and Clare kind of liked it. It had given him the idea of privacy, and given him something to focus his relentless mind on. Still, eyeing the new result of Kepler¡¯s garden, she couldn¡¯t help but wish he¡¯d been paying a bit more attention. It had started about a minute ago, when a descendent of [Evolutionary Moss] had begun tugging at the automatic systems Kepler had set up for her. She¡¯d turned to it with more curiosity than concern. That changed as the tug turned into a sharp, painful yank. The plant in question was a massive, fluffy morass of neon green plant matter. Kepler had been fostering it with meat and precious gems, and it had proved quite energetic; reaching in every direction with long, feathery feelers. Now, it balled in on itself, shuddering. Crystalline spikes jutted out of it at random. The pressure on her aura increased, and Clare could feel the strands around in vibrating with power. Arachne perked up, flying over with voracious curiosity. Kepler!! He jolted to attention, hearing the duress in her voice. Taking one glance at the subsystems, he made a sharp gesture. The tugging paused, her aura staying taunt. [Are you in pain?] With the situation in control, Clare took a deep breath. It wasn¡¯t a real breath, but the gesture she¡¯d learned as a human centered her. Not much. It just scared me. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. He focused on the interface with the System. Pinged the System itself. Clare risked mind pain to glance at it herself and found it bearable. It¡¯s evolving? Her symbiote nodded. Omigosh, let it! I wanna see what it becomes. He chuckled and reasserted the now-gentled process. The plant shivered, flaring a bright pink light from its crystal protrusions. Another, golden this time, flare and it compacted in on itself, becoming a small, fuzzy shape; it was almost humanoid, but it kept all it¡¯s features from before. A little man, just a few inches taller than the faeries, but much more dense. He had feathery plant-fur all over him, only clearing at the front of his head to reveal two pink-diamond eyes and a mouth packed with razor-sharp fangs. Sans nose, the rest of his face was buried in a massive feather-frond beard, which was much wilder than the rest of his covering. In fact, the fuzzy plant matter was compacting every else, dropping in color warmth to a deep green. The gnome shuffled around thoughtfully. It found a dipluran clinging to the cave wall and popped it into it¡¯s mouth with a loud chomp. Whoa¡­ Clare mumbled. Cool. I didn¡¯t know you could create life on accident. Kepler looked extraordinarily smug. [30 XP]. He didn¡¯t need to say anything more. Just the fact alone was bragging. Clare hugged him. You¡¯re amazing. [Heh.] It was kind of astonishing he didn¡¯t brag more; then again, he¡¯d been a lot less rambunctious lately. What are you going to name him? [Let¡¯s give him a myth.] They thought for a minute. Kepler pinged Mythic Connection, but the Mythos was vast¡ªand the idea of what a ¡®gnome¡¯ even is was complex. I like his beard¡­ Clare mumbled, watching the little guy interacting with Arachne. The faerie was literally sparkling as she spoke too quietly for Clare to easily hear. It makes him look all wise, like some kind of mountain sage. Kepler leaned back, staring at Clare with a look she couldn¡¯t quite parse. [Let¡¯s name him Confucious.] Huh? Clare flushed. [You said he looked wise. Gnome, your name is now Confucious.] Clare felt the name take with the System, and they got another trickle of XP. Confucious looked around for them, eventually settling his unblinking gaze in the core¡¯s direction. [Father, Mother,] He bowed formally at the waist, [I accept this name, and will bring honor to it.] Clare blinked. Awww! She squealed, He¡¯s so cute!! 80. An old woman entered Clare¡¯s territory. Kepler tensed, hackles raising when he realized it wasn¡¯t just the kids stopping by. The woman was frail, leaning heavily on a walking stick, but still gave off the feeling of power. To Clare¡¯s aura, she smelled like sunshine and forest fires. Following the old woman was Felix (to Clare¡¯s relief), and then (to Clare¡¯s unrelief) Celio and Ira. And Gloria the Dodo, for some reason. ¡°Why are you bring the bird¡ª¡± Ira was saying, before pausing, ¡°It¡¯s changed?¡± Felix nodded, unsurprised. ¡°I¡¯m bringing Gloria because she¡¯s lucky.¡± Celio replied, ¡°Besides, the dungeon likes little people. And you¡¯re a little person,¡± He cooed at the Dodo, ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡± Kepler growled. [How dare you use a child as your shield.] *** Celio froze as a ferocious growl echoed through the dungeon. It thrummed bone-deep, bringing memories that still haunted him with it. He broke out into a cold sweat at the accusation that followed. ¡°No¡ªwait, it¡¯s not like that!¡± He cried desperately, ¡°I just said that because Gloria¡¯s adorable and I wanted to bring her along!¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. There was silence. ¡°Celio¡­¡± Ira was looking at him with concern. ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I, you didn¡¯t hear that?¡± Celio looked at his companions, who ran the gauntlet from confused to worried. Behind him, Father Silas stepped into the dungeon as well, whistling cheerfully. ¡°You hearing voices, son?¡± Felix dug through his pockets, content to let the adults handle any crazy. He spilled a handful of peanuts on the shelf-thing, which was still there along with the degenerate statue. Its surroundings, though, had completely changed. For one, the dungeon started sooner now, which meant it had gotten larger. The entrance room was much less ornate. Instead of bejeweled bas reliefs, there were subtly embroidered wall hangings in cream colors and various blues. Where arches had led further into the dungeon on either side, before, there were now mahogany doors on brass hinges. A heavy lock barred entrance, but glancing down at the colorfully tiled floor, Celio had suspected there was some sort of puzzle that would give you a key. ¡°Ah, yes, Father Silas.¡± Celio admitted. ¡°It was quite loud, and¡ª¡± He remembered that voice growl, ¡°¡ªthinking on it, I think I know who it was.¡± As if to confirm his thought, a System notification pulsed at the edge of his vision insistently. Celio swallowed. Looked up at the statues. They seemed to gaze at him with a non-edificial intelligence. [So, we meet again.] The voice of the clawed mind-monster said, somewhat quieter. [How presumptuous of you to invade my home once again. And don¡¯t think I believe you¡¯re claims of innocence for a second, you tried to enslave us--] Hi there! A second, more cheerful voice said. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Celio. It was the woman from before¡ªwhat had Felix called her, the monster¡¯s wife? It soothed him, knowing his benefactor was alright (even if she had terrible taste in men). She continued: My name is Clare Hatt, and I¡¯m a dungeon. 81. -Celio- The monster sighed, exasperated, [Clare, this man tried to enslave us--] I know! The woman, Clare, replied excitedly. But who doesn¡¯t do something horrible on accident, sometimes? Amiright? Celio nodded, although he didn¡¯t entirely agree. If we made everyone grovel for their mistakes, we¡¯d all just be groveling all the time¡ªand we¡¯d never get anything done, would we? [Clare, this is not something to be easily forgiven. He is a threat.] The last word held a growling undertone. Shivering, Celio clutched Gloria to his chest. The dodo cooed soothingly. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ira asked. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I can hear the dungeon now.¡± Celio told her quietly. Ira stared, dumfounded. ¡°What?¡± She replied in a whisper, as if that would stop the dungeon from overhearing them. Kepler, being angry is boring. I¡¯d rather do things! So, his name was Kepler. ¡°I won¡¯t do anything bad.¡± Celio said loudly. Father Silas patted him on the shoulder. ¡°What can I do to make up for it?¡± [Die.] Kepler! ¡°Tell it to apologize.¡± Mother Aurelia tapped her foot, arms crossed disapprovingly. Celio¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°They can hear you¡ª¡± ¡°Hi lady and lord Dungeon!¡± Felix called up to the statues, ¡°Do you want anything as a toll? I don¡¯t know what dungeons like to eat¡ª¡± ¡°Felix!¡± Ira scolded. Can you bring some seeds? Kepler¡¯s been gardening, lately, and it¡¯s adorable! [Adorable?!] Kepler¡¯s voice went from threatening to flustered. So adorable! [Look, don¡¯t¡­] There was inaudible whispering between the dungeon ¡®ghosts.¡¯ ¡°Dungeon, apologize.¡± Aurelia told the statues sternly. ¡°They didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± Felix replied, ¡°Nobody wants to be a slave!¡± Celio took a deep breath. Ira took his hand. ¡°Alright, Clare, Kepler? I¡¯ll bring seeds, and I¡¯m sorry that I nearly enslaved you.¡± [We¡¯re not apologizing.] Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I forgive you! Sort of. Clare¡¯s voice gave off a feeling of¡­ nervous friendliness? Only, if you try that again we¡¯ll definitely rip your soul out of your body and crush it into dust. Scratch that, more like cheerful psychopath. [We should still--] Everybody makes mistakes, Kepler. [He¡¯s an enemy--] ¡°Have they apologized?¡± Aurelia asked insistently. Celio jolted, having been caught up in the dungeon¡¯s internal dialogue, ¡°Uh, yes. Profusely. They definitely went too far, and they recognize that.¡± [WE DO NOT APOLOGIZE.] I do! Well, that¡¯s a lie, but I¡¯m willing to lie for diplomacy! He bit down a chuckle, at that. Was there something wrong with Celio, for finding a cheerful psychopath funny? Maybe it was just her sheer honesty. ¡°Well,¡± Aurelia moved her hands to her hips, relaxing a bit. ¡°I suppose all¡¯s well that ends well.¡± ¡°Do peanuts count as seeds?¡± Felix asked, looking to Celio for an answer. Father Silas shrugged, ¡°Why not?¡± They do. Thank you for peanuts, Felix, and for making friends with Astrid. She really needs more friends her own age, so make sure to come around lots, okay? It took a minute for Celio to process that. The monster who had nearly killed Ira was the same age as Felix¡­What would she be like when she grew up? He shuddered. ¡°Celio.¡± Felix said, bringing him back to the present, ¡°What do Lady Clare and Lord Kepler have to say about the peanuts?¡± ¡°Wait, they have names?¡± Ira asked. Felix scowled, ¡°Of course they have names, they¡¯re ghosts, remember? And Celio just addressed them.¡± A light blue faerie peeked out from behind the statue. The paintbrush he carried gave him away as the sculptor from the core room. ¡°Felix,¡± Ira looked bewildered, ¡°It¡¯s a dungeon.¡± ¡°So?¡± The boy replied. Father Silas wandered over to the shelf and offered some pocket lint. Oooo, human skin flakes? ¡°Well¡­¡± Ira continued, trying to answer the implied question, ¡°They¡¯re not supposed to be sapient!¡± No Kepler, that¡¯s not edible, put it under ¡®Animal Products.¡¯ ¡°We¡¯re not animals!¡± Celio protested. Aurelia gave him a funny look. ¡°Oh, are we doing philosophy?¡± Silas asked. What¡¯s wrong with being an animal? Animals are cute! It¡¯s humans that cause trouble. ¡°No,¡± Aurelia sighed, ¡°And Celio, I¡¯m starting to doubt if they actually apologized.¡± ¡°Well, no,¡± Celio sputtered, unsure who do respond to, ¡°It¡¯s the principle of the matter!¡± [Deal with it. You defecate, that makes you an animal.] Clare sighed; I wish I could still defecate. He flushed, ¡°That¡ªand Mother Aurelia, they did apologize, this a purely technical matter!¡± ¡°I told you it was philosophy.¡± Silas said, ¡°Is the dungeon philosophical?¡± Hm? Oh, I dabble, but it¡¯s the slimes you¡¯ll want to talk to. Very philosophical, I don¡¯t even understand half of it. ¡°Ah, she said they are, but the slimes are more¡ª¡± ¡°Felix!¡± Aurelia scolded, at the boy who was prying up tiles in search of a key. ¡°Just stay put for now, alright?¡± ¡°Uh, it¡¯s probably safe--¡± Celio tried to chip in. Very! I love kids, and Astrid really misses her friend. I¡¯d send her in right now, but¡­ [You all are threats.] Well, basically. Clare agreed affably. ¡°Aurelia, dear,¡± Silas reached over to the woman and started digging through her pockets mischievously. She smacked his hand away, blushing. ¡°Well, we¡¯re really not threats¡ª¡± Celio tried to explain. Felix held up a large bronze key with a Blue-diamond star on the handle. ¡°Found it!¡± ¡°Felix, you are to stay put,¡± Aurelia said sternly. He can come in! It¡¯s safe! ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡± Celio told Clare, frustrated. Silas butted in, ¡°So I talk to the slimes, right? Can you translate, Celio?¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Aurelia cried. ¡°But¡ª¡± Silas protested, with Felix nodding along beside him. ¡°EVERYONE SHUT UP!¡± Ira yelled. There was silence. The faerie behind the statue was joined by a second, snobbier looking faerie in a tiny ballgown. ¡°Now.¡± Ira took a deep breath, ginger hair framing her face like hypnotic flames. ¡°We have one translator. So, let¡¯s keep things to one conversation at a time.¡± Everyone nodded, except for the dungeon ¡®ghosts,¡¯ who made vague sounds of assent. ¡°Okay, then, who goes first?¡± She looked at Celio expectantly. In fact, everyone looked at him expectantly. ¡°Hoo boy.¡± Celio took a deep breath. ¡°Should we start by setting up a treaty between our, um, communities?¡± Hiatus Announcement Hey guys, I''ll be taking a break from now until January 10th. Just got another job, and an eternal cold has surfaced, so I''m just exhausted. Stay followed, and have a great couple of weeks! Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Had to fill the character requirements for a post, so you all get to suffer from this creepy cat with opposable thumbs. Also, Merry early Christmas! Trying to figure something else out to say, but I can''t because my brain is on an inevitable collision course with my pillow. WOOOOOOORRRRRRRRDDDDSSSS 82. The rules are these: They had decided to have clear rules, with a violation on either side seen as an act of war. Or at least something that needed discussion. One. An area will be partitioned off around the core, at the center of the dungeon. Delvers are not allowed in this area. Any attacks or harmful elements sent into this area will be considered a breach of this rule. Celio nodded. They had all debated the rules, ad nauseum, but now was the official agreement. ¡°We of the Scoop agree to the first dungeon stipulation.¡± Two. Delvers are expected to pay a toll to enter the dungeon. Toll can be any item, offered on the shelf in front of the statue. ¡°Right, don¡¯t forget to feed the altar.¡± Celio said, nodding again. The shelf! It¡¯s just a toll! ¡°I¡¯ll always leave an offering!¡± Felix promised. He was not supposed to be there, technically, but once he was in the dungeon the other humans were too nervous to kick him out. The party was composed of all the adults from the Scoop, including the junior ¡®Council¡¯ members Clara and Acacias. Nova and Septimus had also come, sneaking in before the meeting with Felix. Yes, thank you Felix. Clare was really growing fond of the boy and his lack of prejudice. He¡¯d even called Confucious cute! ¡°Right,¡± Celio said, ¡°We agree to the second stipulation of the dungeon.¡± Clare sighed. [Let¡¯s just talk through Van Gogh.] Well, Van Gogh perked up, Um, you took some liberties last time, hun. She explained to the faerie. He huffed. [Artistic liberties. They were necessary¡ªand true!] I mean, yes, but it¡¯s not suited to legal or diplomatic communication¡ª ¡°And the third stipulation, ¡®Dungeon servants must be treated with respect; fights may be as brutal as both parties agree to, but verbal abuse will not be tolerated,¡¯ has also been agreed to.¡± Celio said, hiding his impatience behind a veneer formality. [Listen here, you rude little¡ª] Clare cleared her throat loudly. [Dad was going to swear] Astrid whispered loudly to Confucius, [You have to listen really well when they¡¯re mad, otherwise you¡¯ll never learn the fun words.] Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Clare flushed, Astrid! ¡°In return, the dungeon promises that encounters must be non-lethal for delvers. To clarify, attacks on the mind, soul, or other essential organs will be considered of lethal intent.¡± [Yes, agreed.] Kepler was as done with the minutia-wrangling as Celio was, [I meant it when I said to mind your manners, though.] ¡°Noted.¡± Celio replied, ¡°The second stipulation from the Scoop¡¯s side is that Delvers must be allowed to leave. To clarify, blocking the exit or restraining delvers will be considered a breach of this rule.¡± Agreed. [Agreed.] Kepler said, almost simultaneously. Celio nodded, ¡°The final stipulation is that the dungeon will do its best to fulfill delver requests, within reason.¡± Agreed. [Not agreed.] ¡°Oh, come on, not this again!¡± Celio ran a hand through his hair. ¡°What?¡± Aurelia asked tensely. ¡°Kepler is complaining about the third stipulation again¡ªI mean, look man, you¡¯re not technically even the dungeon¡ª¡± Do NOT be rude to my symbiote. Kepler turned red all over. ¡°Yes, alright, I get that, but¡ª¡± [It is unreasonable to expect anything from us. The citizens of the Scoop of receive enough from simply delving us.] Celio scoffed, ¡°We¡¯ve argued this point, what, sixteen times times? Seventeen? I¡¯m ready to just scrap this part entirely!¡± [I agree, we should scrap it.] Silas cleared his throat. ¡°Celio, we can¡¯t hear their side of the argument.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the same as last time, ¡®It is unreasonable to expect anything from us. The citizens of the Scoop of receive enough from simply delving us.¡¯¡± Celio repeated word for word. Aurelia scowled, ¡°This is expected of dungeons!¡± ¡°Well,¡± Silas had been trying to mediate for most of the three-hour long meeting. ¡°Most dungeons aren¡¯t sapient.¡± ¡°Oh, come on Silas,¡± Aurelia retorted, ¡°how are we going to profit at all if the dungeon doesn¡¯t cooperate? We can¡¯t exactly sell gold and jewels¡ªthat would out us in moments! The crown would be all over this!¡± [Then just don¡¯t sell anything. Not our problem.] Celio winced. ¡°He said something rude, didn¡¯t he?¡± Aurelia interpreted. ¡°Eh¡ª¡± Celio started hesitantly. This wasn¡¯t the first time Kepler and Aurelia had butted heads. ¡°Make it reciprocal.¡± Ira interrupted. Celio blinked. ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°If they¡¯ll consider our requests, we¡¯ll do the same. That sounds fair, doesn¡¯t it?¡± That¡¯s a great idea! Clare¡¯s aura slumped in relief. She had wanted to get along with the Scoop but had been a bit hesitant herself. Aurelia pursed her lips. ¡°Acceptable.¡± Celio let out a dramatic sigh, ¡°Thank Lux and Nox and all the outer deities. Yes, that is acceptable to both sides, Ira you are a lifesaver.¡± She laughed lightly, and Clare noticed her ears turn pink. Did she have a crush? Cute! ¡°Alright,¡± Celio turned to the gathered adults leaders of the Scoop, ¡°Do the citizens of the Scoop agree to and promise to abide by the stipulations of this treaty?¡± There was a chorus of yes¡¯s and nods. Nova even let out a little cheer. ¡°And does the dungeon and her residents swear the same?¡± Yes, I will abide by it. Clare swore. To her surprise, she felt a weight settle in on her. Kepler gave her an alarmed look, then checked the System. ¡°Kepler?¡± The relatively young priest below them looked concerned. Her symbiote nodded slowly, then cleared his throat. [It is my honor to stand by Clare and her promises.] ¡°Great,¡± Celio proclaimed, then added flippantly, ¡°You may now kiss the bride.¡± Silas and Nettuno snickered, quickly joined by Jove in a trio of irreverent old men. Kepler eyed Clare¡¯s avatar speculatively, and she giggled before turning away. Her heart was heavy in her throat, bound there by the weight of her new promise, and by the feelings she¡¯d been pretending to take lightly. We should celebrate! It was best to keep moving. 83. -Confucius- This was all very puzzling and nice. Confucius had never been part of a celebration before. To be fair, he had only been born a few days ago, but it was very different from the few days he had experienced. The slimes, instead of philosophizing or practicing aesthetical balance at the Jungle Gym (and why was it named that, anyways?), were happily riding the dungeon currents with the snake-worms. Snake-worms who, picking up on the festive mood, were not attacking anyone! That on its own was a massive surprise, Confucius had been forced to respawn by them at least ten times in his short lifespan. It didn¡¯t end there, though. Slender and Undine were dancing (and wasn¡¯t that a wonderous sight! Gleaming water twisting and bending in the arms of a long, delicate dancer. They teleported through any obstacles, keeping unwavering time to the dipluran choir; sparkling like the core itself), Atalanta had hitched a ride on Mr. Wriggles (who bucked only playfully), and Puck had bodily thrown Duchess at Van Gogh in the least subtle attempt at matchmaking possible. The specters weren¡¯t the only one¡¯s dancing. Mum had let the delvers into their grotto, and they had joined the celebrations with varying levels of enthusiasm. Dungeon-touched Celio (that was what his status said, at least) had grabbed Paladin Ira by the hand¡ªthat had ended with Celio tossed into a nearby pool, but he seemed happy nonetheless¡ªand Felix had thrown Astrid over his shoulder like a sack of dirt and was running around yelling at the top of his lungs for no clear reason. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Confucius sat in the corner with Arachne, not sure what to do with all the noise. [Are you alright?] the quiet faerie asked. He nodded. [This is fun. I¡¯m just not sure where I fit.] Arachne hummed thoughtfully. [A good question.] She played with mum¡¯s aura, a habit more than an intentional thing. [Where would you like to fit?] [Well¡­] Confucius had started as a plant. He wasn¡¯t used to wanting things beyond sustenance. And now he didn¡¯t even need sustenance. She shrugged. [You don¡¯t have to answer right away. Some questions require more thought than others.] He nodded, watching Undine and Slenderman sparkle through a jet of water that supported the grotto like a load-bearing pillar. His older sister, Astrid, was laughing. She¡¯d escaped Felix and was toting Nova on her own shoulder, fruitlessly chased by Septimus. Achilles shyly approached Arachne and him. It was surprising, for the reckless faerie to be shy, but he was always that way around Arachne. [It would be nice to dance.] He told Arachne. She shrugged. [Then you should find someone to dance with.] He shifted uncomfortably. [I¡­] [Yes?] Arachne shot him a haughty look. [I would like to dance with you, please.] The diplurans changed songs, switching from jazz to a waltz. Sighing coquettishly, Arachne took Achilles¡¯ hand, leaving Confucius alone in his corner. He watched the crowd celebrating. Ghost Rider had lit his head on fire and was chasing the High Priestess Aurelia around, much to High Priest Silas¡¯ amusement. The two teenage delvers, Clara and Acacias, had taken off their shoes to dangle bare feet in cool water. Chomp-chomp nipped at Clara¡¯s toes playfully, drawing a surprised yelp from the girl and jiggling laughter from the slimes. Where did Confucius belong, really? After a long moment of thought, he finally retreated to the garden he¡¯d been born in. He¡¯d figure it out later. 84. Clare went to bed late that night. *** She was sitting on a park bench. Devon was beside her. His eyes were closed. Sunlight beat down on them both. It was a dream. Clare was getting better at recognizing them. But it was also a memory, and she let it play. ¡°Clare.¡± He turned and opened his eyes. Smiled at her. ¡°My beautiful Clare.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± It was the beginning of summer. Bees were humming over white flowers in thick patches of vivid green clover. ¡°Will you marry me?¡± She¡¯d known this question was coming. They had graduated, and Devon had gotten a scholarship for a prestigious art program in Chicago. Despite her good grades, Clare hadn¡¯t been admitted to the same school; had only applied at his urging. Devon¡¯s empty-sky eyes begged her. It was a simple question, but his gaze gave it the weight of the world. ¡°Sam and Mindy¡ª¡± her foster parents, ¡°¡ªwant me to stay here, with them.¡± It was a bit of goodwill Clare had been surprised by. Surprised and touched. ¡°I can go to the community college. It¡¯s not too far.¡± He looked at the ground. A jogger ran past on the cement path not too far from them, her sweat dripping off her red face like tears. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°I¡­¡± Devon closed his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be alone.¡± She reached over and stroked his head. He leaned into the, admittedly rare, gesture of affection. ¡°You won¡¯t be.¡± Clare promised. ¡°I¡¯ll call you, every day if you want me to. But to get married¡­¡± His shoulders slumped. Devon almost looked boneless, reminding her of a Raggedy Andy doll Clare had owned as a child. Her mother had given it to her when she turned four. She¡¯d lovingly kept it until her father confused it for a towel and used it to wipe his drunk vomit off the bathroom floor. ¡°I understand.¡± Devon said. ¡°It¡¯s too much of an ask.¡± Clare shook her head. ¡°It should be something we both want¡­¡± She paused, trying to parse why it was important. ¡°I want you to feel wanted. You deserve to feel wanted, Devon, not like someone who begged his wife into marriage.¡± ¡°Am I unwanted now?¡± He showed a bittersweet smile, a not-smile given for her comfort more than his. She hesitated. ¡°Not unwanted¡­¡± Clare was closer to truly loving him than ever. ¡°I need time. My heart is such a frozen thing, like a chunk of permafrost taken from a tundra. And you¡¯re so warm, you melt me like the sun. Like the coals at the end of a bonfire, warm and reliable. But I need time.¡± He kissed her, at that. It held all the warmth she¡¯d come to expect and more. It was only later that she realized it was also desperate. They talked every day during his first semester, and during summer break. Devon started to fade his second semester¡ªhe wouldn¡¯t tell her what, but something was bothering him. She tried to cheer him up; they had plans to fly him back during winter break. Clare had gotten a job at the local grocery store, and he had saved up some of the scholarship money. It would have been enough. But on the last day of his second semester, Devon killed himself. He never told her what had been bothering him. She still didn¡¯t know. *** [Clare.] Kepler sounded concerned. He had her wrapped in his arms. [Are you alright?] There were tears in her newly opened eyes. Below, the dungeon residents had gone still, sensing her emotions. Just a nightmare. His purple eyes were vivid; his gaze heavy. Clare embraced him. But she couldn¡¯t bring herself to share her dream. 85. --Vanni¡ª He really did look great today. His shoulder-length hair gleamed in various shades of chestnut brown and gold; braided with black strips of leather (with a charisma-boosting effect enchanted into them), it looked like a woodsman¡¯s crown. Not that he was dressed as Royalty. No, Vanni¡¯s perfectly proportioned and, frankly, sculpted-looking body was clothed in simple brown pants (well-cut to suit him, of course) and a deep green shirt with elbow-length sleeves. The look was solidly middle-class, even if the colors did make his hazel eyes practically burn the viewer with vivid beauty. By Laurus did he love having a high charisma stat. He just always looked so damn fine. But good looks aside, the [Incipient Tyrant] really did need to keep his lineage on the down-low today. It was his first time in the Scoop, and he wanted a good sense of what the place had to offer before he took governance of it. Well, Vanni smirked, Other than the massive wealth from their dungeon. The fruit-sellers cart bumped to a stop as they pulled up in front of a brick building. Overhead, the Scoop¡¯s stone ¡®ceiling¡¯ loomed ominously. ¡°Belvedere.¡± A teenage girl greeted the fruit-seller happily. She was shelling peas with an elderly lady, both sitting in wicker chairs outside the building. ¡°You know it¡¯s not time for harvest yet.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°What, I can¡¯t just visit, Clara?¡± Belvedere replied, chuckling. ¡°Besides, I brought you guys a gift.¡± The old woman had already been staring at Vanni, but now the teenager turned his gaze to him, too. ¡°Hello.¡± He gave them a ¡®shy¡¯ smile. ¡°I was hoping to join an Old Sect. You¡¯re all based here, right?¡± The old woman¡ª[Eye of Horus] whispered that she was the High Priestess of the Lux Sect¡ªsquinted at him suspiciously. ¡°That so.¡± ¡°Priestess! Don¡¯t be rude!¡± Clara said, flustered. ¡°Um,¡± she turned back to Vanni, ¡°What sect were you thinking of joining?¡± He scratched his neck sheepishly. ¡°Well, could you tell me about them? I just,¡± he let some Grimeville accent bleed in as if he were embarrassed as well, ¡°I just couldn¡¯t find myself getting along with the Laurus sect, ya know? But I wanna be religious. My old man always said it¡¯s best to have a god.¡± Which was a complete lie. The filthy king would have sold the gods for a ham sandwich. The High Priestess instantly brightened. So, she hates the Laurus sect. I can work with that. His skill warned him not to get comfortable, though. Maybe the old lady had her own info-seeking passive? Belvedere nodded cheerily at the events. Vanni had convinced him with the same story. ¡°Figured you guys always need an extra hand, and I always need a free dinner and drink.¡± The priestess scowled. ¡°I really am surrounded by shameless old codgers. Well, fine, it¡¯s good to eat with the other sect sometimes. You¡ª¡± she pointed at Vanni. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± He gave her a winning smile, drawing a reluctant blush. ¡°Vanni, priestess.¡± ¡°Well, you go with Clara¡ªdon¡¯t you dare seduce her¡ª¡± He repressed a scowl. Like hell I¡¯d touch a minor, ¡°And go help make food. It¡¯ll give you a good intro to our doctrine.¡± ¡°Well,¡± He pushed his irritation aside, making room for another wide grin. ¡°I¡¯m always one for food.¡± Clara huffed at her high priestess, face flushed, before turning to the prince. ¡°Welcome to the Scoop.¡± He gave her a half-bow. ¡°I¡¯m glad to be here.¡± 86. It was a good time to work on floor design. Right now, they had an entrance room, the east and west wings, and then Astrid¡¯s boss room, followed by the core room. But the locals had seen their layout, when they were celebrating, so Clare decided to do a little tinkering. Besides, she didn¡¯t have a hobby like Kepler did. He looked so handsome cute fiddling with his garden, but Clare wasn¡¯t sure she could put that much passion into anything. In fact, the idea almost scared her; it wasn¡¯t like she had anything she was good at. Would probably mess it up. But, she was the dungeon. Floor design. Right now, they had a little bit of unused space under the entrance room and outer ring. The outer ring¡ªshe called them the east and west wings since, after they¡¯d gotten the new designs from expanding, Kepler and Clare had made a kind of livable-style dungeon hall of both sides. Well, sort of livable. There were bedroom-style alcoves shielded from the hall by thick curtains, a desk or two with parchment, quills and other supplies. It had tickled their fancy to make it look like a house, like their little home. The water pillars remained, as did the random spikes (they¡¯d managed to make the protrusions a lot more translucent, sharper, and thinner, too), but they¡¯d relied a lot more on puzzles this time. Kepler insisted it was because Celio was too dumb to solve any puzzles, so it was a better deterrent. Both knew, as well, that puzzles tended to be less lethal for children. I¡¯ve gotten distracted, she said to herself. It wasn¡¯t that she wasn¡¯t interested in designing parts of the dungeon without Kepler. That would be nonsensical, especially with how she¡¯d been keeping him at a bit of a distance lately. [Mum!] Astrid waved a hand at the core, [Are you listening?] Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Clare felt warm, seeing their first creation. The girl was growing up so fast. I am now! [Confucious wants his own garden.] Astrid had her younger brother by the hair, holding him up to the light cheerfully, [But dad¡¯s busy with his own.] Honey, don¡¯t pick him up by his hair¡ªthat has to hurt. Astrid looked puzzled, [There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true.] Confucious tugged at her hand shyly, [It does.] He admitted. [Oh, sorry!] Astrid dropped him, the boy hitting the stone floor with a thump. Clare winced. They¡¯d have to work on that, Astrid was under the impression that everyone was as tough as snake-worms. Clare had assumed she¡¯d learn better from the dungeon servants, but no one had said anything. Confucious stood up, [I¡¯m okay. I do want a garden though.] Clare beamed. She¡¯d been a bit worried about Confucious (he was so quiet!) but it seemed like he¡¯d learned to ask for what he wanted. Of course!! Slenderman wandered over to see what the excitement was all about and was largely ignored by the children. They really didn¡¯t find him scary at all. Clare hollowed out a part of the floor next to their core area, filling it with the dust-ground rock-decayed materials mix Kepler had been using to grow his plants. After another moment of thought, she raised some rocky spikes and boulders around the place to keep the other dungeon dwellers from trampling it. What kind of plants do you want? They didn¡¯t have much, but hopefully it would be enough. [Slimy rugs.] Confucious said quietly. His nickname for Microbic mats was so cute. Clare laid down a thick layer and ported in some water from the general network. Is that good? He nodded happily. Cute. [You¡¯ll have to show me when it¡¯s done.] Astrid told him. Confucious shook his head. [No way. You¡¯re too rough.] Clare held in a chortle at Astrid¡¯s expression. She left the two to bicker as Slenderman leaned down to sniff the new garden curiously. In Kepler¡¯s garden, the symbiote was experimenting with candy and velvet and some offshoot of moss left over from Confucious¡¯ birth. He was humming along with the diplurans, who had began playing ¡®Have I Told You Lately That I Love You.¡¯ It made her feel oddly hollow, she realized. The idea of designing the dungeon without him. But, she didn¡¯t want to interrupt him. And, just maybe, if she took up a hobby of her own it would be fine. Even the kids had things they were passionate about, and it didn¡¯t matter if she messed up something like, say, sculpting, right? With that thought, she summoned a block marble and lost herself in cheerful busyness. 87. --Celio¡ª The new guy was suspicious. Not only did have a flimsy reason for being here (Celio knew what anger-based decision making looked like. It did not look like this.), he was entirely too interested in Ira, and Gloria didn¡¯t like him. If you can¡¯t trust a dodo¡¯s opinion, you can¡¯t trust anyone. It was a good maxim. He¡¯d come up with it after seeing Gloria peck the new guy. Said new guy was smiling at him, now, Charisma working full force (Celio wasn¡¯t fooled. People who invested in their Charisma stat that heavily were never to be trusted). ¡°So, I hear you¡¯re a painter. Is that part of Lux¡¯s practices?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Celio replied. Ira sighed, annoyed at his obvious dislike of the man. ¡°Sorry Vanni.¡± She said, ¡°He¡¯s usually a lot more outgoing.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize for me.¡± Celio told her. ¡°I¡¯m a big boy.¡± She kicked him under the table, ¡°You know, I¡¯d never have guessed.¡± New Guy laughed sheepishly. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know having high Charisma isn¡¯t seen as that trustworthy. But I really am interested in the old sects.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Sure.¡± Celio replied. New Guy brightened like a damned sunrise, ¡°You know what, I bet you know a lot about the Scoop, do you want to show me around? You could fill me in on the local doctrines.¡± Local doctrines. Hah, this man wasn¡¯t the slightest bit religious, he definitely had an ulterior motive. ¡°You know what?¡± Celio smiled brightly in return (and no, he wasn¡¯t competing, he wouldn''t stoop to compete with someone Charisma-heavy), ¡°That sounds like a great idea. Let¡¯s go right now, dinner is over, right?¡± ¡°Great idea!¡± New Guy said, ¡°Should we start with your temple?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll show you the orchards.¡± Ira sighed heavily. ¡°Celio¡­¡± He patted his old friend¡¯s head cheerfully. ¡°Problem?¡± ¡°No,¡± She gave him a surprisingly anxious look, ¡°Just reminding you that you don¡¯t have a combat class.¡± He didn¡¯t have any class, at the moment. Nearly empty stats. Celio felt a little warmth at her worry but couldn¡¯t convince himself to back down. ¡°Why would I need a combat class? Besides,¡± he gestured to the dodo he had tucked under his arm, ¡°I have Gloria.¡± New Guy squinted at the bird, ¡°What is that thing, anyway?¡± ¡°Gloria is a bird.¡± Celio replied, straight-faced. He blinked. ¡°Okay.¡± They went outside. Walked to the orchard. ¡°I¡¯d like to say this first,¡± New Guys said evenly, ¡°I did not intend to hit on your girlfriend. I¡¯m just incredibly attractive.¡± Celio nodded. ¡°Noted and ignored.¡± After they beat the hell out of each other (well, Celio got the worst of it), they sat on the cool grass and stared up at the stone ¡®sky.¡¯ ¡°By the way, I¡¯m Vanni.¡± New Guy introduced himself. ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Celio.¡± They shook hands. ¡°You¡¯re not bad in a fight.¡± Vanni shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re way worse than I thought you were.¡± Celio shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a temporary thing. So why are you really here?¡± Vanni thought for a minute. ¡°Would you believe me if I said I was here to get rich?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Celio nodded, stroking Gloria. ¡°Yeah, I really would.¡± 88. The diplurans were playing Katy Perry, and Clare was kinda digging it. She wasn¡¯t usually a pop-genre girl, but ¡®Hot N Cold¡¯ is just fun. We fight we break up, she sang along, We kiss we make up. Clare was redecorating the core room with Van Gogh. Yes, they had a core room now. Walls made of 6 inches of diamond, softened in appearance by loosely hung silk, and a similarly constructed door now shielded the most vulnerable part of the dungeon from intruders. It was the agreed upon ¡®partitioned area¡¯ in their deal with the Scoop, and had become Clare, Kepler, Astrid, and Confucius¡®s inner sanctum of sorts. Van Gogh was an enthusiastic interior designer. [While pure white creates a mysterious aesthetic, it doesn¡¯t convey the true royal magnitude of your housing.] He said, trying to convince her to let him paint the silk hanging on the walls for the umpteenth time. That¡¯s all very well and nice, dear, but first I want to make sure the core¡¯s housing is artistic and secure. Can you focus for just a little longer? Van Gogh looked much put upon, but by the time the diplurans finished their song, they had a casing that satisfied both of their concerns. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. [What¡¯s going on, here?] [Great consort to the Queen,] Van Gogh implored to Kepler, who had finally stopped gardening, [You must agree that the walls need more than simple white silk!] Clare snorted, amused at the faerie¡¯s artistic vigor. [Feel free.] Kepler told him, sliding his avatar around Clare¡¯s in a nebulous embrace. Van Gogh sighed in exaggerated relief, then went to paint the silk hangings. The fibers themselves changed color, rather than looking painted, but that only lent an eerie beauty to the quickly forming images. He cares so much, Clare giggled to Kepler, I almost felt bad keeping him from it earlier. Kepler yawned, nodding happily. His whiskers tickled her neck. [Ensuring the stability of our throne was more important.] Clare snorted. It¡¯s not a throne. Raising an eyebrow, Kepler shrugged. He let his avatar form more fully, pressing comfortable weight onto her shoulders. Her aura shuddered. She stretched the feeling away. Poked his cheek. [What?] She smiled. Let herself accept, for a moment, that this was her reality. That she was here, as a dungeon, and that no one in her dungeon would ever leave her. Not truly. We need to talk. She admitted, still only to him. He swallowed nervously. Is now a good time? [Ah, well, of cours--] Delvers stepped over their threshold. [I mean, perhaps later?] She squinted at him playfully, then turned to their entrance. Alright. 89. -- Vanni¡ª Celio was an utter moron, and the prince was growing fond of him. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Gloria?¡± The idiot crooned at his bird. Vanni reached over to poke the creature, receiving a nip for his trouble. Celio snorted at him. ¡°Serves you right.¡± Vanni tossed his perfect hair. ¡°Nonsense. I¡¯m perfect.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even woo a bird.¡± Poor Celio was so insecure. Didn¡¯t even seem to know his crush, Ira, had a thing for him. Vanni snorted, feeling superior. ¡°Give it time!¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. They turned the corner, pushing through more dust in the abandoned palace. Gloria hooted (sort of) cheerfully. Music. There was faint, chirping music. Celio turned, looking back to where the prince had stopped. ¡°What?¡± Vanni tipped his head, listening intently. ¡°Music.¡± [Eye of Horus] said it was the dungeon. Celio nodded. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a very personable little dungeon. Mostly. Sort of. If you can¡¯t get along with it, no deal, though.¡± He rolled his eyes. Started moving forward with purpose. Celio had only agreed to let him see the dungeon because ¡®it would be a good test of character.¡¯ Not that the, according to [Eye of Horus], Classless person would be able to stop him if he didn¡¯t ¡®pass¡¯. How does one even get stripped of their system boons? Vanni suspected it was somehow due to Celio¡¯s own idiocy. Soon the archway was in sight. It matched his vision. A gem covered statue, a floor of precious metals; the ostentatious display was outdone only by his father¡¯s court. The [Incipient Tyrant] didn¡¯t hesitate. Cool, damp air enveloped him as he stepped into the future. 90. What a beautiful person¡­ Clare found herself murmuring. The man who¡¯d entered looked like a movie star. Perfect proportions, effortless looking hair, eyes that caught the light just right, all the time¡ª Kepler growled. [He¡¯s manipulating your mind with a System-granted stat. Charisma.] She blinked. I see. Celio was right behind the man and snickering at their exchange with unholy glee. Who¡¯s this, Celio? The priest held a finger to his lips, tilting his chin to the unknown delver. Mouthed something, but not clearly enough for her to understand him. [Imma kill him.] Kepler growled. [The use of such a stat is highly unethical.] Clare shook her head. It¡¯s a stat, not a war crime, Kepler. He sighed, grumbling. [Celio, the hell are you pulling?] The stranger glanced back at Celio, who had bruises all over his face. ¡°You can stay here.¡± Celio shrugged. ¡°Word of caution¡ªdo not approach the core.¡± The stranger thought for a moment. Nodded and moved forward, prying up the tiles with the same alacrity as Felix, but with a different focus. He piled anything valuable into a bag, including the key, and then moved towards the statue. Celio choked. Did you not tell him the rules? He has to offer a toll, not rob our statue. The dungeon-touched priest held up one finger, still watching his new acquaintance. ¡°What do you think, Vanni?¡± Vanni hummed thoughtfully. ¡°I think you¡¯re screwing with me, Celio.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be wrong.¡± He replied, looking somewhat nervous. ¡°But you¡¯re not just treasure hunter, are you?¡± [Did you bring him here for us to get rid of him?] Geez, Celio, we¡¯re not a garbage disposal! Kepler looked pleased at the analogy. Celio motioned for them to wait. Vanni turned back towards the man. Gloria squawked uneasily, so Celio set her down. ¡°Gimme your money.¡± The stranger held out his hand expectantly. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Gloria pecked around, searching for a snack. Clare put a small pile of peanuts nearby. The diplurans increased in volume. ¡°Look,¡± Vanni said, ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me about any toll, right? So gimme your money, you¡¯re paying it.¡± Grumbling, Celio pulled an apple core from his pocket. Eww, Celio, don¡¯t keep stuff like that in your pocket, it¡¯s unsanitary. Ignoring the dungeon, he handed it to Vanni. ¡°It¡¯s a dungeon, not a tax collector.¡± Vanni placed it on the shelf, displaying a disgust similar to Clare¡¯s. Celio dug around in his pocket and found one of Father Silas¡¯ candies. Placed it where the apple core had already dissolved. [We already have candy.] Kepler complained. ¡°Deal with it.¡± Celio mumbled. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. The symbiote growled in response. Sighing, Celio reached for his knife¡ª [No, give us more materials.] I bet your hair has some interesting keratin. He sighed. Cut off some of his hair and dropped it on the altar. Mumbled an apologetic prayer to Lux. [Another one for animal products.] Celio scowled. Vanni gave fellow delver a look. Then proceeded to loot the rest of the room. Turned around and left with a smug look in his eyes. The priest stayed in the dungeon. ¡°What do you guys think?¡± Hm? About that delver? ¡°Yeah, is he safe to have around?¡± Uh, Kepler, what¡¯s his status like? The symbiote pulled it up. [Here¡¯s the full thing.] -Status- Name: Giovanni Perwicax (Royal Family) Species: Human Age: 19 Modifiers: Royal Blood, Hidden Status Level: 21 Health: 96% Class: Incipient Tyrant Mythic Type: Ruler MP: 54/84 MP ration: 9.45/1 hr. XP: 81/378 SP: 88 Strength: 15 Agility: 30 Dexterity: 40 Intelligence: 50 Mana Affinity: 30 Charisma: 50 Skills: 3 Spells: 4 Quests: 3 The two hummed and hawed over the information for a moment. Kepler snickered at the uselessness of ¡®Hidden Status¡¯ against him. The quests are the most telling bit. Clare finally concluded, And I think he¡¯s okay to deal with. Might even want to get on his good side. [He¡¯s down and out Royalty.] Kepler! Clare tugged his whiskers, annoyed, you can¡¯t just give out personal information like that! [We allied with the Scoop.] Still, she crossed her arms, pouting, He¡¯s only 19, and it seems he¡¯s had a really rough time of it. Won¡¯t the other humans take advantage of the information we give them? [I should hope they do.] Celio cleared his throat. ¡°I will do my best to treat him well, as a human being. However,¡± His fists clenched, ¡°What do you mean royalty?¡± [Hm. Is the queen dead?] ¡°No.¡± [He¡¯s a bastard child, then. And is on the third tier of a quest to help his people.] Celio went silent as he processed this. In the core room, Astrid had Puck by one foot and was hurling him at Slenderman through the jungle gym. Puck was laughing, so Clare didn¡¯t intervene. ¡°And? What are the downsides?¡± [His class is Incipient Tyrant.] Clare felt the system add to their conversation. [But he¡¯s on track to become a Benevolent Tyrant.] Kepler sighed. [Just don¡¯t let him know you know. Watch him. Don¡¯t get in the way of his scheme, if you can, and if you must come to us for help.] Crouching thoughtfully, Celio traced a finger along the lines where gilded tiles once were. ¡°Thank you.¡± You¡¯re welcome. [Just get out.] Celio nodded, rose, and jogged out of the dungeon. 91. --Aurelia¡ª Making her way through a tumble of children with practiced ease, Aurelia headed to her personal chambers for the noon prayer. Celio would lead the kids in their own more structured prayers, but being a high priestess came with some perks. Besides, Aurelia didn¡¯t actually like kids. I mean, she loved them; couldn¡¯t have become a priestess to Lux if she didn¡¯t inexplicably love them. But there is a great difference between love and like, and Aurelia only soldiered through her annoyance out of that love. She closed the door behind her. Breathed a sigh of relief at the silence. Her room had an altar to Lux in front of the window. The goddess looked serene and playful at the same time. Damn if Aurelia didn¡¯t envy that expression, sometimes. Envy the way her goddess seemed to weather even the craziest turns of events, unchanged by bitter Time. The high priestess knelt. She had a thick rug, specifically for cradling her old knees, right in front of the altar. It smelled of incense and holy oil, the scent baked deep into its fibers over the years. ¡°Our goddess,¡± she prayed, ¡°I reach out to you now in hopes of guidance.¡± Aurelia. Lux¡¯s presence was enlivening and relaxing at the same time, and that was at a distance. How are you doing? ¡°You can read my mind, great one. I know you are always watching.¡± They¡¯d found an odd balance, over the years. Lux would trip all over herself with affection, and her priestess ignore it with stiff formality, and somehow that suited them both just fine. But I want to hear it all from you! And why haven¡¯t you gone out with Silas, yet? You two would be perfect! Aurelia choked. She¡¯d hoped the goddess would drop the question as her priestess aged, but Lux had only nagged more. ¡°Great one,¡± her tone was annoyed more than fervent, ¡°I have already given you my opinion on that matter.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it I worry about you, Aurelia. You are too far set on being alone. ¡°Other people annoy me. Why else would I stay in the Scoop?¡± Because you love the children? Her goddess was amused, Because you love the way the orchard looks at sunset, all gold and red, and because, for all you deny it, you love helping the people around you. Aurelia clicked her tongue in annoyance. ¡°While you¡¯re not wrong, that doesn¡¯t mean I need to be paired up with Father Silas.¡± Lux sent the impression of a shrug. That meant she¡¯d bring it up again later. But, how have you been, lately? ¡°Well¡­¡± She sighed, ¡°I¡¯m worried about the dungeon. And the newcomer. And Celio¡¯s health¡ªhe hasn¡¯t gotten a class since that disastrous delve.¡± Hmm. Lux thought for a moment. Nox is working with the lad who hurt Celio. I do apologize for not warning you about trying to [Claim] the dungeon, we¡¯ve both been distracted lately. We are paying attention now. Their distraction was almost certainly about Laurus. The old gods had grieved their son¡¯s poor decisions, and the distance it put between them, like any other couple would and spent a lot of time trying to mend things. ¡°We are strong.¡± Aurelia said, in lieu of comforting a Being so above her. ¡°And you helped when we needed you.¡± Yes¡­ But Celio should regain a class any day, now. His changed perspective is making it difficult for the System, but it will offer something as soon as he settles. As for your newcomer¡­ Lux sighed again, this time in exasperation and pity. ¡°What about him?¡± Oh, you¡¯d better ask Celio. He¡¯s already thick as thieves with him, and I do mean that in the most oddly quarrelsome-friendly way that thieves tend towards. It¡¯s just a good thing Ira doesn¡¯t have any romantic interest in Vanni. Aurelia chuckled. ¡°Is that so?¡± Seriously! Lux huffed dramatically, changing to a gossipier tone, She¡¯s still hung up on Celio, but would never admit it, and at least that makes sense unlike you and Silas¡ª Standing rapidly, Aurelia cleared her throat, strangely embarrassed. Which was silly, because she didn¡¯t feel a thing for Silas, and never had, so it was entirely on Lux for nagging her. Entirely. ¡°I thank you for the benevolence of your attention, our goddess--¡± Aurelia said quickly. And those young Beings haven¡¯t even admitted to their attraction! Is it something in the water there¡ª ¡°I will now retreat to reflect on your wisdom.¡± She ended her prayer, stepping away from the altar. Shook the blush off her face and glided into her Movements of Light routine. --Lux¡ª ¡°Rude!¡± Nox looked over at his wife, who was pouting. Chuckled. She narrowed her eyes at him dangerously. ¡°You got something to say, buddy?¡± He shook his head, still smiling. ¡°Not a word.¡±